Young Marines show respect for Vietnam veteran

Thank you for your service: Young Marines show respect for Vietnam veteran
Belleville News Democrat
BY PATRICK KUHL
January 29, 2016

‘I knew they were military by their haircuts – high and tight’
Actions got the attention of diners at Caseyville restaurant
Even 32-year police officer got emotional

“When the waiter came over after the meal, waving the check, he said, ‘This is your lucky day. Those young men bought your dinner.’

Vietnam Veteran Lou Zezoff was overwhelmed by the generosity shown by several Marines during his recent dinner. Derik Holtmann

The Marines landed in Caseyville at seventeen hundred thirty hours on 15 JAN 16.

Lou Zezoff, of Granite City, will never forget it.

“My wife Annette and I went out to dinner at Cracker Barrel,” Lou said a week and a half later, wearing the same “US Navy Vietnam Vet” cap he wore that evening. “When we were seated, I noticed five young men sitting at a round table. I knew they were military by their haircuts — high and tight.”

Lou and Annette ordered fried cod. It came with a side of R-E-S-P-E-C-T.

After the Zezoffs finished ordering, the Marines sprang into action.

“One of the young came over and stood at our table. I stood up and we were eyeball-to-eyeball,” Lou said. “He threw out his hand, thanking me for my service.”

A second one came did the same. “He said, I’m thanking you for all five of us,” motioning to the others.

Lous waved in acknowledgement, then went over to talk with them briefly.
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Firefighter-Iraq Veteran Marine Fights For PTSD Service Dog

Service dog leads to conflict, conversation about Joliet man's PTSD
Local veteran: Work dispute spotlights disconnect with disability rights
The Herald News
Lauren Leone-Cross
Jan. 21, 2016

Leverence – a firefighter and paramedic with the Aurora Fire Department and member of Aurora Firefighters Local 99 – said unchecked PTSD symptoms not only were getting in the way of his relationship with his wife and three daughters, but also were creating problems on the job.

Kevin Leverence sits on the floor with his service dog, America, after coming home from work as a firefighter Wednesday in Joliet.

JOLIET – Service dogs have for years helped people with physical disabilities, but increasingly they are being trained to help people cope with mental illnesses such as post-traumatic stress disorder.

Among those people are veterans such as Kevin Leverence, a U.S. Marine Corps veteran from Joliet who earned a Purple Heart for injuries received during his nine-month deployment to Iraq in 2004.

Leverence is two months into his relationship with America, a 2-year-old yellow Labrador retriever service dog from Puppies Behind Bars, an organization in which inmates train service dogs exclusively for veterans.

“My whole goal with this is to make this more normal. We’re going to see more and more service dogs, and better ways to handle mental health than with piles of pills,” Leverence said. “[I want to] bust this conversation wide open that it’s OK to have trouble.”
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Illinois State Rep Steps Up For Veterans

Rep. Manley, D-Joliet, creates new Veterans Citizens Advisory Committee
Veterans, supporters come together for brainstorming session
The Herald News
By LAUREN LEONE–CROSS
January 18, 2016

Leverence, who has post-traumatic stress disorder, said the resources provided by the Will County VAC saved his life, and could save others, too.

State Rep. Natalie Manley, D-Joliet, speaks Monday to those in attendance at the first meeting of the Veterans Citizens Advisory Committee, held at her office in Joliet. The group will tackle challenges faced by veterans and try to help veterans through creation of legislation and building support networks. Nearly two dozen veterans, supporters and nonprofit leaders attended Manley's meeting.

JOLIET – State Rep. Natalie Manley, D-Joliet, said she hopes Monday’s meeting of her new citizens advisory committee will be the first of many dedicated to finding new ways to help veterans through legislation and building support networks.

Nearly two dozen veterans, supporters and nonprofit leaders attended Manley’s Veterans Citizens Advisory Committee meeting, held Monday morning at her office at 2701 Black Road in Joliet. The event was open to anyone.

