Mayor of Utah city killed in 'insider attack' in Afghanistan
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS Nov 4th 2018
Taylor was deployed to Afghanistan in January with the Utah National Guard for what was expected to be a 12-month tour of duty. Taylor, an officer in the National Guard, previously served two tours in Iraq and one tour in Afghanistan.
NORTH OGDEN, Utah (AP) — The mayor of a Utah city was killed during an attack in Afghanistan while he was serving with the state's National Guard, the Salt Lake Tribune and other media reported.
North Ogden Mayor Brent Taylor died Saturday in an apparent "insider attack" in Kabul, the capital of Afghanistan, the Tribune reported. Another U.S. service member is being treated for wounds sustained in the attack, American military officials said.
The Utah National Guard has identified the service member killed as a member of the Guard. The Guard member's name is being withheld pending notification of next of kin. read more here
How a 2-star Army general took charge of a broken city
Associated Press By: Tamara Lush October 28, 2018
"There was a gentleman who needed a kidney," he says casually.
That's right. In the last four months, McQueen has retired from the military, started a new job, helped coordinate one of the largest hurricane responses since Katrina, and donated a kidney. To a stranger.
PANAMA CITY, Fla. — Mark McQueen’s sand-colored combat boots have walked the ground during many disasters.
Afghanistan.
Iraq.
Florida's Panama City.
Then-Maj. Gen. Mark McQueen, commanding general, 108th Training Command (Initial Entry Training), takes a moment to praise the soldiers of the Special Troops Battalion, 304th Sustainment Brigade, for their 12 months of serving as CRC Cycle 4 at the Conus Replacement Center on Jan. 13, 2017, after their transfer of authority ceremony at Fort Bliss, Texas. (DVIDS)
The two-star general had no sooner retired from the Army and started his job as city manager for this Gulf Coast community when it was slammed by a category 4 hurricane. Hurricane Michael became the most devastating hurricane to hit Florida in decades. Almost all of Panama City's water, sewer, electric and cell services were wiped out.
Despite McQueen having no municipal experience and having been on the job only two weeks, city leaders say he's exactly the man they need for the long recovery ahead.
"I believe the Lord sent him," said Panama City Commissioner Billy Rader. "God knew this was going to happen before we did."
read more here
Army veteran won't be renting from Phoenix landlord after a President Trump rant
NBC 12 News Author: Mike Gonzalez October 24, 2018
The landlord at first told her he was not accepting anyone receiving government payments because he was afraid Trump's proposed wall along the U.S. border with Mexico would threaten those payments. He has since said he regrets the exchange.
PHOENIX — When Alyssa Gillaspy and her wife reached out to try to rent a house near 89th Avenue and McDowell Road in West Phoenix, she was shocked at the email messages she received from landlord Gary Faulkinbury.
Faulkinbury apparently told her he was not accepting anyone receiving government payments because of President Trump.
“When we inquired on the home and got that back, it was very shocking," said Gillaspy, who is receiving benefits for her post-traumatic stress disorder after serving in Iraq.
One of the emails to Gillaspy reads in part: "You stupid [expletive]. It’s called qualification. Trump is causing this not me. Get a job because he’s cutting your benefits and there’s nothing you can do," said Faulkinbury.
Team 12's Mike Gonzalez talked to Gillaspy via Skype from her Olympia, Washington, home.
She was still trying to figure out why the landlord had such a fear that President Trump would pull funding from veterans. Faulkinbury was apparently upset the president is threatening to build a wall on the Mexican border, in turn putting her disability benefits at risk. read more here
New Bedford veteran overcame his troubles and now helps other veterans
Sun Coast Today Curt Brown October 23, 2018
Azevedo was deployed to Desert Storm with the U.S. Navy from 1988 to 1991 and was with the Naval Reserve until 1993 and received an honorable discharge in 1994. He worked as a corrections officer and then became a member of the New Bedford Fire Department, after leaving the Navy.
But then 9/11 happened and Azevedo had a change of heart after the terrorist attacks. He remembers hearing the sound of fighter jets over his deck flying from Cape Cod hours after the attacks, he said.
