Andover soldier dies in Iraq, military cites non-combat incident

Andover soldier dies in Iraq, military cites non-combat incident
December 24, 2007
CONCORD, N.H.—A 19-year-old soldier from Andover has died in Iraq of non-combat related injuries, the Department of Defense said.

Pfc. Juctin McDaniel died Dec. 17 in Baghdad of injuries sustained from a non-combat incident in Taji, Iraq, the Pentagon announced in a news release last week. It said the incident was under investigation.
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Again, we cannot assume this death is connected to PTSD or to suicide. We may never know what happened but the problem is, the family may never really know either.

'I believed in the commandment 'thou shalt not kill'

Larry Rupp
Age: 61
Hometown: Medford
Occupation: retired state police officer
Military history: Army, 25th Infantry Division, captain, wounded Jan. 7, Jan. 9 and May 17, 1969, in Vietnam; awarded two Silver Stars, two Bronze Stars, three Purple Hearts

'I believed in the commandment 'thou shalt not kill' '
When Larry Rupp watches news coverage of the Iraq war, it triggers thoughts of another conflict.

By Paul Fattig
Mail Tribune
December 24, 2007

When Larry Rupp watches news coverage of the Iraq war, it triggers thoughts of another conflict.

Some are good memories of the late 1960s, back when he was a young soldier leading a platoon in the jungles and rice paddies in what was South Vietnam.


Others are painful reminders of dying friends, of bone-chilling fear, of killing to live.

"It's bothered me more since Iraq than it ever bothered me prior to that war," he says of post-traumatic stress disorder. "We weren't seeing the news on TV like my wife was seeing in the '60s. We were there.

"Now I'm seeing what my wife and other people saw in the '60s," he says. "When you start seeing real-life images of what's going on, seeing these soldiers put on litters, it's tough. It brings back old memories."

Nearly 20 percent of Vietnam veterans suffer from PTSD, according to a 2006 study published in the journal Science. An anxiety disorder brought on by trauma, its symptoms include aggressiveness, alcohol and drug abuse, emotional numbness, irritability, nightmares, problems with employment and relationships, sleeplessness and violence. PTSD can start soon after a traumatic event or surface years later.

Rupp, 61, of Medford, a retired Oregon State Police detective, is a highly decorated Army infantry officer who survived battlefield wounds, both physical and psychological.

While the physical wounds were patched up by quick-reacting medics and military hospital personnel, the PTSD, reignited by news coverage of Iraq and Afghanistan, proved more difficult to cure.

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'I believed in the commandment 'thou shalt not kill' is what he and a lot of other veterans believe in their hearts. Yet even in the Bible, there were many times when combat killings were justified. Even then the Bible also addressed the issues of dealing with what the soul has little tolerance of. Ancient Hebrews would "cleanse" themselves before returning home. Historians throughout the world have recorded other cultures processing the warriors back into society. Native American Indians still practice cleansing and it has not changed in centuries.

This is also one of the reasons I do support clergy participating in the healing of our warriors. They do not suffer just from the trauma they were exposed to, but the traumas they participated in. Our soldiers are necessary for defense and in every civilization, they were necessary, as they will be in every generation to come. It would be a wonderful world to live in peace with all nations and have no need for them at all, but reality proves this has never been the case. They participate in committing trauma on others, blowing up bombs that blow up people and pulling the trigger that sends the killing bullet. They must deal with this. While some move past it and find some kind of peace with it, others feel it more deeply. They need help to heal their soul as well a ease their minds.

What I do not agree with is the evangelists in the military now finding it part of their mission to covert those seeking spiritual healing as part of their "mission" instead of taking care of the spiritual needs as they should without pushing their own branch of it. The military chaplains are not serving the soldier by this practice.

The other part of this should prove once and for all that just because they have PTSD they are not useless.
Larry Rupp was highly decorated during his service in Vietnam and went on to work in law enforcement while clearly dealing with PTSD. He was functioning while wounded. As with all wounds, there are many different degrees of how deep the wound changes other aspects of their lives. It also shows that to tell veterans with PTSD they cannot have a gun, causes more problems for the ones who can function while wounded.

There are many men and women working productively in jobs where they need to have and use firearms. There are also many who have used these weapons on themselves. I don't know what the answer is. If a firearm is not available, they will commit suicide by other means, but their number one choice is death by gun. Many believe this new law will be a hindrance in veterans seeking treatment for PTSD if they know it could jeopardize their job. Rupp is a clear example of them being able to carry out their duties while wounded.

I've been in contact with family members who have had their sons commit suicide with guns. They are sure if the gun was not there, their son would still be here. Others deal with the suicide of sons who hung themselves, took a bottle of pills, crashed their cars, jumped to their death, and chose suicide by cop. The only sure way to save their lives is to treat them.

I had an emailer send a comment about a PTSD veteran and murder suicide. Again it happened with a gun. Yet the emailer ignored other reports of PTSD veterans who committed murder/suicides by other means. They choose whatever they can to do what they feel compelled to do. Again, the only sure way to prevent any of this is to stop making combat veterans or to treat the wounded as we would other wounds.


Kathie Costos
Namguardianangel@aol.com
www.Namguardianangel.org
www.Namguardianangel.blogspot.com
www.Woundedtimes.blogspot.com
"The willingness with which our young people are likely to serve in any war, no matter how justified, shall be directly proportional to how they perceive veterans of early wars were treated and appreciated by our nation." - George Washington

Standoff with combat veteran

Standoff with combat veteran ends peacefully in Appleton

APPLETON — A nearly 10-hour standoff between law officers and a U.S. Marine Corps combat veteran of the Iraqi and Afghanistan wars with sniper and special operations experience ended peacefully withthe apprehension of the suspect shortly after 1 p.m. Sunday. (December 23, 2007)

This is not the first time something like this has happened and it won't be the last.

