florenza horsefly: American Veteran News 02.06.12 ? One Old Vet

Remember The Men Of The U.S.S. Mason

Everyone has heard of the brave black Army aviators known as the Tuskegee Airmen, and rightfully so. Their exploits are simply amazing considering what they had to overcome in the air, fighting enemy planes, and on the ground, fighting racism. As heroic as these ??Red Tails? were (be sure to see the movie), there was another group of black World War II veterans that deserves recognition, the all-black crew of the ship the United States Mason. The Mason was an experiment by the Navy to prove that blacks could not be ?real sailors? entrusted with responsibilities and with a commitment to duty. In short, the Mason was set up to fail by the United States Navy!

GI Bill Change Offers Aid To Vets Who Want Training, Not Degrees
Returning veterans have more options for job training, thanks to new benefits for vets who served since the Sept. 11 attacks. The Post-9/11 GI Bill was revised so that after Oct. 1 last year, new benefits will pay for non-degree education, such as training to become an aircraft dispatcher. Congress passed the legislation, which applies to service members after Sept. 10, 2001, and the president signed it in February.

Court Connects Veteran Offenders With Aid From VA
When people charged with drunk driving, public drunkenness or other misdemeanor criminal offenses go before Judge David Switzer in the Garland County District Court, they are asked one additional question not often heard in other courts: ?Are you a veteran of the armed services?? ?If they answer yes,? Switzer said, ?we arrange it so that someone from [Veterans Affairs] will meet with them, and they receive a full assessment of their problems.?

Wounded Warriors Play Ice Hockey

Wounded warriors from the Walter Reed National Military Medical Center (WRNMMC) gathered at the Rockville Ice Arena on January 27 for a game of adaptive sled hockey. The game is part of the rehabilitation of the injured service members. Kira M. Zevan, an assistant in the WRNMMC Adaptive Sports Rehabilitation and Therapeutic Recreation program, shared that the adaptive sled hockey clinic served as the inaugural event between USA Warriors Hockey and the Military Advance Training Center (MATC) Adaptive Sports Rehabilitation and Therapeutic Recreation Program of the WRNMMC.

Woodworking School Looks to Train Vets
The Port Townsend School of Woodworking, has proposed a $5 million project, beginning in July, to train Army veterans in woodworking skills by
having them renovate a dilapidated former U.S. Army barracks buildings. Located in a Washington State park, the Fort Worden U.S. Army complex also houses the woodworking school. Lawson made his proposal for the woodworking project to the town?s development authority last week, reports the Peninsula Daily News.

Veterans Groups Struggle To Attract New Generation
According to a 2011 story in the Baltimore Sun, the American Legion lost about 300,000 members in the past decade with a current membership of 2.4 million, although some reports put the membership closer to 3 million. The organization also has closed about 160 halls nationwide since 2007, according to the article. And it?s not the only veterans organization with such problems ? the Veterans of Foreign Wars, Amvets, Disabled American Veterans, they?ve all struggled with declining membership.

Veterans Bond With Horses In Therapy Program
Therapists have been using horses to work with the disabled for decades. But in 2006, a pilot program in Fort Myer, Va., showed success treating veterans with both physical and emotional issues. Horses for Heroes, a nationwide program, was developed in 2007 by the North American Riding for the Handicapped Association, now known as the Professional Association of Therapeutic Horsemanship. Horses for Heroes programs have since spread around the country, including two centers funded by the Texas Veterans Commission ? Rocky Top and another near Austin.

More Veterans Seeking College Educations
At Texas A&M, students using veterans education benefits ? such as the Hazlewood Act, a tuition exemption, the Post 9/11 GI Bill, and others ? increased from 600 in 2008 to 1,700 in 2011. At the University of Texas at Austin, the state?s other public Tier 1 research university, the increase was from nearly 600 to more than 1,400, according to data provided by the university. The numbers reflect a modest increase in student veterans, and an explosion in the number of veterans? family members using the benefits, according to A&M and UT administrators.

Veteran Says Service Was ?very Good Experience?

During the Korean War, Lee Hurley wasn?t homesick. He was never shot or injured, but he was seriously ill ? so sick, he said, ?I was out of it, just about.? Rat bites caused him and 300 fellow soldiers to develop hemorrhagic fever. ?They bit us and you never knew it, just nipped at you. Hurley was flown to a MASH unit for treatment for the fever, moved to Korea, then hospitalized in Osaka, Japan. ?Hemorrhagic fever was the highest rate of death for the men. More than 300 of us had it all at the same time. I had a high fever,? he said.

Veterans and PTSD Treatment
Many veterans never dreamed of needing help coping with life following combat deployments. While the impact of surviving in a combat zone has left many veterans seeking help in overcoming posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), there have been significant advances in treatment. An overview of available therapy approaches for PTSD can enhance a veteran?s treatment options. There are three evidenced-based psychotherapies researched with veterans and recognized to be effective in the treatment of combat-related PTSD. Cognitive Processing Therapy (CPT), Prolonged Exposure (PE), and Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) are all accepted as being effective treatment approaches. Each form of therapy has the potential to make a positive difference in the lives of veterans who are treated. Since each therapy addresses specific treatment issues, veterans should know that if one treatment has not worked well for them, other options are available in your community.