Vets with PTSD: When Johnny Comes Marching Home Again
Bryant Welch
Psychologist/Attorney Author State of Confusion (St. Martin's Press)
Posted: December 9, 2009
Vets with PTSD: When Johnny Comes Marching Home Again--Tell Him to 'Think Positively
Johnny was a Vietnam War vet and one of my first patients. He had had over four dozen surgeries in a heroic effort by the Veteran's Administration to transform him from a hideously disfigured victim of shrapnel to a somewhat less hideously disfigured victim of shrapnel. There was no question his life as a "normal young American," much less his life as a robust young Marine, was over.
Johnny had been with his platoon when they were attacked by enemy fire and pinned down for the better part of two days. Much of his face was blown off. His two closest buddies died gruesome and agonizing deaths while lying on top of him.
As a psychologist, my work with him was not medical. It was to address the psychological trauma, then newly labeled as Posttraumatic Stress Disorder [PTSD], that haunted him and to help him "grieve" that much of his life had been blown away along with his face.
The pain of his surgeries was nothing compared to the night terrors that undercut his every attempt at sleep. The flashbacks that occurred daily put him back in the jungles of Viet Nam and the noises in the hallways became the sounds of advancing Viet Cong. Nurses and doctors could suddenly become menacing figures who he believed had captured him and were about to torture him. He was terrified to take his medications and unexpected noises could leave him shaken for hours.
read more here
Vets with PTSD: When Johnny Comes Marching Home Again
Sunday, December 13, 2009
Vets with PTSD: When Johnny Comes Marching Home Again
Saturday, December 12, 2009
Obama wants QRMC review of Guard, reserve pay
Obama wants QRMC review of Guard, reserve pay
By Rick Maze - Staff writer
Posted : Friday Dec 11, 2009 20:46:15 EST
President Barack Obama has ordered the next year-long Pentagon pay study to concentrate on improvements aimed at troops in combat, Guard and reserve members and those wounded in war, their caregivers and survivors.
Additionally, Obama wants the 11th Quadrennial Review of Military Compensation, scheduled to begin work soon, to look at pay incentives for people whose skills are highly needed in current operations. That includes linguists and translators, special operations personnel, the pilots of unmanned vehicles and mental health professionals.
The review will be carried out by a joint service task force that includes the representatives of the military services, Coast Guard, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Association and Public Health Service. The task force will have a year to complete the work but are expected to have a preliminary report for the White House in six months.
In a Dec. 11 memorandum to the Pentagon setting the agenda for the study, Obama said, “In these times of unprecedented expectations and demands, our attention must be on the well-being of our personnel in uniform. The defense of the homeland and ongoing overseas operations require us to examine and determine whether compensation levels are sufficient to sustain current and future efforts to recruit and retain the right skill set and experience level.”
read more here
http://www.armytimes.com/news/2009/12/military_qrmcpay_121109/
By Rick Maze - Staff writer
Posted : Friday Dec 11, 2009 20:46:15 EST
President Barack Obama has ordered the next year-long Pentagon pay study to concentrate on improvements aimed at troops in combat, Guard and reserve members and those wounded in war, their caregivers and survivors.
Additionally, Obama wants the 11th Quadrennial Review of Military Compensation, scheduled to begin work soon, to look at pay incentives for people whose skills are highly needed in current operations. That includes linguists and translators, special operations personnel, the pilots of unmanned vehicles and mental health professionals.
The review will be carried out by a joint service task force that includes the representatives of the military services, Coast Guard, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Association and Public Health Service. The task force will have a year to complete the work but are expected to have a preliminary report for the White House in six months.
In a Dec. 11 memorandum to the Pentagon setting the agenda for the study, Obama said, “In these times of unprecedented expectations and demands, our attention must be on the well-being of our personnel in uniform. The defense of the homeland and ongoing overseas operations require us to examine and determine whether compensation levels are sufficient to sustain current and future efforts to recruit and retain the right skill set and experience level.”
read more here
http://www.armytimes.com/news/2009/12/military_qrmcpay_121109/
Unemployment for young vets surpasses 20%
Unemployment for young vets surpasses 20%
By Rick Maze - Staff writer
Posted : Friday Dec 11, 2009 15:02:03 EST
With the unemployment rate for Iraq and Afghanistan veterans now exceeding 20 percent, a key Republican wants the Obama administration to use economic stimulus funding to create jobs for veterans.
The 20.8 percent unemployment rate for November for veterans ages 18 to 24 is an increase from the 17.3 percent rate for veterans in that age group reported for September, indicating a deteriorating jobs picture for entry-level positions.
The new numbers from the Bureau of Labor Statistics reveal there are more than 1 million unemployed veterans. “That is unacceptable,” said Rep. Steve Buyer of Indiana, ranking Republican on the House Veterans’ Affairs Committee, who has been pushing since December — without much success — to have stimulus funds used for veterans programs.
Buyer has introduced a bill, HR 4220, that tries on a number of fronts to help veterans find jobs.
read more here
http://www.armytimes.com/news/2009/12/military_veterans_unemployment_121109w/
By Rick Maze - Staff writer
Posted : Friday Dec 11, 2009 15:02:03 EST
With the unemployment rate for Iraq and Afghanistan veterans now exceeding 20 percent, a key Republican wants the Obama administration to use economic stimulus funding to create jobs for veterans.
The 20.8 percent unemployment rate for November for veterans ages 18 to 24 is an increase from the 17.3 percent rate for veterans in that age group reported for September, indicating a deteriorating jobs picture for entry-level positions.
The new numbers from the Bureau of Labor Statistics reveal there are more than 1 million unemployed veterans. “That is unacceptable,” said Rep. Steve Buyer of Indiana, ranking Republican on the House Veterans’ Affairs Committee, who has been pushing since December — without much success — to have stimulus funds used for veterans programs.
Buyer has introduced a bill, HR 4220, that tries on a number of fronts to help veterans find jobs.
read more here
http://www.armytimes.com/news/2009/12/military_veterans_unemployment_121109w/
Even now stigma of PTSD lives on
How is this possible? How is it still possible for some people to actually think PTSD is bogus? Can they really be that hard to educate? Considering there are generals talking about their own PTSD, it is really stupefying how isolated some troops remain when it comes to the knowledge the vast majority of the troops have gained.
The rest of the population in the country has woken up to the fact trauma does need to be addressed as a preventive measure and we see this everyday. Crisis teams rush in so they are available to address anyone needing help. PTSD is an emotional wound, not a weakness, but caused by an outside force and it attacks because of the strength of ones compassion. How can anyone say it's bogus? How many times have these deniers talked to combat veterans, POW's or any other veteran? How many books have they read beginning with the Bible itself showing the strains of trauma effected even the most fierce fighter?
They need to actually pay attention to the different people in their own lives, in their own circle to know they will have a buddy they all usually go to with their problems, just as they have one they can depend on to tell a great joke. They have one they can depend on to lend a hand doing things but may not talk very much. Each one of their friends brings something different to the friendship and all are valued. Its the same thing in the military. One is rock solid but not very emotional at all. You can count on him during a bar fight but he's not much good when you have a problem at home and need someone to talk to. Another of your friends may be the kind of cowboy, more apt to shoot first and figure out who he's shooting at later. They are usually the ones to walk away from traumatic events seemingly untouched. They just don't have the heart for it, unable to care, find compassion or really grieve. This is why they cannot understand PTSD in others. They have no capacity to feel anything for anyone else.
If they looked closely at their friends/buddies, they would understand what they were like before the first IED or firefight. They would know how they acted, what they said, what their sense of humor was like, what their entire character was like. If they change after, it is because of the trauma hitting them harder and all they need is to have someone watching their back, being there to listen and not judge, being there in case more help is needed and then getting them to the help they need. Otherwise, the problem is not with the veterans ending up with PTSD, the problem is when others deny the reality of it. They do more harm than good and frankly, make lousy friends in the first place if they cannot bring themselves to feel anything for someone they address as brother, buddy or friend.
The rest of the population in the country has woken up to the fact trauma does need to be addressed as a preventive measure and we see this everyday. Crisis teams rush in so they are available to address anyone needing help. PTSD is an emotional wound, not a weakness, but caused by an outside force and it attacks because of the strength of ones compassion. How can anyone say it's bogus? How many times have these deniers talked to combat veterans, POW's or any other veteran? How many books have they read beginning with the Bible itself showing the strains of trauma effected even the most fierce fighter?
They need to actually pay attention to the different people in their own lives, in their own circle to know they will have a buddy they all usually go to with their problems, just as they have one they can depend on to tell a great joke. They have one they can depend on to lend a hand doing things but may not talk very much. Each one of their friends brings something different to the friendship and all are valued. Its the same thing in the military. One is rock solid but not very emotional at all. You can count on him during a bar fight but he's not much good when you have a problem at home and need someone to talk to. Another of your friends may be the kind of cowboy, more apt to shoot first and figure out who he's shooting at later. They are usually the ones to walk away from traumatic events seemingly untouched. They just don't have the heart for it, unable to care, find compassion or really grieve. This is why they cannot understand PTSD in others. They have no capacity to feel anything for anyone else.
If they looked closely at their friends/buddies, they would understand what they were like before the first IED or firefight. They would know how they acted, what they said, what their sense of humor was like, what their entire character was like. If they change after, it is because of the trauma hitting them harder and all they need is to have someone watching their back, being there to listen and not judge, being there in case more help is needed and then getting them to the help they need. Otherwise, the problem is not with the veterans ending up with PTSD, the problem is when others deny the reality of it. They do more harm than good and frankly, make lousy friends in the first place if they cannot bring themselves to feel anything for someone they address as brother, buddy or friend.
A critical mission: mental health care for soldiers
DAVE PHILIPPS
THE GAZETTE
In the campaign to help soldiers find normalcy after returning from combat, Fort Carson is preparing for the toughest battle yet — the return this spring of the 4th Infantry’s 4th Brigade Combat Team.
Since 2005, Colorado Springs has seen a rash of crimes by returning troops. Fifteen soldiers from the post have been arrested in at least 12 murders since 2005. The majority of the arrests came from the 3,500 soldiers of the war-weary 4th Brigade, known as the 4-4, now in Afghanistan.
Correctly identifying which returning soldiers need help and giving them effective health care are crucial if the community is going to avoid another bout of violence, military and civilian leaders said.
U.S. Sen. Mark Udall, D-Colo., called caring for veterans “a matter of life and death for our service members — and civilians.”
Fort Carson officials say they are ready.“Things have changed,” said Capt. Samuel Preston, the 4th Infantry Division psychiatrist. “This is not the Fort Carson of two years ago.”
Perhaps the most striking change is the post’s acknowledgement of the connection between combat, mental-health problems, suicide and crime.
“It used to be tight-lipped,” said Paul Sexton, director of Pikes Peak Behavioral Health Group, which has treated some Fort Carson soldiers. “Now, it is much more out in the open.”
But reversing the trend in violence has proved difficult. Crime and suicide statistics are at, or above, their highest levels — even with the 4th Brigade out of town. And the stigma that often keeps soldiers from seeking help seems to be alive and well.
The Gazette contacted more than a dozen 4th Brigade soldiers in remote outposts in Afghanistan recently via e-mail. While most said they had more chances for treatment and mental-health education, many said post-traumatic stress disorder is a bogus label used by wimps and scam artists.
A specialist in the 3rd Squadron, 61st Cavalry Regiment wrote: “When you get 30 male infantryman all getting shot at by the same bullets and you go to combat stress (counseling), you look weak.”
A sergeant in the 2nd Battalion, 12th Infantry Regiment wrote that PTSD “is an excuse that someone came up with to get money out of the military.”read more here
http://www.gazette.com/articles/soldiers-90692-mental-critical.html
Vietnam Vet, ex-POW, Robert Purcell
Vietnam veteran spent nearly eight years as a POW, keeping his honor and sense of humor
By CHRIS VAUGHN
cvaughn@star-telegram.com
FORT WORTH — Sometimes the measure of a man comes from the stories people tell about him.
And there are a lot of stories circulating now about Robert Purcell, an Air Force pilot who spent an almost incomprehensible time — July 27, 1965, to Feb. 12, 1973 — in a North Vietnamese prison.
Col. Purcell — Percy to those who knew him — died in his home in Fort Worth on Sunday.
Here’s one of those stories.
A prison guard came into Col. Purcell and retired Air Force Col. Bernard Talley’s cell one day. He wanted them to bow.
Col. Purcell wouldn’t. Following his lead, Talley refused, too.
The guard slapped Purcell. Then he slapped him again harder. Then again.
"Why don’t you hit me harder?" Col. Purcell said.
The guard closed his fist and struck. Punch after punch followed.
Col. Purcell repeated his request. The guard kept complying, until he quit because his hands hurt.
When the guard left their cell, Col. Purcell asked Talley to tap out a message to the other prisoners using the code they developed to communicate with one another through walls.
"Tell them Magoo understands English," Col. Purcell said, using the nickname for that guard.
That was Col. Purcell to all who knew him — stubborn, tough as nails, loyal and witty in the darkest hours.
He’d had more than his fair share of dark hours.
After a fall he took at home the last day of 2005, Col. Purcell was paralyzed and considerably weakened physically. A bout of pneumonia finally took its toll last weekend. He was 78.
No one ever heard him complain.
read more
http://www.star-telegram.com/local/story/1817490.html
By CHRIS VAUGHN
cvaughn@star-telegram.com
FORT WORTH — Sometimes the measure of a man comes from the stories people tell about him.
And there are a lot of stories circulating now about Robert Purcell, an Air Force pilot who spent an almost incomprehensible time — July 27, 1965, to Feb. 12, 1973 — in a North Vietnamese prison.
Col. Purcell — Percy to those who knew him — died in his home in Fort Worth on Sunday.
Here’s one of those stories.
A prison guard came into Col. Purcell and retired Air Force Col. Bernard Talley’s cell one day. He wanted them to bow.
Col. Purcell wouldn’t. Following his lead, Talley refused, too.
The guard slapped Purcell. Then he slapped him again harder. Then again.
"Why don’t you hit me harder?" Col. Purcell said.
The guard closed his fist and struck. Punch after punch followed.
Col. Purcell repeated his request. The guard kept complying, until he quit because his hands hurt.
When the guard left their cell, Col. Purcell asked Talley to tap out a message to the other prisoners using the code they developed to communicate with one another through walls.
"Tell them Magoo understands English," Col. Purcell said, using the nickname for that guard.
That was Col. Purcell to all who knew him — stubborn, tough as nails, loyal and witty in the darkest hours.
He’d had more than his fair share of dark hours.
After a fall he took at home the last day of 2005, Col. Purcell was paralyzed and considerably weakened physically. A bout of pneumonia finally took its toll last weekend. He was 78.
