Fallen Appleton firefighter identified as Mitchell Lundgaard
APPLETON, Wis. (WBAY) - The firefighter who was killed in a shooting at Valley Transit Center in Appleton has been identified as Mitchell F. Lundgaard.
Lundgaard was shot an killed Wednesday while responding to a call about a medical emergency on a bus.
"Mitch was married and a father of three young kids. Please keep him in your thoughts and prayers at this difficult time," said Appleton Fire Chief Jeremy Hansen. Hansen choked up as he remembered Lundgaard during a news conference Thursday.
Donations can be made in Mitchell Lundgaard's honor at The Friends of the Appleton Fire Department or mailed to:
700 N. Drew St.
Appleton, WI 54911
On Thursday, police and fire vehicles escorted Lundgaard's body down College Ave and to Brettschneider-Trettin-Nickel Funeral Chapel Citizens lined the street to pay their respects.
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WBAY 2 News
APPLETON, Wis. (WBAY) - UPDATE: The Appleton Fire Department says the firefighter who was shot Wednesday night has died. The firefighter's name has not been released, but the statement says the firefighter had been with the department for 14 years.
Funeral arrangements are pending.
Fire Chief Jeremy Hansen and Mayor Hanna will make a statement to the media on Thursday at the Appleton Police Department.
A procession was held overnight in Milwaukee as the firefighter's body was brought to the Milwaukee County Medical Examiner's Office. Firefighters lined the street as emergency vehicles escorted the body.
Valley Transit tells Action 2 News that buses will be running today, but the transfer point will be at West Franklin St. and North Superior St.
Appleton police say an officer and a firefighter are among four people wounded in a shooting near the city transit center Wednesday evening.
Police say all those injured were transported to hospitals. We don't know their conditions. Each of the patients was accompanied by officers.
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Note to readers:Text messages are blocked for a reason
Wounded Times
Kathie Costos
May 16, 2019
While a lot of people love to just pull out their cell phones and tap messages, not everyone wants to get them...or has time to get them.
If you have been trying to send me a text message, I did not receive it because I have texting blocked. If you are upset about that think about my daughter and family who want to text me but can't!
I work a regular job and my mind needs to be on the job. When texting was allowed, my cell phone was blowing up during the day.
Some of the text messages were simple questions that really could have waited, but then there were some who needed help. Guess where my head went...not on my job.
I do what I can, when I can, but my job pays my bills and supports my ministry.
If you want to contact me, I am available by phone (not text) from 1:00 to 9:00 pm.
Because there are too many spam calls coming in, I do not answer unknown numbers. Leave a message the first time and I'll plug in your contact so you won't have to be screened again.
You can also send me an email woundedtimes@aol.com
I'll get back to you as soon as possible.
Other-than-honorable discharge?
VAntage Point
Department of Veterans Affairs
Hans Peterson
May 15, 2019
Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) has made mental health care treatment available to former service members with other-than-honorable (OTH) administrative discharges through two new programs.
One service, initiated in 2017, is specifically focused on expanding access to assist former OTH service members who are in mental health distress and may be at risk for suicide or other adverse behaviors.
The department’s Veterans Health Administration (VHA) medical centers are prepared to offer emergency stabilization care for former service members who arrive at the facility with a mental health need.
Former service members with an OTH administrative discharge may receive care for their mental health emergency for an initial period of up to 90 days, which can include inpatient, residential or outpatient care.
During this time, VHA and the Veterans Benefits Administration will work together to determine if the mental health condition is a result of a service-related injury, making the service member eligible for ongoing coverage for that condition.
A second initiative focuses on the implementation of Public Law 115-141. With this implementation, VA notified former service members of the mental and behavioral health care they may now be eligible for and sent out over 475,000 letters to inform former service members about this care.
The letters (sample follows) explained what they may be eligible for, how long they may be able to receive care and how they can get started.
“You are receiving this notification because you may be eligible for services from the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA).
Congress recently passed legislation that allows VA to provide ongoing mental and behavioral health care to certain former service members with Other Than Honorable (OTH) discharges, including those who
Were on active duty for more than 100 days and served in a combat role, or
Experienced sexual harassment or sexual assault while serving.
