for video
This is truly awesome and a must see!
Killed in action the week before, the body of Staff Sergeant First Class John C. Beale was returned to Falcon Field in Peachtree City, Georgia , just south of Atlanta, on June 11, 2009. The Henry County Police Department escorted the procession to the funeral home in McDonough, Georgia.
A simple notice in local papers indicated the road route to be taken and the approximate time.
Nowadays one can be led to believe that America no longer respects honor and no longer honors sacrifice outside the military. Be it known that there are many places in this land where people still recognize the courage and impact of total self-sacrifice. Georgia remains one of those graceful, grateful places. The link below is a short travelogue of that day's remarkable and painful journey. But only watch this if you wish to have some of your faith in people restored. Please share widely.
Staff Sergeant First Class John C. Beale
Saturday, June 27, 2009
If ever you doubt what just one soldier means, watch this video
One soldier came home this day. His body covered with an American flag. Just one soldier more giving his life for his country. Yet, just this one soldier was greeted by hundreds as his body traveled home to be laid to rest in American soil. If ever you doubt what just one soldier means, watch this video. Then you'll know each of them are in our hearts.
Friday, June 26, 2009
Long Beach murder trial begins for ex-Marines
Long Beach murder trial begins for ex-Marines
The Associated Press
Posted: 06/25/2009 11:11:43 AM PDT
Updated: 06/25/2009 03:02:35 PM PDT
LONG BEACH, Calif.—Trial has begun for two former Marines charged with getting a brain-damaged Iraq War vet to kill a Long Beach man in a dispute over a laptop computer.
Anthony Vigeant (vih-ZHANT') and Trevor Landers were in court Wednesday in Long Beach. The ex-Camp Pendleton Marines are charged with the 2007 murder of David Pettigrew.
Prosecutors contend he was shot when the men went to retrieve a laptop because Pettigrew had failed to pay them with an ounce of cocaine.
Authorities claim the men got former Cpl. Ramon Hernandez—who received severe brain injuries in a 2004 Iraq bombing—to kill Pettigrew.
Hernandez pleaded guilty to murder in April.
Landers had a previous trial that ended with a jury deadlock.
Vigeant and Landers face life in prison if convicted.
http://www.mercurynews.com/news/ci_12688487
The Associated Press
Posted: 06/25/2009 11:11:43 AM PDT
Updated: 06/25/2009 03:02:35 PM PDT
LONG BEACH, Calif.—Trial has begun for two former Marines charged with getting a brain-damaged Iraq War vet to kill a Long Beach man in a dispute over a laptop computer.
Anthony Vigeant (vih-ZHANT') and Trevor Landers were in court Wednesday in Long Beach. The ex-Camp Pendleton Marines are charged with the 2007 murder of David Pettigrew.
Prosecutors contend he was shot when the men went to retrieve a laptop because Pettigrew had failed to pay them with an ounce of cocaine.
Authorities claim the men got former Cpl. Ramon Hernandez—who received severe brain injuries in a 2004 Iraq bombing—to kill Pettigrew.
Hernandez pleaded guilty to murder in April.
Landers had a previous trial that ended with a jury deadlock.
Vigeant and Landers face life in prison if convicted.
http://www.mercurynews.com/news/ci_12688487
Moving Wall erected in Munnsville
Moving Wall erected in Munnsville
Published: Thursday, June 25, 2009
Oneida Dispatch - Oneida,NY,USA
By LIAM MIGDAIL-SMITH
Dispatch Intern
MUNNSVILLE — The Moving Wall has arrived.
The 253-foot replica of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington, D.C., began its five day stay at Stockbridge Valley Central School Thursday. The wall traveled to Munnsville in pieces and was assembled at the school. State and local police, Madison and Oneida Sheriffs’ departments and a motorcycle troop organized by the American Legion Riders escorted the wall from Vernon to Munnsville at 7:15 Thursday morning. In Munnsville, volunteers assembled the wall within two hours.
The Moving Wall was started in 1983 by three Vietnam Veterans from California who wanted to give people the opportunity to see the memorial who wouldn’t be able to make it to Washington. As of January, it has traveled to 1,155 communities across the country.
The wall’s trip to Munnsville is sponsored and organized by the American Legion Post 54. Volunteers began reading the wall’s names at noon Thursday and will continue 24 hours a day until 3:30 p.m. on Monday. The wall is available for viewing throughout that time. Volunteers will be on site to read names, assist visitors in finding names on the wall and collect donations. Donations will be used to offset the cost of bringing the wall to Munnsville and then all extra money raised will go towards the wall.
The Town of Stockbridge issued a proclamation declaring the week of June 21 through June 27 to be “Vietnam Veterans Memorial Wall Week.”
go here for more
Moving Wall erected in Munnsville
Published: Thursday, June 25, 2009
Oneida Dispatch - Oneida,NY,USA
By LIAM MIGDAIL-SMITH
Dispatch Intern
MUNNSVILLE — The Moving Wall has arrived.
The 253-foot replica of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington, D.C., began its five day stay at Stockbridge Valley Central School Thursday. The wall traveled to Munnsville in pieces and was assembled at the school. State and local police, Madison and Oneida Sheriffs’ departments and a motorcycle troop organized by the American Legion Riders escorted the wall from Vernon to Munnsville at 7:15 Thursday morning. In Munnsville, volunteers assembled the wall within two hours.
