SPC Damon G. Winkleman, Medic--US ARMY

A memorial in their honor will be held in Afghanistan.

We are not neglecting our Army bretheran, it’s really just the issue that the majority of us are “Corpsman” or are related to HM”s.

We want to have more info for our Army Medic’s out there.  You deserve it.

If you would like to help out here and get the word out for your MEDIC community, please drop me a line @ admin1@corpsman.com so we can touch base.

Understand I need to get a feel for someone prior to letting them have reign on here to post stories.  We would will setup a interview with you via Skype with myself, 8404 and CrazyCajun, and DeeDee to make sure you want and can fit into our team.

Also remember we are not a product of the DEPT of Defense.  This is a site purely run on our dime etc.   You will be subject to the UCMJ though for editorial Content, our way to make sure all is kosher is to have you pass your stories by your PAO prior to us posting.
We hope to hear from some of you hard chargers!!

D/C
Da-Chief
Corpsman.com

At Fort Hood and Armywide, some Soldiers are waging a war outside of the theaters in Iraq and Afghanistan. These Soldiers are battling depression, stress, medical and relationship problems, all of which are the leading causes of suicide.

It is a battle Soldiers do not have to lose because there is a force ready to help in the form of unit command, social workers, medical and psychological professionals, helping agencies and — likely the first line of defense – the Soldier’s own battle buddies.

That’s the concept behind the Army’s Suicide Prevention Week’s theme this year “Shoulder-to-Shoulder – no Soldier stands alone.” Suicide Prevention Week is Sept. 7-13 and the theme conveys the idea that Soldiers are stronger together, especially when times are tough.

Soldiers relate best to those with shared experiences and battle buddies count on each other in combat as well as in garrison. Recurrent deployments, stress increases, prolonged periods of separation and horrific conditions in theater are difficult to explain to Family members and civilian friends.

For that reason, Soldiers continue to lean on and expect help from their peers. To be prepared to help, Soldiers and leaders need to recognize depression and know risk factors and warning signs of suicide.

“Be cognizant of what’s going on with your battle buddy,” Lt. Col. Ben Phillips, chief, Behavioral Health at Carl R. Darnall Army Medical Center, said. “They’re counting on us. We can’t just wash it under the table.” Phillips urges Soldiers to listen to each other and pay attention to any red flags or disturbing trends, but cautions that professionals should perform treatment.

“Realize you’re not a mental health expert,” Phillips said. He suggested Soldiers “lend a soft ear,” and then escort the depressed Soldier for treatment. “Ensure they’re safe. Safety is the primary key,” he said.

“Do not leave them alone.” Since the beginning of the Global War on Terrorism, the Army has lost the equivalent of an entire battalion task force, more than 580 Soldiers, according to Sergeant Major of the Army Kenneth Preston.

Suicide is the fourth leading manner of death for Soldiers, behind hostile fire, accidents and illness, Preston stated in the Army Suicide Prevention Program guide. The Army has seen a recent increase in suicides.

In 2007, there was a 21 percent increase over the previous year and, although 2008 figures are not complete, it appears the trend is continuing. Soldiers operate in austere conditions and must perform tasks and see things no one ever should. They shoulder the hopes, expectations and freedoms of all Americans and others around the world.

They are warriors who volunteer to do what others cannot. With all they can and do handle, Soldiers sometimes find themselves experiencing relationship problems, depression, severe, prolonged,or perceived unmanageable stress, serious medical problems and significant loss.

“We all feel anxious and overwhelmed from time-to-time,” Lt. Gen. Rick Lynch, III Corps and Fort Hood commander said in his Aug. 7 (Fort Hood Sentinel) column. “However, suicide and suicidal behavior is never a normal response to stress. If you are suicidal or think someone you know is suicidal, help is available.”

From chaplains to medical services and hotlines and Web sites, resources and services are available to help. Seeking help is no longer as taboo or stigmatized as it was in the past. As the war continues, the stigma attached to depression is removed, Phillips said.

“Soldiers are seeing their buddies seek and receive treatment,” Phillips said. In most cases, confidentiality is so high the Soldier’s command is not even notified a Soldier sought mental health help. “Typically, the Soldier’s command is not notified, unless there is a safety or deployment issue,” Phillips said.

