Marine Corps 240th Birthday
Marine Corps Times
November 9, 2015
This story is provided and presented by our sponsor Pioneer Services, the military division of MidCountry Bank, which has provided financial services to the men and women of the Armed Forces for nearly 30 years. For more information, visit PioneerServices.com.
Tuesday, November 10, marks the 240th birthday of the United States Marine Corps. Its roots date all the way back to 1775 when it was established as the Continental Marines. The Second Continental Congress first commissioned Marines to man two vessels in the Continental Navy. Their original purpose was to provide on-board security forces and to protect the Captain and his officers.
Soon after, they would be used to conduct amphibious combat missions and raids during the American Revolution. One of their first missions was to raid a British armory in the Bahamas just months after the first two battalions were created.
In the air, on land, and at sea, a Marine must be equipped and ready to fight wherever duty calls. With Veterans Day just around the corner, we should all be sure to thank the Marines in our lives for the sacrifices they’ve made to protect our freedom and security, “from the Halls of Montezuma to the Shores of Tripoli.”
To commemorate its birthday on Tuesday, we’ve put together five facts you might not have known about the USMC.
The First Marines Were Recruited in a Tavern
The first commissioned officer of the Continental Marines was a man named Samuel Nicholas. He was part of a well-known Quaker family from Philadelphia, and was nicknamed “the Fightin’ Quaker.” He was appointed the 1st Commandant in 1775 and took charge in recruiting locals to fight for America’s independence from the British.
And where did he turn in his recruitment efforts? To local taverns of course! One of his first recruits was Robert Mullan, the manager of Tun Tavern in Philadelphia. Nicholas appointed him as the Chief Marine Recruiter and he would use the allure of cold beer and camaraderie to recruit new Marines. This is why the Tun Tavern is officially acknowledged as the birthplace of the Marine Corps.
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Showing posts with label Philadelphia. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Philadelphia. Show all posts
Tuesday, November 10, 2015
Monday, September 28, 2015
Philadelphia VA Executives Abused Positions For Financial Gain
Report: Senior VA executives abused positions for financial gain
Stars and Stripes
By Heath Druzin
Published: September 28, 2015
WASHINGTON — A senior Department of Veterans Affairs manager hired to clean up a beleaguered regional office in Philadelphia misused her position to create the very vacancy she volunteered for as part of a wider scheme by VA officials to give stealth raises to executives, according to a VA Office of Inspector General report.
Rubens and Graves retained their salaries, $181,497 and $173,949, respectively, despite taking new positions with fewer responsibilities at lower rungs on the federal pay scale. Together they received about $400,000 in moving expenses.
read more here
Stars and Stripes
By Heath Druzin
Published: September 28, 2015
WASHINGTON — A senior Department of Veterans Affairs manager hired to clean up a beleaguered regional office in Philadelphia misused her position to create the very vacancy she volunteered for as part of a wider scheme by VA officials to give stealth raises to executives, according to a VA Office of Inspector General report.
 |
Diana Rubens, director of the
Department of Veterans Affairs'
Philadelphia regional office,
is sworn in at a House hearing
in April, 2015.
JOE GROMELSKI/STARS AND STRIPES
|
The Office of Inspector General had been investigating Philadelphia VA Regional Office Director Diana Rubens since March, after it became known that she had received nearly $300,000 in compensation to move about 140 miles from Washington to Philadelphia. While the Inspector General’s office concluded that her moving expenses were allowable, it found she and one other executive had manipulated the VA hiring system to both create vacancies they sought for financial gain in an era of government pay freezes.The Inspector General has made a criminal referral to the District of Columbia U.S. Attorney’s Office for actions by Rubens and St. Paul (Minn.) Director Kimberly Graves, who is accused of a similar scheme to become director of the St. Paul Veterans Affairs Regional Office. No charges have been filed.
Rubens and Graves retained their salaries, $181,497 and $173,949, respectively, despite taking new positions with fewer responsibilities at lower rungs on the federal pay scale. Together they received about $400,000 in moving expenses.
read more here
Sunday, August 2, 2015
Emergency Responders More Susceptible to PTSD
From 2008 to 2010 I took just about every training offered on Crisis Intervention available in Florida. I was certified as a Chaplain in 2008 by the IFOC. I focused on taking care of first responders since they were like most of the veterans I had experience with. Then it was more training including Disaster and Extreme Event Preparedness.
When I read this and the numbers, I remembered the training and what we knew back then. So why wasn't this training pushed for every group of first responders so they could find the support they needed in time to save their lives?
Israel reported that 9 out of 10 firemen suffer from symptoms of psychological trauma, according to an expert who spoke before a session of the Knesset Labor, Social Welfare and Health Committee
Canada lost 23 firefighters to suicide in the first part of 2014
" Beyond The Call " Full Length PTSD Training Documentary
London Professional Fire Fighters Association
UPDATE from Australia
Vets, paramedics among jobs with highest suicide rates
SUNDAY HERALD SUN
PETER MICKELBUROUGH FOI EDITOR
AUGUST 02, 2015
VETERINARIANS, paramedics, security guards, truck drivers and engineers share some of the state’s deadliest jobs a new report has found.
When I read this and the numbers, I remembered the training and what we knew back then. So why wasn't this training pushed for every group of first responders so they could find the support they needed in time to save their lives?
Fire Fighter Quarterly: Bringing PTSD Out of the Shadows
(The following article appeared in the Winter 2015 edition of the IAFF Fire Fighter Quarterly)
In just an 18-month period from 2008-09, Chicago Local 2 lost seven members to suicide. In 2010, four members of Phoenix, AZ Local 493 took their own lives.
Philadelphia, PA Local 22 has lost at least one member to suicide every year over the past five years. While each situation was different, Local 22 President Joe Schulle believes that work policies played a role.
