Floridians Rank 49th In Volunteering
Friday, July 31, 2009 6:49:29 AM
ORLANDO -- Florida ranks among the worst in the nation when it comes to the number of people who volunteer.
Figures from the Corporation for National and Community Service show the state ranks 49th when it comes to people giving their time. The study ranked all U.S. states and the District of Columbia.
From 2006 to 2008, 19.6 percent of Floridians volunteered. Only Nevada and New York ranked lower with 18.8 and 18.7 percent respectively. The national average is nearly 26.5 percent. Utah ranked first with 43.5 percent.
The report only includes people who volunteer for official organizations, and doesn't include things like helping neighbors.
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Floridians Rank 49th In Volunteering
Friday, July 31, 2009
Take back KBR bonuses, senators urge Pentagon over electrical work
Take back KBR bonuses, senators urge Pentagon
Story Highlights
Military contractor has been awarded $83.4 million for its electrical work in Iraq
Dems ask to reclaim bonuses in light of report blaming KBR in part for death
Report says KBR failed to ground water pump, leading to soldier's electrocution
KBR defends its performance, says safety and security is its "top priority"
From Abbie Boudreau and Scott Bronstein
CNN Special Investigations Unit
WASHINGTON (CNN) -- Two Democratic senators called on the Pentagon to take back more than $83 million in bonuses paid to military contractor KBR after a Defense Department report criticized its electrical work on U.S. bases overseas.
"I want them to tell us on what basis can they possibly continue to justify having paid $83 million of the taxpayers' money for shoddy work that resulted in risk to our soldiers," Sen. Byron Dorgan of North Dakota told reporters Friday.
Dorgan said he and Sen. Bob Casey of Pennsylvania are pressing Defense Department officials to reclaim $83.4 million in bonus payments it awarded KBR for its work in Iraq.
read more here
Take back KBR bonuses senators urge Pentagon
Story Highlights
Military contractor has been awarded $83.4 million for its electrical work in Iraq
Dems ask to reclaim bonuses in light of report blaming KBR in part for death
Report says KBR failed to ground water pump, leading to soldier's electrocution
KBR defends its performance, says safety and security is its "top priority"
From Abbie Boudreau and Scott Bronstein
CNN Special Investigations Unit
WASHINGTON (CNN) -- Two Democratic senators called on the Pentagon to take back more than $83 million in bonuses paid to military contractor KBR after a Defense Department report criticized its electrical work on U.S. bases overseas.
"I want them to tell us on what basis can they possibly continue to justify having paid $83 million of the taxpayers' money for shoddy work that resulted in risk to our soldiers," Sen. Byron Dorgan of North Dakota told reporters Friday.
Dorgan said he and Sen. Bob Casey of Pennsylvania are pressing Defense Department officials to reclaim $83.4 million in bonus payments it awarded KBR for its work in Iraq.
read more here
Take back KBR bonuses senators urge Pentagon
Sgt. Charles “Leo” Wilson, Korean War MIA remains found
Soldier’s remains ID’d six decades later
The Associated Press
Posted : Friday Jul 31, 2009 20:50:52 EDT
AVA, Mo. — The remains of a Missouri soldier who died in the Korean War are being returned to his family.
Defense Department officials say a North Korean farmer found the remains of Sgt. Charles “Leo” Wilson in 2000. Wilson is believed to have been killed in late November 1950.
Officials at Fort Leonard Wood said Friday that Wilson’s remains are being returned to his family in the southern Missouri town of Ava.
Memorial services and a funeral will be held the afternoon of Aug. 8.
Soldier remains ID six decades later
The Associated Press
Posted : Friday Jul 31, 2009 20:50:52 EDT
AVA, Mo. — The remains of a Missouri soldier who died in the Korean War are being returned to his family.
Defense Department officials say a North Korean farmer found the remains of Sgt. Charles “Leo” Wilson in 2000. Wilson is believed to have been killed in late November 1950.
Officials at Fort Leonard Wood said Friday that Wilson’s remains are being returned to his family in the southern Missouri town of Ava.
Memorial services and a funeral will be held the afternoon of Aug. 8.
