Domestic Violence: Two Fort Campbell Soldiers Killed

2 Fort Campbell Soldiers Killed, Suspect in Custody
By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
OAK GROVE, Ky.
Feb 3, 2017

Fort Campbell said in a statement Friday night that East and Hoch were both specialists and that Hoch was posthumously promoted to the rank of sergeant.

East, of Missouri City, Texas, was a health care specialist who joined the Army in 2011 and began serving at Fort Campbell in 2014.

Hoch, of Ferndale, Michigan, was an infantryman who joined the Army in 2013 and arrived at Fort Campbell later that year.

A domestic dispute near Fort Campbell has left two soldiers dead and a juvenile wounded, authorities said Friday.

Jeremy Demar, 35, of Clarksville, Tennessee, forced his way into a house in Oak Grove, Kentucky, where he had tracked down his estranged wife, 32-year-old Priscilla Ann East, on Thursday night and fatally shot her and 28-year-old Christopher Ryan Hoch, Kentucky State Police said in a statement. East and Hoch were soldiers at the Army post on the Kentucky-Tennessee line, the statement said.

Demar was charged Friday with murder, murder-domestic violence, burglary and assault. He is being held at the Montgomery County Jail. Records don't indicate whether he has an attorney.
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Camp Pendleton and Hospital Corpsman Saved Neighbor and Daughter

'She's Family': Sailor Saves Mom, Daughter From Stabbing 
Jennifer Barela and her daughter were attacked viciously by Barela's husband in November
San Diego Miiltary Times
By Brie Stimson and Candice Nguyen 
March 28, 2016

Jaclyn Place, 30, was doing homework in her Oceanside home late one night last November when she heard screams coming from her neighbor’s house.

“The volume was escalating,” Place said. “That’s when I decided to go outside and noticed [my neighbor] was calling for me. As soon as I opened the door I saw her -- then a flash-- it was him running. She was screaming ‘he stabbed me,’ and as she turned I saw blood all the way down her back. I had a fight or flight second, and then went to work.”

Her neighbor, Jennifer Barela, was referring to her husband who had just viciously attacked her with a knife. Place, a lead chief petty officer at Camp Pendleton and hospital corpsman, began assessing Barela’s condition. She also called another neighbor, Staff Sgt. Thomas McDonald with the 13th Marine Expeditionary Unit, instructing him to bring his first aid medical bag.
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Fort Campbell Soldier Died After Wife Found Dead

UPDATE: Soldier did U-turn on Interstate before hitting semi
Leaf Chronicle
Stephanie Ingersoll
March 3, 2016

CLARKSVILLE, Tenn. — Clarksville Police say an 18-year-old woman found dead near the state line Wednesday had been assaulted by her husband, who then drove the wrong way on Interstate 24 and died before colliding with a semi.

At about 9:26 a.m., Wednesday officers of the Clarksville Police Department were called for a welfare check at 160 State Line Road, Apartment 13. Arriving officers found 18-year-old Katelyn Thomas (Baldoni) dead inside the apartment.

Investigators say she had been assaulted by her 21-year-old husband, Deashawn Thomas, a soldier at Fort Campbell. Investigators did not say how she was assaulted or whether that led to her death.
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Linked from Lexington Herald Leader

Virginia Gunman Facing Murder Charges, Pentagon Army Staff Sergeant

UPDATE
Police: Army staff sergeant killed rookie cop who was Marine reservist

Guindon was a former Marine Corps reservist and had a master's degree in forensic science, according to Hudson. Guindon served in the Marine Corps Reserves from May 2007 to February 2015 as a field radio operator, said Capt. Andrew Chrestman, a spokesman for U.S. Marine Corps Forces Reserve. She ultimately reached the rank of corporal and was awarded the National Defense Service Medal and the Selected Marine Corps Reserve Medal.

Virginia police officer killed on her first day on the job; man charged
CNN
By Ralph Ellis, Faith Karimi and Joe Sutton
Updated 4:02 PM ET, Sun February 28, 2016
Video Source: WJLA

Ronald Williams Hamilton faces two murder charges.

