Mike Mullen On Military Veteran Suicide

Mike Mullen On Military Veteran Suicide: 'We've Got 18 Vets A Day Who Are Killing Themselves'
The Huffington Post
By Nick Wing
Posted: 07/02/2012

Mike Mullen, former chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, spoke at the Aspen Ideas Festival this weekend, giving a candid assessment of the growing problem of military suicide.

Discussing the status of the military's health in terms of both individuals, as well as the overall force, Mullen spoke openly of his concerns about personnel increasingly strained by both physical and "invisible" wounds. He also laid out an anecdote to underscore the emotional toll that the last decade of war has taken on members of the military and their families.
read more here

Troops, Families Must Remain ‘Front and Center’

Mullen: Troops, Families Must Remain ‘Front and Center’

By Elaine Sanchez
American Forces Press Service
WASHINGTON, July 14, 2011 – Although the military is in a time of unprecedented change, from budget constraints to the drawdowns in Iraq and Afghanistan, caring for troops and their families must remain a constant, Navy Adm. Mike Mullen said today during an all-hands call on U.S. Army Garrison Yongsan in Seoul, South Korea.

Navy Adm. Mike Mullen, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, greets service members during an all-hands call at U.S. Army Garrison Yongsan in Seoul, South Korea, July 14, 2011. DOD photo by Navy Petty Officer 1st Class Chad J. McNeeley

“We can buy a lot of neat stuff and go operate in a lot of places, [but] the No. 1 priority for me are people and our families,” the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff told the service members. “No matter where we go or what we buy, in the end, the heart of what we are is you.”

Change is happening at a pace he’s never seen before, the chairman noted. “We’ve moved beyond any kind of steady state … across the board, whether you’re talking about education or promotion or operation or equipment.”

The chairman touched on the more immediate changes occurring in Iraq and Afghanistan. The military is on track to move out of Iraq by the end of the year, he said, and in Afghanistan, 33,000 troops will withdraw from the country by September 2012.
read more here
Troops, Families Must Remain ‘Front and Center’

Admiral Mike Mullen talks about homeless veterans

Conversations at the Capitol
Top military officer discusses wide range of issues at Chambersburg theater

By KATE S. ALEXANDER
kate.alexander@herald-mail.com
9:41 p.m. EST, February 10, 2011


If not for family, Retired U.S. Army Spc. Gabriel Fauntleroy would be homeless, he said.

Last year Fauntleroy, who lives in Fayetteville, was medically retired from the U.S. Army after he broke his back while serving in Afghanistan in 2006.

Fauntleroy twirled a cane in his left hand as he told of his meager, barely $1,200 monthly retirement subsidy and how a beleaguered bureaucratic process has kept him waiting for disability from Veterans Affairs (VA).

Forced to make frequent trips between Chambersburg, Pa. and the Martinsburg, W.Va. VA Hospital for therapy and treatment of his injury, he said he has to rely on his family's charity just to survive.

"Honestly, right now, without my in-laws, we'd be homeless," he said. "With $1,200 a month to live on, a wife and two kids, I mean, there is just no way I could do it."

Fauntleroy was one of the many faces that filled the Capitol Theatre Thursday to listen to Admiral Mike Mullen, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.

Like many people, Fauntleroy was hoping for some answers from Mullen.

"I was hoping to get some kind of clarification, some kind of answer on why it is taking so long to get my VA percentages finalized," he said. "It's been four months."

In his opening address to the nearly packed house, Mullen spoke of the problem of homeless veterans.

"When these wars started in 2003, as a Vietnam vet, one of the things I worried about the most was generating another generation of homeless vets," Mullen said. "While I live in a very nice set of quarters in Washington (D.C.), not a stone's throw away from me I can see my peers from Vietnam who are still sleeping on the street. We can't do that again in our country."

Fauntleroy's father-in-law, Retired Marine Col. George Germann, asked Mullen what the military is doing to address the bureaucracy that has continually pushed veterans like his son-in-law onto the edge of homelessness.
read more here
Conversations at the Capitol

American Support Boosts Troop Morale, Mullen Says

Navy Adm. Mike Mullen, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, greets Army Capt. Scott Leifker during a game between the Chicago White Sox and the Baltimore Orioles at U.S. Cellular Field in Chicago, Aug. 25, 2010. Leifker was severely burned in a car bomb explosion in Iraq in 2006. Mullen is on three-day Midwest tour to meet with local civic and business leaders to discuss the needs of returning troops and their families, and how community leaders can support them. DoD photo by Navy Petty Officer 1st Class Chad J. McNeeley

American Support Boosts Troop Morale, Mullen Says
By Army Sgt. 1st Class Michael J. Carden
American Forces Press Service

CHICAGO, Aug. 26, 2010 – At last night’s Major League Baseball game between the Chicago White Sox and the Baltimore Orioles here, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of staff couldn’t help but notice the difference between the nation’s support for today’s servicemembers and veterans and the reception returning servicemembers received when they came home from Vietnam early in his military career.

Navy Adm. Mike Mullen threw out the ceremonial first pitch before the game and he also helped the host White Sox honor soldiers from a local Army Reserve unit.

