ptsd Post Traumatic Stress Disorder And Vets Not Getting The Help They Need

[JulieW]

Dear Friends,

I was guided to this site by a member (Les in MN) who asked me to try to find BERTA, in hopes she could be of help to me and my family.

Just three and a half weeks ago, we lost our beloved Josh, an Iraqi War Vet to PTSD....his memorial website is here:

http://joshua-omvig.memory-of.com/

Since then we (his family) have researched full time to find out all we can about this disorder. We have spent countless hours on the net finding other Vets suffering, and families devestated like we are. There are SO MANY!!

At this point, we've launched "The War Against PTSD" from Josh's website. There people can and are writing to their elected officials and demanding changes in how PTSD is handled by the Military, Government, VA, etc.

We are also in the process of getting ideas put together for a petition that will be sent to every Elected Official in the Nation along with every News Media Outlet...

Here is the post I am sharing, please share it also with everyone you know who can help.

please also share Josh's website with everyone you know, and ask them to do the same...WE DO HAVE POWER IF WE BAN TOGETHER...ELECTED OFFICIALS ARE WATCHING THAT SITE! It's had NEARLY 1000 HITS IN JUST EIGHT DAYS!...and it's well over 100 hits a day currently!

PLEASE HELP! (Ideas, anything!)

Subject: SOS Help Needed from PTSD Military Heros and Their Families!!

As many of you know, we are in the process of writing a very DETAILED

Petition about the "WAR on PTSD". It will be sent to EVERY Elected

Official from the President (and his family) to city mayors. It will

be sent to every major news outlet including TV, Radio and

Newspapers. To every military AGENCY from the VA to the DAV and more!

The wording is IMPORTANT, we have pros at writing petitions going to

help us put all the ideas together.. we have ONE BIG SHOT at this. We

want it ALL COVERED.

This petition will be placed ONLINE for everyone w/pc access to

legally sign it just as if you did it in person.

I need YOUR HELP!

Please hit reply and suggest what YOU think needs to be included in

this petition....Stick to the FACTS....what happed to YOU (or your

family member/loved one)...what do you KNOW for a FACT happens and

what changes need to be done.

example:

Problem: Our debriefing for the Reserves consisted of 15 minutes

of "Welcome Home, anyone need help? No? Well let us know... Great,

see ya!"B)

Needed: Intense debriefing, including discussion of the likely hood

AND symptoms of PTSD, including the odds they will suffer in some

form. Follow up, in person contact with Vets and their Families LONG

after they are sent home to make sure they are aware of any syptoms

and not recognizing them. Supports set up for those suffering and

families that will get them help without the fear of retrobution in

careers.

Please help, I'll be monitoring the groups I post this to, if you

know of someone else who could contribute, have them send ideas to me

at annie_250@yahoo.com

God Bless!

Julie Westly

forever missing my nephew Josh, an American Hero,

Gone TOO SOON because of PTSD

Visit his website, light a candle, SHARE YOUR STORY, MAKE A DIFFERENCE!:

http://joshua-omvig.memory-of.com/

[JulieW]

thank you SO much dancanmt...I'm finding TONS of info that is helpful!!

[Pete53]

Sorry for your loss. Good luck on your quest.

[larryjones24]

Like so many others, your family, are in my thoughts and prayers.

Larry Jones 100% SC PTSD

[Guest Berta]

Julie- I have not accessed those links yet- I lost a great friend last year at Christmas time due to PTSD.Tributes make me think of him and other vets I knew and my husband- all dead at too young an age-it is very painful ---I know---

If you are the widow that one of my vet org vets recently contacted me about-via email---

I dont know if you are-and I gave our hadit web site info to be given to her- but based on those circumstances my advice was to sue them (VA)up the ying yangs and I offered to help do that-

Are you that widow? The veteran who contacted me was so concerned that they had actually had a meeting with this vets shrink days before his death. Documented.

If not- I will read the Tribute - can you tell us more here?

[jimlane1949]

Dear Friends,

I was guided to this site by a member (Les in MN) who asked me to try to find BERTA, in hopes she could be of help to me and my family.

Just three and a half weeks ago, we lost our beloved Josh, an Iraqi War Vet to PTSD....his memorial website is here:

http://joshua-omvig.memory-of.com/

Since then we (his family) have researched full time to find out all we can about this disorder. We have spent countless hours on the net finding other Vets suffering, and families devestated like we are. There are SO MANY!!

