Veterans Turn To Online Strangers For Financial Help
by Daniel Zwerdling
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Courtesy of Vicky Sprenger
A roadside bomb hit Army Spc. Robert Sprenger's Humvee while he was serving in Iraq. His mother, Vicky, who helped take care of him during his recovery, says she's still suffering financial hardship.
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Courtesy of Vicky Sprenger
Sprenger recovered at Brooke Army Medical Center in San Antonio. Burns covered much of his body.
“If the VA is meeting [its] obligations to America's veterans, why is there a need for any other nongovernmental organizations or veterans service organizations to provide any level of assistance?”
Peter Gaytan, director of national veterans affairs, the American Legion
More On Aid For Veterans
Organizations and other Web resources for veterans seeking financial assistance:
National Resource Directory (compiled by Defense, Labor and Veterans Affairs Departments)AdoptAPlatoonAdopt-A-Soldier NowAdopt-a-Solider Platoon, Inc.Adopt A U.S. SoldierThe American LegionAngels 'n CamouflageThe Benevolent and Protective Order of ElksIraq and Afghanistan Veterans of AmericaOperation Forever FreeRebuild HopeSoldiers' AngelsUSA Together
Morning Edition, January 22, 2009 · When Robert Sprenger's Humvee blew up in Iraq, the Army specialist was burned black over large swatches of his body.
After the Army transported him to Brooke Army Medical Center in San Antonio, Texas, Sprenger spent months lying in his bed, wrapped in gauze, almost like a mummy.
When he was released, he moved back home with his mother to the farm town of Sleepy Eye, Minn., where they made a troubling discovery.
The government compensated him, but his mother says the money wasn't anywhere near enough to cover his family's expenses. So Sprenger and his family swallowed their pride, as a growing number of veterans have done, and went cyberbegging: They posted their story on a Web site and asked strangers to help.
"That was the most horrible-est thing," says Robert's mother, Vicky Sprenger. But she says they had no choice. "I wouldn't ever cut the Army down for any reason whatsoever," she says. "I just think ... it kind of stinks, you know, that we do have to struggle the way we do."
The Sprengers posted a profile on www.USAtogether.org, one of a new breed of Web sites that help Iraq and Afghanistan veterans. The USAtogether profile includes a small photo of Sprenger in his hospital bed, staring dazed at the camera.
"I was a gunner in a Humvee that was hit by an IED," Sprenger writes in his profile. The roadside bomb left him "burned on 40 percent of my body. One week before my injuries, my sister was diagnosed with bipolar/borderline personality disorder and put in placement. Since then, my mom lost her job. She had taken too much time off from her previous job taking care of me and my sister."
Then Sprenger asks donors for a little help — but not cash. "Our washing machine no longer works," he writes, asking for a new machine.
Sprenger didn't return NPR's phone calls, but he did allow his mother to speak for him.
Stepping In Where Government Hasn't
The government offers a huge range of benefits to disabled vets — such as disability payments, job training and subsidies to buy cars and houses. Veterans advocates say if every vet received all the benefits they're entitled to, they should be able to afford a decent quality of life. But reports have shown that many vets vets don't know about all the benefits, so they don't apply for them.
And the average vet who does apply has to wait at least six months, and sometimes years, to receive them.
Hundreds of private groups try to fill the gap — from the American Legion, founded after World War I, to newer organizations, such as Soldiers' Angels, Fallen Heroes and Community of Veterans.
Advocates hail the nonprofit groups for donating hundreds of millions of dollars worth of goods and services — from toys and clothes for veterans' children to brand-new houses designed for amputees.
Still, an entrepreneur in Silicon Valley, Dave Mahler, perceived a need for a group that helps vets in a slightly different way. Mahler cheerfully acknowledges that he knows nothing about the military. He used to work for the technology company Hewlett-Packard, then he co-founded and sold a software company for a ton of money. About a year ago, he was looking for a new project, and he had an idea on his morning commute.
He drives past a federal Veterans Affairs hospital in Palo Alto, Calif., "and have driven past it almost every day for the last 25 years, and I'd never been on the property," he says.
It suddenly struck Mahler that perhaps he could use his Web skills to help the wounded troops.
