50 troops wounded in Iraq, Afghanistan gather in Concord firehouse
Vincent Barone
STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- Injured servicemen and women from the Walter Reed Medical Center came to Rescue Co. 5 and Engine 160's fire house today to kickoff this year's weekend stay at Breezy Point, Queens.
One hundred family members, firefighters and police officers came to welcome the troops, some of whom used wheelchairs, others with prosthetic arms or legs.
"All these guys at Rescue 5 and Engine 160 do a great job," said Acting Staten Island Borough Commander Michael Marrone. "We consider it an honor -- to show our appreciation to the troops."
Many of the troops came from all over the country and have never been to New York. At the fire house they were treated to Staten Island pizza and sandwich heroes, but most of all, to their loved ones' support.
After their luncheon at the firehouse, police vehicles and fire trucks escorted the troops on a parade down the Belt Parkway to Rockaway Beach, where they will spend a weekend with citizens of Breezy Point who have opened their homes to the troops.
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Concord firehouse
Showing posts with label wounded veterans. Show all posts
Showing posts with label wounded veterans. Show all posts
Friday, July 9, 2010
Tuesday, July 6, 2010
Good Samaritan Helps Wounded Soldier
Good Samaritan Helps Wounded Soldier
Posted: July 5, 2010 11:26 PM EDT
A roadside bombing in Afghanistan last month left Specialist Devon Pitz with serious injuries. His stepmother Vikki, who recently visited him at Walter Reed Hospital in Washington D.C., says he is making progress.
"He had made four steps while I was there," said Vikki Pitz. "They've got him a special wheel-chair and use the little remote and he can wheel himself around."
To help keep his spirits up, family members have been taking turns staying with the young soldier at the hospital. After his stepmother's last trip to D.C., she returned home to Lawrence County to find a heart-felt card from a stranger.
"I've never met the woman, I just know that she saw the ad in the paper where they we're talking about him and her son was in combat. Also, she said the story touched her and she wanted to do what she could the help my family," said Pitz.
read more here
Good Samaritan Helps Wounded Soldier
Posted: July 5, 2010 11:26 PM EDT
A roadside bombing in Afghanistan last month left Specialist Devon Pitz with serious injuries. His stepmother Vikki, who recently visited him at Walter Reed Hospital in Washington D.C., says he is making progress.
"He had made four steps while I was there," said Vikki Pitz. "They've got him a special wheel-chair and use the little remote and he can wheel himself around."
To help keep his spirits up, family members have been taking turns staying with the young soldier at the hospital. After his stepmother's last trip to D.C., she returned home to Lawrence County to find a heart-felt card from a stranger.
"I've never met the woman, I just know that she saw the ad in the paper where they we're talking about him and her son was in combat. Also, she said the story touched her and she wanted to do what she could the help my family," said Pitz.
read more here
Good Samaritan Helps Wounded Soldier
Monday, June 28, 2010
J.R. Martinez, wounded Iraq veteran, shines in All My Children
After surviving Iraq, Pine Valley's a breeze
Disfigured and nearly killed in a 2003 land-mine explosion, Army vet J.R. Martinez has become the soap opera world's most unlikely star with his role on 'All My Children.'
By Greg Braxton, Los Angeles Times
June 26, 2010 5:54 p.m.
The police station set of "All My Children" buzzed as the cast and crew prepared for a scene. Sitting behind a desk in his officer's uniform all ready to go was J.R. Martinez, smiling as makeup and hair artists attended to actress Shannon Kane, who plays his partner on the ABC soap.
"One day I'll have to get a wig so I know what's it's like to be waited on," he said. "I never have to show up early like everyone else for hair and makeup. I'm camera-ready as soon as I arrive."
Martinez stands out in the glamorous cast of "All My Children," one of daytime's most enduring serials. His face, like much of his body, is badly burned and bears the marks of repeated skin grafts. His left eye slightly droops. His left ear is gone. His shaved head is heavily scarred. A distinctive line separates the smooth bridge of his nose from the burned tip.
Though he doesn't share the perfect hair and silky features of his costars, it is clear that somehow, Martinez, an Iraqi war veteran who was injured in 2003, fits in. He will be among the cast members participating in a salute to the 40-year-old drama during the Daytime Emmy Awards on Sunday night in Las Vegas.
read more here
After surviving Iraq
Disfigured and nearly killed in a 2003 land-mine explosion, Army vet J.R. Martinez has become the soap opera world's most unlikely star with his role on 'All My Children.'
By Greg Braxton, Los Angeles Times
June 26, 2010 5:54 p.m.
The police station set of "All My Children" buzzed as the cast and crew prepared for a scene. Sitting behind a desk in his officer's uniform all ready to go was J.R. Martinez, smiling as makeup and hair artists attended to actress Shannon Kane, who plays his partner on the ABC soap.
"One day I'll have to get a wig so I know what's it's like to be waited on," he said. "I never have to show up early like everyone else for hair and makeup. I'm camera-ready as soon as I arrive."
Martinez stands out in the glamorous cast of "All My Children," one of daytime's most enduring serials. His face, like much of his body, is badly burned and bears the marks of repeated skin grafts. His left eye slightly droops. His left ear is gone. His shaved head is heavily scarred. A distinctive line separates the smooth bridge of his nose from the burned tip.
Though he doesn't share the perfect hair and silky features of his costars, it is clear that somehow, Martinez, an Iraqi war veteran who was injured in 2003, fits in. He will be among the cast members participating in a salute to the 40-year-old drama during the Daytime Emmy Awards on Sunday night in Las Vegas.
read more here
After surviving Iraq
Sunday, June 20, 2010
Jack Nicklaus is helping combat veterans
Jack Nicklaus donates design for VA course
By Gregg Bell - The Associated Press
Posted : Sunday Jun 20, 2010 15:07:09 EDT
LAKEWOOD, Wash. — Jack Nicklaus takes the wrapping off another in his signature line of hybrid clubs and hands it to Danny Dudek.
The Army lieutenant colonel, paralyzed below both knees, is propped up inside a “SoloRider,” a specially designed cart with a seat that tilts up to support disabled golfers when they swing. He takes the new club, leans over the ball and follows the legend’s instructions.
THWACK! The white ball soars into the sunny Northwest sky, past lush evergreens and lands about 150 yards down the driving range.
Dudek’s drive — specifically the dedication and promise for renewal it represents — is why Nicklaus is here outside Tacoma. The golf great is donating his expertise to design what will perhaps be the most appreciated course he’ll ever build.
Nicklaus is helping combat veterans by redesigning and expanding the American Lake Veterans Golf Course. It’s going to be a one-of-a-kind, 18-hole layout geared specifically for disabled golfers.
read more here
Jack Nicklaus donates design for VA course
By Gregg Bell - The Associated Press
Posted : Sunday Jun 20, 2010 15:07:09 EDT
LAKEWOOD, Wash. — Jack Nicklaus takes the wrapping off another in his signature line of hybrid clubs and hands it to Danny Dudek.
The Army lieutenant colonel, paralyzed below both knees, is propped up inside a “SoloRider,” a specially designed cart with a seat that tilts up to support disabled golfers when they swing. He takes the new club, leans over the ball and follows the legend’s instructions.
THWACK! The white ball soars into the sunny Northwest sky, past lush evergreens and lands about 150 yards down the driving range.
Dudek’s drive — specifically the dedication and promise for renewal it represents — is why Nicklaus is here outside Tacoma. The golf great is donating his expertise to design what will perhaps be the most appreciated course he’ll ever build.
Nicklaus is helping combat veterans by redesigning and expanding the American Lake Veterans Golf Course. It’s going to be a one-of-a-kind, 18-hole layout geared specifically for disabled golfers.
read more here
Jack Nicklaus donates design for VA course
Sunday, May 2, 2010
A home fit for a Marine
A home fit for a Marine
By Chris Cobb
The Herald-Zeitung
Published May 2, 2010
MARION — Jose Ivan Perez was trying not to get too emotional. He’s a strong man. After all, he’s a Marine.
But the 24-year-old wouldn’t be blamed for letting emotions get the best of him Friday, as dozens of volunteers were pounding nails and cutting lumber, working to build a new house for the wounded veteran.
“It’s hard to believe it’s actually happening,” he said. “I’m a very proud person. I’ve always done things for myself and kept my feelings in check, but this is just amazing.”
Marine Cpl. Perez, along with the Army Sgt. Nathan Hunt and Marine Cpl. Neil Frustaglio, will all have new homes built for them in a Marion subdivision this weekend by volunteers for Homes for Troops.
The nonprofit uses community donations to build houses for troops who have been severely wounded in the line of duty, many of them amputees. They provide special custom homes to tailor to their needs, and they do so at no cost to the veterans.
