Thursday, August 16, 2018

Iraq veteran died trying to save kids first day of school

Army veteran mom of 2 dies after being struck by car while trying to protect her kids, officials say
Fox News
Katherine Lam
August 15, 2018

A Texas mother was killed Monday when she was struck by a vehicle while trying to protect three children -- including two of her own -- on the first day of school, officials said.
Kharisma Ashlee James, who was an Iraq War veteran and a nurse, died in the tragic accident in the parking lot of Tippin Elementary School, El Paso Times reported. 

The 33-year-old was picking up her two children, ages 6 and 7, when a vehicle began accelerating toward them. James jumped in front of her two children and a 10-year-old, officials said.
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Feed homeless veterans for months or another parade?

We have a lot of parades for veterans all over the country. 

We also have veterans who are homeless and dumpster dive for food. 

We have military families on food stamps. 

How about we dump the Trump parade and actually do some good with the money?
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DONALD TRUMP’S MILITARY PARADE COULD FEED EVERY HOMELESS VETERAN FOR ALMOST 9 MONTHS, BASED ON REPORTED NEW COST
News Week
BY RAMSEY TOUCHBERRY
8/16/18

Based on a new estimate reported Thursday projecting President Donald Trump’s military parade will cost $92 million to $80 million more than originally projected, every homeless veteran in the country could be fed three meals per day for almost nine months.
The military showcase is set to take place through the streets of Washington, D.C., on November 10 and will include about eight tanks, helicopters, fighter jets, other armored vehicles and troops. 

The Department of Defense will provide $50 million and other agencies like the Department of Homeland Security will cover the remaining $42 million, a U.S. defense official with knowledge of the assessment told CNBC. The total price tag is $80 more than the original $12 million the Pentagon estimated it would cost last month.
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Wednesday, August 15, 2018

Ex-POW, Disabled Vietnam Veteran hit by drunk driver

Local vet struck by ice cream truck: 'I'm glad it was me that got hit and not kids'
NBC 3 News Las Vegas
by Kelsey Thomas
August 14th 2018
The former prisoner of war was heading home to Veterans Village on Wednesday when police say he was hit by a drunk driver who was behind the wheel of an ice cream truck.
LAS VEGAS (KSNV) — A disabled Vietnam veteran is recovering after he was hit on the sidewalk by an out-of-control driver.

Police say Nasario Garcia was drunk behind the wheel of an ice cream truck when he hit Steven Whitefeather.

Officers say they found empty beer bottles in a freezer in the back of the truck.

The crash happened last week on Fremont near Eastern in downtown Las Vegas. Officers say Garcia jumped a curb and hit Whitefeather, who was in a motorized wheelchair on the sidewalk.
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Topeka VA Employee found dead in office

Employee found dead inside Topeka VA Medical Center office
Topeka Capital Journal
Katie Moore
August 14, 2018

A Veterans Affairs employee died Tuesday morning inside an administrative office at Topeka’s Colmery O’Neil VA Medical Center.

Joe Burks, spokesman for the VA Eastern Kansas Health Care System, said the employee died of an apparent suicide.

“Today we suffered a great loss and our hearts are broken,” Burks said in a statement.

Officials are still working to understand the circumstances.
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Tuesday, August 14, 2018

DD214 said US Citizen, Vietnam Veteran was deported anyway?

One thing to keep in mind when you watch the video. Deported veterans committing suicide, are not counted at all...anywhere.

Busted with 267 pounds of pot and a DD214 that says ‘US citizen.' Should this Marine have been deported?
Military Times
By: Tara Copp
1 hour ago

At his 2002 deportation hearing, Martinez said the judge told him he had a case and could probably win, but he’d have to go back to jail to wait for a hearing, which might take two years. Martinez' other option was to be deported.


NUEVO PROGRESO, Mexico ― Marine Corps Vietnam veteran Jose Maria Martinez is not your typical deported immigrant.
In February 2002, five years after Jose Maria Martinez was sentenced to federal prison on drug charges, he was to be released. But immigration agents said his paperwork was incorrect. Two weeks later, he was deported. (Jillian Angeline and Tara Copp/Military Times)

First, he doesn’t want your sympathy. He was busted in 1997 at a South Texas border checkpoint with 267 pounds of marijuana in his car.

“I screwed up, it was bad. It was so bad it pisses me off sometimes,” Martinez said.

He’s an ardent Trump supporter and cheers at the thought of a wall. In our in-person encounter, he made clear that reporters, save for Fox, were purveyors of “fake news.” His personal views on former President Barack Obama landed him in Facebook jail. He takes a hard line on those who are in the U.S. illegally.

To the day he was deported, he thought he was a U.S. citizen.

It was February 2002. He’d just completed five years in federal prison for the drug bust. He’d served his time. Martinez was ready to be released, start over. Instead, immigration agents walked into his holding cell in Oakdale, Louisiana.

“They said they were going to deport me,” Martinez said.
“I took the oath in San Antonio and got on a plane to San Diego,” he said. He was assigned as an infantryman and mortar man and deployed in 1967 to Vietnam with Alpha Company, 1st Battalion, 4th Marines, 3rd Marine Division. He and several other Marines started naturalization classes, Martinez said, but then they were pulled into operations.
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