Military Experiment Seeks to Predict PTSD By Alicia Chang / Associated Press Two days before shipping off to war, Marine Pfc. Jesse Sheets sat inside a trailer in the Mojave Desert, his gaze fixed on a computer that flashed a rhythmic pulse of contrasting images. Smiling kids embracing a soldier. A dog sniffing blood oozing […]

The Sensitive Soldier: Can US troops be rewired to be impervious to trauma? In the wake of Fort Hood, Brigadier General Rhonda Cornum launched a groundbreaking program to eliminate PTSD. By Gail Sheehy / The Daily Beast “How am I going to get people to focus not on tragedy, but on resilience?” Brigadier General Rhonda […]

Here is a post from Michelle, who is sending her husband, Dave – an Air Force JAG officer – off to Afghnaistan. You can read her blog here. In the past 8 days, there has been a promotion, a diagnosis of developmental disorder, an ear infection, military paperwork, and Hurricane Ida, but nothing could stop this […]

Today is Veteran’s Day. And your 33rd birthday. I guess there was no way to avoid thinking about you today. But the truth is, I think about you a lot. I think about you every time I update this blog. Every time there’s a story in the news about a soldier that was killed; or […]

Just because your spouse/partner is deployed, doesn’t mean you are totally alone. (Although, sometimes it can feel like it!) You do have a support system made up of extended family and friends; most of us just don’t take the time to access it when we don’t need it! My mom was an Army wife. Even […]

Ideas from a Veteran Army wife about preparing for a deployment (This is her 5th!) You can read more from her blog here. You would think after 4 year long deployments, I would be an old pro at this, but every deployment is different, and so it’s time to start thinking about this next one. […]

Here’s a post from an Army wife counting down to her husband’s next deployment. You can read her blog here.   K.’s gear packed up in the barn a couple of weeks ago. GI Joe would sell his Kung Fu grip for all the stuff K. has stashed away in there! The closer he gets […]

Here’s some powerful testimony from SSG Eddie Black, a veteran of the Marine Corps (Desert Storm) and the Oregon National Guard (OIF2) about his return from combat. Eddie now gives free talks for veterans on PTSD. You can email him here.     “When I got back from Iraq, all I wanted to do was go […]

By Joel Brown / Argus Leader Being the father of a deployed soldier has been eye-opening. As a political conservative, I had grown accustomed to cheering for the USA in conflicts overseas. I had my own thoughts on Sept. 11, 2001, and supported the wars in two countries that have followed. I haven’t wavered as […]

Saying goodbye to my husband before he leaves is probably the hardest moment of deployment for me. I drive to the base with an upset stomach and a lump in my throat choking back the tears. Nothing can really make it better, but one of Mike’s former captions did share some good advice when Mike […]