Col. Florence Blanchfield's medals being donated to hospital

Blanchfield's medals being donated to hospital
Published: September 5, 2012
The Associated Press

FORT CAMPBELL, KY. — Relatives of Col. Florence A. Blanchfield are traveling to Fort Campbell to donate her remaining medals and awards to the hospital that was named for her 30 years ago.

Blanchfield Army Community Hospital says Blanchfield was the seventh chief of the Army Nurse Corps from July 1, 1943, until Sept. 30, 1947, and was known as one of the most influential nurses in military history. Under Blanchfield, the corps reached its all-time peak of 57,000 nurses.
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Col. Florence Blanchfield, 87; Ex-Head of Nurse Corps, Dies
May 13, 1971
Special to The New York Times

WASHINGTON, May 12--Col. Florence A. Blanchfield, who as superintendent of the Army Nurse Corps directed 60,000 Army nurses in World War II, died today in Walter Reade Hospital. She was 87 years old and made her home with a sister, Mrs. Ruth Ordnoff in Arlington, Va.

Tribute to Heroism

Florence Blanchfield was the first woman to receive a commission in the Regular Army.

In making the presentation of her commission in a ceremony in 1947, Gen. Dwight D. Eisenhower paid tribute to the heroism of the Army nurses.

The War Department credited Colonel Blanchfield, who at the time had spent 30 years in the Army Nurse Corps, with being "largely instrumental in securing full military rank for nurses."

She marshaled her arguments for "full" rather than "relative" rank at hearings before a succession of Congressional committees. Full rank was won on a temporary basis in July, 1944, and was made permanent by the Army and Navy Nurse Corps Law of April 16, 1947.

Behind all the arguments was a matter of down-to-earth pay--or, in today's terms, should women earn less than men for the same work?

In March, 1942, President Franklin D. Roosevelt appointed Mrs. Julia O. Flikke, Miss Blanchfield's predecessor as superintendent, as a colonel and Miss Blanchfield as a lieutenant colonel.

The Controller General then ruled that there could not legally be a woman colonel in the Army. He issued Colonel Flikke the pay of a major and Lieutenant Colonel Blanchfield the pay of a captain.

It took a new law to permit the rate of pay to catch up with the rank.
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Military Sexual Assault Victims Meet With McKeon, Ask For Investigation

Military Sexual Assault Victims Meet With McKeon, Ask For Investigation
Written by Mark Archuleta
KHTS
Friday, 10 August 2012

Military sexual assault survivors from last week's Protect Our Defenders (POD) press conference in DC met (or teleconferenced) with the House Armed Services Committee (HASC) staff today to continue pressing for an open Lackland Air Force Base hearing and investigation.

Former Naval Aviator Lt. Paula Coughlin, a victim of sexual assault during the infamous Tailhook scandal in 1991 has started Paula’s Petition asking the House Armed Services Committee, chaired by 25th District Congressman Howard “Buck” McKeon to conduct and open investigation into the Lackland Air Force Base sexual assault scandal and the institutionalized legacy of sexual assault in the military.
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My video Hardest Times You Could Imagine from 2009

Don’t Put Women in Combat, Says Female Combat Veteran

Some women think it is a good idea. Some don't. It is important to hear their voices.

Don’t Put Women in Combat, Says Female Combat Veteran
Katie J.M. Baker

Last April, the Marine Corps announced that it would begin integrating female officers into its Infantry Officer Course, a monumental step towards allowing women to serve in front-line combat that would also open up more promotions for women, some of whom have been complaining for decades that prohibiting women from the front lines hurts their chances of moving up into senior military ranks.

As one might expect, not everyone thinks this is such a fantastic idea. In the latest issue of Marine Corps Gazette, an Iraq and Afghanistan vet and "combat-experienced Marine officer" makes the case that "we are not all created equal" and that "I am confident that should the Marine Corps attempt to fully integrate women into the infantry, we as an institution are going to experience a colossal increase in crippling and career-ending medical conditions for females."
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Community rallies behind wounded Maine soldier

Community rallies behind wounded Maine soldier
Jun 27, 2012
Written by
Sarah Delage

LIVERMORE FALLS, Maine (NEWS CENTER)

The community is rallying behind a local family whose daughter was critically injured in a suicide bomber attack in Afghanistan.