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A home fit for a Marine
By Chris Cobb
The Herald-Zeitung
Published May 2, 2010
MARION — Jose Ivan Perez was trying not to get too emotional. He’s a strong man. After all, he’s a Marine.
But the 24-year-old wouldn’t be blamed for letting emotions get the best of him Friday, as dozens of volunteers were pounding nails and cutting lumber, working to build a new house for the wounded veteran.
“It’s hard to believe it’s actually happening,” he said. “I’m a very proud person. I’ve always done things for myself and kept my feelings in check, but this is just amazing.”
Marine Cpl. Perez, along with the Army Sgt. Nathan Hunt and Marine Cpl. Neil Frustaglio, will all have new homes built for them in a Marion subdivision this weekend by volunteers for Homes for Troops.
The nonprofit uses community donations to build houses for troops who have been severely wounded in the line of duty, many of them amputees. They provide special custom homes to tailor to their needs, and they do so at no cost to the veterans.
read more here
A home fit for a Marine
Saturday, March 27, 2010
Wounded veterans take case for service dogs to Capitol Hill
For Iraqi war vet Luiz Montalvan, Tuesday can pick up a dropped cane, even sense when he needs his medications. Wounded veterans and their dogs were on Capitol Hill recently hoping to get more support for the service dog program.
Thursday, March 11, 2010
Fairfax police officer's ministry reaches out to veterans
Fairfax police officer's ministry reaches out to veterans
By Gregg MacDonald
Fairfax County Times
Thursday, March 11, 2010
Somewhere in between her duties as a Fairfax County police officer and raising a 15-month-old daughter, Michelle Humphries manages to touch the lives of hundreds of combat veterans every month through her nonprofit ministry.
A 16-year veteran of the county police department, Humphries, 39, started Arms Outstretched Ministry in 2006 after participating in several overseas mission trips.
"I realized that there was so much need right here at home that needed to be addressed in the same way," she said. The ministry is a registered 501(c)3 nonprofit corporation with nine board members.
Partnering with Gary Bailey, a fellow county police officer who is the founding pastor of Foundation Christian Fellowship Church in Stafford, Humphries' independent ministry heads up nine outreach programs that supply aid to active and wounded soldiers, as well as local foster children, the homeless, inmates and the elderly.
read more hereFairfax police officers ministry reaches out to veterans
By Gregg MacDonald
Fairfax County Times
Thursday, March 11, 2010
Somewhere in between her duties as a Fairfax County police officer and raising a 15-month-old daughter, Michelle Humphries manages to touch the lives of hundreds of combat veterans every month through her nonprofit ministry.
A 16-year veteran of the county police department, Humphries, 39, started Arms Outstretched Ministry in 2006 after participating in several overseas mission trips.
"I realized that there was so much need right here at home that needed to be addressed in the same way," she said. The ministry is a registered 501(c)3 nonprofit corporation with nine board members.
Partnering with Gary Bailey, a fellow county police officer who is the founding pastor of Foundation Christian Fellowship Church in Stafford, Humphries' independent ministry heads up nine outreach programs that supply aid to active and wounded soldiers, as well as local foster children, the homeless, inmates and the elderly.
read more hereFairfax police officers ministry reaches out to veterans
Saturday, February 27, 2010
Tens of thousands of veterans are falling through Voc Rehab's cracks
Video Wounded Soldiers' Homefront Battle
More than 41,000 U.S. servicemen and women have been wounded in Iraq and Afghanistan. Wyatt Andrews reports that for some of these soldiers job training is tough to come by.
More than 41,000 U.S. servicemen and women have been wounded in Iraq and Afghanistan. Wyatt Andrews reports that for some of these soldiers job training is tough to come by.
Notebook: Reporting on Disabled Vets
Wyatt Andrews and Jill Rosenbaum Describe How They Found Problems Within in a Key VA Program for Wounded Veterans
(CBS) By Wyatt Andrews, correspondent and Jill Rosenbaum, producer
After eight years of war, you might think the system for delivering benefits to America's most disabled war veterans would be well organized, efficient and as caring as possible. It's not.
A two-month CBS News investigation of the Department of Veteran's Affairs' (VA) most important benefit program helping disabled vets return to work, a benefit most vets call "Voc Rehab," revealed a program which is beset with contracting and staffing problems -- which often throws needless roadblocks in front of eligible veterans, and which either tolerates or can't prevent wrongful benefit denials for some of the nation's most deserving former warriors.
And because Voc Rehab benefits are only available to disabled veterans, many of whom have already waited years, but finally received a VA disability rating, a wrongful denial coming from Voc Rehab causes an added level of bitterness and sense of betrayal.
The VA does provide Voc Rehab services and training to tens of thousands of veterans every year, but has also consistently been criticized by federal watchdogs and Congress for not tracking the program's true failure rate. The last GAO report on this point, from January of 2009, said Voc Rehab was only successful in its mission 68 percent of the time. And while generally, rehabilitation and training services are difficult to provide to veterans with medical problems or increasingly PTSD -- and are not expected to approach a 100 percent success rate-- the 68 percent figure, given the war-caused spike in applications, means that tens of thousands of veterans are falling through Voc Rehab's cracks. (Source: GAO Report: VA Vocational Rehabilitation and Employment, pages 2, 25)
• Two time Army veteran Jeremy Smith (he joined, left and rejoined after 9/11) is a former Army medic whose spinal cord was injured by a grenade in Afghanistan, as Jeremy raced to treat his fellow soldiers under fire. Jeremy, who is wheelchair bound, says he was turned away by a VA benefits counselor, who falsely claimed Jeremy wasn't disabled enough to qualify.
• Former Marine Sergeant Kenny Lyon's rescue from a battlefield in Iraq and subsequent recovery from the loss of much of his left leg was the subject of a profile on "60 Minutes." Kenny says on his first day of classes at Gettysburg College in Pennsylvania last year, a VA counselor called to deny the Voc Rehab tuition benefits Kenny long thought had been approved. On his first day of class, in other words, he was being asked to turn around and find another college.
• Former Army Lt. Greg Modica was wrongly told by his Voc Rehab counselor the VA would not allow disabled vets to attend flight school. After Greg presented notes of this conversation to the office of Arkansas Rep. Mike Ross (D), the congressman demanded an accounting. Within days, the VA's Little Rock office quickly changed gears, approved Greg for flight school and transferred his case file to a higher level counselor. But during that first conversation, the Little Rock counselor, who is white, told Greg, who is African American, that while flight school was out of the question, Greg could always take his plea for help to Oprah.
• Former Marine Cpl. Brandon Frazier is a veteran of the sustained 2004 Marine assault in Fallujah. Brandon has enough hearing loss and PTSD to meet Voc Rehab's disability requirements, but was falsely told by a VA counselor that Voc Rehab benefits do not cover college level pre law. They do. And since the time of Brandon's improper denial, he's borrowed $40,000 to pay for college himself.
read more here
http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2010/02/26/eveningnews/main6248242.shtml
Tuesday, February 23, 2010
Volunteer army to build house for veteran
The title of this post should be along the lines of when supporting them is real because this is exactly what it is. We can talk all we want about supporting them but if we just wait for the VA or the DOD to do it all, they are the ones suffering for it.
A while ago I had a conversation with a man claiming the "phony PTSD claims" were 50% and that the VA would take care of the legitimate ones. While we know that only a fraction of our veterans seek help for PTSD, that there is no where near enough being done, this man thought they were the problem of the VA and not citizens. He is clearly missing the point that it is the citizens funding service organizations and these organizations exist because the government is not meeting the need.
We can fight all we want to have the VA change but this takes years to do. When a budget is presented, it takes a long time for the funding to be voted on and then even longer for it to work into the system. Yet when people step up, they can write a check and get it done a lot faster. They shouldn't have to do it but because they care, they do and a veteran no longer has to ask himself/herself if anyone cares.
They risk their lives for the entire nation, doing what we ask of them and what few others are willing to do. The least we can do is to answer the call to help them.
An "army" is showing up to help this veteran and it happened after a radio station made his need public. Bless the radio station for making this public and Homes for Our Troops for all the work they are doing to live up to the words "a grateful nation" but also be aware of the thousands of other stories you will never hear about.
A while ago I had a conversation with a man claiming the "phony PTSD claims" were 50% and that the VA would take care of the legitimate ones. While we know that only a fraction of our veterans seek help for PTSD, that there is no where near enough being done, this man thought they were the problem of the VA and not citizens. He is clearly missing the point that it is the citizens funding service organizations and these organizations exist because the government is not meeting the need.
We can fight all we want to have the VA change but this takes years to do. When a budget is presented, it takes a long time for the funding to be voted on and then even longer for it to work into the system. Yet when people step up, they can write a check and get it done a lot faster. They shouldn't have to do it but because they care, they do and a veteran no longer has to ask himself/herself if anyone cares.
