PTSD, pt. 3

From "The Last Tour"
By William Finnegan
The New Yorker
Sept. 29 issue:

"Robert Gates, the Secretary of Defense, is said to be considering making some P.T.S.D. sufferers eligible for the Purple Heart. Wounded veterans are symbolically popular figures, if individually painful, and sometimes frightening. Certainly, most politicians want to be associated with their cause. And yet the difficulty of maintaining the troop levels necessary for the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan has placed the Bush Administration at odds with veterans’ groups. All such organizations supported what became known as the New G.I. Bill, which would provide increased education benefits. The Administration opposed it, on the ground that the appeal of a college education might sap troop levels. John McCain, himself a veteran, agreed. Ultimately, at the end of June, President Bush signed a modified version of the bill.

In the Marine Corps, the Wounded Warrior Regiment, created in 2007, marks a step toward the assumption of longer-term institutional responsibility for casualties, both physical and mental. “Used to be, we met them at the hospital door, shook their hand, thanked them for their service, gave them a discharge, and said goodbye,” Colonel Greg Boyle, the regiment’s commander, told me. “Now it’s marine for life.” Boyle did not mean that there would always be a place, a job, for disabled marines but that his regiment would track them and offer support throughout their post-discharge lives. P.T.S.D. victims are among those for whom the regiment is designed."

PTSD, pt. 2

From "The Last Tour"
By William Finnegan
The New Yorker
Sept. 29 issue:

"It has been called by different names—shell shock, battle fatigue—in different eras, but P.T.S.D., in its combat form, has been around for as long as war has. Odysseus and his men had it. Although Twiggs used the word “paranoid” to describe his mood when he was Stateside, the more accurate term, used by P.T.S.D. researchers, might be “hypervigilance”—a normal adaptive strategy for surviving combat, except that the “on” switch is not easily turned off. Dr. Jonathan Shay, a P.T.S.D. specialist, thinks that even calling it a disorder is misleading: P.T.S.D. is an injury. There are degrees of damage, ranging from standard combat stress, which can be treated with a few days’ rest, to full-blown complex P.T.S.D., which is very difficult to treat, let alone cure. It is best understood, though, as a psychic wound, one that can be crippling, even fatal, in its myriad complications.

Compared with other American wars, the conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan seem to be producing victims at a high rate. A recent RAND Corporation study estimated that three hundred thousand veterans of America’s post-9/11 wars—nearly twenty per cent of those who have served—are suffering from P.T.S.D. or major depression, and many more cases are expected to surface in the years ahead. This elevated rate is generally attributed to the rigors of a long war being fought without conscription: multiple deployments and heavy use of National Guard and reserve units. And on the ground, at unit level, the discouragement of anyone with stress symptoms from asking for help is intense. The same RAND study found that, mainly because of the stigma still attached to P.T.S.D., only half of those afflicted have sought treatment."

Off topic: Joining the 99 percenters

The tailgating didn't end well. Held together with paint sticks and duct tape, the canopy gave up the ghost.



Fortunately, the Jags did better. They beat the Texans 30 - 27 in overtime.




Number One Fan Mike and his friend Dave in pre-game. Number One 1.1 Fan was in Fayetteville with a buddy watching the game on satellite in high def.

SSG. Yance T. Gray

Staff Sergeant Yance T. Gray with his family (from the Arlington National Cemetery website)



Mrs. Gray from the Sept. 29 issue of The New Yorker

Just over a year ago, SSG Gray and six others died in a vehicle accident in downtown Baghdad just a little more than a year ago. Gray and his fellow soldiers were in Delta Co., 1-325 Airborne Regiment, 82nd Airborne...Mark's battalion. You may remember Gray, he was one of several soldiers who authored an OpEd piece in The New York Times questioning the tactics being employed on the streets of Baghdad. His co-author SGT Omar Mora also died that day.

My memory was jogged by a remarkable portfolio by the photographer Platon in the current issue of The New Yorker. While I remember when we were notified about the incident, I was remiss this year in not saying a prayer for the families earlier this month. I will take care of that today.

Some dads

Some of us think alike and act the same when our sons are deployed. This from a friend of mine whose son is returning home from Iraq:

Below is a shortened Letterman top 10 list of things I thought I would
never do.

