Press and Media
A VETERAN'S DEATH, THE NATION'S SHAME
A photograph taken in Iraq of Specialist Ryan Yurchison (left), who died of a drug overdose on May 23, 2010, after returning home to New Middletown, Ohio. See more photographs
April 14, 2012
Nicholas D. Kristof, Op-Ed Columnist
Here's a window into a tragedy within the American military: For every soldier killed on the battlefield this year, about 25 veterans are dying by their own hands.
An American soldier dies every day and a half, on average, in Iraq or Afghanistan. Veterans kill themselves at a rate of one every 80 minutes. More than 6,500 veteran suicides are logged every year — more than the total number of soldiers killed in Afghanistan and Iraq combined since those wars began.
These unnoticed killing fields are places like New Middletown, Ohio, where Cheryl DeBow raised two sons, Michael and Ryan Yurchison, and saw them depart for Iraq. Michael, then 22, signed up soon after the 9/11 attacks.
"I can't just sit back and do nothing," he told his mom. Two years later, Ryan followed his beloved older brother to the Army.
When Michael was discharged, DeBow picked him up at the airport — and was staggered. "When he got off the plane and I picked him up, it was like he was an empty shell," she told me. "His body was shaking." Michael began drinking and abusing drugs, his mother says, and he terrified her by buying the same kind of gun he had carried in Iraq. "He said he slept with his gun over there, and he needed it here," she recalls.
Then Ryan returned home in 2007, and he too began to show signs of severe strain. He couldn't sleep, abused drugs and alcohol, and suffered extreme jitters.
"He was so anxious, he couldn't stand to sit next to you and hear you breathe," DeBow remembers. A talented filmmaker, Ryan turned the lens on himself to record heartbreaking video of his own sleeplessness, his own irrational behavior — even his own mock suicide.
One reason for veteran suicides (and crimes, which get far more attention) may be post-traumatic stress disorder, along with a related condition, traumatic brain injury. Ryan suffered a concussion in an explosion in Iraq, and Michael finally had traumatic brain injury diagnosed two months ago.
Estimates of post-traumatic stress disorder and traumatic brain injury vary widely, but a ballpark figure is that the problems afflict at least one in five veterans from Afghanistan and Iraq. One study found that by their third or fourth tours in Iraq or Afghanistan, more than one-quarter of soldiers had such mental health problems.
Preliminary figures suggest that being a veteran now roughly doubles one's risk of suicide. For young men ages 17 to 24, being a veteran almost quadruples the risk of suicide, according to a study in The American Journal of Public Health.
Michael and Ryan, like so many other veterans, sought help from the Department of Veterans Affairs. Eric Shinseki, the secretary of veterans affairs, declined to speak to me, but the most common view among those I interviewed was that the V.A. has improved but still doesn't do nearly enough about the suicide problem.
"It's an epidemic that is not being addressed fully," said Bob Filner, a Democratic congressman from San Diego and the senior Democrat on the House Veterans Affairs Committee. "We could be doing so much more."
To its credit, the V.A. has established a suicide hotline and appointed suicide-prevention coordinators. It is also chipping away at a warrior culture in which mental health concerns are considered sissy. Still, veterans routinely slip through the cracks. Last year, the United States Court of Appeals in San Francisco excoriated the V.A. for "unchecked incompetence" in dealing with veterans' mental health.
Patrick Bellon, head of Veterans for Common Sense, which filed the suit in that case, says the V.A. has genuinely improved but is still struggling. "There are going to be one million new veterans in the next five years," he said. "They're already having trouble coping with the population they have now, so I don't know what they're going to do."
Last month, the V.A.'s own inspector general reported on a 26-year-old veteran who was found wandering naked through traffic in California. The police tried to get care for him, but a V.A. hospital reportedly said it couldn't accept him until morning. The young man didn't go in, and after a series of other missed opportunities to get treatment, he stepped in front of a train and killed himself.
Likewise, neither Michael nor Ryan received much help from V.A. hospitals. In early 2010, Ryan began to talk more about suicide, and DeBow rushed him to emergency rooms and pleaded with the V.A. for help. She says she was told that an inpatient treatment program had a six-month waiting list. (The V.A. says it has no record of a request for hospitalization for Ryan.)
