Troop hospitalizations show mental toll of war
By WYATT OLSON
Stars and Stripes
Published: July 1, 2012
YOKOTA AIR BASE, Japan — Hospitalizations of troops with mental disorders such as suicidal or homicidal intent and debilitating psychosis reached a 10-year high in 2011, underscoring the mental and emotional toll of America’s dual wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.
The Armed Forces Health Surveillance Center says 13,133 servicemembers were treated as inpatients last year for mental disorders, the top reason for hospitalization of active-duty troops. That was up from 10,706 in 2007.
The total number of hospitalizations for mental disorders in 2011 was about 21,700, suggesting that many patients were treated more than once, based on annual data from a recently released Medical Surveillance Monthly Report.
The number of visits for outpatient mental health treatment has also ballooned, almost doubling from just under 1 million in 2007 to about 1.89 million in 2011, the report revealed.
The number of hospitalizations is almost certainly higher because it does not include inpatient treatment of mental disorders during deployments or field training exercises, or on ships at sea.
read more here
Showing posts with label Japan. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Japan. Show all posts
Monday, July 2, 2012
Monday, June 18, 2012
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.
read more here
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.
read more here
Wednesday, May 23, 2012
Stress 'shrank brains of Japan's tsunami survivors'
Stress 'shrank brains of Japan's tsunami survivors'
The emotional stress of Japan's tsunami and earthquake disaster resulted in some survivors suffering a shrinkage of the brain, according to a new study.
By Danielle Demetriou in Tokyo
10:41AM BST 23 May 2012
Scientists compared before and after brain scans of healthy adolescents who were affected by last year's March 11 disaster in order to measure the neurological effects of emotional trauma. The findings revealed that those suffering from symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) had experienced a shrinkage in the part of the brain associated with decision-making and regulation of emotions.
read more here
The emotional stress of Japan's tsunami and earthquake disaster resulted in some survivors suffering a shrinkage of the brain, according to a new study.
By Danielle Demetriou in Tokyo
10:41AM BST 23 May 2012
Scientists compared before and after brain scans of healthy adolescents who were affected by last year's March 11 disaster in order to measure the neurological effects of emotional trauma. The findings revealed that those suffering from symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) had experienced a shrinkage in the part of the brain associated with decision-making and regulation of emotions.
read more here
Tuesday, May 15, 2012
Soldiers fail to seek PTSD treatment or drop out of therapy early
What they are getting is not working, has not worked and will not work until the DOD stops listening to the wrong people!
Soldiers fail to seek PTSD treatment or drop out of therapy early, research finds
By SETH ROBSON
Stars and Stripes
Published: May 15, 2012
YOKOTA AIR BASE, Japan — Roughly half of the soldiers who return from war with post-traumatic stress disorder don’t seek treatment, and many more drop out of therapy early, according to military research presented at last week’s American Psychiatric Association’s annual meeting.
“Fewer than half of the soldiers who report symptoms of combat-related PTSD receive the care they need,” Maj. Gary H. Wynn, a research psychiatrist at Walter Reed Army Institute of Research, said during a presentation to the association. “And of those soldiers who do start treatment, between 20 percent and 50 percent walk away before its completion.”
Army analysis of multiple studies suggests that most servicemembers have at least one experience during deployment that could lead to PTSD, and 15 percent of U.S. infantrymen who have deployed to Iraq or Afghanistan have returned with the disorder, a condition characterized with such symptoms as depression, anger, mistrust, panic, guilt and violent behavior, physical pain, dizziness and trouble sleeping, Wynn said.
read more here
Thursday, April 12, 2012
Navy medicine CO fired for poor command climate
Navy medicine CO fired for poor command climate
By ERIK SLAVIN
Stars and Stripes
Published: April 12, 2012
YOKOSUKA NAVAL BASE, Japan — The commanding officer of the Navy’s northeastern U.S. health care services has been relieved after a survey found problems with the command climate, a Navy statement said Thursday.
Capt. Marcia “Kim” Lyons was removed from Naval Health Clinic New England on April 6 by Rear Adm. Elaine Wagner, who was Lyons’ predecessor at that command. She is at least the sixth Navy commanding officer to be relieved this year.
Wagner cited a “loss of confidence in the CO’s ability to command” according to the statement, a phrase often used following the dismissal of a naval commanding officer.
read more here
By ERIK SLAVIN
Stars and Stripes
Published: April 12, 2012
YOKOSUKA NAVAL BASE, Japan — The commanding officer of the Navy’s northeastern U.S. health care services has been relieved after a survey found problems with the command climate, a Navy statement said Thursday.
Capt. Marcia “Kim” Lyons was removed from Naval Health Clinic New England on April 6 by Rear Adm. Elaine Wagner, who was Lyons’ predecessor at that command. She is at least the sixth Navy commanding officer to be relieved this year.
