Free Republic

First, we must express our sincere gratitude and respect for all those Veterans who carried the Flag before us, all those who served on our left and on our right and all those who picked up the Flag and moved forward after us. No matter where, when or in what role, your service is appreciated and recognized. And, Happy Birthday to the USMC – Semper Fidelis! As the first Veterans’ Day to be discussed from the Veterans’ Perspective, we must address one of the most important topics to be share with the civilian community. A Tragic Myth of PTSD –...

It’s a breakthrough that could help thousands of American soldiers returning from dangerous deployments. Researchers at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology believe they may have discovered a way to create a vaccine that could prevent post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). “What it’s going to do is that they’ll still have perfectly strong memories of the event. They just won’t have the bad health consequences,” said Ki Goosens, an assistant professor of neuroscience with the McGovern Institute for Brain Research. The key is a lesser-known hormone produced by the stomach called ghrelin. “One of the really interesting things about ghrelin that was...

The massive repository of genetic material is poised to advance research—just don’t bother asking for your samples back Inside DoDSR Image: Dina Fine Maron SILVER SPRING, Md.—Nestled inside a generic-looking office building here in suburban Maryland, down the hall from cable-provider Comcast, sits the largest blood serum repository in the world. Seven freezers, each roughly the size of a high school basketball court, are stacked high with row upon row of small cardboard boxes containing tubes of yellow or pinkish blood serum, a liquid rich in antibodies and proteins, but devoid of cells. The freezers hover at –30 degrees Celsius—cold...

THANKS to a mix of patriotism and high unemployment, every one of our military services exceeded its recruiting goals for fiscal year 2009. That's the good news. The bad news is that, after eight years of indecisive war and ravaged personal lives, the Army's losing the experienced officers and NCOs it needs to train and lead those new recruits. The Army's tough. But after years of voices crying wolf for political purposes, there's real trouble looming on the personnel front. I joined a broken Army after Vietnam. I don't want to see an Army resembling that one again. Yes, we...

Bush defeatism? Conservative national security officials are wondering what is going wrong inside the Bush White House. The choice of a retired Marine Corps general known for his liberal political views as a candidate for a "czar" over the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan has many scratching their heads and wondering whether the president is aligning his administration with the defeatists now opposing the war. The retired Marine in question is Gen. Jack Sheehan, who was asked to be the new coordinator, despite a reputation as a liberal military officer, something uncharacteristic of most Marines. He turned it down, not...

Sleepy soldiers face serious dangers in Iraq 03/26/2003 By BRIAN ANDERSON / Dallas Web staff “Nap early. Nap often.” For Col. Gregory Belenky, it’s his battle cry. As the top sleep researcher at the Walter Reed Army Institute of Research in Silver Spring, Md., Col. Belenky preaches the importance of a well-rested fighting force. “We like to think of sleep as a logistical element of re-supply,” he said, calling a little shut-eye as important a commodity to troops as fuel for their tanks and ammo for their rifles. So when news images from Iraq show bleary-eyed troops barreling through the...

WASHINGTON -- If U.S. troops storm into Iraq, swarms of psychiatrists and other mental health specialists will go with them to help keep soldiers from shattering under the shock and trauma of war -- and to treat those who succumb. Though such Combat Stress Control teams are not always welcomed by field commanders, the U.S. military hierarchy is sharply attentive to the age-old problem of "shell shock" or battle fatigue. The condition can afflict troops encountering their first explosive clash of combat, and even hardened soldiers can crumble under the weight of unrelieved fighting.Battle fatigue can mean debilitating anxiety, memory...