Investigator: Soldier's electrocution 'negligent homicide'
Story Highlights
Manner of death should be changed from "accidental," Army investigator writes
U.S. soldier electrocuted while showering at his base in Iraq in 2008
Investigator: Contractor didn't ensure electricians, plumbers were qualified
No charges have been filed; soldier's family is suing contractor
From Scott Bronstein and Abbie Boudreau
CNN Special Investigations Unit
WASHINGTON (CNN) -- A U.S. Army Criminal Investigations Division investigator has recommended changing the official manner of death for a soldier electrocuted while showering at his base in Iraq from "accidental" to "negligent homicide," according to an e-mail from the investigator obtained by CNN.
The investigator blames KBR, the largest U.S. contractor in Iraq, and two KBR supervisors for the incident, saying there is "credible information ... they failed to ensure that work was being done by qualified electricians and plumbers, and to inspect the work that was being conducted."
The e-mail, written late last year, says the investigation report was being reviewed by CID headquarters for a legal opinion to determine probable cause before the case could be referred to the military court system or the Department of Justice for possible action. No charges have been filed.
Sgt. Ryan Maseth's manner of death has not officially been changed, CID spokesman Christopher Grey told CNN.
click link for more
Thursday, January 22, 2009
Tragedy hits Virginia Tech again, student decapitated
Killer decapitates Va. Tech student, police say
Story Highlights
Killing was first on campus since gunman killed 32 on April 16, 2007
Victim Xin Yang, a graduate student from Beijing, knew accused killer, police say
Haiyang Zhu, 25, taken into custody; he is charged with first-degree murder
Attack took place at restaurant in Graduate Life Center
(CNN) -- A female graduate student at Virginia Tech was killed Wednesday night when a man she knew attacked her with a knife and decapitated her, a school spokesman said.
Virginia Tech spokesman Mark Owczarski said Thursday that Xin Yang's killing was the first on the campus since April 16, 2007, when a shooter killed 32 people before turning a gun on himself.
Yang, 22, from Beijing, China, was killed at the Au Bon Pain restaurant in the Graduate Life Center at around 7 p.m., school spokesman Larry Hincker said in a written statement.
Campus police took Haiyang Zhu, 25, into custody at the scene. The Ningbo, China, native has been charged with first-degree murder and is being held without bail at a local jail, Hincker said.
Zhu did not say anything to the arresting officers, said campus police Chief Wendell Flinchum.
click link for more
Donations to veterans groups doubted after donations vanish
The American people do care about veterans. This is obvious every time they read a report on how the VA fails veterans. It's obvious when group after group steps up to pick up where the VA fails. This happens all across the nation. What the American people cannot tolerate more than the failure of the VA is organizations claiming to put veterans first but end up just using veterans for personal gain. This angers them more than anything else but it's not just about the group that did the swindle. Oh no, it hurts the donations for all groups. It makes people think twice about trusting anyone with their donations.
Dante Hayes raised a lot of money when he claimed to be putting on the Veterans Ball. The money vanished and so did he. We don't know what happened but according to this report, he was claiming all systems go up until people were waiting to hear about travel arrangements to the ball. The hotel had not been paid, so they naturally canceled the event. How do you cancel a reputation? How do you cancel the connect the American people have to veterans? How do you cancel the emotional cost this placed on veterans? Can we ever come close to making any of this up to them above all? Hayes did a lot more damage than to the people who donated money to him and paid for tickets. He did damage to every organizations out there that really does put veterans first.
Dante Hayes raised a lot of money when he claimed to be putting on the Veterans Ball. The money vanished and so did he. We don't know what happened but according to this report, he was claiming all systems go up until people were waiting to hear about travel arrangements to the ball. The hotel had not been paid, so they naturally canceled the event. How do you cancel a reputation? How do you cancel the connect the American people have to veterans? How do you cancel the emotional cost this placed on veterans? Can we ever come close to making any of this up to them above all? Hayes did a lot more damage than to the people who donated money to him and paid for tickets. He did damage to every organizations out there that really does put veterans first.
Missing promoter leaves ball sponsors angry
By Rick Maze - Staff writer
Posted : Thursday Jan 22, 2009 15:20:46 EST
The promoter who failed to hold a promised Veterans Inaugural Ball on Tuesday has left behind a trail of angry corporate sponsors and charities who contributed to the event, disappointed performers who were booked for entertainment, and 17 to 25 beauty queens who were told they would be ambassadors for their states at the ball and help raise up to $10 million for veterans’ causes.
Debbie Slater, mother of 17-year-old Miss Teen Montana Galaxy Nikki Slater, said in a Wednesday interview that her daughter had told all of her friends she was coming to Washington for the inaugural, and there even was an article about the trip in a local newspaper.
In e-mails, promoter Dante Hayes promised three or four “action-filled” days highlighted by the black-tie ball that Obama supposedly would visit because veterans were such an important cause.
“Honestly, if a veterans’ organization contacted me right now asking for my support, I wouldn’t trust them because of this experience,” Slater said, adding that her family had spent money buying gowns and tuxedos for the many events and had even made a contribution to the cause because they were such big believers. click link for more
USA Together lets you directly help a veteran, one at a time
USA Together/
You've served your country well, now allow your country to give back to you.
At USA Together, our mission is to use the power of the Internet to help the men and women of the US military who have suffered life-altering injuries in service to their country.
By publishing specific needs for goods, financial assistance and services, we hope to connect injured service members and their families with those who are willing and able to assist them.
We are a group of people, some with military background, others without, that have come together to help this amazing group of Americans.
We are based in Silicon Valley and think that there is a power that the internet can bring to solving this problem.
We have no political, religious or other affiliation or agenda and represent a variety of backgrounds.
