Strength For Service To God and Country Best Seller

Eagle Scout brings back WWII devotional, making forgotten book a Pentagon best seller 
FOX News
By Perry Chiaramonte
Published November 15, 2015

“The Joint Chiefs of Staff sent letters to us asking if we could get this book published, people started sending checks, the Pentagon asked for a million copies to be sent over and everything started to fall together,” Hunsberger said. “There are so many signs that God was playing a role in this project, because there is now way it could have happened without his help.”

Evan Hunsberger was just 13 when his grandfather suffered a stroked that meant he would never be the same again. But the boy made an unexpected discovery among the two-war veteran's belongings that changed his life and gave inspiration to a new generation of American soldiers and sailors.

It was 1999, and Hunsberger, a Boy Scout, was somberly helping his grandmother sort through former Navy Corpsman Gene Hunsberger's possessions as he prepared to move into a Southern California nursing home. A book his grandmother was about to throw away caught the boy's eye.

It was called “Strength for Service to God and Country,” and the veteran had carried during his service in both World War II and the Korean War.

Knowing that the book he now held in his hands had helped his grandfather through difficult times, the boy got a little idea that would soon become a big one. “I wanted to republish book that brought him so much comfort when he was in harm’s way,” Hunsberger recalled to FoxNews.com. “I asked him, ‘Papa I am going to publish this book, and do I have your blessing?’ read more here

Florida Veteran Survived Iwo Jima and Korean War, And Now VA Paper Death

VA declares Lakeland veteran dead, leaves him without pension
News Channel 8
By Steve Andrews
Investigative Reporter
Published: October 9, 2015

LAKELAND, Fla. (WFLA) – When Walter Williams was 17, he lied about his age, joined the U.S. Navy, and then fought at Iwo Jima. After the war, Williams entered into the Reserves and was called back to active duty during the Korean War. He made it through two bloody conflicts unscathed. In July, a mistake by the Veterans Administration killed him.

“On July 25th they sent out a letter saying my father was deceased,” daughter Rita Mixon said.

Ninety-year-old Williams is hardly dead. He suffers from Alzheimer’s disease. Mixon cares for him full-time. When the VA killed him off in July, it also deep-sixed Williams’ VA and Social Security pensions. It also demanded $1,700 it deposited into Williams’ account be returned to the VA.

The VA told Mixon it will make Williams financially whole by the end of the week. “I had to find someone to hear me, because they weren’t hearing me. That’s when I reached out to 8 On Your Side to assist me, and it really made a big difference, so I am very grateful that we got this taken care of,” Mixon said.
read more here

Documentary Shows PTSD Decades of Grief and Healing

Film about veterans' trauma to make Maine debut 
The Forecaseter
By Colin Ellis
September 30, 2015

Searching For Home

PORTLAND — The University of Southern Maine will host the state premiere of a documentary detailing soldiers’ wartime trauma and their struggles to transition home.

The documentary, titled “Searching for Home: Coming Back from War,” will premiere Oct. 3 at the university’s Hannaford Hall, located in the Abromson Community Education Center on 88 Bedford St. An invitation-only reception will be held at 6:30 p.m.; the film will be screened at 7:30 p.m. and a question and answer session with the filmmakers will follow.

Eric Christensen, the director of the 106-minute documentary, said he has made documentaries about individual trauma in the past, which eventually led him to the topic of wartime trauma. The documentary, portions of which were filmed in Maine, features veterans who survived injuries in war and their attempts to transition to life back home, as well as their family members.

The documentary looks at veterans suffering grief and trauma and spans multiple decades, from World War II to modern day conflicts.

Christensen, who lives in Burbank, California, said he hopes the message people take from the film is that recovering from trauma is a process.

“I want people to take away hope from the film and relate it their own traumas,” Christensen said.

He said military trauma is an acute example of trauma, and it is a good analogy that people who are suffering from their own trauma can relate to.
read more here

"Home is not home anymore" - Searching for Home: Coming Back from War - W/ Anthony Edwards from Eric Christiansen on Vimeo.

Built on the pillars of the truth, the healing and the hope, SEARCHING FOR HOME: COMING BACK FROM WAR is an emotional and unflinching look at returning veterans and their search for the“home” they left behind, physically, mentally and spiritually.

Veteran of Korea and Vietnam Laid to Rest At Arlington

Fresno-area veteran lauded at Arlington burial
McClatchy DC
Corinne Kennedy
July 30, 2015

A family man and patriot, friends and family say
Veteran of 329 combat missions in Korea, Vietnam
Inspired loyalty from colleagues

Leué flew 329 combat missions over both Korea and Vietnam during more than three decades of military service. He earned numerous honors, including four Distinguished Flying Crosses, three Navy Commendation medals and a Bronze Star. He also penned two memoirs detailing his service.

The Navy Honor Guard carries the casket of Korean and 

Vietnam war veteran David Leue. Daniel Desrochers McClatchy

WASHINGTON A construction worker removed his hardhat and held it over his heart Thursday morning as the funeral procession wound its way through Arlington National Cemetery.

As the sun broke through the clouds for the first time all morning, tourists put down their cameras to watch as the family of David E. Leué followed his shiny silver casket, draped in an American flag and carried by horse-drawn cart, to its final resting place.

Leué, of Clovis, Calif., died Jan. 25 and was interred with full military honors, including a three-volley rifle salute and the playing of Taps. He was 87.

His burial at Arlington took several months, as is often the case at the revered patch of greenery across the Potomac River from the capital, where the tombstones honor national luminaries and everyday Americans alike.
read more here

The Price Paid For Your Freedom Is Still Being Paid, Over and Over Again

When Someone Else Pays The Price, It Isn't Free
Wounded Times
Kathie Costos
July 18, 2015

It happened when troops were sent to Vietnam and war coverage was brought to every home in America. It happened to veterans of the Korean War the same way it did to veterans of WWII and WI. It happened to all those generation when troops were sent to Kuwait. Outsiders didn't know what it was doing to the veterans because they wouldn't talk about it. Not than anyone bothered to ask them. Folks didn't know so they just didn't care.

Then came that dreadful day in September of 2001 when advocates were screaming about what was to come after the attack on our own soil. Few listened, even less understood the warnings were very real.

Troops were sent into Afghanistan in October and the screams were louder because the evidence was presenting itself throughout the veteran community. Most families didn't understand what happened to shred their lives as they knew them.

