VETERANS PTSD PROGRAM IN NEED OF FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE, GRANTS AND DONATIONS
The African American Post Traumatic Stress Disorder Association is dedicated to the discovery of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) and Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) and their many maladies
TACOMA, WA, March 20, 2014 /24-7 PressRelease
The African American Post Traumatic Stress Disorder Association was established in 1996 in part as an outgrowth of the Congressional Black Caucus Veterans Brain Trust Symposium.
The Founder and National President, Mr. Sidney Lee, is a retired Army E-8 Airborne Ranger who completed two tours of duty in Vietnam. Mr. Lee, a Master Parachutist, was awarded the Combat Infantry Badge, Silver Star, Bronze Star with "V" device, Army Commendation with "V" device and the Air Medal; just to name a few of his awards. "It took" says Mr. Lee, "two years to receive 20% disability for the severe injuries I incurred which were all combat-related."
He became so disillusioned with the system that he moved to Europe for several years until his illnesses were too much to deal with and he could not get the proper treatment he needed.
He came back to America and was able to get full benefits this time. "Having gone through so much myself, I wanted to help all Veterans with their claims and help them learn how to navigate the system" he said. "The problem is that Grants are limited for the services we provide - most want a 501(c) 3 and we are a 501 (c) 19, which is also tax-deductible - yet we offer the same services. We're in 'no-man's land'; we can't pay salaries and we can't compete with the VFW, American Legion or AM Vets because they have exclusive rights to the military installations and funding from the State is based upon the number of claims processed. Unless they open the playing field we will continue to struggle. That's been our fight for the last 12 years."
There needs to be more awareness about this reality and clarification of some misconceptions that exist in regard to the African American Post Traumatic Stress Disorder Association.
"Interestingly enough, the AAPTSD membership is 55% non-African American." Sidney Lee says "It's just a name. We serve from the heart. The Department of Veterans Affairs prohibits us from discrimination - not that we would discriminate in any way, shape or form anyway. We were told that if we put AA in front of our name it would be difficult to get funding. We believed it shouldn't have mattered, but 16 years later that has proven to be true."
Because of this, Mr. Lee has been keeping the non-profit operation alive by paying out of his own pocket hoping that funding will eventually come his way. "It's tough" he says "but this is my passion and we want to help all Veterans throughout the U.S. We certainly appreciate all the help we can get."
For more information, please visit: http://www.aaptsdassn.org/
Media Contact
Sidney Lee
(253) 589-0776
tacomaptsd@earthlink.net
Showing posts with label Silver Star. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Silver Star. Show all posts
Thursday, March 20, 2014
Veteran's charity press release puzzling
Press Release leaves some scratching their heads.
Sunday, March 16, 2014
Kurt Chew-Een Lee, a Retired Marine Corps Major Hero Passed Away
Marine Corps hero who saved thousands of lives in Korea dies at 88
The Washington Post
By Bart Barnes
Posted March 15, 2014
WASHINGTON — Kurt Chew-Een Lee, a retired Marine Corps major who received the Navy Cross during the Korean War for his lone, head-on charge into hostile fire to force enemy troops to reveal their positions, an action that saved thousands of American lives, was found dead March 3 at his home in Washington. He was 88.
A niece and family spokeswoman, Lynn Yokoe, confirmed the death but did not know the cause.
The son of Chinese immigrants, Lee was said to have been one of the first officers of Asian ancestry in the Marine Corps.
As a first lieutenant and platoon leader in 1950, he earned the Navy Cross and the Silver Star, two of the military’s highest combat decorations for valor, in a 36-day period that included some of the fiercest and highest-casualty fighting of the Korean War.
In September of that year, U.S. forces had landed at Inchon in South Korea, forcing North Korean troops back north near the Chinese border. Chinese forces then crossed into Korea and joined in the fighting.
Lee, leading a machine-gun platoon in the far north of the Korean peninsula, often advanced to within hearing distance of the enemy forces, shouting to them in Mandarin Chinese to sow confusion.
He received the Navy Cross for action on the night of Nov. 2-3, when his unit was outnumbered and under heavy attack. He had instructed his men to shoot at the muzzle flashes from enemy weapons. According to the citation on the award, he “bravely moved up an enemy-held slope in a deliberate attempt to draw fire and thereby disclose hostile troop positions.”
Wounded in the knee and elbow during the firefight, Lee was evacuated to an Army field hospital, where he learned a few days later that he was about to be sent to Japan to recuperate.
With a sergeant and a commandeered jeep, but without authorization, he left the hospital and returned to combat.
read more here
The Washington Post
By Bart Barnes
Posted March 15, 2014
WASHINGTON — Kurt Chew-Een Lee, a retired Marine Corps major who received the Navy Cross during the Korean War for his lone, head-on charge into hostile fire to force enemy troops to reveal their positions, an action that saved thousands of American lives, was found dead March 3 at his home in Washington. He was 88.
A niece and family spokeswoman, Lynn Yokoe, confirmed the death but did not know the cause.
The son of Chinese immigrants, Lee was said to have been one of the first officers of Asian ancestry in the Marine Corps.
As a first lieutenant and platoon leader in 1950, he earned the Navy Cross and the Silver Star, two of the military’s highest combat decorations for valor, in a 36-day period that included some of the fiercest and highest-casualty fighting of the Korean War.
In September of that year, U.S. forces had landed at Inchon in South Korea, forcing North Korean troops back north near the Chinese border. Chinese forces then crossed into Korea and joined in the fighting.
Lee, leading a machine-gun platoon in the far north of the Korean peninsula, often advanced to within hearing distance of the enemy forces, shouting to them in Mandarin Chinese to sow confusion.
He received the Navy Cross for action on the night of Nov. 2-3, when his unit was outnumbered and under heavy attack. He had instructed his men to shoot at the muzzle flashes from enemy weapons. According to the citation on the award, he “bravely moved up an enemy-held slope in a deliberate attempt to draw fire and thereby disclose hostile troop positions.”
