Fort Carson:9 men,10 murders from one brigade

Before you attempt to write these soldier off as just criminals, consider this. They were willing to risk their lives for this country with two military campaigns going on. Afghanistan was invaded in 2001 and Iraq was invaded in 2003. All of them volunteered to risk their lives because the government said they were needed. Is that the act of a criminal? Is that the act of someone with absolutely no regard for human life? No. Are there some trying to get into the military so they can "kill people" and get away with it? Sure there is that possibility but I'd like to see them pass the mental evaluation and pull it off. Even if you know absolutely nothing about PTSD, I'm sure even you would understand the difference in character the men and women in the military have from the rest of us. If nothing else, allow that to enter into your brain before you read this.

For my readers up to speed on PTSD, this requires absolutely no more explanation for you to understand so please read it and then contact your elected officials, yes even the ones who were just elected to office so they have a game plan when they get to Washington. There is no time to waste.

Deadly duty for Fort Carson
Fort Carson has sent thousands of troops into action overseas. But nine may have brought too much of the war home with them and have been linked to violent crimes.
By David Olinger
The Denver Post

John needham, 25, pictured at left atop an armored personnel carrier in Iraq, was arrested in Orange County, Calif., in September and charged with murder in the death of a 19-year-old woman found beaten at a condominium in San Clemente. (Photo courtesy of Mike Needham )

COLORADO SPRINGS — Erica Ham was walking to a bus stop, heading for work as a nursing-home housekeeper, when a car struck her from behind.

Three men jumped out. "Get on the ground!" one with a gun ordered. Another stabbed her repeatedly, puncturing a lung and slitting her left eyelid. Police found her unconscious but alive, her cellphone at her ear.

Matthew Orrenmaa was shot as he walked to get gas for his truck, Zachary Szody as he talked with a friend in front of a Colorado Springs house. Cesar Ramirez-Ibanez and Amairany Cervantes were gunned down as they posted a garage-sale sign. Kevin Shields was shot to death on his 24th birthday, Robert James for the cash in his wallet, Jonathan Smith in an attempted robbery, Sara

Sherwood by a husband who then killed himself. Judilianna Lawrence was murdered by a rapist who slit her throat. Jacqwelyn Villagomez was beaten to death.

The victims had just one thing in common: The men accused of attacking them all went to war in Iraq with the same Fort Carson unit, the 4th Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division.

In three years, nine men from that single 3,700-soldier Army brigade have been charged in 10 murders and attempted homicides, all but two in or around Colorado Springs. Some of the attacks appear frighteningly random; victims were shot and stabbed by men they had never seen before. Four of the victims — Orrenmaa, Szody, Shields and James — also served at Fort Carson.

Of the accused, one had been sent home early from Iraq with mental-health problems. Another had been hospitalized with post-traumatic stress disorder. Another had become addicted to painkillers prescribed for his wounds.
go here for more
http://www.denverpost.com/breakingnews/ci_10996605
Linked from
http://icasualties.org/oif/

Haley VA center apologizes after vet dies

"It just don't seem right," said Szamlewski's widow, Marie. "I just don't understand why they didn't give it to him. Maybe my story can help somebody else to know they've got to stay on the VA every minute."

Haley VA center apologizes after vet dies
By William R. Levesque, Times Staff Writer
Saturday, November 15, 2008



TAMPA — During his recovery from cancer surgery, doctors put Jim Szamlewski on oxygen to help keep him alive.

But they discharged him from the James A. Haley VA Medical Center without the thing most essential to his survival: oxygen.

For up to six agonizing hours on Sept. 5, the 75-year-old Army veteran struggled for breath as his condition deteriorated, his wife said. The oxygen finally arrived. But Szamlewski's heart stopped 12 hours after his discharge. Though it was restarted, his brain had been irreparably damaged.

Szamlewski, of Land O'Lakes, died with the removal of life support on Sept. 9.

His is the third case detailed by the St. Petersburg Times in recent months in which a veteran died after either being misdiagnosed or discharged without vital supplies or equipment.

After a Times inquiry, the Department of Veterans Affairs regional director requested a review of the Szamlewski case by the agency's independent watchdog, the Office of Medical Inspector.
go here for more
http://www.tampabay.com/news/military/veterans/article903950.ece

President Elect Obama's last day as senator

Obama says thanks on last day as senator
President-elect Barack Obama said "a very affectionate thanks" to the people of Illinois in a letter published Sunday in newspapers across his home state. Several Illinois Democrats have been mentioned as possible Senate replacements for Obama. Gov. Rod Blagojevich is assembling a panel to look over likely candidates. full story

When they rush to help, do you pray?

