Vietnam Veteran Concerned For All Veterans

Vietnam veteran spotlights biggest struggle facing all vets 
Connect Mid Missouri
by Dan Ebner
Posted: 03.30.2015

"There isn't a pill, there isn't a joke, there isn't you movie you can have them watch... nothing,” Delgado said.

JEFFERSON CITY, MO -- Three years ago, Governor Jay Nixon signed a bill that made March 30th Vietnam veterans recognition day in Missouri.

One Vietnam vet said the biggest struggle facing veterans of all wars is suicide. Raul Delgado, a member of American Legion Post 5 in Jefferson City, served in Vietnam from 1967 until 1969.

As a Marine, he was a crew chief on a helicopter, flying missions all across Vietnam. Delgado said the problem of veteran suicide doesn’t get the attention it needs and deserves. One reason he said this is because he almost took his own life. "I had the rifle in mouth and my thumb on the trigger... and I was going to pull the trigger," Delgado said.

 57,000 soldiers were killed in action during the war, but over 150,000 veterans of Vietnam have committed suicide.

Delgado said he isn’t just concerned about vets from the war he fought it, but also vets in the current wars.
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Vietnam Veterans Day From Coast to Coast

Massachusetts

Taunton Vietnam veterans group holds POW/MIA ceremony
Wicked Local
Marc Larocque
March 29, 2015

Members of the POW/MIA awareness movement, including a faithful group of Vietnam veterans in the Taunton area, have helped foster governmental and societal responsibility toward families of U.S. service members who go missing during war, said the president of the Massachusetts Vigil Society.

Dan Golden was the keynote speaker at the 33rd annual POW/MIA Remembrance Day Ceremony on Sunday at the Vietnam Memorial Fountain downtown on Church Green. The event has been organized each year by the Taunton Area Vietnam Veterans Association to remember the 39 Massachusetts servicemen and 1,637 others nationwide whose remains were never returned from the battlefields of Southeast Asia.
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Springfield ceremonies remember Vietnam veterans 
The first salute at the Vietnam Veterans’ monument at Mason Square
WWLP 22 News
By Sy Becker
Published: March 29, 2015

SPRINGFIELD, Mass. (WWLP) – April will mark the 40th anniversary of the end of the Vietnam. 

Two solemn ceremonies were held in Springfield Sunday as Vietnam veterans honored their fallen comrades.

The first salute at the Vietnam Veterans’ monument at Mason Square, where African American veterans of the Winchester Square Vietnam Era Veterans honored the soldiers who never came home, many they had known all their lives.
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Springfield commemorates Vietnam Veterans Day 2015
MassLive
Elizabeth Roman
March 29, 2015

Springfield- Local leaders including Springfield Mayor Domenic J. Sarno and U.S. Rep. Richard Neal commemorate the Vietnam Veterans Day in Springfield.
(ELIZABETH ROMAN/ THE REPUBLICAN)

SPRINGFIELD — For more than 25 years local leaders and veterans have gathered at Court Square in honor of those who served and those who died during the Vietnam War.

A ceremony was held Sunday afternoon featuring the reading of the names of those killed or missing in action as well as laying a wreath at the Vietnam Memorial. The event included various speakers including newly appointed Massachusetts Secretary of Veterans Affairs Francisco Urena who is a Purple Heart Marine, Springfield Veteran of the Year Ronald Krupke, U.S. Rep Richard E. Neal, Dr. Samuel J. Mazza, who served as a trauma surgeon during the Vietnam War, and more.
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Delaware
There are a lot of great videos on this page for Vietnam veterans.

Vietnam veterans honored at ceremony in Bristol Twp.
Bucks County Courier Times
Elizabeth Fisher
March 30, 2015

Chloe Elmer/Staff Photographer
Vietnam vets
America, Hose, Hook, and Ladder Company No. 2 Fire n Bristol Borough Chief and Desert Storm veteran David Pearl shares a moment with Jesse Hill, treasurer of the Delaware Valley Vietnam Veterans, after he thanked him in a speech during The Delaware Valley Vietnam Veterans event from 2 to 5 p.m. on Sunday, March 29, 2015 at their Bristol Township Headquarters to honor veterans on the March 29, 1973 anniversary of the last U.S. troops to leave Vietnam. The group will also celebrate their 8th anniversary at the headquarters. Attendees were also given a K-9 demonstration from Falls and Bristol Township police officers, in honor of the K-9 Working Dogs Veterans Day, which was March 13.