In 2003, another war began in Iraq and President Bush gave a speech to announce it.

Million of Americans are praying with you for the safety of your loved ones and for the protection of the innocent.

For your sacrifice, you have the gratitude and respect of the American people and you can know that our forces will be coming home as soon as their work is done.

Our nation enters this conflict reluctantly, yet our purpose is sure. The people of the United States and our friends and allies will not live at the mercy of an outlaw regime that threatens the peace with weapons of mass murder.

We will meet that threat now with our Army, Air Force, Navy, Coast Guard and Marines, so that we do not have to meet it later with armies of firefighters and police and doctors on the streets of our cities.

While everyone in this country has the opportunity to enjoy freedom, few felt the price was worth paying to retain it. The others never really understood how valuable it was. They simply took it for granted someone would always show up and risk their lives for it. When someone else pays the price, it isn't free.

There was no mention of the price being paid in over 20 million homes with veterans of past wars fighting a renewed battle to live.

In 2009, the attack came in the disguise of one of their own. The terrorist attack came from not just a soldier, but an officer and psychologist in charge of caring for their mental health. It will forever be known as the Fort Hood Massacre but no one bothered to calculate the cost for the families at Fort Hood or on all the other bases around the world.

Army Ret. Command Sgt. Maj., James Rominger reaches down to touch one of the 13 crosses surrounded by American Flags in front of the Central Christian church, Sunday, Nov. 8, 2009, in Killeen, Texas. CREDIT: AP Photo/Tony Gutierrez

No one bothered to sum up the crisis for all the other veteran families yet again.

In a Tennessee town, another attack left 4 Marines dead. Americans were shocked for a few minutes and then got on with their lives. Community members near the recruiting office let the grief touch their hearts. For current military members, this will not be something they simply get over or move on from. They will take it with them wherever they go right along with every other veteran who paid the price so that others had the right to forget.

David Wyatt, killed in Chattanooga, was even-keeled mentor to Marines
Washington Post
By Dan Lamothe
July 17 2015

“He was a mentor and a leader to a lot of guys who are now like, ‘Wow,’ ” Bein said. “It’s going to bring back a lot of memories for guys, especially knowing that stuff like this is now on our own soil. Good Lord.”

Staff Sgt. David A. Wyatt was a veteran of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan and a pillar of support to his comrades in those conflicts who came home with physical or emotional scars.

After Matt Bein was wounded by an improvised explosive device in Afghanistan in 2009, he turned to Wyatt for help in wrestling through what he should do with the rest of his life — leave the Marine Corps, or find some way to continue to serve despite his injuries.

“He was a mentor and a leader to a lot of guys,” said Bein, a former joint terminal attack controller who ultimately decided to accept a medical retirement as a sergeant. read more here

part two Vietnam Requiem Revisisted

Son Discovers Truth of Dad's Service in Two Wars

Son uncovers truth of Korean vet father
San Antonio native fought in B-17, Normandy before death
Houston Chronicle
By Sig Christenson
July 12, 2015

Sgt. Leroy Moore was remembered
Sunday at a cemetery service.

SAN ANTONIO - Army Staff Sgt. Leroy Moore was a mystery to just about everyone in his family.

Nobody knew he got the most dangerous combat assignments, perhaps because neither Moore nor his wife talked about it. But as his son, Scott, dug into the past of a father he never got to know, a picture of a charmed life at war came into focus.

On Sunday, the 65th anniversary of his death on the Korean peninsula, the tale was shared at San Fernando Cemetery No. 3, where Moore was saluted one last time.

Moore, who quit Brackenridge High School in 1939 and joined the Army on his 16th birthday, flew 36 missions over Europe as a ball-turret gunner aboard a B-17 Flying Fortress, the "Shining Hour," until being injured by shrapnel. The Shining Hour was later shot down, with four buddies killed and a fifth listed as missing in action.

Given to a ground job after being released from the hospital, Moore went into the infantry and fought from Normandy through the Battle of the Bulge, earning a Silver Star. Suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder, after coming home, Moore, a father of two young sons, rejoined the Army and was sent to Korea weeks after the invasion.

His luck was about to run out.
read more here

Breakfast With Champions of Freedom

Local heroes gather quietly every two week to share a meal
Veteran's of Foreign War Post #578 sponsor breakfasts for those who fought for our freedom
Preston County News Journal
by Theresa Marthey STAFF WRITER
July 11, 2015

Staff Photo by Writer Theresa Marthey

Veteran breakfast

Veterans gathered at Hometown Diner in Kingwood on Wednesday for breakfast.

KINGWOOD — Hometown Diner in Kingwood had a handful of special customers for breakfast Wednesday morning: A handful of Preston County men and women who some might call heroes met to enjoy a good meal and cup of coffee.

These unassuming men and women presenting themselves as senior citizens are actually veterans who fought in wars as far back as Vietnam, Korea and World War II.

James Savage, 67, is one of the youngest in attendance. He served in Iraq during the recent war. But for Savage, being with the other veterans was awe-inspiring.

“It is a honor to be able to sit here with these gentlemen and talk about life and experiences,” Savage said. “I am humbled to be in their presence.”

Sheridan Layman, Larry Hoban and Foster Huffman, all veterans of World War II, were presented Veterans of Foreign War blazers and shirts to wear at future VFW events.

Layman will be turning 101 years old on July 29. He enlisted in the U.S. Army in 1932 and was discharged in 1947. He was approximately 30 years old during the war.
read more here

Frozen Chosin Marine Receives Belated Lone Star

Marine who survived Chosin fight in 1950 gets belated medal Lone Star Medal of Valor added to 2 Purple Hearts
Express News
By Sig Christenson

July 6, 2015
In his final battle, Cpl. Werner W. “Ronnie” Reininger and his fellow Marines were surrounded, taking fire from all directions as temperatures fell to 30 degrees below zero.

Photo: John Davenport, Staff / San Antonio Express-News
Texas Governor Greg Abbott (left) congratulates Sergeant Werner W. Reininger, (center) United States Marine Corps (Retired) after Reininger received the Texas State Lone Star Medal of Valor Monday July 6, 2015 at a ceremony held at the Fort Sam Houston Golf Club. Reininger received the medal for extraordinary heroism during the Korean War. On the right is Major General John F. Nichols.

Most of the men in his battalion of the 1st Marine Division were dead or too badly wounded to move.

