Crying for the children, and for justice
Posted: Tuesday, May 27, 2008 11:38 AM
Filed Under: Beijing, China
By Kari Huus, msnbc.com reporter
DUJIANGYAN, China – Releasing a tidal wave of emotion and anger, hundreds of grieving parents and sympathizers gathered at a pile of rubble that was once the Juyuan Middle School on Tuesday to memorialize the nearly 1,000 teenagers who died when the building collapsed in the May 12 earthquake.
The heart-rending ceremony also offered the victims’ parents an opportunity to demand justice.
A woman clutching the portrait of her daughter, Dong Yan, cursed the people in charge of building the school, which collapsed even though all the buildings around it remained standing. Like most of the people in the crowd, she believes local corruption was the reason for the poor construction.
Ryan Pyle / msnbc.com
"We want the truth to come out and the corrupt officials to be punished," she said between sobs. "These corrupt players are the ones who have caused us so much misery."
Banners hung across the destroyed building for the occasion were more blunt: "Get even for the deaths of the Juyuan students," read one.
Another demanded harsh punishment for the "murderers" responsible for the collapsed school.
"Whoever is responsible for the building should pay with their life," said another, comparing the building materials used in the structure to tofu.
As the crowd grew, the sound of weeping became a chorus. Women sobbed, and men drew deeply on cigarettes as tears trickled down their cheeks. Mourners lit candles and incense in the wreckage.
Some women were so distraught they were carried away by family and friends. A girl recovering from head injuries stood holding a picture of her dead brother, a faraway look on her face. A hastily set up sound system broadcast a dirge. The crack of fireworks cut through the din.
Notably missing from the memorial service were any representatives of the school or the local government, who in most crises would be expected to attempt to console the mourners.
go here for more
http://worldblog.msnbc.msn.com/archive/2008/05/27/1067009.aspx
Tuesday, May 27, 2008
Finler:Stop talking and start doing
This is what I've been screaming about!!!!!
Hearing after hearing, listening to one heartbreaking story after another has accomplished more heartbreaking stories following all of the ones already heard. That's it. What good does it do to already know we failed in taking care of our veterans to hear more of them we failed? Does it make the problem go away to listen to the stories of these shattered lives? How many hearings does it take before they actually do something about any of this?
There is nothing new about PTSD. Humans have not changed and war is still war. What good does it do to listen to the new kids on the block when they already have several generations of older ones who have been there and done that and lived to tell their own stories? What good did it do to call on people who just stepped into this landmine and expect solutions from any of them? It accomplished a gigantic waste of time and in the process, more lives that could have been saved if they acted on what was already known.
I apologize to some of the people who have been testifying to congress on this, but the truth is, they can only talk about the problems the new generation of veterans have but they can offer nothing in the form of answers. I've heard all the hearings. I've read the transcripts and it is just rehashing what was already known in the 80's. The names have changed but that's just about all of it. The numbers are coming in sooner than they did after Vietnam, but most of that has more to do with outreach work (thousands of us have been doing since Vietnam) and the fact the redeployments increase the risk of developing PTSD by 50%. We have the numbers in from Vietnam and they are devastating,but we need to understand that as bad as those numbers are, they will be repeated faster simply because so little has been done to deal with it. Talking about it is not dealing with it and fixing the problems, helping them heal and compensating them for their wounds. It's all just more of the same.
“The VA can set up five commissions – yet the real problem goes unresolved. We all know that convening meetings to study an issue in order to formulate a report to offer recommendations IS NOT ACTION. I strongly encourage the VA to proactively reach out to all our returning veterans now. Veterans cannot wait – and should not have to wait – for a blue ribbon panel to come out yet again with another report.
“We KNOW what needs to be done. Each and every service member, Reservist and Guardsman must be given a thorough and mandatory medical evaluation by competent medical personnel when they separate from military service for PTSD and TBI. The VA Secretary was asked to do this weeks ago.
“The time for panels has past. I expect immediate action to address the immediate needs of our veterans.”
go here for more
http://www.vawatchdog.org/08/nf08/nfMAY08/nf052408-7.htm
Hearing after hearing, listening to one heartbreaking story after another has accomplished more heartbreaking stories following all of the ones already heard. That's it. What good does it do to already know we failed in taking care of our veterans to hear more of them we failed? Does it make the problem go away to listen to the stories of these shattered lives? How many hearings does it take before they actually do something about any of this?
There is nothing new about PTSD. Humans have not changed and war is still war. What good does it do to listen to the new kids on the block when they already have several generations of older ones who have been there and done that and lived to tell their own stories? What good did it do to call on people who just stepped into this landmine and expect solutions from any of them? It accomplished a gigantic waste of time and in the process, more lives that could have been saved if they acted on what was already known.
I apologize to some of the people who have been testifying to congress on this, but the truth is, they can only talk about the problems the new generation of veterans have but they can offer nothing in the form of answers. I've heard all the hearings. I've read the transcripts and it is just rehashing what was already known in the 80's. The names have changed but that's just about all of it. The numbers are coming in sooner than they did after Vietnam, but most of that has more to do with outreach work (thousands of us have been doing since Vietnam) and the fact the redeployments increase the risk of developing PTSD by 50%. We have the numbers in from Vietnam and they are devastating,but we need to understand that as bad as those numbers are, they will be repeated faster simply because so little has been done to deal with it. Talking about it is not dealing with it and fixing the problems, helping them heal and compensating them for their wounds. It's all just more of the same.
Bill on female vets gets VA thumbs-down
VA GIVES THUMBS-DOWN TO LEGISLATION THAT WOULD HELP
WOMEN VETERANS -- VA says it doesn't have the money.
Sen. Patty Murray says: "I almost come out of my chair when I
hear that. If they need more money, then they should ask for it."
Bill on female vets gets VA thumbs-down
LES BLUMENTHAL
lblumenthal@mcclatchydc.com
WASHINGTON – The Department of Veterans Affairs said Wednesday that it opposes much of Sen. Patty Murray’s bill to improve care for female veterans, even as the number of women seeking VA medical services is expected to double within the next five years.
A top VA official admitted during a Senate Veterans Affairs Committee hearing that the agency might not be prepared for the anticipated influx of female veterans.
“We recognize there may well be gaps in services for women veterans, especially given the VA designed its clinics and services based on data when women comprised a much smaller percentage of those serving in the armed forces,” said Gerald Cross, the VA’s principal deputy undersecretary for health.
But Cross said the VA opposes many sections of the bill sponsored by Murray, a Washington state Democrat.
The agency’s concerns cover new studies of the physical and mental health problems female veterans faced and how the department was dealing with them. Cross said that would overlap with existing studies under way and would cost millions of dollars that could better be spent on health care services.
The VA also opposed sections that would require mental health workers to get special training on how to care for female victims of military sexual trauma and post-traumatic stress disorder, to require additional staff to deal with female veterans and to provide child care for veterans seeking VA care. The agency’s concerns about those proposals involved cost, necessity and a preference to let each region or hospital decide how to allocate its staffing.
