Combat PTSD, more veterans live with it than die because of it

Anniversary Dates in the Mind Calendar 
Wounded Times
Kathie Costos
August 30, 2014

We moved to Florida the summer of 2004 right before the area was hit by Hurricane Charley, Francis and Jeanne. Being from New England, these hurricanes freaked out my family and friends back home. It was a great summer up there but not much fun down here.

Ten years ago and I can still remember what it was like while the wind was making my patio doors move in and out waiting for the big wind to take them out. We were lucky. Some of our neighbors were not. The whole area was mess for a long time.

Living in Florida is strange at times. We get a lot of violent thunderstorms too. Years ago a storm came through producing a tornado near my house but far enough away that all I saw was rain. I was working in the area for a church. I was told the tornado crossed over the church, took off a few roof shingles, then passed by to the next neighborhood producing this.

Seminole County, Florida authorities and National Weather Service Meteorologists are surveying the damage after a tornado struck Oviedo, Florida on Election Night. They said it appears four houses were destroyed or severely damaged, eight were moderately damaged and another 32 suffered minor structural damage. (photos courtesy of The Orlando Sentinel) WKMG-TV reports that four people were injured in the tornado. -ERIC

Two years ago in another part of Oviedo tornado warnings sounded the alarm to find a safe place to wait for the danger to pass.

Tornado Sirens: Oviedo, FL
Jeff Rancourt
December 12, 2012

Anniversaries are not always happy ones. The damage gets cleaned up. Houses get fixed or built over the old foundations. Stuff gets replaced. Memories are a different story. Some fade as the bite is softened but as August came this year it was hard to forget. Some anniversaries sneak up on you.

Somewhere in your mind there is a constant calendar running with the days and rewinding your memory.

For veterans, most of the time, they have no clue what causes them to have harder days than most other days especially when they have PTSD. It seems to happen to them at the same time of year, year after year, lasting for days. They try to figure out what set the depression off and made nightmares stronger. They try to blame it on what someone said or did in the present and most of the time they can pull that off without noticing that the next year brings the same feelings.

If they are not aware of this, it is harder and harder to deal with and push to the past.

If you know a veteran with PTSD, you can see the change coming while they cannot explain what is going on with them. If you are a veteran, it is hard for you to explain it especially if you are not aware the date is connected to a time in your life when something tragic happened.

Take a look back at the months that are hardest for you and then think back to your worst nightmares. Nightmares are connected to events even if the events in the dreams do not meet with what you actually experienced.

Your mind calendar sends out the reminder that you have to take care of something and stop trying to repress it. You need to find a way to make peace with it without forgetting people you cared about. Remember the moments before "it" happened and stop letting that last image be frozen in your mind.

Once you make peace with it, then you can clean up the future, rebuild the foundation and replace the bad memories with ones that less painful.

Some think that they should forget their past but in doing so, you would have to let go of friends you lost, lives saved and people you cared about. You mind will only allow a place for those memories to hide until they gain enough strength to pop up when you least expect them to.

There is nothing about you that cannot be healed even if you cannot be cured. The good news is that you can come out on the other side of this storm better than you were before. The better news is that while it is hard to live with Combat PTSD, more veterans live with it than die because of it.

"Heroes" Rebuild Vietnam Vet's Sandy Wrecked Home

"Heroes" Rebuild Vietnam Vet's Sandy Wrecked Home
By: Vivian Lee

The Heroes at Home Campaign and Rebuilding Together NYC are repairing homes in Brooklyn damaged by Hurricane Sandy, all with the goal to make them and accessible for those living there.

Sawing wood is music to Vietnam veteran Michael Chirieleison's ears which, six months ago, were ringing with the sound of water rushing into his Red Hook house.

"I saw the waves going down, there had to be five foot of water in the street," Chirieleison recalled.

On Friday, a work crew was making his house liveable again. The materials and labor are thanks to Heroes at Home.

The program was hatched by Sears and the non-profit home repair group Rebuilding Together NYC to serve those who have already served.

"We identify veterans in need across the country who need home repairs, home upgrades, they've fallen on hard times, show a need. We go in there, make their homes warm, safe, accessible," said Brian Hanover of Sears' Heroes at Home.
read more here

List of Senators voting against helping Hurricane Sandy Survivors

UPDATE

High winds, tornado trap Georgia residents, turn over cars
By Michael Pearson. Phil Gast and Vivian Kuo
CNN
January 31, 2013
(CNN) -- Powerful winds and a tornado spawned by a 1,000-mile-long storm system pounded communities in northwest Georgia on Wednesday, overturning dozens of vehicles and trapping residents.

