Family suspects PTSD in murder suicide of Iraq vet and wife

Family suspects PTSD in couple's murder-suicide

03:22 PM PDT on Monday, August 31, 2009

KREM.com / LEE STOLL


REPUBLIC, WA. -- Family members say a young man suspected of killing his wife and then himself in an apparent murder-suicide in Republic may have suffered from Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder after returning from Iraq.

Jessica Armstrong and Chad Olson.

Chad Olson, 21, and Jessica Armstrong were found shot to death in the home they shared with Olson's parents early Saturday morning.

Olson's brother called 911 after hearing gunshots in the home. He went to check on the couple, but saw blood through the window.

Authorities say they found several rambling notes in the house, mostly incoherent, but many starting with the words "I'm sorry."

According to Olson's MySpace page, he logged on about an hour before police say he shot Armstrong and killed himself.

Last month, Jessica posted several messages about how excited she was to marry Olson on July 10th. But less than two weeks later, authorities say Armstrong filed for separation.

read more here
Family suspects PTSD in couples murder-suicide

How many more times will this happen?

Fort Bragg Iraq war vet kills girlfriend, then himself
Fort Bragg Iraq war vet kills girlfriend, then himself
By LAURA NORTON & GLENDA ANDERSONGLENDA ANDERSON
Published: Tuesday, August 18, 2009 at 1:27 p.m.
Last Modified: Tuesday, August 18, 2009 at 1:27 p.m.
A Fort Bragg couple was found dead Monday evening in what authorities believe is a murder suicide.Mendocino County Sheriff’s authorities said Tuesday 26-year-old Jacob Gregory Swanson, an Iraq war Army veteran, was found dead of a gunshot wound to the head in his living room. His girlfriend, 36-year-old Amy Rochelle Salo, was found dead of a gunshot wound to the face in a bathroom at the home.
Iraq vet struggled with PTSD then killed wife, himself

TORTURED SOUL: Iraq vet struggled with PTSD then killed wife, himself
Wartime tragedy followed airman home to North Las Vegas
By KEITH ROGERSLAS VEGAS REVIEW-JOURNAL...........The fire was so intense it melted plastic reflectors on another truck in the 35-vehicle convoy.When the flames subsided seven hours later, "Klink," as he was called, recovered Jurn's remains and hauled them back to their base in Balad.Jason's parents, Art and Monette Klinkenberg of Tooele, Utah, noticed the change in their son upon his return from Iraq in early 2006.

Fort Hood Reservist and Iving Police Officer Kills Wife and Self
WFAA-TV Investigators say an Irving police officer murdered his wife while their two children were present in their Fort Worth home.
By DAVID SCHECHTER / WFAA-TV WFAA-TV FORT WORTH — Investigators say an Irving police officer murdered his wife while their two children were present in their Fort Worth home. Then, police say, the officer killed himself. The officer was a 36-year-old Army reservist currently on active duty at Fort Hood.


Sgt. Steven D. Lopez was thought to be suicidal before murder-suicide ended two lives
Inquiry reveals soldier was thought suicidal
By Ruffin Prevost - The Billings Gazette
Posted : Wednesday Aug 20, 2008 18:51:28 EDTCODY, Wyo. — Lovell police and an Army sergeant worked unsuccessfully last year to persuade a suicidal soldier to return to his base in North Carolina, fearing that he might harm himself or others. One week later, the soldier killed his estranged wife and himself.Recordings of telephone conversations between police and Army personnel, along with a separate report by the Army’s Criminal Investigation Division, offer some insight into the circumstances leading up to the fatal encounter.

There are more, far too many more on this blog alone. It's only been up for two years and here are over 42 posts on murder suicide and several more on investigations. There are Iraq veterans and Afghanistan veterans, Vietnam veterans, cops, you name it. The most troubling part out of all of this is that too many other people will just not get it and understand how serious this all is.

These are not your average run of the mill common criminals. These are men and yes, women, willing to lay down there lives for the sake of someone else all of a sudden turning into someone not only wanting to die, but to take someone they are supposed to love with them. See any reason to respond to all of this better than we have done? Do people kill other people? Yes. There is an enormous problem when it ends up coming from someone willing to die to help a stranger though.