Wagner cited a “loss of confidence in the CO’s ability to command” according to the statement, a phrase often used following the dismissal of a naval commanding officer.
read more here
Friday, March 23, 2012
Creed singer visits Yokosuka to thank troops for earthquake relief efforts
Creed singer visits Yokosuka to thank troops for earthquake relief efforts
By TREVOR ANDERSEN
Stars and Stripes
Published: March 18, 2012
YOKOSUKA NAVAL BASE, Japan — Scott Stapp, the lead singer of the rock band Creed, toured Sendai on Saturday to see the destruction left from last year’s massive tsunami. Then, he stopped by Yokosuka Naval Base to thank some of the troops for their efforts in the days and weeks following the March 11, 2011, disaster.
“It’s amazing what Operation Tomodachi did,” said Stapp who performed an acoustic concert Sunday aboard the USS George Washington. He was traveling in Japan with his wife, Jaclyn, a former Miss New York.
“We visited Sendai yesterday; we saw the destruction and we saw what you did, so we hoped to give everyone here a time to escape from their responsibilities and have fun,” Scott Stapp said. “We want to remind everyone how much we appreciate and support them.”
The rock singer also visited Haiti in 2010 to help the earthquake victims and was impressed by the humanitarian aid provided by the US military.
read more here
By TREVOR ANDERSEN
Stars and Stripes
Published: March 18, 2012
YOKOSUKA NAVAL BASE, Japan — Scott Stapp, the lead singer of the rock band Creed, toured Sendai on Saturday to see the destruction left from last year’s massive tsunami. Then, he stopped by Yokosuka Naval Base to thank some of the troops for their efforts in the days and weeks following the March 11, 2011, disaster.
“It’s amazing what Operation Tomodachi did,” said Stapp who performed an acoustic concert Sunday aboard the USS George Washington. He was traveling in Japan with his wife, Jaclyn, a former Miss New York.
“We visited Sendai yesterday; we saw the destruction and we saw what you did, so we hoped to give everyone here a time to escape from their responsibilities and have fun,” Scott Stapp said. “We want to remind everyone how much we appreciate and support them.”
The rock singer also visited Haiti in 2010 to help the earthquake victims and was impressed by the humanitarian aid provided by the US military.
read more here
Thursday, February 16, 2012
USS Fitzgerald sailor pleaded guilty to murder for killing his infant daughter
Yokosuka sailor pleads guilty to murdering infant daughter
By ERIK SLAVIN
Stars and Stripes
Published: February 16, 2012
YOKOSUKA NAVAL BASE, Japan — A USS Fitzgerald sailor pleaded guilty to murder for killing his infant daughter with “karate chop-like blows,” and was sentenced Thursday to 15 years in prison.
The stress of providing for his family, his job and other factors led Seaman Lequae Caldwell, 23, to take out his anger on his crying daughter, 5-month-old Aviana, on Jan. 5, 2011, the sailor said while reading an unsworn statement at his Yokosuka court-martial Thursday.
Caldwell struck “the chest (her chest) with his hand using two karate chop-like blows,” according to court documents read by the judge. The blows ruptured his daughter’s heart, and she likely died within minutes after experiencing “air hunger,” according to medical testimony.
Caldwell said he initially denied striking his child to spare the feelings of his wife, Seaman Camellia Ngirmang, who served with him aboard the Fitzgerald.
“I lied because I couldn’t give my wife a dead child and a murdering husband at the same time,” Caldwell said.
read more here
By ERIK SLAVIN
Stars and Stripes
Published: February 16, 2012
YOKOSUKA NAVAL BASE, Japan — A USS Fitzgerald sailor pleaded guilty to murder for killing his infant daughter with “karate chop-like blows,” and was sentenced Thursday to 15 years in prison.
The stress of providing for his family, his job and other factors led Seaman Lequae Caldwell, 23, to take out his anger on his crying daughter, 5-month-old Aviana, on Jan. 5, 2011, the sailor said while reading an unsworn statement at his Yokosuka court-martial Thursday.
Caldwell struck “the chest (her chest) with his hand using two karate chop-like blows,” according to court documents read by the judge. The blows ruptured his daughter’s heart, and she likely died within minutes after experiencing “air hunger,” according to medical testimony.
Caldwell said he initially denied striking his child to spare the feelings of his wife, Seaman Camellia Ngirmang, who served with him aboard the Fitzgerald.
“I lied because I couldn’t give my wife a dead child and a murdering husband at the same time,” Caldwell said.
read more here
Monday, February 6, 2012
Creating ice sculpture stirs emotions in US military team
Creating ice sculpture stirs emotions in US military team
By MATTHEW M. BURKE
Stars and Stripes
Published: February 6, 2012
SASEBO NAVAL BASE, Japan — Last week, sailors from Naval Air Facility Misawa made the daylong journey to Sapporo, Japan to play in the snow. However, it was by no means a vacation.
