Long Beach murder trial begins for ex-Marines
The Associated Press
Posted: 06/25/2009 11:11:43 AM PDT
Updated: 06/25/2009 03:02:35 PM PDT
LONG BEACH, Calif.—Trial has begun for two former Marines charged with getting a brain-damaged Iraq War vet to kill a Long Beach man in a dispute over a laptop computer.
Anthony Vigeant (vih-ZHANT') and Trevor Landers were in court Wednesday in Long Beach. The ex-Camp Pendleton Marines are charged with the 2007 murder of David Pettigrew.
Prosecutors contend he was shot when the men went to retrieve a laptop because Pettigrew had failed to pay them with an ounce of cocaine.
Authorities claim the men got former Cpl. Ramon Hernandez—who received severe brain injuries in a 2004 Iraq bombing—to kill Pettigrew.
Hernandez pleaded guilty to murder in April.
Landers had a previous trial that ended with a jury deadlock.
Vigeant and Landers face life in prison if convicted.
http://www.mercurynews.com/news/ci_12688487
Friday, June 26, 2009
Moving Wall erected in Munnsville
Moving Wall erected in Munnsville
Published: Thursday, June 25, 2009
Oneida Dispatch - Oneida,NY,USA
By LIAM MIGDAIL-SMITH
Dispatch Intern
MUNNSVILLE — The Moving Wall has arrived.
The 253-foot replica of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington, D.C., began its five day stay at Stockbridge Valley Central School Thursday. The wall traveled to Munnsville in pieces and was assembled at the school. State and local police, Madison and Oneida Sheriffs’ departments and a motorcycle troop organized by the American Legion Riders escorted the wall from Vernon to Munnsville at 7:15 Thursday morning. In Munnsville, volunteers assembled the wall within two hours.
The Moving Wall was started in 1983 by three Vietnam Veterans from California who wanted to give people the opportunity to see the memorial who wouldn’t be able to make it to Washington. As of January, it has traveled to 1,155 communities across the country.
The wall’s trip to Munnsville is sponsored and organized by the American Legion Post 54. Volunteers began reading the wall’s names at noon Thursday and will continue 24 hours a day until 3:30 p.m. on Monday. The wall is available for viewing throughout that time. Volunteers will be on site to read names, assist visitors in finding names on the wall and collect donations. Donations will be used to offset the cost of bringing the wall to Munnsville and then all extra money raised will go towards the wall.
The Town of Stockbridge issued a proclamation declaring the week of June 21 through June 27 to be “Vietnam Veterans Memorial Wall Week.”
go here for more
Moving Wall erected in Munnsville
Published: Thursday, June 25, 2009
Oneida Dispatch - Oneida,NY,USA
By LIAM MIGDAIL-SMITH
Dispatch Intern
MUNNSVILLE — The Moving Wall has arrived.
The 253-foot replica of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington, D.C., began its five day stay at Stockbridge Valley Central School Thursday. The wall traveled to Munnsville in pieces and was assembled at the school. State and local police, Madison and Oneida Sheriffs’ departments and a motorcycle troop organized by the American Legion Riders escorted the wall from Vernon to Munnsville at 7:15 Thursday morning. In Munnsville, volunteers assembled the wall within two hours.
The Moving Wall was started in 1983 by three Vietnam Veterans from California who wanted to give people the opportunity to see the memorial who wouldn’t be able to make it to Washington. As of January, it has traveled to 1,155 communities across the country.
The wall’s trip to Munnsville is sponsored and organized by the American Legion Post 54. Volunteers began reading the wall’s names at noon Thursday and will continue 24 hours a day until 3:30 p.m. on Monday. The wall is available for viewing throughout that time. Volunteers will be on site to read names, assist visitors in finding names on the wall and collect donations. Donations will be used to offset the cost of bringing the wall to Munnsville and then all extra money raised will go towards the wall.
The Town of Stockbridge issued a proclamation declaring the week of June 21 through June 27 to be “Vietnam Veterans Memorial Wall Week.”
go here for more
Moving Wall erected in Munnsville
Veterans arrive for convention, visits to replica of 'The Wall'
Veterans arrive for convention, visits to replica of 'The Wall'
Statewide VFW convention in Buffalo rallies support to keep, enhance benefits
By Lou Michel and Jake May
NEWS STAFF REPORTERS
Far from the front lines of foreign conflicts, veterans are assembling in Buffalo by the thousands to advance an agenda aimed at preserving and enhancing benefits they say were earned on the battlefield.
War veterans from several generations started gathering here Wednesday, with more than 900 motorcyclists escorting the largest traveling replica of the national Vietnam Veterans Memorial, known as “The Wall.”
There will be no shortage of those who pay tribute.
Today, some 3,000 Veterans of Foreign Wars members and their supporters open a statewide convention in downtown Buffalo. When they’re not focusing on health care and other issues, they will ride shuttles to Knox Farm State Park in East Aurora to visit the Vietnam memorial.
Amid all this, a deep sense of camaraderie will be shared among those who fought for American freedom. Making it even more hospitable, organizers say, is Buffalo’s reputation for patriotism.
“Everybody feels very welcome, and they are happy to be here,” said David M. Czarnecki, an Alden resident and president of the 90th annual New York Veterans of Foreign Wars Convention, which continues through Sunday in the Hyatt Regency Buffalo.
go here for more
Veterans arrive for convention
Statewide VFW convention in Buffalo rallies support to keep, enhance benefits
By Lou Michel and Jake May
NEWS STAFF REPORTERS
Far from the front lines of foreign conflicts, veterans are assembling in Buffalo by the thousands to advance an agenda aimed at preserving and enhancing benefits they say were earned on the battlefield.
War veterans from several generations started gathering here Wednesday, with more than 900 motorcyclists escorting the largest traveling replica of the national Vietnam Veterans Memorial, known as “The Wall.”
There will be no shortage of those who pay tribute.
Today, some 3,000 Veterans of Foreign Wars members and their supporters open a statewide convention in downtown Buffalo. When they’re not focusing on health care and other issues, they will ride shuttles to Knox Farm State Park in East Aurora to visit the Vietnam memorial.
Amid all this, a deep sense of camaraderie will be shared among those who fought for American freedom. Making it even more hospitable, organizers say, is Buffalo’s reputation for patriotism.
“Everybody feels very welcome, and they are happy to be here,” said David M. Czarnecki, an Alden resident and president of the 90th annual New York Veterans of Foreign Wars Convention, which continues through Sunday in the Hyatt Regency Buffalo.
go here for more
Veterans arrive for convention
Wound of warrior, traumatic recoil
by
Chaplian Kathie
Traumatic Recoil? Why not replace Post Traumatic Stress Disorder with something like this? Would it sound tough enough? After all, we tend to forget the troops are humans and not machines. "The distance through which a weapon move backwards after discharging" seems to really fit this. They do move backwards when they have flashbacks and nightmares. Until they begin to heal, this is the condition of their lives.
It's stunning to me, even now, that people would rather be labeled a drug addict or alcoholic than be associated with any kind of mental illness. PTSD, while it actually means change after trauma, is hard for the wounded to accept. There is much to be done in removing the stigma associated with the mind but until we actually manage to get society passed the part in the Seven Deadly sins, we're not about to have any major breakthroughs any time soon.
I'm sure you're wondering why I just put in the Seven Deadly sins, because we don't want to understand the origins of them any more than we want to understand what Sloth actually was referring to.
Originally Sloth was listed as two "deadly sins" Acedia and Tristitia. When you read what these two terms mean, you see what we now know as clinical depression and mental illness. While science has shown there are reasons for the mental conditions all humans experienced, too many of modern day humans still associate the judgment of others with clueless assumptions. If you see someone sitting in a chair for hours on end, you assume they are lazy and tell them to get off their butt and do something. If you see someone appearing to be happy about nothing, depressed, crying, you tell them to "cheer up" and do something. After all, it's a lot easier responding this way than actually investigating what is behind the way they are acting, or not reacting to life.
We are still doing it when it comes to mental illness, still dredging up words like "nuts' " mental case" "crazy" along with a very long list of insults. The problem is that when it comes to PTSD, there is an epidemic of suicides that need to be addressed today, not tomorrow when the mentality of the citizenry finally catches up to scientific advancements.
Traumatic Recoil also fits because I've come to the conclusion there are different types of PTSD that really need to be set apart. While all humans are susceptible to traumatic events, there are two groups not only exposed to them, but are participants in them. Military and police officers.
Firefighters and emergency responders are exposed to traumatic events more often than any other group of civilians, therefor, more of an increase in their risk. They respond after the traumatic event has happened. They respond after the fire has begun, after the accident has happened, after the storm has already come and after the tornado has already left.
