‘It wasn’t Ryan anymore’:
Three months after his death, Ryan Nelson’s suicide resonates with loved ones, law enforcement, veterans officials
WEDNESDAY, MAY 8, 2013
JUSTIN GLAWE
BEMIDJI PIONEER
A single shot.
It was the only sound that came from 417 Central Ave. SE on the night of Feb. 9, after an hours-long standoff. And other than his own thoughts, it was the last thing Ryan George Nelson heard before the bullet pierced through his chest, killing the 34-year-old U.S. Navy veteran.
The shot came from his own gun and Nelson himself pulled the trigger. It marked the end of a life that saw the birth of two children, the end of a relationship with a fiance, the end of a neighborhood disruption and, perhaps, the beginning of a discussion. Nelson had been diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder.
“I don’t know what we could have done differently,” Bemidji Police Chief Mike Mastin said a little more than a month after Nelson’s death. “Through our training we have to establish contact somehow. We can’t just leave him there.”
Beltrami County Veterans Service Coordinator Scotty Allison wondered if having a veteran available to talk with Nelson on the night of his death would have been an asset to police, and a life-saver for Nelson.
read more here
Showing posts with label Minnesota. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Minnesota. Show all posts
Thursday, May 9, 2013
Monday, March 18, 2013
Fort Snelling buildings being converted for homeless veterans
5 old Fort Snelling buildings to become housing for homeless veterans and their families
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
March 17, 2013
FORT SNELLING, Minnesota — After decades of neglect, five old brick buildings at Fort Snelling that saw service from the Spanish-American War through World War II will be renovated into apartments for homeless veterans and their families.
The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs' plans call for creating 58 affordable apartments, the Star Tribune reported Sunday (http://bit.ly/ZKVWjV ). Construction is expected to start this summer and finish by summer 2014.
The Fort Snelling plan is part of a larger effort by the VA to end veteran homelessness and reduce its inventory of vacant and underused properties. The VA plans to provide more than 3,000 units of permanent and transitional housing for veterans at 25 VA Medical Center campuses nationwide, and another 1,000 units are pending or under way.
read more here
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
March 17, 2013
FORT SNELLING, Minnesota — After decades of neglect, five old brick buildings at Fort Snelling that saw service from the Spanish-American War through World War II will be renovated into apartments for homeless veterans and their families.
The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs' plans call for creating 58 affordable apartments, the Star Tribune reported Sunday (http://bit.ly/ZKVWjV ). Construction is expected to start this summer and finish by summer 2014.
The Fort Snelling plan is part of a larger effort by the VA to end veteran homelessness and reduce its inventory of vacant and underused properties. The VA plans to provide more than 3,000 units of permanent and transitional housing for veterans at 25 VA Medical Center campuses nationwide, and another 1,000 units are pending or under way.
read more here
Sunday, November 18, 2012
Parents speak out for fallen soldier son
There has been a lot of press on "marriage is between one man and one woman" but no one really says where that came from. If you use the Bible then you must have notice how many men in it had many wives along with concubines like Hagar. If you refer to the New Testament then you would have to have noticed the many sections on divorce and adultery. The truth is that if people want to simply use the Bible to back up anything in this country, they avoid the documents that established this nation. It was never supposed to be about forcing anyone to believe or follow one faith over another. The law of this nation is what everyone has to live by and the law of the faith we choose is what all within that faith are supposed to live by.
There are so many different denominations of Christians, few have thought of those differences when they hear the word "Christian" and how it is up to all of us to decide on our own. The Presbyterian Church USA allows gay people.
If this nation formed to provide a safe place where people could worship as they see fit were to take a religious stand, then what does that say about the churches that have no problem with gay people? It is always too easy to claim one thing as long as no one notices the other.
There are so many different denominations of Christians, few have thought of those differences when they hear the word "Christian" and how it is up to all of us to decide on our own. The Presbyterian Church USA allows gay people.
If this nation formed to provide a safe place where people could worship as they see fit were to take a religious stand, then what does that say about the churches that have no problem with gay people? It is always too easy to claim one thing as long as no one notices the other.
A preacher, a teacher, a soldier's parents, a GOP leader: Allies in marriage votes
By Wayne Drash
CNN
November 18, 2012
STORY HIGHLIGHTS
A diverse coalition joined forces to bring historic change on same-sex marriage
Minnesota parents of a fallen soldier who was gay worried his death would be in vain
Republican in Maine feared backlash but broke with party line anyway
A preacher in Maryland spoke up to counter media dominance of right-wing pastors
(CNN) -- After their son was killed in battle in Afghanistan, Lori and Jeff Wilfahrt crisscrossed their home state of Minnesota. They spoke at churches, schools, book clubs. They spoke of Cpl. Andrew Wilfahrt's love of country and the Constitution.
They spoke, too, of grief. They are a mother and father who utterly miss their son, a soldier who was openly gay.
On Tuesday, November 6, the Wilfahrts entered their polling station in Rosemount to vote against a state constitutional amendment defining marriage as solely between a man and woman. Both parents wondered: Had their boy died protecting homophobes who would deny him rights back home?
In Frederick, Maryland, the Rev. Barbara Kershner Daniel had lived with guilt for nearly 25 years. A fellow preacher who was gay had asked her to officiate his wedding with his partner. She told him no.
"Why did I do that?" she has asked herself ever since.
Mark Ellis, the former GOP state chairman in Maine, knew where he stood on the issue of same-sex marriage. Yet he struggled with whether it would hurt him professionally to break from his party.
In the northern suburbs of Seattle, middle school band and orchestra teacher Michael Clark had always spoken of dignity and respect for all. He and his partner of 18 years sat together at their dining table to vote early this year.
Their ballots weren't just votes. They were an affirmation of their love.
read more here
Sunday, September 9, 2012
St. Cloud soldier killed in 1950 is finally home
St. Cloud soldier killed in 1950 is finally home
The Associated Press
Published: Saturday, Sep. 8, 2012
ST. CLOUD, Minn. -- The remains of a soldier killed more than 60 years ago during the Korean War have finally been buried in his hometown of St. Cloud.
