Retired Marine, Vietnam vet, Mass State Trooper missing in Idaho

Retired Marine, Mass. State Trooper Missing In Idaho
Boston Channel.com - MA, USA
Relatives, Friends Seek Massachusetts Authorities' Help To Find Man
Video: Retired State Trooper Missing In Idaho
POSTED: 12:28 am EDT October 2, 2008
BOSTON -- Relatives fear officials aren't doing enough to find a war and state police veteran who disappeared during a hunting trip in Idaho.

Ronald Gray, of North Brookfield, disappeared 12 days ago while on a hunting trip in the Nez Perce National Forest in Idaho.

NewsCenter 5's Mary Saladna reported that Nancy Gray isn't used to worrying about her husband.

"I know he's a survivor. I'm not concerned about food. I'm concerned about his knee. I think he's hurt and I want more people out there," Nancy Gray said.

Ronald Gray is a retired state police captain and 35-year veteran of the force. He's also a former Marine who survived two years and two serious wounds in Vietnam.
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Documentation Proves McCain Is Not A "Friend" To Veterans

Documentation Proves McCain Is Not A "Friend" To Veterans

Michelle Gross
Posted October 1, 2008 | 10:47 AM (EST)

John McCain ended the first presidential debate Friday night speaking rather fatherly: "I know the veterans, I know them well, and I know that they know that I'll take care of them, and I have been proud of their support and their recognition of my service to the veterans, and I love them, and I'll take care of them, and they know that I'll take care of them."

On the straight talk express, Daddy Mac must mean tough love.

For someone who touts his military service record as the foundation of his qualifications for President he has a lousy record (see here, here, and here) of supporting benefits for our troops and his fellow veterans.

Let's start with the new GI Bill. Obama was a co-sponsor of the new GI Bill and actively campaigned for its passage. Daddy Mac took the tough love approach by saying that the troops have to work harder and serve longer before they can earn their GI Bill benefits. He was against it, until he realized what a deal breaker it was for his campaign.

But the tough love doesn't end there.
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Fort Hood has some serious problems going on

There are many more that need to be addressed but it looks as if Fort Hood is having almost the same level of problems Fort Carson had and still has. What's being done about all of these non-combat deaths and when will they be counted among the price of war?

Spc. Seteria L. Harris Brown death in Afghanistan under investigation
Army investigating shooting death of soldierThe Associated PressPosted : Friday Aug 1, 2008 14:14:14 EDTALICEVILLE, 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
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Non-combat death in Afghanistan
11 42 amArmy investigates Fort Hood soldier's death8/12/2008 8:16 PMBy: News 8 Austin StaffThe Army is investigating the death of a 23-year-old Fort Hood soldier in Afghanistan.Officials said Private John Mattox of Daingerfield -- in East Texas -- died Sunday from non-combat related causes.
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Death of soldier in Afghanistan under investigation
DoD Identifies Army CasualtyThe Department of Defense announced today the death of a soldier who was supporting Operation Enduring Freedom.Staff Sgt. David L. Paquet, 26, of Rising Sun, Md., died Aug. 20 at Combat Outpost Vegas, Afghanistan, of undetermined causes while conduting a patrol. He was assigned to the 1st Battalion, 26th Infantry Regiment, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 1st Infantry Division, Fort Hood, Texas.
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Fort Hood deplorable way to make wounded deployable
Chad Barrett tried to commit suicide because of being wounded by PTSD on his second tour. He was medicated, redeployed and while in Iraq, his next attempt at suicide was a success. The third time for him was not a charm but curse. Fort Carson brass didn't seem to care.
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Cause of death of Dustin Mark Tucker still unknown
Family, doctors mystified by Kenwood soldier's death22-year-old on leave from Iraq had no history of medical issues; 'he was on top of the world'By MARY CALLAHANTHE PRESS DEMOCRATPublished: Thursday, September 4, 2008 at 4:30 a.m.Last Modified: Thursday, September 4, 2008 at 10:18 a.m.Dustin Mark Tucker regaled his family with tales of Iraq at his welcome home dinner last week, chuckling about the close call he had with an IED on his birthday.Dustin Mark Tucker arrived home for leave Aug. 25.After months of combat, danger must have seemed remote at that gathering in Kenwood.But five days later, Tucker was dead, leaving family, friends and the medical community searching for answers."He has no family history or personal history of any kind of medical issues," said his mother, Cindy Tucker. "He didn't complain of not feeling well . . . He was happy. He was busy. He was excited for his vacation. He was on top of the world."Tucker, 22, was home for an 18-day leave, his first since his March deployment as a gunner with the Army's 7th Squadron, 10th Cavalry Regiment, 4th Infantry Division out of Fort Hood, Texas.
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Soldier dies in crash, fire chief and firefighter hit by car responding
Soldier dies in cycle crashPosted on: Sunday, September 28, 2008, 5:50 AMBy Victor O'BrienKilleen Daily HeraldNolanville's fire chief and a firefighter were hospitalized Saturday after a car struck their fire engine while they tended to a fatal motorcycle accident.At 2:40 a.m., Nolanville firefighters were called to a motorcycle collision in the eastbound lanes of U.S. Highway 190 near Nolanville Hill. Firefighters arrived to find a motorcycle engulfed in flames after the bike collided with the rear of a Ford Mustang, said Lt. Joe Bourget of the Nolanville Volunteer Fire Department.The motorcycle's operator, a Fort Hood soldier, was flung about 20 feet in front of his motorcycle in the right-hand lane. The soldier, whose identity was not known, was transported by ambulance to Scott & White, where he died.
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This was just published on Army Times, more names and more reminders of how much more work has to be done.

