U.S. troops in Japan rescue man from fiery crash
By T.D. Flack, Stars and Stripes
Pacific edition, Saturday, August 29, 2009
MISAWA AIR BASE, Japan — U.S. troops from Misawa say they were simply acting on instinct when they rushed toward a fiery car crash on a dark country road Aug. 15 to save an unconscious Japanese man.
"I was just doing what I would want someone to do for me if I was in that guy’s spot," said Senior Airman Thomas Sullivan, who works with the 35th Medical Support Squadron.
Sullivan, Airman 1st Class Justin Bunton, a firefighter, and Tech Sgt. Rory Stark, an explosive ordnance disposal specialist, braved the heat of the fire to carry the man to safety, according to base and Japanese officials.
They were part of a group of about 30 airmen returning from a trip on a base tour bus when they came upon what Sullivan first thought was a "big bonfire" next to some Japanese homes along the road.
When they realized that it was the scene of a car crash — and that there was a man lying on the road next to a car and garage engulfed in flames — they stopped the bus to help. About five or six other airmen — including Airman 1st Class Aaron Lauer, with the 35th Maintenance Operations Squadron — also ran from the bus to help.
read more here
http://www.stripes.com/article.asp?section=104&article=64424
Thursday, August 27, 2009
August tied for deadliest month in Afghan war
August tied for deadliest month in Afghan war
By Amir Shah - The Associated Press
Posted : Thursday Aug 27, 2009 17:59:42 EDT
KABUL — A U.S. service member died Thursday in a militant attack involving a roadside bomb and gunfire, a death that pushed August into a tie with July as the deadliest months of the eight-year war.
The death brings to 44 the number of U.S. troops who have died in Afghanistan this month. But with four days left in the month, August could set a record.
More than 60,000 U.S. troops are now in the country — a record number — to combat rising insurgent violence. The number of roadside bombs deployed by militants across the country has skyrocketed, and U.S. forces have moved into new and deadlier areas of the country this summer, in part to help secure the country’s Aug. 20 presidential election.
read more here
http://www.armytimes.com/news/2009/08/ap_afghanistan_082709/
08/27/09 : DoD Identifies Army Casualties (4 of 4)
Pfc. Dennis M. Williams,
24, of Federal Way, Wash...died Aug. 25 in southern Afghanistan, of wounds suffered when enemy forces attacked their vehicle with an improvised explosive device.
08/27/09 : DoD Identifies Army Casualties (3 of 4)
Sgt. 1st Class Ronald W. Sawyer,
38, of Trenton, Mo...died Aug. 25 in southern Afghanistan, of wounds suffered when enemy forces attacked their vehicle with an improvised explosive device.
08/27/09 : DoD Identifies Army Casualties (2 of 4)
Capt. Cory J. Jenkins,
30, of Arizona...died Aug. 25 in southern Afghanistan, of wounds suffered when enemy forces attacked their vehicle with an improvised explosive device.
08/27/09 : DoD Identifies Army Casualties (1 of 4)
Capt. John L. Hallett III,
30, of California...died Aug. 25 in southern Afghanistan, of wounds suffered when enemy forces attacked their vehicle with an improvised explosive device.
08/27/09 : DoD Identifies Marine Casualty
Lance Cpl. Donald J. Hogan,
20, of San Clemente, Calif., died Aug. 26 while supporting combat operations in Helmand province, Afghanistan. He was assigned to 1st Battalion, 5th Marine Regiment, 1st Marine Division, I Marine Expeditionary Force...
Pfc. Dennis M. Williams,
24, of Federal Way, Wash...died Aug. 25 in southern Afghanistan, of wounds suffered when enemy forces attacked their vehicle with an improvised explosive device.
08/27/09 : DoD Identifies Army Casualties (3 of 4)
Sgt. 1st Class Ronald W. Sawyer,
38, of Trenton, Mo...died Aug. 25 in southern Afghanistan, of wounds suffered when enemy forces attacked their vehicle with an improvised explosive device.
08/27/09 : DoD Identifies Army Casualties (2 of 4)
Capt. Cory J. Jenkins,
30, of Arizona...died Aug. 25 in southern Afghanistan, of wounds suffered when enemy forces attacked their vehicle with an improvised explosive device.