We believe that all who have served our country in the military have shown a level of care and commitment to America that is to be respected and commended. Those who have gotten injured during that service deserve a corresponding level of care and commitment from their fellow citizens. That is the social contract that we all have with those who serve. This is our way to support the troops.
We believe that there is a desire on the part of many Americans to help, but they just don't know how. This project is designed to allow each person to find someone they can help in a way that suits them. We think that people helping each other directly has a power and sense of community that is unique.
We think this is the right thing to do.
The USAtogether team
Dave Mahler - Founder and President of USA Together
Dave has been involved in high technology business in silicon valley since 1978. Dave was most recently a venture consultant for Accel Partners, where he spent 4 years evaluating and working with startups and has been a Board Director on a number of them. He has served as Interim CEO at several startups during their venture investment period. Prior to joining Accel, Dave co-founded Remedy Corporation (acquired by BMC), where he served in several executive posts, including: VP of Marketing and Sales. Prior to co-founding Remedy, Dave spent 13 years at Hewlett Packard, where he held a variety of management positions in R&D and Marketing. He holds a B.S.E.E. degree from Case Western Reserve University. Dave has also been on the Board of Directors for various non-profits in the education and Search and Rescue fields.
Dave can be reached at dave@usatogether.org.
Eric Bergan - Founder
Most recently, Eric has been an angel investor, consultant to startups, and Tech Partner at El Dorado Ventures. Eric held several positions at Remedy Corporation, including VP of Engineering, VP of Strategic ISVs, and CIO. Previously, Eric was Director of Engineering at NetLabs, a network management software company, and Director of Databases, Applications Engineering and Software Quality Assurance for Pyramid Technology. Eric has also worked at Johns Hopkins Hospital, Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory, and CDC. Eric received a BS in Computer Science and a BA in Philosophy from the University of Kansas and an MS in Computer Science from The John Hopkins University.
Eric can be reached at eric@usatogether.org.
Beth Braun - Founder, VP, Service Member Support
Beth has over 20 years in the customer service field, most recently as the VP Customer Service at Centerbeam, Inc. Prior to that, she held various positions in the customer service area at Remedy Corp. as well as at Hewlett Packard and Lockheed. Beth has a father in law who is a former Marine and brings that sensitivity to her work at USA Together. She is also on the Board for several local sports organizations in the Bay Area. Beth received a BS in Computer Engineering from Boston University.
linked from the previous story from NPR
You've served your country well, now allow your country to give back to you.
At USA Together, our mission is to use the power of the Internet to help the men and women of the US military who have suffered life-altering injuries in service to their country.
By publishing specific needs for goods, financial assistance and services, we hope to connect injured service members and their families with those who are willing and able to assist them.
We are a group of people, some with military background, others without, that have come together to help this amazing group of Americans.
We are based in Silicon Valley and think that there is a power that the internet can bring to solving this problem.
We have no political, religious or other affiliation or agenda and represent a variety of backgrounds.
We believe that all who have served our country in the military have shown a level of care and commitment to America that is to be respected and commended. Those who have gotten injured during that service deserve a corresponding level of care and commitment from their fellow citizens. That is the social contract that we all have with those who serve. This is our way to support the troops.
We believe that there is a desire on the part of many Americans to help, but they just don't know how. This project is designed to allow each person to find someone they can help in a way that suits them. We think that people helping each other directly has a power and sense of community that is unique.
We think this is the right thing to do.
The USAtogether team
Dave Mahler - Founder and President of USA Together
Dave has been involved in high technology business in silicon valley since 1978. Dave was most recently a venture consultant for Accel Partners, where he spent 4 years evaluating and working with startups and has been a Board Director on a number of them. He has served as Interim CEO at several startups during their venture investment period. Prior to joining Accel, Dave co-founded Remedy Corporation (acquired by BMC), where he served in several executive posts, including: VP of Marketing and Sales. Prior to co-founding Remedy, Dave spent 13 years at Hewlett Packard, where he held a variety of management positions in R&D and Marketing. He holds a B.S.E.E. degree from Case Western Reserve University. Dave has also been on the Board of Directors for various non-profits in the education and Search and Rescue fields.
Dave can be reached at dave@usatogether.org.
Eric Bergan - Founder
Most recently, Eric has been an angel investor, consultant to startups, and Tech Partner at El Dorado Ventures. Eric held several positions at Remedy Corporation, including VP of Engineering, VP of Strategic ISVs, and CIO. Previously, Eric was Director of Engineering at NetLabs, a network management software company, and Director of Databases, Applications Engineering and Software Quality Assurance for Pyramid Technology. Eric has also worked at Johns Hopkins Hospital, Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory, and CDC. Eric received a BS in Computer Science and a BA in Philosophy from the University of Kansas and an MS in Computer Science from The John Hopkins University.
Eric can be reached at eric@usatogether.org.
Beth Braun - Founder, VP, Service Member Support
Beth has over 20 years in the customer service field, most recently as the VP Customer Service at Centerbeam, Inc. Prior to that, she held various positions in the customer service area at Remedy Corp. as well as at Hewlett Packard and Lockheed. Beth has a father in law who is a former Marine and brings that sensitivity to her work at USA Together. She is also on the Board for several local sports organizations in the Bay Area. Beth received a BS in Computer Engineering from Boston University.
linked from the previous story from NPR
Veterans Turn To Online Strangers For Financial Help
If you've been paying attention, a report like this will not surprise you. The problem is, most people, well, they haven't paid attention at all. This is what happens when the government does not think "have they done enough" instead of just doing what they are forced to do.