Wounded in the knee and elbow during the firefight, Lee was evacuated to an Army field hospital, where he learned a few days later that he was about to be sent to Japan to recuperate.
With a sergeant and a commandeered jeep, but without authorization, he left the hospital and returned to combat.
read more here
Thursday, March 13, 2014
Army Ranger Earns Silver Star at Eglin Air Force Base
Army Ranger Earns Silver Star
Army.mil/News
by Aniesa Holmes
Mar 12, 2014
FORT BENNING, Ga. -- Sgt. 1st Class Anthony Fuentes was presented the Silver Star Medal March 4 at Eglin Air Force Base, Fla., for his actions in 2011 during an insurgent attack in Kunar Province, Afghanistan.
Fuentes, who is now with the 6th Ranger Training Battalion, was presented the Silver Star by Maj. Gen. H. R. McMaster, Fort Benning's commanding general.
While serving as a platoon sergeant for B Company, 2nd Battalion, 27th Infantry Regiment, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 25th Infantry Division, in October 2011, Fuentes led the defense of Shal Mountain during Operation Rugged Sarak. For more than a week, the company was in near-continuous enemy contact as insurgents sought to defeat coalition efforts to build a permanent Afghan base.
Fuentes, under heavy recoilless, rocket-propelled grenade and small arms fire, led the defense of his lightly armed and undermanned section and repelled a nighttime enemy attack intent on overrunning his patrol base. He supervised the casualty collection point and enabled the successful evacuation of nine casualties.
Fuentes said he could only think of the men who fought beside him as he received the medal.
read more here
Army.mil/News
by Aniesa Holmes
Mar 12, 2014
Fuentes, who is now with the 6th Ranger Training Battalion, was presented the Silver Star by Maj. Gen. H. R. McMaster, Fort Benning's commanding general.
While serving as a platoon sergeant for B Company, 2nd Battalion, 27th Infantry Regiment, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 25th Infantry Division, in October 2011, Fuentes led the defense of Shal Mountain during Operation Rugged Sarak. For more than a week, the company was in near-continuous enemy contact as insurgents sought to defeat coalition efforts to build a permanent Afghan base.
Fuentes, under heavy recoilless, rocket-propelled grenade and small arms fire, led the defense of his lightly armed and undermanned section and repelled a nighttime enemy attack intent on overrunning his patrol base. He supervised the casualty collection point and enabled the successful evacuation of nine casualties.
Fuentes said he could only think of the men who fought beside him as he received the medal.
read more here
Judge says time ran out to honor Lt. Garlin Murl Conner with Medal of Honor?
Judge: Technicality prevents decorated soldier from receiving Medal of Honor
The Associated Press
By Brett Barrouquere
Published: March 12, 2014
LOUISVILLE, Ky. — Lt. Garlin Murl Conner left the U.S. Army as the second-most decorated soldier during World War II, earning four Silver Stars, four Bronze Stars, seven Purple Hearts and the Distinguished Service Cross for his actions during 28 straight months in combat.
But despite backing from congressmen, senators, military veterans and historians, he never received the Medal of Honor, the nation's highest military distinction, awarded for life-risking acts of valor above and beyond the call of duty.
Now, a federal judge in Kentucky has ended his widow's 17-year quest to see that her husband received the medal.
U.S. District Judge Thomas B. Russell, in an 11-page opinion issued late Tuesday, said a technicality will prevent Pauline Conner of Albany, Ky., from continuing her campaign on behalf of her husband, who died in 1998. Russell concluded that Pauline Conner waited too long to present new evidence to the U.S. Army Board of Correction of Military Records, which rejected her bid to alter her husband's service record.
The Associated Press
By Brett Barrouquere
Published: March 12, 2014
LOUISVILLE, Ky. — Lt. Garlin Murl Conner left the U.S. Army as the second-most decorated soldier during World War II, earning four Silver Stars, four Bronze Stars, seven Purple Hearts and the Distinguished Service Cross for his actions during 28 straight months in combat.
But despite backing from congressmen, senators, military veterans and historians, he never received the Medal of Honor, the nation's highest military distinction, awarded for life-risking acts of valor above and beyond the call of duty.
Now, a federal judge in Kentucky has ended his widow's 17-year quest to see that her husband received the medal.
U.S. District Judge Thomas B. Russell, in an 11-page opinion issued late Tuesday, said a technicality will prevent Pauline Conner of Albany, Ky., from continuing her campaign on behalf of her husband, who died in 1998. Russell concluded that Pauline Conner waited too long to present new evidence to the U.S. Army Board of Correction of Military Records, which rejected her bid to alter her husband's service record.
Conner's commander in World War II, retired Maj. Gen. Lloyd B. Ramsey of Salem, Va., filed an affidavit saying Conner's work, while injured, provided valuable intelligence.
"There is no doubt that Lt. Conner should have been awarded the Medal of Honor for his actions," Ramsey wrote. "One of the most disappointing regrets of my career is not having the Medal of Honor awarded to the most outstanding soldier I've ever had the privilege of commanding." read more here
Saturday, February 15, 2014
Joint Base Lewis McChord honors heroes
2 JBLM soldiers awarded Silver Stars for defending base in Afghanistan
Military Times
By Michelle Tan
Staff writer
Feb. 13, 2014
Silver Stars
Chief Warrant Officer 3 Mark Colbert
Sgt. 1st Class Andrew Busic
Also awarded Feb. 13 at JBLM
Ten other Special Forces soldiers were presented with valor awards Feb. 13 for their actions in Afghanistan.
