Tech. Sgt. Steven Bellino PTSD and "Other Factors"

Air Force: PTSD, Other Factors Led Airman to Kill Commander
By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS SAN ANTONIO
Jan 16, 2017

U.S. Air Force investigators have determined that post-traumatic stress disorder and the unraveling of a distinguished military career led an airman to fatally shoot his commander last year at a San Antonio base before killing himself, according to Air Force documents.

The April shooting at Joint Base San Antonio-Lackland prompted a lockdown and officials to abruptly end a nearby military training parade with thousands of spectators.

Investigators determined Tech. Sgt. Steven Bellino confronted Lt. Col. William Schroeder before the two struggled and Schroeder was shot multiple times. Both men were veterans of U.S. Special Operations Command.

Air Force documents given to the San Antonio Express-News ( http://bit.ly/2jC5obt ) by Bellino's family show he participated in an elite pararescue program with Schroeder but did not complete it.
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A Long Career in Military’s Elite Spirals Into a Killing and a Suicide
The New York Times
By DAVE PHILIPPS
APRIL 15, 2016

Military and law enforcement personnel after a shooting last week at Joint Base San Antonio in which, the authorities say, a sergeant fatally shot his commander, then killed himself. Credit Darren Abate/Reuters

Investigators believe Bellino, 41, resented the outcome following a remarkable military career that included repeated tours in Afghanistan and Iraq and time as an Army Ranger and Green Beret. He also had served as an FBI agent and was a CIA contractor before enlisting in the Air Force and attempting to join the elite unit.


After two decades in the Army Special Forces, several deployments overseas and a stint in the F.B.I., Steven Bellino switched to the Air Force to become an elite pararescue lifesaver trained to jump from planes and save aircrews behind enemy lines. The motto of the rescuers is, “That others may live.”

But last week, just a few months into training, Sergeant Bellino, facing court-martial for being absent without leave, walked into his squadron’s headquarters at Joint Base San Antonio, in Texas, with two pistols and gunned down his commander, Lt. Col. William Schroeder, according to a Department of Defense spokeswoman, who said the sergeant then killed himself.
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Santa Claus grants final wish to a dying child

Looks like a reporter picked up the story from social media and it was not verified. WOW


Story of Santa Claus with dying child can't be verified

Since publication, the News Sentinel has done additional investigation in an attempt to independently verify Schmitt-Matzen’s account. This has proven unsuccessful.

'I cried all the way home': Santa Claus grants final wish to a dying child
WHAS 11 News
Sam Venable, (Knoxville, Tenn.) News Sentinel , KING
December 11, 2016

“I spent four years in the Army with the 75th Rangers, and I’ve seen my share of (stuff). But I ran by the nurses’ station bawling my head off. I know nurses and doctors see things like that every day, but I don’t know how they can take it.’”

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — Eric Schmitt-Matzen looks every bit like Santa Claus.

His 6-foot frame carries 310 pounds, leaving “just enough of a lap for the kids to sit on,” he says with a gentle Kringley chuckle right out of Central Casting.

No fake facial fuzz for this guy. Schmitt-Matzen’s snowy beard is the real thing, albeit regularly bleached to maintain its whiteness. His shag is so spectacular, in fact, it won first place in the “natural full beard, styled moustache” division of a 2016 national contest sponsored by the Just For Men hair products company.

He’s professionally trained. Custom-tailored in red. Was born on Dec. 6 (that’s Saint Nicholas Day — are you surprised?) Works approximately 80 gigs annually. Wife Sharon plays an authentic Mrs. Claus. His cellphone, with a Jingle Bells ringtone, continually counts down the days until Christmas. Even his civilian attire always includes Santa suspenders.

The whole shtick is designed to spread joy and have fun.

Which it does – except for the role he played several weeks ago at a local hospital.

“I cried all the way home,” Schmitt-Matzen told me. “I was crying so hard, I had a tough time seeing good enough to drive.
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A Fallen Soldier's Parents Help Bust An Impostor

A Fallen Soldier's Parents Help Bust An Impostor - Stolen Valor Series.

Parents of Ryan Clark helped uncover the fraud.

Veteran Army Ranger's Suicide Gets Senator's Attention?

How many times does this have to happen before things really change and veterans get proper care? 