"Ryan was hurting, saying he was going to end it all, stuff like that," recalls his best friend, Steve Schaeffer, who served with him in Iraq and says he has likewise struggled with the V.A. to get mental health services. "Getting an appointment is like pulling teeth," he said. "You get an appointment in six weeks when you need it today."
While Ryan was waiting for a spot in the addiction program, in May 2010, he died of a drug overdose. It was listed as an accidental death, but family and friends are convinced it was suicide.
The heartbreak of Ryan's death added to his brother's despair, but DeBow says Michael is now making slow progress. "He is able to get out of bed most mornings," she told me. "That is a huge improvement." Michael asked not to be interviewed: he wants to look forward, not back.
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PTSD is a major focus of the AFF's work.
ARMY AMPUTEES TO EMBARK ON RECORD TREK TO NORTH POLE WITH PRINCE HARRY
January 13, 2011
By Thomas Harding, Defence Correspondent
(from left) Capt Guy Disney, Sgt Steve Young, Sgt Martin Hewitt and Pte Jaco Van Gass
Photo: Heathcliff O'Malley
A group of Army amputees is to take on one of the most demanding, dangerous and difficult journeys by trekking to North Pole in an expedition that is set to be joined by Prince Harry.
If the men reach their target it will be the first amputees have ever reached the North Pole trekking unsupported.
But they face many dangers ahead as their injuries make them extremely vulnerable in some of the harshest terrain on earth.
The four men include an officer with an amputated leg, a soldier with a broken back, a paratrooper with a partially paralysed arm and another with an amputated arm.
The month-long expedition will cover 300 miles of the frozen Arctic Ocean enduring temperatures as low as -50C. They will have to navigate over vast swathes of ice rubble and pressure ridges while avoiding aggressive polar bears, falling through ice and fighting off hypothermia.
The men will pull their own equipment and food in sleds weighing in excess of 100kg
‘Walking with the Wounded’, supported by Artemis, plans to raise £2 million for military charities including the British Limbless Ex Service Men’s Association and Help for Heroes.
Prince Harry, who as patron of the expedition plans to walk the final leg just before his brother’s wedding, said: ‘This polar adventure will exemplify the tenacity and courage of those who serve in uniform. I urge the public to get behind them.”
During the bloody battles of Operation Panther’s Claw in 2009 Capt Guy Disney, 28, of the Light Dragoons, lost his right leg below the knee after he was hit by a rocket-propelled grenade.
His biggest concern will be the sweat inside his stump turning into ice that could lead to frostbite.
“It will be hard and there are a few people with concerns,” he told The Daily Telegraph. “But we are not racing to get there and I’m not sure I will find it the toughest as Steve (Young) has a broken back.”
Sgt Steve Young, 28, was also injured during Panther’s Claw sustaining a complicated fracture of the vertebrae when he was hit by an IED (improvised explosive device). The Welsh Guards soldier was told that he may never walk again but last summer managed to run the Safaricom half marathon in Kenya.
Pte Jaco Van Gass, 24, was also hit by a RPG and lost his left arm that will make him vulnerable if he falls through thin ice. But the paratrooper said the expedition was a “once in a life time opportunity”.
“I want to prove, not just to myself, but to all the other wounded men and women that you can do whatever you set your mind to and that life goes on after injury.”
Capt Martin Hewitt, 30, was shot in the shoulder as he led a bayonet charge against a Taliban post in 2008 and decorated twice for bravery. “This expedition is an amazing opportunity to achieve something truly special and raise the profile of those injured on operations in service,” the Parachute Regiment officer said.
The adventurer Bear Grylls called it an “epic challenge for a vitally important cause”.
Brigadier Ed Butler, the former British commander in Helmand, said: ‘Rehabilitating the wounded back into a non-military workplace is a huge task the nation faces in these modern times.”