For the past 28 years, sailors from Misawa have traveled to the Sapporo Snow Festival, located on the northern island of Hokkaido, and participated in their snow sculpture showcase, which draws world-class snow sculptors and tourists from around the world.
This year was different, however, as some of the sailors involved carried with them the emotions and fellowship of having participated in relief operations after the March 11 earthquake and tsunami that devastated northern Japan.
As the six-sailor delegation finished their bust reprisal of the Navy’s iconic “Lone Sailor” statue, which is located at the U.S. Navy Memorial in Washington D.C., Chief Christopher “Billy” Knox said they decided to make a last-minute addition to the meticulously planned work of art.
They added “Tomodachi,” the name of the relief operation, in Japanese script under the sailor’s chin.
read more here
By MATTHEW M. BURKE
Stars and Stripes
Published: February 6, 2012
On Saturday, Navy sailors and an airman from Naval Air Facility Misawa displayed their finished contribution to the 63rd Annual Sapporo Snow Festival, ''The Lone Sailor'' snow sculpture.
DANIEL SANFORD/COURTESY OF THE U.S. NAVY
SASEBO NAVAL BASE, Japan — Last week, sailors from Naval Air Facility Misawa made the daylong journey to Sapporo, Japan to play in the snow. However, it was by no means a vacation.
For the past 28 years, sailors from Misawa have traveled to the Sapporo Snow Festival, located on the northern island of Hokkaido, and participated in their snow sculpture showcase, which draws world-class snow sculptors and tourists from around the world.
This year was different, however, as some of the sailors involved carried with them the emotions and fellowship of having participated in relief operations after the March 11 earthquake and tsunami that devastated northern Japan.
As the six-sailor delegation finished their bust reprisal of the Navy’s iconic “Lone Sailor” statue, which is located at the U.S. Navy Memorial in Washington D.C., Chief Christopher “Billy” Knox said they decided to make a last-minute addition to the meticulously planned work of art.
They added “Tomodachi,” the name of the relief operation, in Japanese script under the sailor’s chin.
read more here
Saturday, December 10, 2011
American mother missing in Japan after row with airman husband
'Love my kids, hubby and parents. Bye': Haunting 'suicide' note left by American mother missing in Japan after row with airman husband
By RACHEL QUIGLEY
8th December 2011
An American mother-of-two who has been missing in Japan for the last six weeks may have committed suicide.
Kelli Abad, 27, from Georgia, disappeared on October 26 after arguing with her husband Vince Abad - an airman at a major U.S. Air Force facility in Japan.
He told CNN that she had threatened to kill herself when they argued over the phone, after he had gone to see their pastor, who had helped resolve disputes between them in the past.
When he came home later that night, their children, aged one and four, were in their beds sleeping and his wife was gone.
Her car was found two days later at Cape Zanpa on the island of Okinawa, about ten miles from the base, with her cell phone and purse inside.
Mr Abad said there was also a note which read: 'Love my kids, love my hubby and parents. Bye.'
The 30-year-old told CNN: 'We'd had arguments before - it didn't feel too out of place. I assumed she went to see a friend.'
read more here
By RACHEL QUIGLEY
8th December 2011
Mother: Kelli's children, aged one and four, have been trying to come to terms with her disappearance
An American mother-of-two who has been missing in Japan for the last six weeks may have committed suicide.
Kelli Abad, 27, from Georgia, disappeared on October 26 after arguing with her husband Vince Abad - an airman at a major U.S. Air Force facility in Japan.
He told CNN that she had threatened to kill herself when they argued over the phone, after he had gone to see their pastor, who had helped resolve disputes between them in the past.
When he came home later that night, their children, aged one and four, were in their beds sleeping and his wife was gone.
Her car was found two days later at Cape Zanpa on the island of Okinawa, about ten miles from the base, with her cell phone and purse inside.
Mr Abad said there was also a note which read: 'Love my kids, love my hubby and parents. Bye.'
The 30-year-old told CNN: 'We'd had arguments before - it didn't feel too out of place. I assumed she went to see a friend.'
read more here
Sunday, April 10, 2011
Japanese PM thanks U.S. troops during visit to devastated region
Japanese PM thanks U.S. troops during visit to devastated region
By SETH ROBSON
Stars and Stripes
Published: April 10, 2011
ISHINOMAKI, Japan — Japanese Prime Minister Naoto Kan praised U.S. troops for their efforts to help people recover from last month’s devastating earthquake and tsunami during a visit here Sunday.
