Local News
Vets ride to honor the fallen
By SHEILA RHOADES
Friday, May 29, 2009 10:31 PM EDT
LAKETON - U.S. military brothers and sisters, friends and supporters from all over the country converged on Washington D.C. this week in the annual "Run For The Wall," a motorcycle freedom ride which began in Rancho Cucamonga, Calif.
The RFTW culminated in more than 350,000 motorcycles filling three-and-a-half of the four Pentagon parking lots, with riders (called Rolling Thunder) who were there to pay their respects to those who gave their lives in exchange for American freedom. Those still serving in the military were honored as well.
As some riders passed through Wabash County, Bob and Chris Haecker were honored to welcome them into their home for a brief respite from the road and to enjoy an afternoon barbecue.
Bob Haecker is also a veteran. He served in Vietnam and received a Purple Heart for wounds received in combat. This was his very first trip to The Wall, where the names of 58,261 men and women are listed. The number also includes 1,200 MIAs and POWs.
"It was pretty awesome," he said. "I was really excited to be there."
go here for more
http://www.wabashplaindealer.com/articles/2009/05/30/local_news/local2.txt
Saturday, May 30, 2009
Vietnam Veterans of America Chapter 913 plan benefit concert
Vets plan benefit concert
By Mindy Honey
Society Editor
The Vietnam Veterans of America Chapter 913 is once again hosting a benefit concert with proceeds benefitting all veterans.
The concert will be held Monday at 7 p.m. at the Hamner Barber Theater in Branson.
The concert will be filled with Branson talent, including Penny Gilley, Doug Gabriel, SIX and more.
“All proceeds are designated to veterans,” said Bob Sarver, vice president of the Branson chapter. “The main thing is help. That is why we raise these funds — to help a vet that needs help.”
This will be the chapter’s seventh benefit concert.
“The Brett Family basically thought it up,” Sarver said. “It blossomed from there.”
The money can go anywhere from helping a veteran pay bills or even to gas money to get home from Branson.
go here for more
http://www.bransondailynews.com/story.php?storyID=12124
By Mindy Honey
Society Editor
The Vietnam Veterans of America Chapter 913 is once again hosting a benefit concert with proceeds benefitting all veterans.
The concert will be held Monday at 7 p.m. at the Hamner Barber Theater in Branson.
The concert will be filled with Branson talent, including Penny Gilley, Doug Gabriel, SIX and more.
“All proceeds are designated to veterans,” said Bob Sarver, vice president of the Branson chapter. “The main thing is help. That is why we raise these funds — to help a vet that needs help.”
This will be the chapter’s seventh benefit concert.
“The Brett Family basically thought it up,” Sarver said. “It blossomed from there.”
The money can go anywhere from helping a veteran pay bills or even to gas money to get home from Branson.
go here for more
http://www.bransondailynews.com/story.php?storyID=12124
VA recommended more than 10,000 former VA patients to get blood tests
Mistakes at VA to be scrutinized by panel
5 patients tested positive for HIV and 39 for hepatitis after exposure
CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. - A congressional panel will question Department of Veterans Affairs officials about mistakes that put patients at risk of possible exposure to HIV and other infectious body fluids at three VA hospitals.
The VA recommended more than 10,000 former VA patients in Miami, Murfreesboro, Tenn., and Augusta, Ga., get follow-up blood checks. Five have tested positive for HIV and 39 have tested positive for hepatitis.
The U.S. House Committee on Veterans' Affairs oversight and investigations subcommittee has set a June 16 hearing in Washington to look into what caused the problems and what the VA has done to fix them. The VA's inspector general is currently investigating.
go here for more
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/31001407/
5 patients tested positive for HIV and 39 for hepatitis after exposure
CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. - A congressional panel will question Department of Veterans Affairs officials about mistakes that put patients at risk of possible exposure to HIV and other infectious body fluids at three VA hospitals.
The VA recommended more than 10,000 former VA patients in Miami, Murfreesboro, Tenn., and Augusta, Ga., get follow-up blood checks. Five have tested positive for HIV and 39 have tested positive for hepatitis.
The U.S. House Committee on Veterans' Affairs oversight and investigations subcommittee has set a June 16 hearing in Washington to look into what caused the problems and what the VA has done to fix them. The VA's inspector general is currently investigating.
go here for more
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/31001407/
Military Shedding Light on Suicide Problem
Military Shedding Light on Suicide Problem
Posted: May 30, 2009 12:01 AM EDT
Todd Unger
Omaha (KPTM) - When Rich Hagedorn fought in the Gulf War, "Every day you're under a lot of stress, stressful conditions, missions, always having something going on, and looking over your shoulder."
But when the army solider and his comrades came home, they found readjusting to civilian life a process.
"What they told us was to watch out for any signs, talk to your friend. Look for any signs if the person is depressed," says Hagedorn.
The readjustment to civilian life can be tough, and as an instructor at the National Guard's Camp Ashland, Hagedorn says he's been seeing firsthand the toll longer tours of duty and redeployments can have on the psyche of a soldier freshly back from the frontlines.
"We're all wearing an army uniform, and he broke down crying and instead of like the in the old days when they'd say you need to man-up, it seemed like everyone in the classroom was there and they have something in common," he says of one such breakdown.
