Echoes of Vietnam: VA Stalls, Dissembles While Vets Suffer and Die
By Penny Coleman, AlterNet. Posted July 4, 2008.
The latest episode of the Department of Veterans Affairs' callous denial of veterans' suffering is a continuation of a long tradition.
On June 10, U.S. District Judge Samuel Conti ordered the Department of Veterans Affairs back into court. Conti is presiding over a lawsuit brought by veterans against the VA, charging the agency with systematically denying veterans the services and support they so desperately need. Conti demanded that the VA explain why it had failed to produce certain critical (and incriminating) documents.
Among those documents was an e-mail written by the now-infamous Norma Perez. It read: "Given that we have more and more compensation-seeking veterans, I'd like to suggest that you refrain from giving a diagnosis of PTSD straight out. Consider a diagnosis of adjustment disorder, R/O [ruling out] PTSD."
Bob Filner, chairman of the House Veterans Affairs Committee, said it was inconceivable that a low-level staffer like Perez could have written such an e-mail on her own authority. Barack Obama called it "unacceptable" and "tantamount to fraud." John McCain called it "not too important."
Lost somehow in the high-decibel rhetoric of the moment is a historical dimension of this story that I think deserves some attention. This is not the first time the VA has acted as adversary rather than advocate. Thirty years ago, almost to the day, Max Cleland, then head of the VA, circulated an equally directive memo to his staff that read:
In view of the remaining uncertainties on the long-term effects of the defoliants, all VA personnel should avoid premature commitment to any diagnosis of defoliant poisoning. Similarly, entries in medical records should not contain statements about the relationship between a veteran's illnesses and defoliant exposure unless unequivocal confirmation of such a connection has been established.
(The defoliants Cleland refers to were Agent Orange and other dioxin-based chemicals the United States sprayed over Vietnam.)
In the meantime, Cleland instructed VA staff to deny all Agent Orange claims. He also refused to undertake any kind of epidemiological study because, he claimed, the necessary outreach to veterans would only cause them "needless anxiety."
click post title for more
If Cleland had no clue about Agent Orange, then it was equal to his lack of clue about PTSD. He was treated for depression since Vietnam when it turned out it was PTSD.
Friday, July 4, 2008
California fires threaten Big Sur, Santa Barbara County
California fires threaten Big Sur, Santa Barbara County
Story Highlights
The Gap Fire in Santa Barbara County declared the state's top priority Friday
Fire has charred 3,000 acres, threatens town of Goleta
Some 1,400 Big Sur residents ordered to leave homes due to Basin Complex Fire
Volunteer dies north of San Francisco; more than 1,700 wildfires in last two weeks
BIG SUR, California (CNN) -- Fast-moving flames early Friday burned the steep mountainsides a mile from homes on the northern edge of Goleta, California, near Santa Barbara.
Mandatory evacuations ordered Thursday morning for mountain home communities outside Goleta were widened Thursday night as winds kicked up after sundown, making it tougher to fight the fire, a state fire spokesman said.
Farther north up the California coast, 1,400 residents of Big Sur were ordered to leave their homes because of the Basin Complex Fire, which has burned about 65,000 acres of the Los Padres National Forest in the last two weeks. At least 20 homes have been destroyed.
Besides forcing residents from their homes, the fire also is likely to deter tourists, who would usually flock to the area for the July Fourth holiday.
"I'm sure the season is just toast," Kurt Mayer, who stayed to defend his Big Sur Deli despite mandatory evacuation orders, told The Associated Press. "Usually the busiest time is July and August, so I'm sure it's just going to be zero."
click post title for more
Story Highlights
The Gap Fire in Santa Barbara County declared the state's top priority Friday
Fire has charred 3,000 acres, threatens town of Goleta
Some 1,400 Big Sur residents ordered to leave homes due to Basin Complex Fire
Volunteer dies north of San Francisco; more than 1,700 wildfires in last two weeks
BIG SUR, California (CNN) -- Fast-moving flames early Friday burned the steep mountainsides a mile from homes on the northern edge of Goleta, California, near Santa Barbara.
Mandatory evacuations ordered Thursday morning for mountain home communities outside Goleta were widened Thursday night as winds kicked up after sundown, making it tougher to fight the fire, a state fire spokesman said.
Farther north up the California coast, 1,400 residents of Big Sur were ordered to leave their homes because of the Basin Complex Fire, which has burned about 65,000 acres of the Los Padres National Forest in the last two weeks. At least 20 homes have been destroyed.
Besides forcing residents from their homes, the fire also is likely to deter tourists, who would usually flock to the area for the July Fourth holiday.
"I'm sure the season is just toast," Kurt Mayer, who stayed to defend his Big Sur Deli despite mandatory evacuation orders, told The Associated Press. "Usually the busiest time is July and August, so I'm sure it's just going to be zero."
click post title for more
Spc. Estell L. Turner succumbs to wounds from bomb blast
4th BCT soldier dies in Afghan IED blast
Clarksville Leaf Chronicle - Clarksville, TN,USA
The Leaf-Chronicle • July 4, 2008
A 101st Airborne Division soldier with 4th Brigade Combat Team died Wednesday of injuries suffered in Afghanistan.
Spc. Estell L. Turner, 43, of Sioux Falls, S.D., died at the National Naval Medical Center, Bethesda, Md., of wounds suffered June 28 in Malikheyl, Afghanistan, when his vehicle encountered an improvised explosive device, according to a news release today from the Department of Defense.
click above for more
Clarksville Leaf Chronicle - Clarksville, TN,USA
The Leaf-Chronicle • July 4, 2008
A 101st Airborne Division soldier with 4th Brigade Combat Team died Wednesday of injuries suffered in Afghanistan.
Spc. Estell L. Turner, 43, of Sioux Falls, S.D., died at the National Naval Medical Center, Bethesda, Md., of wounds suffered June 28 in Malikheyl, Afghanistan, when his vehicle encountered an improvised explosive device, according to a news release today from the Department of Defense.
click above for more
Maj. Dwayne M. Kelley, Army Reserve and NJ State Trooper laid to rest
N.J. troopers join mourners at soldier's funeral
By Edward Colimore
Inquirer Staff Writer
For hours yesterday, they walked down the aisle of Tabernacle Baptist Church in Burlington City and paused at the open, flag-draped casket to say goodbye.
Family members, friends and soldiers were followed by hundreds of New Jersey state troopers. They were joined by scores of officers from police departments as far away as Illinois and Connecticut.
Maj. Dwayne M. Kelley, a state trooper and Army Reservist who died June 24 in an explosion in Baghdad, "stood alone in his devotion to duty," said Gov. Corzine yesterday from the pulpit.
He was a "great trooper, soldier and patriot," said Col. Joseph Fuentes, the New Jersey State Police superintendent.
At 6-foot-5 and 210 pounds, he was a "gentle giant who walked softly and did the right thing," added Army Lt. Col. Mark Corzine, Kelley's commanding officer at Fort Dix.
Tributes to the Willingboro native, who was on his third tour in Iraq, poured in during a "homegoing" service, mixed with tearful mourning and joyful celebration.
click post title for more
By Edward Colimore
Inquirer Staff Writer
For hours yesterday, they walked down the aisle of Tabernacle Baptist Church in Burlington City and paused at the open, flag-draped casket to say goodbye.
Family members, friends and soldiers were followed by hundreds of New Jersey state troopers. They were joined by scores of officers from police departments as far away as Illinois and Connecticut.
Maj. Dwayne M. Kelley, a state trooper and Army Reservist who died June 24 in an explosion in Baghdad, "stood alone in his devotion to duty," said Gov. Corzine yesterday from the pulpit.
He was a "great trooper, soldier and patriot," said Col. Joseph Fuentes, the New Jersey State Police superintendent.
At 6-foot-5 and 210 pounds, he was a "gentle giant who walked softly and did the right thing," added Army Lt. Col. Mark Corzine, Kelley's commanding officer at Fort Dix.
Tributes to the Willingboro native, who was on his third tour in Iraq, poured in during a "homegoing" service, mixed with tearful mourning and joyful celebration.
click post title for more
280 veterans homeless in Augusta
280 veterans homeless in Augusta
Last Updated: 7:24 PM Jul 3, 2008
Reporter: Ashley Jeffery
Email Address: mailto:ashley.jeffery@wrdw.com?subject=280
July 3, 2008
AUGUSTA, Ga.---Sitting down to read the paper is something Dennis Dunbar enjoys doing, but he'd rather do it in the comfort of his own home.
"Out here in the streets, you go through so much and nobody seems to understand what you're going through. It hurts because they make me feel like I'm unwanted. When I was drafted, I was wanted, now I'm like a used commodity. They no longer need us,"said Dennis, a homeless veteran.
After spending seven years in the army, Dennis has spent the last 11 months homeless.
He went to the Garden City Rescue Mission because he had no where else to go and while many veterans have sought help from local shelters, others have had to resort to staying under underpasses to survive.
Louis Overton knows first hand about doing what it takes for survival.
go here for more
http://www.wrdw.com/homeandfamily/headlines/22872799.html
Last Updated: 7:24 PM Jul 3, 2008
Reporter: Ashley Jeffery
Email Address: mailto:ashley.jeffery@wrdw.com?subject=280
July 3, 2008
AUGUSTA, Ga.---Sitting down to read the paper is something Dennis Dunbar enjoys doing, but he'd rather do it in the comfort of his own home.
"Out here in the streets, you go through so much and nobody seems to understand what you're going through. It hurts because they make me feel like I'm unwanted. When I was drafted, I was wanted, now I'm like a used commodity. They no longer need us,"said Dennis, a homeless veteran.
After spending seven years in the army, Dennis has spent the last 11 months homeless.
He went to the Garden City Rescue Mission because he had no where else to go and while many veterans have sought help from local shelters, others have had to resort to staying under underpasses to survive.
Louis Overton knows first hand about doing what it takes for survival.
go here for more
http://www.wrdw.com/homeandfamily/headlines/22872799.html
Modesto Vet Center finally was christened
Center is the state's first since 1995; facility to serve SJ Valley, Sierra foothills
By KEN CARLSON
kcarlson@modbee.com
For 10 years, organizations lobbied the federal government to put a Vet Center in Modesto.
On Thursday, the Modesto Vet Center finally was christened in an office building at 1219 N. Carpenter Road.
"It is a long time coming," said Roy Santiago, commander of the American Legion's 12th District, which oversees posts in Stanislaus, Tuolumne and Merced counties, and whose members wrote letters supporting the campaign.
"We have close to 30,000 veterans living in our area. The need is here for this center," Santiago said.
The Modesto center, which started counseling combat veterans in borrowed office space in December, already has assisted about 400 people, the Legion official said. The center's eight-member staff is set up to serve combat veterans and their families from the Northern San Joaquin Valley and the Sierra foothills.
Congress established the community-based centers in 1979 for Vietnam veterans who were struggling with many issues after returning home from combat.
In the 1990s, the government extended the services to combat veterans of World War II, the Korean War and Persian Gulf War. The Department of Veterans Affairs selected Modesto for one of the 23 new centers as soldiers return from Iraq and Afghanistan.
It's the first Vet Center to open in California since the Chico center opened in 1995.
go here for more
http://www.modbee.com/local/story/349796.html
By KEN CARLSON
kcarlson@modbee.com
For 10 years, organizations lobbied the federal government to put a Vet Center in Modesto.
On Thursday, the Modesto Vet Center finally was christened in an office building at 1219 N. Carpenter Road.
"It is a long time coming," said Roy Santiago, commander of the American Legion's 12th District, which oversees posts in Stanislaus, Tuolumne and Merced counties, and whose members wrote letters supporting the campaign.
"We have close to 30,000 veterans living in our area. The need is here for this center," Santiago said.
The Modesto center, which started counseling combat veterans in borrowed office space in December, already has assisted about 400 people, the Legion official said. The center's eight-member staff is set up to serve combat veterans and their families from the Northern San Joaquin Valley and the Sierra foothills.
Congress established the community-based centers in 1979 for Vietnam veterans who were struggling with many issues after returning home from combat.
In the 1990s, the government extended the services to combat veterans of World War II, the Korean War and Persian Gulf War. The Department of Veterans Affairs selected Modesto for one of the 23 new centers as soldiers return from Iraq and Afghanistan.
It's the first Vet Center to open in California since the Chico center opened in 1995.
go here for more
http://www.modbee.com/local/story/349796.html
The homeless veteran, the late Robert Hewitt, Vietnam Veteran
The homeless veteran
• July 4, 2008
Robert Hewitt, homeless veteran of the Vietnam War, lived a meager existence as a panhandler. Identified this week, his skeletal remains were discovered June 12 sticking out of a root cellar behind a shopping center off Route 59 in Montebello. The cause of his death, at 51, has yet to be determined, although the Rockland County medical examiner has ruled out homicide. His story, while clouded in the unknown, joins the growing lore about returning veterans who deserve more help than they ever get.
Hewitt, who was born in Sloatsburg, had been homeless and living outdoors, probably for the past 15 years, according to police. Too many of his wartime contemporaries continue to suffer the same fate. Recent conflicts add fresh tragedy to the mix. Repeated tours of duty, a military heavily reliant on reservists - they often lack the day-to-day support others receive -are among the factors experts say are contributing to a fresh onslaught of veterans suffering from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder.
click post title for more
• July 4, 2008
Robert Hewitt, homeless veteran of the Vietnam War, lived a meager existence as a panhandler. Identified this week, his skeletal remains were discovered June 12 sticking out of a root cellar behind a shopping center off Route 59 in Montebello. The cause of his death, at 51, has yet to be determined, although the Rockland County medical examiner has ruled out homicide. His story, while clouded in the unknown, joins the growing lore about returning veterans who deserve more help than they ever get.
Hewitt, who was born in Sloatsburg, had been homeless and living outdoors, probably for the past 15 years, according to police. Too many of his wartime contemporaries continue to suffer the same fate. Recent conflicts add fresh tragedy to the mix. Repeated tours of duty, a military heavily reliant on reservists - they often lack the day-to-day support others receive -are among the factors experts say are contributing to a fresh onslaught of veterans suffering from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder.
click post title for more
Program aims to get veterans re-acclimate to regular life
Shelter from the storm
Program aims to get veterans re-acclimate to regular life
By Paige Winfield pwinfield@scn1.com
Four military veterans are fighting a war inside a 110-year-old Victorian-style home in downtown Wheaton.
It's a battle that confronts many servicemen and women after they return from combat and face psychological and emotional enemies, born from post-traumatic stress disorder and the difficulty of re-acclimating to civilian life.
The veterans, who are in their 40s and 50s, live in the Midwest Shelter for Homeless Veterans - a transitional home that opened 18 months ago to help retired servicemen struggling with substance abuse and homelessness to get back on their feet.
To gain one of the five available slots in the home, each had to remain sober 45 days prior to entering and sign a commitment to the program. During their five to nine-month stay, they receive counseling, find and maintain jobs in the community, submit to random drug and alcohol testing and obey a strict eating and sleeping schedule.
One resident drives a school bus. Another resident, who is scheduled to graduate in August, works as a line chef at Arrowhead Country Club.
BY THE NUMBERS
Although accurate numbers are impossible to come by - no one keeps national records on homeless veterans - the Department of Veterans Affairs estimates that:
• Nearly 200,000 veterans are homeless on any given night.
