Marine describes losing comrades in Iraq in moving animated film
Marine Times
By Hope Hodge Seck
Staff writer
December 10, 2014
Marine veteran Travis Williams doesn't try to hide the way his voice cracks when he describes the day he lost 11 teammates to a single roadside bomb in Iraq.
Williams, a former lance corporal with the Reserve unit 3rd Battalion, 25th Marines, out of Columbus, Ohio, told his story this fall for StoryCorps, an organization that records and archives interviews with participants across the country. StoryCorps recently turned Williams' interview into a short animated feature, one of three made in honor of Veterans Day this year.
In the three-minute, 45-second account titled "1st Squad, 3rd Platoon," Williams describes the events of Aug. 3, 2005, and their aftermath. The 12-man team set out on a rescue mission to find a missing Marine in Barwanah. After loading together into their tracked armored vehicle, Williams was told he needed to ride in the next vehicle in the convoy.
"I said, 'Catch you guys on the flipside," Williams said in the StoryCorps account. "And that was the last thing I ever said to them."
read more here
Nov 11, 2014
In August 2005, Marine Lance Cpl. Travis Williams and his squad were sent on a rescue mission in Barwanah, Iraq. En route, their vehicle was hit by a roadside bomb. Of Travis' entire 12-person team, he alone survived. Here, Travis reflects on the hours and days after the explosion, as well as his life now, and pays tribute to the men he left behind.
Thursday, December 11, 2014
Navy Gets Frickin Laser For Ships Not Sharks
Remember when Dr. Evil wanted sharks with laser beams......
Navy just got lasers but no sharks.
Navy just got lasers but no sharks.
Video: Navy Brand New Laser Protects Ponce in Persian Gulf
Defense Tech
by MIKE HOFFMAN
DECEMBER 10, 2014
US Navy Laser Weapon System (LaWS) Live Firing Onboard USS Ponce AFSB(I)-15 Office Of Naval Research
Navy admirals showed off the laser mounted to the USS Ponce Wednesday to the Pentagon press corps as the Navy announced it was confident the laser could protect the sailors aboard the Ponce, which is deployed to the Persian Gulf. As part of the media blitz, the Navy released this video showing the litany of testing the 30-kilowatt laser executed before Navy leaders felt comfortable make the declaration. The video shows sailors shooting down small drones and hitting targets on fast attack boats — two of the major threats Navy surface ships face. read more here
IAVA and VFW Call for Action After Warrior Transition Unit Reports
Veterans organizations call for action on wounded soldiers’ complaints
Dallas Morning News
By DAVID TARRANT, SCOTT FRIEDMAN and EVA PARKS
Published: 10 December 2014
Two of the nation’s largest veterans organizations are calling for Congress and the Pentagon to address the mistreatment of wounded soldiers in the Army’s Warrior Transition Units — a problem that came to light in a joint investigation by The Dallas Morning News and KXAS-TV (NBC5).
Congress and the Pentagon need to do more to protect those assigned to special units to treat injured service members, said spokesmen for both the Veterans of Foreign Wars and the Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America.
“These are guys and gals who put their lives on the line to defend their country, so they need to be treated with respect, and they need to be treated with a certain amount of compassion,” said Brendon Gehrke, senior legislative associate with the Veterans of Foreign Wars in Washington, D.C.
Hundreds of current or former soldiers have complained of harassment and intimidation by leadership at three Texas-based Warrior Transition Units, or WTUs, according to hundreds of documents and interviews with soldiers and medical experts.
The complaints were reported in “Injured Heroes, Broken Promises,” a two-part series published and broadcast last month by NBC5 and The News.
read more here
Related
Part 1: Wounded soldiers allege mistreatment in the units
Part 2: Transition leaders disrespectful, say soldiers; unit defends selection, training
Complaints about wounded warriors’ treatment pile up
He sought to help, but PTSD hindered him
From NBC
Dallas Morning News
By DAVID TARRANT, SCOTT FRIEDMAN and EVA PARKS
Published: 10 December 2014
Two of the nation’s largest veterans organizations are calling for Congress and the Pentagon to address the mistreatment of wounded soldiers in the Army’s Warrior Transition Units — a problem that came to light in a joint investigation by The Dallas Morning News and KXAS-TV (NBC5).
Congress and the Pentagon need to do more to protect those assigned to special units to treat injured service members, said spokesmen for both the Veterans of Foreign Wars and the Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America.
“These are guys and gals who put their lives on the line to defend their country, so they need to be treated with respect, and they need to be treated with a certain amount of compassion,” said Brendon Gehrke, senior legislative associate with the Veterans of Foreign Wars in Washington, D.C.