They risk their lives for the entire nation, doing what we ask of them and what few others are willing to do. The least we can do is to answer the call to help them.
An "army" is showing up to help this veteran and it happened after a radio station made his need public. Bless the radio station for making this public and Homes for Our Troops for all the work they are doing to live up to the words "a grateful nation" but also be aware of the thousands of other stories you will never hear about.
Volunteer army to build house for veteran
Mary Umberger
On Real Estate
February 21, 2010
Frank Pierson recalls the moment clearly: One day in March 2008, he was in Baghdad, behind the wheel of a truck that was part of an Army convoy.
"We were driving past a checkpoint, and a big puff of smoke came up — we didn't even know we were being ambushed," the Cicero resident says. "When we drove out of the smoke, I went to stop the truck and didn't know why I couldn't stop it.
"I looked down and noticed my right leg was completely gone and part of my left leg was severely injured."
The "big puff of smoke" had been caused by an electronically fired projectile. What followed were 27 surgeries and 19 months of rehab in Germany and at Walter Reed Army Medical Center. Today, minus his legs and dealing with other injuries from the blast, he lives with his wife, Arielle Carroll-Pierson, at her mother's home in Cicero.
It's home, but it's not easy. Even though the family has adapted the house to his needs somewhat, there are huge physical inconveniences. The only bedroom in the home that's vaguely accessible to him, for instance, is in the basement, and to reach it, Pierson climbs out of his wheelchair and scoots down the stairs and gets into another chair.It will be a contribution from Homes for Our Troops, a Taunton, Mass., charity that since 2004 has built 51 houses for disabled veterans and has 32 others in various stages of construction around the country, at an average cost of $250,000 to $300,000, plus the cost of land.
The organization, which aids military veterans who have been severely injured while serving in a combat zone after Sept. 11, 2001, receives funding from corporate sponsorships and private donations, according to Vicki Thomas, a spokesman for the group.
But the projects depend on labor donated by contractors and skilled workers and from donated materials, she said. There are ways for friends, neighbors and total strangers to help too.
Homes for Our Troops got the word out recently on a Chicago radio station that it needed help for the Piersons' house. It will be the group's first effort in the Chicago area, though it recently completed a home for another veteran in Mahomet, Ill., near Champaign.
Though the organization is used to fielding an outpouring of support in the communities where the organization is building homes, Thomas said she was surprised at the immediate response from Chicago after the radio plea for help, when 548 individuals and companies responded.read more here
Monday, June 1, 2009
VA Claim backlog hit 915,000 on May 4, 2009
The question is, where were you when this happened? I'm talking to you Republicans choosing to remain silent as the problem grew and grew and they waited, suffered waiting and their families suffered, as Bush cut VA funding and Nicholson returned funds unspent. Where were you when they were being turned away from the VA with PTSD and suicidal, and then ended up killing themselves? Where were you Republicans out there claiming to care so much about the troops? Why were you silent? Why didn't you complain when men like John Mc Cain were voting against veterans and what they needed? Did you even pay attention?
I'm talking to you Democrats out there. Those of you who were more interested in protesting the occupation of Iraq, claiming how much you wanted to save the lives of the troops at the same time you did not utter a single word about what the living and wounded were going thru right back here? You are supposed to be the people caring more about the veterans in this country. You allowed Bush to make any claims he wanted about taking care of the troops and being "grateful' for their service at the same time he was stabbing them in the back and then you complained because they didn't know the truth.
And yes, I'm talking to the rest of you out there all so patriotic waving the flag on Memorial Day as you do on Veterans Day. Where are you the rest of the year when they are suffering? Are any of you writing letters to President Obama or Congress? State after state are cutting back their VA State budgets because of the economical crisis. Where are these wounded veterans and disabled veterans suppose to go when they need medical care and financial compensation so they can live their lives? The same lives they were willing to lay down for this country? Ever think, I mean really think about them?
President Obama has a lot on his plate right now and while his intension is to take care of our veterans, having proven that already with his budget increase, this is a crisis for them and will just keep growing unless you decide that the veterans of this country are worthy of you attention.
Read the following article and then watch the video below. Wounded and Waiting will show you exactly what kind of men and women we're talking about. They are not just numbers. They are our countrymen, our sons, daughters, brothers, sisters and neighbors.
I'm talking to you Democrats out there. Those of you who were more interested in protesting the occupation of Iraq, claiming how much you wanted to save the lives of the troops at the same time you did not utter a single word about what the living and wounded were going thru right back here? You are supposed to be the people caring more about the veterans in this country. You allowed Bush to make any claims he wanted about taking care of the troops and being "grateful' for their service at the same time he was stabbing them in the back and then you complained because they didn't know the truth.
And yes, I'm talking to the rest of you out there all so patriotic waving the flag on Memorial Day as you do on Veterans Day. Where are you the rest of the year when they are suffering? Are any of you writing letters to President Obama or Congress? State after state are cutting back their VA State budgets because of the economical crisis. Where are these wounded veterans and disabled veterans suppose to go when they need medical care and financial compensation so they can live their lives? The same lives they were willing to lay down for this country? Ever think, I mean really think about them?
President Obama has a lot on his plate right now and while his intension is to take care of our veterans, having proven that already with his budget increase, this is a crisis for them and will just keep growing unless you decide that the veterans of this country are worthy of you attention.
Read the following article and then watch the video below. Wounded and Waiting will show you exactly what kind of men and women we're talking about. They are not just numbers. They are our countrymen, our sons, daughters, brothers, sisters and neighbors.
Crisis at the VA as Benefits Claims Backlog Nearly Tops One Million
Monday, 01 June 2009
By Jason Leopold
During the past four months, the Department of Veterans Affairs backlog of unfinished disability claims from grew by more than 100,000, adding to an already mountainous backlog that is now close to topping one million.
The VA's claims backlog, which includes all benefits claims and all appeals at the Veterans Benefits Administration and the Board of Veterans Appeals at VA, was 803,000 on Jan. 5, 2009. The backlog hit 915,000 on May 4, 2009, a staggering 14 percent increase in four months.
The issue has become so dire that veterans now wait an average of six months to receive disability benefits and as long as four years for their appeals to be heard in cases where their benefits were denied.
Rep. Tim Walz, D-Minn., a member of the House Veterans Affairs Committee, said during a hearing in March that the VA is “almost criminally behind in processing claims.”
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Crisis at the VA as Benefits Claims Backlog Nearly Tops One Million
Wounded And Waiting - watch more videos
Thursday, May 28, 2009
"We have a responsibility to serve all of them as well as they serve all of us"
This is a quote from President Obama. "We have a responsibility to serve all of them as well as they serve all of us"
Over the weekend while in Washington DC, I had many conversations with veterans but I overheard a lot more conversations. I wondered where they got some of the ideas they had, where the misinformation came from but more so, why they were focused on what was not real instead of focusing on the hard issues that we do need to address? How is it possible that committed veterans, so caring, so concerned about others, would take what certain talking heads tell them seriously without knowing if what they are being told is true or not?
There are the usual suspects in this misinformation campaign. Rush, Hannity, O'Reilly among the most powerful with listeners of their radio programs and watching them on FOX. While these men are politically motivated in spinning what they say, they still have an obligation to the truth especially when it comes to our troops and veterans. I cannot believe, as callous as they sound at times, that they do not regard the troops and veterans in the highest regard but I have to ask why they did not report on all that was happening to the troops and our veterans over the last eight years when they could have been raising the urgency of their needs. It should never matter what political party the President comes from when it comes to them. They cannot dismiss the fact the men and women serving this nation are putting the needs of the nation first instead of party and come from all voting blocks. They serve with the same dedication no matter if the President is a Republican or a Democrat. The truth is still true no matter if there is a D or an R following the name.
President Bush had a habit of using words to say he appreciated the men and women serving, but everything he did was not in their best interests. There were less doctors and nurses working for the VA with troops being wounded in Afghanistan and Iraq than after the Gulf War. Where was the outrage then? The VA budge was cut with both military campaigns producing more and more wounded. Where was the outrage then? Why were they silent? When the conditions at Walter Reed were reported on the outrage was not focused on those conditions but against the Washington Post for reporting on them. When Nicholson was returning VA funds and soldiers were coming back from Iraq and Afghanistan seeking help but were turned away because the VA was overloaded, where was the outrage then? The list of what was ignored by these men goes on and people finding out what they were not told are feeling embarrassed by the fact they thought they knew what was going on.