The VA does support a provision requiring each VA medical center to have at least one full-time employee acting as a female veterans program manager and would require the department’s Advisory Committee on Women Veterans to include women who recently left the military.
“We are addressing the gaps with a number of initiatives,” Cross said. “We are absolutely committed to making (female veterans) welcome.”
“Making them welcome and addressing their needs are two different things,” Murray responded. “It’s important we focus laserlike on this.”
Women make up 14 percent of active-duty, National Guard and Reserve forces. About 180,000 have served in Iraq and Afghanistan.
In addition, there are about 1.7 million female veterans, and the VA is providing health care to about 253,000. That number is expected to double within five years.
go here for more
http://www.vawatchdog.org/08/nf08/nfMAY08/nf052308-3.htm
WOMEN VETERANS -- VA says it doesn't have the money.
Sen. Patty Murray says: "I almost come out of my chair when I
hear that. If they need more money, then they should ask for it."
Bill on female vets gets VA thumbs-down
LES BLUMENTHAL
lblumenthal@mcclatchydc.com
WASHINGTON – The Department of Veterans Affairs said Wednesday that it opposes much of Sen. Patty Murray’s bill to improve care for female veterans, even as the number of women seeking VA medical services is expected to double within the next five years.
A top VA official admitted during a Senate Veterans Affairs Committee hearing that the agency might not be prepared for the anticipated influx of female veterans.
“We recognize there may well be gaps in services for women veterans, especially given the VA designed its clinics and services based on data when women comprised a much smaller percentage of those serving in the armed forces,” said Gerald Cross, the VA’s principal deputy undersecretary for health.
But Cross said the VA opposes many sections of the bill sponsored by Murray, a Washington state Democrat.
The agency’s concerns cover new studies of the physical and mental health problems female veterans faced and how the department was dealing with them. Cross said that would overlap with existing studies under way and would cost millions of dollars that could better be spent on health care services.
The VA also opposed sections that would require mental health workers to get special training on how to care for female victims of military sexual trauma and post-traumatic stress disorder, to require additional staff to deal with female veterans and to provide child care for veterans seeking VA care. The agency’s concerns about those proposals involved cost, necessity and a preference to let each region or hospital decide how to allocate its staffing.
The VA does support a provision requiring each VA medical center to have at least one full-time employee acting as a female veterans program manager and would require the department’s Advisory Committee on Women Veterans to include women who recently left the military.
“We are addressing the gaps with a number of initiatives,” Cross said. “We are absolutely committed to making (female veterans) welcome.”
“Making them welcome and addressing their needs are two different things,” Murray responded. “It’s important we focus laserlike on this.”
Women make up 14 percent of active-duty, National Guard and Reserve forces. About 180,000 have served in Iraq and Afghanistan.
In addition, there are about 1.7 million female veterans, and the VA is providing health care to about 253,000. That number is expected to double within five years.
go here for more
http://www.vawatchdog.org/08/nf08/nfMAY08/nf052308-3.htm
McCain Clueless On Women In The Military
Women's combat roles are likely to be on next president's agenda
John McCain, after his release as a POW, said only men belong in battle. He stands by his record.
By Ralph Vartabedian, Los Angeles Times Staff Writer
May 27, 2008
Soon after the Gulf War in 1991, a group of military women pressed Congress to allow female pilots to fly combat missions. But a Vietnam War hero in the Senate, John McCain, pushed back hard.
"The purpose of the military is first to defend this nation's vital security interests throughout the globe and only second to ensure equality," the Arizona Republican argued on the Senate floor, framing the issue in a way that infuriated feminists.
McCain lost that legislative battle, and women pilots started moving into combat roles in the mid-1990s. In the last five years in Iraq, women have flown hundreds of combat missions. And though they remain barred from ground combat units, women -- who make up about 15% of the military -- are playing a bigger fighting role than ever. About 100 have died in Iraq and Afghanistan.
The drive to eliminate gender distinctions in the military appears to be entering a new phase, with debate likely to come to a head within a few years. The next president, whether presumptive GOP nominee McCain or a Democrat, almost certainly will face the question of women in combat.
Policymakers would need to confront societal taboos against putting women in jeopardy, including the risk of rape that captured female soldiers commonly face. They also would have to tackle such issues as whether women could be involuntarily assigned to the infantry or required to register for the draft.
Democratic presidential contenders Sens. Barack Obama of Illinois and Hillary Rodham Clinton of New York -- neither of whom has a track record on the issue -- declined to comment on their positions.
McCain's aides said only that he stood by his past positions, suggesting that he would resist pressures for change.
In the 1991 debate over women pilots, McCain took a traditionalist stance. "This nation has existed for over 215 years," McCain said. "At no time in the history of our nation have women been in combat roles."
go here for more
http://www.latimes.com/news/politics/la-na-militarywomen27-2008may27,0,5521290.story
Oh really?
Sybil Ludington
A profile of Sybil Ludington highlighting her heroic 1777 ride to raise militia troops to stop the British advance.
Margaret Cochran Corbin
She fought in the American Revolution alongside her husband, continued fighting when her husband was killed, and was awarded a half-pension for her injuries and service.
Deborah Samson
Canton, Massachusetts, Historical Society on the official heroine of the state of Massachusetts.
Who was Deborah Samson? Why was she designated the Official State Heroine? And why, in 1985 did the prestigious United States Capitol Historical Society issue a commemorative medal in her honor?
Schoolmarm Deborah Samson was never mentioned among the beauties of her day when the topic of female pulchritude arose in the decorous social circles of Plympton and Middleborough, Massachusetts in the 1770's; but Private Robert Shurtliff was always mentioned in glowing terms as being one of the toughest, strongest, and most patriotic soldiers in the Massachusetts Fourth Regiment at the 1782 and 1783 campfires and taprooms of what is now known as West Point, New York. Shurtliff's physical endurance was legendary.
What no one suspected for quite a while, except possibly a tactful clergyman in Bellingham, Massachusetts, was that Deborah and Robert were one and the same person. And what a gal she was!
More Women of the Revolution from "Daughters of America",1849 and"Women of the Revolution" 1882:
There is the little known story of Rachel and Grace Martin who disguised themselves as men and assailed a British courier and his guards. They took his important dispatches, which they speedily forwarded to General Greene. Then they released the two officers who didn't even know that they were women.
Then there is Anna Warner, wife of Captain Elijah Bailey, who earned the title of "The Heroine of Groton" because of her fearless efforts to aid the wounded on the occasion of the terrible massacre at Fort Griswald in Connecticut.
Anna Bailey went from house to house collecting material for bandages for the soldiers. Incidentally she denied ever having used the coarse and profane expressions ever attributed to her.
