Army Strives to Reduce Suicide, Mental-health Issues

By Donna Miles American Forces Press Service WASHINGTON, Aug. 8, 2010 - The Army is striving to reduce soldier suicides and mental-health problems by giving troops more dwell time between deployments, identifying tell-tale symptoms more quickly and eliminating the stigma of seeking help, the Army vice chief of staff said today. Army Gen. Peter W. Chiarelli recapped findings of a task force he commissioned to reduce soldier suicides and mental-health problems during an interview with Christiane Amanpour on ABC's "This Week." The task force offered 250 recommendations, including establishing health promotion councils at each installation, expanding behavioral health screenings and recruiting additional behavioral health counselors. "We have a force that has been stressed after almost a decade of war," Chiarelli said today, with many that have been home for just 12 to 16 months between 12- to 15-month deployments. In some cases, this stress has led to problems with alcohol and drug abuse, legal troubles, mental-health issues and, in the most extreme cases, suicide. The first step in reducing that stress level, Chiarelli said, is to provide soldiers 24 months before year-long deployments, and ultimately, three months at home for every month deployed. "We know when that happens many of the problems that we've seen will in fact meliorate themselves," Chiarelli said. Meanwhile, the Army is bolstering its behavioral health staff and encouraging more soldiers to take advantage of their services, he said. It's an effort Chiarelli said starts at the top. "If you want to get at stigma, you start with the brigade commander [and] brigade command sergeant major and work right down the chain of command so every soldier sees his leader going through the same checks that the soldier's going to go through," he said. "Leaders need to lead, to know their soldiers, to look for those signs that they see that Pfc. Chiarelli has changed. Pfc. Chiarelli is going out and maybe drinking a little bit too much, showing up for work late, whatever it might be," he said. Part of the problem, he conceded, is that too many soldiers recognize that they need help, but put off getting it because they feel such a personal responsibility to their units and battle buddies. "That's one of the issues that we have to get through is we try to break down stigma -- to get soldiers to understand that these hidden wounds of war are things that they've got to seek help for when they have problems," Chiarelli said. The Army also is exploring innovative approaches to identify troops grappling with the emotional stresses of combat and get them the care they need. "We're looking for new ways to be able to deliver behavior health, such as virtual behavior health where we literally bring up a network using the Internet, using the network of doctors, say 200, from all over the United States who can, in fact, provide a good, good look at our soldiers when they return," Chiarelli said.

Biographies: Army Gen. Peter W. Chiarelli Related Articles: Army Releases Suicide Report, Prevention Recommendations

Marking 20 Years Since Operation Desert Shield

By Jim Garamone
American Forces Press Service

WASHINGTON, Aug. 7, 2010 - When Iraqi forces began pouring over the border into neighboring Kuwait, most Americans would have had a hard time finding the country on a map.

Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein ordered his troops to occupy Kuwait on Aug. 2, 1990 – calling the oil-rich nation Iraq's "19th province."

At the top of the Persian Gulf, Kuwait is a strategic country. It is a prominent member of the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries. It has one of the highest standards of living in the world. Controlling Kuwait meant that Iraq would significantly increase its share of the world's oil reserves.

The world was shocked by the Iraqi move, and neighboring Saudi Arabia was alarmed. No one was sure whether Iraq would stop at the border with Saudi Arabia or move forces into some of the most productive oil fields in the world.

A total of 140,000 Iraqi soldiers, supported by 850 tanks, entered Kuwait on Aug. 2. While tensions with Iraq were high, Kuwait had not alerted its forces. Iraqi aircraft bombed Kuwait City and the air bases in the country. Kuwaiti army units launched attacks against the invading forces, but they were far outnumbered, and the ruling family barely was able to escape to Saudi Arabia before Iraqi forces ringed Kuwait City.

Kuwait turned to the United Nations, and the Security Council passed a resolution calling for Iraq to withdraw from Kuwait and asking member nations to work together toward that goal.

