The president of the American Psychiatric Association says he is “very open” to a request from the Army to come up with an alternative name for post-traumatic stress disorder so that troops returning from combat will feel less stigmatized and more encouraged to seek treatment.

Dr. John Oldham, who serves as senior vice president and chief of staff at the Houston-based Menninger Clinic, said he is looking into the possibility of updating the association’s diagnostic manual with a new subcategory for PTSD. The subcategory could be “combat post-traumatic stress injury,” or a similar term, he said.

“It would link it clearly to the impact and the injury of the combat situation and the deployment experience, rather than what people somewhat inaccurately but often assume, which is that you got it because you weren’t strong enough,” Oldham said.

The potential change was prompted by a request from Gen. Peter Chiarelli, the Army’s vice chief of staff, who wrote to Oldham last year, suggesting APA drop the world “disorder” from PTSD.

I am not going to say this came from me, however there are some interesting things that have happened in the past of which I am connected to. I have been saying for about four years that we should NOT use the “D” in PTSD for every soldier that has been diagnosed. I have made this statement in many public forums with the argument that people can suffer from Post-Traumatic Stress without having a disorder. I commonly call it PTS or more recently I have seen it called PTSS for Post-Traumatic Stress Syndrome.

On June 18th, 2009 we had GEN Chiarelli as a guest on You Served Radio where we talked to him about this stress, the Army’s Suicide problems, and many other topics. The discussion went extremely well and in all honesty was one of the most notable episodes of the You Served Radio show.

I didn’t get a chance to mention my feelings on dropping the “D” to him so there is no direct correlation however it has been something that I have pushed for a while and I am highly encouraged others like GEN Chiarelli are feeling the same way.

Oldham cautioned the discussion is very preliminary but speculated that a new subcategory like “combat post-traumatic stress injury” might work.

Although Chiarelli still would prefer to lose “disorder” entirely, he said a new subcategory would be a start. “I’m frustrated with how long this is taking to be honest,” he said….

….Chiarelli says his main concern is getting soldiers into treatment, so if calling post-traumatic stress a disorder keeps them from seeking help, then the wording needs to change, the sooner the better.

Read the whole story over at http://www.chron.com/news/houston-texas/article/Idea-to-take-the-D-out-of-PTSD-studied-2556372.php

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I had the chance to ask him two questions. One was about the good news story of the turn-around of Nawa district and the other was about Marine amputees being deployed under his command. Nawa was a very nasty area when the RCT first moved into Helmand and was always on the news with a lot of death and destruction. Many of our brave Marines have lost their lives there. However you never hear about it anymore because it has been completely secured and turned around. I asked the Col about his engagement of PAOs and his work to get the message out about how they secured that area.

I have had a lot of interest on this blog about my stories of wounded warriors going back into combat, especially amputees. So I wanted to ask about that.

The other bloggers also has some very good questions that they asked of the Col. so be sure to listen to the whole clip. The entire roundtable only took 30 minutes or so.

Listen by clicking below

CLICK HERE

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SSG Guinta will be receiving the MoH very soon from the President in Washington DC.

The video below is the best I have seen from him explaining exactly what happened that day. In addition to SSG Guinta talking, MAJ Kearney who was the Company Commander of Battle Company is giving his views about the same day. This is a very emotional video with Sal talking raw and open about those moments and his thoughts on the moment he was told he would be getting the Medal of Honor. His exact words…”Fuck You…”. You need to see why he said it and thoughts behind receiving it.

My friend Tim Hetherington who is the filmmaker of Restrepo and was Sebastian Junger’s partner on Restrepo and Sebastian’s book, WAR is the interviewer of this piece. As always Tim has done a great job in his filming and editing to tell the story.

Tim also has his new book out called, Infidel. You can read reviews and get a copy at www.amazon.com/Tim-Hetherington-Infidel/dp/1905712189

The Sal Giunta Story from Ryan Blaind on Vimeo.