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Captain Guy Disney was part of the group that travelled in support of Prince Harry's visit to New York and 'Intrepid' during 2010, and met with AFF directors Cain and Beaumont. Pte Jaco Van Gass ran with the Paras during the 2010 Marine Corps Marathon, with the AFF's support.
PARATHON MAN
October 25, 2010
By Duncan Larcombe, Defence Editor
Courageous... the marathon paras
A PARA who lost both legs and an arm in a Taliban blast is defying his injuries to take part in a MARATHON.
Hero Lance Corporal Tom Neathway, 26, will run 26.2 gruelling miles through the streets of Washington DC next Sunday on his prosthetic legs.
Tom, blown up by a bomb while with 2 Para in Afghanistan in 2008, will be backed by four comrades.
They will raise cash for the Parachute Regiment's own charity to help injured troops.
Tom's courage saw him nominated for an Overcoming Adversity Award at the Sun Millies last year.
The soldier, from Worcester, has done five tandem parachute jumps but rates the marathon as his greatest challenge.
The other members of his Maroon Five running squad are Capt Mike Kerrigan, Cpl Pete McCoombe, who lost an eye, Pte Jaco van Gass, who lost an arm in a blast, and Pte Keiron Dry, who was shot in the head.
You can donate online at www.justgiving.com/Parachute-Regiment-Charity-USMC-Marathon
POT Noodle is giving 2p from each sale of its new Christmas dinner flavoured snack to provide troops with extra call time home.
© The Sun 25/10/2010
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Read the original article here at www.thesun.co.uk
Note: US donors please visit our supporting page in cooperation with Team Azalea Charities.
BRIT PARAS v US MARINES IN MARATHON CHALLENGE
from the Union Jack Newspaper - America's Only National British Newspaper
October 1, 2010
A BRITISH Parachute Regiment team including wounded soldiers will compete in the prestigious US Marine Corps Marathon in Washington DC, on October 31. This 35th running of the event through the capital city of the USA is a major international event, attracting military teams from all over the world including US, Denmark and the UK.
Tom Neathway, Jaco Van Gass, Keiron Dry and Mike Kerrigan
Our ‘Maroon Five’ in Team PARA are: Capt Mike Kerrigan, OC Team; Cpl, Pete McCoombe, 2 i/c who has lost an eye; Pte Jaco van Gass (lost arm); Pte Keiron Dry, (GSW to head) and L/Cpl Tom Neathway (triple amputee). Tom plans to start out on his artificial limbs for as long as he can, and the team will make sure he goes the whole distance with their help. It will be a real PARA team effort.
You can support them by donating online at www.justgiving.com/Parachute-Regiment-Charity-USMC-Marathon
The Parachute Regiment Charity benefits wounded soldiers and the families of the Regiment and Airborne Forces in the UK. www.paracharity.org
The Allied Forces Foundation, Inc., in partnership with Azalea Charities, has extended a warm welcome to wounded and active service warriors of Britain and the Commonwealth nations to participate ‘Side x Side’ with American comrades in the 35th running of the Marine Corps Marathon – “The Peoples’ Marathon”. The event will raise awareness and funds on behalf of wounded soldiers in the UK and US.
The Allied Forces Foundation, Inc. is a British-American foundation established to recognize and further the Special Relationship of both those nations, and to work to raise awareness and funding primarily for our common wounded and their families affected by the conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan.
SALUTES
The Allied Forces Foundation, Inc. salutes our comrades of the Commonwealth and other nations of the Steadfast Alliance in these conflicts, and additionally works to raise awareness and funds for their wounded and families who share the common pain. www.alliedforcesfoundation.org
The Parachute Regiment Charity is grateful for the AFF’s invitation to the event and for their hospitality to our team. While competing in the USA, Team PARA will also be helping raise the profile of Azalea Charities which raises funds for Wounded American Warriors. www.active.com/donate/TeamAzalea2010/AFF2010
For more information contact:Stephen Cooper, Director of Charities, The Parachute Regiment director@paracharity.org UK 020 8876 2677/07946 531139
3 RIFLES GREAT NORTH RUN 19 SEPT 10
September 21, 2010
A team from 3 Rifles completed the 30th Great North Run on 19 September 2010. The team of 11 are set to run in the Marine Corps Marathon in Washington DC on 31 October 2010, and the Great North Run was an excellent opportunity for more training and to generate some publicity for Care4Casualties, the Rifles regimental charity.
