PTSD Level Black

Special Report: One soldier's struggle with PTSD
(Pt.1)
Posted:May 20, 2013
HONOLULU (HawaiiNewsNow)

They fight for our country, but the price they pay for protecting our freedoms is sometimes their peace of mind. According to the Army, 5 - 25% of all soldiers who have been deployed to combat zones develop post-traumatic stress disorder. But Army officials say only 8% of soldiers who were deployed between 2001 and 2011 have been diagnosed.

Studies have reported that perhaps as many as two-thirds of all soldiers suffering from PTSD are not getting any treatment.

One Schofield Barracks' soldier is breaking the silence, and hopefully stigma, of living with PTSD. Staff Sergeant Billy Caviness is a Purple Heart recipient, who has proudly served his country for 16 years and is now struggling with post-traumatic stress disorder. He shared his story with Army videographer Staff Sergeant Robert Ham in the documentary

"Level Black: PTSD and the War at Home".

This is their story behind the story:

SSgt Billy Caviness says he couldn't shake the feeling something horrible was going to happen.

"I knew. I knew that morning when I walked out on the battlefield, on the COP, I knew it was coming and I did what I had to do," described SSgt Caviness. "Bottom line, I had a job to do."

It was SSgt Caviness' fourth, and ultimately final, tour of duty.
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Military looked the other way instead of pursuing rapist

Panetta: Military 'looked the other way' in Goulet case, and Santa Cruz officers paid the price
By Josh Richman
The Oakland Tribune
Published: March 8, 2013

SAN JOSE, Calif. — Some U.S. military officials "looked the other way" rather than aggressively pursuing rape charges against a sexually troubled soldier who ended up killing two Santa Cruz police officers last week, former U.S. Defense Secretary Leon Panetta said at the officers' funeral Thursday.

Experts say Panetta's unusually strong words — which implied that the military justice system might share some blame for the officers' deaths — highlight the ongoing push to change a military culture that has given rise to an epidemic of sexual assault.

Jeremy Goulet, whose 2006 Army court martial in Hawaii for two purported rapes of military officers ended with a plea bargain in which he accepted an "other-than-honorable" discharge, shot and killed two officers investigating a new groping accusation against Goulet on Feb. 26. Had Goulet been convicted of the two rapes, he probably would have landed in a military prison for life.
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Police shooting of PTSD soldier captured on video

After reading this report I wasn't sure I wanted to watch the video. It turned out to be ok because the videographer was far enough away that it is not too horrible to watch until you hear the gunshots.

I believe it is important to watch for several reasons that are not talked about enough. The first one is, Gordon himself. He's an example of what is not working for their sake. His family now has to grieve over his death but so do all the police officers involved. We never really talk about them. His friends and all those he served with will grieve and so will their families because they will wonder if the same thing can happen to their own veteran. The list of people suffering residual traumas goes on but we don't talk about them because to tell the truth, most people in this country are not talking about the veterans at all.

The film captured of this shooting is from a distance, far above the chaos. That is the way most view what is happening to our veterans, yet when you are paying attention to all of this, from our point of view, it all spreads out pulling more into the center of their lives.

Family of soldier killed by police says he came home from war a ‘different person’
KITV News
Jan 17, 2013

HONOLULU —The young Hawaii-based soldier who was shot and killed by police in a hail of bullets early Tuesday morning suffered from a severe case of post-traumatic stress disorder. That's the claim being made by a spokesperson on behalf of Pfc. Gregory Gordon's parents, Todd and Tracey Gordon.

Amateur video of a shooting in Waikiki Tuesday morning.

"He was a good person, and when he came back from the war he was not the same," said Amanda Cureton. "He came back a completely different person."

Cureton told KITV4 Gordon's PTSD was so bad, that he would often call relatives back home in Alabama in tears, and suffered frequent panic attacks.

"He'd come home on leave once and saw garbage bags on the side of the road, and had a literal panic attack because he thought they were bombs that were being placed," she said.

