PTSD Patrol Empowerment Zone Extra

Suicide Prevention Month
PTSD Patrol
Kathie Costos
September 1, 2018

My buddy Sgt. Dave and I went to the Vietnam Memorial across from Lake Baldwin VA clinic on Thursday. Since Suicide Prevention Month was starting on today, we decided to do a couple of videos on the subject.

I called it Suicide Awareness Month because for me, the only way to prevent suicides is by raising awareness of how to do it. The slogan that has become an earworm traps out everything they need to hear.

"If you are one of the 92 percent of the population who regularly experience earworms—snippets of music that pop uninvited into your head and won't go away—you might wish there was a way to make them stop. Earworms are a generally benign form of rumination, the repetitive, intrusive thoughts associated with anxiety and depression."

The slogan of "22 a day" is an earworm and does absolutely nothing to offer hope. 

We need to replace that earworm with another "slogan" that will empower veterans to discover how powerful they still are. #TakeBackYourLife lets them know that they are in control over their healing.

They are survivors and need to be treated like it. Maybe then they will understand that they have nothing to be ashamed of as someone who risked their lives for others. The price they pay, is because of what they were willing to do.

They are not stuck where they are because they deserve to be, but empowered to use that same courage to take control over their lives again.

They need to be supported by those they risked their lives with. Peer support works better than anything else but fear of judgment from their peers traps them suffering in the silence. If you talk about a slogan, that is where you will leave them...and lose them.

  

Built in shock absorbers wear down over time

Shock Absorbers Surround You!
PTSD Patrol Sunday Morning Empowerment Zone
Kathie Costos
August 26, 2018

When we got the idea to turn PTSD Patrol into something related to vehicles, it was odd, to say the least. Once explained that people understand the vehicle they drive a lot more than the vehicle they live in, it only made sense to do it this way.

There are a lot of automotive parts that can be used to explain the vehicle you live in. Your body is your ride and we are all different but the stuff that makes it work can be linked to the stuff that goes into the vehicle you drive.

If you took a job to save others, you took on a lot more than most people have to deal with on a daily basis. That is why there are over 7 million citizens with PTSD, and you helped most of them survive.

If lives of strangers meant that much to you, then don't you think they matter to those you serve with? Ok, then why don't you get that your buddies would want to save you too?

Read about shock absorbers From Firestone

HOW DO STRUTS AND SHOCKS WORK?

The suspension on your car is made up of many components, including a set of springs that absorb bumps and road impact, a set of struts that support your springs, and a set of shocks (short for shock absorbers) that limit the bounce your car experiences by absorbing residual movement in suspension springs.

Without properly maintained struts and shocks an unexpected pothole, or even a gravel road, can actually cause the wheels of a vehicle to bounce off of the ground, which can easily lead to loss of control and collision.

REPLACE SHOCKS AND STRUTS ON YOUR VEHICLE

Since well-maintained shocks and struts critically contribute to the overall safety and stability of your vehicle's steering and suspension, we highly recommend having shocks and struts serviced regularly and well before there is an issue. That said, if you observe any of the following symptoms while you are in your vehicle or looking under the hood, it may mean it has time to bring your vehicle to your local Firestone Complete Auto Care center for service right away:

SHOCK AND STRUT REPLACEMENT SYMPTOMS OBSERVABLE WHILE DRIVING THE VEHICLE

• Excessive vehicle bouncing
• Nose of the vehicle dips down, especially when coming to a stop
• The vehicle sways and leans when turning corners or changing lanes
• Not enough bounce; the ride seems stiff
• Steering response is poor, or noise is heard when steering
• Feels very unstable at high speeds

PTSD Patrol Sunday Morning: Helicopter out of hell

When your ride is a helicopter
PTSD Patrol
Kathie Costos
August 19, 2018

LZ Landing Zone

In military terminology a landing zone (LZ) is an area where aircraft can land. In the United States military, a landing zone is the actual point where aircraft, especially helicopters, land (equivalent to the commonwealth landing point.) 

