Pairing dogs and troops with PTSD

McClatchy Washington Bureau continues their extremely stellar reporting on the effects of Wars and Occupations of others on those that serve in these theaters of operations, especially as to Post Traumatic Stress Disorder {PTSD} with the following report printed in their Kansas City Star:

Defense Dept. funding study pairing dogs and troops with PTSD

Persian Gulf War veteran Chris Kornkven (left) greeted Rainbow, a female Rhodesian ridgeback, as fellow Gulf War veteran Anthony Hardie met Kenji, another ridgeback, and his handler, Joan Esnayra. The dogs demonstrated how they could help troops with post-traumatic stress disorder during a military health research conference this week in Kansas City. Kornkven has PTSD.

Can a canine companion soothe the volatile emotions of a soldier haunted by post-traumatic stress disorder?

It may sound far-fetched, but the Department of Defense wants to find out.

It is spending millions of dollars on medical research projects like this that may yield groundbreaking results but are too speculative for other government agencies to consider.

While PTSD, especially from the trauma of combat of military operations, has always been a result of Wars, and not only for the combat troops, it didn't start getting recognized for what it was until we started returning from Vietnam and it not only recognized but given the name. Studies followed but way to few and not funded properly. Much of that early work was done by us 'Nam Vets and a few in the civilian population, who also recognized that this occurs with many suffering traumatic experiences in their lives. But when you have huge numbers of individuals you send into combat invasions and occupations, huge numbers of them return with varying degree's of the stresses and trauma's of what took place, everyone is changed, no matter how or what the training, some more severely with the reliving and recurring memories of.

Kenji (left) and Rainbow are specially trained by the Psychiatric Service Dog Society to assist people with severe mental disability. Their handlers were Joan Esnayra, the society’s founder, and Craig Love, a psychologist.

These psychiatric service dogs have been assisting people with a variety of mental illnesses since the late 1990s. About 10,000 such dogs are now in use.

New but preliminary research suggests that the dogs may be particularly helpful for people with PTSD.

And that has the military interested.

Snip

“Where there’s a good idea but not much data, we’re willing to take a risk.”

The Defense Department has measures in place to make sure that innovative ideas get a fair hearing, Kaime said.

When the department sends applications for research grants to its review panels, it deliberately leaves out the names of the scientists and their institutions, so decisions are based on the merits of their proposals and not their reputations.

Finally, after some four decades of strong advocacy by many of us, there are many programs and studies taking place all over the country to help those suffering from the results of their service in combat occupations of others countries. Some of these will wither away depending on the results of, but others will flourish and give the help and better understanding needed, and more will come from further studies.

It's really great to see the DoD getting more involved and finally recognizing the existence of especially as they are finally recognizing the actions of some who suffer from in their taking of their own lives or the lives of others, which in most cases can be the causes of their trauma and lack of help and counseling for, plus the stigma within the ranks of even reporting one is having problems.

An online Veterans news group, Veterans Today, made up of mostly free lance Veterans doing reporting on the many issues of the Veterans community, do an almost daily Top 10 called Top 10 Veterans News from Around the Country, this current one is for 9-03-09. And in this issue page it carries this:

5. Tracking Suicides By New Vets Said To Be A Problem. The Indianapolis Star (9/3, Marshall, 241K) asks, "How many veterans of Iraq and Afghanistan have come back, haunted by memories of war and struggling to cope with life at home, and taken their own lives? Nobody knows," and therein "lies one of the most serious obstacles to preventing suicides by returning veterans. A 2008 Congressional Research Service Report on the issue put it
bluntly" when it said, "There is no nationwide system for surveillance" of veteran suicides. The Star adds, "Recognizing the crucial gap in data, the Army and the National Institute of Mental Health have partnered for a five-year, $50 million study on military suicides." The Department of Veterans Affairs, meanwhile, "has launched" a "10-year health study examining 60,000 'new' veterans, mostly those involved" in Iraq and Afghanistan operations.

The bolding above I placed in as to highlight the fact that this is also not new as to Wars and Occupations of others, Post Traumatic Stress developing from, and especially coming out of Wars of Choice! Add on these Multiple Tours in not only one but two military operations and Guess What! There is also five related topics and links following the one, from the Indianapolis Star, above, at the link above.

Much has finally been coming out of the DoD and especially the Veterans Administration, much of it coming from a Congress finally doing their jobs with investigations and hearings as well as over-site, these past two plus years, which wasn't done by the previous congresses as they walked in lockstep towards sending, and then doing so, our military into two long running occupations, and rarely mentioned nor hearings held for the first five and six years of, respectively, these still running occupations!

Lets hope the forward actions continue, they're all now taking place in a Catch Up mode, but that will only happen if and when the American Public stop their representatives from Obstructing what already should have long ago been, proper funding and over-site, which would be cheaper now if it had been done before, especially as to keeping these agencies up to date with the advanced technology, placing it in or advanced of the 21st century, not the 20th century!

This is also at The Veterans Today link above:

HAVE YOU HEARD?
They call it Warriors Walk, a ten-bed unit where a dedicated team of doctors and nurses to care for terminally ill veterans during the last days of their journey. The new hospice care facility is opening at the William Jennings Bryan Dorn VA Medical Center in Columbia; SC. Warriors Walk will be dedicated to assisting veterans during the final months of their life, with a talented medical staff specially trained in end of life issues. The focus is on relieving pain, managing symptoms, and offering emotional and spiritual support to comfort terminally ill veterans. In addition to the nursing staff, Warriors Walk includes support areas where families and friends of the veterans can come and visit and spend time with their loved ones. They are encouraged to bring memorabilia and mementos to personalize the veterans’ space and make them feel at home. In addition to VA staff, Warriors Walk is supported by many special volunteers who give their time and energy to support the terminally ill. For the grand opening, the Daughters of the American Revolution stitched blankets for every room to make it more like home for the veterans. The VA always strives to give the best care and support to our veterans’ that is possible. This is the last care they will receive and Warriors Walk staff is working hard to ensure it is of the highest quality and comfort.

Wars of Choice - Multiple Tours - TBI - PTSD - Suicides - Murders

Multiple Bombings Slowly Destroy US Soldier's Brain - He Commits Suicide

CNN has a heartbreaking report of a U.S. soldier who served in Iraq and Afghanistan and was subjected to multiple bombings.........

Iraq, Afghanistan vet saluted in burial

Retired Army Reserve Lt. Col. Raymond Trejo Rivas, 53, of New Braunfels was buried six days after his death outside Brooke Army Medical Center's emergency room, and nearly three years after a mortar blast in Iraq.........

And yet another as well, happening last year but still hanging over a community and the country.

Soldiers' emotional battle scars put doctors in dilemma

The suicide of an Iraq war veteran in Eastern Washington has highlighted an ethical dilemma confronting the Department of Veterans Affairs and the military: how far to go in protecting patient confidentiality as troubled veterans are called back to front-line duty.

Snip

His biggest worry, according to notes taken by the VA psychiatrist, was a looming call back to active duty by the Washington National Guard. The order would have sent the specialist back to Iraq.

Snip

In early March 2008, Juneman hanged himself in his Pullman apartment. His body was discovered some 20 days later, The Spokesman-Review newspaper reported.........

Man held in mom's death went from AWOL to hotel to jail
Police ready for shoot-out but arrest man without incident

Knowing that the 22-year-old had gone AWOL from the Army about two weeks before, and that he'd already sold a shotgun at a local pawn shop, San Juan Police Chief Juan Gonzalez said SWAT team personnel were prepared for a possible shootout.

A chain of decisions led Baczewski to that moment, and all eyes and guns were on him, waiting for his next big decision.

