KCTV5 NEWS INVESTIGATION: Weapon Of Choice
PRAIRIE VILLAGE, Kan. -- Since 1991 the U.S. military has admitted to using depleted uranium in armor and ammunition on a large scale. But since then, a debate has raged about its long-term health effects on soldiers and their families.
Could one of the most effective military tools in their arsenal actually be harming soldiers?
Jerry Wheat is one of the hundreds of thousands of American men and women who have enlisted in the U.S. Armed Forces.
"I was in the army for 4 years and 10 months. I joined in 1989 as a 19 Delta, which is a cavalry scout," said Wheat. "My job was to go out and look for the enemy."
Wheat was awarded the Purple Heart and the Bronze Star after his 1991 deployment in Gulf War I.
Wheat said his unit was in Iraq, heading toward Basra, when it got caught up in a firefight.
"My Bradley was hit again with another tank round, and that tank round knocked me unconscious," said Wheat.
In an instant flash of fire, smoke and shrapnel, Wheat became a casualty of war. But without knowing it, his battle was just beginning.
"I took shrapnel in the back of my head. I had some second- and third-degree burns, and there was about 25 pieces of shrapnel from my head all the way down my back," said Wheat.
The military initially denied it, but Wheat ultimately learned that the pieces of shrapnel embedded in his head and back were shards from "friendly fire" and some of the fragments contained depleted uranium.
"As a soldier, you know, most of us didn't know what DU was or made aware of to stay away from it," said Wheat.
go here for more and video
http://www.kctv5.com/investigations/19372087/detail.html
Wednesday, May 6, 2009
Returning vets may face another battle, PTSD
Returning vets may face another battle
Published: May 06, 2009
By Nicholas Langhorne
special correspondent
Making the transition from a dangerous war zone back to normal family life can be a mental challenge for any war veteran. However, the estimated 12 to 20 percent of Army combat veterans suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder face an even more difficult challenge, according to Dr. John Beneseck, director of the PTSD program at Hunter Holmes McGuire Veterans Affairs Medical Center in Richmond.
According to the National Center for Posttraumatic Stress Disorder, the condition can be caused by any traumatic experience during which an individual felt that their life or the lives of others around them were in danger. They may also feel like they lack control over what happens to them. The nature of war makes combat veterans susceptible to developing the disorder.
“The number one technique we use is education,” Beneseck said. “Let them know that this is a pretty normal reaction.”
On average, McGuire treats between 1,000 and 1,200 veterans for PTSD every year, according to Beneseck. That number includes veterans from current wars in Iraq and Afghanistan as well as Vietnam, Korean and Gulf War veterans.
“We’re getting some people who have just heard about what PTSD is,” Beneseck said about the Vietnam and Korean War veterans who are just now seeking treatment.
go here for more
Returning vets may face another battle
Published: May 06, 2009
By Nicholas Langhorne
special correspondent
Making the transition from a dangerous war zone back to normal family life can be a mental challenge for any war veteran. However, the estimated 12 to 20 percent of Army combat veterans suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder face an even more difficult challenge, according to Dr. John Beneseck, director of the PTSD program at Hunter Holmes McGuire Veterans Affairs Medical Center in Richmond.
According to the National Center for Posttraumatic Stress Disorder, the condition can be caused by any traumatic experience during which an individual felt that their life or the lives of others around them were in danger. They may also feel like they lack control over what happens to them. The nature of war makes combat veterans susceptible to developing the disorder.
“The number one technique we use is education,” Beneseck said. “Let them know that this is a pretty normal reaction.”
On average, McGuire treats between 1,000 and 1,200 veterans for PTSD every year, according to Beneseck. That number includes veterans from current wars in Iraq and Afghanistan as well as Vietnam, Korean and Gulf War veterans.
“We’re getting some people who have just heard about what PTSD is,” Beneseck said about the Vietnam and Korean War veterans who are just now seeking treatment.
go here for more
Returning vets may face another battle
Assistant Secretary Duckworth Honored at Women to Watch Awards
VA news release,
http://www.va.gov/opa/pressrel
Assistant Secretary Duckworth Honored at Women to Watch Awards
WASHINGTON (May 6, 2009) - Yesterday, the Department of Veterans Affairs
Assistant Secretary for Public and Intergovernmental Affairs, L. Tammy
Duckworth, was honored by Running Start at their annual Women to Watch
Awards in Washington, DC. She spoke to a crowd of 300 young women at a
ceremony at the National Press Club.
"We make our Nation stronger by supporting the 200,000 women currently
serving in the armed forces and the approximately 1.7 million women
Veterans in our country that need our help," Assistant Secretary L.
Tammy Duckworth said. "It's time to stop being surprised that America's
daughters are fully capable of doing their jobs and fighting for our
freedoms. I recognize that I am here today because I stand on the
shoulders of the men and women who opened the doors for women to serve."
Running Start is a non-profit organization dedicated to inspiring young
women to run for political office. It offers high school and college
women the unique opportunity to hear from today's leaders. By educating
young women about the importance of politics and giving them the skills
they need to become leaders, they give them the running start they need
to reach their aspirations.