No one ever heard him complain.
read more
http://www.star-telegram.com/local/story/1817490.html
PTSD on Trial:Iraq veteran sentenced to state hospital
Jamie Francis, The Oregonian
In Grant County Circuit Court in Canyon City, three miles from the murder scene in John Day, Iraq war veteran Jessie Bratcher (center) and his attorney, Markku Sario (left), listen during sentencing for Bratcher's murder conviction.
Iraq veteran sentenced to state hospital in PTSD murder case
By Julie Sullivan, The Oregonian
December 07, 2009, 10:33PM
CANYON CITY -- One of the first Iraq veterans in the U.S. -- and the first in Oregon -- to successfully claim post-traumatic stress disorder as a defense for murder was sentenced to the Oregon State Hospital on Monday instead of a nationally recognized veterans treatment center.
Judge William D. Cramer Jr. placed Jessie Bratcher, 27, under the supervision of the Oregon Psychiatric Security Review Board for life. He recommended that the board consider sending the Iraq veteran to a special Los Angeles facility, but not before making its own evaluation.
Bratcher was facing 25 years in prison for the 2008 murder of Jose Ceja Medina when a Grant County jury found him guilty but insane due to PTSD in October. The former Oregon Army National Guard soldier was being treated and compensated for disabilities from his service in Iraq, mostly for PTSD, when he shot an unarmed man during a war flashback.
The case is at the leading edge of courts considering war experience as a mitigating factor. Last week, the U.S Supreme Court ruled that, in death penalty cases involving veterans, lawyers must present evidence of PTSD from military service.
"That was a huge step, coming from the Supreme Court," said National Veterans Foundation President Shad Meshad. "But it's just one step. We're going to have one of these PTSD cases after another, and the question for the military and the Department of Defense is, 'How do we prevent it, and how do we deal with it once it's there?'"
read more here
http://www.oregonlive.com/news/index.ssf/2009/12/post_34.html
Friday, December 11, 2009
Protocol may change on condolence letters to families of troops after suicide
Military condolence letter review to conclude 'shortly'
By Elaine Quijano, CNN
December 10, 2009 4:56 p.m. EST
STORY HIGHLIGHTS
Protocol dates to Clinton administration; some families think it needs to be changed
Father, mother of soldier who committed suicide in Iraq are among them
Lack of letter leaves feeling that family "somehow [made] less of a sacrifice," father says
Washington (CNN) -- The White House says its review of a long-standing policy not to send condolence letters to the families of military suicide victims should "hopefully" conclude "shortly."
White House press secretary Robert Gibbs said the president himself asked for the review, with Gibbs telling reporters at the White House briefing on Wednesday, "If the president didn't care, the policy would remain unchanged and unexamined."
The protocol dates as far back as the Clinton administration. But now, some military families, including the Keesling family of Indiana, believe the policy needs to be changed.
In June, 25-year-old Army Spc. Chancellor Keesling shot and killed himself in Iraq. His parents, Gregg and Jannett, eventually set up a memorial wall in their home, leaving space for what they thought would be a condolence letter from the commander in chief.
read more here
http://www.cnn.com/2009/POLITICS/12/10/condolence.letters/
By Elaine Quijano, CNN
December 10, 2009 4:56 p.m. EST
STORY HIGHLIGHTS
Protocol dates to Clinton administration; some families think it needs to be changed
Father, mother of soldier who committed suicide in Iraq are among them
Lack of letter leaves feeling that family "somehow [made] less of a sacrifice," father says
Washington (CNN) -- The White House says its review of a long-standing policy not to send condolence letters to the families of military suicide victims should "hopefully" conclude "shortly."
White House press secretary Robert Gibbs said the president himself asked for the review, with Gibbs telling reporters at the White House briefing on Wednesday, "If the president didn't care, the policy would remain unchanged and unexamined."
The protocol dates as far back as the Clinton administration. But now, some military families, including the Keesling family of Indiana, believe the policy needs to be changed.
In June, 25-year-old Army Spc. Chancellor Keesling shot and killed himself in Iraq. His parents, Gregg and Jannett, eventually set up a memorial wall in their home, leaving space for what they thought would be a condolence letter from the commander in chief.
read more here
http://www.cnn.com/2009/POLITICS/12/10/condolence.letters/
No warnings before teen's suicide, his parents say
No warnings before teen's suicide, his parents say
By Andrew Meacham, Times Staff Writer
In Print: Wednesday, December 9, 2009
TAMPA — In his short life, Lawrence Guilford won hearts with his smile and positive outlook. As a child, he welcomed conversation with adults. As he grew into a handsome, pleasant young man, those same adults plugged him into their matchmaking speculations, trying to decide which young lady would best suit him.
He grew up in Tampa, the only child of a businessman and a dance teacher. Some other things we know about Mr. Guilford:
read more here
No warnings before teens suicide, his parents say
By Andrew Meacham, Times Staff Writer
In Print: Wednesday, December 9, 2009
TAMPA — In his short life, Lawrence Guilford won hearts with his smile and positive outlook. As a child, he welcomed conversation with adults. As he grew into a handsome, pleasant young man, those same adults plugged him into their matchmaking speculations, trying to decide which young lady would best suit him.
He grew up in Tampa, the only child of a businessman and a dance teacher. Some other things we know about Mr. Guilford:
read more here
No warnings before teens suicide, his parents say
Florida veteran will bike 300 miles to help others recover
Spring Hill veteran will bike 300 miles to help others recover
By Beth N. Gray, Times Correspondent
In Print: Friday, December 11, 2009
SPRING HILL — Living up to the military axiom that you never leave a comrade behind, Mike Runyan will take on an arduous trek this weekend to help wounded warriors.
The 60-year-old from Spring Hill will mount his Trek 2.3 model bicycle at MacDill Air Force Base in Tampa on Saturday and pedal more than 300 miles to Jacksonville over six days in the first Florida Challenge ride.
The event, which will take the riders on Saturday and Sunday through Pasco and Hernando counties, is part of a national effort, Ride 2 Recovery. The 2-year-old foundation launched in California raises money to aid rehabilitation for the military's wounded.
One of the rehabilitation efforts provides specially built bicycles for veterans who have lost a leg or the use of their legs, Runyan said.
read more here
Spring Hill veteran will bike 300 miles to help others recover
By Beth N. Gray, Times Correspondent
In Print: Friday, December 11, 2009
SPRING HILL — Living up to the military axiom that you never leave a comrade behind, Mike Runyan will take on an arduous trek this weekend to help wounded warriors.
The 60-year-old from Spring Hill will mount his Trek 2.3 model bicycle at MacDill Air Force Base in Tampa on Saturday and pedal more than 300 miles to Jacksonville over six days in the first Florida Challenge ride.
The event, which will take the riders on Saturday and Sunday through Pasco and Hernando counties, is part of a national effort, Ride 2 Recovery. The 2-year-old foundation launched in California raises money to aid rehabilitation for the military's wounded.
One of the rehabilitation efforts provides specially built bicycles for veterans who have lost a leg or the use of their legs, Runyan said.
read more here
Spring Hill veteran will bike 300 miles to help others recover
Lejeune Marine charged in Florida shooting death
Lejeune Marine charged in Florida shooting death
December 10, 2009 8:55 PM
LINDELL KAY and ANIESA HOLMES
A Camp Lejeune Marine was charged Thursday in the November shooting death of a 34-year-old Daytona Beach man.
Montario Litron Royals, 22, was transferred from the Camp Lejeune brig Thursday and turned over to the Onslow County Sheriff's Department. He is being held in the county jail with no bond on a fugitive warrant from Florida, said Sheriff Ed Brown.
Royals and two other men are accused of shooting and stabbing 34-year-old James Tolbert outside his Baldwin Lane apartment Nov. 27 at about 1:30 p.m.
Malvin Fluker, 25, of Daytona Beach, and Shane Burns, 21, of Homerville, Ga., have also been taken into custody, according to a press release from the Daytona Beach Police Department.
read more here
http://www.jdnews.com/news/onslow-70692-arrested-authorities.html
December 10, 2009 8:55 PM
LINDELL KAY and ANIESA HOLMES
A Camp Lejeune Marine was charged Thursday in the November shooting death of a 34-year-old Daytona Beach man.
Montario Litron Royals, 22, was transferred from the Camp Lejeune brig Thursday and turned over to the Onslow County Sheriff's Department. He is being held in the county jail with no bond on a fugitive warrant from Florida, said Sheriff Ed Brown.
Royals and two other men are accused of shooting and stabbing 34-year-old James Tolbert outside his Baldwin Lane apartment Nov. 27 at about 1:30 p.m.
Malvin Fluker, 25, of Daytona Beach, and Shane Burns, 21, of Homerville, Ga., have also been taken into custody, according to a press release from the Daytona Beach Police Department.
read more here
http://www.jdnews.com/news/onslow-70692-arrested-authorities.html
Marine died of infection 4 months after bomb blast in Afghanistan
Waterbury Marine Dies Four Months After Bomb Blast
By CHRISTINE DEMPSEY
December 11, 2009
On Monday, in his Texas hospital room, the gravely ill Cpl. Xhacob LaTorre of Waterbury received a Purple Heart for the wounds he suffered in August from a roadside bomb in Afghanistan.
On Tuesday, he died of his injuries.
The Marine leaves behind his wife, Frances, and a 1½-year-old son, Javier. A 2005 graduate of Crosby High School in Waterbury, LaTorre was in the ROTC program. He would have turned 21 Saturday.
LaTorre's legs were severely injured when an improvised, explosive device detonated in the Helmand province of Afghanistan on Aug. 10. The bomb instantly killed a fellow Marine who had been on foot patrol with LaTorre, said his aunt, Carmen LaSalle.
His legs had to be amputated, LaSalle said. LaTorre had made progress, though, and was talking and eating at the Brooke Army Medical Center in San Antonio within weeks of his injury, she said.
Then infection set in, and his condition worsened, LaSalle said. When he was conscious, he screamed in pain, she said.
LaSalle, who helped her sister raise LaTorre, flew to see him for Thanksgiving. He was in bad shape, she said, and other family members flew in to say goodbye. He died at 9:50 a.m. Tuesday.
read more here
Waterbury Marine Dies Four Months After Bomb Blast
By CHRISTINE DEMPSEY
December 11, 2009
On Monday, in his Texas hospital room, the gravely ill Cpl. Xhacob LaTorre of Waterbury received a Purple Heart for the wounds he suffered in August from a roadside bomb in Afghanistan.
On Tuesday, he died of his injuries.
The Marine leaves behind his wife, Frances, and a 1½-year-old son, Javier. A 2005 graduate of Crosby High School in Waterbury, LaTorre was in the ROTC program. He would have turned 21 Saturday.
LaTorre's legs were severely injured when an improvised, explosive device detonated in the Helmand province of Afghanistan on Aug. 10. The bomb instantly killed a fellow Marine who had been on foot patrol with LaTorre, said his aunt, Carmen LaSalle.
His legs had to be amputated, LaSalle said. LaTorre had made progress, though, and was talking and eating at the Brooke Army Medical Center in San Antonio within weeks of his injury, she said.
Then infection set in, and his condition worsened, LaSalle said. When he was conscious, he screamed in pain, she said.
LaSalle, who helped her sister raise LaTorre, flew to see him for Thanksgiving. He was in bad shape, she said, and other family members flew in to say goodbye. He died at 9:50 a.m. Tuesday.
read more here
Waterbury Marine Dies Four Months After Bomb Blast
Former VA secretary calling termination wrong, unlawful
Veterans Affairs to see lawsuit
Former VA secretary calling termination wrong, unlawful
By Katherine Kehoe
Friday, December 11, 2009 1:08 a.m
The former Wisconsin Department of Veterans Affairs Secretary announced Thursday he will be taking legal action against the DVA Board, which fired him last month for suspicious activities.
In his suit, former secretary John Scocos claims his firing from the board was unlawful because of both state and federal laws that prohibit firing veterans within one year of their return from deployment.
A retired Army colonel who returned from Iraq in September, Scocos was fired in late November.
“Because the Wisconsin Board of Veterans Affairs chooses partisan politics over principles and ethics, I was unlawfully fired two days before Thanksgiving — the first Thanksgiving I would have with my family in two years,” Scocos said in a statement released Thursday.
read more here
http://badgerherald.com/news/2009/12/11/veterans_affairs_to_.php
Former VA secretary calling termination wrong, unlawful
By Katherine Kehoe
Friday, December 11, 2009 1:08 a.m
The former Wisconsin Department of Veterans Affairs Secretary announced Thursday he will be taking legal action against the DVA Board, which fired him last month for suspicious activities.
In his suit, former secretary John Scocos claims his firing from the board was unlawful because of both state and federal laws that prohibit firing veterans within one year of their return from deployment.
A retired Army colonel who returned from Iraq in September, Scocos was fired in late November.
“Because the Wisconsin Board of Veterans Affairs chooses partisan politics over principles and ethics, I was unlawfully fired two days before Thanksgiving — the first Thanksgiving I would have with my family in two years,” Scocos said in a statement released Thursday.
read more here
http://badgerherald.com/news/2009/12/11/veterans_affairs_to_.php
Army honors service of Maine Indian tribe
Army honors service of Maine Indian tribe
The Associated Press
Posted : Friday Dec 11, 2009 8:55:26 EST
INDIAN ISLAND, Maine — The Army has recognized the military service and sacrifice of Maine’s Penobscot Indian nation.
In a ceremony Thursday in Indian Island, a Department of the Army official presented a Penobscot Nation flag to the sister of Donald Chavaree, who was killed in the Philippines in February 1945 during World War II.
read more here
http://www.armytimes.com/news/2009/12/ap_army_maine_tribe_121109/
The Associated Press
Posted : Friday Dec 11, 2009 8:55:26 EST
INDIAN ISLAND, Maine — The Army has recognized the military service and sacrifice of Maine’s Penobscot Indian nation.
In a ceremony Thursday in Indian Island, a Department of the Army official presented a Penobscot Nation flag to the sister of Donald Chavaree, who was killed in the Philippines in February 1945 during World War II.
read more here
http://www.armytimes.com/news/2009/12/ap_army_maine_tribe_121109/
Fort Hood Event promotes healing, fun, family time
Community Strong; Event promotes healing, fun, family time
By Lt. Gen. Robert Cone, III Corps and Fort Hood Commander
December 10, 2009 Editorial
On Friday, more than 50,000 Soldiers, Airmen and their families and members of Fort Hood’s local community are expected to participate in “Fort Hood Community Strong,” a day for healing, fun, and entertainment to uplift the spirits of the Fort Hood community. Held at Hood Stadium, this event will feature free carnival rides, games, concerts and food.
Several organizations have contributed to make this event so special. The USO, with the support of Fort Hood Family, Morale, Welfare and Recreation and Army and Air Force Exchange Service, are our sponsors. It has taken the efforts of the entire community to bring this together and I appreciate all of their hard work.
