Today is November 11, 2011. Remember our Veterans. all Veterans, and never forget Pat Lamoureux.
PAT LAMOUREUX
PAT LAMOUREUX - One episode in a person's life, does not define the person.
Friday, November 11, 2011
Friday, September 9, 2011
How September 11, 2001 changed my life
2,977 people died as a result of the terrorist attacks that
morning. 2,606 at the World Trade
Center location; 125 at the Pentagon; 87 on American Flight #11; 60 on United Flight #175; 59 on American Flight 77; and 40 on United Flight #93. More
than 70 countries lost citizens that day. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/September_11,_2001_attacks)
The effects of that day continue to impact our country. As the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq rage on,
on September 5, 2011, the U.S. Central Command confirmed 6,200 casualties from the wars. 9/5/11 http://militarytimes.com/valor/
On September 1, 2011, the Associated Press reported that August 2011 marked the first month since the 2003 invasion of Iraq, that no casualties were reported in Iraq. The AP reported that 4,474 deaths had occurred in Iraq alone since 2003.
If there had never been a 9/11, families would not have lost their loved ones in these wars on foreign soil. They would not have had to meet that flag-draped casket at the airport returning from a long journey across the sea.
If there had never been a 9/11, we would not have families
whose loved ones came home missing limbs, badly burned, and debilitated from
their service to our country – not only physically wounded, but also PSYCHOLOGICALLY
wounded.
On September 5, 2011, Veterans for Common Sense reported
that every day, 18 veterans complete suicide.
For the past two years, more veterans have died as a result of suicide
than were killed by the enemy.
“In war, there are no unwounded soldiers” (J. Narosky); the
wounds of war are not always visible, but the psychological wounds of war are
just as real as the physical wounds.
Prior to the 2003 invasion of Iraq, the Veterans Administration had communicated
to the White House that the “estimated” cases of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder
(PTSD) resulting from the war in Iraq would be 8,000. That is not a typographical error; in 2003 the
VA estimated 8,000 cases of combat related PTSD.
In September 2009, Stanford University released information
from a study which indicated that we can expect an astounding 700,000 soldiers to be impacted by
PTSD. That number is far more realistic than
the 2003 estimate.
Everyone should remember that those 700,000 soldiers have
families, and PTSD also impacts the members of that soldier’s family. I believe that on September 19, 2008 my life was directly impacted as a result of 9/11. On September 19, 2008, my wonderful, kind, caring, loving husband snapped.
If he had not been in the Army Reserve, he
would not have been activated and sent to Iraq with the invasion forces in 2003.
He would not have come home only to
receive inadequate and inappropriate care from the VA. He would not have spent 2-1/2
years confined in a county jail without a trial, and he would not have been
sitting in prison for the past 6 months.
Pat Lamoureux 9/5/2011
Southern Desert Correctional Center
If we are lucky, he will be able to come home in 3 years. We will have lost 6 years of our lives. This happened
because my husband was sent to Iraq following the events of the morning of
September 11, 2001. He was proud to serve our country - and he deserves better treatment than he has received.
None of us will never forget 9/11 – but as Americans we must also
remember the great sacrifices our military forces have made as a result of that
ill-fated day.
When you see a soldier in uniform, thank them for their
service. They serve to protect our
country in hopes that we will never suffer another attack on our country as we did on 9/11/01.
God bless everyone whose life was changed because of that
ill-fated day in 2001. ~ Sue Lamoureux Sunday, July 10, 2011
The broken "JUSTICE" System in America - Casey Anthony/Pat Lamoureux
Today, many people in America are outraged over the verdict reached this week by a jury in Florida.
This week, a young mother, Casey Anthony, was found not guilty in a court of law in Florida. She was charged with the death of her beautiful daughter, Caylee.
I have followed this case since it first broke three years ago. The resemblance of Caylee and my daughter, Heather, at the same age was striking. I did not miss a minute of the televised court case, and how this jury came back with 3 not guilty verdicts on the most serious charges, is completely beyond me.
This case and Pat's case, in my opinion, clearly prove that the "Justice" system in America is broken. Casey Anthony should be serving time in prison for the apparent (deadly) neglect of her daughter; but she will be free.
On Sunday, July 17, 2011, Casey Anthony will walk out a free woman. She got away with murder, or at the very least, she had a hand in what happened to Caylee. Caylee did not put three pieces of duct tape over her own mouth, grab some trash bags, a laundry bag, walk down the street, crawl in the bags and lay down in a swamp to die and decompose.
My husband served this country proudly. He came home from combat a changed man. The Public Defender who represented him, sat and did nothing, while the District Attorney performed meticulous character assassination for 5 hours in a "sentencing hearing" - which the DA turned into a 'min-trial'.
Pat sits in prison, struggling to receive proper medical care and the proper medications. Many ignorant people said "oh, he can get the help he needs in prison." Well, he is not getting proper medical care, and he certainly is not getting any kind of psychological care.
After sitting in the county jail for 2-1/2 years, the proper sentencing would have been to court order in-patient treatment, and a period of probation. Prison was not the right answer.
Since he was sent to prison in February 2011, I can see my husband's mental status beginning to deteriorate. There is nothing - absolutely nothing, that I can do.
The war did not take my husband while he was away in combat, but it did take him once he came home. Now the "Justice System" is picking away at destroying an outstanding man - he is crumbling, and we have at least over three years to go.
This is a complete miscarriage of 'justice'. He should be getting proper psychological treatment, and not being treated like some "career criminal".
I am disgusted by the fact that what we call the "Justice System" fails to deliver true justice. It is hard to comprehend that men and women who serve our country in combat get treated like dirt - and that this woman, Casey Anthony, will walk the streets a free person.
This week, a young mother, Casey Anthony, was found not guilty in a court of law in Florida. She was charged with the death of her beautiful daughter, Caylee.
I have followed this case since it first broke three years ago. The resemblance of Caylee and my daughter, Heather, at the same age was striking. I did not miss a minute of the televised court case, and how this jury came back with 3 not guilty verdicts on the most serious charges, is completely beyond me.
