MENTALLY DISABLED VETERANS ABOUT TO BE EVICTED
Albuquerque, NM (MMD Newswire) August 10, 2010 -- 37 mentally disabled, formerly homeless veterans are in danger of being turned out into the streets again. Highpointe Solutions, a charity located in Albuquerque, NM has been providing permanent housing for mentally disabled, formerly homeless veterans for the last 5 years. The charity is behind on mortgage payments and the bank intends to foreclose and evict these mentally disabled veterans. Most of them will end up living on the street being homeless veterans again. The charity needs to raise $160,000 by September 1, 2010 to get current on the mortgage and prevent foreclosure.
Highpointe Solutions operates a 5 building, 40 bed campus. Jeff Doyle at the VA in Albuquerque says, "this is the only facility of its kind in the country according to our database at the VA." This is far more than a group home for 3 - 5 mentally disabled veterans.
The charity has announced that donations are being sought to ensure the continuation of this valuable community service. Grant applications are being submitted with the intention of paying off the mortgage so that the threat of eviction will not be repeated, resulting in these mentally disabled residents becoming homeless veterans again.
Operating costs average $50 per day, per veteran. Rental income averages $30. per day, per veteran. The mentally disabled veterans' monthly income from the VA and SS (Disability Income) ranges from $600 to $1500. Rental income from the mentally disabled residents is the sole funding source to the charity. Without the mortgage payment, rental income would easily cover operating costs.
read more here
MENTALLY DISABLED VETERANS ABOUT TO BE EVICTED
Wednesday, August 11, 2010
Decorated Marine charged in Tampa DUI manslaughter case
4 Tours of duty. Wounded three times and has three Purple Hearts. He has a Bronze Star. None of this seems easy to connected to someone charged with killing someone after getting behind the wheel under the influence of alcohol. This doesn't sound like the type of person capable of doing that, but it is what he has been charged with. Pedro Rivera died because of this and his family has to grieve and go through a trail. Not an easy thing to do. Captain Sciple's family must be in shock and everyone knowing these men will not look at the world the same way. Who failed who and why does this keep happening?
Decorated Marine charged in Tampa DUI manslaughter case
By Jessica Vander Velde, Times Staff Writer
In Print: Wednesday, August 11, 2010
TAMPA — A Marine Corps captain decorated with three Purple Hearts and a Bronze Star was charged with DUI manslaughter Tuesday, more than three months after a fatal head-on crash on Interstate 275.
Authorities say Capt. Scott Patrick Sciple, 37, was intoxicated the morning of April 25, when he drove a 2010 Chevy Impala the wrong way on the interstate near Bearss Avenue and collided with a southbound Malibu.
Court records put his blood alcohol level at 0.255, about three times the limit at which the state presumes impairment.
The crash occurred just before 4 a.m. The other driver, 48-year-old Pedro Rivera, was pronounced dead several hours later at St. Joseph's Hospital, said Florida Highway Patrol Sgt. Larry Kraus.
"This is a horribly tragic case for everyone involved," said Sciple's attorney, John Fitzgibbons.
Sciple had served four tours of duty in Iraq and Afghanistan and was back in the United States recuperating from injuries before returning for a fifth tour, Fitzgibbons said Tuesday. He would not elaborate on Sciple's war injuries.
read more here
Decorated Marine charged in Tampa DUI manslaughter case
For Marine battery, a happy return and a brief respite
For Marine battery, a happy return and a brief respite
The 129 Marines and sailors who returned to Camp Pendleton on Tuesday will get a one-month leave, and some much-needed family time, before they begin training for another deployment.
By Tony Perry, Los Angeles Times
August 11, 2010
Reporting from Camp Pendleton — For a brief moment Tuesday afternoon, the cheering of family members of Marines returning from Afghanistan drowned out the echoing sound of artillery blasts from the training exercises of other troops preparing to deploy soon.
The 129 Marines and sailors of Tango battery of the 5th battalion, 11th Marine regiment were home after a seven-month deployment in Helmand province, arguably the most dangerous place in an increasingly dangerous country.
