Army Turns To Resilience Training Again?

The Army must have forgotten about almost half a million on this report since the news was just released this week 2 million have been deployed. The Army also seems to have forgotten that PTSD is not new, although it's been in the news. Eight years is mentioned in this article. Eight years of blah, blah, blah and billions of dollars to redo what was done over the last 30 years. At least the Army is now talking as if they get the message now.

Mind, body and spirit being addressed? Absolutely needed but do they understand why it is?

They don't seem to be able to understand why some end up attacked by PTSD and others manage to walk away. Maybe when they understand this, what sets some veterans apart, then they'll be able to figure out what to do to help them heal. Not too long ago, they still thought that men and women could train their brains to stop being human. Oh, well, looks like they still don't get this one either since resilience training and Battle Mind are both mentioned in this article as well.

If average people like me can figure this out, what's wrong with these "professionals" that they cannot figure out what most of us already know?

Trauma strikes humans and there is only one way to end up with PTSD. That's after a traumatic event. If you are human, you walk away from it one of two ways. Feeling you are one lucky son of a bitch and God was watching over you, or you were just abandoned-blamed-found guilty and PTSD is your punishment. Our brains are designed to make sense out of things but our brains only have what is already in them to use to understand situations beyond the "normal" world we were supposed to be living in.

Can they be made to be resilient? Sure if it all began when they were born. If all the dots all their lives were all connected in order without a smudge. They could be if their character was one of not caring about others very much, putting themselves first and only caring about their own needs. If it's later in life, trying to make them resilient has to be adapted to go with the baggage already on their backs.

The way the Army has been going at it, they begin with basically telling the troops if they end up with PTSD, it's their fault. This is not intentional but this is the way the message has been getting thru to them. Most of the other parts of the programs they have are good but try getting a young soldier, or even harder, a young Marine, to hear anything after "you can train your brain" to prevent PTSD. That tells them right there if they do are not tough enough to train their brain, then PTSD is because they are weak and it is their fault.

PTSD has nothing to do with strength of character or brain power. It has everything to do with who they are inside, in their soul, how they feel about others, what drives them, what caused them to find the courage within themselves they were willing to die for someone else. All this goes into the package the military is trying to "train" the brains of. It is compassion.

When they survive but others didn't they label it "survivors guilt" and this eats them deeper than just seeing the aftermath of the event itself.

When they have to take a life, this eats at them no matter how well they were prepared especially when it was an innocent person/civilian and non-combatant, carried even deeper when it was a child they ended up killing.

Witnessing these things will cut them and then added onto all of this is the fact no one knew who was the enemy no matter where they went. They come home and cannot trust anyone. The enemy is already inside of them buried in their memory.

They can heal but they can do it with therapy and medications but they have to be on the right medications and getting the right therapy or it's doing more harm than good.

If you needed brain surgery, would you go to a podiatrist? No, you'd see a neurosurgeon. Why is it then we expect the service men and women to get proper care from psychologists and psychiatrists with absolutely no background in PTSD? This happens all the time. It's one of the biggest reasons there are so many misdiagnosed cases and discharges. If they are looking for any other mental illness but are actually looking at PTSD, they'll find what they are looking for. The symptoms of PTSD are in most major mental illnesses. The key they need to use is to see if there were traumatic events in their lives or not.

They come home and if they are lucky enough to get into the VA, they are handed medications and depending on what part of the country they live in, most of the time, they are not getting any therapy at all. You cannot heal PTSD without therapy either by a member of the mental health community or a member of the clergy, as long as they are experts in this field. Otherwise more harm than good is done,

The other huge factor in all of this is the involvement of the family. If they are not included in all of this, they can make the situation worse instead of helping them heal. The families are usually left out of all treatment even though they are the ones living with these veterans 24/7. How can anyone expect them to be able to live in a household with all they have going on and leave the family out of all of it to work? It won't. Families need education and support to help the veteran heal.

Unless everything is all being done, taking into account there is no one size fits all solution, then we'll keep seeing the numbers of suicides rise just as we see the numbers of attempted suicides rise.

Army Turns To Resilience Training
By Kris Antonelli
© Stephens Media LLC 2009
Tuesday, December 22, 2009 9:11 AM CST

As 30,000 troops prepare for deployment to Afghanistan, some for the second time, military officials stateside are working overtime to set up new mental health programs and resources to prevent and treat soldiers with a signature war injury: Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, or PTSD.

The latest in a long line of Army programs to deal with PTSD is called Resilience Training, by which soldiers are taught to alter negative thought patterns and challenge ingrained negative thought patterns that can trigger the illness. Psychologists at the University of Pennsylvania Positive Psychology Center will conduct the training with first-line sergeants who interact directly with new recruits.

“The time to train is not immediately before you are deployed,” says Brig. Gen. Rhonda Cornum, who heads the new Comprehensive Soldier Fitness Program, which includes resiliency training. “Drill sergeants are the key to this; they have a huge impact on new soldiers.”

