For nearly a decade our troops have been deploying in and out of combat zones, and the media clearly describes for us how those years have affected our troops and their families. However, there’s an additional growing concern (with much less media hype) regarding the burnout factor of those providing the care for our wounded. When service members are wounded in combat zones such as Afghanistan or Iraq, they are flown to Ramstein Air Base in Germany, and immediately transported to Landstuhl Regional Medical Center (LRMC) where they are further stabilized before being transported back to the states for additional and ongoing medical care. While the staffs at the stateside medical centers also see the horrific effects of our years in war zones, there’s a big difference between what they see and what LRMC staff sees.
In both scenarios they are witness to traumatic and life altering injuries and post traumatic stress, but the stateside facilities have the opportunity to see “the brighter side”. They get to see the miraculous recoveries and the strength regained with ongoing therapy. While the providers at stateside treatment facilities probably don’t think of what they see as “the brighter side”, what they see is a relatively “bright side” when compared to what is seen at Landstuhl Regional Medical Center where providers treat trauma patients in their worst possible condition and never know what happens to them once they leave LRMC.
There’s a growing concern about the stress that’s been put on our care providers everywhere. As a result, the military has developed “Combat and Operational Stress Reaction/Staff Resiliency Teams” (COSR Teams) comprised of chaplains, psychologists, nurses, and social workers. Team members are assigned to units and departments throughout the hospitals. Their mission is to promote resiliency and identify and treat operational stress/compassion fatigue in providers and staff members via prevention and intervention efforts. The most common professionals affected include physicians, nurses, medics, medical technicians, mental health providers, physical therapists, patient administrators, and members of manpower teams. Combat and Operational Stress Reactions are temporary reactions to the stressors of combat and the cumulative effects of ongoing military operations, such as working in a high-tempo military hospital treating wounded warriors. The COSR Team here at LRMC has some allies to help them accomplish their mission.
The Wounded Warrior Project, a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization headquartered in Jacksonville, FL and whose mission is “to honor and empower wounded warriors” and whose vision is “to foster the most successful, well-adjusted generation of wounded warriors in this nation’s history” have long been known for their presence at the bedside of wounded warriors transitioning through the . The organization has recognized the uniqueness of LRMC and chose to get involved in the resiliency efforts for caregivers here about a year ago. One way to do that was to fund “staff day trips” to provide a resiliency activity, outside of work, that fights the extreme levels of compassion fatigue. 
Since the USO in this area has six locations, and in 2010 had 45,410 service members come through their new Warrior Center and 3,055 at their center embedded at Ramstein’s CASF (Contingency Aero Medical Staging Facility), and because they already provide an array of European bus tours for military families, they were the ideal partner for the Wounded Warrior Project’s staff day trips.
The intent of these trips is for the provider (with guest or family) to have a relaxing break from the stress of caring for the wounded warriors. Together the WWP, the USO and the COSR Team hope to convey through these trips the message that the LRMC staff is an incredibly valuable resource to the European Command. The program’s emphasis is on those who work with the wounded on a daily basis, seldom making time to get away on their own or to spend quality time with their loved ones and to relax or have fun. The trips are free and include transportation and a tour guide to choice European destinations where travel and site-seeing can be done in one day. The “Staff Day Trips” has been extremely successful; below are just a few comments submitted by LRMC care providers.
At the current time, these trips are only offered at Landstuhl Regional Medical Center, but those organizing and funding the trips hope to be able to start offering them (perhaps only on a quarterly basis) at the outlying clinics in Germany.
Since some providers lose hope in the work they do, because they rarely see or hear about the difference they make in each service member’s life and recovery, there is a Poster Campaign (also sponsored by the WWP) that features pictures and a personalized thank you message from a warrior who wants it known that the care they received in Germany made a huge difference in the final outcome and rehabilitation and won’t be forgotten. The posters are in display cases at Landstuhl Regional Medical Center. The Wounded Warrior Project sponsors a similar program that is delivered in video format so that when viewed at monthly meetings the LRMC providers can see first hand how well a warrior has recovered.
In 2010, WWP brought four rehabilitated wounded warriors back to Germanyfor two days to personally thank the staff. They will be increasing those visits to twice a year in the future. They also partner with the USO to host LRMC staff appreciation days that include food and fun, and occasionally live entertainment.
