Glasgow helicopter crash: RAF veteran died trying to prevent a greater disaster
HERO pilot Captain Dave Traill has been praised for trying to bring the stricken helicopter down in a “controlled” crash.
Express UK
Tom Martin
December 2, 2013
The former RAF flight lieutenant died trying to prevent an greater disaster, aviation experts believe.
The rotor blades were not turning – suggesting a catastrophic engine failure – and Cpt Traill seemed to be attempting an emergency landing on the flat roof of Clutha Vaults pub.
Struan Johnston, director of Caledonian Aviation, said: “The pilot would have done everything to try to land the aircraft safely. He nearly pulled it off.”
Cpt Traill, who worked for Bond Air Services, was a veteran of Iraq and Afghanistan and had served in both Gulf Wars. He lived in Lochwinnoch, Renfrewshire, with his girlfriend Lucy. His cousin, Toni Lawson, said: “It’s very upsetting, but if his actions saved the lives of others we are very proud of him.”
Police Scotland confirmed the identities of the officers who died as PC Kirsty Nelis and PC Tony Collins, of the Operational Support Division.
read more here
Monday, December 2, 2013
The bigger problem with military suicides
The bigger problem with military suicides
Wounded Times
Kathie Costos
December 2, 2013
The reduction in military suicides is all over the net these days but statistics only work if we use all of them. The reported suicides are down, for the Army at least, since reports from the other branches has not been released to the public. The Army National Guards and Army Reserves are higher. The other factor being missed is that while last year was a record high among all branches there was only one war to fight. The most telling factor is there were less serving this year than last year.
The DOD likes to say that that half the suicides were committed by troops not deployed, almost as if they want to pretend there has to be something else causing them to commit suicide. If that was the case then that would mean their mental health evaluations for recruits are wrong. If they cannot cope with just training for war, then the DOD thinks they have an excuse.
So what happened between the time they enlisted and the time they took their own lives?
They would have had the same "prevention" and "resilience" training the others did but it didn't even work good enough to save the lives of the non-deployed. This is not obvious to anyone else?
How can they push programs that couldn't even help non-deployed stay alive? These are the same programs they used last year. As of this morning the DOD Suicide Event Report for 2012 has still not been released. It holds all the data they want to release including all branches and often forgotten about attempted suicides. No explanation as to why this has been delayed especially when they had a year to put it together.
The simple facts are simple but when we avoid looking at them we can keep asking why and ending up in the same sadness too many families face.
STARRS did a 5 year study on military suicides and this is what they found.
This is a good article and you may get more out of it now that you know what the missing facts are.
Wounded Times
Kathie Costos
December 2, 2013
The DOD likes to say that that half the suicides were committed by troops not deployed, almost as if they want to pretend there has to be something else causing them to commit suicide. If that was the case then that would mean their mental health evaluations for recruits are wrong. If they cannot cope with just training for war, then the DOD thinks they have an excuse.
So what happened between the time they enlisted and the time they took their own lives?
They would have had the same "prevention" and "resilience" training the others did but it didn't even work good enough to save the lives of the non-deployed. This is not obvious to anyone else?
How can they push programs that couldn't even help non-deployed stay alive? These are the same programs they used last year. As of this morning the DOD Suicide Event Report for 2012 has still not been released. It holds all the data they want to release including all branches and often forgotten about attempted suicides. No explanation as to why this has been delayed especially when they had a year to put it together.
The simple facts are simple but when we avoid looking at them we can keep asking why and ending up in the same sadness too many families face.
STARRS did a 5 year study on military suicides and this is what they found.
The coalition of researchers found a statistically significant rise in suicides following initial deployments. This finding contrasts sharply with a study featured in the Journal of the American Medical Association's Aug. 7 edition. Led by personnel at the Naval Health Research Center in San Diego, that study found no association between deployments and increased suicide risk.
This is a good article and you may get more out of it now that you know what the missing facts are.