Cpl. Scott Vickrey, 23, of Fayetteville, Ark., was found unconscious Sunday night by his squad leader and was pronounced dead after medical services personnel arrived, according to Fort Hood officials. His cause of death has not been determined.

Another soldier found unresponsive in his barracks, Spc. Jared Arnn, died Saturday at a hospital from internal bleeding from an existing medical condition, Fort Hood officials said.

Army officials previously said they were investigating a Sept. 11 fire in a Fort Hood duplex that killed Spc. Aaron Lynn Allmandinger, 22, of Mulberry, Ind.

Pfc. Travis Edward Dowd, 22, of Tallahassee, Fla., was found dead Aug. 12 in his room after he failed to report to formation.

Pvt. Eric Jonathan McSherry, 20, of Webster, was found dead of unknown causes Aug. 4, but Fort Hood officials declined to say exactly where or by whom he was found.

The body of Spc. Donald James Scott Jr., 28, from Boyceville, Wis., was found July 29 by a game warden in a training area, although his unit was not doing training exercises at the time, Fort Hood officials said.


Spc. Jody Michael Wirawan, 22, of Eagle River, Ala., who was to be discharged soon, fatally shot 1st Lt. Robert Bartlett Fletcher, 24, of Jensen Beach, Fla. Killeen police who arrived fired shots at Wirawan but he turned the gun on himself, Fort Hood officials said.
http://www.armytimes.com/news/2008/10/ap_hood_death_100108/

No room for wounded soldier near Walter Reed, lodged two hours away

This story is so, so very wrong! If you listen to the military, they say they have their act in gear but then we read about this and know all is not well.

One challenge is her lengthy commute for treatment. The closest affordable housing the Army could find for Tara and her family was at Fort Detrick in Frederick, Md., 50 grueling miles up Interstate 270 from Walter Reed.

STABBINGS, BLAST INJURIES CAN’T KEEP SOLDIER MOM DOWN
Posted: Wednesday, October 01, 2008 2:40 PM
Filed Under: John Rutherford
By John Rutherford, Producer, NBC News
WASHINGTON - Army Staff Sgt. Tara Harrilson was wounded three times in Afghanistan, the first time when she was stabbed while on a Special Forces mission in 2004.

"I was outside the wire with my team, and it was pretty much – long story, short – it was a setup, and there were a whole lot of bad men and four of us," the 27-year-old native of Gaithersburg, Md., said recently.

"I didn't realize it until afterward, but I had been stabbed several times from different angles while trying to get out of the area," she said. "I can't go into more details than that."

Tara was wounded two more times in a series of explosions in 2005. In one of them, some body armor was blown off a hook and landed on top of her head, herniating her brain into her neck and causing a spinal cord injury. She also suffered shrapnel wounds on her arms, legs and chest in the explosions.

"I've lost a lot of vision in my left eye, hearing in the left ear," she said. "I can use my left side pretty good, just not real fine, like to grip and open a bottle, and I've lost a lot of feeling in it."
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http://fieldnotes.msnbc.msn.com/archive/2008/10/01/1476046.aspx

From combat to campus young Minnesota National Guardsmen

Photo by Mark Luinenburg
Ross Hedlund and other war veterans struggle to fit in.

