Stolen Valor: Busting A Fake Marine Live On TV News Camera. He claimed to have the Navy Cross, on top of everything else.
Thursday, November 24, 2016
Happy Thanksgiving Sailors, You Get Life Lock After Data Hacked
Names, Data of more than 134,000 Sailors Compromised
Stars and Stripes
by Erik Slavin
Nov 24, 2016
The names and social security numbers of 134,386 sailors were accessed by "unknown individuals" from a contractor's laptop computer, the Navy announced Wednesday.
There is no evidence for now that the personal data has been misused, according to the preliminary results of an ongoing Naval Criminal Investigative Service investigation.
"The Navy takes this incident extremely seriously -- this is a matter of trust for our sailors," Chief of Naval Personnel Vice Adm. Robert Burke said, according to a Navy statement. "We are in the early stages of investigating and are working quickly to identify and take care of those affected by this breach."
read more here
Stars and Stripes
by Erik Slavin
Nov 24, 2016
The names and social security numbers of 134,386 sailors were accessed by "unknown individuals" from a contractor's laptop computer, the Navy announced Wednesday.
U.S. Navy sailors stand on the deck of the aircraft carrier USS Dwight D. Eisenhower on Nov. 22. (AP Photo/Petr David Josek)The Navy said it was notified by Hewlett Packard Enterprise Services on Oct.27 that one of its employees supporting a Navy contract had a laptop compromised, according to a service statement.
There is no evidence for now that the personal data has been misused, according to the preliminary results of an ongoing Naval Criminal Investigative Service investigation.
"The Navy takes this incident extremely seriously -- this is a matter of trust for our sailors," Chief of Naval Personnel Vice Adm. Robert Burke said, according to a Navy statement. "We are in the early stages of investigating and are working quickly to identify and take care of those affected by this breach."
read more here
125,000 OEF OIF Veterans Abandoned by DOD with PTSD
The New York Times reported on how many service members were kicked out the military instead of being treated and compensated for the battle they would have to fight for the rest of their lives.
Larry Barnett was among those kicked out. He had two tours in Iraq between 2003 and 2005. His life was spared by two Deputies. But there are so many more of their stories. Far too many, we will never hear about. Some ended up taking their own lives. Some ended up living on the streets with no help at all.
When I wrote Residual War, Something Worth Living For, these were the folks I was thinking about. In 2013, the Army had kicked out 11,000. One of them was Tom Faith. He was found living in the woods in Florida after attempting suicide twice. One of the forgotten veterans, sent away by his family after they thought they had no other choice. Every soldier found themselves facing the same outcome, until a General decided to do something about it. He established a unit at Fort Christmas, where proven heroes could remain in the Army until they could retire with dignity after years of dedicated service to this country. All of them had been diagnosed with PTSD.
While they were helped to heal, the homeless veterans in the clandestine shelter, were used and abused as part of a drug research program to develop a medication to stop them from feeling everything.
Over the years, too many of their stories had gone unnoticed by most, so I had to try something different. I told the truth within the fictional accounts based on real suffering and real peer support that goes on all the time. There are good Generals and bad ones. There are good Chaplains and bad ones. There are good stories as well as horrible endings. In this case, there is all of the above.
Read the story below and remember, he was willing to die for the sake of those he served with, yet betrayed by the same military leaders who sent him there.
(Cross posted on Residual War)
Since 2001, more than 300,000 people, about 13 percent of all troops, have been forced out of the military with less-than-honorable discharges.Sounds really lousy until you discover that the number of those kicked out had been increasing since 1990. KPPC News reported it happened to 615,000 up until March of 2016. In 2014, a Vietnam veteran had waiting 43 years for justice. In 2015, Vietnam Veterans of America went to court seeking justice for veterans abandoned by the military. Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel ordered reviews of these reprehensible actions.
Larry Barnett was among those kicked out. He had two tours in Iraq between 2003 and 2005. His life was spared by two Deputies. But there are so many more of their stories. Far too many, we will never hear about. Some ended up taking their own lives. Some ended up living on the streets with no help at all.
When I wrote Residual War, Something Worth Living For, these were the folks I was thinking about. In 2013, the Army had kicked out 11,000. One of them was Tom Faith. He was found living in the woods in Florida after attempting suicide twice. One of the forgotten veterans, sent away by his family after they thought they had no other choice. Every soldier found themselves facing the same outcome, until a General decided to do something about it. He established a unit at Fort Christmas, where proven heroes could remain in the Army until they could retire with dignity after years of dedicated service to this country. All of them had been diagnosed with PTSD.
While they were helped to heal, the homeless veterans in the clandestine shelter, were used and abused as part of a drug research program to develop a medication to stop them from feeling everything.
Over the years, too many of their stories had gone unnoticed by most, so I had to try something different. I told the truth within the fictional accounts based on real suffering and real peer support that goes on all the time. There are good Generals and bad ones. There are good Chaplains and bad ones. There are good stories as well as horrible endings. In this case, there is all of the above.
Read the story below and remember, he was willing to die for the sake of those he served with, yet betrayed by the same military leaders who sent him there.
Why some who fought in Iraq and Afghanistan can’t get VA medical care
WSAV News 3
JoAnn Merrigan, Reporter
Published: November 23, 2016
Unfortunately, Goldsmith says those worries are well founded. “Those with bad discharges are most likely to die by suicide after fighting the system for so long to get care. And after being denied over and over, they just give up,” he told me.Since 9-11, tens of thousands of soldiers and marines have seen combat. Now it’s estimated at least 125,000 of them are not eligible to receive any benefits from the Veterans Administration (VA) because they received dishonorable discharges.