Hamilton is an active duty Army staff sergeant assigned to the Joint Staff Support Center at the Pentagon, said Cindy Your of the Defense Information Systems Agency at Fort Meade, Maryland.

Ashley Guindon was sworn in as an officer on Friday.

CNN)A police department in a Washington suburb is mourning an officer who was killed during her first day on the job.

Ashley Guindon, 28, of the Prince William County Police Department was fatally shot Saturday in Woodbridge, Virginia, while answering a domestic call in which two other officers were wounded and the suspect's wife was killed, county police Chief Steve Hudson said at a news conference on Sunday. Guindon had taken the oath of office on Friday.

Ashley Guindon was sworn in as an officer on Friday.

"The Prince William County Police Department is in deep mourning," Hudson said. "This is a sad day for everybody in this room, a sad day for law enforcement."

Ronald Williams Hamilton, 32, is accused of shooting the three police officers as they approached the front door of his house about 5:30 p.m. Saturday, Hudson said.
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After 21 Years of Service, Combat Veteran Beaten by Girlfriend

Sergeant who served in Afghanistan, Bosnia and Northern Ireland was beaten to a pulp by his dumbbell-wielding girlfriend
Daily Mail UK
By AMANDA WILLIAMS FOR MAILONLINE
PUBLISHED:22 February 2016

Rob Bryan has served in Afghanistan, Bosnia and Northern Ireland
He was left lying in blood after he was attacked by Angelique Doyle
He is sharing his story to help other male victims of domestic violence

The 36-year-old smashed a glass and a bottle over his head before battering him with a stool and biting him. She picked up a 12kg dumbbell, and launched it at his face, breaking his nose and leaving the father needing hospital treatment

A war veteran who served in Afghanistan, Bosnia and Northern Ireland was beaten to a pulp by his girlfriend in an unprovoked attack with a dumbbell.

Rob Bryan, was left lying in a pool of blood at his flat in Manchester after the attack at the hands of partner Angelique Doyle.

The 36-year-old smashed a glass and a wine bottle over his head before battering him with a stool and biting him.

She picked up a 12kg dumbbell, and launched it at his face, breaking his nose and leaving the father needing hospital treatment.

Now the former soldier is sharing his story to urge other male victims of domestic violence to speak out.

The 43-year-old, who was discharged from the army with PTSD in March 2014 after 21 years of service, had been in a relationship with Doyle for 15 months.
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After Standoff Iraq Veteran Faces Charges

First question is, "Did he get diagnosed or was PTSD an assumption?" Next, it would be great to know if he was in treatment, on medication or plus using substances that have been known to cause "outbursts" like this. It is very rare for them to get this out of control, but it does happen.

Police: Wife in Ormond standoff recounts 'PTSD rage'
Man now faces additional charge of attempted murder
Daytona Beach News Journal
By Lyda Longa
Published: Thursday, September 17, 2015

An Ormond Beach father and husband was additionally charged Thursday with attempted second-degree murder after his wife described to police a horrific night of "PTSD rage."

Before barricading himself in his house for seven hours on Wednesday, Kevin Hamilton attacked his wife, threatened to kill his family and shoot himself in front of his crying 4-year-old son, police reports state.

Julie Hamilton recounted a night of violence and fear with Kevin Hamilton telling Ormond Beach police investigators that her spouse snapped after drinking rum and Fireball whiskey. The couple had been discussing a possible divorce or separation, but then began talking about salvaging their marriage, reports show.

The suspect, 36, suffers not only from post traumatic stress disorder from serving in the militiary in Iraq, but a neighbor who knows him well said Hamilton also suffered a brain injury in combat. Officials did not say in what branch of the military Kevin Hamilton served.
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Former Marine Charged with Murder in Shooting Death of Wife

Former Marine charged with murder in shooting death of wife at Jemison doctor's office 
AL.com
By Carol Robinson
April 13, 2015

A domestic shooting on Monday, April 13, 2015 led to the fatal shooting of Leaj Jarvis Price, 24. Her husband, 26-year-old Eric Heath Price, is charged with murder. Facebook

Authorities late this afternoon charged a man with murder in the shooting death of his wife at a Jemison doctor's office earlier today.