The Moving Wall was started in 1983 by three Vietnam Veterans from California who wanted to give people the opportunity to see the memorial who wouldn’t be able to make it to Washington. As of January, it has traveled to 1,155 communities across the country.
The wall’s trip to Munnsville is sponsored and organized by the American Legion Post 54. Volunteers began reading the wall’s names at noon Thursday and will continue 24 hours a day until 3:30 p.m. on Monday. The wall is available for viewing throughout that time. Volunteers will be on site to read names, assist visitors in finding names on the wall and collect donations. Donations will be used to offset the cost of bringing the wall to Munnsville and then all extra money raised will go towards the wall.
The Town of Stockbridge issued a proclamation declaring the week of June 21 through June 27 to be “Vietnam Veterans Memorial Wall Week.”
go here for more
Moving Wall erected in Munnsville
Veterans arrive for convention, visits to replica of 'The Wall'
Veterans arrive for convention, visits to replica of 'The Wall'
Statewide VFW convention in Buffalo rallies support to keep, enhance benefits
By Lou Michel and Jake May
NEWS STAFF REPORTERS
Far from the front lines of foreign conflicts, veterans are assembling in Buffalo by the thousands to advance an agenda aimed at preserving and enhancing benefits they say were earned on the battlefield.
War veterans from several generations started gathering here Wednesday, with more than 900 motorcyclists escorting the largest traveling replica of the national Vietnam Veterans Memorial, known as “The Wall.”
There will be no shortage of those who pay tribute.
Today, some 3,000 Veterans of Foreign Wars members and their supporters open a statewide convention in downtown Buffalo. When they’re not focusing on health care and other issues, they will ride shuttles to Knox Farm State Park in East Aurora to visit the Vietnam memorial.
Amid all this, a deep sense of camaraderie will be shared among those who fought for American freedom. Making it even more hospitable, organizers say, is Buffalo’s reputation for patriotism.
“Everybody feels very welcome, and they are happy to be here,” said David M. Czarnecki, an Alden resident and president of the 90th annual New York Veterans of Foreign Wars Convention, which continues through Sunday in the Hyatt Regency Buffalo.
go here for more
Veterans arrive for convention
Statewide VFW convention in Buffalo rallies support to keep, enhance benefits
By Lou Michel and Jake May
NEWS STAFF REPORTERS
Far from the front lines of foreign conflicts, veterans are assembling in Buffalo by the thousands to advance an agenda aimed at preserving and enhancing benefits they say were earned on the battlefield.
War veterans from several generations started gathering here Wednesday, with more than 900 motorcyclists escorting the largest traveling replica of the national Vietnam Veterans Memorial, known as “The Wall.”
There will be no shortage of those who pay tribute.
Today, some 3,000 Veterans of Foreign Wars members and their supporters open a statewide convention in downtown Buffalo. When they’re not focusing on health care and other issues, they will ride shuttles to Knox Farm State Park in East Aurora to visit the Vietnam memorial.
Amid all this, a deep sense of camaraderie will be shared among those who fought for American freedom. Making it even more hospitable, organizers say, is Buffalo’s reputation for patriotism.
“Everybody feels very welcome, and they are happy to be here,” said David M. Czarnecki, an Alden resident and president of the 90th annual New York Veterans of Foreign Wars Convention, which continues through Sunday in the Hyatt Regency Buffalo.
go here for more
Veterans arrive for convention
Wound of warrior, traumatic recoil
by
Chaplian Kathie
Traumatic Recoil? Why not replace Post Traumatic Stress Disorder with something like this? Would it sound tough enough? After all, we tend to forget the troops are humans and not machines. "The distance through which a weapon move backwards after discharging" seems to really fit this. They do move backwards when they have flashbacks and nightmares. Until they begin to heal, this is the condition of their lives.
It's stunning to me, even now, that people would rather be labeled a drug addict or alcoholic than be associated with any kind of mental illness. PTSD, while it actually means change after trauma, is hard for the wounded to accept. There is much to be done in removing the stigma associated with the mind but until we actually manage to get society passed the part in the Seven Deadly sins, we're not about to have any major breakthroughs any time soon.
I'm sure you're wondering why I just put in the Seven Deadly sins, because we don't want to understand the origins of them any more than we want to understand what Sloth actually was referring to.
Originally Sloth was listed as two "deadly sins" Acedia and Tristitia. When you read what these two terms mean, you see what we now know as clinical depression and mental illness. While science has shown there are reasons for the mental conditions all humans experienced, too many of modern day humans still associate the judgment of others with clueless assumptions. If you see someone sitting in a chair for hours on end, you assume they are lazy and tell them to get off their butt and do something. If you see someone appearing to be happy about nothing, depressed, crying, you tell them to "cheer up" and do something. After all, it's a lot easier responding this way than actually investigating what is behind the way they are acting, or not reacting to life.
We are still doing it when it comes to mental illness, still dredging up words like "nuts' " mental case" "crazy" along with a very long list of insults. The problem is that when it comes to PTSD, there is an epidemic of suicides that need to be addressed today, not tomorrow when the mentality of the citizenry finally catches up to scientific advancements.
