Shocking numbers of veterans returning from Iraq and Afghanistan are suffering the psychological trauma of war: 45,000 have already sought assistance for post traumatic stress disorder and the American Psychological Association estimates that one-quarter of all soldiers and Marines returning from those conflicts bear the psychological scars of war. Even if these veterans are able to overcome the stigma still associated with psychological trauma and seek help, recent reports commissioned by the Pentagon found that mental health care for returning troops was not readily available nor were the practitioners suitably trained. America’s veterans and their families, who have been asked to sacrifice so much over the last six years, deserve the best physical and psychological care. It is time to bring this hidden toll of war out of the shadows.
Please join us as we welcome a distinguished panel to the Center for American Progress to discuss the state of active duty and veterans mental health programs.
Veterans Mental Health Programs
July 19, 2007, 12:30pm – 2:00pm
A light lunch will be served at 12:00 pm.
Featured Speakers:
Lt. Gen. Michael D. Rochelle, Deputy Chief of Staff, United States Army
Col. Elspeth Cameron Ritchie, MD, MPH, Psychiatry Consultant to the US Army Surgeon General
Mark Benjamin, Salon.com
Introduction by:
Dr. Lawrence J. Korb, Senior Fellow, The Center for American Progress and Senior Advisor to the Center for Defense Information
Moderated by:
Dr. Stephen N. Xenakis (Brig. Gen. USA-Ret.), former Commanding General of the Southeast Regional Army Medical Command
Location
Center for American Progress
1333 H St. NW, 10th Floor
Washington, DC 20005
Map & Directions
Nearest Metro: Blue/Orange Line to McPherson Square or Red Line to Metro Center
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Biographies
Lieutenant General Michael D. Rochelle, Deputy Chief of Staff G-1, United States Army
Lieutenant General Rochelle assumed duties as the Deputy Chief of Staff, G-1, United States Army, in June 2006. Lieutenant General Rochelle was born on 28 March 1950, in Norfolk, Virginia. After graduating from Central High School in Providence, Rhode Island, he enrolled at Norfolk State University in Norfolk, Virginia, where he earned a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Foreign Language Education in 1972. While enrolled and finishing his degree at Norfolk State University, he concurrently completed the Advanced ROTC program and was commissioned as a Regular Army Officer in June 1972. To augment his bachelor’s degree, LTG Rochelle later attended Shippensburg University where he earned a Master of Arts Degree in Public Administration.
Col. Elspeth Cameron Ritchie, MD, MPH, Psychiatry Consultant to the US Army Surgeon General
Col. Ritchie is currently the psychiatry consultant to the US Army Surgeon General. She trained at Harvard, George Washington, Walter Reed, and the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences. Her assignments and other missions have taken her to Korea, Somalia, Iraq, Israel, and Vietnam. An internationally recognized expert, she brings a unique public health approach to the management of disaster and combat mental health issues. She also has published numerous articles on forensic, disaster, and military operational psychiatry. In 2005 she received the William Porter and Bruno Lima awards. Her textbook, “Mental Health Interventions for Mass Violence and Disaster” was recently published by Guilford Press.
Mark Benjamin, Salon.com
Mark Benjamin is a national correspondent for Salon.com. He has written extensively on the impacts on veterans of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, including groundbreaking articles on the state of veterans’ mental health care. In 2004, he was awarded the American Legion’s top journalism award for his reporting on wounded and ill soldiers at Fort Stewart, Georgia. Prior to joining Salon, Mark was the investigations editor at United Press International.
Dr. Lawrence J. Korb, Senior Fellow, The Center for American Progress and Senior Advisor to the Center for Defense Information
Dr. Lawrence J. Korb is a Senior Fellow at the Center for American Progress and a Senior Advisor to the Center for Defense Information. Prior to joining the Center, he was a Senior Fellow and Director of National Security Studies at the Council on Foreign Relations. From July 1998 to October 2002, he was Council Vice President, Director of Studies, and holder of the Maurice Greenberg Chair. Prior to joining the Council, Mr. Korb served as Director of the Center for Public Policy Education and Senior Fellow in the Foreign Policy Studies Program at the Brookings Institution, Dean of the Graduate School of Public and International Affairs at the University of Pittsburgh, and Vice President of Corporate Operations at the Raytheon Company. Mr. Korb served as Assistant Secretary of Defense (Manpower, Reserve Affairs, Installations and Logistics) from 1981 through 1985. In that position, he administered about 70 percent of the Defense budget. For his service in that position, he was awarded the Department of Defense’s medal for Distinguished Public Service. Dr. Korb served on active duty for four years as a Naval Flight Officer, and retired from the Naval Reserve with the rank of Captain.
Dr. Stephen N. Xenakis, (Brig. Gen. USA-Ret.), former Commanding General of the Southeast Regional Army Medical Command
Dr. Xenakis, Brig. Gen. USA-Ret., is in private practice in general, child, and adolescent psychiatry and a Senior Consultant with Organizational Design, Inc. Prior to going into private practice, Dr. Xenakis was the Director of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry at the Psychiatric Institute of Washington. Dr. Xenakis has had a distinguished career in the U.S. Army, as well as in healthcare management, academic medicine, and clinical practice. He retired from the Army in 1998 at the rank of Brigadier General and had held many high level positions, including Commanding General of the Southeast Regional Army Medical Command. Dr. Xenakis he has published award-winning papers in the Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry with Dr. Peter S. Jensen on ADHD and rating scales.