Bittersweet return: Soldier home just in time for teen brother's funeral
By Jed Boal
OREM -- The community lined Main Street with American flags Monday afternoon to show support for a family that has faced gut-wrenching challenges in the last week.
As the family prepares to bury one son, they welcomed another one home from the war in Afghanistan.
"This last week, it's been a surreal situation," said Troy Peterson, their father.
As friends and neighbors gathered and waited the brilliant sun battled a biting wind. Dozens of American flags fluttered in the stiff breeze. Yellow ribbons dangled in many trees.
It was a homecoming that drew out many different mixed emotions: joy and gratitude, but also sorrow and disbelief. But everyone wanted to be there, waiting in front of the Peterson's home.
The crowd gathered in anticipation of the soldier's arrival: A chance to welcome Army Private First Class Anthony Peterson home from a year in Afghanistan, and show their love for the family.
read more here
Tuesday, January 17, 2012
Veteran running to Indianapolis to raise awareness on military suicides
Veteran running to Indianapolis to raise awareness
Posted: Jan 16, 2012
By Matt Barbour, Reporter
(WRCB) -- Corporal Cory Smith calls Indianapolis home. By car or plane, the trip from Ft. Benning, Georgia would be easy. But Smith is pounding the pavement for hundreds of miles all for a good cause.
We caught up with Corporal Cory Smith, as he made his way through Chattanooga.
He says he is running for two reasons. One is to get back home to his baby daughter. The other is to help other veterans in need.
Smith, who has served almost four years as an Army Ranger, says veterans coming back home face so many challenges.
"Every 80 minutes in America, according the Veteran Affairs, there's a veteran suicide and only nine states actually claim those suicides," says Smith.
He says he has faced some challenges himself.
"You're kind of in this closed world where everybody kind of takes care of you in the military, but when you get out, you know, you're lucky even to have your parents around to take care of you," he says.
Smith says once he got back home, things were much rockier than expected. His wife left his home with his young daughter and he said he knew he had to do something to keep going.
"All I had left was an air mattress and a television. And that was it. And just a whole lot of emptiness inside," says Smith.
That is why he started running.
Posted: Jan 16, 2012
By Matt Barbour, Reporter
Cpl. Cory Smith. Photo by Doug Strickland (Times Free Press).CHATTANOOGA -
(WRCB) -- Corporal Cory Smith calls Indianapolis home. By car or plane, the trip from Ft. Benning, Georgia would be easy. But Smith is pounding the pavement for hundreds of miles all for a good cause.
We caught up with Corporal Cory Smith, as he made his way through Chattanooga.
He says he is running for two reasons. One is to get back home to his baby daughter. The other is to help other veterans in need.
Smith, who has served almost four years as an Army Ranger, says veterans coming back home face so many challenges.
"Every 80 minutes in America, according the Veteran Affairs, there's a veteran suicide and only nine states actually claim those suicides," says Smith.
He says he has faced some challenges himself.
"You're kind of in this closed world where everybody kind of takes care of you in the military, but when you get out, you know, you're lucky even to have your parents around to take care of you," he says.
Smith says once he got back home, things were much rockier than expected. His wife left his home with his young daughter and he said he knew he had to do something to keep going.
"All I had left was an air mattress and a television. And that was it. And just a whole lot of emptiness inside," says Smith.
That is why he started running.
Ending Nightmares Caused By PTSD
Ending Nightmares Caused By PTSD
by AMY STANDEN
Everyone has nightmares sometimes. But for people with PTSD, it's different.
Sam Brace doesn't want to talk about what he saw when he was a soldier in Iraq eight years ago. In fact, it's something he's actively trying not to dwell on. But what he can't control are his dreams.
They're almost always about the same explosion. "When I was overseas, we'd hit an IED," Brace says. "When I have a nightmare, normally it's something related to that."
Healthy dreams seem kind of random, according to Steven Woodward, a psychologist with the National Center for PTSD at the VA Medical Center in Menlo Park, Calif. "They're wacky," he says. "They associate lots of things that are not normally associated."
PTSD dreams are the same real-life event played over and over again like a broken record.
"Replicative nightmares of traumatic events ... repeat for years," Woodward says. "Sometimes 20 years."
Scientists wanted to find out the reason why people with PTSD can't sleep and dream normally.
One theory comes from Matthew Walker, a psychology researcher at the University of California, Berkeley. His particular interest lies in rapid eye movement, or REM. It's the time during sleep when a lot of dreaming occurs.
It's also a time when the chemistry of the brain actually changes. Levels of norepinephrine — a kind of adrenaline — drop out completely. REM sleep is the only time of day when this happens.
That struck Walker as a mystery. "Why would rapid eye movement sleep suppress this neurochemical?" he asks. "Is there any function to that?"
read more here
by AMY STANDEN
Everyone has nightmares sometimes. But for people with PTSD, it's different.
Sam Brace doesn't want to talk about what he saw when he was a soldier in Iraq eight years ago. In fact, it's something he's actively trying not to dwell on. But what he can't control are his dreams.
They're almost always about the same explosion. "When I was overseas, we'd hit an IED," Brace says. "When I have a nightmare, normally it's something related to that."
Healthy dreams seem kind of random, according to Steven Woodward, a psychologist with the National Center for PTSD at the VA Medical Center in Menlo Park, Calif. "They're wacky," he says. "They associate lots of things that are not normally associated."
PTSD dreams are the same real-life event played over and over again like a broken record.
"Replicative nightmares of traumatic events ... repeat for years," Woodward says. "Sometimes 20 years."
Scientists wanted to find out the reason why people with PTSD can't sleep and dream normally.
One theory comes from Matthew Walker, a psychology researcher at the University of California, Berkeley. His particular interest lies in rapid eye movement, or REM. It's the time during sleep when a lot of dreaming occurs.