Sgt. Helaina Lake is being treated at Walter Reed hospital near Washington D.C. Lake's mother, Jeannine Lake, is heading to D.C. to see her daughter for the first time since last Wednesday's attack. She has had brief conversations with her daughter over the phone, and has said that she is in a lot of pain, and just wants to be reunited with her family, especially her two year-old son Aden.

During the bombing, Sergeant Lake was hit with shrapnel and ball bearings on the right side of her body. She was in a medically-induced coma until Monday morning as doctors performed several surgeries and worked to control her pain.
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Military women hold a dim view of VA facilities

Inequities Plague Female Veterans
By Eve Harris
By State of Health Correspondent
June 13, 2012


California is home to 167,000 women veterans — the largest group in the nation. More than nine percent of veterans in California are women, and health care is a top priority for them, according to the results of a survey released last month.

Nationally, the number of women vets using Veterans Health Administration (VA) services has nearly doubled (PDF) in the past decade, and VA hospitals and clinics have scrambled to meet the needs of their new patients.

Two state agencies — California’s Commission on the Status of Women and the California Department of Veterans Affairs – commissioned the survey of more than 900 women veterans in California about gaps they perceived in their benefits. California women veterans and their advocates say that women hold a dim view of VA facilities as unfriendly, male-dominated institutions.
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Horses give vets High Hopes for recovery

Horses give vets High Hopes for recovery
By Jennifer McDermott
Publication: The Day
Published 05/03/2012

Therapeutic riding in Old Lyme helps former soldiers cope

Old Lyme - After she rode a horse at a fast gait for the first time, Katye Zwiefka cried.

She threw her arms in the air and said, "I did it!" Zwiefka compared it to the joy she felt as a child on Christmas morning.

"It had been such a long time since I had that feeling or anything like it - just that excitement and that thrill, that joy that's untainted by the world," she said of her experience cantering last summer.

Zwiefka, who served in the Marine Corps, belongs to a women's riding group at High Hopes Therapeutic Riding. Struggling with post-traumatic stress disorder, she turned to the center two years ago. She and another veteran in the group, Khaylan Widener, said bonding with the horses and the other equestrians has helped them cope with the anxiety and isolation they have felt since leaving the military.

"It's hard to make connections with people," said Zwiefka, a 30-year-old who lives in Norwich. "It's hard to feel comfortable in my skin and my surroundings and to really just enjoy the moment for what it is.

"Being here, I'm really able to do that," she said of High Hopes. "It's beautiful out here and I'm able to enjoy every moment."

Zwiefka and Widener, an Army veteran, met in counseling at the Norwich Vet Center, run by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs.

With her new friend's encouragement, Widener began riding at the center.
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At 102, female WWII veteran keeps doing good deeds

At 102, female WWII veteran keeps doing good deeds

Bea Abrams Cohen has worked for more than seven decades supporting philanthropic organizations and the U.S. military.

By Ann M. Simmons
Los Angeles Times
April 30, 2012

It's all about "mitzvah," said Bea Abrams Cohen as she sought to explain one possible secret to her longevity. The meanings of the Hebrew word include an act of human kindness or a good deed. That's what Cohen, age 102, has spent a lifetime doing.

"Pay back. It works," said the chatty centenarian, who served her country during World War II and has worked for more than seven decades supporting the U.S. military and philanthropic organizations.

A resident of Westchester, Cohen is believed to be California's oldest female veteran, according to the California Department of Veterans Affairs. She was recently recognized at a state Capitol celebration during Women's Military History Week honoring the achievements of women in the armed forces.