Kan arrived in a motorcade with a large group of other Japanese dignitaries to check on the work of 36 U.S. soldiers and four Marines working alongside Japan Self-Defense Force personnel at Ishinomaki Commercial High School. He found the U.S. and Japanese troops hard at work using shovels, Bobcat mini bulldozers and a bucket loader brought by the Americans to remove the mud dumped by the tsunami on the school’s sports fields.
“The U.S. military is working alongside the Japanese Self-Defense Force,” Kan told a group of Japanese reporters. “I’m happy to see that happen here at this high school.”
read more here
Japanese PM thanks U.S. troops
By SETH ROBSON
Stars and Stripes
Published: April 10, 2011
ISHINOMAKI, Japan — Japanese Prime Minister Naoto Kan praised U.S. troops for their efforts to help people recover from last month’s devastating earthquake and tsunami during a visit here Sunday.
Kan arrived in a motorcade with a large group of other Japanese dignitaries to check on the work of 36 U.S. soldiers and four Marines working alongside Japan Self-Defense Force personnel at Ishinomaki Commercial High School. He found the U.S. and Japanese troops hard at work using shovels, Bobcat mini bulldozers and a bucket loader brought by the Americans to remove the mud dumped by the tsunami on the school’s sports fields.
“The U.S. military is working alongside the Japanese Self-Defense Force,” Kan told a group of Japanese reporters. “I’m happy to see that happen here at this high school.”
read more here
Japanese PM thanks U.S. troops
Sunday, March 20, 2011
Forty-eight Marines from Camp Pendleton deploy to Japan
Specialists from Camp Pendleton deploy to Japan
March 19, 2011 | 3:32 pm
Forty-eight Marines from Camp Pendleton -- specialists in the detection and decontamination of nuclear and radiological hazards -- have deployed to Japan for the relief effort.
The Marines are part of a unit trained on how to discern the effects of chemical, nuclear, biological and radiological warfare agents and how to mitigate those effects.
-- Tony Perry in San Diego
March 19, 2011 | 3:32 pm
Forty-eight Marines from Camp Pendleton -- specialists in the detection and decontamination of nuclear and radiological hazards -- have deployed to Japan for the relief effort.
The Marines are part of a unit trained on how to discern the effects of chemical, nuclear, biological and radiological warfare agents and how to mitigate those effects.
-- Tony Perry in San Diego
Tuesday, March 15, 2011
Monitor and Care for Our Troops Exposed to Radiation in Japan
Veterans for Common Sense remembers there are US troops stationed in Japan and they are focused on making sure they are taken care of now and tomorrow.
How is this still going on and who will do something about it to make sure our troops are taken care of today and tomorrow when they become veterans?
VCS to DoD and VA: Monitor and Care for Our Troops Exposed to Radiation in Japan
Written by VCS
Tuesday, 15 March 2011 09:51
VCS sent the following letter to VA expressing our concerns about caring for our service membes and veterans exposed to harmful radiation while deployed to rescue missions in Japan.
March 14, 2011
The Honorable Eric Shinseki
Secretary of Veterans Affairs
The Honorable Robert Gates
Secretary of Defense
Dear Secretary Shinseki and Secretary Gates:
Veterans for Common Sense writes you regarding the health and welfare of our service members deployed in and around Japan. We support our nation’s military mission to assist Japan in her greatest hour of need in more than six decades.
However, there are new and important developments related to the earthquake and tsunami that struck Japan on March 11, 2011. The situation at Japan’s Fukushima nuclear reactor facility prompt us to present three salient, significant, and urgent points to you.
1. Widespread Radioactive Contamination is Now Confirmed.
Japan and the U.S. now confirm the radioactive contamination of both air and sea water as well as the exposure of both Japanese civilians and U.S. military service members in Japan and off the coast of Japan. Therefore, the entire nation of Japan, the airspace above, and the waters nearby for at least 100 miles must be designated by the Department of Defense and Department of Veterans Affairs as a radioactive and toxic environment. The zone can be expanded as the radioactive contamination spreads.
While there is more to what VCS suggests, this one stood out.
3. Create New Team; Remove Dr. Brix.
The integrity and transparency of VA and DoD on this issue are vital. VCS supports creating a new, joint DoD-VA team to monitor this issue. Independent (non-government) experts should be advising our government, not the current staff assigned. Our U.S. service members, veterans, and the public are not served well with the continued involvement in any manner of Dr. Kelly Brix and her Department of Defense Force Health Protection staff. Specifically, any ties between VA and Dr. Brix on this and related matters must be severed immediately.
Dr. Brix, her staff, and prior DoD efforts on Gulf War illness, Iraq War burn pits, and other toxic exposures are not credible in the eyes of our veterans. This issue of our troops' health after radioactive and toxic exposures is far too urgent and important for her and the same Gulf War illness office to be involved with recent events in and around Japan.
