Fallen veteran's photo used in fake Facebook page

Family outraged after fallen veteran's photo used in fake Facebook page, dating site profiles
FoxNews.com
Published December 05, 2013

The family of a fallen war veteran is outraged after his photo surfaced on a fake Facebook account and a dating website profile.

Army Staff Sgt. Matthew Pucino, of Bourne, Mass., who completed three tours of duty in Iraq, was killed in 2009 while on combat patrol in Afghanistan, MyFoxBoston.com reports.

Pucino's family recently discovered that his image was used to create a fake Facebook page, claiming to be someone living in Dallas.

"I was about coming out of my skin. I don't even know how to describe it. I mean, the anger, it was hard to sleep that night. I was so furious that someone would disrespect his name and pose as Matthew, he's a fallen hero," said his sister, Lisa Haglof.
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Social Media Army of friends

To my Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn friends Wounded Times needs your help. As you know I track reports about our troops and veterans across the country. Since I have been doing temp jobs to pay the bills, my time has been cutback on the site, so I am missing too many stories. All of you are scattered across the country so if you find something in your local news sources, please send me a link. I would rather read something ten times than miss an important story. Email me woundedtimes@aol.com so we can make sure they get the attention they deserve. Lord only knows why the major media groups are no longer interested in them.

Marine busted by FBI over Facebook posts goes to court

Judge refuses to dismiss suit against Feds who arrested former Marine for his controversial Facebook posts
Raw Story
By Techdirt
Tuesday, August 13, 2013

Almost exactly a year ago, former Marine Brandon Raub was taken from his home by federal agents and involuntarily committed to a psychiatric ward, all because of some controversial postings to his Facebook account, including some 9/11 conspiracy-related articles and violent song lyrics.

On August 16, 2012, Raub was visited by local police, FBI agents and Secret Service personnel who questioned him about his Facebook posts. Raub was cooperative and discussed his activity with the officers, despite their not having a warrant. At some point, one of the agents made a call to Michael Campbell, a psychotherapist retained by the county who decided, despite having never met or observed Raub, that the former Marine was "potentially dangerous" and should be detained.

At that point, the collected officers cuffed Raub and took him to the local jail before having him committed to the mental hospital. Government officials later claimed Raub wasn't arrested, but the video taken of his "not being arrested" looks for all the world to the un-government-trained eye like an arrest.
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Air Force veteran who served three tours in Iraq denied VA care?

What happened to 5 years of free medical care?

Veteran claims he was refused treatment at Richland VA clinic
By Annie Andrews
Published: Jul 19, 2013

KENNEWICK, Wash. -- A Kennewick woman's story has gone viral after her online rant about the VA clinic in Richland. She says, her boyfriend was denied treatment -- despite being an Air Force veteran who served three tours in Iraq.

Kelsey France shared her frustration on Facebook -- and it was shared more than 7,000 times. She says Richard Wyre wasn't served at the VA clinic in Richland for an infected bug bite on his leg. Left untreated, doctors said the soldier could have gone into anaphylactic shock.

The young couple was forced to go to Kadlec ER, knowing it would likely be out of pocket. They told me it was a tough decision they fear other veterans are being forced to make.
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VA spent $2 million to be liked on Facebook?

VA SPENT $2 MILLION ON FACEBOOK ADS
NextGov
By Joseph Marks
Ju;y 12, 2013

The Veterans Affairs Department has spent about $2 million on Facebook advertising to lure new followers and maintain ties with existing followers on the social media site, a government official who asked not to be named told Nextgov.

A substantial portion of VA’s Facebook ad spending has gone to the page for Make the Connection, a division of the Veterans Health Administration focused on reaching out to veterans suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder and related conditions and to their families, said Brandon Friedman, who was VA’s online communications director until August 2012.

The Make the Connection Facebook page has about 1.65 million “likes” compared with about 300,000 likes for VA’s main Facebook page and 78,000 likes for its main health administration Facebook page. The White House Facebook page, likely the most popular in government, has about 1.8 million likes.
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Facebook promises to keep info safe on data mining to prevent suicides?

They say "all are volunteers" but what about friends they are communicating with? Top that off with if researchers discover someone suicidal, they won't do anything to save a life. This is really troubling all the way around.