Francis John "Fuzzy" Reimer had just turned 18 when his unit was surrounded by Chinese soldiers in the Battle of Chosin Reservoir in December 1950.
read more here
The Associated Press
Published: Saturday, Sep. 8, 2012
ST. CLOUD, Minn. -- The remains of a soldier killed more than 60 years ago during the Korean War have finally been buried in his hometown of St. Cloud.
Francis John "Fuzzy" Reimer had just turned 18 when his unit was surrounded by Chinese soldiers in the Battle of Chosin Reservoir in December 1950.
read more here
Saturday, April 28, 2012
Iraq Veteran with PTSD saved by Vietnam Veteran
Iraq Veteran Credits Vietnam Veteran With Saving His Life
04/27/2012
By: Nick Winkle
An Iraq war veteran on the verge of suicide says a stranger miraculously stepped in and helped get him the benefits needed to save his life.
Michael Saniti says the VA did little to help him with the guilt, nightmares, and sleepless nights he suffered from after two tours in Iraq.
Saniti says he put a loaded gun to his head several weeks ago and was ready to end it all.
That is, until a stranger stepped in.
Saniti had secretly written his own obituary, which was published in a newspaper by mistake, and was subsequently featured in an article.
A Senior Claims Representative at the Minnesota Department of Veterans Affairs, Robert Laguban, saw the article and reached out to help.
Within a few days, Laguban had Saniti enrolled in a weekly Post Traumatic Stress Disorder counseling program at the VA. More importantly, Laguban's help and support gave Saniti hope.
Saniti credits Laguban with saving his life.
go here to watch video
04/27/2012
By: Nick Winkle
An Iraq war veteran on the verge of suicide says a stranger miraculously stepped in and helped get him the benefits needed to save his life.
Michael Saniti says the VA did little to help him with the guilt, nightmares, and sleepless nights he suffered from after two tours in Iraq.
Saniti says he put a loaded gun to his head several weeks ago and was ready to end it all.
That is, until a stranger stepped in.
Saniti had secretly written his own obituary, which was published in a newspaper by mistake, and was subsequently featured in an article.
A Senior Claims Representative at the Minnesota Department of Veterans Affairs, Robert Laguban, saw the article and reached out to help.
Within a few days, Laguban had Saniti enrolled in a weekly Post Traumatic Stress Disorder counseling program at the VA. More importantly, Laguban's help and support gave Saniti hope.
Saniti credits Laguban with saving his life.
go here to watch video
Sunday, April 1, 2012
Run Raises Awareness For Soldier Suicide
Run Raises Awareness For Soldier Suicide
Apr 01, 2012
By Molly Miles, Reporter
SLEEPY EYE, MN - Over the past five years, 24 soldiers with the Minnesota National Guard have committed suicide and the suicide rate among U.S. soldiers continues to rise. Suicide is sobering topic that people often run away from. But Saturday in Sleepy Eye people were running for it. Running for hope and a better future for the men and women that serve our country.
Jean Clark whose son is in the army says, "Show our support, and show our country that we support our troops." Running to raise awareness for the psychological wounds of war. New Ulm VFW Commander Wil Burdorf says, "We have to make people aware of the suicide rate of the veterans and this is one way we could make it more visible." Running because there are as many as 18 suicides per day among all U.S. veterans, and a veteran is 12 times more likely to die by his or her own hand after leaving the military than to be killed in action while on active duty. read more here
Apr 01, 2012
By Molly Miles, Reporter
SLEEPY EYE, MN - Over the past five years, 24 soldiers with the Minnesota National Guard have committed suicide and the suicide rate among U.S. soldiers continues to rise. Suicide is sobering topic that people often run away from. But Saturday in Sleepy Eye people were running for it. Running for hope and a better future for the men and women that serve our country.
Jean Clark whose son is in the army says, "Show our support, and show our country that we support our troops." Running to raise awareness for the psychological wounds of war. New Ulm VFW Commander Wil Burdorf says, "We have to make people aware of the suicide rate of the veterans and this is one way we could make it more visible." Running because there are as many as 18 suicides per day among all U.S. veterans, and a veteran is 12 times more likely to die by his or her own hand after leaving the military than to be killed in action while on active duty. read more here
Tuesday, January 3, 2012
Mike Colalillo, WWII Medal of Honor, passed away at 86
WWII Medal of Honor recipient dies at 86
The Associated Press
Posted : Tuesday Jan 3, 2012 7:44:59 EST
DULUTH, Minn. — Mike Colalillo, the last Medal of Honor recipient in Minnesota, has died. He was 86.
Colalillo died Friday at a Duluth nursing home, the Dougherty Funeral Home confirmed Monday.
He received the nation's highest military honor for bravery in combat for killing or wounding 25 Germans and helping a seriously wounded comrade to safety during a fierce firefight near Untergriesheim, Germany, on April 7, 1945, toward the end of World War II.
Forty-six Minnesotans, including Colalillo, have received the Medal of Honor, according to the Minnesota Military Museum at Camp Ripley in Little Falls. According to the Medal of Honor Society, Colalillo's death leaves 84 recipients still living across the U.S.
According to the official citation, the private first class was pinned down with other members of his company. The rifleman stood up amid heavy artillery, mortar and machine-gun fire, shouted to the company to follow, and ran forward while firing his machine pistol.
"Inspired by his example, his comrades advanced in the face of savage enemy fire," the citation read.
When his pistol was disabled by shrapnel, Colalillo climbed onto a friendly tank and manned its machine gun. And, as "bullets rattled about him, fired at an enemy emplacement with such devastating accuracy that he killed or wounded at least 10 hostile soldiers and destroyed their machine gun."
read more here
The Associated Press
Posted : Tuesday Jan 3, 2012 7:44:59 EST
DULUTH, Minn. — Mike Colalillo, the last Medal of Honor recipient in Minnesota, has died. He was 86.
Colalillo died Friday at a Duluth nursing home, the Dougherty Funeral Home confirmed Monday.
He received the nation's highest military honor for bravery in combat for killing or wounding 25 Germans and helping a seriously wounded comrade to safety during a fierce firefight near Untergriesheim, Germany, on April 7, 1945, toward the end of World War II.
