Apr 19 2009

Iraq Vet in Pennsylvania Murders……

Was Radically Changed by War and PTSD

PTSD sufferers can’t always leave the war behind.

Sergeant Nicholas Horner and his Wife

Tragedy and war-inspired Post Traumatic Stress Disorder can meet like a head on crash when the nation’s care providers at the Veterans Administration, notorious for lies and deceit, deny our combat veterans the care they need.

This story of deadly, senseless shootings in Altoona, Pennsylvania April 6th is possibly the most tragic story I have ever reported, and if it isn’t, it is among the very worst.

A close friend of Nick’s, Tina Zahurak, wrote to Salem-News.com asking if I would pay attention to this case and help people understand how this veteran was part of the system that is designed to, yet fails to, adequately treat the unique and varying needs of combat vets.

She wrote, “This man was a good man, not a monster or murderer. He saw and was involved in situations that he should’ve never been in. This is the other side of PTSD, the dark side, the side where one is not treated suitably and fell through the cracks. I was hoping that maybe you or somebody could share his story, so those victims he killed and injured did not die in vain.”

You can find the Rest Here with a Number of Back Links

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A short list of reading materials I posted recently

That some may find very helpful, others should find to be useful in the educational quality of understanding and research, and not only for combat veterans but civilian suffers of:

I Can Still Hear Their Cries, Even In My Sleep: A Journey Into PTSD

Veterans’s PTSD Handbook: How to File and Collect on Claims for Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder

The War Comes Home: Washington’s Battle against America’s Veterans

Vets Under Siege: How America Deceives and Dishonors Those Who Fight Our Battles

After the War Zone: A Practical Guide for Returning Troops and Their Families

Life After Deployment: Military families share reunion stories and advice

Moving A Nation to Care: Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder and America’s Returning Troops

2 comments

    • jimstaro on April 19, 2009 at 15:31
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    This website is dedicated to helping Sgt. Nicholas Horner and all other soldiers who are slipping through the cracks of our military system.  This story is a tragedy from all angles and our mission is to show you Sgt. Horner’s.

    After 3 deployments to Iraq, Nick, a highly decorated war veteran, came back a changed man. He was officially diagnosed with PTSD yet he had to fight to get any kind of treatment for it. Sadly, many of our soldiers are not getting the  mental help that they desperately need. Doctors in the military are being told not to diagnose PTSD in an effort to deny our soldiers benefits. Because of this, soldiers are being released back into society with severe problems. In Nick’s case, he knew that he needed help and he actively sought help. However, he was told he simply had an anxiety disorder. Yet this was so severe that the army discharged him early, even sending him home from Iraq.

     

    • jimstaro on April 19, 2009 at 18:41
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    Redeployment sparks many suicides

    The number of soldier suicides this year is most likely due to the redeployment of soldiers with psychiatric illnesses, a U.S. researcher says.

    David Rudd, Texas Tech University professor and author “Interpersonal Theory of Suicide,” said the more a person is exposed to violence or death, the more that person loses anxiety about death. This specifically applies to soldiers living in a war zone because the interaction with death makes it more probable that these people will kill themselves when they get depressed or anxious. >>>>>Rest Here

    As many as 13 soldier suicides in March

    As many as 13 soldiers are believed to have killed themselves in March, bringing the number of reported soldier suicides this year to 56, officials announced April 10.

    None of the March cases under investigation have been confirmed, but about 90 percent of deaths involved in such investigations typically are ruled to be suicides.

    The March total marks a decrease in suicides compared with the first two months of the year.

    As many as 24 suicides were reported in January, but on March 4 officials removed one case because it was determined that the soldier was no longer on active duty when he died. Of the 23 remaining cases, 14 are confirmed suicides; nine are pending a determination. >>>>>Rest Here

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