Sunday, April 25, 2010

Gen. Peter Chiarelli says mental health toughest battle of his 37-year career

General Chairelli is right. I've been in this since 1982 and never thought it would ever get this bad for them. We should never, ever lose more after war than during it, but we do during a time in their lives when they should be healing.


Army general is point man in Pentagon's push to improve soldiers' welfare
Seattle Times

Army general is point man in Pentagon's push to improve soldiers' welfare
Gen. Peter Chiarelli, a Seattle University graduate and the son of a Magnolia butcher, ascended the ranks to become the Army's No. 2 uniformed officer. He has emerged as an outspoken advocate in the push to improve the welfare of soldiers.

By Hal Bernton

Seattle Times staff reporter

STEVE RINGMAN / THE SEATTLE TIMES

Speaking to cadets at Seattle University, Gen. Peter Chiarelli rose from the same ROTC program to become the No. 2 officer in the Army and an outspoken point man trying to improve conditions for soldiers.
Earlier this winter, Gen. Peter Chiarelli, on a visit to Walter Reed Army Medical Center, learned a hotel for injured soldiers had a faulty hot-water system. The four-star general told his staff that if the problem should recur, he wanted to know right away.

A few weeks later, Chiarelli was awakened around 3:30 a.m. with word of another complaint about the hotel plumbing. He got dressed and drove to Walter Reed to demand the replacement of a troublesome valve system.

The Seattle-raised Chiarelli is an emotional man who has emerged as an unconventional and outspoken advocate in a Pentagon push to improve soldiers' welfare. The son of a Magnolia butcher, during the Vietnam War he attended the Reserve Officers' Training Corps at Seattle University, far from the West Point path, and then improbably ascended the ranks to become the Army's vice-chief of staff — its No. 2 uniformed officer.

In recent years, the Army has been battered by scandals about its outpatient care for the wounded. In addition, surging numbers of soldiers have returned home from Iraq and Afghanistan with post-traumatic stress disorder and traumatic brain injuries.

Chiarelli, who served two tours of duty in Iraq, says the mental-health crisis in the military has been the toughest battle of his 37-year career.
read more here
Army general is point man in Pentagon

Veterans with PTSD need our attention

Veterans with PTSD need our attention
Alamogordo Daily NewsDaily News Posted: 04/25/2010 12:00:00 AM MDT

Wednesday has been proclaimed by Gov. Bill Richardson as Post Traumatic Stress Disorder Awareness Day. Are you aware that more than 1 million Vietnam veterans suffer from PTSD and thousands more are or will be afflicted by our current wars in Iraq and Afghanistan? PTSD is a major problem in New Mexico and our nation.

Medical practioners define PTSD as a normal reaction to an abnormal traumatic event. The disorder results in such symptoms as anxiety, depression, sleep disorder and isolationism. It severely affects a person's quality of life and the lives of their family, friends and neighbors. It often leads to violence, breaking of laws, illegal drug use, an overuse of alcohol, and often results in homelessness.

Because of the stigma attached to mental illness, those afflicted may go underground and not seek treatment.
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Veterans with PTSD need our attention

Multiple Pedestrians Ignore Dying New York Hero

This homeless man showed more courage and compassion for someone else than everyone on the street that night. A man with nothing ended up having more than the others can ever imagine. He knew what it was like to care about a stranger and be willing to sacrifice his life to save someone else.

May God have mercy on the people walking by him as his life slipped away when they could have saved him.



Multiple Pedestrians Ignore Dying New York Hero

(April 24) -- A homeless man who was stabbed while saving a woman from a knife-wielding attacker lay dying in a pool of his own blood for more than an hour while several New Yorkers walked past without calling for help.

Surveillance video obtained by the New York Post shows that some passers-by paused to gawk at Hugo Alfredo Tale-Yax early Sunday morning and yet kept on walking.

One man came out of a nearby building and took a cellphone photo of the victim before leaving. Another leaned over and vigorously shook the dead man before walking away. But most people never stopped.