Veterans from all service branches saluted as the American flag and the black-and-white POW-MIA flag were hoisted. A three-gun salute followed at a ceremony Sunday at the headquarters of the Delaware Valley Vietnam Veterans in Bristol Township.

The occasion was a ceremony to mark the 42nd anniversary of the withdrawal of U.S. troops from Vietnam, signaling the end of a 10-year conflict and North Vietnam’s release of what it claimed were the last of its American prisoners of war. It would be four more years before the last of the American troops came home.

Among the attendees was Dennis Parr, a Bristol resident who served in the U.S. Navy from 1969-1973. The ceremony was particularly poignant for him because of the many friends he lost in battle, and the fact that his son, Riccardo, served two tours in Iraq as a Marine hospital corpsman.
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Virginia

Vietnam veterans honored for courage, service at Lynchburg commemoration
News Advance
Katrina Dix
March 28, 2015

The first U.S. combat troops arrived in Vietnam 50 years ago this month, but the conflict claimed one of Lynchburg’s own more than a year earlier, when Lt. Kenneth Shannon died after his helicopter was shot down over South Vietnam on March 15, 1964, just five days after his arrival overseas.

At a commemoration of the 50th anniversary of the Vietnam War at the American Legion Post 16 Saturday afternoon, veterans who served with him or even went to college with him greeted his widow, Ginger Shannon-Young, who moved back to Lynchburg about four years ago.

Some were saying hello for the first time in almost 50 years; others, for the first time ever.
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Tennessee

Vietnam Veterans Day
WDEF News
March 29, 2015

Knoxville, TN (WDEF)- Tennessee Gov. Bill Haslam and Department of Veterans Affairs Commissioner Many-Bears Grinder announced March 29th will now be known as Vietnam Veterans Day.

The day is to recognize the courage, service and sacrifice of the men and women who served during the Vietnam War.
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Missouri

Missouri honors Vietnam veterans today
KMA Land
Special to KMA -- Mona Shand
March 30, 2015

(Jefferson City) -- It's been nearly 40 years since the official end of the Vietnam War and today Missouri honors the sacrifices of all those who served in the conflict. Many Vietnam veterans came home to find the country in the midst of the anti-establishment, anti-war movement of the late 1960s and early 1970s.

Daniel Bell, public information officer with the Missouri Veterans Commission, says today's observance of Vietnam Veterans Day gives Missourians a chance to make up for the past.

"Vietnam veterans were not welcomed home in the same manner that your World War II, Korea, and your current returning veterans were treated," says Bell. "This is just a way of recognizing their sacrifices and their service to our country."
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Alaska

Vietnam Veterans Day honors Alaskans who served
News Miner
By Weston Morrow
March 30, 2015

ERIN CORNELIUSSEN/FAIRBANKS DAILY NEWS-MINER
Vietnam Veterans Day
Veterans and audience members listen to a panel discussion during a Vietnam Veterans Day program at Randy Smith Middle School on Sunday, March 29, 2015.

FAIRBANKS — Veterans, active-duty military members and community members gathered in the gymnasium at Randy Smith Middle School on Sunday to honor the service of Alaska’s many Vietnam veterans.

The event Sunday was timed purposefully to fall on March 29 — a date that commemorates the withdrawal of the last United States troops from Vietnam in 1973. Forty years later, in 2013, the Alaska Legislature declared March 29 to serve from then on as Vietnam Veterans Day, “to acknowledge and commemorate the military service of American men and women in Vietnam.”
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Montel Williams Fighting For Medical Marijuana in Missouri

Montel Williams to speak for Missouri medical marijuana bill
By The Associated Press
Tuesday, February 24, 2015

JEFFERSON CITY (AP) — Medical marijuana access in Missouri would become a reality under a bill sponsored by a Republican representative and supported by television personality Montel Williams.

Williams will testify in support of a bill to allow limited medical marijuana access for patients through a state-monitored distribution program at a House committee hearing Monday.

The measure would set up a process for patients to register for access to marijuana for cancer, HIV, post-traumatic stress disorder and other medical conditions.