A 20-year veteran firefighter at an urban fire department, John Smith had responded to every kind of imaginable — and unimaginable — emergency incident over the course of his career.
As a fire fighter, Smith sees people on their worst days, and the incidents he responds to on a daily basis can be truly horrific.
But it wasn’t until he saw a brother fall through the floor of a burning home to his death that the trauma stayed with him, and it seemed it would never get out of his mind. At the most unexpected times, he would relive the tragedy or hear his brother call for help. Every call became a stressful experience, even the most routine.
Smith thought he just needed time to recover, but the anxiety only escalated. Even stepping foot in the firehouse or completing routine tasks became daunting.
But he never told anyone about what he was experiencing. One day, a crew mate took him aside and said, “I think I know what you’re going through, and I think I can help.”
While this is a fictional account, it depicts an all-too-common behavioral health issue in the fire service.
Emergency responders are more susceptible to Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) because of the nature of the profession, coupled with the personal demands and challenges fire fighters and paramedics face.
“IAFF members respond to any number of incredible events, many of them tragic,” says General President Harold Schaitberger. “PTSD is a terrible condition that affects fire fighters and paramedics at double the rate of the general population, and we need a better way to deal with it.”
“People with PTSD are six times more likely to attempt suicide compared to demographically matched controls,” says Dr. Suzy Gulliver, who has participated in a number of studies on PTSD, and currently is founding director and chief of the Warriors Research Institute (WRI), which engages in multidisciplinary studies on the traumatic stress experienced by both soldiers and first responders.Unfortunately, in many departments, even if the stigma is reduced, there are no programs in place for addressing behavioral health issues. Others may offer employee assistance programs (EAPs) but these are simply a referral line to community services.
“We need to do a better job of recognizing the signs and symptoms and providing the tools to help address it,” says Schaitberger. “Behavioral health services need to be embedded in all fire departments.”
read more here
Israel reported that 9 out of 10 firemen suffer from symptoms of psychological trauma, according to an expert who spoke before a session of the Knesset Labor, Social Welfare and Health Committee
Canada lost 23 firefighters to suicide in the first part of 2014
" Beyond The Call " Full Length PTSD Training Documentary
London Professional Fire Fighters Association
UPDATE from Australia
Vets, paramedics among jobs with highest suicide rates
SUNDAY HERALD SUN
PETER MICKELBUROUGH FOI EDITOR
AUGUST 02, 2015
VETERINARIANS, paramedics, security guards, truck drivers and engineers share some of the state’s deadliest jobs a new report has found.
One of the starkest contrasts is among emergency workers, with Victoria’s paramedics having an average annual suicide rate of 35.6 per 100,000 workers - more than three-and-a-half times higher than police (10 per 100,000), and fire fighters and other emergency workers (10.5).
Only vets recorded a higher suicide rate at 38.2 per 100,000. And in findings that will surprise many, hairdressers (11.2), real estate agents (13.4) and engineers (21) were all found to have higher rates of suicide than police, fire fighters and other non-paramedic emergency workers.
Security guards (34.6) and truck drivers (23.3) are also professions that appear to need greater support.
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Wednesday, July 29, 2015
VA Doctor Regrets Facebook Comment "Off Yourself Please"
A VA doctor regrets leaving a comment but while we've all said things we regret but writing something leaves plenty of time to think before you type it.
30 years and working on suicide prevention but didn't take time to think about what he was typing?
VA Doctor Regrets Facebook Post Telling Gun Advocate to 'Off' Himself
Associated Press
by MaryClaire Dale
Jul 29, 2015
PHILADELPHIA — A Department of Veterans Affairs psychiatrist said Tuesday he regrets a Facebook post suggesting that a gun-rights supporter "off" himself.
Dr. Gregg Gorton said his comment was meant to be sarcastic but he'd love to take it back nonetheless.
"It's just one of those moments you'd rather take back in your life," Gorton told The Associated Press. "I've worked 30 years to treat psychiatric patients. I teach about suicide prevention. ... That's not me."
The Veterans Affairs Medical Center in Philadelphia is reviewing his job status, Gorton said. He has worked for the agency for 11 years. The hospital has apologized to veterans and called the post "unacceptable."
Gorton's comments follow a story in The Washington Times.
Gorton was responding to a post that came through his Facebook page by an apparent gun-rights supporter, according to images posted to the website Imgur and described by the newspaper.
"I am all for gun control," the user wrote. "If there is a gun in the room, I want to be in control of it."
Gorton replied: "Off yourself, please."
read more here
30 years and working on suicide prevention but didn't take time to think about what he was typing?
Tuesday, April 28, 2015
Philadelphia Veterans Get Massive Awareness Resource
Connecting the dots for veterans
Philly.com
DON SAPATKIN, INQUIRER STAFF WRITER
LAST UPDATED: Tuesday, April 28, 2015
Just four days after coming home to Northeast Philadelphia from Iraq in 2003, Tim Wynn got into a bar fight. The Marine was arrested for the first time in his life.
That wasn't even the worst of it.
"I can remember, my mother and my girlfriend at the time, now my wife, they didn't know what to do," he said. It took five years and six more arrests before he began court-ordered treatment for the PTSD that he didn't know he had.
His homecoming might have been easier if he could have had access to a new website for Philadelphia-area veterans that went live Monday.
It has 200,000 pages of searchable local resources - legal clinics, housing, job openings specifically for veterans - and tens of thousands more about medical conditions, insurance, and veterans organizations.
There are 30,000 pages on assistive devices alone. A diagram of a human lets you click on body parts to begin seeking information about what might be wrong. A keyword search for bills in Harrisburg - "disability" finds 25 bills - allows you to e-mail legislators involved in the effort.
The site is the first local version of www.networkofcare.org for veterans in Pennsylvania and New Jersey. Philadelphia hosts sibling sites for inmates released from prison; every Pennsylvania county has one for people with mental health questions.