Much of the event centered around challenges faced by veterans navigating the health care system and securing benefits, and the lack of support from non-veterans upon returning home.

Others, including Kevin Leverence, an Iraq war veteran from Joliet, suggested that the resources are there, but veterans don’t know about them. Community outreach requires money, which many nonprofits, VFW posts and other non-government agencies do not have, he said.

“Let’s bring people together,” Leverence said. “One of the best things we can do is find the best things that are already there. We don’t need to reinvent the wheel.”

Veterans have available the Orland Park Vet Center, the Will County Veterans Assistance Commission, and Family and Friends Day Center Inc., a social service agency with three veterans houses in Joliet, he said.
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Family Searching for Missing Female Iraq Veteran

'Out of Character': Suburban Mom of 6 Missing for More Than a Week
NBC 5 News
By Charlie Wojciechowski
January 11, 2016

Brenda Gonzalez Jackson was last seen Jan. 3 after a relative dropped her off at her home in the 200 block of Arcadia Street

Brenda Gonzalez Jackson, a 31-year-old mother of six and Iraq war veteran, went missing more than a week ago after she was dropped off at her suburban Park Forest home.

Family members said the disappearance is out of character for the young mom, noting she would never leave her children behind.

“Anybody who knows her has even mentioned this is out of character for her,” said Jackson’s mother, Maria Gonzalez. “This isn’t what she would do unless she was harmed or was forced to do it.”

Jackson was last seen Jan. 3 after a relative dropped her off at her home in the 200 block of Arcadia Street. She was reported missing two days later.
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Team Work Got Illinois Disabled Veteran "Home" for Holidays

Note to readers,

“The Wounded Warrior Transition program diagnosed me with post-traumatic stress disorder, depression and other mental illnesses right after deployment,” said Scott. “Since I was leaving active duty and returning to the Reserves, these problems sat and pestered me for the next five years.”

is not the famous charity you may be thinking of. The Marines and Air Force have them too.

Home for the holidays
DVIDS
318th Press Camp Headquarters
Story by Sgt. Elizabeth Barlow
December 25, 2015

BERWYN, Ill.-Just in time for the holidays, one disabled service member and his family received a miracle of a lifetime today.

The mayor of Berwyn, Ill., Robert Lovero, and Frank Amaro, a veteran volunteer, present a donated condominium to a disabled veteran on Dec. 23, 2015. Through a partnership with the Illinois Housing Development Authority (IHDA) and the city of Berwyn, the Olijar family received a fully furnished, permanent new home.
(U.S. Army photo by Sgt. Elizabeth Barlow/Released)

Through a partnership with the Illinois Housing Development Authority (IHDA) and the city of Berwyn, the Olijar family was handed the keys to a permanent new home.

Currently Scott and his wife, Jennifer, live in a one bedroom apartment in a small rural city in Illinois. They sleep in the living room so their 2-year-old son can sleep in the bedroom.

With help from the Neighborhood Stabilization Program and the Berwyn Holiday Fund, the donated condominium was fully furnished and ready to move in for a struggling veteran.

“It’s too good to be true,” said Sgt. Scott Olijar, a Soldier with the 318th Press Camp Headquarters in Forest Park. “I’m waiting for there to be a catch, but there isn’t one. Every once in a while you see someone on the news who seems to get lucky, and you never think that it could happen to you. But it did.”

“I feel like Cinderella,” said Jennifer. “Everything I have ever dreamed of is being granted by a fairy godmother.”
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PTSD Service Dog Snafu Leads to Awareness of Federal Law

Service dog snafu leads to awareness of federal law at Jax restaurant
WLDS News
By Jim McCabe
December 19, 2015

“Whether it be retrieving items or alerting the handler that it’s time to take medication. There can be anxiety or depression issues. The key is that the animal itself be trained to do some sort of particular work for the individual who it corresponds with.”

