Wounded Times

Groundhog Day for Danny Claricoates with PTSD

2009-12-24T16:04:00.002-05:00

Groundhog Day for Danny Claricoates, the warrior with invisible wounds
Tom Coghlan

As Danny Claricoates was walking past some roadworks last week, a workman switched on a tarmac-flattening machine. He froze. Sweat began to pour off him and his heart started to race with shock.

He could hear the unmistakable sound of an incoming Chinook helicopter. He was back in Afghanistan on November 12 last year as the vehicle in front of him blew apart, then weeping as he carried the bodies of two close friends to a waiting helicopter.

Danny is trapped in a dystopian version of Groundhog Day. Particular sounds trigger the same flashback, and though the experience is always the same, it never loses any of its horror.

It is deeply debilitating. He is perpetually on edge and unable to shake off deep feelings of guilt.

What makes Danny unusual, however, is that not only is he willing to talk openly about the still-taboo subject of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), of which he now has a diagnosis, but that he is also a winner of one of Britain’s highest awards for gallantry: the Military Cross.

In 2007, aged 27, he spent seven months in Helmand. All but five weeks of that time was spent on the front line. He was awarded the MC for his exceptional courage under fire on three occasions.

When Danny returned from Afghanistan he was, his mother said, a different person. He was troubled, above all, by a sense of guilt. There had been a moment when a Marine was hit beside him and Danny didn’t stop to help him. The man was only shot in the wrist but Danny always blamed himself.
read more here
Groundhog Day for Danny Claricoates

Medal of Honor, Vietnam Vet Col. Robert Lewis Howard passed away

2009-12-24T09:23:00.001-05:00

Decorated Army colonel, MoH recipient dies

The Associated Press
Posted : Thursday Dec 24, 2009 8:46:38 EST

WACO, Texas — Retired Col. Robert Lewis Howard, a man considered to be the country’s most decorated soldier, died Wednesday. He was 70.

Howard was battling pancreatic cancer and died about noon at a hospice, his friend Benito Guerrero, a Vietnam veteran and retired sergeant major, told the San Antonio Express-News.

The Army veteran died in Waco, according to Oak Crest Funeral Home. At the time of his death he was the most decorated American soldier, the funeral home obituary said. He will be buried at Arlington National Cemetery with full military honors. No date has been set, the funeral home said.

Howard grew up in Opelika, Ala., and served in the Army from 1956 to 1992. He was part of the U.S. Army Special Forces, known as the Green Berets, and ran cross-border operations in Laos, Cambodia and North Vietnam. He was wounded 14 times in Vietnam and was awarded eight Purple Hearts.

He was nominated three times for the Medal of Honor, the nation’s most prestigious award for combat veterans. President Richard M. Nixon presented him with the honor at the White House in 1971 for his bravery in Vietnam during a mission to rescue a missing soldier in enemy territory.
read more here
http://www.armytimes.com/news/2009/12/ap_colonel_dies_122309/

Veterans find peace working on San Diego-area farm

2009-12-23T15:15:00.000-05:00

Veterans find peace working on San Diego-area farm
The Associated Press

Saturday, Dec. 19, 2009 9:51 p.m.

When Carlos Rivera returned from fighting in Iraq and found work as an electrician, he felt co-workers who knew about his military experience were gawking at him. He went home angry each day.

That's not a problem at his current job working alongside other combat veterans picking avocados, mixing organic fertilizers and gathering basil amid northern San Diego County's undulating ochre hills.

"I'm outdoors, not stuck inside somewhere feeling suffocated," said Rivera, 25, who returned from Iraq in 2007 after four years as a Marine. "There's always someone to talk to, someone there to understand."

Rivera works at Archi's Acres, a 3-acre high-tech organic farm owned by Colin Archipley, who served three tours in Iraq and is trying to help other combat vets shake the trauma of war by turning swords to plowshares.

Working the earth has long been recognized as good therapy for war veterans. About 20 U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs centers have gardening programs, said Anthony Campinell, the VA's national director for work therapy programs. He said Archi's Acres is the only fully commercial enterprise of which he was aware.

Veterans have grown fruits, vegetables and flowers on a 12-acre parcel at the VA hospital in west Los Angeles since 1986. They sold their produce at farmers markets until April, when administrators had them take a break while they work out a deal for a nonprofit group to take over the commercial parts of that program.
read more here
Veterans find peace working on San Diego area farm

Homeless female vets find few services

2009-12-23T15:12:00.001-05:00

Homeless female vets find few services
By Kimberly Hefling

The Associated Press

Updated: 12/18/2009

Long Beach, Calif.
The $15,000 that former Army Pvt. Margaret Ortiz had in the bank when she left Iraq is long gone, spent on alcohol and cocaine.

