Military Families Speak Out and Gold Star Families Speak Out recognize all too well the suffering, pain, grief and loss
from the deaths of our loved ones ... especially in such a travesty such as this "war".  We want our troops to come
home NOW and take care of them when they get here.  PTSD deserves special care and attention.

We consider all those whose loved ones died as a result of the war, including PTSD related to their war experiences,
to be Gold Star families.  We are united in our loss and grief, and in our opposition to this war that has taken so much
from our families and Nation.

This page is dedicated to all of those men & women with hidden wounds, despite any political beliefs we may have.

Gold Star Families Speak Out is the safe harbor and refuge for all those to come and share their feelings of loss,
confusion, bewilderment, chaos, guilt and pain without judgment about those who have walked  (are walking) a
similar path.

Through this site and the experiences of others; information and resources are shared to make this difficult journey
one that is not travelled alone.  

If your loved one suffered  from PTSD as a result of their military service and died as a result, join Gold Star Families
Speak Out, please complete the information here.

Those families who are dealing with PTSD, we offer this information and these resources listed below..
Search GSFSO
LIVING WITH PTSD  (POST TRAUMATIC STRESS DISORDER)

KEVIN & JOYCE LUCEY, BELCHERTOWN, MA  

PFC JOE GODFREY, MEXICO, NY

TERRI JONES, DES MOINES, IA
  • Terri's son, Spc Jason Cooper took his life on 7.14.05 after serving in Iraq and suffering from PTSD
STATISTICS (National Veteran's Foundation)

  • In October of 2005, the VA reported that more than 430,000 U.S. Soldiers have
    discharged from the military following service in Afghanistan and Iraq . More than
    119,000 have sought help for medical or mental health issues from the VA to date.

  • A 2003 New England Journal of Medicine Study found that 15-17 percent of US Iraq and
    Afghanistan Veterans were suffering from PTSD. MOST COMPELLING was the study's
    finding that more than 60% of those showing symptoms were unlikely to seek help due
    to fears of stigmatization or loss of career advancement opportunities.

  • In 2005, the VA reported that 18% of Afghanistan Veterans, and 20% of Iraq Veterans in
    their care were suffering from some type of service connected psychological disorder.

  • The VA has seen a tenfold increase in PTSD cases in the last year. According to the VA,
    more than 37,000 Vets of Iraq and Afghanistan are suffering from Mental Health
    disorders, and more than 16,000 have already been diagnosed with PTSD.

  • According to an Army Post-Deployment Reassessment Study completed in July of 2005,
    alcohol misuse among soldiers rose from 13% among soldiers to 21% one year after
    returning from Afghanistan and Iraq . The same study saw soldiers with anger and
    aggression issues increase from 11% to 22% after deployment, and those planning to
    divorce their spouse rose from 9% to 15% after combat deployment.

  • In November of 2005, The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported that for the first three
    quarters of 2005, nearly 15 percent of veterans aged 20-24 were jobless -- three times
    the national average.

  • A 2004 US Army Mental Health Advisory Team Study showed that more than half of all
    soldiers in Iraq described their unit morale as low, with the National Guard and Reserve
    forces struggling the most.

  • According to the California National Guard, more than 7,000 California National Guard
    Troops have served in Iraq and Afghanistan , yet these forces have significantly fewer
    resources available to aid in their post combat readjustment than active duty
    components.

  • According to the Army, since March 2003, at least 45 US Soldiers and 9 Marines have
    committed suicide in Iraq . At least 20 soldiers and 23 Marines have committed suicide
    since returning home, though exact numbers are not available.

  • The Miles Foundation reports that calls to their Domestic Violence Hotline for Military
    Spouses has increased from 50 to 500 per month since the start of the Iraq War.

