Program helping service women cope with PTSD
By: Benita Zahn
Twice this month, the Capital Region has known the sorrow of losing a soldier to war.
Many more will return home bearing the scars of battle.
Some will be the invisible wounds of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD.)
For women, traditional care givers, PTSD can be especially disabling.
That's where Project Odyssey comes in.
It's a story you'll only see on News Channel 13
It's conversation and coffee with a side of toast and eggs, for these 13 female combat vets and their counselors.
Welcome to the start of the day for Project Odyssey, from which none of the women will return home unchanged.
“I see someone who came in to us Monday, not talking, very shy, not one smile, and then today I hear laughs. Can't shut them up. I see a lot of change,” said Nancy Schiliro of Project Odyssey.
Her own life changed so much by Project Odyssey that Schiliro now works for the Odyssey.
It's run by the Wounded Warriors Project and the Vet Centers, an offshoot of the V.A.
read more here
Program helping service women cope with PTSD
Here's one of my videos on female veterans
Thursday, July 1, 2010
Family Remembers Minn. Soldier Who Died At Fort Riley
Family Remembers Minn. Soldier Who Died At Fort Riley
ST. CLOUD, Minn.
Family members are remembering a Minnesota soldier who died at a Kansas military base earlier this month as someone who loved serving his country.
Twenty-three-year-old Spc. Seth Zencius was found dead June 14 in his bunk at Fort Riley. He grew up in St. Cloud and graduated from Technical High School in 2004.
Zencius joined the U.S. Army in 2005 and served two tours of duty in Iraq.
read more here
http://wcco.com/local/family.remembers.soldier.2.1779459.html
ST. CLOUD, Minn.
Family members are remembering a Minnesota soldier who died at a Kansas military base earlier this month as someone who loved serving his country.
Twenty-three-year-old Spc. Seth Zencius was found dead June 14 in his bunk at Fort Riley. He grew up in St. Cloud and graduated from Technical High School in 2004.
Zencius joined the U.S. Army in 2005 and served two tours of duty in Iraq.
read more here
http://wcco.com/local/family.remembers.soldier.2.1779459.html
Please help me
I am in financial distress and alone.(clarification: I work alone, still happily married) While I work with many fine organizations, I am independent of them so that I can provide all of them with equal guidance.
Two and a half years ago, I had a job that supported my volunteer work with veterans but the economy hit the church so hard, the job closed down and they had to rely on volunteers. After two years on a job I loved, I was out of work and shocked to discover I couldn't get unemployment because the church didn't pay into the system.
That was when I decided to become a Chaplain. The training, insurance, communication expenses and travel caused more financial hardship, but I trusted the Lord with all of it in His hands. After over 25 years working with veterans and all these years of doing it online, there isn't much I don't know about PTSD but when it comes to finding financial support, I am dumber than dirt. I am not very good at it at all.
Since I lost my job I have found only temp jobs with a week here, two weeks there but nothing I could depend on. It is very stressful offering spiritual counseling to veterans and their families, which I am more than happy to do, but the financial stress is often more than I can carry.
What you see on this blog as I track reports around the country is only a part of what I do. There are many emails and phone calls helping veterans. When you see videos I've created to provide education and emotional support, there are countless hours putting them together. During the hours spent online there are also many hours helping organizations understand what needs the veterans face on a daily basis. Most of these groups offer nothing in return for my help simply because they are just starting up with very tiny budgets.
I am willing to carry these burdens because I don't want anyone to ever feel alone with PTSD ever again. I remember what that felt like and it breaks my heart knowing so many still feel alone. None of what we're seeing in the veterans suffering has to happen. Healing is possible no matter how long they have been living with PTSD. I plan on doing this for many more years to come but what I cannot do is to be alone and struggling to be able to pay my bills.
If you are able, please help me by making a donation into PayPal. The button is on the sidebar. It's tax deductible. If you cannot donate, please pray that God willing, someone with the means to support me helps me carry on.
Mark12:42-44
Then one poor widow came and threw in two mites, which make a quadrans.
So He called His disciples to Himself and said to them, “Assuredly, I say to you that this poor widow has put in more than all those who have given to the treasury; for they all put in out of their abundance, but she out of her poverty put in all that she had, her whole livelihood.”