We will keep reading more and more reports like this unless we finally get our act together and address the deeper emotional issue behind most of this. PTSD is not going away and will end up being one more generational carry over when kids grow up with a Dad or Mom veteran that never saw the help they need.

If you want to read more about murder-suicides, try reading Screaming in an Empty Room because that blog goes back over a few years. There are many more there.

Fort Hood soldier found dead in room

Hood soldier found dead in room ID’d

Staff report
Posted : Monday Aug 31, 2009 17:34:29 EDT

Officials at Fort Hood, Texas, on Monday identified a soldier who was found dead in his barracks room.

Pvt. Stephen Alexander Blake, 24, of Chicago, was found unresponsive Aug. 26 in his barracks room on post by a member of his unit.

He was pronounced dead at the scene.

The cause of Blake's death was unknown Monday, and his death remains under investigation, officials said.

Blake joined the Army in August 2007 as an infantryman and had been assigned to 2nd Squadron, 5th Cavalry Regiment, 1st Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division, since January 2008.

His decorations and awards include the National Defense Service Medal, the Global War on Terrorism Service Medal, the Iraq Campaign Medal and the Army Service Ribbon.
http://www.armytimes.com/news/2009/08/army_soldier_death_083109w/

Shipping out nearly killed him, but not good enough says DOD

If he died, well then that's a different story but he lived. The part about him almost dying because of the injection he had to get, that didn't count and this is simply wrong!

Missouri veteran injured by vaccine ineligible for benefit
By DAVID GOLDSTEIN
The Star’s Washington correspondent

WASHINGTON It wasn’t a bullet or roadside bomb that felled Lance Cpl. Josef Lopez three years ago, after just nine days in Iraq.

It was an injection into his arm before his Marine Corps unit left the United States.

It left Lopez in a coma, paralyzed and unable for a time to breathe on his own. He can walk now, but with a limp. He has to wear a urine bag, has short-term memory loss and must swallow 15 pills daily to control leg spasms and other ailments.

Yet the Springfield, Mo., man does not qualify for a special GI benefit of up to $100,000 for troops who suffer traumatic injuries.

Seemed “pretty traumatic to me,” Lopez said.

“I could have easily died or not been able to walk because of that. It destroyed my world.”

Lopez suffered a rare reaction to the smallpox vaccine. The vaccine is not mandatory, but the military strongly encourages troops to take it.
read more here
http://www.kansascity.com/105/story/1415095.html

Georgia slayings 911 call

Georgia slayings 911 call: 'My whole family's dead'

Story Highlights
NEW: Police identify one of deceased as 19-year-old Michael Toller

Guy Heinze Jr. heard on 911 call telling dispatcher he arrived home to find bodies

"I don't know what to do, man," Heinze tells 911. "My dad, he's laying there dead"

Police say "no known suspects" in the attack; 7 dead at scene, 8th died later


(CNN) -- In an anguished 911 call, a Georgia man told dispatchers that he arrived home to find "my whole family's dead."


"I just got home," a man identified as Guy Heinze Jr. told the emergency dispatcher in the Saturday call, released Monday by authorities. "I was out last night. I got home just now, and everybody's dead. ... My whole family's dead. It looks like they've been beaten to death."

Seven people were found dead Saturday at a residence at the New Hope mobile home park in Brunswick, Georgia, authorities said. Two others were hospitalized in critical condition; one of them, identified by police as 19-year-old Michael Toller, died Sunday.

The remaining survivor remained in critical condition on Monday, police said.

A neighbor of Heinze's placed the call and put him on the phone, as well as the mobile home park's maintenance man. The park manager also called 911, sobbing as she told dispatchers, "Please hurry."
read more here
http://www.cnn.com/2009/CRIME/08/31/georgia.killings/index.html

Armed robbers tie up customers at Family Dollar

Armed robbers tie up customers at Family Dollar
Bianca Prieto

Sentinel Staff Writer

3:31 p.m. EDT, August 31, 2009
Thieves tied up several people during an armed robbery at a Family Dollar store on Curry Ford Sunday, stealing cell phones and money from the register.