This case and Pat's case, in my opinion, clearly prove that the "Justice" system in America is broken. Casey Anthony should be serving time in prison for the apparent (deadly) neglect of her daughter; but she will be free.
On Sunday, July 17, 2011, Casey Anthony will walk out a free woman. She got away with murder, or at the very least, she had a hand in what happened to Caylee. Caylee did not put three pieces of duct tape over her own mouth, grab some trash bags, a laundry bag, walk down the street, crawl in the bags and lay down in a swamp to die and decompose.
My husband served this country proudly. He came home from combat a changed man. The Public Defender who represented him, sat and did nothing, while the District Attorney performed meticulous character assassination for 5 hours in a "sentencing hearing" - which the DA turned into a 'min-trial'.
Pat sits in prison, struggling to receive proper medical care and the proper medications. Many ignorant people said "oh, he can get the help he needs in prison." Well, he is not getting proper medical care, and he certainly is not getting any kind of psychological care.
After sitting in the county jail for 2-1/2 years, the proper sentencing would have been to court order in-patient treatment, and a period of probation. Prison was not the right answer.
Since he was sent to prison in February 2011, I can see my husband's mental status beginning to deteriorate. There is nothing - absolutely nothing, that I can do.
The war did not take my husband while he was away in combat, but it did take him once he came home. Now the "Justice System" is picking away at destroying an outstanding man - he is crumbling, and we have at least over three years to go.
This is a complete miscarriage of 'justice'. He should be getting proper psychological treatment, and not being treated like some "career criminal".
I am disgusted by the fact that what we call the "Justice System" fails to deliver true justice. It is hard to comprehend that men and women who serve our country in combat get treated like dirt - and that this woman, Casey Anthony, will walk the streets a free person.
Saturday, March 19, 2011
THE FORGOTTEN WOMEN IN SOCIETY
The "Prison Wife" is the forgotten one, as she waits at home for her husband. Our society takes care of the sick, the dying, the homeless, but the prisoner's wife is alone and forgotten.
When everything first "happens" after the court sentencing - the phone buzzes constantly, and there are e-mails and text messages - and then, everyone goes on with their lives - and the wife of an inmate finds silence on a daily basis. It was the same way after the incident of September 2008 - so this time after the hearing on February 15, 2011, I knew it was coming again - that silence.
A "prison wife" is faced with insurmountable problems; financial, emotional, psychological, social, stigmatization, health problems to face alone. She keeps the household "together" until her husband comes home. She pays the bills, pays the rent, the car payments, insurance and hopes there is enough left for other things.
She has to ask others for help around the house, and just about everything else under the sun. There are things the landlord is not responsible for. Finances are tight, so she has to ask friends/family to come and help. It's not "just around the corner" when I need someone to help me. It's an hour drive out and back, plus the time someone must take out of their day to help me.
A "prison wife" even has to tie up the loose ends with the court system, that paper that says he's convicted is important. She also has to claim her husband's personal items from the jail. Then the devastating day comes when she has to go to the Sheriff's Office to claim the "evidence" that was seized that night. It brings the event straight back almost as if it was being lived again.
When they pulled that laptop out of the evidence bag, I thought I would throw up or faint. Item by item, Pat's watch, his eyeglasses, a coin that he carried that my ex-husband gave him, the underwear and summer shorts he was wearing that they cut off of him. Of course all of this stuff was in evidence bags that also contained shell casings and bullet fragments which spilled out on the floor.
And as holidays and birthdays come and go, the "prison wife" is alone and lonely, most often faced with depression. Certainly family say "come and be with us" - but it is hard to celebrate anything or be around anyone on those days which used to be such special family times - because there is someone missing.
Sometimes it is difficult to even face another day. The "prison wife" lives in hiding because she is afraid of what people will think, and she doesn't want the neighbors to find out or know who she is.
When her husband goes to prison, the wife goes through a period of "grieving." She goes through the same "grieving process" that a widow goes through. The only difference is that the widow can eventually move on, while the prison wife cannot. She waits..............
The Prison Wife is a "wife," without a husband.
It is difficult to make new friends. It is hard to go out and socialize. People ask questions when they see your wedding rings; what does your husband do; where is your husband. It is not easy to explain that your husband is in prison. It is even more difficult to try to explain how he got to prison - because the American public hold law enforcement above even our combat Veterans. If you "shoot a cop" - you're going to prison, they don't care what the details are.
Then if you do attempt to go out, there is the fear people might view you as being "unfaithful". On an internet 'comment' section on one of the articles about Pat's case someone posted that the source of this problem was an unfaithful wife. I can only assume that someone recognized me and saw me with one of two of Pat's friends (male) that had come out to see him. After we visited him, we went out to a public place before the friend left town. Or perhaps they may have seen me with my ex-husband who is one of Pat's very good friends. Many of you know they have known each other longer than I have known Pat.
It hurts to think people would believe I would be unfaithful to Pat.
After a certain amount of time (months or even years), it is acceptable in our society for a widow to step out, and start dating and even re-marry. The Prison Wife who is faithful and dedicated to her husband does not have this option....some women wait years for their man to return...10, even 20 or more years.
Two years ago in June 2009, approximately 2,297,400 were incarcerated in U.S. prisons and jails............ that makes me wonder just how many wives and loved ones are left behind and forgotten. We think about the prisoner, but never, ever, think about those left behind.....the wives, the children, the mothers, the fathers, to name a few.
Those loved ones, did not commit a crime, except the crime of loving a "criminal." They did not commit a crime, and yet they are punished.
Of course I have been declared "guilty" and have been blamed by many as being responsible for what happened on September 19, 2008. It is extremely sad when there are people in the family that are the ones BLAMING ME.
When husbands go to prison, wives don't get notified by the prison system where their husband is. I researched and found out on the internet where Pat was. Nobody in the "system" told me I could do that - I had to figure it out on my own. I believe there should be some family notification system in this country. Usually the wife must sit and wait until her husband is able to place a call to her. Those days of silence were agonizing.
