Members of Congress, Weapons of Mass Deception!

There is a very interesting report on Foreign Policy about contractors working with the military. Within the report is this stunning piece of information.

"The extent of contracted support for America’s wars can be unearthed in the Pentagon’s daily “contracts” press releases. The most important recent U.S. policy statement for America’s post-2014 role in Afghanistan did not come from the White House, but rather was found in two paragraphs published late on New Year’s Eve, in which the Pentagon announced $100 million in contracts for DynCorp International, LLC, to “advise, train, and mentor” the Afghan Ministry of Interior and Ministry of Defense. Similarly revealing contracts include $12.8 million for Six3 Intelligence Solutions, Inc., $36 million for IDS International Government Services, LLC, and two — released on the same day — for $6.9 and $6.8 million awarded to Battlespace Flight Services, LLC, for work “performed at Jalalabad, Afghanistan,” and work “performed at Creech Air Force Base, Nevada” (Foreign Policy)

We now know that contractors have also been paid to take care of the troops medical care, as well as veterans. An example of that was proudly talked about at a Memorial event I attended over the weekend. One of the speakers talk about providing this "care" to the troops and veterans.

Luke and Associates Inc., a tiny, Brevard County startup staffing company that had never generated any contracts or revenue, signed a 10-year, $1.9 billion contract -- that's billion with a "B" -- with the U.S. Air Force to supply medical personnel to bases all over the country.

Luke and Associates, Inc. Awarded $20 million Contract at Fort Bliss, Texas

Is this all there was? Oh hell no! Plenty more to go around. There was a time when politicians were ashamed to have this kind of thing go on but now, hey, business as usual.

While you're thinking of those numbers, remember this was all happening when these same guys decimated the military with sequestration cuts and deployed servicemembers got lay off notices because there wasn't enough money to let them stay on the only job they ever wanted to do.

Angry yet? Politicians sent troops into Iraq looking for WMD but they should have just checked in Washington first for the real ones jeopardizing our security. Members of Congress, Weapons of Mass Deception!

The New Unknown Soldiers of Afghanistan and Iraq
Did you know that private contractors in Afghanistan outnumber U.S. troops three to one?
Foreign Policy
BY MICAH ZENKO
MAY 29, 2015

This past Monday, as on every Memorial Day, American political and military leaders paid tribute to the sacrifice of service members who gave their lives for their country. The day of remembrance is not only to honor the past dead, but also to recognize the tens of thousands of service members still deployed in combat zones today, regardless of whether politicians label them as “wars” or whether these operations are in the forefront of Americans’ minds. On Memorial Day itself, the Pentagon released a somber statement: “Sgt. 1st Class Pablo A. Ruiz, 37, of Melbourne, Florida, died May 24, in Bagram, Afghanistan, from a non-combat related incident.”

President Barack Obama, speaking at Arlington National Cemetery, used standard language of reflection declaring, “We honor the sacrifice of the thousands of American service members — men and women — who gave their lives since 9/11, including more than 2,200 American patriots who made the ultimate sacrifice in Afghanistan.” This is factually accurate.

However, it overlooks the important sacrifices made by non-service members on behalf of military missions. Since 9/11, a total of 1,592 private contractors (approximately 32 percent of whom were Americans) working on Department of Defense contracts were also killed in Afghanistan. Last year, private contractors accounted for 64 percent of all U.S. deaths in Afghanistan (56 service members and 101 contractors died). But we cannot know exactly where last year’s deceased are from, because shockingly the U.S. Department of Labor “does not routinely track the nationality of workers injured or killed under any of the laws administered by the program.”
read more here

Troops Medical Care Was Outsourced to Defense Contractors?

The following is just a part of what the Department of Defense paid out to contractors to take care of our wounded. Bet you're as shocked as I am to discover that medical care was not always done by servicemembers including the "care" we read about at Warrior Transition Units.

$1.9 billion bonanza
Brevard startup lands lucrative Air Force deal
Orlando Business Journal
Chris Kauffmann
Staff Writer
Sep 18, 2006

MERRITT ISLAND -- Not even a case of pneumonia could keep Jim Barfield from crawling out of bed and going to work Aug. 14.

That was the day the president of Luke and Associates Inc., a tiny, Brevard County startup staffing company that had never generated any contracts or revenue, signed a 10-year, $1.9 billion contract -- that's billion with a "B" -- with the U.S. Air Force to supply medical personnel to bases all over the country.