Gordon, 22, of Ashford, Alabama, was extremely drunk when he was shot and killed by police officers just before 4 a.m. Officers on foot patrol noticed Gordon driving erratically, which included traveling in the wrong direction down a one-way street.

Police say at one point Gordon attempted to run over a police officer on Kuhio Avenue, who then fired his weapon in self-defense. The soldier was eventually surrounded by several patrol cars on Ala Wai Boulevard, but amateur video shows him repeatedly ramming police vehicles in an apparent effort to get away.
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Original report
Schofield Barracks Soldier Shot by Police

Also of interest
Navy Medic Iraq veteran with PTSD shot by police in Arizona

Schofield Barracks soldier was shot and killed by police

Honolulu police shoot, kill Schofield soldier
The Associated Press
Posted : Tuesday Jan 15, 2013

HONOLULU — A Schofield Barracks soldier was shot and killed by police early Tuesday after he repeatedly rammed multiple police cars with his truck in Waikiki. Several police officers were injured in the incident.

The 25th Infantry Division said in a statement it’s cooperating with the Honolulu Police Department as officers investigate. The unit won’t release the soldier’s name until his next of kin are notified.
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President Obamas visited Marines in Hawaii on Christmas

Obamas visited Marines in Hawaii on Christmas
By David Jackson
USA Today
Posted : Wednesday Dec 26, 2012

After spending most of Christmas Day with their family, President Obama and first lady Michelle Obama observed what has become one of their holiday traditions: Visiting troops and their families at Marine Corps Base Hawaii.

“This looks like it was a nice rather than naughty crowd,” Obama joked to the crowd. “So I’m sure Santa treated you well.”

Obama is also cutting his vacation short, planning to be back at the White House on Thursday to deal with fiscal cliff issues; his family will remain in Hawaii.
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Marshals arrest soldier just back from Afghanistan

Soldier's name removed from post because something does not seem right about this. The "incident" happened in 2005 but he was just arrested?

Marshals: Soldier arrested as he returned home
By ASSOCIATED PRESS
published Thursday, December 13, 2012

HONOLULU — The U.S. Marshals Service says it arrested an Army soldier who had just returned to Hawaii from deployment overseas.

Thirty-seven-year-old (soldier) was arrested without incident around 12:40 a.m.

Thursday at the passenger terminal at Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam. The Marshals say (the soldier) was returning from a deployment to Afghanistan, and arrested on a warrant out of Henry County, Ga., for alleged child molestation.

The alleged incident occurred in 2005 but Deputy Marshal Donna Diaz said the allegations only recently came to light. The warrant was issued in October. (the soldier) will face extradition to Georgia.

MOH, Senator Daniel Inouye died with last word, "Aloha"

Daniel Inouye Dead: Hawaii Senator Dies After Fight With Respiratory Complications
Posted: 12/17/2012

Sen. Daniel Inouye (D-Hawaii), the Senate's most senior member, died Monday at the age of 88, according to reports from the Washington Post and the Associated Press.

Inouye's spokesman Peter Boylan said earlier Monday that Inouye had been hospitalized since early December "fighting respiratory complications."

His last word was "Aloha," according to a statement released by his office.

Inouye was the longest current serving senator at the time of his death and the second longest in Senate history. He was elected to office in 1962.
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WWII Medal of Honor Hero Sen. Daniel Inouye Hospitalized at Walter Reed

WWII Medal of Honor Hero Sen. Daniel Inouye Hospitalized at Walter Reed

Sen. Daniel Inouye Hospitalized at Walter Reed
ABC News
Sunlen Miller
Dec 10, 2012

Sen. Daniel Inouye, the longest-serving sitting U.S. Senator, has been hospitalized at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center, to regulate his oxygen intake, his office confirms this afternoon.

“For the most part, I am OK,” Sen. Inouye, D-Hawaii, said in a paper statement issued to ABC News, “However, I am currently working with my doctors to regulate my oxygen intake. Much to my frustration, while undergoing this process, I have to remain in the hospital for my own safety and to allow the necessary observation.”

