Battling bureaucracy to ensure long term care for veterans

March 28, 2008
Battling bureaucracy to ensure long term care for veterans
I discovered this article surfing military.com the other day and found it emotionally riveting. Many of us who served in the Armed Forces were fortunate enough not to have sustained life altering injuries of the magnitude described during a recent hearing on March 13th reflecting on the Care of Seriously Wounded After In-Patient Care conducted by the House Veterans' Affairs Oversight and Investigations Subcommittee. The purpose of the hearing was to assess how the Department of Veterans Affairs cares for our nation's most seriously wounded veterans following inpatient treatment.

An opening statement by the Chairman, Representative Harry E. Mitchell, from Arizona set the tone for the hearing:

"We are here today to hear from veterans, their families, and the Department of Veterans Affairs about the long-term care of our most severely wounded Afghanistan and Iraq veterans. We know that DoD and VA provide the excellent inpatient healthcare for these warriors. But many of the most seriously injured require extensive outpatient care, some of them for life. Their families need care and assistance as well. Unfortunately, once these veterans leave the hospital, the care they receive does not seem to be on par with what they received directly following their injury. I think we can do better."

He went on to say:

"...The Department of Defense and the VA are large organizations with an overwhelming bureaucracy. Their care and services often overlap in messy and unpredictable ways. At a time of enormous stress, this bureaucracy only hurts the injured warrior and his family... We are going to hear from people that have been dealing with the difficulties of the system for a long time. On February 14, 2004 Army Sergeant Ted Wade lost his right arm and suffered severed traumatic brain injury, along with many other injuries, in an IED explosion in Iraq. Sgt. Wade is here today with his wife, Sarah."
go here for the rest
http://asmba.typepad.com/veterans/2008/03/battling-bureau.html

Non-combat wounds and "non-service connected" are two terms we need to dispose of. If they are deployed, then it is a combat wound. Doesn't matter if it was because of TBI, vaccines, tainted water, bombs, bullets, accidents or Post Traumatic Stress. If they were not deployed then fine, it's non-combat. If they went, they went into combat zones and came home wounded. What are they afraid of? Too many Purple Hearts to give out? Then let them design another kind of badge of honor for everyone else wounded. How they could even consider PTSD or TBI a non-combat wound is beyond reason.


When you hear "non-service connected" that does not mean it was not connected to service but the Veterans Administration has not yet acknowledged the claim. This happens when they claim is in process of being approved or denied, denied and on appeal or trapped between the two. Until a claim is approved, they call it "non-service connected" even if you are sitting there with two missing legs blown off by an IED. This leaves the wounded veterans SOL and out of income. It adds to the stress they already have to deal with trying to heal when they have bills coming in and no way to pay them because they have a claim that is not approved yet. The answer the VA gives is "Well once your claim is approved it's retroactive and then you'll have your money" but this does not tell them how to pay the bills between wound and approval. It does not tell them how they can find faith in the system of the government they served, were willing to lay down their lives for, were wounded in the service of, when the same government is allowing them to be penalized for the lack of planning to make sure all departments were ramped up in order to take care of them.

Noah’s clause may save lives with mandatory counseling

Around the clock access to trained professional is available for anyone struggling with thoughts of suicide. Call 1-800-273-TALK (8255) to reach the National Suicide Prevention Hotline. If you are a veteran and would like to speak with someone trained in working with military members, press “1” to reach the VA hotline.

Reporter's Notebook: Soldier Suicides: veterans are killing themselves in record numbers
Filed under: City Pages

As of recently, soldiers killing themselves upon their return to combat have become all too familiar to Cheryl Softich, of Eveleth, Minn. Her son, Army Specialist Noah Pierce, 23, killed himself in July after deployment in Iraq.

He came home and was felt like he was a murderer. He said he killed a doctor while he was there; he mistook the doctor for a suicide bomber, his mother says.


Back home he couldn’t sleep at night. He was drinking all the time and the spark had drained from his eyes, Softich remembers.

“There were very few smiles that were genuine,” she says.

At the time of his death, Pierce, a member of the Army's Third Infantry Division, had plans for a third tour.

Unlike most parents and family members who are stonewalled by their sons and daughters in uniform who don’t want to speak about the trauma they experienced at war, Pierce journaled his experience in war, leaving behind a book of poetry.

"His writing just brings you to Iraq with him," says Softich, who published her son’s work in the California publication Rogue Voice.

In the poem “WTF” Pierce reflects on the accidental killing of the Iraqi doctor. "The investigation said it was done by the books / I ask myself, 'What the fuck kind of war is this?'"

In “Friends” Pierce writes about Iraqi kids who would give him food in exchange for water. "No english / No arabic / Yet we still understand each other."

He wrote about desert sandstorms in “Dust” and called Iraq a “godforgotten country,” where smoking is an imperative and the “girlfriends, the parties, the training /GONE.”

Softich is on a one-woman mission to change the military’s current mental health screening system for returning veterans.

Pierce, like the others in our feature on soldier suicides and PTSD, passed post deployment medical and psychological tests that allowed him to return sooner.

Softich is trying to enact a Noah’s clause, legislation that would require all troops to receive mandatory counseling, at least once every two weeks for a year, upon their return from active duty. Since coming forward, Representatives Jim Oberstar, D-Minnesota and Neil Abercrombie, D-Hawaii along with Senators Norm Coleman, R-Minnesota, and Amy Klobuchar R-Minnesota, have taken interest her idea, she says.

go here for the rest
http://blogs.citypages.com/blotter/2008/03/reporters_noteb_5.php


Honoring Noah
Current mood: satisfied
Category: News and Politics

HONORING NOAH
Bringing more awareness to PTSD
Linda Tyssen
Last updated: Wednesday, December 26th, 2007 10:07:03 PM



VIRGINIA — Noah Charles Pierce wasn't there to answer roll call. The sounding of taps responded instead, as the new AMVETS Post 33 was named in his honor at a special ceremony Dec. 15.

The 23-year-old Army veteran of the war in Iraq committed suicide in July, following a battle with post-traumatic stress disorder. Spc. Pierce served with the Third Infantry Division in Kuwait and Iraq, driving a Bradley fighting vehicle and serving as a gunner on a Humvee. After his discharge from the military, he had told his family he would have gone back for a third tour of duty.

Shortly after the AMVETS post was chartered in Virginia, Commander Shawn Carr announced his wish to name the post for Pierce. AMVETS, short for American Veterans, is open to all those who served in the military, whether in wartime or peacetime, overseas or at home. Post 33 is headquartered at the Servicemen's Club.

A large group of Pierce's family and friends and military veterans came to the ceremony at the Servicemen's Club. Pierce's parents, Cheryl and Tom Softich of Sparta, and his sister, Sarah Snyder, were among those in attendance.

"In naming this post Noah C. Pierce AMVETS Post 33, we wish to give Noah a fitting memorial, raise community and public awareness of PTSD and in some way help the healing for his family to begin,'' Commander Carr said in his remarks.

go here for the rest of this
http://blog.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=blog.view&friendID=148938536&blogID=341746064

If you can't talk to your family, then talk to another veteran. If you can't talk to another veteran, then talk to a Chaplain. Talk to someone who will listen and understand that you have been wounded. In a perfect world, the VA would be waiting for you to get there and every military brass would be up to speed on PTSD so the DOD would do the right thing. This isn't a perfect world although the military wants to portray discipline and duty as an organized bunch, they are far from it when it comes to the wounds they cannot see. Anyone still treating PTSD as anything other than a wound should be ashamed of themselves for being so uneducated and uninformed. It's been around a lot longer than they have and documented since the beginning of recorded history. They better hurry up and understand this before they all look like members of the culture that brought us leaches and bleeding a patient to death.

Bail out wounded veterans not Bear Stearns

Reid Calls Bear Stearns `Bailout' Unfair to Taxpayers (Update1)

By Laura Litvan

March 17 (Bloomberg) -- Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, a Nevada Democrat, said a decision by the Federal Reserve to provide as much as $30 billion to JPMorgan Chase & Co. to help it buy Bear Stearns Cos. is a ``bailout'' unfair to taxpayers.

``The Federal Reserve's latest actions appear to shift large risks to taxpayers, who may find themselves on the hook for billions in worthless securities,'' Reid said in a prepared statement. ``The public has a right to know why President Bush and his administration believe this bailout is necessary and what steps they are taking to both protect taxpayers and to hold accountable those whose bad decisions led to this crisis.''

