Honored veteran stands up for VA site
Environmental hearing about location draws Dakota Meyer
Apr. 19, 2012
Supporters of the proposed Veterans Administration hospital on Brownsboro Road couldn’t have asked for a better advocate than Dakota Meyer, the Kentuckian who received the Medal of Honor for his bravery in a firefight in Afghanistan.
Dressed in a suit and tie, Marine Corps veteran Meyer was second in a long line of speakers at a public meeting Wednesday at Kammerer Middle School. And he had a message for the hundreds of area residents who don’t want the hospital built in their backyards:
“Us as veterans, it wasn’t an inconvenience for us and our families when we went out and we fought for you to be free in this country,” Meyer said.
Meyer received cheers and a standing ovation, but his endorsement didn’t seem to change the minds of about two dozen speakers. Most said traffic is already terrible in the area and that the hospital would be better off the Gene Snyder Freeway in eastern Jefferson County or downtown.
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Wednesday, April 25, 2012
Developer uses $3 million of own money to house veterans
Anger motivates developer to house vets
April 24, 2012
EVA KILGORE
Real-estate developer Matt Heslin is an avid cyclist. As he rode the streets of Orange County and Los Angeles, something disturbed him greatly.
"As I rode, I continually saw very young homeless men and women," said Heslin. "I'd see them at the beaches, on freeway off-ramps, in river beds, and under bridges.
"In talking with these young people, I learned many of them are veterans from the Iraq and Afghanistan wars."
Heslin says they've come home and have been turned loose into society without any reintegration plan to make the transition from soldier to civilian.
"Many are suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder and can't function in society," said Heslin. "They've ended up jobless, homeless, and living on the streets."
The more Heslin heard, the angrier he got. He visited the Veterans Administration and asked for ways he could help. Then, he took action and founded Serene Haven, a Home for the Brave.
Heslin invested $3 million of his own money to start the nonprofit group. He purchased three apartment buildings in Hyde Park and the West Adams area to house homeless veterans and help give them a fresh start.
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April 24, 2012
EVA KILGORE
Real-estate developer Matt Heslin is an avid cyclist. As he rode the streets of Orange County and Los Angeles, something disturbed him greatly.
"As I rode, I continually saw very young homeless men and women," said Heslin. "I'd see them at the beaches, on freeway off-ramps, in river beds, and under bridges.
"In talking with these young people, I learned many of them are veterans from the Iraq and Afghanistan wars."
Heslin says they've come home and have been turned loose into society without any reintegration plan to make the transition from soldier to civilian.
"Many are suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder and can't function in society," said Heslin. "They've ended up jobless, homeless, and living on the streets."
The more Heslin heard, the angrier he got. He visited the Veterans Administration and asked for ways he could help. Then, he took action and founded Serene Haven, a Home for the Brave.
Heslin invested $3 million of his own money to start the nonprofit group. He purchased three apartment buildings in Hyde Park and the West Adams area to house homeless veterans and help give them a fresh start.
read more here
2 Joint Base Lewis-McChord to compete in Warrior Games
2 soldiers who overcame illness, injury will compete in Warrior Games
A year after he ended treatment for an acute form of cancer that should have killed him, Army Sgt. Fred Prince received more good news. He was one 50 soldiers selected to compete in a sporting event for ill and injured service members.
CHRISTIAN HILL; STAFF WRITER
Published: 04/24/12
A year after he ended treatment for an acute form of cancer that should have killed him, Army Sgt. Fred Prince received more good news. He was one 50 soldiers selected to compete in a sporting event for ill and injured service members.
Prince is one of two soldiers from Joint Base Lewis-McChord invited to compete against athletes from other service branches at the Warrior Games in Colorado Springs, Colo.
The event begins Monday and runs through May 5.
Prince, 35, and Staff Sgt. Max Hasson, 42, will represent the base. Prince qualified in air rifle and archery. Hasson qualified for air rifle, handcycling and three swimming events.
The two are assigned to the Warrior Transition Battalion at Lewis-McChord, where soldiers receive treatment for long-term injury or illness until they can rejoin their unit or be medically discharged.
read more here
A year after he ended treatment for an acute form of cancer that should have killed him, Army Sgt. Fred Prince received more good news. He was one 50 soldiers selected to compete in a sporting event for ill and injured service members.