A candidate for Morgan County State’s Attorney spent time this week at a Jacksonville restaurant explaining the rules of allowing service animals in certain establishments.

South Jacksonville attorney Tyson Manker went to the Burger Board restaurant on Tuesday after a recent incident at the establishment involving a war veteran who came in with a service dog.

The veteran apparently suffered from Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder and got upset when questioned about the dog’s presence by an assistant manager.

Manker, a former Marine who fought in the Iraq War in the 2000s, explained that the Americans With Disabilities Act covers the “dos and don’ts” of service animals, being dogs or miniature horses.

Some of the key points covered: the animal must be controlled by its owner, and the restaurant has the right to ask that the service animal be removed if it becomes out of control or not housebroken.
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Madison County Building Bridges in Veterans Court

Veterans Treatment Court gives second chances to soldiers who have served 
Madison Record
Hoang Tran
Dec. 14, 2015

Madison County Circuit Judge Richard Tognarelli believes in second chances. In particular, he believes that veterans who have suffered the horrors of war should not be abandoned in their time of need.

Tognarelli currently presides over a specialty court created in 2009 to help veterans who have have been charged with non-violent crimes and who are dealing with a drug or alcohol problem and/or a mental health issue, such as post-traumatic stress disorder and traumatic brain injury.

Madison County's Veterans Court was the first of its kind in Illinois, and the third such court in the country, said Tognarelli The court combine rigorous treatment for veterans facing incarceration due to charges stemming from mental health and/or substance abuse issues So far, a total of 197 veterans have been served.

It has not only helped veterans who have served in Iraq but from previous conflicts, as well.

Tognarelli said that one in six veterans who served in Operation Enduring Freedom and Operation Iraqi Freedom suffer from a substance abuse issue; one in five show symptoms of a mental health disorder or cognitive impairment. He said that research continues to draw a link between substance abuse and combat–related mental illness.

“We have served veterans from the Korean War, Vietnam War, Bosnia, Operation Desert Storm, Operation Iraqi Freedom, and Afghanistan," he said. "We have had veterans with significant alcohol and drug abuse problems that have benefited from the treatment provided through Veteran’s Court and the VA. The success rate is quite high, because most are highly motivated to return to a normal life and to re-establish familial ties and relationships.”
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Second Fort Bragg Soldier Found Dead Within Days

Fort Bragg soldier found dead in barracks 
WRAL News
December 11, 2105

FORT BRAGG, N.C. — Officials said an 82nd Airborne Division soldier was found dead Thursday in his barracks room at Fort Bragg.

Spc. Trenton Weston, 22, of Washington, Ill., was a signal support systems specialist. He was assigned to the 82nd Special Troops Battalion and 82nd Airborne Division Sustainment Brigade.

"Specialist Weston was known throughout the battalion as being absolutely selfless when it came to helping others and accomplishing the mission. He will be sorely missed,” said Lt. Col. David E. Vandevander, commander of the 82nd Sustainment Brigade. “Our heartfelt condolences go out to Spc. Weston’s Family and loved ones during this time of great loss.”
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Luke Carreiro

Da Nang Vietnam Veterans Remember Twist of Fate

Veterans form friendship, discover unusual link
The News Gazette
Jim Dey 1
1/26/2015

Nearly 50 years ago — May 22, 1968 — Bob Harrison, a 19-year-old U.S. Marine from Villa Grove, was carrying a radio as part of a four-man patrol team near Da Nang in Vietnam, the site of a major air base used by American and South Vietnamese forces.

He had seen extensive combat since arriving on Thanksgiving Day 1967. That included a harrowing 77-day siege at Khe Sanh that began Jan. 21, 1968. It's one of the most publicized battles of any American war, one in which hugely outnumbered Marines, assisted by round-the-clock B-52 airstrikes, fought off North Vietnamese soldiers trying to overrun their base.

American forces suffered extensive casualties. Although Harrison's backpack took a bullet, he escaped injury. But his luck was about to run out.

