Vietnam vet may get Silver Star after 44 years

SF vet may get Silver Star after 44 years
By Bill McCleery
The Indianapolis Star
Posted : Thursday Apr 5, 2012

MICHELLE PEMBERTON / THE INDIANAPOLIS STAR Former Army Sgt. Frank Spink holds a Silver Star given to him by a fellow veteran and a copy of the original orders issued July 26, 1968 awarding him a Silver Star.

PLAINFIELD, Ind. — Army Sgt. Frank Spink was pulling overnight guard duty when he heard movement in the South Vietnamese jungle.

He listened, then realized enemy soldiers were approaching the U.S. Special Forces camp in Dak Pek, a village in Kontum province.

Spink quickly notified his platoon leader, rousted fellow soldiers and, in the darkness, opened fire on North Vietnamese troops. Aerial gun support helped to push back attackers.

During the fight that early June morning nearly 44 years ago, an enemy rocket exploded on Spink’s bunker. He was left with a mangled right arm that ultimately was amputated.

Spink’s action helped his unit repel the enemy and avoid heavier losses, said his platoon leader, Lt. John McHenry, now retired.

The soldier’s valor, according to orders written the next month by military brass, earned the Indiana veteran one of the Army’s highest honors for heroism: the Silver Star.

But Spink, now 66, never received the honor.

He never even knew he had been in line to receive it until last month. McHenry and another retired soldier are leading efforts to persuade military officials to award the medal they think Spink deserves.
read more here

Problems Found With Camp Lejeune's Care of Wounded

Problems Found With Lejeune's Care of Wounded
April 05, 2012
Fayetteville Observer|by Greg Barnes

A recent U.S. Department of Defense review of a battalion for wounded Marines at Camp Lejeune suggests that the battalion is hampered by drug abuse, the perception of a poor command climate and other problems.

But the review -- the third in a series to evaluate the military's policies and processes for wounded warriors -- was not nearly as scathing as an earlier assessment of the Army's Wounded Transition Battalion at Fort Drum, N.Y.

Although Fort Bragg's Warrior Transition Battalion will not be part of the Defense Department's assessment process, the post began its own inspection in mid-February. A report of those findings has been completed and is expected to be released to the public within 14 days, Col. Kevin Arata, a spokesman for the 18th Airborne Corps, said Wednesday.

Commanders for Fort Bragg and Womack Army Medical Center said previously that an outside inspection of the medical component of the battalion found "no red flags."

At Camp Lejeune's Wounded Warrior Battalion-East, the Department of Defense found a number of bright spots, including that the management and staff for the battalion and Naval Hospital Camp Lejeune are dedicated to providing the best available care and services.

But the review also uncovered serious problems, including: Prescription and illegal drug abuse has resulted in inadequate order and discipline in the battalion and may have a negative effect on recovery and transition of wounded troops. Those involved in the medical care and management of wounded troops said they lacked adequate training in handling of post-traumatic stress disorder, traumatic brain injury and the medical board process.

Wounded Marines spend too much time in the treatment, recovery and rehabilitation stages -- an average of 245 days.

Case managers sometimes exceeded their caseloads, potentially causing delays or other problems in recovery and transition.

Camp Lejeune's hospital did not have specific medication management policies or procedures in place to manage Marines who were prescribed multiple medications, including controlled substances.
read more here

Horse Therapy Helps Veterans Break Through PTSD

Horse Therapy Helps Veterans Break Through PTSD
By Terri Moon Cronk
American Forces Press Service
WASHINGTON, April 5, 2012 – A Pentagon Channel documentary sheds light on how military veterans with post-traumatic stress disorder are finding help through the power of horse therapy.

"Recon: Unbridled" highlights “Horses for Veterans,” at Flag is Up Farms in California, an intensive three-day program designed to help veterans of all ages who have PTSD, free of charge.

“I think No. 1 is to work with veterans who have given up on life,” said Monty Roberts, a renowned horse whisperer. Roberts uses his horse-friendly “Joining Up” techniques on abused and mistreated horses, and adapts it for self-isolating veterans who have post-traumatic stress.

Roberts’ program is about learning to trust people by choosing to, rather than by force, he said. By using the language of the horse or the stress of the veteran to communicate, he added, his program engenders trust.

“When they trust you, they will migrate toward you, rather than going away [out of fear],” he said. “Horses are flight animals. They are frightened of everything they don’t understand. If they don’t trust it, they need to get away from it, and that’s how a veteran feels, too.”

The old style of “breaking” horses often involved using violence to force them into submission, but Roberts' style, which he calls “gentling” or “natural horsemanship,” is nonviolent.

“They get nothing from the fight, so they literally give up,” he pointed out.

Veteran Alejandra Sanchez is on her fourth visit to Flag is Up Farms, but remembers her first time like it was yesterday.

“I have never been so scared in my life,” she said. “I wasn’t even that scared when I was in Iraq. My anxiety was through the roof, because I had to face that I had post-traumatic stress.

“Every night you knew when the sun set, action was going to happen,” she continued, recalling her service in Iraq. “I remember coming to the oddly weird term of ‘I might not make it.’” Sanchez faced her fears head-on in the “Horses for Veterans” program.

“You have to work with people you don’t know, and you already have trust issues,” she said. “It definitely brought out all of the symptoms I face, but at an intense level I normally haven’t dealt with.” Sanchez said she had to learn to calm herself down for the horses to learn to trust her. “The horses would not respond to me if I was anxious, angry or violent,” she said.
read more here

If you live in Florida, there is a great program here for you too!
Equine Assisted Psychotherapy South Florida Veterans Multi-Purpose Center

Combat PTSD, the hard fall of the survivor

UPDATE,,,this is exactly why the numbers are what they are. They are about to make this worse by acting as if this training has not done more harm than good!

Air Force leaders continue to express concern over 2012 suicide numbers by Gene Rector Air Force officials continue to express concern over increasing incidents of suicide in 2012. In January, Air Force Chief of Staff Norton Schwartz ordered a stand-down day to "focus on resiliency" after 15 suicides were reported that month among active duty, National Guard, Air Force Reserve and civilian workers. However, the significant increase continues according to Chief Master Sgt. James Roy, the Air Force's top noncommissioned officer. read more here

Combat PTSD, the hard fall of the survivor
by Chaplain Kathie

The military has been unknowingly setting up survivors of traumatic events like this for a hard fall. When you read that a "suicide bomber on a motorcycle killed 3 soldiers" we don't really think about what it does to the others witnessing it.

GUL BUDDIN ELHAM / THE ASSOCIATED PRESS Wounded U.S. soldiers lie on the ground April 4 at the scene of a suicide attack in Maimanah, Faryab province, which is north of Kabul. A suicide bomber blew himself up, killing at least 10 people and three soldiers.

3 soldiers among 10 killed in Afghan bombing
By Amir Shah and Patrick Quinn
The Associated Press Posted : Wednesday Apr 4, 2012

KABUL, Afghanistan — A suicide bomber on a motorcycle killed at least 10 people, including three American soldiers, at a park in a relatively peaceful area of northern Afghanistan on Wednesday, part of an increase in violence at the start of the spring fighting season.

The Taliban, which claimed responsibility for the attack, are targeting Afghan and NATO security forces as they fight to assert their power and undermine U.S. efforts to try to build up the Afghan military, who will take the lead in combat responsibility over the next couple of years.

Shortly before noon, the bomber detonated his explosives at the gate of the park in Maimanah, the capital of Faryab province, police spokesman Lal Mohammad Ahmad Zai said. His target was unclear, but Zai said four of the 10 killed were Afghan police officers.

At least 20 people were wounded, officials said.

In Kabul, NATO said three of its service members were killed in a bombing Wednesday in northern Afghanistan. It provided no other details about the attack or the nationalities of the three. read more here

Now that you have seen the picture and read the story, you need to be aware of the rest of the story you won’t read about.

For the last ten years the military has been telling the men and women sent into combat that they can “train their brains” to become resilient to traumatic events like this, thereby telling them that if they end up with PTSD, it is their fault because they didn’t train right and were weak. Once they hear they can be “mentally tough” that message lives on and destroys those who were not able to just get over it.

Every single one of them has been given the same education in nonsense so that when PTSD hits, they look at the others they were with, seemingly able to move past it and they are ashamed to admit they cannot.

The generally accepted rate of PTSD is 1 out of 3, but some use 1out of 5, exposed to the same traumatic event. After the shock wears off, that means 2 will work it out on their own terms but one will not. That leaves the “1 “wondering what is wrong with them. They internalize that blame after being told it is their fault for not “training their brains” to handle it.