For Tango battery, it was considered a successful deployment: providing missile and rocket-fire to support infantry Marines fighting entrenched insurgents, including during the February battle for the Taliban stronghold of Marjah. The battery suffered no fatalities.
read more here
For Marine battery, a happy return and a brief respite
The 129 Marines and sailors who returned to Camp Pendleton on Tuesday will get a one-month leave, and some much-needed family time, before they begin training for another deployment.
By Tony Perry, Los Angeles Times
August 11, 2010
Reporting from Camp Pendleton — For a brief moment Tuesday afternoon, the cheering of family members of Marines returning from Afghanistan drowned out the echoing sound of artillery blasts from the training exercises of other troops preparing to deploy soon.
The 129 Marines and sailors of Tango battery of the 5th battalion, 11th Marine regiment were home after a seven-month deployment in Helmand province, arguably the most dangerous place in an increasingly dangerous country.
For Tango battery, it was considered a successful deployment: providing missile and rocket-fire to support infantry Marines fighting entrenched insurgents, including during the February battle for the Taliban stronghold of Marjah. The battery suffered no fatalities.
read more here
For Marine battery, a happy return and a brief respite
Are Some Troops Being Evangelized
To my Christian brothers and sisters
You may not think proselytizing is a problem. You may think it is a good thing but you are not looking at the ramifications behind this.
I am Greek Orthodox, in other words, fall under Eastern Orthodox. We kneel when we pray, eat bread and drink wine for communion. Should I have the power to tell someone else they are not worthy if they do not? Christians can't even agree on the Creed
I visit many churches and often remain silent when even the Lord's prayer is said because I am not sure what words they will use. I remain silent when they the Creed is said because of the same reason. I do not want to offend anyone nor do I want to demand the right to say the Creed as I know it in their church.
Should it be up to someone else to tell me my faith is not equal to their's even though the Greek's were the first converts to follow Christ out of the gentile world St. Paul preached to? No, I have no such right and I do not want to have it. Yet this is going on everyday. Should I have the right to refuse to help anyone unless they convert? What would you think of me if I walked away from someone in need simply because they did not appreciate the authority of my faith?
If you say the Protestant faith is the right one then which branch are you talking about? That is what religious freedom protects. It is not about Christian vs Christian vs everyone else. It is protecting the equal rights for you to go to the church you want and everyone else having the same right to go or not depending on their own beliefs. There are Jewish/Hebrew Chaplains and there are Muslim Chaplains just as there are Christian Chaplains. They are supposed to take care of the troops according to the beliefs of the troops and yes, take care of the spiritual needs of all of them no matter what they believe as humans in spiritual crisis. Chaplains are supposed to practice as non-denominational responders to the needs of others and not their own desires for converts.
Yesterday I wrote how I wish there were more Chaplains in the military and that we saw more of Christ in their mission to help the troops heal from what is asked of them. This is not about getting rid of Chaplains in the military. It is about getting more of them to remember what they are there for and answering the call they received from God to be there for the troops in need. We need more of them because the need is so great. Suicides and attempted suicides scream for their spiritual guidance especially when PTSD is spiritual warfare.
I pray you read the following with an open mind and while you do ask yourself how you would feel if a Chaplain told your son or daughter their faith was not good enough or they were suffering because they didn't believe in the right doctrine. What if they did not consider themselves part of any organized religious group at all but still said they believed in God and Christ? This happens all the time with our young. What if they said they only believed there was something out there but were not sure what that "something" is? Would you want them forced into it?
You may not think proselytizing is a problem. You may think it is a good thing but you are not looking at the ramifications behind this.
I am Greek Orthodox, in other words, fall under Eastern Orthodox. We kneel when we pray, eat bread and drink wine for communion. Should I have the power to tell someone else they are not worthy if they do not? Christians can't even agree on the Creed
The Church has widely used the Nicene Creed since the fifth century. In some liturgical churches, for example the Episcopal/Anglican Churches, it is recited every Sunday. In others, the Nicene Creed is alternated with the Apostles’ Creed for Sunday worship, although the Apostles’ Creed is more often used at Baptismal services. The Eastern Orthodox tradition uses only the Nicene Creed. While most non-liturgical Protestant churches prefer the shorter Apostles’ Creed, none would object to the doctrines the Nicene Creed summarizes. It is the only creed accepted by all three major branches of Christendom: Protestant, Roman Catholic, and Eastern Orthodox. -Dennis Bratcher, ed.We believe in one God the Father, the Almighty, creator of heaven and earth, and of all that is, seen and unseen. (visible and invisble)
We believe in one Lord, Jesus Christ, the only Son of God, (eternally) begotten of the Father, God from God, Light from Light, true God from true God, begotten, not made, of one being [substance] with the Father. Through him all things were made. For us and for our salvation he came down from heaven; by the power of the Holy Spirit he became incarnate from the Virgin Mary, and was made truly human. For our sake he was crucified under Pontius Pilate; he suffered death and was buried. On the third day he rose again in accordance with the Scriptures; he ascended into heaven and is seated at the right hand of the Father. He will come again in glory to judge the living and the dead, and his kingdom will have no end.