Updated at: 05/29/2007 11:23:48 PM
By: Justin Piehowski, Web Manager
Family says man was depressed prior to standoff
MINNEAPOLIS (AP) - A Minnesota National Guard member killed in a standoff with police in central Minnesota was suicidal in the past, and initial reports indicated he was intoxicated and driving with a loaded shotgun on the morning of his death, authorities said Tuesday.
But Spc. Brian William Skold, 28, of Sauk Rapids, was also a caring person, who loved waterskiing, fishing and hunting, and drew people in with his outgoing personality.
"He had just a zest for life," said his sister, Jenny Trager. "People really liked him. I guess he would be what I would call a social butterfly. ... He enjoyed being with friends and family."
Skold served about a year in Iraq. Police weren't saying whether lingering effects from his deployment contributed to Sunday morning's incident along Interstate 94, in which he fled from authorities and fired at least one shot from a 12-gauge shotgun before police returned fire, killing him.
http://www.kstp.com/article/stories/S98028.shtml?cat=1

Gulf War vet charged in standoff
September 29, 2006
By BILL BIRD staff writerBond was set Sept. 25 at $3 million for a Marine veteran charged with firing more than 100 bullets at police during a 10-hour standoff over the weekend in Bolingbrook.William D. "David" Linley faces a potential 240-year prison term if convicted of all eight felony charges against him.Linley, 41, was charged with two counts of first-degree attempted murder of a police officer and six counts of aggravated discharge of a firearm at police officers, according to spokesmen for both Bolingbrook police and Will County State's Attorney James Glasgow. All the charges are Class X felonies, carrying mandatory terms of six to 30 years in prison upon conviction.Police took Linley into custody Sept. 23 after the standoff at his home at 130 Wethersfield Lane, in Bolingbrook's Hunters Trail subdivision east of Route 53.A Bolingbrook police marksman shot Linley in the arm shortly after midnight, after Linley allegedly sprayed his neighborhood with more than 100 shots from a .22-caliber rifle.
Multiple tours of dutyLinley was described as a troubled and lonely man by Gregory Morley, a fellow former Marine and freelance photographer from Bolingbrook.Morley said Linley is a native of the Flushing area of New York City who dropped out of high school in 1982 to join the Marine Corps.Linley was deployed to Lebanon following the Oct. 24, 1983, bombing of a Marine barracks there, Morley said. While en route, Linley instead became part of the group that rescued American college students in the liberation of Grenada, he said.Morley said Linley advanced to the rank of sergeant before being sent to Kuwait in 1990 during the Gulf War. He received an honorable discharge and worked a number of jobs in Virginia, Colorado, and Illinois before re-enlisting in the Marines and going to Iraq following the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, Morley said.
http://www.leatherneck.com/forums/showthread.php?t=35215

Dennis Kucinich calls attention to Liberty House and homeless veterans

Sunday, December 23, 2007

Kucinich To Ring In New Year As Party Host
Not the Democratic party, but a New Hampshire one.Dennis and Elizabeth Kucinich Host New Year's Eve Partyin Manchester, New HampshireDear Kucinich SupporterDennis Kucinich and his wife Elizabeth will be ringing in 2008 with music, merriment, and a message at a special New Year's Eve party and concert on Monday, December 31 at the MCAM TV-23 Studios in Manchester, New Hampshire.
The event - "Resolution for Peace: A New Year's Concert for the Community" - is open to the public and will be televised live on TV-23 and streamed live on the internet at www.kucinichtv.com. So if you can't come, please tune in.
Entertainment for the evening will feature a number of premier musicians from the New York City area, including singer-songwriter Ed Hamell, who performs under the moniker "Hamell on Trial"; two stars of the "downtown" jazz scene - violinist Jenny Scheinman and drummer Ben Perowsky; band-leading bassist (and regular Ani DiFranco sideman) Todd Sickafoose; folk singer Chris Brown; and other special guests.
The event starts at 9:00pm EST. Tickets for the concert are $30 for adults and $10 for students, including food and beverages and they are available online. There will also be a smaller pre-concert reception with Rep. Kucinich and the musicians for those purchasing a $50 ticket. There is no admission charge for children 12 and under.Besides music, dancing, food and fun, the event will also focus attention on the plight of the homeless in the area.
Liberty House, a transitional shelter for homeless veterans located in Manchester, is slated to lose its entire federal funding next year, even though its services are needed more than ever.
More than 43% of homeless males in the U. S. are veterans, and with thousands of soldiers returning from the Iraq War - and housing foreclosures rising - the number of people without a roof over their heads on any given night will surely skyrocket in 2008.

Suicide Threat at a Community Bank

Suicide Threat at a Community Bank
Posted by Susana Marcelo on Dec 23, 2007 - 4:16:34 AM


FULLERTON—On Tuesday, December 18, Fullerton Community Bank was threatened by a man who claimed he was going to commit suicide. The 48-year-old man from Santa Monica called police from a pay phone and warned them that he was going to enter the Fullerton Community Bank at 2920 E. Chapman Avenue and kill himself.

When the 48-year-old suspect entered the building he announced his intentions because he didn’t want anyone to get hurt. The people at the bank dropped to the floor and crawled into the bank vault until police arrived. When police officers arrived at 3:30 pm they found the man sitting down and no weapon anywhere. He was then transported to a Santa Ana mental health clinic.