As Mahler explains it, most veterans' support groups raise money from the public. Then their leaders — not the donors — decide exactly how to spend the money and who should get the help. Mahler set up USAtogether so a donor can choose an individual vet to support.
For instance, one photo on his Web site shows soldier "Tara H." standing on a prosthetic leg. "I could use any help with one month's mortgage," she writes.
Another posting, by "Michael T.," asks for "food for our family. Our refrigerator unexpectedly died and we lost all our food."
Before they agree to post any veteran's pleas, Mahler and a colleague check the vet's military and medical records and other information to make sure the requests are legitimate.
Vicky Sprenger and her son had barely posted their request when somebody sent them a brand-new washer and dryer from Sears.
"I was so tickled, because they actually came to my house," Vicky says. "I was kind of embarrassed they had to put these brand-new washer and dryer down in my basement, but you know, I even took all my kids down there and said, 'Oh, look at this, guys — brand new!' I've never had a brand-new washer and dryer."
Vicky Sprenger has found a job at a local supermarket, working at the deli counter and doing other tasks, but she says she can't afford health insurance and hasn't been able to pay her property taxes for months. She's just sent another appeal to USAtogether.org, hoping that other donors will help her.
Peter Gaytan, the American Legion's director of national veterans affairs, says the proliferation of groups like USAtogether raises a question.
"If the VA is meeting [its] obligations to America's veterans," he asks, "why is there a need for any other nongovernmental organizations or veterans service organizations to provide any level of assistance? If our [federal support] system were ideally able to meet all the needs, then we wouldn't have the need for these organizations springing up."
Privately, one top official at the American Legion says the fact that veterans receive so little compensation from the government and need to go cyberbegging is "pathetic." But, publicly, they echo Gaytan.
"It's heartening to see that the citizens of this country … care enough to go to a Web site," he says, "to take the time to help returning veterans and their family. I think that's heartening as a country.
Earlier in January, the Veterans Affairs Department announced "a new partnership" to help private organizations assist veterans. The outgoing secretary, James Peake, said he'll appoint a federal employee to help private groups identify the "unmet needs" of veterans and their families. But the VA won't give them more money.
Veterans Turn To Online Strangers For Financial Help
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As a disabled veteran this makes me sick but the sad fact it is so true, many veterans without the aid of family friends and strangers would end up under the bridge if they had to depend on the VA to help them yes they may get finanacial help down the road they claim 6 months but most times that is the first denial or a lowball award of 10% - 50% when the veteran should be rated a 100% disabled, and the appeals take anywhere from 2-7 years in the meantime many veterans end up divorced, homes foreclosed and cars and trucks repossessed only to get 5-7 years of 100% back pay years from now without any interest on the delayed payments the VA battle often takes longer than the war the veterans was in.
Thursday, January 22, 2009
Veterans Turn To Online Strangers For Financial Help
Coping with a traumatised nation
Coping with a traumatised nation
By Martin Patience
BBC News, Kabul
Patients have just one dedicated mental health facility in the nation (Photos: Mahfouz Zubaide)
At a small, white-washed building on the outskirts of Kabul, a handful of doctors try to cope with one of Afghanistan's biggest problems.
Rugs hang from doorframes to keep out the bitter winter cold, and patients, along with their visiting families, crowd into the bare hospital wards.
According to studies cited by the Afghan health ministry an astonishing 66% of Afghans suffer mental health problems.
And yet this hospital is the only facility in the country dedicated to mental disorders - and there are just 40 beds.
The resident psychiatrist, Musadiq Nadimee, has a weary look as he paces up and down the building's corridors.
"This hospital is just for the complicated cases that are referred to us from across the country," he says with a resigned shrug.
One father has admitted his teenage daughter, Hamida, who suffers from schizophrenia. "She's got a lot better," he says, a smile breaking across his face.
'Vicious cycle'
But most experts agree that the mental health problems here go far deeper than the illnesses that are commonly found in almost all countries.
There's little trust between people. Sometimes cruel acts committed are seen as part of normal life for Afghans. If this continues then our future will be dark
Dr Abdullah Fahim
Afghanistan is a traumatised nation. In 30 years, hundreds of thousands of Afghans have died and most of its people have witnessed horrendous violence at some point in their lives.