• Nearly 400,000 experience homelessness over the course of a year.
• One out of three homeless men has put on a uniform and served the U.S.
• Veterans account for 23 percent of all homeless people in America.
Source: The National Coalition for Homeless Veterans
click post title for more
Program aims to get veterans re-acclimate to regular life
By Paige Winfield pwinfield@scn1.com
Four military veterans are fighting a war inside a 110-year-old Victorian-style home in downtown Wheaton.
It's a battle that confronts many servicemen and women after they return from combat and face psychological and emotional enemies, born from post-traumatic stress disorder and the difficulty of re-acclimating to civilian life.
The veterans, who are in their 40s and 50s, live in the Midwest Shelter for Homeless Veterans - a transitional home that opened 18 months ago to help retired servicemen struggling with substance abuse and homelessness to get back on their feet.
To gain one of the five available slots in the home, each had to remain sober 45 days prior to entering and sign a commitment to the program. During their five to nine-month stay, they receive counseling, find and maintain jobs in the community, submit to random drug and alcohol testing and obey a strict eating and sleeping schedule.
One resident drives a school bus. Another resident, who is scheduled to graduate in August, works as a line chef at Arrowhead Country Club.
BY THE NUMBERS
Although accurate numbers are impossible to come by - no one keeps national records on homeless veterans - the Department of Veterans Affairs estimates that:
• Nearly 200,000 veterans are homeless on any given night.
• Nearly 400,000 experience homelessness over the course of a year.
• One out of three homeless men has put on a uniform and served the U.S.
• Veterans account for 23 percent of all homeless people in America.
Source: The National Coalition for Homeless Veterans
click post title for more
Falling thru the cracks in the Army’s duty of care
Was Nestling’s death just another avoidable cock-up or is there something more sinister going on here? Either way, plenty of people in the military appeared to be aware that she had serious psychological problems and its leadership clearly failed in its basic duty of care by allowing a vulnerable confused young female soldier to slip thru the cracks.
Copyright © 1998-2007
Online Journal
Email Online Journal Editor
The forgotten casualties: Falling thru the cracks in the Army’s duty of care
By Ted Newcomen
Online Journal Guest Writer
Jul 4, 2008, 00:22
It was just another tragic headline in a Florida newspaper: Area woman killed in Iraq -- Father confirms his daughter is third casualty in past three months. The article went on to describe how Army SPC Oprah Nestling, aged 26, (not her real name or age) had been killed in combat overseas in January 2006. No details were provided by the Department of Defense and her father declined to make any further comment.
However, a few days later her name was removed from the website of Iraq Coalition Casualty Count and no further information appeared in the local paper. Further investigation revealed that SPC O. Nestling had not been killed on active service in Iraq but was supposedly found slumped dead on the floor of a barrack room at Ft. Bragg, N.C.
Fast forward 30 months and two applications submitted through the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) and the army released a partial report with key pieces of information withheld, listing the cause of death as ‘undetermined.’
So how did an active 26 year-old female soldier die alone in a total stranger’s barrack room on a US Army base? How come the manner and cause of her death is still undetermined? Why have the authorities failed to come to a satisfactory conclusion concerning her demise? Why are they still withholding vital information?
The heavily censored details in the partial report reveal the tragic story of a young woman with chronic psychological problems which begs the question, how did such a person with so many problems come to be accepted into the military in the first place? Was her psychological entry-screening really so inadequate or has the desperate need to put boots on the ground meant that standards had been lowered to such an extent that severe depression and bazaar self-destructive behavior are no longer seen as being a disqualification for entry?
You don’t have to dig far into the Army documents to find that Nestling had severe psychological problems prior to and after entry into the service. Even before being sent overseas she was mixing prescription anti-depressants with alcohol and once had her stomach pumped in what may have been a failed suicide attempt.
go here for more
http://onlinejournal.com/artman/publish/article_3453.shtml
A question for Rush Limbaugh
Correction: many questions for Rush Limbaugh. Begin with who pushed to have the GI Bill? Was it a Republican or was it a Democrat? Who was it who fought against this Bill because it was "too generous" for the troops? Was it a Democrat or was it several Republicans?
Now I'm not saying the Democrats have hallos above their heads when it comes to the troops and our veterans but they are a lot closer to obtaining them than most of the GOP in office. Bush and McCain fought against the GI Bill Jim Webb, a Democrat fought to provide the troops.
It was not a member of the Republican party fighting to make sure the VA was fully funded to take care of the wounded veterans. It was not a Republican holding hearings on the fact VA had less doctors and nurses working for them with two active occupations producing more wounded than they did during the Gulf War, but it was the Democrats.
It was not the members of the GOP wanting accountability from the Administration but it was the Democrats. They wanted to know how we ended up pulling troops out of Afghanistan in order to send them into Iraq without any factual need to do so or why the occupation of Afghanistan has ended up costing more lives every year since 2001. They wanted accountability from the defense contractors when the troops were being electrocuted. They wanted it when the treatment they were receiving at Walter Reed was deplorable and worse treatment than they would have received as an inmate in any of our prisons. That's right Rush, there are rules on how prisoners can be treated but apparently with the GOP in charge, there were none on how our wounded troops could be treated.
When it comes to the troops coming home and having to wait over a year to have a claim approved so they can have some income to make up for their lost incomes, it isn't the GOP caring. It isn't the GOP caring about National Guards and Reservists families living on food stamps because they lost income with their spouse deployed. It wasn't the GOP caring about the fact the Army found that the redeployments increased the risk of PTSD by 50% or the fact they were not getting enough rest in between deployments. Everything done since the occupations began and was allowed to continue was due to the GOP holding all the cards. Everything done for the troops has been begun when the Democrats took control. Now they will be held accountable.
Plus you seem to have forgotten that while the vast majority of Americans are against the occupation of Iraq because they paid attention to the facts, they do support the operations in Afghanistan because that was due to the attacks against us, we all support the troops. It's not their fault they were sent into Iraq and they do receive the full support of the American people. We all care about them. That includes Republicans and Democrats and Independents and Green Party and every other political affiliation. You seem to have forgotten that in order to fully support the troops you have to support the truth and the facts as well. You have to hold those who send them to risk their lives are held accountable for the decisions they make and for the results. If people like you had your way, Rumsfeld would still be in charge of the Department of Defense. While we do say they are doing a great job, we also care if they have jobs when they are no longer in the military, when they need income, need their wounds taken care of and do not end up homeless. You seem to think a pat on the back is fine and then send the wounded back into combat. To really care about the troops is to take care of them when they are also veterans.
While there are some in the GOP who do in fact support the troops when it really counts, too many of them are just like you. All talk and not much action to back it up.
Senior Chaplain Kathie Costos
Namguardianangel@aol.com
www.Namguardianangel.org
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
Limbaugh: Democrats will not say "We honor your service" to troops returning from Iraq
Rush Limbaugh asserted that troops returning from Iraq "will not receive anything from the Democrat [sic] Party along the likes of 'Job well done. We're proud of you.' And this is highly distressing. Not only will Democrats not say, nor leftists, say to any returning troops from Iraq, 'Good job. Job well done. We honor your service.' No, they did just the opposite. They sought to secure defeat of the U.S. military in Iraq." In fact, many Senate Democrats recently honored the service of U.S. troops serving in Iraq and Afghanistan. Read More
Now I'm not saying the Democrats have hallos above their heads when it comes to the troops and our veterans but they are a lot closer to obtaining them than most of the GOP in office. Bush and McCain fought against the GI Bill Jim Webb, a Democrat fought to provide the troops.
It was not a member of the Republican party fighting to make sure the VA was fully funded to take care of the wounded veterans. It was not a Republican holding hearings on the fact VA had less doctors and nurses working for them with two active occupations producing more wounded than they did during the Gulf War, but it was the Democrats.
It was not the members of the GOP wanting accountability from the Administration but it was the Democrats. They wanted to know how we ended up pulling troops out of Afghanistan in order to send them into Iraq without any factual need to do so or why the occupation of Afghanistan has ended up costing more lives every year since 2001. They wanted accountability from the defense contractors when the troops were being electrocuted. They wanted it when the treatment they were receiving at Walter Reed was deplorable and worse treatment than they would have received as an inmate in any of our prisons. That's right Rush, there are rules on how prisoners can be treated but apparently with the GOP in charge, there were none on how our wounded troops could be treated.
When it comes to the troops coming home and having to wait over a year to have a claim approved so they can have some income to make up for their lost incomes, it isn't the GOP caring. It isn't the GOP caring about National Guards and Reservists families living on food stamps because they lost income with their spouse deployed. It wasn't the GOP caring about the fact the Army found that the redeployments increased the risk of PTSD by 50% or the fact they were not getting enough rest in between deployments. Everything done since the occupations began and was allowed to continue was due to the GOP holding all the cards. Everything done for the troops has been begun when the Democrats took control. Now they will be held accountable.
Plus you seem to have forgotten that while the vast majority of Americans are against the occupation of Iraq because they paid attention to the facts, they do support the operations in Afghanistan because that was due to the attacks against us, we all support the troops. It's not their fault they were sent into Iraq and they do receive the full support of the American people. We all care about them. That includes Republicans and Democrats and Independents and Green Party and every other political affiliation. You seem to have forgotten that in order to fully support the troops you have to support the truth and the facts as well. You have to hold those who send them to risk their lives are held accountable for the decisions they make and for the results. If people like you had your way, Rumsfeld would still be in charge of the Department of Defense. While we do say they are doing a great job, we also care if they have jobs when they are no longer in the military, when they need income, need their wounds taken care of and do not end up homeless. You seem to think a pat on the back is fine and then send the wounded back into combat. To really care about the troops is to take care of them when they are also veterans.
While there are some in the GOP who do in fact support the troops when it really counts, too many of them are just like you. All talk and not much action to back it up.
Senior Chaplain Kathie Costos
Namguardianangel@aol.com
www.Namguardianangel.org
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
Jefferson Award Winner Kendar Bryn Stewardson 2006
There are people all over the net claiming to be "fighting for" veterans but end up attacking them instead. I have a feeling who the "certain person" is in this email I received. I've seen her work too many times but there are a lot more just like her, so I cannot be sure. If you come up against anyone claiming to be dedicated to veterans, if they are not dedicated to all veterans, then know their real agenda is not doing right for veterans, but something sinister instead.
I have great admiration for the people working for the VA. I know how hard they work and the fact they could be making a lot more money in the private sector. My issues are always with the administration itself and the Congress. They make the rules, allocate the funds and are supposed to be providing the care our veterans not only need, but deserve and have earned. No matter how hard I work to provide education to veterans so that they understand what PTSD is, without the people at the VA, it would do no good because there would be no one there to help them. I'm not a psychologist or a psychiatrist or a social worker. There is very little I can do for them after I get them to understand PTSD is a wound. That said, it is why I do agree with the statement about the VA above.
Good morning.
Last year, a certain "someone" who will remain nameless but regularly
engages in character assassination, published highly disparaging and
derogatory remarks about a homeless veteran who was doing what she could to
contribute in her community. As homelessness is not something that most
people seek out, it seemed rather crude and dispicable that one female
"veteran" who speak badly about another female veteran seeking to better
herself, despite her misfortunes.
Below is another article about a homeless transgender veteran - strange but
nevertheless a reality in our world. This person now "volunteers" 50 hours
a week!
This person volunteered to serve in Vietnam as a helicopter door gunner.
This person now seems to be making a significant effort, even in a society
that looks down upon them. This person also spoke highly of the VA and
its' support of her. I thought you might find it interesting. Nothing to
react to.....but it demonstrates that the VA doesn't ignore anyone, even a
transgender vet.
I have great admiration for the people working for the VA. I know how hard they work and the fact they could be making a lot more money in the private sector. My issues are always with the administration itself and the Congress. They make the rules, allocate the funds and are supposed to be providing the care our veterans not only need, but deserve and have earned. No matter how hard I work to provide education to veterans so that they understand what PTSD is, without the people at the VA, it would do no good because there would be no one there to help them. I'm not a psychologist or a psychiatrist or a social worker. There is very little I can do for them after I get them to understand PTSD is a wound. That said, it is why I do agree with the statement about the VA above.
JEFFERSON AWARD / Presented to Kendra Bryn Stewardson / Once homeless, today she assists others
After being "rescued" by Project Homeless Connect, Kendra Bryn Stewardson became a full-time advocate for the homeless. Chronicle photo by Katy Raddatz
Chronicle Staff Writer
Sunday, December 10, 2006
Kendra Bryn Stewardson survived the horrors of Vietnam, worked for 25 years as a master carpenter and cared for her ailing mother, only to end up homeless on the streets of San Francisco for a year.
Stewardson, a transgender woman, will always remember Dec. 6, 2004, the day she was "rescued" by volunteers from Project Homeless Connect while sitting in a puddle of water on Turk Street. Stewardson was placed in transitional housing the same day.
Two weeks later, Stewardson began to volunteer for Project Homeless Connect, a project that serves the homeless and helps them re-enter society. She was trained by Judith Klain, director of Project Homeless Connect and of Community Programs at the San Francisco Department of Public Health.
"As part of the PHC leadership team, Kendra lends a unique perspective to the planning, program and policy decision-making," Klain said. "She is the unyielding voice for homeless folks, an advocate with incredibly innovative ideas about how to most appropriately deliver services. She is always client-focused. Resisting bureaucratic tendencies, she continues to bring fresh ideas to this project; always challenging us to do our most. Plus, she has a wicked sense of humor that keeps us all laughing in the midst of the chaos and hard work."
Stewardson, 56, believes that the dedicated team of volunteers is what makes Project Homeless Connect work so well.
"I was housed on the first day, the Veterans Administration went to bat for me and the doctor said I'd live. I was treated with dignity and respect. I was actually shown that I'd be welcomed back into society. For an old broad like me, who was sitting in a puddle of water two hours before, it was a shock. I decided that I wanted to get involved."
Project Homeless Connect is an initiative started by Mayor Gavin Newsom in collaboration with government agencies, the private sector, community nonprofit organizations and individuals. It is a bimonthly event held at Bill Graham Civic Auditorium, where volunteers provide community outreach that serves more than 1,500 homeless clients, assisting with housing, employment, medical care, legal services, food, substance abuse and mental health counseling.
Stewardson, who subsists on a disabled veterans' pension, logs an estimated 50 volunteer hours with Project Homeless Connect a week. Stewardson also works with the Shelter Monitoring Committee in San Francisco, which is not associated with Project Homeless Connect. It was created by the Board of Supervisors in December 2004. The committee is composed of 13 homeless, formerly homeless and homeless advocates. Stewardson was one of three mayoral appointees. Stewardson also runs the Public Speaking Bureau for Project Homeless Connect and has made presentations at corporations and schools and universities.
click above for the rest
Thursday, July 3, 2008
Sister Green was woman left to die on hospital floor
'Beautiful person' died on hospital floor, friends say
The woman known as "Sister Green" to her fellow church members was remembered Thursday as a "beautiful person" with "a good heart." But a friend said Esmin Green was struggling with personal issues before she was taken to King County Hospital in Brooklyn. There she collapsed and died on the floor, seemingly ignored by hospital staff. full story
Daughter can't bear to watch the video
The woman known as "Sister Green" to her fellow church members was remembered Thursday as a "beautiful person" with "a good heart." But a friend said Esmin Green was struggling with personal issues before she was taken to King County Hospital in Brooklyn. There she collapsed and died on the floor, seemingly ignored by hospital staff. full story
Daughter can't bear to watch the video
Changing Us, Iraq from a grunts point of view
Iraq vet’s movie helps him cope
By Robert Weller - The Associated Press
Posted : Thursday Jul 3, 2008 20:25:50 EDT
DENVER — Counseling and medication weren’t enough to help Laef Fox recover from his grim war experience in Iraq, and drugs and alcohol didn’t work either, so he tried making a movie instead.
