For Military Couples, It's A Long Recovery 'When We Get Home'
NPR
February 10, 2014
Kayla Williams and Brian McGough met in Iraq in 2003, when they were serving in the 101st Airborne Division. She was an Arabic linguist; he was a staff sergeant who had earned a bronze star. In October of that year, at a time when they were becoming close but not yet seeing each other, McGough was on a bus in a military convoy when an IED went off, blowing out the front door and window.
"Essentially a piece of shrapnel went through the back of my head, burrowed the skull from the back of my head past my ear, out through where my eye is and while doing this it also ripped some brain matter out," McGough tells Fresh Air's Terry Gross.
He was left with physical and cognitive problems he's still recovering from, as well as post-traumatic stress disorder. He has experienced periods of depression, paranoia and rage.
Williams and McGough started seeing each other early in his recovery, after they had returned to the U.S. They've stayed together in spite of the obstacles, including the rages that he directed at her. They married in 2005, just days before she went on a book tour to promote her memoir, Love My Rifle More Than You, about being a young woman in the Army serving in Iraq. Now she has a new memoir about her relationship with her husband, Plenty of Time When We Get Home: Love and Recovery in the Aftermath of War.
read more here
Showing posts with label 101st Airborne. Show all posts
Showing posts with label 101st Airborne. Show all posts
Monday, February 10, 2014
Tuesday, February 4, 2014
101st Super Bowl flyover 5 seconds after National Anthem
Fort Campbell contribution: The making of a Super Bowl flyover
'What a difference a year makes' for unit that watched game in Afghanistan last year
The Leaf Chronicle
Philip Grey
Feb. 3, 2014
FORT CAMPBELL, KY. — On the Monday before the big game in the Big Apple, ground controllers of the 101st Combat Aviation Brigade, 101st Airborne Division, were at Fort Campbell’s Fryar Stadium getting ready for the Super Bowl.
Their part of the game would be all of maybe five seconds, but they were intent on making it a perfect five seconds.
As night set in, it was cold enough to freeze skin on contact with metal or anything other than a lit match, but Command Sgt. Maj. John Martin and Chief Warrant Officer 3 Brett Chivers were just warming up as the first run was coming in from Clarksville, headed for the south end of the stadium.
“We’ve got line-of-sight,” someone yelled as nine helicopters came into view as distant points of light.
The time-on-target over the goalpost was 1805 hours, 6:05 p.m., and they had to hit it just right.
Come Sunday, there would be no do-overs. The plan called for them to crest the end of MetLife Stadium within 5 seconds of the last note of the National Anthem.
read more here
This is from New Jersey.com
WATCH: Spectacular footage of Super Bowl 2014 flyover from a Chinook helicopter
'What a difference a year makes' for unit that watched game in Afghanistan last year
The Leaf Chronicle
Philip Grey
Feb. 3, 2014
FORT CAMPBELL, KY. — On the Monday before the big game in the Big Apple, ground controllers of the 101st Combat Aviation Brigade, 101st Airborne Division, were at Fort Campbell’s Fryar Stadium getting ready for the Super Bowl.
Their part of the game would be all of maybe five seconds, but they were intent on making it a perfect five seconds.
As night set in, it was cold enough to freeze skin on contact with metal or anything other than a lit match, but Command Sgt. Maj. John Martin and Chief Warrant Officer 3 Brett Chivers were just warming up as the first run was coming in from Clarksville, headed for the south end of the stadium.
“We’ve got line-of-sight,” someone yelled as nine helicopters came into view as distant points of light.
The time-on-target over the goalpost was 1805 hours, 6:05 p.m., and they had to hit it just right.
Come Sunday, there would be no do-overs. The plan called for them to crest the end of MetLife Stadium within 5 seconds of the last note of the National Anthem.
read more here
This is from New Jersey.com
WATCH: Spectacular footage of Super Bowl 2014 flyover from a Chinook helicopter
Wednesday, January 1, 2014
Afghanistan veteran with PTSD healing by helping cats
Therapy from 1 wounded warrior to another
The Leaf-Chronicle
BY PHILIP GREY
January 1, 2014
CLARKSVILLE, Tenn. — There are four wounded, ill and injured warriors living in the Voris household. One of them is human; the other three are cats.
Aaron Voris treats the animals like soulmates. A former infantry soldier, he served with the "Red Currahees" of 1st Battalion, 506th Infantry Regiment, 4th Brigade Combat Team, 101st Airborne Division.
As a result of a particularly rough deployment in Afghanistan, he suffers from back and leg injuries, but even more from traumatic brain injury and severe post-traumatic stress disorder.
He's out of the Army now and working toward becoming a veterinary technician.
Together with his wife, Stephanie, and stepdaughter, Ally, he is getting some practice in as the caretaker of three formerly homeless cats — each damaged in its own way.
Aaron said that, like him, they carry the scars and hurts of hard experience.
Lucy, an undersized and sickly cat, has a type of herpes affecting the lungs. It is a permanent condition and expensive to treat, but Lucy is family, and the expense is borne.
read more here
The Leaf-Chronicle
BY PHILIP GREY
January 1, 2014
CLARKSVILLE, Tenn. — There are four wounded, ill and injured warriors living in the Voris household. One of them is human; the other three are cats.