For Soldiers who choose not to talk to friends or prefer another avenue of one-on-one help, battalion chaplains are another venue for assistance and guidance. “We’re reaching out,” Chaplain (Lt. Col.) Marvin Luckie, chief, Department of Ministry and Pastoral Care at Carl R. Darnall Army Medical Center, said.

Luckie knows the stresses faced by Soldiers and said a chaplain can act as a sounding board in a non-threatening way. Armed with educational materials, resources and experience, chaplains can offer advice, direction or simply an understanding ear.

The discussions do not have to be denominational or even spiritual. Luckie said recurrent deployments and, for new Soldiers, adjusting to Army life can be trying experiences for anyone. Like everyone else, Soldiers sometimes need a break. “(Soldiers) too need to be recharged,” Luckie said.

Fort Hood has an active Behavioral Health Department at CRDAMC to help Soldiers recharge and manage depression. The good news is Soldiers are seeking help. Phillips said his department sees a lot of walk-ins and referrals. The medical center offers in-patient and out-patient mental health services to Soldiers.

Currently, there are eight beds in the in-patient unit, but Phillips said that number is expected to increase to 12 beds in November. In addition, the Resilience and Restoration Center provides outpatient mental health services to Soldiers.

Warrior Combat Stress Reset Program, a two-week intensive outpatient program that was developed at Fort Hood, uses various intensive therapies and operates on a continuous cycle providing mental health care for eight to ten Soldiers.

Soldiers in the program are assigned to that program for the two-week period. Hotlines and Web sites are available as well and many use Military One Source to gain immediate access to counseling.

The key is that Soldiers are able to talk when they need to, Phillips said. Whatever the method, Soldiers experiencing risk factors for suicide need immediate help. It is not a battle anyone needs to fight alone because there is an Army standing shoulder-to-shoulder to help.

Hundreds of Fort Drum Soldiers received training last week on one aspect of war that does not always take precedence: the battle of the mind.

Retired 1st Sgt. Michael Rinehart, training specialist from the U.S. Army Medical Department Center and School, came from Fort Sam Houston, Texas, to offer Battlemind Warrior Resiliency Training. The training was integrated into the advanced individual training for health care specialists and AMEDD Officer Basic Leader Course / Basic Officer Leader Course curriculum in July, and a mobile training team teaches it to Soldiers throughout the Army.

Rinehart offered two-hour courses for those certified in combat life saving and four-hour courses for medics, to teach them how to help themselves and others when they are dealing with stresses of military life. The medics’ portion was a “train the trainer” segment, to give them valuable information to take back and teach fellow medics and others.

“Warriors go to other warriors—someone they trust—when they have a problem, and you need to know how to deal with it,” Rinehart told Soldiers Friday. “And for some of you, they are already coming to you.”

Rinehart talked about how some people are more able to cope than others, and even mild stressors can set people off.

“You can get (stress) from standing in line at Wal-Mart,” he said.

He told participants they should make it their responsibility to help fellow Soldiers be mentally prepared for combat or other military deployments.

“You can’t keep sending bodies where you haven’t trained their minds to go. If you send them before their minds are ready, there’s a price and you’re going to pay it. Treat them now, or you’ll treat them later,” Rinehart said. “Preparing yourself and your Family is extremely important, too.

“Medics, especially, do everything they can for others—stay up late for their Soldiers, take care of their Soldiers—but they don’t take care of themselves,” he added. “Don’t forget about the ones who don’t necessarily have battle buddies looking out for them, like the commander and the doc.”

Rinehart also talked about those who already are suffering effects of deployments.

“The warriors need to understand that their thoughts and emotions are common, they’re fine, they’re predictable,” he said. “We need to help diminish the stigma and barriers to seeking behavioral health care if people know they’re struggling. Some people don’t go because they think others will look down on them, think they’re incompetent or crazy or weak, but they need to know that what they’re going through is normal.”

Rinehart said it is important for Soldiers to find a way to tell their Families what they have been through.

“It’s important to be able to redevelop the same cohesive bonds that you developed with your fellow warriors with the people who should be the most important in your life—your Family,” he said. “You have to be able to discuss your experiences in a way you’re comfortable telling it, and above all, you have a right to be proud of your service.”

Rinehart added that medics should take it seriously that some Soldiers really need help.