They were built by Trilogy Integrated Resources L.L.C., a San Rafael, Calif., company that began the local-links concept in its home state more than a decade ago. The early adopters spent millions of dollars developing the sites, Bruce Bronzan, president of Trilogy, said at a City Hall news conference, at which he demonstrated the veterans' website Monday. The local host, the Philadelphia Department of Behavioral Health and Intellectual Disabilty Services, paid a $10,000 setup fee; maintenance costs were waived.
Even caseworkers would not otherwise have access to many of the links on the site, Bronzan said. Veterans don't know that many of the services are out there.
"How does somebody find things when they don't even know that they exist to look for?" Bronzan said.
read more here
Philly.com
DON SAPATKIN, INQUIRER STAFF WRITER
LAST UPDATED: Tuesday, April 28, 2015
Tim Wynn came home from Iraq in 2003, suffering from what he now knows was PTSD. Wynn pictured at the 9/11 Memorial in New York.
Just four days after coming home to Northeast Philadelphia from Iraq in 2003, Tim Wynn got into a bar fight. The Marine was arrested for the first time in his life.
That wasn't even the worst of it.
"I can remember, my mother and my girlfriend at the time, now my wife, they didn't know what to do," he said. It took five years and six more arrests before he began court-ordered treatment for the PTSD that he didn't know he had.
His homecoming might have been easier if he could have had access to a new website for Philadelphia-area veterans that went live Monday.
It has 200,000 pages of searchable local resources - legal clinics, housing, job openings specifically for veterans - and tens of thousands more about medical conditions, insurance, and veterans organizations.
There are 30,000 pages on assistive devices alone. A diagram of a human lets you click on body parts to begin seeking information about what might be wrong. A keyword search for bills in Harrisburg - "disability" finds 25 bills - allows you to e-mail legislators involved in the effort.
The site is the first local version of www.networkofcare.org for veterans in Pennsylvania and New Jersey. Philadelphia hosts sibling sites for inmates released from prison; every Pennsylvania county has one for people with mental health questions.
They were built by Trilogy Integrated Resources L.L.C., a San Rafael, Calif., company that began the local-links concept in its home state more than a decade ago. The early adopters spent millions of dollars developing the sites, Bruce Bronzan, president of Trilogy, said at a City Hall news conference, at which he demonstrated the veterans' website Monday. The local host, the Philadelphia Department of Behavioral Health and Intellectual Disabilty Services, paid a $10,000 setup fee; maintenance costs were waived.
Even caseworkers would not otherwise have access to many of the links on the site, Bronzan said. Veterans don't know that many of the services are out there.
"How does somebody find things when they don't even know that they exist to look for?" Bronzan said.
read more here
Monday, April 27, 2015
Thugs Kidnapped Korean War Veteran Couple
POLICE: 2 ARRESTED IN KIDNAPPING OF VETERAN, GIRLFRIEND
ABC 6 News
Saturday, April 25, 2015
SOUTHWEST PHILADELPHIA (WPVI) -- Authorities say two people have been arrested in the kidnapping case of an 86-year-old veteran and his girlfriend in Southwest Philadelphia.
25-year-old Damon Cornish of the 5900 block of 21st Street and 23-year-old Vashti Williams of the 500 block of South 56th Street were taken into custody.
Cornish has been charged with theft and unauthorized use of an auto. Williams is charged with robbery, criminal conspiracy, kidnapping and related offenses.
More arrests are expected.
Authorities say three women kidnapped the veteran and his girlfriend in Southwest Philadelphia then opened a bank account and rented cars in the victim's name.
55-year-old Priscilla Jones doesn't know the trio of women who had a small child with them.
The suspects allegedly abducted her and her 86-year-old boyfriend George Saunders.
Saunders is a Korean War veteran with a double knee replacement.
Both victims use canes and walkers and are new to their Southwest Philadelphia neighborhood.
read more here
ABC 6 News
Saturday, April 25, 2015
SOUTHWEST PHILADELPHIA (WPVI) -- Authorities say two people have been arrested in the kidnapping case of an 86-year-old veteran and his girlfriend in Southwest Philadelphia.
25-year-old Damon Cornish of the 5900 block of 21st Street and 23-year-old Vashti Williams of the 500 block of South 56th Street were taken into custody.
Cornish has been charged with theft and unauthorized use of an auto. Williams is charged with robbery, criminal conspiracy, kidnapping and related offenses.
More arrests are expected.
Authorities say three women kidnapped the veteran and his girlfriend in Southwest Philadelphia then opened a bank account and rented cars in the victim's name.
55-year-old Priscilla Jones doesn't know the trio of women who had a small child with them.
The suspects allegedly abducted her and her 86-year-old boyfriend George Saunders.
Saunders is a Korean War veteran with a double knee replacement.
Both victims use canes and walkers and are new to their Southwest Philadelphia neighborhood.
read more here
Saturday, April 18, 2015
Veteran to Homeless to Blindness to Powerlifter
Blind veteran power lifts to world games
Courier-Post
Carly Q. Romalino
April 16, 2015
He moves through the Fairmount Park Carriage House's gym, avoiding collisions with machines, chairs and stacks of weights. At 5-foot-9 and 208 pounds, King seems invincible.
After everything the formerly homeless veteran has endured in 20 years, he just might be. He may be on track to compete in the International Blind Sports Association's World Games in South Korea next month, but he'll still tell you he's a "dead man."
He lived on the streets, lost his daughter in 2000 and battles addiction, prostate cancer, arthritis and diabetes. "Everybody has to be passionate about something in life to keep them going," said Logan Township resident GW Stilwell, coordinator of the blind rehabilitation staff at Philadelphia VA Medical Center.
It took 64 years and lots of support from Stilwell and the VA, but King finally found his passion — power lifting.
