Florida veteran moved back to California...and into "Faith Defines Us"

Affordable housing helps veteran start clothing company

The Signal
Emily Alvarenga
April 18, 2019

Now, Martin owns his own business. “Faith Defines Us” is an online Christian apparel brand that, according to Martin, is “more than just selling clothes, it’s like a ministry.”

Tommy Martin served in the U.S. Army for six years before moving to California from Florida.

“I just wanted something different from where I grew up,” Martin said.

He then “played catch up by going back to school” and went on to get three bachelor’s degrees in marketing, business law and design.

Martin and his wife were living in San Francisco and looking for Veteran Affairs housing benefits a couple of years ago, when they stumbled upon the Santa Clarita Veteran Enriched Neighborhood.

A total of 78 single-family homes were being built by Homes 4 Families, a nonprofit dedicated to helping create affordable housing for veterans.

“(My wife) grew up in Santa Clarita, and didn’t want to move back, but God works in mysterious ways,” Martin said.
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Soldier ran long distance Boston Marathon...while serving in Afghanistan

US soldier runs Boston marathon in Afghanistan before flying home from deployment

By: WFLA/CNN Newsource
Posted: Apr 16, 2019

(WFLA/CNN Newsource) – A US soldier ran the Boston marathon this week, but he did it while serving in Afghanistan.

Joseph Fraser did the full 26.2 mile run on Sunday, admittedly with zero training ahead of time.

He was not able to shadow Monday’s actual marathon for operations and timing reasons.

Fraser said he took the challenge, among other reasons, to tell the story of how powerful positive thinking can be to get through any tough obstacle.

He’s recovering from his run by flying home from deployment.

He boarded a plane out of Afghanistan shortly after his run.
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Florida lawmakers for trying to cap THC levels for medical marijuana?

Medical marijuana patients lash out at Florida lawmakers for trying to cap THC levels

Orlando Weekly
Posted By Dara Kam
News Service of Florida
Apr 9, 2019

“A bill that was supposed to be about helping a community that is plagued with drug addiction and drug overdose … a bill that was supposed to be about helping a veteran community that is plagued (with) suicide is now being used as leverage by lawmakers to try and impose their will on the people."

Photo via Florida House of Representatives State Rep. Ray Rodrigues

After fiery exchanges with veterans and patient advocates who accused a legislative leader of relying on faulty research, members of a House committee on Tuesday pushed forward a proposal that would cap the level of euphoria-inducing THC in smokable medical marijuana.

The House plan would also give veterans free, state-issued medical marijuana identification cards, a sweetener that angered veterans who lashed out at the bill’s sponsor, Rep. Ray Rodrigues, during an emotionally charged House Appropriations Committee meeting.

Jimmy Johnston, a veteran who is president of the North Florida chapter of Weed for Warriors Project, lashed out at the committee for linking the free ID cards for veterans, a savings of $75 per year, with the THC cap.

Rodrigues, a soft-spoken Estero Republican who serves as chairman of the House Health & Human Services Committee, was visibly shaken following a meeting that became so heated the House sergeant and his aides were summoned.

Rodrigues has shepherded House medical-marijuana legislation since the state first authorized non-euphoric cannabis for a limited number of patients in 2014.
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New Leader for Florida National Guard

Florida National Guard Gets a New Leader

DVIDS
Video by Staff Sgt. Cesar Cordero
Florida National Guard Public Affairs Office
STARKE, FL, UNITED STATES
04.06.2019

STARKE, Fla. -- Florida Governor Ron DeSantis presides over the change of command between Maj. Gen. Michael Calhoun and Maj. Gen. James Eifert for the Adjutant General of Florida during a ceremony April 6, 2019. 

The outgoing Adjutant General, Maj. Gen. Calhoun, has served in uniform for nearly 40 years with the last four as the commanding officer of the Florida National Guard.

