Funeral service set for soldier of Oklahoma National Guard

Funeral service set for soldier

By Michael Pineda, Staff Writer
The Ardmoreite
Posted Aug 23, 2011

Kingston —
Family and friends of 2nd Lt. Joe Cunningham are still trying to come to grips with his death, which occurred on Aug. 13 at the Laghman province of Afghanistan.

A Department of Defense press release said Cunningham died of injuries sustained in a non-combat related incident while assigned to the 1st Battalion, 179th Infantry Regiment, 45th Infantry Brigade Combat Team, Oklahoma Army National Guard.
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Psychiatrist wins medal for fighting stress

Psychiatrist wins medal for fighting stress
Army lieutenant colonel earned Bronze Star for work in Iraq

By Madeline Will

When Rebecca Tomsyck was 53, she joined the Army. Now, six years later, she has been awarded a Bronze Star.

A Charlotte psychiatrist who is board certified in pediatrics, psychiatry and child psychiatry, Tomsyck had a successful practice in the Arboretum area, where her home is, but wanted something more.

When Army recruiters started expressing an interest in her son, Jay, she saw an opportunity. Her son didn't join the Army, but Tomsyck did.

"I wanted to serve and I wanted a change, and I wanted an adventure before I died," said Tomsyck, now 59.

When Tomsyck was in medical school, she had thought about serving in the military after she finished her residency; but her parents had strong objections. She married before her residency was over, and the idea was laid to rest.

Her goal was realized decades later when she was commissioned a lieutenant colonel in the Army in July 2005. She went on active duty that September, stationed in Heidelberg, Germany, as Chief of Child and Adolescent Psychiatric Services, where she served soldiers' children.

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Navy Can't Be Sued Over Young Officer's Suicide?

Navy Can't Be Sued Over Young Officer's Suicide
By JOE CELENTINO

CHICAGO (CN) - Family members of a hospital corpsman who committed suicide cannot seek damages from the Navy, the 7th Circuit ruled.

Christopher Lee Purcell enlisted in the Navy at age 18. Three years later, on Jan. 27, 2008, Purcell committed suicide.

Shortly before his death, the 21-year-old contacted his sister and several other people on MySpace. He wrote: "I don't want to die, I don't know what else to do, I have a loaded gun in my lap right now, I'm so scared."

A friend who was also stationed at the Brunswick Naval Air Station, called base security and reported that Purcell was contemplating suicide and had a gun.

Arriving on the scene, officers found an empty gun case and bullets on top of a television stand but no weapon. When the officers tried to restrain Purcell, a struggle ensued. He was eventually subdued by five officers.

Back in his room, Purcell was permitted to use the bathroom and one of his handcuffs was removed. He was accompanied by his friend, Nathan Mutschler.

"After entering the bathroom, Purcell pulled his gun from his waistband and committed suicide by shooting himself in the chest," court documents state.

Two responding officers, Petty Officer First Class Mitchell Tafel and Petty Officer First Class David Rodriguez, faced courts-martial for negligent conduct and were punished via extrajudicial proceeding.

Purcell's family filed an administrative tort claim with the Navy seeking $45 million in damages.

The claim was denied on the Feres doctrine, a tenant of the Federal Tort Claims Act that bars lawsuits brought by soldiers against the United States and its employees for military service-related injuries.
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Why does feeding faith matter in combat?

Why does faith matter in combat?
by
Chaplain Kathie

Holding onto faith is never easy. With all the stress people have in their daily lives it often becomes hard to believe anyone cares. Fractured families drift apart and some may feel it was no great loss considering their family was never close in the first place. Marriages started off good but then reality set in, stress increased and the glowing faces in the frame on the wall seem more like strangers. There is an empty place inside of them. They wonder, "is this it?" as they begin to think their lives at the moment will never be any better.

When you think about everything civilians go through it becomes a tiny bit easier to understand what the men and women serving in the military are. Just humans like the rest of us. Unlike the rest of us, they have to worry about combat.