They are:
■ Sgt. 1st Class Andrew Nivala: Bronze Star Medal with V device
■ Master Sgt. Aaron Hammond: Bronze Star with V
■ Staff Sgt. Joseph Joo: Bronze Star with V
■ Staff Sgt. Kristopher Xaros: Bronze Star with V
■ Capt. Alexander Hain: Bronze Star with V and Army Commendation Medal with V device
■ Sgt. 1st Class Coltin Bauder: Two ARCOMs with V
■ Staff Sgt. Joshua Waisanen: Two ARCOMs with V
■ Staff Sgt. Brian Culver: ARCOM with V
■ Sgt. 1st Class Kirk Medina: ARCOM with V
■ Sgt. 1st Class Vincent Walker: ARCOM with V
read more about heroes here
Military Times
By Michelle Tan
Staff writer
Feb. 13, 2014
Silver Stars
Chief Warrant Officer 3 Mark Colbert
Sgt. 1st Class Andrew Busic
Also awarded Feb. 13 at JBLM
Ten other Special Forces soldiers were presented with valor awards Feb. 13 for their actions in Afghanistan.
They are:
■ Sgt. 1st Class Andrew Nivala: Bronze Star Medal with V device
■ Master Sgt. Aaron Hammond: Bronze Star with V
■ Staff Sgt. Joseph Joo: Bronze Star with V
■ Staff Sgt. Kristopher Xaros: Bronze Star with V
■ Capt. Alexander Hain: Bronze Star with V and Army Commendation Medal with V device
■ Sgt. 1st Class Coltin Bauder: Two ARCOMs with V
■ Staff Sgt. Joshua Waisanen: Two ARCOMs with V
■ Staff Sgt. Brian Culver: ARCOM with V
■ Sgt. 1st Class Kirk Medina: ARCOM with V
■ Sgt. 1st Class Vincent Walker: ARCOM with V
read more about heroes here
Sunday, January 5, 2014
Vietnam Veteran receives Silver Star after 44 year wait
44 years after risking life for comrades, helicopter pilot gets his Silver Star
Downed over Mekong Delta and wounded by ground fire, George Carlton Bloodworth led others to safety
The Baltimore Sun
By Matthew Hay Brown
January 2, 2014
Bloodworth was piloting the second of two scout helicopters on a reconnaissance mission over the Mekong Delta in South Vietnam, speeding 100 feet off the ground, when the lead helicopter was shot down. As he circled back to search for its two-man crew, his own helicopter was shot down, and he was hit by ground fire.
Still, he found the downed crew and helped lead the wounded pilot, the pilot's crew chief and his own crew chief through withering fire to safety.
For his actions that day, Bloodworth was awarded the Silver Star, the military's third-highest decoration for valor. But he never received the medal. Until Thursday.
Surrounded by family — two sons, a daughter and their families — Bloodworth, now 75, finally got his Silver Star. It was pinned onto his blazer by Brig. Gen. Jeffrey Clark, commander of Walter Reed National Military Medical Center, during a brief ceremony at the Rockville office of Rep. Chris Van Hollen, a Maryland Democrat.
read more here
Downed over Mekong Delta and wounded by ground fire, George Carlton Bloodworth led others to safety
The Baltimore Sun
By Matthew Hay Brown
January 2, 2014
It was the kind of mission that Warrant Officer George Carlton Bloodworth flew daily in Vietnam. But on Sept. 20, 1969, it went badly wrong.Photograph of ceremony in Chris Van Hollen's Rockville office.(Kenneth K. Lam, Baltimore Sun / January 2, 2014)
Bloodworth was piloting the second of two scout helicopters on a reconnaissance mission over the Mekong Delta in South Vietnam, speeding 100 feet off the ground, when the lead helicopter was shot down. As he circled back to search for its two-man crew, his own helicopter was shot down, and he was hit by ground fire.
Still, he found the downed crew and helped lead the wounded pilot, the pilot's crew chief and his own crew chief through withering fire to safety.
For his actions that day, Bloodworth was awarded the Silver Star, the military's third-highest decoration for valor. But he never received the medal. Until Thursday.
Surrounded by family — two sons, a daughter and their families — Bloodworth, now 75, finally got his Silver Star. It was pinned onto his blazer by Brig. Gen. Jeffrey Clark, commander of Walter Reed National Military Medical Center, during a brief ceremony at the Rockville office of Rep. Chris Van Hollen, a Maryland Democrat.
read more here
Saturday, December 28, 2013
Army Spc. Shannon Chihuahua's family will accept a Silver Star in his honor.
Fallen soldier to receive Silver Star
WALB ABC News
By Troy Washington
Posted: Dec 27, 2013
OCHLOCKNEE, GA
A South Georgia soldier killed in action will be awarded one of the nation's highest military honors.
Army specialist Shannon Chihuahua's family will accept a Silver Star in his honor.
It's been three years since Kristen Chihuahua lost her husband and their two daughters lost their dad. Now, he's being honored for his bravery and sacrifice.
Six year old Sophia Chihuahua may not fully understand the sacrifice that her father made for her country, but she does know that daddy was a hero.
"Sometimes when I get scared in the dark at night, alone with my sister and I can't sleep I just snuggle with my bear and I just fall asleep," said Sophia.
The bear that Sophia and her three year old sister Annabelle are holding so closely is made from pieces of their father's uniform. Shannon Chihuahua was an army medic, who died in Afghanistan in 2010 after his unit was attacked by insurgents. He was fatally wounded while trying to help a fellow soldier.
"He had no regard for what might happen to him he was just trying to get to the person that needed help," said Kristen Chihuahua.
It's that kind of courage that earned him two Purple Hearts, numerous other awards, and most recently a Silver Star, the second highest military honor.
"He truly deserves it, if any soldier deserves it would be him, for not thinking about himself or what may happen to him, but instead thinking that someone else needed him," said Kristen.