Forty-six Minnesotans, including Colalillo, have received the Medal of Honor, according to the Minnesota Military Museum at Camp Ripley in Little Falls. According to the Medal of Honor Society, Colalillo's death leaves 84 recipients still living across the U.S.
According to the official citation, the private first class was pinned down with other members of his company. The rifleman stood up amid heavy artillery, mortar and machine-gun fire, shouted to the company to follow, and ran forward while firing his machine pistol.
"Inspired by his example, his comrades advanced in the face of savage enemy fire," the citation read.
When his pistol was disabled by shrapnel, Colalillo climbed onto a friendly tank and manned its machine gun. And, as "bullets rattled about him, fired at an enemy emplacement with such devastating accuracy that he killed or wounded at least 10 hostile soldiers and destroyed their machine gun."
read more here
Sunday, August 28, 2011
Blind veteran to be evicted from Minnesota Veterans Home
Whistleblower: Blind and in need of special care, veteran may be evicted from VA Home
Updated: August 28, 2011 - 12:19 AM
Vietnam vet Gerald Bilderback is in jeopardy of eviction from the Veterans Home because of unpaid bills. He, however, doesn't control his money.
Fifteen years ago, Gerald Bilderback moved into the state-run Minnesota Veterans Home in Minneapolis. It's the kind of facility that offers the skilled nursing care needed by the blind 73-year-old Vietnam veteran who's unable to live independently due to a traumatic brain injury, according to court documents.
Bilderback is now facing eviction over unpaid bills, even though he has no control over his money. An administrative law judge recommended earlier this summer that the state Department of Veterans Affairs discharge Bilderback because of a dispute that started when his brother-in-law -- who oversees Bilderback's pensions and veterans benefits -- refused to pay $1,084 in medical expenses two years ago.
A Wisconsin court has taken steps to remove the brother-in-law, Robert Adams of Eau Claire, as Bilderback's conservator. But that follows two years of wrangling with Adams by county social workers and courts in two states, the Minnesota Department of Veterans Affairs and other agencies, culminating in threats to send Bilderback packing.
read more here
Thursday, July 21, 2011
Reporter does hardest job, writes about suicide of Marine friend
Reflecting on the suicide of a Marine friend made in Afghanistan
JULY 14TH, 2011
DAN LAMOTHE
This is one of the hardest pieces of journalism that I’ve written in a long time.
As it appears online, the family members of a friend of mine — Sgt. Ian McConnell, 24 — are traveling today from Camp Pendleton, Calif., to his hometown in Woodbury, Minn. They’re preparing for his funeral at Fort Snelling National Cemetery, a U.S. cemetery in nearby Minneapolis.
It’s common that when a person dies with most of his or her life seemingly ahead of them, friends and family create online memorials. Ian is no different. His sister, Meg, posted one on Facebook over the weekend, and it has overflowed with stories of his compassion, selflessness and sense of humor as a human being and his honor, courage and commitment as a Marine.
A key detail hasn’t been shared publicly, though.
Ian killed himself.
With a self-inflicted gunshot wound, he ended his life on the 4th of July, shocking those who know him as an upbeat, kind young man who went out of his way to regularly pick up the spirits of those around him. He left no note explaining why, his family said.
read more here
Reflecting on the suicide of a Marine
JULY 14TH, 2011
DAN LAMOTHE
This is one of the hardest pieces of journalism that I’ve written in a long time.
As it appears online, the family members of a friend of mine — Sgt. Ian McConnell, 24 — are traveling today from Camp Pendleton, Calif., to his hometown in Woodbury, Minn. They’re preparing for his funeral at Fort Snelling National Cemetery, a U.S. cemetery in nearby Minneapolis.
It’s common that when a person dies with most of his or her life seemingly ahead of them, friends and family create online memorials. Ian is no different. His sister, Meg, posted one on Facebook over the weekend, and it has overflowed with stories of his compassion, selflessness and sense of humor as a human being and his honor, courage and commitment as a Marine.
A key detail hasn’t been shared publicly, though.
Ian killed himself.
With a self-inflicted gunshot wound, he ended his life on the 4th of July, shocking those who know him as an upbeat, kind young man who went out of his way to regularly pick up the spirits of those around him. He left no note explaining why, his family said.
read more here
Reflecting on the suicide of a Marine
Friday, June 4, 2010
National Guard's Major's death rule suicide
Guardsman's death labeled a suicide
Last update: June 3, 2010 - 9:45 PM
A Minnesota National Guardsman serving his second tour of duty in Iraq killed himself last October, the Army reported Thursday.
According to the Army's Criminal Investigation Command, Maj. Tad Hervas, 48, died of a self-inficted gunshot wound to the head.
Hervas, of Coon Rapids, was a winner of the Bronze Star for his performance during his first deployment to Iraq.
Previously, the Army had ruled his death was non-combat-related.
Hervas was deployed to a base in southern Iraq and was working in military intelligence, his family has said.
read more here
Guardsman death labeled a suicide
Friday, July 24, 2009
Family learned over Internet that son was killed
Family learned over Internet that son was killed
Story Highlights
Jamal Bana had been missing for months; family learns of his death via Internet
Death is part of wider federal inquiry of terror recruiting by Somali group in U.S.
Imam of Minneapolis mosque says terror recruiters are not at his mosque
Two men charged in U.S. with providing material support to terrorists
From Brian Todd
CNN's The Situation Room with Wolf Blitzer
MINNEAPOLIS, Minnesota (CNN) -- Abayte Ahmed and her husband learned of their son's death in the most heinous fashion. A family acquaintance called and told them to click on an Internet site. There on the screen were photographs of their 20-year-old son -- the boy with the movie-star looks -- shot through the head thousands of miles away in Somalia.
"He must have been somewhat disillusioned and indoctrinated, because he didn't have any clue about Somalia at all," his mother said, fighting back tears and barely able to speak about her eldest son.
Jamal Bana had been missing for months from his Minneapolis home. His family is still grappling with the circumstances surrounding his death in a land they had fled -- an African nation wracked by chaos and violence.
read more here
http://www.cnn.com/2009/CRIME/07/24/somalia.americans/index.html
Story Highlights
Jamal Bana had been missing for months; family learns of his death via Internet
Death is part of wider federal inquiry of terror recruiting by Somali group in U.S.
