Colt Ford "Workin On" PTSD

Just a worthy note here is a reminder that most of the suicides tied to military service are among veterans over the age of 50, but no one wants to mention that simple fact or that they have waited decades longer for help with the same wound called PTSD because they pushed for all the research in the first place.

Colt Ford Calls Attention to PTSD in ‘Workin’ On’ Mini-Movie [WATCH]
The Boot
By Hannahlee Allers
January 5, 2016

With the release of a new short film, Colt Ford is honoring soldiers who are dealing with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) after serving in the armed forces.

The film features Ford’s song “Workin’ On” and takes the song’s music video a step further by explaining more about PTSD and how it impacts veterans’ home lives.

“There’s men and women that are suffering and struggling with PTSD, that have given everything for us to be able to have the freedoms that we do. And because we can’t see it, a lot of times it goes unnoticed,” Ford says in a press release. “So, I just wanted to try and make as big a deal of it as possible so we can get some help.”

Ford introduces the film — which readers can watch above — alongside Lone Survivor Foundation creator and retired U.S. Navy SEAL Marcus Luttrell, who founded the LSF after he watched several of his fellow soldiers die during Operation Redwing in Afghanistan in 2007.
read more here

Workin' On (Movie Edition) - Colt Ford and Marcus Luttrell

Ret Adm. William McRaven "No one is immune to war's toll"

Former Special Operations commander: Military medicine needs compassion, collaboration
Stars and Stripes
By Dianna Cahn
Published: December 22, 2015

No one – not the top warrior nor the highest star admiral - is immune to war’s toll.

“Ever since I’ve come back it’s been like that,” McRaven said later, during a brief interview. “I’ve told one story a dozen times and I still can’t get through it.”

Chancellor of University of Texas Adm. William McRaven (Ret.), former commander of the U.S. Special Operations Command and longtime Navy SEAL, gives an address in San Antonio on Dec. 1 during a federal health conference. McRaven currently serves as chancellor of the University of Texas Systems.
DIANNA CAHN/STARS AND STRIPES

SAN ANTONIO — The former commander of the U.S. Special Operations Command got personal during a conference of federal medical professionals.

For most at the conference, it was an opportunity to share advances in science and medicine and the latest tools in treating the prevalent or the confounding wounds of war.

Adm. William McRaven offered up a story. He took his audience to a day in 2010 when he was at Bagram Airfield in Afghanistan and got word that two of his SEALs had been shot in a close fight.

McRaven ran across the road to the combat hospital and watched as the doctor struggled in vain to save each of his men. Unable to do so, the young doctor slid to the blood-soaked floor and simply wept.

A year later, McRaven met the widow of one of the SEALs and shared the details of that day. It gave her closure, she told him, to know that people who cared were present when her husband died.

The story was emotional, one told in order to drive home to his audience of medical professionals the power of compassion in medicine – even when it can’t save a patient’s life.

But in its telling, McRaven was forced to stop in his tracks and take a long pause before he could complete his story. For 10 seconds, the audience sat in silence as he struggled through his own emotions to find his voice. It drove home yet another lesson: No one – not the top warrior nor the highest star admiral - is immune to war’s toll.
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Navy Seal Veteran Death Organs Donated After Shooting

Slain SEAL's family recalls his integrity, puzzles over death
Tampa Tribune
By Howard Altman Tribune Staff
Published: December 2, 2015

Timothy Martin, 37, had gone to the SoHo Backyard, at 610 Armenia Ave., where Jeffrey Glenn, 33, an acquaintance and co-owner of the business, was working, police said

TAMPA — At the kitchen table of their brother’s South Tampa apartment, Nate and Hannah Fager smiled through pain as they shared their memories of him — Timothy Isaac Martin, a former Navy SEAL, military contractor, champion athlete, class clown and doting dad.

The siblings, along with their mother and other family members, came to Tampa when they heard the news that Martin was shot early Sunday morning at a South Tampa restaurant and bar, SoHo Backyard.

He died the next day at 37, his organs harvested so others might live.

