Disabled Casper veteran makes artwork on scratchboards
Casper Star-Tribune
BY ELYSIA CONNER
August 22, 2018
"When you have chronic pain it never goes away. Anything to take your mind away from it is probably the best medicine there is really." Darrell Stack
In this July 28, 2018 photo, Darrell Stack watches as his scratchboard gallery is installed at Art 321 in Casper, Wyo. Stack is a disabled veteran and his art is a lifelong passion. Scratchboard involves scratching into a black ink coating on a white background to create lighter marks on the surface. The Casper Star-Tribune via AP Josh Galemore
CASPER, WYO.
The walls of the Casper gallery began to fill with images of people, animals and other scenes. Each piece was depicted in black and white, with intricate details that stopped some people in their tracks.
"Aren't these awesome?" gallery manager Susie Grant said. "These are scratchboard."
The work belonged to Darrell Stack, a 59-year-old artist and disabled veteran. He helped arrange and hang his first gallery show late last month at Art 321 in downtown Casper. His show will be displayed through August.
read more here
Fort Carson soldier steps in to help after bus crash, stops suspect from running
KRDO News
By: Krystal Story
Posted: August 21, 2018
Colorado Springs, Colo. - A Fort Carson soldier is being hailed a hero for stepping up to help after he witnessed a bus crash along Interstate 25 Monday evening.
Nathaniel Barrett-Frieson was in the car with his wife and newborn baby when they came upon a Greyhound bus on top of a guardrail near South Academy.
When Barrett-Frieson got out of the car to make sure everyone was okay, he quickly realized a man, now identified as Edmundo Arellanes-Audelo, was allegedly threatening passengers with a knife.
"He ended up slipping through one of the broken windows on the bus and he came out and that's when I saw he had the knife and I told him to drop the knife and move over by some bushes to get some good distance between me and him," said Barrett-Frieson.
read more here
Duncan Hunter in Indictment: ‘Tell the Navy to Go F*** Themselves’
Roll Call
Katherine Tully-McManus
Posted Aug 21, 2018
Hunter’s wife also concealed a number of improper campaign expenditures by saying they were for wounded veterans. In March 2015, Hunter spent campaign funds buying shorts for himself. According to the indictment, Margaret counseled him to buy the shorts at a golf pro shop so that they could falsely describe the purchase later as “some [golf] balls for the wounded warriors.”
Prosecutors allege California Republican also falsely claimed expenditures for ‘wounded warriors’
The federal indictment of Rep. Duncan Hunter. R-Calif., center, includes details of his cursing the Navy and misrepresenting funds for wounded warriors. He is shown here in a 2012 photo with former Rep. Tim Murphy, R-Pa., left, who resigned in October 2017 after admitting to an extramarital affair, and Rep. Adam Kinzinger, R-Ill. (Tom Williams/CQ Roll Call file photo)
A federal indictment alleges that House Armed Services member Duncan Hunter was not happy when he didn’t get a tour of a military base in Italy and had this to say: “Tell the Navy to go f--- themselves.”
Prosecutors also accused the California Republican of falsely claiming that personal expenditures were for “wounded warriors.”
Hunter and his wife, Margaret, were indicted Tuesday for allegedly using $250,000 in campaign funds for personal expenses, including dental work and trips to Italy and Hawaii.
read more here
VA employee helps save man's life on Interstate 10 overpass
FOX Phoenix 10 News
August 21, 2018
"He has just that absolute frustrated look on his face. That look on someone's face. You can tell deep inside, he was really hurting," said Odis Bailey. "You could tell the mixed emotions of rage, sadness."
PHOENIX (KSAZ) -- A man shut down part of the I-10 freeway in Downtown Phoenix during the morning rush hour, threatening to jump from an overpass into oncoming traffic.
Four people pulled over to help, and one man even climbed to the top of the overpass, in an effort to try and save a stranger's life.
