Marines in Afghanistan going through puppy love

Marines raise money to bring Afghan puppies home from deployment

FOX 17 News
Rebecca Russell
December 30, 2017

HELMAND PROVINCE, Afghanistan-- Some West Michigan Marines deployed overseas will be bringing home a little piece of Afghanistan to Michigan. They found two puppies and with the help of loved ones back home, they raised enough money for vet bills and the long trip back home to Michigan.

Hayden Gort is currently deployed to Helmand Province, Afghanistan. His team found a puppy going through their garbage a few weeks ago. Another platoon found a different puppy on the side of the road while out on patrol. They've been taking care of them ever since and soon they'll be on a plane back to West Michigan.

It all started three weeks ago.

"Me and my team were taking the trash out in the morning as we do every morning," said Gort. "We saw one of the trash bags moving and was somewhat empty. There was a puppy laying in it trying to dig through the trash to find food."

That's when they found the puppy they would name Sabula.
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Bar Donates Sales to Make Amends For Kicking Out Veteran with PTSD Service Dog

Even better update

Holiday Bar held training session for business owners to understand the law and what PTSD Service Dogs do!

UPDATE

Apology falls short for veteran kicked out of bar due to his service dog

MLive
Shandra Martinez
November 13, 2017

GRAND RAPIDS, MI -- A West Michigan veteran who was kicked out of a Grand Rapids bar over Veteran's Day weekend because he was accompanied by a service dog isn't happy with the bar's apology.

Jerome Smith with his service dog, JoJo, at the Grand Haven pier. (Courtesy | Jerome Smith)

It amounts to little more than than damage control, says Jerome Smith.

"The way I was treated was so disrespectful," said Smith, 35. "I want to give them a chance to grow and make this right."

Smith wants the Holiday Bar to sponsor a service dog through This Able Veteran, the same organization that gave him his service dog, JoJo, a German Shepherd mix, five years ago.
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Veteran and service dog denied entry to local Grand Rapids bar

FOX 17 Michigan

November 12, 2017

"In light of all the pain this has caused we will be donating 100% of all of our sales today to the Grand Rapids Home for Veterans, we know this doesn’t change what happened, but maybe it will be a cause for reflection in our own hearts if nothing else."

GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. -- A local veteran says he and his service dog were denied entry to a Grand Rapids bar just before Veterans Day.

Jeremy Smith, who served in Iraq, said he went out with other Marines on Friday for some food in downtown Grand Rapids before going to the Holiday Bar. Managers reportedly wouldn't allow him or his service dog, Jo-Jo, inside. Smith told FOX 17 he was upset over the incident and said it was a violation of the Americans with Disabilities Act.

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Santa Claus says he was fired for holding a gun

Man dressed as armed Santa claims firing tied to photo 
Detroit News 
October 27, 2017 

Before the event in December 2015, he posted the photo of himself holding the assault rifle in his home. In the background is his Christmas tree, an American flag and his military medals and commendations. 


Santa Claus says he was fired for holding a gun. 

In this case, Santa is Calvin Congden of Tipton, Michigan, who likes to dress as the Jolly One for charity events.

But when he posted a photo of himself dressed as Santa and clutching a semiautomatic rifle to Facebook in 2015, he claims a supervisor at the state Department of Health and Human Services wasn’t happy. Congden had recently started working for the department as a child protective services worker.

He was let go by the agency at the end of his yearlong probation and blames the manager’s distaste for the armed Santa photo.

Congden filed a federal lawsuit against the agency Friday, saying it violated his rights to free speech and bear arms. The Army vet, who was diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder, also says the state discriminated against him because of his disability.
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Disabled Veterans Reaching Out For Help

Ohio

Veteran, disabled police officer now calls fifth-wheel camper home in Highland County

A disabled former police officer and U.S. Army veteran is now calling a small fifth-wheel camper home in northern Highland County.

He met with The Highland County Press this week inside his Big Sky Montana camper parked in a rural area on private property between Leesburg and Greenfield.

find out how to help here

Michigan

Disabled veteran fights massive tax bill from IRS

LANSING, Mich. - A disabled veteran is in the fight of his life as the country he fought to serve and protect is fighting him for a massive sum of money.

