Medical Examiner: National Guard vet hanged himself in Cuyahoga County Jail
Cleveland.com
By Adam Ferrise
Posted May 13, 2019
Colbert spent two days in general population at the downtown jail and was moved Friday morning to a cluster of cell’s specifically for veterans. He hanged himself about 2:30 p.m.
CLEVELAND, Ohio — The Cuyahoga County Medical Examiner on Monday confirmed that a National Guard veteran hanged himself Friday in the Cuyahoga County Jail.
Nicholas Colbert, 36, died Friday in the Cuyahoga County Jail. He was a National Guard veteran.
Nicholas Colbert’s death was ruled a suicide, a medical examiner spokesman said in a statement. No other information was released.
Colbert served in the National Guard overseas and struggled with heroin addiction in the decade or so since his return, his family told cleveland.com.
read more here
Four veterans take home their newly graduated ‘battle buddy’
Northwest Daily News
By Kaylin Parker
Posted May 11, 2019
NICEVILLE — Before Rocky came into his life in January, Tom Talbot, retired Air Force crew chief, struggled through his post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) nightmares alone.
But now Talbot has Rocky, a service dog and loyal companion, that senses and smells when his owner is battling with the effects from PTSD. Talbot said Rocky will even wake him up when he’s having nightmares.
“That’s where that bond is. He knows if something is wrong with me,” Talbot said. “He’s like, ‘What’s going on? What’s a matter Dad?’ ”
Talbot was medically retired last year because of his PTSD. He said although he has a pet dog at home, the bond with Rocky is completely different.
“The first night he came home with me he jumped up on the bed, and that was it,” Talbot said.
read more here
Kunia veterans blame possible exposure to toxic pesticides for mystery illnesses
Hawaii News Now
By Mahealani Richardson
May 13, 2019
Veterans who worked at Kunia intel site claim pesticide exposure caused cancer, other illnesses
HONOLULU (HawaiiNewsNow) - A group of more than 100 Kunia veterans are suffering from neurological issues, cancer, birth defects and other illnesses after they say they were exposed to toxic pesticides.
Tara Lemieux, 50, of Maryland suffers from hand tremors, memory loss and other health problems.
She believes it stems from her days as an Army specialist from 1991 to 1995 at the Kunia “Tunnel” Field Station near Schofield Barracks.
Lemieux says nine out of the 12 members of her unit have died young.
"They didn't tell us that this beautiful absolutely picturesque once in a lifetime duty station that there was another side to it," said Lemieux.
Back then, the three story underground National Security Agency facility sat below Del Monte pineapple fields.
Lamieux believes she was directly exposed to toxic chemicals in 1991 when a broken water well flooded the underground facility. She and a handful of others were waist deep in water that was oily and smelled like chemicals.
read more here
The insanity of sharing defeat instead of defiance
Wounded Times
Kathie Costos
May 14, 2019
"We just want to make everyone aware of the number" is what one of the organizers had to say about raising funds for Mission 22.
As nauseating as that sounds to us, what makes it worse is, it is actually the truth behind all of the awareness groups running around the country, pulling stunts and getting publicity for lying.
This news coverage just happened but the latest suicide report from the VA had the known number at "20" a day. The following report has the VA saying that 22 a day number is tied to PTSD and TBI, without mentioning that there are a lot of other reasons for what is happening. Then again, they have no clue what to do about any of it.
That is what they are doing when they keep saying stupid stuff like their goal is to make people aware of a number instead of making people aware of how they can help change the outcome.
I have been in a lot of debates over this. When you ask them what their purpose is, they say it is to raise awareness, not change the outcome. When you ask who it is directed toward, they say the people of this country. When you tell them that civilians have their own problem with suicides increasing, they change the story. They then claim it is letting veterans know they are killing themselves. Problem with that is, they already know.They do not know they can heal.
So what the hell is this all about? It is insanity to the max!
If you are a veteran suffering instead of healing, know that if you #BreakTheSilence you can #TakeBackYourLife and defy death again! You survived what caused PTSD in the first place and can do a hell of a lot better than settling for being reminded of how many of your buddies were not helped by hearing other veteran killed themselves.
*******
Area events to benefit Mission 22 for veterans
Herald Banner
By Brad Kellar | Herald-Banner Staff
May 14, 2019
“Everything is going to Mission 22. We just wanted to make everyone aware of the number.” Franchesca Knight
Jeremy Matherly’s 2014 Mustang, Warfighter, is expected to be one of the entries at a May 18 event in Lone Oak, benefiting the Mission 22 organization
Courtesy photo
LONE OAK — As the Memorial Day holiday grows closer, multiple events are being scheduled in the area to raise awareness of how veterans face daily challenges with post-traumatic stress disorder and traumatic brain injury.