Sergeant Linda King, Fullerton Police Department PIO, said, “The man is being held on a 72 hour psychiatric evaluation. He did call us from a pay phone nearby and tell us he wanted to kill himself. He then ran into the bank, where we found him. We have had prior dealings with this man and he was held on a prior 72 hour exam back on June 17.”

King said that on June 17 the suspect went into the Starbucks across the street from the Fullerton Community Bank and threatened suicide that time as well. She also added that there are no criminal charges being filed and the identity of the man is withheld because of his suicide threat.

click post title for link

What this does not say is why nothing was done for this man after the first time. What made him want to claim a suicide attempt with nothing to do it with? People do not do something this public unless they are trying to communicate some kind of message in a very public way. Is it that he simply lacks the ability to say what it is he wants people to know or is it that the police never bothered to ask him why he was doing this? Across the world people commit suicide all the time in private. Although their anguish may be known to others, most do not want anyone to stop them from carrying out their suicide if they are intent on doing it.

When I lived back in Massachusetts there was a neighboring family who experienced a private suicide. No one knew how depressed this son was. He was 20. His mother went to wake him up to go to work and found him hanging in his closet. Friends later told his parents they had no idea it was coming. His death left all of them shocked.

There are some who regret trying right after swallowing a handful of pills and call for help. Others will cut their wrist only to make a phone call to save them. They regret giving up, find just enough hope left within them to reach out for help one more time. Many will find themselves receiving the same attitudes they lived with before and try one more time to end their suffering.

Yet when they try to kill themselves in public, they are trying to deliver a message they want everyone to know. What was this man trying to say for the second time and why wasn't this clearly troubled man helped after the first time?

Another non-combat death

Soldier laid to rest in Helena
KPAX-TV - Missoula,MT,USA

Posted: Dec 16, 2007 02:37 AM EST

Updated: Dec 22, 2007 08:38 PM EST


A Montana soldier was laid to rest in his hometown on Saturday after dying last week in Baghdad.

Private Daren A. Smith, 19, was Helena High School graduate who died in Iraq as a result of non-combat related injures. The investigation into the circumstances surrounding his death remain under investigation.

Smith, who grew up in Butte, entered the U.S. Army in March and was stationed in Fort Polk, Louisiana prior to his November deployment.

While Smith's funeral was held Saturday morning in Butte, the burial took place at the State Veteran's Cemetery at Fort Harrison in Helena and community members came out in force to remember the young soldier.

Sgt. Jacob Blaylock won't be counted

Battle on the homefront

December 23, 2007
By Jon Seidel Post-Tribune staff writer


Sgt. Jacob Blaylock won't be counted among the casualties of the Iraq war.
But he, like many soldiers, was haunted by its ghosts.

Blaylock, 26, was a fun-loving man when he went to Iraq, his family said. In photographs, he tends to be the one giving a thumbs-up to the camera.

When he came home from war, though, his family said he wanted a beer, he wanted a cigarette, and he never wanted to go back to battle.

Blaylock, who grew up in Calumet City, shot himself this month. He left a note behind in his glove box for his family.

"I'm sorry I let everybody down," Blaylock wrote.

Blaylock was living in Houston, but his father, Ricky Blaylock, lives in Lowell.

Ricky Blaylock said his son's depression medication, from doctors who were treating his son for post-traumatic stress disorder, arrived the day after the suicide.
go here for the rest
http://www.post-trib.com/news/710044,soldier.article

Main Entry: ca·su·al·ty
Function: noun
Pronunciation: 'ka-zh&l-te, 'kazh-w&l-, 'ka-zh&-w&l-
Inflected Form(s): plural -ties
1 archaic : CHANCE , FORTUNE (losses)
2 : serious or fatal accident : DISASTER
3 a : a military person lost through death, wounds, injury, sickness, internment, or capture or through being missing in action b : a person or thing injured, lost, or destroyed : VICTIM (the ex-senator was a casualty of the last election)
http://reference.aol.com/dictionary?dword=casualty

"I'm sorry I let everybody down," Blaylock wrote. Yet the truth is, he didn't let anyone down but we let him down. We allowed him to be yet one more of the uncounted. Can we be so blind that we allow his life, along with all the others wounded, end by an enemy just as real as the one they were deployed to fight? This enemy follows them home. How can they not be counted when they die as a result of this wound? I've asked this question thousands of times of the years. How can they not be counted as wounded at all? Do you see their numbers included in on any news reports of the casualty counts? We're lucky if we even see a close representation of the real counts, the true picture of the prices they pay.

We allowed him to have to wait for medication and therapy too long. We did not have it ready for him when he needed it any more than we had it ready in the 80's or the 90's when Vietnam veterans needed it or others from other wars. Before Vietnam ended we had he excuse of lack of knowledge but that excuse was obliterated when the world paid attention and every nation was conducting studies. We didn't have the excuse in 2001 or 2002 or 2003 or any other year of these occupations. What are we claiming we are still waiting to learn? What is it that we think we still have yet to learn about this wound documented throughout the centuries? Is there anything new to learn about the cause or the devastating results? No. The only thing we have yet to learn is what is the most effective treatment to fight it.

We know early intervention works the best but we don't practice it. If we did, none of them would have to wait for therapy and medication to begin. We know we cannot prevent it but we don't acknowledge it when wars are being planned and the projected casualty figures are taken into account. We ignore all of this at our own peril by setting up failure upon failure. Failure to take care of them increases the likelihood of suicides, criminal activity, drug and alcohol abuse, divorce, homelessness and residual casualties in their children. We set up society as a whole for failure when we will have to support the survivors in the end because we refused to take care of them when it was the most promising to help them recover. We fail them all the way around.

