Mission: To provide medical, psychological and spiritual care to veterans that are diagnosed with a terminal illness, are elderly and/or disabled or otherwise in need.
Information
- Location:
- Fitchburg, MA, 01420
- Phone:
- (978) 353-0234
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All, COL Platoni is an exceptional woman, doctor and soldier. She was at Ft Hood in Texas on November 5th at the time of the attack. She is also a former Board Member of Grace After Fire, and as an active duty reservist has asked to continue as one of our astute Clinical Advisors. We love her, miss her, and send her our prayers for continued strength and safety during this trying time.
God bless you, Colonel.
DEATHS AT FORT HOOD/Louise Farr
When Ohio psychologist and Army Reserve Colonel Kathy Platoni heard panicked civilians shouting and saw them carrying the wounded toward her Fort Hood building last week, she thought it was yet another training exercise. Too quickly she learned that the scenario was real. The San Diego psychiatric nurse, Captain John Gaffaney, died in front of her. “He tried to rush the shooter and took at least five rounds,” Platoni told me by phone from Fort Hood. “He fought so hard to stay alive.”
I had met Platoni in August when her 467th combat stress control team passed through Los Angeles. The reservists, along with the 1908th medical detachment, were heading for northern California’s Camp Parks to train before deploying to Iraq and Afghanistan next month. At the time, I was researching a story about post traumatic stress disorder for Los Angeles magazine, and seven reservists talked with me around a hotel conference table. In the group was Major L. Eduardo Caraveo, a warm and thoughtful Virginia psychologist who had succeeded Platoni on a 2004 deployment as combat stress team officer in charge at Guantanamo Bay.
My plan was to reconnect with Platoni, Caraveo and their colleagues after their 14-month deployments so that I could write about their experiences. Three months after our Los Angeles meeting, Major Caraveo was dead, one of 13 killed, including five mental health workers, allegedly by Nidal Malik Hasan, the army psychiatrist authorities are blaming for the shooting frenzy
The military will get a bad rap over not stopping the madness before it happened; for not spotting and ousting a disturbed -- perhaps fanatical – soldier. But Caraveo, dressed in fatigues, weary from jet lag and speaking in a softly accented voice that indicated his roots as a Mexican immigrant, talked in August about the difficulty of integrating the concept of mental health into an environment whose dominant motif is war. The military, he pointed out, is a world of its own, and its psychologists and psychiatrists are doing nothing less than attempting to upend an entrenched culture.
“It’s a very difficult task. It’s going to take a while, but I think we’re making definite strides,” Caraveo said, about the millions of dollars the Department of Defense has been pouring over the past few years into research, new treatment programs, and PR campaigns designed to reduce stigma. “It’s an opportunity to act in a prophylactic way, rather than be reactive,” the major said. “I think in the past, we have been more reactive. Sometimes it’s too late.”
Sadly, it was too late for Major Caraveo and the other Fort Hood victims. “He filled our souls,” Colonel Platoni, who is also Clinical Psychology Consultant to the Chief, Medical Service Corps., says about her fellow soldier. It may not be too late for some of the ground troops in Iraq and Afghanistan as Caraveo’s 1908th medical company, and the 467th, which also suffered losses at Fort Hood, want to continue with their deployments, according to Platoni. “If they split us up and send us home, they’ll traumatize us even more. We’re hanging tough, but we need each other, and we’re geared up for the mission,” she told me yesterday..
Like many military mental health reservists, the colonel shuttered a private practice and left a worried spouse behind to deploy to Afghanistan and embed with troops. This can mean living in tents and huts, eating and hanging out with the soldiers to build trust, then helping them cope with their boredom as they wait for something to happen, and their fear when it does. Emotional fallout from the war continues as alcoholism, PTSD and suicide rates mount. But how much worse might they be without these stress team workers?
“I think most of us make a choice to do this kind of stuff and make sacrifices, so at that level we can identify with the troopers,” Caraveo said, as we sat around the table. “Typically, when you put on a uniform, you don’t talk to other people about emotions. So when they start talking to us, it’s very humbling for them and very humbling for us. We help.”
God bless you, Colonel.
DEATHS AT FORT HOOD/Louise Farr
When Ohio psychologist and Army Reserve Colonel Kathy Platoni heard panicked civilians shouting and saw them carrying the wounded toward her Fort Hood building last week, she thought it was yet another training exercise. Too quickly she learned that the scenario was real. The San Diego psychiatric nurse, Captain John Gaffaney, died in front of her. “He tried to rush the shooter and took at least five rounds,” Platoni told me by phone from Fort Hood. “He fought so hard to stay alive.”