Eric "Heath" Price, a 26-year-old former U.S. Marine, was taken to UAB Hospital where he remains under police guard.

Price's family members say he was wounded during the takedown, but law enforcement officials say Price shot himself in the head and is expected to survive.

Jemison Police Chief Shane Fulmer identified the victim as 24-year-old Leaj Jarvis Price. She died on the scene from a gunshot wound to the head.

Price apparently posted on Facebook shortly after the shooting of his wife. "im sorry everyone, its been real, good bye and i love you all" and "I dei today."

The Facebook page was taken down just before 11:30 a.m.
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Soldier's Wife Does Unthinkable Quieting Children

Woman slashes her children's throats to quiet them, police say 
CNN
By Emma Lacey-Bordeaux
January 28, 2015

Thomas Booth has not been charged, and KOMO reports that police do not suspect he played any kind of role in the violence. KOMO reports he's an active-duty soldier who was recently deployed overseas.

(CNN)A young mother in Washington state has been charged with attempted murder after authorities say she cut her children's throats in an attempt to keep them quiet.

Over the weekend, Christina Booth called 911 to report that her three children were crying nonstop and "needed medical attention," according to a recent probable cause filing. The 28-year-old and her husband, Thomas Booth, have three children, a 2-year-old and 6-month-old twins. When officers arrived at the Olympia, Washington, home Saturday night, they found a troubling scene.

As spelled out by a local prosecutor, police saw the twins on the couch crying "uncontrollably" and "bleeding from their necks."

 One officer then went upstairs and found the couple's 2-year-old in bed, under the covers with "dry blood all over her."

 All three were taken to a local hospital, where, CNN affiliate KOMO reports, they underwent surgery. They are now in stable condition and will be placed in protective custody. In their probable cause filing, authorities paint a picture of a mother overwhelmed and suffering from postpartum depression. A judge set bail for Booth at $3 million, KCPQ, another CNN affiliate, reported.
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Man Facing Charges After Fort Campbell Soldier Shot

Ft. Campbell soldier shot on New Year’s remains critical 
Leaf Chronicle
Tavia D. Green
January 2, 2015

CLARKSVILLE, Tenn. – A Fort Campbell soldier who was shot by the father of her child on New Year’s Day remains in critical but stable condition at Vanderbilt University Medical Center.

Clarksville Police report the victim, 22-year-old Chelcee Sine-Garza, was shot by Malcolm R. Turner multiple times at her Cranklen Circle home around 12:50 p.m. following an argument, according to a Clarksville Police report.

When Clarksville Police arrived, they found Sine-Garza laying on the ground bleeding. She was covered in blood and had several gunshot wounds to her body, but was alert and able to talk, according to the report.

Sine-Garza told police Turner came to the house with his wife in a blue car. They had an argument, and he shot her. She told the police Turner lived in Colorado and the car had a Georgia plate.
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Man sought in death of six people in Pennsburg PA

SUSPECT IDENTIFIED IN MONTGOMERY COUNTY KILLING SPREE; SIX DEAD
ABC News
Updated 4 mins ago

PENNSBURG, Pa. (WPVI) -- Authorities have identified the man sought in a Montgomery County killing spree that left six people dead.

Bradley William Stone, 35, of Pennsburg, Pa. is being sought in the deaths of those six people. All of the victims had a 'familial' relationship with Stone, the Montgomery County District Attorney's Office said.

The Montgomery County DA says Stone is described as 5'10" tall and weighs 195 pounds. He has a red or auburn beard and mustache with closely cropped hair.

Stone is known to use a cane or walker to assist him, the DA said, and he may be wearing military fatigues, in either sand or green color.

