Battling the Storm Within

Wednesday, September 28, 2016

9 Reasons Trauma Is So Hard To Understand


trauma photo
photo credit: Katle Hargrave
What comes to your mind when you hear the term trauma? Do you think of physical or psychological trauma? Do you have preconceived notions about how trauma may affect human development? Sadly, many people struggle to understand the emotional, psychological, and/or physical toll trauma can have on overall health.


Trauma is not well understood by society which leads to miscommunication, misunderstandings, and sometimes further trauma. My experience has been that many people struggle to identify what trauma actually is and how it affects the brain and overall development. Many of these same people believe that trauma is something that happened but does not have to define or continue to affect you. While this is a positive and sometimes balanced view, trauma is something that leaves many fingerprints that cannot be so easily erased.

Read more...
http://blogs.psychcentral.com/caregivers/2016/09/trauma-9-reasons-it-is-so-hard-to-understand/


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More than one-third of calls to VA suicide hotline are left unanswered, official says





Department of Veterans Affairs Secretary Robert McDonald (reflected in doors, facing reporters) speaks outside VA headquarters in Washington, D.C. in 2015. Photo by Jonathan Ernst/Reuters
                              
Department of Veterans Affairs Secretary Robert McDonald (reflected in doors, facing reporters) speaks outside VA headquarters in Washington, D.C. in 2015. Photo by Jonathan Ernst/Reuters
WASHINGTON — More than one-third of calls to a suicide hotline for troubled veterans are not being answered by front-line staffers because of poor work habits and other problems at the Department of Veterans Affairs, according to the hotline’s former director.




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http://www.pbs.org/newshour/rundown/official-one-third-calls-va-suicide-hotline-roll/


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Air Force colonel, facing court-martial for rape, found dead







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http://popularmilitary.com/air-force-colonel-facing-court-martial-rape-found-dead/


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A Salute to the Womens Army Corps

                             


Those who served in the Women’s Army Corps were the pioneers of equality for women in the U.S. Army. This video shows what happened because of them. And because of that, we Salute you.
To send this Salute to someone you know, use the social media links to the right or at the bottom of the page and don’t forget to tag them in your post. To send the Salute via email, click here.




Watch Video.
http://salutesomeone.com/salute-a-veteran/salute-to-wacs/


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Join us for the 1st 2016 Michigan Women Veterans Empowerment Conference Saturday November 19 2016 Detroit MI




register online www.empowermiwomenvets.com

Women Veterans: The Long Journey Home


DAV report shows service gaps for women in health care, transition services, disability compensation, employment and housing.

Women Disabled Veterans – www.DAV.org
The research reveals that America’s nearly 300,000 women veterans are put at risk by a system designed for and dominated by male veterans.

This report paints a compelling picture of federal agencies and community service providers that consistently fail to understand that women are impacted by military service and deployment differently than men. And it points to changes that are needed in the overall culture and services provided by the federal government and local communities, listing 27 specific recommendations.


Read more...
https://www.dav.org/women-veterans-study/

Mental Relaxation: Find Your Bliss In 6 Easy Steps


woman relaxing with candles

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http://blackdoctor.org/1866/mental-relaxation-find-your-bliss-in-6-easy-steps/


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Army Mom Asked to Not Work With Man She Feared Would Snap—No One Listened Until He Did


Twenty-six-year-old first lieutenant and mother of three, Katie Ann Blanchard, always sensed that something was off with one of the employees she supervised.
That employee was 54-year-old Clifford Currie, who worked under Blanchard as a civilian at the Munsion Army Health Center in Kansas.


Read more..
http://ijr.com/2016/09/694025-first-lt-mother-of-three-is-fighting-for-her-life-after-being-set-on-fire-by-bitter-employee/?utm_medium=social&utm_source=facebook


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The United States Army covers up the Rape and Murder of Black female soldier. LaVena Johnson - WATCH VIDEO

LaVena Johnson was the first woman soldier and the first black woman soldier to die while serving in Iraq and Afghanistan.


LaVena Johnson was found dead in a contractor's tent owned by military contractor giant Kellogg, Brown & Root (which was at that time a subsidiary Halliburton)


The autopsy photos showed LaVena Johnson had bruises and scratches on the upper part of her torso; there were even teeth marks. She appeared to have been badly beaten. A caustic substance had been poured on her vaginal area, most likely to eliminate any DNA evidence from rape. There was a trail of blood leading outside of the tent, suggesting that LaVena had been dragged into the tent after the attack, and then the tent was set on fire.


The family lead by Dr. Johnson tried to recruit the help of the mainstream media; CBS paid for a second autopsy. The second autopsy found that LaVena’s neck was broken. Parts of her vagina, tongue, and anus had been removed.


The military’s autopsy notes none of this; nor were the Johnsons informed parts of their daughter’s body had been removed.


Despite spending thousands of dollars on autopsies, experts, and coming to the Johnsons’ home, CBS didn’t run the story. Neither did ABC, who also invested a good deal of money into the story. Reports allege that one popular magazine was even threatened that running the story would result in the military no longer buying ad space from them.