So another warrior takes his own life waiting to have his wounds treated. Another soldier dies and his name is recorded no where. Another family left behind wondering why this "grateful nation" was not so grateful for the service their son was willing to provide and let him die. kc

Car crash got disabled GI the help he needed

Car crash got disabled GI the help he needed

The Associated Press
Posted : Sunday Dec 23, 2007 13:35:10 EST

DETROIT, Maine — For former Army Spc. Matthew Pennington, who lost one leg and part of the other in combat in Iraq nearly 20 months ago, a near-fatal drunken driving accident in September marked the low point in his struggle to get his life back on track.

Traveling at what police later told him was about 55 mph, Pennington drove into the wall of the Bank of America building on Exchange Street in Bangor.

“It was my statement: ‘I am done,”’ said the 24-year-old paratrooper from Detroit. He had turned to alcohol, he said, out of frustration in dealing with his physical injuries and the demons that followed him home from the war.

Pennington had been fitted with a prosthetic leg that he hoped to someday use to run a marathon. But when the leg broke in June and Pennington was unable to get it fixed, he lost a measure of his independence.

A months-long delay in getting his leg fixed was the first of what he said was a series of barriers that prevented him from getting the help he needed through the Department of Veterans Affairs.

After the crash in Bangor, Pennington started receiving treatment for the post-traumatic stress disorder he had been diagnosed with more than a year before. Other help came after he and his wife began speaking publicly about their problems. On Thursday he was fitted with new parts for his prosthetic leg, which turned out to be a vast improvement.
go here for the rest
http://www.armytimes.com/news/2007/12/ap_vetsstruggle_071223/

Encouraging hope during annual homeless service

When Michael Keslosky, homeless veterans advocate, first met Zarnoch about five weeks ago, the former combat vet was living with Vietnam and Korean veterans underneath the Market Street Bridge. Zarnoch now resides in Kingston House.

Encouraging hope during annual homeless service
Event gave voice to those who can’t speak for themselves, says charity official.
By SHERRY LONG slong@timesleader.com

Homelessness doesn’t just affect large cities like New York City and Los Angeles. It’s also a growing problem in Luzerne County, Volunteers of America officials said.

Believing it’s important to bring awareness to the issue to help end homelessness, the Luzerne County Homeless Coalition held its second annual Homeless Memorial Service Friday afternoon at St. Stephen’s Episcopal Church to coincide with other homeless memorials being held across the country.

“The purpose of the event was to be a voice for those who may not be able to speak for themselves,” said Bill Jones, Volunteers of America’s vice president and chief operating officer.

Organizers wanted to bring attention to the blight of homeless people, including Iraq War veteran Robert Zarnoch.



Keslosky said his heart goes out to the veterans because he was once in their shoes – a homeless veteran struggling to survive day to day.

“People in the community don’t realize every one of us is one paycheck away from being homeless,” Keslosky said.

Keslosky said he’s outraged that any men and women who risked their lives serving for our country are homeless.

“There should be no homeless veteran. We are the richest and most powerful nation in the world. We need to take better care of our veterans who served this country with honor and distinction before the number of homeless veterans increases with the ending of the conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan as they did when the Vietnam veterans returned home,” he said.
click above for the rest

My heart is tugged by homeless veterans above all because they were willing to lay down their lives for this country. I believe that this nation should take care of all the homeless people but if we do not take care of the veterans, it is very unlikely we will take care of the regular citizens who become homeless. We don't take care of their mental anguish or help them to overcome feeling as if the world has forgotten them.

I've posted it many times in the past, that my husband was almost one of them because of PTSD. What I do not talk about is that we almost lost our house as well. Forbearance agreements with the mortgage company and borrowed money from my Mother helped see us through. It gave me a new perspective of homeless veterans and their families, just as being married to a PTSD veteran helped me understand everything that went with that aspect. They are not lazy people, but they are unable people. They are not crazy people, but they are wounded people. To know there is so much suffering among them as well as their families captures you. You cannot forget about it or them. You find yourself running out of reasons to retain your own indifference toward them. Little by little all the excuses you come up with to not care about them evaporates. Soon you understand that no one in their right mind wants to be homeless, living on the streets, fighting for a place to sleep or pushing a shopping cart filed with what is left of everything they own. Once you understand this, they matter to you.

Why are family member last to know about military suicides?

December 22nd, 2007 1:35 pm
After a suicide, military families wait — and wait — for answers


Associated Press

WASHINGTON: It can take months — even years — for the families of troops who kill themselves in Iraq and Afghanistan to learn about the circumstances leading up to the death, including if their loved one left a suicide note.

To obtain all investigative materials related to the deaths, the families are required to file one or more Freedom of Information Act requests.

Liz Sweet, whose son Sgt. T.J. Sweet, 23, of Bismarck, N.D., was fatally shot in his barracks in 2003 in Iraq in what she says the Army has determined to be a self-inflicted wound, is still waiting to obtain her son's service and health records.

Sweet said she participates in an online forum with other families who lost a loved one due to a non-combat death in Iraq such as a suicide, and a common problem is that the families don't know what to ask for and where to file requests.

"I don't feel that there is a great deal of attempt on the military's part to make sure that families have what they need," Sweet said.