Foon Rhee: Military tries to win war against suicides
Sacramento Bee
by Foon Rhee
Published: Sunday, Dec. 1, 2013
Six years since her oldest son took his own life while serving in the Navy, Melinda Pickerel still relives the shock.
“It’s always with me,” she says. “It’s an extreme trauma. As a survivor, you don’t realize how much trauma.”
It’s an intensely painful and personal experience that more and more military families are having to endure. Suicide took more lives of active-duty service members last year than did the war in Afghanistan. The 349 suicides were up 16 percent from 2011, and double the number in 2001.
This year, however, suicides in the military are down 22 percent through late October, the first decline since 2004. While there are worrisome long-term trends, it’s a glimmer of hope that a massive escalation in awareness, prevention and support is starting to pay off. Just maybe, spouses and relatives, fellow soldiers and commanders are all spotting warning signs earlier; service members are more comfortable seeking help; and trained professionals are available when they do.
read more here
Sunday, December 1, 2013
Gary Sinise tribute to Vietnam Veterans at Epcot
Gary Sinise tribute to Vietnam Veterans at Epcot
Wounded Times
Kathie Costos
December 1, 2013
Every year for the last 7 years, I have traveled to Epcot for their Candlelight Procession. For the last couple of years I have gone with Markham Woods Presbyterian Church. This was the first year I was able to hear Gary Sinise tell the Christmas story.
As soon as he took center position, someone yelled out "Lt. Dan" and right away he responded with "life is like a box of chocolates" as the crowed cracked up.
At the end of the performance, Gary talked about Vietnam veterans and how honored he felt to play the role of Lt. Dan in Forrest Gump.
So to my Vietnam veteran buddies, know that you are not forgotten and judging by the response from the crowd last night, very much appreciated! Enjoy the videos.
Gary Sinise tribute Vietnam Veterans
December 1, 2013
For the 7th year I was able to go with a choir to Epcot for the Candlelight program. This was the first year I saw Gary Sinise perform. He was fantastic but at the end of the show, he gave a moving tribute to Vietnam veterans.
Rejoice in Sign Language
Dec 1, 2013
Last night was the 7th year of being able to watch Disney Candlelight at Epcot. This woman is fabulous. She delivers the sign language with amazing zeal.
Wounded Times
Kathie Costos
December 1, 2013
Every year for the last 7 years, I have traveled to Epcot for their Candlelight Procession. For the last couple of years I have gone with Markham Woods Presbyterian Church. This was the first year I was able to hear Gary Sinise tell the Christmas story.
As soon as he took center position, someone yelled out "Lt. Dan" and right away he responded with "life is like a box of chocolates" as the crowed cracked up.
Disney Epcot November 30, 2013
Gary Sinise
At the end of the performance, Gary talked about Vietnam veterans and how honored he felt to play the role of Lt. Dan in Forrest Gump.
So to my Vietnam veteran buddies, know that you are not forgotten and judging by the response from the crowd last night, very much appreciated! Enjoy the videos.
Gary Sinise tribute Vietnam Veterans
December 1, 2013
For the 7th year I was able to go with a choir to Epcot for the Candlelight program. This was the first year I saw Gary Sinise perform. He was fantastic but at the end of the show, he gave a moving tribute to Vietnam veterans.
Rejoice in Sign Language
Dec 1, 2013
Last night was the 7th year of being able to watch Disney Candlelight at Epcot. This woman is fabulous. She delivers the sign language with amazing zeal.
VFW find home for Vietnam veteran suffering from Agent Orange
Group finds home for sick Vietnam vet
Standard Speaker.com
BY AMANDA CHRISTMAN (STAFF WRITER)
Published: December 1, 2013
There's a lot of love and Christmas spirit inside a 12-foot-wide by 70-foot-long home in White Haven.
It was vacant for three years but soon will house an honorable guest - a Vietnam veteran who has been practically homeless, living out of a Carbon County motel room for about two years.
