Train military to act like first responders

When a police officer is involved with a murder or a shoot out, they are debriefed and provide details of the incident. They are then debriefed to be able to talk about it from a personal level with a trauma responder. Yes, I'm talking about Chaplains. They go out when firefighters return from a fire when there was a loss of life. Emergency responders handling accidents and natural disasters are debriefed in the same way. While they are looking out for people, the Chaplains are looking out for them. So why isn't this being done in the military?

The troops need to be able to talk about this instead of just pushing it back in their minds. If they do not deal with what they experienced, they will only add to it the next time they go through something horrific and once again repeat it with silence and shock.

I was having lunch with a friend today and we were talking about a report she heard on NPR.

Dealing with Post Traumatic Stress After War
March 20, 2008 · Many active duty soldiers and veterans of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan return home with nightmares, flashbacks, and emotional hypersensitivity. Some of them are diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).

News & Notes , March 20, 2008 · Many active duty soldiers and veterans of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan return home with nightmares, flashbacks, and emotional hypersensitivity. Some of them are diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).
Farai Chideya talks with June Moss, who served in Iraq in 2003 and was released from the Army two years later on early medical retirement due to her PTSD.
We also hear from Dr. Robert Jenkins, an attending psychologist at the Men's Trauma Recovery Program at the National Center for PTSD in Menlo Park's Department of Veteran Affairs Division.

When they are heading home, the family wants them home as soon as possible, but what they do not understand is the rush to get back together is not the best thing that can happen sometimes.

One of the biggest things you'll hear Vietnam veterans say is that one day they were in Vietnam and the next day they were home. Home and expected to eat at the dinner table, take a shower in privacy, plop down in the chair with the TV remote in hand and just get back to normal. Some will have parties given in their honor so that family and friends can welcome them home and give them a hug, but even they expect the veteran to be right back to the way they were before they left. Someone in the group will be looking for signs that they are not the same. They do not do this in a proactive way in order to help, but in a way that will enable them to use the change as a way to cause harm. There is one jerk in every group and usually a couple within some families.

The WWII generation came home the slow way. They went on ships and were able to adapt to what they were going to face, talking to others about their fears and their human emotions. They returned the same way, slowly, again on ships and sharing what they had just been through. WWII, as with all other wars had delivered many with the extra wound of PTSD but it is thought the ability to debrief with others who had experienced the same traumas, compare them and address them aided in the recovery. In other words, no one had a chance to just push it all into the back of their minds. It could have helped but it may have had more to do with the fact that psychological problems were "stuffed" back in the brain and most people just didn't talk about any of it. When they did talk about it, it didn't make the news but was kept as a closely guarded secret.

Talk to children of WWII veterans and you will usually hear the same story. "My father drank too much." "My father never talked about anything." "He never cared what I did." All along those lines and what was at the bottom of it was the war brought home in their mind. It happened in the generations before that and after that. Korean War veterans kept their minds closely guarded as well but many of them said they thought that was what they were supposed to do because they used the WWII veterans as an example.

When Vietnam veterans came back they were alone.

Now we have them coming back from Iraq and Afghanistan on jets and right back home within days from combat. They come home with their units but they do not use this time to rehash what happened. They use it to talk about what they will do when they get home. They should be sharing what they are bringing back with them before they get home.

Once people talk about what is going on inside of them, they stop PTSD from getting worse. Like an infection, it stops spreading once it is treated. Even just talking about what happened helps to treat PTSD. Many will need the help of a psychologist and a psychiatrist to issue medication but the talking about it with people they trust helps and it especially helps when you know the person they are talking to walked in the same shoes.

As we deal with the emergency responders right here in this country taking care of the rest of us, we need to stop ignoring the troops who need the same kind of attention. We need to begin to debrief them as soon as possible or we will allow the wound to spread.



Chaplain Kathie Costos
Namguardianangel@aol.com

www.Namguardianangel.org

www.Namguardianangel.blogspot.com

www.Woundedtimes.blogspot.com


"The willingness with which our young people are likely to serve in any war, no matter how justified, shall be directly proportional to how they perceive veterans of early wars were treated and appreciated by our nation."

- George Washington

4,000 US Troops killed in Iraq

Smoke rises from the U.S.-protected Green Zone in central Baghdad on Sunday after it was targeted by a series of rockets or mortars.

BREAKING NEWS
MSNBC News Services
updated 1 minute ago

BAGHDAD - Four U.S. soldiers were killed by a roadside bomb in southern Baghdad late Sunday, raising the death toll for American forces since start of the war to 4,000, according to the Pentagon.
The grim milestone was reached less than a week after the fifth anniversary of the U.S. invasion to topple former Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein and coincided with a spate of violence across Iraq on Sunday that left at least 61 people dead.
The attacks included rockets and mortars fired at Baghdad's U.S.-protected Green Zone and a suicide car bomb detonated at an Iraqi army post in the northern city of Mosul.

go here for the rest

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/23771735/

03/23/08 MNF: 4MND-B Soldiers attacked by IED
Four Multi-National Division - Baghdad Soldiers were killed at approximately 10 p.m. March 23 after terrorists attacked them with an improvised-explosive device in southern Baghdad while conducting a mounted vehicular patrol.
03/22/08 MNF: MND-B Soldiers attacked by IED
Three Multi-National Division - Baghdad Soldiers were killed when an improvised explosive device struck their vehicle during a patrol northwest of Baghdad March 22. Two Iraqi civilians were also killed in the attack.

Mother fights Army over son's death

Mother fights Army over son's death

Wisconsin Woman Believes Son Was Victim of Iraqi War; Army Says His Death Is Undetermined

ROBERT IMRIE
AP News

Mar 23, 2008 13:04 EST

Joan McDonald believes her son was a casualty of the war in Iraq, but the Army says that while he did suffer a severe head wound in a bomb blast, the cause of his death is undetermined, keeping him off the casualty list.


She and her family are demanding more answers in the death of Sgt. James W. McDonald.

"I don't want it to be an undetermined cause of death," said Joan McDonald. "That is ridiculous."

McDonald, 26, was injured in a roadside bomb blast in Iraq last May. He was assigned to the 1st Battalion, 5th Cavalry Regiment based at Fort Hood, Texas. After treatment in Germany, McDonald returned to Fort Hood and underwent extensive facial surgery in August.

His body was found in his barracks apartment Nov. 12, a Monday. He was last seen alive the previous Friday.

The Army ruled out suicide and accidental factors, but an autopsy could not determine the exact cause of death, in part because of the decomposition of the body, said Col. Diane Battaglia, a base spokeswoman.

As a result, McDonald's death is considered noncombat-related, with the caveat that medical experts couldn't rule out that "traumatic brain injury" may have been a factor, Battaglia said.

Joan McDonald, of Neenah, has no doubts about her son's death.
click post title for the rest

Sonoma County says PTSD Combat Vets someone else's problem

PTSD home opposed for fear of ‘deranged’ vets

By Scott Lindlaw - The Associated Press
Posted : Sunday Mar 23, 2008 10:01:06 EDT

GUERNEVILLE, Calif. — Merry Lane, a cul-de-sac shaded by redwoods in Sonoma County wine country, would seem a pleasant place to recover from the psychic wounds of war. Nadia McCaffrey’s dream is to set up a group home there for veterans plagued by post-traumatic stress disorder.

But she is running into stiff resistance from the neighbors. They not only object to the brand-new structure itself, which looks like a four-story apartment house wedged amid their cabins, they are also worried that deranged veterans will move in.

At a community meeting in December, “one person was concerned that even firecrackers would set these people off,” said Andrew Eckers, 54, who lives across the street.

McCaffrey, whose son was killed in Iraq in 2004, said she has tried to reassure the neighbors, but “they are afraid of it because they don’t want to understand it.”

Projects similar to McCaffrey’s have cropped up in other communities across the country, with some also raising concerns from neighbors, in part because of the many news accounts of traumatized veterans committing suicide or murder.

“We’re all, frankly, failing in properly educating society about what PTSD is and what its effects are,” said Jon Soltz, an Iraq war veteran and chairman of VoteVets.org, a veterans advocacy group.

McCaffrey wants to set up at least three group homes around the country where vets with PTSD could live temporarily, and virtually for free, while they study at a college or work at a farm. Donations are paying for the projects, she said.

go here for the rest

http://www.marinecorpstimes.com/news/2008/03/ap_ptsdhome_032308/

Guess what? It can make someone who has survived a mud slide jump too. Did they ever think of that? It can make someone who survived fires, or hurricanes or tornadoes or violent crime do the same. Did they ever think of that? How many of their neighbors have PTSD and they don't even have a clue about them? Do they want to get rid of any neighbor who has PTSD because they were a victim of a violent crime or horrific accident too? How about a firefighter who entered into one too many burning buildings? Or a police officer who had one too many shoot outs or had just seen too much? Do they want to get rid of them too? Enough people! There are enough people in this nation who have PTSD and most of them live right next door to you already.

