Warning: Tissues Required for These Hearttugging Videos

Dec 8, 2010
After receiving an email of the awe inspiring poem A Soldiers Christmas, written by Michael Marks, I felt compelled to create a video montage (using the song "I Believe" by Era) that would complement Mr. Marks words. I hope it touches you as much as it did me.
HAL
Marine Veteran
Semper Fi


And for those who are carried back home, Delta Honor Guard

UK:Soldiers need loans to eat, report reveals

Exclusive report: Soldiers need loans to eat, report reveals

Senior figures react angrily to damning indictment of life inside the Army. Jonathan Owen and Brian Brady investigate
Sunday, 11 May 2008


A highly sensitive internal report into the state of the British Army has revealed that many soldiers are living in poverty. Some are so poor that they are unable to eat and are forced to rely on emergency food voucher schemes set up by the Ministry of Defence (MoD).


Some of Britain's most senior military figures reacted angrily yesterday to the revelations in the report, criticising the Government's treatment of its fighting forces.

The disturbing findings outlined in the briefing team report written for Sir Richard Dannatt, the Chief of the General Staff, include an admission that many junior officers are being forced to leave the Army because they simply cannot afford to stay on.

Pressure from an undermanned army is "having a serious impact on retention in infantry battalions", with nearly half of all soldiers unable to take all their annual leave as they try to cover the gaps.

The analysis, described by General Dannatt as "a comprehensive and accurate portrayal of the views and concerns of the Army at large", states: "More and more single-income soldiers in the UK are now close to the UK government definition of poverty." It reveals that "a number of soldiers were not eating properly because they had run out of money by the end of the month". Commanders are attempting to tackle the problem through "Hungry Soldier" schemes, under which destitute soldiers are given loans to enable them to eat.

The scheme symbolises a change from the tradition of soldiers getting three square meals a day for free. Now hard-up soldiers have to fill out a form which entitles them to a voucher. The cost is deducted from their future wages, adding to the problems of soldiers on low pay.

The controversial Pay as You Dine (PAYD) regime, which requires soldiers not on active duty to pay for their meals, has seen commanding officers inundated with complaints from soldiers unhappy at the quality of food that they get and the amount of paperwork involved.
click post title for more

The challenges facing cops returning from battle with PTSD

Coming home, part 2: The challenges facing cops returning from battle


Part 2 of a 3-part exclusive PoliceOne series

Note: This series deals with the potential problems of LEOs attempting to reintegrate into domestic policing after serving military combat tours in Iraq and Afghanistan. Our reporting is based on the presentations of experts at a unique, invitation-only symposium for law enforcement and mental health professionals at the Washington (D.C.) Metropolitan Police Academy, organized by Dr. Beverly Anderson, clinical director and administrator of the Metropolitan Police Employee Assistance Program. PoliceOne was the only communications agency permitted to attend.

In Part 1, we explored the battlefield culture, the mental injuries war commonly inflicts, and the fact that returning veterans will inevitably be changed, sometimes in negative ways, by what they have experienced.


Once a law officer—or any returning soldier, for that matter—begins the process of reintegrating to home and job, “the road is likely to be longer, steeper and tougher than getting ready for combat,” said Capt. Aaron Krenz, a criminal justice-trained reintegration operations officer and Iraq veteran with the Minnesota National Guard. Often the men and women involved “don’t anticipate this.”

Hyper-vigilant, quick-trigger mentalities that helped an officer survive for months in a combat zone “don’t just go away, there’s no switch to turn this off,” Krenz said. And that’s the core of the reintegration struggle. Explains Maj. David Englert, chief of the Behavioral Analysis Division of the Air Force Office of Special Investigations: “Everything that made sense over there doesn’t make sense here.”

A simple example is driving style. In Iraq, Englert said, you’d swerve if you saw a water bottle on the roadway because it might be an IED, the greatest cause of injury and death in the war zone. You’d run cars off the road to get to your destination as fast as possible. You’d shoot any unknown vehicle that got too close to you for fear of an ambush.

He told of one returning vet who slipped behind the wheel of his family’s car after his wife and kids met him at the airport. “His wife stopped him even before they got to the ticket booth in the parking lot, and she took over” because his driving was so scary.

When an officer leaves for military deployment, “he takes a mental snapshot of how it’s going to be when he comes back,” Krenz says. But after the hugs and kisses of a brief honeymoon period—sometimes amazingly brief—a different reality often sets in.