Last but not least, you will hear MAJ Kearney talk about Landigal and that being an objective of Operation Rock Avalanche. If you want to read a phenomenal book that is a great easy read and happened in the same place, Landigal, but two years earlier then check out James F. Christ’s book which goes by that name of that place. You can find it at www.lulu.com/product/paperback/landigal/13236158

I read a draft of Landigal back in May and sent James the following feedback directly to him in an email.

This story needs to be told as quickly as possible. Especially since we have now pulled all US forces out of Korengal. We have given up all that land that these and many other boys bled and died on.

As I said, it is a easy read and not very expensive. Give it a look to understand some of the background of this very volatile part of Afghanistan which we no longer occupy.

For more information about the TV premiere of Restrepo, please visit www.natgeotv.com/restrepo. For additional information about the film, please visit www.restrepothemovie.com, and join us on Facebook and Twitter.

The television premiere of Sebastian Junger and Tim Hetherington’s acclaimed film, Restrepo, will be on Monday, November 29 at 9pm ET/PT. Tune into your local National Geographic Channel to view it.

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Also, since I am talking about RESTREPO, tune in tonight to You Served Radio at www.blogtalkradio.com/youserved to listen to author Sebastian Junger who is the author of the book that is partnered with this film talk about the book, the film and his experiences in Afghanistan.

Below is a new trailer and different from what I have posted here before. Please take a moment to watch it.

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We’ve got LTG Freaklley coming on the show this evening, and we’re pretty excited to have him as this is 2nd visit to You Served Radio. Lieutenant General Benjamin C. Freakley assumed command of U.S. Army Accessions Command, Fort Monroe, Virginia, on 18 May 2007, consisting of U.S. Army Recruiting Command, Fort Knox, KY; U.S. Army Cadet Command, Fort Monroe, VA; and U.S. Army Accessions Support Brigade, Fort Knox, KY. Additionally, General Freakley exercises Department of the Army directed executive agent authority over the United States Military Entrance Processing Command, North Chicago, IL, and executive oversight of the U.S. Army Training and Doctrine Command Human Capital Enterprise Board. You can read more about LTG Freakley at www.usaac.army.mil/cg.html.

Tony Canzonieri and Abel Moreno from Vets4Vets.com will join us in the second hour. Vets4Vets is a non-partisan organization dedicated to helping Iraq and Afghanistan-era veterans to heal from the psychological injuries of war through the use of peer support. Founded in 2005 by a decorated Marine Corps combat veteran of Vietnam, Vets4Vets was selected the next year as one of the 50 outstanding nonprofits in the country serving returning veterans by the prestigious Iraq-Afghanistan Deployment Impact Fund (IADIF) for $1.2 million in start-up funding. Abel Moreno served 7 years in the Army’s 82nd Airborne Division 307th Engineer Battalion as a L.E engineer. He served one deployment in Afghanistan and one deployment in Iraq. He supported the 3rd Brigade Combat team along with L.E support with Charlie Company 307th Engineer Battalion. Duties performed were fortification, engineer recon, convoy security and demolitions. He has worked with Vets4Vets since 2006 setting up peer networks through out the country for Afghanistan and Iraq veterans. He leads and runs weekend workshops for Vets4Vets participants’ and is currently the Deputy Director for Vets4Vets.

If you can’t make the live show at www.blogtalkradio.com/youserved, you can listen to and download the archives afterward at that link or from iTunes.

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downloads.bbc.co.uk/podcasts/worldservice/whys/whys_20100623-1806a.mp3

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While typing this posting, I got another call from BBC and have been invited to be back on BBC’s World Have Your Say. You can listen live to that broadcast between 1-2PM EST or catch the podcast afterwards at www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p002w559

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Do we really need to waste the time of the Commander of the war in Afghanistan by spending dozens of hours flying back and forth? Save the money, time and the environment and do it on a damn con call.

It is a shame that GEN McChrystal spoke his mind to a Rolling Stone reporter, of all people. I can’t say I blame GEN McChrystal at all, and I know the General feels bad that he said those to a journalist as he has already apologized. We really don’t have time for all of these distractions as there is something more important to focus on….fighting the war. I mean even Sen John Kerry made that statement this morning.