The last thing Harrison remembers of his patrol that day is calling in his group's position.
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Man Faces Charges After Disabled Veteran Attacked

Man arrested for allegedly battering disabled man 
Journal Gazette and Times Courier
November 2, 2015

MATTOON (JG-TC) -- A local man has been arrested for allegedly battering a disabled man and resisting a police officer. A Mattoon Police Department press release reported that Paul J. Dhermy, 55, of Mattoon was arrested at 11:05 a.m. Sunday in the 800 block of Lafayette Avenue on charges of domestic battery, aggravated battery of a disabled person, and resisting a peace officer.

The charges allege that Dhermy battered a disabled person and that he resisted arrest.

The victim reported that he has a disabled foot from an injury he sustained from an improvised explosive device during military service and that he has post-traumatic stress disorder.
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Vietnam Veteran Beaten By Speeding Driver in Subdivsion

VETERAN BEATEN AFTER DISPUTE WITH SPEEDING DRIVER
ABC News 7
Stacey Baca
October 23, 2015

PALOS HILL, Ill. (WLS) -- Richard Jones was an Army sergeant in the Vietnam War and a Chicago cop who patrolled the Englewood neighborhood.

But now, he's a senior citizen living in suburban Palos Hills who was left with two black eyes, broken nose and bruises after he said he simply asked a speeding driver to slow down.

Last week, he and his wife were driving into their subdivision when a car sped past them - far exceeding the 10 mph speed limit. He approached the driver.

"I said, 'Hey, the speed limit in here is 10 mph," said Jones, 66, said. "There are children who play by the entrance of that courtyard."

Words were exchanged and then Jones said he was attacked.
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Dying Vietnam Veteran Last Wish To Help Other Veterans Heal PTSD

Vietnam veteran urges soldiers returning from Middle East to seek support for PTSD
Lake County Journal
By ANGELA SYKORA
Oct. 19, 2015

“The thing is, the PTSD worked against me. It made me less of a person than I could’ve been,” Patrick “Mickey” Hacke

ZION – Vietnam veteran Patrick “Mickey” Hacke has struggled with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) for most of his life. Combat impacted everything from his jobs to his relationships.

Now 67, Patrick has terminal cancer and is in hospice care at his brother’s home in Zion.

He doesn’t know how much time he has left, but he wanted an opportunity to leave a message of understanding and support for the soldiers returning from Iraq and Afghanistan, hoping they’ll seek the help they need to lead full lives.

Though he is bed-ridden and has trouble speaking, Patrick’s mind remains sharp, said his caregivers, including longtime personal caregiver David Pasieka, Gentiva hospice nurses David Cheesman and Michael Harnishfeger, and Chaplain Cheri Tuccy.

When he hears about soldiers coming home, Patrick feels concerned for their long-term mental and emotional well being.

“If I could talk to the young guys, I would feel so good,” said Patrick, who grew up in Waukegan and enlisted in the U.S. Army at age 17.

A sergeant, Patrick served one tour of duty, fighting on the front lines. At one time, he was trapped in a tunnel for days. He also captured 37 enemy prisoners and was awarded the Purple Heart.

When Patrick came home, it wasn’t with the hero’s welcome that today’s soldiers experience.

“I was treated bad and I didn’t understand why,” he said.

Patrick tried to resume a normal life, becoming a North Chicago police officer. He lasted just a year, due to his PTSD.
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Veteran 75 Years Old Saves Kids At Library From Attacker

Army veteran, 75, saves 16 children from knife attack at public library 
Washington Times
Jessica Chasmar
October 16, 2015

A 75-year-old Army veteran is recovering from stab wounds after saving 16 terrified children from a knife-wielding teen who had reportedly planned a mass murder.

James Vernon was leading a chess club meeting with children at a public library in Morton, Illinois, Tuesday afternoon when Dustin Brown, 19, burst into the room wielding two knives and threatening the children, Fox News reported.