Chris Scheuerman, of Sanford, N.C., whose son Pfc. Jason Scheuerman committed suicide in Iraq in 2005, said he only learned that his son had left a note when it arrived in the mail more than a year later in an envelope with documents he had sought by filing a Freedom of Information Act request.

At least 152 U.S. troops have committed suicide in Iraq and Afghanistan since the start of the wars.
go here for the rest
http://www.michaelmoore.com/words/latestnews/index.php?id=10584

Coming Home Changed to Fort Carson

Fort Carson doctors diagnosed 615 soldiers in 2007 with post-traumatic stress disorder, up from 102 cases in 2003, when soldiers started returning from their first tours in Iraq and Afghanistan. It was the fifth straight year with an increase in the number of soldiers being diagnosed with PTSD.

Coming home changed


Stress can play part in crimes, experts say
By DENNIS HUSPENI and TOM ROEDER
THE GAZETTE
December 23, 2007 - 7:35AM


CRIMES LINKED TO CARSON VETERANS

Here are some notable criminal cases involving Iraq war veterans stationed at Fort Carson.

- Colorado Springs police allege two veterans from the same platoon are tied to a crime ring that could be responsible for the homicides of two soldiers.

Spc. Kevin Shields was shot to death and his body was found Dec. 1.

Pfc. Robert James was also shot to death. His body was found in a car parked in a Lake Avenue bank parking lot in August. The suspects are: Louis Bressler, 24, who was discharged and complained of suffering from PTSD; Pfc. Bruce Bastien Jr., 21; and soldier Kenneth Eastridge, who was an infantry rifleman. Authorities have charged or plan to charge all three with homicide, court records show.

- Former soldier Anthony Marquez, 23, admitted Thursday he shot and killed a 19-year-old Widefield resident and suspected drug dealer Oct. 22, 2006, during a robbery attempt. Marquez’s public defenders attempted to introduce PTSD as a possible defense, but dropped the effort when a judge ruled against them, court records show. According to the plea agreement, Marquez will spend 30 years in prison when he is sentenced in February.

- Pueblo police last month arrested Spc. Olin “Famous” Ferrier, 22, on suspicion of shooting taxi driver David Chance, 52, on Oct. 30. No charges have been filed.

- Former Pfc. Johnathon Klinker, 22, was sentenced to 40 years in prison in July for killing his 7-week-old daughter, Nicolette. Klinker blamed the baby’s October 2006 death, in part, on “war-related stress.”

- Former Pvt. Timothy Parker of the 3rd Heavy Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division, was convicted by court martial of manslaughter for beating Spc. Piotr Szczypka to death in a November 2005 fight at an apartment complex near the base. Both men had been drinking before Parker hit Szczypka with a fireplace poker, trial testimony showed. Parker was sentenced to seven years in a military prison.

- Nine days after 2nd Brigade Combat Team Pfc. Stephen S. Sherwood, 35, came home from Iraq in August 2005, he drove to Fort Collins and shot and killed his wife of seven years, Sara E. Sherwood, 30. The soldier, described by his commanders as a hero who fought bravely in Iraq, then turned the gun on himself and committed suicide.

click post title for the rest

A Soldier's letter and 3 suicides in two weeks

“The surge is working.” In recent months, attacks have gone down. Many soldiers are shocked at how long it has been since they hit an IED in certain locations, or received incoming mortar rounds hit their camp. While there is a correlation (more troops, less attacks) there is no causation. Also, most of the influx of troops have been placed in Baghdad… this increase in volume simply displaced the “terrorists” and insurgents into areas surrounding Baghdad! Since the surge began, there have been more innocent, non-combatant Iraqis killed and more soldiers have died. We have had 3 suicides in 2 weeks!! Do you think the Army attracts suicidal people? Or perhaps the cost of carrying out U.S. foreign policy is making soldiers suicidal (15 month deployments, deployment extensions, stop-loss program, etc.)…

Day 11: Open Letter to Americans

December 22, 2007

Posted by captainj0e in Uncategorized. trackback
After breakfast and the morning update, the boss had meetings and briefing for the next 6 hours… I didn’t have a computer around so I decided to write a letter…[Note: I typed up this letter after handwriting it, and I am mailing it to 100 voters in every state before their primary, from Iraq]
Dear Voter,
My name is Joe. I am currently serving in my second deployment to Iraq as an Army officer. The biggest differences between this deployment and my last one are:
The location (within Iraq)
-The Job (much busier : less free time/sleep)
-The duration (last deployment was 12 months, this one is 15)
I am sure you are wondering why some random soldier in Iraq would write you a letter… there are several reasons, but the primary one will be obvious by the end. First I’ll tell you a little about myself.

I’m 26 years old, I’ve been married for almost 7 years, and I have a son and a daughter in elementary school. I grew up in Georgia, but I live in Colorado Springs now. I come from a long line of military officers, so I was sort of “destined” to serve. Although I only have 3 ½ years in the Army, I’ve been wearing the uniform for 12 years (JROTC & ROTC). I have a degree in computer science and I’m a music & movie enthusiast.

Now that you know a little about me, I’d like to inform you on what Iraq is really like.

Iraq is a war-torn country in political and engineering shambles. When the U.S. invaded Iraq in 2003, the intent was to remove Saddam Hussein from power. Once that was done, the military then targeted all Ba’athists (members of Saddam’s political party) because they were assumed to be loyal to Saddam. The problem with this “eradication” was the Ba’athists were the people who managed Iraq’s infrastructure. So our targeting caused the collapse of all of their water, power, sewage, oil, and transportation capabilities!
http://captainj0e.wordpress.com/2007/12/22/day-11-open-letter-to-americans/

I said I would keep a fine line on politics out of this blog and I intend to do just that. If you want to hear my political views, hop on over to Screaming In An Empty Room by the link over on the right side of the blog. My heart is with them. I fight for them. I fight for them when they are risking their lives as hard as I do when their lives are at risk because they risked their lives.

