Walking Together in Remembrance

Filed under Staff Story by on September 9, 2008 at 10:17 am {no comments}

- MAJ Deb Cisney, AW2 Operations -

This past weekend my two youngest sons and I were blessed to be able to participate in the America Supports You (ASY) Freedom Walk in Washington, D.C. The Freedom Walk occurs across our Nation and in several other countries. It is dedicated to the memory of those who died during the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks on our great country, to those who responded and the veterans, past and present, who serve to protect us and our way of life.

The sun kissed our faces and the sound of bagpipes filled our ears as we meandered from the Women in Military Service for America Memorial at Arlington Cemetery to the Pentagon. Along the way we caught snatches of conversation about where individuals were when they first learned of this tragedy and how glad they are this Nation remembers. I remembered where I was, as well, and the subsequent call from my National Guard unit that put me on the path that led here… so far away from my mid-western roots… but with so many other like-minded Americans.

Several hundred people participated in this event to honor our fallen brethren and those who serve our country. We came from all walks of life but were united by one thing…patriotism; we are proud of our Country and her people. Sometimes it is good to stand alone for what you believe, but sometimes it is better to walk together!

The views expressed in this blog are those of the author and do not reflect the official policy or position of the Department of the Army, Department of Defense, or the U.S. Government.

Taking Back My Life

Filed under Soldier and Family Story by on August 25, 2008 at 9:10 am {no comments}

- By Leslie Fowler, AW2 Family member -

From the first day I arrived at the hospital after my husband was injured, all the staff began instructing me to take care of myself. To be honest, that was the least of my concerns. My entire focus was on my husband and his life threatening injuries. I went straight into taking care of business mode. I was his voice, his defender and most importantly his caregiver. This became my life.

Prior to his injury, I was a career woman who believed that I could have it all. I had just had a baby, and I was back at work. I never thought that I would be forced into this type of role at my age, but I was. I did not want to be anyplace else. For the first year following his injuries I was completely focused on his every need. We lived from surgery to surgery, rehab appointment to rehab appointment. As he continued to progress I realized that this was not what I wanted to do forever, nor did he want me to. I am blessed in the fact that I am married to an incredibly stubborn man. The phrase “I can’t do it” rarely entered his vocabulary. The fact that he wanted his independence helped me to discover that I wanted my old life back. Not necessarily before the injury (because that is just the hand we were dealt), but the person I was before everything changed.

That’s when I began focusing on the future. I decided to go back to school so that I could get into a career field that I knew I would love and excel at. Once I began the program, my whole outlook on the present and the future changed. I began living my life for myself, not for my spouse. This allowed our marriage to transition back to how it was before the injury; I am simply his wife, not his nurse. I still help him as he needs it, but my primary focus is no longer on just him. This has made both of us happier and our marriage stronger.

So, looking back, perhaps the hospital staff was right. I need to take care of myself in order to be any good to anyone. Taking back my life allowed our life as a family to move on into our uncertain future. We are coasting through it just as we would have before he was hurt, only now we have new strengths and levels of togetherness to pull from.

Reflections from an AW2 Advocate

Filed under Advocate Story by on August 11, 2008 at 9:13 am {no comments}

My name is Yvonne Michek and I am an AW2 Advocate in Fort Hood, Texas. Last week marked my two-year anniversary as an AW2 Advocate (6 August). First and foremost, I applaud all the AW2 Advocates who have dedicated the last several years to serving severely wounded Soldiers and Families. There are many others who started before me and with me and are still here, working hard to help our Soldiers and Families every single day.

It seemed appropriate that I spent the week of my two-year anniversary back in D.C., attending the training session for new AW2 Advocates. During the training, I reflected back on my time with AW2 and all the changes I have seen in the program. As AW2 has grown in size, our knowledge base has also grown, which is evident in the very impressive training session for new Advocates. I think most AW2 Advocates will readily admit that we don’t know everything- how could we with so much information changing almost daily? So it’s no surprise that I learned something new every day during this last week or so.

Anyone who has ever been around me will not be surprised when I say that the most difficult part of attending this training is being quiet! (ha, ha!) I just feel compelled to share lessons learned with these newest Advocates so that they won’t run into some of the brick walls that I did. So, to keep the head trainer, Meg O’Grady, from regretting my presence here, I developed a method of taking notes and sharing my lessons learned at the end of the day. These are just little pieces of information that I found helpful when starting to work with our Soldiers and their Families and things to think about when addressing their issues.

I don’t think that any of the new Advocates left the training thinking that their jobs will be easy and that they won’t encounter challenges. At the training, it was reiterated that the key to this job is passion. In my experiences working with this unique population of wounded Soldiers, it is passion that gives me the strength to come to work every day, the strength to face those challenges, the strength to learn and find solutions and information, and the strength to advocate for those Soldiers!

So, I finished up the training knowing that I also learned a lot (and I saw the Lincoln Memorial for the first time!) And I will continue to reflect on the question asked by SGM Jurgersen on the first day of training. First, he asked each new Advocate to explain their background and why they took this job. Then he asked me a different question , he asked me to speak of the one case that brought me to my knees, made me go home and cry, made me lose sleep at night. My reply? That there isn’t “one” case that has made me cry, that brought me to my knees, that made me lose sleep at night. They all do.

A note to the new Advocates (and seasoned ones too) – Be strong. There are so many that need us to be. Never forget that.

