Brig. Gen. Donald Bolduc not suffering PTSD in silence

Still think you have to suffer in silence? Well, it looks like another General has come forward to speak about PTSD. 

"However, there is a price to pay when you are “Captain America.” For Gen. Bolduc the matter of PTSD is a personal one. One of his most courageous acts was to publicly acknowledge he struggles every day with PTSD"

How many Medal of Honor recipients have to talk about their own battles with PTSD, before you understand there is nothing to be ashamed of? How many Generals have to talk about their battles, after a lifetime of battles in uniform, before you understand what courage looks like?

Ever wonder they they come forward and talk openly about something they never have to say a word about? Do they need publicity? Do they want to play "victim" and get people to feel sorry for them? Hell no! THEY DO IT TO SAVE THE LIVES OF THOSE THEY WOULD HAVE DIED FOR!

If you still haven't gotten the message yet, the keep reading about "Captain America" Brig. Gen. Donald Bolduc.

‘Everyone’s General’ returns home with a mission
Fosters.com
Jeff Childester
February 23, 2018

One the truest statements you can make about a hero is that they would be the last person to describe themselves as such. Aside from a hero’s devotion to service above self, a hero’s second most endearing quality is their humility. However, as a society it is important for us to appreciate those people we know to be heroes.

One such person is New Hampshire’s own Brig. Gen. Donald Bolduc. After 32 years of service to our country, a native son has returned home.

Out of his uniform, and knowing nothing about his impressive military pedigree, some might suggest Gen. Bolduc was unimposing. But that is merely another distinguishing feature of a hero, their uncanny capacity to appear normal, to look like the “common man.” That is because when you get down to it, most heroes look nothing like the Hollywood actors that portray them on film. They are in every essence, everyday people, which is reinforced in the case of Gen. Bolduc when you consider many who served with him dubbed him “Everyone’s General.” I have no doubt that if you were to ask Gen. Bolduc the one thing he is most proud of (regarding his military services), being called “Everyone’s General” would be near the top of that list.

Gen. Bolduc is not that much different from many of us, except for one conspicuous attribute, his devotion to duty. He is the embodiment of all those that have faithfully served this country, and still do so today. Our military heroes live beyond the spotlight, humble in the knowledge that they sacrificed much in the service of our nation. For as proud as Gen. Bolduc must be when he is referred to “Everyone’s General,” he also must carry the weight of his other nickname, “Captain America.”
read more here

After firefighter suicide, advocates call for action on PTSD

Advocates push for PTSD recognition after local firefighter takes her own life
By: KIRO 7 News Staff
Updated: Feb 23, 2018

Advocates for local first responders are pushing for new legislation to protect firefighters who suffer from Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD).

It’s something Heather Murphy knows about all too well.

Her wife, navy veteran and Lacey firefighter Crystal Murphy took her own life on Christmas Day in 2017.

“This would have never happened if it were not for her job and those calls,” Murphy said. “She may have not been on shift, but her mind was always on shift.”

While hundreds of Crystal’s fellow firefighters attended her funeral where she received full honors, her death is not considered a line-of-duty death.

That means, her family will not collect line of duty death benefits.

Coming up at 5, KIRO 7 goes in-depth on the local fight to recognize a condition other states cover, but we don't.
go here for that update

update on what just happened in Arizona

Arizona bill helps first responders get compensation, therapy for PTSD

#TakeBackYourLife

Do you want to fight with me?
Combat PTSD Wounded Times
Kathie Costos
February 23, 2018


Combat PTSD Wounded Times is, exactly what it says. 

Combat 

Definition of combat

: a fight or contest between individuals or groups

PTSD is a wound, so that means you were wounded.

And now these are your wounded times, but you can turn that around and start your healing times. 

Yep, now you get it! They need to be empowered to do what few have told them. #TakeBackYourLife. Do you want to fight with me or do you want to keep talking about them as a number, that has already been proven to be false?

Here is your chance to change the message they've been hearing.

front and back of the T-shirt

Scream about healing...not suicides

All the funds raised for this go directly to Point Man International Ministries headquarters. Many of you remember the conference I went to in Buffalo last year. If you want to help us do the work of healing and spread the message that will empower them to not give up, here are a few of the videos. I could not do this work without them.

The conversation has to change if we want the outcome to change.

Want to pull a stunt that will actually change the message?

Teen built arm for Iraq veteran Dad!

Teen makes prosthetic arm for veteran dad
WARB News
February 22nd 2018

ST. LOUIS CO., MO (KTVI/CNN) - A teen learned how to operate a 3D printer to build a custom prosthetic arm for his dad.

Robbie Freis wanted to give his dad a hand, so he built him an arm.

"I decided to create a 3D printed, custom scanned prosthetic arm for my dad, who is an amputee," he said.

The high school senior, who wants to go into robotics in college, designed a three-month thesis project. His mission: to build an arm for his father injured in a 2003 RPG attack in Iraq.

But first, he created an arm adapter for the Nintendo Switch.

"When my dad was injured in the Marines, he wasn't able to play video games with us for about 10 years," he said. "And after I created that 3D printed adapter, he was able to play with us full speed."

Soon, Freis was fine tuning his designs, creating a custom scanned prosthetic modeled after his dad's left hand.

The high school senior mirrored the scan, creating a right-handed model that could throw a ball.
read more here

WAFB 9 News Baton Rouge, Louisiana News, Weather, Sports

Airman hit and killed by bus

Air Force identifies airman killed in Monday bus crash
Air Force Times
By: Nicole Bauke
February 21, 2018

Airman 1st Class Tyler M. Leidholdt was killed when he was struck by a bus early Monday morning near Vandenberg Air Force Base, according to the Lompoc Record.

Tyler Leidholdt was killed early Monday when a bus ran over him as he was lying in the road. His wife, Tasha, right, is eight-months pregnant. (Photo via gofundme.com)

Leidholdt, 24, assigned to the 30th Security Forces Squadron, was pronounced dead at the scene after a Santa Maria Area Transit bus driving approximately 60 mph ran him over around 5:30 a.m., according to Lompoc Record.

The bus driver, Manuel Ortiz Jr., of Santa Maria, California, was unable to avoid running over Leidholdt, who was lying in the right lane of southbound Highway One before the bus hit him.
read more here