Many of the mental disorders are connected to these experiences, say health officials.
Local journalist Hanif Sherzad says that Afghans continue to be traumatised by their past and the continuing violence.
"Many people don't feel safe, they simply don't feel secure," he says.
"Even those people that have good physical health and are living in secure places are constantly hearing bad news. It affects them and the vicious cycle continues."
The Afghan health ministry readily admits that there simply are not enough facilities or doctors to even begin dealing with the most serious cases.
Other health issues - such as infant and maternal mortality - have taken priority.
But a senior adviser to the health minister, Dr Abdullah Fahim, worries that if the issue of mental health is not addressed immediately, it will continue to have a slow, corrosive effect on Afghan society.
"There's little trust between people," he says. "Sometimes cruel acts committed are seen as part of normal life for Afghans. If this continues then our future will be dark."
The hospital close to Kabul has only 40 beds
Because of a lack of understanding, many Afghans suffering mental health problems are believed to be possessed.
Some are chained in rooms or even caves until it is believed that the "jinns" - evil spirits - have been exorcised.
But others are simply abandoned by their families because they can no longer cope or afford the medication that is required to treat their medical conditions.
A small number of mentally ill people are cared for by local charities.
At one such centre run by the Red Crescent Society, a group of women crowds round the director, Mohammed Zahaid.
Mr Zahaid says that one of the women refused to eat and drink for days. She was constantly crying and kept asking about former Afghan President Najibullah.
When the staff got the woman a picture of the ex-president she immediately perked up - and began eating and drinking again.
But she is one of the fortunate few.
In a country wracked by problems, mental health is an issue that is largely forgotten.
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This nation has known nothing but war since the 1980s at least Russia, then the Taliban and Bin Ladin and since 2001 war with the United States I tthink it's amazing that only 2/3 or the nation has mental health issues but to only have 40 beds for mental health patients is ludicrous this begs for Doctors without Borders and lots of United Nations medical assistance
Airmen Care for Wounded Warriors
Airmen Care for Wounded Warriors
January 16, 2009
Air Force Print News|by MSgt. Jeff Loftin
SOUTHWEST ASIA - Airmen of the 379th Expeditionary Aeromedical Evacuation Squadron airlift warriors on military aircraft out of locations throughout the war zone and to military medical treatment facilities.
Consistent and readily available airlift is usually the difference between life and death for servicemembers fighting the war on terrorism.
"It's very humbling to me and very much an honor," said Maj. Susan Behrens, the unit's chief nurse. "I have the greatest job. It's like taking care of my kids. I take care of them so they can do their job the very best they can. You can't tell people what that is like."
Squadron members transport patients with a wide variety of medical problems to where they can get the best treatment.
"We get patients from explosions, patients with multiple fractures, motor vehicle accident (injuries), sports injuries, and psych patients," said Major Behrens, a native of Finlayson, Minn. "There are gastrointestinal problems. There are head injuries. We have to know a little bit about everything."
Staff Sgt. Rebecca Jaudon, a squadron crewmember, added burn victims and gunshots to the major's list of medical conditions they care for in flight.
"I've had a patient with third-degree burns over 90 percent of his body, and I've had someone with a sprained ankle from a sports injury," Sergeant Jaudon said. "It really depends."
Caring for wounded warriors with a variety of medical conditions is further complicated by the flight itself.
"What happens when you take them up where the air is really thin and you are vibrating on a plane?" asked Major Behrens, a member of the Minnesota Air National Guard. "You have to know what that does to a fracture or an injury and how to take care of it. It is a whole different medicine in itself."
The squadron stands ready to provide that expertise 24/7. In addition to its weekly missions, the unit provides the only alert air medical transport team in the theater. The alert team must be at the aircraft in 10 minutes and be ready to take off in one hour. Alert missions can come at any time making it difficult for the five-member crews to know when to sleep.
"We've had times when we've had quick mission launches in the middle of the night," said Lt. Col. Georgeanne Johnson, the 379th EAES commander. "They'll call up in the middle of the night and say to whoever is up, 'We're launching a mission. Can anybody come up and help?' They are over there to help right away. Everybody pitches in."