Spirits were dampened by the early morning Edinburgh rain as the team assembled at Redford Barracks. Morale improved as the minibus approached Newcastle and the prospect of a McDonalds’ breakfast drew closer. Fully kitted out in Rifles running kit, the team assembled at the start line along with 57,000 other runners, ranging from multiple world-record holder Haile Gebrselassie to a man in a full suit of medieval armour.
The team of 11 included Rifleman Alex Swinhoe, of A Coy, 3 Rifles, who was taking part on a hand-bike. Injured on Op HERRICK 11 in Sangin, Rifleman Swinhoe has been undergoing rehabilitation following the amputation of his left leg below the knee and is now eagerly training for the Marine Corps Marathon. He was characteristically enthusiastic and unable to contain his competitive spirit, leaving his ‘support’ runners trailing in his wake as he indulged in personal races with other hand-bike or wheelchair competitors. Mercifully, there were sufficient hills on the course to restrain him.
No one was more grateful for this than Rifleman Damien Hines, of Fire Support Coy, 3 Rifles. A talented and powerfully-built shot-putter, Rifleman Hines would never be described as a natural endurance athlete. However, his determined approach saw him eat away at the miles, although the grimace on his face betrayed his true feelings.
Having started at the rear of the pack, the team had made steady progress to the 10 mile point and were feeling fresh. With the regimental flag, ‘Stars and Stripes’ (in tribute to our supporters from the Allied Forces Foundation) and the Union flag flying proudly, the team cut a swathe through the pack to cross the finishing line in true Rifles style. Rifleman Swinhoe, in particular, was cheered on by spectators as the North East demonstrated its customary support for the Rifles.
The post-race press opportunities were somewhat spoilt by a torrential downpour that left Captain Ben Morgan, Unit Press Officer, hiding under BBC Newcastle’s umbrella. Although they couldn’t quite compete with Gebrsellasie’s winning time, the team got some valuable training miles in before Washington, and, more importantly, generated some important publicity for the Marine Corps Marathon and Care4Casualties.
P J BOXALL
Capt
2IC B Coy
PIPEFEST PIPERS AND DRUMMERS RAISE FUNDS FOR THE INTREPID FALLEN HEROES FUND
Posted: 8/9/2010. Photo: Kathy Lloyd Boehm
On Saturday, August 7th, the Intrepid Sea, Air and Space Museum hosted over 188 pipers and drummers who marched into the Guinness Book of World Records by forming the largest band ever to play on a ship. The event was part of the Pipefest Global Challenge which aims to unite the piping and drumming world in support of cancer and veteran charities worldwide. All participants raised funds for the Intrepid Fallen Heroes Fund, a national leader in supporting the men and women of the United States Armed Forces and their families, which has provided over $120 million in support for the families of military personnel lost in service to our nation, and for severely wounded military personnel and veterans.
A very special thanks to all pipers, drummers, marshals, stewards and first aiders who took part in Pipefest, this was a fantastic effort helping support others in need. For more information on the Pipefest Global Challenge please visit http://www.pipefest.com.
See the original page on the Intrepid site here.
(See also video footage of the event from Tampa Bay Online, video on YouTube by 'krevmate' and video footage of the massed bands playing Scotland the Brave by Kathy Boehm.)
PRINCE HARRY SPEAKS AT A RECEPTION ON INTREPID, NY
June 25, 2010
Prince Harry visited New York, in the company of wounded ambassador officers from the British Army, to explore the possibilities for increased cooperation between US and UK wounded servicemen and the charities and organizations such as Allied Forces Foundation that seek to support them.
On the Sunday following, AFF partners Achilles International staged their eighth "Hope and Possibility Run" in Central Park, NY, which Prince Harry joined. The Prince had the opportunity to meet - and run - with a number of wounded servicemen taking part. Review a report and video by NY1 here.