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Courier-Post
Carly Q. Romalino
April 16, 2015
"I've been blind for 25 years. Just in the last 12 years or so I've come to understand what blindness is as far as being able to navigate and accept it," said King, a post-Vietnam war veteran honorably discharged from the Army for health reasons.
Powerlifter Charles King, a blind and formerly homeless veteran, works out at the Carousel House in Philadelphia as GW Stilwell, a Logan Township man and VA Hospital employee who helped King get back on his feet, looks on. King is trying to fundraise his way to the International Blind Sports Association's World Games in South Korea in May. (Photo: JOHN ZIOMEK/COURIER-POST)PHILADELPHIA – As Charles King adds weight to the bench press bar, it's easy to forget the Philadelphia man is blind. He lifts the 250-pound bar over his head, then holds a perfect squat position.
He moves through the Fairmount Park Carriage House's gym, avoiding collisions with machines, chairs and stacks of weights. At 5-foot-9 and 208 pounds, King seems invincible.
After everything the formerly homeless veteran has endured in 20 years, he just might be. He may be on track to compete in the International Blind Sports Association's World Games in South Korea next month, but he'll still tell you he's a "dead man."
He lived on the streets, lost his daughter in 2000 and battles addiction, prostate cancer, arthritis and diabetes. "Everybody has to be passionate about something in life to keep them going," said Logan Township resident GW Stilwell, coordinator of the blind rehabilitation staff at Philadelphia VA Medical Center.
It took 64 years and lots of support from Stilwell and the VA, but King finally found his passion — power lifting.
read more here
Sunday, December 21, 2014
VA Hospital in Philadelphia Being Renamed for Vietnam MOH Michael Crescenz
VA Hospital In Philadelphia To Be Renamed In Honor Of Vietnam War Veteran
CBS Philly
Kim Glovas
December 20, 2014
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) — Philadelphia’s Veterans Administration Hospital is getting a new name, after a bill was signed by President Obama earlier this week.
The bill means the VA hospital in West Philadelphia will be renamed in memory of Michael Crescenz, who lived in West Oak Lane and served in the Vietnam War.
Terry Williamson, president of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund, says, “All of the veterans in the region are extremely excited about this. Michael was the only Medal of Honor recipient from Philadelphia for his actions in 1968 when he assaulted multiple machine gun nests.”
read more here
Bill would rename VA hospital for Philadelphia's only Medal of Honor recipient from the Vietnam War
Philly.com
By Robert Moran, Inquirer Staff Writer
POSTED: February 06, 2013
Joseph Crescenz called it "humbling."
Pennsylvania's two U.S. senators, Pat Toomey and Bob Casey, introduced a bill Monday to have the Philadelphia Veterans Affairs Medical Center renamed after Michael J. Crescenz, the city's only Medal of Honor recipient from the Vietnam War.
Joseph Crescenz was 12 when his brother Michael, 19, was killed while single-handedly taking out enemy machine-gun bunkers on Nov. 20, 1968, in South Vietnam.
U.S. Rep. Chaka Fattah (D., Pa.) also introduced a bill Monday to change the facility's name to the Cpl. Michael J. Crescenz Department of Veterans Affairs Medical Center.
"It's still a little surreal that it's happening," said Joseph Crescenz, now 56 and living in East Fallowfield Township.
read more here
CBS Philly
Kim Glovas
December 20, 2014
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) — Philadelphia’s Veterans Administration Hospital is getting a new name, after a bill was signed by President Obama earlier this week.
The bill means the VA hospital in West Philadelphia will be renamed in memory of Michael Crescenz, who lived in West Oak Lane and served in the Vietnam War.
Terry Williamson, president of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund, says, “All of the veterans in the region are extremely excited about this. Michael was the only Medal of Honor recipient from Philadelphia for his actions in 1968 when he assaulted multiple machine gun nests.”
read more here
Bill would rename VA hospital for Philadelphia's only Medal of Honor recipient from the Vietnam War
Philly.com
By Robert Moran, Inquirer Staff Writer
POSTED: February 06, 2013
Pennsylvania's two U.S. senators, Pat Toomey and Bob Casey, introduced a bill Monday to have the Philadelphia Veterans Affairs Medical Center renamed after Michael J. Crescenz, the city's only Medal of Honor recipient from the Vietnam War.
Joseph Crescenz was 12 when his brother Michael, 19, was killed while single-handedly taking out enemy machine-gun bunkers on Nov. 20, 1968, in South Vietnam.
U.S. Rep. Chaka Fattah (D., Pa.) also introduced a bill Monday to change the facility's name to the Cpl. Michael J. Crescenz Department of Veterans Affairs Medical Center.
"It's still a little surreal that it's happening," said Joseph Crescenz, now 56 and living in East Fallowfield Township.
read more here
Sunday, November 16, 2014
True heroes - tested in war - gather at a diner
I hate to do this to this great article but there is something that just does not seem right about it. All my life I've been around veterans and heard hundreds of stories. Whenever they guess at how many lives were lost or how many were wounded, it was never about their own unit. In this case a veteran guessed at how many lives his unit lost as well as how many were wounded while he was with them.
Every other story I've heard showed they remembered. They remembered how many died as well as how many were wounded. They remembered their names as much as they remembered their faces and what happened to them. Is this a case of "fog of war" or something else?
Every other story I've heard showed they remembered. They remembered how many died as well as how many were wounded. They remembered their names as much as they remembered their faces and what happened to them. Is this a case of "fog of war" or something else?
True heroes - tested in war - gather at a diner
Philly.com
Natalie Pompilio
November 16, 2014
"I think hero is a word used too loosely today. To me, heroes are those who act even though they know the risks. They're hard to find. Yet on Tuesday, I was lucky enough to be in a room filled with them."
We were talking about Vietnam. He was a squad leader, Second Battalion, First Marines. The company became separated on patrol.