President George H.W. Bush ordered American air, sea and ground forces to Saudi Arabia, beginning Operation Desert Shield on Aug. 7, 1990. That day, the Air Force sent 48 F-15 fighters of the 1st Fighter Wing from Langley Air Force Base, Va., to Saudi Arabia, where they immediately began patrolling the Saudi-Kuwait-Iraq border areas. The Navy sent the USS Dwight D. Eisenhower and USS Independence carrier battle groups to the region. The Army and Marine Corps mobilized to send ground forces to Saudi Arabia, with the leading edge of the Army's 82nd and 101st airborne divisions arriving Aug. 8.

Defense Secretary Dick Cheney and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Army Gen. Colin L. Powell began a schedule of near-constant traveling to meet with counterparts around the world.

Those other nations hurried troops, ships and aircraft to the area, where they fell in on the American and Saudi forces and what was left of the Kuwaiti military. The coalition that eventually formed was broad-based, and included 34 nations from Argentina to Bangladesh. Iraqi neighbors Qatar, Oman, the United Arab Emirates and Egypt also participated to roll back the aggression.

The troops landed in Saudi Arabia during the hottest time of the year. Anyone who can afford to tries to leave Saudi Arabia in August; the temperatures regularly rise to more than 130 degrees, and the prevailing winds from the Persian Gulf bring humidity. The media were full of pictures of American servicemembers slamming down bottles of water as sweat stained their "chocolate chip" desert camouflage uniforms.

In the United States, Desert Shield necessitated the first major call-up of reserve component forces since the war in Korea. Under an order Bush signed on Aug. 22, National Guard and other reserve-component forces reported for duty.

The coalition commander they reported to was Army Gen. H. Norman Schwarzkopf. The media called him "Stormin' Norman." A West Point graduate who had served in Vietnam, Schwarzkopf had been the commander of U.S. Central Command since 1988. One of the plans on Centcom's shelf was the defense of the oil fields against an Iraqi invasion.

At the time, the Iraqi army was the fourth-largest in the world. American planners stressed the force was battle tested and had a large percentage of combat veterans from the Iran-Iraq War in its ranks. That war – the first launched by Saddam Hussein – lasted from 1980 to 1988, and Iraq held its own against a country three times larger. Centcom officials expected a battle to drive Iraq out of Kuwait would be long and costly.

At the beginning of August, there was little that would halt any Iraqi offensive into Saudi Arabia. By the middle of the month, air, sea and ground assets had grown. By the end of August, Desert Shield had grown to be able to defeat any attack into Saudi Arabia.

Now the question was: What next?
 

Helping troubled vets

Helping Troubled Vets

 

 

The Labor Department is working to open doors for veterans looking for a second chance.

Recovery Act Funds to Help Veterans or maybe not?

This is all fine and dandy but I will bet you dollars to donuts it won't help resolve the claims back log or give more access to health care fror veterans. They cannot evewn pay off a simple dependency claim off in a timely fashion expect more of the same from the VA and veterans will suffer for it. The Va has made improvements I will grant you but it is a tragically flawed bureaucracy that needs rebuilt top to bottom. 1.8 Billion in stimulus money should go straight to processing and paying off the million or so claims they have yet to handle before anything resembling large infrastructure should be addressed just my opinion.




VA Obligates Last of its Recovery Act Funds to Help Veterans


$1.8 Billion Investment Improves Care and Services for Veterans




WASHINGTON (August 5, 2010)- The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA)
committed the last of its $1.8 billion in Recovery Act funds July 31,
one of the first federal agencies to achieve that milestone.  Projects
at more than 1,200 sites in all 50 states, the District of Columbia and
Puerto Rico will increase access to health care and services to
Veterans, while creating jobs and stimulating the economy.



"Veterans across the Nation are benefiting from these Recovery Act
funds," said Secretary of Veterans Affairs Eric K. Shinseki.  "Recovery
Act projects are improving medical care, speeding claims processing,
enhancing our national cemeteries, advancing our energy efficiency, and
generating jobs for Americans."



VA rapidly put American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (Recovery Act)
funding to work to improve its medical facilities, revitalize its
national cemeteries, hire claims processors, upgrade technology systems
and assist states in acquiring, building or remodeling state nursing
homes and domiciliary facilities for Veterans.



The funding received by VA is part of President Obama's economic
recovery plan to improve services to America's Veterans.  By obligating
these funds quickly, VA is revitalizing its infrastructure and moving
needed money into the economy.