Here are just a few of the reentry challenges that can impact an officer’s life back on the job and at home, according to the seminar faculty. Bear in mind that not all returning officer/veterans will experience these symptoms or be impaired by them. Just as with critical incidents in law enforcement, the lingering consequences of having been in combat will vary in nature and intensity from one individual to another.
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Reset? How do you reset when you know you will be heading right back within a year? The figures we had from Vietnam were due to most tours lasting just one year and then that was it. While some went back, most did not. The redeployments increase the risk of PTSD and this has been documented, but what has not been discussed enough is the depth of the wound the sending back in to the traumatic environment of combat is causing. Many have been sent back to Iraq and Afghanistan, already diagnosed with PTSD and TBI. This should cause alarm bells to sound off across the nation as to what will come.

Police officers have the same issue when they are back on the streets. If they do not deal with what they face, it cuts into them. We do a better job with police officers than we do with soldiers. We know what to do, we know how to do it, but when it comes to the soldiers, we don't do it.

Mental health care hit and miss, troops say

Mental health care hit and miss, troops say

By Kelly Kennedy - Staff writer
Posted : Sunday Mar 16, 2008 8:28:34 EDT

Service members told Congress Friday that mental health care for post-traumatic stress disorder is good — if they can get it.

In one case, a suicidal soldier asked for help and got it. In another, a soldier deployed to Iraq asked for help, and when he didn’t get it, he killed himself.

While military surgeons general told the House Armed Services personnel subcommittee about new programs designed to provide a safety net to catch troops with mental disorders, they also talked about issues that still must be addressed — recruiting and retaining mental health providers, ensuring leaders understand suicide, and finding proper treatment for PTSD.

“I think we are grappling with this about as hard as we can,” said S. Ward Casscells, assistant defense secretary for health affairs. He said the Defense Department is working to improve screening, implementing more resiliency training — teaching troops to be mentally strong as well as physically strong — and figuring out how to define and treat PTSD.

“Treatment is a struggle,” Casscells said. “We don’t know very well what treatments work.”
go here for the rest
http://www.airforcetimes.com/news/2008/03/military_mentalhealth_031408w/

Cops back from the war

10-8: Life on the Line
with Charles Remsberg

Exclusive: Cops back from the war: What problems do they pose?


By Chuck Remsberg, Senior PoliceOne Contributor

Part 1 of a 3-part series

Thousands of American law enforcement officers have been called to military service in Iraq and Afghanistan, and authorities are increasingly focusing attention on how well some of those can reintegrate into domestic policing once they return home.


Isolated instances of serious problems have made headlines, raising concerns about potentially persistent negative effects of combat experience.

• In Texas, an officer recently back from reservist deployment to Iraq, opened fire on a suspect who was running through a crowded shopping center. The rounds narrowly missed the officer’s partner and one lodged in a van occupied by two children. “Everyone believes he should not have fired,” the officer’s attorney told USA Today. “His assessment of the threat level was wrong. He was assessing as if he was back in the military, not [as] a police officer.”

• In Georgia, an officer who’d served in Iraq with the National Guard was sentenced to more than 12 years in prison after pleading guilty to voluntary manslaughter. He was part of a misdirected drug raid in which an elderly woman was killed. His lawyer says he was undergoing treatment for post-traumatic stress disorder, a condition afflicting a significant percentage of returning vets.

• In Nevada, a trooper who’d been in Iraq as an Army Guardsman, pleaded guilty to felony reckless driving and was sentenced to 2 to 12 years. According to the New York Times, he was driving 118 mph when he slammed into another car, killing four people and critically injuring another.

No one claims that all—or even a majority—of post-deployment veterans are menaces to society once they pin a badge back on and resume patrol duties. But by the same token, says Dr. Stephen Curran, a Maryland psychologist who counsels officers, “You can’t just put people back in [law enforcement] jobs, give them their guns and expect that things are going to be fine. Getting back into the flow of things is a challenge.”

Most manage the transition successfully. For others, the struggle can be more problematic.

To explore the issues involved in LEOs returning from combat zones, Dr. Beverly Anderson, clinical director and administrator of the Washington (D.C.) Metropolitan Police Employee Assistance Program, convened a unique, invitation-only symposium at the department’s training academy. More than 200 police and mental health professionals representing 73 federal, state, county and city agencies in seven states attended to hear a panel of experts explain the harsh realities of returning to life stateside. PoliceOne was the only communications agency invited.