FALKLAND ISLANDS RADIO SERVICE
June 22, 2010
At approximately 1200 EST (1300 Falkland standard time) The Allied Forces Foundation, Inc. received greetings from the Falkland Islands, and an appreciation for its mission, by Liz Elliot on her daily program aired on the Falkland Islands Radio Service.
Liz then dedicated Mark Knopfler's 'Brothers in Arms' "to all our friends and the Allied Forces Foundation in the United States - Ox, Tom and Suzy".
After the song she reiterated the dedication and praised the good works being done by the Allied Forces Foundation, Inc.
To quote AFF Drum Major Ox Gara: "Those interested in a fine broadcast with an eclectic tune selection and great local flavour are encouraged to listen in via computer link as I do. In addition to VERY local weather and traffic advisories (Watch out for Ice on the old Quarry road!), you'll hear about flight arrivals and departures and who is coming/going . They even tell folks when they have to be at the airport.There are also lost and found cell phones, sheep, small boats. You get an intimate portrait of the day to day life in this unique, historic community."
http://www.firs.co.fk (and note the link to the TS Endurance web site on their home page)
PM IN CAMP BASTION
Number 10 TV, June 11, 2010
The prime minister has paid tribute to the "brave and professional" British troops serving in Afghanistan.
An extract from the transcript of David Cameron's words:
"Alongside proper support is proper backing at home. I want to make sure, as Prime Minister, that all the things that your families and you can quibble about back at home – whether you’re getting good schools, whether you’re getting proper healthcare, the state of the housing and the flats that some of you have to live in – that we take action on all of these things; and we re-write, and re-publish, that military covenant, the covenant between the government and the civilians of a country and its military: that you do so much for us, and we’re going to properly look after you. We’re going to re-write that covenant.
So, a clear mission, proper support for what you do, and backing at home. But I think there is a fourth thing as well. And that is to give real leadership in our country, to make sure that we support our military in its broadest sense, in every single way that we can. During the First and the Second World Wars, and during the Falklands War, there was real support in our country for the military. And I want to put you front and centre of our national life again. I think it’s vital. There’s huge respect and support for what the military does, and I want that in every single part of our country. "
Prince Harry to visit New York in support of military veterans and Sentebale,
25 - 27th June 2010
2nd June 2010 - Clarence House
Prince Harry is to make a three-day visit to New York where he will visit a number of military and veterans organisations to explore ideas about how British and American veterans charities might work together to support returning wounded Servicemen and women on both sides of the Atlantic. The Prince will also take part in the Veuve Clicquot Polo Classic in support of American Friends of Sentebale, the US branch of the charity of which Prince Harry is Patron.
During the three-day visit, Prince Harry will build on many of the relationships he made during his visit to New York in May 2009. During that trip, The Prince paid a visit to a Veterans Affairs hospital as well as a private visit to the decommissioned aircraft carrier USS Intrepid, a museum dedicated to US veterans.
The Prince will use his visit to New York to explore what might be done to help wounded veterans rehabilitate in the widest possible cross-Atlantic peer group. Many wounded veterans will have served and been wounded together with their British or American counterparts on operations in Iraq and Afghanistan, but their contact with one another often ceases when they return to their home countries for rehabilitation. The Prince will be accompanied on his visit by two British officers, who are representatives of British veterans organisations.
The official parts of the visit will be supported by Her Majesty’s (HM) Consulate-General in New York.
HM Consul-General in New York, Sir Alan Collins, said:
“We are delighted that Prince Harry will return to New York. There are strong cultural, business and historic links between New York and the United Kingdom, and Prince Harry received a warm reception last year. Prince Harry’s military service in Afghanistan has gained him respect among veterans here, as does his passionate commitment to wounded veterans on both sides of the Atlantic.”