The DA says: "Stone should be considered armed and dangerous. Anyone with information about Stone's whereabouts is asked to call 9-1-1 immediately. Do not approach him."

"Police are conducting an extensive search in and around Pennsburg, at both known and outdoor locations where Stone may be located."

"People in that area should remain indoors, keep their doors locked and call 9-1-1 if they think they have seen the suspect."
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UPDATE

6 dead in Montgomery County shooting spree, police hunt for suspected gunman
MCALL.com
By Dan Sheehan, Pat Lester, Manuel Gamiz Jr.
Of The Morning Call
December 15, 5:38 PM

A military veteran from Pennsburg diagnosed with post traumatic stress disorder killed his estranged wife in Lower Salford Township, neighbors say, the start of a shooting rampage Monday that Montgomery County authorities say claimed five more lives.

Bradley W. Stone, 35, allegedly killed a total of six family members in Lower Salford, Lansdale and Souderton, according to the district attorney's office, and seriously wounded another.

Stone is still on the loose and considered armed and dangerous. He may be wearing military fatigues and using a cane or walker to get around.

The shootings took place in three different locations in Montgomery County.
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UPDATE 12/16/2014
Montgomery County Shooting Spree Suspect Bradley Stone Found Dead in Woods

Gulf War Air Force Veteran Fights for Neglected Female Veterans

Female vets offer help to neglected comrades
Women give a voice to overlooked female troops
Gainesville Times
By Chelsey Abercrombie
POSTED: December 7, 2014

“A man walks around and he’s wearing a veteran’s hat and that’s OK,” she said. “But if a women does it, she’s just wanting attention.”

Teresa Lambert, of Women Veteran Social Justice, discusses veteran’s issues Wednesday morning in the studios of Decibel Radio at the University of North Georgia Gainesville campus.
By SCOTT ROGERS (The Times)

When Teresa Lambert graduated high school in 1988, she found herself on a more unique path than most of her fellow female classmates.

Lambert joined the U.S. Air Force at 17 and began a career in air transportation. In the overwhelmingly male-dominated field, she relished the challenge.

“It’s considered a man’s career field, so it was a perfect fit for me because I grew up as a tomboy and there was nothing a man could do that I couldn’t do,” Lambert said.

However, her life in the military was not idyllic. She faced several obstacles during her tenure in the Air Force.

But each obstacle she overcame led her to helping others through their own journeys as active service members and veterans.

Now, the University of North Georgia student serves as the Northeast Georgia ambassador for Women Veteran Social Justice, an organization that advocates for female veterans and their needs.

A big part of Lambert’s job is reaching out to female veterans via social media, as many of them are disabled and can’t leave their homes. WVSJ also connects female veterans with job skills training and counsels them on how to get the Veterans Administration benefits to which they are entitled.

But Lambert’s journey with the military started years earlier.

Lambert’s tale During the Michigan native’s military career, she oversaw air transportation of cargo. And she served in Operation Desert Storm in Iraq and Kuwait in 1991.

But a decade of service in a physically demanding job took its toll. Her marriage to a civilian became embroiled in domestic abuse.

It was then Lambert discovered the military’s resources fell short of helping her cope.

“The Air Force’s way of handling (my husband’s abuse) was just to always send him back to the States, just basically to get rid of the problem,” said Lambert, who was stationed overseas at the time. “They got rid of him, but I didn’t get any of the support or the recognition from my command that I was in a domestically abusive marriage.”
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Husband Charged After Fort Bliss Soldier Found Dead

Fort Bliss soldier killed in North Central El Paso apartment, husband arrested
El Paso Times
By Aaron Martinez
POSTED: 12/05/2014

The Fort Bliss soldier found dead Thursday afternoon in a North Central El Paso apartment was slain, and her husband has been arrested, officials said.

Pfc. Christina Bukovcik, 20, was found Thursday about 3:45 p.m. at the High Vista Apartments, 5041 Alabama, after police were called to check on her.