“He was a good man,” said Hannah Fager, 33, sitting with her siblings among photos of Martin and his 4-year-old son Rocco. “He was a man of integrity.”

The Fager siblings, part of a blended bunch of 13 children, some adopted, recalled growing up so poor that they relied on donated food and Christmas gifts from strangers. They moved a lot before settling down in a small town in Wisconsin.

They recalled how Martin, a man of many passions, spent nearly four years studying to become a priest, only to join the Navy and become a SEAL. And how he left the SEALs in 2007, in part because he could not kill. And how Martin spent time overseas as a contractor, earning the kind of money he never knew growing up, and sharing as much as he could with those he loved.

They also remembered how Martin was proud, but not boastful, at serving as an advisor and making an appearance in the films, “Green Zone,” and “Zero Dark Thirty.”

But they also shared their frustration, eager to learn more about how and why their brother, unarmed, was shot by Jeffrey Glenn, the bar’s co-owner. Police say the two men were fighting when Glenn went to grab his gun.
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Team Rubicon Veteran Subject of New Book

'Charlie Mike' explores plight of veterans
USA TODAY
Ray Locker
November 8, 2015

Few writers have captured the grief and suffering of combat veterans making the transition from war to home better than journalist Joe Klein. His 1984 book, Payback, traced the lives of five Marines as they struggled to adapt after Vietnam. Now, with Charlie Mike, he follows the veterans of Iraq and Afghanistan as they fight through guilt, injury and post-traumatic stress disorder.

Much has changed between Vietnam and America's two latest wars. Veterans now have behind them the bulk of public opinion, which Vietnam vets could not count on. But the percentage of Americans who join the military is much smaller than before, leaving fewer people to relate to the demands of service.

Much of the veteran's lot remains the same, however. None can forget the searing experiences of war, of seeing their friends die horribly or suffer grievous wounds. They often live in constant agony, their memories flashing back a stream of horrors that sleep can't soothe.

In Charlie Mike, a term that means "continue the mission," Klein's main focus is two veterans whose seem to represent the best American has to offer. Jake Wood, a former offensive lineman at the University of Wisconsin, is a huge, strapping specimen of American manhood — tall, muscular and intelligent. Eric Greitens, an Oxford-educated Navy SEAL and intelligence officer, had the smarts and charisma that made him a natural leader.

Wood led a sniper team in Afghanistan, while Greitens returned to Iraq as an intelligence officer after his SEAL service. Both served honorably; both saw war steal their friends.

Klein shows how their service changed them but also propelled them to serve others once their military service ended. For Wood, it meant joining up with Marine buddies and heading to Haiti shortly after the January 2010 earthquake that flattened much of the country. Their freelance aid mission would eventually become Team Rubicon, Wood's group of veterans that acted as a team of early responders to some of the world's toughest disasters.
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James "Jim" Boedeker the Death Spiral Dude

Phony Navy SEAL of the Week. James "Jim" Boedeker the Death Spiral Dude

Published on Oct 25, 2015

Retired Navy SEAL Senior Chief Don Shipley BUSTS James ’Jim’ Boedeker the Death Spiral Phony SEAL Dude.

Join the fight at www.phonyseals.com and see all the latest BUSTS not available of YouTube. Many thanks for the support...

-----I already knew Jim to be a fake Navy SEAL when I called.

***’Jim Boedeker and I were first introduced online through email a few years back. His background as a Navy SEAL was intriguing as hell, and we met in Patong Beach, Phuket, Thailand one weekend. Jim’s life story is flat-out amazing. Though this, his first book, is all fiction, I am hoping to read his biography at some point. He undoubtedly has had the most interesting life of anyone I’ve ever known.’
(http://www.thailandebooks.com/thailan...)

Man Charged After "Navy SEAL Sniper" Claim

Man claiming to be Navy SEAL sniper charged with bar assault 
FOX News 9
Mike Durkin
October 15, 2015

Clark indicated he was a Navy SEAL and a sniper, and the victim said that was of interest to him. Clark then accused the victim of not believing him, at which point he grabbed a steak knife from the bar and held it to the victim’s throat.

