Iraq vet’s training saves life of tot
By Johnny Edwards - The Augusta (Ga.) Chronicle
Posted : Friday Aug 1, 2008 16:46:21 EDT
AIKEN, S.C. — Looking down into the pool, John Strang was sure the child was dead.
What he did next kept 2-year-old Byron Murray from becoming a tragic newspaper headline.
On July 17, Strang, an Iraq war veteran, used CPR training he learned in the Army to resuscitate his friend’s son, who climbed into a pool behind his house in rural Aiken County. Byron’s father wasn’t home at the time, but he admits that even if he had been there he couldn’t have done what Strang did.
This shows why all parents and caregivers should learn CPR, said Dianne Lariscy, the director of health and safety services for Red Cross of Augusta, Ga.
“It’s absolutely vital,” she said. “We don’t often have time to wait for an ambulance to get there.”
That afternoon, Strang was working in New Holland, where he has been helping his friend Chad Barker take apart an old mobile home on his family’s property that was being salvaged for scrap. Barker, a single father, was at work, and his son Byron and three older children played in the yard. A baby sitter and Byron’s grandmother were inside.
One of the children ran up to Strang.
“Johnny, you need to get Byron. He’s in the pool,” the child said. “He’s drowning.”
Strang said he ran behind the house to an above-ground pool with sides about 5 feet high.
There was no splashing. Strang said at first he thought Byron wasn’t in the pool.
Then he saw him at the bottom, face down, not moving.
“Blue as a Smurf,” Strang said. “Unnatural. I’ve never seen that before.”
He has seen a lot for a 24-year-old, though. Strang, a sergeant in the Army Reserve, served two tours in Iraq, the first during the 2003 invasion with the Augusta-based 319th Transportation Company, the second from 2004 to 2005 when he was attached to the Orangeburg-based 414th Transportation Company.
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http://www.armytimes.com/news/2008/08/ap_childrescued_080108/
Friday, August 1, 2008
Maryland State Police need help with death of Jodie S. Davis
Body found by a road in Harford is identified
August 1, 2008
A body found in a sleeping bag along a rural Harford County road has been identified as that of an Aberdeen woman who had been shot, Maryland State Police said yesterday.
The body of Jodie S. Davis, 41, was identified through fingerprints, police said. Her body was found Wednesday afternoon in the 400 block of Bush Chapel Road after a passing motorist alerted police after seeing a suspicious bag, police said. The road is near Interstate 95.
An autopsy yesterday determined that Davis' death was a homicide. The body was not by the road Tuesday night, but it may have been dumped as early at 6 a.m. Wednesday.
Anyone with information about Davis or anyone who had seen anything suspicious is asked to call state police at 410-879-2101. Calls may be kept confidential, police said.
http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/local/harford/bal-md.ha.body01aug01,0,2024940.story
August 1, 2008
A body found in a sleeping bag along a rural Harford County road has been identified as that of an Aberdeen woman who had been shot, Maryland State Police said yesterday.
The body of Jodie S. Davis, 41, was identified through fingerprints, police said. Her body was found Wednesday afternoon in the 400 block of Bush Chapel Road after a passing motorist alerted police after seeing a suspicious bag, police said. The road is near Interstate 95.
An autopsy yesterday determined that Davis' death was a homicide. The body was not by the road Tuesday night, but it may have been dumped as early at 6 a.m. Wednesday.
Anyone with information about Davis or anyone who had seen anything suspicious is asked to call state police at 410-879-2101. Calls may be kept confidential, police said.
http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/local/harford/bal-md.ha.body01aug01,0,2024940.story
Spc. Seteria L. Harris Brown death in Afghanistan under investigation
Army investigating shooting death of soldier
The Associated Press
Posted : Friday Aug 1, 2008 14:14:14 EDT
ALICEVILLE, Ala. — The Army is investigating the death of a 22-year-old soldier from Aliceville who was shot during a “non-combat-related incident” in Afghanistan.
Army Spc. Seteria L. Harris Brown died from a gunshot wound to the chest on July 25 while serving in Sharana, Afghanistan, the military said.
Her mother, Michelle Harris of Aliceville, said it’s not clear what happened.
A spokeswoman at the Fort Hood, Texas, base where Brown had been stationed before deployment to Afghanistan, told the Tuscaloosa News in a Friday story that Brown’s death is still under investigation and it was unknown how long the probe would take.
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http://www.armytimes.com/news/2008/08/ap_soldier_shootingdeath_080108/
The Associated Press
Posted : Friday Aug 1, 2008 14:14:14 EDT
ALICEVILLE, Ala. — The Army is investigating the death of a 22-year-old soldier from Aliceville who was shot during a “non-combat-related incident” in Afghanistan.