Police would not say how she was killed. Bukovcik was a food service specialist at Fort Bliss, post officials said.

According to Bukovcik's Facebook page, she is from Norwalk, Conn.

Her husband, Geomel Shaffa, 22, was arrested in Arizona in connection with her death. Shaffa was a former soldier in the Army, a post official said. No further details on his time in the army were released.

The aggravated assault charge was in connection to an incident in which Shaffa allegedly threw his wife at the time, Mariza Shaffa, off a third-story balcony, according to the El Paso Times archives. Shaffa was arrested on Oct. 26, 2013, and released from El Paso County Jail in March 2014.
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Abused Mom Dies After Saving Baby

Mother saves baby with last breath
WSB Radio
By Pete Combs
September 18, 2014

She was young, beautiful and tragically killed by her daughter’s father early Sunday morning. Now, Jessica Arrendale, 33, is being hailed by her family as a hero for saving her six-month old daughter’s life, even as she died from a bullet to the head.

Jessica’s mother, Teresa Inniello, spoke exclusively with WSB’s Pete Combs Wednesday night, telling him the sad details of her daughter’s death and the miraculous survival of her granddaughter, Cobie.

It began Saturday night when Jessica and Cobie’s father, 30-year old Antoine Davis, went out for the evening. At some point, Ionniello said, Davis, a former Marine who served in Iraq, became belligerently drunk and abusive. It had happened many times, Ionniello said, but her daughter did not seem able to turn Davis away no matter how often he abused her.
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PTSD On Trial: Husband Guilty of Setting Wife on Fire

Thurston County man to serve time for setting wife on fire
The Olympian
BY AMELIA DICKSON
Staff writer
September 9, 2014

A Thurston County man was sentenced Tuesday to six years and seven months in prison after he pleaded guilty to pouring lighter fluid on his wife’s legs and igniting it in 2011.

In March of 2012, Duane M. Rader was found guilty of first-degree arson, felony harassment, unlawful imprisonment and fourth-degree assault and sentenced to 10 years in prison, with the court acquitting him of first-degree attempted murder charges.

But the sentence was overturned by the Washington State Court of Appeals in January of this year because the court improperly calculated his offender score during the original trial.

At a court appearance Tuesday, he pleaded guilty to the same charges — first-degree arson, felony harassment, unlawful imprisonment and fourth-degree assault — in addition to three charges of violating a no-contact order.

The main charges stem from a Feb. 13, 2011, assault that left Rader’s wife with second degree burns on her legs. She initially told Thurston County Sheriff’s deputies that she was trying to refill her lighter and accidentally lit her legs on fire, according to charging documents. The deputies didn’t arrest Rader at the time because they weren’t sure what had happened.

Rader served in the Army for 15 years and completed three overseas tours. The experience left him with post-traumatic stress disorder, and he “self-medicated” with alcohol, O’Connor said.

But Hirsch argued that post-traumatic stress disorder isn’t an excuse for committing violent crimes.

“Although that was an awful experience for you, I don’t believe that PTSD causes domestic violence,” Hirsch said.
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Police make visits with message for PTSD veterans

Police To Repeat Offenders: Let Us Help
CBS
Joel Thomas
March 31, 2014

BEDFORD (CBSDFW.COM) - He’s a former soldier who suffers the effects of PTSD and recent marriage problems. To protect his identity we’ll just call him Chuck.

“Losing my family like that, no one can ever really explain what you’re going through,” Chuck said.

Police know Chuck. They’ve visited on disturbance calls. He’s what police refer to as a repeat victim, people who often have disorders who police see more than once a year.

Bedford found that 9% of the people they dealt with were responsible for 20% of all their cases.

“Especially on the domestic violence side, repeated offenses against the same person,” said Bedford Police Chief Roger Gibson. “And on the mental health side, the same person being hospitalized over and over.”