The tornado caused significant damage in Adairsville, Georgia.

One person died in that town and another died in Tennessee, authorities reported. At least 17 people were injured in Georgia, two critically.

The Adairsville death marks the first person killed by a U.S. tornado in 220 days, a record for most consecutive days without such a fatality, said CNN meteorologist Dave Hennen.

In the mountains of North Carolina, iReporter Matt Able said most of the roads around Appalachian State in Boone were impassible because of flooding. He sent in video of people driving down U.S. 321, which was under several inches of water.

Earlier, in Alabama, the storms blew the metal roof off a building in Sheffield, CNN affiliate WHNT said. The storm also damaged a church steeple in Rogersville, the station reported.

In Kentucky, winds blew off much of the roof of the Penrod Missionary Baptist Church and damaged several homes, CNN affiliate WFIE reported.

In Nashville, the weather service listed dozens of damage reports across the region: a funnel cloud was reported early Wednesday in Jackson County, there were dozens of reports of downed trees and power lines, and law enforcement reported damage to homes and businesses.

CNN affiliate WSMV also reported the partial collapse of an office building in Mount Juliet, Tennessee.

"I built it myself to take an event like this. And it looks like a freight train hit it," the station quoted building owner Dewey Lineberry as saying. "It's just destroyed. It laid the building down on top of cars, it put the building on top of people. It's unbelievable."

List of Senators voting against helping Hurricane Sandy Survivors

Sessions (R-AL)

FEMA Disaster Declarations

Boozman (R-AR)
FEMA Disaster Declarations

Flake (R-AZ)

McCain (R-AZ)

FEMA Disaster Declarations

Rubio (R-FL)
FEMA Disaster Declarations

Chambliss (R-GA)

Isakson (R-GA)

FEMA Disaster Declarations

Grassley (R-IA)
FEMA Disaster Declarations

Crapo (R-ID)

Risch (R-ID)

FEMA Disaster Declarations

Kirk (R-IL)
FEMA Disaster Declarations

Coats (R-IN)

FEMA Disaster Declarations

Moran (R-KS)

Roberts (R-KS)

FEMA Disaster Declarations

McConnell (R-KY)

Paul (R-KY)

FEMA Disaster Declarations

Blunt (R-MO)
FEMA Disaster Declarations

Burr (R-NC)

FEMA Disaster Declarations

Fischer (R-NE)

Johanns (R-NE)

FEMA Disaster Declarations

Ayotte (R-NH)

FEMA Disaster Declarations

Portman (R-OH)
FEMA Disaster Declarations

Coburn (R-OK)

Inhofe (R-OK)

FEMA Disaster Declarations

Toomey (R-PA)
FEMA Disaster Declarations

Graham (R-SC)

Scott (R-SC)

FEMA Disaster Declarations

Thune (R-SD)
FEMA Disaster Declarations

Corker (R-TN)

FEMA Disaster Declarations

Cornyn (R-TX)

Cruz (R-TX)

FEMA Disaster Declarations

Hatch (R-UT)

Lee (R-UT)

FEMA Disaster Declarations

Johnson (R-WI)
FEMA Disaster Declarations

Barrasso (R-WY)

Enzi (R-WY)

FEMA Disaster Declarations

Hero of Superstorm Sandy dies in surfing accident

Hero of Superstorm Sandy dies in surfing accident
By The Associated Press
The Belle Harbor section of the Rockaways in New York, where so many heroes emerged during Superstorm Sandy, has lost one of them to a tragic surfing death in Puerto Rico.

Friends of 23-year-old Dylan Smith and his family expressed sorrow Monday that someone who saved so many lives during the October storm could lose his own on vacation. A local funeral parlor said funeral arrangements were being made.
read more here

121212 1%ers take on Hurricane Sandy

With all the anger over GOP Congressmen fighting against raising taxes on the rich, the rich have gotten a very bad reputation. So far I've heard few rich people saying they want to keep all of their money. Last night was a glowing example of 1%ers coming together to help after Hurricane Sandy damaged so many lives.

Chase had just finished the American Giving Awards featuring average people setting aside their own needs and wants for the sake of others. Last night they pulled it off again. 121212 Concert for Sandy Relief and there were plenty of 1%ers doing more giving. From the stars taking phone calls for donations to those showing up to perform onstage it should have been easy to see that this night was more about a very different type of GOP, Group of Philanthropists working to get the Robinhood Foundation funds to help.

