DoD Employee at Camp Pendleton Arrested by FBI
Natividad “Nate” Lara Cervantes, 64, of San Diego was arrested Thursday evening in San Diego and was charged with bribery.
By Daniel Woolfolk
April 1, 2013
The FBI arrested a Department of Defense employee based at Camp Pendleton.
Natividad “Nate” Lara Cervantes, 64, of San Diego was arrested Thursday evening in San Diego and was charged with bribery. FBI agents say he allegedly accepted $10,000 from a cooperating witness who was pretending to seek a $4 million flooring contract on base.
read more here
Showing posts with label San Diego. Show all posts
Showing posts with label San Diego. Show all posts
Wednesday, April 3, 2013
Monday, March 18, 2013
Marine Fights for Life After Stabbing
Marine Fights for Life After Stabbing
Marine Cpl. Jonathan C. Woodard, 23, was stabbed in El Centro, Calif., and is now recovering in San Diego
By Monica Garske
Sunday, Mar 17, 2013
A Marine corporal who was stabbed in the neck on Mar. 10 in El Centro, Calif., is recovering from critical wounds in San Diego, his family confirmed exclusively to NBC 7.
Marine Cpl. Jonathan C. Woodard, 23, is fighting for his life at the UCSD Trauma Center, Woodard family friend Kim Rosales told NBC 7.
Woodard is originally from Waddington, N.Y., and is stationed at Marine Corps Air Ground Combat Center in Twentynine Palms, Calif.
Early last Sunday morning, he was attacked and stabbed by a group of unknown assailants after a night out with a friend and fellow Marine in El Centro, Rosales said.
The Marines were walking back to their hotel after attending a fair in the area when a group of suspects approached Woodward near an alley and allegedly assaulted him, Rosales said.
Woodard sustained multiple stab wounds in the attack, including serious injuries to his neck.
He was transported to a local hospital before being airlifted to the UCSD Trauma Center with critical injuries.
One week after the brutal attack, Rosales told NBC 7 the Marine remains hospitalized in intensive care in San Diego, clinging for life.
read more here
Marine Cpl. Jonathan C. Woodard, 23, was stabbed in El Centro, Calif., and is now recovering in San Diego
By Monica Garske
Sunday, Mar 17, 2013
A Marine corporal who was stabbed in the neck on Mar. 10 in El Centro, Calif., is recovering from critical wounds in San Diego, his family confirmed exclusively to NBC 7.
Marine Cpl. Jonathan C. Woodard, 23, is fighting for his life at the UCSD Trauma Center, Woodard family friend Kim Rosales told NBC 7.
Woodard is originally from Waddington, N.Y., and is stationed at Marine Corps Air Ground Combat Center in Twentynine Palms, Calif.
Early last Sunday morning, he was attacked and stabbed by a group of unknown assailants after a night out with a friend and fellow Marine in El Centro, Rosales said.
The Marines were walking back to their hotel after attending a fair in the area when a group of suspects approached Woodward near an alley and allegedly assaulted him, Rosales said.
Woodard sustained multiple stab wounds in the attack, including serious injuries to his neck.
He was transported to a local hospital before being airlifted to the UCSD Trauma Center with critical injuries.
One week after the brutal attack, Rosales told NBC 7 the Marine remains hospitalized in intensive care in San Diego, clinging for life.
read more here
Sunday, February 3, 2013
Navy SEAL turns to treatment to heal a broken life
How is it easier to understand what it takes to heal a broken bone than it is to heal a broken life? Use whatever word you want, soul, mind, if you take issue with the choice of words in the following article, but if you do, then you are missing the most important message of it.
A broken leg bone will heal with just time but it doesn't heal right. The rest of the body suffers with endless pain, weakened by constantly compensating for the part that was broken. The pain will not allow true rest or sleep. Emotions get hung up on feeling the misery until every good experience is overcome by pain.
Yet when a broken bone is treated properly and is supported by a cast, it heals right. It heals in the right place after a doctor has reset it. Medication can numb the pain until it heals. The pain subsides as time goes by. The pain that remains is easy to adjust to and compensate for.
That is PTSD. It is a "break" that usually can't be seen by eyes unless it breaks through the skin. It can be healed with treatment but also needs to be healed with support. In this case, the support comes from family, friends, communities and mental health trauma experts. They become your cast so you are able to stand up supported until you can stand up on your own.
This story is about a Navy SEAL, as tough as they come, named Nathan. I urge you to read the whole article and if you take nothing else away from this, let it be the fact he was falling apart to the point where he wanted to end the pain he felt by ending his life.
A broken leg bone will heal with just time but it doesn't heal right. The rest of the body suffers with endless pain, weakened by constantly compensating for the part that was broken. The pain will not allow true rest or sleep. Emotions get hung up on feeling the misery until every good experience is overcome by pain.
Yet when a broken bone is treated properly and is supported by a cast, it heals right. It heals in the right place after a doctor has reset it. Medication can numb the pain until it heals. The pain subsides as time goes by. The pain that remains is easy to adjust to and compensate for.
That is PTSD. It is a "break" that usually can't be seen by eyes unless it breaks through the skin. It can be healed with treatment but also needs to be healed with support. In this case, the support comes from family, friends, communities and mental health trauma experts. They become your cast so you are able to stand up supported until you can stand up on your own.
