Vietnam Veteran Bill Landreth Point Man

Since 1984, when Seattle Police Officer and Vietnam Veteran Bill Landreth noticed he was arresting the same people each night, he discovered most were Vietnam vets like himself that just never seemed to have quite made it home. He began to meet with them in coffee shops and on a regular basis for fellowship and prayer. Soon, Point Man Ministries was conceived and became a staple of the Seattle area. Bills untimely death soon after put the future of Point Man in jeopardy.

However, Chuck Dean, publisher of a Veterans self help newspaper, Reveille, had a vision for the ministry and developed it into a system of small groups across the USA for the purpose of mutual support and fellowship. These groups are known as Outposts. Worldwide there are hundreds of Outposts and Homefront groups serving the families of veterans.

PMIM is run by veterans from all conflicts, nationalities and backgrounds. Although, the primary focus of Point Man has always been to offer spiritual healing from PTSD, Point Man today is involved in group meetings, publishing, hospital visits, conferences, supplying speakers for churches and veteran groups, welcome home projects and community support. Just about any where there are Vets there is a Point Man presence. All services offered by Point Man are free of charge.

Hotline: 1-800-877-VETS (8387)
Point Man Intl. Ministries
Po Box 267
Spring Brook, NY 14140
E -mail: dana@pmim.org

HQ Phone:1-716-675-5552

Point Man Intl. Ministries is a 501(c) 3 non-profit organization

http://www.pmim.org/

It isn't about who got a parade! When I came home from Vietnam, my cousin, a WWII Vet invited me to a VFW meeting and I was all but ignored because I was not in a "real" war and so how could I have any kind of problem? All these guys stuck to each other like glue and pretty much ignored the "new" Vets. And you all remember how it felt. I see the same "new guys" 35 years later with the same baloney coming out of their mouths. How in the world can you say you support the troops and then ignore them when they get home?

Seems to me that no matter how many are killed, the survivors have an obligation to each other and to our posterity to insure the "new guys" don't go through the same stuff our dads, grandfathers and ourselves had to endure...

So to all you "NEW GUYS", Welcome Home. Thank you for a job well done. Your sacrifice is deeply appreciated here. We support you regardless of when or where you served; we understand what you've been through and what you're dealing with now. Continue through the site and get connected!
Dana Morgan (President of PMIM)

Homefront groups are lead by Christian mothers, wives and friends of both active duty military and veterans. They provide an understanding ear and caring heart that only those left behind at home can understand. They have experienced the stress of dealing with deployments and the effects of a loved one returning home from war. If you have someone you love deployed or having issues readjusting since coming home get connected with a local group or contact HQ for assistance.

http://www.pmim.org/index.html

Man admits killing Staff Sgt. Adam Sheda, Iraq Vet

Man admits killing Iraq war vet

The Associated Press
Posted : Monday Mar 31, 2008 20:19:53 EDT

DULUTH, Minn. — A 26-year-old Duluth man has pleaded guilty to killing a soldier who had just returned from Iraq.

Luis Mark Hogan admitted Monday that he fought with Iraq war vet Staff Sgt. Adam Sheda last June and used the soldier’s own pistol to shoot him.

Hogan pleaded guilty to unintentional second-degree murder and agreed to serve a 12 1/2-year prison sentence. Sentencing is scheduled for May 19.

Hogan was crying in St. Louis County District Court as he recounted the June night when he killed the 26-year-old Sheda.

According to the criminal complaint, Sheda showed up uninvited in Hogan’s backyard and tried to get into a party; the two began fighting. The complaint says that later on, Sheda pulled a gun that was turned against him.
http://www.armytimes.com/news/2008/03/ap_vetkilled_033008/

PTSD coming to Stardust radio

My Massachusetts accent will be heard live on Wednesday night in case anyone is interested. We'll be discussing PTSD and offering insight as well as support for the families living with it. Most of my readers know our story very well. I tend to get on a soap box about it when I still see it happening to our newer generation of warriors. People tell me I'm passionate about them but they don't know the half of it. I eat most meals at my PC using the time of chewing so that I can read between posts. Half the time my daughter or husband have to remind me to eat because I'll forget. I do it because I know what it feels like.