Assistant Secretary Duckworth was introduced by State Representative
Linda Chapa LaVia from the state of Illinois. She was recognized as a
"Woman to Watch" by Running Start along with Erin Issabelle Burnett,
CNBC Television Anchor; Betsy Fischer, Executive Producer of Meet the
Press; Julie Gilbert, Founder and CEO of Wolf Means Business; and Mona
Sutphen, Deputy Chief of Staff for the Obama Administration.
http://www.va.gov/opa/pressrel
Assistant Secretary Duckworth Honored at Women to Watch Awards
WASHINGTON (May 6, 2009) - Yesterday, the Department of Veterans Affairs
Assistant Secretary for Public and Intergovernmental Affairs, L. Tammy
Duckworth, was honored by Running Start at their annual Women to Watch
Awards in Washington, DC. She spoke to a crowd of 300 young women at a
ceremony at the National Press Club.
"We make our Nation stronger by supporting the 200,000 women currently
serving in the armed forces and the approximately 1.7 million women
Veterans in our country that need our help," Assistant Secretary L.
Tammy Duckworth said. "It's time to stop being surprised that America's
daughters are fully capable of doing their jobs and fighting for our
freedoms. I recognize that I am here today because I stand on the
shoulders of the men and women who opened the doors for women to serve."
Running Start is a non-profit organization dedicated to inspiring young
women to run for political office. It offers high school and college
women the unique opportunity to hear from today's leaders. By educating
young women about the importance of politics and giving them the skills
they need to become leaders, they give them the running start they need
to reach their aspirations.
Assistant Secretary Duckworth was introduced by State Representative
Linda Chapa LaVia from the state of Illinois. She was recognized as a
"Woman to Watch" by Running Start along with Erin Issabelle Burnett,
CNBC Television Anchor; Betsy Fischer, Executive Producer of Meet the
Press; Julie Gilbert, Founder and CEO of Wolf Means Business; and Mona
Sutphen, Deputy Chief of Staff for the Obama Administration.
Tuesday, May 5, 2009
Hannity, the troops are waiting!
Sean Hannity, you said you would be waterboardered for charity then said "I'll do it for the troops" but so far, even though Keith Olbermann offered to pitch in $1,000 per second, you haven't done it or even arranged it. See the problem is Sean the troops don't get to say one thing and do another. They don't get to shoot their mouth off when some hack keeps saying he supports the troops but then turns around and does nothing when it comes to what they need. Did you go to Iraq and sit in a thrown? Sure but what have you really, really done for the troops? Please keep in mind that I no longer watch anything on FOX and I don't listen to people on the radio telling me that I am something I'm not, so I could have missed something monumental you've done for their sake, but I really doubt it.
So Sean, what's the problem? Is waterboarding torture or isn't it? If you still don't have a clue what it did and everything else done in Cuba and Iraq, ended up doing to our troops, then you must not watch much news or read many newspapers because the way we treated the detainees was directly responsible for outsiders going into Iraq on some kind of revenge trip from hell to get even. Do you understand this? Do you understand that some of the troops given orders to do these terrible things to the detainees ended up in prison but the people who gave the orders are being defended by you? Do you understand this? Somehow, I doubt you do.
We have wounded warriors all over the country and their numbers are climbing so why don't you live up to your tough talk and take Olbermann up on his offer. Last long enough so that you can kick in a couple of hundred thousand dollars to the Wounded Warrior programs. What's keeping you Sean because the troops are waiting?
So Sean, what's the problem? Is waterboarding torture or isn't it? If you still don't have a clue what it did and everything else done in Cuba and Iraq, ended up doing to our troops, then you must not watch much news or read many newspapers because the way we treated the detainees was directly responsible for outsiders going into Iraq on some kind of revenge trip from hell to get even. Do you understand this? Do you understand that some of the troops given orders to do these terrible things to the detainees ended up in prison but the people who gave the orders are being defended by you? Do you understand this? Somehow, I doubt you do.
We have wounded warriors all over the country and their numbers are climbing so why don't you live up to your tough talk and take Olbermann up on his offer. Last long enough so that you can kick in a couple of hundred thousand dollars to the Wounded Warrior programs. What's keeping you Sean because the troops are waiting?
GI Bill transfer rights rules anger some vets
GI Bill transfer rights rules anger some vets
By Rick Maze - Staff writer
Posted : Tuesday May 5, 2009 12:17:45 EDT
As the Aug. 1 launch date nears for the Post-9/11 GI Bill, more people are realizing they won’t be able to share education benefits with their families.
One of the requirements to transfer benefits to a spouse or children is that the service member must still be in the military Aug. 1 — bad news for people about to separate or who have already separated.
Air Force Lt. Col. Lisa Henry-Hamilton, dean of academics at the Defense Language Institute’s Foreign Language Center, will miss the Aug. 1 date because she has a previously approved July 1 retirement date that it is too late to change. Already on terminal leave while awaiting the end of her 23-year career, Henry-Hamilton feels cheated.
“I might have changed my date if I had known this,” she said in response to the Pentagon’s announcement last week of how transfer rights will work.