The man was on top of the 3rd Avenue pedestrian bridge. Before law enforcement got involved, a group of Phoenix VA employees stopped their morning commute to help. The man was a stranger to them, but his distress was all too familiar.
Bailey climbed up the fence too, and they spent about 15 minutes talking.
"The first part was basically trying to comfort him, that I do care, I was up here because I cared about him," said Bailey. "He had some family issues. Father who had passed away, battling drugs, dealing with not having contact with his son, and the straw that broke the camels back was he was sleeping behind a bush, and someone kicked him out."
read more here
When will we care enough to save those who save us?
Combat PTSD Wounded Times
Kathie Costos
August 21, 2018
If you think dropping the D from PTSD is a good idea, then it proves you really do not understand much. The "thing" that gave them PTSD in the first place, was a lot harder than dealing with a lousy letter.
If they have a problem with it, then we have a much bigger problem than anyone is aware of, because if the stigma ends up killing them, instead of the event itself, our shame has just sunk to a new low.
This may finally get you to understand that men and women, valued human life so much, they were willing to die to save others. They rushed into burning homes, to accidents, to disaster after disaster, yet the following lost their lives because of what all their efforts did to them.
Firefighters
81% of the firefighters feared they would be seen as weak according to an NBC survey.
December 2017
Crystal Murphy Navy veteran and Lacey firefighter
January 2018
Retired firefighter Thomas Schilling
March 2018
Tampa firefighter Steve LaDue
Firefighter Jesse Reed
April 2018
Dallas retired firefighter Michael Chambers
Battalion Chief Erik Sutton
June 2018
Volunteer firefighter and police officer Mark Gehron
Ryne Kinsella
July 2018
Captain Art Vazquez
Firefighter Peter D. Varnum
James Grundon, 55, was a firefighter and paramedic (murder-suicide)
August 2018
Captain Wayne Habell
LAW ENFORCEMENT
June
Lancaster City Police Officer Marc Gehron
July
Chicago Police Officer, shot himself in the parkinglot
August 2018
Officer Stewart Beasley
PARAMEDIC
May 2018
Tony Jenkins
Veterans committed public suicides
March 9, 2018
Yountville California
Veteran and hostages dead at PTSD program
March 12, 2018
Vietnam veteran committed suicide in Sheridan Police Department Parking lot after calling dispatch to let them know where he was.
March 23, 2018
Soldier dead after standoff at Aberdeen Proving Ground
March 23, 2018
Oklahoma
Air Force Veteran dead after police were called to help him.
March 26, 2018
St. Louis
62 year old veteran committed suicide in John Cochran VA Medical Center waiting room
April 3, 2018
Boynton Beach
Florida
76 year old Vietnam veteran committed suicide in Boynton City Hal parking lot. Not first time this happened.
It happened last year in Amarillo Texas when a veteran shot himself in front of the VA hospital.
June 13, 2018
Fort Knox
21 year old Private committed public suicide at Clarksville High School after he stole a gun.
June 19, 2018
Kansas
Vietnam veteran committed suicide at in the VA emergency room.
June 26 2018
Georgia
Navy Veteran set himself on fire in front of Georgia Capitol protesting the VA system.
Not first time this happened. It also happened in New Jersey last year.
June 27, 2018
Norfolk Navy Yard
Sailor walked into helicopter blade, death ruled suicide.
July 10, 2018
Alabama
Air Force veteran shot family, and himself after setting house on fire.
July 14, 2018
Phoenix AZ
Veteran shot himself inside the VA Hospital Chapel
Not the first times since it happened last year when a 33 year old veteran shot himself at the VA.
There are a lot more but, most of them do not have their names released. What you see in obituaries around the country are usually along the lines of "died suddenly" and it is the families right to keep it private.
What will never, ever, make any of this right, is for it keep happening without the national news paying attention to any of this.
At least now, the pubic has a chance to learn what we've been reading so far this year.
