Traumatic brain injury

A new military order requires soldiers to leave the battlefield for 24 hours after being exposed to a blast. Doctors contend the order may prevent permanent brain damage that can result if a soldier experiences a second concussion before the first one heals.

NAILING DOWN CIVILIAN JOBS CAN BE STRESSFUL

About 1.9 million of the nation's 22 million veterans have served in the armed forces since the terrorist attacks of 2001 and returned to civilian life.

The unemployment rate of those veterans was 10 percent in November, similar to the nation's overall jobless rate of 9.8 percent, according to U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data.

Returning to the civilian work force during a time of high unemployment has been difficult for some. Sherry S. Handel, executive director of Guard Support of Massachusetts, said 22 of 42 guard members seeking financial assistance from Guard Support as of Dec. 10 were unemployed.

 

By Lisa Eckelbecker TELEGRAM & GAZETTE STAFF

Read more: http://www.telegram.com/article/20101228/NEWS/12280479/1003/NEWS03#ixzz19chTVRii

Stress may boost memory: Study

In a new study researchers have found that stress can enhance ordinary, unrelated memories. This may open up new avenues in management of patients of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and related afflictions say experts.

The research team from Czech Republic's Academy of Sciences, the State University of New York (SUNY) Downstate Medical Center, and Rockefeller University used lab rats to prove this theory. André Fenton, the study's lead author said, “Our results show that stress can activate memory, even if that memory is unrelated to the stressful experience.”

By Dr Ananya Mandal, MD

Army wife helps vets with 'Open Arms'

Davis, the founder and president of Operation Open Arms, a non-profit organization devoted to providing food and supplies to homeless veterans and veterans suffering from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, explained her passion for charitable work is fueled by her personal experiences.

Davis is the wife of Sgt. Byron Davis, a Marine-turned Army Reserve Soldier with three overseas tours under his belt.

Davis said she first became interested in helping Soldiers with PTSD after witnessing the changes her husband experienced after his deployment to Iraq in 2004.

"It was very easy to tell that he wasn't okay," she said.

Davis, in support of her husband's treatment, attended an in-patient program with him run by Veterans Affairs. It was during that treatment Davis learned not all veterans have a support system in place, or the means to receive the proper care needed to make progress.
By Alexandra Hemmerly-Brown

Suicide: A battle that can be won

MARINE CORPS BASE CAMP PENDLETON, Calif -- Over the years, Marines have fought and won many battles all over the world. One battle that has yet to be won is against an invisible enemy: suicide.

November was the first month since 2007, the Marine Corps didn’t have a reported suicide. Last year, 52 Marines committed suicide, marking the highest rate in Marine Corps history.

Suicide claimed the lives of 35 Marines in 2010, and the Marine Corps is fighting this enemy head on.

Issues stemming from legal, marital and financial problems and feelings of loneliness are known to impact a Marine’s decision to attempt suicide. 

“Marines, especially the single ones, tend to feel forgotten about during the holiday season,” said Meghan K. Jones, director of Marine Corps Family Team, Camp Pendleton. “It’s when they feel like there are no other options that they begin to make the decision to take their life.”

Jones said the Marine Corps is working to do away with the negative stigma surrounding post-traumatic stress disorder and depression. Marines are taking care of Marines and utilizing the resources available to them, including the new DSTRESS hotline, Military OneSource and unit chaplains. Jones believes the chain of command is the first line of defense. 


Story by Cpl. Monty Burton

Families Weather Holidays Without Deployed Loved Ones

As a seasoned Army wife and mom, Moseley is familiar with the roller-coaster ride of emotions a deployment entails. “I know I’ll be a little down, a little depressed; it’s hard around the holidays,” she said. “But I’ve learned to reach out to friends, put more effort into the [family readiness group].”

Moseley is one of thousands of family members weathering the holidays without a deployed loved one this year. More than 140,000 U.S. servicemembers are deployed in Afghanistan and Iraq, along with thousands more to other locations around the world.


By Elaine Wilson
American Forces Press Service

Intrepid Center Provides New Level of Warfighter Care

Six months later, as it continues to build staff to reach full operational capability, the center is making a difference in the lives of servicemembers struggling to deal with the unseen, signature wounds of war with hopes they can continue their military service.