I had met Platoni in August when her 467th combat stress control team passed through Los Angeles. The reservists, along with the 1908th medical detachment, were heading for northern California’s Camp Parks to train before deploying to Iraq and Afghanistan next month. At the time, I was researching a story about post traumatic stress disorder for Los Angeles magazine, and seven reservists talked with me around a hotel conference table. In the group was Major L. Eduardo Caraveo, a warm and thoughtful Virginia psychologist who had succeeded Platoni on a 2004 deployment as combat stress team officer in charge at Guantanamo Bay.
My plan was to reconnect with Platoni, Caraveo and their colleagues after their 14-month deployments so that I could write about their experiences. Three months after our Los Angeles meeting, Major Caraveo was dead, one of 13 killed, including five mental health workers, allegedly by Nidal Malik Hasan, the army psychiatrist authorities are blaming for the shooting frenzy
The military will get a bad rap over not stopping the madness before it happened; for not spotting and ousting a disturbed -- perhaps fanatical – soldier. But Caraveo, dressed in fatigues, weary from jet lag and speaking in a softly accented voice that indicated his roots as a Mexican immigrant, talked in August about the difficulty of integrating the concept of mental health into an environment whose dominant motif is war. The military, he pointed out, is a world of its own, and its psychologists and psychiatrists are doing nothing less than attempting to upend an entrenched culture.
“It’s a very difficult task. It’s going to take a while, but I think we’re making definite strides,” Caraveo said, about the millions of dollars the Department of Defense has been pouring over the past few years into research, new treatment programs, and PR campaigns designed to reduce stigma. “It’s an opportunity to act in a prophylactic way, rather than be reactive,” the major said. “I think in the past, we have been more reactive. Sometimes it’s too late.”
Sadly, it was too late for Major Caraveo and the other Fort Hood victims. “He filled our souls,” Colonel Platoni, who is also Clinical Psychology Consultant to the Chief, Medical Service Corps., says about her fellow soldier. It may not be too late for some of the ground troops in Iraq and Afghanistan as Caraveo’s 1908th medical company, and the 467th, which also suffered losses at Fort Hood, want to continue with their deployments, according to Platoni. “If they split us up and send us home, they’ll traumatize us even more. We’re hanging tough, but we need each other, and we’re geared up for the mission,” she told me yesterday..
Like many military mental health reservists, the colonel shuttered a private practice and left a worried spouse behind to deploy to Afghanistan and embed with troops. This can mean living in tents and huts, eating and hanging out with the soldiers to build trust, then helping them cope with their boredom as they wait for something to happen, and their fear when it does. Emotional fallout from the war continues as alcoholism, PTSD and suicide rates mount. But how much worse might they be without these stress team workers?
“I think most of us make a choice to do this kind of stuff and make sacrifices, so at that level we can identify with the troopers,” Caraveo said, as we sat around the table. “Typically, when you put on a uniform, you don’t talk to other people about emotions. So when they start talking to us, it’s very humbling for them and very humbling for us. We help.”
50 Caliber Machine Gun and Mad Dog Platoni
Thursday, Oct. 1, 2009
General Peter W. Chiarelli, Vice Chief of Staff of the U.S. Army, to Deliver Keynote Address
GARDNER - The Northeast Veteran Training & Rehabilitation Center, the country’s first all-inclusive program for wounded combat veterans returning from Iraq and Afghanistan, will be open for tours on Friday, Oct. 16. The $8 million center is being constructed by the nonprofit organization Veteran Homestead, Inc. on the campus of Mount Wachusett Community College.
General Peter. W. Chiarelli, Vice Chief of Staff of the U.S. Army and former commander of the Multi-National Corps - Iraq, will deliver the keynote address during a by-invitation only ceremony at 1 p.m. The public is invited to attend an open house and tours of the facility from 3 to 6 p.m. Parking and shuttle buses will be available until 5 p.m. in the field at the corner of Green and Eaton/Kelton streets, adjacent to the MWCC walking track.