We believe in the Holy Spirit, the Lord, the giver of life, who proceeds from the Father [and the Son]. With the Father and the Son he is worshipped and glorified. He has spoken through the Prophets.
We believe in one, holy, catholic, and apostolic Church. We acknowledge one baptism for the forgiveness of sins. We look for the resurrection of the dead, and the life of the world to come. Amen
http://www.crivoice.org/creedsearly.html
I visit many churches and often remain silent when even the Lord's prayer is said because I am not sure what words they will use. I remain silent when they the Creed is said because of the same reason. I do not want to offend anyone nor do I want to demand the right to say the Creed as I know it in their church.
The Major Denominations:
Roman Catholic - The Roman Catholic Church denomination is the largest Christian group in the world today with more than a billion followers constituting about half of the world's Christian population.
Eastern Orthodox - Approximately 225 million people worldwide are Orthodox Christians.Protestant - There are approximately 500 million Protestants in the world.
In a 2002 study conducted by the Pew Research Council, 53 percent of Americans identified themselves as Protestant Christians. There are approximately 500 million Protestants in the world. {1}
"Protestantism" is less a denomination than a general branch of Christianity encompassing numerous denominations and a wide theological spectrum ranging from conservative to liberal.
Protestantism originated in the 16th century Reformation, and most modern Protestant denominations can trace their heritage to one of the major movements that sprung up in the 16th century. Presbyterians are indebted to John Calvin and Reformed theology, as well as to John Knox and the Church of Scotland. Anglicans and Episcopalians trace their heritage to the Church of England that resulted from King Henry VIII's break from the authority of Rome. Evangelicalism (and to a slightly lesser degree, Methodism) is indebted to Pietism, a 17th century Protestant movement emphasizing a holy life, individual study of the scriptures, and better training of ministers.
Protestant denominations differ in the degree to which they reject Catholic belief and practice. Some churches, such as Anglicans and Lutherans, tend to resemble Catholicism in their formal liturgy, while others, like Baptists and Presbyterians, retain very little of the liturgy and tradition associated with the Catholic church.
In common with Catholic and Orthodox Christians, Protestants adhere to the authority of the Bible and the doctrines of (t)he early creeds. Protestants are distinguished by their emphasis on the doctrines of "justification by grace alone through faith, the priesthood of all believers, and the supremacy of Holy Scripture in matters of faith and order." {2} Most Protestant churches recognize only two sacraments directly commanded by the Lord - baptism and communion - as opposed to the seven sacraments accepted by the Catholic Church.
Should it be up to someone else to tell me my faith is not equal to their's even though the Greek's were the first converts to follow Christ out of the gentile world St. Paul preached to? No, I have no such right and I do not want to have it. Yet this is going on everyday. Should I have the right to refuse to help anyone unless they convert? What would you think of me if I walked away from someone in need simply because they did not appreciate the authority of my faith?
If you say the Protestant faith is the right one then which branch are you talking about? That is what religious freedom protects. It is not about Christian vs Christian vs everyone else. It is protecting the equal rights for you to go to the church you want and everyone else having the same right to go or not depending on their own beliefs. There are Jewish/Hebrew Chaplains and there are Muslim Chaplains just as there are Christian Chaplains. They are supposed to take care of the troops according to the beliefs of the troops and yes, take care of the spiritual needs of all of them no matter what they believe as humans in spiritual crisis. Chaplains are supposed to practice as non-denominational responders to the needs of others and not their own desires for converts.
