November 21, 2008
Followup: Readers respond to unemployed single mom's story
At least six people want to interview Annie Lesso for a job.
Dozens more want to donate money to her and help her give her kids Christmas. Others want to give her advice.
Dozens of readers reacted to Lesso's story, which appeared in the St. Petersburg Times Friday, and detailed her plight trying to get a job in the current economy.
Lesso, a 45-year-old widow, was laid off Oct. 1 from her job as an airline manager. She has sent out 200 resumes and has not received one reply.
"There have been many articles in the Times that I wanted to respond to and offer some assistance,'' wrote Sandi Ford of St. Petersburg. "I had to respond to this one because it hit so close to home. I have been a single working mother most of my adult life and have been laid off twice so I know what Annie Lesso is going through. I felt exactly the way she does - that my faith would get me through - and it did.''
Several said they might have a job opportunity for Lesso. One paramedic company wanted to interview her for a management position that paid $45,000, the same amount she was making before she was laid off.
Another wanted to talk to her about a new career. "Your story about Annie Lesso was compelling and made me cry,'' wrote Lynne Herrick of Valrico, a district sales manager at American Family Life Assurance Co. "I have been a single mom and know the emotional strain it can put on you, knowing you are the provider of your children and yet through all of this she relies on God and is reaching out to others in her church. What an amazing woman!''
Related content:Lesso's struggles show job crisis is far-reaching
Friday, November 21, 2008
Angel to homeless, Brenden Foster died in his mom's arms
May the Good Lord comfort Wendy and Brenden's family. This little angel changed the world for the better.
Brenden Foster: 'I had a great time'
Brenden Foster, who inspired countless people around the world with his wish to feed the homeless, died early Friday in his mother's arms. He was 11. Read more »
By Elisa Jaffe BOTHELL, Wash. -- The day I met Brenden Foster, I met an old soul in an 11 year old's body.
"I should be gone in a week or so," he said calmly.
When I asked him what he thought were the best things in life, Brenden said, "Just having one."
I didn't understand how this child, who was a year younger than my own son, could be so courageous facing death.
"It happens. It's natural," Brenden told me.
Three years ago, doctors diagnosed Brenden with leukemia. The boy who once rushed through homework so he could play outside found himself confined to a bed. But there was no confining his spirit.
"I had a great time. And until my time comes, I'm going to keep having a great time," he said.
Brenden's selfless dying wish was to help the homeless.
"They're probably starving, so give'em a chance," he said, "food and water."
But Brenden was too ill to feed them on his own. So volunteers from Emerald City Lights Bike Ride passed out some 200 sandwiches to the homeless in Seattle.
Then Brenden's last wish took on a life of its own.
A TV station in Los Angeles held a food drive. School kids in Ohio collected cans. People in Pensacola, Florida gathered goods.
And here in Western Washington, KOMO viewers from all over took part in the Stuff the Truck food drive in Brenden's honor. Hundreds with generous hearts donated six and a half huge truck loads of groceries and more than $60,000 in cash to benefit Northwest Harvest and Food Lifeline.
Brenden touched hearts all over the world. His wish came true, and he lived to see it.
"He had the joy of seeing all of the beautiful response to his last wish," said his grandmother, Patricia McMorrow. "It gives him great peace and he knows that his life has meaning."
"He's left a legacy and he's only 11," said his mother, Wendy Foster. "He's done more than most people dream of doing just by making a wish."
click link for more
Related Content
Hundreds help grant Brenden Foster's wish
Watch the story
Dying boy inspires goodwill in people near and far
Watch the story
Boy shares heartbreaking last wish
Watch the story
Brenden Foster: 'I had a great time'
Brenden Foster, who inspired countless people around the world with his wish to feed the homeless, died early Friday in his mother's arms. He was 11. Read more »
By Elisa Jaffe BOTHELL, Wash. -- The day I met Brenden Foster, I met an old soul in an 11 year old's body.
"I should be gone in a week or so," he said calmly.
When I asked him what he thought were the best things in life, Brenden said, "Just having one."
I didn't understand how this child, who was a year younger than my own son, could be so courageous facing death.
"It happens. It's natural," Brenden told me.
Three years ago, doctors diagnosed Brenden with leukemia. The boy who once rushed through homework so he could play outside found himself confined to a bed. But there was no confining his spirit.
"I had a great time. And until my time comes, I'm going to keep having a great time," he said.
Brenden's selfless dying wish was to help the homeless.
"They're probably starving, so give'em a chance," he said, "food and water."
But Brenden was too ill to feed them on his own. So volunteers from Emerald City Lights Bike Ride passed out some 200 sandwiches to the homeless in Seattle.
Then Brenden's last wish took on a life of its own.
A TV station in Los Angeles held a food drive. School kids in Ohio collected cans. People in Pensacola, Florida gathered goods.
And here in Western Washington, KOMO viewers from all over took part in the Stuff the Truck food drive in Brenden's honor. Hundreds with generous hearts donated six and a half huge truck loads of groceries and more than $60,000 in cash to benefit Northwest Harvest and Food Lifeline.
Brenden touched hearts all over the world. His wish came true, and he lived to see it.
"He had the joy of seeing all of the beautiful response to his last wish," said his grandmother, Patricia McMorrow. "It gives him great peace and he knows that his life has meaning."
"He's left a legacy and he's only 11," said his mother, Wendy Foster. "He's done more than most people dream of doing just by making a wish."
click link for more
Related Content
Hundreds help grant Brenden Foster's wish
Watch the story
Dying boy inspires goodwill in people near and far
Watch the story
Boy shares heartbreaking last wish
Watch the story
Marine from Miami non-combat death in Iraq
DoD Identifies Marine Casualty
The Department of Defense announced today the death of a Marine who was supporting Operation Iraqi Freedom.
Gunnery Sgt. Marcelo R. Velasco, 40, of Miami, died Nov. 19 from injuries sustained in a non-hostile incident in Anbar province, Iraq. He was assigned to I Marine Expeditionary Force Headquarters Group, I MEF, Camp Pendleton, Calif.
The incident is currently under investigation.
Viewers could have saved teen as they watched him die online
This is to all the people who watched this teenager die.