“I have served 23 years,” she said. “For two months to make this difference after serving on 9/11 and deploying to both Iraq and Afghanistan just seems like perhaps everything wasn’t taken into consideration.”
go here for more
GI Bill transfer rights rules anger some vets
By Rick Maze - Staff writer
Posted : Tuesday May 5, 2009 12:17:45 EDT
As the Aug. 1 launch date nears for the Post-9/11 GI Bill, more people are realizing they won’t be able to share education benefits with their families.
One of the requirements to transfer benefits to a spouse or children is that the service member must still be in the military Aug. 1 — bad news for people about to separate or who have already separated.
Air Force Lt. Col. Lisa Henry-Hamilton, dean of academics at the Defense Language Institute’s Foreign Language Center, will miss the Aug. 1 date because she has a previously approved July 1 retirement date that it is too late to change. Already on terminal leave while awaiting the end of her 23-year career, Henry-Hamilton feels cheated.
“I might have changed my date if I had known this,” she said in response to the Pentagon’s announcement last week of how transfer rights will work.
“I have served 23 years,” she said. “For two months to make this difference after serving on 9/11 and deploying to both Iraq and Afghanistan just seems like perhaps everything wasn’t taken into consideration.”
go here for more
GI Bill transfer rights rules anger some vets
50 Sailors have flu symptoms, one confirmed H1N1
50 amphib sailors have flu symptoms
By Andrew Scutro - Staff writer
Posted : Tuesday May 5, 2009 17:45:11 EDT
A possible outbreak of the so-called swine flu aboard the San Diego-based amphibious transport dock Dubuque has caused Navy leadership to cancel the ship’s planned June 1 deployment in the Pacific.
One sailor on the ship was confirmed to have the virus, also called H1N1, and 50 other crew members are exhibiting flu-like symptoms, said Cmdr. Cappy Surette, a Navy spokesman at the Pentagon. It was not immediately clear if the 50 sailors have been confirmed as having a “novel virus” such as H1NI, as opposed to seasonal flu.
“Those are awaiting confirmation from the [Centers for Disease Control and Prevention] one way or another,” Surette said.
go here for more
http://www.armytimes.com/news/2009/05/navy_flu_dubuque_050509w/
By Andrew Scutro - Staff writer
Posted : Tuesday May 5, 2009 17:45:11 EDT
A possible outbreak of the so-called swine flu aboard the San Diego-based amphibious transport dock Dubuque has caused Navy leadership to cancel the ship’s planned June 1 deployment in the Pacific.
One sailor on the ship was confirmed to have the virus, also called H1N1, and 50 other crew members are exhibiting flu-like symptoms, said Cmdr. Cappy Surette, a Navy spokesman at the Pentagon. It was not immediately clear if the 50 sailors have been confirmed as having a “novel virus” such as H1NI, as opposed to seasonal flu.
“Those are awaiting confirmation from the [Centers for Disease Control and Prevention] one way or another,” Surette said.
go here for more
http://www.armytimes.com/news/2009/05/navy_flu_dubuque_050509w/
VoteVets and CREW taking on DOD over PTSD
VoteVets.org and CREW Urge PTSD Investigation
by: Brandon Friedman
Tue May 05, 2009 at 11:57:42 AM EDT
VoteVets.org has again teamed up with Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Government (CREW) in an effort to urge the House Armed Services Committee to begin an investigation into whether or not the Army is pressuring doctors to misdiagnose PTSD. Our full press release is below. . . .
Brandon Friedman :: VoteVets.org and CREW Urge PTSD Investigation
CREW AND VOTEVETS.ORG ASK HOUSE ARMED SERVICES TO INVESTIGATE ARMY MISDIAGNOSES OF SERVICE MEMBERS AND VETERANS WITH PTSD
5 May 2009 // Washington, D.C. -- In light of news reports that the Army has instituted the cost-cutting practice of ordering doctors to misdiagnose soldiers returning from battle with anxiety disorder rather than post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington (CREW) and VoteVets.org today asked the chair of the House Armed Services Committee to investigate the extent of this outrageous practice.
Last month, Salon.com reported on a series of conversations at Fort Carson last summer between a sergeant and his psychologist, Dr. Douglas McNinch, during which the doctor admitted he was under pressure from the Army to avoid diagnosing soldiers with PTSD. The sergeant, who taped his conversations because he suffers from memory problems due to brain injuries, met with Dr. McNinch to learn why the doctor had told the medical evaluation board responsible for the Army's disability payment system that the sergeant suffered from anxiety disorder rather than PTSD. Dr. McNinch explained, on tape, "I will tell you something confidentially that I would have to deny if it were ever public. Not only myself, but all clinicians up here are being pressured not to diagnose PTSD and diagnose anxiety disorder NOS instead." Dr. McNinch continued, "yours has not been the only case . . . I and other [doctors] are under a lot of pressure to not diagnose PTSD. It's not fair. I think it's a horrible way to treat soldiers . . ." Dr. McNinch has explained he was pressured to misdiagnose PTSD cases by a colonel, who was then head of Fort Carson's Department of Behavioral Health.