The Department of Veterans Affairs has reported that approximately 22 veterans commit suicide each day after their deployment due to PTSD and TBI, which prompted the establishment of Mission 22, a nationwide organization dedicated to assisting veterans and their families cope with the issues.
Charles Barrow of Lone Oak is hosting a car show and 5K run in downtown Lone Oak on May 18 to benefit Mission 22, and said there is a personal reason behind the event.
“I suffer from PTSD,” he said.
Barrow, a veteran of the Seabees, spent 10 years in the U.S. Navy, with stops overseas in Japan, Guam, Cuba and elsewhere. The military life is a family tradition.
“Me, my dad and my uncle were all in Kuwait and Afghanistan at the same time,” Barrow said.
read more here
Corps Investigating After Marine O-5 Dies Days Before Retirement
Task and Purpose
By Paul Szoldra
May 10 2019
The Marine Corps is investigating the death of Lt. Col. Brett A. Hart, the executive officer of Marine Operational Test and Evaluation Squadron One, who was found dead at Marine Corps Air Station Yuma on April 19, a Corps spokesman told Task and Purpose.
"There is an open investigation into the incident," Capt. Christopher Harrison told Task and Purpose. "Further details will be available once the investigation is complete."
Hart, 48, was just days from retirement after 30 years of service when he took his own life, according to multiple sources. He left behind a wife, son and daughter. A memorial service for Hart was held at the Yuma Chapel on April 26, the same day his retirement ceremony had been scheduled.
"No rank is immune to suicide, not even an O-5 in the Marine Corps with over 30 years of service and one week away from retirement," Marine veteran Samuel Grayman wrote in a public post on Facebook. "RIP Lt. Col Brett A. Hart, it was an honor to serve under your command at VMMT-204."
read more here
Veterans try to combat depression, suicides after return to civilian life
Houston Chronicle
Robert Downen
May 11, 2019
But little of that prepared them for their new battle - the war with depression, post-traumatic stress disorder and suicide that has claimed 14 men from the battalion since they returned in 2006.
Smith’s funeral was the third that year. O’Neel felt like he’d failed him.
Danny O’Neel could not help but feel guilt as he stared over his former sniper’s casket.
As a 23-year-old squadron leader, he’d protected Adam Smith and the other soldiers of the Army’s 3rd Battalion, 67th Armored Regiment while deployed to one of Iraq’s most violent parts.
Sadr City in 2006 was “terrible,” “one of the most dangerous places on earth,” O’Neel said Saturday.
Some men lost limbs; nine lost their lives.
“We want to remind them all that they didn’t go through war alone,” Faun said. “They didn’t have gunfights alone. And they don’t need to battle things at home alone.”
read more here
This part is wrong
"Twenty-two veterans take their own lives every day, according to a study conducted by the Department of Veterans Affairs between 1999 and 2011. That’s one every 65 minutes."
This is the chart that according to the VA is just a basis.
and the research was from just 21 states using limited data. Plus of the "known" deaths, notice that the number was "20" a day in 1999 and "22" a day in 2010? What you did not notice is that there were over 5 million more veterans alive in 1999~ and the number released in the latest report of "20" a day showed how all this "suicide awareness" has not helped! The percentages went up...not down!
Forgotten Warrior Memorial unveiled at Channahon State Park
The Herald News
By Brandon Grossi
May 13, 2019
“With 30 years in the military and 14 with the police, I started having dark thoughts. ... I was afraid of coming forward, afraid that I would embarrass the military and those who served under me. I was afraid I wouldn’t be a man if I admitted I needed help," he said. "There was a night I got into my car and put my service weapon against my temple. By the grace of God I came away from that and got help ... If you know anyone you think might struggle, I’m asking you, I’m begging you, talk to them.”
Twenty-two veterans take their own lives every day, according to a study conducted by the Department of Veterans Affairs between 1999 and 2011. That’s one every 65 minutes.
K9s for Veterans and other veteran support organizations gathered with community members on Saturday to unveil and dedicate the Forgotten Warrior Memorial at Channahon State Park.
The circle of polished stone monuments and flags honors veterans who have lost their battles with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder as well as those who continue to struggle with mental warfare long after they return from the battlefield.
Roughly 250 people sat or stood before a temporary stage next to the memorial. Local leaders, veterans and mothers of fallen soldiers delivered remarks. By the second speaker, a light drizzle began to fall on the crowd.
“When I saw the weather report today, I was disappointed, but maybe this is better,” Channahon Mayor Missey Moorman Schumacher said from the podium. “Maybe this weather is more indicative and appropriate for the struggles of these veterans.”
read more here
Good intentions do not change much without good information. Want to help someone? Then ask them what they need and be prepared to help them get it!
