Coming Together to Fight for a Troubled Veteran

Staff Sgt. Brad Eifert circled through the woods behind his house here, holding a .45-caliber pistol. The police were out there somewhere and, one way or the other, he was ready to die.

He raised the gun to his head and then lowered it. Then he fired nine rounds.

“They’re going to take me down, they’re going to finish me off, so,” he remembers thinking, “finish me off.”

Leaving his weapon, he ran into the driveway, shouting, “Shoot me! Shoot me! Shoot me!” The police officers subdued him with a Taser and arrested him. A few hours later, he sat in a cell at the Ingham County Jail, charged with five counts of assault with intent to murder the officers, each carrying a potential life sentence.

By ERICA GOODE

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/07/18/us/18vets.html?pagewanted=all

New Defense Department Leaders Get Psychological Health, Traumatic Brain Injury Training

Psychological health and traumatic brain injury (TBI) were hot topics at the Defense Department APEX senior executive service orientation last month. Defense Centers of Excellence for Psychological Health and Traumatic Brain Injury (DCoE) subject matter expert, Dr. Miguel Roberts, presented an executive overview to new military leaders addressing Department of Defense initiatives to reduce the impact of psychological health conditions and TBI for service members. The September workshop integrated psychological health and TBI training content for the first time.

“It is vital that leaders are aware that psychological health and TBI issues are real and negatively impact readiness when left untreated,” said Roberts, DCoE chief of clinical guidelines for psychological health. “Leaders who are well educated on these topics are better prepared to foster a culture that encourages early assessment and detection, which may ultimately reduce the impact of psychological health and traumatic brain injury, for our military members.”

The executive overviewhighlighted projects likeRESPECT-Mil, which provides training to primary care managers; DCoE sponsored Real Warriors Campaign, which encourages service members to seek help; and afterdeployment.org, which provides service members, veterans and families anonymous assessments and treatment information for psychological health- and TBI-related issues.

Also included in the overview were other programs such as Army Comprehensive Soldier Fitness Program; Marine Corps Combat Operational Stress Control; Navy Operational Stress Control; Air Force Landing Gear; and Yellow Ribbon Reintegration Program – all focused on making service members more resistant to the stressors of military life

By Corina Notyce

http://www.homelessvetprovidertac.net/2011/new-defense-department-leaders-get-psychological-health-traumatic-brain-injury-training/

Iraq War veterans need US support

By now almost everyone has heard that more 40,000 of our men and women in uniform will be home from Iraq by Christmas.

Many are celebrating, but a New Mexico group that helps veterans get re-adjusted to life after war is worried the nation isn't ready.

Jim Stanek remembers the uncertainty, confusion – even the fear he felt trying to adjust to life back home after three tours in the Middle East.

But that was years ago - before the Great Recession and political turmoil changed the nation.

"It's hard enough for your average citizen to find a job, now you have combat vets coming back with physical injuries, PTSD...how are they supposed to find that job," said Paws and Stripes founder, Jim Stanek.

By: Eddie Garcia

http://www.kob.com/article/stories/S2339875.shtml?cat=516

More women falling into ranks of homeless veterans

Reporting from Fayetteville, N.C— 

As a soldier, Ruth Donaldson was an accomplished ammunition specialist. As a civilian, she became a stressed-out single mother struggling to find a job and raise her child.

After a five-year stint in the Army, Donaldson lost her job at a gas station. She couldn't pay her rent. She and her 6-year-old son ended up living in a Pontiac Grand Am, hungry, homeless and exhausted.

Women make up a growing number of homeless veterans, a group usually associated with combat-hardened men unable to cope with civilian life. Homelessness among female veterans of the Iraq and Afghanistan wars has increased every year for the last six years — from 150 in 2006 to 1,700 this year — according to the Department of Veterans Affairs.

"It just seemed like it was one thing after the other, and I got so far down it was hard to come out of it," said Donaldson, who moved last month into a shelter for female veterans in Fayetteville.


