Mcleam, Virginia, U.S.A - Honor for ALL, in cooperation with the Code of Support Foundation, announced that a special “Visible Honor for Invisible Wounds” event on June 27th will commemorate the third annual National Post Traumatic Stress Disorder Awareness Day. This day, that was introduced by Senator Kent Conrad (D, ND), calls for the nation to set aside this date to create a greater level of awareness and understanding of the issues facing many service members returning from war.

The event is open to the public and will include addresses by representatives of the Chiefs of our Armed Services, members of the Executive and Legislative branches, and distinguished individuals from the healthcare sector. Most important, affected service members and veterans will take part in the program. Senator Conrad will deliver the keynote remarks. Ceremonies will begin promptly at 10:00 AM in Upper Senate Park adjacent to the Russell Senate Office Building.

“Our goals are simple, but critically important,” said Thomas Mahany, president of Honor for ALL. “We want all Americans to understand the true nature of PTSD to help remove the stigma that still surrounds this type of injury. And, yes, PTSD is an ‘injury’ for which there is treatment and a healing process,” he added. “Just as our troops never leave a wounded comrade behind on the battlefield, we must not leave those who suffer from invisible wounds behind as we honor our troops, their family members and our veterans. By instilling dignity, we can preserve lives,”concluded Mahany with reference to the disproportionate rates of suicide among these groups.

Other speakers scheduled to appear include the Surgeons General of the Army, Air Force, Navy and National Guard, and the Sergeant Major of the Army, Raymond Chandler. Speakers from key partner organizations include Kristina Kaufmann, Executive Director of the Code of Support Foundation, Pam Derrow from CAUSE, and Mark Robbins of the Yellow Ribbon Fund.

Honor for ALL, is dedicated to establishing visible recognition of the invisible wounds of post-traumatic stress, traumatic brain injury, depression and survivor’s guilt. Its mission is to conquer the stigma, preserve the dignity of families, and most importantly, stop the tragic loss from suicide of service members, veterans and family members.

The Code of Support Foundation is dedicated to bridging the gap between the American people and our Armed Forces. Its mission is to ensure that all Americans understand the service and sacrifice of our troops and their families, and are committed and actively engaged in doing their part in support of our national defense. The foundation, a, was established in 2010, and helps identify, vet and support other non-profit organizations that support military communities.

Image Courtesy of  Truthout

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Children who don’t conform to expected gender stereotypes, even before age 11, are at significantly greater risk for physical, sexual and psychological abuse during childhood and symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) in young adulthood, report researchers at Children’s Hospital Boston. Their findings, based on a large, national, population-based sample, appear in the March 2012 Pediatrics (published online February 20).

The NIH-funded study, led by S. Bryn Austin, ScD, of Children’s Hospital Boston and the Harvard School of Public Health, used data gathered by questionnaire from almost 9,000 young adults (average age, 23) who enrolled in the longitudinal Growing Up Today Study in 1996.

In 2007, respondents were asked to recall their childhood experiences, including favorite toys and games, roles they took in pretend play, media characters they imitated or admired, and feelings of femininity or masculinity. They were also asked about physical, sexual or emotional abuse they experienced at the hands of parents, other adults or older children, and were screened for PTSD.

Childhood gender nonconformity was reported across all sexual orientations; fully 85 percent of youth who were gender nonconforming when they were young were heterosexual in adulthood.

Women who ranked in the top 10 percent for gender nonconformity before age 11 reported a higher prevalence of all forms of childhood abuse both before age 11 and between 11 and 17, as compared with women falling below the median.  Men in the top 10 percent for nonconformity in childhood had a higher prevalence of sexual and physical abuse before age 11 and psychological abuse between 11 and 17. Both groups had a higher prevalence of PTSD as adults.

“Because we used a broad definition, our ‘high nonconformity’ group was actually 10 percent of the sample,” notes Austin, the study’s senior investigator. “That’s 1 in 10 children — a large group of kids who are at higher risk for abuse, present in every classroom and neighborhood.”

Austin and colleagues urge pediatricians and school health providers to consider abuse screening for these children and advise parents that they may need to do more to protect and support them. “People need to be aware that discrimination and abuse targeting gender-nonconforming children are widespread, affect kids at a very young age and have lasting impacts on health,” Austin says. “These vulnerable children need our care and protection.”

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A plane search of Mount Rainier National Park for a suspect in the murder of a park ranger, sighted what is thought to be the suspect’s body lying face-down in the snow on Monday, according to authorities. It could be hours before they reach the body, and though it is yet to be identified, it is believed to be that of Benjamin Barnes, a 24-year-old Iraq War veteran.

“Obviously the strong probability is that it is” the gunman, Ed Troyer, Pierce County Sheriff’s spokesman, stated. After a shooting at a New Year’s house party that wounded four people, Barnes is thought to have fled to the park to hide. He is suspected by the authorities to have shot and killed Margaret Anderson later on Sunday. Police began a manhunt for the veteran and cleared out all of the park’s visitors. They believed Barnes had survivalist and weapons training.

Barnes had had trouble adjusting to regular life after he got home from the war and was suspected of suffering from suicidal tendencies and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Court documents show that his daughter’s mother had sought a temporary restraining order against him during a custody battle because she believed he was suffering from PTSD after he was sent to Iraq for a year in 2007. She said that he text messaged her, claiming that he wanted to die, that he was easily angered and depressed, and that he had an arsenal of weapons in his home. The mother said she was afraid for their child.

Police showed undated photos of Barnes posing with two big weapons. A guardian ad litem, in November 2011, made a recommendation of classes for communication and parenting and said Barnes should have supervised visits with his daughter twice a week. A mental health evaluation was also mandated.

On New Year’s in a house located close to Seattle, gunfire erupted during an argument at a party of which Barnes was in attendance, according to Sgt. Cindi West, the spokeswoman for King County Sheriff. Two other people, who had fled the shooting, were found and West said that authorities attempted to locate Barnes, asking his family to try to get him to turn himself in and “tell his side of the story”.

A ranger started following him after he flew through a checkpoint on Sunday morning, while Anderson, mother of two and married to another park ranger, blocked the street to potentially force Benjamin Barnes to pull over. Instead, the driver fired a gun and shot Anderson before she was able to get out of her vehicle, spokesperson Troyer said. Park Superintendent, Randy King, stated, “It’s just a huge tragedy – for the family, the park, and the park service.”

The shooting has renewed debate over loaded firearms and whether they should be allowed into Mount Rainier or not. Bill Wade of the Coalition of National Park Service Retirees has stated in several news reports that Congress needs to reconsider the 2010 law that makes state laws responsible for gun regulation in national parks.

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