It isn't an isolated case, and the Department of Veterans Affairs knows it.
go here for more
http://www.kptm.com/Global/story.asp?S=10448478&nav=menu606_2
Posted: May 30, 2009 12:01 AM EDT
Todd Unger
Omaha (KPTM) - When Rich Hagedorn fought in the Gulf War, "Every day you're under a lot of stress, stressful conditions, missions, always having something going on, and looking over your shoulder."
But when the army solider and his comrades came home, they found readjusting to civilian life a process.
"What they told us was to watch out for any signs, talk to your friend. Look for any signs if the person is depressed," says Hagedorn.
The readjustment to civilian life can be tough, and as an instructor at the National Guard's Camp Ashland, Hagedorn says he's been seeing firsthand the toll longer tours of duty and redeployments can have on the psyche of a soldier freshly back from the frontlines.
"We're all wearing an army uniform, and he broke down crying and instead of like the in the old days when they'd say you need to man-up, it seemed like everyone in the classroom was there and they have something in common," he says of one such breakdown.
It isn't an isolated case, and the Department of Veterans Affairs knows it.
go here for more
http://www.kptm.com/Global/story.asp?S=10448478&nav=menu606_2
Buffalo Soldier gets Arlington burial after 100 years
Buffalo Soldier gets Arlington burial after 100 years
Story Highlights
Cpl. Isaiah Mays served as Buffalo Soldier in late 1800s
Mays received Medal of Honor, but was denied federal pension
He died in 1925 in an Arizona state hospital that took care of poor
Group of hospital staff, veterans campaigned for Mays' burial at Arlington
By Bob Kovach
CNN
ARLINGTON, Virginia (CNN) -- It was a journey that took more than a hundred years.
Missing for decades, the remains of Cpl. Isaiah Mays, a Buffalo Soldier and Medal of Honor recipient, were laid to rest Friday at Arlington National Cemetery.
Paying respects were African-American veterans, U.S. Army soldiers and those who rode for days as part of a motorcycle escort -- members of the Missing in America Project, who traveled from as far away as California and Arizona at their own expense to make sure Mays got a proper burial.
Story Highlights
Cpl. Isaiah Mays served as Buffalo Soldier in late 1800s
Mays received Medal of Honor, but was denied federal pension
He died in 1925 in an Arizona state hospital that took care of poor
Group of hospital staff, veterans campaigned for Mays' burial at Arlington
By Bob Kovach
CNN
ARLINGTON, Virginia (CNN) -- It was a journey that took more than a hundred years.
Missing for decades, the remains of Cpl. Isaiah Mays, a Buffalo Soldier and Medal of Honor recipient, were laid to rest Friday at Arlington National Cemetery.
Paying respects were African-American veterans, U.S. Army soldiers and those who rode for days as part of a motorcycle escort -- members of the Missing in America Project, who traveled from as far away as California and Arizona at their own expense to make sure Mays got a proper burial.
Mays was born a slave in Virginia in 1858 but spent most of his life west of the Mississippi, joining the famed Buffalo Soldiers as the black cavalry and infantry troops fought in the frontier Indian Wars.
In 1889, he was part of a small detachment assigned to protect a U.S. Army pay wagon, which was caught in an ambush by a band of bandits. A gunfight ensued and almost all the soldiers were wounded or killed. Mays was shot in both legs. The bandits made off with $29,000 in gold coins.
Despite his wounds, Mays managed to walk and crawl two miles to a ranch to seek help. He was awarded a Medal of Honor on February 15, 1890.
More than 20 Buffalo Soldiers have received the Medal of Honor, the military's highest award for valor. No other unit has won more.
go here for more
http://www.cnn.com/2009/US/05/29/missing.soldier.buried/
Men are to be Tender Warriors
This is another gem from Papa Roy, another Chaplain with the IFOC sending out daily reminders of God's love to the Chaplains in the group. There are not many people considering the needs of Chaplains and the struggles we face, but we too suffer with questions that cannot be answered, downtrodden spirits and often, a sense of hopelessness. While all of these aspects of being human are eroded because of our faith and understanding of God's love, we are after all, only human as well.
Good morning, Friends!
We must be tender-hearted
1 Corinthians 16:13-14 Watch, stand fast in the faith, be brave, be strong. Let all that you do be done with love.
Men are to be Tender Warriors. We are to exhibit the character and nature of Jesus Christ – firm, courageous and strong, yet compassionate and loving. In some ways, there might seem to be a paradox in this calling. But when properly modeled and taught, young men can embrace a vision of Christ-centered manhood that will bless their families, churches, communities and our nation. (Jeff Purkiss)
Our Heavenly Daddy Reminds Us: "Be used by all, by the lowest and the smallest. How best can you serve? Let that be your daily seeking."
In God we trust: “You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your strength.” –(Deuteronomy 6:5)
Papa Roy
One last thought: Let all that you do be done with love: All the watching, all the standing fast, all the bravery, and all the strength the Corinthian Christians might show meant nothing without love. They were called to do all those things in a meek, humble spirit of love. (David Guzik)
"Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer."
- Romans 12:12
When I read this I could not help but think of what I've been trying to get across to the military and the VA about PTSD. "Men are to be tender warriors" is perfectly fitting. While I doubt Papa Roy intended it to be a reflection of our military warriors, this is the condition that causes them to suffer the most. No one in power believes me but the veterans and their families do.