WHAT THE HELL IS WRONG WITH YOU? What would it have cost you if you contacted the police to let them know what you were seeing even if he was faking? Would it have cost you anything at all? What's wrong? Were you afraid some of the other people on line would have made fun of you if you were wrong but reacted as any decent, normal human being would have? The medical examiner said that if someone had picked up a phone and reported it, his life could have been saved but all of you just watched him die debating if he took enough pills or if he really did want to die. How horrible are you? Do you feel any shame? Remorse?
Is it because he's a stranger? Well I have news for you. So is everyone else you're online with.
I spend my days trying to save the lives of people who want to die because they have lost hope. They are all strangers but they are people who need help and then I go into CNN to see this! There is no excuse for any of you that would ever make this right. The difference between me and you is that I can go to bed at night knowing I did what I could everyday to make a difference in a stranger's life but you get to go to bed knowing someone took their own life while you watched and did nothing.
UPDATE ON THIS STORY
Teen Commits Suicide Live on Web
By RASHA MADKOUR, AP
Nov. 22) -The family of a college student who killed himself live on the Internet say they're horrified his life ended before a virtual audience, and infuriated that viewers of the live webcam or operators of the Web site that hosted it didn't act sooner to save him.
Only after police arrived to find Abraham Biggs dead in his father's bed did the Web feed stop Wednesday — 12 hours after the 19-year-old Broward College student first declared on a Web site that he hated himself and planned to die.
"It didn't have to be," said the victim's sister, Rosalind Bigg. "They got hits, they got viewers, nothing happened for hours."
Biggs announced his plans to kill himself over a Web site for bodybuilders, authorities said. He posted a link from there to Justin.tv, a site that allows users to broadcast live videos from their webcams.
go here for more
http://news.aol.com/article/teen-commits-suicide-live-on-web/256594?icid=200100397x1213345890x1200878860
WHAT THE HELL IS WRONG WITH YOU? What would it have cost you if you contacted the police to let them know what you were seeing even if he was faking? Would it have cost you anything at all? What's wrong? Were you afraid some of the other people on line would have made fun of you if you were wrong but reacted as any decent, normal human being would have? The medical examiner said that if someone had picked up a phone and reported it, his life could have been saved but all of you just watched him die debating if he took enough pills or if he really did want to die. How horrible are you? Do you feel any shame? Remorse?
Is it because he's a stranger? Well I have news for you. So is everyone else you're online with.
I spend my days trying to save the lives of people who want to die because they have lost hope. They are all strangers but they are people who need help and then I go into CNN to see this! There is no excuse for any of you that would ever make this right. The difference between me and you is that I can go to bed at night knowing I did what I could everyday to make a difference in a stranger's life but you get to go to bed knowing someone took their own life while you watched and did nothing.
Officials: Teen commits suicide on webcam as others watch
Story Highlights
Some urged him to take more drugs; others debated whether he had used enough
Hours passed before someone notified authorities, officials say
Teen had a history of depression; posted suicide note online
Dad laments that no one gave him "the assistance that he was crying out for"
MIAMI, Florida (CNN) -- With his webcam trained on him, a Florida teenager died in his bed of a drug overdose while others watched over the Internet, officials said Friday.
Broward County Medical Examiner Joshua Perper said it was clear that the teen committed suicide.
Some of those watching urged him to take more drugs while others debated whether he had taken enough to kill himself. Hours passed before someone finally notified authorities that he appeared lifeless, officials said.
The teenager was pronounced dead Wednesday afternoon in Pembroke Pines, Florida, said Wendy Crane, investigator for the Broward County Medical Examiner's Office.
The cause of death was found to be an overdose of benzodiazepine, an antidepressant, as well as other opiate drugs used to treat depression, Crane said. CNN is not reporting the teenager's name.
The youth's body was found in his apartment behind a locked door, which police broke down. Police turned off the webcam and computer, Crane said.Watch CNN's John Zarrella detail the webcam suicide »
The story
With his webcam trained on him, a Florida teenager died in his bed of a drug overdose while others watched over the Internet, officials said Friday.
Some of those watching urged him to take more drugs while others debated whether he had taken enough to kill himself. Hours passed before someone finally notified authorities that he appeared lifeless, officials said.
The teenager was pronounced dead Wednesday afternoon in Pembroke Pines, Florida, said Wendy Crane, investigator for the Broward County Medical Examiner's Office.
UPDATE ON THIS STORY
Teen Commits Suicide Live on Web
By RASHA MADKOUR, AP
Nov. 22) -The family of a college student who killed himself live on the Internet say they're horrified his life ended before a virtual audience, and infuriated that viewers of the live webcam or operators of the Web site that hosted it didn't act sooner to save him.
Only after police arrived to find Abraham Biggs dead in his father's bed did the Web feed stop Wednesday — 12 hours after the 19-year-old Broward College student first declared on a Web site that he hated himself and planned to die.
"It didn't have to be," said the victim's sister, Rosalind Bigg. "They got hits, they got viewers, nothing happened for hours."
Biggs announced his plans to kill himself over a Web site for bodybuilders, authorities said. He posted a link from there to Justin.tv, a site that allows users to broadcast live videos from their webcams.
go here for more
http://news.aol.com/article/teen-commits-suicide-live-on-web/256594?icid=200100397x1213345890x1200878860
Substance abuse numbers higher, but not drug counselors
The military seems to have a habit of making things go from bad to worse. First they don't do enough to get the soldiers to understand what PTSD, then they do, along with people stepping up across the nation, then they don't have enough people to take care of them. Then they want them to stop using drugs to kill off what they don't want to feel, but yet again, not enough people to take care of them. Like I said, it's like they're trying to hold off a tsunami with a beach shovel!
More soldiers seeking drug abuse help
By Gregg Zoroya - USA TODAY
Posted : Friday Nov 21, 2008 6:48:57 EST
FORT LEONARD WOOD, Mo. — The number of soldiers seeking help for substance abuse has climbed 25 percent in the past five years, but the Army’s counseling program has remained significantly understaffed and struggling to meet the demand, Army records show.
About 13,500 soldiers sought drug counseling this year and 7,200 soldiers were diagnosed with an abuse or dependency issue and enrolled in counseling, according to Army data. That compares with 11,170 soldiers reporting to drug counseling in 2003, when 5,727 enrolled.