Drawing on the panel’s presentations, Part 1 of this exclusive series examines the roots of post-deployment adjustment problems. Part 2 will explore the challenges these present to officers, their families and their departments when they come home. In part 3, we’ll look at measures knowledgeable observers believe are necessary to assure a successful transition back to the streets.
click post title for the rest


After 4 days of training to become a Chaplain, one of the biggest things that was made quite clear is the fact police officers are just like the rest of the humans on the planet. They get angry, scared, sad and have the same emotions we all do. What we think sets them apart is that they take most of it and "stuff it inside their brains" instead of dealing with it. They do that because they think they are supposed to always be in control or situations, their actions and their emotions. To be honest, most of us think they are supposed to be a cut above the rest of us. In many ways, they are but they are still human. These men and women are trained to take someone down and many times that will end up killing someone in the line of duty.

Soldiers are not trained to stop someone or take them down. They are trained to kill. What they are not trained to do is to cope with what comes after they do. They are not trained to deal with the carnage, women killed or kids killed. They are not trained to see their friends killed either. You cannot train them for that but what you can do is help them cope with it after.

There is more we'll get into as the weeks go on and I attempt to share what I've learned this week. The test is tomorrow and I pray that I've learned enough to pass. I'm not very good with testing. Check back tomorrow night and I'll let you know if I passed the test. If I do, on Saturday there is a big post in the works to share more of what I've been made more aware of. Working with PTSD veterans all these years gave me some insight to what regular people go through but nothing came close to what I've learned this week.

VA issued warning on Lariam in 2004

VA Warns Doctors About Lariam
United Press International
25 June 2004
WASHINGTON - The Department of Veterans Affairs is warning doctors to watch for long-term mental problems and other health effects from an anti-malaria drug given to soldiers in Afghanistan and Iraq.The drug is mefloquine, known by the brand name Lariam, which has been given to tens of thousands of soldiers since the war on terrorism began. Some of those soldiers say it has provoked severe mental and physical problems including suicidal and violent behavior, psychosis, convulsions and balance disorders.

Last year the Food and Drug Administration began warning that problems might last "long after" someone stops taking it.

The VA warned its own doctors Wednesday that the drug "may rarely be associated with certain long-term chronic health problems that persist for weeks, months, and even years after the drug is stopped," according to a summary of published studies by a VA panel of experts. The summary accompanies an "information letter" from the VA's acting undersecretary for health, Dr. Jonathan B. Perlin, to healthcare professionals who treat veterans.Veterans' advocates praised the VA but said the Pentagon seems to have lost track of who has taken the drug -- making the size of a potentially serious problem unclear.While little mefloquine was used in the first Gulf War, advocates said a similar dearth of medical data has thwarted efforts to get to the bottom of Gulf War Syndrome for a decade. Investigators simply did not know what drugs or vaccines -- possible contributors to that syndrome -- were given to solders.

"We are pleased that the VA is taking a proactive approach to this situation," said Steve Smithson, assistant director of the American Legion's National Veterans Affairs and Rehabilitation Commission."It is no secret that the military did not do a good job of record keeping in the first Gulf War," said Smithson. "Early reports on Lariam make me concerned that we did not learn the lessons from the first Gulf War in that it is not being documented in health records."

http://www.refusingtokill.net/disability/va_warns_doctors_about_lariam.htm

Sgt. Marvin Lee Branch

But last Christmas, only months after the initial wave of killings, Fort Bragg was again the scene of tragedy when another service member, Sgt. Marvin Lee Branch, allegedly tried to murder his wife. How the situation was handled is indicative of the larger problem. Restraining orders protecting Carol Branch were dismissed within weeks of the attack, and she complained of receiving very little support: "I'm trying to save my life and I've got to beg (the Army) for help? I can see how those other mothers died. They were trapped." Branch said her husband had a history of abusive behavior, but he became uncontrollably violent upon returning from duty in Afghanistan. An Army spokesman confirmed that soldiers in Sgt. Branch's unit had taken Lariam, but would not confirm whether Branch had as well.
http://www.dissidentvoice.org/Articles/Wokusch_War-DomesticViolence.htm

Anthony Mertz

Anti-malaria drug cited in Illinois murder
By Mark Benjamin and Dan Olmsted
From the Washington Politics & Policy Desk
Published 2/21/2003 3:33 PM

CHARLESTON, Ill., Feb. 21 (UPI) -- The lawyer for a former Marine convicted of murder will tell an Illinois jury next week that an anti-malaria drug associated with psychotic behavior and aggression triggered the killing, and he should be spared the death penalty.

