47% Warrior Transition Unit Positions not filled yet?

Critics blast shortages, turnover in Army care

By Laura Ungar - The (Louisville, Ky.) Courier-Journal
Posted : Wednesday Jan 2, 2008 11:55:02 EST

Injured in a roadside blast in Iraq, Sgt. Gerald Cassidy was assigned to a new medical unit at Fort Knox, Ky., devoted to healing the wounds of war.

But instead of getting better, the brain-injured soldier from Westfield, Ind., was found dead in his barracks Sept. 21. Preliminary reports show he may have been unconscious for days and dead for hours before someone checked on him.

Sen. Evan Bayh, D-Ind., linked his death in part to inadequate staffing at the unit. Only about half of the positions there were filled at the time. The Army is still investigating the death and its cause, and three people in Cassidy’s chain of command have lost their jobs.

“By all indications, the enemy could not kill him, but our own government did,” Bayh told the Senate Armed Services Committee recently. “Not intentionally, to be sure, but the end result apparently was the same.”

Bayh pointed to a September report from the Government Accountability Office showing that more than half of the Warrior Transition Units nationwide had shortages in key positions at the time. Of 2,410 positions, 1,127 — or 47 percent — had not been filled.

go here for the rest

War weapon becomes life saver in TBI research

Other symptoms of TBI include headaches, difficulty remembering or concentrating, fatigue, mood changes, sadness or anger and dizziness. Many of these are also symptoms of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. But now, researchers say that some of those PTSD cases could be TBI.

TBI studied in lab equipped with cannon

By Jeff Seidel - Detroit Free Press
Posted : Wednesday Jan 2, 2008 11:34:45 EST

DETROIT — The doors are locked.

“Testing!” shouts Dr. Pamela VandeVord, an assistant professor at Wayne State University. She stands back, holding her hands over her ears, bracing for another explosion.

Brain research sounds like the height of academic aloofness, filled with arrogant intellectuals wearing white lab coats in a pristine environment, pondering the meaning of life while listening to Beethoven.

Nothing could be further from the truth.

At Wayne State University, in the biomedical engineering department, brain research is done by researchers wearing blue jeans and T-shirts, working in an old laboratory that looks like an auto shop. It’s more rock ‘n’ roll than classical music.

The research is loud, powerful and exciting — and the topic is relevant: Wayne State has been chosen to receive a $778,000 grant to figure out why so many troops are coming back from Iraq and Afghanistan with brain injuries caused by roadside bombs.

go here for the rest

http://www.airforcetimes.com/news/2008/01/gns_tbistudy_080102/

Shock Wave: Troops who served in Iraq may have undiagnosed brain injuries

Shock Wave: Troops who served in Iraq may have undiagnosed brain injuries
Like many, Lacey man returns from war -- but not to himself
By CAROL SMITH
P-I REPORTER

LACEY -- The only outward sign of something amiss at Garry Naipo's household in this community of well-tended homes south of Fort Lewis is the ragged, yellowing lawn.


"It used to be like Safeco Field out there," Paoakalani "Paoa" Naipo said of the lawn his father no longer trims every three days. Before, Garry Naipo would forgo watching football on the weekend until the grass was cut. Once he started so early on a Saturday morning, his wife, Alii, rushed out, as she put it, "to save him from the neighbors."

Then Garry Naipo, a grandfather of three, went to Iraq -- boomeranging from cul-de-sac to combat and back in 15 months, a journey that would change his life -- and that of his family -- in subtle, corrosive ways.


Naipo, 51, is one of thousands of National Guard citizen soldiers who have left established jobs and families to answer a call and come back altered men and women. On the outside, they look fine, the same even. They blend in at work, in the grocery line, at their children's soccer games. People tell them they're lucky. They're not dead.
go here for the rest
http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/local/345712_guardsmanmain02.html

What They Found in the Wastebasket

January 01, 2008
What They Found in the Wastebasket
The McClatchy newspapers continue their great series about whether and how the VA system is serving, or under-serving, returning combat veterans with PTSD.
In their recent story, "Suicide Shocks Montana into Assessing Veteran's Care," which by the way is an excellent fact-filled article, there is this troubling mention about what Chris Dana's dad found in his wastebasket, after Chris shot himself last March. Let's let the McClatchy papers tell the story:
HELENA, Mont. — Chris Dana came home from the war in Iraq in 2005 and slipped into a mental abyss so quietly that neither his family nor the Montana Army National Guard noticed.He returned to his former life: a job at a Target store, nights in a trailer across the road from his father's house. When he started to isolate himself, missing family events and football games, his father urged him to get counseling. When the National Guard called his father to say that he'd missed weekend duty, Gary Dana pushed his son to get in touch with his unit. "I can't go back. I can't do it," Chris Dana responded.

go here for the rest

http://www.healingcombattrauma.com/2008/01/the-increasing.html

Mr. Singer has won a 2007 Jefferson Award for Public Service

Jefferson Awards: Volunteer helps troubled veterans get back on track
Wednesday, January 02, 2008
By Sally Kalson, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
Sidney Singer almost wasn't accepted into the Army as a young man because of poor eyesight. That would have been the military's loss in more ways than one, because since then he's proved it doesn't take 20-20 vision to be a visionary -- or personal wealth to make a vision come true.

For more than a decade, Mr. Singer, 83, has been the driving force behind Veterans Place of Washington Boulevard, a $2.5 million transitional housing facility in Larimer for former military men and women struggling with psychiatric issues, substance abuse and homelessness.

go here for the rest

http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/08002/845737-51.stm

Wandering Vet recaps 2007 in style for homeless veterans

The 2007 Wrap Up

Dear Friends, Homeless Veterans and even those that may dislike what I write here.

Well 2007 has been a real eye opener as far as the cruelty of man, the stupidity of our species, as well as the best of our kind as well. It has been a year that has really opened my eyes and brought forth survival, and other skills that I had not known I possessed. For some reason, the mind can expand and go beyond itself when truly pushed to the limit. For some though it can basically breakdown under the stress as well. The homeless have a lot to cope with in daily life, especially those that did not “pick” their lifestyle. Many of the Homeless on the streets of this nation are highly talented individuals with many skills that can be tapped successfully if given a chance, but most of “Humanity” will never see through the outward circumstances. Now click for the New 2007 Wanderingvets Awards for the year!

go here for the rest

http://wanderingvets.wordpress.com/2008/01/01/99-the-2007-wrap-up/

Cornell Cuts Suicide Rate in Half

The following is about university students and not combat veterans. I thought it was very useful when addressing what can be done when people care enough to get involved.

At one point in my marriage, I went to a crisis center. I was working for a group of psychiatrists at the time as a receptionist. My husband seemed suicidal, about at the worst I had ever seen him. The woman at the center chastised me telling me that I was violating his privacy by trying to save his life. Imagine that kind of attitude! I went to her to find out what I could do to save his life. She told me I was trying to play God. Needless to say, she wasn't aware I worked for the group. I turned to the head of the group who was on vacation at the time. I got my husband into the hospital. As for the woman who worked in the crisis center, she didn't work there anymore after that.

If you think we cannot make a difference in someone else's life, then we won't act. But if we are aware at the difference we can make, we are motivated.



Cornell Cuts Suicide Rate in Half
by John M. Grohol, Psy.D.
January 1, 2008

Cornell University has made the controversial decision that a human life is worth more than strict privacy rules. As a result, it has cut its suicide rate amongst students in half in the past 6 years (as compared to the previous 6 years when this policy wasn’t in place).

At the same time while undergraduate enrollment at Cornell has declined during most of the 2000’s, visits to the school’s counseling center have nearly doubled, from just over 11,000 in 2000 to nearly 20,000 in 2007. This may also help account for the reduction in the suicide rate.

After years in which many colleges have said privacy rules prevent them from interceding with troubled students, Cornell is taking the opposite tack.

Its “alert team” of administrators, campus police and counselors meets weekly to compare notes on signs of student emotional problems. People across campus, from librarians to handymen, are trained to recognize potentially dangerous behavior. And starting this year, Cornell is taking advantage of a rarely used legal exception to student-privacy rights: It is assuming students are dependents of their parents, allowing the school to inform parents of concerns without students’ permission.

Cornell made changes in how they take care of their students, willing to play an active role. There has to be a line drawn on privacy but simply reaching out to someone hurting and needing help is not stepping on privacy. It's not like they are broadcasting someone is in mental duress over the PA system.

When people are hurting mentally, they are usually the last ones to acknowledge they need help. Most figure they will just "get over it" and tomorrow will be a better day. We all get depressed and feel like today was the day we shouldn't have gotten out of bed. There is a big difference between having a case of the "blues" and being ill. Only experts know which is which. If it's suspected that someone is in need of help, we should be able to try to do something about it. I hope more institutions decide that caring about someone's life is not the same as violating their privacy. I really hope the military community follows the same procedures as what worked for Cornell.

As for privacy, I don't use my married name so that I can protect my husband's privacy as well as my family's. This isn't something that I have to do for our sake. He's in treatment and has the help he needs. I could have become part of the "I got mine screw you club" but what good would that do to other people? I don't want to see another veteran commit suicide like my husband's nephew did and a lot of his friends did. I don't want to see another family struggling through all of this feeling alone like I did. Believe me, most of what I write, as when I wrote my book, is the hardest thing to do. There is nothing for me to gain from any of this except for the knowledge today I may have made a difference in the life of someone else, the way I wish someone did for us when we were suffering the most.