The veterans in our nation served one nation but have not been serviced with information from all political sides. When President Clinton was in office, his record on veterans affairs was lacking in certain areas. This was widely reported on but when it was President Bush, there was silence from the "right" commentators, just as now when things are being done for the sake of the troops and veterans, there is silence from them once again. They only thing they seem to want to now discuss is when President Obama wanted to address the problem of wounded veterans coming back and finding out they would have to pay for their care out of their own pocket instead of having their insurance companies pay for it until their claim was approved.
This is another thing the "right" commentators never discuss. In the 90's the Congress passed a rule that allowed the VA to collect payment for any "non-service connected treatment" allowing the VA to collect even on claims that being processed or appealed. The Congress did not understand what the language in this rule would do to the veterans. Until a claim is approved the VA regards the claim as "non-service connected" and all their care falls under the "Means Test" to see if the veteran can afford to pay. Should they have private insurance through a spouse or in the case of National Guards and Reservists, their own insurance, the insurance companies do not have to cover their medical needs if they were in fact due to service in the military. President Obama was thinking of how to solve this problem while looking at the backlog of claims along with the fact these wounded veterans were coming back and finding out they had to pay out of their own pocket as they fought to have their claims approved. The service organizations raised hell over this and President Obama knew he'd have to come up with another idea to solve this problem until all of our veteran were taken care of.
The most obvious answer would be to change the rules of the VA until the backlog of claims are processed and they receive what this nation obviously owes to them. While the service organizations were impressed with Obama's willingness to listen and change his thoughts, the media, especially the "right wing" commentators failed to report on this issue behind the concerns of the President and reported instead that Obama wanted to "charge veterans" for their care. This was already being done and had been done since the 90's. We were subjected to this when my husband's claim was being denied and all the way up to when it was finally approved.
We had private insurance but they would not pay because they said it was the obligation of the VA to cover his care. The VA was denying his claim and we were forced to pay out of our own pocket until his claim was finally approved. This happens all the time and has been going on for years. When we couldn't pay the bill, the VA attached our tax refund several years in a row. Eventually we received most of the money back but the extra hardship on us was almost too much to take and the media, well, they just didn't care.
Whenever I try to set the record straight I can see the doubt in their eyes. After all, they look at me and think I don't know what I'm talking about because they never heard of such a thing. They trust what they are being told by the commentators because they believe they know what they are talking about. I'm no one. It doesn't seem to matter that I've been fighting for veterans, no matter what party is in control since 1982 and had veterans in my life since the day I was born. I'm saying things they simply don't believe because the commentators are trusted more.
One of the issues I have with President Obama is that while he was campaigning he quietly visited the Montana National Guard to take a look at their PTSD program to address the need and the suicides. Yellow Ribbon is one of the best programs out there and his visit proved he was paying attention because he could have picked any program he wanted to, but he picked on of the best. Obama was so impressed with this program he promised to replicate it across the nation should he be elected. The media should be asking when this will be done because the military and the VA are still using a program called Battlemind causing more harm because it basically tells the troops if they end up with PTSD it's because they didn't train their brains well enough to prevent it. In other words, it's their fault. The media has been silent on this while our troops are committing suicide with higher numbers every year and increased attempted suicides. Will the Washington Post report on the fact Marines are crying on my shoulder because they were supposed to prepare and toughen their brains? Will any of the commentators on FOX talk to any of the families or the troops about this program? Does anyone really care about solving this problem?
It's not all on President Obama's shoulders but also on the heads of Congress still holding hearings asking the same people the same questions and getting the same answers instead of solutions while the troops and veterans suffer. Instead of asking people what works and what has to be done, they are talking to people that just became aware of what PTSD is. What about the people dealing with all of this for over 30 years with a history of making mistakes so they found out what does work and then do it? In this case all sides of the media have failed when they could have been reporting on what should be of urgent "breaking news" instead of jumping on stories that will not save one single life.
So here is something to set the record straight. This is from President Obama in his weekly address before Memorial Day. It address the fact the VA has just had the largest increase in funding in three decades. His actions prove how he feels about veterans. While I still have issues with President Obama this is proof of where his values are. If you hear none of this on FOX or on any of the radio shows you listen to, then you need to wonder why it is they are not saying a word about any of this while troops are in Iraq and Afghanistan, while they come home wounded and waiting for the care they were promised and older veterans are being pushed to the back of the line being told they will have to wait even longer.
Over the weekend while in Washington DC, I had many conversations with veterans but I overheard a lot more conversations. I wondered where they got some of the ideas they had, where the misinformation came from but more so, why they were focused on what was not real instead of focusing on the hard issues that we do need to address? How is it possible that committed veterans, so caring, so concerned about others, would take what certain talking heads tell them seriously without knowing if what they are being told is true or not?
There are the usual suspects in this misinformation campaign. Rush, Hannity, O'Reilly among the most powerful with listeners of their radio programs and watching them on FOX. While these men are politically motivated in spinning what they say, they still have an obligation to the truth especially when it comes to our troops and veterans. I cannot believe, as callous as they sound at times, that they do not regard the troops and veterans in the highest regard but I have to ask why they did not report on all that was happening to the troops and our veterans over the last eight years when they could have been raising the urgency of their needs. It should never matter what political party the President comes from when it comes to them. They cannot dismiss the fact the men and women serving this nation are putting the needs of the nation first instead of party and come from all voting blocks. They serve with the same dedication no matter if the President is a Republican or a Democrat. The truth is still true no matter if there is a D or an R following the name.
President Bush had a habit of using words to say he appreciated the men and women serving, but everything he did was not in their best interests. There were less doctors and nurses working for the VA with troops being wounded in Afghanistan and Iraq than after the Gulf War. Where was the outrage then? The VA budge was cut with both military campaigns producing more and more wounded. Where was the outrage then? Why were they silent? When the conditions at Walter Reed were reported on the outrage was not focused on those conditions but against the Washington Post for reporting on them. When Nicholson was returning VA funds and soldiers were coming back from Iraq and Afghanistan seeking help but were turned away because the VA was overloaded, where was the outrage then? The list of what was ignored by these men goes on and people finding out what they were not told are feeling embarrassed by the fact they thought they knew what was going on.
The veterans in our nation served one nation but have not been serviced with information from all political sides. When President Clinton was in office, his record on veterans affairs was lacking in certain areas. This was widely reported on but when it was President Bush, there was silence from the "right" commentators, just as now when things are being done for the sake of the troops and veterans, there is silence from them once again. They only thing they seem to want to now discuss is when President Obama wanted to address the problem of wounded veterans coming back and finding out they would have to pay for their care out of their own pocket instead of having their insurance companies pay for it until their claim was approved.
This is another thing the "right" commentators never discuss. In the 90's the Congress passed a rule that allowed the VA to collect payment for any "non-service connected treatment" allowing the VA to collect even on claims that being processed or appealed. The Congress did not understand what the language in this rule would do to the veterans. Until a claim is approved the VA regards the claim as "non-service connected" and all their care falls under the "Means Test" to see if the veteran can afford to pay. Should they have private insurance through a spouse or in the case of National Guards and Reservists, their own insurance, the insurance companies do not have to cover their medical needs if they were in fact due to service in the military. President Obama was thinking of how to solve this problem while looking at the backlog of claims along with the fact these wounded veterans were coming back and finding out they had to pay out of their own pocket as they fought to have their claims approved. The service organizations raised hell over this and President Obama knew he'd have to come up with another idea to solve this problem until all of our veteran were taken care of.
The most obvious answer would be to change the rules of the VA until the backlog of claims are processed and they receive what this nation obviously owes to them. While the service organizations were impressed with Obama's willingness to listen and change his thoughts, the media, especially the "right wing" commentators failed to report on this issue behind the concerns of the President and reported instead that Obama wanted to "charge veterans" for their care. This was already being done and had been done since the 90's. We were subjected to this when my husband's claim was being denied and all the way up to when it was finally approved.
We had private insurance but they would not pay because they said it was the obligation of the VA to cover his care. The VA was denying his claim and we were forced to pay out of our own pocket until his claim was finally approved. This happens all the time and has been going on for years. When we couldn't pay the bill, the VA attached our tax refund several years in a row. Eventually we received most of the money back but the extra hardship on us was almost too much to take and the media, well, they just didn't care.
Whenever I try to set the record straight I can see the doubt in their eyes. After all, they look at me and think I don't know what I'm talking about because they never heard of such a thing. They trust what they are being told by the commentators because they believe they know what they are talking about. I'm no one. It doesn't seem to matter that I've been fighting for veterans, no matter what party is in control since 1982 and had veterans in my life since the day I was born. I'm saying things they simply don't believe because the commentators are trusted more.