“Our vision is to be an instrument of hope, healing, discovery and learning,” said Navy Capt. Thomas Beeman, a reservist recalled to active duty to lend his civilian health care administration expertise to help stand up the facility. “We are living out that vision and trying to meet those needs.”

The $65 million center, a gift from the Intrepid Fallen Heroes Fund, features the most advanced equipment and facilities available to diagnose and treat TBI and other psychological disorders. Among its offerings is $10 million in imaging equipment that enables health care providers and researchers the rare ability to see inside the brain to formulate diagnoses and treatment plans.

By Donna Miles

Neurobiologist Invents New Treatment for Veterans with PTSD

(US NEWS SOURCE) December 19, 2010 - Dr. Daniel L. Kirsch, a world-renowned Neurobiologist, recently gave a keynote speech at the 2010 AAIM National Conference to present his invention known as Alpha-Stim technology, which the doctor states is a primary or complementary treatment for anxiety, insomnia and depression. A recent study showed that 3 out of 4 veterans chose Alpha-Stim as a treatment for PTSD and other ailments and is offered at Alpha-Stim.com.
Mineral Wells, TX, December 20th, 2010 – Dr. Daniel Kirsch, in a keynote speech to a packed house at the 2010 AAIM National Conference, posed a new primary or complementary treatment for anxiety, insomnia and depression. The treatment is known as cranial electrotherapy stimulation, or CES, and Dr. Kirsch with Alpha-Stim.com stated that it is a very safe and highly useful brain therapy that uses mild electrical current.

http://www.usnewssource.com/press-releases/neurobiologist-invents-new-treatment-for-veterans-with-ptsd_33126.html

Soldier Blog Gives Veterans and Active Troops a Voice This Holiday Season

A public forum for sharing stories of service, Real Combat Life hopes to ease holiday stress for members of the military, particularly those with PTSD

MANKATO, Minn., Dec. 14, 2010 /PRNewswire/ -- Patrick Nelson has post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Serving three tours of duty in Iraq and Afghanistan and watching two of your friends die in an explosion can do that to a guy. But instead of getting mad, Patrick Nelson is waxing poetic on his very public blog, Real Combat Life (www.realcombatlife.com). And he's hoping other soldiers will do the same, particularly during the often-stressful holiday season.

Nelson launched Real Combat Life, which recently received a Pepsi Refresh Project grant, in December 2009 as a personal blog to help him manage his PTSD as the holidays were approaching. The blog quickly gained the attention of other veterans and active troops and is now a public journaling site for veterans and active soldiers alike.

http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/soldier-blog-gives-veterans-and-active-troops-a-voice-this-holiday-season-111851469.html

Getting Out of a Funk: Fighting Depression

Life is full of ups and downs. Sometimes emotions may be hard to recognize without the extra stress of the holidays. The holiday season is often a time of joy for many people. They may bring a host of other emotions for others—especially military families with deployed loved ones. About one out of every six adults will have depression at some time in their life. Depression affects about 15,000,000 American adults every year.

Depression is more than just feeling sad or having a bad day. It is a medical illness that involves the body, mood and thoughts that can’t be willed or wished away. However, it is a treatable disorder. The good news is the majority of people who receive treatment feel better and are able to return to normal lives.

Dr. Jack Smith - TRICARE

Doctors Use Acupuncture as Newest Battlefield Tool

WASHINGTON, Dec. 10, 2010 – J.D. Nichols, a retired Navy flight officer and cryptologist, limped into the Air Force Acupuncture Center at Joint Base Andrews in Maryland early yesterday morning, leaning heavily on a cane.

A couple of hours later, moving easily without the cane and with the ends of tiny gold needles glittering in both ears, he waved goodbye to the military doctors who had reduced his pain using a technique called battlefield acupuncture.

The doctors, from Walter Reed Army Medical Center, were part of a workshop on the technique developed by Dr. Richard Niemtzow, a retired Air Force colonel who practiced medicine as a radiation oncologist before he studied acupuncture in 1994.

Nichols was one of four patients who volunteered for treatment at the 779th Medical Group’s acupuncture clinic, where Niemtzow and Dr. Stephen Burns, a retired Air Force colonel and full-time Air Force acupuncturist, train military doctors and treat patients.

