A Soldier's Mind

The Mission: To Diagnose & Treat Troops Suffering From TBI

Terri — Fri, 25 Jul 2008 07:00:39 +0000

One of the most common injuries to be seen coming out of the combat zones of Afghanistan and Iraq are Traumatic Brain Injuries. Because of the complexity of the injury and the fact that it’s not an injury that can been visually seen, in the past, our Troops haven’t been treated for this injury. Many have also been sent back to the combat zone, due to the hidden nature of the injury, putting them at more risk of further injury. The problems that can be caused by a traumatic brain injury, if not diagnosed and treated appropriately, can be life changing and possibly career ending.

Now, with new aggressive screening being done on Soldiers who are injured and flown to Landsthul Army Medical Center in Germany, more and more of this injuries are being diagnosed and Troops are receiving the treatment the injury requires. Because our Troops in the combat zone risk being exposed to sometimes multiple blasts , the concussion type effect can cause severe injury to the brain, as it’s effects causes the brain to slam against the skull.

The Pentagon has now mandated that all military branches begin to screen Troops for Traumatic Brain Injury. Some bases are even testing Soldiers prior to deployment and again after they return, in hopes that by comparing the two test results, they’ll be better able to identify Troops who have suffered a TBI.

When Troops are wounded or injured in Afghanistan and Iraq, one of their first stops is at the Army’s Landstuhl Regional Medical Center. There, an aggressive screening program is conducted. Even if they aren’t there for a possible brain injury, the screening is conducted and many previously missed TBI’s are being discovered.

“One of the things we’ve learned here at Landstuhl is you have to be actively looking for this to find it,” said Col. Stephen Flaherty, who oversees the TBI screening process at Landstuhl.¹

If doctors have even the slightest indication that a service member has suffered from TBI, it’s almost a certainty that they won’t be returned to combat. In the past 6 months, several hundred Troops were diagnosed with mile TBI. Only two of them have been allowed to return to the combat zone. The hopes are that the aggressive screening process at Landstuhl will provide caregivers with valuable information that will help them learn how to best spot and treat brain injuries.

“If I have a hint of a whiff of suspicion – no matter how vehemently you want to go back downrange ( to Iraq) – that you will be compromised, then I’ve got to be the black hat and say, ‘No you’re not going back,’” says Major Shawna Scully, a neurologist who directs TBI recovery. “I’m sure there are some commanders downrange,” she added, “who are furious with me because I didn’t take X Soldier and send them back.”²

In Landstuhl, the TBI screening program began in 2006, but was expanded in the past year. As new patients arrive, they are asked about the way they were hurt and any symptoms that they might have, such as headaches, nausea, dizziness, light sensitivity and balance problems. Memory skills are also tested, such as short-term memory and problem-solving skills. A neurophysical exam, MRI and eyesight evaluations are also performed. Since 2006, doctors at Landstuhl have been able to identify 2,391 brain injuries in Troops. Most of them received that injury from exposure to a blast. According to their numbers, TBI injuries make up about 15% of all the patients who arrive at the hospital.

Two such Soldiers at Landstuhl, SPC Kyle Thompson and PFC Chad Williams are still being treated for the effects of TBI. Just looking at them, an observer might not even realize that they’re injured. These Soldiers are two example of what Scully calls her “ghosts.”

“They’re the ones who are walking and talking. They look fine. But you spend a little bit of extra time with them and you realize that something isn’t right,” she said. “They’re the ones who are easy to miss.”³

Both Thompson and Williams were injured by the same blast, a 2,000 pound bomb that explode, sending shock waves out from it. They were two, among 18 other Soldiers who were injured when a suicide bomber detonated the explosives at the gate of a patrol base in Kirkuk. One other Soldier was killed in the blast. Both were about 50-60 feet from the blast, when it was detonated. Thompson was walking across the compound and the force of the blast left him unconscious. Williams was in his room packing gear when the explosion happened. He was thrown across the room from the force of the blast and was struck by a heavy door. He blacked out for a short period of time.

“We may seem normal,” Thompson said, “But we get headaches that are crazy. Neither of us can get a wink of sleep unless we’re heavily medicated. First couple of days after the incident, I couldn’t walk. I didn’t have the ability to stand up on my own without help. My balance is still very disoriented.”⁴

Both say that they are frustrated by their injuries …. Ones that can’t been seen with the naked eye. They say that they’d have rather been shot, as they feel that cuts and scars eventually heal. With TBI’s it’s unknown if they’ll recover and be able to return to duty, or if they’ve have to be medically retired, because the TBI has caused them to be disabled. Both are adamant that they don’t want to be discharged because of a disability stemming from their head injury.

Major Scully says that at Landstuhl, she emphasizes that the brain is allowed to begin healing. The start of that process, is to help ease the headaches that many suffer and helping to reestablish their sleeping patters. Another key is to reduce the patients anxiety, by providing them with knowledge about their injury. Prior to arriving at Landstuhl, not knowing what is going on with them, many Soldiers are frightened and lost.

“When these folks come to me, there is one thought on their mind. And that is, ‘What the heck is going on?’” said Major Scully. “When you brain is hit that hard, you can’t depend on you anymore. That has them upset. That has them scared. And that has them wondering, ‘Where do I go from here?”⁵

As wounded soldiers with TBI undergo treatment, their future is unclear. Many of them want nothing more than to be released by their doctors to return to the combat zone. Often they don’t know if that will happen, or if they’ll even be able to remain in the Army. For some of them, those who chose to make the military their career, the possibility of not being able to continue serving is devasting. Currently there is no set policy in the military on how many brain injuries is too many, to continue serving. When they appear to score well on the problem solving and short term memory tests, they are determined to be fit for combat again.

TBI’s are being compared to concussions that football players might receive during a game. It has been a topic of intense discussion and debate. In football, sideline physicians will usually allow a player to return to the game once their symptoms subside, sometimes within a few days. There is however, growing concern in football that multiple concussions could possibly leave permanent brain injury. Boxing is another sport in which competitors are subject to repeated concussions. Military officials are being advised and working closely with physicians from both sports, due to the similarities of the injuries.

Because of their desire to stay in the fight and not leave their comrades in arms, often Soldiers who receive blast injuries won’t report their symptoms to anyone. They then return to combat. If exposed to a blast again, before their brain has had the opportunity to heal, they’re risking sometimes permanent brain injury. Many will have problems, seemingly unrelated, at the time, to the blast injury, such as stumbling and injuring an ankle. When they get to Landstuhl, they all go through the screening process and their TBI is discovered.