Firefighters arrived more than an hour and 20 minutes after Tale-Yax collapsed. By that time, the 31-year-old was dead.

"They needed to help and call the police. I don't get it," resident Ramon Bellasco, 46, told the Post.
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Multiple Pedestrians Ignore Dying New York Hero

Saturday, April 24, 2010

Lewis-McChord soldier says he killed wife

Lewis-McChord soldier says he killed wife

The Associated Press
Posted : Friday Apr 23, 2010 20:55:21 EDT

OLYMPIA, Wash. — Thurston County sheriff’s detectives found the body of a soldier’s wife after he confessed to killing her and told them to look in the garage of their home near Lacey.

Lt. Chris Mealy says detectives began questioning 28-year-old Sheldon T. Plummer this week after they received a tip that he had asked a friend how to dispose of a body.
read more here
Lewis-McChord soldier says he killed wife

Trading military uniforms for prison attire

From combat to lockdown: Vets in trouble
Trading military uniforms for prison attire
By Matthew D. LaPlante

The Salt Lake Tribune

Updated: 04/24/2010 01:24:39 PM MDT


Click photo to enlarge«1234»Ray Lara, an Army veteran from the first Gulf War, attends a veteran support group that meets once a week at the Utah State Prison in Gunnison. (Al Hartmann / The Salt Lake Tribune)Related
Vets behind bars
Apr 24:
Sex offenses common among troubled vetsJohn Pace stumbled to his car, slipped Johnny Cash's "Folsom Prison Blues" into the compact disc player and turned the key.

From half a century away, one Air Force veteran crooned to another:

When I was just a baby, my mama told me, 'Son,

Always be a good boy, don't ever play with guns.'

Five years as a military police officer, including a stint in South Korea, a tour of duty in Afghanistan and multiple deployments in Iraq, had all come to this: a drunken 23-year-old combat vet behind the wheel, determined to find another bottle to empty onto his pain.

Pace pulled into the dark parking lot of a TGI Friday's restaurant in Riverdale, broke a window and crawled inside. He took one bottle, then

another. Then he decided to empty out the entire bar.

More than 2 million American military members have served in the nation's ongoing conflicts, and many are returning home deeply troubled by their experiences. About a third suffer from post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), traumatic brain injury, depression or other mental illness. At least a fifth struggle with drug or alcohol dependency.

Mental illness and substance abuse are the greatest predictive factors for incarceration in America. And that has put thousands of veterans on a collision course with the nation's criminal justice system.

But no one has a handle on the extent of the problem because most police agencies, prosecutors and prisons aren't tracking who, among the accused and the convicted, has served in the military.
read more here
Trading military uniforms for prison attire

At least 7 dead in Mississippi tornado

At least 7 dead in Mississippi tornado
By the CNN Wire Staff
April 24, 2010 7:03 p.m. EDT

STORY HIGHLIGHTS
NEW: At least 7 killed in massive tornado; 2 of the dead are children
NEW: Governor calls the storm "devastating," says people have been trapped in wreckage
NEW: Worst damage is in Yazoo City and Eagle Lake, near Louisiana border
Forecaster says spotters reported the twister's path as up to a mile wide

(CNN) -- At least seven people are dead, including two children, after a tornado almost a mile wide tore through Mississippi on Saturday, the state emergency management agency said.

The tornado raked cities on the central western border with Louisiana northeastward to Alabama, the National Weather Service reported.

At least two people were killed and 15 injured in Yazoo City, one of the hardest-hit areas, where the massive twister flattened homes and downed trees.

Mississippi Gov. Haley Barbour, who was in Yazoo City where his home is located, called the twister "enormous" and "devastating," adding that some residents were trapped in badly damaged homes.

