Discharged Navy Sailor Worked as Career Counselor While Running Prostitution Ring
Stars and Stripes
By Rose L. Thayer
2 Jan 2019
As a Navy counselor, Joseph Fetterman was tasked with mentoring young enlisted sailors at Tinker Air Force Base near Oklahoma City. At the same time, Fetterman was enhancing his military pay with cash flow from a prostitution ring that he and his wife operated -- using women flown in from Thailand. (Oklahoma County Sheriff's Office photo)
As a Navy counselor, Joseph Fetterman was tasked with mentoring young enlisted sailors at Tinker Air Force Base near Oklahoma City. For at least four years, the petty officer 1st class spent his days at the base helping sailors map out their career paths, plan for retirement and weigh their options for rate changes.
But during at least his final year in that job, Fetterman, 35, was enhancing his military pay with cash flow from a prostitution ring that he and his wife, Kanyarat, operated using women flown to America from Thailand, according to documents released by the Oklahoma County District Attorney's Office.
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Department of Defense Suicide Report 3rd Quarter 2018
Really not much more I can say that is more powerful than the report itself~
For the 3rd Quarter of 2018
74 in the Active Component
18 in the Reserves
34 in the National Guard
Sadly on track to average 500 for the year again~
So, how is that "suicide awareness" benefitting anyone other than the people getting publicity and bigger bank accounts?
UPDATE iCasualties.com
These are the combat deaths from 2012 to 2018
Afghanistan 557
Iraq 73
Navy veteran with throat cancer continues uphill fight with VA for disability benefits
By: WSOCTV.com
Updated: Jan 5, 2019
CHARLOTTE, N.C. - Charlotte veteran Dan Parks has been fighting with the Department of Veterans Affairs for five years to get disability benefits.
"This has been an uphill battle all the way,” Parks said.
Parks showed WSOC-TV paperwork from multiple doctors who determined his throat cancer was caused by exposure to ionizing radiation during his service in the Navy.
He took care of guns and ammunition in the early 1970s, including in an area that housed nuclear torpedo heads.
Now, because of the cancer, his larynx and thyroid were removed.
Twenty-four years after his diagnosis, he still has side effects and takes 18 pills a day, and the VA denies his disability benefits.
"If the VA won’t respect their own doctors' decisions, who does a guy turn to?" Parks asked.
Parks has been in the appeals process, but just in the past month, he received a letter from the VA that states it couldn't find his transcript and he has to start over in his request for disability benefits.
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Special Breed: Handling a Military Working Dog
Department of Defense
DEC. 31, 2018
Over a five-year period, Navy Chief Petty Officer Lucky Jackson, a military working dog, and his handler, Navy Petty Officer 1st Class Jaime Perez, a master at arms, have forged a bond that ensures the Navy is getting the maximum capability out of its military working dog force.
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OMG! The Navy does not know about the data that is available on suicides?
"The Navy isn’t sure why more sailors are taking their own lives. In terms of a longer-term trend, because the publicly available data only goes back to 2012, it’s not clear how the recent rates and the 2015-2017 spike fit into larger historical trends."
Well, here are the links to all the data they need to review!
2008
2009
2010 has extensive research on this one, including attempted suicides.
2011
These are the reports from 2012 to June of 2018
Navy Sees Sudden Rise in Suicide Rate Since 2015; Unclear on Causes
USNI News
By: Ben Werner
December 11, 2018
THE PENTAGON – Over the past two years, the number of active duty sailors who committed suicide grew rapidly at a time the overall number of active duty service members taking their lives increased more modestly, according to data from the Department of Defense obtained by USNI News.
The sudden death of U.S. 5th Fleet Commander Vice Adm. Scott Stearney in what is an apparent suicide is part of a troubling trend for the service. During 2017 and the first half of this year, the Navy reported an increase in the number of sailors taking their own lives, and service officials haven’t been able to pin down a cause for the increase.
Between 2012 – when the DoD’s Defense Suicide Prevention Office started publishing suicide data – and 2016, the Navy’s suicide rates tracked below the DoD average rate and generally mirrored DoD’s year-to-year ups and downs. In 2017, though, the Navy saw 66 active duty sailors – a 53 percent spike compared to the year before – commit suicide, according to statistics collected by the Defense Suicide Prevention Office. During the first half of 2018, 36 active-duty sailors committed suicides, according to the most recent numbers provided to USNI News. The six-month total suggests the Navy is on track to finish 2018 with a number of suicides similar to 2017’s six-year high.