Sincerely devoted
Chaplain Kathie
Wednesday, June 30, 2010
Soldier from St. Petersburg killed in Afghanistan
DOD Identifies Army Casualties
The Department of Defense announced today the deaths of two soldiers who were supporting Operation Enduring Freedom.
They died June 27 in Konar, Afghanistan of wounds suffered when enemy forces attacked their unit with small arms fire. They were assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 327th Infantry Regiment, 1st Brigade Combat Team, 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault), Fort Campbell, Kentucky.
Killed were:
Staff Sgt. Eric B. Shaw, 31, of Exeter, Maine; and
Spc. David W. Thomas, 40, of St. Petersburg, Fla.http://www.defense.gov/releases/release.aspx?releaseid=13665
linked from ICasualties.org
Other deaths in the last couple of days
06/28/10 AP: Marine killed in Afghanistan had Michigan ties
Cpl. Daane Adam DeBoer, 24, was killed Friday by an improvised explosive device while on foot patrol, said his father, David DeBoer of Valparaiso, Ind. He said the military notified family in Indiana and Michigan of his son’s death the same day.
06/28/10 DoD: Army Casualty Identified
Staff Sgt. Edwardo Loredo, 34, of Houston, Texas, died June 24 at Jelewar, Afghanistan, when insurgents attacked his unit with an improvised explosive device. He was assigned to 2nd Battalion, 508th Parachute Infantry Regiment, 4th Brigade Combat Team, 82nd Airborne Division, Fort Bragg, N.C.
06/28/10 DoD: Marine Casualty Identified
Sgt. Joseph D. Caskey, 24, of Pittsburgh, Pa., died June 26 while supporting combat operations in Helmand province, Afghanistan. He was assigned to 3rd Battalion, 1st Marine Regiment, 1st Marine Division, I Marine Expeditionary Force, Camp Pendleton, Calif.
06/28/10 DoD: Air Force Casualties Identified (1 of 2)
Spc. Blair D. Thompson, 19, of Rome, N.Y...assigned to the 1st Battalion, 327th Infantry Regiment, 1st Brigade Combat Team, 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault), Fort Campbell, Ky...died June 25 at Konar, Afghanistan, of wounds sustained when insurgents attacked their unit using rocket propelled grenades and small arms fire.
06/28/10 DoD: Air Force Casualties Identified (2 of 2)
Spc. Jared C. Plunk, 27, of Stillwater, Okla...assigned to the 1st Battalion, 327th Infantry Regiment, 1st Brigade Combat Team, 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault), Fort Campbell, Ky...died June 25 at Konar, Afghanistan, of wounds sustained when insurgents attacked their unit using rocket propelled grenades and small arms fire.
06/28/10 DoD: Marine Casualty Identified
Lance Cpl. William T. Richards, 20, of Trenton, Ga., died June 26 while supporting combat operations in Helmand province, Afghanistan. He was assigned to 1st Battalion, 2nd Marine Regiment, 2nd Marine Division, II Marine Expeditionary Force, Camp Lejeune, N.C.
06/29/10 DoD: Army Casualty Identified
Pfc. Robert K. L. Repkie, 20, of Knoxville, Tenn., died June 24 at Forward Operating Base Farah, Afghanistan, of injuries sustained from a non-combat related incident. He was assigned to the 782nd Brigade Support Battalion, 4th Brigade Combat Team, 82nd Airborne Division, Fort Bragg, N.C.
06/29/10 DoD: Army Casualty Identified
Spc. David A. Holmes, 34, of Tennille, Ga., died June 26 at Sayed Abad, Afghanistan, of wounds sustained when insurgents attacked his unit using an improvised explosive device. He was assigned to the 810th Engineer Company, Swainsboro, Ga.
06/29/10 DoD: Army Casualty Identified
Sgt. John M. Rogers, 26, of Scottsdale, Ariz., died June 27 at Forward Operating Base Blessing, Afghanistan, of injuries sustained from a non-combat related incident. He was assigned to the 1st Battalion, 327th Infantry Regiment, 1st Brigade Combat Team, 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault), Fort Campbell, Ky.