God is God no matter what faith they claim as their own. Christians of all denominations, Jews and Muslims all turn to God and have questions for God while we walk on this earth and His spirit lives within us. When you read the Bible, focusing on what is said by God or Christ, it is easy to see that the Bible is a love letter from God. The rest is the notion of man. If you want to see how wrong people have been about what God wanted there are glowing examples of it throughout the Bible. Moses got a lot wrong and when you read Genesis, you'll see that what He thought and what God intended did not always meet. We also see it repeated in the account of St. Paul from the time he hunted down Christians and carried the name of Saul of Tarsus. He believed he was right, understood what God wanted and was serving God, only to find out he was totally wrong. When we misunderstand God, we suffer.
"Tender warriors" is the basis for the vast majority of the PTSD wounded. They are caring, loving, sensitive, empathetic while being brave and courageous enough to be willing to lay down their lives for the sake of someone else. Think about it. What good would it do to be able to think of others without having the courage to do anything about it? Many, because of their own pain, will not see the kind of courage it took to fight the battles while in the kind of pain they were carrying. They do not see how brave they were to carry on despite the nightmares and flashbacks draining them, the countless hours on alert, endless days without the comforts the rest of us enjoy, enduring melting heat or freezing cold, all for the sake of others.
After what they witness, the worst in man when they are at war, it is easy to wonder where God is, why He allows so much death, destruction and suffering. They serve the nation and follow orders into the hell of combat as trained soldiers and Marines, but no one can train them to stop being human. They enter into the military with all they were born with embedded in their soul. Their character, their abilities and shortcomings all go into who and what they are. Their faith and understanding of God rest within their core and with each strike of trauma they are wounded, each to his own level. No one walks away the same way they entered into combat. Each event weights heavily on their shoulders. The depth of their wound depends on the tenderness of their heart.
PTSD was called a lot of things throughout the centuries of man walking this planet of ours. Nostalgia, Soldier's Heart, Shell Shock and then arriving at Post Traumatic Stress Disorder after the Vietnam War. Soldier's Heart seems the most fitting label for this wound. Science, being what science is, avoids what they cannot see yet I believe they have found where the soul lives in each of us. They have found the area of the brain where emotions stem from. This area changes when PTSD sets in. We consider the emotions to live within the heart of man, but that thought came before science was able to understand how the human mind functions. So, Soldier's Heart came into the dialog of explaining what humans have endured since the beginning of time.
Take traumatic events, especially in combat, with individuals, all having different cores/foundations of their soul. One may tend to be more self-centered. One may tend to be a blend of self-centeredness and compassionate. Yet it is the one gifted with empathy that is wounded the deepest because they carry away the pain of others along with their own. They confuse this pain they carry with being not strong enough, brave enough, tough enough because they look at others standing strong while they feel they are dying inside. They cannot see how they have been blessed with this soul because of the pain. They do not understand that God has placed on this earth all different kinds of gifts within us and each for it's own purpose.
What would this world of our be like if everyone was centered only on themselves? Would there be anyone working in hospitals? Would anyone be trying to cure diseases? Would there be any police officers or firefighters? In times of tragedy, would there be anyone coming to help? This world of ours would not have lasted as long as it has if there had not been the blessed with tender hearts.
The warriors, those among us ready, willing and able to set themselves aside for what is needed are the most gifted of all of us. We may have tender hearts but our gift of courage is so limited we are not brave enough to do what they do. We are not able to enter into the military, the National Guards, police departments, fire departments or any of the other fields that would require us to put our lives on the line for the sake of others. This the PTSD warrior cannot see because no one told them.
PTSD is caused by an outside force, not created within. It strikes the soul of the merciful. Until scientist understand what causes PTSD, they will never be able to treat it effectively enough and our troops along with our veterans will suffer needlessly. The residual outcome also prolongs the healing of the rest of us. Had it not been for the warriors coming back from Vietnam, nothing would have been done researching PTSD, so the rest of us, enduring after trauma, wounded by events out of the normal, out of our control, would still be left on our own to suffer without help, being degraded by the judgment of others and abandoned to suffer in silence.
Friday, May 29, 2009
Sgt. Scott Kenyon, Hawaii-based soldier earns Silver Star
Hawaii-based soldier earns Silver Star
The Associated Press
Posted : Friday May 29, 2009 17:25:20 EDT
SCHOFIELD BARRACKS, Hawaii — A Hawaii-based soldier is scheduled to receive the Silver Star for his actions in Iraq last year.
Sgt. Scott Kenyon is being honored with the Army's third highest wartime medal at a ceremony at Schofield Barracks on Friday.
Kenyon was leading a security team in the Anbar province when they encountered two Iraqis trying to plant an explosive device and came under fire. Despite being struck with bullets to his body armor and helmet, Kenyon continued fighting and leading his team.
He even engaged in a hand-to-hand battle before restraining one Iraqi.
Hawaii-based soldier earns Silver Star
The Associated Press
Posted : Friday May 29, 2009 17:25:20 EDT
SCHOFIELD BARRACKS, Hawaii — A Hawaii-based soldier is scheduled to receive the Silver Star for his actions in Iraq last year.
Sgt. Scott Kenyon is being honored with the Army's third highest wartime medal at a ceremony at Schofield Barracks on Friday.
Kenyon was leading a security team in the Anbar province when they encountered two Iraqis trying to plant an explosive device and came under fire. Despite being struck with bullets to his body armor and helmet, Kenyon continued fighting and leading his team.
He even engaged in a hand-to-hand battle before restraining one Iraqi.
