Nice Veteran Saved Lady, Naughty Thieves Stole His Wallet

Thieves steal veteran's wallet as he saves choking woman 
AJC.com
Saturday, Dec. 19, 2015

A Houston-area war veteran was doing a good deed when someone ripped him off.

Bob Carbajal, 62, was having a meal when he noticed a woman was choking and had stopped breathing nearby.

His 22 years of military service came in handy as he stuck his hand down her throat and manually removed what was choking her.

When the woman regained her ability to breathe, Carbajal went to grab his phone and wallet –which he’d left on the table— and both were gone.
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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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Georgia Veteran Killed Police By Had PTSD

Wife of man killed by Paulding County deputies speaks
WSB TV 2 News Atlanta
November 21, 2015

PAULDING COUNTY, Ga. — The wife of a war veteran shot and killed by Paulding County deputies says her husband suffered from post-traumatic stress disorder, and believes his death could have been prevented.

Christina Tarrant says her husband William Tarrant, 39, was getting treatment for PTSD, but needed more help.

Tarrant says she tried to tell deputies that, but he was killed anyway.

"I kept telling the police officers from 10-11 in the morning up until (he was shot) that he is not right in the head. He needs help," Tarrant said.

Tarrant told Channel 2's Matt Johnson her husband was a 10-year combat veteran with a Purple Heart.

"There's no better definition of a hero other than what my husband displayed," Tarrant said.

Tarrant says her husband went to his parents' house Friday morning to check on their 6-month-old son Liam and his behavior raised red flags.
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Authorities release name of man shot, killed after pointing gun at deputies November 20, 2015

Fort Carson On Roster of Contaminated Army Bases

Hundreds of pounds of depleted uranium likely buried at Fort Carson, Army says
The Gazette
By: Tom Roeder
Published: October 18, 2015

The Army says 12,405 acres may have been contaminated during the Davy Crockett days. Fort Carson is joined on the roster by installations in Hawaii, Washington state, Georgia, Kentucky, Kansas, Louisiana, North Carolina, Texas, Oklahoma, South Carolina and California.

The Davy Crockett weapon in this undated Army photo featured a 51-pound warhead that packed a nuclear punch. To train with the weapon and aim it in combat, troops used a 1-pound spotting round made from depleted uranium. An estimated 1,400 depleted uranium rounds were fired at Fort Carson.

The Cold War legacy of nuclear waste at Fort Carson was quietly exposed in a routine application by the Army for a Nuclear Regulatory Commission permit to leave uranium buried on the post.

Depleted uranium, as much as 600 pounds, is thought to be in the ground at several sites from training shells fired in a 1960s classified program to give soldiers a nuclear- tipped bazooka called the Davy Crockett, according to Army documents. The training rounds were smaller spotting shells to train crews on the use of the atomic weapon without the big boom and a mushroom cloud. The Davy Crockett was never fired in combat.

Since discovering the uranium munitions in Hawaii in 2005, the service has done 10 years of detective work to figure out which bases participated in the testing program.
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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

Iraq Veteran MP Died During Standoff

Man involved in Sunday shooting was military policeman, Fort Gordon officials say
Augusta Chronicle
By Travis Highfield Staff Writer
Sept. 23, 2015

A man shot by a state ranger before turning a gun on himself Sunday was a military policeman assigned to Fort Gordon, officials confirmed.

In a statement from the installation’s Public Affairs Office, officials said that Sgt. David Sean Owens, 28, of Montgomery, Ala., had belonged to the 35th Military Police Detachment, a criminal investigations unit. He entered service in July 2007 and served as a military policeman in Hawaii from July 2008 to August 2011, according to the release. He served a tour of duty in Iraq from July 2009 to July 2010 before arriving at Fort Gordon in October 2011.

Five witnesses, including at least one deputy, said they saw Owens walking along Baker Place Road and past Chaffin. When Chaffin tried to get Owens to get out of the road, Owens pulled out a pistol, chambered a round and pointed the gun at Chaffin, according to the report.

Chaffin shot Owens, who then used his own gun to shoot himself in the head, according to witnesses at the scene. Owens was taken to Doctors Hospital, where he later died.
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Fort Drum Soldier From Georgia Died in Afghanistan

Soldier who died of noncombat injuries in Afghanistan identified
Stars and Stripes
Published: September 22, 2015

The Pentagon has identified the U.S. Army soldier who died from noncombat-related injuries Monday in eastern Afghanistan.

Spc. Kyle E. Gilbert, 24, of Buford, Ga., died in Bagram, Afghanistan, while supporting Operation Freedom Sentinel, the Defense Department said in a news release Tuesday. He was assigned to 2nd Battalion, 14th Infantry Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 10th Mountain Division, Fort Drum, N.Y.