“You should ensure early identification of an at-risk warrior,” he said. “You’re no longer the medic friend, you’re the medic authority. If you know someone who’s acting like they’re still downrange, but they’re sitting at home, there’s a problem.”

He talked about the TAIL light effect. Warriors need help getting help, and this acronym gives some pointers.

T: Tell them you are concerned; listen to their story without getting in the way, and then tell them what you are seeing and hearing so they can hear it back.

A: All are impacted by war, and it could be any Soldier, so watch out for each other during deployment and at home.

I: Insist they see someone, and have names and numbers of resources available, like a chaplain or behavioral health professionals. Explain that you have been taught enough to know when to be worried, but not enough to treat them. Remind them they would do the same for you, as a good battle buddy.

L: Look for ways to help, whether it is offering to go with them, make the phone call for them, drive them, get directions for them. Check back with them often, letting them know you are there to help and that you are not going to let this drop.

Another thing Rinehart emphasized is how medics deal with the death of a Soldier.

“You can’t think you’re not worthy to do your job because a Soldier died,” he said. “People die when you do everything right. You have to be genuine about that and honest with yourself and others.”

MAJ Matthew Barry, chief of psychiatric services, Behavioral Health, USA MEDDAC, facilitated bringing the training to Fort Drum, because he sees people all the time who suffer from common stress and emotional issues stemming from the high operational tempo here.

“We want people to know that it is most common for Soldiers to turn to their peers, but here is what to do if it is over your head,” Barry said. “We need to break down the stigma that holds people back from getting help. No one is being held back from promotion—there is no adverse effect to getting help.

“The good news is, what they are going through is completely treatable,” he added. “People feel like they can’t be helped, but if they get the right treatment and stay away from avoidance techniques, like drinking and drugging, it is treatable.”

By Tim Hearden Tehama Today
Sunday, September 28, 2008
A wounded Iraq war veteran stationed at Fort Campbell, Ky., Army Sgt. Lalena Heathington-Adams knows what it’s like not to have much of a homecoming.

With her family living across the country, the former Red Bluff resident didn’t know anyone when she got off the plane from her deployment overseas.

“You get off the airplane and they put you in an airport hangar, and there are a lot of ‘Welcome Home’ banners up and there are news crews,” Heathington-Adams said.

While some soldiers are greeting their families in front of the cameras, “the rest of us are standing against the wall feeling saddened by the fact that we don’t have the same homecoming,” she said. “Some of the soldiers don’t have families at all. Everybody enters the Army for different reasons.”

So Heathington-Adams decided to help. She’s started putting together care packages for troops set to return to her Army post in the coming months, and she’d like to someday expand her effort to other bases.

“When I came home, that’s when I realized I wanted to do something,” she said. “I wasn’t sure what it is I could do. At that time, my husband (Erik Adams) and I were flip-flopping tours. He would be in Iraq and I’d be back.”

Heathington-Adams was known as Lalena Ellis when she was growing up in Red Bluff, attending Mercy High School and later Red Bluff High School before graduating from Santa Rosa High School.

Her grandparents are Bill and Gayle Kemp, owner of Gayle’s Tuxedo Rentals and Casual Clothes on Main Street.

Heathington-Adams entered the Army when she was 19, nearly 10 years ago, and became an operating room technician.

“My job is to assist the surgeon during the surgery,” she said. “It’s basically instead of two hands, you now have four.”

After being stationed in Missouri, Texas and later Germany, Heathington-Adams first went to Iraq in 2004. She was assigned to the 86th Combat Support Hospital in Tallil, an airbase southeast of Baghdad, in the middle of the desert.

She was later transferred to Baghdad, where her unit was followed by an HBO crew that was shooting a special titled “Baghdad ER.”

“It showed a really genuine feel of Army medicine,” Heathington-Adams said, “and the compassion behind the soldiers and patients, how we’re treating the patients and how personal and moving it is.”

In Baghdad, Heathington-Adams developed a seizure disorder, as have other soldiers stationed there, and “there’s no definitive answer how it developed,” she said. Within 15 days, she and her husband found out they were expecting a child, and she kept having the seizures through the duration of the pregnancy.

“He was very premature,” she said of her son. “He was born on the first day of the seventh month and remained in ICU for two to three weeks, and since then he has been fine. He’s been a healthy baby boy.”