Margaret Corbin stepped up to the artillery during the attack on Fort Washington when her husband fell by her side and unhesitatingly took his place and performed his duties. In July of 1779 the Congress awarded her a pension for her heroism - and a suit of clothes. (see above)
Angelica Vrooman, during the heat of battle, sat calmly in a tent with a bullet mould, some lead and an iron spoon, moulding bullets for the rangers.
Mary Hagidorn, upon hearing the order by a Captain Hager, for the women and children to retire to the long cellar, said: "Captain, I shall not go to that cellar should the enemy come. I will take a spear which I can use as well as any man and help defend the fort." The captain seeing her determination answered "then take a spear,Mary, and be ready at the pickets to repel an attack." She cheerfully obeyed and held the spear at the pickets till hurrahs for the American flag burst on her ear and told that all was safe.
Did you know that women were torpedoed off the coast of Africa during WWII? Did you know that when Gen MacArthur returned to the Phillipines, Navy nurses were waiting for him on shore and were cut out of the press photos? Did you know that there were women prisoners of war? These pages will continue to light more candles that reflect the deeds and accomplishments of military women...in hopes that future generations will remember that during every conflict Women Were There !!!
Pre Revolutionary Days - 1600s
During King Philip's War in 1675 women leaders of Native American tribes helped the colonists defend their settlements. One was Awashonka, squaw sachem of the Saconnet in Rhode Island.
In 1697 a Massachusetts settler, Hannah Duston, from the town of Haverhill, was captured by Abnaki Indians who were fighting for Canada. After an arduous hundred mile trek, while resting on an island in New Hampshire, Hannah decided that she was not going to be tortured or killed in Canada. With the help of a young boy who had been captured earlier, and Mary Neff who had been captured with her, she stole the Indians tomahawks and in a daring nighttime attack the three prisoners managed to kill ten of their captors. They stole a canoe, scuttled the rest, and escaped taking with them the scalps of their victims as proof of their story. The first monument, commemorating the fame of a woman, to be erected in the United States was one to Hannah Duston, dedicated on June 1, 1861, in Haverhill
The War of 1812
The USS CONSTITUTION met and defeated HMS GUERRIERE, the first in a grand succession of victories in the War of 1812. It was during this ferocious battle that the seamen, astonished at the way the British cannonballs were bouncing off the Constitution's hull, cried out - "Her sides are made of iron!"; Thus, her nickname, "Old Ironsides." What was not known at the time was the fact that a U.S. Marine, serving aboard Old Ironsides, as George Baker, was actually Lucy Brewer. Eventually the Marine Corps reluctantly acknowledged that Lucy Brewer was in fact the very first woman marine. It would be over one hundred years before the Marine Corps seriously began to recruit women - August 1918 - to be specific.
Mexican American War - 1846
Sarah Borginis The Mrs' Borginis and Foley enlisted with their husbands into the 8th calvary at the Jefferson Barracks, Mo. Sarah became the principal cook at Fort Brown (Fort Texas) and stayed on the job when General Taylor moved most of his troops to the mouth of the Rio Grande. However, when the Mexicans began bombarding Fort Texas, (Fort Brown) from their positions at Matamoros, she was isssued a musket. It's said she took an active part in the ensuing fray, never missing a target or preparing a meal. Gen. Zachary Taylor breveted her to colonel, making her the first female colonel of the U.S.Army. She moved to El Paso and opened a hotel. For years it was a favorite stop of '49ers heading for the California gold fields. She later moved to Arizona and ran a Yuma saloon until her death in 1866. Col. Borginis was buried at Fort Yuma with full Military Honors - the first woman to be a ranking U.S.Army officer.
The Civil War - 1860s
Many stories have been written about unique Civil War women, including Sarah Emma Edmonds, alias Franklin Thompson. In Nurse and Spy in the Union Army, 1865, Historians have verified that Emma Edmonds, as Franklin Thompson, did serve in the units she mentioned at the times she said.
Another fairly well known story is that of Jennie Hodgers who served and fought for three years as Albert Cashier. Her identity wasn't revealed until 1913.
The trials and tribulations of Lt Harry T. Buford, Confederate Officer,later found to be Madam Loreta Velazquez, have also been recorded. And historical records verify the fact that over sixty women were either wounded or killed at various battles during the Civil War.
Perhaps the most poignant story about women in the Civil War is one told in the book Women in War , 1866, by Frank Moore. In 1863, at age 19, a woman known only as Emily, ran away from home and joined the drum corps of a Michigan Regiment. The regiment was sent to Tennessee and during the struggle for Chatanooga a minie ball pierced the side of the young soldier. Her wound was fatal and her sex was disclosed. At first she refused to disclose her real name but as she lay dying she consented to dictate a telegram to her father in Brooklyn. Forgive your dying daughter. I have but a few moments to live. My native soil drinks my blood. I expected to deliver my country but the fates would not have it so. I am content to die. Pray forgive me...... Emily.
Did you know that a woman was awarded the congressional Medal of Honor?
Dr Mary Walker, a surgeon in the Civil War, was awarded the nation's highest honor by President Andrew Johnson. The citation reads, in part, Whereas it appears from official reports that Dr. Mary E. Walker, a graduate of medicine, has rendered valuable service to the government, and her efforts have been earnest and untiring in a variety of ways, and that she was assigned to duty and served as an assistant surgeon in charge of female prisoners at Louisville, KY., under the recommendation of Major-Generals Sherman and Thomas, and faithfully served as contract surgeon in the service of the United states, and has devoted herself with much patriotic zeal to the sick and wounded soldiers, both in the field and hospitals, to the detriment of her own health, and has endured hardships as a prisoner of war four months in a southern prison while acting as contract surgeon....Dr. Walker was an early suffragette, one of the earliest women physicians, a champion for more comfortable clothing for women and a pioneer for women in many areas that we take for granted today.
The Spanish American War - 1898
In 1898 when Teddy went charging up San Juan Hill, after the Battleship Maine blew up in Havana Harbor, sanitary conditions for the wounded soldiers were deplorable. There were typhoid fever epidemics in the camps and few qualified medical personnel. Congress quickly authorized the U.S. Army to procure female nurses but not with military status. They were hired as civilians under contract and over one thousand women were recruited to serve - for thirty dollars a month.
From 1898 to 1901 more than 1500 women served in the states, overseas, and on a U.S. Hospital ship. Dr. Anita Newcomb McGee was instrumental in the recruiting of these women and continued to argue for nurses as a permanent part of the military. When Dr. McGee became Acting Assistant Surgeon General in charge of a new Nurse Corps Division she drafted the necessary legislation to begin the process of giving nurses some sort of military status. Yet they had no rank, equal pay, or benefits. Women in the miltary still had a long way to go.
World War One - 1914-1918
In 1901 and 1908 the establishment of the Army and Navy Nurse Corps opened the door for women in the military but ever so slightly. It wasn't until the United States got involved in World War One that some parts of the government got serious about using woman power. As the Army stumbled around bureaucratic red tape trying to figure out how to enlist women the Navy simply ignored the War Department dissenters and quickly recruited women. Nearly 13,000 women enlisted in the Navy and the Marine Corps on the same status as men and wore a uniform blouse with insignia.