When compared to other services, the Navy’s 2017 active duty suicide rate of 21.4 per 100,000 sailors was in line with the suicide rates experienced by the other military branches (Army 24.9, Air Force 20.3, Marine Corps 24), according to USNI News calculations using the DoD suicide rate calculation formula. Nationally, the 2017 suicide rate was 14 per 100,000 U.S. residents, according to the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention calculation.
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Navy Vietnam veterans feeling betrayed march on VA
WFLA 8 News
Steven Andrews
December 8, 2018
"We took water and distilled it, and actually bathed in it, ate food cooked in it and drank it," Mike explained. Mike served on the U.S.S. Buchanan, a destroyer that according to deck logs, anchored in Da Nang Harbor when the military sprayed Agent Orange.
WASHINGTON (WFLA) - Navy Vietnam Veterans marched from a Washington, D.C. federal courthouse to the steps of VA headquarters with a message: They were poisoned at sea.
New Port Richey veteran Mike Kvintus was among them.
"All of us veterans have taken an oath to defend the Constitution of the United States and with that oath, we expect the country to take care of us," the Navy veteran said.
Instead, with a stroke of a pen, the VA abandoned 90,000 Navy Vietnam veterans who did not step foot on Vietnam soil.
The VA contends unlike troops that served on the ground, these Blue Water Navy veterans were not exposed to Agent Orange.
"It's a national disgrace as far as I'm concerned," Mike added.
The military sprayed 20 million gallons of the toxic herbicide Agent Orange on Vietnam.
It ran into rivers and streams. It contaminated harbors and bays.
Ships like the American Victory, which served in Vietnam, turned contaminated sea water into fresh water. The distillation process only enhanced the chemicals, unknowingly poisoning crew members.
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update
Vice Adm. Scott Stearney, who oversaw U.S. naval forces in the Middle East, was found dead Saturday in his residence in Bahrain, officials said. Defense officials told CBS News they are calling it an "apparent suicide." CBS News
Navy admiral Scott Stearney found dead in Bahrain, no foul play suspected
NBC News
By Courtney Kube and Phil Helsel
Dec. 1, 2018
Vice Adm. Scott Stearney, commander of U.S. Naval Forces Central Command, U.S. 5th Fleet and Combined Maritime Forces, speaks on the 1MC shipboard intercom to welcome the crew of the guided-missile destroyer USS Jason Dunham to Manama, Bahrain, on Oct. 24, 2018.Petty Officer 3rd Class Jonathan / USS Jason Dunham (DDG109)
The Navy admiral in charge of the military branch’s operations in the Middle East was found dead in Bahrain on Saturday, the Navy said.
Vice Admiral Scott Stearney was found dead in his residence in Bahrain Saturday and no foul play is suspected, Chief of Naval Operations Admiral John Richardson said in a statement. The Naval Criminal Investigative Service and the Bahraini Ministry of Interior are cooperating on the investigation.
Stearney took over as commander of U.S. Naval Forces Central Command and the Combined Maritime Forces in May, where he commanded more than 20,000 U.S. and coalition sailors, Marines, Coastguardsmen, and civilians. Stearney served 36 years in the Navy.
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Body found on Fort Hood identified
KWTX News
FORT HOOD, Texas - Fort Hood Directorate of Emergency Services personnel discovered a body in the vicinity of Belton Lake and Outdoor Recreation Area last Tuesday.
The man has been identified as Retired Navy Seaman Craig Nobel.
Nobel was registered at the BLORA Deer Park RV Lot and was reported missing by a family member. Law enforcement officials later found Nobel’s remains in a wooded area near the park.
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Man loses suit against Tampa police after being shot in face during attempted suicide call
Tampa Bay Times
Anastasia Dawson
Times Staff
November 24, 2018
A Tampa real estate agent’s four-year legal battle against the city of Tampa and its police department came to an end last week, when a jury sided with the officer who shot him twice in the face during a call meant to prevent his suicide.
