Free Republic

Minneapolis (Hennepin County) I want to thank the veterans who have helped defend our great country. I am proud of the United States of America. I get tears in my eyes when we sing "The Star Spangled Banner," "America the Beautiful," "My Country 'Tis of Thee" or "God Bless America." My husband, who is now deceased, felt honored to have served in the Army. He was a machine gunner in France in World War II. The letters to his folks could not contain any information about what he was going through, for security reasons and to keep his parents from...

BELLMORE, New York (CNN) -- Walking through a crowded shopping mall can bring back memories of war. The shifting crowds, the jostle of passers-by and the din can all trigger Army Sgt. Kristofer Goldsmith's post-traumatic stress disorder.

The Pentagon's top uniformed officer is calling for all returning combat troops, from privates to generals, to undergo screening for post-traumatic stress with a mental health professional, a move aimed at stemming an epidemic of psychological issues among veterans

Former Staff Sgt. Kevin Owsley is not quite sure what rattled his brain in 2004: the roadside bomb that exploded about a yard from his Humvee or the rocket-propelled grenade that flung him across a road as he walked to a Porta Potti on base six weeks later. After each attack, he did what so many soldiers do in Iraq. He shrugged off his ailments — headaches, dizzy spells, persistent ringing in his ears and numbness in his right arm — chalking them up to fatigue or dehydration. Given that he never lost consciousness, he figured the discomfort would work...

The Air National Guardsmen who operate Predator drones over Iraq via remote control, launching deadly missile attacks from the safety of Southern California 7,000 miles away, are suffering some of the same psychological stresses as their comrades on the battlefield.

The Air National Guardsmen who operate Predator drones over Iraq via remote control, launching deadly missile attacks from the safety of Southern California 7,000 miles away, are suffering some of the same psychological stresses as their comrades on the battlefield.

The senator's bill says a 'mentally defective' vet can buy a gun unless a judge finds him dangerous. WASHINGTON - Since a severely mentally ill student went on a shooting spree at Virginia Tech last year, killing 32 people before turning a gun on himself, Congress and several states have worked to tighten rules on who can legally purchase a firearm. But a push by U.S. Sen. Richard Burr of North Carolina would prevent the federal veterans agency from adding the names of veterans declared "mentally defective" to a background check database unless the agency goes through the judicial system....

Ramirez's program is part of a growing number of veterans hospitals across the United States making cycling a permanent part of their trauma recovery programs, according to Road 2 Recovery, a national program whose mission is to raise money to support cycling at military and VA locations.

Active-duty soldiers can expect to be asked how they’re doing, and not just physically, the next time they visit Army clinics in Vicenza, Italy, and Vilseck and Schweinfurt, Germany. The three clinics are phasing in a program called RESPECT-MIL in which primary-care doctors routinely screen patients for post-traumatic stress disorder

A US army medic who became a symbol of American heroism and integrity in the Iraq war has died of an apparent drugs overdose.

"...Fred Wilpon, the owner of the New York Mets... unveiled this July Fourth weekend, is an ambitious effort to raise $100 million to provide free psychological counseling for returning veterans and jobs for those who need them."

James Elliott thought his recurring nightmares of exploding bombs, dogs eating corpses, a child's head blown off its body and other war horrors from his Iraq tour had ended in 2004 when he returned to his home in Silver Spring. The Army veteran sniper was earning high grades in college and got engaged to be married. His post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) had disappeared. He even signed up for a Veterans Affairs experiment to kick his habit of nearly three packs of cigarettes a day using the drug Chantix, and was succeeding. But after two weeks on the drug, his night...

WASHINGTON, June 17, 2008 – Mental Health practitioners nationwide are donating their time and services to provide free, confidential counseling to military people and their families. “Combat affects everyone in one way or another,” explained Dr. Barbara Romberg in an “ASY Live” interview on BlogTalkRadio. “Most people react when exposed to a situation where there are extreme or horrific events; it is a human reaction to abnormal situations.” ASY Live is part of the Defense Department’s America Supports You program, which connects citizens and companies with servicemembers and their families serving at home and abroad. Romberg, founder and president...