BURSNVILLE, Minn. (KMSP) - A man claiming to a Navy SEAL sniper is accused of putting a steak knife to the throat of another bar patron in Burnsville, Minn. Leo John Clark III, 27, is charged with second-degree assault with a dangerous weapon for the Sunday, Oct. 11 incident.

The U.S. Navy confirms there is no one with the name Leo John Clark III in their system read more here

Navy SEAL Vietnam Veteran Helped Other Veterans Heal

Seal team member returned from Vietnam to help other veterans

Greg Burham served a seven-month tour in Vietnam with SEAL Team 2 in 1970 and early ’71.

I was the only veteran I ever met at the university who had a job, too, at Sparta Health Spa. If you put Vietnam on a resume back in the early ’70s, forget getting hired. We were all supposed to be psychopaths and drug addicts and crazy.

You probably remember the TV programs in the early ’70s and a lot of the movies. The villains and the perpetrators and the crazies were all Vietnam veterans. What the heck?

You know, my dad and all my friends’ fathers were World War II veterans. And they were so honored for their service that I wanted to be in the military when I got old enough, so I could be honored like my father and my friends’ fathers were. ... Well, it didn’t work out that way for us when we first returned.

Really good story you should read but wanted to point this out just in case you forgot what it was like for them coming home before Facebook.

Veteran Navy SEAL Wants Top Job As Missouri Governor

Former Navy SEAL Greitens running for Missouri governor
The Associated Press
By Alan Scher Zagier and Summer Ballentine
September 28, 2015

MARYLAND HEIGHTS, Mo. — Former Navy SEAL Eric Greitens, a political newcomer who was once courted to run for Congress as a Democrat, on Saturday launched a Republican campaign for Missouri governor in 2016.

Eric Greitens

Former Navy SEAL Eric Greitens smiles at a rally where he announced his candidacy into the

2016 race for Missouri governor onSept. 26, 2015, at Westport Plaza in Maryland Heights, Mo.

(Photo: uy Mach/St. Louis Post-Dispatch via AP)

Greitens, 41, is already the top fundraiser in a crowded GOP field thanks to an exploratory campaign committee that's raised more than $1 million in recent months, boosting his total haul to more than $2 million.

He touted both his military background and lack of political pedigree before a crowd of several hundred supporters at an announcement in suburban St. Louis near his childhood home.

"I'm running for governor because we need a political outsider to move Missouri forward," Greitens said. "We have a political class of corrupt consultants, well-paid lobbyists, and career politicians who have been in Jefferson City for decades. They have produced nothing for us but embarrassment and failure."

Greitens grew up in St. Louis County, was a Rhodes Scholar after graduation from Duke University, served in the Afghanistan and Iraq wars and as White House fellow. He's written three books that combine stories of his military service and humanitarian work with lessons on leadership. He founded the nonprofit group The Mission Continues, which connects veterans with volunteer work to ease the post-military transition.

He drew the loudest cheers with a call to extend term limits to all statewide offices and ban lobbyist gifts to state lawmakers.

"I will defeat you, I will expose your lies, I will root out your corruption, and I will see you out of the people's Capitol," said Greitens, adding his own lifetime pledge to never lobby government.
read more here

Thank a Vet, After All, Chris Pratt Did

Chris Pratt Thanks a Veteran on 9/11 in Touching Tribute Video—Watch Now! 
EOnline
by REBECCA MACATEE
Sep. 11, 2015

"No matter where you land politically in terms of our countries involvement in foreign affairs, or the two wars we've been in post 9/11 there is no doubting the courage and valor men like Mike Day have shown," said Pratt. "He is a warrior in the true sense of the word."

Chris Pratt fights the bad guys in the movies, but he has huge admiration for the heroes who do it in real life. That's why today, fourteen years after the tragic terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2011, the Guardians of the Galaxy star made a point to thank a veteran, and he encouraged his fans to do the same.

Pratt, 13, posted a video to Facebook specifically thanking Mike Day, a former Navy SEAL who served in Iraq. While on a raid in Iraq, Day was shot 27 times, but miraculously he survived.