Jason and Amanda Turk pose with their three daughters (from left) Emily, 12, with daughters Emily, 12, Anabel, 3, and Adeline, 5. [Courtesy of Jason Turk]
The federal lawsuit Jason Turk filed in August 2014 claimed that the city and then-Chief Jane Castor failed to provide the necessary de-escalation and crisis intervention training required for officers to successfully answer calls for help involving the mentally ill.
“I want the Tampa Police Department to take crisis intervention training more seriously and implement it into their training the way the (Hillsborough Sheriff’s Office) and countless police departments across the country do," Turk, 42, told the Tampa Bay Times. "It is an important component of policing because most calls into police involve some sort of mental health crisis. Not every call is about chasing down a bad guy."
One call for help came from Turk's wife, Amanda, in the early morning of Jan. 9, 2014. Turk, an 11-year Navy veteran, had become estranged from his wife and was suffering from severe depression. He was drinking heavily that night when he recorded himself reading aloud from a suicide note and sent the video to his wife, who then called 911.
She told the operator her husband was threatening to kill himself, and added a crucial detail: “He knows if cops come and he won’t put down the gun that they’ll shoot him,” she can be heard telling the operator in a recording of the 911 call. The police classified the call a “suicide by cop.”
It still haunts her, she said.
Turk admits he had a pistol in his lap when K-9 Officer Timothy Bergman spotted him sitting in his car as it idled in the driveway of the Tampa Heights home where Turk moved during a trial separation from his wife. But Turk insists the only person ever threatened by the weapon was himself.
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North Carolina Navy veteran Taveta Hobbs remains missing a decade after her Thanksgiving week disappearance
NBC News
Juliet Muir
November 23, 2018
Growing up, Taveta Hobbs and her younger brother Clinton Crier were very close, Clinton told Dateline.
“She was a sweetheart,” Clinton told Dateline. “We had a huge love for each other because I was her younger brother, and she really looked after me.”
As she grew older, Taveta showed an interest in serving in the United States Armed Forces and joined the Navy in 1982.
“She was moving around a lot then, so we became less close,” Clinton said about their relationship. He told Dateline the two would still speak on the phone whenever possible.
In 1992, Taveta married Phil Hobbs. The couple lived in Virginia before moving to California, and then ending up in Raleigh, North Carolina in 2004, Clinton told Dateline.
No longer in the Navy, Taveta took a job with Salesforce about 20 minutes away in Carey, while she studied to be a certified stenographer.
Clinton, who lives in California, told Dateline that at a 2007 family gathering, he and Taveta had an argument. “It was a stupid argument that blew up. And some other frustrations boiled over,” he told Dateline.
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Court allows class-action suit against Navy over ‘bad paper’ discharges
Military Times
Leo Shane III
November 16, 2018
WASHINGTON — Veterans forced from the Navy and Marine Corps for what they say were undiagnosed mental health problems will be able move ahead with a class-action lawsuit against the military asking for denied benefits, a federal court ruled Thursday.
Marines assigned the 6th Marine Regiment, 26th Marine Expeditionary Unit move uphill during training operations in Jordan on April 24, 2018. A new court ruling will allow "bad paper" veterans to bring a class-action lawsuit against the Navy for what they claim were unlawful dismissals from the ranks. (Cpl. Austin Livingston/Marine Corps)
The move could affect thousands of so-called “bad paper” veterans who allege Defense Department officials unjustly ended their careers rather than deal with their military-related injuries.
“This decision is a victory for the tens of thousands of military veterans suffering from service-connected PTSD and TBI who are denied the support of VA resources because of an unfair discharge status,” Tyson Manker, an Iraq War veteran and plaintiff in the case, said in a statement Friday.
He called the court’s favorable ruling “further evidence of the Department of Defense’s disgraceful violation of the legal rights of the men and women who have served their country.”
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New memorial pays tribute to fallen Navy SEALs
KDVR News
Dan Daru
November 12, 2018
Now, they are all honored by a monument. An understated, but powerful reminder of what was lost, and what was gained, "When we lost Danny, I lost Cindy through divorce and I lost my house, I lost my dog, I had to go bankrupt. I lost everything, but I gained everything in friends and family," said Danny Dietz Sr., Danny’s father.
