Battling the Storm Within

Saturday, June 16, 2018

Women Veterans Empowerment - Dirt Therapy - Garden Planted in Detroit MI - June 13th 2018


We FINALLY had good enough weather and the resources to plant the 2nd Women Veterans Love, Peace and Healing Community Garden in Detroit, MI

Our garden is dedicated to the 2 million women veterans and the 22 veterans we lose to suicide daily.
We put in over 8 hours of hard work and sweat equity and are looking forward to seeing life grow right before our eyes.  

Unstoppable Paralyzed Veteran Walks Again






Centra “Ce-Ce” Mazyck is a super-mom, a woman who laid down her life for her country and a self proclaimed “adrenaline junkie.” But looking at her you wouldn’t know that she’s also a 22-time national wheelchair veterans gold medalist!


But that’s not the amazing thing about Ce-Ce. She is a survivor and defied all odd against her to walk again.


Read more...
https://blackdoctor.org/513776/unstoppable-paralyzed-veteran-walks-again/

More Vets Who Are Coping With PTSD From Sexual Assaults Get Honorable Discharges




Sexual assault is still a major issue for the military. Reports rose by 10 percent last year, though there is some discussion about whether that is an increase in the number of assaults or an increased willingness of troops to come forward and report them. That would be an improvement because victims of rape in the military often face retaliation, sometimes even a less than honorable discharge from the military.




Read more...
https://www.npr.org/sections/thetwo-way/2018/06/01/616259732/more-vets-coping-with-ptsd-after-sexual-assaults-get-honorable-discharges

Veterans’ gravestones vandalized on memorial day: ‘More than 200 gravestones were sprayed with swastikas’






More than 200 headstones were spray-painted with swastikas overnight on Friday at a cemetery in Illinois, KMOV reports.


The vandalism occurred heading into Memorial Day weekend at a Glen Carbon, Ill., cemetery which houses the graves of more than 1,300 veterans, officials said.


Read more...
https://deplorablesreport.com/veterans-gravestones-vandalized-on-memorial-day-more-than-200-gravestones-were-sprayed-with-swastikas/

Arlington memorial highlights sacrifices made by women veterans - VIDEO.









Watch Video...
https://www.cbsnews.com/video/arlington-memorial-highlights-sacrifices-made-by-female-troops/

3 VA programs for National Guard and Reserves






For the most part, members of the National Guard and Reserves are eligible for VA benefits as long as they are released under conditions that weren’t dishonorable. There are some eligibility requirements for some benefits that require a specific amount of time of active duty, and here they are.


Home Loans
VA’s Home Loan Guarantee Program works by the VA guaranteeing a portion of the loan which lets lenders offer things like no down payment or lower mortgage insurance programs. To qualify for this benefit, Reserve and National Guards members must have an honorable discharge and meet at least one of the following conditions:






Read more...
http://connectingvets.com/articles/3-va-programs-national-guard-and-reserves

Court ruling: VA now considers pain to be a disability





From Agent Orange to burn pits, members of the Armed Forces are exposed to harsh environments and chemical toxins. Some of these hazards are known, while other hazards remain unknown. Even after decades of research, diseases associated with Agent Orange are still being added to the list of presumptive conditions recognized by the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA).


Yet, many diseases are still unknown. Gulf War Illness, for example, impacts many veterans who return from the Middle East. It may cause various symptoms, such as joint pain. Other environmental hazards that are yet unknown, that could also cause veterans to have pain that is undetectable by medical tests.


Read more...
https://www.wearethemighty.com/court-ruling-va-pain-disability?utm_campaign=evergreen&utm_medium=social&utm_source=facebook&utm_content=va-pain-is-disability

Senate passes major VA overhaul; Trump expected to sign into law within days




WASHINGTON —The Senate on Wednesday overwhelmingly approved legislation paving the way for a major overhaul of the Department of Veterans Affairs and the way veterans access health care in the private sector at government expense.

The measure’s passage by vote of 92-5 represents a significant bipartisan legislative victory for President Trump, who is expected to sign the bill into law within days




Read more...
https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/2018/05/23/veterans-choice-overhaul-passes-senate/629315002/

Psychologist Accused of Raping Female Military Veterans Seeking Treatment for Previous Sex Assaults



David Grant USAF Medical Center at Travis Air Force Base


A clinical psychologist is facing charges after allegedly raping female veterans who had come to him as survivors of sexual assault seeking treatment for post-traumatic stress disorder at a California military base, PEOPLE confirms.


The Air Force Office of Special Investigations launched its review of Dr. Heath J. Sommer in 2016 after some of his patients raised concerns that led them to request another physician, a spokesperson for the 60th Air Mobility Wing at Travis Air Force Base said in a statement.


Read more...
https://people.com/crime/air-force-psychologist-raped-veterans-sex-assault-survivors/

Malaria drug causes brain damage that mimics PTSD: case study






The case of a service member diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder but found instead to have brain damage caused by a malaria drug raises questions about the origin of similar symptoms in other post-9/11 veterans.


According to the case study published online in Drug Safety Case Reports in June, a U.S. military member sought treatment at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center in Bethesda, Maryland, for uncontrolled anger, insomnia, nightmares and memory loss.


Read more...
https://www.militarytimes.com/news/your-military/2016/08/11/malaria-drug-causes-brain-damage-that-mimics-ptsd-case-study/#.WwAqsoDdjCE.facebook

DoD admits water at U.S. military bases contains cancer causing chemicals












If you live on a military base and only drink bottled water, you’ve probably made a good call.
A recently released report from the Department of Defense shows that a number of military installations are plagued with unsafe drinking water that can cause illness and fertility issues- and the government tried to cover it up.


The water (be it drinking water or groundwater) appears to be contaminated with Perfluorooctane Sulfonate (PFOS) and Perfluorooctanoic Acid (PFOA), which can be traced to everything from hamburger wrappers to firefighting equipment and waterproofing agents.


Read more...
https://popularmilitary.com/dod-admits-water-u-s-military-installations-contains-cancer-causing-chemicals/?utm_source=11+Bravos