By Cheryl Pellerin

Special Segment: Hope and Help for Veterans

December 14, 2010 (CHICAGO) (WLS) -- Service members returning home this holiday season, especially from Iraq and Afghanistan - may notice messages on billboards and bus stops. The Department of Veteran Affairs is reaching out to try to prevent suicide and help those with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD).

Throughout Chicagoland, there is a push to help all veterans and men and women in uniform, especially those with PTSD. ABC 7 took a hopeful look at ways veterans and others are helping military members who need it most.

Stacey Baca 

Profits and Scrutiny for Colleges Courting Veterans

More than 36 percent of the tuition payments made in the first year of the program — a total of $640 million in tuition and fees — went to for-profit colleges, like the University of Phoenix, according to data compiled by theDepartment of Veterans Affairs, even though these colleges serve only about 9 percent of the overall population at higher education institutions nationwide.

As the money flows to the for-profit university industry, questions are being raised in Congress and elsewhere about their recruitment practices, and whether they really deliver on their education promises. Some members say they want to place tighter limits on how much these colleges can collect in military benefits, a move certain federal officials say they would welcome.

By ERIC LIPTON

Are female veteran suicides a hidden epidemic?

A new report on the prevalence of suicides among females with military service is causing quite a buzz. It said younger women are three times more likely to kill themselves than their civilian counterparts, according to Oregon researchers.

The alarmingly high number of suicides among male veterans is well known, but until the study by Portland State University and Oregon Health and Science University, the cases among their female counterparts were not.

The research effort titled "Self-Inflicted Deaths Among Women With U.S. Military Service: A Hidden Epidemic?" is billed as the largest study yet on suicides among female veterans.

It saw publication last week in the December issue of the American Psychiatric Association's journal Psychiatric Services and is based on information collected from 16 states. California, home to the largest veteran population in the country, was not among them.

The study of 5,948 female suicides between 2004 and 2007 found women veterans aged 18 to 34 most at risk:

-- 56 suicides among 418,132 female veterans (1 in 7,465)

-- 1,461 suicides among 33,257,362 nonveterans (1 in 22,763).

By Rick Rogers 

Harvard, Brigham Study: Yoga Eases Veterans PTSD Symptoms

The words “Department of Defense” and “yoga” aren’t often uttered in the same breath, let alone in a long, conscious, exhale.
But preliminary results from a small study funded by the U.S. Defense Department, and led by a Harvard Medical School assistant professor, found that veterans diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder showed improvement in their symptoms after ten weeks of yoga classes, including meditation and breathing, done twice a week, and fifteen minutes of daily practice at home.

By Rachel Zimmerman

Combat veterans and P.T.S.D.: What is it like and how do you get help?

Historically, post-traumatic stress disorder has been known by many other names. That is proof enough that it has always been a very real problem. The worst problem was that it was largely ignored or soldiers suffering from it were labeled as deranged or were imprisoned because they were never treated. The Vietnam War is notorious for producing veterans with "Shell Shock" who were treated horribly upon their return to the United States. Today, it is much different. We know much more about this disorder and returning soldiers are screened for it. The system is far from perfect, but OIF and OEF soldiers have a far better chance of successful reintegration into their community than veterans of previous wars.

Shelly Barclay

Bringing Dogs to Heal: Care for Veterans with PTSD

Staff Sergeant Brad Fasnacht was clearing mines on an Afghan road a year ago when an IED blast broke his spine and both ankles and put him in a two-week stupor that ended only when he woke up, 7,000 miles away, at Walter Reed Army Medical Center in Washington. The explosion had knocked his helmeted head so violently, he suffered a traumatic brain injury, which exacerbates his posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Although Army doctors and nurses have been able to get the 26-year-old walking again, he has had to call in a specialist — Sapper, an Australian cattle dog mix — to help tackle his PTSD.

 

Read more: http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,2030897-1,00.html#ixzz17X94VoZW

 

By MARK THOMPSON

Army Plans 'Virtual Afghanistan' to Help Treat PTSD

ORLANDO, Fla. (Dec. 2) -- An Army-funded institute that has used virtual reality to help treat traumatized veterans of the war in Iraq is now moving to build an even more detailed virtual world of Afghanistan.