NEW BEDFORD — A New Bedford veteran, who is devoting his life to helping others after suffering a combat-related brain injury in Iraq, is this year’s Southeastern Massachusetts Veteran of the Year.
Christopher E. Azevedo, 48, who also recently retired from the New Bedford Fire Department, was unanimously selected by the Board of Directors of the Veterans Transition House for the honor, according to Wayne Carvalho, chairman of the board. “We all feel he epitomizes what struggle is for veterans and the ability to give back,” Carvalho said.
Azevedo will receive the award at a luncheon at Rachel’s Lakeside, 950 State Road, Dartmouth, from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. Nov. 8.
He said he does not help others for the recognition and was floored when he received a phone call from board member Linda Silveira, informing him he was selected as this year’s Veteran of the Year. He was nominated last year, did not receive it and never thought he would be nominated again, let alone receive it.
During his deployment, he survived numerous attacks, but in one direct hit to his vehicle from an IED, he suffered a traumatic brain injury as well as damage to his spine and chest, he said.
Azevedo suffered post-traumatic stress disorder from his service, which he still battles today, and was overprescribed meds and became addicted to painkillers, he said. He won that battle, too, and has been free of painkillers for five years now and alcohol-free for three years. read more here
Five British Army heroes die in a week as MoD launches probe into suicides among 228,000 troops who served in Iraq and Afghanistan
Daily Mail Zoie O'Brien October 21, 2018
Ministers have now announced a study into the 'caused of death including rates of suicide' from anyone who has died since serving in Iraq or Afghanistan. There have been repeated complaints about the way post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) among veterans and serving soldiers is managed.
British airmen shelter from the dust thrown up from a helicopter in Basra, Iraq in 2009
Five British Army soldiers who were active on the front line have died suddenly in just one week.
The tragic deaths of the servicemen come as it was revealed as many as 42 former or serving servicemen and women are believed to have committed suicide this year alone.
Five people died between September 26 and October 1 in tragic circumstances, according to the Sunday Times.
They are believed to have served in the forces in conflicts including Northern Ireland, Bosnia, Iraq and Afghanistan. read more here
VA Struggles To Reach Other-Than-Honorable-Discharge Vets In Need Of Help
WBUR News
Steve Walsh
October 18, 2018
Onan is taking advantage of the program. After years of being rejected by the VA, Onan now is getting his PTSD treatment paid for by the agency, and he hopes it helps him get back to being the person he was before the injury.
Former Marine Lance Cpl. Josh Onan was in Ramadi, Iraq, in 2006 when his Humvee was hit by a roadside bomb.
"I remember laying down in the truck," Onan said. "Waking up, there's dust, there's debris all over me, and there's an Iraqi colonel who's sitting in the truck with us, and he's just screaming, screaming. I don't understand what he's saying."
Onan suffered a head injury and post-traumatic stress disorder. During the next year, he was in and out of trouble with military officials, mainly for small infractions, which he chalks up to the medications he was taking.
Then, while on leave, he was caught with a small amount of cocaine and kicked out of the Marines.
Onan is one of the thousands of veterans who have other-than-honorable (OTH) discharges. They don't typically qualify for VA benefits, even though many have service-related trauma. And as a group they have a high suicide rate. read more here
Veteran’s military mementos stolen, wants them back
FOX 4KC.com October 15, 2018
MOBILE, Ala. — A Mobile veteran served our country overseas more than a decade ago, but the mementos he brought home were stolen.
Carl Sanders Jr. served for four years and had one tour in Iraq.
Most of his memories were packed up in a duffel bag, but it ended up being stolen.
“I don’t regret one second of anything I’ve done serving my country and the people I served with,” he said.
To remember that time in his life he packed up a bag filled with most of his memories. Things like an Iraqi flag and helmet he found on a mission, but most importantly his uniform.
“It’s the boots I lived in, I fought in,” Sanders said. “A soldiers boots and soldiers uniform that’s more important than anything.”
Losing those keepsakes is difficult for Sanders to swallow as he tries to never forget his military service.