By the time she found her way to a program run by the nonprofit U.S. Vets for homeless female veterans in this Southern California city, she had slept in San Diego on the beach or anywhere she could find after a night of partying. One morning, she woke up behind a trash bin, her pants torn, with no memory of what happened.

Instead of helping her forget her six months in Iraq, where she said she faced attacks on her compound and sexual harassment from fellow soldiers, the alcohol and drugs brought flashbacks and raging blackouts. She said she tried to kill herself.

"You knew something was wrong with you, but you didn't know what was wrong with you. Nobody knew, and so you couldn't really handle it," said Ortiz, 27, from atop her twin bed in a plain dorm-style room, a black 4th Infantry Division ball cap on her head.

Ortiz is one of the new faces among America's homeless veterans.

They're younger than homeless male veterans and more likely to bring children. Their number has doubled in the past decade, and there are an estimated 6,500 homeless female veterans on any given night -- about 5 percent of the total homeless veterans population.
read more here
http://www.sltrib.com/news/ci_14030471

At Fort Hood, a 'sense of sorrow' clouds holidays

2009-12-23T11:33:00.001-05:00

At Fort Hood, a 'sense of sorrow' clouds holidays

By Donna Leinwand and Sharon Jayson, USA TODAY
For the first time in 22 years, Sheryll Pearson won't put up a Christmas tree. Suddenly, the holiday she's always loved is "horrible."
Pearson's son, Mikey — Army Pfc. Michael Pearson, 22, who specialized in defusing bombs — is dead, gunned down last month in the rampage at Fort Hood, Texas, that killed 13 people and wounded more than 30 others. Maj. Nidal Hasan, an Army psychiatrist, is charged with the slayings.

For families of the victims, for the injured and for the many who call the post at Fort Hood home, the Nov. 5 tragedy remains a fresh, stinging wound in what should be a joyous holiday season. Injured soldiers are wrestling with rehab as their units deploy overseas. Soldiers who live at Fort Hood have put on a brave face as they regain their sense of security. Professional counselors and chaplains are trying to help everyone make sense of it all.
read more here
At Fort Hood, a 'sense of sorrow' clouds holidays

Friends, neighbors pray for wounded Pierce Co deputies

2009-12-23T11:29:00.001-05:00

Friends, neighbors pray for wounded Pierce Co deputies
By KOMO Staff

EATONVILLE, Wash. -- With candles in hand, dozens of local residents gathered on Tuesday night to pray for the two Pierce County deputies who were shot at a home near Eatonville on Monday night.

Pierce County sheriff spokesman Ed Troyer said Deputy Kent Mundell and Sgt. Nick Hausner ran into trouble after responding to a domestic violence call.

Investigators said David E. Crable was concealing a gun in clothes he was holding and fired about 10 shots at the two deputies from just a few feet away. Mundell, 44, was hit multiple times, but managed to shoot back and kill Crable, Troyer said.

Friends say Hausner served in the U.S. Marine Corps before joining law enforcement.
read more here
Friends, neighbors pray for wounded Pierce Co deputies

Veterans Still Waiting For GI Bill Payments, Colleges Unpaid

2009-12-23T11:20:00.001-05:00

Veterans Still Waiting For GI Bill Payments, Colleges Unpaid
KIMBERLY HEFLING 12/22/09

WASHINGTON — Universities and colleges are still waiting for tuition payments for thousands of Iraq and Afghanistan veterans who attended school last fall under the new GI Bill, leaving the veterans panicked that they'll be unable to return to class in January.

Veterans Affairs Department officials promise to get them back into the classroom. The VA says the number of veterans with claims unprocessed is now fewer than 5,000 – down from tens of thousands – and the goal is to have them all processed by the end of the year.

"We continue to work on a daily basis with schools to make sure that no student is denied attending class as a result of delayed tuition payments," Katie Roberts, a VA spokeswoman, said Tuesday. "It's a top priority for VA to make sure that students can focus on their studies rather than their bank accounts."

But after being besieged by delays and financial hardship last semester that left them struggling to make rent payments and pay for textbooks, many veterans are frantically contacting veterans service organizations such as the Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America for guidance.

Clay Hunt, a former Marine corporal who served in Iraq and Afghanistan, attends Loyola Marymount University in Los Angeles. He said he and his wife have racked up about $4,000 in credit card debt because his university won't release student loans he needs for living expenses until tuition is fully paid. Hunt, 27, said under the GI Bill the school is still owed about $6,000 and he personally is owed about $1,700 for housing and books.

"I am disappointed about it," Hunt said. "I'm very disappointed about the way it was implemented. I feel like the VA had ample time to figure out how they were going to disperse these payments and make sure this transition to the new GI Bill went smoothly, and they definitely failed to do that."
read more here
Veterans Still Waiting For GI Bill Payments

VA clerk's bright idea leads to White House visit

2009-12-23T11:14:00.000-05:00

VA clerk's bright idea leads to White House visit

President Obama meets with winner of contest on how to reduce federal government waste

By Doug Beizer Dec 22, 2009
A Veterans Affairs Department clerk met with President Barack Obama at the White House Dec. 21 as a reward for her idea on how the VA can save money.