Soldier remains ID six decades later
Harvey-based religious center helps turn lives around
Restoration Ministries opens new $5 million facility
By Lolly Bowean TRIBUNE REPORTER
July 31, 2009
When Matthew Bennett hit rock bottom, he found himself in a jail cell and perhaps facing 13 years behind bars after years of robbing and scheming to pay for his drug habit.
From the time he was 11, Bennett said he was getting high, first on marijuana, then with heroine, cocaine and prescription painkillers. When he was working, he would spend his entire paycheck on drugs. After he lost his job, he took to robbing dealers and committing break-ins.
"I kept wanting to get the next high," the 25-year-old from Gary, said. "Next thing I know, I was taking [pills] every day."
Facing a possible 13-year term, Bennett received a lighter sentence and got out of jail after serving several months. He knew he needed help getting over his addictions. That's where Restoration Ministries, a Christian-based social agency in Harvey comes in.
Bennett is one of about 30 men who recently moved into the agency's new $5 million facility. It is one of the largest investments in the gritty city of Harvey and will be able to serve more people in a program that numerous public officials praise as very effective.
"This place here is a lifesaver," Bennett said recently as he gave a tour of the building. "Here, they give you stable ground to stay focused on the Lord and work. The support is key."
read more here
http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/chi-restoration-ministries-sw-zojul31,0,4775428.story
By Lolly Bowean TRIBUNE REPORTER
July 31, 2009
When Matthew Bennett hit rock bottom, he found himself in a jail cell and perhaps facing 13 years behind bars after years of robbing and scheming to pay for his drug habit.
From the time he was 11, Bennett said he was getting high, first on marijuana, then with heroine, cocaine and prescription painkillers. When he was working, he would spend his entire paycheck on drugs. After he lost his job, he took to robbing dealers and committing break-ins.
"I kept wanting to get the next high," the 25-year-old from Gary, said. "Next thing I know, I was taking [pills] every day."
Facing a possible 13-year term, Bennett received a lighter sentence and got out of jail after serving several months. He knew he needed help getting over his addictions. That's where Restoration Ministries, a Christian-based social agency in Harvey comes in.
Bennett is one of about 30 men who recently moved into the agency's new $5 million facility. It is one of the largest investments in the gritty city of Harvey and will be able to serve more people in a program that numerous public officials praise as very effective.
"This place here is a lifesaver," Bennett said recently as he gave a tour of the building. "Here, they give you stable ground to stay focused on the Lord and work. The support is key."
read more here
http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/chi-restoration-ministries-sw-zojul31,0,4775428.story
Skeleton without coffin found at Burr Oak
Skeleton without coffin found at Burr Oak
July 31, 2009 4:05 PM BREAKING STORY
Sheriff's police revealed a shocking new discovery today in their investigation of the Burr Oak cemetery: a skeleton wearing a suit and tie, sitting in a burial vault without a coffin.
Records show the man was originally buried in a coffin, but it isn't clear where that coffin now is, Cook County Sheriff Tom Dart said at a press conference today.
The skeleton's vault, found in an open pit, is one of three vaults Cook County Judge Arthur Hill ordered exhumed, Dart said.
The second and third vaults are in different parts of the cemetery, he said.
The second vault, near the cemetery entrance, had been "double-stacked," Dart said. In that case, a properly buried body appeared to have been dug up, then re-buried on top of another, hidden body, Dart said.
read more here
Skeleton without coffin found at Burr Oak
July 31, 2009 4:05 PM BREAKING STORY
Sheriff's police revealed a shocking new discovery today in their investigation of the Burr Oak cemetery: a skeleton wearing a suit and tie, sitting in a burial vault without a coffin.
Records show the man was originally buried in a coffin, but it isn't clear where that coffin now is, Cook County Sheriff Tom Dart said at a press conference today.
The skeleton's vault, found in an open pit, is one of three vaults Cook County Judge Arthur Hill ordered exhumed, Dart said.
The second and third vaults are in different parts of the cemetery, he said.
