Ex-soldier 'kept money raised for Help for Heroes'
BBC
October 1, 2015
A former soldier asked for donations for endurance challenges but kept money raised for himself, a court has heard.
Mike Buss, 41, from Highworth near Swindon, is accused of defrauding the charity Help for Heroes out of more than £23,000 between 2009 and 2011.
Swindon Crown Court heard before becoming an endurance athlete, Mr Buss spent 10 years in the Army and lectured at St Joseph's College in the town.
Mr Buss denies one count of theft and one of fraud by false representation.
The ex-Green Jacket's fundraising activities took place mainly in and around Swindon and Highworth.
They included running on a treadmill for 24 hours in Swindon's Brunel Centre, and running 100 marathons in 100 days.
read more here
Friday, October 2, 2015
Minnesota National Guardsman Found Dead At Hibbing Armory
Star Tribune
By Mark Brunswick
SEPTEMBER 30, 2015
Hibbing police are investigating the possible suicide of a Minnesota National Guard soldier whose body was found Monday in the Hibbing armory.
The Minnesota National Guard identified the soldier as Staff Sgt. Ryan Esala, 43, of Virginia, Minn., who served for more than 26 years.
Published reports indicate that a weapon was near the body.
read more here
Mom Gets to Meet Solider Who Saved Her Son
SOLDIER SAVES 6-MONTH-OLD IN CRASH
ABC 11 News
September 30, 2015
SPOUT SPRINGS, NC (WTVD) -- It was an emotional reunion Wednesday at the Spout Springs Fire Department as a young Army family thanked a fellow soldier for rescuing their son.
Sgt Josh Farrell got a big smile from the 6-month-old boy he rescued.
On August 18, Caitlin Coffeen ran off the road in the rain and hit a power pole along HWY 87 S. north of Spring Lake. She was able to get out, but couldn't get to her son strapped in a child seat in the overturned vehicle. read more here
ABC 11 News
September 30, 2015
SPOUT SPRINGS, NC (WTVD) -- It was an emotional reunion Wednesday at the Spout Springs Fire Department as a young Army family thanked a fellow soldier for rescuing their son.
Sgt Josh Farrell got a big smile from the 6-month-old boy he rescued.
On August 18, Caitlin Coffeen ran off the road in the rain and hit a power pole along HWY 87 S. north of Spring Lake. She was able to get out, but couldn't get to her son strapped in a child seat in the overturned vehicle. read more here
Thursday, October 1, 2015
Mass Shooting At Oregon Umpqua Community College
Oregon shooting: Gunman dead after college rampage
CNN By Dana Ford
Updated 5:34 PM ET, Thu October 1, 2015
(CNN)The man who opened fire at Oregon's Umpqua Community College on Thursday is dead, Douglas County Sheriff John Hanlin told reporters.
No police officers were injured, but preliminary information indicates 10 people were killed and more than 20 others injured in the shooting, according to Oregon State Police spokesman Bill Fugate.
Officers and the gunman exchanged fire. The shooter was a 20-year-old man, according to Oregon Gov. Kate Brown.
"It's been a terrible day," said Hanlin. "At this point, it's a very active scene. It's a very active investigation."
read more here
CNN By Dana Ford
Updated 5:34 PM ET, Thu October 1, 2015
(CNN)The man who opened fire at Oregon's Umpqua Community College on Thursday is dead, Douglas County Sheriff John Hanlin told reporters.
No police officers were injured, but preliminary information indicates 10 people were killed and more than 20 others injured in the shooting, according to Oregon State Police spokesman Bill Fugate.
Officers and the gunman exchanged fire. The shooter was a 20-year-old man, according to Oregon Gov. Kate Brown.
"It's been a terrible day," said Hanlin. "At this point, it's a very active scene. It's a very active investigation."
read more here
Open Letter to Sen. Joe Donnelly to Open Your Eyes
UPDATE
Considering the DOD released their suicide numbers for the second quarter it pretty much proves the point DoD releases 2nd quarter suicide figures on Army Times
Trained to Fight, Trained to Suffer in Silence
Wounded Times
Kathie Costos
October 1, 2015
Suicide Prevention month is over and evidently did little good to prevent them.
I just read the headline with Donnelly Says Military Still Has Work To Do To Help Prevent Suicide and after reading about your efforts, I think you may really want to do something to save lives. Your answer is right here.