Firefighters shift focus to north Orange County as 26,000 evacuate
By Tami Abdollah, Howard Blume 2:38 p.m.
The Triangle Complex fire burns uncontrolled and threatens to cross the 57 Freeway. Firefighters make better progress in Sylmar area and Santa Barbara.

I live just outside of Orlando and around here, the sound of a fire engine is pretty common. Each time I hear one, I offer a prayer for the firefighters rushing to help others. A little while ago, several passed nearby. They reminded me of what is happening in California right now. With all the people losing their homes to the fires, it's easy to acknowledge they need help and offer a prayer of comfort for them. What we too often take for granted is the firefighters. They need prayers of comfort and to be watched over as they battle the fires. Please take a moment and pray for them.

We also forget about the police officers who also risk their lives on a daily basis. Unless one of them is caught committing some kind of abuse, we don't read much about them. That is unless it's too late and one of them has fallen in the line of duty and we see their funerals covered on TV. Please pray for them as well.

And then that takes us back to the men and women serving in the National Guards, Reservists and active military. We should also offer up prayers for the families waiting for them to come home as we pray for them. Offer prayers for the wounded veterans. Prayer takes so little time but it does require something not everyone is willing to do. Set aside your own needs for a moment a day and pray for those who do so much for us. Here's a few links if you can't think of what to pray but remember, God does not care if you are eloquent with your words. He can hear your heart.



(St. Michael is used in most of the posts I do on the fallen)


Patron Saints of the Military Other Than St. Michael:

ST. BRENDAN, PATRON OF SAILORS

ST. JOSEPH CUPERTINO, CONFESSOR, PATRON OF PILOTS AND ASTRONAUTS

ST. JOHN CAPISTRANO, PATRON OF MILITARY CHAPLAINS

ST. ERASMUS [ELMO], MARTYR, ONE OF THE 14 HOLY HELPERS, PATRON OF SAILORS

ST. GEORGE, ONE OF THE 14 HOLY HELPERS, MARTYR AND PATRON OF SOLDIERS

THE LITANY OF THE 14 HOLY HELPERSST. IGNATIUS OF LOYOLA,

PATRON OF SOLDIERS

THE LITANY OF ST. IGNATIUS

ST. JOAN OF ARC, MARTYR, PATRON OF MILITARY LEADERSTHE LITANY OF ST. JOAN



ST. SEBASTIAN, MARTYR, PATRON OF SOLDIERS

FOR OUR ARMED FORCES

O God, I beg Thee, watch over those exposed to the dangers of a soldier's, sailor's, or airman's life. Give them such strong faith that no human respect may ever lead them to deny it or fear to practice it. Strengthen them by Thy grace against the influence of bad examples so that, being preserved from vice and by serving Thee faithfully, they may be ready to meet death, if it should come to them on land, at sea, or in the air.

Most Sacred Heart of Jesus, inspire them with sorrow for sin and grant them pardon. Mary, Immaculate Mother of God, protect them. Amen.

Our Lady of Victory, we humbly beg thee to protect all our armed forces everywhere and to give them unflinching courage age to defend our country with honor and dignity. Guard our churches, our homes, our schools, our hospitals, our factories, our buildings, and all therein from harm and peril. Protect our land from enemies within and without. Grant us an early peace and victory founded upon justice. Instill into the hearts and minds of men everywhere, a firm purpose to live forever in peace and good will toward all. Amen.






PRAYER FOR A SERVICEMAN

O Mary, Queen of Martyrs, look after my beloved wherever he may be. Talk with him during the silent watches of the night and spur him to bravery when he faces the cruel foe. Keep him inspired by a never undying faith in God our Savior. Wherever his duty takes him, keep his spirit high, and his purpose unwavering. He is my choicest treasure, take care of him, O Mother of God! Keep him in health and sustain him under every possible circumstance. Touch him with thy smile of benevolence, comfort him and give him full confidence in thy intercession and my prayers for his every brave pursuit. Fail him not and may he not fail God, his country, nor the ones who love him.

http://www.catholictradition.org/war-time6.htm#1

Pvt. Paul Timothy Muse, passed away after brain surgery

GI found dead was recovering from brain surgery

The Associated Press
Posted : Sunday Nov 16, 2008 10:27:46 EST

SPERRY, Okla. — A Sperry soldier found dead in his barracks room at an Arizona Army post had been recovering from surgery to remove a tumor on his brain stem, his father said.