The result is “Changing Us,” a film about the invasion from a grunt’s point of view. It will be screened in a private Fourth of July preview in Denver.
The 80-minute documentary, made with footage Fox shot while in Iraq, tells what it was like for an average squad assigned to protect the main supply route into Baghdad from frequent attacks launched from bunkers and a network of tunnels. That made his squad the frequent target of attacks.
Fox was in Iraq for six months starting in April 2003, just after the invasion began.
“I had a lot of unexpected explosions go off near me and random gunshots,” he said. When he came home the Veterans Administration diagnosed him with post-traumatic stress disorder and he was given a partial disability.
It “took me three years to get over it,” he said, but he was still antsy during an interview with The Associated Press. He said the slightest noise can shake him and bring back bad memories, and he still has problems with his central nervous system.
“Alcoholism and anger almost overcame me completely,” he said, but a supportive family and girlfriend pushed him to get treatment.
“The treatment helped me climb from the hole I was in,” he said.
Putting the movie together helped him come to grips with what he had seen and done, and filled an urgent need he felt to tell his story.
“I just want to give people knowledge of one unit and the Iraqi experience,” he said.
His mother, Cyndi Fox of Lancaster, Ohio, said that when her son came home, he was so angry and depressed that “for a while I didn’t know him. He had always been the class clown.”
go here for more
http://www.armytimes.com/news/2008/07/ap_healingafteriraq070308/
By Robert Weller - The Associated Press
Posted : Thursday Jul 3, 2008 20:25:50 EDT
DENVER — Counseling and medication weren’t enough to help Laef Fox recover from his grim war experience in Iraq, and drugs and alcohol didn’t work either, so he tried making a movie instead.
The result is “Changing Us,” a film about the invasion from a grunt’s point of view. It will be screened in a private Fourth of July preview in Denver.
The 80-minute documentary, made with footage Fox shot while in Iraq, tells what it was like for an average squad assigned to protect the main supply route into Baghdad from frequent attacks launched from bunkers and a network of tunnels. That made his squad the frequent target of attacks.
Fox was in Iraq for six months starting in April 2003, just after the invasion began.
“I had a lot of unexpected explosions go off near me and random gunshots,” he said. When he came home the Veterans Administration diagnosed him with post-traumatic stress disorder and he was given a partial disability.
It “took me three years to get over it,” he said, but he was still antsy during an interview with The Associated Press. He said the slightest noise can shake him and bring back bad memories, and he still has problems with his central nervous system.
“Alcoholism and anger almost overcame me completely,” he said, but a supportive family and girlfriend pushed him to get treatment.
“The treatment helped me climb from the hole I was in,” he said.
Putting the movie together helped him come to grips with what he had seen and done, and filled an urgent need he felt to tell his story.
“I just want to give people knowledge of one unit and the Iraqi experience,” he said.
His mother, Cyndi Fox of Lancaster, Ohio, said that when her son came home, he was so angry and depressed that “for a while I didn’t know him. He had always been the class clown.”
go here for more
http://www.armytimes.com/news/2008/07/ap_healingafteriraq070308/
Dept. of Defense and VA miss important deadline
Dept. of Defense and VA miss important deadline
Yesterday came and went without the DoD and the VA meeting the July 1, 2008 deadline to make several improvements to the medical evaluation board (MEB), physical evaluation board (PEB), and to report to Congress on the advisability of consolidating the DoD and VA disability evaluation systems. These requirements were part of the 2008 National Defense Authorization Act and were passed into law as PUBLIC LAW 110-181 [H.R. 4986].
There are many important and vital rights that were granted by Congress in passing the law. Those rights depend on the DoD and the VA acting swiftly to publish regulations to improve processes, eliminate discrepancies between military and VA ratings, assign independent medical doctors to those members at the medical evaluation board, and to report to Congress.
I write this to draw attention to the fact that this has not happened yet, and to point out that those going through the physical disability evaluation system may have to demand their rights.
The following are several important rights that impact all those going through an MEB or PEB:
Assignment to the Servicemember of an independent physician at the MEB to provide review of MEB findings, advice, and counsel.
Setting time standards for processing of cases, setting a maximum number of cases heard at each MEB and PEB and the requirement to establish additional MEBs and PEBs when this number is exceeded.
The requirement that the DoD and VA set up procedures that ensure the "elimination of unacceptable discrepancies and improve consistency" between military and VA ratings.
Training and qualification standards for several key players in the process, including MEB physicians, PEB personnel (presumably including Board members), Physical Evaluation Board Liaison Officers (PEBLOs), and Judge Advocates.
Until they publish the required regulations, if going through disability processing, I would advise being aware of these important provisions, how they may impact your case, and demanding compliance when appropriate.
click post tile for more
Great job on this!
Yesterday came and went without the DoD and the VA meeting the July 1, 2008 deadline to make several improvements to the medical evaluation board (MEB), physical evaluation board (PEB), and to report to Congress on the advisability of consolidating the DoD and VA disability evaluation systems. These requirements were part of the 2008 National Defense Authorization Act and were passed into law as PUBLIC LAW 110-181 [H.R. 4986].
There are many important and vital rights that were granted by Congress in passing the law. Those rights depend on the DoD and the VA acting swiftly to publish regulations to improve processes, eliminate discrepancies between military and VA ratings, assign independent medical doctors to those members at the medical evaluation board, and to report to Congress.
I write this to draw attention to the fact that this has not happened yet, and to point out that those going through the physical disability evaluation system may have to demand their rights.
The following are several important rights that impact all those going through an MEB or PEB:
Assignment to the Servicemember of an independent physician at the MEB to provide review of MEB findings, advice, and counsel.
Setting time standards for processing of cases, setting a maximum number of cases heard at each MEB and PEB and the requirement to establish additional MEBs and PEBs when this number is exceeded.
The requirement that the DoD and VA set up procedures that ensure the "elimination of unacceptable discrepancies and improve consistency" between military and VA ratings.
Training and qualification standards for several key players in the process, including MEB physicians, PEB personnel (presumably including Board members), Physical Evaluation Board Liaison Officers (PEBLOs), and Judge Advocates.
Until they publish the required regulations, if going through disability processing, I would advise being aware of these important provisions, how they may impact your case, and demanding compliance when appropriate.
click post tile for more
Great job on this!
PTSD Between then and now
Iraq’s Signature Wound
Posted on Jul 2, 2008
By Marie Cocco
WASHINGTON—George Ball remembers last July 4 all too well.
“I spent it in my room with the windows drawn and the covers over my head,” the 32-year-old Iraq war veteran says. The bottle rockets, with their shrieking whistles followed by the pop of explosions, affected him most. “I got up in the middle of the night and looked for my weapon. This is normal stuff, though. You would have, too, if you’d been to Iraq as many times as I have.”
Ball served two tours there as an Army staff sergeant. He’d volunteered for duty in 2001—before the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11. “I didn’t get caught up in all the patriotism,” he said from his home in Jupiter, Fla. “I volunteered before it was popular.”
Now Ball suffers from one of the signature wounds of the Iraq war, post-traumatic stress disorder, or PTSD. He says it was the reason given for his early discharge, a release that was forced upon him after his Bradley fighting vehicle was blown up while his unit was on patrol near Ramadi. While convalescing in Germany, Ball says, he became determined not to return to Iraq because his memory was so inconsistent as to be dangerous. “I couldn’t remember things—little things like where I put my keys and things like that,” he says. Knowing he had authority over the lives of other soldiers frightened him. “I was afraid I would forget something important and get somebody killed.”
And so, with his discharge papers affirming that he suffered from PTSD, Ball sought help from the Department of Veterans Affairs, where he applied for disability due to his inability to keep a steady job. He had tried working as an electrician’s apprentice at construction sites, but that only inflamed his condition, and he was fired. “Things would drop and they would scare me pretty bad. I’d keep forgetting stuff. I figured I could live with it if I just wrote stuff down,” he says. But the hard physical labor also worsened his war-related back injury, and the crashing sounds typical in construction work would send him diving into a ditch for cover.
A year after he applied for disability—a year after the Army had acknowledged his PTSD—Ball received an 80 percent disability rating and, with it, a steadier income. He is typical of those veterans who say the disability claims process is a labyrinth that leaves returning vets and their families in dire situations, unable to keep jobs in the civilian labor force or to navigate the disability maze with sufficient speed. Medical care, including mental health care, also is seen as slow in coming.
go here for more
http://www.truthdig.com/report/item/20080703_iraqs_signature_wound/?ln
Every time I read stories like this the voices awaken in my own head. "Well, as soon as his claim is approved, you'll have all the money you need." That's what everyone from the VA and the DAV kept telling me about my husband. He came home from a different war, a different time and a different place. Today's veterans come back from Iraq and Afghanistan to a nation just learning what some of them bring back with them trapped inside of them. The wound of PTSD. My husband came home to a nation that simply didn't care when he came back from Vietnam. No one wanted to hear anything. We've learned a lot since then but we have so much more to learn still. We need to be aware of not only the wound the veteran has inside of them but the wound they bring home to their families.
We have to deal with the changes in them between short term memory loss, nerves on end, mood swings, detachment, avoidance along with their nightmares and zone out flash backs. Pile on top of all of that we usually have to deal with the kids who can't understand what we are just learning about. We deal with wondering if we will have anything close to the marriage we used to have. We also have to deal with the loss of income. Between then and now and when is almost impossible to cope with.
For my husband, he had a job and made a good living when PTSD was mild and we dealt with it. Then it got worse without the help he needed and the wound began to kill him. We were lucky. I knew what it was. I knew how to deal with it better than most wives at the time and was even doing outreach work. Even with all that, it was nearly impossible to stay together. His PTSD became so bad, he had to give up his job and retired before he was even 50. We lost a lot of income and overtime, which was very hard, but I almost lost him as well. It took him a long time before he was able to accept that he cannot work. The VA takes good care of him and he will be in therapy and on medication for the rest of his life, but he's living a life instead of spending every day waiting to die.
We've come though it ok and will be married for 24 years this year. I've spent over half my life with him and no matter what we went through, I cannot imagine not being with him. We deal with what most people would find impossible but we've found what works for us and made our own kind of normal.
This is a different time and a different place but veterans are still humans and still pay the price for what we ask them to do. The only difference between then and now is that there are a lot more of them and the media has raised awareness. The fact they still have to fight the government to have their claims approved and wait far too long for the income they need to survive is deplorable. Too many families were torn apart after Vietnam and too many of them ended up homeless. When will we ever get it right?
Senior Chaplain Kathie Costos
Namguardianangel@aol.com
www.Namguardianangel.org
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
Posted on Jul 2, 2008
By Marie Cocco
WASHINGTON—George Ball remembers last July 4 all too well.
“I spent it in my room with the windows drawn and the covers over my head,” the 32-year-old Iraq war veteran says. The bottle rockets, with their shrieking whistles followed by the pop of explosions, affected him most. “I got up in the middle of the night and looked for my weapon. This is normal stuff, though. You would have, too, if you’d been to Iraq as many times as I have.”
Ball served two tours there as an Army staff sergeant. He’d volunteered for duty in 2001—before the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11. “I didn’t get caught up in all the patriotism,” he said from his home in Jupiter, Fla. “I volunteered before it was popular.”
Now Ball suffers from one of the signature wounds of the Iraq war, post-traumatic stress disorder, or PTSD. He says it was the reason given for his early discharge, a release that was forced upon him after his Bradley fighting vehicle was blown up while his unit was on patrol near Ramadi. While convalescing in Germany, Ball says, he became determined not to return to Iraq because his memory was so inconsistent as to be dangerous. “I couldn’t remember things—little things like where I put my keys and things like that,” he says. Knowing he had authority over the lives of other soldiers frightened him. “I was afraid I would forget something important and get somebody killed.”
And so, with his discharge papers affirming that he suffered from PTSD, Ball sought help from the Department of Veterans Affairs, where he applied for disability due to his inability to keep a steady job. He had tried working as an electrician’s apprentice at construction sites, but that only inflamed his condition, and he was fired. “Things would drop and they would scare me pretty bad. I’d keep forgetting stuff. I figured I could live with it if I just wrote stuff down,” he says. But the hard physical labor also worsened his war-related back injury, and the crashing sounds typical in construction work would send him diving into a ditch for cover.
A year after he applied for disability—a year after the Army had acknowledged his PTSD—Ball received an 80 percent disability rating and, with it, a steadier income. He is typical of those veterans who say the disability claims process is a labyrinth that leaves returning vets and their families in dire situations, unable to keep jobs in the civilian labor force or to navigate the disability maze with sufficient speed. Medical care, including mental health care, also is seen as slow in coming.
go here for more
http://www.truthdig.com/report/item/20080703_iraqs_signature_wound/?ln
Every time I read stories like this the voices awaken in my own head. "Well, as soon as his claim is approved, you'll have all the money you need." That's what everyone from the VA and the DAV kept telling me about my husband. He came home from a different war, a different time and a different place. Today's veterans come back from Iraq and Afghanistan to a nation just learning what some of them bring back with them trapped inside of them. The wound of PTSD. My husband came home to a nation that simply didn't care when he came back from Vietnam. No one wanted to hear anything. We've learned a lot since then but we have so much more to learn still. We need to be aware of not only the wound the veteran has inside of them but the wound they bring home to their families.
We have to deal with the changes in them between short term memory loss, nerves on end, mood swings, detachment, avoidance along with their nightmares and zone out flash backs. Pile on top of all of that we usually have to deal with the kids who can't understand what we are just learning about. We deal with wondering if we will have anything close to the marriage we used to have. We also have to deal with the loss of income. Between then and now and when is almost impossible to cope with.
For my husband, he had a job and made a good living when PTSD was mild and we dealt with it. Then it got worse without the help he needed and the wound began to kill him. We were lucky. I knew what it was. I knew how to deal with it better than most wives at the time and was even doing outreach work. Even with all that, it was nearly impossible to stay together. His PTSD became so bad, he had to give up his job and retired before he was even 50. We lost a lot of income and overtime, which was very hard, but I almost lost him as well. It took him a long time before he was able to accept that he cannot work. The VA takes good care of him and he will be in therapy and on medication for the rest of his life, but he's living a life instead of spending every day waiting to die.
We've come though it ok and will be married for 24 years this year. I've spent over half my life with him and no matter what we went through, I cannot imagine not being with him. We deal with what most people would find impossible but we've found what works for us and made our own kind of normal.
This is a different time and a different place but veterans are still humans and still pay the price for what we ask them to do. The only difference between then and now is that there are a lot more of them and the media has raised awareness. The fact they still have to fight the government to have their claims approved and wait far too long for the income they need to survive is deplorable. Too many families were torn apart after Vietnam and too many of them ended up homeless. When will we ever get it right?
