New Hampshire Veteran Overwhelmed by Community

After article, contractors step up to help disabled Raymond veteran with home addition
Union Leader
By JASON SCHREIBER
Correspondent
January 11, 2017

Beauregard was unable to find a contractor willing to commit to the project, which has to be approved by the VA, but he’s been flooded with responses since the story was published.

Veteran Mike Beauregard uses his electric wheelchair in his Raymond home.  

(Jason Schreiber/Correspondent)

Disabled vet has VA cash, but no contractor for accessibility addition

RAYMOND — Disabled Army veteran Mike Beauregard is more optimistic than ever that he’ll be able to find the right contractor to get the home addition he needs as he struggles with multiple sclerosis.

“I have a feeling it’s going to happen,” he said Wednesday as he continued to return phone calls and reply to emails about the project he’s been trying to get done for years.

The 51-year-old Beauregard has been overwhelmed by the response to a story published Jan. 5 in the New Hampshire Union Leader in which he detailed the trouble he’s had trying to hire a contractor to build a handicapped-accessible first-floor master bedroom and bathroom through a $73,768 grant from the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs’ specially adapted housing program.
read more here

Combat PTSD Wounded Times Broke 3 Million Hits!

To the National News, this should be a lesson to all of you. With no advertising, no budget, no paycheck, or publicity beyond word of mouth, this site dedicated to veterans has managed to break 3 million hits!

There was a time when most of the stories on this site were on the National News stations but someone decided that reporting on politicians running for the Office of Commander-in-Chief was worth two years of non-stop coverage. That Tweets warranted mass-frenzied breaking news and Facebook shares dictated what was shared. 

Well it seems that reporters, all over the country still valued good reporting and cared enough to cover the veterans readers discover here everyday. Within the over 27,000 posts on this site are examples of reporters doing their jobs and being held accountable when they fail our veterans.

Readers get the truth and not some haphazardly shoved words strung together to repeat what someone claimed, but actually did the work to find out what the truth is.

Isn't it time National News reporters actually returned to being reporters and not social media stalkers?

TO READERS

THANK YOU FOR LETTING ME KNOW ALL THIS WORK DOES MATTER TO YOU. 

Florida National Guard's First Female 12B NCO Combat Engineer

Florida National Guard's First Female 12B NCO Combat Engineer

CAMP BLANDING, FL, UNITED STATES
01.07.2017
Story by Sgt. Christopher Vann
107th Mobile Public Affairs Detachment

CAMP BLANDING, Fla. - Braving the January wintry conditions and hectic pace, a Soldier from the Florida National Guard’s 53rd Infantry Brigade Combat Team led the charge in a new wave of females into what has historically been an all-male combat arms environment. That Soldier was Army Sgt. Chelsea Peebles.

As soon as Secretary of Defense Ashton Carter opened up all combat arms to females in Dec. 2015, Peebles jumped at the opportunity to change her military occupational specialty from military police to combat engineer or military classification of 12B.

“I’ve always wanted to be able to have a combat MOS, which is why I enlisted in the FLNG’s MP unit,” said Peebles. “Once it became available to be a 12B, that’s when I decided to go ahead, take that step and go to school for it.”

With her unit’s restructuring, Peebles, who maintains peak physical readiness, seized the chance to give her maximum effort while fulfilling her dream and proving her mettle.

During her combat engineer training, Peebles tackled numerous hazardous and demanding tasks. One of those tasks was route clearance that included mine detection and live improvised explosive device removal.

Lt. Col. Elizabeth Evans, who recently became the first female 53rd Brigade Special Troops commander, praised Sgt. Peebles’ achievements and recalled when combat arms opportunities were more restrictive for female Soldiers.
read more here

Fort Campbell Hurricane Force Winds

Hurricane-force winds down trees, topple trucks and prompt outages around Colorado Springs
The Gazette
By: Jakob Rodgers
January 10, 2017

In El Paso County, 21 semis were blown over in a six-and-a-half hour span, Colorado State Patrol reported. Most were along Interstate 25, though at least four were toppled along Colo. 115 outside of Fort Carson. No serious injuries were reported.

Near-hurricane force winds continued to pound the Pikes Peak region Monday afternoon, uprooting trees into houses, ripping roofs from buildings, overturning nearly two-dozen semis and leaving thousands of children without after-school bus rides home.

An uprooted tree upended Dean Byrne's WWII-era German jeep in his front yard on Monday. (Kaitlin Durbin, The Gazette)

The winds – which gusted to 101 mph at one point – wreaked havoc across Colorado Springs while turning the Pikes Peak region into a dart board for dislodged tree limbs and other detritus from wind-ravaged buildings.
read more here

Vietnam Veteran Laid to Rest by Community

Community becomes family for fallen Vietnam veteran
CBS 7 News
By Amanda DeBerry
Posted: Jan 10, 2017

ODESSA -- Tuesday was a day to honor Vietnam veteran, Charles Ray Sorrell who passed away early last week in Odessa, but there was not one picture or family member to be found.

“When you’re taking your last breath someone needs to be there,” Hospice Nurse Rhonda Thompson said. “Somebody needs to care that you exist and that your life matters.”

An emotional day at the Hubbard-Kelly Funeral Home as strangers from all walks of life came together to say farewell to Sorrell.

The veteran served his country for nine years where he made the ultimate sacrifice, but recently he spent many days in hospice fighting for his own life.

“In hospice you find out that a lot of people are alone,” Thompson said. “They’ve outlived their families and their money.”
read more here