Veteran of Vietnam and Iraq Killed Because Kids Wanted to Race

UPDATE
'He loved his country and his family': Family remembers veteran killed by street racers

Police: Teenage car racers hit and kill respected war veteran
KOMO News
BY MATT MARKOVICH
APRIL 22ND 2016

Gray was a veteran of the Vietnam War. After fighting overseas, he battled cancer and won. It was enough of a motivation for Gray to rejoin the military, serving the combat zone during the Iraq War.

TACOMA, Wash. -- A Vietnam and Iraq War veteran from Spanaway died Thursday following a crash with two cars that police say were street racing.

Rollin Gray, 61, died at St. Joseph's Hospital in Tacoma on Thursday after being taken there following the Tuesday night accident.

Pierce County sheriff's deputies say Gray was traveling eastbound on 182st East in Spanaway when two cars came over the horizon at a high rate of speed in the opposite direction.

Deputies say a red 2004 Dodge Stratus, driven by a 16-year-old boy from Spanaway with only a learner's permit, was racing with a black 2004 Acura TSX driven by an 18-year-old man from Spanaway.

"They have taken a man's life who did nothing but give to this country, give to his community, raise a family," said Saxton. "He still has a son who's not even out of high school yet, I believe he's 15-years-old, he's his namesake and now he's left without a father."
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San Antonio Police Officer Served Multiple Tours In Combat--Life Ended in After Last Return

SAPD identifies officer found in apparent on-duty suicide
KCEN News
Apr 20, 2016

(KENS) - San Antonio police have identified an officer who they believe took his own life while on duty Monday morning.

Steven Franco, 38, was a 10-year SAPD veteran who also served multiple tours of combat in the U.S. military.

Franco was married to another SAPD officer and had children.

Police said Franco recently had returned from military duty and had bought a new home.
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Tuesday's officer suicide highlights mission of Chaplains for Justice
Program offers training, counseling for first responders
KSAT News
By Concetta Callahan - Anchor/Reporter
April 20, 2016

SAN ANTONIO - The newly formed Chaplains for Justice program aims to train and counsel first responders in difficult situations of grief, tragedy and post traumatic stress disorder.

Its mission is highlighted after San Antonio police Officer Steven Franco, 38, took his own life Tuesday in an apparent suicide.

"Seeing the difficult tragedies that occur and bringing people to justice, keeping our community safe, our law enforcement certainly goes above and beyond anything we could even begin to imagine," said Mary Beth Fisk, CEO and executive director at the Ecumenical Center for Religion and Health.

The center provides counseling with a faith-based approach.

Fisk said traumatic situations can sometimes evolve into mounting stress.

Officer suicides aren't common in San Antonio, but the national numbers are higher. According to a recent study, just over 100 law enforcement officers intentionally took their own lives in 2015.
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Australia Looks for New Ways to Help PTSD Veterans

More must be done to help veterans suffering PTSD
The Sydney Morning Herald
David Forbes
April 22, 2016

"Moral injury" is a term used to describe the potential impact of experiences in battle that challenge or transgress a person's deeply-held moral beliefs. The consequences of such an experience may extend beyond PTSD into guilt, shame, anger and aggression, and at times, self-destructive thoughts and behaviour.

Research is being undertaken to find better ways of treating PTSD suffered by service men and women.

This Anzac Day, we salute the contribution and sacrifice of the men and women who have served Australia in the armed forces for the past 100 years.

For some, that sacrifice results in the devastating invisible wounds of poor mental health - posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), depression, anxiety, anger, aggression, alcohol and drug abuse, and thoughts of suicide.

This Anzac Day, let us make a commitment to those who are currently suffering, a commitment to improve the availability and effectiveness of interventions to help their recovery.

The majority of service men and women come through their military experiences with little or no long-term psychological problems. However, a substantial minority do develop devastating mental health problems which have a profound impact on the individual and their family.

We know that PTSD, the most common mental health disorder in veterans, is a serious and debilitating disorder. Symptoms include frequent flashbacks, nightmares, panic attacks, being constantly on the alert,and feeling emotionally numb. Other issues often occur alongside it, such as anger, aggression, depression, substance abuse and suicidal thoughts.
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Senior Marine Veteran Scammed Out of Puppy

Lonely marine veteran conned out of hundreds by slick ad offering companion dog
The News Hearld
By Jackie Harrison-Martin
April 21, 2016

It could happen to anyone, but in this particular instance it just so happened to one of the country’s most respected — a Brownstown Township military veteran.

Stuart Smith of Brownstown Township, a former marine, was heartbroken when he was scammed out of $750 for a companion dog. He now has a new dog, Bailey, and couldn’t be happier. Photos courtesy of Stuart Smith

Stuart Smith is a 69-year-old retired marine and at a time when he was most vulnerable, just days after having to put down his English bulldog, he was scammed out of hundreds of dollars trying to get a new companion.

“I was going crazy without a dog,” Smith, who has some disabilities and suffers from post-traumatic stress disorder, said. “I’ve always had a dog.”

In fact, Smith has had a dog for the past 30 years. He’s lived alone since the 1990s and his dog has been his sole companion. After two days without a pet around to walk with and talk to, Smith took to the Internet.
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Man Gets Probation for VA Fraud?

Albuquerque Man Sentenced to Probation for Submitting Fraudulent Claims to Veterans Affairs Medical Center
Department of Justice
U.S. Attorney’s Office
District of New Mexico
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

ALBUQUERQUE – Tomas Jaramillo, 55, of Albuquerque, N.M., was sentenced today in federal court for his conviction for submitting false and fraudulent claims to the Veterans Affairs Medical Center (VAMC) in Albuquerque. Jaramillo was sentenced to five years of probation and ordered to pay $11,439.90 in restitution to the VAMC.

Jaramillo was charged by information on Aug. 18, 2015, with submitting fraudulent vouchers to collect payments for roundtrip travel to attend medical appointment. He was subsequently charged by indictment on Sept. 22, 2015, with submitting 173 fraudulent claims to the VAMC for travel beneficiary payments from June 2009 through July 2010.

On Dec. 11, 2015, Jaramillo pled guilty to a felony information charging him with making fraudulent claims. In entering the guilty plea, Jaramillo admitted that from June 2009 through July 2010, he travelled to the VAMC in Bernalillo County, N.M., to obtain medical treatment and falsely claimed that he traveled from Socorro, N.M., to do so. Jaramillo admitted that he submitted fraudulent vouchers to VAMC to receive payment for roundtrip travel which he did not actually make to attend his medical appointments. Jaramillo received $11,439.90 in travel reimbursements to which he was not entitled.

This case was investigated by the Department of Veterans Affairs, Office of Inspector General, Criminal Investigation Division and was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Samuel A. Hurtado.