Veterans Turn To Online Strangers For Financial Help
NPR - USA
by Daniel Zwerdling
Listen Now
Morning Edition, January 22, 2009 · When Robert Sprenger's Humvee blew up in Iraq, the Army specialist was burned black over large swatches of his body.
After the Army transported him to Brooke Army Medical Center in San Antonio, Texas, Sprenger spent months lying in his bed, wrapped in gauze, almost like a mummy.
When he was released, he moved back home with his mother to the farm town of Sleepy Eye, Minn., where they made a troubling discovery.
The government compensated him, but his mother says the money wasn't anywhere near enough to cover his family's expenses. So Sprenger and his family swallowed their pride, as a growing number of veterans have done, and went cyberbegging: They posted their story on a Web site and asked strangers to help.
"That was the most horrible-est thing," says Robert's mother, Vicky Sprenger. But she says they had no choice. "I wouldn't ever cut the Army down for any reason whatsoever," she says. "I just think ... it kind of stinks, you know, that we do have to struggle the way we do."
“If the VA is meeting [its] obligations to America's veterans, why is there a need for any other nongovernmental organizations or veterans service organizations to provide any level of assistance?”
Peter Gaytan, director of national veterans affairs, the American Legion
click link for more
Epilepsy drugs to treat PTSD
Epilepsy drugs to treat PTSD
guardian.co.uk - UKBMJ Group, Friday 7 November 2008 Article history
Do they work?
We don't know. Some doctors have tried using drugs for epilepsy as a treatment for post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). But this treatment is still experimental. There's no good-quality research yet to say whether drugs for epilepsy can help people with PTSD.
What are they?
There are several drugs that doctors use to treat epilepsy. Some of the ones that have been tried for PTSD are:
carbamazepine (brand name Tegretol)
tiagabine (Gabitril)
topiramate (Topamax)
valproate (Epilim).
You usually take these drugs as tablets.
Drugs have been available to treat epilepsy for years, but they have only just started to be used for PTSD. There's still not much information on how well they work, so they're not used very often. Your doctor might suggest you take an epilepsy drug if you've tried other treatments and they haven't helped.
How can they help?
We don't know if they can help. There hasn't been any good-quality research looking at whether epilepsy drugs can help people with PTSD. A few small, lower-quality studies have had promising results.[1] [2] But we need more research before we can say what the benefits and risks of these drugs are for people with PTSD.
Why should they work?
Epilepsy drugs seem to help stabilise people's moods. This may mean you get fewer symptoms of PTSD. Or, if you're less agitated and irritable, you might find your other symptoms easier to cope with.
click link for more
guardian.co.uk - UKBMJ Group, Friday 7 November 2008 Article history
Do they work?
We don't know. Some doctors have tried using drugs for epilepsy as a treatment for post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). But this treatment is still experimental. There's no good-quality research yet to say whether drugs for epilepsy can help people with PTSD.
What are they?
There are several drugs that doctors use to treat epilepsy. Some of the ones that have been tried for PTSD are:
carbamazepine (brand name Tegretol)
tiagabine (Gabitril)
topiramate (Topamax)
valproate (Epilim).
You usually take these drugs as tablets.
Drugs have been available to treat epilepsy for years, but they have only just started to be used for PTSD. There's still not much information on how well they work, so they're not used very often. Your doctor might suggest you take an epilepsy drug if you've tried other treatments and they haven't helped.
How can they help?
We don't know if they can help. There hasn't been any good-quality research looking at whether epilepsy drugs can help people with PTSD. A few small, lower-quality studies have had promising results.[1] [2] But we need more research before we can say what the benefits and risks of these drugs are for people with PTSD.
Why should they work?
Epilepsy drugs seem to help stabilise people's moods. This may mean you get fewer symptoms of PTSD. Or, if you're less agitated and irritable, you might find your other symptoms easier to cope with.
click link for more
Army recruiter suicides finding, nope, no PTSD connection
The Army claims that none of the soldiers were diagnosed with PTSD. The key word here is "diagnosed" and we need to keep in mind that this does not mean they did not have PTSD. Sgt. Henderson did not have flashbacks because of "other issues" but had them from combat.
Do people commit suicide when they do not have PTSD? Regular people commit suicide for all kinds of reasons but these are not "regular people" they are a rarity. It's time for the military to acknowledge the difference between those willing to lay down their lives in defense of this nation, serving this nation and what it asks of them and the majority of the American people who depend on them. They do not take their personal lives above everything else. For them, their families, their friends, their outside lives come secondary to service. They know they can be deployed, sent away from their families and their "regular lives" at a moments notice. It doesn't matter if their wife is pregnant and they will miss the birth because they have to go. It doesn't stop them from going when adult children get married and they will not be able to walk their daughter down the isle because they are deployed into combat. This is their life and it's high time the military acknowledges that fact and pays tribute to it. They fail the men and women willing to lay down their lives if they do not understand the basis of these lives.
The DOD and the VA cannot keep denying the connection between known symptoms of PTSD because their is not an approved claim for it. Flashbacks of combat do not come from anything other than being in combat!
Recruiter Suicides Lead To Army Probe
Sgt. 1st Class Patrick Henderson in her home in Henderson, Texas, Nov. 20, 2008. Patrick Henderson, afflicted by flashbacks and sleeplessness after a tour in Iraq, hanged himself in a shed behind his house as his wife and her son slept.