These were the first women in the U.S to be officially admitted to full military rank and status. Nurses who served were in Belgium, Italy, England and on troop trains and transport ships. Army and Navy Nurse Corps women served valiantly throughout the war, many received decorations for their service.
At least three Army nurses were awarded the Distinguished Service Cross, the nations' second highest military honor. Several received the Distinguished Service Medal, our highest noncombat award, and over twenty were awarded the French Croix de Guerre. Nurses were wounded, and several died overseas and are buried in military cemeteries far from home.
Thirty thousand women served their country in the Army and Navy Nurse Corps, the Navy as Yeoman (F), the Marines, and the Coast Guard in WWI.
http://www.thelizlibrary.org/collections/military/timeline1.html
Oh yes but then there were even more but McCain would know that if he really wanted to have a clue about what he's talking about. It's not like it would be hard. All he has to do is watch my video The Voice, Women At War and know what a rich history they have had.
John McCain, after his release as a POW, said only men belong in battle. He stands by his record.
By Ralph Vartabedian, Los Angeles Times Staff Writer
May 27, 2008
Soon after the Gulf War in 1991, a group of military women pressed Congress to allow female pilots to fly combat missions. But a Vietnam War hero in the Senate, John McCain, pushed back hard.
"The purpose of the military is first to defend this nation's vital security interests throughout the globe and only second to ensure equality," the Arizona Republican argued on the Senate floor, framing the issue in a way that infuriated feminists.
McCain lost that legislative battle, and women pilots started moving into combat roles in the mid-1990s. In the last five years in Iraq, women have flown hundreds of combat missions. And though they remain barred from ground combat units, women -- who make up about 15% of the military -- are playing a bigger fighting role than ever. About 100 have died in Iraq and Afghanistan.
The drive to eliminate gender distinctions in the military appears to be entering a new phase, with debate likely to come to a head within a few years. The next president, whether presumptive GOP nominee McCain or a Democrat, almost certainly will face the question of women in combat.
Policymakers would need to confront societal taboos against putting women in jeopardy, including the risk of rape that captured female soldiers commonly face. They also would have to tackle such issues as whether women could be involuntarily assigned to the infantry or required to register for the draft.
Democratic presidential contenders Sens. Barack Obama of Illinois and Hillary Rodham Clinton of New York -- neither of whom has a track record on the issue -- declined to comment on their positions.
McCain's aides said only that he stood by his past positions, suggesting that he would resist pressures for change.
In the 1991 debate over women pilots, McCain took a traditionalist stance. "This nation has existed for over 215 years," McCain said. "At no time in the history of our nation have women been in combat roles."
go here for more
http://www.latimes.com/news/politics/la-na-militarywomen27-2008may27,0,5521290.story
Oh really?
Sybil Ludington
A profile of Sybil Ludington highlighting her heroic 1777 ride to raise militia troops to stop the British advance.
Margaret Cochran Corbin
She fought in the American Revolution alongside her husband, continued fighting when her husband was killed, and was awarded a half-pension for her injuries and service.
Deborah Samson
Canton, Massachusetts, Historical Society on the official heroine of the state of Massachusetts.
Who was Deborah Samson? Why was she designated the Official State Heroine? And why, in 1985 did the prestigious United States Capitol Historical Society issue a commemorative medal in her honor?
Schoolmarm Deborah Samson was never mentioned among the beauties of her day when the topic of female pulchritude arose in the decorous social circles of Plympton and Middleborough, Massachusetts in the 1770's; but Private Robert Shurtliff was always mentioned in glowing terms as being one of the toughest, strongest, and most patriotic soldiers in the Massachusetts Fourth Regiment at the 1782 and 1783 campfires and taprooms of what is now known as West Point, New York. Shurtliff's physical endurance was legendary.
What no one suspected for quite a while, except possibly a tactful clergyman in Bellingham, Massachusetts, was that Deborah and Robert were one and the same person. And what a gal she was!
More Women of the Revolution from "Daughters of America",1849 and"Women of the Revolution" 1882:
There is the little known story of Rachel and Grace Martin who disguised themselves as men and assailed a British courier and his guards. They took his important dispatches, which they speedily forwarded to General Greene. Then they released the two officers who didn't even know that they were women.
Then there is Anna Warner, wife of Captain Elijah Bailey, who earned the title of "The Heroine of Groton" because of her fearless efforts to aid the wounded on the occasion of the terrible massacre at Fort Griswald in Connecticut.
Anna Bailey went from house to house collecting material for bandages for the soldiers. Incidentally she denied ever having used the coarse and profane expressions ever attributed to her.
Margaret Corbin stepped up to the artillery during the attack on Fort Washington when her husband fell by her side and unhesitatingly took his place and performed his duties. In July of 1779 the Congress awarded her a pension for her heroism - and a suit of clothes. (see above)
Angelica Vrooman, during the heat of battle, sat calmly in a tent with a bullet mould, some lead and an iron spoon, moulding bullets for the rangers.
Mary Hagidorn, upon hearing the order by a Captain Hager, for the women and children to retire to the long cellar, said: "Captain, I shall not go to that cellar should the enemy come. I will take a spear which I can use as well as any man and help defend the fort." The captain seeing her determination answered "then take a spear,Mary, and be ready at the pickets to repel an attack." She cheerfully obeyed and held the spear at the pickets till hurrahs for the American flag burst on her ear and told that all was safe.
Did you know that women were torpedoed off the coast of Africa during WWII? Did you know that when Gen MacArthur returned to the Phillipines, Navy nurses were waiting for him on shore and were cut out of the press photos? Did you know that there were women prisoners of war? These pages will continue to light more candles that reflect the deeds and accomplishments of military women...in hopes that future generations will remember that during every conflict Women Were There !!!
Pre Revolutionary Days - 1600s
During King Philip's War in 1675 women leaders of Native American tribes helped the colonists defend their settlements. One was Awashonka, squaw sachem of the Saconnet in Rhode Island.
In 1697 a Massachusetts settler, Hannah Duston, from the town of Haverhill, was captured by Abnaki Indians who were fighting for Canada. After an arduous hundred mile trek, while resting on an island in New Hampshire, Hannah decided that she was not going to be tortured or killed in Canada. With the help of a young boy who had been captured earlier, and Mary Neff who had been captured with her, she stole the Indians tomahawks and in a daring nighttime attack the three prisoners managed to kill ten of their captors. They stole a canoe, scuttled the rest, and escaped taking with them the scalps of their victims as proof of their story. The first monument, commemorating the fame of a woman, to be erected in the United States was one to Hannah Duston, dedicated on June 1, 1861, in Haverhill
The War of 1812
The USS CONSTITUTION met and defeated HMS GUERRIERE, the first in a grand succession of victories in the War of 1812. It was during this ferocious battle that the seamen, astonished at the way the British cannonballs were bouncing off the Constitution's hull, cried out - "Her sides are made of iron!"; Thus, her nickname, "Old Ironsides." What was not known at the time was the fact that a U.S. Marine, serving aboard Old Ironsides, as George Baker, was actually Lucy Brewer. Eventually the Marine Corps reluctantly acknowledged that Lucy Brewer was in fact the very first woman marine. It would be over one hundred years before the Marine Corps seriously began to recruit women - August 1918 - to be specific.
