PTSD:Maj. General David Blackledge shows what courage is back home

Photo by AP
In this photograph provided by Maj. Gen. David Blackledge, Blackledge, right, stands next to then U.S. Ambassador to Iraq Zalmay Khalilzad in Iraq in this undated photograph. From Boston Herald

PTSD News: After Two Iraq War Deployments, Army Major General Steps Forward, Breaks Culture of Silence on Mental Health

Pauline Jelinek


Associated Press

Nov 08, 2008

November 8, 2008, Washington, DC (AP) — It takes a brave soldier to do what Army Maj. Gen. David Blackledge did in Iraq.

It takes as much bravery to do what he did when he got home.

Blackledge got psychiatric counseling to deal with wartime trauma, and now he is defying the military's culture of silence on the subject of mental health problems and treatment.

"It's part of our profession ... nobody wants to admit that they've got a weakness in this area," Blackledge said of mental health problems among troops returning from America's two wars.

"I have dealt with it. I'm dealing with it now," said Blackledge, who came home with post-traumatic stress. "We need to be able to talk about it."

As the nation marks another Veterans Day, thousands of troops are returning from Iraq and Afghanistan with anxiety, depression and other emotional problems.

Up to 20 percent of the more than 1.7 million who've served in the wars are estimated to have symptoms. In a sign of how tough it may be to change attitudes, roughly half of those who need help aren't seeking it, studies have found.
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http://www.veteransforcommonsense.org/ArticleID/11596

How will military greet Obama?

A few things to consider here. First is that Bush said he listened to the commanders, but he ignored anyone daring to disagree with him. That is a fact and many experienced, loyal, dedicated generals resigned instead of following callous orders that would cause unnecessary deaths. The other is to remember that while President Elect Obama does not have military experience, he does have something Bush never did. A great respect and heart for those who serve. It came from his own family. He's shown this when as soon as the became a Senator, Obama joined the Veterans Affairs Committee and fought for veterans to be taken care of. Just look up his record and his speeches to know exactly how he feels about the men and women serving this nation.

How will military greet Obama?
by Politico.com
Sunday November 09, 2008, 7:22 AM

Barack Obama will enter the White House without any military experience and with a playbook that emphasizes diplomacy, behind a president who waged two wars and presided over some of the largest-ever defense budget increases.

So, how will President Obama be received at the Pentagon? Much depends on his first moves.

One of his senior security advisers, former Rep. Lee Hamilton (D-Ind.), said even though the president-elect has experience on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, he’ll need a strong defense team that works together well.

“He will have to pay a lot of attention to a secretary of defense and the close advisers to the secretary,” Hamilton said. “The whole military, national security establishment will be watching that with care.”

And since the military is trained to follow orders, insiders say it is receptive to the change of command.

The military needs to be ready to offer its advice while scrupulously avoiding any attempt to shape the agenda, said a senior defense official familiar with the transition. “It is to everyone’s benefit to shorten the learning curve for whoever is coming in,” he said, especially because this is the first wartime transition since 1968.

Senior officers will be ready to follow the orders of Obama, who has not stirred any detectable negative response in the military command, said Dov Zakheim, who was Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld’s Pentagon comptroller. And if they balk, one former senior officer pointed out, there are plenty of other officers to be promoted.

President Bush wasn’t shy about using the military, but his relationship with top military commanders was sometimes sour, particularly over issues related to the war in Iraq.

Early on, Bush deferred to Rumsfeld, his first defense secretary, who dumped Army Chief of Staff Eric Shinseki after he told Congress more troops were required for the invasion of Iraq. And while active-duty generals muted public criticism for the rest of Bush’s term, retired generals spoke out.

In 2004, retired Marine Gen. Anthony Zinni raised early concerns about the execution of the war. Then in 2006, six retired generals went public with their concerns.

Bush responded with a surge of forces, and extended officers’ tours of duty from 12 to 15 months for a force already strained by multiple, lengthy deployments to Iraq and Afghanistan.