The case marks the first time that side effects of the drug, called Lariam, have been raised in front of a U.S. jury in a criminal case. Some believe the drug could have played a role in a string of killings by Fort Bragg soldiers last summer, though the Army calls that unlikely.

Anthony Mertz, 26, was convicted Feb. 12 of killing fellow Eastern Illinois University student Shannon McNamara in her Charleston, Ill., apartment on June 12, 2001. The jury is now hearing testimony before deciding whether to sentence him to death.

"When the Marines gave Lariam to my client they set in motion a chain of events that caused the death of Shannon McNamara," defense counsel David Williams told United Press International Friday.

http://www.aaconsult.com/lariam/lariam_news_52.html

This is from Jonathan Shay in his interview with PBS on a Soldier's Heart

Psychiatrist and author, Odysseus in America

And my personal theory of what lay behind those horrible, horrible murder suicides at Fort Bragg a couple of years ago, these were all staff NCOs … and officers in Special Operations, which is the most macho of all the formations. And what's more, they had been deployed repeatedly into very dangerous, very confusing and ambiguous operations, and had come back with injuries that they could not ask for help with, because they were afraid it would end their careers. And just by coincidence, a number of them broke at the same time, and broke in this catastrophic way. That's my thought about what happened there. This is not likely to be happening with junior enlisted people who I think can get help.
from Front Line Soldier's Heart
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/shows/heart/themes/stigma.html

4 Wives Slain In 6 Weeks At Fort Bragg
Husbands Blamed For Deaths, 3 Of The Men Served In Afghanistan


FORT BRAGG, N.C., July 26, 2002

Fayetteville, N.C., police said that was when Sgt. 1st Class Rigoberto Nieves — a soldier in the 3rd Special Forces Group who had been back from Afghanistan just two days — shot his wife, Teresa, and then himself in their bedroom.

Officials said Nieves had requested leave to resolve personal problems

Sheriff's investigators said Jennifer Wright was strangled June 29. Her husband, Master Sgt. William Wright of the 96th Civil Affairs Battalion, reported her missing two days later. Then on July 19, he led investigators to her body in Hoke County and was charged with murder.

Wright, who had been back from Afghanistan about a month, had moved out of his house and was living in the barracks.

The couple met in high school in Mason, Ohio, about 30 miles north of Cincinnati. They married shortly after Jennifer graduated.

Her father, Archie Watson, said the Wrights had talked recently about divorce. Jennifer had grown tired of military life, her father said, but William Wright was reluctant to let her go.


Sgt. 1st Class Brandon Floyd shot his wife, Andrea, a native of Alliance, Ohio, then killed himself in their Stedman home.

The Fayetteville Observer reported Floyd was a member of Delta Force, the secretive anti-terrorism unit based at Fort Bragg. He returned from Afghanistan in January, officials said. The couple's three children were in Ohio visiting relatives at the time of the deaths.


In the fourth case, Army Sgt. Cedric Ramon Griffin, 28, was charged with first-degree murder, two counts of attempted first-degree murder and first-degree arson in the July 9 death of his wife, Cumberland County Sheriff Moose Butler said.

Marilyn Griffin, 32, was found dead in the burning home. Her two children escaped the fire.

http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2002/07/31/national/main517033.shtml

Third Bragg soldier took malaria drug

By Mark Benjamin and Dan Olmsted
From the Washington Politics & Policy Desk


Published 8/17/2002 3:00 PM



FAYETTEVILLE, N.C., Aug. 17 (UPI) -- Friends of the three Fort Bragg soldiers suspected of killing their wives this summer say the men exhibited unusual anger and incoherence after returning from Afghanistan where they were given an anti-malaria drug associated with aggression and mental problems.

One of the soldiers was "almost incoherent" and visibly shaking while describing marital problems to a neighbor. Another became unable to control his anger at his wife in public, startling those who knew him. A third puzzled his new neighbors with his strange behavior.

http://home.att.net/~kjo/ftbragg2.htm

Read and comment on this story from UPI on the Army's three month study the slayings of four Army wives at Fort Bragg this summer which concluded that Lariam was not a factor in the murders.

The report has sparked claims the military is covering up problems with a drug it invented and licensed. "Our military said there is no problem with (Lariam) because they developed it," said Rep. Bart Stupak, D-Mich. "The hardest thing to do is develop a drug and then admit there is a problem."

