Man In Hot Water Over Medal Of Honor Dispute
Wednesday, July 01, 2009 8:13:07 AM
Reported By Greg Pallone
PALM BAY -- A veteran could get a year in jail and pay up to a $100,000 fine if convicted on charges of claiming to be a Congressional Medal of Honor winner.
Last week in Tampa federal court, Gary Amster, 62, was arraigned on charges he misrepresented himself as a recipient as early as September 2007 through April 2008.
The recipient of a Purple Heart, Amster served two years as an Army radio operator in Vietnam, and was hit by shrapnel and had a kidney removed after his unit was ambushed in December 1967 after pulling the four other wounded men to safety.
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Man In Hot Water Over Medal Of Honor Dispute
Additional Information
Florida Has A Share Of Medal Recipients
Medal Of Honor, A Badge Of Courage
Military Medals For Heroism
Wednesday, July 1, 2009
Another Medal of Honor Stolen Valor Case? Maybe not
Amster says he never knew what was on his discharge papers until he wanted to get a loan and needed it. This could be just a mistake, considering during the Vietnam War, there were many errors on records. Wrong social security numbers were typed all the time and while corrections were attempted to be made, most of them never ended up being fixed all the way through on every record in every file. The question here is, did Amster ever claim having the Medal of Honor to anyone for his own advantage? Seems really odd that it would take him until 2005 to come up with a story like this.
A family's sacrifice: Three brothers sent to war
A family's sacrifice: Three brothers sent to war
By Thom Patterson
CNN
Story Highlights
It's unusual: Three brothers serve in same Georgia National Guard company
Another three brothers from Washington state also serve in Afghan war
Two mothers open up about the stress of having three sons in harm's way
Nevada Army National Guard unit has nine sets of brothers serving in Afghanistan
Huddling in a parking lot outside a motel near Camp Shelby, Mississippi, the Callaway family members hold on to what they value most: their faith and each other. Mark and Karmen Callaway clutched their three soldier sons before sending them off to Afghanistan. "I know that people lose their children every day," said Karmen Callaway. "A fear that I have is that something will happen to all three of them." full story
By Thom Patterson
CNN
Story Highlights
It's unusual: Three brothers serve in same Georgia National Guard company
Another three brothers from Washington state also serve in Afghan war
Two mothers open up about the stress of having three sons in harm's way
Nevada Army National Guard unit has nine sets of brothers serving in Afghanistan
Huddling in a parking lot outside a motel near Camp Shelby, Mississippi, the Callaway family members hold on to what they value most: their faith and each other. Mark and Karmen Callaway clutched their three soldier sons before sending them off to Afghanistan. "I know that people lose their children every day," said Karmen Callaway. "A fear that I have is that something will happen to all three of them." full story
Chaplain Vakoc fell at care center before death
Chaplain fell at care center before death
The Associated Press
Posted : Wednesday Jul 1, 2009 9:17:30 EDT
MINNEAPOLIS — A medical examiner's report says the military chaplain gravely wounded in Iraq five years ago suffered head injuries in a fall at his nursing home just before his death.
The Hennepin County medical examiner's report lists the cause of Rev. Tim Vakoc's death as blunt-force head injuries related to a fall.
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http://www.armytimes.com/news/2009/07/ap_chaplain_fall_070109/
The Associated Press
Posted : Wednesday Jul 1, 2009 9:17:30 EDT
MINNEAPOLIS — A medical examiner's report says the military chaplain gravely wounded in Iraq five years ago suffered head injuries in a fall at his nursing home just before his death.
The Hennepin County medical examiner's report lists the cause of Rev. Tim Vakoc's death as blunt-force head injuries related to a fall.
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http://www.armytimes.com/news/2009/07/ap_chaplain_fall_070109/
Soldiers return from the frontlines to face war with VA
Soldiers return from the frontlines to face war with VA
By Sheldon Traver
from WillametteLive, Section News
Posted on Tue Jun 30, 2009 at 08:45:07 PM PDT
This year marks a milestone for the Oregon Army National Guard.
More than 3,000 soldiers have already left or are preparing for deployment to Iraq in 2009. It will be the largest deployment for the Oregon Army National Guard since World War II.
However, questions have recently been raised about the care veterans receive upon their return from war. Some Oregon weekend warriors are finding a Department of Veterans Affairs that is unwilling or unable to care for the long-term physical and mental disabilities they are now facing.