12-12-12: Concert For Sandy Relief Airs Tonight, Paul McCartney, Billy Joel, Kanye West And Others Perform
Author: Kelly Westpublished: 2012-12-12 08:27:01
Numbers fans have likely already noticed that today is 12/12/12, which is an interesting date by its numbers alone. 12-12-12 also happens to be part of the title for the concert for Sandy relief, which is airing on numerous channels tonight. And will feature performances by the Rolling Stones, Bon Jovi, Eric Clapton, Dave Grohl, Billy Joel, Alicia Keys, Chris Martin, Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band, Roger Waters, Eddie Vedder, Kanye West, The Who and Paul McCartney.

Team Rubicon represents another group from a different 1% club. The men and women that risked their lives in Iraq and Afghanistan then turned around to risk them back home to help after disasters.

Team Rubicon
The entertainment portion of the show took a pause as a presentation honoring Team Rubicon and other volunteers who helped and are still helping with the rebuilding effort. Members of Team Rubicon noted that many people still do not have power - or homes to go back to for the holidays, and that help is needed.

The part that showed New York attitude was when Adam Sandler sang this song.

Sandy Screw You

It was really great to see so many people coming together to help others but what made it even more wonderful was they did it because they could feel compassion for others.

Give An Hour expands to help Hurricane Sandy First Responders and survivors

She secures treatment for vets' invisible wounds
November 28, 2012
By Catherine Laughlin
For The Inquirer

The unkempt man was wearing fatigues, standing in the street and holding a sign that read, "Vietnam vet. Please help. God bless."

The year was 2005 and Barbara Van Dahlen, a licensed clinical psychologist, was driving with her then-9-year-old daughter, who asked why the man was begging in the world's richest country.

It was a moment that helped propel Van Dahlen into her official mission, the founding that year of Give an Hour, a national nonprofit providing free mental health services to military personnel and their families affected by the wars in Afghanistan, Iraq, and other post-9/11 conflicts. (Give an Hour recently expanded to include victims and first responders dealing with the aftermath of Hurricane Sandy.) Since 2007, Van Dahlen has mobilized 6,500 licensed professionals, who have given away 70,000 hours of therapy set up through giveanhour.org.

The organization runs on a $1.5 million budget - grants, sponsorships, and private donations - with 17 employees who help train providers. In addition, hundreds of volunteers counsel at schools, and take part in suicide-prevention conferences and other outreach organizations.
read more here

At 22 Iraq War Veteran Battles Cancer, Isaac all after Katrina

Iraq War Veteran Battles Cancer, Isaac
Aug 30, 2012
Written by
Gannett News Service
Written By: Jon Shirek
WXIA

POWDER SPRINGS, Ga. -- It was seven years ago when the world watched with jaws dropped as residents of New Orleans were rescued from Hurricane Katrina's floodwaters.

And just like seven years ago, all across Metro Atlanta people are again opening their homes and their hearts to Louisiana families needing shelter from the storm, a storm this time named Isaac.

In one home, in particular -- in Powder Springs -- there is inspiration.

It comes from an Isaac evacuee who is 22 years old, who has already been through more life-threatening adversity than most, and who is just hoping he can get back fast to help rebuild his hometown -- again.

"It's devastation after devastation," he said Wednesday evening, and through it all he has learned to be steady as a rock -- for his family, for his hometown of New Orleans.
read more here

Hurricane to do list

After surviving Charlie, Francis and Jeanne in 2004, my family learned a lot of lessons. As Irene heads up the East Coast, there are a lot of people without any idea what they need to do before it hits. Plus, while I live in Florida now, I am a New Englander!

First, go shopping. Think about nothing to cook with unless you have a gas stove. Don't think about using the BBQ grill until it is all over.

Buy
Bread, Peanut Butter/Jelly and marshmallow, fresh fruit or canned as long as you have a hand held can opener. Cereal and comfort foods should be on your list too.

Milk, cold cuts and bags of ice to put in a cooler. If you don't have one, buy one. Keep the bags of ice in your freezer in case the power goes out and then load them into the cooler along with anything that has to stay cold.

Avoid buying frozen foods.

Water, water and more water.

Batteries for a radio and if you don't have one, get one. If your power goes out, your cable TV will too. Forget about portable TV's (analog) because you need cable to get a signal. Batteries for flashlights. Candles do little good if you have nothing to light them with so make sure you have a few lighters or matches to last. Do not leave candles burning unless you are in the room.