It was great when I got my husband to finally go to a Veteran's center. It was the first time he even got close to the government. Veteran's centers are vital in all of this because they are not the image of the government. They're usually combat veterans running it and most of the time they are warm, friendly and treat the veterans like part of the "brotherhood" they came from. There are a few centers, very few, where the veterans are treated like crap by people who are not there to help veterans. I thank God that I haven't heard of many like that. We need to gear up the centers around the country and where they are lacking, build them. There are plenty of empty businesses across the country that would fill the need until they can build real centers. Getting involved will make this happen. Wishing things will change won't do any good at all. kc

Mental toll of war hitting female servicemembers

Cindy Rathbun, 43, of Yuba City, Calif., reflects on some of the traumatic experiences she had during her 25-year military career. Rathbun is getting treatment for post-traumatic stress disorder and military sexual trauma.
By Jessica B. Lifland for USA TODAY

Mental toll of war hitting female servicemembers

By Andrea Stone, USA TODAY


MENLO PARK, Calif. — Master Sgt. Cindy Rathbun knew something was wrong three weeks after she arrived in Iraq in September 2006. Her blond hair began "coming out in clumps," she says.

The Air Force personnel specialist, in the military for 25 years, had volunteered for her first combat zone job at Baghdad's Camp Victory. She lived behind barbed wire and blast walls, but the war was never far.

"There were firefights all the time," Rathbun says slowly, her voice flat. "There were car bombs. Boom! You see the smoke. The ground would shake."

As the mother of three grown children prepared to fly home last February, she took a medic aside. Holding a zip-lock bag of hair, she asked whether this was normal. "He said it sometimes happens," she says. "It's the body's way of displaying stress when we can't express it emotionally."

Numb, angry, verging on paranoia, Rathbun checked herself into a residential treatment center for female servicemembers suffering the mental wounds of war. Last month, she and seven others became the first all-Iraq-war-veteran class of the Women's Trauma Recovery Program here. The oldest of 12 residential centers run by the Department of Veterans Affairs, it is part of a rapidly growing network of 60- to 90-day programs for female warriors who, until the Iraq insurgency, had mostly been shielded from the horrors of war.
click post title for the rest

Standing Up For Homeless Veterans

Standing Up For Homeless Veterans
Knowing that veterans are living on the streets is something VFW Post 10427 in Leander, Texas, couldn’t live with.

“It’s a shame that we are the most powerful country in the world, but we still have homeless veterans,” said James Towers, Texas District 28 junior vice commander. “As a veterans’ organization, we can’t allow this to happen.”

Towers and his fellow Post members learned of a community volunteer, Mike McIntire, who goes in search of homeless veterans. McIntire encounters between 75 and 100 veterans each week. He sets up VA appointments and provides them with food from local shelters.

When a Post member met McIntire at the VA clinic, the Post knew they had to help.
They donated money and fundraised for a total of $1,000, which they used to buy supplies for a November "Stand Down for Homeless Veterans" event. "Stand Down" events are an opportunity for homeless veterans to find a job and take advantage of veterans’ services like the VA. Volunteers pass out food, supplies, and personal care items.

But the Post didn’t stop there.

After cutting a deal with a sporting goods store, the Post used that money to buy almost 100 sleeping bags and around 30 backpacks, as well as various other sundries and toiletries. They also held a used clothing drive to collect between 400 and 500 articles of clothing.

Between the sleeping bags and clothing, the Post had filled a U-Haul van with items for homeless veterans at the “Stand Down” event. Towers estimated that the Post’s efforts raised about $3,000 in supplies.

“As an organization, we have a lot of resources dedicated to deployed servicemembers, which is very important,” said Towers. “But at the same time, we didn’t want these homeless vets, our comrades, to fall through the cracks.”
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We hear a lot about how this is supposedly a Christian nation when politicians feel the need to say it, but they never prove it. These are the words from Christ Himself addressing what the rich should do when it comes to the poor. No one is expecting people to give away everything they have but it would be wonderful. All that is necessary is for really rich people to give up at least some of what they have for the sake of the poor. To have two words linked together in this nation is really pitiful. Homeless and veteran. If we can't take care of them, then what chance to just regular homeless people have?

Mark 10:17-31
The Rich Young Man
17As Jesus started on his way, a man ran up to him and fell on his knees before him. "Good teacher," he asked, "what must I do to inherit eternal life?"
18"Why do you call me good?" Jesus answered. "No one is good—except God alone.
19You know the commandments: 'Do not murder, do not commit adultery, do not steal, do not give false testimony, do not defraud, honor your father and mother.'[a]"
20"Teacher," he declared, "all these I have kept since I was a boy."
21Jesus looked at him and loved him. "One thing you lack," he said. "Go, sell everything you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me."
22At this the man's face fell. He went away sad, because he had great wealth.
23Jesus looked around and said to his disciples, "How hard it is for the rich to enter the kingdom of God!"
24The disciples were amazed at his words. But Jesus said again, "Children, how hard it is[b] to enter the kingdom of God!
25It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God."
26The disciples were even more amazed, and said to each other, "Who then can be saved?"
27Jesus looked at them and said, "With man this is impossible, but not with God; all things are possible with God."
http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Mark+10%3A17-31

A soldier's words push a mother to act

A soldier's words push a mother to act
An Iraq veteran's suicide is prompting efforts to get more help for soldiers with post-traumatic stress disorder.

By ANTHONY LONETREE, Star Tribune

Last update: January 1, 2008 - 9:29 PM


The people of the Iron Range are not likely to forget Army Specialist Noah C. Pierce.

Cheryl Softich, his mother, said that she lived the Iraq war experience through her son's poetry, and after he died in late July -- killing himself in his truck -- she learned even more when she insisted upon driving the vehicle home.

"I now know what that smell of death is like that he had talked about," Softich said.

In Virginia, Minn., at the Servicemen's Club at 229 Chestnut St., the veterans know of Pierce, as well, and they will for a long time: American Veterans Post 33 has been named in his honor.

AMVETS Commander Shawn Carr said Saturday that while Pierce, 23, did not die in action, he considers the decorated soldier a war-related casualty because of Pierce's battles with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).
go here for the rest
http://www.startribune.com/local/stpaul/12963366.html

One by one family members are taking on this enemy killing someone they love as surely as a bullet or bomb. This enemy does not stop trying to kill until the soldier fights back. Once they do, the enemy has no choice but to retreat but it has to be hit hard and early. Although I truly believe it is never too late to seek treatment for PTSD, the longer they wait the more damage done to their lives.

If men and women like my husband had help when they came home from Vietnam, they would not have ended up killing themselves in such massive numbers. Two studies but their suicide deaths between 150,000 and 200,000. They wouldn't have ended up homeless, abandoned by their families and lost to all they loved. Had my husband been helped right away, or even ten years later, he would still be working and wouldn't have suffered all the years without help. I credit God with holding our family together because I couldn't have done this on my own. Yet I fully acknowledge the tremendous burden on the family when hope erodes. I figure it this way. If I had such a hard time living with him before he got help, knowing what I knew about PTSD, how much harder is it on a family who has no clue what it is?

When mothers like Cheryl Softich come out to fight for their son's or daughters, they are heroes in all of this. She is not fighting for her son, but for all the others out there so they won't know how it feels to lose a son like this.

Tragedy Made Changes At Fort Carson

Over the years I've done a lot of posts associated with Fort Carson. When I did a post about the changes being made at Carson to address the way combat wounded with PTSD are treated, I had no idea why this was happening but I did think it had to do a lot with the new commander, Mark Graham. It turns out his son Kevin was a combat casualty of PTSD. How could anyone at Carson or any other base ignore PTSD after this?

A son dies by his own hand, or so they say. Kevin Graham came home from combat with the enemy in his soul. He had PTSD. He hung himself. People will pass off this kind of death as if it should not count in with the price of war paid by those who serve. Some think it should be a thing of shame, a secret kept by the family and friends.

The only shame belongs to the rest of this nation who allow so many to commit suicide when they know what to do to save their lives. End the stigma and you end the hopelessness. End the silence and you end the barrier of them opening up to get the help they need. Fully fund the VA and open clinics across the nation and you help to heal them. Involve the communities to embrace them as wounded by what they were asked to do and you save their lives.

Our Son died on his own battlefield. He was killed in action fighting a civil war. He fought against adversaries that were as real to him as he casket is real to us. They were powerful adversaries. They took toll of his energies and endurance. They exhausted his last vestiges of his courage and strength. At last these adversaries overwhelmed him and it appeared he had lost the war. But did he?

I see a host of victories he has won.For one thing, he has won our admiration because even if he lost the war, we give him credit for his bravery on the battlefield. And we give him credit for the courage and pride and hope that he used as his weapons as long as he could. We shall remember not his death but his daily victories gained through his kindness and thoughtfulness, his love for family and friends, animals, books and music, for all things beautiful and honorable. We shall remember not his last day of defeat but we shall remember the many days he was victorious over the overwhelming odds. We shall remember not the many years we thought he had left, but the intensity with which he lived the years he had.

