Senator Attempts To Undo Bad Discharges

Sen. Gary Peters introduces bill to ensure fairness for vets improperly discharged
WXYZ News
Aug 5, 2015

WASHINGTON (WXYZ) - U.S. Senator Gary Peters, a Democrat from Michigan has introduced a bill that would ensure fairness to veterans who were improperly discharged.

Peters, along with Sen. Steve Daines, a Republican from Montana and Sen. Thom Tills, a Republican from North Carolina, introduced the bill Monday.

The administrative discharges are given due to behavior resulting from mental traumas such as post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) or traumatic brain injury (TBI).
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Marine Veteran Spreads Buddy's Ashes From Pringles Can At Zoo

Marine Corps veteran completes final mission in memory of best friend 
UpperMichigansSource.com
by Rebecca Himmelstein
Posted: 06.13.2015

Mark asked Richard in his suicide note to spread his ashes in the hippo habitat.

A former scout sniper completed his final mission: saying goodbye to his best friend on Saturday

“I am leaving my best friend here today” said Richard. “It is another close to my life and it is another chapter ending, but Marines are all about mission accomplishment and my mission is done today.”

WALLACE -- Richard is a United States Marine Corps veteran. On Saturday, the former scout sniper completed his final mission: saying goodbye to his best friend Mark.

“Mark was my spotter” said Richard. “He was my best friend. Wherever I went in the Marine Corps, he followed.”

But it was not war that took Mark’s life. It didn’t happen in Fallujah where they were deployed, but in Tennessee where Mark lived with his wife.

“Two months ago I got a phone call that Mark committed suicide” said Richard. “He gave into Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder. He was too stupid to ask for help. It might be a hard thing to say, but I can say it because I suffer with P.T.S.D.”

Richard is leaving some of Mark’s ashes at the DeYoung Family Zoo in Wallace; a place that has special meaning to the Marines.

“Today is the first time Mark and I have come here and unfortunately he is in a Pringles can” said Richard.
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Chaos Followed Call to Help Suicidal Veteran

Dashcam video shows Marine veteran pulled from car window after police chase
MLIVE.com
Molly Young
June 5, 2015

SHIAWASSEE COUNTY, MI -- A man facing charges stemming from a carjacking and attempted abduction in March is a Marine veteran who suffered from post traumatic stress disorder, his attorney says.

A video The Flint Journal obtained from Michigan State Police through the Freedom of Information Act shows the police chase that ensued, and the man's arrest after police dragged him out of a car window.

Events began to unfold when a woman called 911 saying her son was suicidal, highly intoxicated and suffering from PTSD, according to Michigan State Police Lt. David Kaiser.

The call put local police on the lookout for Michael Siminski, a 30-year-old Marine veteran from Owosso driving a white Chevrolet pickup truck.
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Ex-UPS Employee Admitted Stealing Medications From Disabled Veterans

Former UPS employee admits to stealing prescription meds meant for veterans
MLIVE
Barton Deiters
June 1, 2015

In court on Thursday, May 28, Leiber asked Wysocki about the meaning of Memorial Day, which had occurred a few days prior and described the crime as a "tremendous insult" to those who served their country.

GRAND RAPIDS, MI – A former United Parcel Service employee has confessed to stealing $3,350 in prescription medication destined to be delivered to a veterans' hospital. Jonathan Justin Wysocki, 28, confessed to taking methadone pills from the UPS hub in Wyoming on at least 10 different occasions between Sept. 1 and Oct. 17 that were destined for the Battle Creek Veterans Affairs Medical Center. "I was in a very deep depression,"

Wysocki told Kent County Circuit Court Judge Dennis Leiber during a sentencing hearing last week. "I'm sorry." read more here

Fort Hood First Lieutenant Found Dead on Memorial Day

W. Mich. soldier dies from gunshot wound at Fort Hood
WWMT News 3
May 27, 2015

FORT HOOD, Texas (NEWSCHANNEL 3) - A soldier from West Michigan has died from an apparent gunshot wound in Fort Hood, Texas.

30-year-old First Lieutenant Dilon Mitchell died on Memorial Day at his on-post home.
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Two Navy SEALs Died in Training Accident

2nd Navy SEAL dies after accident in Little Creek pool 
Pilot Online
Virginia Pilot
Lauren King
April 7, 2015

A second Navy SEAL involved in an accident at a Joint Expeditionary Base Little Creek pool has died.