The incident is under investigation
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Georgia Vietnam Veterans Honored and Remembered

Vietnam veterans get certificates of honor, finally welcomed home
State senator from Gainesville: 'Time to do the right thing'
Gainesville Times
By Jeff Gill
September 16, 2015

Four decades later, Navy Seabee Charles Stallcup still remembers the warning a Marine lieutenant gave warriors returning from Vietnam.

“I’ve got a squadron of Marines here locked and loaded,” the officer said. “If you even act like you’re going to go toward civilians, we will shoot you.”

The encounter, typical of the sort of tensions between veterans and the American public in the late 1960s and early 1970s, still weighs on Stallcup.

But he said Georgia’s efforts to recognize Vietnam veterans with certificate of honor ceremonies, such as one held Wednesday night at the American Legion Post 7 in Gainesville, is “greatly appreciated.”

“I am glad to see the veterans getting some respect,” Stallcup said. “I’m tickled to death veterans coming back from Iraq and Afghanistan are getting the respect they deserve.”

Vietnam veteran Charlie Jones shakes hands with Sen. Butch Miller as he is awarded the “Certificate of Honor” for his military service at the American Legion Post 7 in Gainesville on Wednesday, September 16, 2015. By ERIN O. SMITH (The Times) UPLOADED: Sept. 16, 2015

Among the recipients was Hubert “Gunny” Hunnicutt, whom Roby said is up for the Medal of Honor, the nation’s highest military award.

Hunnicutt got a standing ovation, but he waved off the attention, saying the ones who died in the battle he was involved in “earned it. I was just there.”

He and others were beaming, though, as they got the certificate.

“These are my troops, ya’ know,” said Hunnicutt, who also fought in the Persian Gulf War 25 years ago. “It’s good to see them get a pat on the back instead of an egg in the face.”

Physical pain still remains, as well, from the war, as John Caldwell and Ralph Lovingood talked about the lingering effects of Agent Orange, a chemical defoliant the U.S. military used to kill vegetation and give the enemy fewer places to hide.

Lovingood, who served in the Air Force, talked about battles he still fights with the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs.

“We went and done what they wanted, and now they won’t take care of us,” he said.

Army veteran Jerry Herman, who was diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder, said he appreciated the recognition, but he still struggles with his war experiences.
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Georgia SWAT Team Veteran Killed in Afghanistan

Former sheriff's deputy killed in Afghanistan
WTCO News
By La-Keya Stinchcomb, Digital Producer
Posted: Aug 22, 2015

FLOYD COUNTY, GA (CBS46)
A former Floyd County law enforcement officer was killed in Afghanistan Saturday.

Barry Sutton was a civilian contractor, working with DynCorp International. He was helping to train police officers in Afghanistan as part of NATO's resolute Support Mission, according to the Floyd County Sheriff's Office.

Sutton was one of 12 people who died after a suicide bomber attacked a NATO convoy traveling through a crowded neighborhood.

"Barry was a solid career officer, Floyd County Police Department SWAT veteran and deputy," said Floyd County Sheriff Burkhalter. "I am proud to have associated with him and I mourn with his family and extended law enforcement family."
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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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Veteran Suicide: Brain Scan Showed the Scars, Bars Showed Scorn

Another soldier spurned by Army dies of apparent suicide
USA TODAY
Gregg Zoroya
August 4, 2015

Since non-medical management took over, 90 soldiers have committed suicide within three months of receiving substance abuse treatment.

This is Georgia National Guard Spc. Stephen Akins. On July 2, six months after he was expelled, Chrystal Akins found her son in the basement bedroom of her home in Austell, just west of Atlanta, dead of an apparent suicide by overdose, according to police. Michael A. Schwarz, USA TODAY

For a U.S. Army where failures to treat soldiers with substance abuse problems have been linked to suicides, Georgia National Guard Spc. Stephen Akins was another tragedy waiting to happen.

Scans of his brain showed scars, and he had a history of seizures, combat blast exposure and suicide attempts. All were indisputable evidence that the soldier needed a medical retirement — despite erratic behavior that led to punishable infractions, his lawyer and psychiatrist argued. Such a move would offer a smooth transition from the Army to the care of the VA.

But the Army didn't see it that way. A two-star general with no medical background concluded that the 31-year-old soldier's behavior — drunken driving, speeding, missed appointments and urinalysis cheating — had nothing to do with traumatic brain injury or emotional problems and kicked him out of the Army.

