The sad story of Joshua Barber

Up in Washington State, a former soldier asks "Do you think that God's going to send me to hell for killing innocent people?"

Unfortunately, Sgt Barber couldn't live with his experiences in Iraq and became a statistic of suicide. The VA and the Army have tried to reach out, redoubling their efforts, but some soldiers are casualties. [The Olympian}

Kentucky bases brace for surge in PTSD cases

Military doctors at Fort Campbell, Kentucky, are preparing for the return of the 101st Airborne from over a year in Iraq. This was the brigade's third tour in Iraq and 'hoping to use the base's experiences to assess the long-term impact of repeated deployments.

<block>Army leaders are 'hoping to use the base's experiences to assess the long-term impact of repeated deployments. Facing prospects that one in five of the 101st Airborne Division soldiers will suffer from stress-related disorders, the base has nearly doubled its psychological health staff. </block>

[Lexington Herald-Leader]

Program teaches rodeo skills to wounded soldiers

In Georgia, wounded soldiers are taught rodeo skills, including riding and horse-shoeing, as part of rehabilitation skills at the Wounded Warrior Horsemanship Clinic. [Columbus Ledger-Enquirer]

Alzheimer's and red wine

While not technically a Wounded Warriors post, there is intriguing new evidence that compounds in red wine help prevent the plaques in the brain that are part of Alzheimer's. [Science Daily]

Indictments in Veteran disability fraud case

14 were indicted with 'conspiracy to steal nearly $2 million in diability claims.'  They would submit false documentation to support their claims. [WAVE]

'Personality Disorder' screening process tightened

The DOD has tightened the screening process for PTSD and 'personality disorder' so that 'no members who suffer from wartime stress get tagged with having a pre-existing personality disorder, which would leave them ineligible for service disability compensation.'  [Biloxi Sun Herald]

Iraq war veteran on Obama's VA transition team

Lt. Gov. Anthony Brown is going to advise President-Elect Obama on veterans issues. He's a 24 year member of the National Guard and also a graduate of Harvard as is Obama. [Baltimore Sun]

Veterans families want help... and respect

How to take care of a wounded service member -- family or the V.A. The New York Times does a good story on the struggles the families faced with caregiving.

The question of how to best take care of a service member wounded in war is a well-worn battleground. But broader compensation for family members has become a pressing issue, veterans’ groups say, because better medical technology has allowed so many soldiers to survive with serious injuries.

BBB looking out for Veterans

The Better Business Bureau (BBB) works with the DOD's Financial Readiness Campaign to help retirees, newly enlisted and others to help prevent veterans from being scammed. Scams about even on the Internet as one circulating email about piles of gold show. [Idaho Statesman]

Homeless women veterans growing in number

For the first time, there are significant numbers of women in the military, and some of them end up homeless.

'The number of homeless female veterans have gone up — from 3 percent of all homeless veterans a decade ago to 5 percent, the VA says.'  [MSNBC]