They cover it up instead of addressing it with drugs and alcohol to numb what they don’t want to feel. How can they open up when they think they are weak? How can they feel comfortable to talk to their buddies when all of them lived through the same event but the others are “fine” afterwards?

They can’t. No matter how much they trust the other members of their unit with their lives, they cannot trust them with this deep dark secret that will make others wonder about their courage and mental toughness.

While “1” sees the others as getting over it, they are not aware of the fact that for some, a day will come when the event becomes alive again and they finally understand that they did not get over either.

A suicide bomber got onto a motorcycle and traveled down the same street they drove on then blew himself up. Back home, one day comes when they are driving on the road, hear the roar of a motorcycle engine and it will hit.

They will be taken back to April 4, 2012 when they heard the roar of the motorcycle, saw the bomb blow up and the carnage of 3 soldiers laying dead on the ground with 20 others wounded. They will smell the same thing again. They will feel the heat of the fire on their face. They will hear the screams. That day will happen all over again but they thought they just got over it aside from dreams from time to time.

Another “1” will go on without bad dreams because the memory is living in the back of their mind but a year from now, they will suddenly feel very sad. The anniversary date is not something they are aware of but subconsciously the alarm is sounded warning them of things to come. It is all coming back in full force taking them by surprise.

They won’t talk about it when talking is the first step to healing. No one will tell them that what is happening to them is a human, normal reaction to something totally abnormal to their daily lives back home. No one will tell them that it does not make them weak to feel what they are feeling but they simply feel it at a different level than others. No one will remind them what else happened that day, the things they were not in control over any more than they will remind them of what they managed to do afterwards no matter how much pain they are already in.

No one will help them recover, heal, forgive or forgive themselves. No one will help them restore their families because they were made to believe it was their entire fault. That is what “resiliency” training does. It is one of the biggest reasons they will not seek help.

If the military really wants to stop military suicides, they need to understand that this type of training has been setting up the survivors for a hard fall they are not prepared to fight.

Homes For Our Troops Gunnery Sgt. John Hayes

Homes for our Troops

Marine Gunnery Sergeant John Hayes was on his 4th deployment when he lost both of his legs and suffered life-threatening injuries after stepping on an IED in Sangin, Afghanistan on December 28, 2010. An Explosive Ordinance Disposal Technician, GySgt Hayes was on a routine mission, when his comrade located an undetonated ordinance. While retracing his steps to return and assist his partner, GySgt Hayes stepped on a buried IED resulting in the traumatic amputations of both of his legs.

During transport out of Afghanistan to Landstuhl, Germany, GySgt Hayes required lifesaving resuscitation multiple times. Once stabilized, he was brought to Bethesda National Naval Medical Center where the long road to recovery began. During his first week in the hospital, Hayes miraculously survived a series of grueling surgeries before a serious infection led to a rare hemi-pelvectomy amputation, leaving Hayes without a leg or pelvis on his left side.

GySgt Hayes has endured over sixty surgeries thus far, and remains at the newly renamed Walter Reed National Military Medical Center for continued treatment and physical therapy.

Iraq War Vet charged with murdering his friend

Iraq War Vet charged with murdering his friend; Claims self defense
Posted: 4:17 p.m.
Monday, April 2, 2012
Police have arrested an Iraq War veteran from Reno and charged him with the murder of his friend in a shooting that occurred last July 3rd in downtown Reno.

24-year-old Matthew Mahaffey was arrested on Monday and will likely be arraigned Tuesday in Reno Justice Court, said Chief Deputy District Attorney Bruce Hahn. A preliminary hearing will be scheduled for later in the month.
read more here

Twice-injured sergeant among those honored by Wounded Warrior Regiment

Twice-injured sergeant among those honored by Wounded Warrior Regiment

By JENNIFER HLAD
Stars and Stripes
Published: April 4, 2012

QUANTICO, Va. — Sgt. Than Naing’s Afghanistan deployment in 2010 ended much like the Iraq deployment that preceded it, with the Marine medevaced out of the country and nursing battle wounds.

Machine gun fire from an ambush at a vehicle checkpoint in Marjah left him with serious internal injuries. He faced a long recovery back in the States and another assignment to Wounded Warrior Battalion East.

His response to the adversity has not gone unnoticed.

Naing was among those honored Tuesday during an awards ceremony that marked the Marine Corps’ Wounded Warrior Regiment’s fifth birthday. Naing received the Wounded Warrior Regiment’s Wounded, Ill or Injured Service Member Award for his “perseverance and drive.”

“We have Marines out there who still have that spirit, still have that fire in their eye” that they had when they stood on the yellow footprints at boot camp, said Lt. Col. Michael Corrado, the unit’s executive officer. But in some cases, they must learn to take that spark and use it in a different way. read more here

Complaint says KBR knew of toxins in Iraq

Complaint says KBR knew of toxins in Iraq
By Nigel Duara
The Associated Press
Posted : Wednesday Apr 4, 2012
PORTLAND, Ore. — A document uncovered by attorneys for soldiers sickened at an Iraqi water treatment plant shows a military contractor knew a deadly toxin was being stockpiled and used in massive quantities at the facility, despite the contractor’s repeated denials that it had knowledge of the toxin’s presence until soldiers fell ill.

The document, an environmental assessment that Kellogg, Brown and Root completed for the U.S. government before the invasion of Iraq, was finalized in January 2003 — a full five months before the company said it had found evidence of the toxic material, sodium dichromate.

The documents show KBR knew Iraqis ordered 8 million pounds of sodium dichromate to keep pipes from corroding, and that the company expected lax environmental maintenance and “lamentable” conditions.

Phone messages and emails left Wednesday for KBR were not immediately returned.
read more here

Army Surgeon General defends PTSD diagnostic method

Army Surgeon General defends PTSD diagnostic method
April 3, 2012
By J.D. Leipold
WASHINGTON (Army News Service, March 30, 2012) -- The Army's surgeon general last week told Senators that all military services use a standard method to diagnose post-traumatic stress disorder.

Lt. Gen. Patricia D. Horoho testified March 28 at a Senate Appropriations Subcommittee, Defense subcommittee hearing on military health and said military hospitals use the same method as the civilian sector to diagnose post-traumatic stress disorder, known as PTSD.

"It's the one standard that's out in the civilian sector as well as the military. It's the best standard out there for diagnosing PTSD," she said.

Sen. Patty Murray of Washington state said she was aware there were Soldiers at Madigan Army Medical Center at Joint Base Lewis-McChord, Wash., who were diagnosed with PTSD but then a forensics psychiatry team changed the diagnosis. She asked if Soldiers elsewhere had been misdiagnosed.

Horoho said the Army had just completed its own investigation at Madigan, which is under review by Army attorneys. She said the Deputy Surgeon General's Office under Maj. Gen. Richard A. Stone had initiated the investigation to look into the forensics used in the evaluation of PTSD.

"Then there's another investigation that was launched by the Western Region Medical Command to look into command climate and Madigan Army Medical Center," she said. "I initiated an IG assessment, not an investigation, but an assessment that looked at every single one of our military treatment facilities and the provision of care to see whether we had this practice of using forensic psychiatry or psychology in the medical evaluation process."

Horoho said that since becoming surgeon general, she has focused on care for PTSD, brain injuries and behavioral health.

"Since I took over as surgeon general on the 5th of December, what I've done so far is we're pulling behavioral health up to the headquarters level so that we have one standard of care across all of Army Medicine, and we're able then to shift that capability where the demand is," she said.

read more here

Lewis-McChord medic tries to save insurgent in Afghanistan

Will this story get as much coverage as Staff Sgt. Bales?

Lewis-McChord soldiers in Afghanistan see sudden action
ADAM ASHTON
The (Tacoma) News Tribune
The insurgents didn’t have a chance. Helicopter surveillance spotted them moving to a weapons cache and preparing to bury a powerful homemade bomb. It weighed 45 pounds, and they took turns carrying it. From the air, Apache helicopters laced into the insurgents with automatic cannons. On the ground, an infantry platoon from Joint Base Lewis-McChord marched to find the explosive and complete the job.

 The Stryker soldiers looked to have won the opening round in the Taliban’s annual spring offensive, and it was a fight the enemy picked. But they still had a long night ahead with unknown dangers in the dark. They had to find out whether the insurgents had laid other bombs before they’d been spotted. And they had to secure the weapons cache. “There’s still a mine out there,” said the mission planner, Capt. Brian Rieser of Lacey. Spc. Eric Pollack of Puyallup treaded lightly as the platoon approached the scene, looking for mines, sticking in tight single-file formation.