Senior Chaplain Kathie Costos
Namguardianangel@aol.com
www.Namguardianangel.org
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
Pentagon Breaks Promise to Marines in Afghanistan
Pentagon Breaks Promise to Marines
By LOLITA C. BALDOR,AP
Posted: 2008-07-03 16:25:21
Filed Under: Nation News
WASHINGTON (July 3) - The Pentagon has extended the tour of 2,200 Marines in Afghanistan, after insisting for months the unit would come home on time.
The 24th Marine Expeditionary Unit, which is doing combat operations in the volatile south, will stay an extra 30 days and come home in early November rather than October, Marine Col. David Lapan confirmed Thursday.
click post title for more
By LOLITA C. BALDOR,AP
Posted: 2008-07-03 16:25:21
Filed Under: Nation News
WASHINGTON (July 3) - The Pentagon has extended the tour of 2,200 Marines in Afghanistan, after insisting for months the unit would come home on time.
The 24th Marine Expeditionary Unit, which is doing combat operations in the volatile south, will stay an extra 30 days and come home in early November rather than October, Marine Col. David Lapan confirmed Thursday.
click post title for more
Spc. Joseph Patrick Dwyer dies after PTSD struggle
Army Pfc. Joseph P. Dwyer, 26, from Suffolk County, N.Y., carries a boy injured in a firefight between the 7th Cavalry Regiment and Iraqi militia troops near Al Faysaliyah village, south of Baghdad.
Credit: Warren Zinn, Army Times
Soldier in photo dies after PTSD struggle
By Kelly Kennedy - Staff writer
Posted : Thursday Jul 3, 2008 15:56:51 EDT
During the first week of the war in Iraq, a Military Times photographer captured the arresting image of Army Spc. Joseph Patrick Dwyer as he raced through a battle zone clutching a tiny Iraqi boy named Ali.
The photo was hailed as a portrait of the heart behind the U.S. military machine, and Doc Dwyer’s concerned face graced the pages of newspapers across the country.
But rather than going on to enjoy the public affection for his act of heroism, he was consumed by the demons of combat stress he could not exorcise. For the medic who cared for the wounds of his combat buddies as they pushed toward Baghdad, the battle for his own health proved too much to bear.
On June 28, Dwyer, 31, died of an accidental overdose in his home in Pinehurst, N.C., after years of struggling with post-traumatic stress disorder. During that time, his marriage fell apart as he spiraled into substance abuse and depression. He found himself constantly struggling with law, even as friends, Veterans Affairs personnel and the Army tried to help him.
“Of course he was looked on as a hero here,” said Capt. Floyd Thomas of the Pinehurst Police Department. Still, “we’ve been dealing with him for over a year.”
The day he died, Dwyer apparently took pills and inhaled the fumes of an aerosol can in an act known as “huffing.” Thomas said Dwyer then called a taxi company for a ride to the hospital. When the driver arrived, “they had a conversation through the door [of Dwyer’s home],” Thomas said, but Dwyer could not let the driver in. The driver asked Dwyer if he should call the police. Dwyer said yes. When the police arrived, they asked him if they should break down the door. He again said yes.
go here for more
http://www.armytimes.com/news/2008/07/military_suicidedwyer_070308w/
Death casts shadow over photographer’s famous shot
By Gina Cavallaro - Staff writer
Posted : Thursday Jul 3, 2008 15:50:59 EDT
Warren Zinn felt sucker-punched the day he learned that former Pfc. Joe Dwyer had died.
Sitting in his office with the image of the young soldier he had made famous more than five years ago hanging above his desk, Zinn looked at Dwyer’s face and considered the poison-pen emails he received from people he doesn’t know, people who suggested he had contributed to the troubled man’s death.
“The sad thing is that he clearly had a problem coming back from this war and nothing was done about it, or not enough was done,” said Zinn, 30, a former Military Times photographer now a law student at the University of Miami. “I think it’s almost like an indication of the war right now.”
go here for more
http://www.armytimes.com/news/2008/07/military_dwyer_photographer_070308w/
From war hero to war haunted
LI vet depicted in famous struggle with menacing stress disorder that escalated to a standoff
BY INDRANI SEN, STAFF WRITER
October 23, 2005
Army Spc. Joseph Dwyer angled a mirror out the back window of his apartment in El Paso, Texas, trying to make out the Iraqis in the evening gloom. He couldn't see them, but he felt that they were out there somewhere, ready to attack.
Holding his 9-mm handgun tight, the 29-year-old medic from Mount Sinai phoned in an air strike using military code. He directed the fighter jets to his own street address.
Then he heard a noise from the roof - maybe an Iraqi trying to get in? - and that's when Dwyer began firing.
Nobody was hurt in the three-hour standoff Oct. 6 in which Dwyer, deep in a post-traumatic stress-induced delusion, barricaded himself into his apartment, fighting off an imaginary Iraqi attack.
Back then, an image of hope
go here for more
http://fox17.trb.com/ny-liptsd234481526oct23,1,421499.story
Sears steps up for deployed Reservists
Companies try to fill gaps for veterans
By Michael Sean Comerford Daily Herald Staff
Preparing for the 2003 invasion of Iraq, 300 Illinois Marine reservists found themselves in Kuwait poised for combat but without tools to maintain their vehicles.
Feverish attempts at swaps, trades and favors proved fruitless. So Marine reservist Chuck Brewer improvised, sending e-mail to his private-sector employer, Hoffman Estates-based Sears.
"Next thing we knew there were $10,000 worth of Craftsman tools in Kuwait City," said Brewer, a USMC major and a Sears vice president. "It was like Christmas in the summertime for us."
go here for more
http://www.vawatchdog.org/08/nf08/nfJUL08/nf070308-1.htm
By Michael Sean Comerford Daily Herald Staff
Preparing for the 2003 invasion of Iraq, 300 Illinois Marine reservists found themselves in Kuwait poised for combat but without tools to maintain their vehicles.
Feverish attempts at swaps, trades and favors proved fruitless. So Marine reservist Chuck Brewer improvised, sending e-mail to his private-sector employer, Hoffman Estates-based Sears.
"Next thing we knew there were $10,000 worth of Craftsman tools in Kuwait City," said Brewer, a USMC major and a Sears vice president. "It was like Christmas in the summertime for us."
go here for more
http://www.vawatchdog.org/08/nf08/nfJUL08/nf070308-1.htm
Daytona officials envision putting panhandlers to work
Daytona officials envision putting panhandlers to work
By SARA KIESLER
Staff Writer
DAYTONA BEACH -- Imagine this: You're ambling down Beach Street, looking for a restaurant or shop, and instead of coming across a panhandler begging for money you see a small crew of men cleaning the streets.
That's the image a group of community leaders are coming closer to making a reality.
The Downtown Daytona Streets Team -- an initiative inspired by the city of Palo Alto, Calif., and brought forward by City Commissioner Rick Shiver -- is within months of recruiting homeless people and panhandlers to clean the downtown area, earn room and board, and develop work habits so they can re-enter the work force.
Most crucial to the team's success right now is funding. It's expected to cost $2,500 to put someone through the program, plus $30,000 to $60,000 in administrative expenses a year, Shiver said.
Businesses, however, are so fed up with panhandlers they should line up to help pay for the program, said Donna Sue Sanders, director of community affairs at International Speedway Corp.
In fact, she said, S2 Advertising on Ridgewood Avenue already said the business would "absolutely" donate.
"Anything we can do to keep the community moving forward," S2 owner Chris Scali said.
"Transients are part of the community. If we can find a better way of dealing with them, wonderful."
go here for more
http://www.news-journalonline.com/NewsJournalOnline/News/EastVolusia/evlEAST04070308.htm
By SARA KIESLER
Staff Writer
DAYTONA BEACH -- Imagine this: You're ambling down Beach Street, looking for a restaurant or shop, and instead of coming across a panhandler begging for money you see a small crew of men cleaning the streets.
That's the image a group of community leaders are coming closer to making a reality.
The Downtown Daytona Streets Team -- an initiative inspired by the city of Palo Alto, Calif., and brought forward by City Commissioner Rick Shiver -- is within months of recruiting homeless people and panhandlers to clean the downtown area, earn room and board, and develop work habits so they can re-enter the work force.
Most crucial to the team's success right now is funding. It's expected to cost $2,500 to put someone through the program, plus $30,000 to $60,000 in administrative expenses a year, Shiver said.
Businesses, however, are so fed up with panhandlers they should line up to help pay for the program, said Donna Sue Sanders, director of community affairs at International Speedway Corp.
In fact, she said, S2 Advertising on Ridgewood Avenue already said the business would "absolutely" donate.
"Anything we can do to keep the community moving forward," S2 owner Chris Scali said.
"Transients are part of the community. If we can find a better way of dealing with them, wonderful."
go here for more
http://www.news-journalonline.com/NewsJournalOnline/News/EastVolusia/evlEAST04070308.htm
Plymouth veterans win fight over studio sign
Plymouth veterans win fight over studio sign
By Christine Legere
Globe Correspondent / July 3, 2008
PLYMOUTH - Plymouth Rock Studios, the group of California film executives responsible for the 50-foot "Hollywood East" sign on the front lawn of the 1820 Plymouth County Courthouse, couldn't take the heat.
The company notified the Plymouth County Commissioners office yesterday that the sign would be dismantled and carted away before throngs of tourists arrive in America's Hometown for tomorrow's July Fourth parade.
Veterans, enraged because the oversized letters blocked two 20-year-old memorials to veterans of the Korean and Vietnam wars, had been planning a protest on the courthouse lawn during tomorrow's celebration.
"I say 'Hurray,' " said Alba Thompson, vice commander of the town's Veteran's Council. "It would have been awful to have that sign blocking the veterans' memorials, particularly on Independence Day."
click post title for more
By Christine Legere
Globe Correspondent / July 3, 2008
PLYMOUTH - Plymouth Rock Studios, the group of California film executives responsible for the 50-foot "Hollywood East" sign on the front lawn of the 1820 Plymouth County Courthouse, couldn't take the heat.
The company notified the Plymouth County Commissioners office yesterday that the sign would be dismantled and carted away before throngs of tourists arrive in America's Hometown for tomorrow's July Fourth parade.
Veterans, enraged because the oversized letters blocked two 20-year-old memorials to veterans of the Korean and Vietnam wars, had been planning a protest on the courthouse lawn during tomorrow's celebration.
"I say 'Hurray,' " said Alba Thompson, vice commander of the town's Veteran's Council. "It would have been awful to have that sign blocking the veterans' memorials, particularly on Independence Day."
click post title for more
Demoted deputy police chief kills self
Demoted deputy police chief kills self
HAMILTON, N.J., July 3 (UPI) -- A police officer has been assigned to guard the mayor of a New Jersey town after the suicide of the recently demoted deputy police chief.
Officials said no known threats have been made against Hamilton Mayor John Bencivengo, The Times of Trenton reported. The Bencivengo administration proposed the demotion of George Zimmer Jr. from deputy chief to captain as part of an effort to cut spending throughout the government.
Zimmer was found dead Tuesday morning. Investigators say he shot himself in his home.
Bencivengo said he is only being guarded during working hours.
Zimmer was a decorated police officer. His father retired as police chief in 1990 after 43 years with the Hamilton department.
The deputy chief was also known for coaching children's sports in the Hamilton. He is survived by his wife and two teenage children.
http://www.upi.com/Top_News/2008/07/03
/Demoted_deputy_police_chief_kills_self/UPI-62851215109108/
HAMILTON, N.J., July 3 (UPI) -- A police officer has been assigned to guard the mayor of a New Jersey town after the suicide of the recently demoted deputy police chief.
Officials said no known threats have been made against Hamilton Mayor John Bencivengo, The Times of Trenton reported. The Bencivengo administration proposed the demotion of George Zimmer Jr. from deputy chief to captain as part of an effort to cut spending throughout the government.
Zimmer was found dead Tuesday morning. Investigators say he shot himself in his home.
Bencivengo said he is only being guarded during working hours.
Zimmer was a decorated police officer. His father retired as police chief in 1990 after 43 years with the Hamilton department.
The deputy chief was also known for coaching children's sports in the Hamilton. He is survived by his wife and two teenage children.
http://www.upi.com/Top_News/2008/07/03
/Demoted_deputy_police_chief_kills_self/UPI-62851215109108/
Veteran Love and Appreciation Inc. steps up for Miami Veteran
Miami Beach nonprofit gives disabled veterans help
Published Thursday, July 3, 2008 at 12:13 p.m.
Last updated Thursday, July 3, 2008 at 12:13 p.m.
MIAMI — Jorge Roque endured life in the Kuwaiti desert as his Marine Corps unit waited for the signal that the war in Iraq had begun. He survived as friends died fighting their way into Baghdad. He witnessed the famous toppling of the city's statue of Saddam Hussein.
But he wasn't prepared for the hardships he faced when he tried to create a life for himself after he was discharged from the military. He was unemployed and living in his car when he went to the local Veterans Affairs center seeking help.
The VA center directed him to Veteran Love and Appreciation Fund Inc., a private nonprofit based in Miami Beach. It helps needy disabled ex-soldiers who have served in Iraq, Afghanistan and other wars by giving them money until their government checks begin, including rent payments and gift cards for food and gas.
Roque is one of about 130 people Veteran Love has helped since it was created in 2003. He is now studying his longtime dream of filmmaking.
"They come home and they don't know what to do next," said Charlene Riggs, who runs the fund with her mother-in-law Toni Garner. "They need a person to basically walk them through getting the forms filled out. ... The veterans are so lost in trying to become reacclimated into a normal life."
The local VA center has been working with Veteran Love for about two years.
This is from their site:
Published Thursday, July 3, 2008 at 12:13 p.m.
Last updated Thursday, July 3, 2008 at 12:13 p.m.
MIAMI — Jorge Roque endured life in the Kuwaiti desert as his Marine Corps unit waited for the signal that the war in Iraq had begun. He survived as friends died fighting their way into Baghdad. He witnessed the famous toppling of the city's statue of Saddam Hussein.
But he wasn't prepared for the hardships he faced when he tried to create a life for himself after he was discharged from the military. He was unemployed and living in his car when he went to the local Veterans Affairs center seeking help.
The VA center directed him to Veteran Love and Appreciation Fund Inc., a private nonprofit based in Miami Beach. It helps needy disabled ex-soldiers who have served in Iraq, Afghanistan and other wars by giving them money until their government checks begin, including rent payments and gift cards for food and gas.
Roque is one of about 130 people Veteran Love has helped since it was created in 2003. He is now studying his longtime dream of filmmaking.
"They come home and they don't know what to do next," said Charlene Riggs, who runs the fund with her mother-in-law Toni Garner. "They need a person to basically walk them through getting the forms filled out. ... The veterans are so lost in trying to become reacclimated into a normal life."
The local VA center has been working with Veteran Love for about two years.
