Vets Slam Northport VA During Congressional Hearing On Long Island
CBS New York
September 20, 2016
“There weren’t suicides here,” Moschitta said. “There weren’t two veterans. One was a staff employee, the other one by a car exam, indicated that he died of other issues. So you’re gonna see a continuous array of falsehoods because people have other issues here.”
NORTHPORT, N.Y. (CBSNewYork/AP) — Accusations of patient neglect and suicide consumed much of a congressional hearing on veteran’s affairs at a VA hospital on Long Island on Tuesday.
Northport VA Medical Center Director Phil Moschitta says the hospital did not turn away a patient that later committed suicide in the hospital’s parking lot, WCBS 880’s Mike Xirinachs reported.
Earlier this year, Peter Kaisen, 76, a retired police officer from Islip, was found in a parking lot at the medical center suffering from a gunshot wound to the head.
read more here
Mark Kirk campaign site falsely calls senator 'veteran' of Iraq war
CNN Digital Expansion DC Manu Raju
By Manu Raju, Senior Political Reporter
Updated 1306 GMT (2106 HKT) September 21, 2016
A once public, now private webpage on Mark Kirk's official campaign website touted his record on veterans' issues, Kirk was listed as a "veteran of the Iraq war."
(CNN)Sen. Mark Kirk's campaign falsely asserted on its website that the Illinois Republican was a veteran of the Iraq war, a misstatement that comes six years after exaggerations over his military record nearly cost him his state's Senate seat.
The Republican, now battling for a second term in a tight race in Illinois, stayed in the United States during the Iraq War when he served in the Navy Reserves. But on a public webpage on his official campaign website touting his record on veterans' issues, Kirk was listed as a "veteran of the Iraq war."
While Kirk campaign officials said it was a staff error, the issue resembles the controversy that nearly caused his 2010 Senate campaign to implode. Moreover, Kirk is now running for reelection against Democratic Rep. Tammy Duckworth, a military veteran who lost both of her legs during combat in Iraq.
read more here
How many times does this have to happen before things really change and veterans get proper care?
When do politicians actually face the families and apologize for all the years veterans have been left waiting while they make speeches?
When does our Congress actually fix the VA instead of trying to sell our veterans to private for profit corporations?
How many more years of pain and suffering do they intend to let us go through watching our veterans suffer while they pass bill after bill that only repeat what has been proven to have already failed them?
Colorado veteran’s suicide prompts call for investigation into VA wait times
Denver Post
By MARK K. MATTHEWS
PUBLISHED: September 20, 2016
Specifically, the whistleblower said the situation in Colorado Springs could have contributed to the death of an Army Ranger who was awaiting treatment for post-traumatic stress disorder.
WASHINGTON — Two U.S. senators are calling for an investigation into wait times at VA facilities in Colorado following the suicide of a 26-year-old U.S. Army Ranger who did not receive PTSD counseling in time.
The request by Republican U.S. Sens. Cory Gardner of Colorado and Ron Johnson of Wisconsin also asks that an internal watchdog at the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs examine allegations that VA officials forged documents after the service member’s death and then threatened a whistleblower who raised these issues with authorities, according to a letter dated Monday.
Without specifically addressing the accusations, the VA released a statement in response that said the agency would work with Congress and investigators “to determine the facts of the situation and take appropriate action should any wrongdoing be uncovered.”
read more here
Longtime Johnson City firefighter retires early, cites workplace conditions
WJHL 11 News
By Nate Morabito
Published: September 19, 2016
JOHNSON CITY, TN (WJHL) – A Johnson City firefighter who is battling mental illness has decided to call it quits and retire early, citing the ongoing working conditions as his reason. 25-year veteran Sergeant. Mike Sagers retired earlier this month after spending an extended period of time on medical leave.
Sgt. Sagers says it was a difficult decision, but one he had to make for his mental health. Sagers suffers from stress, anxiety and post-traumatic stress disorder, according to medical records.