Forty years ago, at the height of the Vietnam War, America didn’t support its troops, Mullen said. There was no tickertape parade when they returned from battle, and stories of Vietnam veterans being ridiculed in the streets by protestors were all too common.

The tension was so bad, Mullen said, that some servicemembers were even ashamed to wear their uniforms. Mullen witnessed such displays first hand, he noted, saying that’s just the way things were when he began his career in 1968.

Mullen, a Vietnam War veteran, has spent the past three years overseeing the war efforts in Afghanistan and Iraq. When the wars kicked off in 2001 and 2003, respectively, he said, one of his initial fears was that the American people might not support the troops.

“As someone who grew up [during the Vietnam War] and saw a complete disconnect between our men and women in uniform and the American people, [the level of support] was a huge concern for me when these wars started,” he said. “It was terrible during Vietnam. It was really bad how troops were treated.”
read the rest here
American Support Boosts Troop Morale, Mullen Says

Military Needs Leaders to Address Suicide Issue

Mullen: Military Needs Leaders to Address Suicide Issue
By Jim Garamone
American Forces Press Service

CAMP RED CLOUD, South Korea, July 21, 2010 – Leadership and the effects it can have to help bring down the suicide rate were among the topics the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff discussed with servicemembers here today.


Navy Adm. Mike Mullen spoke to 2nd Infantry Division soldiers about the stresses the Army is under after almost nine years of war. He took time from participating in high-level meetings in Seoul to meet with more than 200 soldiers and airmen.

Last month, 32 soldiers committed suicide – a figure not seen since the Vietnam War when the Army was twice as large.

Mullen said the suicide issue is not going to just magically disappear – it is a tragedy that leaders at all levels must address. “We can’t just keep reading the numbers every single month. They just keep going up,” he said.

Suicides in the military are increasing, the chairman said, because of the stress of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.
go here for the rest
Military Needs Leaders to Address Suicide Issue

Adm. Mike Mullen says "Vets need not suffer alone"

Mullen on D-Day: Vets need not suffer alone

By Robert Burns - The Associated Press
Posted : Sunday Jun 6, 2010 17:04:15 EDT

BEDFORD, Va. — In a stirring tribute to the D-Day sacrifices of American soldiers and their allies, the U.S. military’s top officer said Sunday that World War II’s defining moment should remind all that returning warriors need not “suffer in quiet desperation.”

Adm. Mike Mullen, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, spoke in the peaceful setting of this small town, which is said to have born the heaviest share of American losses in the June 6, 1944, landings on the beaches of Normandy. The National D-Day Memorial was established here in 2001 as a tribute to those who died in the invasion of German-occupied Europe.

Mullen drew a parallel with the needs and aspirations of the men and women returning from today’s battlefields, many with the invisible psychological wounds of war.

“They, too, have seen and done things we cannot know,” he said. “Their lives, too, are forever changed. And just as previous generations of heroes did, they must likewise adjust themselves to peace.”
read more here
http://www.armytimes.com/news/2010/06/ap_d_day_anniversary_mullen_060610/

Family support 'vital' for service members being deployed

Marine Corporal Adam Marano hugs his wife Melissa Marano on November 3 at Camp Lejeune, North Carolina.

Family support 'vital' for service members being deployed
By Ed Hornick, CNN
December 7, 2009 -- Updated 2338 GMT (0738 HKT)
STORY HIGHLIGHTS
Adm. Mike Mullen speaks to crowd at Camp Lejeune on Monday
Mullen: We could not be the military "we are without extraordinary family support"
Military families struggle when loved ones are serving in the war theater

(CNN) -- "You don't do it alone," Adm. Mike Mullen, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said Monday to a crowd gathered at Camp Lejeune, North Carolina. "You do it with phenomenal family support. And we could not be the Marine Corps we are, the military we are without extraordinary family support."

Mullen's pep talk -- along with a question and answer session -- was geared to the new 30,000-troop surge to Afghanistan that President Obama laid out last week. He also thanked those in the audience -- many of whom will soon be deployed to Afghanistan.

"I am and will be eternally grateful for your service to our country at this very, very critical time," he said. "Everybody makes a difference. This is taking care of each other. This is taking care of all the responsibilities both here for our families as well as moving forward."

Military families struggle when their loved ones are serving in the war theater -- both economically and emotionally.

Teresa Meador offered advice to other Marine wives on what to expect.

"My one piece of advice, and I was given this advice by a Marine wife: 'It [war] makes a weak marriage weaker, and a strong marriage stronger,' " Meador said. "And that's very true. You can take it and run with it, or it can break you down. And it's up to you."
read more here
Family support vital for service members being deployed

also

Marine Unit Comes Home to 77 New Babies!
December 7, 2009 - 10:45 AM by: Caroline Shively
Members of the 22nd Marine Expeditionary Unit out of Camp LeJeune, NC missed a lot during their seven-month deployment at sea -- specifically 77 of their wives giving birth back at home. Lance Corporal Jasen Kratzer figured he'd be one of those dads who learned about his new baby via telegram while he was deployed.