Nancy Fichtner, a support clerk at the VA hospital in Grand Junction, Colo., won the Securing Americans Value and Efficiency (SAVE) Award for her idea on how to cut waste at VA medical centers, according to the White House.

Partially used medical supplies, such as inhalers and eye drops, used at VA hospitals are thrown away when veterans are discharged, according to White House officials. Fichtner’s idea is to find a way to let patients to take those supplies with them after being discharged.
read more here
http://fcw.com/articles/2009/12/22/save-award-winner.aspx

General Backs Off Court-Martial Threat for Pregnant Soldiers

2009-12-23T09:59:00.000-05:00

General Backs Off Court-Martial Threat for Pregnant Soldiers
By JIM DAO
It didn’t take long. Just three days ago Stars and Stripes broke the story that the commander of United States forces in northern Iraq had threatened to court-martial military personnel under his command who became pregnant, or impregnated someone else. The order applied also to married couples who are deployed together.

But on Tuesday, the commander, Maj. Gen. Anthony A. Cucolo III, told ABC News that he would use only lesser, nonjudicial punishments to enforce the order. Courts-martial can lead to loss of all benefits and jail time.

“I see absolutely no circumstance where I would punish a female soldier by court-martial for a violation … none,” General Cucolo told ABC News.
read more here
General Backs Off Court Martial Threat for Pregnant Soldiers

Burned Florida teen out of hospital

2009-12-22T18:53:00.001-05:00

Burned Florida teen out of hospital
December 22, 2009 5:59 p.m. EST
STORY HIGHLIGHTS
Michael Brewer, 15, allegedly set on fire by other teens, faces more surgery
He and his family are not returning home, but to an undisclosed location
Brewers mother plans to speak to reporters on Wednesday
Fort Lauderdale, Florida (CNN) -- A 15-year-old boy who was burned over 65 percent of his body in October when he was set on fire, allegedly by a group of teenagers, was released from the hospital Tuesday, officials said.

Michael Brewer was discharged from the University of Miami's Jackson Memorial Hospital Burn Center, spokeswoman Lorraine Nelson said in a written statement.

Doctors and Brewer's mother, Valerie, will speak to reporters Wednesday, Nelson said.
read more here
Burned Florida teen out of hospital

Army Turns To Resilience Training Again?

2009-12-22T18:16:00.002-05:00

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.
read more here
http://www.swtimes.com/articles/2009/12/22/news/news122209_02.txt

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

2009-12-22T14:27:00.000-05:00

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

2009-12-22T13:00:00.000-05:00

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.
read more here
Wounded uprooted find solace at Fisher House

New lawsuit filed in shower electrocution

2009-12-22T12:57:00.000-05:00

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.
read more here
New lawsuit filed in shower electrocution

Vets motorcycle group has fun while helping community

2009-12-22T12:50:00.001-05:00

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."
read more here
Bikes beards and brotherhood

Toledo Vietnam veterans work to serve others

2009-12-22T09:40:00.002-05:00

Veterans Day Memories of Vietnam

Posted to Great Americans by NamGuardianAngel on September 12, 2009

Click to Play View Details

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.
read more here
Toledo Vietnam veterans work to serve others

Multiple Deployments Raises Risk of PTSD by Three Times

2009-12-21T18:45:00.001-05:00

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.
read more here
Multiple Deployments Raises Risk of PTSD by Three Times

Soldier on leave from Afghanistan killed in Baltimore while shopping

2009-12-21T17:11:00.001-05:00

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.
read more here
Soldier out shopping murdered in Baltimore

Veterans in law school finding a new way to fight

2009-12-21T17:08:00.001-05:00

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.
read more here
http://www.ctlawtribune.com/getarticle.aspx?ID=35868

Veterans and Shelter Animals Meet With Pets2Vets

2009-12-21T17:05:00.000-05:00

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.
read more here
http://abcnews.go.com/Entertainment/wireStory?id=9392828

The Post Traumatic Stress Disorder Relationship

2009-12-21T15:59:00.004-05:00

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

2009-12-21T13:51:00.000-05:00

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

Slideshow
Anthony Campbell Jr.
Related Links
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

2009-12-21T13:47:00.001-05:00

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.
read more here
http://heraldnet.com/article/20091221/NEWS01/712219881

‘Valley of Elah’ father dead at 60

2009-12-21T11:40:00.000-05:00

‘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

2009-12-20T10:30:00.000-05:00

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.
go here for more
Haunted by 40 Months in Iraq