Heathington-Adams is on medications and has been seizure-free for nine months. But the disease will prevent her from returning to overseas duty, and she’s studying for degrees in global studies and journalistic photography.

In the meantime, she’s started the Warrior Transition Act, a nonprofit organization that puts together gift baskets full of small merchandise donated by local businesses and parents of soldiers.

She started by filling some stockings with movies, recordings of “Saturday Night Live” and other things that “guys would like” and sent them to 50 soldiers in her husband’s platoon in Iraq. In each of them, she put a handwritten thank-you note.

“That’s what I could do personally with my own money,” she said. “But then, becoming a disabled veteran cuts your income in half.”

Then she thought of doing something bigger. So she’s planning to put together gift baskets for as many as 25,000 soldiers who will be returning home in the coming months.

“A lot of the things are positive things to do, like movie passes,” she said. “Some baskets are more family-oriented. … So far, I’ve gathered roughly $3,000 in merchandise. It’s just me right now, and I’m trying to help as many as I can.”

Heathington-Adams would like people in her hometown to help. The easiest things to send would be gift cards to places like Target, Wal-Mart or a fast-food restaurant, she said. A T-shirt, hat or even a thank-you letter would also help, she said.

“I would like to help as many soldiers as possible,” Heathington-Adams said. “I think they all deserve as much as the next soldier, so I think it should be equalized. At this point, I’m just one person.”

Reporter Tim Hearden can be reached at 529-5110 or at thearden@redding.com.

If this is what is going to happen, it is time to get our folks out of that god forsaken crap hole ASAP.  I don’t want any of our folks there if they cannot fire back or carry a weapon. From the AP, Read Below:

BAGHDAD — Iraq’s government is grateful to U.S.-allied Sunni fighters but won’t allow them to keep their weapons indefinitely, the prime minister said Saturday, hinting at a more intense crackdown on the Sunni groups.

In recent weeks, the Shiite-dominated government of Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki has gone after Sunni fighters despite their alliances with the Americans. Some leaders have been arrested, while scores of others have been disarmed and banned from manning checkpoints except alongside security forces.

Al-Maliki’s government has mixed feelings about Sunni tribes that rose up against al-Qaida in Iraq, starting in 2007, and joined the Americans in the fight against the terror network.

The groups, known as Awakening Councils, Sons of Iraq and Popular Committees, have helped rout al-Qaida in some parts of Iraq. But Shiite leaders fear the Sunnis’ switch of allegiance is just a tactic, and that they could one day turn their weapons against the Shiite majority.

The U.S., which put many of the Sunni fighters on its payroll, has urged al-Maliki to incorporate them into his security forces, but the government has been slow to do so.

In a speech to Shiite tribal leaders in Baghdad on Saturday, al-Maliki mixed praise for the Sunni fighters with a warning. He said armed groups, alongside security forces, were tolerated for a limited period because their weapons were “aimed at the chests of the terrorists.”

“So they (the Sunni fighters) deserve our gratitude and the inclusion (into the security forces) because we adhere to a policy that there are no arms but the arms of the government,” he said.

In other developments Saturday, a suicide bomber struck a car bazaar in the oil-rich city of Kirkuk, killing at least five people and wounding at least seven others, according to the U.S. military and Iraqi police.

Among those killed was a senior member of a U.S.-allied Sunni group from nearby Diyala province, said Brig. Gen. Sarhat Qadir, a senior police official in Kirkuk. The bomber also was from Diyala, which has been an insurgent stronghold and is the site of ongoing U.S.-Iraqi military operations, Qadir said.

In the capital, gunmen killed an adviser to Iraqi Culture Minister Mahir al-Hadithi in a roadside ambush. A bodyguard was wounded in the attack along a main thoroughfare in eastern Baghdad, police and hospital officials said.

Two cars were involved in the killing of the adviser, Kamil Shiya, the officials said on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak with the media. One vehicle blocked Shiya’s car and gunmen opened fire from the second vehicle.

Shiya’s death was confirmed by officials at nearby Kindi Hospital.

Something has to be done now. Leave a comment below what do you think?

I don’t think he is going blind if he is 91 years old!!
HAH!
D/C

Listen here : http://is.gd/14KA

Da-Chief

I hate days like today.

