Veteran Veritas

The following story was televised on ABC News Channel 7 in Arlington, Va. The technology that has been developed to objectify the unseen and frequently undiagnosed injuries of war; head injuries and post traumatic stress are going to tax the disability system to the maximum. Is this not the irony of 21st Century war? The cost of the aftermath of war may soon become so onerous that we can no longer afford to wage it!

And to think of how frequently the syndrome and symptoms of head injuries have occurred in the veteran population since the Civil War, which would have been the advent of huge blast injuries. So for 150 years we have had vets out there compromised in executive functioning and both they and the health professionals never knew what was up.

When grampa was on the front porch acting a little dink dauy and maybe drinking too much whiskey. The chances are real high that he was just clocked in the trenches of France in WWl.

Head Injuries have now become the signature wound of the War on Terrorism. Oddly this was the prevalent injury in WWll and Korea. In Vietnam it was small weapons fire and booby traps.

Is it not spooky that primitive warriors always find a way to enter combat with stronger Armies, both in weaponry and financing? Is there ever going to be an end to this insanity? Notice this is not a political question. It is the same one that the Generals have to deal with, because they have to replace these soldiers in the bush. So we got a bloody numbers game going on—-exactly like the days of William Westmoreland. Except this time the soldier survives to live a war of homeland disability. Isn’t this like a terrorist memo sent home?

One thing I have never understood is why we now state that PTSD was once defined as, “shell shock.” That is not really very accurate, because shell shock is its own baby as is PTSD. I know, I have experienced both.

The good news is that VA knows this and we now have some of best care in the world for our returning combatants. Tucson VA has is ranked as one of the best in the nation and its poly-trauma unit personnel are the unsung heroes of the day.

ABC NEWS STORY

Washington – Powerful scans are letting doctors watch just how the brain changes in veterans with post-traumatic stress disorder and concussion-like brain injuries – signature damage of the Iraq (web | news) and Afghanistan wars. It’s work that one day may allow far easier diagnosis for patients – civilian or military – who today struggle to get help for these largely invisible disorders. For now it brings a powerful message: Problems too often shrugged off as “just in your head” in fact do have physical signs, now that scientists are learning where and how to look for them.

“There’s something different in your brain,” explains Dr. Jasmeet Pannu Hayes of Boston University, who is helping to lead that research at the Veterans Affairs’ National Center for PTSD. “Just putting a real physical marker there, saying that this is a real thing,” encourages more people to seek care.

Up to one in five U.S. veterans from the long-running combat in Iraq and Afghanistan is thought to have symptoms of PTSD. An equal number are believed to have suffered traumatic brain injuries, or TBIs – most that don’t involve open wounds but hidden damage caused by explosion’s pressure wave.
ABC 7 Talkback:
Click Here to Comment on this Story

Many of those TBIs are considered similar to a concussion, but because symptoms may not be apparent immediately, many soldiers are exposed multiple times, despite evidence from the sports world that damage can add up, especially if there’s little time between assaults.

“My brain has been rattled,” is how a recently retired Marine whom Hayes identifies only as Sgt. N described the 50 to 60 explosions he estimates he felt while part of an ordnance disposal unit.

Hayes studied the man in a new way, tracking how water flows through tiny, celery stalk-like nerve fibers in his brain – and found otherwise undetectable evidence that those fibers were damaged in a brain region that explained his memory problems and confusion.

It’s a noninvasive technique called “diffusion tensor imaging” that merely adds a little time to a standard MRI scan. Water molecules constantly move, bumping into each other and then bouncing away. Measuring the direction and speed of that diffusion in nerve fibers can tell if the fibers are intact or damaged. Those fibers are sort of a highway along which the brain’s cells communicate. The bigger the gaps, the more interrupted the brain’s work becomes.

“Sgt. N’s brain is very different,” Hayes told a military medical meeting last week. “His connective tissue has been largely compromised.”

There’s a remarkable overlap of symptoms between those brain injuries and PTSD, says Dr. James Kelly, a University of Colorado neurologist tapped to lead the military’s new National Intrepid Center of Excellence. It will open next year in Bethesda, Md., to treat both conditions.