Army records show 2.38 percent of all soldiers had positive results on routine drug urinalysis screening, a 10-year record. In 2004, when combat troops returned from Iraq in large numbers, 1.72 percent had positive results.
The Army requires one drug counselor for every 2,000 soldiers, yet is currently operating with one for 3,100 soldiers, a chronic shortage exacerbated by the increase in substance abuse cases.
go here for more
http://www.armytimes.com/news/2008/11/gns_drughelp_112108/
National Resource Directory For Wounded Warriors, Families And Caregivers
Department of Defense Launches National Resource Directory For Wounded Warriors, Families And Caregivers
The Department of Defense today launched the National Resource Directory, a collaborative effort between the departments of Defense, Labor and Veterans Affairs.
The directory is a Web-based network of care coordinators, providers and support partners with resources for wounded, ill and injured service members, veterans, their families, families of the fallen and those who support them.
“The directory is the visible demonstration of our national will and commitment to make the journey from ‘survive to thrive’ a reality for those who have given so much. As new links are added each day by providers and partners, coverage from coast to coast will grow even greater ensuring that no part of that journey will ever be made alone,” said Lynda C. Davis, Ph.D., deputy under secretary of defense for military community and family policy.
Located at http://www.nationalresourcedirectory.org , the directory offers more than 10,000 medical and non-medical services and resources to help service members and veterans achieve personal and professional goals along their journey from recovery through rehabilitation to community reintegration.
“The VA is extremely proud to be a partner in this innovative resource. This combination of federal, state, and community-based resources will serve as a tremendous asset for all service members, veterans, their families and those who care for them. The community is essential to the successful reintegration of our veterans, and these groups greatly enhance the directory’s scope,” said Karen S. Guice, M.D., executive director, federal recovery care coordination program at the Department of Veterans Affairs.
“The National Resource Directory will prove to be a valuable tool for wounded, ill, and injured service members and their families as they wind their way through the maze of benefits and services available to them in their transition to civilian life. The Department of Labor is pleased to have the opportunity to work with our partners at DoD,” said Charles S. Ciccolella, the assistant secretary of labor for the veterans’ employment and training service.
The National Resource Directory is organized into six major categories: Benefits and Compensation; Education, Training and Employment; Family and Caregiver Support; Health; Housing and Transportation; and Services and Resources. It also provides helpful checklists, Frequently Asked Questions, and connections to peer support groups. All information on the Web site can be found through a general or state and local search tool.
The National Resource Directory’s launch in November is a key feature of Warrior Care Month.
http://www.defenselink.mil/utility/printitem.aspx?print=http://www.defenselink.mil/releases/release.aspx?releaseid=12357
The Department of Defense today launched the National Resource Directory, a collaborative effort between the departments of Defense, Labor and Veterans Affairs.
The directory is a Web-based network of care coordinators, providers and support partners with resources for wounded, ill and injured service members, veterans, their families, families of the fallen and those who support them.
“The directory is the visible demonstration of our national will and commitment to make the journey from ‘survive to thrive’ a reality for those who have given so much. As new links are added each day by providers and partners, coverage from coast to coast will grow even greater ensuring that no part of that journey will ever be made alone,” said Lynda C. Davis, Ph.D., deputy under secretary of defense for military community and family policy.
Located at http://www.nationalresourcedirectory.org , the directory offers more than 10,000 medical and non-medical services and resources to help service members and veterans achieve personal and professional goals along their journey from recovery through rehabilitation to community reintegration.
“The VA is extremely proud to be a partner in this innovative resource. This combination of federal, state, and community-based resources will serve as a tremendous asset for all service members, veterans, their families and those who care for them. The community is essential to the successful reintegration of our veterans, and these groups greatly enhance the directory’s scope,” said Karen S. Guice, M.D., executive director, federal recovery care coordination program at the Department of Veterans Affairs.
“The National Resource Directory will prove to be a valuable tool for wounded, ill, and injured service members and their families as they wind their way through the maze of benefits and services available to them in their transition to civilian life. The Department of Labor is pleased to have the opportunity to work with our partners at DoD,” said Charles S. Ciccolella, the assistant secretary of labor for the veterans’ employment and training service.
The National Resource Directory is organized into six major categories: Benefits and Compensation; Education, Training and Employment; Family and Caregiver Support; Health; Housing and Transportation; and Services and Resources. It also provides helpful checklists, Frequently Asked Questions, and connections to peer support groups. All information on the Web site can be found through a general or state and local search tool.
The National Resource Directory’s launch in November is a key feature of Warrior Care Month.
http://www.defenselink.mil/utility/printitem.aspx?print=http://www.defenselink.mil/releases/release.aspx?releaseid=12357
Col. James C. Burris, Vietnam War veteran passed away at 78
Col. James C. Burris, Vietnam War veteran
Baltimore Sun - United States
November 21, 2008
Col. James Curtis Burris, a highly decorated career Army officer who fought in the Vietnam War, died Nov. 13 at his Havre de Grace home of cancers related to exposure to Agent Orange. He was 78.
Colonel Burris, who was born and raised in Tulsa, Okla., graduated from Tulsa Central High School in 1948.
Born into a military family, Colonel Burris was the grandson of two Civil War veterans and the son of a World War I veteran. He enlisted in the Army in 1948 and was selected to attend the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, N.Y., from which he graduated with a bachelor's degree in engineering in 1954.
Assigned to the infantry, he served in Korea and South and Central America. He completed three combat tours of duty in Vietnam during the 1960s, where he was a combat leader with the 101st Infantry Division. During his 25 years of service, Colonel Burris held numerous command assignments throughout the world.
He was decorated for valor and heroism during combat with two Bronze Stars, three Silver Stars, two Legions of Merit, a Distinguished Flying Cross and 39 Air Medals for combat assaults in Vietnam.
Other decorations included the Purple Heart, Army Commendation Medal, Ranger Tab and Master Parachutist's Badge, plus numerous decorations from foreign governments.
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Post-Traumatic Stress Under-Treated: Local Soldiers Affected
Post-Traumatic Stress Under-Treated: Local Soldiers Affected
Target 11 Investigates Treatment Gaps
A recent study was highly critical of the care the soldiers are receiving when it comes to post-traumatic stress disorder.
Target 11 talked to a local soldier who said the military turned its back on him.