"I signed a contract for more zeros than I have ever seen in my life," says Barfield, who started the Merritt Island firm two years ago with partners Rich Hall and Glen Bottomley. "I wasn't surprised we got it once I woke up from passing out."

About 18 months of meticulous preparation, planning and research helped ease the shock of winning the contract, not to mention that Barfield is hardly unacquainted with the intricacies of winning government contracts.

As head of Barfield and Associates Inc. for the past 13 years, the 52-year-old former Bechtel Corp. employee has helped major aerospace and defense contractors (names cannot be revealed because of non-disclosure pacts) make proposals to win more than 100 government contracts with values up to $3.5 billion.
read more here

Luke and Associates, Inc. Awarded $20 million Contract at Fort Bliss, Texas
Space Coast Business
May 22, 2014

Luke and Associates, Inc. (Luke), a leading provider of medical and clinical services for the U.S. military, announced today the award of a contract to provide medical services at the Ft. Bliss Continental United States (CONUS) Replacement Center (CRC). Luke will medically assess personnel to ensure readiness for deployment and redeployment. This is a new contract which was awarded under full and open competition and is valued initially at $20 million.
read more here

Lockheed Contractor Must Repay $27.5M for Overcharging Troops in Iraq and Afghanistan

Lockheed Contractor Must Repay $27.5M for Overcharging Troops in Iraq and Afghanistan
Defense One
Charles S Clark
December 22, 2014

A defense contractor producing products and services for U.S. troops in Iraq and Afghanistan agreed on Friday to repay the government $27.5 million to settle overbilling charges brought under the False Claims Act.

The Justice Department announced on Friday that Lockheed Martin Integrated Systems overbilled the Pentagon for work performed by employees who “lacked required job qualifications” but whose work was billed at the rate for qualified ones, allegedly to inflate profits.
read more here

Soccer field of dirt Army paid $1.1 million for?

In Baghdad, a $1.1M US-funded soccer field turns to dirt
The Washington Post
By Loveday Morris
Published: May 17, 2014

BAGHDAD — As the beating heat of the day gives way to night, the soccer fields of Sadr City swarm with young men partaking in what is no doubt Iraq's favorite sport.

The evening bustle in this cramped and impoverished Shiite neighborhood looks far different from the worst days of Iraq's sectarian violence, when some of these pitches were instead killing fields.

For Haider Jameel — janitor by day, soccer coach by evening — one of the patches of land, among a jumble of mechanic shops and scrap yards, has been a back yard for decades.

It went unused only during the grimmest periods of civil war, which peaked in 2006. The Mahdi Army, a Shiite militia loyal to Muqtada al-Sadr, the anti-U.S. cleric for whom the neighborhood is named, would use the area to stage attacks. Those the fighters kidnapped were often executed by a nearby dam.

But when the violence subsided, the Iraqi government and the United States began pumping in millions of dollars to clean up Sadr City. That's when the scrap was cleared to make Jameel's makeshift neighborhood pitch into a full-size soccer field.

The contractor who built the field — who did not want to be identified, out of fear for his safety — said he was paid $1.1 million for the job by the U.S. Army. But it's difficult to see where that money went, despite his assurances that the site was once in a better state of repair.

There are no lights, no bleachers, no showers. The boys who play here use a nearby shop to wash.

When it rains, the field floods and local residents chip in to buy new dirt to resurface it.
read more here

Bomb sniffing dog adopted by contractor he saved

Layton man injured in Afghanistan adopts 'hero' dog
Deseret News
By Emiley Morgan
Published: Saturday, March 15 201

LAYTON — On May 9, 2010, John Logie, his body full of shrapnel, was loaded into a helicopter and flown from Afghanistan to Germany after being injured by an improvised explosive device.

He said his K9 partner, Balto, watched as he was loaded up.

"He's looking at me like, 'Where are you going, Dad?'" Logie recalled.

Saturday, the same dog stared down the same man, as Logie arrived to pick up Balto from the Delta Cargo warehouse at the Salt Lake City International Airport as his new owner.

"This is my hero right here," Logie said as the dog was released from his kennel. "He saved my life multiple times and now it's time for him to go home and sit on the couch."

Logie said he began working with Balto when he went to Afghanistan in 2009. Working as a contracted handler first with the U.S. Special Forces, then the Canadian Military, the pair spent almost a year together searching for explosives and clearing the way for troops until the day Logie was injured.