I post whatever I find that can make a difference in someone's life. I post reports when I find them because I figure the more it's reported, the more it's talked about, the sooner the stigma ends. They say "misery loves company" for a reason. No one wants to feel alone in any crisis. If they know there are others going through it, they take away some comfort. The other reason is that the more bloggers post about the reports coming out, paying attention to them, getting hits because of them, the reporters will be more inclined to do some more reporting on it.

Call in the show and ask questions. Learn from the years I've walked in the shoes and pick my brain. There is a lot even I still don't know, but if you come away from the show with hope, I will feel as if we've accomplished what we set out to do. Don't forget my book can be opened right here on the blog on the right side. It opens in Adobe and lets you in on 18 years of our life as PTSD went from mild to sending my husband over the edge and then into healing. We've been married since 1984. If he can live again after all the years he had no help at all, there is hope anyone can. He'll never be free of PTSD but he is living a life again thanks to some great doctors back at Bedford VA who wouldn't give up on him and some great ones down here in Florida. OK, I had something to do with it to, but I thank God everyday that He held my hand all the way through it.

This is the main Stardust Radio Network site:

http://www.stardustent.com/
You will see the various shows on the left. Choose SVR Broadcast. That will take you to this link:

http://www.stardustent.com/svr.htm

To listen to the shows simply click on the "Listen Live" button up in the upper left hand corner. The show is from 6:30 - 8:00 PM Eastern Time.

Severed Soul, a woman's journey through PTSD

Amazon.com Books Hot New Releases: The bestselling new & fut...
Severed Soul: One Woman's Journey Through Post Traumatic Stress · Severed Soul: One Woman's Journey Through Post Traumatic Stress by J. L. Vallee
Severed Soul: One Woman's Journey Through Post Traumatic Stress (Paperback)
by J. L. Vallee (Author)

List Price: $14.95
Price: $14.95 & eligible for FREE Super Saver Shipping on orders over $25. Details

Honest and insightful..., March 11, 2008
By P. Turner - See all my reviews

Author J.L. Vallee writes from the heart. Even if you haven't been a victim of domestic abuse, I'm sure everyone will recognize the main character as someone they know. I've already bought a copy for women I know who may find comfort in recognizing the symptoms of post traumatic stress and discovering where they may be able to find help. Writing this book took insight, bravery, courage, and faith. I credit the author with successfully producing a work that should inspire those who might not have had the strength before to finally determine that enough is enough.

Courageous and touching, March 11, 2008
By R. Matthews "reader In Ma" (Leominster, Ma) - See all my reviews


Excellent read! An incredible story of a woman who has been through alot and conquered it all. She gives a new insight on Post Tramatic Stress and shows how it affects people in many ways. Women who have been through a terrible relationship would truly understand they are not alone in life. A very courageous and heartfelt story.

Faithbase DV groups, March 31, 2008
By Facilitator "Faithbase DV Groups" (Gardner, MA USA) - See all my reviews

This is a great example of how difficult a toxic relationship can be while experiencing PTSD. I would recommend to those who have a faithbase background to read. How shocking to know while the author is a church goer, she lived like this in her home. It takes tremendous strength and courage to stand strong, that Only God could give. Thank you for telling your story. For any man who is being called by God to help stop violence...this book is a must.

There are many joys in doing what I do. One of them is when people will send me books or links they want to share with me. I love going to the UPS box and see a surprise! Friday was one of those days. This book was in it. I had been writing back and forth with JL for a while as she was writing the book and wanting to learn more about PTSD. Even living with it, she knew there was a lot more to learn. I remembered the days of writing my own book and while it was healing to do it, it was also some very dark times to remember. JL tells of some of the darkest days of her life and does it bravely.

The reason why people do something like this is simple. They know there are so many other hurting people out there who need so much more than cold, clinical books or case studies written from someone who really couldn't care less about the people involved in the stories they tell, but works that offer hope. JL offers hope because she came shining through and shares her story so that others can believe that they too can overcome and survive. Not just survive but live a life again. JL also stands as an example that when you do come through you can reach back and help someone else make it too.

Over the years I've read a lot of personal accounts and this I highly recommend.