Imam of Minneapolis mosque says terror recruiters are not at his mosque
Two men charged in U.S. with providing material support to terrorists
From Brian Todd
CNN's The Situation Room with Wolf Blitzer
MINNEAPOLIS, Minnesota (CNN) -- Abayte Ahmed and her husband learned of their son's death in the most heinous fashion. A family acquaintance called and told them to click on an Internet site. There on the screen were photographs of their 20-year-old son -- the boy with the movie-star looks -- shot through the head thousands of miles away in Somalia.
"He must have been somewhat disillusioned and indoctrinated, because he didn't have any clue about Somalia at all," his mother said, fighting back tears and barely able to speak about her eldest son.
Jamal Bana had been missing for months from his Minneapolis home. His family is still grappling with the circumstances surrounding his death in a land they had fled -- an African nation wracked by chaos and violence.
read more here
http://www.cnn.com/2009/CRIME/07/24/somalia.americans/index.html
Tuesday, April 28, 2009
Minnesota House should be ashamed cutting veterans funds
Is this why so many Republicans think the Democratic party does not support veterans? While the vast majority of Democrats really support veterans, the Minnesota House Democrats have decided that it's a good idea to cut back on funding for veterans in a time when there are reports across the nation screaming how much help they need to heal from the wounds they received in service to this nation. Are they out of their minds?
I said a long time ago that when it comes to the troops and our veterans, political party should be secondary. This is why when a Republican does something right, I fully support them no matter what party they belong to and when Democratic Party members get it wrong, I fully slam them. This is one of the worst times to cut back on veterans because their needs have been growing and will keep growing with two active military campaigns going on and finally an awareness reaching older veterans about what has been wrong with them when it comes to PTSD. What good does it do to make them aware of what can be done for them and what caused their agony when their own state does not think they are worthy of funding?
I said a long time ago that when it comes to the troops and our veterans, political party should be secondary. This is why when a Republican does something right, I fully support them no matter what party they belong to and when Democratic Party members get it wrong, I fully slam them. This is one of the worst times to cut back on veterans because their needs have been growing and will keep growing with two active military campaigns going on and finally an awareness reaching older veterans about what has been wrong with them when it comes to PTSD. What good does it do to make them aware of what can be done for them and what caused their agony when their own state does not think they are worthy of funding?
Letter: Hamilton disappointed in House Democrats
On a party-line vote, the Minnesota House of Representatives has approved a finance proposal that reduces funding for agriculture, veterans, and military needs across the state. All House Republicans opposed the measure because it does not fairly fund veterans, military affairs and farm programs.
By: Dist. 22B Rep. Rod Hamilton, R-Mountain Lake, Worthington Daily Globe
On a party-line vote, the Minnesota House of Representatives has approved a finance proposal that reduces funding for agriculture, veterans, and military needs across the state. All House Republicans opposed the measure because it does not fairly fund veterans, military affairs and farm programs.
As Vice-Chair of the committee that approved the bill, I am outraged by the priorities set by House Democrats in this budget-setting process.
The House majority gave this committee a funding target that was ridiculously low, and our veterans and our farmers will suffer because of it. Instead of refusing to take a stand against funding dog parks and practice hockey arenas, the majority forced farm programs to be gutted in order to increase funding for our veterans.
Special needs requests from suffering veterans across the state are increasing at an alarming rate. So far in 2009, the Department of Veterans Affairs has already spent 15 percent more on medical requests than at this point in 2008. Special needs applications for veterans have also increased by 25 percent, which is why additional funding is needed in this area.
go here for more
http://www.dglobe.com/event/article/id/21729/
Monday, March 16, 2009
Disabled soldier inspires wounded Minn. soldiers
Disabled soldier inspires wounded Minn. soldiers
Updated: 03/16/2009 7:34 AM KSTP.com
By: Elena Kibasova, Web Producer
He lives in Texas but retired SFC Dana Bowman was in Minnesota on Sunday to motivate troops who were injured while serving. His message carries to everyone: ‘disabilities are only the things you think you can't do.‘
A terrible accident left Bowman severely injured but not about to give up. On Sunday, through the Beyond the Yellow Ribbon program, he is encouraging wounded Minnesota soldiers to push forward.
"With my family, friends and modern technology, I stand tall and proud," Bowman told the group of soldiers.
As a member of the U.S. Army Golden Knights elite skydiving team, Bowman did all the tricks, including the demanding diamond track. He and his partner would crisscross paths, leaving a trail of smoke that formed a diamond.
go here for more
http://kstp.com/news/stories/S833126.shtml?cat=206
Updated: 03/16/2009 7:34 AM KSTP.com
By: Elena Kibasova, Web Producer
He lives in Texas but retired SFC Dana Bowman was in Minnesota on Sunday to motivate troops who were injured while serving. His message carries to everyone: ‘disabilities are only the things you think you can't do.‘
A terrible accident left Bowman severely injured but not about to give up. On Sunday, through the Beyond the Yellow Ribbon program, he is encouraging wounded Minnesota soldiers to push forward.
"With my family, friends and modern technology, I stand tall and proud," Bowman told the group of soldiers.
As a member of the U.S. Army Golden Knights elite skydiving team, Bowman did all the tricks, including the demanding diamond track. He and his partner would crisscross paths, leaving a trail of smoke that formed a diamond.
go here for more
http://kstp.com/news/stories/S833126.shtml?cat=206
Monday, September 29, 2008
Minn. faith council convenes forum on Iraq vets
Minn. faith council convenes forum on Iraq vets
Associated Press
Last update: September 28, 2008 - 11:22 AM
ST. PAUL, Minn. - The Governor's Council on Faith and Community Service Initiatives is getting faith groups together this week to focus on serving Iraq war veterans.
The Minnesota Veterans Outreach Forum will focus on the needs of Iraq war veterans, current soldiers and their families.
click post title for more
Associated Press
Last update: September 28, 2008 - 11:22 AM
ST. PAUL, Minn. - The Governor's Council on Faith and Community Service Initiatives is getting faith groups together this week to focus on serving Iraq war veterans.
