Report:Bluefield-based veteran charity spent little on vets
Associated Press
December 16, 2013
BLUEFIELD — A small Bluefield charity intended to benefit Vietnam veterans spent just a fraction last year on veterans, instead devoting most of its dollars to professional fees and fundraising.
The Charleston Daily Mail reports that of every dollar spent last year by the West Virginia Vietnam Veterans Foundation, a little more than a penny actually went to veterans-related activities. The spending totaled $37,700.
National charity watchdog group Charity Navigator says no more than 25 percent of total expenses should be for fundraising and administrative costs combined.
Representatives of the foundation founded in 1997 defended its operations, arguing that many organizations give large percentages of the money they receive to professional solicitors.
The foundation’s mission is to provide West Virginia veterans with “emergency funds” for housing, food, utilities, clothing and medical expenses, according to tax forms. The organization has supported youth anti-drug programs, programs that provide gifts to local foster children and other activities, the tax forms state.
read more here
Showing posts with label West Virginia. Show all posts
Showing posts with label West Virginia. Show all posts
Monday, December 16, 2013
Thursday, September 5, 2013
Family searching for missing Army veteran with PTSD
UPDATE: Missing McDowell Co. veteran returns home
Sheriff’s office searching for missing McDowell County man
Bluefield Daily Telegraph
September 5, 2013
WELCH — McDowell County authorities are looking for a man who was recently reported missing.
The family of Ralph Kevin Atwell, 47, reported him missing Wednesday, Sgt. James E. Muncy Jr. of the McDowell County Sheriff’s Department said in a press release this morning. Atwell was last seen at 9:30 a.m. Wednesday in the Stringtown area of Jolo near Bradshaw.
Atwell has a history of post traumatic stress disorder and is a veteran of the United States Army, Muncy said.
for more information go here
Sheriff’s office searching for missing McDowell County man
Bluefield Daily Telegraph
September 5, 2013
WELCH — McDowell County authorities are looking for a man who was recently reported missing.
Atwell has a history of post traumatic stress disorder and is a veteran of the United States Army, Muncy said.
for more information go here
Saturday, August 31, 2013
PTSD veteran sues after being set on fire in VA operating room
“They Set Me on Fire”
Lawyers and Settlements
By Brenda Craig
August 31, 2013
Stafford, WV: American military vet Steven Anthony was already living a life compromised by Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) when he was suffered another blow to his already fragile mind at a Veteran’s hospital in Martinsburg, Virginia. Steven became a victim of veteran medical malpractice.
Several months ago, Anthony was admitted for some routine surgery. The plan was to give Anthony a general anesthetic for knee surgery, and while he was in the operating room, remove a lesion on his forehead.
“As I lay on the operating table, my mind was telling me I was getting hot. I woke up to see flames all around me,” says Anthony. “I reached up and pulled fire from my face.”
The operating room team had been using an electric cauterizing device to control bleeding during the removal of the lesion. It ignited Anthony’s oxygen supply and caused the cotton gauze around his face to catch fire.
“Everyone else backed off and Steven burnt his hands as he tore the burning material from his face,” says his attorney Anthony Williams, who is a former marine and judge advocate, and has represented members of the military on a variety of issues. “He suffered some superficial burns on his face and hands but the real issue aggravated his PTSD.”
read more here
Lawyers and Settlements
By Brenda Craig
August 31, 2013
Stafford, WV: American military vet Steven Anthony was already living a life compromised by Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) when he was suffered another blow to his already fragile mind at a Veteran’s hospital in Martinsburg, Virginia. Steven became a victim of veteran medical malpractice.
Several months ago, Anthony was admitted for some routine surgery. The plan was to give Anthony a general anesthetic for knee surgery, and while he was in the operating room, remove a lesion on his forehead.
“As I lay on the operating table, my mind was telling me I was getting hot. I woke up to see flames all around me,” says Anthony. “I reached up and pulled fire from my face.”
The operating room team had been using an electric cauterizing device to control bleeding during the removal of the lesion. It ignited Anthony’s oxygen supply and caused the cotton gauze around his face to catch fire.