His wife, Madison, was prepared to go it alone as her husband made stops in Kuwait, Greece, Bulgaria, and throughout the Middle East during his deployment at sea.

"It's sad that he has to miss so much," she said. "But it's what he wants to do. He wants to serve so that other people can be with their families all the time."

Then Kratzer's bosses on ship came up with an idea. They knew that about the time Madison was supposed to have her labor induced, Jasen would be training in Kuwait with access to video teleconference equipment. From there, it was up to the baby to be ready in time before the Marines had to head back to the ship.
read more here
Marine Unit Comes Home to 77 New Babies

Mullen calls for better PTSD care

Mullen calls for better PTSD care

By Hugh Lessig

247-7821

11:42 p.m. EST, November 4, 2009


NORFOLK — As a combat medic in Iraq, Megan Krause had seen plenty.

When she came home, she thought her mental state was fine.

"We're medics," she said. "We're supposed to know the signs and symptoms of depression."

She misdiagnosed this case.

The reason for that failure — and her subsequent success — provided a real-life lesson for attendees of a Pentagon-sponsored conference on improving the resiliency of today's warfighter.

The two-day conference, which ended Wednesday, featured an address by the nation's top military officer, who called for better coordination of mental health services as individuals move from active-duty to veteran status.

Adm. Mike Mullen, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, weighed in via audio link to address the conference and take questions.

"Our problem is stove-piped," he said.

He called for better coordination of services between the Department of Defense, Department of Veterans Affairs and the general public.

"We're not very well-connected across these three areas," he said.

Many discharged veterans know little about VA services, and many groups across the country "would go out of their way to help their veterans" if they knew how and where to help.
read more here
http://www.dailypress.com/news/dp-local_ptsd_1105nov05,0,7842432.story

Military Family Caucus has Mullen’s OK

Military Family Caucus has Mullen’s OK

By Rick Maze - Staff writer
Posted : Wednesday Nov 4, 2009 14:43:37 EST

The chairman of the Joint Chiefs said both he and his wife fully support the new Congressional Military Family Caucus, a group formed to work on child care, education, health and deployment issues.

Adm. Mike Mullen was the keynote speaker at Wednesday’s inaugural meeting of the caucus — which has 70 members and growing — formed by members of the House of Representatives to identify and try to resolve issues affecting military families.

Mullen said he and his wife, Deborah, will do everything they can for the cause.

“We are extremely grateful for your starting the caucus,” he said. “This is a big deal.”

Mullen endorsed the list of issues gaining attention from the caucus, saying it matches the feedback he has received from his wife and from meeting with military family members around the world. He urged the caucus to also listen to families.
read more here
Military Family Caucus has Mullens OK

Former Vietnam Vet Mullen urges appreciation of U.S. military

Former Vietnam Vet Mullen urges appreciation of U.S. military

The chairman, who has spent 41 years in uniform, reflected on his early years of service as a Vietnam War veteran. He said he never wants another servicemember to experience humility and disgrace when wearing their uniform.

"As a Vietnam vet, I have lived and served in a time when America walked away from her military, when wearing the uniform was the last thing you wanted to do in public,” he said. “No returning warrior should ever feel that scorn again."

COSTOS FOR THE LOVE OF JACK


“Though I speak with the tongues of men and angels, and have not charity, I am become as sounding brass or a tinkling cymbal. And though I have the gift of prophecy, and understand the mysteries and all knowledge; and though I have all faith, so that I could move mountains, and have not charity, I am nothing.” St. Paul Corinthians 13:1-2


COSTOS FOR THE LOVE OF JACK

PTSD
POST TRAUMATIC STRESS DISORDER

Presented by
Kathie Costos


Namguardianangel@aol.com
www.Namguardianangel.org


Post Traumatic Stress Disorder

•The common causes;
–War
–Public services such as police and fire department incidences
–Abuse/rape
–Violence/crime
–Terrorism


–Natural Disasters




Post Traumatic Stress Disorder

•PTSD was once linked to participants of war. Many years ago they called it “shell shock” because those who suffered were visibly seen to twitch or jump while their nerves were uncontrollable.

•Vietnam changed the way the psychiatric community viewed those who suffered. From the research done on Vietnam Veterans guidelines were established that assisted in the treatment of a wide range of mental illnesses.
September 11th 2001

•When this Nation was attacked by terrorists the psychiatric community was prepared and they were rushed to treat the thousands of people traumatized by this unspeakable inhumanity.
•They helped the victims and the first responders who valiantly rushed to their aid.
•Years later we are still feeling the pain from the loss of life and the loss of our sense of security.
Thousands still suffer from PTSD


•The government estimates that 500,000 Vietnam Veterans sufferer from PTSD. Many are no longer with us. They were unable to cope with the illness and the symptoms so severe that it destroyed their families, their ability to work and their ability to find hope. Alcohol and drugs that were used as self-medication no longer killed memories or calmed nerves.
Those who fought in war are joined by thousands of others.