BRUCE JANCIN (Denver Bureau) Article Outline • Copyright NEW YORK — Posttraumatic stress disorder and depression are extremely common a full year after hospitalization for injury and are associated with up to a nearly sixfold increased likelihood of failure to return to work, according to the largest-ever U.S. study evaluating the multiple impacts of trauma. The implications of these new findings from the National Study of Costs and Outcomes of Trauma (NSCOT) are profound. With an estimated 2.5 million hospital admissions for injury per year in the United States, the data would suggest 500,000 of these patients will have debilitating...

enlarge Magnetic resonance imaging of the brains of healthy adults more than three years after Sept. 11, 2001, shows areas that have less gray matter volume in those who were near ground zero on 9/11, compared with those who were much farther away. This is three views of the brain areas that have lower gray matter volume in the 9/11-exposed group. Notably, all of these areas (which show up brighter in this image) are associated with the processing of emotion. (Credit: Image courtesy of Cornell University) ScienceDaily (Jun. 4, 2008) — Healthy adults who were close to the World Trade...

For those (like me) sick of hearing about McClellan's new book, here is one from former Army Ranger captain Nate Self that may be this year's Lone Survivor. There is a great video about it on YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1LH9eiT-0H8 It's all about the resuce on Robert's Ridge, one of the first and bloodiest battles of Operation Anaconda in Afghanistan. The helicopter carrying Self's team of Army Rangers was shot down and the ensuing battle cost many American lives. His story has been on Dateline and this book goes into detail about the two wars being fought by our soldiers--overseas against terrorists...

I ran across an article in the Army Times regarding the issuing of giving Purple Hearts to individuals suffering from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) sustained during combat. This appears to be the origin of much debate… It seems to be that many members of the military want to continue distributing the award based on "singularly meritorious act of fidelity service" and that "a wound which necessitates treatment by a medical officer and which is received in action with an enemy, may, in the judgment of the commander authorized to make the award, be construed as resulting from a singularly...

"In World War Two we didn't have the concept of post traumatic stress syndrome. People had to basically handle it on their own," he said. Referring to an uncle who had been one of the first U.S. troops into Auschwitz, the concentration camp, Obama said: "The story in the family is he came home and just went up in the attic."

WASHINGTON -- Centuries before Iraq and Afghanistan, George Washington created the Purple Heart to honor troops wounded in combat. But with an increasing number of troops being diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder, the modern military is debating an idea Gen. Washington never considered -- awarding one of the nation's top military citations to veterans with psychological wounds, not just physical ones. Defense Secretary Robert Gates offered cautious support...

WASHINGTON, May 5, 2008 – With growing recognition of the toll post-traumatic stress disorder has taken on U.S. forces, Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates said the Defense Department may consider awarding Purple Heart medals to combat veterans afflicted with it. “It’s an interesting idea,” Gates said when asked about the concept during a May 2 media availability at Red River Army Depot, Texas. “I think it is clearly something that needs to be looked at.” Gates’ comment followed his visit the previous day to Fort Bliss, Texas, where he toured the post’s Recovery and Resilience Center, which is using...

Roughly one in every five U.S. troops who have survived the bombs and other dangers of Iraq and Afghanistan now suffers from major depression or post-traumatic stress, an independent study said Thursday. It estimated the toll at 300,000 or more. As many or more report possible brain injuries from explosions or other head wounds, said the study, the first major survey from outside the government. Only about half of those with mental health problems have sought treatment. Even fewer of those with head injuries have seen doctors. Army Surgeon General Eric Schoomaker said the report, from the Rand Corp., was...

'One in five US servicemen has brain injury' By Damien McElroy, Foreign Affairs Correspondent Last Updated: 3:26am BST 18/04/2008 The psychological toll of America's wars in Iraq and Afghanistan has touched one in five servicemen and its consequences will be long-lasting, a study suggested yesterday. The Rand Corporation, a leading research operation, said that 320,000 soldiers suffered brain injuries on the battlefield, while more than 300,000 suffered mental disorders on returning home. The report said that US veterans are incurring "invisible wounds" of war, most notably traumatic brain injury. A survey of 1,926 soldiers represented a statistically significant sample of...

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - About 300,000 U.S. troops returning from Iraq and Afghanistan suffer symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder or depression, but about half receive no care, an independent study said on Thursday. The study by the RAND Corp. also estimated that another 320,000 troops have sustained a possible traumatic brain injury during deployment. But researchers could not say how many of those cases were serious or required treatment. Billed as the first large-scale nongovernmental survey of its kind, the study found that stress disorder and depression afflict 18.5 percent of the more than 1.5 million U.S. forces who have deployed...