Police officers rush into it while it is happening with guns drawn, speeding chancing fleeing suspects, ready to react with split second-life threatening decisions. The members of the military are also facing the same kinds of events but in combat face them more often. Both groups use weapons.
Playing around with words to describe this wound needs to be done if we are ever going to wake up the walking wounded and get them to the point where it is better for them do heal than to be self-medicating and more readily to be called drug addict or alcoholic than to admit they need mental health care to heal.
Chaplian Kathie
recoil
–verb (used without object)
1.
to draw back; start or shrink back, as in alarm, horror, or disgust.
2.
to spring or fly back, as in consequence of force of impact or the force of the discharge, as a firearm.
3.
to spring or come back; react (usually fol. by on or upon): Plots frequently recoil upon the plotters.
4.
Physics. (of an atom, a nucleus, or a particle) to undergo a change in momentum as a result either of a collision with an atom, a nucleus, or a particle or of the emission of a particle.
–noun
5.
an act of recoiling.
6.
the distance through which a weapon moves backward after discharging.
Traumatic Recoil? Why not replace Post Traumatic Stress Disorder with something like this? Would it sound tough enough? After all, we tend to forget the troops are humans and not machines. "The distance through which a weapon move backwards after discharging" seems to really fit this. They do move backwards when they have flashbacks and nightmares. Until they begin to heal, this is the condition of their lives.
It's stunning to me, even now, that people would rather be labeled a drug addict or alcoholic than be associated with any kind of mental illness. PTSD, while it actually means change after trauma, is hard for the wounded to accept. There is much to be done in removing the stigma associated with the mind but until we actually manage to get society passed the part in the Seven Deadly sins, we're not about to have any major breakthroughs any time soon.
I'm sure you're wondering why I just put in the Seven Deadly sins, because we don't want to understand the origins of them any more than we want to understand what Sloth actually was referring to.
Originally Sloth was listed as two "deadly sins" Acedia and Tristitia. When you read what these two terms mean, you see what we now know as clinical depression and mental illness. While science has shown there are reasons for the mental conditions all humans experienced, too many of modern day humans still associate the judgment of others with clueless assumptions. If you see someone sitting in a chair for hours on end, you assume they are lazy and tell them to get off their butt and do something. If you see someone appearing to be happy about nothing, depressed, crying, you tell them to "cheer up" and do something. After all, it's a lot easier responding this way than actually investigating what is behind the way they are acting, or not reacting to life.
We are still doing it when it comes to mental illness, still dredging up words like "nuts' " mental case" "crazy" along with a very long list of insults. The problem is that when it comes to PTSD, there is an epidemic of suicides that need to be addressed today, not tomorrow when the mentality of the citizenry finally catches up to scientific advancements.
Traumatic Recoil also fits because I've come to the conclusion there are different types of PTSD that really need to be set apart. While all humans are susceptible to traumatic events, there are two groups not only exposed to them, but are participants in them. Military and police officers.
Firefighters and emergency responders are exposed to traumatic events more often than any other group of civilians, therefor, more of an increase in their risk. They respond after the traumatic event has happened. They respond after the fire has begun, after the accident has happened, after the storm has already come and after the tornado has already left.
Police officers rush into it while it is happening with guns drawn, speeding chancing fleeing suspects, ready to react with split second-life threatening decisions. The members of the military are also facing the same kinds of events but in combat face them more often. Both groups use weapons.
Playing around with words to describe this wound needs to be done if we are ever going to wake up the walking wounded and get them to the point where it is better for them do heal than to be self-medicating and more readily to be called drug addict or alcoholic than to admit they need mental health care to heal.
Hot, sexy soldiers in Iraq and Afghanistan
They are young, strong, physically fit, stunningly sexy hunks. The things they can do with their bodies is simply amazing!
Do I have your attention yet?
Good.
Shame on you!
Shame on you for not paying attention to these people before this. What's wrong with you? We stand in line and cheer as if it is our patriotic duty to send them off to war. Heck, we even pay attention in the beginning as news crews send in reporters and cameras but that interest soon fades replaced by much more pressing news, like who is on American Idol, what is going on with Brad, Angelina and Jen, or the latest political scandal. War wanes but sex always seems to sell.
American Idol and America's Got Talent captures us because people, regular people are chasing a dream of making it big. We can all relate to that.
We can all relate to love stories like Brad and Angelina but it also helps that both of them are very attractive. Do you think we'd be interested if they were ugly? We can still relate to them because of the human emotions of love.
We can relate to the passing of super stars like Michael Jackson and Farrah Fawcett. It's not that they were ever really out of the spotlight. Some felt they "knew" them and their lives because of all the media coverage they had during their lives.
What we cannot relate to is the men and women in the military and our veterans. We can't because we have to face it, they are not that interesting to the media. They long ago abandoned reporting on events in Iraq and Afghanistan. These are two reports from yesterday.
Rising toll at US military hospital in Afghanistan
By JASON STRAZIUSO and EVAN VUCCI - Associated Press Writers
Thu, Jun. 25, 2009 03:44PM
BAGRAM AIR BASE, Afghanistan -- The urgent call came in: Roadside bombs had ripped through two Humvees and wounded eight or nine U.S. soldiers.
Medevac helicopters immediately hit the air to ferry the soldiers to the main U.S. military hospital. But when they arrived, they carried only five patients.
The other four were dead.
With 2009 expected to be the bloodiest year since the U.S. invaded Afghanistan, medical personnel at Bagram's SSG Heath N. Craig Joint Theater Hospital say they've already seen an increase in casualties and expect more. The flow of dead and wounded puts enormous strain on the soldiers and the medical staff who must face it head on.
"Everything I've experienced is boredom or terror," said Air Force Maj. Adrian Stull, a 36-year-old emergency physician from Beavercreek, Ohio. "And if I have to choose between the two, I'd have to choose boredom, because everyone goes home with all their fingers."
June 1 was a day of terror.
It started when two roadside bombs hit the same convoy of 10th Mountain Division soldiers only a couple of miles apart in Wardak, a province west of Kabul. The damage was so severe that one of the Humvees split in half.
go here for more
http://www.newsobserver.com/1635/story/1583483.html
9 soldiers hurt in Iraq roadside bombings
By Patrick Quinn - The Associated Press
Posted : Thursday Jun 25, 2009 18:18:25 EDT
BAGHDAD — A bombing Thursday at a bus station in a Shiite neighborhood in southwest Baghdad killed at least seven people, police said, the latest in a series of recent attacks that have left nearly 200 people dead ahead of a U.S. military withdrawal from cities next week.
Another three bombs and a mortar killed two more people around the capital. The U.S. military said nine American soldiers were wounded in two roadside bomb attacks against a convoy in eastern Baghdad. A roadside bomb also killed a man in the northern city of Mosul. The attacks were latest is a series of deadly bombings mostly targeting Shiites in the past week.
go here for more
http://www.armytimes.com/news/2009/06/ap_iraq_bombing_062509/
These stories were linked from http://icasualties.org/oif/
Go there and find out what is going on with our troops if you really support them.
It's not that this is anything new but at least when Vietnam was going on, we had so much coverage it kept us aware that our troops were still risking their lives, getting wounded and dying. What we didn't know was that they would come home with the war deep inside of them just as other generations did. No one cared anymore when they were back home and the protests ended. The media only wanted to report on the bad things some of them did.
This blog, among many more, have been paying attention to Iraq and Afghanistan, along with what happens when they come home. It's not that hard to find the reports, but you have to have the will to look for them. You have to care in the first place. They have to be of a personal interest to you. Military families care. Veterans and their families care. The problem is, the rest of the country is not interested enough. You'd think they would be considering the wounded will be with us the rest of their lives and requiring support from the rest of us. We're going to be left with the shock of the need simply because we didn't pay attention all along and the media, well, they were just too busy reporting on celebrities.
Camp Lejeune Marine died Friday at his Onslow County residence
Camp Lejeune Marine death
June 25, 2009 - 4:20 PM
A Camp Lejeune Marine died Friday at his Onslow County residence.
Lance Cpl. Joseph R. Hoerr, who was assigned to the 2nd Marine Division, joined the Marine Corps Dec. 12, 2006.
The Towsan, Md. Native deployed to Iraq in support of operations there from September 2008 to April 2009.
His awards include the Sea Service Deployment Ribbon, Iraq Campaign Medal, Global War on Terrorism Service Medal and National Defense Service Medal.
The cause of his death is under investigation by the Marine Corps.
Hoerr will be buried Monday at 11 a.m. at St. John the Baptist Catholic Church in New Freedom, Pa. Memorial contributions may be made in his name to the Disabled American Veterans, P.O. Box 14301, Cincinnati, OH 45250-0301.