“Most people live under the assumption that every veteran is able to get healthcare at the VA. And the truth is that these veterans with less than honorable discharges are prohibited from getting any access,” says Kristofer Goldsmith, a vet who fought in Iraq who now advocates for other veterans.
One of those trying to get healthcare is Michael Coleman. I talked with Michael and his mom Jo awhile back. Michael was in bad shape and had just attempted suicide. He says he was diagnosed with PTSD but drummed out of the Army back in 2004 after serving in Iraq in 2003. “They gave me a bad conduct discharge and released me from the Army,” he told me. “I have tried going to the VA and telling them I have PTSD but they say until my discharge is upgraded, they can’t do anything for me.”
read more here
(Cross posted on Residual War)
Veterans Join Forces to Care for Homeless Veterans
Did you thank a veteran? These vets are returning the favor to poor, homeless
Modesto Bee
BY JEFF JARDINE
November 23, 2016
Earlier this month, on Veterans Day, scores of people approached scores of veterans and thanked them for their service. But if they think serving the nation and the public ended the day these vets mustered out of the military, think again.
Terrence van Doorn and George Retana both served in the Marines in Iraq. They saw veterans who were homeless. They encountered veterans who brought the wars home with them emotionally and mentally. They met veterans who felt most unappreciated. They decided to do something about it, and one great way to make veterans feel more valued, they said, is to get them engaged in helping others.
After leaving the military, van Doorn, 33, wanted to begin a career in law enforcement. But he struggled to shake the post-traumatic stress disorder cobwebs that developed from fighting in Fallujah, where friend and comrade Michael Anderson Jr. was killed. I wrote about van Doorn in 2009. He’d passed the written and physical tests with hopes of becoming a deputy sheriff. But he couldn’t pass the psychological exam due to his PTSD.
He got the help he needed and tried to hire on at the Department of Corrections, which also rejected him. He continued to get counseling and, in 2006, the Ceres Police Department hired him and put him through the academy.
read more here
Modesto Bee
BY JEFF JARDINE
November 23, 2016
Earlier this month, on Veterans Day, scores of people approached scores of veterans and thanked them for their service. But if they think serving the nation and the public ended the day these vets mustered out of the military, think again.
Terrence van Doorn, left, with Team R2 and George Retana with Operation Rescue sort clothes to be given to the homeless Wednesday afternoon at Graceada Park in Modesto. Joan Barnett LeeLate Wednesday afternoon, two groups created and led by veterans and sharing a common goal – to serve the community and the disenfranchised – pooled their resources to feed the homeless at Graceada Park. They also distributed coats and blankets and other clothing items to help those without shelter to endure the colder weather as winter approaches.
Terrence van Doorn and George Retana both served in the Marines in Iraq. They saw veterans who were homeless. They encountered veterans who brought the wars home with them emotionally and mentally. They met veterans who felt most unappreciated. They decided to do something about it, and one great way to make veterans feel more valued, they said, is to get them engaged in helping others.
After leaving the military, van Doorn, 33, wanted to begin a career in law enforcement. But he struggled to shake the post-traumatic stress disorder cobwebs that developed from fighting in Fallujah, where friend and comrade Michael Anderson Jr. was killed. I wrote about van Doorn in 2009. He’d passed the written and physical tests with hopes of becoming a deputy sheriff. But he couldn’t pass the psychological exam due to his PTSD.
He got the help he needed and tried to hire on at the Department of Corrections, which also rejected him. He continued to get counseling and, in 2006, the Ceres Police Department hired him and put him through the academy.
read more here
Pioneering Fort Hood study on PTSD, Old is "new again!"
They called it "pioneering" but in the same article it is pointed out that CPT goes back to the 80's. CPT does work, when done the right way, like making sure there is closure and soldiers find a way to make peace with themselves instead of battling within themselves. When done the wrong way, they get frustrated and give up. The best research on PTSD started 40 years ago, but what failed has been repeated and what worked has been forgotten about.
Pioneering Fort Hood study on PTSD treatment finds some healed
San Antonio Express
By J.p. Lawrence
November 23, 2016
CPT examines how someone thinks about a traumatic event and how that affects their emotions, said Patricia Resick, a professor of psychiatry and behavioral sciences at Duke University who developed CPT in 1988. CPT, along with prolonged exposure therapy, are the two primary “talk” therapy methods used to treat PTSD.Staff Sgt. Martin L. Morris waits to be awarded the Purple Heart at Fort Hood, Tuesday, December 19, 2006. Nicole Fruge/ San Antonio Express-NewsThere was a time when Sean Brack would encounter a sticky floor and be transported back to war. He would peel his foot up from the floor of a movie theater, and it would remind him of standing in a pool of blood, and walking through that blood to get to a wounded friend.
The flashbacks happened in 2010, when Brack thought of killing himself. After three tours to Iraq, Brack, a sergeant first class, had problems sleeping, isolated himself, and was on his way to becoming an alcoholic, he recalled. He was due to deploy to Afghanistan with the 504th Battlefield Surveillance Brigade from Fort Hood.
Then, Brack, 47, entered part of what would become a series of studies at Fort Hood on a type of therapy for post-traumatic stress disorder, called cognitive processing therapy.
Studies have been done on CPT’s effectiveness on civilians and veterans, but a paper published Wednesday in JAMA Psychiatry included results of the largest study on the treatment’s effectiveness on active duty soldiers to date.
Over the course of 12 sessions at Fort Hood, nearly half of active duty soldiers in one-on-one therapy and 40 percent in group therapy recovered from PTSD, the study found.
read more here
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