U.S. Troops Unfit for Combat?
Thursday, 21 May 2009 00:28 Dahr Jamail
t r u t h o u t Perspective
This Monday at 2 PM Baghdad time, a US soldier gunned down five fellow soldiers at a stress-counseling center at a US base in Baghdad. Adm. Mike Mullen, the chairman of the US military's Joint Chiefs of Staff, told reporters at a news conference at the Pentagon that the shootings occurred in a place where "individuals were seeking help." Admiral Mullen added, "It does speak to me, though, about the need for us to redouble our efforts, the concern in terms of dealing with the stress.... It also speaks to the issue of multiple deployments."
Commenting on the incident in nearly parallel terms, US Secretary of Defense Robert Gates said that the Pentagon needs to redouble its efforts to relieve stress caused by repeated deployments in war zones that is further exacerbated by limited time at home in between deployments.
The condition described by Mullen and Gates is what veteran health experts often refer to as PTSD (post-traumatic stress disorder).
While soldiers returning home are routinely involved in shootings, suicide, and other forms of self-destructive violent behaviors as a direct result of their experiences in Iraq, we have yet to see an event of this magnitude in Iraq.
The last reported incident of this kind happened in 2005 when an Army captain and lieutenant were killed when an anti-personnel mine detonated in the window of their room at a US base in Tikrit. In that case, National Guard Staff Sgt. Alberto Martinez was acquitted.
The shocking story of a soldier killing five of his comrades does not come as a surprise when we consider that the military has, for years now, been sending troops with untreated PTSD back into the US occupation of Iraq.
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U.S. Troops Unfit for Combat
Wednesday, May 20, 2009
Groups disagree about Gulf War illness research
Groups disagree about Gulf War illness research
By Kelly Kennedy - Staff writer
Posted : Wednesday May 20, 2009 16:34:17 EDT
The Pentagon and Department of Veterans Affairs say an Institute of Medicine study shows there is no Gulf War “syndrome,” and that there is nothing unique about the symptoms 1 in 4 Desert Storm veterans suffer.
But the congressionally mandated Research Advisory Committee on Gulf War Illness say that not only is there a series of symptoms that make up a definable illness, they know what caused that illness.
Those opposing views were on full display May 19 in the first of three congressional hearings about Gulf War Illness.
“We do believe that Gulf War illnesses are real — but there is no unique set of symptoms,” said Craig Postlewaite, deputy director of force readiness and health assurance under the assistant secretary of defense for health affairs.
He based that view on the IOM study that concluded veterans’ symptoms vary too much to be seen as unique and recommended no more epidemiological studies.
go here for more
Groups disagree about Gulf War illness research
By Kelly Kennedy - Staff writer
Posted : Wednesday May 20, 2009 16:34:17 EDT
The Pentagon and Department of Veterans Affairs say an Institute of Medicine study shows there is no Gulf War “syndrome,” and that there is nothing unique about the symptoms 1 in 4 Desert Storm veterans suffer.
But the congressionally mandated Research Advisory Committee on Gulf War Illness say that not only is there a series of symptoms that make up a definable illness, they know what caused that illness.
Those opposing views were on full display May 19 in the first of three congressional hearings about Gulf War Illness.
“We do believe that Gulf War illnesses are real — but there is no unique set of symptoms,” said Craig Postlewaite, deputy director of force readiness and health assurance under the assistant secretary of defense for health affairs.
He based that view on the IOM study that concluded veterans’ symptoms vary too much to be seen as unique and recommended no more epidemiological studies.
go here for more
Groups disagree about Gulf War illness research
KBR received $83 million bonus money after troops electrocuted
Senator: KBR received $83 million in bonuses
By Kimberly Hefling - The Associated Press
Posted : Wednesday May 20, 2009 12:34:10 EDT
WASHINGTON — Military contractor KBR Inc. was paid $83.4 million in bonuses for electrical work in Iraq — much of it after the military’s contract management agency recognized the contractor was doing shoddy electrical work, a senator said Wednesday.
Sen. Byron Dorgan, D-N.D., said he learned of the bonuses from Pentagon documents. Dorgan chairs the Democrats’ Policy Committee, which examined at a hearing the electrocution deaths of U.S. troops in Iraq.
At least three troops have been electrocuted while showering in Iraq, and others have been injured and killed in other electrical incidents. Houston-based KBR, which has the responsibility of maintaining electrical work in tens of thousands of U.S. facilities in Iraq, has denied any responsibility in the deaths.
But Dorgan said evidence suggests KBR’s work was involved in some of the deaths. He said $34 million in bonuses was paid three months after Green Beret Staff Sgt. Ryan Maseth, 24, of Pittsburgh, was electrocuted while showering in his barracks in Iraq on Jan. 2, 2008. Maseth’s family has sued KBR, alleging wrongful death.
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Senator: KBR received $83 million in bonuses
KBR's chief defends electrical work in Iraq
By KIMBERLY HEFLING – 53 minutes ago
WASHINGTON (AP) — The chief executive of the military contractor under scrutiny in the electrocution of U.S. troops in Iraq said Wednesday the electrical codes it used in the buildings it maintained in the war zone "were known and thought to be acceptable" by the Pentagon.
William P. Utt, the chairman of Houston-based KBR Inc. told The Associated Press in an interview that the company was not expected to meet the U.S. electrical code in a wartime environment. He said the company was striving to meet the British electrical code, which was more in line with the Iraqi electrical system.
Earlier Wednesday, Jim Childs, an electrical inspector hired by the Army to help review U.S.-run facilities in Iraq testified before the Democrats' policy committee that 90 percent of KBR's wiring in newly constructed buildings in Iraq was not done properly, meaning an estimated 70,000 buildings where troops lived and worked were not safe.
"When I began inspecting the electrical work performed by KBR, my co-workers and I found improper electrical work in every building we inspected," Childs said.
go here for more of this
KBR chief defends electrical work in Iraq
By Kimberly Hefling - The Associated Press
Posted : Wednesday May 20, 2009 12:34:10 EDT
WASHINGTON — Military contractor KBR Inc. was paid $83.4 million in bonuses for electrical work in Iraq — much of it after the military’s contract management agency recognized the contractor was doing shoddy electrical work, a senator said Wednesday.
Sen. Byron Dorgan, D-N.D., said he learned of the bonuses from Pentagon documents. Dorgan chairs the Democrats’ Policy Committee, which examined at a hearing the electrocution deaths of U.S. troops in Iraq.
