Folks,

Before starting, let me state UP FRONT that this does NOT apply to several of you. But, from a list of (now) 807 contacts that I have, it does apply to far too many, sadly!

Involvement! Or, the lack thereof. After reading this, you still have the option of being removed from my list of contacts simply by sending me an email with “REMOVE” in the subject line.

What I am about to say might “disturb” some of you but frankly I do not give a damn because it needs to be said. PLEASE SEND THIS on to all your email contacts, and, ask them to do the same. Please?

We face many very serious issues for our nation. Of course, the election for POTUS appears to be front and center. We each have our own opinions about the remaining three candidates. And rightfully so. But there are other – perhaps even more important issues – which we all must face.

It is one thing to use our computers to send volumes of emails about just any topic. Emails are sort of like the old “back fence gossip” except that they are not confined to our back yards; they span the globe. Someone sends and email and, before you know it, it has been to India and back. In many cases, rumor and untruths make their way around the world before the truth gets its boots on.

But let me list just two “other” issues we face: (continue reading…)

The night before he was to enter a drug and alcohol rehabilitation program, Army Pfc. Chris Eckert swallowed a pill prescribed to help him sleep without the nightmares that have tormented him since he left Iraq.

Then, sitting in his barracks at Walter Reed Army Medical Center on Jan. 17, he counted out seven methadone tablets and popped them into his mouth.

The next morning, his squad leader found him on the floor in a puddle of his own vomit, but still alive.

“They told me, ‘Your son is not going to make it,’ ” said Eckert’s mother, Rose Szymborski. “He was on life support for five days.”

Since June 2007, 11 troops have died in the Army’s Wounded Warrior units, according to Lt. Gen. Eric Schoomaker, the Army’s Surgeon General.

Eckert’s mother blames the Army for not looking out for him, while Army officials say Eckert needed to do more to help himself. But both sides agree his case is an example of the difficulties of treating troops working through substance-abuse issues linked to post-traumatic stress disorder or traumatic brain injuries.

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By Marilynn Marchione – The Associated Press
Posted : Thursday Jan 31, 2008 5:50:07 EST
(Emphasis added)

The role of traumatic brain injury — blamed for symptoms plaguing thousands of soldiers returning from Iraq — might be overstated, contends a provocative military study that offers hope for successful treatment.

In many cases, post-traumatic stress and depression may be driving the symptoms, doctors reported Wednesday. And that’s good news because those are treatable.

Returning soldiers have struggled with memory loss, irritability, trouble sleeping and other problems. Many have suffered mild blast-related concussions, but there is no easy way to separate which symptoms are due to physical damage and which are from mental problems caused by the traumatic stress of war. Imaging of the brain is being tested, but hasn’t yet proven to be helpful.

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