Kirstie Ennis Continues to Inspire Through Challenges

Veteran and amputee inspires with each death-defying climb
USA Today
Sheeka Sanahori, Militarykind Oct. 3, 2018

"The main thing that saved me, saved me from myself, really was my dad telling me, 'You've got to be shittin' me. The enemy couldn't kill you, and you're going to do it for them?'"

Kirstie Ennis is on a mission to become the first female amputee to climb the highest peaks on every continent. She's well on her way to accomplishing her latest mission.

"It reminds you of your resiliency, it reminds you of your independence, it's a fight," Ennis said. "Quite literally an uphill battle and I love it."

Ennis is used to tough battles. She joined the U.S. Marine Corp when she was 17, following in the footsteps of both of her parents.

She was deployed to Afghanistan twice. During her second deployment, a helicopter crash changed her life.

"I lost my entire jaw, my teeth, especially on the right side. And then I just screamed. I screamed mostly out of shock, not pain," she said. "One of the Army medics that we picked up got in my face and told me not to close my eyes again because I wouldn't open them and then everything went black."

Ennis raises money for non-profits from her climbs and from modeling. She was the first amputee to pose for a fundraiser calendar for the nonprofit organization called Pin-ups for Vets, which raises money to help hospitalized veterans and deployed troops.
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DOD 2018 2Nd Quarter Suicide Report Slightly Down

Department of Defense 2nd Quarter 2018 Suicide Report

For the 2nd Quarter of 2018, the Military Services reported the following: 
o 75 suicide deaths in the Active Component
o 14 suicide deaths in the Reserves
o 27 suicide deaths in the National Guard

Comparisons of suicide counts between the 2nd Quarter of 2017 and 2018 are provided below.
 For the 2nd Quarter of 2018, the number of Active Component suicide deaths is greater by 18 than the 2nd Quarter of 2017 (75 versus 57 deaths)
o Air Force deaths are up by 7
o Army deaths are up by 7
o Marine Corps deaths are up by 4
o Navy deaths are unchanged

 For the 2nd Quarter of 2018, the number of Reserve suicide deaths is lower by 15 than the 2nd Quarter of 2017 (14 versus 29 deaths)
o Air Force Reserve deaths are down by 3
o Army Reserve deaths are down by 10
o Marine Corps Reserve deaths are down by 2
o Navy Reserve deaths are unchanged

 For the 2nd Quarter of 2018, the number of National Guard suicide deaths is lower by 16 than the 2nd Quarter of 2017 (27 versus 43 deaths)
o Air National Guard deaths are down by 2
o Army National Guard deaths are down by 14

First Quarter of 2018 121
 80 suicide deaths in the Active Component 
 18 suicide deaths in the Reserves 
 23 suicide deaths in the National Guard 

Veteran gave up on winning election, not on his healing PTSD

Ever heard of a quitter inspiring others to fight? Read this then you can say, now you have.

Afghan War vet ends bid for Kansas City mayor, citing PTSD and depression
STARS AND STRIPES
By NIKKI WENTLING
Published: October 2, 2018

“I wish I would have sought help sooner, so if me going public with my struggle makes just one person seek assistance, doing this publicly is worth it to me,” he wrote.

WASHINGTON — Jason Kander, an Afghanistan War veteran widely praised as a rising star in the Democratic party, withdrew Tuesday from the Kansas City, Mo., mayoral race to seek help for depression and symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder.

Jason Kander, pictured here during a 2013 visit to Fort Leonard Wood, withdrew Tuesday, Oct. 2, 2018, from the Kansas City, Mo., mayoral race in order to seek help for depression and symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder. ANGELINA BETRAN/FORT LEONARD WOOD

Last week, Kander called the Veterans Crisis Line and told a crisis responder that he had suicidal thoughts. On Monday, he went to the Kansas City VA Medical Center, where he’s planning to receive regular treatment.