In his book “The War Within,” Bob Woodward detailed how that decision was made over the objections of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.
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PTSD:A Plague of War

Trained for battle, toughened, ready to fight, courage, patriotism, many different words they hear as they prepare to risk their lives. What they don't hear is the word "human" in the vocabulary of military speak. Then they come home changed. Some, temporary, others forever. While our experiences go into who we are and we move on with memories of normal daily lives, the combat veterans have to live with the memories of war. They still have the words used to train them reverberating in their minds and none of those words fit in with seeking help.

For all the times we've heard about the concern for phony claims in the VA with PTSD, what we need to remember is that the vast majority of veterans with PTSD, never go for help at all. Ask a Vietnam vet and understand that help was for the weak in their mind and this is something the "tough" will not tolerate. The stigma lives on. They don't understand that it takes a lot of courage and tenacity to fight the government to have claims approved, have the wounds treated and begin to heal. Courage to no longer care what some uneducated fool has to say about a brave veteran seeking help for this wound. Enough knowledge to know that no one has to just suck it up and deal with it as their lives fall apart.

I tell this story often about how one day at the VA in Orlando, waiting for my husband to come out after his appointment, I talked to two Marines back from Iraq. They were trying to fill out paperwork for their claims. I had on a Chaplain T-shirt so they knew who they were talking to. One Marine began to cry. He apologized to me. He talked about his training and how Marines were supposed to be tough but he was showing his weakness in front of me. We talked for a long time and I reminded him that he was sitting there after the battle was done, after he did his duty, after he followed orders, after his buddies needed him and he did all of this carrying the wound of PTSD eating away at him. There was nothing to be ashamed of. He showed exactly how brave, tough and committed he was and it was time for him to heal.

When we hear about a soldier with a bullet wound still fighting off the enemy, we think of how brave he was but when the wound they fight with is inside of them, no one ever thinks twice about what kind of courage that takes. We award the physically wounded with medals of heroism yet we brand the PTSD wounded with animosity. Who decided there should be anything to be ashamed of when a human is touched by all they endure during combat? People die in front of their eyes. They lose friends. They see horrific results of bombs blowing up. They have to kill. People will tend to have a lot more compassion for some civilian after a natural disaster than they do a soldier after hundreds of traumatic events.

We've come a long way but there are so many battles to fight against the people standing in the way of our men and women in the military and especially the National Guards seeking help to heal from what they went thru. The question is, when do we get there?
Senior Chaplain Kathie Costos
International Fellowship of Chaplains
Namguardianangel@aol.com
http://www.namguardianangel.org/
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

A plague of war
Asbury Park Press - Asbury Park,NJ,USA
As veterans return from Iraq, Post Traumatic Stress Disorder has become common. Its treatment presents challenges.
By Michael Amsel • STAFF WRITER • November 9, 2008
They can't sleep at night, constantly tossing and turning. The slightest rumbling
reminds them of an improvised explosive device. They can't connect with their loved
ones. A feeling of despair is impossible to shake, shadowing their every move,
triggering thoughts of suicide. And the nightmares, so dark and turbulent.

These are symptoms of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, an anxiety disorder that has afflicted tens of thousands of soldiers in this country after their exposure to
traumatic events of war. During World War I, PTSD was called "shell shock." During
World War II, it became known as "combat fatigue."

Now, it is universally referred to as PTSD and is as prevalent as ever, given the
ongoing five-year Iraq War.

Estimates of the rate of PTSD among veterans returning from Iraq range from 12 to 20 percent, according to a 2007 survey taken by the American Public Health Association. The Department of Veterans Affairs has treated more than 52,000 persons; with deployment now over 1.5 million, the numbers are expected to increase sharply in the years ahead, experts say.

"Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder really came to light back in 1980 when a group of Vietnam veterans began showing up with the same cluster of symptoms," said Thomas Lozinski, a licensed psychologist from Manasquan who is recognized as a local pioneer in treating the disorder. "Many of them, when they woke up, didn't know where they were and turned violent. They had these feelings of alienation, which we call psychic withdrawal. They guarded their emotions. They couldn't enjoy themselves, an inability known as anhedonia. Their symptoms read like a big Chinese menu — one from Column A, three from Column B."