Wounded Times has documented all the ups and downs members of Congress have let happen. While the press seems to forget, veterans remember, especially since it is their lives we're talking about. Somehow members of Congress have managed to get away with just blaming the person in the Chair of the VA even though you've all held hearings and promised changes only to turn around every time the press reports on another crisis and veterans get more promises.
Here's a blast from the past with Senator Bernie Sanders as he and Senator Daniel Akaka were calling for more funding for the PTSD Center Funding. It came out in 2008, a year after Congress had the Joshua Omvig Suicide Prevention Bill passed and signed into law in 2007.
Want to remove the stigma of PTSD? Then get to the original problem. Some yahoo decided a research project designed to give school aged children a better sense of self worth would be just fine and dandy for service members. That is what Comprehensive Soldier Fitness was. Take and look at what RAND Corp had to say about this and then hold folks accountable for doing it. Dark Side of Comprehensive Soldier Fitness
When suicides went up instead of down, it would have been helpful if you guys started to ask why what you already failed before you just did more of it.
The worst thing is none of you seemed to notice that for veterans in general, they are double the civilian population rate, which is really bad, but when they looked at the percentages for younger veterans, the ones who got that "training" their rate was triple their peer rate.
Anyone can get PTSD after trauma, but not everyone went into traumatic events willingly. They put their lives on the line for each other but couldn't talk to each other about needing help to heal from it. That is the real problem behind all of it. They were trained that way.
Considering the DOD released their suicide numbers for the second quarter it pretty much proves the point DoD releases 2nd quarter suicide figures on Army Times
Suicides among active-duty service members rose by 20 percent in the second quarter of this year to 71, according to a new report released Wednesday by the Defense Department.
The Marine Corps had the highest percentage increase, 12 suicides, up from three the previous quarter.
The Army had 28 active-duty suicides, the Air Force, 17, and the Navy, 14, according to the report.
Over the first six months of 2015, 130 active-duty troops took their own lives, along with 89 reserve members and 56 National Guardsmen. In the second quarter, the reserve component experienced 47 suicides and the National Guard, 27.
Trained to Fight, Trained to Suffer in Silence
Wounded Times
Kathie Costos
October 1, 2015
Suicide Prevention month is over and evidently did little good to prevent them.
I just read the headline with Donnelly Says Military Still Has Work To Do To Help Prevent Suicide and after reading about your efforts, I think you may really want to do something to save lives. Your answer is right here.
“You have to be able to ask for help – and it’s okay to ask for help," Frost said. "And that stigma that existed, really a lot in what is that Army tough, Army strong, we’re soldiers, we’re hooah…that has really started to melt away.”I have over 30 years crammed in my brain but since we're running out of time, and frankly, I ran out of patience long ago, I will be blunt but I mean you no disrespect. I am just tied of all of this getting worse when the reason behind it was predicted back in 2009.
If you promote this (Comprehensive Solider Fitness) program the way Battlemind was promoted, count on the numbers of suicides and attempted suicides to go up instead of down. It's just one more deadly mistake after another and just as dangerous as sending them into Iraq without the armor needed to protect them.Overwhelmed VA didn't happen overnight but then again if you fail to factor in the obvious crush of younger veterans against the already long line at the VA, this was a predictable catastrophe, or it should have been.
Wounded Times has documented all the ups and downs members of Congress have let happen. While the press seems to forget, veterans remember, especially since it is their lives we're talking about. Somehow members of Congress have managed to get away with just blaming the person in the Chair of the VA even though you've all held hearings and promised changes only to turn around every time the press reports on another crisis and veterans get more promises.
Here's a blast from the past with Senator Bernie Sanders as he and Senator Daniel Akaka were calling for more funding for the PTSD Center Funding. It came out in 2008, a year after Congress had the Joshua Omvig Suicide Prevention Bill passed and signed into law in 2007.