The key to the unit meeting the timelines is the squadron's operations team, according to the commander. The team is responsible for preparing for the mission, working the patient manifest and paperwork and configuring the aircraft for medical airlift.
"We have crews who aren't on duty to help get the equipment ready and preflight it," said the native of Eagin, Minn. "They go out to the alert facility to load all their stuff on a big truck. They go out to the aircraft and configure it. We have to configure everything and bring all of our equipment on before each mission."
It takes about six hours of preparation for a normal mission to get the aircraft ready for patients and to load the 600 pounds of medical equipment. If the mission calls for transporting warriors in critical condition, the unit adds a three-person Critical Care Air Transport Team and another 600 pounds of equipment. Flights with the CCATT often pick up patients from Iraq or Afghanistan and transport them to Germany.
Typical missions for the squadron can range from 12 to 16 hours, but can go as long as 24 hours.
"On a typical mission, once you get to your starting point it is really busy," said Sergeant Jaudon, a native of Clarksburg, W. Va. "It's about 2.5 hours up there and then it is about 30 minutes between stops. You are up and down. You are only on the ground for about 25 minutes at each place. It is dark. You're on the flightline, but you can't go out and use flashlights because depending on where you are everyone may be using (night-vision goggles). It's definitely a contingency situation."
The experiences the flight crew have had with the patients on typical missions are anything but typical.
"One of the first missions I did was a (coming) back from Germany to the states hauling kids," said Major Behrens as she started choking up. "We had 74 patients on board. It was in a C-141 (Starlifter) so it was kind of dark. I had to crawl up the litters to start an IV on a young man that was up there. He said to me, 'Ma'am, can you just stay here with me for a little bit and hold my hand. You remind me of my mom.'"
Interacting one-on-one with wounded warriors is why many squadron members endure the long hours, unpredictable schedules and emotional stress of their job.
"It's emotionally draining because you really do care about these people," said Sergeant Jaudon, deployed from Pope Air Force Base, N.C. "Some of them are really hurt and you just don't know what is going to happen to them. We really care about them or we wouldn't be in this job. Some patients we'll never forget."
Colonel Johnson, a member of the Minnesota Air National Guard, is a critical care nurse in her civilian job, but said working with military members is an entirely different experience.
"It is a job that is our honor and privilege to do," she said. "I truly think it is the best job in the Air Force. It is important we constantly have our skills up to speed and that we are ready to go at any time. We never know what we might see when we open that aircraft door and start loading patients."
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The Air Force has been doing an outstanding job moving the wounded from Afghanistan and Iraq to Germany and to the US thruout the entire years of war, the flight crews and flight nurses and doctors do an outstanding job bringing our fellow military personnel back home and we owe them a thanks that can never be fully repaid.
Army's drug abuse policy under fire
January 22, 2009 http://www.news-leader.com/article/20090122/NEWS01/901220365
Army's drug abuse policy under fire
Critics say system is likely to punish troops rather than help them.
Alan Scher Zagier, The Associated Press
Fort Leonard Wood -- Spec. Jeremiah Thomson didn't know what was worse: excruciating back pain from a combat explosion in Baghdad or the prescription drug addiction he developed once home.
The Army was quick to prescribe Percocet, Vicodin, Oxycontin and similarly powerful painkillers to Thomson and other injured soldiers at Fort Leonard Wood, Thomson testified in a court-martial hearing. He's now serving a three-year sentence for illegally buying prescription drugs -- the sellers included a former commanding officer in Iraq -- and selling the pills to eight other soldiers.
As more troops return home with war injuries, the Army is prescribing more pain medication . But a military system that relies on discipline as well as treatment is drawing fire from some prominent critics, including those inside the system.
"It's a terrible problem," said Barbara McDonald, a civilian social worker and Army drug abuse counselor, describing a recent surge in prescription drug abuse and the Army's handling of the problem.
Legal painkiller use by injured troops has increased nearly 70 percent since the start of the Iraq war six years ago, according to Army records. Surveys show that more soldiers are struggling with prescription drug addiction -- and seeking help from Army doctors and counselors.
Thomson is among seven soldiers convicted by court martial in 2008 of illegal drug use or distribution who served in the installation's 5th Engineer Battalion. An additional five await trial on similar charges. A dozen have been kicked out of the Army, and two others went AWOL after being implicated .