Army Spc. Seteria L. Harris Brown died from a gunshot wound to the chest on July 25 while serving in Sharana, Afghanistan, the military said.
Her mother, Michelle Harris of Aliceville, said it’s not clear what happened.
A spokeswoman at the Fort Hood, Texas, base where Brown had been stationed before deployment to Afghanistan, told the Tuscaloosa News in a Friday story that Brown’s death is still under investigation and it was unknown how long the probe would take.
go here for more
http://www.armytimes.com/news/2008/08/ap_soldier_shootingdeath_080108/
Pfc. Luke J. Brown's Death at Fort Bragg ruled homicide
Bragg pfc.’s death ruled a homicide
By Michelle Tan - Staff writer
Posted : Friday Aug 1, 2008 14:51:14 EDT
The death of an 82nd Airborne Division soldier has been ruled a homicide, officials said Aug. 1.
Pfc. Luke J. Brown, 27, of Fredericksburg, Va., died July 20 at Fort Bragg, N.C. He was found in a parking lot adjacent to his barracks on post, said Master Sgt. Thomas Clementson, the noncommissioned officer in charge of the 82nd’s public affairs office.
go here for more
http://www.armytimes.com/news/2008/08/army_homicide_080108w/
By Michelle Tan - Staff writer
Posted : Friday Aug 1, 2008 14:51:14 EDT
The death of an 82nd Airborne Division soldier has been ruled a homicide, officials said Aug. 1.
Pfc. Luke J. Brown, 27, of Fredericksburg, Va., died July 20 at Fort Bragg, N.C. He was found in a parking lot adjacent to his barracks on post, said Master Sgt. Thomas Clementson, the noncommissioned officer in charge of the 82nd’s public affairs office.
go here for more
http://www.armytimes.com/news/2008/08/army_homicide_080108w/
Bill to allow media at military ceremonies
My two cents. Honor what the family wants and leave it at that.
Bill to allow media at military ceremonies
The Associated Press
Posted : Friday Aug 1, 2008 16:24:33 EDT
RALEIGH, N.C. — A North Carolina congressman says the news media should be allowed to cover military ceremonies honoring troops who died while on active duty as well as the arrival of remains at military bases.
Rep. Walter B. Jones, R-N.C., said Friday that legislation he co-sponsored this week would highlight the sacrifices made by members of the military.
go here for more
http://www.armytimes.com/news/2008/08/ap_militaryceremonies_080108/
Couple starts support group for military familes
Couple starts support group for military familes
By Karen Dandurant
kdandurant@seacoastonline.com
August 01, 2008 12:55 PM
PORTSMOUTH — It’s hard for the average person to understand the severe emotional stress that some people feel after returning from a war zone.
Those people are changed forever, marred by what they experienced and saw.
That’s why a couple with local ties is starting a support group for veterans with post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). They say one way to help is for those going through it to be able to talk to people who understand.
Paul and Lauren Taylor live in Lunenburg, Mass. They do so because the benefits and help for returning veterans in Massachusetts are considered among the best in the country, they said.
Paul was a roofer in Portsmouth and Lauren grew up in Kingston. The couple had a duplex in Dover where they lived with their four children: Warren, 1; Austin, 2; Keira, 10; and Ashlyn, 11.
The family’s downward spiral, mostly told by Lauren, is one the Taylors and their four children are living with to this day. Paul is receiving help, but Lauren said he’s not quite the happy, loving man he was before he left for Iraq. Paul was deployed through the Army National Guard from 2005 to 2006.
"We’re starting to get back on our feet," Paul said. "I’m thankful for all the help we received. Without it, things would be devastating."
"I didn’t really think anything of it when he went overseas," Lauren said. "But the army told us wives they would be different when they returned."
Lauren volunteered to start a family support group for the wives and families waiting for the loved one to return home.
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By Karen Dandurant
kdandurant@seacoastonline.com
August 01, 2008 12:55 PM
PORTSMOUTH — It’s hard for the average person to understand the severe emotional stress that some people feel after returning from a war zone.
Those people are changed forever, marred by what they experienced and saw.
That’s why a couple with local ties is starting a support group for veterans with post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). They say one way to help is for those going through it to be able to talk to people who understand.
Paul and Lauren Taylor live in Lunenburg, Mass. They do so because the benefits and help for returning veterans in Massachusetts are considered among the best in the country, they said.
Paul was a roofer in Portsmouth and Lauren grew up in Kingston. The couple had a duplex in Dover where they lived with their four children: Warren, 1; Austin, 2; Keira, 10; and Ashlyn, 11.