Lariam is the most effective anti-malarial drug known and has been used by thousands of Peace Corps Volunteers over the past ten years. However, the drug's potential side effects are rarely reported and include agitation, depression and aggression. In July, Sen. Chris Dodd, D-Conn., called for an independent medical investigation to protect the health of Peace Corps volunteers, who are routinely prescribed the drug.
Read our ongoing coverage of the Lariam controversy at:
The Lariam Controversy
Read the story about the results of the Fort Bragg study at:
Army Fort Bragg study faces scrutiny*
http://peacecorpsonline.org/messages/messages/2629/1010667.html

So why is it still being used?

Malaria Chemoprophylaxis for Coalition Troops in Afghanistan -

Sep 18, 2007

Although mefloquine may be the drug most often selected, Canadian Forces members have the option of using either mefloquine weekly or doxycycline daily, Journal of American Medical Association (subscription),

Woman found guilty of sex attack on soldier

Woman found guilty of sex attack on soldier
Posted Fri Jan 25, 2008 11:14pm AEDT

Map: Perth 6000
A 21-year-old Perth woman has been found guilty of three charges relating to a sex attack on an Australian soldier two years ago.

A Perth District Court jury deliberated for six hours before finding Nicola Jane Clunies-Ross guilty of depravation of liberty, attempted sexual penetration and assault.

Her trial was told the soldier was assaulted with an object at her East Perth home with the help of another soldier who later killed himself.

Clunies-Ross maintained that she was forced to take part in the assault because the second soldier threatened to kill her.

She is yet to be sentenced.
http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2008/01/25/2147061.htm

One in five soldiers get concussion

1 In 5 Soldiers Gets Concussion, Army Says
Symptoms Can Look Like Post-Traumatic Stress
POSTED: 9:37 am EST January 18, 2008
WASHINGTON -- As many as 20 percent of U.S. troops leave war with signs they may have had a concussion, and some do not realize they need treatment, Army officials said Thursday.
Concussion is a common term for mild traumatic brain injury, or TBI. While the Army has a handle on treating more severe brain injuries, it is "challenged to understand, diagnose and treat military personnel who suffer with mild TBI," said Brig. Gen. Donald Bradshaw, chairman of a task force on traumatic brain injury created by the Army surgeon general.
The task force, which completed its work in May, released its findings on Thursday.
CONCUSSION
About: Concussions
Signs: & Symptoms
Preventing: Concussions
Traumatic: Brain Injury
Signs Of: Concussion
What To Do: After Concussion
Concussion: Information
http://www.local6.com/health/15083045/detail.html

Changing Thought Patterns Crucial in Treating PTSD

Changing Thought Patterns Crucial in Treating PTSD
Jan 16, 2008
BY Kimberly Gearhart, USAG Schweinfurt Public Affairs Office
It's normal and adaptive for Soldiers to experience heightened fear responses following combat experience. But if the occurrences don't subside within a few months, professional medical help may be needed.

They are easily irritated, react suddenly and unexpectedly to loud noises, or become withdrawn and unwilling to communicate. Understandably, this can be frustrating for family members. But the situation usually improves with time.

If it doesn't, then it may be time to seek professional help.

People who experience a frightening, traumatic event - such as many do during war - often react with heightened levels of arousal and fear. Memories of the event are painful, and may trigger a fear response similar to that caused by the original event.

"It's normal" and adaptive to experience these heightened fear responses, said social work care manager Rick Thompson. "But most people, over a period of time, usually around three months, get back to normal."

Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, or PTSD, occurs when a person gets "stuck" in the grip of that fear. The cause, though not completely understood, appears to be both neurobiological - a result of chemical reactions in the brain - and also related to the way the patient thinks.

The chemical aspect of the disorder may be treatable with medications, but the thought processes that foster and perpetuate the disorder are often difficult to change.

Click post title for the rest
more on this tomorrow.

Paul Sullivan on 20/20 last night

It's very hard to not see Paul Rieckhoff of IAVA, Jon Solz of VoteVets on TV whenever the veterans or the troops are being talked about. I think it's wonderful. I really wish people like them were getting so much attention when men and women were coming home from Vietnam. I doubt we would have half the problems we have today if that generation of veterans were taken care of.

Another advocate finally getting more attention is Paul Sullivan of Veterans for Common Sense. He did a fantastic job in the 20/20 report on drug use in the military, especially with those deployed into the combat zones of Iraq and Afghanistan. He's been out there a long time and doing a great job fighting for our veterans.

http://www.veteransforcommonsense.org/index.cfm/Page/Article/ID/8863
Paul Sullivan, Executive Director, VCS


Nov 28, 2007

Nov. 29 Update: VCS on ABC's '20/20' This Friday

Dear VCS Friends:

Veterans for Common Sense has two items for you in this week's update.