He became, at age 35, the fourth member of the Army's Houston Recruiting Battalion to commit suicide in the past three years — something Henderson's widow and others blame on the psychological scars of combat, combined with the pressure-cooker job of trying to sell the war. click link for more
Do people commit suicide when they do not have PTSD? Regular people commit suicide for all kinds of reasons but these are not "regular people" they are a rarity. It's time for the military to acknowledge the difference between those willing to lay down their lives in defense of this nation, serving this nation and what it asks of them and the majority of the American people who depend on them. They do not take their personal lives above everything else. For them, their families, their friends, their outside lives come secondary to service. They know they can be deployed, sent away from their families and their "regular lives" at a moments notice. It doesn't matter if their wife is pregnant and they will miss the birth because they have to go. It doesn't stop them from going when adult children get married and they will not be able to walk their daughter down the isle because they are deployed into combat. This is their life and it's high time the military acknowledges that fact and pays tribute to it. They fail the men and women willing to lay down their lives if they do not understand the basis of these lives.
Army completes recruiter suicide investigation
Jan 21
By Catherine Abbott (Media Relations Division, OCPA)
The U.S. Army concluded a two and a half month investigation into the suicides of four Soldiers assigned to the Houston Recruiting Battalion.
Lt. Gen. Benjamin C. Freakley, commander, U.S. Army Accessions Command, directed Brig. Gen. Frank D. Turner III, deputy commanding general and chief of staff for the U.S. Army Accessions Command, to investigate the unit that experienced the four suicides that occurred between January 2005 and September 2008.
"Each of these deaths is an absolute tragedy and our sympathies and prayers go out to their families and friends, as well as their fellow brothers and sisters with whom they served so honorably," said Freakley. "Every leader, every Soldier, at every level of our Army, must help our institution reduce the stigma associated with seeking mental health care and raise the level of awareness of suicide risk factors. Neither our nation nor our Army can accept another needless loss of life."
The investigation concluded that there was no single cause for these deaths. Relevant factors included the command climate, stress, personal matters, and medical problems. None were diagnosed with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD).
As a result of the findings, Secretary of the Army directed a USAREC command-wide "stand down" day focused on leadership training, suicide prevention / resiliency training and recruiter wellness. Additionally, the Commanding General of Army Accessions Command has requested that the Army's Inspector General lead an external assessment of the command climate across the U.S. Army Recruiting Command (USAREC), to which the Houston Recruiting Battalion belongs.
The Army is also reviewing recruiter screening and selection processes, the provisions of care for Soldiers who need mental health care, Army-wide suicide prevention training, and access to care and peer support networks for geographically dispersed Soldiers. It will review the current policy that allows Soldiers to waive their mandatory 90 days of stabilization after returning from deployment to ensure any personal or professional concerns are addressed prior to the recently redeployed Soldier moving into new and different work environments.
The Army will continue to focus its efforts on helping Soldiers get the assistance they need wherever they serve. For more information contact COL Michael Negard at TRADOC Public Affairs, (757) 788-3385; michael.negard@us.army.mil
The DOD and the VA cannot keep denying the connection between known symptoms of PTSD because their is not an approved claim for it. Flashbacks of combat do not come from anything other than being in combat!
Wednesday, January 21, 2009
Wounded honored at ‘Heroes’ ball
Wounded honored at ‘Heroes’ ball
By Karen Jowers - Staff writer
Posted : Wednesday Jan 21, 2009 17:36:05 EST
From folk singers “Peter, Paul and Ben Vereen,” to funk icon George Clinton with Sly Stone, to Latin American Idol Carlos Pena — and Adm. Mike Mullen, chairman of the Joint Chiefs — the thanks rolled in Tuesday night to wounded troops and their families honored at the Heroes Red, White and Blue Inaugural Ball.
About 300 troops from Walter Reed Army Medical Center in Washington and the National Naval Medical Center in nearby Bethesda, Md., were VIPs at the event, held at the Warner Theatre in downtown Washington.
Peter and Paul didn’t bring Mary, who is recuperating from an illness, so actor Ben Vereen filled in for her on the songs “Blowing in the Wind” and “This Land is Your Land.”
George Clinton brought on rarely seen Sly Stone with his group, and was a big hit with the troops, many of whom flocked forward to the stage.
go here for more
http://www.armytimes.com/news/2009/01/military_heroes_ball_012109w/
By Karen Jowers - Staff writer
Posted : Wednesday Jan 21, 2009 17:36:05 EST
From folk singers “Peter, Paul and Ben Vereen,” to funk icon George Clinton with Sly Stone, to Latin American Idol Carlos Pena — and Adm. Mike Mullen, chairman of the Joint Chiefs — the thanks rolled in Tuesday night to wounded troops and their families honored at the Heroes Red, White and Blue Inaugural Ball.
About 300 troops from Walter Reed Army Medical Center in Washington and the National Naval Medical Center in nearby Bethesda, Md., were VIPs at the event, held at the Warner Theatre in downtown Washington.
Peter and Paul didn’t bring Mary, who is recuperating from an illness, so actor Ben Vereen filled in for her on the songs “Blowing in the Wind” and “This Land is Your Land.”
George Clinton brought on rarely seen Sly Stone with his group, and was a big hit with the troops, many of whom flocked forward to the stage.
go here for more
http://www.armytimes.com/news/2009/01/military_heroes_ball_012109w/
Shinseki Sworn In, Vows 21st Century Service to Veterans
Recent VA News Releases
To view and download VA news release, please visit the following
Internet address:
http://www.va.gov/opa/pressrel
Shinseki Sworn In, Vows 21st Century Service to Veterans
WASHINGTON (Jan. 21, 2009) - Retired Army Gen. Eric K. Shinseki took the
oath of office today as the Nation's seventh Secretary of Veterans
Affairs, assuming the leadership of the Department of Veterans Affairs
following Tuesday's confirmation by the Senate.
"The overriding challenge I am addressing from my first day in office is
to make the Department of Veterans Affairs a 21st century organization
focused on the Nation's Veterans as its clients," Shinseki said.