With a diagnosis of anxiety disorder, the sergeant would receive substantially lower benefits upon a discharge for a disability.
click above for more
Woman's Body covered in tattoos found in Polk County forest
Body covered in tattoos found in Polk County forest
Walter Pacheco Sentinel Staff Writer
7:17 AM EDT, May 5, 2009
Deputies found the body of a woman, covered in tattoos of dollar signs, cherries, flowers and several mens' names, in a pine tree grove in Polk County.
The names "Thomas", "Harold", "Otis" and other initials are tattooed on different parts of her body, Polk County sheriff's records show. She has several dollar signs, stars and cherries tattoed on her legs and back, as well as the phrase "Pretty Red" adorned with images of flowers on her left thigh.
Investigators with the Polk County Sheriff's Office found her body along Minute Maid Ramp Road Two in Davenport at 1 p.m. on Monday.
Authorities did not release other details on the unidentified victim.
Body covered in tattoos found in Polk County forest
Walter Pacheco Sentinel Staff Writer
7:17 AM EDT, May 5, 2009
Deputies found the body of a woman, covered in tattoos of dollar signs, cherries, flowers and several mens' names, in a pine tree grove in Polk County.
The names "Thomas", "Harold", "Otis" and other initials are tattooed on different parts of her body, Polk County sheriff's records show. She has several dollar signs, stars and cherries tattoed on her legs and back, as well as the phrase "Pretty Red" adorned with images of flowers on her left thigh.
Investigators with the Polk County Sheriff's Office found her body along Minute Maid Ramp Road Two in Davenport at 1 p.m. on Monday.
Authorities did not release other details on the unidentified victim.
Body covered in tattoos found in Polk County forest
44 Killed in Family Feud Attack in Turkey
44 Killed in Family Feud Attack in Turkey
IBRAHIM USTA, AP
BILGE, Turkey (May 5) - Turkish security forces on Tuesday detained eight gunmen suspected of fatally shooting 44 people, many of whom were praying, at an engagement ceremony in the rural southeast of the country.
Masked assailants with automatic weapons attacked the celebration Monday night in the village of Bilge, near the city of Mardin, in the deadly outcome of a family feud, the government said. Vendettas occasionally simmer among families in the region, where tribal ties and rivalries can eclipse the power of the state.
Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan said "the result of a feud between two families" had led to the deaths of six children, 17 women and 21 men. He said some suspects had the same family name as the victims.
"The people were killed at a happy event, during a ceremony, while praying," Erdogan said in his weekly address to ruling party lawmakers in parliament. "The fact that they pointed guns and massacred children, defenseless people, is atrocious."
go here for more
44 Killed in Family Feud Attack in Turkey
IBRAHIM USTA, AP
BILGE, Turkey (May 5) - Turkish security forces on Tuesday detained eight gunmen suspected of fatally shooting 44 people, many of whom were praying, at an engagement ceremony in the rural southeast of the country.
Masked assailants with automatic weapons attacked the celebration Monday night in the village of Bilge, near the city of Mardin, in the deadly outcome of a family feud, the government said. Vendettas occasionally simmer among families in the region, where tribal ties and rivalries can eclipse the power of the state.
Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan said "the result of a feud between two families" had led to the deaths of six children, 17 women and 21 men. He said some suspects had the same family name as the victims.
"The people were killed at a happy event, during a ceremony, while praying," Erdogan said in his weekly address to ruling party lawmakers in parliament. "The fact that they pointed guns and massacred children, defenseless people, is atrocious."
go here for more
44 Killed in Family Feud Attack in Turkey
Socialism needed in Texas for Veterans
Texas can't take care of their homeless citizens. Well maybe they blame them for ending up homeless in the first place. After all, it has nothing to do with the economy or the scandal of sub prime mortgages. Has nothing to do with mental healthcare spending that could end up putting people back into "productive" living on medications and off the streets, drug and alcohol rehabilitations. Hss nothing to do with homes gone from "acts of God" like in Galveston. This is what "socialism" programs do. Also consider they ended up with people from New Orleans after Katrina but they also faced what came with Ike. Federal dollars went to help and should have helped even more had they proper representation in congress.
This was five months after Ike.
Not much better now for the homeless in Texas.
But when you think they are not taking care of the veterans either, you really have to wonder what it is exactly they do think is valuable enough to fund.
When it comes to mental health, they dropped from a C grade in 2006 to failure!
Military Bases Texas
Major Installations
Army
Fort Bliss
Red River Army Depot
Fort Hood
Fort Sam Houston/Camp Bullis
Ingleside Army Depot
Navy & Marine Corps
Corpus Christi Naval Air Station/Naval Hospital/Naval Station
Kingsville Naval Air Station
Air Force
Randolph AFB
Brooks City Base
Lackland AFB
Sheppard AFB
Air Force Plant 4 (formerly Carswell AFB)
Dyess AFB
Goodfellow AFB
Laughlin AFB
Coast Guard
Group Corpus Christi
Group Galveston
Marine Safety Office Galveston
Marine Safety Office Houston
Marine Safety Office Port Arthur
Air Station Corpus Christi
Air Station Houston
Vessel Traffic Service Houston/Galveston
Personnel Totals
Army 60,945
Navy & Marine Corps 6,909
Air Force 40,981
Coast Guard 1,409
Active Duty Military 108,835
Reserve and National Guard 84,721
Total Personnel 194,965
Above Information Courtesy of American Forces News Service
There are 233 funded beds for homeless veterans but according to the National Coalition for Homeless veterans, the state of Texas has 15,967 homeless veterans. With all the military bases, (federally funded) and all the veterans facilities (federally funded) and all the veterans on disability (federally funded) you would think that when officials talk about "socialism" they would have some clue what they are talking about. Senator John Cornyn and Senator Kay Bailey Hutchinson should be beating down doors to make sure the veterans were taken care of in Texas. They both received a B grade from the IAVA, so you know they do care about our veterans and that's a good thing. So what's going on in Texas when it comes to the state elected?