By David Zucchino, Los Angeles Times




http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/world/middleeast/la-na-women-vets-20111024,0,7776963.story

Vet meets with Barack Obama over pizza

As an Army bomb disposal specialist, Foxboro native Brian Sullivan swept sites ahead of presidential visits by former Presidents Bill Clinton and George W. Bush.
But he never got to shake his commander in chief’s hand — or share a pizza with the boss — before yesterday.
“It’s an amazing experience to be able to meet the president of the United States,” said still-giddy Sullivan. “Not everybody gets to do it.
Lunch with President Obama and the first lady was not on Sullivan’s agenda yesterday morning, when he arrived at a hotel in Hampton, Va., at the behest of Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America.
The 41-year-old married father of five, who now lives in Virginia, was one of four veterans who sat down with the Obamas at a Virginia pizza joint after the duo spoke about jobs for military vets at Joint Base Langley-Eustis.
“I would see the president when I was in the Army, but I wouldn’t shake his hand, and today I actually got to shake his hand,” said Sullivan, who did two tours in Afghanistan and was discharged in 2006 after injuring his knee.
Sullivan, who works as a manager for defense contractor BAE Systems, said he got a call Friday night from the nonprofit Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America, asking him to take part in a round table discussion with senior White House staffers.



http://bostonherald.com/news/columnists/view/2011_1020vet_meets_with_prez_over_pizza

Dog Training Therapy Act to benefit dogs and war veterans

Washington, DC - The House of Representatives unanimously passed a full package of veterans' health care legislation Wednesday specifically including the Veterans Dog Training Therapy Act (H.R. 1988) which promises a pilot program for the training of dogs from rescues and foster homes as a form of therapy for post-traumatic stress disorder for veterans.

Introduced by Representative Michael Grimm, (R-NY) a Marine veteran of Operation Desert Storm, the dogs will aid in the treatment and rehabilitation of veterans with post-deployment issues and other related mental conditions.

The program is designed to help dogs and soldiers. Dogs who have been abandoned or turned into animal shelters will be specially trained to assist veterans - thus saving thousands of canines from euthanization and saving tax payers from the expense of purchasing expensive dogs.

Animal rescuers applaud Representative Grimm for his carefully thought out plan to help both United States veterans and for so many dogs who would otherwise be condemned to death in animal shelters across the nation.

Cheryl Hanna

, Pet Rescue Examiner


http://www.examiner.com/pet-rescue-in-national/dog-training-therapy-act-to-benefit-dogs-and-war-veterans

MILITARY: Pendleton leads way in easing hell of war

The Marine Corps is trying to ease some of the hell of war, ordering that initiatives with roots at Camp Pendleton be put in place across the force to stem troop suicides and reduce combat stress disorder.

One initiative requires that all units returning from the battlefield stay together for 90 days so troops can decompress.

The other mandates "operational stress control and readiness" or OSCAR ---- teams of at least 20 people in every battalion and similarly sized units ---- to help identify Marines and sailors having difficulties that can lead to mental health problems or suicidal behavior.

The initiatives are crucial to maintain overall troop health and reach out to those in trouble, said Maj. Joseph Plenzler, spokesman for the commandant of the Marine Corps, Gen. James Amos.

"One of the commandant's four priorities is keeping faith with our Marines, sailors, and their families, and the OSCAR program is one of the important ways that the Corps carries out the intent," Plenzler said. "General Amos directed the establishment of OSCAR teams in order to prevent, mitigate and manage stress."

Navy Cmdr. Charles Benson, the chief psychiatrist for Camp Pendleton's 1st Marine Division, called the change in Marine Corps attitudes about stress issues "nothing less than phenomenal."

By MARK WALKER

Read more: http://www.nctimes.com/news/local/military/article_d426a8d4-8976-5ad0-9f9b-99c63b60ddb0.html#ixzz1bGp3hnTl

http://www.nctimes.com/news/local/military/article_d426a8d4-8976-5ad0-9f9b-99c63b60ddb0.html

Cognitive Rehabilitation Therapy for Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI): Does It Work?

Solid evidence is lacking thus far that specific goal-oriented treatments are effective for traumatic brain injury, or TBI, though results are promising, according to a government report.


Each year, it is estimated that 1.7 million people in the United States sustain a TBI. From 2000 to 2010, the number of military service members diagnosed with TBI nearly tripled from just under 11,000 to more than 30,700.


Traumatic brain injury results from a bump or blow to the head, or from external forces that cause the brain to move within the head, such as whiplash or exposure to blasts. It can cause cognitive, physical, and/or psychosocial problems.


One form of treatment for TBI is cognitive rehabilitation therapy (CRT), a goal-oriented approach to help patients increase their ability to process and interpret information. CRT involves a variety of treatments provided by health professionals in a wide range of fields. It also often involves the active participation of family or caregivers.

