DoDLive Bloggers Roundtable: Real Warriors Campaign

Filed under Bloggers Roundtable, DoD News by on June 8, 2011 at 4:10 pm {no comments}

Staff Sgt. Meg Krause, Medical Non-Commissioned Officer for D Company 450th Civil Affairs Battalion, Riverdale, Md.

We recently held a  DoDLive Bloggers Roundtable with Air Force Col. Christopher Robinson, B.A., M.A., M.P.H., Ph.D., Deputy Director – Psychological Health for the Defense Centers of Excellence for Psychological Health and Traumatic Brain Injury (DCoE) and Staff Sgt. Meg Krause (U.S. Army Reserve) on Thursday June 9.

The Real Warriors Campaign is a multimedia public education initiative from the Department of Defense designed to promote the processes of building resilience, facilitating recovery and supporting reintegration of returning service members, veterans and their families.

Col. Christopher Robinson, Deputy Director - Psychological Health Defense Centers of Excellence for Psychological Health and Traumatic Brain Injury (DCoE)

To encourage help-seeking behavior among service members, veterans, and military families coping with invisible wounds, Real Warrior Staff Sgt. Meg Krause (U.S. Army Reserve) discussed her story of seeking care her invisible wounds, and the tools and resources that have helped her most.

Krause was joined by Air Force Col. Chris Robinson, Deputy Director for Psychological Health, Defense Centers of Excellence for Psychological Health and Traumatic Brain, who will discuss the Real Warriors Campaign and the tools and resources available to support members of the entire military community. Master Sgt. Stephanie Weaver, National Guard Counterdrug Liaison, Substance Abuse and Mental Health Administration, will discuss the resources available in service members’ and veterans’ communities as well as initiatives sponsored by SAMHSA designed to encourage help-seeking behavior for psychological health concerns.

Joining us on the call were Amy Buschak, of SpouseBUZZ; Dale Kissinger, of Military Avenue; Sgt. Darron Salzer, of the National Guard Bureau; Jessica Tuck, of Temerity and Tenacity; and Karen Henrickson, of Svenska Dagbladet.

For more resources on the Real Warriors campaign, visit:

Handbook for Family & Friends of Service Members Before, During and After Deployment

Wellness resources for the military community

 Read the transcript.

Medical Monday: Helping Fellow Soldiers

Filed under DoD News by on August 30, 2010 at 9:14 am {8 comments}

By Staff Sgt. Meg Krause

When I returned from Iraq, I thought the scariest moments in my life would be those I survived while deployed. Boy was I wrong. It was when I found myself face-down in a mud pit, in the middle of a pigpen in State College, Penn., running from insurgents that I thought were chasing me. This was the realization for me that I hadn’t survived.

I realized I needed help and when I reached out, it came in abundance. I was surprised to discover how supportive my Army Reserve unit was through this process. In fact, it became a bonding experience between my first sergeant and I, who said he was also seeking help. He told me it was the best decision he could have made.

I discovered there is no shame in admitting I was in trouble and needing help. In fact, I earned more respect from seeking treatment and facing my problems head on than I ever had while failing to be the non-commissioned officer (NCO) I wanted to be. Never once was I disciplined for my actions. Instead, my company asked what they could do to help and commended me for being open and honest about my experiences.



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DoDLive Bloggers Roundtable: Signs, Symptoms and Treatment of PTSD and TBI

Filed under Bloggers Roundtable by on May 20, 2010 at 10:02 am {3 comments}
Senior Executive Director, Psychological Health. Courtesy DoD photo.

Lt. Col. Christopher Robinson, senior executive, Psychological Health Defense Centers of Excellence for Psychological Health and Traumatic Brain Injury. Courtesy DoD photo.

We held a DODLive Bloggers Roundtable to discuss the signs, symptoms and treatment of psychological health concerns, such as PTSD, and traumatic brain injury, on Thursday, May 20 at 1:00 pm EDT.

Joining the call were Staff Sgt. Meg Krause, retired Cmdr. René A. Campos, and Lt. Col. Christopher Robinson, who will discuss the signs, symptoms and treatment of psychological health concerns, such as PTSD, and traumatic brain injury.

Staff Sgt. Meg Krause, U.S. Army Reserve, Real Warriors Campaign volunteer discussed her experience seeking care for PTSD after her deployment to Iraq and why the Real Warriors Campaign is an important part of breaking down the stigma associated with psychological health concerns.

Lt. Col. Christopher Robinson, senior executive for Psychological Health, Defense Centers of Excellence, is an Air Force clinical health psychologist who recently returned from a deployment to Afghanistan where he served as the Combat Stress Detachment Commander for RC-East.

And, retired Cmdr. René A. Campos, deputy director, Health Care Issues, Government Relations, Military Officers Association of America discussed what officers can do to promote the processes of building resilience, facilitating recovery and supporting reintegration of returning servicemembers, veterans and their families.

To listen to the interview, click here.

To read the transcript from this interview, click here.

To read the Defense.gov article, click here.

Joining us on the call were Shelle Michaels, Soliders Angels.org; Phyllis Zimbler Miller, Mrs Leutenant.blogspot.com; CJ Grisham, Soldiers Perspective; Megan McCloskey, Stars and Stripes; Dale Kissinger, MilitaryAvenue.com; and Proud Liberal Army Wife.

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