Veterans in Crisis: Treating the Unique Needs of Those Who Served

A NEW BOOK ON THE HISTORY OF PTSD FROM ANCIENT TIMES TO THE PRESENT

Veterans in Crisis offers knowledge and hope for millions of veterans, and for others who suffer from the debilitating impact of trauma and PTSD. They show the effects that war has had on soldiers from the beginning of time, well before the Bible—even before the written word—and all the way through the wars of the 20th and 21st centuries: including the ongoing Ukraine and Gaza wars, and the potential for nuclear war in our time.

The authors are printing their book to be given away free to veterans in military and VA hospitals, jails, and prisons throughout the United States. To support their work, Lansing and Quist have formed an IRS-approved Minnesota nonprofit corporation, Veterans Empowered, Inc., with the following mission: "To inform, counsel, assist, and convey educational information to U.S. veterans and others who suffer from traumatic stress and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)."

Though much has been published on PTSD, much of it is clinical and technical. Veterans in Crisis is unique in its approach and scope because the book is written in the language of young soldiers with PTSD, many high school dropouts with just a GED certificate. The book is organized in three parts with dozens of illustrations and an uncomplicated presentation that tells of the devastating effects of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) today and over hundreds of centuries of time.

• Part I – What is PTSD?
• Part II – History of PTSD from Ancient Times to the Present
• Part III – Joe’s Story, an analysis of trauma in Quist’s earlier book: God’s Angry Man: The Incredible Journey of Private Joe Haan

The book is designed for the typical young teenage GI who was drafted or volunteered to serve in Vietnam or Iraq/Afghanistan and returned home with distressing and perplexing invisible wounds. The book also pays tribute to Lake City’s Tony Hebert who was killed in action serving his country during the 2007 “Surge” in Iraq under General David Petraeus.

Veterans Empowered, Inc.
An IRS-approved nonprofit
www.vetsempowered.org

The “Doc” - Steve Lansing, PhD, LICSW • Vietnam veteran in country 1968–1970, active duty U.S. Air Force 1966-1972. • Licensed therapist specializing in trauma and PTSD with a focus on veterans and other victims of severe trauma. • Mental health specialist, Minnesota Veteran’s Treatment Court. • In long-term recovery. • Founder of dual recovery program – EmPower CTC, Rochester, Minnesota • President, Veterans Empowered, Inc., Rochester, Minnesota Steve Lansing, PhD, LICSW, is a Licensed Mental Health Professional, in Rochester, MN, with over 50 years of clinical experience. As a former Air Force Intelligence Analyst who spent two years from 1968-1970 in the Republic of Vietnam, Dr. Lansing has a passion for working with veterans and other individuals with trauma. Steve in his interest in PTSD and complex trauma has completed extensive training in evidence-based trauma treatment and more specifically cognitive therapy. He was trained and is certified as an approved provider by the architects of Cognitive Processing Therapy with over 50 hours of clinical training and ongoing education and clinical work with dozens of individuals suffering from complex trauma. In his work with veterans, Steve is the mental health specialist for the 3rd Judicial District Veterans Treatment Court as well as consulting with several veterans' organizations and involvement in a local PTSD support group. Recently he and his wife Ann were also certified in Cognitive Behavior Conjoint Therapy a process of working with intimate relationships where one of the parties suffers from PTSD. Steve has advanced degrees in psychology, social work, and pastoral counseling with additional training in crisis and trauma treatment. He is also a member of the SE Minnesota Mental Health Crisis Team.

“The Colonel” - B. Wayne Quist, Colonel USAF Retired, corporal USMCR • Vietnam veteran in country 1964–1968, Middle East 1968–1989. • Advanced degrees in management, history, international relations and psychology. • Published author on war trauma, history, and international relations. • In long-term recovery. • Secretary/Treasurer, Veterans Empowered, Inc., Rochester, Minnesota. B. Wayne Quist is the author of publications in the fields of national security, political science, and history, and spoke at the 2004 Nobel Peace Prize Forum. After 9/11, he was a popular speaker on the ideology of al Qaeda and ISIS, writing and co-authoring several books and articles. He has a B.A. from St. Olaf College in Northfield, MN, where he grew up, and advanced degrees from University of Southern California and The National War College in Washington, D.C. Wayne served as a private and corporal in the Marine Corps Reserve and entered the Air Force after graduation from St. Olaf. He retired as a full Colonel with 3,500 flying hours, serving in Vietnam, Europe, Middle East, and The Pentagon in Washington, D.C. His Middle East experience began in 1968 and he led a U.S. AWACS deployment into Saudi Arabia following the fall of the Shah of Iran. Over the years he has met with numerous heads of state and senior leaders in the region. After retiring from the Air Force, Wayne lived in Europe and the Middle East heading operations for a Fortune 500 company. Returning to the U.S., Wayne became a partner in an investment banking firm specializing in the sale and recapitalization of privately held companies. He serves on the boards of the Christdala Preservation Association; Kierkegaard House Foundation; Center for Democracy and Human Rights in Saudi Arabia (CDHR) in Washington, DC; Lake City Historical Society and Heritage Preservation Commission; he was the 2003 recipient of the Northfield High School Distinguished Alumni Award.