Yes, headaches are a hallmark of TBI while the classic PTSD symptoms are flashbacks and nightmares. But both tend to cause memory and attention problems, anxiety, irritability, depression and insomnia. That means the two disorders share brain regions.

And Hayes can measure how some of those regions go awry in the vicious cycle that is PTSD, where patients feel like they’re reliving a trauma instead of understanding that it’s just a memory.

What happens? A brain processing system that includes the amygdala – the fear hot spot – becomes overactive. Other regions important for attention and memory, regions that usually moderate our response to fear, are tamped down.

“The good news is this neural signal is not permanent. It can change with treatment,” Hayes says.

Her lab performed MRI scans while patients either tried to suppress their negative memories, or followed PTSD therapy and changed how they thought about their trauma. That fear-processing region quickly cooled down when people followed the PTSD therapy.

It’s work that has implications far beyond the military: About a quarter of a million Americans will develop PTSD at some point in their lives. Anyone can develop it after a terrifying experience, from a car accident or hurricane to rape or child abuse.

More research is needed for the scans to be used in diagnosing either PTSD or a TBI. But some are getting close – like another MRI-based test that can spot lingering traces of iron left over from bleeding, thus signaling a healed TBI. If the brain was hit hard enough to bleed, then more delicate nerve pathways surely were damaged, too, Kelly notes.

—

EDITOR’S NOTE – Lauran Neergaard covers health and medical issues for The Associated Press in Washington.

On Thursday, November 19th, 2009 from 5:45pm to 7:45pm at Himmel Park Library, located at 1035 N. Treat Ave, near Tucson Blvd. and Speedway, there will be a Forum for dialogue with the community about veterans of war returning home. The topic is:

VETERANS OVERCOMING TRANSITION ISSUES OF EXITING WAR AND ENTERING POLITE SOCIETY

Join us in a “Coming Home” dialogue that intends to inform and engage the whole community in learning new ways of viewing the veterans you know and love. This is the first in a series of panel discussions and is intended for veterans of all ages and families from all generations. An extensive question and answer session is scheduled.

For information call Sue Parker at Himmel Library 520-594-5305 ext.3

Following is a letter forwarded to me by a local combat veteran of the Marine Corps. His name has been deleted, but he has given permission to publish his petition for explanations for the declination of life insurance as a result of having a PTSD diagnosis. ( Note. Since this was posted the author has elected to share his name. It is Pete Bourret. He is a combat veteran of the Marine Corps who served in Vietnam.)

I am familiar with this very sad fact of life. I am equally conversant with its prevalence and the gross lack of justice involved. The impunity embedded in our nations Insurance industry is soon to become a national disgrace. The irony of the fact that a warrior can defend his/her nation and its system of capitalism and in turn not be qualified for life insurance, is beyond comprehension.

Someone, somewhere, has created some bogus science that states that Post Traumatic Stress shortens ones life span. This veteran is asking to see proof of this assertion. I am asking to see studies, from either the National Institute of Health or the VA, that indicate this confabulation.

Can you imagine the impact on a young soldier with a family when they learn that the mental health care they received on the heels of war is preventing them from protecting their very own family’s finances. I see rage on the horizon. I see class action law suits. And worse, I see the myriad of caring outreach programs at Vet Centers and VA clinics backfiring when the word travels that you are sealing off your future financial options. Who do these folks think they are? Maybe we should just draft all executives in the insurance industry first.

So the citizen soldier who is wounded in war is rendered incapable of being a full citizen in the country they just upheld. Is there a more poignant hypocrisy to be found?

We will be re-visiting this open wound in the veteran community over the next several months. Possibly, the parent company of the Citizen, Gannett, can help us out with a feature article in USA Today, which is known for its veteran and military coverage. Or are they too owned by the Insurance Industry?

November 11, 2009

Pruco Life
PO Box 8660
Philadelphia, PA 19176-8660

Denise Holmgren
Vice President, Underwriting:

This letter is in response to your companies response to my request for specific information, which I have requested on multiple occasions yet have failed to receive; a copy of your original letter will not suffice.

Please advise me if I should conclude that your determination of my uninsurability was based on my Post Traumatic Stress Disorder diagnosis in general. I ask this because I have repeatedly requested the specific information (three times) that you utilized in your determination; however, I only received several hundred pages of my VA mental health records without any specific details. Let me be as clear as I can be: I expect you to submit to me the specific language that caused your organization to draw the conclusion that I am not an appropriate candidate for life insurance.

