1 in 5 soldiers in Afghanistan report acute stress, depression, or anxiety

Army morale declines in survey
Soldiers cite failings of senior officers and some worry service may be going 'soft'
By Bryan Bender
Globe Staff
August 19, 2012

One in five of those surveyed in Afghanistan reported they suffer from a psychological problem, such as acute stress, depression, or anxiety.

WASHINGTON ­— Only a quarter of the Army’s officers and enlisted soldiers believe the nation’s largest military branch is headed in the right direction — a survey response that is the lowest on record and reflects what some in the service call a crisis in confidence.

The detailed annual survey by a team of independent researchers found that the most common reasons cited for the bleak outlook were “ineffective leaders at senior levels,” a fear of losing the best and the brightest after a decade of war, and the perception, especially among senior enlisted soldiers, that “the Army is too soft” and lacks sufficient discipline.

The study, ordered by the Center for Army Leadership at Fort Leavenworth in Kansas, also found that one in four troops serving in Afghanistan rated morale either “low” or “very low,” part of a steady downward trend over the last five years.

But the most striking finding is widespread disagreement with the statement that “the Army is headed in the right direction to prepare for the challenges of the next 10 years.”

“In 2011, [active duty] agreement to this statement hit an all-time low,” according to the survey results, a copy of which were provided to The Boston Globe. “Belief that the Army is headed in the right direction is positively related to morale.”
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Linked from Stars and Stripes

1 killed, 1 wounded in shooting at Kansas armory

1 killed, 1 wounded in shooting at Kan. armory
The Associated Press
Posted : Sunday Aug 19, 2012

JUNCTION CITY, Mo. — A Junction City man has been arrested on first-degree murder and aggravated battery charges in connection with an early morning shooting at a National Guard armory.

Police say the 33-year-old suspect was taken into custody at noon Saturday. He is accused of killing 25-year-old Antonio Maxwell and shooting 30-year-old Jamaica Chism, both of Junction City.
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Guard spokesman says the Armory was rented out and this did not involve Guardsmen.

University of Kentucky studying effects on family left behind after suicide

UK to study effects of military suicides on those left behind
Published: August 19, 2012
Lexington Herald Leader
By Valarie Honeycutt Spears

In a state where military suicides are a continuing problem, researchers at the University of Kentucky are studying their effects on Kentuckians who have lost a military or veteran family member, friend or fellow service member to suicide.

The two-year study, Suicide Bereavement in Military and Their Families, is funded by a $677,000 grant from the U.S. Department of Defense's Military Suicide Research Consortium, said Julie Cerel, the principal investigator and an associate professor in the UK College of Social Work.

During the first six months of 2012, a reported 11 active-duty Army soldiers stationed in Kentucky died by suicide, with a total of 56 since 2009.

Nationally, there have been 154 suicides among active-duty service members during the first half of 2012, representing an 18 percent increase over the 130 suicides for the same period in 2011, Department of Defense spokeswoman Cynthia Smith said.

She said the Department of Defense has made suicide prevention a top priority and asked every leader throughout the chain of command to focus on the issue by creating a climate that supports seeking help "as a sign of strength, not a sign of weakness."

Officials at Fort Campbell, an Army installation on the Kentucky-Tennessee line that is home to the 101st Airborne Division, have been working intensively on the problem since 2009 when the number of suicides there prompted commanders to set aside routine duties for three days to help soldiers at risk of killing themselves.

Suicides have been a problem for veterans too.

Statewide figures were not immediately available, but nationally the Department of Veterans Affairs estimates that a veteran takes his or her life once every 80 minutes on average, accounting for some 6,500 suicides a year, or nearly 20 percent of all suicides in the United States, Cerel said.
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also
Combat PTSD on the Home Front

Military suicides ends up with $3 million to develop a nasal spray

File this one under you've got to be kidding! I read something like this a couple of days ago but thought it was too much nonsense to post.

US Army grants $3 million for anti-suicide nasal spray research
Published: 19 August, 2012

For those feeling down in the dumps, the US military now has a solution: an anti-suicidal nasal spray that delivers antidepressant chemicals to the brain.