This story is about a Navy SEAL, as tough as they come, named Nathan. I urge you to read the whole article and if you take nothing else away from this, let it be the fact he was falling apart to the point where he wanted to end the pain he felt by ending his life.
Former Navy SEAL turns to treatment
Healing a broken life: Nathan lives with survivor’s guilt and PTSD following a failed Afghan mission
UT San Diego
By Jeanette Steele1
FEB. 2, 2013
It was 5 o’clock on a July morning, and Nathan’s mother stopped the car on Park Boulevard.
They looked at the collection of San Diego’s homeless veterans stretching up the block. It was a line of haggard faces, all waiting to get a warm meal and a cot for the weekend.
Nathan, a tall, broad-shouldered former Navy SEAL, was under a court order to join them. His precarious high-wire act fueled by alcohol and post-traumatic stress disorder had finally collapsed, ending in a dust-up outside a bar and a criminal charge.
A judge mandated treatment, starting with the “Stand Down” event for homeless vets.
Nathan remembers that morning, less than seven months ago. His mother cried.
His mind still carries the image of 11 buddies whose remains he had to gather after a disastrous June 2005 mission in Afghanistan’s Hindu Kush mountains. It was the single largest loss of life for Navy SEALs at that point since World War II: Operation Red Wings.
He was becoming one of them. He was already one of them.
“I was on the way out. I’ve put a gun in my mouth. I’ve felt it in my mouth. I’ve not known if there was a round in the chamber because I’ve been so drunk. And I’ve pulled the trigger,” said the 29-year-old San Diego native.
Nathan thinks combat vets, in particular those from special operations, should get at least three months to decompress before returning to normal American life. He calls the idea a “retreat,” where service members take classes on the interaction of PTSD and drugs or alcohol and tackle their VA paperwork.
read more here
Friday, January 18, 2013
Military, the only job you can't just quit
I keep arguing with people when they bring up "non-deployed" soldiers committing suicide. They cannot seem to understand that just going into the military can be very traumatic for these young "adults" unprepared for the reality of combat training against playing war on a computer game. They think they are ready for it. Most of them are.
They are wired differently, able to put others first to the point where they are willing to die for their sake, endure every hardship and follow orders, ready, willing and able to be sent across the world for what this country says they need to do.
Among the many things we don't talk about is that the jobs in the military are not jobs these young "adults" can just quit. They get out of high school thinking it may be a cool job to have then when they realize they have made a huge mistake getting in way over their heads, they cannot just walk away. They will lose a lot when their record will follow them the rest of their lives.
We take jobs all the time we end up hating fast. We either don't show up for work or we give our notice and go work for some other company. For them, it is a totally different story with a very tragic outcome.
The case of Marine recruit changing his mind in just four days, escaping and then being chased by police, shows just how hard it is for them to change their minds.
They are wired differently, able to put others first to the point where they are willing to die for their sake, endure every hardship and follow orders, ready, willing and able to be sent across the world for what this country says they need to do.
Among the many things we don't talk about is that the jobs in the military are not jobs these young "adults" can just quit. They get out of high school thinking it may be a cool job to have then when they realize they have made a huge mistake getting in way over their heads, they cannot just walk away. They will lose a lot when their record will follow them the rest of their lives.
We take jobs all the time we end up hating fast. We either don't show up for work or we give our notice and go work for some other company. For them, it is a totally different story with a very tragic outcome.
The case of Marine recruit changing his mind in just four days, escaping and then being chased by police, shows just how hard it is for them to change their minds.
Marine recruit arrested at San Diego airport after mad dash to freedom from boot camp
A 22-year-old Marine recruit apparently had second thoughts about going through with boot camp. The man scaled two fences, one topped with barbed wire, before being arrested at a nearby San Diego airport. Police say this isn’t the first time a Marine recruit attempted an escape from the training facility.
BY DAVID KNOWLES
NEW YORK DAILY NEWS
THURSDAY, JANUARY 17, 2013
Perhaps “Semper Infidelis” would be a better motto for this Marine.
A Marine Corps recruit proved anything but faithful on Thursday when he scaled several fences and attempted an escape from boot camp.
Police arrested the 22-year-old recruit, who has not been identified by name, at San Diego’s Lindbergh Field, an airport that borders the Marine Corps Recruit Depot.
After scaling two fences, one of which was topped with barbed wire, the newly conscripted Marine darted across the tarmac shortly before 6:30 a.m. on Thursday, and hid in a janitor’s van near the Southwest Airlines terminal.
read more here
Wednesday, December 26, 2012
Why are airlines being jerks to combat wounded veterans?
Wife of SD-based Marine upset over how she says American Airlines treated husband, service dog
Posted: 12/26/2012
Last Updated: 5 hours ago
SAN DIEGO - The wife of a San Diego-based Marine is upset with how she says American Airlines treated her husband and his service dog.
She posted her frustration on Facebook and the post has been "liked" by more than 170,000 people.
The post by Amy Rebecca Fite of Fallbrook was regarding how she says American Airlines treated her husband and his service dog.
read more here
American Airlines ended up doing the right thing and did not charge the Marine for his service dog. Would they have if his wife didn't post the problem on their site before that? What about the other times the way combat wounded veterans have been treated that made the news?
