War vets dying from suicide in growing numbers

Soldiers and Sailors Monument in Beaver - wikimedia

Carol Forsloff - "The VA and DoD can’t do it alone. We need to rely on community providers,” declared Jon Towers, senior policy advisor on the U.S. Senate Committee on Veterans Affairs as specialists underlined the need to revamp the mental health system for returning troops.  But has happened to change things since these statements were made more than four years ago?


The National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) conference held a conference in 2010 focused on American troops returning from Iraq and Afghanistan and other veterans whom they say cannot depend solely on the Departments of Defense (DoD) and Veterans Affairs (VA) for mental health car, even though the civilian mental health care system is in crisis.

U.S. Representative Patrick Kennedy warned, “Every day in America, our military veterans are being held behind enemy lines” because of the nation’s “Byzantine mental health system.”

Suicide among the soldiers is a major problem, convention participants underlined.   Pamela Hyde, administrator of the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services (HHS) Substance Abuse & Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), said as many soldiers in the Army are dying from suicide as died in Iraq.

“The mental health of service members depends on the mental health of family members,” Towers said.

But since 2010 has the increase in these numbers continued?

A Senate Panel has backed a bill on methods to reduce the suicide rate among veterans.  The problem has remained since four years ago, and in fact, the problem may have actually grown, according to reports nationwide.

The Senate Veterans Affairs Committee just days ago approved a bill that was named after Clay Hunt.  He was a veteran only 26 years of age when he killed himself in 2011.  Suicide is said to claim 22 military veterans daily.

And just two days ago a mother was reported by USA Today to have declared that the Veterans Administrative should assume direct responsibility for her son, Janos (John) Lutz suicide.  In Broward County, Florida the veteran of both Iraq and Afghanistan wars had complained about depression following the breakup with a girlfriend.  He was only 24 years old when he killed himself with  medications, medications his mother claims were beyond his needs and inappropriate for his condition.  There were also expressed concerns about internal communication about Lutz needs within the medical facility. This particular case is being investigated without conclusions on the claim itself at present, however it shows how complicated and stressful it can be for medical personnel and family members when a suicide occurs.

What the Veterans Administration has found is that the younger veterans are more apt to commit suicide than older ones.  The rate of increase of suicides of veterans between the ages of 18-24 has been 33 per 100,000.  The weapon used is primarily firearms, at a rate of 70 percent.

Suicide among veterans remains a consequence of war.  The sorrow of families who lose a loved one is part of the issue, as government leaders are addressing the problem.

The consequences of war continue to be how young men and women are affected.  In a volunteer military those rates, experts hope, will change with a renewed focus on the problem.

GI Bill continues to find favor among veterans seeking education

Law College

Carol Forsloff---Since the GI Bill was first enacted many millions of veterans, both men and women, have benefited from it. It allows individuals to obtain an education and offers cost of living expense money as well as tuition for many people. And since the passage of the Post-9/ll GI Bill in August 2009 1 million veterans have received benefits.

According to government reports $30 billion has been given to veterans and their families for tuition and other education-related expenses. Secretary of Veterans Affairs Eric K. Shinseki tells us, “We're proud this important benefit is making such a big difference in the lives of so many veterans and their families.

Jill Biden, wife of Vice-President Joe Biden, offers her observations as well with this statement, “Over the next few years, as more than a million service men and women end their military careers and return to civilian life, education will be at the forefront of that transition. As a community college teacher, I have seen firsthand the qualities our veterans bring to the classroom—dedication, a sense of teamwork and a commitment to their work. Helping our veterans succeed in the classroom so they can go on to find good jobs to support their families is one important way we can thank them for their service.”

The GI Bill was enacted in 1944 as the Servicemen's Readjustment Act,  and said to have been created in order to compensate for military service that is considered an “inherently selfless act.” After the war, 16 million individuals went on to receive and education, which helped to facilitate the growth of the economy and aid individuals in finding careers after their service. It didn't come easy, however, as some people were disgrunted at the fact folks were going to be paid and not working while they went to school. However , there were enough people interested in rewarding servicemen and women, understanding the time they spent in the service had prevented them from establishing careers, that the GI Bill was established to help folks plan for their futures. The history of the bill and the controversy that developed before it was enacted can be found here.

Education continues to be one of the main reasons cited by those who join the military, and the GI Bill continues to be the tool to help them get training following service, just as it did for their fathers and grandfathers as well.

