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PTSD and the VA: A Disservice to Disabled Troops

In an editorial opinion published in the New York Times on May 26th entitled ”

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The Departments of Defense and Veterans Affairs have repeatedly promised to do a better job of handling the medical evaluations of wounded and disabled service members. Instead, they are doing worse.

The processing of disability cases is getting slower, not faster. Efforts to ensure a “seamless transition” out of the military are falling short. Men and women are languishing without treatment, struggling to readjust ...

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Military Veterans with PTSD: A Failure of Leadership

In the wake of a scathing report by the Inspector General which found fault with how quickly the Veterans Administration responds to the needs of veterans seeking mental-heath care, comes the inevitable hand-wringing and gnashing of teeth regarding how poorly we as a society treat our veterans.

While it is far easier to point fingers at the VA than propose meaningful solutions, it is evident that we have a serious and growing problem on our hands.  SFTT has reported ...

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Are Opioid Prescriptions the Right Answer for treating PTSD?

In a series of alarming reports, the V.A. and medical profession are beginning to wonder if treating PTSD with Opioid prescription drugs is the right course of action.   Referring to V.A. records, U.S. Medicine reports that “more than 141,000 Iraq and Afghanistan veterans have been diagnosed with non-cancer pain. The prevalence of PTSD among that group is 32%, with 19% diagnosed with other psychiatric disorders.”

Of this group, “11% ...

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MAJ GEN John Batiste (US Army Retired) Elected President of SFTT Board

MAJ GEN John BatisteEilhys England, Chairperson of Stand For The Troops, is pleased to announce that MAJ GEN John Batiste, US Army (Retired)  has been elected President of the Board of SFTT, a nonprofit 501(c)3 educational foundation based in Greenwich, CT.  General Batiste, President and CEO of Klein Steel, brings to SFTT the benefit of three decades of military service, organizational leadership, and advocacy for America’s frontline warriors. ...

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The Tragic Cost of PTSD: Anyone Listening?

Daily, SFTT receives disturbing reports of the tragic consequences of post traumatic stress disorder (“PTSD”) among our brave warriors returning from the front lines of Afghanistan and Iraq.   With a returning veteran committing suicide every 80 minutes, the ongoing tragedy has triggered the well-deserved attention of investigative journalists, but it still does not resonate in the corridors of power, much less public opinion. This is an unfolding tragedy of our own making and – make no mistake – we ...

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Treating Warriors with PTSD

Last weekend, I had the privilege of visiting Warriors Salute in Rochester, NY which has an innovative and expanding program to treat veterans of our wars in Iraq and Afghanistan who suffer from PTSD.   I was fortunate to attend a training seminar hosted by Dr. Henry Grayson, Ph. D., for the clinical staff of Warriors Salute.  Dr. Grayson is the eminent psychologist who founded and directed the National Institute for the Psychotherapies in New York City ...

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Sgt. Robert Bales: A Rush to Judgement

SFTT’s mission is to insure that our frontline troops have the best available leadership, equipment and training.   With the growing incidence of PTSD and TBI among military veterans who have served in Iraq and Afghanistan, SFTT recently launched their “You are not Alone” initiative to provide greater focus on diagnosing and providing better treatment for our brave warriors who suffer from these debilitating injuries.

While not shy to tackle issues affecting the well-being of men and women in uniform, we ...

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Retired General Argues that U.S. Military Doesn’t Know Who is Fit for Combat

In a remarkable article entitled published March 23 in the Opinion section of the Washington Post, Retired

The article, quoted in its entirety, is a sad commentary on the current state of our ability to evaluate the readiness and mental well-being of men and women serving in harm’s way. SFTT fully concurs with Dr. Xenakis concluding paragraph: “To recover from 10 years of combat in Iraq and Afghanistan, the Army must focus not on weapons systems but on people. This ...

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PTSD: The Chain of Hypocrisy

Discussing war is never an easy topic, since most people have very strong views.   Personally – and I don’t speak for SFTT on this issue – I tend to agree with Marcus Tullius Cicero who said that “An unjust peace is better than a just war.”    Now, one can read whatever they want to into that quotation, but Cicero was the ultimate politician scheming to keep his head in the Roman Senate while far more powerful political and military leaders ...

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PTSD and Alienation

Daily SFTT receives gut-wrenching stories of warriors suffering from PTSD.   For many of us, it is difficult to comprehend what goes on in the minds of these veterans and, unfortunately, we are left with the bitter after-taste of the harm they are causing to themselves and their loved ones.    We would like to lend a helpful hand, but most of don’t know where to start.   This poem from Universal Blogger is one person’s attempt to explain the alienation ...

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