Clinton Tells House Committee the Call for Additional Troops in Afghanistan is Necessary

3 Dec 2009 01:05 Africa/Lagos

Secretary of State Clinton Tells House Committee the Call for Additional Troops in Afghanistan is Necessary and Will Also Result in an Increase in Civilian Forces in the Region

DATELINE CITY: 02 December, 2009 / Washington, D.C.

FORMAT: Soundbites


STORY SUMMARY: Remarks by Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton before the House Foreign Affairs Committee on "U.S. Strategy in Afghanistan."


RESOURCES: Video, hard copy requests, contact information and more available at http://thedigitalcenter.com/projects/1281-secretary-of-state-clinton-tells-hou se-committee-the-call-for-additional-troops-in-afghanistan-is-necessary-and-wi ll-also-result-in-an-increase-in-civilian-forces-in-the-region


www.State.gov
http://www.state.gov/secretary/rm/2009a/index.htm
http://www.state.gov/r/pa/ei/bgn/5380.htm
http://www.state.gov/p/sca/ci/af/index.htm

SOUNDBITES / VIDEO:

Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton
Soundbite (1)

Summary: Secretary Clinton said President Obama's call for additional troops is a difficult but necessary decision.


IN: "Simply put, among a range of difficult choices, we believe this is the best way to protect our nation now and in the future. The extremists we are fighting in Afghanistan and Pakistan have attacked us and our allies before. If we allow them access to the very same safe havens they used before 2001, they will have a greater capacity to regroup and attack again. They could drag an entire region into chaos. Our civilian and military leaders in Afghanistan have reported that the situation is serious and worsening, and we agree." OUT (:37)


Soundbite (2)


Summary: Secretary Clinton says US is committed to work with Afghanistan and Pakistan to stabilize the region.


IN: "We will work with the Afghan and Pakistani governments to eliminate safe havens for those plotting attacks against us, our allies, and our interests. We will help to stabilize a region that is fundamental to our national security. And we will develop long-term, sustainable relationships with both Afghanistan and Pakistan, so that we do not repeat the mistakes of the past. The duration of our military presence may be limited, but our civilian commitment must continue even as our troops will begin to come home. Now, accomplishing this mission and ensuring the safety of the American people will not be easy. It will mean sending more civilians, more troops, and more assistance to Afghanistan, and significantly expanding our civilian efforts in Pakistan." OUT (:49)


Soundbite (3)


Summary: Secretary Clinton remarks that civilian commitment will increase to support and work with additional troops and continue after the troops have gone.


IN: "A timeframe for transition will provide a sense of urgency in working with the Afghan Government, but it should be clear to everyone that the United States, our allies, and our partners will have an enduring commitment, a civilian commitment to Afghanistan and Pakistan. Our resolve in this fight is reflected in the substantial new increase in troops, but also in the significant civilian surge that will also accompany it.


The civilian effort is bearing fruit. Civilian experts and advisors are helping to craft policy inside government ministries, providing development assistance in the field, and when our marines went into Nawa province this last July, we had civilians on the ground with them to coordinate assistance the very next day. As our operations progress, our civ-mil coordination will grow even stronger. We are on track to triple the number of civilian positions to 974 by early in January. On average, each of these civilians leverages 10 partners ranging from locally employed staff to experts with U.S.-funded NGOs." OUT (01:08)


Soundbite (4)


Summary: Secretary Clinton says the U.S. will work to develop long-term relationships with both Afghanistan and Pakistan.


IN: "We will be delivering high-impact economic assistance and bolstering the agricultural sector. We will be helping to support an Afghan-led effort to open the door to those Taliban who renounce al-Qaida, abandon violence, and want to reintegrate into society." OUT (:16)


TRT: 3:56

VIDEO PROVIDED BY: U.S. Department of State


FOR TECHNICAL INFORMATION OR HARD COPY, PLEASE E-MAIL: digitalcenter@multivu.com


CONTACT: Ken Richards, +1-202-647-6251, richardskn@state.gov


/PRNewswire -- Dec. 2/


Video: http://thedigitalcenter.com/projects/1281-secretary-of-state-clinton-tells-house-committee-the-call-for-additional-troops-in-afghanistan-is-necessary-and-will-also-result-in-an-increase-in-civilian-forces-in-the-region
Source: U.S. Department of State

Web Site: http://www.state.gov/





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Derek Jeter Named 2009 Sports Illustrated Sportsman of the Year