“To allow me to concentrate on my mental health, I’ve decided that I will not be running for mayor of Kansas City,” Kander wrote Tuesday.

Kander posted a letter on his campaign website and Facebook page explaining his mental health struggles. He hopes that being forthcoming will help veterans and others who are working through mental health issues, he said.

“Last Tuesday, I found out that we were going to raise more money than any Kansas City mayoral campaign ever has in a single quarter,” he wrote. “But instead of celebrating that accomplishment, I found myself on the phone with the VA’s Veterans Crisis Line, tearfully conceding that, yes, I have had suicidal thoughts. And it wasn’t the first time.”
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Chicago Police Officer Suicide Rate 60% Higher Than Others

Chicago police officer suicide rate 60-percent higher than other departments
FOX 32 News
October 1, 2018

In a FOX 32 special report: a hidden battle behind the badge.

The tragic trend of police suicides is hitting home in Chicago, with officers taking their own lives at alarming rates.

FOX 32’s Elizabeth Matthews explains why the numbers are higher here than anywhere else.

“He wanted to help everybody, he wanted to help the world, not only certain people. He started noticing, after high school, how bad the world is, and his mission in life was to fix it,” said Ark Maciaszek.

Ark describes his cousin Scott Tracz as loud and passionate, with a big heart. Scott served as a Chicago police officer, working in some of the city's toughest neighborhoods.

“Once he got on it, this guy was 100 percent devoted to it. He said this is it. This is what I want to do. This is how I'm going to fix this,” Ark said.

But at age 30, the job began to take its toll on Scott, and Ark began asking questions.

“I wanted more details so I started asking him, and he would never tell me. He said - this is not the right time, this is not the right time to talk,” Ark said.

Ark says his cousin became quiet and distant.

“He'd seen some bad things happening to good people. He couldn't understand why,” Ark said. “He would never mention the word suicide, or harming himself. That's not Scott.”

But on December 27th, 2016 - his family's worst fears were realized.
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126,000 Active Duty National Guard and Reservists may have to leave military?

About 126,000 Troops May Be at Risk of Separation Under Deploy-or-Out
Military.com
By Oriana Pawlyk
October 2, 2018

Special considerations are given to those who've been wounded in combat, Mulcahy said.

Sailors, Airmen, and Soldiers salute in formation during the closing ceremony June 5, 2018, of an Innovative Readiness Training in Thomasville, Alabama. (U.S. Air National Guard/Airman Cameron Lewis)

The number of U.S. military personnel being reviewed under the Pentagon's new deploy-or-out policy is likely to change in coming weeks as each of the services determines who's eligible for retention, the head of the Defense Department's personnel management said Tuesday. The policy, announced by Defense Secretary Jim Mattis in February, officially took effect Oct. 1.

"This retention determination is clearly made on a case-by-case, individual basis," said Patricia Mulcahy, director of officer and enlisted personnel management, during a phone call with reporters.

As of Aug. 31, approximately 126,000 active-duty, National Guard and Reserve component personnel were considered non-deployable, said OSD spokeswoman Jessica Maxwell. While that excludes trainees, it accounts for roughly six percent of the total force, taking into consideration temporary and permanent non-deployable service members, she said.
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Veterans in other news

When reporters decided that they would cover politics more than anything else, everything else went unnoticed but we were actually looking out for veterans.

So, dear readers, here are veterans reports in other news!

Vietnam veteran was fired as Dean of military school. 
Why? He used cannabis for cancer.

Missing since Pearl Harbor Sailor's remains were identified as Harold Lloyd Head.

Widow of Sgt. Richard Kutch, will run the Marine Marathon to honor her husband. He committed suicide five years ago.

Army veteran Tyler Lackey was murdered at an ATM two years ago. Man was just convicted of it.

Navy veteran's puppies were stolen from his home. He is disabled.

Veteran reacted to the latest VA budget, sold by reporters as the largest in history, but did not mention that most of that increase goes to private providers and not into the VA.