It was called operation Red Wings. It was a dangerous and daring counter-insurgent mission in the volatile Kunar province, Afghanistan.
Three Navy SEALs were killed during the initial operation, including Littleton native Danny Dietz. It was June 28, 2005.
Today, under cold and sunny skies, friends, family, politicians and just every day people stood in the snow at Berry Park for a very special day.
In addition to the three navy SEALs killed that day, 16 other special ops soldiers were also killed providing support and attempting a rescue. All totaled, 19 brave men were lost that day.
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Navy heroes reunited with family they rescued at sea 37 years ago
K5 NBC News
Author: Jake Whittenberg
November 12, 2018
A Kent family spent a decade looking for the sailors that rescued them at sea more than 30 years ago. They were surprised to find their heroes living in the same state.
It's not every day you get to say thank you to someone for saving your life. But at a small Vietnamese restaurant in Vancouver, Washington, the day has finally come.
Anne and Elaine Huynh, along with their parents Kay and Hoa, spent the past decade searching for any of the Navy sailors that helped rescue them in the South China Sea decades ago.
"America is our heaven on earth. It's as close as it gets," said Anne. "They gave us a chance to live heaven on earth and we just want to tell them that."
On October 11, 1981, Dale Joliffe, freshly enlisted in the Navy, was the lone lookout about the U.S.S. Ingersoll. Just before dawn, Joliffe remembers seeing something off in the distance.
It was the Huynh family, along with 40 others, packed into a small boat adrift at sea. The group was fleeing the communist government of Vietnam years after the fall of Saigon. Rations on board the ship were running low.
"My father said, 'By the grace of God, we're going to do this. If we live we live, if we perish we perish together,'" said Anne. "There were so many ships that actually passed us. Six to be exact."
Then, when it appeared all hope was lost, the U.S.S. Ingersoll came near.
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Navy, Marine Corps veterans among victims killed in California bar attack
By THE WASHINGTON POST AND ASSOCIATED PRESS
Published: November 8, 2018
Dan Manrique, 33, volunteered for the Marine Corps and deployed to Afghanistan as a radio operator in 2007. He served for six years, then returned to Southern California. He was one of the 12 victims of Wednesday's shooting in Thousand Oaks, Calif. VIA TWITTER
THOUSAND OAKS, Calif. — One was a veteran police officer who didn't hesitate to run toward danger. Another was an art student who worked with children at her church. Others were a Navy veteran, an a cappella singer who worked as a caregiver, and a security guard with a "big personality" who was known for making sure everyone got home safely.
They were among a dozen people killed in a shooting at a country music bar in Southern California. Authorities believe the gunman , Ian David Long, ultimately killed himself.
The victims' stories began to emerge Thursday. It was going to be a "very difficult day for many people," said Andrew Fox, mayor of Thousand Oaks, California, where the attack happened Wednesday night.
DAN MANRIQUE: A 'REALLY STRONG, SELFLESS LEADER'
It wasn't easy for Dan Manrique, 33, after he left the Marine Corps. As he resumed life in California, Manrique was drawn to Team Red, White and Blue, a group that helps veterans adjust. First, he was a volunteer, and then, just weeks ago, he became a full-time program manager.
TELEMACHUS ORFANOS: NAVY VETERAN NICKNAMED 'TEL'
Telemachus Orfanos, 27, was a U.S. Navy veteran with a thick beard, an easy smile and a gladiator helmet tattoo. His friends called him "Tel."
Orfanos had survived last year's massacre at the Route 91 Harvest Festival in Las Vegas, only to die inside Borderline, less than 10 minutes from his home in suburban Los Angeles.
CODY COFFMAN: 'THE BIG BROTHER THAT MY KIDS NEED'
Cody Coffman, who had just turned 22, was talking with Army recruiters and preparing to fulfill his dream of serving his country, said his father, Jason Coffman, who wept as he told a group of reporters that his first-born son was among the victims.
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USS Cole victims opposed at Supreme Court by unlikely partners: Sudan and US
The Washington Post
By ROBERT BARNES
Published: November 4, 2018
"It is mind-boggling that the government has decided in this case to side with a state sponsor of terrorism and against men and women who are seeking to recover for grievous injuries suffered in the service of our country," Shanmugam wrote in a brief to the court.