The opening ceremony will also include remarks from Lt. Governor Timothy P. Murray; Thomas G. Kelley, Secretary of Massachusetts Veterans’ Services; State Senator Stephen M. Brewer; State Representative Harold P. Naughton, Jr., chair of the Joint Committee on Veterans and Federal Affairs; Richard S. Earley of the Massachusetts Department of Veterans’ Services; Veteran Homestead Chief Executive Officer Leslie Lightfoot; and MWCC President Daniel M. Asquino. The Rolling Thunder, Patriot Guard Riders, and F Troop motorcycle organizations and the Marine Corps Junior ROTC color guard from Montachusett Regional Vocational Technical School will also participate.
In August, the Massachusetts Legislature approved a bill allowing the college to lease 10 acres on its 269-acre campus in Gardner to Veteran Homestead, Inc. to build the privately-funded Northeast Veteran Training & Rehabilitation Center to serve veterans wounded in the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan and their families. The Fitchburg-based nonprofit began construction in September, 2008. Construction of the rehabilitation complex and 10 apartments is nearing completion, with construction of 10 additional apartments slated for 2010.
Veterans who have suffered loss of limbs, traumatic brain injuries, post traumatic stress and/or disfiguring burns while serving the country in Iraq and Afghanistan will have access to housing, rehabilitation services and MWCC academic programs and campus amenities. In lieu of payment for the lease, Veteran Homestead is providing the college with internship opportunities for students enrolled in nursing and allied health programs.
“I’m excited that finally there will be a place where veterans and their families can get help – from rehabilitation to counseling to education – in a community setting,” Lightfoot said. “We are extremely grateful to the organizations and individuals who have embraced this program,” she said.
“We are proud and honored to partner with Veteran Homestead on this model program,” said MWCC President Daniel M. Asquino. “Our veterans have served our country courageously and admirably, and deserve a compassionate place to recover with their families. We view this as a wonderful opportunity to assist them.”
The center is considered a model that can be replicated on other college campuses. The project is being funded by Veteran Homestead through grants and donations, including a $4.5 million grant from the Iraq Afghanistan Deployment Impact Fund of California, The Ahern Family Charitable Foundation, Sterilite Corporation, Baybutt Construction Corporation, Kuhn-Riddle Architects, Massachusetts Technology Collaborative, Monadnock Land Clearing, Peoples Engineering, LLC, and Pioneer Valley Fiberglass Pools and Spas/San Juan Pools, and many others.
In keeping with MWCC’s renewable energy initiatives, the buildings are being constructed to meet Gold LEED certification and being equipped with geothermal heating and cooling and photovoltaic panels for electricity.
Lightfoot, who served as a medic in the U.S. Army during the Vietnam War, has counseled veterans for three decades. She serves on the Massachusetts Governor’s Advisory Council on Veterans Services and the national Advisory Committee on Homeless Veterans for the Secretary of Veterans Affairs. Since its founding in 1993, Veteran Homestead, Inc. has expanded to include facilities to assist veterans who are suffering from terminal illness, drug or alcohol addictions or are homeless. Veteran Homestead provides housing, hospice care and rehabilitation and counseling services to veterans in Massachusetts, New Hampshire and Puerto Rico.
U.S. Army Veteran Michelle Wilmot, who served as a medic, mental health counselor and member of the Team Lioness female combat team while deployed to Ramadi, Iraq, has joined the organization as program director of the NVTRC.
In addition to the new rehabilitation center, other Veteran Homestead facilities include the Veteran Hospice Homestead in Fitchburg; the Armistice Homestead and the Hero Homestead, both in Leominster; a residential home for veterans in Puerto Rico; Victory Farm, an 80-acre organic farm in New Hampshire that offers residential treatment programs; and the Veteran Homestead Mobile Unit, which assists veterans who do not have access to medical care.
Applications for residency at the NVTRC are now being accepted. For information, contact Michelle Wilmot at (978) 353-0234.
General Peter W. Chiarelli, Vice Chief of Staff of the U.S. Army, to Deliver Keynote Address
GARDNER - The Northeast Veteran Training & Rehabilitation Center, the country’s first all-inclusive program for wounded combat veterans returning from Iraq and Afghanistan, will be open for tours on Friday, Oct. 16. The $8 million center is being constructed by the nonprofit organization Veteran Homestead, Inc. on the campus of Mount Wachusett Community College.
