Two Fla. deputies killed during arrest

Two Fla. deputies killed during arrest

SHALIMAR, Fla., April 25 (UPI) -- Two Okaloosa County sheriff's deputies were shot and killed Saturday while trying to arrest a man who was killed in a subsequent shootout, police said.

Deputy Burt Lopez and Deputy Warren York were attempting to arrest Joshua Cartwright, 28, of Fort Walton Beach, Fla., in connection with a domestic abuse case early Saturday, when the suspect opened fire on the deputies just before 1 p.m. EDT, the Okaloosa County Sheriff's Office said in a news release.
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Two Fla. deputies killed during arrest

Vet who injected 21 polo horses that died says grief is unbearable

When this story came out it was easy to feel sorry for the owners of the horses but if you're like me, you forgot about the man that injected them with what ended up killing them. I never thought about how he would feel after when it really wasn't anything he did except trying to take care of the horses. There are a lot of people hurting after this, but imagine being Felix Crespo. He needs a lot of compassion and prayers.

Vet who injected 21 polo horses that died says grief is unbearable
By Brian Skoloff The Associated Press
4:16 PM EDT, April 25, 2009

WELLINGTON - When Argentine veterinarian Felix Crespo injected 21 elite polo horses with a vitamin supplement shortly before a championship match in Florida, he never imagined they would all be dead the next day.

A week later, with the horses felled by a mysterious poison, the grief in Crespo's eyes speaks volumes. Deep pain lurks beneath the brim of his ball cap.

"I am not living," Crespo told The Associated Press on Saturday in his first interview since the horses died last Sunday. "I wouldn't wish this on my worst enemy."

Crespo stroked his mustache, his head slightly hung. His eyes drooped from a lack of sleep. He said he spends more time with the horses than his family.

A Florida pharmacy that prepared the supplement for the team on order from their local veterinarian said Thursday the strength of an ingredient was incorrect. The pharmacy would not say what the ingredient was or if the mix-up was in the prescription that came from the veterinarian.
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Vet who injected 21 polo horses that died says grief is unbearable

I wanted to point this story out for one other reason. The kind of pain he's going thru needs to be understood because we have police officers having to take lives in the line of duty and two of them were just killed today doing that in Shalimar.

Two Florida Deputies Killed During Arrest

There are also men and women serving the nation in Iraq and Afghanistan, coming back after watching friends die and having to kill total strangers. If we have no compassion for any of these people, then we need to never expect any for ourselves.

Military Officers Assoc. honors Sen. Webb

Military Officers Assoc. honors Sen. Webb

By Allison Brophy Champion

Published: April 24, 2009

The Military Officers Association of America honored Sen. Jim Webb, D-Va., this week with its highest award for his consistent support of service members and their families.

A Vietnam veteran and Marine, Webb introduced the Post-9/11 GI Bill on Jan. 3, 2007, his first day in office.

The legislation was signed into law last summer, providing educational benefits — similar to those given to World War II vets — to veterans of the post-9/11 era.

It was for his advocacy that the MOAA presented Webb its highest honor at a ceremony in Washington Tuesday — the 2009 Col. Arthur T. Matrix Congressional Leadership Award, named for the group’s founder.
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Military Officers Assoc. honors Sen. Webb

UK problem with PTSD is fraction of what US is seeing

While the US troops go to Iraq or Afghanistan for what was a 15 month tour and now they are shooting for a 12 month tour, notice that the UK has a problem with PTSD and it comes from one 6 month tour. Our troops, some of them are on their 5th tour of duty. Reminder, the Army said redeployments increase the risk of PTSD by 50% for each time back. Do you think we're only seeing the beginning of all of this? My guess is we ain't seen nothing yet and we are no where near being prepared for any of it.

April 26, 2009

Scores of troops traumatised by Afghan war


Michael Smith
THE first evidence of the trauma suffered by troops fighting in Afghanistan has been revealed, with scores needing treatment for mental disorders.

More than 230 troops – 4% of the fighting force – were diagnosed with psychological ailments after a single six-month tour, newly released Ministry of Defence figures show.

The figures back up claims by the forces charity Combat Stress that the numbers of soldiers suffering posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and other mental illnesses are dramatically worse than in other recent conflicts.

“We are seeing the bow wave of a much greater problem,” Toby Elliott, the charity’s chief executive, said. “The numbers are beginning to mount up.” The latest data cover the period from March to October 2007 when there were 5,700 British troops in Afghanistan. They show that 234 soldiers were diagnosed with psychological disorders when they returned home.


This was at the bottom of this article,,,,,the UK is not going to send more troops to Afghanistan.

Brown vetoes reinforcements

GORDON BROWN has vetoed any further British involvement in the US troop surge in Afghanistan, according to senior defence sources.

The move has caused dismay within the British Army, whose commanders have requested an extra brigade of up to 3,500 men for Afghanistan.

It is also an embarrassment for John Hutton, the defence secretary, who has criticised Britain’s Nato partners for depending on the Americans to provide the bulk of Nato troops.

The prime minister has decided that since the US was prepared to dispatch 10,000 troops to Helmand, the most dangerous province in Afghanistan, Britain did not need to send any more.

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Scores of troops traumatised by Afghan war

Emergency Counselor Lost Job, Returns Home To Find House Burning

If you think you're having a bad day, read this and then maybe it won't seem as bad.

Man Fired, Returns Home To Find House Burning
Fire Victim Worked As Emergency Counselor

OREGON CITY, Ore. -- An Oregon City man just couldn't catch a break Friday -- first he lost his job and then he returned home to find his house on fire.