"When you're over there in that kind of condition, the dog is pretty much on your hip 24/7," Logie said. "You sleep with him, live with him, eat with him… He's got a good sniffer on him. He found a lot before I got hurt."

On May 9, 2010, Logie said he and Balto were sent out to clear a compound near some grape fields where explosives were often buried. Picking up some IED residue from a nearby building, Balto pulled Logie toward the structure — and away from a powerful "primary" IED.

Logie hit a secondary IED, which sent shrapnel through his left arm and leg, parts of his right leg and arm and damaged his hearing. But he believes hitting the less powerful explosive spared his life.
read more here

Man caught masturbating to child porn in Fort Carson parking lot

Man caught masturbating to child porn in Fort Carson parking lot
FOX 21
by Travis Ruiz
Posted: 03.14.2014

FORT CARSON, COLO. -- A 53-year-old Colorado Springs man is now accused of masturbating in his vehicle to child pornography on post at Fort Carson.

Francis Hector Calar, according to the Department of Justice, is a civilian military contract employee at Fort Carson.

Calar is also very active with children. He coached youth volleyball for young girls and youth baseball for young boys. Authorities said he is also active in his church and previously taught Sunday school.

It was on March 10 when military police officers caught Calar “pleasuring himself” inside his car with unsecured wireless internet, according to U.S. Attorney John Walsh and FBI Denver Special Agent in Charge Thomas Ravenelle.

Calar was seen sitting inside a green Ford sedan. When officers approached him he was intently focused on an image of the screen of his laptop computer. According to the criminal complaint, Calar was masturbating to a graphic image of child pornography.
read more here

2 Navy SEAL veterans found dead on Maersk Alabama

Police identify 2 Americans found dead on Maersk Alabama -- 'Captain Phillips' ship
CNN
By Michael Martinez
February 20, 2014

STORY HIGHLIGHTS
Two American security contractors were former Navy SEALs, executive says
"It's bizarre. Of course, it's a shock. They're all great guys," executive adds
"Contracted security is part of anti-piracy protection plans," firm spokesman says
A colleague found the bodies in a ship cabin when checking up on one of the men

(CNN) -- Two American security officers have been found dead on the Maersk Alabama container ship, police in the Seychelles said Wednesday.

Seychelles police identified them on Thursday as Jeffrey Reynolds and Mark Kennedy.

The vessel was moored at Port Victoria in the Indian Ocean archipelago. The men, both 44, were found dead on Tuesday. CNN first learned about the incident on Twitter.

"A postmortem will be carried out this week in order to establish the cause of their sudden deaths," police said, adding that the police investigation is ongoing.

The Maersk Alabama was targeted by Somali pirates in an attempted hijacking off the east coast of Africa in 2009. The 2013 film "Captain Phillips" is based on the incident.

The two men worked for Trident Group, a Virginia-based maritime security services firm. The company's president, Tom Rothrauff, said the men were former Navy SEALs.
read more here

GOP constituents also depend on jobless aid

GOP constituents also depend on jobless aid
Associated Press
By NICHOLAS RICCARDI
January 14, 2014

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (AP) — When federal emergency unemployment benefits expired last month, the effects ran deep in a Colorado county marked by two exit ramps off Interstate 25 — one leading to the conservative religious group Focus on the Family, the other to the Fort Carson Army post.

Hardly a liberal bastion, El Paso County has the largest number of people in the state who lost unemployment benefits, and many aren't happy about it. Plenty of Republicans, too, depend on jobless aid that Republicans in Congress are hesitant to prolong. The ideological argument for standing against an extension of benefits — that the aid can ultimately make it harder to find work — meets a more complex reality where people live.

Democrats propose to extend the emergency benefits for people who have been or are about to be out of work for more than six months; Republicans are less inclined to take that step, particularly if it means the government borrows more money. The paralysis led to the expiration of benefits for 1.3 million long-term unemployed on Dec. 28. Lawmakers are still working on a compromise.

The standoff infuriates people such as Lita Ness, who lost her job as a civilian contractor at Peterson Air Force Base in August 2012 and just received her final check from the unemployment office.