Derek Jeter is the 2009 Sports Illustrated Sportsman of the Year. (PRNewsFoto/Sports Illustrated) NEW YORK, NY UNITED STATES

30 Nov 2009 16:53 Africa/Lagos


Derek Jeter Named 2009 Sports Illustrated Sportsman of the Year

NEW YORK, Nov. 30 /PRNewswire/ -- Sports Illustrated Group Editor Terry McDonell announced today that Derek Jeter is the 2009 Sports Illustrated Sportsman of the Year. Jeter is the first New York Yankee to receive this award. Previous winners include Muhammad Ali, Lance Armstrong, Michael Jordan, Jack Nicklaus and Tiger Woods. The 2009 SI Sportsman of the Year issue hits newsstands Wednesday, December 2. The issue marks the 11th cover appearance for Jeter.


(Photo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20091130/NY18019 )


Since 1954 the Sports Illustrated Sportsman of the Year has been presented annually to the person who excelled in athletic performance and demonstrated great character. "Over all the years SI editors have used the same language to define the award," said McDonell. "It is not for the victory alone that he (or she) is honored; rather, it is for the quality of his effort and the manner of his striving.' And that defines Derek Jeter."


"While having a Hall of Fame career and under a brilliant spotlight, Derek conducts himself with class and a selfless demeanor that allows not only his teammates but also his sport and his community to flourish," McDonell continued. "It was his leadership both on and off the field that drove the Yankees to the world championship, and his Turn 2 Foundation is one of the most efficient and effective foundations of its kind. It is an honor to include Derek Jeter in the Sportsman fraternity."


Jeter's selection caps another outstanding season for the 35-year-old team captain and future Hall of Famer. In 2009 he batted .334 while leading the Yankees to their fifth World Series title in his 14 full seasons, their first since 2000 and their major league record 27th. On September 11, Jeter got his 2,722 hit, breaking Lou Gehrig's 70-year-old franchise record. Jeter now has 2,747. In 2009, Jeter led the American League by reaching base 289 times, finished second in the league in hits (212), third in batting average and on-base percentage (.406), fourth in runs (107), and eighth in stolen bases (30). He was named an All-Star for the 10th time, including the sixth time as a starter, while winning his fourth AL Silver Slugger as the best hitting shortstop in the league, and his fourth Gold Glove as the league's top defensive shortstop.


In 14 postseason games Jeter lived up to his reputation as a clutch player, batting .344 with a .432 on-base percentage, three home runs and six RBIs. He batted .407 in the World Series to help lead the Yankees to a six-game victory against the defending world champion Philadelphia Phillies. During the Series Jeter was named the American League recipient of the Hank Aaron Award, given to the best hitter in each league as voted on by the fans, and the winner of the Roberto Clemente Award, given to the player who best displays skill on the field while giving back to the community off it.


Jeter will be honored at a ceremony in Manhattan on December 1 along with SI Kids' SportsKid of the Year, Austin McCarthy. Sponsors for the Sportsman of the Year event include Ford, Gillette, Liberty Mutual and Verizon.


Jeter is the 10th baseball honoree and only the third in the last 34 years. Others players named Sportsman after great World Series-winning performances include Johnny Podres ('55), Sandy Koufax ('65), Tom Seaver ('69), Pete Rose ('75), Willie Stargell (along with Terry Bradshaw ['79]), Orel Hershiser ('88), Curt Schilling and Randy Johnson ('01) and the Boston Red Sox ('04).


For additional information, please visit www.si.com/sportsman.

About Sports Illustrated

SI is a multimedia sports brand that takes the consumer into the heart and soul of sports. The SI franchise is anchored by Sports Illustrated, the most respected voice in sports journalism which reaches a weekly audience of nearly 21 million adults, and www.SI.com, the magazine's 24/7 sports news website that delivers more than 150 original stories to its users each week. The SI franchise also includes Sports Illustrated Kids (www.sikids.com), a monthly magazine targeted to kids age 8 and up; Golf Magazine and www.Golf.com; www.FanNation.com, a social networking and sports-news aggregation platform; SI Presents, the magazine's specialty publishing division; as well as SI Books, SI Pictures, SI Productions, SI Digital and SI Events. Founded in 1954, SI is a division of Time Inc., the world's leading magazine publishing company and a subsidiary of Time Warner.