Facebook Can Predict Suicide?
NBC News
By Barbara E. Hernandez
Friday, Jul 5, 2013

Researchers are mining data on Facebook to find out if its updates can help predict suicide.

The scientists, from the Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth University, will be storing mobile data including user location, text messages and social network profiles in an onsite database. All information will be "safeguarded" and kept private, according to the Naked Security blog from Sophos. It's dubbed the Durkheim Project after sociologist Emile Durkheim, who wrote about suicide in the 19th century.

The volunteer subjects are all military veterans, known for an already high suicide rate, Arts Technica reported.

The project team is trying to predict suicidality, such as thoughts of suicide or behaviors, seems to indicate suicide with 65 percent of accuracy.

The veterans will be using iPhone and Android apps on their devices that will analyze their content for any suicide correlations. However, the researchers aren't allowed to intervene if there is suicide or self-harm. Only the database and veterans will see the information as a way to build trust, researchers said. The database will also be looking at social media to look for concussions, post-traumatic stress and other stressors.
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Marines warned over what they post but not what they think

Some may think this disgraceful Facebook page was rightly taken down but as the heads issued warning over what they post, the factor they did not address was that the thinking was already there. What good does it do to watch what they post when they have not changed the way they think?

Until the military treats sexual assaults and attacks like crimes, hold the individuals accountable and charge them with committing crimes, nothing will really change.

Marine Corps called to task for Facebook pages
By Jennifer Hlad
Stars and Stripes
Published: May 8, 2013

WASHINGTON — After a congresswoman sent a letter to Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel to alert him to derogatory Facebook pages — including one that uses as its profile photo a shot of two female Marines with the caption “Coming soon to a unit near you, Combat Action Mattress” — the Marine Corps is warning Marines to watch what they post online.

“Marines must use their best judgment at all times and avoid inappropriate behavior that could bring discredit upon themselves, their unit and the Marine Corps,” Capt. Eric Flanagan, a Marine spokesman, said in a written statement. “This includes posting any defamatory, libelous, abusive, threatening, racially or ethnically hateful or otherwise offensive of illegal content.”

Rep. Jackie Speier, D-Calif., first learned about the pages on Tuesday from a former Marine. Wednesday, she sent a letter to Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel, Commandant Gen. James Amos and DOD Principal Deputy Inspector General Lynne Halbrooks to bring their attention to the page, “F’N Wook.”
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Iraq veteran proves he violated probation on Facebook

Judge: Marine violated terms of release
Salem News
BY JULIE MANGANIS
STAFF WRITER
May 7, 2013

DANVERS — A Salem District Court judge has found “clear and convincing” evidence that Marine recruiter Matthew Fairbanks repeatedly violated the terms of his release in a pending assault and battery and weapons case, including failing to surrender an AK-47 to police.

Because of that, Judge Robert Brennan concluded that Fairbanks “poses a substantial risk of danger to the community” and ordered that he now be held without bail until trial.

Fairbanks, 23, an Iraq War veteran whose family has said may be suffering from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, was living in the Endicott Greens apartment complex on Route 1 in January when police were called because of a disturbance in his apartment.

Fairbanks allegedly ripped a toilet out of a wall during the altercation with his 52-year-old father, and then used it to assault the older man, according to police. Officers subsequently found guns and other weapons in the apartment and in Fairbanks’ car.

Then, last month, police and probation officers learned that Fairbanks had posted a photo of himself on Facebook laughing and holding an AK-47 with a caption that said, “So then the judge says to me, he says, you will surrender all your firearms.”
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Army Recruiter Helps Stop Suicide Attempt

Army Recruiter Helps Stop Suicide Attempt
Mar 19, 2013
Army.mil/News
by Gabriel Morse

GREENVILLE, Mich. -- "Sir, I need help, please. I've been sitting here with a gun in my hand and I want to end my life. I don't know what to do. I feel [like] hopeless, helpless, worthless scum. I want to end it all. Please sir, help me. Nobody cares, and I'm about ready to snap. I can't take it."

These were the frightening words Staff Sgt. Jason DeRosa received Dec. 14, 2012, via Facebook from a high school student he'd previously spoken to about Army opportunities. The 29-year-old recruiter regularly uses Facebook to reach out to students in his high schools; he said it's faster and easier. In his wildest dreams, however, he said he'd never imagined receiving a message like this.

