Afghanistan Veteran From Florida Died at UC Berkley

UC Berkeley senior Paul Hanson dies at age 26
Daily Californian
BY SUHAUNA HUSSAIN
STAFF
December 2, 2014

His brother said Hanson’s death came as a shock to friends and family, because he was physically and academically successful. Still, he acknowledged that his service in the Marine Corps may have impacted Hanson mentally. He noted that his brother struggled with insomnia and post-traumatic stress disorder.

Paul Hanson, a UC Berkeley senior and student-veteran, died last week at the age of 26.

Friends and family remember Hanson for his strong work ethic and unwavering kindness. He served in the Marine Corps for almost five years before transferring to UC Berkeley from community college in 2013.

“I was just proud to have him be my brother and my friend,” said his brother James Hanson. “Me and my brother — we look up to Paul even though he’s the younger brother, because he’s so gifted.”

Hanson majored in political economy on campus after transferring from De Anza College. He had his sights set on obtaining a law degree — earlier this year, he was accepted to the UC Berkeley School of Law and University of Virginia’s law school. Prior to his death, he was in the midst of completing interviews for a number of other prestigious institutions. He eventually hoped to work for the U.S. Department of State.

Joseph Bohling, a Portland State University assistant professor who wrote recommendations for Hanson’s law school applications, said Hanson was the type of student every instructor hoped to have in their classes, remarking that he was constantly curious and went far beyond the course material.

“He pursued his studies with an endless enthusiasm, optimism, and generosity,” Bohling wrote in an email. “Paul dreamed big.”

UC Berkeley sophomore Michelaina Johnson, a friend of Hanson’s and former Daily Californian staff writer, remembered how dedicated he was to his passions, manifested in the long hours he devoted to studying and working for the American Red Cross, JusticeCorps and an international studies honor society.

Originally from Florida, Hanson joined the Marine Corps for four and half years shortly after he turned 18. He served in Afghanistan for a nine-month tour of duty before he was honorably discharged from the Marine Corps, winning the Navy and Marine Corps Achievement Medal for his service.

“Underneath all that muscle and all those protein shakes, he was really sweet,” said UC Berkeley senior Stacie Vu, who laughingly recalled he was still a “sucker for anything Nutella-related.”
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Military Extras in Movies Not Paid?

Ok, so we have military families on food stamps but if the servicemember is acting in a movie, they don't get paid for it? Huh? Do they at least get coffee and donuts?
Getting paid for camo cameos

S.1669, Military Equitable Reimbursement Act.
Last action: November 2013 sent to Senate committee.

The Transformers movie franchise has grossed hundreds of billions of dollars. The U.S. military could have seen some of that money. The Air Force, Army, Navy and Marines each all supported the movies —– treating it as a public relations bonanza —– by offering up hundreds of servicemember extras, equipment including F-22 jets and Predator drones, and access to facilities such as Edwards Air Force Base in California and the Army’s White Sands Missile Range in New Mexico. So, who pays and who gets paid for the screen cameos?

The military can be reimbursed for the movie productions but current laws make it uncertain whether it can keep the money for use of installations like White Sands.

Sen. Martin Heinrich, D-N.M., proposed closing the loophole and getting the services paid. "Clarifying the reimbursement policy for the film industry allows movie productions to realistically portray the skill, heroism, capability and challenges of our Armed Forces and their families while ensuring local installations are directly reimbursed for use of state-of-the-art facilities and equipment," Heinrich said in a written statement.

Amid sound and fury, some military bills likely to go nowhere
Stars and Stripes
By Travis J. Tritten
Published: November 30, 2014

WASHINGTON — The current Congress, entering its final weeks, is on course to be one of the least productive in history.

The passage of new laws hit record lows during the 113th Congress, which spans the last two years. It was not for a lack of trying; about 1,600 bills related to the military were introduced, while only 48 were signed into law, according to a government database that tracks legislation.

A variety of military issues languished — suicide screenings, illegal immigrants in officer schools and toxic exposure. Some were sent to committees, where they quietly died. Others remained in play as lawmakers prepared for a harried last few weeks of legislating following the Thanksgiving break.

Historically, only about 5 percent of bills pass into law, which has meant 300 to 600 new laws per Congress, said Josh Huder, a senior fellow with the Government Affairs Institute at Georgetown University in Washington.