Robert Reeb spent the past 17 years in the military.
In the summer of 2006, he returned from Iraq and that's when his troubles began.
"I started using inhalants, and anything I could," said Reeb.
Diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder, he was sent to Walter Reed Army Hospital in Maryland.
But halfway through, the treatment program was cut off -- Reeb was ordered back to Pennsylvania and discharged under honorable conditions.
A spokesman for the Pennsylvania National Guard said Reeb was given numerous chances, but repeated problems eventually led to his discharge. But a recent survey by the RAND corporation uncovered troubling statistics about the treatment soldiers returning from battle receive.
While some 300,000 soldiers suffer from PTSD, the study revealed only half who need it are getting treated and of those, slightly more than half received care labeled "minimally adequate".
Terri Tanielian conducted the study and said the military can do better.
"There are a number of opportunities that exist within the Department of Defense and the VA where there are tools and settings where you would hope and expect that higher quality care would be delivered," said Tanielian.
Congressman Jason Altmire agrees it's a big problem.
"It's a problem with the quality of care they are getting," said Altmire.
Altmire believes the situation facing Reeb and other soldiers is preventable.
"Certainly he did not get the treatment on the front end that he should have. And unfortunately he took a downward spiral and his life went in a different direction," said Altmire.
go here for more
http://www.wpxi.com/news/18010844/detail.html
Target 11 Investigates Treatment Gaps
A recent study was highly critical of the care the soldiers are receiving when it comes to post-traumatic stress disorder.
Target 11 talked to a local soldier who said the military turned its back on him.
Robert Reeb spent the past 17 years in the military.
In the summer of 2006, he returned from Iraq and that's when his troubles began.
"I started using inhalants, and anything I could," said Reeb.
Diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder, he was sent to Walter Reed Army Hospital in Maryland.
But halfway through, the treatment program was cut off -- Reeb was ordered back to Pennsylvania and discharged under honorable conditions.
A spokesman for the Pennsylvania National Guard said Reeb was given numerous chances, but repeated problems eventually led to his discharge. But a recent survey by the RAND corporation uncovered troubling statistics about the treatment soldiers returning from battle receive.
While some 300,000 soldiers suffer from PTSD, the study revealed only half who need it are getting treated and of those, slightly more than half received care labeled "minimally adequate".
Terri Tanielian conducted the study and said the military can do better.
"There are a number of opportunities that exist within the Department of Defense and the VA where there are tools and settings where you would hope and expect that higher quality care would be delivered," said Tanielian.
Congressman Jason Altmire agrees it's a big problem.
"It's a problem with the quality of care they are getting," said Altmire.
Altmire believes the situation facing Reeb and other soldiers is preventable.
"Certainly he did not get the treatment on the front end that he should have. And unfortunately he took a downward spiral and his life went in a different direction," said Altmire.
go here for more
http://www.wpxi.com/news/18010844/detail.html
Decorated Marine one day, in jail another
How War Ravages the Warrior
Reported by: Sean Carroll
Email: scarroll@13wham.com
Last Update: 11/20 9:28 pm
(Caledonia, N.Y. /Iraq) - The decorated Marine served two tours of duty in Iraq. He was in the Marines for 13 years. After Iraq, he returned home and served two years in prison--for a home-invasion assault he committed in Virginia.
"I'm here to defend my country and take part in a war on terrorism and then, unfortunately, I go and terrorize an American couple in their own home," Gianforte said.
Gianforte still says, as he did from the get-go, that he does not recall one moment of that attack.
"If I can do anything to keep someone else from having to go through this, than so be it," he said.
"Let me go through the hell so you don't have to."
Sergeant Gianforte's hell began in Fallujah with house-to-house combat searching for insurgents.
"Five weeks, inside a city, everyday you're in fire-fights, everyday you're losing friends…it's watching 13 of your friends get killed," he said.
With two tours under his belt, Caledonia's marine found himself at a Virginia Beach base training for a third deployment.
One night he hit the town with his buddies, drank a bit, then, with another Marine, bashed in the door of Dan and Debbie Shain’s home.
"They were accusing him of being a terrorist and that he killed people, and that they were going to kill him and his family," said Debbie Malone-Shain.
After a SWAT team pulled Gianforte off Dan Shain's beaten body, the decorated marine found himself in jail.
click post title for more
Reported by: Sean Carroll
Email: scarroll@13wham.com
Last Update: 11/20 9:28 pm
(Caledonia, N.Y. /Iraq) - The decorated Marine served two tours of duty in Iraq. He was in the Marines for 13 years. After Iraq, he returned home and served two years in prison--for a home-invasion assault he committed in Virginia.
"I'm here to defend my country and take part in a war on terrorism and then, unfortunately, I go and terrorize an American couple in their own home," Gianforte said.
Gianforte still says, as he did from the get-go, that he does not recall one moment of that attack.
"If I can do anything to keep someone else from having to go through this, than so be it," he said.
"Let me go through the hell so you don't have to."
Sergeant Gianforte's hell began in Fallujah with house-to-house combat searching for insurgents.
"Five weeks, inside a city, everyday you're in fire-fights, everyday you're losing friends…it's watching 13 of your friends get killed," he said.
With two tours under his belt, Caledonia's marine found himself at a Virginia Beach base training for a third deployment.
One night he hit the town with his buddies, drank a bit, then, with another Marine, bashed in the door of Dan and Debbie Shain’s home.
"They were accusing him of being a terrorist and that he killed people, and that they were going to kill him and his family," said Debbie Malone-Shain.
After a SWAT team pulled Gianforte off Dan Shain's beaten body, the decorated marine found himself in jail.
click post title for more
Mental Effects of War In-Depth Exclusive
Mental Effects of War In-Depth Exclusive
KFDA - Amarillo,TX,USA
Posted: Nov 20, 2008 10:48 PM EST
Searching for Osama Bin Ladin was his mission and bringing democracy to the less fortunate was his goal.
Every American is affected by the war in Afghanistan and Iraq in some way.
2001 Palo Duro graduate and Army Sergeant David Vasquez earned a purple heart during his first of four tours to Afghanistan and Iraq.
By telling his story he says he wants to help Americans understand the struggles and triumphs of fighting the enemy.