Thursday, Chuck received a welcome visit from two specially trained officers and a counselor. They’re three of the four members of the Repeat Victimization Unit. They’re here to listen.
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David Lynch Foundation TM Women's Initiative

Doing nothing hasn't worked for you. Medication hasn't worked for you. Maybe everything you've tried so far hasn't worked but you haven't tried everything. Keep looking until you find the best way for you to heal!

The David Lynch Foundation Women's Initiative

 DavidLynchFoundation

Published on Dec 10, 2013

http://davidlynchfoundation.org/women

Domestic violence, rape and violent assault are all around us. Consider these facts:

One out of four women will be assaulted or raped by their spouse or intimate partner during their lifetime, and nearly 3 million children are witnesses to it every year.

250,000 children are at risk of becoming victims of sex trafficking every year.

In the military, 19,000 incidences of rape and sexual assault against female military personnel were recorded in 2010 alone.

To help combat the epidemic of violence and assault against women and children, the David Lynch Foundation launched a Women's Initiative in 2012 that offers Transcendental Meditation, an evidence-based, alternative therapy shown to heal and empower victims of abuse. The Initiative partners with leaders in the field of domestic violence and human trafficking across the U.S. and around the world to provide this therapy to women and children who need it most. Key findings from over 340 peer-reviewed studies include:

Reduced flashbacks and bad memories

Greater resistance to stress

Twice the effectiveness of conventional approaches for reducing alcoholism and substance abuse

42% decrease in insomnia

Twice as effective as other relaxation techniques for decreasing trait anxiety

Improved quality of life

"The person who had assaulted me almost tried to actually kill me. Finally, I found a way to escape but I had no money and nowhere to go. Being homeless... that feeling I think is the worst feeling I've ever had. And because there was so much stress, I started losing my hair as well. At that point I felt I just didn't want to to be part of this world anymore."

"He would just beat me up until he sees I'm unconscious, choke me until I passed out, and unfortunately he did these things in front of my child. When I look back to all... what I went through, it's truly a miracle that I'm alive."

"I was a platoon sergeant over in Iraq. As soon as that truck in front of mine blew up, all hell broke loose. Here come the bullets, just all over the place. I sustained multiple injuries to my face, torso, stomach, and legs. On November 18, 2011, I stood in the window ledge and shut my eyes and said a prayer, and was about to jump. I know what got me into that window ledge, but I also know what got me out of that window ledge and why I'm here now."

"When I started practicing Transcendental Meditation I just felt new, refreshed, reborn. And my hair started growing back, I'm very happy about that. I think if it can change my life it can change anyone's life. It's, like, miraculous."

"To learn TM has been, like, a life-changing experience. I feel hopeful. Life that has been grey for so long became come back to colors. I wish everybody have the opportunity to learn this."

"I believe in my heart Transcendental Meditation is a humongous portion of the reason I'm still sitting here now. To know that something as small of a concept - 20 minutes twice a day - can make me feel like I feel now. That's a gift that you can't buy. I've never felt this good in life, I don't think. It's given me me back."

Become a founding donor of the David Lynch Foundation Women's Initiative: http://www.davidlynchfoundation.org/d...

Green Beret Command Sgt. Major arrested for elder assault

Would anyone like to explain again how the "training" the military has been doing to help soldiers is working?

Allegation: Fort Carson Green Beret beat up mother-in-law in wheelchair
The Gazette
By Lance Benzel
Published: November 26, 2013

A top-ranking soldier in Fort Carson's secretive Green Berets was jailed Saturday on allegations of physically assaulting his elderly mother-in-law.

Jerry Lentz Lambert, 52, was booked into Teller County jail on suspicion of a crime against an at-risk person, third-degree assault and child abuse after authorities say he forced a plate of food into the 82-year-old woman's face and rammed her wheelchair into a table.

The woman's injuries did not require her to be hospitalized, family members said. Lambert was released Monday afternoon after posting $1,000 bail.

Police decided to pursue a child abuse charge because children were home and witnessed the alleged attack in the 1500 block of Crestview Way, said Woodland Park police Sgt. Thomas Kinney.