Many veterans, upon returning home, are unable to make the adjustment to civilian life. They have marital problems. They can't find jobs. They experience behavioral problems and are unable to control their anger.

The symptoms of PTSD fester in their minds, often lying dormant for years at a time, wreaking havoc with their lives. Many are simply too proud to ask for help. Much denial is inherent in the disorder, and soldiers are worried about being stigmatized.

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Casualties of war: a soldier writes

Casualties of war: a soldier writes

By Mark Dryden
Sunday, 9 November 2008
On Remembrance Sunday we pause to think of those who have perished in conflicts but for every lost soldier, countless others are left with physical and mental scars.
On 20 November 2005 Sergeant John Jones, 32, of The Royal Regiment of Fusiliers, was killed in a roadside bomb in Basra, Iraq, in which Lance Corporal Mark Dryden lost an arm. L/Cpl Dryden, a self confessed “class clown” who joined the army at 17 without any qualifications, has since left and is now working towards a degree. Currently volunteering as a junior football team coach, he hopes to get a job as a physical education teacher. In this, his first ever essay for his new college, he recounts the day he lost his friend.


It’s been an hour. The streets are very quiet. Something is just not right. It feels hostile as if something is going to happen. We stop next to a local shop; we have spoken to the shopkeeper once before. He was very nice and talkative, but this time he won’t talk to Captain Fields.

I say to John, "This is pointless no one is gonna talk to a female officer."

John agrees. We drive away.

I tell John, "I don’t think we will get much out of this patrol as we have a female interpreter."

John has always trusted my judgement as I’m third in charge. We had a good rapport with the local shopkeepers; some have told us that it’s the Afghans and the Iranians that are bombing the city. Something still doesn’t feel right. I’m not scared, I’m quite happy as we are going to get back in early.
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So, what are we fighting for today?
Military hopes Barack Obama’s election will bring clear new aims to the mission in Afghanistan.
We've forgotten the lessons of British history, says former commander in Bosnia, as forces are imperilled by absence of clear direction, defined objectives, support and adequate equipment

By Cole Moreton
Sunday, 9 November 2008
On this Remembrance Sunday, British soldiers standing in dusty battle fatigues in Afghanistan will remember a friend whose death was so recent that the feelings are still raw.


Yubraj Rai was shot during an ambush by the Taliban. Medics tried to save him, but they couldn't. The 28-year-old died in a land where the poppy does not mean remembrance. It means opium, money and power. And death.

His mates have spoken about a man with a ready smile that hid how "brave, strong and hard" he was. Yubraj used his pay from the Royal Gurkha Rifles to support a mother, sister and three brothers back home in Nepal. "We are proud of you," said one of his closest comrades, "and what you did for us, your family and for the Queen."
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Reports: More than 20 dead in Russian nuclear sub accident

Reports: More than 20 dead in Russian sub accident
Story Highlights
Russian submarine's fire extinguishing system went into operation in error

Submarine was in Pacific Ocean conducting tests, reports say

Accident did not affect sub's reactor; radiation levels on ship normal, reports say

MOSCOW, Russia (AP) -- Russian news agencies are reporting that an accident aboard a nuclear-powered submarine has killed more than 20 people.

Interfax quotes navy spokesman Capt. Igor Dygalo as saying the reactor is working normally and radiation levels are normal.
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Harsh Words About Obama? Never Mind Now

Good but will their supporters now understand that what they heard from all of these people was not true?

Harsh Words About Obama? Never Mind Now
By JIM RUTENBERG
Published: November 8, 2008
That whole anti-American, friend-to-the-terrorists thing about President-elect Barack Obama? Never mind.

Just a few weeks ago, at the height of the campaign, Representative Michele Bachmann of Minnesota told Chris Matthews of MSNBC that, when it came to Mr. Obama, “I’m very concerned that he may have anti-American views.”

But there she was on Wednesday, after narrowly escaping defeat because of those comments, saying she was “extremely grateful that we have an African-American who has won this year.” Ms. Bachmann, a Republican, called Mr. Obama’s victory, which included her state, “a tremendous signal we sent.”