On Thursday the 88 year-old senator was at admitted to George Washington hospital, where he remained thru Sunday. He was then transferred to Walter Reed, just outside of Washington, DC.

Inouye said he hopes to be back on Capitol Hill as soon as doctors will allow.
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Honoring the Sacred Trust with our Veterans

Honoring the Sacred Trust with our Veterans
by Chaplain Kathie
Wounded Times Blog
September 7, 2012

For those who don't know who I am, I am part of the 8% of this country. I am part of the military families no one seems to talk about very much anymore. My uncles all served in WWII and my Dad was a Korean War veteran. My husband is a Vietnam Veteran and so was his nephew. His Dad and his uncles all served in WWII. One, his uncle John was KIA in Saipan. Another uncle was a Merchant Marine and his ship was hit by a Kamikaze pilot. He ended up in the ocean and was brought back home with what was then called "shell shock."

Since veterans were always part of my life, it seems only right I do what I do everyday. I can't think of a better way to spend my life.

It really gets funny somedays when I get emails from Republicans accusing me of being a defender of the President and then get one from a Democrat accusing me of attacking him. That tells me that I am doing what I set out to do. Tell the truth without playing the political game too many others do.

I made a promise to a Marine 5 years ago that I would never get political again. So when a politician does something for veterans or the troops or their families, I let you know just as much as I let you know when they do something against us.

Here's my political belief in a nutshell. No politician has ever given veterans back what they paid and no politician ever will. Some come closer than others but when I hear them fight so hard for everything else but military families, when no politician holds up a Bill unless the VA and TRICARE is fully funded to take care of the 8% of the population willing to sacrifice everything they have for the "greater good" then that says a lot.

So I get up everyday, put on the coffee, let the dog out and say a prayer. I hope that this day I do whatever I can to bring the truth and cover as much news as possible. Usually by 7:00 I'm reading emails and start posting. By 10:00 I've usually shed a few tears over some of the emails I get. My day online ends around 7:00 when my husband starts to ask me if I'm going to watch TV with him. At 11:00 I go to bed and say a prayer hoping I did all I could do that day and then wondering if I did or not.

These conventions have me torn. If I go too hard after the RNC for their convention and the lack of time spent on veterans, some Republican friends of mine will be hurt. I know how much they love this country and our veterans because of how much time they spend trying to do right by all veterans. But if I don't go after the politicians for this, then I am not doing what I promised. I won't be telling the truth.

Well it looks like I finally figured out how to do this the right way. On YouTube there are some fantastic videos going up about the time spent on our veterans and families. Dr. Jill Biden and First Lady Michelle Obama did a lot of work for military families and their speeches were fantastic. Joe Biden and President Obama also talked a great deal about our troops, families and our veterans. But they had the spotlight on them while a few others did not. I found these videos that will make you feel good considering how little veterans have been in the news.

The good thing about the lack of attention paid to them during the RNC convention is the media noticed and for the last two weeks, veterans have been the topic of the day all over the news sites. That is a good thing!

‪Beau Biden‬: 'Stunning' Republicans didn't mention Afghanistan in Tampa
By Geneva Sands - 09/07/12

‪Delaware Attorney General Beau Biden on Friday blasted Republicans for leaving mention of Afghanistan out of Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney's speech during the convention in Tampa, Fla., last week, calling the omission "stunning."

"You seated me next to a family who has a son in San Diego in the U.S. Navy and cousin of theirs going off to Afghanistan on Tuesday ... and that they didn't mention any of this in Tampa is truly remarkable to me, and that's why I'm confident the president would have spent a lot of time on this regardless of what they did in Tampa, but that's — I mean it just, it was stunning, it was just stunning," said Biden on MSNBC's "Morning Joe."‬

Biden, who served in Iraq with Delaware's Army National Guard, knocked GOP vice presidential candidate Rep. Paul Ryan's (Wis.) budget proposal for reducing funding to the U.S. ‬Department of Veterans Affairs.