The second vault, near the cemetery entrance, had been "double-stacked," Dart said. In that case, a properly buried body appeared to have been dug up, then re-buried on top of another, hidden body, Dart said.
read more here
Skeleton without coffin found at Burr Oak
When getting up is so very hard to do
by
Chaplain Kathie
There are songs dealing with breaking up but I can't think of one that deals with getting up at all. Can you? Have you ever had one of those days when you thought it would have been better to just stay safely in your own bed for the day? Sometimes days can just be as if you woke up in someone else's life and everyone is out to get you.
It could start out with your coffee pot not being in the machine right leaving it to over top where they grounds come out. Not only do you get to miss your cup of wake up, you get to clean up the gritty mess from the counter and the floor. If the day is really out to get you, you're already dressed for work and get dripped coffee all over your clothes. Nice!
Then getting in your car, you notice your neighbor's new roof also gave you a gift of a nice big nail in your rear tire.
All the way going to work, already late, every driver must have received the same text message saying you were on the road so they could all meet to get you pissed off. They cut you off and then slow down. The guy behind you keeps getting closer. The driver next to you keeps playing games trying to turn the highway into a huge bumper car rally.
You don't know how you made it but when you do pull into the parking lot, there aren't any spaces left. This never happened before because you were always on time for work, finding plenty of spaces near the door. Oh, no, not this day. You end up parking in an adjacent lot. Walking to your own building, your heal breaks.
Next comes the ribbing you take from your coworkers for this one day you are late when the last 10 years you've been early but no one noticed those times. You get called into the office by the new boss without a clue what your record has been.
You're so upset, you make the biggest mistake of your career and snap at the owner of the company. Somehow you managed to not get fired but you didn't need anyone to tell you how close you were to losing your job that day but everyone you talked to managed to make sure you got the message.
Going home it's the same group of other drivers out to get you. Your body screams "I need a drink!" By the time you get ready for bed, you are still not sure who's life you were in that day, because no of it was normal for you.
This is life with PTSD.
It's one day after another when it seems as if the world is out to get you. This comes from paranoia. It creates a conspiracy against you and it's all personal to you.
The drivers out to get you are not driving down streets in America, but in Iraq, Afghanistan, Kuwait, Vietnam, Korea, or any of the other places all over the world veterans risked their lives in. This comes from flashbacks without warning.
Nothing is normal to them so they think they are no longer normal either. They think they are living in someone else's body. They don't think the same, feel the same or most of the time, they don't even look the same when they see their reflection in the mirror.
Each day is a challenge to find reasons to get up out of bed but they push themselves as the last remnant of hope remains to cling to. Maybe today the VA will approve their claim and everything will be wonderful again? Maybe today the drink in the class will be a soda instead of beer or whisky? Maybe the pack of cigarettes will last more than a few hours? Maybe today the hands won't shake so much? Maybe the TV will be on and watched instead of just sitting in front of it without a single clue what was on?
When they live with family members it becomes maybe today there won't be an argument.
They go to bed after living someone else's life. For them, it's not a matter of bad days once in a while. It's everyday is bad until they get help to heal and reclaim their lives. When they do the "maybe shreds of hope" turn into reality and life becomes maybe tomorrow it will be even better. It happens. It takes a lot of work to get there, but it's been done throughout the centuries man has walked on this planet.
Next time you have a day that only Satan could have conjured up for you, think about how hard it was to get through it and then know what it's like to have PTSD when everyday is like that. Maybe you won't be so quick to judge anyone else ever again. Maybe you can find it in your heart to actually talk to a veteran so that you can make their day a little better? Maybe you won't walk by another homeless person with a sign saying homeless veteran the next time? Maybe when the Vietnam Vets call you to tell you there will be a truck in your area in case you have something to donate, you won't hang up the phone without even thinking if there is anything in your house you really don't need but someone else may?
Chaplain Kathie
There are songs dealing with breaking up but I can't think of one that deals with getting up at all. Can you? Have you ever had one of those days when you thought it would have been better to just stay safely in your own bed for the day? Sometimes days can just be as if you woke up in someone else's life and everyone is out to get you.