William Milzarski, 46, is a highly decorated, disabled Michigan Army veteran, but now he's being forced to take on a new battle. The IRS has left him with a financial burden he struggles to carry.

Many college graduates know the crushing weight of college debt. Milzarski said he succeeded in getting his debt canceled, but the IRS still has its hand out.

Milzarski served three years as an engineer during the first Gulf War before he left the military, finished law school and became a top state of Michigan disability advocate.

find out how to help here

Indiana

Disabled veteran frustrated by craftsmanship of donated home

ANDERSON, Ind. -- A disabled veteran in Anderson is frustrated after he says a non-profit organization took on more than they could handle and left him with an unfinished home with lots of projects to complete.

Tim Senkowski lost both of his legs to a buried explosive while serving in Afghanistan.

“I lost both my legs – they cut right above the joints. I lost half my bicep, three-quarters of my triceps,” said Senkowski.

After he returned home to Anderson, he was put in touch with a local non-profit veterans group called “The Path Home.” Organizers there offered to build he and his family a house with donated time and resources.

But the process was slow, Senkowski said it took four years for him to get the keys to his new home – and it was still incomplete. 

find out how to help here

Hit and Run in Florida Killed Michigan Sheriff's Deputy

Michigan sheriff's deputy killed in hit-and-run while vacationing in Florida

MLive

October 4, 2017

A 31-year-old Oakland County sheriff's deputy died in a hit-and-run crash in Orlando, Florida, while on vacation with her husband on Sunday, Oct. 1, the Oakland County Sheriff's Office says.

"Forensic Lab Specialist Deputy Jennifer Garringer was crossing a street using a crosswalk and was struck by a vehicle, which initially fled the scene," the sheriff's office said. "A security guard witnessed the accident and was able to track down the suspect's vehicle."

The crash is being investigate by the Florida Highway Patrol.

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LZ Michigan Vietnam Veterans Honored at the Wall

West Michigan veterans celebrated at LZ Michigan event

FOX 17 Michigan
Rebecca Russell
September 24, 2017

COMSTOCK PARK, Mich.– A big community event at Fifth Third Ballpark on Saturday honoring West Michigan veterans. It was put on by LZ Michigan, a group whose goal is to remember, honor and celebrate community veterans and their families.

“There are a lot of activities from the Wall That Heals, to kids areas, to the ceremony with the most recent Medal of Honor recipient James McCloughan as well as music and lots of presentations for and from community veterans,” said Tim Eernisse, WGVU Director of Development and Marketing. 

It was an emotional day for some checking out the Wall That Heals, a replica of the Vietnam Wall.

“It does bring up emotions,” said Ted Roper, a Vietnam veteran. “It makes you think back to how all these guys could’ve been lost and it makes you sad when you think about it.”

There are more than 2,600 names on the wall from Michigan.

“You see your high school friends on here,” said Bob Woodfor, a Vietnam veteran. “People you associated with during your life, this is where you find them.”

Also in attendance, Marine Corps veteran Jeff DeYoung, whose bomb sniffing dog Cena was laid to rest last month after being diagnosed with bone cancer. DeYoung now uses his custom Jeep as a traveling memorial for Cena, sharing their story to those who come to see it.

“I get to tell them about me and Cena and I have photos of our story and articles and things like that,” said DeYoung. “I don’t want Cena’s passing to be in vain or forgotten, so our lifestyle and work is continuing, but more than most it’s another way for us to reach out.”

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When Will They Ever Learn a Non-Number Leaves Out Healing?

Here we go again with the non-number of veterans committing suicide. The really bad part is this report is from the VA blog!

Before you read what could have been a wonderful thing to do, catch up what you may have missed, also from the VA regarding veterans committing suicide.

A shocking finding was that California is on the list, yet California does not track veteran suicides. They are going to start doing it. For the veterans they know about the rate was 39.1.