Volunteers helped a Vietnam veteran who has been living out of his car. Why? His house was ruined by Hurricane Harvey. Yes, that long ago.

Two soldiers in Alaska were hunting when a bear dropped on them from a ridge after being shot. One of them has "life threatening injuries."

Lt. Col. Patrick Schreiber's adopted daughter is being deported. Why? He did not fill out the papers in time. He was deployed.

VA Secretary Robert Wilkie went to check the damage done to VA facilities by Hurricane Florence.

A headline that has been about Staff Sgt. Ronald Shurer II, receiving the Medal of Honor, should have mentioned that he is also dying of stage 4 lung cancer and has set up a GoFundMe for his family. Oh, by the way, he has also been serving in the Secret Service for President Trump.

There are a lot more but those are just from today on Google+.

Then again, considering they are also reporting on veterans committing suicide, missing several keys points, here are a few of those too.

Veteran suicides have increased, not decreased. The number of living veterans has decreased since 2005 but clearly this chart shows the bigger picture.

But reporters do not seem to mention any of this, other than a few who actually care.

You can also check to see how your state did with all the "raising awareness" campaigns going on, and on, and on.

Medal of Honor recipient saved lives, now has GoFundMe for his family

UPDATE Ronald Shurer, Medal of Honor recipient who saved lives in Afghanistan, dies at 41

Former Army Staff Sgt. Ronald Shurer II, who received the Medal of Honor in 2018 for braving heavy gunfire to save lives in Afghanistan, has died of cancer. He was 41.

Miranda Shurer said her husband died Thursday in Sibley Memorial Hospital in Washington, D.C. She said he was diagnosed with cancer three years ago.
read it here on CBS News

Trump Awards Medal of Honor to His Own Secret Service Agent
Military.com
By Matthew Cox
1 Oct 2018

A decade later, Shurer is fighting another battle -- this time with stage 4 lung cancer. More than 500 people have joined his cause and are attempting to raise $100,000 for his family through a gofundme account.

President Donald Trump on Monday awarded the Medal of Honor to former Army Staff Sgt. Ronald Shurer II, a Secret Service agent who is now fighting a battle with cancer.

Associated Press

"Today is a truly proud and special day for those of us here in the White House because Ron works right here alongside of us on the Secret Service counter-assault team; these are incredible people," Trump told a crowded room filled with Shurer's family, fellow soldiers and Army senior leaders. The assault force encountered no enemy activity during the 1,000-foot climb to their objective, but as the lead element approached the target village, "roughly 200 well-trained and well-armed terrorists ambushed the American and Afghan forces," he said.

Shurer, the mission's only medic, immediately began treating wounded. He then sprinted and climbed through enemy fire to reach several of his teammates who were pinned down on a cliff above.
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How is your state doing on Veteran Suicides?

The Department of Veterans Affairs data on veteran suicide for 2016. How is your state? Considering Florida and Texas tie for 1st place, it is interesting to see what other states are reporting. 

The challenge for reporters is to actually read the report this time, and they stop the slogan of "22 a day" since that number has been proven to be false. The VA warned about it being taken from limited data from just 21 states. Yet reporters must have thought, "hey that sounds good to me" so they pushed it. They still are. Check your state and then get an eyeopener at the end.

The challenge for us is, discovering how many veterans charities are in your state claiming to be "raising awareness" at the same time?

ALABAMA

An estimated 34.2 Alabama veterans per 100,000 died by suicide in 2016, compared to the national veteran suicide rate of 30.1 per 100,000. Among the civilian population, the national suicide rate drops to 17.5.