The man unselfishly gave of himself many times, never asking for anything in return, but fell on hard times and suffers from medical problems associated with the herbicide Agent Orange, said John Kearns, a veteran service officer in White Haven.
According to the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, the U.S. military sprayed millions of gallons of Agent Orange and other herbicides on trees and vegetation during the Vietnam War. Several decades later, concerns about the health effects from these chemicals persist.
Kearns said the man, who will remain anonymous, thought people forgot about him and became depressed, but once his story circulated in the small town of White Haven, multiple veterans, some longtime friends and even strangers came to his aid.
He is in hospital care now, but once he is discharged he will find a pleasant, big surprise waiting for him by the time Christmas arrives.
Not only will he be given a permanent home so a visiting nurse can tend to him after his hospital stay is complete, but a fundraiser in his honor will be held Dec. 13 at the White Haven Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 6615 to help defray his living expenses and the costs to remodel his new home.
Called the "Hometown Hero Project," members of the group consider themselves on a mission to prepare the home for the veteran by Dec. 15.
Bob Drury of the White Haven VFW said a group of volunteers raising money for homeless veterans in the area over Veterans Day weekend sprang into action when they heard of the man's struggles.
read more here
Standard Speaker.com
BY AMANDA CHRISTMAN (STAFF WRITER)
Published: December 1, 2013
There's a lot of love and Christmas spirit inside a 12-foot-wide by 70-foot-long home in White Haven.
It was vacant for three years but soon will house an honorable guest - a Vietnam veteran who has been practically homeless, living out of a Carbon County motel room for about two years.
The man unselfishly gave of himself many times, never asking for anything in return, but fell on hard times and suffers from medical problems associated with the herbicide Agent Orange, said John Kearns, a veteran service officer in White Haven.
According to the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, the U.S. military sprayed millions of gallons of Agent Orange and other herbicides on trees and vegetation during the Vietnam War. Several decades later, concerns about the health effects from these chemicals persist.
Kearns said the man, who will remain anonymous, thought people forgot about him and became depressed, but once his story circulated in the small town of White Haven, multiple veterans, some longtime friends and even strangers came to his aid.
He is in hospital care now, but once he is discharged he will find a pleasant, big surprise waiting for him by the time Christmas arrives.
Not only will he be given a permanent home so a visiting nurse can tend to him after his hospital stay is complete, but a fundraiser in his honor will be held Dec. 13 at the White Haven Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 6615 to help defray his living expenses and the costs to remodel his new home.
Called the "Hometown Hero Project," members of the group consider themselves on a mission to prepare the home for the veteran by Dec. 15.
Bob Drury of the White Haven VFW said a group of volunteers raising money for homeless veterans in the area over Veterans Day weekend sprang into action when they heard of the man's struggles.
read more here
Army extends new benefits to soldiers' same-sex spouses
Army extends new benefits to soldiers' same-sex spouses
Army Times
By Jim Tice
Staff writer
December 1, 2013
Army Secretary John McHugh has approved several policy changes that support extending military benefits to the same-sex spouses of soldiers.
The changes were prompted by a June 26 Supreme Court ruling that found portions of the Defense of Marriage Act unconstitutional.
As a result, the Army now recognizes all marriages that are valid in the location where the wedding ceremony was performed, and “will work to make sure the same benefits are available to all spouses, regardless if they are in same-sex or opposite-sex marriages,” according to a directive issued Nov. 7 by McHugh.
Entitlements for same-sex spouses are retroactive to the June 26 court decision. The Army will not grant any claims to entitlements before that date, under the McHugh directive.
read more here
Army Times
By Jim Tice
Staff writer
December 1, 2013
Army Secretary John McHugh has approved several policy changes that support extending military benefits to the same-sex spouses of soldiers.
The changes were prompted by a June 26 Supreme Court ruling that found portions of the Defense of Marriage Act unconstitutional.