I t was two weeks ago that I received a phone call from my son. He is a college student so when the telephone rings and I see his number there are always two immediate feelings. First, I hope that everything is all right as he attends college in Baltimore, a hotbed of crime and violence, or, second, how much money does he need. Once I hear his voice and know that he is OK, I can most certainly guarantee that the call is for money. That's when I give the telephone to his father. This call two weeks ago...

Not everyone is vulnerable to post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)--the extreme anxiety, depression, and nightmares that can follow a harrowing event. Although some people develop symptoms after seemingly minor traumas, others can handle wars, hurricanes, or various forms of physical abuse without losing their emotional balance. Now, researchers have shown that mutations in a stress-related gene may help determine whether someone who suffered from abuse as a child is susceptible to PTSD later in life. Teasing out the genetics of PTSD has been difficult. Children who are abused are more susceptible to PTSD as adults, and researchers estimate that up to...

Alpha Company, a National Guard unit based in Northeast Philadelphia, drew its roster from across the region. Six members were killed during the nearly 11 months that Alpha spent in Iraq in 2004 and 2005. The 131 survivors are police officers and college students, construction workers and drug store clerks. More than two years after coming home, many are still struggling to get their lives back in order and to sort out the meaning of their sacrifice. Nearly half have been treated for post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Yet many say they‘d go back to Iraq if asked. They‘d do it...

GRAHAM, Texas – For Ian Anderson, a few seconds on the back of a startled cow on Wednesday summed up three days of a special gathering for U.S. veterans dealing with post-traumatic stress disorder. "We'd never ridden a cow before," said the fresh-faced 27-year-old from Spokane, Wash., who was shot five times in combat in Iraq. "So I rode a cow. And it was fun." And that was one of the key points of Project Odyssey, a fledgling program organized by the Wounded Warrior Project in association with the Department of Veterans Affairs and other veterans organizations. Twenty-one vets from...

Jo Hanna Schaffer's dog is more than a best friend. The 67-year-old Vietnam veteran, a former Army medic, suffers from post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), and three years ago, she decided to get a service dog, a Chihuahua named Cody. Cody barks if someone is approaching from behind and cuddles with her when she is depressed. -snip- Schaffer is one of a growing number of veterans with PTSD who are turning to an alternative therapy: psychiatric service dogs. Like guide dogs for the blind, psychiatric service dogs aid people with mental illnesses, from anxiety disorder to bipolar disorder to PTSD. The...

AP Medical Writer Traumatic brain injury, described as the signature wound of the Iraq war, may be less to blame for soldiers' symptoms than doctors once thought, contends a provocative military study that suggests post-traumatic stress and depression often play a role. That would be good news because there are successful treatments for those conditions, said several nonmilitary doctors who praised the research. Thousands of soldiers returning from Iraq have struggled with memory loss, irritability, trouble sleeping and other problems. Many have suffered mild blast-related concussions, but there is no easy way to separate which symptoms are due to physical...

MIAMI (AP) — John McCain solidified his status as the front-runner for the Republican presidential nomination with a Florida triumph, his candidacy coming full circle in little more than a year. "It shows one thing. I'm the conservative leader who can unite the party," the Arizona senator said in a brief interview with The Associated Press. Later, he told elated supporters: "We have a ways to go, but we are getting close." McCain heads into next week's 20-plus contests, including mega-delegate states California and New York, with significant momentum after two straight wins and leading former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney...

IN A PAGE-ONE STORY published Sunday, January 13, 2008, "Across America, Deadly Echoes of Foreign Battles," the New York Times reported on homicides by veterans of the ongoing wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. Seven Times reporters contributed to the lengthy story, which was co-authored by Deborah Sontag and Lizette Alvarez. The Times "found 121 cases in which veterans of Iraq and Afghanistan committed a killing in this country, or were charged with one, after their return from war." All but one case involved male veterans. They speculated that their research "most likely uncovered only the minimum number of such cases,...

Crazed Veterans Spark Nationwide Crime Wave That's the theme of a front page article in today's New York Times: "Across America, Deadly Echoes of Foreign Battles." The article reports on what must have been a major effort by the Times to comb through news reports from across the country, identifying and tabulating instances where servicemen who returned from Iraq or Afghanistan were charged with some form of homicide. The Times summarizes the results of its research: Town by town across the country, headlines have been telling similar stories. Lakewood, Wash.: “Family Blames Iraq After Son Kills Wife.” Pierre, S.D.: “Soldier...