During nearly two decades, she and her staff concealed, delayed, and denied the existence of Gulf War toxic exposures and multi-symptom illness.
read more here
Monitor and Care for Our Troops Exposed to Radiation in Japan
How is this still going on and who will do something about it to make sure our troops are taken care of today and tomorrow when they become veterans?
Friday, March 11, 2011
Navy sends 8 ships to provide tsunami relief
Navy sends 8 ships to provide tsunami relief
By Sam Fellman - Staff writer
Posted : Friday Mar 11, 2011 2:55:35 EST
Eight warships are headed to Japan to render disaster relief in the wake of a catastrophic magnitude 8.9 earthquake that left hundreds dead Friday. The quake unleashed a tsunami that is tearing across the Pacific. It unmoored two subs and is forcing other ships to get underway or ease their lines as the surge waters arrive, according to updates posted on official Navy Facebook pages across the region.
The earthquake, the most devastating to have struck Japan since the country began tracking seismic activity more than a century ago, leveled homes and buildings, and spawned a 23-foot high wave that carried away cars and people.
Japan has requested aid through the State Department, Armed Forces Press Service reported Friday.
read more here
Navy sends 8 ships to provide tsunami relief
By Sam Fellman - Staff writer
Posted : Friday Mar 11, 2011 2:55:35 EST
Eight warships are headed to Japan to render disaster relief in the wake of a catastrophic magnitude 8.9 earthquake that left hundreds dead Friday. The quake unleashed a tsunami that is tearing across the Pacific. It unmoored two subs and is forcing other ships to get underway or ease their lines as the surge waters arrive, according to updates posted on official Navy Facebook pages across the region.
The earthquake, the most devastating to have struck Japan since the country began tracking seismic activity more than a century ago, leveled homes and buildings, and spawned a 23-foot high wave that carried away cars and people.
Japan has requested aid through the State Department, Armed Forces Press Service reported Friday.
read more here
Navy sends 8 ships to provide tsunami relief
U.S. military bases in Japan report all service members are safe
A spokesman for the U.S. military bases in Japan said all service members were accounted for and there were no reports of damage to installations or ships.
Widespread destruction from Japan earthquake, tsunamis
By the CNN Wire Staff
March 11, 2011 9:24 a.m. EST
STORY HIGHLIGHTS
NEW: Government sends 8,000 troops to help in quake effort
NEW: Air and rail service disrupted, thousands stranded
Between 200 and 300 bodies have been found in Sendai city, local media report
About 2,000 residents near a nuclear plant are asked to evacuate
Tokyo (CNN) -- The most powerful earthquake to hit Japan in at least 100 years unleashed walls of water Friday that swept across rice fields, engulfing towns, dragging houses onto highways and tossing cars and boats like toys, apparently killing hundreds and forcing the evaucations of tens of thousands.
Prime Minister Naoto Kan said the "enormously powerful" earthquake has caused "tremendous damage over a wide area."
The quake, which struck at 2:46 pm local time, sparked fires in at least 80 locations, Japan's Kyodo News Service reported, and prompted the U.S. National Weather Service to issue tsunami warnings for at least 50 countries and territories.
Police in Miyagi Prefecture say between 200-300 have been found in the coastal city of Sendai alone, Japan's Kyodo News Agency reported late Friday. The death toll is likely to rise as there are few casualty counts yet from the worst-hit areas.
Kyodo, citing Japan's defense forces, said 60,000 to 70,000 people were being evacuated to shelters in the Sendai area.
Japanese authorities ordered the precautionary evacuation of a nuclear plant affected by the earthquake, saying that while there was no immediate danger, crews were having trouble cooling the reactor. The Fukushima plant is one of four closest to the quake that the U.N. nuclear watchdog agency said were safety shut down.
read more here
Widespread destruction from Japan earthquake, tsunamis
Thursday, March 11, 2010
Army Reserve to weed out underachieving soldiers
General: Army Reserve to weed out underachieving soldiers
By Charlie Reed, Stars and Stripes
Pacific edition, Saturday, March 13, 2010
CAMP ZAMA, Japan — Having evolved from a force of “last resort” to an oft-deployed and essential component of the military, the Army Reserve now needs restructuring.
And that includes purging its ranks of underachieving soldiers, the commander of the U.S. Army Reserve said Thursday.
“We have to reshape the Army Reserve,” Lt. Gen. Jack Stultz told a group of reservists during a town hall meeting at Zama. “It’s no longer a right to serve 30 years in the military. It’s a privilege.”
The Army Reserve has been successful in readying soldiers and restructuring units to support the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, but now it needs to “transform the personnel system,” he said.
