Tuesday, February 26, 2008

Too few seek help with PTSD in Coos Bay Oregon

This is not a good sign. PTSD rates are off the charts and seeing too few seeking help is not a good sign at all.

Local PTSD cases disturbingly low
By Tim Novotny
Video
COOS BAY - The numbers, or rather the lack of numbers, are concerning some mental health professionals on the South Coast. They say they are seeing too few veterans getting help for Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. So Dr. Richard Staggenborg, of the Bandon VA Clinic, is trying to do what he can to get the word out by hosting talks like one recently held at Southwestern Oregon Community College.
Talking to veterans and their family members to show them help is available, and if you have PTSD, help is needed because the disorder won't go away on it's own.
His recent talk called "Identifying Signs and Talking to the Returning Service Member" also helped to shed light on the problems faced by all vets with PTSD.
Anyone wanting to find out more about PTSD can contact Staggenborg at 347-4736, or toll-free at 1-800-549-8387.He says he is also hoping to present more talks on the subject in the future.
http://www.kcby.com/news/local/16008597.html

Boston Red Sox Going To Walter Reed For Heroes

"A couple of guys I remember were 19, 20. They couldn't walk out of there — if they had something to walk on — and go to the local bar and have a beer," Mike Timlin said. "And yet, they've gone across the ocean to a strange land and got blown up, because that's what the country needed. And what makes it even more impressive is that to a man, if they could figure out some way to get a prosthetic on or repair what they've done, they'd go right back.




Fans For A Day
Red Sox To Visit Wounded Soldiers At Walter Reed
By JEFF GOLDBERG | Courant Staff Writer
February 26, 2008

FORT MYERS, Fla. - They still remember the horrible wounds. They remember the remarkable courage.

By the time the Red Sox ended their visit to Walter Reed Army Medical Center in Washington three years ago — celebrating the 2004 World Series title and helping to boost veterans' spirits — it was impossible to tell which group was more in awe.

"Humbling is a very weak word," Curt Schilling said. "It was profound for me. For me, it was, 'Thank you.' You look them in the eye, take their hand and say, 'Thank you. Thank you.' Make sure they understand you truly mean it.

"You always hear hero or superstar, all those words people use for athletes, then you stand in a room of heroes and superstars. They're double-amputees, 19-, 20-year-old kids, and it's just another perspective-giving event in life that you never ever forget."

There will be another such event Wednesday. Like that day in March 2005, the Red Sox will fly to Washington in the late morning, pose with President Bush and the 2007 World Series trophy at the White House around 3 p.m., then head over to Walter Reed.

The visit to the veterans hospital was the most memorable aspect of that day three years ago.
click post title for the rest

Another soldier stages shooting to avoid being re-deployed

Soldier allegedly stages shooting to avoid Iraq

The Associated Press
Posted : Tuesday Feb 26, 2008 17:22:07 EST

APPLE VALLEY, Calif. — A soldier trying to avoid redeployment to Iraq had a friend shoot him in the leg and then claimed he’d been wounded in a holdup, authorities said.

Army Pfc. Matthew John Myers, 20, of Apple Valley, limped into a convenience store about 9:30 p.m. Sunday and reported he had been walking on a golf course when a gunman stole his wallet and military identification and shot him in the right thigh, authorities said.

A helicopter search failed to find a robber, and San Bernardino County sheriff’s deputies became suspicious of the story because they could not find a blood trail or any shell casings and Myers could not describe the attacker.

Also, Myers “had stated that he was walking alone when the suspect came up and shot him, then ran away,” sheriff’s Sgt. Todd Newton said. “But when deputies went back to investigate, they found two sets of footprints that had been walking side by side for some time.”
go here for the rest

http://www.armytimes.com/news/2008/02/ap_soldiershot_022608/

Army Spc. Kevin Mowl dies after feeding tube breaks

Soldier dies 6 months after being hurt in Iraq

The Associated Press
Posted : Tuesday Feb 26, 2008 12:50:37 EST

PITTSFORD, N.Y. — A western New York soldier wounded six months ago in an explosion in Iraq has died in a military hospital in Maryland.

