1 in 5 soldiers in Afghanistan report acute stress, depression, or anxiety

Army morale declines in survey
Soldiers cite failings of senior officers and some worry service may be going 'soft'
By Bryan Bender
Globe Staff
August 19, 2012

One in five of those surveyed in Afghanistan reported they suffer from a psychological problem, such as acute stress, depression, or anxiety.

WASHINGTON ­— Only a quarter of the Army’s officers and enlisted soldiers believe the nation’s largest military branch is headed in the right direction — a survey response that is the lowest on record and reflects what some in the service call a crisis in confidence.

The detailed annual survey by a team of independent researchers found that the most common reasons cited for the bleak outlook were “ineffective leaders at senior levels,” a fear of losing the best and the brightest after a decade of war, and the perception, especially among senior enlisted soldiers, that “the Army is too soft” and lacks sufficient discipline.

The study, ordered by the Center for Army Leadership at Fort Leavenworth in Kansas, also found that one in four troops serving in Afghanistan rated morale either “low” or “very low,” part of a steady downward trend over the last five years.

But the most striking finding is widespread disagreement with the statement that “the Army is headed in the right direction to prepare for the challenges of the next 10 years.”

“In 2011, [active duty] agreement to this statement hit an all-time low,” according to the survey results, a copy of which were provided to The Boston Globe. “Belief that the Army is headed in the right direction is positively related to morale.”
read more here
Linked from Stars and Stripes

1 killed, 1 wounded in shooting at Kansas armory

1 killed, 1 wounded in shooting at Kan. armory
The Associated Press
Posted : Sunday Aug 19, 2012

JUNCTION CITY, Mo. — A Junction City man has been arrested on first-degree murder and aggravated battery charges in connection with an early morning shooting at a National Guard armory.

Police say the 33-year-old suspect was taken into custody at noon Saturday. He is accused of killing 25-year-old Antonio Maxwell and shooting 30-year-old Jamaica Chism, both of Junction City.
read more here

Guard spokesman says the Armory was rented out and this did not involve Guardsmen.

University of Kentucky studying effects on family left behind after suicide

UK to study effects of military suicides on those left behind
Published: August 19, 2012
Lexington Herald Leader
By Valarie Honeycutt Spears

In a state where military suicides are a continuing problem, researchers at the University of Kentucky are studying their effects on Kentuckians who have lost a military or veteran family member, friend or fellow service member to suicide.

The two-year study, Suicide Bereavement in Military and Their Families, is funded by a $677,000 grant from the U.S. Department of Defense's Military Suicide Research Consortium, said Julie Cerel, the principal investigator and an associate professor in the UK College of Social Work.

During the first six months of 2012, a reported 11 active-duty Army soldiers stationed in Kentucky died by suicide, with a total of 56 since 2009.

Nationally, there have been 154 suicides among active-duty service members during the first half of 2012, representing an 18 percent increase over the 130 suicides for the same period in 2011, Department of Defense spokeswoman Cynthia Smith said.

She said the Department of Defense has made suicide prevention a top priority and asked every leader throughout the chain of command to focus on the issue by creating a climate that supports seeking help "as a sign of strength, not a sign of weakness."

Officials at Fort Campbell, an Army installation on the Kentucky-Tennessee line that is home to the 101st Airborne Division, have been working intensively on the problem since 2009 when the number of suicides there prompted commanders to set aside routine duties for three days to help soldiers at risk of killing themselves.

Suicides have been a problem for veterans too.

Statewide figures were not immediately available, but nationally the Department of Veterans Affairs estimates that a veteran takes his or her life once every 80 minutes on average, accounting for some 6,500 suicides a year, or nearly 20 percent of all suicides in the United States, Cerel said.
read more here

also
Combat PTSD on the Home Front

Military suicides ends up with $3 million to develop a nasal spray

File this one under you've got to be kidding! I read something like this a couple of days ago but thought it was too much nonsense to post.

US Army grants $3 million for anti-suicide nasal spray research
Published: 19 August, 2012

For those feeling down in the dumps, the US military now has a solution: an anti-suicidal nasal spray that delivers antidepressant chemicals to the brain.

The US Army has awarded a scientist at the Indiana University School of Medicine $3 million to develop a nasal spray that eclipses suicidal thoughts. Dr. Michael Kubek and his research team will have three years to ascertain whether the nasal spray is a safe and effective method of preventing suicides.

The research grant comes after the Army lost 38 of its soldiers to suspected suicide in July, setting a record high. So far in 2012, the Army has confirmed 66 active duty suicides and is investigating 50 more, making a total of 116 cases.

The Army’s suicide rate is at the highest level in history, with more American soldiers taking their own lives than being killed by the Taliban. The Pentagon reported in June that suicides among soldiers averaged one per day this year, surpassing the rate of combat fatalities.
read more here

A squad of two: Local group gives vets new mission

A squad of two: Local group gives vets new mission
6 hours ago
BY JOEL HAWKSLEY
The Southern

To help

Training a service dog can cost from $17,000 to $35,000. In addition to acquisition and other costs, such as veterinary care, food, grooming and kenneling, the majority of expenses come from training the dogs six days a week for 12 to 18 months. The service men and women who take part in This Able Veteran pay nothing.

If you would like to help, call 618-964-1162

The six veterans came from many different walks of life, but they all shared the same hope for a turning point.

Over the course of the past two weeks, This Able Veteran, a non-profit based in Carbondale, trained the group in the skills necessary to live a happy, productive life through the assistance of individually chosen and trained service dogs.

Luis Zaragoza of Chicago, who served in the Army until 2004, heard about the program while applying for his GI Bill at SIU.

“I didn’t really know what it entailed,” said Zaragoza, who copes with hyper-vigilance from post-traumatic stress disorder.

“When you go to the doctors, they just pump you with medicine and I knew that wasn’t the answer. I was looking for some alternative to that.”

No shortcuts

Founded in early 2011 by Behesha Doan, This Able Veteran has made its goal to provide the best service dogs possible at no cost to veterans.
read more here