Shinseki plans to develop a 2010 budget within his first 90 days that
realizes the vision of President Obama to transform VA into an
organization that is people-centric, results-driven and forward-looking.
Key issues on his agenda include smooth activation of an enhanced GI
Bill education benefit that eligible Veterans can begin using next fall,
streamlining the disability claims system, leveraging information
technology to accelerate and modernize services, and opening VA's health
care system to Veterans previously unable to enroll in it, while
facilitating access for returning Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans.
Shinseki, a former Army Chief of Staff, takes the reins of a
284,000-employee organization delivering health care and financial
benefits to millions of Veterans and survivors under a $98 billion
budget authorized this year through networks of regional benefits
offices and health care facilities from coast to coast.
Born in 1942 on the island of Kauai, Hawaii, Shinseki graduated from the
U.S. Military Academy at West Point, N.Y., in 1965. He served two
combat tours and was wounded in action in Vietnam. He served with
distinction in Europe, the Pacific and stateside, eventually becoming
the Army's senior leader from June 1999 to June 2003.
Retired from military service in August 2003, Shinseki's military
decorations include three Bronze Stars and two Purple Hearts.
Shinseki succeeds Dr. James B. Peake as Secretary of Veterans Affairs.
To view and download VA news release, please visit the following
Internet address:
http://www.va.gov/opa/pressrel
Shinseki Sworn In, Vows 21st Century Service to Veterans
WASHINGTON (Jan. 21, 2009) - Retired Army Gen. Eric K. Shinseki took the
oath of office today as the Nation's seventh Secretary of Veterans
Affairs, assuming the leadership of the Department of Veterans Affairs
following Tuesday's confirmation by the Senate.
"The overriding challenge I am addressing from my first day in office is
to make the Department of Veterans Affairs a 21st century organization
focused on the Nation's Veterans as its clients," Shinseki said.
Shinseki plans to develop a 2010 budget within his first 90 days that
realizes the vision of President Obama to transform VA into an
organization that is people-centric, results-driven and forward-looking.
Key issues on his agenda include smooth activation of an enhanced GI
Bill education benefit that eligible Veterans can begin using next fall,
streamlining the disability claims system, leveraging information
technology to accelerate and modernize services, and opening VA's health
care system to Veterans previously unable to enroll in it, while
facilitating access for returning Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans.
Shinseki, a former Army Chief of Staff, takes the reins of a
284,000-employee organization delivering health care and financial
benefits to millions of Veterans and survivors under a $98 billion
budget authorized this year through networks of regional benefits
offices and health care facilities from coast to coast.
Born in 1942 on the island of Kauai, Hawaii, Shinseki graduated from the
U.S. Military Academy at West Point, N.Y., in 1965. He served two
combat tours and was wounded in action in Vietnam. He served with
distinction in Europe, the Pacific and stateside, eventually becoming
the Army's senior leader from June 1999 to June 2003.
Retired from military service in August 2003, Shinseki's military
decorations include three Bronze Stars and two Purple Hearts.
Shinseki succeeds Dr. James B. Peake as Secretary of Veterans Affairs.
Critics hit Army's treatment of drug abuse
Critics hit Army's treatment of drug abuse
Seattle Post Intelligencer - USA
By ALAN SCHER ZAGIER
ASSOCIATED PRESS WRITER
FORT LEONARD WOOD, Mo. -- Spec. Jeremiah Thomson didn't know what was worse: excruciating back pain from a combat explosion in Baghdad or the prescription drug addiction he developed trying to ease the suffering once home.
The Army was quick to prescribe Percocet, Vicodin, Oxycontin and similarly powerful painkillers to Thomson and other injured soldiers at Fort Leonard Wood, Thomson testified in a court-martial hearing. He's now serving a three-year sentence for illegally buying prescription drugs - the sellers included a former commanding officer in Iraq - and selling the pills to eight other soldiers.
As more troops return home with war injuries, the Army is prescribing more pain medication to treat those wounds. But a military system that relies on discipline as well as treatment is drawing fire from some prominent critics, including those inside the system.
"It's a terrible problem," said Barbara McDonald, a civilian social worker and Army drug abuse counselor, describing a recent surge in prescription drug abuse and the Army's handling of the problem.
Legal painkiller use by injured troops has increased nearly 70 percent since the start of the Iraq war six years ago, according to Army records. Surveys show that more soldiers are struggling with prescription drug addiction - and seeking help from Army doctors and counselors.
click link for more
Seattle Post Intelligencer - USA
By ALAN SCHER ZAGIER
ASSOCIATED PRESS WRITER
FORT LEONARD WOOD, Mo. -- Spec. Jeremiah Thomson didn't know what was worse: excruciating back pain from a combat explosion in Baghdad or the prescription drug addiction he developed trying to ease the suffering once home.
The Army was quick to prescribe Percocet, Vicodin, Oxycontin and similarly powerful painkillers to Thomson and other injured soldiers at Fort Leonard Wood, Thomson testified in a court-martial hearing. He's now serving a three-year sentence for illegally buying prescription drugs - the sellers included a former commanding officer in Iraq - and selling the pills to eight other soldiers.
As more troops return home with war injuries, the Army is prescribing more pain medication to treat those wounds. But a military system that relies on discipline as well as treatment is drawing fire from some prominent critics, including those inside the system.
"It's a terrible problem," said Barbara McDonald, a civilian social worker and Army drug abuse counselor, describing a recent surge in prescription drug abuse and the Army's handling of the problem.