Traumatic Recoil also fits because I've come to the conclusion there are different types of PTSD that really need to be set apart. While all humans are susceptible to traumatic events, there are two groups not only exposed to them, but are participants in them. Military and police officers.
Firefighters and emergency responders are exposed to traumatic events more often than any other group of civilians, therefor, more of an increase in their risk. They respond after the traumatic event has happened. They respond after the fire has begun, after the accident has happened, after the storm has already come and after the tornado has already left.
Police officers rush into it while it is happening with guns drawn, speeding chancing fleeing suspects, ready to react with split second-life threatening decisions. The members of the military are also facing the same kinds of events but in combat face them more often. Both groups use weapons.
Playing around with words to describe this wound needs to be done if we are ever going to wake up the walking wounded and get them to the point where it is better for them do heal than to be self-medicating and more readily to be called drug addict or alcoholic than to admit they need mental health care to heal.
Chaplian Kathie
recoil
–verb (used without object)
1.
to draw back; start or shrink back, as in alarm, horror, or disgust.
2.
to spring or fly back, as in consequence of force of impact or the force of the discharge, as a firearm.
3.
to spring or come back; react (usually fol. by on or upon): Plots frequently recoil upon the plotters.
4.
Physics. (of an atom, a nucleus, or a particle) to undergo a change in momentum as a result either of a collision with an atom, a nucleus, or a particle or of the emission of a particle.
–noun
5.
an act of recoiling.
6.
the distance through which a weapon moves backward after discharging.
Traumatic Recoil? Why not replace Post Traumatic Stress Disorder with something like this? Would it sound tough enough? After all, we tend to forget the troops are humans and not machines. "The distance through which a weapon move backwards after discharging" seems to really fit this. They do move backwards when they have flashbacks and nightmares. Until they begin to heal, this is the condition of their lives.
It's stunning to me, even now, that people would rather be labeled a drug addict or alcoholic than be associated with any kind of mental illness. PTSD, while it actually means change after trauma, is hard for the wounded to accept. There is much to be done in removing the stigma associated with the mind but until we actually manage to get society passed the part in the Seven Deadly sins, we're not about to have any major breakthroughs any time soon.
I'm sure you're wondering why I just put in the Seven Deadly sins, because we don't want to understand the origins of them any more than we want to understand what Sloth actually was referring to.
Originally Sloth was listed as two "deadly sins" Acedia and Tristitia. When you read what these two terms mean, you see what we now know as clinical depression and mental illness. While science has shown there are reasons for the mental conditions all humans experienced, too many of modern day humans still associate the judgment of others with clueless assumptions. If you see someone sitting in a chair for hours on end, you assume they are lazy and tell them to get off their butt and do something. If you see someone appearing to be happy about nothing, depressed, crying, you tell them to "cheer up" and do something. After all, it's a lot easier responding this way than actually investigating what is behind the way they are acting, or not reacting to life.
We are still doing it when it comes to mental illness, still dredging up words like "nuts' " mental case" "crazy" along with a very long list of insults. The problem is that when it comes to PTSD, there is an epidemic of suicides that need to be addressed today, not tomorrow when the mentality of the citizenry finally catches up to scientific advancements.
Traumatic Recoil also fits because I've come to the conclusion there are different types of PTSD that really need to be set apart. While all humans are susceptible to traumatic events, there are two groups not only exposed to them, but are participants in them. Military and police officers.
Firefighters and emergency responders are exposed to traumatic events more often than any other group of civilians, therefor, more of an increase in their risk. They respond after the traumatic event has happened. They respond after the fire has begun, after the accident has happened, after the storm has already come and after the tornado has already left.
Police officers rush into it while it is happening with guns drawn, speeding chancing fleeing suspects, ready to react with split second-life threatening decisions. The members of the military are also facing the same kinds of events but in combat face them more often. Both groups use weapons.
Playing around with words to describe this wound needs to be done if we are ever going to wake up the walking wounded and get them to the point where it is better for them do heal than to be self-medicating and more readily to be called drug addict or alcoholic than to admit they need mental health care to heal.
Hot, sexy soldiers in Iraq and Afghanistan
They are young, strong, physically fit, stunningly sexy hunks. The things they can do with their bodies is simply amazing!
Do I have your attention yet?
Good.
Shame on you!
Shame on you for not paying attention to these people before this. What's wrong with you? We stand in line and cheer as if it is our patriotic duty to send them off to war. Heck, we even pay attention in the beginning as news crews send in reporters and cameras but that interest soon fades replaced by much more pressing news, like who is on American Idol, what is going on with Brad, Angelina and Jen, or the latest political scandal. War wanes but sex always seems to sell.
American Idol and America's Got Talent captures us because people, regular people are chasing a dream of making it big. We can all relate to that.
We can all relate to love stories like Brad and Angelina but it also helps that both of them are very attractive. Do you think we'd be interested if they were ugly? We can still relate to them because of the human emotions of love.
We can relate to the passing of super stars like Michael Jackson and Farrah Fawcett. It's not that they were ever really out of the spotlight. Some felt they "knew" them and their lives because of all the media coverage they had during their lives.
What we cannot relate to is the men and women in the military and our veterans. We can't because we have to face it, they are not that interesting to the media. They long ago abandoned reporting on events in Iraq and Afghanistan. These are two reports from yesterday.