Army Spc. Kevin Mowl of the Rochester suburb of Pittsford was 22 when he died Monday at the National Naval Medical Center in Bethesda.

Mowl suffered multiple broken bones and a head injury Aug. 2 when a roadside bomb flipped his vehicle in Baghdad. Three others died, and 11 soldiers and an interpreter were injured.

President Bush presented Mowl with a Purple Heart and a Presidential Medallion at the hospital in December.

Mowl recently suffered a serious infection after part of his feeding tube broke and perforated his intestines.
go here for the rest
http://www.armytimes.com/news/2008/02/ap_6monthsafter_022608/

Marines want probe into armored vehicle program

Marines want probe into armored vehicle program
delays
Story Highlights
Corps asks Pentagon to look into why specially armored vehicles were delayed

Mine Resistant Ambush Protected Vehicles arrived in large numbers in 2007

Internal report says earlier delivery could have prevented deaths, wounds

Suicide bomber kills 9 in northern Iraq, military says

From Barbara Starr
CNN

(CNN) -- Casualties could have been reduced by half among Marines in Iraq if specially armored vehicles had been deployed more quickly in some cases, a report to the Pentagon says.

Marine Corps spokesman Col. David Lapan said the Defense Department's inspector general wants to investigate the report's claims that bureaucratic delays undermined the program to develop the armored vehicles.

The program was designed to provide combat forces with Mine Resistant Ambush Protected Vehicles, known by the acronym MRAPs.

The Marine Corps requested an investigation last week after receiving Marine technology expert Franz Gayl's report.

"If the mass procurement and fielding of MRAPs had begun in 2005 in response to the known and acknowledged threats at that time, as the USMC is doing today, hundreds of deaths and injuries could have been prevented," Gayl wrote in the report.
go here for the rest
http://edition.cnn.com/2008/WORLD/meast/02/26/iraq.main/


How many lost their lives because of this? Got blown up? Ended up with TBI and PTSD?

Get involved when it matters to the wounded for a change

From A Soldier's Perspective
Get Involved
February 25th, 2008 by CJ
Ladies and gentlemen, IVAW is working hard to revive the Winter Soldiers from the Vietnam era. The Vietnam Veterans Against War have started a new movement and recruited disaffected and sad excuses for veterans (I say that as a result of the number of "veterans" the organization claims that have been outed as fakes) to relive the glory days of spitting on the image of the honorable Soldier.

Iraq Veterans Against the War (IVAW) has advertised widely that it will hold a public event it has entitled "Winter Soldier Investigation (WSI) - Iraq and Afghanistan" near Washington D.C. next month (Mar. 13-16). The event is self-consciously patterned after the 1971 Winter Soldier Investigation held in Detroit by the Vietnam Veterans Against the War(VVAW). During that event, over one hundred purported Vietnam veterans "testified" to widespread and horrific atrocities committed routinely by American forces in Vietnam. Now, they're trying to do it again. But, what can we do?



If you don't know what's going on your area because you're like most pro-troop people and you have a job, I highly encourage you to join the Gathering of Eagles. The motto of GOE is "Never Again". It's on their flag. It's in their blood. The Vietnam veterans in this country don't want a repeat of how they were treated when they returned. They want to put an end to the whitewash the media has bestowed on troop supporters' activities. You can read about my experience with the first ever Gathering of Eagles here, here, here, and here (preferably in that order).


go here for the rest
http://www.soldiersperspective.us/2008/02/25/get-involved/

I will never understand comments like that last part posted. If you go there you can read the rest. What I don't understand and will never accept is that none of these people ever seem concerned with the way the veterans are really treated when they come home.

