Houston, we have a hero: Silkies-clad vet streaks across Astros outfield, into American hearts Marine Corps Times By: J.D. Simkins August 1, 2018
“There are organizations out there that support the prevention of veteran suicides and if you are a veteran that’s struggling, there is hope. I can assure you that.” Chris White
The world became a better place last Friday when Chris White made the decision to leap from the outfield stands at Houston’s Minute Maid Park and make his way across the outfield after the final strike of a game between the Astros and the Texas Rangers.
Chris White weaves through stadium security while sprinting across the Minute Maid Park outfield last Friday. (Leslie Plaza Johnson/Icon Sportswire via AP Images)
As he touched down on the field, the Marine Corps veteran ditched his restrictive pants, blessing the eyes of the 42,592 in attendance by revealing a pair of freedom-emitting American flag silkies.
Aerodynamically prepared for maximum sprint ability, White then commenced his outfield jaunt, breaking the tackle of the first security guard and making the second look like a shoe-in for Saturday remedial PT. Heisman!
And while White’s excursion concluded with him surrendering to authorities, as most streaking displays do, the incident afforded him a platform to discuss an organization, Freedom Hard, he created to use humor to curb the glaring trend of veteran suicide, according to a Click 2 Houston report.
“If I can make you laugh for at least five minutes, then you’re not thinking about that dark space that you can potentially be in," White told Click 2 Houston. “And if I can gear it toward patriotism, to me, I consider that the holy grail.”
read more here
Now this is something I can fully support! It is delivering the anti-suicide message veterans need to hear! Nothing has to be as bad as it is for any of them!
San Diego veteran with PTSD transforms her body and life CBS 8 News Video Report By Monique Griego, Reporter Aug 01, 2018
SAN DIEGO (NEWS 8) — A local Navy veteran is using fitness to improve her body and mind all while helping wounded warriors. Katelyn Miller, a former sailor battling PTSD, is competing to become the next cover model for Muscle and Fitness Magazine Hers.
Working out with Katelyn can definitely be a little intimidating, but what's even more impressive than her fit physique is what she overcame to get where she is today.
"I got really out of shape when I was depressed and in my bouts of PTSD," she said.
Katelyn looked much different just five years ago.
"Whenever I look back on that, I see a girl that was lost but I also see a girl that had strength in her somewhere," Katelyn said.
Katelyn was enlisted in the U.S. Navy and, at the same time, was going through the aftermath of an extremely traumatic experience.
"When I was on deployment on 2011, I was sexually assaulted," she said.
The incident sent her spiraling.
"I actually tried to commit suicide and ended up in the ward for four days in Washington," said Katelyn. read more here
VA appeals backlog claims at 400,000! But this is the worst part of all!
Noting the backlog of more than 400,000 appeals, he said,
"Many veterans will end up waiting at least six years just for the decision on their appeal. Veterans and their families deserve better."
Under the RAMP program, veterans can choose to withdraw their existing claim and transfer to two new "lanes" for a quicker decision.
Which means, if they do, the backlog of claims will suddenly decrease while the number of veterans waiting to have their claims approved did not change! Read it here on Military Times
National Veterans Wheelchair Games brings adaptive sports to Orlando Orlando Sentinel Patrick Connolly August 1, 2018
Over 650 disabled military veterans, including some from Great Britain and Puerto Rico, are expected to compete in 21 events.
The National Veterans Wheelchair Games rolled into Orlando this week, bringing events ranging from wheelchair rugby to archery and table tennis.
The 38th games kicked off at the Orange County Convention Center on Monday with events happening through Saturday. Admission is free except for paid convention center parking.
Josh Burch, a Marine veteran from Virginia, is in his first year of playing wheelchair rugby. Wheelchair rugby isn’t exactly like the rugby other athletes play, he explained.
“It’s not really like rugby at all,” Burch said. “It’s more like basketball and catch.”
For the games, he’s on a team with Mason Symons, an Army veteran from Texas who has dreams of making it to the USA team. He said things can get heated sometimes.
“It’s intense, it’s combative,” Symons said. “It gets pretty brutal.” read more here
This is what happens when the President decided that it was a good thing to privatize the VA and then appointed people to make sure that happened. Too bad when people tried to warn about this, some just passed it off and wanted to "give him a chance" to pull it off! He is finishing the job the others in Congress started a long time ago. Destroy the VA instead of honoring the fact that veterans, unlike civilians, prepaid for the care they need BY GETTING DISABLED IN THE FIRST PLACE SERVING THIS COUNTRY!
Memo: VA finds 'deteriorating' conditions at DC hospital STARS AND STRIPES By NIKKI WENTLING Published: August 1, 2018
Since then, inspection reports from the Food and Drug Administration and the VA’s National Program Office for Sterile Processing have revealed ongoing problems. The reports, obtained by Stars and Stripes this spring, detailed instances of dirty syringe bottles, unsanitary conditions, rooms in disarray and staff and supply shortages that led to canceled procedures.
WASHINGTON – After being deemed high risk in January, the flagship Department of Veterans Affairs hospital in Washington has continued to deteriorate in quality during the first six months of 2018.
The hospital was designated “critical” and its performance is under administrative review, including possible changes of leadership, according to a memorandum sent to the D.C. hospital July 17 from Carolyn Clancy, then executive in charge of the Veterans Health Administration. The memo was obtained Wednesday by Stars and Stripes.
“Unfortunately, we have not seen the amount of improvement desired over the past two quarters and now see benefit in utilizing additional measures to support the facility in stabilizing the hospital’s quality to the extent that it can be sustained,” Clancy wrote.
According to the memo, the hospital isn’t getting better, despite public assertions from VA officials over the past several months that problems there were being fixed. read more here