The 10th Special Forces Group - or Green Berets - confirmed Monday that Lambert works in the unit as a command sergeant major, the highest rank available to enlisted soldiers.
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There was also this out of Fort Carson

Fort Carson soldier suspected in attempted kidnapping
November 24, 2013
COLORADO SPRINGS, COLO. — A 28-year-old Fort Carson soldier was arrested after police say he crawled into the back seat of a woman’s car in downtown Colorado Springs and threatened to hurt her unless she drove away.

The Gazette reports Staff Sgt. Matthew Warren was arrested early Saturday and is being held on suspicion of attempted second-degree kidnapping.

Family violence in the military

My first husband, not a veteran, tried to kill me one night. That was the first and last time he was able to hurt me. Emotional abuse came first but considering what I had been through in my life before we met, it didn't do that much damage. My second husband is a veteran with PTSD.

We've been married 29 years and he is one of the nicest guys there are on this planet.

There were times in the beginning of our marriage when I was leery of how he would react to certain things. One of the first lessons I learned was to not wake him up in the middle of the night when he was having a nightmare in striking distance. Too many other wives had to learn that the hard way.

They didn't understand that during the nightmares, they are not in that bed. They are back in combat with people trying to kill them.

Flashbacks work pretty much the same way. You can see them sitting in the chair, get angry because they are not paying attention to what you are saying, but again, they are not really there.

There are ways to avoid all of this but first you have to understand what PTSD is and where it came from.

Family violence in the military: Batterers or soldiers with PTSD?
Dallas Morning News
By SARAH MERVOSH Staff Writer
Published: 25 October 2013

When men end up in Anne Potts Jackson’s office, the signs often paint them as domestic abusers: controlling behavior, angry outbursts that turn violent.

As an assistant district attorney in Bell County, home of Fort Hood, Jackson tries to determine what’s behind all that. Are these men true batterers, or are they soldiers suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder?

Jackson spoke about domestic abuse in military families Friday at a conference hosted by the Collin County Council on Family Violence at Collin College’s Spring Creek Campus.

With the wars overseas winding down and troops returning from Afghanistan, Jackson said, more veterans will have to “deal with the demons” of war. When they can’t, she said, violence may erupt at home.

“Anger is the predominant emotion of the combat experience. It is the emotion that kept him alive, kept her alive, when he was in Afghanistan or Iraq,” Jackson said. “But it is the thing — the emotion — that will get him arrested at home.”

As an Air Force wife herself, Jackson understands the tensions that exist inside military households.
read more here

They are not getting the help they need in the military no matter what the military says they are doing. They don't get enough help back home. Vietnam veterans didn't get it either but no one was claiming they were "addressing it" until the late 70's. We didn't have the support from the public because no one was talking about it. We didn't have the internet but somehow we managed to find what works.

There is no doubt in my mind that had more families been able to find the support to help their veterans heal, there would be less homeless and suicides. Now there are too many groups claiming to be doing something but as with everything else, doing something is not the same as doing the right thing.

We're getting there but PTSD has been researched for 40 years. We can't get there making the same mistakes over and over again pretending as if any of this is new.

Before they made NFL cheerleader famous reporters missed arrest

The country learned of a beautiful Iraq veteran. Megan Welter went to Iraq, came back home and became a cheerleader for the Arizona Cardinals. The press was all over her story. The problem is she had been arrested on domestic violence the same month the press made her famous.

War veteran NFL cheerleader arrested on domestic violence charges
Megan Welter was arrested on July 20 on charges of alleged assault, disorderly conduct and criminal damage
USA Today
By NATE SCOTT
August 2, 2013

Arizona Cardinal cheerleader and Iraq War veteran Megan Welter, who we profiled earlier this week, was arrested in July on assault charges.

On July 20, Welter made a 911 call saying that she and her boyfriend had been in a physical fight. Both of them had been drinking heavily, and Welter claimed the argument had turned physical.

