Posted on 01/17/2015 6:59:08 AM PST by tired&retired
How can a US Army 82nd Airborne soldier with PTSD & traumatic Brain injury be held in state/county prison for over three years after his arrest for PTSD violence while in a Warrior Transition unit at Ft Bragg awaiting treatment? He was asleep in his apartment at night when he awoke to firemen smashing down his door and he thought he was back in Afghanistan.
His private investigator who prepared his defense investigation has died. His attorney has become ill and is no longer practicing.........
What ever happened to a speedy trial?
Three years in prison, no trial, no PTSD treatment, for a three tours of duty Staff Sargent in who had extensive combat time in Afghanistan.
Here is a video link about him:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cqwjTGT9jic&feature=youtu.be
This is so sad.
Here is a previous video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pvr8SBu0dLg
Josh was shot in the face 2 times. It blew out the socket of his eye. The other bullet is still lodged in his jaw.
He had TBI when the building he was in was blown up by an insurgent truck bomb that killed some of his friends and injured him.
He was heavily medicated with pain killers for recent surgery from a combat injury, under PTSD medication and was in the Warrior Transition Unit at Ft. Bragg when this event happened.
His time in prison with PTSD flashbacks alone has been cruel punishment.
Aside from the obvious need for prayer, Josh needs a routine and a distraction.
Work on a farm or ranch would be perfect.
Sleeping with music on or similar sound distraction to dampen the wondering mind would also help.
“This is so sad.”
Disgraceful.
“http://www.wral.com/news/local/story/10600778/";
A four hour standoff doesn’t work in his favor. Firemen couldn’t get into where the fire was, and called cops to help. This guy starts shooting at the cops too for four hours.
I personally doubt that for 4 hours he thought he was “in Afghanistan”. A momentary confusion when the firemen first showed up, ill buy. But not 4 hours.
But even saying I buy his story, he still needs to be locked up if he is that unstable. Sad but he sounds like a menace. And also, Fayetteville isn’t exactly unfamiliar with injured veteran issues.
Sounds like he might be a candidate for being locked up in a mental health ward somewhere. A secure in patient facility.
This is what happens under the democrat party and all their cohorts in federal government. The dems hate the military and the right wing peoples who know their evil plans for America. This man is a victim of the obamantion regime of liars, thieves and murderers on the political left.
May God have mercy on his soul as the world will not.
The fire was a small fire in outside porch floor only a few inches in diameter that was put out long before the fireman arrived.
The police would not allow his friends in the military to talk with him.
It was a total cluster %$&* by the police. Their bullets ricocheting off the brick building back at them were deemed to be return fire.
He merely returned fire when shot at by the police, thinking he was still in Afghanistan. He was alone, but yelled for his men to get to the roof and cover.
He was on several prescribed pain killers for recent back surgery and several PTSD meds that the Army subsequently deemed to exacerbate PTSD and issued a warning to stop prescribing them.
The same police offer who shot him, shot and killed another staff Sargent a month later.
If you look at the number of police shooting soldiers who are in the Warrior Transition unit in Fayetteville you would know there was a big problem. Most die and the story never comes out.
The big problem was when a cop fell on the steps and bloodied his face. another officer saw this and started telling everyone including the press that an officer had been shot in the face. Thus the SWAT team went nuts.
They launched 19 tear gas canisters into his small apartment. He was already shot laying on the floor and did not respond so they kept shooting and launching.
This guy was in when Obama changed the rules of engagement. One of his men was being court martialed for returning fire at an insurgent. They were not allowed to return fire under Obama’s rules of engagement so they were sitting ducks. this is why the suicide rate doubled when Obama took over. He was a saw gunner who did a lot of missions.
All his commanding officers with direct contact in Afghanistan are standing up for him.
The last I heard the Army was supposed to be agreeing to take him on base. If you want MHO there is something amok here. Smells like a demonrat.