08/27/09 : DoD Identifies Army Casualties (1 of 4)
Capt. John L. Hallett III,
30, of California...died Aug. 25 in southern Afghanistan, of wounds suffered when enemy forces attacked their vehicle with an improvised explosive device.
08/27/09 : DoD Identifies Marine Casualty
Lance Cpl. Donald J. Hogan,
20, of San Clemente, Calif., died Aug. 26 while supporting combat operations in Helmand province, Afghanistan. He was assigned to 1st Battalion, 5th Marine Regiment, 1st Marine Division, I Marine Expeditionary Force...
It seems as if AP has missed the biggest point of all. This is already the deadliest year in Afghanistan. Last year US deaths were 155, this year already it is 175. Coalition forces last year was 139 and so far this year 139.
click link back to ICasualties and find out what the troops are going through there. By the way, there are still troops in Iraq in case any of your friends forgot because I know you didn't.
$70 million project but veterans still waited
When I write/talk about what went on over the last eight years, how there are some people in this country deciding they didn't want to talk about it, I have been deadly serious. This should have never, ever gotten as bad as it did and it wouldn't have if everyone in this country actually acted like adults, valued truth over spin and maybe spent some time tuning into CSPAN to actually find out what was really going on.
Now think of this. All this money allocated, veterans wait even longer and who was in charge when all of this was happening? Read this and if your blood is not boiling, then keep reading.
But 2003 there was still a huge problem going on.
This was from 2005.
Now put it all together and then try to remember a time when you heard about any of this on cable TV show you watch or the talk radio show you listen to. They thought you'd never find out. So are you finally getting the message that all of these false outrages are cover ups from people that just don't care about veterans but do care about power? As bad as these reports are, it only got worse. Do you still want to defend Republicans or Democrats no matter what they've done or do you now plan on defending veterans?
Now think of this. All this money allocated, veterans wait even longer and who was in charge when all of this was happening? Read this and if your blood is not boiling, then keep reading.
Report: No oversight for $70M program at VA
By Kimberly Hefling - The Associated Press
Posted : Thursday Aug 27, 2009 17:22:40 EDT
WASHINGTON — The inspector general for the Veterans Affairs Department says that agency managers were aware of serious problems with a $70 million project to replace its hospital appointment system several years before the VA dropped the program.
The VA announced the project in 2000 after complaints from veterans about long waits to make appointments. It was halted this year.
The inspector general says that managers didn't take timely and appropriate action to address problems, even as millions more were put into the program.
VA Secretary Eric Shinseki has since ordered improvements in the VA's information technology management. But the IG says that the VA still needs more qualified staff.
http://www.armytimes.com/news/2009/08/ap_va_oversight_082709/
But 2003 there was still a huge problem going on.
H.R. 3094, the “Veterans Timely Access to Health Care Act”Oh but that's not all. While some people in this country were fully supporting their elected just because they said they supported and cared about veterans, this is what was going on.
H.R. 3094 would establish standards of access to care within the VA health system. Under the provisions of this legislation, the VA will be required to provide a primary care appointment to veterans seeking health care within 30 days of a request for an appointment. If a VA facility is unable to meet the 30-day standard for a veteran, then the VA must make an appointment for that veteran with a non-VA provider, thereby contracting out the health care service. The legislation also requires the Secretary of the VA to report to Congress each quarter of a fiscal year on the efforts of the VA health system to meet this 30-day access standard.
Access is indeed a critical concern of PVA. The number of veterans seeking health care from the VA in recent years has risen dramatically. Since 1995, the number of veterans enrolled in the VA has risen from approximately 2.9 million to more than 5 million. Despite the Secretary’s decision to close enrollment of Category 8 veterans earlier this year, the numbers of enrolled veterans only continues to increase as we begin adding new veterans from the war in Iraq and Afghanistan.
Unfortunately, VA health-care resources do not meet the increased demand for services and the system is unable to absorb this significant increase. With tens of thousands of veterans on a waiting list, waiting at least six months or more for care, VA has now reached capacity at many health-care facilities and closed enrollment to new patients at many hospitals and clinics. Additionally, VA has placed a moratorium on all marketing and outreach activities to veterans and determined there is a need to give the most severely service-connected disabled veterans a priority for care.