June 25, 2009 - 4:20 PM
A Camp Lejeune Marine died Friday at his Onslow County residence.
Lance Cpl. Joseph R. Hoerr, who was assigned to the 2nd Marine Division, joined the Marine Corps Dec. 12, 2006.
The Towsan, Md. Native deployed to Iraq in support of operations there from September 2008 to April 2009.
His awards include the Sea Service Deployment Ribbon, Iraq Campaign Medal, Global War on Terrorism Service Medal and National Defense Service Medal.
The cause of his death is under investigation by the Marine Corps.
Hoerr will be buried Monday at 11 a.m. at St. John the Baptist Catholic Church in New Freedom, Pa. Memorial contributions may be made in his name to the Disabled American Veterans, P.O. Box 14301, Cincinnati, OH 45250-0301.
Marine behind Wounded Warrior barracks to retire
Marine behind Wounded Warrior barracks to retire
Staff report
Posted : Thursday Jun 25, 2009 21:38:01 EDT
The Marine officer who devised centralized barracks for wounded warriors is leaving the Corps.
Lt. Col. Tim Maxwell is scheduled to retire Friday afternoon in a ceremony at the National Museum of the Marine Corps in Triangle, Va.
Maxwell suffered severe traumatic brain injury on Oct. 7, 2004, during his third and final deployment to Iraq, when his forward operating base was mortared and shrapnel tore through the left side of his brain. As he recuperated, Maxwell realized that being around other wounded Marines helped in the recovery process.
The Wounded Warrior barracks was founded at Camp Lejeune, N.C., in 2005. The idea continued to grow and, in June 2007, the Corps stood up its first battalion for wounded Marines, Wounded Warriors Battalion-East at Lejeune. Two months later, Wounded Warriors Battalion-West was formed at Camp Pendleton, Calif.
In July 2008, Maxwell underwent surgery to remove a piece of shrapnel near his brain stem that was leeching toxins into his cerebral fluid. The surgery led to a “reoccurrence of right-sided weakness, but has not tempered his resolve,” officials said in a news release.
Maxwell has been awarded a Bronze Star, Purple Heart, three Navy and Marine Corps Commendation Medals and two Navy and Marine Corps Achievement Medals.
http://www.marinecorpstimes.com/news/2009/06/marine_maxwell_062509w/
Staff report
Posted : Thursday Jun 25, 2009 21:38:01 EDT
The Marine officer who devised centralized barracks for wounded warriors is leaving the Corps.
Lt. Col. Tim Maxwell is scheduled to retire Friday afternoon in a ceremony at the National Museum of the Marine Corps in Triangle, Va.
Maxwell suffered severe traumatic brain injury on Oct. 7, 2004, during his third and final deployment to Iraq, when his forward operating base was mortared and shrapnel tore through the left side of his brain. As he recuperated, Maxwell realized that being around other wounded Marines helped in the recovery process.
The Wounded Warrior barracks was founded at Camp Lejeune, N.C., in 2005. The idea continued to grow and, in June 2007, the Corps stood up its first battalion for wounded Marines, Wounded Warriors Battalion-East at Lejeune. Two months later, Wounded Warriors Battalion-West was formed at Camp Pendleton, Calif.
In July 2008, Maxwell underwent surgery to remove a piece of shrapnel near his brain stem that was leeching toxins into his cerebral fluid. The surgery led to a “reoccurrence of right-sided weakness, but has not tempered his resolve,” officials said in a news release.
Maxwell has been awarded a Bronze Star, Purple Heart, three Navy and Marine Corps Commendation Medals and two Navy and Marine Corps Achievement Medals.
http://www.marinecorpstimes.com/news/2009/06/marine_maxwell_062509w/
Sgt. Maj. Kenneth O. Preston addresses Soldier issues during Wiesbaden visit
Army's senior NCO addresses Soldier issues during Wiesbaden visit
Jun 25, 2009
By Karl Weisel (USAG Wiesbaden)
WIESBADEN, Germany - Stress on the force, recruitment, retention and the Year of the NCO were among an array of topics addressed by Sgt. Maj. of the Army Kenneth O. Preston during a day-long visit to Wiesbaden Army Airfield, June 24.
The Army's senior enlisted leader told a packed auditorium of Soldiers and families that he "wanted a good feeling for what's on their minds."
After touring several facilities on the airfield – including the Warrior Transition Unit, the Better Opportunities for Single Soldiers' Warrior Zone, Wiesbaden Fitness Center and being briefed on ongoing transformation in U.S. Army Garrison Wiesbaden – Preston joined junior enlisted Soldiers for lunch. The one-on-one discussion time was followed by an open forum with Soldiers and their families in the Flyers Theater.
During the forum the sergeant major of the Army described the shape of the force, which currently includes 548,000 active-duty troops, of which 260,000 are deployed to 80 countries around the world. Those Soldiers and 95,000 members of the National Guard and Reserves also deployed are "doing an incredible job around the world," he said.
Preston described a meeting with President Barack Obama and other military leaders in which he raised concerns including stress on the force, recruiting and retention. "It's pretty stressful. There are a lot of dynamics out there because the Army is busy."
Describing how he told the president that stress occurs both during deployment and "when the units come back during dwell time," he said he "wanted the president to understand that it's not just operational stress but also institutional stress and stress on our families."
A tumbling economy was another stress factor, he noted.
Calling them "warning lights on the dashboard," the Army’s senior noncommissioned officer said a rise in suicides and post traumatic stress were visible effects of this stress on the force.
go here for more
NCO addresses Soldier issues during Wiesbaden visit
Jun 25, 2009
By Karl Weisel (USAG Wiesbaden)
WIESBADEN, Germany - Stress on the force, recruitment, retention and the Year of the NCO were among an array of topics addressed by Sgt. Maj. of the Army Kenneth O. Preston during a day-long visit to Wiesbaden Army Airfield, June 24.
The Army's senior enlisted leader told a packed auditorium of Soldiers and families that he "wanted a good feeling for what's on their minds."
After touring several facilities on the airfield – including the Warrior Transition Unit, the Better Opportunities for Single Soldiers' Warrior Zone, Wiesbaden Fitness Center and being briefed on ongoing transformation in U.S. Army Garrison Wiesbaden – Preston joined junior enlisted Soldiers for lunch. The one-on-one discussion time was followed by an open forum with Soldiers and their families in the Flyers Theater.
During the forum the sergeant major of the Army described the shape of the force, which currently includes 548,000 active-duty troops, of which 260,000 are deployed to 80 countries around the world. Those Soldiers and 95,000 members of the National Guard and Reserves also deployed are "doing an incredible job around the world," he said.
Preston described a meeting with President Barack Obama and other military leaders in which he raised concerns including stress on the force, recruiting and retention. "It's pretty stressful. There are a lot of dynamics out there because the Army is busy."
Describing how he told the president that stress occurs both during deployment and "when the units come back during dwell time," he said he "wanted the president to understand that it's not just operational stress but also institutional stress and stress on our families."
A tumbling economy was another stress factor, he noted.
Calling them "warning lights on the dashboard," the Army’s senior noncommissioned officer said a rise in suicides and post traumatic stress were visible effects of this stress on the force.
go here for more
NCO addresses Soldier issues during Wiesbaden visit
Thursday, June 25, 2009
Kyle Barthel Veterans and Service Members Mental Health Screening Act
U.S. House passes Defense Authorization Act
By Matthew Reichbach 6/25/09 3:51 PM
The U.S. House of Representatives passed the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) today, the annual bill which funds the Department of Defense. The bill passed 389-22.
The bill included an amendment by Congressman Harry Teague that would set up a post-deployment mental health screening program for service members. The amendment, named the Kyle Barthel Veterans and Service Members Mental Health Screening Act after a Las Crucen who struggled with PTSD and eventually committed suicide after returning home from combat, was introduced by Teague in Las Cruces in May.
go here for more
http://newmexicoindependent.com/30527/u-s-house-passes-defense-authorization-act
Congressman Harry Teague Calls for Veterans and Service Members Mental Health
Screenings to Address Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder
Bill Named in Honor of Local Veteran Kyle Barthel
Las Cruces, NM - Wednesday at Veteran's Memorial Park, Congressman Harry Teague unveiled a bill to address an increasingly prevalent issue for military personnel and combat veterans, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). The Kyle Barthel Veterans and Service Member Mental Health Screening Act calls for mandatory mental health screening for military personnel upon induction into the military, before and after deployment, and before discharge.
"Kyle served in the 101st Airborne and was deployed to Iraq. Kyle reached out and sought treatment but was never but was never able to get the mental health help that he needed and deserved. Sadly, Kyle took his own life after suffering from problems associated with PTSD," said Congressman Harry Teague, speaking of the native Las Crucen the bill is titled in honor of.