Orlando police are investigating the armed robbery that occurred at the discount store around 5:30 p.m. Sunday.
read more here
Armed robbers tie up customers at Family Dollar

Missing boaters clung to thread of hope

Missing boaters clung to thread of hope
Story Highlights
Three fishermen spent week on on capsized boat in Gulf of Mexico

Men rationed water, crackers, beer to live

Boater spotted fishermen about 180 miles from coast of Port Aransas, Texas

Coast Guard had called off search for men on Friday
CNN) -- They kept their bodies alive with rationed crackers, bubble gum, beer and three gallons of water. But spiritually, the three men lost at sea for eight days had something else to keep them going.

"We just kept praying, and we kept hope alive," rescued boater Tressel Hawkins told CNN on Monday. "Even though hope had managed to thread down to a little bitty string, I mean, that little bitty string could be just as strong as the rope you hung on to the first time you got started."

What was supposed to be a fishing expedition to catch swordfish and marlin became instead a test of survival.

Hawkins, 43, and his fellow boaters, Curtis Hall, 28, and James Phillips, 30, set out on August 21 from Matagorda Bay in Texas and went about 100 miles south. Their first night in the Gulf of Mexico almost proved fatal.

While Hawkins was sleeping, he said, he felt the bean bag he was resting on floating. He awoke to find water in the 23-foot catamaran knee-high. The water extractor had malfunctioned. He woke up Hall and Phillips and they tried to stop the flooding but it was too late, Hawkins said.
read more here
Missing boaters clung to thread of hope

VA's Suicide Prevention Program Adds Chat Service

VA's Suicide Prevention Program Adds Chat Service

New Service Expands Online Access for Veterans



WASHINGTON (August 31, 2009) - The Suicide Prevention campaign of the
Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) is expanding its outreach to all
Veterans by piloting an online, one-to-one "chat service" for Veterans
who prefer reaching out for assistance using the Internet.



Called "Veterans Chat," the new service enables Veterans, their families
and friends to go online where they can anonymously chat with a trained
VA counselor. If a "chatter" is determined to be in a crisis, the
counselor can take immediate steps to transfer the person to the VA
Suicide Prevention Hotline, where further counseling and referral
services are provided and crisis intervention steps can be taken.



"This online feature is intended to reach out to all Veterans who may or
may not be enrolled in the VA health care system and provide them with
online access to the Suicide Prevention Lifeline," said Dr. Gerald
Cross, VA's Acting Under Secretary for Health. "It is meant to provide
Veterans with an anonymous way to access VA's suicide prevention
services."



Veterans, family members or friends can access Veterans Chat through the
suicide prevention Web site (www.suicidepreventionlifeline.org
). There is a Veterans tab
on the left-hand side of the website that will take them directly to
Veteran resource information. On this page, they can see the Hotline
number (1-800-273-TALK), and click on the Veterans Chat tab on the right
side of the Web page to enter.



Veterans retain anonymity by entering whatever names they choose once
they enter the one-on-one chat. They are then joined by a counselor who
is trained to provide information and respond to the requests and
concerns of the caller.



If the counselor decides the caller is in a crisis, the counselor will
encourage the Veteran to call the Suicide Prevention Hotline, where a
trained suicide prevention counselor will determine whether crisis
intervention techniques are required.



The pilot program, which has been in operation since July 3, has already
had positive results. In one instance, the online counselor determined
that a Veteran in the chat required immediate assistance. The counselor
convinced the Veteran to provide the counselor with a home telephone
number and then remained in the chat room with the Veteran while the
hotline staff called the number and talked to the Veteran's mother. The
hotline counselor worked with the Veteran's mother to convince the
Veteran to be admitted to a medical facility for further treatment.



"The chat line is not intended to be a crisis response line," said Dr.
Janet Kemp, VA's National Suicide Prevention Coordinator at the VA
medical center in Canandaigua, N.Y., where VA's trained counselors staff
the chat line 24 hours a day, seven days a week. VA's suicide
prevention hotline is also staffed continuously.



"Chat responders are trained in an intervention method specifically
developed for the chat line to assist people with emotional distress and
concerns," Kemp said. "We have procedures they can use to transfer
chatters in crisis to the hotline for more immediate assistance."