06/30/10 DoD: Army Casualty Identified
Staff Sgt. Brandon M. Silk, 25, of Orono, Maine, died June 21 of injuries sustained when the helicopter in which he was travelling made a hard landing. He was assigned to the 5th Battalion, 101st Aviation Regiment, 101st Combat Aviation Brigade, 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault), Fort Campbell, Ky.
go here for more
Patriot Hills, a new vets' center, may offer help to hope
Encouraging words for Saranac Lake veterans' center
The Department of Defense is focusing more attention on post traumatic stress disorder, estimating that over 300,000 veterans of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan suffer from PTSD. Thousands of them are "civilian soldiers" — members of the Army Reserves and National Guard.
The Department of Veterans Affairs says combat vets are more likely to commit crimes or suffer effects of psychological trauma. Military officials are actively looking for new ways to help them heal and rejoin civilian life.
A group in Saranac Lake hopes Patriot Hills, a new vets' center proposed for the village, will be a good fit. This week, they got some encouraging words from the Army national Guard's medical commander. Martha Foley has more.
read more here
Encouraging words for Saranac Lake veterans center
The Department of Defense is focusing more attention on post traumatic stress disorder, estimating that over 300,000 veterans of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan suffer from PTSD. Thousands of them are "civilian soldiers" — members of the Army Reserves and National Guard.
The Department of Veterans Affairs says combat vets are more likely to commit crimes or suffer effects of psychological trauma. Military officials are actively looking for new ways to help them heal and rejoin civilian life.
A group in Saranac Lake hopes Patriot Hills, a new vets' center proposed for the village, will be a good fit. This week, they got some encouraging words from the Army national Guard's medical commander. Martha Foley has more.
read more here
Encouraging words for Saranac Lake veterans center
Pentagon Issues New Policy For Diagnosing And Treating Brain Injuries
Pentagon Issues New Policy For Diagnosing And Treating Brain Injuries
by T. Christian Miller and Daniel Zwerdling
The Pentagon has issued a new directive ordering better tracking and treatment of mild traumatic brain injuries in war zones, including a mandatory 24-hour rest period for any soldier exposed to a nearby blast.
The new policy, which has been in development for months, also requires soldiers who have suffered three mild traumatic brain injuries, also known as concussions, to have a complete neurological assessment done before returning to the battlefield.
Military medical experts praised the new policy as an encouraging change in the Pentagon's approach.
The directive places the focus on evaluating all soldiers exposed to a blast or other head trauma, as opposed to relying upon medical staff or soldiers themselves to report symptoms from an injury.
"This relieves the burden of the soldier having to say, 'I'm hurt,'" said Stephen Xenakis, a retired brigadier general who advises the military on medical issues. "When you do that, it's like routine maintenance on a vehicle. It's understood that it's what you need to do responsibly to maintain optimal performance."
read more here
New Policy For Diagnosing And Treating Brain Injuries
linked from Stars & Stripes
by T. Christian Miller and Daniel Zwerdling
The Pentagon has issued a new directive ordering better tracking and treatment of mild traumatic brain injuries in war zones, including a mandatory 24-hour rest period for any soldier exposed to a nearby blast.
The new policy, which has been in development for months, also requires soldiers who have suffered three mild traumatic brain injuries, also known as concussions, to have a complete neurological assessment done before returning to the battlefield.
Military medical experts praised the new policy as an encouraging change in the Pentagon's approach.
The directive places the focus on evaluating all soldiers exposed to a blast or other head trauma, as opposed to relying upon medical staff or soldiers themselves to report symptoms from an injury.
"This relieves the burden of the soldier having to say, 'I'm hurt,'" said Stephen Xenakis, a retired brigadier general who advises the military on medical issues. "When you do that, it's like routine maintenance on a vehicle. It's understood that it's what you need to do responsibly to maintain optimal performance."
read more here
New Policy For Diagnosing And Treating Brain Injuries
linked from Stars & Stripes
St. Louis VA may have exposed patients to hepatitis and HIV viruses
Hand-washed dental tools put patients at risk
By Mike Owens - KSDK via Gannett News Service
Posted : Wednesday Jun 30, 2010 8:26:21 EDT
ST. LOUIS — A failure to properly clean dental instruments at the John Cochran Veterans Administration Hospital may have put 1,812 dental clinic patients at risk.