The legislation comes amid rising concerns that undiagnosed and untreated PTSD cases are leading to mental health issues that decrease quality of life for returning combat veterans and in some cases result in suicide. Suicide rates for the Army have risen 60% since 2003 and the 101st Airborne, which Kyle was a member of, has this year alone suffered 14 deaths that are being investigated as suicides.
"When the Congress returns from its Memorial Day recess, I will introduce the Kyle Barthel Veterans and Service Members Mental Health Screening Act, a bill calling for mandatory and confidential mental health assessments for service members so that those who need it can get the mental health treatment they have earned and so we can begin to stem the tide of tragic incidents associated with PTSD."
Congressman Harry Teague was joined by Kyle Barthel's mother and close family friend, County Commissioner Scott Krahling at the announcement.
"When I decided to run for public office, it was because I wanted to be part of the solution and not part of the problem. Today, I can say I feel like I am part of the solution to a very big problem," said Commissioner Krahling. "Although he isn't here with us today, Kyle is here in spirit and we are here because of him. His life has inspired action that will give hope to the many military personnel and veterans currently suffering from PTSD."
Congressman Harry Teague serves on the House Veterans' Affairs Committee and has made fighting for our nation's veterans a central priority since being sworn in January 6th, 2009.
By Matthew Reichbach 6/25/09 3:51 PM
The U.S. House of Representatives passed the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) today, the annual bill which funds the Department of Defense. The bill passed 389-22.
The bill included an amendment by Congressman Harry Teague that would set up a post-deployment mental health screening program for service members. The amendment, named the Kyle Barthel Veterans and Service Members Mental Health Screening Act after a Las Crucen who struggled with PTSD and eventually committed suicide after returning home from combat, was introduced by Teague in Las Cruces in May.
go here for more
http://newmexicoindependent.com/30527/u-s-house-passes-defense-authorization-act
Congressman Harry Teague Calls for Veterans and Service Members Mental Health
Screenings to Address Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder
Bill Named in Honor of Local Veteran Kyle Barthel
Las Cruces, NM - Wednesday at Veteran's Memorial Park, Congressman Harry Teague unveiled a bill to address an increasingly prevalent issue for military personnel and combat veterans, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). The Kyle Barthel Veterans and Service Member Mental Health Screening Act calls for mandatory mental health screening for military personnel upon induction into the military, before and after deployment, and before discharge.
"Kyle served in the 101st Airborne and was deployed to Iraq. Kyle reached out and sought treatment but was never but was never able to get the mental health help that he needed and deserved. Sadly, Kyle took his own life after suffering from problems associated with PTSD," said Congressman Harry Teague, speaking of the native Las Crucen the bill is titled in honor of.
The legislation comes amid rising concerns that undiagnosed and untreated PTSD cases are leading to mental health issues that decrease quality of life for returning combat veterans and in some cases result in suicide. Suicide rates for the Army have risen 60% since 2003 and the 101st Airborne, which Kyle was a member of, has this year alone suffered 14 deaths that are being investigated as suicides.
"When the Congress returns from its Memorial Day recess, I will introduce the Kyle Barthel Veterans and Service Members Mental Health Screening Act, a bill calling for mandatory and confidential mental health assessments for service members so that those who need it can get the mental health treatment they have earned and so we can begin to stem the tide of tragic incidents associated with PTSD."
Congressman Harry Teague was joined by Kyle Barthel's mother and close family friend, County Commissioner Scott Krahling at the announcement.
"When I decided to run for public office, it was because I wanted to be part of the solution and not part of the problem. Today, I can say I feel like I am part of the solution to a very big problem," said Commissioner Krahling. "Although he isn't here with us today, Kyle is here in spirit and we are here because of him. His life has inspired action that will give hope to the many military personnel and veterans currently suffering from PTSD."
Congressman Harry Teague serves on the House Veterans' Affairs Committee and has made fighting for our nation's veterans a central priority since being sworn in January 6th, 2009.
Procedure to remove kidney stones ended up costing woman her leg!
Woman goes into Tampa General Hospital for a kidney stone procedure, and winds up losing a leg
By Victoria Bekiempis, Times Staff Writer
In Print: Thursday, June 25, 2009
TAMPA — She went to the hospital to have a kidney stone blasted away with sound waves, but the procedure wound up costing her a leg, her attorney says.
The procedure, called a lithotripsy, is considered noninvasive. Anesthesia is required, however, because the process — in which kidney stones are pulverized sonically — is extremely painful.
Kelli Woodfin thinks anesthesia complications caused circulation loss in her right leg, her lawyer David Eaton said. By the time the medical team figured out what went wrong, the leg could not be saved, he said.
go here for more
http://www.tampabay.com/news/publicsafety/crime/article1013149.ece
By Victoria Bekiempis, Times Staff Writer
In Print: Thursday, June 25, 2009
TAMPA — She went to the hospital to have a kidney stone blasted away with sound waves, but the procedure wound up costing her a leg, her attorney says.
The procedure, called a lithotripsy, is considered noninvasive. Anesthesia is required, however, because the process — in which kidney stones are pulverized sonically — is extremely painful.
Kelli Woodfin thinks anesthesia complications caused circulation loss in her right leg, her lawyer David Eaton said. By the time the medical team figured out what went wrong, the leg could not be saved, he said.
go here for more
http://www.tampabay.com/news/publicsafety/crime/article1013149.ece
Orlando hospital pioneers latest deep-brain-stimulation device for Parkinson's
Orlando hospital pioneers latest deep-brain-stimulation device for Parkinson's patients
Parkinson's disease left Michel Medina Gonzalez unable to walk, talk or feed himself. But a cutting-edge treatment he received in Orlando helped fix that.
By Fernando Quintero Sentinel Staff Writer
June 25, 2009
Michel Medina Gonzalez shook violently in his chair inside a patient room at Orlando Regional Medical Center, where he was fitted earlier this month with a brain implant to control his symptoms of Parkinson's disease.
Using a wireless device slightly larger than a PDA, Dr. Alex Gonzalez, a neurologist with Orlando Health, remotely adjusted the electronic implant with a stylus.
After a few adjustments, Michel's trembling left leg, which had been causing his foot to constantly tap on the floor, stopped moving.
Orlando Health is among the first hospitals in the nation to offer the new, implantable deep-brain-stimulation device that gives Parkinson's patients greater control of their movements
go here for more
Orlando hospital pioneers latest deep-brain-stimulation device
Parkinson's disease left Michel Medina Gonzalez unable to walk, talk or feed himself. But a cutting-edge treatment he received in Orlando helped fix that.
By Fernando Quintero Sentinel Staff Writer
June 25, 2009
Michel Medina Gonzalez shook violently in his chair inside a patient room at Orlando Regional Medical Center, where he was fitted earlier this month with a brain implant to control his symptoms of Parkinson's disease.
Using a wireless device slightly larger than a PDA, Dr. Alex Gonzalez, a neurologist with Orlando Health, remotely adjusted the electronic implant with a stylus.
After a few adjustments, Michel's trembling left leg, which had been causing his foot to constantly tap on the floor, stopped moving.
Orlando Health is among the first hospitals in the nation to offer the new, implantable deep-brain-stimulation device that gives Parkinson's patients greater control of their movements
go here for more
Orlando hospital pioneers latest deep-brain-stimulation device
Congress puts defense contractors before the troops again!
President Obama made it clear that the old way of spending money on defense contractors is gone, over and done with. No more wasteful spending on things not needed, no more unaccountability and no bid contracts. Congress however still wants to play their game with appropriations. In the process, their stunt of keeping in funding for the F-22 and F-35 has placed pay raises for the troops on the line. Are they out of their minds? This nation is broke! They still want to spend money for this?
Obama threatens veto of authorization bill
By Rick Maze - Staff writer
Posted : Thursday Jun 25, 2009 12:58:25 EDT
The Obama administration has issued a veto threat of the 2010 defense authorization bill over disagreements involving two aircraft programs.
But in a departure from the previous administration, the White House has not objected to Congress providing a larger pay raise for troops.
The June 24 statement of policy on HR 2647, the House version of the 2010 defense bill, says the two chief disagreements involve the F-22 and F-35 programs.
On the F-22, the administration “strongly objects” to the bill including $369 million in advanced procurement of the fighter plane.
“The collective judgment of the service chiefs and secretaries of the military departments suggests that a final program of record of 187 F-22s is sufficient to meet operational requirements,” the statement says, warning that if the advance procurement money is in the bill presented to the president, his advisers would recommend a veto.
go here for more
Obama threatens veto of authorization bill
Vietnam Vet Don Wilmot: Time doesn’t heal it all
Viet Vet Don Wilmot: Time doesn’t heal it all
By Tammy Compton
Wayne Independent
Wed Jun 24, 2009, 05:27 PM EDT
Sterling, Pa. -
His helo was shot down four times in Vietnam. Twice behind enemy lines.