"The overgrowth of trees in the mountain area there, you would be going down into a riverbed, trying to go from point A to point B, and at 12 o'clock in the afternoon, it would be like 7 o'clock at night," Alex DiGiacomo told me, looking away at something I could not see. "We got ambushed there one night."
Then he paused. He was silent for 13 seconds. I know because I recorded the conversation, and I later watched the timer count down. Thirteen seconds is a long time when you're watching someone in pain. DiGiacomo sat across from me, his lips twisting and his eyes filling with water.
"We lost . . . ," he started, then stopped, then started again. "We lost about five or six guys killed, four or five wounded. We lost the L.T. and the radio man and the other guys, killed and wounded. It took us all night to go 200 yards to hook up with the rest of our company."
He remembered how the weight of his friends' bodies felt as he and the other survivors carried and dragged them away. He remembered the smells. "Certain aftershave lotions, certain times of year, I go right back," said DiGiacomo, 68. "The images you live with when you're in combat . . . you never get over it."
read more here
Sunday, November 9, 2014
Teen and Neighbors Save Police Officer From Burning Car
Teen Saves Police Officer From Burning Car After Hit-and-Run Crash
NBC Philadelphia
By David Chang
November 9, 2014
A teen volunteer firefighter and his neighbor jumped into action Saturday after a Philadelphia Police officer's vehicle caught fire following a collision with a pickup truck.
Philadelphia Police Officer Mark Kimsey was traveling on 28th and Tasker streets around 5:25 p.m. Saturday when his police cruiser collided with a pickup truck. Kimsey was trapped inside as his vehicle burst into flames.
A passenger inside the pickup truck was also injured in the crash. The driver however fled the scene on foot and was last seen running on the 2800 block of Tasker streets, according to police.
NBC Philadelphia
By David Chang
November 9, 2014
A teen volunteer firefighter and his neighbor jumped into action Saturday after a Philadelphia Police officer's vehicle caught fire following a collision with a pickup truck.
Philadelphia Police Officer Mark Kimsey was traveling on 28th and Tasker streets around 5:25 p.m. Saturday when his police cruiser collided with a pickup truck. Kimsey was trapped inside as his vehicle burst into flames.
A passenger inside the pickup truck was also injured in the crash. The driver however fled the scene on foot and was last seen running on the 2800 block of Tasker streets, according to police.
As Kimsey remained trapped inside the vehicle while the flames grew, Joe Chambers, a 17-year-old volunteer firefighter and his neighbor jumped into action.
"I saw that it was a cop car," Chambers said. "Right then I just started sprinting and did what I had to do."
read more here
Tuesday, October 14, 2014
Vietnam Veteran's Leg Stolen at NFL Game People Chased Theif
VETERAN'S STOLEN PROSTHETIC LEG FOUND ON SUBWAY TRAIN
ABC 6 News
Monday, October 13, 2014
SOUTH PHILADELPHIA (WPVI) -- A stolen prosthetic leg, belonging to a well-known Philadelphia military veteran, has been found by SEPTA police on a subway train.
The victim is Sonny Forriest Jr., who is known for singing outside Eagles and Phillies games.
He says it was around 8:30 Sunday night in the parking lot of Lincoln Financial Field when a drunk woman in her 20's wearing Eagles gear ran up to him, jumped in his lap and broke his microphone.
She allegedly apologized and offered to pay for the microphone.
"She said, 'I will pay you for it.' I said, 'That's alright baby go ahead and have a good time,' and then she disappeared," said Forriest.
But, he says, the next thing he knew, she was cutting through cars with his prosthetic leg in hand.
read more here
ABC 6 News
Monday, October 13, 2014
SOUTH PHILADELPHIA (WPVI) -- A stolen prosthetic leg, belonging to a well-known Philadelphia military veteran, has been found by SEPTA police on a subway train.
The victim is Sonny Forriest Jr., who is known for singing outside Eagles and Phillies games.
He says it was around 8:30 Sunday night in the parking lot of Lincoln Financial Field when a drunk woman in her 20's wearing Eagles gear ran up to him, jumped in his lap and broke his microphone.
She allegedly apologized and offered to pay for the microphone.
"She said, 'I will pay you for it.' I said, 'That's alright baby go ahead and have a good time,' and then she disappeared," said Forriest.
But, he says, the next thing he knew, she was cutting through cars with his prosthetic leg in hand.
read more here
Sunday, August 31, 2014
Philly VA guide to dealing with "Grouchy" Veterans
VA Head Orders Review After Oscar the Grouch Gaffe
Philadelphia Inquirer
by Tricia L. Nadolny
Aug 29, 2014
The head of the Department of Veterans Affairs has ordered a system-wide review of its training programs after a guide comparing veterans to Oscar the Grouch was used at the Philadelphia VA benefits office.
Secretary Robert McDonald apologized for the slideshow training guide and said its use has been discontinued. Unlike Diana Rubens, the director of the Philadelphia office, McDonald did not defend the materials as comparing employees, rather than veterans, to the cranky Sesame Street character who lives in a trash can.
"We apologize for the use of Oscar the Grouch in the presentation used to train employees at the Philadelphia Regional Benefits Office," McDonald said in a statement.
He said the "comparison is clearly contrary" to the VA's mission and the "kind of open culture we want in the new VA."
The training guide, reported by The Inquirer on Wednesday, was titled "What to Say to Oscar the Grouch -- Dealing With Veterans During Town Hall Claims Clinics." About a dozen of the 18 slides include pictures of the misanthropic Muppet in the can he calls home. In one, a sign reading "CRANKY" hangs from the rim.
In another, Oscar's face is flanked by the words "100% GROUCHY, DEAL WITH IT."
read more here
VA Training for "Grouchy" Veterans Using Oscar the Grouch?