Photo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20091130/NY18019
AP Archive: http://photoarchive.ap.org/
AP PhotoExpress Network: PRN2
PRN Photo Desk, photodesk@prnewswire.com
Source: Sports Illustrated

CONTACT: Emily O'Brien, +1-212-522-8473, Emily_O'Brien@timeinc.com, or
Ryan Watson, +1-212-522-7644, Ryan_Watson@timeinc.com


Web Site: http://www.si.com/

U.S. Crude Oil Production in 2009 Poised To Show Biggest Jump in Almost 40 Years: Platts Analysis

27 Nov 2009 15:02 Africa/Lagos

U.S. Crude Oil Production in 2009 Poised To Show Biggest Jump in Almost 40 Years: Platts Analysis

NEW YORK, Nov. 27 /PRNewswire/ -- Platts - United States crude oil production for 2009 is on target to have its biggest one-year jump since 1970, according to a Platts analysis of industry data.


With U.S. oil production averaging 5.268 million barrels per day (b/d) through October, the gain in U.S. output will be the most since the country produced 9.637-million b/d in 1970, which turned out to be the peak year of U.S. crude output, according to Platts' analysis of data published by the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA). If that 5.268 million b/d figure holds through December, this year would show a 6.4% boost from the 4.95 million b/d average of 2008 and rank as the best U.S. oil production year since 2004, when output averaged 5.419 million b/d.


For comparison, in the 40 years since U.S. oil production peaked annual output has jumped only eight times. Seven of those increases were minimal; only in 1978 was there a jump of significant magnitude, an increase of 5.6%, to 8.7 million b/d.


Last year's hurricane curtailments distorted the production numbers somewhat for the 2008 comparison, given that 183,000 b/d of Gulf of Mexico output was still offline at the end of that year. However, 2009 is still expected to post increases of 3% and 4% from the relatively storm-free years of 2006 and 2007, respectively.


Projections from the U.S. Minerals Management Service (MMS) indicate that the primary driver for this year's U.S. oil production resurgence is actually just getting started. That driver is the Gulf of Mexico, where operators have begun launching a group of new fields, fulfilling what has been a decade-long focus on unlocking the promise of deepwater exploration there.


In its reporting, Platts concluded that with the jump in the Gulf of Mexico, combined with the emergence of two other new oil-production trends, it appears the U.S. has a chance of at least maintaining oil output in the range of five million to six million b/d for some years to come. "We see it above five million barrels per day for the next 10 years or so," Platts quoted Peter Jackson, senior director for IHS CERA, as saying. "There is still a tremendous amount of exploration potential in the U.S. and that plateau could be sustained."


The Gulf posted its biggest oil production year in 2002 with 1.556 million b/d, but only 61% of that total came from deepwater. In contrast, this year the MMS projects oil output of 1.213 million b/d with 76% from deepwater as the Gulf ramps toward an expected new oil production record of 1.635 million b/d by 2011.


Besides growth in the Gulf, those other trends involve further development of the Bakken Shale oil play in North Dakota and success by a group of operators now training their onshore exploration sights toward new oil targets at the expense of natural gas.


The development of the Bakken into a robust, new oil province is well under way, according to data from EIA. Bakken oil output has already elevated North Dakota into fifth place among U.S. states for oil production with average daily output of 202,000 b/d at the end of 2008. But that number already appears to be old, even though is was 50% more than 2007 figures. For example, in June of this year, production in North Dakota had climbed to 215,000 b/d.


As for companies shifting their strategies, that group includes large Houston independent and Bakken pioneer EOG Resources, which has set a goal of shifting from a 70% gas production share to a 50:50 oil and gas mix by 2011 with a comprehensive review of additional potential North American shale oil targets.


This rise in output has helped the U.S. reduce its net imports -- defined as imports less exports, both crude and petroleum products -- by a substantial amount. While there are many factors that go into the United States' net import figure, the decline has been striking, according to EIA data.


For the final three months of 2008, net imports - reported weekly by EIA -- were never less than 10.5 million b/d, and were as high as 12.68 million b/d. This year, the EIA is reporting that net imports in the first week of October were 10.1 million b/d, have not been higher since, and have been as low as 8.84 million b/d.


And while the drop in U.S. consumption can be seen as accounting for much of that decline, the U.S. also has put more than 140 million barrels of crude oil and products into inventory since the beginning of October 2008, something made possible in part by the rise in crude oil output.


For more information on crude oil, visit the Platts website.