“Did you ever get a feeling that you’re falling out of bed? It’s like your stomach’s kind of up in your chest? Well, just imagine being in a helicopter, 500 or 600 feet, and all of a sudden you’ve lost power and the bottom drops out. Well, you’re on your gun, you’re trying to shoot the enemy. And you know the crash is coming. There’s nothing you can do to prevent it from happening. The three or four seconds it takes for you to crash just seems like a lifetime. It’s a helpless feeling ...there’s nothing that can be done until you hit the ground. You just wait,” says Don Wilmot of Sterling Township.
His unit was known as “Tweed’s Tigers” serving under Commanding Officer Col. Mac Tweed. Don was a crew chief/ door gunner with the Marines HMM-361 helicopter squadron, aboard Yankee November (YN)21. He flew 440 missions, 360 of those combat missions, including 200 successful medivacs.
go here for more
Viet Vet Don Wilmot: Time does not heal it all
By Tammy Compton
Wayne Independent
Wed Jun 24, 2009, 05:27 PM EDT
Sterling, Pa. -
His helo was shot down four times in Vietnam. Twice behind enemy lines.
“Did you ever get a feeling that you’re falling out of bed? It’s like your stomach’s kind of up in your chest? Well, just imagine being in a helicopter, 500 or 600 feet, and all of a sudden you’ve lost power and the bottom drops out. Well, you’re on your gun, you’re trying to shoot the enemy. And you know the crash is coming. There’s nothing you can do to prevent it from happening. The three or four seconds it takes for you to crash just seems like a lifetime. It’s a helpless feeling ...there’s nothing that can be done until you hit the ground. You just wait,” says Don Wilmot of Sterling Township.
His unit was known as “Tweed’s Tigers” serving under Commanding Officer Col. Mac Tweed. Don was a crew chief/ door gunner with the Marines HMM-361 helicopter squadron, aboard Yankee November (YN)21. He flew 440 missions, 360 of those combat missions, including 200 successful medivacs.
go here for more
Viet Vet Don Wilmot: Time does not heal it all
US Vietnam veterans send home fallen comrades
US Vietnam veterans send home fallen comrades
By Ian Timberlake – 16 hours ago
DANANG, Vietnam (AFP) — Standing to attention in the hot sun, a Marines baseball cap over his heart, US veteran Alan Segal watched as an honour guard carried the flag-draped coffins of his fellow servicemen onto an Air Force plane, taking them home 34 years after the Vietnam War ended.
Beside him another US veteran of the Vietnam conflict, Rick Janovick, 58, saluted fellow servicemen whose names he did not even know.
Segal and Janovick, who have chosen to live where they once fought, were among dozens who witnessed Wednesday's repatriation ceremony which came as the US and Vietnam step up cooperation in the hunt for missing servicemen.
Among the guests were crew from the USNS Bruce C. Heezen, the first US Navy ship to join the search effort. The ship has just completed a 12-day survey for missing American aircraft in waters off central and south-central Vietnam.
The two sets of remains sent home on Wednesday came from the land but US officials hoped the Heezen's involvement would speed up the search for underwater sites, meaning the remains of airmen still missing at sea could, in the future, also be repatriated with dignity.
Since Vietnam and the US began cooperating more than 20 years ago in the search for the remains of missing US servicemen, more than 600 have been repatriated but about 1,300 are still unaccounted for in Vietnam, the US says.
go here for more
US Vietnam veterans send home fallen comrades
By Ian Timberlake – 16 hours ago
DANANG, Vietnam (AFP) — Standing to attention in the hot sun, a Marines baseball cap over his heart, US veteran Alan Segal watched as an honour guard carried the flag-draped coffins of his fellow servicemen onto an Air Force plane, taking them home 34 years after the Vietnam War ended.
Beside him another US veteran of the Vietnam conflict, Rick Janovick, 58, saluted fellow servicemen whose names he did not even know.
Segal and Janovick, who have chosen to live where they once fought, were among dozens who witnessed Wednesday's repatriation ceremony which came as the US and Vietnam step up cooperation in the hunt for missing servicemen.
Among the guests were crew from the USNS Bruce C. Heezen, the first US Navy ship to join the search effort. The ship has just completed a 12-day survey for missing American aircraft in waters off central and south-central Vietnam.
The two sets of remains sent home on Wednesday came from the land but US officials hoped the Heezen's involvement would speed up the search for underwater sites, meaning the remains of airmen still missing at sea could, in the future, also be repatriated with dignity.
Since Vietnam and the US began cooperating more than 20 years ago in the search for the remains of missing US servicemen, more than 600 have been repatriated but about 1,300 are still unaccounted for in Vietnam, the US says.
go here for more
US Vietnam veterans send home fallen comrades
They buried Steve Staggs this week
If you go to this link on mental health care, you'll understand how we arrived where we are when it comes to the mentally ill and homeless. It will also help you to understand how timing is everything, considering when these events happened, it was at the same time Vietnam veterans were in dire need of the mental health community.
http://www.sociology.org/content/vol003.004/thomas.html
I found this on VAWatchdog, one of the best sites out there on veterans. It's about what we don't often enough read about when we talk about homeless veterans. Steve Staggs was a homeless veteran and he died as a homeless veteran, buried in a popper's grave. One more discard from a family that didn't care? Hardly. He had a family caring about him, trying to help him and searched for him after he walked away. They were still searching for him two years after he had been buried in a grave with just some numbers as a marker for the day his body was found.
Please read this and then come back for what I have to say. It won't matter as much unless you see a homeless veteran thru the eyes of someone who loved him.
Mental hospitals were never very good but at least the mentally ill were not left to live or die on their own. Today there are some half-way houses addressing recovery from drugs and alcohol, some shelters for the homeless, but considering reports about neighbors complaining about their property values and "not wanting those people living in my neighborhood" the likelihood of an adequate number of them to take care of all of our citizens needing help, is not about to happen anytime soon.
During WWII, one of my husband's uncles was a Merchant Marine. He was on a ship hit by a Kamikaze pilot and never really recovered. He was not left to wander the streets. He was sent to live on a farm so that he and others were cared for, to live out their lives provided with everything they needed. Even back then, there were not enough places for all of them to go and many ended up in Mental Hospitals. Instead of investing in fixing what was wrong with these facilities, they were shut down. It seems that President Reagan had better uses for tax payer funds resulting in the mentally ill walking the streets, left to suffer without care and die there.
In the long run, not fixing the hospitals for the mentally ill, cost more money than anyone was prepared for. What resulted was not only the increase in homeless, it increased crimes and incarcerations. This resulted in the need to build more prisons. When we provided nothing for the mentally ill, we put suffering people into dangerous positions and then they became more dangerous to the rest of society.
Veterans, with their unique circumstances, joined the ranks of the mentally ill and homeless. The same outcome for these veterans was guaranteed. One of them was almost my husband. Almost, simply because the homeless shelter had a waiting list and there was no way I could face our daughter knowing I put her father out to live on the streets. Looking back on the full shelter, I now consider it a blessing because I became more determined to make sure it never reached that point again.
All the years I had been researching PTSD and helping veterans, left me feeling totally lost and helpless because no matter what I said, what I did, how I acted, I couldn't get my own husband to listen and get the proper help. I stood by him as he entered into private rehabs, joined AA and then watched him sink right back down into the abyss. It was easier for him to accept being called an alcoholic than it was to accept the term associated with mental illness. The fear was greater for him to have PTSD, partly because he still couldn't understand it enough to get his preconceived concepts out of his head, and partly because he didn't think he knew anyone with the same illness. He did however know a lot of "alcoholics" or so he thought. It turned out most of the people he knew that were "just drunks like him" were also PTSD veterans.
Because of this, I ended up visiting the shelter and my heart was tugged by the full capacity of sheltered veterans. This was in the 90's, long before Afghanistan and Iraq veterans were coming back needing help for the same wound. The first tour I took, I was hopeful when I saw how there were doctors and nurses, dentists, all volunteering their time along with mental health providers, trainers and teachers. These veterans were not just being provided with shelter and food, but hope. I had a good feeling until I reached the floor for female veterans. It was there I was told there would be a lot more of them on that floor, but they couldn't take in children. Female homeless veterans with children were sent away.
Over the years, a lot of people have complained to me that I care more about homeless veterans than I do regular citizens. In a way, that's true. It is not that my heart is cold to the plight of all homeless people, it is simply tugged more by our veterans. It is also because they are a minority among the homeless as well as a minority in this nation.