But Reininger, hit four times by incoming mortar shells, kept returning to his light machine gun, covering columns of Marines withdrawing along a dirt ox-cart trail in the face of an offensive by 300,000 Chinese troops.

“You didn’t survive by digging in,” he said, explaining that the Chinese would bayonet sleeping troops in their foxholes. “You survived by fighting.”

Reininger, 86, of San Antonio, received no medals other than a pair of Purple Hearts for losing both legs and all 10 of his fingers over a week of fighting in the late fall of 1950 at the bloody Chosin Reservoir. An award for high valor required at least two eyewitnesses, and none was found among the few in his unit who survived.

On Monday, however, a crowd of at least 150 stood and applauded as Air Force Maj. Gen. John Nichols, head of the Texas National Guard, presented Reininger with the Lone Star Medal of Valor, the state’s highest honor for courage on the battlefield.
read more here

Winn Dixie Forgot To Honor All The Other 20 Million Veterans

Wounded Times
Kathie Costos
July 1, 2015

Blind patriotism is writing a check and thinking you just did something worthy of all they did for us. Ignorance is no excuse for forgetting those who came before those you choose to remember.

This morning started out like every other day. I got up at 4:30, put on the coffee, let my dog out and turned on the TV to catch up on the news. As soon as I turned it on there was, what I thought would be, a great patriotic commercial for those who served this nation. After all, they are the reason we are still free. They are ready to defend us with their lives. All of them. And that is the part that made me sick to my stomach.

The commercial from Winn Dixie wasn't about all our veterans. It was not about the over 20 million veterans out of the news and the spotlight of the reporters. It wasn't about all the dedicated groups taking care of all our veterans equally simply because they are worthy of so much more. No, not about WWII veterans, Korean War veterans, Vietnam War veterans or Gulf War veterans. It was about donating money to Wounded Warrior Project despite the hashtag Winn Dixie wants folks to use which is "#allforhonor."

 This is from WWP website

Why don't you offer services to ALL veterans?
WWP began as a small, grassroots effort to provide immediate assistance when a warrior of this generation was injured. We felt we could do the most good by providing more comprehensive programs and services to the newly injured, rather than spread ourselves too thin by trying to help all veterans. We also knew there were many terrific veterans' organizations for warriors from previous conflicts, but very few focused on serving our newest generation.

Driving to work at 5:45, my favorite radio station played their ad. They repeated it all day long.

I emailed Winn Dixie and asked how they abandoned the other veterans. This was their response.

Thank you for reaching out to us to express your opinions. We are partnering with WPP for this particular promotion because we have a responsibility to care and contribute to the lives of those who have served and sacrificed for our nation, and we believe WWP is doing just that. We have chosen to be specific with our donation by donating to the Independence program so that 100% of our donation goes directly to the veterans they serve and not administrative costs.

We understand that our campaign focus is of concern to you, but we hope you’ll understand this is one of many programs we have in place to give back to the communities we serve, many of which are veterans organizations. Just last year, with the help of our customers, vendor partners and associates – BI-LO, Harveys and Winn-Dixie channeled more than $10 million and nearly 33 million pounds of food back to hundreds of non-profit organizations across our footprint. Again, we appreciate your feedback and thank you for shopping with us!
Winn Dixie Customer Support

This is their press release

BI-LO, Harveys and Winn-Dixie to hold Wounded Warrior Project Day
Fourth of July profits to go to Wounded Warrior Project

JACKSONVILLE, Fla., July 1, 2015 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Wounded Warrior Project® (WWP) and longtime collaborator Southeastern Grocers — home of BI-LO, Harveys and Winn-Dixie — band together for a special Fourth of July initiative: Wounded Warrior Project Day. Southeastern Grocers will donate every cent of every dollar of Independence Day profits to WWP to help support the Independence Program.

The WWP Independence Program helps warriors live life to the fullest, on their own terms. It pairs a specialized case manager with each injured service member and his or her family to develop a personalized plan that targets the warrior's needs or interests. In many instances, for the cost of one month in an in-patient institutionalized brain injury rehabilitation program, the WWP Independence Program can provide a year's worth of community-based support on a weekly basis to an individual warrior.

On Saturday, July 4, BI-LO, Harveys and Winn-Dixie customers can support WWP programs by simply shopping at one of the nearly 800 participating grocery stores in Alabama, Mississippi, Louisiana, Florida, Georgia, Tennessee, North and South Carolina. Customers are also able to make individual contributions to WWP at BI-LO, Harveys and Winn-Dixie websites and in-store checkout stations.

"BI-LO, Harveys and Winn-Dixie operate in states with some of the highest active duty military populations in the United States," said Ian McLeod, Southeastern Grocers president and chief executive officer.

McLeod announced the initiative and thanked active and retired military and their families for their service and sacrifice. "While we recognize on Memorial Day those soldiers who paid the supreme sacrifice, and give thanks to those that have served on Veterans Day; the sacrifice and needs of those who are severely injured visibly or invisibly is not necessarily fully understood. I am honoured that we are running this program and am thankful to the military men and women and their families for their service and sacrifice."

"We are excited to continue our work with BI-LO, Harveys and Winn-Dixie in the spirit of lifelong commitment to serving our nation's veterans," said Steve Nardizzi, WWP chief executive officer. "The promise we have made to injured servicemen and women is evident in the kindness from companies like Southeastern Grocers. The generosity that will result from Wounded Warrior Project Day is vital to honoring and empowering our nation's bravest. Independence Day provides a timely framework to celebrate that mission and those who help us fulfill it, while uplifting those we serve."

Wounded Warrior Project Day is one of many ways Southeastern Grocers continues to support Wounded Warrior Project® (WWP). Southeastern Grocers has donated more than $610,000 to WWP in the following areas: Believe In Heroes® campaign, Soldier Ride® and the Alumni Program. Wounded Warrior Day will also be celebrated on social media platforms across the Internet. Donors with social media accounts are welcome to post tributes to injured veterans using #allforhonor.

All for honor? Seriously? I thought about all my uncles who served in WWII. They passed away years ago after fighting for this country. My husband's Dad and his uncles also served in WWII and passed away. We're losing that generation but many are still with us and they endured the same wounds as the generations before them.

I thought about my Dad and how he served in Korea and all the other Korean veterans still with us. My Dad was 100% disabled but he passed away years ago after his generation also suffering from the same wounds.