"I'm registered as a Republican, but if they continue to use this not extending our (aid) I'm probably changing to Democrat," Ness, 58, said as she took a break from a computer training class at the Pikes Peak Workforce Center. "People in our district who vote 'No' on this, I'm not going to support them."
read more here

Contracting out PTSD

Contracting Out PTSD
It's not only the troops suffering from war's mental ravages
TIME Swampland
By Mark Thompson
Dec. 15, 2013

Contractor fraud and waste in Afghanistan and Iraq has run rampant, costing U.S. taxpayers something between $31 billion and $60 billion, according to the congressionally created Commission on Wartime Contracting in Iraq and Afghanistan.

But it also has cost many of those contractors too: a new report from the Rand Corp. says such private workers suffer from posttraumatic stress disorder and depression at rates similar, if not higher, than the troops they serve alongside.

The Rand study, Out of the Shadows: The Health and Well-Being of Contractors Working in Conflict Environments — released Dec. 10 as part of what Rand describes as “self-initiated independent research” — says:

Although contractors have become a nontrivial part of the fighting force in several theaters of conflict over the past decade, their characteristics, deployment experiences, and health status have not been thoroughly explored. This study found that the contractors sampled have similar deployment experiences to military personnel—including combat exposure. The contractors in our study reported relatively high rates of probable mental health problems, including PTSD and depression. Moreover, our findings suggest that this population has few resources to cope with these problems and faces significant barriers to seeking mental health treatment.
read more here

Contractor killed in Afghanistan by rocket as she slept

Loss in Afghanistan felt deeply in Pungo
The Virginian-Pilot
By Joanne Kimberlin
December 14, 2013
VIRGINIA BEACH

"I want to see something in the paper besides stories about some Muslim or Islamic kid getting killed by a drone," Joe said. "Americans get killed over there, too, just doing their jobs."

The rocket came over a wall 7,000 miles away. Now, a man sits alone and smokes in his kitchen in Pungo, mourning his wife.

Kathleen "Kitti" Pennell, a civilian contractor working in Afghanistan, was killed Nov. 29 at Bagram Air Field by what the military calls IDF - indirect fire. Official details are scarce, but Joe Pennell was told that his 53-year-old wife died in her quarters when an insurgent-fired rocket hit her barracks.

One of her colleagues, Albert Henry Haas of Illinois, was also killed. Two others were wounded.

Attacks are almost routine at Bagram, a U.S.-run base outside Kabul that shelters tens of thousands of military personnel, contractors and Afghan workers. Incoming mortar rounds and rockets - mostly old, Soviet-made models - trigger sirens and a scramble for bunkers, but few inflict serious damage.

One found its mark as Thanksgiving Day drew to a close. Kitti, a flight coordinator for a company that hauls military supplies, was probably asleep when the rocket sailed over the base's perimeter around midnight.

"They tell me she never knew what hit her," Joe said. "I hope they're not just saying that to make me feel better."
read more here

PTSD hits one out of three contractors in war zones

Large incomes, Workers' Compensation, Health Insurance and PTSD. Think about that for a second.

They are not members of the military but they are contractors. They report rates of PTSD at one out of three.

Hmm, doesn't that sound familiar? That is because up until these recent wars, that was the percentage used by most experts when trying to explain how many get hit by PTSD.

They worry about their jobs, so only 16% have actually filed Comp Claims. It isn't that they don't have PTSD issues but more about losing their jobs.

That sounds familiar too. It does because that is what is going on with our troops and veterans.

PTSD hits civilians serving on war fronts, study finds
USA TODAY
Gregg Zoroya
December 10, 2013

Rates of mental illness among an international force of civilian contractors hired to work in Iraq or Afghanistan rivaled those among service members, a report says.

STORY HIGHLIGHTS
Nearly one in three U.S. contractors show signs of PTSD after working in Iraq, Afghanistan
Most have health insurance, but few make use of it to combat stress
Working in a war zone not just stressful for troops, RAND report finds

Rates of mental illness among an international force of civilian contractors hired to work in Iraq or Afghanistan rivaled those among servicemembers, with one in four civilians showing signs of post-traumatic stress disorder, according to a RAND Corp. study released today.

The prevalence of PTSD was even higher among American contractors. Nearly one in three showed signs of the disorder, researchers found in an online survey of 660 civilians working in war zones between early 2011 and early 2013.

"These findings highlight a significant but often overlooked group of people struggling with the after-effects of working in a war zone," said Molly Dunigan, co-author of the study and a political scientist with RAND.