While we are a nation of over 300 million, there are less than 30 million veterans, even less are combat veterans. These are the men and women we counted on, depended on them to risk their lives fighting the battles we decided needed to be fought. It was also us deciding that when they came home, they would just have to go back to being a civilian and left to fend for themselves, unless they happened to have body parts blown off. Those were the only wounds we were willing to accept as any excuse to have our tax dollars used to take care of them. TBI? PTSD? Agent Orange? Gulf War Syndrome? What more did these people want from us? After all, we already have mental health care, cancer treatments and research being done for the rest of us. Why do they expect to be treated any differently than the rest of us? Isn't that what financial junkies use for excuses to do nothing for them?
I can't use "Republican" for this because some of them actually do understand the obligation we have to our veterans, but too many under the "conservative" or "libertarian" banner are more like greedy junkies wanting to hold onto every dime they have, using the social system instead of acknowledging how much they need it all. Safe food and water, roads, bridges, fire departments, police departments, the list goes on but they fail to see where their money goes. They were also the same people standing on the floor of congress saying that taking care of the veterans was something they couldn't afford because there were two wars to pay for. Amazing isn't it? At the same time they took no issue with anything President Bush wanted to spend for Iraq and Afghanistan, they complained about having to take care of the men and women that were participating in it. I often wonder what their attitude would be if they had someone in their own family needing the help of the VA or wounded by PTSD if they would feel the same way?
This is why homeless veterans are very different to me. While they are just like us in many ways, they are also very different in other ways. While we don't risk our lives for anyone, they do. When they end up with life altering events as veterans for the rest of their lives, it's up to us to fulfill our end of the deal for them. The problem is, it's just not personal to the rest of us.
My eye opener on PTSD came when I met a Vietnam veteran I fell in love. My eye opener on homeless veterans came when a shelter was full. It was all personal to me and still is. If it hasn't been personal to you up to this point, then I hope the story you read about Steve Staggs managed to change your heart a little bit anyway.
A lot of people in this country were not really paying attention to what was happening in Iran until the image of Neda dying on the street made the national news. Then, it was personal to us because we thought about how an innocent person could be killed like that. Maybe Steve Staggs can make homeless veterans personal to you as well and move you to care about strangers.
http://www.sociology.org/content/vol003.004/thomas.html
I found this on VAWatchdog, one of the best sites out there on veterans. It's about what we don't often enough read about when we talk about homeless veterans. Steve Staggs was a homeless veteran and he died as a homeless veteran, buried in a popper's grave. One more discard from a family that didn't care? Hardly. He had a family caring about him, trying to help him and searched for him after he walked away. They were still searching for him two years after he had been buried in a grave with just some numbers as a marker for the day his body was found.
Please read this and then come back for what I have to say. It won't matter as much unless you see a homeless veteran thru the eyes of someone who loved him.
Laurie Roberts' Columns & Blog
A mother's son finally laid to rest
They buried Steve Staggs this week.
Old soldiers were there and an honor guard detail which offered a three-volley salute and sounded Taps. The Patriot Guard Riders came and the Old Guard Riders, too, standing in formation for more than an hour there in the mid-morning sun as Steve's family laid him, finally, to rest.
Steve didn't die in a war. At least, not the conventional kind. During his last days, most of us probably would have crossed the street to avoid him. We would have seen the homeless man battling mental illness from the empty end of a vodka bottle. We would have seen the disheveled man who shunned help. We would have seen and we would have walked on, never catching a glimpse of the real Steve Staggs.
The man who served his country. The one who was somebody's son, somebody's brother. Somebody's father.
“He was a very religious person in his heart,” his mother, Barbara Larson, told me after Monday's service. “This would have meant so much to him.”
Steve battled depression for most of his 44 years, but he was much more than a man with a mental illness. He served for a decade in the Coast Guard and later worked in the private sector until an accident left him with a head injury.
By 2004, he was no longer able to work and tried several times to commit suicide. He was in and out of hospitals as his family tried to get him help but you have to want help and even then, in this state, that's no guarantee that you'll get it.
Steve, sadly, didn't want help. In the fall of 2006, he threw his belongings in the trash, picked up his backpack and walked away from everything and everyone he knew. For 2½ years, his family searched for him, fueled by that spark of hope that maybe someday he would be found. In March, that spark was extinguished. Steve's body had been found two years earlier in a field in Surprise, lying under a salt-cedar tree, surrounded by empty vodka bottles.
It took two years before anyone realized that the body was the long sought Steve, well loved by some despite how he might have looked to the rest of us. By the time his family found him, he'd long ago been buried by jail inmates in the county pauper's cemetery.
go here for more
http://www.vawatchdog.org/09/nf09/nfjun09/nf062509-2.htm
Mental hospitals were never very good but at least the mentally ill were not left to live or die on their own. Today there are some half-way houses addressing recovery from drugs and alcohol, some shelters for the homeless, but considering reports about neighbors complaining about their property values and "not wanting those people living in my neighborhood" the likelihood of an adequate number of them to take care of all of our citizens needing help, is not about to happen anytime soon.
During WWII, one of my husband's uncles was a Merchant Marine. He was on a ship hit by a Kamikaze pilot and never really recovered. He was not left to wander the streets. He was sent to live on a farm so that he and others were cared for, to live out their lives provided with everything they needed. Even back then, there were not enough places for all of them to go and many ended up in Mental Hospitals. Instead of investing in fixing what was wrong with these facilities, they were shut down. It seems that President Reagan had better uses for tax payer funds resulting in the mentally ill walking the streets, left to suffer without care and die there.
In the long run, not fixing the hospitals for the mentally ill, cost more money than anyone was prepared for. What resulted was not only the increase in homeless, it increased crimes and incarcerations. This resulted in the need to build more prisons. When we provided nothing for the mentally ill, we put suffering people into dangerous positions and then they became more dangerous to the rest of society.
Veterans, with their unique circumstances, joined the ranks of the mentally ill and homeless. The same outcome for these veterans was guaranteed. One of them was almost my husband. Almost, simply because the homeless shelter had a waiting list and there was no way I could face our daughter knowing I put her father out to live on the streets. Looking back on the full shelter, I now consider it a blessing because I became more determined to make sure it never reached that point again.
All the years I had been researching PTSD and helping veterans, left me feeling totally lost and helpless because no matter what I said, what I did, how I acted, I couldn't get my own husband to listen and get the proper help. I stood by him as he entered into private rehabs, joined AA and then watched him sink right back down into the abyss. It was easier for him to accept being called an alcoholic than it was to accept the term associated with mental illness. The fear was greater for him to have PTSD, partly because he still couldn't understand it enough to get his preconceived concepts out of his head, and partly because he didn't think he knew anyone with the same illness. He did however know a lot of "alcoholics" or so he thought. It turned out most of the people he knew that were "just drunks like him" were also PTSD veterans.
Because of this, I ended up visiting the shelter and my heart was tugged by the full capacity of sheltered veterans. This was in the 90's, long before Afghanistan and Iraq veterans were coming back needing help for the same wound. The first tour I took, I was hopeful when I saw how there were doctors and nurses, dentists, all volunteering their time along with mental health providers, trainers and teachers. These veterans were not just being provided with shelter and food, but hope. I had a good feeling until I reached the floor for female veterans. It was there I was told there would be a lot more of them on that floor, but they couldn't take in children. Female homeless veterans with children were sent away.
Over the years, a lot of people have complained to me that I care more about homeless veterans than I do regular citizens. In a way, that's true. It is not that my heart is cold to the plight of all homeless people, it is simply tugged more by our veterans. It is also because they are a minority among the homeless as well as a minority in this nation.
National Coalition for Homeless Veterans - Background & ...
Conservatively, one out of every three homeless men who is sleeping in a ... NCHV strongly believes that all programs to assist homeless veterans
While we are a nation of over 300 million, there are less than 30 million veterans, even less are combat veterans. These are the men and women we counted on, depended on them to risk their lives fighting the battles we decided needed to be fought. It was also us deciding that when they came home, they would just have to go back to being a civilian and left to fend for themselves, unless they happened to have body parts blown off. Those were the only wounds we were willing to accept as any excuse to have our tax dollars used to take care of them. TBI? PTSD? Agent Orange? Gulf War Syndrome? What more did these people want from us? After all, we already have mental health care, cancer treatments and research being done for the rest of us. Why do they expect to be treated any differently than the rest of us? Isn't that what financial junkies use for excuses to do nothing for them?
I can't use "Republican" for this because some of them actually do understand the obligation we have to our veterans, but too many under the "conservative" or "libertarian" banner are more like greedy junkies wanting to hold onto every dime they have, using the social system instead of acknowledging how much they need it all. Safe food and water, roads, bridges, fire departments, police departments, the list goes on but they fail to see where their money goes. They were also the same people standing on the floor of congress saying that taking care of the veterans was something they couldn't afford because there were two wars to pay for. Amazing isn't it? At the same time they took no issue with anything President Bush wanted to spend for Iraq and Afghanistan, they complained about having to take care of the men and women that were participating in it. I often wonder what their attitude would be if they had someone in their own family needing the help of the VA or wounded by PTSD if they would feel the same way?
