Salisbury VA Medical Center Director Joseph Vaughan

Veteran suicides a ‘personal’ issue for Salisbury VA Medical Center director

WBTV 3 News
By David Whisenant
January 22, 2019

SALISBURY, NC (WBTV) - By the time this day is over, 20 veterans are likely to have committed suicide, according to numbers released by the Veterans Administration.

Doing something to bring that number down has become a top priority of the VA, and of the director of the veterans hospital that serves the Charlotte area.

One of the people who had the biggest influence in the life of Salisbury VA Medical Center Director Joseph Vaughan, took his own life.

“He was actually the person that talked me into coming to work for the VA, so it’s very personal for me," Vaughn said.
read more here

Fort Wainwright and Fort Hood in the news

In other news

Fort Wainwright

Fort Wainwright soldier found dead on base

A Fort Wainwright soldier was found dead last week in an armory on base, U.S. Army Alaska officials said Tuesday, with his death still under investigation.

Spc. Ashvin James Slaughter, assigned to Fort Wainwright’s 1st Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 25th Infantry Division, was discovered Friday in a company arms room.

“According to the U.S. Army Criminal Investigation Command, at this point in the investigation they do not suspect foul play, although they have not completely ruled it out while they conduct a thorough death investigation,” Army officials wrote in a statement. read story here

Diving team recovers body after canoe accident on Lake Belton

Fort Hood

Three men, two of whom were soldiers, took two motorized canoes out on Lake Belton Monday night. Both canoes turned over, and two people were missing for hours, according to Texas Parks and Wildlife. read story here

Reports spreading bird flu

UPDATE:LOL headline from WCPO on 1/26/2019

"Fact check: Viral misinformation about Covington Catholic, Nathan Phillips infects the internet"

Tweets beat the press

Combat PTSD Wounded Times
Kathie Costos
January 22, 2019

When reporters put together their "news" reports using social media as their "source" they are spreading bird flu!

There was a lot of hype about the Native American standoff with a group of students in Washington. Every news source jumped on the story, but it turns out the origins of the story was on Twitter.

Twitter suspends account behind video of Native American’s standoff with teens

The account, with the username @2020fight, was set up in December 2016 and supposedly belonged to a California schoolteacher named Talia — but the actual owner was by a blogger based in Brazil, according to CNN Business.

What followed was the school had to close, the student and his family were threatened. All of this because of a Tweet?

The full video received over 800,000 views by the time I saw it yesterday. Now it is over 1,775,000. It shows what else went on. Countless other videos have been put online from different angles.

The thing is, how did this end up being viral "news" when it really did not happen?

It is because somehow, someone decided that Tweets beat the press doing their jobs.

We saw it when a soldier claimed he saved a man's life with a pen after an accident. Turns out that was not true, and the Army had to retract the story.

We saw it when the couple claimed that a homeless veteran helped the female with $20 dollars and ended up collecting over 400,000 from GoFundMe, which had to be given back. It was all a scam.

We saw it when a disabled veteran set out to collect money to pay for Trump's wall. Turns out that you cannot tell the government what to do with money you donate to the government. Still he raised over $16 million before people started to catch on and now with over $20 million, he is changing his plans...with another campaign.

We saw it when the press jumped all over the report that said there were 22 veterans a day committing suicide. Trouble on that one too. It turns out that report was limited data from just 21 states. 

Over and over again, someone puts something up online and the press just uses it without knowing what it true and what is an ear worm!

And just who is going to make sure they are held to account for themselves? Their editors? Their Board of Directors? Their Advertisers? The Public?

“No government ought to be without censors; and where the press is free no one ever will.” ― Thomas Jefferson

But it seems as if they are a little too free!!!!

The 5 Principles of Ethical Journalism

1. Truth and AccuracyJournalists cannot always guarantee ‘truth’, but getting the facts right is the cardinal principle of journalism. We should always strive for accuracy, give all the relevant facts we have and ensure that they have been checked. When we cannot corroborate information we should say so.

2. IndependenceJournalists must be independent voices; we should not act, formally or informally, on behalf of special interests whether political, corporate or cultural. We should declare to our editors – or the audience – any of our political affiliations, financial arrangements or other personal information that might constitute a conflict of interest.