The patients started getting certified letters Tuesday, advising them they may have been exposed to hepatitis and HIV viruses.
Dr. Gina Michael, association chief of staff at the hospital, said the failure happened because some dental technicians thought they were doing the right thing by washing the dental tools themselves.
Michael said the techs were using a sink and strong soap to clean the tools, when they should have sent them to the hospital sanitizing and sterilizing department.
The techs were trying to protect the delicate instruments by doing the cleaning by hand, but instead, they were breaking protocol, she said.
read more here
Hand washed dental tools put patients at risk
By Mike Owens - KSDK via Gannett News Service
Posted : Wednesday Jun 30, 2010 8:26:21 EDT
ST. LOUIS — A failure to properly clean dental instruments at the John Cochran Veterans Administration Hospital may have put 1,812 dental clinic patients at risk.
The patients started getting certified letters Tuesday, advising them they may have been exposed to hepatitis and HIV viruses.
Dr. Gina Michael, association chief of staff at the hospital, said the failure happened because some dental technicians thought they were doing the right thing by washing the dental tools themselves.
Michael said the techs were using a sink and strong soap to clean the tools, when they should have sent them to the hospital sanitizing and sterilizing department.
The techs were trying to protect the delicate instruments by doing the cleaning by hand, but instead, they were breaking protocol, she said.
read more here
Hand washed dental tools put patients at risk
Checking each Arlington grave must wait
Army: Checking each Arlington grave must wait
By William H. McMichael - Staff writer
Posted : Wednesday Jun 30, 2010 12:45:43 EDT
The Army is making “steady progress” toward resolving the myriad problems at Arlington National Cemetery, but it will not examine all of the 330,000-plus gravesites for improper markings and other issues uncovered by a recent investigation until graves records are completely automated, the service’s top civilian said Wednesday.
And talk of progress has not assuaged lawmakers’ anger over the mismanagement issues that led to the removal of the cemetery’s top two officials earlier in June, a separate investigation into millions of dollars spent to procure a yet-to-be-seen system to automate cemetery records and operations, and a flood of concern from upset family members worried about the integrity of their loved ones’ final resting places.
read more here
Checking each Arlington grave must wait
By William H. McMichael - Staff writer
Posted : Wednesday Jun 30, 2010 12:45:43 EDT
The Army is making “steady progress” toward resolving the myriad problems at Arlington National Cemetery, but it will not examine all of the 330,000-plus gravesites for improper markings and other issues uncovered by a recent investigation until graves records are completely automated, the service’s top civilian said Wednesday.
And talk of progress has not assuaged lawmakers’ anger over the mismanagement issues that led to the removal of the cemetery’s top two officials earlier in June, a separate investigation into millions of dollars spent to procure a yet-to-be-seen system to automate cemetery records and operations, and a flood of concern from upset family members worried about the integrity of their loved ones’ final resting places.
read more here
Checking each Arlington grave must wait
Republicans block help for women veterans
If half of the people in this country heard what some people say about our veterans, they would regret voting for them. Suddenly, now that bills come up to help our veterans, they want to worry about money instead of them. They do it all the time.
When bills came up to fund the action in Iraq and Afghanistan, they had no problem borrowing money to pay for it all, with no checks on where the money was going or even asking for any accountability. Hell, they didn't even ask for results. They said it was to support the troops. Yet these same people find it too hard to take care of the same men and women now they are veterans.
Senator Burr had a Q & A this morning with the DAV for a virtual town hall. He said over and over again the reason he does not support doing something is that it is not paid for. Cost of living raises for disabled veterans didn't happen because inflation was low, but he didn't mention that everything has gone up including the amount of money veterans have to pay to carry private health insurance to pay for non-service connected medical care, including those actually caused by service but not approved as a claim yet. What Senator Burr fails to understand is that when it comes to our disabled veterans, they already paid for it with their lives, their bodies, their minds and their futures. This is a debt we owe them and not the other way around. They need to stop thinking about veterans as some kind of charity case or an issue they can just wait on dealing with.