Mexican American War - 1846
Sarah Borginis The Mrs' Borginis and Foley enlisted with their husbands into the 8th calvary at the Jefferson Barracks, Mo. Sarah became the principal cook at Fort Brown (Fort Texas) and stayed on the job when General Taylor moved most of his troops to the mouth of the Rio Grande. However, when the Mexicans began bombarding Fort Texas, (Fort Brown) from their positions at Matamoros, she was isssued a musket. It's said she took an active part in the ensuing fray, never missing a target or preparing a meal. Gen. Zachary Taylor breveted her to colonel, making her the first female colonel of the U.S.Army. She moved to El Paso and opened a hotel. For years it was a favorite stop of '49ers heading for the California gold fields. She later moved to Arizona and ran a Yuma saloon until her death in 1866. Col. Borginis was buried at Fort Yuma with full Military Honors - the first woman to be a ranking U.S.Army officer.
The Civil War - 1860s
Many stories have been written about unique Civil War women, including Sarah Emma Edmonds, alias Franklin Thompson. In Nurse and Spy in the Union Army, 1865, Historians have verified that Emma Edmonds, as Franklin Thompson, did serve in the units she mentioned at the times she said.
Another fairly well known story is that of Jennie Hodgers who served and fought for three years as Albert Cashier. Her identity wasn't revealed until 1913.
The trials and tribulations of Lt Harry T. Buford, Confederate Officer,later found to be Madam Loreta Velazquez, have also been recorded. And historical records verify the fact that over sixty women were either wounded or killed at various battles during the Civil War.
Perhaps the most poignant story about women in the Civil War is one told in the book Women in War , 1866, by Frank Moore. In 1863, at age 19, a woman known only as Emily, ran away from home and joined the drum corps of a Michigan Regiment. The regiment was sent to Tennessee and during the struggle for Chatanooga a minie ball pierced the side of the young soldier. Her wound was fatal and her sex was disclosed. At first she refused to disclose her real name but as she lay dying she consented to dictate a telegram to her father in Brooklyn. Forgive your dying daughter. I have but a few moments to live. My native soil drinks my blood. I expected to deliver my country but the fates would not have it so. I am content to die. Pray forgive me...... Emily.
Did you know that a woman was awarded the congressional Medal of Honor?
Dr Mary Walker, a surgeon in the Civil War, was awarded the nation's highest honor by President Andrew Johnson. The citation reads, in part, Whereas it appears from official reports that Dr. Mary E. Walker, a graduate of medicine, has rendered valuable service to the government, and her efforts have been earnest and untiring in a variety of ways, and that she was assigned to duty and served as an assistant surgeon in charge of female prisoners at Louisville, KY., under the recommendation of Major-Generals Sherman and Thomas, and faithfully served as contract surgeon in the service of the United states, and has devoted herself with much patriotic zeal to the sick and wounded soldiers, both in the field and hospitals, to the detriment of her own health, and has endured hardships as a prisoner of war four months in a southern prison while acting as contract surgeon....Dr. Walker was an early suffragette, one of the earliest women physicians, a champion for more comfortable clothing for women and a pioneer for women in many areas that we take for granted today.
The Spanish American War - 1898
In 1898 when Teddy went charging up San Juan Hill, after the Battleship Maine blew up in Havana Harbor, sanitary conditions for the wounded soldiers were deplorable. There were typhoid fever epidemics in the camps and few qualified medical personnel. Congress quickly authorized the U.S. Army to procure female nurses but not with military status. They were hired as civilians under contract and over one thousand women were recruited to serve - for thirty dollars a month.
From 1898 to 1901 more than 1500 women served in the states, overseas, and on a U.S. Hospital ship. Dr. Anita Newcomb McGee was instrumental in the recruiting of these women and continued to argue for nurses as a permanent part of the military. When Dr. McGee became Acting Assistant Surgeon General in charge of a new Nurse Corps Division she drafted the necessary legislation to begin the process of giving nurses some sort of military status. Yet they had no rank, equal pay, or benefits. Women in the miltary still had a long way to go.
World War One - 1914-1918
In 1901 and 1908 the establishment of the Army and Navy Nurse Corps opened the door for women in the military but ever so slightly. It wasn't until the United States got involved in World War One that some parts of the government got serious about using woman power. As the Army stumbled around bureaucratic red tape trying to figure out how to enlist women the Navy simply ignored the War Department dissenters and quickly recruited women. Nearly 13,000 women enlisted in the Navy and the Marine Corps on the same status as men and wore a uniform blouse with insignia.
These were the first women in the U.S to be officially admitted to full military rank and status. Nurses who served were in Belgium, Italy, England and on troop trains and transport ships. Army and Navy Nurse Corps women served valiantly throughout the war, many received decorations for their service.
At least three Army nurses were awarded the Distinguished Service Cross, the nations' second highest military honor. Several received the Distinguished Service Medal, our highest noncombat award, and over twenty were awarded the French Croix de Guerre. Nurses were wounded, and several died overseas and are buried in military cemeteries far from home.
Thirty thousand women served their country in the Army and Navy Nurse Corps, the Navy as Yeoman (F), the Marines, and the Coast Guard in WWI.
http://www.thelizlibrary.org/collections/military/timeline1.html
Oh yes but then there were even more but McCain would know that if he really wanted to have a clue about what he's talking about. It's not like it would be hard. All he has to do is watch my video The Voice, Women At War and know what a rich history they have had.
How does the body regrow? Pixie Dust and stem cells
Salamander-inspired therapy may aid injured vets
Story Highlights
"Regenerative medicine" pursued by the Pentagon, top U.S. and medical facilities
Key to regeneration is powder nicknamed "pixie dust"
Powder forms a microscopic "scaffold" that helps cells grow into desired tissue
By Larry Shaughnessy
CNN Pentagon Producer
SAN ANTONIO, Texas (CNN) -- Last week in an operating room in Texas, a wounded American soldier underwent a history-making procedure that could help him regrow the finger that was lost to a bomb attack in Baghdad, Iraq, last year.
Army Sgt. Shiloh Harris' doctors applied specially formulated powder to what's left of the finger in an effort to do for wounded soldiers what salamanders can do naturally: replace missing body parts.
If it sounds like science fiction, the lead surgeon agreed.