Williams said the legislation could be a model for the rest of the country to allow access to medical marijuana. Williams, who starred in the syndicated talk show “The Montel Williams Show,” has multiple sclerosis and uses marijuana to treat some of his symptoms. He lives in New York and has advocated for medical marijuana across the country.
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Widow Warns Iraq Burn Pit Caused Cancer

After her husband's death, widow warns burn pits used in Iraq may cause deadly cancer
KSHB Kansas
Garrett Haake
Feb 19, 2015

KANSAS CITY, Mo. - The widow of a Lee’s Summit veteran killed by a rare and aggressive cancer says she’s convinced her husband’s illness was brought on by his exposure to toxic fumes from “burn pits” during his service in Iraq.

Now she’s warning other veterans to speak to their doctors about risks associated with the pits.

Staff Sergeant Matthew Gonzales received a diagnosis of Esthesioneuroblastoma four years after returning from Tikrit, where he worked regularly near a burn pit used to dispose of medical waste by burning it with jet fuel in a large open pit.

“One thing that caught me off guard is that they didn't have any protective gear covering themselves,” his widow, Elizabeth, said of a video her husband showed her of the pit. “I asked about that, and he felt confident saying, 'The government wouldn't put us in any harm’s way. They're going to protect us.'”
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Iraq Veteran Gets 8 Years for Charity Scamming

Iraq vet sentenced to 8 years in prison for charity scam 
St. Louis Dispatch
Susan Welch
January 12, 2015

William Ronald Harshbarger, an Iraq War veteran from St. Charles County, was sentenced to eight years in prison for taking money in the name of the Wounded Warrior Project but keeping the money for himself.

ST. CHARLES COUNTY • A wounded Iraq War veteran from St. Charles County was sentenced Monday to eight years in prison for soliciting donations for the Wounded Warrior Project but keeping the money himself.

William Ronald Harshbarger, 34, of the 1100 block of Clydesdale Drive, pleaded guilty in November to seven felony counts, including forgery, stealing and financial exploitation of a disabled person, all occurring in 2012.

Harshbarger's case was handled jointly by the Missouri attorney general's office and the St. Charles County prosecutor's office. He was sentenced by Circuit Judge Rick Zerr. Harshbarger routinely solicited donations outside stores such as Schnucks and Walmart, receiving at least one $1,000 check, authorities said.

He also took part in events such as a Veterans Day-related fundraiser at Living Word Christian School, in O’Fallon, Mo., where he received almost $750. read more here

Tiny Missouri Church Builds Future for Homeless Veteran

Church Mission Committee Builds Tiny Home for Veteran 
By Karen Butterfield,
Missourian Staff Writer
December 31, 2014

Work Continues on Tiny House Life Stream Church Missions Committee member Louis Todd worked to install locks on a tiny home the committee is building for an area veteran in need. Also shown is Louis Day, committee member. The veteran has been living in substandard housing with no utilities. The home is 12 by 24 feet. Committee members began the project in September and expect to finish the project in January. Submitted Photo.

Life Stream Church’s (LSC) Missions Committee, Washington, is working toward building a “tiny house” for an area veteran in need. Tiny houses are being built across the American landscape to make a better life for homeless veterans and people who cannot earn enough to keep up with the rising cost of utilities and living expenses.

“Our LSC missions project is enabling a veteran who has lived ‘off the grid’ in substandard housing and tents without utilities, to be able to have the comforts of warmth and electricity and the assistance of solar power to reduce energy costs,” said Pat Todd, the LSC missions committee member.

“The joy that emanated from his face when he realized he could lift his arms above his head and also look out a secure window to see God’s creation while sunlight flooded the tiny house was life-changing for us,” she added.

The 62-year-old Vietnam veteran had been living without utilities in substandard or no housing for 26 years, Todd said. She didn’t want to reveal the man’s name. After the war, the veteran had purchased land in the Sullivan area planning to build a home, however; he could never meet county building codes.
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Gringe Landlord says Soldier can't stay with wife and new baby for holidays

Visiting soldier can’t stay in wife’s SC apartment, landlord says
BY CNN WIRE
DECEMBER 12, 2014

CENTRAL, S.C. — A soldier returning home for the holidays to see his wife and newborn baby in South Carolina is being kicked out of his wife’s apartment after the landlord said he is overstaying the time allowed for visitors, reported WHNS.

Sergeant William Bolt is stationed in Missouri, but his wife has been in Central, S.C. She gave birth to their daughter two weeks ago.

Bolt said the landlord at The Groves apartment complex in Central told him he had overstayed, saying visitors are not allowed to stay in the apartments past seven days, per the agreement signed by Bolt’s wife, Lily.