As I sit and think of Pat, I get this picture of him sitting in a cell, in a facility with razor wire fences surrounding the facility and I know he is being treated like a "criminal". I know my husband is not a criminal. The "justice" system failed him. He should be in treatment somewhere now after sitting in a county jail for 2-1/2 years - he shouldn't be sitting in prison. We should be putting our lives back together.
But I am a "prison wife" - and so I sit and wait.
When everything first "happens" after the court sentencing - the phone buzzes constantly, and there are e-mails and text messages - and then, everyone goes on with their lives - and the wife of an inmate finds silence on a daily basis. It was the same way after the incident of September 2008 - so this time after the hearing on February 15, 2011, I knew it was coming again - that silence.
A "prison wife" is faced with insurmountable problems; financial, emotional, psychological, social, stigmatization, health problems to face alone. She keeps the household "together" until her husband comes home. She pays the bills, pays the rent, the car payments, insurance and hopes there is enough left for other things.
She has to ask others for help around the house, and just about everything else under the sun. There are things the landlord is not responsible for. Finances are tight, so she has to ask friends/family to come and help. It's not "just around the corner" when I need someone to help me. It's an hour drive out and back, plus the time someone must take out of their day to help me.
A "prison wife" even has to tie up the loose ends with the court system, that paper that says he's convicted is important. She also has to claim her husband's personal items from the jail. Then the devastating day comes when she has to go to the Sheriff's Office to claim the "evidence" that was seized that night. It brings the event straight back almost as if it was being lived again.
When they pulled that laptop out of the evidence bag, I thought I would throw up or faint. Item by item, Pat's watch, his eyeglasses, a coin that he carried that my ex-husband gave him, the underwear and summer shorts he was wearing that they cut off of him. Of course all of this stuff was in evidence bags that also contained shell casings and bullet fragments which spilled out on the floor.
And as holidays and birthdays come and go, the "prison wife" is alone and lonely, most often faced with depression. Certainly family say "come and be with us" - but it is hard to celebrate anything or be around anyone on those days which used to be such special family times - because there is someone missing.
Sometimes it is difficult to even face another day. The "prison wife" lives in hiding because she is afraid of what people will think, and she doesn't want the neighbors to find out or know who she is.
When her husband goes to prison, the wife goes through a period of "grieving." She goes through the same "grieving process" that a widow goes through. The only difference is that the widow can eventually move on, while the prison wife cannot. She waits..............
The Prison Wife is a "wife," without a husband.
It is difficult to make new friends. It is hard to go out and socialize. People ask questions when they see your wedding rings; what does your husband do; where is your husband. It is not easy to explain that your husband is in prison. It is even more difficult to try to explain how he got to prison - because the American public hold law enforcement above even our combat Veterans. If you "shoot a cop" - you're going to prison, they don't care what the details are.
Then if you do attempt to go out, there is the fear people might view you as being "unfaithful". On an internet 'comment' section on one of the articles about Pat's case someone posted that the source of this problem was an unfaithful wife. I can only assume that someone recognized me and saw me with one of two of Pat's friends (male) that had come out to see him. After we visited him, we went out to a public place before the friend left town. Or perhaps they may have seen me with my ex-husband who is one of Pat's very good friends. Many of you know they have known each other longer than I have known Pat.
It hurts to think people would believe I would be unfaithful to Pat.
After a certain amount of time (months or even years), it is acceptable in our society for a widow to step out, and start dating and even re-marry. The Prison Wife who is faithful and dedicated to her husband does not have this option....some women wait years for their man to return...10, even 20 or more years.
Two years ago in June 2009, approximately 2,297,400 were incarcerated in U.S. prisons and jails............ that makes me wonder just how many wives and loved ones are left behind and forgotten. We think about the prisoner, but never, ever, think about those left behind.....the wives, the children, the mothers, the fathers, to name a few.
Those loved ones, did not commit a crime, except the crime of loving a "criminal." They did not commit a crime, and yet they are punished.
Of course I have been declared "guilty" and have been blamed by many as being responsible for what happened on September 19, 2008. It is extremely sad when there are people in the family that are the ones BLAMING ME.
When husbands go to prison, wives don't get notified by the prison system where their husband is. I researched and found out on the internet where Pat was. Nobody in the "system" told me I could do that - I had to figure it out on my own. I believe there should be some family notification system in this country. Usually the wife must sit and wait until her husband is able to place a call to her. Those days of silence were agonizing.
As I sit and think of Pat, I get this picture of him sitting in a cell, in a facility with razor wire fences surrounding the facility and I know he is being treated like a "criminal". I know my husband is not a criminal. The "justice" system failed him. He should be in treatment somewhere now after sitting in a county jail for 2-1/2 years - he shouldn't be sitting in prison. We should be putting our lives back together.
But I am a "prison wife" - and so I sit and wait.
Detective files $3 million dollar civil lawsuit
People who watched the video clip from Pat's sentencing hearing will remember this guy. (If you didn't see the video clip, click on this link http://www.lvrj.com/multimedia/Lamoureux-Sentenced-for-2008-Pahrump-Shooting-Spree-116286904.html
And click the link below for an interesting story from the Pahrump Valley Times, March 18, 2011
http://pvtimes.com/news/developing-sheriffs-detective-files-3-million-civil-rights-lawsuit/
And click the link below for an interesting story from the Pahrump Valley Times, March 18, 2011
http://pvtimes.com/news/developing-sheriffs-detective-files-3-million-civil-rights-lawsuit/
Friday, March 4, 2011
VA Medical Malpractice and PTSD
VA Medical Malpractice and PTSD
When John, a Gulf War veteran, came home from Iraq, he was suffering from panic attacks and wound up in the psychiatric ward of a Veteran's Administration hospital. But he still has "massive" panic attacks because he didn't get any help from the VA. "Sometimes it takes the slightest trigger and PTSD is hard to keep under control if you aren't given the tools," Jason says. "I keep going to meetings at the VA to learn how to deal with it and recognize the signs, but they don't know how to treat veterans' PTSD." John is more than frustrated with his treatment and VA medical malpractice.