As a result, the Army now recognizes all marriages that are valid in the location where the wedding ceremony was performed, and “will work to make sure the same benefits are available to all spouses, regardless if they are in same-sex or opposite-sex marriages,” according to a directive issued Nov. 7 by McHugh.
Entitlements for same-sex spouses are retroactive to the June 26 court decision. The Army will not grant any claims to entitlements before that date, under the McHugh directive.
read more here
Wounded warriors gain confidence during Pentagon volleyball contest
Wounded warriors gain confidence during Pentagon volleyball contest
Army News Service
J.D. Leipold
November 30, 2013
WASHINGTON
Gung-ho spirits were the norm as wounded-warrior athletes from the four services, U.S. Special Operations Command and the Department of Veterans Affairs clashed at the 3rd Annual Joint Services Sitting Volleyball Tournament, in recognition of Warrior Care Month.
Held in the Pentagon Athletic Club, Nov. 21, and hosted by the Office of Warrior Care Policy, the tourney showcases the services' Warrior Transition units. It also highlights the commitment of wounded, ill and injured service members to their physical and mental well-being through the Military Adaptive Sports Program, begun in 2011.
Before the two final games which pitted the Marine Corps against Air Force and Army against SOCOM, Acting Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Warrior Care Policy Donna Seymour spoke about DOD's commitment to "building a ready and resilient force," the theme for this year's Warrior Care Month.
"Military adaptive sports facilitate stress release and it provides reconditioning and camaraderie between our veterans and our active-duty service members and it improves their overall health and well-being as they adopt an added healthy lifestyle," she said. "To date in the last year, almost 100,000 recovering service members have participated in daily activities including yoga, wheelchair basketball, cycling, track and field, strength conditioning, swimming and sitting volleyball."
Seymour added that as confidence is built in one area such as physical competence, confidence in the emotional domain also increases. DOD Warrior Care Policy intends to expand the number of competitive sports and ultimately allow them to be included in the annual Warrior Games. She said her office also wants to increase participation by female athletes as well as service members with traumatic brain injury and post-traumatic stress disorder.
read more here
Army News Service
J.D. Leipold
November 30, 2013
WASHINGTON
Gung-ho spirits were the norm as wounded-warrior athletes from the four services, U.S. Special Operations Command and the Department of Veterans Affairs clashed at the 3rd Annual Joint Services Sitting Volleyball Tournament, in recognition of Warrior Care Month.
Held in the Pentagon Athletic Club, Nov. 21, and hosted by the Office of Warrior Care Policy, the tourney showcases the services' Warrior Transition units. It also highlights the commitment of wounded, ill and injured service members to their physical and mental well-being through the Military Adaptive Sports Program, begun in 2011.
Before the two final games which pitted the Marine Corps against Air Force and Army against SOCOM, Acting Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Warrior Care Policy Donna Seymour spoke about DOD's commitment to "building a ready and resilient force," the theme for this year's Warrior Care Month.
"Military adaptive sports facilitate stress release and it provides reconditioning and camaraderie between our veterans and our active-duty service members and it improves their overall health and well-being as they adopt an added healthy lifestyle," she said. "To date in the last year, almost 100,000 recovering service members have participated in daily activities including yoga, wheelchair basketball, cycling, track and field, strength conditioning, swimming and sitting volleyball."
Seymour added that as confidence is built in one area such as physical competence, confidence in the emotional domain also increases. DOD Warrior Care Policy intends to expand the number of competitive sports and ultimately allow them to be included in the annual Warrior Games. She said her office also wants to increase participation by female athletes as well as service members with traumatic brain injury and post-traumatic stress disorder.
read more here
Iraq veteran transitioned to Hollywood life
Local veteran transitions to Hollywood life
News Telegram
By Lynne Klaft, CORRESPONDENT
December 1, 2013
LANCASTER — Helen Curtis' home on Mill Street is a touchstone for Ryan Curtis.
He lived next door to his grandmother for a few years, went there for family gatherings and dinners, and came back from Iraq to a welcome-home celebration of friends and family at his Nana Curtis' house.