Only God knows what this child of his suffered in the silent skirmishes that took place in his soul. But our consolation is that God does know and understands.

http://grahammemorial.com/_wsn/page3.html

MAJOR GENERAL MARK GRAHAM
Commanding GeneralDivision West, First Army and Fort CarsonFort Carson, Colorado 80913Major General Mark Graham became the commander of Division West and Fort Carson on 14September 2007. He was commissioned a Second Lieutenant of Field Artillery on 22 December 1977 at Murray State University, Murray, Kentucky. Following the Field Artillery Officer Basic Course, Major General Graham was assigned to the 1-2nd Field Artillery, 8th Infantry Division, Baumholder, Germany.

During this assignment, he served as a FIST Chief, Fire Direction Officer, Battery Executive Officer and Battalion Special Weapons Officer. Major General Graham has served in command and staff positions throughout the Army in the United States and overseas. His command assignments include: C Battery, Staff and Faculty Battalion, Field Artillery School Brigade, A Battery, 2-18th Field Artillery at Fort Sill, Oklahoma; 1-17th Field Artillery, Fort Sill, Oklahoma; Division Artillery, 40th Infantry Division (Mechanized), Los Angeles, California; 3rd Battlefield Coordination Detachment-Korea; and Deputy Commander/Assistant Commandant, U.S. Army Field Artillery Center and School, Fort Sill, Oklahoma.go here for the rest

http://www.carson.army.mil/Fort%20Carson/cg_bio.html

This site has been established to tell the story of two brothers, inseparable in life and now together again in death.Our goal is for others to know Jeff & Kevin better. Additionally we hope to help you or others that suffer from depression, a dark road where illness can lead to death.

QPR (Question, Persuade. Refer)
SPAN USA (Suicide Prevention Action Network)
JED FoundationHOPES
Suicide Prevention Care Fund
American Society of Suicidology
http://www.grahammemorial.com/

If we are ever going to remove the stigma it has to begin with it being personal. When the families speak out on what their members go through, others can see how they would feel if it happened in their own family.

Silence makes it all seem as if there is something to hide or something to be ashamed of. These are the same men and women so brave, so committed to this nation, so honorable they were willing to lay down their lives, so patriotic they were willing to set their own personal wealth aside that they enlisted in the military. Most will do their duty for however long they are needed to be deployed, return home, rationally out of danger from the enemy, yet find their battles did not end. While they are no longer in danger from the bombs or the bullets, they kill themselves. How could that be cowardly? How could that be a "preexisting condition" or a "personality disorder" suddenly being a reason to discharge them?Every civilization has recorded combat wounds of the mind and spirit since the beginning of recorded time. This is not new.

This has not changed since man first went into combat against others. So how in this century are we still finding it so hard to talk about? How is it that there are still so many in this nation dismissing it, minimizing it and attacking it? How can they go from being regarded as a hero one day and coward the next day? PTSD is a wound but we are the reason the wound is untreated. How many more can we lose after combat than we do during it and when the hell are they all going to be counted as a price of war? When will we treat their wounds instead of burying them? Go and watch Death Because They Served and then tell me what can possibly still be in your own brain that you cannot grasp how serious all of this is?

Major General Mark Graham and his wife are doing something about this. What are you doing?

Kathie Costos
Namguardianangel@aol.com
http://www.namguardianangel.org/
http://www.namguardianangel.blogspot.com/http://www.woundedtimes.blogspot.com/
"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

PTSD from a veteran's voice

I Suffer from Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, Part 1
by James Glaser, Posted December 31, 2007

No veteran wants Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). In fact most will fight it for years, and when things really get out of hand, they have to go through the embarrassment of asking the Veterans Administration for help.

If you Google for a definition for PTSD, you find there are 677,000 pages on the subject. Here is one of the first ones I found:

A debilitating condition that often follows a terrifying physical or emotional event causing the person who survived the event to have persistent, frightening thoughts and memories, or flashbacks, of the ordeal. Persons with PTSD often feel chronically, emotionally numb. Once referred to as “shell shock” or “battle fatigue.”
I can remember when I first thought about getting some help with the problems I was having after returning from Vietnam. I was going to Arizona State University under the Vocational Rehabilitation for Disabled Veterans Program, after a tour in the Republic of South Vietnam with the Marines.

Basically, I was okay as far as I was concerned, but I was having nightmares and almost constant thoughts about Vietnam.

So I sought help at the student health center. I wasn’t the first vet they had seen with these problems. They had the answer all ready for me. That would be a big bottle of 10-mg. pills of valium. The pills were nice, and they did take Vietnam off my mind, but they also took everything else with it. Since I was trying to learn something at school, after a really crazy week I flushed the rest of the bottle and decided to just stuff everything into the back of my mind.

Like so many other vets, I stuffed that stuff; and every time it popped back out, I would stuff it in again. Some vets from World War II have been doing that for more than 60 years. The problem is that you can’t keep everything hidden. They might not know what is wrong with you, but your loved ones know that something is terribly wrong, and usually they are the ones who tell you that you need help.

There are lots of places to get help. Many vets used alcohol and others smoked lots of pot or snorted their problems away. In the end, though, most vets go to the VA for help, and that is where “scary” comes into play. First off, it is pretty unanimous that vets with PTSD don’t trust the Veterans Administration.

I still remember my first time at the Minneapolis VA looking for some help. The Nam vets at that time distrusted the VA so much that the building for PTSD was down the road about a mile. You couldn’t even see the VA hospital from there.

That first day was very scary. To begin with, I was totally embarrassed because real Marines wouldn’t need help, or at least that is what I thought.
go here for the rest
http://www.fff.org/freedom/fd0710e.asp

This has to be one of the best accounts of why Vietnam veterans didn't go for help. Please go there and read it all.

Whenever I read about people thinking veterans will try to get away with claiming PTSD falsely I think about veterans like Glaser. I remember the years of trying to get my husband to go and all the others. It was damn near impossible. It still is for too many,

First they don't want to admit they have a problem, even though they know they do. Then they don't want to hear the words. They don't trust the VA and they don't trust their own mind. Some say that if they ever said what was going on inside of them they would be locked up. Glaser stated it point blank.

To hear that so many in this country see fake PTSD veterans coming from all over the place is really sickening when you know saying you have PTSD is the last thing you ever want to do.

If you know them, what they are like, then you can understand all of this better. Please read what he wrote and then think about it.

Oregon National Guard cutting through red tape with passion

Full-time red-tape cutters help troops adjust

By Brad Cain - The Associated Press
Posted : Monday Dec 31, 2007 18:06:32 EST

EUGENE, Ore. — Darcy Woodke recalls the day she picked up her husband and several of his National Guard buddies after they got back from Iraq.

“I stopped at a four-way stop sign. I have never seen people in my life freak out like that. They were saying, ‘Why are you stopping? Go! Go! Go! Go! Don’t stop! Don’t stop!’” Woodke says.

The soldiers had been trained in Iraq not to stop at intersections because that can make you an easy target for insurgent gunmen or bombers.

That is the mind-set Woodke has to deal with in her job — helping soldiers readjust to civilian life after being shot at, bombed and psychologically maimed while serving in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Woodke is a family assistance coordinator in Oregon for the U.S. military. As the title suggests, her job entails dealing with the Pentagon’s legendary red tape.

She is an advocate for the soldiers, arranging medical treatment, therapy, marital counseling and other assistance to help soldiers and their families deal with the transition from hyper-vigilant warriors back to husbands and wives, moms and dads.
go here for the rest

http://www.armytimes.com/news/2007/12/ap_familyassistance_071231up/

More Fort Carson soldiers return from Iraq

More Fort Carson soldiers return from Iraq

The Associated Press
Posted : Tuesday Jan 1, 2008 10:57:15 EST

FORT CARSON, Colo. — About 170 more soldiers have returned to Fort Carson after 15 months in Iraq.

The troops arrived back at Fort Carson at about 2 a.m. on New Year’s Day. They’re with the 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 2nd Infantry Division

Six hundred of the brigade’s soldiers are now home, and the remaining 3,000 are expected later this month.

They began returning in October.
http://www.armytimes.com/news/2008/01/ap_carsonsoldiersreturn_080101/

They will come home to a new attitude toward PTSD and have a better chance of healing thanks to one man.

The new man in charge of Fort Carson is Major General Mark Graham. He's described as a hands-on, people person. Graham says he'll be personally involved in post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) issues on post and help guide Fort Carson as it expands over the next few years.

"I've already been to the hospital, had a great visit there the other day and one of the top issues we discussed was PTSD," says Graham. "It'll be on the top of my list."

Graham also says he'll continue the effort to expand the training site in Pinon Canyon site because preparing men and women for the war on terror demands it.

Fort Carson also expects a surge in troops and the completion of millions of dollars in construction projects in the next few years.
http://www.krdotv.com/Global/story.asp?s=7078203

But can one man do it all? Can Graham address what is coming home if the rest of the system is not up to speed?