The US Army has awarded a scientist at the Indiana University School of Medicine $3 million to develop a nasal spray that eclipses suicidal thoughts. Dr. Michael Kubek and his research team will have three years to ascertain whether the nasal spray is a safe and effective method of preventing suicides.

The research grant comes after the Army lost 38 of its soldiers to suspected suicide in July, setting a record high. So far in 2012, the Army has confirmed 66 active duty suicides and is investigating 50 more, making a total of 116 cases.

The Army’s suicide rate is at the highest level in history, with more American soldiers taking their own lives than being killed by the Taliban. The Pentagon reported in June that suicides among soldiers averaged one per day this year, surpassing the rate of combat fatalities.
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A squad of two: Local group gives vets new mission

A squad of two: Local group gives vets new mission
6 hours ago
BY JOEL HAWKSLEY
The Southern

To help

Training a service dog can cost from $17,000 to $35,000. In addition to acquisition and other costs, such as veterinary care, food, grooming and kenneling, the majority of expenses come from training the dogs six days a week for 12 to 18 months. The service men and women who take part in This Able Veteran pay nothing.

If you would like to help, call 618-964-1162

The six veterans came from many different walks of life, but they all shared the same hope for a turning point.

Over the course of the past two weeks, This Able Veteran, a non-profit based in Carbondale, trained the group in the skills necessary to live a happy, productive life through the assistance of individually chosen and trained service dogs.

Luis Zaragoza of Chicago, who served in the Army until 2004, heard about the program while applying for his GI Bill at SIU.

“I didn’t really know what it entailed,” said Zaragoza, who copes with hyper-vigilance from post-traumatic stress disorder.

“When you go to the doctors, they just pump you with medicine and I knew that wasn’t the answer. I was looking for some alternative to that.”

No shortcuts

Founded in early 2011 by Behesha Doan, This Able Veteran has made its goal to provide the best service dogs possible at no cost to veterans.
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What does the Disabled American Veterans do?

In other words,,,,they take care of disabled veterans.

2012 Outstanding Disabled Veteran of the Year
J.R. Martinez

Price of Freedom

DAV Orlando needs drivers too

I received the following email from the Orlando Disabled American Veterans Chapter 16 in response to the post I put up about volunteer drivers needed for Syracuse area VA.

The same thing can be said for the Orlando Veterans Affairs Medical Center (see article below), since they have four vans, but many days they do not have four drivers. There are days when only one driver is available.

We need to get the word out to the newspaper, radio stations, and tv stations, but I am not sure how.

If you can get the word out, I would appreciate it. I get letters from DAV headquarters in Cold Springs, Kentucky, that are letters passed on from veterans complaining they can not get rides in the DAV vans.

I am the VAVS representation for the Orlando V.A.M.C., but can not tell the VA what to do with the vans. Some drivers are only here during the winter, and like other "snowbirds," they go back north in the summer.

There is a code for how veterans must behave, and rules like no wheelchairs nor oxygen tanks.

Remember, many of these drivers are disabled too, and are older veterans themselves.

Please ask others if they can volunteer.

I think the transportation department at the VA can get rides for a few veterans who are special cases.

Lynx has special vans for wheelchairs and oxygen tanks, but they do charge a fee.

I was unconscious in 2008, so I can not be a driver.

Thanks for reading this.
Jonathan Turk

Considering the recent report about the Lake Nona VA stated there are now 500,000 veterans in Central Florida, the need is greater than ever! If you live near a VA hospital, connect with your local DAV and volunteer to drive these veterans so they can get their medical care.

DAV needs volunteer drivers in Syracuse area
Volunteer drivers needed for vets
By MARTHA ELLEN
Watertown Daily Times
TIMES STAFF WRITER
FRIDAY, AUGUST 17, 2012

Disabled American Veterans is looking for volunteer van drivers to take veterans to clinic appointments and to the Syracuse Veterans Affairs Medical Center.

“We’re in desperate need, especially in the north country,” said Andrew T. Newcomb, DAV transportation/hospital service coordinator. “The ones we have are being run ragged.”

