tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3334835744618800472.post4589509430938905022..comments2023-09-26T03:50:12.206-06:00Comments on Notes From a Grumpy Old Man: Fort Carson WTU WTF?, Pope Benedict Brand Condomsnotesfromagrumpyoldmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01559568201812582466noreply@blogger.comBlogger7125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3334835744618800472.post-48145998255817223782010-10-14T14:54:55.899-06:002010-10-14T14:54:55.899-06:00the whole system is smoke and mirrors to hide the ...the whole system is smoke and mirrors to hide the broken soldiers from the rest of the fighting army to keep fighting morale up.and to show broken soldiers to the rest of the world to prove we are still staying positive despite what has happened to us its like we are poster boys to everyone... then behind closed doors the fun begins....alot of us in the WTU system are abused verbally by our NCO's... these stories are true while anonymous is telling the truth that there are positive outcomes, there are far too many negative ones that outweigh it like the focus of the WTU is transition for those of us that are not able to be soldiers any longer is college... what about the vast number of us that have severe TBI/PTSD and cannot functionally attend college, our intelligence is intact but we have zero memory function, they treat us as if we are intentionally avoiding college and thereby treat us worse and worse as time goes on they offer things that we cannot use 100 mile bike rides to people who it hurts to walk 300 meters and every time you "decline" they more and more label us soldiers with bad attitudes and we often times do have bad attitudes due to our issues such as brain injuries TBI/PTSD depression runs rampant through our small WTU and the cadre who should be supportive aren't and they use their position that should be used to care for us to push us around and treat us with indignity and disrespect which is an evil cycle that drives us deeper into our ptsd depression which looking at it from our perspective is like they are trying to make things harder on us, the announced goals of the wtu are not the goals that we see inside the wtu yes we do the triads yes we do the weekly assessments (for which just today i was yelled at for giving an improper/truthful answer) and as it stands now i will be kicked out of my unit for my inability to be a soldier but i thought the wtu was for soldiers who were nonfunctional? but if your too messed up or inconvenient they make you someone else's problem what is that supposed to do for your morale? So many of us want out more than life itself but they will not let us out they threaten us with everything under the sun to keep us in line except the one thing they should....HELPAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3334835744618800472.post-8436720022626286282010-05-20T11:34:47.021-06:002010-05-20T11:34:47.021-06:00Unless you have signed an agreement not to talk, y...Unless you have signed an agreement not to talk, you should be shouting to the rafters for help. Fort Carson needs an ombudsman who can intervene in emergency cases such as yours. The last thing we need is to see our loved ones in pain. Even worse if he should commit suicide because our children should survive us. I watched my father work through his emotions after my brother committed suicide by an overdose of his meds... Yeah, when the armed forces don't know what to do with you they try to discharge and abandon you, I've seen it happen to too many friends who were Vietnam vets. The only way the Army will change its policy is if it's publicly humiliated. Good luck and may god bless you and your son.notesfromagrumpyoldmanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01559568201812582466noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3334835744618800472.post-17710290306629891822010-05-17T09:35:38.535-06:002010-05-17T09:35:38.535-06:00My son is in the WTU at Fort Carson and has had 2 ...My son is in the WTU at Fort Carson and has had 2 suicide attempts, both nearly fatal. In April he was sent to Haven to recover, but was still extremely depressed when he was relaesed. He, as well as others, asked them repeatedly not to release him, but they did anyway. At this moment my son is laying in ICU at Evans with kidney damage from an overdose. He is withering in pain from an injury to his side and can't be given pain meds to keep his pain to a minimum. He was found alone in his room curled up in a fetal position on Sunday morning. Thank god for his seargent checking on him, or he would be dead. I have heard rumors that they may try to discharge him dishonerably. If that happens let me just say, there will be more stories in the news about Fort Carson. I will not stay silent if they wash their hands of my son. How can someone be awarded a purple heart and then kicked out of the army because he became suicidal and tried to take his own life. That's what severely depressed people do! BTW, I've spent time with my son in the WTU, talk about depressing!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3334835744618800472.post-67723299346993001422010-05-11T00:06:56.811-06:002010-05-11T00:06:56.811-06:00Hello Anonymous,
