There are so many things wrong with this, it is hard to know where to begin other than this picture!
Yes, this is the stunt they pulled because veterans committing suicide is such an important thing to them...they did not even bother to read the report from the VA in the first place, or the second report, or the third one!
This is a quote from the "event coordinators"
"They don't have the right outlet to come back. They need to go to their local VFW and talk to these people that were in World War 2 and tell them what they saw, because those guys want to know the generation gap and what they saw in World War 2 and what they are seeing now in Iraq and Afghanistan," said Kinzer-Henry.
So lets not talk about how that generation, along with ever other generation of veterans OVER THE AGE OF 50 ARE IN FACT THE MAJORITY OF THE KNOWN SUICIDES! Why talk about the fact that had it not been for Vietnam veterans, there would have been nothing available for any of the Iraq and Afghanistan veterans they claim to be doing this for...? (and yes, insert the words you know I have in my head right now) OMG! But hey, this is doing the groups like this a lot of good getting attention and raising a lot of money. Did it ever dawn on any of these people that veterans already know they are dying by their own hands but do not know how to stay alive?
"22 Won't Do" event raising awareness for suicide among veterans Rocket City Now By: Kelly Kennedy Posted: Sep 22, 2018
September is suicide prevention month, and the U.S. Space & Rocket Center hosted an event today to raise awareness for veteran suicide.
"22 Won't Do" is an event that is shedding light on the issue of suicide among veterans.
Lyn Rothe, an event participant, said, "there are people that go through something that maybe we don't understand, but we need to be aware that there are people that need additional help and additional support."
Studies show that on average, 22 veterans a day commit suicide. The community came out today to do 22 push ups in support of veterans.
Jordon Fleming said he wanted to raise awareness "for my young marines, for my country, for my flag, so I didn't wanna just stop and bail out with everybody else." read more here
New Florida law will allow first responders to claim benefits for PTSD ABC 7 News by Annie Hubbell September 21st 2018
Under the law, a first responder must be diagnosed with PTSD after witnessing one of seven qualifying events, all including death, and the claim has to be filed within 90 days of it happening.
Fire officials hope a new law will help break the stigma of mental health in public service.
When you're in work mode, you're in autopilot," Assistant Chief of Operations for North Collier Fire and Rescue John McMahon said. "The problem occurs when the individual is done with that call. That person then goes back to being a human being."
Starting October 1, Florida worker's compensation benefits for first responders will now include Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. PTSD is a psychiatric disorder when a person experiences a traumatic event. read more here ABC-7.com WZVN News for Fort Myers, Cape Coral and Naples, Florida
Think about the part where it said, "a traumatic event" which is how civilians end up getting hit by PTSD. Now think about how many of them you experience in your career. If they can get it from one time, which turns out to be over 7 million Americans, then it should be easy to accept the fact that no matter how tough you are, the odds are, you will need help too! The 90 days is more than a problem about filing a claim. The truth is, the sooner you get help to heal, the better the chances are, the worst will not happen. As soon as you get help to heal from what you survived, you begin to #TakeBackYourLife.
If you have a hard time understanding what PTSD is, this may help. I created it for National Guards and Reservists, but it was used to help first responders. I even got an award for it back in 2008 from the IFOC.
Love? Yes! Sgt. Ronald J. Shurer II put his life on the line when he joined the military. Why do they do it? Love, pure and simple. Sure, they have to have courage, but the fact they could all do something else with their lives, choosing service requires something beyond courage. Shurer wanted to save lives and became a combat medic. According to the Citation for the Medal of Honor he will receive, he was ready to sacrifice everything to save someone else. He did it so that others may live even if it meant he could die. Army Special Forces Medic Will Get Medal of Honor for Afghanistan Heroism Military.com Hope Hodge Seck September 21, 2108
"With disregard for his own safety, Sergeant Shurer took off through a hail of bullets and began scaling the rock face to get to the casualties," his dramatic Silver Star citation states. "During initial movement to the base of the mountain, he treated a teammate wounded by shrapnel to his neck from an RPG blast that blew him off his feet."
Ronald J Shurer II
An Army medic who braved enemy rocket-propelled grenades and sniper fire in Afghanistan to treat wounded soldiers will receive the military's highest honor, the White House announced late Friday.
Ronald J. Shurer II will receive the Medal of Honor, an upgrade to the Silver Star he had been previously awarded for his actions in April 2008. The medal will be presented at an Oct. 1 ceremony, according to the White House announcement.
"Sergeant Shurer rendered life saving aid to four critically wounded casualties for more than five and a half hours," the citation reads. "As the lone medic at the besieged location, and almost overrun and fighting against nearly 200 insurgent fighters, Sergeant Shurer's bravery and poise under fire saved the lives of all wounded casualties under his care."