The Institute for Creative Technologies at the University of Southern California, which conducted pioneering work using virtual reality to treat those suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder, recently received funding from the U.S. Army to build a new, advanced computer program based on Afghanistan, according to Dr. Albert "Skip" Rizzo, a research scientist at the institute.

Virtual Afghanistan is expected to be even more realistic -- and detailed -- than the Iraq computer program. "We've got literally hundreds of stories people have told in therapy about where and what occurred to them and what happened to them," Rizzo told AOL News in an interview here. "That's stuff we didn't have when we started."

Sharon Weinberger Contributor

Family Focus: A Handbook for Family and Friends of Servicemembers

Recently, the Defense Centers of Excellence for Psychological Health and Traumatic Brain Injury (DCoE) collaborated with Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) to produce a handbook for military families. Created as a companion to the PBS series “This Emotional Life,” A Handbook for Family & Friends of Service Members explores the stressors and feelings individuals may encounter throughout the different phases of deployment. The handbook aims to provide solutions for servicemembers and identifies outside tools and resources that may be useful to friends and family members before, during and after deployment.

The handbook covers a variety of topics to help servicemembers and their families develop skills to become more resilient throughout the deployment process. Divided into three distinct sections:  pre-deployment, deployment and post-deployment. Each segment explores topics related to relationships, self-care, communication and staying informed.

By C. Haight

Experts Focus on Post Traumatic Epilepsy in Military Personnel and Civilians

Newswise - A panel of medical experts will discuss the implications of combat-induced traumatic brain injury (TBI) today in an opening day session of the 64th American Epilepsy Society (AES) Annual Meeting here at the Henry B. Gonzales Convention Center. The session will focus on post traumatic seizure care from treatment on the battlefield to veteran hospitals and the civilian community.

Post-traumatic seizures and epilepsy can develop anytime from immediately to days or weeks to more than a decade after brain injury. Not all military personnel who have experienced combat-related TBI obtain care in the VA hospital system. Many integrate into civilian medical practice and receive care from healthcare professionals who might not recognize TBI as the cause of the epilepsy.

http://newsblaze.com/story/2010120113400700002.wi/topstory.html

MILITARY: Marine Corps to reassess how it prepares troops for life after war

Each year, Dan Clouse oversees the about-face of nearly 7,000 Camp Pendleton Marines, trying to turn legions of men and women who've been at war for years into regular citizens ready to go to work in the civilian world.
It's not an easy task.
The unemployment rate for Iraq and Afghanistan war veterans was 21.6 percent in 2009. It currently sits at nearly 25 percent for California veterans younger than 24, according to federal and state statistics.
"We get a lot of these guys right out of high school, train them to be Marines and infantrymen and send them to war," said Clouse, base employment and transition supervisor. "A lot of them wind up with no real transferable skills when it comes time to leave."
That reality is reflected on the streets. A report released last month by the San Diego County Regional Task Force on Homelessness says 22.9 percent of the county's estimated 8,574 people with no home in January were veterans.
San Diego County has more people who have recently left the military ---- about 27,000 ---- than any other region of the country, according to the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs.
This week, the Marine Corps will confront the issue head-on. Clouse and transition specialists from around the nation are scheduled to gather in Washington to review the Transition Assistance Program, the result of a directive by the new commandant of the Marine Corps, Gen. James Amos.
The commandant says he wants to ensure that the right education and occupational training are being offered to fulfill "our commitment to return better citizens back to communities across our nation."

By MARK WALKER - mlwalker@nctimes.com North County Times - Californian | Posted: Saturday, November 27, 2010 9:00 pm

Call center links troubled soldiers to help

Troubled troops, veterans and family members have a round-the-clock, free resource for locating the help they need to deal with psychological health problems and traumatic brain injuries.


The 24/7 Outreach Center is part of the Defense Centers of Excellence for Psychological Health and Traumatic Brain Injury, or DCoE. The center is always staffed with trained, professional health-resource consultants.

“The DCoE call center provides specific subject-matter expertise on psychological health and traumatic brain injury,” said Lolita O’Donnell, DCoE acting director for clearinghouse, outreach and advocacy...
 
Special to the Courier

Updated: Nov. 22, 2010 2:09 p.m.

