Support for the Troops

Steve wrote:

PTSD Help

PTSD assistance: Fort Bliss program cited as model for Army

Published: Thursday, July 24, 2008 9:21 AM CDT
Virginia Reza | Army News Service

FORT BLISS, Texas - Army Chief of Staff Gen. George Casey visited Fort Bliss July 13 and said that an innovative program there to treat post-traumatic stress disorders ought to be replicated at other locations across the Army.

The "Restoration and Resilience Center" at Fort Bliss is a specialized treatment facility for Soldiers with PTSD who want to remain in the Army. The center is run by Dr. John Fortunato, a Benedictine monk, Vietnam veteran and clinical psychologist.

"Unfortunately you can't package John Fortunato and move him around and it really takes someone with that passion to drive these kinds of operations," Casey said, "but there are some of the elements of this that are clearly exportable, and we will do that."

Fortunato opened the unique treatment facility one year ago in July 2007. It all started when he worked at the Soldiers' outpatient clinic at Bliss, treating service members who were coming back from deployment and diagnosed with PTSD. Their treatment consisted of medication and group counseling and very little individual counseling because of insufficient staff. If, in the course of three months Soldiers were not fit for duty, they had to be medically discharged.

"There were two things about that, that didn't seem right," Fortunato said. "I got tired of Soldiers crying in my office, telling me they did not want to get out, that the Army was their life, and that's all they knew, and all I could say is,'Sorry, we have to discharge you.' It tore me up."

The other thing that didn't seem right to him was signing paperwork stating Soldiers had derived "maximum benefits on inpatient and outpatient treatment."

"I thought, that is not true, because we haven't really tried hard enough to rehabilitate them. There were so many issues we were not addressing," he said.

Fortunato said during his sessions with the Soldiers at the clinic, his intuition helped him realize they needed more than just psychological treatment. As he counseled them, he noticed their hands and feet constantly tapping and shaking through entire sessions. Spiritual questions and isolation were other symptoms he observed. So he came up with the idea to build a place where physical and psychological aspects could be treated to help Soldiers who wanted to remain in the military.

The task would not be easy, as the center he had in mind was not a typical Army facility. Nevertheless, he persisted and pleaded and finally got the funding and square footage to open the center.

His first instinct was to design a place where Soldiers could go and feel comfortable. He did not want them isolated in their rooms because he said, Soldiers diagnosed with PTSD are easily over-stimulated and don't want to be around anybody.

"Only, we can't leave them there," he said. "So I had to sort of seduce them out of their rooms."

So Fortunato decided the center would have to look like a lodge at a ski resort. The entrance to the facility is equipped with oversized leather, mission-style chairs, wood floors and the sound of trickling water from a cascading fountain that sits in the lobby has a calming effect. At the end of a hallway, is an Asian-looking room with background therapeutic sounds, called the meditation room.

"This room has a purpose," Fortunato said. "You can sense the music playing, which is based on breathing, and if you spend three minutes in this room with the door shut, without anyone talking you, you will find that your mental state has changed."

read more here: http://www.ftleavenworthlamp.com/articles/200...

" Still not supporting the troops. Still.

How can this still be? After all the years of sloganeering by Bush, Cheney, McCain and the others who led this country into a war, our troops still aren't being supported. The wounded soldiers are not getting the care they deserve. It's beyond shocking. The NY Times editorializes: "

read more here: http://www.americablog.com/2008/07/still-not-...

Steve wrote:

" Still not supporting the troops. Still.
How can this still be? After all the years of sloganeering by Bush, Cheney, McCain and the others who led this country into a war, our troops still aren't being supported. The wounded soldiers are not getting the care they deserve. It's beyond shocking. The NY Times editorializes: "
read more here: http://www.americablog.com/2008/07/still-not-...

Real credible and believable source, a blog entry referencing the NY Slime. Your kidding right, you did mean this as a joke, right? Because if you actually are serious about posting this garbage as real, you need to go see a shrink.

Steve wrote:

" Still not supporting the troops. Still.
How can this still be? After all the years of sloganeering by Bush, Cheney, McCain and the others who led this country into a war, our troops still aren't being supported. The wounded soldiers are not getting the care they deserve. It's beyond shocking. The NY Times editorializes: "
read more here: http://www.americablog.com/2008/07/still-not-...

Among other things, the Army failed to anticipate a flood of wounded soldiers. Some transition units have been overwhelmed and are thus severely understaffed. At Fort Hood, Tex., last month, staff members found 1,362 patients in a unit authorized for 649 — and more than 350 on a waiting list. Of the total, 311 were identified as being at high risk of drug overdose, suicide or other dangerous behavior. There were 38 nurse case managers when there should have been 74. Some soldiers have had to languish two months to a year before the Army decided what to do with them, far longer than the goal the Army set last year.