Snip

On July 10, Baczewski went AWOL from his post as a Humvee mechanic with the 598th Maintenance Company at Fort Benning in Georgia, a U.S. Army spokeswoman said. He had joined the Army in 2007 and had not been deployed overseas........

Many reports have surfaced over the last few years about the many problems many of those serving, once again in Wars/Occupations or Choice. But these reports don't cover how deep the problems really are nor the numbers that are being sent back into these theaters.

Without the ability to search them out or having someone living in the region, as most are local not national, reporting or posting on this technology, most of the rest of the country wouldn't know they happened, and continue to happen. Just like when we returned from 'Nam, the only way those were reported were the very few that made National News, usually connected to a crime, no cable back then nor these personal computers, or through the Military/Veterans grape vine of communication. One of the reasons Combat PTSD, that's been around since War or Battles between man existed, were easily ignored by the masses, who many within suffer same from negative traumatic life experiences.

Some even come out and argue that soldiers are faking, even still in this the 21st century with much advanced technology and studies, coming from the aftereffects of 'Nam, that can weed out anyone trying to. Why do they try and debunk, easy, the Country doesn't want to pay for the results of cheering on their Wars of Choice!

We've had many reports of soldiers diagnosed with PTSD and mild TBI being sent back into theater for another tour, many on medication! We've had the growing number of reports of the suicides of those suffering from TBI and PTSD, known and diagnosed! We've had reports of soldiers committing murders, many times senseless and not in the character of these soldiers prior to in country duty, who have returned from one or more tours! We've had the reports of soldiers trying to seek help and the benefits after a diagnoses being told 'no way' that it was a preexisting condition! We have many reports of soldiers finding the help needed and learning how to live a more comfortable and productive life after what they've lived through and many helping others. We don't get much in reports on the people who live in the occupied countries where few have a way of escaping the death and destruction even with the numbers of refugee's number in the millions!

This is why this Country needs to place the Results of War right up next to 'War as a Last Resort!', before we choose to follow failed policies of Wars of Choice, or if we follow those failed policies Pony Up The Cost Of The Results Of These Wars of Choice!!

A Vet that Inspired a Congressional Bill, Long Overdue!!

Sen. Franken's Service Dog for Vets Bill Passes Senate

Not Good, Not Good At All!!

They broke the Military, those who call themselves 'Strong On National Defense'!!

Army sees jump in reported suicides in May

More than twice as many as in April; 1 confirmed, 16 investigated

Army Suicides Soar Past 2008's Pace

The day after the shooting at a combat stress clinic in Iraq, new data released to Salon shows soldiers committing suicide at a record-setting pace. Is combat stress the reason?

The Army is on a pace this year to shatter the record suicide rate set among soldiers in 2008, according to data released by the Army to Salon. And the numbers, obtained a day after a patient at a combat stress clinic in Iraq killed five, suggest that combat stress may be contributing to the spike in suicides.

Who Is Really To Blame

WHEN TROOPS "GO POSTAL?"

Exhaused and stressed troops are our responsibility. Trying to cheat them out of benefits or push them out into homelessness and unemployment after we have "used them up" is immoral, unpatriotic and wrong. It has to be stopped.

'This Is Mental Health, Military-Style'

But long-time observers of the U.S. military say the shooting shows all the signs of a soldier pushed to the brink of insanity by repeated and consistent exposure to war. The 44-year-old Russell had spent many years of his life at war when he allegedly opened fire and killed five of his fellow soldiers. Russell was drawing to the end of his third tour in Iraq and had also served deployments in Bosnia and Kosovo.

"It was tragic, but unfortunately it doesn't surprise me given the way we're recycling them in and out of war zones," said Shad Meshad, head of the National Veterans Foundation, which runs a toll free hotline for soldiers having difficulty adjusting to civilian life.

"We are not doing a good job of treating these people as they serve two, three, or four tours in a combat zone," he added.

When PTSD Comes Marching Home

There is disconnection between everything human and what has to be done in combat. Imagine being in an unimaginable situation and having to do the unthinkable. How can this be done? A detachment between everything human and having to do the inconceivable resounds in combat.

- PTSD: A Soldier's Perspective

Some may find these books very helpful, others should find to be useful in the educational quality of understanding and research, and not only for combat veterans but civilian suffers of:

I Can Still Hear Their Cries, Even In My Sleep: A Journey Into PTSD

Veterans's PTSD Handbook: How to File and Collect on Claims for Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder

The War Comes Home: Washington's Battle against America's Veterans

Vets Under Siege: How America Deceives and Dishonors Those Who Fight Our Battles

After the War Zone: A Practical Guide for Returning Troops and Their Families

Life After Deployment: Military families share reunion stories and advice

Moving A Nation to Care: Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder and America's Returning Troops

Record High Army Suicides Prompt Action : NPR

A U.S. soldier is now more likely than a civilian to take his own life, and the situation is getting worse, not better. To combat suicides, the Army is taking new steps, such as using an interactive video game in which soldiers role play with an imaginary buddy in crisis. >>>>>Rest Here {along with the audio feed}

Or click this link to bring up their player.

There was another recent report about even civilian workers on military bases have numbers of suicides on the rise, the military structure is broken, the stress, across the board, is extremely high!

And this recent video report:

Military Suicides at a 30-Year High


Study: Communities must do more for vets

If local organizations do not reach out proactively to the Defense and Veterans Affairs departments to become more engaged in treating the veterans returning to their communities, they can expect the veterans’ pain to affect their families, their ability to contribute to society, and even their ability to care for themselves, said Audrey Burnam, senior behavioral scientist at the Rand Corp. think tank.

Burnam said vets returning from the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq represent a “historic opportunity” for communities to learn more about PTSD, educate others about the illness and come together to deal with it.

Burnam, who spoke at a Health Affairs Journal panel May 5 in Washington, is the lead author of a new Rand report, “Mental Health Care for Iraq and Afghanistan War Veterans,” that makes a case for a broad reform of services that looks beyond VA.

A Full List From Rand

2nd Annual CIAV Conference May 4-8, 2009

Washington DC

“I ask all Americans to make a renewed commitment to serving their community and their country. We’re going to have to take responsibility – all of us.”

- President Barack Obama

General Session: The Coalition Reports from the Field

The Coalition for Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans are at the forefront of service delivery and advocacy on behalf of military, veterans, families and survivors. Member organizations work in a diverse array of fields from employment and housing assistance to mental healthcare to policy advocacy. We welcome the opportunity during this general session to highlight the latest issues facing our military veteran community and demonstrate the innovative work of CIAV organizations. Iraq and Afghanistan veterans will discuss obstacles faced during transition and we will share a special screening of the groundbreaking documentary series In Their Boots profile of Project Victory’s extraordinary Traumatic Brain Injury treatment center.