“Those things actually reminded me of who I served with, where I’ve been, some of the things we’ve had to do and I don’t ever want to forget that,” Sanders said. “I don’t ever want to let that go.” read more here
Guardians help veterans on Honor Flight visit to war memorials
WLOS ABC 13 News by Frank Kracher October 12th 2018
Some guardians were veterans, like Iraq War Marine Kevin Rumley, who was on his fourth Honor Flight..."As much as I'm moved by the experience every time, my focus as a guardian is always on the veteran and anything they need to just make their day better," Rumley said.
ASHEVILLE, N.C. (WLOS) — Blue Ridge Honor Flight took to the air last weekend for the 35th time, and the trip was a first.
Veterans of Vietnam, accompanied by Honor Flight guardians, who helped get them through a whirlwind day in Washington, D.C., were the focus for the first time.
Honor Flights are free for veterans; guardians pay for the privilege.
That group of volunteers is our Persons Of The Week.
From Asheville Regional Airport to Reagan National, the trip was the start of a "welcome home" experience so many Vietnam vets never had.
Among them, 71-year-old Yancey County native David Letterman.
First stop was the Lincoln Memorial, for a color guard flag ceremony and group photo.
Motorcyclist killed in Saturday crash was JBER soldier KTVA News By Chris Klint October 8th 2018
The man killed last weekend in a Gambell Street motorcycle crash was an Army soldier, military officials confirmed Monday.
JBER soldier Staff Sgt. James Alcorn, 35, died in an Oct. 6, 2018 motorcycle crash on Gambell Street in Anchorage, according to Anchorage police. (Credit: From U.S. Army Alaska)
Staff Sgt. James Alcorn, 35, was a field artilleryman assigned to Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson's 4th Brigade Combat Team (Airborne), 25th Infantry Division according to U.S. Army Alaska spokesman John Pennell.
Alcorn, who joined the Army in 2006, served at Fort Benning, Fort Knox and Fort Bragg in the southern U.S. before being assigned to JBER in July 2016. He had served two combat tours in Afghanistan, as well as one in Iraq. read more here
New state law opens up benefits to an estimated 800 veterans The Day by Julia Bergman Day staff writer October 4, 2018
Hartford — Thomas Burke has been out of the Marine Corps for 10 years but said it wasn't until this week that he felt like a veteran.
Burke, a former infantryman who deployed to both Afghanistan and Iraq, received an other-than-honorable discharge for smoking marijuana months after returning from a deployment in Afghanistan, during which he had to clean up the remains of a group of Afghan children who'd been blown up by a rocket-propelled grenade that they were bringing to his military base.
"I can't explain the feelings I have today, after 10 years of service from returning home, I finally feel like a veteran because Connecticut stood up and told me that I'm a veteran," Burke said Thursday.
A new state law that went into effect Monday allows veterans discharged under "other-than-honorable" circumstances, who have post-traumatic stress disorder, a traumatic brain injury or sexual trauma resulting from their military service, to access state veteran benefits.
State officials and veterans touted the new law at a news conference Thursday morning in Hartford. Several of them said that the law, the first of its kind, makes Connecticut a leader in the nation. read more here
Sheriff’s deputies laughed at and filmed Army veteran as he died in a jail cell Military Times By: Kyle Rempfer 1 hour ago
The veteran, 31-year-old Bryan Perry, served in the Iraq War, was honorably discharged and received a Purple Heart, his lawyer told local media outlets. Perry’s family has filed a wrongful death lawsuit against Clackamas County.
An Oregon county sheriff’s office has condemned the actions of three of its deputies who filmed and laughed at an Army veteran as he died of a drug overdose in a padded jail cell.
The veteran, 31-year-old Bryan Perry, served in the Iraq War, was honorably discharged and received a Purple Heart, his lawyer told local media outlets. Perry’s family has filed a wrongful death lawsuit against Clackamas County.
Two videos were filmed on the deputies’ cell phones in November 2016. In them, viewers can hear the jailers laughing at a man as he flails around in agony.
“We should go show this to his girlfriend and be like, ‘You love this?’ ” one of the deputies said on the recording.