One of the issues I have with President Obama is that while he was campaigning he quietly visited the Montana National Guard to take a look at their PTSD program to address the need and the suicides. Yellow Ribbon is one of the best programs out there and his visit proved he was paying attention because he could have picked any program he wanted to, but he picked on of the best. Obama was so impressed with this program he promised to replicate it across the nation should he be elected. The media should be asking when this will be done because the military and the VA are still using a program called Battlemind causing more harm because it basically tells the troops if they end up with PTSD it's because they didn't train their brains well enough to prevent it. In other words, it's their fault. The media has been silent on this while our troops are committing suicide with higher numbers every year and increased attempted suicides. Will the Washington Post report on the fact Marines are crying on my shoulder because they were supposed to prepare and toughen their brains? Will any of the commentators on FOX talk to any of the families or the troops about this program? Does anyone really care about solving this problem?
It's not all on President Obama's shoulders but also on the heads of Congress still holding hearings asking the same people the same questions and getting the same answers instead of solutions while the troops and veterans suffer. Instead of asking people what works and what has to be done, they are talking to people that just became aware of what PTSD is. What about the people dealing with all of this for over 30 years with a history of making mistakes so they found out what does work and then do it? In this case all sides of the media have failed when they could have been reporting on what should be of urgent "breaking news" instead of jumping on stories that will not save one single life.
So here is something to set the record straight. This is from President Obama in his weekly address before Memorial Day. It address the fact the VA has just had the largest increase in funding in three decades. His actions prove how he feels about veterans. While I still have issues with President Obama this is proof of where his values are. If you hear none of this on FOX or on any of the radio shows you listen to, then you need to wonder why it is they are not saying a word about any of this while troops are in Iraq and Afghanistan, while they come home wounded and waiting for the care they were promised and older veterans are being pushed to the back of the line being told they will have to wait even longer.
THE WHITE HOUSE
Office of the Press Secretary
_________________________________________________________________________________
EMBARGOED UNTIL 6:00 AM ET, SATURDAY, May 23, 2009
WEEKLY ADDRESS: President Obama Calls on All Americans to Honor the Service of the Troops and Their Families
WASHINGTON – On this Memorial Day weekend, President Barack Obama called on the American people to join him in paying tribute to America’s veterans, servicemen and women – particularly those who have made the ultimate sacrifice - and their families. America’s troops and their families embody what is best in America, and the American people have a responsibility to serve them as well as they have served us.
The audio and video will be available at 6:00am Saturday, May 23, 2009 at www.whitehouse.gov.
Prepared Remarks of President Barack Obama
Weekly Address
Saturday, May 23, 2009
This Memorial Day weekend, Americans will gather on lawns and porches, fire up the grill, and enjoy the company of family, friends, and neighbors. But this is not only a time for celebration, it is also a time to reflect on what this holiday is all about; to pay tribute to our fallen heroes; and to remember the servicemen and women who cannot be with us this year because they are standing post far from home – in Iraq, Afghanistan, and around the world.
On Friday, I traveled to Annapolis, where I spoke at the Commencement of the United States Naval Academy. It was an honor to address some of America’s newest sailors and Marines as their Commander-in-Chief. Looking out at all of those young men and women, I was reminded of the extraordinary service that they are rendering to our country. And I was reminded, too, of all of the sacrifices that their parents, siblings, and loved ones make each day on their behalf and on our behalf.
Our fighting men and women – and the military families who love them – embody what is best in America. And we have a responsibility to serve all of them as well as they serve all of us.
And yet, all too often in recent years and decades, we, as a nation, have failed to live up to that responsibility. We have failed to give them the support they need or pay them the respect they deserve. That is a betrayal of the sacred trust that America has with all who wear – and all who have worn – the proud uniform of our country.
And that is a sacred trust I am committed to keeping as President of the United States. That is why I will send our servicemen and women into harm’s way only when it is necessary, and ensure that they have the training and equipment they need when they enter the theater of war.
That is why we are building a 21st century Department of Veterans Affairs with the largest single-year funding increase in three decades. It’s a commitment that will help us provide our veterans with the support and benefits they have earned, and expand quality health care to a half million more veterans.
That is why, this week, I signed a bill that will eliminate some of the waste and inefficiency in our defense projects – reform that will better protect our nation, better protect our troops, and save taxpayers tens of billions of dollars.
And that is why we are laying a new foundation for our economy so that when our troops return home and take off the uniform, they can find a good job, provide for their families, and earn a college degree on a Post-9/11 GI Bill that will offer them the same opportunity to live out their dreams that was afforded our greatest generation.
These are some of the ways we can, must, and will honor the service of our troops and the sacrifice of their families. But we must also do our part, not only as a nation, but as individuals for those Americans who are bearing the burden of wars being fought on our behalf. That can mean sending a letter or a care package to our troops overseas. It can mean volunteering at a clinic where a wounded warrior is being treated or bringing supplies to a homeless veterans center. Or it can mean something as simple as saying "thank you" to a veteran you pass on the street.
That is what Memorial Day is all about. It is about doing all we can to repay the debt we owe to those men and women who have answered our nation’s call by fighting under its flag. It is about recognizing that we, as a people, did not get here by accident or good fortune alone. It’s about remembering the hard winter of 1776, when our fragile American experiment seemed doomed to fail; and the early battles of 1861 when a union victory was anything but certain; and the summer of 1944, when the fate of a world rested on a perilous landing unlike any ever attempted.
It’s about remembering each and every one of those moments when our survival as a nation came down not simply to the wisdom of our leaders or the resilience of our people, but to the courage and valor of our fighting men and women. For it is only by remembering these moments that we can truly appreciate a simple lesson of American life – that what makes all we are and all we aspire to be possible are the sacrifices of an unbroken line of Americans that stretches back to our nation’s founding.
That is the meaning of this holiday. That is a truth at the heart of our history. And that is a lesson I hope all Americans will carry with them this Memorial Day weekend and beyond.
Thank you.
Thursday, April 23, 2009
Deluded need to wake up fast!
This person (below) wrote an opinion piece and it was printed. The problem is, she is so wrong it's beyond belief but too many people will agree with her simply because they have not paid attention in all these years. That's right! Years! She is blaming Obama for the deplorable conditions veterans have been subjected to for years but President Obama has not even been in office for a hundred days yet.
Where was she and others when the veterans and the wounded troops were being subjected to this appalling treatment since 2001 and the first troops were sent to Afghanistan?
Where was she when Bush cut the VA so there were less doctors and nurses working for the VA than there were following the Gulf War but we had two military campaigns producing more and more wounded joining the veterans already in line for the care they were promised?
Where was she as the backlog of claims jumped from 400,000 to almost 900,000?
Where was she when PTSD wounded were being dishonorably discharged under "personality disorders" instead of being treated for this war born wound?
Where was she when Nicholson returned funds out of the VA budget as wounded soldiers returned to this soil, turned away from the VA when they sought help for PTSD and committed suicide? Did she weep at their graves?
The list of offenses Bush committed on our veterans is so long it would take hours to list, yet people like the writers of this opinion piece fail to acknowledge any of this. While she said " Over the last year" it was before Obama took office but she did not mention all of this happened while Bush was President. She also did not notice the fact that it was not "over the last year" but over all the years Bush was in office. Never once did she mention what the Democrats have accomplished since they managed to finally get in charge of the Veterans Affairs committee or the fact that Obama was on that committee.
She raised the point of the "private insurance" that Obama was considering but when he listened to the voices of the veterans he abandoned any thoughts of doing this. Again the key word is "thought" and not plan. While something like this would help veterans needing treatment but having their VA claims denied, since if they happen to have jobs they are charged for their care without an approved claim and a recognized "service connected disability" they pay out of their pocket because insurance companies can deny paying because as they put it "it's the responsibility of the government to cover this care." just as they did in the 90's when congress changed the rules under Bill Clinton. Again, she failed to pay attention.
When it came to what Napolitano had to defend herself and the administration over, again she failed to acknowledge the fact that under Bush the recruitment problems escalated to the point where they lowered the requirements so far down criminals were allowed to enter into the military. These criminals are heavily armed and serving right next to the rest of the troops who wanted to join because they wanted to serve the country instead of wanting to avoid time in jail. Gang members were allowed to join as well. Ever think about how violent gang members are when it comes to them getting their hands on the training the military offers?
The "tea party" was something else she avoided when it came to veterans around the country being part of the taxes they don't want to pay since the VA is paid by tax dollars and the budgets have been increased since the GOP has been out of control over it or the fact that they were responsible for the VA budget falling short every year. I wonder if she ever watched CSPAN when the budget was being debated and the GOP kept saying they couldn't afford to increase the VA because of all the money being spent in Iraq and Afghanistan? When it came to what Bush wanted, everything was vital, but when it came to what our veterans needed, well, there just wasn't enough money for it and then they managed to fight for tax cuts for the wealthy. Wonder if she noticed how this made veterans feel as they were sitting in their living rooms holding yet another denial from the VA telling them they could file an appeal?