On February 7th the entire family will travel to Fort Campbell in Kentucky to receive the soldier's award.
read more here
WALB ABC News
By Troy Washington
Posted: Dec 27, 2013
A South Georgia soldier killed in action will be awarded one of the nation's highest military honors.
Army specialist Shannon Chihuahua's family will accept a Silver Star in his honor.
It's been three years since Kristen Chihuahua lost her husband and their two daughters lost their dad. Now, he's being honored for his bravery and sacrifice.
Six year old Sophia Chihuahua may not fully understand the sacrifice that her father made for her country, but she does know that daddy was a hero.
"Sometimes when I get scared in the dark at night, alone with my sister and I can't sleep I just snuggle with my bear and I just fall asleep," said Sophia.
The bear that Sophia and her three year old sister Annabelle are holding so closely is made from pieces of their father's uniform. Shannon Chihuahua was an army medic, who died in Afghanistan in 2010 after his unit was attacked by insurgents. He was fatally wounded while trying to help a fellow soldier.
"He had no regard for what might happen to him he was just trying to get to the person that needed help," said Kristen Chihuahua.
It's that kind of courage that earned him two Purple Hearts, numerous other awards, and most recently a Silver Star, the second highest military honor.
"He truly deserves it, if any soldier deserves it would be him, for not thinking about himself or what may happen to him, but instead thinking that someone else needed him," said Kristen.
On February 7th the entire family will travel to Fort Campbell in Kentucky to receive the soldier's award.
read more here
Friday, September 20, 2013
Two Vietnam veterans finally receive honors after 4 decades
Vietnam veterans honored with Silver, Bronze Stars 4 decades after battlefield actions
By Associated Press
September 20, 2013
SAN DIEGO — Two Vietnam veterans were awarded the Silver and Bronze Star medals Friday for their courage in a battle on a jungle hillside where more than 75 percent of the troops with them that day were killed or wounded.
Navy Secretary Ray Mabus said in his citation to the president that Joe Cordileone and Robert Moffatt showed extraordinary heroism during the first Battle of Khe Sanh in 1967. Marine Brig. Gen. James Bierman apologized to the veterans for the 46-year-wait, saying “I’m sorry that it took so long for these awards to work their way around to you.”
The men were never recognized until now because the commanders who make such recommendations were killed: Of the more than 100 American troops on the hill, 27 were killed and 50 were wounded.
The pursuit for medals for the men started with a retired Marine general listening to a group of veterans reminisce about April 30, 1967, when troops with Company M, 3rd Marine Battalion, 3rd Marine Division, advanced to secure Hill 881 South and were attacked by the North Vietnamese Army.
read more here
By Associated Press
September 20, 2013
SAN DIEGO — Two Vietnam veterans were awarded the Silver and Bronze Star medals Friday for their courage in a battle on a jungle hillside where more than 75 percent of the troops with them that day were killed or wounded.
Navy Secretary Ray Mabus said in his citation to the president that Joe Cordileone and Robert Moffatt showed extraordinary heroism during the first Battle of Khe Sanh in 1967. Marine Brig. Gen. James Bierman apologized to the veterans for the 46-year-wait, saying “I’m sorry that it took so long for these awards to work their way around to you.”
The men were never recognized until now because the commanders who make such recommendations were killed: Of the more than 100 American troops on the hill, 27 were killed and 50 were wounded.
The pursuit for medals for the men started with a retired Marine general listening to a group of veterans reminisce about April 30, 1967, when troops with Company M, 3rd Marine Battalion, 3rd Marine Division, advanced to secure Hill 881 South and were attacked by the North Vietnamese Army.
read more here
Tuesday, September 10, 2013
Marine with Silver Star stabbed in the neck for being a Marine
Marine who received Silver Star recovering after weekend stabbing
Marine Corps Times
By Hope Hodge Seck
Staff Writer
Sep. 9, 2013
A veteran Marine who received the Silver Star last year is in the hospital after being stabbed in the neck over the weekend. Now fellow Marines from his unit in Afghanistan are rallying to his side.
Philip McCulloch Jr., 25, received a serious knife wound from a stranger outside a waterfront bar in Galveston, Texas, at about 1 a.m. Saturday, according to police reports. He had medically retired from the Marines as a sergeant in April after being pinned with the military’s third-highest combat award in February 2012.
McCulloch’s mother, Theresa McCulloch, said her son had been out with friends and ended up at a bar where another patron, noticing his Marine tattoos, began insulting and harassing him. The bartender eventually threw the unruly patron out, she said, but he waited outside for McCulloch to emerge.
The two fought in the street, she said, and the other man stabbed McCulloch in the neck with a knife, slicing into his outer jugular. As he bled profusely, she said, he gave instructions to a friend on how to staunch the flow of blood with his fingers.
read more here
Marine Corps Times
By Hope Hodge Seck
Staff Writer
Sep. 9, 2013
A veteran Marine who received the Silver Star last year is in the hospital after being stabbed in the neck over the weekend. Now fellow Marines from his unit in Afghanistan are rallying to his side.
Philip McCulloch Jr., 25, received a serious knife wound from a stranger outside a waterfront bar in Galveston, Texas, at about 1 a.m. Saturday, according to police reports. He had medically retired from the Marines as a sergeant in April after being pinned with the military’s third-highest combat award in February 2012.
McCulloch’s mother, Theresa McCulloch, said her son had been out with friends and ended up at a bar where another patron, noticing his Marine tattoos, began insulting and harassing him. The bartender eventually threw the unruly patron out, she said, but he waited outside for McCulloch to emerge.
The two fought in the street, she said, and the other man stabbed McCulloch in the neck with a knife, slicing into his outer jugular. As he bled profusely, she said, he gave instructions to a friend on how to staunch the flow of blood with his fingers.
read more here
Saturday, August 31, 2013
Marine infantry squad leader earns Silver Star
Marine infantry squad leader earns Silver Star
Marine Corps Times
By Hope Hodge Seck
Staff writer
August 29, 2013
A rifleman from Camp Lejeune received the Silver Star on Aug. 28 for leading a successful night mission in 2012 that cleared more than 50 enemy compounds near an Afghan village without causing a single civilian casualty.
