PTSD: Soldiers keep it quiet because they see it as a weakness

Support plea for troops returning from combat
The Courier UK
By GRAEME BLETCHER
13 May 2013

Mr Wren added: “Soldiers keep it quiet because they see it as a weakness.”

Troops from Tayside and Fife who witness horrors in battle need better support on returning from combat, it has been claimed.

High profile cases involving Arbroath-based 45 Commando have thrust the issue of post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) into the spotlight.

Ralph Hebden, 32, was found dead at the foot of cliffs near Arbroath on April 1, just two weeks before his comrade Wayne Harrison, 33, was sentenced to 15 months in prison at the town’s sheriff court for savagely assaulting his wife.

The MoD would not comment on the unconnected cases but said the mental health of their service personnel is a “top priority”.

Former soldier Ian Wren, 56, from Arbroath, who raises funds for injured troops charities, said there should be more rigorous assessment of returning servicemen.
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When being "resilient" is part of the problem

A fascinating reaport came out of Boston this morning about the slogan "Boston Strong" being an issue for some mental health professionals.

Mental health experts worried about ‘Boston Strong’ slogan
By Deborah Kotz
GLOBE STAFF
MAY 13, 2013

The slogan “Boston Strong” that emerged days after the Marathon bombings resonates with many — including two-thirds of the more than 500 readers who answered a Boston.com poll.

More than 50,000 Boston Strong T-shirts have been sold to raise money for a victims’ charity fund, and the phrase has been plastered on posters and signs throughout the city.

But mental health specialists are concerned that some still traumatized by the Marathon attacks might deem themselves weak or inadequate for not feeling that Boston strength.

“I think it is probably attempting to speak to a sense of resilience and strength on the level of the community,” said Dr. Michael Leslie, a psychiatrist who treats trauma patients at McLean Hospital in Belmont. “But there are people who will read this in a personal way, as an exhortation that they themselves need to be strong” no matter what they’re actually feeling. That would be “an unfortunate conclusion to draw from the phrase,” he added.
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In the article, this came out.

"Nearly 9 percent of poll respondents said they didn’t like the slogan because it makes them feel like they have to be strong."

RESILIENT : characterized or marked by resilience: as

a : capable of withstanding shock without permanent deformation or rupture
b : tending to recover from or adjust easily to misfortune or change

The word does not mean "untouched" or "unchanged" by what happens. The first part of the definition is not about a person but is about an object.

Being resilient does not mean they are unbreakable. All it means is they are able to hold out a little bit longer than others. It does not mean they be unchanged. It just means the change in them will not destroy them. If they have a misunderstanding of what resilience is, that can cause a whole new problem.

The military has been pushing the term of "resilience" as if it is supposed to mean they can overcome everything without being changed or harmed. When they believe that is what comes next after "it" happened to them, they have a harder time when reality sinks in and they discover they are only human after all.

Iraq War veterans slam military on sexual assault cases

Tammy Duckworth, Tulsi Gabbard Slam Military's Handling Of Sexual Assault Cases
(VIDEO)
The Huffington Post
By Chris Gentilviso
Posted: 05/12/2013

Standing as Iraq War veterans, Reps. Tammy Duckworth (D-Ill.) and Tulsi Gabbard (D-Hawaii) have an in-depth perspective on life in the U.S. Military.

After seeing this week's Pentagon report on military sexual assault cases, both women stood as elected officials, calling for change to a system they see as broken.

Appearing on CNN's "State Of The Union", both Duckworth and Gabbard blasted the military's handling of the situation.

“I want the military to be a place where women can succeed and thrive the way I was able to," Duckworth said. "And the military leadership at this point has shown that they have not been capable of fixing this problem."

Gabbard echoed Duckworth's sentiments, calling for an independent outlet that allows victims a "check and balance" to address cases safely.
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Senator Chris Murphy "alarmed" by suicide rates?

Senator Chris Murphy needs to read what has already been written on military and veteran suicides before he asks for one more dime to be spent and demand answers before one more cockamamie program begins. You'd think nothing would shock me after all these years but even I didn't know the "resilience" programs have cost tax payers billions a year and thousands of lives while the Congress fails to open their eyes.

Read about it yourself in THE WARRIOR SAW, SUICIDES AFTER WAR

Murphy Calls for Immediate VA Action to Reduce Veteran Suicide Rates
'These alarming rates of veterans who are turning to self-harm are totally and completely unacceptable,' said Sen. Chris Murphy.
Brookfield Patch
By Robert Mayer
May 11, 2013

Thursday, in response to a recent report by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs’ Office of Inspector General, U.S. Senator Chris Murphy (D-Conn.) sent a letter to the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), urging Secretary Eric K. Shinseki to immediately act to reduce suicide rates among our nation’s veterans.

Suicide is the leading cause of death among service members who have served in Iraq and Afghanistan, with as many as 22 veterans taking their lives each day. The OIG’s alarming report revealed that 30 percent of patients examined who were at risk of suicide did not receive follow-up care after being discharged from a Veterans Health Administration inpatient mental health facility. Additionally, the report highlighted the disturbing fact that while most veterans who attempt suicide after a mental health stay do so within the first week of being discharged, only 27 percent receive a follow-up evaluation within 48 hours of the discharge.

An article on this report was published by the Connecticut Health Investigative Team yesterday, underlining the need for the VA to address veterans’ health problems in a more timely manner. In his letter, Murphy requested that the VA provide him with a comprehensive overview of the improvements it plans to make to reduce suicide rates, and immediately implement policy that will protect veterans from suicide.
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Naval Sea Cadets lend hand to Mom of Fort Hood massacre victim

U.S. Naval Sea Cadets help mother of Kiel soldier killed in Fort Hood attack
May 11, 2013
Written by
Janet Ortegon
Gannett Wisconsin Media

KIEL — Surrounded by friends new and old, Jeri Krueger is spending this Mother’s Day honoring the daughter she lost.

Krueger, 57, hosted a battalion of U.S. Naval Sea Cadets at her rural Kiel homestead over the weekend and handed out water and love as they braved frigid rain and wind to help her.

“I feel wonderful about it,” said Krueger, 57, as the teenage cadets cleared brush, chopped up fallen trees and did other cleanup and renovation work. “It’s overwhelming. I actually teared up this morning when I introduced myself to all the cadets. I just think working under these conditions — and they’re all just going at it anyway — I just think it’s Amy-azing, as we use in our family.”

Staff Sgt. Amy Krueger was killed in the Nov. 5, 2009, attack on Fort Hood, Texas. She was there awaiting her second deployment to Afghanistan as a member of the Madison-based 467th Medical Detachment.
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