NBC DFW | Injured Heroes, Broken Promises: Army Launches Investigation Inside Fort Hood’s Warrior Transition Unit (2015)

On February 21, 2015March 7, 2018 By AdministratorIn Armed Forces, Army, Military Policy, PTSD, TBI, Mental Illness, SuicideLeave a comment

Allegations of mistreatment persist inside units designed to heal wounded soldiers

“NBC 5 Investigates has learned that the U.S. Army has launched a new investigation inside Fort Hood’s Warrior Transition Unit (WTU), looking at claims of harassment and abuse.

The investigation comes after NBC 5 Investigates partnered with The Dallas Morning News for a six-month investigation that revealed hundreds of complaints from injured soldiers who said commanders harassed, belittled them and ordered them to do things that made their conditions worse at three Warrior Transition Units in Texas: Fort Hood, Fort Bliss and Fort Sam Houston.”

The Clay Hunt Act: What President Barack Obama Just Signed (February 12, 2015)

On February 12, 2015September 8, 2019 By AdministratorIn Armed Forces, Army, In Their Name, National Guard, Navy, Non Combat Death, PTSD, TBI, Mental Illness, Stateside Death, Suicide, USAF, USCG, USMC, VeteransLeave a comment

On February 12, 2015, President Obama signed the Clay Hunt Suicide Prevention for American Veterans Act into law at the White House. -The Obama White House (February 12, 2015)

Summary: Learn more about the Clay Hunt Suicide Prevention for American Veterans (SAV) Act and the Administration’s commitment to help veterans.

The new suicide prevention law is named in honor of Clay Hunt, an extraordinary young Texan and decorated Marine who served with distinction in Iraq and Afghanistan. Like too many of our veterans, Clay struggled with depression and post-traumatic stress after he came home. Sadly, Clay’s life ended much too soon when he tragically committed suicide in 2011 at the age of only 28.

This new law builds on a long history of executive actions the President has issued to improve access to mental health services for members of the Armed Forces, veterans, and their families. The Clay Hunt Act will:

Require annual third-party evaluations of VA’s mental health care and suicide prevention programs
Create a centralized website with resources and information for veterans about the range of mental health services available from the VA
Require collaboration on suicide prevention efforts between VA and non-profit mental health organizations

President Obama passes law to prevent suicide among military members. -CNN (March 31,2016)

Read more from the The Obama White House here.

Air Force Reserve Capt. Jamie Brunette Died by Suicide After What Parents Allege May Have Been an Unreported Sex Assault in Afghanistan (February 9, 2015)

On February 9, 2015September 9, 2019 By AdministratorIn Armed Forces, Felony Crime, In Their Name, Military Policy, PTSD, TBI, Mental Illness, Sexual Assault, Suicide, USAFLeave a comment

jamie-brunette4 — Captain Jamie Brunette, US Air Force

Captain Jamie Brunette, 30, US Air Force, was found dead with a self-inflicted gunshot wound in her car on February 9, 2015 in Tampa, Florida. Tampa police found her in the parking lot of a Harbour Island cafe near her apartment slumped over in the back seat of a locked vehicle. She purchased the hand gun six months earlier. According to friends and family, Jamie didn’t speak much about her time in Afghanistan but her parents believe she may have suffered with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder after a sexual assault while deployed to Afghanistan. The issue sheds light on whether or not military members feel comfortable reporting crimes and asking for help for the aftermath. According to one MacDill Air Force Base official, they actively encourage airman to reach out for help and assured they would not lose their careers. They also reminded airman that reaching out for help early will help prevent the Post Traumatic Stress from getting worse and in the end help save their military career.

Related Links:
Lieutenant US Air Force Jamie Brunette and Sergeant US Army Thomas Penkal
Tampa reservist’s suicide brings home tragedy
Suicide of Florida soldier recently returned from Afghanistan leads to questions of whether she was sexually assaulted overseas
Family of Afghanistan Veteran: She Committed Suicide Due To Unreported Sexual Assault
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Sexually assaulted former Air Force captain Jamie Brunette driven to suicide, family say
Captain Jamie Brunette Suicide: Mystery Surrounds Soldier Found Dead in Car – What Happened?
#22toZero: Captain Jamie Brunette and “The Moment”
Air Force veteran’s suicide sheds light on female soldiers and PTSD

Disappeared: Disabled Army Veteran Joseph Weber IV Missing from San Francisco, California Since November 24, 2014

On November 24, 2014June 8, 2017 By AdministratorIn Armed Forces, Army, Cold Cases, In Their Name, Military Policy, PTSD, TBI, Mental IllnessLeave a comment

Screen Shot 2017-06-08 at 7.21.33 PM — Joseph Weber IV, US Army Veteran (photo credit: Missing Veterans)

Disabled Army veteran Joseph Weber IV, 28, disappeared near the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco, California on November 24, 2014. Joseph is an Iraq war veteran who struggled with both Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) and Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI). If you have any information, please contact the Sunnyvale Police Department at (408) 730-7100.

