Up to 20 percent suffer from post-traumatic stress syndrome
January 7, 2012 - Johnny is marching home from the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan to a nation that remains ill-prepared to quickly greet those suffering from the mental anguish brought on by the often horrific conflicts.
According to the Department of Veterans Affairs, 11 to 20 percent of the veterans of the Iraq and Afghanistan wars suffer from post-traumatic stress disorder, a severe anxiety condition that can develop after exposure to an event that results in psychological trauma. That compares to 10 percent of the nation's Gulf War Veterans and about 30 percent of those who served in Vietnam. Military personnel who have been on missions that exposed them to horrible and life-threatening experiences can succumb to PTSD.
Veterans for Common Sense, an advocacy group, claims that after a decade of war in Afghanistan and nearly nine years in Iraq, between 100,000 and 300,000 service members are estimated to have fallen victim to PTSD.
snip The Veterans Health Administration reported a 34 percent increase in the number of veterans using VA mental health services, rising from 897,129 in FY 2006 to 1,203,530 in FY 2010. The system is strained trying to keep up with the demand.
Recently, the VA surveyed its front-line mental health professionals to determine if they have sufficient resources to get veterans into treatment. The results showed that almost 40 percent maintain they cannot schedule an appointment for a veteran in need of assistance within the 14 days mandated by the agency. Seventy percent answered that they don't have adequate staff or space to meet the mental health care needs of the veterans they serve. And 46 percent said the lack of off-hour appointments prevented veterans from accessing care.
The U.S. Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals in San Francisco is taking a long look to determine whether the VA is living up to its responsibilities. read more>>>
From the service to the streets
January 07, 2012 - As the big orange ball begins to sink over St. Andrew Bay, the homeless begin to make their way back to the mission, veterans among them.
Thousands of veterans have come home from the Middle East conflicts that have raged into the 21st century, mostly in Iraq and Afghanistan. These warriors have been given parades and cheered in church auditoriums.
But, when night falls in Panama City, the darker side of that trip home can be found in wooded areas and in the Panama City Rescue Mission, which has been scorned and stigmatized by many in the community.
The Rev. Billy Fox sees the homeless veterans coming to his mission for food and — occasionally — shelter.
“It is war,” Fox said. “It takes a lot of the souls of men.”
Paul Abbott, a 40-year-old Army veteran, has been to war, has seen the horrors and has come back to Panama City, ending up in the mission on Sixth Street.
He once lived along Bayou George. His father and was in Vietnam and his grandfather fought under Gen. George Patton in World War II.
Most of his time was spent in Operation Desert Storm working heavy machinery and security.
“We went up that highway of death where the Iraqis were withdrawing,” Abbott said. “There were bodies out there in the desert. I mean it was total destruction.
“We just slaughtered those people,” he said. “They had nowhere to go. And I don’t apologize for it because that is what happens in war, but it is still a shame to see because they didn’t have a chance.”
After nine months, Abbott’s unit was sent back to the states.
“What most people don’t know is that we left millions or billions of dollars worth of equipment in the desert,” Abbott said, sitting with his small dog on his couch. read more>>>
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