“Everyone else backed off and Steven burnt his hands as he tore the burning material from his face,” says his attorney Anthony Williams, who is a former marine and judge advocate, and has represented members of the military on a variety of issues. “He suffered some superficial burns on his face and hands but the real issue aggravated his PTSD.”
read more here
Tuesday, August 27, 2013
Vets displaced after mold discovered at VA Center
Vets displaced after mold discovered at VA Center
Patients to be relocated during clean-up process
The Journal West Virginia
By Jenni Vincent
August 27, 2013
MARTINSBURG - One hundred seventy-six Veterans Affairs Medical Center patients - men and women who are in residence as they go through various treatment programs such as substance abuse and post traumatic stress disorder -are now being relocated because mold was found in individual air-conditioning units where they stay, officials said Monday.
In a press release, VA officials said the mold abatement process in the facility's domiciliary is expected to take about 60 days.
The decision was made to remove patients because "the safety of our veterans, visitors and staff is paramount in all that we do," chief of staff Dr. Jonathan Fierer said in the release.
read more here
Patients to be relocated during clean-up process
The Journal West Virginia
By Jenni Vincent
August 27, 2013
MARTINSBURG - One hundred seventy-six Veterans Affairs Medical Center patients - men and women who are in residence as they go through various treatment programs such as substance abuse and post traumatic stress disorder -are now being relocated because mold was found in individual air-conditioning units where they stay, officials said Monday.
In a press release, VA officials said the mold abatement process in the facility's domiciliary is expected to take about 60 days.
The decision was made to remove patients because "the safety of our veterans, visitors and staff is paramount in all that we do," chief of staff Dr. Jonathan Fierer said in the release.
read more here
Monday, April 22, 2013
West Virginia student arrested for wearing NRA T-shirt?
A lot of people find the heads of the NRA repulsive, especially when they are acting like idiots instead of trying to do something to stop what is going on. The majority of NRA members believe something has to be done and the measures they support are the ones the heads of the NRA fight against. That said, this story is also repulsive. Unless there is a lot more to this story that is not in this article, an 8th grade student was suspended and then arrested for wearing a T-shirt.
Instead of just sending the kid home to get changed if he broke some kind of school dress code, he was arrested!
Instead of just sending the kid home to get changed if he broke some kind of school dress code, he was arrested!
W. Va. Student Suspended for Wearing NRA T-shirt
Apr 22, 2013
UPI
A 14-year-old West Virginia student was suspended from school, arrested and faces charges for wearing a T-shirt to school supporting the NRA, his family said.
Jared Marcum, an eighth-grader at Logan Middle School in Logan, W. Va., said school officials asked him to remove his shirt, and when he didn't, suspended him from school.
"What they're doing is trying to take away my rights, my freedom of speech and my Second Amendment," Jared told WOWK-TV, Charleston, W. Va., Friday.
read more here
Wednesday, April 3, 2013
Sheriff Fatally Shot Near West Virginia Courthouse
Eugene Crum Dead: Mingo County Sheriff Fatally Shot Near West Virginia Courthouse(UPDATE)
The Huffington Post
By Hunter Stuart
Posted: 04/03/2013
Mingo County Sheriff Eugene Crum was fatally shot Wednesday outside the Mingo County courthouse, WCHS reports.
The courthouse was evacuated and placed on lock down, WSAZ reports.
WCHS reports that a suspect has been taken into custody.
The suspect was shot but is "alert and talking," and has been taken to the hospital, according to the Charleston Daily Mail.
read more here
Monday, April 1, 2013
'BUCKWILD' STAR SHAIN GANDEE DEAD AT 21
'BUCKWILD' STAR SHAIN GANDEE DEAD AT 21
TMZ
April 1, 2013
"Buckwild" Star Shain Gandee was found dead in a vehicle in West Virginia this morning ... 31 hours after the 21-year-old MTV reality star had been reported missing, this according to law enforcement.
According to officials, Gandee, his 48-year-old uncle David Gandee, and a third unidentified body were discovered dead in the vehicle in Sissonville, West Virginia.