At least three troops have been electrocuted while showering in Iraq, and others have been injured and killed in other electrical incidents. Houston-based KBR, which has the responsibility of maintaining electrical work in tens of thousands of U.S. facilities in Iraq, has denied any responsibility in the deaths.
But Dorgan said evidence suggests KBR’s work was involved in some of the deaths. He said $34 million in bonuses was paid three months after Green Beret Staff Sgt. Ryan Maseth, 24, of Pittsburgh, was electrocuted while showering in his barracks in Iraq on Jan. 2, 2008. Maseth’s family has sued KBR, alleging wrongful death.
go here for more
Senator: KBR received $83 million in bonuses
KBR's chief defends electrical work in Iraq
By KIMBERLY HEFLING – 53 minutes ago
WASHINGTON (AP) — The chief executive of the military contractor under scrutiny in the electrocution of U.S. troops in Iraq said Wednesday the electrical codes it used in the buildings it maintained in the war zone "were known and thought to be acceptable" by the Pentagon.
William P. Utt, the chairman of Houston-based KBR Inc. told The Associated Press in an interview that the company was not expected to meet the U.S. electrical code in a wartime environment. He said the company was striving to meet the British electrical code, which was more in line with the Iraqi electrical system.
Earlier Wednesday, Jim Childs, an electrical inspector hired by the Army to help review U.S.-run facilities in Iraq testified before the Democrats' policy committee that 90 percent of KBR's wiring in newly constructed buildings in Iraq was not done properly, meaning an estimated 70,000 buildings where troops lived and worked were not safe.
"When I began inspecting the electrical work performed by KBR, my co-workers and I found improper electrical work in every building we inspected," Childs said.
go here for more of this
KBR chief defends electrical work in Iraq
Clergy Sex Abuse Reported from Ireland shows more victims
May 20th, 2009
Thousands of children abused in Irish institutions, report finds
Posted: 12:55 PM ET
(CNN) — Thousands of children suffered sexual abuse, beatings, malnutrition and emotional abuse for decades in the Irish institutions where they were raised, an Irish government commission said Wednesday.
Catholic clergy ran the vast majority of the reformatories and orphanages where the abuse allegedly took place, it said.
There were institutions where sexual abuse was a “chronic problem” and where “floggings” that “should not have been tolerated in any institution” were “inflicted for even minor transgressions,” the commission’s wide-ranging report says.
The report details the case of one “serial sexual and physical abuser” who “physically terrorized and sexually abused children in his classroom” in six schools over a period of 40 years — and was “persistently protected” by church and educational authorities. The man, identified only by a pseudonym, was finally convicted of sexual abuse in the 1980s, the report says.
http://cnnwire.blogs.cnn.com/
Thousands of children abused in Irish institutions, report finds
Posted: 12:55 PM ET
(CNN) — Thousands of children suffered sexual abuse, beatings, malnutrition and emotional abuse for decades in the Irish institutions where they were raised, an Irish government commission said Wednesday.
Catholic clergy ran the vast majority of the reformatories and orphanages where the abuse allegedly took place, it said.
There were institutions where sexual abuse was a “chronic problem” and where “floggings” that “should not have been tolerated in any institution” were “inflicted for even minor transgressions,” the commission’s wide-ranging report says.
The report details the case of one “serial sexual and physical abuser” who “physically terrorized and sexually abused children in his classroom” in six schools over a period of 40 years — and was “persistently protected” by church and educational authorities. The man, identified only by a pseudonym, was finally convicted of sexual abuse in the 1980s, the report says.
http://cnnwire.blogs.cnn.com/
Bill to repeal Feres clears first hurdle
Bill to repeal Feres clears first hurdle
By William H. McMichael - Staff writer
Posted : Tuesday May 19, 2009 15:05:37 EDT
An effort to overturn a 59-year-old Supreme Court decision barring service members from suing the government for negligence inched forward Tuesday when a House subcommittee approved the Carmelo Rodriguez Military Medical Accountability Act.
The bill is named for a Marine Corps platoon leader and Iraq war veteran who was not told by military doctors that he had been diagnosed with melanoma, was not referred for treatment and, years later, was told the growth was a birthmark. Rodriguez, of Ellenville, N.Y., died from skin cancer in November 2007 at age 29.
Rodriguez and his family were barred from suing the government for medical malpractice by a 1950 ruling that became known as the Feres doctrine, which prohibits those on active duty from suing the government for negligence resulting in personal injuries.
If the bill approved by the House Judiciary Committee’s commercial and administrative law subcommittee is eventually enacted, service members could gain that right.
go here for more
Bill to repeal Feres clears first hurdle
By William H. McMichael - Staff writer
Posted : Tuesday May 19, 2009 15:05:37 EDT
An effort to overturn a 59-year-old Supreme Court decision barring service members from suing the government for negligence inched forward Tuesday when a House subcommittee approved the Carmelo Rodriguez Military Medical Accountability Act.
The bill is named for a Marine Corps platoon leader and Iraq war veteran who was not told by military doctors that he had been diagnosed with melanoma, was not referred for treatment and, years later, was told the growth was a birthmark. Rodriguez, of Ellenville, N.Y., died from skin cancer in November 2007 at age 29.
Rodriguez and his family were barred from suing the government for medical malpractice by a 1950 ruling that became known as the Feres doctrine, which prohibits those on active duty from suing the government for negligence resulting in personal injuries.
If the bill approved by the House Judiciary Committee’s commercial and administrative law subcommittee is eventually enacted, service members could gain that right.
go here for more
Bill to repeal Feres clears first hurdle
Women vets’ clinic addresses all health issues
Women vets’ clinic addresses all health issues
By Keith Purtell
Phoenix Staff Writer
With more female veterans returning home from military duties, the Jack C. Montgomery VA Medical Center is putting greater emphasis on their outpatient women’s clinic.
U.S. Army veteran Aleatha Franco, 39, said she was a patient there for six years before she recently moved to McAlester.
“It’s a really good facility, especially for women with post-traumatic stress disorder,” she said. “For women who aren’t comfortable seeing men, it’s a good option.”
Franco said she had a friend who didn’t get treatment for combat-related stress.
“My friend committed suicide related to PTSD,” she said. “I hope that if family members see signs that there is a problem, I hope they will be more proactive. People should not be afraid to come in. We can join together and help each other.”
Franco said the clinic responds to all health issues, both physical and emotional, and treats all patients with respect.
“The VA in Muskogee really tries hard to be their best with all of that,” she said.
Susie Hartsell, manager for the Women Veterans Program said female veterans often have special needs.