We can argue from coast to coast about Iraq and we can ignore the reality of what is happening to the wounded, but in doing so, it does a disservice to the men and women we spend the rest of the time arguing over.

I make no secret how I feel about Iraq but that is for my other blog. It has no place here. This blog is just for the way they are treated when they are wounded and need this entire nation standing up for their sake. Why doesn't the other side ever understand this?

I get hate mail from the other side. One commenter on this blog told me to take my bleeding heart liberal blah, blah, blah, as if that was supposed to make any sense at all. Since when was it considered wrong to care about the homeless veterans, the disabled veterans and PTSD veterans? Who decided that they should be exclusive rights of the right as if they ever even mention what is happening to the veterans?

Did they go ballistic over the conditions at Walter Reed or against the Washington Post reporting on it?

Did they go ballistic over the reports of suicides that didn't need to happen if the DOD and the VA were fully functional and geared up to deal with the wounded coming back or did they attack the reporters daring to report on this?

When I was working for the church, I hosted the showing of the documentary When I Came Home so that I could put a spotlight on PTSD and how many were ending up homeless, just like the Vietnam Veterans did. Back then, there was an excuse that no one really understood PTSD in the beginning, but now there really isn't an acceptable excuse for any of this to still be going on. Anyway, as the plans were coming together to show the documentary, some people at the church wanted to know why they were letting me show this when it was clearly political. Political? It was about our veterans coming back and being homeless because they were wounded by PTSD and could not support themselves.

How can anyone still say "support the troops" with a straight face when they clearly don't when it matters to them? Do they stop being worthy of support when they get wounded? Do they suddenly become less worthy of our attention when they are not deployed and risking their lives? What is wrong with these people who cannot or will not contact their Congressman or Senator to make sure all the wounded are cared for, the soldiers are paid enough their families don't have to go on food stamps or when they are last on the to do list of the President? Where is the outrage when the VA budget is cut back by Bush or in 2005 when he cut it back then with two active occupations producing more wounded? Where was the outrage when the DOD and the VA had to admit they had less doctors and nurses during these occupations than they did after the Gulf War in peacetime? Any clues? I don't have a single one.

Each time I get a heads up on some of these posts, I read them and wonder what exactly do these people think they are fighting for if they are not fighting for them when it matters to them?

I say "never again" should we allow any wounded veteran to come back to this country after fighting for this country and then have to fight the country to have their wounds taken care of!

Veteran Bears Scars of Stateside Agent Orange

NewsChannel 5 Investigates:Veteran Bears Scars of Stateside Agent Orange

Feb 25, 2008 06:29 PM EST
Featured Videos

Veteran Bears Scars of Stateside Agent Orange
Footage showing the military spraying the toxic herbicide to thin out the jungles of Vietnam.
James Cripps, a Vietnam era veteran
Blackheads on Cripps' back contain poisonous residue from Agent Orange.
Dr. Dewey Dunn, an Agent Orange expert

About Agent Orange

U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs
When it comes to deadly poisons, few are better known. The military's use of Agent Orange is one of the dark chapters of the Vietnam War.

But NewsChannel 5 investigative reporter Ben Hall has found the military used Agent Orange here in the United States -- and one veteran says he has the health problems to prove it.

Agent Orange was a toxic herbicide used by the military to thin out the jungles of Vietnam. Soldiers sprayed millions of gallons, unaware how poisonous it was.

"There was a problem and the evidence is on my back and my chest and 40 years of my life," says James Cripps, a Vietnam era veteran.

He says he was poisoned by Agent Orange, but he never served in Vietnam.

"When I got wounded I didn't know it I had no reason to suspect there would have been no way to have proved it," Cripps says.

Cripps had what seemed like a dream job as game warden at Fort Gordon in Georgia.

"This is me in 1971 when I got out of the Army you can see all the marks on my face," he says, pointing to photos of himself.