HEALING WOUNDS WITH WARRIOR GAMES
NBC Nightly News, May 14, 2010
Stacy Pearsall, a wounded war veteran, talks about how the importance of being able to participate in competitive sports:
www.msnbc.msn.com/id/3032619/vp/37158182
The links to the sponsor, the United States Marine Corps Wounded Warrior Regiment, and to the Warrior Games site, are below:
www.woundedwarriorregiment.org/warriorgames.aspx and usparalympics.org
TURNING OUR BACKS ON HEROES
By Bob Herbert, April 5, 2010
While growing up just outside of Chicago, Dennet Oregon dreamed of being an artist. He loved to draw. He enrolled in art school after high school, but then came the attacks of Sept. 11, 2001. He left art school at the age of 19 and joined the Army.
“Sept. 11th was the main reason I joined,” he said, “but there were other underlying reasons as well. I was just poor, and I was tired of being poor. And tuition was kind of high. I called recruiters and we talked about the benefits of the G.I. bill, etc. And I figured, ‘Hey, join the Army and then get out and school would be paid for.’ ”
Mr. Oregon was assigned to the infantry and found that he liked it. He enjoyed the travel, the sense of adventure and the camaraderie with fellow soldiers. He wasn’t crazy about the danger, but, over all, he found the Army agreeable. At the end of four years, he re-enlisted.
“I got hurt March 29, 2005,” he said.
“Got hurt” was an understatement. Mr. Oregon, by then a sergeant, was in the lead truck of a convoy passing through a treacherous village not far from firebase Cobra, in the province of Uruzgan in central Afghanistan.
There was an uneasy feeling in the convoy that bordered on dread. Villagers gathered to stare at the American soldiers. “They stopped what they were doing,” said Sergeant Oregon, “and they were all eyeballing us.”
Everybody in the convoy was thinking I.E.D.: improvised explosive device. As Sergeant Oregon explained, “The road paralleled a river, and between the road and the river was just mud. If you tried to go through the mud, you would only get stuck. So the road was the only way.”
As he recalled the incident during an interview one recent afternoon at his apartment, Mr. Oregon said, “Everybody was scared. I remember saying to my driver, ‘As long as I don’t lose my hands, I’m fine.’ Because I like to draw, you know? ‘As long as I don’t lose my hands.’ ”
Some of the soldiers climbed out of the trucks to hunt for a device. But they didn’t spot anything. The bomb had been buried and paved over with concrete. It was detonated remotely as Sergeant Oregon’s truck passed over it.
A buddy of Sergeant Oregon’s lost his right leg. Sergeant Oregon was the most seriously wounded. He lost both legs. Each was amputated just below the knee. He also suffered a traumatic brain injury, three fractured vertebrae and cuts to his face and head.
There is a strong tendency, in our collective national consciousness, to give short shrift to the many thousands of Americans who are suffering grievously as a result of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.
The wars have become like white noise in our culture. They hit the front pages from time to time, and there are evenings when some aspect of the wars are featured on the national news telecasts. But we have no real sense of the extraordinary sacrifices that have been made by the young men and women who are fighting these wars in our name.
The agony for many of the wounded has been all but unbearable — those who have lost limbs or been paralyzed or horribly burned, or who lost their hearing or eyesight.
The suffering extends to the families and loved ones of the wounded, and in all too many cases will last throughout their lives. These are peculiar wars in that the impact on the warriors inevitably is profound, while the effect of the wars on most other Americans is minimal.
There is something shameful — dishonorable — about relegating these warriors to the background. We sent them into hell and we owe them, at the very least, our grateful acknowledgement of their tremendous efforts and boundless sacrifices. There is no way to do that without paying serious attention to them.
Dennet Oregon, who now walks with prosthetic legs and works in an office at the Pentagon, is but one of many wounded soldiers piecing their lives back together after their encounters with catastrophe.
During a recent visit to the Walter Reed Army Medical Center, I spent some time in the Military Advanced Training Center, a remarkable facility where dozens of recent amputees — under the guidance of an extraordinarily talented and dedicated staff — were engaged in the arduous task of physical rehabilitation.
Nearly 1,000 service members have lost limbs as a result of the two wars, and nearly 200 have lost more than one limb. More than 17,000 G.I.’s serving in Iraq or Afghanistan have suffered wounds so serious that they could not be returned to duty.
These wounded service members, many of them quite young, deserve much more of our awareness and support than they are getting.