Insider Attack Kills 2 US Troops, 3 Afghans
Mar 11, 2013
Associated Press
by Heidi Vogt and Kimberly Dozier
KABUL, Afghanistan -- Officials say an Afghan police officer opened fire inside a police station while U.S. forces were visiting, sparking a firefight that killed two U.S. troops and three Afghan policemen.
Monday's incident in Wardak province appears to be the latest in a series of insider attacks against coalition and Afghan forces. It comes a day after a deadline given by Afghans for U.S. special forces to withdraw from the province.
read more here
Showing posts with label Afghanistan casualties. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Afghanistan casualties. Show all posts
Monday, March 11, 2013
Wednesday, March 6, 2013
Military blames everyone and everything for suicides
Military blames everyone and everything for suicides
by Kathie Costos
Wounded Times Blog
March 6, 2013
First let this sink in for a moment.
TBI is not PTSD but the event that causes TBI can also cause PTSD. The military and "experts" have been alluding to reports of NFL players TBI and suicides but fail to acknowledge that getting hurt is part of the job and how they get hurt is when they are tackled by other players with only one mission. Taking them down. It is a violent sport just like boxing is. Yes, their brains get bashed into their scull by opponents trying to take them down and yes, some have TBI as the result. Still this is far from a "new theory" and I wish reporters would finally do some research to know the truth.
I suggest you read this for the numbers alone and then what else I have to say will make more sense.
From 2007
Trends in Treatment of America’s Wounded Warriors
These are from 2008
One in five soldiers get concussion
Study: PTSD, not brain injury, may cause vets' symptoms
Finally common sense on TBI-PTSD link
These are from 2009
A Chance for Clues to Brain Injury in Combat Blasts
Scanning invisible damage of PTSD, brain blasts
There are more but you get the idea now. None of this is new! The military keeps hoping they will find the answer that points to anything but what they have gotten wrong all these years. RESILIENCE TRAINING AND CLAIMS OF SUPPORTING THEM TO GO FOR HELP ARE NOT WORKING!
I talk to families all the time and they are dealing with the suicide of someone they thought came home safe from combat. What the DOD thinks they got right is wrong and nothing will change the outcome unless they finally see what is right under their nose!
by Kathie Costos
Wounded Times Blog
March 6, 2013
First let this sink in for a moment.
"Between November 2011 and October 2012, there were more than 15,000 IED attacks against U.S. service members"Now, some want to point their finger at the blast itself, but fail to notice the most important factor of what the blast does. It kills. It blows up bodies. It hides in the road. They can't see it coming. They don't know where they are. They cannot shoot at it, fight it or avoid them 100% of the time. While average people get hit by PTSD after traumatic events, and most understand that, the military fails to connect the event to the result.
TBI is not PTSD but the event that causes TBI can also cause PTSD. The military and "experts" have been alluding to reports of NFL players TBI and suicides but fail to acknowledge that getting hurt is part of the job and how they get hurt is when they are tackled by other players with only one mission. Taking them down. It is a violent sport just like boxing is. Yes, their brains get bashed into their scull by opponents trying to take them down and yes, some have TBI as the result. Still this is far from a "new theory" and I wish reporters would finally do some research to know the truth.
I suggest you read this for the numbers alone and then what else I have to say will make more sense.
Are brain injuries from IED blasts causing the military suicide crisis?
By Bill Briggs
NBC News contributor
Traumatic brain injuries sustained by more than 200,000 U.S. troops during combat explosions may be fueling the military’s suicide crisis, according to a letter co-signed by 53 congressional members who are seeking additional data to investigate the new theory.
In the letter, sent Tuesday to Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel and Veterans Affairs Secretary Eric Shinseki, the lawmakers urged both agencies to provide Congress with a raft of figures, including the number of Iraq and Afghanistan service members and veterans who committed suicide or tried to end their lives after being brain injured by the detonation of an improvised explosive device — “the weapon of choice” in both wars.
“Evidence has suggested that blast injuries, including but not limited to those causing damage to vision or hearing, can have a severe psychological impact ... that can play a major contributing role in suicides,” read the bi-partisan letter.
Between November 2011 and October 2012, there were more than 15,000 IED attacks against U.S. service members in Afghanistan, and 58 percent of all coalition casualties during that span were caused by the hidden bombs, the letter states.
read more here
From 2007
Trends in Treatment of America’s Wounded Warriors
These are from 2008
One in five soldiers get concussion
Study: PTSD, not brain injury, may cause vets' symptoms
Finally common sense on TBI-PTSD link
These are from 2009
A Chance for Clues to Brain Injury in Combat Blasts
Scanning invisible damage of PTSD, brain blasts
There are more but you get the idea now. None of this is new! The military keeps hoping they will find the answer that points to anything but what they have gotten wrong all these years. RESILIENCE TRAINING AND CLAIMS OF SUPPORTING THEM TO GO FOR HELP ARE NOT WORKING!
I talk to families all the time and they are dealing with the suicide of someone they thought came home safe from combat. What the DOD thinks they got right is wrong and nothing will change the outcome unless they finally see what is right under their nose!
Sunday, March 3, 2013
Marine Staff Sgt. Sky R. Mote fought 'to protect his team'
Marine Staff Sgt. Sky R. Mote fought 'to protect his team'Mote, 27, of El Dorado, was killed in Afghanistan. Relatives talk about his efforts to shield them from worry. Comrades recall his heroism.