By PSYCH CENTRAL NEWS EDITOR 


http://psychcentral.com/news/2011/10/13/cognitive-rehabilitation-therapy-for-traumatic-brain-injury-tbi-does-it-work/30325.html

House passes Staten Island Rep. Michael Grimm's bill that matches vets with dogs

STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- Rep. Michael Grimm's Veterans Dog Therapy Training Act passed the House yesterday, a "win-win" for vets suffering from PTSD and others who are disabled.

Under the legislation, veterans will be able to address their post-traumatic stress disorder through therapeutic dog training and handling. The trained service dogs will then be given to physically disabled veterans to help them meet their daily challenges.

"This type of program, that allows veterans to help veterans, could have a tremendous impact in New York," said Grimm (R-Staten Island/Brooklyn). "Ideally, I'd like to see [it] established at the Brooklyn VA Hospital, which provides care for many of the veterans in my district."

Specifically, the legislation establishes a pilot program in VA medical centers for educating veterans with mental health conditions in the art and science of training and handling therapy dogs. It also calls for an assessment of the benefits to the veterans, as well as encouraging the use of shelter dogs.

By Judy L. Randall 

http://www.silive.com/news/index.ssf/2011/10/house_passes_grimms_bill_that.html

Clear strategies for treating traumatic brain injury are elusive, panel finds

There might be really good ways to restore brain-damaged people — especially the young wounded of the Iraq and Afghanistan wars — to a healthy, if not entirely normal, state. But it’s difficult to say with certainty what those techniques are.

That’s the conclusion of a scientific review of “cognitive rehabilitation therapy” performed by the Institute of Medicine at the request of the Defense Department.

This less-than-satisfying message from a250-page report prepared by 14 experts is a testament to how difficult it is to study treatments for problems such as clouded thinking, inarticulate speech, poor planning, bad moods, unemployability and family conflict. It’s not as simple as determining whether a drug for hypertension reduces blood pressure.

“It doesn’t mean beneficial therapies don’t exist. It just means that at this point in time it’s hard to ascertain them,” said Ira Shoulson, a neurologist at Georgetown University who headed the Institute of Medicine panel.

By David Brown

http://www.washingtonpost.com/national/health-science/clear-strategies-for-treating-traumatic-brain-injury-are-elusive-panel-finds/2011/10/10/gIQAkRBZcL_story.html

The U.S. Must Help Veterans Cope with Combat Trauma

Twenty percent of all Iraq and Afghanistan veterans carry either post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) or major depression from their service, according to a recent study. This is roughly 400,000 of the 2,000,000 soldiers who have served in the wars. No one knows the extent or impact of Traumatic Brain Injury caused by exposure to multiple explosions. These staggering numbers represent the lasting impact that the atrocities of war can leave on the men and women of our armed forces.

For these soldiers, returning home from the battlefront is relief from combat and the beginning of the fight against psychiatric and neurological disorders.

People with PTSD experience a wide range of symptoms that can be generalized into three main categories: re-experiencing the trauma, avoidance and numbing, and increased anxiety or arousal. Both PTSD and depression make it difficult to assimilate back into society.

But there is some good news for the veterans: these conditions are treatable. Therapy and medications are available for the illnesses, and they have been shown to be effective in both cases. The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) also has systems and hospitals in place to take care of individuals suffering from the illnesses.

By Jeremy Benedik


http://www.emorywheel.com/detail.php?n=30184

Keeping Relationships Healthy

WASHINGTON -- If you could have the ideal loving relationship, what would that look like? For some couples, it would involve a lot of time together and shared interests, and for others, it may include more space and time spent separately.

There are many ways to be a loving partner, and the key is discovering what your partner needs from you, rather than what they aren’t giving to you.

Often, loving your partner means putting yourself in their place and imagining what would bring them happiness.

Military couples face incredibly challenging stressors together. Those couples who remain resilient often find themselves with stronger relationships when the dust settles. However, many of the unique stressors imposed on military couples may chip away at the fabric of safety and peace within the relationship. What can you and your partner do to help protect your relationship from the stress of military life?

Here are some ideas to enrich your relationship so it serves as a vessel of comfort for both of you:

** Ask your partner what he (or she) needs. Also, you should be able to identify what you need and how your needs can be met. If you both develop empathy for each other’s needs, then you both will be satisfied with what you can create together in your relationship.

** Eliminate all sarcasm, name calling, belittling or other types of verbal and emotional abuse, and make a pact not to tolerate displays of temper such as slamming objects or doors. These behaviors cause significant damage to the trust and safety between you and may lead to physical abuse. If you’re able to say at least five positive comments to every negative comment, your relationship will feel much more loving and supportive.