Aaron Voris treats the animals like soulmates. A former infantry soldier, he served with the "Red Currahees" of 1st Battalion, 506th Infantry Regiment, 4th Brigade Combat Team, 101st Airborne Division.
As a result of a particularly rough deployment in Afghanistan, he suffers from back and leg injuries, but even more from traumatic brain injury and severe post-traumatic stress disorder.
He's out of the Army now and working toward becoming a veterinary technician.
Together with his wife, Stephanie, and stepdaughter, Ally, he is getting some practice in as the caretaker of three formerly homeless cats — each damaged in its own way.
Aaron said that, like him, they carry the scars and hurts of hard experience.
Lucy, an undersized and sickly cat, has a type of herpes affecting the lungs. It is a permanent condition and expensive to treat, but Lucy is family, and the expense is borne.
read more here
Saturday, December 28, 2013
Founded of Ruck for Warriors faces service and fraud claims
Michael Lattea, Founder Of Ruck For Warriors, Lies About Service And Commits Fraud
Guardian of Valor
bulldog1
December 27, 2013
We have been getting emails for a while about the legitimacy of the organization called “Ruck For Warriors”. People were concerned that donations they were giving, and money being spent on items they were selling, not being sent to any Veterans organizations.
Well the owner of Ruck For Warriors, Michael lattea, claimed he was a SSG who served two tours in Iraq. He also sported a CIB(Combat Infantryman’s Badge) with one star, meaning he had to have also seen combat somewhere other than Iraq/Afghanistan to earn his second CIB. He is also claiming Airborne and Air assault as well.
Some of you may have seen him and his Organization in some news articles, where they were covering his ruck’s. Below are some, where he has also been claiming two combat deployments to Iraq.
read more here
This was also on the site
Guardian of Valor
bulldog1
December 27, 2013
We have been getting emails for a while about the legitimacy of the organization called “Ruck For Warriors”. People were concerned that donations they were giving, and money being spent on items they were selling, not being sent to any Veterans organizations.
Well the owner of Ruck For Warriors, Michael lattea, claimed he was a SSG who served two tours in Iraq. He also sported a CIB(Combat Infantryman’s Badge) with one star, meaning he had to have also seen combat somewhere other than Iraq/Afghanistan to earn his second CIB. He is also claiming Airborne and Air assault as well.
Some of you may have seen him and his Organization in some news articles, where they were covering his ruck’s. Below are some, where he has also been claiming two combat deployments to Iraq.
read more here
This was also on the site
Thursday, December 26, 2013
Major Gen. McConville praises troops in Afghanistan
Major Gen. McConville Praises U.S. Forces in Afghanistan
For the 13th year in a row, U.S. troops are spending Christmas in Afghanistan. For the 7,500 of them based in the eastern part of the country, Major Gen. James McConville is providing the closest thing to a visit from Santa.
MCCONVILLE: What I want to do is thank you for your service for being out here. And there's going to be a lot of people waking up during Christmas morning who are going to have a nice safe and good Christmas because of what you all do out here. discover more here
Tuesday, December 17, 2013
Wounded warriors maintain fighting spirit on the mat at Fort Stewart
Wounded warriors maintain fighting spirit on the mat
DVIDS
Sgt. 1st Class Stephanie Widemond
December 16, 2013
FORT STEWART, Ga. - The Comprehensive Soldier and Family Fitness program helps to build a soldier’s resiliency so that he can endure and bounce back from whatever situation he may find himself in. The five pillars of strength: social, emotional, family, spiritual, and physical, form an optimal foundation for recovery.
“I was deployed to Afghanistan in 2010, and the IED detection dog alerted me. I thought, ‘the IED is between me and the dog’, but when I turned it was right next to me. I don’t remember much except that I was hurt, but I didn’t know what happened until later,” recalls Rick Cicero, a former paratrooper who volunteers much of his time helping others recover.
He had been a military paratrooper and civilian police officer. He was on his second deployment to Afghanistan as a military contractor when he lost both his arm and his leg on his right side. His recovery took place at the Tampa Veteran’s Administration hospital.
“I went from the guy that runs into fires to the guy that’s stuck in a wheelchair—a victim waiting to happen,” he said.
After three years of recovery and coming to the realization that he can still be the guy that runs into fires, he put together an adaptive combatives program and goes around helping wounded warriors on the road to recovery.
“He cares about fellow warriors and their recovery both psychological and physical,” said Command Sgt. Maj. Anthony Perry, command sergeant major for 1st Battalion, 306th Infantry Regiment, 188th Infantry Brigade. He lost his leg in Dec 2010 while deployed with 101st Airborne Division. He said that his key to recovery was aligning himself with the right people.
read more here
DVIDS
Sgt. 1st Class Stephanie Widemond
December 16, 2013
Sgt. 1st Class Stephanie Widemond
Wounded warrior, Spc. Kristian Cedeno, demonstrates how he is able to fight and help their fellow soldiers during level 2 Army Combatives certification class.
FORT STEWART, Ga. - The Comprehensive Soldier and Family Fitness program helps to build a soldier’s resiliency so that he can endure and bounce back from whatever situation he may find himself in. The five pillars of strength: social, emotional, family, spiritual, and physical, form an optimal foundation for recovery.
“I was deployed to Afghanistan in 2010, and the IED detection dog alerted me. I thought, ‘the IED is between me and the dog’, but when I turned it was right next to me. I don’t remember much except that I was hurt, but I didn’t know what happened until later,” recalls Rick Cicero, a former paratrooper who volunteers much of his time helping others recover.