‪"I believe his math on this, I don't believe his math on his marathon times, but I believe his math on the budget. It's an $11 billion cut in year one, Joe, to veterans benefits ... he wants to cut the VA by $11 billion, 85 percent of which goes to the 2.3 million people that have served in uniform over the last ten years," he said.
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Ed Meagher

Vietnam Veteran Ed Meagher Remarks at 2012 Democratic National Convention

Tammy Duckworth at the 2012 Democratic National Convention

Veteran Nate Davis at the 2012 Democratic National Convention

Honoring the Sacred Trust with our Veterans - 2012 Democratic National Convention Video Tom Hanks

So I'll keep posting what they get wrong and what they get right until they all get it right. I am sorry to my friends on the Republican side as much as I am sorry to my Democratic friends, but I picked my side a long time ago and that is on the side of veterans, not politicians.

UPDATE September 8, 2012

Veteran Tulsi Gabbard on Obama's military record
September 4, 2012
Iraq War veteran and Hawaii Congressional candidate Tulsi Gabbard speaks with CBS News political director John Dickerson about President Obama's role as commander-in-chief and the White House's priorities when it comes to veterans' affairs.

Gabbard talked about being a medic and how the troops not only took care of their own but took care of everyone else in Iraq.

Homeless Vietnam veteran Linwood Earl Parker's body found in Hawaii

Homeless war veteran found dead on Nimitz Highway
Submitted by HawaiiNewsNow Web Staff
Tuesday, September 4th, 2012

HONOLULU (HawaiiNewsNow) - The Honolulu Police Department is investigating the death of a homeless Vietnam veteran who was discovered on Nimitz Highway early Tuesday morning.

Karen Decker says 65-year-old Linwood Earl Parker was like a father to her. She said she last saw Parker alive last Friday, Aug. 31.

"He'd come over and watch movies and we'd cook every day," said Decker.

Decker, 42, said she found Parker around 2 a.m. where he sleeps under the Nimitz Highway. Honolulu Police got the call around 6 a.m. Decker said her friend has been living in a crawlspace under Nimitz Highway for at least a decade, and on the streets for twice as long after the Vietnam War.

"I've tried for the last eight years to figure out how I can take him out," said Decker who's originally from Oregon. She told him, "You know there's more people worse in the world than you, that have suffered more than you and stuff, you got to let it go, you know, but that's hard."

Police don't suspect foul play. Decker believes he died in his sleep. She said Parker suffered from alcoholism and anemia and was hospitalized a few days ago for pneumonia at Tripler Army Medical Center. Moreover, she said he still suffered from the wounds of war.

"He was still in war," said Decker. "He'd have bad nightmares. He was there and it was still going on."
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Man charged with assaulting Marine acquitted by jury

Man cleared of assaulting Marine at nightclub
Confrontation outside Costa Mesa nightclub sent victim to hospital in critical condition.
By GREG HARDESTY
THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER
June 18, 2012

SANTA ANA – A man who police say blindsided and assaulted a Marine outside a Costa Mesa nightclub last year, sending him to a hospital in critical condition, has been found not guilty of the assault.

An Orange County jury took about 90 minutes to acquit Mark Allen Vasquez, 25, of Pico Rivera, of battery with serious bodily injury and assault with a deadly weapon other than a gun, his attorney, William Bruzzo, told City News Service.

With sentencing enhancements that came with the charges, Vasquez was looking at a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison if he had been convicted, Bruzzo said.

Friday's verdict was "the right thing," Bruzzo told City News Service. "He was innocent of this crime."

The Marine recovered and is back on active duty in Hawaii, Bruzzo said.
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Marines saying Sayonara Japan and Aloha Hawaii

Where will Hawaii-bound Marines live and work?
By Gidget Fuentes
Staff writer
Marine Times
Posted : Sunday Jun 17, 2012

The U.S. military’s plan to shift as many as 2,700 Marines from Okinawa, Japan, to Hawaii raises a key question: Where will they work and live?

Although Marine, defense and congressional spokesmen all said they will need to see the results of studies before they can begin to address that issue, most of the mounting speculation centers on existing military bases or training areas on Oahu and the Big Island.