It could start out with your coffee pot not being in the machine right leaving it to over top where they grounds come out. Not only do you get to miss your cup of wake up, you get to clean up the gritty mess from the counter and the floor. If the day is really out to get you, you're already dressed for work and get dripped coffee all over your clothes. Nice!
Then getting in your car, you notice your neighbor's new roof also gave you a gift of a nice big nail in your rear tire.
All the way going to work, already late, every driver must have received the same text message saying you were on the road so they could all meet to get you pissed off. They cut you off and then slow down. The guy behind you keeps getting closer. The driver next to you keeps playing games trying to turn the highway into a huge bumper car rally.
You don't know how you made it but when you do pull into the parking lot, there aren't any spaces left. This never happened before because you were always on time for work, finding plenty of spaces near the door. Oh, no, not this day. You end up parking in an adjacent lot. Walking to your own building, your heal breaks.
Next comes the ribbing you take from your coworkers for this one day you are late when the last 10 years you've been early but no one noticed those times. You get called into the office by the new boss without a clue what your record has been.
You're so upset, you make the biggest mistake of your career and snap at the owner of the company. Somehow you managed to not get fired but you didn't need anyone to tell you how close you were to losing your job that day but everyone you talked to managed to make sure you got the message.
Going home it's the same group of other drivers out to get you. Your body screams "I need a drink!" By the time you get ready for bed, you are still not sure who's life you were in that day, because no of it was normal for you.
This is life with PTSD.
It's one day after another when it seems as if the world is out to get you. This comes from paranoia. It creates a conspiracy against you and it's all personal to you.
The drivers out to get you are not driving down streets in America, but in Iraq, Afghanistan, Kuwait, Vietnam, Korea, or any of the other places all over the world veterans risked their lives in. This comes from flashbacks without warning.
Nothing is normal to them so they think they are no longer normal either. They think they are living in someone else's body. They don't think the same, feel the same or most of the time, they don't even look the same when they see their reflection in the mirror.
Each day is a challenge to find reasons to get up out of bed but they push themselves as the last remnant of hope remains to cling to. Maybe today the VA will approve their claim and everything will be wonderful again? Maybe today the drink in the class will be a soda instead of beer or whisky? Maybe the pack of cigarettes will last more than a few hours? Maybe today the hands won't shake so much? Maybe the TV will be on and watched instead of just sitting in front of it without a single clue what was on?
When they live with family members it becomes maybe today there won't be an argument.
They go to bed after living someone else's life. For them, it's not a matter of bad days once in a while. It's everyday is bad until they get help to heal and reclaim their lives. When they do the "maybe shreds of hope" turn into reality and life becomes maybe tomorrow it will be even better. It happens. It takes a lot of work to get there, but it's been done throughout the centuries man has walked on this planet.
Next time you have a day that only Satan could have conjured up for you, think about how hard it was to get through it and then know what it's like to have PTSD when everyday is like that. Maybe you won't be so quick to judge anyone else ever again. Maybe you can find it in your heart to actually talk to a veteran so that you can make their day a little better? Maybe you won't walk by another homeless person with a sign saying homeless veteran the next time? Maybe when the Vietnam Vets call you to tell you there will be a truck in your area in case you have something to donate, you won't hang up the phone without even thinking if there is anything in your house you really don't need but someone else may?
Army missteps left troops in Afghanistan open to deadly attack
Army missteps left troops in Afghanistan open to deadly attack, study reveals
A study by an Army historian documents several missteps, including lack of supplies, equipment and aerial surveillance, that led to one of the bloodiest clashes in the Afghanistan war. The battle at the remote mountain outpost of Wanat, where nine American troops were killed and 27 were wounded, is now the subject of an inquiry by the Department of Defense's Inspector General.
By Hal Bernton and Cheryl Phillips
Seattle Times staff reporters
U.S. soldiers killed in Afghanistan told families mission would be dangerous
In the days before one of the fiercest battles in America's eight-year war in Afghanistan, Army Capt. Benjamin Pry argued for more surveillance flights to help his beleaguered unit of fewer than 50 soldiers.