During his first tour Sergeant Vasquez says his platoon was asked to pull hair samples from dead Iraqis for DNA tests, in hopes of finding Osama Bin Ladin.
"You'd come across what I'd describe as a dead dog." He says,"A couple of times you'd be engaged by some diehards I guess you could say who, I think they were high on Opium because allot of the times when they would engage us they didn't seem that they were sober."
The hardest part for Vasquez was loosing fellow platoon members he calls his brothers.
"Having them killed was like having a two by four to the face but you still have a job to do."
And demonstrating the courage to continue on is why Vasquez says many of his fellow solider's developed Post Traumatic Stress Disorder.
go here for video
Mental Effects of War In-Depth Exclusive2:39
go here for more of story
http://www.newschannel10.com/Global/story.asp?S=9390442
KFDA - Amarillo,TX,USA
Posted: Nov 20, 2008 10:48 PM EST
Searching for Osama Bin Ladin was his mission and bringing democracy to the less fortunate was his goal.
Every American is affected by the war in Afghanistan and Iraq in some way.
2001 Palo Duro graduate and Army Sergeant David Vasquez earned a purple heart during his first of four tours to Afghanistan and Iraq.
By telling his story he says he wants to help Americans understand the struggles and triumphs of fighting the enemy.
During his first tour Sergeant Vasquez says his platoon was asked to pull hair samples from dead Iraqis for DNA tests, in hopes of finding Osama Bin Ladin.
"You'd come across what I'd describe as a dead dog." He says,"A couple of times you'd be engaged by some diehards I guess you could say who, I think they were high on Opium because allot of the times when they would engage us they didn't seem that they were sober."
The hardest part for Vasquez was loosing fellow platoon members he calls his brothers.
"Having them killed was like having a two by four to the face but you still have a job to do."
And demonstrating the courage to continue on is why Vasquez says many of his fellow solider's developed Post Traumatic Stress Disorder.
go here for video
Mental Effects of War In-Depth Exclusive2:39
go here for more of story
http://www.newschannel10.com/Global/story.asp?S=9390442
Veteran shares hidden wounds of Iraq war
Denita Hartfield in Iraq. She survived a roadside bomb attack in Iraq in 2005 that has caused traumatic brain injury, now considered a signature wound of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.
Veteran shares hidden wounds of Iraq war
BY STACEY SHEPARD, Californian staff writer
sshepard@bakersfield.com Thursday, Nov 20 2008 7:07 PM
Last Updated: Friday, Nov 21 2008 7:34 AM
Denita Hartfield’s broken ribs are whole again.
The gunshot wound to her arm is now a scar.
From the outside, the injuries she suffered when her Army convoy came under attack in Iraq in 2005 seem to be healed. But inside, it’s a different story.
“I tried to go back to school when I got home ... and I failed my first class ever,” said the 34-year-old Bakersfield resident, who has her masters degree and is now enrolled in Ph.D. courses.
“I’d read a whole page of text and I couldn’t remember one sentence. I couldn’t read my own writing.”
The 17-year Army veteran had constant headaches and chest pain. It was hard to walk straight. Her memory was poor, her speech slurred and she sometimes fumbled when trying to do a task as simple as picking up a pen.
Earlier this year Hartfield was diagnosed with traumatic brain injury, a series of physical, behavioral and cognitive impairments caused by shaking of the brain, which often occurs during a roadside bomb or rocket-propelled mortar blast.
ABOUT TRAUMATIC BRAIN INJURY
Who is at-risk:
The condition is most common among veterans who survived a blast, explosion or head injury, especially those who don’t remember events before or after the incident, suffered symptoms of a concussion or who lost consciousness.
Symptoms specific to traumatic brain injury:
• headaches
• dizziness
• ringing in the ears
• fatigue
• intolerance to light and noise
Common behavioral and emotional changes:
• irritability
• apathy
• agitation, aggression
• anxiety
For more information or to seek help for a veteran who may have traumatic brain injury, contact the Kern County Veterans Service Department at 868-7300.
go here for more of this story
http://www.bakersfield.com/102/story/616174.html
Man crushed by 5,000 pound pole at high school
Man crushed by 5,000 pound pole at high school
The Bakersfield Californian Thursday, Nov 20 2008 12:39 PM
Last Updated: Friday, Nov 21 2008 7:21 AM
A construction worker died Thursday when a 5,000 pound concrete pole fell on him at Frontier High School.
David Krogman, 57, was helping to unload the cylinders from a big rig onto the school’s football field, according to Sean Collins with the Kern County Fire Department. The school is at 6401 Allen Road in northwest Bakersfield.
The Bakersfield Californian Thursday, Nov 20 2008 12:39 PM
Last Updated: Friday, Nov 21 2008 7:21 AM
A construction worker died Thursday when a 5,000 pound concrete pole fell on him at Frontier High School.
David Krogman, 57, was helping to unload the cylinders from a big rig onto the school’s football field, according to Sean Collins with the Kern County Fire Department. The school is at 6401 Allen Road in northwest Bakersfield.
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Wounded Warrior Awareness Day of terrible treatment
Wounded Warrior awareness day was one of reports of terrible treatment. It should make us all aware of aspects we don't pay enough attention to.
Is this anyway to treat the wounded?
This Captain had to wait a month for a primary care doctor and a year for surgery. Think about that. He is a member of the National Guard. While he said things have changed since the scandal of Walter Reed, this had happened to our wounded. If they didn't come out and tell their stories, no one would even be aware of any of this. Why should they have to? Who is watching over the wounded? Anyone?
I remember when the story of Walter Reed came out in the Washington Post. There was a great uproar across the nation but not all of it was upset over the way the wounded were treated. Some of it was directed at the Washington Post instead for reporting on it. Imagine that!
We ask so much of the men and women serving this nation in uniform, especially the members of the National Guards. We ask they to leave their families, their regular jobs, businesses, give it all up so they can deploy and then if they have the bad luck to get wounded, they are put thru hell even more. When you think about Capt. Perez waiting a year for surgery, think about what that did to him and his family.
Is this anyway to treat the wounded?
This Captain had to wait a month for a primary care doctor and a year for surgery. Think about that. He is a member of the National Guard. While he said things have changed since the scandal of Walter Reed, this had happened to our wounded. If they didn't come out and tell their stories, no one would even be aware of any of this. Why should they have to? Who is watching over the wounded? Anyone?