By Christopher Goffard
Los Angeles Times
March 2, 2013
When Marine Staff Sgt. Sky R. Mote called home from Afghanistan, he liked to couch his dangerous plans for the day in innocuous terms.
A 9-year military veteran on this third combat deployment, the 27-year-old from El Dorado knew he might be crossing Taliban territory on an ammunition run, or heading off to blow up a bridge.
"He'd always say, 'I'm going to go on a camping trip,' or 'I'm going to go on a hike,'" said Marcia Mote, an elementary school teacher, who had raised him with his father, Russell, since he was a young boy.
"He didn't want to give us any reason to worry."
Mote, who was assigned to the 1st Marine Special Operations Battalion at Camp Pendleton, was killed Aug. 10 in Helmand province, Afghanistan, along with two other Marines, the Department of Defense said.
Reports indicated the attacker was dressed as an Afghan police officer.
read more here
Friday, March 1, 2013
Navy veteran writes names of 2,200 killed servicemembers from memory
Navy veteran writes names of 2,200 killed servicemembers from memory
by TODD UNGER
WFAA
Posted on February 28, 2013
FORT WORTH -- Close to 7,000 words and more than 2,200 names later, Ron White finally did it.
The U.S. Navy veteran recorded the names of the military fallen from Afghanistan on a makeshift wall in downtown Fort Worth on Thursday. And he did it all from memory.
"I have pictures in my mind for each name," said White, who served one tour of duty in Afghanistan in 2007.
read more here
by TODD UNGER
WFAA
Posted on February 28, 2013
FORT WORTH -- Close to 7,000 words and more than 2,200 names later, Ron White finally did it.
The U.S. Navy veteran recorded the names of the military fallen from Afghanistan on a makeshift wall in downtown Fort Worth on Thursday. And he did it all from memory.
"I have pictures in my mind for each name," said White, who served one tour of duty in Afghanistan in 2007.
read more here
Saturday, February 16, 2013
In Loving Memory Of A Wife, Daughter And Fallen Soldier
In Loving Memory Of A Wife, Daughter And Fallen Soldier
by NPR STAFF
February 16, 2013
North Carolina National Guardsman Tracy Johnson is an Iraq War veteran and an Army widow.
She is also one of the first gay spouses to lose a partner at war since the repeal of "don't ask, don't tell."
On Feb. 14, 2012, Tracy married her longtime partner, Staff Sgt. Donna Johnson. But eight months later, Donna was killed by a suicide bomber while serving in Khost, Afghanistan.
"That day, I had a bad feeling," Tracy tells her mother-in-law, Sandra Johnson, during a visit to StoryCorps. "I immediately starting scouring the news websites, and it said that ... three U.S. soldiers were killed in Khost, Afghanistan, and I knew, obviously, that's where she was stationed."
But she had to wait to find out if her fears were legitimate.
read more here
by NPR STAFF
February 16, 2013
North Carolina National Guardsman Tracy Johnson is an Iraq War veteran and an Army widow.
She is also one of the first gay spouses to lose a partner at war since the repeal of "don't ask, don't tell."
On Feb. 14, 2012, Tracy married her longtime partner, Staff Sgt. Donna Johnson. But eight months later, Donna was killed by a suicide bomber while serving in Khost, Afghanistan.
"That day, I had a bad feeling," Tracy tells her mother-in-law, Sandra Johnson, during a visit to StoryCorps. "I immediately starting scouring the news websites, and it said that ... three U.S. soldiers were killed in Khost, Afghanistan, and I knew, obviously, that's where she was stationed."
But she had to wait to find out if her fears were legitimate.
read more here
Monday, December 31, 2012
Soldier from Ocala Florida killed in Afghanistan
Update
Miami Herald
Relatives tell the Ocala Star-Banner that Sims got married in October, and his wife is pregnant.
Miami Herald
Relatives tell the Ocala Star-Banner that Sims got married in October, and his wife is pregnant.
North Florida private killed in Afghanistan
December 31, 2012
HERALD STAFF REPORT
A Florida soldier who was on his first deployment to Afghanistan was killed this weekend in an explosion, the Pentagon said Monday.
Army Pfc. Markie T. Sims, 20, of Citra, north of Ocala, died Saturday in Panjwal, Afghanistan, of wounds suffered when enemy forces attacked his unit with an improvised explosive device, according to a Defense Department statement.
Read more here
Friday, December 14, 2012
Donation-based hospital rescues Afghanistan's wounded
Donation-based hospital rescues Afghanistan's wounded
By Clarissa Ward
December 13, 2012
(CBS News) KABUL - In Afghanistan, an American soldier and two Afghans were killed by a car bomb Thursday.
It happened near the U.S. airbase in Kandahar, a few hours after Defense Secretary Leon Panetta left there to meet with Afghan President Karzai.
Taliban attacks have grown more frequent, causing a sharp rise in civilian casualties. There's one place where many of those lives are saved or lost.
The non-profit trauma hospital goes by one name: Emergency. It offers free treatment to the bruised and bloodied victims of this conflict. Every patient who arrives there is a casualty of war.
Dr. Gino Strada is the chain-smoking Italian cardiologist who founded emergency in 1999. He told CBS News that he'll take in patients, regardless of whether they're Taliban or whatever their political affiliations may be.
"Otherwise, you're not a doctor anymore," he said, "then you're a judge."
read more here
By Clarissa Ward
December 13, 2012
(CBS News) KABUL - In Afghanistan, an American soldier and two Afghans were killed by a car bomb Thursday.