Victor Gonzalez said there was a silver lining to getting fired Friday.

"If I hadn’t gotten fired from work, I wouldn’t have come home, and I don’t know how far the fire would’ve gotten. So I guess that’s a good thing," he said.

The single father lost his job and his house in a matter of two hours Friday morning.


The fire broke out just after 9 a.m. at the house on Canyon Ridge Drive. Luckily, everyone got out safely thanks in part to Gonzalez's 12-year-old daughter.

He said he knew everything would be OK with his daughter there to help out.

Gonzalez said he worked as an emergency department social worker, helping people deal with traumatic situations like fires. His past work with emergency situations is helping him to deal with the situation.

“You can choose to laugh or you can choose to cry and I’m choosing to laugh because I don’t want to know what’s going to happen if I cry,” he said.
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http://www.kptv.com/news/19276320/detail.html

linked from CNN

WWII veteran opens up for first time at the WWII Memorial

Military staff writer Kelly Kennedy went with her grandfather, a WWII veteran, to the Memorial because of the Honor Flight. While there, he shared some of his experiences with his granddaughter for the first time. Many never talked about what they did because it was not "what you do" when you come home and it's a shame because they kept it all inside. While we talk about PTSD openly now, they never did and they suffered inside instead of healing.

Teen tries to quiet the voices in his head

Teen tries to quiet the voices in his head
By Madison Park
CNN
Story Highlights
Schizophrenia disrupts Maryland teenager's life, forces him to leave college

Teen's story echoes experience of Nathaniel Ayers, subject of film, "The Soloist"

Family struggles to learn how to best help teenager deal with mental illness

The intrusive voices popped into William "Bill" Garrett's head. "They're coming for you," the voices told the 18-year-old. "Find somewhere to hide; they're going to get you." Garrett, who once color coordinated his closet, could soon no longer groom himself or shower. As schizophrenia took hold, the Maryland teenager became lost within his own mind and had to leave college after winning a full, four-year scholarship. full story

Army tells Sikh officers to change appearance

Army tells Sikh officers to change appearance

Torn between their Sikh faith and their military duty, two soldiers are fighting Army policy that requires them to shave their beards, cut their hair and remove their turbans.

Kalsi, a doctor trained in emergency medicine, and 2nd Lt. Tejdeep Singh Rattan, a dentist, were first recruited for the Army’s Health Professions Scholarship Program. Kalsi said the recruiters with the Army Medical Corps gave assurances that wearing a beard and turban — mandatory articles of the Sikh faith — would not be a problem. And during several years of graduate school and medical training, Kalsi and Rattan both said their beards and turbans drew no concerns.
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Teens charged with vandalism of Iraqi Freedom Memorial

Teens charged in war memorial vandalism

The Associated Press
Posted : Friday Apr 24, 2009 13:58:52 EDT

MOUNT PLEASANT, Mich. — Two teenagers are being charged in juvenile court in the vandalism of the Iraqi Freedom Memorial at Island Park in Mount Pleasant.

The Morning Sun in Mount Pleasant reported that the 13- and 14-year-olds are being charged with malicious destruction of a memorial with damage between $1,000 and $20,000. Names weren’t released.

Police received a tip about the boys’ involvement. They face a May 11 hearing.

A brass rifle and helmet were stolen earlier this month from the memorial, about 120 miles northwest of Detroit.

It honors members of the U.S. military killed in Iraq. It was donated in memory of Marine Lance Cpl. Justin M. Ellsworth. The 20-year-old from Mount Pleasant was killed Nov. 13, 2004, by a roadside bomb during a foot patrol in Anbar province.
Teens charged in war memorial vandalism

UK:Father's grief over loss of daughter by suicide and PTSD

If the Army had cared, my daughter would still be alive

Posted by The Independent
Saturday, 25 April 2009 at 07:54 am
Miss Ward was a teenager when she first witnessed the atrocities of the Balkans conflict: the torture victims, the bomb-blast casualties and the injured children. A bright, self-possessed and well-spoken young woman, her exemplary service had included a commendation for saving a soldier who suffered spinal injuries during an exercise, and a recommendation to be considered for an officer's commission.
But two back-to-back tours of duty, first in Kosovo and then in Bosnia, took their toll. Overworked, bullied and shocked by the cruelty she witnessed, she became depressed and made two attempts on her life.
After the first, she was sent back to work. After the second, she spent months in psychiatric care before being told she had been discharged – not on medical grounds but because her "services were no longer required". To a woman who had dreamed of joining the Army from the age of 16, it was no better than a dishonourable discharge: the ultimate humiliation from which she would never recover.
Yesterday, Miss Ward's father Ivor, 57, a former sergeant with the Royal Engineers, said: "I was in the Army for 22 years but I hate the Army now because of the way it treated my daughter. If she had got the help she needed, she would be alive today. She probably would have stayed in the Army, she loved it that much."
Miss Ward's sister Emma, 26, added: "I don't think she could ever get her head around how she was discharged. She gave 110 per cent to the Army and they washed their hands of her and made her out to be a failure."
Before her death, Miss Ward launched a claim for a war pension on the grounds that she was suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder. She hoped to have her discharge retrospectively changed to a medical one – recognising the mental wounds she developed during her service. Her father intends to continue pursuing that claim, convinced it is the only way of finally restoring his daughter's dignity.
Miss Ward's death comes at a time when a mounting number of current and former service personnel have backed The Independent's campaign for better mental health treatment for veterans.
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'If the Army had cared, my daughter would still be alive'