"I don't want anyone to ever forget our veterans," Cohen said. "They are our heroes."
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Female Fort Bragg Soldier missing

Fort Bragg soldier reported missing
By the CNN Wire Staff
Tue April 17, 2012


STORY HIGHLIGHTS
NEW: GI's mother said she was told daughter got out of car
The soldier got a ride home, according to a U.S. Army official
The female GI sent a text message saying "got home safely," the official says
Missing woman's sister pleads for her safe return

(CNN) -- A missing Fort Bragg, North Carolina, soldier may be in danger, police said Tuesday. The GI's sister tearfully called for her safe return.

Army Pfc. Kelli Bordeaux, 23, left a bar, Froggy Bottoms, early Saturday, Fayetteville police said in a news release. The GI had been drinking and was given a ride home by a bar employee, according to a U.S. Army official who spoke on condition of anonymity.

At some point, Bordeaux sent two text messages, according to the Army official. One said, "got home safely." The official didn't know who the text was sent to or the contents of the other text.
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Air Force NCOs harassed online after receiving Bronze Stars

Air Force NCOs harassed online after receiving Bronze Stars

Published: April 16, 2012

Two female airmen who were awarded the Bronze Star have been targeted by cyber bullies who claim they do not deserve their awards, the Air Force Times reported, generating a wider discussion of who should be eligible for the medal.

Tech. Sgt. Christina Gamez, a financial analyst with the 802nd Comptroller Squadron, and Tech. Sgt. Sharma Haynes of the 7th Comptroller Squadron both received their awards for meritorious service in Afghanistan, according to the Air Force Times.
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Rape victims say military labels them 'crazy'

Rape victims say military labels them 'crazy'
By David S. Martin, CNN
April 14, 2012

STORY HIGHLIGHTS
Women accuse military of using psychiatric diagnoses to oust sexual assault victims
"I couldn't trust my chain of command to ever back me up," says an alleged victim
3,191 military sexual assaults reported in '11: "Unacceptable," says defense secretary
Pentagon is assessing its training for sexual assault prevention and response

Editor's note: CNN's Dr. Sanjay Gupta will report further on allegations of sexual assault in the military Saturday and Sunday April 21 and 22 at 7:30 a.m. ET on "Sanjay Gupta MD" on CNN.

Stephanie Schroeder, Anna Moore, Jenny McClendon and Panayiota Bertzikis say they were raped and then discharged from the military.

(CNN) -- Stephanie Schroeder joined the U.S. Marine Corps not long after 9/11. She was a 21-year-old with an associate's degree when she reported for boot camp at Parris Island, South Carolina.

"I felt like it was the right thing to do," Schroeder recalls.

A year and a half later, the Marines diagnosed her with a personality disorder and deemed her psychologically unfit for the Corps.

Anna Moore enlisted in the Army after 9/11 and planned to make a career of it. Moore was a Patriot missile battery operator in Germany when she was diagnosed with a personality disorder and dismissed from the Army.

Jenny McClendon was serving as a sonar operator on a Navy destroyer when she received her personality disorder diagnosis.

These women joined different branches of the military but they share a common experience:
Each received the psychiatric diagnosis and military discharge after reporting a sexual assault.
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139 Female Soldiers Have Died in Iraq and Afghanistan, over 800 wounded

139 Female Soldiers Have Died in Iraq and Afghanistan
Thursday, April 12, 2012

The wars in Afghanistan and Iraq demonstrated how much the roles of women in the U.S. military have expanded. During a decade’s worth of conflict, more than 283,000 women were deployed to the two countries. Hundreds of them served in harm’s way, according to casualty figures.

More than 800 female service members have been wounded in either Afghanistan or Iraq, and at least 139 have died from combat- and non-combat-related incidents. Of these, 110 died as a result of serving in Iraq, however the last thirteen have all died in Afghanistan.

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Transitional Home For Female War Veterans Facing Closure

Transitional Home For Female War Veterans Facing Closure
Lack Of Funding, Donations Mean The Great Spirit Lodge Will Close Permanently

Christine Dinh - 23ABC East Bakersfield Reporter
April 12, 2012

BAKERSFIELD, Calif. -- Many female war veterans are coming back from combat zones only to end up on the streets.