Pfc. Uriel Velazquez, a medic, made it to a wounded insurgent and tried to give aid, but the man was near death.
read more here

Veteran leaves message "And let my demon sleep"

"And let my demon sleep" sounds like such an easy thing to do. It also sounds like a good thing to do. Letting a "demon" sleep should mean the veteran is able to rest, and in many cases, rest does come, but the problem is, rest does not last. The demon gains strength while resting. When it awakens, he does it without warning and attacks with vengeance. The best time to fight this demon is as soon as he shows up. Defeat it with the weapons known to destroy it. The truth, support, faith and above all, forgiveness.

Facing up to hidden wounds
Published: Tuesday, April 03, 2012
By The Oregonian Editorial Board

Jamie Francis / The Oregonian More than 1500 ribbons like this are display inside the PTSD unit of Roseburg Veterans Medical Center. Each ribbons was placed there by a graduate of the program.

During the first few years of the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, Army Surgeon General Lt. Gen. Patricia Horoho told the Senate Veterans Affairs Committee last week, the Army medical system was "overwhelmed."

The Army had sent so many soldiers to war so many times that its longstanding medical evaluation process simply couldn't keep up with the demand. This imbalance, Horoho told committee chairman Patty Murray, D-Wash., was especially acute for those suffering from invisible wounds such as post-traumatic stress disorder or PTSD.

The Army overhauled its medical evaluation system in 2007, but all the services are still scrambling to catch up. And the effort can be messy.

The latest evidence comes from up the highway at Joint Base Lewis-McChord, the military base near Tacoma that most Oregon National Guard soldiers have passed through on their way home from deployments to Iraq and Afghanistan. Investigators are studying whether medical officers at Madigan Army Medical Center deliberately chose not to diagnose soldiers suffering from PTSD in order to limit costs to the government.

Those costs are substantial. In 2008, Congress granted a 50 percent disability rating for any service member who left the military with a PTSD diagnosis. That means each diagnosis puts the government -- the taxpayers -- on the hook for a lifetime of benefits.
read more here

Truth comes when the veteran faces the truth about himself/herself. Not the way they see themselves in the moment of deepest suffering but in the moments leading up to the event haunting them. What were they thinking? What was going on around them? What was their intention? Watch the "whole movie" in their minds instead of the end result frozen in time. There was a lot more going on causing the outcome.

They usually forget about what they had inside of them pulling them to enter into the military in the first place. It was not about killing but more about defending. Then it became a cause greater than themselves. Being willing to die for the sake of someone else. There is no "demon" able to defeat that when they see the truth within them.

War is so horrible most wonder where God was and why He allowed it. The truth again is already known to them. God does not interfere with freewill. What man does to man is up to them and since the beginning of time, they have gone to war. Yet even during such horrific events, God is there but they cannot see Him. They cannot connect their ability to care at all to the fact that God is there with them. When there is an act of kindness or heroic act, He was there. When one of them shed a single tear for someone they called enemy as well as for a friend, He was there.

We know there is nothing God cannot forgive but too often it is harder for a veteran to forgive him/herself for what they had to do and the fact they survived. The demon is defeated when they are able to make peace with themselves. They can do that with the right support, someone to listen to them without judging them. They don't need judgement since they already judged themselves and are punishing from within.

The old warrior can only rest when the demon is defeated.

PTSD on Trial: Iraq veteran returns home for new start

Ex-soldier returns to Virginia Beach for new start
By Corinne Reilly
The Virginian-Pilot ©
April 4, 2012 VIRGINIA BEACH
When the plane carrying Daryl Beamer home finally landed, the passengers around him scrambled to check messages and gather luggage. Beamer just waited. He had no cellphone and only a handful of belongings to his name. In the terminal at Norfolk International, he passed a soldier in uniform, and he thought, That should be me. That's how I wanted to come home.

But it had been years since Beamer wore those clothes. Now, in late March, he was in a T-shirt he'd bought at the Wildwood Correctional Center commissary in Alaska and a pair of jeans a fellow inmate had given him.

His eyes met his mother's. She rushed to meet him, wrapped her arms tightly around him, and spoke to God.

"Praise the Lord!" she called out. "My baby is here!"

As she held her son, shaking and crying, hurried travelers paused to stare.

She didn't care. Her boy was home.

The last time The Virginian-Pilot published a story about Beamer and his mother, Ozawa Skipper-Coleman, was in July 2010, several months after Skipper-Coleman called the newspaper pleading for help for her son, an Iraq war veteran who was then 26.

A tough but warm woman from Virginia Beach who'd raised Beamer and his two brothers mostly on her own, she was desperate to save her middle child from a fate that was beginning to feel inevitable: years of prison time, or worse, a jail-cell suicide.

If only she could get someone - the Army, the legal system, her congressman - to see Beamer for what he really was, a mentally ill combat veteran in urgent need of treatment, not a common thug.
read more here

Parade planned for veterans in Des Moines

Welcome-home parade set in Des Moines for Iraq war vets
Apr. 4, 2012
Written by WILLIAM PETROSKI

State officials are planning a big parade in downtown Des Moines in June to officially welcome home thousands of Iraq war veterans while honoring other Iowa military service members from the past and present. A similar parade held in August 1991 after the Persian Gulf War drew an estimated crowd of 50,000 people who lined the streets of Des Moines.

The patriotic event included about 120 floats, marching soldiers wearing the uniforms of major wars, military vehicles, and entries from about 80 organizations. The upcoming parade will be held at 10 a.m. on June 30. It will begin at the Iowa Capitol and end at the Veterans Memorial Community Choice Credit Union Convention Center.

“I think every opportunity that we can take to thank our service members and our veterans is crucial,” said retired Iowa National Guard Col. Robert King, who was asked by Gov. Terry Branstad to head the event’s planning. “Some of our older veterans are passing on every day, and now we have a new breed of soldier who is coming home and assimilating back in our communities,” King said. “They gave a lot, too, and a good number of them didn’t come home.” Sixty-five Iowans died in the Iraq war, and 20 others have died in the Afghanistan war.

The June parade is titled “A Salute to Service Members and Veterans.” It will include an observance of the 50th anniversary of the U.S. combat involvement in Vietnam. read more here

Marine veteran Kenneth Chamberlain Sr. killed by police who "came to help"

Marine veteran Kenneth Chamberlain Sr. killed after clash with police who responded to his medical emergency Exclusive:
White Plains police came to 'help,' but shot 68-year-old with stun gun and beanbag gun
NEW YORK DAILY NEWS
Published: Wednesday, April 4, 2012,
What began as a mission of mercy at a public housing project in White Plains ended with police killing the very man they had been dispatched to help. By the time the rapidly escalating conflict was over, police had zapped a 68-year-old former Marine and correction officer with a stun gun, shot him with a beanbag gun and blasted him twice in the chest.

The chronically ill Kenneth Chamberlain Sr. died at White Plains Hospital shortly after the early-morning clash on Nov. 19. Only now, more than four months after the fact, have authorities finally agreed to convene a grand jury to determine if the cops committed a crime.

 Like 17-year-old Trayvon Martin, Chamberlain was African-American, and his death has added fuel to the growing national debate that has flared since the Florida teen was killed on Feb. 26. As in Florida, the White Plains incident received little press attention for weeks and authorities resisted a grand jury probe.

Since then, accounts have surfaced that at least one officer was heard on a tape hurling racial epithets and taunts in the moments before cops removed Chamberlain’s apartment door from its hinges and burst inside. During the past several days, nearly 200,000 people have signed an online petition demanding justice in Chamberlain’s case. White Plains Mayor Tom Roach on Friday issued his first public statement of condolences to the dead man’s family. read more here 68 year old Ex-Marine's medic alert alarm got him killed by police

WUFT Florida focuses on combat and PTSD

The effects of PTSD on military families
Front Page Edition on April 3rd, 2012
By Luis Giraldo
WUFT-FM

Yesterday we heard from John McDaniel, the founder of Wounded Warriors In Action, about the opportunities he is giving purple heart veterans as they battle physical injuries and cases of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. Today, Florida’s 89.1, WUFT-FM’s Luis Giraldo brings us the voice of someone who knows PTSD symptoms well, through her experience with the United States Military and her family.