This is why homeless veterans are very different to me. While they are just like us in many ways, they are also very different in other ways. While we don't risk our lives for anyone, they do. When they end up with life altering events as veterans for the rest of their lives, it's up to us to fulfill our end of the deal for them. The problem is, it's just not personal to the rest of us.
My eye opener on PTSD came when I met a Vietnam veteran I fell in love. My eye opener on homeless veterans came when a shelter was full. It was all personal to me and still is. If it hasn't been personal to you up to this point, then I hope the story you read about Steve Staggs managed to change your heart a little bit anyway.
A lot of people in this country were not really paying attention to what was happening in Iran until the image of Neda dying on the street made the national news. Then, it was personal to us because we thought about how an innocent person could be killed like that. Maybe Steve Staggs can make homeless veterans personal to you as well and move you to care about strangers.
Bank turns down checks for Operation Open Arms?
How does a bank refuse to cash checks at all? I can understand them waiting the usual time for checks to clear before they release funds, but how do they refuse to do it? How do they refuse for a veterans charity of all places when there is such a dire need out there to take care of our troops and veterans?
Capt. John "Giddy Up" Bunch had an idea, perhaps a God sent idea, and has apparently been blessed with success. He managed to touch enough hearts that donations came in to support his work and blessed that he's getting the national media attention. So how is it that this program may be forced to close because of the bank's refusal to handle the transactions now that Operation Open Arms is tax exempt? I really wish that Capt. Bunch mentioned the bank's name because I'm sure all the military families and veterans families out there would be more than happy to pull their money out of whatever bank it is. It would also be very interesting to know if this bank was among the recipients of the bailout the tax payers provided.
Capt. John "Giddy Up" Bunch had an idea, perhaps a God sent idea, and has apparently been blessed with success. He managed to touch enough hearts that donations came in to support his work and blessed that he's getting the national media attention. So how is it that this program may be forced to close because of the bank's refusal to handle the transactions now that Operation Open Arms is tax exempt? I really wish that Capt. Bunch mentioned the bank's name because I'm sure all the military families and veterans families out there would be more than happy to pull their money out of whatever bank it is. It would also be very interesting to know if this bank was among the recipients of the bailout the tax payers provided.
Founder may shut down Operation Open Arms in 2010
Nonprofit offers soldiers on leave goods, services
By DREW WINCHESTER, dwinchester@breezenewspapers.com
Operation Open Arms has been so successful over the last four years that its success threatens its future existence.
OOA founder and Pine Island fishing guide Capt. John "Giddy Up" Bunch said he plans on shutting down the nonprofit organization by April 19, 2010, if the financial outlook does not improve.
"I have come to one astounding conclusion: If I can't get enough donations that will allow me to at least compensate our fishing guides and key benefactors by April 19, 2010 ... financially, I am going to have to shut it down," he said.
Bunch recently had to return nearly $24,000 in donations because his bank would not cash the checks. He said the bank refused to cash the checks after he received his nonprofit 5013c status.
With only $1,900 left in the bank account, Bunch had to turn down a prestigious invitation from Maj. Gen. Mark A. Graham to attend a conference in Colorado focusing on soldier mental and physical health.
Bunch said, as honored as he was to be invited, he did not feel right about draining the OOA bank account in order attend. He ranks it as his "biggest disappointment" thus far with OOA.
"I spend this money like I've got a leash around the eagle's neck," Bunch said. "Nothing is spent unless it's necessary."
Started as an organization that focused on Pine Island soldiers returning from active duty, OOA quickly grew to focus on soldiers from all over Southwest Florida. Now troops from 49 of the 50 states make their way to the area to take part in services offered by OOA.
go here for more
http://www.cape-coral-daily-breeze.com/page/content.detail/id/507640.html
Wednesday, June 24, 2009
Indiana, Oregon and West Virginia National Guards, cancer and KBR
Did KBR know Iraq locale was polluted, putting soldiers at risk?
By SHARON COHEN AP National Writer
UNDATED - Larry Roberta's every breath is a painful reminder of his time in Iraq. He can't walk a block without gasping for air. His chest hurts, his migraines sometimes persist for days and he needs pills to help him sleep.
James Gentry came home with rashes, ear troubles and a shortness of breath. Later, things got much worse: He developed lung cancer, which spread to his spine, ribs and one of his thighs; he must often use a cane, and no longer rides his beloved Harley.
David Moore's postwar life turned into a harrowing medical mystery: nosebleeds and labored breathing that made it impossible to work, much less speak. His desperate search for answers ended last year when he died of lung disease at age 42.
What these three men - one sick, one dying, one dead - had in common is they were National Guard soldiers on the same stretch of wind-swept desert in Iraq during the early months of the war in 2003.
These soldiers and hundreds of other Guard members from Indiana, Oregon and West Virginia were protecting workers hired by a subsidiary of the giant contractor, KBR Inc., to rebuild an Iraqi water treatment plant. The area, as it turned out, was contaminated with hexavalent chromium, a potent, sometimes deadly chemical linked to cancer and other devastating diseases.
go here for more
http://www.katu.com/news/national/49006416.html
By SHARON COHEN AP National Writer
UNDATED - Larry Roberta's every breath is a painful reminder of his time in Iraq. He can't walk a block without gasping for air. His chest hurts, his migraines sometimes persist for days and he needs pills to help him sleep.
James Gentry came home with rashes, ear troubles and a shortness of breath. Later, things got much worse: He developed lung cancer, which spread to his spine, ribs and one of his thighs; he must often use a cane, and no longer rides his beloved Harley.
David Moore's postwar life turned into a harrowing medical mystery: nosebleeds and labored breathing that made it impossible to work, much less speak. His desperate search for answers ended last year when he died of lung disease at age 42.
What these three men - one sick, one dying, one dead - had in common is they were National Guard soldiers on the same stretch of wind-swept desert in Iraq during the early months of the war in 2003.
These soldiers and hundreds of other Guard members from Indiana, Oregon and West Virginia were protecting workers hired by a subsidiary of the giant contractor, KBR Inc., to rebuild an Iraqi water treatment plant. The area, as it turned out, was contaminated with hexavalent chromium, a potent, sometimes deadly chemical linked to cancer and other devastating diseases.
go here for more
http://www.katu.com/news/national/49006416.html
Girl burned by white phosphorus leaves Bagram
Girl burned by white phosphorus leaves Bagram
By Rahim Faiez - The Associated Press
Posted : Wednesday Jun 24, 2009 17:44:29 EDT
BAGRAM AIR BASE, Afghanistan — A nurse fixed a black wig on Razia’s scarred and disfigured scalp before the 8-year-old took off around the emergency room to bid farewell to the staff who cared for her after white phosphorous scorched her head, face, neck and hands.
When Razia came to the U.S. military hospital four months ago, Capt. Christine Collins didn’t think she would make it out alive. On Wednesday, the little Afghan girl left this military hospital for an arduous journey to her village, a 50-mile drive from Bagram Air Base.
“I am fine, I want to go home,” Razia quietly told Collins and a group of other hospital staff who had come to see her off.
Wearing a pair of blue jeans and a pink-striped shirt, Razia was eager to see her mother — who awaited her at a cousin’s house deep in the countryside still rife with insurgents. The two have not seen each other since shells ripped through their home on March 14 just after breakfast, killing two of Razia’s sisters.
It’s unclear where the white phosphorus came from that disfigured Razia for life — burning her face, now marked with permanent scars. Razia’s father, Abdul Aziz, blames international forces since U.S., French and Afghan troops gathered outside his home just before the shells were fired. U.S and NATO troops use white phosphorus to illuminate targets, create smoke screens and destroy old bunkers, but say they don’t use it as a weapon.
A U.S. military spokeswoman with NATO’s security force said military officials can’t be certain whether it was their own round or an enemy round that hit Razia’s house.
go here for more
http://www.armytimes.com/news/2009/06/ap_burned_afghan_girl_062409/
By Rahim Faiez - The Associated Press
Posted : Wednesday Jun 24, 2009 17:44:29 EDT
BAGRAM AIR BASE, Afghanistan — A nurse fixed a black wig on Razia’s scarred and disfigured scalp before the 8-year-old took off around the emergency room to bid farewell to the staff who cared for her after white phosphorous scorched her head, face, neck and hands.
When Razia came to the U.S. military hospital four months ago, Capt. Christine Collins didn’t think she would make it out alive. On Wednesday, the little Afghan girl left this military hospital for an arduous journey to her village, a 50-mile drive from Bagram Air Base.