Pvt. Paul Timothy Muse, 22, was found in his bed Nov. 8 during a morning inspection at the Warriors in Transition unit at Fort Huachuca, located southeast of Tucson, Ariz.

The unit provides physical and mental health help to soldiers wounded in action and other troops recovering from medical conditions. A Fort Huachuca spokeswoman said Muse arrived at the unit Oct. 6.

The soldier’s father, Douglas Muse, told the Tulsa World his son began preparing last fall for a December deployment to Iraq.

“He was getting headaches and blacking out from time to time,” the father stated in an e-mail to the newspaper.

On Nov. 6, his son went to the base hospital because his head and ears had swollen. Doctors managed to reduce his swelling, and he was discharged the next day.

go here for more

http://www.armytimes.com/news/2008/11/ap_muse_111608/

Veterans Turn to VA Clinics in Tough Economic Times

Veterans Turn to VA Clinics in Tough Economic Times
KSAX ABC News

Nov 15, 2008
November 13, 2008 - The worsening economy is taking a big toll on veterans.The Anoka County Veterans Services Office says it could see as much as a 25 percent increase in new clients this year.
Many veterans say that in this economy, they wouldn't be able to pay for medical care without their veteran’s benefits."I would probably just take the medicines I thought I could afford, which would be skimping on my health," said Michael Calistro, a veteran. "I would not be able to afford it."Another factor driving the increase in new clients is an aging veteran population, especially in veterans from WWII, Korea, and Vietnam.
Click here to watch this news story.

CNN Faces of Faith: Unlikely duo, helping homeless

Unlikely duo reach out to homeless
Unlikely help for homeless 3:34
CNN's T.J. Holmes reports on an unlikely duo that is raising money and awareness for the nation's homeless.


This is their site
http://www.samekindofdifferentasme.com/about.aspx
About Same Kind of Different As Me

DENVER MOORE'S BIOGRAPHY


Denver was born in rural Louisiana in January 1937, and after several tragic events went to live on a plantation in Red River Parish with his Uncle James and Aunt Ethel, who were share croppers.

Sometime around 1960, he hopped a freight train and began a life as a homeless drifter until 1966 when a judge awarded him a 10 year contract for hard labor at the Louisiana State School of Fools, aka, Angola Prison!

According to Denver, he went in a man and left a man and received a standing ovation from prisoners in the yard as he walked out of there in 1976. For the next 22 years he was homeless on the streets of Fort Worth, Texas. However, there were a few times after a brush with the law, he'd ride the rails visiting cities and hobo jungles across America, sampling regional cuisine like Vienna sausage with fellow passengers.

In 1998, "He never met Miss Debbie," Miss Debbie met him and his life was changed forever.

Today, he is an artist, public speaker, and volunteer for homeless causes. In 2006, as evidence of the complete turn around of his life, the citizens of Fort Worth honored him as "Philanthropist of the Year" for his work with homeless people at the Union Gospel Mission.
click link for more
CNN video is at the bottom of this blog under Faces of Faith

Col. Stephanie Dawson First woman to lead Harlem Hellfighters unit

First woman to lead Harlem Hellfighters unit

The Associated Press
Posted : Saturday Nov 15, 2008 10:56:11 EST

NEW YORK — The first female brigade commander in New York National Guard history will lead the legendary Harlem Hellfighters.

Col. Stephanie Dawson is to become the commander of the 369th Sustainment Brigade during a ceremony Saturday at the Harlem Armory.

The unit was formed during World War I as an all-black regiment and was among the first brigades to arrive in France. The soldiers of the unit were also among the most decorated veterans of that war.

Dawson is the assistant director of operations at the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey. The 52-year-old Queens resident is also a decorated veteran with a Bronze Star for her service in Iraq.

The Harlem Hellfighters lost 1,500 soldiers during World War I.
http://www.armytimes.com/news/2008/11/ap_hellfighters_111508/

Medicaid cuts: Providers close doors to poor

During the two year presidential campaign, we heard a lot of speeches, but more we heard a lot of reasons why people were voting for McCain/Palin. "Socialized medicine" was one of the reasons along with "they want to give my money away" but the people who complained the loudest must have never been touched by something like this, faced loosing everything because they got sick or were too poor to be taken care of. The same people would also claim that they are "Christian" and vote on "morals and family values" without thinking of how these two things are against each other.