He had been a military paratrooper and civilian police officer. He was on his second deployment to Afghanistan as a military contractor when he lost both his arm and his leg on his right side. His recovery took place at the Tampa Veteran’s Administration hospital.
“I went from the guy that runs into fires to the guy that’s stuck in a wheelchair—a victim waiting to happen,” he said.
After three years of recovery and coming to the realization that he can still be the guy that runs into fires, he put together an adaptive combatives program and goes around helping wounded warriors on the road to recovery.
“He cares about fellow warriors and their recovery both psychological and physical,” said Command Sgt. Maj. Anthony Perry, command sergeant major for 1st Battalion, 306th Infantry Regiment, 188th Infantry Brigade. He lost his leg in Dec 2010 while deployed with 101st Airborne Division. He said that his key to recovery was aligning himself with the right people.
read more here
Thursday, November 28, 2013
Fort Campbell Giving thanks loudly for safe return of 345 soldiers
Giving thanks loudly for safe return of 345 soldiers
'Currahees' bring hundreds home to Fort Campbell for holiday
Leaf-Chronicle
Written by
Philip Grey
November 28, 2013
FORT CAMPBELL, KY. — The biggest return flight of soldiers from Afghanistan in recent memory could not have come at a better time than the evening before Thanksgiving.
And the hundreds of family members, friends and comrades waiting for 345 soldiers could not have been more unanimously in agreement on that point.
Certainly, for the soldiers who came home to Fort Campbell on Wednesday – nearly all from the 4th Brigade Combat Team “Currahee, 101st Airborne Division – the pumpkin pie will taste a little sweeter on this side of the world for this particular holiday.
What was even sweeter for all involved was a deployment cut short, from nine months to six months, for the best possible reason – mission accomplishment.
More Currahees are on the way home soon. Most will be in time for Christmas, as the transition of more areas of Afghanistan to Afghan self-sufficiency proceeds apace.
read more here
'Currahees' bring hundreds home to Fort Campbell for holiday
Leaf-Chronicle
Written by
Philip Grey
November 28, 2013
FORT CAMPBELL, KY. — The biggest return flight of soldiers from Afghanistan in recent memory could not have come at a better time than the evening before Thanksgiving.
And the hundreds of family members, friends and comrades waiting for 345 soldiers could not have been more unanimously in agreement on that point.
Certainly, for the soldiers who came home to Fort Campbell on Wednesday – nearly all from the 4th Brigade Combat Team “Currahee, 101st Airborne Division – the pumpkin pie will taste a little sweeter on this side of the world for this particular holiday.
What was even sweeter for all involved was a deployment cut short, from nine months to six months, for the best possible reason – mission accomplishment.
More Currahees are on the way home soon. Most will be in time for Christmas, as the transition of more areas of Afghanistan to Afghan self-sufficiency proceeds apace.
read more here
Thursday, November 14, 2013
Wounded, injured and ill Soldiers pedal 164 miles
Wounded, injured and ill Soldiers pedal 164 miles
DVIDS
Blanchfield Army Community Hospital
Stacy Rzepka
November 13, 2013
FORT CAMPBELL, Ky. – More than 40 wounded, injured and ill soldiers and their supporters from Fort Campbell and Fort Knox, Ky. Warrior Transition Battalions (WTBs) and their supporters participated in the first Bluegrass Rendezvous Bike Ride Sept. 24 and 25.
The therapeutic and challenging ride between the two installations was designed to help strengthen the bonds between the soldiers while giving them a challenge they could meet and overcome with the help of their fellow riders.
As riders completed the last leg of the 164-mile trip, members of Fort Campbell and the surrounding communities came out to cheer them along. Groups of people stood along Trenton Road, Tiny Town Road, Fort Campbell Boulevard and throughout the installation to wave and cheer. Staff members from the 101st Airborne Division Headquarters building also stood along Indiana Avenue, saluting and encouraging the riders.
Staff Sgt. John Quarles, who has deployed multiple times, said that he felt emotional when he saw people who don’t even know him cheering along the route. Quarles said that it reminded him of coming home from a deployment. “It felt really good to see everyone out to support us,” he said.
WTB staff and soldiers, as well as the 101st Airborne Division Band, welcomed the returning riders with a finish-line celebration. Every rider received a medal, a goodie bag from Morale, Welfare and Recreation, pizza provided by the USO and the knowledge that they overcame a major challenge.
Sgt. Bryan Flanery, who was recognized as Fort Campbell’s most valuable rider, said that successfully completing the ride felt awesome. “It’s a feeling of accomplishment that has been missing for a long time,” Flanery said.
Healing power of biking
read more here
DVIDS
Blanchfield Army Community Hospital
Stacy Rzepka
November 13, 2013
FORT CAMPBELL, Ky. – More than 40 wounded, injured and ill soldiers and their supporters from Fort Campbell and Fort Knox, Ky. Warrior Transition Battalions (WTBs) and their supporters participated in the first Bluegrass Rendezvous Bike Ride Sept. 24 and 25.
The therapeutic and challenging ride between the two installations was designed to help strengthen the bonds between the soldiers while giving them a challenge they could meet and overcome with the help of their fellow riders.