It happened near the U.S. airbase in Kandahar, a few hours after Defense Secretary Leon Panetta left there to meet with Afghan President Karzai.
Taliban attacks have grown more frequent, causing a sharp rise in civilian casualties. There's one place where many of those lives are saved or lost.
The non-profit trauma hospital goes by one name: Emergency. It offers free treatment to the bruised and bloodied victims of this conflict. Every patient who arrives there is a casualty of war.
Dr. Gino Strada is the chain-smoking Italian cardiologist who founded emergency in 1999. He told CBS News that he'll take in patients, regardless of whether they're Taliban or whatever their political affiliations may be.
"Otherwise, you're not a doctor anymore," he said, "then you're a judge."
read more here
Tuesday, November 27, 2012
New rules in works for handling troops’ remains
New rules in works for handling troops’ remains
Army Times
By Rick Maze
Staff writer
Posted : Tuesday Nov 27, 2012
Transportation of remains of service members who die outside the U.S. would become the responsibility of those troops’ military commands under legislation pending in Congress that seems almost certain to become law.
The initiative was proposed in reaction to the mishandling of remains by the military mortuary at Dover Air Force Base, Del. Its aim is to have a uniformed service member be accountable for remains from the initial death or recovery of the remains through burial or interment, unless a family requests otherwise. The designated member would be subject to disciplinary action if something goes wrong.
Under the proposal, already approved by the House of Representatives as part of the 2013 defense authorization bill and introduced Monday as an amendment to the Senate version of the bill, the Defense Department would be responsible for ensuring someone is responsible for each step of the care, handling and transportation of remains of any member of the Army, Navy, Air Force or Marine Corps who dies outside the U.S.
read more here
Army Times
By Rick Maze
Staff writer
Posted : Tuesday Nov 27, 2012
Transportation of remains of service members who die outside the U.S. would become the responsibility of those troops’ military commands under legislation pending in Congress that seems almost certain to become law.
The initiative was proposed in reaction to the mishandling of remains by the military mortuary at Dover Air Force Base, Del. Its aim is to have a uniformed service member be accountable for remains from the initial death or recovery of the remains through burial or interment, unless a family requests otherwise. The designated member would be subject to disciplinary action if something goes wrong.
Under the proposal, already approved by the House of Representatives as part of the 2013 defense authorization bill and introduced Monday as an amendment to the Senate version of the bill, the Defense Department would be responsible for ensuring someone is responsible for each step of the care, handling and transportation of remains of any member of the Army, Navy, Air Force or Marine Corps who dies outside the U.S.
read more here
Monday, November 19, 2012
Did General Petraeus put US lives at risk with PC war doctrine?
US intelligence specialist: Petraeus put US lives at risk with PC war doctrine
Published: 19 November, 2012
Lieutenant Colonel John L. Cook was once a top counter-insurgency specialist trusted with the most sensitive missions, but his latest book, Afghanistan: The Perfect Failure, has turned him into the bête noir of the US military establishment.
Cook began his intelligence career in Vietnam, and his last assignment was four years in Afghanistan, where he oversaw the creation of the new local police force, until retiring in August this year.
While there he says he witnessed a new “politically correct” way of fighting that was meant to put a premium on the lives of local civilians, but instead paralyzed US soldiers and goaded the Taliban into ever more brazen operations. He also says that the Afghans’ lack of trust in their government means that US can never hope to win their hearts by supporting handpicked leaders in Kabul.
He lays much of the blame for US failures at the feet of General David Petraeus, who headed the US forces, first from Washington, and then directly on the ground, and established the rules of engagement.
read more here
Winning over their hearts and minds? Or just mindless danger? (AFP Photo / Tony Karumba)
Published: 19 November, 2012
Lieutenant Colonel John L. Cook was once a top counter-insurgency specialist trusted with the most sensitive missions, but his latest book, Afghanistan: The Perfect Failure, has turned him into the bête noir of the US military establishment.
Cook began his intelligence career in Vietnam, and his last assignment was four years in Afghanistan, where he oversaw the creation of the new local police force, until retiring in August this year.
While there he says he witnessed a new “politically correct” way of fighting that was meant to put a premium on the lives of local civilians, but instead paralyzed US soldiers and goaded the Taliban into ever more brazen operations. He also says that the Afghans’ lack of trust in their government means that US can never hope to win their hearts by supporting handpicked leaders in Kabul.
He lays much of the blame for US failures at the feet of General David Petraeus, who headed the US forces, first from Washington, and then directly on the ground, and established the rules of engagement.
read more here
Winning over their hearts and minds? Or just mindless danger? (AFP Photo / Tony Karumba)
Will Sgt. Rafael Peralta's life finally be honored?
Medal of Honor decision for San Diego Marine may be revealed soon
A dispute about whether Marine Sgt. Rafael Peralta of San Diego, killed in Iraq 8 years ago, deserves the Medal of Honor may be resolved within weeks.
By Tony Perry
Los Angeles Times
November 19, 2012
Eight years ago this month, Marine Sgt. Rafael Peralta of San Diego was killed in Iraq during the battle for Fallouja, the bloodiest house-to-house fighting involving Marines since Vietnam.
A dispute about whether Peralta, 25, a Mexican immigrant, deserves the Medal of Honor remains one of the last pieces of unfinished business from the U.S. involvement in Iraq.
The Marine Corps nominated Peralta for the Medal of Honor. But then-Defense Secretary Robert Gates in 2008 downgraded the award to the Navy Cross — upsetting the Marines and Peralta's family.
