Tammy Duckworth moving moutains out of the way

Illinois to screen Guard troops for brain injury, combat stress

By CARLA K. JOHNSON

CHICAGO - Illinois is the first state in the nation to launch a brain injury screening program for all its National Guard troops returning from combat and a 24-hour hot line to help veterans with battle-related stress.

The Illinois Warriors Assistance Program is designed to plug gaps at the federal level in care for soldiers returning from Iraq and Afghanistan, state Department of Veterans Affairs Director Tammy Duckworth said Tuesday.

The confidential hot line addresses the stigma that a veteran in crisis may want to avoid, Duckworth said.

"When he wakes up in the middle of the night, like I did for many nights, and you're shaking and it's 2 a.m., you can pick up that hot line and reach a clinician," she said.

Duckworth, an Iraq veteran who lost her legs in combat, and Gov. Rod Blagojevich launched the program Tuesday. The state has received phone calls from 27 other states interested in using the program as a model, she said.

The $8 million program will screen returning Guard troops for traumatic brain injury, known commonly as concussion, and post-traumatic stress disorder.

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When Tammy Duckworth returned from Iraq to Illinois, she was still on a mission. This mission had her just as concerned for the welfare of her brothers and sisters in uniform. She decided to take on the status quo and make a real difference.

Since her voice was heard by Governor Blagojevich, Duckworth has been getting mountains out of the way of the wounded coming back. From PTSD to TBI, she has been a warrior in action. This kind of dedication is what it will take to actually become a grateful nation that does in fact take care of our wounded veterans.

She is doing it all right. From the emergency call in center, this provides anonymity to the veteran. They can call in the middle of the night because that's when it is the worst for the majority of them. They wake up from dreams as real as the event itself. It's all there from the sites, voices and other sounds, the smell and the fear all combined with the carnage they witnessed. Sometimes the dreams are even more devastating than the event. They are also afraid of being labeled "crazy" while often they will say "If anyone knew what was going on inside my head, they'd lock me up" simply because they don't understand this is all normal reactions to very abnormal events. On the other end of the phone they hear a calm, reassuring voice telling them it'll be ok. The next step is getting them the help they need.

This is what I've been doing for years. Out of the 25 years of veterans outreach, the last 10 have been online. They find me when they are close to suicide. I'm one person. I can't be there in the middle of the night for them. Often when I open up my emails their emails are buried in about a hundred others. By the time I read them, I say a prayer responding that they are still alive to answer. There have been times when they never responded to my reply. I often wonder what happened to them. When they do write back, it's a series of emails flying back and forth until I get them to know what PTSD, what is normal in all of this and try to get them to the point where they are ready to go for help.

It's hard to walk a fine line between needing to back off to give them time to digest what's happening and being concerned for their safety. When I don't hear from them for a day or so in this process, I usually type out a "just checking on you" short email. Once they get into the help they need, I usually don't hear from them after that but occasionally they'll email to let me know how it's going. It's a take a deep breath time at least six times a day.

This is why the call centers are vital to keeping them alive. To loose more after combat than we do during it, is pathetic. It is a statement that we as a nation have done very little when it comes to addressing the threat to their lives following them home. They are not "crazy" and most of them are not even addicted to the drugs and alcohol they use. For the most part they are trying to kill off the flashbacks and twitches. Once treatment begins, most never touch the stuff again. They are not criminals and don't like breaking the law, but with PTSD comes very irrational actions usually combined with seeking relief.

Most of the crimes we read in the paper can be connected with post combat stress. The tragic fact is if the help was available to all of them, especially considering they didn't have a criminal background, these crimes could have been prevented. This is not even discussing the problems associated with vaccinations they are given and some of the medication they are given to calm them down or help them sleep.

I was speaking with a VA Doctor today and we were discussing what his program does, while this lead into what is not being done. The VA centers need to be up and running across the nation. The VA and service organizations across the country need to begin to do support groups for the families to stop the family from falling apart during a time when the veteran is in the most need of their support and understanding.

I don't know how many times I've posted that had I not known what PTSD was, my husband and I would have divorced long ago. I had the tools to keep us together and get him the help he needed.

Duckworth and Illinois understands this. The question is, does the rest of the country understand it enough?