In commonwealth militaries, a landing zone is the cartographic (numeric) zone in which the landing is going to take place (e.g., a valley). The landing area is the area in which the landing is going to take place (e.g., the field where the aircraft are to land). The landing point is the point on which aircraft are going to land (e.g., a point of the field). Each aircraft has a different landing point.

Usually I know days ahead of doing these videos what the topic will be. This time, all I could think about is a Vietnam veteran named John Wolf and how his ride was a helicopter.

I posted the following on August 17, 2018 and could not get it out of my head.

When you discover the following, you'll have a better understanding why I have done this for over 36 years! 

It is because of veterans like John C. Wolf~

Wolfie the Grunt takes personal 8mm movies of a Combat Assault in Vietnam
John Wolf
Published on Nov 7, 2014

I bought a 8mm Yashica movie camera during a stand down from combat. Took movies during the stand down and then decided to hump the camera into the bush on our next mission. I took footage during our airmobile assault. After blocking out Vietnam for 36 years I decided to use my footage to pay tribute to those soldiers that were ambushed and killed on Easter Sunday 4-11-1971. I never expected that video to be seen 1.5 million times and the rest of my videos to be seen 1 million times for a total of 2.5+ million currently. In this version I decided to add personal narration.

Now that you have seen this, what comes next will help you to understand that this generation of veterans has waited far too long for their service to be really honored, beyond parties and parades. That this generation of veterans have been, and still are, the forgotten generation.

This is what Wolfie wrote about his life and what honor/vindication he still fights for.

‎John C Wolf‎ to Combat PTSD Wounded Times
Yesterday at 12:50 PM ·

I am still waiting for my Notice of Denial (NOD) to be review and given a decision. It was filed in 2016 and I was told it would take 277 days for a decision. Well needless to say that was a lie. 

For 8 years I have been treated by the VA Mental Health department here in Jacksonville and given 4 prescriptions to help with my nightmares, depression, suicidal thoughts and anxiety. I was combat Infantry Vietnam and awarded a Combat Infantry Badge (CIB), a Bronze Star and Air Medal as well as other honorable ribbons.

I experienced 3 major traumas, 
1. I had only been in country for about 3 weeks and my squad was out on a search and destroy mission and we were ambushed and two new buddies in front of me were killed, one died in my arms. 

2. I went over to another platoon to see some buddies and meet the new platoon leader, Lt. Hata. He was from a town near my home at the time in the Los Angeles area and talked for over an hour. I left to return to my platoon position, but turned around to wave goodbye. Lt Hata was waving at me and suddenly he was shot in the head and killed. I was devastated. 

3. On April 11, 1971 Easter Sunday, Chaplain Merle Brown came out and brought us hot food, gave us communion and then Easter Sunday Services. He ate lunch with us and I had the blessing of sitting right next to him and he became my new friend. His helicopter was later ambushed while leaving the ground, the explosions killed Chaplain Brown as well as 10 others. I watched as this happened, I was devastated and traumatized for his loss.

In the denial of my compensation request and in a statement to Congressman John Rutherford, the VA C and P said I never experienced trauma in combat. Duh?

I was interviewed 1 time by the blond lady in Gainesville. Many of you probably have experienced with I have: DENIAL. The VA recently sent me to have a private non-VA doctor do an interview of me for PTSD. I have recently learned the blond investigator that turned me down is under investigation by the VA because there have been so many complaints about her decisions.

For all those that are filing for compensation and have or will submit letters from family and Vets they served with, do not have them put any comment in their letters with what is considered a diagnosis, i.e. PTSD, Insomnia, etc. Gainesville will take those letter and throw them into the garbage as though they were never received therefore they say they have no evidence of your problems.

My case is unique, because as some know I bought a 8mm film movie camera and took it into the bush. 