Hawaii-based soldier earns Silver Star
Post traumatic stress, suicidal soldiers and the nightmare
Post traumatic stress, suicidal soldiers and the nightmare: A Memorial Day wake up call
May 29, 2:39 PM
Linda Mastrangelo
SF Dream Research Examiner
Monday, May 25th, 2009 was Memorial Day. A holiday when we honor the men and women of the military who served this country with courage, grace and fortitude by visiting local and national monuments, personal gravesites or simply by giving our prayers and tears in silent reverence to those we lost. There are those who fought directly in the trenches and then there are the lesser known soldiers who battled internal enemies of the psyche and lost. I am talking about the stunning rise of suicides and suicide attempts among our enlisted men and women.
In 2008, there were 2100 suicide attempts equaling about 5 suicides per day: A number that has dramatically increased before the Iraqi war at 350 attempts in the year 2002. What’s even more alarming is that in 2008 more soldiers died from taking their own lives than from dying in the battlefield. This alarming statistic has prompted Senator. Jim Webb, D-Virginia, to introduce legislation to improve the military's programs for suicide prevention. The Army's 101st Airborne Division will be holding a three day "suicide stand-down training event" at Fort Campbell this week: The second one being held this year, especially in lieu of a U.S. soldier in Iraq who was recently charged with killing five of his fellow troops at a mental health clinic earlier this month.
go here for more
Post traumatic stress, suicidal soldiers and the nightmare
May 29, 2:39 PM
Linda Mastrangelo
SF Dream Research Examiner
Monday, May 25th, 2009 was Memorial Day. A holiday when we honor the men and women of the military who served this country with courage, grace and fortitude by visiting local and national monuments, personal gravesites or simply by giving our prayers and tears in silent reverence to those we lost. There are those who fought directly in the trenches and then there are the lesser known soldiers who battled internal enemies of the psyche and lost. I am talking about the stunning rise of suicides and suicide attempts among our enlisted men and women.
In 2008, there were 2100 suicide attempts equaling about 5 suicides per day: A number that has dramatically increased before the Iraqi war at 350 attempts in the year 2002. What’s even more alarming is that in 2008 more soldiers died from taking their own lives than from dying in the battlefield. This alarming statistic has prompted Senator. Jim Webb, D-Virginia, to introduce legislation to improve the military's programs for suicide prevention. The Army's 101st Airborne Division will be holding a three day "suicide stand-down training event" at Fort Campbell this week: The second one being held this year, especially in lieu of a U.S. soldier in Iraq who was recently charged with killing five of his fellow troops at a mental health clinic earlier this month.
go here for more
Post traumatic stress, suicidal soldiers and the nightmare
John Finn, Medal of Honor recipient turning 100
Medal of Honor recipient turning 100
The Associated Press
Posted : Friday May 29, 2009 16:54:26 EDT
ALTAMONT, N.Y. — John Finn, Frank Currey and Nick Oresko are members of an exclusive club that tends to shrink when the nation isn't at war. And of the less than 100 living recipients of the Medal of Honor, Finn is the most exclusive of all, as he nears his 100th birthday.
go here for more
http://www.armytimes.com/news/2009/05/ap_moh_recipient_100_052909/
The President of the United States
in the name of The Congress
takes pleasure in presenting the
Medal of Honor
to
FINN, JOHN WILLIAM
Rank and organization: Lieutenant, U.S. Navy. Place and date: Naval Air Station, Kaneohe Bay, Territory of Hawaii, 7 December 1941. Entered service at: California. Born: 24 July 1909, Los Angeles, Calif.
Citation:
For extraordinary heroism distinguished service, and devotion above and beyond the call of duty. During the first attack by Japanese airplanes on the Naval Air Station, Kaneohe Bay, on 7 December 1941, Lt. Finn promptly secured and manned a .50-caliber machinegun mounted on an instruction stand in a completely exposed section of the parking ramp, which was under heavy enemy machinegun strafing fire. Although painfully wounded many times, he continued to man this gun and to return the enemy's fire vigorously and with telling effect throughout the enemy strafing and bombing attacks and with complete disregard for his own personal safety. It was only by specific orders that he was persuaded to leave his post to seek medical attention. Following first aid treatment, although obviously suffering much pain and moving with great difficulty, he returned to the squadron area and actively supervised the rearming of returning planes. His extraordinary heroism and conduct in this action were in keeping with the highest traditions of the U.S. Naval Service.
http://www.homeofheroes.com/moh/citations_living/ii_n_finn.html
The Associated Press
Posted : Friday May 29, 2009 16:54:26 EDT
ALTAMONT, N.Y. — John Finn, Frank Currey and Nick Oresko are members of an exclusive club that tends to shrink when the nation isn't at war. And of the less than 100 living recipients of the Medal of Honor, Finn is the most exclusive of all, as he nears his 100th birthday.
go here for more
http://www.armytimes.com/news/2009/05/ap_moh_recipient_100_052909/
The President of the United States
in the name of The Congress
takes pleasure in presenting the
Medal of Honor
to
FINN, JOHN WILLIAM
Rank and organization: Lieutenant, U.S. Navy. Place and date: Naval Air Station, Kaneohe Bay, Territory of Hawaii, 7 December 1941. Entered service at: California. Born: 24 July 1909, Los Angeles, Calif.