(Click below for complete article)
http://www.lawyersandsettlements.com/articles/veteran_medical_malpractice/interview-va-hospital-malpractice-veterans-medical-16147.html
When John, a Gulf War veteran, came home from Iraq, he was suffering from panic attacks and wound up in the psychiatric ward of a Veteran's Administration hospital. But he still has "massive" panic attacks because he didn't get any help from the VA. "Sometimes it takes the slightest trigger and PTSD is hard to keep under control if you aren't given the tools," Jason says. "I keep going to meetings at the VA to learn how to deal with it and recognize the signs, but they don't know how to treat veterans' PTSD." John is more than frustrated with his treatment and VA medical malpractice.
(Click below for complete article)
http://www.lawyersandsettlements.com/articles/veteran_medical_malpractice/interview-va-hospital-malpractice-veterans-medical-16147.html
Wednesday, March 2, 2011
Lt. Gen. John Kelly, who lost son to war, says U.S. largely unaware of sacrifice
"Less than 1 percent of the population serves in uniform at a time when the country is engaged in one of the longest periods of sustained combat in its history."
By Greg Jaffe
Washington Post Staff Writer
Wednesday, March 2, 2011; 12:00 AM
"Their struggle is your struggle," he told the ballroom crowd of former Marines and local business people. "If anyone thinks you can somehow thank them for their service, and not support the cause for which they fight - our country - these people are lying to themselves. . . . More important, they are slighting our warriors and mocking their commitment to this nation."
(Click below for entire article)
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2011/03/01/AR2011030106355.html
By Greg Jaffe
Washington Post Staff Writer
Wednesday, March 2, 2011; 12:00 AM
"Their struggle is your struggle," he told the ballroom crowd of former Marines and local business people. "If anyone thinks you can somehow thank them for their service, and not support the cause for which they fight - our country - these people are lying to themselves. . . . More important, they are slighting our warriors and mocking their commitment to this nation."
(Click below for entire article)
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2011/03/01/AR2011030106355.html
Sunday, February 20, 2011
Prosecutor says gunman's sentence reflects real world
By Keith Rogers
LAS VEGAS REVIEW-JOURNAL
Posted: Feb. 17, 2011
2:08 a.m.
When Fifth District Judge Robert Lane announced the maximum sentence Tuesday of nearly 10 years for troubled Iraq War veteran Joseph Patrick Lamoureux, he was implying that in the real world of today's overcrowded prisons, minimum sentences turn out to be the maximums that many felons serve.
That's according to Nye County Chief Prosecutor Kirk Vitto who sought and was granted consecutive maximum terms for Lamoureux who agreed to plea guilty to two felonies -- battery and assault with a deadly weapon -- and a gross misdemeanor of discharging a weapon during a Sept. 19, 2008, shooting spree at Terrible's Lakeside RV Park in Pahrump that wounded sheriff's Deputy Eric Murphy.
"The judge was explaining that even if given the maximum of 22 years, he would probably serve substantially less based upon the information he has received from NDOC (Nevada Department of Corrections)," Vitto wrote in an e-mail Wednesday.
(click below for entire article)
http://www.lvrj.com/news/prosecutor-says-gunman-s-10-years-in-prison-reflects-real-world-116387879.html"
LAS VEGAS REVIEW-JOURNAL
Posted: Feb. 17, 2011
2:08 a.m.
When Fifth District Judge Robert Lane announced the maximum sentence Tuesday of nearly 10 years for troubled Iraq War veteran Joseph Patrick Lamoureux, he was implying that in the real world of today's overcrowded prisons, minimum sentences turn out to be the maximums that many felons serve.
That's according to Nye County Chief Prosecutor Kirk Vitto who sought and was granted consecutive maximum terms for Lamoureux who agreed to plea guilty to two felonies -- battery and assault with a deadly weapon -- and a gross misdemeanor of discharging a weapon during a Sept. 19, 2008, shooting spree at Terrible's Lakeside RV Park in Pahrump that wounded sheriff's Deputy Eric Murphy.
"The judge was explaining that even if given the maximum of 22 years, he would probably serve substantially less based upon the information he has received from NDOC (Nevada Department of Corrections)," Vitto wrote in an e-mail Wednesday.
(click below for entire article)
http://www.lvrj.com/news/prosecutor-says-gunman-s-10-years-in-prison-reflects-real-world-116387879.html"
Wednesday, February 16, 2011
IRAQ WAR VETERAN SENTENCED TO PRISON IN DEPUTY'S SHOOTING
By Keith Rogers
LAS VEGAS REVIEW-JOURNAL
Posted: Feb. 15, 2011
4:20 p.m.
Updated: Feb. 16, 2011
7:36 a.m.
PAHRUMP -- Iraq war veteran Joseph Patrick "Pat" Lamoureux was sentenced Tuesday to up to 10 years in prison for a shooting spree that left him and a Nye County sheriff's deputy wounded.
District Judge Robert Lane said the claim by public defender Tom Gibson that the Sept. 19, 2008, spree by Lamoureux was sparked by a bout of post-traumatic stress disorder "lacks credibility." Gibson said the disorder was related to Lamoureux's war experience with a Las Vegas-based Army Reserve unit in 2003. Witnesses were divided on the issue.
In a plea bargain in December, Lamoureux, 48, pleaded guilty to two felonies -- battery and assault with a deadly weapon -- and a gross misdemeanor of discharging a weapon.
(click below for complete article and video)
http://www.lvrj.com/news/pahrump-iraq-veteran-sentenced-in-shooting-of-deputy-116275094.html
LAS VEGAS REVIEW-JOURNAL
Posted: Feb. 15, 2011
4:20 p.m.
Updated: Feb. 16, 2011
7:36 a.m.
PAHRUMP -- Iraq war veteran Joseph Patrick "Pat" Lamoureux was sentenced Tuesday to up to 10 years in prison for a shooting spree that left him and a Nye County sheriff's deputy wounded.