Before the day was over, Shurer had evacuated three critically wounded soldiers down a "near-vertical" 60-foot cliff, using a rig of nylon webbing he designed himself and shielding the wounded from falling rocks with his own body. read more here
Denver Veterans Affairs Official Charged With Taking Bribes PATCH By Jean Lotus, Patch Staff Sep 20, 2018
A small business official and two vendors were accused of attempted bid-rigging on federal contracts with the VA.
DENVER, CO – A Denver-based U.S. Veterans Administration official and two business owners were arrested Wednesday as part of an investigation into bribes and bid-rigging at the VA's Colorado Network Contracting Office in Glendale.
VA official Dwane Nevins, 54, of Denver, and business associates Robert Revis, 59, and Anthony Bueno, 43, were indicted by a grand jury for allegedly paying and receiving bribes to manipulate federal contracts between September of 2014 through April of 2016, the U.S. Attorney's Office said. Nevins was also charged with trying to extort $10,000 from an undercover FBI agent posing as the owner of a service-disabled-veteran-owned small business.
The indictment alleges that Revis and Bueno, through a partnership with Nevins, created a company called Auxilious allegedly to help service-disabled veteran business owners navigate the VA's federal procurement set-aside system. Prosecutors allege the three conspired to alter and manipulate federal contracts for two medical procurements: A contract for LC bead particle embolization products for a Salt Lake City VA hospital and a contract for other medical products for VA hospitals throughout the region. read more here Veterans charity collects $6.5 million, still MIA WFLA By: Steve Andrews Posted: Sep 20, 2018
According to Campbell's own admission, VetMade Industries hasn't helped any veterans in at least 5 years, yet it's collected millions and kept its doors closed.
TAMPA, Fla. (WFLA) - Tax records obtained by 8 On Your Side reveal a local charity collected more than $6.5 million to help veterans, but kept its doors closed, helping no one.
VetMade Industries received the money from generous people donating their cars to help train unemployed and disabled vets.
VetMade paid most of the money from those donations to a professional fundraiser.
Earlier this month, we disclosed that according to its tax records, VetMade Industries took in $5.5 million from 2014-2016.
IRS records from 2010 to 2013 show it took in another $1.07 million and veterans got nothing.
The sign on its door still says, "VetMade Industries is closed."
The charity's mission is to put unemployed, disabled veterans back to work.
"We do partner and have partnered with the Veterans Administration, the Office of Compensated Work Therapy Program. They're out of James Haley," VetMade founder John Campbell said.
Not according to an email from Haley Public Affairs Specialist Karen Collins, who wrote, "We don't have an existing partnership." read more here
A couple of things to point out here. The first one is that for most veterans, they already have the movie playing in their head while in a "safe place." Not sure how pretending they are back there again would help. There were only 75 in the research. Pretty small to be given this kind of attention, plus, not a "new" effort. 2007 Terror by degree in PTSD. 2008 Virtual Iraq in the New Yorker and then how only 50 patients in 3 years used it. It was also called a "boondoggle." By 2010 it turned out that Sally Satel, yes, the witchy woman, was promoting it. There are more but you get the idea now. The thing that really jumped out at me was the part where a veteran talks about his buddy committing suicide, before he tried to do it too. He was robbed of hope with the awareness his buddy couldn't make it. He then figured he could not make it either.
Tomah VA therapists use Fort McCoy combat simulator to help veterans with PTSD Milwaukee Journal Sentinel Meg Jones Sept. 21, 2018
The 65-day program includes nine sessions in the combat simulator as well as other group and individual therapy. Tomah VA therapists work with Fort McCoy to tailor scenarios, which can feature desert, jungle and city landscapes. Veterans are placed in four-person teams and a therapist is always with them in the simulator.
FORT McCOY – Zach Nelson texted his mother and brother goodbye in March and then swallowed what he hoped was a lethal amount of pills.
A friend of Nelson’s had recently committed suicide and the 30-year-old Iraq veteran figured “if he can’t make it, neither can I.” But his family notified police in New Auburn, where Nelson lived, and they found him before it was too late.
Nelson ended up at the Tomah VA Medical Center where, as part of his mental health therapy, he returned to the dangerous sands of Iraq on foot patrols and route clearance missions, just like the ones he experienced overseas.
This time, though, instead of battling real roadside bombs and terrorists, Nelson confronted his memories through the wonders of technology. The same technique is being practiced on other veterans suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder as well.
Tomah VA mental health therapists are treating veterans with PTSD, depression and anxiety in a state-of-the-art combat simulator at nearby Fort McCoy. The multimillion dollar simulator features full size Humvees and weapons surrounded by a 360-degree video and audio system. read more here
'Nobody fights alone' Angelus News R.W. Dellinger Sept. 20, 2018
At an LAPD event marking Suicide Prevention Month, new police chief Michel Moore opens up about the deadly threat facing officers away from the streets
LAPD Chief Michel Moore hugs Melissa Swailes, whose husband David committed suicide in 2016 after nearly 10 years on the force. (VICTOR ALEMÁN/ANGELUS)
“We pride ourselves at the Los Angeles Police Department in being a family, but sometimes we don’t take care of each other like a family,” Los Angeles Police Department Chief Michel Moore told fellow officers, civilian support staffers, and their families.