Prevalence and incidence statistics for Post-traumatic stress disorder:
see also prevalence and incidence page for Post-traumatic stress disorder
Prevalance of Post-traumatic stress disorder: 5.2 million adult Americans (NIMH); 3.6% adults (NIMH); about 30% of war veterans.
Prevalance Rate: approx 1 in 52 or 1.91% or 5.2 million people in USA [about data]
Incidence (annual) of Post-traumatic stress disorder: 3.6% adults annually (NIMH)
Incidence Rate: approx 1 in 27 or 3.60% or 9.8 million people in USA [about data]
Incidence extrapolations for USA for Post-traumatic stress disorder: 9,791,999 per year, 815,999 per month, 188,307 per week, 26,827 per day, 1,117 per hour, 18 per minute, 0 per second.
Prevalance of Post-traumatic stress disorder: PTSD affects about 5.2 million adult Americans. (Source: excerpt from Anxiety Disorders: NIMH)
Incidence of Post-traumatic stress disorder: About 3.6 percent of U.S. adults ages 18 to 54 (5.2 million people) have PTSD during the course of a given year. (Source: excerpt from Facts about Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder: NIMH)
Top
About statistics:This page presents a variety of statistics about Post-traumatic stress disorder. The term 'prevalence' of Post-traumatic stress disorder usually refers to the estimated population of people who are managing Post-traumatic stress disorder at any given time. The term 'incidence' of Post-traumatic stress disorder refers to the annual diagnosis rate, or the number of new cases of Post-traumatic stress disorder diagnosed each year.
http://www.wrongdiagnosis.com/p/post_traumatic_stress_disorder/stats.htm

Yes firecrackers will make them jump! That does not mean they are any more dangerous than anyone else in the neighborhood and statistically speaking the are more apt to offer a neighbor a helping hand than to do anything wrong to them.

The attitude of people really makes me sick sometimes. They treated people with AIDS the same way thinking they would "catch" it. They wouldn't want a bunch of combat veterans living near them so they can recover from serving them? They ought to be fully ashamed of themselves.
Chaplain Kathie Costos
Namguardianangel@aol.com
http://www.namguardianangel.org/
http://www.namguardianangel.blogspot.com/
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

25 Fuel trucks in Afghanistan blown up

US Fuel Trucks Hit at Afghan Border
2 hours ago

PESHAWAR, Pakistan (AP) — Twenty-five trucks carrying fuel to U.S.-led forces in Afghanistan have been destroyed in a possible bomb attack on the Pakistani border. Officials say that dozen of people have been injured.

Mohammed Sadiq Khan, a local government official, said that the explosions and blaze occurred on the Pakistani side of the Torkham customs post late Sunday. At least 50 people were injured, eight of them seriously.

Fida Mohammed, the commander of a paramilitary force that helps provide security at the crossing, said authorities suspect the blasts were caused by bombs, but were still investigating. He said 25 trucks carrying fuel to U.S.-led forces in Afghanistan were destroyed.

Fuel tankers headed for U.S. and NATO bases in Afghanistan have been repeatedly targeted by militants close to the Pakistani border.
http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5hzwT02p_F-tUr0TXK1_DXysYeMYAD8VJC8400

Two killed, 50 injured as bombs hit oil tankers
* 40 oil tankers carrying fuel for NATO forces destroyed near Torkham BorderLANDI KOTAL: Two people were killed and 50 others injured when six bomb blasts ripped through two parking lots, and destroyed 40 oil tankers in Khyber Agency on Sunday, Dawn News reported.According to the channel, the tankers were carrying fuel for NATO forces in Afghanistan, and were parked in the Bacha Mina area near the Torkham Border crossing.The political administration told the channel that most of the injured had been shifted to Landi Kotal hospitals and those with critical burns had been rushed to Peshawar. The administration declared emergency in local hospitals after the blasts.According to the channel, the administration beefed up security at the border crossing after the explosions and deployed heavy contingents of Khasadar force, frontier corps and levies force.
go here for the rest

http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=2008%
5C03%5C24%5Cstory_24-3-2008_pg7_5

Who killed Sgt. James Musack?

Another U.S. Soldier Suicide in Iraq -- Or Was It Murder?
Posted March 23, 2008 01:59 PM (EST)

For almost five years, I have been chronicling the shocking number of suicides among U.S. troops in Iraq - and after they come home (it's a major component of my new book). They now number well over 1000, and a new one has come to light this past week. Or perhaps it was murder.

No matter, it can be said, as in the countless other cases, that he was "killed by Iraq."


Sgt. James Musack, 23, who hailed from Riverside, Iowa, died on Nov. 21, 2006, north of Baghdad. In an investigation completed in December 2007 - but only received by family members last week -- the U.S. Army Criminal Investigation Command determined Musack died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound. Oddly, he was due to finish his tour one week later.

The Cedar Rapids Gazette reported, "Musack's body was found in a secluded area used to make phone calls and as a bathroom at Patrol Base South, according to the report. Musack was found lying on his right side, his left arm cradling his M4 Carbine gun, a single bullet wound to his head. There were no defensive wounds on Musack and no signs of foul play, the report said. No suicide note was found.

"Several soldiers interviewed under oath during the investigation said they knew of no reason Musack would kill himself. He had no medical, financial or personal problems they were aware of. Some described him as a quiet person who held in his feelings. When asked what he thought happened, the sergeant told investigators: 'Honestly, I have no idea. Nothing he did was out of the norm.'"

Musack's friends and family say he had become upset by an incident he never fully described, beyond saying he had made someone angry. According to the report, his girlfriend, Melissa Martin, said he called her in mid-October and said, "Honey, I am being set up." At Musack's funeral, Martin said he had made her make a promise. that "if he did not come home, we would all keep doing what we were doing."

According to the report, Musack's aunt, DeeAnna Newlin, said he had said he saw a little girl killed. Family members are exploring options to get the Army to reopen the investigation.
click above for the rest

Did he kill himself, which looks like it is doubtful or did someone else? They should reopen the investigation.

Annie Okerlin's Yogani Studios Exalted Warrior Foundation

Reaching Out To Heal
By JAMIE PILARCZYK

The Tampa Tribune

Published: March 22, 2008

Updated: 03/20/2008 05:33 pm

HYDE PARK - The young veterans walk into Annie Okerlin's Yogani Studios, some with their disabilities visible, others with them hidden.

John Shahin limped a bit and used a cane but otherwise looked much like any other 23-year-old.

The retired Marine corporal served two tours in Iraq. In 2004, his Humvee was hit by a bomb, collapsing the side of the military vehicle into Shahin and leaving him with shoulder, back and hip injuries. He also suffered traumatic brain injury and post-traumatic stress disorder and needed reconstructive surgery to remove shrapnel from his nose and ear.

When his therapists at James A. Haley VA Medical Center said he would be leaving the North Tampa facility last week for a South Tampa yoga studio, Shahin wasn't sure what to think. But by the time the yoga mats were rolled up and the stretch bands put away, he was feeling better and relaxed.

"I have a limited range of motion in my arm, and this made me work hard," the Riverview man said of the hourlong therapy. "I'd recommend it. Part of that is the staff, though; they were really nice, and they kept correcting me."

Through her Exalted Warrior Foundation, Okerlin provides yoga therapy, coined warrior yoga, to military personnel at Haley and Walter Reed Army Medical Center in Washington. The foundation came about through two of her Yogani clients and a little bit of kismet.

Tom Steffens, a retired Navy rear admiral who is a consultant from Virginia Beach, attended classes with his wife, Ellie, while serving as the chief of staff of U.S. Special Operations Command at MacDill Air Force Base from 1997 to 2001.

The 6-foot-2 Navy SEAL is "twice as wide as the door frame," Okerlin joked. "You meet him and he's Mr. America."

"I have legs that weigh more than Annie," Steffens said of the 5-foot-1 yogi.

The unlikely duo have a shared belief: the power of yoga to heal. Steffens, a 10-year yoga veteran, talked with Okerlin about bringing yoga to Walter Reed.

"God puts things in the right places," Steffens said. "She's a naturally uplifting person. She draws out the best in people, and that's what she does with these soldiers: draws the best out in them. These are life-saving, marriage-saving techniques."

In April 2006, a month after Steffens arranged the military connections, Okerlin was on a plane to Washington, worried about how she would be perceived by the soldiers. She went to Banana Republic to buy a "military hospital pretense outfit."

"I expected them to be thinking, 'Where are the Birkenstocks? Where are the feather earrings?'" said Okerlin, 36, whose mother served in Britain's Royal Navy and father was a U.S. Navy hospital corpsman. "But there was no pretense."

She was greeted by soldiers who had amputations of every kind - big, gruff veterans who left her star-struck.

"It was trial by fire," said Okerlin, mother of a toddler.

She has to limit the swearing in class and breaks assumptions that yoga won't make you sweat.

"They are strong, young and fit, but we're teaching them the art of relaxation," the Davis Islands resident said. "We are helping them to achieve more comfort ... reconnecting the soldier to his body, teaching him that he is whole, just different."
go here for the rest
http://centraltampa2.tbo.com/content/2008/mar/22/st-reaching-out-to-heal/

700,000 Homeless Veterans

STRIPES: Helping vets resume civilian lives

March 23, 2008
By Rena Fulka, Staff writer
Former airman Michael White considers himself a success story.