“I’m stationed in Missouri and we haven’t seen each other in six months. What’s the problem with me staying and visiting with my wife?” Bolt said.
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NBC 348 Stories on Michael Brown, None on Issac Sims

There is a quote about the people of Ferguson waiting for the outcome of a Grand Jury hearing into police shooting Michael Brown that sums up the way things are. “It's like a war zone. Everybody's looking over their shoulder.” It happened August 9th. Protests and riots followed.

On the NBC website, right at the top, there is this

MICHAEL BROWN SHOOTING 348 STORIES

Michael Brown, an unarmed black teen, was shot and killed by police in Ferguson, Missouri.

Is the death of a teenager tragic? Yes. But what is behind the protests and riots in this case? People don't just do it whenever police shoot someone with questionable circumstances. They don't even seem to care when the person shot by police was a veteran trying to get help. Two months before police shot Michael Brown, a veteran was shot and killed by police in the same state.

Kansas City police had shot and killed Issac Sims, 26, in the garage of his parents’ house a day earlier. His death was a bloody coda to a five-hour standoff that began after officers responded to Shawn’s 911 call. May 25th

There is the story of Issac Sims on the local NBC 12 news out of Missouri, but it wasn't about him. He was just mentioned in the story about VA Secretary Shinseki resigning.

The truth is, it happens all over the country all the time.

On July 4, Icarus Randolph woke up in a bad mental place. The 26-year-old Marine veteran had served in Iraq and suffered from post-traumatic stress disorder, or PTSD, his family says. That afternoon, he became a casualty on his mother’s front lawn when a Wichita police officer shot him in front of his family. Then-Police Chief Norman Williams said the officer fired the fatal shots after Randolph charged with a knife.

July, Justin Neil Davis was only 24. His last tour ended when he was 22 in 2012. Davis knew he was having problems. He had been in the VA rehab for 30 days but as it turned out, it didn't make that much of a difference. Davis was one of the countless stories of veterans seeking help instead of denying they need it. That is the saddest part of all. They wanted to live, hoped to heal, reached out for help and tried the best they could to recover from combat. They are also the greatest example of how the government failed them.

Jacinto Zavala, 21 whose family told authorities was a veteran suffering from post traumatic stress disorder was shot by police early Wednesday morning shortly after allegedly telling a 911 dispatcher that "they are going to have a shoot-out." August

Police in Las Cruces New Mexico have just identified the officer who shot Army Sgt. William Smith. A single bullet ended the 5 hour standoff.

Jeffrey Johnson, the 33-year-old father and veteran killed during an officer-involved shooting, says he was dealing with post traumatic stress disorder. Police first contacted Jeffrey at Best Western in north Abilene after receiving a welfare call indicating he may have been suicidal. Upon arrival, Johnson slammed and barricaded the door, and fired two shots from inside which nearly hit an officer, according to police. September

Anthony Eric Chavez, 24 Lakewood He said he took the gun from a friend’s apartment at the complex, and was trying to shoot himself as Lee arrived, but couldn’t get the gun to fire. The mother of Chavez’s children told police he was hit by shrapnel while in the Army and suffered a traumatic brain injury and has post traumatic stress disorder. He started drinking heavily and taking illegal drugs after his injury, and refused his medications, she said. She told police he had tried to kill himself multiple times. October

Nathan Boyd: The Persian Gulf War veteran had been diagnosed with PTSD and other maladies before his confrontation with police. November 5th

There are so many more, but you don't find over 300 news reports about them or their lives cut short. 

You don't see protests after they tried to get help but didn't get it. You don't see riots.

You don't see the National News stations sending reporters out to tell their stories.

The difference is, the media wanted this story to matter so much more. The Grand Jury may not find the police officer responsible but the media is guilty of making this story matter as much as possible while making sure few know about the lives lost when veterans come home.

Issac Sims said of the Army, "This is my tribe. I'm never leaving."

Army Sgt. Issac Sims left the war in Iraq, but it didn’t leave him
Stars and Stripes
By Martin Kuz
Published: November 2, 2014

At graduation from basic training in 2007, Issac Sims said of the Army, "This is my tribe. I'm never leaving." Six years later, he was discharged after serving two tours in Iraq, where he sustained a traumatic brain injury in 2010.
COURTESY OF THE SIMS FAMILY

Part one of a four-part series

KANSAS CITY, Mo. — The tattered brown house on Lawndale Avenue bears the scars of a distant war that Issac Sims survived until he returned home. Slivers of glass from broken windows lie beneath walls pocked with bullet holes. In a corner of the garage, a faint stain on the concrete floor has turned the color of rust, time darkening the blood that emptied from his body.