Yesterday I wrote how I wish there were more Chaplains in the military and that we saw more of Christ in their mission to help the troops heal from what is asked of them. This is not about getting rid of Chaplains in the military. It is about getting more of them to remember what they are there for and answering the call they received from God to be there for the troops in need. We need more of them because the need is so great. Suicides and attempted suicides scream for their spiritual guidance especially when PTSD is spiritual warfare.
I pray you read the following with an open mind and while you do ask yourself how you would feel if a Chaplain told your son or daughter their faith was not good enough or they were suffering because they didn't believe in the right doctrine. What if they did not consider themselves part of any organized religious group at all but still said they believed in God and Christ? This happens all the time with our young. What if they said they only believed there was something out there but were not sure what that "something" is? Would you want them forced into it?
In Place of Mental Health Care, Are Some Troops Being Evangelized?
William Astore
Writer, Professor, Retired Lt. Colonel, Air Force
Posted: August 10, 2010
Yesterday, the Military Religious Freedom Foundation (MRFF) and Veterans for Common Sense sent a startling letter to Secretary of Defense Robert Gates. It alleged that the military has sent some psychological casualties to chaplains for counseling, rather than to mental health care professionals for diagnosis and treatment. In a few cases, the letter alleges, chaplains sought to provide comfort through evangelism. In essence, it seems wounded and disturbed troops were encouraged to put their trust in Jesus: that He would provide for them if only they accepted Him.
General George S. Patton Jr. was fired during World War II for slapping soldiers with PTSD. Assuming the MRFF letter is correct, are we prepared to fire chaplains for seeking to alleviate PTSD and other disorders with a healthy dose of scripture and heartfelt appeals to Jesus?
read more here
In Place of Mental Health Care
Tuesday, August 10, 2010
Stop Unconstitutional Proselytizing
If it were up to me, I would want to see Christ everywhere, but not the way He has been used. I want to see Him reflected in the way we act and treat each other. I want the love of God, the way we were told by Christ He loved us to be reflected in all we do for the sake of someone else. I want to see Him the way other people manage to forgive someone even though everyone tells them they are wrong to forgive. I want to see Him when I look into someone's eyes and see love there. I want to see Him when I see people looking for nothing in return other than the feeling they get back when they do.
To have what's been going on happening is not about Christ. It is about something much deeper. There is nothing wrong with Chaplains being of on denomination or another and holding to their beliefs but there is something wrong when the spiritual needs of the men and women in the military are secondary to what the Chaplain wants. It's not their job to get converts but it is their job to be there for the spiritual needs of the troops.
Too many times I've heard Chaplains say they don't know anything about PTSD yet they are being asked to fill in for mental health professionals. This piece points this out and I can tell you that it is happening. While many of my friends say this is a Christian nation, none of them have managed to explain which Christian nation they believe it is. They think all Christians are alike until they actually sit down and talk to someone who happens to belong to a different denomination. A Presbyterian is different from a Methodist and different from a Baptist and they are different from Catholics and they are different from Orthodox. None of them agree on everything. So exactly what part would you want to see happen if one of your own kids was admonished for being part of the wrong Christian faith?
Let's say you were Catholic and there was an Evangelical Chaplain he had to go to see for a troubled soul. Would you want to hear that your son was sent away because he wouldn't put up with being told his faith was wrong? I doubt it. It's nice to live in a nation where there is a place for everyone. Where we can all walk into any church we want and decide for ourselves where we belong, or into a synagogue or a mosque. It's nice to think the troops have the same luxury but that's all that is. A thought. There are not enough Chaplains to go around anymore than there are mental health workers. The troops should not have to worry about being pushed away instead of helped. They shouldn't have to worry about being assaulted emotionally with a bible as a weapon to use against them.
I want to see more military chaplains and I want to see better ones but I want them to stop acting as if getting converts means more than saving the life of a soldier willing to lay down their lives for the sake of all others. Veterans for Common Sense is right on this issue and this practice needs to stop. These Chaplains deserve support and we should value their courage but to allow them to keep doing this is not serving the troops or Christ. This isn't even touching the fact that this nation was supposed to be about freedom of religion. In a perfect military there would be Chaplains from every walk so that all these men and women could be comforted by the faith of their own choosing. But that won't happen. They are no less deserving of comforting than any other no matter what faith they call their own and yes, no matter if they have no faith at all. Chaplains are supposed to have enough faith to be able to help everyone no matter what. Like I said, I'd like to see more of Christ in all of this when people are taken care of as people.