Be Not Too Hard: Donovan's folk music relevance for today's military

[caption id="attachment_15336" align="alignleft" width="300"] Arlington National Cemetery[/caption]

Carol Forsloff -  Donovan P. Leitch represents one of America's music treasures as both a composer and entertainer, one of those solitary folk whose music passed through the history of a generation, then became forgotten as the new forms of music and their connoisseurs looked at these as simplistic and outdated.  But Donovan's songs, and others written and presented during the 1960's, are as relevant today as when they were written, as they documented not just the problems of an era but its history as well.

Donovan, whose single name reflects the name recognition given those who have cut a wide swath in world culture, with his Irish roots and his view of humanity made his mark writing songs about the concerns of people and their problems, during a time of turbulence and change.  The 1960's saw the advent of the space program in earnest, the integration and voting rights established by folks willing to make sacrifices to help people gain equality.  It reflected a change for women as well, bringing women's rights into focus.  Poverty programs brought a more level playing field to folks who otherwise would not have been able to share in the prosperity of the period.  But the era also brought an unpopular war, the anguish and suffering of veterans who returned from the war with emotional and physical wounds from which many never fully recovered.  Folk artists chronicled these events.

But it was those same folk artists who were thrown under the proverbial bus as the culture moved forward with the Me First Generation to focus on business and the politics that reflected a change from the focus on the poor, the helpless, and the problems of folks who had suffered during the Vietnam War to building Wall Street's power instead.  Joan Baez, a Quaker and a pacifist, was sometimes ridiculed for her involvement in war protests, with folks equating her with a lack of patriotism for those protests, forgetting that her songs and her protests were directed to war itself as opposed to the welfare of the military who fought them.

Donovan became one of the victims of the changes in music, politics and a revolution of culture, where simple folk music, offered by those folks in the coffee houses of yore, became the music of the past.

This year Donovan's music received new attention with his induction into music's rock and roll hall of fame in March of 2012.    Yet Donovan, in spite of the label given him with this award as a rock and roll artist, offered many of America's folksingers an opportunity to tell the stories of their time, through the music he created, like "Be Not Too Hard," a song relevant for today's soldiers marching home from wars in the Middle East to a nation where jobs are difficult to find and folks burdened with worry, debt and a nation torn by political strife.

Where are the folksingers of today?  We hear them on an occasional street corner, but for the most part they do not protest but instead mumble words of love or fear or recite the songs of today in wandering, sometimes meaningless tones.  Yet they are among us, those artists who write of our present times, simply finding that small niche in an off-main street venue where the aging 60's somethings come to listen to the familiar.  And they are there at the social gatherings of the young who are looking for a change today from the dissension, poverty, and world crises that appear daily on the news cycles.  They are also on Fandalism, coming out of the corners of that certain age, and still expressing the sentiments of the past that remain part of today's issues.

There are many people who remember Donovan and his contribution to music, especially his narrative of the ever-present needs of the forgotten, the helpless, the soldier who worries about his life when he returns from war to a nation that offers little thanks for years of sacrifice.  So "Be Not Too Hard" reminds us of those important things in life, about forgiveness and understanding, qualities important at the time Donovan became one of those important chroniclers of American history through his music and still relevant, including, and most especially for, today's military.

Dr. Phil's Facebook page deleting comments from veterans

Dr. Phil has made a name for himself by being a daytime TV talk show host focusing on psychiatric problems and dynamics within families and society. On Thursday he aired a show on Veterans with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder or PTSD.

Dr. Phil's show dealing with PTSD which aired on April 19th was titled "Heroes to Monsters." The title and some of the content of the show has disappointed many Veterans with PTSD. Veterans and caregivers have taken exception to the stigma the title further places on them or their loved ones and decided to take action by protesting on Dr. Phil's Facebook page. The comments have been deleted.

The veterans and caregivers are aghast with the behavior of the TV Psychiatrist who they claim only cares about the ratings he recieved from the title of the show. Some even questioned the content and claimed that Dr. Phil's entire agenda for the Thursday show was to simply sell a product.

Veterans already have difficulty finding or accepting help due to thier PTSD and the stigma placed upon the diagnosis. The label of monster further complicates things in a world of civlians who fear the amped up media image of people who suffer from war related PTSD. Caregivers also have a tough time combating the stigma especially when they are the ones who usually fight the hardest for their veteran's care and benefits.

Did Dr. Phil's show help those who suffer from PTSD? Some comments on his page seem to give the impression that the negative portrayal of veterans has been winning out with people saying the monsters deserve no care from the people of America because of thier violent and evil actions. All in all, perhaps Dr. Phil's show did more harm than good.