Sims was killed here May 25, Memorial Day weekend, a year after his discharge from the Army and thousands of miles from Iraq. He endured two tours there only to die at age 26 in his parents’ home on Kansas City’s decaying east side. The fatal shots were fired not by insurgents but by police. The distinction may have eluded his damaged mind.

During his second tour in 2010, Sims sustained a mild traumatic brain injury while riding in an armored vehicle that struck a roadside bomb. The former sergeant moved back to Kansas City from his unit’s base in Alaska in April last year, and struggling with migraines, insomnia, anxiety and depression, he visited the city’s Veterans Affairs Medical Center. His symptoms suggested post-traumatic stress disorder.

His erratic behavior made clear to Patricia and Shawn Sims that their son had left the war without the war leaving him. He swerved through traffic when driving to avoid bombs that he imagined were buried in the road. Walking the tree line near their property, he searched for enemy fighting positions and threw punches at phantom militants. He sometimes rushed into the house and announced, “You know I just saved your lives, don’t you?”
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Marine Iraq Veteran Beaten Over Michael Brown?

Marine, war veteran beaten in possible hate crime
WMCAction
News5.com Staff
Posted: Aug 26, 2014

West Point, Miss.
(WMC) - A 32-year-old Marine and Iraq war veteran attacked and beaten in what might be a hate crime.

Investigators say several men jumped Ralph Weems in a parking lot in West Point, Mississippi.

One man is in custody, but West Point Police Chief Tim Brinkley says there were more attackers. His department is developing a list and trying to bring them in for questioning.

The Associated Press reports that Weems' friend and fellow veteran David Knighten says the beating was racially charged.

Knighten says someone outside a Waffle House told him politely that it was not a safe place for whites to be at the moment, because people inside were upset over the killing of 18-year-old Michael Brown in Ferguson, Missouri.
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Wolfhounds, Vietnam Veterans Horrified By Condition of Memorial

Veterans upset about condition of Vietnam Veterans Memorial
FOX4kc
BY MELISSA STERN
AUGUST 22, 2014

KANSAS CITY, Mo. — A place of honor was a place being shamed according to an assessment of Vietnam veterans about Kansas City’s Vietnam Memorial Park.

They say they’re tired of the poor shape it’s constantly in, and they want it restored to a true place of honor.

Vietnam War veterans from all over are in Kansas City honoring one of their fallen soldiers tomorrow. They came to Vietnam Memorial Park yesterday to inspect it for the event…only to find it completely trashed.

“The history of Kansas City and this memorial, has always been not in the best interest of the Vietnam veterans, or any veterans,” said Randy Hall, a Vietnam War veteran, who is hosting the reunion for the 25th Infantry Division known as the “Wolfhounds”, which will be attended by about 250 people.

“They’ve shopped, they’ve dined, they’ve spent their money, thousands of dollars in our city, and the last thing I wanted was for this to leave a bitter taste in their mouth when they went home,” added Hall.
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Atheists want Bibles out of the military?

Why are atheists so afraid of Bibles?

Freedom of Religion means no one is forced to believe anything but it also means that no one should force their views on anyone else or stop them from believing as they see fit.

There is a long tradition of members of the military taking Bibles into combat but there are no claims of anyone being forced to take one. My father-in-law kept the Bible he was given during WWII. My Dad kept his from the Korean War and my husband has his from the Vietnam War.

Since they cannot understand this is a long held tradition in the military the solution is simple. Let the Chaplains hand them out to anyone wanting to receive one. After all, if you go to Walter Reed with gifts for the wounded, religious items have to be turned over to the Chaplain.
I defend the rights of atheists to be protected from anyone trying to force them to attend any religious event but sometimes they go just too far.

Atheists Want Guard to Stop Bible Handouts
Military.com
by Bryant Jordan
Aug 05, 2014

An atheist organization is demanding that the Missouri National Guard stop offering Bibles to new recruits at its recruiting station in St. Louis.

The American Humanist Association, a Washington, D.C.-based advocacy group, also requested the New Testaments volumes displayed in the building be removed.