About Platts: Platts, a division of The McGraw-Hill Companies (NYSE: MHP) , is a leading global provider of energy and commodities information. With a century of business experience, Platts serves customers across more than 150 countries. An independent provider, Platts serves the oil, natural gas, electricity, emissions, nuclear power, coal, petrochemical, shipping, and metals markets from 17 offices worldwide. Platts' real-time news, pricing, analytical services and conferences help markets operate with transparency and efficiency. Traders, risk managers, analysts, and industry leaders depend upon Platts to help them make better trading and investment decisions. Additional information is available at http://www.platts.com/.


About The McGraw-Hill Companies: Founded in 1888, The McGraw-Hill Companies (NYSE:MHP) is a leading global information services provider meeting worldwide needs in the financial services, education and business information markets through leading brands such as Standard & Poor's, McGraw-Hill Education, Platts, Capital IQ, J.D. Power and Associates, McGraw-Hill Construction and Aviation Week. The Corporation has more than 280 offices in 40 countries. Sales in 2008 were $6.4 billion. Additional information is available at www.mcgraw-hill.com.


Source: Platts

CONTACT: Kathleen Tanzy of Platts, +1-212-904-2860,
kathleen_tanzy@platts.com; or Asia, Casey Yew, +65 653 06552, or Europe,
Shiona Ramage, +44 207 1766153, both for Platts


Web Site: http://www.platts.com/
http://www.mcgraw-hill.com/

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9/11 Families Want Guantánamo Detainees Prosecuted In Federal Court

9/11 Families Want Guantánamo Detainees Prosecuted In Federal Court

New ACLU Video Features 9/11 Families Asking For True Justice

NEW YORK, November 13, 2009 /PRNewswire/ — A new video released by the American Civil Liberties Union this week features family members of 9/11 victims calling for federal trials of terrorism suspects. The families were interviewed before the Obama administration announced today that certain Guantánamo detainees will be transferred to the U.S. for trial in federal court. The administration also said other detainees will be tried in the illegitimate military commissions.

"It is of utmost importance to me that those who were responsible for the attacks of 9/11 face a court," says Adele Welty in the ACLU video. Her son was a New York firefighter killed at the World Trade Center.

"It's very important to me that we get the right people," says John Leinung, whose stepson was killed while working in the Twin Towers. "That the right people are punished or held to account for what happened on 9/11."

Pat Perry, whose son was a police offer killed on 9/11, says she would rather see the Guantánamo detainees who have been held without charge "appear in open court where we can all sift out what we feel is really the truth and the judges can make a decision based on our Constitution."

These 9/11 family members all say they agree that holding detainees without charge in Guantánamo is a betrayal of American values and they look forward to true justice being served in federal court.

"My son gave his life to save those trapped in the Twin Towers," Welty says, "and it does not honor him that we violate our Constitution in retaliation for what happened on September 11."


Press Contact:
Rachel Myers
(212) 549-2689
(212) 549-2666
media@aclu.org

New Survey: Americans Plan to Spend Less on Holidays but Remain Generous Despite Recession

16 Nov 2009 14:00 Africa/Lagos

New Survey: Americans Plan to Spend Less on Holidays but Remain Generous Despite Recession

NEW WORLD VISION STUDY SAYS WE PLAN TO GIVE MORE TO CHARITY WHEN THE ECONOMY IMPROVES

AMERICANS SAY IT'S ESPECIALLY IMPORTANT TO ADDRESS THE NEEDS OF CHILDREN DURING THE HOLIDAYS

SEATTLE, Nov. 16 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The faltering U.S. economy will again force many U.S. adults to cut back on holiday gift spending this year but according to a new study, three out of four Americans (76%) would prefer to receive a meaningful gift that would help someone else instead of a traditional holiday gift like clothing or electronics. And according to the new study commissioned by World Vision, an international relief and development organization, an overwhelming majority (95%), say the nation's focus over the holidays ought to be on helping children. Most Americans also say once the economy improves, they'll increase their donations to charities. According to the poll, conducted by Harris Interactive, almost three out of four (74%) say they'll increase their charitable giving once the economy improves.


2009 FINDINGS


More than nine out of ten (95 percent) agree that it is especially important to help children during the holiday season.


More than three out of four U.S. adults (76 percent) would prefer to receive a meaningful gift that would help someone else instead of a traditional holiday gift like clothing or electronics.


As a result of the current economic climate, almost six out of ten adults (57 percent) will spend less money on holiday presents this year. In 2008, seven out of ten (71 percent) said they would spend less on holiday gifts.


Almost three out of four (74 percent) plan to increase their charitable giving once the economy improves.