Citation:
For extraordinary heroism distinguished service, and devotion above and beyond the call of duty. During the first attack by Japanese airplanes on the Naval Air Station, Kaneohe Bay, on 7 December 1941, Lt. Finn promptly secured and manned a .50-caliber machinegun mounted on an instruction stand in a completely exposed section of the parking ramp, which was under heavy enemy machinegun strafing fire. Although painfully wounded many times, he continued to man this gun and to return the enemy's fire vigorously and with telling effect throughout the enemy strafing and bombing attacks and with complete disregard for his own personal safety. It was only by specific orders that he was persuaded to leave his post to seek medical attention. Following first aid treatment, although obviously suffering much pain and moving with great difficulty, he returned to the squadron area and actively supervised the rearming of returning planes. His extraordinary heroism and conduct in this action were in keeping with the highest traditions of the U.S. Naval Service.
http://www.homeofheroes.com/moh/citations_living/ii_n_finn.html
Daughter of Vietnam vet designs patriotic clothing
Daughter of Vietnam vet designs patriotic clothing
White Book Agency • May 29, 2009
TAMPA, Fla. – Tampa Bay-based fashion designer, Bebe Ziegler, has launched her Patriotic line in time for the holidays that pay homage to those who served in the U.S. Armed Forces.
Ziegler is the lead designer for Ice It by Bebe Z, a lifestyle apparel company and brand that specializes in creating intricate, crystal-embellished designs on high-quality fabrics.
Symbolic images of the U.S. flag, the bald eagle and the peace emblem, in the loyal colors of red, white and blue, will highlight the Patriotic collection. As the daughter of a U.S. Air Force Vietnam Veteran, Ziegler is especially proud that all of her garments are designed and embellished in the U.S. and help to support and stimulate our economy.
“I am honored to be called a military brat! My father is a Disabled American Vet and I am so proud of being an American and his daughter. I love my dad and our wonderful country,” said Ziegler.
A portion of sales from Ziegler’s Patriotic line will benefit the non-profit organization, Wounded Warriors Project, whose mission is to honor U.S. service members who have been wounded or injured.
go here for more
Daughter of Vietnam vet designs patriotic clothing
White Book Agency • May 29, 2009
TAMPA, Fla. – Tampa Bay-based fashion designer, Bebe Ziegler, has launched her Patriotic line in time for the holidays that pay homage to those who served in the U.S. Armed Forces.
Ziegler is the lead designer for Ice It by Bebe Z, a lifestyle apparel company and brand that specializes in creating intricate, crystal-embellished designs on high-quality fabrics.
Symbolic images of the U.S. flag, the bald eagle and the peace emblem, in the loyal colors of red, white and blue, will highlight the Patriotic collection. As the daughter of a U.S. Air Force Vietnam Veteran, Ziegler is especially proud that all of her garments are designed and embellished in the U.S. and help to support and stimulate our economy.
“I am honored to be called a military brat! My father is a Disabled American Vet and I am so proud of being an American and his daughter. I love my dad and our wonderful country,” said Ziegler.
A portion of sales from Ziegler’s Patriotic line will benefit the non-profit organization, Wounded Warriors Project, whose mission is to honor U.S. service members who have been wounded or injured.
go here for more
Daughter of Vietnam vet designs patriotic clothing
Veterans share thoughts with opening of Memorial Park
Veterans share thoughts with opening of Memorial Park
By Ann Kagarise
The Suburbanite
Fri May 29, 2009, 10:43 AM EDT
Clinton, Ohio -
Three-thousand-ninety-four men, and one woman from Ohio, died in the Vietnam War. A wall was erected.
Veterans from that war, WWII, Korea, Desert Storm and Operation Iraqi Freedom, paid tribute.
In their words…
Vietnam infantry veteran, John Carroll, of the Portage Lakes.
“This wall is to pay homage to our fallen comrades. It is for all people who served. They all did their part whether they were infantry or cooks. Everybody served hard.”
“It is hard for me to talk about,” Carroll said as he looked down. “There are times I don’t want to remember. Sometimes it feels good.”
He, along with 7,000 other veterans, traveled great distances, by motorcycle, through Canal Fulton for the unveiling of a wall that was long overdue. “This is for my fallen friends. Members of my team are on that wall.”
“Many of us had a hard time coming back and adjusting, drugs and different things,” Carroll explained. “Life itself. Not being sure of what really happened. It was real. It happened. I know that. Well, a lot more of these men suffered much more than I ever had,” he said as he looked over the crowd of bikers.”
Carroll used to do military escorts, before he was in the war. “We buried a lot of people from infantry. I escorted a lot of military funerals, but after I got out, all I wanted to do was forget. This is not about me. This is about all of these people.”
go here for more
Veterans share thoughts with opening of Memorial Park
By Ann Kagarise
The Suburbanite
Fri May 29, 2009, 10:43 AM EDT
Clinton, Ohio -
Three-thousand-ninety-four men, and one woman from Ohio, died in the Vietnam War. A wall was erected.
Veterans from that war, WWII, Korea, Desert Storm and Operation Iraqi Freedom, paid tribute.
In their words…
Vietnam infantry veteran, John Carroll, of the Portage Lakes.
“This wall is to pay homage to our fallen comrades. It is for all people who served. They all did their part whether they were infantry or cooks. Everybody served hard.”
“It is hard for me to talk about,” Carroll said as he looked down. “There are times I don’t want to remember. Sometimes it feels good.”
He, along with 7,000 other veterans, traveled great distances, by motorcycle, through Canal Fulton for the unveiling of a wall that was long overdue. “This is for my fallen friends. Members of my team are on that wall.”