•Terror
–Anyone who has been in a life threatening situation.
–Anyone who has been beaten.
–Anyone who has been raped.
–Anyone who has been involved in something they lost control of.
–Storms, accidents, abuse, gang crimes, and military actions.
–All potential catalysts for Post Traumatic Stress Disorder.



National Center for Post-traumatic Stress
Effects of traumatic stress in a disaster situation.


•There are many effects on people with PTSD, emotional as well as physical. These are the major effects associated with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder.

•
Effects of Traumatic Stress in a Disaster Situation
National Center of Post Traumatic Stress

Modified from
Disaster Mental Health Response Handbook
Emotional and Cognitive

•Emotional effects
–Shock
–Terror
–Irritability
–Blame




–Anger
–Guilt
–Grief or sadness
–Emotional numbing
–Loss of pleasure
–Difficulty feeling happy
–Difficulty experiencing loving feelings


•Cognitive effects
–Impaired concentration
–Impaired decision making ability
–Memory impairment
–Disbelief
–Confusion
–Nightmares
–Decreased self-esteem
–Decreased self-efficacy
–Self-blame
–Intrusive thoughts and memories
–Worry
–Dissociation
–Dreamlike or spacey feeling


Physical and Interpersonal



•Physical Effects
–Fatigue, exhaustion
–Insomnia
–Cardiovascular strain
–Startle response
–Hyper-arousal
–Increased physical pain
–Reduced immune response
–Headaches
–Gastrointestinal upset
–Decreased appetite
–Decreased libido
–Vulnerability to illness


•Interpersonal Effects
–Increased relational conflict
–Social withdrawal
–Reduced relational intimacy
–Alienation
–Impaired work performance
–Impaired school performance
–Decreased satisfaction
–Distrust
–Externalization of blame





–Feeling abandoned or rejected
–Over protectiveness

–
What to do.

•The best advice I can give is that you first understand what PTSD is. Once you know what you are dealing with, it is easier to deal with.
•Not understanding leads to conclusions that are wrong.
•Not understanding prolongs recovery.
•Understanding leads to healing and finding peace with the past.
5.2 million have PTSD during the course of a year.
•7.8% of Americans deal with PTSD
•According to the National Center for PTSD
•1,700,000 Vietnam Veterans in all have experienced “clinical” serious stress reaction symptoms.
•Nearly 500,000 or roughly 15% Vietnam Theater veterans had PTSD from a survey conducted from 1986-1988.



The numbers are increasing

•The Veterans Administration has seen an increase in the numbers of veterans from Korea, Vietnam, Gulf War, Afghanistan and Iraq seeking treatment.
•September 11th added to the civilian population seeking treatment.
•Weather related issues are also adding to the numbers of people seeking help in this country and around the world.
The new generation

•The new generation of war wounded from Afghanistan to Iraq troops will suffer from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder at a rate of one out of five.
•We are seeing the changes in those who return from these missions and already the families are asking “Why?”
•Until the general public has some understanding as to the nature of the illness, more families will ask the same question. We need to start giving answers.
We can and must change attitudes toward mental illness.

•Our attitude toward anyone claiming they have a mental illness keeps them from seeking help.
•Healing is possible with medication and treatment.
•Yet it can only get worse without help.



•Learn all you can and support those who are in need of help.
Author of FOR THE LOVE OF JACK
•FOR THE LOVE OF JACK by Kathie Costos
•In a time when half of all marriages end in divorce, they stayed together. When most were only interested in their own happiness, they remembered what love was. What she did, she did because it was the right thing to do and she did it for the love of Jack.
The book is our story.


•But it could be about anyone who suffers with PTSD. It was written to assist by offering the facts from the standpoint of life and not clinical observations. Although books from this perspective helped to understand what the illness was, they did little to guide in how to live with it.
I am not alone!


•Considering how many people have PTSD and other illnesses because of PTSD I knew I was not alone. You are not alone either. There are many places to go for help, support and understanding.


Kathie Costos
Namguardianangel@aol.com copy right 2002
Revised

The right to publish and reproduce is expressly granted to the NEW ENGLAND SHELTER FOR HOMELESS VETERANS with the best wishes of the author Kathie Costos free of charge. You may share this work with anyone provided you adhere to copy right laws. For further information or permission to reproduce, contact Namguardianangel@aol.com.

Heal the sick, cleanse the lepers, raise the dead, cast our devils : freely ye have received, freely give.

The words of Christ as direction to His Disciples Matthew 10:8

That part right there is how I got into this mess in the first place. I wanted to do this part time and was very happy doing it back before 9-11. By the time I finished the book, I knew part time wouldn't be possible any more. Now is not the time for me to jump back on my soap box and lament the passing of innocence among the dog eat dog do-goods implanted among the righteous. Now is the time to offer some insight to those who have yet to see.

The shame inflicted on the Vietnam veterans by some to their faces, was not the greatest insult to them. The greatest insult to them was the men in charge, in leadership over them, refusing to fight for them.

I thought long and hard about this but it is being replicated today when leaders untouched by their own deep demons, refused to do anything for their men and women in their command when they were killing themselves suffering from the hounds of hell at their heals. They knew but some refused to acknowledge the same condition their own fathers returned from war with. Today, they do the same when they refuse to see what Vietnam veterans returned from war with ignoring the veterans coming back from Iraq and Afghanistan.