U OF M ALUMNI ASSOCIATION'S MINNESOTA MAGAZINE


From combat to campus
By J. Trout Lowen

University of Minnesota student Steve Biorn spent a year in Iraq with the Minnesota National Guard, serving as a gunner on a Humvee patrolling "Route Irish," the notorious artery between the Green Zone and the airport in Baghdad, and patrolling the city's suburbs on foot. When he returned to Minnesota, Biorn wanted to talk about anything but Iraq.

After 18 months away from home, Biorn says, "I wanted to wear jeans and drive my car and grow my hair out and not shave forever.

University student Ross Hedlund served in Iraq nearly a year in 2004. When he returned home, he found that most people weren't that interested in where he'd been or what he done. "I don't think very many people care," he says.

Hedlund admits he also had a hard time talking about the work he did, directing counterfire from mortars, artillery, and aircraft and tracking the result. "I had a real hard time adjusting when I got back, I guess because I didn't talk about anything very much."

These days Biorn and Hedlund have been talking more about their experiences in Iraq and what it's like to come home. Both were interviewed as part of a new oral history project conducted by the U's Center for Democracy and Citizenship at the Humphrey Institute of Public Affairs in cooperation with the Minnesota National Guard.

The oral history project is just one part of a larger effort called the Warrior to Citizen Campaign. Begun in May 2007, the campaign is a grassroots effort to help veterans reintegrate into their home communities and help those communities tap into the skills returning veterans acquired during their military service.

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Decorated Fort Hood Soldier Found Dead In Barracks Room

Decorated Fort Hood Soldier Found Dead In Barracks Room

(October 1, 2008)—An investigation was underway after a Fort Hood corporal who won two Army Commendation Medals during his tour of duty in Iraq was found dead in his barracks room.

Cpl. Scott Vickrey, 23, of Fayetteville, Ark., was found unconscious in his room at Rough Rider Village by his squad leader.

Medical services personnel were dispatched to the barracks room, but Vickrey was declared dead at the scene, Fort Hood said Wednesday.

Rough Rider village is home to Fort Hood’s Warrior Transition Unit for wounded or ill soldiers.

Vickrey joined the Army in 2003 and served a tour of duty in Iraq from February 2004 through February 2005 with the 1st Infantry Division’s 3rd Brigade Combat Team, during which he was decorated for repelling a suicide attacker and again for thwarting a homemade bomb attack.

“PFC Vickrey's quick and decisive actions saved the lives of numerous U.S. Military and Iraqi National Guard Soldiers,” according to citation for his first Army Commendation Medal.

During his tour, Vickrey participated in more than 200 combat patrols, 150 IED sweeps, two cordon and knocks, one raid and numerous escort missions, Fort Hood said.

A Memorial Service is scheduled for 1 p.m. Friday at Fort Hood’s 17th Street Chapel.

The cause of Vickrey's death has not been determined, Fort Hood said Wednesday.

Vickrey was the second soldier to be discovered unconscious in a barracks room over the weekend.

Soldiers found Spc. Jared Arnn, 21, of Boonville, Ind. Saturday afternoon.
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http://www.kwtx.com/home/headlines/30010319.html

A soldier's idealism sent him back to the fight

"My son was frustrated with going over for a fourth time," said Mann. "But even though he thought much of the war was being fought over money, he believed he could still go over there and straighten out some of the bad parts."

A soldier's idealism sent him back to the fight

By HALLE STOCKTON


Published: Wednesday, October 1, 2008 at 1:00 a.m.
Last Modified: Wednesday, October 1, 2008 at 1:51 p.m.
BRADENTON -
Army Sgt. William E. Hasenflu felt he could make a difference as a soldier.

That idealism, his mother said, was a major reason Hasenflu enlisted in the Army after a career in the Navy.

Hasenflu, whose mother lives in Bradenton and his father in Sarasota, was in his fourth tour in Afghanistan when he was killed in action Sunday, officials said.

Hasenflu was due back in Fort Campbell, Ky., on Oct. 15, where he would have been reunited with his wife of 17 years and their three daughters, said his mother, Jane Mann.

