SFTT's Unique Mission

Support our frontline troops with more than lip service—help them survive the rigors of war and reclaim their lives.

As psychiatrist Dr. Jonathan Shay says below “I really don’t like the term ‘PTSD.”   SFTT doesn’t like the term either and internally we prefer “PTS” or Post Traumatic Stress.  Clearly, there is a stigma attached to the term “disorder” but it also suggests – erroneously - that this debilitating problem of great personal and social significance is simply a “disorder” that can be medicated or treated and that the individual afflicted with PTS will soon lead a normal and healthy life.

VA studies suggest (see below) that there is no “silver bullet” and as SFTT’s Medical Advisory Board has recommended, one needs to experiment with a number of treatment modalities to determine which one(s) are best suited for a Vet’s particular situation.   Certainly, it is more than medication and may involve extended job retraining and the acquisition of other practical life-skills to help returning vets on the path to a richer life.  Just because there is no easy solution, doesn’t mean that we need to turn our backs on these brave heroes.

Public Insight Network | Beyond PTSD to “moral injury”

“I really don’t like the term ‘PTSD,’” Department of Veterans Affairs psychiatrist Dr. Jonathan Shay told PBS’ “Religion & Ethics Newsweekly” in 2010. “He says the diagnostic definition of “post-traumatic stress disorder” is a fine 

PTSD: The Futile Search for the “Quick Fix” | Guest Blog, Scientific

Short-term TFTs are regularly prescribed by the VA, and yet, VA studies indicate that the majority of veterans treated for PTSD are still in treatment four years later (see Fig. 2). The military and VA want a quick fix, but that’s not

The Truth About PTSD and America’s Military Veterans | Video

There are few people who inspire more respect and admiration than our brave servicemen and women — those willing to selflessly serve their country and at times, even face death for the sake of others. While it is always a

Families: Vets’ PTSD ‘like living in hell’ – NavyTimes.com

Families: Vets’ PTSD ‘like living in hell’NavyTimes.comUntil the day she wrestled a gun from the mouth of her drunken husband, the 37-year-old wife of a Tennessee Army National Guard sergeant thought she was holding it together. But then the flashbac …

If you want to help, please consider becoming a Member of SFTT and add your voice to a growing chorus of concerned citizens.  Our brave warriors need more than lip service.

It’s hard to know what what works best when dealing with military Vets with symptoms of PTSD or TBI. For certain, we have learned that there is no “silver bullet” solution and that drugs tend to address symptoms rather than provide any “real” long term improvement, let alone cure. In fact, anecdotal evidence and SFTT’s research suggests that most current “treatment” programs often overprescribe drugs and this will often lead to drug dependency with explosive consequences.

Earlier, SFTT reported that OxyContin or “Hillbilly Heroin” was regularly prescribed to Veterans by the VA. The side effects were devastating and some independent researchers have suggested that the prescription of OxyContin actually led to more self-destructive behavior in Vets rather than provide any real cure.

SFTT Medical Advisory Board is examining all recommended PTSD treatment options. Your generous contribution help insure that our brave warriors get proper information on treatment modalities and where possible discover treatment options that may be better suited to their particular circumstances.

The articles below illustrate the ongoing debate about various drug treatment modalities and their repercussions. Please note that the articles below describe the complexity of dealing with PTSD and neither SFTT nor or Medical Advisory Board necessarily recommends any of treatment modalities discussed below:

PSTD vets given drugs against guidelines – Big News Network.com

PSTD vets given drugs against guidelines.  The study, published in Psychiatric Services, found in 2009, among all veterans with PTSD who had continuous VA medication use, 65.7 percent were prescribed elective serotonin-norepinephrine …

The Deadly Rise of Prescription Drug Abuse in the Military – MyABC50.com

The Deadly Rise of Prescription Drug Abuse in the Military.  Over the past decade, the military has spent $1.6 billion on painkillers (opioids) such as Oxycontin and Hydrocodone. $2.7 billion has been spent on anti-depressants and …

Military turns to meditation for PTSD – Fort Wayne Journal Gazette

Military turns to meditation for PTSD. PTSD is usually treated with drugs, behavioral therapy and other approaches. But for many, these methods don’t work. Now, researchers are looking at a new method that might limit future c …

A Potential Therapy for PTSD? – TIME

Potential Therapy for PTSD? My research focuses on the harmful effects of a class of drugs called quinolines, most notably the antimalarial drug mefloquine (or Lariam), which has been widely prescribed to deployed troops in Somalia, Iraq, an …

Drug Free PTSD Treatment & Cure for Soldiers & Military

The website is patriot outreach.org, I have nothing to do with this organization other than I know it has changed lives. It’s very simple and powerful.