I have made it a top priority to ensure that all Soldiers, civilians and their family members have the care and support they need. It is important for everyone to understand what services and agencies are available for mental or emotional needs. Our Community Strong day is a time to emphasize strength and healing here on Fort Hood. The day emphasizes education for the community, recognition of all our supporters and entertainment fun for all.
I consider it very necessary to educate everyone on all of the available resources to aid in the healing process. The educational process is ongoing and we will emphasize the specialized agencies that can help those in need. We recognize those tremendous organizations and contributors who have and continue to donate their time and resources to making our installation greater. Finally, entertainment is a way to give back to the Soldiers and families of Fort Hood. It should be fun for everyone. We all need time to have fun and detach from the daily stress and pressure of our lives.
read more here
http://www.forthoodsentinel.com/story.php?id=2654
By Lt. Gen. Robert Cone, III Corps and Fort Hood Commander
December 10, 2009 Editorial
On Friday, more than 50,000 Soldiers, Airmen and their families and members of Fort Hood’s local community are expected to participate in “Fort Hood Community Strong,” a day for healing, fun, and entertainment to uplift the spirits of the Fort Hood community. Held at Hood Stadium, this event will feature free carnival rides, games, concerts and food.
Several organizations have contributed to make this event so special. The USO, with the support of Fort Hood Family, Morale, Welfare and Recreation and Army and Air Force Exchange Service, are our sponsors. It has taken the efforts of the entire community to bring this together and I appreciate all of their hard work.
I have made it a top priority to ensure that all Soldiers, civilians and their family members have the care and support they need. It is important for everyone to understand what services and agencies are available for mental or emotional needs. Our Community Strong day is a time to emphasize strength and healing here on Fort Hood. The day emphasizes education for the community, recognition of all our supporters and entertainment fun for all.
I consider it very necessary to educate everyone on all of the available resources to aid in the healing process. The educational process is ongoing and we will emphasize the specialized agencies that can help those in need. We recognize those tremendous organizations and contributors who have and continue to donate their time and resources to making our installation greater. Finally, entertainment is a way to give back to the Soldiers and families of Fort Hood. It should be fun for everyone. We all need time to have fun and detach from the daily stress and pressure of our lives.
read more here
http://www.forthoodsentinel.com/story.php?id=2654
Knights of Pythias honors two police officers for actions at Fort Hood
Todd, Munley honored for brave Nov. 5 actions
By Heather Graham, Sentinel News Editor
December 10, 2009 News
Two Fort Hood officers were recognized last week by a fraternal organization for their actions during the Nov. 5 shooting incident.
Senior Sgt. Mark Todd and Sgt. Kimberly Munley were presented medals and certificates of appreciation by the Knights of Pythias.
Knights of Pythias is a national fraternal organization founded in 1864 to promote universal peace, friendship and goodwill.
Todd and Munley were the first two officers on the scene during the shooting.
Munley was shot multiple times and Todd was unhurt.
Kevin Norcross, grand chancellor, Texas Chapter of the Knights of Pythias, presented the honors. He was joined by members from the Midlothian Lodge No. 5.
read more here
http://www.forthoodsentinel.com/story.php?id=2671
By Heather Graham, Sentinel News Editor
December 10, 2009 News
Two Fort Hood officers were recognized last week by a fraternal organization for their actions during the Nov. 5 shooting incident.
Senior Sgt. Mark Todd and Sgt. Kimberly Munley were presented medals and certificates of appreciation by the Knights of Pythias.
Knights of Pythias is a national fraternal organization founded in 1864 to promote universal peace, friendship and goodwill.
Todd and Munley were the first two officers on the scene during the shooting.
Munley was shot multiple times and Todd was unhurt.
Kevin Norcross, grand chancellor, Texas Chapter of the Knights of Pythias, presented the honors. He was joined by members from the Midlothian Lodge No. 5.
read more here
http://www.forthoodsentinel.com/story.php?id=2671
Will you remember them?
Will you remember them?
by
Chaplain Kathie
To the parents
You raised your sons and daughters. You saw them develop into adults. From the time you taught them how to walk and stand on their own two feet, you watched them become their own person. You knew what they liked and what they had no tolerance for. You knew what made them laugh as well as what made them cry. You knew how much they cared about you and the rest of the family as well as how much they cared about their friends. You knew what kind of students they were and how much they tried their best. What came easy for them and what they had to work hard for was all known to you. So how is it when this son of your's or daughter of your's comes back from being deployed to Iraq or Afghanistan is now a stranger to you?
To the spouse
How many years did you spend with your husband or wife? How many conversations did you have with them indicating what they thought and how they felt? It was enough to base wanting to spend the rest of your life with them. You wanted to build a future with them because they were special to you. You knew what made them laugh, what got them angry and what made them cry. You trusted them enough with your heart to make the commitment to be by their side even though you knew the military could send them away into another nation. You loved them enough to be willing to endure the possibility of being a single parent while they were deployed just as much as you were willing to face transfers to different bases in different states, maybe even different countries. You were willing to accept the risk to their lives knowing each deployment could be their last. With all you had to worry about, how is it that when they came home acting differently, you just assumed they were suddenly someone totally different instead of the same person you loved but now in need of help?
To the clergy
You saw them during services, watched them with their families and children. They were faithful to attend, usually they volunteered to help and you had many conversations with them. When they were deployed, you asked your congregation to pray for them so that God's angels watched over them and brought them home safely. You wrote a special sermon for Memorial Day, 4th of July and Veterans Day thinking of them and the sacrifices they were willing to make for the rest of country. So how is it when they come home needing help, you take no interest in this? Why do you avoid talking to them the way you used to? Why haven't you paid a visit to their home, talked to their families or offered to listen to them as they try to rationalize believing in a loving God but having to endure the hazards of hell in combat? Why haven't you talked to them about the friends they saw die? Why haven't you talked to them about the buddy no longer able to walk? When they sit with their families during services as you look upon them while delivering a sermon on God's love, how can you allow them to suffer with tears in their eyes and not be moved to help them?
To the employers of National Guardsman
You saw them 5 days a week. You knew how hard they worked for you and how dependable they were. You knew what they excelled at and what they struggled to learn how to do. You knew how other employees felt about them the same way you knew how much you could depend on them to give the job all they had. You knew they were even willing to risk their lives in times of crisis serving in the National Guards. As a matter of fact, you even admired their willingness to put the safety of others ahead of themselves. So how is it when they come home, changed by what they went through, you want to fire them instead of help them? Are they that disposable? Do you think that the loyal employee you admired is suddenly someone not worth having around? Ever talk to them and ask them if they need help? Have you ever wondered why they acting so differently at all?
This is the biggest problem the troops come home to. It's not debate about the worthiness of Iraq or Afghanistan. They had a job to do and were sent where they were. It is not about parades a couple of times a year or patriotic ceremonies when they die and it sure isn't about sending a card to any wounded soldier at Walter Reed or Bethesda. It's not about handing a buck to a homeless veteran or donating some worthless clothing to a charity. While all of this matters to them, it would matter a lot more if you stopped and remembered who they were before they left because they are screaming to be seen again by you.
They are waiting for someone to say, "You changed. What's going on inside of you?" with a caring, non-judging donation of your time. They want someone to see them still inside that body now slouched over in the chair carrying the weight of their service on their shoulders. They need someone to know they would not suddenly change into a stranger without reason. So why haven't you?
We can donate money to build monuments to those who serve but if we neglect those who serve, what good does a stone do? We can kick them out of our homes so that we can live a peaceful life again, but what good does that do when the peace could have been restored in our homes with the person we loved still with us instead of walking the streets or sleeping on someone's couch? We can avoid paying attention to them as our lives are shattered by them doing things that are abnormal. We can get angry with yet another nightmare wakes them up instead of having compassion for them and knowing there is something very dark behind the nightmare. We can feel hurt when they are oblivious to us or suddenly act out of character instead of hurting for them and what has caused the change.
They are part of our lives. Troops become veterans. Veterans are rare in this country with less than 10% of the population ever knowing what it is like to put on a uniform and risk your life. They carry it all inside of them and sometimes that weight is just too much for them to carry alone. Where are you? Will you help them carry this load of pain and help them heal? Will you seek the tools to help them or will you put yourself first and just want them out of your lives?
The choice is your's to make. Here's a place to start.
by
Chaplain Kathie
To the parents
You raised your sons and daughters. You saw them develop into adults. From the time you taught them how to walk and stand on their own two feet, you watched them become their own person. You knew what they liked and what they had no tolerance for. You knew what made them laugh as well as what made them cry. You knew how much they cared about you and the rest of the family as well as how much they cared about their friends. You knew what kind of students they were and how much they tried their best. What came easy for them and what they had to work hard for was all known to you. So how is it when this son of your's or daughter of your's comes back from being deployed to Iraq or Afghanistan is now a stranger to you?
To the spouse
How many years did you spend with your husband or wife? How many conversations did you have with them indicating what they thought and how they felt? It was enough to base wanting to spend the rest of your life with them. You wanted to build a future with them because they were special to you. You knew what made them laugh, what got them angry and what made them cry. You trusted them enough with your heart to make the commitment to be by their side even though you knew the military could send them away into another nation. You loved them enough to be willing to endure the possibility of being a single parent while they were deployed just as much as you were willing to face transfers to different bases in different states, maybe even different countries. You were willing to accept the risk to their lives knowing each deployment could be their last. With all you had to worry about, how is it that when they came home acting differently, you just assumed they were suddenly someone totally different instead of the same person you loved but now in need of help?
To the clergy
You saw them during services, watched them with their families and children. They were faithful to attend, usually they volunteered to help and you had many conversations with them. When they were deployed, you asked your congregation to pray for them so that God's angels watched over them and brought them home safely. You wrote a special sermon for Memorial Day, 4th of July and Veterans Day thinking of them and the sacrifices they were willing to make for the rest of country. So how is it when they come home needing help, you take no interest in this? Why do you avoid talking to them the way you used to? Why haven't you paid a visit to their home, talked to their families or offered to listen to them as they try to rationalize believing in a loving God but having to endure the hazards of hell in combat? Why haven't you talked to them about the friends they saw die? Why haven't you talked to them about the buddy no longer able to walk? When they sit with their families during services as you look upon them while delivering a sermon on God's love, how can you allow them to suffer with tears in their eyes and not be moved to help them?
To the employers of National Guardsman
You saw them 5 days a week. You knew how hard they worked for you and how dependable they were. You knew what they excelled at and what they struggled to learn how to do. You knew how other employees felt about them the same way you knew how much you could depend on them to give the job all they had. You knew they were even willing to risk their lives in times of crisis serving in the National Guards. As a matter of fact, you even admired their willingness to put the safety of others ahead of themselves. So how is it when they come home, changed by what they went through, you want to fire them instead of help them? Are they that disposable? Do you think that the loyal employee you admired is suddenly someone not worth having around? Ever talk to them and ask them if they need help? Have you ever wondered why they acting so differently at all?
This is the biggest problem the troops come home to. It's not debate about the worthiness of Iraq or Afghanistan. They had a job to do and were sent where they were. It is not about parades a couple of times a year or patriotic ceremonies when they die and it sure isn't about sending a card to any wounded soldier at Walter Reed or Bethesda. It's not about handing a buck to a homeless veteran or donating some worthless clothing to a charity. While all of this matters to them, it would matter a lot more if you stopped and remembered who they were before they left because they are screaming to be seen again by you.
They are waiting for someone to say, "You changed. What's going on inside of you?" with a caring, non-judging donation of your time. They want someone to see them still inside that body now slouched over in the chair carrying the weight of their service on their shoulders. They need someone to know they would not suddenly change into a stranger without reason. So why haven't you?
We can donate money to build monuments to those who serve but if we neglect those who serve, what good does a stone do? We can kick them out of our homes so that we can live a peaceful life again, but what good does that do when the peace could have been restored in our homes with the person we loved still with us instead of walking the streets or sleeping on someone's couch? We can avoid paying attention to them as our lives are shattered by them doing things that are abnormal. We can get angry with yet another nightmare wakes them up instead of having compassion for them and knowing there is something very dark behind the nightmare. We can feel hurt when they are oblivious to us or suddenly act out of character instead of hurting for them and what has caused the change.
They are part of our lives. Troops become veterans. Veterans are rare in this country with less than 10% of the population ever knowing what it is like to put on a uniform and risk your life. They carry it all inside of them and sometimes that weight is just too much for them to carry alone. Where are you? Will you help them carry this load of pain and help them heal? Will you seek the tools to help them or will you put yourself first and just want them out of your lives?
The choice is your's to make. Here's a place to start.
Posted to Great Americans by NamGuardianAngel on September 11, 2009
Thursday, December 10, 2009
VA budget still not enough, group warns
Paul Sullivan of Veterans for Common Sense, has a habit of getting angry with the way things are. He does it all the time. He filed law suits to get things done and to stop the abuse of our veterans. Because of him things changed at the VA and suicide was no longer something to just pass off. Thank God he does what he does. I would still love to know why on earth he is not on the "news" shows talking about all of this? He's been out there fighting for a very long time and telling the truth. He does not play games and does not do anything other than fight for what our veterans need. We need more people like Paul in this country if we are ever going to get this right for our veterans.
VBA’s claims disaster will be on “60 Minutes” in January, including an interview with Paul Sullivan
VA budget still not enough, group warns
By Rick Maze - Staff writer
Posted : Thursday Dec 10, 2009 15:11:54 EST
The biggest veterans budget in history is not big enough, warns the head of Veterans for Common Sense, a group that closely tracks health care issues for Iraq and Afghanistan veterans.
Paul Sullivan, executive director of the group, said the $109 billion veterans budget for fiscal 2010 — approved Thursday by the House and Senate — “may fall short as much as 45 percent” in covering the Veterans Affairs Department’s added costs of treating veterans of the two ongoing wars.
VA funding is included in HR 3288, a consolidated appropriations bill covering many federal agencies.
Sullivan’s warning is based, in part, on a joint statement from the House and Senate appropriations committees that says the new budget includes money to provide medical care in fiscal 2010 for 419,000 veterans of Operation Iraqi Freedom and Operation Enduring Freedom.
read more here
VA budget still not enough, group warns
Soldiers lack confidentiality in seeking help for PTSD
Maybe this post title should be "who can they trust" when this happens?
This adds to the more barriers to seeking help. It's not bad enough they were first assaulted when they sought help for "not being able to get over it" or being a "slacker" or ridiculed for being weak, now we find out they have been told that what they say in therapy can come back to bite them. This is not a good thing. How is it that civilians end up having so many rights to protect their privacy but the troops have nothing? How can they expect the men and women serving to be honest with therapists when nothing is held in confidence?