An estimated 25 to 40 percent of the more than 1.6 million troops who deployed to Iraq or Afghanistan before December 2008 were suffering from some kind of psychological and neurological injuries associated with PTSD or Traumatic Brain Injury, according to a report posted by the National Council on Disability on its Web site.
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http://www.swtimes.com/articles/2009/12/22/news/news122209_02.txt

A soldier's wife and babies not welcome to call USA home

A soldier's wife and babies are being kept from the U.S. despite DNA tests that prove the girls are his. KBTX reports.

Wounded, uprooted find solace at Fisher House

Wounded, uprooted find solace at Fisher House

By Kimberly Hefling - The Associated Press
Posted : Tuesday Dec 22, 2009 11:04:51 EST

WASHINGTON — Michelle Ford had newborn twins and a husband severely wounded in Afghanistan when she got the offer to move into a group home on the campus of Walter Reed Army Medical Center.

Living with other families made her apprehensive, but she agreed. It turned out to be a wise decision.

While the rest of Washington is wrapped up in its holiday hustle, the Ford family is finding the homey atmosphere and camaraderie of Fisher House to be a salve and a source of support as husband Derrick recovers from injuries suffered during a roadside bombing in Afghanistan in mid-August. The couple and 3-month-old twins Trinity and Dennis live with 10 other families, each of whom has a service member or relative being cared for at the hospital.
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Wounded uprooted find solace at Fisher House

New lawsuit filed in shower electrocution

New lawsuit filed in shower electrocution

The Associated Press
Posted : Tuesday Dec 22, 2009 8:39:02 EST

PITTSBURGH — The mother of a soldier electrocuted in an Army barracks shower in Iraq has filed a second lawsuit targeting another military contractor.

Cheryl Harris on Monday sued Washington Group International of San Francisco, which allegedly did electrical work in her son’s barracks from 2003 to 2005.

Army investigators say a water pump shorted out, electrocuting Harris’ son while he showered. Staff Sgt. Ryan Maseth, 24, is one of 18 people electrocuted at Iraq military facilities since 2003.
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New lawsuit filed in shower electrocution

Vets motorcycle group has fun while helping community

Bikes, beards and brotherhood
Vets motorcycle group has fun while helping community


By Lauri Harvey Keagle

Anyone dropping by the Lowell Veterans of Foreign Wars post on a Saturday night might think they accidentally stepped into a biker bar.

The parking spaces closest to the door are filled with motorcycles flying American and Prisoner of War flags. Inside, long-haired, leather-clad, tattooed and bearded bikers with names like Moose, Dracula and Snowman are bellied up to the bar in the dark room, beers in hand, under a cloud of smoke.

Some tease each other about not riding their bikes there on a brisk winter night.

"You wimp," one says to another. "What, did your mommy drop you off?"

But no bar brawls break out among the group. Beneath the tough veil are local military vets and their supporters, all members of the American Veterans Motorcycle Riders Association, a nonprofit organization dedicated to assisting veterans and others in the community in need. The group raises about $3,000 annually for various organizations.

"Nobody does enough," said Roselawn resident Larry Midkiff, an Army veteran who serves as commander of the group. "The government doesn't do enough. We need to help fill that void."
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Bikes beards and brotherhood

Toledo Vietnam veterans work to serve others

Veterans Day Memories of Vietnam

Posted to Great Americans by NamGuardianAngel on September 12, 2009

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Vietnam veterans seem to always be showing up in the news like in this following report. They show up to do motorcycle rides for charities ranging from helping kids feel special on Christmas to helping disabled Iraq and Afghanistan veterans feel appreciated. They show up on Veterans day just as much as they show up in Washington and around the nation to honor the fallen on Memorial Day. Vietnam veterans show up, no matter what the need is or who is in need, but these acts of kindness did not always make the news. What they did wrong did. Mostly because we didn't know what Post Traumatic Stress Disorder was, so when they self-medicated or drank too much, we blamed them.

By the time Vietnam veterans were coming home, the availability of reporters was staggering. They seemed to be everywhere. Vietnam combat came into our living rooms every night and it was in our newspapers everyday. Before Vietnam, when veterans came home, they came home to become well kept secrets families held when Dad was drinking too much or was a nasty person not to be messed with. They came home just like their fathers did. After the parades and parties, they faded into their own private hell. Vietnam veterans would not let the rest of their lives become suffering in silence.

They fought for the healing available today. They pushed the government to invest in the research the rest of the population are assisted with today. The findings from investigations into PTSD ended up resulting in crisis responders showing up right after traumatic events, police officers, firefighters and emergency responders having someone to turn to and when survivors are shattered by loss. They pushed for the VA to compensate for this invisible wound they carried inside of their skin but touched every part of their lives.