Back in May, Sgt. Sagers provided us with select medical records that documented his concerns of bullying, belittling and workplace violence by longtime administrator and current Fire Chief Mark Scott. His medical provider documented words like “abusive fire chief,” “harassment” and “concern of retaliation.”
Johnson City Professional Firefighters Association President Charlie Ihle shared his disappointment.
“I don’t like it one bit,” Ihle said. “To lose somebody like Mike Sagers is awful. It’s just awful. Mike Sagers was passionate about the fire department and the city. Nobody knows more about the fire department and the city than Mike Sagers, so for him to be forced out is just awful.”
read more here
Sculpture left by widow at Vietnam Wall shows the tragic effects of war
Washington Post
By Michael E. Ruane
September 20, 2016
The object was the painted bust of an American soldier, one side of the face depicting a smooth-skinned young serviceman, the other an aged, long-haired veteran with pocked features and a tearful, staring eye.
The sculpture was packed in bubble wrap inside a taped-up box and was wheeled on a dolly to the Vietnam Veterans Memorial one day last month by three people who looked to be in their 60s.
They asked Al Gallant, a volunteer guide, if it was okay to leave a memento. Sure, he said. They pushed the cart down the path to the Wall, took the sculpture from the box, and walked away. One of them paused to snap a picture as they departed.
What they had left was an unusual piece — “macabre,” Gallant called it. And, like many of the 400,000 items left at the Wall since 1982, it had a story.
read more here
The Los Angeles County District Attorney's Office says 28-year-old Oscar Aguilar and 31-year-old Esau Rios were convicted Thursday of murder and shooting at an occupied vehicle. Aguilar was also convicted of possession of a firearm by a felon.
FILE - In this Oct. 5, 2016, file photo, Marine pallbearers prepare the flag-draped coffin with the remains of Lance Cpl. Carlos A. Segovia-Lopez, during his funeral service at the Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels in Los Angeles. A jury has convicted two gang members in the killing of the 19-year-old Marine on a home visit to Los Angeles in 2016. The Los Angeles County District Attorney's Office says Oscar Aguilar and Esau Rios were convicted Thursday, May 30, 2019, of murder and shooting at an occupied vehicle. Aguilar was also convicted of possession of a firearm by a felon. (Al Seib/Los Angeles Times via AP, Pool, File)
UPDATE
Camp Pendleton Marine dies three days after he was mysteriously shot and left for dead in South L.A.
U.S. MARINE SHOT IN HEAD IN SOUTH LA WHILE ON MILITARY LEAVE
ABC News
September 18, 2016
Undated photos of 19-year-old Carlos Segovia, who was shot in the head in South Los Angeles on Friday, Sept. 16, 2016. (Facebook: Laurie Mitchell/Claudia Perez )
SOUTH LOS ANGELES (KABC) -- A young U.S. Marine has been declared brain dead Sunday after getting shot in the back of the head in South Los Angeles, L.A. police officials said.
According to LAPD Media Relations officials, Carlos Segovia was shot once in the head near 31st Street and Western Avenue at about 11:30 p.m. Friday. Police said a vehicle pulled up beside his, and a suspect or suspects opened fire.
Segovia was not in uniform when he was shot, according to authorities. The family of Segovia contacted ABC7 using the hashtag #abc7eyewitness and said the 19-year-old was home on military leave.
For several years, Segovia volunteered for a group that feeds the homeless, and six months ago, he became a U.S. Marine to serve his country, his family said.
read more here
Army: 73 soldiers may have been improperly sent home with TBI, PTSD
Federal News Radio
Jared Serbu
September 19, 2016
Of those 394, an internal audit identified 73 cases where there was no evidence that commanders even considered whether PTSD or TBI was a factor in the underlying offense that prompted their discharge.
The Army is reexamining the cases of at least 73 soldiers who it kicked out under other-than-honorable circumstances between 2009 and 2015 because it may have run afoul of a federal law intended to help ensure troops aren’t punished for mental health issues that were actually caused by their military service.
At issue is a provision in the 2010 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) that requires all the military branches to consider whether service-connected behavioral health might have played a role in whatever misconduct officials are using as their reasoning for separating a military member.