Rising toll at US military hospital in Afghanistan
By JASON STRAZIUSO and EVAN VUCCI - Associated Press Writers
Thu, Jun. 25, 2009 03:44PM
BAGRAM AIR BASE, Afghanistan -- The urgent call came in: Roadside bombs had ripped through two Humvees and wounded eight or nine U.S. soldiers.
Medevac helicopters immediately hit the air to ferry the soldiers to the main U.S. military hospital. But when they arrived, they carried only five patients.
The other four were dead.
With 2009 expected to be the bloodiest year since the U.S. invaded Afghanistan, medical personnel at Bagram's SSG Heath N. Craig Joint Theater Hospital say they've already seen an increase in casualties and expect more. The flow of dead and wounded puts enormous strain on the soldiers and the medical staff who must face it head on.
"Everything I've experienced is boredom or terror," said Air Force Maj. Adrian Stull, a 36-year-old emergency physician from Beavercreek, Ohio. "And if I have to choose between the two, I'd have to choose boredom, because everyone goes home with all their fingers."
June 1 was a day of terror.
It started when two roadside bombs hit the same convoy of 10th Mountain Division soldiers only a couple of miles apart in Wardak, a province west of Kabul. The damage was so severe that one of the Humvees split in half.
go here for more
http://www.newsobserver.com/1635/story/1583483.html
9 soldiers hurt in Iraq roadside bombings
By Patrick Quinn - The Associated Press
Posted : Thursday Jun 25, 2009 18:18:25 EDT
BAGHDAD — A bombing Thursday at a bus station in a Shiite neighborhood in southwest Baghdad killed at least seven people, police said, the latest in a series of recent attacks that have left nearly 200 people dead ahead of a U.S. military withdrawal from cities next week.
Another three bombs and a mortar killed two more people around the capital. The U.S. military said nine American soldiers were wounded in two roadside bomb attacks against a convoy in eastern Baghdad. A roadside bomb also killed a man in the northern city of Mosul. The attacks were latest is a series of deadly bombings mostly targeting Shiites in the past week.
go here for more
http://www.armytimes.com/news/2009/06/ap_iraq_bombing_062509/
These stories were linked from http://icasualties.org/oif/
Go there and find out what is going on with our troops if you really support them.
It's not that this is anything new but at least when Vietnam was going on, we had so much coverage it kept us aware that our troops were still risking their lives, getting wounded and dying. What we didn't know was that they would come home with the war deep inside of them just as other generations did. No one cared anymore when they were back home and the protests ended. The media only wanted to report on the bad things some of them did.
This blog, among many more, have been paying attention to Iraq and Afghanistan, along with what happens when they come home. It's not that hard to find the reports, but you have to have the will to look for them. You have to care in the first place. They have to be of a personal interest to you. Military families care. Veterans and their families care. The problem is, the rest of the country is not interested enough. You'd think they would be considering the wounded will be with us the rest of their lives and requiring support from the rest of us. We're going to be left with the shock of the need simply because we didn't pay attention all along and the media, well, they were just too busy reporting on celebrities.
Camp Lejeune Marine died Friday at his Onslow County residence
Camp Lejeune Marine death
June 25, 2009 - 4:20 PM
A Camp Lejeune Marine died Friday at his Onslow County residence.
Lance Cpl. Joseph R. Hoerr, who was assigned to the 2nd Marine Division, joined the Marine Corps Dec. 12, 2006.
The Towsan, Md. Native deployed to Iraq in support of operations there from September 2008 to April 2009.
His awards include the Sea Service Deployment Ribbon, Iraq Campaign Medal, Global War on Terrorism Service Medal and National Defense Service Medal.
The cause of his death is under investigation by the Marine Corps.
Hoerr will be buried Monday at 11 a.m. at St. John the Baptist Catholic Church in New Freedom, Pa. Memorial contributions may be made in his name to the Disabled American Veterans, P.O. Box 14301, Cincinnati, OH 45250-0301.
June 25, 2009 - 4:20 PM
A Camp Lejeune Marine died Friday at his Onslow County residence.
Lance Cpl. Joseph R. Hoerr, who was assigned to the 2nd Marine Division, joined the Marine Corps Dec. 12, 2006.
The Towsan, Md. Native deployed to Iraq in support of operations there from September 2008 to April 2009.
His awards include the Sea Service Deployment Ribbon, Iraq Campaign Medal, Global War on Terrorism Service Medal and National Defense Service Medal.
The cause of his death is under investigation by the Marine Corps.
Hoerr will be buried Monday at 11 a.m. at St. John the Baptist Catholic Church in New Freedom, Pa. Memorial contributions may be made in his name to the Disabled American Veterans, P.O. Box 14301, Cincinnati, OH 45250-0301.
Marine behind Wounded Warrior barracks to retire
Marine behind Wounded Warrior barracks to retire
Staff report
Posted : Thursday Jun 25, 2009 21:38:01 EDT
The Marine officer who devised centralized barracks for wounded warriors is leaving the Corps.
Lt. Col. Tim Maxwell is scheduled to retire Friday afternoon in a ceremony at the National Museum of the Marine Corps in Triangle, Va.
Maxwell suffered severe traumatic brain injury on Oct. 7, 2004, during his third and final deployment to Iraq, when his forward operating base was mortared and shrapnel tore through the left side of his brain. As he recuperated, Maxwell realized that being around other wounded Marines helped in the recovery process.