The need will grow as the DAV has 13 new vans on order, which will replace some aging vehicles and add to existing service. Massena soon will have two vans instead of one; Watertown will grow from two vans to three; and Ogdensburg and Potsdam will receive replacement vans.

“We’re looking for as many drivers as we can possibly get,” Mr. Newcomb said. “Our needs are always for drivers and donations.”

New blood in vets' groups is often female

New blood in vets' groups is often female
By Rupa Shenoy
Minnesota Public Radio
via The Associated Press
Posted : Saturday Aug 18, 2012

ROSEMOUNT, Minn. — On Wednesdays, the Rosemount VFW regulars head to the post for bingo night. The weekly game is open to the public and helps fund the VFW's operations.

Minnesota National Guard Maj. Kristin Auge volunteers at the post selling bingo cards to the players. And though she lives just a few miles away, she had never been inside this VFW until last spring when she joined.

It took a little more work that she thought it would.

"I walked up to one of the guys and I said I wanted to sign up to be in the organization and I said 'I'm here to join.' And he says, 'Well, you've had to have been in the service.' And I said, 'Well, I am, and I still am.' And he says, 'Well, you'll have had to have deployed.' 'Yes, I just got back from Iraq.' And he was like 'Oh, OK, I guess I'll take your paperwork,' " she recalled.

The older members welcomed Auge, so she cajoled some initially reluctant female friends into joining.
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VA to adjust list of Agent Orange disorders

VA to adjust list of Agent Orange disorders
By Patricia Kime
Staff writer
Posted : Friday Aug 17, 2012

Veterans suffering peripheral neuropathy from exposure to the toxic herbicide Agent Orange could be eligible for compensation from the Veterans Affairs Department.

Early-onset peripheral neuropathy is initially characterized by numbness, tingling or pins-and-needles in the extremities, progressing to symptoms of pain in hands and feet, loss of balance and weakness.

VA on Aug. 10 proposed substituting early-onset peripheral neuropathy for acute and subacute neuropathy on its list of diseases presumed to be related to Agent Orange exposure.

The distinction removes the requirement that the symptoms resolved themselves in two years after they appeared.

Eligible veterans must have developed the condition within one year of exposure to a degree that it is at least 10 percent disabling.

Those who have lingering neuropathy as a result of service in Southwest Asia in the 1960s and 1970s could be affected.

Those who think they qualify can apply now for the benefits, but they may not be compensated until the ruling is final.

The proposed change was published in the Aug. 10 Federal Register. The comment period on the proposal is open until Oct. 9.
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Bill would expand fertility coverage for veterans

Bill would expand fertility coverage for veterans
By ERIC TUCKER
Associated Press
3 hours ago

WASHINGTON (AP) — The roadside bomb that exploded outside Andrew Robinson's Humvee in Iraq six years ago broke the Marine staff sergeant's neck and left him without use of his legs. It also cast doubt on his ability to father a child, a gnawing emotional wound for a then-23-year-old who had planned to start a family with his wife of less than two years.

The catastrophic spinal cord injury meant the couple's best hope for children was in vitro fertilization, an expensive and time-consuming medical procedure whose cost isn't covered by the Department of Veterans Affairs. Robinson and his wife were forced to pay out of pocket, with help from a doctor's discount and drugs donated by other patients.

A bill being considered in the Senate would expand the VA's medical benefits package so other veterans, and their spouses or surrogates, don't have to bear the same expense.

The department currently covers a range of medical treatment for veterans, including some infertility care, but the legislation specifically authorizes the VA to cover IVF and to pay for procedures now provided for some critically injured active-duty soldiers.

The bill's meant to help wounded veterans start families as they return home from war and to address a harrowing consequence of combat that can radically change a couple's marriage but receives less attention than post-traumatic stress disorder and brain injuries.

"It's common sense: a male veteran cannot have a kid by himself. It doesn't happen.

They need obviously to have it with their wife or a partner," said Robinson, of Florence, N.J., who is now 29 and was injured in a 2006 explosion in Al Anbar province. "So for the VA to say, 'Oh, we can only cover this part of it,' it just kind of doesn't make sense."
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