CHRISTIAN HILL; STAFF WRITER
Published: 04/24/12
A year after he ended treatment for an acute form of cancer that should have killed him, Army Sgt. Fred Prince received more good news. He was one 50 soldiers selected to compete in a sporting event for ill and injured service members.
Prince is one of two soldiers from Joint Base Lewis-McChord invited to compete against athletes from other service branches at the Warrior Games in Colorado Springs, Colo.
The event begins Monday and runs through May 5.
Prince, 35, and Staff Sgt. Max Hasson, 42, will represent the base. Prince qualified in air rifle and archery. Hasson qualified for air rifle, handcycling and three swimming events.
The two are assigned to the Warrior Transition Battalion at Lewis-McChord, where soldiers receive treatment for long-term injury or illness until they can rejoin their unit or be medically discharged.
read more here
VFW prepares to rebuild cross
Veterans group prepares to rebuild cross
Suit wanted religious symbol off public land
April 24, 2012
BARSTOW
The state Veterans of Foreign Wars is preparing to take over a one-acre cross site in the Mojave National Preserve after the group reached a settlement in its long-running lawsuit with the American Civil Liberties Union Tuesday.
The settlement calls for the site at Sunrise Rock to be turned over to a Veterans of Foreign Wars post in Barstow in exchange for five acres of donated land. That particular VFW chapter has since disbanded, so the state organization will assume control of the site.
James Rowoldt, the secretary-treasurer for the state Veterans of Foreign Wars, said the group was working to determine how best to secure the cross to prevent future vandalism or theft.
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Suit wanted religious symbol off public land
April 24, 2012
BARSTOW
The state Veterans of Foreign Wars is preparing to take over a one-acre cross site in the Mojave National Preserve after the group reached a settlement in its long-running lawsuit with the American Civil Liberties Union Tuesday.
The settlement calls for the site at Sunrise Rock to be turned over to a Veterans of Foreign Wars post in Barstow in exchange for five acres of donated land. That particular VFW chapter has since disbanded, so the state organization will assume control of the site.
James Rowoldt, the secretary-treasurer for the state Veterans of Foreign Wars, said the group was working to determine how best to secure the cross to prevent future vandalism or theft.
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Settlement clears way for cross in Mojave Desert
Published April 24, 2012
Associated Press
LOS ANGELES
A veterans group can restore a memorial cross in the Mojave Desert under a court settlement that ends a decade-old legal battle, the National Park Service said Tuesday.
A federal judge approved the lawsuit settlement on Monday, permitting the park service to turn over a remote hilltop area known as Sunrise Rock to a Veteran of Foreign Wars post in Barstow and the Veterans Home of California-Barstow.
The park will give up the acre of land in exchange for five acres of donated property elsewhere in the 1.6 million acre preserve in Southern California.
The swap, which could be completed by the end of the year, will permit veterans to restore a cross to the site and end a controversy that became tangled in the thorny issues of patriotism and religion and made its way to the U.S. Supreme Court in 2003.
The last cross was ordered removed by the park service in 2010 because of a court order.
The donated land is owned by Henry and Wanda Sandoz of Yucca Valley.
read more of this here
Veterans for Common Sense files suit, VA hires?
VA Struggles To Provide Vets With Mental Health Care
by LARRY ABRAMSON
April 25, 2012
Over the past five years, the Department of Veterans Affairs says, the number of former service members seeking mental health services has climbed by a third. In response, the agency has boosted funding and tightened standards.
Now, any vet asking for help is supposed to be evaluated within 24 hours and start treatment within two weeks. The VA has claimed that happens in the vast majority of cases, but a new investigation by the agency's inspector general says the VA statistics are skewed to make wait times appear shorter.
You don't see the real cost in human terms until 20 to 30 years after the conflict has ended. - Patrick Bellon, Veterans For Common Sense
Paul Rieckhoff of the Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America says that is not surprising.
"It illustrates, in incredible clarity, how dysfunctional the VA system is right now for thousands of veterans around the country," he says.
The inspector general's report says, rather than starting the clock from the moment a vet asks for mental health care, the VA has been counting from whenever the first appointment became available. That could add weeks or months to the wait time.