"It is. But science fiction eventually becomes true, doesn't it?" asked Dr. Steven Wolf of Brooke Army Medical Center.
Harris' surgery is part of a major medical study of "regenerative medicine" being pursued by the Pentagon and several of the nation's top medical facilities, including the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center and the Cleveland Clinic. Nearly $250 million has been dedicated to the research.
Air Force Tech. Sgt. Israel Del Toro is one of the wounded vets who might one day benefit from this research. He was injured by a bomb in Afghanistan. Both his hands were badly burned. On his left hand, what was left of his fingers fused together.
"You know, in the beginning, when I first got hurt, I told them, just cut it off. So I can get some function," Del Toro said. His doctors did not cut off his injured left arm. And since that injury, advancements in burn and amputation treatment mean he may one day be able to use his fingers again. Watch more on regenerative medicine »
A key to the research dedicated to regrowing fingers and other body parts is a powder, nicknamed "pixie dust" by some of the people at Brooke. It's made from tissue extracted from pigs.
The pixie dust powder itself doesn't regrow the missing tissue; it tricks the patient's body into doing that itself.
All bodies have stem cells. As we are developing in our mothers' wombs, those stem cells grow our fingers, toes, organs -- essentially, our whole body. The stem cells stop doing that around birth, but they don't go away. The researchers believe that the "pixie dust" can put those stem cells back to work growing new body parts.
go here for more
http://www.cnn.com/2008/HEALTH/05/26/regrowing.body.parts/index.html
Story Highlights
"Regenerative medicine" pursued by the Pentagon, top U.S. and medical facilities
Key to regeneration is powder nicknamed "pixie dust"
Powder forms a microscopic "scaffold" that helps cells grow into desired tissue
By Larry Shaughnessy
CNN Pentagon Producer
SAN ANTONIO, Texas (CNN) -- Last week in an operating room in Texas, a wounded American soldier underwent a history-making procedure that could help him regrow the finger that was lost to a bomb attack in Baghdad, Iraq, last year.
Army Sgt. Shiloh Harris' doctors applied specially formulated powder to what's left of the finger in an effort to do for wounded soldiers what salamanders can do naturally: replace missing body parts.
If it sounds like science fiction, the lead surgeon agreed.
"It is. But science fiction eventually becomes true, doesn't it?" asked Dr. Steven Wolf of Brooke Army Medical Center.
Harris' surgery is part of a major medical study of "regenerative medicine" being pursued by the Pentagon and several of the nation's top medical facilities, including the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center and the Cleveland Clinic. Nearly $250 million has been dedicated to the research.
Air Force Tech. Sgt. Israel Del Toro is one of the wounded vets who might one day benefit from this research. He was injured by a bomb in Afghanistan. Both his hands were badly burned. On his left hand, what was left of his fingers fused together.
"You know, in the beginning, when I first got hurt, I told them, just cut it off. So I can get some function," Del Toro said. His doctors did not cut off his injured left arm. And since that injury, advancements in burn and amputation treatment mean he may one day be able to use his fingers again. Watch more on regenerative medicine »
A key to the research dedicated to regrowing fingers and other body parts is a powder, nicknamed "pixie dust" by some of the people at Brooke. It's made from tissue extracted from pigs.
The pixie dust powder itself doesn't regrow the missing tissue; it tricks the patient's body into doing that itself.
All bodies have stem cells. As we are developing in our mothers' wombs, those stem cells grow our fingers, toes, organs -- essentially, our whole body. The stem cells stop doing that around birth, but they don't go away. The researchers believe that the "pixie dust" can put those stem cells back to work growing new body parts.
go here for more
http://www.cnn.com/2008/HEALTH/05/26/regrowing.body.parts/index.html
Vietnam Vets 5th annual Memorial Motorcycle Run
This was sent by one of my friends Jan Benoit, mentioned in this article.
GARDNER — As the sun shone brightly over Elm Street Sunday morning, President Norman Webb of the Vietnam Veterans of America Chapter 907 had a simple message for the hundreds of motorcyclists gathered in the parking lot of American Legion Post 129.
“Find your bikes,” he said, “and let’s get ready to rock.”
The group’s fifth annual Memorial Motorcycle Run and Barbecue brought together more than 600 bikers and hundreds more members of the community for a day of riding and remembrance, a way to honor those who died while serving in the military, while celebrating the freedom for which they sacrificed their lives.
Mr. Webb, who helped create the event as an alternative for veterans unable to travel to the Vietnam Veterans of America’s annual gathering at the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington , D.C. , said this year’s ride was focused on honoring all of the area’s veterans and fallen soldiers.
He did, however, make particular mention of the 11 soldiers from Gardner who died in Vietnam , each of whose names are inscribed on the national memorial. He said his organization is currently working to gather information about those soldiers in order to create a tribute on its Web site, http://www.vietnamveterans907.com.
“We’re doing it actually for all the vets,” he said. “Our thoughts and prayers are with the families of the 11 people down on the wall.”
After opening ceremonies at the American Legion Post — including Tara Morgan’s rendition of the national anthem and a firing squad and color guard from the legion — the gathered riders traveled to Rindge , N.H. for a service at the Cathedral of the Pines.
The group then traveled back to Gardner , meeting an already-in-progress barbecue at the Gardner Fish and Gun Club on Clark Street .
“This is our best year yet,” said James Benton, the secretary of the local Vietnam veterans chapter, outside the club as people formed a long line for barbecued chicken. Both the sunny weather and the high turnout, he said, were “absolutely perfect.”
The event has become a significant fundraiser for the group, said Mr. Benton, allowing for outreach into the community and collaborative efforts with other organizations. Tom Cross, a member of the veterans group, noted that before the success of the motorcycle run — which has more than tripled in size since its inception — the group “couldn’t afford to buy a stamp.”
Janice Benoit, another member of the group who has taken part in the yearly event since it began, agreed that it has become increasingly successful. She also noted the time and energy needed to plan and put on the run and barbecue, adding that planning has already started for next year.
“It gets bigger every year, it really does,” she said. “I’m amazed at how great people are.”
The author of a recent book about post-traumatic stress syndrome, Ms. Benoit also stressed the importance of remembering that the basis of the yearly event — and of the Memorial Day holiday — is to honor the sacrifice of fallen servicemen and women and remember those who have and continue to serve. For service members returning from Iraq and Afghanistan, she said, ailments like PTSD and the basic challenge of reintegrating into civilian life make the need for continued support all the more critical.
The community’s support for Sunday’s event was clear, with vendors setting up tables, volunteers raffling off a number of donated prizes and local band The Game providing live musical entertainment.
Police Officer Richard Braks led the motorcycle run on the Police Department’s new Harley-Davidson FLH motorcycle, which was officially put into service Sunday. The bike bears the number “907” in honor of the local Vietnam veterans group, which made a donation for the vehicle’s graphics.
