PTSD Combat

"Sir'mone McCaulla"

"James F. Gallagher"

"Jermaine Nelson"

"But after the President entered the room, worked his way around the table, shaking hands and sitting comfortably in his chair, we all immediately felt at ease. He thanked us for coming and acknowledged it was the "first time a president had met with bloggers at the White House". It was history in the making."

"An Air Force Reserve 403rd Wing "Hurricane Hunters" WC-130J is scheduled to depart May 19 as the military's first-ever media flight compromised solely of bloggers. This flight gives bloggers from across the country an opportunity only available to traditional media outlets until now. Members from the international blogging community will be able to share with their audiences what it is like to ride with the Hurricane Hunters while learning what goes into training for one of the most challenging missions in the Air Force. Immediately after their flight, bloggers will be able to update their sites in an adjacent computer room. The two-hour flight over the Gulf of Mexico will give a new audience a better understanding of how the Hurricane Hunters collect life-saving data inside storms and highlighting the coming hurricane season which starts June 1. According to a Pentagon survey, 94% of people born after 1990 actively either blog or use social networking, such as Facebook, and new media ranks number two behind television on how people receive information. The Air Force Reserve and the 403rd are pioneers when it comes to embracing new media and are proud to offer this opportunity to the blogging community. "Social Networking and blogging is not the communication of the future, but of today. This is the way current generations communicate and the Air Force and Air Force Reserve needs to keep up with how technology is evolving and making communication faster and easier," said Brigadier General James J. Muscatell, Jr., commander of the 403rd Wing. This flight is another example of how the 403rd is communicating through new media, the Wing mission that includes the maintainers, the Hurricane Hunters and the Flying Jennies. The public can keep up with news about the 403rd Wing via Facebook Groups listed under '403rd Wing', 'AF Reserve Hurricane Hunters', '815th Flying Jennies' and '41st APS'. In addition, full-resolution photos can be found u

"The true story of any conflict, from Gettysburg to Fallujah, is mostly lost forever, left behind on the battlefield. What remains is the stuff of history books - the letters and recollections of survivors. It is this material that seven Army historians are racing to preserve in Iraq. Judging the value of their work will fall to future academics, when their records are declassified. But until then, we have the accounts of participants in the project, like Lt. Col. John Boyd. Boyd talks with Brooke from Baghdad."

"The detachment, the first of its kind to validate at either JRTC or the National Training Center, Fort Irwin, Ca., is one of 25 other MHDs across the Army. According to Army Field Manual 1-20, Military History Operations, "A military history detachment is a small, independent unit that collects historical material to supplement the historical records of Army units in the field. MHDs consist of three Soldiers. "Within its geographic area of interest, the MHD is mobile and collects all relevant historical information. Continuous personal liaison with command elements keeps the MHD abreast of unit activities and allows it to provide historical advice and assistance. "The historical data gathered by the MHDs will be used to write the history of the U.S. Army. This history is used to inform the general public and provide civilian and military scholars with reliable, historical studies and source materials. It also will help provide the basis for developing future Army doctrine, training, leadership, organization, plans, as well as material and management techniques.""

"Historians will likely remember Operation Iraqi Freedom as iWar v1.0. The Web has done more than quicken reporting from the battlefield; it has made war interactive. Al-Qaeda militants, conservative bloggers, peace activists, Iraqi civilians and the U.S. military all use the Internet to distribute their versions of the truth. They often engage in e-mail debates, but more often sink to slurs and threats when challenging an opposing point of view. U.S. soldiers return from battle to their rooms or tents, boot up their laptops and log on to let their friends and family know they've made it through another day. If their base is large enough, the Internet service provider offers broadband, and they can make a video call home, watch news reports on the war or post their own versions of life in Iraq to their blogs. "I blog for the same reasons soldiers wrote letters and diaries during previous wars: to communicate with family and friends, (and) to maintain an honest record of our daily existence," wrote 1st Lt. Matt Gallagher, in response to an e-mail about his blog http://kaboomwarjournal.blogspot.com. "Blogging is simply a 21st century tool for a new generation of soldiers to utilize.""

This Website offers a broad collection of information on Iraq -- from up-to-the-minute news to a thorough review of the context and reasoning both for and against this war. The majority of the resources included in this site are freely accessible, but some are licensed resources which require being on-campus or accessing via the UCSD proxy server.

This Website offers a broad collection of information on Iraq -- from up-to-the-minute news to a thorough review of the context and reasoning both for and against this war. The majority of the resources included in this site are freely accessible...

"The number of former servicemen in prison or on probation or parole is now more than double the total British deployment in Afghanistan, according to a new survey. An estimated 20,000 veterans are in the criminal justice system, with 8,500 behind bars, almost one in 10 of the prison population. The proportion of those in prison who are veterans has risen by more than 30% in the last five years."

"Deinstitutionalization dramatically shifted the locus of mental healthcare from psychiatric hospitals to the community. Concurrently, law enforcement officers' role as frontline responders to mental health crises increased considerably. This development is daunting for both law enforcement and mental healthcare providers. Without special knowledge and skills, police response to complex mental health crises often results in greater risk of violence, arrest, and incarceration (or control) of persons with mental illness, rather than referral to mental health services for treatment.1 Both criminal justice and mental health systems consider these risks unacceptable."

"This series uses the experiences of several troops suffering from PTSD to delve into the biology of the disorder; substance abuse among victims; the stress that the disorder places on spouses and children; treatment options and availability; the specter of suicide among PTSD sufferers; what current research may mean for the future, and many other issues."

Bennett, who is working to establish veterans' courts, which deal with these behaviors, said the training is open to criminal justice practitioners such as judges, prosecutors, public defenders, probation, and law enforcement through CLEET, and veteran service providers and agencies.

In the population at large, women are more than twice as likely as men to develop posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), although the reasons why are not clearly understood. There are several theories that often are mentioned: * The most common trauma for women is sexual assault or childhood sexual abuse, and women are more likely than men to suffer these offenses. * Women also are more likely to be the victim of domestic violence or to have a loved one suddenly die. * There are differences in the way men's and women's brains work in processing emotions and actions and this, too, might be a contributing factor. Certain PTSD symptoms seem to be more common in women than men, according to the National Center for Posttraumatic Stress Disorder. Women with PTSD are more likely to be jittery and anxious and to have more trouble feeling emotions. Men are more likely to feel anger and to have trouble controlling their anger. They also are more likely to experience the nightmares and flashbacks associated with PTSD. Men with PTSD are more prone to alcohol and drug abuse, while women are more likely to suffer from depression. One good statistic that women have going for them when it comes to PTSD: They are more likely than men to seek treatment for their symptoms. Some studies also indicate that women respond faster to treatment than do men.