“I can’t make up for the fact that a lot of these guys never got the care they needed,” Major Scully said. “But when they come to me, I can take care of them now.” ⁶

(Army Lt. Col. (Dr.) Margaret Swanberg, checks the pupils of Army Spc. Michael Woywood, of San Antonio, for dilation during a military acute concussion evaluation demonstration at Forward Operating Base Hammer, Iraq, July 18, 2008. U.S. Army photo by Pfc. Michael Schuch, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 1st Armored Division)

The Military is also attacking the problems of TBI on the battlefield as well. Soldiers are being trained as far as symptoms to look for in their fellow Soldiers after a blast. The Army has also deployed an Army Neurologist, in fact Lt. Col. (Dr.) Margaret Swanberg the only Army Neurologist who is currently deployed. She is the officer in charge at the Sgt. Robertson Aid Station at FOB Hammer and part of her job is to train medics all across Iraq, on the military acute concussion evaluation (MACE). Because she’s the only Army Neurologist in Iraq, she has a huge responsibility. However, she takes that job in stride, knowing that what she’s doing in Iraq, can help to ensure that those who need treatment can receive it as soon as possible and those who are ‘good to go’ can return to their units. ⁷

This is a very real injury. It’s an injury, that if not diagnosed and treated can have lasting effects. With our Troops facing the situations they do in the combat zone, if they ignore those symptoms and stay ‘in the fight’ and are exposed to more blasts, they are putting themselves at risk for an injury that could be permanent and effect their careers, their lives and their health.

http://www.usatoday.com/news/health/2008-07-23-brain-injuries_N.htm?loc=interstitialskip
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http://www.defenselink.mil/news/newsarticle.aspx?id=50589

Em’Powering’ Iraq

Terri — Thu, 24 Jul 2008 07:00:47 +0000

One of the things that Coalition Troops and the Iraqi government having been working hard on is to restore power and other utilities to the citizens of Iraq. Many citizens have had limited power, since before the war in Iraq, when Saddam made sure that he and his cronies had an unending supply, yet the people had limited or no power. New power generation plants have been built, like the one in southern Baghdad in 2006. With the new technology comes the need for trained personnel to operate those plants.

Recently, students from the Ministry of Electricity in Iraq were at the plant in southern Baghdad to be trained in operation and management of electrical power plants. Since February, over 1000 students have been trained, in what used to be an old dining facility. The plans had been to dismantle the camp near the competed electricity facility, when one of the program managers came up with the idea that it would be a great place for a training facility.

“The GRD was in the process of dismantling a man camp of trailers at a completed electricity project in southern Iraq,” said Vincent Dorio, GRD electrical sector program manager. “Then one of our high speed contractors came up with the idea of using the old DFAC (Dining Facility) and some other trailer bits and pieces laying around camp to fabricate the parts into a training facility for Baghdad South. We worked together to design and reconfigure the trailers into a MoE school house and of course transport the unassembled pieces 300 miles north to Baghdad.”¹

With the creation of the training facility, this guarantees that there will be fully trained workers to operate the electrical plants across the country. The school will be open to people from across Iraq. This ensures jobs for the citizens, as well as ensuring that trained personnel will be on hand to work on the new electrical power plants should problems arise and repairs need to be made. As with most facilities of this type, there does come a time, when machinery breaks down or preventative maintenance needs to be performed. This is great news for the citizens of Iraq and will ensure that they will have power in their homes and the people trained to ensure that they continue to have power. More and more training facilities of different kinds are being opened across Iraq to ensure that workers have the capability to work in their chosen field and provide a quality service to the people. We’d expect nothing less here in the United States and our Troops are ensuring that the Iraqi people receive no less.

These are the types of things that aren’t ever reported in the media. It’s not often that the media tells us about the successful completion of such projects. Instead, to find out what’s really happening, you’ve got to either search for it amongst the many government websites or hope that one of the MilBlogs report the information. That’s one thing that we strive to do here and will continue to do.

http://www.grd.usace.army.mil/news/releases/NR08-07-12-02.pdf

Positive Role Models For Our Younger Generation

Terri — Wed, 23 Jul 2008 07:00:40 +0000

Our Troops are an amazing group of men and women and I’m always completely blown away by their resilience and ability to adapt to any situation. Think about the number of deployments many of them have endured, think about the severe injuries many of them have had. Yet they continue to do their jobs to the best of their abilities, with many of them, standing out as shining examples, of why I’ve always said that our Troops are the ‘best of the best’ that America has to offer.

Even after they’ve completed their service in the Armed Forces, many of our Troops tend to continue to exemplify the morals, values and standards that they lived by in the military. They distinguish themselves in their civilian lives and continue to display professionalism, honesty and integrity in everything they do. Many of them, because of the skills and commitment, the morals and values that have become a part of them, are highly sought by civilian employers. There are so many veterans that I could give as examples.

Take Bob Kunkle for instance. Bob is a Vietnam era veteran, who was injured in the jungles of Vietnam. Now as a civilian, Bob continues to display the character that defined him as a Soldier, by sharing his skills as a martial artist, with young men and women, patients at Walter Reed Army Medical Center, who are recuperating from war injuries. Bob has now expanded that mission even more, by starting to provide the same service to the men and women who are patients at Brooke Army Medical Center in San Antonio. Bob doesn’t receive any financial compensation for his work with the wounded warriors. Instead, his “payment” is the self-satisfaction of knowing that he’s able to help the wounded warriors and perhaps help them to regain some of their self-confidence, despite their injuriese.

Or, how about David Bellavia? David returned from Iraq, after a harrowing hand to hand combat experience there and earned a Silver Star, Bronze Star for Valor and a Conspicuous Service Cross. David has also been nominated for the Medal of Honor. After his time in Iraq, David wrote a best selling book, entitled “House to House,” helped to found the Vets For Freedom group and works extensively on various causes in support of our Troops, including ensuring the public and our leaders in the nation’s capital are aware of the dangers of pulling our Troops from Iraq, before their mission is complete.

Or Marcus Luttrell? We’ve featured stories about Marcus quite a few times since his book, “Lone Survivor: The Eyewitness Account of Operation Redwing and the Lost Heroes of SEAL Team 10.” I can’t say enough about what Marcus has accomplished since he retired from the Navy SEALS and wrote his book. Marcus was later presented with the Navy Cross by President Bush. Marcus too is part of the Vets for Freedom group and has traveled with the group across the country, telling his story and advocating for the mission in Iraq. Marcus is currently working closely with producers on a movie based on his book. Marcus has plans to eventually go to medical school and become an emergency room physician.

“Mighty Joe” Beimfohr is another great example of the resiliency of our Troops, despite the challenges they’ve been dealt with in life. I met Joe at Walter Reed, in October 2005, a short time after he was injured in Iraq. Joe is a double leg amputee and he hasn’t allowed that to slow him down at all. That day in Walter Reed, Joe told me that his plans were to medically retire from the Army and then go to work for the VA, so that he can help other wounded warriors, as they transition from military life to civilian life. Joe has accomplished that and so much more. Joe is working for the VA in the Washington DC area. He also works closely with Bob Kunkle, teaching self defense tactics to wounded warriors.