Look how fast Bush moved on this. Do you think he could move that fast for the sake of the "troops" he keeps saying we all need to support? What about the wounded veterans and soldiers coming back without income while they have to wait for claims to be approved and still have bills to pay with no income? I'm sure the tax payers would rather their money go to helping the wounded veterans he keeps making than to his rich pals who have been sucking the life out of the rest of us with his tax breaks at the same time he managed to have two occupations killing and wounding the troops he sent then forgot about until he needs more to send. He bails out the jerks who did this to people who are going to end up losing their homes and yes, a lot of them are veterans. Poverty went up with him not caring and so have the numbers of people being homeless. With people paying more for everything and making less to do it with, you'd think we would have someone in charge who cares about doing the right thing for the tax payers of this country, because aside from it being the right thing to do with our money, it's our money! Remember when he said the money needed for the VA was too much money? He had a problem with spending our money then but he has no problem taking care of the rich. If you want to know why the veterans and everyone else in this country is having a hard time, ask them about their bank account and you'll know why. He only cares about rich people. Iraq is still going on because of the contractors and everyone knows it. Peace is just too damn expensive for them. There is no money in peace for any of them. The wounded soldiers are an expense to them they are not willing to pay for. This is why they have no problem coming up with the money to keep Afghansitan and Iraq going on and on without end but always have a hard time taking care of the wounded and the widows.

$30 billion? What would that do to help veterans or any of the people who are going to get kicked out of their homes?

Sgt. Godfrey J. Hurley gets life for murder of Lisa Nossett

Sgt. gets life for killing troop’s wife

The Associated Press
Posted : Friday Mar 28, 2008 16:06:35 EDT

FORT LEWIS, Wash. — A sergeant with 16 years in the Army has been sentenced to life in prison without parole for killing another soldier’s wife at Fort Lewis.

A panel of officers decided on the sentence Thursday, a day after convicting 40-year-old Godfrey J. Hurley of premeditated murder.

Investigators said Hurley stabbed and beat 28-year-old Lisa R. Nossett, a mother of two daughters, on March 11, 2006.

The attack occurred at Nossett’s living quarters at Fort Lewis, reportedly after she tried to end a two-year affair with Hurley. Her husband, Sgt. Christopher Nossett, was stationed in South Korea at the time.
http://www.armytimes.com/news/2008/03/ap_sgtsentenced_032808/

At home, but not at peace: A soldier's struggle with PTSD

At home, but not at peace: A soldier's struggle with PTSD
Spc. Brandon Garrison volunteered to deploy and loved putting on his uniform each day. But after watching a mortar attack claim one of his friends in Afghanistan, he joined the thousands of servicemembers battling PTSD.
By Tracy Burton, Special to Stars and Stripes
Pacific edition, Sunday, March 30, 2008

Army Spc. Brandon Garrison looks fine. He pulls his wife, Lily, close. He gives her a quick kiss on the cheek and wraps his hand over her stomach, carrying their first child.

Inside, Garrison fights a rage that consumes most of his days since returning from 17 months of combat in Afghanistan. It’s a demon that shows no mercy and interrupts even simple routines like eating and sleeping. At any moment, halfway through a football game or in the middle of the night, he can lose himself to this evil.

This is his war now. A war that started on a battlefield a half a world away and has now embedded itself in his mind. Through nightmares, flashbacks, anxiety and fear, he battles this beast each day.

Garrison is among thousands of troops experiencing post-traumatic stress disorder, or PTSD, as they return from Afghanistan or Iraq. The 21-year-old from northeastern Kansas is also part of a growing number of servicemembers whose well-being has been compromised in a system that’s supposed to take care of them.
go here for the rest
http://www.stripes.com/article.asp?section=104&article=53683

PTSD:Can we smell danger? New study says possible

Can we smell danger? Study shows it's possible
The associated press
March 28, 2008

WASHINGTON - Know how a whiff of certain odors can take you back in time, either to a great memory or bad one?

It turns out emotion plays an even bigger role with the nose, and that your sense of smell actually can sharpen when something bad happens.

Northwestern University researchers proved the surprising connection by giving volunteers electric shocks while they sniffed novel odors.

The discovery, reported in today's edition of the journal Science, helps explain how our senses can steer us clear of danger. More intriguing, it could shed light on disorders such as post-traumatic stress disorder.

"This is an incredibly unique study," said Dr. David Zald, a Vanderbilt University neuroscientist who studies how the brain handles sensory and emotional learning. "We're talking about a change in our perceptual abilities based on emotional learning."

Scientists long have known of a strong link between the sense of smell and emotion. A certain perfume or the scent of baking pie, for instance, can raise memories of a long-dead loved one.

Conversely, a whiff of diesel fuel might trigger a flashback for a soldier suffering from PTSD.

Northwestern neuroscientist Jay Gottfried, the study's senior author, says the work illuminates a sense that society too often gives short shrift.

"People really dismiss the sense of smell," said Gottfried, who researches "how the brain can put together perceptions of hundreds of thousands of different smells. . . . Work like this really says that the human sense of smell has much more capacity than people usually give it credit."

http://www.orlandosentinel.com/services/newspaper/printedition/friday/orl-smell2808mar28,0,1775496.story

Walter Reed Chaplains Help In Aftermath Of Combat

War's Wounded Find Guidance in Aftermath
Walter Reed Chaplains Help Amputees, Other Soldiers Confront Unpleasant Realities
By Greg Trotter
Religion News Service
Saturday, March 29, 2008; Page B10

Capt. Darrick Gutting is the friendliest guy in Ward 57.

The bald-headed, 40-year-old Pennsylvanian roams the halls, engaging passersby -- soldiers and medical staff -- in conversations that are equal parts jive and heartfelt concern.

"Sorry, man, but this is part of being a chaplain, too," Gutting said after talking with a male nurse for 10 minutes about a favorite hunting store in West Virginia. "You gotta let the people know that you care."

Gutting is one of 10 military chaplains in the pastoral care department at Walter Reed Army Medical Center. They come from Catholic, Baptist, Methodist, Charismatic and evangelical churches. There is also a rabbi on contract and two volunteer Muslim and Hindu clerics.

The chaplains at Walter Reed provide spiritual advice and a listening ear to soldiers, staff and families. They also guide many amputee soldiers through the difficult process of coming to terms with a new reality.

As of Feb. 29, the most recent date available, 705 amputees from Iraq and Afghanistan had been treated in Army facilities, including 555 at Walter Reed, according to a Walter Reed spokeswoman. There are about 150 amputee patients in some stage of healing and rehabilitation at Walter Reed. Regardless of religious or cultural background, many of them wake up at some point and ask very similar questions: Why? Why did this happen to me?

"As chaplains, we are not peddlers of religion," said Col. Charles Howell, senior chaplain at Walter Reed and a 52-year-old Mississippi native. "We allow them to ask the questions and then show them a host of answers out there."

The chaplains face a range of emotions among the amputees: anger, sadness, fear and joy, or some mixture thereof, Howell said. Some soldiers become angry at God, or the Army, he said. Others go straight to gratitude and happiness that they are alive at all.
click post title for the rest

2 Soldiers missing from Camp Pendleton

US Searches for Missing Indian Soldiers


The Associated Press
Friday, March 28, 2008; 8:31 PM

CAMP PENDLETON, Calif. -- U.S. authorities are searching for two Indian soldiers who disappeared from Camp Pendleton during a military training exercise.

Defense Department officials said Friday that the soldiers have been missing since March 20, the final day of a 30-day training exercise with the Pendleton-based 15th Marine Expeditionary Unit.

click post title for the rest

Why did they have to add in the word Indian instead of just using "soldiers" like they do with all other soldiers?

March 29 declared Vietnam Vets Day in Minnesota

March 29 declared Vietnam Vets Day in Minn.

The Associated Press
Posted : Friday Mar 28, 2008 12:06:05 EDT

ST. PAUL — Minnesota’s Vietnam War veterans are getting a long-awaited “welcome home” from their state government.

Governor Tim Pawlenty has signed a bill designating March 29 as Vietnam Veterans Day in the state. His office says Minnesota follows Tennessee as the only states to carve out a special day for veterans of that war.

At a signing ceremony, Pawlenty told a crowd of veterans and their families that it was “shameful” that soldiers from that conflict didn’t get a warmer reception upon returning from war.

He says the Vietnam Veterans Day — the first of which falls this Saturday — will put the focus on the sacrifices of those veterans.

Roughly 147,000 Minnesotans served in that war and 1,072 died.

http://www.armytimes.com/news/2008/03/ap_vietnamvetday_032708/

Mainstream Medicine Has Endorsed Medical Marijuana

Former Surgeon General: Mainstream Medicine Has Endorsed Medical Marijuana
Dr. Jocelyn Elders, AlterNet
DrugReporter: A historic document from the 124,000-member American College of Physicians certifies the medical value of marijuana.


Studies have shown good rates with veterans. Ask any Vietnam Vet if it worked for them. Nixon made it against the law. It should be looked at again and I'm glad it is.