I wanted to post this here for a very important reason. It's the same reason I do so very hard to watch videos. If we do not understand what it is like for them, if we gloss over all of it with "good news" or "high five for the surge" we will never understand totally what they go through. War is not pretty. It is not wrapped in a flag. They do not serve whomever happens to be president at the moment, but the office of the Presidency and the Commander-in-Chief. We talk a great deal about them following orders and doing their jobs but we fail when it comes to doing our jobs for them. The nation sent them to war, but the nation is not at war with them. We are forgetting all about them. They live, fight and die for their comrades. They want to come home to their families and friends and to get on with their lives when their mission is over. Most know their battles will never end without a great deal of therapy, medication and understanding.

This soldier wrote of three suicides in 2 weeks. It was during a letter where he also indicated that the attacks are down. That should tell you a great deal. It should also sound a huge alarm bell in your mind. The Army stated clearly over a year ago that the redeployments increase the risk of developing PTSD by 50% and yet we dare wonder why there are so many suicides. We send them back with medication when they are diagnosed with PTSD. When that doesn't work and their wound has cut too deeply into them, they are dishonorably discharged and discarded.

Think about all of this. If you still support what is being done in Iraq and more so if you don't, you need to face the fact that the men and women we as a nation sent into Iraq and Afghanistan need us to live up to our obligations to them. We on our own cannot make that big of a difference to them. We can help but we cannot get all of them into treatment and make sure their sacrifices do not have to continue in terms of financial suffering or emotionally when they are seeking help to heal.

People like me have been working to get rid of the stigma of PTSD and we will keep doing it but we cannot make sure the help we talk them into getting is waiting for them. We assumed it would be, but no one on the other end was ready for what we were warning about. Now it's your turn. Call you congressman and your senator and tell them to stop talking about doing something to address PTSD and do it. No more excuses. No more whining about Bush won't approve the funds. Get the rest of congress to act and get this done for their sake. The only people holding back fully funding what is needed on an emergency basis is congress. They know what they have to do but they won't.

Your senator and congressman are home for the holidays. Call them at home or go and ring their door bell if you have to. Go and stand outside their sidewalk and tell them the troops matter to you. They need your help. What are you waiting for? More graves for next Memorial Day?

War:When the enemy is the military

By revealing the truth about how and why American soldiers became ill while fighting overseas, this film sets the record straight and holds the government accountable for trivializing and covering up some of the major causes and consequences of Gulf War Syndrome.

Gulf War Syndrome-Killing Our Own (Trailer)
published by qruel 10 hours 33 minutes 58 seconds ago • 136 views

After the Vietnam War, hundreds of thousands of U.S. veterans suffered toxic reactions, neurological damage, and rare cancers due to exposure to 2,4,5,-D and 2,4,5-T dioxin that was used in the form of the defoliant Agent Orange. Unfortunately, the U.S. military denied the problem and failed to heed any of the lessons of this chemical butchery. Instead, it expanded its harmful legacy to the current generation of soldiers and civilians exposed to new, more deadly chemical toxins in the Persian Gulf.

Join accomplished filmmaker Gary Null, PhD, as he explores the real truth about Gulf War Syndrome and the secrets about chemical and germ warfare that the U.S. government is hiding from its veterans and the public. Dr. Null uncovers the hidden truths about Gulf War Syndrome, including the deadly and toxic effects of armor-piercing radioactive depleted uranium, the use of experimental and risky vaccines on over 100,000 U.S. troops, and the indescribable chemical contamination and environmental devastation that the military caused during the Persian Gulf Wars.

In this film, Dr. Null relies on compelling testimony from eyewitnesses who served in the military, leading doctors and scientists who specialize in chemical exposure, and those veterans still suffering from the effects of their tours of duty. Dr. Null goes further than ever before to explain the illnesses of Gulf veterans, including their rare cancers, neurological diseases, cardiac ailments, genetic mutations, and autoimmune conditions, ranging from chronic fatigue syndrome to lupus and scleroderma. "Post Traumatic Stress Syndrome" is the glib and demeaning explanation that the U.S. Government likes to give to injured veterans and their families.......

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Agent Orange. Depleted Uranium. Hepatitis C. Lariam. What goes into waging war is part of the deal. It's not just the men and women sent, but the chemicals they are sent in with. Some they are given and others they are exposed to. The military brass pass most of it off as "collateral damage" when these chemicals kill off civilians. What do they call it when it kills off our own people? What do they call it when it comes home with them, killing them slowly and then attacks their children? What do they call it when the ravages of war attach to minds and then slowly attack the families of the wounded? What do they call it when the same government fails those who ended up wounded? Most of these things should be called criminal but they get away with it when the government announces it was "all necessary" to complete the mission,but the mission never ends for far too many exposed to their expedience. It is not the quickest solution for them but the beginning of a very slow end.

The bumpy road home from military to civilian

The bumpy road home
By Tony Lascari
12/22/2007
Dan and Sara TerBurgh shook hands, gave hugs and shared stories during a welcome home celebration in August following a several-year long absence from Midland.

The two had dated while attending Midland High School and both graduated in 1998. When Dan pursued a nine-year career in the U.S. Marine Corps, Sara went with him. After the couple had three children and Dan served two tours of duty in Iraq, they decided it was time to come home.