A new band of brothers

A new band of brothers

By JON ERICSON
Courier Staff Writer



WATERLOO — Iraq war veterans Joe Nolte and Ron Devoll find it hard to fit in with existing veterans organizations. Members are too old and the causes aren’t tailored to the experiences of Iraq War vets, they say.

So the men want to launch their own veterans organization.

Devoll is a lifetime member of the Veterans of Foreign Wars, while Nolte belongs to none of the existing groups.

They haven’t defined exactly what their new organization will be, but they want it to accomplish at least two things — be a place a veteran can go for help and provide a forum for veterans to talk about issues.

"We don’t want it to be a typical organization, not a club, not a political organization," Nolte said. "We want a place where a vet can call when they need help."


The working name for the potential organization is Veterans with a Voice. They are looking into registration as a nonprofit 501(c)3 entity exempt from some taxes.

For now, they want to see what interest is out there for such an organization.

"We wanted to get it out there to see if there are other people out there with concerns that may want to help them get off the ground," Nolte said.

Both men have had their own problems since returning from Iraq.

Nolte is a Mason City native now living in Waterloo and going to school at the University of Northern Iowa. The Marine suffered injuries when his vehicle drove over a roadside bomb in Iraq. When he returned, Nolte struggled to get the Veterans Affairs hospital to cover the cost of his injuries.

Devoll of Cedar Falls is an army veteran and has struggled with post-traumatic stress disorder since his return.
go here for the rest
http://www.vawatchdog.org/08/nf08/nfMAR08/nf033108-4.htm


Women are doing the same. Will the DAV, VFW, American Legion and the rest get the point before it's too late?

Medal of Honor, Michael Monsoor was killed saving fellow SEALS

Garden Grove SEAL to get Medal of Honor
By Tony Perry
Michael Monsoor was killed saving fellow SEALS while battling insurgents in Iraq in 2006.


Monsoor "without hesitation and showing no regard for his own life" fell on the grenade although he had a clear path to escape, Navy documents show. He had earlier been awarded a Silver Star for rescuing a wounded SEAL during the same deployment.

His parents, George and Sally Monsoor, have been invited to the White House to receive the Medal of Honor from President Bush. Their son is the first sailor to receive the medal for combat in Iraq; another SEAL, Lt. Michael Murphy, received the Medal of Honor, also posthumously, for actions in Afghanistan.

Marine Eric Hall's life and story won't end

Eric Hall, an Iraq war veteran, disappeared last month after having a flashback. (Chip Litherland for The New York Times)

Photos and Audio: The search and mourning for a Marine» View
Hunt for lost marine brings a community together
By Damien Cave
Published: March 31, 2008

PORT CHARLOTTE, Florida: A week after Eric Hall disappeared into the woods of Southwest Florida, his mother stood in a parking lot overlooking the Gulf of Mexico. She had asked for volunteers. Would they come?
Becky Hall's son had experienced a flashback, fleeing a relative's home after sensing that Iraqi insurgents had surrounded him. He was 24, a former marine corporal from Indiana who had been medically discharged after a bomb ripped through his leg. Here, among the retirees and strip malls, he was a stranger.
And yet his absence spurred a community to action. More than 50 people stepped forward that first day in February. Others came later, young and old, contributing four-wheelers, pickup trucks, boats, horses, search-and-rescue dogs, and even a small plane.
They searched day in day out for weeks because Hall's story broke their hearts and, many said, because his case inspired them to look past arguments over whether the war was right or wrong. It was a mission, not a debate: A marine was missing and had to be found.
"He has these issues as a result of what we asked him to do," said Kathryn Preston, 52, a botanist who spent time in the Army as a young woman and used her pontoon boat for the search. "It felt like we were responsible for him. People in the United States. All of us."

go here for the rest
http://www.iht.com/articles/2008/03/31/america/marine.php

There are very few stories I have time to cover from start to finish. While I have tried to post every story on Eric Hall, I doubt I will ever know how this ends. His family has been trying to heal at the same time they have joined other families fighting to end the stigma of PTSD, have the wounded cared for as soon as possible and better than they have been. Joshua Omvig's story didn't end yet, and I doubt Eric Hall's story will end either. As long as there are wounded in this country dealing with war that never ends inside of them, there will be more Eric's and Joshua's stories still developing. I will do what I can to make sure their stories are not forgotten.