3. Fairness and ImpartialityMost stories have at least two sides. While there is no obligation to present every side in every piece, stories should be balanced and add context. Objectivity is not always possible, and may not always be desirable (in the face for example of brutality or inhumanity), but impartial reporting builds trust and confidence.

4. HumanityJournalists should do no harm. What we publish or broadcast may be hurtful, but we should be aware of the impact of our words and images on the lives of others.

5. AccountabilityA sure sign of professionalism and responsible journalism is the ability to hold ourselves accountable. When we commit errors we must correct them and our expressions of regret must be sincere not cynical. We listen to the concerns of our audience. We may not change what readers write or say but we will always provide remedies when we are unfair.

Irony of national security shut down?

Shutdown, shut down our National Security providers

Under Homeland Security

U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS)

U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) administers the nation’s lawful immigration system, safeguarding its integrity and promise by efficiently and fairly adjudicating requests for immigration benefits while protecting Americans, securing the homeland, and honoring our values.

United States Coast Guard (USCG)

The United States Coast Guard is one of the five armed forces of the United States and the only military organization within the Department of Homeland Security. The Coast Guard protects the maritime economy and the environment, defends our maritime borders, and saves those in peril.

United States Customs and Border Protection (CBP)

United States Customs and Border Protection (CBP) is one of the Department of Homeland Security’s largest and most complex components, with a priority mission of keeping terrorists and their weapons out of the U.S. It also has a responsibility for securing and facilitating trade and travel while enforcing hundreds of U.S. regulations, including immigration and drug laws.

Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency

The Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) leads the national effort to defend critical infrastructure against the threats of today, while working with partners across all levels of government and in the private sector to secure against the evolving risks of tomorrow.

Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA)

The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) supports our citizens and first responders to ensure that as a nation we work together to build, sustain, and improve our capability to prepare for, protect against, respond to, recover from, and mitigate all hazards.

Federal Law Enforcement Training Center (FLETC)

The Federal Law Enforcement Training Center provides career-long training to law enforcement professionals to help them fulfill their responsibilities safely and proficiently.

United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE)

United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) promotes homeland security and public safety through the criminal and civil enforcement of federal laws governing border control, customs, trade, and immigration.

United States Secret Service (USSS)

The United States Secret Service (USSS) safeguards the nation's financial infrastructure and payment systems to preserve the integrity of the economy, and protects national leaders, visiting heads of state and government, designated sites, and National Special Security Events.

Transportation Security Administration (TSA)

The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) protects the nation's transportation systems to ensure freedom of movement for people and commerce.

Management Directorate

The Management Directorate is responsible for budget, appropriations, expenditure of funds, accounting and finance; procurement; human resources and personnel; information technology systems; facilities, property, equipment, and other material resources; and identification and tracking of performance measurements relating to the responsibilities of the Department.

Science and Technology Directorate

The Science and Technology Directorate is the primary research and development arm of the Department. It provides federal, state and local officials with the technology and capabilities to protect the homeland.

Countering Weapons of Mass Destruction Office

The mission of the Countering Weapons of Mass Destruction (CWMD) Office is to counter attempts by terrorists or other threat actors to carry out an attack against the United States or its interests using a weapon of mass destruction.

Office of Intelligence and Analysis

The Office of Intelligence and Analysis equips the Homeland Security Enterprise with the timely intelligence and information it needs to keep the homeland safe, secure, and resilient.

Office of Operations Coordination

The Office of Operations Coordination provides information daily to the Secretary of Homeland Security, senior leaders, and the homeland security enterprise to enable decision-making; oversees the National Operations Center; and leads the Department’s Continuity of Operations and Government Programs to enable continuation of primary mission essential functions in the event of a degraded or crisis operating environment.

And then there are the other departments where workers have to go to work, without getting paid, and having to figure out how to get there with no gas. Top that off with having to worry about having a home to go back to and the suffering spreads.

Unclaimed Tennessee veterans laid to rest with honor

Unclaimed veterans buried with dignity, thanks to strangers

The Associated Press
By: Adrian Sainz, Karen Pulfer Focht
January 20, 2019

Soldiers Arnold M. Klechka, 71, Wesley Russell, 76, and Marine Charles B. Fox, 60, were laid to rest in a service attended by about 700 people at West Tennessee Veterans Cemetery in Memphis on Thursday. There was a gun salute, and a bagpiper played “Amazing Grace.”