Topics - Agenda:

Outreach and Support for Military Children

No one feels the burden of deployment more than military children. Emotional and educational support is crucial to helping these children cope with the stress and anxiety of having a parent deployed overseas in a war zone. Panelists:

Suicide in the Military: Caring for the Surviving Families

Today’s military members are enduring multiple deployments, extended tours, combat fatigue and losing buddies all while trying to maintain their relationships and lives at home. The costs of war are taking a toll on the military family which unfortunately is resulting in a drastic increase in the suicide rate among service members both at home and abroad. Panelists:

Public, Private, and Community Partnerships

This panel illustrates how collaborative efforts between government, private, nonprofit organizations, and the community strengthen the system of care and support for those who serve. Panelists:

Post Traumatic Stress, Traumatic Brain Injury, and Pain: Treating the Whole Person

Not all physical injuries and wounds are visible and often the development of mental health issues begin with untreated or under-treated pain related to combat and the physical stress of military life. This panel will address the importance of addressing the physical as well as emotional wounds of combat. Panelists:

Physical and Mental Healthcare: Access to Services and Amplifying Needs

Accessing care is the first step in the journey of coming home. This panel will address the importance of quality treatment and access to services for service members and veterans. Panelists:

Peer Support: Helping Each Other Find A Way Home

Peer support is an integral component for many CIAV organizations in helping veterans of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. This panel will discuss what peer support is and how it contributes to the veteran’s well being. Panelists will discuss how to develop a wellness model and integrate peer support into ongoing services and programs. Panelists:

Economic Welfare: Access to Benefits, Housing and Employment

This panel will discuss the economic components of transition for the OIF/OEF veteran. CIAV panelists will address housing, access to VA compensation, legal services, and employment and training programs. The dialog will also touch upon homelessness, military discharge status, and mental health as job readiness, and other issues that complicate the transition process. Panelists:

Engaging the Media: A Look Inside Coverage of the War and Where We Go Next

How can two media outlets tell one story so differently? With the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan we have seen our news outlets arrive at different conclusions and shape the opinions of the American public. For nonprofit organizations and activists, it is important to recognize how the stories of these two wars are shaped and to be aware of how journalists shape their stories. This panel will consist of renowned journalists including:

The First Annual Conference

The First Annual Conference helped us to utilize our collective resources and embark on a long-term strategic planning process with simple goals: to ensure access to appropriate quality resources for military, veterans, families and survivors. Moving forward, we hope to capitalize on our individual strengths and work together to break down barriers between the military and civilian community to build a stronger, more effective, more efficient, more caring and more comprehensive system of care for decades to come.

For a full report on the 1st Annual Conference, read:

“Moving Forward: Strengthening Services for our Military, Veterans, Families, and Survivors” (pdf document).

To find out more and sign up Visit Site

Military Suicides: Senate Hearing 3.18.09

DoD Addressing Military Suicides

Chairman Ben Nelson (D-NE) is holding a Senate Armed Services Personnel Subcmte. hearing examining suicide prevention programs in each of the armed services. Defense Dept. representatives are discussing areas for improvement of access to mental health care and other initiatives that might help reduce military suicides.

This will bring up their Video Page of the Hearing

The War Comes Home

That's the subject title of this post by The War Comes Home that I'm bring a part of here, video and a snippet.


The War Comes Home from New America Media on Vimeo.

President Obama may want to end the war in Iraq and beef up troops in Afghanistan, but another battle is brewing on the homefront. In January alone, 24 soldiers were believed to have committed suicide. Journalist Aaron Glantz, author of "The War Comes Home: Washington's Battle against America's Veterans" discusses veterans' struggles in America.

"Coming home": The Conclusion of Salon.com's Series

Top row, left to right: Kenneth Eastridge, Ryan Alderman, Adam Lieberman, Robert Marko. Bottom row: John Needham, Kenneth Lehman, Mark Waltz, Chad Barrett.

In the final article in Salon's series, we ask what President Obama will do about the rise of suicide and murder among U.S. soldiers returning from combat.

This is the conclusion to Salon's weeklong "Coming Home" series, by Mark Benjamin and Michael de Yoanna, on preventable deaths at Fort Carson. You can read the introduction to the series here.

It's not about what President Obama will do, but what will this Country, who cheers on Invasions of innocents, than willingly supports their Occupation till they lose interest, do to control what these Wars and Occupations have done to those we've sent. Those of us from this countries previous shows of force and failed policies already know, and we won't allow it to happen again!! President Obama and our representatives in Congress are only that, Our Representatives, it's Our Responsibility to right the wrongs, of the policies, and to take care of those we call Heroe's but are quickly forgotten when they return!

The final installment of the Salon series starts out with this:

Feb. 14, 2009 | Two days after the election, the investigative arm of Congress, the Government Accountability Office, released a list of the 13 issues requiring "urgent attention and continuing oversight" from the new administration and Congress. Listen to any politician. Surf the Web. Open a newspaper. You can probably draw up a list yourself pretty quickly, given the recession, two wars and killer peanut butter.

After scanning the headlines, you probably would not jot down the first agenda item on the GAO list of issues "needing the attention of President-elect Obama and the 111th Congress." The first issue on their list: "Caring for Service Members."

Four years ago, Salon exposed inadequate mental healthcare at Walter Reed Army Medical Center, unraveling the first threads in what eventually became part of a national scandal. Today, the grind of multiple deployments in Iraq and Afghanistan translates into scores of damaged soldiers coming home. The trend far outstrips the raft of good-sounding military programs -- seemingly invisible at some Army posts -- the Pentagon set up to help these desperate troops. Forget about moldy barracks or mouse droppings in the hallways. People are dying unnecessarily.

Over the past week, Salon has published a dozen stories and sidebars about the healthcare problems at just one Army post among the many Army installations worldwide, Fort Carson, Colo. Salon dug up 25 cases of suicide, prescription drug overdoses or murder involving Fort Carson-based soldiers since 2004. In-depth study of 10 of those cases exposed a string of preventable deaths. In most cases, deaths seemed avoidable if the Army better identified and then appropriately treated soldiers' combat stress or brain injuries from explosions. In others, the Army, under pressure to deploy more troops in Iraq, brought into the ranks mentally damaged soldiers and then sent them to war. After combat had exacerbated their preexisting problems, the Army set them loose on the streets with deadly consequences.

The rest can be found here.

From page one we're led into page two with this:

"We've had some losses and we've had some soldiers who have done some behaviors that are not accepted in our society"

A few cuts on that page follow:

Throughout all of our reporting, we are unaware of any instance of the Army holding anyone accountable in any way -- from a soldier's first sergeant up to the Army surgeon general -- for any of the missteps documented in our articles.

Former Health and Human Services Secretary Donna Shalala served on a presidential commission, along with former Republican Sen. Bob Dole of Kansas, to formulate solutions to the problems made famous at Walter Reed. Their July 2007 report heavily emphasized better diagnosis and treatment of invisible wounds like PTSD and brain injuries.

And this:

"The problem with the pullout [of troops from Iraq] is not what it will do to Iraq, but what it will do to the United States of America if we are not ready with teams to absorb not simply these young men and women into our society and into our economy, but absorb them into our healthcare system with appropriate and sensitive treatment," she said. "One of the things we had better think about is if we are going to bring a bunch of troops back pretty quickly, we had better be ready for it." She also heavily emphasized preventing troubled soldiers from going to war in the first place.

Which closes with this:

Inside the Pentagon, at least, the rising trend of apparently preventable suicides, murders and other avoidable deaths remains a complicated mystery. Soldiers and their families, meanwhile, are attending too many funerals.

More than food for thought!!

You can find links to the other installments of this week long series at the bottom of this recent, and last, installment.

The following is a Press Release from Veterans For Peace:

Veterans For Peace

Veteran Organization: “Congress Must Face Escalating Military
Suicides. Bring the troops home now!” PDF

The United States military is scrambling to head off what has turned into an epidemic of suicides. As reported
on CNN, 24 service members killed themselves in January of this year, six times as many as in January of last
year. 2008 was the fourth consecutive year of increases in soldier suicides.

Veterans For Peace Executive Director Michael McPhearson said this is not a surprise to him. “It is tragic. It is
the culmination of years of continuous deployments and general stress the Armed Services have been put
under because of an invasion and subsequent occupation that should have never happened.”

The Army Times reports that Army Secretary Pete Geren has ordered a February 13, 2009, one day halt to
recruitment activities also known as stand-down of the Army’s entire recruiting force and a review of almost
every aspect of the job in the wake of a wide-ranging investigation of four suicides in a Houston Recruiting
Battalion.