Petty Officer 1st Class Brett Allen Marihugh, 34, of Livonia, Mich., died Sunday afternoon of his injuries, according to Lt. David Lloyd, a Naval Special Warfare Group 2 spokesman. Marihugh and Petty Officer 1st Class Seth Cody Lewis were found unresponsive Friday in a swimming pool on base while doing physical fitness training.

Both belonged to Naval Special Warfare Group 2, and Lloyd said in a news release that the two men were discovered at the bottom of the pool by service members assigned to the Combat Swimmer Training Facility, which is used by members of the SEAL team for regular fitness training.

Lewis was pronounced dead shortly after arriving at Sentara Leigh Hospital, the news release said. Marihugh had been in critical condition and was transferred to Sentara Virginia Beach General, where he later died.
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Linked from Military.com

Iraq Veterans Fight By Side of Kurds

US Vets Return to Mideast to Battle Past and Present Demons
Associated Press
by Vivian Salama and Bram Janssen
Apr 14, 2015

"I wouldn't want our American servicemen and women to have to fight a third war in two decades," Windorski said. "I've lived through the loss of loved ones fighting on foreign soil. I have seen families with deployed loved ones. It's hell on everyone involved."

BAGHDAD — A decade after his first Iraq tour, former U.S. Marine Jamie Lane has returned to the battlefields of the Middle East to fight a still unvanquished enemy and wrestle with the demons of his past.

The 29-year old from Mt. Pleasant, Michigan served as a machine gunner from 2004 to 2008, mainly in the western Anbar province, where he saw fierce fighting against al-Qaida in Iraq.

Now, as a private citizen suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder, he is back in the region to battle its successor, the Islamic State group. "In order to aid my recovery from PTSD, I have taken it upon myself to fight on my terms, against an enemy I know is evil," said Lane, who joined Kurdish militiamen in Syria.

"It is redemption, in a sense." He is one of a small but growing number of Iraq war veterans who are making their way back to the Middle East, not as uniformed soldiers, but as individuals waging their own personal battles.

Many describe feeling a sense of unfinished business as they watched the Islamic State group rampage across the country last summer, seizing territory they had fought and bled for during the U.S.-led intervention.

Some express remorse for taking part in that war, while others say they are driven by the same sense of moral obligation that brought them here in the first place, joining their fate to that of a deeply troubled country. read more here

Michigan Veterans Not Aware of Benefits or Help

Thousands of Michigan veterans miss out on benefits
The Detroit News
Melissa Nann Burke
March 31, 2015

"I never really took the time to look into it because I was told you had to be a dismembered person in order to get these benefits," said Thomas Kline, a 66-year-old Vietnam veteran in Wayland, who recently began receiving compensation for post-traumatic stress disorder.

Thomas Kline of Wayland, a 66-year-old veteran, didn’t realize he was eligible for VA benefits until last year. He consulted with a counselor in Grand Rapids, who guided him through the process.
(Photo: Katy Batdorff)

Hundreds of thousands of Michiganians who qualify for veteran benefits aren't using them, and many vets don't know they're eligible.

As a result, Michigan ranks among the bottom five states for federal spending per veteran. Veterans' benefits can include health care, monthly disability checks, life insurance, home loans and education through the GI bill. Benefits at the state and local levels include vocational training and the Michigan Veterans Trust Fund.

Only 22 percent of Michigan's estimated 660,800 veterans used their health benefits from the U.S. Veterans Administration in 2013 — the most recent year for which data is available. Roughly 13 percent of Michigan veterans received disability checks, according to federal data.

Officials are trying to reverse the trend by raising awareness of how and where veterans and their families can access the benefits they earned. Advocates have seen progress, they say, but funding, misinformation and reticence by veterans can be a challenge.
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Marines Release Names Black Hawk Crash

Marines confirm victims in Florida crash 
WITN News
Mar 13, 2015

The Marine Corps has released the names of seven members of MARSOC who died in Tuesday night's Black Hawk crash in Florida.

Major General Joseph Osterman identified the Marines as

Captain Stanford Shaw of Basking Ridge, NJ,

Master Sgt. Thomas Saunders of Williamsburg, Virginia,

Staff Sgt. Marcus Bawol of Warren, Michigan,

Staff Sgt. Trevor Blaylock of Lake Orion, Michigan,

Staff Sgt. Liam Flynn of Queens, New York,

Staff Sgt. Kerry Kemp of Port Washington, Wisconsin,

Staff Sgt. Andrew Seif of Holland, Michigan.