Since moving into a new outpost on July 8, 2008, they had struggled with shortages of water, fuel, food and heavy machinery to help defend against an enemy attack that they believed would eventually come. Lacking excavating equipment, the troops dug fortifications by scraping the rocky soil with spades and bare hands.
Then on July 12, headquarters commanders diverted drones — remotely operated planes outfitted with cameras to spot enemy movements — to another area. Pry argued so hard to undo that decision that he said he breached professional etiquette. Still, he was unsuccessful.
"We had no support from brigade, division or theater level assets at the time," Pry told Army historians in a study obtained by The Seattle Times.
read more here
Army missteps left troops in Afghanistan open to deadly attack
A study by an Army historian documents several missteps, including lack of supplies, equipment and aerial surveillance, that led to one of the bloodiest clashes in the Afghanistan war. The battle at the remote mountain outpost of Wanat, where nine American troops were killed and 27 were wounded, is now the subject of an inquiry by the Department of Defense's Inspector General.
By Hal Bernton and Cheryl Phillips
Seattle Times staff reporters
U.S. soldiers killed in Afghanistan told families mission would be dangerous
In the days before one of the fiercest battles in America's eight-year war in Afghanistan, Army Capt. Benjamin Pry argued for more surveillance flights to help his beleaguered unit of fewer than 50 soldiers.
Since moving into a new outpost on July 8, 2008, they had struggled with shortages of water, fuel, food and heavy machinery to help defend against an enemy attack that they believed would eventually come. Lacking excavating equipment, the troops dug fortifications by scraping the rocky soil with spades and bare hands.
Then on July 12, headquarters commanders diverted drones — remotely operated planes outfitted with cameras to spot enemy movements — to another area. Pry argued so hard to undo that decision that he said he breached professional etiquette. Still, he was unsuccessful.
"We had no support from brigade, division or theater level assets at the time," Pry told Army historians in a study obtained by The Seattle Times.
read more here
Army missteps left troops in Afghanistan open to deadly attack
HR 3200 Health care reform may hurt vets, groups warn
Health care reform may hurt vets, groups warn
By Rick Maze - Staff writer
Posted : Friday Jul 31, 2009 13:16:44 EDT
Six major veterans groups have warned House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., that they will oppose a national health care reform bill unless major changes are made to protect veterans and their families.
In a July 30 letter, the groups said that HR 3200, the America’s Affordable Health Care Choices Act of 2009, could increase veterans’ health care costs, limit their treatment options, deny coverage to their families and “threaten the quality of health care offered to veterans through the VA health care system.”
A spokesman for Pelosi’s office did not comment on the specifics but said nobody was trying to hurt veterans. The Democrat-controlled Congress “is committed to our nation’s veterans,” said Nadeam Elshami. “We will continue to work with all stakeholders as the legislation moves forward.”
The concerns are not new. Democratic and Republican lawmakers have expressed concern about the health reform bill’s possible unintended consequences for active, reserve and retired military members, as well as veterans and their families.
read more here
Health care reform may hurt vets, groups warn
By Rick Maze - Staff writer
Posted : Friday Jul 31, 2009 13:16:44 EDT
Six major veterans groups have warned House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., that they will oppose a national health care reform bill unless major changes are made to protect veterans and their families.
In a July 30 letter, the groups said that HR 3200, the America’s Affordable Health Care Choices Act of 2009, could increase veterans’ health care costs, limit their treatment options, deny coverage to their families and “threaten the quality of health care offered to veterans through the VA health care system.”
A spokesman for Pelosi’s office did not comment on the specifics but said nobody was trying to hurt veterans. The Democrat-controlled Congress “is committed to our nation’s veterans,” said Nadeam Elshami. “We will continue to work with all stakeholders as the legislation moves forward.”