The reports came out years ago about the suicides, the depth of suffering, the numbers rising at the same time redeployments added to the problem. We heard lip service when we were told every measure was being taken to save lives and "heal" the warrior mind. They put out programs to shut the public up for a time while they pretended to do something, but we saw the numbers go up. This wasn't leadership. This was a deadly deception by some. Other generals, commanders, all the way down the line were waiting for real answers and for someone to finally stop more dying after war than died during it, but they are still waiting.

Admiral Mullen, I think is a very nice man and that he really cares, but it's time for him to stop looking at the easy targets of his own regrets and begin to look at what we really got wrong in this country when it came to those we sent to risk their lives. He will find only what he seeks and if he thinks he already has the answers to the problems Vietnam veterans came home with, he'll never look for the truth.

If you want to read my book go herehttp://www.namguardianangel.com/

Lasting, unseen trauma, PTSD and TBI

BASE NEWS: Lasting, unseen trauma

Forum widens health focus to hidden war injuries

By Susan Oliver Nelson BASE NEWS

Hundreds of uniformed service members, administration leaders, legislators, health professionals, wounded warriors, family members and concerned citizens gathered in Alexandria last week for the Defense Forum Washington to discuss the unseen injuries of war. The topics included post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), traumatic brain injury (TBI) and progress on various pilot projects designed to improve support for wounded service members.

The one-day forum was hosted by the Military Officers Association of America, the nation's largest association of officers, and the U.S. Naval Institute.

"How do we create a system throughout America that recognizes these needs?" Adm. Mullen asked. "How do we convert the research [on post-traumatic stress and traumatic brain injury] to make it work? We need solutions which are evident and [to] take those and implement them."

Adm. Mullen stated that he is committed to preventing a repeat of what occurred after the Vietnam War.

"You know, I am a Vietnam veteran. I swore when this war started, not having any idea where I'd end up, and believe me, not expecting to be in this job, that I would do all I could to avoid generating another generation of homeless veterans as we did ... coming out of Vietnam and we still, decades later ... we've not met that challenge for them.

"Shame on us if we don't figure it out this time around," Adm. Mullen said. "We can't do it alone. These are America's citizens who are going off and doing our country's bidding without question, and we owe them. This is a debt, and it needs to be the first check we write."

read more here

Lasting, unseen trauma

Note to Adm. Mullen, tap into what we know to stop playing taps for suicides

Adm. Mullen, I really believe you care but it's time you started to talk to people who have been taking care of these veterans all along and stop making the same mistakes. Studies have been done to death. Mistakes repeated because the only people who learned from them are not being heard. If you really want to know what to do, talk to the people who have done it and got it right. Vietnam veterans and their families are ready and willing to help you save the lives of the troops but no one has been interested in what we have to say.

Military Update:
Community effort needed to heal war wounds
By Tom Philpott, Special to Stars and Stripes
Pacific edition, Saturday, September 19, 2009
The profound strain of eight years of war on the volunteer force permeated a day-long conference of military leaders, policymakers, health experts and family advocates as they shared ideas to address the "unseen injuries" of post-traumatic stress disorder and traumatic brain injury.

A theme struck by many participants, including Navy Adm. Michael Mullen, chairman of the Joint Chiefs, was that government must seek greater involvement from communities across the country to support wounded warriors, traumatized veterans and damaged military families.

Mullen expressed concern over rising numbers of homeless veterans, slow expansion of a pilot program to streamline the disability evaluation system and a lack of solutions from medical research for timely diagnosis and treatment of PTSD and traumatic brain injury.

Just a week ago, she said, Kevin signaled that he wanted to take his own life by hanging. She called the VA hospital for help.

"Days went by and nobody called me." Finally, she confronted VA doctor at a social event "and said, ‘Look, you guys have to help us … I’m not trained. I’m not a nurse. I’m not a neurosurgeon. I’m not a psychologist. I’m not a therapist. I’m just a mom. And I don’t have any help with this.’"

Leslie told the forum, "It’s a very sad thing that this country — your Army or your VA or whatever — has let us down so incredibly. And I am asking you to step up to the plate and take care of somebody who went over there and did what you asked him to do."

Forum attendees gave her a standing ovation in support for what she and her son have sacrificed and endured. Asked later to list any part of the system that has worked well, Leslie praised the help she has received through her advocate in VA’s Federal Recovery Coordinator Program.
read more here
http://www.stripes.com/article.asp?section=104&article=64857

Adm. Mike Mullen: Treating PTSD needs sustained effort

I hope Rick Maze will indulge me for posting this whole article this time, since I usually post links to most of what he writes. This one was just too important to me to cut.
This is what is on every email I send out.

"The willingness with which our young people are likely to serve in any war, no matter how justified, shall be directly proportional to how they perceive veterans of early wars were treated and appreciated by our nation." - George Washington

It's been my tag line for a long time, but it is also what I was raised to believe. I am only second generation American but grew up with a Korean War vet and WWII uncles and a Vietnam vet. I married into a military family, also second generation, with 4 WWII brothers and two Vietnam veterans.