When do politicians actually face the families and apologize for all the years veterans have been left waiting while they make speeches? 

When does our Congress actually fix the VA instead of trying to sell our veterans to private for profit corporations?

How many more years of pain and suffering do they intend to let us go through watching our veterans suffer while they pass bill after bill that only repeat what has been proven to have already failed them?

Colorado veteran’s suicide prompts call for investigation into VA wait times
Denver Post
By MARK K. MATTHEWS
PUBLISHED: September 20, 2016

Specifically, the whistleblower said the situation in Colorado Springs could have contributed to the death of an Army Ranger who was awaiting treatment for post-traumatic stress disorder.

WASHINGTON — Two U.S. senators are calling for an investigation into wait times at VA facilities in Colorado following the suicide of a 26-year-old U.S. Army Ranger who did not receive PTSD counseling in time.

The request by Republican U.S. Sens. Cory Gardner of Colorado and Ron Johnson of Wisconsin also asks that an internal watchdog at the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs examine allegations that VA officials forged documents after the service member’s death and then threatened a whistleblower who raised these issues with authorities, according to a letter dated Monday.

Without specifically addressing the accusations, the VA released a statement in response that said the agency would work with Congress and investigators “to determine the facts of the situation and take appropriate action should any wrongdoing be uncovered.”
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Colin Kaepernick Can Sit On It!

Ok, so a guy gets millions to toss around a football but refused to stand up during the National Anthem.

Colin Kaepernick Sits During National Anthem Before Packers vs. 49ers
CNN
By Adam Wells
Featured Columnist
Aug 27, 2016

I am not going to stand up to show pride in a flag for a country that oppresses Black people and people of color. To me, this is bigger than football and it would be selfish on my part to look the other way. There are bodies in the street and people getting paid leave and getting away with murder.

That must have made sense to him anyway.

Well if that is what he chooses to focus on, then ya the country, in his mind, would suck.  Bet it sucks that he's been so oppressed to have to be able to hire someone to go to the bank for him. But hey, he doesn't want to be selfish, so I bet he's donating all his millions to communities around the country. After all, he's got plenty of it.

Colin Kaepernick signed a 6 year, $114,000,000 contract with the San Francisco 49ers, including a $12,328,766 signing bonus, $61,000,000 guaranteed, and an average annual salary of $19,000,000. In 2016, Kaepernick will earn a base salary of $11,900,000, a roster bonus of $2,000,000 and a workout bonus of $400,000. Kaepernick has a cap hit of $15,890,753 while his dead money value is $19,697,260.

So since those things mattered so much to him, he decided to make that much money? Did he join any community centers to make lives better or volunteer for any of the charities out there trying to make a difference everyday?

See that's the biggest problem. Some people would rather sit back, complain and then refuse to do anything to make anything better.

There are men and women risking their lives everyday while they are either hated or ignored until someone needs them to show up. They still do it for a lot less money. Here is just one of them.

Once an NFL running back, now he's on the Army Ranger School staff

Spec. Glen Coffee works in the boat house at Army Ranger School's installation at Eglin Air Force Base, Fla. He joined the Amy after starring as a football running back at Alabama and playing for the San Francisco 49ers. DAN LAMOTHE/THE WASHINGTON POST

Veterans With Multiple Tours of War Overseas Struggle at Home

There is a quote in the following article on New York Times that deserves attention. "The military is very good at identifying and amplifying the psychological factors that make a high-performing fighter." While they do a fantastic job of training these men and women to fight in combat, they do a lousy job of training them to fight for their own lives.

That is evident when you read more about the high rate of suicides in those with multiple deployments. When you think about the simple fact they survived all the hardships and risk to their lives, but cannot survive being home, that screams a message of how the DOD still does not understand them.

Those With Multiple Tours of War Overseas Struggle at Home
The New York Times
By BENEDICT CAREY
MAY 29, 2016

Ryan Lundeby, 32, an Army Ranger with
five deployments to Iraq and Afghanistan.
Credit Brandon Thibodeaux for The New York Times

An analysis of Army data shows that, unlike most of the military, these soldiers’ risk of committing suicide actually drops when they are deployed and soars after they return home. For the 85 percent of soldiers who make up the rest of the service and were deployed, the reverse is true.