It's also a time when the chemistry of the brain actually changes. Levels of norepinephrine — a kind of adrenaline — drop out completely. REM sleep is the only time of day when this happens.
That struck Walker as a mystery. "Why would rapid eye movement sleep suppress this neurochemical?" he asks. "Is there any function to that?"
read more here
Prazosin Oral
Prazosin is used with or without other medications to treat high blood pressure.
Lowering high blood pressure helps prevent strokes, heart attacks, and kidney problems.
Prazosin belongs to a class of medications called alpha blockers. It works by relaxing and widening blood vessels so blood can flow more easily.
OTHER USES: This section contains uses of this drug that are not listed in the approved professional labeling for the drug but that may be prescribed by your health care professional.
Use this drug for a condition that is listed in this section only if it has been so prescribed by your health care professional.
This drug may also be used to treat certain blood circulation disorders (Raynaud's phenomenon), as well as problems urinating due to an enlarged prostate (benign prostatic hyperplasia).
PRAZOSIN ORAL SIDE EFFECTS
Headache, drowsiness, tiredness, weakness, blurred vision, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, or constipation may occur as your body adjusts to the medication. If any of these effects persist or worsen, tell your doctor or pharmacist promptly.
Lightheadedness or dizziness upon standing may also occur, especially after the first dose and shortly after taking a dose of the drug during the first week of treatment. To reduce the risk of dizziness and fainting, get up slowly when rising from a seated or lying position. If dizziness occurs, sit or lie down immediately. Your dose may need to be adjusted.
Remember that your doctor has prescribed this medication because he or she has judged that the benefit to you is greater than the risk of side effects. Many people using this medication do not have serious side effects.
Tell your doctor immediately if any of these unlikely but serious side effects occur: pounding heartbeat, fainting, frequent urination, mental/mood changes (such as depression), swelling of the feet/ankles.
For males, in the very unlikely event you have a painful, prolonged erection (lasting more than 4 hours), stop using this drug and seek immediate medical attention, or permanent problems could occur.
PRAZOSIN ORAL PRECAUTIONS
This drug may make you dizzy or drowsy or cause blurred vision.
Do not drive, use machinery, or do any activity that requires alertness or clear vision until you are sure you can perform such activities safely.
Do not drive or participate in hazardous activities for 24 hours after your first dose, any increase in your dosage, or restarting treatment. If your doctor prescribes any additional blood pressure drugs, avoid driving and hazardous activities for 24 hours after your first dose of the new medication. Limit alcoholic beverages.
To reduce the risk of dizziness and fainting, be careful when standing for long periods. Avoid getting overheated during exercise and hot weather. When first starting this drug, avoid situations where you may be injured if you faint.
Monday, January 16, 2012
Vietnam Memorial Replica escorted into Orlando by over 100 motorcycles
Vietnam Memorial Replica Visits Lake Eola
Memorial In Town Until Sunday
POSTED: 11:56 am EST January 16, 2012
ORLANDO, Fla. -- A half size replica of the Vietnam Veteran’s Memorial is visiting Central Florida.
The memorial will be at Lake Eola Park in downtown Orlando until Sunday.
Over 100 motorcycles escorted the wall to Lake Eola Monday morning.
go here for video
Memorial In Town Until Sunday
POSTED: 11:56 am EST January 16, 2012
ORLANDO, Fla. -- A half size replica of the Vietnam Veteran’s Memorial is visiting Central Florida.
The memorial will be at Lake Eola Park in downtown Orlando until Sunday.
Over 100 motorcycles escorted the wall to Lake Eola Monday morning.
go here for video
"Quick Draw" soldier could face serious charges
Soldier From Baldwin County Could Face Serious Charges In Shooting
By: CHAD PETRI
WKRG-TV
Published: January 16, 2012
FAIRHOPE, Alabama --
Sgt. Matthew Gallagher was just days away from his 23rd birthday when he was shot to death in Iraq. The gunman was not an insurgent but allegedly his roommate, a soldier from Fairhope Brent McBride. I spoke to Gallagher's family in Massachusetts via Skype.
“[Matthew] didn't have holidays with his family so [McBride] needs to serve some time,” says Gallagher’s mother Cheryl Ruggiero. Based on conversations with the family and media reports soldiers may have been playing a game of quick-draw--where they see who can be the first to draw their weapon--McBride's gun fired and Gallagher was dead.
“This guy destroyed our lives, took away the most important person and we will never ever have him back,” says Gallagher’s wife Katie. The shooting happened in late June of 2011 in Iraq.
The military held an Article 32 hearing last month in Texas. McBride could be charged with manslaughter, or negligent homicide, or murder, or nothing--depending on what military officials decide.
read more here
By: CHAD PETRI
WKRG-TV
Published: January 16, 2012
FAIRHOPE, Alabama --
Sgt. Matthew Gallagher was just days away from his 23rd birthday when he was shot to death in Iraq. The gunman was not an insurgent but allegedly his roommate, a soldier from Fairhope Brent McBride. I spoke to Gallagher's family in Massachusetts via Skype.
“[Matthew] didn't have holidays with his family so [McBride] needs to serve some time,” says Gallagher’s mother Cheryl Ruggiero. Based on conversations with the family and media reports soldiers may have been playing a game of quick-draw--where they see who can be the first to draw their weapon--McBride's gun fired and Gallagher was dead.
“This guy destroyed our lives, took away the most important person and we will never ever have him back,” says Gallagher’s wife Katie. The shooting happened in late June of 2011 in Iraq.
The military held an Article 32 hearing last month in Texas. McBride could be charged with manslaughter, or negligent homicide, or murder, or nothing--depending on what military officials decide.
read more here
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)