“It’s kind of the maiden voyage,” said Officer Braks, who said the city previously had a police motorcycle before budget cuts forced the department to discontinue the vehicle. Bringing a motorcycle back into service, he said, provides police with both a versatile law enforcement tool and a valuable means through which to improve community outreach.
“It’s a conversation starter with the community,” he said, particularly with younger people and those with an interest in motorcycles.
Like Ms. Benoit, Officer Braks spoke of the “great cause” that led to the annual race and the theme of remembrance at the heart of Memorial Day. While bringing together the community to honor the military’s fallen is a positive and appropriate way to celebrate the day, he said such gatherings can never truly give the thanks that is owed.
“The ceremonies are definitely not enough for those that have served us,” he said.
dkittredge@thegardnernews.com
"As water reflects a face, so a man's heart reflects the man."
Proverbs 27:19
Jan Benoit
janicembenoit@yahoo.com
Media used wrong headline on Rolling Thunder visit
Muller on Saturday said he planned to tell Bush that many veterans have been wrongly classified as having a personality disorder, when they should be getting higher compensation for post-traumatic stress disorder.
“We feel that this is just saving the government some money because there are over 28,000 troops that they’re not paying disability benefits for,” he said.
While the president of Rolling Thunder did ask Bust to become a member, this is not the headline that should have been used. It should have been the message Muller gave to address the discharges of the men and women who served this nation under personality disorder instead of PTSD. This was the most important aspect of what was said.
Has the media even bothered to ask about what happens to the troops who were misdiagnosed? Do they even care? Have they asked a single politician what the plans are for any of them? For the homes they lost, the rents they couldn't pay, the families that fell apart or the lives lost over any of this?
“We feel that this is just saving the government some money because there are over 28,000 troops that they’re not paying disability benefits for,” he said.
Rolling Thunder asks Bush to become a member
By Christine Simmons - The Associated Press
Posted : Tuesday May 27, 2008 6:51:19 EDT
WASHINGTON — Members of the Rolling Thunder motorcycling group roared into town for a White House visit Sunday, where they presented President Bush with his own cowhide vest jacket and pushed for increased veterans benefits.
“Mr. President, we’d like to make you an honorary member of Rolling Thunder,” said Artie Muller, the group’s executive director, to a delighted Bush, who shed his suit jacket to don the vest and pose for pictures.
“You’ve done a lot for the country, and the troops appreciate you, and the veterans appreciate you, and your president appreciates you,” Bush told the group.
go here for more
http://www.armytimes.com/news/2008/05/ap_rollingthunder_052508/
While the president of Rolling Thunder did ask Bust to become a member, this is not the headline that should have been used. It should have been the message Muller gave to address the discharges of the men and women who served this nation under personality disorder instead of PTSD. This was the most important aspect of what was said.
Has the media even bothered to ask about what happens to the troops who were misdiagnosed? Do they even care? Have they asked a single politician what the plans are for any of them? For the homes they lost, the rents they couldn't pay, the families that fell apart or the lives lost over any of this?
Pentagon adds 40,000 to PTSD count
Pentagon counts 40,000 with post-traumatic stress disorder but thinks many more keep it secret
PAULINE JELINEK
AP News
May 27, 2008 12:42 EST
Pentagon figures show 40,000 U.S. troops have been diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder since 2003. But officials believe many more are keeping their illness secret.
Army Surgeon General Eric Schoomaker says officials have no reliable figures on how many troops have PTSD or how many have sought treatment for it after serving in the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.
That's because officials are encouraging troops to get help — even if they go to civilian therapists and don't report it to the military. The 40,000 cases are only those the military knows of.
Many troops don't report getting treatment — or don't get help — because they're embarrassed or fear it will hurt their careers. Marines and Army soldiers have been the hardest hit.
http://www.rawstory.com/news/mochila/At_least_40_000_have_post_traumatic_05272008.html
The differnce is, the DOD counts their's and the VA counts their's.
This is from the Army alone. It's a stunning indictment of the policy of serial redeployments. The Army had warned against redeploying troops over and over again because it increased the risk of PTSD by 50%, but Bush and his top generals decided to do it anyway, over and over again. Now they wonder why the figures are as high as they are.
Army surgeon general says mental health services 'not adequate'
More than 28,000 soldiers suffer from post-traumatic stress disorder
By David Wood Sun reporter
12:17 PM EDT, May 27, 2008
WASHINGTON - The number of Army troops suffering from severe combat stress is skyrocketing, rising from just over 1,000 new cases in 2003 to more than 28,000 soldiers today diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder, the Army surgeon general said today.
Lt. Gen. Eric B. Schoomaker, the Army's top medical officer, said that he does not know how many additional soldiers suffer from lesser symptoms of combat stress, such as hyper-vigilance, sleeplessness and irrational anger, and does not know how many of these soldiers are receiving treatment.
Schoomaker also said that the Army has inadequate facilities and too few mental health care providers.
"As a nation, our mental health capability is not adequate to the need," and the Army suffers from the same problem, Schoomaker told defense reporters this morning. He said the Army recognizes it needs 300 more top mental health professionals to care for the growing numbers of soldiers suffering from severe stress. It has filled only 180 of those positions, he said.
go here for more
http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/nation/bal-stress0527,0,5275041.story
PAULINE JELINEK
AP News
May 27, 2008 12:42 EST
Pentagon figures show 40,000 U.S. troops have been diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder since 2003. But officials believe many more are keeping their illness secret.
Army Surgeon General Eric Schoomaker says officials have no reliable figures on how many troops have PTSD or how many have sought treatment for it after serving in the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.
That's because officials are encouraging troops to get help — even if they go to civilian therapists and don't report it to the military. The 40,000 cases are only those the military knows of.
Many troops don't report getting treatment — or don't get help — because they're embarrassed or fear it will hurt their careers. Marines and Army soldiers have been the hardest hit.
http://www.rawstory.com/news/mochila/At_least_40_000_have_post_traumatic_05272008.html
The differnce is, the DOD counts their's and the VA counts their's.
This is from the Army alone. It's a stunning indictment of the policy of serial redeployments. The Army had warned against redeploying troops over and over again because it increased the risk of PTSD by 50%, but Bush and his top generals decided to do it anyway, over and over again. Now they wonder why the figures are as high as they are.
Army data show that in 2006, about 4,000 soldiers were diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder.
During 2007, when the Bush administration ordered a "surge" of about 28,000 troops to Iraq, 10,049 new cases of PTSD were diagnosed.
Army surgeon general says mental health services 'not adequate'
More than 28,000 soldiers suffer from post-traumatic stress disorder
By David Wood Sun reporter
12:17 PM EDT, May 27, 2008
WASHINGTON - The number of Army troops suffering from severe combat stress is skyrocketing, rising from just over 1,000 new cases in 2003 to more than 28,000 soldiers today diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder, the Army surgeon general said today.