At this point, we've launched "The War Against PTSD" from Josh's website. There people can and are writing to their elected officials and demanding changes in how PTSD is handled by the Military, Government, VA, etc.

We are also in the process of getting ideas put together for a petition that will be sent to every Elected Official in the Nation along with every News Media Outlet...

Here is the post I am sharing, please share it also with everyone you know who can help.

please also share Josh's website with everyone you know, and ask them to do the same...WE DO HAVE POWER IF WE BAN TOGETHER...ELECTED OFFICIALS ARE WATCHING THAT SITE! It's had NEARLY 1000 HITS IN JUST EIGHT DAYS!...and it's well over 100 hits a day currently!

PLEASE HELP! (Ideas, anything!)

Subject: SOS Help Needed from PTSD Military Heros and Their Families!!

As many of you know, we are in the process of writing a very DETAILED

Petition about the "WAR on PTSD". It will be sent to EVERY Elected

Official from the President (and his family) to city mayors. It will

be sent to every major news outlet including TV, Radio and

Newspapers. To every military AGENCY from the VA to the DAV and more!

The wording is IMPORTANT, we have pros at writing petitions going to

help us put all the ideas together.. we have ONE BIG SHOT at this. We

want it ALL COVERED.

This petition will be placed ONLINE for everyone w/pc access to

legally sign it just as if you did it in person.

I need YOUR HELP!

Please hit reply and suggest what YOU think needs to be included in

this petition....Stick to the FACTS....what happed to YOU (or your

family member/loved one)...what do you KNOW for a FACT happens and

what changes need to be done.

example:

Problem: Our debriefing for the Reserves consisted of 15 minutes

of "Welcome Home, anyone need help? No? Well let us know... Great,

see ya!"B)

Needed: Intense debriefing, including discussion of the likely hood

AND symptoms of PTSD, including the odds they will suffer in some

form. Follow up, in person contact with Vets and their Families LONG

after they are sent home to make sure they are aware of any syptoms

and not recognizing them. Supports set up for those suffering and

families that will get them help without the fear of retrobution in

careers.

Please help, I'll be monitoring the groups I post this to, if you

know of someone else who could contribute, have them send ideas to me

at annie_250@yahoo.com

God Bless!

Julie Westly

forever missing my nephew Josh, an American Hero,

Gone TOO SOON because of PTSD

Visit his website, light a candle, SHARE YOUR STORY, MAKE A DIFFERENCE!:

http://joshua-omvig.memory-of.com/

Debriefing should be mandatory for all returning from any combat zone.

[Guest Berta]

I apologise -I thought you were the next of kin-

Julie---- I commend you for what you are doing-

All I can think of at this point is to get in touch with the producers at CNN

http://www.cnn.com/CNN/Programs/presents/i...it.to.kill.html

via a letter or their Contact US section-

direct this to Candy Crowley or the director of "Fit to Kill".

On Oct 26, 2003 CNN presented an award winning documentary on PTSD and covered Iraq, Vietnam, and WWII= this was and still is the BEST PTSD documentary I have ever seen.

"Fit To Kill" - Crowley was the interviewer

You could tell them what happened to this vet and ask them if they are considering a follow up to Fit To Kill-

Also I suggest that you write a letter to Dr. Shay at the VA about this and see what his reply is.

I will watch this tape tomorrow as it might reveal some other places you could seek attention from.

Dr. Shay- who is one of the best PTSD experts the VA has , was in this documentary and can be written to at the Boston VA, Staff Psychiatrist, Out Patient Clinic

251 Causeway St, Boston, Mass, 02114 1-617-248-1000

His email addy is jshay@world.std.com- and if that is old email -but I think he still has it-you could try Jonathan.Shay@va.med.gov

Debriefing like Jim said is too brief---really an exercise in futility---

it doesn't come close to alleviating what is so fresh in a combatant's mind.

And it can't come years after the fact- it doesn't work that way either.

I think the Commandants of the Army, the Navy, the Air Force and the Marine Corps as well as the Reserves for each branch might have a more viable response to you then any Congressmen/women or Senators- just my opinion-

If you need their names and addresses let me know and I will post them here for you.

This is a problem that our Military must address-they ARE working on it- I did a lot of current research when I did a PTSD thesis for school last year- however my essay was very strong in it's criticism of the way the military is handling this. My profs are all active officers and one retired military officer- I didn't care-

they were in the heat of it all, my favorite Prof -helped to develop war plans at Quantico for this war- but I have seen the aftermath in a way they could not imagine. It is the military that has to better understand these horrible consequences of warfare.