District Judge Robert Lane said the claim by public defender Tom Gibson that the Sept. 19, 2008, spree by Lamoureux was sparked by a bout of post-traumatic stress disorder "lacks credibility." Gibson said the disorder was related to Lamoureux's war experience with a Las Vegas-based Army Reserve unit in 2003. Witnesses were divided on the issue.
In a plea bargain in December, Lamoureux, 48, pleaded guilty to two felonies -- battery and assault with a deadly weapon -- and a gross misdemeanor of discharging a weapon.
(click below for complete article and video)
http://www.lvrj.com/news/pahrump-iraq-veteran-sentenced-in-shooting-of-deputy-116275094.html
Tuesday, February 8, 2011
The Prozac, Paxil, Zoloft, Wellbutrin, Celexa, Effexor, Valium, Klonopin, Ativan, Restoril, Xanax, Adderall, Ritalin, Haldol, Risperdal, Seroquel, Ambien, Lunesta, Elavil, Trazodone War
The Prozac, Paxil, Zoloft, Wellbutrin, Celexa, Effexor, Valium, Klonopin, Ativan, Restoril, Xanax, Adderall, Ritalin, Haldol, Risperdal, Seroquel, Ambien, Lunesta, Elavil, Trazodone War
As it approaches its tenth year, our nation’s longest war is showing signs of waning. Meanwhile, our soldiers are falling apart.
New York Magazaine
By Jennifer Senior Published Feb 6, 2011
The first time I meet David Booth, a 39-year-old former medic and surgeon’s assistant who retired this past spring after nineteen years in the active Army Reserve, I make the awkward mistake of proposing we go out to lunch. It seems a natural suggestion. The weather is still warm, and he has told me to meet him in the lobby of his office downtown, so I assume he wants to go out, not back to his desk, when I show up around noon. But it turns out that in the six months he has been at his job, Booth has never left his office in the middle of the day, except to run across the street, and he is simply too polite to say so. From the moment we step outside, it’s clear how unusual this excursion is for him. As we walk, he hews close to the buildings on his right (“If a building’s to my right, no one is going to walk by me on my right”), and when we arrive at the restaurant, he quietly takes a seat at the table closest to the door, his back against the wall. His large brown eyes immediately start darting around.
How’s your sleep?” I ask him.
“I don’t,” he answers.
Depending on the war, post-traumatic stress can have many expressions, but this war, because of its omnipresent suicide bombers and roadside explosives, seems to have disproportionately rendered its soldiers afraid of two things: driving and crowds. Movie theaters, subway cars, densely packed spaces—all can pose problems for soldiers, because marketplaces are frequent targets for explosions; so can any vehicle, because IEDs are this war’s lethal booby trap of choice. Booth manages his driving anxieties by leaving his Long Island home every morning at 4:30 a.m., when there’s no risk of traffic (especially under bridges, which militants in Iraq are always blowing up), and avoiding the right lane (in Afghanistan and Iraq, one generally drives in the middle of the road to avoid setting off IEDs). Once he gets to the city, Booth parks around the corner from his office and has managed to arrange his life so that he never encounters more than a handful of people. The only real logistical challenge is lunchtime, which he handles by ordering in, picking up from a grill across the street, or skipping entirely. I ask if he goes to restaurants in the off-hours. “Not very much,” he answers, pointing to two sets of scars, one near his jugular and the other stretching down his spinal column. “I reach for a glass, and I can’t feel pressure, so I’ll knock the glass over. It’s hard not to feel self-conscious.”
Click below for complete article
http://nymag.com/news/features/71277/
As it approaches its tenth year, our nation’s longest war is showing signs of waning. Meanwhile, our soldiers are falling apart.
New York Magazaine
By Jennifer Senior Published Feb 6, 2011
The first time I meet David Booth, a 39-year-old former medic and surgeon’s assistant who retired this past spring after nineteen years in the active Army Reserve, I make the awkward mistake of proposing we go out to lunch. It seems a natural suggestion. The weather is still warm, and he has told me to meet him in the lobby of his office downtown, so I assume he wants to go out, not back to his desk, when I show up around noon. But it turns out that in the six months he has been at his job, Booth has never left his office in the middle of the day, except to run across the street, and he is simply too polite to say so. From the moment we step outside, it’s clear how unusual this excursion is for him. As we walk, he hews close to the buildings on his right (“If a building’s to my right, no one is going to walk by me on my right”), and when we arrive at the restaurant, he quietly takes a seat at the table closest to the door, his back against the wall. His large brown eyes immediately start darting around.
How’s your sleep?” I ask him.
“I don’t,” he answers.
Depending on the war, post-traumatic stress can have many expressions, but this war, because of its omnipresent suicide bombers and roadside explosives, seems to have disproportionately rendered its soldiers afraid of two things: driving and crowds. Movie theaters, subway cars, densely packed spaces—all can pose problems for soldiers, because marketplaces are frequent targets for explosions; so can any vehicle, because IEDs are this war’s lethal booby trap of choice. Booth manages his driving anxieties by leaving his Long Island home every morning at 4:30 a.m., when there’s no risk of traffic (especially under bridges, which militants in Iraq are always blowing up), and avoiding the right lane (in Afghanistan and Iraq, one generally drives in the middle of the road to avoid setting off IEDs). Once he gets to the city, Booth parks around the corner from his office and has managed to arrange his life so that he never encounters more than a handful of people. The only real logistical challenge is lunchtime, which he handles by ordering in, picking up from a grill across the street, or skipping entirely. I ask if he goes to restaurants in the off-hours. “Not very much,” he answers, pointing to two sets of scars, one near his jugular and the other stretching down his spinal column. “I reach for a glass, and I can’t feel pressure, so I’ll knock the glass over. It’s hard not to feel self-conscious.”
Click below for complete article
http://nymag.com/news/features/71277/
Sunday, January 16, 2011
The Relationship of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder to Law Enforcement: The Importance of Education
The American Academy of Experts in Traumatic Stress
Gary G. Felt, M.A., M.H.C.
In just over the past decade it has become common knowledge that law enforcement personnel, along with other emergency services workers, are a population highly prone to suffering with Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD).