Using Recovery Act funds, VA entered into 1,521 contracts with 696
contractors. Three-quarters of the contractors are Veterans owned
businesses, either service disabled Veteran owned businesses or Veteran
owned small businesses.



Health Care Services Enhanced

VA obligated $1 billion to improve VA medical care facilities across the
country through building renovations, roadway and walkway repairs, high
cost equipment replacement, security improvements, new construction,
replacement of steam lines and boiler plants, upgrades in emergency
power distribution, and purchases of additional emergency generators
among others.

To help Veterans access care, Recovery Act projects in VA medical
facilities will add or improve more than 26,000 parking spaces and 39
elevator banks are being built or upgraded. VA will upgrade nearly
14,000 inpatient bed spaces, while 16 pharmacy renovation projects will
help Veterans get medicines quicker and more efficiently.  More than
14,400 clinical improvement projects, some with multiple exam rooms,
will be undertaken.



Funds are also helping ensure VA health care facilities function more
efficiently (by reducing annual recurring maintenance and upkeep cost)
and are equipped to provide world-class care to Veterans.



Specific projects include:

*                     Bedford, Mass., VA Medical Center (VAMC) mental
health unit renovation, $7.165 million;

*                     Philadelphia VAMC emergency room renovations,
$4.74 million;

*                     Cleveland VAMC surgical suite refurbishment, $8.5
million;

*                     New Haven, Conn., VAMC private and semi-private
inpatient units, $7.743 million;

*                     Hines, Ill., VAMC electrical distribution
infrastructure upgrade, $8 million.

*

VA serves 5.5 million Veterans annually in its hospitals, outpatient
clinics and rural health programs.



Energy Conservation

VA is promoting energy conservation and reducing its environmental
footprint by investing $200 million in Recovery Act funds for renewable
energy generation technologies, metering systems, and energy
conservation and water-saving measures.  In total, the renewable energy
systems awarded represent more than 9 megawatts of planned power
generating capacity from solar, wind, and cogeneration technologies.

Two national cemeteries, in Bourne, Mass., and San Joaquin, Calif.,
anticipate producing enough electricity to supply nearly all of their
energy needs.



VA is installing solar photovoltaic systems at facilities in
Albuquerque, N.M.; Tucson, Ariz.; Dublin, Ga.; Calverton, N.Y.; San
Joaquin, Calif., and Riverside, Calif.



VA is erecting a wind turbine in Bourne, Mass., and is constructing a
geothermal system at its medical center in St. Cloud, Minn.



In addition, VA is building renewably fueled cogeneration systems at
five medical facilities:  Togus, Maine; White River Junction, Vt.;
Chillicothe, Ohio; Loma Linda, Calif.; and Canandaigua, N.Y.



VA is installing metering systems at all VA-owned facilities to monitor
energy utilities, including electricity, water, chilled water, steam,
and natural gas consumption.



VA is also investing $197 million in energy and water infrastructure
improvements.  VA facilities across the country are upgrading their
facilities to reduce energy consumption and water usage and better
manage related costs.



Claims Processing Improvements

VA is working to improve the systems for processing claims to more
quickly and efficiently deliver benefits to Veterans.  VA has obligated
$150 million to hire, train and equip new employees to improve claims
processing and speed the delivery of benefits to Veterans.  VA has hired
approximately 2,700 temporary and permanent employees to assist with
processing Veterans' claims for VA benefits.



National Cemeteries Revitalized

Throughout VA's system of 131 national cemeteries, 391 improvement
projects are underway using $50 million in Recovery Act funding.   VA is
restoring and preserving 49 historic monuments and memorials, becoming
more energy efficient by investing in renewable energy sources (solar
and wind), moving forward on nine energy conservation projects, and
improving access and visitor safety with 49 road, paving and grounds
improvement projects.



Recovery Act funds are also being used to raise, realign, and clean
approximately 200,000 headstones and markers, repair sunken graves, and
renovate turf at 22 VA national cemeteries.