Stultz is a retired Proctor and Gamble corporate executive who spent 26 years as a reserve transportation officer before going active duty in 2006 to take his current position at the Pentagon. He has deployed twice to Iraq — once during the Gulf War — and one time to Bosnia as a reservist.
read more here
Army Reserve to weed out underachieving soldiers
By Charlie Reed, Stars and Stripes
Pacific edition, Saturday, March 13, 2010
CAMP ZAMA, Japan — Having evolved from a force of “last resort” to an oft-deployed and essential component of the military, the Army Reserve now needs restructuring.
And that includes purging its ranks of underachieving soldiers, the commander of the U.S. Army Reserve said Thursday.
“We have to reshape the Army Reserve,” Lt. Gen. Jack Stultz told a group of reservists during a town hall meeting at Zama. “It’s no longer a right to serve 30 years in the military. It’s a privilege.”
The Army Reserve has been successful in readying soldiers and restructuring units to support the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, but now it needs to “transform the personnel system,” he said.
Stultz is a retired Proctor and Gamble corporate executive who spent 26 years as a reserve transportation officer before going active duty in 2006 to take his current position at the Pentagon. He has deployed twice to Iraq — once during the Gulf War — and one time to Bosnia as a reservist.
read more here
Army Reserve to weed out underachieving soldiers
Thursday, September 17, 2009
Marine's Widow in Immigration Limbo
Marine's Widow in Immigration Limbo
By KRISTIN M. HALL, AP
MARYVILLE, Tenn. (Sept. 17) — Hotaru Ferschke just wants to raise her 8-month-old son in his grandparents' Tennessee home, surrounded by photos and memories of the father he'll never meet: a Marine who died in combat a month after marrying her from thousands of miles away.
Sgt. Michael Ferschke was killed in Iraq in 2008, leaving his widow and infant son, both Japanese citizens, in immigration limbo: A 1950s legal standard meant to curb marriage fraud means U.S. authorities do not recognize the marriage, even though the military does.
read more here
Marine Widow in Immigration Limbo
By KRISTIN M. HALL, AP
MARYVILLE, Tenn. (Sept. 17) — Hotaru Ferschke just wants to raise her 8-month-old son in his grandparents' Tennessee home, surrounded by photos and memories of the father he'll never meet: a Marine who died in combat a month after marrying her from thousands of miles away.
Sgt. Michael Ferschke was killed in Iraq in 2008, leaving his widow and infant son, both Japanese citizens, in immigration limbo: A 1950s legal standard meant to curb marriage fraud means U.S. authorities do not recognize the marriage, even though the military does.
read more here
Marine Widow in Immigration Limbo
Monday, August 31, 2009
Sailor dies in crash after alleged assault leaves 12-year-old son dead
Sailor dies in crash after alleged assault leaves 12-year-old son dead
By Travis J. Tritten and Chiyomi Sumida, Stars and Stripes
Pacific edition, Wednesday, September 2, 2009
SASEBO NAVAL BASE, Japan — A USS Denver sailor died in a motorcycle crash after he allegedly assaulted his family in an attack that left his 12-year-old son dead Sunday at Sasebo Naval Base in Japan, base officials said Monday.
John W. Bench Jr., 39, died after his motorcycle collided with oncoming vehicles on a Sasebo expressway, Japanese police said.
The Navy would not confirm the identity of the sailor or name his family members Monday, citing an ongoing investigation. But the USS Denver’s Web page in early August listed a John W. Bench as the ship’s command master chief.
read more here
http://www.stripes.com/article.asp?section=104&article=64500
By Travis J. Tritten and Chiyomi Sumida, Stars and Stripes
Pacific edition, Wednesday, September 2, 2009
SASEBO NAVAL BASE, Japan — A USS Denver sailor died in a motorcycle crash after he allegedly assaulted his family in an attack that left his 12-year-old son dead Sunday at Sasebo Naval Base in Japan, base officials said Monday.
John W. Bench Jr., 39, died after his motorcycle collided with oncoming vehicles on a Sasebo expressway, Japanese police said.
The Navy would not confirm the identity of the sailor or name his family members Monday, citing an ongoing investigation. But the USS Denver’s Web page in early August listed a John W. Bench as the ship’s command master chief.
read more here
http://www.stripes.com/article.asp?section=104&article=64500
Saturday, August 15, 2009
Keeping Alive Memories That Bedevil Him
Keeping Alive Memories That Bedevil Him
By DAN BARRY
Published: August 13, 2009
MANCHESTER Township, N.J.
A retired postal worker, living not entirely at peace in an adult community called Leisure Village West, recently sent remember-the-date notes to large newspapers and television networks, then followed up with calls that often bounced to voice mail. The 14th of August; remember the date.
He was not asking so much as he was demanding.
Friday is the 14th of August: a dog day to many but always V-J Day to some, including this man, Albert Perdeck. It is the 64th anniversary of the surrender by Japan to end World War II. Attention must be paid, he says with urgency. He is 84.