6. Have a map of Iraq on my desk and know all of the towns/roads in Anbar
province.
5. Have a clock set to Baghdad time.
4. Send the Marine support network contact info every time I leave town.
3. Cruise military websites and blogs for info.
2. Become conversant with military slang. Example: belly bling = shrapnel
1. Get misty eyed when the flag is raised and the National Anthem is played.

Let's see: I had a map of Iraq and a street map of Baghdad (currently in storage). My Baghdad clock is currently set for Riyahd (Saudi Arabia) where my brother and sister-in-law currently reside. I have thrown most of my military bookmarks away. I can tell you what a dead man's profile is (no physical activity)and the roughest part of the Jaguars football game is the National Anthem.

Ships passing in the dark

We have two very good families who are parents of Marines. In fact, we really only know two Marine families and they are wonderful friends. One family lives in Virginia, the other here in Florida. They don't know each other, but we know them.

One son is coming home from a deployment. The other has just started. And son of gun, they ended being stationed at the same facility in Al Anbar Province. Don't know whether they actually ever saw each other in transition (not likely). But what are the odds?

I assume families around major military posts see this phenomenon occasionally. But so many of us are scattered all over the map.

It reminds me of how small a group of us are carrying on the wars.

Hurricane Ike

Mark's company goes on 24-hour FEMA recall on Friday. Here's why:



Gilchrist,Texas before Ike



Gilchrist after Ike

I have no right to complain.

News

In June, a 20-year-old Green Beret candidate disappeared on a land navigation course at Ft. Bragg. They found him dead the next day. The Army released the autopsy findings last week: snake bite. The St. Petersburg Times wrote a sad but touching story about the soldier and his father. You can read about it here.

My oldest son is getting married Oct. 25 to Tara here in Jacksonville. SGT Mark, the best man, is trying to arrange a pass but a 24-hour FEMA recall and a training jump may cause some problems.

My brother and sister-in-law have settled in to Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. I've been tasked to use Skype so we can talk to each other via the Internet inexpensively. My computer speakers stopped working Saturday and I don't have a microphone, so a trip to Office Depot is in the future.

The Jaguars are home this Sunday for a game with the Texans. The team's number 1 fan in Ft. Bragg was thrilled with the Jags victory over the Colts this weekend. Gayle and I gave up this year's vacation for season tickets in the hopes that Mark may have a chance to see a game in person. So far, it hasn't worked out.

Obama rally, take 2

SGT Mark at the wheel after the Sen. Obama rally.




Bodie, the Airborne dog.

Sen. Obama

These are historic times. Two wars, the economy teetering. Regardless of who wins, this will be a historic presidential election.

In that spirit, I went downtown yesterday hoping to see Sen. Obama firsthand having seen Sen. McCain earlier in the year. We reviewed the "no" list in the newspaper: no video cameras, no signs, no umbrellas, no chairs, etc. So I thought, what the heck, I'll fire up my Nikons and take a few pictures for the blog.

We left more than two hours before the event was scheduled to start. Traffic was incredible and police were directing our line into an area where there was no parking. After flopping around, we found an empty "No parking - Tow zone" spot and parked. We hiked a half mile where the line into Metro Park, a riverfront park in downtown Jacksonville, had formed. The line itself looked to be several football fields long.

At that point, I was accosted by an officious twenty-something.

"You can't take those in there," she said, referring to my cameras.

"Why not?"

"You can't take a camera with interchangeable lenses into the park."

"Why not?"

"There might be explosives in them."

"Here check them."

"No, that would take too long."

I almost pulled the Iraq card on her since Mark was with me.

But I thought the better of it. After all, I looked very suspicious with my Key West golf shirt and blue jeans.

I took Mark's keys and sloughed back to his truck where I hid the cameras under his ACU's and his red Airborne beret in the back seat.

On the way back, I received a call from Mike, my oldest son. They weren't letting anyone else in...the Metro Park had reached capacity.

So Gayle, SGT Mark, Mike and I went over to the Jacksonville Ale House where, over a pitcher of beer, onion rings and some pretty decent food, we told silly stories and laughed and laughed and laughed.

When we dropped by Mike's house later in St. Nicholas, we could hear Sen. Obama's voice booming across the St. Johns River. I looked at my pocket watch. It was 4 p.m. He was an hour and half late.