He knows what coming home means to a veteran.
The 2001 graduate of Clinton High School started college and then enlisted in the U.S. Army Reserves in August 2001. The 9/11 bombing of the World Trade Center happened a few weeks later, and circumstances interrupted Mr. Curtis' plan to study media communications. Instead, he became an engineer in the US Army and was part of the Iraqi invasion from February 2003 to April 2004.
His grandmother was worried about Ryan and his father, Ted, who was also serving in the Army Reserves in Iraq, throughout that entire period.
"Ted decided to transfer to where Ryan was so that they could be together overseas. I was worried the whole time and didn't know what the war would bring. When they came back together, it was more than I could believe. They were safe," said Mrs. Curtis, who couldn't wait for them to arrive. She got a family member to drive her to New York to see them come off of the plane with her own eyes.
The family put up a big "Welcome Home, Ryan!" sign up in front of the Mill Street home for the celebration.
"He was always a sweet fellow, joking and performing for us at our dinners, he always had something to say or do to make me laugh," said Mrs. Curtis, as she looked through her photo album memories of Ryan growing up.
News Telegram
By Lynne Klaft, CORRESPONDENT
December 1, 2013
LANCASTER — Helen Curtis' home on Mill Street is a touchstone for Ryan Curtis.
He lived next door to his grandmother for a few years, went there for family gatherings and dinners, and came back from Iraq to a welcome-home celebration of friends and family at his Nana Curtis' house.
He knows what coming home means to a veteran.
The 2001 graduate of Clinton High School started college and then enlisted in the U.S. Army Reserves in August 2001. The 9/11 bombing of the World Trade Center happened a few weeks later, and circumstances interrupted Mr. Curtis' plan to study media communications. Instead, he became an engineer in the US Army and was part of the Iraqi invasion from February 2003 to April 2004.
His grandmother was worried about Ryan and his father, Ted, who was also serving in the Army Reserves in Iraq, throughout that entire period.
"Ted decided to transfer to where Ryan was so that they could be together overseas. I was worried the whole time and didn't know what the war would bring. When they came back together, it was more than I could believe. They were safe," said Mrs. Curtis, who couldn't wait for them to arrive. She got a family member to drive her to New York to see them come off of the plane with her own eyes.
The family put up a big "Welcome Home, Ryan!" sign up in front of the Mill Street home for the celebration.
"He was always a sweet fellow, joking and performing for us at our dinners, he always had something to say or do to make me laugh," said Mrs. Curtis, as she looked through her photo album memories of Ryan growing up.
He moved to Los Angeles in 2010 and worked hard on small jobs, lived on unemployment in between, and worked his way up to directing small commercials and music videos. He joined a group, Veterans in Film and Television, in its infancy. The organization now has 1,500 members in Los Angeles and New York. read more here
Slain Rite Aid manager's family holds fundraiser in his name
Slain Rite Aid manager's family holds fundraiser in his name
Delaware County Daily Times
By Rose Quinn
POSTED: 11/30/13
When he joined the Navy at age 30, Jason Scott McClay had finally started living the life he’d imagined since he was a student at Haverford High School.
His six years serving aboard the USS Kitty Hawk not only reinforced the deep pride he had for his country, but afforded him opportunities to forge lasting friendships and visit places like Thailand, Hong Kong and Australia, according to his mother, Margie Reiley of Haverford.
“He was stationed in Japan, but he got to travel all over the world,” she said. “He made friends wherever he went.”
A foot injury he suffered aboard the supercarrier that required two major surgeries curtailed Jason’s plan for a military career, she said. He was honorably discharged after seven years.