(U.S. Air Force video by SSgt. Cesar Cordero, released)

Veteran committed suicide at VA Medical Center in Riviera Beach

UPDATE:Report finds local VA leaders 'lacked awareness' ahead of veteran's suicide

In a statement to CBS 12 News, the West Palm Beach VA said that “since the time of the review, the West Palm Beach VA Medical Center has taken action on all of the OIG’s recommendations.”

U.S. Army Sergeant Brieux Dash took his own life inside the West Palm Beach VA Hospital on March 14, 2019. After his death, Sgt. Dash’s family told CBS 12 News they believe he was suffering from PTSD. Sgt. Dash served two tours in Iraq.

An investigation into the hospital by the VA’s Office of the Inspector General (OIG) began five days later, naming an undisclosed patient’s suicide as the purpose of the inquiry. The report was released August 22, 2019.
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update

Reports detail veteran’s final days before VA Center suicide

Brieux Dash hanged himself March 14 at the VA Medical Center in Riviera Beach.

The Palm Beach Post
By Eliot Kleinberg
Posted Mar 25, 2019

The local VA confirmed Dash’s suicide on Tuesday after The Post inquired. The agency said it was the first at the center in at least five years, and that two other attempts were thwarted in the same span. But, it said, “One life lost to suicide is one too many.”

RIVIERA BEACH — Brieux Dash was in trouble.

The U.S. Army veteran had a military family by blood and another by marriage. He joined after high school and went twice into combat. And came home with post-traumatic stress syndrome.

The Palm Springs man raised a family of three and was able to graduate college. But his demons were gaining on him.

After weeks in which he couldn’t sleep and acted erratically, and after he several times admitted to suicidal thoughts, his wife made the tough call to have him confined on March 11 for a mental health evaluation, under the state’s Baker Act.

At the place where she worked as a pharmacy technician: The VA Medical Center in Riviera Beach.

“She felt he would be safe, monitored and get help he needed there,” the family said on a money-raising page it posted this week. The posting said Dash had spoken to his family on Wednesday, March 13, and they believed he was improving and would be home by that Friday.

Instead, on March 14, the 33-year-old hanged himself, according to the VA and the Palm Beach County Medical Examiner.

He left behind his wife of 13 years and three children.

The Palm Beach Post, in most cases, does not name suicide victims. Dash’s family gave permission, and also was up front on its money-raising page about Brieux (pronounced “Bruce”) Dash and his life and his suicide.

As a mother, I knew he was not the same person that went over there the first time,” Shenita Nelson-Simmons said Thursday from her home in Rochester, New York, where Dash was born. She said he had been diagnosed with PTSD while in the service.
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Eglin Air Force Base supporting Airman after 3 year old son was murdered

Eglin Air Force Base community rallies around airman after her son's murder

The Northwest Florida Daily News
By JIM THOMPSON
Published: March 18, 2019

EGLIN AFB (Tribune News Service) — The full range of Eglin Air Force Base resources are being marshaled around a relatively new airman whose husband killed their 3-year-old son and then attempted to kill himself last Friday.

Airman 1st Class Darrelly Franken, 38, had been assigned to Tyndall Air Force Base, but was reassigned to Eglin AFB in December, in the wake of Hurricane Michael, according to Eglin spokesman Andy Bourland. The October hurricane scored a direct hit on Tyndall as it roared across the eastern Florida panhandle on Oct. 10, all but destroying the installation.

Bourland wasn't certain in a Monday interview, but said he believed the home where Franken and her husband, 61-year-old Frederick Franken, had lived with their young son, Frederick Franken Jr., while stationed at Tyndall was destroyed by the hurricane.

On the afternoon of March 15, Darelly Franken arrived at the family's home to find her husband and son on the floor. Shortly afterward, Okaloosa County sheriff's deputies responded to the residence, according to witnesses. Details of the incident have not yet been released by the Sheriff's Office.

