Posted on 12/21/2012 3:08:14 PM PST by Steve Newton
The Silver Star Families Call for a Debate on PTS
Many people came together to assist in the release of Lance Corporal Jon Hammar from a Mexican prison including some of our Mexican brothers and sisters. While the efforts of the Silver Star Families of America and those working behind the scenes will not receive the acknowledgement that they deserve, I want to take this opportunity to thank everyone that put forth an effort to get Hammar released.
I believe it was an accumulation of all our efforts, an honorable Mexican judge and an exceptionally helpful and professional United States Consulate in Matamoros headed up by Mr. Koen, that lead to Hammar being home for Christmas. It is something we should all be thankful for.
As is often the case, while working on freeing Hammar, we stumbled our way blindly onto other facts that need to be debated, such as the other 400 or so Americans in Mexican prisons. (how many of them are veterans?) How many phone calls of desperate family members do our Consulates field every day? And come to think of it, how many veterans are in U.S. prisons that we have forgotten?
We were also surprised at the efforts of both the United States and the United Mexican States, that are working together to improve the Mexican justice system.
And lastly I believe we should ask why did Lance Corporal Hammar want to make the trip through Mexico? From news accounts it was made obvious that Hammar was trying to escape from the images and horrors in his own mind. Post Traumatic Stress is no joke and as we have seen many times it can often lead to making decisions that are not good ones. PTS can also lead to alcohol and drug abuse in an effort to escape from what they may see as reality in the own minds.
The Silver Star Families of America have been a leading advocate for those who have been wounded with PTS. The situation with Corporal Hammar should be viewed as a chance to discuss new and innovative ways to treat those so wounded. Let’s have that debate now.
Thank you my FRiends
For you help, support and prayers.
Steve
We should be having a SERIOUS debate on the drug cocktails they give these guys. Bad stuff.
Agreed.
And MestaMachine? Thank you for your support
There is nowhere near enough helpt for PTSD thru the VA for these veterans..nowhere NEAR enough. Shinseki is a disaster.
No need for thanks. Once a Marine....
Shinseki is a fool.
I agree
And we are going to start raising a fuss about it.
Hummmm
Seems we are always in a fight don’t it?
Amen to that brother
Opps
Correction to the above article.
Steve,
The Consul General in Matamoros is Thomas Mittnacht, proud father of a Marine Corps Captain with two combat tours. I am a step down as Consul and chief of consular operations at the Consulate General in Matamoros.
Regards,
Joe Koen
The clinicians at the VA do the best they can, and they care...but are soooooo understaffed!!!! The push has to come from VET organizations outside, the vets being treated are too sick to “organize”..we need our citizens to rally and demand better for them!
Can you say “berets” for the army?
He is way in over his head...and has no clue.
I agree totally.
I have been in my fair share of V.A. Medical Centers and most have to rely on volunteers.
That is one reason why the SSFOA sends so many things and volunteers so much at the V.A.’s.
And your right, we need to push them. And they need more money.
Why can’t some of these welfare people who want to get off welfare or are unemployed have to volunteer or be in a work program at the VA to learn work?
And take some of the billions wasted on the EPA ,DEPT OF EDUC,ETC and hire more people to take care of our vets?
Uh
Hummmmmm
That makes a lot of sense. Maybe too much sense.
I will ask the V.A. and put it in our report to Congress.
Hummm
I like it
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