Sgt. Ryan Steinkamp, a squad leader with 1st Battalion, 8th Marines, was pinned with the military’s third-highest valor award for his decisive battlefield leadership during a lengthy and grueling combat engagement while attached to Regimental Team Combat 6 in Afghanistan.
On April 17, 2012, Steinkamp and his squad were inserted by helicopter near the village of Payawak in Afghanistan's Helmand province, close to Forward Operating Base Delaram for a night mission that would become a test of combat skills and endurance. Steinkamp led the squad across 800 meters of terrain laced with mines en route to clear Payawak of insurgents, according to his award citation.
When the squad arrived at its objective, they were beset by enemy ambushes from multiple positions.
read more here
Marine Corps Times
By Hope Hodge Seck
Staff writer
August 29, 2013
A rifleman from Camp Lejeune received the Silver Star on Aug. 28 for leading a successful night mission in 2012 that cleared more than 50 enemy compounds near an Afghan village without causing a single civilian casualty.
Second Marine Division Sgt. Maj. Bryan Zickefoose congratulates Sgt. Ryan Steinkamp on Aug. 28. The rifleman with 1st Battalion, 8th Marines, led his squad through a hostile village in Afghanistan in 2012 and cleared more than 50 compounds.
(Lance Cpl. Scott Whiting/Marine Corps)
Sgt. Ryan Steinkamp, a squad leader with 1st Battalion, 8th Marines, was pinned with the military’s third-highest valor award for his decisive battlefield leadership during a lengthy and grueling combat engagement while attached to Regimental Team Combat 6 in Afghanistan.
On April 17, 2012, Steinkamp and his squad were inserted by helicopter near the village of Payawak in Afghanistan's Helmand province, close to Forward Operating Base Delaram for a night mission that would become a test of combat skills and endurance. Steinkamp led the squad across 800 meters of terrain laced with mines en route to clear Payawak of insurgents, according to his award citation.
When the squad arrived at its objective, they were beset by enemy ambushes from multiple positions.
read more here
Sunday, August 4, 2013
Courage at Keating: Second MoH, 9 Silver Stars
Courage at Keating: Second MoH, 9 Silver Stars for standout B Troop
Army Times
By Michelle Tan
Staff writer
Aug. 4, 2013
The battle at Combat Outpost Keating remains one of the deadliest attacks on U.S. forces since the beginning of the war in Afghanistan — and it is the first battle to produce two Medal of Honor recipients since the Battle of Mogadishu almost 20 years ago.
On Oct. 3, 2009, a force of about 50 Americans faced down as many as 400 enemy fighters intent on overrunning COP Keating in eastern Afghanistan.
Outnumbered and outgunned, the soldiers fought for hours, successfully fending off the enemy attack. Eight soldiers were killed and about two dozen others were wounded.
In February, former Staff Sgt. Clinton L. Romesha received the nation’s highest award for valor for his actions throughout the 13-hour battle.
Romesha’s troop-mate, Staff Sgt. Ty M. Carter, will be awarded the Medal of Honor during a White House ceremony Aug. 26.
Carter, 33, will be the fifth living service member to receive the Medal of Honor for actions in Afghanistan or Iraq. Seven service members have posthumously been awarded the Medal of Honor for their actions in those wars.
read more here
Army Times
By Michelle Tan
Staff writer
Aug. 4, 2013
The battle at Combat Outpost Keating remains one of the deadliest attacks on U.S. forces since the beginning of the war in Afghanistan — and it is the first battle to produce two Medal of Honor recipients since the Battle of Mogadishu almost 20 years ago.
On Oct. 3, 2009, a force of about 50 Americans faced down as many as 400 enemy fighters intent on overrunning COP Keating in eastern Afghanistan.
Outnumbered and outgunned, the soldiers fought for hours, successfully fending off the enemy attack. Eight soldiers were killed and about two dozen others were wounded.
In February, former Staff Sgt. Clinton L. Romesha received the nation’s highest award for valor for his actions throughout the 13-hour battle.
Romesha’s troop-mate, Staff Sgt. Ty M. Carter, will be awarded the Medal of Honor during a White House ceremony Aug. 26.
Carter, 33, will be the fifth living service member to receive the Medal of Honor for actions in Afghanistan or Iraq. Seven service members have posthumously been awarded the Medal of Honor for their actions in those wars.
read more here
Friday, July 26, 2013
A Vietnam war-hero's perspective on P.T.S.D.
A war-hero's perspective on P.T.S.D.
WYMT
MGN Online
By: Eric Eckstrom
Jul 25, 2013
University of Pikeville Professor Basil Clark has been given many titles in his life. Scholar, war veteran, husband and father, but a man with P.T.S.D. was never one of them.
“At the time I just knew I was going through these wrestling phases,” said Clark.
By all accounts, Clark is a war hero, twice being recognized for his bravery during the Vietnam war, earning him a Bronze and Silver Star respectively, but the subsequent mental war was his greatest challenge.
“There's kind of this fog that’s around you, like, what's happening? I can’t see clearly,” he said.
Experts at the National Center for P.T.S.D. say they are currently making progress on diagnostic tools to better identify that fog.
Clark says, for him, it was writing and faith in a higher power that was his compass through the mist....
“Getting it out and getting it on paper was really a catharsis,” he said.
Clark is finishing a new book called 'War Wounded: Let the Healing Begin,’ stemming from conversations with others suffering from traumatic experiences. But it’s a poem Clark recited from memory that perhaps summarizes his journey and so many others like him.”
read more here
WYMT
MGN Online
By: Eric Eckstrom
Jul 25, 2013
University of Pikeville Professor Basil Clark has been given many titles in his life. Scholar, war veteran, husband and father, but a man with P.T.S.D. was never one of them.