Now, Gates' successor, Leon Panetta, appears on the verge of announcing the result of his review of Gates' decision, based on a video of the aftermath of the house-clearing mission in which Peralta was killed.
Whether Panetta will uphold or reverse Gates' decision is unknown. Medal of Honor decisions are some of the most closely held secrets in the military.
The Marines who were with Peralta that day are unanimous in their view that, although he lay mortally wounded, he reached out and smothered an enemy grenade, saving the lives of several Marines.
read more here
Denial of Medal of Honor for Sgt. Rafael Peralta causes anger to survivors
Sgt. Rafael Peralta should have honor earned
A dispute about whether Marine Sgt. Rafael Peralta of San Diego, killed in Iraq 8 years ago, deserves the Medal of Honor may be resolved within weeks.
By Tony Perry
Los Angeles Times
November 19, 2012
A memorial for Marine Sgt. Rafael Peralta was set up by his family in their San Diego home in 2004. A dispute about whether Peralta, 25, a Mexican immigrant, deserves the Medal of Honor remains one of the last pieces of unfinished business from the U.S. involvement in Iraq. (Glenn Koenig, Los Angeles Times / December 1, 2004)
Eight years ago this month, Marine Sgt. Rafael Peralta of San Diego was killed in Iraq during the battle for Fallouja, the bloodiest house-to-house fighting involving Marines since Vietnam.
A dispute about whether Peralta, 25, a Mexican immigrant, deserves the Medal of Honor remains one of the last pieces of unfinished business from the U.S. involvement in Iraq.
The Marine Corps nominated Peralta for the Medal of Honor. But then-Defense Secretary Robert Gates in 2008 downgraded the award to the Navy Cross — upsetting the Marines and Peralta's family.
Now, Gates' successor, Leon Panetta, appears on the verge of announcing the result of his review of Gates' decision, based on a video of the aftermath of the house-clearing mission in which Peralta was killed.
Whether Panetta will uphold or reverse Gates' decision is unknown. Medal of Honor decisions are some of the most closely held secrets in the military.
The Marines who were with Peralta that day are unanimous in their view that, although he lay mortally wounded, he reached out and smothered an enemy grenade, saving the lives of several Marines.
read more here
Denial of Medal of Honor for Sgt. Rafael Peralta causes anger to survivors
Sgt. Rafael Peralta should have honor earned
Friday, November 16, 2012
Veterans Parade ends in tragedy 4 dead 16 wounded
UPDATE
Veteran, survivor plans lawsuit
UPDATE
Staff Sgt. Joshua Michael died saving wife
Train hits trailer carrying wounded veterans in Texas parade; 4 dead
By NBC News staff
At least 17 people were hospitalized, city officials said. Twenty-four veterans and their spouses were on the tractor-trailer, according to the Midland Reporter-Telegram. NBC station KWES of Midland said the tractor-trailer was part of the Show of Support / Hunt for Heroes parade carrying veterans and their spouses to a banquet in their honor. The benefit dinner was being put on by Show of Support, Military Hunt Inc. in Midland on Thursday night, according to the organization's website.
read more here
Mayor Perry on veterans train tragedy 11.15.12
Early Edition: Four killed, 16 injured in parade accident
My West Texas
By Audrie Palmer and Sara Higgins
Four people were killed and 16 were injured Thursday night after a train struck a Show of Support parade float en route to an annual event at the Horseshoe.
Two of the individuals were killed at the scene, while two died at Midland Memorial Hospital. Two victims were transported to Lubbock and several others released from MMH late Thursday evening, said Chief Price Robinson of the Midland Police Department. Marcy Madrid at Midland Memorial Hospital told the Reporter-Telegram late Thursday that of the 16 injured admitted to Midland Memorial, 10 people were treated and released, four were still in stable condition, one was in critical condition and one was transported to Lubbock.
A float carrying veterans and their wives in the ninth annual Show of Support parade was struck by an eastbound train around 4:36 p.m. at the corner of Garfield Street and Industrial Avenue, Robinson said.
The parade was taking 24 veterans and their spouses from the DoubleTree by Hilton to the Horseshoe in south Midland.
According to officials, the trailer hit was the second of two that were pulling veterans near the end of the parade route. The first trailer had already crossed the train tracks.
The trailer was carrying 26 passengers -- 12 heroes, 12 spouses and two civilian escorts, Robinson said.
read more here
Veteran, survivor plans lawsuit
UPDATE
Staff Sgt. Joshua Michael died saving wife
Train hits trailer carrying wounded veterans in Texas parade; 4 dead
By NBC News staff
James Durbin / Midland Reporter-TelegramUpdated at 12:43 a.m. ET: A train crashed into a tractor-trailer carrying wounded veterans and their spouses in a parade in Midland, Texas, killing at least four people, authorities told NBC News.
Bystanders react after a flatbed tractor-trailer carrying wounded veterans and their families during a parade was struck by a train Thursday in Midland, Texas.
At least 17 people were hospitalized, city officials said. Twenty-four veterans and their spouses were on the tractor-trailer, according to the Midland Reporter-Telegram. NBC station KWES of Midland said the tractor-trailer was part of the Show of Support / Hunt for Heroes parade carrying veterans and their spouses to a banquet in their honor. The benefit dinner was being put on by Show of Support, Military Hunt Inc. in Midland on Thursday night, according to the organization's website.
read more here
Mayor Perry on veterans train tragedy 11.15.12
Early Edition: Four killed, 16 injured in parade accident
My West Texas
By Audrie Palmer and Sara Higgins
Four people were killed and 16 were injured Thursday night after a train struck a Show of Support parade float en route to an annual event at the Horseshoe.