Congress has given gun owners in America a Christmas gift: a blade in the back, according to officials with Gun Owners of America. The organization said the plan supported by Sen. Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., and others, and known as the Veterans Disarmament Act by opponents, is being forwarded now to President Bush. While other gun groups have endorsed H.R. 2640, a comprehensive plan to expand the powers of the Brady Bill gun restriction plan, Gun Owners of America has opposed it vigorously, and described its provisions for banning individuals, especially veterans, from owning guns as unreasonable. "The core of the...

BOISE, Idaho (AP) - Are Idaho police academy graduates trying to cause Posttraumatic Stress Disorder? That's the message on the latest class's graduation programs, and it's got leaders of the Idaho Police Officer Standards and Training Academy doing damage control. The program read, "Don't suffer from PTSD, go out and cause it." Jeff Black, who heads up the academy in Meridian, Idaho, where the latest class graduated December 14th, says, "That's not something we encourage or condone. We were mortified it was in there." Apparently, each academy class chooses its own slogan. This is the one that the latest class...

Associated Press A state police academy leader has disavowed the slogan of the most recent graduating class urging one another to "go out and cause" post-traumatic stress disorder. Each class at the Idaho Police Officer Standards and Training Academy is allowed to choose a slogan that is printed on its graduation programs, and the class of 43 graduates came up with "Don't suffer from PTSD, go out and cause it." According to the Veterans Association, tens of thousands of U.S. soldiers suffer from PTSD, which causes nightmares, flashbacks and physical symptoms that make sufferers feel as if they are reliving...

Sgt. Evan Vela, of the 501st Infantry Regiment, sits tonight in a military prison in Kuwait. Confined since July 1, Vela is one of three Army snipers charged with murder for an incident near Iskandariyah, Iraq. Two squadmates involved in the incident, Sgt. Hensley and Spc. Sandoval, were exonerated of murder charges in courts martial this past fall. As a soldier, Sgt. Vela was pushed beyond the limits of human endurance, going days without sleep in pursuit of our enemy in Iraq. While in confinement, Vela was diagnosed with moderate to severe Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. Despite this diagnosis by...

<p>The young Marine lighted a cigarette and let it dangle. White smoke wafted around his helmet. His face was smeared with war paint. Blood trickled from his right ear and the bridge of his nose.</p> <p>Momentarily deafened by cannon blasts, he didn't know the shooting had stopped. He stared at the sunrise. His expression caught my eye. To me, it said: terrified, exhausted and glad just to be alive. I recognized that look because that's I how felt too.</p>

SYRACUSE, N.Y. -- A soldier who served two combat tours in Iraq was arrested Wednesday for leaving the Army without permission more than a year ago to seek treatment for post traumatic stress disorder. At a news conference hours before his arrest, Sgt. Brad Gaskins said he left the base in August 2006 because the Army wasn't providing effective treatment after he was diagnosed with PTSD and severe depression. "They just don't have the resources to handle it, but that's not my fault," Gaskins said. Tod Ensign, an attorney with Citizen Soldier, a GI rights group that is representing Gaskins,...

PLYMOUTH, N.H. - Presidential contender John Edwards is introducing a plan today to help veterans with post-traumatic stress disorder, including those recently returned from combat in Iraq and Afghanistan. Under Edwards' plan, veterans could seek counseling for post-traumatic stress disorder outside the veterans health administration system; the number of counselors would increase; and family members would be employed to identify cases of PTSD. Edwards, a North Carolina Democrat, was scheduled to introduce the five-point plan during a speech at New Hampshire's Plymouth State University. "I strongly believe we must restore the sacred contract we have with our veterans and their...

BOSTON, Mass. (October 31, 2007) -- According to the most comprehensive survey of people affected by Hurricane Katrina, results of which are being presented today to the U.S. Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Government Affairs Ad Hoc Subcommittee on Disaster Recovery, the percentage of pre-hurricane residents of the affected areas in Alabama, Louisiana, and Mississippi who have mental disorders has increased significantly compared to the situation five to eight months after the hurricane. These findings counter a more typical pattern from previous disasters where prevalence of mental disorders decreases as time passes. The detailed results of this report are...

WASHINGTON, Oct. 18 (Reuters) — Many veterans of combat in Iraq and Afghanistan are clearly suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder, but it is not at all clear which treatments work to help them, an expert panel from the Institute of Medicine reported Thursday. The only treatment that has been shown to work, the panel said, is exposure therapy, a gradual, step-by-step process in which patients are asked to confront memories of a trauma by recounting it in detail. Veterans Affairs hospitals now use that treatment. “At this time, we can make no judgment about the effectiveness of most psychotherapies or...

