By Samantha L. Quigley
American Forces Press Service
Aug. 23, 2007 - A group that supports wounded servicemembers and their families is offering troops a friendly ear with its newest program, "Hear 4 You." The no-cost program that launched Aug. 1 aims to develop a network of volunteers to listen to military personnel and their families affected by post-deployment stress and post-traumatic stress disorder.
The program is one of many services offered by Silver Star Families of America, which supports families of wounded servicemembers. The group is a supporter of America Supports You, a Defense Department program connecting citizens and corporations with military personnel and their families serving at home and abroad.
"We are just there to listen," Janie Orman, Silver Star Families of America's vice president, said. "We are not counseling. We want everyone to know that. We don't take the place of a (mental health) professional in any way."
Thirteen Silver Star Families of America volunteers man e-mail or instant-messaging accounts to answer concerns of servicemembers. Military personnel or family members wishing talk to a volunteer through the Hear 4 You program can follow the link from the Silver Star Families of America Web site, www.silverstarfamilies.org. The program's Web site shows which volunteers are online at any given moment.
All volunteers have received training in how to spot signs of post-traumatic stress disorder or suicidal thoughts, Orman said.
"In that particular area, if we feel or get a sense of that in any way, we advise them ... to seek help," she said. "If needed, we'll try to help them find that right then."
Such help might be found through the "Give an Hour" program, a national network of mental health professionals who volunteer an hour a week to respond to the needs of the military community. Give an Hour has recently partnered with Silver Star Families of America.
The terms of use each participant must agree to before being allowed to contact a volunteer also encourage individuals to call 911 if they're having suicidal or homicidal thoughts.
The Hear 4 You program took root when the Silver Star Families of America members realized how many e-mails they were receiving from servicemembers or family members wanting to talk. This concerned the members, Orman said.
"We set up the Hear 4 You program based on that," she said. The program is especially important to several Silver Star Families of America members who have sons suffering from PTSD.
"They're trying to encourage their own kids to at least talk," Orman said. "They feel like if (servicemembers) can just talk some of this out, it may help them in some way."
The organization is hoping the program's base in anonymity will encourage servicemembers to open up without fear of retribution.
"We've been told ... that a lot of them feel like it's easier to talk to someone they don't know," she said. "I know there's a Department of Defense hotline and a (Veterans Affairs) hotline, but sometimes they feel like they might face repercussions (if they go through formal channels).
"We would love to see it really grow and ... make some type of difference," she added.
Thursday, August 23, 2007
Wounded Vet Leads Walter Reed's Soldier, Family Support Center
By Rudi Williams
Special to American Forces Press Service
Aug. 23, 2007 - Permanently blinded and severely wounded by a booby trap in Vietnam in 1969, Stephen Maguire spent more than 17 months being treated at Walter Reed Army Medical Center here. Now Maguire has returned to Walter Reed to help wounded warriors and their families obtain assistance that wasn't available when he was hospitalized here.
He's now director of the Soldier and Family Support Center at Walter Reed, formerly known as the Medical Family Assistance Center. The support center staff is a team of active-duty officers, noncommissioned officers and enlisted soldiers appointed by the commanding general to coordinate resources and act as a point of contact for patients and their families.
When he was hospitalized at Walter Reed, no organization was available to help wounded veterans and their families with "little needs," he said.
The "little needs" include things like help with mortgage and rent payments, home insurance, car and car insurance payments, storage fees, airfare, car repairs, child care, utility bills and telephone bills.
"The Red Cross was the only one that I recall existed, but so often the answer to the question was, 'It's not available,'" the medically retired Army captain said. "You stopped asking the question after awhile.
"Red Cross volunteers brought books around to the rooms for the wounded," he said. "What other things the Red Cross did I have no idea. But I never heard of any other organization that gave anybody anything.
"The families got absolutely nothing," Maguire added. . "They were not authorized anything; ... they didn't get anything."
Today, the Walter Reed Society helps provide assistance to families with everyday needs that fall between the cracks. But wounded servicemembers and their families need a "smooth way to access things," Maguire said. That's where the Soldier and Family Support Center comes in: as a conduit to getting assistance from the Walter Reed Society and other organizations.
The Soldier and Family Support Center is staffed with about 20 people who help wounded warriors and their families with everyday needs that the military doesn't provide.
"If, for instance, they have a monetary need to pay some bills back home, they can apply through us to the society," Maguire noted. "Asking for help from the society is usually one of the last resorts after seeking help from Army Emergency Relief and other organizations. It could be a wife or parent who left their job to be with their wounded loved one at Walter Reed and have exhausted their funds."
The center helps soldiers and families "maneuver through the system," said Maguire, who holds a doctorate in psychology. "It's one thing to provide things, but you have to have a conduit to help people work through the system. Back in the days when I was a patient here, the Red Cross may have provided more than books, but I had no idea how to approach them for help."
(Retired Army Sgt. Maj. Rudi Williams is with the Walter Reed Society.)