As riders completed the last leg of the 164-mile trip, members of Fort Campbell and the surrounding communities came out to cheer them along. Groups of people stood along Trenton Road, Tiny Town Road, Fort Campbell Boulevard and throughout the installation to wave and cheer. Staff members from the 101st Airborne Division Headquarters building also stood along Indiana Avenue, saluting and encouraging the riders.
Staff Sgt. John Quarles, who has deployed multiple times, said that he felt emotional when he saw people who don’t even know him cheering along the route. Quarles said that it reminded him of coming home from a deployment. “It felt really good to see everyone out to support us,” he said.
WTB staff and soldiers, as well as the 101st Airborne Division Band, welcomed the returning riders with a finish-line celebration. Every rider received a medal, a goodie bag from Morale, Welfare and Recreation, pizza provided by the USO and the knowledge that they overcame a major challenge.
Sgt. Bryan Flanery, who was recognized as Fort Campbell’s most valuable rider, said that successfully completing the ride felt awesome. “It’s a feeling of accomplishment that has been missing for a long time,” Flanery said.
Healing power of biking
read more here
Friday, October 25, 2013
Jimi Hendrix: the Purple Haze paratrooper
Jimi Hendrix: the Purple Haze paratrooper
PRIVATE James Marshall Hendrix made his 25th parachute jump as a member of the US Army’s 101st Airborne division in early 1962.
Daily Express
By: Dominic Midgley
Published: Fri, October 25, 2013
In those days parachutes were not the high-tech canopies they are today and injuries were common.
On this occasion Hendrix broke his ankle so badly on landing that he was subsequently given an honourable discharge.
The 101st Airborne’s loss turned out to be the rock world’s gain.
Within a matter of years Private Hendrix had morphed into the flamboyant rock star Jimi Hendrix and he and his band were the highest paid act in America.
As part of year-long commemorations that have marked the 70th anniversary of the guitarist’s birth in 1942 the BBC is screening a 90-minute special devoted to the life of a man who got his first big break in the UK before returning to his homeland a conquering hero.
Everyone who ever met Hendrix was struck by how his beloved guitar was almost an extension of his body.
When he was a schoolboy in Seattle on America’s western seaboard in the mid-Fifties he took to carrying round a broom as a guitar substitute and the school social worker even made an unsuccessful attempt to have the school fund the purchase of a guitar on the basis that leaving him without one might result in psychological damage.
read more here
If you don't know who Jimi Hendrix is, here is one of the most famous things he did.
PRIVATE James Marshall Hendrix made his 25th parachute jump as a member of the US Army’s 101st Airborne division in early 1962.
Daily Express
By: Dominic Midgley
Published: Fri, October 25, 2013
In those days parachutes were not the high-tech canopies they are today and injuries were common.
On this occasion Hendrix broke his ankle so badly on landing that he was subsequently given an honourable discharge.
The 101st Airborne’s loss turned out to be the rock world’s gain.
Within a matter of years Private Hendrix had morphed into the flamboyant rock star Jimi Hendrix and he and his band were the highest paid act in America.
As part of year-long commemorations that have marked the 70th anniversary of the guitarist’s birth in 1942 the BBC is screening a 90-minute special devoted to the life of a man who got his first big break in the UK before returning to his homeland a conquering hero.
Everyone who ever met Hendrix was struck by how his beloved guitar was almost an extension of his body.
When he was a schoolboy in Seattle on America’s western seaboard in the mid-Fifties he took to carrying round a broom as a guitar substitute and the school social worker even made an unsuccessful attempt to have the school fund the purchase of a guitar on the basis that leaving him without one might result in psychological damage.
read more here
If you don't know who Jimi Hendrix is, here is one of the most famous things he did.
Sunday, September 1, 2013
Wounded soldier's wife went into early labor
Pregnant wife of hero soldier who lost a lung in Afghanistan went into labour two months early after seeing his 'horrific injuries'
Daily Mail
By REBECCA SEALES
1 September 2013
At almost seven months pregnant, Helen Molloy faced every army wife's worst nightmare when two grim-faced soldiers came knocking at her door.
She was told her beloved husband Tom, who was deployed in Afghanistan as a Lance Corporal, had been dreadfully wounded by a mortar attack which claimed the lives of two of his friends.
Despite an eight-hour emergency operation at Camp Bastion, his life still hung in the balance.
Tom was flown to Birmingham, where he was rushed to the military medical unit at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Edgbaston.
Desperate with worry, Helen was handed her husband's wedding ring, which he always wore round his neck as a symbol of their love.
She was warned that there might not be another chance to say she loved him.
The shock proved too much, and sparked a second emergency as Helen went into labour nine weeks early.
'When two soldiers turned up at my door and asked if I was married to Tom Molloy, I thought that was it,' says Helen, 32, who already had a daughter, Amelia, then just two years old.
'I thought my husband was dead. I’d been out shopping for things for my baby shower. The soldiers told me Tom had been injured by a mortar attack but they couldn’t tell me much more. I felt so scared.'
read more here
Also
Daily Mail
By REBECCA SEALES
1 September 2013
At almost seven months pregnant, Helen Molloy faced every army wife's worst nightmare when two grim-faced soldiers came knocking at her door.
She was told her beloved husband Tom, who was deployed in Afghanistan as a Lance Corporal, had been dreadfully wounded by a mortar attack which claimed the lives of two of his friends.
Despite an eight-hour emergency operation at Camp Bastion, his life still hung in the balance.