“We want to reassure them that they’re safe in a protected environment,” she said. “A lot of them suffer from sexual abuse and mental issues that affects them if they have to go see a doctor and sit in a waiting room and be around a lot of men.”
Hartsell said 898 women are enrolled in the program and that the all-female staff sees 10 to 12 patients a day in the clinic.
go here for more
http://www.muskogeephoenix.com/local/local_story_140013058.html
By Keith Purtell
Phoenix Staff Writer
With more female veterans returning home from military duties, the Jack C. Montgomery VA Medical Center is putting greater emphasis on their outpatient women’s clinic.
U.S. Army veteran Aleatha Franco, 39, said she was a patient there for six years before she recently moved to McAlester.
“It’s a really good facility, especially for women with post-traumatic stress disorder,” she said. “For women who aren’t comfortable seeing men, it’s a good option.”
Franco said she had a friend who didn’t get treatment for combat-related stress.
“My friend committed suicide related to PTSD,” she said. “I hope that if family members see signs that there is a problem, I hope they will be more proactive. People should not be afraid to come in. We can join together and help each other.”
Franco said the clinic responds to all health issues, both physical and emotional, and treats all patients with respect.
“The VA in Muskogee really tries hard to be their best with all of that,” she said.
Susie Hartsell, manager for the Women Veterans Program said female veterans often have special needs.
“We want to reassure them that they’re safe in a protected environment,” she said. “A lot of them suffer from sexual abuse and mental issues that affects them if they have to go see a doctor and sit in a waiting room and be around a lot of men.”
Hartsell said 898 women are enrolled in the program and that the all-female staff sees 10 to 12 patients a day in the clinic.
go here for more
http://www.muskogeephoenix.com/local/local_story_140013058.html
Homeless Veteran Beats the Streets in Canada
Homeless Veteran Beats the Streets
Thirty-year-old Ryan McKenna is one of nine homeless veterans living at The Salvation Army’s Centre of Hope in Calgary. Following two tours of duty in the Persian Gulf, PTSD (post-traumatic stress disorder) led to his marriage breakdown and cycles of substance abuse and addiction. It wasn’t long before he was living on the streets.
“Being part of a ships crew that contributes to the war on terror leaves you with a level of anxiety and stress that you never overcome,” says Ryan. “We were on high alert at all times, which meant we had to be ready for anything. Daily drills, without warning, prepared us for man overboard, fires, floods, rescue and attack. You never knew if the drill was for real or a test.
“I stayed strong while on duty, but when I returned home to Halifax in 2003 my anxiety and depression surfaced. Social workers were unable to grasp the magnitude of my PTSD. I drank excessively to drown my emotions.
“Alcoholism is a terrible thing. It destroyed my family. My marriage fell apart and I lost custody of my sons, 5 and 3. I moved to Calgary to start a new life. When I arrived at The Salvation Army Centre of Hope I was unemployed, addicted to alcohol and homeless.”
The Calgary Centre of Hope provides accommodation for more than 400 residents, including some emergency housing, women’s shelter, mental health population accommodations, food and life skills training, chapel and counselling services, and recreational programs. As a homeless shelter the building recognizes and responds to the hardness of the lifestyle of those who use it by providing opportunities to regain a foothold in society.
In May, 2009, Ryan successfully completed The Salvation Army’s residential addictions recovery program. “My job was to fix me,” says Ryan. “The Salvation Army gave me the tools I needed to deal with life’s curves appropriately.”
Ryan is currently employed as a concrete worker. “I was so psychologically scarred from military service I never thought I could be a contributing member of society,” says Ryan. “The Salvation Army was here for me when I was as wounded as someone bleeding on the battlefield. This is the most stability I’ve had in a long time.”
To view Ryan’s recent interview with CBC click here.
Thirty-year-old Ryan McKenna is one of nine homeless veterans living at The Salvation Army’s Centre of Hope in Calgary. Following two tours of duty in the Persian Gulf, PTSD (post-traumatic stress disorder) led to his marriage breakdown and cycles of substance abuse and addiction. It wasn’t long before he was living on the streets.
“Being part of a ships crew that contributes to the war on terror leaves you with a level of anxiety and stress that you never overcome,” says Ryan. “We were on high alert at all times, which meant we had to be ready for anything. Daily drills, without warning, prepared us for man overboard, fires, floods, rescue and attack. You never knew if the drill was for real or a test.
“I stayed strong while on duty, but when I returned home to Halifax in 2003 my anxiety and depression surfaced. Social workers were unable to grasp the magnitude of my PTSD. I drank excessively to drown my emotions.
“Alcoholism is a terrible thing. It destroyed my family. My marriage fell apart and I lost custody of my sons, 5 and 3. I moved to Calgary to start a new life. When I arrived at The Salvation Army Centre of Hope I was unemployed, addicted to alcohol and homeless.”
The Calgary Centre of Hope provides accommodation for more than 400 residents, including some emergency housing, women’s shelter, mental health population accommodations, food and life skills training, chapel and counselling services, and recreational programs. As a homeless shelter the building recognizes and responds to the hardness of the lifestyle of those who use it by providing opportunities to regain a foothold in society.
In May, 2009, Ryan successfully completed The Salvation Army’s residential addictions recovery program. “My job was to fix me,” says Ryan. “The Salvation Army gave me the tools I needed to deal with life’s curves appropriately.”
Ryan is currently employed as a concrete worker. “I was so psychologically scarred from military service I never thought I could be a contributing member of society,” says Ryan. “The Salvation Army was here for me when I was as wounded as someone bleeding on the battlefield. This is the most stability I’ve had in a long time.”
To view Ryan’s recent interview with CBC click here.
Nancy Pelosi is killing the troops
by
Chaplain Kathie
Nancy Pelosi said the CIA did not tell congress exactly what was being done and when it was being done but it's not as if this would be the first time the CIA got things wrong and won't be the last time the government of this nation turns into a he said she said. Considering that anyone in the loop on any of the secret goings on running this country cannot talk about it in the media, there is a lot that is going on we don't find out about until years have passed. The problem is, the reporting on Pelosi, a pit-bull for the Democratic Party and target for the Republicans has in effect been killing the troops. It's not just the jumping on Pelosi story that has been doing it, it is the failure of the broadcast media to report on other things that are harder to report on but of so much more value.
Sgt. John Russell waits for trail, for what caused him to kill five at the Camp Liberty Stress Clinic. Five families grieve for their family members killed and another, Russell's family searches for answers, also grieving. While newspapers and local TV stations find this tragedy worthy of their attention and reporting, cable "news" has found a more interesting story in politics. Not that reporting on the characters running this country is bad, but we need to be asking what it is they value when they fail so miserably at reporting on what else is going on.