In 2006, Veteran Love had a fundraiser, netting about $116,000, which it has been doling out. It has about $40,000 left and is trying to raise more. The fund was created with the guidance and financial assistance of Garner's son, who pays for the overhead - including a secretary and a recently hired grant writer - while Garner and Riggs volunteer.
go here for more
http://www.heraldtribune.com/article/20080703/APN/807030626
This is from their site:
American Support - Veteran Help for Disabled Veteran Soldiers in need of assistance
Our Mission Statement Veteran Love and Appreciation Inc., a nonprofit 501(c) (3), exists to provide direct, essential needs to our severely wounded and disabled men and women who served in Operation Iraqi Freedom and Operation Enduring Freedom. Our assistance is intended to bridge the gap for these brave men and women as they transition from military service into civilian life. We are helping to put shattered lives and families back together. These heroes of the “War on Terror” deserve America's support for their service and sacrifices made daily.
Veteran Love & Appreciation donates $5,000 to wounded warrior and family at a benefit held in Ocala, Fl April 12, 2008.
FOCUS: Job Fair Veteran Love and Appreciation will once again participate in the 3rd Annual Job Fair for Military Veterans. Click here for flyer and more info.
FOCUS: Food and Fuel Veteran Love understands that there can be a substantial delay in the discharge from active duty and the payment of VA benefits. This is where Veteran Love steps in to help by providing for veterans’ essential, day to day needs. We have initiated Operation: Food and Fuel to provide for veterans and their families vital needs such as food and gas.
To qualify for assistance, the disabled veterans:
Must have served in Iraq or Afghanistan (DD Form 214, required)
Must be a combat wounded disabled veteran (VA confirmation required, normally through VA case worker, Purple Heart and/or medical documentation of war wounds sustained)
Are not presently receiving benefits from either Defense Finance and Accounting Service or the Veterans Administration
Must allow Veteran Love to verify the information provided by the disabled veteran
Must provide substantiating information regarding the disabled veterans’ financial situation
Please email to:assistance@veteranlove.com or mail to:
Veteran Love and Appreciation
930 Washington Avenue Suite 203
Miami Beach, FL 33139
Start a Movement: Get your Dog Tags Today!
In order to better create awareness you will receive with every tax deductible donation, personalized dog tags with your with your name engraved.Our movement will show our support and appreciation of our American disabled veteransDonate Today »
go here for more of their site
http://www.veteranlove.com/
Judge Rules PTSD covered under disability law
Federal appeals court rules Rehabilitation Act extends to post-traumatic stress
Nick Fiske at 6:48 AM ET
[JURIST] The US Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia [official website] on Wednesday reversed [opinion, PDF] a district court ruling and found that post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) [NIMH backgrounder] may qualify as a disability under the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 [text, DOC]. The plaintiff in the case, Martin Desmond, alleged that he was forced to resign from the FBI New Agent Training Unit [FBI backgrounder] in Quantico, VA when his superiors learned that he suffered from PTSD.
Desmond argued that his dismissal from the program constituted discrimination based on disability, in violation of Section 501 of the Act. In its ruling, the court explained that under the Rehabilitation Act a plaintiff is disabled if "(1) he suffers from an impairment; (2) the impairment limits an activity that constitutes a major life activity under the Act; and (3) the limitation is substantial." Finding that PTSD qualified as a "mental impairment" and that sleep constituted a "major life activity," the court concluded that the condition was covered by the Act where evidence of significant sleeplessness exists. The case was remanded for further proceedings.
go here for more
http://jurist.law.pitt.edu/paperchase/2008/07/federal-appeals-court-rules.php
Nick Fiske at 6:48 AM ET
[JURIST] The US Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia [official website] on Wednesday reversed [opinion, PDF] a district court ruling and found that post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) [NIMH backgrounder] may qualify as a disability under the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 [text, DOC]. The plaintiff in the case, Martin Desmond, alleged that he was forced to resign from the FBI New Agent Training Unit [FBI backgrounder] in Quantico, VA when his superiors learned that he suffered from PTSD.
Desmond argued that his dismissal from the program constituted discrimination based on disability, in violation of Section 501 of the Act. In its ruling, the court explained that under the Rehabilitation Act a plaintiff is disabled if "(1) he suffers from an impairment; (2) the impairment limits an activity that constitutes a major life activity under the Act; and (3) the limitation is substantial." Finding that PTSD qualified as a "mental impairment" and that sleep constituted a "major life activity," the court concluded that the condition was covered by the Act where evidence of significant sleeplessness exists. The case was remanded for further proceedings.
go here for more
http://jurist.law.pitt.edu/paperchase/2008/07/federal-appeals-court-rules.php
In this war, troops get rousing welcome home
In this war, troops get rousing welcome home
By Rick Hampson - USA Today
Posted : Thursday Jul 3, 2008 8:16:31 EDT
WARMINSTER, Pa. — The young soldier hadn’t slept in 48 hours or bathed in 72. Now that he was finally back from Iraq, all Pfc. Justin Gindhart wanted was a hot shower and a soft bed.
But these days, Gindhart discovered, a soldier’s homecoming isn’t always that simple.
To his surprise, there was a troop of motorcycle-riding Vietnam vets to greet him at the airport; a police-escorted motorcade past blocked-off intersections and highway entrances that backed up traffic for miles; an appearance at a support-the-troops rally; and a gathering of neighbors and friends, alerted by fire and ambulance sirens, outside his family’s house. And the biggest shock of all — a reunion with a disabled comrade whose life he’d helped save in Iraq.
“Wow! I thought I was just gonna come home,” the startled private told the crowd that spilled across his lawn and into the street on Father’s Day. “I didn’t expect anything like this!”
He should have. Troops coming home from Iraq and Afghanistan are being welcomed with celebrations that are increasingly elaborate, frequently surreptitious and occasionally over the top.
Like many of those who are greeted like latter-day Caesars, Gindhart was quick to point out that he wasn’t exceptional. He was a 20-year-old medic who’d spent eight months in Iraq and hadn’t been seriously wounded or highly decorated. He was home only on an 18-day leave.
For many communities, nothing is too good when it comes to showing support for returning troops.
“He really deserved something special,” said Gindhart’s mother, Lisa, who had only 18 hours to complete arrangements after learning of her son’s scheduled arrival at the Philadelphia airport. “This is the happiest day of my life.”
She, like many other Americans, said any military homecoming — for temporary leave or to stay home for good — deserves major festivities.
Celebrations such as Gindhart’s reflect a renewed national appreciation of those who serve, said Morten Ender, a sociologist at the U.S. Military Academy.
One reason, he said, is that the home front is asked to sacrifice relatively little for the war effort — no tax surcharges, rationing or draft. So some civilians show their patriotism by how they honor the troops.
“The [Bush] administration has set the tone of going about our normal lives, but people aren’t necessarily comfortable with that,” Ender said. “They want to do something to show their appreciation.”
Sarah Schoen of Port Clinton, Ohio, said that partly explains the elaborate homecoming reception she planned for her boyfriend, Army Sgt. Travis McCleary: “There is a war going on, and we’re here back home, just hangin’ out. This was a way of doing something.”
Diane Mazur, a University of Florida law professor and former Air Force officer, goes further: “What motivates these ostentatious displays is the unspoken, almost unconscious guilt over the way military service works now. A narrow slice of Americans serve again and again. It’s as if we’re saying, ‘We will engage in these very public displays of worship, provided you don’t ask ‘us’ to serve.’”
And there’s something else. Talk to those who stage these welcome celebrations, and it becomes clear that it’s not only about the reception these troops deserve but also about the reception another generation of returning veterans deserved and did not get.
It’s about Vietnam.
go here for more
http://www.armytimes.com/news/2008/07/gns_homecomings_070308/
By Rick Hampson - USA Today
Posted : Thursday Jul 3, 2008 8:16:31 EDT
WARMINSTER, Pa. — The young soldier hadn’t slept in 48 hours or bathed in 72. Now that he was finally back from Iraq, all Pfc. Justin Gindhart wanted was a hot shower and a soft bed.
But these days, Gindhart discovered, a soldier’s homecoming isn’t always that simple.
To his surprise, there was a troop of motorcycle-riding Vietnam vets to greet him at the airport; a police-escorted motorcade past blocked-off intersections and highway entrances that backed up traffic for miles; an appearance at a support-the-troops rally; and a gathering of neighbors and friends, alerted by fire and ambulance sirens, outside his family’s house. And the biggest shock of all — a reunion with a disabled comrade whose life he’d helped save in Iraq.
“Wow! I thought I was just gonna come home,” the startled private told the crowd that spilled across his lawn and into the street on Father’s Day. “I didn’t expect anything like this!”
He should have. Troops coming home from Iraq and Afghanistan are being welcomed with celebrations that are increasingly elaborate, frequently surreptitious and occasionally over the top.
Like many of those who are greeted like latter-day Caesars, Gindhart was quick to point out that he wasn’t exceptional. He was a 20-year-old medic who’d spent eight months in Iraq and hadn’t been seriously wounded or highly decorated. He was home only on an 18-day leave.
For many communities, nothing is too good when it comes to showing support for returning troops.
“He really deserved something special,” said Gindhart’s mother, Lisa, who had only 18 hours to complete arrangements after learning of her son’s scheduled arrival at the Philadelphia airport. “This is the happiest day of my life.”
She, like many other Americans, said any military homecoming — for temporary leave or to stay home for good — deserves major festivities.
Celebrations such as Gindhart’s reflect a renewed national appreciation of those who serve, said Morten Ender, a sociologist at the U.S. Military Academy.
One reason, he said, is that the home front is asked to sacrifice relatively little for the war effort — no tax surcharges, rationing or draft. So some civilians show their patriotism by how they honor the troops.
“The [Bush] administration has set the tone of going about our normal lives, but people aren’t necessarily comfortable with that,” Ender said. “They want to do something to show their appreciation.”
Sarah Schoen of Port Clinton, Ohio, said that partly explains the elaborate homecoming reception she planned for her boyfriend, Army Sgt. Travis McCleary: “There is a war going on, and we’re here back home, just hangin’ out. This was a way of doing something.”
Diane Mazur, a University of Florida law professor and former Air Force officer, goes further: “What motivates these ostentatious displays is the unspoken, almost unconscious guilt over the way military service works now. A narrow slice of Americans serve again and again. It’s as if we’re saying, ‘We will engage in these very public displays of worship, provided you don’t ask ‘us’ to serve.’”
And there’s something else. Talk to those who stage these welcome celebrations, and it becomes clear that it’s not only about the reception these troops deserve but also about the reception another generation of returning veterans deserved and did not get.
It’s about Vietnam.
go here for more
http://www.armytimes.com/news/2008/07/gns_homecomings_070308/
Sgt. Austin D. Pratt's family, a lesson on how to forgive
Family forgives as they learn how their son died
Sgt. Austin D. Pratt's death is 'negligent homicide'
By DONNA HICKMAN
Daily Journal Staff Writer
Wednesday, July 02, 2008
Six and a half months ago, Sgt. Austin David Pratt was killed in Iraq in what the Army would only describe as a “non-combat related death under investigation.” The investigation is over now and Monica and David Pratt know the details of how their son died. They also know how to forgive the young soldier responsible.
Austin, 22, Cadet, had arrived in Iraq on Dec. 12, 2007. He was assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 30th Infantry Regiment, 4th Brigade Combat Team, 10th Mountain Division. Three days later, his unit went out to the local police station. When there wasn’t enough room for him to travel with them, he stayed back at camp with other soldiers. They were in the Green Zone, the safe zone, in Rustamiyah, Iraq — not far from Balad. As David Pratt tells it, Austin was sitting on a cot watching a movie on his computer. Another soldier was nearby just “messing with” his gun.
“He was loading and unloading it. He did that a couple of times and loaded a magazine (a clip with several rounds of ammunition in it) and he dropped the magazine. When he dropped the magazine, the mechanism slid forward. He had chambered a round. He held the weapon in the air — not knowing he had loaded a round — and brought it down slowly and pointed it at my son and fired. ”
go here for more
http://dailyjournalonline.com/articles/2008/07/02/news/doc486b9ccad46d6596152435.txt
Sgt. Austin D. Pratt's death is 'negligent homicide'
By DONNA HICKMAN
Daily Journal Staff Writer
Wednesday, July 02, 2008
Six and a half months ago, Sgt. Austin David Pratt was killed in Iraq in what the Army would only describe as a “non-combat related death under investigation.” The investigation is over now and Monica and David Pratt know the details of how their son died. They also know how to forgive the young soldier responsible.
Austin, 22, Cadet, had arrived in Iraq on Dec. 12, 2007. He was assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 30th Infantry Regiment, 4th Brigade Combat Team, 10th Mountain Division. Three days later, his unit went out to the local police station. When there wasn’t enough room for him to travel with them, he stayed back at camp with other soldiers. They were in the Green Zone, the safe zone, in Rustamiyah, Iraq — not far from Balad. As David Pratt tells it, Austin was sitting on a cot watching a movie on his computer. Another soldier was nearby just “messing with” his gun.
“He was loading and unloading it. He did that a couple of times and loaded a magazine (a clip with several rounds of ammunition in it) and he dropped the magazine. When he dropped the magazine, the mechanism slid forward. He had chambered a round. He held the weapon in the air — not knowing he had loaded a round — and brought it down slowly and pointed it at my son and fired. ”
go here for more
http://dailyjournalonline.com/articles/2008/07/02/news/doc486b9ccad46d6596152435.txt
Florida turning to Warren Buffett for hurricane fund bailout
State turning to Warren Buffett for hurricane fund bailout
Daytona Beach News-Journal - Daytona Beach,FL,USA
By JIM SAUNDERS
Tallahassee bureau chief
TALLAHASSEE -- Worried about financial problems if major hurricanes slam Florida, state leaders are turning to billionaire Warren Buffett for backup.
Gov. Charlie Crist and two Cabinet members moved forward Wednesday with a plan to pay about $224 million to the Buffett-led firm Berkshire Hathaway to help protect the state against catastrophic storm damages.
In exchange for the money, Berkshire Hathaway would agree to buy $4 billion in state bonds if a mega-hurricane -- or multiple big hurricanes -- hit the state.
The deal would partly shore up the Florida Hurricane Catastrophe Fund, a state program that sells low-cost reinsurance to property-insurance companies. Reinsurance is a type of coverage that insurers buy to help pay claims after hurricanes.
With the nation's financial markets in disarray, state officials have grown increasingly concerned the catastrophe fund would not be able to borrow enough money to meet its obligations after a Hurricane Andrew-type storm.
click above for more
When we moved to Florida from Massachusetts, it was June of 2004. Yes, that infamous year here in Central Florida. We were told over and over again that hurricanes never hit Central Florida, reminded the last one had hit over 30 years before we moved in. That changed with Charlie, Francis and Jeanne. Ivan missed us.
When Charlie came roaring through, no one was prepared for it. It wasn't supposed to hit here. Patio doors, which we have two sections of them, were being pounded by the wind. We were lucky and they didn't blow in but several of our neighbors were hit harder. The entire street looked like a battle zone as shocked neighbors staggered out of their homes early in the morning. The worst part of Charlie was that it hit at night. Tornadoes touched down but thankfully these tornadoes were not the size of the strength that hit other parts of the country. They did a fair amount of damage though.
Given the fact that I was accustomed to white outs from snow storms back home, it was and still is extremely difficult to drive thru rain outs when the rain comes down so hard you cannot see the front of your car. That was hard to take and I was thinking it was a mistake to move down here until the hurricanes came. Then I was sure it was. It took a long time to get over that feeling. Four years later, as soon as June arrives, I begin to wonder if we will get hit again. It's normal to worry about all of this, but we are as prepared as we can get.