To have what's been going on happening is not about Christ. It is about something much deeper. There is nothing wrong with Chaplains being of on denomination or another and holding to their beliefs but there is something wrong when the spiritual needs of the men and women in the military are secondary to what the Chaplain wants. It's not their job to get converts but it is their job to be there for the spiritual needs of the troops.
Too many times I've heard Chaplains say they don't know anything about PTSD yet they are being asked to fill in for mental health professionals. This piece points this out and I can tell you that it is happening. While many of my friends say this is a Christian nation, none of them have managed to explain which Christian nation they believe it is. They think all Christians are alike until they actually sit down and talk to someone who happens to belong to a different denomination. A Presbyterian is different from a Methodist and different from a Baptist and they are different from Catholics and they are different from Orthodox. None of them agree on everything. So exactly what part would you want to see happen if one of your own kids was admonished for being part of the wrong Christian faith?
Let's say you were Catholic and there was an Evangelical Chaplain he had to go to see for a troubled soul. Would you want to hear that your son was sent away because he wouldn't put up with being told his faith was wrong? I doubt it. It's nice to live in a nation where there is a place for everyone. Where we can all walk into any church we want and decide for ourselves where we belong, or into a synagogue or a mosque. It's nice to think the troops have the same luxury but that's all that is. A thought. There are not enough Chaplains to go around anymore than there are mental health workers. The troops should not have to worry about being pushed away instead of helped. They shouldn't have to worry about being assaulted emotionally with a bible as a weapon to use against them.
I want to see more military chaplains and I want to see better ones but I want them to stop acting as if getting converts means more than saving the life of a soldier willing to lay down their lives for the sake of all others. Veterans for Common Sense is right on this issue and this practice needs to stop. These Chaplains deserve support and we should value their courage but to allow them to keep doing this is not serving the troops or Christ. This isn't even touching the fact that this nation was supposed to be about freedom of religion. In a perfect military there would be Chaplains from every walk so that all these men and women could be comforted by the faith of their own choosing. But that won't happen. They are no less deserving of comforting than any other no matter what faith they call their own and yes, no matter if they have no faith at all. Chaplains are supposed to have enough faith to be able to help everyone no matter what. Like I said, I'd like to see more of Christ in all of this when people are taken care of as people.
VCS and MRFF to Secretary Gates: Stop Unconstitutional Proselytizing
Written by VCS
Tuesday, 10 August 2010 15:27
Veterans for Common Sense and the Miltiary Religious Freedom Foundation sent the following letter to Secretary of Defense Robert Gates, urging him to stop religious proselytizing, especially of mental health patients.
August 9, 2010
Dear Secretary Gates:
The Military Religious Freedom Foundation (MRFF) has learned on numerous occasions over the past several years about blatantly sectarian Christian religious programs and Christian proselytizing in the military. The proselytizing is unconstitutional and we demand you issue an order to stop it now.
Our letter addresses a particularly pernicious subcategory of proselytizing that must also cease immediately. The military often substitutes evangelical chaplains in the place of professional mental health care for service members suffering from mental health conditions, especially post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). These reports have recently become increasingly frequent and alarming.
Among the many types of shocking incidents and illicit and dehumanizing practices reported to MRFF have been the military's teaching of creationism as an actual bona fide means of suicide prevention; the use of a parachurch military ministry's evangelical Christian program to treat PTSD; service members seeking help being sent to and proselytized by chaplains instead of being sent to mental health professionals; articles in official military publications stating that finding Jesus if the only solution to the mental health problems faced by members of our armed forces; mandatory mental health training inside chapels, plus countless "Spiritual Fitness" events and programs being promoted as mental health solutions.