Coming home changed

By DENNIS HUSPENI and TOM ROEDER



Soldiers returning from Iraq and Afghanistan are increasingly running afoul of the law, bringing the stress of war to Colorado Springs’ streets.

Most of it is small-time stuff. But some of the allegations against soldiers in the past three years have been serious. This month, police said a crime ring of Fort Carson Iraq war veterans was responsible for the deaths of two GIs.

The volume of military-related crime off-post is beginning to tax civilian law enforcement authorities. Felony El Paso County jail bookings for service members have jumped from 295 in 2005 to 471 so far this year. During that time, the number of soldiers assigned to the post stayed about the same, around 17,500.

“It doesn’t take a study to know the potential for problems is going to be there,” said Colorado Springs police Sgt. Jeff Jensen, whose agency is girding for issues with nearly 4,000 soldiers due back in the next three weeks. “It’s huge. It affects us from all standpoints. The workload alone is increasing as the population increases.”

go here back to VA Watchdog for the rest
http://www.vawatchdog.org/07/nf07/nfDEC07/nf122607-10.htm

It also looks like Fort Carson will have a lot more to deal with given this from the Fort Carson blog

Thursday, December 20, 2007
Post Heads For 30,000
Fort Carson will add 4,877 soldiers by 2013, pushing its active-duty population to nearly 30,000 and pumping millions of dollars into local coffers, the Pentagon said Wednesday.

The move will place a newly formed infantry brigade and supporting troops at the post. It will mean tens of millions of dollars in construction and will add to the building boom at Fort Carson, which was already slated to grow by 10,000 soldiers by 2010.

It could bring as much as an extra $250 million per year to Colorado businesses and create more than 3,000 civilian jobs, economists estimated.



go here for the rest
http://www.fortcarsonblog.com/

This piece went on to talk about adding housing and staff but what it did not get into was the need for mental health increases. Given the fact so many develop PTSD the need will be even greater to address the problem.

Will they be ready? Or will they be ready to toss these combat troops out of the service they loved and were willing to lay down their lives for? Not all PTSD veterans become "unemployable" and not all of them totally lose their "quality of life" if they are treated soon after they begin to show the signs of PTSD. That's a big IF considering there has so far been a lot of talk from Congress and the White House about doing something but not much actually being done on their end.

The DOD takes care of them while they are active and they have let so many fall through the cracks it's going to be damn near impossible to recover all of them if they can even find them. By the time they end up out of the "active" duty turning into veterans, a lot of time has been wasted. If you ask most of them, they want to stay in the military and as a matter of fact, that also happens to be the reason a lot of the won't go for help at all. They want to stay with their units who have become so bonded they feel like family members to them. It is also the time when they have more support at the time they need support the most. These are golden hours to treat the wounded. If there is not the support system there in place when they need to be taken care of, then you have a "perfect storm" of walking wounded and no place to go.

PTSD hits the thought processes, giving short term memory loss among other things. They do a great job covering up what is going on but sooner or later someone does notice there is something not quite right with Johnny anymore. What's it going to take for the military to entirely wake up the way Graham has appeared to open his eyes to? A soldier in Iraq needing a arrow and point toward enemy on his machine gun? Don't laugh. There was military equipment in Vietnam with that stenciled on it. If you get them into treatment right away you have a soldier ready to serve their country and healing. Not all of them can be returned into combat but think of the skills they have that can still be vital to the rest of the unit. Think about the fact they can be there to catch others coming back because they've been there and know what's going on.

As for sending them back into combat with PTSD, I have one issue with this and that is they are being sent back with PTSD and pills. These medications need to be monitored but no one is doing it. They also need therapy to go along with the medication but no one is doing that either. They are just sending them back with little regard for the level of PTSD the soldier has. Mild cases are one thing but when they have full blown PTSD, it is sending them back for just more trauma and torturing the already wounded. They are not making their judgments based on case by case with fully credentialed therapists calling the shots. They are using a one size fits all and that is causing most of the problems with redeploying them. kc

South Dakota National Guard has a real leader when it comes to PTSD

This is what it takes to remove an obstacle course in the way.

Letter: A Call To Soldiers

By: Maj. Gen. Steven Doohen
Rapid City, South Dakota National Guard
The holiday season is also a time to reflect on the gifts of freedom provided to us by our veterans who have served and sacrificed for our country throughout the years.

Some of these veterans give more than most of us realize. The months and even years away from family and home can never be repaid. The scars left from wounds received in combat may never fully heal.

But what I am concerned about the most, are the wounds to the hearts and minds of our veterans that are not marked by scars. These wounds, commonly known as Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), run deeper than any cut to the flesh and must be treated in order to live a full and happy life.


For those of you whose wounds have not healed, I am asking that you take the first step in seeking the help and care available to all our South Dakota veterans. You only need to make that first step and I promise that the Department of Military and Veterans Affairs will support you the rest of the way.

Some of our veterans may think it a weakness to have issues not pronounced by a missing limb or an obvious physical disability. Veterans may think they have dealt with these issues for so long that it is too late to seek help. It's never too late. The sooner you take action, the sooner you can lead a healthier and happier life.
go here for the rest
http://www.yankton.net/stories/122707/ope_229338444.shtml

Linked from Veterans For Common Sense

They come home with wounds no one can see but everyone manages to notice, as odd as that sounds. They notice the changes in them but fail to make the connection. When they come home with the war with them they change. For some it is a subtle change, like not sleeping through the night. For others it appears to be a full blown character change but the person they were before they left is still there beneath the wound and all that came with the wound.

It takes a real leader to recognize this and take an active roll in healing his/her troops. There has been a lot of talk about what the best way to treat PTSD is and there will be a lot more discussion on this but one thing all the experts agree on is the earlier treatment begin, the better the healing rate is. Look at it like an infection. If you leave an infection to fester, it spreads out and goes deeper. Once you begin to treat the infection it stops getting worse and begins to heal.

The men and women from the Vietnam generation wouldn't have progressed so deep into their illnesses had there been early intervention but there wasn't any. It's not as if any of this is new considering the well publicized The War interviews.

THE WAR PBS
Check local listings for encore presentations of THE WAR » ... The War - A Ken Burns Film - Directed & Produced by Ken Burns

Some of their stories the general public was never made aware of. We regarded them as if they were made out of cast iron coming home untouched. We forgot about some of the war movies we saw because the wounded veteran was always in a minor role but the hero was always portrayed as rock solid, untouched by horror or grief, unmoved by loss, thus giving us all the impression they would all just "get over it" but the truth was not a movie actor playing a part. The truth was in the men and women who served.

With Vietnam the imagery of the 60's and 70's with drugged out veteran's glassy eyes along with the label of "freaks" prevented us from looking at them honestly and fully. We failed to see the boy next door coming home still trying to live like the same kid who left, raking leaves, washing his car and mowing the lawn without one single peace emblem to be found. After all most of them were gone for a year so no big deal. Right? Wrong. We got it all wrong when it came to them. They did what they were asked to do and suffered the way all generations of combat veterans suffered before them. Over 30 years later, we still don't have it right.

Now we have this new generation coming home, surviving what would have killed off a lot more had it not been for the advances in trauma treatment and field hospitals, yet we dare to wonder why the cases of PTSD are a lot higher. We dare to wonder why so many come home with wounds inside of them when the Army stated the redeployments would increase the risk of developing PTSD by 50%. We also dare to wonder why so many of them have taken their own lives.


We need a nation full of leaders like Maj. Gen. Steven Doohen taking a real look at how best to serve the troops we sent into combat. He just managed to do in this shot letter what Congress has failed to do in years. Changes in the way we treat the wounded will only come when all base commanders decide to fight this enemy still killing their men and women as surly as an enemy's gun would. This enemy was brought home in their minds and can only be defeated by loosening the lips of those who carry it within them. Loose lips may have suck ships but silence when it comes to PTSD kills.

Kathie Costos
Namguardianangel@aol.com
www.Namguardianangel.org
www.Namguardianangel.blogspot.com
www.Woundedtimes.blogspot.com
"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

Count all non-combat deaths part 3

G-J

Sgt. Denis J. Gallardo 22 2nd Squadron, 3rd Armored Cavalry Regiment St. Petersburg, Florida Died of a non-combat related illness in Tal Afar, Iraq, on November 22, 2005

Brandon M. Gallegos, also 21, of Post Falls, Idaho.April 20, 2004 Soldier sentenced to 30 years for murder of fellow G.I. Associated Press FORT LEWIS, Wash. A soldier who killed his Army buddy after a drinking party has been sentenced to 30 years in military prison, officials at this Army post south of Tacoma said. Daniel Isaiah Taylor, 21, who grew up in Colorado, was charged with premeditated murder but pleaded guilty to unpremeditated murder in the death of Brandon M. Gallegos, also 21, of Post Falls, Idaho.
http://www.armytimes.com/legacy/new/1-292925-2839815.php

Not Counted

Garcia, Anthony R. Captain 48 Army 2/17/06 weapon discharge No. 148-06
IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Feb 20, 2006
DoD Identifies Army Casualty
The Department of Defense announced today the death of a soldier who was supporting Operation Iraqi Freedom. Cpt. Anthony R. Garcia, 48, of Fort Worth, Texas, died in Tikrit, Iraq, on Feb. 17, from a gun shot wound. Garcia was assigned to the 1st Battalion, 101st Aviation Regiment, 101st Aviation Brigade, 101st Airborne Division, Fort Campbell, Ky. The incident is under investigation.
Not counted on CNN