Why the troops are dying there and here

Latest Coalition Fatality: Mar 28, 2008

03/28/08 MNF: MND-C Soldier attacked by IED
BAGHDAD - A Multi-National Division - Center Soldier was killed as a result of wounds sustained from an improvised explosive device attack south of Baghdad March 28.
03/28/08 DoD Identifies Army Casualty
Spc. Gregory B. Rundell, 21, of Ramsey, Minn., died March 26 in Taji Iraq, of wounds suffered from small arms fire. He was assigned to the 1st Battalion, 27th Infantry Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 25th Infantry Division, Schofield Barracks, Hawaii.
03/28/08 DoD Identifies Army Casualty
Staff Sgt. Joseph D. Gamboa, 34, of Yigo, Guam, died Mar. 25 of wounds suffered when he came under indirect fire in Baghdad, Iraq. He was assigned to the 1st Squadron, 2nd Stryker Cavalry Regiment, Vilseck, Germany.
03/27/08 MNF: MND-B Soldier attacked by IED
A Multi-National Division – Baghdad Soldier was killed at approximately 4:30 p.m. March 27 after being struck by an improvised explosive device in eastern Baghdad while conducting a combat patrol.
03/27/08 DoD Identifies Army Casualties (4 of 4)
Pvt. George Delgado, 21, of Palmdale, Calif...assigned to the 4th Battalion, 64th Armor Regiment, 4th Brigade Combat Team, 3rd Infantry Division...died March 24 in Baghdad...from wounds suffered when their vehicle encountered an IDE on March 23.
03/27/08 DoD Identifies Army Casualties (3 of 4)
Staff Sgt. Christopher M. Hake, 26, of Enid, Okla...assigned to the 4th Battalion, 64th Armor Regiment, 4th Brigade Combat Team, 3rd Infantry Division...died March 24 in Baghdad...from wounds suffered when their vehicle encountered an IDE on March 23.
03/27/08 DoD Identifies Army Casualties (2 of 4)
Pfc. Andrew J. Habsieger, 22, of Festus, Mo...assigned to the 4th Battalion, 64th Armor Regiment, 4th Brigade Combat Team, 3rd Infantry Division...died March 24 in Baghdad...from wounds suffered when their vehicle encountered an IDE on March 23.
03/27/08 DoD Identifies Army Casualties (1 of 4)
Spc. Jose A. Rubio Hernandez, 24, of Mission, Texas...assigned to the 4th Battalion, 64th Armor Regiment, 4th Brigade Combat Team, 3rd Infantry Division...died March 24 in Baghdad...from wounds suffered when their vehicle encountered an IDE on March 23

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Slate
What are they fighting about in Basra?
The wars in Iraq (the plural is no typo) are about to expand and possibly explode, so it might be useful to have some notion of what we're in for.
TimesOnline
Areas of Baghdad fall to militias as Iraqi Army falters in Basra
Iraq’s Prime Minister was staring into the abyss today after his operation to crush militia strongholds in Basra stalled, members of his own security forces defected and district after district of his own capital fell to Shia militia gunmen.
Washington Post
U.S. Armor Forces Join Offensive In Baghdad Against Sadr Militia
U.S. forces in armored vehicles battled Mahdi Army fighters Thursday in Sadr City, the vast Shiite stronghold in eastern Baghdad, as an offensive to quell party-backed militias entered its third day. Iraqi army and police units appeared to be largely holding to the outskirts of the area as American troops took the lead in the fighting.

News Current Time in Baghdad: 3:10:27 AM
03/28/08 BBC: Militia battles threaten fragile Iraq
Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri Maliki has extended by 10 days a deadline for Shia militiamen fighting troops in the southern city of Basra to hand over their weapons. Militiamen...show no signs of giving up and fighting continues.

03/28/08 NPR: Can the Basra Situation Be Solved?
Iraq's government continued its crackdown on Shiite militias Friday. U.S. air strikes helped Iraqi security forces fight against militants in Basra. Alex Chadwick talks to Anne Garrels about how American action there could be a step backward...

03/28/08 AP: Case dropped against Haditha defendant
The Marine Corps dropped charges and gave full immunity Friday to a serviceman who was accused of involuntary manslaughter in a squad's killing of 24 Iraqis in Haditha in 2005.

03/28/08 kuwaittimes: Iran cleric calls on Iraqis to end fighting
A hardline Iranian cleric called on Friday for the Iraqi government and a Muslim Shi'ite militia to stop fighting and strike a deal. Ayatollah Ahmad Janati made his appeal in a sermon broadcast on state radio on the fourth day of a crackdown...

03/28/08 BBC: Iraq extends Shia arms deadline
Iraq's government has extended by 10 days a deadline for Shia militiamen fighting troops in the southern city of Basra to hand over their weapons. More than 130 people have been killed and 350 injured since a clampdown on militias began...

03/28/08 Reuters: 13 insurgents killed across Baghdad
U.S. forces killed 13 insurgents during engagements across Baghdad, the U.S. military said.

03/28/08 Reuters: U.S. helicopter fire kills 4 gunmen in Sadr City
A U.S. helicopter fired a hellfire missile at gunmen firing from the roof of a building, killing four of them, in Sadr City, a U.S. military spokesman said. Police said 12 people were killed and 60 wounded in several U.S. air strikes on Sadr City.

03/28/08 Reuters: 7 bodies found in Baghdad
Seven bodies were found in Baghdad on Friday, police said.

03/28/08 Reuters: 7 people killed, 15 wounded in Mahmudiya
Seven people were killed and 15 others wounded in clashes between Mehdi Army fighters and Iraqi security forces in Mahmudiya, 30 km (20 miles) south of Baghdad, police said.

03/28/08 Reuters: Iraqi Army Colonel killed in Numaniya
An Army Colonel, Jabar Rashid, was killed in clashes with Mehdi Army fighters in Numaniya, 120 km (72 miles) south of Baghdad, police said.

03/28/08 Reuters: 15 people killed, 50 wounded in clashes in Nassiriya
Fifteen people including three policemen were killed and 50 people wounded in clashes between Mehdi Army fighters and Iraqi security forces in Nassiriya, 375 km (235 miles) southwest of Baghdad, a hospital source said.

03/28/08 Reuters: Six policemen killed, 9 wounded in Hamza
Six policeman were killed and nine others wounded in clashes with Mehdi Army fighters in Hamza, 35 km (22 miles) south of Hilla, police said. Sixty-two gunmen were captured in these clashes.

03/28/08 Reuters: 6 policemen killed, 42 peoeple wounded in Hilla
Six policemen have been killed and 42 people including 30 policemen wounded in clashes between Iraqi security forces and Mehdi Army fighters since Tuesday across Hilla...Eighty- five gunmen have been captured during these clashes, they said.

03/28/08 channel4: British jets fire on Basra militia
British jets have unleashed a hail of cannon fire around Basra, forcing militia to take cover as fighting in the city continued for a fourth day. The show of force came after US pilots strafed suspected insurgent positions...

03/28/08 telegraph: Rift between UK diplomats and Army in Basra
Signs of a rift were growing among British officials as diplomats said that UK forces "stand ready to support" Iraqi soldiers as and when requested, contradicting military statements that UK forces would be confined to "niche" roles.

03/28/08 wtkr: Local Soldier Credited With Saving Little Iraqi Girl's Arm
A local National Guard Soldier is being credited with saving a little Iraqi girl's arm. Captain Jon Brillhart is a soldier with a Portsmouth National Guard unit now in Iraq. He helped a little girl who suffered severe burns on her arm...

03/28/08 BBC: Iraq extends militiamen deadline
Iraq's government has extended by 10 days a deadline for Shia militiamen fighting troops in the southern city of Basra to hand over their weapons. More than 130 people have been killed and 350 injured since a clampdown on militias began in Basra...

03/28/08 timesonline: Basra police shed uniforms, kept rifles and switched sides
Abu Iman barely flinched when the Iraqi Government ordered his unit of special police to move against al-Mahdi Army fighters....He and 15 of his comrades took off their uniforms, kept their government-issued rifles and went over to the other side...

03/28/08 Reuters: 3 policemen and 2 civilians killed, 25 wounded in Nassiriya
Three policemen and two civilians were killed and 25 people wounded in clashes between Mehdi Army fighters and Iraqi security forces in Nassiriya, 375 km (235 miles) southwest of Baghdad, a hospital source said.

03/28/08 Reuters: 26 gunmen captured in Hilla
Iraqi security forces captured 26 gunmen across Hilla, 100 km (62 miles) south of Baghdad, police said.

03/28/08 Reuters: 3 gunmen killed, 7 captured north of Kerbala
Three gunmen were killed and seven others captured when they attacked an Iraqi army checkpoint in the Husseiniya district north of Kerbala, 110 km (68 miles) southeast of Baghdad, police said.

03/28/08 Reuters: Clashes kill 3 police officers, wounded two militants in Kut
Clashes between Mehdi Army fighters and Iraqi security forces killed three police officers and wounded two militants in Kut, 170 km (105 miles) southeast of Baghdad, police said.