Boos for Bush at Washington Nationals Opening Game

Boos for Bush
By Dan Froomkin
Special to washingtonpost.com Monday, March 31, 2008; 1:52 PM
There's a reason President Bush almost never appears before members of the general public: They really don't like him.
Despite the delirious mood of Washington Nationals fans on opening night at their new stadium, Bush was greeted with loud boos when he came to the mound to deliver the traditional first pitch.
Video from the Washington Times indicates that the boos were lusty. An ESPN video, via ThinkProgress.org, is more of a mixed bag of boos and cheers. But in additional Youtube videos from fans in right field and high above first base the boos had it.
It was a rare moment for Bush, who avoids public expressions of disagreement by appearing almost exclusively before carefully selected audiences. In fact, this is the first time in years I can recall him appearing before the unscreened masses. Far more typical are events like his most recent Thanksgiving address. As I wrote then, even when he was talking about something as uncontroversial as the essential goodness of our country, he wanted his audience prescreened for obsequiousness.
click post title for the rest
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jFERHI5CbCM

Orlando Cable failure sends fireworks into WrestleMania fans

Cable failure sends fireworks into WrestleMania fans
Walter Pacheco Sentinel Staff Writer
11:30 AM EDT, March 31, 2008

A cable failure near the conclusion of Sunday's WrestleMania 24 event sent burning fireworks shooting into the crowd of cheering fans.

Orlando Fire Department officials this morning said that 30 to 35 wrestling fans suffered minor welts and other first-degree burns when the cable holding the fireworks on the west end of the Citrus Bowl collapsed.

"The west cable failed and then dropped the fireworks into the crowd below," Assistant Fire Chief Greg Hoggatt said. "The fireworks and hot cables fell into the 300 section, the middle of the 200 section and into the 100 section, close to the stage."

Hoggatt said there were reports of multiple injuries in various parts of the stadium as a result of the fireworks. "The people with non-critical and non-life-threatening injuries were asked to go to first aid for treatment. Three people requested that they be transported to the hospital."

Those victims were taken to Orlando Regional Medical Center, reports show. There is no information on their condition.

Calls to the World Wrestling Entertainment corporation were not immediately returned to the Orlando Sentinel.

Check back for more updates.
click post title for link

I wonder if there were any veterans with PTSD there. They do not react well to July 4th fireworks. I doubt they did very well with this last night. I also wonder if any of the people there will end up with PTSD. Can you imagine going there to enjoy the night and have this happen?

Couples Row for Iraq deployed spouses

Married Troops Can Live Together in Iraq
By BRADLEY BROOKS and RUSS BYNUM Associated Press Writers
2:15 PM EDT, March 31, 2008

BAGHDAD - When American soldiers get off duty in Iraq, the men usually return to their quarters, the women to theirs. But Staff Sgt. Marvin Frazier gets to go back to a small trailer with two pushed-together single beds that he shares with his wife.

In a historic but little-noticed change in policy, the Army is allowing scores of husband-and-wife soldiers to live and sleep together in the war zone -- a move aimed at preserving marriages, boosting morale and perhaps bolstering re-enlistment rates at a time when the military is struggling to fill its ranks five years into the fighting.

"It makes a lot of things easier," said Frazier, 33, a helicopter maintenance supervisor in the 3rd Infantry Division. "It really adds a lot of stress, being separated. Now you can sit face-to-face and try to work out things and comfort each other."

Long-standing Army rules barred soldiers of the opposite sex from sharing sleeping quarters in war zones. Even married troops lived only in all-male or all-female quarters and had no private living space.

More than 10,000 couples are in the Army. Exactly how many are serving in the war zone, and how many of those are living together, are not clear. The Army said it does not keep track.

But Frazier and his wife, Staff Sgt. Keisha Frazier, are among about 40 married Army couples living together on "Couples Row" at Camp Striker, which is on the oustkirts of Baghdad and is one of more than 150 U.S. military camps in Iraq. Similarly, a Couples Row opened in October at nearby Camp Victory, though it has trailers for only seven of the many couples who have requested them.
click post title for the rest

Mom sends two sons back to Iraq again, and again

Iowa brothers called for multiple deployments

The Associated Press
Posted : Monday Mar 31, 2008 11:39:17 EDT

CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa — Pat Chambers is proud of her sons, but a bit frustrated as well.