Save Our Soldier has much on his status and a note from mom for help...
article from sept 2014:
By Greg Barnes Staff writer
Fort Bragg has postponed a hearing set for Wednesday to determine whether Staff Sgt. Joshua Eisenhauer should be put out of the Army.
Eisenhauer, 33, is accused of shooting at Fayetteville police and firefighters from his west Fayetteville apartment complex in January 2012.
Eisenhauer’s parents, Mark Eisenhauer and Dawn Erickson, contend that their son suffered from severe post-traumatic stress disorder and was addicted to prescription anti-anxiety medication at the time of the shootings. Eisenhauer was shot four times in the hours-long standoff. No police or firefighters were seriously injured.
Eisenhauer’s lawyer, Todd Conormon, said he received an email and a phone call Monday from Capt. Richard Connaroe saying the hearing has been suspended indefinitely so the Army can further investigate the logistics of getting Eisenhauer to the hearing on Fort Bragg. According to the email, the request for a postponement came from Fort Bragg’s commanding general.
Eisenhauer is being held in the Cumberland County Detention Center. Sheriff Moose Butler’s legal counsel, Ronnie Mitchell, said he told Conormon that the Sheriff’s Office would get Eisenhauer to the hearing if the Army requested he be there. Mitchell said late Monday that the Army has not talked to him about transporting Eisenhauer.
Mitchell said it is not unusual for the Sheriff’s Office to transfer inmates to the Army post.
Fort Bragg officials did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Conormon said last week that Fort Bragg officials reneged on an agreement to change jurisdiction in Eisenhauer’s case from civilian court in Cumberland County to Fort Bragg.
District Attorney Billy West confirmed last week that Fort Bragg had agreed to take jurisdiction in the case but later decided against it.
The Army has not acknowledged whether there ever was such an agreement.
Conormon said the agreement called for Eisenhauer to be put out of the Army under a general discharge, which would have allowed him to receive Veterans Affairs benefits. The agreement also called for Eisenhauer to be sentenced to time served, Conormon said.
Conormon said the Army now wants to give Eisenhauer a less-than-honorable discharge, which would likely bar him from VA benefits and the treatment his parents say he needs for PTSD and other ailments.
Charges against Eisenhauer include 15 counts of attempted murder. Eisenhauer, who spent six years in the Army, could face life in prison if convicted. A criminal trial is set for March 16 in Cumberland County Superior Court.
Conormon said he was prepared to have a psychiatrist, a psychologist and soldiers who fought alongside Eisenhauer testify at the hearing. He said he plans to call between 15 and 20 witnesses.
Conormon said the Army contends that Eisenhauer either does not have - or never had - PTSD.
Five months before the shootings, Eisenhauer entered Fort Bragg’s Wounded Warrior Battalion for soldiers who are injured either physically, mentally, or both.
Conormon said military medical records show that the Army diagnosed Eisenhauer as having PTSD in 2010.
Thanks for posting the article.
The 15 counts were based upon the number of empty shell casings they found in his apartment. It did not matter that most of the bullets were accounted for in the apartment woodwork. It was a brick building.
I’ve known him and his family for about 25 years. He really is a good guy who had too much combat action. He was fine until Obama came in and replaced base commanders with incompetent inexperienced commanders. Josh warned the new base commander to move the base entrance off the main road and the commander did not listen. An insurgent ran a truck bomb in the gate and destroyed the building Josh was in, giving him severe TBI and killing some of his friends. After that he could not sleep and became super vigilant.
Thanks for caring.
“But even saying I buy his story, he still needs to be locked up if he is that unstable.”
Most of his instability has been all the drugs the military kept pumping into him before, during and after the event.
He has received zero treatment for PTSD or TBI. Cut the guy a break and at least let him get help.
Under the North Carolina stand your ground law Josh could have shot the fireman and there would have been no violation of the law. there is protection for police but not firemen in the law. (There should be protection for them, but there is none.)
Even without being drugged up with benzos and painkillers by the military, or with PTSD and TBI, what would you have done if you wake up in the middle of the night and someone is smashing down your front door?