First, VCS will be featured on the news program '20/20' this Friday, Nov. 30. ABC News investigative reporter Brian Ross interviewed VCS's Paul Sullivan about the growing drug abuse problem in our military and among our veterans, especially our returning Iraq and Afghanistan war veterans.

Second, we are launching our End of Year fundraising drive. Your generous tax deductible donations to VCS make a big difference in the lives of the 1.7 million U.S. service members deployed into combat for the Iraq and Afghanistan wars.

With your financial support, this year VCS scored several major policy and public relations victories. Here is a partial list of our VCS accomplishments:

On the policy side:

* In May, our VCS expertise helped add $1.8 billion in new funds so VA could hire thousands of more doctors and claims processors that our veterans desperately need.

* VCS helped craft and push for S 1606, the Wounded Warrior bill that will streamline healthcare and benefits for veterans, approved by both the House and Senate. Final passage of a revised bill is expected soon.

* VCS fought hard to remove VA Secretary Jim Nicholson, who eventually quit in July as VA’s funding, planning, and capacity crises became public and America became outraged at the Walter Reed and VA scandals.

* All year, VCS used the Freedom of Information Act to obtain VA documents that were used by Harvard University to estimate the human and financial costs of the Iraq and Afghanistan wars: 700,000 patients with a price tag of $700 billion.

* In July VCS filed a major class action law suit against VA to force VA to provide prompt medical care and benefits, especially for veterans with post-traumatic stress disorder.

* VCS testified twice before Congress. We called for an end to the illegal military practice of discharging wounded soldiers suffering from traumatic brain injury and post-traumatic stress disorder on trumped-up claims of a personality disorder. VCS called for the automatic approval of PSTD claims by VA, and for a national anti-stigma campaign so veterans want to seek VA treatment.

On the public relations side, VCS put a human face on the difficulties facing our veterans by working with both local and national reporters:

* In February, in a major cover story, Newsweek magazine and VCS highlighted VA’s failure to plan for the 264,000 new Afghanistan and Iraq War veterans already treated at VA.

* In February, ABC Evening News anchor Bob Woodruff interviewed VCS Executive Director Paul Sullivan about the hundreds of thousands of veterans already being treated at VA - the first time the public knew about the enormous scope of battlefield casualties.

* In March, the Boston Globe profiled our VCS efforts to publicize the growing casualties from the Iraq and Afghanistan wars.

* In October, the Charlotte Observer, working with VCS, highlighted the endless wait for many veterans to see doctors at some VA hospitals - 93 percent of Iraq and Afghanistan war veterans with traumatic brain injury waited longer than 30 days to see a VA doctor.

* Two weeks ago, CBS News interviewed VCS and publicized the growing epidemic of veteran suicides. Working with the University of Georgia, CBS News reported that veterans aged 20 to 24 are four times more likely to commit suicide than non-veterans of the same age group.

* This Friday, ABC News interviews VCS and highlights the growing drug abuse crisis among our veterans. Left without screening and treatment, combat veterans turn to self-medication for the physical and mental pain from war.

Because of your support, the world knows that the alarms are sounding and the lights are flashing red for our veterans. The impact of the Iraq and Afghanistan Wars is devastating. Record divorces and broken homes. Unemployment and job discrimination. Rising alcoholism and drug abuse. Homelessness. Suicides.

We are a Nation at war. That means we have a collective duty to care for our service members, our veterans, and our freedoms. VCS asks you to please make a donation so that we can continue our publicity efforts to highlight veterans’ needs and concerns and our policy efforts that bring real change at the national level.

Next year Congress and the press will be focused on elections, and VCS will work hard to make sure that national security, civil liberties, and veterans needs remain front and center in the discussion. Will you help VCS today?

Thank you,

Paul Sullivan
Executive Director
Veterans for Common Sense

If you missed the report last night I'm sure you can catch it somewhere on YouTube. This is not a new problem and this country needs to face what they do and why they do it. This is not about doing drugs just because you want to. In these cases, it is about having to because the government does not take the wounded out of combat and does not treat the wound.

High at the Mountain Post
Fort Carson soldiers were prepared for war, but not their own war with drugs.

