A health fair for veterans of 

Operations

Desert Storm - Enduring Freedom - Iraqi Freedom

Colonel (RET) John R. Gingrich, Chief of Staff, Department of Veterans Affairs (VA)

Col. Gingrich will be our Keynote speaker on Saturday August 7^th. The Chief and members will field questions about the work of the task force and how it is going to change the VA.

There will be an informal reception for Colonel (Ret) Gingrich before the banquet on August 6^th.  Col. Gingrich is the highest ranking gulf war veteran in the VA.

John served in the U.S. Army from 1971 to 2001 as an artilleryman culminating his career as a Colonel and Director, Strategic Planning Group in the office of the Chief of Staff.  He served in various command assignments from battery command in the 1st Cavalry Division at Fort Hood, Battalion Command of the 4th Battalion 5th Field Artillery, a direct support artillery battalion with the1st Infantry Division at Fort Riley and during combat operations of Desert Storm,and as the Division Artillery Commander in the 1st Armored Division in Baumholder, Germany. He has also held numerous key staff positions at the tactical, operational, and strategic levels from company through Army level, as well with a combatant NATO command in Bosnia-Herzegovina. 

Lea Steele, PhD

Dr. Lea Steele is a member of the Research Advisory Committee on Gulf War Veterans' Illnesses, and will be updating us on the latest research.

Dr. Steele is past Scientific Director of the Committee, and a Professor at Baylor University.  She is an epidemiologist and human ecologist whose research interests focus on the study of complex medical conditions that are difficult to diagnose and treat.  Dr. Steele previously directed the Kansas Persian Gulf War Veterans Health Initiative, a state-sponsored research and service program, and was principal investigator of the Kansas Gulf Veterans Health Study.

Dr Robert Haley

Dr. Maves is a Licensed Clinical Psychologist, practicing in Boulder, Colorado since 1982, specializing in the treatment of complex trauma, traumatic brain injuries and dissociative disorders.  He is a graduate of the University of Colorado at Boulder and the former Assistant Director of the Emergency Psychiatric Service of Boulder.  He was the Clinical Director of Adams Community Mental Health Center and developed and was the Clinical Director of Centennial Peak’s Hospital’s Trauma and Dissociative Disorders Treatment Program.  He was the Clinical Director of Columbine Hospital’s National Trauma Center.  He is the founder of the Rocky Mountain Trauma and Dissociation Society.  Dr. Maves served as a Practice Monitor for the Grievance Board, State of Colorado and was an oral licensing examiner for the Colorado State Board of Psychologist Examiners, Department of Regulatory Agencies.  Dr. Maves is a frequent presenter at national and international conferences on the treatment of dissociative disorders, traumatic brain injuries and military trauma.  He is a Clinical Instructor at the University of Colorado at Boulder, supervising Ph.D. graduate students in Clinical Psychology.  He is a Fellow in the International Society for the Study of Trauma and Dissociation and a Diplomate in Clinical Forensic Counseling.

See a screening of the new movie Trooper

Release Date: TBD

Murphy O'Shea, an Iraq Veteran, has a hard time readjusting to society upon his return from a long tour. His world crumbles when he discovers his father, Bill, a Vietnam Veteran, is dying. Trooper is a story of a father and son, two veterans from two very different Wars, helping each other to get through each day, and heal the wounds of War.

Cast: Christopher Martini, Gary Swanson, Max Martini, Robert Walden, Eddie Manley, Suzanne DiDonna, Jerry Della Salla, Richard Levine, Giada Dobrzenska, Kevin Mambo, Sayra Player
Genre: Drama | War | Romance
Writer / Director / Producer: Christopher Martini
Production Company: Triple Martini Productions, Denarius Entertainment, Little Wonder Films.

Both Bruce Springsteen and Bob Dylan, personally reviewed the film/or trailer and gave it a song each gratis.

We will be having some one from  the East Orange, NJ WRIISC on the 6th to give us  information on how to get to a clinic and more.

New Jersey War Related Illness and Injury Study Center (WRIISC)- A National VA program devoted to post deployment Veterans and their unique health care needs.They develop and provide expertise for Veterans and their health care providers through clinical evaluation, research, education and risk communication.

They will also work with the Dallas VA to teach the doctors on who to better under standing and care fore the needs of veterans from Southwest Asia GWI. They will also show them on getting their veterans to the WRIISC.

There are three WRIISC. See our Self-Help Guild for more information on all of them along with their contact information.

NGWRC: 2010 Legislative Issues of National Gulf War Resource Center