Both Veterans Chat and the VA's Suicide Prevention Hotline have been
established under the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline, which was
established through collaboration between VA and the Substance Abuse and
Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) of the Department of
Health and Human Services.



Since becoming operational in July 2007, VA's Suicide Prevention Hotline
has received more than 150,000 calls, resulting in 4,000 rescues.

Cop shooting suspect kept 'Shooter's Bible'

Cop shooting suspect kept 'Shooter's Bible,' weapons in storage unit
By Jamal Thalji and Rebecca Catalanello, Times Staff Writers
Posted: Aug 31, 2009 01:59 PM


TAMPA — He had a book called the Shooter's Bible, a .22-caliber semi-automatic rifle, and a load of ammunition stored in a Pinellas County rental space.

The man accused of killing a Tampa police officer Aug. 19 kept weapons and several firearms-related items in his storage unit located at Public Storage, 4080 E Tampa Road in Oldsmar, according to a search warrant filed in Pinellas County Circuit Court.

Police Cpl. Mike Roberts was on the ground when Humberto Delgado, 34, shot him to death, the warrant says.

The night Roberts encountered Delgado pushing a shopping cart on Nebraska Avenue, police say he was armed with four guns, including a Taurus .45-caliber pistol police now believe was the gun he used to shoot Roberts.
read more here
Cop shooting suspect kept Shooter's Bible

Orange County firefighters say 10-year-old girl is a hero

Orange County firefighters say 10-year-old is a hero

Walter Pacheco

Sentinel Staff Writer

7:57 a.m. EDT, August 31, 2009


A 10-year-old girl ran apartment to apartment Sunday night, warning residents of the flames and smoke that had engulfed their south Orange County apartment building.

Fire and smoke damage displaced six families from their Lancaster Villas apartments, reports show. The little girl, whose name has not been released, is in the hospital this morning for minor injuries she suffered during the overnight blaze.

Neighbors and Orange County firefighters said the child is a hero.

"This little girl, a really great person, saved us," Lancaster Villas resident Jessica Phelps said in a televised newscast. "She ran knocking on all the doors."

Orange County Fire Assistant Chief Jeff Holton called the girl's bravery "really amazing."

Firefighters said her decisive actions saved lives. Her quick response to the fire is due in part to their ongoing campaign to teach Orange County Public School district students fire safety and medical emergency tips.
read more here
Orange County firefighters say 10 year-old is a hero

Local author recognizes that pain of war spans the centuries

Local author recognizes that pain of war spans the centuries
By Chris Bergeron/Daily News staff
The MetroWest Daily News
Posted Aug 31, 2009 @ 12:03 AM
After he began working with Vietnam veterans, Dr. Jonathan Shay heard in their stories the same feelings of grief and betrayal that triggered "the rage of Achilles" in Homer's ancient epic, the "Iliad."

At the Veterans Affairs Outpatient Clinic in Boston in 1987, former grunts spoke to him of the betrayal of "what's right" by officers and politicians. They revealed lingering sorrow over lost comrades and simmering rage that made their homecomings so difficult.

A Harvard-educated psychiatrist who'd never been in the military, Shay made powerful connections with them by writing stories about Homer's heros, Achilles and Odysseus, warriors like them scarred in body and soul.

"From the beginning, I had an interest in the idea that war could damage good character. War hasn't changed in 3,000 years," he said. "The Iliad is about what war has always done to people. Everyone is changed by combat but not everyone is injured."

Looking back, Shay remembers the veterans in that first program as "very rough men who'd experienced severe combat trauma and were given to rages."

"Everyone was an outpatient. There were no locked doors, no court orders. Almost all were from Vietnam," he said. Later, there were a few from World War II and Korea, he said.

Now retired, Shay credits "dumb luck" for helping him reach troubled veterans through stories from Homer's 2,700-year-old poems about the Trojan War and its aftermath.
read more here
Local author recognizes that pain of war spans the centuries

Therapy online: Good as face to face?

Actually in some cases, it's better. The anonymity online help provides is a door opened wider than seeing someone face to face depending on what is behind the therapy needed. People do not have to wonder if they are being judged looking into someone's eyes, feel intimidated or feel as if they have to quickly respond to a question without having time to really think about it.