Sailors aboard the USS Ross frame President Bill Clinton and others during a USS Cole memorial service in Richmond in October 2000. ROBERT A. REEDER/WASHINGTON POST PHOTO
The road to recovery has been a long one for David Morales, who was injured during the al-Qaida attack on the USS Cole 18 years ago last month. And he knew it would be difficult to collect the nearly $315 million that he and others wounded in the attack were awarded in their suit against the Republic of Sudan.
But he didn't expect the case to go all the way to the Supreme Court, and he certainly didn't think he would see the Trump administration aligned with Sudan on the other side of the legal battle.
"I thought the United States would be on the side of its veterans," Morales said in a recent interview. "It was very surprising, especially with Mr. Trump in office. It seems like he is in support of veterans. It kind of hurts."
Years of litigation and millions of dollars in awards are on the line this week as the Supreme Court addresses a seemingly mundane question: whether notices of the lawsuits against Sudan were sent to the wrong address eight years ago.
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Bay Area veteran, shelter pup with anxiety find support in one another
FOX 13
Jen Epstein
November 2, 2018
TAMPA (FOX 13) - Mark and Molly have a very special bond. Their friendship goes far beyond the typical human-pet relationship.
"We pretty much do everything together. You talk about the old adage of boy meets dog; you're looking at it," said veteran Mark Starr.
Molly provides Mark with the emotional support he needs to get through each day. Mark is a Navy and Air Force veteran who suffers from post traumatic stress disorder, and Molly is the one thing that keeps his anxiety and depression at bay.
"If I'm having difficulty or having a hard day, she's right on me. She wants to play and she gets me out of bed," said Mark.
Mark and Molly's friendship is give and take. Before he adopted her a year ago, Molly was a stray found walking the streets after Hurricane Irma.
"She has anxiety. She's definitely scared of thunderstorms. So, we have to work together when we have bad days," said Mark. "I play a little classical music for her, and I get down on the ground and hug her until until the storm goes."
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Navy sailor in San Diego shot by driver he stopped to help
WTKR 3 News
NICK BOYKIN
OCTOBER 27, 2018
The victim was identified as 21-year-old Curtis Adams of San Diego. Adams was on active duty with the Navy at the time of his murder, said Lt. Dupree.
SAN DIEGO — An active-duty Navy service member was killed after pulling over to help what he thought was a stranded motorist early Saturday, said police, according to FOX 5 in San Diego.
The San Diego Police Department received a call around 2:20 a.m. about a shooting that occurred at southbound Interstate 15 at the northbound Interstate 5 ramp. The caller stated her boyfriend was shot, said San Diego Police Lt. Anthony Dupree.
Investigators learned the victim and his girlfriend pulled over to help what they thought was a stranded motorist. When the victim got out of the car, he was shot immediately.
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Ex-Nassau County firefighter wanted for DUI in wife's death found dead
News4Jax
By Ashley Spicer - Reporter, anchor
October 23, 2018
CALLAHAN, Fla. - A 48-year-old Navy veteran and retired Nassau County Fire-Rescue lieutenant wanted on a DUI manslaughter warrant connected to the death of his wife was found dead Tuesday afternoon, the Nassau County Sheriff's Office said.
The Florida Highway Patrol issued an arrest warrant last week for Curtis Bollinger, and he retired from the Nassau County Fire Department two days later. The Nassau County Sheriff's Office hadn't been able to locate him but got a call that his car had been seen at a cemetery at Live Oak Baptist Church in Callahan.
When deputies responded about 12:30 p.m. Tuesday, they found Bollinger dead inside the car from an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound.
Bollinger and his wife, 29-year-old Shannon Bollinger, were in a motorcycle crash at 1 a.m. April 15 on State Road 200 in Callahan. Curtis Bollinger drove into the median and his Harley Davidson overturned. Both were thrown from the bike. Shannon Bollinger landed in the roadway and was killed when she was hit by another car.
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Left in cold by VA medical center, homeless veteran finds kindness in strangers
Boston Globe
Brian MacQuarrie
Globe Staff
October 22, 2018
VA officials said they have no record of an encounter that night between Franks and VA security officers. Under the Bedford VA’s policy, any veteran who turns up homeless can be sheltered in the urgent-care area if no other beds are available, agency officials said.