The child was pronounced dead at the scene, and the medical examiner's office was scheduled to perform an autopsy on Monday.

Frederick Franken was listed in critical condition at Fort Walton Beach Medical Center on Friday, and had improved to fair condition as of Monday morning, according to hospital spokeswoman Denise Kendust. Frederick Franken is not in military service, Bourland said.
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Cold Case Murder of U.S. Navy Seaman Apprentice

Pamela Cahanes cold case: Cigarette butt, cotton swab, dental floss led to arrest in 34-year-old homicide

Orlando Sentinel
Michael Williams
March 18, 2019

Her body was found early the next morning, in the yard of an abandoned home near Sanford. She was badly beaten and unclothed except for a pair of white underwear. Her uniform was found nearby. There was about $100 in cash in her pocket.

Pamela Cahanes, left, and Thomas Garner (Seminole County Sheriff's Office)

For three days in early February, Thomas Lewis Garner was being watched at his apartment in Jacksonville.

Garner, a dental hygienist, had led an unexceptional life for most of his 59 years. But advancements in DNA technology, along with the proliferation of family genealogy databases, led authorities to consider him a suspect in the slaying of Pamela Cahanes, the 25-year-old U.S. Navy seaman apprentice who was found beaten, strangled and dumped in an overgrown Seminole County lot in 1984.

An arrest affidavit unsealed since Garner’s arrest Wednesday reveals the methods law enforcement used to solve Cahanes’ killing.

All investigators needed to close the 34-year-old cold case was a sample of Garner’s DNA to compare to evidence found on Cahanes’ body. Their chance came Feb. 8, when he was seen walking out of his 600-square-foot, one-bedroom apartment and throwing a trash bag in the complex’s garbage compactor.
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Vietnam veteran, Pastor tends to all veterans in Holiday

Holiday pastor serves fellow veterans, invites all to spring festival

Tampa Bay Times
Ernie and Regina Bullock
By Sarah Whitman
Times Correspondent
Published March 12

Ernie Bullock served nearly two tours in Vietnam, and survived the 1968 Tet Offensive.

The former U.S. Marine, who also served with the Air Force, returned from war in 1970 a changed and broken man.

He has since dedicated his life to counseling and serving veterans.

Bullock works at the Veterans Hospital in Sarasota and as an associate pastor at Holiday Community Fellowship Church in Pasco. He leads the church’s veteran outreach, a chapter of Point Man International Ministries.

Bullock joined the organization in the 1990s when he became a Christian and led a chapter in New York before moving to Florida two years ago.

The outreach will host a free Spring Festival at Holiday Community Fellowship Church, 5144 Sunray Drive, from noon to 4 p.m. on March 16. Families are invited to come meet firefighters, members of law enforcement and veterans, play games and participate in youth activities. Veterans and their families will serve as volunteers.

“It is essential for children and others to meet veterans and law enforcement and emergency responders,” Bullock said. “People of all ages need to understand these men and women care for others and rise to the call of duty every time they walk through the doors at work. Some of these people have given up their lives to save someone else.”

Last year, about 150 people attended the festival. About 25 volunteers helped organize the second annual event. Many participate in Point Man’s meet-ups at church.

The members form a community with common histories and purpose, Bullock said.

Bullock ministers often to veterans struggling to reconcile their experiences with daily life.

“Many veterans get stuck in grief, but also many are stuck in anger,” Bullock said. “I believe the worst of the anger should be dealt with in therapy groups in VA hospitals. However, churches have a role in recovery, too.”
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Veteran MP-Amputee...leans on three legged service dog...plus puppy

Double Amputee Veteran Training 3-Legged Puppy to Be Therapy Dog for Schoolchildren

PEOPLE
By KELLI BENDER
March 14, 2019

“Without her, I would have given up already. I got to places so low in my life that I didn’t want to go on but didn’t know what to do with her because she relies on me,” Gardner said. “I didn’t know how she’d handle it. Now, I’d never give up on her and I’m so afraid of the day I have to let her go. She’s given me my life back and a purpose helping others.”