I thought about my husband, a Vietnam veteran, also 100% disabled for serving this country and thank God he is still here. We've been married over 30 years. There are a lot of other families just like mine. Forgotten in all of this even though our generation fought for everything being done on PTSD and TBI long before this generation was even born topped off with Agent Orange. I thought about how most of the veteran suicides are over the age of 50 but no one seems to care.

I thought about friends, Gulf War veterans suffering from the same wounds plus the wounds causing illnesses no one is really sure about even after all these years.

Then I thought about all the organizations formed so many years ago but have been ignored by all these businesses writing checks and getting a lot of publicity doing it. They are blind, as you noticed from the response from Winn Dixie.

We belong to the Disabled American Veterans. My husband is a Commander at one of the Chapters. We belong simply because of the work they have been doing for all disabled veterans since WWI. One of those veterans was my Dad and then they helped my husband.

The historical account of DAV in Wars and Scars on the pages that follow tells the story of that journey, from the days after World War I to the men and women of today returning from Iraq, Afghanistan and beyond. It tells the story of the veterans, families and civilians who made the commitment that none of America’s heroes should ever go it alone.

We support and belong to the Veterans of Foreign Wars

The VFW traces its roots back to 1899 when veterans of the Spanish-American War (1898) and the Philippine Insurrection (1899-1902) founded local organizations to secure rights and benefits for their service: Many arrived home wounded or sick. There was no medical care or veterans' pension for them,and they were left to care for themselves.

In their misery, some of these veterans banded together and formed organizations with what would become known as the Veterans of Foreign Wars of the United States. After chapters were formed in Ohio, Colorado and Pennsylvania, the movement quickly gained momentum. By 1915, membership grew to 5,000; by 1936, membership was almost 200,000

I belong to Point Man International Ministries helping veterans heal the spiritual wound of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder since 1984.

Since 1984, when Seattle Police Officer and Vietnam Veteran Bill Landreth noticed he was arresting the same people each night, he discovered most were Vietnam vets like himself that just never seemed to have quite made it home. He began to meet with them in coffee shops and on a regular basis for fellowship and prayer. Soon, Point Man Ministries was conceived and became a staple of the Seattle area. Bills untimely death soon after put the future of Point Man in jeopardy.

However, Chuck Dean, publisher of a Veterans self help newspaper, Reveille, had a vision for the ministry and developed it into a system of small groups across the USA for the purpose of mutual support and fellowship. These groups are known as Outposts. Worldwide there are hundreds of Outposts and Homefront groups serving the families of veterans.

When you go shopping on July 4th remember the faces that have been forgotten by Winn Dixie and far too many others pretending to be doing something for all veterans while only caring about some.

WWII Veterans Still Matter

Korean War Veterans Still Matter

Vietnam Veteran Still Matter

Gulf War Veterans Still Matter

These are the veterans forgotten this July 4th

Scallywag PTSD Awareness Day

Wounded Times
Kathie Costos
June 28, 2015

Yesterday was PTSD Awareness Day. I didn't post on it simply because there was nothing new learned about PTSD from last year of the year before or even back to the generations coming before this one.

The only thing we learned is there are a bunch of scallywags popping up all over the country raising funds to raise awareness about something they don't even understand.

http://www.roadkilltshirts.com/

scallywag - a deceitful and unreliable scoundrel

Some of them are actually doing more harm than good. Some of them have huge social media followings because they spend most of their days gaining an audience instead of gaining real knowledge of what they are supposed to be an expert on.

Others repeat what they read online as fact because they don't bother to actually learn the history of this scourge plaguing humanity.

scourge- a cause of affliction or calamity:

The "22 a day" claim is false but has been repeated over and over again. A Google search for that topic yields "About 6,440,000 results" but when you Google search the truth of veteran suicides double civilian population you get only "About 372,000 results."

Veteran Suicides Twice as High as Civilian Rates - News21 backhome.news21.com/article/suicide/ Aug 24, 2013 - Veterans are killing themselves at more than double the rate of the civilian population with about 49,000 taking their own lives between 2005 ...

Suicide rate for veterans far exceeds that of civilian population www.publicintegrity.org/.../suicide-rate-vetera... Center for Public Integrity Aug 30, 2013 - Veterans are killing themselves at more than double the rate of the civilian population with about 49,000 taking their own lives between 2005 ... You've visited this page many times. Last visit: 3/9/15

Male Veterans Have Double the Suicide Rate of Civilians www.nimh.nih.gov/.../male-veterans-h... National Institute of Mental Health Jun 12, 2007 - Male veterans in the general U.S. population are twice as likely as their civilian peers to die by suicide, a large study shows. Results of the ...

Veteran Suicides Apocalypse Now - Wounded Times woundedtimes.blogspot.com/2015/.../veteran-suicides-apocalypse-now.h... Jan 14, 2015 - The rate of veterans committing suicide is double the civilian population with the majority of them being over 50. Then there is the other figure of ... You've visited this page many times. Last visit: 6/13/15

Detailed study confirms high suicide rate among recent ... www.latimes.com/.../la-na-veteran-suicide-20150115-... Los Angeles Times Jan 18, 2015 - Recent veterans have committed suicide at a much higher rate than ... the rate among other civilians with similar demographic characteristics. You visited this page on 6/13/15.

News21: Veteran suicides twice as high as civilian rates ... cronkitenewsonline.com/.../news21-veteran-suicides-twice-as-high-as-civ... Sep 20, 2013 - Veterans are killing themselves at more than double the rate of the civilian population with about 49,000 taking their own lives between 2005 ...

Is the 22-Veterans-Per-Day Suicide Rate Reliable? | Dustin ... www.huffingtonpost.com/.../veteran-suicide-rate_b_... The Huffington Post Jan 5, 2015 - There's no doubt that the rising veteran suicide rate is one of the most serious ... status as a veteran, it is likely their death will be reported as a civilian one. ... "Suicide rates within the veteran population often were double and ...

Did you see how far back that result went? It was 2007 long before the VA report showed limited data from 21 states and offered a disclaimer about the data they collected. Reporters jumped on that number. They failed to provide the truth about how many veterans they were talking about as well as failure to mention the fact even if they discovered all the death certificates tied to military service and suicide, they would still not know all of them.

There are too many variables. Drug overdoses-accident or on purpose? Car accidents-accident, or on purpose or driven by a flashback? Veterans facing off with police and SWAT teams-tragic outcome to a veteran in crisis or planned suicide by cop?

