How do you support our troops?Defense Secretary Robert Gates said Monday that troops injured in combat in Iraq and Afghanistan continue to face too many bureaucratic hurdles. Paperwork alone for them can be “frustrating, adversarial, and unnecessarily complex,” Gates said. Gates spoke at a mental health summit with Veterans Affairs Secretary Eric Shinseki. By appearing publicly together, they sought to reinforce their commitment to tackling veterans’ health issues and the stigma associated with seeking mental health care. Among U.S. troops who have fought in the recent wars, Gates says brain injuries and mental health ailments are “widespread, entrenched and insidious.”
This is the way we support our troops? By causing frustration and adversity? The stigma associated with mental health issues exists not only among active duty military, but perhaps even more importantly, it exists in a very big way in the public. Yes, it’s difficult to understand the issues of combat veterans, but we MUST understand them, for the sake of those who put their lives on the line for our country, and for the hope of a future without war.
Support our troops by educating yourself about post traumatic stress.
These are indeed some very sobering statistics. As a combat veteran of Marine Corps having served in Vietnam, I have always known that we seem to have a mortality clock that ticks a bit faster than then that of the standard for insurance actuaries. Might any of our readers speculate about why this may be? I have a few observations, but I will let you all go first.
This isn’t good news for us “in country vets”…. Like I always said ….we died in ‘Nam , just haven’t fallen over yet….Too bad all the imposters don’t die just as quick or quicker.
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In case you haven’t been paying attention these past few decades after you
returned from Vietnam , the clock has been ticking. The following are some
statistics that are at once depressing yet in a larger sense should give you a HUGE SENSE OF PRIDE.
“Of the 2,709,918 Americans who served in Vietnam, less than 850,000 are estimated to be alive today, with the youngest American Vietnam veteran’s
age approximated to be 54 years old.”
If you’re alive and reading this, how does it feel to be among the last
1/3rd of all the U.S. Vets who served in VietNam ?!?!? …don’t know about
you guys, but kinda gives me the chills, considering this is the kind of
information I’m used to reading about WWII and Korean War vets…
So the last 14 years we are dying too fast, only the few will survive by
2015…if any.. If true, 390 VN vets die a day so in 2,190 days from today,
lucky to be a Vietnam veteran alive….. in only 6 years..
These statistics were taken from a variety of sources to include: The VFW
Magazine, the Public Information Office, and the HQ CP Forward Observer –
1st Recon April 12, 1997.
INTERESTING CENSUS STATISTICS. THOSE TO CLAIM TO HAVE “been there”:
1,713,823 of those who served in Vietnam were still alive as of August,
1995 (census figures).
During that same Census count, the number of Americans falsely claiming to
have served in-country was: 9,492,958.
As of the last Census taken during August, 2000, the surviving U.S.
Vietnam Veteran population estimate is: 1,002,511. This is hard to believe,
losing nearly 711,000 between ’95 and ’00. That’s 390 per day.
During this Census count, a huge number of Americans falsely claimed to have
served in-country . (fact check note by Mike Brewer. I do not concur with this figure. The only qualifier may be that there is a misunderstanding about what “In Country” means. There are tons of “Era Vets” who are categorized as Vietnam Veterans, which is sort of true, but they are Vietnam ERA Vets, and never left the United States. There census number is quite high, but I do not think it is this high.)
I cannot help but wonder how this health care debate will spill out. The level of enmity and identity politics is reeling so far out of control that I think we need a Psychiatric Department added to the Cabinet.
If for a moment our readers can suspend their editorial inclinations, and chime into something substantial and concrete, I would love to hear some predictions about how health care reform will look by Christmas. Or will it have a look?
A man must know his destiny. if he does not recognize it, then he is lost. By this I mean, once, twice, or at the very most, three times, fate will reach out and tap a man on the shoulder. if he has the imagination, he will turn around and fate will point out to him what fork in the road he should take, if he has the guts, he will take it.” Gen. George S. Patton
Well over a million troops have served in Iraq and Afghanistan since the advent of, “Shock and Awe” in March of 2003. A recent study by the VA has indicated that approximately 30% of the returning combat veterans are experiencing post traumatic stress disorder upon returning to civilian life. Most of these are young men and women are the future of our communities and our country. If these young and some not so young, as we have seen a much larger population of career soldiers and Marines in this conflict, are not diagnosed soon after coming home they frequently turn to substance abuse and behaviors that may interrupt relationships with family, friends and superiors. The Vietnam experience witnessed vets being reviled, rejected, misunderstood, and misdiagnosed,(PTSD entered the DSM in 1980). Many of these men and women isolated themselves, rebelled and eventually drained our society of its most precious resource; their productive lives. Will history repeat itself for this new generation of veterans? This must not come to pass again
There is a sacred place here in Arizona that is duty bound to prevent and ease the pain of transition to polite society. It is called the Merritt Center in Payson, Arizona. The Veteran Program that is now in its fourth year has been the source of healing and camaraderie for combat veterans from 7 Wars. From WWll to Tekrit the Merritt Center has hosted men and women who have one thing in common; War.