The day after Charlie hit, we were down Home Depot buying plywood. We stacked it on top of our car and as we drove down the street, our neighbors were laughing. They thought it was funny we bought plywood the day after the hurricane. By the time Francis was heading this way, they were not laughing any more.
Now we have sheets of plywood in our garage, cut and stained to preserve them and ready to get nailed up just in case.
PTSD warning for 4th of July
You see this
They see this
Aside from this, it reminded me of a question I get asked a lot.
A lot of veterans have asked how to deal with the fireworks and neighbors shooting them off for hours several nights in a row. This was a big problem for my husband for a long time.
The best thing is to watch them go off. If you stay in the house and only hear them, they tend to make you very jumpy, lead you into rounds of flashbacks along with making it very unpleasant.
When you see with your own eyes where the sound is coming from, it helps take some of the stress off. Otherwise you hear the sound and it reminds you of where you were the last time you heard that kind of sound. Try to go to fireworks displays with someone close to you who is aware of your PTSD. Do not stay in the house with the shades down. You will smell gun powder and hear the sound but without seeing it, they will make their way into your memory. With your senses connected together it will be a little easier to get through these nights.
If you love someone with PTSD try watching my video Hero After War from the side bar of this blog. It will help you understand what they see and what they are going through.
They see this
For 4th of July, War Vets Seek Peace and Quiet
Julie Sullivan
Chicago Tribune
Jul 02, 2008
July 2, 2008, Portland, OR - The "Minefield" explodes with glittering red tips. "War and Peace" unloads alternating rounds of color and fire. "The Torrent" promises "360 degrees of pyro" in a spectacular barrage.
As Americans stock up on 4th of July fireworks with battlefield themes, those with actual war experience are adopting safety plans instead. Combat veterans say they are heading to quiet campsites, small family gatherings or basements. They'll pre-stage their dreams before bed, visualizing different endings.
Depression, anxiety and drinking all spike around the 4th of July, counselors say. "This time of year is stressful —period," said Jim Sardo, a two-tour military psychologist who manages the PTSD, or post-traumatic stress disorder, Clinical Team and Substance Abuse Services at the Portland Veterans Affairs Medical Center. Unexpected bursts of noise, summer heat, crowds, traffic, forced gaiety and coolers of cold beer all contribute.
But many veterans are bothered less by the booms, Sardo said, than the deeper questions the displays raise about what it means to go to war and lose a limb, friends or a view of the world as a healthy place.
go here for more
http://www.veteransforcommonsense.org/ArticleID/10556
Aside from this, it reminded me of a question I get asked a lot.
A lot of veterans have asked how to deal with the fireworks and neighbors shooting them off for hours several nights in a row. This was a big problem for my husband for a long time.
The best thing is to watch them go off. If you stay in the house and only hear them, they tend to make you very jumpy, lead you into rounds of flashbacks along with making it very unpleasant.
When you see with your own eyes where the sound is coming from, it helps take some of the stress off. Otherwise you hear the sound and it reminds you of where you were the last time you heard that kind of sound. Try to go to fireworks displays with someone close to you who is aware of your PTSD. Do not stay in the house with the shades down. You will smell gun powder and hear the sound but without seeing it, they will make their way into your memory. With your senses connected together it will be a little easier to get through these nights.
If you love someone with PTSD try watching my video Hero After War from the side bar of this blog. It will help you understand what they see and what they are going through.
Kuhl starts caucus to help veterans adjust after combat?
Kuhl starts caucus to help veterans adjust after combat
Rochester Democrat and Chronicle - Rochester,NY,USA
Justina Wang • Staff writer • July 3, 2008
Announcing the start of a bipartisan House caucus to address veterans' mental health issues, U.S. Rep. Randy Kuhl, R-Hammondsport, promised Wednesday to push for funding and legislation that would help returning soldiers adjust after combat.
During the announcement at the Canandaigua Veterans Affairs Medical Center, a few groups of veterans and Democrats challenged Kuhl's voting record on veterans' bills and the effectiveness of a caucus.
Later, in a meeting with the Democrat and Chronicle editorial board, Kuhl said he defends every vote he has cast, calling them independent and well thought-out. He said that with the current Democratic majority, he couldn't support every bill that included benefits for veterans.
But the newly formed 24-member caucus, he said, will meet with veterans and mental health experts to recommend better legislation to help returning soldiers. Though other legislative committees have worked to address veterans' issues, this caucus is the first to focus specifically on their mental health, Kuhl said.
Depression and post-traumatic stress "can affect not only the (returning) soldier, but certainly family members and loved ones," he said. "We must take action."
Rep. Thomas Reynolds, R-Clarence, also a member of the caucus who joined Kuhl for the announcement Wednesday, said veterans advocates have spoken to individual congressmen about the need, but legislators need to join together to budget funds for programs.
click above for more
Where has he been all this time? Is he doing this so that he can use it to get re-elected? They have been holding hearings for a very long time now and there is no excuse for not paying attention!
Rochester Democrat and Chronicle - Rochester,NY,USA
Justina Wang • Staff writer • July 3, 2008
Announcing the start of a bipartisan House caucus to address veterans' mental health issues, U.S. Rep. Randy Kuhl, R-Hammondsport, promised Wednesday to push for funding and legislation that would help returning soldiers adjust after combat.
During the announcement at the Canandaigua Veterans Affairs Medical Center, a few groups of veterans and Democrats challenged Kuhl's voting record on veterans' bills and the effectiveness of a caucus.
Later, in a meeting with the Democrat and Chronicle editorial board, Kuhl said he defends every vote he has cast, calling them independent and well thought-out. He said that with the current Democratic majority, he couldn't support every bill that included benefits for veterans.
But the newly formed 24-member caucus, he said, will meet with veterans and mental health experts to recommend better legislation to help returning soldiers. Though other legislative committees have worked to address veterans' issues, this caucus is the first to focus specifically on their mental health, Kuhl said.
Depression and post-traumatic stress "can affect not only the (returning) soldier, but certainly family members and loved ones," he said. "We must take action."
Rep. Thomas Reynolds, R-Clarence, also a member of the caucus who joined Kuhl for the announcement Wednesday, said veterans advocates have spoken to individual congressmen about the need, but legislators need to join together to budget funds for programs.
click above for more
Where has he been all this time? Is he doing this so that he can use it to get re-elected? They have been holding hearings for a very long time now and there is no excuse for not paying attention!
Wednesday, July 2, 2008
Iraq: Islamist group threatens churches in Mosul
Iraq: Islamist group threatens churches in Mosul
Mosul, 2 July (AKI) - An Islamist group has sent threatening letters to Assyrian churches in the northern Iraqi city of Mosul, asking them not to cooperate with US forces.
The letter sent by The Batallion of Just Punishment, Jihad Base in Mesopotamia, also opposes the establishment of a sectarian Assyrian-Christian police force, reported the Assyrian International News Agency on Wednesday.
"We caution and warn anyone who tries to rob us through dealings with the Americans or through the spreading of American forces and/or police to protect the Holy Shrines in the Islamic Republic of Iraq, that these shrines would remain target of the freedom fighters," the letter said.
"We remind the dhimmi people [Jews and Christians] that Iraq is for the noble Iraqis and not for how you are now."
The Islamist group also refers to Assyrian Christians as 'Dhimmi', or a non-Muslim subject of the state governed by Islamic Sharia law.
"I suspect this letter may have actually come from Ansar Al-Islam," said an unnamed Assyrian community leader, referring to the Kurdish Islamist group affiliated with al-Qaeda.
"The Kurds don't want us to have our own police force."
go here for more
http://www.adnkronos.com/AKI/English/Religion/?id=1.0.2304618903
Linked from ICasualties.org
Mosul, 2 July (AKI) - An Islamist group has sent threatening letters to Assyrian churches in the northern Iraqi city of Mosul, asking them not to cooperate with US forces.
The letter sent by The Batallion of Just Punishment, Jihad Base in Mesopotamia, also opposes the establishment of a sectarian Assyrian-Christian police force, reported the Assyrian International News Agency on Wednesday.
"We caution and warn anyone who tries to rob us through dealings with the Americans or through the spreading of American forces and/or police to protect the Holy Shrines in the Islamic Republic of Iraq, that these shrines would remain target of the freedom fighters," the letter said.
"We remind the dhimmi people [Jews and Christians] that Iraq is for the noble Iraqis and not for how you are now."
The Islamist group also refers to Assyrian Christians as 'Dhimmi', or a non-Muslim subject of the state governed by Islamic Sharia law.
"I suspect this letter may have actually come from Ansar Al-Islam," said an unnamed Assyrian community leader, referring to the Kurdish Islamist group affiliated with al-Qaeda.
"The Kurds don't want us to have our own police force."
go here for more
http://www.adnkronos.com/AKI/English/Religion/?id=1.0.2304618903
Linked from ICasualties.org
Woman died when 911 call failed to find her help
3 minutes, 24 seconds of total terror
Plantation 911 failed to help woman in race for her life
By Sofia Santana and Brian Haas
South Florida Sun-Sentinel
12:09 AM EDT, July 2, 2008
PLANTATION - Despite a two-minute conversation in which a 911 caller told an operator she was racing to the police station with a gunman in pursuit, police weren't dispatched to help her until she lay dying in the station parking lot, according to records obtained Tuesday by the South Florida Sun-Sentinel.
Olidia Kerr Day, 45, repeatedly screamed for help. But no one sent officers to try to rescue the mother of three, no one helped guide her to the police station, and no one waited for her in the parking lot, dispatch records show.
Plantation Police Chief Larry Massey said the 911 center, like other computerized dispatch centers, aims to alert officers within a minute of receiving an emergency call. Information is sent to all patrol officers and 911 center employees as soon as it's entered into the computer.
It took twice as long for the Plantation 911 center to enter the details of Day's call on April 25 into its computer system. Day already had spent another minute on the phone with Sunrise 911 operators before she was transferred to Plantation. Her total time on the phone with dispatchers was 3 minutes, 24 seconds.
click above for more
Plantation 911 failed to help woman in race for her life
By Sofia Santana and Brian Haas
South Florida Sun-Sentinel
12:09 AM EDT, July 2, 2008
PLANTATION - Despite a two-minute conversation in which a 911 caller told an operator she was racing to the police station with a gunman in pursuit, police weren't dispatched to help her until she lay dying in the station parking lot, according to records obtained Tuesday by the South Florida Sun-Sentinel.
Olidia Kerr Day, 45, repeatedly screamed for help. But no one sent officers to try to rescue the mother of three, no one helped guide her to the police station, and no one waited for her in the parking lot, dispatch records show.
Plantation Police Chief Larry Massey said the 911 center, like other computerized dispatch centers, aims to alert officers within a minute of receiving an emergency call. Information is sent to all patrol officers and 911 center employees as soon as it's entered into the computer.
It took twice as long for the Plantation 911 center to enter the details of Day's call on April 25 into its computer system. Day already had spent another minute on the phone with Sunrise 911 operators before she was transferred to Plantation. Her total time on the phone with dispatchers was 3 minutes, 24 seconds.
click above for more
Review of DC summit on Female Veterans
DC national summit focuses on issues of women veterans
Clarksville Leaf Chronicle - Clarksville,TN,USA
by Stacey Hopwood • July 2, 2008
I recently spent a week in our nation's capital, Washington D.C. Along with seven other area women veterans and the Women Veterans program manager from the VA Tennessee Valley Healthcare System, I attended the 2008 National Summit on Women Veterans' Issues.
This three-day event is held every four years by the Department of Veterans Affairs' Center for Women Veterans and is attended by women veterans and veterans' service personnel from all over the country, as well as those in a position to formulate policies.
James Peake, the secretary of Veterans Affairs, gave the opening remarks.
"VA has made many strides and advancements in women veterans' research and services, and we are dedicated to filling in the gaps that may still exist," he said. "This summit will be beneficial in identifying those gaps and helping to shape our response to those needs."
Secretary Peake and the under secretaries for both Health and Benefits acknowledged the shortfalls in the VA system. They were up front about where the deficiencies are and what the VA is doing to address them.
As always, money is the key. The best intentions go nowhere without the funding to put them into action.There also was a screening of "Lioness," an upcoming PBS documentary on five female support soldiers sent into combat with Marine and Army units. This film was absolutely incredible, and three of the women were present at the summit.
click above for more
From what I heard, this was a rehashing of the same problems they heard about 4 years ago. Let's just hope and pray this time they also heard about what needs to be done instead of just what the problems are. The PBS special seems very interesting.
UK Veteran loses post-traumatic stress disorder claim
Ex-soldier loses post-traumatic stress disorder claim
A former soldier from Kidderminster who developed post-traumatic stress disorder after serving in Northern Ireland and Bosnia has lost his battle for damages.
Stephen Hibbert, now 40, had sued the Ministry of Defence for "substantial" compensation in a contested action at the High Court in London over an alleged failure to diagnose his condition in the early 1990s until it was too late to treat.
But on Wednesday Mr Justice Owen, the judge who heard the case, dismissed his claim and said: "One cannot but have the greatest sympathy for the claimant who loyally served his country, earning respect for his determination, enthusiasm and leadership on operational tours of duty in Northern Ireland and Bosnia.
"He is now suffering from a severely disabling psychiatric condition for which the prognosis is very poor. But sadly he is the victim of the stresses to which serving soldiers on operational tours of duty can be exposed, not to any culpable want of care on the part of the defendant (MoD). His claim must be dismissed."
A former soldier from Kidderminster who developed post-traumatic stress disorder after serving in Northern Ireland and Bosnia has lost his battle for damages.
Stephen Hibbert, now 40, had sued the Ministry of Defence for "substantial" compensation in a contested action at the High Court in London over an alleged failure to diagnose his condition in the early 1990s until it was too late to treat.
But on Wednesday Mr Justice Owen, the judge who heard the case, dismissed his claim and said: "One cannot but have the greatest sympathy for the claimant who loyally served his country, earning respect for his determination, enthusiasm and leadership on operational tours of duty in Northern Ireland and Bosnia.
"He is now suffering from a severely disabling psychiatric condition for which the prognosis is very poor. But sadly he is the victim of the stresses to which serving soldiers on operational tours of duty can be exposed, not to any culpable want of care on the part of the defendant (MoD). His claim must be dismissed."
Mr Hibbert's case was that in May 1994 an Army consultant psychiatrist failed to diagnose post-traumatic stress disorder. His condition deteriorated and became "entrenched", said Mr Mansfield, so that by the time he was diagnosed in the autumn of 1996 he was "beyond treatment".
click above for more
To shoot or not to shoot is the question
IRAQ: To shoot or not to shoot is the question
In the end, the criminal case against Marine sniper Sgt. Johnny Winnick (pictured) may boil down to the simplest but yet most confounding question facing troops in Iraq: When can a Marine or soldier use deadly force against a suspected insurgent?
It's a question not even supposed experts can agree on. During the preliminary hearing completed Wednesday, a Marine lieutenant testified that he asked two majors — one a lawyer, the other a battalion executive officer — and got contradictory explanations.