It breaks my heart every time I post one of these stories. Andrew was doing the Nations bidding helping our Armed Forces Hunt those who started this war back in 2001.

Andrew was 19 years old.

19 years ago he was a baby in his mothers arms.

At 19 years old Andrew could not buy a beer but could give his life for his greatful Country, the United States of America.

Andrew, we at corpsman.com, “the Doc’s Site” Salute you and your family and friends.

We grieve for your loss brother, As all Doc’s who are your brothers and sisters, we grieve for you.

Taps has been sounded.

Da-Chief

Flags fly at half-staff for medic

VANCOUVER — Flags in Battle Ground are flying at half-staff in honor of Pvt. Andrew Jon Shields, a U.S. Army medic killed Saturday in Afghanistan.

Shields, 19, was the 120th member of the military with ties to southwest Washington and Oregon to perish in conflicts in Iraq, Afghanistan, Pakistan and Kuwait. He is the 13th from southwest Washington.

He was a 2007 graduate of Battle Ground High School and a former member of the Clark County Fire & Rescue cadet program. He was appointed a battalion chief shortly after joining the program his senior year.

“His leadership qualities were immediately identified and that’s why he rapidly rose to be a leader in his class,” said Battle Ground Mayor Mike Ciraulo, a division chief with Clark County Fire & Rescue. “He was morally and ethically superior in his standards and beliefs. He was well respected by his classmates and the instructional staff.”

Shields was the son of Clark County Sheriff’s Deputy Jon Shields. The younger Shields served with the 173rd Special Troops Battalion, part of the 173rd Airborne Brigade Combat Team, Bamberg Germany, according to the U.S. Army.

The U.S. Department of Defense said he and another soldier died May 31 in Jalalabad City, in eastern Afghanistan, of wounds suffered when their vehicle encountered an improvised explosive device.

His family asked for privacy.

In a statement, the family said Shields joined the Army while in high school. He completed basic training at Fort Leonard Wood, Mo.; the combat medic course at Fort Sam Houston, Texas; and basic airborne training at Fort Benning, Ga.

While at Fort Benning, Shields met and became engaged to another medic, Loren Elizabeth Combs, who is serving with the 82nd Airborne Division at Fort Bragg, N.C.

While attending Battle Ground High, Shields played football. He enjoyed his family and friends, competitive shooting, hunting and fishing.

Ciraulo said Shields visited the firefighter cadet program a month or two ago, after completing his basic training and just before deploying to Afghanistan. He shared his experience with the cadets and said he was soon heading to Afghanistan, Ciraulo said.

“He was trustworthy and could always be counted on to do the right thing,” Ciraulo said. “This is a hard one. He was a standout.”

As mayor, Ciraulo said he ordered city flags to fly at half-staff, likely until Shields’ funeral.

Shields is survived by his mother, Wendy Campbell; father and stepmother, Jon and Carol Shields; sister, Ryleigh Campbell; and other extended family members.

Following is a link to Shields’ MySpace page: www.myspace.com/CowboyUp.

Funeral arrangements are pending.

Researcher Lynne Palombo contributed to this story. Holley Gilbert: holleygilbert@news.oregonian.com

I apologize the link was broken on this post. It has now been fixed.  You can download the field manual at your hearts content.   –D/C

Well folks what has the world come to?

A squid writing articles for the Army!?!?!?

My brothers and sister medics out there are worth it though. I hope more of you come to our site, Corpsman.com, which started as a Navy Corpsman site but now is a site to take care of “DOC’S” from all services.

Help me out here, if you are a Army Medic and you want to help out on our site, email me as I am playing golf in 80 M.P.H. winds… (I actually did this in Hurricane Andrew.. great drives btw, but my putting game sucked..)

Enclosed in this article is the Army Field Manual version 3.0. Now knowing the Marine Corps as I have served with them, I would bet this is the “BIBLE” for you Army folks. I would also bet Advancements are hinged on you knowing this thing.

With that, I want all Doc’s to advance if they do the work, I give you the Army Field Manual.

This link will also be housed over in our Ships Library once it is set up. Yeah the Navy still hauls the army around.

Good Luck and Good Reading.

You can comment on this manual or ask questions of the staff in our Scuttlebutt Forums.

Come introduce yourself.