FORT WORTH, Tex. — The dinner crowd was sparse for a downtown steakhouse, a handful of families and couples lost in conversations. Ryan Lundeby, 32, an Army Ranger with five deployments to Iraq and Afghanistan, took in the scene from his table, seemingly meditative beneath his shaved head and long beard.

He was not.

“He watches, he’s always watching; he notices everything,” said his wife, Mary. “Superman noticing skills, that’s what I call it. Look, he’s doing it now — Ryan?”

“He watches, he’s always watching; he notices everything,” said his wife, Mary. “Superman noticing skills, that’s what I call it. Look, he’s doing it now — Ryan?”

“That table over there,” Mr. Lundeby said, his voice soft, his eyes holding a line. 

“The guy threw his straw wrapper on the ground. I’m waiting to see if he picks it up.”

He did not. Mr. Lundeby’s breathing slowed.

After 14 years of war, the number of veterans with multiple tours of combat duty is the largest in modern American history — more than 90,000 soldiers and Marines, many of them elite fighters who deployed four or more times. New evidence suggests that these veterans are not like most others when it comes to adjusting to civilian life.
read more here

Army Ranger Afghanistan Veteran Faces Charges Instead of Help He Needed

The DOD claims they are training troops in "prevention" and treating them properly when they do finally admit they need help. They claim to be helping them transition from Army life to the civilian world again. They make a lot of claims but this story pretty much sums up the fruits of their deeds when compared to their words.

You Will Know Them by Their Fruits 15 “Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ravenous wolves. 16 You will know them by their fruits.

Mother of Maine vet who allegedly fired AK-47 around home, created police standoff says man suffers from PTSD
Bangor Daily News
By Tammy Wells, Journal Tribune
Posted May 25, 2016

ALFRED, Maine —Sometime soon — perhaps as early as Wednesday — a Shapleigh man charged with reckless conduct after allegedly shooting his AK-47 at his home Sunday will be transferred from York County Jail to a unit at Kennebec County Jail designed for veterans.

Former U.S. Army Ranger Robert Ferrera, 26, who served two tours of duty in Afghanistan with the 75th Ranger Regiment, has suffered from post traumatic stress disorder since he was discharged in 2012, said his mother, Donna Ferrera, in a telephone interview Tuesday.

Ferrera surrendered peacefully Sunday afternoon about 90 minutes after sheriff’s deputies were called to the family compound on Oak Hill Road, off Route 11.

Ferrera lives in a home on family property on the private road, while other family members live close by in a separate residence. A family member fled the property when Ferrera, upset about a living situation, went “out of control” and started shooting the gun inside and outside his home, according to the York County Sheriff ’s Department. The family member then summoned the sheriff ’s office. No one was injured.

Charged with reckless conduct with a dangerous weapon and violating conditions of a prior release, Ferrera is being held without bail on the latter charge.

His mother said Ferrera was injured in 2012, and was discharged shortly before his four-year hitch was up. He had joined the Army as a teenager.

“He went into the Army right out of school, when he was 18,” his mother said. “He wanted to be a Ranger.”

Looking back, Donna Ferrera says her son should have been medically discharged from his Army service, which would have, she said, made him automatically eligible for health care outside the Veterans Administration system. But, she said, that didn’t happen.

She said her son has been diagnosed by the VA with PTSD, along with other medical issues that stem from his service – including back problems and an injured arm that was operated on while he was still in the military and now requires surgery again.

Donna Ferrera believes there should be a transition program for veterans as they approach discharge back into civilian life.
read more here

Veteran-Army Ranger Forced To Leave Restaurant Over Service Dog

Every disabled American needs to be upset about these stories since they also mean anyone with a service dog is not being allowed in!

Restaurant boots veteran due to service dog
Seacoast Online
By Elizabeth Dinan
Posted Mar. 20, 2016

Ex-Army Ranger says it's an opportunity for education

Former Army Ranger Brian Zagata, who served three tours in Iraq, is seen with his service dog Franklin. Zagata, who suffers from post-traumatic stress disorder, was denied service at a Portsmouth restaurant because restaurant staff were unaware of federal law. Courtesy photo

A war veteran with post-traumatic stress disorder, Brian Zagata was asked to leave Portsmouth's Domo Japanese Restaurant because his service dog, Franklin, wasn't welcome.