“At the time I just knew I was going through these wrestling phases,” said Clark.
By all accounts, Clark is a war hero, twice being recognized for his bravery during the Vietnam war, earning him a Bronze and Silver Star respectively, but the subsequent mental war was his greatest challenge.
“There's kind of this fog that’s around you, like, what's happening? I can’t see clearly,” he said.
Experts at the National Center for P.T.S.D. say they are currently making progress on diagnostic tools to better identify that fog.
Clark says, for him, it was writing and faith in a higher power that was his compass through the mist....
“Getting it out and getting it on paper was really a catharsis,” he said.
Clark is finishing a new book called 'War Wounded: Let the Healing Begin,’ stemming from conversations with others suffering from traumatic experiences. But it’s a poem Clark recited from memory that perhaps summarizes his journey and so many others like him.”
read more here
Sunday, June 16, 2013
Vietnam Veteran Marine receives Silver Star
Former Marine earns Silver Star for Vietnam heroics
By Sgt. Raymond Lott
U. S. Marine Corps Forces Reserve
June 11, 2013
TUSCALOOSA, Ala.
What do you do when your platoon commander is killed?
One Marine knows the answer — take charge.
Sergeant Gary L. Hill, who completed his service in 1969, received the nation’s third-highest award for doing just that during a ceremony at the Tuscaloosa Veteran’s Affairs Medical Center here June 7, 2013.
Retired Gen. Charles C. Krulak, former Commandant of the Marine Corps, presented Hill with the Silver Star Medal for his leadership as a junior Marine during the Vietnam War.
“I only did what I had to do to stay alive, and that’s keep moving,” Hill said. “The Marine Corps raises everybody to be a leader if they need to be. If you’re the last man standing you’re the leader anyhow.”
read more here
By Sgt. Raymond Lott
U. S. Marine Corps Forces Reserve
June 11, 2013
TUSCALOOSA, Ala.
What do you do when your platoon commander is killed?
One Marine knows the answer — take charge.
Sergeant Gary L. Hill, who completed his service in 1969, received the nation’s third-highest award for doing just that during a ceremony at the Tuscaloosa Veteran’s Affairs Medical Center here June 7, 2013.
Retired Gen. Charles C. Krulak, former Commandant of the Marine Corps, presented Hill with the Silver Star Medal for his leadership as a junior Marine during the Vietnam War.
“I only did what I had to do to stay alive, and that’s keep moving,” Hill said. “The Marine Corps raises everybody to be a leader if they need to be. If you’re the last man standing you’re the leader anyhow.”
Hill was almost one of those Marines until one day at church when a family friend, Jeff Brown, heard Hill’s story. Brown knew he needed to be recognized. So Brown made contact with retired Vietnam veteran Maj. Gen John Admire to make sure Hill received due credit.
Admire has been working for 40 years to recognize his Marines who served during Vietnam and Hill was no exception. Admire worked tirelessly on substantiating records until Hill was approved for the Silver Star Medal for his actions while Hill served with 3rd Battalion, 3rd Marine Regiment.
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Friday, May 10, 2013
Silver Star Marine was not good enough for Delta
Wounded Silver Star Marine had unfortunate experience on domestic flight
MAY 9TH, 2013
Military Times Battle Rattle
A wounded warrior who was awarded the nation’s third highest honor for valor last week is the same injured Marine Delta Airlines issued a public apology to in December after staff members embarrassed him on a flight.
Cpl. Christian Brown, a former squad leader with 1st Battalion, 6th Marines, was awarded the Silver Star aboard Camp Lejeune, N.C., on Friday. He is credited with heroic actions during the unit’s 2011 deployment to Afghanistan.
Cpl. Christian Brown, a double amputee who sustained injuries in Afghanistan, was awarded the Silver Star on May 3 aboard Camp Lejeune, N.C., for heroic actions during a 2011 deployment. In December, Delta Airlines issued a public apology to the Marine after humiliating him during a flight.
On Dec. 7, Brown responded when a designated marksman was critically wounded in the head, calling in a medevac and leading his squad to where it was safe for the helicopter to land. Under heavy fire, he carried the wounded Marine on his back the final 300 meters to the landing zone, his citation states.
Brown said the morale of his young, inexperienced team members and the life of the wounded Marine, Lance Cpl. Christopher Levy, depended on him staying cool and thinking fast. Levy died of his wounds a few days later in Germany. But Brown’s actions allowed Levy’s parents to see him one last time.
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Marine double-amputee’s treatment on Delta flight angers other vets
MAY 9TH, 2013
Military Times Battle Rattle
A wounded warrior who was awarded the nation’s third highest honor for valor last week is the same injured Marine Delta Airlines issued a public apology to in December after staff members embarrassed him on a flight.
Cpl. Christian Brown, a former squad leader with 1st Battalion, 6th Marines, was awarded the Silver Star aboard Camp Lejeune, N.C., on Friday. He is credited with heroic actions during the unit’s 2011 deployment to Afghanistan.
Cpl. Christian Brown, a double amputee who sustained injuries in Afghanistan, was awarded the Silver Star on May 3 aboard Camp Lejeune, N.C., for heroic actions during a 2011 deployment. In December, Delta Airlines issued a public apology to the Marine after humiliating him during a flight.
On Dec. 7, Brown responded when a designated marksman was critically wounded in the head, calling in a medevac and leading his squad to where it was safe for the helicopter to land. Under heavy fire, he carried the wounded Marine on his back the final 300 meters to the landing zone, his citation states.