Cripps says when he left the military he had already been exposed. He believes he sprayed Agent Orange in the lakes around Fort Gordon to kill weeds.

"I was ordered to spray that herbicide," Cripps says. And pictures show signs warning people about fishing in the lakes Cripps once cared for. "I know what's in those lakes, I put it there," adds Cripps.

NewsChannel 5 Investigates has uncovered defense department documents that prove the military sprayed Agent Orange at Fort Gordon during the time Cripps was there.

Documents detail more than 30 locations in the United States where Agent Orange was tested.
The documents show helicopters sprayed at least 95 gallons of Agent Orange at Fort Gordon in 1967. Cripps says that alone should prove he was exposed.

"A lot of them cause scars sometimes they go so sore he can't wear his shirt," his wife, Sandra Cripps, says.

But he and his wife say his body offers the greatest proof. The blackheads on his back contain the poisonous residue from Agent Orange which causes acne called ‘chloracne.'

"In some persons the skin legions persist," says Dr. Dewey Dunn, an Agent Orange expert.He says chloracne is a tell-tale sign of Agent Orange exposure. "It's just sort of a marker so its on the list and probably at the top of the list."

Dr. Dunn examined James Cripps but could not talk specifically about his case. Medical records show Dr. Dunn diagnosed Cripps with Chloracne and type-two diabetes, another sign of exposure.

Despite all the evidence, the VA will not approve James Cripps disability claim. "I'm being denied my medical care to this very day," says Cripps.

"From what I see it strictly gets down to money," says Donald Stephens, who is with the Disabled American Veterans. He's helped hundreds of veterans prepare their VA medical claims.

Ben Hall asks, "How strong is Mr. Cripps claim?"

"A ten," Stephens answers. "I would give it a ten."

He says there's plenty of help for veterans exposed in Vietnam, but he believes Cripps claim would open the floodgates for veterans exposed in the United States.

Meanwhile, James Cripps is on multiple medications and he's struggling to pay his medical bills. And now the VA is actually garnishing his Social Security checks.

"We have discussed of late, even yesterday, the thought of suicide," he confides.

After years of service, Cripps and his wife feel broken and betrayed.

"I can see why some veterans would give up," Sandra Cripps says. "It's not fair."



To whom it may concern at the VA Now I know how to beat you at your own game. I have discovered the perfect eye witness and he is the young guy in the picture above. He is my best friend and we are going to Washington together for the purpose of presenting my case to the Board of Veterans Appeals. My friend was there in 1968 you know. He knows how the whole thing went down. I can vouch for his honesty because I have known him all of my life, and I know him well. He is indeed the perfect witness as to the Agent Orange exposure. You will not give weight to my own testimony, and you seem to insinuate that my identity is questionable, and that I might have been somewhere else in the particular time frame of the actual toxic exposure! How can you say that? Then again, the VA has never taken my word for anything. I can't wait to see how the BVA in Washington will react to my introduction of this new witness. I suspect that they will just acuse me of trying to cover my own a!!!!???? Thanks for your tolerance, James & James
Jamescripps9@aol.com
PS. I would like to amend my original claim to add PTSD, my stressor is obvious.
_______________________________________________________________________________________________
Add your story, save a copy, and foward to another veteran and a Congressman or U S Senator, and the President, "George W. Bush" <" href="mailto:president@whitehouse.gov%3E">president@whitehouse.gov>This list is for agent Orange exposure outside Vietnam only, we will see where this goes.


