I have never believed that one becomes wiser with age, but I do believe that watching the same sitcom over and over dulls your interest for the inevitable punch line. Our military seems to react publicly in lock-step trying to explain the shocking story of a decorated Army Staff Sergeant who allegedly murdered 16 Afghan civilians. This horrific incident has caused great distress within the ranks of active duty personnel and it is quite understandable that senior officers would try ...
Continue Reading →Remembering our Vietnam Veterans and those who made the ultimate sacrifice
I recently received the following letter from American Legion Post #184 which is quoted below in its entirety. I think it is fair to say that rarely a day goes by when those in SFTT to not think about Vietnam and the valiant warriors who sacrificed so much. We applaud your inspired effort to honor these heroes and hope that we as a society have the same resolute passion to honor those who serve in uniform today. Our ...
Continue Reading →PTSD: The Emperor has no clothes
My dad, a retired Air Force officer, used to tell me as a kid that “If you don’t have anything smart to say, keep your mouth shut.” Now I don’t always follow this advice, but I do think that society would be better served if we kept disingenuous chatter to a minimum. Sadly, it would seem that our leaders – both civilian and in the military – are unable to keep their mouths shut when they have little to contribute ...
Continue Reading →The Afghan Massacre: 20/20 Hindsight
In a horrific and developing news story from the battlefields of Afghanistan, a 38-year-old United States staff sergeant is suspected of slaying 16 Afghan villagers. Some news reports suggest that the unidentified Army sergeant is from Joint Base Lewis-McChord, a sprawling installation located near Tacoma, Washington that has earned a reputation “as the most troubled outpost in the U.S. military.”
With all of the facts and evidence yet to be made public, it would appear that a US ...
Continue Reading →PTSD: A Question of Diagnosis
The recent decision by the US Army to sack PTSD screeners at the Madigan Army Medical Center for questionable diagnoses raises more questions that it actually answers.
As reported by Hal Benton in the Seattle Times, “the Army Medical Command has identified some 285 Madigan Army Medical Center patients whose diagnoses of they went through a screening process for possible medical retirements, according to U.S. Sen. Patty Murray.”
The issue here is not to determine whether there has been any ...
Continue Reading →Medical Benefits More Costly for Active and Retired Military
“Leave no man behind,” is certainly a long-standing military phrase that captures the essence of the pride and valor of men and women serving in our armed forces. The origins of this phrase are not known, but is used by the US Army Rangers, the USMC and special forces units around the world.
Regardless of its origins, the message is clear: Our military takes care of their own and does not leave their wounded and brave heroes behind when they ...
Continue Reading →Mitchells Westport and Stand for the Troops Host Charitable Event in Westport
Stand For The Troops and Mitchells of Westport, CT will host a charitable fund-raising event to raise money for our brave warriors suffering from PTSD. Please join us at Mitchells in Westport (date TBA) to lend your voice to this charitable cause.
Are Army Doctors fudging PTSD diagnoses?
Make no mistake, the military brass recognize that many veterans of our wars in Iraq and Afghanistan suffer from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (“PTSD”). In fact, it is estimated that 1 in 5 veterans suffers from PTSD.
As such, it is difficult to reconcile a recent news report that US Army Doctors are trying to hold down the number of military service members that are diagnosed with “the Army’s top medical officer this week rejected assertions that commanders are discouraging ...
Continue Reading →SFTT Editor Roger Charles Live on Radio
We are thrilled to announce that Geoff “Jeff” Metcalf will conduct a LIVE RADIO INTERVIEW with Col. Roger Charles, editor Stand For The Troops, Wed. Jan 4th at 8PM PST (11 PM EST) Topic: Procurement Scandal over Shoddy Dept. of Defense Approved body armor. SFTT readers are encouraged to call in and listen to the interview by calling in on the following numbers:
703-836-0384 (land line, VOIP) and (cell)
703-980-7551 plus 2d land line (VOIP) 703-836-6736.
Roger Charles, Vice ...
Continue Reading →Dr. Henry Grayson on PTSD
Over a week ago, I attended a fascinating lecture and discussion with Dr. Henry Grayson, Chairman of SFTT’s Medical Task Force, on the exploration of new treatments for veterans suffering from PTSD. The meeting was hosted at the headquarters of the Organization for Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America (IAVA) in midtown NYC.
The meeting was designed to explore some of the new methods to treat veterans with PTSD. Together with the physicians and clinical psychologists ...
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