The Vietnam veterans are still showing up to help. They show up to help others heal in whatever way they can. They show up to make a difference as they take leadership positions in all the service organizations as well as in businesses. They show up when one of their brothers needs someone to care and they show up when one of them is still sleeping in the woods or on the streets. They show up when they are at the other end of the phone looking for clothing to be donated to give the homeless veterans something warmer and cleaner to wear.

It is a joy to post a report like the following because when it comes to them, the next time you need help or some stranger to care, the chances are, it's a Vietnam veteran showing up.

Toledo Vietnam veterans work to serve others
Written by Chris Schmidbauer sports@toledofreepress.com
With the hustle and bustle of the holiday season, it is easy to forget the true meaning of Christmas. Often times we become so consumed with shopping, baking holiday treats, and planning family parties, that we often overlook the true meaning of the yuletide season.

Gene Shurtz sees the holidays in a different light these days. The 66 year old, who was a 1st Lieutenant in the Army, spent his Christmas 30 years ago stationed in Vietnam.

“Well the saying always goes ‘you don’t realize what you have until it’s gone,’” Shurtz said. “When you are isolated like that in deployment overseas, you spent a whole year, if you weren’t evacuated or injured in battle, away from your family and friends. It is very difficult.”

Shurtz is also the chapter president of the Vietnam Veterans of Greater Toledo, and he and his fellow veterans are working to make this Christmas a little brighter for service men and women and their families.

“We wanted to do some social functions, and we are trying to achieve some fellowship with some social functions,” Shurtz said. “The idea is to connect veterans with each other, and a Christmas party is a nice way to do that.”

The Christmas party will be held Monday December 21 at the Hooters restaurant on Monroe Street, but the party designed to bring some extra holiday cheer is just on part to the group’s mission.

The greater Toledo chapter is an arm of the Vietnam Veterans of America (V.V.A), whose mission has been not to forsake a group of veterans the way Vietnam veterans were.
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Toledo Vietnam veterans work to serve others

Multiple Deployments Raises Risk of PTSD by Three Times

When the last straw broke the camels back, the owner thought the camel was doing just fine although his tongue must have been hanging out and his knees must have been buckling under all the weight. He didn't notice simply because he didn't want to. This is what's been happening to our military and while some want to say they are just not tough enough, others want to say they should have known what they were getting into and others just want to hide their heads in the sand, these men and women, no matter how well trained and determined to do their duty, have had the weight added to them for far too long.

Maybe they could have been able to take even more if the rest of us had bothered to show up and help them carry their load, but we didn't. Maybe they could have come home and felt they were appreciated when it came to what they needed from us, but they didn't. We just kept asking more and more of them and their families, repeating the same mistakes over and over again when addressing the emotional toll they paid and now we're upset because some people are calling for the return of the draft. What can we expect when none of us wanted to go in their place at the same time we complained they needed help when they got back because they went in our place?

New VA Study: Multiple Deployments Raises Risk of PTSD by Three Times
Written by Patrik Jonsson
Sunday, 20 December 2009 10:02
Pentagon plays catch-up as toll of repeat combat duty rises

A Department of Veterans Affairs study reports a three-fold increase in depression and post-traumatic stress after repeat combat duty, raising questions about the Pentagon’s ability to keep soldiers with combat-related psychological problems away from the front.

December 17, 2009 (Christian Science Monitor) - Emotional pain, depression, and angst among US soldiers seeing multiple deployments in war zones are much more common than the Pentagon has reported, a new Department of Veterans Affairs survey says.

Soldiers facing multiple deployments, moreover, are at least three times more likely to anonymously report problems of depression and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) than are those with a single deployment, according to the study published Thursday in the American Journal of Public Health.

Coming as 30,000 more troops are being sent to Afghanistan, the findings in a study of nearly 3,000 New Jersey National Guardsmen are likely to spur additional debate over military and societal response to America’s heavy dependence on volunteer soldiers for repeated deployments in two wars.

The findings also raise questions about the military’s ability – and willingness – to properly screen soldiers for combat-related problems that could limit their effectiveness in war zones, writes Anna Kline, lead author of the VA study.
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Multiple Deployments Raises Risk of PTSD by Three Times

Soldier on leave from Afghanistan killed in Baltimore while shopping

Soldier out shopping murdered in Baltimore

By Ben Nuckols - The Associated Press
Posted : Monday Dec 21, 2009 15:10:33 EST

BALTIMORE — Baltimore police say an active-duty soldier was shot to death Sunday in the city while on the way home from grocery shopping with his wife.