"They're working to get to the people and rescue as many as they can," said Dan Turner, a spokesman for the governor, reporting "significant injuries" in at least three counties.
read more here
At least 7 dead in Mississippi tornado

Feels like home to me


Vietnam Veterans Reunion


Last Sunday the Nam Knights along with every other motorcycle group escorted the Vietnam Memorial Traveling Wall through the streets of Melbourne FL. The annual Vietnam and All Veterans Reunion began.



It gets harder and harder for me to overcome my heartache when so many people avoid one of the most important minorities in this country. We hear about the rights of African Americans and argue about Spanish immigrants in this country legally and illegally all the time. We seem to know more about them along with the latest scandal involving politicians, another minority, just as we hear abundant news regarding the celebrity scandals and their personal lives. What some people find important stories to know about astounds me.

When I am with people with no connection to the veterans or anyone serving today, I feel like I have very little to talk to them about. My Dad and all my uncles served in WWII and Korea. My husband's Dad and three uncles served in WWII, with one of them killed in action and another being so traumatized by his ship sinking that he had what was then called "shell shock" spending the rest of his life living on a farm. My husband, a disabled Vietnam Veteran and his nephew ended up with PTSD. My husband receives help to stay stabilized but his nephew ended up committing suicide. Veterans are a huge part of my life but few seem to understand or even care.

This blog alone is a great indication of the lack of attention the general public delivers. The most read post I've done on this blog or my older ones was about a Marine tossing a puppy off a cliff. The stories of heroism were passed over. The stories about suicides were passed over. Very little is read. When my videos were on YouTube, they were watched thousands of times while other videos were watched millions of times on various topics from comedy, to music, to people behaving like idiots looking for laughs.

Some people say they can't understand because they didn't serve. I didn't serve either but because I am personally involved, I'm personally committed to them.



23rd Annual Florida Vietnam and All Veterans Reunion
April 22 - 23 - 24 - 25 , 2010 at Wickham Park Melbourne, Florida
Vietnam Traveling Memorial Wall®, April 18th - 25th, 2010

AGENDA FOR SATURDAY 4/24

10:00 AM - Line up for Massing of the Colors, back of Amphitheater
11:00 AM - Opening Ceremonies/Massing of the Colors
12:00 PM - LZ Helicopter Landing
1:00 PM - Two of Diamonds
2:00 PM - Doc Holiday
2:30 PM - Sweetwater Junction Band
3:30 PM - Patience Mason, at the Wall, Recovering from War - PTSD
4:00 PM - Doc Holiday
4:30 PM - Catlin Wehrly
5:30 PM - Suncoast Vietnam Vets "The Last Patrol"
6:00 PM - John Steer
6:45 PM - Doc Holiday
7:00 PM - Michael J Martin
8:30 PM - Doc Holiday
9:00 PM - Viva Rock Band
http://floridaveteransreunion.com/















This soldier was touched by the Wall and we talked for a little while. I thanked him for serving, which to some seems like a very small thing to do but considering that it is a certainty he enlisted, it was the least I could do. Vietnam veterans came home and no one thanked them.

But just as with years before the crowds came to see old friends and to honor the friends left behind. They came together to share stories and to remember that while few others will understand and even less will appreciate what they did, there is a bond that has yet to be broken.

Being with them feels like home to me so that I am able to help other generations and I never forget that the knowledge I have, the training I've taken, was all possible because of what they did when they came home and no one cared about them. They fought to have PTSD treated and compensated for. They made all the trauma related services possible, but again, few understand this. Yet another minority taken care of because veterans cared enough to make a difference. Not just for themselves, but for all generations. Not just for people with military histories to tell, but for all civilians affected by traumatic events.

So Monday I go back to work after a few hours of posting and talk to people without the slightest clue what it is like to be with these men and women, to talk to them and go beyond showing up for parades or to honor a coffin coming home. In my deepest prayers are prayers that everyone will embrace the chance to get to know them and really understand that for all we have, we owe most of it to them. No one likes war but we forget they would rather not have to go into combat either. No one wants war but we have them to thank when they are willing to go. If the subject comes up, it will be quickly changed by someone and I'll go with the flow until I come home and catch up on the emails and reports few others will ever read.