Hawaii already is home to more than 7,500 Marines and thousands of family members. Most are assigned to Marine Corps Base Hawaii, Kaneohe Bay, on the island of Oahu. It’s home to infantry, aviation and logistics units — plus Navy and Coast Guard units. Camp H.M. Smith, where U.S. Pacific Command and Marine Forces Pacific are headquartered, is also there.

The Corps’ presence in Hawaii already is expected to change due to reorganization as total active-duty end strength declines from 202,100 to 182,100 Marines by the end of 2016. Modernization of the service’s aviation communities, which will bring the MV-22 Osprey tilt-rotor aircraft to Kaneohe Bay, should add 1,000 Marines to the base population.

While the Marine Corps hasn’t released any figures, Hawaii Gov. Neil Abercrombie estimated that 2,700 Marines would come to the state as part of that restructuring and pledged to support the transition.
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Wife of Capt. Michael McCaddon talks about his suicide

Widow says Army stress, apathy led to husband's suicide
March 30, 2012
CNHI  ROCKPORT, Mass. - Army Capt. Michael McCaddon, M.D., died on duty nine days ago. He wasn't shot, he wasn't blown up, and he wasn't a victim of the other horrible ways soldiers die in combat in Iraq and Afghanistan.

McCaddon, 37, killed himself on March 21 at Tripler Army Medical Center in Honolulu, Hawaii, where he delivered babies and cared for women brought to the hospital.

His widow, Leslie McCaddon, 36, says her husband fell victim to the heavy stress the military inflicts on all soldiers -- no matter their mission -- and a tough-guy military culture that discourages them from seeking assistance for mental health issues.

She said her husband had been "severely depressed" for seven years, became verbally abusive and that eventually it became too much for her to bear. So she returned with their three children -- ages 10, 8 and 6 -- to her hometown of Rockport, Mass., five months ago. read more here

Gay marine homecoming sealed with a kiss

Gay marine homecoming sealed with a kiss


Posted: Feb 27, 2012

KANEOHE (HawaiiNewsNow) – A kiss is still a kiss, right?

Sgt. Brandon Morgan and his partner embrace after returning from a recent deployment. Photo Credit: Gay Marines Facebook Page

A Kaneohe couple wasn't planning on becoming famous or making splashy headlines, but the pair's happy homecoming has done just that.

In 1945, an impromptu kiss in Times Square New York for V-J Day - between a sailor and a nurse - chronicled a generation. In 2012, it's another kiss that could be changing one.

Last Wednesday, during a routine homecoming at Marine Corps Base Hawaii, 25 year old Sergeant Brandon Morgan jumped into the waiting arms of his new boyfriend, Dalan Wells. The image - framed by the American flag - is going viral and getting thousands of Facebook comments nationwide.

"We've known each other for four years, but we only just started going out this last deployment," explains Morgan. "And I've known how I've felt about him - ever since we've met but had to keep it down."

"Down" because it's only been six months since the Don't ask, Don't tell law was repealed. Without it, the couple says they'd likely have reunited with a simple handshake.

"Apparently this photo has been dubbed 'The Kiss Seen or Heard ‘Round the World' and is breaking barriers," says Morgan. "People feel more confident to live their own life and be truthful to who they know they are."
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WWII veteran from Hawaii earns Congressional Gold Medal

W.W.II soldier from Lahaina earns Congressional Gold Medal
February 9, 2012
BY WALTER CHIHARA , Lahaina News

LAHAINA - Beginning in the early 1900s, Japanese culture spread across the United States with immigration to diverse areas in metropolitan pockets and island locales. Though widespread to all corners of the country - as well as across the Pacific Ocean to Hawaii - the influence of the Japanese presence had a deep and profound effect in those neighborhoods labeled fondly as the "Lil' Tokyos" and "Japantowns" in those areas.