03/28/08 Reuters: Gunmen killed the mayor of Ghmash neighbourhood
Gunmen killed the mayor of the Ghmash neighbourhood in Diwaniya...sparking "very severe" clashes between Iraqi security forces and Mehdi Army fighters, police said. An office of Moqtada al-Sadr's followers was burned in retaliation.

03/28/08 Reuters: Air strike kills 3 people in Baghdad's Kadhimiya neighbourhood
A U.S. air strike in Baghdad's Kadhimiya neighbourhood killed three people and wounded six, police said.

03/28/08 Reuters: 4 people killed in Sadr City air strike
Police said four people were killed and three wounded in a second Sadr City air strike later in the day.

03/28/08 Reuters: U.S. helicopter fire kills 4 gunmen, 5 civilians in Baghdad
A U.S. helicopter fired a hellfire missile at gunmen firing from the roof of a building, killing four of them, a U.S. military spokesman said. Police said five civilians were killed in the strike.

03/28/08 Reuters: At least 120 "enemy" fighters killed in Basra
At least 120 "enemy" fighters have been killed in a four-day-old Iraqi military operation against Shi'ite militias in the southern oil hub of Basra, said Major-General Ali Zaidan, commander of Iraqi ground forces in the operation.

03/28/08 Reuters: Missile hits Iraqi Vice President's office
THE office of Iraqi Vice President Tareq al-Hashemi was hit in a mortar or rocket strike on Baghdad's Green Zone government and diplomatic compound on Friday, and a security guard was killed, an official in his office said.

03/28/08 NPR: Iraq's Prime Minister Extends Basra Arms Deadline
Iraq's prime minister on Friday extended a deadline for Shiite militants in southern Basra to hand over their weapons. Nouri al-Maliki also said the militants would receive a financial reward if they complied. Renee Montagne talks...

03/28/08 local6: Fla. Husband, Wife Deployed To Iraq Leaving 1-Year-Old For Year
A U.S. Army married couple in Florida being deployed together will serve their country will have to be away from their 1-year-old son for a year. Yvette and William Sims will soon be heading to Iraq as members of the Army Reserve's 345th...

03/28/08 AP: Relatives of 2 contractors hear the worst
After 16 months of hoping and praying, family members of two U.S. contractors kidnapped in Iraq received the news they feared: Their loved ones were not coming home alive

03/28/08 signonsandiego: Amputee going back to battle
The bomb exploded as Marine Lance Cpl. Robert Pofahl turned around to talk with Cpl. Garrett Jones during a foot patrol in Karmah, Iraq. Despite being thrown forward, Pofahl quickly pushed himself off the ground and rushed toward the site...

03/28/08 Reuters: Nine people killed, 95 wounded in clashes in Baghdad
Nine people were killed and 95 others wounded in clashes between Iraqi security forces and Mehdi Army members in different parts of Baghdad, said Major-General Qassim Moussawi, spokesman for Iraqi security forces in Baghdad.

03/28/08 Reuters: Three policen killed in Hamza
Three policemen were killed and three others, including two soldiers, were wounded in clashes with Mehdi Army fighters in Hamza, 35 km (22 miles) south of Hilla, police said.

03/28/08 Reuters: One gunman killed, eight others captured in Diwaniya
One gunman was killed and eight others captured after they attacked a police patrol in central Diwaniya, 180 km (112 miles) south of Baghdad, army Colonel Ghasan Mohammed said. One policeman was wounded in the attack.

go here for the links

http://icasualties.org/oif/

491 killed in Afghanistan which has been forgotten about. All of this adds to the reasons they are dying there and killing themselves back home. If you still don't understand how PTSD strikes them, go there yourself.

Afghanistan And Regional Instability: A Risk Assessment

By Human Security Report Project EXCERPT: "The report offers a stocktaking of Afghanistan’s regional challenges. It finds that domestic instability in Pakistan, strains in Pakistan–Afghanistan relations and insecurities associated with the US–Iran stand-off on Iran’s

Pakistan says US and Afghanistan Behind Al-Qaeda and Taliban

By Yid With Lid(Yid With Lid) The right wing Pakistani Newspaper Roznama Ausaf and its acting interior minister Hamid Nawaz, say the US in conjunction with Afghanistan and India are working with Al-Qaeda and the Taliban to create terrorism and destabilize Pakistan.

Quietly, the UAE deployed their Army in Afghanistan to help the ...

By revolution To sum it up, nobody really knew that the UAE had sent their own army to Afghanistan to give support to the Kuffaar. Clearly, they are Murtadeen and we ask Allah to dishonor these Arabs that have no Islaam.

British Casualties in Afghanistan - Updates for February 2008

By Casualty Monitor(Casualty Monitor) Updates of casualty data for February 2008 have now been published for the casualty monitor projects for British forces in Afghanistan. The trend in combat casualties has remained steady for the last 3 months, with levels at about ...

UAE Forces in Afghanistan

By Silent Hunter BBC NEWS World South Asia Muslim troops help win Afghan minds Suspect Al-Qaeda's not going to be too happy with the UAE

O'Malley, Mikulski seek more funds to help returning troops

More post-deployment aid urged
O'Malley, Mikulski seek more funds to help returning troops
By John Fritze Sun reporter
8:30 PM EDT, March 27, 2008

Gov. Martin O'Malley and Sen. Barbara A. Mikulski told a group of soldiers Thursday that the government must do more to help returning troops by increasing mental health funding and cutting bureaucracy in existing programs.

During a meeting at the Fifth Regiment Armory in Baltimore, both officials heard accounts from about a dozen members of the Maryland National Guard who had emotional and financial problems after returning from deployment overseas.

About 1,500 members of the Guard are expected to return to Maryland in the next six months, a wave that is likely to strain state-funded integration programs. Last year, 1,300 members of the Army National Guard and 350 Air National Guard members from Maryland were deployed, according to the governor's office.

"When they come back home, just like they stood by America, America has to stand by them," said Mikulski, who vowed to seek an additional $45 million for integration programs nationwide. "We've got to help these guardsmen."
go here for the rest
http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/local/bal-guard0327,0,4371180.story

Veterans Legislative Updates

LEGISLATIVE UPDATE
All links from United Female Veterans Of America http://www.ufva.us/
More Info
March 28, 2008

Reps. Michaud and Miller Introduce Substance Abuse Legislation for Veterans Congressman Mike Michaud (D-Maine), Chairman of the House Veterans’ Affairs Subcommittee on Health, joined with Congressman Jeff Miller (R-Fla.), the subcommittee’s Ranking Member, to introduce the Veterans Substance Use Disorder Prevention and Treatment Act of 2008. The bill would require the VA to provide a range of solutions for treating substance abuse at every VA medical center. Rep. Michaud penned an op-ed in The Hill on this legislation.

DAV Testifies on Substance Abuse
DAV’s Assistant National Legislative Director, Joy Ilem, testified before the House Committee on Veterans’ Affairs earlier this month on substance abuse. She urged the Committee to provide veterans with access to a full continuum of care for substance use disorders, including drug screening in all care locations, intensive outpatient treatment and residential care for the most severely addicted. Her testimony can be viewed here.

Members of Congress Encouraged to Sign Pledge
DAV is asking members of Congress to sign a pledge that supports the principle of ensuring veterans receive the comprehensive medical care and support that they deserve The pledge was distributed earlier this month on Capitol Hill by hundreds of DAV members. A copy of the pledge can be viewed here.

Media Coverage
The Boston Globe wrote about the insufficient support for relatives of disabled veterans and others serving as caretakers.
USA Today ran a story on how the Pentagon admitted to delaying screening for mild brain injuries for two years.

About the Stand Up for Veterans Initiative
"Stand Up for Veterans" is a new initiative of the Disabled American Veterans, an organization of 1.3 million disabled veterans who are focused on building better lives for disabled veterans and their families. The initiative seeks to find public policy solutions for all veterans, particularly those returning from Iraq and Afghanistan, who have incurred devastating injuries and disabilities, including traumatic brain injury, post-traumatic stress disorder and other psychological wounds of war. Please visit http://capwiz.com/dav/utr/1/EIMWIGMALX/INKAIGMAPB/1856948681 to learn more about this effort. Stand up for veterans. They stood up for us.

Rep. Dave Loebsack:More has to be done for veterans

Veterans still need much more support
Loebsack holds discussion at Burlington VFW.

By CHRISTINIA CRIPPES

ccrippes@thehawkeye.com

Even with an additional $3.8 billion in federal funding in 2008, veterans need more money for services.

"I don't know anybody in Congress, and I certainly don't know anyone in the administration, the president included, who thinks we should not be treating veterans better than we have up to this point," District 2 U.S. Rep. Dave Loebsack said.

Loebsack, who sits on the Armed Services Committee, came to Burlington's VFW post Wednesday to hold a roundtable discussion with veterans.