This is my last request for this information that you have an obligation to provide to me in a timely manner. I find it ironic that I am writing this letter to your organization on Veterans’ Day, yet it seems that your company fails to honor veterans who served and became casualties of war. The fact that your organization believes that a veteran with a PTSD diagnosis is a poor candidate for a life insurance policy shows that there is great ignorance about this diagnosis within your organization. Had you bothered to check with my psychiatrist because of a concern, you would have discovered that I am much more than the basic notes that he wrote. You were too busy to do that because we know that the business of American business is the bottom line. For veterans like myself, when I volunteered to serve as a combat Marine in Vietnam in 1967 and 1968, my bottom line was to defend your freedom and to protect my fellow Marines. I guess our values do not coincide.

In closing, I ask you to re-evaluated your process for determining insurability in the area of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. Regardless, it only makes sense that potential recruits to the Armed Forces should be made aware through full disclosure that serving is also hazardous to their insurability should they be traumatized by of combat. As a retired English teacher with too much time on his hands, I will gladly set the educational process in motion. I think it is time that people learn how your organization actually “supports” the troops.

Happy Veterans’ Day,

Peter Bourret/USMC

Now ladies and gentlemen of the TucsonCitizen.com this is funny stuff. This salute to veterans has been sitting here all day in a draft form. So,I will share some humanity with you… It is possible that the Marine Corps Birthday was a bit too spirited, therefore effecting the memory of Grampa! I just now realized that I did not post it,as I have had more phone calls today inbound and outbound, with cheers for Vets then ever in personal history. What a treat. What respect. Respect is good for the soul. Makes me feel energized and appreciated. I do hope one day we can celebrate the “Last Warrior.” Is it possible?

Join us tonight at Laffs for a show entitled “Comics for Courage” that benefits the Wounded Warrior Project. Show time 7pm. Suggested donation $12. You know what is funny? They don’t have any Marines on stage. They don’t know us huh? So my one liner;You know why there is no such thing as a former Marine?….. you can’t reverse a lobotomy!!

The White House

Office of the Press Secretary

For Immediate Release

November 09, 2009

President Obama Launches Major Veterans Employment Initiative
Initiative Would Transform Federal Government into Model of Veterans Employment

Washington, DC – Today, the White House announced the launch of an initiative that is designed to transform the federal government into the model employer of America’s veterans. This evening, President Obama will be joined by Secretary of Veterans Affairs Eric Shinseki, Secretary of Labor Hilda Solis, Secretary of Homeland Security Janet Napolitano and Office of Personnel Management Director John Berry to sign an Executive Order on the Employment of Veterans in the federal government, which establishes the Veterans Employment Initiative for the Executive Branch. The Initiative underscores to federal agencies the importance of recruiting and training veterans, aims to increase the employment of veterans within the Executive Branch, and helps recently hired veterans adjust to service in a civilian capacity.

“Honoring our sacred trust with America’s veterans means doing all we can to help them find work when they come home so they never feel as if the American Dream they fought to defend is out of reach for them and their families,” said President Obama. “But this initiative is about more than repaying our debt for their courageous service and selfless sacrifice. It’s also about continuing to fill the ranks of federal employees with men and women who possess the skills, dedication, and sense of duty that Americans deserve from their public servants. And few embody those qualities like our nation’s veterans.”

The Executive Order creates an interagency Council on Veterans Employment that will advise the President and the Director of the Office of Personnel Management on the veterans’ employment initiative. The Council will be chaired by Secretary of Labor Hilda Solis and Secretary of Veterans Affairs Eric Shinseki. OPM Director John Berry will serve as the Vice Chair and Chief Operating Officer of the Council.

“Veterans have shown unmatched dedication to public service,” said Secretary Shinseki. “They offer leadership and technical skills that are in high demand, whether in the public or private workforce. Not only does this initiative present an opportunity for Veterans to serve their Nation once again, the Nation will benefit from the education and training Veterans received in the Armed Forces. I am looking forward to working with Secretary Solis and Director Berry to achieve the objectives of this initiative across the federal government.”