Biomarker reveals PTSD sufferers at risk of suicide
Yale News
By Bill Hathaway
May 13, 2019
There are two FDA approved treatments for PTSD, both of which are anti-depressants. It can take weeks or months to determine whether they are effective. That can be too late for those who are suicidal, note the researchers.
Brains of individuals with PTSD and suicidal thoughts (top) show higher levels of mGluR5 compared to healthy controls (bottom).
The risk of suicide among individuals with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is much higher than the general population, but identifying those individuals at greatest risk has been difficult. However, a team at Yale has discovered a biological marker linked to individuals with PTSD who are most likely to think about suicide, the researchers report May 13 in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
Researchers used PET imaging to measure levels of metabotropic glutamatergic receptor 5 (mGluR5) — which has been implicated in anxiety and mood disorders — in individuals with PTSD and major depressive disorder. They found high levels of mGluR5 in the PTSD group with current suicidal thoughts. They found no such elevated levels in the PTSD group with no suicidal thoughts or in those with depression, with or without current suicidal thoughts.
read more here
Wonder if they ever thought to study people who are healing PTSD instead?
Can you imagine what that scan would look like or how much hope it would offer to people with PTSD to see that they could not just change their lives but actually change the way their brain works by filling it up with more hopeful thoughts?
Imagine if they took a scan of someone before they believed they were worthy of being forgiven and then one after they accepted the fact they were?
Why do researchers only track what is failing instead of tracking people who have managed to take control of their lives again?
According to Sebastian Junger...this is not happening
In June of 2016, I complained about the fact everyone seemed to be so excited about a book on PTSD and comparing Israel to the US. I have been complaining ever since, but it does not seem to do any good to tell the truth these days.
This is from an interview about his book "The Tribe"
While studies suggest that almost 20% of US veterans of Iraq and Afghanistan have symptoms of PTSD or major depression, Junger believes that this figure does not square with the comparatively low casualty rates relative to previous wars, or the fact that only one in 10 veterans experiences actual combat. To put the American experience in perspective, he points out that the Israel Defense Forces have, by some measures, a PTSD rate as low as 1% despite decades of intermittent war. In Israel, where around half the population serves in the military, the “thank you for service” mantra breezily offered to American veterans would be as meaningless as thanking somebody for paying their taxes.
This is the headline from Israel just released.
Trauma, PTSD Cases Skyrocket in Southern Israel, Says NGO NATAL
And this is what was in the report
Israeli security forces inspect the scene of a house in Moshav Mishmeret in central Israel that was hit by a rocket fired from the Gaza Strip, on March 25, 2019.
Only 45 percent of those seeking help for trauma-related issues were civilians, according to the data for 2018; another 45 percent were IDF veterans between the ages of 21 and 34. The remaining 10 percent were older military veterans suffering from Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD).
PTSD Patrol: Drive time toward divine
PTSD Patrol
Kathie Costos
May 12, 2019
First, I want to say, Happy Mother's Day to all the Moms out there. We know what it is like to feel joy when our children are happy, and what it is like to grieve when they are hurting.
Right now there is a battle going on all across the country, but you may have only heard about one side doing more harm than good. They may have had good intentions, but much like warning Jesus gave about "fruits of their deeds" facts have proven raising suicide awareness equals what the Pharisees were doing.
Yet, while their intentions may have begun from God speaking to them to act, they chose to seek the glory by publicity stunts, having fun and doing pushups, instead of lifting up the spirits of the wounded and waiting for hope.
Others, like members of Point Man International Ministries have been doing the work God called them to do since 1984, quietly and humbly. Much like the 72 others Jesus sent with his Disciples no one knows our names but those in need see the results of our work.
Yesterday at the Veterans Reunion in Wickham Park I was trying to find members of Point Man and walking around in 90 degrees of heat. Not good for someone like me and I was drained to the point where I wanted to just faint. I had a hard time finding the strength to more one more step.
As I was looking for their tent, I came across some friends of mine with a golf cart. My buddy Jonnie drove me around, but it became clear that I would not be able to find them.
We drove past a tent that caught my eye. I wanted to go and talk to the man in the tent. You know what it is like when you are tugged to do something you may not really understand why you need to, but I have learned to just surrender to that strong pull a long time ago.
Gareth Burkinshaw was speaking to another man, and I looked at the brochures on his table. As I was reading, I thought he was on the right road and passionate about providing the hope that is so desperately needed.
I pretended to not listen to what he was saying to the man, until he took his hand to pray for him. Couldn't help it, I had a smile take hold of my face.
We talked for a bit and I was even more sure of the fact he was about doing the work of not just offering hope, but helping those in need find a way to heal. I asked Gareth if he wanted to do a video, and he agreed to meet a couple of hours later.
read more here