In this Jan. 17, 2019, photo, a retired U.S. Marine master gunnery sergeant salutes three Memphis veterans, Wesley Russell, 76, Arnold Klechka, 71, Charles Fox, 60, who died this past fall and whose remains were unclaimed, in Memphis, Tenn. (Karen Pulfer Focht/AP)

MEMPHIS, Tenn. — When the flags were removed from the caskets and folded with military precision, there were no family members there to receive them.

So, the banners were passed, hand-to-hand, through the crowd.

Some mourners wept as they clutched the flags briefly. Others kissed them. But the three veterans laid to rest on a rainy Memphis morning were strangers to most of those who gathered to honor their memory.

The service was part of a national effort by funeral homes, medical examiners, state and federal veterans' affairs departments, and local veterans' groups to pay final respects to members of the military whose bodies were not claimed by any relatives. Since 2000, Dignity Memorial and other funeral homes in more than 30 cities have organized about 3,000 funerals for soldiers, sailors and Marines who died alone, but still deserved a dignified funeral and burial, said Jeff Berry, Dignity's general manager in Knoxville.
read more here

Lakeland Fire Department PTSD Peer Support

Lakeland Fire Department rolls out Peer Support training

The Ledger
By Kathy Leigh Berkowitz
Posted Jan 20, 2019

The program was created to combat depression, suicidal thoughts and post-traumatic stress disorder faced by first responders.

LAKELAND — Deaths of first responders to suicide, increased depression, post-traumatic stress disorder, and other symptoms of mental health trauma have led some fire department leaders to change the way they want to see their peers cope with the often stressful and heartbreaking job.

“Tradition is you just suck it up and go about your day, and just let it go,” Lakeland Fire Department Lt. Phil Green said Tuesday as the agency rolled out training for peer support last week. Firefighters fight the macho mentality, the pressure of presenting as invincible, Green said. 

“There is a fear of saying, ‘I am not OK’,” he said, but “we are human just like everybody else.” 

Green, 36, was one of those peers chosen to take the training in an effort to be a sounding board for fellow firefighters. At 14 years in fire services, he said now that the awareness is there, he hopes people speak up when they need to talk.

First responders face all kinds of trauma on a daily basis.

“Vehicle accidents, all different ages. People hang themselves, shoot themselves. Some are burned to death. I have seen children die. ... I have actually stepped in brain matter on scene. I have placed bodies in body bags,” he said.

One day Green said he answered a very bad call involving a child. As a father of a 4-year-old girl, Green said the call had “gotten to” him.

He met with a few other firefighters. “We said, let’s go get some coffee.”

An anonymous survey was distributed throughout the department, asking firefighters to write down the name or names of people they would turn to if they needed help coping with something. Those whose names popped up numerous times were gathered and brought to the training as the first peers to be certified under the program.

read more here

Get the stigma of PTSD out of your way

Putting the PTSD stigma behind you

Combat PTSD Wounded Times
Kathie Costos
January 21, 2019

Apparently you got the wrong message about PTSD.

Is there something wrong with being a survivor? 

Isn't that supposed to mean that you lived through something? 

That is supposed to mean that you were stronger than whatever it was that tried to kill you. Right?

Someone gave you the twisted thought that having PTSD meant you were weak instead of strong.

Did you know that PTSD has more to do with strength than weakness?

PTSD hits you after you survived something. It hits the emotional part of your brain, and that is where your soul lives.

The stronger you feel good stuff in life, the stronger you feel pain. That is why other people can walk away from the same thing changed in other ways.

No one survives something and remains unchanged by it. Some react differently, including becoming real jerks about anyone who felt it more than they did.

Maybe they are jealous because you could feel love more deeply, happiness more joyfully or marvel at something as simple as a sunrise? 

OK, now for the getting rid of the stigma part of PTSD.

It is OK to grieve. It is OK to feel sad. It is OK to have a million thoughts run through your head. 

It is NOT OK to give up on the life that survived the thing that started PTSD.

It is NOT OK to allow someone else to put roadblocks in your way when you are trying to heal.

It is NOT OK to spend your days regretting something simply because you do not understand it.

It is NOT OK to settle for fools defining you by PTSD when they refuse to learn what has been available online for decades.