Clearly, the symptoms of PTSD can be traumatic for the veteran and loved ones.  Many organizations promise support, but very few deliver a replicable and comprehensive treatment program that allows veterans a better than average chance of reclaiming their lives.  Claims of successe in dealing with this terrible affliction need to be carefully evaluated.

 

Talking about the suicide  of a loved one is not easy.  There is always a sense of guilt that “I could have done more,” but this is generally not the case for military veterans suffering from PTSD or as SFTT prefers to call it:  PTS  (“Post Traumatic Stress”).  Let’s remove the “disorder” stigma for what is now the signature wound of  many warriors who have served our country so valiantly in Iraq and Afghanistan.

SFTT will continue to provide a synopsis of the latest news developments on PTS.  Some of these stories are heart-wrenching, but we do need to get these stories out in the open to raise the level of public awareness of this terrible social cancer.  This is not a military problem or the VA’s problem – PTS is our problem and we have an  obligation to help provide our Vets with a glimmer of hope that they can reclaim their lives.  Add your voice to others  at SFTT to bring about the change we need to help deal with PTS as adults.   Donations are accepted to help SFTT’s medical advisory board investigate new treatment methodologies.

PTSD and Suicide

This past weekend I lost a friend to suicide. She was a combat medic with the Army. She was “treated” by the Army for PTSD. Their treatment consisted of restricting her to base, having her check in daily with her supervisor, and meds. Then as

Charts: Suicide, PTSD and the Psychological Toll on America’s Vets

Charts: Suicide, PTSD and the Psychological Toll on America’s Vets Don’t miss Mac McClelland’s feature on the PTSD epidemic among returning vets, and how it’s spreading to their families. Additional reporting by Mac

PTSD Survivor: Suicide

It’s been a while…. It’s also been very rough. My son refusing to speak to me has me in a deep depression. He’s 600 miles away. A week ago, I was up by myself online and happened to look over and see my

Suicidal ideation

Ideation is a medical term for thoughts about or an unusual preoccupation with suicide . … Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) …

Let’s mobilize our resources to help these brave young men and women reclaim their lives.  You can help.

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photo of a soldierStand For The Troops (“SFTT”) is a 501(c)(3) non-profit Educational Foundation established by the late Col. David H. Hackworth and his wife Eilhys England to insure that our frontline troops have the best available leadership, equipment and training.

In the past four-plus years SFTT'S active campaign has focused on ensuring America's frontline troops get the best available individual protective equipment and combat gear.

Donations and contributions from concerned Americans help fund the SFTT website.

Hackworth Memorial DVD

photo of HackworthIncludes rare footage from Hack's memorial service at Fort Myers Chapel and burial in Arlington National Cemetery.
All donations received from purchasing of The Hackworth Memorial DVD go to Stand For The Troops a 501 (c) 3 non-profit, non-partisan apolitical foundation established by Hack and his wife Eilhys to make sure that America's front-line forces—the kids Hack loved out at the tip of the spear—always have the right training, leadership and equipment to meet their assigned missions and make it home alive and in one piece.

Our Campaigns

  • December 23, 2009: The law firm of Kirkland & Ellis LLP filed the final motion with the Federal Court in Washington, DC in the Freedom of Information Act (“FOIA”) on behalf of the SFTT’s editor for forensic records held by the Department of Defense (“DOD”).
  • October 16, 2009: The Government Accountability Office (“GAO”) issues report to Congress calling for “independent expert assessment of Army body armor test results.” This damning report of US Army body armor test procedures is the outgrowth of a two-year investigative and educational campaign by SFTT to seek fair and impartial test procedures.

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