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Find Joseph Weber
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Missing Veterans: Joseph Weber
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Joseph Weber missing Army veteran from California
Iraq War veteran disappeared near Golden Gate Bridge
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Joesph Weber an Iraqi combat veteran walks on to the Golden Gate bridge and disappears. -Missing and Tattooed

Army Veteran Tomas Young Dies at 34; Shot & Paralyzed on Black Sunday in 2004 on Peace Keeping Mission with Fort Hood in Sadr City, Iraq (2014)

On November 10, 2014December 28, 2017 By AdministratorIn Armed Forces, Army, In Their Name, Military Policy, PTSD, TBI, Mental Illness, Scandals, SuicideLeave a comment

DQNNXeoXUAAiSvF — US Army Veteran Tomas Young (photo by Danny Clinch)

“I write this letter on behalf of those veterans whose trauma and self-revulsion for what they have witnessed, endured and done in Iraq have led to suicide and on behalf of the active-duty soldiers and Marines who commit, on average, a suicide a day. I write this letter on behalf of the some 1 million Iraqi dead and on behalf of the countless Iraqi wounded. I write this letter on behalf of us all — the human detritus your war has left behind, those who will spend their lives in unending pain and grief.” -Tomas Young, Disabled Army Veteran

Read the rest of The Last Letter to Bush and Cheney here.

Tomas Young, who joined the Army in the days after 9/11, was deployed to Iraq where he was shot and paralyzed just five days into his tour of duty. He spent ten years battling his injuries and speaking out against war and injustice before his death on the eve of Veterans’ Day, 2014. “Tomas told me that one of the reasons he joined the Army was to obtain GI Bill funding so he could go to college,” said [Mark] Wilkerson (author of Tomas Young’s War). “He wanted to study creative writing or journalism. After his passing, we felt a scholarship would be a perfect way to honor his legacy.” –Pearl Jam

Body of War, a film by Ellen Spiro and Phil Donahue. It is an intimate and transformational feature documentary about the true face of war today. -The Real News

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The Long Road Home – Trailer | National Geographic
First Look: The Long Road Home | The Long Road Home
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‘The Long Road Home’: Noel Fisher on Portraying Tomas Young
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Phil Donahue and Ellen Spiro Produce ‘Body of War’ Documentary Featuring Anti-War Activist & Disabled Army Veteran Tomas Young (2007)
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What is Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)?

On March 1, 2014March 4, 2018 By AdministratorIn Armed Forces, Army, Military Policy, Navy, PTSD, TBI, Mental Illness, USAF, USCG, USMCLeave a comment

What is Post-traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)?

When in danger, it’s natural to feel afraid. This fear triggers many split-second changes in the body to prepare to defend against the danger or to avoid it. This “fight-or-flight” response is a healthy reaction meant to protect a person from harm. But in post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), this reaction is changed or damaged. People who have PTSD may feel stressed or frightened even when they’re no longer in danger.

PTSD develops after a terrifying ordeal that involved physical harm or the threat of physical harm. The person who develops PTSD may have been the one who was harmed, the harm may have happened to a loved one, or the person may have witnessed a harmful event that happened to loved ones or strangers.

PTSD was first brought to public attention in relation to war veterans, but it can result from a variety of traumatic incidents, such as mugging, rape, torture, being kidnapped or held captive, child abuse, car accidents, train wrecks, plane crashes, bombings, or natural disasters such as floods or earthquakes.

FMI from the National Institute of Mental Health, please click here.

Missouri: Local victim of military sexual assault speaks out (2013)

On November 27, 2013July 4, 2017 By AdministratorIn Armed Forces, Army, Felony Crime, In Their Name, Military Policy, PTSD, TBI, Mental Illness, Sexual AssaultLeave a comment

Reports of sexual assault in the military went up 46 percent in 2013, but the problem is not new to the women who answer the call of duty. -41 Action News

“It seemed like sexual trauma in the military back then was unheard of. I was not trying to be the test baby. I wasn’t trying to be the Rosa Parks of that generation.” -Ja-Renna Floyd, US Army Veteran

Related Links:
Local military sexual assault victim speaks out

Marine Corps Veteran Justin Eldridge Died by Suicide in Connecticut Home; Battled PTSD & TBI After Deployment to Afghanistan (October 29, 2013)