She also avoided mentioning the fact that when our troops are wounded by PTSD and untreated, left abandoned by the nation they were willing to risk their life for, left to suffer financially and emotionally, it can lead to a lot of problems for the rest of society as it has already when they are suffering from PTSD driven flashbacks and nightmares that put them back into battle mode. If she cannot even consider the fact they have been treated so poorly by Bush and his leadership they could turn into disgruntled veterans, then she has a real problem.
There are so many needing help right now that have been unjustly treated, denied the care they were promised and left to suffer for serving it should make any American sickened but too many in this country would rather avoid knowledge of how it got this bad and who was responsible for all of this. It's easier to just jump on whatever the Obama Administration gets tripped up over instead of what they have been really trying to fix. We avoid the facts at our peril because this nation depends on the men and women serving it. They should never be used as part of some kind of twisted political game. If this woman had paid attention to facts instead of claims made by some talking heads on a certain cable channel, she would not be so deluded.
If you want to know who wrote the rant above, click on link.
Where was she and others when the veterans and the wounded troops were being subjected to this appalling treatment since 2001 and the first troops were sent to Afghanistan?
Where was she when Bush cut the VA so there were less doctors and nurses working for the VA than there were following the Gulf War but we had two military campaigns producing more and more wounded joining the veterans already in line for the care they were promised?
Where was she as the backlog of claims jumped from 400,000 to almost 900,000?
Where was she when PTSD wounded were being dishonorably discharged under "personality disorders" instead of being treated for this war born wound?
Where was she when Nicholson returned funds out of the VA budget as wounded soldiers returned to this soil, turned away from the VA when they sought help for PTSD and committed suicide? Did she weep at their graves?
The list of offenses Bush committed on our veterans is so long it would take hours to list, yet people like the writers of this opinion piece fail to acknowledge any of this. While she said " Over the last year" it was before Obama took office but she did not mention all of this happened while Bush was President. She also did not notice the fact that it was not "over the last year" but over all the years Bush was in office. Never once did she mention what the Democrats have accomplished since they managed to finally get in charge of the Veterans Affairs committee or the fact that Obama was on that committee.
She raised the point of the "private insurance" that Obama was considering but when he listened to the voices of the veterans he abandoned any thoughts of doing this. Again the key word is "thought" and not plan. While something like this would help veterans needing treatment but having their VA claims denied, since if they happen to have jobs they are charged for their care without an approved claim and a recognized "service connected disability" they pay out of their pocket because insurance companies can deny paying because as they put it "it's the responsibility of the government to cover this care." just as they did in the 90's when congress changed the rules under Bill Clinton. Again, she failed to pay attention.
When it came to what Napolitano had to defend herself and the administration over, again she failed to acknowledge the fact that under Bush the recruitment problems escalated to the point where they lowered the requirements so far down criminals were allowed to enter into the military. These criminals are heavily armed and serving right next to the rest of the troops who wanted to join because they wanted to serve the country instead of wanting to avoid time in jail. Gang members were allowed to join as well. Ever think about how violent gang members are when it comes to them getting their hands on the training the military offers?
The "tea party" was something else she avoided when it came to veterans around the country being part of the taxes they don't want to pay since the VA is paid by tax dollars and the budgets have been increased since the GOP has been out of control over it or the fact that they were responsible for the VA budget falling short every year. I wonder if she ever watched CSPAN when the budget was being debated and the GOP kept saying they couldn't afford to increase the VA because of all the money being spent in Iraq and Afghanistan? When it came to what Bush wanted, everything was vital, but when it came to what our veterans needed, well, there just wasn't enough money for it and then they managed to fight for tax cuts for the wealthy. Wonder if she noticed how this made veterans feel as they were sitting in their living rooms holding yet another denial from the VA telling them they could file an appeal?
She also avoided mentioning the fact that when our troops are wounded by PTSD and untreated, left abandoned by the nation they were willing to risk their life for, left to suffer financially and emotionally, it can lead to a lot of problems for the rest of society as it has already when they are suffering from PTSD driven flashbacks and nightmares that put them back into battle mode. If she cannot even consider the fact they have been treated so poorly by Bush and his leadership they could turn into disgruntled veterans, then she has a real problem.
There are so many needing help right now that have been unjustly treated, denied the care they were promised and left to suffer for serving it should make any American sickened but too many in this country would rather avoid knowledge of how it got this bad and who was responsible for all of this. It's easier to just jump on whatever the Obama Administration gets tripped up over instead of what they have been really trying to fix. We avoid the facts at our peril because this nation depends on the men and women serving it. They should never be used as part of some kind of twisted political game. If this woman had paid attention to facts instead of claims made by some talking heads on a certain cable channel, she would not be so deluded.
Letter: Obama isn't proving to be veteran-friendly
Thursday, April 23, 2009
President Barack Obama’s mantra to our veterans is: “I will take care of you.”
Upon taking office, Obama immediately set out to attempt to force veterans to pay for their own health coverage. Outcry and outrage surfaced in Washington, forcing Obama to relent.
Over the last year, the Veterans Administration has been trying to get all its psychiatrists and psychologists to deny veterans a diagnosis of post-traumatic stress syndrome in hopes of preventing permanent disability payments for them and their family members.
When this surfaced, Obama’s secretary of veterans affairs, Eric K. Shinseki, refused to comment.
Now we have Secretary of Homeland Security Janet A. Napolitano categorizing veterans as potential violent extremists who may be future threats who may join terrorist cells. Officials base this claim on Timothy McVeigh’s attack on the Oklahoma City federal building.
When veterans’ groups expressed outrage at this news, Napolitano tried to save face by stating that the Obama administration “honors” veterans.
During the Tea Party demonstration in Vero Beach, two-thirds of 3,500 members of the crowds were veterans. Not a single violent act disrupted this demonstration.
Every veteran brings honor, dignity, commitment and sacrifice on behalf of our great nation. As a veteran of the U.S. Navy, I am sickened and devastated by the Obama administration’s attitude and stance.
If this is President Obama’s example of how he will “take care” of our veterans, he definitely has a long way to go.
Letter: Obama isn't proving to be veteran-friendly
If you want to know who wrote the rant above, click on link.
Wednesday, April 22, 2009
NAMI Conference for Returning Veterans
NAMI-OC to Hold FRONT LINE Conference for Returning Veterans, Their Families and Community
IRVINE, Calif., April 21 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- On Saturday, April 25 from 9 a.m. until noon, the National Alliance on Mental Illness-Orange County (NAMI-OC) will bring together speakers, agencies and service providers who serve returning veterans and their families.
Front Line conferences provide important information on PTSD (post-traumatic stress disorder), traumatic brain injury (TBI), depression and suicide prevention. The conference is designed not only for those veterans and family members who are seeking assistance, but also includes information and resources for those who serve veterans, such as pastors, counselors, social workers and police officers.
The conference will be held on April 25 at Kaiser Permanente in Irvine (6650 Alton Pkwy). It will include presentations by Dr. Clayton Chau (of The OC Health Care Agency) on issues facing Veterans returning from Iraq and Afghanistan, representatives from Orange County Veterans' Court and a detailed discussion on accessing Veteran's Benefits.
Representatives from the newly developed Orange County Veterans Court will be presenting on how their collaboration with local agencies is working to establish viable options for a select group of offenders whose needs are better met through treatment interventions rather than incarceration.
Community Resource tables will be available and include: Project Return to Work, Long Beach VAMC, Veterans Service Organization, St. Jude's Brain Injury Network and NAMI-OC.
NAMI Conference for Returning Veterans
IRVINE, Calif., April 21 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- On Saturday, April 25 from 9 a.m. until noon, the National Alliance on Mental Illness-Orange County (NAMI-OC) will bring together speakers, agencies and service providers who serve returning veterans and their families.
Front Line conferences provide important information on PTSD (post-traumatic stress disorder), traumatic brain injury (TBI), depression and suicide prevention. The conference is designed not only for those veterans and family members who are seeking assistance, but also includes information and resources for those who serve veterans, such as pastors, counselors, social workers and police officers.
The conference will be held on April 25 at Kaiser Permanente in Irvine (6650 Alton Pkwy). It will include presentations by Dr. Clayton Chau (of The OC Health Care Agency) on issues facing Veterans returning from Iraq and Afghanistan, representatives from Orange County Veterans' Court and a detailed discussion on accessing Veteran's Benefits.
Representatives from the newly developed Orange County Veterans Court will be presenting on how their collaboration with local agencies is working to establish viable options for a select group of offenders whose needs are better met through treatment interventions rather than incarceration.
Community Resource tables will be available and include: Project Return to Work, Long Beach VAMC, Veterans Service Organization, St. Jude's Brain Injury Network and NAMI-OC.