"I was in the Air Force for almost 21 years, and when I retired, I couldn't find a job," said White, who spent most of his military career stationed in Europe.



"I felt disassociated from civilian life, and I had trouble fitting in. I was depressed, and I wanted to talk, but I had no network. After 20 years, when you have to put the Mr. back in your name, it's not as easy as you thought it would be."

With help from the Rev. Al Garcia at New Life Oak Forest Church, White made a successful transition back to private citizen.

"Al kept me uplifted, got me through the hard times, and I got a job," said the medical administrator from Oak Forest.

Now, White wants to do the same for other returning soldiers through STRIPES, a community forum designed to help able-bodied veterans acclimate to civilian life.

"An able-bodied vet can be just as disabled as anyone who got shot, but he hides it better. He looks fine and smiles, but he's a mess," White said.

National statistics show 700,000 veterans are homeless, unemployed or a combination of both, White said.

"And the homeless ratio is growing and being filled with vets coming out of the service."

White and the Rev. Rob Schoon, of Orland Park, are laying the groundwork for the new Oak Forest ministry, which is an acronym for "Surviving trauma, receiving inner peace, enjoying salvation."

Schoon is a Marine veteran who now serves as a chaplain with the Marine Corps League. He visits veterans organizations and hospitals on a regular basis.

"Veterans are people who had such productive lives before the service," Schoon said. "They served their country honorably and did what they were supposed to do. Now, they're back, they're hurting, and someone has to help them. And most people in the civilian world don't understand the problem these guys and girls are having."

go here for the rest
http://www.southtownstar.com/lifestyles/852080,032308VETSTRIPES.article

When we get figures from the government, we need to think twice if we believe them or not. 700,000 comes from a more realistic rate because some veterans are homeless at some point during the year. This is not a new trend but it is a higher one. There are chronically homeless veterans who never find a place to live and there are some who find a place with family or friends. Their luck usually runs out if they happen to have other issues like PTSD and are not getting help. While the government would want us to believe they have suddenly reduced the number of homeless veterans below 200,000, we still have not seen the data on where the other homeless veterans went to.

Father Bill's Place Home for Homeless

Not just shelter, but home, for the homeless
By Bella English
March 23, 2008
The homeless veteran, suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder, had been living in a tent behind a plaza in Plymouth for nearly a decade.

A woman struggling with serious mental health issues had been homeless for three years, in and out of shelters on the South Shore.

Thanks to the Housing First program started three years ago by Father Bill's Place, an emergency shelter in Quincy, the man and the woman - and many more like them - are now in their own apartments or lodging house rooms. For many, it is the first home they've had in years.

It makes good sense, giving the homeless homes. The hard-core homeless come off the grates, out of the woods and emergency shelters, and move into places of their own, with support services. It's both compassionate and cost-effective, since that population tends to cycle through expensive court visits, detox, jail, and/or hospital stays.

Father Bill's has been ahead of the curve in what is becoming a nationwide trend. Governor Deval Patrick has recently proposed spending $10 million to place thousands of homeless people in their own apartments or rooms over the next five years.

Though some of the chronically homeless don't make it on their own, the majority do. "The woman had been sleeping in a tent, off and on, for years," says John Yazwinski, executive director of Father Bill's, which merged with MainSpring in Brockton last summer. "When we first moved her into an apartment, she slept on the floor in her sleeping bag." She has been connected with mental health services and is reunited with her family.

The vet who pitched his tent in the Plymouth woods calls his new place "the Taj Mahal," says Yazwinski.
click post title for the rest

Celebrating Easter at Kandahar Airfield

U.S. and Canadian soldiers with the NATO-led International Security Assistance Force leave after Easter prayers at the Kandahar air base on Sunday. (SHAH MARAI/AFP/Getty Images)

Celebrating Easter at Kandahar Airfield
JAMES MCCARTEN

Canadian Press

March 23, 2008 at 10:31 AM EDT

KANDAHAR, Afghanistan — It's a tiny, unassuming but immaculately maintained church, with thin plywood walls, a modest flower garden — and a gun rack where soldiers can check their rifles at the door.

Perhaps nowhere else is the notion of faith more important than in a war zone such as Afghanistan, where life itself can be a fragile commodity and a day's work is often shrouded in violence and death.

On this Easter Sunday, the pews at Kandahar Airfield's Fraise Chapel were filled with a multinational cross-section of Catholic and Protestant faithful as American padre Rev. Jim Connolly reminded the congregation that the work they do is for a greater good.

“You're living on the edge of life and death, and you've got to ask some hard questions,” Rev. Connolly said after Sunday's Easter service.



“On many occasions, people are saying, ‘Is it really worth it? Is it really this important?' My basic hope is that I can help them come to a sense that yes, it is important, it does matter, because every single one of us counts.”

Sunday's services capped a difficult three weeks for Canadian forces in Kandahar province where three Canadian soldiers lost their lives in three separate incidents.

The ramp ceremony commemorating the most recent death, that of Sgt. Jason Boyes of 2 Battalion, Princess Patricia's Canadian Light Infantry, was one of four this past week alone for the multinational NATO coalition known as the International Security Assistance Force, or ISAF. Two Americans and a Romanian also died.

“Every time that we lose soldiers ... the whole coalition is losing soldiers,” said Rev. Bastien Leclere, who's originally from Edmonton and who assisted in Connolly's Sunday service.

“We're all in this together, and we all pray together, and we keep up each other. It is important that we support each other in this journey. It's a marathon, not a sprint.”
go here for the rest
http://www.blogger.com/post-create.g?blogID=4742487410373715914


I still say that if the troops were not sent to Iraq, I doubt there would be all of this still going on in Afghansitan. What happened to finishing the mission in Afghanistan? Do any of the elected even talk about it at all anymore?

So much for public's right to know

Published: March 23, 2008 6:00 a.m.
So much for public's right to know
Commentary by Sylvia A. Smith
Washington editor

WASHINGTON – The Bush administration wants to pick and choose what you are permitted to know when it comes to spending your tax dollars.

A brash, sweeping statement? You bet. True? Sadly, yes.

How else to explain the White House’s continued acceptance of a 2001 memo written by then-Attorney General John Ashcroft telling federal agencies to withhold documents whenever they could – and that the Justice Department would defend them in court.

This is a sharp contrast to the Clinton-era standard. During that administration, federal documents were censored only when their publication would result in real harm.

If you need any convincing, consider the fragments of a report I received from the Veterans Administration last week.

You spent $530,000 for a 78-page assessment of the recommendation to close the outpatient services at the Fort Wayne VA Medical Center and direct veterans to Indianapolis for their care.

But you will never see the consultant’s recommendations or the information used to reach those suggestions.

click post title for the rest

McCain won't back GI bill for veterans

Webb: McCain Refuses to Co-Sponsor GI Bill for Post-9/11 Veterans
Think Progress

Mar 22, 2008
March 20, 2008 - On his first day in office in January 2007, Sen. Jim Webb (D-VA) introduced the Post-9/11 Veterans Educational Assistance Act of 2007, intended to be “a mirror image of the WW II G.I. Bill.” A new version with broad bipartisan support was introduced in February to help fund education for service members who had served in active duty since Sept. 11, 2001. Veterans would receive education benefits equaling the highest tuition rate of the most expensive in-state public college or university and a monthly stipend for housing.

The Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America hailed Webb’s bill, calling educational benefits “the military’s single most effective recruitment tool” and emphasizing that “an expanded GI Bill will play a crucial role in ensuring that our military remains the strongest and most advanced in the world.”

Today, The Hill reports that Webb is still waiting for an important co-sponsor who could help push other Republicans to approve the bill: Sen. John McCain (R-AZ):

“McCain needs to get on the bill,” Webb told reporters after a Christian Science Monitor breakfast meeting on Wednesday. He said legislation mirroring the post-World War II GI bill should not be considered a “political issue.” […]

Webb’s bill has 51 co-sponsors, including nine Republicans. Webb, a former secretary of the Navy, said he may have to get 60 co-sponsors to ensure Senate passage, but then added that many more Republicans could vote for the bill if McCain endorsed it.

McCain prides himself on being “a tireless advocate of our military.” Yet this is hardly the first time that Webb has taken McCain to task when it comes to veterans’ advocacy.
go here for the rest
http://www.veteransforcommonsense.org/ArticleID/9640

McCain wants to be seen as a "war veteran" but never acts like one when it comes to what they need from him.

Maj. Gen. Jeffery Hammond says "mistakes" sent wounded back to Iraq

Follow Up: Army General Says 'Mistakes' Made Sending Injured Carson Troops Back to Battle

Tom Roeder


The Gazette

Mar 22, 2008

March 20, 2008 - The commander of the Army's 4th Infantry Division, Maj. Gen. Jeffery Hammond, said Thursday "mistakes" were made in sending injured Fort Carson soldiers to Iraq. Note: The Denver Post originally broke this story, and VCS was interviewed about this scandal.