I remember when the story of Walter Reed came out in the Washington Post. There was a great uproar across the nation but not all of it was upset over the way the wounded were treated. Some of it was directed at the Washington Post instead for reporting on it. Imagine that!
We ask so much of the men and women serving this nation in uniform, especially the members of the National Guards. We ask they to leave their families, their regular jobs, businesses, give it all up so they can deploy and then if they have the bad luck to get wounded, they are put thru hell even more. When you think about Capt. Perez waiting a year for surgery, think about what that did to him and his family.
Capt. Adrian Perez collects his thoughts while recounting his story of recovering from wounds sustained in Iraq. Perez, of the Army National Guard's Manpower Analysis section, spoke at the Army National Guard Readiness Centeras part of Wounded Warrior Awareness Day, Wednesday, Nov. 19, 2008. (U.S. Army photo by Staff Sgt. Jon Soucy)(Released)
Wounded warrior shares his experiences with Army Guard audience
By Army Staff Sgt. Jon Soucy
National Guard Bureau
ARLINGTON, Va., (Nov. 20, 2008) - Education was the goal of Wounded Warrior Awareness Day held here at the Army National Guard Readiness Center yesterday.
“What we want to do today is educate ourselves,” so we can take action, said Brig. Gen. Leodis Jennings, special assistant to the director of the Army National Guard. “It doesn’t have to be a real overt action.
“It can be something as simple as sitting down and talking with them and asking if they need help and how you can assist,” he said.
During the event, which featured several speakers and information booths and was hosted by the ARNG’s Soldier/Family Support Service Division, Capt. Adrian Perez of the Army National Guard’s Manpower Analysis section, and his wife Sara, spoke about their experiences when Perez was wounded in 2006 while serving in Iraq with the 1st Armored Division’s 16th Engineer Battalion.
For the Perezes, the experience proved frustrating.
Injured during a patrol by an Improvised Explosive Device that left him partially blind and with wounds to his shoulders and back, Perez was evacuated first to a hospital in Mosul, then to Landsthul, Germany, and finally ended up at Walter Reed Army Medical Center in Washington.
Once at Walter Reed, that’s “where it almost gets comical,” said Perez, who said he had to find his own way to Walter Reed after flying into Washington with six other wounded Soldiers.
go here for more
http://www.ngb.army.mil/news/archives/2008/11/112008-Wounded.aspx
Thursday, November 20, 2008
VA worker, 13 others charged in fraud scheme
If they are found guilty, they should have to face the families of the disabled veterans who had their claims denied and ended up killing themselves. Face the veterans who ended up homeless because their claims were not taken care of. Face the kids who waited for help for their parent and none came in time to save the family. If they are guilty of this, they should have to travel across the country handcuffed to chairs so they have to listen to the veterans who trusted them. Then they can go to jail!
VA worker, 13 others charged in fraud scheme
By Brett Barrouquere - The Associated Press
Posted : Thursday Nov 20, 2008 16:37:08 EST
LOUISVILLE, Ky. — A Veterans Administration employee and 13 other people have been charged with conspiring to steal nearly $2 million in disability claims.
Veterans Affairs service representative Jeffrey Allan McGill and Daniel Ryan Parker, a veteran and officer with the Disabled American Veterans, were among the 14 charged Wednesday by a federal grand jury with conspiring to defraud the U.S. of $1.9 million through the submission of false veterans disability claims to the Department of Veterans Affairs.
The indictment outlines an alleged scheme for veterans to falsely claim to have suffered from bipolar disorder, hearing loss, frostbite, back injuries and other ailments and disabilities.
The indictment says veterans received lump-sum payments for back pay and then kick backed as much as two-thirds of it to Parker and McGill.
“They’re all veterans,” U.S. Attorney David Huber said at a news conference Thursday. “That’s what’s sad about all of this.”
Parker, 37, of Crestwood, is free on $25,000 bond. He is also charged with stealing $47,000 from Disabled American Veterans. His attorney, Brian Butler of Louisville, said his client plans to plead not guilty.
go here for more
http://www.armytimes.com/news/2008/11/ap_vafraudscheme_112008/
Did House chaplain once hide clergy sex crimes?
Survivors group: Did House chaplain once hide clergy sex crimes?
David Edwards and Muriel Kane
Published: Thursday November 20, 2008
Roll Call revealed Wednesday that the Catholic priest who currently serves as chaplain for the House of Representatives formerly oversaw a retreat outside Chicago where troubled priests were sent, including those accused of sexual misconduct.
The Survivors Network of Those Abused by Priests (SNAP) has issued a statement concerning these revelations about Rev. Daniel Coughlin. "Sadly, this is a familiar pattern in the Chicago archdiocese: a priest who successfully keeps quiet about clergy sex crimes wins a promotion. ... Among other questions, Coughlin needs to be asked, 'Did you ever call the police about any of these known or alleged crimes and if not, why not?'"
David Edwards and Muriel Kane
Published: Thursday November 20, 2008
Roll Call revealed Wednesday that the Catholic priest who currently serves as chaplain for the House of Representatives formerly oversaw a retreat outside Chicago where troubled priests were sent, including those accused of sexual misconduct.
The Survivors Network of Those Abused by Priests (SNAP) has issued a statement concerning these revelations about Rev. Daniel Coughlin. "Sadly, this is a familiar pattern in the Chicago archdiocese: a priest who successfully keeps quiet about clergy sex crimes wins a promotion. ... Among other questions, Coughlin needs to be asked, 'Did you ever call the police about any of these known or alleged crimes and if not, why not?'"
What Hastert's staffers did not ask, and Coughlin did not volunteer, was that he had spent the previous ten years, from 1990 to 2000, first directing a retreat for troubled priests and then serving as their vicar. A dozen of the priests Coughlin was responsible for were ultimately forced out of the priesthood and at least ten were alleged sexual abusers.
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A Soldier's Story Tonight on 13WHAM News at 5
A Soldier's Story Tonight on 13WHAM News at 5
13WHAM-TV - Rochester,NY,USA
Related Links
Learn More About Gianforte's Story
(Caledonia, N.Y)-Shawn Gianforte was a local hero, serving two years of duty in Iraq. Then, he served two years in prison.
