Power couple: Wife of airman who survived most catastrophic wounds in history vying for cover of Maxim magazine
Military Times
By: J.D. Simkins
September 24, 2018
Brian and Ashley often make trips to Walter Reed to visit other wounded veterans to provide hope and inspiration. In 2014, Brian was presented the George C. Lang Award for Courage for his many efforts to take care of and mentor wounded vets.
Ashley Kolfage met her husband-to-be, Brian, when she was working as a hostess at a Chili’s in the small west Texas city of San Angelo.
Ashley and Brian Kolfage practice surfing. The couple married in 2011. (Photo courtesy of Ashley Kolfage)
The two quickly became friends, but before any romance could take hold, Brian deployed to Iraq, where, on Sept. 11, 2004, he became the most severely wounded airman to survive any war in U.S. history after a 107mm enemy rocket landed just three feet away as he walked to get a drink of water.
Both of Brian’s legs were instantly shredded, he lost his dominant right hand and his lung collapsed.
Miraculously conscious after the explosion, the senior airman screamed for help. A close friend tried to keep him calm as medics rushed to help. All the while, Kolfage repeated that he just wanted to make it home to see his family.
Medics would go on to perform hours of life-saving surgery before placing Kolfage on a flight to Walter Reed Medical Center in Washington, where he arrived only 36 hours after being wounded, the fastest medevac to the U.S. from a war zone in history.
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He plays guitar downtown for money. What he really wants is a shower and a home
SAN LUIS OBISPO TRIBUNE
BY MONICA VAUGHAN
September 24, 2018
If you’ve recently strolled through downtown San Luis Obispo in the afternoon or Pismo Beach in the evening, you’ve probably seen or heard Jon Akeman. He’s the guy with long white hair, a patriotic bandana, guitar strapped over his shoulder and harmonica braced around his neck.
Known to locals as Dr. Jon the Citizen, Akeman, 73, serenades pedestrians with classic songs by Bob Dylan, Neil Young or the Eagles.
“I get a thrill of people going by, smiling at me when I play. Plus, I get a little money on the side,” he said, sitting on a bench in front of Ross Dress for Less on Higuera Street on a recent Thursday afternoon. “That’s my job, to make people happy.”
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Deputy's wife texted 'Kirk has lost his mind' before murder-suicide, friend says
Tampa Bay Times
Howard Altman
September 24, 2018
LAND O’LAKES — Samantha Keithley sent a series of disturbing text messages late Sunday, complaining about her husband to a longtime friend.
A Hillsborough County deputy fatally shot his wife before turning the gun on himself in the 17000 block of Terrazzo Way in Land O'Lakes on Sept. 24, 2018. [TONY MARRERO | Times]
“Kirk has lost his mind Kristin,” she wrote in one text to friend Kristin Kellin. “He’s literally losing it. He’s been harassing me for the last 6 hours and I’ve asked him repeatedly to just leave me alone because I’m sick.”
The wife also wrote that she had tossed her ring outside, a reference to a wedding ring.
That was 11:50 p.m. The texts were not seen for hours. Sometime near midnight, authorities say, Samantha Keithley, 33, was fatally shot by her husband, Kirk Keithley, a 39-year-old Hillsborough County sheriff’s deputy. He then turned the gun on himself and died by suicide.
“She was an amazing mother and an amazing friend and amazing wife,” Kellin said in an interview with the Tampa Bay Times. “This is horrible.”
Pasco County deputies were called to the home at 17364 Terrazzo Way when a 14-year-old boy ran from the house and alerted 911 after hearing an argument and a gunshot, Pasco Sheriff Chris Nocco said at an early morning news conference.
Once deputies arrived, they found the body of a woman, Nocco said. They went upstairs and found three other children safe.Then deputies found the husband in another room, dead from an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound, according to a preliminary investigation.
“Sam was part of our Hard Rock family for over 10 years,” he said. “She was truly loved by all who knew her. Our focus now is to support each other as we mourn this devastating loss. We are broken-hearted.”