Navy SEAL's Amazing Survival: 'God Get Me Home' CBN News

Former Navy SEAL Puts Bible Verse on "The Crusader" Rifle

Apopka gunmaker catching heat over assault rifle featuring cross, bible verse
WFTV 9 News
September 3, 2015

"It's just a piece of the Christian bible and a Christian cross and it's my product and you don't have to buy it," Thomas said.

APOPKA, Fla. — An Apopka firearms manufacturer is catching heat over its new assault rifle, called The Crusader, which bears a Christian cross and a psalm from the bible.

Some members of the Islamic community have taken offense at what Spike's Tactical says is behind the religious features.

The company's spokesman said it has to do with discouraging extremist Muslims from using the rifles.

Former Navy SEAL Ben Thomas said guns he trained Iraqi police to use have ended up in Islamic extremists' hands.

He said he came up with the idea of putting the Christian cross and a prayer of war on an assault rifle, believing these guns would be rejected by the extremists.

Thomas that with the help of his pastor, he chose Psalm 144:1, about the Lord training hands for war and fingers for battle, for the weapon.
read more here

Two Purple Hearts and a broken life: The cost of PTSD

Great story and worth the read however, the choice of using "victim" instead of survivor is part of the problem. They fought to live and survived combat. So why aren't we asking what they are not getting to fight to heal back home?

Two Purple Hearts and a broken life: The cost of PTSD
Community Digital News
by James Nathaniel Miller II -
Aug 14, 2015 0 22

PTSD can be debilitating and deadly.

WACO, Texas, Aug. 14, 2015 – My best friend in high school volunteered for the Army after graduation. He deployed to Vietnam. He returned with two Purple Hearts, but was never again the same carefree guy. He could not function around others. His wife left him and took their daughter. He went to live with relatives, but they couldn’t handle the stress of having him around.

Finally, he shared his stories with me. He talked about the first man he killed, the first time he was wounded, the second time he was wounded, the painful helicopter escape from the battlefield, thinking he was dying. It was the stuff from which movies are made.

He sometimes could not sleep indoors, so he would bed down on the concrete driveway. Fireworks petrified him. One day we played pool. A car backfired. I saw him freeze and grip the cue as if his life depended upon it.

I didn’t know what to do or say. I hoped he would get over it and get on with his life.

The next time I saw him, he was in a hospital after trying to take his own life. I was shocked. I spent some time with him, said a prayer and then flew back home to south Texas.

Several months ago, I met with a currently deployed Navy SEAL. He was to leave the next day for D.C. to pick up new orders and head overseas. During our meeting, he shared some thoughts he had about PTSD, which is a mental condition triggered by either experiencing or witnessing terrifying events.

He told me that, for the victim, just sharing his/her story is the most therapeutic thing to do. But for many victims, this is difficult.

Some soldiers are afraid that loved ones will be traumatized by their stories and do not want relatives or friends to know the details. Others try to simply bury the memories, unwilling to even vocalize them. For some, guilt is the issue.
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Former Navy SEAL Alleges Anti-Gay CIA

Former SEAL alleges anti-gay harassment in CIA
Brett Jones says he was bullied, called slurs, left outside in hot weather during deployment
San Diego Union Tribune
By Joshua Stewart
July 28, 2015

“I don’t tolerate racism or bigotry, and for some reason, that line of work attracts some people that are like that,” Jones said. “And because of the way the small units are, it goes unchecked.”

Former Navy SEAL Brett Jones discusses the importance of the repeal of Don't Ask, Don't Tell and the continuing breakdown of boundaries for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) individuals during the 2015 Cultural Awareness Day observance, April 10, 2015.
(U.S. Air Force photo by Melanie Rodgers Cox/Released)

A former Navy SEAL who gained national attention for a memoir about being gay in one of the military’s elite communities has filed a complaint, saying he was the victim of homophobic bullying during a June deployment as a CIA contractor.

Brett Jones says when he arrived at his outpost in an undisclosed location in Afghanistan on June 11, he was forced to endure anti-gay bullying, including homophobic slurs, a crass PowerPoint presentation, and snide comments as people watched the news about the U.S. Supreme Court ruling that struck down bans on same-sex marriage.