The rate of death by suicide among Veterans who do not use VA care is increasing at a greater rate than Veterans who use VA care; according to agency mental health officials. This is a national emergency that requires bold action. VA will do all that we can to help former service members who may be at risk. When we say even one Veteran suicide is one too many, we mean it.
In 2018, 1,818 individuals with an OTH discharge received mental health treatment, three times more than the 648 treated in 2017.
There was a total of 2,580 former servicemembers with an OTH discharge that received care in 2018 in VHA. Of these, 1,818 received treatment in Mental Health Services. Of the 2,580 servicemembers with OTH discharge, 1,076 had a mental health diagnosis.
Additionally, VA may be able to treat a mental illness presumed to be related to military service. When VA is unable to provide care, VA will work with partner agencies and will assist in making referrals for additional care as needed.
You can call or visit a VA medical center or Vet Center and let them know that you are a former service member with an OTH discharge who is interested in receiving mental health care.
Veterans in crisis should call the Veterans Crisis Line at 800-273-8255 (press 1), or text 838255.
Vietnam veteran buried in wrong plot in Bartow
By: WFLA 8 On Your Side Staff
Posted: May 13, 2019
"It's sacrilegious. He had his military service here with honors and by the city leading us to believe that all those places were available to purchase, and we don't want to see him dug up," said Sara.
BARTOW, Fla. (WFLA) - A family in Bartow is upset after discovering their loved one was buried in the wrong spot.
The city owns the cemetery and wants to move the body to the right spot, but the family says that would be disrespectful.
A Vietnam veteran, Jerry Paul, was laid to rest two years ago.
"We buried him once, we didn't want to have to do it a second time. We want him kept right where he's at," said Sara Paul, his daughter-in-law.
A year later, the Paul's discovered Jerry was laid to rest in someone else's empty plot, sold to a woman who bought the spot to be next to her family.
The City of Bartow says someone, somehow, marked the wrong grave at the time of the burial. The one the Paul's bought was 20 feet away.
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The emotional health challenges many American military children face
NBC
May 14, 2019
We first met 9-year-old Luca Cesternino in a powerful video of him reuniting with his dad after a long deployment.
Peter Alexander visited him and his family to learn more about the emotional toll of all the time apart -- and to hear the powerful message they’ve got for other military families.
PTSD: 'My best friend's death gave me back my life'
BBC
Ben Bryant
14 May 2019
Why do the rates of post traumatic stress disorder appear to be rising in veterans?
“John Paul Finnigan’s death gave me life. Something changed in me from that day. I put the drugs down, I went into treatment and got healthy, and it was all down to John Paul’s death. He gave me life.” Lee Harding
Warning: some upsetting content
"No. I’m not really going to go into that."
Lee Harding cups the side of his face with his palm and paws it softly. His other arm is folded across his chest. He is staring at the wall. His fingers brush a tattoo of two teardrops on his cheek.
"I can’t talk about that," he says quietly, without looking at me.
Lee’s home is unfinished. There are fillers and paints and building materials scattered around the rooms. The lounge has an easy chair and a sofa. There is no TV, there are no pictures and the walls need painting. Lee acknowledges all this with a shrug when I arrive, explaining that some kids had trashed the place before he moved in, and he’s been rebuilding it. It is a new beginning for the house in Merseyside.
It’s a new beginning for Lee too. He has been piecing his life back together over the last year, after he found himself caught in a spiral of drug use, which he says was an attempt to escape the trauma of what he witnessed in combat. Shortly after he returned from Iraq, Lee was diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).
As a soldier, he served on the front line from 2005 to 2008 with 1st Battalion Royal Green Jackets, which later amalgamated with four other regiments to form 2nd Battalion, The Rifles. Recently, he has noticed that many of the people he was deployed to Iraq with have been struggling.
Several are in treatment for drug and alcohol dependency. And two members of his regiment – Kevin Williams, 29 and John Paul Finnigan, 34 – killed themselves last year, the latter one of Lee’s best friends. A third, Kevin Holt, 30, also died after a lengthy battle with PTSD.