For Florida Veteran Suicide Rate was 40.4 yet state average was 18.8 with the majority over the age of 50. Go to the link and look up your state. Here are a few more.

LAS VEGAS (FOX5) -Newly released data from the Department of Veterans Affairs shows that in 2014, the most recent year on file, 127 Nevada veterans committed suicide. The statistic makes Nevada's veteran suicide rate 60 per 100,000 veterans, well above the national average of 38 per 100,000.

But the suicide rate for Michigan was higher than national averages for the 18-34 age group at 122.2 per 100,000 compared with the national rate of 70.4 and the Midwestern rate of 79.2. The veteran suicide rate also is high in Michigan for the age range of 35-54 at 52.3 compared with the 47.7 national rate, according to the Michigan VA data sheet.

The good thing is that veterans being treated at the VA are still less likely to commit suicide. The bad thing is, for all of this "awareness raising" about a non-number, it is time to change the conversation on healing awareness if we really want to change the topic from suicide to surviving!

Ring the bell: Veterans call for Veterans to help end suicide

VAntage Point

September 20, 2017

All eyes are on a Veteran in the back of the hall talking about a guy from the old unit.  His buddy had said “I’ll get over this.” But he never did.  Then there was the final step, suicide.

Army, Navy, Air Force and Marines: active duty and Veterans of Vietnam, Iraq, Afghanistan and peacetime stand together.  There’s a brass bell made from a shell casing off of a war ship positioned at center stage.  This is Suicide Awareness Night, and the hall is packed.

VFW Post 3631 in Aurora sits at the crossroads of Colfax and Tower Road outside the city of Denver where the plains of eastern Colorado begin.  Just over a year ago the post’s commander, Gary Anguilm, read in an article that 22 Veterans were dying by suicide every day.  “Being Veterans we decided we wanted to do something about it,” Anguilm said.

And that’s when the idea came to invite the community to come together on the 22nd of every month at the VFW, to learn about Veteran and military suicide and how to help.

Anguilm is a Vietnam Marine Corps Veteran who served two tours in the infantry between 1964 and 1966.  He organizes this event with meticulous attention to detail, starting at 5 p.m. with socializing fueled by burgers, hot dogs and fries – free for all Vets.   It’s a way to honor them, with the added benefit of drawing in a crowd.  At 6 p.m. sharp everything stops, and everyone rises for the Star Spangled Banner.  A Navy officer comes to the stage.  She strikes the bell 22 times in remembrance of each Veteran lost.

The number of Veterans who die by suicide each day changes over time, and right now, that number is down to 20.

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Veteran Committed Suicide During Appointment at VA Clinic

Apparent suicide by veteran inside Warren VA clinic ‘tragic situation,’ VA says
Vindy News
By Ed Runyan
July 25, 2017

WARREN
The U.S. Veterans Affairs Louis Stokes Cleveland VA Medical Center says the apparent self-inflicted shooting death of a Vienna man inside the Warren Outpatient Clinic on Friday is a “tragic situation.”

“There was a sad, isolated incident Friday afternoon at our Warren VA Outpatient Clinic,” a spokeswoman said Monday after being contacted by The Vindicator.

“Due to privacy regulations, we cannot provide additional information on the incident or individuals involved, but our condolences and thoughts are with the family of our nation’s hero,” said Kristen Parker, chief of external affairs at the Cleveland center.

The Warren Police Department confirmed Monday that a Vienna man shot himself to death in the chest while attending an appointment inside the VA offices on Tod Avenue at 3:54 p.m. Friday.
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And this one,

Veteran found dead of suspected suicide at Ann Arbor VA hospital

ANN ARBOR, MI - A veteran was found dead of suspected suicide at the VA Ann Arbor Healthcare System campus, an official says.

At about 6:45 a.m. Friday, July 14, a VA employee found the body of a veteran near the East Parking Structure, said Brian Hayes, public affairs officer.

The VA is investigating the incident and is waiting on the coroner's report to confirm the means of the death, he said.