Watch Video
https://www.facebook.com/informationdetroit/videos/583001601835901/?hc_ref=PAGES_TIMELINE


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Wednesday, September 14, 2016

Finally, a clear direction for veterans health care


 

                  
For more than two years, ever since the scandal over secret waiting lists at some Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) hospitals erupted, we have been debating how to reform the delivery of health care to veterans. The men and women who sacrificed serving this country need real and lasting solutions, but until now they have received only temporary measures and partisan debate. Finally the time for talk is over because there is now widespread agreement on how to ensure veterans get the best possible care that meets their unique needs.

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http://thehill.com/blogs/congress-blog/healthcare/295624-finally-a-clear-direction-for-veterans-health-care


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Open Registration - 2016 Michigan Women Veterans Empowerment Conference - Sat. Nov 19, 2016 Downtown Detroit

Join us for the Women Veterans "UnMask" event Saturday September 24th @ 12 Noon - downtown Detroit


Donald Trump’s Remarks Show He’s Mistaken on Sexual Assault in Military


WASHINGTON — Sexual assault in the military has plagued the Pentagon in recent years as a series of high-profile cases, and new data, revealed the extent of the problem. In response, President Obama and members of Congress demanded that military officials more aggressively address the threat and its causes.


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VA responds to distance, delays and denial investigation

 
The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs says it stands by its decision to send veterans thousands of miles away for transplant care.


The KVUE Defenders teamed up with investigators around the country. They uncovered how the VA forces veterans to face distance, delays and denial for transplant care.


Read more...
http://www.kvue.com/news/investigations/defenders/va-responds-to-distance-delays-and-denial-investigation/315710105


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Recent research on Gulf War illness and other health problems in veterans of the 1991 Gulf War


Image result for gulf war syndrome pictures


Read more...
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4724528/


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Sexism in the Military Is Alive and Well


Sexism in the Military Is Alive and Well



As of January 1, all combat roles in the U.S. military have been open to women. But that doesn't mean women soldiers are actually being treated the same way as men.




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http://www.makers.com/blog/sexism-military-alive-and-well?utm_content=bufferb06c4&utm_medium=social&utm_source=facebook.com&utm_campaign=buffer


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The Female Veteran Suicide Prevention Act is More than Just Words


Feature image: Women Veterans In the Field, courtesy of VA.gov

Until recently, very little was known about women veterans and suicide. What researchers have recently discovered is sobering news.


A study published recently by the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) shows that women veterans are at a greatly increased risk of suicide compared to their male counterparts.


Read more...
https://www.swords-to-plowshares.org/2016/06/02/the-female-veteran-suicide-prevention-act-is-more-than-just-suicide-prevention


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The 22 Pushups Challenge Isn’t Actually Helping Anyone

The Ruck Way – One Corpsman’s Fitness Regimen a Physical and Mental Exercise
                 

The 22 Pushups Challenges isn’t the solution veterans need. Carl Forsling explains why. 

In 2014, buckets full of ice water set the internet on fire. People were challenged to dump a bucket of ice water over their heads, post the video to social media, then challenge others to do the same in order to help those with Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis, or ALS, often known by its older name, Lou Gehrig’s Disease. The campaign was tailor-made to take advantage of the viral nature of the web.


Read more...
http://taskandpurpose.com/pushups-dont-solve-veteran-suicide-crisis/
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Voices of Veterans- Video- Honey Suckle Magazine Column



Sgt. Shannon from Honeysuckle Magazine on Vimeo.


Sgt. Shannon was 20 years undiagnosed PTSD from her time spent Desert Storm, Operation Desert Shield, Persian Gulf War I, where she fought for eight years. A victim of Military Sexual Assault, Post Traumatic Stress Disorder and Gulf War Illness, she is an honorably discharged American veteran and will be conducting our regular column: ‘Voices of Veterans’ #voicesofveterans.


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http://www.honeysucklemag.com/voices-of-veterans/
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The Reverse Boot Camp


8,423
Supporters

The military has a specific process that turns a new recruit into a Warrior, but they lack a similar process to help transform that Warrior back to civilian life. This leaves so many men and women without purpose or a place to turn after the military.


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https://www.change.org/p/stop-soldier-suicide-the-reverse-boot-camp

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A Response To Tim Kennedy’s ‘Stop Being A P****’ Message For Veterans With PTSD

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     Taskk & Purpose CEO Zach Iscol responds to Tim Kennedy, "If you have the courage to get help, and you get the right help, you can get better."

In a recent viral Facebook post, MMA fighter and U.S. Army Green Beret Tim Kennedy wrote that to get over post-traumatic stress disorder you need to “stop being a pussy.” The post set off a vigorous debate as to whether there’s any merit to Kennedy’s tough-love argument, or if he’s simply being insensitive to the countless veterans who suffer from PTSD.


Read more...
http://taskandpurpose.com/a-response-to-tim-kennedys-stop-being-a-p-message-for-veterans-with-ptsd/


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The Pentagon is closer to extending a generous new benefit to millions of veterans

      

Plans are progressing to extend online military exchange shopping privileges to all honorably discharged veterans, Military Times has learned.

The Defense Department’s Executive Resale Board voted unanimously Aug. 9 to recommend the policy change, sources said. Extended shopping privileges would apply only to the exchange system's online stores — not brick-and-mortar facilities located on military installations.

Read more...
http://www.militarytimes.com/articles/the-pentagon-is-closer-to-extending-a-generous-new-benefit-to-millions-of-veterans


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‘No reason we can’t do this’ – Army general visits Sacramento to bring women into front-line jobs








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http://www.sacbee.com/news/business/article98732797.html


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