This is from a friend of mine who added her name to the list.
GOD BLESS YOU JAMES... TELL MY STORY AND SALLY'S THE ONLY DIFFERENCE BETWEEN YOU AND ME I WAS DIAGONISED ON ACTIVE DUTY... IRISH

37 YEARS OF MEDICAL TREATMENT FOR CHEMICAL EXPOSURE ONLY TO BE DEINED MY VA BENEFITS WELCOME HOME IRISH

I AM 100% CNS AT 60% 40 % FOR IU... I HAVE 22 OTHER ILLNESESS CLAIM DATE 11 JUN 1977

MY WRITTEN TESTIMONY BEFORE THE VA DISABILITY COMMISSION ON SEP 14, 2006 IS PUBLISHED IN MY AMERICAN LEGION DECEMBER NEWS LETTER. I HAVE ALSO RECENTLY BEEN CONTACTED BY TWO VETERANS WHO WERE AT FORT MCCLELLAN. THEY BOTH TALK ABOUT THE CHEMICAL SPRAYING BUT ALSO ABOUT A VIET CONG VILLAGE THAT WAS SET UP AT FORT MCCLELLAN. ONE VETERAN ACTUALLY DID THE SPRAYING. BOTH HAVE CANCERS AND WERE DENIED COMPENSATION. THIS IS THE FIRST THAT I HEARD ABOUT THIS BUT THREE OTHER FORT MCCLELLAN VETS CONFIRM THAT A VIET CONG VILLAGE WAS SET UP THERE FOR TRAINING ...

Spc. Richard Hanna Killed in accident gun fire

Friends recall, mourn soldier slain in shooting
By Noah Bierman
Globe Staff / February 25, 2008

Richard Gee Hanna enlisted in the Army to rebuild his life, after a tough upbringing in Leicester. After two years in Iraq, he returned to the United States last month, ready to complete his military career and move to Hawaii to start a life with his new wife and her 2-year-old daughter.

Instead, the 24-year-old Army specialist was shot to death earlier this month, in what friends in Massachusetts said may have been an accident during a party at a residence in Killeen, Texas, near the Fort Hood military post.

His death came just days before he was scheduled to return to Massachusetts and reconnect with close friends. He was planning to introduce them to his wife of about a year, and serve as best man in the wedding of a friend, Jason Avanecean, in Putnam, Conn.

"The kid was everything to me," said Avanecean, who has postponed his wedding.

Killeen police, Fort Hood public information officers, and the Bell County district attorney said the matter is under investigation, but declined to release more than spare details.

"All parties involved in the death have been identified," police said in a written statement earlier this month. No charges have been filed.

click post title for the rest

Another Non-combat death in Iraq


DoD Identifies Army Casualty

The Department of Defense announced today the death of a soldier who was supporting Operation Iraqi Freedom.

Spc. Keisha M. Morgan, 25, of Washington, D.C., died Feb. 22 in Baghdad, Iraq, of a non-combat related cause. She was assigned to the Division Special Troops Battalion, 4th Infantry Division, Fort Hood, Texas.

The circumstances are under investigation.


Fort Hood soldier dies in Iraq
Posted on: Tuesday, February 26, 2008, 3:01 AM
From staff reports

The Defense Department announced Monday the death of a soldier who was supporting Operation Iraqi Freedom.

Spc. Keisha M. Morgan, 25, of Washington, D.C., died Friday in Baghdad, Iraq, of a non-combat related cause. She was assigned to the Division Special Troops Battalion, 4th Infantry Division.

The circumstances are under investigation.

Morgan entered the Army in September 2004. She was assigned to the Division Special Troops Battalion, 4th Infantry Division, since May 2007, as a signal support systems specialist.

Morgan deployed to Iraq in November 2007.

Morgan’s awards and decorations include the Army Commendation Medal, Meritorious Unit Commendation, Army Good Conduct Medal, National Defense Service Medal, Iraq Campaign Medal, Global War on Terrorism Service Medal, Army Service Ribbon and Overseas Service Ribbon.
http://www.kdhnews.com/news/story.aspx?s=23341

Trinity United Methodist Church Seattle blessing for homeless

Homeless arrive here on Friday


By Dean Wong

Monday, February 25, 2008

Twenty new residents will be moving into Ballard on Feb. 29 and they won't be owners of the numerous condominiums overwhelming the area.