Post officials Monday did not say whether Garcia's injuries were combat-related, nor did they release any details about the nature of his injuries. Cathy Grambling, a spokeswoman for Fort Campbell, confirmed Garcia was shot on a military base in Tikrit on Friday
http://iraq.pigstye.net/article.php/GarciaAnthonyR

Pvt. Gardi Gardev March 07, 2005 Bulgarian says coalition troops likely killed soldier

Not reported as "friendly fire"

Gardev was killed when he was shot southeast of Diwaniya, Iraq, on March 4, 2005. The Bulgarian defense ministry says Gardev's patrol had fired warning shots to stop an Iraqi civilian car when it received heavy fire from the direction of a U.S. Army communications facility 150 meters (165 yards) away.

http://www.cnn.com/SPECIALS/2003/iraq/forces/casualties/page3.html



Associated Press SOFIA, Bulgaria A Bulgarian soldier killed last week in Iraq was likely shot by troops of the U.S.-led coalition, Defense Minister Nikolai Svinarov said Monday. The result (of the investigation) gives us enough grounds to believe the death of Pvt. Gardi Gardev was caused by friendly fire, Svinarov told reporters. He said a Bulgarian patrol was approached by a civilian Iraqi car Friday. The car did not stop after the patrol gave a signal and the servicemen fired warning shots in the air from the north. Shortly after the warning shots were fired, the patrol became the target of massive fire from the west, where a U.S. Army communications site was located about 150 yards away, Svinarov said. Initial reports had said Gardev was killed in a shootout with insurgents near the central Iraqi city of Diwaniya.
http://www.armytimes.com/legacy/new/1-292925-704395.php

Spc. James W. Gardner 22 1st Battalion, 101st Aviation Regiment, 101st Combat Aviation Brigade, 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault) Glasgow, Kentucky Died of a non-combat related cause in Tal Afar, Iraq, on April 10, 2006

Cpl. Erik T. Garoutte
22
1st Fleet Anti-terrorism Security Team Company, Marine Corps Security Force Battalion, 2nd Marine Expeditionary Force
Santee, California
Died in Baghdad, Iraq, on October 19, 2007

No cause of death listed on CNN

http://www.cnn.com/SPECIALS/2003/iraq/forces/casualties/page3.html

Sgt. Landis W. Garrison 23 333rd Military Police Company, Illinois Army National Guard Rapids City, Illinois Died of non-combat related injuries in Abu Ghraib, Iraq, on April 29, 2004

Sgt. Christopher P. Geiger 38 Headquarters Company, 213th Area Support Group, Pennsylvania Army National Guard Northampton, Pennsylvania Died of a non-combat related cause in Bagram, Afghanistan, on July 9, 2003

2nd Lt. Mark C. Gelina 33 2nd Light Armored Reconnaissance Battalion, 2nd Marine Division, 2nd Marine Expeditionary Force Moberly, Missouri Died in a non-hostile incident in Anbar province, Iraq, on November 4, 2006

Staff Sgt. Lewis J. Gentry 48 94th Engineer Battalion Detroit, Michigan Died of a non-combat related cause in Mosul, Iraq, on October 26, 2005

Genzersky, Roman Sergeant 23 6 Separate Mechanized Brigade Non-hostile - weapon discharge (suicide)
Al Kut 07/02/04
Український Форум / Новини і Політика

UK

Lance Cpl. Darren John George 22 1st Battalion, Royal Anglican Regiment Essex, England Accidentally shot in the head while on patrol in Kabul, Afghanistan, on April 9, 2002

Lance Cpl. Cory Ryan Geurin 18 1st Battalion, 7th Marine Regiment, 1st Marine Division Santee,California Died as a result of injuries received when he fell 60 feet from a palace roof while performing guard duty in Babylon, Iraq on July 15, 2003

http://www.cnn.com/SPECIALS/2003/iraq/forces/casualties/page3.html

Another case of family not knowing right away

Pfc. Kyle Gilbert of Brattleboro, Vt. both members of the 82nd Airborne Division were killed when they were caught in crossfire during an ambush Aug. 6, 2003, in Baghdad. “Why didn’t they tell us off the bat?” asked Sue Ritter, Hellermann’s sister. Gilbert was also killed by friendly fire, but his family members could not be reached for comment. Ritter, of Avon, Minn., said a soldier who was with her brother during the ambush was not allowed to tell them that Hellermann died by friendly fire. The soldier became a family friend because he is a fellow Minnesotan, and after he left the Army he was able to tell the family what happened, she said.
http://www.armytimes.com/legacy/new/0-ARMYPAPER-2058597.php

Case of crimes against them

Spc. Joseph Godfrey Jr.
Civilian charged with killing Iraq vet Police have charged a 33-year-old man with robbing and killing a medically retired soldier who served in Iraq. Police arrested Paul M. Leary of Oswego, N.Y., on Jan. 17 on two counts of second-degree murder and one count of first-degree robbery in connection with the death of 24-year-old Spc. Joseph Godfrey Jr. A passerby found Godfrey’s body early Jan. 14 beneath some wooden steps leading to the Oswego River. Godfrey was stabbed in the back of the head and neck area, Police Chief Alexander Zukovsky said. Godfrey returned home Oct. 2 from Iraq. He had served in field artillery since 2002, his family said.
http://www.armytimes.com/legacy/new/0-ARMYPAPER-610097.php

Spc. David J. Goldberg 20 52nd Engineer Combat Battalion (Heavy), 43rd Area Support Group, U.S. Army Reserve Layton, Utah Died of a non-combat injury in Qayyarah, Iraq, on November 26, 2003 A specialist dies from an accidental non-combat gunshot to the chest
http://www.truthout.org/cgi-bin/artman/exec/view.cgi/7/4000

Negligent Homicide

Staff Sgt. Andrew Gonzales, 30,
A Marine captain and three staff sergeants have been charged in connection with the August drowning of a drill instructor at Marine Corps Recruit Depot San Diego.Staff Sgts. David J. Roughan and Fernando Galvan were charged Jan. 27 with negligent homicide, manslaughter and dereliction of duty, said Maj. Joseph Kloppel, a depot spokesman. In addition, Staff Sgt. Duane D. Dishon and Capt. Vincent M. Guida, who was in charge of the Instructional Training Company here, face charges of dereliction of duty.
http://www.armytimes.com/legacy/new/0-ARMYPAPER-1522527.php

Pfc. Amanda Gonzales, 19, in Hanau, Germany, said Army Criminal Investigation Command (CID) spokesman Chris Grey. November 2001 murder. Gonzales’ body was found on the third floor of her barracks room in Fliegerhorst Kasern after she failed to report to work, he said.
http://www.armytimes.com/legacy/new/1-292925-511534.php

Accident

Cpl. Armando Ariel Gonzalez, 25, of Hileah, Fla., was killed April 14 in a non-hostile accident when a commercial refueler collapsed at Logistics Supply Area Viper in southern Iraq. Gonzalez was assigned to Marine Wing Support Squadron (MWSS)-273, Marine Wing Support Group (MWSG)-27, 2nd Marine Aircraft Wing, Marine Corps Air Station Beaufort, S.C.

Murdered

Capt. Jason L. Gonzalez on June 3 and shot him multiple times. Four charged in fatal shooting of pilot Four men, including two teenagers, were charged with murder June 21 in the death of an Army officer. Investigators said Fort Hood, Texas, soldier Russell Alligood, 22, Erik Siperko, 17, Matthew Harris and a 15-year-old broke into the home of Capt. Jason L. Gonzalez on June 3 and shot him multiple times. The suspects were being held in lieu of $1 million bail. Gonzalez, 28, was a company commander with the 4th Infantry Division. The father of two was an Apache helicopter pilot and a 1998 graduate of the U.S. Military Academy.Police said the four did not know Gonzalez.
http://www.armytimes.com/legacy/new/0-ARMYPAPER-936348.php

Pvt Mark Anthony Graham 2006-09-04 33 Hamilton Ontario 1st Battalion, The Royal Canadian Regiment Canadian Army Mark was killed during a friendly fire incident in Panjwayi District.