Any service member who’s served in a combat zone in the previous two years and who’s also been diagnosed with post-traumatic stress or traumatic brain injury is supposed to receive additional scrutiny before commanders discharge him or her for a law or rule violation — particularly since a less-than-honorable discharge makes them ineligible for mental health treatment or any other veterans benefits.
Eric Fanning, the secretary of the Army, formally notified Congress in an Aug. 25 letter that the service had identified a total of 394 soldiers who had PTSD or TBI diagnoses in their medical records, were sent home with less-than-honorable discharges and had deployed to serve in contingency operations sometime in the 24 months before they were kicked out. Sen. Chris Murphy (D-Conn.) released the letter late last week.
read more here
One of nation's largest veterans organizations, American Legion celebrates 100 years
The Gazette (Colorado Springs, Colo.) (Tribune News Service)
By Tom Roeder
Published: September 18, 2016
Additionally, it provides educational programs for students and its post are loaded with community volunteers - its 2.4 million members provide nearly 4 million hours of community service annually - which Schmidt thinks could be key for growing the Legion.
The American Legion is hoping its upcoming 100th birthday will bring renewal to one of the nation's largest and quickly graying veterans organizations.
The Legion's national commander, Charles Schmidt, said during a weeklong Colorado visit that he wants the organization to focus on its accomplishments and press forward with programs for children in a bid to draw younger veterans from Iraq and Afghanistan to its ranks.
"That's where the rubber meets the road," said Schmidt, an Air Force retiree from eastern Oregon.
Schmidt, who served nearly 27 years in the Air Force, said he was a reluctant Legionnaire at the start.
read more here
Crowdfunding quickly raises $44,000 for soldier recovering from brutal hospital attack
Army Times
September 17, 2016
Blanchard has three children under the age of five that she raises with her husband, also a soldier in the Army.
A crowdfunding effort quickly raised tens of thousands of dollars for a hospitalized lieutenant set on fire in suffering severe burns. A civilian subordinate is accused of attacking the officer on Sept. 7 at Munson Army Health Center in Kansas.
The GoFundMe page for 1st Lt. Katie Blanchard, 26, has raised nearly $44,000 since Monday. The page said her injuries included “severe burns to her head, neck, back, arms and hands — mostly third and fourth degree,” and that she would be in the hospital or rehab for most of the next year.
An update to the page late Wednesday said she had undergone successful skin graft surgery Monday, and that Tuesday Blanchard spoke for the first time since she was injured. The update also said the family closed the campaign to donations because it had raised more than enough money for its current needs; excess money will be donated to charity.
read more here
Vets Stand Watch Around the Clock on Colorado Street Bridge to Prevent Suicides, Spread Awareness
Pasadena Now
Story and Photography by BRANDON VILLALOVOS
Published : Sunday, September 18, 2016
“Our veterans at Wellness Works decided that it is just not acceptable. It was their idea to do this. These veterans that commit suicide are losing their last battle with PTSD and we need the community’s help with all of this. We simply cannot do this by ourselves,” said Lynch.
Military veterans set up post on Pasadena’s Colorado Bridge for three days in effort to help prevent suicide and spread awareness about the epidemic that takes the lives of around 22 vets each day. Their around-the-clock shifts from Thursday through Saturday aimed to draw the attention from the community and shed a light on the impact of post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) on veterans that often results in taking their own lives.
“They’re walking back and forth on the bridge in shifts ranging from one to two hours in memory of those who killed themselves to let other veterans who are in despair at this moment know that they have their backs,” said Kathy Lynch, Clinical Director of Glendale non-profit Wellness Works that created this event in collaboration with local veterans.
Wellness Works engages the community in restoring hope and a sense of wholeness of body and soul to veterans and their families through events like this one, according to organization’s website.
The Colorado Bridge campout known as “Not On Our Watch 2016” is the result of concerned veterans that were tired of seeing their brothers in arms fall down the road of depression that often leads to suicide, according to Lynch.
read more here