"This is a good opportunity to let people know that service dogs are allowed public access," he said. "I think the education piece is really important."

Zagata said he served as an Army Ranger and was deployed to Iraq three times. When he returned home, he said, he struggled with service-related stresses and took up yoga, meditation and, through Operation Delta Dog, was paired with Franklin, a mixed-breed rescue dog.

Zagata said on March 5 he and his girlfriend went to Domo on State Street for dinner with her parents when the manager and a bartender both told them Franklin was not allowed in the restaurant. Zagata said he produced a card with information about federal law pertaining to service dogs, but it was returned to him by restaurant staff who said again Franklin wasn't welcome inside.

Zagata said he told the bartender it's "against the law" to deny access to service dogs and was told, "I don't care."

"So we left," he said.

Domo manager Michelle Zheng said last week that she remembers the incident and wasn't aware of the federal law pertaining to service dogs when Zagata and Franklin were told to leave. She said Zagata and his party were angry and didn't give her enough time to call the health department, or her lawyer, to verify the law. "I did not have any time because they were so mad," she said.
read more here

Army Ranger Double Amputee Running For Congress

W Mich. native running for Congress in Fla.
24 Hour News 8 web staff
Published: January 31, 2016

GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. (WOOD) — A West Michigan native who lost both of his legs while serving overseas is now campaigning to represent part of Florida in Congress.

Brian Mast graduated from South Christian High School in Grand Rapids in 1999, after which he joined the U.S. Army. After more than 12 years in the service, he lost both of his legs in an explosion while serving as a bomb disposal expert in Afghanistan.

Now, he wants to represent Florida’s 18th Congressional District.

“I don’t know how I go through life and think that the best thing that I’ve done in my life is now in my past,” he told 24 Hour News 8 in a Facetime interview on Sunday. “Or the best defense that I’ve given our country is now behind me. And I told her that’s where I ultimately thought about running for Congress, hoping that the best would still be ahead of me.”

He was featured in an episode of “Live to Tell” on the History Channel. The episode aired Sunday night and was scheduled to air again at 2 a.m. Monday.
read more here

God And The Service Go Hand-in-Hand

Benghazi Soldier: 'God And The Service Go Hand-in-Hand'
Town Hall
Cortney O'Brien
Dec 30, 2015

“God and the service kind of go hand-in-hand,” said Paronto. “You’re doing something honorable that’s above yourself.”

“Faith teaches you how to live with courage, how to live with honor, gives you something to strive for,” said. U.S. Army Ranger Kris “Tanto” Paronto. “To me, that’s the American spirit.”

On September 11, 2012, terrorists attacked the U.S. Embassy in Benghazi, Libya. We lost four brave diplomats. While the incident will forever be remembered as a tragedy, we would be remiss to forget the courage displayed by the six American servicemen who ran toward the fire. It is their story that is told in the new Paramount Pictures film 13 Hours: The Secret Soldiers of Benghazi.

What was it that compelled these men to run toward danger? In a new featurette from Paramount Pictures ahead of the film's release, a few of the soldiers who defended the Benghazi compound explained that they received their strength from a higher power.
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Army Ranger Jujitsu Instructor Outed As Non-Deployed Carpenter?

Naples businessman, jujitsu instructor Bill Oliver falsely claimed to be an Army Ranger 
Naples Daily News
Ryan Mills
December 18, 2015

While he never served as a Ranger, Oliver did spend three years on active duty in the Army as a carpentry and masonry specialist, according to military documents on the Guardian of Valor site. He never saw combat and had no special training.

Over a decade's worth of lies are crashing down on Bill Oliver.

Since at least 2001, the Naples-area businessman and jujitsu instructor has passed himself off as something he's not: an Army Ranger and a member of the U.S. Special Forces.

He lied in the bio on his Naples Aiki Ju Jitsu website. He lied repeatedly on Facebook. He even lied in several newspaper articles, including a 2009 photo feature in the Naples Daily News.

Oliver's lies caught up to him Monday when the Guardian of Valor website, a national organization that shines a light on military impostors, exposed him. The six-month investigation has left Oliver reeling; he admits to the lies, but argues he didn't profit off them. He only lied, he said, because of deep-seated insecurity and a consuming fear of rejection.