Since its founding in 1987, the Merritt Center, a non-profit organization has been working with individuals seeking positive ways to move past traumas that have disrupted their lives. The Center has a virtual potpourri of offerings from Sweat Lodges to native talking circles and deep massage therapy so as to get back in touch with the body and its ways of holding pain and emotion. The professionals who volunteer their time are all highly skilled in alternative techniques that bring a sense of closure to past bodily and emotional disruptions.
By observing the needs of the new returning veterans, by way of there trained mentors who are spread across Arizona, and noting the sad history of neglect by their predecessors- the Center has chosen to offer a free program for returning veterans of war.. A series of 4 weekend retreats over the course of 5 months, separate ones for men and women bring a perspective of healing and renewal to the veteran who will most likely not find anything quite so potent inside conventional medicine and therapy.
Over these four weekends the participants are given presentations about the core nature of trauma, its signs and symptoms, and guided at all times by combat veteran mentors who are graduates to the program, many of whom have been helping their comrades for years. A few of the techniques that are learned are; trauma release exercises, body energy work, guided visualizations, drumming, journaling, and Native American talking circles that are quite popular with the vets. Concluding the program is a Sweat Lodge ceremony to purge the toxins of the mind, body and spirit. At the final session the veterans new and home families gather in harmony to celebrate their strong bond and new commitment to healthy living.
The four weekend program seeks to achieve the following goals.
* learning to recognize and release the triggers of trauma
* releasing the negative experiences of combat
* learning new skills to reduce nightmares, flashbacks, and hostile behavior
*reprogramming the mind to expect and trust safety
*creating a new “band of brothers and sisters” who will share the lessons and spread the word
to others vets returning to civilian life.
The nearby ancient Pueblo Ruins coupled with the spa, forest paths, flower garden, hammocks, meditation areas and a ton of quiet places, makes the Merritt Center one of the most unique places in all the west. I for one have been enriched beyond words with the honor to be one of the mentors for this most blessed program that is 100% FREE
For information, contact Betty Merritt at 928-474-4268 or visit the website at;”www.MERRITTCENTER. ORG”
The Department of Defense and the Veterans Administration have been working diligently for years to provide a smooth transition of medical records from active duty service to the VA Health Care system.
The intent has been to create a seamless transition to the veteran status and not leave the vet in no mans zone for months while they seek VA health care benefits.
Recently the VA Secretary, Eric Shineski shocked some reporters when he stated that, “trying to do seamless transition when a youngster takes off a uniform today and is inducted into the VA tomorrow is nearly impossible.”
Shinseki believes that the focus should be altered from sharing incompatible data in a troops current records to creating a clean set of records that he states the VA can interpret when the troop leaves the military years from now.
My take only, is that there is something a bit odd about this proclamation. What exactly is “incompatible data?” Who is creating the new record, and what stays and what gets tossed? As a Service Officer, it appears to me that there is some huge compromised territory here that can have grave detrimental aspects for any future claims, and the need for corroborated evidence that a veterans disability is service connected. Yes, I referencing that dreaded terminology of ‘revisionist history” but this time, revisionist medical history.
With highly skilled Information Technology experts in and out of the Government, coupled with the immense depth of knowledge about the Internet, which you recall had its birth at the Pentagon, why can we not solve this dilemma?
My mother used to say, “when nothing is happening something is happening.”
Congress has set a deadline of September 30th to finish the job. No chance romance! But it will be entertaining to hear the answers as to why more time is needed.
I say the Disability bean counters are slowing down the process. War is expensive, and more expensive afterward as the survival rate with modern medicine and evacuation technique has increased the disability claim process by 200 fold, and the pay outs could break the bank.
Each day I wake and think about the intention of this Post, I know I am at risk for feedback that…. well lets say, might not be from the book of Miss Manners. Unfortunately, that is the state of nation, with the exception of many of our own Bloggers, who have clearly been most supportive of each other since this site launched back in the first week in July.
This quote from E.B. White summarizes the emotions that flow through me each day,as I contemplate what may be worth publishing for the good of the order and the furtherance of civility.