This is from Governor Perry's site "Principles For A Stronger Texas" but it does not include anything about veterans.
Does Governor Perry realize that taking care of the veterans should be a priority in Texas considering how many veterans and families they have? Do you think that would build stronger and healthier families? Do you think taking care of the homeless, especially when they are homeless thru no fault of their own, it would actually show where Perry's values are? When people complain about "socialism" they are also complaining about taking care of our troops and veterans but they don't seem to understand this.
We owe them. Why can't we ever seem to live up to the claim of being a "grateful nation" when it really matters?
This was five months after Ike.
Galveston, Texas Still Struggling to Recover from Hurricane Ike
By Greg Flakus
Galveston
23 February 2009
Five months after Hurricane Ike devastated Galveston, Texas, the island city on the Gulf of Mexico below Houston is struggling to recover. The economic slump in the nation as a whole has made the task more difficult, but many islanders are determined to rebuild their homes and their lives there.
The party is in full swing at night in downtown Galveston as the city celebrates Mardi Gras, a smaller version of the big party held every year in New Orleans, 640 kilometers to the east. The event culminates on Tuesday, with parades and street parties. Both cities rely on these tourist-drawing celebrations for their economic vitality and both are ever more dependent on them as they recover from hurricanes. Hurricane Katrina flooded New Orleans in August, 2005 and Hurricane Ike caused widespread wind, surge and flood damage to Galveston on September 13 of last year.
Although many restaurants and hotels are open and thriving on the influx of visitors, nearly 75 percent of shops in downtown Galveston remain closed and some of the island city's biggest employers have either moved elsewhere or are considering moving.
Dottie Rutledge, who has lived here since 1968, lost her home to the hurricane and now lives in a hotel on vouchers provided by the Federal Emergency Management Agency.
"Galveston is totally forgotten. There are piles of stuff here that nobody has picked up," she said.
go here for more of this
Galveston, Texas Still Struggling to Recover from Hurricane Ike
Not much better now for the homeless in Texas.
Homeless project ‘probably gone’
Harris County likely to remove funds to convert motel
By LIZ AUSTIN PETERSON
Copyright 2009 Houston Chronicle
May 4, 2009, 10:01PM
Plans to turn a vacant motel into permanent housing for the homeless appear all but dead as Harris County withdraws funding for the project and even Mayor Bill White, one of its most influential supporters, concedes defeat.
Commissioners Court is expected to vote today to rescind a $1.67 million grant it gave the Housing Corporation of Greater Houston last year to convert the motel near the University of Houston into 220 housing units.
David Turkel, director of Harris County’s Community Services Department, said federal deadlines for using the money forced him to withdraw the grant. He said he would be happy to award another grant if the organization persuades the city to contribute its $4 million share.
go here for more
http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/front/6407758.html
But when you think they are not taking care of the veterans either, you really have to wonder what it is exactly they do think is valuable enough to fund.
Trying to make do
Homeless vets await reopening of Ike-damaged housing
By LINDSAY WISE
Copyright 2009 Houston Chronicle
May 4, 2009, 9:17PM
From the window of the bedroom he shares with another homeless veteran at Houston’s VA hospital, James Brooks can see the gutter alongside Almeda Road where his life almost ended five months ago.
The 53-year-old Navy veteran had been swilling a bottle of gin at an abandoned building on Thanksgiving Day when his chest seized in agony. He staggered to a bus stop and boarded the No. 11 to the Michael E. DeBakey VA Medical Center, but the pain became unbearable and he begged the driver to let him off early. “I didn’t want to die on the bus,” Brooks said.
He collapsed by the edge of the road, where a hospital worker found him praying. After an emergency angioplasty unblocked the flow of blood in Brooks’ heart, his case worker suggested he apply for a bed at the VA’s domiciliary, a short-term residential rehabilitation program for veterans suffering from psychiatric problems and substance abuse. Brooks has been clean and sober ever since, one of 30 homeless veterans temporarily living in a ward of the VA hospital after Hurricane Ike wrecked the original domiciliary — a newly renovated apartment complex at 7329 Fannin — within weeks of the ribbon-cutting ceremony. Nearly eight months after the storm, the facility still isn’t habitable.
“We prepare for the worst possible situation, but we can’t control Mother Nature,” said Luis Paulino, director of the VA’s Homeless Veterans Program.
go here for more
http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/metropolitan/6407744.html
When it comes to mental health, they dropped from a C grade in 2006 to failure!