As a direct result of their work, there is regular involvement with traumatic events over the course of their entire careers. This is especially true for those of us working in the field of critical incident stress management. For those individuals in law enforcement, however, who generally entered into their careers as physically and mentally "strong," highly idealistic, and caring people, PTSD is often quite baffling. Moreover, it is a concept that is hard to accept by those who are following the mantra "to protect and serve."
Understanding the needs of this unique population, highly prone to PTSD, is imperative for mental health professionals attempting to assist survivors with healing and moving beyond this disorder.
Beyond the obvious, such as a shooting, what events are "generally outside the range of usual human experience" that might contribute to the potential development of PTSD? Among many, consider continually being called upon to make split-second, sometimes "life or death" decisions that, in many cases, have no favorable resolution. Consider facing a weapon in the hands of a criminal who would kill you if given a chance. Moreover, consider involvement with fights, foot chases, vehicle pursuits, physical injuries and/or death of a fellow officer. Imagine having to deal with hostage situations, undercover work, dangerous drug busts or other raids or handling injury or fatal accidents. How about having to manage in-progress crime calls, shift-work, disasters (especially those man-made), the never-ending procession of people being injured, mutilated or killed and having to become "accustomed" to seeing, smelling, feeling and hearing the blood, gore, pain and suffering associated with crime scenes and victims including battered and abused children. Finally, think about what it would be like to have made an error on the job and be criticized or worse, face investigation, disciplinary action or criminal prosecution.
(Click here for complete article: http://www.aaets.org/article92.htm)
Gary G. Felt, M.A., M.H.C.
In just over the past decade it has become common knowledge that law enforcement personnel, along with other emergency services workers, are a population highly prone to suffering with Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD).
As a direct result of their work, there is regular involvement with traumatic events over the course of their entire careers. This is especially true for those of us working in the field of critical incident stress management. For those individuals in law enforcement, however, who generally entered into their careers as physically and mentally "strong," highly idealistic, and caring people, PTSD is often quite baffling. Moreover, it is a concept that is hard to accept by those who are following the mantra "to protect and serve."
Understanding the needs of this unique population, highly prone to PTSD, is imperative for mental health professionals attempting to assist survivors with healing and moving beyond this disorder.
Beyond the obvious, such as a shooting, what events are "generally outside the range of usual human experience" that might contribute to the potential development of PTSD? Among many, consider continually being called upon to make split-second, sometimes "life or death" decisions that, in many cases, have no favorable resolution. Consider facing a weapon in the hands of a criminal who would kill you if given a chance. Moreover, consider involvement with fights, foot chases, vehicle pursuits, physical injuries and/or death of a fellow officer. Imagine having to deal with hostage situations, undercover work, dangerous drug busts or other raids or handling injury or fatal accidents. How about having to manage in-progress crime calls, shift-work, disasters (especially those man-made), the never-ending procession of people being injured, mutilated or killed and having to become "accustomed" to seeing, smelling, feeling and hearing the blood, gore, pain and suffering associated with crime scenes and victims including battered and abused children. Finally, think about what it would be like to have made an error on the job and be criticized or worse, face investigation, disciplinary action or criminal prosecution.
(Click here for complete article: http://www.aaets.org/article92.htm)
Monday, January 10, 2011
PTSD awareness training for local law enforcement
VA Gulf Coast provides PTSD awareness training to local law enforcement
September 10, 2010
Jerron Barnett
GI RIGHTS NEWS
Count the VA Gulf Coast in if a training initiative can save veterans' lives and protect law enforcement officers.
Dozens of Northwest Florida law enforcement officials attended voluntary Post Traumatic Stress Disorder training sessions conducted by the VA Gulf Coast Veterans Health Care System in the Okaloosa County Sheriff's Office administration building recently.
The main objectives of the sessions were to educate officers about the signs and symptoms of PTSD in veterans, and inform them of ways to diffuse a situation to keep it from escalating.
Part of the driving force behind this arrangement was recent incidents involving veterans and law enforcement in the northwest Florida area.
Dr. Angela Ross, VA staff psychologist, gave four, 90-minute PTSD
briefings to officials from the Florida Highway Patrol, Okaloosa County Sheriff's Office and the Fort Walton Beach Police Department, to name a few. Ross recounted several scenarios and situations where veterans perceived a potential threat and acted as if they were still on the battlefield.
"Hyper vigilance, anxiety attacks, perceived threats all these known symptoms of PTSD could lead to a situation that could be dangerous to all involved, even in a routine traffic stop," Ross told the participants. "If time is on your hands, you should do everything possible to diffuse the situation and come across as helpful to the veteran."
Ross advised officers not to point at, grab or approach a veteran from behind who exhibits signs of PTSD. She also dispelled the notions that all veterans suffering from PTSD are violent or erratic.
While some veterans carry weapons on their person or stash weapons throughout their homes, Ross explained they are creating or have created a safe zone for themselves.
"To them, it's all about being safe or feeling safe, but there are many veterans who suffer from PTSD who are able to function normally," she said. "The key is getting them in and through treatment."
Ross also touched on the fact that even officers in the audience may be suffering from a mild case of PTSD, suggesting that PTSD is not only found in combat veterans or people who have served in the military.
"We've all encountered a situation that reminded us of a tragedy we may have experienced in our lives," Ross said, "and we all deal with those situations in our own unique ways."
All told, the training and information Ross gave was appreciated.
"I definitely learned some things today," Tammy Tindle-Husar, Florida
Highway Patrol trooper, said. "This information will certainly help me in the field."
Tentatively, the OCSO is planning to incorporate VAGCVHCS participation in its Crisis Intervention Techniques training seminars in early 2011. Mental health awareness already makes up a large part of their CIT agenda.
September 10, 2010
Jerron Barnett
GI RIGHTS NEWS
Count the VA Gulf Coast in if a training initiative can save veterans' lives and protect law enforcement officers.
Dozens of Northwest Florida law enforcement officials attended voluntary Post Traumatic Stress Disorder training sessions conducted by the VA Gulf Coast Veterans Health Care System in the Okaloosa County Sheriff's Office administration building recently.