Tom was flown to Birmingham, where he was rushed to the military medical unit at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Edgbaston.
Desperate with worry, Helen was handed her husband's wedding ring, which he always wore round his neck as a symbol of their love.
She was warned that there might not be another chance to say she loved him.
The shock proved too much, and sparked a second emergency as Helen went into labour nine weeks early.
'When two soldiers turned up at my door and asked if I was married to Tom Molloy, I thought that was it,' says Helen, 32, who already had a daughter, Amelia, then just two years old.
'I thought my husband was dead. I’d been out shopping for things for my baby shower. The soldiers told me Tom had been injured by a mortar attack but they couldn’t tell me much more. I felt so scared.'
read more here
Also
New lung bypass center could bring wounded home faster
Army Times
By Michelle Tan
Staff writer
Aug. 19, 2013
JOINT BASE SAN ANTONIO-FORT SAM HOUSTON, TEXAS — Spc. Eric Griego was on patrol in Afghanistan’s Kandahar province when his unit was ambushed and an enemy bullet tore into his neck.
“I stumbled to the ground. I wasn’t even sure what happened,” Griego said. “I fired off a few shots and my left arm, from shoulder to fingertips, was completely numb.”
Griego, of 1st Squadron, 75th Cavalry Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 101st Airborne Division, then began having trouble breathing.
The bullet had entered the lower left side of his neck, damaged part of his left lung, ricocheted off the third vertebra in his spine, and then destroyed all of his right lung.
It was Oct. 18, 2010.
Days earlier, the military in Afghanistan received the equipment and specialists required to give patients a process called extracorporeal member oxygenation.
read more here
Wednesday, August 28, 2013
Who said rich people don't serve in the military?
Retired Army Officer and Chicago Billionaire Becomes Latest High-Profile Transgender Veteran
Business Insider
BRIAN JONES
AUG. 27, 2013
In an announcement via her company last week, the normally private billionaire and retired lieutenant colonel formerly known as James Pritzker announced she is transgender and would henceforth like to be known as Jennifer Natalya Pritzker.
"This change will reflect the beliefs of her true identity that she has held privately and will now share publicly. Pritzker now identifies herself as a woman for all business and personal undertakings," the statement said.
According to Raw Story, Pritzker, 62, enlisted in the Army in 1974 and earned her commission as an infantry officer in '79. After stints with the 82nd and 101st Airborne, she transitioned to the Illinois National Guard. She retired from the military in 2001.
But Pritzker was obviously better known for her wealth than her military ties. Her family owns the Hyatt Hotel branch, the Marmon group, and a large stake of the Carnival Cruise Line, among others.
Her cousin is current U.S. Commerce Secretary Penny Pritzker.
read more here
Business Insider
BRIAN JONES
AUG. 27, 2013
In an announcement via her company last week, the normally private billionaire and retired lieutenant colonel formerly known as James Pritzker announced she is transgender and would henceforth like to be known as Jennifer Natalya Pritzker.
"This change will reflect the beliefs of her true identity that she has held privately and will now share publicly. Pritzker now identifies herself as a woman for all business and personal undertakings," the statement said.
According to Raw Story, Pritzker, 62, enlisted in the Army in 1974 and earned her commission as an infantry officer in '79. After stints with the 82nd and 101st Airborne, she transitioned to the Illinois National Guard. She retired from the military in 2001.
But Pritzker was obviously better known for her wealth than her military ties. Her family owns the Hyatt Hotel branch, the Marmon group, and a large stake of the Carnival Cruise Line, among others.
Her cousin is current U.S. Commerce Secretary Penny Pritzker.
read more here
Friday, August 2, 2013
Army vice chief talks resiliency in return to Campbell
Army vice chief talks resiliency in return to Campbell
Kentucky New Era
By Carla Jimenez, New Era Staff Writer
Aug 2, 2013
Former 101st commander touring posts in effort to promote health, save money
A former Eagle 6 stopped by Fort Campbell on Thursday as part of a tour of U.S. Army installations to promote a holistic approach to soldier and family health.
Gen. John F. Campbell, vice chief of staff of the Army and former commander of the 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault), met with current Fort Campbell commanders and soldiers to discuss Army-wide efforts and promote total-health programs.
The programs include physical, mental and spiritual aspects. Many of these programs are already in place, such at as soldier resiliency training and embedded mental health staffs.
Fort Campbell has already been promoting resiliency, and Campbell spoke highly of the effort.
“I’ve seen a lot of great initiatives here at Fort Campbell. They’re leading the way in many things in the ready resilient campaign,” he said. “If you go around and ask, ‘Hey, do you understand ready and resilient?’ They may not know it in that term, but they understand bits and pieces of it.”
Campbell said now the Army is trying to determine how different installations approach resiliency and which programs are working. He said the Army is trying to eliminate redundancies in an effort to save money and streamline the effectiveness of such programs.
“I’m really focusing on health of the force and the ready and resilient campaign,” he said. “As we move forward and as our budget decreases, we can only afford certain programs, and I want to make sure we get the right programs for our Army.”
read more here
Kentucky New Era
By Carla Jimenez, New Era Staff Writer
Aug 2, 2013
Former 101st commander touring posts in effort to promote health, save money
A former Eagle 6 stopped by Fort Campbell on Thursday as part of a tour of U.S. Army installations to promote a holistic approach to soldier and family health.