According to the Scottsdale police report, when officers arrived on the scene, they saw no signs physical contact on Welter’s body. Her boyfriend was also able to show the officers video he had shot on his cell phone of the couple’s altercation.

“People make mistakes, no one is perfect. I honestly want the best for her and I hope that this doesn’t take away from the good things that she has done for both the NFL, as well as the service to our country. People seem to only remember the bad and it is easy to point fingers while standing on the outside. Now with that said, violence is never the answer and I honestly hope that this can be a learning experience for her and everyone else.”
read more here

This morning news sites and the blog world are pushing this story. Why? Is it because she attacked her boyfriend or is it because she has been made famous for something else?

While USA Today was publishing the story of the arrest on Friday, the Christian Post had this story.

Megan Welter, NFL Cheerleader and Iraq War Veteran
'It Was the Right Thing to Do'

"The war was going on at the time when I graduated college," she explained. "I wanted to take a job that was going to meaningful, so I decided the Army."

After completing basic training, Welter decided on Officer Training School, which would give her a "100 percent chance" of going to Iraq, she said in a 2012 video profile for the Cardinals.

"I thought it was the right thing to do. I was deployed to Joint Base Belad which is about an hour north of Baghdad. At first, it was, it was scary you know, but … it's what I signed up to do. It was definitely a sink-or-swim type of experience," she said. Welter was responsible for maintaining communications for one of the largest Army bases in the country.

So which person is Welter? She is all the above. She is complicated and trying to do the right thing for the right reasons but she is not perfect. That is the point. None of us are perfect and that includes reporters pushing a story they think will get a lot of attention but not bothering to check out everything that can be learned about the person they write about.

So we are left with going from this Iraq veteran goes from combat to cheerleading to the headline of her arrest. Would have been better if the reporters bothered to figure out what happened before the interview and someone we celebrated was taken down in a matter of a day.

Celebrated Cardinals cheerleader arrested after alleged assault caught on video
by 3TV
Video report by Javier Soto
Posted on August 1, 2013

"Warren began stabbing himself until his father wrestled the knife away"

Father says son accused of murder suffered from nightmares from Iraq duty
Daily Breeze.com
By Larry Altman, Staff Writer
Posted: 07/31/2013

The father of a U.S. Army veteran accused of murdering his girlfriend in Lawndale testified Wednesday that his son was "different" when he returned home from two tours of duty in Iraq, suffering nightmares, attempting suicide and requiring medication.

Tymarc Warren Sr., whose 28-year-old son, Tymarc Warren Jr., is charged with stabbing his girlfriend to death on Jan. 8, 2011, testified during his son's trial in Torrance Superior Court that the former sergeant encountered a mortar attack on his first day in Iraq in 2002 and later witnessed the death of a friend.

"He kind of scared me a couple times," the father said of his son's return home. "He woke up one day in a cold sweat and talked about his buddy being blown up."

Warren confessed to choking and stabbing 22-year-old Eileen Garnreiter to death inside their Rosecrans Avenue apartment after his arrest, prosecutors said. The crime occurred about a month after Garnreiter gave birth to their daughter.

During testimony Wednesday, Warren's father described rushing to the apartment the couple shared and breaking open the door when his daughter told him she feared something had happened there. Garnreiter was lying face down on the kitchen floor. His son had his arm over her.

"Tymarc asked me to grab the baby," the father said. "She was fine. Tymarc grabbed the knife and said, 'I don't want to live.' "

The younger Warren began stabbing himself until his father wrestled the knife away. Deputies arrived to take him into custody.

Deputy Casey Cheshier said he found Warren on the floor next to Garnreiter's body, and that he immediately confessed.

" 'I killed her because I have hate in my heart,' " Cheshier recalled him saying.

Warren told Cheshier that he stabbed Garnreiter and shoved the knife into her throat when she grabbed it, confessing again, " 'I have the devil and hate in my heart. I stabbed her and then I cut my wrists,' " Cheshier recalled.
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