Perry and his girlfriend were arrested together. Prior to the girlfriend being escorted to a separate holding tank for women, she yelled, “I love you, Bryan.” read more here
The Oregonian Published on Oct 4, 2018 Clackamas County Sheriff Craig Roberts released video that shows employees making callous comments, now the subject of a federal lawsuit, about an inmate suffering symptoms of drug use. The sheriff condemned the laughter and comments as "inappropriate" and said they "do not conform to our professional standards."
I have friends on both sides and love them dearly. Right now, I am wondering what the hell happened to the GOP that they no longer care about voting for people under indictment! This is what he is charge with doing, among other things.
"Prosecutors say the couple concealed many of the expenses in federal records, sometimes as donations to charities for veterans."
Indictment of Marine veteran incumbent roils California congressional race Associated Press By JULIE WATSON Published: October 5, 2018
Even with the 47-page indictment detailing alleged misuse of hundreds of thousands of dollars in campaign funds, Hunter is the favorite. Republicans hold a nearly 15-point registration edge in the district, where many military veterans identify with Hunter's service as a Marine in Iraq.
U.S. Rep. Duncan Hunter, R-Calif., listens to testimony during a hearing on Capitol Hill in Washington on Sept. 7, 2017. CARLOS BONGIOANNI/STARS AND STRIPES
RAMONA, Calif. — In Southern California's most Republican congressional district a GOP incumbent running against a first-time Democratic candidate should be a slam dunk for re-election.
Not this year.
Rep. Duncan Hunter is under indictment as he seeks a sixth term. He has spent as much on legal fees as his re-election campaign while splitting time between meeting voters and fighting corruption charges.
It's become a bare-knuckles affair with Hunter's campaign running an ad saying his San Diego-born opponent, Ammar Campa-Najjar, changed his name to "hide his family's ties to terrorism" and now wants to "infiltrate" Congress. Campa-Najjar responded by saying Hunter has lost his grip on reality.
Hunter is one of two indicted Republican congressmen seeking re-election. The other is New York Rep. Chris Collins, accused of insider trading. read more here
Marine veteran shares story of battling PTSD and how to get help News 4 San Antonio by Ariana Lubelli September 28th 2018
"The important thing is to know the services that are out and seek those services before you get to that crisis point," said Gordon.
There is a great need for mental health services for veterans. It's a demand seen across the country and just as prevalent in San Antonio.
Andrew Reidel is a Marine veteran and outreach coordinator for PTSD Foundation of America. He knows all too well about the demons that PTSD brings on.
"Just imagine coming home and being just dead, just a moving body, just existing not really living. That's how we come home," said Reidel.
He served eight years in the military with tours to Iraq and Afghanistan and operations in other overseas locations.
"For me, it was the nightmares and the night sweats, real quick to get angry. Probably the worst part of it was not being able to connect with the average person when I got home," said Reidel.
Since 2011, Reidel has attempted suicide at least three times. Sadly, his story is familiar to many veterans. read more here
Fought Over Him Mikele Buck’s decision might surprise you. Country Living BY MEGAN FRIEDMAN SEP 25, 2018
Mikele Buck, a country singer who is a veteran of the Iraq war, gave an incredibly moving performance on The Voice, dedicated to his friend from the military who committed suicide. His blind audition was so strong, in fact, that it had coaches Kelly Clarkson and Blake Shelton fighting for him to join their teams. read more here
Blake Shelton Is AMAZED by Mikele Buck's Brooks and Dunn Cover - The Voice 2018 Blind Auditions
He sought help from the VA while struggling with suicidal thoughts – feelings of helplessness, frustration and anxiety. After spending four days at an inpatient mental health unit, he left the hospital, went to his car and shot himself. Police found his body the following day, his phone full of voicemails and texts from his father, Greg Miller, with one message sent over and over again: “I love you. We love you. Come home.”
Watchdog finds deficiencies in care for vet who committed suicide in Minneapolis VA parking lot STARS AND STRIPES By NIKKI WENTLING Published: September 25, 2018
The next day, police found the veteran dead in the parking lot of the Minneapolis VA hospital, with a gunshot wound to the head. The local medical examiner determined the death a suicide.