Police spokesman Anthony Guglielmi says 22-year-old Clifford Williams was on leave from service in Afghanistan.
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Soldier out shopping murdered in Baltimore

Veterans in law school finding a new way to fight

Finding A New Way To Fight



Ryan Cleckner and Brian Gregorio stand up for veterans at Quinnipiac law school


By ROBIN DeMERELL


Combat veteran Ryan Cleckner limped into a local veterans hospital after returning home from service as an airborne sniper and team leader in the U.S. Army’s 1st Ranger Battalion. He had severe hip and back pain and needed a cane to walk. The hospital’s doctors sent Cleckner on his way with a handful of ibuprofen – hardly the treatment he expected as a wounded veteran who served four years for his country.

After six years of fighting the system – lost medical records and misplaced disability claims – Cleckner had all but lost hope. Since Cleckner doesn’t shy away from a challenge, he decided to change the system – not just for himself, but for all veterans.

This past fall, the 30-year-old North Haven resident enrolled at Quinnipiac School of Law “so that I may learn how to fight the system in a way that can actually make a difference. I wanted to help veterans fight the [Department of Veterans Affairs] to get the care they deserve and help raise awareness for post-traumatic stress disorder issues,” he said. “I decided the best way to do this was to become a lawyer.”

Once Cleckner arrived at the Hamden law school he saw that there was no organization on campus for veterans. So he and fellow law-school student Brian Gregorio started their own Veterans’ Advocacy Group.
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http://www.ctlawtribune.com/getarticle.aspx?ID=35868

Veterans and Shelter Animals Meet With Pets2Vets

Veterans and Shelter Animals Meet With Pets2Vets
Pets2Vets program started by Air Force vet matches veterans with shelter animals
By LINDA LOMBARDI For The Associated Press
WASHINGTON December 21, 2009 (AP)

Dave Sharpe was troubled by thoughts he couldn't share after he returned from serving in Iraq. "I found myself waking up in the middle of the night, punching holes in walls, kicking and beating the refrigerator door," he said.

Then one day, the former Air Force senior airman went with a friend to a local pit bull rescue and took home a puppy, Cheyenne. Next time he found himself kicking something, "I saw this puppy, cocking her head, looking up at me, like, what are you doing?"

Finally, Sharpe had someone he could open up to. "I froze, I put down my drink, I picked her up and laid with her in my bed," he said. "I cried and I told her the whole story. I didn't feel judged."

The experience inspired Sharpe, of Arlington, Va., to start Pets2Vets, a group that pairs veterans with homeless pets by arranging adoptions of shelter animals. It has made two or three matches a week since its start in October.

One of the goals of Pets2Vets is to raise awareness about post-traumatic stress disorder. Sharpe says that while a few groups provide veterans with service dogs, many PTSD and traumatic brain injury patients don't qualify for these programs. Even when they do, because of the stigma still attached to psychological problems, they may hesitate to apply.
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http://abcnews.go.com/Entertainment/wireStory?id=9392828

The Post Traumatic Stress Disorder Relationship

I am not a psychiatrist or a psychologist. I need them now just as I needed them in the beginning to help heal my husband. I had to go it alone for years but finally found great doctors at the Bedford VA in Burlington MA, and we got my husband thru the darkest of times. That's one of the biggest things missing today.

Families are often avoided when a veteran is being treated for PTSD instead of added into the healing. Too many veterans are not receiving any therapy at all to go along with their growing list of medications they take. What we see are more suicides, attempted suicides, families falling apart, drug abuse, homelessness and hopelessness. All of this does not just happen to the veteran at the center of the turmoil in the family but to the entire family often being carried over one generation to the next, just as it had been since man first went to war with man. No one was doing anything as PTSD claimed more and more of the character of the veteran.

Today we have the Internet allowing veterans to connect to veterans all over the nation and families connect to other families for support and advice. As we travel the world wide web of knowledge, keep in mind there will be great advice as well as bad advice. Most sites offer support from groups of individuals in the same position and of the same background. Not one single site, including mine, has all the answers and they never will.

I know what it's like living with PTSD and have gained great insight into their world talking to them and their families, as well as my own husband, but no matter how much I know, I cannot go past suspecting PTSD. It takes a doctor to diagnosis it and provide medication for it. I can add to therapy they receive but I cannot replace it. I can give back hope of healing but I cannot answer prayers or replace God. My job is just to get them back into communicating with God instead of feeling abandoned by Him or trying to hide from Him.

Helping as teams, much can be accomplished but if you come across anyone acting as if they are the alpha and omega with all the answers on PTSD, run as fast as you can. After over 25 years, there are still things I am learning but above all, learning I can't do it all and was never intended to.

Read books and reports on PTSD and about what it being done. Find something that makes all of this click because there is no one size fits all answer or treatment any more than there is one style of therapy that works for all. Keep searching and stop being afraid to hope.

This is a book you may find helpful as you learn more about PTSD.