Another great example is Major David Rozelle. If you recall, I’ve introduced our readers to him and used him as an example of how he inspires other wounded warriors to drive on and continue. Major Rozelle lost part of his leg when he was in Iraq with the 3rd ACR. Instead of allowing his injury to defeat him, he was determined to remain in the Army and return to Iraq. He did just that, remained in the Army and led his Soldiers on another mission in Iraq. But he’s accomplished so much more and is such an inspiration to so many of the wounded warriors. Major Rozelle has competed in numerous Iron Man competitions and running events around the country, including the Army 10 Miler. He was also instrumental in the building and design of the Army rehabilitation center at Walter Reed. Major Rozelle wrote about his experiences in his book, “Back in Action: An American Soldier’s Story of Courage, Faith and Fortitude.”

These men and so many others have given so much to our country, yet they continue to “give” and don’t show any signs of giving up. Something that many of their civilian counterparts might have done under the same circumstances that these men faced. It’s these men and women that we should teach our children to hold in high esteem. It’s these men and women that we should teach our children to emulate. Men and women like this, are fine example of selfless service, sacrifice, dedication, and integrity. If you do a search on this blog, as well as other MilBlogs, you’ll find the stories of these men and many others who’ve proudly served our country in the Armed Forces. Believe me when I say, you’ll not walk away from their stories without being touched. These are the folks we should be encouraging our children to emulate, NOT the celebrities.

Instead, so often in our society, our children are taught that it’s okay to emulate and hold in high esteem, people such as Michael Vick, Snoop Doggy Dog, Paris Hilton, Brittany Spears and a myriad of other entertainment and sports celebrities, who always seem to be splashed across the media with details of the latest trouble they’ve gotten into. Yet somehow, we seem to think it’s okay for our children to idolize these people (I’ve never figured out why). Then we wonder why the values in our country have become so degraded. We often don’t spend quality time with our children, and instead allow the television, computer and video games, to be our children’s “babysitters” because we don’t want to spend the time we should with our kids. Then, we’re awfully quick to point our fingers at others when our children do wrong, be it their teachers, their peers ….. anyone but ourselves. Our children learn by the example they’re given, their parents and the values we instill upon them, the role models we have them emulate.

The men I’ve listed above are but a few of the men and women that our children should be taught about. The men and women that we should encourage our children to strive to be like. Perhaps, turn off the television, drag them away from the computer or their video games, and put one of the books mentioned above, in their hands. Have them read the books and learn about courage, bravery, pride and dedication in our country, and the will to survive and excel. Then take the time as a parent to sit down and discuss the book with your child. Discuss what makes these men such special people, as compared to the myriad of celebrities that our Society tells them to worship. Make sure that they understand what these men have did for them, their friends and our country and how their actions are honorable and admirable. I think that you just might be surprised and hopefully impressed with the changes you might see in your children.

Army Chief Of Staff: Fort Bliss PTSD Program Should Be Replicated

Terri — Tue, 22 Jul 2008 07:00:00 +0000

After the Army Chief of Staff General George Casey made a visit to the Fort Bliss PTSD program on July 13th, it impressed him so much that he said publicly that the program should be replicated across the Army at other locations as well. We’ve told you about the program in Fort Bliss, in this story in May, which is unique in the Army, as it offers a more holistic approach to treating PTSD, including such things as acupuncture, massage, meditation, reiki and qi gong. We told you how much we were impressed by this program and how we’d like to see other installations utilize the same treatment model.

The program is operated by Dr. John Fortunato, who is a Benedictine monk, Vietnam veteran and clinical psychologist. The program opened it’s doors a year ago and thus far, has been very successful in assisting Soldiers suffering from PTSD, to return to active duty, instead of being medically discharged from the Army.

“Unfortunately you can’t package John Fortunato and move him around and it really takes someone with that passion to drive these kinds of operations,” said General Casey. “But there are some of the elements of this, that are clearly exportable, and we will do that.”

This is great news for the Army. As I said in my previous article about the Fort Bliss center, it’s something that does need to be replicated around the entire Armed Forces. In the past, many Soldiers who were struggling with PTSD were medically discharged from the military and unable to continue their careers, even if that’s what they wanted to do. Fortunato’s program has allowed several to continue their careers. In the past, if Soldiers weren’t deemed fit for duty after a course of about three months, they were medically discharged, often against their own desires.

“There were two things about that, that didn’t seem right,” Fortunato said. “I got tired of Soldiers crying in my office, telling me they did not want to get out, that the Army was their life, and it’s all they knew. All I could say is, ‘Sorry, we have to discharge you.’ It tore me up.”

During sessions with Soldiers over time, Fortunato said that he realized that they often needed much more than just psychological treatment. As he met with these Soldiers, he noticed that they fidgeted, hands and feet constantly tapping and shaking, sometimes throughout their entire sessions. He also noticed that many had spiritual questions and had a tendency to isolate themselves from their friends and loved ones. That was when the idea of building a place where the physical, spiritual and psychological aspects could be treated to help these Soldiers stay in the military if they desired to do so. Alternative or holistic treatment modalities weren’t readily accepted in the military, so the job to sell his idea would be difficult. That difficulty didn’t sway him from his mission, as he persistently pleaded to get approval and the funding to open the facility. His instinct was to design a facility, where the Soldiers who came there, felt comfortable. The last thing he wanted for them to do was isolate in their rooms. Because a person suffering from PTSD, is often over-stimulated, they often tend to isolate themselves and avoid contact with other persons.

“Only – we can’t leave them there,” he said. “So I had to sort of seduce them out of their rooms.”

Fortunato decided that the facility would have a “vacation resort” type appearance, which would likely help to put the Soldiers at ease. At the entrance to the facility, visitors are met with oversized leather, mission type chairs, wood floors. In the background is the sound of trickling water, that comes from a fountain that sits in the lobby. Put together, it lends a relaxing and calming ambience to the room. At the end of one hallway, is a room that appears Asian in design. In the background are therapeutic sounds. That room is the meditation room.

“This room has a purpose,” Fortunato said. “You can sense the music playing, which is based on breathing, and if you spend three minutes in this room with the door shut, without anyone talking to you, you will find that your mental state has changed.”

Because of the nature of treatment for PTSD, where the Soldier has to stir up and then face things that they really don’t want to remember, they tend to experience feelings of hyper-arousal, anger, sadness and grief. Recalling the upsetting events is necessary for the Soldier to work through them. By then going inside the meditation room, the ambience of the room, helps them to calm down again.

“So there is a lot of traffic, in and out of this room,” he said. “You will sometimes find four Soldiers just sitting here, and we want them to do that. And let me say, that regardless of what your faith is, there is always something that makes our life meaningful,” Fortunato added. “We all have some notion about why relationships are important and who we are. All those issues are questioned by Soldiers in war. They come home and they have to deal with questions they usually don’t have the ability to handle … and I’m not offering any particular answers, but God have mercy, we have to help Soldiers answer those questions … so that they can get on with their lives.”

