Spotlight on AUTEC and Andros Island

Spotlight on AUTEC and Andros Island

Nestled amongst a sea of beach resorts and scuba clubs, the United States Navy’s Atlantic Undersea Test and Evaluation Center in the Bahamas is about as far from Iraq or Afghanistan as one can get, but injured contractors in both locations are entitled to the same benefits. In the late 1940s and 1950s, as early Cold War tensions mounted, the …

Researchers: Some People are Physically Predisposed to PTSD

Researchers: Some People are Physically Predisposed to PTSD

Adding onto recent research which indicates that Post Traumatic Stress Disorder is a physical condition and not a “disorder,” scientists at Stellenbosch University have isolated a gut bacteria linked to development of the disease. On the surface, obscure gastrointestinal microbes seem to have little if anything to do with a brain injury, but researchers are convinced that gut microbiome is …

John Stossel Speaks Up in Support of Contractors

John Stossel Speaks Up in Support of Contractors

If the United States is serious about ending its longest war ever, it will use more contractors in Afghanistan, veteran journalist John Stossel opined. Prior to an interview with Blackwater founder Erik Prince, Mr. Stossel was impressed by Mr. Prince’s success in virtually ending Somali piracy. In 2010 the pirates captured more than a thousand hostages, but none in 2014 …

Contractors Take Lead in Controversial Niger Incident

Contractors Take Lead in Controversial Niger Incident

Berry Aviation evacuated U.S. military casualties after ISIS-affiliated militants apparently ambushed a military convoy in Niger in October of 2017. Pursuant to its contract with the U.S. Transportation Command, the Texas-based contractor maintains one helicopter and one propellor-driven plane in Niamey, Niger’s capitol, for “casualty evacuation” and “other things,” according to a U.S. Africa Command spokesperson. Details about the incident …

Should TBI Patients Use Marijuana to Alleviate Their Symptoms?

Should TBI Patients Use Marijuana to Alleviate Their Symptoms?

One combat veteran says that although marijuana is not a cure and not 100% effective, it does alleviate traumatic brain injury symptoms more effectively than the pills that the Veterans Administration prescribes. Sergeant Thomas Brennan sustained a TBI in Afghanistan. Two years later, he received a medical discharge due to severe depression, persistent migraines, vertigo, and other symptoms. He began …