Mike Ferner, Veterans For Peace’s National President stated, "I don't want to see anybody in Washington shed
one tear for the families surviving these suicides as long as Congress continues to fund these wars and the
President continues to deploy more troops. You put people through combat; you get suicides and PTSD related
violence back home. That's the simple equation Congress and the President cannot ignore."

One vivid example of this equation comes from the Houston Chronicle, which reported in a May 18, 2008 that
an Army investigation attributed the 4 recruiter suicides to a combination of work environment, stress and
personal issues. The latest was the March 6, 2007 death of Sergeant Nils Aron Andersson who shot himself in
the temple less than 24 hours after his wedding to Cassy Walton. Cassy killed herself the next day.

McPhearson went on to add; “Nils Anderson’s death was nearly two years ago and the Army is just reacting to
the 4 deaths in one Battalion. They should have seen these 24 deaths in January coming. Veterans For Peace
is asking our members to visit with their Congressional Representatives and Senators next week to discuss
these suicides, that the occupations of Iraq and Afghanistan contribute to the deaths and how our economy
must transition from a reliance on war spending to human needs spending. We look to Congress to take these
suicides seriously and stop spending our taxes on war. Bring all our troops home now.”

# # #

Founded in 1985, Veterans For Peace is a national organization of men and women veterans of all eras and duty stations
spanning the Spanish Civil War (1936-39), World War II, the Korean, Vietnam, Gulf and current Iraq wars as well as other
conflicts cold or hot. It has chapters in nearly every state in the union and is headquartered in St. Louis, MO. Our
collective experience tells us wars are easy to start and hard to stop and that those hurt are often the innocent. Thus,
other means of problem solving are necessary. Veterans For Peace is an official Non- Governmental Organization (NGO)
represented at the U.N.

Veterans For Peace

"That young man never should have come into the Army" 4th in Series "Coming Home"

The above subject title is the forth addition in a week long series at Salon.com by Mark Benjamin and Michael de Yoanna on the returned Soldiers from Iraq and Afghanistan called "Coming Home". It's the open window into what happens to some after serving in man's hell on earth, Wars and Occupations of Choice!

This is the fourth installment in a weeklong investigative series called "Coming Home." You can look at Kenneth Eastridge's MySpace page here, and read the story of Robert Marko here. Marko was sent to Iraq despite psychological problems and is now awaiting trial for murder in Colorado. You can also read the introduction to the series, and the first, second and third installments, which appeared Monday, Tuesday and Thursday.

This installment in this important series begins with this:

Kenneth Eastridge is being held at Kit Carson Correctional Facility in Burlington, Colo.

Feb. 13, 2009 | FORT CARSON, Colo. -- Late on the night of March 11, 2006, Kenneth Eastridge got in a fight with his girlfriend. It ended with his arrest for a felony.

The Kentucky native, an Army soldier stationed at Fort Carson, between deployments in Iraq, had fallen asleep after drinking when his girlfriend began to pound on his apartment door. She wanted inside, and she wanted to talk.

Eastridge responded with a string of obscenities and then flung the door open. He pointed a loaded pistol at his girlfriend. She looked at him like he was crazy, then turned and ran. Eastridge didn't fire. He stood motionless, stunned by his own reaction.

For those following this series, or any of the many that have started to surface, and the many more series or just singular reports that will be coming, long into the future, keep in mind the people you won't hear or read about. Not just the soldiers sent into these conflicts and occupations but those who live in these countries that are destroyed and occupied. Think of what they are going through, have gone through, and will be going through. The ones that choose to fight against any invaders, the ones trying to survive the invasions and than the occupations, the children growing up in the conditions created, the ones that survive! They are as human as those sent, no different, and go through the same reactions to, mentally and physically, what they knew of life is no more, they exist in a new reality not the one they were taught existed but one most don't experience!

This first page, of the forth installment leads into the second page, "They'll say, 'What makes the grass grow?' and we would say, 'Blood! Blood! Blood!'", and than on to a third, "The Army released him without assessing his mental condition"

He's also not receiving treatment for his PTSD in prison. He worries that if he sees a psychologist, it could delay his release date if ongoing problems are found: "Right now I just want to get out as fast as possible."

Can he find ways to prevent his life from spiraling out of control again? "I can't really say that I can," he says.

The following report is attached to the forth in the series, link is above as well.

"He hears sounds which seem to be voices"

The Army knew Cpl. Robert Marko might have psychological problems, but sent him to Iraq anyway. He is now awaiting trial for murder in Colorado.

Feb. 13, 2009 | When Judilianna Lawrence missed school, her mother called the police. Then she checked her daughter's MySpace account. Within hours, sheriff's deputies were asking questions of Robert Hull Marko, a Fort Carson, Colo., Army soldier who fought in Iraq.

Lawrence's mother had discovered correspondence indicating that her daughter and Marko had planned to meet, and Marko piqued investigators' interest when he initially denied he knew Lawrence. His story kept changing during a chilly weekend in October 2008. Eventually, Marko admitted he knew the 19-year-old special education student, saying he was with her in the rugged terrain somewhere around Pikes Peak, west of Colorado Springs, Colo. He said he left her there.

By Monday, Oct. 13, on Marko's 21st birthday, he finally led deputies to a wooded area. There, investigators searched for and found Lawrence's body, her throat slashed. She had also been raped, investigators say.

This is very disturbing in just what it says at the beginning, the Army knew this soldier might have psychological problems, yet they not only didn't try to help him or find out more they sent him into the occupation, another body needed!

We've all read about those who didn't have problems, were dedicated to their choice of serving the country, were trained than sent into the theaters. Some, after serving their tours, many extended with little dwell time, were sent back showing signs already of what the stress and experience of the preceding tours had caused. Sent back now with drugs issued by their military branches to coup with their trauma, instead of delving deeper and getting the treatment they needed, compounding the already suffering!

We will be living with the devastating remnants of these last years for many years to come, just from the mental stress of combat and occupation, all of those we've sent have now had their lives changed forever, as have those we've occupied. Will we as societies once again ignore that which is right in front of us, as we have before? Will we find better understanding of what extreme trauma can do to many who experience it, be it in combat and occupation or the many traumatic events many go through in their lives, that change the way our minds relate to these?

"You're a p- - -y and a scared little kid", 3rd Installment of "Coming Home"

The subject title above is the third installment of a week long series of reports being run at Salon.com.

The first two installment reports can be found in links below or with this link of what I posted previously

John Needham at home in San Clemente, Calif., in January 2007, during a two-week leave from his tour of duty in Iraq.

John Needham returned from Iraq, suffering from combat stress. If he had received proper care, would he be standing trial for murder?

This is the third installment in a weeklong investigative series called "Coming Home." Read a note written by John Needham here. You can also read the introduction to the series, and the first and second installments, which appeared Monday and Tuesday.

The third installment in this series, by Michael de Yoanna and Mark Benjamin at Salon.com, starts out thus:

Feb. 12, 2009 | FORT CARSON, Colo. -- Fellow soldiers in Iraq called John Wiley Needham "Needhammer" for his toughness. They also saw him as somehow charmed, because the tall blond Army private from Southern California always seemed to be just far enough away from danger. People died next to Needham; Needham survived.

But "Needhammer" was not indestructible after all. He struggled with the aftereffects of the explosions he'd dodged. He survived a suicide attempt while in Iraq, and, after being shipped out of the country in 2007, was diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder and a brain injury. He took so many prescription meds he could barely hold his head up. According to Needham's father, Mike, the Army's response to the soldier's problems was punishment rather than treatment.

Last year, just weeks after his discharge, he allegedly beat 19-year-old aspiring model Jacqwelyn Villagomez to death in his California condo.