Memories of painful events and the grief that is associated with memories of those events, are often painful and those memories are often what the Soldiers resist confronting the most. A group of therapists, as well as a chaplain are on hand at the Fort Bliss Restoration and Relaxation Center to assist the Soldiers in confronting those memories. The nervous gestures he noticed, the tapping of the hands and feet are things that Fortunato felt weren’t being adequately addressed. The effect of being in the state of hyper-arousal for such a long time in the combat zone, is often one of the most difficult things for Soldiers to ‘turn off’ once they come back home. Fortunato says that servicemembers have to be taught how to relax again. To do so, Fortunato designed the program with several therapeutic modalities, including massage, acupuncture, Tai Chi, Yoga, Reiki, power walks and visits to the mall. Those modalities are in addition to more traditional psychiatric treatments, such as individual and group counseling and cognitive rehabilitation therapy. In other words, the program in Fort Bliss takes care of the “whole” Soldiers, physical, psychological and spiritual.

“In order to stay alive, their bodies have been hyper-aroused for so long, that they come back and cannot turn it off,” he said. “Their body doesn’t even remember how to relax again, and because of that, they don’t sleep and are irritable.”

“You would think that going to the mall would be fun, but it is not fun for a post-deployment Soldier,” Fortunato said. “There are too many people, too much noise, which then builds up to ambush scenarios, which can be very challenging for some Soldiers. But we have to challenge them if they want to stand up and be warriors again,” he said.

When they’re downrange, if something happens, such as having a close call, they become injured, or a close friend getting injured or killed, Soldier’s don’t have the opportunity to work through their grief, anger or other emotions that these sort of situations bring up. Instead, in order to survive, they stuff the emotions deep inside and Soldier on. After an entire year or more of having to do that, it’s often difficult for them to suddenly relax and face those emotions. When they do, it’s often ragged and raw, as if the event has just occurred.

According to Fortunato, studies are currently being conducted, to find out why some Soldiers are more prone to develop PTSD than others, who may have went through the same or similar experiences. He cited a recent finding that there’s a strong genetic predisposition, that may put people at greater risk of developing PTSD than others. Research is currently underway on combat-related disorders and the possibility of those with a predisposition for PTSD, being given medication which will help to inoculate them from getting PTSD.

“We are in the process of doing a research protocol with 400 Soldiers,” Fortunato said. “WBAMC is considering that research protocol. And if we can show that it is true, then we move to the next step. The Army is very interested in doing the best thing for the Soldier and if we find that’s what we need to do then, we will do it.”

The program at Fort Bliss is one that requires a lot of time and dedication from the Troops who are enrolled in it, not just a ‘quick fix’ as some would like. Instead, there are three phases. The first lasts for approximately 3 months, in which Soldiers receive 35 hours of treatment per week. The second phase drops to around 21 hours of treatment, for another three months. Afterwards, Soldiers go back to their units, and take part in a 7 hour per week after care program. Currently success rate is good and the hopes are that those numbers will continue to stay good and many will be able to successfully remain in the Army, if that’s their wish.

I’m looking forward to seeing how quickly the Army adapts the model that Fort Bliss has begun. Having had experience in working in these types of modalities, I’ve been able to see how well the “whole soldier” approach works. I think we’ll be seeing much more success, as this model is adapted across the Army, and that excites me. It’s definitely been a long time coming and our Soldiers deserve no less than the best. Hopefully different Army installations will be adapting this program as soon as possible.

Army.mil

Airport Opens In Holy City Of Najaf

Terri — Mon, 21 Jul 2008 07:00:09 +0000

Each year, hundreds of thousands of pilgrims make the trek to holy Shiite shrines in the Iraqi cities of Najaf and Karbala. Most of the time, they travel on foot or in vehicles. It will be much easier now for the pilgrims, many from Iran to make the trip, because of the opening of a new airport in the city of Najaf, located in the southern part of Iraq.

Prime Minister Nouri al Maliki calls the opening of the airport, a vital element in Iraq’s economic development. The opening of the airport will provide jobs for citizens in the area, as well as make travel much easier from their part of Iraq to other parts of the country, or even other countries. The airport was built, by renovating a military airfield. The prime minister said at a grand opening ceremony on Sunday, that it was expected that several flights would be landing.

“The Najaf airport is a starting point for competition among provinces and local governments to make extraordinary progress toward reconstruction,” al-Maliki said.

“We were determined to face the terrorism that was about to destroy Iraq. The strong will of the federal government has fought and defeated it in all of its forms,” al-Maliki said.

This is a great boost to the economy of Iraq, as well as the fact that by creating more jobs, many more Iraqis won’t have to worry about how they’re going to support their families. This in turn helps to prevent Iraqis from turning to the insurgency to provide for their families. I’m sure that the airport will make it much more possible for people to make the treks to the holy cities. I know that as each new business opens, our Troops have that much more proof, that the jobs they’re doing in Iraq, are worthwhile.

Yahoo News

Authorities Search For Missing Fort Bliss Soldier

Terri — Sun, 20 Jul 2008 19:00:02 +0000

[UPDATE] It’s with relief that I can report that PFC Jeneesa Lewis has been found and she’s safe. Apparently her estranged husband kidnapped her and drove her to Nevada. Jeneesa does have injuries, including 2 stab wounds and bruises, but she’s safe and her husband is in custody in El Paso on charges of kidnapping and I’m sure several other felony charges as well. It’s always great when we hear that these things can be resolved with the victim still being alive.

Authorities in El Paso are searching for a Fort Bliss Soldier who was reported missing by her unit on Friday, after she failed to show up for PT and work. After she failed to show up, Soldiers from the 5-52 Air Defense Artillery Battalion, 11th Brigade went to her off-post apartment to check on PFC Jeneesa Lewis. They found the apartment and immediately called the El Paso police, who stated that they found evidence of possible foul play in the apartment.

Friends and family have stated that she and her husband, Clinton Lewis were having marital difficulties. According to her sister, Tammy Skelton, she received a text message on Wednesday from her sister, saying that her husband was gone and that she was going to purchase a futon, when she got her check.

“The only thing I know … is my sister is neat as a pin, nothing is ever out of place,” said Skelton. “The place was a complete wreck and they found blood.”

According to El Paso Police Officer Chris Mears, PFC Lewis is considered missing and endangered. He says that police feel that PFC Lewis may be with her husband, who they have so far been unable to locate as well. Tammy Skelton said that she and her sister had been chatting on Wednesday about the fact that she was planning to have a new phone line put in at her apartment.

Jeenesa and her husband were married two years ago, according to her sister and their relationship has been tumultuous since then. Jeneesa joined the Army, in order to become more independent and be able to support her three children without having to depend on anyone else. Her first duty station is Fort Bliss and she had plans to eventually bring her 3 children to Texas, once she was able to obtain on-post housing. The children are currently living with her mother in Tennessee.

“She wanted to make a life with them. She wanted to stand on her own two feet,” Skelton said.

I’m adding pictures of PFC Lewis and her estranged husband, with the hopes that possibly someone has seen one or both of them. If you do, please notify the authorities in El Paso. Let’s hope that PFC Lewis will be found unharmed.

Military.com

Army Times

Sevendust Rocks The Troops

Terri — Sun, 20 Jul 2008 07:00:24 +0000

I absolutely love it when I hear about different bands who take the time to go to Iraq and Afghanistan to entertain the Troops deployed in those places. It really helps morale, when they’re able to take some time from the day to day life in the combat zone, to relax and enjoy the music of these artists.