Perhaps the most alarmingly repugnant stories are those coming in from our recent war veterans regarding the widespread practice of "battlefield Christian proselytizing." When, on active duty, our service members sought urgently needed mental health counseling while on the battlefield and with the gun smoke practically still in their faces, they were instead sent to evangelizing chaplains, who are apparently being used with increasing frequency to provide mental health care due to the acute shortage of mental health professionals. Chaplains are not certified, professional mental health experts.
read more here
Stop Unconstitutional Proselytizing
News stations should be ashamed of on air staff
News station after news station has played the tape of a woman at a McDonalds angry because they didn't have McNuggets. She went into an all out attack on the poor clerk at the window, punching her and eventually breaking a window. Sounds funny? Perhaps but I doubt there is anything funny about having to work those kinds of hours at a drive-thru window and being attacked. So what the hell are these "reporters" thinking when they make jokes over this? Sorry but I've been seeing this tape played over and over again and it's the same response from the crews. All I can think about is the poor employee being attacked.
Video: Woman on Rampage Over Chicken McNuggets
Mara Gay
Contributor
AOL News (Aug. 10) -- An Ohio woman on the warpath for Chicken McNuggets flew into a violent rage at a drive-through window when the restaurant told her they were only serving breakfast.
Melodi Dushane really, really wanted her chicken nuggets. So she wasn't loving it when a worker at the Toledo McDonald's told her they stopped serving the meal at 2:30 a.m.
In fact, she was downright mad. The 25-year-old reacted to the news by getting out of her car and throwing punches at the employee, then pounding on the glass with her elbow and then finally smashing it, according to ABC affiliate KSFN in Fresno, Calif.
go here for more
Woman on Rampage Over Chicken McNuggets
U.S. military's mission is changing
U.S. military's mission is changing, top commander says
After nine years of constant combat, the U.S. military is shifting focus from executing the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq to helping the troops who’ve fought them adjust to life outside the war zone, the nation’s top officer said Monday at Joint Base Lewis-McChord. Adm. Mike Mullen, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, told several hundred troops that he’s dedicated to making sure service members get the assistance they need to make a successful transition.
Former Sen. Stevens aboard plane that crashed in Alaska
UPDATE Death confirmed
Ted Stevens killed in plane crash
Former Sen. Stevens aboard plane that crashed in Alaska
5 of 9 on aircraft reported killed; ex-NASA chief also on flight
NBC, msnbc.com and news services
updated 2 minutes ago
DILLINGHAM, Alaska — Former Sen. Ted Stevens, R-Alaska, and a former administrator of NASA were on a small plane that crashed in southwest Alaska, killing at least five people, NBC News confirmed Tuesday.
A former aide and longtime family friend, David L. Dittman, said he had been told Stevens died in the crash, NBC station KTUU of Anchorage reported. NBC News has not been able to confirm the report.
The plane went down in bad weather about 8 p.m. Monday (midnight ET) near the fishing town of Dillingham, the National Transportation Safety Board said. Nine people were on board, including Stevens, 86, the longest-serving Republican senator in history, and former NASA Chief Sean O’Keefe, officials said. Stevens’ and O’Keefe’s conditions were not immediately known.
read more here
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/38637072/ns/us_news-life/
Ted Stevens killed in plane crash
Former Sen. Stevens aboard plane that crashed in Alaska
5 of 9 on aircraft reported killed; ex-NASA chief also on flight
NBC, msnbc.com and news services
updated 2 minutes ago
DILLINGHAM, Alaska — Former Sen. Ted Stevens, R-Alaska, and a former administrator of NASA were on a small plane that crashed in southwest Alaska, killing at least five people, NBC News confirmed Tuesday.
A former aide and longtime family friend, David L. Dittman, said he had been told Stevens died in the crash, NBC station KTUU of Anchorage reported. NBC News has not been able to confirm the report.
The plane went down in bad weather about 8 p.m. Monday (midnight ET) near the fishing town of Dillingham, the National Transportation Safety Board said. Nine people were on board, including Stevens, 86, the longest-serving Republican senator in history, and former NASA Chief Sean O’Keefe, officials said. Stevens’ and O’Keefe’s conditions were not immediately known.
read more here
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/38637072/ns/us_news-life/
Parents of Two Soldiers Who Took Their Own Lives Speak Out
Parents of Two Soldiers Who Took Their Own Lives Still Waiting for a Letter from Obama
A new US Army report finds the rate of suicide by soldiers in the Army has risen above the civilian rate for the first time since Vietnam.