We know what Christ had to say about taking care of the poor, needy, ill, young, elderly and how we were supposed to treat others the way we want to be treated. Would Christ approve of this? I hardly think so.

When supporters of McCain made statements about the way tax money is spent, how is it that they found nothing wrong with tax money being given to corporations with tax cuts? How is it that they found nothing wrong with getting accountability from the government on how our money is being used? Did they ever consider their money was in fact feeding the rich while ignoring the poor? Millions of families across this country are one paycheck away from being homeless. When people lose their jobs, they lose their healthcare. They worked. They worked hard and tried to do the best they could, then ended up suffering thru no fault of their own. Do the others ever think of what it would be like if it was their job? Their family? No, they take it for granted that they deserve their jobs and their incomes, but others did not. Doesn't matter to them the state of others.

So here's a short story of what happens next. In January I lost my job. I took a part time job working for a Church as the Administrator of Christian Education. I only wanted to work part-time so that I could work with veterans more hours. I had to work (and I still do) but even though I was good at my job, dedicated and loved what I did, I had no control over the budget. My two year joy of a job was gone and the position was eliminated. Working for a Church, they didn't pay into the unemployment system. I didn't even get unemployment checks. My family has been suffering ever since. Now, do I stop helping veterans with PTSD who are suffering more, dump all the hours and go to work at Wal-Mart, that seems to be the only company hiring, so that I can be viewed as "hard working" in their eyes? Isn't 16 hours a day enough? The only difference is I don't get a pay check. I brought home paychecks since I was 14. But that's not the worst.

My brother also got laid off. Less than a week later, he passed away of a massive heart attack at the age of 56. He worked his whole life, went to college to become an engineer and built buildings in New England. He had an expensive house in an executive area and earned every dime of his pay. He died on October 9th and I flew back home to bury him. What did he do wrong? What did he do to be ashamed of? Nothing. He did everything we're supposed to do. So did I but others in this country are under some delusion if you are not working, you did something wrong or you want to suck off the system and "live off their money" instead of working.

Keep all of this in mind as you read the following story. Then open your eyes as well as your heart.

Providers close doors to poor
Medicaid cuts leave no choice, says doctors, hospitals
By Marshall Allen

Sun, Nov 16, 2008
Budget cuts in the state’s Medicaid program are forcing a major shift in where Nevada’s poor can seek health care.

Cancer patients who had received outpatient treatment at University Medical Center, for instance, will have to seek treatment at other hospitals and clinics because UMC, citing reductions in Medicaid payments, says it can no longer afford to offer cancer treatment.

Low-income children with bone and spine problems may need to leave Las Vegas altogether for treatment, because pediatric orthopedists are no longer accepting payment from Medicaid because of cutbacks to their reimbursements.

And on Tuesday, UMC administrators will tell Clark County commissioners what treatments and programs they may need to drop because Medicaid payments don’t cover the hospital’s costs, and the hospital can’t afford to go in the hole.

Indeed, the Nevada State Medical Association said other pediatric specialists may also stop taking Medicaid patients because the government reimbursements don’t cover the cost of delivering the care.

“I really feel we’re heading for a precipice and I think somebody needs to be candid about this,” said Dr. Carl Heard, chief executive of Nevada Health Centers, a nonprofit organization that operates clinics for low-income patients. “I just don’t know that we’ve seen a path to follow or that the leadership is stepping up to fill the void.”
go here for more
http://www.lasvegassun.com/news/2008/nov/16/medicaid-cuts-hitting-poor/
Linked from RawStory

Scotland:Veterans’ charity at centre of two mental health initiatives

Veterans’ charity at centre of two mental health initiatives
Sunday Herald - Glasgow,Scotland,UK
By Rachelle Money
Ex-services personnel to benefit from projects led by Combat Stress
SCOTLAND IS leading the way in its treatment of war veterans with the announcement of two projects that will help those who continue to suffer from mental health problems after they leave the armed forces.

An Edinburgh-based pilot scheme, aimed at providing a one-stop shop for veterans, will launch in the new year. Another community-based outreach project looks set to help ex-servicemen and women across the country from April.

