Dear Friends,
This is to reintroduce the amazing Major Ben Richards, a true hero for our time and an amazing American. He led his men bravely and nobly in Iraq, then returned home only to have to continue fighting for his mental, physical and emotional health. Which leads to my painful confession: I read the NY Times – and first encountered Ben ...
Continue Reading →Yesterday evening, WWLTV.com in Louisiana carried a very moving “progress report” on
Maj. Richards’ tragic story was chronicled by New York Times columnist Nicholas Kristof who wrote an article in August entitled “War Wounds.” For reasons that seem inexplicable to the average American, the Veterans Administration, the Defense Department and our government seemed to wash their hands of any responsibility of the injuries suffered by Maj. Richards. Eilhys England, Chairperson of SFTT, immediately contacted Maj. Richards and put him ...
Continue Reading →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 ...
Continue Reading →
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% ...
Continue Reading →