“Many of us had a hard time coming back and adjusting, drugs and different things,” Carroll explained. “Life itself. Not being sure of what really happened. It was real. It happened. I know that. Well, a lot more of these men suffered much more than I ever had,” he said as he looked over the crowd of bikers.”
Carroll used to do military escorts, before he was in the war. “We buried a lot of people from infantry. I escorted a lot of military funerals, but after I got out, all I wanted to do was forget. This is not about me. This is about all of these people.”
go here for more
Veterans share thoughts with opening of Memorial Park
Comprehensive Soldier Fitness will make it worse
General Casey, now hear this, you cannot, repeat, cannot train your brain to prevent PTSD and until you understand this "Because it is scientifically proven, you can build resilience." does not equal the cause of PTSD, you will keep making it worse! Did the rise in suicides and attempted suicides offer you no clue that Battlemind didn't work? Apparently something told you it didn't or you'd still be pushing this. When you have a program in place to "train them to be resilient" beginning with telling them if they do not, it's their fault, what the hell did you and the other brass expect? Did you think they would listen to the rest of what the Battlemind program had to say to them? Are you out of your mind?
With all due respect, because I do believe you care about the men and women you command, this is just one more in a series of mistakes because it seems no one in the Pentagon or the upper rows of the food chain have a clue what causes PTSD.
While adversity does make some stronger, you cannot train them to do it. Life and character does that quite effectively on their own. Some will walk away stronger after traumatic events but one out of three humans will not. Some experts put the rate at one out of five walk away wounded but the best experts I've listened to since 1982 have put it at one out of three.
Do you think that this man could have "trained his brain" as well?
Back then there were plenty of excuses to use for what happened to veterans but after Vietnam veterans came home and forced the wound to be treated, we ran out of excuses. How can you continue to dismiss what is so obvious? It is the nature of man, what is in their core, their empathy for others that is at the root of PTSD. I've talked to them long enough and enough of them to have understood this over 20 years ago. I also live with one.
I'm sick and tired of reading about what does not work being repeated. In all these years, people like me have already learned from the mistakes we made trying to help our husbands and others. To us, it wasn't a numbers game or a research project. This has meant our lives and the lives of the men we wanted to spend the rest of our lives with. Aside from that General Casey, I've spent countless hours attempting to undo the damage done because the troops are not being told what they need to hear in the first place.
I've held Marines in my arms crying because the military told them they were not strong enough and National Guardsmen told they were not cut out for combat. All of this because the military has been telling them it's their fault they didn't work hard enough to toughen their brains.
How many more suicides are you willing to live with? Has it not gotten thru to you yet that you are losing more men and women after combat than you do during it? This is only part of it because I doubt you have considered how many have committed suicide and tried it after they were discharged. You cannot order them to stop caring! You cannot order them to become callous or oblivious to the suffering of others. Between the members of their own unit to the innocent civilians that do end up in the wrong place at the wrong time, you cannot seriously expect them to just "get over it" and "toughen" their brains. These men and women walk away with their own pain compounded by the pain of others. This is what opens the door to PTSD and until you understand this is what the difference is, you will never get close enough to finding the best treatment for it and they will continue to pay for it.
Ever notice the vast majority of the men and women you command end up carrying out the mission they are given, fighting fiercely and showing great courage even though they are already carrying the wound inside of them? They fulfill their duty despite flashbacks and nightmares draining them because their duty comes first to them. Do you understand how much that takes for them to do that? Yet you think telling them their minds are not tough enough will solve the problem? What kind of a tough mind do you think they needed to have to fight on despite this killing pain inside of them?
I fully understand to you, I'm no one. I have been ignored by senators and congressmen, doctors and other brass for as long as I've been trying to help, so you are not the first. I've also been listened to by others trying to think outside the box, but more importantly to me, by the men and women seeking my help to understand this and their families. I tell them what you should have been telling them all along so that they know it's not their fault, they did not lack courage and they are not responsible for being wounded any more than they would have been to have been found by a bullet with their name on it.
If you promote this program the way Battlemind was promoted, count on the numbers of suicides and attempted suicides to go up instead of down. It's just one more deadly mistake after another and just as dangerous as sending them into Iraq without the armor needed to protect them.
With all due respect, because I do believe you care about the men and women you command, this is just one more in a series of mistakes because it seems no one in the Pentagon or the upper rows of the food chain have a clue what causes PTSD.
While adversity does make some stronger, you cannot train them to do it. Life and character does that quite effectively on their own. Some will walk away stronger after traumatic events but one out of three humans will not. Some experts put the rate at one out of five walk away wounded but the best experts I've listened to since 1982 have put it at one out of three.
Do you think that this man could have "trained his brain" as well?
UK:WWII veteran finally diagnosed with PTSD
A D-DAY hero has been told he is suffering a stress related illness picked up in battle — 65 years AFTER he was the first Brit to storm an enemy beach.
WWII vet George McMahon, who was the first soldier on Sword Beach in Normandy, France, had revealed he is still suffering terrifying flashbacks from June 6, 1944.
And Army docs have told the 89-year-old war hero he is suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) picked up during WWII.
Mr McMahon's family first sought help from docs when the ex-soldier talked vividly about the war in the lead-up to the 65th anniversary of D-Day.
Mr McMahon of Kirk Ella, Hull, was then visited by the Service Personnel and Veterans' Agency — part of the Ministry of Defence — who said he was displaying PTSD symptoms.