"We'd been sending messages back and forth for a while by the time she started telling me she was in her bedroom holding her father's handgun and thinking of hurting herself," said DeRosa, from Great Lakes Army Recruiting Battalion's Greenville Center.

At first DeRosa wasn't sure if it was a prank, but knew he had to take it seriously without scaring her away. As Facebook was their only link, and not knowing how desperate she really was, he had to be careful about pushing her. Knowing she had recently moved due to her parents' divorce, he felt it was imperative he continue talking to her and find out what was going on so he could get her the proper help. Believing the student was serious about taking her life, DeRosa knew he was her only lifeline at that moment.

"I've taken the Army suicide prevention classes and knew I didn't want to leave a lull in the conversation where something bad could happen," said the nine-year veteran with two combat tours. "She'd asked for help and support before and felt she wasn't receiving it."
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Fort Jackson Wife Nominated Spouse of the Year

I received an email from Pamela Larson about this nomination. She is a soldier's wife but she was a soldier as well. She was wounded in Iraq. Pamela is Mom, but has also taken on another labor of love, helping soldiers and spouses with PTSD.

Read Pam's story and if you learn nothing about what is asked of military families, then you've already been paying attention. The trouble is too many have no clue.

If her name sounds familiar to you it is because Pamela and her husband were also the subjects of many posts here. Her husband, Sgt. Robert Larson was having a hard time with PTSD and for a while was missing. This was followed up by Fort Jackson, Missing Soldier Suffers from PTSD, Long Untreated TBI Pamela was frantic but when the Military search for Sgt. Rob Larson ended this Wife turned to Facebook to find missing husband. On October 22, the news came out that Sgt. Larson returned home.

On February 21st, 2013 Pamela Larson was named a finalist for Military Spouse of the Year. Pamela Larson is Fort Jackson’s Spouse of the Year and is one of three Army spouses who are eligible for this impressive honor. For Pam, this campaign is not about gaining a title, it is about saving her husband's life and healing her family from the wounds of war. Her fight is not for her soldier, but more so for the man underneath the uniform.

In the painful journey of PTSD and TBI which their lives have become, Pam now recognizes that she is not alone in this fight. She strives to be a resource and lifeline to other soldiers, veterans, and their loved ones to help them cope and treat these silent war-inflicted wounds.

Pamela Larson is more than just a Military Spouse, she is a purple heart veteran, a mother of two, a college student, a small business owner, and an activist for soldiers battling Post Traumatic Stress Disorder and Traumatic Brain Injuries. But first and foremost, she is a military spouse and mom.

Pam’s heroic story did not start that October day in 2006 when she was shot on her last 36 hours of duty in Iraq; this story began the day that her wounded husband went missing from their South Carolina home after a PCS move to Fort Jackson. Against all odds, Pamela used social media to gain resources to lead a nationwide search. Without the active help of military resources, she and the connections she sought out, tracked her soldier to a remote camp in Minnesota after an 8-day search, where he was found in a delusional state.

Since her husband’s return, Pamela is now utilizing her resources to find the help her husband needs and to assist all active military members, their spouses, and the veterans who struggle daily fighting this silent epidemic of PTSD and TBI. Through her PTSD support pages, Pam is also working daily to help spouses and loved ones get the help they need to assist in their soldier’s recovery.

Along with being an activist, Pamela has been a strong support to Military families through the creation of her in-home business, Teddys from the Troops. Teddys from the Troops was started as a way to help Military families to cope when a loved one is deployed. The bears are made out of used ACUs to provide a level of comfort while the soldier is away. Pamela also donates one bear a month to a family member of a wounded warrior.

Voting for Military Spouse of the Year will take place on March 5th and absolutely anyone can vote. This voting will determine both Military-wide Spouse of the Year as well as Branch-wide Spouse of the Year. Military Spouse of the Year will be announced on May 9th at a luncheon in Washington DC.

Troops help clean up WWII vet’s vandalized home

Troops help clean up WWII vet’s vandalized home
Army Times
By Gina Harkins
Staff writer
Posted : Wednesday Feb 6, 2013 7:05:09 EST

Marines are stepping up to assist a 93-year-old World War II veteran after learning he returned from a doctor’s appointment to find his home destroyed by vandals.