Dr. Les McFarling, who heads the Army's substance abuse treatment program, acknowledges the increased potential for abuse.
"You can put soldiers at risk when you're managing their pain," he said.
But McDonald and other critics call the military's approach a broken system, as likely to punish or denigrate troops as to treat their addictions.
The criminal cases in Missouri, coupled with allegations of misconduct and staffing shortages in the Army Substance Abuse Program levied by McDonald and another whistleblower, caught the attention of Sen. Claire McCaskill, D-Mo. She has asked Secretary of the Army Pete Geren to investigate.
"Clearly, at Fort Leonard Wood and potentially across the military, they have not prioritized this as a health issue," McCaskill said. "The culture has traditionally looked at this as a discipline issue."
Under the Uniform Code of Military Justice, such punishments can include reductions in rank and pay, imprisonment and discharges from military service for bad conduct.
The Army says those disciplined in the Fort Leonard Wood investigation committed criminal misconduct by selling or illegally possessing drugs, as opposed to those who become dependent on narcotics prescribed for legitimate injuries.
"A soldier who steps forward is someone who should be admired, not as someone with a black mark next to their name," McCaskill said.
In a Dec. 22 response to McCaskill's inquiry, Geren indicated the Army will consider abolishing its policy that a commanding officer be notified when a soldier comes forward voluntarily for ASAP counseling.
Still, officials at Fort Leonard Wood and the Pentagon defend their approach, even as they acknowledge staffing shortages that have left ASAP nationwide nearly 90 counselors short of required employment levels. Staffing levels at the Missouri post are now above the required minimums, the Army says.
McDonald disputes that, saying at least one recently hired counselor for Fort Leonard Wood's ASAP unit lacks required mental health certification.
Army statistics provided to The Associated Press show that the number of soldiers enrolled in ASAP at Fort Leonard Wood at the end of 2008 was the highest since the start of the Iraq war six years ago.
McCaskill's office learned of the problems at Fort Leonard Wood from former ASAP counselor John Speckhals, a Vietnam veteran and former Veterans Affairs social worker now stationed in Germany. Speckhals declined an AP request for an interview.
An inquiry by the senator's office said as many as 180 cases referred to the base's ASAP unit were misclassified in what McCaskill suggested in a Nov. 12 letter to Geren were "deliberate clinical findings that soldiers who were dependent on alcohol or drugs were not dependent in order to keep the caseload down for an overwhelmed staff."
"There was an effort to give a cosmetic fix to a problem that was systemic," McCaskill said .
In his letter to McCaskill, Geren said a review of those cases and 17 others showed some record-keeping errors, but no evidence that cases were deliberately mislabeled.
McDonald, whose son is a soldier, spent 20 years as a civilian substance abuse counselor before joining the Army's fight against drug and alcohol abuse one year ago. She has filed a workplace complaint against her supervisor and faces disciplinary action she says stems from her criticisms. Army officials have not commented.
McDonald claims that some Army doctors and counselors point to drug dependency as a sign of weakness. Since McDonald's complaints surfaced, she is no longer allowed to see patients.
Lori Mullins of Idaho Falls, Idaho, said her 18-year-old daughter, Destiny, was told McDonald had quit and that McDonald was told Destiny Mullins no longer wanted treatment.
"They told (Destiny) she didn't belong in the military, that she was a shame to the uniform," the elder Mullins said. "Instead of being protected by the Army, they're blaming her for it."
Destiny Mullins received an honorable discharge in November.
Chuck Ashbrook, who oversees ASAP prevention and education efforts at Leonard Wood, maintained that counselors pay close attention to links between substance abuse, post-traumatic stress disorder and combat injuries.
He said that, thanks to medical advances, soldiers who might have returned from previous conflicts as casualties are instead surviving with injuries that may require stronger pain management.
However, Ashbrook also noted historical increases in drug dependency among soldiers during wartime.
"We've always seen these kind of problems," he said. "This is not unique."
Additional Facts
The issue at a glance
Wounded troops: Legal painkiller use by injured troops has increased nearly 70 percent since the start of the Iraq War, the Army says. As more soldiers seek help with prescription drug addiction, the Army is struggling to hire enough drug counselors to meet the increased demand.