The family’s downward spiral, mostly told by Lauren, is one the Taylors and their four children are living with to this day. Paul is receiving help, but Lauren said he’s not quite the happy, loving man he was before he left for Iraq. Paul was deployed through the Army National Guard from 2005 to 2006.
"We’re starting to get back on our feet," Paul said. "I’m thankful for all the help we received. Without it, things would be devastating."
"I didn’t really think anything of it when he went overseas," Lauren said. "But the army told us wives they would be different when they returned."
Lauren volunteered to start a family support group for the wives and families waiting for the loved one to return home.
click post title for more
UK Gulf War Vet:Learning to cope with trauma
Learning to cope with trauma
8:50pm Friday 1st August 2008
GULF War syndrome (GWS) sufferer Dick Hilling has organised a post-traumatic stress (PTS) conference to help victims of the invisible injury.
Dick, 59, of The Prinnels, West Swindon, says he helped arrange an event at the Marriott Hotel yesterday to help sufferers find relief from a condition he says is similar to GWS.
The 59-year-old worked in the Royal Air Force as a mental health nurse for 28 years.
He says during his six months serving in the first Gulf conflict from October 1990 to March 1991 he was forced to take nerve agent pre-treatment tablets called Pyrostigmine and believes this has led him to his current condition.
He said: “When I began taking these pills I could not sleep – my patterns went all out of whack. I then developed a lot of digestive problems.
“After about five years of being back I began to forget things and ended up having to give up my career and driving licence because I could no longer focus.
“I didn’t know what was happening. I still have a poor memory and this affects me daily.
“I just hope this conference can help others from suffering from what one doctor close to me calls the invisible injury.”
Dick believes people need events like the conference to spend time with like-minded people and to educate themselves on the causes and effects of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).
He says it was only after retiring from nursing, and retraining in stress management, that he got his life back on track.
Now he is volunteering at Learning For Life, a mental health charity, and wants to help more people, partly because he likens PTSD to Gulf War syndrome.
8:50pm Friday 1st August 2008
GULF War syndrome (GWS) sufferer Dick Hilling has organised a post-traumatic stress (PTS) conference to help victims of the invisible injury.
Dick, 59, of The Prinnels, West Swindon, says he helped arrange an event at the Marriott Hotel yesterday to help sufferers find relief from a condition he says is similar to GWS.
The 59-year-old worked in the Royal Air Force as a mental health nurse for 28 years.
He says during his six months serving in the first Gulf conflict from October 1990 to March 1991 he was forced to take nerve agent pre-treatment tablets called Pyrostigmine and believes this has led him to his current condition.
He said: “When I began taking these pills I could not sleep – my patterns went all out of whack. I then developed a lot of digestive problems.
“After about five years of being back I began to forget things and ended up having to give up my career and driving licence because I could no longer focus.
“I didn’t know what was happening. I still have a poor memory and this affects me daily.
“I just hope this conference can help others from suffering from what one doctor close to me calls the invisible injury.”
Dick believes people need events like the conference to spend time with like-minded people and to educate themselves on the causes and effects of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).
He says it was only after retiring from nursing, and retraining in stress management, that he got his life back on track.
Now he is volunteering at Learning For Life, a mental health charity, and wants to help more people, partly because he likens PTSD to Gulf War syndrome.
House Passes Increases for Veterans Mental Illness Treatment
House Passes Increases for Veterans Mental Illness Treatment
August 1, 2008
By a vote of 409-4 the House today passed legislation funding the Department of Veterans Affairs for FY 2009. The bill (HR 6599) includes $3.8 billion for mental illness treatment and $584 million for substance abuse treatment in the VA, significant increases over current year funding. Overall, the Veterans Health Administration budget is set at $40.8 billion for FY 2009 -- $1.6 billion more than the President requested and $3.9 billion more than current levels. It is projected that the VA will serve 5.8 million veterans in 2009.
August 1, 2008
By a vote of 409-4 the House today passed legislation funding the Department of Veterans Affairs for FY 2009. The bill (HR 6599) includes $3.8 billion for mental illness treatment and $584 million for substance abuse treatment in the VA, significant increases over current year funding. Overall, the Veterans Health Administration budget is set at $40.8 billion for FY 2009 -- $1.6 billion more than the President requested and $3.9 billion more than current levels. It is projected that the VA will serve 5.8 million veterans in 2009.