Hammond, who now oversees all troops in Baghdad, gave an upbeat report on war progress in a satellite news conference Thursday, but admitted problems with ordering soldiers to war who had been deemed medically unfit to fight, including some who were unable to get medical care they needed in the Middle East.

"I take full responsibility for their deployment," Hammond said. "The decision to deploy those soldiers was made in the best interest of mission, soldier, family, team."

Commanders had said the soldiers would fill desk jobs and gave assurances that troops could get the same rehabilitation in Iraq and Kuwait that would be available at Fort Carson. Seventy-nine soldiers from a pool of 130 who had been judged temporarily unfit for war duty were re-evaluated and pressed into rear-echelon jobs, from counting soldiers entering chow halls in Iraq to straightening out paperwork at bases in Kuwait.

Some of the soldiers, though, didn't get the help they needed in Iraq and Kuwait to recover from their injuries, Hammond said.

"I made those mistakes in deploying those soldiers," Hammond said. "I sent those soldiers home as soon as we realized we couldn't care for them in Kuwait."
In January, commanders at lower levels took responsibility, but Thursday's admission was Hammond's first on the subject.

Hammond didn't dwell on the issue, moving to his division's successes in Baghdad. While the city has been more violent in recent days, including the bombing deaths of two Fort Carson soldiers, Hammond said soldiers are making a dent in insurgent groups.

"We're making a difference," Hammond said.
go here for the rest
http://www.veteransforcommonsense.org/ArticleID/9646

What would Hammond have done if the Denver Post didn't get ahold of this story? Would he have corrected himself all on his own? I doubt it. I also doubt the choice of sending them back wounded was in the best interest of any of the above. How could it be in the best interest of any of them but the brass to be able to send as many as requested?

Military Kin Struggle With Loss and a Windfall

Military Kin Struggle With Loss and a Windfall
By LISA W. FODERARO
Published: March 22, 2008
For some relatives of service members killed in Iraq and Afghanistan, the money feels, at first, like an affront, as if the government were putting a price tag on a loved one’s life. Others are thrown off balance by the sudden infusion of $500,000, spending with abandon to assuage grief or finding themselves besieged by hard-up friends and relatives. And the newfound wealth often strains relations among in-laws.


Three years ago, advocates for military families succeeded in winning a significant expansion in survivor benefits, which include life insurance, a death gratuity, medical care and housing and education assistance. But the increases have left some widows and next of kin clearly rattled by the collision of mourning and money.

“It’s like winning the lottery, and your relatives all look at you like you’re a cash cow,” said Kathleen B. Moakler, director of government relations for the National Military Family Association, a nonprofit advocacy organization. “Money makes people do strange things.”

The parents of Sgt. Eli Parker of the Marines, killed by a roadside bomb in Iraq, used the $500,000 to finance their retirement, remodel their house near Syracuse and travel to Washington for the Marine Corps Marathon. After Sgt. Dominic J. Sacco of the Army was killed three years ago by an insurgent attack on his tank, his widow, Brandy, fielded requests for cash from family members she had not talked to for years — as well as from her husband’s ex-wife and a woman in prison who claimed that Sergeant Sacco had fathered her son.

Kayla Avery, whose husband was killed seven months after their West Point wedding, invested most of the payout, but not before buying new bedroom furniture, a Louis Vuitton wallet and a purple Coach bag to match her funeral clothes.

“I thought, ‘Well, this is my husband’s last Christmas gift to me,’ ” said Ms. Avery, 25, a graduate student in psychology who lives in Tennessee, near Fort Campbell, where her husband, First Lt. Garrison C. Avery, was an Army platoon leader.

It is impossible to know how many survivors of the service members killed in Iraq and Afghanistan have struggled with managing the benefits, and in interviews with dozens of military families, only a handful were willing to talk specifically about how they spent the money. Many families use the money to secure children’s futures, pay off mortgages, or otherwise make up for a long-term loss of income. But experts on military families say that they are seeing a growing number of problems, and that young widows — often naïve about finance and easily seduced by the glamorous accouterments of pop culture — seem to be especially vulnerable, trying to somehow fill emotional gaps with material things and ending up in debt instead.
go here for the rest

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/03/22/nyregion/
22benefits.html?pagewanted=1&_r=2&hp
Linked from ICasualties.org

3,996 killed in Iraq
487 killed in Afghanistan

When they get their orders to go, you may be thinking about them leaving you again, worry about that this time they may not come home. What you don't think about is, if the worst happens, then what? You need to make sure their affairs are really in order and that includes making sure you as their spouse are the beneficiary. Do not assume you are. Too often talking about something like this is very difficult, especially when they are packing to redeploy but it is necessary. Just as you would talk about where to be buried, who takes care of the kids, this needs to be done as well. It may be hard but it is the responsible thing to do.

As this report points out, too often people do very strange things when it comes to money. A mother was left as beneficiary on a life insurance policy. She got the bulk of the money while the wife and kids got a lot less. Families will fight over money especially when there are divorces and children from previous marriages. You need to discuss what are the wishes and intent of all involved ahead of time. $500,000 doesn't go as far as it used to when you think about the mortgage and college funds. No widow or widower should think of it as a whole lot of money instead of security for their future.

Too often, young wives especially, will think they will get married again so they don't want to think about their futures. They think they can worry about all that later but they don't think about beginning a new relationship with kids they will also have to consider. Talk about this while your husband or your wife is still here so that there are no shockers or surprises later on. You will be dealing with enough pain if they don't come home.

Sgt. Michael Butler fighting Army

Soldier found himself fighting Army
Jackson Clarion Ledger - Jackson, MS,USA
Michael Butler faced court-martial for refusing to go on "suicide mission"
Jimmie E. Gates
• jgates@clarionledger.com
• March 21, 2008


Then-Sgt. Michael Butler of Jackson took a stand in October 2004 - against a military order.

Butler and 22 other members of an Army Reserve unit refused to go on a fuel transport mission in Iraq carrying nine 5,000-gallon tanks of fuel in vehicles with only cloth tops. Their actions set off an international stir about the equipment U.S. military personnel had to use.

Butler was jailed and faced a court-martial after the incident. He eventually was reassigned and served in five different units before returning to Jackson.

"They gave us no choice," Butler said last week, explaining the action the soldiers on took Oct. 13, 2004, in his first interview about the experience.

"As a military man, I would never just not obey an order," he said. But, "It would have been a suicide mission."

Butler's story was first told in The Clarion-Ledger, after his wife contacted the newspaper. Since his return, he says he has been denied medical benefits and wishes he had never seen Iraq.

Butler said last week that the convoy didn't have air and ground support and their superiors didn't want to listen to their concerns.

Amid the international debate that followed over poorly equipped Humvees in combat zones, the military admitted the unit's vehicles were not properly armored.

Butler hopes the action he and the other reservists took made it better for soldiers who came behind them in Iraq.

"It's just like it happened yesterday," Butler said of memories of his tour of duty in Iraq.

Butler is now retired from the military after a 25-year career, but he saaid his battles continue.

Butler said he suffers from post-traumatic stress disorder, has memory loss and other ailments. He said he has been denied benefits for medical claims by the Veterans Benefits Administration office in Jackson with the exception of one claim: He was approved for 10 percent disability benefits for a shoulder injury.

Butler's medical claims include stress, anxiety, hypertension, memory loss, lower back pain, a leg injury, high cholesterol and the shoulder injury.

In one instance, Butler said he received a claim rejection letter where the examiner mentioned he was dressed too nicely.
click above for the rest

PTSD SOLDIERS:They used to shoot them, now they just abandon them

From 'Imagine' A World Of Peace,Understanding,Tolerance
Friday, March 21, 2008
"Shell Shock"; PTSD, and Executions of Those With!!
The following Video was left as a reply in my Daily KOS posting, yesterday, on Nadia and 'Veterans Village'.How far have we come as to what Wars do to those we send to fight them?We don't Execute?, but we Still don't Understand, some Denie, and we Don't Give The Care Needed!Societies 'Love War', at first, especially Wars of Choice, but Societies only send a small fraction of to engage, than they make them Fight for what it does to them!
WWI Veterans Recall Executions
During WWl, over 300 British and Commonwealth soldiers were executed for desertion or cowardice - some as young as 14. Ahead of Armistice Day, Charles Wheeler spoke to some veterans of the Great War about the executions.10th November 2005
You can do a search on this tragic policy of WWI to find out more.

This didn't just happen in the UK. It happened in every nation participating in combat. They were shot for being cowards.

Expectations of war
World War One soldiers knew their king and country expected them to fight to the death. Such was the expectation of their military commanders, their political leaders and even their loved ones that there was no question that if mortal danger came, they should face it like men. It was the only way for good to triumph over evil.

But this conflict quickly became the most brutal war in history and not even the most seasoned serviceman was prepared for the scale of carnage that unfolded before him. For many the horror proved too much. Hundreds were unable to cope, many were driven insane and several simply ran away.