Make sure your cell phone is fully charged. Think about buying a car charger so that you can power it up from your car if the power is out for too long. Most people do not have land lines anymore. If you have a battery operated/electric home phone and the power goes out, it will not work.

Buy meats only if they will fit into a cooler so that you can use your grill if the power goes out.

Gas for your car and for your grill for when the hurricane passes.

Think before you buy if you have what you need for at least three days and then think about if you can keep the food safe to eat without any power.

Go to buy plywood for your windows. Taping your windows up won't work with hurricane force winds. Don't forget you need to cut the plywood and need to nail it to your house.

Buy a large tarp in case you lose shingles. It could be a long time before anyone can come to fix your roof.

Buy a bucket in case you lose power and cannot flush your toilet or wash.

Make sure you have enough medicine for at least three days.

Make sure you have some cash in case banks lose power for days.

Shopping done, take care of your home. First remove anything not "nailed down" in your yard. It will save you a lot of grief if there are not things blowing around aimed at your house.

Nail up the plywood to windows. Things left out by your neighbors will blow around plus tree branches can come smashing into them.


Fill your bathtubs and sinks so that you can flush toilets and wash up.

Walk around your property and take a look at trees to see if dead branches should be removed and then get them into a garage until they can be hauled away. If not, then tie up heavy bunches so that the wind will not take them one by one.

Let family members know who to call in case it hits and not everyone is home. This needs to be done in case all you have is a cell phone and cannot power it up or get a signal.

Remember that the wind is not the only thing that you have to worry about. We all live with electronics. No power means nothing will work and this can cause a lot of anguish if you are not ready to rough it a few days and get prepared ahead of time.

For pets

Cats are easy but they may act out so just be aware they may. For dogs, you have to stop feeding and giving water so they can empty themselves before the storm comes. The last thing you want is for your dog to have to go "potty" in the middle of the hurricane. When it is safe, take them out as soon as you can and once it passes, feed them, give them water and plenty of love.

Check for roofing shingles in your yards because if you see them there are roofing nails to go with them somewhere. Watch for broken glass as well.

Police officer helps Vietnam vet get new home and real welcome home

We see the crowds cheer when a veteran comes home today. We see them respectfully line the street as a flag draped coffin is carried to the fallen's place of rest. We saw the outpouring of support for the soldiers and families following the atrocity at Fort Hood. We see the best we can give them as a nation today but what the Vietnam veterans came home to was a much different nation.

Photo by Hayley Kappes
League City code enforcement officer Chris Torres, right, hands Vietnam veteran Jim Stepanski the keys to his new trailer on Willow Lane. Stepanski’s old home sustained irreparable damage from hurricanes Rita and Ike.

City workers get Vietnam vet new home

By Leigh Jones
The Daily News
Published November 15, 2009

LEAGUE CITY — Vietnam veteran Jim Stepanski’s trailer on Willow Lane became unlivable after water damage from hurricanes Rita and Ike caused the walls to peel and wore holes in the floor.

Mold coated the interior. Rats and raccoons infested the structure.

Stepanski, 61, lived in the trailer until a local police officer and fellow Vietnam veteran decided to take action.

City employees officially gave Stepanski the keys to a new trailer Saturday afternoon. His new home sits on the site where his former trailer was.

League City police officer William Gates made a welfare check on Stepanski on June 1 after a family member could not reach the man on his birthday. Gates and Stepanski talked for a while about their war experiences, especially the disconnect from society they felt upon returning home. The two shared an instant bond.

“We’re from a forgotten era,” Gates said. “When I came home in 1970, I was screamed at and spit on. Police officers told me not to wear my uniform in public because it would cause an uproar.”

His worst injury was invisible to the human eye. Stepanski withdrew from society and lived alone for years after returning from combat as a way to deal with the horrible memories of war that haunted him. Large crowds and constant loud noises still cause him to suffer panic attacks, he said.

“I now realize that what I had was post-traumatic stress disorder,” Stepanski said. “Back then my doctors just told me to put the war behind me and try to forget about it. There was no counseling for it back then.”

go here for more

City workers get Vietnam vet new home

This is one case of a Vietnam veteran, Officer William Gates, taking care of a brother. This is what is greatest about these veterans and most of the country will never know how much they have been involved with what is being done for veterans today. This at the same time they are finally discovering what was eating them alive has a name, a reason and a way to be healed.