Winnick is charged with manslaughter and assault for killing two Syrians and wounding two others.
click above for more
The dilemma of a split second decision is something they all have to make at one point or another. When it is not a clear threat, they have to decide to shoot or wait. Waiting has it's own problems. What if they wait too long? What if they don't wait long enough? Deciding to shoot and then finding out they made the wrong decision cannot be undone. They carry a lot of guilt inside of them for the rest of their lives unless they find peace with it. Knowing what was in their mind at the time can either provide peace or invite the ghosts of war in. While the majority of combatants are reluctant to pull the trigger in these situations, there are some who reach a point when they no longer care about being right or wrong. Having lived through the horrors of war changes people. It makes them think differently. It causes them to become a stranger within their own body.
They have a private war raging inside of them after as events fight character. This is something we all need to understand and refrain from making judgments until all the facts are in.
Army Sgt. Omar Hernandez earns Silver Star
‘I couldn’t let anyone die out there’
By Lisa Burgess, Stars and Stripes
Mideast edition, Thursday, July 3, 2008
ARLINGTON, Va. —Army Sgt. Omar Hernandez traveled a long, hard road on his way to earning the Silver Star.
Hernandez, 27, came to the United States from Mexico with his family when he was 6 months old.
He joined the Army Reserve at age 19 as an engineer, and went to Iraq for the first time in February 2003. He switched to the regular Army in March 2004 as an infantryman and was promptly sent back to Iraq. He earned his citizenship after his second Iraq tour.
Hernandez was deployed for the third time in November 2006, as part of the 4th Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division out of Fort Bliss, Texas. The unit has since changed its name to 4th Brigade Combat Team, 1st Armored Division.
Five months into the deployment, Hernandez and other 4-1 soldiers moved from Forward Operating Base Kalsu in Iskandariyah to Baghdad, where they were assigned to Joint Security Station "Maverick" in Ghazaliya, a primarily Sunni Baghdad neighborhood.
go here for more
http://www.stripes.com/article.asp?section=104&article=55937
By Lisa Burgess, Stars and Stripes
Mideast edition, Thursday, July 3, 2008
ARLINGTON, Va. —Army Sgt. Omar Hernandez traveled a long, hard road on his way to earning the Silver Star.
Hernandez, 27, came to the United States from Mexico with his family when he was 6 months old.
He joined the Army Reserve at age 19 as an engineer, and went to Iraq for the first time in February 2003. He switched to the regular Army in March 2004 as an infantryman and was promptly sent back to Iraq. He earned his citizenship after his second Iraq tour.
Hernandez was deployed for the third time in November 2006, as part of the 4th Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division out of Fort Bliss, Texas. The unit has since changed its name to 4th Brigade Combat Team, 1st Armored Division.
Five months into the deployment, Hernandez and other 4-1 soldiers moved from Forward Operating Base Kalsu in Iskandariyah to Baghdad, where they were assigned to Joint Security Station "Maverick" in Ghazaliya, a primarily Sunni Baghdad neighborhood.
go here for more
http://www.stripes.com/article.asp?section=104&article=55937
TAMPA: Sole fire survivor ponders suicide
Sole fire survivor ponders suicide
By Robbyn Mitchell and Thomas Kaplan, Times Staff Writers
In print: Wednesday, July 2, 2008
TAMPA — Last July, Wallace Ecenia Jr. awoke to the acrid scent of smoke and hoisted himself out his bedroom window to escape his burning home. When he went to rescue his sleeping mother and sister from outside, it was too late.
The only survivor to the fire that destroyed their home, Ecenia, 48, struggled to cope, telling his family as the fire's anniversary approached that he wanted to kill himself, police say.
On Tuesday, that struggle came to an abrupt climax when an armed Ecenia barricaded himself inside a sedan near his family's north Tampa gem shop, launching a tense standoff that ended more than five hours later when police finally convinced him to leave his car.
After he spent an afternoon holed up without air conditioning outside Wally's Natural Wonders at 6007 N Armenia Ave., police lured Ecenia out of the car with the promise of water.
Relatives had been worried about him because next week marks the anniversary of the fire, said Laura McElroy, a spokeswoman for the Tampa Police Department. Juanita Ecenia, 77, and Michelle Ecenia, 53, died last July after an early-morning fire gutted their Egypt Lake area home.
Wallace Ecenia Jr. suffered only minor cuts and bruises in the fire. While his family apparently slept through the blaze, he awoke to find the door of his bedroom hot from the flames.
Firefighters found his sister dead inside the home at 8601 Twin Lakes Blvd., and his mother died at a hospital. His father, Wallace Ecenia Sr., who also lived there, was not home at the time.
go here for more
http://www.tampabay.com/news/publicsafety/article655311.ece
By Robbyn Mitchell and Thomas Kaplan, Times Staff Writers
In print: Wednesday, July 2, 2008
TAMPA — Last July, Wallace Ecenia Jr. awoke to the acrid scent of smoke and hoisted himself out his bedroom window to escape his burning home. When he went to rescue his sleeping mother and sister from outside, it was too late.
The only survivor to the fire that destroyed their home, Ecenia, 48, struggled to cope, telling his family as the fire's anniversary approached that he wanted to kill himself, police say.
On Tuesday, that struggle came to an abrupt climax when an armed Ecenia barricaded himself inside a sedan near his family's north Tampa gem shop, launching a tense standoff that ended more than five hours later when police finally convinced him to leave his car.
After he spent an afternoon holed up without air conditioning outside Wally's Natural Wonders at 6007 N Armenia Ave., police lured Ecenia out of the car with the promise of water.
Relatives had been worried about him because next week marks the anniversary of the fire, said Laura McElroy, a spokeswoman for the Tampa Police Department. Juanita Ecenia, 77, and Michelle Ecenia, 53, died last July after an early-morning fire gutted their Egypt Lake area home.
Wallace Ecenia Jr. suffered only minor cuts and bruises in the fire. While his family apparently slept through the blaze, he awoke to find the door of his bedroom hot from the flames.
Firefighters found his sister dead inside the home at 8601 Twin Lakes Blvd., and his mother died at a hospital. His father, Wallace Ecenia Sr., who also lived there, was not home at the time.
go here for more
http://www.tampabay.com/news/publicsafety/article655311.ece
IRS seeks retirees, disabled vets for rebate
IRS seeks retirees, disabled vets for rebate
By Sandra Block - USA Today
Posted : Wednesday Jul 2, 2008 14:10:51 EDT
Ordinarily, word that the IRS is looking for you would be cause for concern. But if you’re retired or a disabled veteran, the IRS is seeking you for a pleasant reason: The government wants to give you a check.
The IRS said last month that more than 5 million retirees and disabled veterans who are eligible for a piece of the $152 billion economic stimulus package have failed to take the steps necessary to get their tax-rebate checks. There’s still time to get your money. But you need to file a tax return by Oct. 15, even if you haven’t filed a tax return since gas cost less than $2 a gallon.
Under the law enacted this year, most taxpayers are eligible for rebate checks of $600, or $1,200 for married couples, plus $300 for dependent children. Most of them will receive their checks automatically, based on information from their 2007 tax return. So far, the IRS has sent out 76.5 million payments worth $63.8 billion.
go here for more
http://www.armytimes.com/news/2008/07/gns_vets_rebate_070208/
Bull! I worked all last year, my husband gets a pension and his VA disability and we have a daughter in college. Do you know what we got? $600. That's it. They said we didn't make enough money for more than that. We thought we'd get $1,500 like the media keeps reporting but we ended up short by $900! I mean it's bad enough I do this work for free but when I've been out of a job that pays since January and did not get unemployment because I worked for a church, that much money really hurt us. When I keep reading the IRS wants to pay out more it's like rubbing salt into the wound. If you are due money, please fill out the forms and get it.
By Sandra Block - USA Today
Posted : Wednesday Jul 2, 2008 14:10:51 EDT
Ordinarily, word that the IRS is looking for you would be cause for concern. But if you’re retired or a disabled veteran, the IRS is seeking you for a pleasant reason: The government wants to give you a check.
The IRS said last month that more than 5 million retirees and disabled veterans who are eligible for a piece of the $152 billion economic stimulus package have failed to take the steps necessary to get their tax-rebate checks. There’s still time to get your money. But you need to file a tax return by Oct. 15, even if you haven’t filed a tax return since gas cost less than $2 a gallon.
Under the law enacted this year, most taxpayers are eligible for rebate checks of $600, or $1,200 for married couples, plus $300 for dependent children. Most of them will receive their checks automatically, based on information from their 2007 tax return. So far, the IRS has sent out 76.5 million payments worth $63.8 billion.
go here for more
http://www.armytimes.com/news/2008/07/gns_vets_rebate_070208/
Bull! I worked all last year, my husband gets a pension and his VA disability and we have a daughter in college. Do you know what we got? $600. That's it. They said we didn't make enough money for more than that. We thought we'd get $1,500 like the media keeps reporting but we ended up short by $900! I mean it's bad enough I do this work for free but when I've been out of a job that pays since January and did not get unemployment because I worked for a church, that much money really hurt us. When I keep reading the IRS wants to pay out more it's like rubbing salt into the wound. If you are due money, please fill out the forms and get it.
General physical health of veterans from Iraq and Afghanistan
The General Physical Health of Iraq and Afghanistan War Veterans
Wednesday July 2, 2008
Soldiers returning from Iraq and Afghanistan are showing high rates of PTSD, alcohol use, depression and difficulties with anger. Returning soldiers may also be at a heightened risk for physical health problems.
The experience of a traumatic event has been linked to a number of physical health problems as well as unhealthy behaviors, such as smoking and alcohol use. Obviously, being deployed in a war zone, such as Iraq or Afghanistan, increases the likelihood that a person will experience a traumatic event and thus be at a greater risk for developing PTSD and potential physical health problems. Soldiers deployed to a war zone, however, also face additional risk factors for physical health problems, including sustaining a physical injury and being exposed to environmental contaminants (dangerous chemicals).
Therefore, a study by researchers at the Seattle VA Hospital examined what factors (the experience of PTSD symptoms, physical injury, exposure to environmental contaminants) may be connected to physical health problems among Iraq and Afghanistan War veterans. You can read about their interesting findings here.
Wednesday July 2, 2008
Soldiers returning from Iraq and Afghanistan are showing high rates of PTSD, alcohol use, depression and difficulties with anger. Returning soldiers may also be at a heightened risk for physical health problems.
The experience of a traumatic event has been linked to a number of physical health problems as well as unhealthy behaviors, such as smoking and alcohol use. Obviously, being deployed in a war zone, such as Iraq or Afghanistan, increases the likelihood that a person will experience a traumatic event and thus be at a greater risk for developing PTSD and potential physical health problems. Soldiers deployed to a war zone, however, also face additional risk factors for physical health problems, including sustaining a physical injury and being exposed to environmental contaminants (dangerous chemicals).
Therefore, a study by researchers at the Seattle VA Hospital examined what factors (the experience of PTSD symptoms, physical injury, exposure to environmental contaminants) may be connected to physical health problems among Iraq and Afghanistan War veterans. You can read about their interesting findings here.
Jericho Project to Prevent Homelessness Among Veterans
Preventing Homelessness in Veterans
Invisible injuries of war in Iraq and Afghanistan are showing up in returning troops, and a recent Pentagon surveys estimates that 20% will suffer from "temporary stress injuries" and 10% from "stress illnesses" that lead to pervasive social dislocations. PTSD and Traumatic Brain Injuries can lead to a cascade of problems interfering with a veteran's re-entry into society, employment and family. The Jericho Project, a 25-year old national leader in solving homelessness, is helping with its innovative Veterans Initiative including permanent supportive housing, comprehensive services and ongoing peer support. Two specially designed Veterans Residences will be in the Bronx, NY; and one is breaking ground this fall.
(PRWEB) July 2, 2008 -- Jericho Project to Prevent Homelessness Among Veterans
Invisible injuries of war in Iraq and Afghanistan are showing up in returning troops, so much so that recent Pentagon surveys estimate that 20% will suffer from "temporary stress injuries" and 10% from "stress illnesses" that lead to pervasive social dislocations. On top of that are the physical injuries like Traumatic Brain Injuries which likewise can prevent a veteran's re-entry into society, employment and family.
Stepping in to help is the Jericho Project, a 25-year old national leader in solving homelessness, whose holistic approach combines permanent supportive housing, comprehensive yet targeted counseling, and ongoing peer support and role modeling by its successful "graduates." Jericho will apply this model to the goal of preventing homelessness among our nation's veterans with its innovative Veterans Initiative.
In advance of breaking ground on the first of two Veterans Residences in the Bronx, New York, this fall, Jericho Executive Director Tori Lyon is already distilling the expertise of leading scientists, foundations and nonprofits into a comprehensive housing and counseling program specifically designed for vets.
"We are learning that there are ways to manage and mitigate the effects of mental trauma like Post Traumatic Stress Disorder so that a person can regain his or her equilibrium, confidence and life," she says. Chronic grief and fatigue can be misdiagnosed as PTSD, for example; and PTSD unacknowledged and untreated can result in substance abuse and alienation.
"Our goal is to intervene when veterans are in crisis so that we can prevent homelessness and help them back to the road of recovery," she adds.
We invite you to speak to Ms. Lyon on how the Jericho model will be applied to veterans of all wars and eras. At the Veterans Residences, veterans will receive compassionate counseling by people who understand the particular conflicts that veterans face; for example among Iraq vets, receiving a hero's welcome while overcome with grief, fatigue and trauma; or concealing symptoms of PTSD for fear of losing jobs in law enforcement or security.
Jericho has a track record of success: among the "graduates" of Jericho's five locations housing 253 residents, 96% move to stable, independent living, two-thirds are employed at an average salary of over $10.00 per hour, with the remainder using government benefits; and only 5% experience relapse. What's more, Jericho accomplishes this for $12,000 per person per year, less than half of the $25,000 for a New York City shelter bed; and roughly a quarter of the $40,000 for the city jail.
For its Veterans Initiative, Jericho calls upon the expertise of people and organizations including:
Dr. Charles Figley, one of the nation's foremost experts on combat-related trauma and its ensuing psychological stress on veterans and their families. A Fulbright Fellow and Professor, College of Social Work at Florida State University, he founded the Consortium on Veteran Studies in 1975 to study and help Vietnam veterans returning from war. This effort led to the development of the diagnosis of PTSD and a national outreach program for Vietnam veterans within the Veterans Administration.
The Bob Woodruff Family Foundation, which awarded Jericho a $100,000 grant for use in serving veterans from the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan who have sustained Traumatic Brain Injury and/or PTSD.
The National Coalition for Homeless Veterans. With a mission is to end homelessness among America's veterans by shaping public policy, promoting collaboration, and increasing the capacity of service providers, NCHV is the resource and technical assistance center for a national network of community-based and government veteran assistance agencies representing 48 states and the District of Columbia.
For more information on the Jericho Project, please contact Lynthia Romney, RomneyCom L.L.C., (914) 238-2145.
http://www.prweb.com/releases/2008/7/prweb1066564.htm
Invisible injuries of war in Iraq and Afghanistan are showing up in returning troops, and a recent Pentagon surveys estimates that 20% will suffer from "temporary stress injuries" and 10% from "stress illnesses" that lead to pervasive social dislocations. PTSD and Traumatic Brain Injuries can lead to a cascade of problems interfering with a veteran's re-entry into society, employment and family. The Jericho Project, a 25-year old national leader in solving homelessness, is helping with its innovative Veterans Initiative including permanent supportive housing, comprehensive services and ongoing peer support. Two specially designed Veterans Residences will be in the Bronx, NY; and one is breaking ground this fall.