The problem is, when the government does not do what they need to do to take care of our veterans, we need to step up and do it without finding excuses to not do it. We can raise our hands as if we are helpless to take on such a great challenge, but when you think about this is a nation of over 300 million people but have less than 30 million veterans, you get the idea. We are Americans! We are supposed to take care of the men and women who take care of us everyday. If we don't then what are we?

This isn't new. Look over on the side bar for a reminder of what we knew and when we knew it. 1978! We ran out of excuses a long time ago.

Mullen: Treating PTSD needs sustained effort

By Rick Maze - Staff writer
Posted : Wednesday Sep 16, 2009 10:06:48 EDT

The chairman of the Joint Chiefs said Wednesday that helping combat veterans with mental health issues will require a new kind of commitment from society.

Speaking at an Alexandria, Va., conference about unseen battlefield injuries, Adm. Michael Mullen said helping Iraq and Afghanistan veterans with post-traumatic stress and traumatic brain injuries requires more than traditional military and veterans health care.

Society also must commit to help, he said, because many of those suffering are 20-year-olds with long lives ahead of them.

Post-traumatic stress needs more attention and early treatment, he said.

“This is different from a car crash, different from a football injury and different from a boxer. These are America’s citizens. We owe them a response to this that is equal to their needs. It needs to be the first check we write.

“The young people I visit want their lives back,” Mullen said.

His remarks came at the start of a day-long conference sponsored by the Military Officers Association of America and the U.S. Naval Institute, seeking solutions to the problem.

“These challenges are just beginning to be understood,” Mullen said. “There are decades’ worth of work and commitment that must not just be started now but sustained over a long period of time.

“Sadly and tragically, we are going to continue to generate this requirement,” Mullen said, referring to the fact that the fighting in Iraq and Afghanistan is far from over.

Mullen said he is committed to avoiding a repeat of what happened after the Vietnam War, with its lost generation of homeless veterans.

“Shame on us if we don’t figure it out,” Mullen said.
http://www.armytimes.com/news/2009/09/military_mullen_ptsd_091609w/

Newman’s Own Award winners honored for helping military community

Newman’s Own Award winners honored

By Karen Jowers - Staff writer
Posted : Friday Sep 11, 2009 15:33:12 EDT

Groups helping wounded troops in a variety of ways — sewing adaptive clothing, providing trained service dogs, connecting them with donors, establishing peer support groups, building new homes — are at the forefront of this year’s winners of the Newman’s Own Awards.

Eleven organizations received a total of $75,000 in grants, ranging from $5,000 to $15,000 apiece, for their efforts to improve the quality of life for the military community.

USA Together, a Web site that links wounded service members with donors, was the overall winner, receiving a $15,000 grant and a bust of Paul Newman, provided by Newman’s Own, which sponsored the competition, along with the Fisher House Foundation and the Military Times Media Group, which publishes Army Times, Air Force Times, Navy Times and Marine Corps Times.

Newman’s Own makes sauces, salsas, dressings and other foods, many of which are sold in commissaries. Founded by the late actor Paul Newman more than 26 years ago, the company has given all its profits — about $270 million to date — to charities, including military charities.

“My overwhelming message is to say thanks to all of you for doing this and for meeting the needs,” said Adm. Mike Mullen, chairman of the Joint Chiefs, speaking to the charities during the awards ceremony Sept. 10.
read more here
http://www.airforcetimes.com/news/2009/09/military_newmansown_awards_091109w/

Adm. Mike Mullen:PTSD "pretty normal and pretty human,"

Help for soldiers fighting the war within
The first salvo in the battle against record soldier suicides ought to be aimed at stamping out shame and other stigmas associated with mental-health challenges. Next under fire: the military's appallingly sparse mental-health-workers corps.

THE New England Journal of Medicine found in 2004 that 15 percent of Iraq war vets had major depression, anxiety or post-traumatic stress disorder.

Two wars and multiple deployments later, the alarming rise in soldier suicides should not be surprising.

Suicides among Iraq and Afghanistan veterans have more than doubled, going from 52 in 2004 to 110 in 2006, according to the latest statistics available from the Department of Veterans Affairs. The Army reported 115 suicides in its ranks last year. If that trend continues, the suicide rate for that branch of the military will outpace the civilian suicide rate of 19.5 people per 100,000.

During a Senate Defense Appropriations Subcommittee hearing last week on the Department of Defense's 2010 budget, Sen. Patty Murray, D-Wash., challenged military leaders. Their response was encouraging. Spending for mental-health services is increasing by 75 percent, from $428 million this year to $750 million in 2010. Mandatory mental-health screening for all enlisted personnel is the long-term goal.

Adm. Mike Mullen, chair of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, called soldier anxieties "pretty normal and pretty human," necessary words to emphasize that mental-health problems aren't career enders.
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Help for soldiers fighting the war within

Adm. Mike Mullen needs to repeat this over and over again until if finally sinks in. If you have PTSD, you are normal! You are human! You are not weak, a coward, a slacker and you are not anything there is to be ashamed of. Yes, it's as simple as that.