In recent years, the Center for PTSD has been called on to dramatically expand its mission and conduct research on a larger scale. At the same time, an increasing number of servicemembers are returning from Iraq and Afghanistan with PTSD. However, the Center's budget has increased by less than 10 percent in the past half-decade. Due to limited funding, the Center's capacity to continue its work is severely restricted, and staff levels have been reduced since 1999.While all of you were blaming Shinseki, veterans noticed this going on,
In a departure from the rhetoric Shinseki has used before Congress, Shinseki said at the American Legion's National Convention that he's not afraid of the claims backlog that has grown to about 600,000 -- a sore point when Senators and Congressmen question him on Capitol Hill. The VA secretary said he doesn't regret opening the opportunity to issue disability claims to nearly a million veterans of wars going back more than 60 years. He only wishes the decision had been made sooner to give the VA a head start.We also remember this, Obama to order VA to add staff, see suicidal vets within 24 hours from Stars and Stripes reporter Megan McCloskey on August 30, 2012
WASHINGTON — President Barack Obama will sign an executive order Friday directing the Department of Veterans Affairs to expand mental health services and suicide prevention efforts. The president will make the announcement in a speech to troops at Fort Bliss, Texas, where he’ll also hold a roundtable with soldiers and their families. Much of what's outlined in the executive order are initiatives that were previously announced earlier this summer by the VA. Obama is instructing the VA to ensure that any veteran with suicidal thoughts is seen by a mental health professional within 24 hours -- a standard already set for the VA, but which the department often fails to meet. The VA has until June 2013 to figure out how to fix that issue with pay, loan repayment, scholarships and partnerships with community-based providers and training programs. The goal, announced by the VA in June, is to hire 1,900 mental health staffers.We also knew that the Pentagon hadn't even spent the money they were already given to prevent suicides and that came out during a U.S. House Defense Appropriations Subcommittee hearing a month after President Obama made his announcement.
The VA is also being told to increase the veteran crisis hotline capacity by 50 percent by the end of year and to develop a national 12-month suicide prevention campaign that would help connect veterans to mental health services.The president ordered the Pentagon to review and rank its mental health and substance abuse prevention programs by quality and effectiveness. “By the end of Fiscal Year 2014, existing program resources shall be realigned to ensure that highly ranked programs are implemented across all of the military services and less effective programs are replaced,” the order states. That forces the Pentagon to take ownership of the programs military-wide instead of allowing each service to decide on its own what programs to use. Reviewing the vast and disparate programs will be a big task and could lead to kickback from the services, which are protective of their programs.
In addition, the president is convening a Military and Veterans Mental Health Interagency Task Force to present him with recommendations in 180 days on how to improve treatment services.
In July, the McDermott-Boswell amendment that would increase critical funding for suicide prevention for active duty military by $10 million passed with strong support in the House Defense Appropriations bill for Fiscal Year 2013.So we've been watching and waiting for our elected officials to wake up and change what has been proven to be wrong. We keep reading about this bill and that bill while veterans pay the price for their service as they get speeches. Enough it enough! Before you try another attempt at writing yet one more bill, ask yourself "Why it has gotten worse as Congress has done more than ever before?" and then toss in the fact that there are hundreds of thousands of charities all over the country collecting billions a year after veterans did everything possible to make it home from war alive but cannot survive right here at home.
“The Pentagon hasn’t spent the money that it has for suicide prevention for this year – and that money wasn’t nearly enough money to reach all the soldiers who need help. Now we are hearing about bureaucratic technicalities at the Pentagon that are preventing them from acting. This is unconscionable,” said Congressman McDermott. “The Pentagon is funded to help soldiers and needs to do much more on the epidemic of suicides. As we commemorate National Suicide Prevention Week, we are calling on the Pentagon to move much faster.”
Want to remove the stigma of PTSD? Then get to the original problem. Some yahoo decided a research project designed to give school aged children a better sense of self worth would be just fine and dandy for service members. That is what Comprehensive Soldier Fitness was. Take and look at what RAND Corp had to say about this and then hold folks accountable for doing it. Dark Side of Comprehensive Soldier Fitness
There seems to be reluctance and inconsistency among the CSF promoters in acknowledging that CSF is "research" and therefore should entail certain protections routinely granted to those who participate in research studies. Seligman explained to the APA's Monitor on Psychology (link is external), "This is the largest study - 1.1 million soldiers - psychology has ever been involved in" (a "study" is a common synonym for "research project"). But when asked during an NPR interview (link is external) whether CSF would be "the largest-ever experiment," Brig. Gen. Cornum, who oversees the program, responded, "Well, we're not describing it as an experiment. We're describing it as training." Despite the fact that CSF is incontrovertibly a research study, standard and important questions about experimental interventions like CSF are neither asked nor answered in the special issue. This neglect is all the more troubling given that the program is so massive and expensive, and the stakes are so high.We also know this,
The Defense Department runs 900 suicide prevention programs, yet the number of military suicides has more than doubled since 2001, the head of the Pentagon’s suicide prevention office told lawmakers Thursday.
