Israel Defense Forces Double Suicide Rate from 2013

Suicide Rates More Than Doubled Among Soldiers Serving The Israel Defense Forces 
IB Times
By Morgan Winsor
January 02 2015

Israeli soldiers rest in the shade of trees near central Gaza Strip in July 2014. Reuters/Finbarr O'Reilly

More than 2,000 Palestinians -- mostly civilians -- and 63 IDF solders were killed during Operation Protective Edge. Israeli airstrikes in Gaza have devastated the area and displaced about 425,000 people, according to Reuters.

The total number of soldier suicides in the Israel Defense Forces has more than doubled in 2014 -- one year after the soldier suicide rate fell to a historic low, according to a report released Friday.

The Israeli military denied any connection between the sharp increase and the Israel-Gaza conflict, the Jerusalem Post reported.

Seven Israeli soldiers committed suicide in 2013. Since then, 15 soldiers have taken their own lives, according to the military’s latest figures. 
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Canada: Veterans Blamed for Needing their VA?

Some ex-soldiers are exaggerating injuries so they don’t have to get a new job: Veterans Affairs
National Post
Lee Berthiaume
Postmedia News
January 2, 2015

Veterans Affairs Minister Julian Fantino in the House of Commons.

The Veterans Affairs department says some veterans are exaggerating their injuries to continue receiving financial benefits from the government and to avoid joining the workforce.

The explosive allegation is contained in a recent internal report on a Veterans Affairs rehabilitation program designed to help injured ex-soldiers transition to civilian life, which found thousands of veterans are staying in the program much longer than anticipated — or not finishing it at all.

The claim is sure to spark fresh anger among veterans groups and opposition critics who have previously complained about an insurance company attitude when it comes to Veterans Affairs Canada’s treatment of veterans.

But Veterans Affairs Minister Julian Fantino’s office, asked about the report, said this week the government will continue to support injured veterans as long as they require assistance.

“Our government makes no apologies for ensuring that veterans receive urgent rehabilitation care when they need it, and that they receive this support for as long as they and their medical practitioner deem appropriate,” Fantino spokeswoman Ashlee Smith said in an email.

NDP veterans affairs critic Peter Stoffer was critical of the department’s emphasis on potential abuse.
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Marine Couple Charged After Infant Abused

Marine couple charged for alleged abuse of infant boy
WCTI12 News
Katy Harris
POSTED: Jan 02 2015

JACKSONVILLE, ONSLOW COUNTY

A 7-month-old boy suffered a broken rib, bleeding in the lungs, and injuries to his tongue and eyes, and arrest warrants state his mother, a U.S. Marine, is to blame. A man, also a Marine, was arrested in the case as well.

Delaney Welch, 20, and David Alvarez, 25, were arrested on January first at their home in Jacksonville.

Arrest warrants say Welch assaulted and inflicted serious bodily injury on the child that caused a broken rib and bleeding lungs. Warrants state the boy also had a cut to the underside of his tongue, a burst blood vessel in his eye, and bruising.

Arrest warrants for Alvarez say he knowingly caused, encouraged and aided the infant to be abused and neglected.

The alleged abuse happened from July through September of 2014. The warrants don't say where the abuse happened, but the couple's address is listed as the Brynn Marr Village Apartments in Jacksonville.
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"When you get home, you're lost in the civilian world"

Iraq War veteran aims to leave no Utah veteran behind 
KSL.com
Jed Boal
January 2, 2015

"In the military, you had a purpose," he said. "In war you have a purpose. When you get home, you're lost in the civilian world."

PARK CITY — A Utah veteran who served in Iraq continues to fight for his fellow veterans. Retired Marine Sergeant Josh Hansen came home with serious physical and emotional scars of war, but found hope and healing through exercise.

"By forcing myself to do it and getting out, I started feeling better," Hansen said, while enjoying a cross-country skiing workout at the White Pine Nordic Center in Park City.

In battle, Hansen lost six of his men in combat. Back at home, four more took their own lives. Now, he's on a mission to leave no veteran behind.

"After I had a few of my fellow veterans take their own lives, I said, 'OK, I led guys in the war, it's time to lead them here at home,'" he said.

So he and Laura Cantin, an adaptive sports specialist, founded Continue Mission "No Veteran Left Behind" with the objective to integrate the veterans back into civilian life to "get the vets out of the house, and get them into activities," Hansen said.

The co-founders know the healing power of rigorous exercise like cross-country skiing.

"We have a passion for what we do, and we want to share that," said Cantin. "We don't want our veterans to be stuck at home and not enjoy the camaraderie that they did in the service."

In Iraq, Hansen hunted for improvised explosive devices in support of the 5th Marine Regiment, 1st Marine Expeditionary Forces in and around Fallujah. During his second tour, his vehicle sustained eight direct hits by IEDs, which caused multiple injuries over a seven-month period before he was flown out of Iraq on March 15, 2007.
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At the end of Rose Parade, keys wait for Purpe Heart Veteran

Rose Parade 2015: Retired Army veteran surprised with new home at end of parade 
Pasadena Star News
San Gabriel Valley Tribune
Richard Irwin
January 1, 2015

Retired Army Sgt. Dominic Perrotte III and his family receive a “key” to their new home from Wells Fargo. Photo Courtesy Wells Fargo

Thursday’s Rose Parade centered on lives reflecting the theme of “Inspiring Stories.” Leading the way was posthumous Grand Marshal Louis Zamperini whose amazing life is chronicled in the recently released Angelina Jolie film “Unbroken.”

Other American heroes with inspiring stories in the parade, ranged from wounded veterans and organ donors to Special Olympians and plucky high school musicians.

But only one hero received the keys to a new home. That was retired Army Sgt. Dominic Perrotte III. He thought he was only riding in the 126th Rose Parade as a representative of American service men and women around the world. But Perrotte and his family got much more, when Wells Fargo and Company and the Military Warriors Support Foundation gave him a mortgage-free home in Virginia.

The family learned of the gift in a ceremony at the end of the Rose Parade. Tim Sloan, senior executive vice president of Wells Fargo, presented the teary-eyed family with a large red ceremonial house key.

“In honor of your service, Wells Fargo and the Military Warriors Support Foundation would like to present you with the 200th home that Wells Fargo has provided to veterans since 2013,”

Sloan said as Kayla grabbed her husband’s arm and began to cry. “Sgt. Perrotte, Kayla, here’s the key to your new home in Hampton, Virginia, thank you for your service.”
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