CNN, MSNBC and I presume FOX (because I don't watch FOX) have all piled on the same story of Nancy Pelosi and what the CIA did or did not tell congress. Others have since come out pointing out discrepancies in what the CIA claims and what they know to not be true. Is this a worthy story? Sure it is but so much coverage on this as if she is responsible for giving the orders to torture instead of claiming she was not told the whole truth. It is not as if she could have saved the lives of five men now dead because of the stresses the troops are under in Iraq as well as what they face in Afghanistan. So where is the reporting on what the troops are going thru? Where are the stories on Iraq and Afghanistan?
During the Presidential campaign the media found only that to report on and excused their lack of interest in the two military campaigns as viewer driven but did they ever explain how it was the blogs were on fire discussing both military campaigns as well as the Presidential one? The public interest was alive and well but being starved. The problem is the troops ended up paying for it because the general public was not informed adequately enough to rise up and help the troops coping with the tremendous stresses they were under and had nothing in place for when they came home needing our help. As the months went by, it was harder and harder to track the stories around the country about what was happening to them, the tragedies unfolding in every part of this country because not enough people knew what was going on.
Were 1.9 million lives worthy of reporting on? That's how many served. How about the lives on the line in Iraq and Afghanistan still? Don't they matter? What about their families? These are recent stories about the Camp Liberty tragedy that should have been on cable news.
Tragic stories that have hardly been mentioned. But there are many, many more stories they find unworthy of their attention.
As Americans deal with the bad economy, home values dropping and jobs being lost, they will not think about what else is going on while they are hunting for jobs and worrying about finding ways to pay their bills. They won't find the stories of National Guards families suffering because of the lost incomes, coming home to no jobs after they risked their lives and the lack of support in their own communities to help them heal from PTSD. They won't know about families on food stamps because there is just not enough money to make ends meet while their family member is risking his/her life in service to this nation.
The media has a moral obligation to report on what is happening to our troops and have had a moral obligation to report on our veterans also suffering. They just have not taken the time to notice any of it. How many lives could have been saved had they bothered to report on any of what's been going on for the last 8 years? We need only look back at the tragedy of Camp Liberty for the answer. After this all the brass in the military have been trying to find out what else they need to do to prevent this from happening again because of all the reporting that was done and is being done. Yet tragedies have been unfolding across the country all these years that should have been worthy of their attention but alas, they just found more "important" to them to report on. After all, it's easier to jump on stories and take guesses when it comes to politics as usual but it is a certainty fueling the war between parties is not about to save lives, find answers, remove the stigma and provide knowledge about what the troops are going thru. They would have to actually invest the time in finding the people involved and talking to them instead of just picking up the phone and getting the usual talking heads to speculate of false earth shattering news.
The troops and our veterans are dying for the attention of the media but they haven't bothered to notice! They've just been too busy talking about Michelle Obama's arms and clothes and Nancy Pelosi's memory. How much time has talk radio invested in this as well? Honestly I cannot attack cable news and forget about the obligation talk radio has as well. They talk about what Pelosi knew or didn't know without any ability to actually know the truth but when the truth about what is happening to our troops and veterans is documented and known, they avoid it. What about the obligation Rush has to the troops? What about the obligation Hannity and O'Reilly have to the troops and our veterans? What about the hosts of Air America, admittedly doing a better job of mentioning any of their stories, but still, failing to spend enough time on any of them. Stephanie Miller, Richard Greene mention them from time to time and Thom Hartman spends more time on the veterans when he has on Larry Scott of VA Watchdog, but still not enough time. If you put all the hours talk radio on both sides spend on the troops and veterans it would pass as fast as you can hit a snooze button on an alarm clock but this alarm has been piercing the air in homes across this nation while the broadcast media has been snoozing!
We can talk about the obligation the government has to the troops and the veterans all we want but the media has a bigger obligation because the pubic has not been informed enough to get the government to live up to their obligations. They talk occasionally about gays in the military and don't ask-don't tell as a morale issue but fail to report on what is actually killing our troops and veterans that can be prevented. How many more tragedies will they suddenly find of value to even mention before they fully grasp the fact they are partly responsible for the failure to act, report and inspire the American people to act to correct the damage being done? How many more will be buried between this Memorial Day and the next one that did not need to die? Suicides have gone up every year and so have attempted ones while they failed to report so we can decide to act. Tell them they need to live up to their obligation to the troops because in the process of their decisions on what is valuable to cover, they are killing the troops by avoiding them.
Chaplain Kathie
Nancy Pelosi said the CIA did not tell congress exactly what was being done and when it was being done but it's not as if this would be the first time the CIA got things wrong and won't be the last time the government of this nation turns into a he said she said. Considering that anyone in the loop on any of the secret goings on running this country cannot talk about it in the media, there is a lot that is going on we don't find out about until years have passed. The problem is, the reporting on Pelosi, a pit-bull for the Democratic Party and target for the Republicans has in effect been killing the troops. It's not just the jumping on Pelosi story that has been doing it, it is the failure of the broadcast media to report on other things that are harder to report on but of so much more value.
Sgt. John Russell waits for trail, for what caused him to kill five at the Camp Liberty Stress Clinic. Five families grieve for their family members killed and another, Russell's family searches for answers, also grieving. While newspapers and local TV stations find this tragedy worthy of their attention and reporting, cable "news" has found a more interesting story in politics. Not that reporting on the characters running this country is bad, but we need to be asking what it is they value when they fail so miserably at reporting on what else is going on.
CNN, MSNBC and I presume FOX (because I don't watch FOX) have all piled on the same story of Nancy Pelosi and what the CIA did or did not tell congress. Others have since come out pointing out discrepancies in what the CIA claims and what they know to not be true. Is this a worthy story? Sure it is but so much coverage on this as if she is responsible for giving the orders to torture instead of claiming she was not told the whole truth. It is not as if she could have saved the lives of five men now dead because of the stresses the troops are under in Iraq as well as what they face in Afghanistan. So where is the reporting on what the troops are going thru? Where are the stories on Iraq and Afghanistan?
During the Presidential campaign the media found only that to report on and excused their lack of interest in the two military campaigns as viewer driven but did they ever explain how it was the blogs were on fire discussing both military campaigns as well as the Presidential one? The public interest was alive and well but being starved. The problem is the troops ended up paying for it because the general public was not informed adequately enough to rise up and help the troops coping with the tremendous stresses they were under and had nothing in place for when they came home needing our help. As the months went by, it was harder and harder to track the stories around the country about what was happening to them, the tragedies unfolding in every part of this country because not enough people knew what was going on.