With little outside help, some have given up the fight and others continue to struggle for the benefits they say they deserve.
The Veterans Affairs office in Portland disputes these claims, saying it is doing more for veterans now than any time in the past, and points to increased services and a new processing facility in Hillsboro that has prepared the federal agency to aid all returning veterans.
Todd Marcus
In November 2006, then-23-year-old Army specialist Todd Marcus was on patrol in a small Afghan village outside of Kabul.
He carried his M-16 barrel down with his finger just inside the trigger housing. He sweltered under more than 50 pounds of combat gear, including body armor and a Kevlar helmet. Beads of perspiration trickled down to the palms of his gloved hands. Even with the fingertips cut off, the salty runoff made the cuts in his hands sting and itch.
Approximately 100 meters to his left, Marcus saw an Afghan police officer walking a few meters behind another police officer in patrol formation. The officer looked nervous as he scanned the rooftops, looking for those who might intend to kill him. Each little boy, each expectant mother could have been a suicide bomber, paid or extorted by insurgents to end their lives in a desperate bid to feed their families.
Suddenly, a bright flash of light filled Marcus’ peripheral vision, followed by a percussion of hot wind that knocked him aside. His sunglasses flew off and the smell of cordite wafted through the air with a cloud of concrete and dust. He looked toward the ground where the blast originated. The Afghan police officer that was walking just yards from him lay in a pool of blood along with two other officers. An improvised explosive device planted inside the corner of a bullet-riddled concrete home had taken their lives.
Once the carnage and chaos was over, all Marcus could do was cry.
go here for more
Soldiers return from the frontlines to face war with VA
By Sheldon Traver
from WillametteLive, Section News
Posted on Tue Jun 30, 2009 at 08:45:07 PM PDT
This year marks a milestone for the Oregon Army National Guard.
More than 3,000 soldiers have already left or are preparing for deployment to Iraq in 2009. It will be the largest deployment for the Oregon Army National Guard since World War II.
However, questions have recently been raised about the care veterans receive upon their return from war. Some Oregon weekend warriors are finding a Department of Veterans Affairs that is unwilling or unable to care for the long-term physical and mental disabilities they are now facing.
With little outside help, some have given up the fight and others continue to struggle for the benefits they say they deserve.
The Veterans Affairs office in Portland disputes these claims, saying it is doing more for veterans now than any time in the past, and points to increased services and a new processing facility in Hillsboro that has prepared the federal agency to aid all returning veterans.
Todd Marcus
In November 2006, then-23-year-old Army specialist Todd Marcus was on patrol in a small Afghan village outside of Kabul.
He carried his M-16 barrel down with his finger just inside the trigger housing. He sweltered under more than 50 pounds of combat gear, including body armor and a Kevlar helmet. Beads of perspiration trickled down to the palms of his gloved hands. Even with the fingertips cut off, the salty runoff made the cuts in his hands sting and itch.
Approximately 100 meters to his left, Marcus saw an Afghan police officer walking a few meters behind another police officer in patrol formation. The officer looked nervous as he scanned the rooftops, looking for those who might intend to kill him. Each little boy, each expectant mother could have been a suicide bomber, paid or extorted by insurgents to end their lives in a desperate bid to feed their families.
Suddenly, a bright flash of light filled Marcus’ peripheral vision, followed by a percussion of hot wind that knocked him aside. His sunglasses flew off and the smell of cordite wafted through the air with a cloud of concrete and dust. He looked toward the ground where the blast originated. The Afghan police officer that was walking just yards from him lay in a pool of blood along with two other officers. An improvised explosive device planted inside the corner of a bullet-riddled concrete home had taken their lives.
Once the carnage and chaos was over, all Marcus could do was cry.
go here for more
Soldiers return from the frontlines to face war with VA
American Legion taking Courage Carries On national
The good news is that the American Legion along with other service groups are stepping up. The bad news is that they have to. Most of what we are seeing today could have been prevented had anyone in charge been paying attention and planning for it. All of this was predicable. It didn't take some kind of clairvoyant to see it coming. All it would have taken was open eyes and caring hearts.
Now you can see what we knew and when we knew it. By 1978 the DAV had already set up Veterans Centers to focus on helping the veterans of Vietnam. In the process, they ended up helping all other generations because Vietnam veterans pushed for PTSD to be treated instead of ignored.