When I get requests for help, they are fully aware I am a blogger but they are also fully aware what they tell me will not show up anywhere. The rules for a Chaplain are simple. I only have to report if they are a danger to themselves or to someone else. Anything else is between them and me. It is not my job to judge them or diagnosis them. It is my job to help them begin to heal and understand what is happening inside of them. Since I cannot help them get a claim approved or medicate them, whatever they tell me is taken on face value. After all, they know I can't do much for them unless they are honest with me. In turn, I can't help them if they do not trust me. It has taken a lot of years to get to the point where they know they can. How can the military ever begin to think the soldiers will trust them when they refuse to prove they can be trusted?
Military Rules Said to Hinder Therapy
By JAMES DAO and DAN FROSCH
Published: December 6, 2009
Pfc. Jeffery Meier, who struggled with post-traumatic stress disorder and drug addiction after two deployments to Iraq, got an appointment in August to see a psychiatrist at Fort Carson, Colo.
But when he arrived for his first session, he was asked to sign a waiver explaining that under certain circumstances, including if he admitted violating military laws, his conversations with his therapist might not be kept confidential. He refused to sign.
Private Meier, who is seeking a medical discharge from the Army, was given counseling anyway. But he says he never opened up to his therapist, fearing that actions taken in the heat of battle might be disclosed to prosecutors. “How can you go and talk about wartime problems when you feel that if you mention anything wrong, you’re going to be prosecuted?” he said in an interview.
He is not alone in his wariness. Many soldiers, lawyers and mental health workers say that the rules governing confidentiality of psychotherapist-patient relations in the military are porous. The rules breed suspicion among troops toward therapists, those people say, reducing the effectiveness of treatment and complicating the Pentagon’s efforts to encourage personnel to seek care.
The problem with the military rules, experts say, is that they do not safeguard the confidentiality of mental health communications and records as strongly as federal rules of evidence for civilians. Both systems say therapists should report patients when they seem a threat to themselves or to others. But the military rules include additional exceptions that could be applied to a wide range of suspected infractions, experts say.
read more here
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/12/07/us/07therapists.html?_r=1
This adds to the more barriers to seeking help. It's not bad enough they were first assaulted when they sought help for "not being able to get over it" or being a "slacker" or ridiculed for being weak, now we find out they have been told that what they say in therapy can come back to bite them. This is not a good thing. How is it that civilians end up having so many rights to protect their privacy but the troops have nothing? How can they expect the men and women serving to be honest with therapists when nothing is held in confidence?
When I get requests for help, they are fully aware I am a blogger but they are also fully aware what they tell me will not show up anywhere. The rules for a Chaplain are simple. I only have to report if they are a danger to themselves or to someone else. Anything else is between them and me. It is not my job to judge them or diagnosis them. It is my job to help them begin to heal and understand what is happening inside of them. Since I cannot help them get a claim approved or medicate them, whatever they tell me is taken on face value. After all, they know I can't do much for them unless they are honest with me. In turn, I can't help them if they do not trust me. It has taken a lot of years to get to the point where they know they can. How can the military ever begin to think the soldiers will trust them when they refuse to prove they can be trusted?
PTSD and redeployed:Whittier Family's story
Whittier family's wounds of war compounded by multiple deployments
By Bethania Palma Markus, Staff Writer
Posted: 12/06/2009 06:01:54 AM PST
WHITTIER - Rossana Cambran choked back tears as she recalled watching her son, Arturo Cambron Jr., suffer a flashback.
The now-26-year-old Army soldier was at home on leave in between combat tours in Iraq. He had just returned from a night out with friends when something triggered a memory from a not-so-distant but traumatic past.
Suddenly, she said, her third of four children lost touch with reality and thought he was back in a war zone thousands of miles away.
"He was on the ground outside acting like he was on a walkie talkie, giving coordinates to his buddies," the 53-year-old Whittier woman said. "He was yelling really loud."
The next day, she said, Arturo Jr. told her flashbacks are commonplace on his military base, and some experts believe the Cambron family's experience could be a harbinger of things to come.
The current wars in the Middle East have stretched on past the eight-year mark, making them the longest major conflicts in recent U.S. history to be fought without a draft.
With a limited number of soldiers doing all the fighting, an increasing number have been deployed multiple times into combat. But now that the war in Iraq is winding down and President Obama has set a timetable for a looming 30,000-troop surge in Afghanistan, some experts said the country is not prepared to cope
Rossana Cambron holds a childhood picture of her son Arturo Jr., Thursday night, December 3, 2009 in her Whittier home. Mrs. Cambron says her son, who is on his second tour of combat duty in Iraq, was already showing signs of PTSD with flashback episodes after his first tour. (SGVN/Staff Photo by Sarah Reingewirtz)when soldiers battling post traumatic stress disorder compounded by multiple combat tours start returning en masse.
read more here
http://www.whittierdailynews.com/news/ci_13939753
By Bethania Palma Markus, Staff Writer
Posted: 12/06/2009 06:01:54 AM PST
WHITTIER - Rossana Cambran choked back tears as she recalled watching her son, Arturo Cambron Jr., suffer a flashback.
The now-26-year-old Army soldier was at home on leave in between combat tours in Iraq. He had just returned from a night out with friends when something triggered a memory from a not-so-distant but traumatic past.
Suddenly, she said, her third of four children lost touch with reality and thought he was back in a war zone thousands of miles away.
"He was on the ground outside acting like he was on a walkie talkie, giving coordinates to his buddies," the 53-year-old Whittier woman said. "He was yelling really loud."
The next day, she said, Arturo Jr. told her flashbacks are commonplace on his military base, and some experts believe the Cambron family's experience could be a harbinger of things to come.
The current wars in the Middle East have stretched on past the eight-year mark, making them the longest major conflicts in recent U.S. history to be fought without a draft.
With a limited number of soldiers doing all the fighting, an increasing number have been deployed multiple times into combat. But now that the war in Iraq is winding down and President Obama has set a timetable for a looming 30,000-troop surge in Afghanistan, some experts said the country is not prepared to cope
Rossana Cambron holds a childhood picture of her son Arturo Jr., Thursday night, December 3, 2009 in her Whittier home. Mrs. Cambron says her son, who is on his second tour of combat duty in Iraq, was already showing signs of PTSD with flashback episodes after his first tour. (SGVN/Staff Photo by Sarah Reingewirtz)when soldiers battling post traumatic stress disorder compounded by multiple combat tours start returning en masse.
read more here
http://www.whittierdailynews.com/news/ci_13939753
Tested by tragedy at Fort Hood
Tested by tragedy, Fort Hood family of civilians and soldiers deserve Texan of the Year honor
12:00 AM CST on Sunday, December 6, 2009
Heroes were at every turn during Fort Hood shootings.
That short-and-sweet headline sums up how I feel about the soldiers and civilians stationed at the most populous U.S. military base in the world.
They are my 2009 Dallas Morning News Texan of the Year: The Fort Hood Family.
Here's why: On Nov. 5, the day a roguish Army major went on a massive killing spree, these valiant men and women showed their true colors.
They collectively turned a chaotic tragedy into a courageous triumph of human will and sacrifice.
We can point to Sgt. Kim Munley, the tough civilian officer who rushed to the aid of those scrambling to get away from Maj. Nidal Malik Hasan's murderous line of fire.
Munley exchanged gunfire with Hasan, dropping him to the ground as she took shots to both legs and a wrist.
She's a gutsy hero.
So, too, is Mark Todd, a second civilian officer credited with shooting Hasan.
read more here
Tested by tragedy
12:00 AM CST on Sunday, December 6, 2009
Heroes were at every turn during Fort Hood shootings.
That short-and-sweet headline sums up how I feel about the soldiers and civilians stationed at the most populous U.S. military base in the world.
They are my 2009 Dallas Morning News Texan of the Year: The Fort Hood Family.
Here's why: On Nov. 5, the day a roguish Army major went on a massive killing spree, these valiant men and women showed their true colors.
They collectively turned a chaotic tragedy into a courageous triumph of human will and sacrifice.
We can point to Sgt. Kim Munley, the tough civilian officer who rushed to the aid of those scrambling to get away from Maj. Nidal Malik Hasan's murderous line of fire.
Munley exchanged gunfire with Hasan, dropping him to the ground as she took shots to both legs and a wrist.
She's a gutsy hero.
So, too, is Mark Todd, a second civilian officer credited with shooting Hasan.
read more here
Tested by tragedy
Tussing Elementary School 3rd graders know how to thank the troops
3rd Graders At Tussing Elementary School.
Music Thank Our Troops and Veterans
Michael Souders
Tussing Elementary School Music
www.tussingmusic.com
Music Thank Our Troops and Veterans
Michael Souders
Tussing Elementary School Music
www.tussingmusic.com
War Damaged Vets Should Not Be Executed By the State
Vietnam veterans didn't have the luxury of Veterans Courts and understanding judges more interested in providing real justice than the ruthless abandonment of gratefulness for service. Given the fact many Vietnam veterans, like others before, were drafted into serving, one fact remains constant, they chose to serve instead of run away. Some enlisted willingly and they served side by side taking the same risks, watching over each other with courage and commitment to do their best with the soldiers who were chosen to go. Even now communities around the country are not acknowledging the uniqueness of the men and women serving in the military. Their desire to be of service does not suddenly become obsolete when they come home. It takes a unique individual to be able to put their lives on the line for the sake of strangers in the first place. When you think about the fact they face being deployed for a year or more over and over again, leaving their families and friends, to enter into a strange country for the sake of this country, it should be obvious they are not your average "Joe" and never will be. They do not suddenly change from hero to criminal without reason.
If it is PTSD, they do not and should not get a get out of jail free card but what the Veterans Courts are doing is measuring justice with appreciation for the uniqueness of their lives. It would be a wonderful day if every incarcerated veteran's case were reviewed with what we know now about PTSD so they could be provided with the same kind of justice that service those who serve as well as the citizens.
If it is PTSD, they do not and should not get a get out of jail free card but what the Veterans Courts are doing is measuring justice with appreciation for the uniqueness of their lives. It would be a wonderful day if every incarcerated veteran's case were reviewed with what we know now about PTSD so they could be provided with the same kind of justice that service those who serve as well as the citizens.
Purple Hearts On Death Row: War Damaged Vets Should Not Be Executed By the State
By Karl R. Keys and Bill Pelke, AlterNet. Posted December 4, 2009.
Soldiers are coming home traumatized by the carnage they've seen. As veterans, we believe those who commit crimes due to severe mental problems should be treated, not killed.
Mental exhaustion. Battle fatigue. PTSD. Whatever it's called, many of our soldiers who served in wars over the years came home with combat-related mental illness, traumatized by the carnage and destruction they saw and experienced.
Unfortunately, too many veterans' mental conditions have fueled criminal behavior resulting in their imprisonment. Dating back to the Civil War, veteran incarceration rates increased after each conflict.
This is not a small, marginal problem. Government statistics for the 1980s show that 21 percent of state prison inmates then were Vietnam veterans. The U.S. Department of Defense and the Veterans Administration estimate that two of every five of the 800,000 new Iraq and Afghanistan war veterans exhibit post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms.
The stories of two such veterans illustrate this tragedy. This fall, Vietnam veteran James Floyd Davis was finally presented the awards due to him -- a Purple Heart and a Good Conduct medal -- in a small ceremony held in a hearing room in a North Carolina prison. Davis, now 62, was not permitted to keep his medals after the ceremony.What wasn't introduced at trial was that Davis, who attained the rank of sergeant in Vietnam, fought on a Central Highlands firebase during the Tet Offensive, where he lost his hearing, was hit with shrapnel, some of which remains in his leg, and went home with depression, paranoid schizophrenia and PTSD. His marriage fell apart, and he attempted suicide. It isn't certain if Davis will be executed, but he has given up his legal appeals. North Carolina's Center for Death Penalty Appeals and one of its attorneys, Ken Rose, continues to advocate for him.
Manny Babbitt, another Vietnam War veteran and a Marine, earned his Purple Heart for courage under fire in the battle of Khe Sanh, where 737 Americans died and more than 2,500 soldiers were wounded. Hit by rocket shrapnel that opened his skull, Babbitt lost consciousness and was thought to be dead. He was loaded onto a pile of corpses by helicopter operators where he regained consciousness surrounded by severed limbs and bodies.read more here
Ending homelessness among returning war veterans
Step one would be to respond to the soldiers in country as soon as possible following traumatic events. We manage to do it for police officers and firefighters plus survivors and witnesses but we don't seem to be able to do it for them. We know that intervention cuts down on the ravages of PTSD.
Step two would be to respond as soon as possible with help to a veteran because he is fully aware of what PTSD is and seeks it fast. Big problem here because too many still don't know what PTSD is, have a twisted idea of it given the fact the stigma lives on and too many still are not hearing what they need to know. PTSD stops getting worse as soon as it is treated.
Step three would be to make sure every community around the country had support set up to help the veterans. No more excuses. Stop pointing to the change in the rules for VA free care. While they can received medical help free of charge for five years instead of two now, this does not mean an approved claim and it sure doesn't mean they get financial support while they heal until they have an approved claim. Top that off with the fact too many claims are given a less than real disability rating but they are expected to live off of it.
Step four, would be to get the heads of the service groups to get the facts and stop making baseless claims that most of them are fakers. Yes, some officers still believe this. They don't have a clue that it takes a lot of work to get these veterans to seek help in the first place. While there are some looking for an easy ride the rest of their lives, they are the minority. There are more not seeking help who need it and deserve it than there are those who don't.
Step five, would be to make sure all family members know what PTSD is. As we reach families with the knowledge they need to help the veteran, more and more families are provided with the coping tools they need to hold the family together as well as help the veteran to heal. If they don't understand it, then they become an adversary and make situations impossible to live with.
What we see is a continuation of more of the same problem we saw after Vietnam. Homelessness is a part of it because the majority have PTSD while others have duel issues going on like addiction coupled with PTSD instead of simply self-medicating. We have complex problems even when veterans only have mild PTSD because they cannot find jobs and this extra stress adds to the issues with PTSD. Self-medicating usually leads to crimes; violence, domestic abuse, drunk driving, drug deals, the list goes on. Not all self-medicating veterans will commit crimes but face committing suicide instead.
None of this has to happen at all and that is the saddest part of all. Every time we see a homeless veteran, there is a family that fell apart before it happened. Want to reduce the number of homeless veterans? Then reduce the number of shattered families with giving them the knowledge they need to stay together and help each other.
Chaplain Kathie
Step two would be to respond as soon as possible with help to a veteran because he is fully aware of what PTSD is and seeks it fast. Big problem here because too many still don't know what PTSD is, have a twisted idea of it given the fact the stigma lives on and too many still are not hearing what they need to know. PTSD stops getting worse as soon as it is treated.