Were 1.9 million lives worthy of reporting on? That's how many served. How about the lives on the line in Iraq and Afghanistan still? Don't they matter? What about their families? These are recent stories about the Camp Liberty tragedy that should have been on cable news.
Among 5 Killed, a Mender of Heartache and a Struggling Private
By JAMES DAO and PAUL von ZIELBAUER
Published: May 16, 2009
They came to the clinic at the base in Iraq for reasons as different as their ranks.
Maj. Matthew P. Houseal, a 54-year-old psychiatrist and father of seven in the Army Reserve, was there to counsel, having requested an Iraq deployment to support soldiers struggling with the heartache and hardship of war.
Pfc. Michael E. Yates, 19, was there to talk, perhaps about the pain he was feeling about being separated from his girlfriend and infant son, relatives said.
And Sgt. John M. Russell, 44, was there because he had to be. After 15 years in the Army, he had fallen into debt and out of favor with his commanding officer, who took away his weapon and sent him for counseling.
It was in that clinic, a low-slung building at Camp Liberty on the outskirts of Baghdad, that Sergeant Russell used a weapon that he seized from an escort last Monday to shoot and kill Major Houseal, Private Yates and three other people, Army officials say. He has been charged with five counts of murder in the deadliest case of soldier-on-soldier violence involving the American military in the six-year Iraq war.
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Among 5 Killed, a Mender of Heartache and a Struggling Private
Funeral set for soldier from Md. killed in Iraq
Baltimore Sun - United States
FEDERALSBURG - A 19-year-old Federalsburg soldier killed at a counseling clinic in Baghdad is to be buried this week.
Funeral services for Michael Edward Yates Jr. are to be held at noon Thursday at the Framptom Funeral Home in Federalsburg. Interment will follow at the Eastern Shore Veterans Cemetery in Beulah.
click link above for more
Mourners remember quiet, helpful Army doctor
LubbockOnline.com - Lubbock,TX,USA
By Chris Ramirez | MORRIS NEWS SERVICE
Wednesday, May 20, 2009
Story last updated at 5/20/2009 - 1:28 am
He was a soldier, a respected doctor, a steady-handed pilot, all qualities worth bragging about. But Matthew Philip Houseal wasn't the chest-beating type, his sister said.
He often melted quietly into the background. For that, many people knew him as "the invisible man," she said.
"He always was there for people," said Anne Houseal, a U.S. Air Force colonel. "He was a great example of service and honor."
Family and friends gathered Tuesday at St. Ann's Church in Canyon to pay their final respects to the slain Amarillo physician. Hundreds of American flags waved outside the church as a bell tolled and a lone bagpiper played softly in the distance.
Heads bowed and eyes welled with tears as a military color guard brought his flag-draped casket into the church. Arms curled gently around heavy shoulders.
"It's a sad day in America," said Jack Barnes, president of America Supports You Texas. "A good man was taken away from us."
Houseal, 54, a major in the Army Reserve, was one of five soldiers killed May 11 when a U.S. soldier allegedly opened fire in a mental health clinic at Camp Liberty in Baghdad.
In his sermon, the Rev. Phu Phan praised Houseal for sacrificing for his country and for placing the needs of others, often strangers, above his own.
"He found meaning in his desire to help others," Phan said. "We need to thank God for the gift of his life."
Troubled by the rising suicide rates among veterans, Houseal joined the reserves to use his training as a psychiatrist to help stem the tide.
click link above for more
Tragic stories that have hardly been mentioned. But there are many, many more stories they find unworthy of their attention.
As Americans deal with the bad economy, home values dropping and jobs being lost, they will not think about what else is going on while they are hunting for jobs and worrying about finding ways to pay their bills. They won't find the stories of National Guards families suffering because of the lost incomes, coming home to no jobs after they risked their lives and the lack of support in their own communities to help them heal from PTSD. They won't know about families on food stamps because there is just not enough money to make ends meet while their family member is risking his/her life in service to this nation.
The media has a moral obligation to report on what is happening to our troops and have had a moral obligation to report on our veterans also suffering. They just have not taken the time to notice any of it. How many lives could have been saved had they bothered to report on any of what's been going on for the last 8 years? We need only look back at the tragedy of Camp Liberty for the answer. After this all the brass in the military have been trying to find out what else they need to do to prevent this from happening again because of all the reporting that was done and is being done. Yet tragedies have been unfolding across the country all these years that should have been worthy of their attention but alas, they just found more "important" to them to report on. After all, it's easier to jump on stories and take guesses when it comes to politics as usual but it is a certainty fueling the war between parties is not about to save lives, find answers, remove the stigma and provide knowledge about what the troops are going thru. They would have to actually invest the time in finding the people involved and talking to them instead of just picking up the phone and getting the usual talking heads to speculate of false earth shattering news.
The troops and our veterans are dying for the attention of the media but they haven't bothered to notice! They've just been too busy talking about Michelle Obama's arms and clothes and Nancy Pelosi's memory. How much time has talk radio invested in this as well? Honestly I cannot attack cable news and forget about the obligation talk radio has as well. They talk about what Pelosi knew or didn't know without any ability to actually know the truth but when the truth about what is happening to our troops and veterans is documented and known, they avoid it. What about the obligation Rush has to the troops? What about the obligation Hannity and O'Reilly have to the troops and our veterans? What about the hosts of Air America, admittedly doing a better job of mentioning any of their stories, but still, failing to spend enough time on any of them. Stephanie Miller, Richard Greene mention them from time to time and Thom Hartman spends more time on the veterans when he has on Larry Scott of VA Watchdog, but still not enough time. If you put all the hours talk radio on both sides spend on the troops and veterans it would pass as fast as you can hit a snooze button on an alarm clock but this alarm has been piercing the air in homes across this nation while the broadcast media has been snoozing!
We can talk about the obligation the government has to the troops and the veterans all we want but the media has a bigger obligation because the pubic has not been informed enough to get the government to live up to their obligations. They talk occasionally about gays in the military and don't ask-don't tell as a morale issue but fail to report on what is actually killing our troops and veterans that can be prevented. How many more tragedies will they suddenly find of value to even mention before they fully grasp the fact they are partly responsible for the failure to act, report and inspire the American people to act to correct the damage being done? How many more will be buried between this Memorial Day and the next one that did not need to die? Suicides have gone up every year and so have attempted ones while they failed to report so we can decide to act. Tell them they need to live up to their obligation to the troops because in the process of their decisions on what is valuable to cover, they are killing the troops by avoiding them.