Later this year she will watch her two sons deploy to Iraq for a combined sixth time — a painful process that hasn’t gotten any easier with repetition.

“I want it all to end,” Chambers said. “I want them all to come home. Enough is enough.”

So far, the Navy has deployed 25-year-old Josh Chambers to Iraq three times. He’s headed back there April 5 for what’s expected to be a seven- to nine-month stint. His older brother Jonathan, an Army sergeant, is scheduled to leave in October for his second deployment.

“I was hoping not to go back, but your commanding officer, they see you do a good job,” said Josh Chambers, a 2001 graduate of Cedar Rapids Washington High School.

Josh Chambers is a Navy hospital corpsman, the equivalent of a battlefield medic, charged with caring for the approximately 50 troops in his platoon. He said his mother was an emergency room nurse, “and she always gave me her stories.”
go here for the rest
http://www.armytimes.com/news/2008/03/ap_brothersdeploy_033008/

I don't know how the families are able to keep doing this over and over again. How many times can they say good-bye, welcome them home and then have to send them back again?

Agent Orange linked to death 20 years later

20 years after death, veteran's illnesses linked to Vietnam

The Jackson Sun
• March 30, 2008


Almost 20 years after his death, the Department of Veterans Affairs has recognized that an area Army veteran had a valid claim to service-related disability benefits.

"I wish he could've been alive to have it," said Virginia Grimes, the widow of veteran Andrew Grimes. She will receive a service-connected death benefit compensation in light of this recognition.

Her husband, a Gibson County native, fought in Vietnam and Cambodia and had began filing paperwork with the Veterans Administration in 1987 to get benefits after he became ill. He died at age 40 on Dec. 5, 1988, after The American Legion Magazine had featured him in a story about Vietnam veterans' filing for disability.

Grimes said her husband always believed his declining health and a rare lymphoma cancer were results of his exposure to the chemical defoliant Agent Orange during combat in the jungles of Cambodia in 1970.
go here for the rest
http://www.jacksonsun.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080330/NEWS01/80330008/1002

End the stigma of PTSD and TBI with medal

Letter faxed to Senator Akaka and Congressman Bob Filner.

I have been doing outreach work with veterans who have Post Traumatic Stress Disorder for 25 years. My husband is a Vietnam Vet with PTSD. I have a blog, web page and videos on PTSD as well as extensive research. I am associated with many organizations in America and communicate with veterans from around the world. One of the biggest obstacles in seeking treatment for PTSD is when the veterans do not know what it is. When they do, the other obstacle is the stigma associated with it.

We treat PTSD and TBI as a sub-standard wound. While a service connected disability rating is treated the same, we do not acknowledge it as a wound caused by combat. The Wound Chevron was discontinued and replaced by the Purple Heart for bloodshed in service. It is my belief that we should restore the medal but change it to reflect the wounds we cannot see. It has blue stripes to signify mind, body and spirit along with a heart because it is a wound that can be seen when you look at the veteran with your heart.

I am asking you to provide a bill to provide this medal for our veterans to remove the stigma and treat both wounds the same as all others.

Republican. Military Veteran. Obama Supporter

Republican. Military Veteran. Obama Supporter.
By Kloris

30 March 2008
Republican. Military Veteran. Obama Supporter.
A post from a "Republican military veteran" on the Republicans for Obama site:

In my opinion as a U.S. Army veteran, the Bush administration has "dropped the ball" in terms of providing quality health care for our wounded and disabled active-duty personnel and our veterans ...our troops have not been --at least consistently-- provided with proper body armor, vehicular armor, and other essential materiel they need to complete their mission. We have 4,000 dead and roughly 20,000 wounded, troops serving multiple combat tours, and radically and constantly shifting military objectives (all detrimental to troop morale) ...

As much as I personally admire Senator McCain, voting for him as president would feel like giving George Bush's failed military leadership and foreign policies a third term to make more of a mess. I do not see any significant difference between Bush's military policies to date and McCain's proposals platforrm for national security ...