"They do have a place to come, to run to. They don't need to be out there. We give them all love and support," said Great Spirit Lodge volunteer Nancy Grijalva.

Grijalva is talking about the Great Spirit Lodge -- a six-bed, transitional home for Native Americans and female veterans in central Bakersfield.

"They're coming back with PTSD and sexual trauma. Some have Purple Hearts so they served and they deserve," said the Great Spirit Lodge CEO James Leon.

Leon says the home offers services such as help with job searches, resume skills and veteran resources.

But this home, which has helped more than a dozen veterans since opening its doors two years ago, now needs your help.

"We're always at risk of closing our doors," said Leon.
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U.S. Army among 141 groups pulling ads from Limbaugh

U.S. Army among 141 groups pulling ads from Limbaugh

A memo being circulated by the distribution company behind Republican shock jock Rush Limbaugh has revealed a massive flight from Limbaugh’s program in the wake of his offensive comments about a Georgetown law student.

The companies include major corporate players like Sony, British Petroleum, McDonald’s, NBC, Toyota, Subway, Lowes, Autozone, Geico, Visa, Mastercard, American Express, State Farm, IBM and many others.

And in a surprise reveal, it appears that the U.S. Army is among them.
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Department of Defense cares more about Rush's freedom of speech than military women?

Rush Limbaugh can say whatever he wants because people have had the courage to stand up and fight for every American to have that right. While they do have a right to say what they want, the rest of the population has a right to not listen or use their own rights to oppose them. Military women right now are very upset over Rush's views and rightly so. Why is the Department of Defense allowing this to go on when they also pay to cover Military women Rush seems to think are sluts?

I don't think Rush should be "taken off the air" and this should be left up to his listeners. The difference is Armed Forces Radio is the GOVERNMENT!

58 minutes ago
More Limbaugh stations, advertisers jump ship

Posted by
CNN Political Unit
(CNN) – A second radio station said it was dropping Rush Limbaugh's radio program Tuesday, calling the conservative host's incendiary comments last week about a law student "unacceptable."

Pittsfield, Massachusetts radio station 1420 AM WBEC, one of hundreds of stations nationwide that carry "The Rush Limbaugh Show," dropped the program from its lineup, according to station general manager Peter Barry. He said the decision was made Monday, and was based upon comments Limbaugh made last week regarding Georgetown law student Sandra Fluke, "which we found unacceptable."

On Monday, Pentagon press secretary George Little said the Defense Department had no plans to stop broadcasting Rush Limbaugh's show to service members on the American Forces Network. Limbaugh's show is part of the Defense Department's policy to broadcast shows that "reflect a wide range" of opinion, Little said.

Little said he had "not heard" of any review of whether Limbaugh's show remains suitable for broadcast after the controversy surrounding Limbaugh. Little also said he could not immediately say what the standards are for whether certain broadcasts are considered suitable by the Defense Department.

VoteVets.org, a veterans advocacy organization, released a statement from female service members calling on Defense Department to stop airing "The Rush Limbaugh Show" on the American Forces Network.

"Rush Limbaugh has a freedom of speech and can say what he wants, but in light of his horribly misogynistic comments, American Forces Radio should no longer give him a platform," the statement said. "Our entire military depends on troops respecting each other – women and men. There simply can be no place on military airwaves for sentiments that would undermine that respect."
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Women veterans want Limbaugh off American Forces Network airwaves

Women vets want Limbaugh off of AFN
By CHRIS CARROLL
Published: March 5, 2012
WASHINGTON - Advertisers have been bailing on conservative talk radio king Rush Limbaugh since his caustic comments about a female student, and now a progressive veterans group is taking aim, urging the Pentagon to kick Limbaugh off American Forces Network airwaves.

In a statement circulated by the Democratic-leaning veterans political group VoteVets.org, four female veterans argue he has no place on military airwaves.

“Rush Limbaugh has a freedom of speech and can say what he wants, but in light of his horribly misogynistic comments, American Forces Radio should no longer give him a platform,” said the statement, attributed to Iraq veterans Miranda Norman, Kayla Williams, Robin Eckstein and Katherine Scheirman. “Our entire military depends on troops respecting each other - women and men.”