Tuesday, May 19, 2009
Veterans heal nature; nature heals them
Veterans heal nature; nature heals them
By Patrick Oppmann
CNN
Story Highlights
"Green" jobs program helps military veterans learn marketable skills
Program not only helps the environment, veterans say -- it aids them, too
Veterans almost immediately form "new platoon" to support one another
Program's success does not make it immune to budget cuts
The veterans come home from war, seared by what they saw and unsure about how to re-enter civilian life. They compete against resume-savvy civilians for scarce jobs. But now a program in Washington state helps military veterans learn marketable "green" job skills while working with others who understand their struggle. In return, the veterans work on projects that help restore the environment in state parks. full story
By Patrick Oppmann
CNN
Story Highlights
"Green" jobs program helps military veterans learn marketable skills
Program not only helps the environment, veterans say -- it aids them, too
Veterans almost immediately form "new platoon" to support one another
Program's success does not make it immune to budget cuts
The veterans come home from war, seared by what they saw and unsure about how to re-enter civilian life. They compete against resume-savvy civilians for scarce jobs. But now a program in Washington state helps military veterans learn marketable "green" job skills while working with others who understand their struggle. In return, the veterans work on projects that help restore the environment in state parks. full story
House passes veterans employment bills
House passes veterans employment bills
By Rick Maze - Staff writer
Posted : Tuesday May 19, 2009 20:32:38 EDT
The House of Representatives approved three veterans bills Tuesday, involving job protections for federal workers who are also in the reserves, demanding faster training for federal specialists in job placement, and using $200,000 in grants to encourage development of technologies to make home life easier for severely disabled veterans.
Rep. John Boozman, ranking Republican on the House veterans’ economic opportunity subcommittee, is the chief sponsor of HR 1170, the assisted technology grant bill.
“The goal of this bill is to encourage the development of technology to provide the maximum level of independence to severely disabled veterans in their daily living,” he said.
By Rick Maze - Staff writer
Posted : Tuesday May 19, 2009 20:32:38 EDT
The House of Representatives approved three veterans bills Tuesday, involving job protections for federal workers who are also in the reserves, demanding faster training for federal specialists in job placement, and using $200,000 in grants to encourage development of technologies to make home life easier for severely disabled veterans.
Rep. John Boozman, ranking Republican on the House veterans’ economic opportunity subcommittee, is the chief sponsor of HR 1170, the assisted technology grant bill.
“The goal of this bill is to encourage the development of technology to provide the maximum level of independence to severely disabled veterans in their daily living,” he said.
Rep. Stephanie Herseth Sandlin, D-S.D., the veterans’ economic opportunity panel chairwoman, is the chief sponsor of HR 1088, the House-passed bill that orders training within one year of hiring for state employees assigned to duties as Disabled Veterans Outreach Program Specialists and Local Veterans’ Employment Specialists, known in veterans circles as DVOPS and LVERs.
The third bill passed by the House, HR 1170, also sponsored by Herseth Sandlin, gives the Office of Special Counsel responsibility for the investigation and prosecution of cases of employment and re-employment rights violations by federal agencies, power that currently rests with the Labor Department’s Veterans’ Employment Training Service.
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House passes veterans employment bills
PTSD:Bringing the war back home
Bringing the war back home ...
Growing numbers of war-traumatised US servicemen are going on the rampage. so what is the army doing to help its damaged GIs?
From Andrew Purcell in New York
BEFORE HE went on the rampage, John Russell was showing such obvious signs of combat-related stress that he should have been sent home from Iraq, according to military mental health professionals. The army sergeant, who killed five fellow soldiers at a clinic at Camp Liberty in Baghdad on Monday, was nearing the end of his third tour of duty. That he was still in a war zone despite his superiors knowing he was a threat to himself and others is a symptom of the institutional pressure to keep damaged men fighting.
Floyd "Shad" Meshad, director of charity the US National Veterans Foundation, was an army medic in Vietnam, where he counselled soldiers in the field suffering from combat-related stress.
"It's clear that this situation was escalating and sending this guy back for a third tour was just insane," he told the Sunday Herald. "If they see any sign of breaking or snapping they need to remove soldiers completely out of the combat zone and get them into professional care. That's the bottom line."
John Keaveney, a Scot who joined the US Army during the Vietnam war and now runs a veterans support organisation in California, believes that unless the military improves its mental health treatment, there will be similar massacres - but this time of civilians back home, not fellow GIs in a combat zone.
"It'll be a recurring theme," he said. "You have to understand how desperate a person has to be to get a gun and to kill something snapped inside of him, his mental pain became unbearable and he thought that maybe lashing out at people would bring attention to the fact that he was injured."
Russell's commanding officer had confiscated his weapon a week earlier because of concerns about his mental state, but on the way out of the clinic, he wrestled a gun from the staff sergeant who was escorting him, returned inside and began killing, apparently indiscriminately. Two of the dead were officer counsellors, including a volunteer psychiatrist from the army reserve. Three others were enlisted men.
Russell's comrades said that he was angry because his nightmares and constant anxiety were not taken seriously. His father, Wilburn Russell, claimed he had been sent to the clinic for punishment, not treatment. "I think they broke him," he said.
In an email, John Russell had said he was worried he would be dishonourably discharged, losing his salary and army pension, soon after taking out a mortgage on a house in Sherman, Texas.
A career soldier with the 54th Engineering Battalion, Russell had served in Kosovo and Bosnia. His specialism, salvaging robots used to destroy roadside bombs, meant that he saw "a lot of carnage and things he shouldn't have seen", according to his father. He lived in Germany, but on visits back to family in Texas he was perceptibly different - more nervous and unpredictable with each deployment. "Nobody should have to go three times. They should've realised that," his father said.
go here for more
Bringing the war back home
Growing numbers of war-traumatised US servicemen are going on the rampage. so what is the army doing to help its damaged GIs?
From Andrew Purcell in New York
BEFORE HE went on the rampage, John Russell was showing such obvious signs of combat-related stress that he should have been sent home from Iraq, according to military mental health professionals. The army sergeant, who killed five fellow soldiers at a clinic at Camp Liberty in Baghdad on Monday, was nearing the end of his third tour of duty. That he was still in a war zone despite his superiors knowing he was a threat to himself and others is a symptom of the institutional pressure to keep damaged men fighting.
