Post by blackcrowheart on Jun 13, 2007 15:08:12 GMT -5
Camp uses American Indian traditions to help soldiers heal
For decades, Richard Thompson has struggled with an injury he received
during Marine Corps training.
But the Gholson resident doesn't dwell on the loss of most of the
hearing in his left ear. Instead, he is troubled that the resulting
medical discharge rendered him unable to serve in Vietnam.
As Thompson got news of buddy after buddy getting killed in the war
there, the question of why he was spared ate at him. The question
lingered for decades — until he got an invitation last year.
A friend at the local Veterans Administration office called him and
asked if he would volunteer at a retreat camp for soldiers and their
spouses. Called Project Phoenix, the camp is located about 45 miles
north of Dallas and is designed to help soothe the invisible wounds of
war.
Organizers wanted Thompson's help because of his American Indian
heritage. His grandmother was a Shawnee and grandfather was a Nez Perce.
The idea was for Thompson to lead retreat participants through
traditional American Indian warrior ceremonies. It made sense to him,
the 59-year-old said, because even though weapons and strategies change
from war to war, the psychological impact is much the same.
So Thompson and his wife, Kelli, a social worker, decided to give it a
try. They attended their first retreat in April. By the end of that
weekend, they were convinced they had been called there by a higher
power.
The camp is open to any U.S. soldier, but most participants have
recently returned from deployment in the Middle East, Thompson said. The
majority suffer from post-traumatic stress disorder, he said, and many
are suicidal or are a signature away from divorce.
But when the soldiers participate in the ceremonies of his ancestors,
Thompson said, they undergo a visual transformation. The rituals
validate their service, he said, and prepare them for the future,
whether that means living on the home front or going back to war.
Rite of passage
"The Native American ceremony helps them let go," said Thompson,
who drives a truck for a local company. "I like to think I show them
a sacred way, a gift that has been gifted to me."
Thompson is the first to say that he and his wife are only a couple of
the many volunteers who make the camp a reality. Trained counselors,
massage therapists and others provide vital services, he said. Plus,
there are many generous donors who allow the program to operate at no
cost to the soldiers.
But Thompson is convinced that American Indian culture has something
special to offer soldiers. One example is a ceremony in which they place
their hands in a bowl of red dirt, which symbolizes the blood of combat.
The dirt is washed off by their spouses, and they are thanked and
welcomed back by the larger group.
Thompson also helps soldiers pray in a traditional sweat lodge. The
lodge is not for everyone, he said, but many soldiers and spouses find
it to be a fulfilling religious experience.
Soldiers also can get help deciphering their dreams and nightmares from
an American Indian viewpoint, Thompson said. That service is one of many
provided by a volunteer at the camp, D.M. Redeagle.
Since that first retreat, the Thompsons have gone to the camp nearly
every weekend. They even have used vacation time to volunteer on
weekdays.
The experience has erased much of Thompson's pain, he said. After
years of questioning, he now sees his service at the camp as the reason
why he was allowed to survive when so many of his Marine Corps buddies
didn't.
"I wouldn't say it's a healing," Thompson said. "But
it's a great sense of relief that I am able to give back to people
who took my place."
Program endangered?
Thompson's new fear is about the camp's future. The executive
director of the organization that runs Project Phoenix — the
Military, Veteran and Family Assistance Foundation — is currently
under investigation by officials at Walter Reed Army Medical Center.
The Washington, D.C., facility, which has long been esteemed as the
crown jewel in military medicine, has been under the microscope in
recent days due to a series of articles in The Washington Post. The
stories documented substandard living conditions for some soldiers who
are there after suffering war injuries. The articles also talk about the
bureaucratic red tape that keeps soldiers from getting treatment and
getting on with their lives.
In one of the stories, military officials say the foundation's
director, Michael Wagner, appears to have solicited support for the camp
while on the clock at Walter Reed. His job there was to match up
soldiers in need with businesses, charities and individuals who want to
help. Soliciting for a charity on the side would be considered an
illegal conflict of interest under federal law, Army regulations and
Defense Department ethics rules, the article says.
The story also quotes some Walter Reed employees and soldiers'
family members as saying that Wagner treated them callously and made it
difficult for them to receive assistance. Wagner, who resigned from his
position at Walter Reed last month, denies all the charges, according to
the article.
Thompson said he has no doubt that Wagner is innocent. He said he thinks
Wagner has become a scapegoat because Project Phoenix has been
successful in helping veterans outside of the dysfunctional bureaucracy,
he said.
Although Thompson said he is confident the camp will survive the
controversy, he is worried that Wagner may have to resign his position
with the foundation. If that happens, it would be a terrible loss to
America's soldiers, he and his wife said.