Step three would be to make sure every community around the country had support set up to help the veterans. No more excuses. Stop pointing to the change in the rules for VA free care. While they can received medical help free of charge for five years instead of two now, this does not mean an approved claim and it sure doesn't mean they get financial support while they heal until they have an approved claim. Top that off with the fact too many claims are given a less than real disability rating but they are expected to live off of it.
Step four, would be to get the heads of the service groups to get the facts and stop making baseless claims that most of them are fakers. Yes, some officers still believe this. They don't have a clue that it takes a lot of work to get these veterans to seek help in the first place. While there are some looking for an easy ride the rest of their lives, they are the minority. There are more not seeking help who need it and deserve it than there are those who don't.
Step five, would be to make sure all family members know what PTSD is. As we reach families with the knowledge they need to help the veteran, more and more families are provided with the coping tools they need to hold the family together as well as help the veteran to heal. If they don't understand it, then they become an adversary and make situations impossible to live with.
What we see is a continuation of more of the same problem we saw after Vietnam. Homelessness is a part of it because the majority have PTSD while others have duel issues going on like addiction coupled with PTSD instead of simply self-medicating. We have complex problems even when veterans only have mild PTSD because they cannot find jobs and this extra stress adds to the issues with PTSD. Self-medicating usually leads to crimes; violence, domestic abuse, drunk driving, drug deals, the list goes on. Not all self-medicating veterans will commit crimes but face committing suicide instead.
None of this has to happen at all and that is the saddest part of all. Every time we see a homeless veteran, there is a family that fell apart before it happened. Want to reduce the number of homeless veterans? Then reduce the number of shattered families with giving them the knowledge they need to stay together and help each other.
Chaplain Kathie
SOLUTIONS/BASSUK:
Ending homelessness among returning war veterans
By Dr. Ellen L. Bassuk
In a country as affluent as ours, no one should be homeless. Yet veterans who have served their country account for one-third of adult individuals who are homeless in America.
On any night, more than 130,000 veterans find themselves with no place to call home. Seven percent are women. Ending veteran homelessness starts with understanding why they become homeless.
At its core, homelessness is caused by a gap between income and the cost of housing. Given the diminished stock of affordable housing, people at the bottom of the wage scale are at greatest risk for homelessness. A minimum-wage worker cannot earn enough to pay for a two-bedroom dwelling anywhere in the United States.
Despite greater opportunities for education and training that arise from their military service, many veterans also struggle to make ends meet. Researchers report that nearly half a million veterans pay more than 50 percent of their income for rent.
read more here
Ending homelessness among returning war veterans
VETERANS MIDWEST WRITING WORKSHOP
Emma Rainy (MFA from the Iowa Writers Workshop) is gathering several writers, poets and play writes to put on a workshop for emerging writers over the winter break at Iowa. We want to spread the word that this course is free and hope to supplement the food and accommodations of the students over the weekend.
Any assistance you can provide in getting the word out to veterans who want to write would be great! We are on a very short timeline
Registration is online at the site below
VETERANS MIDWEST WRITING WORKSHOP
@ The University of IOWA
January 15-17, 2010
Open to all current and former military personal
Midwest writing workshop
We each have a story to tell. And this free weekend writing workshop will help you learn how to tell it well. By using writing exercises to explore wartime experiences-the fear, the boredom, anxieties, thrills, brutality and tears-we learn how to write a story and make it compelling. Workshop participants will explore the many approaches one can take to writing about the self and will produce personnel stories by the end of the weekend. Opportunities to read each other's work (both as a class "workshop" and one-on-one with professional writers) as well as a two-week online follow up, will help continue the writing and revising process. No writing experience is needed to attend this workshop.
Where: University of Iowa campus, Iowa City, Iowa
When: Friday, Saturday and Sunday, January 15-17
starting at 7:00pm
This workshop is FREE! (Free lunches will be provided Saturday and Sunday)
What you'll need: A pen, pad of paper (or laptop)
Contact information:
Emma Rainey, MFA Nonfiction Writing Program
641-919-2654
John D. Mikelson, Veterans Advisor
University of Iowa Veterans Center
Wednesday, December 9, 2009
Suicide may be tied to James Arthur Ray Event
CNN's Gary Tuchman reports on a death at a James Arthur Ray event ten weeks before the sweat lodge.
WWII Medal of Honor Veteran can keep flag pole!
Senator: MoH recipient can keep flagpole
The Associated Press
Posted : Wednesday Dec 9, 2009 11:00:58 EST
RICHMOND, Va. — A 90-year-old Medal of Honor winner can keep his 21-foot flagpole in his front yard after a homeowner’s association dropped its request to remove it, a spokesman for Democratic Virginia Sen. Mark Warner said Tuesday.
The Sussex Square homeowners’ association likewise has agreed to drop threats to take legal action against retired Army Col. Van T. Barfoot, Warner spokesman Kevin Hall said.
The association had threatened to take Barfoot, a Mississippi native, to court if he failed to remove the pole from his suburban Richmond home by Friday. It had said the pole violated the neighborhood’s aesthetic guidelines.
Neither Barfoot’s daughter, Margaret Nicholls, nor homeowners’ president Glenn Wilson immediately returned telephone messages.
read more here
http://www.armytimes.com/news/2009/12/ap_army_moh_recipient_flagpole_120909/
The Associated Press
Posted : Wednesday Dec 9, 2009 11:00:58 EST
RICHMOND, Va. — A 90-year-old Medal of Honor winner can keep his 21-foot flagpole in his front yard after a homeowner’s association dropped its request to remove it, a spokesman for Democratic Virginia Sen. Mark Warner said Tuesday.
The Sussex Square homeowners’ association likewise has agreed to drop threats to take legal action against retired Army Col. Van T. Barfoot, Warner spokesman Kevin Hall said.
The association had threatened to take Barfoot, a Mississippi native, to court if he failed to remove the pole from his suburban Richmond home by Friday. It had said the pole violated the neighborhood’s aesthetic guidelines.
Neither Barfoot’s daughter, Margaret Nicholls, nor homeowners’ president Glenn Wilson immediately returned telephone messages.
read more here
http://www.armytimes.com/news/2009/12/ap_army_moh_recipient_flagpole_120909/
PTSD on Trail, combat claims disputed in double murder charges
PTSD comes only one way and that is after traumatic events. It does change the way people think, react and feel about others as well as themselves.
This article says Spc. Hunter did not see combat or any deaths of anyone in his unit this time but it does not say what happened on the other deployment that could have caused PTSD. It does not say if there were civilians killed when Spc. Hunter was in the area or not. As we all know from reports, bombs are still blowing up civilians in Iraq. We should not totally dismiss PTSD yet until everything is reported. If Hunter was not exposed to any traumatic events the his use of it to defend himself against a double murder charge is beneath contempt. PTSD does not let anyone off the hook for crimes they commit but it would have to be taken into account when deciding what justice is in each case. Too many of our veterans suffering from PTSD never commit crimes and never harm anyone. The veterans committing crimes are rare and this is something the media should take into account whenever they report on a story like this.
This article says Spc. Hunter did not see combat or any deaths of anyone in his unit this time but it does not say what happened on the other deployment that could have caused PTSD. It does not say if there were civilians killed when Spc. Hunter was in the area or not. As we all know from reports, bombs are still blowing up civilians in Iraq. We should not totally dismiss PTSD yet until everything is reported. If Hunter was not exposed to any traumatic events the his use of it to defend himself against a double murder charge is beneath contempt. PTSD does not let anyone off the hook for crimes they commit but it would have to be taken into account when deciding what justice is in each case. Too many of our veterans suffering from PTSD never commit crimes and never harm anyone. The veterans committing crimes are rare and this is something the media should take into account whenever they report on a story like this.
MURDER SUSPECT'S COMBAT CLAIMS DISPUTED
ARMY CHECKING: Deployed unit had no deaths, injuries
By JOANNA RICHARDS
TIMES STAFF WRITER
SATURDAY, DECEMBER 5, 2009
FORT DRUM — Officials from the Army base are looking into the veracity of claims that Spc. Joshua Hunter, the military policeman accused this week of killing two fellow soldiers, experienced trauma during his Iraq deployment.
Some of the soldier's family members said this week that the 20-year-old military policeman had returned from a recent deployment mentally disturbed. Emily Hunter, his wife, told the Associated Press, "He saw his best friend get blown up to pieces and he tried to put him back together. He was never right after that."
But the unit Spc. Hunter deployed with experienced no combat deaths or even injuries during its 15-month Iraq deployment that ended in mid-2009, although it had two non-combat related deaths, said Maj. Frederick C. Harrell, a spokesman for the 10th Mountain Division.
"We're looking into whether his statements are true or not," Maj. Harrell said. "There's questions on it, so we've just got to answer the questions."
read more here
Deployed unit had no deaths, injuries
Family support 'vital' for service members being deployed
Marine Corporal Adam Marano hugs his wife Melissa Marano on November 3 at Camp Lejeune, North Carolina.
Family support 'vital' for service members being deployed
By Ed Hornick, CNN
December 7, 2009 -- Updated 2338 GMT (0738 HKT)
STORY HIGHLIGHTS
Adm. Mike Mullen speaks to crowd at Camp Lejeune on Monday
Mullen: We could not be the military "we are without extraordinary family support"
Military families struggle when loved ones are serving in the war theater
(CNN) -- "You don't do it alone," Adm. Mike Mullen, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said Monday to a crowd gathered at Camp Lejeune, North Carolina. "You do it with phenomenal family support. And we could not be the Marine Corps we are, the military we are without extraordinary family support."
Mullen's pep talk -- along with a question and answer session -- was geared to the new 30,000-troop surge to Afghanistan that President Obama laid out last week. He also thanked those in the audience -- many of whom will soon be deployed to Afghanistan.
"I am and will be eternally grateful for your service to our country at this very, very critical time," he said. "Everybody makes a difference. This is taking care of each other. This is taking care of all the responsibilities both here for our families as well as moving forward."
Military families struggle when their loved ones are serving in the war theater -- both economically and emotionally.
Teresa Meador offered advice to other Marine wives on what to expect.
"My one piece of advice, and I was given this advice by a Marine wife: 'It [war] makes a weak marriage weaker, and a strong marriage stronger,' " Meador said. "And that's very true. You can take it and run with it, or it can break you down. And it's up to you."
read more here
Family support vital for service members being deployed
also
Marine Unit Comes Home to 77 New Babies!
December 7, 2009 - 10:45 AM by: Caroline Shively
Members of the 22nd Marine Expeditionary Unit out of Camp LeJeune, NC missed a lot during their seven-month deployment at sea -- specifically 77 of their wives giving birth back at home. Lance Corporal Jasen Kratzer figured he'd be one of those dads who learned about his new baby via telegram while he was deployed.
His wife, Madison, was prepared to go it alone as her husband made stops in Kuwait, Greece, Bulgaria, and throughout the Middle East during his deployment at sea.
"It's sad that he has to miss so much," she said. "But it's what he wants to do. He wants to serve so that other people can be with their families all the time."
Then Kratzer's bosses on ship came up with an idea. They knew that about the time Madison was supposed to have her labor induced, Jasen would be training in Kuwait with access to video teleconference equipment. From there, it was up to the baby to be ready in time before the Marines had to head back to the ship.
read more here
Marine Unit Comes Home to 77 New Babies
Saving lives on the front line
When traumatic events happen in our communities, crisis teams rush in because it has been found to be a preventative to PTSD. The availability of having someone to talk to, someone who will not judge or minimize what the survivors are going thru is a Godsend along with opening up with other survivors of the unique event they have in common. There is finally a change coming in the military as they try to approach PTSD in the troops more proactively.
Secretary of Defense Gates said this morning on the Today Show, the role of the Chaplains should not be minimized. This grated on my nerves a bit when the fact is, too many Chaplains do not know what PTSD is.
They know about spiritual crisis but understanding PTSD is out of reach for most of them. They have not lead the kind of lives that will allow them to understand without someone explaining it to them fully.
In yet another attempt to get the local clergy involved in stepping up to help the veterans and their families heal, a minister would not be moved to begin to understand. After all, how could he really? He knew all of his life what he wanted to be. He never drank or smoked, touched drugs or gambled. He never really had his faith tested beyond passing his classes at the seminary. He never had to worry about paying bills because his family provided him with everything he needed. He never had to risk his life for someone else. He never had to see what they see, hear what they hear, smell what they smell or watch so many die as horribly as a soldier after an IED has blown him into pieces or witnessed the blood surrounding the body after a machine gun has pumped bullets into them. While he may care about the veterans, he is not willing to be aware of the kind of care they need from him.
At a Chaplains conference a military Chaplain admitted he knows very little about PTSD but was with the Marines in Iraq. Considering PTSD is an emotional wound and spiritual healing is vital in healing it, the military Chaplains should be fully educated on how to spot it and treat it as soon as they show signs they need help. We know the sooner we respond to the survivors after traumatic events, the lesser PTSD has the ability to invade into the soul. Having someone to talk to works wonders as long as the listener knows what to do with what was just said instead of just being there.
If they understand PTSD then they know they have to listen to what is being said as well as what is not being said. They need to pick up on the tone of voice knowing if the survivor is trying to release a deep, dark secret. They need to take the survivor back over the event and help them to see what happened was not their fault, or as with most of the time, they couldn't have done anything differently. Even in cases where they truly believe they were at fault, they need to be brought back to what happened before so they can stop seeing themselves as monsters.
They need help to see the big picture like suicide car bombers putting them on edge when a car comes too close too fast. They need to see that when an IED has taken out some in their convoy, they are watching for the next one at the same time they are watching for snipers and they react under stress. Their intention at the time is forgotten about and they need to be reminded what compelled them to do what they did.
Addressing PTSD is complicated but if the provider/responder knows what PTSD is, why it strikes some and not others, then most of what comes after is common sense. It would be a wonderful day if all military Chaplains were fully educated on PTSD as well as members of the local clergy. The spiritual wound is so deep that it changes every aspect of the veteran as well as the family, thus the community as well. Chaplains deployed need to know how to help as soon as possible and the clergy need to know how to help as well as possible for the sake of the veteran as well as the family.
Saving lives on the front line
Images: Photographer Erin Trieb spends six weeks with the U.S. Army's busiest trauma center in Afghanistan.
U.S. troops carry Sgt. Maj. Patrick Corcoran of the 10th Mountain Division’s 2-87 Infantry Battalion to a helicopter on Aug. 12, 2009. He suffered extensive spinal cord injuries when the armored vehicle he was traveling in hit an improvised explosive device, or IED, in Wardak province. Corcoran, who is now being treated at Walter Reed Army Medical Center., had been with the military for about 20 years.
Before being shipped out of Afghanistan, Corcoran received treatment at the 8th Forward Surgical Team trauma center in a remote corner of Logar province.