"I just want it to be over," said Oliver, 54. "I've done wrong. I lied to everybody. I portrayed myself as that. The way I see it, I need to take my medicine. It's not easy. I've hurt a lot of people."
read more here
Linked from Stars and Stripes


From Guardian of Valor

"Oliver’s lies stretch back many years, the first of which we found in the State Newspaper out of Columbia, South Carolina. In this article he claims to have been an Army Ranger who is upset about the Black Beret being issued to all Soldiers. The Black Beret was traditionally worn by Army Rangers until 2001, when the Rangers switched to the Tan beret and the Black Beret was issued to all Soldiers.

In the article, from 2001, he is quoted as saying “It devalues, Symbolically, what the Rangers stand for. Rangers have done something extraordinary and are different.”"
click above for more on this and others

Fort Stewart Army Ranger Killed During Live Fire Training

Afghanistan veteran Army Ranger, 21, dies after being 'seriously wounded during a live-fire exercise'
By ASSOCIATED PRESS and DAILYMAIL.COM REPORTER
PUBLISHED: 14:15 EST, 11 December 2015

Cpl Andrew Aimesbury was injured during in southeast Georgia on Wednesday
The 21-year-old elite Army Ranger from Strafford, New Hampshire, served one tour of duty in Afghanistan
He died after being rushed to a hospital

The military is investigating the death of an Army Ranger who was injured during a training exercise in southeast Georgia.

The Army said in a news release Friday that 21-year-old Cpl Andrew Aimesbury was training with his squad at Fort Stewart when he was 'seriously wounded during a live-fire exercise.' He died after being rushed to a hospital.

Tracy Bailey, a spokeswoman for the Army's 75th Ranger Regiment, declined to provide more details on how Aimesbury was injured in the incident Wednesday, citing an open investigation by the Army.
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Family Searching for Veteran Army Ranger and Wisconsin Police Officer

UPDATE

Missing Army Veteran Bruce Windorski Found Alive

from NBC News

Wisconsin man who battled Islamic State in Syria missing
Journal Sentinel
Karen Herzog
October 24, 2015

A former Army Ranger and police officer from Wisconsin who joined the war against Islamic State in Syria for several months earlier this year has been missing for the past week, according to his wife.

Jerrit Okimosh Courtney Windorski of Gillett and her husband, Bruce, are shown on their wedding anniversary in May. Bruce Windorski, who had joined the fight against the Islamic State in Syria earlier this year, has been missing for a week, according to his wife.

"He never talked about going back overseas, but he probably wouldn't have talked to me about it because he wanted to protect me," said Courtney Windorski of Gillett, who reported her husband, Bruce, missing last Sunday when he failed to return from what he told her would be an overnight with other veterans who suffered from post-traumatic stress disorder.

Bruce Windorski, 40, was featured in a Sept. 5 Wall Street Journal article about American veterans who have voluntarily gone on their own to fight Islamic State.

The Federal Bureau of Investigation estimates that fewer than 100 Americans have done what Bruce Windorski did in January, when he left his home north of Green Bay without telling his wife and two children what he was doing.

After arriving in Syria, he kept in touch with them whenever possible. He returned home Easter weekend in April.

Bruce Windorski had fantasized for years about visiting Kirkuk, Iraq, where his older brother, Phil, died in 2009 when his Army helicopter was shot down, according to The Wall Street Journal article.

In January, he caught a flight to Iraq with plans to visit the area where his brother died, which didn't work out. He instead took up arms as a westerner alongside the People's Defense Units, or YPG, battling the Islamic State in Syria.
read more here

Americans Volunteer to Fight ISIS in Syria
9/4/2015
Two American military veterans decided to fight with a Kurdish militia against ISIS in Syria. They captured their harrowing journey on video, and say the Kurds need more support from the U.S. to succeed. Photo: Bruce Windorski

Newest Female Ranger School Graduate Also Mom

Latest Female to Graduate Ranger School Is 37-Year-Old Mother of Two 
Military.com
by Matthew Cox
Oct 12, 2015

Maj. Lisa A. Jaster, 37, carries a fellow soldier during the Darby Queen obstacle course at Ranger School at Fort Benning, Ga., April 26, 2015. (U.S. Army)

The last remaining female soldier of the original group of 19 women who tried out for Army Ranger School in April will graduate from the punishing infantry leadership course.