Although a cure for the disorder does not exist, more and more veteran centers are providing counseling opportunities to veterans that now recognize that talking is the best medicine in this case. Tomorrow, Luis will bring us the voice of Scott Camil, a Vietnam War Purple Heart recipient who recognizes the issues going on in the news right now with PTSD as those he witnessed when he was the hero on ground.
go here to listen

New phishing scam targets troops’ fiancees

New phishing scam targets troops’ fiancees
By Karen Jowers - Staff writer
Posted : Tuesday Apr 3, 2012

 One of the latest phishing scams targets fiancées of service members in an attempt to lure them into “registering” in the Defense Finance and Accounting Service “system” to be entitled to receive benefits if their service member dies — for a $350 fee. It’s not from DFAS. Rather, it’s a typical scam used by phishers when trying to extract personal information and, in this case, money, from any victim who takes the bait. read more here

Source of Iraq WMD Claim Admits He Lied

With all the talk from the tea party folks, you'd think they'd mention this as if it was an important story and part of our budget problem. So why do they ignore this? Why have they ignored it all along instead of demanding accountability?

Source of Iraq WMD Claim Admits He Lied

April 03, 2012
The Independent
by Jonathan Owen

A man whose lies helped to make the case for invading Iraq -- starting a nine-year war costing more than 100,000 lives and hundreds of billions of dollars -- told British television Monday that his tales of WMD were lies. "Curveball," the Iraqi defector who made claims about Iraq's weapons of mass destruction, smiles as he confirms how he made the whole thing up.

It was a confidence trick that changed the course of history, with Rafid Ahmed Alwan al-Janabi's lies used to justify the Iraq war. He tries to defend his actions: "My main purpose was to topple the tyrant in Iraq because the longer this dictator remains in power, the more the Iraqi people will suffer from this regime's oppression."

 The chemical engineer claimed to have overseen the building of a mobile biological laboratory when he sought political asylum in Germany in 1999. His lies were presented as "facts and conclusions based on solid intelligence" by Colin Powell, U.S. Secretary of State, when making the case for war at the U.N. Security Council in February 2003. But Janabi, speaking in a two-part series, "Modern Spies," says none of it was true. When it is put to him "we went to war in Iraq on a lie. And that lie was your lie", he simply replied: "Yes."
read more here

Ramstein Air Base students "hoodie up" for Trayvon Martin

Ramstein students put on their hoodies for Trayvon Martin
By JENNIFER H. SVAN
Stars and Stripes
Published: April 3, 2012

RAMSTEIN AIR BASE, Germany — In a show of solidarity for slain Florida teenager Trayvon Martin, more than 230 students at Ramstein High School wore hooded sweatshirts or jackets to class Tuesday as part of a peaceful demonstration they called “Hoodies Up.”

 The intent was to show that wearing a hoodie should not make a person appear threatening, said 17-year-old senior Caleb Guerrido, one of five students who came up with the idea of wearing hoodies to school. 

Martin, 17, was shot Feb. 26 by neighborhood watch volunteer George Zimmerman as he walked back to the townhouse of his father’s girlfriend in the gated community of Sanford. Zimmerman, 28, told police that Martin, who was unarmed, was wearing a dark hoodie and looked “suspicious.” He claimed that when he questioned Martin, the teen jumped him and that he shot him in self defense.
read more here

UK Ex-soldier with PTSD cleared of gun murder

Ex-soldier cleared of gun murder
Published on Monday 2 April 2012
A former soldier from Leeds suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder after serving in Afghanistan has been cleared of murdering his landlady.

Aaron Wilkinson, 24, of Alma Street, Woodlesford, Leeds, was found not guilty of murdering 52-year-old Judith Garnett by shooting her in the chest and head. The jury took around three hours to reach the not-guilty verdict after the two-week trial. Wilkinson, who was also diagnosed with a form of Asperger's Syndrome, told Bradford Crown Court he was not in control of his actions when he shot Mrs Garnett. He has admitted manslaughter on the grounds of diminished responsibility.

The trial heard that Wilkinson joined the Territorial Army at 19 and went on a six-month tour of duty of Afghanistan in 2009. Following his return, he was diagnosed with post-traumatic stress reaction by an army doctor. He was later assessed by psychiatrists who diagnosed him with the more serious post-traumatic stress disorder. Wilkinson had worked for Mrs Garnett on her game farm for around 10 years and moved into her attic room as a lodger in July 2010 after an argument with his mother. He described Mrs Garnett as being like a "second mother" to him.
read more here

To DOD brass, N.O.W. cut the crap of resiliency

To DOD brass, N.O.W. cut the crap of resiliency
by Chaplain Kathie

I have been struggling with this for the last couple of days waiting to calm down. That isn't happening. If you follow this blog, you know that this is one thing I am very passionate about, so you're accustomed to my rants. This is about to be another one.

The fact that most military leaders care about the men and women serving is not the problem. Understanding them is. After hearing they can "train their brains" and become "resilient" they blame themselves when they end up with Combat PTSD. While the DOD will mention that some suicides are committed by men and women that had not deployed yet, they fail to address the fact that the threat of deployment plays a huge role in their suicides. The fact they feel the need to mention this when releasing suicide numbers, screams they are searching for excuses as the numbers prove what they are doing is a massive failure.

Enlisted Leaders Focus on Suicide Prevention
By Army Sgt. 1st Class Tyrone C. Marshall Jr.
American Forces Press Service
WASHINGTON, March 29, 2012 – The most senior enlisted leaders from each branch of service and the combatant commands focused on the health of the force, and specifically on suicide prevention, during a conference here this week, the military’s top enlisted member said today. Marine Corps Sgt. Maj. Bryan B. Battaglia, senior enlisted advisor to the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said he and the other enlisted leaders collaborated on issues pertaining to the health, welfare and wellness of service members and their families.

Battaglia highlighted his “NOW” initiative, designed to reach younger service members. “The audience that I really wanted to reach is the 18- to 24-year-olds,” he said. The suicide issue seems to be most prevalent with younger service members, he said, but “it’s also important to educate the leadership too, so the audience wasn’t restricted to simply the young [troops].” The sergeant major broke down the initiative’s three-letter acronym.
read more here

The DOD bought the bullshit line that troops could train their brains to be "tough" because they didn't understand them in the first place. Did they ever ask themselves what it would sound like to them to hear this? Did they ever once wonder about boot camp training them in the first place to be physically and mentally tough? Being willing to risk their lives along with all the other hardships they are prepared to accept when they walk into a recruitment office proves they are tough enough to even think about it.

What has the DOD been doing? Telling them since the Battlemind training came out that they are not tough enough and have to train their brains to deal with combat. Whatever else the DOD has to say after this has fallen on deaf ears. How is a combat veteran supposed to think PTSD is not connected to being weak when that is exactly what this type of training drills into their brains? Does the DOD really expect them to reach out for help after this? Are they out of their own minds?

For the last 30 years (yes, I’m that old) I have been reading all the data coming in on PTSD. The VA didn’t accept the term until the 80’s but the mental health community was already using the term with an ever-growing understanding of what traumatic events do, especially when it came to combat trauma. In the 70’s, the Disabled American Veterans had already established Veterans Centers to help Vietnam veterans heal from where they’ve been. PTSD is not new. 

What is needed is not some new notion. What fails has been learned a long time ago and telling them it is their fault is the biggest mistake they could ever make. Do they learn from any of this? Hell no! They keep repeating the same basic principle under a different acronym expecting a different result.

The human mind has been studied enough that the age group the DOD targets for recruitment is not fully emotionally developed until the age of 25 when the region of the brain controlling emotions is as strong as it will ever be. Life forms this. Everything from the day they were born goes into who they will become and the good along with the bad experiences in life build into how they feel. In other words, they have been “training” their brains since the day they let out their first scream after being shocked into the first breath on their own.

This same age group, exposed to combat trauma, has an open door policy to PTSD crashing in. The other factor of their age is they believe they’ll get over it. Resiliency training enforces this delusion. If they want to save lives, stop military suicides then they need to stop this deadly approach.

Medicating PTSD troops and sending them back into combat without psychologists monitoring them and proving therapy is deadly especially when everyone they are serving with has been provided with the same “training” leaving them to believe their “buddy” is just weaker than they are.

They have no one to trust with what they need to talk about. They look at their buddies with “normal” reactions to the same event and they believe what the DOD told them. They didn’t train their brains and are weak. We see the number of suicides across the branches fluctuate month to month but then we read about the increased number of attempted suicides indicating that this approach is a colossal failure.

What works is explaining to them what PTSD is. They were exposed to a traumatic event that hit them harder this time than other events. That others exposed to the same event may not show problems today, but they may show up years from now. That the rate of PTSD for humans is one out of three and no one walks away from combat the same way they went in. Everyone is changed by it. The event caused PTSD and had nothing to do with how well they “trained” to be tough.