As Mr. Vernon inched closer to Mr. Brown, Mr. Brown started to back up, giving the children room to escape.

“I gave them the cue to get the heck out of there, and, boy, they did that! Quick, like rabbits,” Mr. Vernon said.

Mr. Brown slashed the knife at the Army vet, who blocked the blade with his left hand.

“I grabbed him and threw. … Somehow he wound up on a table” with the knife in his left hand pinned under his body, Mr. Vernon told the Times. “I hit him on the (right) collarbone with my closed hand” until Mr. Brown dropped that knife.
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Illinois Veteran Homes May Not Be Able to Feed Elderly Veterans?

Just another reminder, sometimes it is the fault of your local government.

Illinois Department of Veterans' Affairs says some food vendors suspending service at veterans homes
State Journal Register
By Doug Finke, State Capitol Bureau
Posted Sep. 23, 2015

The state's Department of Veterans' Affairs confirmed Wednesday that some food vendors for the agency's veterans homes have said they may have to suspend deliveries because of the state's ongoing budget problems.

The agency said it is working to find alternative suppliers to ensure that food service is not interrupted to the four homes the state operates.

"There are vendors who either have, or may have to suspend deliveries in the future," Veterans' Affairs spokesman Ryan Yantis said in a prepared statement. "For those vendors, alternate solutions have been identified to ensure the homes receive needed supplies and services to continue to provide care to residents."

Yantis said that includes finding other companies willing to supply the homes with food products. However, Sen. John Sullivan, D-Rushville, whose district includes the veterans home in Quincy, said that could prove to be difficult.

"I would think that would be a pretty difficult job of finding somebody if one company's not going to do it because they're not going to get paid," Sullivan said. "It's going to be difficult to find somebody else to come in and do the same job and still not get paid."
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Fort Collins Major Couldn't Even Get Respect with PTSD Service Dog

Chicago restaurant apologizes after turning away vet with service dog
BY WGN WEB DESK
SEPTEMBER 14, 2015

CHICAGO
A restaurant in Chicago is apologizing for kicking out a military veteran because he had a service dog with him.

Maj. Diggs Brown, from Fort Collins, Colorado, was in town participating in a walk for veterans with disabilities.

Brown uses Arthur Barker Black, a black Lab service dog, for his post-traumatic stress disorder.

He went to Cochon Volant in the Loop on Saturday and says a manager told him he couldn't come in with his dog.
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Hundreds Mourn Loss of Officer Charles "G I Joe" Gliniewicz

Funeral of Illinois police officer draws hundreds of mourners 
AOL News
BRENDAN O'BRIEN
Sep 7th 2015

Gliniewicz retired as a first sergeant in the U.S. Army Reserve and his awards as a police officer included a medal of valor. He also was involved in a youth law enforcement training program for about a decade.

Hundreds of mourners gathered in Illinois on Monday for the funeral of police officer Charles Joseph Gliniewicz, who was shot last week while pursuing three suspects who are still on the loose.

Police officers from nearby towns were among those who filled the Antioch Community High School auditorium to pay last respects to Gliniewicz, an officer for the village of Fox Lake in northwestern Illinois. Two overflow rooms were also nearly full.

Outside the high school, hundreds of people lined the sun-washed streets to watch the funeral procession. They held American flags and tied blue ribbons around their wrists as a tribute to Gliniewicz.

Some held homemade signs saying: "Rest in Peace, Joe." Two fire-truck ladders held a large U.S. flag that waved in the wind.

Gliniewicz, a decorated 30-year veteran of the Fox Lake Police Department and the father of four boys who was known as "G.I. Joe," was killed on Tuesday. He was 52.
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Illinois Army National Guard Lt. Colonel Now Judge

Attorney and soldier: Lt. Col. Smith reports for duty as associate judge 
News-Democrat
BY ELIZABETH DONALD
September 6, 2015

She also worked with the veterans court, helping veterans who end up in the court system: Often it is drug- or alcohol-related cases stemming from post-traumatic stress disorder, she said, with some domestic or anger and mood issues. The veterans court is designed to help veterans resolve legal issues stemming from their service with treatment and counseling rather than jail time.

