Sgt. Rafael Peralta’s Medal of Honor case shifts again
JUNE 22ND, 2012
POSTED BY DAN LAMOTHE
Sgt. Rafael Peralta’s case for the Medal of Honor has shifted again, according to a congressman who has pressed the Pentagon to review new evidence that he says shows the Marine chose to smother a grenade to save his buddies in Iraq.
Peralta, 25, died Nov. 15, 2004, in Fallujah. He was awarded the Navy Cross in 2008 for disregarding his own personal safety while already mortally wounded, pulling the grenade to his body, “absorbing the brunt of the blast and shielding fellow Marines only feet away,” according to his award citation.
Despite the extraordinary heroism, then-Defense Secretary Robert Gates shot down Peralta’s case for the Medal of Honor in 2008, leading the Navy Department to authorize the Navy Cross instead.
Pentagon officials cited “contradictory evidence” on whether he had the cognitive ability to choose to cover the grenade despite already being mortally wounded in the head, outraging his family, fellow Marines and veterans.
The Navy Department acknowledged in March that it was reviewing new evidence — two videos recorded shortly after the blast by fellow Marines and a new pathology report — but declined to characterize the move as a “re-opening” of the case.
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Saturday, June 23, 2012
Panetta: Junior leaders can stop suicides
Panetta: Junior leaders can stop suicides
By Patricia Kime
Staff writer
Army Times
Posted : Friday Jun 22, 2012
Calling suicide “the most frustrating challenge” of his position, Panetta said the Defense Department can create programs, conduct research and lead innovation in neuroscience, but leaders must tackle the issue “head on” because prevention falls to them.
“We will not tolerate actions that belittle, that haze, that ostracize any individual, particularly those who have made the decision to get help. Leadership throughout the department must make it understood that seeking help is a sign of strength, not a sign of weakness,” he said. read more here
By Patricia Kime
Staff writer
Army Times
Posted : Friday Jun 22, 2012
According to monthly service reports, the Army had 76 suicides through June 1 while the Marine Corps had 18. The Air Force had 35 as of May 1, according to figures provided to Air Force Times. The Navy does not publish monthly statistics, but at least 20 sailors have committed suicide this year.Defense Secretary Leon Panetta said Friday that preventing suicides is a foremost leadership responsibility shouldered by all commanders, but especially by junior leader, non-commissioned officers and petty officers with direct oversight over troops.
Calling suicide “the most frustrating challenge” of his position, Panetta said the Defense Department can create programs, conduct research and lead innovation in neuroscience, but leaders must tackle the issue “head on” because prevention falls to them.
“We will not tolerate actions that belittle, that haze, that ostracize any individual, particularly those who have made the decision to get help. Leadership throughout the department must make it understood that seeking help is a sign of strength, not a sign of weakness,” he said. read more here
Healing military vets’ PTSD starts with understanding
Healing military vets’ PTSD starts with understanding
Posted: Friday, June 22, 2012
By Dr. Mike Rosmann
IFT columnist
Iowa Farmer Today
Last week I explained how Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) can develop.
Reacting to a traumatic event with alarm is normal, but when we overreact with alarm to any reminder or cue of the trauma to the degree that distress interferes with our daily lives, it’s time to take corrective actions.
PTSD is fairly common for people involved in farming because farming is one of the most-stressful occupations and many of the factors that affect success or failure are beyond our control.
When I use the term “farming,” I am also referring to ranching, working on a farm as a laborer and related jobs that involve the production of food, fiber and biofuel.
One of my first professional experiences with PTSD after completing training in clinical psychology involved helping a farmer who became emotionally paralyzed while undergoing farm-foreclosure proceedings in court. He couldn’t sleep, he was unable to go about his daily chores on the farm, he became numb and was hardly able to speak. PTSD in the military
PTSD among soldiers who completed tours of duty in Iraq and/or Afghanistan is also common. Recent estimates range from 2.5 percent to 35 percent among U.S. veterans returning stateside (Richardson, Frueh & Acierno, 2010; Curry, 2012).
As might be expected, the prevalence of PTSD is positively correlated with the number of tours of duty and the number of exposures to fire-fights, bombs and other life-threatening events.