It was a little after 9 a.m., the cloudy haze almost burnt off on this September 9 Sunday morning at the department’s police academy in Elysian Park.
The city’s new chief of police and other speakers were on a raised black stage on the track ringing a grassy infield. And they were speaking before the start of “Heart of the LAPD Walk: We Stand Together,” a 5K walk in the name of suicide awareness and prevention.
“And yet we know we don’t. We train, act, and live as a team. No one fights alone. But yet why has it been in the last 20 years we’ve lost 16 officers in the line of duty but 36 to suicide?
“We have such an aversion at times asking for a backup because of what we just saw or something we’re experiencing here in the department or at home. We’ve got to talk about this as uncomfortable as some may feel. But we can do better. And I know we can,” he said.
Being a police officer in the U.S. is indeed a dangerous occupation. Last year, 129 died in the line of duty. Many more were seriously injured and disabled for life. read more here
Same message being delivered on this site and PTSD Patrol!
Navy: Sailor was struck by propeller on carrier flight deck KVOA 4 News Tucson September 19, 2018 NORFOLK, Va. (AP) — The U.S. Navy says a sailor who died aboard an aircraft carrier was struck by the turning propeller of a plane.
The Navy said in a statement on Wednesday that Airman Apprentice Joseph Min Naglak had just secured an E-2C Hawkeye radar plane to the flight deck. Naglak’s death occurred Monday aboard the USS George H. W. Bush while it was in the Atlantic Ocean. read more here And this happened in June
2 Vietnam veterans forever connected by life-saving kidney donation from one to the other FOX New York By: Bob Barnard POSTED: SEP 18 2018
"Our blood and tissue type match is good," said Coffman. "And to me, it just is living proof that we're all part of one human family. The chances of our match -- I don't know what the odds were, but we beat them."
WASHINGTON - Two men who served in the Air Force almost 50 years ago trained together in California. After they served our country, they returned home and parted ways.
Jim McGee and Doug Coffman didn't reconnect until a recent reunion of their training class at a memorial service for one of their fellow Vietnam veterans. It was the first time the men had seen each other since 1971. That's when one of them learned the other was in urgent need of a new kidney. The operation happened Tuesday at MedStar Georgetown University Hospital.
McGee, a retired foreign service officer and former U.S. ambassador to Zimbabwe and Madagascar from Sarasota, Florida, was undergoing dialysis three times a week while waiting for a kidney donation. read more here
Save the VA. Veterans' lives depend on it | Opinion New Jersey.com By Joesph Hirsch Jersey Journal Guest Columnist September 18, 2018
In May of 1968 I was sent to Vietnam, where I translated intercepted communiques during the war. The horrors of war I witnessed changed me forever. Since I returned home, I have worked to end war and for social justice.
Former Veterans Affairs Secretary David Shulkin speaks at a news conference at the Washington Veterans Affairs Medical Center in Washington last March. (AP Photo)
In Vietnam, I, like millions of Vietnamese and many other American soldiers, was exposed to Agent Orange. Decades later, the VA linked that exposure to my diabetes.
Right now there is a push to get vets out of the VA system and into the private sector medical industry. But the private sector is not prepared to care for vets. Private sector doctors do not understand the unique medical needs of vets, including war trauma, battle induced hearing loss or toxin exposure such as Agent Orange.
A recent RAND study of New York doctors showed only 16 percent asked about occupational or military exposures such as Agent Orange. The same report found just 20 percent of doctors even asked their patients if they had spent time in the military.
While I may suffer from chronic diabetes because of Agent Orange, I am one of the luckier ones. Many people exposed to Agent Orange ended with Parkinson's disease, devastating cancers or they saw their children born with birth defects. read more here
New equipment helps people regain arm movement Helps veterans regain movement to disabled arms Our Quad Cities By: Yukare Nakayama Posted: Sep 18, 2018 DAVENPORT, Iowa - A breakthrough in robotic therapy. The Myomo orthosis is now helping those suffering from paralyzed or weakened arms and hands gain back motion.
"I just really see the excitement and hope it brings patients," says Myomo business manager, Kim Smith.
The device reads nerve signals from the surface of the skin. It then activates small motors to move the arm and hand. The brace amps up the weak muscle signal to move the limb. This device is for those who've suffered from strokes or similar disabilities. Myomo's business manager says repetition of these movements can really do wonders.
"We have some patients who are able to return to work. It's basically the future and the hope that there is a way to restore that arm," says Smith.
Myomo is targeting a specific audience, veterans. About 3.8 million veterans in the U.S are disabled. This device not only helps them gain function back to their elbow or their arms but also their independence. And that is something the Veteran Outreach Center in Davenport is looking forward to.
read more here