Kirk Keithley was hired by the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office in 2009 and worked as a patrol deputy in the northeast area of the county. He had prior experience at the St. Petersburg Police Department.
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Family of soldier who took own life asks VA whistle-blowers to come forward
AZ Family
Lindsey Reiser
September 24, 2018
The 2016 letter specifically mentioned Castaneda, among other veterans, saying the Phoenix VA failed him by not checking on him. "He was considered such a high risk that they were supposed to be having someone check on him at his home, and apparently they weren't not checking on him all the time," Smith said.
PHOENIX (3TV/CBS 5) - Arizona's Family has been covering problems at the Phoenix VA for years. We told you in 2016, whistle-blowers wrote a letter alleging serious problems there.
Now, the family of one of the veterans mentioned in that letter is making a plea, asking those whistle-blowers to come forward to give them closure.
Three years after Army Ranger Antouine Castaneda took his own life, his mother-in-law, Margaret Smith, said they are still searching for answers. And she said her granddaughters ask questions about their dad.
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Hardin County veteran reported missing
Jackson Sun
Cassandra Stephenson
Sept. 24, 2018
A 30-year-old veteran suffering from PTSD has been missing for several days, according to the Hardin County Sheriff's Department.
Terry Michael Woodall was last seen in Hardin County. He recently received treatment at the Veterans Affairs Hospital in Memphis, according to the Hardin County Sheriff's Department.
Officials have no vehicle description and do not know Woodall's intended direction of travel.
Woodall is described as a 6-foot-tall white male weighing approximately 195 pounds.
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Female Veterans Honor Flight
"M*A*S*H" actress Loretta Swit (second from left) poses with participants in Monday's honor flight for female military veterans at the Women in Military Service for America Memorial.
MIKE THEILER, For the Journal Star (Go to link above for more great pictures)
Women-only honor flight takes 135 veterans from Nebraska to D.C.
Lincoln Journal Star
JULIE KOCH
September 24, 2018
OMAHA — Since 2008, Bill and Evonne Williams have taken more than 3,500 veterans to Washington, D.C., on honor flights.
But Monday's trip to the nation's capital is different. The Patriotic Productions flight consists of all females. All of the 135 veterans are women, as are the volunteers, members of the media and the plane's pilots.
The trip, which is free to the veterans, left Omaha at 4 a.m. The veterans will spend all day Monday visiting military memorials in Washington, including Arlington National Cemetery, the 9/11 Memorial at the Pentagon, the Women in Military Service for America Memorial, the Air Force Memorial, the World War II Memorial and the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Wall.
But before their trip to Washington, the veterans were treated to a dinner at a hotel in La Vista on Sunday evening. The guest speaker was Loretta Swit, who played Maj. Margaret "Hot Lips" Houlihan on the hit TV series "M*A*S*H."
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Homeless Nashville Marine sees outpouring of support, receives new wheelchair
FOX 17 News
Alex Apple
September 21, 2018
"It's the right thing to do. He didn't ask to be in this situation," Terry Mobley said. "Things happen and it's good that we still have good people around that look after one another."
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WZTV) — A homeless Marine living in Nashville has seen an outpouring of support.
Edward Kendall, known as Too Tall, lost all of his toes to frost bite. On top of that, someone stole his wheelchair a few days ago.
Now, people in Nashville have stepped up to help him out.
Too Tall said the hardest part of living on the streets is finding a place to lay your head. He said he usually sleeps under a box. He struggles to walk after frost bite led to him losing half of his feet earlier this year.
A thief stole his wheelchair, so FOX 17 News did last night what he was too proud to do - ask for Nashville's help. And the people of Nashville responded.
Two good Samaritans brought Too Tall what he called "two Cadillacs" - one wheelchair to use and another ready to roll, with help from Ed Medical Supply.
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PTSD Patrol: Cranky Shafted?
PTSD Patrol
Kathie Costos
September 23, 2018
This is for the majority of veterans in the US. Older, but unfortunately, not as wise as you should be when it comes to PTSD.