Two of the individuals were killed at the scene, while two died at Midland Memorial Hospital. Two victims were transported to Lubbock and several others released from MMH late Thursday evening, said Chief Price Robinson of the Midland Police Department. Marcy Madrid at Midland Memorial Hospital told the Reporter-Telegram late Thursday that of the 16 injured admitted to Midland Memorial, 10 people were treated and released, four were still in stable condition, one was in critical condition and one was transported to Lubbock.
A float carrying veterans and their wives in the ninth annual Show of Support parade was struck by an eastbound train around 4:36 p.m. at the corner of Garfield Street and Industrial Avenue, Robinson said.
The parade was taking 24 veterans and their spouses from the DoubleTree by Hilton to the Horseshoe in south Midland.
According to officials, the trailer hit was the second of two that were pulling veterans near the end of the parade route. The first trailer had already crossed the train tracks.
The trailer was carrying 26 passengers -- 12 heroes, 12 spouses and two civilian escorts, Robinson said.
read more here
Thursday, November 15, 2012
The race to save troops with horrific injuries
The race to save troops with horrific injuries
By Gregg Zoroya
USA TODAY
Posted : Thursday Nov 15, 2012
In the flickering light of a flare drifting to earth, Army flight medic Daniel “Buzz” Buzard spots a scrum of U.S. soldiers bearing a wounded comrade across a stony Afghan riverbed en route to his helicopter.
Only night-vision goggles illuminate on this moonless night, and a glimpse of the casualty leaves Buzard cold.
“He’s just mangled,” the medic recalls.
He’s looking at Army Staff Sgt. Christopher Walker, 28, a bomb technician with a 7-year-old daughter named Kali waiting back home.
“He’s missing his left arm, his right arm. His left leg is just all chewed up and there’s blood all over his face,” Buzard said. “I’m looking at this going: ‘Where do you start?’“
This is as bad as it gets, doctors and nurses working in Afghanistan say.
It is a cost of fighting in Afghanistan that continues even as the war winds down. Combat tactics in a land of agrarian vastness dictate that U.S. troops patrol on foot — rather than in heavily armored vehicles, as often occurred in Iraq — and risk stepping on the buried explosives that litter the countryside.
The result: More than half of the nearly 460 Americans who lost multiple limbs to combat in Iraq and Afghanistan since 2001 suffered those wounds here in Afghanistan in just the past two and a half years. From 2001 through 2009, seven troops had triple amputations in combat and one lost all four limbs; all occurred in Iraq. Since 2010, after President Obama ordered a surge in combat against the Taliban, there have been 36 triple amputees and four quadruple amputees, all in Afghanistan, Army data show.
read more here
By Gregg Zoroya
USA TODAY
Posted : Thursday Nov 15, 2012
In the flickering light of a flare drifting to earth, Army flight medic Daniel “Buzz” Buzard spots a scrum of U.S. soldiers bearing a wounded comrade across a stony Afghan riverbed en route to his helicopter.
Only night-vision goggles illuminate on this moonless night, and a glimpse of the casualty leaves Buzard cold.
“He’s just mangled,” the medic recalls.
He’s looking at Army Staff Sgt. Christopher Walker, 28, a bomb technician with a 7-year-old daughter named Kali waiting back home.
“He’s missing his left arm, his right arm. His left leg is just all chewed up and there’s blood all over his face,” Buzard said. “I’m looking at this going: ‘Where do you start?’“
This is as bad as it gets, doctors and nurses working in Afghanistan say.
It is a cost of fighting in Afghanistan that continues even as the war winds down. Combat tactics in a land of agrarian vastness dictate that U.S. troops patrol on foot — rather than in heavily armored vehicles, as often occurred in Iraq — and risk stepping on the buried explosives that litter the countryside.
The result: More than half of the nearly 460 Americans who lost multiple limbs to combat in Iraq and Afghanistan since 2001 suffered those wounds here in Afghanistan in just the past two and a half years. From 2001 through 2009, seven troops had triple amputations in combat and one lost all four limbs; all occurred in Iraq. Since 2010, after President Obama ordered a surge in combat against the Taliban, there have been 36 triple amputees and four quadruple amputees, all in Afghanistan, Army data show.
read more here
Wednesday, November 14, 2012
Soldier says "The doctors didn't know something: I'm a hard-head."
Wounded Afghanistan war veteran's new fight: reclaiming his life
Pfc. Geoffrey Quevedo wasn't expected to survive his injuries from an improvised explosive device. But with help from Naval Medical Center San Diego, he's not going to let them stop him.
By Tony Perry
Los Angeles Times November 13, 2012
SAN DIEGO — When Army Pfc. Geoffrey Quevedo was airlifted late last year to Walter Reed National Military Medical Center after being severely wounded in Afghanistan, his family in California was told to hurry to Washington to say a final goodbye.
The 20-year-old from the farming community of Reedley in Fresno County was not expected to live beyond a few days.
A blast from an improvised explosive device had ripped off his left foot and his left arm above the elbow. It knocked out four front teeth, broke his nose and jaw, and collapsed a lung. He was blinded in his left eye, and his blood loss was enormous.
But the doctors' gloomy prediction failed to take into account the cavalry scout's refusal to die, and possibly underestimated the military medical system's ability to pull a young soldier back from the brink of death.
