VA San Diego couldn't take care of own doctor with PTSD?

A VA doctor was self-medicating PTSD after working as a trauma doctor in Afghanistan. That says something right there. Not only did they fail a veteran with PTSD, they failed one of their own!

Doctor Arrived at Hospital With 0.39 BAC: Medical Board
An accusation says Jason Lane, M.D., was "self-medicating" with alcohol to deal with PTSD
NBC News San Diego
By Andie Adams
Aug 15, 2014

A doctor who showed up to work with a blood alcohol content of nearly five times the legal driving limit had “self-medicated” with alcohol to deal with post-traumatic stress disorder, according to an accusation filed by the Medical Board of California.

Jason Lane, M.D., could now lose his medical license because of the incident on Oct. 22, 2013. At that time, Lane was working as a physician and surgeon for Southern California Permanente Medical Group, dividing his time between the Kaiser Permanente Medical Center in Grantville and Palomar Medical Center in Escondido.

But the problem worsened after he enlisted in the military in 2011 and worked as a trauma ICU physician in Afghanistan for four months.

"Upon his return from that deployment, respondent (Lane) admitted using alcohol to 'self-medicate' issues that he later identified as posttraumatic stress disorder," Kirchmeyer says in the document.
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USS Cowpens Commander stayed in cabin during deployment

Navy report: Skipper retreated to cabin for weeks during deployment
The Associated Press
Published: August 7, 2014

SAN DIEGO — A Navy investigation finds the ailing skipper of a San Diego-based Navy cruiser retreated to his cabin for several weeks in the middle of a deployment, leaving the 330-member crew leaderless.

The probe also revealed that the skipper of the USS Cowpens, Capt. Gregory W. Gombert, was having an improper and "unduly familiar" relationship with the cruiser's acting executive officer, U-T San Diego reported Wednesday.

The Navy removed Gombert and the ship's command master chief, Master Chief Petty Officer Gabriel J. Keeton, from their positions on June 10. The reason given at the time was poor ship condition.

Gombert's medical problems were not disclosed, but investigators said they should not have left him unable to lead. They also shouldn't have required him to retreat to his cabin from early January through March, officials said.
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Paralyzed veteran beaten and robbed causes international reaction of love

Paralyzed Marine thrown out of wheelchair, customized surfboards stolen
KUSI News San Diego
By John Soderman
Posted: Jul 25, 2014

When asked his reaction to the outbreak of love and compassion generated by his story, Abbott is visibly shaken.

"When I have people who don't even know me and they call me from Hawaii, Australia and France and say 'Hey, just get back in the water and surf and you're gonna be ok. We love you buddy!' That means a lot to me."

The following story is generating an outpouring of compassion and support across San Diego and around the world. It's the story of a paralyzed Marine, assaulted and thrown out of his wheelchair by two suspects who stole his customized surfboards in Oceanside.

Randy Abbott gets around in a wheelchair, paralyzed from the waist down. But that hasn't prevented him from surfing three or four times a week. You see, it wasn't that long ago doctors told him he would never surf again after a back surgery went terribly wrong.

After spending fourteen years as a Marine Corps recon scout sniper, Abbott's body got pretty banged up. When he got out of the service he needed back surgery. But during that surgery his spinal cord ended up getting accidentally severed, leaving him paralyzed.

But Abbott turned his tragedy into a triumph, opening a surf camp for kids with disabilities. After all, he was able to get back into the water himself because of specially designed surfboards. Surfboards that ended up getting stolen Monday night after two thugs assaulted Abbott, leaving him with cuts and scrapes after they threw him out of his wheelchair.

"One guy was cutting the straps and I said 'Hey, I'm paralyzed, don't steal my surfboards!'" said Abbott. "And then the other guy came at me and took a swing at me, and I took a swing at him. He missed, and I connected. I caught him with a pretty good uppercut."

