Please don't turn away from the realities of war.

I write this on Memorial Day 2008, as we honor the men and woman who have given their lives for our country. I am reminded this day that it is far too easy to believe we are doing our part simply by saying that we are honoring these brave men and women, and far to easy to let it stop there. Without demonstration, our words of respect mean nothing.

One of the ways that we are able to duck the responsibility of standing behind our words of respect (by the way, I write this to myself too --- I'm including myself in my finger pointing) is to protect ourselves from the down-and-dirty realities of war. As long as we can think of the war in Iraq (or any war) in abstract, political terms, we can enjoy our Memorial Day cookout without discomfort.

I am not suggesting that we not enjoy our cookouts today, that we not enjoy the fellowship of friends and family. Far from it. We are, after all, enjoying the freedom for which the brave men and women we honor today gave their lives. (I do think that they fought and died for a lot more than holiday cookouts, however.) What I am suggesting is that we make a commitment this Memorial Day to do more to lift ourselves out of minimization and denial of the realities of the violence that continues even as we munch on our hot dogs. Toward that end, I want to recommend an important book: Breathing the Fire: Fighting to Report -- And Survive -- The War in Iraq by Kimberly Dozier.

Dozier is a CBS correspondent who was, along with her colleagues and military escorts, hit by a car bomb two years ago ---- Memorial Day 2006. Not one of us can read this book and remain in denial, or keep ourselves at a safe distance, from the reality of the Iraq war ---- you know, the war that we won so long ago, and that continues to kill real human beings, like you and me. In spite of road blocks of public opinion and in the publishing world, Dozier has persisted in telling her story ---- and her story needs to be heard. So please purchase a copy of Breathing the Fire, and please help spread the word about Kimberly Dozier's story.

Here is the amazon link for this important book: BREATHING THE FIRE by Kimberly Dozier

And finally, I want to specifically say thank you to Ms. Dozier and her team for their unimaginable sacrifices.

This is about doing our part to get our heads out of… the sand (What did you think I was going to say?), not about basking in our guilt and shame. So order the book, make a commitment to read it when it shows up, and to tell others about it, and then get back to the cook out. Munch, munch, pass the relish please.

Thom Rutledge / May 26, 2008

A history of homeless vets with PTSD

"For as long as the United States has sent its young men - and later its young women - off to war, it has watched as a segment of them come home and lose the battle with their own memories, their own scars, and wind up without homes.

"The Civil War produced thousands of wandering veterans. Frequently addicted to morphine, they were known as "tramps," searching for jobs and, in many cases, literally still tending their wounds.

"More than a decade after the end of World War I, the "Bonus Army" descended on Washington - demanding immediate payment on benefits that had been promised to them, but payable years later - and were routed by the U.S. military.

"And, most publicly and perhaps most painfully, there was Vietnam: Tens of thousands of war-weary veterans, infamously rejected or forgotten by many of their own fellow citizens.

"Now it is happening again, in small but growing numbers."

- This is an excerpt from an Associated Press article (January 19, 2008) that is well worth reading:

WHY DOES JOHNNY COME MARCHING HOMELESS?



My hope is that Healing Those Who Serve will be one among many, many programs that step up to meet the needs of these returning warriors.

I am infuriated to listen to our government's battle cry to get these men and women into the battlefield, but do so little for them when they return. I believe it is our responsibility as citizens to continue to insist that government do what is right, and our responsibility to participate in the political process (i.e. be vocal about the needs of veterans, vote), but it is not enough that we simply point out the deficits in governmental policy and practice. Our nation should not be defined by its government. We, the people, are The United States of America. And so, while we become the voices of our own battle cry to insist the government do what is right, we can simultaneously step up to serve these veterans ourselves. We can do this by creating and supporting programs like Healing Those Who Serve.

I am grateful for the opportunity to participate in the creation of this program. I urge anyone who is inclined to help, to make a contribution to our efforts:

MAKE YOUR CONTRIBUTION NOW --- PLEASE & THANK YOU.

or, if not this program, find some way to contribute financially or with your time in your community. One thing I have learned in my 54 years on this earth is that when many people are willing to contribute even a little, it means a lot.

(And, for what it is worth, my FREE book offer continues: When you make a contribution of $50 or more, email me your address and I'll send you a copy of Embracing Fear.)