Aside from making them aware of the additional funding -- and the push for a $4.9 billion increase in 2009 -- Loebsack agreed with veterans that much more needs to be done.

"Everyone really supports the troops, everyone supports veterans when they come home," Loebsack said. "I think that we're beginning, in Washington, D.C., to understand and fully accept what veterans have done for us in past wars and the current war."

He said as evidenced by the Vietnam War, that has not always been the case.

Loebsack said one area in need of additional attention is caring for veterans of this war effort, as well as of Vietnam, who are experiencing post traumatic stress disorder because of the current conflict.

"We see now either a reoccurrence of PTSD among Vietnam veterans and other vets, or some veterans who've never had PTSD but have been watching the news and seeing what's going on...and now they're suffering from PTSD," Loebsack said. "So, we've seen a rise in a lot of incidents like this because of the most recent war."

Loebsack has traveled to Iraq twice and Afghanistan once in his 15 months in office.

"I think at least veterans are getting a better shake, a more positive shake, when they come back, but this is something that is going to take awhile for us to get right," Loebsack said.

More to be done
go here for the rest
http://www.thehawkeye.com/Story/Loebsack-veterans-032708

There is no room for the new veterans. Because there is no room for the new veterans needing help, the older veterans, like Vietnam veterans, are being pushed back out of the way. Go into any VA hospital and ask for an appointment when you are not part of the new generation and see what you get for an answer. At the same time advocacy work is working for the Vietnam veterans gaining information on what is wrong with them when it comes to PTSD, the VA has decided that the older veterans need to wait longer than before. Appointments are being pushed back because they have deadlines on getting new veterans into treatment. As bad as it is for the Iraq and Afghanistan veterans, think of what it's like for the older ones.

While the government plays catchup to the reality of the dire need all of our veterans are living with, they need to make sure no veteran has to suffer for the sake of another, either way you look at it. I work with the older veterans as well as the new ones because I totally understand that time is key to healing. The sooner they begin being treated, PTSD stops getting worse. Saving time from being lost, saves more of their lives from being eaten away from them.

We have a golden window in which to address the trauma they go through. Ideally they should be treated the same way police, firefighters and emergency responders are treated, on the spot, as soon as possible and they are debriefed as soon as the situation is under control and they can talk about it all. Otherwise they stuff it into the back walls of their brains thinking they "got over it" but then finding out it is eating them alive. This is not possible in combat unless the DOD manages to deploy one Chaplain for every ten soldiers. That isn't going to happen. The next best thing is to get them to open up as soon as they get home before the trauma begins to eat away at them.

It is the same with older veterans. We cannot undo the damage done before they seek help but we can stop it from getting even worse. They all need to get into treatment as soon as possible. Advocates are working on providing the information they need on what PTSD but it will do them no good to understand it if there isn't any help waiting for them when they finally want it. We cannot keep doing this to any of our veterans. Emergency alarms went off four years ago. It's time they paid attention to them!

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

PTSD:Veterans Affairs offers aid in recognizing signs

I don't know if I want to be happy about this or very sad.

Families learning to spot PTSD
Veterans Affairs offers aid in recognizing signs
By Suzanne Bohan, STAFF WRITER
Article Created: 03/27/2008 02:32:42 AM PDT


Roughly one in five soldiers or Marines serving in Iraq and Afghanistan develop post-traumatic stress disorder, a condition that has been plaguing humans through the ages.

"It's been around for thousands of years — as long as there's been war, as long as there's been trauma," said Dr. Byron J. Wittlin, director of mental health services at the Department of Veterans Affairs clinic in San Bruno.

In World War II, the condition was called "shell shock," he said. Now it has an official name: post-traumatic stress disorder, or PTSD.

Many of its victims remain untreated, so the VA is trying to educate family members.

"I think it's crucial for (military) family members to be aware of the potential mental health problems of their loved ones," Wittlin said.

As part of the emphasis on training family members to spot signs of the disorder, he recently spoke to a group from the Pacifica Military Moms, a chapter of the national organization, The Blue Star Mothers of America.

Debbie Smyser, co-founder of the Pacifica group and a trainer at Genentech in South San Francisco, has a 21-year-old son in Iraq.

A number of the members of the group also have offspring in Iraq or Afghanistan, and Smyser said they wanted to be prepared to help their children should they return in mental distress.

"We need to know what to recognize, in case we need to get them help," she said. "It's just to make us aware and what signs to look for."

However, the disorder is not unique to military personnel who have witnessed or experienced violence from combatants, or other extreme stresses of wartime service, Wittlin said.
go here for the rest
http://www.insidebayarea.com/argus/localnews/ci_8713495

Why does it always seem the government is the last one to catch up to speed? We've been doing this for years. I've been doing this for 25 years and 10 of it has been online. Two years ago I started doing the videos. Now,,,,now the VA wants to help people understand what PTSD is!!!!!

Boston University report on PTSD

PTSD Associated With More, Longer Hospitalizations, Study Shows

ScienceDaily (Mar. 28, 2008) — Researchers from Boston University School of Medicine (BUSM) and Boston Medical Center (BMC) have found post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is associated with more hospitalizations, longer hospitalizations and greater mental healthcare utilization in urban primary care patients. These findings appear in the current issue of Medical Care.

Prior studies suggest that trauma exposure and PTSD have considerable impact on health care use and costs. Most of this research, however, has focused on male veterans and female sexual assault victims but the impact on healthcare use in other populations is uncertain.

The researchers interviewed a sample of primary care patients to examine overall prevalence of traumatic exposure and select behavioral health outcomes in addition to PTSD, including major depression, substance dependence and chronic pain. The interview included demographic questions, the Composite International Diagnostic Interview (version 2.1 PTSD module), the Chronic Pain Definitional Questionnaire, the Patient Health Questionnaire (to measure depression) and the Composite International Diagnostic Interview-Short Form (for drug and alcohol dependence).

Among the participants, the researchers found that 80 percent had one or more trauma exposures. Compared to participants with no trauma exposure, subjects exposed to trauma were significantly more likely to be males, unmarried, have substance dependence and depression. They also had more mental health visits than those with no trauma exposure.

Among the participants, 22 percent had current PTSD. Compared to participants without PTSD, those with PTSD were significantly more likely to be female, to have an annual income of less than or equal to $20,000, have substance dependence and depression. PTSD participants also had more hospitalizations and mental health visits.

According to the researchers, among urban primary care patients PTSD is associated with greater health care use: both mental health visits and hospitalizations. "Unexpectedly, trauma exposure by itself was not associated with increased healthcare utilization apart from mental health visits, a finding which was attenuated after adjusting for PTSD," said lead author Anand Kartha, MD, an assistant professor of medicine at BUSM. "This may be due to the fact that the non-traumatized to whom we are comparing the traumatized patients, have complex social milieu leading to high utilization," added Kartha.

"PTSD has a cost beyond the specific mental health symptoms," said senior author Jane Liebschutz, MD, an associate professor of medicine and social and behavioral sciences at BUSM and a primary care physician at BMC. "PTSD may be on the causal pathway between trauma experiences and negative health consequences. These findings are relevant in light of the PTSD prevalence not only in our returning veterans, but in areas of urban poor," she added.

This study was supported in part by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and by the National Institute on Drug Abuse.

Adapted from materials provided by Boston University, via EurekAlert!, a service of AAAS.



http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/03/080327172124.htm

The Pastor's Ass

We all need to laugh every now and then. Just one of the emails I get from one of my Aunts.

The Pastor's Ass


The pastor entered his donkey in a race and it won.

The pastor was so pleased with the donkey that he entered it in the race again, and it won again.

The local paper read:PASTOR'S ASS OUT FRONT.

The Bishop was so upset with this kind of publicity that he ordered the pastor not to enter the donkey in another race.

The next day, the local paper headline read:

BISHOP SCRATCHES PASTOR'S ASS.


This was too much for the bishop, so he ordered the pastor to get rid of the donkey.

The pastor decided to give it to a nun in a nearby convent.


The local paper, hearing of the news, posted the following headline the next day:

NUN HAS BEST ASS IN TOWN.

The bishop fainted.


He informed the nun that she would have to get rid of the donkey, so she sold it to a farmer for $10.


The next day the paper read:

NUN SELLS ASS FOR $10.

This was too much for the bishop, so he ordered the nun to buy back the donkey and lead it to the plains where it could run wild.


The next day the headlines read:

NUN ANNOUNCES HER ASS IS WILD AND FREE.

The bishop was buried the next day.


The moral of the story is. . . being concerned about public opinion can bring you much grief and misery .. even shorten your life.


So be yourself and enjoy life.


Stop worrying about everyone else's ass and you'll be a lot happier and live longer!