Everything the General said is true, so you can’t blame him for making stuff up. He just spoke his mind. I have made my opinions of Eikenberry more than clear on this blog. You can click www.bouhammer.com/?s=Eikenberry&submit=Go and see a collection of blogs I have written about him. The most prominent one on that list is www.bouhammer.com/2010/05/the-war-between-mcchrystal-and-eikenberry/ which I wrote back in May. Not meaning to sound like the “Blame Bush” crowd, but I can tell you that what McChrystal and even McKiernan have dealt with are a direct result of Eikenberry’s inept leadership and misguided management of the war while he was in command from 2004-2007. It was Eikenberry himself that “faked” progress in Afghanistan and why we find ourselves still there today as engaged as we are.

If you would like to know more about how I feel and what I think on this matter, I invite you to tune into the BBC tonight at 7:10 EST PM. I will be interviewed on the BBC program “The World Today” in reference to this whole matter. You can listen live at www.bbc.co.uk/worldservice/news/2009/03/000000_world_today.shtml

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I was very glad to know it was not just me who was unhappy with the content of the call. I am sure COL Umberg is a great guy and soldier, but I think he is severely out of touch with reality. The answers he gave showed he is living in the great white palace and not in touch with the people.

The first response that took me back was this answer the COL gave to Chuck Simmons from America’s North Shore Journal. EMPHASIS is MINE

CHUCK: …And are we — are we interfering with the cultural norm, or do they really not want — do they really want the Western concept of anticorruption?

COL. UMBERG: Well, let me first deal with the second part of your question. The cultural norm — I reject that, and I think that most people who have dealt with average Afghans also reject that. There’s not a cultural norm with respect to corruption……

…..The Islamic and Koranic underpinnings — as you know, virtually everyone here is Muslim — they’re pretty strong and profound with respect to corruption. So we don’t — we don’t need to impose our values upon them

I mean really? It is not a cultural norm? I think someone doesn’t get outside the wire enough. If you are an Afghan veteran, I welcome your comments and view on that statement.

And to say that the Quran addresses corruption or forbids it, is a worthless statement. The Quran also says that homosexuality, and drug use is banned also and we don’t have to look hard to see how that works out in Afghanistan. Just because the Quran forbids it and the entire population is muslim doesn’t mean crap.

I can’t even count the number of “Christians” that willingly and pusposely ignore or violate the commandments of the Bible.

After several more questions, my turn came. I went after two areas, and I have to admit I haven’t been in country in three years so maybe they do have EFT fully implemented, as I know they were starting to try and do that right before I left. Since I don’t have the current facts on the ground I had to accept his first answer, but I was not pleased with this second answer.

Everywhere you see “Q” that is me talking.

Q Okay. Thank you. Sir, this is Troy Steward from Bouhammer.com. You know, back in — I guess it was, when I was there, April 2006, when we took away the ability for ETTs and mentors to pay and control the pay for, at that time, just ANA forces. Becuase by the time we took over ANP it was already happened. But when we took — when that happened, we lost all control, and we lost a — and we lost a big — a big part of the fight in corruption when we — when the ETTs and the Americans cannot control paying military members of the Army when they actually show up for work. I know under that time, then-LTG Eikenberry was really pushing hard to make it look like we were succeeding in a lot of areas when we weren’t. So that was a big step, and it was touted that, you know, they’re handling their own pay.

Is there any thought, as we go back and look at the corruption going on now, especially with pay and commanders sending soldiers out to the field so he can collect their pay for them when the pay team comes, stuff like that, to get the U.S. mentors, ANP, ANA mentors back involved, or at least get them to have a direct line of communication to somebody in Kabul when they see corruption and have action taken on that?

COL. UMBERG: Well, I’m not sure I agree with your premise. I actually believe that, in terms of the nexus between pay and corruption, you’ve seen a dramatic reduction because of the electronic funds transfer. And then with respect to the ANP, to the extent of the 25 percent that aren’t paid either through the electronic funds transfer, the Roshan M-Paisa methodology, is that there is a coalition member who is there when the patrolmen receive their pay.