The Post Traumatic Stress Disorder Relationship: How to Support Your Partner and Keep Your Relationship Healthy
The Post Traumatic Stress Disorder Relationship
(Paperback)
Diane England (Author)


Editorial Reviews
Product Description
War, physical and sexual abuse, and natural disasters. All crises have one thing in common: Victims often suffer from post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and their loved ones suffer right along with them. In this book, couples will learn how to have a healthy relationship, in spite of a stressful and debilitating disorder. They’ll learn how to:
Deal with emotions regarding their partner’s PTSD
Talk about the traumatic event(s)
Communicate about the effects of PTSD to their children
Handle sexual relations when a PTSD partner has suffered a traumatic sexual event
Help their partner cope with everyday life issues
When someone has gone through a traumatic event in his or her life, he or she needs a partner more than ever. This is the complete guide to keeping the relationship strong and helping both partners recover in happy, healthy ways.



About the Author
Diane England, PhD has a particular interest in the topic of post-traumatic stress disorder after having worked with military families for five years at a NATO base. Dr. England holds a PhD in clinical social work from the University of Texas at Arlington. In addition, she has a master’s degree in family studies from Oregon State University and a bachelor of science degree in child development from the University of Maine. She is a licensed clinical social worker who has practiced as a psychotherapist. She has also held other positions that provided opportunity to educate individuals on how to strengthen themselves, their marriages, and their families.

Procession Today For Officer Killed In Afghanistan

Procession Today For Officer Killed In Afghanistan
Last Update: 11:15 am
Procession For Local Officer Killed In Afghanistan

Slideshow
Anthony Campbell Jr.
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Services Set For Serviceman, Officer
Local Police Officer Killed In Afghanistan
Flags At Half-Staff For Florence Soldier

The remains of Air Force Tech Sgt. Anthony Campbell will arrive in the Tri-State Monday morning.The 35-year-old airman was also a Cincinnati police officer. He died last week in Afghanistan while he was trying to disarm an improvised explosive device.

The war may never be over for Dedi Noble

Camano Island mother devoted to memory of son killed in Iraq

By Gale Fiege
Herald Writer

The war may never be over for Dedi Noble.

During the first two Christmases after her only child, Army Sgt. Charles E. Matheny IV, was killed in Iraq, Noble sat in the front room of her Camano Island home and sobbed.

“Charlie's body came home. The funeral and burial came. The blackness came,” she said. “I asked God to take me, too, because my main purpose in life was to be Charlie's mother. Then I realized if he was gone, perhaps there was another purpose for me.”

As they did last Dec. 25, Noble and her husband, David, plan to load up their car on Christmas Day with gifts for 60 wounded warriors and drive to the regional Veterans Administration hospital in Seattle.

Noble, a member of the Washington Gold Star Mothers association, will spend the day visiting with veterans in the spinal-cord injury, brain injury, post-traumatic-stress disorder and psychiatric units.
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http://heraldnet.com/article/20091221/NEWS01/712219881

‘Valley of Elah’ father dead at 60

‘Valley of Elah’ father dead at 60

By Joe Gould - Staff writer
Posted : Monday Dec 21, 2009 10:50:18 EST

His quest for the truth in his son’s murder at hands of his platoon mates revealed a deeper truth about the human cost of war and inspired the movie “In the Valley of Elah.”

Lanny Davis, a 60-year-old Vietnam veteran, died Dec. 13 after a two-month battle with lung cancer and a five-year battle over the death of his son, Spc. Richard Davis.

“Those are my two soldiers, they’ll always be,” his widow, Remy Davis, 60, said in a phone interview with Army Times. “They’ll be together.”

Richard Davis, 24, a member of the 1st Battalion, 15th Infantry Regiment, 3rd Infantry Division, disappeared after a night out with friends near Fort Benning, Ga.

His remains were found months later, revealing that he had been stabbed 33 times and his body burned.

Police said Davis’ friends attacked him because he had insulted a stripper and got them bounced from a strip club.
read more here
http://www.armytimes.com/news/2009/12/army_davis_obit_122809p/

Haunted by 40 Months in Iraq

Haunted by 40 Months in Iraq

New America Media, Commentary, Anonymous, Posted: Dec 20, 2009
Editor’s Note: A former Marine re-ups 24 years after his discharge and volunteers for four consecutive combat tours. Now he’s at home fighting the war within. “Anonymous” wrote this for the Veterans Workshop, a New America Media writing project for combat veterans.

Since Iraq, I might go several days without sleep. It’s hard to function like that. When I do sleep, I often wake up after a bad dream and all I want to do is put on my gear, grab my weapon and hurt someone. On nights like that I can never fall back asleep.

I was in Iraq for almost 40 months straight, so long that all of my neighbors at home moved away. I came home with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and a traumatic brain injury (TBI). What follows are some of the thoughts that have been bouncing around in my head since my return. But it’s hard to focus. TBI can do that to a person.