The last ten years have been rough on our warriors and on the staff at Landstuhl Regional Medical Center; the task of making life easier on those who provide stabilization care for warriors is a difficult one, but the COSR Team, the Wounded Warrior Project and the USO have graciously accepted that challenge here in Germany.
mzSpouse
If it’s broke, let’s fix it!!
We’ve all heard the adage “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it”……but what if it is broke? No, I’m not referring to “broke” as in the financial status of several states in American, or even several countries around the world! I’m referring to “broke” and is “broken; not working properly”! And it’s about two things being “broke” at the same time…………….service members and the facilities who should be putting Humpty Dumpty back together again. It’s already been established that there are many veterans who cannot get proper medical care……..a topic for another day. Right now I want to talk about ACTIVE DUTY!
I can’t say enough about Landstuhl Regional Medical Center’s (LRMC’s) excellent care for DEPLOYED troops. The conditions under which they work, the massive injuries they treat are not like those seen at other facilities. The extraordinary efforts of such organizations as the USO and the Wounded Warrior Project play a huge role in the care of the DEPLOYED. Everything about the treatment of the DEPLOYED is extremely positive and I will write more about that on another day.
Today, I want to address the care for the thousands of service members (and family members) treated at LRMC, which I believe includes anyone stationed in Europe! I could be mistaken but I am pretty sure that if you are stationed in Europe and need medical care that is beyond the scope of a local medical treatment facility, you will be treated at LRMC.
I recently had the opportunity to interview a few of those and discovered there are significant differences between the way LRMC treats the non-deployed, even though their injury and illness might be attributed to previous deployments. I’m not referring to the special treatment the USO and Wounded Warrior Project give those from down range; I’m referring to standard hospital treatment.
Because of LRMC’s role as a stabilization facility, it’s also a hot spot for visiting dignitaries. Everyone a the LRMC is notified when a dignitary will be visiting and the soldiers I spoke with said they were actually moved to another ward in the hospital to make it easier for the dignitary to visit only the wounded patients from down range. I totally understand how shaking the hand of a wounded deployed soldier is better for a politician’s career than saying hello to an expectant mother, but what message are we sending to soldiers no longer deployed who are being treated there and are moved to another ward? Are they less important because they are no longer deployed?
Quite honestly, if it wasn’t such a blatant move to another ward when VIPs are coming to visit, I actually do understand the reasoning behind it. More important than the good press the VIP achieves by visiting, is heightened level of hope and the feeling of being appreciated that might help some of the severely wounded get through to their next level of recovery is quite significant. Therefore, I might just recommend they use a little more discretion when making the move!
Here’s another area that “needs to be fixed” for everyone else; One soldier who lived in the Kaiserslautern Military Community told me that after having major back surgery and being on convalescent leave for two months……….1) no one at the hospital could tell him how to obtain a wheelchair to take home for a couple of weeks, and 2) he had to drive all the way to Sembach Air Base to obtain a handicapped sticker for his car………or mail the form and wait a couple of weeks for the sticker to arrive. Doesn’t it make a lot more sense to have the stickers available at LRMC and to have someone who works at that installation in charge of disbursing them? Since none of the DEPLOYED service members stay at LRMC for more than a few days, this wouldn’t require another body………but just a small additional task for someone who is already working there. As for the wheelchairs, it seems instructions for how to obtain one could easily be included on the discharge papers.
The same individual told me that after obtaining a wheelchair, it was difficult to go back to LRMC immediately following his surgery because of the lack of handicapped parking. While there does appear to be an ample number of handicapped parking spots at LRMC, the problem is that parking (in general ) is such a huge problem that non-handicapped are using those spots, just as hospital staff uses the “patient only parking lot” and no one monitors who is using them.
While on the topic of handicapped parking, it was interesting for me to observe that while the Ramstein Air Base commissary is under major construction and most people have to park much farther than normal, what used to be handicapped parking became a reserved spot for Generals and Colonels. In fairness to the officers, I suspect that decision was made by AAFES management……………not by the officers likely to use the parking spot.
