Good Samaritans help military Humvee submerged in Florence floodwaters
ABC 11 News
Gary Cooper
September 11, 2018
JACKSONVILLE, N.C. (WTVD) -- What happens when the rescuers need rescuing?
That's what happened in Jacksonville, North Carolina, on Saturday after rains from Hurricane Florence flooded the city.
A marine and two first responders from Onslow County tried to get a military Humvee through a very flooded Half Moon Creek.
And when the Humvee didn't make it, several good Samaritans, who were taking supplies from back to the other side of the creek, jumped in to help.
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"Cajun Navy" volunteers help evacuate North Carolina nursing home residents
CBS News
September 17, 2018
A group of volunteers all too familiar with devastating flooding have gone to North Carolina to help in the aftermath of Florence. Cajun Navy Relief and Rescue is a non-profit group of volunteers from across the country. The group was created after flooding hit southern Louisiana in 2016.
CBS News was with the team in Lumberton as they evacuated 40 people from Highland Acres Nursing and Rehabilitation Center. Many of the residents were bedridden.
"Yeah, we are risking our lives, but this is worth it," said Chris Russell, one of the volunteers.
It took five hours to rescue the residents and deliver them to area hospitals.
"I think what we were able to accomplish tonight, was to give these people some dignity, holding their hand, asking them if they would like to somebody to pray with them," said Allen Lenard, another volunteer. "As much as I believe were were a blessing to those people, I know as a matter of fact, that they were a blessing to me tonight."
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What more should be in your story?
Combat PTSD Wounded Times
Kathie Costos
September 17, 2018
Every now and then, it gets hard to do more than stare at a blank screen. Flipping through emails, mostly mindless reports feeling more and more empty, it gets hard to find a reason to not walk away from the computer.
Today was one of those days. I went through emails going back over 10 years, hoping to be encouraged, as usual, but this time, I was more discouraged.
How the hell did I go from being the go-to on PTSD to being buried by the BS that has taken over social media?
It is easy to feel useless. Easy to think that I've really given all I have to give. Nothing new to say, because nothing has changed in the basic design of humans but there are just more needing help.
Maybe that is what I needed to see today. Believing in what you are doing, being able to do it, can become so much a part of your identity, it is in your DNA.
Being reminded of that feeling of being useless, it is easier for me to explain why men and women, put their lives on the line willingly, get wounded or disabled, and it rips their soul to not be able to do it any longer.
It became a part of who they were, not just what they did. They paid dearly for every ounce of courage, every pull of compassion and every hopeful step they walked while believing, it was not just a matter of they could make a difference, but had to try.
To believe that there is nothing more they can give, just shows how blind we have made them to be. We allow some to beat them down as if they are broken beyond repair. We let them feel sorry for themselves instead of helping them stand up. They cannot see the value they still have by being in the unique position to help all the others just like them.
This veteran from the UK lived to tell of how he knew what it was like to become "useless" in his own eyes because he could not see the truth was still within his soul.
The ex-soldier survived the suicide bid and says that it helped him appreciate his life more
An ex-soldier who jumped in front of a train while suffering with post-traumatic stress disorder has apologised to those who witnessed his attempted suicide.
Perry Tatler kissed his two young children goodbye for what he believed was for the last time before heading to the train station.
Despite throwing himself in front of a train, the 29-year-old survived to encourage suicidal people to seek help.
The father of two remains in hospital five months on, having sustained a broken back, shoulder and ribs, and a bleed on the brain.
read more of this story here
Trying to help others stay alive! Isn't that a lot better than talking about something they already know how to do? They already know how to die...they don't know how to heal!
There is so much more that can be in your story. You just need to know how to keep adding to the ending!
This morning on PTSD Patrol, we're talking about how some people want to think veterans are all broken, damaged beyond repair. You know, the ones who think we're all supposed to feel like giving up.
After over 3 decades, it would be easy for me to explain the difference between "broken" and what a survivor looks like.
It is like looking at a vintage car that has been fully restored.
A senior veteran can be fully restored too!
PTSD Patrol Sunday Morning Empowerment Zone
Your ride may be getting old, but it is far from ready for the junk yard. Most people value antiques and if you are a senior veteran, that is a great way to look at what comes with age.
You have a lot of miles on your spare tires. Your shock absorbers may be a little worn out. You may need some body work. The truth is, you survived all of the events that put miles on your ride. A lot of them were bad but more of them were good times.
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She was sure she was about to die at Navy Yard, and five years later has built a new life
Washington Post
Anne E Marimow
September 15, 2018
The anniversary comes as a group of victims’ relatives and survivors, including Stultz, have reached settlements in their negligence lawsuits against two private companies that employed Alexis, who was fatally shot by police who flooded the scene. The agreements close a chapter for the 15 plaintiffs who went to federal court in Washington seeking a combined $189 million in claimed damages.
Lori Lee Stultz no longer works at the Washington Navy Yard, where she escaped a mass shooting in 2013. She now runs a linens company that she credits with helping her heal. (Katherine Frey/The Washington Post)
When the first shots were fired inside Building 197 at the Washington Navy Yard, Lori Lee Stultz huddled beneath a desk with two colleagues, gripping their hands and trying to stay quiet, certain they’d be killed.
All around her, glass shattered, fire alarms blared, desk phones rang incessantly, and a colleague screamed, “Help me!”
The shooter, Aaron Alexis, gunned down 12 Navy civilian personnel and contractors that morning in September 2013, including too many of Stultz’s friends and colleagues from 15 years at the Navy Yard.
Stultz, of Arlington, and about 20 other survivors from Building 197 plan to gather Sunday to mark five years since the mass shooting.
“You become part of a strange community that no one else understands. We’re not crying; we’re just remembering,” Stultz said. “You can’t really talk to other people about it. It’s just upsetting, and they don’t know what to say.”
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Thank you Al Whitaker! We’ll miss your flair for going after scam artists, fighting for what’s right and telling rich stories
WHNT 19 News
Denise Vickers
September 15, 2018
Al fought for a veteran who fought for our country.
Al’s story began, “Ron Buis served his country with honor but now he’s serving time.”
Buis was charged with shooting into an occupied dwelling – a felony and he was being held without bond. Al’s narrative explained, “It’s not that Buis was outside shooting into someone else’s house. He was in his mobile home and the bullets traveled into the mobile homes near his. It happened on more than one occasion, too. His friends tell us Ron wasn’t trying to hurt anyone. They say he was shooting at the voices in his head.”
Buis came home from Vietnam with a Purple Heart, a Vietnamese Citation for Gallantry with Bronze and Silver stars, and a Gold Star from the Marines in lieu of a second Purple Heart. Al’s story revealed, “He also brought with him the haunting memories of a horrible experience that would later manifest themselves as psychotic depression and Post Traumatic Stress Disorder.”
On live tv, Al stared directly into the camera and closed his report vowing, “Mr. Buis, we make you this promise, sir, we will not rest until you get the help you need. And we promise you we’ll keep you apprised of any developments.”
It took 5 months, but Al Got Results for Buis.
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