AP Medical Writer WASHINGTON --There isn't enough evidence to tell if most treatments for post-traumatic stress disorder work, says a scientific review that highlights the urgency of finding answers as thousands of suffering veterans return from Iraq. The one proven treatment is exposure therapy in which PTSD patients are gradually exposed to sights and sounds that essentially simulate their trauma, to help them learn to cope, advisers to the government reported Thursday. The lack of evidence for other therapies doesn't mean patients should give them up - they still should get whatever care their personal doctors deem most promising, stressed...

There is no such thing as the “Veterans Disarmament Act.” There is no pending legislation that would take firearms away from veterans. There is no pending legislation that would prevent a person with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), veteran or not, from purchasing a firearm or ammo. But, there is a huge campaign of misinformation and scare tactics being forwarded by a small gun owners group who view themselves to be in competition with the National Rifle Association (NRA). Let’s use some common sense instead of nonsense. If veterans were to lose the right to own firearms, you’d have a lot...

WASHINGTON — Thousands of U.S. soldiers in Iraq — as many as 10 a day — are being discharged by the military for mental health reasons. But the Pentagon isn't blaming the war. It says the soldiers had "pre-existing" conditions that disqualify them for treatment by the government. Many soldiers and Marines being discharged on this basis actually suffer from combat-related problems, experts say. But by classifying them as having a condition unrelated to the war, the Defense Department is able to quickly get rid of troops having trouble doing their work while also saving the expense of caring for...

Hundreds of thousands of veterans -- from Vietnam through Operation Iraqi Freedom -- are at risk of being banned from buying firearms if legislation that is pending in Congress gets enacted. How? The Veterans Disarmament Act -- which has already passed the House -- would place any veteran who has ever been diagnosed with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) on the federal gun ban list. This is exactly what President Bill Clinton did over seven years ago when his administration illegitimately added some 83,000 veterans into the National Criminal Information System (NICS system) -- prohibiting them from purchasing firearms, simply...

The sun shines on an empty Iraqi street. A Blackhawk helicopter circles overhead. The aromas of spices from a market fill the air. Suddenly, insurgents hiding on a roof launch a rocket-propelled grenade. The ground shakes violently and plumes of black smoke cloud your vision. Those images, produced when a person puts on a headset, are at the heart of Virtual Iraq, a simulation created to treat Iraq war veterans suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder. By repeatedly encountering sights, sounds, smells and rumblings that evoke painful memories, experts say, veterans with the disorder can begin to reprocess traumatic events and...

WASHINGTON, Aug. 23, 2007 – A group that supports wounded servicemembers and their families is offering troops a friendly ear with its newest program, “Hear 4 You.” The no-cost program that launched Aug. 1 aims to develop a network of volunteers to listen to military personnel and their families affected by post-deployment stress and post-traumatic stress disorder. The program is one of many services offered by Silver Star Families of America, which supports families of wounded servicemembers. The group is a supporter of America Supports You, a Defense Department program connecting citizens and corporations with military personnel and their...

Associated Press Staff Sgt. Jeff Ebert's entire body flinches as a roadside bomb explodes near his vehicle. Smoke obscures his view. Gunfire rattles around him. This isn't on a road in Iraq but inside a room at Madigan Army Medical Center, where psychologists plan to begin using virtual reality - think immersive video games - to treat post-traumatic stress disorder by recreating the conditions of war. Virtual-reality therapy provides doctors with a tool that uses visual, auditory and thermal cues to set the stage for treatment of veterans with the disorder, which causes nightmares and flashbacks. It can be so...

Associated Press The Army is trying to teach all of its soldiers to recognize symptoms of brain injuries and post-traumatic stress disorder - and not be ashamed of seeking treatment for the signature injuries of the Iraq war. And the Pentagon also said Tuesday it would increase the number of R&R days troops can take while serving in Iraq and Afghanistan. Beginning Wednesday, service leaders will start a program to educate more than 1 million soldiers within 90 days, whether at home or deployed overseas, including active duty soldiers, the Army Reserve and the Army National Guard. The program also...

Walter Reed patient Sgt. James Doyle went missing this afternoon after leaving a message he was suicidal, Washington, D.C. news station WJLA-TV reported tonight. He was last seen at a gas station in Montgomery County.Doyle, 25, served two tours in Iraq and is being treated at Walter Reed for PTSD. From video camera footage from the gas station, Doyle appears to be white. He was wearing a gray t-shirt, a black ball cap and sunglasses.