To ensure that all service-connected disabled veterans, and all other enrolled veterans, are able to access the system in a timely manner, it is imperative that our government provide an adequate health-care budget to enable VA to serve the needs of veterans nationwide. Access standards without sufficient funding are standards in name only. PVA is concerned that contracting health care services to private facilities when access standards are not met is not an appropriate enforcement mechanism for ensuring access to care. As we stated with regard to H.R. 2379, paying for contract care out of an already inadequate VA health care appropriation draws even more resources away from the funds needed to pay for VA’s core services. Likewise, contracting out to private providers will leave the VA with the difficult task of ensuring that veterans seeking treatment at non-VA facilities are receiving quality health care. We do think that access standards are important, but we believe that the answer to providing timely care is in providing sufficient funding in the first place in order to negate the impetus driving health care rationing. For these reasons, PVA cannot support H.R. 3094.
PVA appreciates the efforts of this Committee to ensure that veterans receive timely access to care. However, we must emphasize that the VA will continue to struggle to provide timely access without adequate funding provided by this Congress. We look forward to working with this Committee to ensure that veterans not only receive timely access to care, but high quality care as well.
PVA would like to thank you for the opportunity to testify today. I would be happy to answer any questions that you might have.
read more here
http://veterans.house.gov/hearings/schedule108/sep03/9-30-03/cblake.html
This was from 2005.
Snapshot of How VA Budget Shortfall is Hurting Veterans’
Access to Safe and Timely Care across the Nation
The VA claims that by shifting funds dedicated to replace old equipment and conduct maintenance the department can address its budget shortfall and meet veterans’ demand for timely, high–quality health care. The following snapshots from across the nation reflect the stark reality of the budget shortfall on veterans’ access to safe, high quality care.
The 3 surgical operating rooms at the White River Junction VAMC in Vermont had to be closed on June 27 because the heating, ventilation, and air conditioning system was broken and had not been repaired due to the siphoning of maintenance funds to cover the budget shortfall.
The VAMC in San Antonio could not provide a paraplegic veteran with a special machine to help clean a chronic wound because the facility did not have the equipment dollars.
The VAMC in Lebanon, Pennsylvania, closed its Geriatric Evaluation and Management Unit which does extensive case management to help elderly veterans increase their functioning and remain at home.
The Community Based Outpatient Clinics (CBOCs) needed to meet veterans’ increased demand for care in the North Florida/South Georgia VA Healthcare System have been delayed due to fiscal constraints. The Gainesville facility has made progress in reducing its wait lists, but as of April there were nearly 700 service-connected veterans waiting for more than 30 days for an appointment.
VA Medical Centers in VISN 16, which includes Arkansas, Oklahoma, Mississippi and Louisiana and part of Texas, have stopped scheduling appointments for many veterans who are eligible for care, pending available resources.
Even though the VA Palo Alto, California, Health Care System has used $3 million in capital funds for operating needs, as of March 1 more than 1,000 new patients had to wait more than 30 days for a primary care appointment. A third of these new patients had to wait more than 3 months. More than 5,000 patients had to wait more than 30 days for a specialty care appointment. Roughly 1,400 had to wait more than 3 months.
The replacement of the fire alarm system at the Loma Linda VAMC in California won’t be done this year because the facility is using most of its capital funds to cover operating expenses.
The White River Junction VAMC in Vermont struggling with a $525,000 shortfall in its prosthetics budget.
Because the FY 2005 budget is inadequate, the facility has not been allowed to hire 3 additional mental health care staff and 3 additional Registered Nurses for the ICU. Nurses in the ICU have been forced to work double shifts, which this Committee has found to be an unsafe patient practice.
Even though the San Diego VAMC expects to exceed its goal in medical care cost collections, it will divert $3.5 million of non-recurring maintenance funds to partially cover operating expenses, and has delayed filling 131 vacant positions for 3 months. The facility has a waiting list for patients of 750 veterans.