"Dr. Mike's dream is to heal one veteran at a time," Kelli
Thompson said. "And he's doing that."
For decades, Richard Thompson has struggled with an injury he received
during Marine Corps training.
But the Gholson resident doesn't dwell on the loss of most of the
hearing in his left ear. Instead, he is troubled that the resulting
medical discharge rendered him unable to serve in Vietnam.
As Thompson got news of buddy after buddy getting killed in the war
there, the question of why he was spared ate at him. The question
lingered for decades — until he got an invitation last year.
A friend at the local Veterans Administration office called him and
asked if he would volunteer at a retreat camp for soldiers and their
spouses. Called Project Phoenix, the camp is located about 45 miles
north of Dallas and is designed to help soothe the invisible wounds of
war.
Organizers wanted Thompson's help because of his American Indian
heritage. His grandmother was a Shawnee and grandfather was a Nez Perce.
The idea was for Thompson to lead retreat participants through
traditional American Indian warrior ceremonies. It made sense to him,
the 59-year-old said, because even though weapons and strategies change
from war to war, the psychological impact is much the same.
So Thompson and his wife, Kelli, a social worker, decided to give it a
try. They attended their first retreat in April. By the end of that
weekend, they were convinced they had been called there by a higher
power.
The camp is open to any U.S. soldier, but most participants have
recently returned from deployment in the Middle East, Thompson said. The
majority suffer from post-traumatic stress disorder, he said, and many
are suicidal or are a signature away from divorce.
But when the soldiers participate in the ceremonies of his ancestors,
Thompson said, they undergo a visual transformation. The rituals
validate their service, he said, and prepare them for the future,
whether that means living on the home front or going back to war.
Rite of passage
"The Native American ceremony helps them let go," said Thompson,
who drives a truck for a local company. "I like to think I show them
a sacred way, a gift that has been gifted to me."
Thompson is the first to say that he and his wife are only a couple of
the many volunteers who make the camp a reality. Trained counselors,
massage therapists and others provide vital services, he said. Plus,
there are many generous donors who allow the program to operate at no
cost to the soldiers.
But Thompson is convinced that American Indian culture has something
special to offer soldiers. One example is a ceremony in which they place
their hands in a bowl of red dirt, which symbolizes the blood of combat.
The dirt is washed off by their spouses, and they are thanked and
welcomed back by the larger group.
Thompson also helps soldiers pray in a traditional sweat lodge. The
lodge is not for everyone, he said, but many soldiers and spouses find
it to be a fulfilling religious experience.
Soldiers also can get help deciphering their dreams and nightmares from
an American Indian viewpoint, Thompson said. That service is one of many
provided by a volunteer at the camp, D.M. Redeagle.
Since that first retreat, the Thompsons have gone to the camp nearly
every weekend. They even have used vacation time to volunteer on
weekdays.
The experience has erased much of Thompson's pain, he said. After
years of questioning, he now sees his service at the camp as the reason
why he was allowed to survive when so many of his Marine Corps buddies
didn't.
"I wouldn't say it's a healing," Thompson said. "But
it's a great sense of relief that I am able to give back to people
who took my place."
Program endangered?
Thompson's new fear is about the camp's future. The executive
director of the organization that runs Project Phoenix — the
Military, Veteran and Family Assistance Foundation — is currently
under investigation by officials at Walter Reed Army Medical Center.
The Washington, D.C., facility, which has long been esteemed as the
crown jewel in military medicine, has been under the microscope in
recent days due to a series of articles in The Washington Post. The
stories documented substandard living conditions for some soldiers who
are there after suffering war injuries. The articles also talk about the
bureaucratic red tape that keeps soldiers from getting treatment and
getting on with their lives.
In one of the stories, military officials say the foundation's
director, Michael Wagner, appears to have solicited support for the camp
while on the clock at Walter Reed. His job there was to match up
soldiers in need with businesses, charities and individuals who want to
help. Soliciting for a charity on the side would be considered an
illegal conflict of interest under federal law, Army regulations and
Defense Department ethics rules, the article says.
The story also quotes some Walter Reed employees and soldiers'
family members as saying that Wagner treated them callously and made it
difficult for them to receive assistance. Wagner, who resigned from his
position at Walter Reed last month, denies all the charges, according to
the article.
Thompson said he has no doubt that Wagner is innocent. He said he thinks
Wagner has become a scapegoat because Project Phoenix has been
successful in helping veterans outside of the dysfunctional bureaucracy,
he said.
Although Thompson said he is confident the camp will survive the
controversy, he is worried that Wagner may have to resign his position
with the foundation. If that happens, it would be a terrible loss to
America's soldiers, he and his wife said.
"Dr. Mike's dream is to heal one veteran at a time," Kelli
Thompson said. "And he's doing that."