It continues with this clip:

A Salon investigation has identified several trends involving Fort Carson soldiers who became homicidal. There are failures by healthcare workers and commanders to provide proper care to soldiers struggling with hidden wounds such as PTSD and brain injuries. There is a tendency to overmedicate soldiers struggling with stress or other injuries. Behind it all is an Army culture that punishes problematic soldiers instead of aiding them.

But it can't be misunderstood that Fort Carson, nor just the Army, is the only Military Base where soldiers, returning from In-Theater tours in Iraq and Afghanistan, is the only base where these soldiers, especially after serving multiple tours, many on extended tours of more than a year, are experiencing the problems of reintegration and suffering from the effects of war and occupation of others, especially within the culture of the military. Those of us who are 'Nam vets, and others before and after that, were there with our brothers who went through the same, and back than the tour in country was normally only a twelve month one for the greater majority. Longer tours, less down time between tours, strain of these tours on the soldier and their families, and so much more of the personal and military stress can break down even the strongest minds of many, war and occupations are the complete opposite of the way we are raised and taught how to view the world around us.

This first page of the Salon report, third installment, leads into this "We believe what happened was he had a flashback and lost control" second page, subtitled thus at the bottom of page one.

While Wolgast declines to link soldier healthcare and violent crimes to PTSD, Sheilagh McAteer, a Colorado public defender and a member of a federal Health and Human Services task force exploring ways to divert combat veterans who resort to crime, sees compelling links.

McAteer says soldiers returning home after traumatic war experiences are struggling with violence. Some are winding up in prison and Army officials need to wake up and recognize the problem, she adds.

So far, though, the Army is "refusing to take responsibility," McAteer says. "That's a problem."

Just as happened before and for the long time after, till the next War of Choice raises it's ugly head, as we never learn the real lessons of, and fail to even learn and understand the tactical.

"The Death Dealers took my life!"

Salon.com has a series running all this week called "Coming Home", researched and written by Mark Benjamin and Michael de Yoanna.

The following is the description and lead in information on the series:

"Coming Home" is a week long investigative series on preventable deaths at Fort Carson, a U.S. Army post in Colorado, among troops who have returned from combat tours in Iraq.

Salon national correspondent Mark Benjamin and Colorado-based journalist Michael de Yoanna reviewed more than two dozen incidents of suicide, suicide attempts, prescription drug overdoses and murder involving Fort Carson troops and examined 10 of those cases painstakingly. They interviewed troops, their families and survivors of suicide attempts, studied thousands of pages of medical and Army records and conducted a prison interview with a soldier convicted of being an accessory to the murder of one of his comrades. They learned that much of the violence could have been avoided if the Army did a better job of recognizing and treating the symptoms of PTSD.

A friend sent me the first in the series, which was posted yesterday, 2.09.09, called "The Death Dealers took my life!"

Army Pvt. Adam Lieberman attempted suicide on October 30, 2008, leaving a suicide note scrawled on the wall of his Fort Carson, Colorado barracks.

Adam Lieberman tried to kill himself when he returned from Iraq. Only then did the Army take his mental health seriously.

This is the first story in a week long series called "Coming Home." Read an introduction to the series here; see photos of Heidi Lieberman painting over her son's suicide note, and a copy of the "Hurt Feelings Report," here.

The first page of this report starts out thus:

Feb. 9, 2009 | FORT CARSON, Colo. -- The day before Halloween 2008, Army Pvt. Adam Lieberman swallowed handfuls of prescription pain pills and psychotropic drugs. Then he picked up a can of black paint and smeared onto the wall of his room in the Fort Carson barracks what he thought would be his last words to the world.

"I FACED THE ENEMY AND LIVED!" Lieberman painted on the wall in big, black letters. "IT WAS THE DEATH DEALERS THAT TOOK MY LIFE!"

With more following, about his unit, what happened, his mother and commander, leading into the second page, I am a queer; I am a little bitch; I am a cry baby; I want my mommy; All of the above. Leading to the third and final page of installment number one, "I wanted to rip her jaw off and scrape the skin off her face with her Goddamn teeth"


The second in the series comes on 2.10.09 is called "Kill yourself. Save us the paperwork":

Pfc. Ryan Alderman in Iraq in an undated photo.

Pfc. Ryan Alderman, now deceased, sought medical help from the Army. He got a fistful of powerful drugs instead.

This is part of the second installment in a week long series called "Coming Home." Read Ryan Alderman's sworn statement, written a week before his death, here, and a description of three other suicides of Fort Carson-based soldiers here. See the introduction to the series here.

The second, in this series, starts out with the following:

Feb. 10, 2009 | FORT CARSON, Colo. -- It was unseasonably warm for November in Colorado as Heidi Lieberman approached the door of the Soldiers' Memorial Chapel at Fort Carson. She walked past a few of the large evergreens that dot the chapel grounds and then entered the blockish, modern beige and brown chapel topped with a sharp, rocketlike steeple.

Inside, the chapel was hushed. Camouflage-clad, crew-cut young men packed the pews. Up in front, an empty Army helmet hung on the butt of an upright M16. A pair of brown combat boots sat below, as if they had been tucked under a bunk. A soldier handed Heidi a program for a memorial service. On the front was the image of a soldier, kneeling in prayer below an American flag and illuminated by a beacon of light from above. The inscription just below the kneeling soldier read, "Lord, grant me the strength ..."

It had been five days since Heidi's son Adam, 21, a soldier at Fort Carson, swallowed handfuls of prescription sleeping pills and psychotropic drugs in the barracks, trying to die. With a can of black paint, Adam brushed a suicide note on the wall of his room. The Army, Adam wrote, "took my life."

Adam had lived. Pfc. Timothy Ryan Alderman wasn't so lucky. Alderman had been found dead of a similar drug overdose in his room in the barracks at Fort Carson in the early-morning hours of Oct. 20, 10 days before Adam Lieberman made his suicide attempt.

Heidi, who was at Fort Carson to deal with the aftermath of her own son's suicide attempt, had decided to attend Alderman's funeral although neither she nor her son had known him. She sank into a pew and tried to reconcile two warring thoughts.

The first page leads into the second, givin this title at the bottom link to: "It looked like a slaughterhouse operation to me", which than leads to the third, "That's shitty. That breaks all the rules. He was overmedicated"

Please go over and read these two reports, than follow this extremely important series. I'll be updating this post as each days report is posted.

With the long running occupations continuing, and as the multiple tours start weighing on some of these soldiers, add on the economic problems of the country, their families sacrificing and trying to carry on a normal existence while waiting, over and over, and we're just witnessing the beginning of what may be coming!

Just as those of us who served in another long running occupation, without having to serve more than one tour, watched as our own brothers and sisters returned, never leaving behind what they had experienced nor completely returning home!

Take In A Deep Breath America

As far as suicides among active duty soldiers
and veterans of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan
are concerned,
we in America have just seen the tip of the iceberg.
Two tours will be twice the chance of suicide.
Three tours will be triple the chance of suicide.
Four tours will be four times the chance of suicide.
These soldiers will be deleted by this country like
unwanted e-mails.
Why?
Because the American people do not support the troops.
Nobody wants to do the math.
Take in a deep breath America,
the wars are coming home to the stuffed closets of your
mind.
When you fall asleep at the wheel,
people die in your neighborhood.
Eventually,
they may die in your own home.
When I was in Vietnam toward the end of the war,
this is what I saw.
Blood on my hands,
brains in my lap.

Mike Hastie
U.S. Army Medic
Vietnam 1970-71
February 9, 2009

Beneath A Brave Soldier's Suicide

Military Struggles With Response To PTSD

Dec. 26, 2008 CBS Evening News: Beneath A Brave Solider's Suicide, Cracks In the Mental Health System

The Pentagon says 1 in 5 service members who come home from Iraq or Afghanistan suffer from post-traumatic stress.