Elbert Wood served as a Marine rifleman for four years before being medically discharged as a corporal for wounds sustained on Guam. He received two Purple Hearts during his time in the Corps. When he returned to his home in Houston on Jan. 21 — 19 days after losing his wife — he found the walls, furniture, appliances and carpet covered in spray paint.

“When I opened the door, I was just amazed to see spray paint on the walls,” he said. “I’m 93, so I have to walk with a walker, and I just went through the house and hollered around to ask if anyone was still there.”

Two juveniles were later arrested. His was the second home they allegedly hit that day, he said, and he would’ve shot them had he been home when it happened. But one of the fathers came to apologize later, and Wood said he felt bad that the father has such troubled kids, so maybe he wouldn’t have been so hard on them.

Veterans with GruntLife, an organization for combat vets started by former infantryman Derek Cloutier, turned to Facebook to gather donations. Their goal: to send Wood to Washington to visit the World War II Memorial and National Museum of the Marine Corps.

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Army tells soldiers "Satellite network isn’t for Facebook"

Army: Satellite network isn’t for Facebook
Army Times
By Joe Gould
Staff writer
Posted : Friday Feb 1, 2013

Soldiers are using a war zone logistics satellite network to surf Facebook, Twitter and other sites that are off limits on Army computers.

And the Army is ordering them to knock it off.

An Army bulletin warns soldiers that the mobile satellite network is not for non-Army uses like file-swapping networks, checking e-mail or visiting non-Army web sites. Army deputy chief of staff for logistics Lt. Gen. Raymond Mason issued the message Jan. 13.

The terminals and mobile network are commonly used by lower enlisted soldiers to request supplies in the war zone, according to source familiar with them. The Army blocks their ability to access the commercial, classified and non-classified Internet.
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Florida mother kills infant son in murder-suicide attempt

Florida mother kills infant son in murder-suicide attempt, police say
By CNN Staff
updated 4:17 PM EST, Fri January 4, 2013
STORY HIGHLIGHTS
The mother is in critical condition
Her 6-month-old son died of his injuries
Her family says she posted her plans on Facebook

(CNN) -- A 20-year-old Florida woman was in critical condition Friday after she shot and killed her 6-month-old son and then turned the gun on herself, police said.
Authorities found Melanie Reyes and her baby after performing a welfare check at the request of Reyes' family, who called 911 to report a statement on her Facebook page in which she "indicated she was going to shoot her child and herself," according to the Marion County Sheriff's Office.
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NYPD Officer Larry DePrimo proves compassion lives in Manhattan

UPDATE Shoeless man in viral photo was homeless veteran

Larry DePrimo, NYPD Cop, Buys Homeless Man Boots (PHOTO)
Newsday
By Anthony M DeStefano
Posted: 11/29/2012

You have to like what NYPD Officer Larry DePrimo did for a barefoot man in Manhattan one frigid night this month. In fact, more than 260,000 Facebook users have "liked" DePrimo's actions, a number that's growing every day.

After a tourist from Arizona snapped a photo of DePrimo, of Holbrook, giving the man socks and boots to ward off the cold, the image became an instant hit on the NYPD's Facebook page.
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UPDATE
Photo of NYPD officer giving boots to barefoot man warms hearts online
Cop keeps receipt in his vest 'to remind me that sometimes people have it worse'
NBC News
By J. DAVID GOODMAN
On a cold November night in Times Square, Officer Lawrence DePrimo was working a counterterrorism post when he encountered an older, barefooted homeless man. The officer disappeared for a moment, then returned with a new pair of boots, and knelt to help the man put them on.

The act of kindness would have gone unnoticed and mostly forgotten, had it not been for a tourist from Arizona.

Her snapshot — taken with her cellphone on Nov. 14 and posted to the New York Police Department’s official Facebook page late Tuesday — has made Officer DePrimo an overnight Internet hero.

By Wednesday evening, the post had been viewed 1.6 million times, and had attracted nearly 275,000 “likes” and more than 16,000 comments — a runaway hit for a Police Department that waded warily onto the social media platform this summer with mostly canned photos of gun seizures, award ceremonies and the police commissioner.