Philadelphia Inquirer
by Tricia L. Nadolny
Aug 29, 2014
The head of the Department of Veterans Affairs has ordered a system-wide review of its training programs after a guide comparing veterans to Oscar the Grouch was used at the Philadelphia VA benefits office.
Secretary Robert McDonald apologized for the slideshow training guide and said its use has been discontinued. Unlike Diana Rubens, the director of the Philadelphia office, McDonald did not defend the materials as comparing employees, rather than veterans, to the cranky Sesame Street character who lives in a trash can.
"We apologize for the use of Oscar the Grouch in the presentation used to train employees at the Philadelphia Regional Benefits Office," McDonald said in a statement.
He said the "comparison is clearly contrary" to the VA's mission and the "kind of open culture we want in the new VA."
The training guide, reported by The Inquirer on Wednesday, was titled "What to Say to Oscar the Grouch -- Dealing With Veterans During Town Hall Claims Clinics." About a dozen of the 18 slides include pictures of the misanthropic Muppet in the can he calls home. In one, a sign reading "CRANKY" hangs from the rim.
In another, Oscar's face is flanked by the words "100% GROUCHY, DEAL WITH IT."
read more here
VA Training for "Grouchy" Veterans Using Oscar the Grouch?
Sunday, May 25, 2014
New Jersey Firefighters Take a Walk for PTSD Veterans
Firefighters Walk for Vets with PTSD
NBC 10 News
By Alison Burdo
Sunday, May 25, 2014
Dozens of firefighters spent 12 hours walking from South Jersey to Philadelphia and back again to draw attention to veterans suffering from posttraumatic stress disorder.
Haddon Fire Company No. 1 Lt. Brian Poliafico led the 30-mile trek, which was part of the nationwide Carry the Fallen campaign, meant to increase awareness of vets and families dealing with PTSD, as well as veteran suicide.
An estimated 22 veterans commit suicide each day in the U.S., according to a report from the Department of Veterans Affairs.
read more here
NBC 10 News
By Alison Burdo
Sunday, May 25, 2014
Dozens of firefighters spent 12 hours walking from South Jersey to Philadelphia and back again to draw attention to veterans suffering from posttraumatic stress disorder.
Haddon Fire Company No. 1 Lt. Brian Poliafico led the 30-mile trek, which was part of the nationwide Carry the Fallen campaign, meant to increase awareness of vets and families dealing with PTSD, as well as veteran suicide.
An estimated 22 veterans commit suicide each day in the U.S., according to a report from the Department of Veterans Affairs.
read more here
Friday, October 4, 2013
Afghanistan veteran runs for charity, punched by villain
This Vet Was Punched In The Face While Running 3,600 Miles For Charity
Could Use Our Support
Huffington Post
Posted: 10/03/2013
Brendan O’Toole won’t let anything stop him from running 3,600 miles to raise funds for struggling veterans –- not even something as serious as a blow to the head he recently sustained.
After serving four years and two deployments in Afghanistan, O’Toole returned to the U.S. and his friend who served in Iraq committed suicide and O’Toole found the bureaucracy he faced at the VA unbearable. That’s when the former Marine decided to take matters into his own hands in order to get the services he, and thousands of other returning vets, need, NBC Philadelphia reported.
”The VA system is backed up right now, and instead of playing the blame game we decided to find services that can help our veterans,” O’Toole told CBS42.
read more here
Could Use Our Support
Huffington Post
Posted: 10/03/2013
Brendan O’Toole won’t let anything stop him from running 3,600 miles to raise funds for struggling veterans –- not even something as serious as a blow to the head he recently sustained.
”The VA system is backed up right now, and instead of playing the blame game we decided to find services that can help our veterans,” O’Toole told CBS42.
read more here
Sunday, September 22, 2013
Vietnam veterans remember actions of Medal of Honor Cpl. Michael Crescenz
Soldiers recall Vietnam firefight that led to posthumous MoH for Cpl.
The Philadelphia Inquirer via AP
By Robert Moran
Sep. 21, 2013
PHILADELPHIA — It was called a “fortress in the clouds.”
The 21st Regiment of the Second Division of the North Vietnamese Army had carved a stronghold into the steep slopes of Nui Chom, a mountain with rugged peaks covered by a towering jungle canopy that blocked the sky. There, the NVA had dug 250 machine-gun bunkers to defend a secret field hospital.
On Nov. 20, 1968, Michael J. Crescenz of Philadelphia walked into an ambush on Nui Chom. His squad was pinned down when he made a snap decision to grab an M60 machine gun and charge the bunkers. He took out three, killing six enemy soldiers who may have been dumbstruck in their last seconds to see a lone American running into their fusillade of bullets.
As he charged a fourth bunker, Crescenz, 19, was killed.
For his heroism, he was posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor. He is the only Philadelphian to receive the nation’s highest military commendation during the Vietnam War.
Only in recent years has Crescenz’s courageous feat begun to receive greater public notice. When his name comes up, however, only the basic details of his biography usually get cited: West Oak Lane boy with five brothers. Cardinal Dougherty High School graduate. Engaged when he died.
read more here
The Philadelphia Inquirer via AP
By Robert Moran
Sep. 21, 2013
PHILADELPHIA — It was called a “fortress in the clouds.”
The 21st Regiment of the Second Division of the North Vietnamese Army had carved a stronghold into the steep slopes of Nui Chom, a mountain with rugged peaks covered by a towering jungle canopy that blocked the sky. There, the NVA had dug 250 machine-gun bunkers to defend a secret field hospital.
On Nov. 20, 1968, Michael J. Crescenz of Philadelphia walked into an ambush on Nui Chom. His squad was pinned down when he made a snap decision to grab an M60 machine gun and charge the bunkers. He took out three, killing six enemy soldiers who may have been dumbstruck in their last seconds to see a lone American running into their fusillade of bullets.
