PARADE Magazine | When Our Troops Come Home

When Dr. Joyce Brothers (or a ghost writer of hers) addresses the problem, you know it is finally reaching a certain level of importance in the mainstream media. While covering the problem at a superficial level, what it doesn't do is talk about how to address the problem, other than to try to get them to seek help.

Yet the help they get when they look for it often is inadequate because it addresses only one realm: the mental. We know that in order to heal trauma - especially war trauma - the whole individual must be addressed. This includes the physical, emotional, and spiritual, as well as mental realms. That is a key reason that we based the Returning Warriors program on ancient practices. They DO address all these realms.

Good news! We finally have received approval from the IRS as a non-profit charitable organization. Actually, approval came faster than we thought. We are still updating our printed materials and the Web site (www.ReturningWarriors.com and www.RavensGroveFoundation.org), so there may be a few stray inconsistencies.

If you want to support our work on behalf of the soldiers struggling with PTSD, your contributions and donations are not only appreciated ... they are deductible! Go to the Foundation Web site for more information.

Thank you!

Kungfu Magazine: E-Zine Feature Article
by Returning Warrior advisor Clay Worley.

Many Returning Warriors continue their practice with the martial arts as a functional way to reintegrate the Warrior into their everyday lives. The arts are a powerful way to re-introduce control and discipline to life in the community.

One of the underlying assumptions of contemporary warfare, going back to at least WWI, is that when the war is over, soldiers can just go back home and pick up where they left off. This is not so. Once released, trained and honed, the Warrior cannot be put "back into the box." The Warrior must be integrated into the overall personality of the soldier, given context and perspective. Failing this, the disconnect of experience of the soldier in his external environment is monumental. PTSD is one result of this disconnect.

To the extent that the martial arts can provide support and perspective to the integration, they are an extremely valuable asset.

I actually have no words for this story from the Associated Press, December 26, 2005......

"FAYETTEVILLE, North Carolina(AP) The questions were unusual for Sgt. 1st Class Jerry Wolford: Did you play with GI Joe action figures when you were a child? What if you could be one?

"Usually, it is not something good when the sergeant major calls a platoon sergeant into his office," said Wolford, 29, of Oakland, Oregon.

This time, it was good. Wolford, who used to own about 200 action figures, will now become one.

He will model for a new line of figures based on the sequel to "America's Army," an online video game released by the Army in 2002 as a recruiting tool.

The "America's Army: Real Heroes" sequel allows players to fight as actual decorated soldiers, such as Wolford. The game will feature nine soldiers, including a woman, said Lori Mezoff, a spokeswoman for the game venture.

The soldiers also will be used to create a line of action figures based on the game.

Wolford, as a member of the Fort Bragg-based 325th Airborne Infantry Regiment, received a Silver Star for a firefight in the southern Iraqi town of Samawah. According to the award citation, Wolford put himself in harm's way to help the wounded, redistributing weapons and equipment and coordinating fire for the machine guns.

"I didn't think my actions stood out above anyone else," he said.

Game developers may incorporate a mission that mirrors Wolford's experience, but no decisions have been made on how the characters would be incorporated.

Each action figure will feature a biography card and a brief narrative on how the soldier earned the medal. Wolford hopes his character shows leadership.

Production on the video game and the action figures is slated to begin early next year, Mezoff said.

Wolford and his two children are looking forward to the process, but Wolford has some concerns about what he will look like as a plastic figure.

"I hope they don't make me look like a freak," he said.

Jaw-dropping statistics that we all knew were there. From October 2005:

~ 119,247 Afghanistan/Iraq service members (now off-duty) are receiving health care from the V.A.
~ 46,000 have musculoskeletal problems.
~ 37,000 have mental disorders.
~ 16,000 have been diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).

These numbers are only going to get worse.

This article points out the additional stress experienced by British soldiers threatened by the knowledge that they may be sued or court martialed for wrongfully killing anyone in the theater of war. Considering current events by American soldiers in Abu Graeb, Guantanamo Bay and elsewhere, can the US be far behind Great Brittain in this regard? What of the effect of these potential court actions on the soldiers themselves?

It has been a long time since my last post. We have been very busy lately. While keeping up with the news with varying degrees of humor and distaste, we have moved forward with several positive initiatives.

Karen and I are working on a new book, tentatively titled "Returning Warriors: Applying Complementary Treatment Therapies to War PTSD." Among other things, the book surveys the increasingly damaging results of warfare, especially current irregular combat. We also examine War PTSD as a special phenomenon, why it is difficult to treat effectively with traditional therapies, and how compelmentary shamanic modalities can help overcome the shortcomings.

Two of 6 chapters have been fundamentally completed. One is nearing completion. The final three will probably take less time over all.

Concurrently, we have established a new organization - Ravens Grove Foundation for Healing - to contain the Returning Warriors program and publication, as well as to expand the program to include other projects and train practitioners in utilizing our approach. The Foundation is a not-for-profit corporation, and we are completing the application for 501(c)(3) non-profit designation by the IRS. When approved, donations and contributions to the Foundation will be deductible as charitable contributions.

This is all very exciting and, according everyone we have discussed the project with, very needed. We invite you to keep up with our progress and to participate when possible. Here is the Foundation Web site:

http://www.RavensGroveFoundation.org