On October 29, 2013October 30, 2019 By AdministratorIn Armed Forces, In Their Name, Military Policy, PTSD, TBI, Mental Illness, Suicide, USMC, VeteransLeave a comment

Marine Corps veteran Justin Eldridge was found dead of an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound in his Waterford, Connecticut home on October 29, 2013. Justin served in the Marine Corps for 8 1/2 years. After a deployment to Afghanistan he battled with both Post Traumatic Stress Disorder and Traumatic Brain Injury. As a result he was medically retired from the Marine Corps in 2008. Justin was married with four children at the time of his death. Justin’s wife Joanna has continued the fight for our soldiers and veterans. Senator Richard Blumenthal (D-CT) honored Justin Eldridge on the Senate Floor and co-sponsored a veteran suicide prevention bill in his name. Joanna attended the 2015 State of the Union and a bipartisan suicide prevention bill was signed into law in March 2015.

His final message, posted on his Facebook Page at about 9 p.m., “theres only so much bashing someone can take before they react………” –Waterford Patch (October 29, 2013)

Senator Richard Blumenthal Honors US Marine Justin Eldridge:

In a Senator Floor speech today, Connecticut Senator Richard Blumenthal honors the heroism of United States Marine Justin Eldridge of Waterford, tragic victim of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder who took his own life two days ago. (October 30, 2013)

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Army Veteran Lilli Anna Moore of Rochelle, Illinois Died Suddenly (August 3, 2013)

On August 3, 2013August 1, 2019 By AdministratorIn Armed Forces, Army, In Their Name, Military Policy, PTSD, TBI, Mental Illness, VeteransLeave a comment

Lilli Moore — Lilli Anna Moore, U.S. Army Veteran

Army veteran Lilli Anna Moore, 25, of Rochelle, Illinois died suddenly on August 3, 2013. According to her Facebook page, she was a graduate of Rochelle Township High School and a former 88M Motor Transport Operator for the U.S. Army. She studied chemistry at Elmhurst College and studied to be an Emergency Medical Technician at Kishwaukee Community College in Malta, Illinois.

NBC Bay Area: California Guard Tries to Serve Firing Papers to Member After Suicide Attempt (June 25, 2013)

On June 25, 2013May 28, 2019 By AdministratorIn Armed Forces, Felony Crime, In Their Name, Military Policy, PTSD, TBI, Mental Illness, Sexual Assault, Suicide, USAFLeave a comment

The California National Guard tried to serve termination papers to one of its members in the hospital just hours after a suicide attempt last month, the Investigative Unit has learned.

Those close to Jessica Brown, a master sergeant with Moffett Field’s 129th Rescue Wing, say they believe the move is retaliation for exposing what has been described as a toxic culture inside the Guard. Last November in front of NBC Bay Area cameras, Brown criticized her leaders for failing to properly handle a sexual assault she says happened to her while on duty in Las Vegas.

“To me, it felt like it would be better if I was dead,” Brown said in the November interview. “I didn’t want to do it, but I couldn’t handle it anymore. I wasn’t sleeping again, and when I did sleep the nightmares were so bad.” -NBC Bay Area

See NBC Bay Area video here.

Related Links:
NBC Bay Area: California National Guard Culture Questioned (November 14, 2012)
NBC Bay Area | Military Women: We Got Fired for Being Raped (August 21, 2014)
NBC Bay Area: California National Guard Military Sexual Assault Bill Becomes Law (August 21, 2014)

MILITARY JUSTICE FOR ALL

Tag: Post Traumatic Stress Disorder

NBC DFW | Injured Heroes, Broken Promises: Army Launches Investigation Inside Fort Hood’s Warrior Transition Unit (2015)

The Clay Hunt Act: What President Barack Obama Just Signed (February 12, 2015)

Air Force Reserve Capt. Jamie Brunette Died by Suicide After What Parents Allege May Have Been an Unreported Sex Assault in Afghanistan (February 9, 2015)

Disappeared: Disabled Army Veteran Joseph Weber IV Missing from San Francisco, California Since November 24, 2014

Army Veteran Tomas Young Dies at 34; Shot & Paralyzed on Black Sunday in 2004 on Peace Keeping Mission with Fort Hood in Sadr City, Iraq (2014)

What is Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)?

Missouri: Local victim of military sexual assault speaks out (2013)

Marine Corps Veteran Justin Eldridge Died by Suicide in Connecticut Home; Battled PTSD & TBI After Deployment to Afghanistan (October 29, 2013)

Army Veteran Lilli Anna Moore of Rochelle, Illinois Died Suddenly (August 3, 2013)

NBC Bay Area: California Guard Tries to Serve Firing Papers to Member After Suicide Attempt (June 25, 2013)

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