Letting heroes die sunk us to a new low

When will we care enough to save those who save us?
Combat PTSD Wounded Times
Kathie Costos
August 21, 2018

If you think dropping the D from PTSD is a good idea, then it proves you really do not understand much. The "thing" that gave them PTSD in the first place, was a lot harder than dealing with a lousy letter.

If they have a problem with it, then we have a much bigger problem than anyone is aware of, because if the stigma ends up killing them, instead of the event itself, our shame has just sunk to a new low.

This may finally get you to understand that men and women, valued human life so much, they were willing to die to save others. They rushed into burning homes, to accidents, to disaster after disaster, yet the following lost their lives because of what all their efforts did to them.

Firefighters

81% of the firefighters feared they would be seen as weak according to an NBC survey.

December 2017
Crystal Murphy Navy veteran and Lacey firefighter

January 2018
Retired firefighter Thomas Schilling

March 2018

Tampa firefighter Steve LaDue

Firefighter Jesse Reed

April 2018
Dallas retired firefighter Michael Chambers 

Battalion Chief Erik Sutton

June 2018
Volunteer firefighter and police officer Mark Gehron

Ryne Kinsella 

July 2018
Captain Art Vazquez

Firefighter Peter D. Varnum

James Grundon, 55, was a firefighter and paramedic (murder-suicide)

August 2018
Captain Wayne Habell


LAW ENFORCEMENT

June
Lancaster City Police Officer Marc Gehron

July
Chicago Police Officer, shot himself in the parkinglot

August 2018
Officer Stewart Beasley


PARAMEDIC
May 2018
Tony Jenkins


Veterans committed public suicides

March 9, 2018
Yountville California
Veteran and hostages dead at PTSD program

March 12, 2018
Vietnam veteran committed suicide in Sheridan Police Department Parking lot after calling dispatch to let them know where he was.

March 23, 2018
Soldier dead after standoff at Aberdeen Proving Ground

March 23, 2018
Oklahoma
Air Force Veteran dead after police were called to help him.

March 26, 2018
St. Louis
62 year old veteran committed suicide in John Cochran VA Medical Center waiting room

April 3, 2018
Boynton Beach
Florida
76 year old Vietnam veteran committed suicide in Boynton City Hal parking lot. Not first time this happened. 

It happened last year in Amarillo Texas when a veteran shot himself in front of the VA hospital.

June 13, 2018
Fort Knox 
21 year old Private committed public suicide at Clarksville High School after he stole a gun.

June 19, 2018
Kansas
Vietnam veteran committed suicide at in the VA emergency room.

June 26 2018
Georgia
Navy Veteran set himself on fire in front of Georgia Capitol protesting the VA system. 

Not first time this happened. It also happened in New Jersey last year.

June 27, 2018
Norfolk Navy Yard
Sailor walked into helicopter blade, death ruled suicide.

July 10, 2018
Alabama
Air Force veteran shot family, and himself after setting house on fire.

July 14, 2018
Phoenix AZ
Veteran shot himself inside the VA Hospital Chapel 

Not the first times since it happened last year when a 33 year old veteran shot himself at the VA.

There are a lot more but, most of them do not have their names released. What you see in obituaries around the country are usually along the lines of "died suddenly" and it is the families right to keep it private.

What will never, ever, make any of this right, is for it keep happening without the national news paying attention to any of this.

At least now, the pubic has a chance to learn what we've been reading so far this year.

UK Firefighters still struggle after Grenfell Tower

"It will stay with us forever": Hero Grenfell firefighters reveal emotional toll of dealing with tower tragedy
Mirror UK
Emily Retter
February 10, 2018

They worked relentlessly, up and down the smoke-filled stairs time and time again. The team had to listen to the screams and cries of victims and traumatised survivors in the worst blaze on our soil since the Second World War.

Tom Abell says he "shed a few tears" when the reality of the tragedy hit him (Image: Daily Mirror)

After witnessing the horrors of the inferno, Tom Abell and his colleagues are still suffering - but the brave crew are now set to run the London ­marathon to raise cash for victims

Driving day after day past the charcoal shell of Grenfell Tower , knowing first-hand the horrors that lay within, firefighter Tom Abell was unable to process what had happened there.

Based at the closest fire station, he and his watch had been first to arrive and then spent nine hours in the heart of the devastation.

They worked relentlessly, up and down the smoke-filled stairs time and time again. The team had to listen to the screams and cries of victims and traumatised survivors in the worst blaze on our soil since the Second World War.

Later, at North Kensington fire station, Tom read letters written in hopeful childish ­handwriting, with the pleading words: “My friend is still missing, can you help me find him?”

And he watched the events of June 14 over and over on television.

Yet it still took days before 31-year-old Tom could actually take any of it in. Then reality struck like a tsunami.

And today, Tom and his colleagues, along with the Grenfell residents, are still suffering torment over the blaze that killed 71 adults and children.
read more here

PTSD:Firefighter reveals pain to help save others

Lieutenant Larry Rusk of the Ottawa fire department is fighting the stigma of post-traumatic stress disorder, which he experienced after fighting a fire where two children died, then being trapped in a burning building later on.
Jana Chytilova, The Ottawa Citizen

Firefighter reveals pain to help save others
Acting Capt. Larry Rusk was diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder after a number of difficult experiences on the job. He hopes the story of his recovery will break the 'macho' barrier and let other professionals know they are not alone.
The Ottawa Citizen
Published: Sunday, October 05, 2008
OTTAWA - Daniel Alfredsson's game may motivate kids to pick up a hockey stick, but when the Ottawa Senators captain became a champion for mental illness in June, he also inspired a veteran Ottawa firefighter to write a letter.

In early 2007, Acting Capt. Larry Rusk was diagnosed with post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), stemming from his work. He was just coming off nine months of intense therapy when he heard Mr. Alfredsson on the radio discussing the launch of the Royal Ottawa Foundation for Mental Health's "You Know Who I Am" campaign, aimed at easing the stigma of mental illness.

It was an issue close to Mr. Alfredsson's heart, since his sister suffers from mental illness, which affects one in five people.