Paralyzed OEF Marine sues over deplorable treatment at airport involving United and Air Serv in November.
Marine double-amputee’s treatment on Delta flight angers other vets happened in December.
But this also raises another question. How do they treat other people with disabilities?
Wednesday, December 5, 2012
Coast Guardsman killed after boat slammed
Coast Guardsman Fired Gun to Avoid Fatal Crash
Military.com
Dec 05, 2012
Associated Press
by Elliot Spagat
SAN DIEGO -- A Coast Guardsman fired several gunshots from an inflatable boat before it was slammed by another vessel in a crash that caused the first American law enforcement fatality since the smuggling of drugs and immigrants by boat began spiking along the California coast several years ago.
A criminal complaint filed Monday against two Mexican nationals aboard the suspect vessel disclosed the gunshots and other measures taken by the crew to avoid getting hit early Sunday near the Channel Islands, about 180 miles (290 kilometers) northwest of the U.S.-Mexico border.
Chief Petty Officer Terrell Horne III, 34, died from head trauma after being struck by a propeller. The complaint doesn't say which boat hit him.
read more here
Military.com
Dec 05, 2012
Associated Press
by Elliot Spagat
SAN DIEGO -- A Coast Guardsman fired several gunshots from an inflatable boat before it was slammed by another vessel in a crash that caused the first American law enforcement fatality since the smuggling of drugs and immigrants by boat began spiking along the California coast several years ago.
A criminal complaint filed Monday against two Mexican nationals aboard the suspect vessel disclosed the gunshots and other measures taken by the crew to avoid getting hit early Sunday near the Channel Islands, about 180 miles (290 kilometers) northwest of the U.S.-Mexico border.
Chief Petty Officer Terrell Horne III, 34, died from head trauma after being struck by a propeller. The complaint doesn't say which boat hit him.
read more here
Monday, November 19, 2012
Will Sgt. Rafael Peralta's life finally be honored?
Medal of Honor decision for San Diego Marine may be revealed soon
A dispute about whether Marine Sgt. Rafael Peralta of San Diego, killed in Iraq 8 years ago, deserves the Medal of Honor may be resolved within weeks.
By Tony Perry
Los Angeles Times
November 19, 2012
Eight years ago this month, Marine Sgt. Rafael Peralta of San Diego was killed in Iraq during the battle for Fallouja, the bloodiest house-to-house fighting involving Marines since Vietnam.
A dispute about whether Peralta, 25, a Mexican immigrant, deserves the Medal of Honor remains one of the last pieces of unfinished business from the U.S. involvement in Iraq.
The Marine Corps nominated Peralta for the Medal of Honor. But then-Defense Secretary Robert Gates in 2008 downgraded the award to the Navy Cross — upsetting the Marines and Peralta's family.
Now, Gates' successor, Leon Panetta, appears on the verge of announcing the result of his review of Gates' decision, based on a video of the aftermath of the house-clearing mission in which Peralta was killed.
Whether Panetta will uphold or reverse Gates' decision is unknown. Medal of Honor decisions are some of the most closely held secrets in the military.
The Marines who were with Peralta that day are unanimous in their view that, although he lay mortally wounded, he reached out and smothered an enemy grenade, saving the lives of several Marines.
read more here
Denial of Medal of Honor for Sgt. Rafael Peralta causes anger to survivors
Sgt. Rafael Peralta should have honor earned
A dispute about whether Marine Sgt. Rafael Peralta of San Diego, killed in Iraq 8 years ago, deserves the Medal of Honor may be resolved within weeks.
By Tony Perry
Los Angeles Times
November 19, 2012
A memorial for Marine Sgt. Rafael Peralta was set up by his family in their San Diego home in 2004. A dispute about whether Peralta, 25, a Mexican immigrant, deserves the Medal of Honor remains one of the last pieces of unfinished business from the U.S. involvement in Iraq. (Glenn Koenig, Los Angeles Times / December 1, 2004)
Eight years ago this month, Marine Sgt. Rafael Peralta of San Diego was killed in Iraq during the battle for Fallouja, the bloodiest house-to-house fighting involving Marines since Vietnam.
A dispute about whether Peralta, 25, a Mexican immigrant, deserves the Medal of Honor remains one of the last pieces of unfinished business from the U.S. involvement in Iraq.
The Marine Corps nominated Peralta for the Medal of Honor. But then-Defense Secretary Robert Gates in 2008 downgraded the award to the Navy Cross — upsetting the Marines and Peralta's family.
Now, Gates' successor, Leon Panetta, appears on the verge of announcing the result of his review of Gates' decision, based on a video of the aftermath of the house-clearing mission in which Peralta was killed.
Whether Panetta will uphold or reverse Gates' decision is unknown. Medal of Honor decisions are some of the most closely held secrets in the military.
The Marines who were with Peralta that day are unanimous in their view that, although he lay mortally wounded, he reached out and smothered an enemy grenade, saving the lives of several Marines.
read more here
Denial of Medal of Honor for Sgt. Rafael Peralta causes anger to survivors
Sgt. Rafael Peralta should have honor earned
Wednesday, November 14, 2012
Soldier says "The doctors didn't know something: I'm a hard-head."