The Scotland-born Army vet who served with The King's Regiment Army was awarded the Military Cross for storming two machine-guns.
Back then there were plenty of excuses to use for what happened to veterans but after Vietnam veterans came home and forced the wound to be treated, we ran out of excuses. How can you continue to dismiss what is so obvious? It is the nature of man, what is in their core, their empathy for others that is at the root of PTSD. I've talked to them long enough and enough of them to have understood this over 20 years ago. I also live with one.
I'm sick and tired of reading about what does not work being repeated. In all these years, people like me have already learned from the mistakes we made trying to help our husbands and others. To us, it wasn't a numbers game or a research project. This has meant our lives and the lives of the men we wanted to spend the rest of our lives with. Aside from that General Casey, I've spent countless hours attempting to undo the damage done because the troops are not being told what they need to hear in the first place.
I've held Marines in my arms crying because the military told them they were not strong enough and National Guardsmen told they were not cut out for combat. All of this because the military has been telling them it's their fault they didn't work hard enough to toughen their brains.
How many more suicides are you willing to live with? Has it not gotten thru to you yet that you are losing more men and women after combat than you do during it? This is only part of it because I doubt you have considered how many have committed suicide and tried it after they were discharged. You cannot order them to stop caring! You cannot order them to become callous or oblivious to the suffering of others. Between the members of their own unit to the innocent civilians that do end up in the wrong place at the wrong time, you cannot seriously expect them to just "get over it" and "toughen" their brains. These men and women walk away with their own pain compounded by the pain of others. This is what opens the door to PTSD and until you understand this is what the difference is, you will never get close enough to finding the best treatment for it and they will continue to pay for it.
Ever notice the vast majority of the men and women you command end up carrying out the mission they are given, fighting fiercely and showing great courage even though they are already carrying the wound inside of them? They fulfill their duty despite flashbacks and nightmares draining them because their duty comes first to them. Do you understand how much that takes for them to do that? Yet you think telling them their minds are not tough enough will solve the problem? What kind of a tough mind do you think they needed to have to fight on despite this killing pain inside of them?
I fully understand to you, I'm no one. I have been ignored by senators and congressmen, doctors and other brass for as long as I've been trying to help, so you are not the first. I've also been listened to by others trying to think outside the box, but more importantly to me, by the men and women seeking my help to understand this and their families. I tell them what you should have been telling them all along so that they know it's not their fault, they did not lack courage and they are not responsible for being wounded any more than they would have been to have been found by a bullet with their name on it.
If you promote this program the way Battlemind was promoted, count on the numbers of suicides and attempted suicides to go up instead of down. It's just one more deadly mistake after another and just as dangerous as sending them into Iraq without the armor needed to protect them.
Army Launching Program To Train Soldiers To Combat Post-Traumatic Stress
Sam Stein stein@huffingtonpost.com HuffPost Reporting
Faced with a growing number of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder cases in the armed forces, the U.S. Army will begin a program this summer to proactively address the problem by focusing on building the mental resilience of its personnel.
In a speech before the international affairs organization the Atlantic Council on Thursday, U.S. Army Chief of Staff Gen. George Casey laid out the virtues of the newly formed initiative, which he called Comprehensive Soldier Fitness.
"We have been looking very hard at ways to develop coping skills and resilience in soldiers, and we will be coming out in July with a new program called Comprehensive Soldier Fitness," said Casey. "And what we will attempt to do is raise mental fitness to the same level that we now give to physical fitness. Because it is scientifically proven, you can build resilience."
"The whole idea here is to give soldiers the skills they need to increase their resilience and enhance their performance," he went on. "A lot of people think that everybody who goes to combat gets post-traumatic stress. That's not true. Everybody that goes to combat gets stressed. There is no doubt about it. But the vast majority of people who go to combat have a growth experience because they are exposed to something very, very difficult and they prevail. So the issue for us is how do we give more people the skills so that more people have a growth experience... We thought it was important to get started on this because everything else involves you treating the problem. We need to be more proactive."
go here for more
Army Launching Program To Train Soldiers To Combat Post-Traumatic Stress
NYPD police officer killed by cop
NYPD police officer killed by cop
Story Highlights
Authorities: Omar Edwards, chasing a suspect, was fatally shot by another officer
Edwards witnessed suspect trying to break into his car
Another saw his pursuit, jumped out of unmarked vehicle and fired six shots
Both officers wearing street clothes; Edwards didn't fire weapon
By Cheryl Robinson
CNN
NEW YORK (CNN) -- A police officer was shot to death by another officer as he was chasing a man he saw breaking into his car in New York's East Harlem neighborhood, authorities said.
New York Police Department Officer Omar Edwards, 25, was shot twice about 10:30 p.m. Thursday just blocks from the precinct where he had finished his shift. He was pronounced dead less than an hour later at Harlem Hospital.
Edwards, in plainclothes, had just left the Housing Bureau Station House on East 124th St., said Police Commissioner Raymond Kelly. As Edwards approached his car, he saw a man rummaging through it.