The Minnesota Veterans Outreach Forum will focus on the needs of Iraq war veterans, current soldiers and their families.
click post title for more
Saturday, August 23, 2008
The private scars of war
TOM WALLACE, Star Tribune
Maj. Eduardo Suarez, who has been married for 18 years to his wife, Jennifer, has done two tours in Iraq with the Minnesota Guard.
The private scars of war
Injured troops return home to deal not only with physical and mental wounds but also with problems in the bedroom.
By GAIL ROSENBLUM, Star Tribune
Last update: August 22, 2008 - 11:32 PM
Mike Mills didn't look in a mirror for two months after a land mine blew him out of his truck near Kirkuk, Iraq, in June 2005, cracking his clavicle, shattering his hip "like a jigsaw puzzle" and burning off half of his face. When he did, only one word came to him: "Freak."
Recovering at Brooke Army Medical Center in San Antonio, Mills worried about his two kids in Freeport, Minn. He worried about making a living. Mostly, he worried about Suhanna -- Suki -- his wife of nearly 20 years, who would surely leave him.
"How can I expect her to stay with me anymore?" said Mills, 43, a member of the Minnesota Army National Guard for 18 years. "She's not going to want to be intimate with a freak. Elephant Man. That's the way I saw myself."
Suki, 43, didn't leave.
"I'm too old to train in another one," she joked.
click post title for more
I think that is being said in almost every house with a veteran in it. When my daughter was getting ready to go away to college a few years ago, she thought my husband and I would get a divorce. I told her after all these years, I'm too old to train a new one. When they come home wounded, marriages are hard. Marriages are hard as it is but when they are dealing with either wounds of the body or the mind, it takes looking deep inside at what really matters to us. Some of us can't stay. We're just not built with that kind of sacrifice inside of us. Others, well, leaving would be the hardest thing to do. Click above to read the rest of this and know what a lot of us go through. Doesn't matter that we come from different wars, in the end, the results are the same.
Sunday, August 10, 2008
Part VII: Homecoming brings joy, new struggles
Part VII: Homecoming brings joy, new struggles
By Sharon Cohen - The Associated Press
Posted : Sunday Aug 10, 2008 17:09:42 EDT
The chartered plane loaded with soldiers descended slowly in the summer sky as Sgt. John Kriesel watched eagerly on the tarmac, clutching a walking cane. He had been waiting for this reunion for more than seven months.
EDITOR’S NOTE — Homecoming at last, with troops and families reunited, though struggles remain. Conclusion of a seven-part series on the longest deployment of the Iraq war.
Kriesel hadn’t seen his “guys” since he lost his legs in a roadside bombing in Iraq. Now, finally, on this bright July day at Volk Field in Wisconsin, the soldiers who served with him — several of whom he had known since high school — were home after a 22-month tour of duty, including 16 months in Iraq.
And he was there to welcome them.
Wearing shorts, sunglasses and bright yellow running shoes and standing firmly with his prosthetic legs, Kriesel beamed as a long line of soldiers formed, snaking from the plane’s steps across the tarmac.
One by one, Kriesel greeted them with hugs, hand shakes, smiles and jokes.
One soldier carried his battered M-4 weapon that survived the IED attack. “Is that my rifle?” Kriesel exclaimed, touching it again.
“You look good!” another friend said. “You look better than me.”
“No, I don’t,” Kriesel replied. “YOU look good. You got legs, bro.”
Staff Sgt. Tim Nelson, who was Kriesel’s roommate in Iraq and squad leader, jumped ahead in line and the two men embraced, holding each other tightly. Nelson was in the Humvee seat behind him when it ran over an IED.
Nelson flew with Kriesel to the military hospital in Balad, Iraq, and held his hand when Kriesel’s survival was in doubt.
By Sharon Cohen - The Associated Press
Posted : Sunday Aug 10, 2008 17:09:42 EDT
The chartered plane loaded with soldiers descended slowly in the summer sky as Sgt. John Kriesel watched eagerly on the tarmac, clutching a walking cane. He had been waiting for this reunion for more than seven months.
EDITOR’S NOTE — Homecoming at last, with troops and families reunited, though struggles remain. Conclusion of a seven-part series on the longest deployment of the Iraq war.
Kriesel hadn’t seen his “guys” since he lost his legs in a roadside bombing in Iraq. Now, finally, on this bright July day at Volk Field in Wisconsin, the soldiers who served with him — several of whom he had known since high school — were home after a 22-month tour of duty, including 16 months in Iraq.
And he was there to welcome them.
Wearing shorts, sunglasses and bright yellow running shoes and standing firmly with his prosthetic legs, Kriesel beamed as a long line of soldiers formed, snaking from the plane’s steps across the tarmac.
One by one, Kriesel greeted them with hugs, hand shakes, smiles and jokes.
One soldier carried his battered M-4 weapon that survived the IED attack. “Is that my rifle?” Kriesel exclaimed, touching it again.
“You look good!” another friend said. “You look better than me.”
“No, I don’t,” Kriesel replied. “YOU look good. You got legs, bro.”
Staff Sgt. Tim Nelson, who was Kriesel’s roommate in Iraq and squad leader, jumped ahead in line and the two men embraced, holding each other tightly. Nelson was in the Humvee seat behind him when it ran over an IED.
Nelson flew with Kriesel to the military hospital in Balad, Iraq, and held his hand when Kriesel’s survival was in doubt.
The next day, as Kriesel watched the soldiers’ formation at Fort McCoy, they surprised him by shouting, whistling, waving — and pointing to the place he had always stood.
Kriesel walked over and took his regular spot at the formation, and his battalion commander pinned the Combat Infantryman Badge and the Bronze Star on his chest.
go here for more
In case you missed any of the links for the others in the series, here they are
Related reading:
Part I — Unit prepares to deploy
Part II — Guardsmen arrive in Iraq
Part III — Milestones made and missed
Part IV — Devastating injuries
Part V — Joy and tears
Part VI — An ambush produces a hero
Saturday, August 9, 2008
Part VI: An ambush produces a hero
Part VI: An ambush produces a hero
By Sharon Cohen - The Associated Press
Posted : Saturday Aug 9, 2008 17:46:40 EDT
It all looked as if a video game had come to life. Through his night-vision goggles, Staff Sgt. Chad Malmberg saw the insurgents scurrying from berms to canals. Some popped up, ran a few yards, then fell to the Americans’ gunfire. But others kept advancing toward his convoy.