But the army could no more afford to carry cowards than it could traitors, and many of those who did flee faced instant retribution with a court martial and death by firing squad.

'... their names still do not appear on official war memorials.'
British and Commonwealth military command executed 306 of its own men during the Great War. Those shot brought such shame on their country that nearly a century on, their names still do not appear on official war memorials.

Relatives and supporters of the executed men are fighting to win them a posthumous pardon. Their Shot at Dawn campaign claims the soldiers were blameless because it was severe psychological trauma, not cowardice, that rendered them physically unable to cope with the shocking scenes they had witnessed.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/british/britain_wwone/shot_at_dawn_01.shtml

Canada

"Those who go to war at the request of their nation do not know the fate that lies in store for them. This was a war of such overwhelming sound, fury and unrelenting horror that few combatants could remain unaffected," said Minister Duhamel. "While we cannot relive those awful years of a nation at peril in total war, and although the culture of that time is subsequently too distant for us to comprehend fully, we can give these 23 soldiers a dignity that is their due, and provide closure to their families."
The Honourable Ron J. Duhamel, Minister of Veterans Affairs, Dec. 11, 2001

http://home.cogeco.ca/~cdnsad/

Don't think the attitude has changed that much.
Georg Andreas Pogany

Reduced Charges for Soldier Accused of Cowardice in Iraq

By JEFFREY GETTLEMAN
Published: November 7, 2003
Army officials dropped cowardice charges on Thursday in the case of a sergeant who said he had suffered from a panic attack in Iraq but charged him with the lesser offense of dereliction of duty.

Legal experts say the reduced charge is far more common and easier to prove than cowardice, an offense that has not resulted in a single conviction since the height of the Vietnam War.

The sergeant, Georg Andreas Pogany, who said he had been so upset by the sight of a body in Iraq that he could not function, is accused of being derelict for having ''willfully failed to perform his job as the interrogator'' for a team of Green Berets, according to his charge sheet.

http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=990CEE
DC1539F934A35752C1A9659C8B63&sec=&spon=&pagewanted=all

What happens now is they are being discharged as if they have something to be ashamed of instead of a wound caused by their service. There were over 20,000 this happened to.

VA cannot ignore the spouse advocte when it comes to PTSD

A friend of my husband is back in the VA hospital again. His wife called last night to tell us where he was and what happened. While talking to her I was reminded of what I went through when my husband was needing help, seeing a psychologist and psychiatrist but not being totally honest when them. He tried to minimize what was going on inside his head and how drastically his life changed.

With all the research I had been doing, it was obvious that the spouse had to get actively involved in the treatment of the veteran. The family is expected to notice the signs and then be a support system for the veteran but what happens all too often is the VA shuts the family out of the treatment because of "privacy concerns" instead of the patients best interest. This is what our friend's wife is going through right now. She is trying to find out what is going on with her husband and trying to be able to let the doctors know what effects of PTSD are doing to him, their marriage and above all, jeopardizing his life.

Part of PTSD is the lack of being able to make rational decisions and the VA knows this. The thought process is altered with paranoia getting out of control. The spouse needs to be able to communicate what is real and what is simply being twisted in the veterans brain. Mood swings, often being misdiagnosed as just bipolar comes with extreme highs and deep depression while they make very irrational life choices. Some will end up undertaking legal choices that are risky. They enter into agreements that are unwise jeopardizing their finances but it is not just their finances, it is the families finances as a whole.

Some veterans will go on buying splurges with a huge windfall from a claim being approved and pro-rated back to the filing of the claim. This brings sudden wealth with thousands of dollars in many cases. Often they will go out and buy expensive "toys" like tougher trucks, motorcycles, speed boats or faster cars as rational choices go out the window.

Yet with what these veterans are being diagnosed with and treated for being ignored when it comes to their quality of life, the VA then turns on the spouse often hiding behind HIPAA and "privacy concerns" for the patient. How much time is wasted because the VA will not talk to the spouse?

I got lucky. I had been with my husband for most of his appointments. His doctors knew me. My husband had also given them permission to speak to me but this was before HIPAA. I often wonder if his doctors would have been as honest as they were with me had this rule been in place. I'm hearing from too many wives in the same position as our friend's wife. While I was lucky with the doctors, I was not so lucky when it came to the VA. I had to go through the DAV to find out what was going on. Simple questions were not being answered by the VA because I was not the veteran.

In our friend's case, his wife has power of attorney and medical power of attorney because her husband is not able to make rational decisions. They refuse to talk to her. He refuses to see her and the VA is ignoring the legal authority she holds.

This is what HIPAA says about privacy.

The Privacy Rule permits a covered entity to use and disclose PHI, with certain limits and protections, for TPO activities [45 CFR § 164.506]. Certain other permitted uses and disclosures for which authorization is not required follow. Additional requirements and conditions apply to these disclosures. The Privacy Rule text and OCR guidance should be consulted for a full understanding of the following:

Required by law. Disclosures of PHI are permitted when required by other laws, whether federal, tribal, state, or local.
Public health. PHI can be disclosed to public health authorities and their authorized agents for public health purposes including but not limited to public health surveillance, investigations, and interventions.
Health research. A covered entity can use or disclose PHI for research without authorization under certain conditions, including

1) if it obtains documentation of a waiver from an institutional review board (IRB) or a privacy board, according to a series of considerations;
2) for activities preparatory to research; and
3) for research on a decedent's information.

Abuse, neglect, or domestic violence. PHI may be disclosed to report abuse, neglect, or domestic violence under specified circumstances.
Law enforcement. Covered entities may, under specified conditions, disclose PHI to law enforcement officials pursuant to a court order, subpoena, or other legal order, to help identify and locate a suspect, fugitive, or missing person; to provide information related to a victim of a crime or a death that may have resulted from a crime, or to report a crime.
Judicial and administrative proceedings. A covered entity may disclose PHI in the course of a judicial or administrative proceeding under specified circumstances.
Cadaveric organ, eye, or tissue donation purposes. Organ-procurement agencies may use PHI for the purposes of facilitating transplant.
Oversight. Covered entities may usually disclose PHI to a health oversight agency for oversight activities authorized by law.
Worker's compensation. The Privacy Rule permits disclosure of work-related health information as authorized by, and to the extent necessary to comply with, workers' compensation programs.
Other Authorized Disclosures

A valid authorization is required for any use or disclosure of PHI that is not required or otherwise permitted without authorization by the Privacy Rule. In general, these authorizations must specifically identify the PHI to be used or disclosed; provide the names of persons or organizations, or classes of persons or organizations, who will receive, use, or disclose the PHI;

state the purpose for each request;
notify individuals of their right to refuse to sign the authorization without negative consequences to treatment, payment, or health plan enrollment or benefit eligibility, except under specific circumstances;be signed and dated by the individual or the individual's personal representative;
be written in plain language;
include an expiration date or event;
notify the individual of the right to revoke authorization at any time in writing, and how to exercise that right, and any applicable exceptions to that right under the Privacy Rule;
and explain the potential for the information to be subject to redisclosure by recipient and no longer protected by the Privacy Rule.

The Privacy Rule and Public Health
The Privacy Rule recognizes 1) the legitimate need for public health authorities and others responsible for ensuring the public's health and safety to have access to PHI to conduct their missions; and 2) the importance of public health reporting by covered entities to identify threats to the public and individuals. Accordingly, the rule

1) permits PHI disclosures without a written patient authorization for specified public health purposes to public health authorities legally authorized to collect and receive the information for such purposes, and
2) permits disclosures that are required by state and local public health or other laws. However, because the Privacy Rule affects the traditional ways PHI is used and exchanged among covered entities (e.g., doctors, hospitals, and health insurers), it can affect public health practice and research in multiple ways. To prevent misconceptions, understanding the Privacy Rule is important for public health practice. Some illustrative examples are presented in this report (Box 4).
Also provided are sample letters that might prove useful in clarifying relationships involving public health and the Privacy Rule (Appendix B).

http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/m2e411a1.htm

The following report should provide the sign of a clear need there is to have the spouse totally involved in the veteran's care. They are on the front line of getting the veteran as well as the GI to the help they need to heal as soon as possible. Unless the VA takes their involvement seriously, there is vital time wasted.

MENTAL HEALTH CARE
Va. Braces for Veterans' Needs
Some Returning Troops Rely on Local Services, Not Military
By Chris L. Jenkins
Washington Post Staff Writer
Saturday, March 1, 2008; Page B10

Virginia officials are preparing for a sharp increase in requests for community mental health services from troops returning from Iraq and Afghanistan, and they are concerned that the system will be overwhelmed.

Mental health experts and officials said they are seeing a growing number of recently returned military personnel with post-traumatic stress disorder, depression and other ailments seeking services from behavioral health clinics.

But with a waiting list of about 5,700 for community mental health services, many officials are concerned that the state will not be able to adequately serve the veterans and family members going to these clinics, operated by what are known as community services boards.

State officials said they are preparing for a 15 percent increase over the next decade in people seeking services from the state's mental health network, especially in emergency situations. That does not include family members who might need counseling. The issue is of particular concern in Virginia because the state has the third highest number of military service members in the country, behind California and Texas.