“Last year, 2008, there was no mention of this on the news,” reads his handwritten note to The New York Times. “I am requesting to have the day remembered by your in-depth reporting.”
In addition to “V-J,” as in Victory over Japan, his note contains other abbreviations, including “P.T.S.D.,” as in: “The 17 months I was in combat still causes terrible flashbacks and nightmares of the mutilated bodies I helped to recover.”
He does not care that some people are uncomfortable with V-J Day, given the close relationship the country now has with Japan, and given two other dates in August 1945 (the 6th: Hiroshima, and the 9th: Nagasaki). To him, the day carries its own political correctness: It celebrates the victorious end to a world-saving war in which hundreds of thousands of Americans died far from home. He saw some of them die.
read more here
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/08/14/us/14land.html?_r=1
By DAN BARRY
Published: August 13, 2009
MANCHESTER Township, N.J.
A retired postal worker, living not entirely at peace in an adult community called Leisure Village West, recently sent remember-the-date notes to large newspapers and television networks, then followed up with calls that often bounced to voice mail. The 14th of August; remember the date.
He was not asking so much as he was demanding.
Friday is the 14th of August: a dog day to many but always V-J Day to some, including this man, Albert Perdeck. It is the 64th anniversary of the surrender by Japan to end World War II. Attention must be paid, he says with urgency. He is 84.
“Last year, 2008, there was no mention of this on the news,” reads his handwritten note to The New York Times. “I am requesting to have the day remembered by your in-depth reporting.”
In addition to “V-J,” as in Victory over Japan, his note contains other abbreviations, including “P.T.S.D.,” as in: “The 17 months I was in combat still causes terrible flashbacks and nightmares of the mutilated bodies I helped to recover.”
He does not care that some people are uncomfortable with V-J Day, given the close relationship the country now has with Japan, and given two other dates in August 1945 (the 6th: Hiroshima, and the 9th: Nagasaki). To him, the day carries its own political correctness: It celebrates the victorious end to a world-saving war in which hundreds of thousands of Americans died far from home. He saw some of them die.
read more here
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/08/14/us/14land.html?_r=1
Saturday, July 11, 2009
Marine Spouse Battles Navy Over Contamination at Naval Base in Japan
Marine Spouse Battles Navy Over Contamination at Naval Base in Japan
Robert O'Dowd Salem-News.com
Shelly Parulis, wife of a retired Marine Master Sergeant, is engaged in a running battle with the Navy over dioxin and other toxins at NAF Atsugi, Japan.
(ATSUGI, Japan) - No one assigned to Naval Air Facility (NAF) Atsugi, the home of Carrier Air Wing 5, would have suspected that duty in Japan could exposed them to toxic chemicals, including deadly dioxin, the carcinogen infamously associated with Agent Orange.
In fact, prior to the closure of Atsugi’s privately owned Envirotech (formerly Shinkampo) incinerators in 2001, that is exactly what happened to military, dependents, and civilian workers stationed at NAF Atsugi during the period 1985 to 2001. Your browser may not support display of this image.
NAF Atsugi is located on Honshu, the main island of Japan. The base, about 20 miles from Tokyo, was originally built in 1938 by the Japanese Imperial Navy as Emperor Hirohito's Naval Air Base to address the threat posed by foreseen American bombing raids of the Japanese mainland.
Shelly Parulis, a spouse of a retired Marine Master Sergeant who was stationed at Atsugi from 1995 to 1998, and her family suffered the results of toxic exposure and leads the effort to obtain compensation and health benefits for Atsugi veterans, dependents ad civilian workers.
read more here
Marine Spouse Battles Navy Over Contamination at Naval Base in Japan
Robert O'Dowd Salem-News.com
Shelly Parulis, wife of a retired Marine Master Sergeant, is engaged in a running battle with the Navy over dioxin and other toxins at NAF Atsugi, Japan.
(ATSUGI, Japan) - No one assigned to Naval Air Facility (NAF) Atsugi, the home of Carrier Air Wing 5, would have suspected that duty in Japan could exposed them to toxic chemicals, including deadly dioxin, the carcinogen infamously associated with Agent Orange.
In fact, prior to the closure of Atsugi’s privately owned Envirotech (formerly Shinkampo) incinerators in 2001, that is exactly what happened to military, dependents, and civilian workers stationed at NAF Atsugi during the period 1985 to 2001. Your browser may not support display of this image.
NAF Atsugi is located on Honshu, the main island of Japan. The base, about 20 miles from Tokyo, was originally built in 1938 by the Japanese Imperial Navy as Emperor Hirohito's Naval Air Base to address the threat posed by foreseen American bombing raids of the Japanese mainland.