Gen. John F. Campbell, vice chief of staff of the Army and former commander of the 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault), met with current Fort Campbell commanders and soldiers to discuss Army-wide efforts and promote total-health programs.
The programs include physical, mental and spiritual aspects. Many of these programs are already in place, such at as soldier resiliency training and embedded mental health staffs.
Fort Campbell has already been promoting resiliency, and Campbell spoke highly of the effort.
“I’ve seen a lot of great initiatives here at Fort Campbell. They’re leading the way in many things in the ready resilient campaign,” he said. “If you go around and ask, ‘Hey, do you understand ready and resilient?’ They may not know it in that term, but they understand bits and pieces of it.”
Campbell said now the Army is trying to determine how different installations approach resiliency and which programs are working. He said the Army is trying to eliminate redundancies in an effort to save money and streamline the effectiveness of such programs.
“I’m really focusing on health of the force and the ready and resilient campaign,” he said. “As we move forward and as our budget decreases, we can only afford certain programs, and I want to make sure we get the right programs for our Army.”
read more here
Military brass may be caring but clueless on military suicide
Over 900 suicide prevention programs that do not work. Billions spent on "resilience" training since 2008 that have not worked. Their answer has been more of the same leading to more of the same deadly results, more suicides and attempted suicides. Keep in mind that it is not just enlisted but veterans as well that had been subjected to these programs and the results show more harm done than good.New approach as Army confronts rising suicide rate
Associated Press
By BRETT BARROUQUERE
Published: August 1, 2013
FORT CAMPBELL, KY. — Gen. John F. Campbell's frustration with the Army's suicide rate is unmistakable when he raises his voice and drops his head as he speaks about it. Despite the programs offered to soldiers, the number taking their own lives keeps rising, including 14 possible suicides in June.
For Campbell, the Army's vice-chief of staff, it's a problem that seems at times almost impossible to solve.
"What's the definition of success?" Campbell asked Friday at Fort Campbell, a sprawling military post on the Kentucky-Tennessee state line. "You have only one suicide? That's still too many."
In an effort to cut the suicide rate as soldiers return from combat in Afghanistan, the Army is rolling out the Ready and Resilient Campaign — a mission to coordinate and integrate myriad Army programs and services.
Campbell said the effort will consolidate multiple programs already offered with the hope of getting to soldiers who are having issues before they rise to the crisis level. It includes an assessment of a soldier's fitness and exercises to strengthen the Army by increasing soldier resilience to bounce back from deployment and any issues related to duty.
As part of a national campaign, Campbell met with soldiers and families Thursday afternoon at the post where he commanded the 101st Airborne Division from 2009-2011. He visited Fort Drum earlier Thursday and will touch Fort Jackson in South Carolina on Friday. In a 30-minute briefing with reporters, Campbell said leaders must embrace the readiness program for it to work.
read more here
Friday, July 5, 2013
Vietnam veteran died saving others from house fire
Veteran died trying to save others from fire, son says
WHTM News
By Karissa Shatzer
Posted: Jul 04, 2013
LANCASTER, Pa. (WHTM)
A Lancaster man who died in an house fire that killed three others was a war veteran and a hero who made the ultimate sacrifice, according to his son.
"He was a Vietnam vet. He served in '68-'69. He was 101st Airborne," Jimmie Brock said of his father, 64-year-old Jimmie Moore. "I miss him."
Not only did Moore put his life on the line for his country, he died early Thursday after running back into his burning home at 115 E. Clay Street in an attempt to save 13 people who were still inside. Two children between the ages of 2 and 8 are among the victims.
read more here
WHTM News
By Karissa Shatzer
Posted: Jul 04, 2013
LANCASTER, Pa. (WHTM)
A Lancaster man who died in an house fire that killed three others was a war veteran and a hero who made the ultimate sacrifice, according to his son.
"He was a Vietnam vet. He served in '68-'69. He was 101st Airborne," Jimmie Brock said of his father, 64-year-old Jimmie Moore. "I miss him."
Not only did Moore put his life on the line for his country, he died early Thursday after running back into his burning home at 115 E. Clay Street in an attempt to save 13 people who were still inside. Two children between the ages of 2 and 8 are among the victims.
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Wednesday, June 5, 2013
Fort Campbell Sgt. says shooting at Garden of the Gods was a mistake
Soldier calls shooting at Garden of the Gods 'a big mistake'
The Gazette
By Dave Philipps
June 5, 2013
Colorado Springs police swept in with body armor and assault rifles and emerged from the brush with Brandon Bougades, a 31-year-old decorated, two-tour Army sergeant who is in the last stages of medical retirement after being hit by multiple bomb blasts in Afghanistan. Police ticketed Bougades for reckless endangerment and disorderly conduct for firing approximately 150 pistol and shotgun rounds in the park, then released him.
Tuesday, Bougades told The Gazette he was diagnosed by the Army with a traumatic brain injury and post-traumatic stress disorder.
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Linked from Westword Blog
The Gazette
By Dave Philipps
June 5, 2013
Bougades joined the Army in 2006 and served 15 months in Iraq, then four in Afghanistan. He was assigned to the 101st Airborne Division based in Fort Campbell, Ky., and earned three Army commendation medals for heroism.Between 2 a.m. and 4 a.m. Monday morning residents on the southern edge of Garden of the Gods woke to sporadic, rapid gunfire. Some hit the floor. Others peered out windows at the constant muzzle flashes as they pleaded for the police to arrive.