Senator Obama captured my attention when he said (in two televised debates, so far) that he would, as president, try to capture or kill Osama bin Laden if he knew where the Al Qaeda leader was hiding in Pakistan, and that he would do it with or without the cooperation of Pakistan’s president ... I am sick and tired of seven years of Osama Bin Laden's continuing televised threats against our nation and our people. President Bush has lost focus on bringing Bin Laden to justice. Senator Obama won't coddle Pakistan's leaders if he believes Bin Laden is in Pakistan.

Please take time to visit the Veterans For Obama website. Learn why I, a Republican military veteran, am supporting Senator Obama for President here.

Vets4Vets three day support workshop

Peer-support veterans' group ends three-day workshop in Midway
By Paul Beebe
The Salt Lake Tribune
Article Last Updated: 03/30/2008 03:13:40 PM MDT


Posted: 3:01 PM- MIDWAY - Too often the only people veterans of Afghanistan and Iraq can turn to for understanding when they return home are other vets who fought and survived the twin wars.

Acknowledging that truth and another sad fact - nearly a third of veterans returning from Afghanistan and Iraq have mental health difficulties - a growing number of war fighters are turning to Vets4Vets, a national organization founded in 2005 by Jim Driscoll, a Marine Corps Vietnam combat veteran and retired Massachusetts Institute of Technology professor.

The nonpartisan, nonpolitical organization provides peer support to veterans trying to find healthy ways of coping with the impact of war on their psyches so they can put Afghanistan or Iraq to rest and resume their former lives.

"Many veterans find (peer support) uniquely helpful. There's something special about talking to another veteran from the same era," Driscoll said Sunday near the end of a three-day Vets4Vets workshop in Midway. About a dozen veterans, including several from other states, attended the session to share stories and learn techniques that can control mood swings.

Driscoll's organization is funded by contributions and a $1 million grant from the Iraq and Afghanistan Deployment Impact Fund in California that has raised $100 million from private donors to meet the needs of returning servicemen and servicewomen.

There is a huge need. The military has deployed more than 1.5 million U.S. soldiers, sailors, marines and air force personnel to Iraq and Afghanistan. A third of returning veterans, or roughly 500,000 people suffer anxiety, depression or Post Traumatic Stress Disorder.
go here for the rest
http://origin.sltrib.com/ci_8750447

Veteran Walk for Haley House

Veteran Walk for Haley House

March 30, 2008 11:14 PM EDT
Featured Video

Walkathon on Siesta Key to raise money for wounded Veterans

Soldiers have been fighting in the Iraq war for five years now. And medical assistance for those injuried and their family is needed. Today, a walk-a-thon on Siesta Key raised money for the Haley House.
Around three hundred people, including veterans, put on their tennis shoes and started walking. With proceeds going to the Haley House a non-profit organization that will give the family of wounded soldiers a place to stay, while their loved one is in the hospital.
And with soliders that are critically injuried the cost for their families to stay for months at a time can be expensive.
"There is no money available for them so it comes out of their pocket, when they go to see somebody. What was happening in the past is these people were spending the night in their cars or sleeping bags on the door of the hospital."
Todays, walk-a-thon raised about 30-thousand dollars for the Haley House. But they could use more. It costs anywhere from 10 to 20-thousand dollars a month to house the families of veterans.
For more information on the haley house click on links we mentioned.

This is what I did yesterday. Living in the Orlando Area, it was a long drive but it was well worth the trip. We got up at 5:00 am to be able to get there in time for the walk. I have to tell you that it felt good to walk in the sand again. It had been years since I was able to do that. I miss Nahant beach back in Massachusetts. The beach back home is rocky and not as clean as Siesta Key beach. The sand at Siesta is smooth and I was able to walk barefoot easily. It was really funny after the walk, I was sitting on a bench near some great Blue Grass band when a veteran came over to me laughing. I had on my Army style pants with my Chaplain's hat and healed sandals. He pointed to the sandals, "I've never seen high heals with that style pants before. I hope you aren't setting a trend!" Ok, so it may not have looked normal but considering they are the only pair of sandals I have, so be it. There was no way I was about to miss walking barefoot in the sand! Style be damned!