Start with preparing for traumatic events the same way the civilians do. Police and fire departments are ready right after the event to emotionally debrief the responders. Yes, they figured this out a very long time ago. This gives the “survivors” the ability to walk through the event from start to finish so that the last, worst, image in their minds is put into context with everything else that happened. If they had to kill someone, they will not just see the dead body but they will see that other lives were in danger before they had to pull the trigger.

Firefighters experience the traumatic event after the fire started but all too often they are too late to save all the people in the building and they need an emotional debriefing to understand that some things are out of their power.

For the members of the military, they not only face the situations where they are saving lives, but they are taking lives as well. They need the same approach available to them.

Train people in every unit to be able to walk them through the event as soon as possible so the last, worst image is not the only image they see when they go do sleep. They need to feel safe talking to someone that will understand and not judge them. They need to be able to talk until they are done talking about it so they can “fix” it themselves. In other words, make peace with it.

They need trained Chaplains and lay people to talk to about their spiritual issues without hearing some zealot tell them they are going to hell if they do not convert. I am with Point Man International Ministries because it works. They have been doing it since 1984 and saving lives while helping veterans live better lives. The peer-to-peer support needs to be replicated by the DOD coupled with healing the spirit/soul of the warrior sent and veteran coming home. Point Man helps all veterans. They do not separate them by wars but links them to each other.

With all that has been learned since Vietnam veterans fought to have PTSD treated, the DOD is the last to learn these lessons. We know what works but they have not understood what has failed.

Jacksonville's Arlington area to offer a place for homeless veterans

Center opens in Jacksonville's Arlington area to offer a place for homeless veterans
The former nursing home is turned into housing for ex-service members.
Posted: April 3, 2012

WILL DICKEY/The Times-Union 

Jerry Bass is the national commander of the Allied Veterans of the World and Affiliates, and has an office at the Allied Veterans Center, which is located in a former nursing home on Acme Street in Arlington.

By Beth Reese Cravey

Last year, Gale Patrick Lancaster was homeless and jobless.

He was living on the street in downtown Jacksonville and, because of his circumstances, had lost visitation with his young daughter. Now, the 41-year-old Marine veteran has a place to stay at the newly opened Allied Veterans Center for homeless veterans off Atlantic Boulevard in the Arlington area.

He is now doing construction and janitorial work and in May will begin studying logistics and transportation at Florida State College at Jacksonville, with hopes of getting a port-related job. And he recently had a reunion with his daughter, after center officials helped get his visitation rights restored. Lancaster, who served in the Gulf war, credits the center for turning his life around.

“It’s a place for vets to get back on their feet, become productive members of society,” he said. “It’s hard to get help … [that helps] you out of a situation, rather than shoving you here or there.”
 read more here

Ensure veterans in trouble with the law receive the help they need

Saratoga County Veterans Service Agency director: Ensure veterans in trouble with the law receive the help they need
Published: Monday, April 02, 2012
By MICHAEL CIGNOLI
BALLSTON SPA — A driver who gets pulled over for driving 85 miles per hour on the Northway will likely get a speeding ticket from a law enforcement official. But if that driver is a veteran, Saratoga County Veterans Service Agency Director Andrew Davis wants to ensure the police officer also provides a list of contact information for local veterans programs.

Studies have shown that as many as 26 percent of veterans returning from overseas suffer from post-traumatic stress disorder or traumatic brain injuries. Even more suffer from depression or other disorders that may contribute to — though not necessarily excuse — their getting in trouble with the law. 

Addressing the county Board of Supervisors’ Veterans Committee on Monday, Davis outlined a new initiative designed to educate Saratoga County’s 14 law enforcement agencies about some of the issues veterans face as they return home from combat. He’s looking to improve officers’ ability to work with veterans who suffer from mental health disorders and allow those veterans to receive whatever help they need.
read more here

PTSD Peer to Peer Pilot Program named after PFC. Joseph Dwyer

Peer to Peer Pilot Program Targeted to Assist Veterans Suffering from PTSD and TBI

(Sayville, NY) Senator Lee M. Zeldin (R, C, I- Shirley) announced today that the New York State Senate, Assembly and Governor Andrew Cuomo, approved funding for the PFC Joseph Dwyer Program, a pilot program for four counties, including Suffolk County, to help returning veterans cope with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) and Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) by offering a Peer to Peer mentoring program.

Peer support establishes an intervention mechanism and reasonable means to provide assistance to those suffering from PTSD and TBI symptoms. In many instances, peers with the same combat and reintegration issues will benefit from joint participation in the same mentoring program.

PFC Dwyer enlisted in the Army within days of the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001. He served with courage and honor in Iraq, but returned home with PTSD.

On June 28, 2008, this illness took his life, leaving behind his wife, Matina, and their two year old daughter, Meagan. Senator Zeldin, who campaigned for election in 2010, then promised he would spearhead the creation of the PFC Joseph Dwyer Program. Immediately after taking office in 2011, Zeldin formed the Blue Ribbon John P. Jennings Veterans’ Advisory Panel to assist him in studying and crafting the framework of the PFC Joseph Dwyer Program.

read more here
Pfc. Joseph Dwyer to have street named after him
What Joe Dwyer's death can teach us

Military dogs saving lives on battlefield

Military dogs saving lives on battlefield, building special bonds with soldiers By Hugh Lessig, April 1, 2012 In 2007, Jonathan Bourgeois was on patrol in Iraq when heard the call. Get back. Up ahead, a military working dog had detected the scent of explosives. "That day, they saved my squad from being blown up," he said. Bourgeois, an Air Force staff sergeant, now works as a military dog handler at Langley Air Force Base in Hampton. He traces his passion for the fearless, four-legged warriors to that roadside conversion. "Ever since then," he said, "I've been hooked." read more here linked from Stars and Stripes

4 Bliss soldiers believed missing in N.M.

UPDATE
1 missing Bliss soldier contacts search crews
The Associated Press
Posted : Tuesday Apr 3, 2012
MOGOLLON, N.M. — New Mexico state police say one of the Fort Bliss soldiers believed to be missing after a weekend kayak trip has contacted search crews. Lt. Robert McDonald said Tuesday that Sgt. Nicholas Mummert walked out to searchers late Monday. read more here

4 Bliss soldiers believed missing in N.M.
The Associated Press
Posted : Monday Apr 2, 2012

MOGOLLON, N.M. — Officials at Fort Bliss in El Paso, Texas, say a search has been launched for four soldiers and a civilian believed missing after a weekend kayak trip on Mogollon Creek in New Mexico’s Gila National Forest. Military officials say Spc. Alton Weber and Sgt. Nicholas Mummert were confirmed overdue Monday morning. Two other soldiers as well as a civilian, identified as Angelica Gonzalez from El Paso, are believed to be missing with the men. read more here

Memphis falls short on PTSD

Memphis falls short on PTSD
City policy does not recognize officer's psychological injury 
By Amos Maki
Posted April 2, 2012

Memphis Police Department officer Gabriel Lawson was one of dozens of officers who responded to a disturbance at the DoubleTree Hotel Downtown on July 3, 2011. Once inside, Lawson and others found fellow officer Timothy Warren had been shot. While still under fire from his shooter, the officers pulled the fatally wounded Warren from the line of fire and stayed with him until paramedics arrived.

Alexander Haydel of Cleveland, Miss., has been indicted on two counts of first-degree murder in the shootings, accused of killing his wife's former husband at the hotel before shooting the officer. Shortly after the shootout, which also left Arthur Warren -- who is unrelated to the fallen officer -- dead, Lawson began displaying signs of post-traumatic stress disorder, including flashbacks, nightmares, emotional detachment and insomnia. Lawson took an extended leave and sought medical help. read more here

Army veteran college student found dead

Army Veteran, Towson Student Found Dead
April 1, 2012
 TOWSON, Md.
(AP) — An Army veteran and Towson University student has died. Baltimore County police say Timothy Coyer, 27, was found dead by his roommates inside his apartment near campus Saturday afternoon. Although the cause and manner of death are not known, police say Coyer’s death was not a homicide. read more here

Tulsa Soldier Rebuilding Credit, Life After Burglary While Deployed

Tulsa Soldier Rebuilding Credit, Life After Burglary
Posted: Apr 02, 2012
Craig Day, News On 6
TULSA, Oklahoma - A soldier back on the Homefront from Afghanistan is trying to recover from being a crime victim. While he was deployed, someone cleaned out his storage unit, taking everything he owned.