Grading the States 2009 Report Card: Texas
Texas’ mental health care system is dwindling and faces a multitude of challenges. In 2006, it received a C grade. Three years later, it has dropped to a D. Greater investment is needed in order for the state to truly transform and move toward an evidence-based, cost-effective mental health system. Full narrative (PDF).
Grades by Category Detailed Score Card (PDF)
Health Promotion and Measurement: F 25% of Total Grade
Basic measures, such as the number of programs delivering evidence-based practices, emergency room wait-times, and the quantity of psychiatric beds by setting.
Financing & Core Treatment/Recovery Services: D 45% of Total Grade
A variety of financing measures, such as whether Medicaid reimburses providers for all, or part of evidence-based practices; and more.
Consumer & Family Empowerment: F 15% of Total Grade
Includes measures such as consumer and family access to essential information from the state, promotion of consumer-run programs, and family and peer education and support.
Community Integration and Social Inclusion: D 15% of Total Grade
Includes activities that require collaboration among state mental health agencies and other state agencies and systems.
Grading the States 2009 Report Card: Texas
Military Bases Texas
Major Installations
Army
Fort Bliss
Red River Army Depot
Fort Hood
Fort Sam Houston/Camp Bullis
Ingleside Army Depot
Navy & Marine Corps
Corpus Christi Naval Air Station/Naval Hospital/Naval Station
Kingsville Naval Air Station
Air Force
Randolph AFB
Brooks City Base
Lackland AFB
Sheppard AFB
Air Force Plant 4 (formerly Carswell AFB)
Dyess AFB
Goodfellow AFB
Laughlin AFB
Coast Guard
Group Corpus Christi
Group Galveston
Marine Safety Office Galveston
Marine Safety Office Houston
Marine Safety Office Port Arthur
Air Station Corpus Christi
Air Station Houston
Vessel Traffic Service Houston/Galveston
Personnel Totals
Army 60,945
Navy & Marine Corps 6,909
Air Force 40,981
Coast Guard 1,409
Active Duty Military 108,835
Reserve and National Guard 84,721
Total Personnel 194,965
Above Information Courtesy of American Forces News Service
General Information – Texas
Number of veterans: 1.7 million
VA expenditures in Texas: $6 billion
Compensation and pensions: $3 billion
Readjustment benefits: $298 million
Medical and construction programs: $2.2 billion
Insurance and indemnities: $97 million
Number of veterans and survivors receiving disability compensation or pension payments in Texas: 318,647
Number of Texas veterans using GI Bill education benefits: 42,173
Number of veterans owning homes backed by VA loan guarantees: 261,501
Value of Texas home loans guaranteed by VA: $8.3 billion
Health Care
One of the most visible of all VA benefits is health care. VA has 153 hospitals, 732 community-based outpatient clinics, 232 Vet Centers, 135 nursing homes, 47 residential rehabilitation treatment programs and 121 comprehensive home care programs. To improve patients’ ability to access care, VA has changed from a hospital-based system to a primarily outpatient-focused system over the past decade. Veterans will make more than 60 million outpatient visits to VA health care facilities this year.Health Care - Texas
o Inpatient admissions, statewide, fiscal year 2007: 47,603
o Houston: 13,275
o Central Texas (Temple and Waco): 6,032
o North Texas (Bonham and Dallas): 13,485
o South Texas (Kerrville and San Antonio): 11,130
o Amarillo: 2,889
o West Texas (Big Spring): 792
o Outpatient visits, statewide, fiscal year 2007: 4,333,582
o Outpatient clinic locations
Abilene
Austin
Beaumont
Beeville
Bridgeport
Brownwood
Cedar Park
Childress
College Station
Conroe
Corpus Christi
Denton
Eagle Pass
Fort Stockton
Fort Worth (2)
Galveston
Granbury
Harlingen
Laredo
Longview
Lubbock
Lufkin
McAllen
New Braunfels
Odessa
Palestine
Paris
San Angelo
San Antonio (7)
Sherman
Stamford
Stratford
Texas City
Tyler
Victoria
Wichita Falls
Post-Conflict Care - Texas
Number of veterans from the Global War on Terror seeking treatment in 2007: 20,875
Houston: 2,935
Central Texas: 5,851
North Texas: 3,345
South Texas: 5,962
Amarillo: 666
West Texas: 615
El Paso: 1,501
Veterans Readjustment Counseling Centers (Vet Centers) Locations:
Amarillo
Austin
Corpus Christi
Dallas
El Paso
Fort Worth
Houston (2)
Killeen
Laredo
Lubbock
McAllen
Midland
San Antonio
http://www1.va.gov/OPA/fact/statesum/docs/txss.doc
There are 233 funded beds for homeless veterans but according to the National Coalition for Homeless veterans, the state of Texas has 15,967 homeless veterans. With all the military bases, (federally funded) and all the veterans facilities (federally funded) and all the veterans on disability (federally funded) you would think that when officials talk about "socialism" they would have some clue what they are talking about. Senator John Cornyn and Senator Kay Bailey Hutchinson should be beating down doors to make sure the veterans were taken care of in Texas. They both received a B grade from the IAVA, so you know they do care about our veterans and that's a good thing. So what's going on in Texas when it comes to the state elected?