We knew the numbers. We knew what it did to the veterans with suicides, homelessness, incarcerations and families falling apart. We knew about self-medicating with drugs and alcohol. We knew about the long list of symptoms. Above all, we knew the men and women in the military were all still just humans facing the traumas of combat. The studies were all done in the 80's and 90's. We knew the earlier treatment began after trauma, the better the recovery because PTSD gets worse without intervention.
We also understood the need to respond to traumatic events right here at home. Read any traumatic event from natural disasters to crimes and then read how crews of mental health providers were being brought in. That came because of what we understood about humans after combat. Read about how police officers go to see someone after a shooting and again, know this came about because of the veterans of Vietnam. What you won't read is how the military has taken any of this seriously enough so that they do the same in times of war.
Could you imagine most of what we see today being just a fraction of what it is? It would have been if there were enough mental health workers and Chaplains deployed with the troops. It would have been if the military didn't come out with what could have been great programs but ended up doing more harm than good by telling the troops they could toughen their minds to prevent PTSD. The military has been really great at coming up with ways to kill but totally dysfunctional when it comes to saving lives. They wouldn't even listen to their own studies about redeployments and the increased risk of PTSD. They didn't listen to their own studies about improper dwell time between deployments either.
Well, the American Legion should be applauded with this effort because this is going to take as many people as possible to save the lives of the veterans. Using the figures from Vietnam with the studies on redeployments, it's easy to know we are looking at least a million veterans of Iraq and Afghanistan needing to heal from PTSD. All of this coming at the same time the older veterans are finally figuring out what has been the root of their problems all along. Not a good scenario at all.
Now you can see what we knew and when we knew it. By 1978 the DAV had already set up Veterans Centers to focus on helping the veterans of Vietnam. In the process, they ended up helping all other generations because Vietnam veterans pushed for PTSD to be treated instead of ignored.
We knew the numbers. We knew what it did to the veterans with suicides, homelessness, incarcerations and families falling apart. We knew about self-medicating with drugs and alcohol. We knew about the long list of symptoms. Above all, we knew the men and women in the military were all still just humans facing the traumas of combat. The studies were all done in the 80's and 90's. We knew the earlier treatment began after trauma, the better the recovery because PTSD gets worse without intervention.
We also understood the need to respond to traumatic events right here at home. Read any traumatic event from natural disasters to crimes and then read how crews of mental health providers were being brought in. That came because of what we understood about humans after combat. Read about how police officers go to see someone after a shooting and again, know this came about because of the veterans of Vietnam. What you won't read is how the military has taken any of this seriously enough so that they do the same in times of war.
Could you imagine most of what we see today being just a fraction of what it is? It would have been if there were enough mental health workers and Chaplains deployed with the troops. It would have been if the military didn't come out with what could have been great programs but ended up doing more harm than good by telling the troops they could toughen their minds to prevent PTSD. The military has been really great at coming up with ways to kill but totally dysfunctional when it comes to saving lives. They wouldn't even listen to their own studies about redeployments and the increased risk of PTSD. They didn't listen to their own studies about improper dwell time between deployments either.
Well, the American Legion should be applauded with this effort because this is going to take as many people as possible to save the lives of the veterans. Using the figures from Vietnam with the studies on redeployments, it's easy to know we are looking at least a million veterans of Iraq and Afghanistan needing to heal from PTSD. All of this coming at the same time the older veterans are finally figuring out what has been the root of their problems all along. Not a good scenario at all.
North Dakota American Legion’s PTSD ad campaign to grow
Jim Deremo was tired of the calls. The department services officer for North Dakota American Legion heard too often from family of clients who attempted suicide.
By: Dave Roepke, INFORUM
Jim Deremo was tired of the calls.
The department services officer for North Dakota American Legion heard too often from family of clients who attempted suicide.
“It just really bothered me, tugged at my heart,” Deremo said.
So he started an American Legion campaign to encourage veterans to seek help for post-traumatic stress disorder. The media blitz featuring images of actual veterans, called “Courage Carries On,” kicked off this winter.
On Tuesday the Legion announced it will expand the campaign nationwide, offering it to every Legion organization in the U.S.
Carroll Quam, past state commander of the North Dakota American Legion, said heads of other state Legion groups have told him they’d like to pick up “Courage Carries On.”
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