The main objectives of the sessions were to educate officers about the signs and symptoms of PTSD in veterans, and inform them of ways to diffuse a situation to keep it from escalating.
Part of the driving force behind this arrangement was recent incidents involving veterans and law enforcement in the northwest Florida area.
Dr. Angela Ross, VA staff psychologist, gave four, 90-minute PTSD
briefings to officials from the Florida Highway Patrol, Okaloosa County Sheriff's Office and the Fort Walton Beach Police Department, to name a few. Ross recounted several scenarios and situations where veterans perceived a potential threat and acted as if they were still on the battlefield.
"Hyper vigilance, anxiety attacks, perceived threats all these known symptoms of PTSD could lead to a situation that could be dangerous to all involved, even in a routine traffic stop," Ross told the participants. "If time is on your hands, you should do everything possible to diffuse the situation and come across as helpful to the veteran."
Ross advised officers not to point at, grab or approach a veteran from behind who exhibits signs of PTSD. She also dispelled the notions that all veterans suffering from PTSD are violent or erratic.
While some veterans carry weapons on their person or stash weapons throughout their homes, Ross explained they are creating or have created a safe zone for themselves.
"To them, it's all about being safe or feeling safe, but there are many veterans who suffer from PTSD who are able to function normally," she said. "The key is getting them in and through treatment."
Ross also touched on the fact that even officers in the audience may be suffering from a mild case of PTSD, suggesting that PTSD is not only found in combat veterans or people who have served in the military.
"We've all encountered a situation that reminded us of a tragedy we may have experienced in our lives," Ross said, "and we all deal with those situations in our own unique ways."
All told, the training and information Ross gave was appreciated.
"I definitely learned some things today," Tammy Tindle-Husar, Florida
Highway Patrol trooper, said. "This information will certainly help me in the field."
Tentatively, the OCSO is planning to incorporate VAGCVHCS participation in its Crisis Intervention Techniques training seminars in early 2011. Mental health awareness already makes up a large part of their CIT agenda.
Crisis Intervention Training of Police to ease confrontations with Veterans
To ease potential confrontations between police and veterans, HPD started offering intensified PTSD awareness training this year.
By Lindsay Wise
The Houston Chronicle
(reposted by Michael Leon
Veteran's Today
December 14, 2010)
A veteran suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder runs a stop sign because he feels he’s being followed. A police officer pulls him over, and their interaction escalates into an argument. The veteran ends up in jail.
This scenario, recounted by Stacey Lanier, a staff psychologist at Houston’s Michael E. DeBakey VA Medical Center, is a real-life example of misunderstandings between law enforcement officers and veterans returning from the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan with amped-up anxiety, anger and post-traumatic stress.
Houston Police Department statistics show the number of veterans taken to the VA medical center for mental health treatment following calls for service has jumped from just four in 2007 to 64 in 2009.
The veteran who ran the stop sign was having a paranoid reaction, Lanier said.
“He was agitated, and he was trying to explain what was happening from his perspective, and the officer just thought he was trying to make excuses,” she said. “And that was a case where there was no need for that.”
To ease potential confrontations between police and veterans, HPD started offering intensified PTSD awareness training this year.
“I absolutely think that there’s a need for it because people tend to pathologize people with PTSD rather than seeing that they’re regular people who are hypersensitive to danger,” Lanier said.
Crisis training
About 40 percent of HPD’s patrol officers have received crisis intervention training, which became mandatory for all cadets in 2007, said Frank Webb, a senior officer with HPD’s Mental Health Unit.
The training previously included a segment on PTSD, but this year, the department supplemented the training with longer and more comprehensive classes. The sessions feature veterans diagnosed with PTSD, VA psychologists, and officials from the city of Houston’s Office of Veterans Affairs.
“Most of what we do is very physical, authoritative, commanding,” Webb said. Such tactics can backfire when confronting someone who has PTSD, he said, so crisis intervention training teaches officers to use de-escalation techniques instead. “It’s the step back, it’s the patience, it’s allowing people to ventilate,” he said. “It’s almost the opposite, but it works much better.”
Veterans don’t get a free pass, Webb said, but police officers should treat them with respect, thank them for their service, “and most importantly, if the officer has any experience as a veteran, try to use that experience to connect with the veteran.”
Interpreting behavior
Harris County is home to nearly 200,000 veterans, including about 18,000 who served in Iraq and Afghanistan. As many as one in five Iraq and Afghanistan veterans struggle with PTSD, according to VA’s National Center for PTSD.
In classes with HPD cadets, Lanier explains the symptoms and causes of PTSD and gives examples of ways that veteran behavior has been misinterpreted by officers.
A veteran might suddenly swerve over three lanes to avoid a large piece of trash on the highway because his battle-honed instincts tell him the debris could be hiding a roadside bomb, she said. However, a police officer could interpret the veteran’s erratic behavior as drunken driving or just driving with no regard for the law.
Lanier advises police not to take an aggressive stance with veterans or to touch them, if avoidable.
“For combat veterans, somebody getting into their physical space is a threat and they’re going to become more agitated,” she said. “It might be better to just talk to them and give them their space.”
Haunted by deaths
During a recent training session at the police academy, a rapt audience of officers listened to decorated Iraq war veteran Marty Gonzalez describe life with PTSD, and his own run-in with the law.
“I wasn’t sleeping right, I wasn’t eating right, I wasn’t doing anything right,” said the 30-year-old retired Marine sergeant from The Woodlands, who earned two Bronze Stars for valor and three Purple Hearts in Iraq. “Asking for help wasn’t really an option. I just sucked it up.”
Gonzalez was haunted by the deaths of 18 men in his battalion, including four from his platoon. He pushed away his family and eventually separated from his wife.
"Arguing all the time, drinking all the time,” he recalled. “I was on all kinds of different medicines. Seventeen different pills through VA.”