The First Point scheme in the capital will be delivered by NHS Lothian's Traumatic Stress Centre (formerly known as the Rivers Centre) and will be funded by the Ministry of Defence (MoD) and the NHS. It will be run in conjunction with the charity Combat Stress, which runs the only Scottish-based treatment centre, in Ayrshire. A Combat Stress welfare officer will visit the project once a week and veteran mentors will also offer support to those using the service.
click link for more

Iraq's Cabinet to vote on security pact with US

Iraq's Cabinet to vote on security pact with US
By HAMZA HENDAWI and QASSIM ABDUL-ZAHRA, Associated Press

BAGHDAD – Iraq's Cabinet will vote Sunday on a security pact with Washington that would keep U.S. forces in the country for another three years, a major step in efforts to balance Iraqi demands for national sovereignty with the security concerns of the two allies.

In a bid to secure support for the agreement from the country's top Shiite cleric, Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki on Saturday dispatched two senior lawmakers to see Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani in the holy city of Najaf, south of Baghdad, with a copy of the pact's final draft.

A senior official at al-Sistani's office said the cleric told the two legislators — Khalid al-Attiyah and Ali al-Adeeb — that the document represented "the best available option" for Iraq, signaling that he would not object to it if the Cabinet and later parliament approve it.

The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the subject, said al-Sistani indicated to al-Attiyah and al-Adeeb that he wanted the agreement to pass by a comfortable majority in the 275-seat parliament.
click post title for more

US helicopter down in Iraq's Mosul, two dead

US helicopter down in Iraq's Mosul, two dead

15 Nov 2008 19:44:06 GMT
Source: Reuters
(Adds deaths)

BAGHDAD, Nov 15 (Reuters) - Two U.S. soldiers were killed in a helicopter accident in the northern Iraqi city of Mosul on Saturday, a military spokeswoman said.

The helicopter involved was an OH-58 Kiowa Warrior, a small scout helicopter fitted with weapons. It hit overhead cables as it was attempting to land.

"There has been a helicopter incident in Mosul. They're classifying it now as a hard landing when it came in contact with wires," Captain Charles Calio said earlier on Saturday.
go here for more
http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/LF144121.htm

11 year old Brenden Foster: 'I could have done more'"

Brenden Foster: 'I could have done more'
Watch the story
The local boy whose dying wish to feed the homeless inspired thousands across the world has taken a turn for the worse. Brenden Foster is growing weaker. His body is failing, his skin yellowing. His mother is trying to decide on the wording for his grave marker.

BOTHELL, Wash. -- The local boy whose dying wish to feed the homeless inspired thousands across the world has taken a turn for the worse.

Brenden Foster is growing weaker, but his message is growing stronger.

His body is failing, his skin yellowing. His mother is trying to decide on the wording for his grave marker.

"B-Man is his nickname, or Mr. B. But most people call him B-Man," said Wendy Foster.

The end is near, and Brenden has one question for God.

"Why at so young an age? I could have done more. But if it has to be now, it has to be now," he said.

It's easy to imagine all he could have accomplished after seeing what the 11 year old has achieved in his final days. Brenden's dying wish to help the homeless has touched hearts from Saudi Arabia to South Carolina. Many of them left voice messages for their new hero.

"We saw you on television and love you with all of our hearts and we're praying for you," said Gayle Cleveland.

"(I'm) 59 years old and it brings tears to my eyes every time I see him -- someone with that initiative that wants to help the homeless," said Danny Billingsly.

"We collected over 20,000 cans of food and donated it to a local food bank in your honor," said a woman named Nina.

A Vietnam vet from Kentucky who lost his leg in the war wants me to give Brenden his Purple Heart for bravery.

"This is for you, little angel," said Jim Jones. "A bunch of guardian angels here and a bunch of guardian angels are waiting for you in heaven."

Brenden's message inspired Daniel Chairez, a 12-year-old boy in California who is also battling leukemia.

"He really inspired me because he's not afraid. And he wants to help people and he's not selfish," he said.

How you can help

In Brenden's honor, KOMO News will be holding a food drive for Northwest Harvest and Food Lifeline. You can drop off food on Thursday, November 20th at Fred Meyer stores in Issaquah (6100 E Lake Sammamish Parkway SE), Federal Way (33702 21st Avenue SW) or Brenden's hometown of Bothell (21045 Bothell-Everett Hwy).

If you can't make it in person, you can donate online by going to the Problem Solvers donation page and select "Brenden Foster Food Drive" from the donation options list.