War Comes Home "The man I married died in Iraq"

Last year while doing research for the video about suicides, Death Because They Served, (watch it on the right side of the blog with the rest of my videos) I had to search high and low for reports that had been confirmed as suicides. This was before the major new networks took this on in response to complaints the DOD and the VA were not providing reports that could be studied. Many families were left hanging, waiting for the "investigation" to be ended to be provided some closure. While searching I came upon many reports of young soldiers with deaths categorized as "natural causes" leaving the impression the DOD must have let in a lot of recruits that were either very unhealthy, or there was a lot more to these stories.

The link to Non-combat deaths

http://namguardianangel.blogspot.com/2007/04/
non-combat-deaths-non-caring-media.html

Twenty year olds do not die in such high numbers from "natural causes" and then we read reports that fear can cause heart attacks. We read reports of inoculations causing pneumonia. Depleted uranium causing cancer and birth defects, much like Agent Orange caused them after Vietnam. We read reports that the water is tainted and contaminated causing skin and internal illnesses. All of this and yet I only had a small portion of the deaths not connected to bullets and bombs.

Within the reports came suspected links to Larium and violent murder/suicides.

I received this email this morning with a request to post it. I do so gladly. We need to calculate all available evidence and information to ever understand the true price of war and what we ask of those who serve. I was a member of ATSS and because of this, I think I'll join again.

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

Could you please post this on your website:

"In the Spring of 2002, members of the elite Special Operations units began returning home from duty in Afghanistan. Within six weeks, four Army wives, and one soldier, would be dead.

On June 11, 2002, Sergeant First Class Rigoberto Nieves, who had returned from Afghanistan just two days earlier fatally shot his wife, Teresa, and then killed himself.

Master Sergeant William Wright strangled his wife Jennifer on June 29, 2002, and then buried her body in a shallow grave.

On July 9, 2002, Sergeant Cedric Ramon Griffin stabbed his estranged wife, Marilyn, 50 times and then set her house on fire.

On July 19, 2002, the same day as Master Sergeant Wright was arrested for the murder of his wife, Sergeant First Class Brandon Floyd shot his wife Andrea to death and then and then took his own life. On July 30, 2002, Fort Bragg police arrested the wife of a major for shooting him in the head and chest while he slept. These homicides made national news, owing mainly to the number of deaths at Fort Bragg in a short period of time extreme prejudice with which the acts were committed. The incident also caused an increased awareness of post-deployment combat-related stress.

However, such incidents continue to occur following deployment throughout the US.

During a recent address to the House of Representatives, Stacy Bannerman, author of “When the War Came Home: The Inside Story of Reservists and the Families They Leave Behind” and wife of a Reservist reflected on an incident occurring in May 2007:

"This war cost me my family. When my husband returned from Iraq it quickly became apparent he was suffering from PTSD. He became increasingly verbally and mentally abusive to not only my daughter and I, but many of his subordinates at work who either quit or he had fired. He refused to admit he had a problem, and since the military does no mental status follow-up [for Reservists] he hasn't received any treatment for his condition. As a consequence, my family is destroyed. My son isn't being raised by his dad and my daughter lost the only father she knew. I know a divorce isn't as bad as losing my husband to death, but I can honestly say the man I married died in Iraq."

Unfortunately, the current system of screening for PTSD reflects data collected from past male-dominated warfare. However, Operation Enduring Freedom (OEF) and Operation Iraqi Freedom (OIF) are unprecedented in the number of women exposed to combat-related stress and the percentage of Reserve and National Guard personnel, who never anticipated becoming full-time military members. Scientific research conducted since the end of the Vietnam Conflict finds PTSD is greatly influenced by personality factors and pre-existing ways of coping.

Unfortunately, a significant void exists in understanding how childhood social learning influences PTSD in the aftermath of deployment.

In April/May 2008, a PhD dissertation study of how gender, personality, traumatic experiences prior to deployment, and ways of coping affect post-deployment wellness will be conducted. Three groups of people are needed: (1) persons between the ages of 18-38 who have never served in the military; (2) persons (male and female) who have been deployed in support of OEF/OIF within the past 18 months; and (3) persons (military and non-military) who have been diagnosed by a medical or mental health authority with PTSD (combat related/or non-combat related). The researchers particularly need women (military and non-military) who served in Vietnam, Desert Storm or OEF/OIF, or experienced assault and sexual trauma.

Participants will need to complete a series of questionnaires requiring approximately 90 minutes to complete. No names or identifying information will be attached to the questionnaires; however, each volunteer will need to sign a Letter of Informed Consent of the benefits and risks prior to completing the questionnaires.

The completed study will be provided to the Department of Defense Surgeon Generals and Veterans Administration to develop more-targeted pre-deployment training, intra-deployment intervention, and post-deployment treatment. The findings of the study will also be used to train and treat professionals deployed in support of national disasters such as Hurricane Katrina.

If you are interested in participating in the study, please contact drhensley1@aol.com for more information."

Alan L. Hensley, PhD Candidate, BCETS, FAAETS
Board Certified Expert in Traumatic StressFellow,
American Academy of Experts in Traumatic Stress (AAETS)Member,
Association of Traumatic Stress SpecialistsMember,
American Counseling Association(712) 526-2401

Tampa Homeless Survey Hits Streets

Homeless Survey Hits Streets

By KEITH MORELLI

The Tampa Tribune

Published: March 28, 2008

Updated: 12:14 am

TAMPA - Jayne Stelley, in the lime-green T-shirt of the survey team, chatted easily outside a day-labor office with Leslie Joseph, a 52-year-old homeless man, hoping to get a glimpse into what can be done to ease his misery.

Three teams made up of volunteers and homeless advocates spread out Thursday in Tampa and Brandon toting armloads of survey forms, each consisting of 19 pages of questions meant to help identify the real problems facing the nearly 10,000 homeless men, women and children in Hillsborough County.

Joseph was a willing interviewee, answering question after question - including some intensely personal - about his life, the help he gets and the help he doesn't get.

He said he gets work occasionally, but could work more. For some unknown reason, his teeth began falling out over the past few weeks. He spent last night in a halfway house nearby.

He's been homeless for about two months.

"I know I don't look homeless," he said. "But looks can be deceiving."

Nearby volunteers interviewed others.

Chap Cererin works with the Department of Veterans' Affairs and said he wants to help veterans who have found themselves without a home. He said he has an easy rapport with them.

"You have to treat them with respect," Cererin said.
go here for the rest
http://www2.tbo.com/content/2008/mar/28/me-homeless-survey-hits-streets/

Homeless Veteran buried with dignity

Homeless Veteran Gets Military Burial
Miri Marshall-KFOX Morning News Traffic Anchor/Reporter
POSTED: 12:39 pm MDT March 27, 2008

EL PASO, Texas -- Family and friends wiped tears as they bid farewell to Navy Veteran Steven Lee Osborn Monday at Fort Bliss National Cemetery.

“We’re all gonna (going to) miss him,” said Osborn’s friend Besi Nicholes.

Osborn, 48, died of pneumonia. He was known for loving the desert and polishing trucks.

“He was a really a neat guy.” Said Nicholes. “He really was very humble, kind, loving, very understanding."

Osborn was homeless and last living in Socorro’s Tent City. He was one of more than 270,000 homeless veterans living on the streets.

The Dignity Memorial Program paid for Osborn’s burial arrangements. The program is sponsored by Kaster-Maxon & Futrell Funeral Home. Dignity Memorial pays for the military burial of homeless veterans.

"Instead of being buried in a pauper's grave they will be buried here at the national cemetery,” said Dignity Memorial spokeswoman Mary Slawson. “They served their country and did what they did for our country, then we need to give back to them."
go here for the rest
http://www.kfoxtv.com/news/15724291/detail.html

Public opinion on Iraq:Call in

Media Advisory for Friday, March 28, 2008 @ 1PM, EDT***

Call-in#: 888-325-3989, Passcode: 546571



Iraq Experts Hold Press Conference Call to Respond to Upsurge in Violence, Out of Touch Bush, McCain Assessments on Iraq



As U.S. Forces Are Pulled into Fighting in Baghdad, and as Green Zone Comes Under Attack, Iraq Veteran, National Security Expert, Expert on Public Attitudes Towards Iraq Asses the





WHO: Jon Soltz, Iraq War Veteran and Chairman and Co-Founder of VoteVets.org, Brian Katulis, Senior Fellow, Center for American Progress Action Fund, Jim Gerstein, Democracy Corps



WHAT: Press Conference Call Regarding Upsurge in Violence in Iraq, Evolving Public Opinion on Iraq



WHEN: Friday, March 28, 2008, 1:00 P.M.



Call-in#: 888-325-3989

Passcode: 546571

Free iPhone with Every Outrage!