Some find their experiences too much to bear. There were 115 military suicides last year, and 93 through just August of this year.

The biggest obstacle to getting those numbers down may be the military culture itself, reports CBS News correspondent Kimberly Dozier.

First Sergeant Jeff McKinney was a model soldier, a newlywed, and a new father.

Now, his family says, he's a casualty of war. Two wars really: the war in Iraq, where he served honorably, and the war within the military over how to deal with post-traumatic stress disorder.

"He needed help and nobody helped him," Chrissy McKinney said. "And that's the reason why he died."

Resources: One Freedom
Creating reintegration solutions for our military service members, families and communities.

Diary of a Suicide: Iraq Veteran

For two years Jason Ermer fought to make it home from Iraq. Last New Year’s Eve, he gave up.

It was just after midnight on Dec. 31, 2007, and bitterly cold outside, when two Ogden police officers knocked on the door of Jason Ermer’s home.

Earlier that night, Danny Murchie, an addictions counselor at the U.S. Department of Veteran’s Affairs (VA) Salt Lake City office, had called Ogden police and asked for a courtesy check on Ermer, his 28-year-old client, a recent Iraq war veteran. Murchie had talked with Ermer and feared he might harm himself.

When no one answered at the Ermer home, police followed footprints in the snow a few blocks into the Ogden Canyon foothills. Near a large boulder, a man’s body lay in the snow, blood pooling near his head. His breathing was slow and gargly.

But Jason was scarcely the same man who had enlisted three and a half years earlier. He brought back to Utah constant pain from a parachuting injury to his neck and lower back, a growing addiction to painkillers and Iraq-fueled nightmares that wouldn’t let him sleep at night. One particularly graphic flashback plagued him—the last terrified look of an Iraqi child, who fell beneath the wheels of a Humvee Jason was driving near Mosul.

When he could hardly function anymore, Jason’s family says, he voluntarily entered the VA system for treatment. But the VA, after helping him with counseling, ultimately added insult to his injuries. In the early hours of Thanksgiving Day 2007, staff members suspected the confused veteran was high. In the emergency room, Jason later told his parents, he was held down and forcibly catheterized by several nurses and security personnel to obtain a urine sample for a drug test. His parents later obtained medical records from the VA that confirmed Jason’s story. The test, his parents add, came back negative. “Now I know what a woman feels like being raped,” he told his wife afterwards in tears. One month later, Jason was dead.

Jason was buried in frozen ground in Roy City Cemetery on Jan. 5, 2008. A military honor guard attended. As the last notes of Taps faded away under an overcast sky, two soldiers picked up the corners of the American flag draped over the casket and folded it into a triangle. A third pressed it to his chest, tucking in the edges. He knelt down before Brandi, then gave her the flag. She broke down in tears as Jason’s parents looked on.
Graveside service video below, provided by family

RIP Brother Jason, RIP

Read The Diary Here

Special Thanksgiving Message: {2008}

Thousands of Soldiers are no longer with us but especially with their families, this or any coming Thanksgivings!

As of 11-25-2008:

U.S.: Iraq Confirmed Deaths Reported Deaths: 4205 Confirmed Deaths: 4203 Pending Confirmation: 2

U.S.: Afghanistan Confirmed Deaths 629

This message comes from the family of only one soldier who did come back, but not the same as when he left, and will not be celebrating Thanksgiving or any other Holidays with his family, but is certainly not forgotten.

This soldier, and many more, numbers unknown because no one counts them, are still War Casualties but not in the numbers listed above.

The 'Special Thanksgiving Message' comes from his Mom and Dad, Kevin & Joyce Lucey, about their son, Cpl. Jeffrey Michael Lucey, a 23 year old USMC reservist and Iraq conflict veteran.

As the Lucey's say in the beginning there is alot to found about their son on the internet, as many will find there also is about many of those who served in our recent conflicts, Wars of Choice, I'll just give a couple of links.

Jeffrey M Lucey

'Something happened to Jeff'

Jeff Lucey returned from Iraq a changed man. Then he killed himself.

Now to the Special Message, in it's entirety, as posted on the Veterans for Common Sense site:

Jeffrey Lucey and the Urgent Need for Mental Healthcare for All Our Veterans

November 23, 2008 - This is the story of our son, Jeffrey Michael Lucey. This will be a brief account of what happened to him - especially after his return from the Iraq War.

There is so much about him on the internet under his name. This is why we will keep this brief.

Jeffrey Michael Lucey was born on March 18, 1981. He was our only son and our middle child - having an older sister and a younger sister. He was your average everyday boy. As he grew up, Jeffrey began to love to play sports, being a clown as well as a little rascal and imp. Jeffrey was a risk taker as well as being popular and industrious in school - at least in elementary and middle school. The first three years of high school was when he discovered girls and the social life but he was able to pull it togther during his senior year and graduated. He then went on to attend Holyoke Community College but that was interrupted by his joining the USMC reserve unit in December, 1999; then going off to Boot Camp in late May, 2000; finally returning on November 9, 2000 and then being assigned to his unit in New Haven, Ct.. Jeffrey's life was then further interrupted once more by the War.

Jeffrey being a convoy driver then participated in the invasion the day after his birthday and returned home July 13, 2003 - physically unscathed but mortally wounded. He returned to college. He was to have graduated on June 5, 2004 but weeks before he found himself in the throes of dealing with the hidden wounds of the trauma of War. Regretfully, Jeffrey never did graduate.

In letters other than the ones Jeffrey sent to us while he was in Iraq, Jeffrey described doing immoral things and wishing that the past month ( April of 2003 ) of his life never happened - that he had done things which he had only seen in the movies, ect.

Despite some distance when Jeffrey initially came home, we were unaware of issues other than what we were told would be some re-adjustment back to civilian life.

The first strong clue occurred on December 24, 2003, when Jeffrey, having asked to stay home from Christmas Eve activities, talked to his younger sister while he was crying and drinking and told her that he was nothing more than a murderer - tossing his and other dogtags at her. Yet later that evening and the next day, Jeffrey appearred fine.

During the intervening months, Jeffrey appeared to be drinking more and had some episodes but then things seem to explode. Another issue which came to light was Jeffrey's daily vomiting ever since he had returned. We sent him to the Doctor and they were going to schedule some medical tests. We came to find out later that that could have been caused by those hidden wounds.

It was in the middle of March, 2004 around school vacation, his birthday and the anniversary of the War that Jeffrey's downward spiral truly began

From mid-March through June 22, 2004, Jeffrey's life became a struggle and the symptoms appeared to explode - appearing to fluctuate in intensity and frequency. It was as if a beast was gnawing and gnashing at Jeffrey's very essence and ripping chunks out of his spirit ... his soul ... his being. There were moments that Jeffrey appeared to be quiet only to discover that in the silence, he had been screaming from the pain - horrible screams of pain that no one heard. Jeffrey slept little, ate little, was so restless, hypervigilant, confused angry frustrated isolated in his mind wracked with guilt sadness depression rage, panicked, desperate, hopeless, overwhelmed, rageful, wanting to talk and yet at the same time wanting to be silent. He wanted help but thought that no one could understand but even worse - especially after going to the VA twice - that no one cared. Being totally aware of stigma and fearful of being judged by those who could never understand, Jeffrey felt trapped as he slowly made his descent into his private hell.

As a family, we were also descending into our own hell - feeling totally powerless, helpless, desperate. We begged him to go to get help ... to go to the VA who were the experts having dealt with this country's veterans over a hundred years and a number of wars. Yet STIGMA prevented him from reaching out and trying to save himself - for you see, to seek help meant to him that you are weak and that was not acceptable. We were overwhelmed and then struggling with a mutated form of our own trauma due to trying to deal with the chaos and the raging storm of Jeffrey and his present world.