Wounded Afghanistan war veteran's new fight: reclaiming his life
Pfc. Geoffrey Quevedo wasn't expected to survive his injuries from an improvised explosive device. But with help from Naval Medical Center San Diego, he's not going to let them stop him.
By Tony Perry
Los Angeles Times November 13, 2012
SAN DIEGO — When Army Pfc. Geoffrey Quevedo was airlifted late last year to Walter Reed National Military Medical Center after being severely wounded in Afghanistan, his family in California was told to hurry to Washington to say a final goodbye.
The 20-year-old from the farming community of Reedley in Fresno County was not expected to live beyond a few days.
A blast from an improvised explosive device had ripped off his left foot and his left arm above the elbow. It knocked out four front teeth, broke his nose and jaw, and collapsed a lung. He was blinded in his left eye, and his blood loss was enormous.
But the doctors' gloomy prediction failed to take into account the cavalry scout's refusal to die, and possibly underestimated the military medical system's ability to pull a young soldier back from the brink of death.
"My family was told to pack their bags and come see their son for the last time," Quevedo said. "The doctors didn't know something: I'm a hard-head."
Now, after a stay at Walter Reed and then at the poly-trauma unit at the Department of Veterans Affairs hospital in Palo Alto, Quevedo is receiving care at Naval Medical Center San Diego, including for traumatic brain injury.
read more here
Pfc. Geoffrey Quevedo wasn't expected to survive his injuries from an improvised explosive device. But with help from Naval Medical Center San Diego, he's not going to let them stop him.
Geoffrey Quevedo, left an amputee in Afghanistan, received treatment at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center in Washington and is now a patient at the Naval Medical Center San Diego. (Tony Perry, Los Angeles Times / October 19, 2012)
By Tony Perry
Los Angeles Times November 13, 2012
SAN DIEGO — When Army Pfc. Geoffrey Quevedo was airlifted late last year to Walter Reed National Military Medical Center after being severely wounded in Afghanistan, his family in California was told to hurry to Washington to say a final goodbye.
The 20-year-old from the farming community of Reedley in Fresno County was not expected to live beyond a few days.
A blast from an improvised explosive device had ripped off his left foot and his left arm above the elbow. It knocked out four front teeth, broke his nose and jaw, and collapsed a lung. He was blinded in his left eye, and his blood loss was enormous.
But the doctors' gloomy prediction failed to take into account the cavalry scout's refusal to die, and possibly underestimated the military medical system's ability to pull a young soldier back from the brink of death.
"My family was told to pack their bags and come see their son for the last time," Quevedo said. "The doctors didn't know something: I'm a hard-head."
Now, after a stay at Walter Reed and then at the poly-trauma unit at the Department of Veterans Affairs hospital in Palo Alto, Quevedo is receiving care at Naval Medical Center San Diego, including for traumatic brain injury.
read more here
Monday, November 5, 2012
Marines in Afghanistan raised more than $18,000 to fight breast cancer
Marines in Afghanistan take part in breast cancer 5K
SAN DIEGO
It isn’t much of a stretch to think that most of the pink-clad revelers at a Mira Mesa pub Saturday had little in common with the Marines in Afghanistan, but on Sunday they’ll share both a mission and a message.
Hours before an estimated 15,000 runners and walkers lace up their shoes for the 16th annual Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure in Balboa Park, more than 550 Marines at Camp Leatherneck in Helmand Province will do the same to raise money and awareness for breast cancer treatment and research.
Technically, the two races will happen on the same day — just with a 15-hour time difference.
Gunnery Sgt. Allan Anderson, a 28-year-old Camp Pendleton Marine now serving in Afghanistan, said he got the idea to organize a run at Camp Leatherneck in April when he took part in another Komen-related event at the base.
He decided he wanted to do something similar to benefit San Diego County residents.
Initially, he had hoped to recruit 50 runners and raise about $1,250. But by Thursday, more than 550 men and women had signed up for the race, making Camp Leatherneck’s team the largest linked to the San Diego event.
The Marines raised more than $18,000.
read more here
SAN DIEGO
It isn’t much of a stretch to think that most of the pink-clad revelers at a Mira Mesa pub Saturday had little in common with the Marines in Afghanistan, but on Sunday they’ll share both a mission and a message.
Hours before an estimated 15,000 runners and walkers lace up their shoes for the 16th annual Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure in Balboa Park, more than 550 Marines at Camp Leatherneck in Helmand Province will do the same to raise money and awareness for breast cancer treatment and research.
Technically, the two races will happen on the same day — just with a 15-hour time difference.
Gunnery Sgt. Allan Anderson, a 28-year-old Camp Pendleton Marine now serving in Afghanistan, said he got the idea to organize a run at Camp Leatherneck in April when he took part in another Komen-related event at the base.
He decided he wanted to do something similar to benefit San Diego County residents.
Initially, he had hoped to recruit 50 runners and raise about $1,250. But by Thursday, more than 550 men and women had signed up for the race, making Camp Leatherneck’s team the largest linked to the San Diego event.
The Marines raised more than $18,000.
read more here
Saturday, November 3, 2012
Harley riders raise funds for Warriors Fund
Harley riders raise funds for wounded warriors
By ERIKA I. RITCHIE THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER
Nov. 3, 2012
At first, all Sgt. Kealoha Kuikahi saw was a couple of Harley-Davidsons rolling toward the Warrior Hope and Cure Center at Camp Pendleton on Friday morning.