Maj. Lisa A. Jaster, a combat engineer with the U.S. Army Reserve, is 37 and a mother of two children. She will earn the coveted Ranger Tab along with 87 men, according to an Oct. 12 press release from the Maneuver Center of Excellence at Fort Benning, Georgia. 

The West Point graduate had to repeat all three phases of the two-month course. Jaster follows two of her Ranger School classmates -- Capt. Kristen Griest and 1st Lt. Shaye Haver, who earned their Tabs in an Aug. 21 in a historic ceremony at Fort Benning. When Jaster graduates on Oct. 16, she will have spent 180 days in the course, the release states. read more here

Army Drops AWOL Charges Against Ranger-Combat Medic

16 Months after Illegal Search, Army Drops AWOL Case against Ranger
The News Tribune
by Adam Ashton
Oct 08, 2015

At the time of his arrest, Schwisow was a well-regarded medic who had proved himself repeatedly in Iraq and Afghanistan, one of his former officers said.

The Army has dismissed a long-running desertion case against a veteran Joint Base Lewis-McChord Army Ranger who spent more than a year in jail after military police illegally searched his Tacoma apartment.

An Army judge's decision late Tuesday gave Staff Sgt. Brian Schwisow his first night of freedom since he was taken into custody in June 2014.

The veteran of six combat deployments was apprehended after a team of at least six military police officers followed Schwisow's apartment building manager into his home without a warrant while aiming to arrest him on suspicion of desertion and drug-related charges.

Agents and prosecutors left no doubt in court this week that Army police erred when they walked into Schwisow's apartment with their guns drawn.

"You didn't have the authority to go into his apartment, did you?" Army Judge Col. Jeffery Lippert asked the senior Army drug suppression officer who participated in Schwisow's arrest.

"No sir," agent Jennifer Acevedo replied in court at a pretrial hearing.

That error, though serious, was not the reason that Lippert dismissed the six criminal charges against Schwisow.

The dismissal centered on delays that have kept Schwisow in confinement for 489 days while awaiting a trial for desertion and narcotics charges.
read more here

Historic First Women To Earn Ranger Tab

Two women earn Ranger Tabs in a first for the Army
Army Times
By Michelle Tan, Staff writer
August 18, 2015

The women, both officers, started the Swamp Phase on Aug. 1 after three tries at the school's first phase, known as the Darby Phase, at Fort Benning, Georgia, and one try at the second phase, known as the Mountain Phase, in Dahlonega, Georgia.

Two women will graduate from Ranger School and earn the tab, the Army reported.

(Photo: Sgt. Sara Wakai/Army)

The Army on Monday announced two women and 94 men met the standards of the course's third and final phase, also known as the Swamp Phase. Two women will graduate from Ranger School on Friday, becoming the first women to earn the Ranger Tab.

Their graduation ceremony will take place on Victory Pond at Fort Benning, Georgia.

The women are part of the Army's gender-integrated assessment of the grueling two-month Ranger School.

The assessment has drawn a high level of scrutiny, with many questioning whether the Army is lowering its standards for the elite school — which until now was open only to men — while many others have cheered on the female students.

Army officials insisted the standards were not changed in any way.

"Congratulations to all of our new Rangers," Army Secretary John McHugh said in a statement.

"Each Ranger School graduate has shown the physical and mental toughness to successfully lead organizations at any level.

This course has proven that every soldier, regardless of gender, can achieve his or her full potential."

McHugh added: "We owe soldiers the opportunity to serve successfully in any position where they are qualified and capable, and we continue to look for ways to select, train, and retain the best soldiers to meet our nation's needs."
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Motorcycle Ride Honor Fallen Army Ranger Life Saver After Death

Motorcycle Ride Honors Army Ranger Killed In Afghanistan
CBS Minnesota
Jennifer Mayerle
July 24, 2015

MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) – On Saturday morning, hundreds will ride motorcycles in honor of an Army Ranger who died after being shot in Afghanistan six years ago. Fire sparked by lightning almost halted Friday night’s fundraising part of the Memorial Ride.

Twenty-one-year-old Ben Kopp died after being shot in Afghanistan in 2009. The Army Ranger saved the lives of six of his fellow Rangers, and in death, donated tissue and organs, including his heart, to 75 people.