Under skeptical questioning during a hearing in February, Lt. Gen. Eric Schoomaker, the Army surgeon general, told the subcommittee that “for all intents and purposes, we are entirely staffed at the point we need to be staffed.” He also said:“The Army’s unwavering commitment and a key element of our warrior ethos is that we never leave a soldier behind on the battlefield — or lost in a bureaucracy.”

That was thousands of wounded, neglected soldiers ago. There are now about 12,500 soldiers assigned to the warrior transition units — more than twice as many as a year ago. The number is expected to reach 20,000 by this time next year.

The nation’s responsibility to care for the wounded from Iraq and Afghanistan will extend for decades. After Tuesday’s hearing, we are left pondering the simple questions asked at the outset by Representative Susan Davis, the California Democrat who is chairwoman of the military personnel subcommittee: Why did the Army fail to adequately staff its warrior transition units? Why did it fail to predict the surge in demand? And why did it take visits from a Congressional subcommittee to prod the Army into recognizing and promising — yet again — to fix the problem?
source: http://www.americablog.com/2008/07/still-not-...

Steve wrote:

<quoted text>
Among other things, the Army failed to anticipate a flood of wounded soldiers. Some transition units have been overwhelmed and are thus severely understaffed. At Fort Hood, Tex., last month, staff members found 1,362 patients in a unit authorized for 649 — and more than 350 on a waiting list. Of the total, 311 were identified as being at high risk of drug overdose, suicide or other dangerous behavior. There were 38 nurse case managers when there should have been 74. Some soldiers have had to languish two months to a year before the Army decided what to do with them, far longer than the goal the Army set last year.
Under skeptical questioning during a hearing in February, Lt. Gen. Eric Schoomaker, the Army surgeon general, told the subcommittee that “for all intents and purposes, we are entirely staffed at the point we need to be staffed.” He also said:“The Army’s unwavering commitment and a key element of our warrior ethos is that we never leave a soldier behind on the battlefield — or lost in a bureaucracy.”
That was thousands of wounded, neglected soldiers ago. There are now about 12,500 soldiers assigned to the warrior transition units — more than twice as many as a year ago. The number is expected to reach 20,000 by this time next year.
The nation’s responsibility to care for the wounded from Iraq and Afghanistan will extend for decades. After Tuesday’s hearing, we are left pondering the simple questions asked at the outset by Representative Susan Davis, the California Democrat who is chairwoman of the military personnel subcommittee: Why did the Army fail to adequately staff its warrior transition units? Why did it fail to predict the surge in demand? And why did it take visits from a Congressional subcommittee to prod the Army into recognizing and promising — yet again — to fix the problem?
source: http://www.americablog.com/2008/07/still-not-...

What an incredibly gutless wonder you are, to use an old cliche, "freedom ain't free", and I promise you the problem is no where near as bad as your incredibly unreliable and biased source is making it out to be. Our soldiers are being taken care off regardless of what your bullshit NY slime blog says.

Lucy W wrote:

<quoted text>
What an incredibly gutless wonder you are, to use an old cliche, "freedom ain't free", and I promise you the problem is no where near as bad as your incredibly unreliable and biased source is making it out to be. Our soldiers are being taken care off regardless of what your bullshit NY slime blog says.

You're in DENIAL oh great defender of Brownwood's "unfair and unbalanced" KXYL 96.9FM ! DENY away !

MTV helps Iraq vet get back in his groove
Aspiring Austin rapper gets a little help from Kanye West.
By Patrick George
AMERICAN-STATESMAN STAFF

Monday, July 28, 2008

During a year that he describes as "pure hell," Austin Army veteran Lorenzo Zarate fought in Fort Hood's 4th Infantry Division in Iraq, where he took part in more than 100 raids and often was the one kicking down doors.

While dealing with the loss of his comrades and friends in battle, he also had to cope with the deaths of his fiancée and his grandmother back home.

But it was in 2004, when the 24-year-old came home to Austin, that his life really started to fall apart, he said. He couldn't keep a job and struggled to get help and compensation for his post-traumatic stress disorder.

As he reached a very low point in his life, he got the shock of a lifetime when someone showed up at his door to offer a helping hand: hip-hop megastar Kanye West.

Through his Travis County Veteran Services counselor, Zarate was linked up with an effort by West and MTV to chronicle the stories of young veterans.

West, along with MTV's Sway Calloway, unexpectedly went to the homes of three recently returned Iraq war veterans for the documentary "Choose or Lose & Kanye West Present: Homecoming." Two other veterans, including a working mom and another with PTSD, also are featured and were given financial help from the network and the Dr. Donda West Foundation, named for West's recently deceased mother. The MTV program airs at 9 p.m. today.