With all the nonsense flooding the internet and social media sites, there is also great work being done. Folks telling the truth about realities of PTSD as well as the facts needing the most attention.

PTSD is not a mental illness. You were not born with it even though the moment of your birth was traumatic. The only way you ended up with PTSD was by surviving traumatic events. In other words, the trauma did it to you.

PTSD is not even an anxiety disorder

Post-traumatic stress disorder -- or PTSD -- was considered to be a type of anxiety disorder in earlier versions of the American Psychiatric Association's Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders.

But in 2013, PTSD was reclassified as its own condition.

It describes a range of emotional reactions caused by exposure to either death or near-death circumstances (such as fires, floods, earthquakes, shootings, assault, automobile accidents, or wars) or to events that threaten one's own or another person's physical well-being. The traumatic event is re-experienced with fear of feelings of helplessness or horror and may appear in thoughts and dreams. Common behaviors include the following:

Avoiding activities, places, or people associated with the triggering event
Difficulty concentrating
Difficulty sleeping
Being hypervigilant (you closely watch your surroundings)
Feeling a general sense of doom and gloom with diminished emotions (such as loving feelings or aspirations for the future)

Symptoms such as chest pain, shortness of breath, palpitations, dizziness, fainting, and weakness should not be automatically attributed to anxiety and require evaluation by a doctor.

Aside from the event itself, too many researchers waste valuable time and funds studying stupidity.

They research animals and rodents by causing trauma and then see what works. What they never seem to factor in is what makes humans different. They forget about survivor's guilt and the process we go through between rational and emotional thought.

The DOD and VA instest billions on PTSD "prevention" but have failed to use the most common practice of Crisis Intervention right after the event.

practical-mindful of the results, usefulness, advantages or disadvantages, etc., of action or procedure.

It is not practical to send in crisis teams right after an IED explodes. Yet during the Korean War, that is exactly what happened, or damn near close to it. The problem is, what they were doing did not prevent PTSD but just got them to stuff it instead of treat it.

Treatment After the Vietnam War

Before the Vietnam War, psychiatric consensus held that soldiers who recovered from an episode of mental breakdown during combat would suffer no adverse long-term consequences. Psychiatric disability commencing after the war was believed to be related to preexisting conditions. As a consequence, military psychiatrists devoted relatively little attention to postwar psychiatric syndromes. A major shift in psychiatric interest in war-related psychiatric disability took place after the Vietnam War. Fifteen years after the United States withdrew from Vietnam, an epidemiological survey concluded that 480 000 (15%) of the 3.15 million Americans who had served in Vietnam were suffering from service-related PTSD. In addition, between one quarter and one third (nearly 1 million ex-service personnel) displayed symptoms of PTSD at one time or another.

As we've read over the last few years some have reverted back to blaming the veteran instead of the combat. After all it has to be them since the DOD had done everything they could for them,,,at least that was their excuse. They seem oblivious to the fact each recruit goes through physical and mental health evaluations right from the start. Either their testing is flawed or their prevention programs are. All 900 of them!

There are over 16 million combat veterans in this country. We don't talk about the others because social media is dominated by the OEF and OIF generation. What was learned over decades of research has been buried and what failed has been repeated. We've seen the deadly outcome as more and more is being done but less and less of what works has been provided.

Medications used were designed to level the chemicals of brains but they have been used as the answer-all take a pill and call it a day treatment. Too many professionals taking care of troops and veterans did not take specialized training on trauma, so they don't have a clue what to do. Far too many mistreat it as if it was some type of defect instead of looking at the survivors changed by traumatic events.

PTSD treatment has to be provided by trauma experts.  It has to include mind-body and spirit or they will continue to mistreat veterans like animals.

The other thing is that there has been fabulous work done on brain scans showing what trauma does and how far it spreads.

Following a trauma, we see the world through different eyes.

While many people intuitively agree with this statement, a new MRI study offers some hard evidence in support of this belief.

Remembering a near-plane crash they had experienced, a group of participants showed greater responses in brain regions involved in emotional memory — the amygdala, hippocampus, and midline frontal and posterior regions.
Trauma Changes Your Brain’s Response To New Events, Increasing Activity In Emotional Memory Regions, Medical Daily Jun 23, 2015

We need to question who is doing what and if what they are doing is working or not. How many bills do members of congress need with their names on it before they take a look back at what has already failed? How many times do they get to repeat mistakes of the past before they are held accountable for the rise in tragedies families are left with? How many more graves have to have a name carved in stone before someone says "enough" of doing something and it is time to get that something right?

We've been flooded with far too many gaining awareness for themselves after looking up terms on the internet and too many politicians getting more terms in office for achieving notoriety then avoiding accountability.

It is time to give our veterans the ammunition they need to fight this battle after war and that has to start with facts, not popular headlines.

Denver VA Hospital Sign Historical Reminder

Like most states, no one thought about veterans ahead of time. When this hospital was built, troops were in fighting in Korea for about a year. "Almost 40,000 Americans died in action in Korea, and more than 100,000 were wounded."

Unlike World War II and Vietnam, the Korean War did not get much media attention in the United States. The most famous representation of the war in popular culture is the television series “M*A*S*H,” which was set in a field hospital in South Korea. The series ran from 1972 until 1983, and its final episode was the most-watched in television history.

No one was talking about what was happening to them when they came home either. Understandable to assume that what were read in the newspapers today is all new since no one knew what was going on other than the veterans and their families.

"The main building of the Denver hospital, built in 1951 and renovated in 1986, is showing incurable signs of age. As many as three patients are crowded into single rooms."

The 80th Congressional session would have planned and funded the hospital before troops were sent into Korea. Construction began during the 81st. It is easy to assume they did not change the plans as more wounded were coming home from Korea since the renovations did not start until over ten years after troops were out of Vietnam.

When no one plans for what wars do, veterans suffer. This has been repeated throughout our history and shows no sign of changing.

When Congress approved of sending troops into Afghanistan, there were already veterans waiting for care in long lines and for claims to be approved. When they approved of sending troops into Iraq, the lines were longer, waits were longer. What did not grow proportionately preparing for the newly wounded and disabled was the VA.

No political party has taken responsibility for any of this. No politician has been held accountable. The only people found responsible by the public were the heads of the VA during the time when reporters actually cared to report on what was happening to our veterans at the time. God forbid they actually looked back to see how it got this bad or how long it had been going on.