August 9, 2010 LIKE THIS ARTICLE ?
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Petitions by Change.orgGet WidgetStart a Petition » Democracy Now! Co-host Juan Gonzalez: Soldier suicides are on the rise in America. In June alone, at least thirty-two active-duty and reserve officers took their own lives, the highest monthly figure since record keeping began. Meanwhile, a new US Army report has found that the rate of suicide by soldiers in the Army has risen above the civilian rate for the first time since the Vietnam War. In 2009, 160 soldiers committed suicide; another 146 died by other violent means, such as murder, drug abuse or reckless driving while drunk; another 1,700 attempted suicide. The report faulted commanders for ignoring rising mental health, drug and crime issues among soldiers. One-third of soldiers take at least one prescription drug, and 14 percent are on some form of powerful painkiller.
President Obama briefly addressed the issue of soldier suicides and post-traumatic stress syndrome, or PTSD, in a speech on Monday at the Disabled American Veterans national convention in Atlanta.
read more here
Parents of Two Soldiers Who Took Their Own Lives
A new US Army report finds the rate of suicide by soldiers in the Army has risen above the civilian rate for the first time since Vietnam.
August 9, 2010 LIKE THIS ARTICLE ?
Join our mailing list:
Sign up to stay up to date on the latest News & Politics headlines via email.
Petitions by Change.orgGet WidgetStart a Petition » Democracy Now! Co-host Juan Gonzalez: Soldier suicides are on the rise in America. In June alone, at least thirty-two active-duty and reserve officers took their own lives, the highest monthly figure since record keeping began. Meanwhile, a new US Army report has found that the rate of suicide by soldiers in the Army has risen above the civilian rate for the first time since the Vietnam War. In 2009, 160 soldiers committed suicide; another 146 died by other violent means, such as murder, drug abuse or reckless driving while drunk; another 1,700 attempted suicide. The report faulted commanders for ignoring rising mental health, drug and crime issues among soldiers. One-third of soldiers take at least one prescription drug, and 14 percent are on some form of powerful painkiller.
President Obama briefly addressed the issue of soldier suicides and post-traumatic stress syndrome, or PTSD, in a speech on Monday at the Disabled American Veterans national convention in Atlanta.
read more here
Parents of Two Soldiers Who Took Their Own Lives
The nation's duty to vets who bring the war home
The nation's duty to vets who bring the war home
By some estimates, nearly 20 percent of returning veterans have symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder or major depression. Guest columnist David R. Stone writes about our community's duty to help those who served heal.
By David R. Stone
Special to The Times
FOR many thousands of Iraq and Afghanistan veterans returning home with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) or traumatic brain injury, the war will not be over. It is our community's responsibility to help these men and women in their transition back to public life and support those who may bring effects of the war back home.
The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) has already diagnosed 150,000 Iraq and Afghanistan vets with PTSD. Thousands more have been diagnosed by private physicians treating service personnel. A study by the Rand Corporation found that nearly 20 percent, or 300,000, of returning veterans have symptoms of this condition or major depression.
Despite evidence that vets with PTSD symptoms often respond to appropriate treatment, many do not seek it out, or follow through with treatment long enough for it to be successful. For those individuals, PTSD can become disabling, or worse.
read more here
The nations duty to vets who bring the war home
By some estimates, nearly 20 percent of returning veterans have symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder or major depression. Guest columnist David R. Stone writes about our community's duty to help those who served heal.
By David R. Stone
Special to The Times
FOR many thousands of Iraq and Afghanistan veterans returning home with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) or traumatic brain injury, the war will not be over. It is our community's responsibility to help these men and women in their transition back to public life and support those who may bring effects of the war back home.
The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) has already diagnosed 150,000 Iraq and Afghanistan vets with PTSD. Thousands more have been diagnosed by private physicians treating service personnel. A study by the Rand Corporation found that nearly 20 percent, or 300,000, of returning veterans have symptoms of this condition or major depression.
Despite evidence that vets with PTSD symptoms often respond to appropriate treatment, many do not seek it out, or follow through with treatment long enough for it to be successful. For those individuals, PTSD can become disabling, or worse.
read more here
The nations duty to vets who bring the war home
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