Christy Gardner is paying it forward in the best way possible: with a puppy!

In 2006, Gardner, a U.S. Army Military Police Officer at the time, was injured during a peacekeeping mission. Due to complications from these injuries, Gardner had both of her legs amputated. This drastic change left Gardner in a low place, unable to live on her own and unsure on how to enjoy life.

Those feelings shifted when she met Moxie, a golden retriever service dog trained by Florida’s K9s for Warriors. Always an animal lover, Gardner was open to the idea of getting a service dog when her doctors suggested a canine companion.

She was place with Moxie in 2010. The effect the service dog had on her was immediate.

Now, both Gardner and Moxie have been working together to prepare Lucky for life as a three-legged therapy dog. Moxie has been doing her part to teach Lucky the essentials of good dog behavior.
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Delay, deny, did older veterans already die?

Did old veterans vanish?

Combat PTSD Wounded Times
Kathie Costos
March 12, 2019

The headline is "Snoop Dogg Is Helping To Lower Suicide Rates Among Veterans" but when you read it, you see something that will make you want to just smack your head down on the desk...less painful than reading this.

"The Press-Enterprise reports co-founders John Wertz and Nate Parienti are motivated by the high rate of suicides amongst Iraq War veterans."

OMG! Not enough they are still stuck on the 22 a day, but now they just bumped all the other veterans out of the conversation? Looks like all the other generations are not even worth honorable mentioning.

Well, this is from the report with the "22" that apparently no one read before they decided to become the knight on a white horse to raise awareness on something THEY KNOW NOTHING ABOUT!!!

How the hell do any of them expect to change anything when they do not even understand what the "anything" actually is? 

VA Struggles To Unlock The Reasons Behind High Suicide Rates Among Older Veterans 

NPRHeard on All Things ConsideredMarch 11, 2019

The VA National Suicide Data Report for 2005 to 2016, which came out in September 2018, highlights an alarming rise in suicides among veterans age 18 to 34 — 45 per 100,000 veterans. Younger veterans have the highest rate of suicide among veterans, but those 55 and older still represent the largest number of suicides.

Much of the focus by the Veterans Health Administration has been on the growing number of younger veterans who commit suicide. However, statistics show that the suicide rate for elderly veterans is higher than that of non-veterans of the same age.

Robert Neilson was drafted in 1961. He spent two years in the Army just before the Vietnam War. Three years ago, the 76-year-old came into the VA Hospital in San Diego after contemplating suicide.

"That's what really brought me into the emergency room. That wasn't really the first time," Neilson said. "Two months after I got out of the service, I attempted suicide."

After he got out of the Army, Neilson remembers going back home to New Jersey. He was standing on a subway platform watching a speeding train."

"And I figured if I just hold my hands in the air, I could just let [the train] suck me in," Neilson said. "Somebody shouted, 'What are you doing?' And that was enough to snap me out of the trance. But I still didn't seek any help. I just figured, OK, I'll just struggle through life."read more here 

Hey NPR...how about you read this site and then you'll know why! While most people get the "number" wrong, they also get the demographics wrong. 


So, here are some thoughts on that.

According to the Florida Department of Veterans Affairs Report of 2018, the veterans population breaks down like this.

Fiscal Year 2017 (Federal Year: 10/1/2016-9/30/2017) demographic information from the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Veteran Population Projection Model 2016 (VetPop2016). Florida has the third largest veteran population in the nation. 

There are 1,525,400 veterans in the State of Florida.

Less than 354,000 currently receive VA service-connected compensation and pension benefits (not to be confused with military retirement benefits)

Post-9/11 Veterans

There are 177,494 post-9/11 veterans in Florida. Our returning veterans, much like the Greatest Generation of World War II, are seeking employment, housing and education opportunities for themselves, their spouses and families. Research suggests that 10% to 18% of these service members are likely to have Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) after they return.