The atmosphere was so toxic that he feared for his safety and had to return home early, he said.

The anti-gay comments came from a group of contractors and civil servants in the CIA’s Global Response Staff, Jones said. Many, like himself, are former members of special-operations units. A few of them took issue with working alongside a gay man, Jones said.
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Navy SEALs Took on Lake Norman to Save Veterans

How many times have you heard it said that PTSD is a sign of weakness? Some are still thinking that even after all these years. Nothing seems to be able to educate them on the simple fact that Medal of Honor recipients have said they suffer from what war did to them. Were they weak? Hell no and they proved that by doing whatever they could to save someone else.

Generals have publicly talked about their own struggles to heal. Members of Special Forces have come forward to show that no matter how courageous they were, no matter how well they were trained, they could not be trained to stop being human and caring.

That is the biggest thing missing in all the talking going on. It is not that they are weak at all. It is because the core of their emotions is so strong they able to do what they do for the sake of someone else. They are willing to "pay any price up to and including their own lives" until everyone goes home.

That is when they feel the pain the most and the danger created by combat is the greatest threat to them.


SEALs Swim Across Lake Norman to Save Veterans from Suicide
FOX 46 Charlotte
Caroline Fountain Digital Journalist
Posted: Jul 24, 2015

The darkness nearly swallowed up Kevin Trainor, a Mooresville veteran.

Lake Norman, N.C. (WJZY) -- Many of our military men and women face death when they are sent into combat. But it's actually here at home where more veterans lose their lives due to post traumatic stress disorder.

A group of Navy SEALs took on Lake Norman Friday for a 13.1 mile swim to bring awareness to the 22 veteran suicides that happen every day. Just last week that number became a lot more real.

Members of the community also took to the water for a 1.2 mile swim all to help save veteran’s lives.

"These are our national treasures that we're losing to suicide. We're going to stand in the gap for these guys. We're not going to let them fade away into darkness and hopelessness. We're going to show up every year and we're going to swim and raise awareness and get the word out. It's growing. We are making an impact in our community," said Shannon Rusch, Navy SEAL and founder of SEAL Swim Charities.

"We just lost another brother last week who was with the rescue swimmer group. We're fixing to lay him to rest. Through PTSD, he took his own life," said Trainor.
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Former Navy SEAL Convicted of Fraud

FORMER SEAL WHO STOLE OVER $1M FROM OTHERS SENTENCED
San Diego 6 News
By SD6 Jenny Day, Heidi Kwon and CNS
Story Published: May 6, 2015

"You tarnished the good SEAL name," the judge told the defendant. "You screwed up. You have to take your lumps for it. The damage here is immeasurable."

SAN DIEGO - A former U.S. Navy SEAL was convicted of fraud, grand theft and tax evasion all totaling nearly $1.2 million. He stole from a dozen investors in a failed business endeavor, including 11 active and retired SEALs, and was sentenced Wednesday to six years and eight months in state prison.

Jason Matthew Mullaney, 43, pleaded guilty last September and agreed to make full restitution of more than $1 million.

Mullaney, who served in the Navy for 13 years, was successful in the mortgage business before starting a money-lending business which ultimately failed, said defense attorney Patrick Dudley.

Mullaney apologized to everyone who trusted him with their investments and in some cases their life savings. He promised to repay all victims.
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Navy SEAL's Widow Fights in Court

Navy Seal's Death No Suicide, Widow Says
Courthouse News
By JOCELYN RARDIN
May 5, 2015

NORFOLK, Va (CN) - The widow of a traumatized Navy Seal sued Unum Life Insurance Company of America in Federal Court after they denied life-insurance benefits on one of two policies based on a suicide clause.

Jennifer Mullen Collins sued Unum in the Eastern District of Virginia for violating the Employee Retirement Income Security Act after the company refused to honor her husband's supplemental life-insurance policy, believing he had committed suicide.