The concerns are not new. Democratic and Republican lawmakers have expressed concern about the health reform bill’s possible unintended consequences for active, reserve and retired military members, as well as veterans and their families.
read more here
Health care reform may hurt vets, groups warn
Deep in the heart of a Texan, call to help Iraqi Disabled Children
Texas man brings hope to 'forgotten' disabled Iraqi kids
Story Highlights
Brad Blauser's Wheelchairs for Iraqi Kids has distributed nearly 650 free wheelchairs
Dallas native Blauser lives in Baghdad and works for free
"Disabled children -- they're really the forgotten ones in this war," he said
Do you know a hero? Saturday is the last day to nominate a CNN Hero
BAGHDAD, Iraq (CNN) -- Brad Blauser lives in war-torn Baghdad, where he doesn't earn a paycheck and is thousands of miles from his family. But he has no intention of leaving anytime soon.
For the past four years, the Dallas, Texas, native has been providing hope to hundreds of disabled Iraqi children and their families through the distribution of pediatric wheelchairs.
"Disabled children -- they're really the forgotten ones in this war," said Blauser, 43. "They are often not seen in society."
Blauser arrived in Iraq as a civilian contractor in 2004, but quit that job last year to devote himself full time to his program, without compensation.
"There's no paycheck. It's not really safe here. But this is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity," he said.
An estimated one in seven Iraqi children ages 2 to 14 lives with a disability, according to UNICEF. Illnesses such as Spina bifida, palsy and polio leave them unable to walk.
read more here
Texas man brings hope to forgotten disabled Iraqi kids
Story Highlights
Brad Blauser's Wheelchairs for Iraqi Kids has distributed nearly 650 free wheelchairs
Dallas native Blauser lives in Baghdad and works for free
"Disabled children -- they're really the forgotten ones in this war," he said
Do you know a hero? Saturday is the last day to nominate a CNN Hero
BAGHDAD, Iraq (CNN) -- Brad Blauser lives in war-torn Baghdad, where he doesn't earn a paycheck and is thousands of miles from his family. But he has no intention of leaving anytime soon.
For the past four years, the Dallas, Texas, native has been providing hope to hundreds of disabled Iraqi children and their families through the distribution of pediatric wheelchairs.
"Disabled children -- they're really the forgotten ones in this war," said Blauser, 43. "They are often not seen in society."
Blauser arrived in Iraq as a civilian contractor in 2004, but quit that job last year to devote himself full time to his program, without compensation.
"There's no paycheck. It's not really safe here. But this is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity," he said.
An estimated one in seven Iraqi children ages 2 to 14 lives with a disability, according to UNICEF. Illnesses such as Spina bifida, palsy and polio leave them unable to walk.
read more here
Texas man brings hope to forgotten disabled Iraqi kids
Louisiana National Guard Families of Fallen not being paid
Sen. wants to expand military survivors law
The Associated Press
Posted : Friday Jul 31, 2009 9:03:35 EDT
BATON ROUGE, La. — The chairman of a state Senate veterans committee says he wants to expand a state law that pays $250,000 to the survivors of Louisiana National Guard soldiers killed in Afghanistan and Iraq.
The law has been in place since July 2007, but Sen. Robert Adley says it should be made retroactive to include all troops killed since the conflicts began. The Louisiana National Guard’s call-up for duty in Afghanistan and Iraq began in 2004.
Adley is the chairman of the Senate Select Committee on Veterans Affairs.
The law provides a $100,000 payment to guard members who are permanently disabled and $250,000 to the families of troops killed.
Adley says it appears no families have received the benefits so far, so he also wants the program publicized more to families who might be eligible.
Sen. wants to expand military survivors law
The Associated Press
Posted : Friday Jul 31, 2009 9:03:35 EDT
BATON ROUGE, La. — The chairman of a state Senate veterans committee says he wants to expand a state law that pays $250,000 to the survivors of Louisiana National Guard soldiers killed in Afghanistan and Iraq.
The law has been in place since July 2007, but Sen. Robert Adley says it should be made retroactive to include all troops killed since the conflicts began. The Louisiana National Guard’s call-up for duty in Afghanistan and Iraq began in 2004.
Adley is the chairman of the Senate Select Committee on Veterans Affairs.
The law provides a $100,000 payment to guard members who are permanently disabled and $250,000 to the families of troops killed.
Adley says it appears no families have received the benefits so far, so he also wants the program publicized more to families who might be eligible.
Sen. wants to expand military survivors law
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