If you take a knee to National Anthem, you may want to think again

Children of fallen service members were sent off with a crowd at the airport singing the National Anthem. Yet we still have people in this country who think protesting during the anthem is OK and sends a message. Did they ever wonder what kind of message they were delivering?

"But when they announced them over the loud speaker and they lined up to board the plane the whole airport literally stopped and sang the national anthem with military present in salute. Most every person standing around, myself included was bawling at the sight of these kids and spouses who have paid so great a price for our country. To see all of this at Christmas time was so humbling. 

The vacations for the Gold Star families were coordinated by the Gary Sinise Foundation's Snowball Express Program. According to a press release provided by the organization, the foundation will "host a five-day experience for 1,722 children of the fallen and their surviving parent or guardian. This therapeutic retreat will offer fun and inspiring programs, encouraging critical peer-to-peer support for these families." read more here from FOX

These children remember the flag that was placed over their parent's coffin. The one that folded and placed into their other parent's hands and then held tightly in their arms. They remember the flag that is on display in a case next to the picture of the parent they will never be held by again.

Much like all the following, the message they receive from the protestors is not as harmless as the protestors claim.

Boy from iconic wartime photo pays it forward at Christmas

'Taps' for Canadensis soldier: Military funeral honors Monroe's first death in Afghanistan war - News - poconorecord.com - Stroudsburg, PA

Danielle Huggins, widow of Army Staff Sgt. Jamie L. Huggins 

You can search for more images in case you are still wondering what the flag means to them...because if you take a knee the next time during the Anthem, they'll know what it means to you.

The Heritage Foundation experts missed spiritual experts and a lot more

Considering the "experts" could not even get this right... not hard to guess why they did not know that groups like Point Man International Ministries had been doing exactly this work since 1984!

Glickstein highlighted the way government efforts have failed—and offered a possible solution. He said that in the last 10 years, the Department of Defense and the Department of Veterans Affairs have together run 1,100 different programs addressing PTSD and veteran suicide, at enormous expense. During that time, the average of 21 veteran suicides per day has not changed.

Point Man International Ministries proved this worked back in 1984 and has been doing it ever since. So what else did these "experts" miss?

What Faith-Based Efforts Can Do to Help Prevent Veteran Suicide

The Daily Signal
Steven Bucci
December 10, 2018

I don’t often quote sources from The New York Times, but in mid-November, David Brooks wrote a piece called “Fighting the Spiritual Void.” He stated without equivocation that “[t]rauma is a moral and spiritual issue as much as a psychological or chemical one.”

He could not be more correct.

The Heritage Foundation convened a panel to discuss post-traumatic stress disorder and veteran suicide from the faith angle. The panel was chaired by myself, a 30-year veteran of the Army Special Forces, and the members included Richard Glickstein, an advocate working to move the government to appropriately address the crisis; Dr. David LeMay, a medical doctor who specializes in rehabilitation; and Lt. Col. Damon Friedman, an active-duty Air Force special operator, who also leads a veterans service organization called Shield of Faith Missions.

The panel laid out quite a story.
read more here

Spiritual Health and Military Suicide Prevention

First Responder trying to respond to themselves in battle against PTSD

First responders and PTSD: Stressed into silence

Author: WHAS Staff
December 10, 2018

Our first responders answer the calls on our worst days. Over time, their exposure to the stresses of the job and traumatic events can take a toll on their mental health. But few will openly talk about it. There's a stigma that comes with this discussion and we're trying to break it.

One of the biggest dangers our first responders face today is Post Traumatic Stress, more often referred to as PTSD.

First responders are often ignored and under-appreciated and for many who struggle - they struggle in silence. They'll tell you there is a fear that asking for help is a sign of 'weakness.' It's not.

Join us next week (December 17th - 21st) as we investigate and attempt to break that stigma. We look to uncover institutional problems and show innovative solutions to help those suffering from PTSD.

Be sure to watch our Battle After the Blaze coverage where we looked into firefighters across Kentuckiana that were facing a health threat that surfaced years after fighting fires and saving lives.
read more here

Stressed into silence: When the worst calls hit home for first responders

911 dispatchers communicate with us during our worst moments and those calls can continue to haunt them long after they've disconnected.

Author: Brooke Hasch

December 17, 2018

LOUISVILLE (WHAS11) — First responders are handed the worst of what humanity has to offer on a daily basis. Over time, their exposure to these stresses can take a toll on their mental health. But few will openly talk about it.

"No one ever calls us when they're having a good day," Chris Presley, a MetroSafe supervisor, in Louisville. read more here

Veteran with PTSD Service Dog Needs Good Lawyer!

PTSD veteran claims unfair job termination

KLTV 7 ABC News
Bob Hallmark
December 9, 2018

"They had asked for proof that Ace was a service dog which we provided and provided again. Then I got an email saying I was terminated. No explanation," Jennifer says.

TYLER, TX (KLTV)

An East Texas woman, an army veteran who suffers PTSD, continues to struggle in a battle against what she says was an unfair termination from the company she worked for.

The controversy swirls around whether she was able to bring her service dog to work with her.

Jennifer Mcatee Willis of Henderson has been out of work for a month now.

In November after Willis had come back from her honeymoon, and informed her employer where she had worked for 3 years that she would start bringing her service dog 'Ace' to work with her. But that's when she says the trouble started.

"It's disturbed me in a lot of ways, the stress has gotten worse and I have nightmares almost every night," she says.

In a strange sequence, Jennifer was first notified by the company she worked for that if she brought 'Ace' to work with her, she would be terminated. After our initial story aired, she was notified she was still and employee.
read more here

Police Officer saved suicidal woman by restoring hope

'There's hope for tomorrow,' DNR officer tells woman contemplating suicide on MacArthur Bridge

WXYZ 7 ABC News
Jennifer Wilson
December 9, 2018

"There's hope for tomorrow," he assured the woman. "It might be bad right now, but there's hope for tomorrow to be better."

DETROIT (WXYZ) - A DNR conservation officer is a hero after saving a young woman's life on Friday. It happened on the MacArthur Bridge, which connects Detroit to Belle Isle.

A 25-year-old woman in distress was saved by an officer who was there when she needed him the most.

Between the parties and the presents, we often focus on the joy and fun of the holidays, but there are a lot of people who really struggle this time of year.

Everywhere you look, messages of good cheer and hope abound but what you see doesn't always reflect what you feel.

"Holiday seasons are hard," says Ben Lasher, a conservation officer with the Department of Natural Resources. "A lot of people have strong feelings, good or bad, and this young lady was having a hard time. And I was able to be in the right place at the right time."
read more here

Lyrics

If you wake up and don't want to smileIf it takes just a little whileOpen your eyes and look at the dayYou'll see things in a different wayDon't stop thinking about tomorrowDon't stop, it'll soon be hereIt'll be, better than beforeYesterday's gone, yesterday's goneWhy not think about times to come?And not about the things that you've doneIf your life was bad to youJust think what tomorrow will doDon't stop thinking about tomorrowDon't stop, it'll soon be hereIt'll be, better than before,Yesterday's gone, yesterday's goneAll I want is to see you smileIf it takes just a little whileI know you don't believe that it's trueI never meant any harm to youDon't stop thinking about tomorrowDon't stop, it'll soon be hereIt'll be, better than before,Yesterday's gone, yesterday's goneDon't stop thinking about tomorrowDon't stop, it'll soon be hereIt'll be, better than beforeYesterday's gone, yesterday's goneOoh, don't you look backOoh, don't you look backOoh, don't you look backOoh, don't you look backSongwriters: Christine McVieDon't Stop lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group