So when you read the rest of this, understand that Congress doomed veterans to history being repeated generations after generations.


Baffled, angry: Veterans share views on current VA hospital conditions
The Denver Post
By David Olinger
POSTED:04/05/2015

Some ask how many more veterans will die
before the new hospital opens.

Darrell Myers, 69, served in the Army but has had problems with his care at the VA Hospital in Denver after a colonoscopy in March. Myers has no complaints about the treatment he gets as a VA patient. "I get very good care from my doctors," he said. But he cannot say the same about the hospital conditions that veterans endure while the VA struggles to finish its new state-of-the-art facility.
(Cyrus McCrimmon, The Denver Post)

Darrell Myers praises his Department of Veterans Affairs doctors and relies exclusively on the VA for medical care. But last month, a routine colonoscopy at the VA's aging Denver medical center morphed into a massive bleeding episode, a four-day hospital admission and a blood test mix-up. While he was there, an electrical fire erupted on his floor, and his bathroom door was taped shut.

Ralph Bozella arrived early at the Denver hospital last month for a cancer test. He and other patients ended up sitting in hospital gowns in a hallway because the biopsy room had been commandeered for something more urgent.

"If anybody thinks we don't need a new hospital," he said, "come on down and check yourself in."

Last month, a new price estimate for a medical campus being built in Aurora sent shock waves through Congress.

The VA originally estimated the Aurora hospital could be built for $328 million. Construction began three years ago with a $600 million budget, and Congress has authorized spending up to $800 million. But after the Army Corps of Engineers stepped in to investigate its status and end a stalemate with the construction contractor, the VA issued a stunning new estimate: $1.73 billion.
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World War II Experiences Left Him Shattered But Not Broken

VA helps Iowa veterans tell their life stories 
Des Moines Register
Tony Leys
March 23, 2015

"I cleaned out wounds. I patched them. I gave them morphine. I didn't have the stomach for it. I treated German soldiers and U.S. soldiers. They died just like we did. They were just like us, they had to do what they had to do. I felt helpless to alleviate terrible suffering, no matter how much I tried. Then over six years later, I came to realize that the work I did with so many other casualties helped prevent them from developing horrible consequences."

U.S. Army veteran John Gualtier, 89, of Vinton holds a photo of himself from World War II at the VA Outpatient Clinic in Coralville on Tuesday. He served as a medic in the war.
(Photo: David Scrivner/Iowa City Press-Citizen)

CORALVILLE, Ia. –If the Department of Veterans Affairs wants to take down John Gualtier's life story, it's going to take a while.

The Vinton retiree was one of the first to volunteer for a new project in which VA staffers interview veterans and write up short biographies. The resulting essays are to be attached to the veterans' medical charts, to help VA health care providers understand their patients' perspectives.

Gualtier, 89, went decades without discussing the World War II experiences that left him shattered. But he's opened up in the past few years, because he wants younger veterans to avoid the mistake of trying to bury troubling memories.

"During combat, when I was into some really gory stuff, I never gave any thought about the effects it might have on me later," he told Stephanie Henrickson, a nurse who coordinates a mental health program for the regional VA system based in Iowa City.

Henrickson sat across from Gualtier at the VA's Coralville clinic one morning last week, taking notes in pen and capturing his gravelly voice on a digital recorder. She plans to write up his story, go over it with him, then put it in his medical file and give him a copy to share with his family. She has interviewed about 15 veterans so far as part of a pilot project in the Iowa City area and five other U.S. locations.

Most of Henrickson's interviews have taken an hour or so, but Gualtier's has required several sessions. He has so much to say.

In the most recent session, Henrickson asked Gualtier about his childhood in a small Ohio town during the Depression. "It seems like we always had it rough until the war broke out," he said. "It was a very, very hard time."

About the project
The Iowa City VA is one of six sites recently chosen to try the "My Life, My Story" project, which was pioneered in Madison, Wis.

Nurse Stephanie Henrickson said her agency plans to hire a full-time writer to do more such interviews and work up the stories.

Regular medical appointments usually focus on specific ailments, Henrickson explained. If a patient has heart issues, he'll get cardiac tests and questions. If a patient has a dermatology issue, the doctor will ask her about her skin. The storytelling project is an attempt to step back and get a sense of the patients as people and to understand what's important to them.
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Older Veterans Will Need More Help Filling Claims

New VA Claims Process Called Detrimental to Older Veterans 
Pittsburgh Tribune-Review
by Brian Bowling
Feb 23, 2015

While the new Department of Veterans Affairs claims process uses forms that are simpler than income tax return forms, they have similar names and designs. More importantly, they represent a shift that puts more of the burden on veterans for starting a claim and will end up hurting older veterans and those with traumatic brain injuries, spokesmen for the Veterans of Foreign Wars and Disabled American Veterans said. "In the end, the changes are being implemented for the convenience of the VA and not for the benefit of the veterans," said Gerald Manar, deputy director of the VFW's National Veterans Service.

The policy, which will take effect March 24, eliminates the informal claim process that allowed veterans to start a claim simply by making a written request. Under the existing policy, the veteran then had one year to file a completed claim. Any benefits awarded would be backdated to the day of the request.

The new policy requires veterans to fill out a standardized form to start the claims process. "They're not going to do anything until they receive the correct form, completed correctly," said Jim Marszalek, the DAV's National Service Director. Consequently, veterans could lose months of benefits while waiting for the VA to notify them that they need to send in the correct form, and some are likely to simply give up, he said. "There's nothing (in the regulation) to specify how long the VA has to respond to someone who doesn't use a standard form," Marszalek said.
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Remains of Korean War POW Going Home

Remains of Minnesota soldier who died in Korean War prison camp coming home
Twin Cities News
By Helmut Schmidt
Forum News Service
POSTED: 02/18/2015

Shadow Salute by Wounded Times

GARY, Minn. -- After more than six decades, Sgt. Arnold Andring is finally coming home.

The Gary man, who fought in the Korean War and died as a prisoner of war, will be laid to rest with full military honors in April next to his mother and father in St. Michael's Cemetery in Mahnomen.

Andring's remains -- found amid 208 boxes holding the commingled remains of more than 400 soldiers -- were turned over by the North Koreans between 1991 and 1994.

His remains, stored at the Central Identification Laboratory-Hawaii, were recently identified by experts using DNA testing.

For Andring's family, the news kindled a mix of long-buried sadness and relief.