Made of plywood and housed in a small tent, the center may not look like much, but it became the U.S. Army's busiest trauma center in Afghanistan during photographer Erin Trieb’s six-week visit in mid-2009.
TODAY reports from Afghanistan
Dec. 8: TODAY's Matt Lauer and Al Roker report from Afghanistan as part of a two day special titled TODAY in Afghanistan and travel with Secretary of Defense Robert Gates.
Secretary of Defense Gates said this morning on the Today Show, the role of the Chaplains should not be minimized. This grated on my nerves a bit when the fact is, too many Chaplains do not know what PTSD is.
They know about spiritual crisis but understanding PTSD is out of reach for most of them. They have not lead the kind of lives that will allow them to understand without someone explaining it to them fully.
In yet another attempt to get the local clergy involved in stepping up to help the veterans and their families heal, a minister would not be moved to begin to understand. After all, how could he really? He knew all of his life what he wanted to be. He never drank or smoked, touched drugs or gambled. He never really had his faith tested beyond passing his classes at the seminary. He never had to worry about paying bills because his family provided him with everything he needed. He never had to risk his life for someone else. He never had to see what they see, hear what they hear, smell what they smell or watch so many die as horribly as a soldier after an IED has blown him into pieces or witnessed the blood surrounding the body after a machine gun has pumped bullets into them. While he may care about the veterans, he is not willing to be aware of the kind of care they need from him.
At a Chaplains conference a military Chaplain admitted he knows very little about PTSD but was with the Marines in Iraq. Considering PTSD is an emotional wound and spiritual healing is vital in healing it, the military Chaplains should be fully educated on how to spot it and treat it as soon as they show signs they need help. We know the sooner we respond to the survivors after traumatic events, the lesser PTSD has the ability to invade into the soul. Having someone to talk to works wonders as long as the listener knows what to do with what was just said instead of just being there.
If they understand PTSD then they know they have to listen to what is being said as well as what is not being said. They need to pick up on the tone of voice knowing if the survivor is trying to release a deep, dark secret. They need to take the survivor back over the event and help them to see what happened was not their fault, or as with most of the time, they couldn't have done anything differently. Even in cases where they truly believe they were at fault, they need to be brought back to what happened before so they can stop seeing themselves as monsters.
They need help to see the big picture like suicide car bombers putting them on edge when a car comes too close too fast. They need to see that when an IED has taken out some in their convoy, they are watching for the next one at the same time they are watching for snipers and they react under stress. Their intention at the time is forgotten about and they need to be reminded what compelled them to do what they did.
Addressing PTSD is complicated but if the provider/responder knows what PTSD is, why it strikes some and not others, then most of what comes after is common sense. It would be a wonderful day if all military Chaplains were fully educated on PTSD as well as members of the local clergy. The spiritual wound is so deep that it changes every aspect of the veteran as well as the family, thus the community as well. Chaplains deployed need to know how to help as soon as possible and the clergy need to know how to help as well as possible for the sake of the veteran as well as the family.
Saving lives on the front line
Images: Photographer Erin Trieb spends six weeks with the U.S. Army's busiest trauma center in Afghanistan.
U.S. troops carry Sgt. Maj. Patrick Corcoran of the 10th Mountain Division’s 2-87 Infantry Battalion to a helicopter on Aug. 12, 2009. He suffered extensive spinal cord injuries when the armored vehicle he was traveling in hit an improvised explosive device, or IED, in Wardak province. Corcoran, who is now being treated at Walter Reed Army Medical Center., had been with the military for about 20 years.
Before being shipped out of Afghanistan, Corcoran received treatment at the 8th Forward Surgical Team trauma center in a remote corner of Logar province.
Made of plywood and housed in a small tent, the center may not look like much, but it became the U.S. Army's busiest trauma center in Afghanistan during photographer Erin Trieb’s six-week visit in mid-2009.
TODAY reports from Afghanistan
Dec. 8: TODAY's Matt Lauer and Al Roker report from Afghanistan as part of a two day special titled TODAY in Afghanistan and travel with Secretary of Defense Robert Gates.
Increases in PTSD Rate Outpace Growth of Services
Increases in PTSD Rate Outpace Growth of Services
By Bob Gordon
Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is not new. Ninety years ago it was known as 'shell shock'. Sixty years ago, 'Battle Exhaustion.' The rate that is surging amongst US military personnel today is.
It was only slightly more than thirty years ago, in the wake of the Vietnam War, that the roots of the syndrome, simply trauma and stress as a consequence, began to be understood.
In both the US and Canadian military awareness of it has increased significantly over the last decade. They have been compelled to subsequent to very public evidence.
In Canada General (ret.) Romeo Dallaire, a national hero who had commanded the NATO forces in Rwanda, was found incoherent and intoxicated on a park bench in the National Capital Region.
In the United States it first emerged in relation to escalating domestic violence reports amongst returned veterans of combat operations in Iraq and Afghanistan. Similar if less significant trends became apparent in other crime statistics also. The stakes from grown quickly recently.
It was only slightly more than a month ago that that Major Nidal Hassan went on a shooting spree at Fort Hood in Texas. He attacked the Soldier Readiness Processing Center shortly after it opened on Nov. 5, killing 13 and wounding 29. Hassan was a psychiatrist, employed to treat troops with PTSD.
A psychiatrist who also has worked with returnees suffering from PTSD, boldly suggests that incidents of this nature, soldier-on-soldier violence will become increasingly common. Dr. Kernan Manion, a psychiatrist worked for a personnel-recruiting company contracted by the Defense Department at Camp Lejeune, told ipsnews.net,If not more Fort Hoods, Camp Liberties, soldier fratricide, spousal homicide, we’ll see it individually in suicides, alcohol abuse, domestic violence, family dysfunction. That’s what we’re going to have. Broken, not contributing, not functional, members of society.
read more here
Veterans’ transition not always smooth
Veterans’ transition not always smooth
By Anna Archibald
Wednesday, December 9, 2009
Underneath his blankets, a cold sweat interrupts his sleep. That single, life-altering day two years ago still haunts his dreams — well, nightmares.
The Marine unit was on a routine mission in Fallujah, Iraq, at 2 a.m. Everything seemed normal. Matt Stroh was on top of the Humvee keeping a lookout with his M240G machine gun, which was attached to the top of the vehicle. He sat down. Not a second later, he heard a loud bang, followed by a bright flash of light. Stroh’s head slammed against the side of the vehicle. His body twisted and he landed in pain. They’d been hit.
read more here
Veterans transition not always smooth
By Anna Archibald
Wednesday, December 9, 2009
Underneath his blankets, a cold sweat interrupts his sleep. That single, life-altering day two years ago still haunts his dreams — well, nightmares.
The Marine unit was on a routine mission in Fallujah, Iraq, at 2 a.m. Everything seemed normal. Matt Stroh was on top of the Humvee keeping a lookout with his M240G machine gun, which was attached to the top of the vehicle. He sat down. Not a second later, he heard a loud bang, followed by a bright flash of light. Stroh’s head slammed against the side of the vehicle. His body twisted and he landed in pain. They’d been hit.
read more here
Veterans transition not always smooth
N.C. Marine dies in argument over Texas game
SPORTS DIGEST
N.C. Marine dies in argument over Texas game
COMPILED FROM WIRE REPORTS
Tuesday, December 08, 2009
COLLEGE FOOTBALL
North Carolina Marine dies in argument over Big 12 title game
Police in North Carolina are saying a Marine was accidentally shot to death when he got into an argument with a friend over the Texas-Nebraska Big 12 title game.
Police say 21-year-old Johnathan Clinton Rodriguez was shot after banter escalated into a scuffle with a fellow Marine, Lionel Loya, 23, at a home. Loya had a gun that went off during the struggle. Loya has been charged with involuntary manslaughter.
N C Marine dies in argument over Texas game
N.C. Marine dies in argument over Texas game
COMPILED FROM WIRE REPORTS
Tuesday, December 08, 2009
COLLEGE FOOTBALL
North Carolina Marine dies in argument over Big 12 title game
Police in North Carolina are saying a Marine was accidentally shot to death when he got into an argument with a friend over the Texas-Nebraska Big 12 title game.
Police say 21-year-old Johnathan Clinton Rodriguez was shot after banter escalated into a scuffle with a fellow Marine, Lionel Loya, 23, at a home. Loya had a gun that went off during the struggle. Loya has been charged with involuntary manslaughter.
N C Marine dies in argument over Texas game
Tuesday, December 8, 2009
PTSD is chemical change in brain
New news? Not so much but this seems like a better study than what has been done lately. If they want to get rid of the stigma, they should start by keeping it simple. The simple truth of PTSD is that it only comes after traumatic events. There is no other way for PTSD to start. It is an invasion. It changes the way the brain works, how we feel, what we believe and how we process all things in our lives. How can anyone be ashamed of being attacked by something?
Traumatic events for witnesses as well as survivors leave us in shock. It was out of the ordinary and very hard to process the fact it was real instead of some kind of movie. In combat, traumatic events become part of the normal, at least they are expected to happen, and the body is automatically on guard, waiting and watching with every sense fully alert. Yet even with vigilance, they happen, leaving humans to overcome all of it. Sometimes, the event itself is just too much to take.
There is survival guilt when they wonder why they are still alive, what they could have done differently and even times when they blame themselves. This adds to the shock of the event. All of it becomes their fault.
Once this sets in, then there is taking on the blame for what they go through feeling as if they are defective because they seem to be the only one really suffering. They wonder what is wrong with them that they are unable to just snap back to "normal" getting over it the way their buddies did. They see what they want to see but if they really pay attention to those around them, they will see the changes in those they simply assume have been untouched. No one walks away from traumatic events the same way but sometimes the changes is so profound, it takes control.
Most of the veterans and warrior types have great compassion within them. This is reported by their families when they reminisce about lives before combat and how much they had changed after, suddenly cold, uncaring, distant and showing anger more than any other emotion. They will look for the veteran to come home the same way since they look the same, time has only been measured in a year or so, leaving them to find it very difficult to understand the profound changes. The obliviousness is also part of the problem when the veteran will not talk about what they went through trying to protect their families from hearing about it, as well as the fact most families do not want to be subjected to the dangers some they loved had to face.
How can they understand when no one will tell them and they have little interest in knowing? They need to have PTSD as part of a normal conversation without all the graphic images but at least being presented with the knowledge of what the veteran is experiencing so they can help them heal.
These studies can go a long way in doing that. With the studies in mental illnesses, like depression, we see commercials making seeking help for depression as easy to understand as seeking help for erectile dysfunction. Maybe some day we'll see a Marine veteran talking about how his time in service to this country has changed him with the frequency of the couples in tubs out in the open talking about "when the time is right" and leaves us thinking everyone is now using bathtubs out in some field. Normalize PTSD because when it comes to traumatic events, changes are normal.
Traumatic events for witnesses as well as survivors leave us in shock. It was out of the ordinary and very hard to process the fact it was real instead of some kind of movie. In combat, traumatic events become part of the normal, at least they are expected to happen, and the body is automatically on guard, waiting and watching with every sense fully alert. Yet even with vigilance, they happen, leaving humans to overcome all of it. Sometimes, the event itself is just too much to take.
There is survival guilt when they wonder why they are still alive, what they could have done differently and even times when they blame themselves. This adds to the shock of the event. All of it becomes their fault.
Once this sets in, then there is taking on the blame for what they go through feeling as if they are defective because they seem to be the only one really suffering. They wonder what is wrong with them that they are unable to just snap back to "normal" getting over it the way their buddies did. They see what they want to see but if they really pay attention to those around them, they will see the changes in those they simply assume have been untouched. No one walks away from traumatic events the same way but sometimes the changes is so profound, it takes control.
Most of the veterans and warrior types have great compassion within them. This is reported by their families when they reminisce about lives before combat and how much they had changed after, suddenly cold, uncaring, distant and showing anger more than any other emotion. They will look for the veteran to come home the same way since they look the same, time has only been measured in a year or so, leaving them to find it very difficult to understand the profound changes. The obliviousness is also part of the problem when the veteran will not talk about what they went through trying to protect their families from hearing about it, as well as the fact most families do not want to be subjected to the dangers some they loved had to face.
How can they understand when no one will tell them and they have little interest in knowing? They need to have PTSD as part of a normal conversation without all the graphic images but at least being presented with the knowledge of what the veteran is experiencing so they can help them heal.
These studies can go a long way in doing that. With the studies in mental illnesses, like depression, we see commercials making seeking help for depression as easy to understand as seeking help for erectile dysfunction. Maybe some day we'll see a Marine veteran talking about how his time in service to this country has changed him with the frequency of the couples in tubs out in the open talking about "when the time is right" and leaves us thinking everyone is now using bathtubs out in some field. Normalize PTSD because when it comes to traumatic events, changes are normal.
“Once veterans see this is a neurobiological disorder in which their brain acts differently in terms of circuitry and chemical function, oftentimes it motivates them to seek treatment,” he said.
2 studies: PTSD is chemical change in brain
By Kelly Kennedy - Staff writer
Posted : Tuesday Dec 8, 2009 16:26:09 EST
Two new studies seem to provide more evidence that post-traumatic stress disorder is a chemical change in the brain caused by trauma — and that it might be possible to diagnose, treat and predict susceptibility to it based on brain scans or blood tests.
In one study, Christine Marx, of the Duke University Medical Center and Durham Veterans Affairs Medical Center, wondered why PTSD, depression and pain often occur together.
Researchers already knew that people with PTSD show changes in their neurosteroids, which are brain chemicals thought to play a role in how the body responds to stress.
Previous animal studies showed that blood neurosteroid levels correlated to brain neurosteroid levels, so Marx measured the blood neurosteroid levels of 90 male Iraq and Afghanistan veterans. She found that the neurosteroid levels correlated to symptom severity in PTSD, depression and pain issues, and that those levels might be used to predict how a person reacts to therapy as well as to help develop new therapies.
read more herehttp://www.airforcetimes.com/news/2009/12/military_ptsd_diagnosis_120809w/
Pooch platoon gives traumatised troops new life
Pooch platoon gives traumatised troops new life
Christina Lamb in Washington
WHEN John Landry takes his romanian sheepdogs for a walk along the boardwalk of Old Town Alexandria, Virginia, everyone stops to look.
“They’re gorgeous!” gasp onlookers as they pull out mobile phones to be photographed alongside the large floppy white dogs that look like something out of Hamleys’ soft toy department in London.
The dogs might be huggable to look at but they have a far more important role — to help re-integrate military veterans scarred by the horrors of war in Iraq and Afghanistan.
“Everyone stops to talk so it’s a way of breaking the ice for those who are finding it hard to fit back into society,” says Landry, a dog trainer.
The US army is using exotic dogs and other animals to relieve combat stress as it finds its forces increasingly stretched. Next week it will hold its first animal assisted therapy symposium at Fort Myer army base in Virginia.