NAMI Conference for Returning Veterans
Saturday, April 11, 2009
Another Vietnam Veteran Giving to New Veterans
Wounded warriors go fishing for recovery
Story Highlights
Retired Navy Capt. Ed Nicholson helps wounded servicemembers through fly-fishing
Project Healing Waters Fly Fishing aids the physical, emotional healing processes
Since 2005, Nicholson's program has grown to more than 50 locations nationwide
MADISON COUNTY, Virginia (CNN) -- Amidst the tranquility of a fishing trip at the Rose River Farm in Madison County, a wounded warrior says he almost feels "semi-normal again."
Retired Navy Capt. Ed Nicholson's Project Healing Waters Fly Fishing helps rehabilitate wounded servicemembers.
The amputee is one of about 1,000 servicemen and veterans who have reaped the benefits of the therapeutic art of fly-fishing, with the help of retired Navy Capt. Ed Nicholson.
"The demons of war, you just don't set them aside," says Nicholson, 67. "But once you get out on the river, the serenity is incredibly healing."
While recovering from cancer surgery at Walter Reed Army Medical Center in 2004, Nicholson witnessed wounded and disabled men and women -- many of them amputees -- struggling with their injuries.
"Other than being in Vietnam and seeing people in the process of getting hurt, I never really had a full appreciation for the recovery part and what happened after they came home. My recovery was nothing compared to what they were facing. It planted the seed that maybe there's something I could do," Nicholson says.
The solution was obvious to Nicholson, who says being an outdoorsman is in his blood: Get them out of the hospital and into nature.
Through free classes and outings, Nicholson's organization, Project Healing Waters Fly Fishing, helps rehabilitate injured and disabled servicemembers and veterans.
go here for the rest
Wounded warriors go fishing for recovery
Story Highlights
Retired Navy Capt. Ed Nicholson helps wounded servicemembers through fly-fishing
Project Healing Waters Fly Fishing aids the physical, emotional healing processes
Since 2005, Nicholson's program has grown to more than 50 locations nationwide
MADISON COUNTY, Virginia (CNN) -- Amidst the tranquility of a fishing trip at the Rose River Farm in Madison County, a wounded warrior says he almost feels "semi-normal again."
Retired Navy Capt. Ed Nicholson's Project Healing Waters Fly Fishing helps rehabilitate wounded servicemembers.
The amputee is one of about 1,000 servicemen and veterans who have reaped the benefits of the therapeutic art of fly-fishing, with the help of retired Navy Capt. Ed Nicholson.
"The demons of war, you just don't set them aside," says Nicholson, 67. "But once you get out on the river, the serenity is incredibly healing."
While recovering from cancer surgery at Walter Reed Army Medical Center in 2004, Nicholson witnessed wounded and disabled men and women -- many of them amputees -- struggling with their injuries.
"Other than being in Vietnam and seeing people in the process of getting hurt, I never really had a full appreciation for the recovery part and what happened after they came home. My recovery was nothing compared to what they were facing. It planted the seed that maybe there's something I could do," Nicholson says.
The solution was obvious to Nicholson, who says being an outdoorsman is in his blood: Get them out of the hospital and into nature.
Through free classes and outings, Nicholson's organization, Project Healing Waters Fly Fishing, helps rehabilitate injured and disabled servicemembers and veterans.
go here for the rest
Wounded warriors go fishing for recovery
Wednesday, March 18, 2009
Inouye questions treatment, rehab of war vets
Inouye questions treatment, rehab of war vets
By Rick Maze - Staff writer
Posted : Wednesday Mar 18, 2009 13:57:46 EDT
The powerful chairman of the Senate Appropriations Committee said March 18 that he is not convinced the treatment and rehabilitation being given to injured Iraq and Afghanistan war veterans is significantly better than the help he received in World War II.
Sen. Daniel Inouye, D-Hawaii, who received the Medal of Honor for his World War II service, spent 22 months in military and veterans hospitals undergoing treatment and rehabilitation for the loss of an arm. He said he is concerned that while medical care may have made great advances in the 64 years that passed since his combat injury, rehabilitation and preparing veterans to return to civilian life has not improved.
At a hearing of the Senate defense appropriations subcommittee where the service surgeons general talked about preparations for a troop increase in Afghanistan and continuing efforts to ease the transition out of the military for wounded veterans, Inouye said he doesn’t see the same type of help available today that he received and suspects someone with his type of injury would be released after just six months of treatment and rehabilitation.
go here for more
http://www.armytimes.com/news/2009/03/military_inouyeveterans_healthcare_031809w/
By Rick Maze - Staff writer
Posted : Wednesday Mar 18, 2009 13:57:46 EDT
The powerful chairman of the Senate Appropriations Committee said March 18 that he is not convinced the treatment and rehabilitation being given to injured Iraq and Afghanistan war veterans is significantly better than the help he received in World War II.
Sen. Daniel Inouye, D-Hawaii, who received the Medal of Honor for his World War II service, spent 22 months in military and veterans hospitals undergoing treatment and rehabilitation for the loss of an arm. He said he is concerned that while medical care may have made great advances in the 64 years that passed since his combat injury, rehabilitation and preparing veterans to return to civilian life has not improved.
At a hearing of the Senate defense appropriations subcommittee where the service surgeons general talked about preparations for a troop increase in Afghanistan and continuing efforts to ease the transition out of the military for wounded veterans, Inouye said he doesn’t see the same type of help available today that he received and suspects someone with his type of injury would be released after just six months of treatment and rehabilitation.
go here for more
http://www.armytimes.com/news/2009/03/military_inouyeveterans_healthcare_031809w/
Sunday, January 4, 2009
Shafted, the 8th deadly sin for veterans
Seven Deadly Sins
The seven deadly sins, also known as the capital vices or cardinal sins, are a classification of the most objectionable vices that were originally used in early Christian teachings to educate and instruct followers concerning (immoral) fallen man's tendency to sin. They are: lust, gluttony, greed, sloth, wrath, envy and pride.
Shafted, the 8th deadly sin for veterans.
by Chaplain Kathie
When you do what you're supposed to do and there is the perception others will do the same, it's shocking when you find out you've just been used. Well that's exactly what's been happening everyday right here in America. Over 1.8 million men and women joined the ranks of combat veterans from other military actions. That is, they joined those who are still living despite the best efforts of a disconnected government bureaucracy to have them drop off the face of the earth. That is exactly how they feel.
When there was a military draft, they were forced to go, follow orders, stay until told to leave and then, well they were handed a piece of paper, then sent off to fend for themselves. Pretty neat trick when you think about it.
They served right next to men and women willing to risk their lives for the sake of the nation, but yet again, they were also handed a piece of paper then just sent on to live the rest of their lives by a nation hoping they would never hear from them ever again. After all, they did their time being fed, given clothes, shelter and medical care while they were serving. What more could they want? Well for starters an actual grateful nation would have been just the beginning of what they not only wanted but fully deserved.
See, we've inherited a streak in all of us that conditions us to wave the good ole red, white and blue flag, slap on a bumper sticker and sing the songs most of us can't even manage to carry the tune of while feeling oh so patriotic. We can then live out the rest of our days feeling as if we have deserved the bounty of this land paid for by the blood of the generations of those willing to fight and die for it beginning with the Patriots themselves. We didn't do so well by them either. Ever hear about how Washington had a hard time feeding them and keeping shoes on their feet?
When the men and women we cheer come home, naturally after hearing all the speeches from politicians about how we�re the ones that are supposed to be supporting them end up falling for that line of crap hook, line and sinker, it�s easy for us to just walk away and ignore them. We never seem to manage the same politicians telling us how much we need to support the troops consistently and continually fail them when they are no longer of any use to the nation. God forbid they manage to come home wounded needing the care, compensation and compassion from the government after the government can no longer use them. A burden is a burden no matter what! Some even view the VA as a welfare program for veterans expecting to be taken care of just because they have wounds preventing them from working for a living.
We have half the National Guards coming home with PTSD eating them up alive. It's a slow, agonizing death of character and hope. This insidious enemy does not stop with claiming the warrior. Oh no, it's never happy with just one. This goes after the whole family in this generation and then is carried over into the next by the children of veterans. We witnessed this in the children of veterans from all wars when Daddy came home "different" and he was angry, drank too much along with being inattentive. They angry outburst, rash decisions, unexplained mood swings became a plague, breaking up families with far reaching affects on families.
go here for more
http://www.namguardianangel.com/
Thursday, December 18, 2008
Does the VA ever think before they do something stupid?
QUANTICO, VA - AUGUST 05: A job seeker in Marine Corps uniform visits the counter of the Veterans Affairs Department during a job fair August 5, 2008 at the Marine Corps base in Quantico, Virginia. The Wounded Warrior Regiment hosted a job fair for wounded warriors and the public with about 60 companies participating.