Special Operations Chief David M. Collins served a 20-year career as a Navy Seal, deployed on multiple grueling back-to-back tours of duty in Afghanistan, Kuwait, and Iraq. As a result of the traumatic experiences he endured in service to his country, he developed chronic traumatic encephalopathy, post-traumatic stress disorder and major-depressive disorder, the complaint states.

During his 20-year career as a Navy Seal, Collins was exposed to multiple blasts and experienced multiple injuries due to combat and combat training. He also suffered multiple concussions.

Upon returning home from his tours of duty, SOC Collins became employed with Blackbird Technologies and in September 2012 he was provided with Unum basic group life insurance for $104,000 and a supplemental policy for $500,000, according to the complaint.

In February 2014 Collins sought treatment at the Naval Medical Center in Portsmouth for his diminished mental abilities. He exhibited symptoms of anxiety, depression, insomnia and memory and concentration problems.

Doctors diagnosed Collins with depressive and anxiety disorders. After two therapy sessions at a counseling center, doctors also diagnosed him with PTSD and major-depressive disorder.

Less than a week later, Collins died "due to the diseases he developed during his service to his country," the complaint states.

Five different doctors evaluated Collins' mental state and each concluded that he was suffering from CTE, PTSD and/or MDD before and at the time of his death. According to the Boston University Center, CTE can only be diagnosed postmortem based on an examination of the fontal lobes of the brain.
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Two Navy SEALs Died in Training Accident

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

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

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

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

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

Linked from Military.com

Forget Dolphins, Veterans Swim with Navy SEALs

Navy SEALS help veterans and have an island renamed 
SEAL event will be part of Spring Fling
Charlotte Observer
BY LISA DAIDONE CORRESPONDENT
04/09/2015

Retired Navy SEALs Rich Graham, lback left, Rusch, in front and Troy Pusateri, right, participate in the 2014 LKN Navy SEAL Swim. TIM DOYLE COURTESY SEAL SWIM CHARITIES

The best part of Spring Fling, which will be held April 18 at LangTree Lake Norman, won’t be the exhibits from nurseries, landscapers, outdoor-specialty stores and outdoor-themed organizations.

Nor will it be the music, food, beverages or nature crafts.

The best part of the Lake Norman Wildlife Conservationists Spring Fling in Mooresville will be a dedication ceremony. LKN SEAL Swim charities, which holds the annual SEAL Swim, will rename a Lake Norman island, currently called Whale Island, as Navy SEAL Island, said Chris Durant, of the charity group.

Eventually, the group will hold a dedication ceremony on the island and a plant a Navy SEAL flag there.

The dedication is a result of the LKN SEAL Swim, created three years ago to raise awareness and funds to help veterans suffering from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder and Combat Related Stress.

Three former Navy SEALs – Rich Graham, Shannon Rusch and Troy Pusateri – swim 13.6 miles, beginning at McCray Creek access in Mooresville and ending at the Rusty Rudder in Cornelius with a huge party. The swim this year will be held July 24.
read more here

Yet Again Congress Puts Lives in Danger

Bureaucrats Block Special Ops Intel Requests 
Associated Press
by Ken Dilanian
March 26, 3015

Email messages and other military records obtained by The Associated Press show that Army and special operations command bureaucrats have been pressing troops to use an in-house system built and maintained by traditional defense contractors. The Distributed Common Ground System, or DCGS, has consistently failed independent tests and earned the ire of soldiers in the field for its poor performance.

WASHINGTON— Military bureaucrats have been trying to force an unpopular government-built intelligence system on special operations units deploying to war zones while blocking soldiers from using the commercial alternative they say they need, according to government records and interviews.

Over the last four months, six Army special operations units about to be deployed into Afghanistan, Iraq and other hostile environments have requested software made by Palantir, a Silicon Valley company that has synthesized data for the CIA, the Navy SEALs and the country's largest banks, among other government and private entities. But the Army has approved just two of the requests after members of Congress intervened with senior military leaders.

Four requests pending with U.S. Army Special Operations Command in Fort Bragg, North Carolina, and Tampa, Florida-based Special Operations Command have not been granted.
read more here

No Longer Untold Story of Navy SEALs

There seems to be a lot of action for a PBS documentary on Navy SEALs. I don't like to use what some people put up especially when it appears they are not part of the original work done. I tracked back the video to PTSD and the original video.