Gulf War (1990 to 9/11)

There are 188,024 Gulf War era veterans in Florida, from Gulf War 1990 to 9/11. Urban warfare has changed not only the face of war, but also what our veterans face after the war. With advances in technology and medicine, more service members are surviving injuries incurred in war that would have killed them in previous eras.

Peacetime

There are 352,600 Peacetime veterans in Florida, who served on active duty from 1976 to 1980. Almost a quarter of Florida’s veteran population served honorably during a unique and relatively conflict-free time in our history. Many of these veterans do not seek benefits, mistakenly believing that if they did not serve in combat, then they must not qualify for veteran benefits and programs.

Vietnam War

There are 519,843 Vietnam era veterans in Florida, who served during 1961 to 1975. FDVA has seen an increase in disability claims filed on behalf of Vietnam veterans due to triggered responses to the current wars and the manifestation of acute diseases brought on by exposure to Agent Orange.

Korean War

There are 139,129 Korean War era veterans in Florida, who served during 1950 to 1955. As these veterans have aged, benefits and services that address a variety of issues unique to their demographic, including changing health risks and long-neglected mental health needs, financial challenges and long-term care needs are being implemented.

World War II

There are 61,646 World War II veterans in Florida. World War II veterans were among the nation’s first to participate in modern warfare. Their service also coincided with major advances in modern medicine, resulting in a then extraordinary survival rate.

In one of the latest reports from the VA, Florida and Texas topped the country for the most known suicides reported.

When they "awareness" folks decided that all they needed to do to gain fame, fortune and a huge following, was yack about veterans killing themselves, and wow, you know, THEY GOT IT! They got it because the American people want to help but have no clue how to do it. These people took over social media, so that is what the public was made aware of and they wrote checks, clicked the donation buttons and shared the crap out of it with everyone they knew...and so on...on so on.

Veterans need to know what PTSD is, why they have it, how they can heal most of it, and learn to live a better quality of life...but hey, why complicate a slogan with pesky facts?

In the process, they made it seem as if all the older veterans you read about had already vanished! 

In other words, the MAJORITY OF OUR VETERANS ARE SENIORS and waited for help a hell of lot longer!

Iraq veteran shown lots of love....and horsepower!

Central Florida veterans gave wounded veteran extra horsepower!

Combat PTSD Wounded Times
Kathie Costos
March 10, 2019

Today at the Horsepower Ranch, several veterans groups got onto their motorcycles...(horses would take too long) and helped Patrick Wickens, who lost his leg in Iraq...but has not lost his love of riding...a motorcycle, gain a huge smile!

Central Florida’s motorcycle and veterans communities stepping up for disabled veteran

Central Florida Bikers Rally Behind Wounded Veteran

Florida Daily
Mike Synan
March 7, 2019

Central Florida’s motorcycle and veterans communities will bond together this weekend for a charity bike run designed to help a wounded veteran.

Ride organizer John Stalzer with One Is Too Many served in the War on Terror and knows returning can be difficult for servicemembers as they try to adjust to life back home and as a civilian.

“I made it through some rough times,” Stalzer told Florida Daily. “One of my very close friends did not. Just a couple of years ago he took his own life. If I have the opportunity to avoid that, that is all the thanks I need.”

The ride will begin at Horsepower Ranch in Geneva at 3pm on Sunday and end an hour later at Seminole Harley Davidson in Sanford. It’s all to benefit Patrick Wickens who lost his right leg in an RPG attack in Iraq in 2004.

Steve Shuman of the Asphalt and Iron riding club says he has the highest respect for Wickens.

“He is going to struggle for the rest of his life in the sacrifice that he made for the rest of us here that are getting to enjoy what we are doing. So, this run is 100 percent about Patrick,” Shuman said.
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