It is NOT OK to let them talk about something they do not understand while you remain silent instead of educating them.

It is NOT OK to only look at what is "wrong" in your life, when you could be seeing what IS STRONG within you.

Stop giving power back to the thing that already lost. YOU WON and it is time to #TakeBackYourLife from PTSD.

One more sales job on suicide prevention~

Wrong answer of can suicide be prevented

I was really hoping that the article on The Wall Street Journal would actually be helpful, but it turns out it is yet one more sales job on something that does not address the actual prevention step that has to be taken before anything else should be tried. 

Get the stigma out of the way of them finding hope again!

There are many different things that work, but none of them will work unless the person facing such hopelessness sees there is a better life ahead for them. They will not see it unless they understand what they have and why they have it. 

Especially with PTSD, but with all mental illnesses, people are afraid to open up. Imagine that! Being more afraid to open up and seek help than they are to plan the way to end it all. 

Had the "experts" been more effective at defeating the one thing that blocks them from even thinking about a better day ahead, then the number of suicides would not have gone up every year in this country instead of down.

How many more times do you need to read about one more sickening stunt in your area where people get together to have some fun while the subject is veterans committing suicide. Not hard to guess how little they do know when they cannot even get the "number" right or even bother to know much more than what they read in a headline.

Anyway, here is the link to The Wall Street article that misses way too much to bother posting it here. If you have been on Facebook lately, then you know how many are talking about this as well as how few are actually doing anything to help anyone. Besides preventing suicides requires communication skills on behalf of the one suffering as much as it does to the one asking the questions.

Can Suicide Be Prevented?
Dialectical Behavior Therapy, which helps patients communicate and handle their emotions, can be effective at reducing suicidal thoughts and attempts

PHOTO: GETTY IMAGES/ISTOCK

It is time to take another road!

Stay out of the wrong lane

PTSD Patrol
Kathie Costos
January 20, 2019

This morning I was thinking about how people in the wrong lane of traffic can mess up everyones ride.

I go into work at 5 am, which is great most mornings. With only a few cars on the road, it is really a nice commute. That is, until I get behind someone without a clue where they are going, and blocking the passing lane.

That happened Friday. The driver in the right lane was obeying the speed limit. The driver traveling in the passing lane was doing a little under the speed limit. There was no safe way to pass either of them.

Soon there was a group of us trapped behind them.

That is the way it is in life too. You are having a nice trip until someone gets in your way and blocks the road ahead of you, making it take longer to get to where you need to go.

If you are hearing about how many veterans someone thinks committed suicide today, you need to wonder what their point is. Who does it help when they just guess? How serious is the subject them when they cannot answer any questions? 

The most obvious question they should have been finding the answer to, is, "What will change the outcome?"

read more here

Ex-POW Ron Young speaker at Boy Scout dinner

Former POW to speak at Boy Scout dinner; AmeriServ CEO to be honored

The Tribune Democrat
Mark Pesto
January 20, 2019

The keynote speaker at the 49th annual Harry E. Mangle Memorial Dinner in Johnstown will be a military veteran who flew Apache helicopters in Iraq, survived a stint as a prisoner of war and once appeared on the reality TV show “The Amazing Race.”

That veteran, Ron Young, has a story that will resonate with those who attend the dinner, which is hosted by the Laurel Highland Council of the Boy Scouts of America, Erik Tomalis, chief development officer for the Laurel Highlands Council, said Friday.

“He’s a lifelong Boy Scout,” Tomalis said. “He loves the mission, he loves the military and he loves giving back, so we’re very honored that he’ll be coming in to share his story. I think (Young’s story) connects well with Johnstown … and connects to our Scouting story.”

Young, a Georgia native and Eagle Scout, was deployed with the Army National Guard twice, conducted search-and-rescue flights in the Gulf of Mexico and is currently flying a helicopter for the air medical service provider Air Methods, according to a biography provided by Tomalis.

In March 2003, during the American invasion of Iraq, Young and another pilot were taken prisoner after their helicopter was shot down, according to contemporary news reports. They were held captive with five other American prisoners until they were rescued about three weeks later.

As a speaker, Young “credits the leadership and training he received in the military for his survival,” according to his biography.
read more here 

Also a story about Ron Young from 2013 
Iraqi war POWs still cope with aftereffects 10 years later