Stealing is always wrong. Stealing from a deployed soldier, that's an outrage. While most soldiers with Oklahoma's 45th Infantry are readjusting to life back home, Greg Goodson is starting over. "It sucks, you know. You think you could come home and your stuff is all there, and it's not," Goodson said. A few days ago, Goodson was among a group of soldiers welcomed home after a yearlong deployment, most of it in Afghanistan. He returned knowing everything he owned was taken while he was away. "Some of the lowest people I could ever think of probably," said soldier Greg Goodson. read more here

Army General Martin Demsey talks about well being of soldiers and families

JOINT CHIEFS OF STAFF CHAIRMAN STRESSES TRUST
 By: Dennis E. “Mac” McGowan, author of “The Living Diet: Conquer stress in your life now!”

The image of trust is fundamental in the relationship that exists between our men and women in uniform and their society, emphasized the Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman.

Speaking March 30 at the Mental and Physical Well-Being of Soldiers and their Families Conference in Washington, DC, U.S. Army General Martin Demsey said, “Very few of the problems that we’re facing are problems that we’re facing for the first time.”

The Defense Department and Defense Centers of Excellence for Psychological Health and Traumatic Brain Injury hosted the Conference. Demsey pointed out the important role of the 750 military leaders and pay experts attending the conference. Their role included reviewing the required life skills, confidence building and hope that enhance the resilience of our military forces. “There is a band of trust promised” for both active duty and retired military, he said. “Each day is another opportunity that bonds us as a profession,” he added. Demsey continued, “If we lose that, it doesn’t matter how much money we throw at it.” General Demsey highlighted four focus areas.

 The first area was “achieving the objectives in our country’s current conflicts.” The military needs to “seek a deeper and richer understanding” of what has happened to our forces over the last 10 years. Secondly, he stated that the military needed to look into the future and “develop the Joint Force of 2020.” Demsey disclosed that his 37-year Army career began right after Vietnam.

He discussed the human conflict in our military services that occurred as a result of Vietnam. He mentioned that a major rethinking developed when the military “switched from a conscript to an all-volunteer military” force.

The next area of focus was the “profession of arms.” There was one word unique among all others – trust – that “separated our country from every other country in the world.” Demsey added that one significant goal of the conference participants was to generate proposals “to decide what we need to do and how best to do it. We need to remind ourselves that this is about people.” You want others to look back, in 10 years, and say about you: “That’s a country that got the people right.”

The final area that Demsey noted was the importance of “keeping faith with ourselves, our families and our commitments.” He associated this area with the trust this country promises for its military. The general encouraged attendees to “develop a list of priorities that produced benefits for families.” While he was a proponent of greater transparency for providing health care policy information to families, he acknowledged that goal was often “impeded by well meaning legislation that protected individual privacy.” His career convinced him that the resiliency of the military was due to it being a team sport. Activities at the ground level must be performed in the context of a team.

In response to a question, he commented that he was in favor of the different branches sharing generic data. However, he would not advocate joint medical sharing for all existing practices among the services. Demsey said, “The attribute that I have begun to value most is adaptability.” He was not convinced that “today’s attributes were appropriate for 2020.” The military’s biggest failure was in accurately predicting the way the military forces would be used in the future. Demsey believed that what made the military work was “the leader who can adapt.”

He talked about the significance of a leader taking something that was ill designed for the purpose intended, and successfully completing the mission. Demsey believed that if the military placed individuals in unfamiliar circumstances they would have the best chance for succeeding. Those enduring attributes – integrity, honor and courage – would rise to meet the challenges. Demsey concluded by emphasizing the importance of building adaptability in individuals by giving them the opportunity to face “change, failure and chaos” in the military’s training and education programs.

Two die in speedway motorcycle crash after Vietnam vet event

Two die in speedway motorcycle crash after Vietnam vet event
 By: Charlotte Observer
 McClatchy Tribune News Service
 Published: April 02, 2012
 CONCORD -- Two people died and one remained in critical condition late Sunday following a motorcycle wreck Saturday at Charlotte Motor Speedway. About 5 p.m., shortly after the day-long Vietnam Veterans Homecoming Celebration in Concord ended, two motorcycles crashed into each other on the speedway’s track, Concord police said. Three people were hurt in the collision, and all were rushed to area hospitals.

 Both drivers died a short time later, police said, and the third person remained hospitalized, police said. Concord police have not released the names of the three victims, although they said that none of them are from the Charlotte area. Adrian Parker, director of communications for the speedway, declined to release details of how the collision happened, saying that was part of the Concord police investigation. He also wouldn’t say whether the speedway would review its safety procedures or how it would plan to prevent similar incidents from happening in the future. read more here

Camp Lejeune Marines hurt after motorcycle crash

Camp Lejeune marine hospitalized after motorcycle crash with fellow marine By: ANDREA BLANFORD Eyewitness News 9 Published: April 01, 2012 JONES COUNTY,N.C. (WNCT) - A Camp Lejeune marine is recovering in the hospital this afternoon after his motorcycle collided with another marine's bike. Highway Patrol troopers tell us it happened just before 2-o'clock Sunday afternoon on Pole Pocosin Road in Jones County. read more here

Former Airman Sues US After Losing Legs to Botched Surgery

Former Airman Sues US After Losing Legs to Botched Surgery

April 02, 2012
Fort Worth Star-Telegram|by Chris Vaughn

FORT WORTH -- Retired Airman Colton Read and his wife sued the U.S. government for millions of dollars in federal court Friday, asserting that military surgeons botched a routine gallbladder procedure so badly that civilian doctors had to amputate his legs to save his life.

The 25-page lawsuit, filed in U.S. District Court in Fort Worth by attorney Darrell Keith, paints a graphic picture of what went terribly awry in the operating room and intensive-care unit at David Grant Medical Center at Travis Air Force Base, Calif., on July 9, 2009.

Read was supposed to have his gallbladder removed before deploying overseas. Read, 23, an Arlington native, barely survived the laparoscopic surgery because one of the doctors lacerated his aorta at the beginning of the procedure. That set off a series of decisions that the lawsuit alleges were grossly negligent and delayed remedial action until Keith was transferred to a civilian hospital nine hours later. By then, his legs had been without blood flow for hours and had to be amputated. Read, medically retired by the Air Force just days ago, now lives in New Braunfels with his wife, Jessica, and their baby. read more here

Air Force Reserve Staff Sgt. Actress Veronica Simpson, turns personal PTSD story into film

Actress turns personal PTSD story into film
 By HOWARD ALTMAN
 The Tampa Tribune
 Published: April 02, 2012

When she is not wearing her uniform, Air Force Reserve staff Sgt. Veronica Simpson can often be found during her off hours acting in front of a camera. Most of the time, Simpson, currently a chaplain's assistant at MacDill Air Force Base, is playing a made-up character. She was a waitress in "Burn Notice,'' a medical technician on "The Glades'' and, in "Charlie's Angels,'' she played an assassin.

But in November, while shooting a movie called "All Wars End,'' Simpson played a role that was all too real – the wife of a Marine with post traumatic stress disorder. It was a role, she said, that changed her life. That's because, in real life, Simpson, 32, is the wife of a former Marine with PTSD. One scene in particular, she said, led to an epiphany. Shot in an apartment in Miami, the scene involved Simpson's character arguing with her husband. "From that one little scene I got a glimpse of my own life," Simpson said. read more here

Marine shot, killed by friend

Marine shot, killed by friend
Posted on 04/02/2012
by Robert Kolarik

A 24-year-old U.S. Marine was shot and killed by a man San Antonio police identified as his friend, KSAT-TV is reporting. Two men and a woman were in an apartment in the 3300 block of Timber View on Sunday evening when one of the men apparently was playing with a 12-gauge shotgun and it was fired, the station reports. read more here

Veterans: Westover planes fouled with Agent Orange

Veterans: Westover planes fouled with Agent Orange
Published: Sunday, April 01, 2012
By Jeanette DeForge, The Republican

The Republican | John Suchocki CHICOPEE – Vietnam veteran Robert P. Patenaude with the Agent Orange spray plane he and others crewed during the war. The C 123 transport named "Patches" because of all the bullet holes it received is now in a container that can only be accessed with hazmat suits, according to Patenaude, who receives disability payments because of Agent Orange.

CHICOPEE — For nine years they flew in them, they fixed them and they treated patients in them. Now, three decades later, veterans of the 439th Tactical Airlift Wing at Westover Air Reserve Base believe those airplanes are responsible for making them sick. Unknown to the veterans, the C-123 Providers, which had previously flown in Vietnam, were contaminated with Agent Orange. “We have crew members who are sick. We have crew members who have died ... We have people who aren’t even sick yet,” said retired Air Force Major Wesley T. Carter, who served as an air medical technician and flight instructor and examiner with Westover’s 74th Aeromedical Evacuation Squadron for 20 years and flew in the C-123s from 1974 to 1980. While recovering from a heart attack last April, Carter was diagnosed with prostate cancer. Then he started hearing fellow crew members were also suffering from cancer, diabetes and heart disease.