As we previously reported ... Shain was last heard from around 3 AM on Sunday morning, when he and his uncle David told people they planned to go 4-wheeling.
Read more
TMZ
April 1, 2013
"Buckwild" Star Shain Gandee was found dead in a vehicle in West Virginia this morning ... 31 hours after the 21-year-old MTV reality star had been reported missing, this according to law enforcement.
According to officials, Gandee, his 48-year-old uncle David Gandee, and a third unidentified body were discovered dead in the vehicle in Sissonville, West Virginia.
As we previously reported ... Shain was last heard from around 3 AM on Sunday morning, when he and his uncle David told people they planned to go 4-wheeling.
Read more
Wednesday, March 6, 2013
Gunshot at VA medical center confirmed
Gunshot at VA medical center confirmed, but officials mum on other details
The Exponent Telegram
by Matt Harvey
Assistant Managing Editor
March 5, 2013
CLARKSBURG — A gunshot was fired Friday inside a Veterans Affairs facility that serves about 70,000 veterans in North Central West Virginia and nearby counties in Pennsylvania, Ohio and Maryland.
But other than the date, the fact that a weapon discharged and nobody was injured, and that guns aren’t allowed inside, nothing else was known of the incident Tuesday.
read more here
The Exponent Telegram
by Matt Harvey
Assistant Managing Editor
March 5, 2013
CLARKSBURG — A gunshot was fired Friday inside a Veterans Affairs facility that serves about 70,000 veterans in North Central West Virginia and nearby counties in Pennsylvania, Ohio and Maryland.
But other than the date, the fact that a weapon discharged and nobody was injured, and that guns aren’t allowed inside, nothing else was known of the incident Tuesday.
read more here
Wednesday, January 9, 2013
One in five West Virginia veterans at risk for suicide
By LAWRENCE MESSINA
Associated Press
January 8, 2013
CHARLESTON, W.Va. (AP) — One in five West Virginia veterans are at risk for suicide while half show signs of post-traumatic stress disorder, depression or both, researchers told lawmakers on Tuesday.
The figures come from a recent survey of more than 1,200 state veterans, which also found higher than normal rates for obesity, diabetes and high blood pressure, West Virginia University psychology professor Joseph Scotti said. The study was commissioned by the Legislature.
The findings prompted Scotti and the survey team to recommend a comprehensive plan to provide needed mental health services to veterans. Such a plan should include a public service campaign to alert veterans to available resources, educating health care providers and working more closely with U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs facilities in the state, Scotti told the House-Senate Select Committee on Veterans' Affairs.
"The VA can't do it alone," Scotti said.
Close to 170,000 West Virginians are veterans, more than one in 10 adults, according to the latest estimate from the U.S. Census Bureau. Just 11 states have a larger segment of veterans among their residents. More than two-thirds of West Virginia's veterans are 55 or older, while around 7 percent have served since the Sept. 11 attacks, according to the estimate.
read more here
Study: Veterans struggle with depression, PTSD
WAJR.com
About half of West Virginia's veterans are facing some type of depression or post traumatic stress disorder, and one in five struggles with suicidal thoughts, according to a study presented to a legislative interim committee Tuesday.
Dr. Joseph Scotti, a West Virginia University professor, on Tuesday presented the results of a survey of 1,200 veterans, to the Select Committee on Veterans Affairs.
The results show widespread mental health issues facing the state's veterans of all ages. About half of younger veterans have post traumatic stress disorder, while a quarter of older veterans have similar obstacles, Scotti said.
"If we look at the information in terms of the number of people who meet the clinical cutoff for depression and or post traumatic stress disorder, we're at 50 percent," Scotti said.