WASHINGTON — A government watchdog determined a Department of Veterans Affairs mental health unit in Minneapolis didn’t follow VA policies before discharging an Iraq War veteran who committed suicide in the facility’s parking lot less than 24 hours later.
The Office of Inspector General reported Tuesday that VA staff didn’t collaborate on a discharge plan for the veteran, didn’t ensure the veteran had a follow-up appointment about newly prescribed antidepressants, and didn’t adequately document whether they had access to firearms. Though the VA failed in several areas, inspectors said they couldn’t determine whether the mistakes directly led to the veteran’s suicide.
The Minneapolis VA made similar errors in 2011, when a Vietnam War veteran committed suicide while under the facility’s care. A VA Inspector General report in 2012 found the hospital was “deficient” in how it handled the situation. Four of the recommendations the IG made after that suicide apply now, the IG wrote in its report. read more here
Man pleads guilty to threatening airline crew on flight to New Orleans NOLA.com | The Times-Picayune By Laura McKnight September 14, 2018
A New Jersey man pleaded guilty Thursday (Sept. 13) in a New Orleans federal court to interfering with an airline crew after he drunkenly threatened the plane's captain and crew during a flight last fall from Chicago to New Orleans, court records show.
Joel Michael Bane, 39, also struck two local law-enforcement officers who had boarded the plane upon its arrival in New Orleans to escort Bane off the aircraft, according to a factual basis for Bane's plea agreement.
U.S. District Judge Jane Triche Milazzo set sentencing for Dec. 13.
Flying off into the sunset as a flight departs to the north from Louis Armstrong International Airport in Kenner, La. Tuesday, September 15, 2015. (Photo by David Grunfeld, NOLA.com | The Times-Picayune) ((Photo by David Grunfeld, NOLA.c)
An airport worker described Bane as "very large and very muscular" and warned law-enforcement that "four or five officers would be needed to remove the passenger from the plane," according to court records.
DeSalvo said that his client, a military veteran diagnosed with PTSD, was reacting in accordance with his training.
"It was just a very unfortunate situation where I think there was a lack of communication, and Mr. Bane was suffering from PTSD from six tours in the Middle East," DeSalvo said, adding that Bane's PTSD has been deemed "a total and permanent disability."
Bane faced up to 20 years in prison for the conviction, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office. But he will receive no prison time and be ordered to probation as part of a plea agreement, defense attorney Frank DeSalvo said Friday. DeSalvo said the incident was caused by miscommunication and compounded by his client's post-traumatic stress disorder. The disturbance, caught at least partially on cellphone video, occurred Oct. 13 as Southwest Airlines Flight 208 neared Louis Armstrong International Airport.
read more here
Soldiers who attempt suicide often have no history of mental health issues Reuters Lisa Rapaport September 5, 2018
Previous combat injuries were also associated with a 60 percent higher risk of suicide attempts among soldiers without a history of mental illness.
(Reuters Health) - More than one-third of U.S. Army soldiers who attempt suicide don’t have a history of mental health problems, a recent study suggests.
Attempted suicides have become more common among enlisted soldiers since the start of the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, researchers note in JAMA Psychiatry. While a history of mental illness has long been linked to an increased risk of suicide among military service members and civilians alike, less is known about the risk among soldiers who haven’t been diagnosed with psychiatric disorders.
For the current study, researchers examined data on 9,650 active-duty Army soldiers who attempted suicide between 2004 and 2009 as well as a control group of more than 153,000 soldiers who didn’t attempt suicide.
Overall, 3,507, or 36 percent, of the soldiers who attempted suicide had no previous diagnosis of mental illness, the study found.
“Soldiers without a mental health diagnosis may have had mental health problems but had not reported them to their medical care teams,” said lead author Dr. Robert Ursano, director of the Center for the Study of Traumatic Stress at the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences in Bethesda, Maryland. read more here
Amputee soldier takes re-enlistment oath at bottom of dive tank AL.com By Lee Roop August 31, 2018
If you were looking for Huntsville soldier Michael Brown on Friday, you needed to search 30 feet under water in the U.S. Space and Rocket Center's dive tank.