Veteran Commits Suicide at Thomas E. Creek VA Medical Center

Amarillo Police and Thomas E. Creek VA Medical Center have confirmed a suicide occurred just after 7 a.m. on the VA's property.

The veteran died from a self inflicted gunshot wound.

In order to protect the Veteran’s privacy, the VA will not share any additional details.

Marine Honors Dying War Dog With Bucket List

UPDATE

Community turns out for U.S. Marine veteran dog's last ride

MUSKEGON, MI - More than 100 people, 30 Jeeps and about 35 American flags gathered in honor of a four-legged Marine veteran on Wednesday, July 26.


Muskegon Marine creates bucket list for dying war dog
WOOD 8 News
Evan Dean
Published: July 21, 2017

MUSKEGON, Mich. (WOOD) — It’s hard to forget the heartwarming reunion of U.S. Marine Cpl. Jeff DeYoung and his bomb-sniffing war dog, Cena.

Now, DeYoung is trying to make sure his partner’s final days are just as unforgettable.

Marine Lance Cpl. Jeff DeYoung is reunited with his combat dog Cena. (June 5, 2014) The pair’s 2014 reunion made national headlines. Since then, they’ve lived and worked side-by-side in Muskegon.

“It was me and him against the world overseas. And now it was me and him against the world back home. And that changed our war,” said DeYoung, who suffers from post-traumatic stress disorder.

Cena is now 10 years old, dealing with a wartime injury and a body that’s breaking down. A veterinarian visit last week revealed the worst.

“They diagnosed him with bone cancer,” DeYoung said Friday.

The war dog who served three combat tours overseas likely only has a couple of weeks left to live. DeYoung doesn’t want Cena to suffer any longer.
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Mom Missed Wedding Because Church Banned PTSD Service Dog

Mother misses son's wedding when church bans service dog
WTOL News
July 19th 2017

QUINCY, MI (WWMT/CNN) – An upset mother blames a Michigan church for missing her son’s wedding because she says the church would not allow her service dog to attend with her.

Everywhere Mary Douglas goes, her service dog Stella follows. The woman is living with post-traumatic stress disorder and has had the service dog for almost two years.

But Stella wasn’t allowed to step into a church in Quincy, MI, which Douglas says ultimately caused her to miss her son’s wedding. She says she had a fear of relapse if she went to the area without her dog.

"I've cried a lot. It was a very sleepless night last night,” Douglas said.

The mother says missing the wedding is sparking emotions she needs Stella to calm.

"I've sacrificed as any single mom, any mom really, does for their children. For that not to be reciprocated, that honor not to be due to a mom on her son's wedding day, it's heartbreaking,” Douglas said.

Pastor Robert Montgomery says Douglas still could have been there for her son. He says the church gave three options for the dog a couple months before the wedding.
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Hundreds Ride to Escort Vietnam Memorial Wall in Michigan

Motorcyclists escort Vietnam Memorial Wall replica to honor veterans
Up North Live
by NEWSROOM
June 19th 2017

"We have a lot of things to overcome, but to me, this is one sign of brotherhood camaraderie coming together to support."
Richard Quinlan

MANISTEE COUNTY, Mich. (WPBN/WGTU)-- Hundreds of motorcyclists rode in honor of our Vietnam veterans on Friday. It was the eighth annual Vietnam War Memorial Escort.

Richard Quinlan is a Vietnam war veteran. He says when he served, he was just doing what needed to be done. "Somebody has to stand up for what America believes in, and at that time, we were the ones that had to stand up," said Quinlan. 

Fred Nelson, also a Vietnam war veteran, now works with the group Rolling Thunder, an organization dedicated to helping veterans with events such as the wall escort.
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Combat Medic Vietnam Veteran Finally Receiving Medal of Honor

Vietnam veteran to receive Medal of Honor five decades later, after an act of Congress
Army Times
By: Meghann Myers
June 13, 2017

He will receive the award on July 31, according to a White House press release.