“If the world were merely seductive, that would be easy. If it were challenging, that would be no problem. Then I arise in the morning torn between a desire to improve the world and a desire to enjoy the world. This makes it hard to plan the day”
I suspect this may capture the sentiment of many retirees as myself.
The project here at “TucsonCitizen.com”, does however, provide an existential sense of usefulness for myself and apparently for a slew of veterans who chime into this site, as the viewings of “Veteran Veritas” are amongst the highest of all the Blogs.
“Whooda known?”
Thank you fellow vets, friends and families for riding with us in this new blogosphere adventure.
Veteran Suicides on the IncreaseIt has been reported by the Department of Defense that 33 Marines have killed themselves in 2009. We have seen an increase in suicides over the past three years, and we have four months remaining. The outreach and prevention programs have never worked so hard to isolate the problems, with videos, briefings on the signs and symptoms and confidential counseling. With all this the trend has actually worsened. All suicides have been male and 27 of them were between the ages of 18-24. There is no evidence that ones Military occupational status is the contributing factor. 18 Marines were reported to have attempted suicide in July. At this pace it would be about 165 attempts for the year, the most since the invasion in 2003. Rest assured this perplexing phenomena is being addressed on a daily basis.
Back in March of 1976 a lawsuit was filed in the US District Court, Northern District of New York. A veteran named Edwin Cosby discovered that he even though he had an Honorable Discharge he had a derogatory spin code in his separation papers known as the DD-214.
Virtually unknown to all veterans of Armed Forces, the D.O.D. began inserting these descriptive, cryptic codes as far back as June of 1956. Instruction Memo 1336.3 ordered the military departments to insert a coded number on the documents used for employment references.
In 1974 the D.O.D testified at a Congressional hearing that only a couple hundred thousand documents had a code number and that the Spin coding system would be abolished. That never happened and by 1977 over 20 million veterans with Honorable Discharges had a spin coded number which they were never aware of and mostly likely are not to this day.
Congress attempted to pass a law regarding the use of spin codes, yet all proposed legislation has failed. Big Brother is alive and well.
The use of these codes can seriously hamper the veterans efforts to find gainful employment, obtain a loan, or procure insurance. Banks, life insurance companies, State and Federal agencies, and major corporations use these codes. Lists of the codes have been sent to Federal Aviation Administration, Housing and Urban Development and the Office of Personnel Management.
And we are worried about socialism!
Veterans can, however, ask to have spin codes removed from their DD-214.
To examine a list of the codes go to “http:www.landscaper.net/discharge.htm” or visit “http://veterancourtcodes.com”
Defoliate 130 miles of populated land along the Rio Grande to thwart illegal crossers? Is that even moral? Sounds sickeningly familiar. We used defoliation in Vietnam to eliminate hiding places. The Vietnamese, our own Vietnam generation, and all our children are paying the price in birth defects, deaths and disabilities. Read more at Natural News.
Army researchers have been examining an inexpensive and generic drug called prazosin that has been used for combat veterans in need of more restorative sleep.
The principal investigators for this study are based at the Puget Sound Veterans Administration Hospital, Col. Kris Petersen, Chief of Psychiatry at Madigan Army Medical Center, and Dr. Murray Raskind, the director of mental health services.
Prazosin came to market in 1973 as a adjunct treatment for high blood pressure and also to ameliorate the symptoms of an enlarged prostate.
In the late 1990’s Raskind was able to demonstrate that prazosin was effective in reducing nightmares, and their effects on sleep patterns in a population of Vietnam Veterans. Recurring nightmares and intrusive recollections of war are quite common in veterans of war.
It is theorized that surges in adrenaline in the brain are a causative factor in nightmares. These surges are part of the adaptive survival mechanism in combat. When leaving the combat arena, the arousal mechanism does not shut down, leaving the veteran in a hyper-vigilant state, even in sleep. Prazosin assists in suppressing that surge of bio-chemical reactions.
Many veterans have unfortunately turned to alcohol to slow down the brain in order to sleep, and abate the symptoms of Post Traumatic Stress. This is, of course, a false tonic and leads to endless other health issues. With small doses of prazosin near bedtime and one during the day, it has been noted that alcohol usage has abated, suicidal ideation has disappeared and normal sleep patterns have returned.
I can testify to knowing a handful of veterans who have reported these positive results. However the question always remains, with a nursing drop-out like me, do we report all of the findings and the effects of long term usage? I am also somewhat suspect of an old drug that is “morphed” for a new usage. For the meantime, a pharmacological answer to searing of the soul is probably okay. But the soul has its own pilgrimage, and it is not with pills. What do you think?
