PTSD & Substance Abuse
PTSD/Substance Abuse Committee Update January/February 2019
February 21, 2019
BY THOMAS C. HALL, Ph.D., CHAIR On a recent beautiful Midwest afternoon, I attended my PTSD support group at our local VA outpatient facility. Approximately seventy people attended. The gathering started in the usual way,…
PTSD/Substance Abuse Committee Update November/December 2018
December 21, 2018
BY THOMAS C. HALL, Ph.D., CHAIR During the October Board of Directors meeting, several issues came to the PTSD/SA committee’s attention regarding frustrations that veterans are reporting about behavioral health. All of these need to…
Chapter 327 Members Honored in Student Salute
November 28, 2018
Members of Vietnam Veterans of America Chapter 327 were honored as part of the annual "Salute to Honorable Citzenship" staged by the Valley Road School in Stanhope, N.J. Students, faculty, staff and community members honored local…
Chapter 994 Event Addresses PTSD
October 20, 2018
Vietnam Veterans of America Chapter 994 joined Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 7339 and American Legion Post 108 in sponsoring a resolution in Franklin, N.C., focusing on post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). The resolution designates Oct. 27, 2018,…
Chapter 388 President Spencer Honored
October 10, 2018
VVA Chapter 388 President Tom Spencer was named September Veteran of the Month by the Nevada Department of Veteran Services (NVDS). Jim Forbus, a supporter of Honor Flight Nevada, was named Veteran Supporter of the Month. "These…
Chapter 1048 Member Resurrects Vietnam Veteran Tribute Truck
September 14, 2018
Chapter 1048 member David Rose brought the Vietnam Veteran Tribute Truck to a recent chapter meeting in Daytona Beach, Florida. Used to help veterans with PTSD, the 1946 Chevrolet carries thousands of Vietnam veterans’ signatures and…
Chapter 391 Celebrates 30 Years
September 13, 2018
VVA Chapter 391 in Sonora, Calif., celebrated its 30th anniversary this week. Veteran Frank Smart saw the need for a local chapter of the Vietnam Veterans Association in Tuolumne County, and requested information. The paperwork…
Veteran Receives Unexpected Assistance From Chapter 1080
September 8, 2018
Chris Langston, a Vietnam veteran with PTSD, recently experienced another setback: His house burned down, and he lost everything. But Florida's First Coast News, based in Jacksonville, aired a report on Langston's struggles, and help poured…
PTSD/Substance Abuse Committee Update May/June 2018
May 23, 2018
BY THOMAS C. HALL, PH.D., CHAIR Accountability, it has been said, is “the glue that ties commitment to results.” The PTSD/SA Committee is committed to accountability from the VA to achieve the best possible results…
PTSD/Substance Abuse Committee Update January/February 2018
February 28, 2018
BY THOMAS C. HALL, Ph.D., CHAIR There is an old film on family therapy, The Family Trap, by family counselor and therapist Sharon Wegscheider-Cruse. In it, she is approached by a young boy. She asks…