One of the latest groups to perform for the Troops in Afghanistan is the heavy metal band Sevendust, who performed at BAGRAM AIRFIELD, Afghanistan on July 12th as the last stop in their USO tour. They had the crowd of Soldiers rocking as they performed an acoustic set, which they generally don’t do. Following the performance, a Soldier was brought up on stage and allowed to smash a guitar. That Soldier was also given one of their guitars. I’m sure he was thrilled. Other Soldiers were given a set of bongos and another guitar. By the time they were through, they’d given away pretty much every instrument they came with.

“I never thought anybody could ‘jam out’ acoustically like they did,” said Army Sgt. Mark Decker, of Company B, 101st Airborne Division Special Troops Battalion.

The Troops who attended the show, couldn’t say enough good things about the performance. The band made sure to stick around, ensuring that every servicemember who wanted an autograph, a free copy of their CD or a picture with the group, were able to get one.

“I think they were awesome,” said Air Force Capt. Vanessa Mahan, 455th Aerial Expeditionary Wing. “It’s been a while since we’ve had a hardcore band here, so it’s kind of refreshing.”

Recognizing the importance of the job our deployed Troops are doing, the band members all agree that they’d love to be part of another USO tour.

“If it wasn’t for you guys over here, [the Taliban] would be over there, [in the United States],” Lajon “LJ” Witherspoon, Sevendust’s lead singer, said during the performance.

“This, to us, has been the best thing that’s ever happened in our lives,” Witherspoon said. “As soon as you guys will have us back, we’ll be back.”

It’s refreshing to hear about celebrities who understand the importance of our Troops mission. I’m sure that it meant a lot to the men and women at Bagram. Hopefully we’ll hear about Sevendust doing another USO tour soon.

Defenselink

Homes For Heroes

Terri — Sat, 19 Jul 2008 07:00:03 +0000

When our Troops are injured in the combat zone, they often are sent to either Walter Reed Medical Center, Bethesda National Naval Medical Center or Brooke Army Medical Center to recuperate from their injuries, if necessary. One thing that helps them to recover, is to have their family near by. This also helps the family to deal with the injuries. Often room for families to stay is limited. Recognizing this, Operation Homefront has created “Operation Homefront Villages” in the Washington DC area to provide places to stay for family members who travel to Walter Reed or Bethesda National Naval Medical Center, to be near their loved one as they recouperate.

On July 15th, Operation Homefront welcomed a group of wounded Warriors and their families to it’s new transitional housing facility. The facility will offer rent-free, fully furnished 3 bedroom apartment units to the wounded warriors and their families, in order to help ease the burden the families face as they travel to the nation’s capitol to be with their wounded soldier, as he or she recovers.

“Operation Homefront provides tremendous aid to all servicemembers and their families,” said Army Maj. Gen. Patricia Horoho, the commander of Walter Reed Army Medical Center. “The organization knows how to harness the generosity of so many in the community and then quickly take action to fufill individual or community needs.”

Each Operation Homefront village will also feature large community centers, play areas for the children of the wounded warriors and computers in the community centers which will be equipped with specialized software, in order to accommodate soldiers with disabilities that might make it difficult to otherwise utilize a computer. Counselors will be available, who can assist wounded warriors in applying for benefits as well as educational scholarships, enrollment in colleges. They will also have the resources to assist Soldiers in training and obtaining good paying jobs.

“Servicemembers and their families are a proud ‘can do’ group who apply to Operation Homefront out of genuine financial need,” said Mark Smith, president and CEO of Operation Homefront. “This is where they can begin to build a real future for themselves and their families.”

The Operation Homefront villages are open to wounded warriors who are receiving medical treatment at a nearby military medical facility. They are also open to those who are being medically discharged or those scheduled to retire in 6 months. Servicemembers may stay in the village for up to two years after that occurs. The complete eligibility guidelines can be found at the Operation Homefront website. The project in Washington DC, follows closely in the footsteps of the Operation Homefront Village in San Antonio, which we detailed in a story in March. Both projects were made possible due to large corporate donations. Both Bank of America and Lockheed Martin have contributed substantial amounts to the project. Both corporations feel that it is important to invest in assisting our Troops, as their way of saying Thanks for the service and sacrifices that they have made.

Operation Homefront is a great organization and has done so much for our Troops. It’s an honor to be able to share this a similar stories with our readers here. This project offers a great opportunity to our wounded warriors as they recover from their injuries. Hopefully, there will be several more of these complexes, so that family members can be with their servicemember as they recover. Our Troops deserve no less than that.

Defenselink

Cypress Cares; Founded by Soldiers, for Soldiers

Brandon Begley — Thu, 17 Jul 2008 16:14:19 +0000

Ladies and Gentleman, it is an honor to be able to share a wonderful story with you here on A Soldier’s Mind. As you know, there are great people among us, who want to show their love and support for our troops. One way they’re doing this is by supporting a local cause. Please allow me the honor of introducing this admirable young American woman.

Raquel Cunningham, is a dedicated individual who herself, has served in the United States Army Reserve as an officer (Nurse) for the 256th Combat Support Hospital in Cleveland, Ohio. Raquel also worked on IMA status with Evans Army Hospital in Colorado Springs, Colorado. She is now working as a volunteer for a Houston-based admissions representative for the US Military Academy at West Point.

Raquel; from Cypress Texas, has founded a group called Cypress Cares, a non profit organization dedicated to the support of our troops overseas, and back at home. Her goal is to generate more interest in supporting their efforts to provide more support for the troops. “I have friends currently deployed to Iraq and Afghanistan. I started just by supporting them, and decided that I was able to do more. Thus Cypress Cares was born!” Raquel said.

I myself am proud to know that there is support out there and you at ASM should know of the hard work that these people go through to make the support of our troops happen. “We are an open and honest group of about 5 volunteers and every bit of what we receive is used for the support of our soldiers/sailors/airmen and Marines.” Raquel is to be commended for her efforts, It is people like Raquel, who makes soldiers as motivated as ever to serve their country, regardless of whatever they may find themselves in.

I would personally like to invite you to check out her website. please go to www.cypress-cares.org to help support her cause. If you know anyone else who wants to come forward with their tributes to our service men and women, then feel free to send them my way. This is why we are “A Soldier’s Mind”, we are here for the soldiers, never forget that. I hope you enjoy, and never forget to support our troops. Hats off to my friend, Raquel, a job well done!

Book Review: Story Of The Sand By Mark B. Pickering

Terri — Thu, 17 Jul 2008 07:00:31 +0000

When I was first contacted about receiving a review copy of “Story of the Sand” to write a review for ASM, I was pretty excited. From what I had heard, the book was about a veteran’s struggle to overcome the effects of PTSD, after he returned from Iraq. I was told that the author, Mark B. Pickering, had done a lot of research, interviewing veterans of World War II, Vietnam, Desert Storm and the current conflicts in Afghanistan and Iraq. This book wasn’t what I expected at all. I guess I was expecting actual stories from some of the veterans that Pickering interviewed, instead of a fictionalized version of what he heard from several veterans over the course of his interviews.