“I am fine, I want to go home,” Razia quietly told Collins and a group of other hospital staff who had come to see her off.
Wearing a pair of blue jeans and a pink-striped shirt, Razia was eager to see her mother — who awaited her at a cousin’s house deep in the countryside still rife with insurgents. The two have not seen each other since shells ripped through their home on March 14 just after breakfast, killing two of Razia’s sisters.
It’s unclear where the white phosphorus came from that disfigured Razia for life — burning her face, now marked with permanent scars. Razia’s father, Abdul Aziz, blames international forces since U.S., French and Afghan troops gathered outside his home just before the shells were fired. U.S and NATO troops use white phosphorus to illuminate targets, create smoke screens and destroy old bunkers, but say they don’t use it as a weapon.
A U.S. military spokeswoman with NATO’s security force said military officials can’t be certain whether it was their own round or an enemy round that hit Razia’s house.
go here for more
http://www.armytimes.com/news/2009/06/ap_burned_afghan_girl_062409/
Is this what we've been waiting for? Nope!
UPDATE.........then again, maybe not.
I took a look at the site and was not impressed by what I read.
This was there,
Folder 8 - THE Burris Life Coach for Warriors
THE Burris Life Coach for Warriors is considered the only legitimate fix for PTSD. The reason for this is the Program Process of THE Burris Life Coach is the only proven process for depression which is the primary symptom for PTSD.
I could not find where or who declared "THE Burris Life Coach is the only proven process for depression which is the primary symptom for PTSD" especially when considering according to the website, they have been doing this for 25 years. I never heard of them before this. Who considers it the only "fix" for PTSD? Any ideas? Do police departments use it? Do fire departments use it? Has any veteran's program used it?
Along with this piece of information I'm really scratching my head now.
July 6, 2009 and Jul 7 2009
by Kelly Burris PhD
Registration Deadline: June 29, 2009
Seat price: $3,997.00
The Definitive Standard for Every Life Coach and All Who Work in the Field of Mental Health
With 25 years of research, development and refinement the framework of the SR™ process will allow you to effectively help your clients with there Emotional - Spiritual - Relationship - Business and Personal objectives with an integral data collection process that will hold up under the most stringent scrutiny. THE Burris Life Coach is "The Only Proven Process for Subconscious Restructuring™." The SR™ process has set a clear standard in the mental health and life coaching disciplines by virtue of its data collection process and its ability to address human behavior at the very beginning of the process at the deepest level of the subconscious. This has allowed the SR™ process to be extraordinarily effective with all people and all behavioral issues. After becoming Certified your question is simply ..."Which demographic do I want to have the greatest impact on?"
22% Success rate?
From their site
The recent studies, conducted by a growing team of "Master SR Coaches," show the process having widespread and consistently dramatic results on depression symptoms. One such study, conducted by Master SR Coach Dr. Ron Clark, has delivered an average 22% reduction in depression symptoms in just 4 hours. While another study, conducted by Master SR Coach Dr. Janis Smith accomplished an average 68% reduction in depression symptoms over a five week period. Dr Burris's company, THE Burris Life Coach is challenging these numbers against results shown by medications and traditional therapy.
Looks like I have to take back my optimism on this now. This PR release plus almost $4,000 for a two day mail course and no outside studies published on the effectiveness of what they claim,,,,,,looks like more of the same claims we've read for a very long time and now, I'm completely depressed all over again.
It very well may be what we've been waiting for, simply because of this part,,...
all human behavior is emotionally driven and you cannot change an emotional state unless you fully understand how an emotional state comes about
I don't know but it sounds a lot better than some of the other things they've been talking about doing.
Rand Study Supports Evidence-Based Subconscious Restructuring Process for PTSD
The only evidence-based program process in mental health uniformly complies with an extensive Rand Study on PTSD in the Military
Henderson, NV (PRWEB) June 24, 2009 -- A Rand study from the Center for Military Health Policy Research titled "Invisible Wounds of War" supports an evidence-based plan for intervention and prevention of PTSD and Suicide in the military. Subconscious Restructuring or SR has 25 years of research, development and documented results with the primary symptom of PTSD and suicide. The Rand study just confirmed what we have been attempting to convey to the mental health system for almost 20 years states Kelly Burris, PhD, developer of the SR process.
The SR process is based on the reality that all human behavior is emotionally driven and you cannot change an emotional state unless you fully understand how an emotional state comes about.
The "Implementation of Evidence-Based SR Process into the Military" proposal covered every issue and beyond brought up by this extensive Rand study. Following are the four recommendations made by Rand after the study and how they would each be addressed by the implementation of the SR Process.
1. Increase the cadre of providers who are trained and certified to deliver proven (evidence-based) care, so that capacity is adequate for current and future needs.
Implementation and integration of the Burris SR process will begin with Burris SR certification of selected Military leadership, psychiatrists, psychologists, chaplains, and Family Support Center staff, then proceed to workshops involving PTSD and/or suicidology-identified warriors and their families, then the general unit population, and their families. Burris Master-level SR Certifiers would initially certify the leadership and intervention staff, then assist in the warrior/family workshops. Over time, each unit and base will reach a point of self-sustaining competence, and the Burris staff would then both monitor incoming data from completed units and their families, and begin to implement the Burris SR program for other units and commands world-wide.
2. Change policies to encourage active duty personnel and veterans to seek needed care.
The evidence-based SR process is not psychotherapy and therefore would remove the stigma of seeking help. Everyone from new recruits to returning Warriors would go through the SR Process as part of their entry and exit from the military. A simple Follow-up with the emotional checklist could be done all throughout the term of military service which would eliminate guessing who might need help.
3. Deliver proven, evidence-based care to service members and veterans whenever and wherever services are provided.
As an already proven evidence-based intervention program with most mental health problems over some 25 years, the infrastructure put in place by Master SR Coaches would allow all service members to become a self-perpetuating healing and wellness intervention unit over time. This would ensure everyone within the Military that needed help would get it.
go here for more
Rand Study Supports Evidence-Based Subconscious Restructuring Process for PTSD
Coos Bay NAMI Project aims to help troubled veterans
Project aims to help troubled veterans
By Jolene Guzman, Staff Writer
COOS BAY — They are warriors. They see themselves as strong. They don’t realize — or don’t want to believe — they need help.
Veterans suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder discover months or years later it takes more than time and a few drinks to chase their problems away. A group of local organizations and volunteers wants to be there for those vets and their families when they ask for a helping hand.
Veteran and retired physician John Mesquita said many vets are brought back home and dropped into society without much of a transition. They go through a period when they feel they just need to “man up” and handle service-related problems on their own. Family and friends are more likely to notice the signs of PTSD before the vet.
“The common denominator is do they ask for help,” he said.
Mesquita helped built a partnership between the Coos County National Alliance on Mental Illness, local Department of Veterans’ Affairs mental health professionals and the Nancy Devereux Center to start weekly PTSD group counseling sessions in Coos Bay. The sessions are on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays. The goal of the sessions is to offer a comfortable place for vets and their families to find helping and understanding.
“We want to give more than lip service,” Mesquita said. “We want this to be a step up, stand up and do the right thing kind of service.”
Monday sessions are for all veterans seeking counseling. Wednesday sessions are directed at vets who have served and returned in the last 10 years, and each Friday special support groups are scheduled for families of vets suffering from PTSD.
go here for more
Project aims to help troubled veterans
By Jolene Guzman, Staff Writer
COOS BAY — They are warriors. They see themselves as strong. They don’t realize — or don’t want to believe — they need help.
Veterans suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder discover months or years later it takes more than time and a few drinks to chase their problems away. A group of local organizations and volunteers wants to be there for those vets and their families when they ask for a helping hand.
Veteran and retired physician John Mesquita said many vets are brought back home and dropped into society without much of a transition. They go through a period when they feel they just need to “man up” and handle service-related problems on their own. Family and friends are more likely to notice the signs of PTSD before the vet.
“The common denominator is do they ask for help,” he said.
Mesquita helped built a partnership between the Coos County National Alliance on Mental Illness, local Department of Veterans’ Affairs mental health professionals and the Nancy Devereux Center to start weekly PTSD group counseling sessions in Coos Bay. The sessions are on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays. The goal of the sessions is to offer a comfortable place for vets and their families to find helping and understanding.
“We want to give more than lip service,” Mesquita said. “We want this to be a step up, stand up and do the right thing kind of service.”
Monday sessions are for all veterans seeking counseling. Wednesday sessions are directed at vets who have served and returned in the last 10 years, and each Friday special support groups are scheduled for families of vets suffering from PTSD.
go here for more
Project aims to help troubled veterans
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