Legal painkiller use by injured troops has increased nearly 70 percent since the start of the Iraq war six years ago, according to Army records. Surveys show that more soldiers are struggling with prescription drug addiction - and seeking help from Army doctors and counselors.
click link for more
Memorial for fallen Iraq soldier stolen in Jones Creek Texas
Bronzed memorial to soldier stolen
Houston Chronicle - United States
JONES CREEK, Texas — A memorial that topped the grave of a 21-year-old soldier killed in Iraq two years ago has been stolen.
Thieves last week hauled away a battle cross created for Cody Ford's grave — his bronzed jump boots, bronzed assault rife and a bronzed helmet like the one he wore in Iraq. Authorities said even the bronzed base that supported the battle cross in Gulf Prairie Cemetery was stolen.
"I don't know if they hated the family that much, or if they hated Cody that much — why would you do something like that?" said Ford's father, Philip Ford.
The bronzed boots are the same jump boots that Cody Ford, a U.S. Army specialist and member of the 3rd Battalion, 509th Infantry (Airborne), wore when he graduated from paratrooper school. The boots were filled with concrete before they were mounted on his grave.
The thieves also kicked around flowers and other items at the grave and stole the soldier's dog tags.
click link for more
Houston Chronicle - United States
JONES CREEK, Texas — A memorial that topped the grave of a 21-year-old soldier killed in Iraq two years ago has been stolen.
Thieves last week hauled away a battle cross created for Cody Ford's grave — his bronzed jump boots, bronzed assault rife and a bronzed helmet like the one he wore in Iraq. Authorities said even the bronzed base that supported the battle cross in Gulf Prairie Cemetery was stolen.
"I don't know if they hated the family that much, or if they hated Cody that much — why would you do something like that?" said Ford's father, Philip Ford.
The bronzed boots are the same jump boots that Cody Ford, a U.S. Army specialist and member of the 3rd Battalion, 509th Infantry (Airborne), wore when he graduated from paratrooper school. The boots were filled with concrete before they were mounted on his grave.
The thieves also kicked around flowers and other items at the grave and stole the soldier's dog tags.
click link for more
Florida 81-year-old community theater actor was shot in the head
Sarasota actor injured by loaded gun during rehersal
Reported by: Sunde Farquhar
Email: sfarquhar@abcactionnews.com
Last Update: 9:30 am
BRADENTON, FL -- An actor with the Sarasota Senior Theater was hospitalized Monday night, after a bullet grazed his ear during a play rehearsal.
Bradenton police say Bill Bordy had borrowed a .32-caliber Smith and Wesson from a cast member to use in a scene of "Of Mice and Men." Bordy was following the play's script when he pointed the gun at the back of the head of another actor.
He pulled the trigger and a bullet flew out of the gun, grazing actor, Fred Kellerman in the left ear.
Kellerman was taken to Manatee Memorial Hospital and was in stable condition Monday night.
click link for more
Reported by: Sunde Farquhar
Email: sfarquhar@abcactionnews.com
Last Update: 9:30 am
BRADENTON, FL -- An actor with the Sarasota Senior Theater was hospitalized Monday night, after a bullet grazed his ear during a play rehearsal.
Bradenton police say Bill Bordy had borrowed a .32-caliber Smith and Wesson from a cast member to use in a scene of "Of Mice and Men." Bordy was following the play's script when he pointed the gun at the back of the head of another actor.
He pulled the trigger and a bullet flew out of the gun, grazing actor, Fred Kellerman in the left ear.
Kellerman was taken to Manatee Memorial Hospital and was in stable condition Monday night.
click link for more
KBR, Indiana National Guard and Lung Cancer?
Iraq Veterans Poisoned: War Contractors Knew But Concealed
Dr. Phillip Leveque Salem-News.com
Phillip Leveque has spent his life as a Combat Infantryman, Physician, Pharmacologist and Toxicologist.
(MOLALLA, Ore.) - The Oregonian Newspaper headlined Oregon Troops exposed to toxic chemicals by Julie Sullivan January 9th 2009. She wrote that KBR, a Haliburton company, disregarded and downplayed the extreme danger especially of lung cancer.
The chemical was Hexavalent Chromium Salts best exemplified by various Dichromate salts usually used to remove ALL traces of organic material by chemically burning them from any other material.
This corrosive action also acts on human skin where it causes severe irritation and especially the nose, trachea and lungs where it causes nosebleeds, coughing, pain on breathing and headaches, but especially lung cancer.
click link for more
Dr. Phillip Leveque Salem-News.com
Phillip Leveque has spent his life as a Combat Infantryman, Physician, Pharmacologist and Toxicologist.
(MOLALLA, Ore.) - The Oregonian Newspaper headlined Oregon Troops exposed to toxic chemicals by Julie Sullivan January 9th 2009. She wrote that KBR, a Haliburton company, disregarded and downplayed the extreme danger especially of lung cancer.
The chemical was Hexavalent Chromium Salts best exemplified by various Dichromate salts usually used to remove ALL traces of organic material by chemically burning them from any other material.
This corrosive action also acts on human skin where it causes severe irritation and especially the nose, trachea and lungs where it causes nosebleeds, coughing, pain on breathing and headaches, but especially lung cancer.
click link for more
Suicide prevention bill prevents veterans from getting help
by
Chaplain Kathie
I did a presentation the other day for a group of veterans about PTSD. After I was done talking there was plenty of time for questions. The question most on their minds was the right to carry a gun at the same time they were getting help.
The Joshua Omvig Suicide Prevention Bill is a wonderful thing, but yet again Congress was not thinking. What this ended up doing is raise the awareness PTSD veterans need help at the same time they were begin deterred from getting it.
Would you want a PTSD veteran needing help with a gun and getting it, or would you want one with a gun and not getting it? Seems to be the question our elected should have been asking before they wrote it the way they did.