The survey looked at depression symptoms, such as sleeplessness, feelings of guilt, low self worth, lack of appetite, suicidal thoughts and more.
read more here
KBR found guilty wants tax payers to pay again for Iraq veterans
KBR, Guilty In Iraq Negligence, Wants Taxpayers To Foot The Bill
Ryan J. Reilly
Posted: 01/09/2013
WASHINGTON -- Sodium dichromate is an orange-yellowish substance containing hexavalent chromium, an anti-corrosion chemical. To Lt. Col. James Gentry of the Indiana National Guard, who was stationed at the Qarmat Ali water treatment center in Iraq just after the 2003 U.S. invasion, it was “just different-colored sand.” In their first few months at the base, soldiers were told by KBR contractors running the facility the substance was no worse than a mild irritant.
Gentry was one of approximately 830 service members, including active-duty soldiers and members of the National Guard and reserve units from Indiana, South Carolina, West Virginia and Oregon, assigned to secure the water treatment plant, according to the Department of Veterans Affairs.
Sodium dichromate is not a mild irritant. It is an extreme carcinogen. In November 2009, at age 52, Gentry died of cancer. The VA affirmed two months later that his death was service-related.
In November, a jury found KBR, the military's largest contractor, guilty of negligence in the poisoning of a dozen soldiers, and ordered the company to pay $85 million in damages. Jurors found KBR knew both of the presence and toxicity of the chemical. Other lawsuits against KBR are pending.
KBR, however, says taxpayers should be on the hook for the verdict, as well as more than $15 million the company has spent in its failed legal defense, according to court documents and attorneys involved with the case.
KBR's contract with the U.S. to rebuild Iraq’s oil infrastructure after the 2003 invasion includes an indemnity agreement protecting the company from legal liability, KBR claims in court filings. That agreement, KBR insists, means the federal government must pay the company's legal expenses plus the verdict won by 12 members of the Oregon National Guard who were exposed to the toxin at the Qarmat Ali water treatment plant.
read more here
Ryan J. Reilly
Posted: 01/09/2013
WASHINGTON -- Sodium dichromate is an orange-yellowish substance containing hexavalent chromium, an anti-corrosion chemical. To Lt. Col. James Gentry of the Indiana National Guard, who was stationed at the Qarmat Ali water treatment center in Iraq just after the 2003 U.S. invasion, it was “just different-colored sand.” In their first few months at the base, soldiers were told by KBR contractors running the facility the substance was no worse than a mild irritant.
Gentry was one of approximately 830 service members, including active-duty soldiers and members of the National Guard and reserve units from Indiana, South Carolina, West Virginia and Oregon, assigned to secure the water treatment plant, according to the Department of Veterans Affairs.
Sodium dichromate is not a mild irritant. It is an extreme carcinogen. In November 2009, at age 52, Gentry died of cancer. The VA affirmed two months later that his death was service-related.
In November, a jury found KBR, the military's largest contractor, guilty of negligence in the poisoning of a dozen soldiers, and ordered the company to pay $85 million in damages. Jurors found KBR knew both of the presence and toxicity of the chemical. Other lawsuits against KBR are pending.
KBR, however, says taxpayers should be on the hook for the verdict, as well as more than $15 million the company has spent in its failed legal defense, according to court documents and attorneys involved with the case.
KBR's contract with the U.S. to rebuild Iraq’s oil infrastructure after the 2003 invasion includes an indemnity agreement protecting the company from legal liability, KBR claims in court filings. That agreement, KBR insists, means the federal government must pay the company's legal expenses plus the verdict won by 12 members of the Oregon National Guard who were exposed to the toxin at the Qarmat Ali water treatment plant.
read more here
Tuesday, March 6, 2012
Two Vietnam Veterans hit Powerball and plan on helping others
2 W.Va. Vietnam veterans win $14 million playing Powerball, say they'll help other vets
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
First Posted: March 06, 2012
CHARLESTON, W.Va. — Buying seven lottery tickets with the same numbers has paid off big for two Vietnam veterans from Weston.
West Virginia Lottery Director John Musgrave says Michael Shaver and Ronald Simmons won $14 million after matching the five numbers on each of seven Powerball tickets last week. They missed the Powerball number, but because they chose the PowerPlay option their $1 million prize for each winning ticket was doubled.
read more here
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
First Posted: March 06, 2012
CHARLESTON, W.Va. — Buying seven lottery tickets with the same numbers has paid off big for two Vietnam veterans from Weston.