There is growing concern within the top ranks about the human toll of fighting wars in both Iraq and Afghanistan. Military suicides have been on the rise. By late November this year, 141 US soldiers had killed themselves, one more than in the whole of 2008. There were 115 soldier suicides in 2007.
read more here
Pooch platoon gives traumatised troops new life
Christina Lamb in Washington
WHEN John Landry takes his romanian sheepdogs for a walk along the boardwalk of Old Town Alexandria, Virginia, everyone stops to look.
“They’re gorgeous!” gasp onlookers as they pull out mobile phones to be photographed alongside the large floppy white dogs that look like something out of Hamleys’ soft toy department in London.
The dogs might be huggable to look at but they have a far more important role — to help re-integrate military veterans scarred by the horrors of war in Iraq and Afghanistan.
“Everyone stops to talk so it’s a way of breaking the ice for those who are finding it hard to fit back into society,” says Landry, a dog trainer.
The US army is using exotic dogs and other animals to relieve combat stress as it finds its forces increasingly stretched. Next week it will hold its first animal assisted therapy symposium at Fort Myer army base in Virginia.
There is growing concern within the top ranks about the human toll of fighting wars in both Iraq and Afghanistan. Military suicides have been on the rise. By late November this year, 141 US soldiers had killed themselves, one more than in the whole of 2008. There were 115 soldier suicides in 2007.
read more here
Pooch platoon gives traumatised troops new life
Fort Drum soldier killed in Providence
RI shooting victim was Drum-based soldier
The Associated Press
Posted : Tuesday Dec 8, 2009 8:43:42 EST
FORT DRUM, N.Y. — Military officials say one of two men fatally shot in Rhode Island last weekend was a soldier stationed at Fort Drum.
Police in Providence say 22-year-old David Thomas of Boston was shot and killed about 2:30 a.m. Sunday while in a vehicle with his 18-year-old brother, Dwayne, and 21-year-old Domingo Ortiz, who also died. Dwayne Thomas survived the shooting.
read more here
http://www.armytimes.com/news/2009/12/ap_army_drum_shooting_victim_120809/
The Associated Press
Posted : Tuesday Dec 8, 2009 8:43:42 EST
FORT DRUM, N.Y. — Military officials say one of two men fatally shot in Rhode Island last weekend was a soldier stationed at Fort Drum.
Police in Providence say 22-year-old David Thomas of Boston was shot and killed about 2:30 a.m. Sunday while in a vehicle with his 18-year-old brother, Dwayne, and 21-year-old Domingo Ortiz, who also died. Dwayne Thomas survived the shooting.
read more here
http://www.armytimes.com/news/2009/12/ap_army_drum_shooting_victim_120809/
Fort Campbell soldier and father found dead in suspected murder suicide
Campbell soldier, dad found dead in apartment
The Associated Press
Posted : Tuesday Dec 8, 2009 10:25:08 EST
CLARKSVILLE, Tenn. — Police say that two men found shot to death in a Clarksville apartment were a Fort Campbell soldier and his father, and they are investigating the deaths as a murder-suicide.
read more here
http://www.armytimes.com/news/2009/12/ap_army_campbell_soldier_dead_120809/
The Associated Press
Posted : Tuesday Dec 8, 2009 10:25:08 EST
CLARKSVILLE, Tenn. — Police say that two men found shot to death in a Clarksville apartment were a Fort Campbell soldier and his father, and they are investigating the deaths as a murder-suicide.
read more here
http://www.armytimes.com/news/2009/12/ap_army_campbell_soldier_dead_120809/
19,2000 mourners expected for memorial for fallen officers gunned down
Procession for slain Lakewood police officers arrives at Tacoma Dome
The memorial procession and service honoring four slain Lakewood police officers gets underway in Tacoma.
Seattle Times staff
Flag-draped caskets for the four slain Lakewood police officers were wheeled into the Tacoma Dome as hundreds of members of law enforcement, holding crisp lines in their dress uniforms, watched in silence.
The procession for the memorial service began at 10:05 a.m. at McChord Air Force Base as 2,000 law enforcement vehicles, red-and-blue lights flashing, crawled along a somber, 10.3-mile route. The procession was so sprawling that the tail end was still at the base as the hearses were parking at the Tacoma Dome.
Gov. Chris Gregoire, scheduled to speak at the memorial, called it "the darkest day in the history of law enforcement in Washington."
The service will begin about 45 minutes later than the planned 1 p.m. start time because of the size of the procession.
The enormous contingent represented more than 300 agencies and thousands of law-enforcement officers, among them an estimated 600 from British Columbia, 100 each from Chicago and New York, and others from Boston, Bozeman, Mont., Salem, Ore., and every corner of Washington state. FBI Director Robert Mueller planned to attend.
Lakewood police Sgt. Mark Renninger and Officers Tina Griswold, Gregory Richards and Ronnie Owens were gunned down by Maurice Clemmons on Nov. 29 at a Pierce County coffee shop. It was worst attack on law enforcement in the state's history.
About 19,2000 mourners, mostly law-enforcement officers, were anticipated at today's memorial, making it the biggest such event in state history. About 2,500 seats were set aside for the public, on a first-come basis. Others will be watching on live television and at three off-site viewing locations.
read more here
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2010453457_webmemorial08m.html
The memorial procession and service honoring four slain Lakewood police officers gets underway in Tacoma.
Seattle Times staff
Flag-draped caskets for the four slain Lakewood police officers were wheeled into the Tacoma Dome as hundreds of members of law enforcement, holding crisp lines in their dress uniforms, watched in silence.
The procession for the memorial service began at 10:05 a.m. at McChord Air Force Base as 2,000 law enforcement vehicles, red-and-blue lights flashing, crawled along a somber, 10.3-mile route. The procession was so sprawling that the tail end was still at the base as the hearses were parking at the Tacoma Dome.
Gov. Chris Gregoire, scheduled to speak at the memorial, called it "the darkest day in the history of law enforcement in Washington."
The service will begin about 45 minutes later than the planned 1 p.m. start time because of the size of the procession.
The enormous contingent represented more than 300 agencies and thousands of law-enforcement officers, among them an estimated 600 from British Columbia, 100 each from Chicago and New York, and others from Boston, Bozeman, Mont., Salem, Ore., and every corner of Washington state. FBI Director Robert Mueller planned to attend.
Lakewood police Sgt. Mark Renninger and Officers Tina Griswold, Gregory Richards and Ronnie Owens were gunned down by Maurice Clemmons on Nov. 29 at a Pierce County coffee shop. It was worst attack on law enforcement in the state's history.
About 19,2000 mourners, mostly law-enforcement officers, were anticipated at today's memorial, making it the biggest such event in state history. About 2,500 seats were set aside for the public, on a first-come basis. Others will be watching on live television and at three off-site viewing locations.
read more here
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2010453457_webmemorial08m.html
WH: MoH Recipient Should Have Flagpole
WH: MoH Recipient Should Have Flagpole
December 08, 2009
Associated Press
WASHINGTON -- White House press secretary Robert Gibbs said Monday that it is "silly" to think that a 90-year-old Medal of Honor recipient is being asked to remove a flagpole from his front yard.
Retired Army Col. Van T. Barfoot, a World War II veteran, is fighting to keep the 21-foot pole at his suburban Richmond, Va., home. His homeowners association said the pole violates the neighborhood's aesthetic guidelines. It pushed back a deadline to remove it to Friday.
Gibbs said during a briefing that he hasn't spoken directly to President Barack Obama about the flap. But he said "the president believes - I think all of us believe - that the very least we can do is show our gratitude and thanks to somebody that served our country so admirably."
He went on to say that "it's silly to ... think that somebody that's done that can't have a flagpole and ... show the proper respect and appreciation that any flag deserves by flying that in their neighborhood."
Other supporters include U.S. Sens. Mark R. Warner and Jim Webb, both Virginia Democrats. They and veterans groups have rallied behind Barfoot, who was awarded the lofty Congressional honor for actions including standing up to three German tanks with a bazooka and stopping their advance.
read more here
MoH Recipient Should Have Flagpole
December 08, 2009
Associated Press
WASHINGTON -- White House press secretary Robert Gibbs said Monday that it is "silly" to think that a 90-year-old Medal of Honor recipient is being asked to remove a flagpole from his front yard.
Retired Army Col. Van T. Barfoot, a World War II veteran, is fighting to keep the 21-foot pole at his suburban Richmond, Va., home. His homeowners association said the pole violates the neighborhood's aesthetic guidelines. It pushed back a deadline to remove it to Friday.
Gibbs said during a briefing that he hasn't spoken directly to President Barack Obama about the flap. But he said "the president believes - I think all of us believe - that the very least we can do is show our gratitude and thanks to somebody that served our country so admirably."
He went on to say that "it's silly to ... think that somebody that's done that can't have a flagpole and ... show the proper respect and appreciation that any flag deserves by flying that in their neighborhood."
Other supporters include U.S. Sens. Mark R. Warner and Jim Webb, both Virginia Democrats. They and veterans groups have rallied behind Barfoot, who was awarded the lofty Congressional honor for actions including standing up to three German tanks with a bazooka and stopping their advance.
read more here
MoH Recipient Should Have Flagpole
Monday, December 7, 2009
Vets caught in a losing battle over funding cuts
Vets caught in a losing battle over funding cuts
By Marie Szaniszlo
Sunday, December 6, 2009
Veterans advocates are vowing to fight budget cuts to the state’s two Soldiers’ Homes, which closed outpatient services last week in Holyoke and will be forced to do the same in Chelsea by the end of this month.
“We’re in the middle of a war, and we’re cutting veterans’ services?” said Maggie Feyre, the Holyoke home’s recreation director. “They served, and now it’s our time to serve them.”
The outpatient clinics provide vision, medical and dental care, physical therapy, and a pharmacy. Unlike Veterans Administration hospitals, the homes receive most of their funding from the state.
In late October, Gov. Deval Patrick cut $1.89 million from the two health-care facilities.
“I think he should be ashamed of himself,” said Jim Mitrowski, a 61-year-old Vietnam veteran from Holyoke, where the outpatient clinic closed Tuesday. It served more than 2,100 people.
read more here
Vets caught in a losing battle over funding cuts
By Marie Szaniszlo
Sunday, December 6, 2009
Veterans advocates are vowing to fight budget cuts to the state’s two Soldiers’ Homes, which closed outpatient services last week in Holyoke and will be forced to do the same in Chelsea by the end of this month.
“We’re in the middle of a war, and we’re cutting veterans’ services?” said Maggie Feyre, the Holyoke home’s recreation director. “They served, and now it’s our time to serve them.”
The outpatient clinics provide vision, medical and dental care, physical therapy, and a pharmacy. Unlike Veterans Administration hospitals, the homes receive most of their funding from the state.
In late October, Gov. Deval Patrick cut $1.89 million from the two health-care facilities.
“I think he should be ashamed of himself,” said Jim Mitrowski, a 61-year-old Vietnam veteran from Holyoke, where the outpatient clinic closed Tuesday. It served more than 2,100 people.
read more here
Vets caught in a losing battle over funding cuts
2 Marine sons lost, neither in war action
2 Marine sons lost, neither in war action
A Minnesota family suffers a "crushing" blow as brothers die in accidents four years apart.
By KEVIN DUCHSCHERE, Star Tribune
Last update: December 7, 2009 - 1:38 PM
Ryan Pape graduated from high school the day after his older brother, Marine Cpl. Riley Pape, was buried in a country cemetery near the family farm north of East Grand Forks, Minn. Riley, 22, had survived deadly fighting in Iraq's Anbar Province only to lose his life in a motorcycle accident after returning to California.
Now, after following Riley into a Marine reconnaissance battalion and serving two tours in Iraq, Ryan is gone, too -- like his brother, a victim not of combat but a horrible accident in California. He died Thursday during a parachute training exercise for an elite unit of warriors. He was 23.
"It just isn't right," said the Rev. Bud Johnson, the Pape family's pastor and himself the father of veterans. "When they were deployed, we were on edge all the time. When they get back, you have a sense of safety."
read more here2 Marine sons lost, neither in war action
A Minnesota family suffers a "crushing" blow as brothers die in accidents four years apart.
By KEVIN DUCHSCHERE, Star Tribune
Last update: December 7, 2009 - 1:38 PM
Ryan Pape graduated from high school the day after his older brother, Marine Cpl. Riley Pape, was buried in a country cemetery near the family farm north of East Grand Forks, Minn. Riley, 22, had survived deadly fighting in Iraq's Anbar Province only to lose his life in a motorcycle accident after returning to California.
Now, after following Riley into a Marine reconnaissance battalion and serving two tours in Iraq, Ryan is gone, too -- like his brother, a victim not of combat but a horrible accident in California. He died Thursday during a parachute training exercise for an elite unit of warriors. He was 23.
"It just isn't right," said the Rev. Bud Johnson, the Pape family's pastor and himself the father of veterans. "When they were deployed, we were on edge all the time. When they get back, you have a sense of safety."
read more here2 Marine sons lost, neither in war action
The Creation Of Viet Nam Vets
Sent from DAV Chapter 16 Chaplain Lyle
The Creation Of Viet Nam Vets:
When the Lord was creating Vietnam veterans, He was into His 6th day of overtime when an angel appeared.
"You're certainly doing a lot of fiddling around on this one."
And God said, "Have you seen the specs on this order? A Nam vet has to be able to run 5 miles through the bush with a full pack on, endure with barely any sleep for days, enter tunnels his higher ups wouldn't consider doing, and keep his weapons clean and operable.
He has to be able to sit in his hole all night during an attack, hold his buddies as they die, walk point in unfamiliar territory known to be VC infested, and somehow keep his senses alert for danger.
He has to be in top physical condition existing on c-rats and very little rest. And he has to have 6 pairs of hands."
The angel shook his head slowly and said, "6 pair of hands....no way."
The Lord say's "It's not the hands that are causing me problems. It's the 3 pair of eyes a Nam vet has to have."
"That's on the standard model?" asked the angel.
The Lord nodded. "One pair that sees through elephant grass, another pair here in the side of his head for his buddies, another pair here in front that can look reassuringly at his bleeding, fellow soldier and say, "You'll make it" ... when he knows he won't.
"Lord, rest, and work on this tomorrow."
"I can't," said the Lord. "I already have a model that can carry a wounded soldier 1,000 yards during a fire fight, calm the fears of the latest FNG, and feed a family of 4 on a grunt's paycheck."
The angel walked around the model and said, "Can it think?"
"You bet," said the Lord. "It can quote much of the UCMJ, recite all his general orders, and engage in a search and destroy mission in less time than it takes for his fellow Americans back home to discuss the morality of the War, and still keep his sense of humor The Lord gazed into the future and said, "He will also endure being vilified and spit on when he returns home, rejected and crucified by the very ones he fought for."