We were finally able to bring him to the VA only to have that fail so miserably. His experience there made him refuse to go back - feeling that he was treated as a prisoner - not as a veteran; being put on a ward with older veterans suffering from a number of issues not similar to his; not being seen by counselors or therapists - not being helped; feeling warehoused; not being assessed for his real issue but their simply focusing on a symptom - alcohol; ect. This should have never been.

After being turned away from the professionals, it made us doubt ourselves - were we just parents overreacting. They would never turn someone away who really was in danger - would they? It gave us a false sense of security and safety. From our perspective - they were the angels who would embrace and help Jeffrey through all this that we did not understand. Yet they turned him away. Then no one ever called so it must be that we were thinking with a parents' hearts and not being objective enough.

Jeffrey had so many mixed feelings - for he was expecting to be returned to Iraq. There were times that he was ready to go back to Iraq with his unit and then other times when he could not.

With all these factors and more involved, Jeffrey's spiral continued to go downward until he crashed. Jeffrey did stop drinking the week before he died. All of us tried to get him help - Joyce called the VA and stated that we were watching our son die slowly in front of us; Jeffrey called the Vet Center and made an appointment for the following Friday which we kept. They sent us home with the idea that they would come to the house three times per week until they could find a bed. He couldn't be as bad as we feared - could he?

When I came home from work on Monday, June 21, 2004, Jeffrey was pacing through the house in a total rage - ranting about the government, the war, the oil issue, ect.. He then spoke about suicide. I called the Vet Center not only once but twice. After talking with the staff, Jeffrey was in a better place and we had a relatively good night. About 11:30 pm, for the second time within the last ten days, Jeffrey asked me if he could sit in my lap. For the second time, I rocked him in my lap - this time for about 45 minutes. Then we walked to his room and he went to bed.

The next time I held him in my lap was the very next night, on June 22, 2004, as I lowered him from the beam and unwrapped the hose from around his neck - the first time that he looked at peace in months. He finally escaped the pain at his own hand. On June 22nd, the VA sent a notice setting up an appointment for Jeffrey who was in such a crisis for approximately three weeks later.

Few have spoken out; many have not.

It is simply not right - to allow the traumatized troops and veterans to suffer in such a tortured way and such a horrible death; for the loved ones to descend into the depths of a hell known only to a few... it is simply not right.

As many sit around their holiday tables full of festive cheer, let us hope that, even for a brief moment, some will remember that somewhere in this nation there is a family that will have to confront the reality that the smiles, laughter and joking of the loved one / veteran /troop is now replaced by the empty chair and a trembling toast to all that was and that which could have been. and which will never be.

Kevin & Joyce Lucey, the proud parents of Cpl. Jeffrey Michael Lucey, a 23 year old USMC reservist forever succumbed to the hidden wounds of PTSD.

03/18/81 -------- 06/22/04

To learn more about Jeffery listen to his parents as they tell the World about what their son went through in his last days:

WINTER SOLDIER: KEVIN and JOYCE LUCEY (1 of 2)

WINTER SOLDIER: KEVIN and JOYCE LUCEY (2 of 2)

RIP Jeffery and all our Brothers and Sisters, RIP!

'What Killed Sergeant Grey?'

Broadcast: Midday, 10/07/2008, 12:00 p.m.


Sgt. Adam Gray during his tour in Iraq, sitting on top of a tank with Battalion 1-68. Gray was troubled by what he did when he was assigned to guard Iraqi prisoners. (Photo courtesy Tony Sandoval)

Minnesota Public Radio-American Radio Works

American RadioWorks investigates the mysterious death of an Iraq War veteran and uncovers new allegations of detainee abuse. This powerful documentary follows members of a U.S. Army unit and their struggle to come to terms with what they did, and didn't do, in Iraq.

Click To Listen To Radio Documentary

That will bring up their NPR Station radio player, it's about 54min long.

"that I will support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic"

OEF/OIF Suicide Toll and Reading Materials

I want to point you to a friends website PTSD Combat: Winning the War Within if you hadn't know about Ilona's work and research, or if you've visited but not in awhile.


And point you to her recent post OEF/OIF Veteran Suicide Toll: Nearly 15% of Overall U.S. Military Casualties Result from Suicide


I'm only going to give you a small snippet of her post, visit and read the rest, for there are a number of link backs giving one an open window in the problems that war and occupation theaters inflict on those who serve in them, as well as the people of the occupied and destroyed countries.

Back in February, the Marines released their military branch's updated suicide statistics. They revealed the number of Afghanistan and Iraq combat troops and veterans who took their own lives in 2007 had doubled over the previous year.

Earlier this month, the Army reported its own current soldier suicide data, reflecting another year of record increases. And just last week, the VA chimed in with their latest OEF/OIF veterans suicide figures -- also another record-breaker -- for its Afghanistan and Iraq veteran clients.

Gregg Zoroya of USA Today:

Visit above link to Ilona's site, there's much more than just this well researched post, much more, and the results of War, PTSD, TBI, the Maimed Physically and Mentally, must be placed up front and at the top of the list as War should be the Absolute Last Resort for any Democracy of the People to Lead by Example not by Destructive Policies creating hatreds and enemies!


Below you will find a list of great books, there are others, that should be read, understood, and referanced as to what needs to be done to help those who've been placed in these Hell's on Earth!!


First Ilona's terrific referance booklet of great information:


Moving A Nation to Care: Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder and America's Returning Troops


And a few more to add to the personal libraries and public libraries as well:


I Can Still Hear Their Cries, Even In My Sleep: A Journey Into PTSD



Veterans's PTSD Handbook: How to File and Collect on Claims for Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder



After the War Zone: A Practical Guide for Returning Troops and Their Families



War and the Soul: Healing Our Nation's Veterans from Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder



Back from t Front: Combat Trauma, Love, and the Family



Heart of War: Soldiers' Voices From the Front Lines in Iraq



Blood Brothers: Among the Soldiers of Ward 57


As I said above, there are others in the bookstores and online book sources. To stop repeating the mistakes of destructive conflicts one, the majority that don't serve in them, must understand what conflicts do to their brothers and sisters, the few who do serve, and the damage done to any countries National Security, for the Innocents can and do become the Targets of the Blowback and Retaliation from Failed Policies!!!

Add On:

How the VA Abandons Our Vets

Sgt. Juan Jimenez had one of the most dangerous jobs in Iraq, ushering top Administration officials through the war-torn streets of Baghdad. He returned home with two Purple Hearts and shrapnel lodged in his right arm. Today he is gravely ill.

What Jimenez didn't realize is that before he could receive benefits for his wounds, he'd have to prove that those wounds came from war. Three and a half years later, the sergeant is still making his case. The Department of Veterans Affairs isn't convinced. And it won't give him his benefits until it is.
SNIP

Investigation Leads To Action

32,000 Vets To Be Warned About Suicide-Linked Drug

ABC News/Washington Times Investigation Leads To Action

32,000 to be notified? 32,000 Veterans, how many are probably suffering from PTSD/Depression already, apparently are in this program unearthed by ABC News and the Washington Times, 32,000!

Responding to an ABC News/Washington Times investigation, the Veterans Administration plans to inform 32,000 veterans that they are using a drug linked to suicide or violent behavior.

And we already know where the administration stood on this from the previous reports:

The Bush White House had initially defended the VA's handling of the Chantix experiment.

Brought back to light in this one.

Parts of two previous posts I did on this crap:

Veterans Used To Test Suicide-Linked Drugs

An ABC News and Washington Times Investigation Reveals Vets Are Being Recruited for Government Tests on Drugs with Violent Side Effects

Mentally distressed veterans from Iraq and Afghanistan are being recruited for government tests on pharmaceutical drugs linked to suicide and other violent side effects, an investigation by ABC News and "The Washington Times" has found.