General Peter. W. Chiarelli, Vice Chief of Staff of the U.S. Army and former commander of the Multi-National Corps - Iraq, will deliver the keynote address during a by-invitation only ceremony at 1 p.m. The public is invited to attend an open house and tours of the facility from 3 to 6 p.m. Parking and shuttle buses will be available until 5 p.m. in the field at the corner of Green and Eaton/Kelton streets, adjacent to the MWCC walking track.
The opening ceremony will also include remarks from Lt. Governor Timothy P. Murray; Thomas G. Kelley, Secretary of Massachusetts Veterans’ Services; State Senator Stephen M. Brewer; State Representative Harold P. Naughton, Jr., chair of the Joint Committee on Veterans and Federal Affairs; Richard S. Earley of the Massachusetts Department of Veterans’ Services; Veteran Homestead Chief Executive Officer Leslie Lightfoot; and MWCC President Daniel M. Asquino. The Rolling Thunder, Patriot Guard Riders, and F Troop motorcycle organizations and the Marine Corps Junior ROTC color guard from Montachusett Regional Vocational Technical School will also participate.
In August, the Massachusetts Legislature approved a bill allowing the college to lease 10 acres on its 269-acre campus in Gardner to Veteran Homestead, Inc. to build the privately-funded Northeast Veteran Training & Rehabilitation Center to serve veterans wounded in the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan and their families. The Fitchburg-based nonprofit began construction in September, 2008. Construction of the rehabilitation complex and 10 apartments is nearing completion, with construction of 10 additional apartments slated for 2010.
Veterans who have suffered loss of limbs, traumatic brain injuries, post traumatic stress and/or disfiguring burns while serving the country in Iraq and Afghanistan will have access to housing, rehabilitation services and MWCC academic programs and campus amenities. In lieu of payment for the lease, Veteran Homestead is providing the college with internship opportunities for students enrolled in nursing and allied health programs.
“I’m excited that finally there will be a place where veterans and their families can get help – from rehabilitation to counseling to education – in a community setting,” Lightfoot said. “We are extremely grateful to the organizations and individuals who have embraced this program,” she said.
“We are proud and honored to partner with Veteran Homestead on this model program,” said MWCC President Daniel M. Asquino. “Our veterans have served our country courageously and admirably, and deserve a compassionate place to recover with their families. We view this as a wonderful opportunity to assist them.”
The center is considered a model that can be replicated on other college campuses. The project is being funded by Veteran Homestead through grants and donations, including a $4.5 million grant from the Iraq Afghanistan Deployment Impact Fund of California, The Ahern Family Charitable Foundation, Sterilite Corporation, Baybutt Construction Corporation, Kuhn-Riddle Architects, Massachusetts Technology Collaborative, Monadnock Land Clearing, Peoples Engineering, LLC, and Pioneer Valley Fiberglass Pools and Spas/San Juan Pools, and many others.
In keeping with MWCC’s renewable energy initiatives, the buildings are being constructed to meet Gold LEED certification and being equipped with geothermal heating and cooling and photovoltaic panels for electricity.
Lightfoot, who served as a medic in the U.S. Army during the Vietnam War, has counseled veterans for three decades. She serves on the Massachusetts Governor’s Advisory Council on Veterans Services and the national Advisory Committee on Homeless Veterans for the Secretary of Veterans Affairs. Since its founding in 1993, Veteran Homestead, Inc. has expanded to include facilities to assist veterans who are suffering from terminal illness, drug or alcohol addictions or are homeless. Veteran Homestead provides housing, hospice care and rehabilitation and counseling services to veterans in Massachusetts, New Hampshire and Puerto Rico.
U.S. Army Veteran Michelle Wilmot, who served as a medic, mental health counselor and member of the Team Lioness female combat team while deployed to Ramadi, Iraq, has joined the organization as program director of the NVTRC.
In addition to the new rehabilitation center, other Veteran Homestead facilities include the Veteran Hospice Homestead in Fitchburg; the Armistice Homestead and the Hero Homestead, both in Leominster; a residential home for veterans in Puerto Rico; Victory Farm, an 80-acre organic farm in New Hampshire that offers residential treatment programs; and the Veteran Homestead Mobile Unit, which assists veterans who do not have access to medical care.
Applications for residency at the NVTRC are now being accepted. For information, contact Michelle Wilmot at (978) 353-0234.