Floyd "Shad" Meshad, director of charity the US National Veterans Foundation, was an army medic in Vietnam, where he counselled soldiers in the field suffering from combat-related stress.
"It's clear that this situation was escalating and sending this guy back for a third tour was just insane," he told the Sunday Herald. "If they see any sign of breaking or snapping they need to remove soldiers completely out of the combat zone and get them into professional care. That's the bottom line."
John Keaveney, a Scot who joined the US Army during the Vietnam war and now runs a veterans support organisation in California, believes that unless the military improves its mental health treatment, there will be similar massacres - but this time of civilians back home, not fellow GIs in a combat zone.
"It'll be a recurring theme," he said. "You have to understand how desperate a person has to be to get a gun and to kill something snapped inside of him, his mental pain became unbearable and he thought that maybe lashing out at people would bring attention to the fact that he was injured."
Russell's commanding officer had confiscated his weapon a week earlier because of concerns about his mental state, but on the way out of the clinic, he wrestled a gun from the staff sergeant who was escorting him, returned inside and began killing, apparently indiscriminately. Two of the dead were officer counsellors, including a volunteer psychiatrist from the army reserve. Three others were enlisted men.
Russell's comrades said that he was angry because his nightmares and constant anxiety were not taken seriously. His father, Wilburn Russell, claimed he had been sent to the clinic for punishment, not treatment. "I think they broke him," he said.
In an email, John Russell had said he was worried he would be dishonourably discharged, losing his salary and army pension, soon after taking out a mortgage on a house in Sherman, Texas.
A career soldier with the 54th Engineering Battalion, Russell had served in Kosovo and Bosnia. His specialism, salvaging robots used to destroy roadside bombs, meant that he saw "a lot of carnage and things he shouldn't have seen", according to his father. He lived in Germany, but on visits back to family in Texas he was perceptibly different - more nervous and unpredictable with each deployment. "Nobody should have to go three times. They should've realised that," his father said.
go here for more
Bringing the war back home
What are you doing this Memorial Day?
This Memorial Day, I'll be doing the usual. Working on the blog and reading stories from across the country, thinking about my Dad, uncles, my husband's Dad and uncles. All of them gone, remembered by head stones and flags for this day. Remember them however is something I do a lot ore than once a year.
I'll be thinking about the men and women I've posted on over the years, maybe look back on some of their stories but one will stick out more than all others. Capt. Agnes "Irish" Bresnahan of New Hampshire. She passed away in Washington DC after another hearing on her VA claim. It was March 11th and it still feels as if I just got the news. The pain of losing her will not seem to fade and at times, grows even stronger. She fought so hard for other veterans and dedicated the rest of her life to helping them, even though she never managed to help herself on her own claim. She support them, gave them hope, compassion, understanding and a shoulder to cry on. A few of them, well, she managed to save their lives when they didn't want to live anymore. So many things she did over the years few will ever know. I miss my friend beyond what words can express.
The other difference between this and every other year is that I'll be back from Washington DC. Thursday we're leaving for Washington on a bike trip from Florida to DC with the Nam Knights and Rolling Thunder to the Wall. I've never seen it before. When we moved to Florida, the WWII Memorial was dedicated in 2004, so there was no chance we could stop on the way. Not that my husband could have taken seeing it before but this year, he feels he's ready.
There is a little secret about the Wall few talk about and that is how powerful this Wall is. Some veterans are just not prepared for it. A veteran I was helping crashed emotionally after going to it. He had never before realized he had a problem with PTSD until he stood in front of the Wall and his life changed in that moment. This has happened to more veterans but no one seems to be willing to talk about it because the vast majority of veteran feel somehow soothed by it. I don't know how I'll feel myself after seeing it but I know I'll be standing by my husband's side when he does.
Memorial Day is the time when we reflect on the sacrifices of the men and women paying with their lives to serve this country, but we never think of how many others paid with their lives also because they served the country but did not die in combat or a recognized wound. PTSD took too many other lives but had they thought of adding the names to any of the memorials in Washington, there wouldn't be very much room left over for cars. They say that if they added on the up to 200,000 veterans that committed suicide and those who died of Agent Orange, the Wall would end up four times the size but I think they're underestimating.
Irish had both. She had PTSD and Agent Orange illnesses. The fact her name will not be on the Wall when I finally see the real thing, well, that will be part of my thoughts that day, just as every other day but on this day especially, I will be thinking of her. This Memorial Day as you stop to honor the lives gone make sure you also watch over the lives we still have with us here and in honor of the fallen, make sure you do all you can for the living before a Memorial Day comes and they too are but a memory for you.
I'll be thinking about the men and women I've posted on over the years, maybe look back on some of their stories but one will stick out more than all others. Capt. Agnes "Irish" Bresnahan of New Hampshire. She passed away in Washington DC after another hearing on her VA claim. It was March 11th and it still feels as if I just got the news. The pain of losing her will not seem to fade and at times, grows even stronger. She fought so hard for other veterans and dedicated the rest of her life to helping them, even though she never managed to help herself on her own claim. She support them, gave them hope, compassion, understanding and a shoulder to cry on. A few of them, well, she managed to save their lives when they didn't want to live anymore. So many things she did over the years few will ever know. I miss my friend beyond what words can express.
The other difference between this and every other year is that I'll be back from Washington DC. Thursday we're leaving for Washington on a bike trip from Florida to DC with the Nam Knights and Rolling Thunder to the Wall. I've never seen it before. When we moved to Florida, the WWII Memorial was dedicated in 2004, so there was no chance we could stop on the way. Not that my husband could have taken seeing it before but this year, he feels he's ready.
There is a little secret about the Wall few talk about and that is how powerful this Wall is. Some veterans are just not prepared for it. A veteran I was helping crashed emotionally after going to it. He had never before realized he had a problem with PTSD until he stood in front of the Wall and his life changed in that moment. This has happened to more veterans but no one seems to be willing to talk about it because the vast majority of veteran feel somehow soothed by it. I don't know how I'll feel myself after seeing it but I know I'll be standing by my husband's side when he does.
Memorial Day is the time when we reflect on the sacrifices of the men and women paying with their lives to serve this country, but we never think of how many others paid with their lives also because they served the country but did not die in combat or a recognized wound. PTSD took too many other lives but had they thought of adding the names to any of the memorials in Washington, there wouldn't be very much room left over for cars. They say that if they added on the up to 200,000 veterans that committed suicide and those who died of Agent Orange, the Wall would end up four times the size but I think they're underestimating.
