DoDLive | Tag Archive | walter reed army medical center

Do You Have What It Takes To Stay?

Filed under DoD News by glenn.selby on March 5, 2010 at 3:40 pm {no comments}

Bryan Doerries, Founder, "Theater of War", speaks before the event on Jan. 12, 2010 at Walter Reed Army Medical Center. DoD photo by U.S. Navy Petty Officer 3rd Class William Selby

By Terese Schlachter
Pentagon Channel Producer

Bryan Doerries knows about staying. He has studied staying. He is a student of staying. Bryan Doerries is a stayer.

Doerries is the guy who created “Theater of War”, a troupe which performs plays by Sophocles for military audiences. Sophocles, among other things, was a General, in a war that had been raging around Athens for 80 years. It was a war that engaged every citizen as a soldier. Sometimes they “deployed” for several years at a time. Sophocles knew about staying.

Doerries brought Sophocles’ “Philoctetes” to an audience of caretakers at Walter Reed Army Medical Center one day in January.

By way of background, I should explain that Philoctetes is a Greek warrior, who after an unfortunate encounter with a snake, is left with a debilitating infection, which causes him excruciating pain. And apparently, it smells bad. Thinking that all that wailing, thrashing and stench is tough on morale, his ships’ crew decides to dump him on an island, alone, and continue their mission without him. Nine years later, in pops one of the Gods, who tells the crew they are going to need Philoctetes’ magical bow to win the war. Not particularly willing to face their former comrade, the crew sends a young cadet named Neoptolemus to snag it. But the kind Neoptolemus is overcome by Philoctetes’ suffering and, rather than steal the bow, sits tight until the wounded warrior is well enough to move, then rescues him.

Neoptolemus knew about staying.

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New Prosthesis Provides Walter Reed Patients with ‘A Lot of Hope’

Filed under DoD News by glenn.selby on December 11, 2009 at 11:39 am {no comments}

Army Staff Sgt. Alfredo De los santos walks down a flight of steps while showing off one of the latest X2 microprocessor knee prosthetics at the Military Advanced Training Center at Walter Reed Army Medical Center on Dec. 8, 2009. DoD photo by U.S. Navy Petty Officer 3rd Class William Selby.

Staff Sgt. Alfredo De los santos walks down a flight of steps while showing off one of the latest X2 microprocessor knee prosthetics at the Military Advanced Training Center at Walter Reed Army Medical Center on Dec. 8, 2009. DoD photo by U.S. Navy Petty Officer 3rd Class William Selby.

By U.S. Navy Petty Officer William Selby

Recently, I had the opportunity to go to a demonstration at Walter Reed Army Medical Center to see firsthand wounded warriors use the next generation in leg prosthetics called the X2 microprocessor knee.

The two wounded warriors wearing the prosthetic were above the knee amputees who had both used other prosthetics before using the X2 and had both complained of knee and hip joint pain in their intact legs. After switching to the X2, both said they were almost immediately relived of the pain because they could trust their new leg when placing weight on it.

But that’s just the tip of the iceberg.

The new prosthetic allows these men to do all their normal activities, including running, without switching legs.

“Ever since I got this leg it’s been heaven. I went to Busch gardens. I walked all day long. I only take it off when I go to sleep at night,” said Staff Sgt. Alfredo De los santos.

Staff Sgt. Alfredo De los santos displays what the X2 microprocessor knee prosthetic can do by stepping over a weight bench at the Military Advanced Training Center at Walter Reed Army Medical Center on Dec. 8, 2009. DoD photo by U.S. Navy Petty Officer 3rd Class William Selby.

De los santos explained that he likes to be very active, so he really appreciates the new prosthesis.

“He is so much happier, he tells us this at least 20 times a day,” said Adele Levine, a physical therapist at the center. He’s always concerned about the future and his condition in 20 years; this gives him a lot of hope.”

To read a related story, click here.

Video Blog: G.I. Joe Sneak Preview at Andrews AFB

Filed under Emerging Media by Administrator on August 6, 2009 at 2:01 pm {4 comments}

Though “G.I. Joe: The Rise of the Cobra” opens in theaters nationwide tomorrow, some members of the military have been buzzing about it for more than a week.

When the cast of the new movie arrived, riding in the gunner’s stations on Humvees, at Andrews Air Force Base in Maryland, hundreds of service members and their families were lined up at the small movie theater on base to see them. Channing Tatum, Marlon Wayans, Sienna Miller and Rachel Nichols met wounded warriors from nearby Walter Reed Army Medical Center at the special showing, days before the press could preview the movie.

The stars, easily in the same age group as most of the wounded troops, spent time chatting with each of the visitors from Walter Reed. Being face-to-face with the men and women of the military, they all said in one way or another, was humbling.

“We’re not out there on that front line,” Wayans said. “I see that and say, ‘Those brothers need a raise.’ Those are the real American heroes.”

Watch the video blog on YouTube by clicking here

Traumatic brain injury most common injury, says VA official

Filed under Bloggers Roundtable, DoD News by Administrator on July 20, 2009 at 1:47 pm {no comments}

By Navy Lt. Jennifer Cragg

More than half of U.S. servicemembers seriously injured in Iraq or Afghanistan and admitted to Walter Reed Army Medical Center here suffer from traumatic brain injury, according to Defense Veterans Brain Injury Center officials.

“The most common injury that we see is, of course, traumatic brain injury,” said Dr. Lucille Beck, chief consultant for rehabilitation services for the Veterans Affairs Department, in a July 16 “Dot Mil Docs” interview on Pentagon Web Radio. “We have statistics from the Army and the Defense Veterans Brain Injury Center, and they are reporting about 52 percent of patients who are exposed to blast injuries and are admitted to Walter Reed Army Medical Center have a brain injury.”

Read the article on DefenseLINK
Listen to the Web cast on DotMilDocs