Jacqueline Garrick, acting director of the Defense Suicide Prevention Office, told the House Armed Services Committee that the Pentagon has identified 291 suicides in fiscal 2012 with investigations into another 59 pending. This is up from 160 in 2001. She said the suicide rate for 2012 is expected to increase once death investigations have been completed and a final manner of death determination is issued.
When suicides went up instead of down, it would have been helpful if you guys started to ask why what you already failed before you just did more of it.
The worst thing is none of you seemed to notice that for veterans in general, they are double the civilian population rate, which is really bad, but when they looked at the percentages for younger veterans, the ones who got that "training" their rate was triple their peer rate.
The suicide rate among young male veterans continues to soar: ex-servicemen 24 and younger are now three times more likely than civilian males to take their lives, according to a federal study released Friday. Former troops in that high-risk age group — who were also enrolled for care at veterans' hospitals — posted a suicide rate of 79.1 per 100,000 during 2011, the latest data available. In contrast, the annual suicide rate for all American males has recently averaged about 25 per 100,000, the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs reports. During 2009, the suicide rate for veterans 24 and younger was 46.1 per 100,000 — meaning the deadly pace increased by 79 percent during that two-year span.Seems like one of your staffers should have paid attention to all of this since we did.
Marine Dies in Hit-and-Run While Helping Another Driver
Marine, 21, Dies in Hit-and-Run While Helping Another Driver
NBC Washington
Sep 30, 2015
A Marine who tried to help the driver of a disabled vehicle in heavy rain Tuesday night in Frederick County was hit and killed by a driver who fled the scene.
Marine Cpl. William Ferrell, 21, stopped to help a driver on northbound Route 15 in Thurmont, Maryland State Police said.
Ferrell, of Carthage, North Carolina, was walking on the shoulder and was just feet from the stranded car when a tractor-trailer or heavy-duty pickup with a car-hauling trailer left the road, striking and killing him.
Witnesses tell police that as they tended to Ferrell, the truck stopped for a few minutes, then pulled away.
Police say the truck likely has damage to its right side.
read more here
NBC Washington
Sep 30, 2015
Ferrell joined the fire department at age 16 and then joined the U.S. Marine Corps, Tyner said. His journey led him to Maryland, where he was promoted to corporal and stationed at Camp David.
A Marine who tried to help the driver of a disabled vehicle in heavy rain Tuesday night in Frederick County was hit and killed by a driver who fled the scene.
Marine Cpl. William Ferrell, 21, stopped to help a driver on northbound Route 15 in Thurmont, Maryland State Police said.
Ferrell, of Carthage, North Carolina, was walking on the shoulder and was just feet from the stranded car when a tractor-trailer or heavy-duty pickup with a car-hauling trailer left the road, striking and killing him.
Witnesses tell police that as they tended to Ferrell, the truck stopped for a few minutes, then pulled away.
Police say the truck likely has damage to its right side.
read more here
Fort Carson Soldier Died in Training Accident
Fort Carson soldier dies after California Stryker training crash
The soldier was a member of the 1st Stryker Brigade Combat Team
The Denver Post
By Jesse Paul
09/30/2015
A Fort Carson soldier died Wednesday after a California training accident last week, Army officials said, becoming the second GI from the Mountain Post to die in a Stryker armored-vehicle crash this year.
The soldier, a member of the 1st Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division, was injured Sept. 24 in a Stryker rollover crash at the National Training Center, Fort Irwin, Calif.
Fort Carson officials say the soldier was taken to Riverside Community Hospital in Riverside, Calif., for treatment before his death.
read more here
UPDATE
Fort Carson ID's soldier killed in California Stryker training crash
Staff Sgt. Christopher Popham was assigned to the 1st Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division and was injured in a Stryker rollover during training Sept. 24.
The soldier was a member of the 1st Stryker Brigade Combat Team
The Denver Post
By Jesse Paul
09/30/2015
A Fort Carson soldier died Wednesday after a California training accident last week, Army officials said, becoming the second GI from the Mountain Post to die in a Stryker armored-vehicle crash this year.