"There are hundreds of veterans out there who are falling through the cracks," West said in a statement. "They make the ultimate sacrifices for us by laying down their lives, but it seems like a lot of them just get forgotten about.... I wanted to hear their stories."

read more here: http://www.statesman.com/news/content/news/st...

Steve wrote:

<quoted text>
You're in DENIAL oh great defender of Brownwood's "unfair and unbalanced" KXYL 96.9FM ! DENY away !

You are insane oh great dumbass of all times!

Veterans appeal ruling in lawsuit against VA
By Kelly Kennedy - Staff writer
Posted : Tuesday Jul 29, 2008 9:58:51 EDT

As promised, the advocacy group Veterans for Common Sense has filed an appeal in a case in which it accuses the Veterans Affairs Department of putting veterans at risk for suicide and mental health issues through shortfalls in care.

In June, Judge Samuel Conti of the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals in California ruled that the case was out of his jurisdiction because Veterans for Common Sense could not prove that the problems cited — delays in benefits, lost records, long waits for doctors’ appointments, not enough oversight and veterans turned away from hospitals with suicidal thoughts — applied to every veteran, and were therefore not systemic.

However, Conti said in his ruling that those problems need to be tended to, and that individual veterans could sue VA. He said the power to change the system ultimately rests with Congress and VA.

But Veterans for Common Sense, in conjunction with Veterans United for Truth, appealed because they believe the courts do have jurisdiction and can force change. They have requested an expedited hearing, citing new statistics that show a veterans’ suicide hotline receives 250 calls a day from people in distress.

The case brought to light several problems within the system, including an e-mail from a woman who oversees mental health workers at a Temple, Texas, VA facility in which she said her center did not have the resources necessary to diagnose veterans with post-traumatic stress disorder and advised them instead to diagnose “adjustment disorder”— a short-term diagnosis no longer applicable to veterans who have had symptoms for more than six months.

read more here: http://www.armytimes.com/news/2008/07/militar...

Senate Republicans block effort to aid paralyzed vets
John Byrne
Published: Wednesday July 30, 2008

Sen. Tom Coburn (R-OK) has done it again.

The Christopher and Dana Reeve Act, named for the actor who was made famous by his portrayal of superman and later became a champion of the disabled, along with his late wife (pictured at right), is part of a broad package created by Democrats which lumps together 36 bills.

It would have allocated $25 million for research on spinal cord injuries, rehabilitation and measures to improve the quality of life for paralyzed Americans. The effort is backed by the Paralyzed Veterans of America, which claims 19,000 members. Some 200,000 Americans suffer spinal cord-related injuries.

“We have a war with many veterans who suffer some from spinal cord injuries or paralysis,” said Lee Page, associate advocacy director for Paralyzed Veterans for America told the Navy Times Tuesday.

read more here: http://rawstory.com/news/2008/Senate_Republic...

The Christopher and Dana Reeve Act, named for the actor who was made famous by his portrayal of superman and later became a champion of the disabled, along with his late wife (pictured at right), is part of a broad package created by Democrats which lumps together 36 bills.

Once again steve, you are not seeing the whole picture, only the part that you want to. The dems lumped that bill in with 36 other "entitlement" entries for huge sums of money to be paid out to democratic constituents or in some cases to the corrupt democrats themselves, their cronies, or their families. That is why the republicans voted against it stupid ass! The pork payouts from the other bills was far more than what was necessary to fund the bill for the vets, why cant you see that? No republican here is voting against the veterans, they are voting agains rampant democratic corruption and squandering of valuable taxpayers money that should be going to help those that need it, not to buy votes! Your an idiot and a very deficient propogandist, why dont you attempt to tell the truth for once?

Here's the TRUTH Lucy W !

Steve wrote:

Q: How many soldiers parents and loved ones, who are actively challenging our government officials and policies, have been heard on the Brownwood airwaves of "conservative" KXYL ? Still None, Zero, El Zippo ?Why does it seem to be a problem for the "movers and shakers" of Brownwood's "conservative" KXYL to schedule any of the many soldiers loved ones who are actively challenging our government officials and policies to the "locally produced" shows of "conservative" KXYL so that they speak in their own words ? You'd think that this would be a priority for a "powerful station" such as "conservative" KXYL ! Guess not !
Americans being electrocuted in Iraq 'on an almost daily basis'
http://rawstory.com//news/2008/Americans_bein...

Steve wrote:

Here's the TRUTH Lucy W !
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Once again, stupid steve, you are attempting to not answer the question, you attempt to divert and do exactly all of the things that Mike has more than adequately pointed out on other threads here, that you do. If you had any sense, knowledge, or descency you would use your "research" to explore all sides of a story before you open your mouth and insert your foot.

Steve wrote:

Here's the TRUTH Lucy W !
<quoted text>

How incredibly pathetic!!!!