Because the Iowa City VAMC had to shift maintenance funds and equipment funds to cover a FY 2004 million shortfall of $3.2 million in medical care expenses in FY 2004, the facility is facing severe infrastructure problems and a larger shortfall of $6.8 million in FY 2005 that puts patient care and safety at risk. The facility wanted to spend $950,000 in non-recurring maintenance funds last year to prevent a mechanical failure of the electrical switcher, which would close the facility, but was required to use those funds to cover a budget shortfall in medical care last year. As a result in FY 2005, the VA must divert $1.5 million of medical care funds to maintain the key electrical switchgear for the hospital.
Recently, a motor failed on a hospital bed, which the VA planned to replace but couldn’t because of the shortfall, causing a fire with the patient on the bed. Fortunately the patient was able to get out of the bed safely, but the facility was forced to expend $700,000 of medical care dollars to replace all the beds, which thanks to the diligence of VA staff lasted 7 years beyond their life expectancy. The facility could not use capital funds to replace the very old beds because the money had already been siphoned off to cover medical care.
To bring the shortfall down to $6.2 million the facility has delayed hiring staff for 4 months. The deliberate short staffing of nurses on the psychiatric ward – as a means to correct the budget shortfall -- has forced the VA to cut the beds available for treatment in half.
As a result of cost cutting measures to make up for the shortfall in FY 2005, the Portland, Oregon, VAMC is delaying all non-emergent surgery by at least six months. For example, veterans in need of knee replacement surgery won’t be treated because of the budget shortfall.
Since FY 2002, the Portland VAMC has had to use its equipment and non-recurring maintenance funds to cover medical care expenses. For FY 2005 the facility needed $13 million for medical and clinical equipment but only received $2 million.
The facility is reducing staff as a cost-cutting measure and is now short at least 150 hospital staff, including nurses, physicians, and social workers. As a result of budget cuts for staffing, the VA has cut the number of medical beds available to care for veterans.
Veterans in need of outpatient psychiatric treatment at the Portland facility are on a waiting list because of the budget shortfall.
The Biloxi, Mississippi, VAMC has diverted maintenance dollars to meet operating expenses for the past two years but the facility will not be able to balance its budget without reducing staffing levels at a time when the Gulf Coast Veterans Health Care System has approximately 100 new veterans seeking enrollment each week.
Fifty percent of all the veterans receiving home health care through the San Antonio VAMC will now have to fend for themselves. This cost-cutting measure means that some 250 veterans, including those with spinal cord injuries, will no longer be provided this care.
The VA Connecticut Healthcare System is facing a major budgetary challenge of sending veterans to non-VA facilities for hospitalizations because the VA has a shortage of beds to care for veterans and staff.
Due to the budget shortfall, the VA facility in Bay Pines, Florida, has been forced to put veterans who have a service-connected illness or disability rating of less than 50% on a waiting list for primary care appointments. As of late April, some 7,000 veterans will be waiting longer than 30 days for a primary care appointment.
Prepared by the Democratic staff of the House Veterans’ Affairs Committee
http://veterans.house.gov/democratic/budget/snapshot6-29-05.htm
Now put it all together and then try to remember a time when you heard about any of this on cable TV show you watch or the talk radio show you listen to. They thought you'd never find out. So are you finally getting the message that all of these false outrages are cover ups from people that just don't care about veterans but do care about power? As bad as these reports are, it only got worse. Do you still want to defend Republicans or Democrats no matter what they've done or do you now plan on defending veterans?
Fallen Lewis County deputy honored
Fallen Lewis County deputy honored
By Keith Eldridge
LEWIS COUNTY, Wash. - Law enforcement officers from all over the region gathered alongside friends and family members of Dep. Mike Gallagher to pay tribute to his life and service.
Gallagher died from his injuries last week after an elk hit his patrol car as he was responding to a domestic violence call near Packwood.
Wednesday's memorial service was held at St. Martin's University in Thurston County as no venue in Lewis County was big enough to house the crowd honoring the public servant.
Gallagher is survived by his wife Andrea and his two children, daughter Alex and son Andrew
By Keith Eldridge
LEWIS COUNTY, Wash. - Law enforcement officers from all over the region gathered alongside friends and family members of Dep. Mike Gallagher to pay tribute to his life and service.
Gallagher died from his injuries last week after an elk hit his patrol car as he was responding to a domestic violence call near Packwood.
Wednesday's memorial service was held at St. Martin's University in Thurston County as no venue in Lewis County was big enough to house the crowd honoring the public servant.