West Virginia Lottery Director John Musgrave says Michael Shaver and Ronald Simmons won $14 million after matching the five numbers on each of seven Powerball tickets last week. They missed the Powerball number, but because they chose the PowerPlay option their $1 million prize for each winning ticket was doubled.
read more here
Monday, January 2, 2012
West Virginia Air National Guard female medic earns Bronze Star for Valor
W.Va. flight medic receives medal for bravery in Afghanistan
By Travis Crum
January 1, 2012
She vividly remembers looking out her flight's window during her return trip at another plane carrying coffins draped in American flags.
"What I thought most about during that flight home was the guy we picked up that day, Sgt. Matthew Weikert," Hopkins said. "He was flying back to the states the same time as me, only he wasn't flying home injured."
Hopkins, a 35-year-old staff sergeant with the West Virginia Air National Guard, was presented the Bronze Star with Valor last month for her bravery during missions to rescue injured soldiers in July 2010.
read more here
By Travis Crum
January 1, 2012
Courtesy photoCHARLESTON, W.Va. -- Nicole Hopkins, a flight medic from West Virginia, said she would never forget the day she left Afghanistan with severe injuries received during a dangerous mission in one of the war's deadliest months.
Staff Sgt. Nicole Hopkins, a flight medic from the West Virginia Air National Guard, was presented a Bronze Star with Valor last monthfor her bravery during rescue missions in Afghanistan. On July 17, 2010, Hopkins risked her life when she was lowered from an aircraft over a minefield to treat and evacuate injuries soldiers.
She vividly remembers looking out her flight's window during her return trip at another plane carrying coffins draped in American flags.
"What I thought most about during that flight home was the guy we picked up that day, Sgt. Matthew Weikert," Hopkins said. "He was flying back to the states the same time as me, only he wasn't flying home injured."
Hopkins, a 35-year-old staff sergeant with the West Virginia Air National Guard, was presented the Bronze Star with Valor last month for her bravery during missions to rescue injured soldiers in July 2010.
read more here
Monday, August 8, 2011
Roaches rotten wood flooring shut down services at West Virginia VA Clinic
VA suspends services at W.Va. clinic
The Associated Press
Posted : Monday Aug 8, 2011 13:51:57 EDT
WILLIAMSON, W.Va. — Services have been suspended at a veterans outpatient clinic in Williamson because of roaches, rotten wood flooring and other problems, U.S. Rep. Nick Rahall said.
Rahall, D-W.Va, said in a news release that he wants answers about the situation at the Community-Based Outpatient Clinic.
Rahall sent a letter on Friday to Veterans Affairs Secretary Eric K. Shinseki asking for a report on what actions are being taken to correct the problems, which also included leaking plumbing, inoperable toilets and overflowing trash. He said the conditions found at the clinic during an unscheduled inspection were “deplorable.”
Rahall staffer Diane Luensmann told The Williamson Daily News that she didn’t know who conducted the inspection.
read more here
VA suspends services at W.Va. clinic
The Associated Press
Posted : Monday Aug 8, 2011 13:51:57 EDT
WILLIAMSON, W.Va. — Services have been suspended at a veterans outpatient clinic in Williamson because of roaches, rotten wood flooring and other problems, U.S. Rep. Nick Rahall said.
Rahall, D-W.Va, said in a news release that he wants answers about the situation at the Community-Based Outpatient Clinic.
Rahall sent a letter on Friday to Veterans Affairs Secretary Eric K. Shinseki asking for a report on what actions are being taken to correct the problems, which also included leaking plumbing, inoperable toilets and overflowing trash. He said the conditions found at the clinic during an unscheduled inspection were “deplorable.”
Rahall staffer Diane Luensmann told The Williamson Daily News that she didn’t know who conducted the inspection.
read more here
VA suspends services at W.Va. clinic
Tuesday, July 12, 2011
Another National Guards solider dies in parachute incident
Soldier dies in training at Fort Harrison
By EVE BYRON Independent Record
A soldier training at Fort Harrison Sunday afternoon died from injuries received during parachute activities.