The Caledonia native is now home. 13WHAM brought you his story last year when we interviewed him behind bars as he served time for an assault in Virginia that he doesn’t remember.
Gianforte, who accepted full responsibility for his crime, was diagnosed with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. But he says he never got the help he needed when he returned home from Iraq.
Thursday night, beginning at 5, 13WHAM’s Sean Carroll will bring us the story of Sergeant Gianforte’s recovery and road home.
13WHAM-TV - Rochester,NY,USA
Related Links
Learn More About Gianforte's Story
(Caledonia, N.Y)-Shawn Gianforte was a local hero, serving two years of duty in Iraq. Then, he served two years in prison.
The Caledonia native is now home. 13WHAM brought you his story last year when we interviewed him behind bars as he served time for an assault in Virginia that he doesn’t remember.
Gianforte, who accepted full responsibility for his crime, was diagnosed with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. But he says he never got the help he needed when he returned home from Iraq.
Thursday night, beginning at 5, 13WHAM’s Sean Carroll will bring us the story of Sergeant Gianforte’s recovery and road home.
Lawyer says AWOL Marine planned to surrender
Lawyer: AWOL Marine planned to surrender
Denver Post - Denver,CO,USA
By Tom McGhee
The Denver Post
Lance Hering says he was headed to Virginia where a psychiatrist was to evaluate him for the attorney who planned to defend him from U.S. Marine desertion charges when he was arrested, according to a police report.
The Boulder resident's case was being handled by James Culp, an Austin, Texas, attorney who specializes in military law, according to a report made by Port Angeles Washington police detective Jesse Winfield.
Culp didn't immediately return a call.
Hering, 23, is accused of deserting the Marine Corps after faking his disappearance in Eldorado Canyon in 2006 to avoid service in Iraq.
click link for more
Denver Post - Denver,CO,USA
By Tom McGhee
The Denver Post
Lance Hering says he was headed to Virginia where a psychiatrist was to evaluate him for the attorney who planned to defend him from U.S. Marine desertion charges when he was arrested, according to a police report.
The Boulder resident's case was being handled by James Culp, an Austin, Texas, attorney who specializes in military law, according to a report made by Port Angeles Washington police detective Jesse Winfield.
Culp didn't immediately return a call.
Hering, 23, is accused of deserting the Marine Corps after faking his disappearance in Eldorado Canyon in 2006 to avoid service in Iraq.
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GOP image goes from bad to worse, even Lincoln would have switched
"With malice toward none, with charity for all, with firmness in the right as God gives us to see the right, let us strive on to finish the work we are in; to bind up the nation's wounds; to care for him who shall have borne the battle, and for his widow and his orphan - to do all which may achieve and cherish a just and lasting peace, among ourselves, and with all nations."
Lincoln's Second Inaugural Address, March 4, 1865.
http://home.att.net/~rjnorton/Lincoln78.html
Republicans, for the most part, have honored this kind of attitude. The problem is, the elected have not. Thanks to CSPAN and their coverage of the floor speeches, we have an enormous record of exactly where the elected Republicans have been on every issue. It has not been with the kind of morality Abe Lincoln was talking about. It has been with corporations and watching out for the rich. While they had absolutely no issue at all in funding the two occupations, these same people had a huge problem with funding the men and women who participated in both of them and then needed the nation to tend to their wounds of body and mind.
Think of this. In 2005, with two military campaigns producing more and more wounded, there were less doctors and nurses working for the VA than there were after the Gulf War. Where was the planning for them? Why wasn't the GOP demanding increases for the VA when they held all the power? Why weren't they holding the same kind of hearings the Democrats were holding in the basement rooms, also covered by CSPAN? When the Democrats were holding up charts about the increases in the wounded and the need to take care of our veterans, the GOP were arguing against the increases and President Bush said they would have to find the funding to do anything. One more point to contemplate here is that none of the GOP elected were asking for any accountability at all no matter what the news papers were reporting or the GAO.
It was not until the following year when the Democrats took control in the November election that things began to change. In January of 2007, the Democrats took control over the committees and moved mountains out of the way. The biggest increase in VA funding in the history of the USA. The GI Bill was passed. Hearings were held on how to best take care of the veterans and programs were started that were needed since 2001. Think of where we could have been had the GOP been as interested in doing the right thing the way Lincoln talked about as they were in doing what was just perceived to be "right" attacking the morality of other people.
Think about how many veterans would still be alive today had they been taken care of when it came to PTSD. Had they received the help they needed when they needed it, it would have saved the 18 veterans committing suicide each day and the 12,000 attempted suicides each year would not have happened if they had the treatment and hope they needed to want to go on.
Read it here. I'm not making these numbers up.
http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2008/04/21/
cbsnews_investigates/main4032921.shtml
This should have never been morally acceptable to any of them but they were too busy just agreeing with Bush and disagreeing with the Democrats instead of working with them to do the right thing. Why didn't they take the lead when they had control? Most of them managed to vote in favor of the changes once the Democrats wrote the bills but they didn't do any of it when they had the chance.
These are the senators who received lower than a C, which we all know is just average.
Alabama
Senator Jeff Sessions F
Senator Richard C. Shelby D
Alaska
Senator Lisa Murkowski D
Senator Ted Stevens D
Arizona
Senator Jon L. Kyl D-
Senator John McCain D
Colorado
Senator Wayne Allard D
Florida
Senator Mel Martinez D
Georgia
Senator Saxby Chambliss D-
Senator Johnny Isakson F
Idaho
Senator Larry E. Craig D-
Senator Mike Crapo D
Indiana
Senator Richard G. Lugar D+
Iowa
Senator Charles E. Grassley D
Kansas
Senator Sam Brownback D
Senator Pat Roberts D
Kentucky
Senator Jim Bunning D-
Senator Mitch McConnell D
Louisiana
Senator David Vitter F
Minnesota
Senator Norm Coleman D
Mississippi
Senator Thad Cochran D
Senator Trent Lott D
Missouri
Senator Christopher S. Bond D
Senator Jim Talent D+
Montana
Senator Conrad Burns D+
Nebraska
Senator Chuck Hagel D+
Nevada
Senator John Ensign D-
New Hampshire
Senator Judd Gregg D
Senator John E. Sununu D
New Mexico
Senator Pete V. Domenici D
North Carolina
Senator Richard Burr F
Senator Elizabeth Dole D-
Ohio
Senator Mike DeWine D+
Senator George V. Voinovich D
Oklahoma
Senator Tom Coburn F
Senator James M. Inhofe D-
Pennsylvania
Senator Rick Santorum D-
South Carolina
Senator Jim DeMint F
Senator Lindsey O. Graham D-
South Dakota
Senator John R. Thune D+
Tennessee
Senator Lamar Alexander D
Senator Bill Frist D
Texas
Senator John Cornyn D-
Senator Kay Bailey Hutchison D+
Utah
Senator Robert Bennett D
Senator Orrin G. Hatch D
Virginia
Senator George Allen D+
Senator John W. Warner D+
Wyoming
Senator Michael B. Enzi D-
Senator Craig Thomas D
If you really want to know how many voted against veterans, go here and see the members of the House and how bad they are.