Donations to the family can be made to the "Brenden Foster Cancer Fund" at any Washington Mutual bank branch.
click the link for more

Eagle Scout's dream comes true, even after he succumbs to cancer

Eagle Scout's dream comes true, even after he succumbs to cancer

Darryl E. Owens | COMMENTARY
November 15, 2008
Simon Sharp could have been the poster child for Scouting -- the kind of Boy Scout who lived the creed, served his community, respected elders and embraced people with friendship. A born leader his fellow Scouts admired.

Bradley Trowbridge came up in Scouting with Simon, looked up to his senior patrol leader, and wouldn't shrug at going that extra mile if Simon asked.

At 11 this morning, friends, families, and veterans will meet at Founder's Park in the Osceola County community of Celebration. They'll gather to dedicate The Celebration Veterans Memorial, the labor of love that Simon, who belonged to Boy Scout Troop 125, chose for his Eagle Scout project.

In doing so, they'll celebrate a special pact, born of a friendship so strong that Bradley refused to allow Simon's dream to go unfulfilled even after his friend passed away.



Three summers ago, Simon sold commemorative American flag pins on the Fourth of July. The pins brought in $7,000, and his project was off and running. But the following month, life tripped Simon up. He fell ill, stricken with an aggressive form of leukemia.

With Simon undergoing treatment, and fighting fevers, nausea and pneumonia, his comrades tended to his project. They raised more than $12,000 toward the $40,000 budget.

Halfway through Simon's 30-month treatment regimen, doctors knew the cancer would win -- long before the monument ever would come to fruition.

But Simon was determined he'd die an Eagle Scout. Last November, he slid off his oxygen mask, endured his Eagle Scout interview, and, one last time, gasped the Scout Oath.

He died the next day at age 16.
click post title for more

Cops: Man hid stolen money in prosthetic leg

Cops: Man hid stolen money in prosthetic leg
Susan Jacobson Sentinel Staff Writer
November 15, 2008

MERRITT ISLAND - Brevard County deputies on Friday arrested a man in a wheelchair they say robbed a credit union on Merritt Island and hid the money in his prosthetic leg. Christopher Warren Reed, 45, was caught about 4:15 -- 10 minutes after investigators say he robbed Space Coast Credit Union on Fortenberry Road. Reed, a paraplegic who uses a motorized wheelchair, came into the credit union about 4 p.m., told a teller he was armed with an explosive and demanded money, the Sheriff's Office said. He left with an undisclosed amount of cash that was recovered in the prosthetic leg when he was caught about a block away, they said. Reed told investigators that two people had threatened him with a gun, told him to commit the robbery and were going to take the money for themselves. He was arrested on charges of robbery, grand theft, threatening to use a hoax explosive device and aggravated assault.
go here for picture

http://www.orlandosentinel.com/news/local/state/orl-robber-
hides-money-in-leg-08nov15,0,2114685.story

The War Within: Eyewitness News investigates PTSD, Part V

The War Within: Eyewitness News investigates PTSD, Part V
By By Kurt Rivera, Eyewitness News
Video

* Editor's Note: This is the final installment in an Eyewitness News special report on post-traumatic stress disorder. For months, Eyewitness News has been documenting personal accounts of the devastating disorder. Many military veterans have never spoken publicly about their agonizing problems.

By the time all troops in Iraq and Afghanistan finally come home, thousands will face a different battle: post-traumatic stress disorder. So how are veterans and their families getting help? And, is the Department of Veterans Affairs prepared for the expected onslaught of cases? Amber Allen is married to a Bakersfield Marine veteran diagnosed with PTSD."You want to throw in the towel all the time. You really do. Like I quit, I'm done," says Amber Allen.

"My marriage is starting, hopefully it doesn't, to go down the drain. I don't want it to," says Marine veteran Mike Allen.

Mike Allen and wife Amber are opening-up at a counseling session at Good Samaritan Hospital in southwest Bakersfield."It comes firmly out of his mouth. Nothing will make me happy," says Amber referring to husband Mike.

The Allens who have known each other since they were thirteen.

"I served eight and a half years in the Marine Corp and I was diagnosed with severe PTSD," say Mike Allen surrounded by his family in a cozy conference room.This is ground zero in their desperate attempt to save a close knit marriage deeply impacted by Mike's struggle from within.

"Takes a lot of courage to just be free enough to take the risk, just to talk," says Russ Sempell who leads the counseling session.

Russ Sempell and Patrice Maniaci are co-founders of the counseling session called "Frontline."