On July 2, six months after he was expelled, Chrystal Akins found her son dead in the basement bedroom of her home in Austell, Ga., just west of Atlanta, victim of an apparent suicide by overdose, according to police. "It totally blew me away," she said about prying open his bedroom door and finding his body on his bed. "I'll live with this the rest of my life."
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Vietnam Veteran Arrested at Recruiting Office

Vietnam Veteran arrested for showing weapon at recruitment office
My FOX Atlanta
By George Franco, FOX 5 Reporter
Posted: Jul 24, 2015

CONYERS, Ga. - Police said 72-year-old Vietnam Veteran Harry Tracey was arrested after they said recruiters allowed him entry into a Conyers army recruiting office Thursday morning.

The police report said Tracey showed a weapon under his waistband and asked a recruiter if "he felt safe, if he was armed and if he could protect himself against an attack like the one that happened in Chattanooga."

No one was at the recruitment office when FOX 5’s George Franco paid a visit, but retired Army Major Thomas Brown said recruiters have a specific purpose.

"Their main reason is to recruit soldiers, airmen or whatever. They're not in a defensive mode. When somebody challenges that, they got to pay the consequences," said Brown

Police said Tracey was arrested outside the Dollar Tree store nearby after he left the recruitment office unhappy with the soldier’s response.

The police report states Tracey admitted bringing his handgun to "keep the guys on their toes" and "keep them aware of their surroundings.” He was jailed on a charge of carrying a concealed weapon into a government building.
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Ex-VA Manger Indicted on 50 Counts of Falsifying Veterans Records

VA manager indicted on 50 counts of falsifying records of veterans waiting for medical care
Washington Post
Lisa Rein
July 20, 2015

Henderson appeared in U.S. District Court on Friday and was released on bond. If convicted, he faces a maximum sentence of five years in prison and a $250,000 fine.

A manager at a Veterans Affairs medical center in Georgia is on leave with pay following his indictment on 50 counts of ordering his staff to falsify medical records of veterans waiting for outside medical care.

The case against Cathedral Henderson appears to be the first round of criminal charges stemming from a wait-times scandal that came to light last year and led to the resignation of VA Secretary Eric Shinseki.

Henderson, 50, was in charge of revenue and billing and chief of “purchase care” in Augusta, coordinating medical care for veterans that VA could not offer.

He was responsible for ensuring that more than 2,700 veterans awaiting approval for care outside the system were properly referred to for doctor’s appointments. But under pressure from VA headquarters in 2014 to close out all requests for outside care, Cathedral simply ordered his staff to falsify the waiting patients’ medical records to show that the veterans had either completed or refused services, prosecutors allege.
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July 4th Ended Veteran's PTSD Battle and His Life

Army vet takes his life after July 4th fireworks trigger PTSD 
WVLT-TV
By: Winnie Wright

Jul 09, 2015 VALDOSTA, Ga. (WCTV) - On July 4th, Jon Kreft says he and his brother Mike were in a bar playing pool, when Mike, an Army Combat veteran, began hearing fireworks.

"I was walking behind him, and every time a firework would go off, he was covering his ears and he would jump and flinch," says Jon.

"Then he just started crying and started running down the road." He followed Mike home. He knew his brother's PTSD had been triggered by the fireworks.

He was going to play music to soothe him. "He went to the bedroom, and right when I was about to get the play button going, I look up, and he looks at me and says I love you."

The 27 year-old shot and killed himself. Jon says Mike asked friends and family not to light fireworks on the 4th of July holiday, knowing it was one of his PTSD triggers. However, the message wasn't relayed to his unsuspecting neighbors. 
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Georgia Community Base VA Clinic Not Taking New Patients?

VA to Iraq war veteran: We're not taking new patients 
Military Times
Patricia Kime
Staff Writer
June 30, 2015

Iraq war veteran Chris Dorsey says he was denied care at the Oakwood, Ga., VA clinic. (Photo: Courtesy of Chris Dorsey)

Iraq war veteran Chris Dorsey figured that no one would believe he had been turned away from a VA clinic when he sought an appointment for post-traumatic stress disorder.

So when he went on Tuesday to another facility, the VA Oakwood, Georgia, Community Based Outpatient Clinic, he flipped on his smartphone camera.

On the video, Dorsey is heard waiting patiently in line for more than 5 minutes. When he reaches the check-in counter, he informs the desk he needs a transfer from the Athens, Georgia, VA system and an appointment.

The response?

"We're not accepting any new patients — not this clinic," the VA employee behind the desk says, without providing any extra information, assistance or follow-on guidance for treatment.

According to Dorsey, his previous experience, getting turned away at the VA clinic in Lawrenceville, Georgia, prompted him to bring his camera to the Oakwood facility.
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Fort Carson Soldier From Georgia Died in Kuwait

Department of Defense 
IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Release No: NR-236-15
June 14, 2015
DoD Identifies Army Casualty

The Department of Defense announced today the death of a soldier who was supporting Operation Inherent Resolve. Pfc. Monterrious T. Daniel, 19, of Griffin, Georgia, died June 12 in Camp Buehring, Kuwait, in a non-combat related incident.