I totally understand that Generals and Colonels have earned certain privileges, but I know a few of them and if given the opportunity to decide how those limited parking spots should be used during construction, most would prefer to walk a bit farther and leave the spot for the handicapped as opposed to the other way around.
Again, I want to stress that the providers and support staff at LRMC have their hands full, and they do an outstanding job. This is not about LRMC…………it’s about fixing what’s broke. In fact, I recall five years ago at BAMC, seeing soldiers with major injuries and often missing limbs navigate the long halls and even across campus to the Warrior Transition Unit, instead of having a representative bringing all the paperwork to the patient’s room prior to being discharged. I suspect BAMC has fixed that by now.
I’m not suggesting LRMC or any other military hospital should treat our wounded warriors with any less respect and gratitude. But we shouldn’t lose site of the fact that many other patients are there because they too, were injured while serving in a combat zone. If a soldier has done several tours to Iraq or Afghanistan and suffers injuries from an auto accident upon his/her return, shouldn’t they be treated with as much respect and gratitude? I’m just suggesting we fix what’s broke.
mzSpouse
Military Retiree Suicides
If you read the blog I posted a couple days ago, you know a very dear friend of mine lost her husband to suicide less than a year after he retired from the Army with 23 years as an Infantryman. When I first learned of this tragedy and told my husband (who is also very near retirement), I asked “why now”…..”why after all these deployments and all these years, when a normal life was finally within his reach”?
He said “You would be surprised to learn how many veterans commit suicide after they retire; especially Combat Arms soldiers. They are leaving the only life they’ve ever known and entering a life where there’s not exactly a high demand for their MOS. It’s a very difficult adjustment.” Although I understand that analogy, I’m having a problem accepting that we (as a nation) don’t take greater measures to save those who have given so much.
I’m guessing that the Veteran’s Administration would make this a high priority if sufficient monetary resources were allocated. Our nation is currently scrutinizing every dollar spent and they would like to reduce military spending. However, depending upon the rate at which retirees are committing suicide, shouldn’t the allocation of funds for possible prevention be as important as all the other military costs? We spare no expense to recruit and retain in order to maintain the strongest military in the world, and to provide training and awareness for those who are on active duty. The cost to provide retirement benefits is no doubt monumental, but shouldn’t our first priority be “keeping them alive” and conducting post-retirement assessments for the first 5 years after separation? The second priority should be keeping them healthy………..especially when their medical needs are combat related?
Based on my research, the key might be knowing the retiree suicide rate. If it is indeed a very large number, then it seems it would be worthy of allocating funds to prevent it.
According to these links somewhere around 2005 the VA started tracking the suicide rate of YOUNG vets in their 20s, and the rate among Reserves and National Guard, but I couldn’t find any indication that the rate among retirees is being tracked at all.
http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2010/01/11/national/main6083072.shtml
http://www.sciencedaily.com/release/2010/12/101201162113.htm
http://www.veteranjournal.com/military-suicide-rates-still-increasing/
http://www.armytimes.com/news/2007/05/ap_iraq_mentaldistress_070528/
It is clear that the military has acknowledged the alarmingly high rate of active duty suicides and they appear to be doing everything possible to prevent it. I just think it’s equally as important to track and attempt to prevent suicide among those who have separated.
Relative to ALL vets; they have our backs when they serve; shouldn’t we have theirs after they serve?
Are you concerned about a Retiree………or any Veteran? There’s help available!
Military One Source national suicide hot line 1-800-373- TALK (8255)
http://veteranscrisisline.net/
http://www.mentalhealth.va.gov/suicide_prevention/
http://www.suicidology.org/web/guest/thinking-about-suicide
MZspouse
Military Family Loyalty
“The strength of a family, like the strength of an army, is in its loyalty to each other.” – Mario Puzo
Three spouses stationed at the same base that came together as a result of their husbands’ repeated deployments and their volunteerism at the spouses club. They became acquainted with each other’s children, scheduled frequent lunches at their favorite Asian buffet, and most importantly……checked on each other frequently and made it known that they had each other’s backs and were available for whatever circumstances might arise. Each wanted it to be more than the typical “military” friendship where the bond is only valid while assigned to the same duty station. All three were about to PCS to different destinations, but vowed to touch base frequently.