(PRWEB) July 2, 2008 -- Jericho Project to Prevent Homelessness Among Veterans
Invisible injuries of war in Iraq and Afghanistan are showing up in returning troops, so much so that recent Pentagon surveys estimate that 20% will suffer from "temporary stress injuries" and 10% from "stress illnesses" that lead to pervasive social dislocations. On top of that are the physical injuries like Traumatic Brain Injuries which likewise can prevent a veteran's re-entry into society, employment and family.
Stepping in to help is the Jericho Project, a 25-year old national leader in solving homelessness, whose holistic approach combines permanent supportive housing, comprehensive yet targeted counseling, and ongoing peer support and role modeling by its successful "graduates." Jericho will apply this model to the goal of preventing homelessness among our nation's veterans with its innovative Veterans Initiative.
In advance of breaking ground on the first of two Veterans Residences in the Bronx, New York, this fall, Jericho Executive Director Tori Lyon is already distilling the expertise of leading scientists, foundations and nonprofits into a comprehensive housing and counseling program specifically designed for vets.
"We are learning that there are ways to manage and mitigate the effects of mental trauma like Post Traumatic Stress Disorder so that a person can regain his or her equilibrium, confidence and life," she says. Chronic grief and fatigue can be misdiagnosed as PTSD, for example; and PTSD unacknowledged and untreated can result in substance abuse and alienation.
"Our goal is to intervene when veterans are in crisis so that we can prevent homelessness and help them back to the road of recovery," she adds.
We invite you to speak to Ms. Lyon on how the Jericho model will be applied to veterans of all wars and eras. At the Veterans Residences, veterans will receive compassionate counseling by people who understand the particular conflicts that veterans face; for example among Iraq vets, receiving a hero's welcome while overcome with grief, fatigue and trauma; or concealing symptoms of PTSD for fear of losing jobs in law enforcement or security.
Jericho has a track record of success: among the "graduates" of Jericho's five locations housing 253 residents, 96% move to stable, independent living, two-thirds are employed at an average salary of over $10.00 per hour, with the remainder using government benefits; and only 5% experience relapse. What's more, Jericho accomplishes this for $12,000 per person per year, less than half of the $25,000 for a New York City shelter bed; and roughly a quarter of the $40,000 for the city jail.
For its Veterans Initiative, Jericho calls upon the expertise of people and organizations including:
Dr. Charles Figley, one of the nation's foremost experts on combat-related trauma and its ensuing psychological stress on veterans and their families. A Fulbright Fellow and Professor, College of Social Work at Florida State University, he founded the Consortium on Veteran Studies in 1975 to study and help Vietnam veterans returning from war. This effort led to the development of the diagnosis of PTSD and a national outreach program for Vietnam veterans within the Veterans Administration.
The Bob Woodruff Family Foundation, which awarded Jericho a $100,000 grant for use in serving veterans from the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan who have sustained Traumatic Brain Injury and/or PTSD.
The National Coalition for Homeless Veterans. With a mission is to end homelessness among America's veterans by shaping public policy, promoting collaboration, and increasing the capacity of service providers, NCHV is the resource and technical assistance center for a national network of community-based and government veteran assistance agencies representing 48 states and the District of Columbia.
For more information on the Jericho Project, please contact Lynthia Romney, RomneyCom L.L.C., (914) 238-2145.
http://www.prweb.com/releases/2008/7/prweb1066564.htm
The price of hunger in America
June 29, 2008
The price of hunger
ANP: Hunger is a growing crisis in US, stagnant economy and rising fuel price cause cost of food to soar
American News Project: Hunger is a growing crisis in America. With a stagnant economy and rising fuel prices the cost of food is soaring. Congress is reacting, but will their efforts be enough? ANP spends a week with Brian Duss who agrees to take the Food Stamp Challenge and live off a dollar per meal for 7 days.
The Price of Hunger
By Garland McLaurin
JAMES P. MCGOVERN, CONGRESSMAN (D-MA): Hunger is a political condition. That is absolutely the best way to characterize it. We have the resources, we have the infrastructure, we have everything to end hunger except the political will.
VOICEOVER: Hunger is growing in America, and food banks are scrambling to keep up with the need. Higher oil prices mean higher food prices, and the stagnant economy means more unemployment. It's estimated that a record 28 million Americans will be using food stamps in 2009. Millions more depend on community food banks like Bread for the City in Washington, DC, to provide free food from time to time.
JEANETTE CHANCE, NORTHWEST FOOD COORDINATOR: You know, we never can predict a time and an amount of people, but they're coming, and probably between about 100 to 150 people per day. The first two weeks of the month, it's really 200-plus families every month.
VOICEOVER: The elderly living on fixed incomes are among those who need the most help with food donations. For many, the food stamps they receive are just not enough.
CHANCE: A person who picks up from us every month—I don't know if I should say his name—but he'll be 110 years old this year, and he's the talk of Bread for the City, and stronger than two people, two normal people. But he comes faithfully and picks his food up every month.
DONNA HENDRICKS, SENIOR IN NEED OF FOOD ASSISTANCE: I have to go wherever I can go to get groceries, because the cost of living has gone up so high. It's like a vicious cycle. It reminds me of a hamster running on its wheel, just going around and around and around. And I feel overwhelmed right now. I live on a single income, and it's true I do get food stamps, but all I get is $70 a month, and that doesn't stretch for one month. So I come here and I get food once a month, and that helps tremendously.
click post title for more
When do we get about doing what Christ told us to do? If anyone wants to claim the title of being a Christian think of this.
How can anyone dismiss this and still claim how important faith is to them? Is it was faith can do only for them, their needs, wants and desires? Or is it what faith is supposed to transform within them? Do they think it's ok to face Christ and say what they bought for themselves instead of what they did for others? Do they think it's ok that they claimed they fought for Christ to stop abortions or gay marriages when they failed to take care of the least among us? If they think what someone else does in their own personal life is what Christ was talking about fighting against, they missed the entire reason He came at all. Read the Red Letters of the New Testament and find me the time when Christ said we were to hate or judge anyone. Find me the part where He talked about making sure we got what we wanted first and leave everyone else on their own. Sure you can point to Leviticus and how the sins were worthy of death like eating shell fish, or maybe even go to the Acts and the speeches given by Paul, but you can't show me where Christ said anything about any of this or where God said anything written in Leviticus in the Ten Commandments. We twist what is right around because we just don't want to do it His way. Take a look at the words above and then tell me how allowing people to go hungry in this country is suppose to be a thing to ignore.
Senior Chaplain Kathie Costos
Namguardianangel@aol.com
www.Namguardianangel.org
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
The price of hunger
ANP: Hunger is a growing crisis in US, stagnant economy and rising fuel price cause cost of food to soar
American News Project: Hunger is a growing crisis in America. With a stagnant economy and rising fuel prices the cost of food is soaring. Congress is reacting, but will their efforts be enough? ANP spends a week with Brian Duss who agrees to take the Food Stamp Challenge and live off a dollar per meal for 7 days.
The Price of Hunger
By Garland McLaurin
JAMES P. MCGOVERN, CONGRESSMAN (D-MA): Hunger is a political condition. That is absolutely the best way to characterize it. We have the resources, we have the infrastructure, we have everything to end hunger except the political will.
VOICEOVER: Hunger is growing in America, and food banks are scrambling to keep up with the need. Higher oil prices mean higher food prices, and the stagnant economy means more unemployment. It's estimated that a record 28 million Americans will be using food stamps in 2009. Millions more depend on community food banks like Bread for the City in Washington, DC, to provide free food from time to time.
JEANETTE CHANCE, NORTHWEST FOOD COORDINATOR: You know, we never can predict a time and an amount of people, but they're coming, and probably between about 100 to 150 people per day. The first two weeks of the month, it's really 200-plus families every month.
VOICEOVER: The elderly living on fixed incomes are among those who need the most help with food donations. For many, the food stamps they receive are just not enough.
CHANCE: A person who picks up from us every month—I don't know if I should say his name—but he'll be 110 years old this year, and he's the talk of Bread for the City, and stronger than two people, two normal people. But he comes faithfully and picks his food up every month.
DONNA HENDRICKS, SENIOR IN NEED OF FOOD ASSISTANCE: I have to go wherever I can go to get groceries, because the cost of living has gone up so high. It's like a vicious cycle. It reminds me of a hamster running on its wheel, just going around and around and around. And I feel overwhelmed right now. I live on a single income, and it's true I do get food stamps, but all I get is $70 a month, and that doesn't stretch for one month. So I come here and I get food once a month, and that helps tremendously.
click post title for more
When do we get about doing what Christ told us to do? If anyone wants to claim the title of being a Christian think of this.
Galatians 6:2 (New International Version)You can find many more times when Christ Himself talked about how to treat others in the Red letters of the New Testament.
2 Carry each other's burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ.
http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Galatians+6:2
How can anyone dismiss this and still claim how important faith is to them? Is it was faith can do only for them, their needs, wants and desires? Or is it what faith is supposed to transform within them? Do they think it's ok to face Christ and say what they bought for themselves instead of what they did for others? Do they think it's ok that they claimed they fought for Christ to stop abortions or gay marriages when they failed to take care of the least among us? If they think what someone else does in their own personal life is what Christ was talking about fighting against, they missed the entire reason He came at all. Read the Red Letters of the New Testament and find me the time when Christ said we were to hate or judge anyone. Find me the part where He talked about making sure we got what we wanted first and leave everyone else on their own. Sure you can point to Leviticus and how the sins were worthy of death like eating shell fish, or maybe even go to the Acts and the speeches given by Paul, but you can't show me where Christ said anything about any of this or where God said anything written in Leviticus in the Ten Commandments. We twist what is right around because we just don't want to do it His way. Take a look at the words above and then tell me how allowing people to go hungry in this country is suppose to be a thing to ignore.
Senior Chaplain Kathie Costos
Namguardianangel@aol.com
www.Namguardianangel.org
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
Orlando People Power Hour radio program guest is me?
I was invited to participate in the show by John Hamilton, producer of the People Power Hour radio program heard Saturdays from 11am until noon on WAMT 1190AM in Orlando. I'll be on this Saturday along with Barry Stanley and Fanita Jackson-Norman of the Orlando VA Hospital discussing their Seamless Transition Program among other things. PTSD will be the focus of this program, that is for sure. We have a lot of issues here in Florida and over 400,000 veterans in this state. Not sure how much time I'll have but you won't be able to miss my Bostonian accent.
In the Orlando area, we have 1,200 homeless veterans and very little help for them. What we have managed to do is wonderful but only a fraction of the veterans needing help are getting it. The Orlando VA clinic, the size of a hospital, is always full of veterans waiting for their appointments. This gets really crazy in the winter when the "snow birds" arrive and it becomes a freak of luck and timing if you can get a parking space without having to park on the grass section with the dirt road leading into the real parking lot. They do have golf carts to retrieve people who cannot walk that great of a distance and take them back to their cars, which is a blessing for the older veterans, usually accompanied by an equally elderly wife.
The Dom facility for homeless veterans is run by Dr. Shay with great rooms and services but they can only take in 60 homeless veterans at a time. Then there is the nursing home with a great staff. I've been there several times with friends playing Bingo with the residents and they are a great bunch.
The other thing done for them is the DAV invites them to the monthly meetings because dinner is served before the meetings and they get treated like honored guests accompanied by caring nurses. After dinner they are escorted to the van before the meeting begins. It gives them a chance to get out. The DAV also goes to the nursing home to play Bingo once a month. I belong to the DAV Auxiliary.
There is a Veteran's Council at City Hall with a dedicated group of people working very hard for the sake of our veterans. I met several of them the beginning of June when I did a presentation on PTSD with one of my videos, Hero After War. During the meeting I was fascinated learning how much is going on in this area for veterans. I was invited to the ribbon cutting ceremony for the new Veteran's Clinic in Orange, which is also a much needed resource for the veterans who had to travel to Orlando before the clinic was opened.
NAMI, another organization I belong to, is gearing up to put more resources into Florida. We had our convention here in June and it was well attended. Again even more was learned about what we were getting right but raised more awareness on how much more needs to be done.
If we are going to really take care of our veterans it will take all the communities to get involved. Every service organization needs to step up as well as all the local clergy. Citizens of Florida have stepped up and that's great but too many are still not involved at all. There are things they can do but they don't ask. First suggestion is to call the Dom and find out what the needs of the homeless veterans are. Try to fill that need or at least make a donation to them. When the Vietnam Veterans of America call to tell you they will have a truck in your area, think of what you don't need in your house and tell them to pick it up. They make it easy on you to donate to them. Get involved and remember the veterans got involved for you. That's how they became veterans.
Senior Chaplain Kathie Costos
Namguardianangel@aol.com
www.Namguardianangel.org
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
In the Orlando area, we have 1,200 homeless veterans and very little help for them. What we have managed to do is wonderful but only a fraction of the veterans needing help are getting it. The Orlando VA clinic, the size of a hospital, is always full of veterans waiting for their appointments. This gets really crazy in the winter when the "snow birds" arrive and it becomes a freak of luck and timing if you can get a parking space without having to park on the grass section with the dirt road leading into the real parking lot. They do have golf carts to retrieve people who cannot walk that great of a distance and take them back to their cars, which is a blessing for the older veterans, usually accompanied by an equally elderly wife.
The Dom facility for homeless veterans is run by Dr. Shay with great rooms and services but they can only take in 60 homeless veterans at a time. Then there is the nursing home with a great staff. I've been there several times with friends playing Bingo with the residents and they are a great bunch.
The other thing done for them is the DAV invites them to the monthly meetings because dinner is served before the meetings and they get treated like honored guests accompanied by caring nurses. After dinner they are escorted to the van before the meeting begins. It gives them a chance to get out. The DAV also goes to the nursing home to play Bingo once a month. I belong to the DAV Auxiliary.
There is a Veteran's Council at City Hall with a dedicated group of people working very hard for the sake of our veterans. I met several of them the beginning of June when I did a presentation on PTSD with one of my videos, Hero After War. During the meeting I was fascinated learning how much is going on in this area for veterans. I was invited to the ribbon cutting ceremony for the new Veteran's Clinic in Orange, which is also a much needed resource for the veterans who had to travel to Orlando before the clinic was opened.
NAMI, another organization I belong to, is gearing up to put more resources into Florida. We had our convention here in June and it was well attended. Again even more was learned about what we were getting right but raised more awareness on how much more needs to be done.
If we are going to really take care of our veterans it will take all the communities to get involved. Every service organization needs to step up as well as all the local clergy. Citizens of Florida have stepped up and that's great but too many are still not involved at all. There are things they can do but they don't ask. First suggestion is to call the Dom and find out what the needs of the homeless veterans are. Try to fill that need or at least make a donation to them. When the Vietnam Veterans of America call to tell you they will have a truck in your area, think of what you don't need in your house and tell them to pick it up. They make it easy on you to donate to them. Get involved and remember the veterans got involved for you. That's how they became veterans.
Senior Chaplain Kathie Costos
Namguardianangel@aol.com
www.Namguardianangel.org
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
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)