Later,

Thom

Stopping Suicides: Testimony before Congress

In the same hearing in which Mike and Kim Bowman gave testimony before the Congressional Committee for Veteran Affairs (see previous entry), Ilona Meagher, author of Moving a Nation to Care: Post Traumatic Stress Disorder & America's Returning, also testified. As part of her testimony, Ms. Meagher, in the spirit of practical problem solving, offered the following suggestions for easing the rapidly increasing veteran suicide problem:

Testimony from Ilona Meagher
Author of Moving a Nation to Care:
PTSD & America’s Returning

From testimony before Congress December 12, 2007

Suggestions to ease the veteran suicide problem:

* Offer all returning veterans immediate compensation and treatment support the first six months after their return home. Fostering positive coping skills (vs. negative coping skills of self-medication or domestic violence) must be a key goal of our veterans’ reintegration programs; veterans forced to wait at least six months for VA compensation and treatment benefits to kick in do not feel supported, they feel under siege.

* Increase 21st century asymmetrical warfare and psychological injury understanding and preparation. The DOD should continue to make adjustments in its training to give service members the tools they need to counter the modern battlefield’s unique stressors.The Psychological Kevlar Act of 2007 would push the DoD to provide proactive psychological training for veterans from boot camp onward; more need to sign on to this legislation and it should be passed into law.

* Force the DOD and VA do a better job of communicating with veterans on their rights and resources, and making outside community-based resources known to them as well. Many vets are unsure of what benefits they have earned and what rights they have to them. Some are discouraged from using them. Many community programs and groups are ready and waiting to assist returning veterans and military families, but are unknown to the very people who might benefit from them. While Secretary Robert Gates has said it may take up to three years to fully implement the PTSD portion of the Dole-Shalala recommendations, why are we not utilizing the resources that are available in communities across the country?

* Properly and fully fund the Veterans Administration. Billions in underfunding translates to long waiting lines, lack of funds for PTSD research, and not enough PTSD specialists at each VA facility.

* Reduce tour lengths, decrease overall number of combat deployments, and increase dwell time between deployments by funding an increase in forces. With each successive deployment, troops’ susceptibility to PTSD increases. Army Chief of Staff George W. Casey Jr. testified last month before the Senate Armed Services Committee saying that the military must be grown in order for dwell-time to be increased, etc.

* Restrict the ability to redeploy troops diagnosed with PTSD. No PTSD-diagnosed troops should be redeployed into a combat zone, and troops should not be deployed taking psychotropic drugs such as Paxil or Zoloft, that have been shown by the FDA to increase suicide risk.

* Improve post-deployment assessments. Move away from relying on questionnaires and make physicals and one-on-one demob consultations mandatory. In February 2006, the VA contracted the Institute of Medicine to do a thorough review of scientific and medical literature related to the diagnosis and assessment of PTSD; the committee strongly concluded that the best way to determine whether a person is suffering from PTSD is with a “thorough, face-to-face interview by a health professional trained in diagnosing psychiatric disorders.” The DoD should follow the same rule.

* Invest more in counseling and support. Rather than relying on quick-fix medications to solve returning psychological problems, invest time and resources in holistic wellness programs to help veterans and their families recover from the experience of war.

* Remove stigma/punishment for those seeking help. One of the easiest ways to do this would be to operate under the assumption that everyone will need some form of support following combat. Move away from a system where those struggling most must somehow find the strength to conspicuously come forward on their own.

* Require completion of a ‘boot camp in reverse’ transitional training program. Military families who have lost loved ones to suicide consistently say there should be a more formal reentry program following return from combat, weekly meetings/classes lasting from 2 to 3 months. The program should be as required to attend and complete by all service members as boot camp.

* Pay special attention in supporting National Guard and Reserve forces. Not being a part of a cohesive unit, they are especially susceptible to PTSD.

* Stop closing VA Hospitals and Vet Centers. We should be providing more opportunities for veterans scattered across the country, especially in rural areas, to have access to health care benefits.

* Increase funding to community service boards. Many troops – especially those with the National Guard and Reserve or in rural areas – do not have easy access to health services. Make sure they have alternatives to getting the care they need, or fully reimburse their private health care bills.

* Increase Vet Center program offerings. Offer more complimentary group and individual classes for troops and military families that explain what PTSD is, how it can be treated and how one can forge the tools necessary to move their lives beyond it.