I talked to Paul yesterday. I'm sure you saw the silly post I put up. I told him how much I loved him and his group. Up until the last few years, there were very few fighting for our veterans. Oh sure, you can think of the American Legion, VFW and DAV, but these groups are more involved in political bending than they are with fighting for the veterans. Today's groups are not interested in playing political sucking up. They are interested in getting what is needed done.

Veterans For Common Sense is having a fund raiser. They are doing great work and we need to support them. Think of giving a gift this Christmas that will make a difference in our wounded veterans' lives. If you have a family member who was a veteran, like most of our father's were, and they are no longer here, donate in their memory. Let them know you have not forgotten them or the sacrifices they made for this nation.

For those of you who are wondering what to do for the homeless veterans, think of the fact Christ had no place to call home when he was born in a manger in Bethlehem. Then look over to the right side of this blog. Read what Christ had to say about how he wanted us all to care for the needy. Donate to a shelter. You'd be surprised how far even a small donation can go.

If you have a couple of dollars and appreciate the videos I do, I could use a donation myself. I'm already in the hole for the DVDs. I don't mind working as hard as I do for free. That was my decision long ago. What I cannot do is go broke doing sending out the DVD. I don't turn anyone away but it's getting expensive and frankly I don't know how many more I can send out without donations coming in. Use the PayPal button and kick in a few dollars if you can.

I know how hard it is this time of the year to find extra money, but if you have a family member who has everything they could want, think of making donations in their name and then taking the tax write off. You can't write it off on your taxes for donating to me, but the shelters and Veterans for Common Sense are tax deductible.

Kathie Costos

Namguardianangel@aol.com

www.Namguardianangel.org

www.Namguardianangel.blogspot.com

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

Paxil, murder-suicide and PTSD

He had been prescribed Paxil, an anti-depressant, but did not consistently take the medication, said Judy Lopez, his mother.

Lovell murder-suicide shatters 2 families
By RUFFIN PREVOST
Gazette Wyoming Bureau

LOVELL, Wyo. - Two families joined by marriage and grief struggled Tuesday to make sense of a shooting that left a husband and wife dead and two young children without parents.

Ongoing depression over the hardships of serving in Afghanistan and Iraq may have played a role in sparking the incident, said relatives of Steven D. Lopez.

An active-duty sergeant in the U.S. Army, Lopez, 23, shot his wife, Brenda Lee Davila, 22, before turning the gun on himself Monday afternoon.

"Our hearts go out so much for Brenda's family," said Daniel Lopez, Steven Lopez's father.

(14)


Lovell murder-suicide shatters 2 families
By RUFFIN PREVOST
Gazette Wyoming Bureau

LOVELL, Wyo. - Two families joined by marriage and grief struggled Tuesday to make sense of a shooting that left a husband and wife dead and two young children without parents.

Ongoing depression over the hardships of serving in Afghanistan and Iraq may have played a role in sparking the incident, said relatives of Steven D. Lopez.

An active-duty sergeant in the U.S. Army, Lopez, 23, shot his wife, Brenda Lee Davila, 22, before turning the gun on himself Monday afternoon.

"Our hearts go out so much for Brenda's family," said Daniel Lopez, Steven Lopez's father. "We can't even begin to - it's terrible. It's the ultimate pain, to lose a child, and it makes it so much worse to know your child took a life. We feel so bad for the other family," he said.

Outside Brenda Davila's Carmon Avenue residence Tuesday afternoon, her mother, Martha Davila, laid a single red rose on the concrete walkway leading from the sidewalk to the home.

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Soldiers cheating to stay on duty

Military looks to curb TBI test cheating

By Gregg Zoroya - USA Today
Posted : Wednesday Nov 7, 2007 10:43:32 EST

Troops in Iraq and elsewhere have tried to avoid being pulled out of combat units by cheating on problem-solving tests that are used to spot traumatic brain-injury problems, military doctors say.

New versions of the tests were sent into Iraq late last month to prevent the cheating, said Air Force Lt. Col. Michael Jaffee of the Defense and Veterans Brain Injury Center in Washington, D.C.

“With highly motivated individuals, be they athletes, be they our service members in harm’s way, there is a motivation to stay with the unit and stay on the job or stay in the game,” he said.

The tests, administered by medics in the field, are the military’s primary means of uncovering subtle signs of brain injuries from exposure to blasts.

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NOW HERE THIS! They do not agree with why they are in Iraq or if they should be there at all, but what they all agree on is staying with their "brothers and sisters" right by their side. Think about that. Think about what these men and women have in them that would cause them to cheat on TBI tests to see if they have been wounded or not because they do not want to leave them. This is the same bunch of fine individuals who define hero. They had this in them the day they were born. They are not cheating on a test to go home. They are cheating to stay.