http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=f86_1217015024
Care to guess what party these senators belong to? They make great speeches when they know we're listening but what they say when they do when they think we aren't watching is totally different.
Now maybe you may have a better idea of what the GOP really need to do from here on.
Senior Chaplain Kathie "Costos" DiCesare
Namguardianangel@aol.com
www.Namguardianangel.org
www.Woundedtimes.blogspot.com
www.youtube.com/NamGuardianAngel
"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
Poll: GOP image goes from bad to worse
Posted: 02:09 PM ET
From CNN Political Producer Peter Hamby
A new poll out Thursday paints a bleak picture for the GOP.
WASHINGTON (CNN) – The Republican Party has hit a new low.
Just 34 percent of Americans in a Gallup Poll released Thursday say they have a favorable view of the party, down 40 percent from a month ago, before the election.
What’s worse: 61 percent of Americans have an unfavorable view of the Republican Party.
According to Gallup, that unfavorable rating is the highest the polling organization has recorded for the GOP since the measure was established in 1992.
The poll of national adults was conducted on November 13-16 with a three percent margin of error.
The numbers are slightly up from a CNN poll released last week that indicated a 54 percent unfavorable rating for Republicans. Only 38 percent of those polled had a favorable rating for the party.
Meanwhile, Democrats continue to bask in the glow of President-elect Barack Obama’s historic victory on November 4. The Gallup poll suggests that 55 percent of Americans hold a favorable opinion of the Democratic Party, with 39 percent saying they have an unfavorable view. Those numbers are mostly unchanged from a mid-October survey.
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After 63 years, vet learns of brother's death in Nazi slave camp because of story on CNN
Bernard "Jack" Vogel died in a Nazi slave camp in the arms of fellow U.S. soldier, Anthony Acevedo, in 1945.
After 63 years, vet learns of brother's death in Nazi slave camp
Story Highlights
U.S. soldier, Bernard "Jack" Vogel, died at a Nazi slave camp in April 1945
His younger brother, Martin, had long sought details about his final moments
With CNN's help, Martin was put in touch with the medic who held his brother
The U.S. Army has never officially recognized the 350 soldiers held at the slave camp
By Wayne Drash
CNN.com Senior Producer
ATLANTA, Georgia (CNN) -- For 63 years, Martin Vogel longed for information about how his only brother -- his best friend and a fellow U.S. soldier -- died in World War II.
He knew that Bernard "Jack" Vogel had tried to escape from a Nazi prisoner-of-war camp, but the details were sketchy. Martin was so devastated after the war, he didn't ask too many questions. But as time passed, his thoughts often drifted to his brother.
"A month doesn't go by that it doesn't come up in the course of my own thoughts," said Martin Vogel, now 82. "But to me, it's always there: What if this? Why didn't he do this? And what happened to him? And that's what bothered me."
The Boston resident read an article last week on CNN.com about Anthony Acevedo, a World War II medic who was among 350 U.S. soldiers held in a Nazi slave camp called Berga an der Elster, where dozens of soldiers were beaten, starved and killed. Less than half survived captivity.
In the piece, Acevedo mentioned a soldier by the name of Vogel who died in his arms.
Listen as Acevedo tells Martin Vogel: "I had him in my arms" »
For the first time in his life, Martin Vogel was about to learn the truth about his brother's death.
By week's end, he would also learn about his uncle's undying love for his brother -- and what he believes is the ultimate betrayal by the country his brother died for, the United States of America.
"You don't know how much this means," Martin Vogel said between sobs. "You don't know how much this means."
go here for more
http://www.cnn.com/2008/LIVING/11/20/worldwar.two.folo/index.html
Listen as Acevedo tells Martin Vogel: "I had him in my arms" »
The story
For 63 years, Martin Vogel longed for information about how his only brother -- his best friend and a fellow U.S. soldier -- died in World War II.
He knew that Bernard "Jack" Vogel had tried to escape from a Nazi prisoner-of-war camp, but the details were sketchy. Martin was so devastated after the war, he didn't ask too many questions. But as time passed, his thoughts often drifted to his brother.
"A month doesn't go by that it doesn't come up in the course of my own thoughts," said Martin Vogel, now 82. "But to me, it's always there: What if this? Why didn't he do this? And what happened to him? And that's what bothered me."
India:Teenage boy thrown under train by mob over love letter
Teen thrown under train for writing love letter
Mom begs for mercy, watches 'helplessly' as India boy dies in caste conflict
PATNA, India - A teenage Indian boy was thrashed, paraded through the streets with his head shaved and then thrown under a train for daring to write a love letter to a girl from a different caste, police said Thursday.
Manish Kumar, 15, was kidnapped by members of the rival caste on his way to school and was killed as his mother begged for mercy, police in the impoverished eastern state of Bihar said.
One man has been arrested and a policeman suspended.
go here for more
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/27821172/
Mom begs for mercy, watches 'helplessly' as India boy dies in caste conflict
PATNA, India - A teenage Indian boy was thrashed, paraded through the streets with his head shaved and then thrown under a train for daring to write a love letter to a girl from a different caste, police said Thursday.
Manish Kumar, 15, was kidnapped by members of the rival caste on his way to school and was killed as his mother begged for mercy, police in the impoverished eastern state of Bihar said.
One man has been arrested and a policeman suspended.
go here for more
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/27821172/
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