Researchers said it is unclear how many contractors have served in war zones, but they often outnumber the troops deployed.

"Many simply avoided doing so out of concern that it would affect their employment, according to the study. Only about 16% of contractors surveyed said they filed workers' compensation claims."
read more here

Vietnam Veteran putting skills to use in Afghanistan at 71

Vietnam Vet, 71, Working As Contractor In Afghanistan
Here and Now
December 4, 2013

Jeff Traylor (center), a 71-year-old contractor in Afghanistan, is flanked by two servicemen. (Jeff Traylor)

You’ve not doubt heard the stories about people working past retirement age. Jeff Traylor has taken that to a new level.

He’s 71 years old, a Vietnam veteran, and he’s working with the Air Force as a contractor in Afghanistan. He’s doing it because he needed the job.

“Regardless of what they may say about age discrimination, it still exists,” Traylor tells Here and Now’s Jeremy Hobson. “I can tell it from the way that my applications were received. That’s one issue. And then I have a lot of experience and I bring a lot to the table for a company, but most of them are not willing to pay for those services and education that I’ve gained in my many, many years in the industry.”
go here for more and interview

Hagel: Furloughed Pentagon civilians to be recalled back to work

Hagel: Furloughed Pentagon civilians to be recalled back to work
Stars and Stripes
Chris Carroll
Published: October 5, 2013

WASHINGTON — Defense Department civilians who support "the morale, well-being, capabilities and readiness of service members" will soon be recalled from furlough, Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel announced Saturday.

That applies to most – but not all - of 400,000 furloughed civilian workers, Hagel said in a statement that directed the military services and other DOD components to begin quickly identifying workers who could return.

"I expect us to be able to significantly reduce – but not eliminate – civilian furloughs under this process," Hagel wrote. "Employees can expect to hear more information from their managers starting this weekend."

The decision was based on a law, the "Pay Our Military Act," passed Monday on the eve of the government shutdown. The law authorized Hagel to not only pay military members as well as civilians already been classified as "excepted" and ordered to stay on the job -- it also gave him latitude to order an end to furloughs for many, he said.
read more here

Six months leave and $280,000 for contractors in Afghanistan?

Before you read the report there is something that really made me scream

The Army's internal investigation showed that supervisors directed team members to claim the maximum amount of overtime and comp time possible, earning them salaries topping $280,000 and entitling them to six months paid leave upon returning to the United States.

Thinking about what the troops make for what they do and how long they have to do it, this should have everyone screaming!
Army leaders warned about issues with social scientists
USA TODAY
Tom Vanden Brook
September 23, 2013

Documents show concerns about Human Terrain Team members reached high levels of the Army.

WASHINGTON — Senior Army leaders were warned about potential fraud and rampant sexual harassment by government social scientists sent to Iraq and Afghanistan under the Army's Human Terrain System, newly released documents show.

An investigation of time cards submitted by the Human Terrain Team members in 2009 and 2010 "revealed irregularities both in overtime and compensatory time card reporting...Of note, supervisory involvement in the time sheet management process was not documented, nor does there appear to be an auditable system in place," according to documents released by the Army.

In February, a USA TODAY investigation of the program found substantiated instances of sexual harassment and racism, potential fraud in filing time sheets and indifference to the reports team members had produced. The Army documents were obtained earlier this year by USA TODAY through a Freedom of Information Act request. But the Army withheld some part of the report then, and released them this month after a series of FOIA appeals.
read more here

Veterans fear being stigmatized in wake of shooting

Veterans fear being stigmatized in wake of shooting
By WASHINGTON POST
September 21, 2013

Will Simmons felt a sickening sense of familiarity when news bulletins scrolling across his computer screen Monday identified the Washington Navy Yard shooter as a veteran.

“I thought, 'Here we go again,' “ recalled Simmons, 31, an Iraq war veteran who was at his pharmaceutical office job in New Jersey that day. “It's going to turn into a disgruntled veteran story. It was like a punch in the gut to see it was a vet.“

Many veterans groups and advocates complain that news media portrayals of onetime Navy reservist Aaron Alexis as a troubled veteran plays into a stereotype that causes problems for former members of the military.