Black market: An investigation at Fort Leonard Wood revealed a group of soldiers who illegally bought and sold Percocet, Oxycontin, Vicodin and other powerful painkillers. The investigation ensnared more than two dozen soldiers.
Congressional inquiry: A whistleblower who worked in the Army Substance Abuse Program took his concerns to Sen. Claire McCaskill, a Missouri Democrat. She has asked Army Secretary Pete Geren to investigate.
-- The Associated Press
Army's drug abuse policy under fire
House Veterans’ Affairs Committee Adopts Oversight Plan for the 111th Congress
NEWS FROM…
CHAIRMAN BOB FILNER
HOUSE COMMITTEE ON VETERANS’ AFFAIRS
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: January 22, 2009
http://veterans.house.gov
House Veterans’ Affairs Committee Adopts Oversight Plan for the 111th Congress and Officially Names Members
Washington, D.C. – Today, Chairman of the House Committee on Veterans’ Affairs Bob Filner, led the Committee’s organizational meeting for the 111th Congress. Committee rules, membership and the oversight plan for the 111th Congress were adopted.
Chairman Filner (D-CA) commented, “We have a remarkable opportunity as a Committee to make significant progress when it comes to improving services and benefits for our veterans. President Obama has laid out an ambitious agenda and the House Veterans’ Affairs Committee is committed to bringing results to our veterans and their families. I plan to tap the energy of our new Committee members and rely on the dedication of our Republican colleagues to work in an effective and bi-partisan way to find and implement solutions to the real problems that exist for our veterans. Today, the members of the House Committee on Veterans’ Affairs came together to pledge to fight for our veterans in the 111th Congress, just as our veterans fought for the rights and liberties that our Nation enjoys today.”
Members of the House Committee on Veterans’ Affairs
Bob Filner, CA, Chairman
Corrine Brown, FL
Vic Snyder, AR
Michael M. Michaud, ME
Stephanie Herseth Sandlin, SD
Harry E. Mitchell, AZ
John J. Hall, NY
Deborah L. Halvorson, IL
Thomas S.P. Perriello, VA
Harry Teague, NM
Ciro D. Rodriguez, TX
Joe Donnelly, IN
Jerry McNerney, CA
Zachary T. Space, OH
Timothy J. Walz, MN
John H. Adler, NJ
Ann Kirkpatrick, AZ
Glenn C. Nye, VA
Steve Buyer, IN, Ranking Member
Cliff Stearns, FL
Jerry Moran, KS
Henry E. Brown, Jr., SC
Jeff Miller, FL
John Boozman, AR
Brian P. Bilbray, CA
Doug Lamborn, CO
Gus M. Bilirakis, FL
Vern Buchanan, FL
David P. Roe, TN
Subcommittee Assignments for the House Committee on Veterans’ Affairs
Subcommittee on Disability Assistance and Memorial Affairs
John J. Hall, New York, Chairman
Deborah L. Halvorson, Illinois
Joe Donnelly, Indiana
Ciro D. Rodriguez, Texas
Ann Kirkpatrick, Arizona
Jeff Miller, Florida, Acting Ranking Member
Brian P. Bilbray, California
Vacancy
Subcommittee on Economic Opportunity
Stephanie Herseth Sandlin, South Dakota, Chairwoman
Thomas S.P. Perriello, Virginia
John H. Adler, New Jersey
Ann Kirkpatrick, Arizona
Harry Teague, New Mexico
John Boozman, Arkansas, Ranking Member
Jerry Moran, Kansas
Gus M. Bilirakis, Florida
Subcommittee on Health
Michael H. Michaud, Maine, Chairman
Corrine Brown, Florida
Vic Snyder, Arkansas
Harry Teague, New Mexico
Ciro D. Rodriguez, Texas
Joe Donnelly, Indiana
Jerry McNerney, California
Glenn C. Nye, Virginia
Deborah L. Halvorson, Illinois
Thomas S.P. Perriello, Virginia
Jerry Moran, Kansas, Acting Ranking Member
Cliff Stearns, Florida
Henry E. Brown, Jr., South Carolina
John Boozman, Arkansas
Gus M. Bilirakis, Florida
Vern Buchanan, Florida
Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations
Harry E. Mitchell, Arizona, Chairman
Zachary T. Space, Ohio
Timothy J. Walz, Minnesota
John H. Adler, New Jersey
John J. Hall, New York
Brian P. Bilbray, California, Acting Ranking Member
Vacancy
Vacancy
Republican Members of Congress listed in italics.