I am not a therapist. I am a Chaplain, focused on PTSD, as well as the spiritual issues trauma causes. When people come to me, it's online, private and I help them from across the country as well as internationally. In most cases, I don't even know their real name, which is fine with me. The only problem I have with this is when I feel deeply concerned for someone on the ledge. There have been times when I had to try to find out where the person lived so that I could contact law enforcement to do a welfare check on the person. This is rough when I have very little to go on. I try to get as much information as possible but I can't push them. I may have a phone number and a real name, but sometimes it's just an email address.

The other problem with this is when others ask me how I know someone is telling the truth or not. That one is easy because they have nothing to gain by lying to me. I cannot help them with a claim, get them medication, have no money to give them and 99% of the time, they don't even want their story told. There is nothing in it for them to not be truthful. Often it's a matter of gaining trust from them, which is usually a very slow process. The more they trust me, the more they open up. It's also one of the reasons you never see a story from me online talking about any of the people I help unless it is in totally vague terms. A slow posting day is a busy day on the emails. It just works out that way all the time.

The most important thing aside from trust is to know who you are asking for help. If it's a site linked to veterans groups you can go through, like Give An Hour, usually you know you can trust them to give you the best help possible. If you turn to someone just because they have a website or blog, you need to first know as much as you can about them. There have been too many times when someone gives out totally wrong information or gives you the wrong advice even though they may mean you know harm. They just don't know enough and can cause you more pain than you already had.

This is not to slam all bloggers because most of them know what they are talking about when they get into this line of work. Some carry insurance and are licensed. This is done because they are trained to do what they do and take it all very seriously. Others give out great advice because they have been there and can tell you what worked for them. If you run into any advice coming close to suggesting they know the only "cure" for you, run as fast as you can. With PTSD there is no "one size fits all" at all. The only thing that really can be fit into the category of this would be when someone tells you that taking care of your mind, body and spirit works best, but there is no one way of getting there. There are all different faiths and levels of faith/spirituality. Some people say they believe there is a God but have no faith in religious groups. Each one has to be treated where they are as they are. There are also some hacks out there with deep emotional problems of their own and on some kind of power trip. Just keep your eyes open and see if their agenda is to help you or themselves.

PTSD has gotten so out of control that this is going to take all the help the Internet can offer, so the more help available, the better as long as that help is really supportive to you.

Therapy online: Good as face to face?
Story Highlights
Study: Online therapy has same benefit as could be expected from traditional therapy

There are legal issues with offering therapy online to people in other states

How health insurance companies deal with online therapy will affect its use



By Elizabeth Landau
CNN

(CNN) -- Your therapist's name is ELIZA, and she interacts with you through text on a computer screen. However embarrassing or difficult your problem may be, ELIZA will not hesitate to ask you a question about it, or respond graciously, "That is very interesting. Why do you say that?"


Computer-based therapy has come a long way since ELIZA, a 1960s computer program designed to emulate (and parody) a therapist. Today, with the Internet, people can use the instant message format to communicate with real therapists.

A new study in The Lancet suggests that real-time chat therapy with a psychotherapist is successful in helping people with depression.

Participants were randomly assigned to either receive online cognitive behavioral therapy in addition to usual physician care -- which may include antidepressant medication -- or to continue their usual care and be placed on a waiting list. The intervention consisted of up to 10 55-minute sessions, five of which were expected to be completed by the four-month follow-up.

Of the 113 people who did online therapy, 38 percent recovered from depression after four months, compared with 24 percent of people in the control group. The benefits were maintained at eight months, with 42 percent of the online therapy group and 26 percent of the control group having recovered.
read more here
Therapy online

UPDATE on murder of Rev. Carol Daniels

Slaying details of Oklahoma City pastor shocking
Slain pastor was discovered nude in a ‘crucifix position’ at Anadarko church
Buzz up!BY RON JACKSON
Published: August 30, 2009
ANADARKO — Police found the mutilated body of the Rev. Carol Daniels in a "crucifix position” behind her church altar last Sunday, The Oklahoman learned from sources close to the investigation.

Sources confirmed that Daniels’ bloodied corpse appeared to have been left in the form of a cross with both arms outstretched to the sides. Sources also said investigators were disturbed by two other facts at the crime scene:


• The killer took Daniels’ clothes, perhaps to hide evidence or as a grisly trophy.