Hundreds of current or former soldiers have complained of harassment and intimidation by leadership at three Texas-based Warrior Transition Units, or WTUs, according to hundreds of documents and interviews with soldiers and medical experts.
The complaints were reported in “Injured Heroes, Broken Promises,” a two-part series published and broadcast last month by NBC5 and The News.
read more here
Related
Part 1: Wounded soldiers allege mistreatment in the units
Part 2: Transition leaders disrespectful, say soldiers; unit defends selection, training
Complaints about wounded warriors’ treatment pile up
He sought to help, but PTSD hindered him
From NBC
PTSD Afghanistan Veteran Walked From New Jersey to Vegas
Veteran’s cross-country walk brings him to Las Vegas
FOX 5 Vegas
Written by Craig Huber
Posted: Dec 11, 2014
Veteran Eric Peters has walked from his home in Clark, NJ, to Las Vegas to raise awareness for post-traumatic stress disorder, and his journey's not over yet.
Peters, 23, won't stop until he's reached Santa Monica, CA.
A veteran of the War in Afghanistan, Peters was injured on the battlefield.
"There are a lot of demons that I'm fighting, but I continue to put a smile on my face and help out other people. It's actually more therapy to me helping other people," Peters said.
In March of 2011, Peters and his unit, the 101st Airborne Division, were hit by enemy mortar fire while patrolling in a Humvee in the Kunar province.
Peters was knocked unconscious by the blast and shrapnel. He was later diagnosed with PTSD.
"It takes a piece of your soul, you know, and it just flushes it away," he said.
Peters said the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs recently sent him a letter stating his request for further treatment had been denied.
read more here
FOX 5 Vegas
Written by Craig Huber
Posted: Dec 11, 2014
 |
| Veteran Eric Peters is walking from New Jersey to California to raise awareness about post-traumatic stress disorder. (FOX5) |
LAS VEGAS (FOX5)
Veteran Eric Peters has walked from his home in Clark, NJ, to Las Vegas to raise awareness for post-traumatic stress disorder, and his journey's not over yet.
Peters, 23, won't stop until he's reached Santa Monica, CA.
A veteran of the War in Afghanistan, Peters was injured on the battlefield.
"There are a lot of demons that I'm fighting, but I continue to put a smile on my face and help out other people. It's actually more therapy to me helping other people," Peters said.
In March of 2011, Peters and his unit, the 101st Airborne Division, were hit by enemy mortar fire while patrolling in a Humvee in the Kunar province.
Peters was knocked unconscious by the blast and shrapnel. He was later diagnosed with PTSD.
"It takes a piece of your soul, you know, and it just flushes it away," he said.
Peters said the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs recently sent him a letter stating his request for further treatment had been denied.
read more here
"Deficiencies" Prevent Veteran in Cardiac Arrest From Emergency Care
Veterans Affairs Weighs In On Patient Death
Central PA.com
Ashley Doerzbacher
12/08/2014
HOLLIDAYSBURG, BLAIR COUNTY - A report out indicates that man stopped breathing after going into cardiac arrest at the Hollidaysburg Veterans Home.
That report states the home did not send that patient to the emergency room after he complained of severe pains.
Both the Department of Veterans Affairs and the Department of Health conducted investigations.
They found two deficiencies at the facility, but they don't feel they played any role in that man's death.
According to a report from the department of health, about 8:30 PM on August 29, a man complained of excruciating abdominal pain to a nurse at the home, and requested to go to the emergency room.
At that time, a physician increased his pain medication. About five hours later, just before one o'clock in the morning on August 30, that man went into cardiac arrest and stopped breathing.
read more here
Central PA.com
Ashley Doerzbacher
12/08/2014
HOLLIDAYSBURG, BLAIR COUNTY - A report out indicates that man stopped breathing after going into cardiac arrest at the Hollidaysburg Veterans Home.
That report states the home did not send that patient to the emergency room after he complained of severe pains.
Both the Department of Veterans Affairs and the Department of Health conducted investigations.
They found two deficiencies at the facility, but they don't feel they played any role in that man's death.
According to a report from the department of health, about 8:30 PM on August 29, a man complained of excruciating abdominal pain to a nurse at the home, and requested to go to the emergency room.
At that time, a physician increased his pain medication. About five hours later, just before one o'clock in the morning on August 30, that man went into cardiac arrest and stopped breathing.
read more here
Subscribe to:
Comments (Atom)