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by LARRY ABRAMSON
Chris Hondros/Getty Images A veteran of the Iraq War with post-traumatic stress disorder talks to physical therapist Nicole Bormann before a session in the VA Medical Center in St. Louis.
April 25, 2012
"Veterans for Common Sense is suing the VA over delays in treatment, and over the time it takes some vets to get benefit payments. The VA announced plans to hire nearly 2,000 additional mental health staff last week, just days before this report came out."
Over the past five years, the Department of Veterans Affairs says, the number of former service members seeking mental health services has climbed by a third. In response, the agency has boosted funding and tightened standards.
Now, any vet asking for help is supposed to be evaluated within 24 hours and start treatment within two weeks. The VA has claimed that happens in the vast majority of cases, but a new investigation by the agency's inspector general says the VA statistics are skewed to make wait times appear shorter.
You don't see the real cost in human terms until 20 to 30 years after the conflict has ended. - Patrick Bellon, Veterans For Common Sense
Paul Rieckhoff of the Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America says that is not surprising.
"It illustrates, in incredible clarity, how dysfunctional the VA system is right now for thousands of veterans around the country," he says.
The inspector general's report says, rather than starting the clock from the moment a vet asks for mental health care, the VA has been counting from whenever the first appointment became available. That could add weeks or months to the wait time.
read more here
Marine Arrested In Connection With Death Of Military Wife
Marine Arrested In Connection With Death Of Military Wife
Louis Ray Perez Was Initially Considered Person Of Interest In Death Of 22-Year-Old Brittany Killgore
April 24, 2012
SAN DIEGO
A Camp Pendleton-based Marine already jailed on an unrelated charge was re-arrested Tuesday on suspicion of murdering a 22-year-old North County military wife whose body was found dumped alongside a rural road in Riverside County a week ago.
Louis Ray Perez, 45, was re-booked at Vista Jail Tuesday afternoon in connection with the death of Brittany Killgore of Fallbrook. He was scheduled to be arraigned on the homicide charge Thursday afternoon.
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Louis Ray Perez Was Initially Considered Person Of Interest In Death Of 22-Year-Old Brittany Killgore
April 24, 2012
SAN DIEGO
A Camp Pendleton-based Marine already jailed on an unrelated charge was re-arrested Tuesday on suspicion of murdering a 22-year-old North County military wife whose body was found dumped alongside a rural road in Riverside County a week ago.
Louis Ray Perez, 45, was re-booked at Vista Jail Tuesday afternoon in connection with the death of Brittany Killgore of Fallbrook. He was scheduled to be arraigned on the homicide charge Thursday afternoon.
read more here
Suicides amongst veterans on the rise
Suicides amongst veterans on the rise
Updated: Tuesday, 24 Apr 2012
NORFOLK, Va. (WAVY) - It's an alarming statistic, but according to the Army Times , each day 18 veterans commit suicide.
With veterans serving multiple tours in Iraq and Afghanistan, those numbers only continue to rise.
Tuesday, one of those veterans was laid to rest at Albert G. Horton, Jr. Memorial Veterans Cemetery in Suffolk.
10 On Your Side introduced Hampton Roads to Iraq veteran Jonathan Bartlett in 2004. Bartlett, then 19-years-old, lost both legs after the Humvee he was driving hit an improvised explosive device (IED).
The courage and determination displayed by Bartlett inspired many to help him rebuild his life.
Last week, Bartlett, like so many other returning war veterans, took his own life. He was 27-years-old.
When 10 On Your Side first met Bartlett, he was undergoing physical therapy at Walter Reed Army Medical Center. While his legs were gone, his fighting spirit was not.
"I screamed, 'Why me?', like twice, and I was, you know, I had tears in my eye,s and I got over it. It's just the way it is. It's just something you have to deal with," Bartlett said in a previous interview with 10 On Your Side.
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Wounded Iraq vet commits suicide
Updated: Tuesday, 24 Apr 2012
NORFOLK, Va. (WAVY) - It's an alarming statistic, but according to the Army Times , each day 18 veterans commit suicide.
With veterans serving multiple tours in Iraq and Afghanistan, those numbers only continue to rise.
Tuesday, one of those veterans was laid to rest at Albert G. Horton, Jr. Memorial Veterans Cemetery in Suffolk.
