PFC Joshua Calloway, Walter Reed & PTSD

[mr_dogood]

Pfc Joshua Calloway, Walter Reed & PTSD

Reading the horrific story about Pfc Joshua Calloway's mental health treatment at Walter Reed Army Medical Center following war service in Baghdad, sounded as if it was written during some prehistoric time! Our children and families are identified as some honorable soldiers and THIS is how we treat them? Does anyone possess a conscience? A brain? Mental health morals and ethics? Experience?

How could this far-fetched milieu therapy help lessen the distress of someone exhibiting homicidal and rage thinking? With all mental health has learned, all they offer this soldier is disrespect, prolonged exposure therapy as their means of desensitization, art expression (!!!), and psychotropic medication so Calloway sleeps his angst away??? Pfc Joshua Calloway could've received more help from the INTERNET! More help from friends or family!

One of the most successful treatments for PTSD has been Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR). Anyone provide this treatment? They offered it free at Florida State University. Some people require one session for relief!

Education can be very useful.

How about teaching Pfc Calloway about gender stereotypes (emotional distress is not a male weakness, etc.). Did anyone teach this young man that "who I was before I went into the Army" is just a change and not necessarily a bad thing? Did anyone teach him that the new Calloway is not the death of the old Calloway, but different - with new experiences, an opportunity to grow on a different path, and that living life is not for the weak?

Resiliency - did this soldier place all his self-respect and self-value in soldiering?

Did anyone teach him that practicing relaxation is just that - practicing.

Did anyone work with him on reframing his thoughts? Group "aint" for everybody and it may be only good to observe others "in the same boat." Many groups feature people who "take over" the groups and become "group junkies"...they have a new religion - focusing on controlling others rather than working on their own distress.

Labeling Calloway with thee "factors that make PTSD more likely" may be B.S. People could possess zero factors and what do factors matter anyway? The kid needs help; he doesn't need statistics and labeling!

Whatever happened to client-focused interventions? No one bothered to learn that an "Indian" psychiatrist caused Calloway MORE distress??? COME ON!

It appears Calloway had more to fear from his government than the few people who wanted to kill US soldiers. How many millions in the Middle East would care about Calloway more than some of those PAID to do so at Walter Reed??? I know I would!

[Gunny]

mr_dogood wrote:

Pfc Joshua Calloway, Walter Reed & PTSD
Reading the horrific story about Pfc Joshua Calloway's mental health treatment at Walter Reed Army Medical Center following war service in Baghdad, sounded as if it was written during some prehistoric time! Our children and families are identified as some honorable soldiers and THIS is how we treat them? Does anyone possess a conscience? A brain? Mental health morals and ethics? Experience?
How could this far-fetched milieu therapy help lessen the distress of someone exhibiting homicidal and rage thinking? With all mental health has learned, all they offer this soldier is disrespect, prolonged exposure therapy as their means of desensitization, art expression (!!!), and psychotropic medication so Calloway sleeps his angst away??? Pfc Joshua Calloway could've received more help from the INTERNET! More help from friends or family!
One of the most successful treatments for PTSD has been Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR). Anyone provide this treatment? They offered it free at Florida State University. Some people require one session for relief!
Education can be very useful.
How about teaching Pfc Calloway about gender stereotypes (emotional distress is not a male weakness, etc.). Did anyone teach this young man that "who I was before I went into the Army" is just a change and not necessarily a bad thing? Did anyone teach him that the new Calloway is not the death of the old Calloway, but different - with new experiences, an opportunity to grow on a different path, and that living life is not for the weak?
Resiliency - did this soldier place all his self-respect and self-value in soldiering?
Did anyone teach him that practicing relaxation is just that - practicing.
Did anyone work with him on reframing his thoughts? Group "aint" for everybody and it may be only good to observe others "in the same boat." Many groups feature people who "take over" the groups and become "group junkies"...they have a new religion - focusing on controlling others rather than working on their own distress.
Labeling Calloway with thee "factors that make PTSD more likely" may be B.S. People could possess zero factors and what do factors matter anyway? The kid needs help; he doesn't need statistics and labeling!
Whatever happened to client-focused interventions? No one bothered to learn that an "Indian" psychiatrist caused Calloway MORE distress??? COME ON!
It appears Calloway had more to fear from his government than the few people who wanted to kill US soldiers. How many millions in the Middle East would care about Calloway more than some of those PAID to do so at Walter Reed??? I know I would!

I am a veteran from a non-combat time in South Korea. I was attacked by anohter GI and have suffered with PTSD since 1986. Not to mention the injuries I recieved then. Now after all this time I have finally proved my case with the court martialling records because of course my medical records have never been found. Something they made me do rather then them pulling the records long ago. When we have to fight our own to get some help or relif it is beyond awfull. I met so many vets wheather during a war time or not suffer. With no light at the end of the tunnel. The sad part of any soldier suffering is that they were willing or did go out, put thier lives in the front line for the rest of us. Then to have to prove thier selfs to the very people they thought they were defending is just crazy.
I come from a long line of vets and hopefully it will not end with my generation as I taught my children the same as my parents taught me. Sadly I am unsure. Military people have not much other then the wounds to show for what they did or were willing to do for the love of country.
As I have always said: What is your childs life worth in dollars?? Never have gotten an answer.

[mr_dogood]

Gunny wrote:

<quoted text>
I am a veteran from a non-combat time in South Korea. I was attacked by anohter GI and have suffered with PTSD since 1986. Not to mention the injuries I recieved then. Now after all this time I have finally proved my case with the court martialling records because of course my medical records have never been found. Something they made me do rather then them pulling the records long ago. When we have to fight our own to get some help or relif it is beyond awfull. I met so many vets wheather during a war time or not suffer. With no light at the end of the tunnel. The sad part of any soldier suffering is that they were willing or did go out, put thier lives in the front line for the rest of us. Then to have to prove thier selfs to the very people they thought they were defending is just crazy.
I come from a long line of vets and hopefully it will not end with my generation as I taught my children the same as my parents taught me. Sadly I am unsure. Military people have not much other then the wounds to show for what they did or were willing to do for the love of country.
As I have always said: What is your childs life worth in dollars?? Never have gotten an answer.

It's a shame that:
- life is not fair
- our "proud" military is composed of the same spectrum of people that might be in anyone's town, those who could do us harm and don't play by rules
- many entities circle the wagons and rid evidence to hide problems and illegalities

These violations occur in most towns, most professions and most everywhere. It's akin to being hit by a person driving under the influence, with no car insurance, and who is related to someone influential (law enforcement).

Those who make laws sometimes think laws don't pertain to them. What a contradiction and travesty.