Special to American Forces Press Service
Aug. 23, 2007 - Permanently blinded and severely wounded by a booby trap in Vietnam in 1969, Stephen Maguire spent more than 17 months being treated at Walter Reed Army Medical Center here. Now Maguire has returned to Walter Reed to help wounded warriors and their families obtain assistance that wasn't available when he was hospitalized here.
He's now director of the Soldier and Family Support Center at Walter Reed, formerly known as the Medical Family Assistance Center. The support center staff is a team of active-duty officers, noncommissioned officers and enlisted soldiers appointed by the commanding general to coordinate resources and act as a point of contact for patients and their families.
When he was hospitalized at Walter Reed, no organization was available to help wounded veterans and their families with "little needs," he said.
The "little needs" include things like help with mortgage and rent payments, home insurance, car and car insurance payments, storage fees, airfare, car repairs, child care, utility bills and telephone bills.
"The Red Cross was the only one that I recall existed, but so often the answer to the question was, 'It's not available,'" the medically retired Army captain said. "You stopped asking the question after awhile.
"Red Cross volunteers brought books around to the rooms for the wounded," he said. "What other things the Red Cross did I have no idea. But I never heard of any other organization that gave anybody anything.
"The families got absolutely nothing," Maguire added. . "They were not authorized anything; ... they didn't get anything."
Today, the Walter Reed Society helps provide assistance to families with everyday needs that fall between the cracks. But wounded servicemembers and their families need a "smooth way to access things," Maguire said. That's where the Soldier and Family Support Center comes in: as a conduit to getting assistance from the Walter Reed Society and other organizations.
The Soldier and Family Support Center is staffed with about 20 people who help wounded warriors and their families with everyday needs that the military doesn't provide.
"If, for instance, they have a monetary need to pay some bills back home, they can apply through us to the society," Maguire noted. "Asking for help from the society is usually one of the last resorts after seeking help from Army Emergency Relief and other organizations. It could be a wife or parent who left their job to be with their wounded loved one at Walter Reed and have exhausted their funds."
The center helps soldiers and families "maneuver through the system," said Maguire, who holds a doctorate in psychology. "It's one thing to provide things, but you have to have a conduit to help people work through the system. Back in the days when I was a patient here, the Red Cross may have provided more than books, but I had no idea how to approach them for help."
(Retired Army Sgt. Maj. Rudi Williams is with the Walter Reed Society.)
Fit Seniors Inspire Younger Generation
By Elaine Wilson
Special to American Forces Press Service
Aug. 22, 2007 - In a weight room packed with muscular men, little 77-year-old Wera Sharp turns heads as she walks in and makes a beeline for the pull-up bars. Still sweating from 30 minutes on the treadmill, Sharp jumps up, grips the bar and effortlessly pumps out 10 chin-ups in less than a minute. The only sign of strain is her shaking muscles after a second or third set.
Sharp is raising the bar on fitness here, not just for seniors, but for everyone. When this spry grandma with curly blonde hair and a friendly smile hits the gym for one of her three-hour workouts, she easily surpasses fellow gym-goers half her age.
"I've been working out all my life, but only started coming to the gym about five years ago," said Sharp, slightly out of breath after a pull-up set. "I've always worked out and see no reason to stop now."
Sharp, wife of retired Col. Fred Foxx, credits her toned body to "a little bit of everything: weights, swimming, stair-stepper. I like to get a total-body workout."
As Sharp walks over to hit the mats for a hundred crunches and 50 push-ups "man-style," she points out a man senior to her working his triceps nearby.
Ninety-two-year-old retired Army Lt. Col. Frank Rabell, a five-time visitor to the gym each week, is pumping out reps on a weighted bar. His wife, Michelle, is walking at a steady pace on a treadmill just outside the weight room. "Working out keeps our minds sharp and our bodies healthy," Michelle said. "We've been married almost 50 years and have never been sedentary."
Lucian Kimble, director of the Jimmy Brought Fitness Center here, said seniors are a common sight at the gym and a constant source of inspiration and motivation for people of all ages.
"The fitness center is like a fountain of youth; we have people from age 9 to 90," he said. "Age doesn't matter. It's your lifestyle and the choices you make -- how much rest you receive, nutrition and activity level.
"Every time an active adult comes in, it's a great example for everyone. You're never too obese or old; it's never too late."
Like their younger counterparts, seniors can reap numerous benefits from staying active, according to the National Institute on Aging, including:
-- Keeping and improving strength to help maintain independence;
-- Having more energy;
-- Improving balance;
-- Preventing or delaying some diseases, such as heart disease, diabetes and cancer; and
-- Perking up mood and helping reduce depression.
Another benefit is the inspiration they provide others.
Army Sgt. 1st Class Joseph Tiberio, a regular at the gym, said he aspires to be as fit as some gym-goers 20 years his senior.
"I see a lot of older people who are in better shape than me," said 36-year-old Tiberio, who could be called buff in his own right. "I know a man in his 70s who could do inverted push-ups and a very fit lady, Ruth; she motivates me every day. I want to look as fit as she does when I'm in my 50s. It's pretty inspirational."