While guns are the means of choice when it comes to suicide, and there is the domestic violence issue, they can and do find other ways. When they are trained to go into combat, they are trained to rely on their weapon as their friend. When they come home with the war inside of them, many want that friend right by their side. Many veterans with PTSD go into police and defense jobs. Taking away their gun is taking away their incomes. This leaves us with a huge problem on top of the one we've had for too many years. At the same time they hear, "go for help to heal" they are told "your right to carry a gun will go away" if you do. Ever tell a combat veteran they are no longer able to carry a gun when they did it in combat?
There is no easy answer on this when it comes to preventing suicides and domestic violence when the root cause is PTSD. Awareness is wonderful and much more of it needs to be done when two thirds of the American public have no clue what it is. Educating the communities around the nation is wonderful as well as opening Veterans' Centers but if you do not get them to go for help, none of it will do much good at all.
If this part of the bill is not removed then we will keep losing more and more veterans to suicide and see their lives slip away. One more thing if you still don't understand what this did. Some troops deployed into Iraq and Afghanistan have PTSD. They have guns. Some police officers have PTSD and serve on the streets everyday. They have guns. Do you think they could do their jobs without them? Do you see them all committing suicide or domestic violence with them? Taking away guns when they seek help is an easy answer to a very complex problem and was in fact the wrong answer.
I was worried about this and heard from a lot of veterans when the bill was signed. It took a good friend of mine to point this issue out when I was thinking the other way. Then more and more veterans contacted me with this concern. Now, I know for sure, it has kept them from getting help. Most of the veterans said it was their number one reason for not going for help. They've come to terms with the stigma being stupid now they have to deal with a catch in a bill to help them being stupid.
Write to your congressmen and have them get this right right now please. They've already waited long enough to begin the healing.
Oregon moves to curb veterans' suicides
State moves to curb veterans' suicides
Associated Press - January 20, 2009 1:15 PM ET
ALBANY, Ore. (AP) - Oregon is moving to curb the rising number of suicides among the state's veterans. The director of the Oregon Department of Veterans' Affairs, Jim Willis, says his agency was launching a television and print campaign to publicize a suicide-prevention lifeline, 1-800-273-TALK.
Willis said anyone should call who suspects a veteran is considering suicide.
Oregon ranks 13th in the nation for calls on the nationally run help line but is 37th in population.
click link for more
Associated Press - January 20, 2009 1:15 PM ET
ALBANY, Ore. (AP) - Oregon is moving to curb the rising number of suicides among the state's veterans. The director of the Oregon Department of Veterans' Affairs, Jim Willis, says his agency was launching a television and print campaign to publicize a suicide-prevention lifeline, 1-800-273-TALK.
Willis said anyone should call who suspects a veteran is considering suicide.
Oregon ranks 13th in the nation for calls on the nationally run help line but is 37th in population.
click link for more
Decorated Iraq Veteran dies in standoff after sheriff's deputies
One more case of not enough being done fast enough to save their lives.
Suicide victim in standoff was vet, soldier at Carson
January 20, 2009 - 8:16 PM
TOM ROEDER and CARLYN RAY MITCHELL
THE GAZETTE
The man who shot himself to death during a standoff with El Paso County sheriff's deputies early Saturday was identified Tuesday as Army Spc. Larry Applegate, 27, a decorated Iraq war veteran stationed at Fort Carson.
Deputies responded to a domestic violence call at Applegate's home, 6830 Harding Drive, late Friday and found Applegate's wife outside saying her husband was in the house firing rifles.
The gunfire continued for the better part of an hour and when it ended, the SWAT team found Applegate dead inside.
Applegate, of Myrtle Beach, S.C., was a twice-deployed Iraq war veteran awarded the Purple Heart and Army Commendation Medal with Valor.
He joined the Army in 2004.
The suicide left Fort Carson officials grieving and looking for answers, the post's commander, Maj. Gen. Mark Graham said Tuesday night.
Graham, who lost a son to suicide has been a leading proponent of Army suicide-prevention efforts and is hosting a pilot program for prevention training at the post this week.
"We have to let them know that it's a sign of strength not weakness to come forward and seek help," he said.
The soldier was in the post's Warrior Transition Unit, which is designed to assist soldiers with war-related medical or mental health problems.
"He was a good, young soldier," Graham said. "Just a good young soldier. It's tragic. We're all taking it hard." click link for more
Tuesday, January 20, 2009
In Afghanistan, Illinois Guard troops soak up historic moment
In Afghanistan, Illinois Guard troops soak up historic moment
By Kim Barker Tribune correspondent
3:57 PM CST, January 20, 2009
KABUL, Afghanistan - For two hours Tuesday night, the war on terror paused here, a brief moment when most soldiers in the Camp Phoenix cafeteria watched TV, ate cake decorated with a presidential seal and gave a standing ovation to their new commander in chief.
President Barack Obama was, after all, one of them, a man who had made Illinois his home, even if he wasn't born there. And so the room of 200 people, mostly soldiers from the recently deployed Illinois National Guard, erupted several times during the special inauguration viewing, shown on a large TV in the mess hall.
They are at the center of one of the biggest foreign policy challenges facing the new administration. Obama has said the real front line of the war on terror is in Afghanistan and Pakistan, not Iraq, and as many as 30,000 new U.S. troops will be sent to Afghanistan in the coming months, almost doubling the U.S. forces in the country.
"We've been excited all day," said Spec. Tiffany Givens, 22, a college student from Chicago's West Side, who shouted "Go-Bama, Go-Bama" when Obama first appeared on TV. "It's even better being in Afghanistan, because at least here, we're doing something positive."