The story of the veteran related in the book, is the story of a Soldier who is suffering from an extremely severe case of PTSD. This particular Soldier not only struggled with what he saw in Iraq, but also the effects of an abusive childhood, which can and does have major impact on how that Soldier would react to the stressors he’s exposed to in combat. While there is no doubt that some Soldiers respond the way the Soldier portrayed in the book has, those extreme cases aren’t usually the norm. Adding into the fictionalized account, is the fact that the author also tells the story of a young man (the friend of the main character) who lost his leg in Iraq, only to come home and eventually die due to complications of an infection he got in his amputated leg. I think the one thing that had be the most disappointed is the portrayal of this character in the “afterlife” if you will. He would watch his wife and their child as they went about picking up the pieces of their lives following his death. He would have, often multiple conversations with the main character as he struggled to overcome everything from homelessness, desperation, paranoia and alcoholism, attempting to guide him as he continued to try to destroy his life. For myself, that made the book even more unrealistic. Having had the opportunity to deal with Soldiers returning from Iraq and Afghanistan, on a daily basis in my job on one of the largest military installations in the US Military, I have to say that I’ve only had contact with a handful who’ve had this level of problems. Many will experience difficulty in adjusting when they first arrive home from the combat zone, most don’t experience the level of difficulties that are portrayed in “Story of the Sand.” I feel, that while Mr. Pickering may have interviewed veterans from different wars, that he chose the most extreme case or cases to portray in his book. I have to wonder if the main character, Sampson Roy, is actually a real person, or a person whose personality and story were formed from bits and pieces of the different veterans that Pickering interviewed during his research. I almost get the feeling that this novel is an attempt to shout to the world all that Pickering finds wrong with the military and the government, while not addressing the things the military IS doing to address the problems of PTSD and TBI and the substance abuse and homelessness that unfortunately sometimes goes hand in hand with these disorders. The novel doesn’t go into the fact that often those who suffer from these disorders, often don’t see themselves as having a problem and the fact that they often refuse seek treatment for these problems, even when those treatments are readily available to them.

While I agree that the military and the American society needs to do whatever is necessary to ensure that treatment is available for our returning veterans, we also have to acknowledge the fact that the military has stepped up their care for veterans returning and more and more is being done every day, to ensure that our Soldiers and Veterans receive the appropriate care for their problems. New methods of treatment are being explored and those that are proving to be successful are being incorporated into the treatment plans of the Soldiers seeking help.

Story of the Sand, might be an entertaining book to some, however, it covers a subject that I take seriously and I believe that the way it was written does more to cause harm to our Troops suffering from PTSD and other mental disorders related to their time in combat, by possibly causing people to look upon our returning Troops as people who have the extent of problems of the character in this story. I feel this story just detracts from the issue at hand, and will do more harm to our returning Troops, than it will to help them.

In my humble opinion, if you’re wanting to understand what our Troops and what they go through in combat and afterwards; and I mean to really understand, then I don’t feel that this book is the one to read. Instead, I would suggest, a book that is an actual first person account of what our Troops encounter, such as Lone Survivor by Marcus Luttrell or House To House by David Bellavia. Just my opinion, but Story Of The Sand isn’t a book that I would recommend to anyone who is wanting to learn about PTSD and how they could best help a Soldier or Veteran who is suffering from PTSD. Too much fiction and not enough reality.

Where Has The Desire To ‘Serve Our Country’ Gone?

Terri — Wed, 16 Jul 2008 07:00:56 +0000

When my son decided in, 1988, during his Junior year of High School to join the National Guard, as a mother I had mixed emotions. I was very proud of my son for deciding that he wanted to serve our country. At the same time, the “mother instinct” was there as well, which caused me to worry about what might happen to my son if he were deployed during wartime. The advice I gave him at that time was to make sure he researched his options and was well aware of the positive and negative aspects of joining the military. I knew the reasons that led him to the decision to join the military and fully supported him in his choice. He still serves in the National Guard today and he has been deployed and I’m damn proud of the choices he’s made and the direction that his life has taken.

Last year, when my step son was a Senior in High School, he made the choice to join the Active Duty Army. I gave him the same advice I gave to my son. I told him to make sure that military life was what he wanted. His dad told him the same thing. While he was going through Basic Training, his father was just finishing up a tour in Iraq and preparing for retirement from the Army after 22 years. Having grown up in a family where his dad was active duty, his entire life, Sean was knowledgeable in what the military was all about, how it affected families when the Soldier was deployed. Even so, he chose to go active duty and went to Basic Training last June. He’s now serving in his first duty station in Korea. We’re very proud of him and the direction that he’s taken his life.

I just can’t fathom, as a mother, not supporting my child, if he or she chose to enlist in the military. What a noble calling it is. Feeling that you can best serve your country by serving in it’s military. Isn’t that the premise that our ancestors lived by? I know that I was taught, that it was the right thing, to want to do something to serve your fellow man, whether it be in the medical field, in law enforcement, firefighting or in the military. As children, my siblings and I were taught about the military service of our ancestors, both living and dead. We were proud of what they’d done for our country. So it was only natural for 3 out of the 4 of us children, to go into some form of public service work.

Unfortunately, today it’s not considered such a good thing if one’s children wish to enlist in the military. The subject is just almost taboo. If the subject is brought up at a public gathering, most would gasp in shock to hear a young person say that they wished to enlist in the military. Some would try their best to provide them with all kinds of reasons that they shouldn’t enlist. They might enlist the aid of others to help dissuade this “poor misguided soul” who thought that joining the military was an option. Often you hear comments about how only those without any other options join the military, as if it’s some kind of bad thing to want to serve your country. I just don’t understand how our citizens have gotten to that way of thinking. It’s almost as if you’re looked down upon anymore, if you want to join the military. Kind of fucked up thinking if you ask me. I’d like to share with you, an opinion piece written by a young woman about just this very topic, that was published in the Christian Science Monitor. Ms. Reiss is an Army ROTC graduate and an Army Officer who is currently deployed in Iraq with the 20th Engineer Brigade(Combat, Airborne).