Kate McGraw
http://www.military.com/news/article/keeping-relationships-healthy.html

New 'whole-body' scanners aim to better treat TBI, PTSD

Researchers have a new way to diagnose and treat traumatic brain injuries and post-traumatic stress disorder.


The National Institutes of Health Clinical Center has begun started using a first-of-its-kind, whole-body scanner on patients, known as a "Biograph mMR."

The new scanner gives scientists a more complete view of abnormal metabolic activity — and in a shorter time frame than separate MRI and PET scans, by essentially blending those two imaging methods.

Dr. Walter Koroshetz, the deputy director at the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, joined the Federal Drive with Tom Temin and Amy Morris to discuss the new technology.


http://www.federalnewsradio.com/?nid=459&sid=2575925

TBI Is Not Just Concussion

As it struggles to cope with the emerging battlefield reality of Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI), the Department of Defense has developed a mantra: “Improve detection, treatment, and prevention.” Despite this chant, the military chronically underestimates the number of troops who have TBI. The misrepresentation stems from current policy and warfighting culture, in addition to imperfect detection measures. Understating brain injury’s significance only exacerbates the epidemic.

The Defense and Veterans Brain Injury center estimates that in the year 2010 alone, about 31,200 service members sustained TBIs. And those high rates were not isolated: from 2007 to 2009, an average of 27,000 new such injuries occurred each year.¹ These staggering numbers actually underrate TBI prevalence. Yet another form of underestimation stems from the cultural environment surrounding TBI diagnoses. About 80 percent of all military TBIs are classified as only “concussions,” despite having been caused by explosive blast exposure.² This underrating of both the prevalence and the severity of TBI is a significant problem for those affected

By J. Patricia Blanco Kiely


http://www.usni.org/magazines/proceedings/2011-09/tbi-not-just-concussion

Symptoms of PTSD make transition to civilian life difficult for soldiers

Sergeant Johnathan Bratcher's deployment from a marine base in Japan to a secluded valley in Afghanistan brought round-the-clock stress. When he returned to the United States, his attitude was noticeably altered.

Bratcher served in Afghanistan from August 2007 to April 2008. He came back home from Japan in 2010.

"My mother said that I was quiet when I got home," said Bratcher, a senior finance major. "I was also jumpy."

When men and women in the military return home from combat, some find settling back into their old lives – socially and psychologically – difficult, a potential indicator of post-traumatic stress disorder.

By Timberly Moore

http://www.dailyhelmsman.com/news/symptoms-of-ptsd-make-transition-to-civilian-life-difficult-for-soldiers-1.2619873#.TozAhckT9gE

Hell and Back Again Documentary - Must See!!

From his embed with US Marines Echo Company in Afghanistan, photojournalist and filmmaker Danfung Dennis reveals the devastating impact a Taliban machine-gun bullet has on the life of 25-year-old Sergeant Nathan Harris. The film seamlessly transitions from stunning war reportage to an intimate, visceral portrait of one man’s personal struggle at home in North Carolina, where Harris confronts the physical and emotional difficulties of re-adjusting to civilian life with the love and support of his wife, Ashley. Masterfully contrasting the intensity of the frontline with the unsettling normalcy of home, HELL AND BACK AGAIN lays bare the true cost of war.

Winner of World Cinema Jury Prize: Documentary at the Sundance Film Festival '11

A Film by Danfung Dennis

Hell and Back Again

Opens at the Film Forum in NYC on Oct 5th

With screenings daily through Oct 18th

Director Danfung Dennis in person after evening shows 10/5 – 10/8! Click here for details!

What does it mean to lead men in war? What does it mean to come home - injured physically and psychologically - and build a life anew? HELL AND BACK AGAIN is a cinematically revolutionary film that asks and answers these questions with a power and intimacy no previous film about the conflict in Afghanistan has been able to achieve.

  

" . . . a vivid and moving testament to what's really going on in Afghanistan, and in the hearts and minds of the soldiers fighting there." 

- Entertainment Weekly, Owen Gleiberman

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Twitter: @Hellnbackagain

Ticket Sales: http://www.filmforum.org/films/hellandback.html

Discount info: Groups of 12 or more tickets can be purchased at $7 each for any screening Mon-Thu. Please contact Sara Kiener for details: sara@filmpresence.com