It’s why Kopp’s mother, Jill Stephenson, and others press on, despite a set-back.

Silent auction items line the room at Bogart’s Place in Apple Valley. The items were saved from her Rosemount home early this morning and some still hold the lingering smell of smoke.

“Lightning struck outside my town home and hit a gas main and it started the box on fire,” Stephenson explained. “You know it’s not my first rodeo with something like this, unfortunately.”

She said a neighbor pounded on the door, saving her and her guests’ lives.

“I don’t think my heart’s ever beat so fast in my life,” Stephenson said. “I couldn’t believe what I was seeing.”
read more here

Highly Decorated Ranger, Wasn't

Stolen valor can also be a problem among active-duty troops 
Stars and Stripes
By Ashley Rowland
Published: July 5, 2015

Rare are the reports of active-duty servicemembers trying to paint themselves as heroes.

SEOUL, South Korea — Damian Barbee was a model soldier, a highly decorated Ranger with nearly a dozen awards for valor and ribbons recognizing his overseas service.

His story was too good to be true.

In May, the former senior noncommissioned officer was found guilty of lying about items on his service record, including claims he earned a Bronze Star, Purple Heart, Master Parachutist Badge and a valor device on his Army Commendation Medal. Even his Ranger tab was fake.

In addition to being court-martialed for seven false claims of wearing decorations and badges, Barbee also lied to investigators, telling one official he had been awarded the Combat Action Badge in 2002, producing a falsified document as proof.

Barbee, formerly an E-8, was sentenced to hard labor without confinement for three months and given a reduction in rank to staff sergeant.

A groundswell of support for U.S. troops after more than a decade of war has led some to take advantage of that goodwill — lying about military service for adoration and financial gain. The practice is so offensive that it’s punishable by federal law under the Stolen Valor Act, which was signed by President Barack Obama in 2013.
read more here

Special Operations Sister Soldiers

The sister soldiers who assisted Special Ops in Afghanistan 
PBS News Hour
April 22, 2015

TRANSCRIPT

JUDY WOODRUFF: Next: the newest addition to the NewsHour bookshelf, women in war. They were an elite band of sister soldiers deployed on insurgent-targeting night raids with one of the toughest special operations units in Afghanistan, the Army Rangers.

Their story is recounted in “Ashley’s War,” a new book by Gayle Tzemach Lemmon. Margaret Warner recently talked with Lemmon at Busboys and Poets, a bookstore in the Washington area. 

MARGARET WARNER: Gayle Lemmon, welcome. You profile some remarkable women in this book, but first explain what the theory was behind creating these all-female teams that went out on some of the riskiest missions in the Afghan war.

GAYLE TZEMACH LEMMON, Author, “Ashley’s War”: They were the cultural support teams, which were created to fill a security breach, which is that American soldiers could not go into quarters that were inhabited by women. Right?

So, to have a sense of what was happening in the women’s rooms and among women and children, you really needed female soldiers. And so, in 2010, Admiral Olson, who was then the head of Special Operations Command, had this idea.

A little bit later, Admiral McRaven, then running Joint Special Operations Command, actually says, we need these female out there with the Ranger regiment and the other special operations teams.

 read more here

RELATED LINKS ‘Women, War and Peace’ Highlights Changing Females’ Roles in Global Conflicts Military to Lift Ban on Women in Combat Roles
Majority of U.S. army women say they do not want combat roles

Fort Sill CSM Found Guilty of Stolen Valor

Fort Sill Command Sergeant Major Convicted of 'Stolen Valor' 
Military.com
April 13, 2015

U.S. Army Command Sgt. Maj. Perry McNeill salutes alongside U.S. Airmen and coalition forces during a Dutch army change of command ceremony on Sept. 27, 2013, at Incirlik Air Base, Turkey. Chase Hedrick/Air Force

Associated Press | Apr 13, 2015

LAWTON, Okla. -- A command sergeant major at Fort Sill has been convicted of wearing unauthorized military insignia, including a Ranger Tab and the Pathfinder Badge.

Command Sgt. Maj. Perry McNeill was convicted last week by a military judge who sentenced McNeill to a demotion to sergeant first class, a letter of reprimand and to forfeit $500 in pay per month for 10 months. read more here