"The guy that was cutting the straps had come around behind me, and threw me out of my wheelchair, and then kicked my wheelchair and it rolled probably 50 feet down the parking lot. Then they threw my surfboards in the back of their (Toyota) 4Runner and took off."
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Homeland Security horrified veterans at San Diego VA Clinic

Homeland Security Police Caught Harassing Sick Veterans
Military.com
Benjamin Krause
June 13, 2014 2

SAN DIEGO – Veterans were horrified while seeking VA health care on Wednesday when approached by Homeland Security police in an Operation Shield exercise. The exercise was for the purpose of “presence deterrence” at a VA health care facility in San Diego. Many veterans’ legal advocates are concerned about what this “presence deterrence” actually means and what it seeks to accomplish for veterans needing care.

According to reports, 20 officers from the DHS Federal Protective Service (FPS) dressed in full black combat gear crowded at the entrance of VA Mission Valley Health Care Clinic on Wednesday. These officers were not wearing any nametags and refused to identify themselves. Four bomb-sniffing dogs accompanied the secretive police group that arrived at the facility in 8 white SUVs, which then blocked all access to parking for disabled veterans. Veterans arriving for care were alarmed and some frightened away.

VA Mission Valley Health Care Clinic houses numerous service centers including a general practice clinic, psychiatric clinic, PTSD treatment clinic, and the disability compensation evaluation clinic. The impact of this event on veterans is disturbing.
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Military to train to fight Zombies?

Military training for zombie war may be new "news" to some but it is two years old!

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?

JONATHAN NACKSTRAND / AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE VIA GETTY IMAGES
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.

The 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.

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. 

Vietnam veteran killed by police in San Diego

Man Killed by Police Had Rifle-Replica Pellet Gun
John Edward Chesney, 62, was shot after about an hour-long standoff with police in the 900 block of Broadway
By Paul Kruger and Andie Adams
Thursday, Feb 27, 2014

San Diego police confirm that a Vietnam veteran killed by police sergeant in a downtown stand-off was holding a plastic pellet gun.

John Edward Chesney, 62, was shot after about an hour-long standoff with police in the 900 block of Broadway.

The dead man’s friends told NBC 7 they do not blame officers for Wednesday's deadly shooting, but still think that terrible outcome could have been avoided.

Those friends and Chesney’s landlord, David Reichbart, said Chesney had been in poor health and had significant mental health issues.

They also said he abused alcohol and became despondent and upset when he drank. “He would get kind of melancholy, kind of sad, thinking about his family, people that he’d lost, and just very emotional,” Reichbart told NBC 7 News.

Michael Michaud, who had known Chesney for seven years, thinks his friend was suicidal and recalls how Chesney recently told another friend that he “wanted to go out in a blaze of glory.”
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Standoff with police leaves decorated Vietnam veteran dead

Gunman killed in standoff identified as Vietnam Veteran
CBS News 8
Video Report By Marcella Lee, Anchor/Reporter
Updated: Feb 27, 2014

SAN DIEGO (CNS) - An apparently suicidal 62-year-old man who was shot and killed after raising a rifle toward officers has been identified as a Vietnam veteran suffering from PTSD.

A fellow Vietnam veteran who spoke to CBS News 8, and wanted to be identified only as Bob, says John Chesney was the man involved in a standoff at a downtown San Diego retail/residential building on Wednesday.

Bob tells us Chesney was a paratrooper who served in the 101st Airborne Division in Vietnam. He says Chesney was highly decorated, earning multiple awards including a Bronze Star, a Vietnam Service Medal, and a Vietnam Campaign Medal with two stars, indicating he served two campaigns.

Bob told CBS News 8 that Chesney was discharged from the military under honorable conditions, despite media reports to the contrary. He adds that Chesney suffered from PTSD and had trouble getting help because of a lack of resources for local veterans.
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California National Guardsman killed at home

Fallbrook shooting victim identified
CBS 8 News
Posted: Feb 12, 2014

Eustaquio's LinkedIn page said he worked as a space orbital analyst at the California Air National Guard.