Hasenflu, who lived in Bradenton for many years before moving to Kentucky, was killed in an ambush on his unit in the Jaji District Center in Afghanistan, the Department of Defense reported. He would have turned 39 on Monday.

The decorated career military man was fatally wounded by small arms fire as he was taking detainees into custody, according to an Army statement.
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They believe in something much bigger than the politicians who send them into combat. They believe in serving and doing some good. How they are used and what reason they are sent, is never up to them. They get to only decide if they are willing to risk their lives for the sake of their country, yet men and women like

Sgt. Hasenflu are included in when people like Bush say they are unpatriotic because they speak their minds. Imagine how he felt to hear his Commander-in-Chief utter those words all these years while Hasenflu was serving his country. This is something politicians never seem to think about. The men and women in the military are a reflection of the nation and as such have differing views but despite them, they all serve the same nation and each other. No matter how he felt, he died on his fourth tour of duty. Remember him the next time you are tempted to follow what politicians have to say about those who do not support what politicians decide to do. kc

Kung Fu joins Tai Chi in helping PTSD veterans

Finding peace in ancient art
Kung fu helps turn around life of violence for struggling Army veteran

By Dana M. Nichols
Record Staff Writer
October 01, 2008 6:00 AM
VALLEY SPRINGS - David Foster got hooked on combat.

"At the time, it is a sense of euphoria," said Foster, who served in the Army during Operation Desert Storm (the 1990-91 Persian Gulf War) as well as in operations against drug dealers and slave traders. "Afterward, you crash."

Civilian life was a big crash for Foster. So he hunted for ways to regain the euphoric clarity of combat. For a long time, he lived in Stockton, picking fights with other rough characters ranging from gang bangers and drug dealers to people beating their dogs. "I probably got in two or three fights a week for 10 years," Foster said.


The Veterans Affairs Department finally caught up to Foster and forced him into a treatment program for post-traumatic stress disorder. That allowed him to kick the fighting habit and resume something closer to a normal life. But it didn't give him the spiritual healing he has found since through another path, an ancient art of which the VA doctors didn't approve: kung fu.
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US combat hospital saving more wounded Iraqis

US combat hospital saving more wounded Iraqis
By ANNA JOHNSON – 3 hours ago

BALAD, Iraq (AP) — The U.S. military's main combat hospital in Iraq has increasingly switched to helping Iraqis. As the numbers of wounded American soldiers have fallen, the hospital is now saving the lives of a remarkable 93 percent of Iraqis who come with devastating injuries.

It's another sign of the radical improvements in health care made at combat trauma care units in war time — especially because unlike U.S. soldiers, most Iraqi patients at the Air Force Theater Hospital don't wear body armor and helmets or drive in vehicles designed to withstand roadside bombs.

"There are people with injuries that are brought here, and I say this with confidence, if they went anywhere else in the world, they would not survive," said Col. Mark Mavity, the commander of the hospital.

On one recent day, 5-year-old Sajad Lafta lay in his bed crying for his father while his older half brother, Abdul Wahid, tried to comfort him by holding up a picture of a puppy that Sajad colored while recovering at the hospital.

The boy didn't know yet that Wahid, 25, came to visit him because his father was attending the funerals for two of his other young sons. They were killed by a car bomb that blew off Sajad's lower left leg and left tiny pieces of metal scattered over his body.

"Thank God, we are positive he is going to live," said Wahid, who planned to bring the puppy picture home to their mother as proof that Sajad was alive.
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Still want smaller government? Melamine tainted candy from China found in CT

Melamine-Tainted Candy Found In CT
Chemical Associated With Other Recalls, Commissioner Says
POSTED: 2:23 pm EDT October 1, 2008
HARTFORD, Conn. -- The Department of Consumer Protection warned consumers Wednesday not to eat "White Rabbit Creamy Candy," imported from China and distributed by Queensway Foods Company Inc. of Burlingame, Calif.
The candy was found on several Connecticut store shelves the week of Sept. 29 by agency food safety inspectors and removed, agency Commissioner Jerry Farrell Jr. said. Tests by the Connecticut Agriculture Experiment Station Laboratory have determined that the product contains melamine, he said.
Melamine has been associated recently with contaminated infant formula and other milk protein-containing products in China, as well as a major pet food recall last year. The chemical is used in plastics manufacturing and as an adulterant in foods to simulate protein.
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http://www.wfsb.com/health/17599817/detail.html
linked from CNN