Trinity United Methodist Church will be a permanent host for a SHARE/WHEEL (Seattle Housing and Resource Effort/Women's Housing Equality and Enhancement League) shelter. The group's Veteran's Hall facility is closing and moving its operation to Trinity.

"We are getting a SHARE shelter that is up and running. We are getting an intact group (of residents)," said Trinity United Methodist Church pastor Rich Lang.

The residents will be a mix of men and women. Some are couples. They will sleep in the church gymnasium on mats.

Lang said the church's vision is to eventually provide storage units for their belongings. A shower room is now being remodeled.

Trinity may provide a breakfast at some point in the future. Currently the church only has a Saturday lunch program for the homeless. Lang said neighbors around the church have seen the soup kitchen in operation for a year without incident.


Lang has met with the residents who will be coming to Ballard. "Many have jobs or are looking for work. They are highly functional people," said Lang.

He said the people he has met are working hard to get off the streets and are a stable group. Residents will have access to the church gymnasium from 9 p.m. to 7:30 a.m.
go here for the rest
http://www.ballardnewstribune.com/articles/2008/02/25/news/local_news/news04.txt

Looks like this church is taking the message of Christ as a moral value. Bravo!

Monday, February 25, 2008

Second Cherokee warrant issued for missing soldier Gary Chronister

Because I've been looking so much for reports on Eric Hill, the missing Marine, another missing soldier came into my mind. There were reports in November and December about Gary Chronister missing as well. I wanted to see if there were any updates. I was surprised with what came up in the search.

Second Cherokee warrant issued for missing soldier
By Erika Neldner
erikaneldner@ledgernews.com

A second arrest warrant has been issued in Cherokee County for a war veteran who has been missing from Macon since November.

Gary Chronister (Right), 33, is accused of molesting two children last year, police say.

The newest accusation was filed with the Cherokee County Sheriff’s Office in late January, said Sgt. Jay Baker, sheriff’s office spokesman.

Chronister knew his alleged victim, however, police would not say how old the child is or what relationship he or she had with Chronister.

Police said the allegations are similar to the first complaint filed against the missing war veteran.

In mid-January, the sheriff’s office issued the first arrest warrant on child molestation charges for Chronister.

The victim’s parents filed a police report in September, which said their daughter claimed that Chronister touched her inappropriately at locations in Cobb and Cherokee counties.

Chronister’s mother reported him missing on Nov. 10. He reportedly has a mental illness that causes memory loss and disorientation, according to recent news reports.

Chronister served in the United States Army in Afghanistan and Iraq. He is 6 feet, 1 inch tall and weighs about 250 pounds. Anyone with any information about his whereabouts should call 911.
http://www.ledgernews.com/weeklynews.html


Is this why the stories about him have dried up? Are people still looking for him?

Army Vet Goes Missing, May Be in Cobb
Web Editor: Josh Roseman
Last Modified: 12/29/2007 10:41:48 AM
An army veteran from Bibb County who has been missing since November 10 may have been seen in Cobb County. His mother is organizing a search in the area.

Gary Chronister, 33, served two tours of duty, both in Iraq and Afghanistan. He was taking medication to help with disorientation and memory loss, but it was believed that he stopped taking it after his disappearance.

Chronister is 6-feet-1-inch tall, weighs 250 pounds, wears glasses, and may have a beard.

Chronister's mother, Sheryl Futrell, said her son left his Bibb County apartment on or around November 10, and has not been seen since. His vehicle was later found on November 19 at an Acworth gas station. He may have been seen this week on Stilesboro Road, near the Stilesboro Biscuits Restaurant, between 11 a.m. and 4:30 p.m.

Ms. Futrell and other volunteers organized a search for Chronister on December 22, but were unable to find him. Now Futrell and David Litts, a search organizer, have put together a second search for Chronister. The search will begin on Saturday December 29 at 10 a.m., and searchers will gather first at the Kroger shopping center at the corner of Cobb Parkway and Acworth Due West Road.