The Wounded Warrior barracks was founded at Camp Lejeune, N.C., in 2005. The idea continued to grow and, in June 2007, the Corps stood up its first battalion for wounded Marines, Wounded Warriors Battalion-East at Lejeune. Two months later, Wounded Warriors Battalion-West was formed at Camp Pendleton, Calif.
In July 2008, Maxwell underwent surgery to remove a piece of shrapnel near his brain stem that was leeching toxins into his cerebral fluid. The surgery led to a “reoccurrence of right-sided weakness, but has not tempered his resolve,” officials said in a news release.
Maxwell has been awarded a Bronze Star, Purple Heart, three Navy and Marine Corps Commendation Medals and two Navy and Marine Corps Achievement Medals.
http://www.marinecorpstimes.com/news/2009/06/marine_maxwell_062509w/
Staff report
Posted : Thursday Jun 25, 2009 21:38:01 EDT
The Marine officer who devised centralized barracks for wounded warriors is leaving the Corps.
Lt. Col. Tim Maxwell is scheduled to retire Friday afternoon in a ceremony at the National Museum of the Marine Corps in Triangle, Va.
Maxwell suffered severe traumatic brain injury on Oct. 7, 2004, during his third and final deployment to Iraq, when his forward operating base was mortared and shrapnel tore through the left side of his brain. As he recuperated, Maxwell realized that being around other wounded Marines helped in the recovery process.
The Wounded Warrior barracks was founded at Camp Lejeune, N.C., in 2005. The idea continued to grow and, in June 2007, the Corps stood up its first battalion for wounded Marines, Wounded Warriors Battalion-East at Lejeune. Two months later, Wounded Warriors Battalion-West was formed at Camp Pendleton, Calif.
In July 2008, Maxwell underwent surgery to remove a piece of shrapnel near his brain stem that was leeching toxins into his cerebral fluid. The surgery led to a “reoccurrence of right-sided weakness, but has not tempered his resolve,” officials said in a news release.
Maxwell has been awarded a Bronze Star, Purple Heart, three Navy and Marine Corps Commendation Medals and two Navy and Marine Corps Achievement Medals.
http://www.marinecorpstimes.com/news/2009/06/marine_maxwell_062509w/
Sgt. Maj. Kenneth O. Preston addresses Soldier issues during Wiesbaden visit
Army's senior NCO addresses Soldier issues during Wiesbaden visit
Jun 25, 2009
By Karl Weisel (USAG Wiesbaden)
WIESBADEN, Germany - Stress on the force, recruitment, retention and the Year of the NCO were among an array of topics addressed by Sgt. Maj. of the Army Kenneth O. Preston during a day-long visit to Wiesbaden Army Airfield, June 24.
The Army's senior enlisted leader told a packed auditorium of Soldiers and families that he "wanted a good feeling for what's on their minds."
After touring several facilities on the airfield – including the Warrior Transition Unit, the Better Opportunities for Single Soldiers' Warrior Zone, Wiesbaden Fitness Center and being briefed on ongoing transformation in U.S. Army Garrison Wiesbaden – Preston joined junior enlisted Soldiers for lunch. The one-on-one discussion time was followed by an open forum with Soldiers and their families in the Flyers Theater.
During the forum the sergeant major of the Army described the shape of the force, which currently includes 548,000 active-duty troops, of which 260,000 are deployed to 80 countries around the world. Those Soldiers and 95,000 members of the National Guard and Reserves also deployed are "doing an incredible job around the world," he said.
Preston described a meeting with President Barack Obama and other military leaders in which he raised concerns including stress on the force, recruiting and retention. "It's pretty stressful. There are a lot of dynamics out there because the Army is busy."
Describing how he told the president that stress occurs both during deployment and "when the units come back during dwell time," he said he "wanted the president to understand that it's not just operational stress but also institutional stress and stress on our families."
A tumbling economy was another stress factor, he noted.
Calling them "warning lights on the dashboard," the Army’s senior noncommissioned officer said a rise in suicides and post traumatic stress were visible effects of this stress on the force.
go here for more
NCO addresses Soldier issues during Wiesbaden visit
Jun 25, 2009
By Karl Weisel (USAG Wiesbaden)
WIESBADEN, Germany - Stress on the force, recruitment, retention and the Year of the NCO were among an array of topics addressed by Sgt. Maj. of the Army Kenneth O. Preston during a day-long visit to Wiesbaden Army Airfield, June 24.
The Army's senior enlisted leader told a packed auditorium of Soldiers and families that he "wanted a good feeling for what's on their minds."
After touring several facilities on the airfield – including the Warrior Transition Unit, the Better Opportunities for Single Soldiers' Warrior Zone, Wiesbaden Fitness Center and being briefed on ongoing transformation in U.S. Army Garrison Wiesbaden – Preston joined junior enlisted Soldiers for lunch. The one-on-one discussion time was followed by an open forum with Soldiers and their families in the Flyers Theater.
During the forum the sergeant major of the Army described the shape of the force, which currently includes 548,000 active-duty troops, of which 260,000 are deployed to 80 countries around the world. Those Soldiers and 95,000 members of the National Guard and Reserves also deployed are "doing an incredible job around the world," he said.