“They talk about it like it's some sort of explanation,“ said Tom Tarantino, chief of policy for Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America. “It perpetuates the stigma of the ticking time bomb or disturbed vets. To talk about it as relevant is not only insulting, but it also does a disservice to hundreds of thousands of veterans.“

Some warn that calls to clamp down on security clearances for federal workers and contractors who have mental-health issues could discourage veterans from seeking treatment for post-traumatic stress disorder. On Wednesday, Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel ordered a broad review of the security clearance procedures.

Simmons said he was concerned about assumptions that the attack was tied to Alexis' military service and speculation about possible post-traumatic stress. Alexis did not deploy for overseas service.

“As someone diagnosed with PTSD, that was pretty offensive,“ said Simmons, who served at Balad Air Base in 2007 with an Air Force Office of Special Investigation unit that came under fire during counterterrorism operations. “Shooter-veteran-PTSD - it all gets lumped together.“
read more here

PTSD trauma survivors are on the job every day, actions of one not all

Did recruitment issues let gunman in the military?

Aaron Alexis Enlisted In Navy During Period Of Criminal Record Waivers
Huffington Post
David Wood
Posted: 09/17/2013

Alleged Washington Navy Yard shooter Aaron Alexis was able to enlist in the Navy in 2007, despite an earlier shooting incident in which he claimed to have "blacked out" -- a record which normally might have disqualified him for military service.

But at the time, the Navy and the other military services were struggling to reach their wartime recruiting goals, and were granting thousands of waivers to potential recruits with criminal backgrounds.

The Navy declined to release Alexis' personnel records, and a spokesman for the Navy Recruiting Command, in Millington, Tenn., said the command does not keep data on waivers.

Navy officials confirmed Tuesday that during his military service, Alexis was cited for many instances of misconduct, including unauthorized absence from work, insubordination, absence without leave, disorderly conduct and a minor failure of a room inspection.

Military recruiting standards, according to a Defense Department directive, are intended to screen out individuals "who are likely to become disciplinary cases or security risks or who disrupt good order, morale and discipline." The directive allows senior officers to authorize some exceptions to the standards, known as waivers.
read more here

Gunman killed 12 at Navy yard, press slammed thousands

Here is another headline for you
VA: Aaron Alexis never sought treatment for PTSD

Washington Navy Yard Day From Hell leaving 12 dead and 8 injured along with hundreds in shock. Family and friends of the shooter are dealing with a lot of questions along with family and friends of his victims. Reporters are trying to figure out how to get more attention for their reports by making sure they PTSD tied into the motive.

The headlines are starting to show up like this one from USA Today
PTSD reportedly affected alleged shooter

Why not? After all, using PTSD doesn't cost them anything but it does cost veterans with PTSD more stress because reporters focus on the minority of veterans committing crimes instead of the real suffering going on.

VA claims
Post-9/11 (Iraq and Afghanistan conflicts) claims make up 21% of the total inventory and 22% of the backlog Gulf War (definition) claims make up 23% of the total inventory and 21% of the backlog
Peacetime (period between end of Vietnam and Gulf War) claims make up 11% of the total inventory and 11% of the backlog
Vietnam claims make up 37% of the total inventory and 38% of the backlog
Korean War claims make 4% of the total inventory and 4% of the backlog
World War II claims make up 3% of the total inventory and 3% of the backlog
Other era claims make up 1% of the total inventory and 1% of the backlog

While not all of these claims are for PTSD there are hundreds of thousands of veterans with PTSD from all wars. The truth is they are more likely to commit suicide than commit any kind of crime but the press doesn't focus on that part. There are 55 veterans a day trying to kill themselves while at least 22 a day succeed.

Washington gunman hails from New York, called ‘sweet,’ ‘peaceful’ despite rap sheet The 6-foot-one, 190-pound shooter was born in Queens, according to the FBI. Friends described him as a ‘sweet’ and ‘peaceful’ guy who studied Buddhism, but he had a history of anger-driven incidents that got him in trouble with the law, arrest records show. (New York Daily News, Ginger Adams Otis, September 16, 2013)

The "peaceful guy" decided to kill people yesterday but the press decided they would yet again make sure they tied PTSD to the story.

I talk to these guys all the time and they are more likely to harm themselves than anyone else. The systems treating them are pitiful examples of what is wrong. When you read a story about someone like the shooter being treated it is more an example of the failures of these "systems" than a reflection of what a veteran is.