Lt. Gen. Eric B. Schoomaker, the Army's top medical officer, said that he does not know how many additional soldiers suffer from lesser symptoms of combat stress, such as hyper-vigilance, sleeplessness and irrational anger, and does not know how many of these soldiers are receiving treatment.
Schoomaker also said that the Army has inadequate facilities and too few mental health care providers.
"As a nation, our mental health capability is not adequate to the need," and the Army suffers from the same problem, Schoomaker told defense reporters this morning. He said the Army recognizes it needs 300 more top mental health professionals to care for the growing numbers of soldiers suffering from severe stress. It has filled only 180 of those positions, he said.
go here for more
http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/nation/bal-stress0527,0,5275041.story
Troops with PTSD Could Merit Purple Heart Award
Troops with PTSD Could Merit Purple Heart Award
posted 6:39 pm Mon May 26, 2008 -
It's one of the nation's highest military honors, but should Purple Hearts be awarded to soldiers suffering post-traumatic stress disorder? That's the question the Department of Defense (web) is looking into.
The Purple Heart is the oldest symbol of military valor now given to the newest of the military's fallen and wounded, like D.C. native Staff Sergeant Charles Parker.
"I was just doing my job," said Sgt. Parker.
And so was Albert Lee, but among all his medals for two tours in Vietnam, there is no Purple Heart, and he thinks there should be. "It's needed! They told me because I didn't lose an arm, I didn't deserve it. I was never wounded physically, but I was devastated," said Lee.
Lee's wife, Francis said, "It would be at least some support for them, someone saying thank you."
At Walter Reed Medical Center, the burden of treating PTSD has only increased. Nearly one in five military members are reporting symptoms. Billy Norwood is an outpatient here and he's asking the Pentagon to reconsider PTSD as an injury that merits the Purple Heart.
"I feel that it should be. It's connected with combat. You were being shot at," said Norwood.
It took just two days after he was injured for John Bauer of Alexandria (webnews) to get his Purple Heart during Vietnam. But he does not think it should be extended to those with PTSD saying, "There should be another category."
Richard Lee is with the Military Order of the Purple Heart, and although, it is his job to help veterans apply for the award, he too, believes it will lessen it's value, making it more difficult to determine who should get it.
"It's very hard to select those who might just be on the fringe of being eligible for the reward, until they actually come out with something new," said Robert Lee.
A Pentagon spokesman says an advisory group is looking into the issue,but there is no time table to provide a recommendation.
http://www.news8.net/news/stories/0508/523055.html
When I posted this in March, it was with the thought that there would be opposition to giving a Purple Heart, symbolizing a wound, to the wounded with PTSD and TBI. I thought it would be worthy to acknowledge these two wounds for what they are, wounds caused by service to this nation, no less honorable than any other wound, but wounds no one can see.
"It's very hard to select those who might just be on the fringe of being eligible for the reward, until they actually come out with something new," said Robert Lee.
Sunday, March 30, 2008
Renew Wound Chevron for PTSD and TBI
Wound ChevronFrom Wikipedia, the free encyclopediaJump to: navigation, searchArmy 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
Since then, as the debate began about simply awarding the Purple Heart for PTSD and TBI, I have since changed my mind. These are not wounds to a lesser degree. They are wounds to a greater degree because these wounds are carried over to the rest of the family members and are also afflicting many of the bodily wounded. Do we tell them they have lost a limb and get a Purple Heart for that, but then tell them their TBI and PTSD only count for disability payments but not worthy of any kind of acknowledgment? What if they were shot and were given a Purple Heart, then they were shot again? Do we tell them they already have one Purple Heart and do not deserve another? What if they had already been diagnosed with PTSD, but sent back all the same and then lost a limb? Do we tell them the wound inside their mind is not as worthy as the limb lost?
If it comes between no medal at all because too many still cannot get it into their own mind that PTSD is named that for a reason, because trauma is Greek for wound, then at least award them with the Chevron. Then the bodily wounded can also find the appreciation for their other wound the rest of the military may still regard as a wound to a lesser degree instead of a greater one.
Nadia McCaffrey gets to the point in radio interview
MON MAY 26, 2008
Memorial Day: The Past and the Present
Legacy Player:
Memorial Day originated after the Civil War, but a somber remembrance of fallen soldiers has also become a cheerful greeting of summer. Monday, on To the Point, how well does America honor those who've died for their country? Also, the GI Bill and the presidential campaign.
more…
One Mother's War
Robert Durell / LAT
Nadia McCaffrey, who now operates a nonprofit grief counseling program and has become a leader in the Northern California antiwar movement, has been a lifelong pacifist and opposed her son's enlistment from the beginning.
By Jeff Nachtigal, Special to the Times
January 30, 2005
TRACY, Calif. -- On the day her son Patrick McCaffrey died on a blacktop farm road in northern Iraq, Nadia McCaffrey's war began.
Her first act was to invite the press to the Sacramento Airport when her 34-year-old son's flag draped-coffin was brought home at the end of June 2004.
"Patrick was not a private person. All his life he loved people," Nadia McCaffrey explained. "Why should I hide him when he comes home? He would not have wanted that."
At a time when the Pentagon was attempting to keep photographs of the returning coffins out of the American press, the Sacramento Airport scene attracted international attention.
From the first interviews with newspaper obituary writers, Nadia was outspoken about her own opposition to the war as well as her son's growing reservations at the time he was killed.
"Patrick was overwhelmed by the hatred there for Americans and Europeans," Nadia told a reporter for The Times. "He was so ashamed by the prisoner abuse scandal. He even sent me an e-mail to tell me that not all the soldiers were like that. He said we had no business in Iraq and should not be there. Even so, he wanted to be a good soldier."go here for more
http://www.latimes.com/features/printedition/magazine/la-tm-guard30jan30-sb,1,3668041.story
Published on Saturday, July 3, 2004 by the Independent/UK
The Son Who Came Home for the Fourth of July
Last week Nadia McCaffrey defied President Bush by allowing the media to view the coffin of her son, Patrick, killed in action in Iraq. Andrew Buncombe was invited to attend his funeral in Tracy, California
The photographs of Patrick McCaffrey laid out on the table at the front of the reception hall were the record of a life cut short. There were pictures of Patrick as a young boy, a head of curly brown hair, posing in his judo outfit. There was one of him dressed to play American football and another, taken a few years later, of Patrick wearing a tuxedo and probably heading out to the high school prom. There was one of him with his family - a wife, a little girl and a son so proud that his father was a member of the California National Guard that he had asked for his own set of dog-tags.
Finally there was a photograph of Patrick with his unit in Iraq. It had been taken shortly before the ambush in which Patrick was killed. In the picture he is laughing with his friends. He was 34-years-old and - according to the Iraq Coalition Casualty Count website - the 848th American soldier to die in Iraq.http://www.commondreams.org/headlines04/0703-04.htm
Veteran's Village
Sgt Patrick R McCaffrey Sr
Foundation for War Veterans
http://www.veteransvillage.org/
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