Among all of those posts, the blurry image of Officer DePrimo kneeling to help the shoeless man as he sat on 42nd Street stood out. “This is definitely the most viral,” said Barbara Chen, a spokeswoman for the department who helps manage its Facebook page.

Mr. Cano volunteered to give the officer his employee discount to bring down the regular $100 price of the all-weather boots to a little more than $75.

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Photo of NYPD officer giving boots to barefoot man warms hearts online Cop keeps receipt in his vest 'to remind me that sometimes people have it worse'

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Woman shown disrespecting Arlington National Cemetery lost job!

If you want to see the picture click the link below. I can't stomach looking at it.

Shamed Facebook Poster Loses Her Job
Nov 22, 2012
Boston Herald
by Jessica Heslam

A Plymouth, Mass., woman taking an online beating for posting a photo of herself flipping the bird at Arlington National Cemetery on Facebook has lost her job.

LIFE Inc. of Hyannis -- a Cape Cod nonprofit that helps adults with special needs -- announced that Lindsey Stone, along with a co-worker who snapped the offending photo, are no longer working there.

"Lindsey resigned and we accepted her resignation," LIFE Inc. CEO Diane Enochs told the Herald.

Ironically, the formal announcement was made on Facebook.

"We wish to announce that the two employees recently involved in the Arlington Cemetery incident are no longer employees of LIFE. Again, we deeply regret any disrespect to members of the military and their families. The incident and publicity has been very upsetting to the learning disabled population we serve. To protect our residents, any comments, however well-intentioned, will be deleted. We appreciate your concern and understanding as we focus on the care of our community," the statement reads.
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New York National Guardsman's tribute goes viral

Local soldier tribute goes 'viral'
Updated: Thursday, 15 Nov 2012
WIVB News
Jacquie Walker

BUFFALO, NY (WIVB) - When News 4 posted pictures on WIVB.com and our Facebook pages of Western New Yorkers who have served and are serving in our nation's military as a Veteran's Day tribute we had no idea that one of those photos would go 'viral.'

The mother of Specialist Ian J. Yannantouno sent us his photo with a brief note that explained he had a very tentative start in life. Ian was born two months premature and not given much chance of survival. But now, Heidi Schwartz told News 4's Jacquie Walker, he is healthy and strong, he chose to enlist in the Army National Guard , and will celebrate his 21st birthday Friday while serving in Afghanistan.
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Local soldier tribute goes 'viral'

Facebook groups saving lives of soldiers

Social Media Is Saving Soldiers' Lives In Ways You'd Never Expect
Business Insider
Paul Szoldra
Nov. 4, 2012

Paul Szoldra is a former U.S. Marine infantryman, and Media Relations Director for the Marine Infantry Veterans Foundation.

“TROOP IN TROUBLE” was the beginning of the status update posted last week by the military Facebook page Awesome Shit My Drill Sergeant Said. The humor-based page that originally started as a place for Drill Sergeants and soldiers to share stories had just become the last lifeline of a suicidal soldier.

Just before going to sleep around 11:30pm, Dan, a Staff Sergeant in the Army National Guard who is one of the page administrators and goes by the pseudonym “HMFIC”, decided he’d check the page activity one last time. There was a message in his inbox.

“I don’t know where else to turn,” the message read. “I’m 100% certain that my friend is planning on killing himself tonight and I cannot get a hold of him or anyone that can get to him. Can you help me?”

Dan sprung out of bed and into action, messaging the soldier and probing further. He provided screenshots of his friend’s recent Facebook posts and texts. The troubled soldier had lost his job, his girlfriend, and had financial troubles. It was serious.

For Dan, it wasn’t the first time he’d dealt with soldiers and suicide.
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Wife turns to Facebook to find missing soldier-husband

Social media help wife find missing soldier
Army Times
By Meghann Myers
Staff writer
Posted : Monday Oct 22, 2012

During the eight days after her husband went missing Oct. 6 from their home near Fort Jackson, S.C., Pamela Larson updated her “Help Find Sgt. Robert Larson” Facebook page daily.