“Veterans are an important part of our nation’s past, present and future. They deserve our full support as they reintegrate into the civilian workforce,” said Secretary Solis, “In signing this Executive Order, President Obama underscores his Administration’s commitment to our military men and women, and keeps us squarely on the path to achieving the goal of good jobs for everyone.”

“President Obama strongly believes in honoring the service of our veterans and he sees this initiative as an opportunity to put some real muscle behind that promise,” said Director Berry. “The strong sense of patriotism and public service held by members of our armed forces doesn’t leave them when they exit from active duty. It benefits our government to seize this opportunity to utilize their skills and dedication to service. The Veterans Employment Initiative will help our federal agencies identify qualified veterans, clarify the hiring process for veterans seeking employment with the federal government, and help our veterans adjust to civilian life once they are hired.”

The Order also establishes a Veterans Employment Program office within most federal agencies. These offices will be responsible for helping veterans identify employment opportunities within those federal agencies, providing feedback to veterans about their employment application status, and helping veterans recently employed by these agencies adjust to civilian life and a workplace culture often different than military service.

In addition, the Office of Personnel Management will issue a government-wide strategic plan that will focus on creating leadership commitment and an infrastructure in each agency to promote continued skills development and employment success for veterans. The strategic plan will also include marketing strategies aimed at agency hiring managers as well as veterans and transitioning service members.

“This Executive Order reflects the shared commitment across the Obama administration to hiring American veterans,” said Secretary Napolitano. “Veterans play a vital role in the Department of Homeland Security’s mission to protect the nation, which is why we have pledged to grow our veteran workforce to more than 50,000 Department-wide by 2012.”

At the end of Fiscal Year 2008, there were approximately 480,000 veterans working within the federal government.

For more information, visit: www.fedshirevets.gov

234 years of Semper Fidelis;Always Faithful. Happy Birthday fellow Marines. The title cannot be inherited. Nor can it be purchased. You and no one alive can buy it for any price. It is impossible to rent and cannot be lent. You alone and our own have earned it with your sweat. blood and tears. You own it forever’ the title ‘United States Marine.”

Be safe Marines. Mike Brewer/ 7th Marines/ 1st Marine Air Wing.

It looks like we may have a new kid on the block. After this weekends Nam Jam at Kennedy Park, some of the old timers, including myself as one of the original sponsors (La Placita Partners), proposed the idea of Nam Jam morphing itself into Sand Jam to honor the Iraq and Afghan Veterans. After 22 years of running the show, it may well be time to turn over the baton. I think this would be a gang buster idea, as a way to mature this fine local event that was trademarked years ago with the foresight of Pete Duer.

Discussions are underway with the local Vets4Vets organization, which is national in scope, and based here in Tucson. Contact will be made with the Iraq Veterans of America also.

Should any of our readers have suggestions or want to participate in the creation of an exciting new concert venue, please log your suggestions here.

Salpointe Catholic High School
Home of the Lancers

Please join us for our annual Veteran’s Day Mass
in honor of all Veteran’s and those Salpointe alumni who died in active military service.

Tuesday, November 10, 2009
7:15 a.m.
Salpointe Chapel (campus map)
1545 E Copper St
Tucson, AZ

Reception to follow in the Carmelite Conference Room.
Please share this invitation with family members and friends.

The Gregory W. Stewart – Vietnam 1968 Memorial Plaque
Remembering Salpointe’s Alumni Who Died In Active Military Service
Frederick X. Bir ‘56 – California 1964
Joseph P. Moclair, Jr. ‘60 – Connecticut 1963
James R. Cronin ‘65 – Vietnam 1967
John J. Roberts ‘65 – Vietnam 1967
John A. Delozier ‘66 – Vietnam 1968
Timothy M. Harrington ‘66 – Vietnam 1968
John E. Malone ‘62 – Vietnam 1968
William J. Whitehead ‘58 – Vietnam 1968
Paul Bourret ‘63 – Spain 1970
William A. Pahissa ‘65 – Vietnam 1970
Hugh J. Shevlin ‘67 – Vietnam 1970
Michael J. Paulsen ‘68 – Vietnam 1970
Timothy E. Sullivan ‘68 – Vietnam 1970
James L. Feeney ‘64 – Sea of Japan 1974
Peter M. Brady ‘70 – North Carolina 1979
David A. Barba ‘75 – Arizona 1981
Alfred M. Espinoza ‘84 – Philippines 1988
John W. McClure ‘70 – Texas 1995
Gilbert Munoz ‘93 – North Carolina 2005
Rest In Peace, Lancers