This 1969 photo provided by James McCloughan shows him with the former Army medic, right, with a platoon interpreter in Nui Yon Hill in Vietnam. An Army spokeswoman said Tuesday, June 13, 2017, that McCloughan, who saved the lives of 10 soldiers during the Battle of Nui Yon Hill in May 1969 in Vietnam, will become the first person to be awarded the nation's highest military honor by President Donald Trump.Photo Credit: Courtesy of James McCloughan via AP

Late last year, former Spc. Jim McCloughan was close enough to taste it. After then-President Obama signed a provision included in the annual defense authorization bill, McCloughan was cleared to receive the Medal of Honor.

But the White House was in the midst of a transition to the Trump administration, and so McCloughan's award fell by the wayside for several months, until it could be signed by the acting Army secretary and the new president.

McCloughan, 71, had been waiting for the call for six months, but the event was a decade in the making, since family started reaching out to his local Michigan lawmakers about putting McCloughan in for the Distinguished Service Cross, to recognize him for his bravery as a combat medic in Vietnam back in 1969.
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Homeless Veteran Sits in Jail Because No Room At State Hospital?

Homeless veteran in jail, no space at state psychiatric facility
ABC 12 News
By Terry Camp
Apr 27, 2017

SAGINAW (WJRT) - (04/27/17) - A homeless veteran has been found incompetent to stand trial after he was accused of carjacking a woman and smashing that car into a police car.

He remains in jail and his attorney says that's wrong, but he would like him to be put into a state psychiatric facility, but there are no beds available - a problem that a state official says is getting worse.

Willie Hill is an Army veteran who has a long criminal history. His last run-in with police was in October, when he drove the car he stole from a woman right into a Michigan State Police car. The trooper and Hill were not injured. A judge ordered a forensic exam for Hill.

“The forensic center did a psychological interview and found him to be incompetent to stand trial at this time,” said Jim Piazza, Hill’s attorney.

That means Hill should be sent to one of the state's five psychiatric hospitals for treatment.

“They have to make him competent within 15 months or the case is dismissed,” Piazza said.

A month after Hill was ruled incompetent to stand trial, he remains in the Saginaw County Jail because the state has no available space at its psychiatric centers.
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Michigan Department of Corrections Officer of Year Helps With PTSD

Devoted union rep helping staff with PTSD is Corrections Officer of the Year
MLive
Danielle Salisbury
March 03, 2017

One of about 6,500 officers in Michigan and nearly 300 at the Cotton prison, she was nominated by a peer; awarded as her facility's officer of the year; and selected state-wide from a pool of five finalists.

Michigan Department of Corrections Officer Cary Johnson

JACKSON, MI - With the exception of the leave she took when her son was born seven years ago, Cary Johnson hasn't called in sick to work in 16 years.

As a representative of her union, she realizes it is important to be exemplary.

"I am making sure the union is credible by being the officer they want me to be," Johnson, 43, said this week.

A corrections officer at the G. Robert Cotton Correctional Facility just outside Jackson, Johnson is a leader and mentor whose work demonstrates care and concern for the well-being of her fellow officers.

For her "integrity and dedication to public safety," Johnson has been named the state's 2017 Corrections Officer of the Year.

She began her career in 1995 and has been a union leader since 1997, currently serving as the only woman on the Michigan Corrections Organization state executive board, according to a statement released by the corrections department and the union.
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American Legion Service Officer Goes Above and Beyond

‘No Man Left Behind’: Marine Corps veteran opens home to help fellow vets
FOX 17 News Michigan
Janice Allen
January 27, 2017

"I bought a house and I didn't need all the rooms, so I started bringing in veterans that needed help," Clemens explained. "If they need food, I buy them food... If they need clothes, I give them clothes."

GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. -- Joe Clemens has been back to civilian life for awhile now, but he's still fighting to help his fellow man.

"No man left behind. That's the way I've lived my life," he told FOX 17 News. "When I got out, nobody helped me, so because of that, I wasn't going to let that happen to anyone else."

Despite battling a rare and terminal blood disorder as a result of his service, Clemens has made it his mission to help veterans who are struggling.

"They're not gonna fall through the cracks," he said. "To come back, and not be able to feed your family, it takes a toll on you."