Does the VA ever think before they do something stupid?
by
Chaplain Kathie
I was looking for a pictures of a new video and came across this. I had to look twice because I was sure I was not seeing what I thought I saw. Then, sure enough, it was as bad as I thought.
How could they put a poster up like this? Be A Hero Again? When did the men and women serving in the military ever stop being just that? What, suddenly they are veterans and they are no longer heroes? Is this really the way they want the veterans too think they feel about them?
This was a really dumb thing to do.
One of the videos I did is Hero After War, because the world according to most of us knows they were born heroes, born with that little extra something inside of them that makes them so unselfish they are able to give up everything, including their lives if need be, to serve this country. No matter what they did in their lives, they would have been of service to the greater good. Too many of them feel as if they are no longer appreciated, especially when they have to fight the VA to have claims approved, wounds treated and compensated for lost incomes. Too many of them feel as if they were betrayed, treated like they deserve nothing even though they did everything this nation asked them to do.
Most of the PTSD veterans only sought help when their lives were no longer in danger and they were back home. How is that anything other than a hero? For Heaven's sake! We give medals when soldiers keep fighting with a bullet in them but if they serve with PTSD in them, we just ignore it.
They come home after hearing "support the troops" but never hear "support the veterans" and then the VA has the nerve to hang a sign like this to get them to work for them? Until the VA stops treating them as anything other than heroes, they will never, ever get any of this right. Maybe that's been the problem all along. It's time the VA decided to be a hero to the heroes needing to be taken care of.
Tuesday, December 16, 2008
Vietnam Veterans of America and Veterans of Modern Warfare VA Law Suit Begins
Disability claims lawsuit begins against VA
By Kelly Kennedy - Staff writer
Posted : Tuesday Dec 16, 2008 17:17:49 EST
A hearing begins Wednesday in a lawsuit aimed at cutting the time that the Department of Veterans Affairs takes to process disability claims to no more than 90 days.
Vietnam Veterans of America and Veterans of Modern Warfare filed the lawsuit against VA after learning the department took as long as a year to come up with disability benefits decisions, and as long as four years to rule on appeals of those decisions. The average time for an initial decision is about six months.
VA has a benefits claims backlog of more than 400,000 cases.
Rita Reese, principal deputy assistant VA secretary for management, told Congress in January that the department would increase the number of fulltime case workers from 14,857 to 15,570, with a goal of reducing the disability claims backlog to 298,000 by the end of fiscal 2009, which would be a drop of 24 percent.
The lawsuit asks for monetary relief for veterans if VA can’t reduce its processing time.
“Delayed disability benefit awards create an additional and, in many cases, unmanageable stress for an already suffering population,” VVA and VMW officials said in a joint press release. “According to the VA, the suicide rate among individuals in the VA’s care may be as high as 7.5 times the national average, and every night, more than 150,000 American veterans are homeless.”
click link above for more
By Kelly Kennedy - Staff writer
Posted : Tuesday Dec 16, 2008 17:17:49 EST
A hearing begins Wednesday in a lawsuit aimed at cutting the time that the Department of Veterans Affairs takes to process disability claims to no more than 90 days.
Vietnam Veterans of America and Veterans of Modern Warfare filed the lawsuit against VA after learning the department took as long as a year to come up with disability benefits decisions, and as long as four years to rule on appeals of those decisions. The average time for an initial decision is about six months.
VA has a benefits claims backlog of more than 400,000 cases.
Rita Reese, principal deputy assistant VA secretary for management, told Congress in January that the department would increase the number of fulltime case workers from 14,857 to 15,570, with a goal of reducing the disability claims backlog to 298,000 by the end of fiscal 2009, which would be a drop of 24 percent.
The lawsuit asks for monetary relief for veterans if VA can’t reduce its processing time.
“Delayed disability benefit awards create an additional and, in many cases, unmanageable stress for an already suffering population,” VVA and VMW officials said in a joint press release. “According to the VA, the suicide rate among individuals in the VA’s care may be as high as 7.5 times the national average, and every night, more than 150,000 American veterans are homeless.”
click link above for more
Monday, December 8, 2008
Wounded vets receive warm welcome at Orlando Airport
Wounded Vets Receive Warm Welcome
ORLANDO -- Dozens of wounded veterans got a big welcome Sunday at Orlando International Airport.
Many gathered at the main terminal to welcome the 146 wounded veterans and their families who are attending the annual Road to Recovery Conference this week.
The event helps the vets learn to reintegrate into society. It also includes a job fair with top employers.
Veterans also get free tickets to Disney World, and they get to attend Disney's Very Merry Christmas party.
The event is sponsored by the Coalition to Salute America's Heroes, which is a group that provides financial aid and programs for veterans returning home.
go here for video report from News 13
Warm Welcome For Vets
Coalition to Salute America's Heroes
Orlando chapter of Nam Knights Motor Cycle club, Rolling Thunder members, Patriot Guard Riders and a host of service organizations, as well as regular people came to welcome these wounded warriors as they traveled to Orlando for a Disney vacation with their families.
Nam Knights Orlando/
The Nam Knights are Vietnam veterans, police officers, firefighters and they wanted to make sure the newer veterans are given all the appreciation they deserve. During the year they hold fund raisers, travel across Florida to escort the Traveling Wall and for other memorials, support Boots on the Ground along with a long list of other groups. Some of the members have sons serving in Iraq and Afghanistan.
Tuesday, November 25, 2008
My new PTSD web site is almost done
http://www.namguardianangel.com/ is just about finished. The videos are up and running. It still needs a bit more work and more features are being added.
There are only a couple more videos to put up.
Features will have PowerPoints on two often requested videos, Wounded Minds and Death Because They Served. Both of these videos are long and the tiles contain important information for people doing presentations. Soon Wounded Minds will have translated tiles into Spanish for Power Point. A doctor in Argentina requested the tiles so that he can translate them and he'll be sending the Spanish version.
My book will also be available on the site, as well as on this blog.
There is a forum ready to go, but bear with me on that one because I'm still not too sure how it works.
I've done this because of YouTube and Google videos. The main reason is that the troops cannot access either one of them and they are missing the information in these videos. Plus considering how many videos there are on both sites, mine, well, let's just say they get buried. People are shocked once they finally find them and wish they found them a couple of years ago when I first started to do them.
There are two videos for female soldiers and veterans. Women At War and The Voice, Women At War.
There are two videos on the other causes of trauma as well for civilians because they also end up wounded by abnormal events. Those are PTSD After Trauma and IFOC Chaplain Army of Love.
There is a video for the citizen soldiers, the National Guards and Reservist, who end up coming back and going back to work for the police and fire departments across this country as well as back to regular jobs.
There are several videos for the Vietnam Veterans because they have been tugging at my heart since 1982. Naturally there are videos for the veterans of Iraq and Afghanistan.
Two videos are for the family members who need to know what PTSD is and when the veteran needs more help than just love can give. Learn the signs and you'll be able to help them heal.
There is also a special video, PTSD Not God's Judgment. This video was created because of what veterans have found very hard to come to terms with. They want to know if God can forgive them. Yes, there is really no reason for them to feel that way, but when you consider what they go thru it's not that hard to understand. This video was also made after a very long argument I had with God. I get the ideas for the videos, find the music and the pictures to go with the message I feel is important. This one, kept nagging at me. I kept finding reasons to not do it. Reluctantly I put it together, put it up on YouTube and let the Good Lord take over from there. He did. When I was at the IFOC conference in Ohio, I found out that it has been used to help police officers and firefighters to heal by therapists. Amazing! I did not intend it to be used with them, but evidently God had other plans.
The work I do on this blog will still go on and trying to find out the best way to incorporate it with the new site, but Wounded Times is not going anywhere.
So, until the DOD blocks my site from being viewed by the troops, let them know the videos are there and more will be added. Tell the families and friends so they can understand what PTSD is as well. One more thing. Consider how many we're talking about. RAND Corp put the number at 300,000, but with all I know about PTSD after all these years, they are not even close. By 1978 there were already 500,000 Vietnam Veterans with PTSD. We have over 7 million people in the USA with PTSD from other causes. Too many suffer because they don't know what it is. Help me to help them. Spread the word about the videos if you can.
You won't be able to download them from the site but you can download them from Google and YouTube for now. If you need a DVD copy of one email me and I'll burn you one for a small donation.
Senior Chaplain Kathie "Costos" DiCesare
International Fellowship of Chaplains
Namguardianangel@aol.com
www.Namguardianangel.com
www.Woundedtimes.blogspot.com
www.youtube.com/NamGuardianAngel
"The willingness with which our young people are likely to serve in any war, no matter how justified, shall be directly proportional to how they perceive veterans of early wars were treated and appreciated by our nation." - George Washington
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