This is from Governor Perry's site "Principles For A Stronger Texas" but it does not include anything about veterans.
Encouraging Stronger Families and Healthier Citizens
Gov. Perry is committed to building a stronger, healthier Texas with a citizenry that enjoys a fit, healthy, and safe lifestyle. Acknowledging that the family is the essential building block of a strong state, Gov. Perry has advocated strongly for a number of initiatives that protect marriage, strengthen parental rights and provide children the best opportunity to succeed in life. Although the state can never assume responsibility for an individual’s lifestyle choices, government can and must encourage Texans to make healthier, more responsible choices.
Does Governor Perry realize that taking care of the veterans should be a priority in Texas considering how many veterans and families they have? Do you think that would build stronger and healthier families? Do you think taking care of the homeless, especially when they are homeless thru no fault of their own, it would actually show where Perry's values are? When people complain about "socialism" they are also complaining about taking care of our troops and veterans but they don't seem to understand this.
We owe them. Why can't we ever seem to live up to the claim of being a "grateful nation" when it really matters?
Monday, May 4, 2009
2 Soldiers from Fort Hood Killed in Afghanistan, one from Fort Riley DUSTWUN
DoD Identifies Army Casualties
The Department of Defense announced today the death of two soldiers, and one soldier as Duty Status Whereabouts Unknown (DUSTWUN). The action occurred May 1 near the village of Nishagam, in Konar Province, Afghanistan, where all three were supporting Operation Enduring Freedom.
Killed were:
Sgt. James D. Pirtle, 21, of Colorado Springs, Colo. He was assigned to the Special Troops Battalion, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 1st Infantry Division, Fort Hood, Texas; and
Spec. Ryan C. King, 22, of Dallas, Ga. He was assigned to the Special Troops Battalion, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 1st Infantry Division, Fort Hood, Texas.
These soldiers died of wounds suffered when insurgents attacked their unit using direct fire.
For more information on Pirtle and King, the media may contact the Fort Hood public affairs office at (254) 287-9993; after hours (254) 291-2591.
Staff Sgt. William D. Vile, 27, of Philadelphia, Pa. is now listed as DUSTWUN from this same incident. He is assigned to the 1st Brigade, 1st Infantry Division, Fort Riley, Kan.
Hernando County women use stars to thank troops and veterans
Hernando County women use stars to thank troops and veterans
By Beth N. Gray, Times Correspondent
Monday, May 4, 2009
BROOKSVILLE — Stars that once fluttered from flagpoles flying the nation's red, white and blue are now going into the pockets of military men and women.
Four women from across Hernando County who have been providing goods from home and moral support to troops in Iraq and Afghanistan for several years have launched a new effort, called the Star Project.
From U.S. flags that have worn out their colors and fabric, the women and their friends are cutting from them the fields of blue, then scissoring off the embroidered stars.
Into a plastic bag goes a star and a wallet-sized card with a flag background explaining: "I am part of our American flag that has flown over a home in Florida. I can no longer fly. The sun and winds have caused me to become tattered and torn. Please carry me as a reminder that you are not forgotten."
go here for more
Hernando County women use stars to thank troops and veterans
By Beth N. Gray, Times Correspondent
Monday, May 4, 2009
BROOKSVILLE — Stars that once fluttered from flagpoles flying the nation's red, white and blue are now going into the pockets of military men and women.
Four women from across Hernando County who have been providing goods from home and moral support to troops in Iraq and Afghanistan for several years have launched a new effort, called the Star Project.
From U.S. flags that have worn out their colors and fabric, the women and their friends are cutting from them the fields of blue, then scissoring off the embroidered stars.
Into a plastic bag goes a star and a wallet-sized card with a flag background explaining: "I am part of our American flag that has flown over a home in Florida. I can no longer fly. The sun and winds have caused me to become tattered and torn. Please carry me as a reminder that you are not forgotten."
go here for more
Hernando County women use stars to thank troops and veterans
Trinity coach has faced Vietnam, now cancer
Fight of His Life
Trinity coach has faced Vietnam, now cancer
By BUDDY SHACKLETTE
Staff Writer
DELTONA -- "He's been my best friend, my coach," Mikey Maples says with a cracking voice as his eyes well up with tears.
It's the kind of emotion that only a son, even at age 35, can feel for his father.
Mike Maples, Deltona Trinity's baseball coach, has been dad, coach and the example, among many other things, to sons Mikey and Bryan, along with countless other kids who have played for him over the last three decades.
But as the Trinity Christian Eagles (15-12) open the Class A state playoffs Tuesday, and begin what they hope is another trip to the Final Four, their coach is fighting for his life.
"That's been tough," said senior center fielder Cory Stafford. "Knowing (he's sick) it makes you want to work harder and go out there and play better because you want your coach to have a successful season, knowing that this could be his last season."
Maples, 61, is in this third season coaching the Eagles, but he's battled cancer for the past two decades.
The Vietnam veteran has undergone 85 skin cancer surgeries, had a kidney transplant 13 years ago and is undergoing radiation treatments five days a week on the left side of his face.
The cancers he has battled for the last 10 years are basal and squamous cell, and while this year has been his most trying thus far, he has not been diagnosed with melanoma, the deadliest form of skin cancer.