Any information regarding Chronister's whereabouts should be directed to local police by calling 911. You can also call Sheryl Brim Futrell at (478) 747-9488.
http://www.11alive.com/news/article_news.aspx?storyid=108718

Bush wanted cuts in VA, Akaka wants more money

Sen. committee asks for changes in VA budget

By Rick Maze - Staff writer
Posted : Monday Feb 25, 2008 19:44:01 EST

A key Senate committee is asking for a $2.6 billion increase in veterans’ spending over the Bush administration’s budget out of concern the needs of combat veterans are not being met.

The Senate Veterans’ Affairs Committee, chaired by Sen. Daniel K. Akaka, D-Hawaii, is asking for a fiscal 2009 budget for the Department of Veterans Affairs that is $6.6 billion over the fiscal 2008 budget, with $4.6 billion of the additional money going for medical care operations.

Akaka said Congress “has an obligation to our troops returning from combat now” that cannot be met without more money. “Taking care of veterans is a cost of war and our recommendation would fill significant gaps in the president’s request,” Akaka said.

The House Veterans’ Affairs Committee is working on a similar budget proposal that it is expected to unveil Thursday.

Akaka’s committee said in a Feb. 22 letter to the Senate Budget Committee that it rejects cuts proposed by the Bush administration in construction, medical research and auditing. The letter also said the committee opposes an initiative to raise prescription drug fees and to impose enrollment fees for some moderate-income veterans enrolled in the VA health plan who do not have service-connected disabilities.

“These proposals are unacceptable,” Akaka said.
go here for the rest
http://www.navytimes.com/news/2008/02/military_vabudget_022508/

If Bush thinks cutting back on VA funding is supporting the troops, he is crazy! What kind of a man would do such a terrible thing with so many wounded and many, many more to come?

TBI Struggle for Words Frustrates Woodruff


Woodruff interviews U.S. soldiers in Iraq on Jan. 29, 2006, just moments before a roadside bomb went off, ripping into his skull. His head was unprotected, and the explosion almost killed him. Doug Vogt, an ABC cameraman, was also seriously wounded in the blast.

Struggle for Words Frustrates Woodruff
By Christine Dugas,USA Today
Posted: 2008-02-25 15:56:25
Filed Under: Health News
(Feb. 25) -- One year after Bob Woodruff spoke about his brain concussion on an ABC documentary, he is busy flying around the world on assignments and continuing to draw attention to the signature injury of the war in Iraq: traumatic brain injury.

His recovery seems miraculous, considering how the shrapnel from a roadside bomb had ripped into his skull on Jan. 29, 2006. Woodruff, 46, is back at work at ABC news, although he does not have his previous job as a news anchor — at least not yet.

"I don't know if I could do that," he says. "I think it's possible. But one thing that I know for sure is that I'm going to remain as a journalist because I have always loved journalism."

Woodruff now works with a team to produce more in-depth assignments. He can better cope with longer projects because his traumatic brain injury (TBI) caused a language disorder that makes it hard for him to come up with words. And for a journalist, nothing could be more frustrating.

Woodruff continues to improve and often speaks with ease and confidence. But he still occasionally runs into a roadblock in his brain.

In a recent interview at his office, Woodruff described how reading and writing have helped his brain improve. After he got out of the hospital he was not willing to just sit at home, he said, "watching sports on TV all day long with a — what do you call the thing that controls the TV?" He couldn't come up with the term remote control.

Woodruff has a disorder called aphasia. It happens when a stroke or TBI affects the language side of the brain, usually the left side. The National Aphasia Association estimates that 1 million people in the USA have it.
click post title for the rest

Disney Pixie dust deployed to Walter Reed Hospital



Trying Some Disney Attitude to Help Cure Walter ReedBy Steve Vogel
Washington Post Staff Writer
Monday, February 25, 2008; Page B01

Fifty medical workers -- doctors, nurses, therapists and administrators among them -- sat in a room at Walter Reed Army Medical Center gazing at a slide of Donald Duck on a screen.