Living in Central Florida there seems to be a church on every major street. Some of them have thousands of members packing the pews every week. There is a reason people give up a couple of hours a week to show up as just one more face in the crowd. They believe they will be seen by the eyes that count the most. God's eyes. Their souls are fed enough to face the rest of their week with all the stresses that may come their way. Can the troops be expected to be any different than the rest of us when it comes to their own need to feed their faith?

There are some about to read the following and they will not be able to understand the need for Chaplains as they scream "separation of church and state" simply because they don't understand anyone needing to go to church. What they fail to accept is that being in the military "state" should never be allowed to separate them from their "church" just because they are not on this soil.

Baptism at Camp Leatherneck in Afghanistan
Riazat Butt visits the US camp in Afghanistan's Helmand Province – and notes the differences between the American and British military's approach to religion
Posted by
Riazat Butt
Tuesday 23 August 2011

Members of the US and UK forces attend a baptism service for three serving soldiers in Camp Leatherneck in Helmand Province, Afghanistan. Padre Mucha leads the congregation in prayer before moving to the baptism area outside the chapel. Photograph: Sergeant Alison Baskerville RLC

It is often said America and England are two nations separated by a common language. The same could be said about their religious practices.

On the corner of Echo and 5th Street in Camp Leatherneck - the US equivalent of Camp Bastion in Helmand - is a building identical to the others surrounding it - mass-produced and military. Its interior, however, is nothing short of a revelation. It houses the chapel for US Christians in the armed forces, laying on standing room only services on a Sunday morning, prayer squares, guitar solos from its resident praise team and a lavish beverage station featuring two types of cookie and flavoured syrups for your freshly brewed coffee. Satin, fringed banners hang from the walls bearing phrases such as "Lamb of God" and "Lion of Judah".

"We named the chapel the oasis, we are in the middle of a desert and it is a physical and spiritual wilderness," says Padre Mucha ("like run amok"), chaplain to the US Navy and US Marine Corps. "There is a perception that we are a Christian country because of the Founding Fathers. But it is a great challenge to stay focused on the Lord in this day and age when you are around so many people who aren't."

Four servicemen - three US and one Briton - are being baptised in the chapel's custom built tank. Before this occasion, there is the not so small matter of evening worship. Padre Mucha is on stage, while before him a congregation that is multi-racial, young and mostly but not exclusively male rocks out to songs such as All Those Who Are Thirsty and We Want to See Jesus Lifted High. Hands lift, eyes close and feet tap.
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Military Chaplains are vital in all of this. The only issue I have is when they are used to replace mental health workers and some manage to tell soldiers they will go to hell unless they convert to the "right" group.

Marine suicide tied to hazing in Afghanistan

UPDATE
3 Marines accused of hazing

Marine suicide tied to hazing in Afghanistan
By Dan Lamothe - Staff writer
Posted : Tuesday Aug 23, 2011 20:00:13 EDT
One Marine faces court-martial and another faces non-judicial punishment for allegedly hazing a lance corporal who killed himself in Afghanistan, according to a military investigation report obtained by Marine Corps Times.

Lance Cpl. Harry Lew, 21, killed himself with a two- or three-round burst from an M249 Squad Automatic Weapon early April 3, according to a Marine Corps investigation. He was hazed that night by two other lance corporals in 2nd Battalion, 3rd Marines, out of Marine Corps Base Hawaii, who were angry he had fallen asleep several times while manning a guard post, the report said.

“May hate me now, but in the long run this was the right choice I’m sorry my mom deserves the truth,” a message found on Lew’s arm said.

The report outlines an incident at Patrol Base Gowragi, in Nawa district, that escalated over several hours. It began with Lew not responding to calls on his radio about 11:15 p.m. on April 2.

A sergeant found him sleeping in a fighting hole, and told other lance corporals that “peers should correct peers,” without providing specific instruction, the report said.
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