  • According to U.S. Army data, the number of active-duty soldiers getting divorced has
    been rising sharply with deployments to Afghanistan and Iraq . The trend is severest
    among officers. Last year, 3,325 Army officers' marriages ended in divorce -- up

  • 78% from 2003, the year of the Iraq invasion, and more than 3 1/2 times the number in
    2000, before the Afghan operation. For enlisted personnel, the 7,152 divorces last year
    were 28% more than in 2003 and up 53% from 2000 (USA Today, June 8, 2005).
RESOURCES
PTSD TIMELINE

Welcome to the PTSD Timeline, a first-of-its kind database of reported OEF/OIF combat post traumatic stress-related
incidents. Created, collected, fact-checked, updated, and maintained by members of the ePluribus Media community
 
The military and government does not consider many of our loved ones to be casualties of this war; some are not
counted in the official casualty list.   Despite whatever political beliefs / stance people may have, we know the human
cost of war; we live it every day.  We are not alone.
©2005-2007, Gold Star Families Speak Out, gsfso.org, Gold Stars Speak  All rights reserved ©
Formed in 2005, Gold Star Families Speak Out is a chapter of Military Families Speak Out and is a peace based organization for
relatives of members of the military who have been killed or lost their life during the period including the build-up to the war in
Iraq (fall, 2002) to the present.
We believe the best way to support our troops is to bring them home now and take care of them when they get here.
Contact us at gsfso@gsfso.org
No Immediate Threat

Read Kerri's Blog
Typical Characteristics of those with PTSD:

  • Re-experiencing Symptoms - intrusive recollections, traumatic nightmares, ptsd flashbacks, trauma related
    stimulus evoked psychological distress, trauma related stimulus evoked physiological reactions;

  • Avoidant / Numbing Symptoms - efforts to avoid trauma related thoughts, conversations, feelings; efforts to avoid
    trauma related activities, places and people; psychogenic amnesia for trauma related memories; diminished
    interest; feeling detached or being estranged; restricted range of affect- unable to have loving feelings; sense of
    foreshortened future- does not expect to have a career, marriage, children or a normal life span;

  • Hyperarousal  Symptoms - insomnia, sleep difficulties, irritability, difficulty concentrating, hypervigilance,
    exaggerated startle response;

*Other Possible Symptoms as described by other sources: daily vomiting, distancing, seclusion yet fear of being alone,
distorted thinking, self loathing, dysfunction in relationships, chest pains, changes in eating patterns, loss of energy,
suicide ideation / wish to be dead, sense of powerlessness / helplessness / desperation / worthlessness /
indecisiveness

These previously stated symptoms causes significant impairment in social, occupation or other important areas of
functioning;


Complex PTSD occurs with the presence of non-PTSD symptoms:

  • Behavioral Difficulties such as impulsivity, aggression, sexual acting out, eating disorders, alcohol / drug abuse,
    self destructive actions;

  • Emotional Difficulties such as affective lability, rage, depression, panic, etc.;

  • Cognitive Difficulties such as fragmented thoughts, dissociation, amnesia, etc;

Three General Classes of PTSD:

  • Lifetime PTSD- remains chronic, severe and permanent - may show some improvement in functional capacity or
    symptom severity;

  • PTSD in remission with occasional relapses-  clients in remission who experience sudden relapses and begin
    to exhibit the full pattern of PTSD symptoms;

  • Delayed Onset- a delayed variant of PTSD in which individuals exposed to a traumatic event do not exhibit the
    PTSD syndrome until months or years afterwards.

( from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder by Matthew J. Friedman )

Suicide Information:

Over 30,000 people in the US die by suicide every year; according to WHO someone on this earth commits suicide every
40 seconds;

A  person dies by suicide about every 18 minutes in the US; an attempt is estimated to be made once every minute;

Suicide is the fourth leading cause of death for adults between ages 18 and 65 years in the US

There are four male suicides for every female suicide, but twice as many females as males attempt suicide

( information from The American Foundation for Suicide Prevention www.afsp.org )
PTSD IN THE NEWS