Finally, the angel slowly ran his finger across the vet's cheek, and said, "There's a leak...I told you that you were trying to put too much into this model."
"That's not a leak", said the Lord. "That's a tear."
"What's the tear for?" asked the angel.
"It's for bottled up emotions, for holding fallen soldiers as they die, for commitment to that funny piece of cloth called the American flag, for the terror of living with PTSD for decades after the war, alone with it's demons with no one to care or help."
"You're a genius," said the angel, casting a gaze at the tear.
The lord looked very somber, as if seeing down eternity's distant shores.
"I didn't put it there," he said.
A Veteran is someone who, at one point in his life wrote a blank check Made payable to "The United States of America for an amount of "up to and including my life". That is Honor, and there are way too many people in This country who no longer understand it."
The Creation Of Viet Nam Vets:
When the Lord was creating Vietnam veterans, He was into His 6th day of overtime when an angel appeared.
"You're certainly doing a lot of fiddling around on this one."
And God said, "Have you seen the specs on this order? A Nam vet has to be able to run 5 miles through the bush with a full pack on, endure with barely any sleep for days, enter tunnels his higher ups wouldn't consider doing, and keep his weapons clean and operable.
He has to be able to sit in his hole all night during an attack, hold his buddies as they die, walk point in unfamiliar territory known to be VC infested, and somehow keep his senses alert for danger.
He has to be in top physical condition existing on c-rats and very little rest. And he has to have 6 pairs of hands."
The angel shook his head slowly and said, "6 pair of hands....no way."
The Lord say's "It's not the hands that are causing me problems. It's the 3 pair of eyes a Nam vet has to have."
"That's on the standard model?" asked the angel.
The Lord nodded. "One pair that sees through elephant grass, another pair here in the side of his head for his buddies, another pair here in front that can look reassuringly at his bleeding, fellow soldier and say, "You'll make it" ... when he knows he won't.
"Lord, rest, and work on this tomorrow."
"I can't," said the Lord. "I already have a model that can carry a wounded soldier 1,000 yards during a fire fight, calm the fears of the latest FNG, and feed a family of 4 on a grunt's paycheck."
The angel walked around the model and said, "Can it think?"
"You bet," said the Lord. "It can quote much of the UCMJ, recite all his general orders, and engage in a search and destroy mission in less time than it takes for his fellow Americans back home to discuss the morality of the War, and still keep his sense of humor The Lord gazed into the future and said, "He will also endure being vilified and spit on when he returns home, rejected and crucified by the very ones he fought for."
Finally, the angel slowly ran his finger across the vet's cheek, and said, "There's a leak...I told you that you were trying to put too much into this model."
"That's not a leak", said the Lord. "That's a tear."
"What's the tear for?" asked the angel.
"It's for bottled up emotions, for holding fallen soldiers as they die, for commitment to that funny piece of cloth called the American flag, for the terror of living with PTSD for decades after the war, alone with it's demons with no one to care or help."
"You're a genius," said the angel, casting a gaze at the tear.
The lord looked very somber, as if seeing down eternity's distant shores.
"I didn't put it there," he said.
A Veteran is someone who, at one point in his life wrote a blank check Made payable to "The United States of America for an amount of "up to and including my life". That is Honor, and there are way too many people in This country who no longer understand it."
We have a habit of using the word hero far too often
by
Chaplain Kathie
A young veteran returns from Iraq and wonders why no one is taking care of him. He is told he gets five years of free care from the VA, but no one is telling him how he can pay his bills when he cannot work. PTSD, TBI and other wounds have him on medications leaving him "unemployable" along with the fact he keeps having seizures. He keeps hearing how much help there is for veterans like him, but he has seen little evidence of it. But his story won't get the media attention. Tiger Woods, the golfing hero cheating on his wife, deserves more attention. After all, he's well known, wealthy and has a fairytale story.
Tiger Woods' wife told troopers he was drinking before crash
Tiger Woods was drinking before he wrecked his SUV two weeks ago, a witness told a Florida Highway Patrol trooper. Read more...
The young veteran, well he was sent away with cheering crowds for both deployments, held in prayer while he was gone, but came home to a young wife and young kids as a different person trapped in a wounded body. She didn't want to "put up with it" and she left him alone.
Tiger Woods worries about all the media trying to turn him into a bad guy, even though he was supposed to be a golfer and not some kind of perfect icon. The young veteran worries about the rest of his life after he risked that life for this country in Iraq and how he will survive the rest of that life.
Doesn't seem fair.
That's the problem. We have a habit of using the word hero far too often. We elevate celebrities and the rich as if they are so worthy of the admiration, while most of them have done nothing for the anyone unless they got something back. When it comes to the men and women deciding to serve in the military, all they ask is that they are supported, used only when needed and taken care of if they get hurt doing it. No one else in this country would ever take a job knowing if they were hurt on the job, they would be abandoned by all, but we expect the military jobs to end up being allowed to just be forgotten about as if no one ever included their service compensation to matter like workman's comp does.
The way we view success in this country would leave Christ Himself to be viewed as a worthless failure because He walked around homeless and depending on strangers to shelter Him and cloth Him. He was hung between two criminals with nails for all the good He did. Some of the rich believe they are entitled to all they have and everyone else deserves to have nothing but some give back thankful for what they have. Some think they deserve more and more so they fall prey to people like Bernie Madoff because he could create money out of thin air but he sucks all the money they had leaving them with nothing to show for it other than worthless paper.
A hero is someone who gives of himself/herself. They do it to help others and for no other reason. They are willing to lay down their lives for their comrades. They follow orders no matter if they agree with them or not and fight whomever they are sent to fight because it is above their "pay grade" to know it all. They trust. They trust their commanders. They trust their buddies. They trust the American people that when we say we are a grateful nation, we really mean it. Then they find out exactly how little we really do mean it when they come back and have to face the rest of their lives in an oblivious community. Doesn't seem to matter it was the same community where they shipped out from and were welcomed home to as they walk the streets trying to find help to heal.
When you Google Veteran Service Organization there are 3,700,000 and if you Google Veteran you'll find 4,440,000. There are so many groups springing up around the country now that it is astonishing how many veterans are still not getting help. We just assume that all is well with them because that is what we are told. Just as workers for the VA believe the problem is fixed and veterans are being taken care of with the hiring frenzies lately, they are not aware there are thousands of veterans waiting and suffering standing in line. If they don't see them then they just assume the problem is no where near close to catastrophic.
When mental health professionals at Give an Hour decided to step up and offer free care to veterans needing help to heal from PTSD, that should have been the loudest signal of all that too many were being dumped back into society with nothing but too few heard it. Most Americans were too busy screaming they support the troops and sticking their fingers in their ears.
Service and veterans groups decided they would do only what they wanted to do instead of what was needed to be done. The most useful service groups took on helping to pay bills as well as offering emotional support. Some thought that just putting up another memorial was all that was needed simply because that was all they were interested in. Something tangible they could look at to remind them of how much they cared as they patted themselves on the back while a homeless veteran went begging in the street in front of the monument. They could tell the homeless veteran the memorial was for him but it's doubtful he would be able to keep warm in the winter with it or dry in the rain.
Veterans reach out for help everyday. Some of the help they get is not what they need. Some of the help they get is exactly what they need but it comes too late after their families have fallen apart, their homes are gone and they have been beaten down so low they cannot find the energy to stand back up again.
So what's the answer? A total attitude change in this country. Established service groups like the VFW, American Legion and DAV are seeing their numbers shrink. They are not attracting many of the 2 million new veterans. Why is that? Because they are in a set comfort zone of just doing what they always did. Some have been opening their eyes to this fact and trying to do something about it by stepping up to provide what is needed for the newer veterans and their families. Others will end up just dying out. The other indication of how much these organizations are not doing is the number of service organizations stepping up over the last few years. If the older groups were doing what was needed, there would be no need of most of the newer groups.
Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America formed because no one was willing to fight for them. Some organizations were just too cozy with the Washington powerful and would not go against them even though the data was coming in with shocking figures. Suicides and attempted suicides were rising along with homelessness and incarcerations stacked on top of unemployment numbers and backlogged VA claims. These organizations were supposed to be about veterans. All veterans.
After returning from Vietnam, most of the leaders of these organizations today were greeted with being treated as if they didn't belong by older veterans. You'd think after the way they were treated they would be more than willing to do what was necessary to take care of the newer veterans, but power and connections and comfort zones were too easy to maintain by doing nothing. The problem with the IAVA is that they are only interested in the newer veterans at the same time the older veterans are finally being informed of what PTSD is and coming to the understanding what's wrong with them has a name and they do not need to suffer any more without help. The IAVA has the latest technology to use but does not have older veterans, the older organizations have older veterans but no technology, leaving the Vietnam veterans out in the cold again.
All service organizations should use what has worked for the sake of all veterans and lean on each other to find who is doing what better than they are and support it. Join forces for the sake of the veterans and stop letting ego and competition for donations get in the way of what they were formed to do in the first place.
Then maybe, just maybe, we can finally get to a point where a golfer is not regarded in higher esteem than a war veteran.
Chaplain Kathie
A young veteran returns from Iraq and wonders why no one is taking care of him. He is told he gets five years of free care from the VA, but no one is telling him how he can pay his bills when he cannot work. PTSD, TBI and other wounds have him on medications leaving him "unemployable" along with the fact he keeps having seizures. He keeps hearing how much help there is for veterans like him, but he has seen little evidence of it. But his story won't get the media attention. Tiger Woods, the golfing hero cheating on his wife, deserves more attention. After all, he's well known, wealthy and has a fairytale story.
Tiger Woods' wife told troopers he was drinking before crash
Tiger Woods was drinking before he wrecked his SUV two weeks ago, a witness told a Florida Highway Patrol trooper. Read more...
The young veteran, well he was sent away with cheering crowds for both deployments, held in prayer while he was gone, but came home to a young wife and young kids as a different person trapped in a wounded body. She didn't want to "put up with it" and she left him alone.
Tiger Woods worries about all the media trying to turn him into a bad guy, even though he was supposed to be a golfer and not some kind of perfect icon. The young veteran worries about the rest of his life after he risked that life for this country in Iraq and how he will survive the rest of that life.
Doesn't seem fair.
That's the problem. We have a habit of using the word hero far too often. We elevate celebrities and the rich as if they are so worthy of the admiration, while most of them have done nothing for the anyone unless they got something back. When it comes to the men and women deciding to serve in the military, all they ask is that they are supported, used only when needed and taken care of if they get hurt doing it. No one else in this country would ever take a job knowing if they were hurt on the job, they would be abandoned by all, but we expect the military jobs to end up being allowed to just be forgotten about as if no one ever included their service compensation to matter like workman's comp does.
The way we view success in this country would leave Christ Himself to be viewed as a worthless failure because He walked around homeless and depending on strangers to shelter Him and cloth Him. He was hung between two criminals with nails for all the good He did. Some of the rich believe they are entitled to all they have and everyone else deserves to have nothing but some give back thankful for what they have. Some think they deserve more and more so they fall prey to people like Bernie Madoff because he could create money out of thin air but he sucks all the money they had leaving them with nothing to show for it other than worthless paper.
A hero is someone who gives of himself/herself. They do it to help others and for no other reason. They are willing to lay down their lives for their comrades. They follow orders no matter if they agree with them or not and fight whomever they are sent to fight because it is above their "pay grade" to know it all. They trust. They trust their commanders. They trust their buddies. They trust the American people that when we say we are a grateful nation, we really mean it. Then they find out exactly how little we really do mean it when they come back and have to face the rest of their lives in an oblivious community. Doesn't seem to matter it was the same community where they shipped out from and were welcomed home to as they walk the streets trying to find help to heal.
When you Google Veteran Service Organization there are 3,700,000 and if you Google Veteran you'll find 4,440,000. There are so many groups springing up around the country now that it is astonishing how many veterans are still not getting help. We just assume that all is well with them because that is what we are told. Just as workers for the VA believe the problem is fixed and veterans are being taken care of with the hiring frenzies lately, they are not aware there are thousands of veterans waiting and suffering standing in line. If they don't see them then they just assume the problem is no where near close to catastrophic.
When mental health professionals at Give an Hour decided to step up and offer free care to veterans needing help to heal from PTSD, that should have been the loudest signal of all that too many were being dumped back into society with nothing but too few heard it. Most Americans were too busy screaming they support the troops and sticking their fingers in their ears.
Service and veterans groups decided they would do only what they wanted to do instead of what was needed to be done. The most useful service groups took on helping to pay bills as well as offering emotional support. Some thought that just putting up another memorial was all that was needed simply because that was all they were interested in. Something tangible they could look at to remind them of how much they cared as they patted themselves on the back while a homeless veteran went begging in the street in front of the monument. They could tell the homeless veteran the memorial was for him but it's doubtful he would be able to keep warm in the winter with it or dry in the rain.
Veterans reach out for help everyday. Some of the help they get is not what they need. Some of the help they get is exactly what they need but it comes too late after their families have fallen apart, their homes are gone and they have been beaten down so low they cannot find the energy to stand back up again.
So what's the answer? A total attitude change in this country. Established service groups like the VFW, American Legion and DAV are seeing their numbers shrink. They are not attracting many of the 2 million new veterans. Why is that? Because they are in a set comfort zone of just doing what they always did. Some have been opening their eyes to this fact and trying to do something about it by stepping up to provide what is needed for the newer veterans and their families. Others will end up just dying out. The other indication of how much these organizations are not doing is the number of service organizations stepping up over the last few years. If the older groups were doing what was needed, there would be no need of most of the newer groups.
Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America formed because no one was willing to fight for them. Some organizations were just too cozy with the Washington powerful and would not go against them even though the data was coming in with shocking figures. Suicides and attempted suicides were rising along with homelessness and incarcerations stacked on top of unemployment numbers and backlogged VA claims. These organizations were supposed to be about veterans. All veterans.
After returning from Vietnam, most of the leaders of these organizations today were greeted with being treated as if they didn't belong by older veterans. You'd think after the way they were treated they would be more than willing to do what was necessary to take care of the newer veterans, but power and connections and comfort zones were too easy to maintain by doing nothing. The problem with the IAVA is that they are only interested in the newer veterans at the same time the older veterans are finally being informed of what PTSD is and coming to the understanding what's wrong with them has a name and they do not need to suffer any more without help. The IAVA has the latest technology to use but does not have older veterans, the older organizations have older veterans but no technology, leaving the Vietnam veterans out in the cold again.
All service organizations should use what has worked for the sake of all veterans and lean on each other to find who is doing what better than they are and support it. Join forces for the sake of the veterans and stop letting ego and competition for donations get in the way of what they were formed to do in the first place.
Then maybe, just maybe, we can finally get to a point where a golfer is not regarded in higher esteem than a war veteran.
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