"My family was told to pack their bags and come see their son for the last time," Quevedo said. "The doctors didn't know something: I'm a hard-head."
Now, after a stay at Walter Reed and then at the poly-trauma unit at the Department of Veterans Affairs hospital in Palo Alto, Quevedo is receiving care at Naval Medical Center San Diego, including for traumatic brain injury.
read more here
Pfc. Geoffrey Quevedo wasn't expected to survive his injuries from an improvised explosive device. But with help from Naval Medical Center San Diego, he's not going to let them stop him.
Geoffrey Quevedo, left an amputee in Afghanistan, received treatment at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center in Washington and is now a patient at the Naval Medical Center San Diego. (Tony Perry, Los Angeles Times / October 19, 2012)
By Tony Perry
Los Angeles Times November 13, 2012
SAN DIEGO — When Army Pfc. Geoffrey Quevedo was airlifted late last year to Walter Reed National Military Medical Center after being severely wounded in Afghanistan, his family in California was told to hurry to Washington to say a final goodbye.
The 20-year-old from the farming community of Reedley in Fresno County was not expected to live beyond a few days.
A blast from an improvised explosive device had ripped off his left foot and his left arm above the elbow. It knocked out four front teeth, broke his nose and jaw, and collapsed a lung. He was blinded in his left eye, and his blood loss was enormous.
But the doctors' gloomy prediction failed to take into account the cavalry scout's refusal to die, and possibly underestimated the military medical system's ability to pull a young soldier back from the brink of death.
"My family was told to pack their bags and come see their son for the last time," Quevedo said. "The doctors didn't know something: I'm a hard-head."
Now, after a stay at Walter Reed and then at the poly-trauma unit at the Department of Veterans Affairs hospital in Palo Alto, Quevedo is receiving care at Naval Medical Center San Diego, including for traumatic brain injury.
read more here
Tuesday, November 13, 2012
Soldier re-enlists after losing leg in Afghanistan
Wounded Warrior Reenlists After Amputation
Nov 09, 2012
Army.mil/News
by Sgt. Melissa Stewart
FORT DRUM, N.Y. -- Loyalty, duty, respect, selfless service, honor, integrity and personal courage are the values that the Army expects all Soldiers to exemplify.
Most Soldiers live every day by these values, but one Soldier went above and beyond what was expected of him, despite the hardships he has endured.
Sgt. Shaun Tichenor, a member of 3rd Battalion, 85th Mountain Infantry (Warrior Transition Unit) and formerly an infantryman with C Company, 1st Battalion, 32nd Infantry Regiment, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, recently chose to reenlist to continue his military service, despite losing a leg due to injuries sustained in the Arghan-dab River Valley, in Kandahar Province, Afghanistan, during 3rd Brigade Combat Team's most recent deployment.
While deployed, Tichenor had the dangerous job of clearing dismounted improvised explosive devices from the road so that the rest of the company could pass through safely.
"I was the team leader for the clearance team on our dismounted patrol, and I stepped on a pressure plate IED. It shattered my heel bone and dislocated my ankle," he said.
read more here
Nov 09, 2012
Army.mil/News
by Sgt. Melissa Stewart
FORT DRUM, N.Y. -- Loyalty, duty, respect, selfless service, honor, integrity and personal courage are the values that the Army expects all Soldiers to exemplify.
Most Soldiers live every day by these values, but one Soldier went above and beyond what was expected of him, despite the hardships he has endured.
Sgt. Shaun Tichenor, a member of 3rd Battalion, 85th Mountain Infantry (Warrior Transition Unit) and formerly an infantryman with C Company, 1st Battalion, 32nd Infantry Regiment, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, recently chose to reenlist to continue his military service, despite losing a leg due to injuries sustained in the Arghan-dab River Valley, in Kandahar Province, Afghanistan, during 3rd Brigade Combat Team's most recent deployment.
While deployed, Tichenor had the dangerous job of clearing dismounted improvised explosive devices from the road so that the rest of the company could pass through safely.
"I was the team leader for the clearance team on our dismounted patrol, and I stepped on a pressure plate IED. It shattered my heel bone and dislocated my ankle," he said.
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FOX being sued by fallen soldier's widow for documentary
War widow sues Fox over ‘Inside Afghan ER’ documentary featuring husband’s death
By Associated Press
NASHVILLE, Tenn. — A widow of a U.S. Army soldier killed in a blast in Afghanistan has sued Fox Cable Networks and the National Geographic Society over a documentary that showed her husband and family.
The documentary about a combat hospital called “Inside Afghan ER” featured Staff Sgt. Kevin Casey Roberts, who was serving with the 4th Brigade Combat Team, 101st Airborne Division when an improvised explosive device struck his vehicle in Khost province in Afghanistan in 2008.
A year after his death, his wife, Donnice Roberts, got a call from a service member in Germany who saw her husband in the documentary. According to the lawsuit filed in Texas on Nov. 1, she never knew there was video footage related to her husband’s death and that the documentary existed.
She is seeking at least $750,000 in damages and wants a judge to prevent the film from airing again. She also wants the cable network to stop using images of military families without their permission.
The documentary was produced and distributed by the National Geographic Society, and was promoted and distributed by Fox Networks Inc. and Fox Entertainment Group Inc., which owns part of the NatGeo network.
Scott Grogin, a spokesman for Fox Networks Group, said the film never aired in the United States. Instead, it aired on the National Geographic International channel.
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THAT'S THEIR EXCUSE? IT WASN'T SHOWN IN THE USA?