If you want to see a fantastic documentary, you need to see this one!

Navy SEALs - Their Untold Story

“The SEALs’ history has never been truly told before. This is the first time that Naval Special Warfare has assisted with the research of a documentary about the Teams and their forefathers.” – Filmmaker Carol L. Fleisher

Navy SEALs – Their Untold Story premiered on Veterans Day, Tuesday, November 11, 2014, 9:00–11:00 p.m. ET.

SEAL Team TWO L to R: Gordy Boyce, Dennis Drady, Wally Schwalenberg and Silver (dog).

Despite the widespread attention paid to the Navy SEALs (Sea, Air and Land) since they killed Osama bin Laden, the story of how these clandestine warriors evolved in response to changing threats — from WWII to the War on Terror — and how their extraordinary abilities shaped U.S. and world history, has remained untold.

Few people know the unheralded tales of the first frogmen who dared to face almost certain death with little training, scant equipment and untested tactics.

Narrated by Gary Sinise, Navy Seals – Their Untold Story recounts the ticking-clock missions of the “Commandoes of the Deep” through firsthand accounts — including that of a D-Day demolition team member — and through never-before-seen footage, home movies and personal mementoes. Admirals, master chiefs, clandestine operators, demolitioneers and snipers all reveal how U.S. Navy SEALs morphed into the SEALs.

Throughout the storied history examined in the film, the Navy SEALs accomplish seemingly impossible tasks. For this willingness to take extreme risks, many SEALs have been awarded the U.S. Armed Services’ highest honor.

The following Navy SEALs have received the Congressional Medal of Honor:

LT Thomas Norris – Vietnam
LT j.g. Joseph R. Kerrey – Vietnam
EN2 (SEAL) Michael Edwin Thornton – Vietnam
LT Michael P. Murphy – Afghanistan
MA2 (SEAL) Michael A. Monsoor – Iraq
Here is the link to PBS and you can watch the video here.

Navy Chaplain Faces Charges for Being Intolerant

Chaplain faces possible discharge for being 'intolerant'
Military Times
By Andrew Tilghman, Staff writer
March 11, 2015

"The Navy values, and protects in policy, the rights of its service members, including chaplains, to practice according to the tenets of their faith and respects the rights of each individual to determine their own religious convictions,"

Chaplain Lt. Cmdr. Wesley Modder, second from right, offers an invocation during a 9/11 commemoration ceremony in San Diego in 2012. Modder is at the center of a controversy over religious freedom in the military.
(Photo: MC2 Benjamin Crossley/Navy)

A Pentecostal chaplain once assigned to elite Navy SEAL units may be kicked out of the Navy for allegedly scolding sailors for homosexuality and premarital sex.

Lt. Cmdr. Wesley Modder was given a "detachment for cause" letter on Feb. 17 after his commanders concluded that he is "intolerant" and "unable to function in the diverse and pluralistic environment" of his current assignment at the Navy Nuclear Power Training Command in South Carolina.

Modder denies any wrongdoing and is fighting the dismissal with attorneys from the Liberty Institute, which advocates for religious expression in the military and in public institutions. Modder has served more than 19 years and could lose his retirement benefits if the Navy convenes a board of inquiry and officially separate him before he completes 20 years of service.

Navy Capt. Jon Fahs, NNPTC commander, cited several specific incidents in which Modder offered inappropriate counseling to sailors in the command, according to the detachment for cause letter. The letter states that Modder:

Told a female that she was "shaming herself in the eyes of god" for having premarital sex.

Told another student that homosexuality was wrong and that "the penis was meant for the vagina and not for the anus."

Suggested to a student that he, Modder, had the ability to "save" gay people.

"Berated" a student for becoming pregnant while not married.

Commanders felt that allowing vulnerable sailors to be counseled by Modder is "a recipe for tragedy," according to the letter.

The issue arose after multiple sailors filed equal opportunity complaints about Modder with the command, alleging discrimination.
read more here