EDITOR’S NOTE — An insurgent ambush yields a hero, and a wounded soldier recovers back home. Sixth of a seven-part series on the longest deployment of the Iraq war.
Malmberg’s rocket counterattack hadn’t stopped the enemy. And Truck 4, at the back of the convoy, had just radioed two urgent pleas for help.
It was running out of ammunition. And the enemy was within shouting distance.
Once again, Malmberg ordered his truck to race to the back — this time with two other Humvees, one of which supplied .50-caliber machine gun bullets.
The insurgents, once five or six football-field lengths away, were now within 50 feet, hunkered in a ditch. When their muzzles flashed, Malmberg saw their faces and their turbans.
When his truck stopped, he flung open his door and hopped out, quickly lobbing a grenade into the ditch.
“Frag out!” he shouted so others could take cover, then repeated the alert on the radio. Then his truck stopped again and Malmberg’s driver threw a second grenade.
Finally, that threat was eliminated.
Still, the fight wasn’t over. Insurgents near the front of the convoy, where Malmberg now returned, were launching rocket-propelled grenades as all five Humvees sprayed the area with gunfire.
In the midst of this, Malmberg’s gunner alerted him that smoke was billowing from both sides of the cab of a civilian truck. Malmberg looked through his rearview mirror. Surely, he thought, the driver was dead. He radioed an order to a Humvee crew: Remove the body.
But when the sergeant opened the door, the driver popped out and hugged him. Miraculously, the man had survived, so frightened that he then crawled under his truck for safety.
The sergeant pulled him out. They had to go. Now! They had to get out of the kill zone.
go here for more
http://www.armytimes.com/news/2008/08/ap_longdeployment_080908/
By Sharon Cohen - The Associated Press
Posted : Saturday Aug 9, 2008 17:46:40 EDT
It all looked as if a video game had come to life. Through his night-vision goggles, Staff Sgt. Chad Malmberg saw the insurgents scurrying from berms to canals. Some popped up, ran a few yards, then fell to the Americans’ gunfire. But others kept advancing toward his convoy.
EDITOR’S NOTE — An insurgent ambush yields a hero, and a wounded soldier recovers back home. Sixth of a seven-part series on the longest deployment of the Iraq war.
Malmberg’s rocket counterattack hadn’t stopped the enemy. And Truck 4, at the back of the convoy, had just radioed two urgent pleas for help.
It was running out of ammunition. And the enemy was within shouting distance.
Once again, Malmberg ordered his truck to race to the back — this time with two other Humvees, one of which supplied .50-caliber machine gun bullets.
The insurgents, once five or six football-field lengths away, were now within 50 feet, hunkered in a ditch. When their muzzles flashed, Malmberg saw their faces and their turbans.
When his truck stopped, he flung open his door and hopped out, quickly lobbing a grenade into the ditch.
“Frag out!” he shouted so others could take cover, then repeated the alert on the radio. Then his truck stopped again and Malmberg’s driver threw a second grenade.
Finally, that threat was eliminated.
Still, the fight wasn’t over. Insurgents near the front of the convoy, where Malmberg now returned, were launching rocket-propelled grenades as all five Humvees sprayed the area with gunfire.
In the midst of this, Malmberg’s gunner alerted him that smoke was billowing from both sides of the cab of a civilian truck. Malmberg looked through his rearview mirror. Surely, he thought, the driver was dead. He radioed an order to a Humvee crew: Remove the body.
But when the sergeant opened the door, the driver popped out and hugged him. Miraculously, the man had survived, so frightened that he then crawled under his truck for safety.
The sergeant pulled him out. They had to go. Now! They had to get out of the kill zone.
go here for more
http://www.armytimes.com/news/2008/08/ap_longdeployment_080908/
Thursday, August 7, 2008
For 2 soldiers, families, lives changed
Part IV: For 2 soldiers, families, lives changed
By Sharon Cohen - The Associated Press
Posted : Thursday Aug 7, 2008 16:43:38 EDT
In that dreadful December, every day brought bloodshed, every week hundreds of attacks on Americans and Iraqis.
EDITOR’S NOTE — Roadside bomb blasts change everything for two soldiers and their families back home. Fourth of a seven-part series on the longest deployment of the Iraq war.
Car bombings. Drive-by shootings. Kidnappings. Torture. Bullet-riddled bodies. Sectarian fighting. It was a horrible end to a horrible year in the Iraq war.
And for two young soldiers, December 2006 was the month that changed everything, forever.
The sky was clear on Dec. 2 when Sgt. John Kriesel’s armored Humvee rolled out to check a report of suspicious activity: people digging on a dirt road near Fallujah.
His Humvee was turning a corner when the left front tire ran over something. Riding shotgun in the vehicle, Kriesel heard a metallic plink — like a rock striking a 55-gallon drum.
Then: BOOM!
The Humvee flew into the air, its doors blowing open, the gunner shooting out of the turret like a Roman candle before the vehicle crashed down on its side.
Kriesel’s helmet and glasses flew off as he was thrown to the ground. Rocks rained down in a concrete storm, and Kriesel heard the screeching of twisted metal, then moans, groans, screams.
Strangely, he was calm. He saw the underside of the Humvee; the axle was blown off.
Then he looked down.
His left leg was nearly severed, still tucked in his pants leg, hanging by a piece of skin. His left thigh was split open, with a bone jutting out and blood oozing.
His right leg, from about six inches below the knee, was badly mangled.
“I’m going to die,” he told himself. “This is how it ends.”
Sgt. Kriesel, the eternal optimist, had lost faith.
He tried to get up, but it was useless. The bones of his lower left arm were broken; the arm flapped like a door off its hinge. Kriesel, who had trained to be a paramedic, was clear-minded enough to brace his arm to his chest, hoping to avoid nerve damage.