Through word-of-mouth the group has compiled a list of 48 people who have diseases possibly linked to Agent Orange. red more here

Hero soldier's story not fully acknowledged

Hero soldier's story not fully acknowledged

Bravery, sacrifice by U.S. troops in Afghanistan called shining examples
New York Times Published
Saturday, March 31, 2012

KABUL, Afghanistan — The story of Specialist Dennis Weichel could easily be a counterpoint to the gruesome account of the U.S. soldier charged with 17 counts of murder in Kandahar on March 11. Weichel, who was 29, was killed while rescuing an Afghan child, but more than a week after that event the military here has yet to officially confirm what happened. Indeed, the initial details of the episode in northeastern Laghman province came not from military officials but from Afghan civilians and then fellow soldiers and friends in the United States.

Matiullah Khan, a vegetable seller and Zaiullah's uncle, said, "As you know, all five fingers on one hand are not equal, and it's the same with American soldiers." "What that soldier did in Kandahar was such a brutal act, no human could do what he did," he said, referring to the accusations against Staff Sgt. Robert Bales in the Kandahar killings. "This soldier, he looked at my nephew as a human being and endangered his life to save my nephew's life."

In a different mission of mercy, three days after the killings of which Bales is accused, medics at a combat outpost in southeastern Paktika province raced to save the life of Mateen, an 8-year-old boy wounded when his Taliban father's homemade bomb exploded. The emergency mission involved two medevac helicopter flights and medical treatment at three military aid stations and hospitals. The boy survived despite losing his eyes and suffering other injuries. With skin grafts and prosthetic eyes, doctors repaired as much of his face as they could. The military finally announced what had happened last week, once the boy had been returned to his family. read more here

Suffolk program supports vets with PTSD

Suffolk program supports vets with PTSD
April 1, 2012
By PAUL LAROCCO

Photo credit: John Roca State Senator Lee M. Zeldin announcing the creation of the PFC Joseph Dwyer Program. (April 1, 2012)

As they battled post-traumatic stress disorder, Army veterans Joseph Dwyer and John Jennings had plenty of concerned family and friends.

Still, there were few people the Long Island natives could actually talk to -- few fellow war-scarred service members able to break through. Both died from accidental drug overdoses, and Sunday, their loved ones gathered at a Sayville American Legion post to back a new program creating support groups for veterans with PTSD.

"Hopefully people won't have to go through what Joe did," said Brian Dwyer, whose brother, originally of Mount Sinai, died in North Carolina in 2008. "The whole system has just been overwhelmed." As part of the state budget approved last week, Suffolk is one of four counties getting $200,000 to set up the Pfc. Joseph Dwyer Program, in which eight to 10 veterans diagnosed with PTSD or traumatic brain injury -- under a professional's supervision -- will help each other cope.

The idea for the program grew out of a series of meetings of the John P. Jennings Veterans' Advisory Panel, convened last year by Sen. Lee Zeldin (R-Shirley), an Iraq War veteran. Jennings, 34, an Army National Guard lieutenant, returned from Iraq in 2005 and died at his Calverton home in January 2011. read more here

Vets say declaring national monument could help vets with PTSD

Vets say declaring national monument could help vets with PTSD
April 1, 2012
By Samantha Manning
LAS CRUCES, N.M. — Veterans said declaring the Organ Mountain-Desert Peaks region a national monument could help vets coping with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). According to the Unites States Department of Veterans Affairs, between seven and eight percent of people are estimated to have experienced PTSD in their lives, and the chances are among the greatest in veterans.

Some veterans said that a key method of dealing with the condition once they're back home is to spend time in the great outdoors. "It's very important to me to be able to decompress a little bit," Vietnam veteran Peter Ossorio said. Ossorio's daughter is an Iraq war veteran. read more here

Tricare web base mental health program shutting down

Tricare to close online mental health program
By Patricia Kime - Staff writer
Posted : Saturday Mar 31, 2012

 The Tricare Assistance Program for behavioral health counseling is being shut down due to lack of use, Tricare officials said Friday. The $3 million demonstration program, launched in August 2009, was designed to test use of Web-based video conferencing for mental health counseling.

The instant messaging and Web-based chat program facilitated communications with patients and counselors on non-medical concerns ranging from deployment anxiety and work stress to family and relationship issues. The program logged 5,109 calls during a two-year period, with 89 percent coming from the Tricare West region, according to Tricare spokesman Austin Camacho. Only 1,188 were initial calls, while the rest were follow-ups, he added. read more here

Atheism-themed concert held at Fort Bragg

Atheism-themed concert held at Bragg
By Tom Breen -
The Associated Press Posted :
Sunday Apr 1, 2012
FORT BRAGG, N.C. — For the first time in history, the U.S. military hosted an event expressly for soldiers and others who don’t believe in God, with a county fair-like gathering Saturday on the main parade ground at one of the world’s largest Army posts. The Rock Beyond Belief event at Fort Bragg, organized by soldiers here two years after an evangelical Christian event at the eastern North Carolina post, is the most visible sign so far of a growing desire by military personnel with atheist or other secular beliefs to get the same recognition as their religious counterparts.

The purpose was not to make the Army look bad, organizers said, but to show that atheists and other secular believers have a place in institutions like the military. “I love the military,” said Sgt. Justin Griffith, main organizer of the event and the military director of American Atheists. He added, “This is not meant to be a black eye.” Griffith said he and other non-religious soldiers are not permitted to hold atheist meetings at the post and have so far been rebuffed in their efforts to change that. They feel their beliefs marginalize them.

Organizers were hoping for a crowd of about 5,000. At least several hundred people gathered on the parade ground by midday Saturday. Rainy weather for most of the morning may have affected the turnout. Fort Bragg officials said they would provide a crowd estimate later. read more here

Military funeral held for homeless veteran in Westlake Village
By Rachel McGrath
Posted March 30, 2012

PHOTO BY CHUCK KIRMAN, VENTURA COUNTY STAR Air Force Staff Sgt. Daniel Stephens presents a U.S. flag to retired Army Lt. Col. Richard Kohlbrand at the military funeral for Richard Keachie of the Air Force at Pierce Brothers Valley Oaks Mortuary and Cemetery in Westlake Village on Friday.

Homeless veteran Richard Keachie, who died in Los Angeles on Jan. 29, received a military funeral Friday at Pierce Brothers Valley Oaks in Westlake Village. All that is known about Keachie, whose remains were unclaimed, is that he was born in New Orleans on Feb. 24, 1933, and enlisted in the Air Force in 1952, serving until 1954. "He left this Earth in a way that we would not want him to leave this Earth, with nobody to be there for him on his final day,"

Valley Oaks operations manager Chester Perry said to the small group in the veterans area of the Memorial Park. "But you are here. You are his family this day," Perry said.

Keachie's funeral service and burial at Riverside National Cemetery were made possible through the Dignity Memorial Homeless Veterans Burial Program, a collaboration among Dignity Memorial funeral, cremation and cemetery service providers, Riverside National Cemetery, the Department of Veterans Affairs, the Los Angeles County Coroner's Office, the Veterans of Foreign Wars and local veterans organizations and veterans advocates. read more here

Fort Carson Wife in ICU after hit and run driver took off

Family: Children Of Hit-And-Run Victim Witnessed Crash

Neighborhood children, including her own, witnessed the devastating hit-and-run crash that has left a soldier's wife in ICU.
Posted: 12:22 PM Mar 31, 2012 Reporter: KKTV

Neighborhood children, including her own, witnessed the devastating hit-and-run crash that has left Cassandrea Thorn in ICU. "Her pelvis was crushed," Cassandrea's father-in-law Paul Thorn told 11 News. "Most of her back muscles and skin have been separated from the tissues of her bone." The crash occurred on Remagen Road, which is on Fort Carson, Thursday evening. read more here

Camp Pendleton Dogs poisoned with anti-freeze

More Dogs Poisoned on Camp Pendleton 
By San Diego 6 News Reporters
Mar 31, 2012

OCEANSIDE - As she sits in a park near Camp Pendleton, two small wooden boxes are by Janessa Pierce's side. "This is sassy and this is Zoe." Besides pictures and memories, the ashes inside the box are all that's left of Pierce's two dogs. "My kids still cry and ask for our dogs almost daily," said Pierce as she held back the tears. "It's unimaginable to think someone could do this to other people." Janessa then pulls out two pictures, one is a yellow lab mix with her and her husband, a child sits close in tears. Another pictures how a black Lab mix, her eyes closed on a hospital bed. These are pictures of Sassy and Zoe, they passed away two weeks ago, someone poisoned them. "We have evidence of the food that was put in the backyard," said Pierce. Reports from the Veterinarian also confirm the dogs died from Anti-freeze Toxicity.