These are the same soldiers who come home and then have to fight the government to have their wounds taken care of and their families provided for when they can no longer do it on their own.

These are the types of men and women this government turned their backs on, refusing to provide for all of their wounds to be willingly taken care of. All they asked of this nation is to take care of the wounded and the families of the fallen. We couldn't even manage to do that for them.

They come back with PTSD wounded minds and then we make them fight us, fight to prove the wound is real, fight to have the benefits they were promised and then we make them fight to prove they are not just trying to "suck off the system" we pay for. Please tell me how any of us could not keep from protesting at the steps of congress to make sure they are all taken care of. Please tell me how it is that we're not all out in masses protesting the way they have been treated as passionately as we want them all home. Because if we do not do this then we are asking them to come home only to be abandoned. Then maybe you can tell me how it is this government was allowed to disregard any of these men and women in the first place.

Kathie Costos
Namguardianangel@aol.com

PTSD and TBI awareness programs launched

PTSD and TBI awareness programs launched
By Charlie Reed, Stars and Stripes
Mideast edition, Monday, November 5, 2007


Do you know a soldier who just isn’t acting like himself these days?

If so, he could be suffering from post traumatic stress disorder or traumatic brain injury as a result of serving in Iraq or Afghanistan.

Recognizing the symptoms associated with PTSD and TBI should now be easier for soldiers and civilian employees thanks to a new mandatory awareness program the Army launched this summer. The one- to two-hour “chain-teaching” program should have been delivered to all units by their command in mid-October.

“I think the biggest thing with the chain teaching is that it kind of identifies symptoms that aren’t very apparent otherwise,” said Jeri Chappelle, spokeswoman for Europe Regional Medical Command. “Soldiers may be experiencing these symptoms and don’t know why they have them.”

Coupled with other efforts — such as Landstuhl Regional Medical Center’s new proposal to establish a TBI center — the awareness program shows military officials are devoting more resources to the two conditions, which affect up to 30 percent of downrange troops.
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Part of being tough is admitting you need help with PTSD

"Many Vietnam vets died miserable, alone and young," he said. "This is not going to happen to these guys."


Army taking stress out of seeking help
Tuesday, September 04, 2007
By NIKI DOYLE
Times Staff Writer niki.doyle@htimes.com

Program aims to fight idea that it's a sign of weakness

More than 30 years after thousands of "shell-shocked" soldiers left Vietnam, the U.S. Army is taking steps to help soldiers leaving Iraq adjust successfully to civilian life.

The Army is requiring all its employees - soldiers and civilians - to participate in a seminar on post traumatic stress disorder, or PTSD, and mild traumatic brain injury.

........"Soldiers don't want to appear weak," Battle said. "That's the kind of statement that leaders want to fight against. Part of being tough is admitting you need help."
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Soldiers Urged to Get Treatment for Stress

Soldiers Urged to Get Treatment for Stress
Stars and Stripes | Erik Slavin | August 31, 2007

CAMP RED CLOUD, South Korea — U.S. Army Garrison Red Cloud officials urged soldiers and civilians at a Thursday briefing in the theater to get help if they are dealing with post-combat stress.

Camp Stanley operations officer Capt. Lis-Mary Wilson’s briefing also encouraged supervisors to watch for signs of post-traumatic stress disorder in their workers.

The message was delivered, but its success ultimately depends on soldiers and civilians feeling comfortable enough to seek help from chaplains, doctors and social workers.

PTSD News and Resources

“No one has the right to judge you. They don’t know what you saw or what you’ve done,” Wilson told the 30 to 40 soldiers and civilians in attendance, along with about 20 South Korean soldiers.

Soldiers won’t be punished for seeking help, Wilson said. But how will a soldier who misses time at his post for long-term care be seen in the eyes of a commander? What will care from a psychiatrist mean to a promotion board?

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New PTSD blog

Wounded Times Blog There are so many reports coming out on Post Traumatic Stress from all over the world, so I decided to put up a blog just for them.

If you want to read the reports about the occupation of Afghanistan and Iraq, veterans and the way they are treated along with other military news, Nam Guardian Angel blog spot is still up and I will be posting there as well. This is strictly for PTSD. It will not be only from military causes, but I tend to focus more on that.

As I go along I will move some of the posts from the other blog. There are over seven thousand post to go through so that will take a lot of time.




Kathie Costos DiCesare