The soldier, a member of the 1st Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division, was injured Sept. 24 in a Stryker rollover crash at the National Training Center, Fort Irwin, Calif.
Fort Carson officials say the soldier was taken to Riverside Community Hospital in Riverside, Calif., for treatment before his death.
read more here
UPDATE
Fort Carson ID's soldier killed in California Stryker training crash
Staff Sgt. Christopher Popham was assigned to the 1st Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division and was injured in a Stryker rollover during training Sept. 24.
Fatal Motorcycle Crash Claims Life of Fort Carson Soldier
The Gazette
By: Chhun Sun
September 30, 2015
The man who died in a weekend motorcycle crash in Fremont County was identified Wednesday as a Fort Carson soldier, officials said.
Spc. Rafael Munoz Baez, 44, was traveling north on Colorado Highway 9 when he lost control of his 2005 Buell XB12S motorcycle while going around a curve near mile marker 5, Colorado State Patrol said. The motorcycle went down an embankment, where Munoz-Baez was thrown from the bike and suffered fatal injuries. He was wearing a helmet, State Patrol said. read more here
Brevard Veterans Memorial Center Expanding
Veterans Center finally expanding
FLORIDA TODAY
R. Norman Moody
September 30, 2015
The project is part of the 80-acre complex along Sykes Creek just south of Merritt Square Mall.
The 4,000-square-foot expansion of the center's building comes thanks to a $1.5 million grant from the Florida Department of Economic Opportunity. The project will feature the addition of a two-story military museum, an improved military library, enhanced facilities for the Disabled American Veteran support program and an upgraded and expanded Memorial Plaza.
read more here
FLORIDA TODAY
R. Norman Moody
September 30, 2015
"It's really nice to see this happening," said Bill Vagianos, president of the Brevard Veterans Memorial Center. "My heart is with the center and always will be. The building will be doubled in size. It's going to be a two-story building. We'll move our offices and storage above."
Brevard Parks and Recreation director Jack Masson addresses the audience, among them from left Bill Vagianos, former county commissioner Chuck Nelson, County Commissioner Jim Barfield, State Sen. Thad Altman, State Rep. Steve Crisafulli (Photo: R. Norman Moody / FLORIDA TODAY)MERRITT ISLAND — As veterans marked the start of expansion of the Brevard Veterans Memorial Center, the rumble and beep of heavy equipment could be heard across a thicket of brush and trees where construction is ongoing at Veterans Memorial Park.
The project is part of the 80-acre complex along Sykes Creek just south of Merritt Square Mall.
The 4,000-square-foot expansion of the center's building comes thanks to a $1.5 million grant from the Florida Department of Economic Opportunity. The project will feature the addition of a two-story military museum, an improved military library, enhanced facilities for the Disabled American Veteran support program and an upgraded and expanded Memorial Plaza.
read more here
Delaware Police Officer Receives Award After Veterans Received Help
Cop Shop: Officers Nee and Carter win 2015 Awards of Valor
Delaware County Daily Times
POSTED: 09/30/15
The pair was honored at the 10th annual Awards of Valor Ceremony Wednesday night at the National Liberty Museum in Old City Philadelphia.
Delaware County Daily Times
POSTED: 09/30/15
Aston 2nd Ward Commissioner Carol Graham presented certificates of recognition to Aston Fire Chief Michael Evans, Aston EMT Tony Cirino, Crozer-Keystone Health System Chief Paramedic Robert Reeder, Aston EMT John Gibson Jr., Aston EMS Capt. Bruce Egan, and Aston Police Chief Dan Ruggieri.Congratulations to Upper Darby Police Officer Thomas Nee and Collingdale Police Officer William “Fox” Carter. Both were among those selected to receive 2015 Awards of Valor by The National Liberty Museum.
SUBMITTED PHOTO
The pair was honored at the 10th annual Awards of Valor Ceremony Wednesday night at the National Liberty Museum in Old City Philadelphia.
Carter is among the supervisors of the Delaware County Southeast Regional Emergency Response Team, as well as assigned patrol duties. He was nominated for his commitment to Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder training for police officers and for training for the proper interaction for police with those suffering from PTSD, as well as homeless veterans. He organized a daylong training for officers for more than 75 police and support personnel. In addition, he leads the Toys for Tots campaign, and oversees outreach to fellow officers and community members for used clothing to give to homeless vets in the area.
read more here
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