Shelly Parulis, a spouse of a retired Marine Master Sergeant who was stationed at Atsugi from 1995 to 1998, and her family suffered the results of toxic exposure and leads the effort to obtain compensation and health benefits for Atsugi veterans, dependents ad civilian workers.
read more here
Marine Spouse Battles Navy Over Contamination at Naval Base in Japan
Thursday, March 19, 2009
Desperate Japanese head to 'suicide forest'
Desperate Japanese head to 'suicide forest'
Story Highlights
Forest with stunning views of Mount Fuji is also known as place to die
Counselors now roam Aokigahara Forest, hoping to help the desperate
Suicides in Japan were 15 percent higher in January than a year earlier
Officials fear more people will kill themselves amid the tough economy
By Kyung Lah
CNN
AOKIGAHARA FOREST, Japan (CNN) -- Aokigahara Forest is known for two things in Japan: breathtaking views of Mount Fuji and suicides. Also called the Sea of Trees, this destination for the desperate is a place where the suicidal disappear, often never to be found in the dense forest.
Japan's Aokigahara Forest is known as the "suicide forest" because people often go there to take their own lives.
Taro, a 46-year-old man fired from his job at an iron manufacturing company, hoped to fade into the blackness. "My will to live disappeared," said Taro. "I'd lost my identity, so I didn't want to live on this earth. That's why I went there."
Taro, who did not want to be identified fully, was swimming in debt and had been evicted from his company apartment. He lost financial control, which he believes to be the foundation of any stable life, he said. "You need money to survive. If you have a girlfriend, you need money. If you want to get married, you need it for your life. Money is always necessary for your life."
Taro bought a one-way ticket to the forest, west of Tokyo, Japan. When he got there, he slashed his wrists, though the cut wasn't enough to kill him quickly.
He started to wander, he said. He collapsed after days and lay in the bushes, nearly dead from dehydration, starvation and frostbite. He would lose his toes on his right foot from the frostbite. But he didn't lose his life, because a hiker stumbled upon his nearly dead body and raised the alarm. Watch report on "suicide forest" »
Taro's story is just one of hundreds logged at Aokigahara Forest every year, a place known throughout Japan as the "suicide forest." The area is home to the highest number of suicides in the entire country.
Japan's suicide rate, already one of the world's highest, has increased with the recent economic downturn.
There were 2,645 suicides recorded in January 2009, a 15 percent increase from the 2,305 for January 2008, according to the Japanese government.
The Japanese government said suicide rates are a priority and pledged to cut the number of suicides by more than 20 percent by 2016. It plans to improve suicide awareness in schools and workplaces. But officials fear the toll will rise with unemployment and bankruptcies, matching suicide spikes in earlier tough economic times.
click link for more
Story Highlights
Forest with stunning views of Mount Fuji is also known as place to die
Counselors now roam Aokigahara Forest, hoping to help the desperate
Suicides in Japan were 15 percent higher in January than a year earlier
Officials fear more people will kill themselves amid the tough economy
By Kyung Lah
CNN
AOKIGAHARA FOREST, Japan (CNN) -- Aokigahara Forest is known for two things in Japan: breathtaking views of Mount Fuji and suicides. Also called the Sea of Trees, this destination for the desperate is a place where the suicidal disappear, often never to be found in the dense forest.
Japan's Aokigahara Forest is known as the "suicide forest" because people often go there to take their own lives.
Taro, a 46-year-old man fired from his job at an iron manufacturing company, hoped to fade into the blackness. "My will to live disappeared," said Taro. "I'd lost my identity, so I didn't want to live on this earth. That's why I went there."
Taro, who did not want to be identified fully, was swimming in debt and had been evicted from his company apartment. He lost financial control, which he believes to be the foundation of any stable life, he said. "You need money to survive. If you have a girlfriend, you need money. If you want to get married, you need it for your life. Money is always necessary for your life."
Taro bought a one-way ticket to the forest, west of Tokyo, Japan. When he got there, he slashed his wrists, though the cut wasn't enough to kill him quickly.
He started to wander, he said. He collapsed after days and lay in the bushes, nearly dead from dehydration, starvation and frostbite. He would lose his toes on his right foot from the frostbite. But he didn't lose his life, because a hiker stumbled upon his nearly dead body and raised the alarm. Watch report on "suicide forest" »
Taro's story is just one of hundreds logged at Aokigahara Forest every year, a place known throughout Japan as the "suicide forest." The area is home to the highest number of suicides in the entire country.
Japan's suicide rate, already one of the world's highest, has increased with the recent economic downturn.
There were 2,645 suicides recorded in January 2009, a 15 percent increase from the 2,305 for January 2008, according to the Japanese government.
The Japanese government said suicide rates are a priority and pledged to cut the number of suicides by more than 20 percent by 2016. It plans to improve suicide awareness in schools and workplaces. But officials fear the toll will rise with unemployment and bankruptcies, matching suicide spikes in earlier tough economic times.
click link for more
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