There are so many people in this country putting the wounded and the veterans first. This I am proud to be a member of. Veterans for Common Sense is dedicated to putting them first and using politics to take care of them. It would be great if both sides of the Iraq debate at least stood with them for this sake alone, but they don't. It's almost as if they have an agenda of supporting the president, they cannot bring themselves to support anyone speaking out against how he is treating those who serve and especially those wounded by serving under him as Commander-in-Chief.

What got me was that as we were leaving the parking lot was full as people went about getting a tan. I thought that it would have been great if they had taken the time to take a walk for men and women wounded serving this country who may never be able to walk again. I thought it would be great if they had taken the time trying to look good and did something good so that the families would have one less thing to worry about as they leave their jobs so they can be there with their family member recovering from their wounds. They could have worked on their tans, got some exercise and did something for someone else at the same time.

If everyone would put the veterans and the wounded first, there would have been hundreds of people there and thousands of dollars donated. Now that would have made the day perfect! If I didn't guilt you enough to donate to this awesome cause, then take a look on line and Google wounded veterans. Then click the image search. Take a look at some of the wounded and then think. What if it was your son or your daughter. Wouldn't you want them taken care of?

Wouldn't you want to be there with them while they recover in the hospital? I'm sure when you put your own skin in the game, make it personal, you will be moved to donate to this cause. We, after all, are a generous people fully knowing that even $10.00 can go a long way when everyone kicks in.

Chaplain Kathie Costos
Namguardianangel@aol.com
http://www.namguardianangel.org/
http://www.namguardianangel.blogspot.com/
http://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

Memorial Day Quilt of Tears coming to Kissimmee FL

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact:Sheila and Henry Snyder

PO Box 90Davenport, FL

33836Phone: 863-422-7788

http://www.agentorangequiltoftears.com/ armrdangel@aol.com

Memorial Day comes a month early-Quilt of Tears Display to be held at Area Hotel Kissimmee, FL – March 28th –Sheila and Henry Snyder both work at local hotels by day to pay their bills. But their true life’s work, the one they find most enriching, is their traveling memorial “The Agent Orange Quilt of Tears.” Every Memorial Day, the Snyder’s use their paid time off to travel to Washington, DC to display their quilts that original founding member Jennie R. LeFevre first introduced on the lawn back in 1998.

LeFevre lost her husband in 1989, fifteen years after his retirement from the Air Force. He had been diagnosed with inoperable cancer through out various parts of his body. Sheila and Henry have honored her last wish by ensuring the Agent Orange Victims and their sacrifices are not forgotten, mainly by traveling the country with the Quilt of Tears display.

As Henry Snyder, both a Vietnam Vet and Agent Orange Victim, said, “It’s a well known fact that memorials help us in many ways. As humans, we use them to help us heal emotionally and spiritually. None of our Veterans should be denied an individual form of recognition, honor, or remembrance for suffering due to exposure that was inflicted during their service in the military.”

There are 25 quilts, measuring 80 inches wide by 100 inches long. Patches are contributed by Agent Orange Victims. “Not only are we helping Vietnam Veterans to become aware of their health issues, but we are also paving the way for Veterans of the Iraq war too.”

Since the Snyder’s support their cause by Donation’s only, the hotel where Henry works will display the quilts April 19th and 20th for all to see. “Supporting our Veterans and those that work for us is such an important cause and we are honored that Henry and Sheila will be holding their quilt display on property” said Denis Persaud, General Manager of the America’s Best Value Inn Hotel Maingate West where Henry works.

The display will be exhibited in the hotel’s conference room Saturday April 19th from 10am to 10 pm and on Sunday April 20th from 10am to 6pm. Address is 7514 West Irlo Bronson Memorial Highway (US 192), Kissimmee, FL 3474.

For information: http://www.agentorangequiltoftears.com/

Henry and Sheila’s email: armrdangel@aol.com
Phone: 863-422-7788

Hotel website: http://www.abvimaingate.com/

Hotel Email: wrivera@abvifl1266.com

Renew Wound Chevron for PTSD and TBI

Wound Chevron
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Army Wound ChevronA Wound Chevron was a badge of the United States Army which was authorized for wear on an Army uniform between the years of 1918 and 1932. The Wound Chevron was displayed on the lower right cuff of a military uniform, and denoted wounds which were received in combat against an enemy force. The Wound Chevron was a replacement insignia for the short lived Army Wound Ribbon.