I Wear A Poppy

[caption id="attachment_10215" align="alignleft" width="270" caption="Poppy - Wikimedia Commons"][/caption]

Bob Ewing - This week I am setting aside my regular discussion about permaculture, and how it is possible to lessen your impact upon the Earth.

The 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month is when Canadians across the country stop what they are doing, and take a minute to honour, and respect all those who have served and are serving their country.

On November 11th at 11 a.m., we honour those who gave their lives, in defense of democracy, liberty and country, for example, in the first and second world wars, the Korean War, in Afghanistan and we honour those who continue to serve today.

The poppy plays a major role in our remembrance; wearing one pays respect to the men and women who put and continue to put themselves into danger in order to serve their country. They deserve much more than this singular moment but that we gather in community centres, around memorials and other sites, in municipalities across the country is important. We cannot forget the sacrifices they made and continue to make.

I was a peace activist for many years, and still believe peace is possible, but world events make it very difficult to maintain this perspective.

I opposed the war in Vietnam, the incursions into Iraq and Afghanistan, for example, but always wore a poppy and have always honoured those who served whether it was by choice or selection, they put themselves into the field of fire and far too many never made it home.

I wear a poppy to honour and remember my parents. Both Mom and Dad served in World War 2. Mom was in the Air Force and stationed in Winnipeg Manitoba. Dad was in the Royal Regiment and served in Iceland and England. He contracted bronchitis when he came home during the time he was billeted, in cold and drafty conditions, prior to his discharge.

Our country often pays lip service to the armed forces, but there are far too many examples of how our veterans are not getting a fair deal.

I wear a poppy with pride, humility and respect. At my father’s funeral, the members of the local Royal Canadian Legion marched in and as they approached his coffin, removed their poppies and laid them on his chest. I wear a poppy to honour and remember them.

Lest We Forget is a powerful statement, if we truly seek to end war, we must never forget the sacrifices so many have made, and continue to make. I wear a poppy.

Group says VA discriminates about prayer, God at funerals

[caption id="attachment_6243" align="alignleft" width="300" caption="Christian cross"][/caption]

GHN Editor - "The hostile and discriminatory actions by the Veterans Affairs officials in Houston are outrageous, unconstitutional and must stop," said Jeff Mateer, Esq., general counsel of Liberty Institute.

With this the Liberty Institute sets forth its concern that the separation of church and state in its interpretation by the Veterans Affairs has gone too far.  So with VFW District 4, American Legion Post 586, National Memorial Ladies  they have joined a lawsuit against the VA as well as the Director of Houston National Cemetery for Religious Hostility.

This lawsuit represents the continuing controversy over how much religious symbolism and behavior and of what type should be presented in a public place.  Some organizations have even been set up to fight for the right to celebrate Christmas publicly.

Recently the Louisiana legislature passed a bill allowing a monument of the Ten Commandments to be placed on government grounds in Baton Rouge.  A similar memorial was upheld as constitutional by the Supreme Court.  But there are instances where the conflict has been over Christmas displays, prayers and religious meetings that take place in areas and gatherings that have no intrinsic religious orientation.

Liberty Institute protests the inability for people to have Christian readings and prayers at veterans funerals at a national cemetery.  The organization maintains this level of restriction in religious practice is discriminatory.  In a recent press release, the Liberty Institute points out how it successfully represented a Houston pastor by the name of Scott Rainey in a suit in federal court where the Houston VA had prohibited him from saying a prayer in Jesus name on Memorial Day.

“Government officials who engage in religious discrimination against citizens are breaking the law. Sadly, this seems to be a pattern of behavior at the Houston VA National Cemetery."Mateer maintains.

The VA has violated the First Amendment is Liberty Institute's claim, describing its concern that the VA will not allow God to be mentioned at the funeral of Veterans and that prayers have to be submitted to the Government for approval.  The Institute further maintains that the one of the government officials, Jose Henriquez, had told key VFW leadership that the word “God” is forbidden  on greeting cards and at burial services.

In 2010 the Supreme Court in a vote of 5 to 4 overturned a decision that had been made by a federal judge objecting to the erection of a white cross that had been constructed in the Mojave desert 75 years ago to honor World War I war dead.   The objection to the cross had been made by the ACLU that had contended practitioners of other faiths, such as Judaism, would not want to be memorialized by a cross and that it did not represent all people since the cross was a religious symbol only for Christians.

Liberty Institute believes there is precedent for veterans to have prayers and religious symbols at their funerals whether on public or private property, and in doing so it brings up the argument once again over church and state, one that continues despite the previous decisions made on the subject.