"Numerous cases have ruled that when the government offers biblical literature, even if done indirectly, it is an unconstitutional endorsement of religion," Monica Miller, an attorney for the association's Appignani Humanist Legal Center, wrote in a letter to the General Services Administration and to the Missouri National Guard. The GSA owns the building housing the Guard recruiting station and other military offices.
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PTSD Veteran escapes police, then they saved his life

Officers rescue veteran suffering from PTSD from river
WSMV News 4
By DeAnn Smith, Digital Content Manager
By Jonathan Carter, Reporter
Posted: Jul 17, 2014

After Jenista returned to the United States, the troubled man ran afoul of the law. He was discharged from the Army in April and his life has been increasingly difficult since then. The officers promised to help do what they can for him just like they did Tuesday morning.

KANSAS CITY, MO (KCTV)
A war veteran suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder is alive thanks to two Kansas City police officers who jumped into the Blue River to save the handcuffed man from drowning.

Geoffrey Jenista, 26, while facing serious criminal charges, is also now getting the mental help he needs from the Kansas City Police Department's crisis intervention team.

"He's a veteran who had served multiple tours overseas. He'd seen lots of combat. He was suffering from PTSD," Sgt. Michael Ward said. "Somebody that serves our country, you know, bravely like that, we're not going to turn our backs on him. We're going to try to help him."

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Navy SEALS train 6 year old, show tender side

Mar 30, 2014
Mason Rudder, 6, of suburban Kansas City, Mo., trains with a former Navy Seal at a military training facility near Farmington, Mo.

The boy has a rare genetic neuromuscular disorder and aspires to join the Navy Seals


St. Louis Post Dispatch
By Joel Currier

ST. FRANCOIS COUNTY, MO. • Mason Rudder peppered bullets from a fully automatic M4 rifle into a car, charged through a field while firing an AR-15, and helped build and set off a wall bomb that blew the door off a building.

Though Mason is no war hero, he got to feel like one Sunday. He is 6 years old and dreams of joining the Navy SEALs.

Mason’s parents, George and Suzanne Rudder, former St. Louis County residents who now live near Kansas City, surprised Mason for his birthday by driving across the state to a tactical training center near Farmington, Mo., to shoot and train with a former member of the Navy SEALs.

“He didn’t know until today,” said Suzanne Rudder, 36. “I think he was just stunned when we got here.”

Mason was born with a genetic disorder (Escobar syndrome) that causes limited movement and a decreased range of motion, his parents say. Mason is about 3½ feet tall and weighs just 32 pounds. Mason’s sister, Haley, 7, also has the disorder; their brother, Collin, 9, does not.
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linked from Stars and Stripes

MRAP Joins Sheriff's Department After Serving in Iraq

Six-wheeled Iraq veteran joins sheriff's department
Southeast Missourian
By Emily Priddy
Friday, March 21, 2014

Lt. Chris Hull with the Cape Girardeau County Sheriff's Department, opens the 700-pound driver's side door to the department's new mine-resistant ambush protected vehicle Friday afternoon.
(Laura Simon)

If Batman owned a station wagon, it might look a little like the Cape Girardeau County Sheriff's Department's newest vehicle.

The department recently acquired a 31-ton, six-wheeled Iraq War veteran capable of hauling eight to 11 people through ice, high water and improvised explosive devices.

"It's seriously armored. They made these things to protect the troops from IEDs," said Lt. Chris Hull of the Cape Girardeau County Sheriff's Department.

The vehicle, called an MRAP -- an acronym for mine-resistant ambush protected vehicle -- had 20 miles on its odometer when the U.S. Department of Defense transferred it to the county, Hull said.

"It was a vehicle that we acquired through the DOD program where they demilitarize certain pieces of equipment from the military and offer it to law enforcement," he said.

The department announced the acquisition on Facebook, where Hull said some "haters" were questioning why a local law-enforcement agency would need such a powerful tool.

"It was free," he said. "It was offered to us. ... Even if this thing gets utilized one time or so and it saves someone's life, it's well worth it."

Hull said several thousand of the vehicles exist, but only 350 were reconditioned for police use before the federal government canceled the program; the rest will be scrapped.
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Firefighter died trying to save others in Missouri

Veteran Firefighter Dies In Walkway Collapse
KWTX.com

COLUMBIA, Mo. (February 23, 2014) Flags on all city buildings in Columbia, Mo., will be flown at half-staff for 30 days in honor of a veteran firefighter who was killed while helping evacuate students from a University of Missouri-run apartment complex after a second-story walkway collapsed.