‘I’M JOINING THE MILITARY’ SHOULDN’T BE A JAW-DROPPER
Giving back to the nation isn’t about where you stand on war.
By Colleen Reiss
JOINT BASE BALAD, IRAQ - Imagine standing on the sidelines of a summer league lacrosse match in an upper-middle-class suburb somewhere in the Northeast, chatting with parents about upcoming vacation plans, their children’s struggles finding summer jobs, and which teachers to avoid. Want to bring the conversation to an awkward silence? Just ask if any of their teens have considered serving in the military.
Military service has become a taboo subject in many corners of America; supported in principle by the ubiquitous yellow ribbon car magnets, yet silently considered to be outside the realm of “enlightened options” for an educated young person.
This sentiment is reinforced by college administrators who block ROTC programs from campuses, while asserting that their institution, “has the utmost respect for the men and women who serve our country in the military.”
A recent MoveOn.org advertisement depicts a mother declaring that her baby son “Alex” will not serve in the military. The underlying assumption is that military service is an implicitly bad choice. On college campuses, when the ethical call to forsake corporate salaries and serve the greater good is made, military service is rarely mentioned by faculty and public figures.
What is the reason for this dismissive view of military service? The root lies in the misconception that the military is the bastion of those who are pro-war and anti-peace. In reality, nothing could be further from the truth. Most decent human beings hate war. However, the soldier hates it with the depth of knowing firsthand the suffering, destruction, and long-term cost of armed conflict.
Another underlying root cause for this view is the idea that the military is devoid of critical thinking – that it is a culture of obeying direct orders and nothing more. Again, this type of assumption belies a deep naiveté. Problems on today’s battlefield are often too complex for that kind of robotic interaction.
Finally, many institutes of higher education use opposition to the “don’t ask, don’t tell” policy as a reason to discourage young adults from serving. Why don’t these same educators and administrators bar members of Congress, the legislative body that crafts such policies, from visiting campus? Let’s remember that the policy is set by civilian leaders. If anyone is to be targeted it should be them.
Regardless of one’s political leanings, class, education, race, or aspirations, military service is a valid way to answer John F. Kennedy’s timeless call to “ask what you can do for your country.” It is not a call to serve that goes out to only one specific region or one type of town. It is not a civic duty reserved for young adults who have few options in life, as some depictions would suggest. And it is certainly not a betrayal of the ideals of independent thought cultivated in our nation’s universities.
The new security dynamics of the 21st century demand that we leave behind perceived divisions between military and civilian culture, and move away from those ideas formulated in the 1970s – ideas that unfortunately still resonate strongly with those who influence my generation.
Serving in the armed forces is giving back to the nation, accepting personal risk in contributing to the well-being and safety of others. It is no less honorable than participating in PeaceCorps, AmeriCorps, Teach for America, or other service organizations marketed toward young adults. Certainly it is as critically important to the future of our nation and our nation’s standing in the world.
Americans must ask themselves what it means to “support the troops” while sending messages that convey a sense of disbelief at the idea that an ambitious high school junior would want to join Army ROTC in college. Or, check themselves when they claim to “respect those who serve” while responding with a look of confusion when a dean’s list biology major remarks that she is going to go through the Officer Candidates Course to become a marine.
Such reactions expose the need for Americans to reform preconceived notions and place the armed forces back where they belong, as a legitimate, compelling, and satisfying form of national service.

Christian Science Monitor

Presidential Candidates & Town Hall Meetings In Military Towns

Terri — Tue, 15 Jul 2008 07:00:04 +0000

Normally, I tend to keep politics out of the stories I write here. That is, until it directly effects the military, which I feel this particular story does. I feel that it’s extremely important that Presidential Candidates are able to relate to the Troops that they’ll be leading as Commander in Chief and I feel it’s just as important that these candidates make themselves available to answer questions that the Troops might have.

On Monday, August 11th several military groups in the Fort Hood area have scheduled a town-hall style meeting that will be televised nationwide. The airing will be live, from 9pm to 11pm Eastern Time on CBS. Invitations to appear at the event have been given to both John McCain the presumptive Republican Presidential Candidate and Barrack Obama, the presumptive Democratic Presidential Candidate. So far, only Senator John McCain has agree to attend. Obama has yet to agree to attend. People from his campaign say that Obama already has a previously scheduled event on August 11th, yet when the group planning the event said that they’d work with the candidates on dates, they have still not responded. At the meeting, each candidate would face questions from an audience of approximately 6,000 people, that will be made up of veterans, active duty service members, as well as their family members.

“I’m having extreme difficulty getting the Obama campaign to commit to this event, and we do not understand why,” said Ms. Picard, whose husband is currently deployed in Iraq. “We made it very clear to them that if they would commit to the event, we would work with them on dates.”

This makes me wonder, what exactly is Barrack Obama afraid of? With Fort Hood being the largest active-duty military installation in the United States. By appearing at this event, one would think that Mr. Obama would be able to reach a very large representation of military members and veterans to share his vision for the military and the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, should he be elected President.

The town-hall meeting is scheduled to be held at the Bell County Expo Center in Belton, Texas, which is a community on I-35 located about 25 miles East of Fort Hood. With Fort Hood being the largest military installation, both candidates would have an opportunity to speak to veterans, service members and their families, about issues that directly involve them and are such pivotal parts of the Presidential campaign. Being the largest military installation, it’s estimated that about 800 of the deaths in Iraq alone, have come through Fort Hood.

What’s surprising to me, is some of the organizers of the event, are that the opinion in this area of the country is divided between Barrack Obama’s stance and John McCain’s stance on how the war in Iraq should be handled. This is the perfect avenue for each man to share their vision with the men and women that they would be asking to maintain the security of the country, should they be elected. For me, that says a lot about Barrack Obama and what he thinks about our Troops, our Veterans and their Families. That only leads me to one opinion, which is, If Barrack Obama doesn’t have the gumption to stand up in front of our Troops, Veterans and their families at Fort Hood on August 11th or another scheduled day, and answer any questions that they might have of him, then I believe that he doesn’t have what it takes to lead this country and to conduct the business of this country as President and he especially doesn’t have what it takes to be Commander in Chief of our country’s Armed Forces. Sorry buster, but you definitely won’t be getting my vote in November.

New York Times

Blockbuster & USO Teaming Up To Support The Troops

Terri — Mon, 14 Jul 2008 07:00:28 +0000

Even when our Troops are deployed, they have downtime, in which they’re not at work. To pass the time, they try to fill the time with something that they enjoy. That may be reading or perhaps watching a movie or playing a video game. Movies and video games have been popular among the deployed Troops to help them fill in that downtime. Recognizing this, Blockbuster stores across the United States have partnered with the USO to make it easier to Americans to donate video games and DVDs deployed Troops.

“The DVD and game drive is a way for Blockbuster stores and the American public to make life a little better for US servicemen and women when they’re so far away from home,” Larcine Bland, Blockbuster’s vice president for community affairs said.

Customers are able to purchase a new or previously viewed DVD or games at participating Blockbuster stores. They then drop the movies or games into a USO drop box that is provided. Because of security reasons, the USO can only accept DVDs and games that originate from participating Blockbuster stores. Blockbuster will then match donations made at the store, up to 20,000 DVDs. They will work closely with the USO to ensure that the movies and games are distributed to Troops around the world.

“We are excited to work with Blockbuster, to continue to boost the morale of our men and women in uniform and their families around the world,” said Edward A. Powell, USO president and chief executive officer.

Movies, video games and music are things that I always suggest to someone who asks what would be the best thing for them to send our deployed Troops. These items allow them the opportunity to unwind a little bit when they have the time away from the harsh realities of life during deployment.
This is a great opportunity for people who want to do something tangible to show their support for our Troops. Please take the time to visit your local Blockbuster Store and see if they’re participating in this program and do your part in sending some support to our deployed Troops. If they’re not, don’t hesitate to let them know how you feel about them not participating.