After I arrived overseas, I came close to losing touch with one just because she had recently given birth and had her hands full, but the other one and I made a point of touching base with each other at least once every couple of weeks, some times more often. Her husband had numerous deployments and returned from the last one about the same time my husband did, and he was now retiring after 23 years in the Army. They bought a new home and the whole family was settling into a new “permanent” location. I knew that like many new retirees, was having some difficulty adjusting to being “out of the Army”, and was diagnosed with mild TBI, but they were looking forward to his new job and the medical help he was planning to get.
A couple of weeks passed and my Emails went unanswered, which concerned me a little, but not a lot because she had recently started a new job too and because this family really “had it together”. She and her husband were sweethearts since they were 16 years old, and in addition to her military resilience and the three ideal children she had practically raised by herself, her integrity and dedication to those she cared about were what drew me to her. She is little, but mighty!
Those couple of weeks became a couple of months, despite my numerous attempts to reach her. When I started asking her to please just send a line or two to let me know she was okay…………and didn’t hear from her I started worrying that perhaps something was desperately wrong. I was happy to discover a much dreaded online search didn’t turn up anything, and thought “worst case is that due the need for medical attention, they may have separated and she is hurting to bad to talk about it”. But to be very honest, I still didn’t panic because I knew even if that was the case; it would have been a temporary solution to encourage him to get help.
When it became an excess of 2 months since I heard from her, I did finally start to get seriously worried. I began sending so many Emails that it would be hard for her to ignore them. Finally she sent a very brief message stating that her husband had committed suicide a month earlier. I can’t begin to describe my sadness, and trying to do so would make this more about me than about her and what she and her 3 children (and their extended families) were/are feeling.
During the first two weeks I was afraid to call her; I worried I wouldn’t be as strong as she would need me to be. She replied, stating she wasn’t ready for me to call her yet. She was so tired of talking about it and exhausted from trying to understand. Our last communication was two months ago although I’ve sent several email messages and cards with messages of hope, and to remind her that she and the kids are in my heart and in my prayers. Every single day I think about what she might be going through.
Because the son of one of my other very good friends committed suicide I know that it leaves EVERYONE with questions to which they will never know the answer. Although it’s probably the last thing on their minds right now, my own questions are more about the wellbeing of those left behind. I question whether she and the kids are okay financially; whether he had opted for spouse survival benefits when he retired, whether she is surrounded by enough friends and family to provide the love and stability she needs to get her (and the kids) through this, whether she can still conduct business and get medical care for herself and the kids on base and.
My concern isn’t really about the medical benefits…………..It’s about how difficult it would be after 23 years of living, shopping, educating your kids, and volunteering on military installations, numerous addresses and schools, being a loyal self-sufficient spouse and mother during multiple deployments and living by military rules and regulations……………how do you just cease being “a military spouse”? If it’s the only way of life you’ve ever known, how do you just start “a different life”? We all have loved ones (civilians) who WANT to understand our lives; the only people who really do are those who live the same life we do. That’s why we refer to them as “our military family”.
This is so heartbreaking; partially because it happened to someone I love and partially because it COULD happen to any of us. Seeing this happen to a family others envied for their idealistic togetherness makes all of us feel more vulnerable. No matter how well we THINK our service member is handling multiple deployments, no matter how strong we THINK our relationship is……………..there are no guarantees.
Some of the people we encounter in our military communities are acquaintances, some are casual friends and if we’re lucky, some turn out to be life-long bonds we cherish forever. Yes, while on any installation we tend to all pitch in when someone needs our help but if you have any of those life-long bonds and you’re now separated by distance, use whatever resources are available to you to communicate frequently. Don’t risk wondering if you could have made a difference.
On a side note: Four years ago TAPS (Tragedy Assistance Program for Survivors) hosted a 2-day workshop for Gold Star Families. The oldest daughter of this same friend volunteered to help me provide child care. We were both so saddened by all these children who were dealing with the recent loss of a military parent. The thought that she could ever be one of them never crossed our mind.
There are many families for whom Military life is not easy. There are good times and bad times, and it’s important for us to reach out when we can, and to allow others to reach out to us.
My heart goes out to each of you who have lost your service member, and whose life has changed forever as a result.
Please also note that there is support at TAPS. It doesn’t matter how your service member died or whether they were retired or active duty. Whatever your circumstance, you don’t have to go through it alone.