After decade of war, focus on combat stress has heightened

As many as one in five veterans of the Iraq and Afghanistan wars grapple with PTSD, according to the National Center for PTSD, which is run by the Department of Veterans Affairs. A 2008 Rand Corp. study put the number of such veterans who have developed PTSD or depression as high as 300,000.
More than 45,000 U.S. service members have been wounded or killed in those two wars, according to Pentagon data. The emotional toll of those losses will continue for years to come.
“It’s been our longest war ever, and so many of them are willing to go back time and time again, because they don’t want to let their buddies down. So they don’t always get a break,” Pratt said.
Some troops, she said, “they go away, they come back, they have PTSD and they deploy again before they fully recover. It just snowballs.”

By Gretel C. Kovach

Method to erase traumatic memories may be on the horizon

A commercial drug remains far off — and its use would be subject to many ethical and practical questions. But scientists have laid a foundation with their discovery that proteins can be removed from the brain's fear center to erase memories forever.

"When a traumatic event occurs, it creates a fearful memory that can last a lifetime and have a debilitating effect on a person's life," says Richard L. Huganir, professor and chair of neuroscience in the Hopkins School of Medicine. He said his finding on the molecular process "raises the possibility of manipulating those mechanisms with drugs to enhance behavioral therapy for such conditions as post-traumatic stress disorder."

By Meredith Cohn, The Baltimore Sun

Program Easing Medical Separation Rolls Out Forcewide

WASHINGTON, Nov. 18, 2010 – A pilot program that eases medical separation and speeds benefit payments for servicemembers too wounded, sick or injured to stay in the military will soon roll out to the entire force.
“We are proud that the disability evaluation system is making progress,” a senior defense official said this week. “Our people are committed to not only expanding this faster disability system, but we are just as committed to making it even faster and fairer for our transitioning service men and women - our work here is not done.”
John R. Campbell, defense deputy undersecretary for wounded warrior care and transition policy, said the Integrated Disability Evaluation System is a joint effort between the Defense and Veterans Affairs departments...

By Karen Parrish
American Forces Press Service

Army hopes resilience training helps soldiers' spouses cope with deployment

GRAFENWÖHR, Germany — Army wives in Germany are receiving the same training their husbands get to cope with traumatic combat experiences.
The 172nd Infantry Brigade, which is the test bed for the Army’s new “Comprehensive Soldier Fitness” program, aims to train all of its soldiers and spouses in the so-called resilience techniques before the unit’s next combat mission, according to brigade commander Col. Frank Zachar, who studied resilience at the University of Pennsylvania earlier this year.
According to the Army’s Comprehensive Soldier Fitness director Brig. Gen. Rhonda Cornum, resilience training will help people negotiate challenges such as combat experiences, post combat stress reactions, Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, suicide, divorce and behavioral or relationship problems...

By Seth Robson

Stars and Stripes

Children of Deployed More Likely to Seek Mental Health Care

WASHINGTON, Nov. 16, 2010 – Young children from military families are more likely to seek mental and behavioral health care when a parent is deployed than when a parent is at home, a military study has concluded.
Findings also show that children of married couples -- with the father as the servicemember -- are more likely to seek care than children with a married military mother or with a single servicemember parent, said lead researcher Navy Cmdr. (Dr.) Gregory H. Gorman, a staff pediatrician with the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences.
The study, which included more than a half million children from active-duty families, will be published in the December issue of the journal “Pediatrics” and was posted on the journal’s website Nov. 8...

...The findings substantiate what the military community has anecdotally known for a long time: deployments affect children. However, Gorman said, “It’s the first time … we’ve quantified how it really affects children and how it affects the military community as a whole.”

Elaine Wilson

Resources Abound for Service Members and Families Dealing with PTSD

A new cable television documentary, which premiered on Veterans Day, chronicles the present day and historical struggles warfighters have had with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). As the general public reacts to the documentary, military officials continue to work to prevent and treat psychological health issues among service members.


“Wartorn: 1861-2010,” was a thought-provoking and, at times, brutal look at how PTSD has manifested itself, and the nation has come to recognize it over the course of American history. The film recounts stories from the Civil War when the condition was referred to as hysteria, melancholia and insanity; World War I when it was called shell-shock; World War II when it was known as combat fatigue; and then today, when it is currently known as PTSD...