His right biceps had burst; they were peppered with shrapnel. A bracelet in honor of a fallen soldier sliced his right wrist down to the bone.
Kriesel closed his eyes. He couldn’t bear to see more.
click post title for more
Related Reading:
Part I — Unit prepares to deploy
Part II — Guardsmen arrive in Iraq
Part III —A funeral and a birth
By Sharon Cohen - The Associated Press
Posted : Thursday Aug 7, 2008 16:43:38 EDT
In that dreadful December, every day brought bloodshed, every week hundreds of attacks on Americans and Iraqis.
EDITOR’S NOTE — Roadside bomb blasts change everything for two soldiers and their families back home. Fourth of a seven-part series on the longest deployment of the Iraq war.
Car bombings. Drive-by shootings. Kidnappings. Torture. Bullet-riddled bodies. Sectarian fighting. It was a horrible end to a horrible year in the Iraq war.
And for two young soldiers, December 2006 was the month that changed everything, forever.
The sky was clear on Dec. 2 when Sgt. John Kriesel’s armored Humvee rolled out to check a report of suspicious activity: people digging on a dirt road near Fallujah.
His Humvee was turning a corner when the left front tire ran over something. Riding shotgun in the vehicle, Kriesel heard a metallic plink — like a rock striking a 55-gallon drum.
Then: BOOM!
The Humvee flew into the air, its doors blowing open, the gunner shooting out of the turret like a Roman candle before the vehicle crashed down on its side.
Kriesel’s helmet and glasses flew off as he was thrown to the ground. Rocks rained down in a concrete storm, and Kriesel heard the screeching of twisted metal, then moans, groans, screams.
Strangely, he was calm. He saw the underside of the Humvee; the axle was blown off.
Then he looked down.
His left leg was nearly severed, still tucked in his pants leg, hanging by a piece of skin. His left thigh was split open, with a bone jutting out and blood oozing.
His right leg, from about six inches below the knee, was badly mangled.
“I’m going to die,” he told himself. “This is how it ends.”
Sgt. Kriesel, the eternal optimist, had lost faith.
He tried to get up, but it was useless. The bones of his lower left arm were broken; the arm flapped like a door off its hinge. Kriesel, who had trained to be a paramedic, was clear-minded enough to brace his arm to his chest, hoping to avoid nerve damage.
His right biceps had burst; they were peppered with shrapnel. A bracelet in honor of a fallen soldier sliced his right wrist down to the bone.
Kriesel closed his eyes. He couldn’t bear to see more.
click post title for more
Related Reading:
Part I — Unit prepares to deploy
Part II — Guardsmen arrive in Iraq
Part III —A funeral and a birth
Monday, August 4, 2008
Minnesota National Guard combatants and goodwill ambassadors
Troops struggle in Iraq; families struggle at home
Second of a seven-part series By Sharon Cohen
Associated Press
Editor's note: National Guard troops reach their stations in Iraq while family members back home begin a hard adjustment.
The phone call surprised Katie Kriesel, so soon after her husband, John, shipped out.
"Where are you?" she asked.
"I am where I need to be," he answered cryptically, not wanting to disclose his exact location in Iraq. He probably would have waited to call home to Minnesota, but April 8, 2006, was special - it was Katie's 26th birthday.
Kriesel was at Camp Fallujah, just east of the city where U.S. contractors had been hanged from a bridge, where Marines had battled insurgents in some of the bloodiest battles of the war.
Soon after his arrival, Kriesel saw a tent near his living quarters that had been hit by enemy mortar fire, twisting the metal support beams and shredding the canvas.
Welcome to Iraq.
But Kriesel wanted to be in the thick of the action, not sitting in a tower or standing guard in a mess hall. He'd always been gung-ho; even as a kid he had watched the Gulf War on TV and proclaimed: "If I can get paid to do that, then I'm in."
Kriesel had trouble sleeping his first night in Iraq. His gear hadn't arrived, the air conditioning in his tent was going full blast and he had no blankets.
Some guys, he noticed, were sleeping in their body armor. He used his as a pillow. If a mortar lands here, he thought, it won't matter if I'm wearing chain mail. I'm a goner.
As he settled into the soldier's life, Katie established a routine in Minnesota.
She dropped off their sons, Elijah, almost 5, and Broden, 3, at day care in the morning, headed to work at a freight-forwarding company, then picked up the boys. Every evening it was dinner, baths, then time to check the computer for messages from Dad or await his call. Some days there was special mail - "Operation Iraqi Freedom" T-shirts or coins that Elijah brought to show-and-tell.
But reminders of those at war came home in less comforting ways, too. One day, Elijah, waiting in a gym for Katie, saw a TV news story about a soldier who died in Iraq.
"Is Dad going to die?" he asked his mother.
No, she assured him - that's why the family prayed every night to keep Dad safe.
By spring 2006, however, the war was entering its fourth year, more than 2,000 U.S. troops were dead, and it was clear no place in Iraq was secure.
No road seemed off-limits to improvised explosive devices, or IEDs, no building impervious to attacks. Not the fortressed Green Zone, not the United Nations headquarters, not the forward operating bases where thousands of soldiers made a ready target.
The 1st Brigade Combat Team/34th Infantry Division - not just Minnesotans, but incorporating soldiers from 36 states - was headquartered at Tallil Air Base in southern Iraq near Nasiriyah. But the thousands of troops were stationed throughout the central and southern parts of the country.
They were both combatants and goodwill ambassadors, fighting insurgents with rocket launchers and handing out Beanie Babies to Iraqi kids. They escorted fuel and food convoys, conducted patrols, provided security, tended to the sick and wounded, delivered books and supplies to schools, paved roads, helped start newspapers and built and repaired water treatment plants.
They worked together in close quarters, and inevitably, became surrogate family.
go here for more
http://www.leadertelegram.com/story-news.asp?id=BHCO6P5SELC
Second of a seven-part series By Sharon Cohen
Associated Press
Editor's note: National Guard troops reach their stations in Iraq while family members back home begin a hard adjustment.
The phone call surprised Katie Kriesel, so soon after her husband, John, shipped out.