The report will air on "Good Morning America" and will also appear in "The Washington Times" on Tuesday. (click here to read "The Washington Times" coverage of "Disposable Heroes")

This Crap Has Been Going On For As Long As We've Had A Military, just search out the past history!!

In one of the human experiments, involving the anti-smoking drug Chantix, Veterans Administration doctors waited more than three months before warning veterans about the possible serious side effects, including suicide and neuropsychiatric behavior.

"Lab rat, guinea pig, disposable hero," said former US Army sniper James Elliott in describing how he felt he was betrayed by the Veterans Administration.

SNIP read rest at above links

'Disposable Heroes':

ABC Investigative Video, same as above, but give some traffic to.

The Washington Times Video's

Part 1

Part 2

And the Obama and Cornyn response:

The original ABC News report

ABC 'Disposable Heroes' - Investigative Report

'Outrageous'; Meanwhile WH Slams ABC News Report
Senators Barack Obama and John Cornyn Are Calling for an Investigation Into Government Tests of Suicide-Linked Drugs on Veterans

Senators Barack Obama (D-IL) and John Cornyn (R-TX) are calling for an investigation after an ABC News/Washington Times report revealed that veterans are being recruited for government tests on suicide-linked drugs.

Yesterday I posted about this Atrocity as it was breaking on ABC, link goes to the post at my site.

"It is outrageous and unacceptable that our government would irresponsibly endanger veterans who have already sacrificed so much for our country," said Sen. Obama Tuesday morning.
Republican Senator Cornyn, a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, is also calling for an investigation this afternoon and has sent a letter to the Secretary of the Veterans Administration, James B. Peake.
"I've requested that VA Secretary Peake look into the allegations and, if needed, take the immediate steps necessary to identify the responsible parties, provide appropriate care to any veterans who have undergone this testing, and ensure that any unethical practices are immediately brought to a halt," said Sen. Cornyn.

And from the Soldier in this report:

"They never told me that I was going to be suicidal, that I would cease sleeping. They never told me anything except this will help me quit smoking," Elliott told ABC News and The Washington Times.

And this is what this Incompetent Criminal Administration, sending the soldiers into these Theaters Multiple Times and using Stop Loss to shore up the Ranks, thinks about not informing these Vets as to the Side Effects of these Drugs while giving them to Veterans Already suffering from PTSD, the Trauma's of the Experiance of War!

Meanwhile the White House slammed the report. In a briefing today Deputy Press Secretary Tony Fratto called the story "irresponsible reporting" that took "the experience of this one veteran and trying to leave the impression that this was a situation for all veterans."
"And to try to imply that and, in fact, not even imply, see the words scrolled on a television screen this morning, that the VA is using our veterans as guinea pigs, I thought, was one of the most awful things I've ever had to watch on television," said Fratto.

'Disposable Heroes': Veterans Used To Test Suicide-Linked Drugs

Washington Times Report with a host of interactive links
and apparently more to come on the Pharma Connections to all of this!!

And what about brother 'Nam Veteran John McCain on this situation, he was to busy talking about Drilling for Oil off our shores while the oil companies are already sitting on leases granted and not drilling or exploring! Screw the Soldier, keep them there for 100Years, DRUGGED!!

Obama, Cornyn on Veterans Drug Testing

The report:

ABC 'Disposable Heroes' - Investigative Report

'Outrageous'; Meanwhile WH Slams ABC News Report
Senators Barack Obama and John Cornyn Are Calling for an Investigation Into Government Tests of Suicide-Linked Drugs on Veterans

Senators Barack Obama (D-IL) and John Cornyn (R-TX) are calling for an investigation after an ABC News/Washington Times report revealed that veterans are being recruited for government tests on suicide-linked drugs.

Yesterday I posted about this Atrocity as it was breaking on ABC, link goes to the post at my site.

"It is outrageous and unacceptable that our government would irresponsibly endanger veterans who have already sacrificed so much for our country," said Sen. Obama Tuesday morning.
Republican Senator Cornyn, a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, is also calling for an investigation this afternoon and has sent a letter to the Secretary of the Veterans Administration, James B. Peake.
"I've requested that VA Secretary Peake look into the allegations and, if needed, take the immediate steps necessary to identify the responsible parties, provide appropriate care to any veterans who have undergone this testing, and ensure that any unethical practices are immediately brought to a halt," said Sen. Cornyn.

And from the Soldier in this report:

"They never told me that I was going to be suicidal, that I would cease sleeping. They never told me anything except this will help me quit smoking," Elliott told ABC News and The Washington Times.

And this is what this Incompetent Criminal Administration, sending the soldiers into these Theaters Multiple Times and using Stop Loss to shore up the Ranks, thinks about not informing these Vets as to the Side Effects of these Drugs while giving them to Veterans Already suffering from PTSD, the Trauma's of the Experiance of War!

Meanwhile the White House slammed the report. In a briefing today Deputy Press Secretary Tony Fratto called the story "irresponsible reporting" that took "the experience of this one veteran and trying to leave the impression that this was a situation for all veterans."
"And to try to imply that and, in fact, not even imply, see the words scrolled on a television screen this morning, that the VA is using our veterans as guinea pigs, I thought, was one of the most awful things I've ever had to watch on television," said Fratto.

This is the so called political party that Sells Itself as being "Strong on National Defense", not only allowing 9/11 to occur but than Breaking the Professional Military, while using the Reserve Military Extensively, and not only the Reserves but the Civilian Militia, National Guard, many doing duty not on these shores in National Emergencies and ready for Defense of but serving in these Occupation Theaters, for whatever gains they and their political partners are receiving from the Blood Money of War Profitteering, as they build their Mercenary Army with unlimited Treasury cash!

'Disposable Heroes':

'Disposable Heroes': Veterans Used To Test Suicide-Linked Drugs

Washington Times Report with a host of interactive links
and apparently more to come on the Pharma Connections to all of this!!

And what about brother 'Nam Veteran John McCain on this situation, he was to busy talking about Drilling for Oil off our shores while the oil companies are already sitting on leases granted and not drilling or exploring! Screw the Soldier, keep them there for 100Years, DRUGGED!!

BREAKING: 'Disposable Heroes':

Veterans Used To Test Suicide-Linked Drugs

An ABC News and Washington Times Investigation Reveals Vets Are Being Recruited for Government Tests on Drugs with Violent Side Effects

Mentally distressed veterans from Iraq and Afghanistan are being recruited for government tests on pharmaceutical drugs linked to suicide and other violent side effects, an investigation by ABC News and "The Washington Times" has found.

The report will air on "Good Morning America" and will also appear in "The Washington Times" on Tuesday. (click here to read "The Washington Times" coverage of "Disposable Heroes")

This Crap Has Been Going On For As Long As We've Had A Military, just search out the past history!!

In one of the human experiments, involving the anti-smoking drug Chantix, Veterans Administration doctors waited more than three months before warning veterans about the possible serious side effects, including suicide and neuropsychiatric behavior.

"Lab rat, guinea pig, disposable hero," said former US Army sniper James Elliott in describing how he felt he was betrayed by the Veterans Administration.

SNIP read rest at above links

'Disposable Heroes':

ABC Investigative Video, same as above, but give some traffic to.

The Washington Times Video's

Part 1


Part 2


This Country owes Veterans, All Veterans, Big Time, but Especially those serving now, in Mutiple Tours in these Theaters of Occupations, and being Stop Lossed because Most who Cheer on these Wars of Choice Refuse To Serve!!

Simple thoughtless phrases are just fine with them, place Soldiers out of Site out of Mind!!