In 1932, with the creation of the Purple Heart, Wound Chevrons were no longer awarded to Army personnel. A directive of the United States War Department permitted soldiers to exchange wound chevrons for the new Purple Heart medal. This was not required, however, and some Army personnel elected to retain wound chevrons for wear on the military uniform instead of the Purple Heart. For those who were subsequently wounded in the Second World War, both the original wound chevrons and the Purple Heart medal were worn simultaneously. It is historically agreed that Army regulations did not permit wearing both the Purple Heart and the Wound Chevron at the same time; however, photographic evidence indicates that this was often done by veterans of both the First World War and Second World War.

In the modern military, the Wound Chevron is considered obsolete. The decoration is very similar to the Overseas Service Bar, which in World War I was worn on the left sleeve.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wound_Chevron

As PTSD and TBI wounds caused by combat ravage lives, it's time to do the right thing and end the stigma of being wounded in service to this nation. The Purple Heart is for those who have lost blood for the nation but what is there to honor those who have had their minds wounded? What is there for them?

PTSD has been documented throughout history and yet to this day, there are some who consider the wounded as fakers or cowards. We have the most brilliant people in the world working on treating this along with TBI and yet still some want to deny it is real. Hundreds of millions of dollars and many years of research have provided ample evidence that this is a wound caused by combat-trauma. TBI is caused by combat-trauma. Face it. If they were not exposed to what goes on in combat, suffered PTSD or TBI for any other cause, they would be covered under insurance or workman's comp. These men and women are risking their lives and we tell them their wound is of a lower class of wound, yet when their claims are approved by the DOD or the VA, they are awarded compensation the same way all other "service connected" disabilities are paid out. There is no sub-category. So why do we treat these kinds of wounds as if they are anything less than what they are?

We are not the only nation dealing with TBI and PTSD. England is already working on a medal for these wounds to make sure the wounded are all honored so what's our problem? We already have one that is perfect for PTSD and TBI. The Wound Chevron should be renewed so that any veteran with PTSD or TBI can be seen as a man or woman wounded in service to this nation. They will have this with them the rest of their lives and it's up to us to make sure they know they are honored instead of left alone to feel ashamed for being wounded by the trauma of combat.
Chaplain Kathie Costos

New programs aim to ease National Guard return from war

New programs aim to ease Guard return from war

By Michael Virtanen - The Associated Press
Posted : Sunday Mar 30, 2008 14:33:43 EDT

LATHAM, N.Y. — When Capt. Brian Rockwell returned from Iraq last fall, like most soldiers he just wanted to be home. Four months later, though, he was starting to think he might like another mission.

“It wears on you when you’re over there,” Rockwell said. But there’s another set of stresses back here. “It’s an adjustment.”

Unlike the regular Army, whose soldiers usually return from combat zones to the steady rhythms of military bases after a couple weeks’ leave, National Guard troops have been leaving their comrades at the airport and go straight back into civilian life.

Now, with almost half its troop strength having gone to Iraq, the New York Army National Guard is changing the way they come back. Instead of cutting them loose for the first 90 days, Guardsmen will be required — and families invited — to attend weekend retreats at upscale hotels after 30 days and 60 days.

The full program starts with the 104th Military Police Battalion in mid-April. New York needed the recent change in Defense Department policy to do it, following Minnesota’s lead. Now 14 states are doing it. But officers said Maj. Gen. Joseph Taluto, now adjutant general for New York following his own Iraq tour, and his wife, Susan, provided a push to get the program running here.

At a congressional hearing this month, several people testified about the sometimes unresponsive — but improving — mental health system for military personnel with problems from prolonged warfare and lengthy deployments. The increase in military suicides has dramatized the issue. The Army said recently that as many as 121 soldiers committed suicide last year, more than double the number reported in 2001.
go here for the rest
http://www.armytimes.com/news/2008/03/ap_guardsmen_returnhome_033008/

Remains of Sgt. Matt Maupin found in Iraq

Maupin's remains found
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS


BATAVIA, Ohio – The father of a soldier missing in Iraq since since 2004 says the military has informed him that remains found in Iraq have been identified as his son, Sgt. Matt Maupin.
http://news.enquirer.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080330/NEWS01/80330010