At the bottom of this section on veterans, it says to stay informed. We all should everyday and not just when it comes time for elections.
Senator Burr on Veterans Issues
The people we elect can say anything they want but what proves how they really feel is by what they do and how they defend what they don't do. Saying they need to "pay" for anything dealing with veterans needs is insulting. They should factor it all in when they decide to send even one of them into combat.
http://thinkprogress.org/2010/06/29/gop-homeless-veterans/
In other words, if you want to take care of veterans, pay for it, but while we're talking let's talk about tax cuts again for the wealthy.
These women, who served this country, especially in Iraq and Afghanistan, risked their lives just as the men did but what comes with many female homeless veterans are children. When they have PTSD and their marriages fall apart, they have to take care of their kids all the same. They lack support because when it comes to the military and veterans communities, they are still a minority. We also have to face the fact that military sexual abuse is a big reason some of them face the futures in need of more help than others.
How can anyone say they have not already earned the help they need with putting their lives on the line? How can anyone dare say what they need was not worth the price we have to pay today? To tell congress to find the money instead of being willing to do whatever it takes to take care of our veterans is appalling. They said no to extending unemployment benefits to the jobless as well. Did they ever consider the fact that many of the veterans no longer in the service, along with National Guards and Reservists are also unemployed in this economy?
I've asked this question many times and I still don't have a real answer. Do they support the military making the machines, in other words, defense contractors or do they support the men and women they send when they say they support the military?
House ready to move on defense funding bill
By Rick Maze - Staff writer
Posted : Wednesday Jun 30, 2010 12:33:41 EDT
Congress won’t make Defense Secretary Robert Gate’s July 4 deadline for passing a war supplemental funding bill, but there is now a glimmer of hope that lawmakers might get the measure passed before August, when the military would begin to face severe cash-flow problems.
The holdup on the bill has been in the House of Representatives, but Rep. David Obey, D-Wis., the House Appropriations Committee chairman, announced Wednesday that a $93.5 billion supplemental appropriations bill would be considered by the House this week that includes $37 billion for troops in Iraq.
The bill also includes $13 billion to cover a planned expansion of Agent Orange disability benefits to more Vietnam veterans.
Gates warned lawmakers that the Navy and Marine Corps would have to start dipping into peacetime budgets to cover war-related expenses as early as next week if Congress did not pass a final supplemental war funding bill before leaving town for its Fourth of July recess.
read more here
House ready to move on defense funding bill
When bills came up to fund the action in Iraq and Afghanistan, they had no problem borrowing money to pay for it all, with no checks on where the money was going or even asking for any accountability. Hell, they didn't even ask for results. They said it was to support the troops. Yet these same people find it too hard to take care of the same men and women now they are veterans.
Senator Burr had a Q & A this morning with the DAV for a virtual town hall. He said over and over again the reason he does not support doing something is that it is not paid for. Cost of living raises for disabled veterans didn't happen because inflation was low, but he didn't mention that everything has gone up including the amount of money veterans have to pay to carry private health insurance to pay for non-service connected medical care, including those actually caused by service but not approved as a claim yet. What Senator Burr fails to understand is that when it comes to our disabled veterans, they already paid for it with their lives, their bodies, their minds and their futures. This is a debt we owe them and not the other way around. They need to stop thinking about veterans as some kind of charity case or an issue they can just wait on dealing with.
At the bottom of this section on veterans, it says to stay informed. We all should everyday and not just when it comes time for elections.
Senator Burr on Veterans Issues
The people we elect can say anything they want but what proves how they really feel is by what they do and how they defend what they don't do. Saying they need to "pay" for anything dealing with veterans needs is insulting. They should factor it all in when they decide to send even one of them into combat.
Senate Republicans block measure to provide additional benefits to homeless veterans.