Colorado Springs police swept in with body armor and assault rifles and emerged from the brush with Brandon Bougades, a 31-year-old decorated, two-tour Army sergeant who is in the last stages of medical retirement after being hit by multiple bomb blasts in Afghanistan. Police ticketed Bougades for reckless endangerment and disorderly conduct for firing approximately 150 pistol and shotgun rounds in the park, then released him.
Tuesday, Bougades told The Gazette he was diagnosed by the Army with a traumatic brain injury and post-traumatic stress disorder.
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Linked from Westword Blog
Tuesday, April 30, 2013
Is Fort Campbell getting it right on PTSD now?
101st Airborne vastly expands care for 'unseen wounds'
Apr. 30, 2013
By Philip Grey
The (Clarksville, Tenn.) Leaf-Chronicle
FORT CAMPBELL, KY. — Not so long ago, there were only five psychiatrists and one treatment facility dealing with PTSD, depression and other behavioral health issues for Fort Campbell’s 30,000-plus soldier population.
That capacity has just been increased many times over, with the opening of no less than five newly-constructed and staffed Embedded Behavioral Health Care Team facilities – one for each of the 101st Airborne Division’s four brigade combat teams and another for the 101st Sustainment Brigade. Additional psychological health support has also been added to each of the division’s two combat aviation brigades.
Open houses were held at the new facilities on Monday, as post officials celebrated the milestone, achieved just one year after the first pilot program at the 4th Brigade Combat Team was announced by Maj. Gen. James C. McConville, Commander, 101st Airborne Division and Col. Paul R. Cordts, Commander, Blanchfield Army Community Hospital (BACH.)
Attending the ribbon-cutting for the new permanent 4th Brigade Combat Team facility in place of McConville, currently deployed in Afghanistan, was acting senior commander Brig. Gen. Mark R. Stammer.
“We wanted Brig. Gen. Stammer to see and know the power of what we’ve set up,” Cordts said.
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Apr. 30, 2013
By Philip Grey
The (Clarksville, Tenn.) Leaf-Chronicle
FORT CAMPBELL, KY. — Not so long ago, there were only five psychiatrists and one treatment facility dealing with PTSD, depression and other behavioral health issues for Fort Campbell’s 30,000-plus soldier population.
That capacity has just been increased many times over, with the opening of no less than five newly-constructed and staffed Embedded Behavioral Health Care Team facilities – one for each of the 101st Airborne Division’s four brigade combat teams and another for the 101st Sustainment Brigade. Additional psychological health support has also been added to each of the division’s two combat aviation brigades.
Open houses were held at the new facilities on Monday, as post officials celebrated the milestone, achieved just one year after the first pilot program at the 4th Brigade Combat Team was announced by Maj. Gen. James C. McConville, Commander, 101st Airborne Division and Col. Paul R. Cordts, Commander, Blanchfield Army Community Hospital (BACH.)
Attending the ribbon-cutting for the new permanent 4th Brigade Combat Team facility in place of McConville, currently deployed in Afghanistan, was acting senior commander Brig. Gen. Mark R. Stammer.
“We wanted Brig. Gen. Stammer to see and know the power of what we’ve set up,” Cordts said.
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Monday, April 29, 2013
Fort Campbell Soldier completes Air Assault School after becoming an amputee
Army amputee completes air assault schoolKRISTIN M. HALL
Associated Press (AP)
Posted April 29, 2013
Sgt. First Class Greg Robinson, 34, of 101st Airborne Division, stands with his 4-year-old daughter, Drew, on Monday, April 29, 2013, at Fort Campbell, Ky., after graduating from air assault school. He lost a lower portion of his right leg in Afghanistan in 2006 and is the first amputee to graduate from the grueling Sabalauski Air Assault School. (AP Photo/Kristin M. Hall)FORT CAMPBELL, Ky. (AP) — Thousands of soldiers are physically and mentally tested every year at the Army's air assault school at Fort Campbell, but Sgt. 1st Class Greg Robinson is the first amputee to complete the grueling 10-day course.
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Sunday, April 7, 2013
Silver Star TBI wounded 101st Airborne soldier re-ups
Soldier recovering from TBI gets Silver Star then re-enlists
By KRISTIN M. HALL
The Associated Press
Published: April 6, 2013
FORT CAMPBELL, Ky. -- A Fort Campbell soldier who suffered a traumatic brain injury received the Silver Star on Friday for his actions to help evacuate wounded troops during a mission in Afghanistan in 2010.
After receiving the honor during a ceremony at the Tennessee-Kentucky state line, Sgt. 1st Class Matthew Loheide (LOH'-hyd) of Patchogue, N.Y., immediately re-enlisted in the Army to serve other wounded warriors like him.
Several of Loheide's former teammates returned to Fort Campbell to see him accept the military's third-highest medal for valor, which he said was earned by everyone in his unit. "I am humbled to be honored with it, but I think overall it is a team event," he said.
In June 2010, he was attached to the 2nd Battalion, 327th Infantry Regiment, 1st Brigade Combat Team under the 101st Airborne Division. The mission, called Operation Strong Eagle I, was to clear the Ghaki Valley in Kunar Province in eastern Afghanistan of entrenched insurgents, said his former platoon leader, Capt. Douglas Jones.