It's not like I have any real choice in the matter. Once you know them, once you understand them, once you really pay attention to all they go through, there is no way of going back to being oblivious. They make this all feel like home to me.

Friday, April 23, 2010

U.S. soldier who was killed trying to help others honored at memorial service

Soldier killed by car honored at memorial
By Dan Blottenberger, Stars and Stripes
European edition, Friday, April 23, 2010

SCHWEINFURT, Germany — Hundreds of friends and family packed Ledward Barracks chapel in Schweinfurt on Thursday to remember a U.S. soldier who was killed trying to help others.

Staff Sgt. Thomas H. Oakley, 33, of Coventry, R.I., was struck and killed by a car April 14 near Bamberg after he stopped to help some motorists involved in a car accident. To those attending the memorial, it was no surprise that Oakley died trying to help others.

"He left this world the same way he lived in it — in the service of others," said Capt. Lee Gray, Oakley’s company commander, during the service. "Staff Sergeant Oakley didn’t have to stop late at night — to help others involved in the accident on the autobahn — he knew that his family was waiting for him at home, but [helping others] was programmed in his DNA."
read more here
http://www.stripes.com/article.asp?section=104&article=69535

Ungrateful employers won't hire veterans?

We do a great job of talking about supporting the troops and being a grateful nation but when it comes to proving it, we do a lousy job. If a company won't hire a man or woman after they sacrificed and risked their lives, then maybe they should pay hire taxes to cover the pay these veterans will not be receiving as an employee.


Stigma of service may hurt vets’ job search
By Leo Shane III, Stars and Stripes
Mideast edition, Friday, April 23, 2010
WASHINGTON — When Joe Tryon left the Army in early 2009 he assumed his six years as an officer and command experience in Iraq would make him an attractive employee. More than a year later, he still hasn’t found a job.

“I thought my combat leadership would outweigh boardroom experience,” the 32-year-old said. “But apparently it does not.”

At least part of the reason for that, say veterans groups, is a lingering stigma among some employers who worry what else combat troops carry with them: post-traumatic stress disorder, traumatic brain injuries, or similar mental health problems. Tryon said he heard that concern in several job interviews.

Earlier this week a group of lawmakers led by Sen. Patty Murray, D-Wash., pushed once again to undo that stereotype, proposing legislation to help veterans better showcase their skills to potential employers through job training programs, expanded GI Bill benefits and career counseling advice.
read more here
http://www.stripes.com/article.asp?section=104&article=69531

Great Vietnam veteran story turned into crap by bad editor

This could have been a really great story on this Vietnam veteran had it not been for terrible editing topping off bad reporting. This is exactly the way it appeared. Believe me I know how easy it is to make mistakes typing but that's what editors are for. I don't have one and that's why you see mistakes on my posts, but this is a "news station".......they can afford an editor!

Veteran receives long-overdue honor
Updated: Tuesday, 20 Apr 2010, 8:10 AM EDT
Published : Tuesday, 20 Apr 2010, 8:10 AM EDT

Joe Arena
Posted by: Emily Lenihan
WASHINGTON, D.C. (WIVB) - A Dunkirk native has received a long-overdue honor.

It comes more than a decade after her died from complications her suffered while serving in Vietnam.


They may not have died in action, but they passed away as a result of the action they endured during the Vietnam conflict. Dunkirk native Michael Gregoreski is one of those men. Monday in our nation's capitol, Michael and several men just like him were honored for their service.

"This memorial is for veterans who died because of causes from in injuries or because of agent orange while they served in Vietnam," said Michael's cousin Pam.

Michael's name, along with almost a hundred more, will be etched on another wall adjacent to the Vietnam Memorial in Washington D.C. The former Army private passed away in 1999 as a result of combat injuries. He didn't fight for the awards, but Pam says he earned every one them.