I filmed our air mobile assault the day before Chaplain Brown was killed. Years ago I took the footage and made a tribute video for those killed on Easter Sunday and posted to YouTube. History Channel contacted me and asked if they could get my original 8mm film reels and use them in Vietnam in HD documentary. I did and they upgraded the footage to HD and sent the file to me. This footage has been used in 4 other documentaries and they have been viewed over 85 million times. 

I am on a mission to get this murderer lady in Gainesville fired and make the President and the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to clean up C and P and get what Vets deserve. If you are having the same problems as I, please contact me in hopes my experiences can help you and others too.

PTSD Patrol: Passenger or Driver?

Have you decided to get into your life and drive?

When you are a passenger, you do not control anything. Someone else is in control of where you go, how fast you get there and how safe your trip is.

When you are the driver, then you decide all of it! Where you go and how fast you get there is all up to the decisions you make.

There are things you decide in your own life. Do you want to be happy? Do you want to stay miserable?

How you live can change just as it did when you survived the events that caused PTSD. This time, it can change for the better!

PTSD is change, so, change again! It is your life. Get in and drive it instead of letting it drive you!

PTSD Patrol Sunday Morning Empowerment Zone topic is are you a passenger in your own life or a driver?

Do you let other people tell you where to go and how to get there, or do you control all of it? If you want to #TakeBackYourLife then you have to take control of the vehicle you live in! You are the only one who is controlling the road you go on. Do you take the road to hope so you can end up having a better trip or do you settle for where you are right now?

PTSD Patrol: Two Wheel Power Drive

Two wheel power drive
Combat PTSD Wounded Times and PTSD Patrol
Kathie Costos
August 4, 2018

This week's PTSD Patrol Sunday Morning Empowerment Zone is still going up tomorrow, as always, but I wanted you to see what this week's video is about ahead of time.

When you think about a vehicle with 2 wheels, right away, I know your thinking of the Harley's roaring down the street. This is about a different 2 wheeler. 

This is about pushing forward with your own power and training to do it. The people in the pictures below lost something, but ended up gaining a lot more.

Their 2 wheel vehicles are wheelchairs!

Yesterday at the Ovideo Aquatic Facility the 38th National Veterans Wheelchair Games.

The National Veterans Wheelchair Games is co-presented between the Department of Veterans Affairs and Paralyzed Veterans of America. The Games serve Veterans with Spinal Cord Injury, Multiple Sclerosis, Amputations and other central neurological impairments with the goal to increase their independence, healthy activity and quality of life through wheelchair sports and recreation. Veterans are being exposed to wheelchair sports at their home VAMC or PVA Chapters as part of their rehabilitation to improve function, independence and getting them active in their home communities in sport and fitness.

This group is training to be "lifters" to help get the veterans into the pool and out of it.

Oviedo High School Volunteers

This veteran started having trouble...in a blink of an eye, the lifeguards were there to help her!

Check back tomorrow morning for this week's video.

UPDATE
It is Sunday Morning! The beginning of a new week and hopefully, a new beginning for you too!

By now, you watched the video and saw how all of these athletes received help to achieve their goals. That is how everyone moves on in life. 

You had a desire to serve. They had a desire to do that too. 

You had to be trained to do it. So did they.

They needed help to get out of the wheelchairs. Help to learn how to swim with their physical limits but they did not limit themselves to what they were expected to do. You should not settle for being limited to what people expect out of you with your disability.

They needed help on every part of this trip in their lives, and so do you.

Sure, I know most wheelchairs have more than two wheels but when you think about it, that is really all you need. One wheel moves you but the other one guides you to where you want to go.

So where do you want to go? The only limits on your life are those you settle for. Want to get up and move that vehicle you live in? Then #TakeBackYourLife and find the drive to do it.

On a personal note: Gunny, there is something on the end of this just for you! Thank you for being such a huge part of encouraging me to never give up!