Christina Crimmins.

Real Warriors’ Campaign Works to Save Lives

WASHINGTON, Nov. 12, 2010 – Members of the Defense Centers of Excellence for Psychological Health and Traumatic Brain Injury “Real Warriors” campaign are working to deliver the message that resources and tools are available for veterans seeking treatment for invisible wounds of war.
“My mission through the Real Warriors campaign is to let our noncommissioned officers, enlisted personnel and our officers know that we can't leave anyone behind in the field of battle,” retired Army Maj. Ed Pulido said during a Nov. 9 “DOD Live” bloggers roundtable.
Centers of Excellence officials launched the Real Warriors campaign to promote building resilience, facilitating recovery and supporting reintegration of returning servicemembers, veterans and their families. The program also works to combat the stigma associated with seeking psychological health care and treatment...

By Christen N. McCluney
Emerging Media, Defense Media Activity

A SOLDIER'S HEART': DAY THREE OF A PG SPECIAL SERIES

In his mind's eye, Mike Cranmer is a young boy, romping amid the rural lushness of a Greene County farm, his family's rustic getaway from suburban Pittsburgh. He's safe among the trees, the rolling hills, the foliage. A calmness envelops him

He opens his eyes, the memory ends. If that was heaven, this is hell. The Brentwood resident is outside Fallujah, Iraq, a Marine lance corporal preparing in the early morning darkness of Sunday, Dec. 12, 2004, to look for insurgents and weapons in the city's homes. What awaits him on that mission will forever alter his life.

He turned 22 just three days earlier but feels older. The dangers have increased exponentially on this, his second tour of the war. On the first, when the statues of Saddam Hussein were torn down, he felt like a liberator. He was safe, going out at night to the markets amid friendly Iraqis, buying chickens roasted on open-air spits...

Read more: http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/10313/1101717-455.stm#ixzz15NppuJpa

"We Remember"

Now, on this day, we honor every man and woman who has ever worn the uniform of the United States of America.  We salute fallen heroes, and keep in our prayers those who are still in harm’s way -– like the men and women serving in Iraq and Afghanistan.  (Hoaa!)

Barack Obama

Happy Veterans Day to all Veterans, Active Duty, Reservist and Family...!!!

The Traumas of War

Below is a letter I received from military psychiatrist, Dr. Russell Carr, describing the terrible toll the traumas of war have been taking on service members serving in Iraq and Afghanistan and their families...

Caring for the invisible wounds that warriors bring home

...Today, through counseling and drug therapy, Derrick has more good days than bad. Yet problems persist.

He doesn't like being around people but misses companionship in the isolation of the farm, which he rarely leaves. He wants to be left alone but gets lonely. His 23rd birthday passed on Sept. 28 without celebration.

He tries to keep busy at the farm with the herd of Hereford cattle and hay fields to tend to, fences to fix. The busier he is, the less the images of war invade his mind.

He can't go into a house -- even his own -- without checking every room. If he goes to a restaurant, he has to sit in a booth with his back to the wall so he can see who's coming at him. Sometimes, when driving, his heart beats out of his chest if he spots a trash bag or other litter along the road that he thinks could be an IED. There are nightmares and flashbacks...

Read more: http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/10311/1100779-455.stm#ixzz14okRjbfh

It Is The Soldier

It is the Soldier, not the minister
Who has given us freedom of religion.

It is the Soldier, not the reporter
Who has given us freedom of the press.

It is the Soldier, not the poet
Who has given us freedom of speech...

Charles Michael Province

AFN to air HBO documentary on PTSD

WASHINGTON - HBO's new documentary about the psychological toll of combat will be aired on AFN this Veterans Day, the same day it premieres in the States.

"Wartorn: 1812-2010" looks at post-traumatic stress disorder through all its incarnations throughout our history: hysteria, melancholia, shell shock, combat fatigue, and now, PTSD. The film shows vignettes about servicemembers from the Civil War through the conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Researcher explores cognitive behavioral therapy on active-duty military personnel

Insomnia can be a cruel cycle, especially for combat veterans.

Many soldiers return from war with psychological health problems that cause insomnia, which in turn exacerbates those root causes. Others return mentally healthy but can't again normalize their sleep patterns after months of little or interrupted rest.