FALLBROOK (CNS) - A 63-year-old woman was in custody Wednesday on suspicion of fatally shooting her 53-year-old son-in-law in a house they shared in a gated Fallbrook community, authorities said.

Cynthia Katherine Cdebaca is suspected of killing Geoward Flores Eustaquio at 602 Braemer Terrace in Fallbrook Tuesday morning, according to San Diego County sheriff's Lt. Glenn Giannantonio. The residence is inside the Peppertree Park neighborhood, which consists of about 225 upscale homes.

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Marine in custody after standoff with San Diego Sheriff's Deputies

Marine Arrested in Vista Standoff
Chris Johnson, 26, of Vista, surrendered to deputies just before 5 a.m.
NBC San Diego
By R. Stickney and Monica Garske
Thursday, Dec 26, 2013

A U.S. Marine was in custody Thursday following a 5-hour standoff with San Diego County sheriff's deputies which began after the Marine allegedly fired multiple gunshots from inside his Vista apartment.

Just before midnight on Christmas Day, deputies were called to an apartment complex located at 911 Taylor St., near East Vista Way.

A neighbor told deputies she heard shots fired inside her apartment and noticed a bullet hole in the window of her dining room. She also said she heard someone knocking on her door. Deputies told her not to open the door.

Deputies soon determined that Christopher Johnson, 26, of Vista, had allegedly fired multiple rounds from his .44 caliber magnum revolver handgun while inside his apartment.
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Army Rangers honor bravery of Capt. Jennifer Moreno at memorial

Memorial for feisty Madigan nurse Moreno salutes her bravery in Afghanistan
The Olympian
Adam Ashton
Staff Writer
Published: November 2, 2013

Col. Stephen Yoest, foreground, deputy commander for clinical services at Madigan Army Medical Center; Lt. Col. Timothy O’Haver, Madigan chief of staff; Col. Lena Gaudreau, deputy commander for nursing; and Chaplain Lt. Col. Jimmy Davis leave flowers at a newly dedicated memorial Friday at Madigan in memory of Capt. Jennifer Moreno, a medic killed while on a mission in Afghanistan.
DEAN J. KOEPFLER/STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER

The death of Army nurse Capt. Jennifer Moreno in Afghanistan last month devastated her teammates.

They told themselves they should have been the ones to take that dangerous mission with a team of Army Rangers instead of the feisty medic from San Diego with the broad smile.

But as the days wore on after the Oct. 6 bombings that killed four soldiers and wounded 30 more, Moreno’s friend and commander Capt. Amanda King realized it “couldn’t have happened any other way.”

Only Moreno, 25, had the bravery to race through a heavily mined village to try to save wounded Rangers.

“None of us would have done what you did, running into hell to save your wounded brothers, knowing full well you probably wouldn’t make it back,” King wrote in eulogy to her friend.
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PTSD May Have Led to Deputy-Involved Shooting of Veteran

PTSD May Have Led to Deputy-Involved Shooting: Friend
7 News San Diego
By Brandi Powell and Christina London
Wednesday, Oct 30, 2013

The man shot by a San Diego sheriff’s deputy may have been suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder, addiction and depression, according to a friend.

30-year-old Daryl “Ray” Cody was shot by a deputy Tuesday at the downtown apartment building where he was living. Two deputies were helping evict Cody when one saw what he thought was the barrel of a gun, according to police.

Police said Cody refused to come down from his bunk bed and refused to show the deputy his hands before the shooting.
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VA prosthetics chief is Iraq Veteran and amputee

VA prosthetics chief is Iraq amputee
2003 attack made soldier one of 1st modern war amputees
By Jeanette Steele
OCT. 28, 2013

When Iraq and Afghanistan veterans with missing limbs come to the San Diego VA hospital in La Jolla, one of their own is sitting behind the desk.

And when he walks the halls, his step has a similar broken cadence.

Tristan Wyatt, now 31, lost most of his right leg in August 2003 when an enemy anti-tank rocket pierced his armored personnel carrier.