Today, Sen. Patty Murray (D-WA) brought her bill — the Homeless Women Veterans and Homeless Veterans With Children Act — to the Senate floor seeking unanimous consent. Murray said the bill would “expand assistance for homeless women veterans and homeless veterans with children and would increase funding and extend federal grant programs to address the unique challenges faced by these veterans.” However, Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) objected on behalf of Sen. Tom Coburn (R-OK) to this seemingly non-controversial issue:
McCONNELL: Madam president, reserving the right to object and I will have to object on behalf of my colleague Sen. Coburn from Oklahoma. He has concerns about this legislation, particularly as he indicates in a letter that I’ll ask the Senate to appear on the record that it be paid for up front so that the promises that makes the Veterans are in fact kept. So madam president I object.
Read the rest here
http://thinkprogress.org/2010/06/29/gop-homeless-veterans/
In other words, if you want to take care of veterans, pay for it, but while we're talking let's talk about tax cuts again for the wealthy.
These women, who served this country, especially in Iraq and Afghanistan, risked their lives just as the men did but what comes with many female homeless veterans are children. When they have PTSD and their marriages fall apart, they have to take care of their kids all the same. They lack support because when it comes to the military and veterans communities, they are still a minority. We also have to face the fact that military sexual abuse is a big reason some of them face the futures in need of more help than others.
How can anyone say they have not already earned the help they need with putting their lives on the line? How can anyone dare say what they need was not worth the price we have to pay today? To tell congress to find the money instead of being willing to do whatever it takes to take care of our veterans is appalling. They said no to extending unemployment benefits to the jobless as well. Did they ever consider the fact that many of the veterans no longer in the service, along with National Guards and Reservists are also unemployed in this economy?
I've asked this question many times and I still don't have a real answer. Do they support the military making the machines, in other words, defense contractors or do they support the men and women they send when they say they support the military?
House ready to move on defense funding bill
By Rick Maze - Staff writer
Posted : Wednesday Jun 30, 2010 12:33:41 EDT
Congress won’t make Defense Secretary Robert Gate’s July 4 deadline for passing a war supplemental funding bill, but there is now a glimmer of hope that lawmakers might get the measure passed before August, when the military would begin to face severe cash-flow problems.
The holdup on the bill has been in the House of Representatives, but Rep. David Obey, D-Wis., the House Appropriations Committee chairman, announced Wednesday that a $93.5 billion supplemental appropriations bill would be considered by the House this week that includes $37 billion for troops in Iraq.
The bill also includes $13 billion to cover a planned expansion of Agent Orange disability benefits to more Vietnam veterans.
Gates warned lawmakers that the Navy and Marine Corps would have to start dipping into peacetime budgets to cover war-related expenses as early as next week if Congress did not pass a final supplemental war funding bill before leaving town for its Fourth of July recess.
read more here
House ready to move on defense funding bill
Lawyer, wife accused of stealing from vets they were supposed to take care of
Lawyer, wife accused of stealing from vets
They allegedly took at least $2 million in six-year period
By BRIAN ROGERS
HOUSTON CHRONICLE
June 29, 2010, 8:52PM
A Houston lawyer and his wife appeared in federal court Tuesday, accused of stealing more than $2 million from military veterans.
Joe Phillips, 71, and Dorothy Phillips, 70, who managed her husband's small law office, appeared before U.S. Magistrate Judge Nancy Johnson, charged with conspiracy, misappropriation by a fiduciary, making materially false statements to a federal agency and tax fraud, according to federal officials.
Phillips, a former employee of the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs in Houston, is accused of stealing from mentally incompetent veterans.
read more here
Lawyer, wife accused of stealing from vets
They allegedly took at least $2 million in six-year period
By BRIAN ROGERS
HOUSTON CHRONICLE
June 29, 2010, 8:52PM
A Houston lawyer and his wife appeared in federal court Tuesday, accused of stealing more than $2 million from military veterans.
Joe Phillips, 71, and Dorothy Phillips, 70, who managed her husband's small law office, appeared before U.S. Magistrate Judge Nancy Johnson, charged with conspiracy, misappropriation by a fiduciary, making materially false statements to a federal agency and tax fraud, according to federal officials.
Phillips, a former employee of the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs in Houston, is accused of stealing from mentally incompetent veterans.
read more here
Lawyer, wife accused of stealing from vets
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