Come Saturday, Dec. 7, a fundraiser in memory of Jason Scott McClay to primarily benefit disabled and homeless veterans and their families through the Veterans Multi-Service Center (VMC) in Coatesville will be held in The Ballroom at The Lamb Tavern, 865 W. Springfield Road in Springfield, from 7 to 11 p.m. Tickets for the Jason Scott McClay Hero Fund are $30 and include buffet dinner, dessert, soda bar, silent auction and live music by Del’s Groove. There will also be a cash cocktail bar.
“Jason would be very proud of this,” his mother said.
The McClay-Reiley family
It will be three months on Dec. 19 since Jason, a Rite Aid pharmacy manager, was shot and killed during what authorities say was a robbery at the store at Ninth Street and Highland Avenue in Chester. Five Philadelphia residents are facing trial for first-degree murder and related offenses.
read more here
Delaware County Daily Times
By Rose Quinn
POSTED: 11/30/13
When he joined the Navy at age 30, Jason Scott McClay had finally started living the life he’d imagined since he was a student at Haverford High School.
His six years serving aboard the USS Kitty Hawk not only reinforced the deep pride he had for his country, but afforded him opportunities to forge lasting friendships and visit places like Thailand, Hong Kong and Australia, according to his mother, Margie Reiley of Haverford.
“He was stationed in Japan, but he got to travel all over the world,” she said. “He made friends wherever he went.”
A foot injury he suffered aboard the supercarrier that required two major surgeries curtailed Jason’s plan for a military career, she said. He was honorably discharged after seven years.
Come Saturday, Dec. 7, a fundraiser in memory of Jason Scott McClay to primarily benefit disabled and homeless veterans and their families through the Veterans Multi-Service Center (VMC) in Coatesville will be held in The Ballroom at The Lamb Tavern, 865 W. Springfield Road in Springfield, from 7 to 11 p.m. Tickets for the Jason Scott McClay Hero Fund are $30 and include buffet dinner, dessert, soda bar, silent auction and live music by Del’s Groove. There will also be a cash cocktail bar.
“Jason would be very proud of this,” his mother said.
The McClay-Reiley family
It will be three months on Dec. 19 since Jason, a Rite Aid pharmacy manager, was shot and killed during what authorities say was a robbery at the store at Ninth Street and Highland Avenue in Chester. Five Philadelphia residents are facing trial for first-degree murder and related offenses.
read more here
DAV and VFW team up for veterans
This is what can happen with veterans' charities work together.
DAV thankful for new garage at VFW in Massena
JOHNSON NEWSPAPERS
By BENNY FAIRCHILD
PUBLISHED: SUNDAY, DECEMBER 1, 2013
MASSENA — For years, veterans hoping to catch a ride to the Veterans Affairs Medical Center in Syracuse would meet at 4:30 a.m. outside Town Hall for the long ride to Syracuse, having to arrive even earlier during the winter to scrape ice and snow off the vehicles belonging to Disabled American Veterans Post 171.
While Massena didn’t magically get any closer to Syracuse, area veterans can now sleep an extra hour during those winter months, as they’ll no longer have to clean ice and snow off the vans thanks to a new garage built at Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 1143.
“Last year with all those ice storms, we had veterans out there at 3 a.m. trying to chip away at the ice,” DAV Commander Edward Gebault said.
“We were having trouble keeping members. It was tough. They were out there when it was 20 below trying to get those vans going,” he said.
read more here
Shadow of Marines lives on in famous logo
Shadow of Marines lives on in famous logo
Wounded Times
Kathie Costos
December 1, 2013
Tuesday I was reading Courthouse news about Wounded Warrior Project suing Help Indiana Veterans. I posted it and have not stopped thinking about it since then. There was nothing new in what Dean Graham posted on "Wounded Warrior Project is a fraud" that has not been out there for a long time.
The only thing that seems to be new is the issue of the WWP logo.
I called Dean on Wednesday. He and his wife, also a veteran, had gone to WWP for help but was turned down. It was then that he decided he wanted to make sure other veterans in Indiana never ended up feeling like him. Dean is like many feeling as if they have been forgotten about. His hurt turned into anger as more and more veterans were telling the same story so he decided it was time to give those other veterans a voice. They used it in comment after comment left on his site.