Perhaps due to geographic similarities of the island nation of Japan and emerging territory of the United States, that influence seemed to run deeper in Hawaii than in the city existence, such as New York, Los Angeles or Seattle. Island living in the middle of the Pacific more resembled that of the Far East nation with seaside villages, subsistence farming and aquaculture these immigrants were used to.

Regardless of where the Japanese settled, the ethical standards of their character - mainly respect, courtesy, duty, kindness, persistence and honor - were carried forth through these pioneers, the Issei or first-generation immigrants, to their offspring, the Nisei or second-generation.

In this strength of character, the Nisei, the Japanese Americans, made great progress toward attaining the American Dream of owning a home and raising a family all across the United States, from New York to Hilo and all the "Lil' Tokyos" in between during the first half of the 20th Century.
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Hood soldier dies while diving in Hawaii

Hood soldier dies while diving in Hawaii
The Associated Press
Posted : Wednesday Sep 7, 2011 19:56:50 EDT
FORT HOOD, Texas — A Fort Hood soldier who had been deployed to Afghanistan died on leave last week while scuba diving in Hawaii.

Army officials said Chester Gerhardt Stoda, 32, of Black River Falls, Wis., died Sept. 2 in Kauai, Hawaii. The Army said Stoda was deployed in support of Operation Enduring Freedom in December.
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Sergeant major and son join forces in Afghanistan for second time

Sergeant major and son join forces in Afghanistan for second time

Regimental Combat Team-5, 1st Marine Division Public Affairs
Story by Staff Sgt. Andrew Miller

CAMP DWYER, Helmand province, Afghanistan – Some fathers teach their sons how to throw a ball and others show their sons how to fish. Sgt. Maj. Ernest Hoopii, Regimental Combat Team 5 sergeant major, taught his son how to be a Marine.

Lance Cpl. Sean Hoopii, a fire team leader with 1st Battalion, 9th Marine Regiment, is currently serving alongside his father for the second time in southern Helmand province.

“Sean is like my mini-me,” said the elder Hoopii, a native of Maui, Hawaii. “As a kid he would get dressed up in utilities and go out in the woods. I would have a vest for him and a vest for myself; and we would have canteens, a map, compasses and a GPS, and we would go patrolling in the woods.”

The sergeant major explained that his son is a third generation Marine on both sides of the family.

“I’m a Marine, my father was a Marine, his mom’s dad was a Marine, her brother was a Marine,” he said. “So he was just destined to be a Marine.”
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Obama kills birth issue, releases certificate

April 27th, 2011




BREAKING: White House releases Obama's birth certificate
By: CNN Political Unit

(CNN) – President Obama released his original birth certificate Wednesday, saying the controversy surrounding the issue had become a "sideshow."
The surprise release follows recent and sustained remarks by businessman Donald Trump, among others, that raised doubts as to whether the president was born in the United States.
“Over the last two and half years, I have watched with amusement. I have been puzzled with the degree with which this thing just kept going,” Obama told reporters Wednesday.
"We are not going to be able to solve are problems if we get distracted by side shows." he added.
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White House releases Obama's birth certificate1

Bachmann settles birth issue

Marine attacked at zoo, fought back

Marine released following stabbing arrest

A Marine, who was arrested for stabbing a man in Waikiki, was released after prosecutors decided not to charge him.

Just after midnight Saturday, police say a group approached the Marine near the Honolulu Zoo, and tried to rob him of his beer.

When the marine said no, police say the group then attacked him.The marine fought back and stabbed one of the group's members.
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Marine released following stabbing arrest

Copter crash kills 1 Marine, injures 3 off Hawaii

Copter crash kills 1 Marine, injures 3 off Hawaii
Sea Stallion plunges into the ocean; two survivors reported in critical condition


HONOLULU — One Marine was killed and three injured when a helicopter crashed into a bay on the coast of Oahu, a military spokesman said Wednesday.

The CH-53 D Sea Stallion, with four Marines aboard, crashed about 7:20 p.m. Hawaii time Tuesday, Maj. Alan Crouch, with the Marines' public affairs office in Hawaii, told NBC News.
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Copter crash kills 1 Marine, injures 3 off Hawaii