Preston described a meeting with President Barack Obama and other military leaders in which he raised concerns including stress on the force, recruiting and retention. "It's pretty stressful. There are a lot of dynamics out there because the Army is busy."
Describing how he told the president that stress occurs both during deployment and "when the units come back during dwell time," he said he "wanted the president to understand that it's not just operational stress but also institutional stress and stress on our families."
A tumbling economy was another stress factor, he noted.
Calling them "warning lights on the dashboard," the Army’s senior noncommissioned officer said a rise in suicides and post traumatic stress were visible effects of this stress on the force.
go here for more
NCO addresses Soldier issues during Wiesbaden visit
Thursday, June 25, 2009
Kyle Barthel Veterans and Service Members Mental Health Screening Act
U.S. House passes Defense Authorization Act
By Matthew Reichbach 6/25/09 3:51 PM
The U.S. House of Representatives passed the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) today, the annual bill which funds the Department of Defense. The bill passed 389-22.
The bill included an amendment by Congressman Harry Teague that would set up a post-deployment mental health screening program for service members. The amendment, named the Kyle Barthel Veterans and Service Members Mental Health Screening Act after a Las Crucen who struggled with PTSD and eventually committed suicide after returning home from combat, was introduced by Teague in Las Cruces in May.
go here for more
http://newmexicoindependent.com/30527/u-s-house-passes-defense-authorization-act
Congressman Harry Teague Calls for Veterans and Service Members Mental Health
Screenings to Address Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder
Bill Named in Honor of Local Veteran Kyle Barthel
Las Cruces, NM - Wednesday at Veteran's Memorial Park, Congressman Harry Teague unveiled a bill to address an increasingly prevalent issue for military personnel and combat veterans, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). The Kyle Barthel Veterans and Service Member Mental Health Screening Act calls for mandatory mental health screening for military personnel upon induction into the military, before and after deployment, and before discharge.
"Kyle served in the 101st Airborne and was deployed to Iraq. Kyle reached out and sought treatment but was never but was never able to get the mental health help that he needed and deserved. Sadly, Kyle took his own life after suffering from problems associated with PTSD," said Congressman Harry Teague, speaking of the native Las Crucen the bill is titled in honor of.
The legislation comes amid rising concerns that undiagnosed and untreated PTSD cases are leading to mental health issues that decrease quality of life for returning combat veterans and in some cases result in suicide. Suicide rates for the Army have risen 60% since 2003 and the 101st Airborne, which Kyle was a member of, has this year alone suffered 14 deaths that are being investigated as suicides.
"When the Congress returns from its Memorial Day recess, I will introduce the Kyle Barthel Veterans and Service Members Mental Health Screening Act, a bill calling for mandatory and confidential mental health assessments for service members so that those who need it can get the mental health treatment they have earned and so we can begin to stem the tide of tragic incidents associated with PTSD."
Congressman Harry Teague was joined by Kyle Barthel's mother and close family friend, County Commissioner Scott Krahling at the announcement.
"When I decided to run for public office, it was because I wanted to be part of the solution and not part of the problem. Today, I can say I feel like I am part of the solution to a very big problem," said Commissioner Krahling. "Although he isn't here with us today, Kyle is here in spirit and we are here because of him. His life has inspired action that will give hope to the many military personnel and veterans currently suffering from PTSD."
Congressman Harry Teague serves on the House Veterans' Affairs Committee and has made fighting for our nation's veterans a central priority since being sworn in January 6th, 2009.
By Matthew Reichbach 6/25/09 3:51 PM
The U.S. House of Representatives passed the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) today, the annual bill which funds the Department of Defense. The bill passed 389-22.
The bill included an amendment by Congressman Harry Teague that would set up a post-deployment mental health screening program for service members. The amendment, named the Kyle Barthel Veterans and Service Members Mental Health Screening Act after a Las Crucen who struggled with PTSD and eventually committed suicide after returning home from combat, was introduced by Teague in Las Cruces in May.
go here for more
http://newmexicoindependent.com/30527/u-s-house-passes-defense-authorization-act
Congressman Harry Teague Calls for Veterans and Service Members Mental Health
Screenings to Address Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder
Bill Named in Honor of Local Veteran Kyle Barthel
Las Cruces, NM - Wednesday at Veteran's Memorial Park, Congressman Harry Teague unveiled a bill to address an increasingly prevalent issue for military personnel and combat veterans, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). The Kyle Barthel Veterans and Service Member Mental Health Screening Act calls for mandatory mental health screening for military personnel upon induction into the military, before and after deployment, and before discharge.
"Kyle served in the 101st Airborne and was deployed to Iraq. Kyle reached out and sought treatment but was never but was never able to get the mental health help that he needed and deserved. Sadly, Kyle took his own life after suffering from problems associated with PTSD," said Congressman Harry Teague, speaking of the native Las Crucen the bill is titled in honor of.
The legislation comes amid rising concerns that undiagnosed and untreated PTSD cases are leading to mental health issues that decrease quality of life for returning combat veterans and in some cases result in suicide. Suicide rates for the Army have risen 60% since 2003 and the 101st Airborne, which Kyle was a member of, has this year alone suffered 14 deaths that are being investigated as suicides.