In recent years, Taliban-led insurgents have gained strength in both Afghanistan and Pakistan. Last year was the deadliest for U.S. and coalition forces in Afghanistan since the 2001 ouster of the Taliban, who are blamed for sheltering Al Qaeda leaders after the Sept. 11 attacks.
About 3,000 National Guard troops from Illinois, the largest deployment since World War II, arrived in Afghanistan recently to train Afghan police and soldiers.
Already, there have been casualties. Two soldiers died in a September blast; another died in an October suicide bombing. On Saturday, a suicide attacker injured five Illinois soldiers near a base in Kabul, one seriously. Another U.S. service member was killed; another injured.
click link for more
By Kim Barker Tribune correspondent
3:57 PM CST, January 20, 2009
KABUL, Afghanistan - For two hours Tuesday night, the war on terror paused here, a brief moment when most soldiers in the Camp Phoenix cafeteria watched TV, ate cake decorated with a presidential seal and gave a standing ovation to their new commander in chief.
President Barack Obama was, after all, one of them, a man who had made Illinois his home, even if he wasn't born there. And so the room of 200 people, mostly soldiers from the recently deployed Illinois National Guard, erupted several times during the special inauguration viewing, shown on a large TV in the mess hall.
They are at the center of one of the biggest foreign policy challenges facing the new administration. Obama has said the real front line of the war on terror is in Afghanistan and Pakistan, not Iraq, and as many as 30,000 new U.S. troops will be sent to Afghanistan in the coming months, almost doubling the U.S. forces in the country.
"We've been excited all day," said Spec. Tiffany Givens, 22, a college student from Chicago's West Side, who shouted "Go-Bama, Go-Bama" when Obama first appeared on TV. "It's even better being in Afghanistan, because at least here, we're doing something positive."
In recent years, Taliban-led insurgents have gained strength in both Afghanistan and Pakistan. Last year was the deadliest for U.S. and coalition forces in Afghanistan since the 2001 ouster of the Taliban, who are blamed for sheltering Al Qaeda leaders after the Sept. 11 attacks.
About 3,000 National Guard troops from Illinois, the largest deployment since World War II, arrived in Afghanistan recently to train Afghan police and soldiers.
Already, there have been casualties. Two soldiers died in a September blast; another died in an October suicide bombing. On Saturday, a suicide attacker injured five Illinois soldiers near a base in Kabul, one seriously. Another U.S. service member was killed; another injured.
click link for more
Troops in Iraq cry, cheer for inauguration
Maya Alleruzzo / The Associated Press Command Sgt. Maj. Julia Kelley, left, of the 229th Brigade Support Battalion, 2nd Heavy Brigade Combat Team, 1st Infantry Division, weeps as she watches the inauguration of President Barack Obama at Camp Liberty in Baghdad on Jan. 20.
Troops in Iraq cry, cheer for inauguration
By Maya Alleruzzo - The Associated Press
Posted : Tuesday Jan 20, 2009 18:51:00 EST
CAMP LIBERTY, Iraq — Army Sgt. James Bishop wiped away tears while he watched Barack Obama take the presidential oath Tuesday and wished his mother had lived to see a fellow black assume their nation’s highest office.
“My mother always wanted to be here,” said Bishop, 39, from Washington, D.C., who watched the ceremony on TV at Camp Liberty on the western edge of Baghdad.
“She always wanted this to happen, and she said it was going to happen one day,” he added. “Unfortunately, she passed before this time came.”
Across Iraq, many of the 140,000 U.S. military personnel watched the inaugural ceremony on television sets in dining halls and break rooms or over the Web at large installations with Internet service.
click link for more
Non-combat death in Afghanistan
DoD Identifies Army Casualty
The Department of Defense announced today the death of a soldier who was supporting Operation Enduring Freedom.
Staff SSgt. Joshua R. Townsend, 30, of Solvang , Calif. , died Jan. 16 in Tarin Kowt, Afghanistan , of injuries sustained in a non-combat related incident. He was assigned to the 1st Battalion, 7th Special Forces Group (Airborne), Fort Bragg , N.C.
The circumstances surrounding the incident are under investigation.
Marines buy cows for widows in Fallujah
Marines trying dairy diplomacy around war-torn Fallujah
Cow purchases may help rebuild industry in Iraq
By Tony Perry
Los Angeles Times / January 18, 2009
ANBAR PROVINCE, Iraq - As US forces work to revive Iraq's tattered farming economy, they seem to have found an effective new weapon: cows.
At the suggestion of an Iraqi women's group, the Marine Corps recently bought 50 cows for 50 Iraqi widows in the farm belt around Fallujah, once the insurgent capital of war-torn Anbar province.
The cow purchase is seen as a small step toward reestablishing Iraq's once-thriving dairy industry, as well as a way to help women and children hurt by the frequent failure of the Iraqi government to provide the pensions that Iraqi law promises to widows.
The early sign is that the program is working.
click link for more
linked from
http://icasualties.org/Iraq/index.aspx
Cow purchases may help rebuild industry in Iraq
By Tony Perry
Los Angeles Times / January 18, 2009
ANBAR PROVINCE, Iraq - As US forces work to revive Iraq's tattered farming economy, they seem to have found an effective new weapon: cows.
At the suggestion of an Iraqi women's group, the Marine Corps recently bought 50 cows for 50 Iraqi widows in the farm belt around Fallujah, once the insurgent capital of war-torn Anbar province.
The cow purchase is seen as a small step toward reestablishing Iraq's once-thriving dairy industry, as well as a way to help women and children hurt by the frequent failure of the Iraqi government to provide the pensions that Iraqi law promises to widows.
The early sign is that the program is working.
click link for more
linked from
http://icasualties.org/Iraq/index.aspx
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)