She chronicled every meeting with law enforcement and her husband’s chain of command, while thousands of followers sent in tips and expressed their support for her husband, who suffered from post-traumatic stress disorder and traumatic brain injury. Pamela knew something of what he was going through because she, too, was a wounded warrior.

“I can’t tell you what all the prayers mean to me and the boys,” she wrote Oct. 8. “The police have been updating us regularly. Unfortunately, they are updating us that they have made no progress.”

On Oct. 15, the 26-year-old soldier with Training and Doctrine Command’s Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 165th Infantry Brigade, returned home. His cousin had found him camping out in a forest near his Minnesota hometown, about 1,200 miles and a 22-hour drive from the last place his wife had seen him.

The “Help Find Sgt. Robert Larson” Facebook page had collected 11,831 “likes” as of press time, with some posts garnering more than 5,000 “likes” and upward of 800 comments. Though the tips sent in didn’t pan out, Pamela said she took comfort in knowing how many people are on her side, and she’ll keep the page going to encourage her husband through his recovery.
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Search for missing soldier with TBI continues

Fort Jackson missing soldier suffers from TBI and PTSD

Military search for Sgt. Rob Larson ends

Where in the World Are Nathan’s Wristbands

Wristbands show a world of love for wounded Army Ranger
By JOSH SHAFFER
The News and Observer (Raleigh, N.C.)
Published: October 8, 2012

RALEIGH, N.C. — The story of Nathan Rimpf, Army Ranger, double amputee, proud graduate of Leesville Road High School, has circled the globe on a yellow wristband.

With a few clicks on Facebook, you can see the rubber bracelet bearing Rimpf’s name photographed in front of the Bellagio Fountain in Las Vegas, in the stands at Yankee Stadium and on the wrist of Texas Gov. Rick Perry.

The online campaign – “Where in the World Are Nathan’s Wristbands?” – offers a worldwide salute to the Raleigh soldier wounded in Afghanistan and props him up as starts a new life on prosthetic legs.

“I don’t even know half these people,” said Rimpf, 24, gushing over the outpouring while recovering at Walter Reed Army Medical Center in Washington. “I’ve never even been to Minnesota.”

On July 8, 1st Lt. Nathan Rimpf was leading his platoon through a dusty passageway in the Anbar province when he stepped on a homemade bomb the size of a coffee can.
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Veteran Declared ‘Mentally Defective,’ Has Guns Seized

The Joshua Omvig Suicide Prevention Bill, passed by congress and signed by President Bush in 2007 is tied to this. The thought behind it was that if you have a veteran with PTSD and has to have someone else take care of their money, then they were unable to make sound decisions and should not have a weapon. What this did was cause a lot of fear for veterans with guns afraid they would have to give them up. They ended up not going for help from the VA. Would you rather have a veteran keep their guns and get the help they need to heal or have then need help but not go for it so they could keep that gun?

Veteran Declared ‘Mentally Defective,’ Has Guns Seized
News of similar case emerges day after release of Brandon Raub
Paul Joseph Watson
Infowars.com
Friday, August 24, 2012

Just a day after Brandon Raub was released following his incarceration in a psychiatric ward over political Facebook posts, news has emerged of a similar case involving a veteran who had his guns seized after being labeled a “mental defective’ and faces being committed by a judge.

Radio host Steve Quayle was sent news of an Army combat veteran and Purple Heart recipient in west central Ohio who was the victim of a police raid on the evening of August 22nd during which Miami County Ohio Sheriff’s deputies executed a search warrant to seize the man’s firearms for the “safety of the defendant and the general public,” according to the warrant.

The veteran, who is currently unnamed, had his guns taken because he was adjudged to be mentally incompetent, despite the fact that his previous VA psychiatric evaluations were all clear, he is not on medication, and he had no criminal record. The man appears to be a respected member of the community – he works for a Christian company and his father is a police officer and a pastor.

“The person is under adjudication of mental incompetence, has been adjudicated as a mental defective, has been committed to a mental institution, has been found by a court to be a mentally ill person subject to hospitalization by court order, or is an involuntary patient other than one who is a patient only for purposes of observation.

As used in this division, “mentally ill person subject to hospitalization by court order” and “patient” have the same meanings as in section 5122.01 of the Revised Code,” states the warrant.
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