Washington Navy Yard Day From Hell

Live updates: Navy Yard shooter 'had a pattern of misconduct'
LA Times
By Richard Simon, David S. Cloud and Brian Bennett
September 16, 2013

WASHINGTON — The 34-year-old former Navy electrician’s mate identified as the gunman who killed 12 people at the Washington Navy Yard had been discharged from the service in 2011 after multiple disciplinary infractions, a Navy officer said Monday.

Aaron Alexis “had a pattern of misconduct,” the official said.

Law enforcement officials have identified Alexis as the shooter who went on a two-hour rampage at the sprawling naval base in Washington, but have not yet said what they believe was his motive.

Alexis, a native of New York, who served in the Navy from 2007 to 2011 as an aviation electrician’s mate 3rd class, entered the base early Monday morning, authorities said, perhaps using another man’s identification card to pass through the gates.

Once inside, officials said, he headed for the massive Building 197, the headquarters of the Navy Sea Systems Command. Armed with three weapons, including an AR-15 assault rifle, he went to the building’s fourth floor, according to officials. About 8:15 a.m., according to witness accounts and police dispatch recordings, the gunman began shooting down into a crowded atrium that houses an employee cafeteria.

Washington police and Navy security officials engaged in “multiple” exchanges of fire with Alexis over the next two hours, Metropolitan Police Department Chief Cathy Lanier told reporters, eventually shooting and killing him.

From 2008 until his discharge in 2011, Alexis was a member of an aviation support squadron based in Fort Worth, Texas, where he worked on C-40s, a military version of the Boeing 737 that the Navy uses as a cargo plane. Law enforcement officials said that he was more recently working as a military contractor. read more here

13 killed in Navy Yard shooting rampage
Dead suspect identified
CNN
By Barbara Starr. Catherine E. Shoichet and Pamela Brown
updated 5:02 PM EDT, Mon September 16, 2013

STORY HIGHLIGHTS
NEW: DC mayor: "We don't have any reason at this stage to suspect terrorism"
13 people now are confirmed dead in the shooting
The FBI seeks the public's help tracking down information about the suspect
Aaron Alexis, a 34-year-old military contractor, is the dead suspect, the FBI says

Washington (CNN) -- The FBI has identified the dead suspect in Monday's shooting rampage at the Washington Navy Yard as Aaron Alexis, 34, a military contractor from Texas.

The suspect was positively identified using fingerprints and ID, the Washington FBI Field Office said, asking members of the public for assistance tracking down information about Alexis.

"No piece of information is too small," said Valerie Parlave, assistant director in charge of the office.

"We are looking to learn everything we can about his recent movements, his contacts and associates."

Authorities said at least 13 people -- including the suspect -- were killed and about a dozen others were injured in the shooting, which put government buildings on lockdown and sent police SWAT teams rushing to the scene.

Witness: "He aimed his gun at us" and fired

Maintenance worker tried to warn others in D.C. Navy Yard rampage

Timeline of Navy Yard shooting developments

Commander saw man shot in head

PTSD Iraq veteran beaten and lost job after trying to stay alive

Wounded military veteran says parking violation turned into ugly takedown
Jesus Seineke says incident led to him losing job
ABC News 10
Michael Chen
September 14, 2013

SAN DIEGO - A wounded war veteran is outraged after he claims military police beat him when a parking violation went terribly wrong.

Jesus Seineke said a simple parking ticket turned into an ugly incident earlier this year, and when he tried to complain about it, it cost him his job.

Seineke served give years in the Army infantry. During a gunfight in Iraq, he suffered a traumatic brain injury.

He said he thought he left the violence behind when he returned to the U.S., but things turned ugly during a traffic stop at Naval Base San Diego.

In February, Seineke -- diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder -- was at his jobs as an engineer tech for a defense contractor when he stopped by the base to tell a supervisor he needed to go to treatment that day.

"I was feeling depressed and suicidal that day," said Seineke.
read more here

Camp Lejeune Marine charged with killing contractor from Florida

NC Marine charged in death of civilian contractor
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
August 11, 2013

JACKSONVILLE, N.C. -- Authorities say a 24-year-old Marine at Camp Lejeune has been charged with killing a former deputy from Crestview, Fla., at a shooting at his Jacksonville home.

Police said they arrested Cpl. Benjamin Marisic shortly after officers were called to his home around 3:45 a.m. Friday and found 39-year-old Dale Smith dead.

Investigators are trying to determine a motive for the shooting.
read more here