I joined the Marines in 1977 and served in the infantry until I got out in 1981. I went to work for a major transportation company, eventually rising to a management position. But as I saw the war in Iraq dragging on, I decided in 2005 to re-enlist. I was too old at 46 to get back into the Marine Corps, but with a waiver I was able to join the Army National Guard.

I volunteered for the next unit deploying to Iraq, and reached the combat zone in late 2005. I knew that I was filling a slot, and I hoped that because I had deployed that a soldier who did not want to go to Iraq was able to stay home with his family. I felt that I was contributing more in Iraq than I had during the previous 24 years as a civilian. I truly enjoyed being in Iraq and doing an important and dangerous job.

I volunteered to stay in Iraq for four consecutive tours. I stayed because I felt that I was doing something worthwhile, regardless of the politics of the war. I felt that the younger soldiers deserved experienced leaders. I knew that they needed someone who would stand shoulder-to-shoulder with them by choice, not because he was ordered to. I know that I had a positive impact on the soldiers in all of the units that I served with.
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Haunted by 40 Months in Iraq

Metro Orlando unemployment jumps to 11.8%

Five years ago we moved to Florida because I was supposed to be able to just work part time and do my work with veterans online the rest of the time. We bought a house in a nice area and after doing some temp work, I found what I thought was the perfect job for me working for a church.

The first few years here, it was easy finding work but that ended in 2007 when I lost my job due to the economy and the decision of the church to close down the education department opting instead for volunteers to run it. I haven't been able to find a paying job since then. Not even temp work.

I did accounting and held positions in just about every aspect of the business world from offices and retail but two years working for a church and then becoming a chaplain, didn't help my resume out much. It's almost as if I don't fit in anywhere anymore. I can picture the expressions of the HR heads reading my resume, seeing Chaplain and Christian Education then quickly putting it in the reject pile. It doesn't seem to matter that I'm just about desperate enough to take a job sweeping floors right now.

It gets even harder to find hope of finding a job when the malls were not even hiring for Christmas, driving past empty stores and closed down restaurants, sucks the air right out of any hope. If it's hard on me, then stop and think how hard it is for the men and women in the National Guards.

Think about this. Their rate of unemployment is over 20%. Who wants to hire them when they think about the fact they can get deployed again? Then there is the attitude that they will be too messed up in the head to do a good job. (Yes, even in this day and age the misinformation about PTSD is alive and kicking) They never seem to think that a National Guardsman or woman can do a great job just because of the type of individual they are.

Considering they put others first, put mission ahead of their personal life and are willing to take a bullet for a buddy, you really can't ask for a better employee, but aside from that, there is also the fact they follow orders well, train well, adapt well and have a habit of not complaining very much at all. Think of a better person to hire?

If I don't fit in then think about how hard of a time they have fitting back in. They still have bills to pay and families to support. What happens is they also come back to jobs long gone and competition for a few jobs from hundreds of people while they also get to worry about having to be redeployed back to Afghanistan or Iraq or waiting for the next natural disaster at the same time they have to worry about finding a job. All in all as bad as we may think we have it here looking for a job in Florida, they have it much worse and we, well we never seem to find the time to think of them at all.

Florida sees worst job losses in U.S.
Metro Orlando unemployment jumps to 11.8%

By Jim Stratton

Orlando Sentinel

December 18, 2009


There's little holiday cheer in the latest unemployment figures, which show Florida lost more jobs in November than any state in the nation.

Employers shed 16,700 positions last month, pushing unemployment to 11.5 percent. Michigan lost the second-highest number of jobs, with 14,000 positions eliminated from October to November.

Florida's unemployment rate is up two-tenths of a point from October's revised rate of 11.3 percent and is at its highest point since May 1975.

Metropolitan Orlando's unemployment rate climbed even higher, to 11.8 percent, up three-tenths of a point from October's revised rate. At the county level, Osceola came in at 13.3 percent, Polk at 12.9 percent, Lake at 12.7 percent, Volusia at 12.3 percent, Brevard at 11.9 percent, Orange at 11.7 percent and Seminole at 10.9 percent.

Flagler County had the state's highest jobless rate: 16.8 percent. Tiny Liberty County in the Panhandle had the lowest: 6.1 percent.
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Florida sees worst job losses in US

Homeless Veteran's Death keeps others warm

Like most, you either sent a Christmas card out or an email so that you could share good wishes for the next year and let them know you were thinking of them. We have an easy time doing that, just as we have an easy time sharing the joys in our lives. The wedding, the graduation, the new home, the birth of a child, all bring in well wishes from others and usually, they kick in a buck or two to help us celebrate.

When it is a tragedy, well, that usually comes with phone calls to let them know someone has passed away or is in the hospital. People usually respond with cards, flowers, donations and prayers. They are sadly participating in something they would rather not have happen, but knowing this is all part of life, they have no problem feeling our pain.