All were from the 2nd Special Operations Battalion of MARSOC.
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"Nobody should have to live like this," But Vietnam Era Veteran Does

Vietnam veteran lives in shambles, local leaders try to get her help 
WNEM 5 News
By Andrew Keller
Multimedia Journalist
Mar 12, 2015

Now look into her eyes and tell her she isn't worth helping.

VASSAR, MI (WNEM) - A home in Vassar Township appears war-torn and battered on the outside.

And it's no better inside.

"I stay in this room, basically, a lot of time, sleep in this recliner," said Marjorie Harper, who is in desperate need of help.

Harper, who is 71-years old and a Vietnam-era veteran, calls this home is nothing less than a travesty.

"I put all of this plastic up so I could live in the house, you know, and funnel the water into one space, instead of having it drip all over the house," Harper said.

Water she collects in jugs she uses to flush her toilet and even bathe with because she has no running water. There's no heat other than the two space heaters. But there is a very pungent smell. To top it all off, the home is infested with black mold.

"Nobody should have to live like this," Bob Forbes said.
go here for more and for video you won't believe!

Family Raising Money to Bury National Guardsman

Family raises money to bury veteran who died in crash 
The Detroit News
Ursula Watson and Tom Greenwood
February 10, 2015

Mount Clemens — Family members of a National Guard veteran who served in Iraq and Kuwait are raising money for his funeral after he was killed in a rollover crash that police say was caused by his friend driving drunk.

Eddie Griffin III, 28, of Warren died Friday in the crash on Interstate 94 in Harrison Township. 

Christopher Sereck Buckerfield, 27, was charged Monday in Clinton Township’s 41B District Court with operating a vehicle while intoxicated, causing death and possession of marijuana.

Police say Buckerfield of Clinton Township was westbound on I-94 in his red 2008 Suzuki SX4 when he lost control of the vehicle, causing it to roll near Shook Road about 11:20 p.m. Responding deputies found Buckerfield and his passenger, Griffin, in the badly damaged vehicle. Griffin, 28, died at the scene.

“I forgive Chris (Buckerfield),” said Griffin’s sister, Candace Griffin, 35. “I don’t see him doing it on purpose. “Any ill will is not going to bring my brother back,” she said. “It just hurts because I miss him.”

Buckerfield was transported to McLaren Hospital for treatment. He was released Saturday and taken to the Macomb County Jail. read more here

Disabled Vietnam Veteran Died After Gas Shut Off

Hypothermia a factor in death of Vietnam vet after gas shut off at home 
The Oakland Press
By Dave Phillips
POSTED: 02/06/15

Skelley, a Vietnam veteran, also suffered from throat cancer and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, both of which were listed as issues that contributed to his death, which was ruled to be accidental.

Hypothermia was one of three factors that contributed to the death of a Hazel Park man who was forced to sleep in a bedroom with a space heater after the gas to his home was shut off. John Skelley, 69, was found dead around 8 a.m. Feb. 1.

His roommate made the discovery and called Hazel Park police. The roommate told police that he believed the gas to the home had been shut off a few days earlier.

An investigation revealed the gas was turned off due to nonpayment on Jan. 19, and the roommate had received three notices about the impending shutoff in December.
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Iraq Veteran PTSD Service Dog Not Welcomed at Taco Bell

Army Veteran kicked out of Taco Bell 
ABC 57
By Alexandra Koehn
Posted: Jan 16, 2015

An Army Veteran said he was kicked out of the Taco Bell on M-139 in Benton Township because he had a service dog.

The veteran called 911 because he said the scene got heated. Here is some of the audio from the call: “I'm a veteran. I have PTSD and I have a service dog. And the lady has refused service and wants to throw me out of the establishment... She's still cussing and putting me down and bullying me.”

The fast food chain said the issue was resolved and they invited the veteran back into the restaurant.

Lance Reeves said this happened on December 13th and it's upsetting because he served our country for nearly 22 years.

Reeves said he served for 4 years as a Military Police officer in Iraq and now he suffers from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. He said his service dog 'Bolo' goes with him everywhere, and helps him when he's having anxiety.

