We of VFW Post 5077 believe that the staggering high suicide rate among our service members is a tragedy and must immediately be corrected.  Until the Department of Defense takes a leadership role in this fight, we are determined to lead the charge ourselves.

If you are a service member in trouble; if you are considering suicide; if you are a family member of a service member in crisis, then we urge you to call:

The VFW is Taking the Lead to Fight Military Suicides

FREE Counseling for Veterans AND Family Members

The Crider Health Center, located in Wentzville, MO, is offering FREE counseling service to family members of returning Missouri veterans from deployment to Operation Enduring Freedom or Operation Iraqi Freedom.  The counseling services are available to spouses, parents, and children of Reserve and National Guard members.

Free counseling is also available to discharged active duty veterans from the same two operations.

The services are free through a grant from the Missouri Department of Health.  Therapy sessions are with licensed mental health professionals who are trained to understand the impact of deployment on families coping with issues such as but not limited to:

·         PTSD

·         Physical injury (including TBI)

·         Loss of loved one

·         Substance abuse

·         Suicidal thoughts and attempts

·         Marital family distress associated with deployment or return

·         Childhood adjustment challenges evident in the home or school

For more information contact the Crider Center at www.cridercenter.org or call 636-332-6000.

The Coming Home Project

"The Coming Home Project is a non-profit organization devoted to providing compassionate care, support and stress management tools for Iraq and Afghanistan veterans, their families, and their service providers.  We are a multi-disciplinary team of veterans, psychotherapists, and interfaith leaders committed to helping transform the wounds of war.  Our programs address the emotional, spiritual, and relationship challenges faced by veterans and families before, during and after deployment.  We help veterans and families rebuild the connectivity of mind, heart, and spirit that combat trauma can unravel, renew their relationships with loved ones, and create new peer networks.  We build a safe place -- a community -- for veterans and their families to come together and share their stories, struggles, and accomplishments.  Guard, Reserve, and Active Duty are also eligible.  Single veterans and wounded warriors are most welcome."

Post-traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)

What is PTSD?

PTSD is a psychological disorder affecting individuals who have experienced or witnessed profoundly traumatic events, such as torture, rape, or wartime combat, characterized by recurrent flashbacks of the traumatic event, nightmares, irritability, anxiety, fatigue, forgetfulness, and social withdrawal.

Symptoms of PTSD

·         Intrusive memories of the traumatic event

·         Bad dreams about the traumatic event

·         Flashbacks or a sense of reliving the event

·         Feelings of intense distress when reminded of the trauma

·         Physiological stress response to reminders of the event (pounding heart, rapid breathing, nausea, muscle tension, sweating)

Consequences of PTSD

·         Avoiding thoughts, feelings, or conversations associated with the trauma

·         Avoiding activities, places, or people that remind you of the trauma

·         Inability to remember important aspects of the trauma

·         Loss of interest in activities and life in general

·         Feeling detached or estranged from other people

·         Feeling emotionally numb, especially toward loved ones

·         Sense of a limited future (you don’t expect to live a normal life span, get married, have a career)

·         Difficulty falling or staying asleep

·         Irritability or outbursts of anger

·         Difficulty concentrating

·         Hyper-vigilance, or being constantly “on guard”

·         An exaggerated startle response, or jumpiness

Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI)

What is TBI?

TBI is a blow or jolt to the head or a penetrating head injury that disrupts the function of the brain.  Not all blows or jolts to the head result in TBI.

According to the House Veterans Affairs Committee Symposium on Traumatic Brain Injury, Veterans and Service Members from Iraq and Afghanistan treated at Walter Reed for injuries of any type, approximately 65% have TBI as a primary diagnosis or simultaneous injury.

Symptoms of mild TBI

·         Headaches

·         Dizziness

·         Seizures

·         Excessive Fatigue (tiredness)

·         Mood swings (easily frustrated, anxious, angry, depressed, low self-esteem)

·         Ringing in the ears

·         Vision change

·         Weakness or paralysis

Consequences of TBI

Difficulty with:

·         Balance and coordination

·         Concentration

·         Forgetting things (memory problems)

·         Learning new things

·         Sleep

·         Speech and language (expressing thought or not understanding what is said)

·         Physical disabilities

·         Paying attention

·         Problem solving