"It's the end. It's a closure. We've been waiting for this for a long time," said Lucille Gish, one of Andring's five surviving siblings.

"I firmly believe it was a miracle. God was looking out for us. We're lucky," the 82-year-old Mahnomen woman said. "There are many boys who haven't been found out there yet."

"I just mostly blubbered" on the phone, Len Andring of Moorhead said of his initial talk on Jan. 22 with military officials.

Len Andring said the family always wondered if it was possible to find his brother's remains, but no one gave up hope.

"The Army has been great in keeping in touch," the 86-year-old said. "To go this far to honor their promise of bringing everyone home..." he said, his voice trailing off.
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WWII Pilot Takes to Sky At 92

World War II bomber pilot flies plane of his dreams 70 years later at Stallion 51 
Around Osceola
By Charlie Reed
Staff Writer
February 18, 2015

“I think helping people was therapeutic. I gained a lot of insight into my own problems,” said Coutu, who also has sought help from the Veterans Administration for his PTSD.

World War II and Korean War veteran Armand Coutu, who celebrated his 92nd birthday Sunday, took to the skies last week in the venerable Mustang at Stallion 51 in Kissimmee.

Seventy years after Armand Coutu flew his last bomber mission, the World War II and Korean War veteran got the chance to fly the aircraft of his dreams – the P-51 fighter plane.

World War II and Korean War veteran Armand Coutu, who celebrated his 92nd birthday Sunday, took to the skies last week in the venerable Mustang at Stallion 51 in Kissimmee.

Coutu, who celebrated his 92nd birthday Sunday, took to the skies last week in the venerable Mustang at Stallion 51 in Kissimmee.

The flight and training center at Kissimmee Gateway Airport provides novice pilots and veterans such as Coutu the chance to fly some of the world’s rarest war-era planes.

Coutu, a native of Massachusetts who now lives in Clermont, joined Aviation Cadet Reserve Corps after graduating from high school in 1940. He was drafted by the Army in 1943 and completion of basic training got a choice: attend medical school at Yale University or learn to fly. Coutu opted for the latter.

The U.S. military needed bombers and he was commissioned as a lieutenant to fly the B-25 Mitchell.

Coutu’s days as a bomber pilot kept him in the U.S. hunting German U-boats off the eastern coast of the country until the Nazis were defeated in the spring of 1945. He spent the rest of the war flying missions off the west coast in pursuit of Japanese submarines until the Japan surrendered in August that year following the nuclear attacks on Hiroshima and Nagasaki.
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VA split up PTSD veteran peer support group on purpose?

Veterans are stronger together but the VA in Cape Coral just split up a group of 10 veterans.

Tell Mel: Vets with PTSD say Cape VA clinic kicked them out
News Press By Melanie Payne
December 11, 2014

No doubt the 10 men who were booted out of the Veterans Administration Healthcare Center in Cape Coral were treated shabbily. These guys are combat veterans who fought in Korea, Vietnam, Iraq and Afghanistan. They all suffer from post-traumatic stress disorder or PTSD, a mental disorder that can develops following a terrifying events like those that happen in war.

Every Friday for the past 18 months the men have held their support group at the VA Clinic offices. And they wanted to continue those meetings there with their current group leaders.

The VA has a different idea. It wants one of two peer specialists, employees who are certified mental health professionals, to help run the group; something the members of this PTSD support group have refused to allow.

The current group leader is a trained volunteer, Luis Casilla. A 63-year-old Vietnam vet, Casilla is a trained peer specialist with more than a decade of experience.

"They don't want to associate with these guys," Casilla said the PTSD support group members have told him. The VA's specialists haven't had PTSD. "They don't trust them. They want keep our group. But (the VA) wants to do it their way."

The change is being dictated by a national policy, said spokesman Jason Dangel, a public affairs officers with the Bay Pines VA Healthcare System.
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Where Are America’s Military Veterans Really Thriving?

GUEST POST

Where Are America’s Military Veterans Really Thriving?

Military Storage

by John Egan

From sea to shining sea, about 21.4 million military veterans live across the United States. Whether it’s a 25-year-old veteran who fought in Iraq or a 65-year-old veteran who did battle in Korea, our veterans have succeeded in protecting our freedom.

On an individual basis, away from the front lines, the success of our military veterans can be measured in terms of income, employment and education. In those three categories, many veterans are much better off than their non-veteran counterparts.

In honor of Veterans Day, MilitaryStorage.com combed through data from the U.S. Census Bureau to come up with a list of the 12 U.S. metro areas where veterans are doing the best compared with non-veterans.

To read the list, ranked in descending order, visit the MilitaryStorage.com blog.

John Egan is editor in chief of the Military Storage Station, the MilitaryStorage.com blog. John, A Kansas native, has more than 25 years of experience in journalism, public relations and blogging. MilitaryStorage.com is owned by Austin, Texas-based SpareFoot, an online marketplace which helps people find and book self-storage units online for free.

Starbucks CEO Laments Sales on Veterans Day Instead of Honor

Starbucks CEO: Veterans Day ‘has been turned into a weekend sale’
Washington Post
By Dan Lamothe
November 10, 2014

The CEO of Starbucks Coffee Company criticized the way America treats its veterans on Monday, saying that Veterans Day “has been turned into a weekend sale,” and more needs to be done to understand the military experience.

“That’s not respectful for me,” said Howard Schultz, speaking at an event for veterans at The Washington Post.

Schultz appeared along with Veterans Affairs Secretary Robert A. McDonald, Washington Post journalist Rajiv Chandrasekaran and some veterans to discuss how those who serve can continue to contribute to America after they take off the uniform for the final time. There’s a business case to hire veterans into corporate jobs, Schultz said, citing the “authentic leadership” they bring. But it has to be ingrained in the hiring practices of companies, he added.

The panel discussion, “Leading the Way,” is one of several events planned in the nation’s capital this week in conjunction with Veterans Day on Tuesday. Notably, Bruce Springsteen, Carrie Underwood, Eminem, Metallica, Rihanna, the Black Keys, Dave Grohl and other entertainers will combine Tuesday night to put on The Concert for Valor on the National Mall. The event — outlined here — is sponsored by Starbucks, HBO and Chase, and will air on HBO at 7 p.m.
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HBO Veteran's Day Concert Featuring Bruce Springstreen, Rihanna, Eminem, Jennifer Hudson Could Draw Record Crowd
TV
By Ira Teinowitz
November 8, 2014

Washington D.C. braces for as many as 850,000 attendees at The Concert for Valor at the National Mall on Tuesday

HBO is pulling out all the stops for Tuesday's Veteran's Day National Mall concert which could be its biggest ever live event.