So how is it that when we need help, help from the same people we care enough to send Christmas cards to, no one wants to share the information? It's not that homeless people have no one to care. Most of the time, no one knows they needed help at all until they vanished into the streets. Then it's too late.

Is it pride? Do we think people will stop caring about us if they see us as a failure or unlucky because we fell on hard times? Do we think they won't care enough? Most of the time we find we do matter more than we think we do and the people in our lives rejoice with our triumphs as much as they grieve with us in our pain.

That's what this homeless veteran ended up doing because he mattered to people a lot more than he thought he did. His death changed the way the community deals with homeless people because he managed to touch their hearts. Think about what you can do in your own circle when you share what you care about and you will know what seems to be impossible now, will be possible because you cared enough to try.

Homeless Veteran's Death Remembered
By Dan Corcoran



EUGENE, Ore. -- Community leaders, volunteers and members of the homeless community gathered on Friday to remember a man who died on the streets of Eugene one year ago on Friday. The community believes his death was not in vain.



The death of Major Thomas Egan, a retired Oregon National Guard officer, inspired the opening of the Egan Memorial Warming Centers, making sure no one in the area suffers a similar fate as his.
read more here
http://kezi.com/news/local/156210

Foolish pride and wise prayers

Foolish pride and wise prayers
by Chaplain Kathie


I listen to veterans problems and the cries for help from their families as I have been for over 25 years. Hearing what they are going thru makes my own problems seem so tiny. Whenever I listen to them or read their stories in some news site article, they take me back to a dark time when I was lost, alone, had no place to turn to for support and had to learn how to save my husband on my own. I remember it all a little too well and that is what's behind what I do.

When we read about reports centered around PTSD, we find it easy to assume all is being done to take care of our veterans but the truth is only a fraction of what is needed is being done. Less than half of the veterans needing help with PTSD seek help. Consider that when you think of the backlog of claims, the influx of veterans trying to find help in the VA hospitals across the country and going to organizations springing up in all areas. Less than half.

There are still some veterans with no understanding of what PTSD is, others still think of it as a sign of weakness, a thing of shame and even more cannot find the strength within them to seek help at all. Families fall apart, like mine almost did. Veterans end up homeless like mine almost did. Hope slips away and I remember it all a little too well.

This is why I do it. This is why I spend all these hours working for them. This is also why I cannot walk away. It would be as if I walked away from my own husband. I wouldn't do it then and I won't do it now.

Yesterday I sent out an email to some people online begging for help. I am in deep financial trouble. Pride prevented me from asking for help most of the time. Maybe it was the words someone said about me a while ago saying that if I was any good at what I did, then I wouldn't have to ask for help at all. Maybe it's because I've been doing this for so long that by now, I even believe that type of attitude is right. I don't know. I do know the veterans I help cannot afford to donate money to keep me going and I have no connections. My work is used all over the country, provided for free, and the people using my videos, copying my entries on the blog and sharing what I've learned, for whatever reason, find it valuable enough to use but not enough to feel the need to pay for any of it. I usually wonder how they would feel if no one wanted to pay them for their time or their help.

Here's the email I sent out

I have a new video for veterans and the troops with PTSD. I made this video because I am flooded with requests for help by them and their families. None of what we're seeing in PTSD has to happen. We will continue to see the increase in suicides, attempted suicides and devastated families until they get the support they really need to understand what PTSD is and how to cope.

Heaven Knows They Need You

Posted to Great Americans by NamGuardianAngel on December 14, 2009

Click to Play | View Details

I have created over 30 videos and have over 18,000 posts on my blogs dedicated to our veterans. I have done this for free since 1982. Up until two years ago, I had paying jobs to support the work I do on behalf of our veterans. Since then, it has been a financial nightmare adding to my stress. Yesterday, my electricity was shut off and the money to pay to turn it back on had to be taken from a drained bank account. I am in desperate need of financial help. If you can make a donation of even $10.00 dollars plus pass this request on, it will help me in this dire time of need.

There is a PayPal button on my blog you can use to make a donation. If you use this means, your donation will not be deductible but I will be able to receive it fast. There is also an address with the IFOC so that you can make a tax deductible donation via mail. If you value the work I do, then please, help me to be able to keep doing it. I cannot continue without you.

All these years, I prayed to God for help. I found it very hard to ask people for help even though when God answers our prayers, He usually sends other people to answer the prayers. When they don't show up, we blame Him. I couldn't blame Him. I knew it had to be me.

Maybe I'm just not good enough at what I do, I'll think from time to time as I struggle to find reasons to go on when no one is showing up to help me. I came up with all kinds of reasons until Thursday night when our electricity was shut off. Then I couldn't stop crying.

All these years of helping strangers and no one was coming to help me. Friday it dawned on me that no one knew how bad it was for us financially or that I needed help at all. Maybe it was my pride preventing me from asking or maybe I just assumed no one would help me. Yes, I've been beaten down that far over the years that it becomes hard to believe anyone would think I was worth helping.

