Island residents sue U.S., saying military made them sick

Island residents sue U.S., saying military made them sick
By Abbie Boudreau and Scott Bronstein,
CNN Special Investigations Unit
February 1, 2010 -- Updated 2103 GMT (0503 HKT)

STORY HIGHLIGHTS
Vieques was one of Navy's largest firing ranges and weapons testing sites
Thousands of residents say testing has made them seriously ill
Government says under "sovereign immunity," residents have no right to sue
See how residents are coping with illnesses on "Campbell Brown" tonight 8 ET
Hear from residents of Vieques, where thousands of people say U.S. weapons testing has made them seriously ill, on tonight's "Campbell Brown," 8 ET

Vieques, Puerto Rico (CNN) -- Nearly 40 years ago, Hermogenes Marrero was a teenage U.S. Marine, stationed as a security guard on the tiny American island of Vieques, off the coast of Puerto Rico.

Marrero says he's been sick ever since. At age 57, the former Marine sergeant is nearly blind, needs an oxygen tank, has Lou Gehrig's disease and crippling back problems, and sometimes needs a wheelchair.

"I'd go out to the firing range, and sometimes I'd start bleeding automatically from my nose," he said in an interview to air on Monday night's "Campbell Brown."
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http://edition.cnn.com/2010/US/02/01/vieques.illness/index.html

Wounded Warrior: A Story of Survival

Wounded Warrior: A Story of Survival
A Colorado Springs soldier was not expected to survive a critical injury he suffered in Iraq. His recovery was nothing short of miraculous. His family tells 11 News it is a testament to the power of hope. Reporter: David Nancarrow
PLAY VIDEO: Wounded Warrior: A Survivor's Story

Camp Pendleton claims strides in treating injuries to body and mind

MILITARY: Caring for wounded warriors
Camp Pendleton claims strides in treating injuries to body and mind

By MARK WALKER - mlwalker@nctimes.com Posted: January 30, 2010

There were a record 52 suicides among the Marine Corps' roughly 202,000 troops in 2009. The Corps recorded 48 suicides in 2008; 33 in 2007 and 25 in 2006.

He says the nightmares from the four roadside bomb attacks in Iraq are easing.

His memory is improving, so long as he uses a pattern to recall where things are. And the pain in his back is getting better.

But Camp Pendleton's Sgt. Kurtis Foster knows his days as a Marine are nearing an end.

"I can't stay in and do the things I wanted to do when I joined," the 24-year-old machine gunner and native of Oakhurst said last week. "I can't go back to the infantry."

Foster is one of nearly 100 Camp Pendleton Marines assigned to the Wounded Warrior Battalion West, established at the base in 2007 to treat troops injured in battle, training or off-base accidents who don't require long-term hospitalization.

Now fully staffed and about to open a major new facility, the battalion primarily treats troops with post-traumatic stress disorder or traumatic brain injury.
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Caring for wounded warriors

Documentary with Pennsylvania vets awakens Vietnam demons

Documentary with Pennsylvania vets awakens Vietnam demons

By Craig Smith
PITTSBURGH TRIBUNE-REVIEW
Monday, February 1, 2010
Last updated: 11:18 am

Army Sgt. Lamont B. Steptoe came home to Pittsburgh after fighting in the jungles of Vietnam and bought a gun.

"I was so enraged. ... I was going to go out one day and start shooting everybody I saw," said Steptoe, 60, who now lives in Philadelphia.

Then, reading "A Choice of Weapons," the autobiography of acclaimed photographer Gordon Parks, and the thought of what his mother would face if he carried out his plot, stopped the Peabody High School grad cold.

A poet, photographer and publisher who grew up in East Liberty, Steptoe exorcises his demons from the war through his writing. The author of 11 collections of poetry and three books on Vietnam, he is a 2005 American Book Award winner and recipient of a 2006 Pew Fellowship.

He and other Vietnam veterans from Pennsylvania are featured in "the weight," a three-part, six-hour documentary being completed that chronicles the war experiences of 10 Vietnam veterans and late CBS newsman Ed Bradley. In addition to Bradley, a Marine featured in the film, Jim Downey, has died.
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Documentary with Pennsylvania vets awakens Vietnam demons

Federal review finds errors at Anchorage VA office

Federal review finds errors at Anchorage VA office

The Associated Press

Published: January 29th, 2010 08:17 AM
Last Modified: January 29th, 2010 08:42 AM

ANCHORAGE, Alaska - Federal inspectors gave the Anchorage Veterans Administration regional office a poor review for its handling of disability claims - a 29 percent error rate.


The Anchorage Daily News reports that has resulted in delays, underpayments and denials of services for some veterans.

Office supervisors say they are well on the way toward fixing the problems identified in last year's inspection.

Alaska had the highest number of veterans per capita of any state as of the last census, at nearly 18 percent of the population.
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Federal review finds errors at Anchorage VA office