"It's a unique "National Alliance on Mental Illness" or "NAMI" support group geared towards counseling family and friends of veterans with PTSD."Have you accepted I've got a different deck of cards to play with this time?" says Sempell speaking directly to Amber Allen.Sempell is a clinical psychologist and licensed family & marriage therapist at Good Samaritan Hospital.

Maniaci is a recovering survivor of PTSD learning to understand a father who developed the disorder in World War Two and Korea."I saw that he wasn't that crappy old drunk that we all hated or that I did. He was a veteran suffering with the trauma he suffered while he was in the war," says Maniaci.

"We had a veteran last night that was excited about getting help for the first time in fifty years.

Our motto is we're trying to save lives and save families," says a beaming Sempell.
go here for more
http://www.bakersfieldnow.com/news/local/34495484.html

PTSD stigma is over for us

After 26 years of doing outreach work, the stigma of PTSD is finally over for my husband. It was up to him when I started to use my married name because our story has been so personal. It took a long time to get here but from now on you'll see the name DiCesare on my posts and videos.

When I started to write, I was still in high school. The newspaper back home was used to seeing my name and when we got married, they had a hard time adjusting to the new name. I kept it. Back then it came in handy so that I could write about living with PTSD when the stigma was overwhelming the veterans and their families. Trying to get people to understand that living in silence should have never been necessary was nearly impossible. I tried to get people to understand that until they began to talk about this wound, the stigma would live on and they would suffer needlessly.

My husband is a private man, a quiet man and without a doubt one of the most magnificent I've ever met. Out of respect for his need for privacy, very few people knew my full name. While the work I do is because of him, veterans have claimed my heart because of him, this has never been about him. It's been about all of us. The men and women serving this nation and all the ones who came before them. It's been about the families trying to cope and understand what this wound does, not just to the veteran but to the entire family.

While I have responded to emails with full disclosure so that verifying my background can be done, many have not even bothered to ask. If you have any questions, please email me at namguardianangel@aol.com

There are still some things I do want to keep private but our lives have been pretty much an open book and that can be read from this blog on the side bar under Free Book, For the Love of Jack.

We will always run up against people who refuse to understand. We will always come in contact with people who refuse to become educated. It takes courage to talk about this but the more we do, someday, we will get to the point where the shame is laid at the feet where it belongs. Not on the veterans and not on their families, but on the judgmental people too closed minded and hard hearted to listen and learn. Over 7 million people are living with PTSD in the USA alone. Millions more across the globe. We have plenty of company.

We need to do this for the Vietnam veterans, still trying to heal and we need to do this for the new generation so they do not have to suffer in silence anymore. We need to be their voices until they can find their own.

Senior Chaplain Kathie "Costos" DiCesare
International Fellowship of Chaplains
407-754-7526
Namguardianangel@aol.com
http://www.namguardianangel.org/
http://www.woundedtimes.blogspot.com/

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

Troops sick from burn pits urged to contact DAV

Reporting illnessesTroops sick from burn pits urged to contact DAV
Military official: Situation improving; troops report health complications
By Kelly Kennedy - Staff writer
Posted : Saturday Nov 15, 2008 7:02:03 EST


Top News StoryBurn pit falloutDisabled American Veterans has issued a call to all service members and veterans who think they may have illnesses related to burn pits in Afghanistan and Iraq: Contact the DAV so they can collect data and look for trends.


“Anyone out there who thinks they may have had a long-term health effect ... needs to file a complaint” with the Department of Veterans Affairs, said Kerry Baker, DAV’s associate national legislative director.

Noting that it took Vietnam veterans 20 years to gain benefits for exposure to the defoliant Agent Orange, Baker said, “We don’t want to see these guys have to wait 20 years. We want to see Congress act right away.”


He said service members should be alert for respiratory-related problems, such as allergies, sleep apnea, trouble breathing, asthma and lymphocytic leukemia, as well as skin diseases. Of the 300 to 400 disability cases Baker said he has personally reviewed since the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan began, he said 30 percent potentially could be linked to the burn pits. He said he’s amazed by the numbers of troops reporting sleep apnea.

Sen. Russ Feingold, D-Wis., also has demanded an investigation in an Oct. 31 letter to Army Gen. David Petraeus, the new chief of U.S. Central Command.

“After years of helping veterans of the Vietnam and Gulf Wars cope with the health effects of toxic battlefields, we have learned that we must take exposures to toxins seriously,” Feingold wrote.

He asked Petraeus to inform him of pending investigations into the “prevalence of health care conditions among those potentially exposed to toxins and particulates,” as well as why more incinerators are not taking the place of burn pits in Iraq.
click link for more
Watch video at top of side bar.