The oft-cranky Disney cartoon character, wearing his blue sailor jacket and cap, was in a palpable rage. His webbed feet had lifted off the ground, his beak was gaping, and his white-gloved hands were tightly clutching an old-fashioned two-piece telephone.

"We can clearly see he's frustrated," said Kris Lafferty, a trainer for the Disney Institute who was leading workers at the Northwest Washington hospital last week in a four-hour seminar on customer service. "Why do we think he's frustrated?"

A year after a scandal erupted over the long-term treatment of soldiers at the hospital, the Army has turned to Disney for help. "Service, Disney Style" is newly required for all military and other government employees at Walter Reed.

Lafferty and her fellow Disney trainer, Mike Donnelly, handed out little plastic Goofy and Mickey Mouse figurines as they led Wednesday afternoon's discussion with the workers -- some in uniform, some in scrubs, some in civilian clothes.

Various theories were offered for Donald Duck's ire: He was getting the run-around. He could not get a question answered. He was flummoxed by his antique phone.

The lesson: Poor service equals frustration.

At the tables, heads nodded in agreement. It's a familiar story at Walter Reed, where wounded soldiers and their families often confront a numbing bureaucracy.

The Army is paying Disney $800,000 to help revamp attitudes at the hospital.
click post title for the rest





What kind of a stunt is this and how bad could it have been they had to hire Disney to train them on how to treat people?

"It sounds a little odd, but it's true," said Rear Adm. John Mateczun, commander of a joint task force overseeing military medicine in the Washington region.


So why didn't they just ask the people who run Fisher House how to treat the wounded better?


Col. Patricia D. Horoho, commander of the Walter Reed health-care system, said the goal is to change the culture there. "When you enter the hospital, we want it to be the best experience possible," she said. "Disney fits that.



The goal is to change the culture there? Are they serious? Can they have treated wounded veterans that badly they needed this for real?

Up until now I thought the problems at Walter Reed had more to do with being under funded. A lot of the problems came when Walter Reed was on the block to be shut down. As stupid as that was, that was the excuse behind the deplorable conditions there. Now I'm wondering how bad the attitude of the staff was toward the wounded they would need to pay out $800,000 to fix it?

If the DOD really wanted to change attitudes they need to begin with the units these wounded come from first. TBI and PTSD are still regarded as something to be ashamed of. Considering they used a cartoon to try to communicate the seriousness of PTSD while providing absolutely nothing substantial, they really should have hired Disney to provide a better one. If they are serious about changing attitudes then they should seek out the real professionals who have been taking care of the wounded with privately funded places like Fisher House. Needless to remind people that Fisher House wouldn't have to be there if the DOD and the VA had their own acts together to do it right in the first place.

Excuse me if this report makes me furious but considering when I read the title I thought it was about coming out with entertainment for the wounded instead of a training session on how to treat the wounded better. You would have thought they would have already known how to do that.

Justice Department Finds Veterans' Rights Violated in Tennessee

News: Justice Department Finds Veterans' Rights Violated
Posted on February 25, 2008 by editor

Tennessee has failed to care for its veterans and even contributed to some of their deaths

The federal government could be a step closer to suing the state of Tennessee. It all stems from problems at the Tennessee State Veterans Homes.

A NewsChannel 5 investigation first exposed problems at the state-run nursing homes.

And soon after, the U.S. Department of Justice opened its own investigation.

Investigative reporter Jennifer Kraus got a copy of the Justice Department's final report, which was just delivered to Gov. Phil Bredesen. It's filled with examples of how federal inspectors say the state has failed to care for its veterans and even contributed to some of their deaths.

The U.S. Justice Department lays it all out in its 43-page report, and it's not pretty...
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