Military.com

Defenselink

Medals For Valor Awarded To 12 Paratroopers In Afghanistan

Terri — Sun, 13 Jul 2008 07:00:28 +0000

Paratroopers assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 503rd Parachute Infantry Regiment, 173 Airborne Brigade Combat Team have been operating in Korengal Valley, Afghanistan for the past 14 months. That region is rugged, primative and seculded and one of the most dangerous areas for combat operations. Soldiers in the region have very few luxuries, operating with only the bare necessities. Their jobs are quite complex and always dangerous. They are often patrolling the Korengal Valley and it’s surrounding areas for days at a time. When they’re out on patrol, they have little or no contact with the rest of the world. If you recall, this is the same area of Afghanistan, that Marcus Luttrell wrote about in Lone Survivor.

Admiral Mullen pinning a Silver Star on the uniform of Captain Greg Ambrosia

On July 12th, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Admiral Mike Mullen presented 12 of these men with awards for valor. Five were pinned with Army Commendation Medals with valor devices, five were pinned with Purple Hearts, one with a Bronze Star with valor device and one with a Silver Star, at a ceremony that was held at their combat outpost.

“It’s an honor and privilege to be here,” Mullen said to the awardees. “This ceremony is about individuals who represent the sacrifice of so many.”

The recepient of the Silver Star that Mullen awarded, Army Captain Greg Ambrosia, executive officer of Company A, shared that he felt he could attribute his leadership and confidence, to the lives he was able to save, during a confrontation that he and his men had with the Taliban, the night of September 27th. Ambrosia and his men had set up a makeshift combat outpost, after they had made an air assault into the valley one night. Very early the next morning, the enemy made contact, bombarding them with a hail of rocket propelled grenades and gunfire. It was impossible to discern where the enemy was firing from.

“We spotted an enemy scout and eventually made contact, but he was able to [disengage and communicate] our location to other fighters in the valley,” Ambrosia said.

Very soon, there were three different enemy elements moving in on their location. Each element had from 3 to 5 fighters each. Quickly, they were within hand grenade range, of Ambrosia and his men. All hell was getting ready to break lose.

“They were able to get to really close using the terrain,” he continued. “At one point, I started calling the vehicles in the valley to start shooting on our position, because the enemy was too close to call in artillery or mortar fire.”

“So we ended up having our guys shooting on our own position,” he continued.

The interpretor with them was monitoring enemy radio traffic. That traffic let them know that the enemy was preparing to overrun their positions and take any survivors hostage. Luckily they were able to repel the enemy advance. While waiting for the aerial support that he had called in, things began getting really bad. The enemy was using hand grenades, as they moved closer and closer to their position. Under the leadership of Ambrosia, he and his men were able to repel the enemy until the apache gunships arrived. Ambrosia has no idea how many enemy fighters he and his men killed, but does know that two of his men were wounded.

Because Captain Ambrosia was able to remain calm under fire, he and his men were able to leave that valley alive. Those men were provided thanks from a grateful nation, when Admiral Mullen pinned their awards on their chests. Because of the bravery and courage of these men, some enemy fighters will be unable to terrorize and kill the innocents of that region of Afghanistan.

Defenselink

Paws For Patriots

Terri — Sat, 12 Jul 2008 07:00:19 +0000

In 2003, board member of the Southeastern Guide Dogs Inc, Bobby Newman, heard about a young Marine who had lost his eyesight in Iraq. Newman who is the executive vice president of the Tampa, Florida based J.C. Newman Cigar Company, heard from a friend from a St. Petersburg cigar shop, that one of it’s regular customers had lost his eyesight, after being hit by an IED.

Marine Lance Corporal Michael Jernigan had been on a mounted patrol near Baghdad in August 2004, when his Humvee was struck by 2 IEDs. Jernigan was peppered with shrapnel, which crushed his forehead and damaged the optical nerves in both of his eyes, to the point that they couldn’t be repaired. The blast also caused severe injuries to his right hand and left knee and he almost bled to death from a laceration to his femoral artery.

“He was still in the hospital in November 2004, when I called his mother and told her I was so sorry about what happened and that we wanted to get her son a guide dog,” Newman said.

After hearing about Jernigan’s injuries, Newman found out, from doing research, that the VA doesn’t provide guilde dogs for blinded Soldiers. That’s when he spearheaded an effort to make military leaders aware of this and let them know that they wished to help these Soldiers. With Newman’s leadership, the program Paws for Patriots was established, to provide guide dogs to blinded Soldiers. They have also placed a dog named Troy at Walter Reed Army Medical Center in 2006, to help encourage the Soldiers who were patients there, as they went through the physical therapy that is often grueling and the most challenging thing many of them have ever faced, as they recovered from their injuries.

About a year after his injury, and after an extremely long recovery, that included numerous surgeries, Jernigan was finally able to take Newman up on his offer. He was medically retired from the Marines and received his first guide dog shortly afterwards. After going through the training school at Southeastern Guide Dogs, Jernigan and his dog went home. Unfortunately, that first dog didn’t work out, and Jernigan got his current dog, Brittani, about a year afterwards. So far, Brittani, a 3 year old Labrador, has been a perfect match.

“She goes everywhere with me, literally everywhere,” Jernigan says. “When I’m on an airplane, she’s on the floor in front of me. When I’m on the train, she’s with me. If I’m at a public restroom, I open the door and tell Brittani to find the urinal and she leads me right to it. She knows where the ticket counter is in the train station, and once I get my ticket, she’ll take me right to an empty chair. She can find elevators, escalators, staircases and different things like that. With Brittani, I have less stress in my life.”

Jernigan leads a very busy and active life. He’s currently attending the Norhern Virginia Community College in Alexandria, Virginia, studying International Studies. His plans are to attend Georgetown University this fall to continue his studies. His life has changed dramatically, even though he’s picked up the pieces of his life and has definitive goals in mind. Brittani makes that change easier. His drive for independence and his courage are boosted by Brittani. She provides the stability and comfort he needs to allow him to be independent.

“You feel that harness at the end of your hand, and you can feel the heat of the dog on your leg and you lean over and her fur brushes up against you, and you know there’s somebody there, always with you, and it’s very comforting and assurring,” he says. “Each successful day builds a deeper bond and you get more confident. And that confidence equates to a lot of other things in my life.”

What an amazing display of kindness to another human being. I applaud Mr. Newman for his efforts and would love to see Paws For Patriots grow and expand. It’s wonderful that Mr. Newman and the Southeastern Guide Dogs, Inc have made it their mission to ensure that our blinded Veterans are receiving the best of the best. Just like our Wounded Warriors who lose limbs, their injuries are also very life altering. If you’d like to learn more about the Paws for Patriots program at Southeastern Guide Dogs, Inc, please visit their website. There, you’ll also find a promotional video about the program.

Paws For Patriots

Salute Magazine, June 2008 Issue