After hours of searching I tracked down the picture. The only question I had after finding this was if WWP actually owes Laura Rauch and Associated Press for use of a copyright photo that belonged to them? The answer is, WWP bought the rights to use it.
A Marine carrying a wounded Marine is very common much like soldiers risking their lives to make sure they do all they can to get their buddy out of danger. We've seen hundreds just like this one over the years. While the internet has forgotten about them, forgotten that there were real Marines in real war, their shadow lives on. At least now when you see the logo you may remember the Marines no one else seems to remember.
The Marines Sgt. Matt LeVart carries injured Cpl. Barry Lange off the battlefield as members of India Company 3rd Battalion 7th Marine Division engage Iraqi soldiers in battle. (AP Photo/Laura Rauch)
I talked to Laura about the Marines in the picture and she told me it is very hard to think they have been forgotten about when people see the logo from WWP.
It is almost as if they are living in the shadow.
The problem is, most of the troops from long ago have become veterans, many with body wounds but many more with spiritual wounds no one can see.
Much like veterans from other generations the cheers they were sent to war with turned into silence for this 7% of the population expecting them to just leave behind what they did in our name. They cannot forget what they did for each other. Now they ask what they can still do for each other. They don't like it when one of their own gets left behind.
(update on December 1, 2013 for the correct names of the Marines)
Wounded Times
Kathie Costos
December 1, 2013
Tuesday I was reading Courthouse news about Wounded Warrior Project suing Help Indiana Veterans. I posted it and have not stopped thinking about it since then. There was nothing new in what Dean Graham posted on "Wounded Warrior Project is a fraud" that has not been out there for a long time.
The only thing that seems to be new is the issue of the WWP logo.
National veterans’ charity sues local Indiana veterans’ charityThat is why I couldn't stop thinking about this. I have seen thousands of pictures over the years. Some well known but some others never see. Veterans send them to me so I can understand more about what that part of their life was like to help them heal as well as in the videos I do for Combat PTSD. I knew I had seen the image sometime over the years.
In the lawsuit, attorneys for the Wounded Warrior Project argue that Graham’s post violates its trademark infringement and has cost it more than $75,000.
I called Dean on Wednesday. He and his wife, also a veteran, had gone to WWP for help but was turned down. It was then that he decided he wanted to make sure other veterans in Indiana never ended up feeling like him. Dean is like many feeling as if they have been forgotten about. His hurt turned into anger as more and more veterans were telling the same story so he decided it was time to give those other veterans a voice. They used it in comment after comment left on his site.
After hours of searching I tracked down the picture. The only question I had after finding this was if WWP actually owes Laura Rauch and Associated Press for use of a copyright photo that belonged to them? The answer is, WWP bought the rights to use it.
A Marine carrying a wounded Marine is very common much like soldiers risking their lives to make sure they do all they can to get their buddy out of danger. We've seen hundreds just like this one over the years. While the internet has forgotten about them, forgotten that there were real Marines in real war, their shadow lives on. At least now when you see the logo you may remember the Marines no one else seems to remember.
The Marines Sgt. Matt LeVart carries injured Cpl. Barry Lange off the battlefield as members of India Company 3rd Battalion 7th Marine Division engage Iraqi soldiers in battle. (AP Photo/Laura Rauch)
I talked to Laura about the Marines in the picture and she told me it is very hard to think they have been forgotten about when people see the logo from WWP.
It is almost as if they are living in the shadow.
The problem is, most of the troops from long ago have become veterans, many with body wounds but many more with spiritual wounds no one can see.
Much like veterans from other generations the cheers they were sent to war with turned into silence for this 7% of the population expecting them to just leave behind what they did in our name. They cannot forget what they did for each other. Now they ask what they can still do for each other. They don't like it when one of their own gets left behind.
(update on December 1, 2013 for the correct names of the Marines)
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)