Many returning U.S. military who originated from rural areas find access to care for PTSD is an added burden.
Dr. Joel Kupersmith, chief research and development officer of the Department of Veteran Affairs, commented, “Providing comprehensive, high-quality health care to veterans in rural areas is a challenge.”
Of 5.6 million veterans who received care from the VA in 2006, about 40 percent lived in rural areas.
U.S. military personnel tend to originate in greater numbers from states that are rural, with Alaska having the highest number of military personnel on a per capita basis.
read more here
Posted: Friday, June 22, 2012
By Dr. Mike Rosmann
IFT columnist
Iowa Farmer Today
PTSD seldom goes away on its own. The most-effective help with PTSD is usually obtained from professionals and trained peer support counselors who understand the experiences of those struggling with PTSD.
Last week I explained how Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) can develop.
Reacting to a traumatic event with alarm is normal, but when we overreact with alarm to any reminder or cue of the trauma to the degree that distress interferes with our daily lives, it’s time to take corrective actions.
PTSD is fairly common for people involved in farming because farming is one of the most-stressful occupations and many of the factors that affect success or failure are beyond our control.
When I use the term “farming,” I am also referring to ranching, working on a farm as a laborer and related jobs that involve the production of food, fiber and biofuel.
One of my first professional experiences with PTSD after completing training in clinical psychology involved helping a farmer who became emotionally paralyzed while undergoing farm-foreclosure proceedings in court. He couldn’t sleep, he was unable to go about his daily chores on the farm, he became numb and was hardly able to speak. PTSD in the military
PTSD among soldiers who completed tours of duty in Iraq and/or Afghanistan is also common. Recent estimates range from 2.5 percent to 35 percent among U.S. veterans returning stateside (Richardson, Frueh & Acierno, 2010; Curry, 2012).
As might be expected, the prevalence of PTSD is positively correlated with the number of tours of duty and the number of exposures to fire-fights, bombs and other life-threatening events.
Many returning U.S. military who originated from rural areas find access to care for PTSD is an added burden.
Dr. Joel Kupersmith, chief research and development officer of the Department of Veteran Affairs, commented, “Providing comprehensive, high-quality health care to veterans in rural areas is a challenge.”
Of 5.6 million veterans who received care from the VA in 2006, about 40 percent lived in rural areas.
U.S. military personnel tend to originate in greater numbers from states that are rural, with Alaska having the highest number of military personnel on a per capita basis.
read more here
Home Depot Foundation doing more for veterans
Volunteers of America gets grant to help homeless veterans
Jun 22, 2012
Troops wait for President Barack Obama to speak to them at the Third Infantry Division Headquarters, Friday, April 27, 2012, Fort Stewart, Ga. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster) / AP
Written by
The Courier-Journal
The Home Depot Foundation has awarded a $77,741 grant to Volunteers of America of Kentucky to help address the housing needs of Louisville-area military veterans.
The grant will be used to support transitional housing for homeless veterans at the agency’s campus at 1432 S. Shelby St. Among the improvements to be funded with the grant money is the replacement of 42 windows, many of which are in disrepair and not energy-efficient, agency officials said.
The funding follows a grant for $67,720 in October 2011 and $2,500 worth of gift cards in December 2011 from The Home Depot Foundation for other work at the campus.
read more here
THE CHALLENGESUPDATE This is what they did last year.
Statistics show that many veterans face severe housing needs sometimes because of a disability from combat injuries or because they’ve been particularly hard hit by the economy and sometimes because they simply can’t find affordable housing.
An aging population: 9 million veterans are senior citizens, many of whom live on fixed incomes
Disabilities:
From 2001-2008, the number of disabled veterans increased 25 percent to 2.9 million.
Low Incomes:
More than 4.3 million veterans have a combined family income of under $20,000.
Homelessness:
Statistics show that veterans are twice as likely to be homeless than those who haven’t served.
Veterans represent 8% of the general population, yet they form 16% of the homeless population.
THE OPPORTUNITIES
The skills learned in the Armed Forces are often directly applicable in the workplace, making veterans highly educated and trained employees for businesses. We know that firsthand — more than 35,000 of The Home Depot’s associates are veterans.
Leadership & Work Ethic:Home Depot Foundation
Proven leadership skills, honed in the most challenging operational environments.