Listed as died of natural causes

Sandra S. Grant Sunday, January 28 2007Sandra Grant of Linwood joined the U.S. Navy so she could serve her country, see the world and keep alive a family tradition dating back to her great-grandfather. Last week the sailor's body returned home to Davidson County where family and friends buried her at Forest Hill Memorial Park. The 23-year-old West Davidson High School graduate died in her sleep on New Year's Eve after apparently going into cardiac arrest while onboard the USS Dwight D. Eisenhower, an aircraft carrier, in the Persian Gulf.
http://iraq.pigstye.net/article.php/GrantSandraS

Died on base, not counted

Sgt. Adam J. Gray, 24, of Hartford, Wis., was discovered by a soldier on duty at the barracks at Fort Wainwright on Sunday. Post spokeswoman Linda Douglass said today that an autopsy was performed at Elmendorf Air Force Base, but the results, including the cause of death, would not be released until the investigation has been completed. Gray was one of the few soldiers left behind while his unit, 1st Battalion, 17th Infantry Regiment, is in field training with most of the rest of the 172nd Stryker Brigade Combat Team. Sept 1, 2004
http://www.armytimes.com/legacy/new/1-292925-332679.php

Master-at-Arms 2nd Class Michael Gray, died in May 2004 in Kuwait, reportedly in a vehicle crash. “The only information that’s been correct so far is that he’s dead.” Gray said some members of her husband's unit were barred from speaking with her, but rumors persist that the man who crashed into his vehicle did so on purpose.
http://www.armytimes.com/legacy/new/0-ARMYPAPER-1220591.php
Killed when his vehicle was struck from the rear by a civilian vehicle while he was traveling to Kuwait Navy Base on March 5, 2004
http://www.cnn.com/SPECIALS/2003/iraq/forces/casualties/page3.html

Sgt. Tommy L. Gray 34 215th Forward Support Battalion, 1st Cavalry Division Roswell, New Mexico Died when he became caught between two motor pool vehicles in Taji, Iraq, on August 3, 2004
http://www.cnn.com/SPECIALS/2003/iraq/forces/casualties/page3.html

Curtis Green 25 FORT RILEY 12/6/2004 "Over my dead body are they going to make me go back." "I knew he was having dreams, nightmares," Lisset said. "He would wake up at night really sweaty." On Dec. 6, he showed up for work, his uniform pressed, his boots polished. He sang cadence. That night, he was found hanging in his barracks. Sgt. Curtis Greene, 331st Signal Company, was 25
http://www.commondreams.org/cgi-bin/print.cgi?file=/headlines05/0214-09
Not counted

Cpl. Jeffrey G. Green 20 2nd Battalion, 4th Marine Regiment, 1st Marine Division, 1st Marine Expeditionary Force Dallas, Texas Found dead in the Euphrates River in Anbar province, Iraq, on May 5, 2004. The cause of death is under investigation.

Cpl. Jeremy R. Greene
24
2nd Battalion, 87th Infantry Regiment, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 10th Mountain Division
Springfield, Ohio
Died due to injuries suffered from a non-combat related incident at Forward Operating Base Tillman, Afghanistan, on April 28, 2007
http://www.cnn.com/SPECIALS/2004/oef.casualties/page2.html


UK

Cpl. John Gregory 30 Royal Logistics Corps Catterick, North Yorkshire, England Shot himself after shooting a fellow soldier at the British base at Kabul International Airport on August 17, 2002

Seaman Genesia Mattril Gresham
19
U.S. Naval Support Activity Bahrain
Lithonia, Georgia
One of two sailors who died during a non-combat related incident in Bahrain on October 22, 2007
http://www.cnn.com/SPECIALS/2003/iraq/forces/casualties/page3.html

Spc. James T. Grijalva 26 2nd Battalion, 130th Infantry Regiment, Illinois Army National Guard Burbank, Illinois Died of a non-combat related injury in Baghdad, Iraq, on October 12, 2005

ERIC RYAN GROSSMAN 22 CALIFORNIA RAN INTO TRAFFIC 4/6/2006
Not counted

Sgt. Dave Guindon In August, Air Guard, 48, of Merrimack, killed himself a day after returning from combat in Iraq. The death of Tech Sgt. David Guindon, 48, from a self-inflicted gunshot wound on Aug. 18 “was just heartbreaking,” said Caryl Ahern, the readjustment team leader at the Vet Center in Manchester, which offers counseling and other services to veterans and their families.
http://www.veteransforcommonsense.org/index.cfm/Page/Article/ID/1932
Not counted

Pfc. Zachary R. Gullett
20
984th Military Police Company, 759th Military Police Battalion, 89th Military Police Brigade
Hillsboro, Ohio
Died as a result of a non-combat related incident in Baghdad, Iraq, on May 1, 2007
http://www.cnn.com/SPECIALS/2003/iraq/forces/casualties/page3.html

Pfc. Hannah L. Gunterman 20 542nd Maintenance Company, 44th Corps Support Battalion Redlands, California Died of a non-combat related cause in Taji, Iraq, on September 4, 2006. The incident is under investigation.

Pfc. Hannah Gunterman McKinney was 20 years old, the brown-eyed mother of a toddler son, when she was spotted in the headlights of a passing Humvee on a perimeter road at one of the largest U.S. military camps in Iraq.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/22499062/

Pfc. Christian D. Gurtner, 19, of Ohio City, Ohio Marine killed by non-combat weapons discharge in southern Iraq. (4/03/2003)
http://www.lunchwithgeorge.com/lwg_iraqwar.html

Spc. Agustin Gutierrez, 19, of San Jacinto, Calif.The Department of Defense announced today the death of two soldiers who were supporting Operation Enduring Freedom. They died March 29 in North Kabul, Afghanistan, of injuries suffered during a non-combat related vehicle accident on March 28 in North Kabul. Their deaths are under investigation. Both soldiers were assigned to the 782nd Brigade Support Battalion, 4th Brigade Combat Team, 82nd Airborne Division, Fort Bragg, N.C

Lt. Col. Marshall A. Gutierrez 41 Area Support Group, Arijan, Kuwait New Mexico Died in Camp Virginia, Kuwait of non-combat related injuries on September 4, 2006. The incident is under investigation.

Pfc. Robert A. Guy 26 Company I, 3rd Battalion, 8th Marine Regiment, 2nd Marine Division, 2nd Marine Expeditionary Force Willards, Maryland Died due to a non-hostile incident near Karma, Iraq, on April 21, 2005 "Any little thing they do is a help," said Ann Guy of Willards, Md., whose son, Marine Pfc. Robert A. Guy, killed himself in Iraq on April 21, 2005 - a month after he was prescribed the antidepressant Zoloft with no monitoring.
http://www.optruth.org/index.php/images/index.php?option=content&task=view&id=2232&Itemid=116

Derek J. Hale results in criminal charges and a complete lustration (in the Eastern European sense of the term) of Delaware's law enforcement establishment. Hale, a retired Marine Sergeant who served two tours in Iraq and was decorated before his combat-related medical discharge in January 2006, was murdered by a heavily armed 8–12-member undercover police team in Wilmington, Delaware last November 6. He had come to Wilmington from his home in Manassas, Virginia to participate in a Toys for Tots event.
http://www.lewrockwell.com/grigg/grigg-w10.html

Sgt. Christopher Hall, 26. A Fort Knox, Ky., soldier has pleaded not guilty in a central Kentucky court to charges in a fatal drunk-driving crash that killed a sergeant. Spc. Marc Hampton, 22, was arraigned June 13 on charges of reckless homicide and fourth-degree assault. A trial was set for next April. State police said Hampton drove a 2001 Ford Mustang into a tree around 2 a.m. Oct. 30. The crash killed passenger Sgt. Christopher Hall, 26. A Fort Knox spokesperson said the military has not taken any action against Hampton.
http://www.armytimes.com/legacy/new/0-ARMYPAPER-1873540.php

Spc. David E. Hall 21 805th Military Police Company, 16th Military Police Brigade, U.S. Army Reserve Uniontown, Kansas Died in a non-hostile accident in Kabul, Afghanistan, on February 25, 2004

No cause listed on CNN
Pfc. Joseph G. Harris
19
2nd Battalion, 508th Parachute Infantry Regiment, 4th Brigade Combat Team, 82nd Airborne Division
Sugar Land, Texas
Died at Forward Operating Base Warrior, Afghanistan, on May 3, 2007

Staff Sgt. Darren Harmon 44 203rd Military Intelligence Battalion, 205th Military Intelligence Brigade, Army Reserve Newark, Delaware Died of a non-combat related cause in Haditha, Iraq, on June 3, 2006 A Delaware soldier who died while serving in Iraq suffered an apparent heart attack
http://iraq.pigstye.net/article.php/HarmonDarren

Pfc. Torry D. Harris 21 12th Chemical Company, 1st Infantry Division Chicago, Illinois Died of non-combat related injuries in Tikrit, Iraq, on July 13, 2004

Leonard Harvey 55 Defense Fire Service Suffolk, England Died in a British hospital on May 22, 2003, after falling ill while deployed in the Persian Gulf as a civilian firefighter with the Defense Fire Service

http://www.cnn.com/SPECIALS/2003/iraq/forces/casualties/page3.html

Spc. William S. Hayes III 23 Company C, 1st Battalion, 22nd Infantry Regiment, 1st Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division St. Tammany, Louisiana Died of a non-combat related injury in Baghdad, Iraq, on February 5, 2006

Killed by friendly fire but family didn't know for two years

Staff Sgt. Brian Hellermann’s family didn’t know for almost two years that he had been killed by friendly fire. Hellermann, of Freeport, Minn., and Pfc. Kyle Gilbert of Brattleboro, Vt. both members of the 82nd Airborne Division were killed when they were caught in crossfire during an ambush Aug. 6, 2003, in Baghdad.
http://www.armytimes.com/legacy/new/0-ARMYPAPER-2058597.php