Gallagher is survived by his wife Andrea and his two children, daughter Alex and son Andrew
He had a distinguished career in the Army, and was offered a position in the secret service. Gallagher declined, however, so that he could spend more time with his young family. Instead he chose a law enforcement career in the Lewis County Sheriffs office.
read more here
http://www.komonews.com/news/local/55199902.html
Wednesday, August 19, 2009
Deputy killed in crash elk was Army veteran
Girl missing 18 years walked into sheriff's office
Girl missing since 1991 found alive; two arrested
Story Highlights
NEW: Two arrested in case of girl missing for 18 years, police say
Jaycee Dugard in good health, California sheriff's office says
FBI earlier told family that woman identified herself as missing girl, stepfather says
Dugard disappeared in South Lake Tahoe, California, at age 11 in 1991
By Taylor Gandossy
CNN
(CNN) -- A girl abducted in 1991 as an 11-year-old has been found alive in California, the El Dorado County sheriff's office said Thursday.
Jaycee Dugard is in good health, the office said in a statement, but provided no details.
Jimmy Lee, a spokesman for the Contra Costa County Sheriff's Department, confirmed that a man and a woman have been arrested in connection with the case, but could provide no other details.
Earlier Thursday, Carl Probyn, Dugard's stepfather, told CNN that an FBI agent had called his wife, Terry, on Wednesday afternoon to tell her that Dugard had been found.
The girl was last seen walking to her bus stop in South Lake Tahoe, California, on June 10, 1991, according to the FBI.
read more here
http://www.cnn.com/2009/CRIME/08/27/california.missing.girl/index.html
Story Highlights
NEW: Two arrested in case of girl missing for 18 years, police say
Jaycee Dugard in good health, California sheriff's office says
FBI earlier told family that woman identified herself as missing girl, stepfather says
Dugard disappeared in South Lake Tahoe, California, at age 11 in 1991
By Taylor Gandossy
CNN
(CNN) -- A girl abducted in 1991 as an 11-year-old has been found alive in California, the El Dorado County sheriff's office said Thursday.
Jaycee Dugard is in good health, the office said in a statement, but provided no details.
Jimmy Lee, a spokesman for the Contra Costa County Sheriff's Department, confirmed that a man and a woman have been arrested in connection with the case, but could provide no other details.
Earlier Thursday, Carl Probyn, Dugard's stepfather, told CNN that an FBI agent had called his wife, Terry, on Wednesday afternoon to tell her that Dugard had been found.
The girl was last seen walking to her bus stop in South Lake Tahoe, California, on June 10, 1991, according to the FBI.
read more here
http://www.cnn.com/2009/CRIME/08/27/california.missing.girl/index.html
Tow truck driver, finds baby in car to be towed away
Tampa tow truck driver takes parked car with a baby on board
By Robbyn Mitchell, Time Staff Writer
In Print: Thursday, August 27, 2009
TAMPA — The tiny foot popped into view just as the tow truck driver pulled over to call in and let his bosses know he had picked up an illegally parked Nissan at an apartment complex.
John Davenport looked more closely and discovered there was a 13-month-old boy in the car he had just loaded onto his truck Tuesday night at Park Terrace Apartments.
"They need to be put under the jail for that," he said. "You just don't leave a child in a car for a second. You just don't do that."
The baby was asleep, buckled into a child safety seat in the back of the 1995 Nissan. Davenport, 31, of Tampa said the windows were just barely cracked.
"It wasn't even open enough for a dog," he said.
read more here
Tampa tow truck driver takes parked car with a baby on board
By Robbyn Mitchell, Time Staff Writer
In Print: Thursday, August 27, 2009
TAMPA — The tiny foot popped into view just as the tow truck driver pulled over to call in and let his bosses know he had picked up an illegally parked Nissan at an apartment complex.
John Davenport looked more closely and discovered there was a 13-month-old boy in the car he had just loaded onto his truck Tuesday night at Park Terrace Apartments.
"They need to be put under the jail for that," he said. "You just don't leave a child in a car for a second. You just don't do that."
The baby was asleep, buckled into a child safety seat in the back of the 1995 Nissan. Davenport, 31, of Tampa said the windows were just barely cracked.