Back at Walter Reed Medical Center, the young soldier’s first prosthetic was like an early iPhone — good, but rudimentary. And he dreaded entering the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs medical system, where he imagined he’d get the equivalent of a peg leg.

When he took his first steps as a civilian again, “That was the most lost I’ve ever been.”

Today, Wyatt has found his place. He is chief of the La Jolla VA’s prosthetics and sensory aids department, where he gets to interact with some of the hospital’s more than 70 young amputee patients a year.
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National Geographic Channel explores synthetic drug use in military

'Bath Salts,' 'Spice' and US Military: Are Service Members Abusing Synthetic Drugs?
ABC News
By LAUREN EFFRON
Digital Producer
via NIGHTLINE
July 9, 2013

An undercover investigation for National Geographic explores the availability of powerful synthetic drugs, with names like "spice" and "bath salts," and its popularity among members of the U.S. military.

For the next installment of National Geographic's "Inside: Secret America" series, which takes an in-depth look at how people can easily purchase synthetic drugs, investigative journalist Mariana van Zeller went undercover with a former Marine and a Marine on active duty in San Diego to local smoke shops as they purchased bath salts.

The "Bath Salts" episode airs on July 10 at 10 p.m. on the National Geographic Channel.

"Spice" mimics the effects of marijuana. While "bath salts" look as harmless as their name, they are a strong concoction with an impact similar to amphetamines or cocaine.

Despite the risks, Jordan, and his friend, who was called Chris, are no strangers to this new class of drugs. Jordan was kicked out of the Marines a month before talking with National Geographic for disciplinary reasons, but Chris is still on active duty, which is why his identity is not being revealed.

"You get this awesome, you know, just power, you know, feel inside of you," Chris said, in talking about the effects of bath salts. "Just makes you feel like you could do whatever you want, just feels good."

Jordan said synthetic drug use in the U.S. military is at "epidemic" levels.
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Dead grass covers large sections of Fort Rosecrans National Cemetery

Veterans cemetery's unsightly grounds don't meet 'shrine standards'
LA Times
By Tony Perry
June 22, 2013

Dead grass covers large sections of Fort Rosecrans National Cemetery on Point Loma.
(San Diego Union-Tribune / June22, 2013)

SAN DIEGO -- For more than a century, the Fort Rosecrans National Cemetery on Point Loma has been the final resting spot for many of the nation's military veterans.

The lush and well-tended grounds bespeak the honor and respect that the nation owes its veterans, many of whom fell in battle.

But for months, the cemetery has had large unsightly patches of dead or dying grass amid the 77 acres of graves.

A series of problems have caused large areas to be left with grass that is brown and wilting and altogether unsightly. In some areas, the problem is a broken irrigation system, in others the grass was intentionally killed to allow for a grave realignment.

"We're sincerely apologetic for any discomfort we've caused the families," said Bradley Phillips, an executive director for memorial services at the Department of Veterans Affairs. "We're working very hard to bring the cemetery up to shrine standards."

Some of the areas will be green again by August, but others will take months, he said.

The apparent slowness of the repairs has upset some family members, like Jill Millard, whose son, 22-year-old Army Cpl. Gregory Millard, was killed in Iraq in 2007.
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Raped by other Marines veteran talks of baby she lost

Marine Corps Veteran Raped in Military Speaks Out
NBC San Diego
By Lea Sutton
Sunday, Jun 16, 2013

A local Marine Corps veteran who was sexually assaulted while serving in the military is speaking out about her experience as lawmakers take on the issue of how sexual assault in the military should be prosecuted.

Saturday was a tough day for Marine Corps veteran Everlyn Thomas. The day marked 23 years since the death of her newborn son, Taj.

Thomas says she was raped by four Marines while on active duty more than two decades ago and became pregnant. She says that when she reported the rape, she was retaliated against.

“The four marines, my rapist, put me through emotional, physical and mental abuse,” Thomas told NBC 7. Thomas was just six months into her pregnancy when Taj was born in June 1990. The newborn lived only one day.