Then the rumble grew louder. Soon there was what seemed to be an unending line of Harleys heading toward him along the Marine base's roads. In all, there were more than 400 motorcyclists.
They were part of the first Injured Warriors Appreciation Run from Harley-Davidson headquarters in Irvine to Camp Pendleton. The event, sponsored by the Orange Coast Chapter of the Harley Owners Group, raised more than $14,000 through registrations, sponsorships and online donations for the Warrior Foundation.
The foundation, based in San Diego, helps injured service members at Southern California military medical centers such as Camp Pendleton's Naval Hospital, said Sandy Lehmkuhler, who heads up the all-volunteer organization. Part of the money raised from the run will help more than 400 service members travel home for the holidays this year, she said.
Kuikahi, who was wounded in Iraq, is one of more than 400 Marines with the Wounded Warrior Battalion West, activated in 2007. The battalion provides recovery support to Marines, said Lt. Col Jim Fallwood, the battalion's commanding officer.
read more here
By ERIKA I. RITCHIE THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER
Nov. 3, 2012
At first, all Sgt. Kealoha Kuikahi saw was a couple of Harley-Davidsons rolling toward the Warrior Hope and Cure Center at Camp Pendleton on Friday morning.
Then the rumble grew louder. Soon there was what seemed to be an unending line of Harleys heading toward him along the Marine base's roads. In all, there were more than 400 motorcyclists.
They were part of the first Injured Warriors Appreciation Run from Harley-Davidson headquarters in Irvine to Camp Pendleton. The event, sponsored by the Orange Coast Chapter of the Harley Owners Group, raised more than $14,000 through registrations, sponsorships and online donations for the Warrior Foundation.
The foundation, based in San Diego, helps injured service members at Southern California military medical centers such as Camp Pendleton's Naval Hospital, said Sandy Lehmkuhler, who heads up the all-volunteer organization. Part of the money raised from the run will help more than 400 service members travel home for the holidays this year, she said.
Kuikahi, who was wounded in Iraq, is one of more than 400 Marines with the Wounded Warrior Battalion West, activated in 2007. The battalion provides recovery support to Marines, said Lt. Col Jim Fallwood, the battalion's commanding officer.
read more here
Thursday, October 25, 2012
Man flown to hospital after being stabbed at Camp Pendleton
Man flown to hospital after being stabbed at Camp Pendleton
Posted: Oct 24, 2012
Video Report By Angelique Lizarde, Reporter
SAN DIEGO (CBS 8) - An investigation is underway into a stabbing that may have happened at Camp Pendleton early Wednesday morning.
There were reports that a male victim was stabbed at least once in the neck and had extensive blood loss, according to paramedics. The man was airlifted to Scripps La Jolla Hospital around 1:45 a.m. Mercy Air crews arrived at the hospital around 2:30 a.m., when the victim was wheeled into the emergency room.
read more here
Posted: Oct 24, 2012
Video Report By Angelique Lizarde, Reporter
SAN DIEGO (CBS 8) - An investigation is underway into a stabbing that may have happened at Camp Pendleton early Wednesday morning.
There were reports that a male victim was stabbed at least once in the neck and had extensive blood loss, according to paramedics. The man was airlifted to Scripps La Jolla Hospital around 1:45 a.m. Mercy Air crews arrived at the hospital around 2:30 a.m., when the victim was wheeled into the emergency room.
read more here
Saturday, October 20, 2012
Actor Gary Sinise as ‘the new Bob Hope’
Actor Gary Sinise as ‘the new Bob Hope’
ADVOCATE FOR WOUNDED TROOPS PERFORMING AT NAVAL MEDICAL CENTER SAN DIEGO
Gretel C. Kovach
Some of actor Gary Sinise’s most memorable roles have been public servants injured in the line of fire who found solace in the healing power of relationships.
As Lt. Dan in the 1994 movie “Forrest Gump,” he played an angry Vietnam War veteran whose friendship with the title character helps him make peace with life as a double amputee. In the television series “CSI: NY,” Sinise is a police detective who leans on his girlfriend to recover from a gunshot wound.
His interactions with real-life men and women on the front lines or struggling at home to overcome disability inspired another major role — globe-trotting fundraiser, entertainer and advocate for military and law enforcement personnel.
On Saturday, the 57-year-old actor from Los Angeles and his “Lt. Dan Band” will jam at a party for service members in treatment at Naval Medical Center San Diego. The event caps a weeklong observation of the five-year anniversary of C5, the medical center’s Comprehensive Combat and Complex Casualty Care rehabilitation program.
read more here
ADVOCATE FOR WOUNDED TROOPS PERFORMING AT NAVAL MEDICAL CENTER SAN DIEGO
Gretel C. Kovach
Some of actor Gary Sinise’s most memorable roles have been public servants injured in the line of fire who found solace in the healing power of relationships.
As Lt. Dan in the 1994 movie “Forrest Gump,” he played an angry Vietnam War veteran whose friendship with the title character helps him make peace with life as a double amputee. In the television series “CSI: NY,” Sinise is a police detective who leans on his girlfriend to recover from a gunshot wound.
His interactions with real-life men and women on the front lines or struggling at home to overcome disability inspired another major role — globe-trotting fundraiser, entertainer and advocate for military and law enforcement personnel.