"The declines we see from 2008 reflect the realities of the challenging non-profit climate, with less charitable giving at a time when the need has increased for so many," says Justin Greeves, Senior Vice President, Business Leader, Public Affairs & Policy Research at Harris Interactive. "However, even in these difficult times, an overwhelming majority of Americans still want to help others in need and would rather receive a gift that would help another instead of receiving a traditional gift for themselves. That finding reveals our charitable culture at work. The declines we see in this survey mirror the climate overall. In June 2009, Giving USA reported a 5.7% drop in giving overall in 2008, the largest drop in five decades," says Greeves. "I'm surprised it's not a lot lower than that."


This is the second year World Vision has commissioned Harris Interactive to report on how charitable giving would be affected by the recession. Last year, World Vision also reported that U.S. adults planned to cut back on holiday gift spending. That study also concluded that many U.S. adults (49%) would be more likely to give a "charitable gift" as a holiday present. Both studies are available to media.


"This research shows that people are still very anxious about the economy but clearly concerned about children," says Devin Hermanson, World Vision's Gift Catalog Senior Director. "They want to help, but feel they should wait until the economy turns around. The Gift Catalog is a great solution since it allows them to have a life-changing impact for very little money.


And this year, we'll be able to truly show how powerful that impact can be through our Spirit of Christmas Tour. We'll be traveling literally around the world to videotape children and their families who have benefited from gifts from the Gift Catalog such as goats, water, and malaria prevention." The tour leaves New York November 22nd, returning in five weeks.


"A gift given from the Gift Catalog significantly improves the life of a child or family in need by providing tools and opportunities to overcome extreme poverty while at the same time honoring your friends and loved ones," says Hermanson. For each World Vision gift, the giver can make the purchase in the name of a friend, family member, or business associate. World Vision then sends special cards to those individuals, describing the gifts and their impact. In the following year, the gift itself or intervention reaches the child or family in need.


Last year alone, World Vision's Gift Catalog raised $25 million and provided assistance to more than 500,000 people around the world.


World Vision launched the Gift Catalog in 1996. And while a goat ($75) may be World Vision's number one seller, there are more than 100 gifts (many under $35) to choose from.


To order: www.worldvisiongifts.org. Or call toll-free (888) 511-6511. All items are tax-deductible.


About World Vision


World Vision is a Christian relief and development organization dedicated to helping children and their communities worldwide reach their full potential by tackling the causes of poverty. We serve the world's poor, regardless of a person's religion, race, ethnicity or gender. For more information, visit www.worldvision.org.


Source: World Vision U.S.

CONTACT: John Yeager of World Vision, +1-253-815-2356, +1-425-765-9845,
jyeager@worldvision.org


Web Site: http://www.worldvision.org/


NOTE TO EDITORS: Devin Hermanson - World Vision (holiday gift giving expert) and Justin Greeves - Harris Interactive are available for interviews. Contact John Yeager World Vision Media Relations 425-765-9845 (cell). Additional media contacts: Gardi Wilks (Central US) gardi@wilkspr.com, 708-434-5006; Laura Blank (Eastern US), lblank@worldvision.org, 617-945-7548; Myrna Gutierrez (Los Angeles & Southern California), mgutierr@worldvision.org, 323-377-2432; John Yeager (Seattle & Western US), jyeager@worldvision.org, 253-815-2356 (work), 425-765-9856 (cell). The poll was conducted by telephone on behalf of World Vision, an international Christian relief and development organization, among 1,001 U.S. adults (ages 18 +) Oct 29th - Nov 1st, 2009. For complete methodology, including weighing variables - please contact John Yeager.

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Mr. President, Do Not Let Obama's Dream Die in Your Hands

Mr. President, Do Not Let Obama's Dream Die in Your Hands

Dear President Barack Obama,

On the eve of your visit to China, we urge you to take a firm stand on human rights issues to reaffirm to the world the core values of the United States of America and its dedication to those values.

Dear Mr. President, you challenged Americans to enact a change, and Americans have responded and sent you to the White House to be the catalyst of change. You took the message of change to Europe, and Europeans have responded and reengaged with the leader of the free world.

We now challenge you: Will you bring change to the US policy toward China, a policy of economic engagement that has tainted our nation's image for the past twenty years, or will you maintain the status quo?