As he charged a fourth bunker, Crescenz, 19, was killed.
For his heroism, he was posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor. He is the only Philadelphian to receive the nation’s highest military commendation during the Vietnam War.
Only in recent years has Crescenz’s courageous feat begun to receive greater public notice. When his name comes up, however, only the basic details of his biography usually get cited: West Oak Lane boy with five brothers. Cardinal Dougherty High School graduate. Engaged when he died.
read more here
Thursday, September 5, 2013
Iraq war veteran Emily Yates arrested on Friday captured on video
Sep 1, 2013
Iraq war veteran Emily Yates was arrested on Friday after a dispute with police about where she could stand while playing her banjo during a protest against U.S. military action in Syria. Video uploaded to Live Leak shows Yates asking Federal Parks Police why she could not stand in a shaded area of Independence Mall in Philadelphia.
After several minutes of discussion, two officers bent Yates over a park bench and handcuffed her. "We live in a police state," she shouts! "We live in a f*cking police state! They're damaging my body and my personal property! I went to war for this country! Stop manhandling me! Stop! Stop! Help! Help!"
By the time Yates is dragged from the park, at least eight officers are participating in the arrest.
A web page claiming to be the "Emily Yates Defense Fund" insisted that the activist "was not engaged in any illegal activity and was not told why she was being attacked."
"While she was busy playing a song, park rangers accosted her. When she demanded an explanation for their aggression, they pinned her onto a park bench and dragged her off to an undisclosed location," according to the website. "We are not being told where she is being held and she has not been allowed any communication with the outside world."
Watch this video from Live Leak, broadcast Aug. 31, 2013.
Iraq war veteran Emily Yates was arrested on Friday after a dispute with police about where she could stand while playing her banjo during a protest against U.S. military action in Syria. Video uploaded to Live Leak shows Yates asking Federal Parks Police why she could not stand in a shaded area of Independence Mall in Philadelphia.
After several minutes of discussion, two officers bent Yates over a park bench and handcuffed her. "We live in a police state," she shouts! "We live in a f*cking police state! They're damaging my body and my personal property! I went to war for this country! Stop manhandling me! Stop! Stop! Help! Help!"
By the time Yates is dragged from the park, at least eight officers are participating in the arrest.
A web page claiming to be the "Emily Yates Defense Fund" insisted that the activist "was not engaged in any illegal activity and was not told why she was being attacked."
"While she was busy playing a song, park rangers accosted her. When she demanded an explanation for their aggression, they pinned her onto a park bench and dragged her off to an undisclosed location," according to the website. "We are not being told where she is being held and she has not been allowed any communication with the outside world."
Watch this video from Live Leak, broadcast Aug. 31, 2013.
Monday, September 2, 2013
Special courts for veterans expanding across the US
Special courts for veterans expanding across US
The Associated Press
Published: September 2, 2013
PHILADELPHIA -- Former National Guardsman Paul Piscitelli is in Philadelphia Municipal Court to answer to drug and theft charges. Elijah Peters, who served in the Army in Afghanistan and Iraq, was arrested twice for assault.
Like all the defendants appearing before Judge Patrick Dugan on a recent Wednesday, Piscitelli and Peters are veterans who chose to have their cases handled in a special court established for those once in the military.
More than justice is meted out.
Before the judge takes the bench, a volunteer approaches the veterans one by one offering help with such things as resume-writing and job hunting. A second volunteer steers them to long-distance runs and fitness classes. A representative from a community college discusses the advantages of higher education.
There's also a worker from the local Veterans Affairs medical center who's checking to make sure defendants are getting doctor appointments, disability benefits, housing vouchers or any other benefit to which they're entitled.
"This is the touchy, feely, kissy, huggy court," explained Janet DiTomasso, who helps administer the Philadelphia court.
The veterans court operates under the philosophy that many of the defendants who have run into trouble with the law need treatment, not incarceration. Some courts only take misdemeanor cases. Some only handle veterans who received an honorable discharge.
read more here
The Associated Press
Published: September 2, 2013
PHILADELPHIA -- Former National Guardsman Paul Piscitelli is in Philadelphia Municipal Court to answer to drug and theft charges. Elijah Peters, who served in the Army in Afghanistan and Iraq, was arrested twice for assault.
Like all the defendants appearing before Judge Patrick Dugan on a recent Wednesday, Piscitelli and Peters are veterans who chose to have their cases handled in a special court established for those once in the military.
More than justice is meted out.
Before the judge takes the bench, a volunteer approaches the veterans one by one offering help with such things as resume-writing and job hunting. A second volunteer steers them to long-distance runs and fitness classes. A representative from a community college discusses the advantages of higher education.
There's also a worker from the local Veterans Affairs medical center who's checking to make sure defendants are getting doctor appointments, disability benefits, housing vouchers or any other benefit to which they're entitled.
"This is the touchy, feely, kissy, huggy court," explained Janet DiTomasso, who helps administer the Philadelphia court.
The veterans court operates under the philosophy that many of the defendants who have run into trouble with the law need treatment, not incarceration. Some courts only take misdemeanor cases. Some only handle veterans who received an honorable discharge.
read more here
Wednesday, July 10, 2013
Homeless veteran George Mohr died after being stabbed 70 times
Homeless veteran stabbed 70 times in Doylestown dies
The Morning Call
July 9, 2013
A homeless veteran stabbed 70 times in downtown Doylestown last week died from his injuries over the weekend while the 21-year-old man charged in the stabbing remains jailed in Baltimore.
George Mohr, 71, died in Temple University Hospital Saturday. He was found bleeding and unresponsive early Wednesday morning after taking a train from Philadelphia to Doylestown Tuesday night.