"When the Congress returns from its Memorial Day recess, I will introduce the Kyle Barthel Veterans and Service Members Mental Health Screening Act, a bill calling for mandatory and confidential mental health assessments for service members so that those who need it can get the mental health treatment they have earned and so we can begin to stem the tide of tragic incidents associated with PTSD."
Congressman Harry Teague was joined by Kyle Barthel's mother and close family friend, County Commissioner Scott Krahling at the announcement.
"When I decided to run for public office, it was because I wanted to be part of the solution and not part of the problem. Today, I can say I feel like I am part of the solution to a very big problem," said Commissioner Krahling. "Although he isn't here with us today, Kyle is here in spirit and we are here because of him. His life has inspired action that will give hope to the many military personnel and veterans currently suffering from PTSD."
Congressman Harry Teague serves on the House Veterans' Affairs Committee and has made fighting for our nation's veterans a central priority since being sworn in January 6th, 2009.
Procedure to remove kidney stones ended up costing woman her leg!
Woman goes into Tampa General Hospital for a kidney stone procedure, and winds up losing a leg
By Victoria Bekiempis, Times Staff Writer
In Print: Thursday, June 25, 2009
TAMPA — She went to the hospital to have a kidney stone blasted away with sound waves, but the procedure wound up costing her a leg, her attorney says.
The procedure, called a lithotripsy, is considered noninvasive. Anesthesia is required, however, because the process — in which kidney stones are pulverized sonically — is extremely painful.
Kelli Woodfin thinks anesthesia complications caused circulation loss in her right leg, her lawyer David Eaton said. By the time the medical team figured out what went wrong, the leg could not be saved, he said.
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http://www.tampabay.com/news/publicsafety/crime/article1013149.ece
By Victoria Bekiempis, Times Staff Writer
In Print: Thursday, June 25, 2009
TAMPA — She went to the hospital to have a kidney stone blasted away with sound waves, but the procedure wound up costing her a leg, her attorney says.
The procedure, called a lithotripsy, is considered noninvasive. Anesthesia is required, however, because the process — in which kidney stones are pulverized sonically — is extremely painful.
Kelli Woodfin thinks anesthesia complications caused circulation loss in her right leg, her lawyer David Eaton said. By the time the medical team figured out what went wrong, the leg could not be saved, he said.
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http://www.tampabay.com/news/publicsafety/crime/article1013149.ece
Orlando hospital pioneers latest deep-brain-stimulation device for Parkinson's
Orlando hospital pioneers latest deep-brain-stimulation device for Parkinson's patients
Parkinson's disease left Michel Medina Gonzalez unable to walk, talk or feed himself. But a cutting-edge treatment he received in Orlando helped fix that.
By Fernando Quintero Sentinel Staff Writer
June 25, 2009
Michel Medina Gonzalez shook violently in his chair inside a patient room at Orlando Regional Medical Center, where he was fitted earlier this month with a brain implant to control his symptoms of Parkinson's disease.
Using a wireless device slightly larger than a PDA, Dr. Alex Gonzalez, a neurologist with Orlando Health, remotely adjusted the electronic implant with a stylus.
After a few adjustments, Michel's trembling left leg, which had been causing his foot to constantly tap on the floor, stopped moving.
Orlando Health is among the first hospitals in the nation to offer the new, implantable deep-brain-stimulation device that gives Parkinson's patients greater control of their movements
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Orlando hospital pioneers latest deep-brain-stimulation device
Parkinson's disease left Michel Medina Gonzalez unable to walk, talk or feed himself. But a cutting-edge treatment he received in Orlando helped fix that.
By Fernando Quintero Sentinel Staff Writer
June 25, 2009
Michel Medina Gonzalez shook violently in his chair inside a patient room at Orlando Regional Medical Center, where he was fitted earlier this month with a brain implant to control his symptoms of Parkinson's disease.
Using a wireless device slightly larger than a PDA, Dr. Alex Gonzalez, a neurologist with Orlando Health, remotely adjusted the electronic implant with a stylus.
After a few adjustments, Michel's trembling left leg, which had been causing his foot to constantly tap on the floor, stopped moving.
Orlando Health is among the first hospitals in the nation to offer the new, implantable deep-brain-stimulation device that gives Parkinson's patients greater control of their movements
go here for more
Orlando hospital pioneers latest deep-brain-stimulation device
Congress puts defense contractors before the troops again!
President Obama made it clear that the old way of spending money on defense contractors is gone, over and done with. No more wasteful spending on things not needed, no more unaccountability and no bid contracts. Congress however still wants to play their game with appropriations. In the process, their stunt of keeping in funding for the F-22 and F-35 has placed pay raises for the troops on the line. Are they out of their minds? This nation is broke! They still want to spend money for this?
Obama threatens veto of authorization bill
By Rick Maze - Staff writer
Posted : Thursday Jun 25, 2009 12:58:25 EDT
The Obama administration has issued a veto threat of the 2010 defense authorization bill over disagreements involving two aircraft programs.
But in a departure from the previous administration, the White House has not objected to Congress providing a larger pay raise for troops.
The June 24 statement of policy on HR 2647, the House version of the 2010 defense bill, says the two chief disagreements involve the F-22 and F-35 programs.
On the F-22, the administration “strongly objects” to the bill including $369 million in advanced procurement of the fighter plane.