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I am personally pleased to see Congressman John Hall keep his Chairmanship of the Disability Assistance and Memorial Affairs he has worked hard on the behalf of veterans the past 2 years and I look forward to more good work coming from his committee........
Wednesday, January 21, 2009
Outreach Center for Psychological Health and Traumatic Brain Injury Opens
Outreach Center for Psychological Health and Traumatic Brain Injury Opens
January 15, 2009 - DCoE
Contact DCoE Communications
703-696-9460 Ext. 122 or 166
The Department of Defense today announced the opening of a 24-hour outreach center to provide information and referrals to military service members, veterans, their families and others with questions about psychological health and traumatic brain injury.
The new center, which is operated by the Defense Centers of Excellence for Psychological Health and Traumatic Brain Injury (DCoE), can be contacted around the clock, 365 days a year, by phone at 866-966-1020 and by e-mail at resources@dcoeoutreach.org.
“We’re providing 24/7 support to assist callers with questions regarding psychological health and traumatic brain injury,” said Brig. Gen. Loree K. Sutton, M.D., director of DCoE. “Getting the best possible information and tools, hassle-free, will empower and strengthen warriors and their families to successfully manage what can be confusing and disturbing circumstances.”
The center can deal with everything from routine requests for information about psychological health and traumatic brain injury, to questions about symptoms a caller is having, to helping a caller find appropriate health care resources.
DCoE promotes resilience, recovery and reintegration of service members facing psychological health and traumatic brain injury issues, and works to advance research, education, diagnosis and treatment of these conditions.
“If we need to research a question, we’ll do the legwork and quickly reconnect with callers,” Sutton said. “We welcome feedback on how we can better meet the needs of those we are so privileged to serve.”
The DCoE Outreach Center is staffed by behavioral health consultants and nurses, most with master’s degrees. In addition to answering questions, staffers refer callers to contact centers in other parts of the Department of Defense, other federal agencies, and outside organizations when appropriate. Other contact centers also refer callers to the DCoE Outreach Center.
The center serves members, leaders and healthcare providers of the Army, Navy, Air Force, Marines, Coast Guard, National Guard, Reserve and all uniformed services, along with veterans of all the services. The families of service members and of veterans are also served by the new center.
Cold War in paradise
Cold War in paradise
Footage of early nuclear test
By Marie Jackson
BBC News
Some 50 years ago thousands of excitable young servicemen landed on the white sands of a Pacific paradise to oversee Britain's testing of early nuclear bombs. But what happened next damaged them mentally and physically for life, some claim, and now they want to be compensated.
Dressed in overalls, white protective gloves and a balaclava, 21-year-old naval cook Dougie Hern was ordered to sit on the beach, back to the bomb, his knees pulled up, eyes closed and hands over his face. A countdown began...three, two, one.
"We saw a bright, brilliant light," he recalls. "It was as if someone had switched a firebar on in your head. It grew brighter and you could see the bones in your hands, like pink X-rays, in front of your closed eyes."
Seconds later, they were ordered to stand and turn towards the blast.
People were knocked off their feet, palm trees shook, birds were blinded and glass shattered as a mushroom cloud rose from the horizon, parting the clouds.
Moments later, the servicemen were told to stand down and resume their duties.
We knew what had happened in Japan - I thought it could not happen here, they would not do it to us
Douglas Hern, former navy cook drafted to Christmas Island
It was all over in about 14 seconds, but Mr Hern, now 72, believes radiation exposure on that day and four others is behind his diabetes, the spurs growing on his sternum, and much worse, the death of his 13-year-old daughter from cancer.
For decades, British ex-servicemen who were stationed on Christmas Island in the South Pacific in the 1950s have been embroiled in legal battles, trying to win recognition for their work and compensation for poor health they say is the result of the nuclear tests.