Yeah, I bet that working for For...Hello Anonymous,<br /><br />Yeah, I bet that working for Fort Carson and trying to help vets, you have absorbed a lot of stories both good and bad. I'm assuming you work as a therapist, and it's a profession I have nothing but respect for. If you ever get fired or change jobs, I hope that you do get to tell your side, it should be just as fascinating.<br /><br />At times I've worked on the peripheries of trying to help alcoholics, heroin addicts, and a lot of homeless people, gone mad myself a time or two. Thanks to an accident 10 years ago, I have been in pain 24/7, but I have seen so many people worse off. So much of trying to help others is a thankless task, you have to have deeper justifications than a weekly paycheck. I hope you have found a way to recharge your batteries, keep the faith...notesfromagrumpyoldmanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01559568201812582466noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3334835744618800472.post-91113997927176307272010-05-10T17:20:27.059-06:002010-05-10T17:20:27.059-06:00As someone who worked at the Fort Carson WTU I wil...As someone who worked at the Fort Carson WTU I will just say don't believe everything you read or hear. Of course the NY Times wants a juicy story. All it takes is one or two discharged soldiers who weren't happy with their care to go to the press afterwards and voila--instantly the WTU is declared a failure. Of course they don't print anything about the THOUSANDS of positive outcomes. They also don't print the caregiver's side of the story, which is QUITE different. I wish I were at liberty to use names because believe me I could tell you some stories that would make your head spin, but obviously I will protect the privacy of the soldiers. Just remember, there are two sides to every story.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3334835744618800472.post-75295395886811298812010-04-28T12:18:42.275-06:002010-04-28T12:18:42.275-06:00Hello Kathy,
Thanks for your comments although yo...Hello Kathy,<br /><br />Thanks for your comments although your story is breaking my heart. Both the CS Gazette and CS Independent have written articles on this subject before, and I'll bet that they would be receptive to your story. Also, try my link to the story in the NY Times, and contact the writer who did the story on Ft Carson and ask if he's interested in a follow-up piece.<br /><br />Since you are a nurse, you know when your son needs access to hospitalization if he is in critical condition. The problems with most meds for psychiatry is that once you stop taking them the symptoms come back even worse during the time they are still in your system, so doctors keep the prescription up for much longer than is usually needed. Make sure that the therapy he receives works with all aspects of the trauma, on a physical, emotional, mental, and spiritual level. A support network of family, friends, and fellow soldiers who went through the same hell as he did, where he can open up and tell the worst stories is essential. <br /><br />I studied tai chi and meditation for many years. For men, they would get to a certain level of achievement, and when it came time to look at the dark part of themselves, most quit. There are tools in learning meditation that helps you look at these experiences without judging them so that the crippling ties to the mind and soul can be cut and the experience can be let go. Otherwise, the experience keeps coming back, and the pain, guilt, and fear associated with it overwhelms you, which is when your son tries to end it by suicide. There is no easy way to heal, it takes an incredible strength of will and courage, so make sure that the therapy process doesn't belittle him and make him weaker when he needs just the opposite.<br /><br />I'd love to hear how everything comes out, good luck and God's grace be with you. I'm sure that your feisty, fighting spirit will get those dumbasses to take notice, and your son will get the help he needs.notesfromagrumpyoldmanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01559568201812582466noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3334835744618800472.post-14352884694420746082010-04-27T23:03:21.177-06:002010-04-27T23:03:21.177-06:00Interested in your views on the WTU at Ft. Carson....Interested in your views on the WTU at Ft. Carson. My son is stationed there (I live in CS). He has attempted suicide and I have been fighting his chain of command for access to assist with his care. Finally took matters into my own hands. There is so much BS going on out there that I am positive that the complaints of the soldiers at the WTU are valid. I decided to start from the top down this week and if I don't get a response by end of week from the GC or CSM I am calling every media outlet in town as well as my congressman's office. I used to work at Carson (I'm a nurse) and I know how much BS they spread and what little help they actually are.Unknownhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12646106836870163099noreply@blogger.com