When we do things for the right reasons but end up greeted by Satan's foot standing in our way, we keep trying to get past it but we are tiny alone. We need help from others to get by. If we are afraid no one will think we are worth helping if they knew the truth, then we not only suffer needlessly, we never really give of ourselves. When we share our own struggles, when we show our own doubts, when we share that we are not prefect in anything or self-sustaining "I don't need anyone" rocks, then we are not helping anyone really.

How can you tell someone you understand their pain if you share none of your own? How can you offer them any hope of getting past it if you never show them where you were before you got to where you are? You can't and this is why many are not trusted enough.

My prayer was always to help veterans like my husband and their families. My prayer was answered. I was provided with every word needed, every thought, compassion that does not end and an endless supply of matches from God when I get burnt out. When I prayed for financial help it did come from time to time but it was a constant struggle. I've asked from time to time on the blog, but when I did, nothing came in to help me. So I tried again but this time asking people I've been contacted by asking me for help in the past.

I asked for $10.00 thinking I surely would be worth $10.00 to someone out there. I was shocked when I received more than I asked for from a couple of people. How could they think I was worth so much when others can't think I'm worth anything?

When we get beaten down so low, it's easier for us to think of ourselves as worth-less than we were when we were the ones doing the work, doing the helping, feeling oh so needed instead of needy. When you look it all of this the right way, then you understand that if you don't look down on people you help, then you should not look down on yourself when you need help as well.

Pray when you need help that God will send you the help you need but pray with an open heart and stop being ashamed you need to ask for help. Pride will get you nowhere. God will see the humbleness within you when you admit you are only human and need others to help you so that you can help them in return. I can't help anyone if my electricity gets shut off again and I can't do this work online. I can't help anyone if I have no place to live. I surely can't keep creating the videos if I can't buy music to use. Just as I no longer travel the country because I cannot afford it, I would have to stop answering the phone when they need me. How can I be so willing to help but unwilling to ask for help when I need it? Lesson for the day is: What good will your pride do you when you fall flat on your face and still refuse to ask for help? Set your pride aside and see your prayers answered.

Military study shows increase in suicide attempts, PTSD symptoms

Is it supposed to make me feel good that I was right all this time when the outcome didn't change? What a loser I am when I couldn't get anyone to really listen and do something about this and they had to suffer for what we failed to do.

Military study shows increase in suicide attempts, PTSD symptoms
By Seth Robbins, Stars and Stripes
Mideast edition, Friday, December 18, 2009

A wide-ranging Department of Defense survey revealed the rate of servicemembers attempting suicide has doubled in recent years, coinciding with an increase in those reporting symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder and those abusing prescription drugs.

The study, which surveyed more than 28,500 active-duty personnel on a number of health issues, showed that 2 percent of servicemembers surveyed said they attempted suicide in the past year. In the 2005 study, only 1 percent of respondents said they attempted suicide.

“We’ve seen increases in suicide rates over the last several years,” said Robert Bray, the study’s senior program director. “I think this data is consistent with what we are seeing there.”

The 2008 Survey of Health Related Behaviors, released late Wednesday, was conducted by researchers with the Research Triangle Institute. It was last taken in 2005.

The percentage of servicemembers admitting to PTSD-like symptoms rose from 7 percent in 2005 to 11 percent in 2008. The largest jumps came from soldiers and Marines.
read more here
http://www.stripes.com/article.asp?section=104&article=66744

Dignity and respect A Soldier’s right

Dignity and respect: A Soldier’s right; improving morale, readiness, commitment
By Lt. Col. John Atkins, Deputy IG, III Corps
Facebook Digg Delicious December 17, 2009 News
One thing that will never change in the U.S. Army is the fact that all Soldiers have the right to be treated with dignity and respect. Treating Soldiers with the proper respect they deserve may directly influence how well they perform their duties. AR 600-20, Army Command Policy, directs that all Soldiers will be treated with dignity and respect. Improved unit readiness, better morale, greater commitment to unit and mission, increased trust and unit cohesion, and treating others as they should be treated are essential in our Army.

Unfortunately, the IG office frequently receives complaints from Soldiers who report being mistreated or disrespected by their leadership. In many instances these Soldiers had committed some type of offense and were about to be, or were already, punished for that offense. Regardless of their culpability for their misdeed or of the disciplinary actions planned, these Soldiers are still entitled to be treated with dignity and respect.

Consider a Soldier who tests positive on an urinanalysis, receives a Field Grade Article 15, and is waiting to be separated from service. During this pre-separation period, it is inappropriate, and a violation of AR 600-20, for anyone to intentionally degrade, humiliate or disgrace this Soldier by calling him a “dirtbag,” “drugee,” or any other derogatory word.
read more here
http://www.forthoodsentinel.com/story.php?id=2716