Limbaugh drew fire after saying a student who advocated free contraception before Congress, along with women like her, are “sluts” and “prostitutes” who want “to be paid for having sex.”
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Does Rush Limbaugh think military women are "sluts" too?

Fort Hood Second Lieutenant Jessica Scott takes to Twitter to take on Rush

On Saturday I posted about what some of my friends had to say about Rush calling a woman a "slut" because she used birth control. Military women do in fact take birth control pills for a lot of reasons but the fact is, they do, the government pays for it and Rush, well he managed to not only insult every woman in the country but also women serving this country and risking their lives.

It turns out that there was a military woman taking on Rush publicly on Twitter and I say BRAVO to her! My friends are proud of her too! Anyone still think Rush is worth defending?

Meet The Soldier Behind The "I Am Not A Slut" Hashtag
Army Lieutenant Jessica Scott was the accidental leader of a successful Twitter campaign against Rush Limbaugh last week. She also writes romance novels. posted Mar 4, 2012

Rosie Gray
BuzzFeed Staff

The most effective online warrior in the recent battles over contraception has been a 35-year-old Army officer in Fort Hood, Texas, whose tweets on March 2 helped galvanize women's outrage over the notion that using birth control would make someone a "slut."

Jessica Scott, a career soldier and company commander based in Fort Hood, Texas, had been folllowing the heated debate over contraception and religious liberty for a month, but Rush Limbaugh's description of a Georgetown University Law student and birth control advocate as a "slut" and "prostitute" pushed the second lieutenant over the line.

"The entire thing is absolutely appalling because her testimony wasn't even about sex," Second Lieutenant Scott told BuzzFeed in an email this weekend. "It was about a woman who'd lost an ovary because her insurance would not cover birth control pills she needed to control the ovarian cysts."

Scott, who has served in Iraq, wrote on Twitter that she "used birth control while deployed with my husband so I *wouldn't* get pregnant and sent home."
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Does Rush Limbaugh think military women are "sluts" too?

Fort Hood 5-foot-2 Iraq War veteran with her hair in cornrows slams competition

Women in combat
Troops come out fighting to bolster their skills and battle skepticism about females on the front lines
By David S. Cloud, Tribune Washington Bureau
March 4, 2012

Army Staff Sgt. Jackelyn Walker, right, goes after Pfc. Greg Langarica in the first round of a cage fight in front of about 1,000 spectators last month in the Army gym at Fort Hood in Texas. More than 300 male and 25 female soldiers fought with unpadded punches and kicks throughout the four-day championship. (José M. Osorio, Chicago Tribune / February 14, 2012)

FORT HOOD, Texas — Whap. Whap. Army Staff Sgt. Jackelyn Walker is snapping left jabs at Pfc. Greg Langarica's head. She doesn't like his smirk. Whap. Whap.

She lunges for his midsection and slams him down with a thud. Locked in a chokehold, Langarica's face goes crimson. His smirk is gone.

The 5-foot-2 Iraq War veteran with her hair in cornrows is thrashing the taller, tattooed artilleryman in a black chain-link cage lit by pulsating strobes. The 1,000 or so spectators in the Army gym howl with glee.

The Army still bars women from front-line combat units. But male and female soldiers traded kicks and punches in a four-day championship in mid-February at this sprawling Army base. The cage fighting contest was held to highlight hand-to-hand fighting skills, but some bouts seemed more like no-holds-barred brawls.

More than 300 men and 25 women — up from five last year — competed. One woman made the finals.
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Does Rush Limbaugh think military women are "sluts" too?

UPDATE

Meet The Soldier Behind The "I Am Not A Slut" Hashtag
Army Lieutenant Jessica Scott was the accidental leader of a successful Twitter campaign against Rush Limbaugh last week. She also writes romance novels. posted Mar 4, 2012
read more of this here

Does Rush think they're "sluts" too? The government pays for their birth control, just like every other medication they need as well as males in the military. So shouldn't they be included in on the same category Rush just put the law student?