MZspouse
An Introduction to the National Military Family Association
If you are already familiar with the organization, you also know how they have improved the quality of life for military families and that they will continue to pursue that cause on our behalf.
If you have not yet made their acquaintance, let me tell you why you will want to become more familiar with them, why you will want to save their website as a favorite, why you might want to tell them about problems affecting military families in your community and why you might want to become a volunteer for the organization.
About the National Military Family Association
Military families serve our country with pride, honor, and quiet dedication. The National Military Family Association is the leading nonprofit organization committed to strengthening and protecting the families of the men and women currently serving, retired, wounded or fallen. We provide families of the Army, Navy, Marine Corps, Air Force, Coast Guard, and Commissioned Corps of the USPHS and NOAA with information, work to get them the benefits they deserve, and offer programs that improve their lives. Our 40 years of service and accomplishments have made us a trusted resource for military families and the Nation’s leaders. To learn more, visit www.militaryfamily.org.
Since the organization’s inception in 1969, the list of improvements in our lives which they have helped facilitate are far too many to list here. Therefore, I’m going to list a few from just the last 10 years that you may recognize.
* Congress passes the Family Supplemental Subsistence Allowance to assist military families on food stamps
* Congress allows payment of Survivor Benefit Plan benefits to spouses of all service members who die in line of duty
* DoD and Department of Labor sign Memorandum of Understanding to promote military spouse employment
* Congress acts on Association’s recommendation to increase Family Separation Allowance from its current rate of $100/ month to $250/month
* Congress passes legislation to end age 62 offset to the Survivor Benefit Plan
* First Operation Purple® camp season, 1,000 military children attend summer camp for free
* Association awards first military spouse scholarships
* Association testifies in support of expanded programs for wounded service members and their families
* Association supports expansion of child care programs through Operation Military Child Care
* Congress passes Military Lending Act, cracking down on predatory lenders in military communities
* DoD begins full replacement value reimbursement for goods damaged in military moves
* Operation Purple Program marks milestone of sending 20,000 military kids to free summer camp
* Association expands scholarship program with awards for foreign-born spouses and spouses of wounded or fallen service members
As if their ongoing support of military families is not enough reason for you to become more familiar with the organization, you may also be interested in some of the programs they’ve initiated for military families. From the annual National Military Family Award and the Military Spouse Scholarship programs to the Operation Purple program that provides camps for the children of deployed parents, because “the kids serve too”!
In fact, nominations for the National Military Family Award are being accepted right now………through March 31st. If you know a strong military family who embraces their service to the Nation and are role models in their community, please nominate them here! They could win a trip to Washington DC and perhaps a cash prize of $1000.
Many of you volunteer for various installation organizations and serve on a lot of committees. While your time, talent and energy are very much appreciated by those affiliations, your contributions there are limited to your length of time at that duty station. Since our residence, career, school, day care and everything else changes every time we PCS, that had a lot to do with my personal decision to volunteer for the National Military Family Association. I wanted to be part of an organization that helps military families, where my affiliation with them will not change when we PCS……..or even when we retire!
I urge you to visit their website to see what they might be able to do for you…………and more importantly, what you might be able to do for them!
MZspouse
SAN ANTONIO — During a Survivor Outreach Services working group meeting last year, several participants expressed difficulty in gaining access to military installations to take part in SOS programs and support services. Survivors, including parents of fallen Soldiers, do not always have a DoD identification card, and are frequently required to obtain a visitor or temporary vehicle pass to enter garrisons.
Soon survivors will be able apply for a Survivor Decal, much like the standard installation access decal-for their vehicle, greatly improving their ability to access the programs designed to support them.
“My intent is to implement access control procedures making it easier for survivors to enter Army garrisons,” said Lt. Gen. Rick D. Lynch, commander of the Army Installation Management Command and Assistant Chief of Staff for Installation Management.
“I want all security personnel manning our entrance gates to recognize these very special Army families and welcome them with special respect for their sacrifice and service,” he continued.
Get the full story from MilitaryOneSource!
(http://www.myarmyonesource.com/syn/news/id/5cf4cb28709cd210VgnVCM100000e61e0a0aRCRD
MZspouse