"Mike received four purple hearts, he had a silver star and there were multiple other awards as well," Pam said.
read more here
http://www.wivb.com/dpp/news/local/Veteran-receives-long-overdue-honor

Army Withdraws Evangelist Speech Invite

Army Withdraws Evangelist Speech Invite

April 23, 2010
Stars and Stripesby Jeff Schogol

ARLINGTON, Va. — The Army has disinvited Franklin Graham to speak at the Pentagon on National Prayer Day after a military advocacy group objected because Graham has reportedly described Islam as “evil” and “wicked.”

“I regret that the Army felt it was necessary to rescind their invitation to the National Day of Prayer Task Force to participate in the Pentagon’s special prayer service,” Graham said in a statement on Thursday.

I want to express my strong support for the United States military and all our troops. I will continue to pray that God will give them guidance, wisdom and protection as they serve this great country.”
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Army Withdraws Evangelist Speech Invite

Marine's Murder Conviction Overturned

Marine's Murder Conviction Overturned
It was the only murder conviction the government had gotten in one of the highest-profile criminal cases against U.S. troops to arise out of the war in Iraq. A military appeals court on Thursday overturned the murder conviction of Sgt. Lawrence Hutchins III, who led troops charged in the April 2006 murder of an Iraqi in the village of Hamdania. Full Story

Healing Power of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial for some but pain for others

There needs to be something said right here and right now. While it's true there is great healing for most at the Wall, there is also another part of this story. There are some veterans unprepared for the power of the Wall. There are some that find their PTSD awakened because of a journey to this magnificent expression of their grief and loss.

I've had a few over the years stunned by thinking they came home ok from Vietnam only to find that once they stand in front of the Wall, they walk away in pain. Pain that had been sleeping inside of them since the 60's or 70's, fully taking control over their lives after. For them, seeing the Wall is their secondary stressor.

If you know a Vietnam veteran, do not push them to go to see the Wall. Take them to see some of the traveling walls touring the country. Make sure you stay by their side and are there, ready to listen if they need to talk. If they react badly, it's not a good idea to take them to Washington. If they seem fine with the traveling wall or say they feel better after seeing it, then they are ready for the monument in Washington. Again, stay by their side and be ready for what they need from you.

The majority find it healing and that is very true but we cannot dismiss that for some it's more painful than they were prepared for.


The Healing Power of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial
New research finds visiting the Vietnam Veterans Memorial helps vets suffering from PTSD. But a single visit isn’t enough.
April 23, 2010

By Tom Jacobs

The Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington, D.C., occupies a “remarkable place in America’s collective heart,” as Colin Powell noted during a 2007 ceremony marking its 25th anniversary. But does visiting the famous wall, in which the names of the more than 58,000 American casualties are etched in highly polished black granite, help psychologically wounded survivors cope with their loss?

A newly published study suggests it does, although multiple visits are apparently required for the positive effect to take hold. The paper, in the journal Environment and Behavior, looks at the way veterans suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder respond to the memorial’s various design features, which combine to facilitate the process of mourning.
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Healing Power of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial

American Legion Post 293 gives a night out to wounded warriors

Thanking those who serve
Post 293 gives a night out to wounded warriors
Friday, April 23, 2010
By SARA K. TAYLOR

Staff writer


For members of American Legion Edwin Adams Post 293 in Waldorf, giving back is a way of life.

So when the National American Legion Headquarters, the largest veterans organization in the country, introduced a wounded warrior program designed to support injured servicemen and women returning stateside, Legion members were all for it.

Every few months the post calls on Joey Stretch, a White Plains limousine service, to head to Washington, D.C., to pick up recuperating soldiers and their spouses for a dinner at the Legion.

The ride to Waldorf is escorted by the Legion Riders, motorcyclists who are Legion members, who are devoted to various charity ventures.