Free iPhone with Every Outrage!
Bored with the 'war' on Iraq? 4,000 dead merely induce shrugging? Need an incentive to keep caring?
By Mark Morford, SF Gate Columnist

Friday, March 28, 2008

It is a time for a radical rethinking. It is a time to reconsider it all, to perhaps reassess how we are presenting and digesting America's most costly and lost and unwinnable and brutal and ignoble and inept and insidious and depressing war that's not really a war; it's time to revolutionize how it's all packaged and broadcast and pumped like hot sticky misery into the heavily narcotized American cultural bloodstream because, oh my God, we are sick sick sick of it all, and only getting sicker.

This is the problem: People are getting bored. Check that: People are already bored, insanely so, have been bored for a few years now, so utterly and thoroughly jaded and burned out on stories and pictures and woeful tales of Iraq and death and Baghdad and cluster bombs and burned-out trucks and limbless soldiers and flag-draped coffins and photos of a grinning George W. Bush posing with a horribly burned, mutilated U.S. soldier, it might as well be Lindsay Lohan snorting blow off the dashboard of an Escalade.

We have now accomplished 4,000 dead U.S. soldiers in Iraq. Did you see that headline? Did it cause anything but a stab of pain and a heavy sigh and a need to click a different headline, maybe the one about cute baby polar bears in Germany? Did you simply mash and mix that inglorious number with tales of wretched economic meltdown and torture and health care system collapse and roll it all into a little ball of sadness and hurl it at the wall of forgetfulness? You are not alone.
go here for the rest
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/g/a/2008/03/28/notes032808.DTL

Bill Addresses Military Suicides

Bill Addresses Military Suicides
By Susan Jones
CNSNews.com Senior Editor
March 27, 2008

(CNSNews.com) - Sens. Barbara Boxer (D-Calif.) and Joseph Lieberman (I-Conn.) recently introduced legislation requiring the Defense Department to establish a detailed database on suicides and attempted suicides among U.S. troops.

Last year, 121 soldiers committed suicide and another 2,100 attempted suicide, Boxer said on her Web site. She noted that the 2,100 attempted suicides represents a six-fold increase since 2002 (when the U.S. was not at war).

In addition to requiring a comprehensive database, the Boxer-Lieberman legislation (formally, The Armed Forces Suicide Prevention Act of 2008) would require the individual investigation of all suicides across the Armed Forces, and it would require the Pentagon to provide Congress with regular updates on military suicides.

A second bill, The Armed Forces Mental Health Professionals Recruitment and Retention Enhancement Act of 2008, would increase the number of uniformed mental health providers serving service members and their families. (Lieberman noted that the troops have a strong preference for uniformed, rather than civilian, providers.)

"This legislation will help ensure that the Defense Department and Congress are getting an adequate picture of the state of mental health within our Armed Forces," Boxer said in a news release.
go here for the rest
http://www.cnsnews.com/ViewNation.asp?Page=/Nation/archive/200803/NAT20080327d.html

Murder trail points to war trauma

Army Ranger Sgt. Gary Smith is accused of killing fellow Ranger Spc. Michael A. McQueen II.
Montgomery County Police Department / AP

Murder Trial Points to War Trauma
Thursday, Mar. 27, 2008
By MARK THOMPSON/WASHINGTON

A Maryland murder trial is being turned into a debate on the lingering traumatic impact of the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq on the psyche of the Americans who served there. The prosecution is trying to prove that Gary Smith, a one-time Army Ranger, murdered his roommate of 20 days and fellow Ranger Michael McQueen, 22, by putting a .38-caliber revolver to his right temple and pulling the trigger. Smith's attorney, however, notes that the 25-year-old former sergeant has been diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder following repeated combat tours, and insists that McQueen committed suicide, drunk, despondent and unemployed.

Whether McQueen's death was a murder or a suicide, the tale offers a rare window into the grim realities of post-war mental trauma. As the odometer of war clicks past 4,000 killed in Iraq, and approaches 500 in Afghanistan, it's stories like those about the Ranger roommates that often fall below the nation's radar screen. The Army introduced these two men to one another — McQueen was African-American; Smith is white — and dispatched them to Afghanistan together twice, in 2004 and 2005. There, it seems one or both became unhinged by the experience. But in a country that rescues Wall Street banks from ruin while down-on-their-luck homeowners find themselves suddenly homeless, the prosecution would prefer to keep the focus of the trial in the Rockville, Maryland, courthouse away from the war.

"This is a homicide — Gary Smith is the person that did it," prosecutor John Maloney said in his opening argument March 18 in what is expected to be a two-week trial. "The most important thing you'll bring to your deliberations is your common sense." But Smith's attorney, Andrew Jezic, said McQueen was unemployed, not in school and drinking heavily when he killed himself. Smith, upset at the death of a war buddy, tried to hide how he died to preserve McQueen's dignity — and to avoid being implicated — according to police files. "There is no motive in this case," Jezic said. "Zero."

go here for the rest

http://www.time.com/time/nation/article/0,8599,1725860,00.html

VA Reaches Out to Women Veterans

VA Reaches Out to Women Veterans

March 27, 2008

Women Vets Have Earned “Benefits, Respect, Thanks” – Peake
Fourth National Summit on Women Veterans Issues Begins June 20

WASHINGTON -- Recognizing the valor, service and sacrifice of America’s 1.7 million women veterans, the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) has created a comprehensive array of benefits and programs.

“Women who served this country in uniform -- whether veterans of World War II, Korea, Vietnam, the Gulf War, the current Global War on Terror or peacetime service -- have earned our respect and thanks,” said Dr. James B. Peake, Secretary of Veterans Affairs. “They have also earned the full range of VA programs offered by a grateful nation.”

Secretary Peake also announced the Fourth National Summit on Women Veterans Issues to be held from June 20 – 22 in Washington D.C. The Summit will offer attendees an opportunity to enhance future progress on women veterans issues, with sessions specifically for the Reserve and National Guard, information on military sexual trauma and readjustment issues, after the military veteran resources and many more programs and exhibits.

http://www.vawatchdog.org/08/nf08/nfMAR08/nf032808-4.htm

Minnesota Female Veterans Face Unique Challenges

Thursday, March 27, 2008
Coming home

Minnesota female veterans face unique challenges

Although the numbers of female veterans are increasing, the lack of studies and information about female veterans makes it difficult to gauge the needs of returning female soldiers. Mainstream media coverage of returning veterans often makes little or no mention of the women who served. Andrea Lindgren, a state researcher with the Minnesota Office on the Economic Status of Women (OESW) commented on the difficulty of identifying the specific needs of female veterans. "There's not a lot of information out there," said Lindgren. "I think it's cultural-there may be a hesitancy to acknowledge that there exist issues related to being female."

by Kendall Anderson

Chante Wolf was in the U.S. Air Force for 12 years, returning to civilian life in 1992 after the first Gulf war. But the soldier-turned-activist has traveled a long road to resolving the trauma of what she calls regular sexual harassment and near-rape while serving her country.

"It's only recently that I started dealing with-started talking about in therapy-the sexual stuff, knowing that the longer this goes on the deeper this wound will go," said Wolf, now 50. "You just bury it."

The stress first surfaced in verbal attacks against her parents. Added to the normal anxiety veterans often face-Wolf slept with a loaded .357 magnum under her pillow during her first few years back-the sexual trauma nearly put the veteran over the top. She drank herself to sleep for many years.

That extra anguish from sexual assault and sexual harassment is not something every female vet experiences. But it's one of several challenges female vets face when returning to civilian life. So is returning to societal norms of female behavior and resuming parenting and other family roles that may differ dramatically from being a soldier. That's something Gina Sanders can testify to.

Becoming mom again
Sanders (not her real name), 25, came home to her son and found he was not quite the same. A sergeant who had served in Iraq, she had to accept that her toddler had experienced milestones without her. Her son's father took over parenting-and continued even after she first returned from duty.

"Coming home to your family, you're very happy to be home. You're thinking that the family you come home to are the same as when you left, which is not true-they had their own struggles while you're away," said Sanders, 25.

Eager as she is to become her son's most important parent-Sanders is a single mom-she also misses aspects of the life she left behind, especially the female soldiers who shared her experiences. The pleasure of being with her son has been the best part of coming home.

"It is a difficult transition coming home from the deployment. We tend to come back as stronger, more independent women," said Brandi N. Wilson, women veterans coordinator, Minnesota Department of Veterans Affairs. Wilson sees among women vets challenged by parenting and interpersonal relating. She added that female vets often have a harder time finding the support they need.

Female vets and rape:
Nearly one-third of a nationwide sample of female veterans seeking V.A. health care said they experienced rape or attempted rape during their service. Among them:
• 37 percent said they were raped multiple times
• 14 percent reported they were gang-raped.


Family matters
43% of female vets have at least one child, compared to 22% of male vets.
56% of female vets are married, compared to 72% of male vets.