The Northeast Veteran Training and Rehabilitation Center (NVTRC) will be opening in one month, 16 October 2009, and we are still doing our best to spread the word and make others aware of this program which is specifically designed for Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans. In order to get everyone more acquainted with what we're doing for our Veterans, here are a few bits of information that you may or may not know about the NVTRC:
1. The NVTRC is the greenest project in the state of Massachusetts, LEED Certified GOLD, using geothermal energy, photovoltaic cells, and many other means of harnessing green energy and efficiency.
2. Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans from any state or territory are welcome to apply for admission to the NVTRC and are also welcome to bring their families with them.
3. The NVTRC is situated on 10 acres of Mount Wachusett Community College's (MWCC) main campus in Gardner, MA.
4. There is no charge for Veterans and their families to stay at the NVTRC.
5. Educational services, MWCC facilities, tuition, and fees are available to the Veteran and their families at no cost.
6. Physical, Occupational, Speech, Massage, and Aqua Therapy are a part of the rehabilitation program.
7. For mental health rehabilitation, individual and family counseling is provided in order to help Veterans and their families cope with various changes since deployment.
8. Employment services are offered through MWCC and the Department of Workforce Development.
9. The NVTRC will support various MWCC departments to include the Biotechnology and Biomanufacturing departments.
10. Recreational skill development through various sports, activities, and projects are offered to aid in developing improved quality of life.
11. Up to this point, the NVTRC has been built on private donations alone. We are still waiting for the state and federal government to step up and take action.
12. Our goal is to have at least one of these types of facilities in every state and territory. Our Veterans are more than deserving of quality and excellent care, which is why our facilities are limited to a specific number of residents. Hundreds of beds and being treated as a number or patient rather than a unique individual who has survived war is not conducive to successful Veteran reintegration back into the community. However, compassion, encouragement, and personal attention with the focus on self-reliance, motivation, and dignity are undoubtedly needed. The NVTRC will provide all such tools and resources to aid Veterans and their families in order to successfully cope with their life circumstances.
For more information, visit http://www.veteranhomestea
If you'd like to attend our NVTRC Open House, please contact Al Neal at al@veteranhomestead.org or by phone at (978) 353-0234.
Thank You for supporting our Veterans and have a great day!
1. The NVTRC is the greenest project in the state of Massachusetts, LEED Certified GOLD, using geothermal energy, photovoltaic cells, and many other means of harnessing green energy and efficiency.
2. Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans from any state or territory are welcome to apply for admission to the NVTRC and are also welcome to bring their families with them.
3. The NVTRC is situated on 10 acres of Mount Wachusett Community College's (MWCC) main campus in Gardner, MA.
4. There is no charge for Veterans and their families to stay at the NVTRC.
5. Educational services, MWCC facilities, tuition, and fees are available to the Veteran and their families at no cost.
6. Physical, Occupational, Speech, Massage, and Aqua Therapy are a part of the rehabilitation program.
7. For mental health rehabilitation, individual and family counseling is provided in order to help Veterans and their families cope with various changes since deployment.
8. Employment services are offered through MWCC and the Department of Workforce Development.
9. The NVTRC will support various MWCC departments to include the Biotechnology and Biomanufacturing departments.
10. Recreational skill development through various sports, activities, and projects are offered to aid in developing improved quality of life.
11. Up to this point, the NVTRC has been built on private donations alone. We are still waiting for the state and federal government to step up and take action.
12. Our goal is to have at least one of these types of facilities in every state and territory. Our Veterans are more than deserving of quality and excellent care, which is why our facilities are limited to a specific number of residents. Hundreds of beds and being treated as a number or patient rather than a unique individual who has survived war is not conducive to successful Veteran reintegration back into the community. However, compassion, encouragement, and personal attention with the focus on self-reliance, motivation, and dignity are undoubtedly needed. The NVTRC will provide all such tools and resources to aid Veterans and their families in order to successfully cope with their life circumstances.
For more information, visit http://www.veteranhomestea
If you'd like to attend our NVTRC Open House, please contact Al Neal at al@veteranhomestead.org or by phone at (978) 353-0234.
Thank You for supporting our Veterans and have a great day!
Veteran Homestead's Notes
DEATHS AT FORT HOOD by Louise FarrNov 16, 2009
Rehabilitation Center for Wounded Combat Veterans Open for ToursOct 1, 2009
NVTRC UpdateSep 16, 2009
Full-Time Bilingual Veteran Case Manager WantedAug 17, 2009
About Veteran HomesteadAug 10, 2009