••• Privacy Policy ••• Email Preferences •••

Defense Secretary Robert Gates said Monday that troops injured in combat in Iraq and Afghanistan continue to face too many bureaucratic hurdles. Paperwork alone for them can be “frustrating, adversarial, and unnecessarily complex,” Gates said. Gates spoke at a mental health summit with Veterans Affairs Secretary Eric Shinseki. By appearing publicly together, they sought to reinforce their commitment to tackling veterans’ health issues and the stigma associated with seeking mental health care. Among U.S. troops who have fought in the recent wars, Gates says brain injuries and mental health ailments are “widespread, entrenched and insidious.”

This is the way we support our troops? By causing frustration and adversity? The stigma associated with mental health issues exists not only among active duty military, but perhaps even more importantly, it exists in a very big way in the public. Yes, it’s difficult to understand the issues of combat veterans, but we MUST understand them, for the sake of those who put their lives on the line for our country, and for the hope of a future without war.

Support our troops by educating yourself about post traumatic stress.

I read at least 20 veteran publications combing for material that I deem helpful to the largest population of veterans. Many of the press releases I get are from the Catholic War Veterans, and they are quite good and chock full of practical help. While my Blog has never been retail, it does appear that this lawyer and his promotional narrative may well be of assistance to our readers and family members. It is a shame that we do not have more Attorneys in Arizona trained in Veteran Law. It seems a bit odd to have such a dearth, as are veteran population per capita is quite high. The lawyers whose resume follows, appears to know his game.

I am writing to introduce myself and to provide you with information on my background and Veteran’s law practice. I represent Veteran’s who have been denied benefits by the Board of Veterans’ appeals. Additionally, I assist Veteran’s who are victims of medical malpractice and serious personal injury. Our VA appellate representation is done on a pro bono basis, at no charge to the Veteran or spouse. Please feel free to call me with any questions.

The Veterans Law Firm

Peter J. Meadows, P.A.

Graduate of Florida State University

Graduate of Washington and Lee University School of Law

Member of the Florida Bar

Member of the Bar of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit

Member of the Bar U.S. Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims

Member of the National Organization of Veterans Advocates

Member of the Veterans Law Section of the Federal Bar Association

Mission Statement

Our Mission is to provide high quality legal representation to veterans and their families, where the Board of Veterans’ Appeals has denied a veteran’s claim within the previous 120 days or who have been the victim of medical malpractice or grievous personal injury.

The Veterans Law Firm

1314 E. Las Olas Blvd. Suite1088 Fort Lauderdale , FL 33301

Ph: (800) 868-2813 Fax: (800) 868-2815

Veterans Appeals
Before the U.S. Court of Appeals
for Veterans Claims

At Peter J. Meadows, P.A. we work with Veterans who have appeals before the U.S. Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims. We will pursue Veterans’ claims vigorously in order for our Veterans to receive the benefits, which they have earned and to which they are entitled.

We are able to represent Veterans from every state in the country. No matter where a Veteran lives, we can represent him or her before the U.S. Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims in Washington D.C.

Our representation of Veterans is provided without charge. Instead, our firm seeks compensation from the government under the Equal Access to Justice Act. We use our inside knowledge of the Veterans appeals process to aggressively manage an appeal. We promise to keep our clients informed of the progress of the appeal. The Veteran can be fully confident that we take the best interests of our clients very seriously.

We are also happy to assist in matters relating to:

· Medical Malpractice

Experience Matters

The veteran’s appeals process can be intimidating. Mr. Meadows served as a law clerk intern to Chief Judge Kenneth B. Kramer of the U.S. Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims and as an appellate attorney with the Appellate Litigation Group of the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Office of the General Counsel. His Veteran’s appeals experience and knowledge can help bring positive results following years of frustrating denials. We want veterans to enjoy the benefits, which they have earned and to which they are entitled. Mr. Meadows’ ten years of VA and Veterans law experience is yours to help win your claim.