On Saturday, the 57-year-old actor from Los Angeles and his “Lt. Dan Band” will jam at a party for service members in treatment at Naval Medical Center San Diego. The event caps a weeklong observation of the five-year anniversary of C5, the medical center’s Comprehensive Combat and Complex Casualty Care rehabilitation program.
read more here
Friday, October 5, 2012
Jonathan Shay giving lecture at San Diego State University
This the smartest "man in class" when it comes to PTSD. Of all the experts I've read, he's the only one I ever sent fan mail to!
In 2000 he actually tried to help me get my book, FOR THE LOVE OF JACK, HIS WAR/MY BATTLE published. That's how great he is! I was even less known back then but he took the time to help me.
After 9-11, I called him and we talked about how Vietnam veterans would be shattered by the attack on this country on top of unaddressed PTSD. That's when I decided to self-publish it. (It is available again.)
When I was searching for information at the library and book stores, I came across his book Achilles in Vietnam. I read a couple of chapters when I ended up crying because he was the first one to write about what my life became.
If the DOD and the VA really want to do something to change what is not working, they need to get him involved!
Peer support is key according to Shay and he's been saying that all along!
In 2000 he actually tried to help me get my book, FOR THE LOVE OF JACK, HIS WAR/MY BATTLE published. That's how great he is! I was even less known back then but he took the time to help me.
After 9-11, I called him and we talked about how Vietnam veterans would be shattered by the attack on this country on top of unaddressed PTSD. That's when I decided to self-publish it. (It is available again.)
When I was searching for information at the library and book stores, I came across his book Achilles in Vietnam. I read a couple of chapters when I ended up crying because he was the first one to write about what my life became.
If the DOD and the VA really want to do something to change what is not working, they need to get him involved!
Acclaimed PTSD Pioneer, Author, Johnathan Shay to Give Free Lecture at San Diego State University Friday
Posted on October 4, 2012
by The Military Suicide Report
Psychiatrist is Building Public Awareness About Post Traumatic Stress Disorder by Deb Welsh
KPBS, Oct. 4, 2012
Dr. Jonathan Shay, a clinical psychiatrist and author of several books, calls Post Traumatic Stress Disorder an invisible injury suffered by many of our war veterans.
“When somebody brings back from war the absolutely valid adaptation formed in war to survive other people trying to kill you and doing a damned good job of it,” he said.
According to Shay, PTSD consists of clusters of symptoms which include hyper-remembering, emotional numbing, withdrawal and finally the perpetual mobilization of the body and mind toward mortal danger.
Shay said when these three clusters persist into civilian life, the effects can be devastating.
read more here
Peer support is key according to Shay and he's been saying that all along!
Wednesday, September 19, 2012
Military to train to fight Zombies?
Zombies a training tool at counterterror event
Army Times
By Gidget Fuentes
Staff writer
Posted : Wednesday Sep 19, 2012
SAN DIEGO — Forget the H1N1 pandemic. Could a future crisis arise from an outbreak of viruses that destroy brain cells and render people violently catatonic, like zombies?
Next month, his outfit will incorporate — no kidding — zombies into a disaster-crisis scenario at the company’s annual counterterrorism summit in San Diego, a five-day event providing hands-on training, realistic demonstrations, lectures and classes geared to more than 1,000 military personnel, law enforcement officials, medical experts, and state and federal government workers.
HALO will take over the 44-acre Paradise Point resort and create a series of terrorist scenarios, with immersive Hollywood sets including a Middle Eastern village and a pirate haven.
HALO is composed of former military special operators, and intelligence and national security experts.
They train military units, as well as federal and state agencies, in security, counterterrorism, force protection, emergency response and disaster management. Retired Air Force Gen. Michael Hayden, a former CIA and National Security Agency director, and Mexico Interior Secretary Alejandro Poiré Romero will speak during the summit, which runs Oct. 30 to Nov. 2.
read more here
Army Times
By Gidget Fuentes
Staff writer
Posted : Wednesday Sep 19, 2012
SAN DIEGO — Forget the H1N1 pandemic. Could a future crisis arise from an outbreak of viruses that destroy brain cells and render people violently catatonic, like zombies?
JONATHAN NACKSTRAND / AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE VIA GETTY IMAGESThe far-fetched scenario of a government grappling a zombielike threat has captured the attention and imagination of Brad Barker, president of the security firm HALO Corp.
Know how to stop the undead? An October exercise in California will pit military trainees against a horde of role-players exhibiting zombielike behavior. Here, participants in a “zombie walk” in Sweden show their stuff.
Next month, his outfit will incorporate — no kidding — zombies into a disaster-crisis scenario at the company’s annual counterterrorism summit in San Diego, a five-day event providing hands-on training, realistic demonstrations, lectures and classes geared to more than 1,000 military personnel, law enforcement officials, medical experts, and state and federal government workers.
HALO will take over the 44-acre Paradise Point resort and create a series of terrorist scenarios, with immersive Hollywood sets including a Middle Eastern village and a pirate haven.
HALO is composed of former military special operators, and intelligence and national security experts.