For Ken Lake, 30-year Legion member and its vice commander, organizing the night out is just a way of saying "thanks" to those who serve in Afghanistan and Iraq.

"We're just trying to do our part," said Lake, a Vietnam veteran. "When I got back from Vietnam, nobody treated me like this."
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Post 293 gives a night out to wounded warriors

Two teenagers arrested for killing Vietnam Vet

2 Arrested In Vietnam Vet's Murder At Carryout

Apr 23, 2010 10:35 am US/Eastern

Many Shocked By Carryout Murder Of 72-Year-Old Man(4/9/2010)
Man Killed In Carryout Shooting(4/9/2010)

Reporting
Kelly McPherson BALTIMORE (WJZ)
Police make two arrests in the shocking murder of an elderly Vietnam veteran gunned down in a robbery at a carryout.
CBS

Two teenagers are behind bars, accused of gunning down a Vietnam veteran in a robbery at a local carryout.

Kelly McPherson reports police announced two arrests in the crime Thursday evening and credit community outrage in helping to lead to the arrests.

Charles Bowman, 72, was not only a Vietnam veteran but also a security guard at a local paper.

His murder rocked the community more than any other murder, so much so that the police say his reputation is what motivated the public to come forward to help identify witnesses and ultimately two suspects.

"There's a lot of very upset people that this 72-year-old man, who everyone liked, on his way to work was senselessly murdered. So I think in this case, the victim's reputation helped," said Maj. Terrence McLarney, Homicide Division.
read more here
http://wjz.com/local/carryout.shooting.man.2.1650998.html

Fort Campbell tries to stop soldier suicides

Fort Campbell tries to stop soldier suicides
BY: KRISTIN M. HALL, The Associated Press Writer Thursday, April 22, 2010

FORT CAMPBELL, Ky. (AP) — Thousands of soldiers, their bald eagle shoulder patches lined up row upon row across the grassy field, stood at rigid attention to hear a stern message from their commander.

Brig. Gen. Stephen Townsend addressed the 101st Airborne Division with military brusqueness: Suicides at the post had spiked after soldiers started returning home from war, and this was unacceptable.

"It's bad for soldiers, it's bad for families, bad for your units, bad for this division and our Army and our country and it's got to stop now," he insisted. "Suicides on Fort Campbell have to stop now."

It sounded like a typical, military response to a complicated and tragic situation. Authorities believe that 21 soldiers from Fort Campbell killed themselves in 2009, the same year that the Army reported 160 potential suicides, the most since 1980, when it started recording those deaths.

But Townsend's martial response is not the only one. Behind the scenes, there has been a concerted effort at Fort Campbell over the past year to change the hard-charging military mindset to show no weakness, complete the mission.

Adam wrote a note telling his dad, "Sorry to be a disappointment." Then he shot himself inside a bathroom stall with his rifle.



Spc. Adam Kuligowski's problems began because he couldn't sleep.

Last year, the 21-year-old soldier was working six days a week, analyzing intelligence that the military gathered while he was serving in Afghanistan. He was gifted at his job and loved being a part of the 101st Airborne Division, just like his father and his great uncle.

But Adam was tired and often late for work. His eyes were glassy and he was falling asleep while on duty. His room was messy and his uniform was dirty.

His father, Mike Kuligowski, attributes his son's sleeplessness and depression to an anti-malarial medication called mefloquine that was found in his system. In rare cases, it can cause psychiatric symptoms such as anxiety, paranoia, depression, hallucination and psychotic behavior.

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Fort Campbell tries to stop soldier suicides

Fort Carson soldier died of gunshot wound, brother says

Fort Carson soldier died of gunshot wound, brother says

LANCE BENZEL
THE GAZETTE
A 28-year-old Fort Carson soldier who became his unit's first casualty after its recent deployment to Iraq died of a gunshot wound, the Army told family members without providing specifics.

Pfc. Charlie Antonio, of Kahului, Hawaii, was reportedly found dead Sunday on his post in southern Iraq. The Defense Department said Antonio died in a “non-combat related incident.”