Top Skills:
92% of active duty military in the United States use computers at their places of duty and 40% of military personnel have job assignments that involve information resource management; 60% of the enlisted personnel can program in at least one computer language.
Education Level:
Almost 33% of young veterans have an associate or bachelor’s degree, compared to 27% of young non-veterans.
By Joe Ruble ORLANDO, Fla. — A non-profit agency that serves 15,000 veterans in Central Florida with an annual budget of $16,000 had to make a tough decision. Were they to spend their funds entirely on the needs of homeless and other veterans or finally start a badly needed renovation project in the building they have called home for 49 years? "It was coming down to hard decisions," said Brad Bouters, commander of DAV Chapter 16 in Orlando.And then they came out last week and did even more.
Then another non-profit stepped in and with the help of The Home Depot Foundation were able to pull off the repair job. The Mission Continues organized over 100 volunteers who showed up at 2040 W. Central Avenue on Tuesday morning to turn it into a new place of work.
The DAV office there is normally open two days a week for paperwork, while the rest of the time veterans are working in the field with homeless veterans, Bouters explained. Not one DAV volunteer gets paid.
"It's just veterans giving back," he said.
read more here
Friday, June 22, 2012
Older vets reach out to younger peers
Older vets reach out to younger peers
By ART HOVEY
Lincoln Journal Star
Posted: Thursday, June 21, 201
Peggy Gillispie remembers the day she was ready to declare her husband the winner in his war with himself.
It was 11 years after he lost a leg to a land mine in Vietnam and the day of their older son’s first communion.
When retired Marine Terry Gillispie went to confession and took part in the sacrament with 7-year-old Shawn at the Cathedral of the Risen Christ in Lincoln in 1979, she realized the “cradle Catholic” and father of three had found a measure of peace.
“It was one of the happiest days of my life,” said a woman who stood by her man through years of readjustment.
"I was more involved in my faith at that time, but I like to think I brought him back into the fold."
It took a long time for Terry Gillispie to move beyond his injuries from an ambush on April 20, 1968, just one year after graduating from Lincoln Southeast High School.
“I relived that incident every day,” he said. “I was angry. I did some things. I drank too much. I got in fights. I raised hell.”
Now that’s behind him. And now, he and fellow Vietnam veteran Larry Brown are reaching out to Mike Sheets and others coming home from Iraq and Afghanistan with post traumatic stress and other problems.
They worry that a bleak jobs picture will add to the latest round of emotional turmoil for men and women returning from war zones.
“Our objective is to get them to the VA now,” Gillispie said, “and not to have them go through what we went through.”
One focus of their efforts is Saturday’s Veterans Freedom Music Festival at the Veterans Administration Campus in Lincoln.
Read more
By ART HOVEY
Lincoln Journal Star
Posted: Thursday, June 21, 201
Peggy Gillispie remembers the day she was ready to declare her husband the winner in his war with himself.
It was 11 years after he lost a leg to a land mine in Vietnam and the day of their older son’s first communion.
When retired Marine Terry Gillispie went to confession and took part in the sacrament with 7-year-old Shawn at the Cathedral of the Risen Christ in Lincoln in 1979, she realized the “cradle Catholic” and father of three had found a measure of peace.
“It was one of the happiest days of my life,” said a woman who stood by her man through years of readjustment.
"I was more involved in my faith at that time, but I like to think I brought him back into the fold."
It took a long time for Terry Gillispie to move beyond his injuries from an ambush on April 20, 1968, just one year after graduating from Lincoln Southeast High School.
“I relived that incident every day,” he said. “I was angry. I did some things. I drank too much. I got in fights. I raised hell.”
Now that’s behind him. And now, he and fellow Vietnam veteran Larry Brown are reaching out to Mike Sheets and others coming home from Iraq and Afghanistan with post traumatic stress and other problems.
They worry that a bleak jobs picture will add to the latest round of emotional turmoil for men and women returning from war zones.
“Our objective is to get them to the VA now,” Gillispie said, “and not to have them go through what we went through.”
One focus of their efforts is Saturday’s Veterans Freedom Music Festival at the Veterans Administration Campus in Lincoln.
Read more
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