One-time Benefit Payments

The Recovery Act provided one-time $250 economic recovery payments to
eligible Veterans, their survivors, and dependents to help mitigate the
effects of the current economy.  $7.1 million were intended for
administrative support of the one-time benefit payments.  VA was able to
successfully administer the program with a savings of approximately $6.1
million, and may return the remaining funds to the US Treasury.

Lavelle Posthumously Nominated to General Injustice Corrected

Lavelle Posthumously Nominated to General             The Department of Defense announced today that retired Air Force Maj. Gen. John D. Lavelle has been nominated posthumously by the President for advancement on the retired rolls to the rank of general.  This follows an Air Force Board for Correction of Military Records decision and recommendations from the secretary of defense and secretary of the Air Force.              In April 1972, Lavelle was removed from command as a result of allegations that he ordered unauthorized bombing missions into North Vietnam, and that he authorized the falsification of reports to conceal the missions.  Lavelle was retired in the grade of major general, two grades lower than the last grade he served on active duty.  Lavelle died in 1979.               In 2007, newly released and declassified information resulted in evidence that Lavelle was authorized by President Richard Nixon to conduct the bombing missions.  Further, the Air Force Board for Correction of Military Records found no evidence Lavelle caused, either directly or indirectly, the falsification of records, or that he was even aware of their existence.  Once he learned of the reports, Lavelle took action to ensure the practice was discontinued.              In light of the new information, a request was made to the Air Force Board for Correction of Military Records for reinstatement to the grade of general, Lavelle's last grade while on active duty.                 The evidence presented clearly corrected the historical record and warranted a reassessment of Lavelle's retired grade.               For more information, media should call Air Force Public Affairs, at 703-695-0640.

U.S. Department of Defense
Office of the Assistant Secretary of Defense (Public Affairs)

On the Web: http://www.defense.gov/releases/
Media Contact: +1 (703) 697-5131/697-5132
Public Contact: http://www.defense.gov/landing/questions.aspx or +1 (703) 428-0711 +1

http://www.defense.gov/releases/release.aspx?releaseid=13774

VA Simplifies Access to Health Care and Benefits for Veterans with PTSD

WASHINGTON (July 12, 2010) - Secretary of Veterans Affairs Eric K.
Shinseki announced a critical step forward in providing an easier
process for Veterans seeking health care and disability compensation for
Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), with the publication of a final
regulation in the Federal Register.

"This nation has a solemn obligation to the men and women who have
honorably served this country and suffer from the often devastating
emotional wounds of war," said Secretary of Veterans Affairs Eric K.
Shinseki.  "This final regulation goes a long way to ensure that
Veterans receive the benefits and services they need."

By publishing a final regulation in the Federal Register to simplify the
process for a Veteran to claim service connection for PTSD, VA reduces
the evidence needed if the trauma claimed by a Veteran is related to
fear of hostile military or terrorist activity and is consistent with
the places, types, and circumstances of the Veteran's service.

This science-based regulation relies on evidence that concluded that a
Veteran's deployment to a war zone is linked to an increased risk of
PTSD.

Under the new rule, VA would not require corroboration of a stressor
related to fear of hostile military or terrorist activity if a VA doctor
confirms that the stressful experience recalled by a Veteran adequately
supports a diagnosis of PTSD and the Veteran's symptoms are related to
the claimed stressor.

Previously, claims adjudicators were required to corroborate that a
non-combat Veteran actually experienced a stressor related to hostile
military activity.  This final rule simplifies the development that is
required for these cases.

VA expects this rulemaking to decrease the time it takes VA to decide
access to care and claims falling under the revised criteria.  More than
400,000 Veterans currently receiving compensation benefits are service
connected for PTSD.  Combined with VA's shorter claims form, VA's new
streamlined, science-based regulation allows for faster and more
accurate decisions that also expedite access to medical care and other
benefits for Veterans.

PTSD is a medically recognized anxiety disorder that can develop from
seeing or experiencing an event that involves actual or threatened death
or serious injury to which a person responds with intense fear,
helplessness or horror, and is not uncommon among war Veterans.

Disability compensation is a tax-free benefit paid to a Veteran for
disabilities that are a result of -- or made worse by -- injuries or
diseases associated with active service.

For additional information, go to www.va.gov <http://www.va.gov/>  or
call VA's toll free benefits number at 1-800-827-1000.