The soldier was with the West Virginia Army National Guard’s 2nd Battalion, 19th Special Forces Group. Major Tim Crowe, chief of public affairs for Montana at Fort Harrison, declined to provide details of the accident, including the name of the soldier, whether the incident involved a helicopter or airplane, or how the death occurred.
Read more: Soldier dies in training at Fort Harrison
By EVE BYRON Independent Record
A soldier training at Fort Harrison Sunday afternoon died from injuries received during parachute activities.
The soldier was with the West Virginia Army National Guard’s 2nd Battalion, 19th Special Forces Group. Major Tim Crowe, chief of public affairs for Montana at Fort Harrison, declined to provide details of the accident, including the name of the soldier, whether the incident involved a helicopter or airplane, or how the death occurred.
Read more: Soldier dies in training at Fort Harrison
Saturday, April 10, 2010
And then there were 29 miners lost
"We did not receive the miracle we prayed for," said West Virginia Gov. Joe Manchin after notifying grieving family members that officials found the bodies of four miners who had been missing after a coal mine explosion.
STORY HIGHLIGHTS
Four missing miners found dead; death toll in West Virginia coal mine explosion now at 29
Officials say neither of the two rescue chambers were used by miners
President Obama has called for inquiry into mine blast
FULL STORY
STORY HIGHLIGHTS
Four missing miners found dead; death toll in West Virginia coal mine explosion now at 29
Officials say neither of the two rescue chambers were used by miners
President Obama has called for inquiry into mine blast
Of the 29 dead, the bodies of 22 still remain inside the mine. Stricklin said most of them will have to be hand-carried out because of the lack of equipment.
FULL STORY
Tuesday, April 6, 2010
Families of 25 killed in West Virginia mine blast need your prayers
Please pray for the 4 others still missing as well.
25 killed in West Virginia mine blast
By the CNN Wire Staff
April 6, 2010 6:52 a.m. EDT
STORY HIGHLIGHTS
Death toll stands at 25
Four miners remain unaccounted for
Rescue efforts suspended due to hazardous conditions underground
Officials think some of the trapped miners may have breathing devices
Montcoal, West Virginia (CNN) -- The death toll from the massive explosion at a sprawling coal mine in West Virginia rose to 25 early Tuesday, making it the deadliest U.S. mining disaster in 25 years.
Crews halted their efforts to reach four miners still unaccounted for at the Upper Big Branch Mine following the blast Monday afternoon.
Concentrations of methane and carbon monoxide inside the mine made it a safety risk for crews to proceed, said Kevin Stricklin of the U.S. Mine Safety and Health Administration at a 2 a.m. briefing to reporters.
Officials planned to drill bore holes from the surface 1,200 feet into the mines to help ventilate it and to collect samples. However, they will first have to use bulldozers to clear a path to reach the part of the mine where they can drill.
read more here
25 killed in West Virginia mine blast
Tuesday, February 16, 2010
West Virginia Guardsmen use ingenuity to rescue stranded mother, baby
West Virginia Guardsmen use ingenuity to rescue stranded mother, baby
By Staff Sgt. Sherree Grebenstein
West Virginia National Guard
BERKELEY SPRINGS, W.V., (2/14/10) - Necessity has often been called the mother of invention.
Just ask two West Virginia National Guard Soldiers who found themselves attempting to rescue a mother and her four week-old premature baby stranded at home in Morgan County.
The back-to-back blizzards socked the Eastern Panhandle of the state with more than three feet of snow in some areas.
To reach the pair in the early morning hours of Feb. 10, Staff Sgt. Harry F. Accor III and Spc. Derek C. Folk, two medics with the 201st Field Artillery Battalion based in Fairmont, W.Va., fashioned two pairs of snowshoes from pine tree branches and clothes lines.