"This is a population that we're going to have to think about for some time," said James Reinhard, commissioner of the state Department of Mental Health, Mental Retardation and Substance Abuse Services. "We're concerned and believe that [the population] is going to clearly have an impact on our services."

Paul, a reservist with the 890th Transportation Company, said the flashbacks and nightmares started a month after he returned from Iraq's Sunni Triangle. Violent images woke him at night and sometimes jolted him during the day. He knew he needed help.

There was a veterans hospital outside of Roanoke, 100 miles from his Shenandoah Valley home, but he had heard stories of long waits and lots of paperwork. He was given the number of a mental health clinic a short drive from his home, so he showed up one afternoon.

"The only thing I could think about was getting to someone close and fast because I was in such pain," said the 39-year old reservist, who asked that his last name not be used to spare his family media attention. He receives weekly treatment at a Charlottesville clinic that serves veterans. He said he has continued to go to the clinic because, during a long stretch last year, he had difficulty accessing his military insurance coverage.

"I didn't think about anything else" but getting help, he said.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/
article/2008/02/29/AR2008022904190.html

As more and more veterans will enter into the overloaded system, the need will grow to streamline the process. The testimony of the spouse to the psychologist and psychiatrist are key in providing the shortest distant from evaluation to healing.

Testimony
Before the Committee on Veterans’
Affairs, U.S. Senate
VA DISABILITY BENEFITS
AND HEALTH CARE
Providing Certain Services
to the Seriously Injured
Poses Challenges
Statement of Cynthia A. Bascetta
Director, Health Care—Veterans’
Health and Benefits Issues
For Release on Delivery
Expected at 10:00 a.m. EST
Thursday, March 17, 2005

VHA manages one of the largest health care systems in the United States
and provides PTSD services in its medical facilities, community settings,
and Vet Centers.4 VA is a world leader in PTSD treatment and offers PTSD
services to veterans. PTSD can result from having experienced an
extremely stressful event such as the threat of death or serious injury, as
happens in military combat, and is the most prevalent mental disorder
resulting from combat.



In regard to psychological injuries, our September 2004 report noted that
mental health experts have recognized the importance of early
identification and treatment of PTSD. VA and DOD jointly developed a
clinical practice guideline for identifying and treating individuals with
PTSD. The guideline includes a four-question screening tool to identify
servicemembers and veterans who may be at risk for PTSD. VA uses these
questions to screen all veterans who visit VA for health care, including
those previously deployed to Afghanistan and Iraq. The screening
questions are:
Have you ever had any experience that was so frightening, horrible, or
upsetting that, in the past month, you
• have had any nightmares about it or thought about it when you did not
want to?
• tried hard not to think about it or went out of your way to avoid situations
that remind you of it?
• were constantly on guard, watchful, or easily startled?
• felt numb or detached from others, activities, or your surroundings?
In dealing with psychological injuries such as PTSD, VA also faces
challenges in providing services. Specifically, the inherent uncertainty of
the onset of PTSD symptoms poses a challenge because symptoms may be
delayed for years after the stressful event. Symptoms include insomnia,
intense anxiety, nightmares about the event, and difficulties coping with
work, family, and social relationships. Although there is no cure for PTSD,
experts believe that early identification and treatment of PTSD symptoms
may lessen the severity of the condition and improve the overall quality of
life for servicemembers and veterans. If left untreated it can lead to
substance abuse, severe depression, and suicide.

Another challenge VA faces in dealing with veterans with PTSD is the lack
of accurate data on its workload for PTSD. Inaccurate data limit VA’s
ability to estimate its capacity for treating additional veterans and to plan
for an increased demand for these services. For example, we noted in our
September 2004 report that VA publishes two reports that include
information on veterans receiving PTSD services at its medical facilities.
However, neither report includes all the veterans receiving PTSD services.
We found that veterans may be double counted in these two reports,
counted in only one report, or omitted from both reports. Moreover, the
VA Office of Inspector General found that the data in VA’s annual capacity
report, which includes information on veterans receiving PTSD services,
are not accurate. Thus, VA does not have an accurate count of the number
of veterans being treated for PTSD.



http://www.gao.gov/new.items/d05444t.pdf

This is why there are different figures presented as to the number of veterans being treated for PTSD. What experts predict is that we are looking at 800,000.

By 1978 there were 500,000 Vietnam veterans diagnosed with PTSD according to the DAV study done. By 1986 there were already 117,000 suicides connected to Vietnam. This came from the IFOC training. Also in the training came these percentages.
40% of people with physical trauma
60% of sexual assault victims will get PTSD
60% of incest victims will get PTSD and most will attempt suicide
90% of people who witness torture will get PTSD
100% of torture victims will get PTSD

While the veteran may be honest with the depth of the wound, all too often they want to minimize it. They hardly ever address the relationships changes between them and their spouse, avoiding topics they feel will make them less "normal" denying sexual problems, emotional problems and other character changes. The spouse can provide the truth they do not want to share with the doctor.

All too often families will say "they suddenly changed" not knowing fully what caused the change. Most of the time they will notice the change long after the service of the veteran has ended and will not make the connection between PTSD and the change. Some veteran will come back with mild PTSD, believing they can just "deal with it" and then recover from it.

Often they are able to hide what is going on, acting as if nothing is wrong, until they experience the secondary stressor. This could come from a number of events. The loss of a family member, health problems with someone they are close to, the death of a friend, accidents, loss of employment, natural disasters, as well as other stressful situations most of us also experience from divorce, financial problems, drastic changes like buying a house or loosing a house, a sudden empty nest or any extreme changes including their own health.

Many veterans reach out for help following these secondary stressors and it is even more urgent they get help because PTSD surfacing after a secondary stressor is like PTSD ravages on steroids.

Again, the VA has to pay attention to the law and what is right for the sake of the veteran at the same time. In the case of the spouse having the power of attorney, especially the medical power of attorney, the law is on the side of the spouse. They are given this power for a reason. The VA must honor it. They also need to take the role of the spouse as seriously as they truly are connected to the veteran and the recovery of the veteran.

When it comes to mental health care the patient needs someone watching over them and making sure the veteran is being served as well as providing support. If they continue to shut the family out of the treatment, they will continue to see more and more veteran falling through the cracks, families falling apart and veterans with risky behaviors as well as thinking more and more about suicide.

One of the hardest things to do is to decide to stand by the side of the veteran with PTSD trying to take control over their lives. It is a lot easier to end the marriage than it is to stay. When the decision is made to stay with the veteran, the spouse needs all the support and involvement they can get. They are part of the treatment the veteran receives in order to heal. It is about time they were included as vital to this goal as the talk therapy provided by the psychologist and the medications provided by the psychiatrist. When PTSD strikes, the spouse switches from bystander to advocate. This needs to be honored because of the sacrifices they are willing to make for the sake of someone they love.

Chaplain Kathie Costos
Namguardianangel@aol.com
http://www.namguardianangel.org/
http://www.namguardianangel.blogspot.com/
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

Expert: Sgt. Gary Smith, Suspect in Ranger death was near gun

Expert: Suspect in Ranger death was near gun

By Ben Nuckols - The Associated Press
Posted : Thursday Mar 20, 2008 18:16:48 EDT

ROCKVILLE, Md. — A forensic scientist testified Thursday that an analysis of blood spatter patterns indicates an Army Ranger charged with killing a fellow soldier was next to the man when he was fatally shot.

Sgt. Gary Smith, 25, is accused of killing Spc. Michael A. McQueen II, 22, in September 2006 in the suburban Washington apartment they had shared for about three weeks. Smith’s attorneys argue that McQueen shot himself and that Smith threw the gun in a nearby lake in a misguided attempt to cover for his buddy.

William T. Vosburgh, forensic lab director for District of Columbia police, said he identified the outline of a shoe and a handprint in the blood on the carpet.

Vosburgh’s testimony is crucial to the prosecution’s case because the state must prove that Smith was close enough to McQueen to have pressed the gun against McQueen’s temple before firing.

Vosburgh also noted that Smith had large amounts of blood on his left hand and on his right pants leg and shoe when he was questioned by police, according to photographs presented in court.

“At some point, the shoe and the pant leg had to be under that bleeding source,” he said.

Under cross-examination, Vosburgh acknowledged that McQueen’s arm could have been raised when he was shot.

Andrew Jezic, Smith’s attorney, said in his opening statement that Smith had no reason to kill his friend, and prosecutors have not offered a motive. Both sides concede there is no direct evidence McQueen was suicidal.

