How many of you are VFW or DAV

[kenbev40]

How many VFW or DAV members are there out their?

[hollowpoint]

we don't have the VFW in canada (veterans of foreign wars). we have the royal canadian legion. membership is automatic if you served in any of the armed services in canada. they also have associate memberships for the civie's.

[Merlin]

I am an American Legion member

[PharmaPharmer]

I've never served but I've done a lot of research on PTSD and would expect to start seeing vet's of Iraqi Freedom/Afghanistan turing up in droves with PTSD. From the loose statistics I've heard/read something like 1million service persons will or have rotated through Iraq. With something like 15% developing PTSD or other anxiety disorders I'd expect to start seeing an infusion of new vet's here.

Israel has done some research on MMJ and PTSD and have found positive results supporting cannabinoids as a post exposure acute and palliative treatment. Personally it's the only thing that's worked for me.

We are starting to see young vet's in the co-op I volunteer for and the word is getting out about MMJ and PTSD/Anxiety disorders.

[hollowpoint]

pharma lets hope they look after this bunch of heroes better than they did for the viet vets. then they wonder why some guys snap after returning home with no support stategies. I agree with the mj used in a therapeutic manner with PTSD as it would allow the people to relax, even while discussing some very intense moments for them.
once they can put words to it, recovery has begun. the key to the program is peer support. you can't have a bunch of bookworms with thier thoeries dealing with this mental crisis. they need thier buds there even if its a different bunch from those who served with him. in a lot of ways current approaches to healing ptsd follow the same principles as the 12 step programs where sharing is healing. Its hard to imagine that with our advances in technology, space programs, medical research, and we know so little about the mind and its frailties. of course society stigmatism with mental health issues has helped to keep it suppressed from research. I guess maybe we should take all the psychologist and psychiatrists candidates and run them through actual war scenerios - live - then there would be more appreciation of what effort is required to "keep your head", when everything is crumbling around you, that would develop some wicked healing programs in a hurry.
also I hope the armies have developed some pre-insertion programs that piggy back on the recovery program.
who do you volunteer with pharma? kudoos to you, for doing so because its a difficult program for the peers and helpers too.

[Boomer]

but the only thing I was involved in was something called a "movement" I'm pretty sure thats what it was too cuz we all felt dumped on lol. But hey they did give me a nice shiny bobble for it. At least they were sposed to give me one lol. They had this big line that everyone got in (cept me that is) and handed them a shiny. I was not too impressed and figured they just needed some folks to stand in a line cuz they sorta like that.

[darnpj]

Iam a member of both the Legion and VFW and if you dont wana here about the war, These are not the places to go as the reason for them is so that support can be given on a one on one scale and with grunts who you may have even served with.?
I agree intirely about PTSD as i have spent a few weeks on the flight deck at BayPines in Fla. The problems that exist for the viet vets and the incoming Iraqi/Afganistan vets will be the same. Its that they do not spend enough time with what is called RE-ENTRY I remember them showing us films about HOW the US had changed since we left and it was about the clap and things that where here when i left and then after the vet has become an acoholic or drug freak they try to treat with MORE drugs and the ole group sessions.
I pray that they have learned something since i came home with my shineys and my head in the bush and tried to adapte to a country that hated me for doing my duty and and my lady had found someone else because she was just too lonely. Dont get me wrong I know that mistakes are made with the military and its returning war soldiers.And PTSD is real and it took many many years of people suffering with all kinds of problems before it was recognized. They treated the group and not the individual and that must be how to treat a man or woman who has seen things they only want to forget. BUT my dad did it from WW2 and Korea and they did nothing but make sure they had a job and a new house. It was called Sheel shock back then and it messed up alot of good men and women. but my father May The Gods Watch Over His Spirit was as normal as the other guy ad it took alot to get him to talk about it at all. Just my 2% May The Gods watch Over You All!