Reeves said, “If I'm having real bad nightmares and night sweats, he's able to turn on the light and wake me up and get me out of that. If I stop breathing at night, he can lay on my chest and get me to breathe.”
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Michigan County Veterans Affairs Director Use Position to Take from Veterans

Emails: Michigan county's veterans services director sought cash, gifts from veterans 
Stars and Stripes
Published: January 8, 2015

A county’s Veterans Affairs director in Michigan resigned Monday after emails were published in which he is shown to be demanding payment or other favors of veterans whom he had been helping with their health benefits.

Former Calhoun County Veterans Affairs Office Director Scott Losey asked for “a few dead presidents,” “Christmas presents” and other gifts from veterans seeking the department’s help, according to emails obtained by media outlets. WOOD TV

In emails obtained by media outlets, former Calhoun County Veterans Affairs Office Director Scott Losey asked for “a few dead presidents,” “Christmas presents” and other gifts from those seeking the department’s help.

In one of the emails, dated Oct. 20, 2011, Losey wrote about the hard work he’d done at his own home for one veteran.

“We will discuss a gentleman’s agreement to compensate for my personal time,” Losey wrote. “I have worked cases for veterans who reside outside Calhoun County over the past couple of years with the same kind of agreement. I will not gouge you like your Social Security lawyer. Perhaps 7 to 10 percent is typically the agreement. I have had veterans screw me over big time as well. Does this sound cool?”

 “Also, where is my Christmas present,” Losey wrote in all capital letters in one email in December 2009. “Just so you know, my wife and I like to go out every once in a while for dinner…”
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OEF OIF soldier killed in motorcycle crash

War vet who served in Iraq and Afghanistan killed in Coopersville crash
FOX 17
BY AGILLFILLAN
AUGUST 20, 2014

COOPERSVILLE, Mich. – A war vet who served in the Iraq and Afghanistan wars died after crashing his motorcycle in Ottawa County Wednesday.

The crash happened at about 1:30 p.m. at 64th Avenue and Randall Street.

Friends of the family have identified the crash victim as 26-year-old Mike VanHolstyn of Grand Rapids. He was active duty in the army and served 15 months in Iraq and a year in Afghanistan.

Investigators said the motorcyclist was heading west on Randall and the car was going south on 64th Avenue. The car, driven by a 52-year-old Muskegon County man was stopped at a stop sign. The car pulled out, not seeing the motorcycle, said investigators. Deputies said the 26-year-old Grand Rapids man on the motorcycle took evasive action before the crash and ‘put the bike down’ but was hit anyway.
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Vietnam veteran designs unique memorial

Proposed Belding Vietnam War memorial ‘unlike anything you’ve ever seen’
Greenville Daily News
By Cory Smith
August 08, 2014

Denny Craycraft’s vision for a Vietnam War memorial includes a total of 15 separate monuments to honor all Vietnam War veterans who died from Michigan, as well as the 12 soldiers who died from Belding and Greenville. — Daily News/Cory Smith

BELDING — Denny Craycraft can still hear the mortar blasts, the rapid fire of gunshots, and the screams of his fellow soldiers — all the horrors of war that encompassed him on a daily basis while fighting in Vietnam nearly half a century ago.

Craycraft, now a chimney sweep who operates his own business in Eureka Township with his son, served two tours of duty half a world away, but the memories still haunt him.

“I have never been able to figure out how I got back from Vietnam, especially with all the close brushes I had with death,” Craycraft said. “Did I recover? Mentally? No. Physically? Yes, I suppose.”

From 1967 to 1969, Craycraft battled overseas in a war that saw 2,654 Michigan veterans lose their lives. He nearly was one of them.

For more than three years Craycraft has campaigned for several war memorials in Belding.

His efforts, along with those of the Belding Freedom Wall Committee, have led to monuments honoring veterans from World War II, the Korean War, and, soon to be unveiled, World War I with individual monuments at Belding Veterans Park,which was established in 2012.

At Tuesday evening’s Belding City Council meeting, Craycraft unveiled his next project. He showcased a monument that will likely double in cost of anything that has been placed at the park to date, a Vietnam War monument that will not only honor local veterans from Greenville and Belding, but all 2,654 Michigan veterans who lost their lives in the war.

Included in Craycraft’s designs are a large wall, standing 6 feet in height, designed as two large wings approximately 20 feet in width, which would include the name of every Michigan veteran killed in the war.
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Michigan Gold Star Family Honors Son's Last Wish Helping Others

Couple Channel Grief Into Retreat for Veterans
Associated Press
By MIKE HOUSEHOLDER
Aug 1, 2014

OCQUEOC TOWNSHIP, Mich.