McQueen’s father, Mike, is the New Orleans bureau chief for the Associated Press.
http://www.armytimes.com/news/2008/03/ap_rangertrial_032008/

The path to happiness: it is better to give than receive

The path to happiness: it is better to give than receive
James Randerson, science correspondent
The Guardian,
Friday March 21 2008
Article history

Money may not buy you love but it might buy you happiness if you spend it in the right way, US researchers say. In studies they found that the old adage "it's better to give than to receive" is correct: spending money on others or giving to charity puts a bigger smile on your face than buying things for yourself.
"Most people would think that if you make more money you are going to be a lot happier," said Michael Norton, a professor at Harvard Business School. "Our results, and a lot of other people's results, show that making more money makes you a little bit happier, but doesn't really have a huge impact on you. Our studies suggest maybe that little changes in how you spend it make a difference."
The researchers' work is published today in the journal Science. Norton and his colleagues questioned 632 Americans about how much they earned and how they spent their cash. They also asked them to rate their own happiness.
Regardless of income level, those people who spent money on others reported greater happiness, while those who spent more on themselves did not.
In a second study, the team questioned 16 employees in line for a company bonus of $3,000-$8,000. The team asked the subjects about their happiness before and six to eight weeks after the bonus, and how they spent the money.
The size of the bonus did not determine how much happiness grew. Instead, the amount spent on others or given to charity was correlated with how much individuals' happiness levels had risen.
The team also gave 46 volunteers either $5 (£2.50) or $20 to spend. They instructed the participants to spend the money on themselves or someone else. Again, the altruistic group reported feeling happier whatever the size of their gift.
Norton said: "So instead of buying yourself a coffee buy your friend a coffee and that might actually make you a happier person."
go here for the rest
http://www.guardian.co.uk/science/2008/mar/21/medicalresearch.usa

It isn't just money that makes people happy when they give it away. It isn't just gifts they buy. It's what they share. When veterans help other veterans, they feel better, feel more connected and feed the need to be of service. There is always an underlining need to be of service in everyone who enlists in the military. They may have the reason on financial goals, like paying for college, but under that, there is the call to serve. This type of person will join the military, the police force, become firefighters or enter into public service in other ways.

Other people will take on causes they feel called to provide. While going through Chaplain training, the entire group of us had felt called to serve different sectors of the population. Prison ministry, Hospice, police, fire department, nursing homes, hospitals, each one in a different direction yet all equally worthy and needed. It is not what you give but that you give it for the right reasons. To help others, to make someone else happy, or the willingness to lay down your life for the sake of another comes from people who love.

When the Bible addressed Christ's willingness, it was not just talking about his physical life. He laid down what he could have done for himself in order to take care of others. Think about the Son of God who could have done anything he wanted walking around dusty villages. Do you think he would have enjoyed a vacation in Hawaii relaxing on the beach? This is what I mean by laying down your life by laying aside your own desires, your own time and give to others. Most of us have a hard enough time putting food on the table and paying our bills. It costs us nothing to give our time.

Charges dropped in assault trial because judge went to Iraq?

Charges dropped when judge leaves for Iraq

The Associated Press
Posted : Friday Mar 21, 2008 10:48:15 EDT

CONCORD, N.H. — Charges that a New Hampshire man assaulted a teenager by whipping him with a belt have been thrown out because the judge had to leave the trial to serve in Iraq.

The state Supreme Court agreed Thursday with Ernest Solomon that starting a new trial with a new judge would amount to double jeopardy.

The 40-year-old was charged with three charges of assaulting a 15-year-old boy by whipping him on the legs with a belt as punishment.

His original trial ended when Derry District Court Judge John Coughlin volunteered to serve in Iraq as a judge-advocate with the National Guard.

The Supreme Court said a new trial would have been constitutional if the original judge had died or there had been a hung jury.
http://www.armytimes.com/news/2008/03/ap_judgeleave_032108/

Pfc. Chris Eckert Overdose raises questions at Walter Reed

Have you ever been in a hospital and not had a nurse bring in the medication you are supposed to take? So why is this still going on at Walter Reed?

Overdose raises questions at Walter Reed

By Kelly Kennedy - Staff writer
Posted : Friday Mar 21, 2008 15:47:51 EDT

The night before he was to enter a drug and alcohol rehabilitation program, Army Pfc. Chris Eckert swallowed a pill prescribed to help him sleep without the nightmares that have tormented him since he left Iraq.

Then, sitting in his barracks at Walter Reed Army Medical Center on Jan. 17, he counted out seven methadone tablets and popped them into his mouth.

The next morning, his squad leader found him on the floor in a puddle of his own vomit, but still alive.

“They told me, ‘Your son is not going to make it,’ ” said Eckert’s mother, Rose Symborski. “He was on life support for five days.”

Since June 2007, 11 troops have died in the Army’s Wounded Warrior units, according to Lt. Gen. Eric Schoomaker, the Army’s Surgeon General.

Eckert’s mother blames the Army for not looking out for him, while Army officials say Eckert needed to do more to help himself. But both sides agree his case is an example of the difficulties of treating troops working through substance-abuse issues linked to post-traumatic stress disorder or traumatic brain injuries.

“I felt like my hands were kind of tied,” said Capt. Scott Beam, Eckert’s case manager. “In my heart ... I knew I had done all I could have.”

Symborski said she tried to alert Eckert’s chain of command at the hospital that her son was dealing with symptoms of PTSD. He suffered nightmares, couldn’t handle loud noises and was angry. He told friends he was suicidal. He was abusing pain medications and alcohol.

Eckert was serving in Iraq in early 2007 when an IED blast killed his platoon sergeant and left him with a mild traumatic brain injury.

“He was getting worse by the week,” his mother said.

go here for the rest
http://www.armytimes.com/news/2008/03/military_methadone_032108w/

Do they take PTSD so lightly they think they can hand a combat veteran a bottle of pills and think he will only take what he is supposed to when he is supposed to? Do they know a thing about PTSD and short term memory loss when they forget what they are doing one minute from the next at times?

Spc. Keisha Morgan's heart and brain removed by Army?

Keisha Morgan
Posted on March 20, 2008 by kate217
Army Spc. Keisha M. Morgan, 25, Washington, D.C., died [February 22] in Baghdad of a non-combat related cause; assigned to the Division Special Troops Battalion, 4th Infantry Division, Fort Hood, Texas.


Yet again, the Army is sweeping the mysterious death of a female soldier under the rug. Keisha’s mother, Diana, (who is a friend of mine) has been told that the Army “doesn’t know” how Keisha died. Keisha’s best friend, Ruby, found her on the floor of their Baghdad barracks, having a seizure, but responsive. She died, according to WTOP news, “a short time later.”

Diana says that she spoke to Keisha less than a week before she died. Keisha was a 25-year-old in the peak of health who had just reenlisted (excited to be going “from green to gold”) and was as happy as she had ever been. She was engaged to a wonderful young man working as a civilian contractor in Iraq. He was visiting family in (IRRC) Puerto Rico when she died. He was interrogated for about four hours. I hope that was just information gathering abouther friends, routine, etc., but I’m not sanguine about that.

In spite of almost a month’s time and two autopsies, Keisha’s cause of death is still “unknown.” Her fiance and mother wanted to have an independent autopsy performed but were informed by the Army that her brain and heart had been removed because of the ongoing “investigation,” so another autopsy would be pointless. Am I the only one who finds that the teensiest bit suspect? If they suspected drugs or epilepsy or anything else innocuous, wouldn’t they just say so?
go here for the rest
http://kate217.wordpress.com/2008/03/20/keisha-morgan/

The non-combat death of Spc. Keisha Morgan caused the Army to remove her heart and brain as part of the "investigation" into her death? Is this how they do it? Where are her body parts that they cannot manage to return them to the family? She died a month ago and they still don't know what caused her death? What are they doing? What are they trying to cover up or can they be so incompetent they can't figure it out yet? How many others is this happening to? How many families are not being given the answers they need?

John McCain's family tree claim is "baloney"

John McCain, veteran war hero: yes. But a descendant of Robert the Bruce? Baloney

· Doubt cast on presidential candidate's ancestral link
· It's a piece of wonderful fiction, says historian
Paul Lewis
The Guardian,
Friday March 21 2008
Article history

US senator John McCain and Robert the Bruce.

Photograph: Luke MacGregor/Reuters, Hulton Archive

Of all the claims in support of John McCain's bid for the White House, perhaps none is quite as grand as this. As he arrived in London yesterday, the publishers of his new book insisted the Republican senator's family was descended from the Scottish king, Robert the Bruce.

For a veteran war hero staking his presidential campaign on military credentials, an ancestral link to a warrior who overcame the English to reclaim Scottish independence in 1314 has obvious appeal. But according to experts, the story may be no more than that. Asked by the Guardian to investigate McCain's family history, genealogists and medieval historians described the link to Robert the Bruce as "wonderful fiction" and "baloney".

The McCain link to Scotland was first mooted several years ago, but resurfaced this week on the eve of his trip to the UK, when Gibson Square, the publishers behind the senator's book, Hard Call, announced that "John McCain's family is of Scottish-Irish descent and related to the Scottish king, Robert the Bruce, on his mother's side".

The firm said the claim was sourced from the US presidential candidate's official website. But the ancestral link appears to originate from a 1999 family memoir, Faith of My Fathers. In it the senator said his great-grandparents "gave life to two renowned fighters, my great-uncle Wild Bill and my grandfather Sid McCain."