During a rescue mission earlier in the week, the Soldier sustained the injury while helping to evacuate a bi-lateral amputee with diabetes from his home in Berkeley Springs.
read more here
http://www.ng.mil/news/archives/2010/02/021610-West.aspx
By Staff Sgt. Sherree Grebenstein
West Virginia National Guard
BERKELEY SPRINGS, W.V., (2/14/10) - Necessity has often been called the mother of invention.
Just ask two West Virginia National Guard Soldiers who found themselves attempting to rescue a mother and her four week-old premature baby stranded at home in Morgan County.
The back-to-back blizzards socked the Eastern Panhandle of the state with more than three feet of snow in some areas.
To reach the pair in the early morning hours of Feb. 10, Staff Sgt. Harry F. Accor III and Spc. Derek C. Folk, two medics with the 201st Field Artillery Battalion based in Fairmont, W.Va., fashioned two pairs of snowshoes from pine tree branches and clothes lines.
What makes the feat perhaps even more amazing is that Spc. Folk Performed the rescue with three bones broken in his right hand.
During a rescue mission earlier in the week, the Soldier sustained the injury while helping to evacuate a bi-lateral amputee with diabetes from his home in Berkeley Springs.
read more here
http://www.ng.mil/news/archives/2010/02/021610-West.aspx
Thursday, September 10, 2009
Capitol site chosen for female veteran statue
September 9, 2009
Capitol site chosen for female veteran statue
With approval Wednesday from the Capitol Building Commission, the director of the state Division of Veterans Affairs said he hopes to have a long-delayed, much-debated statue to honor female military veterans in place on the Capitol grounds by Nov. 11.
By Phil Kabler
Staff writer
Advertiser
CHARLESTON, W.Va. -- With approval Wednesday from the Capitol Building Commission, the director of the state Division of Veterans Affairs said he hopes to have a long-delayed, much-debated statue to honor female military veterans in place on the Capitol grounds by Nov. 11.
"We're hoping for a dedication on Veterans Day," Keith Gwinn said, shortly after the commission approved the location for the 7 1/2-foot tall statue of a female soldier.
"We have everything ready. The statue itself is ready," he said.
read more here
http://wvgazette.com/News/200909090168
Capitol site chosen for female veteran statue
With approval Wednesday from the Capitol Building Commission, the director of the state Division of Veterans Affairs said he hopes to have a long-delayed, much-debated statue to honor female military veterans in place on the Capitol grounds by Nov. 11.
By Phil Kabler
Staff writer
Advertiser
CHARLESTON, W.Va. -- With approval Wednesday from the Capitol Building Commission, the director of the state Division of Veterans Affairs said he hopes to have a long-delayed, much-debated statue to honor female military veterans in place on the Capitol grounds by Nov. 11.
"We're hoping for a dedication on Veterans Day," Keith Gwinn said, shortly after the commission approved the location for the 7 1/2-foot tall statue of a female soldier.
"We have everything ready. The statue itself is ready," he said.
read more here
http://wvgazette.com/News/200909090168
Thursday, August 27, 2009
Red Cross, National Guard trying to head off suicide
August 26, 2009
Red Cross, National Guard trying to head off suicide
When members of the West Virginia National Guard's 821st Engineering Company came home from Iraq in the spring of 2008, they were hailed as heroes. But along with their gear and their memories, some members of the unit brought with them the ghosts of combat and stress.
By Rusty Marks
Staff writer
Advertiser
CHARLESTON, W.Va. -- When members of the West Virginia National Guard's 821st Engineering Company came home from Iraq in the spring of 2008, they were hailed as heroes.
But along with their gear and their memories, some members of the unit brought with them the ghosts of combat and stress. In March, one of the members of the 821st shot himself.
"He had been back for 10 months," said Staff Sgt. Travis Willard, manager of the suicide prevention program for the West Virginia National Guard.
Willard said the soldier had been going through a divorce, and had been seeing a professional about his problems. "At one point he discontinued his treatment," Willard said. "He just stopped going."
Members of the American Red Cross and West Virginia National Guard teamed up Wednesday to present a Suicide Prevention and Military Families Workshop at Charleston's Embassy Suites Hotel.
