War Comes Home "The man I married died in Iraq"

Last year while doing research for the video about suicides, Death Because They Served, (watch it on the right side of the blog with the rest of my videos) I had to search high and low for reports that had been confirmed as suicides. This was before the major new networks took this on in response to complaints the DOD and the VA were not providing reports that could be studied. Many families were left hanging, waiting for the "investigation" to be ended to be provided some closure. While searching I came upon many reports of young soldiers with deaths categorized as "natural causes" leaving the impression the DOD must have let in a lot of recruits that were either very unhealthy, or there was a lot more to these stories.

The link to Non-combat deaths

http://namguardianangel.blogspot.com/2007/04/
non-combat-deaths-non-caring-media.html

Twenty year olds do not die in such high numbers from "natural causes" and then we read reports that fear can cause heart attacks. We read reports of inoculations causing pneumonia. Depleted uranium causing cancer and birth defects, much like Agent Orange caused them after Vietnam. We read reports that the water is tainted and contaminated causing skin and internal illnesses. All of this and yet I only had a small portion of the deaths not connected to bullets and bombs.

Within the reports came suspected links to Larium and violent murder/suicides.

I received this email this morning with a request to post it. I do so gladly. We need to calculate all available evidence and information to ever understand the true price of war and what we ask of those who serve. I was a member of ATSS and because of this, I think I'll join again.

Chaplain Kathie Costos
Namguardianangel@aol.com
http://www.namguardianangel.org/
http://www.namguardianangel.blogspot.com/
http://www.woundedtimes.blogspot.com/

"The willingness with which our young people are likely to serve in any war, no matter how justified, shall be directly proportional to how they perceive veterans of early wars were treated and appreciated by our nation."

- George Washington

Could you please post this on your website:

"In the Spring of 2002, members of the elite Special Operations units began returning home from duty in Afghanistan. Within six weeks, four Army wives, and one soldier, would be dead.

On June 11, 2002, Sergeant First Class Rigoberto Nieves, who had returned from Afghanistan just two days earlier fatally shot his wife, Teresa, and then killed himself.

Master Sergeant William Wright strangled his wife Jennifer on June 29, 2002, and then buried her body in a shallow grave.

On July 9, 2002, Sergeant Cedric Ramon Griffin stabbed his estranged wife, Marilyn, 50 times and then set her house on fire.

On July 19, 2002, the same day as Master Sergeant Wright was arrested for the murder of his wife, Sergeant First Class Brandon Floyd shot his wife Andrea to death and then and then took his own life. On July 30, 2002, Fort Bragg police arrested the wife of a major for shooting him in the head and chest while he slept. These homicides made national news, owing mainly to the number of deaths at Fort Bragg in a short period of time extreme prejudice with which the acts were committed. The incident also caused an increased awareness of post-deployment combat-related stress.

However, such incidents continue to occur following deployment throughout the US.

During a recent address to the House of Representatives, Stacy Bannerman, author of “When the War Came Home: The Inside Story of Reservists and the Families They Leave Behind” and wife of a Reservist reflected on an incident occurring in May 2007:

"This war cost me my family. When my husband returned from Iraq it quickly became apparent he was suffering from PTSD. He became increasingly verbally and mentally abusive to not only my daughter and I, but many of his subordinates at work who either quit or he had fired. He refused to admit he had a problem, and since the military does no mental status follow-up [for Reservists] he hasn't received any treatment for his condition. As a consequence, my family is destroyed. My son isn't being raised by his dad and my daughter lost the only father she knew. I know a divorce isn't as bad as losing my husband to death, but I can honestly say the man I married died in Iraq."

Unfortunately, the current system of screening for PTSD reflects data collected from past male-dominated warfare. However, Operation Enduring Freedom (OEF) and Operation Iraqi Freedom (OIF) are unprecedented in the number of women exposed to combat-related stress and the percentage of Reserve and National Guard personnel, who never anticipated becoming full-time military members. Scientific research conducted since the end of the Vietnam Conflict finds PTSD is greatly influenced by personality factors and pre-existing ways of coping.

Unfortunately, a significant void exists in understanding how childhood social learning influences PTSD in the aftermath of deployment.

In April/May 2008, a PhD dissertation study of how gender, personality, traumatic experiences prior to deployment, and ways of coping affect post-deployment wellness will be conducted. Three groups of people are needed: (1) persons between the ages of 18-38 who have never served in the military; (2) persons (male and female) who have been deployed in support of OEF/OIF within the past 18 months; and (3) persons (military and non-military) who have been diagnosed by a medical or mental health authority with PTSD (combat related/or non-combat related). The researchers particularly need women (military and non-military) who served in Vietnam, Desert Storm or OEF/OIF, or experienced assault and sexual trauma.

Participants will need to complete a series of questionnaires requiring approximately 90 minutes to complete. No names or identifying information will be attached to the questionnaires; however, each volunteer will need to sign a Letter of Informed Consent of the benefits and risks prior to completing the questionnaires.

The completed study will be provided to the Department of Defense Surgeon Generals and Veterans Administration to develop more-targeted pre-deployment training, intra-deployment intervention, and post-deployment treatment. The findings of the study will also be used to train and treat professionals deployed in support of national disasters such as Hurricane Katrina.

If you are interested in participating in the study, please contact drhensley1@aol.com for more information."

Alan L. Hensley, PhD Candidate, BCETS, FAAETS
Board Certified Expert in Traumatic StressFellow,
American Academy of Experts in Traumatic Stress (AAETS)Member,
Association of Traumatic Stress SpecialistsMember,
American Counseling Association(712) 526-2401