Military Family Month

"We owe each day of security and freedom that we enjoy to the members of our Armed Forces and their families. Behind our brave service men and women, there are family members and loved ones who share in their sacrifice and provide unending support. During Military Family Month, we celebrate the exceptional contributions of our military families, and we reaffirm our commitments to these selfless individuals who exemplify the highest principles of our Nation..." Barack Obama.

Hyperbaric Chamber to Treat TBI

Support NYC Veterans Day Parade November 11th 2010

Retroactive Stoploss Pay (Deadline)

The Mission Continues

Please visit http://www.missioncontinues.org/ to learn more about the Mission Continues Fellowship Program

Updated 2010-2011 List of Yellow Ribbon Schools

Yellow Ribbon Program Information 2010 - 2011 School Year

http://www.gibill.va.gov/GI_Bill_Info/CH33/YRP/YRP_List_2010.htm

American Corporate Partners

American Corporate Partners (ACP) is a nationwide mentoring program dedicated to helping veterans transition from the armed services to the civilian workforce through mentoring, career counseling, and networking with professionals from some of America's finest corporations and select universities. ACP is not a jobs program, but a tool for networking and long-term career development. Please apply at http://www.acp-usa.org/

Entrepreneurship Bootcamp for Veterans with Disabilities

The Entrepreneurship Bootcamp for Veterans with Disabilities (EBV) offers cutting edge, experiential training in entrepreneurship and small business management to post-9/11 veterans with disabilities resulting from their service to our country. The EBV is designed to open the door to business ownership for our veterans by 1) developing your skills in the many steps and activities associated with launching and growing a small business, and by 2) helping you leverage programs and services for veterans and people with disabilities in a way that furthers your entrepreneurial dreams! Please apply at http://whitman.syr.edu/ebv/

New Website!

Please check out our new website

National Call Center for Homeless Veterans

National Call Center for Homeless Veterans

Homeless Veteran in need of help?
Call 1-877-4AID VET (1-877-424-3838)

The Department of Veterans Affairs' (VA) has founded a National Call Center for Homeless Veterans hotline to ensure that homeless Veterans or Veterans at-risk for homelessness have free, 24/7 access to trained counselors. The hotline is intended to assist homeless Veterans and their families, VA Medical Centers, federal, state and local partners, community agencies, service providers and others in the community. To be connected with a trained VA staff member call 1-877-4AID VET (877-424-3838).

Call for yourself or someone else
Free and confidential
Trained VA counselors to assist
Available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week
We have information about VA homeless programs and mental health services in your area that can help you.

What will happen when I call?

You will be connected to a trained VA staff member.
Hotline staff will conduct a brief screen to assess your needs.
Homeless Veterans will be connected with the Homeless Point of Contact at the nearest VA facility.
Family members and non-VA providers calling on behalf of a homeless Veteran will be provided with information regarding the homeless programs and services available.
Contact information will be requested so staff may follow-up.

New York Museums Salute Memorial Day: A Weekend of Appreciation program

The following New York City cultural institutions have volunteered to open their doors free of charge to the military for the holiday weekend by participating in the first ever New York Museums Salute Memorial Day: A Weekend of Appreciation program.
Any one of the following accepted forms of identification must be presented along with photo ID to gain free admission:

• Discharge papers (e.g. Certificate of Service, Separation Papers (aka DD- 214 or DD-215)
• Active military ID card
• Reservist military ID card
• Retiree military ID card (these retiree ID cards are also given to certain spouses and children
• Formal letter on VA letterhead confirming service and veteran status (e.g. VA Statement of Service or VA Benefits Award Letter for service connected disability, pension or DIC, etc.)
• Veterans Identification Card (VIC)
• TRICARE insurance card
• Dog tags
• Government-issued photo identifications that indicate military service

Below is the list of participating museums.