The state of Alabama boasts a higher percentage of its population as veterans. In 2016, the VA found 9.8 percent of the adult population of Alabama to be veterans, compared to 6.6 percent nationally. A total of 373,761 veterans live in our state. WAFF 48 News

128

ALASKA

17

ARIZONA

227

ARKANSAS

79

CALIFORNIA

490

COLORADO

175

CONNECTICUT

36

DELAWARE

24

WASHINGTON DC

LESS THAN10

FLORIDA 

530

GEORGIA 

202

HAWAII

11

IDAHO

58

ILLINOIS

162

INDIANA

70

IOWA

64

KANSAS

60

KENTUKY

108

LOUISIANA

75

MAINE

29

MARYLAND

67

MASSACHUSETTS

68

MICHIGAN

159

MINNESOTA

95

MISSISSIPPI

50

MISSOURI

154

MONTANA

42

NEBRASKA

27

NEVADA

According to the latest data released by the U.S. Department of Veterans affairs., Nevada's veteran suicide rate is also significantly higher than the national rate. 8 News Las Vegas

The vast majority are men of all ages. The local V.A. Hospital in North Las Vegas helps more than 60,000 military members. About 20,000 of them seek mental health treatment.

107

NEW HAMPSHIRE

33

NEW JERSEY

67

NEW MEXICO

71

NEW YORK

153

NORTH CAROLINA

184

NORTH DAKOTA

16

OHIO

245

OKLAHOMA

110

OREGON

122

Oregon advocates target alarming veteran suicide rate

One such tragedy happens in Oregon every 3 days

PENNSYLVANIA

263

PUERTO RICO

LESS THAN10

RHODE ISLAND

16

SOUTH CAROLINA

120

SOUTH DAKOTA

18

TENNESSEE

156

TEXAS

530

UTAH

59

VERMONT

25

VIRGINIA

196

WASHINGTON

174

WEST VIRGINIA

50

WISCONSIN

132

WYOMING

23

Right now they are jumping on the "decrease" in suicides while not mentioning the fact the number of veterans living at the time, has gone down every year. The rate has gone up until 2016 when it went down by only .4%.

Do not let them get away with pushing a slogan this time too. If not, then what do you think the next report will look like? 

Motorcycle accident claimed life of Camp Lejeune Marine

Camp Lejeune Marine killed in motorcycle accident
WITN NBC News
September 30, 2018

SNEADS FERRY, N.C. (WITN) - A Camp Lejeune Marine was killed in a motorcycle accident Saturday evening, Highway Patrol Troopers said.

The accident happened along Old Folkstone Road near Scuba Drive in Sneads Ferry around 5:55 p.m., Trooper Adam Hostinsky said.

The motorcyclist, Trevor Richardet, 19, had been traveling east on Old Folkstone Road at a high rate of speed when a pick-up truck pulled out of a driveway in front of him, Hostinsky said.
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250,000 radiology orders at VA canceled?

‘I knew something was not right’: Mass cancellations of diagnostic test orders at VA hospitals draw scrutiny
USA TODAY
Donovan Slack
Oct. 1, 2018

IOWA CITY, Iowa – Radiology technologist Jeff Dettbarn said he knew something was wrong at the Department of Veterans Affairs hospital in Iowa City, Iowa, when a patient arrived in February 2017 for a CT scan, but the doctor’s order for it had been cancelled.

“To have a patient show up for a scan and not have an order – you’re like, ‘What the heck is going on?’” he told USA TODAY in an interview.

Dettbarn started collecting cancellation notices for diagnostic procedures such as CT scans, MRIs and ultrasounds.

“I knew something was not right,” he said. “Because none of them were cancelled by a physician.”

Cancellations of more than 250,000 radiology orders at VA hospitals across the country since 2016 have raised questions about whether – in a rush to clear out outdated and duplicative diagnostic orders – some facilities failed to follow correct procedures. At issue is a concern over whether some medically necessary orders for CT scans and other imaging tests were cancelled improperly.

The VA inspector general is now auditing mass cancellations at eight VA medical centers “to determine whether VA processed radiology requests in a timely manner and appropriately managed canceled requests,” VA Inspector General Michael Missal said.

Those hospitals are in Tampa and Bay Pines, Florida; Salisbury, North Carolina; Cleveland; Dallas; Denver; Las Vegas; and Los Angeles.
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