10 On Your Side introduced Hampton Roads to Iraq veteran Jonathan Bartlett in 2004. Bartlett, then 19-years-old, lost both legs after the Humvee he was driving hit an improvised explosive device (IED).
The courage and determination displayed by Bartlett inspired many to help him rebuild his life.
Last week, Bartlett, like so many other returning war veterans, took his own life. He was 27-years-old.
When 10 On Your Side first met Bartlett, he was undergoing physical therapy at Walter Reed Army Medical Center. While his legs were gone, his fighting spirit was not.
"I screamed, 'Why me?', like twice, and I was, you know, I had tears in my eye,s and I got over it. It's just the way it is. It's just something you have to deal with," Bartlett said in a previous interview with 10 On Your Side.
read more here
Wounded Iraq vet commits suicide
Tuesday, April 24, 2012
A suicidal veteran and a call for help, unanswered
A suicidal veteran and a call for help, unanswered
By LEO SHANE III
Stars and Stripes
Published: April 24, 2012
WASHINGTON
Jacob Manning waited until his wife and teenage son had left the house, then walked into his garage to kill himself.
The former soldier had been distraught for weeks, frustrated by family problems, unemployment and his lingering service injuries. He was long ago diagnosed with traumatic brain injury, caused by a military training accident, and post-traumatic stress disorder stemming from the aftermath. He had battled depression before, but never an episode this bad.
He tossed one end of an extension cord over the rafters above and then fashioned a noose.
The cord snapped. It couldn’t handle his weight.
He called Christina Roof, a friend and national veterans policy adviser who helped him years before, and rambled about trying again with a bigger cord or a gun. She urged him to calm down. She sent a message to Manning’s wife, Charity, telling her to rush home. The two of them tried for more than a day to persuade him to get professional help.
He eventually agreed to call the veterans hospital in Columbia, Mo., near his home.
When a staffer at the mental health clinic answered the phone, Manning explained what he had done, and asked if he could be taken into care.
The staffer asked if Manning was still suicidal. He wavered, saying he wasn’t trying to kill himself right then. The hospital employee told him the office was closing in an hour, and asked if Manning could wait until the next day to deal with the problem.
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By LEO SHANE III
Stars and Stripes
Published: April 24, 2012
WASHINGTON
Jacob Manning waited until his wife and teenage son had left the house, then walked into his garage to kill himself.
The former soldier had been distraught for weeks, frustrated by family problems, unemployment and his lingering service injuries. He was long ago diagnosed with traumatic brain injury, caused by a military training accident, and post-traumatic stress disorder stemming from the aftermath. He had battled depression before, but never an episode this bad.
He tossed one end of an extension cord over the rafters above and then fashioned a noose.
The cord snapped. It couldn’t handle his weight.
He called Christina Roof, a friend and national veterans policy adviser who helped him years before, and rambled about trying again with a bigger cord or a gun. She urged him to calm down. She sent a message to Manning’s wife, Charity, telling her to rush home. The two of them tried for more than a day to persuade him to get professional help.
He eventually agreed to call the veterans hospital in Columbia, Mo., near his home.
When a staffer at the mental health clinic answered the phone, Manning explained what he had done, and asked if he could be taken into care.
The staffer asked if Manning was still suicidal. He wavered, saying he wasn’t trying to kill himself right then. The hospital employee told him the office was closing in an hour, and asked if Manning could wait until the next day to deal with the problem.
After Stars and Stripes brought Manning’s case to the House Veteran Affairs Committee this month, Chairman Jeff Miller, R-Fla., questioned VA officials about what went wrong in Manning’s case and how to prevent a repeat in the future.
“This is not an isolated case, and that is extremely unfortunate,” he said. “The VA has to get its act together. I don’t think they are prepared for the surge in the number of mental health issues that are coming soon.”
VA officials recently announced the hiring of 1,900 new staffers to help deal with gaps in mental health care and long wait times for appointments. At least 100 of those are expected to be added to suicide prevention efforts.
Miller said that won’t be enough to fight the problem.
“Every person in the department who picks up a phone needs to be retrained,” he said.
Lawmakers will press that issue in coming months with VA officials. Miller said the challenge is getting that message beyond the department’s leadership, down through the bureaucracy to lower-level employees who actually interact with veterans.
“There is no margin of error in this,” he said. “It seems they need to be reminded how critical it is to get this right the first time.”