How can you think that this wound (reminder Trauma is Greek for Wound) has anything to do with any kind of sudden deficiency in you? As a matter of fact it's because of something so strong in you that you were able to endure it, tough enough to get thru it until the battle was over. Did you just suddenly say, "I've had enough Sarge." then drop your weapon and walk away? Did you think only of yourself and walk away? That's the point you miss constantly.

The same strength within you allowing you to do what you do when you risk you life for the sake of others, is also the same reason you ended up carrying it all away with you. It's your ability to feel. They cannot stop you from feeling no matter how much they train you or tell you that you can suddenly stop being what you were from birth. Look back at your life. Were you the type of person always caring about others? Were you the type of person always ready to help? Did you feel things deeply? Did you set your own comfort or safety aside for the sake of someone else? If you answered yes, then how can you forget what you've always been?

Aside from being married to one of you, I've talked to your brothers and sisters for 27 years. The vast majority of you show this common characteristic. Call it sympathetic or empathetic, it's in most of you. While you tend to confuse this with being soft, you need to understand this characteristic is what rests behind your bravery.

You are the type of person that will risk their life to rush out into traffic to save a child. You are the type of person to rush into a burning building, putting lives in danger ahead of your life. You just didn't enter into the fire department, you went into the military instead. You are the type of person that will face off with criminals with a guns ready to use any means to stop them from hurting anyone else. You just didn't enter into the police department but went into the military instead. You are the type of person that will respond to horrific accidents to rescue people risking your life to get there, preparing to face whatever there is to save a life. Instead of becoming an EMT, you became a soldier in the National Guard. Aside from the courage it takes for you to do what you do, it was your ability to care that set you off on the road few others have traveled. Caring required the courage to act for the sake of someone else. Caring is not weakness. It is the core of your courage.

Medal of Honor recipients, no matter the wounds they had already received, no matter the odds against them, they put others ahead of themselves. Did that take caring about others more than themselves? Did that require courage? So why is it that you think caring is weakness? If you didn't care wouldn't you have walked away without feeling the kind of pain you feel? No matter how much pain you felt inside, you still did what you had to do until your tour of duty was over, or when the mission itself was over and your friends were safe again. You pushed on with the pain inside of you because you put others first. That is what heroes are made of. That same characteristic is inside of you.

Now, with that sunk in, allow me to continue to the second part of the journey of your life. The most important factor in how that part of the journey begins is when you begin to get treated for this wound you are carrying. If treated early enough, most of what your going thru, what your mind is trying to cope with, can be reversed. Still even if it's been years, it's not too late to heal. Time is not your friend but there is no time limit on healing.

Vietnam veterans, Korean War veterans and even WWII veterans are being treated for PTSD even though they carried this within them for all of these years and they are finding a better quality of life than they dreamed was ever possible to live again. With treatment and medication, spiritual reconnection and understanding the responses you have, you can come out on the other side a better person. All of this goes into supporting the caring part of you that has been trapped behind the wall your mind trapped it behind to protect it. It's all still there. The person you thought you lost along the way is still there. The anger no longer has to act to protect your heart.

When veterans begin to heal, they feel a rush of emotions as the wall begins to crumble. Tears usually flow after. This is not a bad thing. It's a good thing because your sensitivity is being awakened. It's the part of humans allowing us to feel love, joy and hope. It is what allows us to look up at the sky when day light is ending and actually feel the sunset as it appears painted by the Master artist. It allows us to feel the beauty in this world, the goodness of our fellowman instead of only the mistrust we have for them. Still the miracles within you are only beginning.

What comes later is what you do for others even as you are healing. You begin to help other veterans wounded by the same " silver bullet" that wounded you. You help them to heal because you are in the perfect position to stand by their side. In the process, you save not only the veteran but their families as well. What is required to do this is already there. It's the same kind of compassion and courage it took to get you where you were before you were deployed into combat. The same kind of courage and compassion that allowed you to endure it and act for the sake of someone else.

Helping others also allows you to help yourself because you can see yourself in their eyes and know, you are not alone with what makes you "you" and as you see others, you see the qualities within them that is familiar. You see that what you went thru was not normal but you are because you see them as just normal humans after anything but normal was part of their life too.

Navy Adm. Mike Mullen:Problems after combat will last generations

Mullen: Suicides, homelessness trends a concern

By Robert Burns - The Associated Press
Posted : Thursday Apr 2, 2009 16:28:24 EDT

NEW YORK — Homelessness, family strains and psychological problems among returning veterans of the Iraq and Afghanistan wars will persist in the U.S. for generations to come, the top U.S. military officer said Thursday.

“This is not a 10-year problem. It is a 50- or 60- or 70-year problem,” Navy Adm. Mike Mullen, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, told a lunchtime audience at the Hudson Union Society, a group that promotes nonpartisan debate.

Mullen said he was particularly disturbed by the emergence of homelessness as a problem among war veterans.