“I went from elation, to numbness, to anger,” she recalled.

Thomas’ story, though it happened long ago, is a topical one.
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Japanese Troops invade beach at Camp Pendleton

Japanese Troops To Drill Beach Invasion At Camp Pendleton
CBS News Los Angeles
June 10, 2013

SAN DIEGO (AP) — Japanese troops will converge on California’s southern coast in the next two weeks as part of a military exercise with U.S. troops aimed at improving that country’s amphibious attack abilities.

U.S. and Japanese military officials said the unprecedented training, led by U.S. Marines and sailors, will help Japan’s Self-Defense Force operate in stronger coordination with the United States, its main ally, and better respond to crises such as natural disasters.

China may see it differently, however, given the tensions between Tokyo and Beijing over a long-running dispute concerning islands claimed by both in the East China Sea.
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Defense contractors gets jail time stealing from injured Marines

Man sentenced for stealing from injured troops
U-T San Diego
By Susan Shroder
MAY 20, 2013

SAN DIEGO — An Oceanside man who U.S. Attorney Laura E. Duffy said sought to profit at the expense of injured U.S. troops was sentenced Monday for stealing medical equipment from Camp Pendleton that was to be shipped to Marines overseas.

Michael Tuisee, 34, was one of three civilian defense contractors charged in the case. All three men worked at medical-supply warehouses on the base.

The other defendants, Henry Bonilla, 25, of Pomona, and Richard Navarro, 39, of Fallbrook, are scheduled to be sentenced Aug. 30. All three pleaded guilty in March to conspiracy to engage in theft of government property.

U.S. District Judge Cathy Ann Bencivengo sentenced Tuisee to six months in prison, then six months of house arrest and three years of supervised release. Tuisee also was ordered to pay nearly $180,000 in restitution to the Marine Corps and forfeit $8,250 in illegal proceeds.
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San Diego assemblyman wants word "veteran" clarified

Local assemblyman pushing for bill that aims to change wording on military service question
Chavez says women missing out on military benefits
Posted: 05/12/2013
Marie Coronel

SAN DIEGO - A local assemblyman says there are thousands of women who are missing out on military benefits because of the way a question is worded in applications.

Assemblyman Rocky Chavez, who represents the 76th District which includes Camp Pendleton, Carlsbad, Encinitas, Oceanside and Vista, says there are 18,000 women in California who are not getting the military benefits they deserve.

"You served in the military. Let's say you need a place to stay because you're getting older. You could be able to go apply for those benefits, but a lot of people don't realize that because they don't consider themselves veterans," said Chavez.
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Tim Lambesis arrested over alleged murder-for-hire plot

Christian heavy metal star Tim Lambesis arrested over alleged murder-for-hire plot
Ian Johnston
NBC News
May 8, 2013

Tim Lambesis, lead singer of the Grammy-nominated, Christian heavy metal band As I Lay Dying, has been arrested for allegedly trying to hire someone to kill his estranged wife, officials said Tuesday.

San Diego County Sheriff's Department said in a statement that it had received information Lambesis was “soliciting another individual” to murder his wife, Meggan.

According to court records, Meggan, filed for divorce in North County last September, NBCSanDiego.com reported.
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San Diego homeless veterans shelter to stay open for now

Vets homeless shelter to stay open
Last-minute call by mayor keeps shelter open, operator says
By Jeanette Steele
APRIL 6, 2013

The San Diego veterans winter shelter got a last-minute reprieve from Mayor Bob Filner and will not close Monday, said Phil Landis, president of Veterans Village of San Diego, the nonprofit group that runs the temporary facility for homeless veterans on the city’s behalf.

Landis said Saturday that he spoke to the mayor and Filner said he would find a way to keep the shelter open, probably through June 30. Landis didn't have details about where the city would find the funds. It costs $100,000 a month to support for the operation.

The mayor’s spokespeople didn’t return calls for comment Saturday evening.

The 150-bed veterans shelter opened in early December and was scheduled to close Monday.
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