It’s been a good year for Sarah D. Smith. Smith, 39, is an attorney and prosecutor in Madison County who serves in the Illinois Army National Guard.

Two weeks ago, she was promoted to the rank of lieutenant colonel. She and her husband are expecting their third child. And she’s just been named one of the newest associate judges in the 3rd Judicial Circuit. “It’s been a very good year,” Smith said, laughing. “It’s a little overwhelming.”

In the Army National Guard, Smith was in the motor pool, working as a light-vehicle mechanic. She served in Afghanistan and Kosovo and has been decorated with the Bronze Star. Her military benefits helped pay for law school, Smith said, and after she graduated, she was commissioned as an officer into the JAG Corps — Judge Advocate General. read more here

Illinois Veterans Home Deaths Climbs to 7 With At Least 39 Sickened

7 Dead From Legionnaires' Disease at Quincy Veterans Home
NBC 5 News
By Alan Scher Zagier
September 2, 2015

The death toll from a Legionnaires' disease outbreak at a western Illinois veterans home climbed to seven Tuesday, with the state's public health director suggesting more fatalities are likely.

Officials with the Illinois Department of Veterans Affairs and the state Department of Public Health said that each of the victims at the 129-year-old Quincy facility had underlying medical conditions, with an average age of 86.

Thirty-nine residents have been sickened so far, and test results for others remain pending. The outbreak was first identified late last week; its source remains undetermined.

"Unfortunately, we expect to see additional cases and possibly additional deaths because the incubation period for Legionnaires' disease can be up to two weeks," said Dr. Nirav Shah, Illinois' public health director.
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Police Office Shot and Killed, Manhunt Searches for Killers

Manhunt In Fox Lake After Police Officer Shot And Killed
CBS Chicago
September 1, 2015

CHICAGO (CBS) — A manhunt was underway in far north suburban Fox Lake, after a police officer was shot and killed while chasing three suspects on foot.

Lake County Major Crimes Task Force Cmdr. George Filenko said an officer was shot Tuesday morning near Rollins Road and Route 59.

At a late-morning news conference, Lake County Sheriff’s Det. Chris Covelli said, around 7:50 a.m., the officer radioed he was pursuing three suspects, after looking into their “suspicious activity.” Police lost radio contact with the officer, who was later found with a gunshot wound. Shortly after the news conference, Covelli confirmed that the officer died.

Covelli said police were conducting a ground and air search for three suspects — two white males and a black male. Unconfirmed dispatch reports indicated the suspects might have taken the officer’s gun and pepper spray. Police did not provide a more detailed description of the suspects.

People in the area were being told to stay inside, and to report any suspicious activity to 911.
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Illinois Community New Home to Combat Veteran "Labor of Love"

Illinois community rallies around wounded veteran, gives him a new home
WKRN web staff
Published: August 24, 2015

HARMON, Ill. (KWQC) — An Illinois community has thanked a wounded veteran who survived injuries he sustained in Afghanistan by building him a new home.

Proud U.S. Army veteran, Sergeant Michael Shoemaker enlisted right out of high school and served in Iraq. He later toured Afghanistan where he was injured in 2012.

“We were moving ammunition and rounds that weren’t supposed to go off. Thirteen grenades blew up, wounded seven, and then killed one,” recalled Shoemaker.

He lost his best friend that day, but by strength and miracle, Shoemaker survived his own injuries.

“Broken left tibia. There is a rod in that now. Blew off my right knee cap, broke my right femur, deflated right lung, shrapnel all over my body, my brain. They removed half of my skull which is now titanium and bullet proof.”

Shoemaker is grateful he is alive and is able to watch his kids grow up. “I died four times on the table.”
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