ArmyBlood

Tom is quoted in the Lubbock paper:

Despite the confusion, Tarantino said, the VAs staffing bulwark seems to be working – at least for the Post-9/11 GI Bill.With more than 90 percent of this springs roughly 180,000 new claims complete as of March 1, according to the VAs Web site, the spring semester saw only a fraction of the falls hiccups.”Theyve put a Band-Aid on it and theyve stopped the bleeding,” Tarantino said. “But there are still structural problems with the benefit, and theyre going to continue to have to use brute force until they get the processing system online.”

via Returning vets face new battle | AVALANCHE-JOURNAL.

Now here is one first sergeant involved, with integrity:  Retired soldier creates military association for atheists in Cove.

With duty stations spanning from South Korea to Iraq, Johnson said she’s always served her country – just leave God out of it.

Thirteen years ago, Johnson, 43, founded the Military Association of Atheists and Freethinkers. What began as three people conversing online has since grown to 1,500 members nationwide.

Johnson, a Copperas Cove resident, went on to create a Fort Hood chapter in 2007 that provides local military atheists with an open forum to socialize, vent and learn from one another.

“If there’s one thing church groups get right is fellowship,” Johnson said. “Everyone wants to be around people who are like them.”

Look for more from Politico since our Vets are the best thing going on on the hill this week:

Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America, the largest organization for veterans of the wars, will host a series of events as a part of their Storm the Hill campaign this week, culminating in Thursday’s release of their legislative agenda for 2010.

via Veterans’ advocates hit the Hill – Marin Cogan – POLITICO.com.

Via Donna and Macon.com – one ballsy leader.  Can’t be easy for this crusty old CSM to tell his story, but he is because he wants to do right by his troops. This is a hard problem – maybe one of the “wicked” problems – faced by today’s military leaders. But the good ones do face it and more need to take it straight on.  We must all work together to change the culture that prevents even one possible intervention from happening because of shame, misunderstanding, or lack of resources.  Good on CSM Rhodes:

They’re the faces of men who, haunted by problems at home or memories of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan — the dead children, the fallen comrades and the lingering smell of burnt flesh — pressed guns to their heads and pulled the triggers or tied ropes with military precision and hanged themselves.

…

“How many times have I written that letter in my head? I still think about suicide, but when I start thinking about it I have to think, ‘What’s the impact on everyone I care about?’’’

via Tough old Georgia soldier battles new enemy: Suicide epidemic – Local & State – Macon.com.

Good on ‘em for reporting on this sorry situation.  IAVA is quoted.

And the Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America organization says it’s concerned about another trend: Recent veterans are ending up on the streets faster than veterans of other conflicts. Most Vietnam veterans didn't wind up homeless for five to 10 years after that war, yet some Iraq and Afghanistan veterans are becoming homeless within 18 months of coming home, according to the VA.

Advocates hope an array of services and programs will help Iraq and Afghanistan veterans avoid the fate that befell tens of thousands of Vietnam veterans, who had few resources to help them avoid homelessness.

via More troops returning from urban warfare to battle homelessness.

This is happy:

IAVA – IAVA Awarded Critical Grant in Final Round of Chase Community Giving Challenge | Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America.

“Today, IAVA was selected as one of 6 organizations to be awarded a $100,000 grant from JP Morgan Chase as a part of the Chase Community Giving Challenge on Facebook.  David Robinson, Navy veteran, NBA Hall of Famer and Chase Community Giving Advisory Board Member, personally called IAVA to share the exciting news. IAVA thanks the Chase Advisory Board for this critically important grant, which will help 1 million new veterans pursue college on the Post-9/11 GI Bill.

IAVA was one of 100 nonprofits out of 500,000 nationwide nominated as a finalist in the Chase Community Giving Challenge and selected to receive a $25,000 grant from J.P. Morgan Chase. During the final campaign from January 15th to January 22nd, IAVA gathered 13,000 votes from supporters to finish #22 of out of the top 100 charities. Today, the Advisory Board announced it will donate an additional $100,000 to the nominated charities of its choice, including IAVA.

IAVA thanks the Chase Community Giving Advisory Board for this critical investment in new veterans. With this grant and their support, IAVA is working to build the next greatest generation.”

Talk about trying.  Interesting, even if it makes the young guys laugh – the Army tries Greek theater with Theater of War Productions, LLC.  According to the Army’s “Stand To”:

What is it?

“Theater of War” is a DoD project designed to remove stigma related
to psychological injuries by illustrating that many of the bravest
war heroes in history have lived with the psychological effects of
battle. Performances include a dramatic reading of selected scenes
from the plays “Ajax” and “Philoctetes” by Greek General and
playwright Sophocles, performed by a rotating cast of acclaimed film
and stage actors. The reading is followed by a town-hall discussion
with the audience and a panel of members from the local military
community.

Here’s a good oppotunity for Vets that like to hunt and that may find themselves challenged to do so:  LinkedIn: SlideShare Presentations.

The excellent Dr. Kotrla and her research are extensively quoted in this article from Sunday’s Statesman.

Kathryn Kotrla , a psychiatrist and the associate dean at the Texas A&M Health Science Center College of Medicine's Round Rock campus, said there is a scientific reason that many soldiers seek out extreme pastimes.

Because of repeated deployments, the conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan have subjected soldiers to more prolonged danger than any previous war fought by Americans, Kotrla said.

And soldiers' brains actually change when they are under such a constant threat, said Kotrla, who has a master's degree in developmental neurobiology from Stanford University and completed a fellowship in brain imaging at the National Institutes of Health.

Nerves communicate via synapses, and intense experiences can alter synapses' connections. “They remodel,” Kotrla said.

via Soldiers back from war seek out new risks It is a great and unflinching article that describes a phenomenon long observed (where do you think American motorcycle gangs come from?) but not always well studied.  Dr. Kotrla’s work with both troops and kids may be the foundation for better physical diagnosis of PTSD one day.  Meanwhile, she is involved with several projects that directly benefit our troops, Vets, and their families, including www.TexVet.com.

IAVA gave me a creative outlet for lots of issues when I returned from Iraq.  Family responsibilities help keep me focused, as does the result of my day job – blood for the still deployed.  Not everyone is so lucky.

As Mike Stevens says in the article: “Everyone dies, Life isn’t worth living unless you do something with it, unless you go out and do something with your life.”

Said it for years:

Two new studies seem to provide more evidence that post-traumatic stress disorder is a chemical change in the brain caused by trauma — and that it might be possible to diagnose, treat and predict susceptibility to it based on brain scans or blood tests.

via 2 studies: PTSD is chemical change in brain – Air Force News, news from Iraq – Air Force Times.