2008 auto wreck
Gonzalez’s wake-up call came in 2008 when he got behind the wheel after taking too many prescription pain killers. He crashed his car into the living room of his house. No one was hurt, but Gonzalez knew the outcome could’ve been much worse. His 2-year-old son had been in the backseat.
He’s since completed two years of probation and court-ordered treatment for felony charges of driving while intoxicated.
“You lose your way,” Gonzalez told the class of veteran officers at the academy this week. “I had to really start getting God in my life and letting Him take over: ‘It’s OK you lost your men. They don’t want to trade places with you. You’re here for a purpose.’ And apparently part of my purpose is trying to help you guys understand veterans better.”
‘It’s a good outlet’
Gonzalez seemed embarrassed by the loud applause at the end of his talk. As the officers filed from the classroom, many stopped to shake his hand and thank him for his service. About a third were veterans themselves, and identified personally with his story.
“We’ve had officers in this class who just come out and say, ‘Hey, I’ve got PTSD,’ ” Webb said. “It’s like their opportunity to vent and talk about it. I think it’s a good outlet for them.”
By Lindsay Wise
The Houston Chronicle
(reposted by Michael Leon
Veteran's Today
December 14, 2010)
A veteran suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder runs a stop sign because he feels he’s being followed. A police officer pulls him over, and their interaction escalates into an argument. The veteran ends up in jail.
This scenario, recounted by Stacey Lanier, a staff psychologist at Houston’s Michael E. DeBakey VA Medical Center, is a real-life example of misunderstandings between law enforcement officers and veterans returning from the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan with amped-up anxiety, anger and post-traumatic stress.
Houston Police Department statistics show the number of veterans taken to the VA medical center for mental health treatment following calls for service has jumped from just four in 2007 to 64 in 2009.
The veteran who ran the stop sign was having a paranoid reaction, Lanier said.
“He was agitated, and he was trying to explain what was happening from his perspective, and the officer just thought he was trying to make excuses,” she said. “And that was a case where there was no need for that.”
To ease potential confrontations between police and veterans, HPD started offering intensified PTSD awareness training this year.
“I absolutely think that there’s a need for it because people tend to pathologize people with PTSD rather than seeing that they’re regular people who are hypersensitive to danger,” Lanier said.
Crisis training
About 40 percent of HPD’s patrol officers have received crisis intervention training, which became mandatory for all cadets in 2007, said Frank Webb, a senior officer with HPD’s Mental Health Unit.
The training previously included a segment on PTSD, but this year, the department supplemented the training with longer and more comprehensive classes. The sessions feature veterans diagnosed with PTSD, VA psychologists, and officials from the city of Houston’s Office of Veterans Affairs.
“Most of what we do is very physical, authoritative, commanding,” Webb said. Such tactics can backfire when confronting someone who has PTSD, he said, so crisis intervention training teaches officers to use de-escalation techniques instead. “It’s the step back, it’s the patience, it’s allowing people to ventilate,” he said. “It’s almost the opposite, but it works much better.”
Veterans don’t get a free pass, Webb said, but police officers should treat them with respect, thank them for their service, “and most importantly, if the officer has any experience as a veteran, try to use that experience to connect with the veteran.”
Interpreting behavior
Harris County is home to nearly 200,000 veterans, including about 18,000 who served in Iraq and Afghanistan. As many as one in five Iraq and Afghanistan veterans struggle with PTSD, according to VA’s National Center for PTSD.
In classes with HPD cadets, Lanier explains the symptoms and causes of PTSD and gives examples of ways that veteran behavior has been misinterpreted by officers.
A veteran might suddenly swerve over three lanes to avoid a large piece of trash on the highway because his battle-honed instincts tell him the debris could be hiding a roadside bomb, she said. However, a police officer could interpret the veteran’s erratic behavior as drunken driving or just driving with no regard for the law.
Lanier advises police not to take an aggressive stance with veterans or to touch them, if avoidable.
“For combat veterans, somebody getting into their physical space is a threat and they’re going to become more agitated,” she said. “It might be better to just talk to them and give them their space.”
Haunted by deaths
During a recent training session at the police academy, a rapt audience of officers listened to decorated Iraq war veteran Marty Gonzalez describe life with PTSD, and his own run-in with the law.
“I wasn’t sleeping right, I wasn’t eating right, I wasn’t doing anything right,” said the 30-year-old retired Marine sergeant from The Woodlands, who earned two Bronze Stars for valor and three Purple Hearts in Iraq. “Asking for help wasn’t really an option. I just sucked it up.”
Gonzalez was haunted by the deaths of 18 men in his battalion, including four from his platoon. He pushed away his family and eventually separated from his wife.
"Arguing all the time, drinking all the time,” he recalled. “I was on all kinds of different medicines. Seventeen different pills through VA.”
2008 auto wreck
Gonzalez’s wake-up call came in 2008 when he got behind the wheel after taking too many prescription pain killers. He crashed his car into the living room of his house. No one was hurt, but Gonzalez knew the outcome could’ve been much worse. His 2-year-old son had been in the backseat.
He’s since completed two years of probation and court-ordered treatment for felony charges of driving while intoxicated.
“You lose your way,” Gonzalez told the class of veteran officers at the academy this week. “I had to really start getting God in my life and letting Him take over: ‘It’s OK you lost your men. They don’t want to trade places with you. You’re here for a purpose.’ And apparently part of my purpose is trying to help you guys understand veterans better.”
‘It’s a good outlet’
Gonzalez seemed embarrassed by the loud applause at the end of his talk. As the officers filed from the classroom, many stopped to shake his hand and thank him for his service. About a third were veterans themselves, and identified personally with his story.
“We’ve had officers in this class who just come out and say, ‘Hey, I’ve got PTSD,’ ” Webb said. “It’s like their opportunity to vent and talk about it. I think it’s a good outlet for them.”
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"Grandpa Pat & Kain"
"Kain-man" the jokester....
Pat Lamoureux - Iraq 2003
"Pat is an extraordinary, thoughtful, kind and generous man...not to mention a wonderful friend, in which one could always count upon to be there when in need." (words of a long time friend)
Pat's Family
Mica & Heather, grandson Kain