He was assigned to 68th Combat Sustainment Support Battalion, 43rd Sustainment Brigade, 4th Infantry Division, Fort Carson, Colorado.

Fallen Soldier Left Alone At Atlanta Airport Hype

First start with what happened and then read the headline.

At no point were the remains left unattended. In fact, a member of Delta's dedicated Honor Guard as well as a military escort were inside the vehicle as they waited for the arrival of the outbound aircraft.

They are never left alone.
Delta's Honor Guard welcome home fallen soldier and dog
Emotional moment Delta's Honor Guard welcomes home fallen soldier and dog as team of Delta employees volunteer to commemorate in special ceremony.
If you want to see a movie for Memorial Day, start with this one. Kevin Bacon in Taking Chance.




Delta spokesman says that you can even see a worker in the corner of the picture and you can see his arm and orange vest. Too bad this close to Memorial Day the reporter couldn't have shown more dignity to the fallen soldier than start with a headline like this.

Iraq veteran claims soldier's body was left unattended at airport
WBRC
By Dante Renzulli
Posted: May 20, 2015

ATLANTA (CBS46) - It's not unusual for Delta Air Lines to be trusted with the important task of bringing home the remains of a fallen soldier.

Normally, you will find the Delta Honor Guard present as a flag-draped transfer case is loaded or unloaded onto a plane. But Iraq veteran Steven Cathey said when he looked out the window of his connecting flight at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport, he saw a soldier's body sitting alone.

CBS46 reached Cathey by phone at his home in Jacksonville. "It's kind of upsetting to see a fallen service member, another brother or sister in arms, just sitting there out in the open, like a piece of luggage," said Cathey.

According to Cathey, other passengers noticed too. He said he observed the soldier's body unattended for at least 20 minutes. "We were talking about it on the plane, and then I took it from the plane and put it up on social media to see what other people had to say about it," said Cathey.
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Veteran Saves Dog, Gets Arrested, Woman Endangers Dog, Gets Ticket?

Army veteran arrested after smashing window, saving dog from hot car
Associated Press
Published May 12, 2015

ATHENS, Ga. – A Georgia man who saved a dog from a hot Mustang has been arrested for smashing a window to free the animal.

Multiple news outlets report that Michael Hammons of Athens was charged with criminal trespassing after freeing a small Pomeranian mix in distress from a hot car outside a store.

Witnesses say that while a group of shoppers waited for police to arrive to free the dog, the Army veteran smashed the window.
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Britnee Kinard PTSD Servicedog Caregiver to Georgia Veterans

2015 Lincoln Awards Caregiver Britnee Kinard
PBS
Aired: 05/22/2015
Rating: TV-G

Get to know Britnee Kinard, recipient of the 2015 Caregiver Lincoln Award.

In July 2014, Kinard founded the SD Gunner Fund, inspired by her 15-month struggle to get her husband’s service dog approved by the V.A.

Through the fund, she provides assistance to soldiers and their families in Evans County, GA. Narrated by Alec Baldwin

Soldier Found Dead After SWAT Standoff

UPDATE

SAVANNAH, Ga. (WJCL) — A army spokesperson has released the name of the Soldier found dead by Savannah-Chatham Metropolitan Police Department SWAT Wednesday in the Century at Fenwick Apartments in the Berwick area. The Soldier was Spc. Roobelson Viciere, 30, 3rd Infantry Division Artillery.

On Wednesday SCMPD says the solider died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound after a five-hour police standoff. After the SWAT team finally moved in, they found him dead in his residence in the Century at Fenwick Apartments.

Fenwick Village apartment after SWAT incident 
WTOC News
By Alyssa Hyman
Posted: Apr 29, 2015

SAVANNAH, GA (WTOC) - According to Julian Miller, spokesman for the SCMPD, police and SWAT responded to a barricaded gunman inside of Fenwick Village Wednesday afternoon.

The threat is now over after SWAT made entry into the residence and found the active duty Army member dead after the man threatened suicide.

Neither police nor SWAT fired their weapons, and the man, described by police in his early-30s, was alone in the residence at the time of the entry.

The Army is withholding the man's name until the Army can contact other family members.

Residents are now allowed back into their homes and town houses and children are just now being bused home

Fenwick Village is located at Ogeechee and Berwick Boulevard.

Police received a call around 11:30 a.m. about a man barricaded in his home with weapons.

Multiple units responded to the situation including SWAT, hostage negotiators, fire and more.
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