So I’m not — I’m not suggesting there’s not still corruption both in the ANP and the ANA, but I do think that the electronic funds transfer and M-Paisa program have done quite a bit to reduce that opportunity.

Q So because the EFT — the fund transfer is happening now, you’re thinking it’s eliminated that avenue for people to be corrupt in that way? There’s no more pay teams visiting anymore?

COL. UMBERG: Yeah, I don’t think — you know, there’s no system that’s completely foolproof. But has it dramatically reduced the opportunities for corruption? The answer to that is unequivocally yes. I don’t think we’ll go back to the — sort of the manual distribution of pay.
I’m sorry, the second part of your question was?

Q Well –

COL. UMBERG: Again, where there’s a will, there’s a way. There’s still — there’s — you know, there’s still — if you’ve got acorrupt commander who takes pay from soldiers and patrolmen, you still have an issue. But it’s tougher now than it was before.

Q Well, the second part, sir, was — you know, are — is there an avenue set up for mentors — American mentors? You know, it’s kind of gone back a little bit to being more heavy handed, involved in Afghan stuff, policies.

But is there a way to get them direct — to report that directly to someone that has followed up on investigating (on ?)? Because before it went through all the levels of, you know, kandaks, brigades, corps, mentors, all the way up. And it wasn’t always followed up on. And we — and reports just kept going up about corruption, and nothing ever happened. So the American mentors just, you know, threw their hands up and said, you know, why are we wasting our time doing this anymore? No one ever does anything.
So I’m kind of looking for like an express line or, you know — (word inaudible) — the express lane to get that word up and have it investigated.

COL. UMBERG: I think we’re doing better with respect to reports and then follow-up of reports of corruption. But the system is not perfect. Right now when there’s corruption — for example, in the kandak or the battalion level — that’s reported to IJC. And we have — it sounds like you’ve been over here. We’ve got law enforcement professionals that are assigned to battalions, U.S. battalions that are partnering with both the ANP as well as the ANA, and it gets reported that way.

So it does get reported up. We have — in the military there’s a quite effective military system of — military, when I say military, I mean Army — justice. And on the ANP side, as I mentioned before, we have mobile anti-corruption teams that are moving out. And we have — in each of the provinces and districts, as you know, we’ve got investigative teams.
But again, you know, I don’t want have challenges. We’re not there yet.

By the time he got through this attempt at an answer, I was done with the call. I could tell that we were essentially talking to a politician or lawyer. It was all gravy and no mashed potatoes at this point.

If you would like to read the entire transcript or listen to the archive of the call, check out www.blogtalkradio.com/bloggersroundtable/2010/05/17/dodlive-bloggers-roundtable-nato-training-mission- for the audio archive or www.defense.gov/Blog_files/Blog_assets/20100517_Umberg_transcript.pdf for the transcript.

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We get many guests on the YouServed Radio show that give and donate things to the show which we sell on the ebay store to raise money for the awesome charity of Soldier’s Angels. The auctions run Thursday-Thursday (because the radio show is on Thursday nights). Starting this Thursday Marcus has acquired the new book, Rage Company, A Marine’s Baptism by Fire (Amazon, Barnes & Noble) by Thomas Daly. In addition to getting this book if you win the auction, the publisher has also thrown in a BRAND NEW and much sought after iPad.

So the winning bidder, of the auction that starts on the 29th and will end on May 6th, will win not only this great new book but also a iPad. All in the name of Soldier’s Angels.

But you don’t have to wait until then to get some great stuff and help out Soldier’s Angels, because you can head over to the eBay Store now and bid on this week’s auctions. They are only gonna be up for 2 more days, so be sure and check out a brand new signed CD from Bridge of Sighs or a copy of the awesome book my Eric Blehm, “The only thing worth dying for”. I did a review of the book here on Bouhammer.com at www.bouhammer.com/2010/02/book-review-the-only-thing-worth-dying-for/. We also had Eric on the You Served Radio show on Feb. 12th, and you can listen to that interview at www.blogtalkradio.com/show.aspx?userurl=youserved&year=2010&month=02&day=12&url=episode-75.

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