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New Haven firefighters giving each week to Wounded Warriors Project?
Last month after reading a lot of complaints about Wounded Warriors Project, I did a post about it. Ignoring this would have been easier but considering how many people think this group is doing a lot more, they deserved to know. Now it seems that a group of firefighters is giving money out of their own pocket but above that, out of love for the troops. Is Wounded Warrior Project a country crock?
In this report it says that Wounded Warrior Project "raises awareness and support for injured service members" but no one is asking why they need millions to do what I do for free everyday. It doesn't cost anything to raise awareness and frankly the only ads I've seen on TV have been for Wounded Warriors Project and not the wounded themselves. According to the complaints, the wounded say backpacks and trips are not what they need. They need money to pay their bills and help to heal. They need to get into treatment and be seen by doctors without having to wait months. They need to have their claims processed so they can feed their families when they can't work and they need jobs when they can work.
If you have a charity that is doing good work for their sake, get a good ad agency so that you get this kind of money coming into you. Just don't lose the heart you have to get up everyday to help them. Also don't get this group confused with Wounded Warrior Battalion or Wounded Warrior Program. They do really great work!
In this report it says that Wounded Warrior Project "raises awareness and support for injured service members" but no one is asking why they need millions to do what I do for free everyday. It doesn't cost anything to raise awareness and frankly the only ads I've seen on TV have been for Wounded Warriors Project and not the wounded themselves. According to the complaints, the wounded say backpacks and trips are not what they need. They need money to pay their bills and help to heal. They need to get into treatment and be seen by doctors without having to wait months. They need to have their claims processed so they can feed their families when they can't work and they need jobs when they can work.
If you have a charity that is doing good work for their sake, get a good ad agency so that you get this kind of money coming into you. Just don't lose the heart you have to get up everyday to help them. Also don't get this group confused with Wounded Warrior Battalion or Wounded Warrior Program. They do really great work!
Firefighters give back to wounded warriors
Monday, 23 Apr 2012
Tina Detelj
NEW HAVEN, Conn.
(WTNH)
September 11th was a call to action for firefighters in New Haven. The day after the attacks, a bunch of them jumped on the train to go down to New York City to try to help. Now they're finding another way to help.
This time they are hoping to come to the aid of those who fought for our country: wounded warriors now in need of help themselves.
"These young men went to their recruiting office and they joined the war to stand by the 343 firefighters that died and the citizens that day," said Battalion Chief Paul Sandella, "then we should bring it for them, now that they're home and have injuries that are going to be lifelong."
Sandella is organizing the effort in which 75 percent of the Elm City's 300 firefighters have agreed to payroll deductions averaging $5 a week. The money goes straight to the Wounded Warriors Project , which raises awareness and support for injured service members.
read more here
Suicide Attempt Has Fort Carson Soldier In Trouble
Suicide Attempt Has Fort Carson Soldier In Trouble
Prosecutors Press Charges Because Wife Was Shot During Incident
SCOTT HARRISON
KRDO NewsChannel 13
April 23, 2012
COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. -- Joshua and Crystal Bradley thought the worst was over when she halted his suicide attempt at their home last summer. They were wrong.
Crystal Bradley was accidentally shot in the leg in August 2011 during the incident. She said she didn't blame her husband and didn't want to file charges, but the District Attorney's Office believed otherwise. Joshua Bradley spent a week in jail and faces charges of assault, reckless endangerment and prohibitive use of a weapon.
"If I get convicted of this, I'll be facing five years in prison," said Bradley, 25. "Then I'll get kicked out of the Army and won't have a job."
read more here
Prosecutors Press Charges Because Wife Was Shot During Incident
SCOTT HARRISON
KRDO NewsChannel 13
April 23, 2012
COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. -- Joshua and Crystal Bradley thought the worst was over when she halted his suicide attempt at their home last summer. They were wrong.
Crystal Bradley was accidentally shot in the leg in August 2011 during the incident. She said she didn't blame her husband and didn't want to file charges, but the District Attorney's Office believed otherwise. Joshua Bradley spent a week in jail and faces charges of assault, reckless endangerment and prohibitive use of a weapon.
"If I get convicted of this, I'll be facing five years in prison," said Bradley, 25. "Then I'll get kicked out of the Army and won't have a job."
read more here
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