Two thumbs up from a re-committed soldier Staff Sgt. Michael Brown gives two thumbs up when he surfaces after taking a re-enlistment oath at the bottom of a dive tank. Brown wanted to celebrate the passion he developed for diving since it became part of his rehabilitation from losing a lower leg in combat in Iraq.
Staff Sgt. Brown, a combat veteran and wounded warrior based at Redstone Arsenal, went to the bottom of the tank to take his oath of re-enlistment from fellow diver and Lt. Col Gary Blount.
Brown chose the center's Underwater Astronaut Trainer "as a fitting location to marry his two passions, the Army and scuba diving," the Army said in a press release. It's where Brown loves to be, and that's something of a surprise to him and everyone else.
"In 2007, two years after joining the army, my left leg was blown off below the knee," Brown explained after surfacing. It happened in Mosul, Iraq, 33 days after he deployed during Operation Iraqi Freedom. An RKG-3 anti-tank grenade hit Brown, and he was evacuated to Walter Reed Army Hospital where military doctors have learned how to perform surgical miracles.
Brown got specially designed prosthetic leg and also something to think about. "I was taught to scuba dive as part of adaptive rehabilitation - to think outside the box about what my 'new normal' could be," Brown said Friday. read more here
Police Seek Man Caught on Video Using Car to Hit Disabled Veteran Who Asked Him to Pick up His Trash KTLA 5 News BY ERIKA MARTIN AND KACEY MONTOYA AUGUST 30, 2018
Authorities are working to identify a man seen on surveillance video attacking a disabled veteran with his car earlier this week in Gardena, allegedly because the veteran had asked him to pick up trash he threw in the street.
Joshua Byrd, who served two tours in Iraq with the U.S. Army, said he was walking his service dog outside the business complex where he works on the 13000 block of Cimarron Avenue around 6:30 a.m. Monday when he noticed the driver discard garbage from his window.
Byrd said he asked the motorist to pick it up but he didn't respond, so he picked it up and put it on the hood of the man's car.
The driver lingered in the area, and a couple minutes later took the trash off his car and threw it back into the street. Then, he began cussing at Byrd and driving in circles in front of him, the veteran said. read more here
Suicide has been a persistent problem in Montana — and it’s getting worse. Now, some who have lost loved ones are mobilizing to stop the deaths.
“It’s one of those things, especially if you’re a male, not to ask for help,” Ranalli, 39, said. “People I served with, they don’t want to reach out and say ‘Hey, I’m having some problems, and I need to talk to somebody.’”
Ranalli spends an evening with his family. He plans to be open with his six children about his mental health so they feel comfortable discussing any struggles with him. Annie Flanagan / for NBC News
For Ranalli, the problems started in 2005 after several Army buddies in his unit were killed in Iraq, some by a bomb, others in a firefight. The same year, on his second deployment there, Ranalli was hit by a roadside bomb, ending his dream of a long Army career. He returned home with a traumatic brain injury, stuck in a cycle of nightmares, flashbacks, anger, depression and anxiety. The following year, two more friends died while fighting in Iraq. By 2012, Ranalli was overwhelmed by survivor’s guilt and frustration over his inability to rejoin the Army. One night, his wife found him in their garage, blackout drunk and attempting suicide.
But he fought back!
“I felt like a burden,” he said. “I’ve seen what [suicide] does to families, but at the time, you just don’t think about it.”
Ranalli’s wife convinced him to get help, but it eventually became clear that the treatment he needed wasn’t available in Helena. There was a traveling VA clinic that came through once a month, but nothing permanent, so he underwent months of treatment out of state, in San Diego.
After his health improved and he returned home, Ranalli decided to channel his frustration with Montana’s mental health care shortfalls into action. He worked on a letter-writing campaign for a permanent veterans mental health clinic in his hometown, and this spring, the Helena Vet Center held its grand opening. So far, it’s provided over 1,055 mental health visits to nearly 150 veterans and family members. Ranalli is one of them; he receives treatment there for post-traumatic stress disorder. click link to read more