Advocate Michek, Ft. Hood, TX

Final Symposium Issues, Part 2

Filed under 2008 Symposium, Symposium by on July 23, 2008 at 9:14 am {no comments}

23 July 2008, 09:14

- By MAJ Deb Cisney, AW2 Operations -

During the 2008 AW2 Symposium the delegates discussed more than 80 issues that were previously submitted by AW2 Soldiers, Family members, prospective employers and others involved in wounded warrior care and transition. During four days of focus group sessions, the delegates worked with facilitators and subject matter experts to combine similar issues and determine which were the most important. At the conclusion of the Symposium, each focus group briefed their top prioritized issues to LTG Rochelle and other Army leadership. The delegates than voted on the top five overall issues of the 2008 AW2 Symposium, which were relayed to you in Part 1 of this blog series.

Now, to quote Paul Harvey, “the rest of the story.” In order of presentation, the rest of the focus group prioritized issues briefed to LTG Rochelle were:

-Career Counseling For Wounded Warriors: Assign each wounded warrior an individual Career Counselor to identify their skills and experiences and assist them with developing and posting their resumes and require Career Counselors to follow-up with wounded warriors 90 days after separation.

-Over Medication of Service Members and Veterans: Provide continuing education to service members and veterans about high risk medications and alternatives to prevent overdose and addiction and require the development and implementation of a lifespan injury pain management plan for service members and veterans.

-Non-Dependent Caregivers Eligibility for Support Services: Authorize Soldier-elected, non-dependent caregivers to receive established support services as deemed necessary by case manager.

-Mental Health Treatment and Confidentiality: Combine mental health and primary care services in the same facility.

-Continuity of Care and Services during Transitions: Develop a new standardized policy for the seamless transition of a wounded warrior and Family and assign a representative to seriously wounded warriors at the time of injury and throughout the life time of the wounded warrior continuum of care.

-Local Community Support of Wounded Warriors: Ensure AW2 Strategic

Communication programs reach all local communities with wounded warriors and hometown news releases are distributed for returning wounded warriors.

-Consistent Medical Care from Active Duty to the Veterans Affairs System: Require the transitional case manager to contact the Military Treatment Facility (MTF) to ensure continuous medical treatment and ensure the service member is concurrently registered in the Patient Administration Division (PAD) and reenrolled in TRICARE at the nearest MTF upon return to their place of residence.

-Timely Medical Appointments for All Veterans: Schedule appointments within 30 days of the original request and provide local treatment at the government’s expense if VHA personnel are unavailable.

The delegates’ work is done (whew!) and now it is up to AW2 to ensure that the issues are addressed. Rest assured that all 13 issues (the 8 listed above plus the top 5 prioritized issues) have been incorporated into the AW2 Symposium Active Issues. You can check the AW2 website and this blog for updates on all of your issues.

Final Symposium Issues: Part 1

Filed under 2008 Symposium, Symposium by on July 16, 2008 at 9:14 am {no comments}
16 July 2008, 09:14

- By MAJ Deb Cisney, AW2 Operations -

They did it! The 2008 AW2 Symposium delegates used their personal experiences to tell the Army how to improve care for Soldiers and Families. Two and a half weeks ago, 74 AW2 Soldiers and Family members rolled up their sleeves and put their hearts, minds and souls together. This dedicated group spent a week in six different focus group rooms, working through the issues that were submitted to this year’s AW2 Symposium. After much gnashing of teeth and shedding of blood (figuratively), sweat and tears (literally)… the final issues were presented to LTG Rochelle, and other senior Army leaders. It was a job well done!

I am MAJ Deb Cisney and as a member of the AW2 Operations Staff my primary focus is to ensure that the final Symposium issues are addressed by senior leaders throughout our Army, the Department of Defense, and Congress. I am truly honored to serve all of you in this manner.

The top five prioritized 2008 AW2 Symposium Issues are (drum roll, please!):

1.) Alternative Treatment Options for Wounded Warriors–Authorize and fund alternative treatment options for Wounded Warriors.

2.) Support Groups and Counseling for Wounded Warrior Families–Establish an inspectable Wounded Warrior Family Counseling Program including support groups facilitated by clinically trained behavioral health professionals.

3.) Continuation on Active Duty (COAD) and Continuation of Active Reserve (COAR) Process–Authorize Soldiers 90 days instead of 10 days to finalize their COAD/COAR decision and provide mandatory COAD/COAR counseling during the PEB process by someone other than the PEB Liaison Officer.

4.) Treatment of Continuation on Active Duty (COAD)/Continuation on Active Reserve (COAR) Soldiers by the Physical Evaluation Board (PEB)–Exclude all communication of COAD/COAR preference from the PEB Liaison Officer until completion of PEB process and remove block 16 on DA Form 3947.

5.) Eligibility Criteria for Warrior Transition Units (WTU)–Implement stringent eligibility criteria for entrance into and retention within the Warrior Transition Units that are standard across the Army and establish a dedicated independent admissions board comprised of health care professionals to monitor eligibility and retention of Warriors in Transition in order to provide checks and balances.

While these issues were prioritized by the Delegate body as a whole, LTG Rochelle was also briefed on an additional 8 issues to which he paid close attention. Watch for Part 2 of the 2008 AW2 Symposium Issues blog to see where else you told him to go!

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