There are still Vietnam veterans learning about PTSD from their own adult children. The newer generation connected to others across the country know far more than most of Vietnam veterans but they only understand it from the perspective of their own generation. They may have heard stories about the way Vietnam veterans were treated. Some would believe them, others would dismiss them. What cannot be dismissed is the fact had it not been for Vietnam veterans coming back, enduring all, risking all, fighting for all the benefits related to PTSD, this nation would look like a much different place for the newer veterans. Consider this the next time you read about how hard it is for our veterans and remember, it would a lot worse had it not been for those who were neglected and mistreated the most.

Hurricane Ike problems go on long after storm gone

Storm over, but hunger, fear remain
Advocates push for food donations, day care support
By ALLAN TURNER
Copyright 2008 Houston Chronicle
Oct. 17, 2008, 11:14PM
Hurricane Ike was an ill wind for tens of thousands of Houston-area children, who, more than a month after the storm blasted the Texas coast, are still hungry, fearful and sometimes abused, a coalition of social service providers warned Thursday.

"Things are getting back to normal," said Bob Sanborn, president of Children of Risk. "The lights are back on and schools are open. ... But there are still problems, still needs. ... Children are still in poverty. They still have hardships."

The children's advocates gathered to call for support of the Houston Food Bank, which distributed 12 million pounds of food in the hurricane's wake, and area day care centers, many of which were damaged and have not reopened.
go here for more
http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/headline/metro/6065373.html

Ike relief fund returns day care to Galveston
Many Ike victims still waiting for help from FEMA

After Hurricane Ike, gators, dead cows keep families from hunting kin

Gators, dead cows, keep families from hunting kin
Alligators loom over submerged cars. Mountains of debris are embedded in the ground. Cows, trucks and the remnants of homes are sunk into the ocean. And unverified sightings of missing loved ones are making the rounds. More than 300 people are missing since Hurricane Ike hit the Texas coast last month, and the obstacles to finding them are frustrating family and friends who desperately want to know if their loved ones are dead or alive. full story

Return to Bolivar Peninsula is slow-going for residents after Hurricane Ike

Return to Bolivar Peninsula is slow-going for residents
By JUAN A. LOZANO Associated Press
Sept. 26, 2008, 11:45AM

HIGH ISLAND — Residents of the Bolivar Peninsula crowded onto the only roadway back home today, the first day they were allowed to return and check out the massive wreckage left behind after Hurricane Ike roared through this thin strip of land along the Gulf of Mexico.

The peninsula's 4,000 or so residents are being allowed back on a "look and leave" policy, lining up to return despite warnings they could find snakes and alligators in the debris. The peninsula just northeast of Galveston was among the hardest-hit areas when Ike blasted ashore Sept. 13, with 110 mph winds and a storm surge that swept away homes and businesses.

In the small town of Gilchrist, what was once a field across the street from some vacation beach houses now looked more like a dump where the remains of the homes were scattered. Homeowners slowly wandered through the field, looking through chunks of wood, plates, VCRs, blinds and broken toilets.

Beth Varing, whose vacation home of 20 years was gone except for some wooden pilings, was making a small pile beside the road of items she recovered: a few unbroken dishes, some utensils, a fishing pole and some tile pieces.

"It's unbelievable. All I can do is cry," she said. "These beach houses have been here forever. I can't wrap my thoughts around this. I can't see how it picked up these beach houses and now there is nothing left."
click post title for more

Texans look to heavens as they heal from Ike

Texans look to heavens as they heal from Ike
Wearing jeans and rubber boots, clutching Bibles and weeping between hymns, residents of the storm-shattered Texas coast comforted one another today at makeshift church services that provided more than a respite from Hurricane Ike cleanup. full story

Survivors beg for help as Ike ravages Texas

Survivors beg for help as Ike ravages Texas
About 250,000 refused to flee Category 2 hurricane.
NBC News and news services
updated 24 minutes ago
GALVESTON, Texas - Massive Hurricane Ike crashed into densely populated southeast Texas early Saturday, battering the coast with driving rain and ferocious wind gusts as residents who decided too late they should have heeded calls to evacuate made futile calls for rescue.

Though it would be daybreak before the storm's toll was clear, already, the damage was extensive. Thousands of homes had flooded, roads were washed out and several fires burned unabated as crews could not reach them. But the biggest fear was that the nearly 250,000 people who defied orders to flee would need rescue from submerged homes and neighborhoods.

The eye of the storm powered ashore at 3:10 a.m. ET at Galveston with 110 mph winds, a strong Category 2 storm.