"We believe that at this point, Officer Edwards, with his gun drawn, chased the individual north to 125th Street and east toward First Avenue," Kelly said at a news conference in New York early Friday at Harlem Hospital.
go here for more
http://www.cnn.com/2009/CRIME/05/29/ny.officer.killed/index.html
Story Highlights
Authorities: Omar Edwards, chasing a suspect, was fatally shot by another officer
Edwards witnessed suspect trying to break into his car
Another saw his pursuit, jumped out of unmarked vehicle and fired six shots
Both officers wearing street clothes; Edwards didn't fire weapon
By Cheryl Robinson
CNN
NEW YORK (CNN) -- A police officer was shot to death by another officer as he was chasing a man he saw breaking into his car in New York's East Harlem neighborhood, authorities said.
New York Police Department Officer Omar Edwards, 25, was shot twice about 10:30 p.m. Thursday just blocks from the precinct where he had finished his shift. He was pronounced dead less than an hour later at Harlem Hospital.
Edwards, in plainclothes, had just left the Housing Bureau Station House on East 124th St., said Police Commissioner Raymond Kelly. As Edwards approached his car, he saw a man rummaging through it.
"We believe that at this point, Officer Edwards, with his gun drawn, chased the individual north to 125th Street and east toward First Avenue," Kelly said at a news conference in New York early Friday at Harlem Hospital.
go here for more
http://www.cnn.com/2009/CRIME/05/29/ny.officer.killed/index.html
National D-Day Memorial may close because of bad economy
Official: National D-Day Memorial may close
The Associated Press
Posted : Friday May 29, 2009 6:30:15 EDT
BEDFORD, Va. — The president of the National D-Day Memorial foundation says it may be forced to close the memorial.
William McIntosh said Thursday the memorial needs an infusion of cash or a new owner.
He says the memorial’s big problem is a lack of donations, due to the economy. The memorial gets about $600,000 a year from visitors, but counts on donations for another $1.6 million annually.
The memorial honors the Allied invasion of Nazi-occupied France during World War II. The invasion was the largest land, air and sea operation in military history.
http://www.armytimes.com/news/2009/05/ap_d_day_memorial_052909/
The Associated Press
Posted : Friday May 29, 2009 6:30:15 EDT
BEDFORD, Va. — The president of the National D-Day Memorial foundation says it may be forced to close the memorial.
William McIntosh said Thursday the memorial needs an infusion of cash or a new owner.
He says the memorial’s big problem is a lack of donations, due to the economy. The memorial gets about $600,000 a year from visitors, but counts on donations for another $1.6 million annually.
The memorial honors the Allied invasion of Nazi-occupied France during World War II. The invasion was the largest land, air and sea operation in military history.
http://www.armytimes.com/news/2009/05/ap_d_day_memorial_052909/
Ft. Carson Killings: The New Casualties of War
HDNet World Report Investigates an Alarming String of Murders Committed by Iraq War Veterans
HDNet logo. (PRNewsFoto/HDNet)
DENVER, CO UNITED STATES
Three-part story examines a cluster of 15 murders and attempted homicides committed by current and former soldiers at Ft. Carson, Colorado
'Ft. Carson Killings: The New Casualties of War' airs on HDNet, Tuesday, June 2 at 9:00 p.m. ET
DALLAS, May 28 /PRNewswire/ -- HDNet World Report, HDNet's award-winning weekly news program, presents a dramatic report about a string of 15 murders and attempted homicides committed by soldiers currently (or formerly) based at Fort Carson, CO.
(Logo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20080324/HDNETLOGO)
One base. Four years. Three attempted murders. Twelve murders. Some of the crimes involved loved ones, some were random, but what the murders have in common is that they were all committed by men just back from the war zone. Most of these men are from the same brigade that served in Iraq for a total of 24 months -- the 4th combat team of the 4th Infantry.
But, what is causing these men to kill? Critics say that Iraq veterans are coming home with severe PTSD and other mental problems caused by combat stress, but the Army isn't doing enough to ease them back into civilian life.
HDNet correspondent Carol McKinley, who reported from Iraq while with Fox News, obtained an exclusive jailhouse interview with Kenneth Eastridge, one of the men convicted for his part in a murder. Eastridge served two tours in Iraq, and says he returned from war with PTSD but was offered little if any help by the Army.
go here for more
The New Casualties of War =
HDNet logo. (PRNewsFoto/HDNet)
DENVER, CO UNITED STATES
Three-part story examines a cluster of 15 murders and attempted homicides committed by current and former soldiers at Ft. Carson, Colorado
'Ft. Carson Killings: The New Casualties of War' airs on HDNet, Tuesday, June 2 at 9:00 p.m. ET
DALLAS, May 28 /PRNewswire/ -- HDNet World Report, HDNet's award-winning weekly news program, presents a dramatic report about a string of 15 murders and attempted homicides committed by soldiers currently (or formerly) based at Fort Carson, CO.
(Logo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20080324/HDNETLOGO)
One base. Four years. Three attempted murders. Twelve murders. Some of the crimes involved loved ones, some were random, but what the murders have in common is that they were all committed by men just back from the war zone. Most of these men are from the same brigade that served in Iraq for a total of 24 months -- the 4th combat team of the 4th Infantry.
But, what is causing these men to kill? Critics say that Iraq veterans are coming home with severe PTSD and other mental problems caused by combat stress, but the Army isn't doing enough to ease them back into civilian life.
HDNet correspondent Carol McKinley, who reported from Iraq while with Fox News, obtained an exclusive jailhouse interview with Kenneth Eastridge, one of the men convicted for his part in a murder. Eastridge served two tours in Iraq, and says he returned from war with PTSD but was offered little if any help by the Army.
go here for more
The New Casualties of War =
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