They train military units, as well as federal and state agencies, in security, counterterrorism, force protection, emergency response and disaster management. Retired Air Force Gen. Michael Hayden, a former CIA and National Security Agency director, and Mexico Interior Secretary Alejandro Poiré Romero will speak during the summit, which runs Oct. 30 to Nov. 2.
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Saturday, September 1, 2012
Almost half of crisis calls to suicide prevention are from OEF OIF veterans
VA Working with Returning Vets to Prevent Suicides
Almost half of all calls to the Veterans Affairs’ suicide-prevention program are younger vets, officials say.
August 31, 2012
A total of 126 San Diego-area veterans attempted suicide and 22 of them succeeded in the fiscal year that ends next month, according to Veteran Affairs officials.
The data comes from the Veterans Affairs San Diego Healthcare System Suicide Prevention Program in advance of National Suicide Prevention Week, which runs Sept. 9-15.
San Diego County is home to roughly 30,000 veterans of the conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan, and it’s those troops who are showing up in suicide statistics at a greater degree than others, according to the VA.
Almost half of crisis calls received by the VA’s suicide-prevention program are people who have served since 9/11, officials said.
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Almost half of all calls to the Veterans Affairs’ suicide-prevention program are younger vets, officials say.
August 31, 2012
A total of 126 San Diego-area veterans attempted suicide and 22 of them succeeded in the fiscal year that ends next month, according to Veteran Affairs officials.
The data comes from the Veterans Affairs San Diego Healthcare System Suicide Prevention Program in advance of National Suicide Prevention Week, which runs Sept. 9-15.
San Diego County is home to roughly 30,000 veterans of the conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan, and it’s those troops who are showing up in suicide statistics at a greater degree than others, according to the VA.
Almost half of crisis calls received by the VA’s suicide-prevention program are people who have served since 9/11, officials said.
read more here
Sunday, August 12, 2012
DOD:86 percent of sexual assaults go unreported
Military sexual assault is focus of YouTube series
By JULIE WATSON
The Associated Press
Published: August 12, 2012
SAN DIEGO (AP) -- The enormous obstacles and emotional torment that a female solider confronts in reporting a sexual assault in the military is the focus of the three-part Web series "Lauren" debuting Monday on YouTube's new channel WIGS, which focuses on drama for women.
Featuring "Flashdance" star Jennifer Beals and Troian Bellisario, "Lauren" gives a close-up look at the challenges women service members face in trying to find justice after being raped. It's a problem that military leaders have focused unprecedented attention on this year.
The Defense Department has estimated that 86 percent of sexual assaults go unreported, an indication that some women are worried about the effect reporting an assault may have on their career and that they mistrust the military prosecution system. Nearly 3,200 sexual assaults were reported in the military last year.
Military leaders say sexual assault is not only dehumanizing to the victims but threatens operational readiness. The Pentagon has set up hotlines and has been trying to encourage service members to help victims. High-ranking Navy leaders have likened their campaign to the crusade years ago to stop rampant drug abuse, although activists say sweeping institutional changes are needed for victims to find justice.
read more here
By JULIE WATSON
The Associated Press
Published: August 12, 2012
SAN DIEGO (AP) -- The enormous obstacles and emotional torment that a female solider confronts in reporting a sexual assault in the military is the focus of the three-part Web series "Lauren" debuting Monday on YouTube's new channel WIGS, which focuses on drama for women.
Featuring "Flashdance" star Jennifer Beals and Troian Bellisario, "Lauren" gives a close-up look at the challenges women service members face in trying to find justice after being raped. It's a problem that military leaders have focused unprecedented attention on this year.
The Defense Department has estimated that 86 percent of sexual assaults go unreported, an indication that some women are worried about the effect reporting an assault may have on their career and that they mistrust the military prosecution system. Nearly 3,200 sexual assaults were reported in the military last year.
Military leaders say sexual assault is not only dehumanizing to the victims but threatens operational readiness. The Pentagon has set up hotlines and has been trying to encourage service members to help victims. High-ranking Navy leaders have likened their campaign to the crusade years ago to stop rampant drug abuse, although activists say sweeping institutional changes are needed for victims to find justice.
read more here
Thursday, June 28, 2012
Neighbors oppose plans for Calif. PTSD center
Neighbors oppose plans for Calif. PTSD center
The Associated Press
Posted : Wednesday Jun 27, 2012
SAN DIEGO — The San Diego City Council delayed voting Tuesday on a controversial plan to open a 40-bed treatment center for Iraq and Afghanistan veterans suffering from Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder across the street from a charter elementary school.
City officials decided to hold off until negotiations wrap up between the Old Town Academy’s attorney, Cynthia Morgan, and the Department of Veteran Affairs medical director in San Diego, Jeffrey Gering.
read more here
The Associated Press
Posted : Wednesday Jun 27, 2012
SAN DIEGO — The San Diego City Council delayed voting Tuesday on a controversial plan to open a 40-bed treatment center for Iraq and Afghanistan veterans suffering from Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder across the street from a charter elementary school.
City officials decided to hold off until negotiations wrap up between the Old Town Academy’s attorney, Cynthia Morgan, and the Department of Veteran Affairs medical director in San Diego, Jeffrey Gering.
read more here
Saturday, March 24, 2012
Navy Civilian Employee Accused Of Defrauding Navy and VA
Gardener Accused Of Defrauding Navy, VA
Leray Shurn Faces Fraud Charges, According To Federal Indictment
March 23, 2012
SAN DIEGO -- A Chula Vista gardener allegedly defrauded the Navy and U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs out of $400,000 in workers' compensation claims and disability benefits, according to a federal indictment unsealed Friday.