An image popped into my mind: Standing in a rain soaked park, elbow-to-elbow with 12,000 people or sitting down to lunch with my family.

I think we lucked out.

Back in the sand

My oldest son Mike came over last night with his two pooches. Outback take out, all three boys, four dogs and three cats. Blissful chaos. Even though it was national pirate's day, the boys stayed in and watched Pirates of the Caribbean, pt. 2 with Mom and Dad.

My brother and my sister-in-law head to Saudi Arabia for a year. Another adventure in the sand. They will be working at KAUST. It's ironic that they will have a difficult time obtaining phone service when they get there. When Mark showed up in Baghdad on his second tour, he had cell service and called us when he got there.

Sen. Obama is supposed to come to Jacksonville this afternoon. I may go because I attended a McCain event earlier in the year. But the weather is very iffy and we had two inches of rain overnight.

Change in plans

Turns out the Red Falcons will be on 24 recall beginning next weekend. So Mark went to work yesterday and found a three-day pass on his desk. He is currently asleep in his room.

Cheers.

Have a great weekend.

Ike

The Red Falcons have been put on a 24 hour recall for FEMA. They may be headed south to Texas or Louisiana. Don't know much beyond that so we will see.

Sen. McCain was in town Monday and Sen. Obama will be here Saturday. It's been 20 years since Jacksonville has received this kind of attention. It's a bit surprising because North Florida has been the Republican stronghold since the mid-80s. I think it demonstrates how close the race is. Turnout will be the key.

Talked with a friend of mine last night. He is a Vietnam vet. He said he didn't sleep for 14 years after he came home. Night terrors would send him flying out of bed in the middle of the night. Things do improve with time. At least these days, we know with what we are dealing.

Back in the sand

We have another friend heading back over to Iraq today. His name his John Heald, a Marine. Please put him on your prayer lists.

His mom and I worked together 20 years ago at a local TV station. We had drifted over the years after I realized that I was stumble tongued and not able to do live TV. Two years ago, we reconnected. Don't think we could have ever imagined that our two young sons who were bouncing around the newsroom would have gone to war . . . voluntarily, 20 years later.

How did that happen?

New day, new job

Thanks everyone for stopping by yesterday. As they say, every new day brings a new dawn. And, as the sun peeps above the tree line this morning, we have learned that SGT Mark has taken a new job at battalion. This, we believe, is just what the doctor ordered. We hope he can finish his last 358 days in the Army there.

I was in Deland, Florida (near Orlando) yesterday. Didn't see any $5 a gallon prices yet. But gas prices are up 40 cents from Friday to $4.09.

Did learn that TS Fay was a once in a 500 year event for Central Florida in terms of rainfall. The St. Johns River is still out of its banks after three weeks. The last 500 year event was in 2004. Hmmmm.

Monday, Monday

Lets see:

The Dow is down 300 points as I write;
Gas is up to $5 a gallon (and I am traveling this week);
One of our battle buddies' son is heading to Iraq Wednesday;
The Jaguars lost 20-16;
The political rhetoric is angry and hate-filled;
My son's platoon sergeant thinks he is an SB;
Thousands of people are suffering in Texas and Louisiana.

I think it's time to declare a news moratorium.

Curing the Fayetteville funk and Ike

Gayle and I headed out to the beach today figuring a little vitamin D and shark tooth hunting might cure my version of the Fayetteville funk. It was also an opportunity to shoot some photographs for La Florida.

When we got there, the beach was quiet and uncrowded. A mild east wind piled clouds along the sea breeze line and the sanderlings and willets scooted along tide line. We gave thanks that we still had a beach and said a silent prayer for the people who live in East Texas and West Louisiana devastated by Ike.

At Ft. Bragg, the Humvees were lined up in front of 2nd Brigade headquarters and soldiers were loading duffel bags. There were Joe rumors that some of the 82nd Airborne was heading out for disaster relief and judging by the early video from Texas, they are going to be needed. But we really don't where they were headed.

I was in a meeting with one of the executives from a local convenience store chain yesterday. He said the price of wholesale gasoline shot up a $1.60 yesterday, which should send gas prices over $5 shortly. Ike will be a national calamity if that happens.

So with the news from Fayetteville sounding a little more promising yesterday and gas prices shooting through the roof, we are going to try for a quiet, worry-free weekend.

Cheers. And go Jaguars.