But partisan wrangling and filibusters have dramatically reduced the number that ever make it to a vote, let alone become law. Only about 185 laws have been passed by this Congress, Huder said.
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Ashton Carter, the former second-in-command may replace Hagel

Meet Chuck Hagel's expected replacement as Defense Secretary
CNN
By Jamie Crawford and Barbara Starr
December 2, 2014

STORY HIGHLIGHTS
NEW: Sources said Tuesday that DHS Secretary Jeh Johnson is no longer considered
The White House has struggled to find a successor for Chuck Hagel as Defense Secretary
The new frontrunner is Ashton Carter, a former Pentagon official with years of DOD
experience

Washington (CNN) -- Ashton Carter, the former second-in-command at the Pentagon, appears to be the top choice to replace outgoing Secretary Chuck Hagel.

Barring any last minute complications, Ash Carter will be President Barack Obama's choice as the new Secretary of Defense, several U.S. administration officials told CNN.

An administration official had said that Homeland Security Secretary Jeh Johnson, a former General Counsel at the Pentagon, was also still on the list of possibilities, but on Tuesday morning, sources said Johnson was no longer being considered. The prospect of an additional confirmation hearing for Johnson's replacement if he were to move to the Pentagon as the Senate switches to Republican control would have been problematic for the White House.

Carter, who served as Deputy Defense Secretary under both Leon Panetta and Hagel, would bring a wide range of experience to a department confronting multiple crises in the Middle East and preparing to enter a new phase in Afghanistan as the NATO combat mission ends.

Carter's ability to hit the ground running from his past experience at the Pentagon, in addition to the respect many senior military leaders have for him are seen as major benefits to winning confirmation should Obama nominate him.
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Marine Afghanistan Veteran died from drug toxicity from one of his prescriptions

Marine sniper Rob Richards died from drug toxicity: autopsy
Marine Corps Times
By Hope Hodge Seck
Staff writer
December 1, 2014

Robert Richards, who was found dead in his home in Jacksonville, N.C., on Aug. 13
(Photo: Mike Morones/Staff)

The sudden death of a Marine Corps combat veteran after his controversial exit from the military was a result of drug toxicity from one of his prescriptions, according to a newly published autopsy report.

Rob Richards, 28, was found dead in his Jacksonville, North Carolina, home Aug. 13, a year and five days after he was medically retired from the service as a corporal. Richards, a combat-wounded veteran with multiple deployments, had been among a group of Marine scout snipers whose actions came under intense scrutiny after a video surfaced in 2012 depicting them urinating on an enemy corpse in Afghanistan.

Richards disliked the publicity associated with the urination scandal and worked hard to put the incident behind him, but his autopsy report and other medical documents released to Marine Corps Times reveal the scars of combat and the psychological toll his experiences had taken.

Though the injuries qualified Richards for 100 percent medical disability, and the experience left him with depression and post-traumatic stress — he spent a month in a psychiatric facility after discharging a pistol in a Florida hotel room in a frightening moment of disorientation — he volunteered to return to Afghanistan in 2011 with another scout sniper unit attached to 3rd Battalion, 2nd Marines. Twelve months after he was wounded, Richards quit his medications cold turkey and deployed for the last time.
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Gunnery Sgt Back From Afghanistan Thought No One Was There For Him

Until he saw he was wrong.

"Gunnery Sgt. Chris Taylor recently returned from a year-long deployment in Afghanistan, and didn't expect to see any family members at his homecoming."

Wife welcomes Marine home with surprise visit upon his return from Afghanistan
NBC TODAY
Eun Kyung Kim
December 1, 2014

Sgt. Chris Taylor was surprised when he returned home

(Photo: YouTube)

A surprise reunion following a year-long separation from loved ones can overwhelm even the most disciplined, battle-hardened Marine with emotion.

Gunnery Sgt. Chris Taylor recently returned from a year-long deployment in Afghanistan, and didn't expect to see any family members at his homecoming.

"Because he is stationed in California and our kids and I live in Maryland, he didn't think that anyone would be there when he returned. But I showed him!" wrote his wife, Sara Taylor, in the caption of a YouTube video she posted last month of their emotional reunion.
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