Kyle Hemauer 21 Family questions Army ruling that soldier committed suicidePublished Thursday, August 10, 2006 12:08:28 AM Central TimeMILWAUKEE (AP) -- The family of a Chilton soldier who died in Afghanistan last year said it plans to continue its own investigation after a new military report says the soldier committed suicide.
Chilton soldiers parents seek answers about his death Monday, Feb 20, 2006
APPLETON, Wis. The parents of a Chilton soldier who died nine months ago while serving in Afghanistan say the military still hasn't told them the full details of how their son died. Andy and Ann Hemauer said the Department of Defense has given the... read entire article»
http://www.armytimes.com/legacy/gua/1-213101-1546920.php

Spc. Melvin L. Henley Jr.
26
603rd Aviation Support Battalion, 3rd Combat Aviation Brigade, 3rd Infantry Division
Jackson, Mississippi
Died of injuries suffered from non-combat related incident at Camp Striker in Baghdad, Iraq, on November 21, 2007
http://www.cnn.com/SPECIALS/2003/iraq/forces/casualties/page3.html

Spc. Melvin Henley was on his second tour of duty in Iraq family members say when he died Wednesday at Camp Striker in Iraq from injuries suffered from a noncombat-related incident, the Associated Press reports. The U.S. Department of Defense announced Henley’s death on Friday.
The cause of death was a single gunshot wound to the head, Jim Jeffcoat, a spokesman for Fort Stewart in Georgia, where Henley was assigned, told The Clarion-Ledger newspaper in Jackson, Miss. “It is under investigation,” Jeffcoat said.

Spc. Jeffrey S. Henthorn 25 24th Transportation Company, 541st Maintenance Battalion, 937th Engineer Group Choctaw, Oklahoma Died of non-combat related injuries in Balad, Iraq, on February 8, 2005What his hometown does not know is that Henthorn, 25, had been sent back to Iraq for a second tour, even though his superiors knew he was unstable and had threatened suicide at least twice, according to Army investigative reports and interviews.When he finally succeeded in killing himself on Feb. 8, 2005, at Camp Anaconda in Balad, Iraq, an Army report says, the work of the M-16 rifle was so thorough that fragments of his skull pierced the barracks ceiling.

Spc. Marisol Heredia
19
15th Brigade Support Battalion, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division
El Monte, California
Died at Brooke Army Medical Center in San Antonio, Texas, on September 7, 2007, of injuries suffered from a non-combat related injury in Baghdad, Iraq, on July 18.
http://www.cnn.com/SPECIALS/2003/iraq/forces/casualties/page3.html

Lance Cpl. Ramiro Hernandez III The grieving mother of a Marine found dead in his barracks in August at Twentynine Palms doesn't believe her son committed suicide. But a military investigation concluded that Lance Cpl. Ramiro Hernandez III, 24, died in his barracks by hanging himself with a belt.

Spc. Joseph F. Herndon, II, 21, of Derby, Kan., died July 29, in Hawijah, Iraq, when he was shot while on guard duty. Herndon was assigned to the Armys 1st Battalion, 27th Infantry, 25th Infantry Division (Light), Schofield Barracks, Hawaii.
The incident is under investigation.

Spc. Julie R. Hickey 20 412th Civil Affairs Battalion, Army Reserve Galloway, Ohio Hickey was evacuated from Bagram, Afghanistan, on June 30, 2004, and died in Landstuhl, Germany, on July 4 of complications from a non-combat related illness.

Melissa Hobart, the East Haven native who collapsed and died in June 2004, had enlisted in the Army in early 2003 after attending nursing school, and initially was told she would be stationed in Alaska, her mother, Connie Hobart, said. When her orders were changed to Iraq, Melissa, the mother of a 3-year-old daughter, fell into a depression and sought help at Fort Hood, Texas, according to her mother. "Just before she got deployed, she said she was getting really depressed, so I told her to go talk to somebody," Connie Hobart recalled. "She said they put her on an antidepressant." Melissa, a medic, accepted her obligation to serve, even as her mother urged her to "go AWOL" and come home to Ladson, S.C., where the family had moved. But three months into her tour in Baghdad - and a week before she died - she told Connie she was feeling lost. "She wanted out of there. She said everybody's morale was low," Connie recalled. "She said the people over there would throw rocks at them, that they didn't want them there. It was making her sad." Around the same time, Melissa fainted and fell in her room, she told Connie in an e-mail. She said she had been checked out by a military doctor. The next week, while serving on guard duty in Baghdad, Melissa collapsed and died of what the Army has labeled "natural" causes. The autopsy report lists the cause of death as "undetermined."

Cpl. Benjamin D. Hoeffner 21 324th Psychological Operations Company, Army Reserve Wheat Ridge, Colorado Died of a non-combat related cause in Ali Al Salem, Kuwait, on October 25, 2005

Capt. Roselle M. Hoffmaster
32
Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 1st Brigade Combat Team, 10th Mountain Division
Cleveland, Ohio
Died of injuries sustained from a non-combat related incident in Kirkuk, Iraq, on September 20, 2007
http://www.cnn.com/SPECIALS/2003/iraq/forces/casualties/page3.html

Spc. Eric M. Holke
31
1st Battalion, 160th Infantry, California Army National Guard
Crestline, California
Died of wounds sustained from a non-combat related incident in Tallil, Iraq, on July 15, 2007
http://www.cnn.com/SPECIALS/2003/iraq/forces/casualties/page3.html

Cpl. Paul C. Holter III 21 Battery S, 2nd Battalion, 11th Marine Regiment, 1st Marine Division, 1st Marine Expeditionary Force Corpus Christi, Texas Died due to a non-combat related incident at Camp Ramadi, Iraq, on January 14, 2005

Lance Cpl. Raymond J. Holzhauer 19 2nd Maintenance Battalion, 2nd Marine Logistics Group, 2nd Marine Expeditionary Force Dwight, Illinois Died of a non-hostile incident in Anbar province, Iraq, on March 15, 2007 http://iraq.pigstye.net/article.php/HolzhauerRaymondJ

Pfc. Sean Horn 19 Combat Service Support Group 11, 1st Force Service Support Group, 1st Marine Expeditionary Force Orange, California Died due to a non-hostile incident at Camp Taqaddum, Iraq, on June 19, 2004

Spc. Robert Hornbeck, 23, has not been seen or heard from since April 16 when he called his father, who was visiting in Savannah, Ga. Hornbeck had asked his dad to pick him and an Army buddy up at the DeSoto Hilton hotel after a night of barhopping, The Associated Press reported. But he never met his father. The soldier had returned to Fort Benning, Ga., in January after a year in Iraq. Hornbeck was preparing to leave the Army at the end of April and return to the University of Michigan, where he studied psychology for two years before joining the Army in 2004. He also had a wedding date to marry his college sweetheart in July.
http://www.armytimes.com/legacy/new/0-ARMYPAPER-1738626.php

Spc. Robert Hornbeck, 23, was discovered April 28 inside a piece of hotel air-conditioning equipment in Savannah. He bled to death after being struck by fan blades. Maintenance workers found the body while investigating guests’ complaints of a foul odor in the lobby.
Hornbeck’s family has since sued the Hilton Savannah DeSoto for $10 million, claiming the hotel was negligent and contributed to the soldier’s death.
http://www.armytimes.com/news/2007/04/army_missing_rust_070410w/

Spc. Corey A. Hubbell 20 Company B, 46th Engineer Battalion Urbana, Illinois Died from a non-combat related cause in Camden Yards, Kuwait, on June 26, 2003
http://www.cnn.com/SPECIALS/2003/iraq/forces/casualties/page3.html


Petty Officer 1st Class Thomas C. Hull
41
USS Princeton
Princeton, Illinois
Died on board the aircraft carrier USS Nimitz in the Arabian Gulf after being medically evacuated to the carrier for a non-combat related incident on August 2, 2005
http://www.cnn.com/SPECIALS/2003/iraq/forces/casualties/page3.html


Spc. Craig S. Ivory 26 501st Forward Support Company, 173rd Airborne Brigade Port Matilda, Pennsylvania Ivory was medically evacuated due to a non-combat related cause from Kuwait on August 12, 2003 and died on August 17 at Homberg University Hospital, Germany

Lt. Cmdr. Edward E. Jack 51 Assigned to Commander, Destroyer Squadron Seven Detroit, Michigan Died of a non-combat related incident aboard the USS Bonhomme Richard on January 29, 2005
Lt. Cmdr. Edward E. Jack 51 Assigned to Commander, Destroyer Squadron Seven Detroit, Michigan Died of a non-combat related incident aboard the USS Bonhomme Richard on January 29, 2005 A Lutheran minister and military chaplain, Edward E. Jack was a favorite among his shipmates aboard the USS Bonhomme Richard. "Everybody loved him," said his wife, Jean. "He didn't have to go on this trip. He volunteered." Jack, 51, of Detroit, died of a heart attack Jan. 29 on the amphibious assault ship in the waters near Iraq. Before reaching Iraq, Jack's ship was part of the U.S. military's tsunami relief. He served in the Navy for 23 years, with three in the Navy reserves. He was due to retire in June. Navy spokesman Lt. Kyle Raines said Jack was most recently based in San Diego, where he was assigned to Commander Destroyer Squadron Seven. "His role was in comforting the sailors and Marines," said his wife, who noted that her husband also served in the war zone in 2003. "He took it because he liked adventure." Jack also is survived by a daughter, Amanda Roggow, and a son, Todd. "Chaplain Jack exemplified an unwavering commitment to Scripture and to service to the men and women of the sea services," said Cmdr. Mark Steiner, a Lutheran chaplain and a longtime friend of Jack's. "He will be dearly missed."
http://www.legacy.com/chicagotribune/Soldier/Story.aspx?PersonID=3113271