Disabled veterans swimming with the sharks

Shark swim helps vets feel whole again
An innovative program at the Georgia Aquarium is helping disabled veterans feel free

Swimming with sharks helps veterans feel whole again
Story Highlights
Fish Wish program allows veterans with disabilities to swim with sharks

Program is open to the public, but waiting list is long and cost is $290

Veterans report feeling "equal" in the weightless environment of water


By Judy Fortin
CNN Medical Correspondent

ATLANTA, Georgia (CNN) -- Retired Army Spc. Scott Winkler had many scary encounters while serving in Iraq, but they were nothing compared with his recent experience at the world's largest aquarium: swimming alongside a massive whale shark.

The fact that Winkler, 35, of Augusta, Georgia, is a paraplegic made the once-in-a-lifetime experience even more challenging.

"It's like you're in space," Winkler said. "It's like you're an able body again. It makes you feel so free."

Winkler was paralyzed five years ago during an accident while unloading ammunition in Tikrit, Iraq.

He is one of more than two dozen disabled veterans who have participated in the Fish Wish program at the Georgia Aquarium in Atlanta during the past two months.

A separate swim and dive program is open to the public, but the waiting list is nearly full until the end of the year.

The experience isn't cheap. A half-hour dive costs $290. The veterans swam for free.

Therapeutic recreational specialist Susan Oglesby helps train safety divers at the aquarium to assist swimmers with disabilities. She explained there are very few limitations in the tank. Watch more on veterans swimming with sharks »
click links for more

DoD Rethinks 'Personality Disorder' Separations, but only half way

I've been covering this since they first started to do this and still waiting to know what anyone is doing to make up for all the veterans they have already done this to. What is being done for them? To stop the bleeding is great but this does not correct any of the damage done to the veterans who were pushed thru the cracks and abandoned.

They were left with no money, no jobs, families that fell apart, some ended up homeless, some ended up committing suicide and Lord knows what else they suffered after they were wounded in service to this nation then slapped in the face by the commanders they trusted with their very lives. That is what this all comes down to. The men and women serving this nation were willing to lay down their lives for this nation and they put their faith and trust in their commanders to give the right orders, have the right plans and equipment needed and the get as many of them home as possible as soon as possible. What they did not allow to enter into their minds was that these very same commanders would be so blind to the wound of PTSD that has been suffered by warriors since man first went to war with man, that they would betray them. Where is their justice? Has anyone bothered to study what happened to any of them? Any clue what happened to over 22,000 of them or their families? Does anyone care? Changing the rules and procedures is great but you cannot forget about the ones it's already been done to. Let's get this right!

DoD Rethinks 'Personality Disorder' Separations
Tom Philpott November 13, 2008
Crackdown Begins On 'Personality Disorder' Separations

Under pressure from Congress and following the Army's lead, the Department of Defense has imposed a more rigorous screening process on the services for separating troubled members due to "personality disorder."

The intent is to ensure that, in the future, no members who suffer from wartime stress get tagged with having a pre-existing personality disorder which leaves them ineligible for service disability compensation.

Since the attacks of 9/11, more than 22,600 servicemembers have been discharged for personality disorder. Nearly 3400 of them, or 15 percent, had served in combat or imminent danger zones.

Advocates for these veterans contend that at least some of them were suffering from Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) or traumatic brain injury but it was easier and less costly to separate them for personality disorder. By definition, personality disorders existed before a member entered service so they do not deemed a service-related disability rating. A disability rating of 30 percent or higher, which most PTSD sufferers receive, can mean lifelong access to military health care and on-base shopping.

Over the last 18 months, lawmakers and advocates for veterans have criticized Defense and service officials for relying too often on personality disorder separations to release member who deployed to Iraq, Afghanistan or other another areas of tension in the Global War on Terrorism.

A revised DoD instruction (No. 1332.14), which took effect without public announcement August 28, responds to that criticism. It only allows separation for personality disorder for members currently or formerly deployed to an imminent danger areas if:
1) the diagnosis by a psychiatrist or a PhD-level psychologist is corroborated by a peer or higher-level mental health professional,
2) if the diagnosis is endorsed by the surgeon general of the service, and
3) if the diagnosis too into account a possible tie or "co-morbidity" with symptoms of PTSD or war-related mental injury or illness.
go here for more
http://www.military.com/features/0,15240,179143,00.html