The United States' engagement with China originally donned a pretext of helping to improve China's human rights. Over time, however, its true motive and consequence has emerged: with the passing of one so-called opportunity after another to improve human rights in China, including the granting of PNTR to China, the admission of China into the WTO, and the Beijing Olympics, more and more Chinese people have fallen victim to the Chinese regime's human rights abuses. As such, this policy has turned into our nation's worst example of hypocrisy, and the complete lack of acknowledgement of and accountability for its failure also makes it our worst example of irresponsible politics.

At the same time the US has been losing its moral standing. The former Soviet bloc was far more powerful then than China is now, and it took thirty-eight years for the Berlin Wall to fall. The US was never weak or vulnerable during the Cold War, and was a source of inspiration and hope for people in Eastern Europe. Now the US is not only increasingly timid about mentioning human rights to China, it is on its knees supplicating China to buy its debt. Internationally, the US has helped to fund the Chinese regime to become a new anti-human rights ringleader and has to face it on multiple continents. Domestically, we are suffering the consequences of our own deeds: We ignored China's suppression of workers' unions, and we lose our jobs to China's slave laborers who work under unsafe conditions; we ignore China's persecution of Christians and Falun Gong practitioners who merely want their right to conscience, and we receive unconscionable toxic products from China.

Most alarmingly, we are losing sight of our real national interest - our American values. Had Abraham Lincoln not been so dedicated to the founding principles of America, had he instead carried on a policy of economic engagement with the South, rationalizing that the profit would somehow trickle down in the form of greater freedom for the slaves, that would be equivalent to today's China policy, and there would be no President Obama. Today, our founding principles and values have eroded to the point where we have accepted a China policy based on greed rather than principle for the past twenty years.

Mr. President, in those twenty years how many of China's Obamas have been locked up and lynched in jail? How many of China's Obamas have been exiled to the US and cannot go back home to pursue their dreams? Over the globe, how many Obamas have suffered under various regimes that remain in power only because of the support of the Chinese regime?

Mr. President, we take it to heart when you claim Lincoln as your role model, so we ask you to carry on Abraham Lincoln's legacy to give people in China and around the world the opportunity to see their Obama's dream to come true.

Please do not let Obama's dream die in your hands.

~ From The Conscience Foundation
Contact: 619-280-3112
chinavisit@consciencefoundation.org

Please Sign the Petition to the President:

http://www.consciencefoundation.org/index.php?option=com_rsmonials

The Fort Hood Massacre

6 Nov 2009 21:12 Africa/Lagos














Secondary PTSD a Possible Factor for Fort Hood Shooter

LOS ANGELES, Nov. 6 /PRNewswire/ -- "Our hearts go out to the families of the soldiers and civilians who were killed or wounded by the senseless violence that took place at Fort Hood today," said National Veterans Foundation President and Founder Shad Meshad.


Shad Meshad has 38 years of experience treating sufferers of PTSD. In his practice, he has seen counselors who treat people with traumatic stress develop Compassion Fatigue, or Secondary Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, and with it the psychological symptoms of someone who has been through combat.


Said Meshad, "We do not have all the information on Nidal Malik Hasan and his motives. But if he was treating soldiers with post-traumatic stress who were returning from combat in Iraq, and then faced deployment to the very place all this trauma was being experienced by his patients, it might have been enough, combined with other stressors, to cause the kind of psychotic break that could explain such horrific violence."


Meshad is one of the nation's leading experts on PTSD and Compassion Fatigue. He provides training to DOD and VA staff, on caring for their counselors who develop secondary traumatic stress.


"Being around someone with PTSD is like being around second-hand smoke," Meshad said. "It adversely affects your health. We have to be concerned about caregivers for soldiers returning from combat, and their families. I have been talking about a potential backlash of violence for years. You cannot expect to send our soldiers into extended, multiple combat deployments, and that not affect them or the people they are connected to, back at home. All signs indicate that the incidence of violent crimes, suicide, domestic violence and drug and alcohol abuse by Veterans from the current wars are on the rise."


See http://www.nvf.org/blog/item/50 for the story a recent, groundbreaking court decision for Veterans with PTSD, in which Meshad was involved as a defense consultant.


Shad Meshad has been working with Veterans since 1971. He was a Medical Service Officer during the Vietnam War, where he counseled soldiers who suffered from psychological and emotional problems resulting from their experiences in combat, including what would later become known as PTSD. The NVF is a national nonprofit organization dedicated to bettering the lives of veterans and their families.


Source: National Veterans Foundation

CONTACT: Shad Meshad, President and Founder of National Veterans
Foundation, 1-888-777-4443, shad@nvf.org


Web Site: http://www.nvf.org/


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