"Where are you?" she asked.
"I am where I need to be," he answered cryptically, not wanting to disclose his exact location in Iraq. He probably would have waited to call home to Minnesota, but April 8, 2006, was special - it was Katie's 26th birthday.
Kriesel was at Camp Fallujah, just east of the city where U.S. contractors had been hanged from a bridge, where Marines had battled insurgents in some of the bloodiest battles of the war.
Soon after his arrival, Kriesel saw a tent near his living quarters that had been hit by enemy mortar fire, twisting the metal support beams and shredding the canvas.
Welcome to Iraq.
But Kriesel wanted to be in the thick of the action, not sitting in a tower or standing guard in a mess hall. He'd always been gung-ho; even as a kid he had watched the Gulf War on TV and proclaimed: "If I can get paid to do that, then I'm in."
Kriesel had trouble sleeping his first night in Iraq. His gear hadn't arrived, the air conditioning in his tent was going full blast and he had no blankets.
Some guys, he noticed, were sleeping in their body armor. He used his as a pillow. If a mortar lands here, he thought, it won't matter if I'm wearing chain mail. I'm a goner.
As he settled into the soldier's life, Katie established a routine in Minnesota.
She dropped off their sons, Elijah, almost 5, and Broden, 3, at day care in the morning, headed to work at a freight-forwarding company, then picked up the boys. Every evening it was dinner, baths, then time to check the computer for messages from Dad or await his call. Some days there was special mail - "Operation Iraqi Freedom" T-shirts or coins that Elijah brought to show-and-tell.
But reminders of those at war came home in less comforting ways, too. One day, Elijah, waiting in a gym for Katie, saw a TV news story about a soldier who died in Iraq.
"Is Dad going to die?" he asked his mother.
No, she assured him - that's why the family prayed every night to keep Dad safe.
By spring 2006, however, the war was entering its fourth year, more than 2,000 U.S. troops were dead, and it was clear no place in Iraq was secure.
No road seemed off-limits to improvised explosive devices, or IEDs, no building impervious to attacks. Not the fortressed Green Zone, not the United Nations headquarters, not the forward operating bases where thousands of soldiers made a ready target.
The 1st Brigade Combat Team/34th Infantry Division - not just Minnesotans, but incorporating soldiers from 36 states - was headquartered at Tallil Air Base in southern Iraq near Nasiriyah. But the thousands of troops were stationed throughout the central and southern parts of the country.
They were both combatants and goodwill ambassadors, fighting insurgents with rocket launchers and handing out Beanie Babies to Iraqi kids. They escorted fuel and food convoys, conducted patrols, provided security, tended to the sick and wounded, delivered books and supplies to schools, paved roads, helped start newspapers and built and repaired water treatment plants.
They worked together in close quarters, and inevitably, became surrogate family.
go here for more
http://www.leadertelegram.com/story-news.asp?id=BHCO6P5SELC
Tuesday, July 8, 2008
Vets’ advocates want to pass PTSD law on federal level
Vets’ advocates want to pass PTSD law on federal level
by DENNIS GEISINGER
published July 7 2008
“I was part of a house cleaning operation on Jan. 24, 2004 in Iraq,” First Sergeant Hector Matascastillo told officials gathered in the Hennepin County Board Room, while downtown on June 19 for a conference on veterans’ justice and Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). “I was going door to door looking for enemy combatants in residential houses with a pistol in each of my hands,” Matascastillo said.
Matascastillo, 35, a member of the Minnesota National Guard, had been deployed several times and was an infantry company senior NCO in Iraq with the 3-194 CAB, which stands for Combat Action Badge (awarded since 2001 to soldiers performing duties in an area with hostile fire or imminent danger). He works now as a veterans employment representative, assigned for the last five months at the Minnesota Workforce Center at Lake and Chicago.
“I was exiting a house when I saw an enemy in front of me with his gun pointed directly at me. I didn’t raise my weapons because he had the drop on me and any attempt to use my weapons would have been useless. So I was stopped without cover in front of the house, wondering why I didn’t see my partner, and why the enemy soldier didn’t fire on me,” Matascastillo recounted.
“My training had taught me that when faced with an armed enemy, to kill him immediately, and I wondered why this enemy combatant did not do the same to me,” he said, recreating the pulse-quickening tension of the moment. “I maintained my position with my weapons pointed down, still looking for my partner and still with the enemy backing away from me.”
“Suddenly,” said Matascastillo, “the soldier tripped over the curb behind him and he fell backwards. It was then that I heard my ex-wife scream, ‘He doesn’t keep ammunition in the house!’”
click post title for more
by DENNIS GEISINGER
published July 7 2008
“I was part of a house cleaning operation on Jan. 24, 2004 in Iraq,” First Sergeant Hector Matascastillo told officials gathered in the Hennepin County Board Room, while downtown on June 19 for a conference on veterans’ justice and Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). “I was going door to door looking for enemy combatants in residential houses with a pistol in each of my hands,” Matascastillo said.
Matascastillo, 35, a member of the Minnesota National Guard, had been deployed several times and was an infantry company senior NCO in Iraq with the 3-194 CAB, which stands for Combat Action Badge (awarded since 2001 to soldiers performing duties in an area with hostile fire or imminent danger). He works now as a veterans employment representative, assigned for the last five months at the Minnesota Workforce Center at Lake and Chicago.
“I was exiting a house when I saw an enemy in front of me with his gun pointed directly at me. I didn’t raise my weapons because he had the drop on me and any attempt to use my weapons would have been useless. So I was stopped without cover in front of the house, wondering why I didn’t see my partner, and why the enemy soldier didn’t fire on me,” Matascastillo recounted.
“My training had taught me that when faced with an armed enemy, to kill him immediately, and I wondered why this enemy combatant did not do the same to me,” he said, recreating the pulse-quickening tension of the moment. “I maintained my position with my weapons pointed down, still looking for my partner and still with the enemy backing away from me.”
“Suddenly,” said Matascastillo, “the soldier tripped over the curb behind him and he fell backwards. It was then that I heard my ex-wife scream, ‘He doesn’t keep ammunition in the house!’”
click post title for more
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