Bucks County prosecutors filed attempted homicide charges against Dale Wakefield, of Doylestown, after his sister turned him into police.
read more here
Man Celebrating Birthday Stabbed Homeless Veteran 70 Times
The Morning Call
July 9, 2013
A homeless veteran stabbed 70 times in downtown Doylestown last week died from his injuries over the weekend while the 21-year-old man charged in the stabbing remains jailed in Baltimore.
George Mohr, 71, died in Temple University Hospital Saturday. He was found bleeding and unresponsive early Wednesday morning after taking a train from Philadelphia to Doylestown Tuesday night.
Bucks County prosecutors filed attempted homicide charges against Dale Wakefield, of Doylestown, after his sister turned him into police.
read more here
Man Celebrating Birthday Stabbed Homeless Veteran 70 Times
Wednesday, June 5, 2013
Decorated Special Forces Soldier Dies Fighting in Afghanistan on 6th deployment
Decorated Vet Dies Fighting in Afghanistan
NBC News Philadelphia
By Dan Stamm and Randall Chase
Tuesday, Jun 4, 2013
A soldier from the region died while fighting the war in Afghanistan.
Army Warrant Officer Sean Mullen, 39 of Rehoboth Beach, Del. died Sunday in Ghur Ghuri while supporting Operation Enduring Freedom, according to a press release from the U.S. Army Special Operations Command.
Mullen, who was assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 5th Special Forces Group (Airborne) out of Fort Campbell, Ky. died from wounds he suffered during an improvised explosive device attack. He was in Afghanistan as an assistant detachment commander for a Special Forces Operational Detachment-Alpha (ODA), or A-team, according to the Army.
read more here
NBC News Philadelphia
By Dan Stamm and Randall Chase
Tuesday, Jun 4, 2013
A soldier from the region died while fighting the war in Afghanistan.
Army Warrant Officer Sean Mullen, 39 of Rehoboth Beach, Del. died Sunday in Ghur Ghuri while supporting Operation Enduring Freedom, according to a press release from the U.S. Army Special Operations Command.
Mullen, who was assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 5th Special Forces Group (Airborne) out of Fort Campbell, Ky. died from wounds he suffered during an improvised explosive device attack. He was in Afghanistan as an assistant detachment commander for a Special Forces Operational Detachment-Alpha (ODA), or A-team, according to the Army.
read more here
Monday, April 1, 2013
George Washington's wartime 'oval office' getting extreme makeover
George Washington's wartime 'oval office' getting remade
By JOANN LOVIGLIO
The Associated Press
Published: March 31, 2013
PHILADELPHIA — A large canvas tent that served as George Washington's home and command center during the Revolutionary War is being duplicated down to the finest stitch and will serve as an educational tool and ambassador for a new museum coming to Philadelphia's historic district.
The 22-foot-long, 15-foot-wide oval tent, also called a marquee, is being reproduced this summer as part of a new partnership between the planned Museum of the American Revolution and Virginia's Colonial Williamsburg.
While the original will be a centerpiece of the museum, slated to open in 2016, its sturdier new cousin being made in Virginia will be on tour ahead of the museum opening.
"We all know Mount Vernon, but this is a home of George Washington that most people don't even think about," said R. Scott Stephenson, director of collections for the Revolution Museum. The future first president stayed in the field with his troops through the war, living and working in the tent that was the nation's first "oval office" of sorts, he said.
Stephenson and Mark Hutter, Colonial Williamsburg's journeyman tailor supervisor, will pick up 160 yards of hand-loomed linen from a facility in Northern Ireland that was able to produce the fabric to 18th-century specifications. An additional 90 yards of linen making up the inner chambers of the tent are being handmade by weavers at Colonial Williamsburg.
Hutter's team will spend a few days in April at a secret location outside Philadelphia where the tent and some 3,000 other artifacts are being carefully stored and archived until the museum is built. The Williamsburg artisans will get up close and personal with Washington's marquee, examining its seams, grommets, eyelets and thousands of stitches while perfecting their techniques for re-creating the 225-year-old artifact.
read more here
"The willingness with which our young people are likely to serve in any war, no matter how justified, shall be directly proportional to how they perceive the Veterans of earlier wars were treated and appreciated by their nation."
George Washington
By JOANN LOVIGLIO
The Associated Press
Published: March 31, 2013
PHILADELPHIA — A large canvas tent that served as George Washington's home and command center during the Revolutionary War is being duplicated down to the finest stitch and will serve as an educational tool and ambassador for a new museum coming to Philadelphia's historic district.
The 22-foot-long, 15-foot-wide oval tent, also called a marquee, is being reproduced this summer as part of a new partnership between the planned Museum of the American Revolution and Virginia's Colonial Williamsburg.
While the original will be a centerpiece of the museum, slated to open in 2016, its sturdier new cousin being made in Virginia will be on tour ahead of the museum opening.
"We all know Mount Vernon, but this is a home of George Washington that most people don't even think about," said R. Scott Stephenson, director of collections for the Revolution Museum. The future first president stayed in the field with his troops through the war, living and working in the tent that was the nation's first "oval office" of sorts, he said.
Stephenson and Mark Hutter, Colonial Williamsburg's journeyman tailor supervisor, will pick up 160 yards of hand-loomed linen from a facility in Northern Ireland that was able to produce the fabric to 18th-century specifications. An additional 90 yards of linen making up the inner chambers of the tent are being handmade by weavers at Colonial Williamsburg.
Hutter's team will spend a few days in April at a secret location outside Philadelphia where the tent and some 3,000 other artifacts are being carefully stored and archived until the museum is built. The Williamsburg artisans will get up close and personal with Washington's marquee, examining its seams, grommets, eyelets and thousands of stitches while perfecting their techniques for re-creating the 225-year-old artifact.
read more here
"The willingness with which our young people are likely to serve in any war, no matter how justified, shall be directly proportional to how they perceive the Veterans of earlier wars were treated and appreciated by their nation."
George Washington
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