Lt. Bruce Britt became trapped beneath rubble while responding to the collapse early Saturday at University Village Apartments, Columbia Fire Chief Chuck Witt said.
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Marine reservist sent to collection agency by the Marines?

Marine reservists the latest left on the hook for 'erroneous payments'
Stars and Stripes
By John Vandiver
Published: January 25, 2014

STUTTGART, Germany — For two years, Marine Corps Reservist Lt. Col. Rollin Jackson served on active duty in California, some 2,000 miles from his Missouri home.

During that time, he was required to live in a hotel near his duty station in San Diego, where he worked as a mobilization officer.

Then, without warning, the Marines told Jackson he had been overpaid. Based on a technicality — that Jackson signed his mobilization orders upon arrival in San Diego rather than at his home in Missouri — the Marine Corps determined that Jackson owed $85,000 that he was paid for hotels and per-diem during his tenure in California.

The Marines also sent his government travel card statement, carrying a balance of $9,996.25, to a collection agency, Jackson said.

He and other Marine Corps reservists are the latest group of servicemembers and civilian Defense Department employees in dispute with the military over whether certain allowances were properly paid or have to be repaid.
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Marine coordinated and supervised 1,036 funeral honors

Marine Recognized for 1,000 Funeral Honors
Marine Corps News
by Sgt. Michael Ito
Jan 22, 2014

BRIDGETON, Mo. -- As any Marine can tell you, earning and upholding the title is no small feat. No matter what a Marine does in life or how long they serve in their beloved Corps, they will always uphold the honor and respect for the Marines that went before them.

Funeral honor details are just one way Marine Forces Reserve members uphold that honor and respect. To them, it is a duty, not a job. They will carry the honors in any clime or place and conduct thousands of these ceremonies every year across the United States.

So when Sgt. Andrew Portell was called to the front of the formation, he had no idea what was going on. It became evident when Sgt. Maj. Brian Fogarty, battalion sergeant major for 3rd Battalion, 23rd Marine Regiment began reading his citation.

“Sergeant Portell coordinated and supervised 1,036 funeral honors for Marine Corps veterans throughout the states of Missouri and Illinois, personally conducting 623 of those funerals…” It was this feat, among others, that earned him a Navy and Marine Corps Commendation Medal, awarded during a ceremony here, Jan. 7.
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Remembering Our Fallen display for Missouri

Son of fallen Missouri Marine visits display honoring Missouri soldiers (SLIDESHOW)

January 20, 2014 By Mike Lear

Representatives in the Missouri House have been greeted in the first two weeks of the legislative session by a display honoring Missouri soldiers who have died in service to the country since September 11, 2001.

Wesley Settle, son of the late Marine Lance Cpl. Darin Settle, is introduce in the Missouri House of Representatives. (photos courtesy, Tim Bommel-Missouri House Communications)

The Remembering Our Fallen display for Missouri currently has pictures of 147 military men and women. It was in the third floor of the State Capitol Rotunda on either side of the legislator’s entrance to the House.

The son of one of them has been recognized in the House by a state legislator. Wesley Settle was two months old when his father, Marine Lance Cpl. Darin Settle of Henley, was killed in a motor vehicle accident in Iraq in April, 2006.

Settle’s father, Jim Settle of Henley, says the memorial is a comfort.

“It is nice to see that people still remember and that these guys … him and the others … are still being remembered.”

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Vietnam Combat Photographer shares history for healing

Photo exhibit helps Vietnam veterans heal
ArkLaTex
10/30/2013

For decades the photos, John Hosier Jr. took during the Vietnam War in the late 1960s and early 70s were only seen by family members. In 1999 at the urging of his daughter, Hosier, Jr., who served as an Airborne Ranger and then combat photographer displayed several photos for classmates at her school. The exhibit which started with just enough items to cover one table now fills an entire tent with over 300 photographs and dozens of displays that feature American and Vietnamese weapons and memorabilia.

Hosier Jr. along with retired USMC veteran, Bob Heuman will be at the State Fair of Louisiana with their 'Through the Eyes' exhibit until Veteran's Day. The Missouri residents circle the country between Memorial Day and Veteran's Day each year. They say the stories other war veteran's share when they visit the exhibit help them cope with post traumatic stress issues they continue to live with.
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