"It wasn't even open enough for a dog," he said.
read more here
Tampa tow truck driver takes parked car with a baby on board
Deputies: Trustee stole from slain UCF officer's trust fund
This was less than $5,000, but if true it would mean that this betrayal had no conscience at all. Millions, could have been tempting for the greedy. I'll give you that. But less than $5,000? That shows no limits to the depths a person is willing to sink to. I really hope that this turns out to be one huge misunderstanding and no one tried to take advantage of the kindness of others for this widow. I will hang onto that hope until all the evidence comes out, but after being stunned over and over again, I have a feeling this will be one more case of the worst people are capable of.
Deputies: Trustee stole from slain UCF officer's trust fund
Susan Jacobson
Sentinel Staff Writer
11:31 p.m. EDT, August 26, 2009
A deputy's wife has been arrested on a charge of stealing from a trust fund meant to help the family of a University of Central Florida police officer killed on duty.
Bambi Darcey, 33, was a friend of the family of Mario Jenkins, who was mistakenly gunned down by a reserve Orlando police officer while both were working a UCF football game at the Citrus Bowl in September 2005.
Darcey was trustee of the Officer Mario Jenkins Memorial Trust Fund. Darcey told Jenkins' widow, Valerie, that she would transfer that responsibility to Valerie Jenkins, according to arrest paperwork.
read more here
Trustee stole from slain UCF officer trust fund
Indictment handed down in killings of Sgt. Christina Smith, Spc.Megan Touma
3 Bragg soldiers indicted in 2 deaths
The Associated Press
Posted : Thursday Aug 27, 2009 9:12:28 EDT
FAYETTEVILLE, N.C. — A North Carolina grand jury has indicted three Fort Bragg soldiers who police had previously charged with killing two female soldiers in separate attacks last year.
read more here
3 Bragg soldiers indicted in 2 deaths
The Associated Press
Posted : Thursday Aug 27, 2009 9:12:28 EDT
FAYETTEVILLE, N.C. — A North Carolina grand jury has indicted three Fort Bragg soldiers who police had previously charged with killing two female soldiers in separate attacks last year.
read more here
3 Bragg soldiers indicted in 2 deaths
Vietnam vet re-enlists, deploys with wife
Vietnam vet re-enlists, deploys with wife
The Associated Press
Posted : Thursday Aug 27, 2009 9:51:16 EDT
SPRINGFIELD, Ill. — Vietnam veteran Jim Jones didn’t feel comfortable sitting at home while his wife deployed to Afghanistan.
So Jones decided to come out of retirement from the Illinois Army National Guard and join her. He made the decision to join his wife, Julie, as she was training in Indiana last year.
read more here
Vietnam vet re enlists deploys with wife
The Associated Press
Posted : Thursday Aug 27, 2009 9:51:16 EDT
SPRINGFIELD, Ill. — Vietnam veteran Jim Jones didn’t feel comfortable sitting at home while his wife deployed to Afghanistan.
So Jones decided to come out of retirement from the Illinois Army National Guard and join her. He made the decision to join his wife, Julie, as she was training in Indiana last year.
read more here
Vietnam vet re enlists deploys with wife
20 injured in vehicle rollover at Fort Sill
20 injured in vehicle rollover at Sill
The Associated Press
Posted : Thursday Aug 27, 2009 7:47:09 EDT
LAWTON, Okla. — Officials at Fort Sill say about 20 soldiers were injured when the five-ton truck they were in rolled over.
A statement from the base says none of the injuries are considered life-threatening — although one soldier was flown to an Oklahoma City hospital.
The soldiers with the 3rd Battalion, 378th Regiment, were hurt about 3 p.m. Wednesday when the truck rolled as the driver tried to avoid an animal.
http://www.armytimes.com/news/2009/08/ap_army_sill_rollover_082709/
The Associated Press
Posted : Thursday Aug 27, 2009 7:47:09 EDT
LAWTON, Okla. — Officials at Fort Sill say about 20 soldiers were injured when the five-ton truck they were in rolled over.
A statement from the base says none of the injuries are considered life-threatening — although one soldier was flown to an Oklahoma City hospital.