The readjustment to civilian life hasn’t been easy as Dan waited for a new job, struggled with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, and arranged for his family to share a home with his parents.

“We took a big risk getting out of the Marine Corps,” Dan said. “We gave up a lot and we were not used to living with nothing.”

The family’s return to Midland came at the end of July, and an early August welcome home party organized by Sara’s mom gathered dozens of family and friends.

Displays of his military gear, certificates, photos, letters from Sara and a map of missions in Iraq were displayed with honor. Dan’s smile widened as family arrived and he told stories of traveling from southern Iraq to Baghdad as an operations chief of a firing battalion with the 1st Marine Division.

He had joined the Marines right out of high school because he knew he wasn’t ready for college and wanted new experiences that would help him get disciplined.

“I kind of wanted to be a part of something the country was going through,” he said. “I’ll take my Marine Corps experience with me the rest of my life. I learned more there than I ever think I will anywhere else.”
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Nation makes them combat veterans but states have to heal the warriors?

Illinois leads way in helping veterans
St. Louis Post-Dispatch - MO, United States

By Philip Dine
POST-DISPATCH WASHINGTON BUREAU
12/23/2007

WASHINGTON — By mid-January, Illinois will become the first state to require screening of all returning National Guard troops for traumatic brain injuries. And a hotline will provide around-the-clock psychological help for veterans who wake up in the middle of the night panicked by combat-related stress.

Illinois officials have spent months preparing, including training clinicians and securing funding, as they seek to help soldiers who have fallen through large cracks in care at the federal level.

Illinois is among several states that are beginning to assume responsibility for the detection and treatment of post-traumatic stress disorder and traumatic brain injuries, which military experts are calling the "signature wounds" of the Iraq and Afghanistan conflicts.

The amounts are relatively small but growing, as is the number of states cobbling together funding and programs. Illinois legislators have appropriated $8 million this year; Missouri's governor intends to ask the Legislature for money as well



"It shouldn't be the responsibility of the Illinois taxpayer, but these are our sons and daughters," said Tammy Duckworth, director of the Illinois Department of Veterans Affairs and an Iraq veteran who lost both legs to a rocket-propelled grenade in 2004. "If we don't take care of these veterans through this program, we'll be taking care of them in our prisons or our homeless shelters."

State programs

Among the states setting up programs to deal with the problems of returning veterans:

Illinois: Will require screening of all National Guard troops returning from Iraq and Afghanistan for traumatic brain injuries. Screening will be offered to other returning veterans. A 24-hour hotline will be set up for veterans who need counseling.

Minnesota: Offers "Beyond the Yellow Ribbon," a program that helps reintegrate returning veterans into communities, including counseling for family members even before soldiers return home. This year, the Minnesota National Guard funded the program from money intended for training; the state legislature appropriated $1.5 million for next year.

Lt. Col. Kevin Olson of the Minnesota National Guard said: "We realized that while the military does a great job of preparing our soldiers for combat, they don't necessarily do a good job of preparing them to deal with post-combat stress, including divorces, anger management, relationship problems or issues with substance abuse."

Wisconsin: Offers "Mission Welcome Home," which enlists Vietnam veterans, Rotary Clubs and community groups to ease soldiers' transitions to civilian life. State veterans officials acted after noticing that many soldiers finished their tours of duty and returned to isolated rural communities with few services. The program has generated a large response, and officials will seek more than $1 million next year.

North Carolina: Rising domestic problems among returning veterans, few of whom sought help, convinced Veterans Affairs Director Charles Smith to request $600,000 so state officials could offer help to each of the 12,000 veterans returning over the year. He plans to set up a hotline for veterans next month and go before the Legislature early next year to request more funding.

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The nation sent them. Congress sent them. The President sent them. Yet the states are the ones who have to take care of them because the ones who sent them won't. This is so wrong. While it is great the states, some states are trying to take care of the wounded, it is not every state and the actions taken are not enough. What if a soldier or National Guardsman or Reserve lived far away from the help they need in a state where no one is doing much of anything? They served equally. They were wounded equally. Tax payers paid for each one equally to risk their lives. Why is it the government on the national level seems to believe their job is over when they come home?

The Longest Night Of The Year

The Longest Night Of The Year

Posted:Dec 21, 2007
Reporter: Danielle Saar

Catholic charities organized a vigil this evening for homeless people who died this year.

Tonight, on the longest night of the year, concerned citizens and faith leaders held a vigil to remember those who have died as a result of homelessness.

On any given day in El Paso county, over 11-hundred people are homeless.

Homelessness dramatically increases one's risk of illness, injury and death.

About 20 people gathered to honor locals who died because they were homeless.

"Symbolically, if you're homeless, this probably would be the toughest night of the year," says Stephen Handen, participant.

The memorial service started in the parking lot of the Veterans Administration building, at the corner of Spruce street and Pikes Peak avenue. Participants then walked from there to Bijou house, an agency that helps the homeless.

"To me its a type of expression that draws to mind the value system that should be so basic to us, that we as human beings are all equal. We're all interdependent with each other," says Peter Sprunger-Froese, participant.

They honor them as people, people who are not defined by their homelessness, but by their souls.

"Frequently these people die, and no body really recognizes them, or their name is not in the obituary," says Handen.