Brown said the morale of his young, inexperienced team members and the life of the wounded Marine, Lance Cpl. Christopher Levy, depended on him staying cool and thinking fast. Levy died of his wounds a few days later in Germany. But Brown’s actions allowed Levy’s parents to see him one last time.
read more here
Marine double-amputee’s treatment on Delta flight angers other vets
Monday, May 6, 2013
Petty Officer 1st Class Benny Flores remembers fallen during Silver Star ceremony
GuamGuam News
VIDEO:
Benny Flores- “I Really, Truly, Wish We Had All Come Back”
Guam- Naval Petty Officer 1st Class Benny Flores was awarded the Silver Star Medal for his heroic actions during his deployment to southwest Afghanistan last year. Despite being injured, Flores provided life saving medical care to wounded Marines and Afghan Uniform Police.
Surrounded by his family and colleagues, Flores was given the military's third highest award for valor at Camp Pendleton, California this past Saturday, May 4 (Guam time).
The seasoned Navy Corpsman, who is originally from Talofofo, received the Silver Star for medical support he provided during an enemy attack in Afghanistan that occurred on April 28, 2012. He served as a field service medical technician during combat operations.
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Benny Flores- “I Really, Truly, Wish We Had All Come Back”
Guam- Naval Petty Officer 1st Class Benny Flores was awarded the Silver Star Medal for his heroic actions during his deployment to southwest Afghanistan last year. Despite being injured, Flores provided life saving medical care to wounded Marines and Afghan Uniform Police.
Surrounded by his family and colleagues, Flores was given the military's third highest award for valor at Camp Pendleton, California this past Saturday, May 4 (Guam time).
The seasoned Navy Corpsman, who is originally from Talofofo, received the Silver Star for medical support he provided during an enemy attack in Afghanistan that occurred on April 28, 2012. He served as a field service medical technician during combat operations.
read more here
Wednesday, May 1, 2013
Pendleton sailor to be awarded Silver Star
Pendleton sailor to be awarded Silver Star
I Marine Expeditionary Force
MARINE CORPS BASE CAMP PENDLETON, Calif. - Petty Officer 1st Class Benny Flores will be awarded the Silver Star Medal Friday, for his actions while deployed to southwest Afghanistan last year.
Flores provided lifesaving medical care to Marines and Afghan Uniform Police during an enemy attack, despite his own serious injuries, while serving as a field service medical technician during combat operations in Nimruz province's Zaranj district during a partnered convoy, April 28, 2012.
read more here
I Marine Expeditionary Force
MARINE CORPS BASE CAMP PENDLETON, Calif. - Petty Officer 1st Class Benny Flores will be awarded the Silver Star Medal Friday, for his actions while deployed to southwest Afghanistan last year.
Flores provided lifesaving medical care to Marines and Afghan Uniform Police during an enemy attack, despite his own serious injuries, while serving as a field service medical technician during combat operations in Nimruz province's Zaranj district during a partnered convoy, April 28, 2012.
read more here
Tuesday, April 23, 2013
Marine's experience can inspire Boston runners
The Unknown Soldiers: Marine's experience can inspire Boston runners
Jackson Sun News
Written by Tome Sileo
Apr 19, 2013
After Cpl. Jake Hill stepped on an improvised explosive device during a chaotic battle in Afghanistan’s Helmand Province, the young Marine radioed his squad leader.
“This is Hill,” he said. “I just stepped on an IED, but I’m fine.”
“What I saw was a really badly broken left ankle,” Cpl. Hill told The Unknown Soldiers. “I was like ‘OK, this is fine, people break their ankles all the time.’”
Hill was later shocked when a doctor presented him with two difficult choices: replace his shattered foot with a cadaver bone or amputate his left leg just above the knee.
Jackson Sun News
Written by Tome Sileo
Apr 19, 2013
After Cpl. Jake Hill stepped on an improvised explosive device during a chaotic battle in Afghanistan’s Helmand Province, the young Marine radioed his squad leader.
“This is Hill,” he said. “I just stepped on an IED, but I’m fine.”
U.S. Marine Cpl. Jake Hill's left leg was amputated just above the knee after he stepped on an improvised explosive device in Afghanistan on Sept. 16, 2010. He has since run the Marine Corps Marathon and been awarded the Silver Star for bravery in combat. Image courtesy of the website Ossur.Through a dizzying haze of dust, smoke and ongoing gunfire, the Rapid City, S.D., native looked down at his feet.
“What I saw was a really badly broken left ankle,” Cpl. Hill told The Unknown Soldiers. “I was like ‘OK, this is fine, people break their ankles all the time.’”
Hill was later shocked when a doctor presented him with two difficult choices: replace his shattered foot with a cadaver bone or amputate his left leg just above the knee.
As soon as members of his patrol were hit, Hill, who was serving with Company L of the 3rd Battalion, 7th Marine Regiment, took it upon himself to tend to the wounded.
“With one of his team members injured by a rocket-propelled grenade, (Hill) exposed himself to enemy fire a second time and ran to aid his Marine brother,” a Marine Corps citation said. “He applied first-aid and led the rest of his team through 200 meters of fire-swept terrain to extract the casualty.”
Like so many combat veterans I’ve spoken with, Hill skipped over his gallantry during our interview. He is too humble to take credit for his courageous, life-saving actions.
“Three or four days after my injury, my platoon commander told me that he was going to be putting me up for an award,” Hill, now 22, said. “I said ‘no, I don’t want it.’”
read more here
Sunday, April 7, 2013
Silver Star TBI wounded 101st Airborne soldier re-ups
Soldier recovering from TBI gets Silver Star then re-enlists
By KRISTIN M. HALL
The Associated Press
Published: April 6, 2013
FORT CAMPBELL, Ky. -- A Fort Campbell soldier who suffered a traumatic brain injury received the Silver Star on Friday for his actions to help evacuate wounded troops during a mission in Afghanistan in 2010.