Wild Bill, he wrote, "joined the McCain name to an even more distinguished warrior family. His wife, Mary Louise Earle, was descended from royalty. She claimed as ancestors Scottish kings back to Robert the Bruce." The passage goes on to say that Mary Louise Earle was also "in direct descent" from Emperor Charlemagne.

Not so, according to Dr Katie Stevenson, a lecturer in medieval studies at the University of St Andrews. "What wonderful fiction," she said. "Mary Louise Earle's claims to descent from Robert the Bruce are likely to be fantasy. Earle is not a Scottish name. I think it is incredibly unlikely that name would be related to Robert the Bruce. Charlemagne and Robert the Bruce were not connected - that's ludicrous."

go here for the rest

http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2008/mar/21/johnmccain.uselections2008

Is McCain having fantasy problems? He said that Al-Qaeda is being trained in Iran, but Iran has nothing to do with Al-Qaeda. He claims that insurgents in Iraq are members of Al-Qaeda tied to Osama but all the experts say Al-Qaeda in Iraq just borrowed the name and have one goal in Iraq, that is to get the US troops out. The experts also say that the Sunni and the Shia are united on two things. One is to get the coalition forces out of their country and the other is the hatred they have toward Al-Qaeda. These facts McCain and Bush never seem to be able to face. Looks like McCain is having trouble facing a lot of facts, along with memory issues and anger issues. Is he in denial?

My problem with McCain is that as a veteran, he should have voted on the side of veterans but failed them. This is my biggest issue with him. The other is that as a man who has been tortured, the rate of tortured people developing PTSD is 100%. The question is, how bad does he have it? What level is it? Classic signs are there. Can this be the reason he would not look at a Vietnam vet talking to him about having PTSD?

Help change the way veterans are treated with PTSD

MSC has received a request to pass along the information below from our friends at VUFT. Please read their message and pass along to other's who you feel may be in need of help with VA claims involving PTSD. All of us together may someday see some great changes within the VA system if we work together to make those changes.

www.militaryspousesforchange.com
Involve. Inform. Inspire.
URGENT REQUEST
I am writing to update you about our class action lawsuit, Veterans for Common Sense and Veterans United for Truth v. U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. We are challenging the VA's failure to provide prompt mental health care to veterans with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) and VA's failure to promptly and accurately process disability compensation claims for PTSD. The week of March 3, the judge held a hearing about the quality and timeliness of mental health care given to suicidal veterans. After four days of testimony, the judge ordered a full trial on all of our issues to start on April 21, 2008. This is a very quick timeline, and we hope this means that we will receive a final decision from the judge in the next few months.

In order to put on our strongest case, VUFT and our attorneys need your help in the next few days. The attorneys for VA AND THE Department of Justice have challenged our right as a group to sue VA. It will make it very much easier for them if they can drive us out of this class action suit. We need to prove to them that VUFT belongs in this suit as there is a fairly large number of our members who have had serious problems with the VA on mental health issues.

If you are a VUFT member who has been diagnosed with PTSD and have experienced problems getting timely mental health care for their PTSD or for potential suicide, please send us an email. We are also looking for VUFT members who are having problems getting their PTSD disability compensation claim approved. If you are a veteran with these specific types of problems, then please send VUFT a new email in the next several days, even if you already sent one in the past.
Please send your email to
contact@www.vuft.org, with a "CC" copy to kcorbit@dralegal.org.
EVEN IF YOU HAVE ALREADY SENT US AN EMAIL AND/OR HAVE ALREADY TALKED TO THE LAWYERS ABOUT YOUR COMPLAINT, PLEASE DO IT AGAIN.

If you are willing to talk to our attorneys about your problems with the VA, then I strongly encourage you to contact our attorneys directly. Our attorneys need to show the judge that the problems we are complaining about are system-wide problems and not just isolated to a few veterans. You can reach them at (510) 665-8644.

Your participation could make a huge difference in the lives of the hundreds of thousands of veterans fighting with the VA. For information about our lawsuit, please go to this web site: www.veteransPTSDclassaction.org

So, if you want to in help our fellow veterans by winning this landmark case, then please e-mail and/or call our attorneys in the next few days. Our attorneys have been working on this case for more than a year. I have met them all, and they are friendly and understanding when it comes to speaking with veterans and families about confidential issues:

The specific group working at this time to compile the information on the VUFT portion of this case are:
Danny Brome, dbrome@dralegal.org
Kasey Corbit, kcorbit@dralegal.org
Disability Rights AdvocatesPhone: (510) 665-8644Fax: (510) 665-8511TTY: (510) 665-8716www.dralegal.org
Thank you for your continued support of our critically important lawsuit.
Sanford (Sandy) CookVice Chair, VUFT, Inc.

-- Carissa Picard
PresidentMilitary Spouses for Change
406.498.2134 (c)www.militaryspousesforchange.com
Involve. Inform. Inspire."Patriotism is proud of a country's virtues and eager to correct its deficiencies; it also acknowledges the legitimate patriotism of other countries, with their own specific virtues. The pride of nationalism, however, trumpets its country's virtues and denies its deficiencies, while it is contemptuous toward the virtues of other countries. It wants to be, and proclaims itself to be, 'the greatest,' but greatness is not required of a country; only goodness is." Sydney J. Harris

Clinton and Obama Answer Young Veterans

Clinton and Obama Answer Young Veterans
I just finished watching an hour-long MTV roundtable in which Senators Obama and Clinton each spent half an hour talking to eight veterans under 30 years of age. This is first time I can remember in a political campaign that young veterans were looked at not as a prop for some National Security Theater, but rather as piece of the greater youth constituency with a distinct set of needs and concerns.

The event was slightly overproduced at times (the stories of the veterans were dramatic enough without the re-enactments), but it was honestly one of the best discussions of the campaign thus far on what it really means to support the troops (beyond buying a yellow ribbon) and just what the hell we're actually trying to accomplish in Iraq.

One thing in particular that shook me was the veterans' ages and the amount of time they've spent on active duty in Iraq. One of the veterans, who had a Purple Heart along with another medal, was just 22 years old and had spent 27 months in Iraq. That's more than 2 years out of 22 spent fighting in Iraq. That's astonishing and totally incomprehensible to me.

Hot topics were PTSD (7 of the 8 participants were diagnosed), homelessness and other transitional issues for soldiers reentering the civilian population, as well as some talk about the US strategy on the ground. Both Clinton and Obama talked about the need to fully fund the VA, provide job training and health care for veterans, remove the stigma around PTSD (in and out of the service), and some of the challenges in doing so.
go here for the rest
http://futuremajority.com/node/1052

Jon Soltz is missing a link on PTSD,,,the experts living with it!

Group housing for vets raises concerns
Fear, misconceptions raise concerns about transitional housing for vets with PTSD
By SCOTT LINDLAW
Associated Press Writer AP
Mar 19, 2008
Merry Lane, a cul-de-sac shaded by redwoods in Sonoma County wine country, would seem a pleasant place to recover from the psychic wounds of war. Nadia McCaffrey's dream is to set up a group home there for veterans plagued by post-traumatic stress disorder.

But she is running into stiff resistance from the neighbors. They not only object to the brand-new structure itself, which looks like a four-story apartment house wedged amid their cabins, they are also worried that deranged veterans will move in.

At a community meeting in December, "one person was concerned that even firecrackers would set these people off," said Andrew Eckers, 54, who lives across the street.

McCaffrey, whose son was killed in Iraq in 2004, said she has tried to reassure the neighbors, but "they are afraid of it because they don't want to understand it."

Projects similar to McCaffrey's have cropped up in other communities across the country, with some also raising concerns from neighbors, in part because of the many news accounts of traumatized veterans committing suicide or murder.

"We're all, frankly, failing in properly educating society about what PTSD is and what its effects are," said Jon Soltz, an Iraq war veteran and chairman of VoteVets.org, a veterans advocacy group.

go here for the rest
http://www.newsweek.com/id/124249

I wish I had a dollar for every time I heard someone say "we're not doing a good enough job educating" because I've been doing this for 25 years! I can tell these new people they are absolutely correct but it isn't from lack of trying. Soltz was maybe in high school when people like me were trying to save lives. That's the problem. None of them really rely on us, our experience and our expertise on PTSD. PTSD has not changed in thousands of years, just the name has. We just know more now that we did back in the days when soldiers were shot for being cowards because they were wounded by PTSD under whatever title it was given at the time.

I sent a DVD to Jon Soltz of Vote Vets and never heard a word back, not to mention how many emails I sent him when he first started. I sent one to Paul Rieckhoff of the IAVA and never heard a word. The only one who has had much to do with me at all is Paul Sullivan of Veterans For Common Sense.

Regular people on the other hand are reaching out. One of them was in fact Nadia. We spoke a couple of times about the work we do and how she is really trying to make a difference for all veterans, not just Iraq and Afghanistan veterans. She is trying to help a friend of mine and so is Paul Sullivan.

What is their problem? What will it take for them to say, "gee they have all this experience dealing with what we're just learning about,,,maybe we should ask them for some guidance" instead of ignoring us.