James L. Jacobs served nearly a year as a US Army sergeant in Iraq, where he saw combat and witnessed children being blown up. He came home in August 2004, moved in with his mother in Randolph, and started working as a mortgage consultant for a Mattapan lending firm. After nearly five years in the Army and far from battle, he was struggling with post-traumatic stress disorder, but his family thought he was finally safe. Friday night, he was shot and killed outside a friend’s house on McLellan Street in Dorchester, less than a mile from Rosseter Street, where he grew up. April 2007
http://www.boston.com/news/globe/city_region/breaking_news/2007/04/soldier_survive.html


Electrician Mate Fire Michael J. Jakes Jr 2001-12-04 20 Brooklyn New York USS Kitty Hawk Navy Michael died in the Northern Arabian Sea as a result of non-hostile injuries.
http://afghanistan.pigstye.net/wd.php?sort=unit


Sgt. Grzegorz Jakoniuk 25 Company B, 4th Battalion, 3rd Aviation Regiment, 3rd Infantry Division Schiller Park, Illinois Died of non-combat related injuries in Taji, Iraq, on November 30, 2005




Command Sgt. Maj. Dennis Jallah Jr. 49 Headquarters Company, 2nd Battalion, 10th Aviation Regiment, 10th Mountain Division Fayetteville, North Carolina Jallah died due to a non-combat cause on March 28, 2004, at Walter Reed Army Medical Center in Washington, D.C. He was medically evacuated from Afghanistan to via Landstuhl Medical Center in Germany on February 16.

Petty Officer 2nd Class Laquita Pate James 23 Navy master-at-arms Orange Park, Florida Died of apparent natural causes while deployed aboard the multipurpose amphibious assault ship the USS Bataan on February 12, 2007


Cpl. Jessiah Jameson’s body was recovered Dec. 1 from the Cumberland River in Tennessee. Jameson, 21, disappeared Nov. 16, two days after returning on leave from Iraq.
http://www.armytimes.com/news/2007/04/army_missing_rust_070410w
Not counted

Sgt. Edmund J. Jeffers 23 1st Battalion, 9th Infantry Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 2nd Infantry Division Daleville, Alabama Died of injuries suffered from a non-combat related accident in Taqqadum, Iraq, on September 19, 2007


Spc. William A. Jeffries 39 Company D, 1st Battalion, 152nd Infantry Regiment, Illinois Army National Guard Evansville, Indiana Died from a sudden illness on March 31, 2003, in Rota, Spain, after he was evacuated from Kuwait

JAMES JENKINS 23 SAN DIEGO 10/1/2005 A Marine's fall from Iraq heroism Thursday, October 13, 2005 By KEVIN SHEA Staff Writer James Jenkins left Hamilton for the Marines in 2001 as a solid young man and citizen, his family and a former coach say. He was a Nottingham High School graduate, a star wrestler and talked of turning his military training into a career with the U.S. Secret Service. But something went terribly wrong. By all accounts, Jenkins was an excellent Marine. He'd served two tours of duty in Iraq with the 11th Marine Expeditionary Unit, based at Camp Pendleton, Calif. And of the many awards that were pinned on his uniform, one was a Bronze Star with a combat V for valor. But the James Jenkins whose picture was plastered all over the news in the San Diego area two weeks ago was described as an AWOL soldier who'd gone on a violent crime spree with a stolen gun. He'd robbed, kidnapped and even tried to sexually assault a woman he had carjacked at gunpoint. Police said he was considered armed and dangerous - and possibly suicidal.
On Sept. 28, with federal agents at his fiancee's front door in Oceanside, Calif., Jenkins shot himself. He died six hours later at the age of 23.
http://www.nj.com/news/times/index.ssf?/news/times/stories/20051013tt_war_jenkins.html
not counted

Christopher Jerry, 22, died near the post Aug. 31,(05) two weeks after he was discharged. He had been assigned to the 2nd Brigade, 3rd Infantry Division.
http://www.armytimes.com/legacy/new/0-ARMYPAPER-1373102.php
not counted

Linda C. Jimenez, 39, Brooklyn NY A sergeant falls into a hole while running to keep up with friends in Baghdad and suffers a blood clot in her brain that causes a stroke, and she dies of complications nine days later.
http://www.truthout.org/cgi-bin/artman/exec/view.cgi/7/4000


Pfc. Jason D. Johns 19 3rd General Support Aviation Battalion, 82nd Combat Aviation Brigade, 82nd Airborne Division Frankton, Indiana Died of a non-combat related injury in Bagram, Afghanistan, on February 21, 2007


Benjamin Johnson Electronics Technician 3rd Cla 2001-11-18 21 Rochester New York Headquarters Company, 2nd Battalion, 87th Infantry Regiment, 10th Mountain Division Army Benjamin died in the Persian Gulf as a result of a non-hostile accident
http://afghanistan.pigstye.net/wd.php?sort=unit


Spc. John P. Johnson 24 Company A, 2nd Battalion, 6th Infantry Regiment, 1st Armored Division Houston, Texas Died of non-combat related injuries on October 22, 2003, in Baghdad, Iraq

Pvt. Lavena L. Johnson 19 Headquarters Detatchment, 129th Corps Support Battalion, 101st Support Group, 101st Airborne Division Florissant, Missouri Died of non-combat related injuries in Balad, Iraq, on July 19, 2005


Sgt. 1st Class Charles J. Jones 29 Headquarters Company, 149th Brigade Combat Team, Kentucky Army National Guard Lawrenceburg, Kentucky Died from a non-combat related incident in Baghdad, Iraq, on September 20, 2006



Navy Petty Officer 2nd Class Darrell Jones 22 Guided missile destroyer USS Higgins Wellston, Ohio Died of non-combat related injuries in Jebel Ali, United Arab Emirates on October 8, 2003

Capt. Gussie M. Jones 41 31st Combat Support Hospital Shreveport, Louisiana A combat surgical nurse, Jones died of a non-combat cause in Baghdad, Iraq, on March 7, 2004

Spec. Kelon Jones On July 17, after an El Paso County sheriff's deputy stopped a pursuit that began when he saw two men on motorcycles popping wheelies and screaming up Academy Boulevard at speeds of more than 80 mph, Army Spec. Kelon Jones slammed his Kawasaki into a car. He flew 85 feet and later died. Jones, 20, had served in Iraq with the 43rd Area Support Group.
http://www.democraticwarrior.com/forum/showthread.php?t=2798


Sgt. 1st Class Michael D. Jones 43 Company A, 133rd Engineer Battalion, Maine Army National Guard Unity, Maine Jones became ill at Fort Drum, New York, just after returning from duty in Iraq, and was taken to a hospital in Syracuse, where he died of a non-combat related illness on March 3, 2005

Pfc. Thomas Jones Fort Hood soldier found dead in barracks 7/4/05 Officials from III Corps at Fort Hood, Texas, on June 21 released the name of a soldier who was found dead in his barracks room. According to a news release, the body of the 4th Infantry Division soldier, Pfc. Thomas Jones, 25, was found by his roommates June 19, around noon. A post spokesman would not speculate on the cause of death, but said it is under investigation by the fort’s Criminal Investigation Command, which has responsibility for investigating all on-post deaths. Jones was assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 77th Field Artillery, 4th Brigade Combat Team.
http://www.armytimes.com/legacy/new/0-ARMYPAPER-936348.php
Not counted




Lt. Kylan Jones-Huffman An Iraqi man has been convicted of murdering a 31-year-old Navy reservist last year in what U.S. military officials described as the first time Iraq’s new criminal justice system has held a citizen accountable for the death of an American serviceman. The Central Criminal Court of Iraq sentenced Alaa Sartell Khthee, 28, to 15 years in prison for the death of Lt. Kylan Jones-Huffman, who was shot to death in Baghdad in August 2003 when the sport utility vehicle in which he was riding stalled in a marketplace.
http://www.armytimes.com/legacy/new/0-ARMYPAPER-559260.php

Sgt. Curt E. Jordan Jr. 25 Company A, 14th Combat Engineer Battalion, 555th Combat Engineer Group Green Acres, Washington Died of non-combat injuries near Bayji, Iraq, on December 28, 2003


Gunnery Sgt. Phillip Jordan, died in March 2003 near Nasiriyah, Iraq. Jordan was present at one of the worst friendly fire incidents of the war, a mistaken attack by an Air Force A-10 fighter on Marines fighting for possession of the city in southern Iraq. A Marine investigation concluded, based on eyewitness reports, that Jordan was killed by an enemy rocket-propelled grenade. But Amanda Jordan said the Marine Corps did not complete tests on her husband's body that could confirm the cause of death.
http://www.armytimes.com/legacy/new/0-ARMYPAPER-1220591.php