About 50 people -- mostly health providers, behavioral health professionals and family advocates -- came to find out more about spotting service members at risk for suicide and how to stop suicidal thoughts before it's too late.
read more here
http://wvgazette.com/News/200908260754
Red Cross, National Guard trying to head off suicide
When members of the West Virginia National Guard's 821st Engineering Company came home from Iraq in the spring of 2008, they were hailed as heroes. But along with their gear and their memories, some members of the unit brought with them the ghosts of combat and stress.
By Rusty Marks
Staff writer
Advertiser
CHARLESTON, W.Va. -- When members of the West Virginia National Guard's 821st Engineering Company came home from Iraq in the spring of 2008, they were hailed as heroes.
But along with their gear and their memories, some members of the unit brought with them the ghosts of combat and stress. In March, one of the members of the 821st shot himself.
"He had been back for 10 months," said Staff Sgt. Travis Willard, manager of the suicide prevention program for the West Virginia National Guard.
Willard said the soldier had been going through a divorce, and had been seeing a professional about his problems. "At one point he discontinued his treatment," Willard said. "He just stopped going."
Members of the American Red Cross and West Virginia National Guard teamed up Wednesday to present a Suicide Prevention and Military Families Workshop at Charleston's Embassy Suites Hotel.
About 50 people -- mostly health providers, behavioral health professionals and family advocates -- came to find out more about spotting service members at risk for suicide and how to stop suicidal thoughts before it's too late.
read more here
http://wvgazette.com/News/200908260754
Wednesday, June 24, 2009
Indiana, Oregon and West Virginia National Guards, cancer and KBR
Did KBR know Iraq locale was polluted, putting soldiers at risk?
By SHARON COHEN AP National Writer
UNDATED - Larry Roberta's every breath is a painful reminder of his time in Iraq. He can't walk a block without gasping for air. His chest hurts, his migraines sometimes persist for days and he needs pills to help him sleep.
James Gentry came home with rashes, ear troubles and a shortness of breath. Later, things got much worse: He developed lung cancer, which spread to his spine, ribs and one of his thighs; he must often use a cane, and no longer rides his beloved Harley.
David Moore's postwar life turned into a harrowing medical mystery: nosebleeds and labored breathing that made it impossible to work, much less speak. His desperate search for answers ended last year when he died of lung disease at age 42.
What these three men - one sick, one dying, one dead - had in common is they were National Guard soldiers on the same stretch of wind-swept desert in Iraq during the early months of the war in 2003.
These soldiers and hundreds of other Guard members from Indiana, Oregon and West Virginia were protecting workers hired by a subsidiary of the giant contractor, KBR Inc., to rebuild an Iraqi water treatment plant. The area, as it turned out, was contaminated with hexavalent chromium, a potent, sometimes deadly chemical linked to cancer and other devastating diseases.
go here for more
http://www.katu.com/news/national/49006416.html
By SHARON COHEN AP National Writer
UNDATED - Larry Roberta's every breath is a painful reminder of his time in Iraq. He can't walk a block without gasping for air. His chest hurts, his migraines sometimes persist for days and he needs pills to help him sleep.
James Gentry came home with rashes, ear troubles and a shortness of breath. Later, things got much worse: He developed lung cancer, which spread to his spine, ribs and one of his thighs; he must often use a cane, and no longer rides his beloved Harley.
David Moore's postwar life turned into a harrowing medical mystery: nosebleeds and labored breathing that made it impossible to work, much less speak. His desperate search for answers ended last year when he died of lung disease at age 42.
What these three men - one sick, one dying, one dead - had in common is they were National Guard soldiers on the same stretch of wind-swept desert in Iraq during the early months of the war in 2003.
These soldiers and hundreds of other Guard members from Indiana, Oregon and West Virginia were protecting workers hired by a subsidiary of the giant contractor, KBR Inc., to rebuild an Iraqi water treatment plant. The area, as it turned out, was contaminated with hexavalent chromium, a potent, sometimes deadly chemical linked to cancer and other devastating diseases.
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