Trinity coach has faced Vietnam, now cancer
By BUDDY SHACKLETTE
Staff Writer
DELTONA -- "He's been my best friend, my coach," Mikey Maples says with a cracking voice as his eyes well up with tears.
It's the kind of emotion that only a son, even at age 35, can feel for his father.
Mike Maples, Deltona Trinity's baseball coach, has been dad, coach and the example, among many other things, to sons Mikey and Bryan, along with countless other kids who have played for him over the last three decades.
But as the Trinity Christian Eagles (15-12) open the Class A state playoffs Tuesday, and begin what they hope is another trip to the Final Four, their coach is fighting for his life.
"That's been tough," said senior center fielder Cory Stafford. "Knowing (he's sick) it makes you want to work harder and go out there and play better because you want your coach to have a successful season, knowing that this could be his last season."
Maples, 61, is in this third season coaching the Eagles, but he's battled cancer for the past two decades.
The Vietnam veteran has undergone 85 skin cancer surgeries, had a kidney transplant 13 years ago and is undergoing radiation treatments five days a week on the left side of his face.
The cancers he has battled for the last 10 years are basal and squamous cell, and while this year has been his most trying thus far, he has not been diagnosed with melanoma, the deadliest form of skin cancer.
go here for more
Funeral for Army Command Sgt. Maj. Benjamin Moore Jr
Services set for highly decorated Waycross soldier
Funeral for Army Command Sgt. Maj. Benjamin Moore Jr. to be in Blackshear
By Teresa Stepzinski Story updated at 1:05 PM on Monday, May. 4, 2009
Services for Army Command Sgt. Major Benjamin Moore Jr. of Waycross will be Saturday in Blackshear followed by burial May 12 at Arlington National Cemetery, family members said.
Moore, 43, died April 24 at U.S. Army Contingency Operating Base Speicher in northern Iraq of noncombat injuries received in Salah ad Din province, Army officials have said.
His funeral will be at 1 p.m. Saturday at Emanuel Baptist Church, 217 W. Carter Ave. in Blackshear, one of Moore’s sisters, Teresa Brakes, told the Times-Union today.
“We still don’t know what happened, but we are grateful that we have his body here, and we can get some closure,” Brakes said.
Known affectionately as “Benny” to his 17 siblings, Moore will be buried May 12 in Arlington National Cemetery in Washington, D.C., she said.
The Army is flying all Moore’s siblings as well as his wife and children to the burial, Brakes, 50, said.
Investigation continues into his death, and no additional information will be released until it is concluded, Loran Doane, public affairs officer for the U.S. Army Garrison in Hawaii, where Moore had been stationed.
Noncombat deaths can result from vehicle or other accidents or natural causes, Army officials have said.
An expert infantryman, Moore earned 55 medals including a Bronze Star with Valor during his nearly 26-year career, with overseas service in Korea, Germany, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait and Iraq. He also was air assault and airborne qualified.
Moore was assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 27th Infantry Regiment, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 25th Infantry Division, Schofield Barracks, Hawaii. His most recent deployment to Iraq began in October 2008.
go here for more
Services set for highly decorated Waycross soldier
Veterans receive mental, emotional aid from U.
Veterans receive mental, emotional aid from U.
Greg Flynn
Correspondent
A brief drive down the block can bring back flashes of Improvised Explosive Devices for an Iraq War veteran, Dr. Mike Petronko said.
The return of more than 2,900 members of the New Jersey National Guard throughout the summer and the enacting Post-Sept. 11 Veterans Educational Assistance Act of 2008 in August will likely result in an influx of veteran students on campus.
Vice President for Student Affairs Gregory S. Blimling said there is a clinic that provides services for veteran students with anxiety disorders.
“Any veteran, whether they’re a student here or not, can come and receive free services for [post-traumatic stress disorder] or other anxiety related illnesses at the clinic,” he said.
Petronko, the director of the Anxiety Disorders Clinic at the Graduate School of Applied and Professional Psychology, said the mundane could quickly become severe.
“It can be difficult to drive down the street without looking vigilantly at the side [of the road] to determine if it’s safe or not,” Petronko said.
go here for more
Veterans receive mental, emotional aid from U.
Greg Flynn
Correspondent
A brief drive down the block can bring back flashes of Improvised Explosive Devices for an Iraq War veteran, Dr. Mike Petronko said.
The return of more than 2,900 members of the New Jersey National Guard throughout the summer and the enacting Post-Sept. 11 Veterans Educational Assistance Act of 2008 in August will likely result in an influx of veteran students on campus.
Vice President for Student Affairs Gregory S. Blimling said there is a clinic that provides services for veteran students with anxiety disorders.
“Any veteran, whether they’re a student here or not, can come and receive free services for [post-traumatic stress disorder] or other anxiety related illnesses at the clinic,” he said.
Petronko, the director of the Anxiety Disorders Clinic at the Graduate School of Applied and Professional Psychology, said the mundane could quickly become severe.
“It can be difficult to drive down the street without looking vigilantly at the side [of the road] to determine if it’s safe or not,” Petronko said.
go here for more
Veterans receive mental, emotional aid from U.
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