Lucy W wrote:

<quoted text>
Once again, stupid steve, you are attempting to not answer the question, you attempt to divert and do exactly all of the things that Mike has more than adequately pointed out on other threads here, that you do. If you had any sense, knowledge, or descency you would use your "research" to explore all sides of a story before you open your mouth and insert your foot.

"explore all sides of a story" ! that's exactly what I'm doing as I encourage Brownwood's Political Talk Radio to extend a hand of HOSPITALITY to those soldiers parents who are actively challenging our Governments FAILED "support the troops" policies ! Let's hear these parents "in their own words" over the airwaves of "conservative" KXYL who by the way advertises themselves as "The Power of Information" !

Steve wrote:

<quoted text>
"explore all sides of a story" ! that's exactly what I'm doing as I encourage Brownwood's Political Talk Radio to extend a hand of HOSPITALITY to those soldiers parents who are actively challenging our Governments FAILED "support the troops" policies ! Let's hear these parents "in their own words" over the airwaves of "conservative" KXYL who by the way advertises themselves as "The Power of Information" !

You are not! Period......Exclamation point!!!!!! doing any of that BS, if you were, then we would hear something out of you in response to the other side of the argument, instead of what krap you post all of the time. Give us a break! Please!

"I do not understand the values that would suggest, during a time of war, we provide tax breaks for people making over $1 million a year, but we cannot afford to provide the health care our veterans deserve and the housing our troops need. I believe our veterans, military families and the American family will be as offended by this veto threat as I am"
http://www.kaisernetwork.org/daily_reports/re...

Pilots of remote-controlled Predators suffering PTSD
http://www.crunchgear.com/2008/08/09/pilots-o...

Steve wrote:

PTSD Help

National Guard troops are more likely to abuse alcohol, study indicates

By Celinda Emison
Tuesday, August 12, 2008

Difficulty re-entering civilian life may be one of the reasons National Guard and Reserve combat troops develop drinking problems more often than active-duty soldiers when they return from war.

A study released in the Journal of the American Medical Association compares the alcohol problems of veterans from Iraq and Afghanistan, before and after deployment.

There are programs available for Big Country soldiers who are returning whether they are in the guard, reserve, serving in the Army or at Dyess AFB.

The military has leaned heavily on the National Guard and reserves in the conflicts. At certain times in 2005, the guard and reserves made up nearly half the troops fighting in Iraq.

Alcohol abuse, post-traumatic stress disorder and depression make up an "unholy trinity" that haunts some combat soldiers, said psychologist William Schlenger of the consulting firm Abt Associates in Durham, N.C. He was a principal investigator of the influential National Vietnam Veterans' Readjustment Study but was not involved in the new research.

read more here: http://www.reporternews.com/news/2008/aug/12/...

Multiple Deployments Raise Mental Health Risks
Research Shows Return Trips to Battle Increase Troops' Alcholism, Suicide Risks
By MARILYN ELIAS
USA TODAY
Aug. 15, 2008

Multiple combat deployments to Iraq are increasing serious mental health problems among soldiers, triggering drug and alcohol abuse and contributing to record suicide levels, suggest reports out Thursday at the American Psychological Association meeting in Boston.

In a typical unit headed to Iraq, 60 percent are on their second, third or fourth deployment, lasting about a year each, says U.S. Army Col. Carl Castro, who directs a medical research program at Fort Detrick, Md.

More time in Iraq means heavier exposure to violence, which leads more soldiers to develop symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and depression, Castro told the psychology meeting. By their third tour to Iraq, more than a quarter of soldiers show signs of mental problems, such as PTSD, and it's about 1 out of 3 for those exposed to heavy combat, according to a U.S. Army Surgeon General report in March on more than 2,000 soldiers.

In another report at the meeting, deployment correlated with more heavy drinking and illegal drug use, according to anonymous questionnaires given to about 34,000 active duty troops, Reservists and National Guard members. Deployed Reserve troops had the highest traumatic stress symptoms and rates of "seriously considering suicide," according to the Defense Department-funded study by RTI International, Research Triangle Park, N.C.

National Guard and Reservists sent to Iraq and Afghanistan are disproportionately represented in returning veteran suicides, according to a Departmentof Veterans Affairs analysis. There were 115 Army suicides and 935 reported attempts in 2007, a record high, show Army reports.

"There are concerns about the reserves," says Lynn Pahland, a health promotion policy director in the Defense Department. But the military is increasing efforts to prevent, identify and treat troubled troops,she adds.

At a crisis hotline for veterans, about 75 percent of the 400 calls a weekcome from Reserve and National Guard troops or their families, says Shad Meshad, president of the National Veterans Foundation (1-888-777-4443), which runs the line. "Many have been sent back three or four times," he says.

read more here: http://www.abcnews.go.com/Health/MindMoodNews...