• The killer methodically took time to spray a dissolving chemical around the body in an apparent effort to destroy any DNA evidence.

Police found Daniels’ nude body at 12:09 p.m. after being notified by an elderly couple who found the Christ Holy Sanctified Church doors locked and the reverend’s vehicle parked in front. A medical examiner’s report obtained through an open records request showed that the killer inflicted deep, gaping wounds to the throat. The wounds nearly decapitated Daniels’ head, said Dr. William Manion, a forensic pathologist in Burlington County, N.J.

Severe lacerations were also found on her left breast, back, stomach and hands — the latter a sign that the 61-year-old Oklahoma City woman likely tried to fight her attacker.

Daniels’ hair was also burned.
read more here
Slaying details of Oklahoma City pastor shocking
linked from RawStory

Shake the Devil Off

Book reviews: 'Shake the Devil Off' by Ethan Brown and 'The Year Before the Flood' by Ned Sublette

12:00 AM CDT on Sunday, August 30, 2009
By BEATRIZ TERRAZAS / Special Contributor to The Dallas Morning News
Beatriz Terrazas is a former Dallas Morning News photographer and writer whose work will be published in TCU Press' upcoming Literary El Paso.

Just in time for Hurricane Katrina's fourth anniversary come two ambitious books set against New Orleans. Both lay bare collective wounds.

In Shake The Devil Off: A True Story of the Murder That Rocked New Orleans, veteran journalist Ethan Brown examines post-traumatic stress disorder through Zackery Bowen, a charismatic soldier in the U.S. Army's 527th MP Company.

Zack, a New Orleans bartender before his enlistment, did tours of duty in Kosovo and Iraq. While overseas, his marriage derailed. Discharged in 2004, he returned with his family to New Orleans only to divorce and begin a turbulent relationship with artist Addie Hall. They were among the holdouts who made headlines by riding out Katrina.

A year later, having survived Kosovo, Iraq and Katrina, Zack made news again by killing Addie, dismembering her body, then killing himself.

One psychiatrist tells Brown that Zack's downward spiral probably had several causes, including the loss of friends in Iraq, the collapse of his marriage and the transition to civilian life. Zack's fellow soldiers express feelings of being forgotten by the rest of America.

But Brown discovers the military, too, is at fault. He cites a VA memo cautioning against PTSD diagnoses: "Consider a diagnosis of Adjustment Disorder ... we really don't have time to do the extensive testing that should be done to determine PTSD." At the same time, the National Institute of Mental Health warned that inadequate mental health care could lead to "postwar suicides among Iraq and Afghanistan vets" exceeding combat deaths.

read more here

Shake the Devil Off

Two firefighters die battling blaze in Los Angeles County

Two firefighters die battling blaze in Los Angeles County
Story Highlights
NEW: Two dead firefighters identified

Fast-growing Los Angeles County wildfire has become 42,000-acre conflagration

So-called Station Fire threatens up to 10,000 homes and 2,000 other structures

LOS ANGELES, California (CNN) -- Fire officials late Sunday identified two firefighters who died accidentally while battling a fast-spreading wildfire in Los Angeles County.

Capt. Tedmund Hall, 47, and Spc. Arnaldo Quinones, 35, were in a vehicle that "went over the side" on Sunday afternoon, according to the Los Angeles Country Fire Department.

They were fighting what is known as the Station Fire, which had spread to 42,000 acres by late Sunday.

Hall was with the department for 26 years and Quinones for eight years.

