An important update on Jeff Hanks 12JAN11

HERE is an update on the status of Jeff Hanks and his struggle with PTSD and his pending redeployment to Afghanistan from IVAW. We need to support our troops, and to insist the US military provide these men and women with adequate treatment for their injuries, including PTSD and TBI. 

We last reported to you that Jeff's deployment date was postponed.  Now we know why.
Overwhelmed by the pressure and anxiety of his pending deployment that night, Jeff had a mental break-down on Sunday afternoon.  He is now receiving care at a civilian mental health facility where he will be for at least the next ten days. The Hanks' are feeling more optimistic about Jeff's care now that he is out of the Army's reach and getting in-patient treatment by civilians.
We are relieved that Jeff was not deployed given the state of his mental health.

But we are outraged that it had to go this far.

Let us be clear - the U.S. Army command at Fort Campbell, specifically Captain Jason Ambrosino, pushed this soldier to the brink.  And they need to be held accountable. 

We know that your emails to Cpt. Ambrosino are having an effect.  To date his inbox has been flooded with over 2,400 messages, letting him know that people from around the country are monitoring his actions closely. (After about the 1500th email, it appears that he has set up an auto-reply message referring people to the Public Affairs Office at Fort Campbell.)  He also is required to respond within 15 days to the Article 138 redress request we submitted charging him with various violations of Jeff's rights.
Presently, Army officials at Fort Campbell are remaining quiet about what Jeff could face when he returns from the hospital.  They could choose to punish him for going AWOL back in October.  They could try to discharge him without any benefits.  They even could set a new deployment date.
We are preparing to increase the pressure should Jeff's commanders take such negative action, but first we need to give Jeff and his family a little space and time for Jeff to get the care that he needs.
Please keep them in your thoughts and prayers.  We will keep you informed as soon as there are new ways to take action.
Jeff is one of thousands of soldiers right now who are being forced into combat despite suffering from serious mental health problems.  The Army is denying treatment to soldiers in Jeff's situation every single day.  That is what the Operation Recovery campaign aims to stop.  Over the next few months, we will be sending outreach teams to military bases with high rates of suicide, letting GIs know that they have the right to heal and holding those accountable who are denying that right.

Your support is what makes this work possible.

Thank you,
The Operation Recovery Campaign Team

JEFF HANKS REDEPLOYED TO AFGHANISTAN from IVAW 8JAN11

JEFF HANKS, US Army, diagnosed with severe PTSD, has been redeployed to Afghanistan. Please participate in this e mail campaign from IVAW calling on the military to stop deploying troops suffering from PTSD to Afghanistan and Iraq. Click the link or header to participate....

Tell Captain Ambrosino: Stop Deploying Traumatized Troops!

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Army Specialist Jeff Hanks faces imminent redeployment to Afghanistan - Your help needed

Less than two months after surrendering himself at Fort Campbell from AWOL status, and without having received treatment for his war wounds, Jeff Hanks was told this week that he is scheduled for redeployment to Afghanistan TOMORROW. Today, Iraq Veterans Against the War's Operation Recovery Campaign is hand-delivering an Article 138 Redress Request to Hanks’ commander detailing numerous violations of Jeff's right to heal.
Send a message to Jeff's unit commander, Captain Jason Ambrosino: STOP REDEPLOYING WOUNDED WARRIORS!
Since being back at Fort Campbell, Jeff has been a good soldier, all the while struggling with symptoms of severe PTSD and presumed Traumatic Brain Injury:

• He suffers from hearing loss and bad headaches daily. 
• He experiences extreme anxiety in crowds and while driving. 
• He has such graphic nightmares that he doesn't want to sleep near his family members for fear of hurting them. 

Jeff has tried doggedly to get the health treatment he needs, but consistently has faced roadblocks erected by Captain Ambrosino.  Jeff started to get some relief when he began seeing a civilian counselor off-base, but Captain Ambrosino put an end to that.

Four separate medical professionals have diagnosed Jeff with PTSD, but Army Behavioral Health personnel and Captain Ambrosino refuse to acknowledge this fact.

Jeff's lawyer charges that Captain Ambrosino has failed to meet the accepted standards of care for soldiers suffering from PTSD, has interfered with the care that Hanks was receiving from a civilian counselor, and has violated Department of Defense regulations.
Tell Captain Ambrosino that he is violating the rights of soldiers and breaking the law.

Jeff's pre-deployment health screenings two days ago denied his PTSD, and results of an MRI for suspected head trauma will not be available until after he is in Afghanistan.  The Army behavioral health specialist who conducted the screening told Jeff he should seek treatment while deployed in Afghanistan.  But Jeff knows that it getting treatment in-country is a joke!

The way Jeff has been treated is OUTRAGEOUS, and he is not the only one who's had this experience at Fort Campbell.  In fact, in 2009, Fort Campbell led the Army in suicides and had to shut down the base for three days when a series of suicides occurred after troops had returned home from deployment.
Well, 3,000 soldiers returned home to Fort Campbell yesterday, and unfortunately we may expect a similar situation to un-fold in the coming weeks.

The Operation Recovery campaign is setting up shop at Fort Campbell

Late yesterday, members of the Operation Recovery team arrived at Fort Campbell to take action on behalf of Jeff Hanks and all soldiers who are in a similar situation at Campbell. 

Today, we are holding a press conference, and serving Captain Ambrosino notice in-person that we will no longer allow him to violate soldiers' right to heal.
Take action now, by letting Captain Ambrosino know that the public is watching his actions, and we will stand up for the rights of wounded warriors.

We plan to be in Fort Campbell for several weeks, where we will outreach to soldiers and their families who are dealing with PTSD, Traumatic Brain Injury, and Military Sexual Trauma.  And we will continue to hold Captain Ambrosino and any other officer accountable who dares to deny soldiers their right to heal.

In Solidarity,
The Operation Recovery Campaign Team