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Police Officer Killed in Line of Duty Was Father of 4 and Army Veteran
The Island Packet Online
By Teresa Moss
13 May 2019
A Savannah, Georgia, police officer who was shot and killed Saturday night while responding to a robbery on Bull Street was a husband, father and military veteran, Savannah Police Department Chief Roy Minter said during a press conference Sunday night.
Sgt. Kelvin Ansari a Savannah, Georgia, police officer who served 21 years in the Army, was killed May 12, 2019, while responding to a robbery. He left behind a wife and four children ranging in ages from 5 to 25. Savannah Police Department
Sgt. Kelvin Ansari left behind a wife and four children ranging in ages from 5 to 25 years old, Minter said. He also was a 10-year veteran of the department and served 21 years in the Army.
"Last night, we lost a great man," Minter said. "We lost a man who spent a substantial portion of his life protecting our country and protecting our community. We lost a husband. We lost a father. We lost a leader."
Ansari and another officer were shot when approaching a vehicle matching a description connected to the robbery at about 8:10 p.m. Saturday, the police news release states. The other officer, Douglas Thomas, was shot in the leg. He was released from Memorial Hospital on Saturday night and is recovering at home.
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Medical Examiner: National Guard vet hanged himself in Cuyahoga County Jail
Cleveland.com
By Adam Ferrise
Posted May 13, 2019
Colbert spent two days in general population at the downtown jail and was moved Friday morning to a cluster of cell’s specifically for veterans. He hanged himself about 2:30 p.m.
CLEVELAND, Ohio — The Cuyahoga County Medical Examiner on Monday confirmed that a National Guard veteran hanged himself Friday in the Cuyahoga County Jail.
Nicholas Colbert, 36, died Friday in the Cuyahoga County Jail. He was a National Guard veteran.
Nicholas Colbert’s death was ruled a suicide, a medical examiner spokesman said in a statement. No other information was released.
Colbert served in the National Guard overseas and struggled with heroin addiction in the decade or so since his return, his family told cleveland.com.
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Four veterans take home their newly graduated ‘battle buddy’
Northwest Daily News
By Kaylin Parker
Posted May 11, 2019
NICEVILLE — Before Rocky came into his life in January, Tom Talbot, retired Air Force crew chief, struggled through his post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) nightmares alone.
But now Talbot has Rocky, a service dog and loyal companion, that senses and smells when his owner is battling with the effects from PTSD. Talbot said Rocky will even wake him up when he’s having nightmares.
“That’s where that bond is. He knows if something is wrong with me,” Talbot said. “He’s like, ‘What’s going on? What’s a matter Dad?’ ”
Talbot was medically retired last year because of his PTSD. He said although he has a pet dog at home, the bond with Rocky is completely different.
“The first night he came home with me he jumped up on the bed, and that was it,” Talbot said.
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Kunia veterans blame possible exposure to toxic pesticides for mystery illnesses
Hawaii News Now
By Mahealani Richardson
May 13, 2019
Veterans who worked at Kunia intel site claim pesticide exposure caused cancer, other illnesses
HONOLULU (HawaiiNewsNow) - A group of more than 100 Kunia veterans are suffering from neurological issues, cancer, birth defects and other illnesses after they say they were exposed to toxic pesticides.
Tara Lemieux, 50, of Maryland suffers from hand tremors, memory loss and other health problems.
She believes it stems from her days as an Army specialist from 1991 to 1995 at the Kunia “Tunnel” Field Station near Schofield Barracks.
Lemieux says nine out of the 12 members of her unit have died young.
"They didn't tell us that this beautiful absolutely picturesque once in a lifetime duty station that there was another side to it," said Lemieux.
Back then, the three story underground National Security Agency facility sat below Del Monte pineapple fields.
Lamieux believes she was directly exposed to toxic chemicals in 1991 when a broken water well flooded the underground facility. She and a handful of others were waist deep in water that was oily and smelled like chemicals.
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