The accident happened near Acton, about 25 miles north of central Los Angeles, during "intense fire activity that was occurring near Mount Gleason," Deputy Fire Chief Michael Bryant said.
read more here
http://www.cnn.com/2009/US/08/31/california.wildfires/index.html

UPDATE

LA firefighters killed trying to save inmate crew
By CHRISTINA HOAG and JACOB ADELMAN, Associated Press Writers
Monday, August 31, 2009
18:21 PDT LOS ANGELES (AP) --

As the roaring wall of flame raged through the Angeles National Forest, firefighters Ted Hall and Arnie Quinones worked feverishly to protect their fire-crew camp, made up mostly of prison inmates.

read more hereLA firefighters killed trying to save inmate crew

Police: 'No known suspects' in 8 Georgia deaths

Police: 'No known suspects' in 8 Georgia deaths
Story Highlights
Police: Someone not in custody may have information about the deaths

Seven found dead Saturday at mobile home park residence in Brunswick, Georgia

One other victim died Sunday, 9th victim still in critical condition Sunday

Police said they have been called to the home before, but would not say why

(CNN) -- Authorities believe at least one person not in custody may have information about the deaths of eight people in a Georgia mobile home, Glynn County Police Chief Matt Doering said Sunday.

Seven people were found dead Saturday at a residence in a mobile home park in Brunswick, Georgia.

"I'm confident to say that there's somebody, at least an individual, that we would like to know about that's not at the scene," whether or not they were directly involved in the case, Doering said.

Seven people were found dead Saturday at a residence in the New Hope mobile home park in Brunswick, Georgia. Two others were hospitalized in critical condition, and one of them died Sunday, authorities said.

Police have "no known suspects," Doering told reporters Sunday afternoon. "We are not looking for any known suspects. That doesn't say that there are no suspects. They're just not known to us."
go here for more
http://www.cnn.com/2009/CRIME/08/30/georgia.killings/index.html

Veterans Demand Apology from GOP and FOX for Lies About VA

Veterans are not stupid. Stop treating them like they are
Veterans groups blast right wingers
Senator John McCain, uses VA but thinks veterans are stupid

Veterans Demand Apology from GOP and FOX for Lies About VA
Written by Veterans for Common Sense
Thursday, 27 August 2009 12:36
August 27, 2009 - The claim that the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) has a manual encouraging veterans to "commit suicide," made by Republican National Committee Chairman Michael Steele, is an asinine assertion with no basis in fact.

Steele made the charge two days ago (August 25th) on FOX News. Steele's egregious comments are an outrageous slander against VA designed to create an atmosphere of mistrust and fear among the millions of our veterans who rely on the VA for medical care. Veterans demand an apology from Steele and FOX News.

"Let me be absolutely clear, Steele lied. There is no VA manual encouraging veterans to commit suicide," said Paul Sullivan, the executive director of VCS, a non-profit based in Washington, DC providing advocacy for veterans, especially veterans with mental health conditions.

Here is the full text of Steele's comments:

"If you want an example of bad public policy, let's look at this situation with our veterans where you have a manual out there, telling our veterans stuff like, ‘Are you really a value to your community?' and, you know, encouraging them to commit suicide. This is crazy coming from the government, and this is exactly what concerns people, what puts them in fear of what government controlled health care, of health care, will look like."

go here for more

Veterans Demand Apology from GOP and FOX for Lies About VA

Law keeps veterans with post-traumatic stress disorder out of jail

Law keeps veterans with post-traumatic stress disorder out of jail
By Chris Roberts / El Paso Times
Posted: 08/30/2009 12:00:00 AM MDT


EL PASO -- Combat veterans with post-traumatic stress disorder who are accused of certain crimes may soon have a choice between a trial or mental-health treatment.

El Paso judges last week took the first step in creating a Veterans Mental Health Treatment Court. They authorized the program for Judge Ricardo Herrera's county criminal court.

"I just think we need to get ahead of the curve a little bit and get this in place," said Herrera, who proposed the idea to the Council of Judges.

He said the court would make sense for El Paso because of Fort Bliss and its explosive growth. The post has about 20,000 active-duty soldiers and is expected to grow to 34,000 by 2013.

The court would be geared to active-duty soldiers or veterans who served in combat zones or other hazardous assignments and suffer from post-traumatic stress disorder, said Cesar Prieto, who works in Herrera's court.

He said the court for veterans would include felonies and misdemeanors, but not the most serious crimes, such as murder and rape. Prosecutors would have to approve a defendant's participation in the program.
read more here
http://www.elpasotimes.com/ci_13232775?source=most_emailed

Miami Heat's Tim James from NBA to Spc. Tim James in Iraq

Former NBA player now with Army in Iraq

By Tim Reynolds - The Associated Press
Posted : Sunday Aug 30, 2009 13:49:27 EDT

MIAMI — Tim James apologized for being late. A rough day at work, said the Miami Heat’s 1999 first-round draft pick. Vehicles broke down, problems flared up, and he simply fell behind.