Bronx:
Bronx Museum
Wave Hill
Brooklyn:
Brooklyn Museum
Brooklyn Children’s Museum
New York Transit Museum
Waterfront Museum

Manhattan:
9/11 Memorial and Museum / Temporary Location
Alliance for the Arts
American Folk Art Museum
American Museum of Natural History
American Numismatic Society
Americas Society
Asia Society
Children’s Museum
Columbia University Art Museum / Ira and Miriam Wallach Gallery
Cooper-Hewitt Museum
El Museo del Barrio
Ellis Island Museum of the American Experience
Goethe House German Cultural Center
Guggenheim Museum
Intrepid Sea, Air and Space Museum
Jewish Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art
Museum for African Art
Museum of American Finance
Museum of Art and Design
Museum of Jewish History
Museum of the City of New York
Museum of Modern Art
National Museum of the American Indian
Neue Galerie
New Museum of Contemporary Art
New York City Fire Museum
New York Historical Society
Rubin Museum of Art
South Street Seaport
Studio Museum in Harlem
Taipei Galleri
Tenement Museum
The Drawing Center
The Forbes Magazine Galleries
The Hispanic Society of America
The Pierpont Morgan Library
Whitney Museum of American Art

Queens:
Alley Pond Environmental Center
American Museum of the Moving Image
Bowne House Historical Society
Isamu Noguchi Museum and Sculpture Garden
LaGuardia and Wagner Archives
P.S.1 Contemporary Art Center
Queens Museum of Art

Staten Island
Alice Austen Historical House
Sailor’s Snug Harbor Cultural Center
Staten Island Museum

Vote for the Home Again Program

Go to http://pep.si/9cHZy7 and register to vote for JBFCS/Home Again. You will be asked for an email address, and your name.

Vote as often as you can until May 31, 2010. You can vote every day. If you can do that – we have a chance to win. Only two contestants in the $250,000 grant category will win during May.

Send this to as many people as you possibly can – and ask them to vote for us. Every day, if they can.

Home Again: Veterans and Families Initiative Job Opportunity for Director Position

http://jbfcs.org/careers/jobdetail.php?id=2551&sort=

Saint Patrick's Day

Happy Saint Patrick's Day to all!!! Have a safe & wonderful day!

GW Vets (Employment for Veterans)

GW Vets is a program operated by Goodwill Industries to assist veterans who are seeking employment. If you are interested and meet the requirements shown below call today to schedule an appointment! (All services are FREE!)

Are you a veteran?

GW Vets 25 Elm Place 6th Flr Brooklyn, NY 11201 Telephone: 718-246-7885

Requirements:Are you 18 years of age or older? Are you a veteran? Do you have low or no income? Do you have your DD-214?

Services Offered:Career counseling, Job readiness workshops, Job placement assistance, Computer training workshops, Training funds available, CALL TODAY FOR AN APPOINTMENT!

Free Yoga for Vets NYC

Yoga is Free for all Veterans, Family members, VA employees and veterans health care practitioners are welcome to attend!

Thursdays 6:45 - 8:15 PMat Integral Yoga Institute (IYI)
227 West 13th Street Between 7th and 8th Ave

Veterans receive discounts on all other IYI classes, workshops and bookstore items

For more information call 1-212-929-0586 ext 0

Free Karate Lessons for Veterans

Free karate lessons for veterans! The organization is World Seido Karate, and their NYC location is at 61 W. 23rd St. Please Call (212-924-0511) The program’s open to anyone who has served in the military, but they’re more focused on OEF/OIF vets. Here’s the web page about their vets program:

Focus Group 2

Home Again: Veterans and Families Initiative

Are you an OIF/OEF Veteran?

We need you for a Focus Group about readjustment and support for returning Veterans

Wednesday, March 3, 2010

6:00pm-7:30pm

120 W. 57th Street (between 6th and 7th avenues)

Room 4A

You will receive $25 + $4.50 metrocard

+ Snacks

RSVP by Friday, February 26th to andycheng.homeagain@gmail.com

eVetRecs : Request Copies of Military Personnel Records

If you need to request copies of Military Personnel Records or get a copy of your
military dischage (DD Form 214) please go visit:

http://www.archives.gov/veterans/evetrecs/index.html

Focus Group

Are you an OIF/OEF Veteran?

We need you for a Focus Group about readjustment and support for returning Veterans

Date:Wednesday, January 27, 2010

Time:6:00pm-7:30pm

Location:120 W. 57th Street (between 6th and 7th avenues) Room 4A

You will receive $25 + $4.50 metrocard + Snacks

RSVP by Monday, January 25 to andycheng.homeagain@gmail.com

Or (646) 957-0853