“The collective judgment of the service chiefs and secretaries of the military departments suggests that a final program of record of 187 F-22s is sufficient to meet operational requirements,” the statement says, warning that if the advance procurement money is in the bill presented to the president, his advisers would recommend a veto.
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Obama threatens veto of authorization bill
Vietnam Vet Don Wilmot: Time doesn’t heal it all
Viet Vet Don Wilmot: Time doesn’t heal it all
By Tammy Compton
Wayne Independent
Wed Jun 24, 2009, 05:27 PM EDT
Sterling, Pa. -
His helo was shot down four times in Vietnam. Twice behind enemy lines.
“Did you ever get a feeling that you’re falling out of bed? It’s like your stomach’s kind of up in your chest? Well, just imagine being in a helicopter, 500 or 600 feet, and all of a sudden you’ve lost power and the bottom drops out. Well, you’re on your gun, you’re trying to shoot the enemy. And you know the crash is coming. There’s nothing you can do to prevent it from happening. The three or four seconds it takes for you to crash just seems like a lifetime. It’s a helpless feeling ...there’s nothing that can be done until you hit the ground. You just wait,” says Don Wilmot of Sterling Township.
His unit was known as “Tweed’s Tigers” serving under Commanding Officer Col. Mac Tweed. Don was a crew chief/ door gunner with the Marines HMM-361 helicopter squadron, aboard Yankee November (YN)21. He flew 440 missions, 360 of those combat missions, including 200 successful medivacs.
go here for more
Viet Vet Don Wilmot: Time does not heal it all
By Tammy Compton
Wayne Independent
Wed Jun 24, 2009, 05:27 PM EDT
Sterling, Pa. -
His helo was shot down four times in Vietnam. Twice behind enemy lines.
“Did you ever get a feeling that you’re falling out of bed? It’s like your stomach’s kind of up in your chest? Well, just imagine being in a helicopter, 500 or 600 feet, and all of a sudden you’ve lost power and the bottom drops out. Well, you’re on your gun, you’re trying to shoot the enemy. And you know the crash is coming. There’s nothing you can do to prevent it from happening. The three or four seconds it takes for you to crash just seems like a lifetime. It’s a helpless feeling ...there’s nothing that can be done until you hit the ground. You just wait,” says Don Wilmot of Sterling Township.
His unit was known as “Tweed’s Tigers” serving under Commanding Officer Col. Mac Tweed. Don was a crew chief/ door gunner with the Marines HMM-361 helicopter squadron, aboard Yankee November (YN)21. He flew 440 missions, 360 of those combat missions, including 200 successful medivacs.
go here for more
Viet Vet Don Wilmot: Time does not heal it all
US Vietnam veterans send home fallen comrades
US Vietnam veterans send home fallen comrades
By Ian Timberlake – 16 hours ago
DANANG, Vietnam (AFP) — Standing to attention in the hot sun, a Marines baseball cap over his heart, US veteran Alan Segal watched as an honour guard carried the flag-draped coffins of his fellow servicemen onto an Air Force plane, taking them home 34 years after the Vietnam War ended.
Beside him another US veteran of the Vietnam conflict, Rick Janovick, 58, saluted fellow servicemen whose names he did not even know.
Segal and Janovick, who have chosen to live where they once fought, were among dozens who witnessed Wednesday's repatriation ceremony which came as the US and Vietnam step up cooperation in the hunt for missing servicemen.
Among the guests were crew from the USNS Bruce C. Heezen, the first US Navy ship to join the search effort. The ship has just completed a 12-day survey for missing American aircraft in waters off central and south-central Vietnam.
The two sets of remains sent home on Wednesday came from the land but US officials hoped the Heezen's involvement would speed up the search for underwater sites, meaning the remains of airmen still missing at sea could, in the future, also be repatriated with dignity.
Since Vietnam and the US began cooperating more than 20 years ago in the search for the remains of missing US servicemen, more than 600 have been repatriated but about 1,300 are still unaccounted for in Vietnam, the US says.
go here for more
US Vietnam veterans send home fallen comrades
By Ian Timberlake – 16 hours ago
DANANG, Vietnam (AFP) — Standing to attention in the hot sun, a Marines baseball cap over his heart, US veteran Alan Segal watched as an honour guard carried the flag-draped coffins of his fellow servicemen onto an Air Force plane, taking them home 34 years after the Vietnam War ended.
Beside him another US veteran of the Vietnam conflict, Rick Janovick, 58, saluted fellow servicemen whose names he did not even know.
Segal and Janovick, who have chosen to live where they once fought, were among dozens who witnessed Wednesday's repatriation ceremony which came as the US and Vietnam step up cooperation in the hunt for missing servicemen.
Among the guests were crew from the USNS Bruce C. Heezen, the first US Navy ship to join the search effort. The ship has just completed a 12-day survey for missing American aircraft in waters off central and south-central Vietnam.
The two sets of remains sent home on Wednesday came from the land but US officials hoped the Heezen's involvement would speed up the search for underwater sites, meaning the remains of airmen still missing at sea could, in the future, also be repatriated with dignity.
Since Vietnam and the US began cooperating more than 20 years ago in the search for the remains of missing US servicemen, more than 600 have been repatriated but about 1,300 are still unaccounted for in Vietnam, the US says.
go here for more
US Vietnam veterans send home fallen comrades
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