I do. I also try and keep up with new treatments. There is a study just out that they found that TBI from an explosion causes it’s own kind of damage...let me look for it...
“Bomb-induced brain injury may be its own disease”
also, since the commander did not listen to him about relocating the entrance (I am a former 1/8 Beirut Marine mom) this reeks of cover up.
The brain has a high capability of growth. Repair is possible over a long time (we are not kids anymore) but, new growth is always, always an option. While he is not getting prescribed treatment, he can always try natural things. His mom may want to look into what she can do within the system. Sleep, melatonin, is crucial. The brain needs sleep. It is a natural substance.
Surely they should allow him to do what he can for himself. He can also exercise his mind and learn new things. There is so much going on in the sciences it is hard to keep up. If mom could get in touch with a neuroscience department of a university and see if they can access information for her that would be best. The most recent studies cost just to read.
Contact the parents of Extortion 17 on facebook. They may be able to help with finding out legal stuff. I hate to say this but it may be time for parents of left behind veterans to start their own group.
Pray for this man. No matter what.
I'd give the man benefit of the doubt for several reasons. It isn't smart to bust a persons door down when they are asleep. Was he ever in danger? No likely not. That is not until his home was entered by force. Firemen would have likely been wearing OBA's meaning breathing gear. It know from my own experience in fire fighting trying to communicate through such is like yelling into a pillow. It takes being alert to discern the communication.
Next comes the police. You know you would think COMMUNICATION would be a strong point. Nope. Police SWAT TEAMs think in such cases the more the persons the merrier screaming in excited hyped up voices rapid commands helps their situation. For someone with his type of injuries it would not be probable he could interpret their commands unless they were one at a time by one person. One single voice command & not garbled in a 160DB level saying POLICE would suffice. Keep repeating it until it is understood.
The four hour period? That can be reasonably explained. Does it mean he was a threat all that time? No probably not. Rather it sounds like a mental shutdown of his responses which can happen alot of times with PTSD and Anxiety Disorders mixed and usually go hand in hand. IOW he would be trying to get his brain to tell him what's going on, why, where am I, what am I doing, and time, as such means very little. You oughta have one of them kind of episodes driving sometime. It was my first symptom I had General Anxiety Disorder and PTSD. I was scared as the most accurate word is SH!!less. One such attack went on several days and started my last night at work. I could only answer yes/no to questions asked me. Noises would set me off.
I'm hearing impaired and I do not sleep with my hearing aids in nor do other persons with hearing impairments. You have to dehydrate them about 6 hours each day. I do sleep with firearms near by. I have motions sensors on my driveway and two dogs who alert me to persons outside before they can become a threat to me inside. I also secure my doors to where any intruder would have to make lots of noise.
It sounds like what the man needed was a about a year of well earned paid vacation/time off in a less hectic environment such as a vacation cabin where with outpatient therapy and time he could sort things out. Not a lock up but simply a less hectic place to wind down and recover.
Our congress needs to stop running unending since 1990 wars on peace time manpower levels so combat rotations/deployments are only once per enlistment maximum. The Pentagon needs to take treating such issues far more serious and let professionals handle mental health rather than like the crap kind of system that ran such care at Ft Hood a few years ago. Yea that doctor was really gonna help guys returning to the states.
Military Docs as such are not good at things like treating PTSD because they are still a military mission first unit. But a civilian LCSW or if real serious a psychologist can do wonders believe it or nor but it takes time and the person can not be put back in the situation which caused it. It also puts therapy into a less formal non military environment where the person doesn't have to worry about him talking about others say a commissioned officer etc nor patient/therapist privacy being violated.
If a person has PTSD it takes years not days or weeks to get over it and pills is not a cure. This man it seems had head injury and PTSD. The Congress and United States of America owed him better treatment of the injury to start with and following through as long as it takes. BTW PTSD is also an injury. Assimilation slowly back into private sector society should have been his treatment plan even if it took several years of him being on the military payroll. The Pentagon isn't that patient.
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