* Provide complimentary counseling to all immediate family members. If the service member refuses to seek help, the spouse and children should have access to counseling service to help them through their loved one’s reintegration process.

* Increase personal data security and treatment anonymity. Many will not come forward to get the help they need because they worry it may come back to haunt them when they’re up for a promotion, being considered for a mission, or when looking for civilian employment. Family members, however, should not be kept in the dark, especially if veteran is prescribed psychotropic medication.

To read more of Ms. Meagher's insightful testimony:
http://veterans.house.gov/hearings/Testimony.aspx?TID=11022

Let's hope Congress is listening.

In testimony before the Congressional Committee on Veteran's Affairs, the subject of the disturbing rate of suicide among veterans returning from the Middle East was addressed on December 12, 2007.

To read more: http://veterans.house.gov/hearings/hearing.aspx?NewsID=167

Particularly compelling is the testimony of Mike and Kim Bowman, parents of a young National Guardsman who shot himself to death after returning from Iraq:

"As my family was preparing for our 2005 Thanksgiving meal, our son Timothy was lying on the floor of my shop office, slowly bleeding to death from a self inflicted gun shot wound. His war was now over, his demons were gone. Tim was laid to rest in a combination military, firefighter funeral that was a tribute to the man he was.

"Tim was the life of a party, happy go lucky young man that joined the National Guard in 2003 to earn money for college and get a little structure in his life. On March 19^th of 2005 when Specialist Timothy Noble Bowman got off the bus with the other National Guard soldiers of Foxtrot 202 that were returning from Iraq he was a different man. He had a glaze in his eyes and a 1000 yard stare, always looking for an insurgent."

Read the Bowman's full testimony at http://veterans.house.gov/hearings/Testimony.aspx?TID=11020

The Bowman's conclude with the following heart-felt plea.

"Our veterans should and must not be left behind in the ravished, horrific battlefields of their broken spirits and minds. Our veterans deserve better!!"

We can only hope that our government and our citizenry are listening.

TR/12.16.07

John Edwards introduces plan for vets with PTSD

Healing Those Who Serve is an apolitical effort to provide services for those in need. We are committed to that being so and remaining so. This needs to be about, and only about, providing services for those in need. But when candidates specifically address our topic, I believe it is certainly worth noting. On Monday, 11-12-07, John Edwards introduced a $400 million plan to help veterans with PTSD, and specifically spoke to the needs of those returning from Iraq and Afghanistan.

I want to keep the discussion on this blog site apolitical, but welcome info about news items related to our topic --- whether they are about Democrats, Republicans, Martians, what-have-you.

Here is a link to an Associated Press article about Mr. Edwards announcement for anyone interested:

http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5hlBQZ2ffmEt4DBftwEcMTDfo6hwwD8SS1D600

TR

PTSD is sane.

Buddy Horne posted an entry about he and I reading Down Range, a book by Bridget Cantrell and Chuck Dean. Like Buddy, I love the book. It is simple, to the point, and very practical. One of the things I love about the book is that the authors make it very clear that PTSD is not a mental illness, but that indeed PTSD is "a normal reaction to the extreme stress encountered during wartime experiences." (Down Range, Wordsmith Publishing, 2005)

This is absolutely true about post traumatic stress disorder in all of its variations. The way I think of it is this:

PTSD is a sane response to insane circumstances.

No doubt I will share more from this most excellent book. You can order it on line from amazon or borders or whomever --- or you can order it (bulk discounts available) directly from Dr. Cantrell's organization: www.heartstowardhome.com.

TR

New York Times / 11.09.07

Traveling from Nashville to Philadelphia today to do a professional training seminar about the power of facing and embracing our fears. Picked up a copy of 11/9/07 NY Times in the airport and discovered two (2) articles relevant to our cause:

1. New York Times Editorial: Veterans Without Health Care
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/11/09/opinion/09fri2.html?ref=opinion

2. New York Times Op-Ed: A Post-Iraq G.I. Bill by Jim Webb & Chuck Hagel
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/11/09/opinion/09webb.html?_r=1&hp&oref=slogin

If anyone would like a copy of either or both of these articles in a pdf format that you can share with others, just e-mail me. (thomrutledge@earthlink.net) I can also email you an Associated Press article from 11/8/07: 1 out of 4 Homeless Are Veterans. Just let me know if you are interested.

We appreciate all support in spreading the word about Healing Those Who Serve.

TR