CRAIG F. WALKER/GLOBE STAFF
Navy veteran Norman Franks spent four months in a cramped tent in a campsite on the grounds of Hanscom Air Force Base. (Craig F. Walker/Globe Staff)
BEDFORD — At 2 a.m. on a chilly May morning, Norman Franks sat slumped in a chair in a TV lounge at the Department of Veterans Affairs medical center, fighting for snatches of sleep under the glare of ceiling lights, he said.
A Navy veteran of the late 1970s, Franks had led a troubled life. His addiction to crack cocaine led to a long series of armed robberies, which led to 15 years in prison. Now, he found himself homeless.
Franks wanted a clean start, but first he needed a place to live. With no good options, he made his way to the Bedford veterans complex, an outpost of a sprawling federal agency that takes its motto from Abraham Lincoln’s promise “to care for him who shall have borne the battle.”
Instead, he spent the night in the woods, shivering under a tarp. He stayed there for four of the next five nights, then spent the next four months in a cramped tent in a campsite on the grounds of Hanscom Air Force Base.
As the weeks passed, Franks fell deeper into despair. But slowly, unexpectedly, he was reclaiming some of his life, thanks to a devoted group of strangers — members of an American Legion post, volunteers from a Catholic parish, even from a congressman’s staff — who felt obliged to aid a veteran in need.
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Actors and athletes have agents to help them find work. Now vets with PTSD can too.
Staff Sgt. Robert Simonovich takes cover during a combined mission with the Iraqi army in Lutafiyah, Iraq, on April 16, 2007. Simonovich was wounded days after this photo was taken, and later spent years in therapy dealing with post-traumatic stress from the injury. (Staff Sgt. Martin Newton/Army)
WASHINGTON — After Bob Simonovich’s post-traumatic stress disorder left him anxious around large groups, loud noises and unpredictable environments, he was unsure what type of career he’d be able to handle in his post-military life.So his therapists lined up a job for him with a baseball team.“I loved baseball my whole life,” said Simonovich, a former Army staff sergeant injured in a bomb blast in Iraq 11 years ago. “But when I got back, I didn’t know if I’d ever be able to go to a game again. The crowds, the fireworks, it’s just something I didn’t think I’d be able to do. read more here
Navy veteran, father of 3 killed in Norfolk shooting
NORFOLK, Va. (WVEC) — The Norfolk Police Department said Ernesto Crespo, a father of three children and a Navy veteran, was killed in a shooting Friday on West Ocean Avenue.Crespo's coworker and friend Ernie Santini said Crespo was with his children when he was shot. Norfolk Police tracked a suspect's car to a house 5 minutes away from the shooting. After a prolonged standoff, police officers found another man, Robert Dabney, dead inside that home. read more here
Many Families Will Never Return to Tyndall After Hurricane, Officials Say
The same cannot be said for base housing. Thomas said all 867 homes sustained damage, most of them with roofs torn off...Beginning Wednesday, and continuing through Oct. 21, Tyndall families who evacuated before Hurricane Michael came ashore as a Category 4 storm will be allowed back onto the base to survey the damage to their homes and take away valuables, the officials said. read more here
Pair of Navy Helicopters Collide on Runway in Japan
The mishap was labeled Class A, which means it resulted in at least $2 million or more in damages.
"There is an investigation ongoing, which will reveal the extent of the damage and what the crews were doing on the ramp," said Cmdr. Ron Flanders, a spokesman for Naval Air Forces. read more here
Three Troops Wounded in Suicide Bombing at Bagram Airfield
The bomber attacked a patrol, a U.S. military spokesman with Resolute Support in Kabul said. The nationality of the three wounded service members was not provided. The Taliban in a statement claimed responsibility for the attack. read more here
Vets group calls on DOD, VA to help stop fake news targeting veterans, troops
WASHINGTON – One year ago, Vietnam Veterans of America discovered a Facebook page was using its name to spread disinformation to nearly 200,000 followers. Facebook disabled the site at VVA’s request, citing violations to intellectual property.The incident sparked an effort at VVA, a congressionally chartered veterans service organization, to find more social media pages that target veterans and servicemembers with sensationalized news and hyper-partisan political content. read more here