The fit seniors at the Jimmy Brought Fitness Center are not that unusual when compared to a society that is looking and feeling younger than ever before thanks to medical advances and healthier lifestyles. At 77, actor Sean Connery is still deemed a dreamboat, and at 65, Harrison Ford is not only looking good, but about to embark on another Indiana Jones adventure.
Army leaders have even joined the trend, opening its ranks to people formerly considered too old to join. Since June 2006, anyone from baby-faced 17-year-olds to well-seasoned 42-year-olds can now choose to serve.
And just about anyone at any age can, to borrow a phrase from Olivia Newton-John, get physical, even with a long-term condition like heart disease or diabetes. Physical activity may even help, according to the National Institute on Aging. Of course, for anyone about to embark on a fitness routine, the first step is to check with a doctor, particularly if there are health problems.
Sharp attributes her prescription-free medicine cabinet to a lifetime of fitness. "I'm a determined person," she said. "I love to work out and keep fit, so I just do it."
Each day, when these seniors make a choice to grab their running shoes versus the nearest rocking chair, they are not just keeping fit, but redefining for a younger generation the meaning of "old age."
(Elaine Wilson works in the Fort Sam Houston Public Information Office.)
Special to American Forces Press Service
Aug. 22, 2007 - In a weight room packed with muscular men, little 77-year-old Wera Sharp turns heads as she walks in and makes a beeline for the pull-up bars. Still sweating from 30 minutes on the treadmill, Sharp jumps up, grips the bar and effortlessly pumps out 10 chin-ups in less than a minute. The only sign of strain is her shaking muscles after a second or third set.
Sharp is raising the bar on fitness here, not just for seniors, but for everyone. When this spry grandma with curly blonde hair and a friendly smile hits the gym for one of her three-hour workouts, she easily surpasses fellow gym-goers half her age.
"I've been working out all my life, but only started coming to the gym about five years ago," said Sharp, slightly out of breath after a pull-up set. "I've always worked out and see no reason to stop now."
Sharp, wife of retired Col. Fred Foxx, credits her toned body to "a little bit of everything: weights, swimming, stair-stepper. I like to get a total-body workout."
As Sharp walks over to hit the mats for a hundred crunches and 50 push-ups "man-style," she points out a man senior to her working his triceps nearby.
Ninety-two-year-old retired Army Lt. Col. Frank Rabell, a five-time visitor to the gym each week, is pumping out reps on a weighted bar. His wife, Michelle, is walking at a steady pace on a treadmill just outside the weight room. "Working out keeps our minds sharp and our bodies healthy," Michelle said. "We've been married almost 50 years and have never been sedentary."
Lucian Kimble, director of the Jimmy Brought Fitness Center here, said seniors are a common sight at the gym and a constant source of inspiration and motivation for people of all ages.
"The fitness center is like a fountain of youth; we have people from age 9 to 90," he said. "Age doesn't matter. It's your lifestyle and the choices you make -- how much rest you receive, nutrition and activity level.
"Every time an active adult comes in, it's a great example for everyone. You're never too obese or old; it's never too late."
Like their younger counterparts, seniors can reap numerous benefits from staying active, according to the National Institute on Aging, including:
-- Keeping and improving strength to help maintain independence;
-- Having more energy;
-- Improving balance;
-- Preventing or delaying some diseases, such as heart disease, diabetes and cancer; and
-- Perking up mood and helping reduce depression.
Another benefit is the inspiration they provide others.
Army Sgt. 1st Class Joseph Tiberio, a regular at the gym, said he aspires to be as fit as some gym-goers 20 years his senior.
"I see a lot of older people who are in better shape than me," said 36-year-old Tiberio, who could be called buff in his own right. "I know a man in his 70s who could do inverted push-ups and a very fit lady, Ruth; she motivates me every day. I want to look as fit as she does when I'm in my 50s. It's pretty inspirational."
The fit seniors at the Jimmy Brought Fitness Center are not that unusual when compared to a society that is looking and feeling younger than ever before thanks to medical advances and healthier lifestyles. At 77, actor Sean Connery is still deemed a dreamboat, and at 65, Harrison Ford is not only looking good, but about to embark on another Indiana Jones adventure.
Army leaders have even joined the trend, opening its ranks to people formerly considered too old to join. Since June 2006, anyone from baby-faced 17-year-olds to well-seasoned 42-year-olds can now choose to serve.
And just about anyone at any age can, to borrow a phrase from Olivia Newton-John, get physical, even with a long-term condition like heart disease or diabetes. Physical activity may even help, according to the National Institute on Aging. Of course, for anyone about to embark on a fitness routine, the first step is to check with a doctor, particularly if there are health problems.
Sharp attributes her prescription-free medicine cabinet to a lifetime of fitness. "I'm a determined person," she said. "I love to work out and keep fit, so I just do it."
Each day, when these seniors make a choice to grab their running shoes versus the nearest rocking chair, they are not just keeping fit, but redefining for a younger generation the meaning of "old age."
(Elaine Wilson works in the Fort Sam Houston Public Information Office.)
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