Around 30 known homeless men and women lost their lives in 2007.
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http://www.kktv.com/news/headlines/12759132.html

Ceremony honors 2007's homeless victims

Richard Trudeau places a flower in a wreath to honor Danny, a bridgeport homeless man who died in 2007. Southwest Community Health Center and Homes for the Brave held a National Homeless Persons' Memorial Day ceremony in Bridgeport. (B.K. Angeletti/For the Connecticut Post )

Ceremony honors 2007's homeless victims
LINDA CONNER LAMBECK lclambeck@ctpost.com


BRIDGEPORT — Braving Friday's cold weather, the way the homeless do every day, about 100 people huddled in front of Homes for the Brave to remember homeless people who died in the city during 2007.

They remembered Daniel, Jeffrey, John and Joseph. Also Tom, Mack, John P. and Bill.

As the names were called, red, white and blue carnations were placed in a wreath.

A military honor guard, flags snapping in the wind, stood at attention in front of the shelter for homeless veterans at 655 Park Ave. Taps was played.

The noon ceremony drew about 100 dignitaries, military and the public. Hosted by Homes for the Brave and the Southwest Community Health Center, the program also was an opportunity to distribute free coats and to educate.

Of the nation's estimated 3.5 million homeless, as many as one in four are veterans, said Rich DeNisco, coordinator of health care for homeless at the health center. It's believed there are 33,000 people in Connecticut with no place to live. The last time a homeless census was done in Bridgeport, the number reached 1,400. DeNisco thinks that count was low.

This is the third year that National Homeless Persons' Memorial Day was observed locally, a date traditionally observed on or close to the first day of winter, which this year is today.
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http://www.connpost.com/localnews/ci_7782709

VA clinics in Rice Lake and Hayward closed with plenty of notice

She said the company found it could not supply the services at the per capita rate and that it had been negotiating with the VA when the clinics closed. She said she had “hundreds of pages” to substantiate that claim, despite VA claims that the closing was abrupt.

The Veterans Administration clinic in Rice Lake has reopened at a new location. The reopening at the AmericInn Hotel on Pioneer Avenue follows the closing last week of VA clinics in Rice Lake and Hayward.

The new clinic is staffed by medical and support personnel from the Minneapolis VA and will operate on a temporary basis until a permanent clinic is established.

On Dec. 10, Corporate Health and Wellness, a private contractor, closed newly opened clinics serving veterans in Rice Lake and Hayward. Corporate Health owner Mary Cheek said then that the closings were over a contract dispute.

The clinics provided primary and preventative care and mental health services and served veterans from Barron, Burnett, Polk, Rusk, Sawyer and Washburn counties. There were no emergency room services. About 17,000 veterans live in the region.

The first Rice Lake clinic shared a building at 2700 College Drive with Barron County Division of Probation and Parole.

Both Cheek and the VA say negotiations continue between the VA and Corporate Health to resolve their contract dispute. Corporate Health is based in Paris, Ky., which is a suburb of Lexington.

Patients who were scheduled for appointments in Rice Lake and Hayward were to be called Friday about the opening of the temporary clinic. The AmericInn is at 2906 Pioneer Ave. South. The VA is using guest rooms for examining rooms.

If veterans have questions, they should call 866-414-5058 Ext. 9 1100.
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So now they are operating out of a hotel?

"Mr Oddie was a casualty of war," and a Royal Marine who drank himself to death

A CASUALTY OF WAR: EX-MARINE DRANK HIMSELF TO DEATH


A former Plymouth Royal Marine drank himself to death after watching his friend die from gunshot wounds in Iraq, an inquest has ruled.

Steven Oddie was described as a 'casualty of war' after he was diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder following his service in 2003 in Operation Telic.

The 38-year-old was also diagnosed with the mental illness bipolar disorder, and the inquest heard he drank heavily to blank out flashbacks from the war and his mental health problems, at one stage consuming up to a litre of vodka a day.



The married father of two, from Plympton served with 539 Assault Squadron but, after three separate periods in rehabilitation failed to cure his alcohol problems, he was medically discharged from the Royal Marines in October 2006.

The inquest, held in Plymouth, heard that he was devastated by the decision, having spent 11 years as a Royal Marine and went through a period of heavy drinking at Christmas last year.

Mr Oddie went to bed on December 27, and when his wife Naomi, 29, went to wake him the next day he was dead.

The inquest heard he died from acute alcohol poisoning and Plymouth assistant deputy coroner Robert Newman recorded a verdict of accidental death.

"Corporal Oddie served in Iraq; he was a witness of the very distressing event leading to the death of one of his friends," he said.

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For 11 years he served his country but where was his country when he needed them to return the honor?

Most Seattleites are not cruel, but many are thoughtless

Most Seattleites are not cruel, but many are thoughtless
By PAUL LEIGHTY
GUEST COLUMNIST

It is cool outside as I write and the weather report says it will drop into the low 30s tonight. Thousands of Seattleites are going to sleep outside tonight in freezing temperatures because they are homeless. A dialogue about the homeless is in progress and I would like to add my two cents' worth. As a three-year veteran of the streets -- now in subsidized housing -- I hope to inject some reality into the discussion.

Homeless people are not gang members. Nor are we all of a piece. We mirror the rest of America. With one major exception we are citizens who have been overwhelmed by events beyond our control. No one grows up wanting to be homeless. We have simply reached the end of our tether due to some reason(s). Major causes are job loss coupled with medical problems, personal bereavement and mental health issues. Substance abuse, either before or after becoming homeless, is another cause or effect. The exception is the hard-working illegals who choose the life so they can send more money back to their homes and families.

Beware. It is extremely easy for this to happen to you or someone you know.
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http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/opinion/344390_homeless21.html