For homeless veterans, HR 6599 allocates $130 million for the homeless grants and per diem program, rejecting a proposal from the Bush Administration to cut the program by $8 million. This allocation also includes $32 million to hire additional personnel as part of the joint HUD-VA "VASH" program for veterans supportive housing. A separate bill funding the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) appropriates an additional $75 million at HUD for rent subsidies, i.e. the housing side of this joint program.
The bill also includes $500 million for medical research at the VA, $38 million more than the President requested and $20 million more than was allocated in FY 2008. A full summary of HR 6599 can be found here.
Next Steps for the VA Budget
With House action on the VA spending bill, Congress has now adjourned for its summer recess and will not return to Washington until the week of September 8. In September, these will be efforts to complete action on HR 6599 before FY 2009 begins on October 1. However, the other FY 2009 discretionary spending bills - including those covering mental illness research, services and housing programs are unlikely to be passed before October 1. As a result these other programs are expected to be funded after October 1 at current FY 2008 levels - perhaps through March of 2009.
Soldier back from Iraq had motorcycle stolen
Soldier's Motorcycle Stolen
July 31, 2008 - 10:52PM
Juan Carlos Fanjul
CBS 12 NEWS
An Iraq war veteran moves to Martin County only to have his motorcycle stolen. A bike that was an important part of his daily life. Despite the theft, something positive came out of it.
"I never thought that someone would steal it, had the nerve to steal it," said Adam Perkins who served with the army in Iraq, is in the national guard now, and was using a motorcycle to try to get to school everyday until someone simply stole his prized set of wheels from his Stuart home, a Suzuki Gsx-R. It happened July 21st at 4:30 a.m. "I ride my bike all the time, cause gas is just too much," he said.
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July 31, 2008 - 10:52PM
Juan Carlos Fanjul
CBS 12 NEWS
An Iraq war veteran moves to Martin County only to have his motorcycle stolen. A bike that was an important part of his daily life. Despite the theft, something positive came out of it.
"I never thought that someone would steal it, had the nerve to steal it," said Adam Perkins who served with the army in Iraq, is in the national guard now, and was using a motorcycle to try to get to school everyday until someone simply stole his prized set of wheels from his Stuart home, a Suzuki Gsx-R. It happened July 21st at 4:30 a.m. "I ride my bike all the time, cause gas is just too much," he said.
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Bush ticks off veterans again with veto threat of what they need
Veterans Groups Appalled at White House Veto Threats
Last update: 10:16 a.m. EDT Aug. 1, 2008
WASHINGTON, Aug 01, 2008 /PRNewswire-USNewswire via COMTEX/ -- A coalition representing millions of America's veterans today expressed outrage at a White House claim that Congress is overspending on veterans programs and has threatened to veto any of the remaining 11 spending bills that exceed the President's request unless Congress finds $2.9 billion in offsets elsewhere in the federal budget.
Under the fiscal year 2009 Military Construction-VA Appropriations bill, the Department of Veterans Affairs would receive $47.7 billion, which is $4.6 billion above the 2008 funding level and $2.9 billion more than the President requested.
As the House of Representatives prepared to debate the measure, the four Independent Budget veterans service organizations told Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi that they "vigorously defend the crucial increases in VA funding" which the Administration has underfunded in its budget requests for the past several years.
In their July 31 letter to Speaker Pelosi, AMVETS, Disabled American Veterans, Paralyzed Veterans of America and the Veterans of Foreign Wars said, "This budget, a budget that intends to bind the wounds of war and to care for those who have worn the nation's uniform, should never be used as a political lever to force policies of one branch (of government) on the other."
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Last update: 10:16 a.m. EDT Aug. 1, 2008
WASHINGTON, Aug 01, 2008 /PRNewswire-USNewswire via COMTEX/ -- A coalition representing millions of America's veterans today expressed outrage at a White House claim that Congress is overspending on veterans programs and has threatened to veto any of the remaining 11 spending bills that exceed the President's request unless Congress finds $2.9 billion in offsets elsewhere in the federal budget.
Under the fiscal year 2009 Military Construction-VA Appropriations bill, the Department of Veterans Affairs would receive $47.7 billion, which is $4.6 billion above the 2008 funding level and $2.9 billion more than the President requested.
As the House of Representatives prepared to debate the measure, the four Independent Budget veterans service organizations told Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi that they "vigorously defend the crucial increases in VA funding" which the Administration has underfunded in its budget requests for the past several years.
In their July 31 letter to Speaker Pelosi, AMVETS, Disabled American Veterans, Paralyzed Veterans of America and the Veterans of Foreign Wars said, "This budget, a budget that intends to bind the wounds of war and to care for those who have worn the nation's uniform, should never be used as a political lever to force policies of one branch (of government) on the other."
click post title for more
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