Irish had both. She had PTSD and Agent Orange illnesses. The fact her name will not be on the Wall when I finally see the real thing, well, that will be part of my thoughts that day, just as every other day but on this day especially, I will be thinking of her. This Memorial Day as you stop to honor the lives gone make sure you also watch over the lives we still have with us here and in honor of the fallen, make sure you do all you can for the living before a Memorial Day comes and they too are but a memory for you.
Seacoast veterans sit on N.H. Guard panel on Vietnam War
Seacoast veterans sit on N.H. Guard panel on Vietnam War
Veterans to give talk on Vietnam
By Joshua Clark
news@seacoastonline.com
May 19, 2009 6:00 AM
CONCORD — Four days before the country officially celebrates Memorial Day, a group of N.H. Army National Guard veterans will meet in Concord to remember and discuss their experiences during the Vietnam War.
The eight-member panel includes veterans John Sullivan of Portsmouth, Bill Toland of Exeter and John Barvenik of North Hampton. In honor of the 40th anniversary of their tour of duty in 1969, members of the 3rd Battalion, 197th Field Artillery, will share their experiences on Thursday as the only N.H. Army National Guard unit to serve in Vietnam.
Toland, a retired Exeter fire chief, said while this will mark the first time he has been part of a Guard forum, he has spoken publicly on his experiences as a medic in Vietnam on numerous occasions.
From high school students to those preparing to leave for the Gulf War, Toland has shared his insight and provided depictions of "things that happen in real life the movies don't capture," such as details about the sounds and smell of warfare.
"They'll learn a lot more about Vietnam," he said, "and hopefully walk away with a different perspective."
go here for more
http://www.seacoastonline.com/articles/20090519-NEWS-905190379
Veterans to give talk on Vietnam
By Joshua Clark
news@seacoastonline.com
May 19, 2009 6:00 AM
CONCORD — Four days before the country officially celebrates Memorial Day, a group of N.H. Army National Guard veterans will meet in Concord to remember and discuss their experiences during the Vietnam War.
The eight-member panel includes veterans John Sullivan of Portsmouth, Bill Toland of Exeter and John Barvenik of North Hampton. In honor of the 40th anniversary of their tour of duty in 1969, members of the 3rd Battalion, 197th Field Artillery, will share their experiences on Thursday as the only N.H. Army National Guard unit to serve in Vietnam.
Toland, a retired Exeter fire chief, said while this will mark the first time he has been part of a Guard forum, he has spoken publicly on his experiences as a medic in Vietnam on numerous occasions.
From high school students to those preparing to leave for the Gulf War, Toland has shared his insight and provided depictions of "things that happen in real life the movies don't capture," such as details about the sounds and smell of warfare.
"They'll learn a lot more about Vietnam," he said, "and hopefully walk away with a different perspective."
go here for more
http://www.seacoastonline.com/articles/20090519-NEWS-905190379
Seattle hospital teaches meditation to troubled vets
Seattle hospital teaches meditation to troubled vets
The Seattle veterans hospital is teaching patients a form of meditation to ease their post-traumatic stress disorder. The technique called mindfulness-based stress reduction helps patients deal with anxiety, chronic pain and other health issues.
By Michelle Ma
Seattle Times staff reporter
After four combat tours — two in Iraq and two in Afghanistan — normal life seemed impossible for one Seattle Army veteran.
His heart raced when driving under an overpass, and he had trouble breathing when stuck in snarled traffic. As a soldier in combat, he wouldn't dare slow down for fear of being bombed or shot.
Crowded rooms were just as bad. He locked himself away at home and drank instead of facing large groups or loud, sudden noises. He responded to the slightest sense of threat with all-out aggression.
Last summer, the 34-year-old sergeant sought help at the Seattle veterans hospital, enrolling in group and individual therapy and starting medication to treat what doctors diagnosed as post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).
He also practices a form of meditation he learned through the VA Puget Sound Health Care System that has eased the horrific memories that bombarded his mind.
go here for more
Seattle hospital teaches meditation to troubled vets
The Seattle veterans hospital is teaching patients a form of meditation to ease their post-traumatic stress disorder. The technique called mindfulness-based stress reduction helps patients deal with anxiety, chronic pain and other health issues.
By Michelle Ma
Seattle Times staff reporter
After four combat tours — two in Iraq and two in Afghanistan — normal life seemed impossible for one Seattle Army veteran.
His heart raced when driving under an overpass, and he had trouble breathing when stuck in snarled traffic. As a soldier in combat, he wouldn't dare slow down for fear of being bombed or shot.
Crowded rooms were just as bad. He locked himself away at home and drank instead of facing large groups or loud, sudden noises. He responded to the slightest sense of threat with all-out aggression.
Last summer, the 34-year-old sergeant sought help at the Seattle veterans hospital, enrolling in group and individual therapy and starting medication to treat what doctors diagnosed as post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).
He also practices a form of meditation he learned through the VA Puget Sound Health Care System that has eased the horrific memories that bombarded his mind.
go here for more
Seattle hospital teaches meditation to troubled vets
Veteran claims PTSD in court
Veteran claims PTSD in court
May 19, 2009
By STEWART WARREN swarren@scn1.com
JOLIET — Almost three years ago, William B. Linley barricaded himself in his Bolingbrook home and fired hundreds of rounds at police.
None of the officers were hurt. But nearby homes and businesses were evacuated and the Federal Aviation Administration declared a "no-fly" zone in the airspace above the Hunters Trail neighborhood near Illinois 53.
Ten hours later, the former Marine surrendered after a police officer shot him in the arm.
Linley, 43, was charged with attempted murder, aggravated discharge of a firearm, criminal damage to state property, armed violence, knowingly damaging state property and reckless discharge of a firearm. He was taken to the Will County jail and still is being held there on $300,000 bond.
go here for more
Veteran claims PTSD in court
May 19, 2009
By STEWART WARREN swarren@scn1.com
JOLIET — Almost three years ago, William B. Linley barricaded himself in his Bolingbrook home and fired hundreds of rounds at police.
None of the officers were hurt. But nearby homes and businesses were evacuated and the Federal Aviation Administration declared a "no-fly" zone in the airspace above the Hunters Trail neighborhood near Illinois 53.
Ten hours later, the former Marine surrendered after a police officer shot him in the arm.
Linley, 43, was charged with attempted murder, aggravated discharge of a firearm, criminal damage to state property, armed violence, knowingly damaging state property and reckless discharge of a firearm. He was taken to the Will County jail and still is being held there on $300,000 bond.
go here for more
Veteran claims PTSD in court
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