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By KRISTIN M. HALL
The Associated Press
Published: April 6, 2013
FORT CAMPBELL, Ky. -- A Fort Campbell soldier who suffered a traumatic brain injury received the Silver Star on Friday for his actions to help evacuate wounded troops during a mission in Afghanistan in 2010.
After receiving the honor during a ceremony at the Tennessee-Kentucky state line, Sgt. 1st Class Matthew Loheide (LOH'-hyd) of Patchogue, N.Y., immediately re-enlisted in the Army to serve other wounded warriors like him.
Several of Loheide's former teammates returned to Fort Campbell to see him accept the military's third-highest medal for valor, which he said was earned by everyone in his unit. "I am humbled to be honored with it, but I think overall it is a team event," he said.
In June 2010, he was attached to the 2nd Battalion, 327th Infantry Regiment, 1st Brigade Combat Team under the 101st Airborne Division. The mission, called Operation Strong Eagle I, was to clear the Ghaki Valley in Kunar Province in eastern Afghanistan of entrenched insurgents, said his former platoon leader, Capt. Douglas Jones.
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Tuesday, April 2, 2013
Sister War Fighters Double Up in Afghanistan
After two year separation, soldier twins reunite in AfghanistanApr 1, 2013
Written by
Spc. Brian Smith-Dutton
Task Force 3/101 Public Affairs
Army Spc. Janice Pagan (left) of Forward Support Company, 1st Battalion, 187th Infantry Regiment, 3rd Brigade Combat Team 'Rakkasans,' 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault), and her twin sister Army Spc. Janet Pagan (right) of 72nd Expeditionary Signal Battalion shop for perfume together at Bagram Airfield, Afghanistan, during a 3-day pass that reunited them after two years apart. / US ARMY/SPC. BRIAN SMITH-DUTTONPAKTIYA PROVINCE, AFGHANISTAN — Military service has long been, and still is, a family affair, and the Pagan twins are yet another example.
However, service in different units and places, especially in a war zone, can often keep family members apart for extended periods.
Thus, when U.S. Army Spc. Janice Pagan was granted a 3-day pass to reunite with her twin sister at Bagram Airfield, Afghanistan, it was a cause for celebration.
“I am very excited to see my sister,” said Janice, an automated logistical specialist assigned to Forward Support Company, 1st Battalion, 187th Infantry Regiment, 3rd Brigade Combat Team “Rakkasans,” 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault).
“After telling my family what is going to happen they are very happy as well.”
The twins have not been able to come together in more than two years due to being in different units within the Army.
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Saturday, February 16, 2013
Bank America and Homes For Our Troops Team Up For Widows
Fort Campbell widows receive mortgage-free homes
Feb 15, 2013
Written by
Kristin M. Hall
Associated Press
NASHVILLE, TENN. — The widows of three Fort Campbell soldiers who were killed in Afghanistan received mortgage-free homes in Tennessee on Friday from Bank of America and Homes for Our Troops.
The wives of Army Spc. Charles “Scott” Jirtle, Army Spc. Blaine Redding and Army Spc. Anthony Vargas were presented with ceremonial keys to their homes in front of a crowd of supporters who had come to Nashville from the post on the Tennessee-Kentucky state line.
The donation of the homes was a reflection of the support from the military community around Fort Campbell for these families, who are referred to within the military as “Gold Star Families.”
All three soldiers were assigned to units in the 101st Airborne Division. Some of the division’s top leaders were in attendance, including the deputy commanding general for support, Brig. Gen. Ronald F Lewis.
Jirtle, 29, and Redding, 22, were killed after their vehicle was hit with an improvised explosive device on June 7, 2010, in Konar, Afghanistan. They were assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 327th Infantry Regiment, 1st Brigade Combat Team.
Vargas, 27, died Nov. 8, 2010, in Nangarhar province, Afghanistan, after insurgents attacked his unit using an improvised explosive device. He was assigned to 1st Squadron, 61st Cavalry Regiment, 4th Brigade Combat Team.
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Feb 15, 2013
Written by
Kristin M. Hall
Associated Press
NASHVILLE, TENN. — The widows of three Fort Campbell soldiers who were killed in Afghanistan received mortgage-free homes in Tennessee on Friday from Bank of America and Homes for Our Troops.
The wives of Army Spc. Charles “Scott” Jirtle, Army Spc. Blaine Redding and Army Spc. Anthony Vargas were presented with ceremonial keys to their homes in front of a crowd of supporters who had come to Nashville from the post on the Tennessee-Kentucky state line.
The donation of the homes was a reflection of the support from the military community around Fort Campbell for these families, who are referred to within the military as “Gold Star Families.”
All three soldiers were assigned to units in the 101st Airborne Division. Some of the division’s top leaders were in attendance, including the deputy commanding general for support, Brig. Gen. Ronald F Lewis.
Jirtle, 29, and Redding, 22, were killed after their vehicle was hit with an improvised explosive device on June 7, 2010, in Konar, Afghanistan. They were assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 327th Infantry Regiment, 1st Brigade Combat Team.
Vargas, 27, died Nov. 8, 2010, in Nangarhar province, Afghanistan, after insurgents attacked his unit using an improvised explosive device. He was assigned to 1st Squadron, 61st Cavalry Regiment, 4th Brigade Combat Team.
read more here
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