Police officer's family speaks out about PTSD The Nugget By JENNIFER HAMILTON-MCCHARLES July 29, 2018
Murray Northrup died last year.
Osprey Links Golf Course was Northrup's second home so it was only fitting his family, friends and emergency services paid tribute to the veteran police officer, who served more than 37 years with the Ontario Provincial Police and North Bay Police Service.
Murray Northrup's wife Diane Northrup, his daughter Krista Northrup and Police Chief Shawn Devine of the North Bay Police Service organized and attended the 1st annual Murray Northrup Golf Tournament to recognize Post Traumatic Stress Disorder held at Osprey Golf Course Saturday. Northrup who served as a police officer for more than 37 years committed suicide July 19, 2017 after suffering from PTSD.
“Post traumatic stress is a silent killer. Murray suffered for years,” his wife, Diane, said Saturday.
“He lived to be a cop and died because he was a cop.”
Before his death, Northrup said her husband left several letters to his family and first responders who would be called to the scene the day he died July 19, 2017.
“The letter he sent to his lawyers, about 10 pages in length, detailed all the incidents that have stayed with him. Everything was in there – the dates, times and names over the past 30 years.”
Northrup said her husband saw his first fatal when he was five and that stayed with him for his entire life.
“Murray's dad told him to stay in the car, but he didn't and saw the women who died. He still remembered the dress she was wearing.”
Murray Northrup also made a request in his final letter to his loved ones to do something to help heroes suffering from post traumatic stress disorder.
His daughter, Krista, promised she will do whatever she can to answer her dad's request.
The family organized a tribute to Northrup in a way he would appreciate – a golf tournament. read more here
'Hot Lips' actress from “M*A*S*H” booked for women's Honor Flight event Omaha World Herald By Steve Liewer / World-Herald staff writer July 30, 2018
For the Female Veterans Flight, only women will be onboard. The veterans. Their escorts. The airline pilots. The flight attendants. Even the news media.
Loretta Swit Actress who played Maj. Margaret “Hot Lips” Houlihan in “M*A*S*H” will speak before flying with vets to D.C.
Come September, an actress who portrayed a female soldier on television for more than a decade will travel to Washington, D.C., with a planeload of Nebraska women who served in the military, for real.
Loretta Swit, who played Maj. Margaret “Hot Lips” Houlihan in the iconic 1970s TV show “M*A*S*H,” is scheduled to speak at a dinner honoring the 135 female veterans in La Vista on Sept. 23. The Korean War comedy-drama focused on an Army combat medical unit.
Swit, now 80, will join the veterans early the following morning on the first leg of the daylong trip to visit patriotic sites in the nation’s capital. read more here
VA whistleblowers say Denver office did no work for a year FOX 31 Denver BY ROB LOW JULY 24, 2018
"Long lunches, I mean watching movies, reading books. I mean I was doing school work. I`m not going to lie I did not have any work assigned. I spent the majority of my time doing school work," said whistblower No. one, who happened to be a paid intern making $47,214 a year to help conduct information technology audits.
DENVER -- Imagine making close to $100,000 a year and having nothing to do at the office.
It's what Denver whistleblowers say was reality for employees at the local Office of the Inspector General for Veterans Affairs.
That's the very division in charge of wiping out waste, fraud and abuse for the medical system that serves the nation's veterans.
"These are your tax dollars that are paying the salaries of these individuals to sit in an office and do absolutely nothing all day," said one anonymous whistleblower to the Problem Solvers.
"After a while it became a joke," is how a second whistleblower described it.
"Come into work and pretty much staring at the wall all day kind of just hanging out every day pretty much with nothing to do."
Both whistleblowers filed complaints with the Office of Special Counsel in Washington, stating an office of 11 employees basically did no work from April 2017 to April 2018.
The combined salaries of those employees during that time frame totaled more than $1.2 million. read more here
PTSD Patrol Family Road Trip PTSD Patrol Kathie Costos July 29, 2018 Yesterday it was raining when I was getting ready to do the video for today. A song popped into my head and I could not get it to stop playing in my mind.
Melissa Manchester "Come In From The Rain" is about coming home from a journey and returning to someone who loves them. I used that song a long time ago because it is what it is like when you come back home to your family.
When you listen to the lyrics, you'll know what I mean. We do not know what you have packed in your memories. We just know you are still packing pain. We don't know if it is because you do not love us anymore, or we did something wrong, or anything else that caused what is going on with you. All we can do is guess unless you tell us. read more here
There are some stories that absolutely melt your heart. When Vietnam Veterans take an honor flight, sometimes there are no words needed to express the emotions. This is one of those times and you can clearly see it in the stunning pictures taken by Alexandra Wimley. As for the words, it is also clear that Devi Shastri, the reporter, took the time to know these veterans and tell their stories.
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Vietnam veterans reflect on an emotional Yellow Ribbon Honor Flight trip to Washington Oshkosh Northwestern Devi Shastri July 28, 2018
“It’s the camaraderie that we are united,” Rihm said. “We are together as a group (of Vietnam veterans) because we weren’t treated very well. When I was discharged from the Army, I did not leave the fort with my uniform on. I put on civilian clothes. I did not want anyone to know.”
OSHKOSH - Standing in front of the dark, reflective sheen of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington, Navy veteran Joel Walker knew exactly whose name he was looking for.
George D. MacDonald.
Veteran Al Morasch II becomes emotional and hugs board member Jim Campbell after finding a name on the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington, D.C., during the Never Forgotten Honor Flight trip, May 21, 2018. "He was my best friend," he said. Alexandra Wimley/USA TODAY NETWORK-Wisconsin
MacDonald was a childhood friend of Walker; the two grew up together in Evanston, Illinois. MacDonald was a captain in the Air Force during the war.
A veteran looks for a name on the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington, D.C., during Never Forgotten Honor Flight, May 21, 2018. Alexandra Wimley/USA TODAY NETWORK-Wisconsin
Walker had been to the wall before — with the Veterans of Foreign Wars as a past state commander for Wisconsin. He also had a general idea of where MacDonald’s name was etched into the shiny black granite. But he couldn’t find it.
read more here and see more stunning pictures