Leray Shurn, 59, was compensated for claims that he suffered back and knee injuries as a Navy civilian employee, but hid the fact that he ran his business and performed some of the landscaping work himself, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office.
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Leray Shurn Faces Fraud Charges, According To Federal Indictment
March 23, 2012
SAN DIEGO -- A Chula Vista gardener allegedly defrauded the Navy and U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs out of $400,000 in workers' compensation claims and disability benefits, according to a federal indictment unsealed Friday.
Leray Shurn, 59, was compensated for claims that he suffered back and knee injuries as a Navy civilian employee, but hid the fact that he ran his business and performed some of the landscaping work himself, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office.
read more here
Monday, February 20, 2012
Old Town San Diego is pitting neighbors against veterans
"We have an opportunity here to care of the people who took care of us" and that is the way most people feel but some Old Town residents are more interested in what they want instead. Some say it shouldn't be near a school? What this is all about is a matter of how people look at things. Out of fear, they reject the men and women who dared to go where these people sent them. Out of love, others view it as what is possible to help these men and women live better for the rest of their lives.
Old Town San Diego turned ugly
Center planned for Old Town San Diego is pitting neighbors against veterans
By Marisa Agha
Special to The Bee
Published: Monday, Feb. 20, 2012
SAN DIEGO – Old Town San Diego is known for its vibrant shops featuring Mexican crafts, restaurants with strolling mariachis and rich history as the birthplace of California.
But debate about a proposed veterans facility geared for those with post-traumatic stress disorder and mild traumatic brain injury has pitted neighbors against veterans in this military town over whether the historic neighborhood is where the veterans center should be.
San Diego would host one of five facilities the Department of Veterans Affairs is creating nationwide to serve these veterans. The others would be in Atlanta, Denver, Miami and Philadelphia.
"We have an opportunity here to care of the people who took care of us for the last 10 years," said Debbie Dominick, the proposed center's director. "It's also an incredible opportunity for our young people to learn about heroes."
read more here
Old Town San Diego turned ugly
Sunday, February 19, 2012
Good enough to serve and risk their lives, not good enough citizens
UPDATE from Stars and Stripes
US veterans deported after they served
By CINDY CARCAMO
The Orange County Register
Published: February 21, 2012
ROSARITO, Mexico — Keeping tabs on his U.S. citizenship application wasn’t much of a priority for Marine Cpl. Rohan Coombs when he served in the Persian Gulf War.
The aircraft maintenance specialist had more pressing concerns: The safety of his comrades as bombs rained down and people died around him in the desert.
Coombs, who came to the U.S. legally from Jamaica as a child and enlisted in the Marine Corps at age 20, served six years in the military. Eventually, he settled in Tustin, Calif., and figured he was a U.S. citizen because he’d fought for his country.
He was wrong. Like hundreds of other men and women who served in the U.S. military, Coombs faces deportation and banishment from the country he went to war for after being arrested. In his case, he was arrested several times for possession for use or sale of marijuana.
Just south of the U.S.-Mexico border in Rosarito, a contingent of about a dozen veterans who call themselves the “Banished Veterans” are lobbying to change an immigration act that allows legal residents who commit certain crimes to be deported, despite his or her military service. The group has launched a website, Facebook page and created a network of advocates and attorneys who provide legal and emotional support to U.S. veterans who face deportation.
read more here
US veterans deported after they served
By CINDY CARCAMO
The Orange County Register
Published: February 21, 2012
ROSARITO, Mexico — Keeping tabs on his U.S. citizenship application wasn’t much of a priority for Marine Cpl. Rohan Coombs when he served in the Persian Gulf War.
The aircraft maintenance specialist had more pressing concerns: The safety of his comrades as bombs rained down and people died around him in the desert.
Coombs, who came to the U.S. legally from Jamaica as a child and enlisted in the Marine Corps at age 20, served six years in the military. Eventually, he settled in Tustin, Calif., and figured he was a U.S. citizen because he’d fought for his country.
He was wrong. Like hundreds of other men and women who served in the U.S. military, Coombs faces deportation and banishment from the country he went to war for after being arrested. In his case, he was arrested several times for possession for use or sale of marijuana.
Just south of the U.S.-Mexico border in Rosarito, a contingent of about a dozen veterans who call themselves the “Banished Veterans” are lobbying to change an immigration act that allows legal residents who commit certain crimes to be deported, despite his or her military service. The group has launched a website, Facebook page and created a network of advocates and attorneys who provide legal and emotional support to U.S. veterans who face deportation.
read more here
Rally Held To Support Veterans Facing Deportation
Brothers Valente, Manuel Valenzuela Both Served During Vietnam War
February 18, 2012
SAN DIEGO -- A rally to call for an end to deportation proceedings against veterans who have broken U.S. laws was held on Saturday at the pedestrian border crossing at San Ysidro.
Earlier this week, two brothers drove to San Diego from Colorado to tell their story. Both Valente and Manuel Valenzuela served during the Vietnam War. Manuel Valenzuela served with the Marines and was deployed three times.
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