Clemens is a Service Officer at American Legion Post 459. His job is to help veterans navigate different resources to secure their benefits and get back on their feet.
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Michigan Missing Veteran Alert

UPDATE
He has been found safe.


Police: Vet missing has not been seen since Monday
FOX 2 News
January 26, 2016

The Wixom Police Department needs your help locating a missing person.

The family of Arthur Tillman Jr. has not seen or heard from him since the evening of Monday, January 23.

According to debit card records, Arthur’s card was used on Tuesday, January 24 in Waterford and in Troy.

Arthur is a military veteran and may suffer from post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Tillman Jr. is described as a 24-year-old African American man who is approximately 5’09” and 170 lbs.
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Combat Medic Veteran and Family, No Longer Homeless or Lacking

Once homeless, veteran's new house now fully furnished
FOX 2 News
Amy Lange
November 17, 2016

WATERFORD, Mich. (WJBK) - Joel Trombley was a combat medic with the Michigan Army National Guard. He served in Iraq but fell on hard times once he was medically discharged.

"We were blessed with a pretty amazing group of people coming in and making our house a home," he says.

It's all part of Bank of America's Detroit Day of Giving, partnering with Humble Design to make this happen for the veteran and his family.

"Today we donated $20,000 to the Humble Design organization," says Rita Oldani, Bank of America. "Today is our day of give; we are giving $720,000 out through the entire community throughout metro Detroit."
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Veteran's Company Helps Patriotic Teen in Wheelchair Rise Again

Veterans gift disabled teen featured in flag photo with standing wheelchair
FOX.com
November 11, 2016

A wheelchair-bound teen who went viral after his photographer uncle shared a photo of him standing for the flag is in the news again, as a veteran-owned company who saw the photo has stepped forward to gift him with a standing wheelchair.

Arek Trenholm, of Lake County, Florida, was born with spina bifida, a birth defect that causes incomplete closing of the backbone and membranes around the spinal cord. The 16-year-old has only stood from his chair two times in the last seven years, Fox 35 Orlando reported, with one of those occasions occurring when headlines were dominated by athletes choosing to kneel during the playing of the national anthem. Trenholm was commended nationwide for his efforts to stand during his town’s homecoming parade as the flag passed him.

Veteran Scott Liesch came across the photo of Trenholm and presented it to his employers at The Standing Company, who are also fellow veterans. The Michigan-based group decided to surprise Trenholm with a standing wheelchair to help him gain more independence and be able to stand upright more easily, Fox 35 reported.
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Police Searching for Thief of Fallen Soldier TIm Brown Memorial

Reward offered for suspects who stole items from veteran memorial
WWMT News Michigan
Andrew Minegar
October 24, 2016

CEDAR SPRINGS, Mich. (NEWSCHANNEL 3) – Kent County Sheriff Department is searching for suspects in a series of thefts, including items from an Iraq veteran’s memorial.

Deputies are investigating after a replica rifle, a helmet and dog-tags were taken from the Tim Brown Monument, which honors the memory of a soldier killed during Operation Iraqi Freedom, at Memorial Park.
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Michigan Soldier Returns From Afghanistan Attacked by Wife, In Good Way

Soldier returns to emotional airport homecoming after nearly a year in Afghanistan 
KIMA News 
by Elizabeth Faugl 
October 4th 2016

A Soldier returned home to an emotional reunion after nearly a year in Afghanistan (Courtesy: Gerald R. Ford International Airport)

GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. — For those who just can't get enough of those happy, emotional military homecomings, there was a special reunion in Michigan Tuesday afternoon. 

After 283 days in Afghanistan, Master Sergeant Keen flew home, and was greeted by his family at Gerald R. Ford International Airport in Grand Rapids. His emotion could be seen as he walked off the plane and saw his family waiting at the gate. 

A video posted to the airport's Facebook page shows him dropping his bags as his wife runs to give him a hug. After their emotional reunion, he then was greeted by his kids and saw his 10-week-old grandson for the very first time. read more here