The concert will feature Bruce Springsteen, Eminem, Rihanna, The Black Keys, Jennifer Hudson, Carrie Underwood, Meryl Steep, Jack Black and Bryan Cranston.

Fencing, which is normally used for inaugurations and Fourth of July celebrations, has been erected around the mall and Washington D.C.'s transit system has unveiled special plans to handle expected high attendance.
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Watchfire Burns for the Missing

Watchfire Burns for those Missing in Action
Ithaca.com
By Chris Hooker
September 27, 2014

Remembering the Missing
ROTC members from three colleges showed up to light the symbolic beacon for missing soldiers on the shore of Cayuga Lake.

A bonfire burned brightly Friday night at Myers Point Park in Lansing, but to veterans everywhere, it was something much more symbolic.

Last week, September 19, the Finger Lakes Chapter #377 of the Vietnam Veterans of America held their 24th Annual Prisoner of War/Missing in Action Watch Fire at 7 p.m. The watch fire was held in commemoration of National POW/MIA Recognition Day.

The watch fire is an enormous bonfire that can be seen from afar, and especially across the lake from Myers Point Park. The watch fire aspect of National POW/MIA Recognition Day is not just a Lansing thing, as cities and towns all of America honor those who are still listed as a prisoner of war and missing in action in the same way.

"It’s the recognition of MIAs and POWs," said organizer Danny Baker, of Vietnam Veterans of America. "There are still people missing from Vietnam, Korea, World War II, Korea and Afghanistan. It’s just a way to bring attention that there are still people missing, so politicians won’t forget."
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POW-MIA Day and the story few know

The Story of the POW/MIA Flag
HistoryNet
By Marc Leepson
Published Online: April 18, 2012

Heisley modeled the flag's silhouette on his 24-year-old son, who was on leave from the Marines and looking gaunt while getting over hepatitis. Heisley also penned the words that are stitched on the banner, "You are not forgotten."

Newt Heisley, with the POW/MIA flag he designed. (Copyright Don Jones Photography)

You see it everywhere—the stark, black-and-white POW/MIA flag—flying in front of VA hospitals, post offices and other federal, state and local government buildings, businesses and homes. It flaps on motorcycles, cars and pickup trucks. The flag has become an icon of American culture, a representation of the nation's concern for military service personnel missing and unaccounted for in overseas wars.

From the Revolution to the Korean War, thousands of U.S. soldiers, Marines, airmen and sailors have been taken prisoner or gone missing. But it took the Vietnam War—and a sense of abandonment felt by wives and family members of Americans held captive—to bring forth what has evolved into the nation's POW/MIA symbol.

The POW/MIA flag is inextricably tied to the National League of POW/MIA Families, which was born in June 1969 as the National League of Families of American Prisoners in Southeast Asia. Its mission was to spread awareness of the mistreatment of POWs at the hands of their captors. It was the brainchild of Karen Butler, wife of Navy pilot Phillip Butler, who had been shot down over North Vietnam in April 1965, and Sybil Stockdale, whose husband, Navy Commander James Bond Stockdale, was the highest-ranking POW in North Vietnam. Stockdale had been held prisoner since September 1965, when his A-4 Skyhawk went down over North Vietnam.

In 1971, League member Mary Hoff came up with the idea of creating a flag as the group's symbol. Her husband, Navy pilot Lt. Cmdr. Michael Hoff, had been missing since January 7, 1970. Mary Hoff called the country's oldest and largest flag-maker, Annin Flagmakers of Verona, N.J.
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Thanks Gunny for the link to this!

Presidential Proclamation --- National POW/MIA Recognition Day, 2014
NATIONAL POW/MIA RECOGNITION DAY, 2014
BY THE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
A PROCLAMATION

America's history shines with patriots who have answered the call to serve. From Minutemen who gathered on a green in Lexington to a great generation that faced down Communism and all those in our military today, their sacrifices have strengthened our Nation and helped secure more than two centuries of freedom. As our Armed Forces defend our homeland from new threats in a changing world, we remain committed to a profound obligation that dates back to the earliest days of our founding -- the United States does not ever leave our men and women in uniform behind. On National POW/MIA Recognition Day, we express the solemn promise of a country and its people to our service members who have not returned home and their families: you are not forgotten.

My Administration remains dedicated to accounting as fully as possible for our Nation's missing heroes, lost on battlefields where the sounds of war ceased decades ago and in countries where our troops are deployed today. Whether they are gone for a day or for decades, their absence is felt. They are missed during holidays and around dinner tables, and their loved ones bear this burden without closure. Americans who gave their last full measure of devotion deserve to be buried with honor and dignity, and those who are still unaccounted for must be returned to their families. We will never give up our search for them, and we will continue our work to secure the release of our citizens who are unjustly detained abroad. Today, we acknowledge that we owe a profound debt of gratitude to all those who have given of themselves to protect our Union and our way of life, and we honor them by working to uphold this sacred trust.

On September 19, 2014, the stark black and white banner symbolizing America's Missing in Action and Prisoners of War will be flown over the White House; the United States Capitol; the Departments of State, Defense, and Veterans Affairs; the

Selective Service System Headquarters; the World War II Memorial; the Korean War Veterans Memorial; the Vietnam Veterans Memorial; United States post offices; national cemeteries; and other locations across our country. We raise this flag as a solemn reminder of our obligation to always remember the sacrifices made to defend our Nation.

NOW, THEREFORE, I, BARACK OBAMA, President of the United States of America, by virtue of the authority vested in me by the Constitution and the laws of the United States, do hereby proclaim September 19, 2014, as National POW/MIA Recognition Day. I urge all Americans to observe this day of honor and remembrance with appropriate ceremonies and activities.

IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this eighteenth day of September, in the year of our Lord two thousand fourteen, and of the Independence of the United States of America the two hundred and thirty-ninth.

BARACK OBAMA

HEART TO HEART
Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel gives former U.S. Sen. Max Cleland of Georgia, an Army veteran of the Vietnam War, a hug after introducing him as the guest speaker at the 2014 National POW/MIA Recognition Ceremony at the Pentagon, Sept.19, 2014
DoD photo by U.S. Air Force Master Sgt. Adrian Cadiz