“I have started to meet with, in veterans hospitals, homeless veterans” of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, he said. “And they are every bit as homeless and every bit as tragic as any homeless vet we’ve ever had. We as a country should not allow that to happen.”

At a White House news conference last week, President Barack Obama said that some of the funding increases in his proposed budget for veterans affairs are directed at alleviating the problem of homelessness among veterans, which he said is a bigger problem, proportionally, than is homelessness in the rest of the American population.

Mullen said he also was worried by a rising number of suicides among U.S. military members.

“The trends are all in the wrong direction,” he said, adding that “we’re just at the beginning of understanding” how to deal with the psychological wounds and scars that military members incur during combat service.
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Mullen: Suicides, homelessness trends a concern

Mullen: Exit dates in Iraq deal not a problem

Mullen: Exit dates in Iraq deal not a problem
By William H. McMichael - Staff writer
Posted : Monday Nov 17, 2008 20:26:35 EST

The chairman of the Joint Chiefs confirmed Monday that the new U.S. agreement with Iraq calls for all U.S. troops to be completely out of Iraq by the end of 2011 and that he is “comfortable” with the deal.

“It is my understanding that the 2011 date [means] all American forces [must be] out,” said Navy Adm. Mike Mullen.

The specifics of the agreement have not been publicly released, although the Associated Press reports that the SOFA includes a Dec. 31, 2011 pullout date for all the roughly 151,000 U.S. troops in the country and that it is scheduled for a Nov. 24 vote.

The AP has also reported that according to the agreement, U.S. troops must be out of all Iraqi villages and towns by June 30, 2009. Asked at a Pentagon press conference whether that was his understanding, Mullen did not correct the date and, noting that a number of Iraqi provinces have already been turned over to ISF control, said such a shift is “consistent with how we have moved.”

Mullen said he is “delighted” that the Status of Forces Agreement, approved by the Iraq cabinet Sunday and now awaiting ratification by the national legislature, is “moving forward.” The U.N. mandate and legal authority under which U.S. troops now operate expires Dec. 31, making passage crucial to a continued U.S. effort there.
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Bush will keep secret Afghanistan report quiet to help McCain

Is there nothing sacred in Washington? Has all truth and accountability been lost? The troops with their lives on the line in Afghanistan are being used as a political tool in Afghanistan just as they are and have been used in Iraq, yet no one seems to object to any of this? The report is not being released because if the public found out that McCain has been wrong, they may not vote for him?

Bush Administration will keep secret 'grim' Afghanistan report quiet until after election
John Byrne
Published: Tuesday September 23, 2008


A secret US intelligence report which says the political and military situation in Afghanistan is "grim" will be withheld from the public until after the election, a new report says.

Intelligence officials are finishing up the National Intelligence Estimate on Aghanistan, according to ABC's Brian Ross, "but there are 'no plans to declassify' any of it before the election," an official said.

Keeping the intelligence report under wraps would likely help Sen. John McCain (R-AZ). McCain has focused on what he sees as the success of the Iraq "surge," in which the US added troops to lessen violence. Attention to problems in Afghanistan would put the spotlight on President Bush's failures, which might rub off on the Republican presidential nominee.

"According to people who have been briefed, the NIE will paint a 'grim' picture of the situation in Afghanistan, seven years after the US invaded in an effort to dismantle the al Qaeda network and its Taliban protectors," Ross writes.

Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Admiral Michael Mullen told Congress last week the US is struggling to retain control.

"I'm not convinced we're winning it in Afghanistan," he said, adding, "we're running out of time."
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VA doctors tell Mullen that vets need mental health screenings

VA doctors tell Mullen that vets need mental health screenings
Too many troops are returning from war zones with undiagnosed psychological problems, the physicians tell the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff during his visit to the VA hospital in West L.A.
By Peter Spiegel, Los Angeles Times Staff Writer
September 21, 2008
Senior physicians with the veterans health system in Los Angeles told the top U.S. military officer Saturday that the Pentagon needs to overhaul the way it discharges troops because hundreds are leaving the armed forces with undiagnosed combat-related mental health problems.

Several of the physicians, including the system's chief of staff and its top psychiatrist, advocated mandatory mental health screenings for all service members who retire after serving in war zones.


The doctors said that because of the stigma attached to combat stress disorders, few troops acknowledge or seek help for psychological problems while in the military, meaning most remain undiagnosed until they run into family or work problems in the civilian world. Combat stress disorders become more difficult to treat the longer they remain undiagnosed.

"We need to make it a gradual discharge process with milestones, whether it's six months or a year, whatever it takes," said Dr. Robert Rubin, chief of mental health at the Veterans Administration healthcare system for Greater Los Angeles. "The stigma goes away if they have no choice but to go for the exams."
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Adm. Mullen: "We can't kill our to victory in Afghanistan"

'We can't kill our way to victory' in Afghanistan
The U.S. is "running out of time" to win the war in Afghanistan, and sending in more troops will not guarantee victory, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff warned Congress today. "We can't kill our way to victory, and no armed force anywhere -- no matter how good -- can deliver these keys alone. It requires teamwork and cooperation," Adm. Michael Mullen said. full story