Obama, Veterans Benefits, and Combat Related PTSD

Veterans have served and sacrificed in defense of our Nation. When they complete their service, we must do everything in our power to assist them in re-entering civilian life and finding employment. Government as well as private employers should play a prominent role in helping veterans who may be struggling to find jobs. As one of the Nation's leading employers, the Federal Government is in need of highly skilled individuals to meet agency staffing needs and to support mission objectives. Our veterans, who have benefited from training and development during their military service, possess a wide variety of skills and experiences, as well as the motivation for public service, that will help fulfill Federal agencies' staffing needs. It is therefore the policy of my Administration to enhance recruitment of and promote employment opportunities for veterans within the executive branch, consistent with merit system principles and veterans' preferences prescribed by law. The Federal Government will thereby help lead by example in promoting veterans' employment.

Not sure how enforceable any of these policies are as I am not well versed in reading through government legislature, but I am happy to see the president making strides in this direction. Not just because I am currently serving. It is just the right thing to do. Trust me there are many in our Armed Forces that have sacrificed much more than I ever will and I think it is a shame if those who have put forth tremendous sacrifice defending the country aren’t able to reap the rewards upon their return. I am still a firm believer in the meritocracy, however I think often times people both in and outside the service fail to recognize the parallels between military service and many other seemingly unrelated careers. There are many lessons learned that transcend job experience that are valuable in any life situation, job, or team scenario. Here is the full executive order.

Employment is one thing, but I would love to see greater strides made towards mental health and wellness of soldiers returning from combat. One of the most rewarding acquisitions I ever made in the military was purchasing Combat Related Post Traumatic Stress Disorder training for medical practitioners treating returning veterans. Given the expeditionary nature of our services, the decreased size of our force, and the extended and intensified operations tempo there are a lot of our defenders returning with combat related PTSD. Not only are many of these veterans not being treated when they return home, many are being sent back over again.

More than 600,000 Americans have served multiple tours in Iraq and Afghanistan.

"Psychological trauma is cumulative," explained Dr. Paul Ragan, a former Navy psychiatrist who is an associate professor of psychiatry at Vanderbilt University. More deployments can mean more mental stress, and for some, more mental illnesses, he said.

Army surveys show that for those soldiers deployed once, the rate of anxiety, depression and post-traumatic stress disorder is 12 percent. For those deployed three or more times, the rate is 27 percent.

"People who have psychiatric symptoms, actively symptomatic with PTSD or depression, are being sent back to the very situation that caused their PTSD and depression," Ragan said.

The Army's chief psychiatrist, Dr. Elspeth Ritchie, agrees with the Rand Corp.'s estimate that 300,000 service members have demonstrated post-traumatic stress disorder symptoms. Some are returning to the battlefront, although the Army is not keeping track of how many.

What Should Obama Be Reading On Vacation?

The Huffinton Post is running the following article where people can vote on what the President should be reading on vacation.

In addition to golf, tennis, and catching up with his family, Obama will be setting aside a substantial amount of reading time, according to Deputy Press Secretary Bill Burton.

The White House has released Obama's reading list for the week, which at 2,300 pages is a large amount for anyone to get through in a week, even the former editor of the Harvard Law Review. On the reading list:

--Tom Friedman's Hot, Flat and Crowded

--David McCullough's John Adams

--Richard Price's Lush Life

--Kent Haruf's Plain Song

--George Pelecanos's The Way Home

A book can open our minds to different perspectives and transform the way we think, which is why putting just one book atop Obama's reading pile could have far reaching effects -- something Hugo Chavez was keenly aware of when he shoved Eduardo Galeano's Open Veins of Latin America: Five Centuries of the Pillage of a Continent into Obama's hands in April. The book is noticeably absent from the list above.

Given the impact that the right book can have, HuffPost wants to hear what you would pick for Obama to read on the Vineyard this week. Just click on the "Participate" button below, upload a picture of the book you think Obama needs to read, and give us the rationale for your choice in the description section

There article is showing the top 80 books that people have added/voted for. What I want to know is how Atlas Shrugged DID NOT make the list!! Come on. Besides being the best book of all time it eerily serves as a prophet-esque roadmap of what we have been going through as a nation. Hat tip to The Daily Dish for directing me to this article.

CEO's & Execs Rate Obama

Check out this slideshow and what some corporate leaders have to say about President Barack Obama's performance thus far. Like any other segment of people in the United States, their responses and beliefs span the entire spectrum of possible outlooks. That is what is so interesting about politics and our outlook on politics as human beings. All of these leaders play under very similar rules, yet through their life experiences, their industry, their personality, etc. they all have differing views on how our leader in chief is doing. Interesting stuff that is definitely worth a glance.

To some top executives, President Barack Obama is "rapidly socializing the United States." Others see his initiatives on everything from healthcare reform to the saving of GM as crucial for sparing the U.S. from even deeper economic trouble. We quizzed numerous leaders of small, medium, and large companies on how they think the President has done in his first six months in office. Some give him a failing grade; others, top marks. Read on to see what these business leaders think of the CEO-in-chief.