“It happens,” James said. “Even here.”

Even here — on the front line of the Iraq war.

A former NBA player who often wondered about his true calling, Tim James is now a soldier, a transformation that even many of the people closest to him never saw coming.

“I got my degree, lived the life I was able, have my freedom and became a professional athlete,” James said last week from Iraq. “I’m the example of the American dream.”

James is at Camp Speicher, the massive base near Tikrit, 85 miles north of Baghdad, not far from Saddam Hussein’s hometown and where insurgents still are a perpetual threat. For Miami Northwestern High, the Miami Hurricanes, three NBA teams and some foreign clubs, he was forward Tim James. For the Army, he’s Spc. Tim James of Task Force ODIN — short for Observe, Detect, Identify, Neutralize.
read more here
Former NBA player now with Army in Iraq

Woman finds way to help following her own tragedy

We all play the "what if" game after things happen and wonder what we could have done differently, said differently to prevent it, especially when someone commits suicide.

A neighbor back home in Massachusetts, went to wake up her son for work and found him hanging in his closet. She had no idea he was in such pain emotionally. No one in the family did. His friends didn't know. They all looked back asking "what if" and wondering what they missed. He didn't let them know. He hid it well.

My husband's nephew, another Vietnam vet, was the same age as my husband. He knew what I did with PTSD and veterans, but no matter how hard I tried to talk to him, he just wouldn't listen. I kept trying, wondering what I was saying wrong, or not saying, wondering how I could reach him. He committed suicide because he had given up. His girlfriend was a therapist. She was lost after this happened and wondering what she missed, what she could have done differently and so was I. The truth is, I still wonder and play the "what if" games in my head. His death still affects everyone.

We can't reach everyone but we can try. We can do the best we can, listen to them, be there for them, try to get them to talk, but we cannot force them. Sometimes I think we are always looking for that magic word that will open their mind and unlock the hold darkness has on them. Wanting to find the key is not the same as finding it and then we are left with regret even though we did all we could.

I still want to save everyone, but I know I can't. No one really can and experts tell us to focus on those we save. While comforting enough to keep doing this work, it is the losses that hang on.

When someone in your life commits suicide, you need support too. It is a shock. You do not come past any of this unchanged. Acknowledge that. Talk to someone you trust and if not, then talk to a professional. Above all, understand that you are not God and do not know everything, nor are you expected to. We all do the best we can in that moment with what we understood in that moment and we cared enough to try.

Dealing with suicide
Woman finds way to help following her own tragedy
By R.E. Spears III (Contact) Suffolk News-Herald

Published Saturday, August 29, 2009

Russell Neblett was a well-respected man in the Suffolk’s Bethlehem community.

A deacon and Sunday School teacher at Bethlehem Christian Church, he had led a youth group with his wife, Therese for several years. He was a member and past president of the Bethlehem Ruritan Club.

He was a devoted father, encouraging his two sons and one daughter through years of baseball, piano, band, field hockey and soccer.

“We had a love that most couples don’t have these days,” Therese recalls. Her husband, always a bit of a joker, would send her flowers each Groundhog Day, just to be different from all the other husbands who would be sending their wives flowers on Valentine’s Day.

Somehow, shockingly, everything fell apart on May 10, 2008.

That was the day that Neblett’s wife came home and found him dead by his own hand in a recliner.

For Therese and her children, the months that have followed have been a struggle. They’ve tried to understand what was going on in Russell Neblett’s mind when he shot himself. They’ve tried to overcome feelings of anger and guilt.

The wounds left on the survivors have often been kept fresh by the constant picking of “What if … ?” in the backs of their minds, especially for the woman he left widowed after 31 years of marriage.
read more here
http://www.suffolknewsherald.com/news/2009/aug/29/dealing-suicide/

Tammy Duckworth: VA official, war amputee is flying again

Tammy Duckworth: VA official, war amputee is flying again
'I leave my wheelchair behind up in the air," Hoffman Estates woman says
Tammy Duckworth flying again