It shows Sassy was taken the hospital one night before Zoe and passed away the next morning. She had been vomiting for two days. Zoe was also suffering from similar symptoms, she died after the Pierce's made the decision not to give her dialysis. Even with the treatment, she would have only had a 20% chance of survival. What's most disturbing to Janessa is, the poisonings are happening again. "There were other dogs on our street that were poisoned in the last couple of days and those dogs died as well." said Janessa. read more here

National Guards 182nd Soldiers Become Civilians Again

The Impact Of War
SAT MARCH 31, 2012
Home Front: Soldiers Become Civilians Again

Members of the 182nd Infantry Regiment sit through a briefing at Camp Atterbury during the demobilization in Columbus, Ind. Tom Dreisbach / NPR

By EDITOR Over the next year, Weekend Edition will be spending time with the men of the National Guard's 182nd Infantry Regiment as they make the transition from soldiers to civilians in a series called "Home Front."

 We first met the soldiers of the 182nd Infantry Regiment of the Army National Guard about a week ago, on an airport tarmac. They had just landed in the United States after wrapping up a year-long deployment to Afghanistan. The plane touched down in Indiana in the middle of the night. It was raining, but the soldiers bounding down the stairs couldn't have cared less. They were almost running, pausing only when they realized a couple of one-star generals were standing at the bottom of the stairs ready to welcome them back to the U.S. The 600 or so soldiers filed into a noisy airport hangar, their backpacks and M-4 rifles in tow. Under the drone of fluorescent lights, an officer shouted instructions. read more here

Documentary shows how program gives veterans an outlet for healing

Documentary shows how program gives veterans an outlet for healing

Mar. 31, 2012
Written by KRISTEN CATES

When 28-year-old Great Falls native Jesse Scollin signed up for the U.S. Army 10 years ago, he knew that he would go into combat at some point. "I was just ready to go," he said. "I wasn't sure what I was getting myself into."

What the 2002 C.M. Russell High School graduate got was work as a combat medic in Iraq in 2003, experiencing things he struggles to describe even seven years after being medically discharged from the military. He and other veterans are getting the chance to tell their stories through a new documentary being produced by a Great Falls-area native and Iraq war veteran about a relatively new program in Missoula that gives wounded and traumatized soldiers a sense of peace.

"A Brotherhood Reforged" was created by Sun River alumnus, recent University of Montana graduate and Army veteran Dan West. read more here

Lifetime Traumatic Stress Linked to Heightened Inflammation

Lifetime Traumatic Stress Linked to Heightened Inflammation
By TRACI PEDERSEN
Associate News Editor
Reviewed by John M. Grohol, Psy.D. on March 31, 2012

The more traumatic stress a person is exposed to over the course of a lifetime, the greater the chances the person has elevated levels of inflammatory markers in his or her bloodstream, say researchers at the San Francisco VA Medical Center (SFVAMC) and the University of California, San Francisco.

The study is the first to examine the association between cumulative traumatic stress and inflammation. For the study, researchers looked at 979 patients (ages 45 to 90) with stable heart disease and analyzed their exposures to 18 different types of traumatic events, all of which involved either experiencing or watching a direct threat to life or physical integrity.

Next, researchers measured several clinical markers of inflammation that circulate in the bloodstream, and found a direct correlation between lifetime stress exposure and inflammation levels. “This may be significant for people with cardiovascular disease, because we know that heart disease patients with higher levels of inflammation tend to have worse outcomes,” said lead author Aoife O’Donovan, a fellow in psychiatry at UCSF. Five years later, researchers measured the surviving patients’ inflammation markers again, and discovered that the participants who had originally reported the highest levels of trauma still had the highest levels of inflammation. read more here

Run Raises Awareness For Soldier Suicide

Run Raises Awareness For Soldier Suicide 
Apr 01, 2012
By Molly Miles, Reporter

SLEEPY EYE, MN - Over the past five years, 24 soldiers with the Minnesota National Guard have committed suicide and the suicide rate among U.S. soldiers continues to rise. Suicide is sobering topic that people often run away from. But Saturday in Sleepy Eye people were running for it. Running for hope and a better future for the men and women that serve our country.

Jean Clark whose son is in the army says, "Show our support, and show our country that we support our troops." Running to raise awareness for the psychological wounds of war. New Ulm VFW Commander Wil Burdorf says, "We have to make people aware of the suicide rate of the veterans and this is one way we could make it more visible." Running because there are as many as 18 suicides per day among all U.S. veterans, and a veteran is 12 times more likely to die by his or her own hand after leaving the military than to be killed in action while on active duty. read more here

Aid efforts continue for injured Marine

Aid efforts continue for injured Marine

Chestatee security guard asks for support

By Jeff Gill

POSTED: April 1, 2012
While a security guard at Chestatee High School in northwest Hall, Rudy Guerrero took time out to encourage some students to join the Marines. Sean Adams, who wowed recruiters with his 100 pushups, followed through on his dream. And like Guerrero, an ex-Marine who served in Vietnam, Adams went straight to a war zone — for him, it was Afghanistan. While there, he met disaster.

While leading a patrol with other Marines on Feb. 10, the 2011 Chestatee graduate was injured by a roadside bomb blast and suffered life-altering injuries from the resulting blast. He is now a double amputee. “I feel bad because he’s a young guy, I knew him, I talked him into going into the Marine Corps,” Guerrero said. “He already had it planned out, but still I feel bad. And he’s a Marine, and we have to help him out.” Guerrero is trying to place donation cans in public locations, as a member of the Marine Corps League, Upper Chattahoochee Detachment.

Lending support Family members of Sean Adams have created a website and a Facebook page to provide updates on his condition. Email inquiries can be sent to pfcseanadams@yahoo.com.

read more here

Helpers sought to mentor Marines

Military briefs: Helpers sought to mentor Marines
9:00 PM, Mar. 31, 2012
 Written by Denise Goolsby
The Desert Sun

 The Desert Cities Mitchell Paige Medal of Honor Chapter, 1st Marine Division Association is calling for volunteers to mentor Marines of the Wounded Warrior Detachment at Marine Corps Air Ground Combat Center, Twentynine Palms who are leaving active duty. The mentors will work on a one-on-one basis with Marines to help them transition to civilian life.

According to Lt. Col. Ted Wong, commanding officer of the detachment, the average age of a Twentynine Palms wounded warrior is 22. “Most joined the Marine Corps after high school graduation and were looking at the Marines as their career in life,” said chapter member Jim Sullivan, one of the program organizers. “Due to wounds and injuries, they now have to enter civilian life and need some help in making decisions as to going on to college, trade schools, or finding a job.” For more information or to volunteer, call (760) 901-5494.

Veterans treating veterans; a growing niche

Veterans treating veterans; a growing niche

Now that the conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan are winding down, this country can expect a tremendous influx of returning veterans. With this surge comes a greater need to treat the invisible wounds of war, namely posttraumatic stress disorder, anxiety, depression and a host of other psychological issues.

A mental health crisis is likely in the next five to 10 years if appropriate attention is not given to war veterans and their families, according to Nicholas Covino, Ph.D., president of the Massachusetts School of Professional Psychology. “The general idea that those with military trauma will be served by the VA (Veteran’s Administration) is not completely accurate. Some will, but only about 25 percent of the time,” he says. “Most of the military don’t go to the VA, especially those in the National Guard. They’ll continue to get health care from traditional sources, like hospitals and HMOs.”

To adequately serve the needs of these men and women, practitioners need to step outside their comfort zones and gain some understanding of the sequelae of combat, military culture and adjustment issues families face before, during and after deployment, Covino says. “We have to create responsibility among mental health professionals to do the right thing by the veterans.

A review of the literature suggests straightforward, common sense approaches that can and should be done by any mental health professional to address the problems of separation and reintegration,” he says, noting that families potentially face years of adjustment difficulties after a military parent returns from overseas. “Our profession has a responsibility to revise and rework our practices to learn about military culture and equip ourselves with techniques to deal with veterans and families presenting with complaints. This matches what we’ve learned in graduate school,” Covino says. Unresponsiveness because of the perception of inadequate skill sets will create social problems such as homelessness, divorce and alcoholism, in the future, he says. read more here