Before shipping out for Iraq, Army Sgt. Trevor Blumberg asked his father to do two things if he didn't return: Look after his puppy, Scrappy, and "take care of my guys."

Blumberg, a 22-year-old paratrooper known to his guys in the storied 82nd Airborne as "Blum," was killed days after deploying by a roadside bomb that tore through his Humvee.

In the decade since, Terry and Jan Blumberg have dutifully honored their son's wishes by using Trevor's death benefits and insurance money to build a 3,500-square-foot house on 12 acres in northern Michigan that doubles as their retirement home and a retreat for those who defend the country. For the past two years, veterans who served post-Sept. 11, 2001, have been welcome to stay for free at the three-bedroom Ocqueoc Township home for up to five days.

"We made a promise to Trevor," Terry Blumberg said.

The Blumbergs, church volunteers and veterans' group members toiled for years to build "Blum's Landing," which is tucked back from a dirt road and nestled among trees, with Orchard Lake around back.

Guests eat, rest and play alongside the Blumbergs and Scrappy, who is now a 12-year-old light brown Staffordshire terrier that follows Terry Blumberg around everywhere with tail wagging.

Terry Blumberg, who fought in the Vietnam War, said the loss of their son is "never going to stop hurting," but he and his wife take satisfaction in knowing they are doing what Trevor would have wanted by hosting those who shared his mission.
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VA Caseworker and Police Save PTSD Veteran From Suicide

Officers in St. Ignace save veteran's life
Up North Live
by Nathan Lehota
Posted: 08.01.2014

A local veteran says local police saved his life while he was having a PTSD attack.

ST. IGNACE -- A Northern Michigan veteran is crediting the St. Ignace Police Department for saving his life while he was having a Post Traumatic Stress Disorder attack.

Retired Sergeant First Class Larry McQuiston's Veteran Affairs case worker called the police because McQuiston was about to commit suicide Thursday night.

McQuiston said the thoughts of taking his own life came after some personal problems and his PTSD became to be too much for him to bear.

“Being alone is one of the scariest things for a soldier,” said McQuiston. “Being alone is when my PTSD kicks in. It's not like I'm here; it's like I'm in Iraq.”

St. Ignace Police Officer Merlin Doren, Michigan State Trooper Marie Nelson and Sault Tribe Police Officer Brian Adams went to McQuiston's home, talked to him and helped him to a healthcare facility to get the treatment he needed.
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Michigan changes PTSD to PTSI, but why?

Do they really think this will help? It won't. History proved that with all the labels placed on PTSD. History has also proven that titles do not replace wisdom and common sense. How did they think it would help when they have not done the one thing that really does help remove the stigma?

NAME CHANGE: It's Now Post-Traumatic Stress Injury
WILX 10 News
June 25, 2014

You've probably heard of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, but it's now called Post-Traumatic Stress Injury in Michigan.

Michigan is the first state to adopt a resolution changing the name of the condition affecting thousands, including members of the military.
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The one thing that gets the stigma out of the way is true education.

The people with no understanding of why some get hit by PTSD and others don't, get attention. The same people putting their trust in a program to treat servicemen and women developed as a research project for children. The same people refusing to examine medications used to replace therapy. The same folks ignoring the Army study from 2006 stating redeployments would increase the risk of PTSD. The same folks with the loudest voices are heard over the voices of reason.

Changing the title does not change anything when what works is ignored and what has failed is still being pushed.

Soldier stationed in Germany killed on autobahn

Report: Soldier from Saginaw died in fiery crash on German autobahn
MLIVE Michigan
Brad Devereaux
May 19, 2014

SAGINAW, MI — A soldier from Saginaw was killed in Germany when the sport utility vehicle he was riding in struck the divider on the autobahn, crashed and caught on fire, according to a report by Stars and Stripes, a news organization reporting on the U.S. Military community.

Sgt. Kamien A. Stanford, 28, was born in Saginaw and graduated from Saginaw High School in 2003, according to his paid obituary. He was living in Ansbach, Germany, according to his obituary.

One of three other soldiers with Stanford was driving at the time, according to a report from German police, Stars and Stripes reports.

Stanford died at the scene of the May 11 accident, the report states.
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