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IRAQ: Fever Named After Blackwater

IRAQ: Fever Named After Blackwater
By Ali al-Fadhily and Dahr Jamail*

FALLUJAH, Mar 26 (IPS) - Iraqi doctors in al-Anbar province warn of a new disease they call "Blackwater" that threatens the lives of thousands. The disease is named after Blackwater Worldwide, the U.S. mercenary company operating in Iraq.

"This disease is a severe form of malarial infection caused by the parasite plasmodium falciparum, which is considered the worst type of malarial infection," Dr. Ali Hakki from Fallujah told IPS. "It is one of the complications of that infection, and not the ordinary picture of the disease. Because of its frequent and severe complications, such as Blackwater fever, and its resistance to treatment, P. falciparum can cause death within 24 hours."

What Iraqis now call Blackwater fever is really a well-known medical condition, and while it has nothing to do with Blackwater Worldwide, Iraqis in al-Anbar province have decided to make the connection between the disease and the lethal U.S.-based company which has been responsible for the death of countless Iraqis.

The disease is most prevalent in Africa and Asia. The patient suffers severe intravascular haemolysis -- the destruction of red blood cells leading to kidney and liver failure. It also leads to black or red urination, and hence perhaps the new name 'Blackwater'.

The deadly disease, never before seen in Iraq on at least this scale, seems to be spreading across the country. And Iraq lacks medicines, hospitals, and doctors to lead a campaign to fight the disease.

"We informed the ministry of the disease, but it seems that they are not in a mood to listen," a doctor from the al-Anbar Health Office in Ramadi told IPS, speaking on condition of anonymity. "We are making personal contacts with NGOs in an attempt to get the necessary medicines."
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http://www.ipsnews.net/news.asp?idnews=41743
linked from RawStory

FDA Investigates Suicide With Merck Drug Singulair

FDA Investigates Suicide With Merck Drug
By MATTHEW PERRONE | AP Business Writer
4:29 PM EDT, March 27, 2008

WASHINGTON - The Food and Drug Administration said Thursday it is investigating a possible link between Merck's best-selling Singulair and suicide. FDA said it is reviewing a handful of reports involving mood changes, suicidal behavior and suicide in patients who have taken the popular allergy and asthma drug.

Merck has updated the drug's labeling four times in the past year to include information on a range of reported side effects: tremors, anxiousness, depression and suicidal behavior.

FDA said it asked the Whitehouse, N.J.-based company to dig deeper into its data on Singulair for evidence of possible links to suicide. The agency said it has not established a "causal relationship" between Merck's drug and suicidal behavior. An agency spokeswoman said the review was prompted by three to four suicide reports it received since last October.

It could take up to nine months before agency scientists can draw any conclusions, FDA said in a posting to its Web site.
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Military Tells Bush of Troop Strains

U.S. Army soldiers from Third Squadron, Third Armored Cavalry Regiment rest between missions at Combat Outpost Rabiy in Mosul, 360 kilometers (225 miles) northwest of Baghdad, Iraq on Wednesday, March 26, 2008. The northern city is considered by the U.S. military as the last urban stronghold for al-Qaida in Iraq. (Maya Alleruzzo/AP Photo)

Military Tells Bush of Troop Strains
At Pentagon, Bush Hears Military's Worries on War Strains From Long, Frequent Iraq Deployments
The Associated Press By ROBERT BURNS AP Military Writer
WASHINGTON Mar 27, 2008 (AP)

Behind the Pentagon's closed doors, U.S. military leaders told President Bush they are worried about the Iraq war's mounting strain on troops and their families. But they indicated they'd go along with a brief halt in pulling out troops this summer.

The Joint Chiefs of Staff did say senior commanders in Iraq should make more frequent assessments of security conditions, an idea that appeared aimed at increasing pressure for more rapid troop reductions.

The chiefs' concern is that U.S. forces are being worn thin, compromising the Pentagon's ability to handle crises elsewhere in the world.

In the war zone itself, two more American soldiers were killed Wednesday in separate attacks in Baghdad, raising the U.S. death toll to at least 4,003, according to an Associated Press count. Volleys of rockets also slammed into Baghdad's Green Zone for the third day this week, and the U.S. Embassy said three Americans were seriously wounded. At least eight Iraqis were killed elsewhere in the capital by rounds that apparently fell short.

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http://abcnews.go.com/Politics/WireStory?id=4533124&page=1

And they wonder why there are so many veterans with PTSD?

Court: Michael Moore did not defame Iraq vet Sgt. Peter Damon

DAVID W. OLIVEIRA / NEW BEDFORD STANDARD TIMES VIA ASSOCIATED PRESS Former Army National Guard Sgt. Peter Damon sued filmmaker Michael Moore for $85 million, alleging that Moore used snippets of a television interview without his permission to falsely portray him as anti-war in "Fahrenheit 9/11." A court has ruled against him.

Court: Michael Moore did not defame Iraq vet

The Associated Press
Posted : Thursday Mar 27, 2008 13:54:21 EDT

BOSTON — A federal appeals court has ruled filmmaker Michael Moore did not defame an Iraq war veteran when he used a clip from a television interview without his permission in the anti-war documentary “Fahrenheit 9/11.”

The 1st Circuit Court of Appeal affirmed a federal judge’s decision to dismiss Army Sgt. Peter Damon’s lawsuit against Moore.

Damon, who lost his arms when a tire on a Black Hawk helicopter exploded while he and another reservist were servicing the aircraft, claimed he was humiliated and emotionally distressed after Moore included a clip from a TV interview in his scathing 2004 documentary criticizing the Bush administration and the war in Iraq.

In the interview, Damon was asked about a new painkiller the military was using on wounded veterans. He claimed the way Moore used the clip makes him appear to “voice a complaint about the war effort” when he was actually complaining about “the excruciating type of pain” that comes with the injury he suffered.

Damon is shown shortly after Rep. Jim McDermott, D-Wash., is speaking about the Bush administration and says, “You know, they say they’re not leaving any veterans behind, but they’re leaving all kinds of veterans behind.”
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http://www.armytimes.com/news/2008/03/ap_michaelmoorelawsuit_032708/

Behind the Bloodshed, Some Backstory of Lance Cpl. Acevedo

You read the story of Marine Lance Cpl. Eric Acevedo, the other day. With much admiration for Lily of Healing Combat Trauma, I am posting the follow up she did on the story. Lily is a friend and very talented. I just wish reporters would take the same interest in the stories they write to do such a fantastic job of telling the stories behind the stories.

Lily Casura
Published writer and editor; Journalist & blogger; Harvard grad; compassionate human being; Friend of Veterans

March 27, 2008
Behind the Bloodshed, Some Backstory
Another day, another lurid headline. A Marine Lance Corporal in Texas, recently returned from three back-to-back tours of duty in Iraq, and allegedly suffering from PTSD, breaks into his former girlfriend's home, stabs her to death and then waits, "covered with blood and looking dazed," in the parking lot for police to arrive and arrest him. On the surface, another brutal domestic violence story, with a very tragic ending. Behind the headlines, though, more questions than answers about troops' after-care, and whether ethnicity (the Marine in question is Hispanic) plays or ought to play a part in how PTSD is diagnosed and treated.

First, some facts. Marine Lance Corporal Eric R. Acevedo, 22, was arrested over the weekend for allegedly murdering his former live-in girlfriend, in Saginaw, Texas, a suburb of Fort Worth. The Fort Worth Star-Telegram has been covering the story, and it's typically gruesome, but it's also a tragedy for all concerned. The victim, who was a single mother; the alleged perpetrator, who will likely do substantial prison time; and both people's families -- the 10 year old girl who now grows up motherless, as well as Acevedo's family, who believed he was struggling with PTSD, but was sent back to Iraq.
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http://www.healingcombattrauma.com/2008/03/the-ugly-backst.html

After the tornado - Greensburg , Kansas

I received this in an email. It shows what humans have to learn from "dumb animals."

After the tornado - Greensburg , Kansas

THIS IS SUCH A NEAT STORY

The story begins with the rescuers finding this poor little guy they named Ralphie.
Ralphie, scared and starved, joined his rescuers...


Someone had already taken him under their wing but weren't equipped to adopt;
I wouldn't think anything could live thru this...but we were wrong.




This little lady also survived that wreckage.
Here she is just placed in the car - scared, but safe.



and then...they are no longer alone!

Instant friends, they comforted each other while in the car.



Add two more beagles found after that...the more, the merrier!
Oh boy, a new traveler to add to the mix...



(note : the cat coming over the seat needing shelter...)



now just how is this going to work??? - and remember they are all strange to one another.




Wow! The things we learn from our animal friends...

If only all of mankind could learn such valuable lessons as this.

Lessons of instant friendship. Of peace and harmony by way of respect for one another -- no matter one's color or creed.

These animals tell you... 'It's just good to be alive and with others.'

Yes, it surely is.

So... Live, Love, Laugh.

'Life's a Gift... Unwrap It!'