For heaven's sake! The man does not even know the number of times a woman has sex has nothing to do with the number of pills she takes or the fact birth control is used for a lot of other reasons.

Surviving Military Boot Camp
Medication. Over-the-counter medication is not allowed in basic training. If you bring any with you, it will be taken away. All prescription medication will be re-evaluated by a military doctor upon arrival. If the doctor determines that the prescription is necessary, the civilian medication will be taken away, and the recruit will be re-issued the medication by the military pharmacy. This includes birth control pills (for women). Women are usually encouraged to continue taking birth control pills during basic training, if they took them before going to basic, to ensure that their systems maintain their regular cycle.

Will Sandra Fluke sue Rush Limbaugh for calling her ‘a slut’?
When Rush Limbaugh called Georgetown University law student Sandra Fluke 'a slut' and a 'prostitute,' he set off a firestorm of criticism. Some advertisers are leaving Limbaugh's show.


By Brad Knickerbocker, Staff writer / March 3, 2012

Rush Limbaugh’s diatribes against Sandra Fluke, the Georgetown University law student who spoke out about contraception, continue to roil the political environment. And it may be nicking the bottom line for the conservative talk show personality who draws millions of listeners daily.

Republicans, already facing a potential problem with many female voters over a controversial issue, are scrambling to respond – distancing themselves from a powerful voice among many of the party faithful. House Speaker John Boehner and GOP presidential hopefuls Rick Santorum and Mitt Romney put out statements – although the tone seemed grudging.

US Sen. Scott Brown of Massachusetts, who faces what could be a tough re-election campaign against Democrat Elizabeth Warren, says Limbaugh should apologize for calling Ms. Fluke “a slut,” “a prostitute,” and one of his signature slurs “a feminazi.”

But Limbaugh, who’s made himself very wealthy with his bloviating conservative commentary and mocking wise cracks, shows no sign of backing off, recently targeting other women as well for his ridicule.
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Rush Limbaugh Sponsors Distance Themselves
Did the popular conservative talk radio host go too far?
02:36 | 03/03/2012


update

Rush Limbaugh Apologizes To Sandra Fluke For Calling Her A 'Slut'
The Huffington Post
By Benjamin Hart and Jack Mirkinson
Posted: 03/03/12
After a media and political firestorm, Rush Limbaugh issued an apology on Saturday for calling student Sandra Fluke a "slut" on his radio show this week.

Fluke, a law student at Georgetown University who was advocating for health insurance plans to cover the cost of contraception, became the target of a series of attacks by Limbaugh. Besides calling her a "slut," he also called her a "prostitute," said that he wanted her to make sex tapes and post them online, and speculated that she only had a problem paying for contraception because she was having "so much sex."

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Marine Lance Corporal Maria Lauterbach murder focus of Investigation Discovery show

Lauterbach case is focus of cable channel debut
March 1, 2012
Staff Report
The Maria Lauterbach murder case will be the focus of the debut episode of a show premiering Saturday on the Investigation Discovery channel.

“In 2007, (Cesar) Laurean’s perverse indulgences take a violent turn when he is accused of rape.

To save his reputation and his military career, he plots to silence his accuser for good, leading to the brutal murder of Lauterbach and her unborn child,” according to press material for the show, “Deadly Sins” in the episode “Carnal Appetite.”
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Guilty plea in death of Fort Bragg medic

Guilty plea in death of local medic
By RUSTY DENNEN

The second Fort Bragg soldier charged in the 2010 Iraq death of a Fredericksburg-area medic will plead guilty.

The Fayetteville Observer on Monday reported that Spc. Nicholas Bailey would enter a plea March 9 to involuntary manslaughter in the death of Spc. Morganne McBeth. He faces up to 10 years in prison, a dishonorable discharge and loss of all pay and allowances.

McBeth, 19, who grew up in Spotsylvania County, died in July 2010 at Al Asad Air Base in western Iraq.
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