After receiving the honor during a ceremony at the Tennessee-Kentucky state line, Sgt. 1st Class Matthew Loheide (LOH'-hyd) of Patchogue, N.Y., immediately re-enlisted in the Army to serve other wounded warriors like him.
Several of Loheide's former teammates returned to Fort Campbell to see him accept the military's third-highest medal for valor, which he said was earned by everyone in his unit. "I am humbled to be honored with it, but I think overall it is a team event," he said.
In June 2010, he was attached to the 2nd Battalion, 327th Infantry Regiment, 1st Brigade Combat Team under the 101st Airborne Division. The mission, called Operation Strong Eagle I, was to clear the Ghaki Valley in Kunar Province in eastern Afghanistan of entrenched insurgents, said his former platoon leader, Capt. Douglas Jones.
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By KRISTIN M. HALL
The Associated Press
Published: April 6, 2013
FORT CAMPBELL, Ky. -- A Fort Campbell soldier who suffered a traumatic brain injury received the Silver Star on Friday for his actions to help evacuate wounded troops during a mission in Afghanistan in 2010.
After receiving the honor during a ceremony at the Tennessee-Kentucky state line, Sgt. 1st Class Matthew Loheide (LOH'-hyd) of Patchogue, N.Y., immediately re-enlisted in the Army to serve other wounded warriors like him.
Several of Loheide's former teammates returned to Fort Campbell to see him accept the military's third-highest medal for valor, which he said was earned by everyone in his unit. "I am humbled to be honored with it, but I think overall it is a team event," he said.
In June 2010, he was attached to the 2nd Battalion, 327th Infantry Regiment, 1st Brigade Combat Team under the 101st Airborne Division. The mission, called Operation Strong Eagle I, was to clear the Ghaki Valley in Kunar Province in eastern Afghanistan of entrenched insurgents, said his former platoon leader, Capt. Douglas Jones.
read more here
Sunday, March 17, 2013
Iowa man claimed to be war hero
Iowa man claimed to be war hero
Omaha.com
MARCH 16, 2013
DES MOINES (AP) — An Altoona, Iowa, man was sentenced to more than a year in prison for lying about his Army record so he could qualify for Veterans Affairs medical benefits.
Federal prosecutors said in documents filed as part of a sentencing hearing Thursday that Jeffrey Kepler, 53, of Altoona pleaded guilty in September to health care fraud.
Prosecutors said Kepler had submitted a falsified discharge form to the Veterans Affairs medical center in Des Moines in August 2007.
Court documents said Kepler portrayed himself on the form as an airborne ranger and a war hero who had been awarded numerous medals, including the Silver Star, the Bronze Star and Purple Heart. He claimed to have served in the Army between January 1977 and August 1979.
He said on the form that he had served as a covert operations specialist, and information about his military service could not be disclosed for security reasons.
Prosecutors said Kepler actually served only 27 days in the Army in 1986 and was discharged for not meeting medical fitness standards.
read more here
Omaha.com
MARCH 16, 2013
DES MOINES (AP) — An Altoona, Iowa, man was sentenced to more than a year in prison for lying about his Army record so he could qualify for Veterans Affairs medical benefits.
Federal prosecutors said in documents filed as part of a sentencing hearing Thursday that Jeffrey Kepler, 53, of Altoona pleaded guilty in September to health care fraud.
Prosecutors said Kepler had submitted a falsified discharge form to the Veterans Affairs medical center in Des Moines in August 2007.
Court documents said Kepler portrayed himself on the form as an airborne ranger and a war hero who had been awarded numerous medals, including the Silver Star, the Bronze Star and Purple Heart. He claimed to have served in the Army between January 1977 and August 1979.
He said on the form that he had served as a covert operations specialist, and information about his military service could not be disclosed for security reasons.
Prosecutors said Kepler actually served only 27 days in the Army in 1986 and was discharged for not meeting medical fitness standards.
read more here
Tuesday, March 12, 2013
Sgt. Wade D. “Willy” Wilson's family to receive his Silver Star
Family to receive Silver Star for fallen Marine
Marine Corps Times
By Gidget Fuentes
Staff report
Posted : Monday Mar 11, 2013
OCEANSIDE, Calif. — The Marine Corps will award the Silver Star this week to a platoon sergeant who was fatally wounded as he returned fire on an insurgent attacking Marines in an ambush last year in Afghanistan.
The family of Sgt. Wade D. “Willy” Wilson will receive the posthumous award, the nation’s third-highest medal for combat valor, during a Thursday ceremony at the 5th Marines Regiment parade deck at Camp Pendleton, Calif., 1st Marine Division officials announced Monday. Maj. Gen. Ronald L. Bailey, the division commander, will present the Silver Star to his mother and family.
Wilson, a 22-year-old assigned to 3rd Platoon, Weapons Company, 2nd Battalion, 5th Marines, was pulling security for a vehicle crippled by an improvised explosive device in Musa Qala, Helmand province, on May 11, 2012.
read more here
Marine Corps Times
By Gidget Fuentes
Staff report
Posted : Monday Mar 11, 2013
OCEANSIDE, Calif. — The Marine Corps will award the Silver Star this week to a platoon sergeant who was fatally wounded as he returned fire on an insurgent attacking Marines in an ambush last year in Afghanistan.
The family of Sgt. Wade D. “Willy” Wilson will receive the posthumous award, the nation’s third-highest medal for combat valor, during a Thursday ceremony at the 5th Marines Regiment parade deck at Camp Pendleton, Calif., 1st Marine Division officials announced Monday. Maj. Gen. Ronald L. Bailey, the division commander, will present the Silver Star to his mother and family.
Wilson, a 22-year-old assigned to 3rd Platoon, Weapons Company, 2nd Battalion, 5th Marines, was pulling security for a vehicle crippled by an improvised explosive device in Musa Qala, Helmand province, on May 11, 2012.
read more here
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