“They’re still in the process of investigating,” said Marlon Antonio of Kahului, who spoke with Army casualty officers Monday.

Antonio served in the 4th Infantry Division’s 3rd Brigade Combat Team, which deployed to southern Iraq in March. Its mission is to help train Iraqi security forces in preparation for the eventual U.S. withdrawal.

Marlon Antonio described his brother as a “good and kind” man who worked two hotel jobs in Maui before joining the Army a year ago.
read more here
http://www.gazette.com/articles/soldier-97577-fort-carson.html

PTSD On Trial:Judge to rule on whether psychiatrist can testify

Judge to rule on whether psychiatrist can testify about capital murder defendant's PTSD


By MARTHA DELLER

mdeller@star-telegram.com

FORT WORTH -- State District Judge Scott Wisch is expected to decide today whether a defense psychologist can testify that Marine Corps veteran Eric Acevedo had post-traumatic stress disorder when he fatally stabbed his former girlfriend two years ago.

Tarrant County prosecutors say that on March 22, 2008, Acevedo, 23, broke into a Saginaw town house he had once shared with Mollieann Worden and fatally stabbed her. Because he broke in, what would have been a murder charge was elevated to capital murder.

Prosecutors are not seeking the death penalty, so if convicted, Acevedo will automatically be sentenced to life without parole.

Acevedo's attorneys, Jim Lane -- a former Army captain and military lawyer -- and David Richards, do not dispute that Acevedo killed Worden but say that because he was diagnosed with PTSD after returning from his third tour of Iraq in four years, he should not be convicted of capital murder.



Read more: Judge to rule on whether psychiatrist can testify

National Guard renews suicide prevention campaign

National Guard renews suicide prevention campaign

In response to a rising number of Soldier suicides last year within the Army, the Missouri National Guard is reemphasizing its suicide prevention program.

Brig. Gen. Stephen Danner, Missouri Adjutant General, said no topic is more important.

“Every Guard and family member is equally important and an extremely valuable asset to our organization,” Danner said. “As such, we must take the necessary steps to care for the greatest resource this nation has to offer: our people.”

Danner’s remarks come in the wake of the highest number of suicides within the active duty Army in 28 years. According to the Department of Defense, there were 12 potential suicides among active duty soldiers in January and 14 in February. And there have been two potential suicides among Missouri National Guardsmen in the last six weeks.

With large numbers of National Guard troops being deployed for duty in Iraq and Afghanistan, Danner’s message to the troops is simple. Help is available.

To that end, soldiers of the Missouri National Guard are participating in suicide prevention and awareness classes. Sgt. 1st Class Robert Meyers recently presented the course to Soldiers of the 1038th Medium Truck Company at Jefferson Barracks.

“The message I want these soldiers to get is that we must help each other,” Meyers said. “Soldier suicide hits pretty close to home and we’ve got be able to look for identifying factors and get these Soldiers some help.”
read more here
National Guard renews suicide prevention campaign

War will change your soul

Eventually no matter who you are, war will affect you. War will change your soul.


A US medic's tale of traumatic war stress treatment
BBC News


Specialist William B Allen is a US Army combat medic who served two tours in Iraq, spending 27 months there. He recently completed a three-week treatment programme for Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) at the Warrior Combat Stress Reset Center at Fort Hood, the largest US military base in the world.

Being a combat medic, we're on 24 hours a day. We had mass casualty events, female suicide bombers blowing up hospitals three times in a row. We'd be the ones to respond to that. I was always responding to these IED (improvised explosive device) blasts. I was blown up several times.

When you're back in America you never stop being hyper-vigilant. Insomnia set in for about four months. I was going bananas, I was going crazy.

I started drinking, substance abuse, I had suicidal ideas, even acted on those. I was tired of having the nightmares, I wanted to go see my dead friends.
read more here

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/8634488.stm