Veterans over the age of 50, are also the majority of veterans known to be committing suicide. Yep, that long after surviving combat, the battle to stay alive is lost all too often.
Most of it is because you thought you escaped all you went through while you were busy working, raising kids and doing what everyone does. Filling up time instead of relaxing.
Faced with retirement and other life changes, no longer too busy, time catches up with you. Suddenly it is as if you were hit by a sledgehammer when nightmares, flashbacks and mood swings take over. Not knowing what is going on, it is easy to get cranky.
AutoZone Crankshaft
"Your vehicle is a smoothly operating machine, unless of course your crankshaft and camshaft have gone bad. A faulty crankshaft inhibits the pistons from rotating properly while a damaged camshaft prevents correct opening and closing of the intake and exhaust valves- hindering your ability to drive altogether. The crankshaft and camshaft work together in-sync, so the valves don't contact the pistons, which are all controlled by the timing belt. Overtime, these parts become faulty from wear and tear, and inevitably need to be replaced within the lifetime of your vehicle."
If you had been hit by PTSD in younger years, then more than likely, you have already been to the VA, diagnosed and treated for PTSD. That is great because PTSD stops getting worse when you #TakeBackYourLife and fight to heal.
If you managed to "stuff it" then you may have been under the delusion you escaped what others did not. It is a huge shocker to find out you did not, especially when you are ready for your "golden years" when you are supposed to be enjoying life.
In This Military Wedding, Love Conquers All...And Hurricane Florence
WLTX 19 News
Author: Alicia Neaves
September 21, 2018
The young couple learned they'll never be alone. At every corner of our nation and in many cities around the world, thousands of their military brothers and sisters will be there should they ever need a hand.
Columbia, SC (WLTX) -- When military families need a hand, the entire military community springs into action.
Marine Corporal Jordan Taylor is stationed at Camp LeJeune in Jacksonville, North Carolina. His fiancee Julia lives in Texas.
When Hurricane Florence pounded the Carolina coast, Jordan, 23, returned home to Fort Jackson.
"He was evacuated and he came home to be with us," said Jordan's mother, Stacy Taylor.
Stacy says Jordan is scheduled to report back to Jacksonville in October.
His wedding is scheduled for November.
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There are so many things wrong with this, it is hard to know where to begin other than this picture!
Yes, this is the stunt they pulled because veterans committing suicide is such an important thing to them...they did not even bother to read the report from the VA in the first place, or the second report, or the third one!
This is a quote from the "event coordinators"
"They don't have the right outlet to come back. They need to go to their local VFW and talk to these people that were in World War 2 and tell them what they saw, because those guys want to know the generation gap and what they saw in World War 2 and what they are seeing now in Iraq and Afghanistan," said Kinzer-Henry.
So lets not talk about how that generation, along with ever other generation of veterans OVER THE AGE OF 50 ARE IN FACT THE MAJORITY OF THE KNOWN SUICIDES!
Why talk about the fact that had it not been for Vietnam veterans, there would have been nothing available for any of the Iraq and Afghanistan veterans they claim to be doing this for...? (and yes, insert the words you know I have in my head right now)
OMG! But hey, this is doing the groups like this a lot of good getting attention and raising a lot of money.
Did it ever dawn on any of these people that veterans already know they are dying by their own hands but do not know how to stay alive?
"22 Won't Do" event raising awareness for suicide among veterans
Rocket City Now
By: Kelly Kennedy
Posted: Sep 22, 2018
September is suicide prevention month, and the U.S. Space & Rocket Center hosted an event today to raise awareness for veteran suicide.
"22 Won't Do" is an event that is shedding light on the issue of suicide among veterans.
Lyn Rothe, an event participant, said, "there are people that go through something that maybe we don't understand, but we need to be aware that there are people that need additional help and additional support."
Studies show that on average, 22 veterans a day commit suicide. The community came out today to do 22 push ups in support of veterans.
Jordon Fleming said he wanted to raise awareness "for my young marines, for my country, for my flag, so I didn't wanna just stop and bail out with everybody else."
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