By Associated Press
NASHVILLE, Tenn. — A widow of a U.S. Army soldier killed in a blast in Afghanistan has sued Fox Cable Networks and the National Geographic Society over a documentary that showed her husband and family.
The documentary about a combat hospital called “Inside Afghan ER” featured Staff Sgt. Kevin Casey Roberts, who was serving with the 4th Brigade Combat Team, 101st Airborne Division when an improvised explosive device struck his vehicle in Khost province in Afghanistan in 2008.
A year after his death, his wife, Donnice Roberts, got a call from a service member in Germany who saw her husband in the documentary. According to the lawsuit filed in Texas on Nov. 1, she never knew there was video footage related to her husband’s death and that the documentary existed.
She is seeking at least $750,000 in damages and wants a judge to prevent the film from airing again. She also wants the cable network to stop using images of military families without their permission.
The documentary was produced and distributed by the National Geographic Society, and was promoted and distributed by Fox Networks Inc. and Fox Entertainment Group Inc., which owns part of the NatGeo network.
Scott Grogin, a spokesman for Fox Networks Group, said the film never aired in the United States. Instead, it aired on the National Geographic International channel.
read more here
THAT'S THEIR EXCUSE? IT WASN'T SHOWN IN THE USA?
Friday, November 9, 2012
Marine wounded in Green on Blue attack home from Afghanistan
Huntsville Marine wounded in Afghanistan arrives home
By Paul Gattis
November 09, 2012
HUNTSVILLE, Alabama -- A Huntsville Marine wounded in Afghanistan arrived home to a hero's welcome this morning at Huntsville International Airport.
Lance Corporal Kendall Bane, 19, was wounded in Afghanistan Sept. 20. Bane was to arrive at Huntsville International Airport Thursday at 6 but missed his flight, so the homecoming had to wait until 9 a.m. today.
Bane said he was "overwhelmed" by the attention.
Bane, a 2011 graduate of Westminster Christian Academy in Huntsville, was wounded in an attack near Camp Hansen in the Helmand Province. Bane was shot by a group of fighters posing as Afghan allies in what's known as a "green on blue" attack.
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By Paul Gattis
November 09, 2012
HUNTSVILLE, Alabama -- A Huntsville Marine wounded in Afghanistan arrived home to a hero's welcome this morning at Huntsville International Airport.
WHNT/Bane Family
Lance Corporal Kendall Bane, 19, was wounded in Afghanistan Sept. 20. Bane was to arrive at Huntsville International Airport Thursday at 6 but missed his flight, so the homecoming had to wait until 9 a.m. today.
Bane said he was "overwhelmed" by the attention.
Bane, a 2011 graduate of Westminster Christian Academy in Huntsville, was wounded in an attack near Camp Hansen in the Helmand Province. Bane was shot by a group of fighters posing as Afghan allies in what's known as a "green on blue" attack.
read more here
Tuesday, November 6, 2012
New York Army Reservists Killed In Afghanistan
Three Reservists Killed by IED in Afghanistan
Nov 06, 2012
Military.com
by Richard Sisk
Three Army Reserve combat engineers from an upstate N.Y. unit on a route clearing mission in Afghanistan were killed when their vehicle struck a roadside bomb in what had been until recently a relatively peaceful corner of southeastern Afghanistan, the Defense Department said Monday.
A fourth soldier form the same unit, the 412th Theater Engineer Command from Oswego, N.Y., was injured in the 1:30 p.m. blast last Saturday in Paktia province that took the lives of Staff Sgt. Dain T. Venne, 29, of Port Henry, N.Y.; Spc. Ryan P. Jayne, 22, of Campbell, N.Y.; and Spc. Brett E. Gornewicz, 27, of Alden, N.Y., said Lt. Col. Doril Sanders, a spokesman for the 412th Engineers.
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Nov 06, 2012
Military.com
by Richard Sisk
Three Army Reserve combat engineers from an upstate N.Y. unit on a route clearing mission in Afghanistan were killed when their vehicle struck a roadside bomb in what had been until recently a relatively peaceful corner of southeastern Afghanistan, the Defense Department said Monday.
A fourth soldier form the same unit, the 412th Theater Engineer Command from Oswego, N.Y., was injured in the 1:30 p.m. blast last Saturday in Paktia province that took the lives of Staff Sgt. Dain T. Venne, 29, of Port Henry, N.Y.; Spc. Ryan P. Jayne, 22, of Campbell, N.Y.; and Spc. Brett E. Gornewicz, 27, of Alden, N.Y., said Lt. Col. Doril Sanders, a spokesman for the 412th Engineers.
read more here
Monday, November 5, 2012
1st. LT. Nick Vogt Alive Day after 300 fought for him
Lieutenant journeys back from the dead
How more than 300 troops rallied to save one soldier
Army Times
By Patricia Kime
Staff writer
Posted : Monday Nov 5, 2012
Nick Vogt graduated from West Point in 2010 with an acceptance to medical school and plans to become one of the Army’s top trauma surgeons.
But first, the Ohio-born 22-year-old wanted to understand the physical and mental demands on an infantryman in combat. So he went to Ranger School and Airborne and landed with 1st Stryker Brigade, 25th Infantry Division, first in Fort Wainwright, Alaska, and later, Afghanistan.
“It felt necessary for me to go out there, to experience what the soldiers experience, so when I’m a doctor, I’ll know,” said Vogt, now 24.
