Two Vietnam Veterans Interred With Huge "Family"

‘They did have family’: More than 100 attend Slidell burial for 2 Vietnam veterans without relatives
New Orleans Advocate
Sara Pagones
February 25, 2016

Advocate Staff photo by Scott Threlkeld
Members of Patriot Guard Riders motorcycle group salute during an interment ceremony
Thursday, Feb. 25, 2016 at Southeast Louisiana Veterans Cemetery in Slidell. Claudie 
Ray Shiftlett and John Henry Huber III, both of whom served in the Army during the 
Vietnam war era, had their ashes interred during a ceremony attended by about 150 people.

No grieving relatives gathered at the Southeast Louisiana Veterans Cemetery in Slidell on Thursday to share reminiscences or eulogize the two men who were laid to rest under vivid blue skies as American flags fluttered in the morning breeze.

John Henry Huber III, of Metairie, and Claudie Ray Shiflett, of Slidell, had no next of kin to mourn them. But the two Vietnam veterans, both of whom died late last year, were honored by a different kind of family as their ashes were interred: fellow veterans who turned out in large numbers to bear witness to their service to the nation.

Cemetery staff had reached out to Ken Kimberly, chairman of the St. Tammany Parish President’s Veterans & Military Affairs Advisory Council, asking him to spread the word about the ceremony to military and veterans groups.

More than 100 people answered the call, including members of the American Legion, the Buffalo Soldiers, Louisiana Women Veterans and residents who had learned about the interment on social media.
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Vietnam Veteran Went From Wanting to Die to Helping Others to Live

From suicidal to advocate: A veterans story
WKBW News
Ed Reilly
Feb 26, 2016

"I was trying to push everyone out of my life so when I killed myself, they'd be no one left to mourn.

Local Viet Nam veteran Jack Michel, from Elma, is one of those who battled with the disorder for over two decades before he sought help.

Buffalo N.Y. (WKBW) - Combat Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) is an anxiety disorder that a soldier can develop after being exposed to the violence of war. Its most common signs are flashbacks, night terrors, hyper-vigilance, and triggers that can cause a veteran to experience an escalation of anxiety.

Veterans suffering from PTSD also feel severe depression and can turn to drugs and alcohol to try and escape the pain they are feeling inside.
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Ex-Police Officer Holds Press Conference After Standoff Ends

UPDATE
Ex-Jeffersonville cop says PTSD led to his suicidal standoff
WVAE 3 News
By Katie Bauer
Friday, February 26th 2016

SELLERSBURG, IN (WAVE) – A former Jeffersonville police officer won't face charges after he was the center of a several-hour standoff in his own home Friday morning.

This all played out along west Utica Street in Sellersburg.

Steve Cooper was a Jeff police officer for 12 years. During that time he was a SWAT sniper and undercover narcotics officer. He says he is upset with how his career unfolded after he said he opened up about suffering from Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder.

Armed and barricaded for nearly seven hours, the standoff ended after Cooper walked out of his house peacefully to meet police.

“This was kind of a breaking point for me," he said. "I had some conversations that went awry and I got depressed and had some liquid courage and was just to the point where maybe it was time to end my life.”

Family called police, concerned and tried to help.
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wave3.com-Louisville News, Weather

Former Jeffersonville police officer surrenders after standoff in Sellersburg
WDRB News
By Sitarah Coote
By Stephan Johnson
Posted: Feb 26, 2016

Steven Cooper barricaded himself in a home in Sellersburg for several hours on Feb. 26, 2016.

SELLERSBURG, Ind. (WDRB) -- An armed man who barricaded himself inside a home on West Utica Street in Sellersburg early Friday has surrendered.

Sellersburg Police Deputy Chief Mark Levesque says officers were called about 2:30 a.m. to check on a man in the home that might be suicidal.

The man, identified as Steven Cooper, surrendered around 9:15 a.m. He says he is a former police officer with the Jeffersonville Police Department and wants to expose corruption.

After holding police at bay for several hours, the man inside the home -- now identified as Steve Cooper -- actually put the guns down and walked right up to our cameras and held an impromptu press conference to explain why this all happened.

"Tonight was kind of a breaking point for me," Cooper said. "We had some conversations, and they went awry, and I got depressed and and had some liquid courage and got to the point that I was thinking that maybe it's time to end my life."

But instead of ending his life, Steve Cooper, a former Jeffersonville Police officer, walked out of his house. Cooper says he left the Jeffersonville Police Department in August and has been struggling ever since.

He blames his struggles and what happened Friday morning on post traumatic stress disorder, or PTSD.
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WDRB 41 Louisville News

SHAME ON US! Navy SEAL's Buy Own Helmets!

Lacking basic gear, special operators stuck buying their own equipment 
Stars and Stripes 
By Travis J. Tritten 
Published: February 25, 2016

In a 2007 file photo, a U.S. Special Operations Forces member
prepares his gear for an evening mission in western Iraq.
ELI J. MEDELLIN/U.S. NAVY

WASHINGTON – Sean Matson, who recently left active-duty as a Navy SEAL, said the military measured his head four times – each time before deployment – with plans to provide him a more advanced ballistic helmet.

But the new helmet never materialized. During a deployment in Africa, Matson and six of his fellow SEALs each shelled out about $900 for updated helmets that held the lights, communications devices and batteries needed for their missions.

“There was never a clear solution to it, so guys were going out spending $800-$900 on their own ballistic helmet,” said Matson, who is now CEO of the military supply company Matbock.

Elite troops such as the SEALs are more and more forced to dip into their own pockets to purchase basic military gear such as helmets, global positioning devices and medical supplies, according to Matson and others involved in the military’s unofficial civilian-side supply network who came to Capitol Hill on Thursday.
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Navy SEAL Chief Petty Officer Edward C. Byers Jr To Receive Medal of Honor

53 minutes ago 
Navy SEAL to get Medal of Honor tells his story 
Stars and Stripes 

Navy SEAL Chief Petty Officer Edward C. Byers Jr., is set to receive the Medal of Honor on Monday, Feb. 29, 2016. 

The Navy has released a video of the special warfare operator talking about what it means to be part of the SEAL community. read more here 


From US Navy Youtube
Feb 26, 2016 On a cold December night in the mountains of Afghanistan, Chief Special Warfare Operator (SEAL) Edward C. Byers Jr. and a team of SEALs embarked on a dangerous mission to rescue an American hostage held by the Taliban. 

Byers went above and beyond the call of duty that evening, saving the life of the hostage, and earning the Medal of Honor. In this video, Byers shares the story of that evening, as well as his reaction to finding out he earned the Medal of Honor. 
(U.S. Navy video/RELEASED.)