Their latest attempt to sue the British government goes before the High Court on Wednesday, when the Ministry of Defence (MoD) is expected to argue the claims have been brought too long after the events.
If the MoD loses, the government could face its largest class action yet, involving claims for millions of pounds from 1,000 individuals, say the veterans' lawyers.
Compensation claims by members of the armed forces are not uncommon these days, but the events from the 1950s are unlikely to ever be seen again.
Against a backdrop of de-colonisation and the growing threat of the Cold War, Britain was desperate to establish itself as a nuclear power. The tests, which encompassed six nuclear blasts in all, sent a message of might to the world. But the apparent lack of concern for the wellbeing of servicemen has left shockwaves of anger in some.
"If they gave the order today, there would be wholesale mutiny on the ship," says Mr Hern.
"We had complete faith in our masters. We were trained not to ask questions. We knew what had happened in Japan. I thought it could not happen here. They would not do it to us." BRITAIN'S NUCLEAR AMBITIONS
The US dropped the first atomic bomb used in war on the Japanese city of Hiroshima in 1945
About 20,000 servicemen from Britain and overseas were involved in nuclear tests in the Pacific and Maralinga, Australia in the 1950s
Six nuclear detonations took place on Christmas Island 1957-8
Christmas Island, part of the Republic of Kiribati, is also known as Kiritimati
Bombs were exploded in the air, rather than on ground, to try to reduce fallout
The trials led to Britain becoming a thermonuclear power
A job in the armed forces was about being "one of a number", according to Derek Chappell, who had to record data from the H-bomb from about 20 miles away.
Tony Stannage, a sapper in the Royal Engineers brought to the island to build living quarters, roads and the airstrip, says they had no choice.
"It was our duty. If they were going to do another test today, where would they do it?"
The take-it-in-your-stride attitude was so ingrained in Mr Stannage, it was not until a 2002 Christmas Island reunion with fellow servicemen that he spoke of the bombs. "My family and friends might have read about them but they would never have understood," he explains.
For others, the day Britain detonated its first H-bomb over Christmas Island is a story that has been told time and time again, some memories merging, others melting away.
"Everyone in my mind tells a different story but no one is telling lies," says Mr Stannage.
Shorts and sunglasses
The recollections of these three ex-servicemen suggest an island that may have looked like a tropical idyll but in reality was a place to make do and dream of home.
There was little food, land crabs roamed the island, coconut palms were used for fans and clothes were stored in orange boxes.
Orders were to dress only in long-sleeved shirts and full trousers to avoid the blistering heat.
On bomb test days, some servicemen were given the same protective gear as that worn by Dougie Hern, others wore just shorts and sunglasses.
Many complained of being at a loss for things to do, with sport and fishing the only leisure activities.
Mr Chappell, in the RAF, claims in his 50 days on the island, he did just one day's work, the day of the H-bomb.
He is convinced they were there as part of an experiment, a view shared by some fellow servicemen.
"We were lemmings," he says. "There was never any need for that many people to be there."
The Ministry of Defence will not comment on the allegations but did say in a statement that it recognised the "vital contribution" these men played.
It said compensation claims were considered on the basis of whether or not the MoD had a legal liability to pay compensation and were paid if a legal liability was proven.
Leukaemia 'link'
Three years ago, Mr Chappell, now 73, was diagnosed with polycythemia vera, a blood-thinning leukaemia, that he believes can be traced back to the 1958 bomb blast.
Links between nuclear testing and premature deaths and cancer among veterans have been contested for years.
The National Radiological Protection Board, now amalgamated into the Health Protection Agency (HPA), has been conducting a study of nuclear test veterans since the 1980s.
It compares cancer and mortality rates among servicemen involved in nuclear testing with rates among a control group of servicemen without any nuclear test links.
Dr Colin Muirhead, the HPA's head of epidemiology in the radiation protection section, says his findings showed similar levels of mortality and cancer in both groups.
However, there is "some indication of a raised risk of leukaemia" among those who had worked with nuclear tests, he says.
The veterans may be used to battles. But this one, hindered by funding shortages and legal technicalities, has gone on longer than the Cold War during which it all began. Maybe now there is an end in sight.
Cold War in paradise it is worth going to the link and seeing the pictures and the video and the iformation in boxes they have