In Panjwai, near Kandahar, Vogt’s affable demeanor and willingness to learn quickly earned his men’s allegiance.
“I really liked the guy. He was really motivated to get out there and work with us,” recalled team leader Sgt. Adam Lundy.
But within two months, the popular lieutenant would be clinically dead, having taken a wrong step onto an improvised explosive device.
And what happened afterward is now a chapter in the annals of military medicine.
On Nov. 12, Vogt, now a first lieutenant, will celebrate his first “Alive Day,” the anniversary of the day both his legs were shorn off by a makeshift bomb.
read more here
How more than 300 troops rallied to save one soldier
Army Times
By Patricia Kime
Staff writer
Posted : Monday Nov 5, 2012
Nick Vogt graduated from West Point in 2010 with an acceptance to medical school and plans to become one of the Army’s top trauma surgeons.
But first, the Ohio-born 22-year-old wanted to understand the physical and mental demands on an infantryman in combat. So he went to Ranger School and Airborne and landed with 1st Stryker Brigade, 25th Infantry Division, first in Fort Wainwright, Alaska, and later, Afghanistan.
“It felt necessary for me to go out there, to experience what the soldiers experience, so when I’m a doctor, I’ll know,” said Vogt, now 24.
In Panjwai, near Kandahar, Vogt’s affable demeanor and willingness to learn quickly earned his men’s allegiance.
“I really liked the guy. He was really motivated to get out there and work with us,” recalled team leader Sgt. Adam Lundy.
But within two months, the popular lieutenant would be clinically dead, having taken a wrong step onto an improvised explosive device.
And what happened afterward is now a chapter in the annals of military medicine.
On Nov. 12, Vogt, now a first lieutenant, will celebrate his first “Alive Day,” the anniversary of the day both his legs were shorn off by a makeshift bomb.
read more here
Saturday, November 3, 2012
Memorial Service honors 6 Marines killed in Sangin
Six Marines killed in Afghanistan remembered as 'noble warriors'
Los Angeles Times
November 3, 2012
Six Marines from the base at Twentynine Palms, Calif., were remembered at a memorial service Friday as "noble warriors" who showed "great courage and unwavering resolve when they were tested" in combat in Afghanistan.
Los Angeles Times
November 3, 2012
Six Marines from the base at Twentynine Palms, Calif., were remembered at a memorial service Friday as "noble warriors" who showed "great courage and unwavering resolve when they were tested" in combat in Afghanistan.
The six, killed during combat operations, were:Cpl. Taylor Baune, 21, of Coon Rapids, Minn.Lance Cpl. Curtis Duarte, 22, of West CovinaLance Cpl. Niall Coti-Sears, 23, of Washington, D.C.Lance Cpl. Hunter Hogan, 21, of Seymour, Ind.Lance Cpl. Eugene Mills III, 21, of Silver Springs, Md.Lance Cpl. Steven Stevens II, 23, of Detroit.read more here
Sunday, October 28, 2012
Fallen soldier Brittany Gordon as 'uncommonly brave and uncommonly kind'
Mourners recall soldier Brittany Gordon as 'uncommonly brave and uncommonly kind'
Tampa Bay Times
By Kameel Stanley
Times Staff Writer
October 28, 2012
ST. PETERSBURG — Cedric Gordon spent many days alone in his living room, hoping he would never see a stranger in uniform walking to his door.
As the father of a deployed soldier, it could only mean something bad.
But Gordon, St. Petersburg's assistant police chief, tried to put it out of his mind. He learned to comfort himself.
His baby served in an elite unit. People were praying for her. What were the chances she wouldn't make it home in December from her first overseas assignment?
On Oct. 13, Army Spc. Brittany Bria Gordon, an Army intelligence analyst, was killed when a suicide bomber attacked her unit in Kandahar, Afghanistan, becoming the first female soldier from Tampa Bay to die in the recent wars.
The 2006 St. Petersburg High graduate, the only daughter of Cedric Frank Gordon and Brenda Thompson Gordon of St. Petersburg, was 24.
"I kept asking God: Why Brittany? Why my daughter? Why my baby girl?" Gordon told a standing-room only crowd gathered for his daughter's funeral Saturday at St. Mark Missionary Baptist Church. "But I know that knowing God is better than knowing why."
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Spc. Brittany B. Gordon "Her Dream was to serve"
Tampa Bay Times
By Kameel Stanley
Times Staff Writer
October 28, 2012
ST. PETERSBURG — Cedric Gordon spent many days alone in his living room, hoping he would never see a stranger in uniform walking to his door.
As the father of a deployed soldier, it could only mean something bad.
But Gordon, St. Petersburg's assistant police chief, tried to put it out of his mind. He learned to comfort himself.
His baby served in an elite unit. People were praying for her. What were the chances she wouldn't make it home in December from her first overseas assignment?
On Oct. 13, Army Spc. Brittany Bria Gordon, an Army intelligence analyst, was killed when a suicide bomber attacked her unit in Kandahar, Afghanistan, becoming the first female soldier from Tampa Bay to die in the recent wars.
The 2006 St. Petersburg High graduate, the only daughter of Cedric Frank Gordon and Brenda Thompson Gordon of St. Petersburg, was 24.
"I kept asking God: Why Brittany? Why my daughter? Why my baby girl?" Gordon told a standing-room only crowd gathered for his daughter's funeral Saturday at St. Mark Missionary Baptist Church. "But I know that knowing God is better than knowing why."
read more here
Spc. Brittany B. Gordon "Her Dream was to serve"
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