And it was not too long ago that Senator John McCain’s running mate, Gov. Sarah Palin of Alaska, accused Mr. Obama of “palling around with terrorists.”

But she took an entirely different tone on Thursday, when she chastised reporters for asking her questions about her war with some staff members in the McCain campaign at such a heady time. “Barack Obama has been elected president,” Ms. Palin said. “Let us, let us — let him — be able to kind of savor this moment, one, and not let the pettiness of maybe internal workings of the campaign erode any of the recognition of this historic moment that we’re in. And God bless Barack Obama and his beautiful family.”
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linked from RawStory

Pregnant soldier was strangled to death in barracks 7 years ago

Slain teen’s mom still seeks justice
Pregnant soldier was strangled to death in barracks 7 years ago
By John Vandiver, Stars and Stripes
European edition, Sunday, November 9, 2008


It’s been seven long years.

But Gloria Bates, the mother of a murdered daughter, still believes there will be justice.

"It hasn’t gone to cold case. It’s still open and they’re still investigating," Bates said from her home in Dallas. "We haven’t let up hope."

Nov. 5 marked the seven-year anniversary of the murder of Pfc. Amanda Gonzales, whose body was found on the floor of her third-floor barracks room on Fliegerhorst Casern in Hanau, Germany. Gonzales, 19, was five-months pregnant when she was strangled to death.

In the time since her death, much has changed. The base where she worked as an Army cook has closed. The soldiers assigned there have scattered. Yet DNA evidence continues to be analyzed, Bates said.

According to Bates, the DNA analysis has been slow going. And with two wars going on, agents with the Army’s Criminal Investigation Command also are stretched thin, she said.

"[They] are so short-handed right now as far as CID agents," she said. "That does slow down our case more."
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http://www.stripes.com/article.asp?section=104&article=58717

Arizona boy, 8, accused of killing 2, including dad

Arizona boy, 8, accused of killing 2, including dad
By FELICIA FONSECA
Associated Press
Nov. 8, 2008, 7:59PM
ST. JOHNS, Ariz. — A man who police believe was shot and killed by his 8-year-old son had consulted a Roman Catholic priest about whether the boy should handle guns and had taught him how to use them, the clergyman said Saturday.

The father, Vincent Romero, 29, was from a family of avid hunters and wanted to make sure the boy wasn't afraid of guns and knew how to handle them, said the Very Rev. John Paul Sauter of St. Johns Catholic Church. The boy's stepmother had suggested he have a BB gun, the priest said.

Romero taught his son how to use a rifle to kill prairie dogs, Sauter said. Police say the boy used a 22.-caliber rifle Wednesday to kill his father and another man, Timothy Romans, 39, of San Carlos.

The priest did not say how he advised the couple or whether they decided to buy him a gun but said Saturday that the boy "was just too young."

"That child, I don't think he knows what he did, and it was brutal," said Sauter, who presided at the wedding of the father and stepmother.

The boy, who faces two counts of premeditated murder, did not act on the spur of the moment, St. Johns Police Chief Roy Melnick said. Police are looking into whether he might have been abused.
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http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/front/6102254.html

Two children found unhurt in Haiti school collapse

Survivors Found in Haiti School Collapse
CNN
Port AU-PRINCE, Haiti (Nov. 8) -- Rescue workers in Haiti continued sifting through piles of rubble for signs of life Saturday as night fell over the grim scene where a school collapsed Friday.

Two uninjured children were pulled from the rubble of College La Promesse Evangelique in Petionville on Saturday and reunited with their families, said Rob Drouen, spokesman for the International Committee of the Red Cross.

Their rescue came hours after the death toll from the collapse climbed to 82 with the discovery of 21 bodies in a classroom, President Rene Preval said, according to Clarens Renois of the Haitian Press Network.

However, Drouen said it was difficult to say exactly how many people were inside the school.

"Yesterday, there was a special event at the school, so there were not only pupils but family members and friends who were invited," he said. "It's very difficult to say how many people were in the school."