The soldiers with the 3rd Battalion, 378th Regiment, were hurt about 3 p.m. Wednesday when the truck rolled as the driver tried to avoid an animal.
http://www.armytimes.com/news/2009/08/ap_army_sill_rollover_082709/
Feds sue to recover cash sent to dead veteran
When a veteran receiving disability checks dies, the family has to notify the VA. This is not a case of a family member deciding to keep the money. It was automatically deposited into the bank account of this veteran. What this does end up doing is cause everyone reading this to wonder, how many others is this happening to? After all, we've all read about homeless, forgotten veterans, long forgotten by families. Some of them could have walked away from everything, including disability checks. Impossible? No not really.
When they give up, they give up all the way. There should be some way of keeping track of our veterans and knowing if they are dead or alive.
Funeral home operators notify social security and in the case of veterans, they notify the VA. So how did it happen that the VA didn't know they were sending checks to a veteran laid to rest? When my Dad died, the funeral home notified the VA and so did we. When my father-in-law died, we didn't have to notify the VA because he never had a claim. We couldn't even get help to bury him even though he was a WWII veteran with a Purple Heart and a Bronze Star. When my Mom died, again, we notified the VA and social security along with her pension.
How many others are slipping through the cracks? Is anyone checking? Aren't there rules to go by all the way around the country? Raises a lot of questions that need to be answered.
When they give up, they give up all the way. There should be some way of keeping track of our veterans and knowing if they are dead or alive.
Funeral home operators notify social security and in the case of veterans, they notify the VA. So how did it happen that the VA didn't know they were sending checks to a veteran laid to rest? When my Dad died, the funeral home notified the VA and so did we. When my father-in-law died, we didn't have to notify the VA because he never had a claim. We couldn't even get help to bury him even though he was a WWII veteran with a Purple Heart and a Bronze Star. When my Mom died, again, we notified the VA and social security along with her pension.
How many others are slipping through the cracks? Is anyone checking? Aren't there rules to go by all the way around the country? Raises a lot of questions that need to be answered.
Feds sue to recover cash sent to dead veteran
Associated Press
2:07 p.m. CDT, August 26, 2009
DETROIT - The federal government says it mistakenly gave more than $50,000 to a dead Detroit man. Now it wants the money back.
The government recently filed a lawsuit in federal court in Detroit, seeking to have the state of Michigan turn over the money.
read more here
Feds sue to recover cash sent to dead veteran
Red Cross, National Guard trying to head off suicide
August 26, 2009
Red Cross, National Guard trying to head off suicide
When members of the West Virginia National Guard's 821st Engineering Company came home from Iraq in the spring of 2008, they were hailed as heroes. But along with their gear and their memories, some members of the unit brought with them the ghosts of combat and stress.
By Rusty Marks
Staff writer
Advertiser
CHARLESTON, W.Va. -- When members of the West Virginia National Guard's 821st Engineering Company came home from Iraq in the spring of 2008, they were hailed as heroes.
But along with their gear and their memories, some members of the unit brought with them the ghosts of combat and stress. In March, one of the members of the 821st shot himself.
"He had been back for 10 months," said Staff Sgt. Travis Willard, manager of the suicide prevention program for the West Virginia National Guard.
Willard said the soldier had been going through a divorce, and had been seeing a professional about his problems. "At one point he discontinued his treatment," Willard said. "He just stopped going."
Members of the American Red Cross and West Virginia National Guard teamed up Wednesday to present a Suicide Prevention and Military Families Workshop at Charleston's Embassy Suites Hotel.
About 50 people -- mostly health providers, behavioral health professionals and family advocates -- came to find out more about spotting service members at risk for suicide and how to stop suicidal thoughts before it's too late.
read more here
http://wvgazette.com/News/200908260754
Red Cross, National Guard trying to head off suicide
When members of the West Virginia National Guard's 821st Engineering Company came home from Iraq in the spring of 2008, they were hailed as heroes. But along with their gear and their memories, some members of the unit brought with them the ghosts of combat and stress.
By Rusty Marks
Staff writer
Advertiser
CHARLESTON, W.Va. -- When members of the West Virginia National Guard's 821st Engineering Company came home from Iraq in the spring of 2008, they were hailed as heroes.
But along with their gear and their memories, some members of the unit brought with them the ghosts of combat and stress. In March, one of the members of the 821st shot himself.
"He had been back for 10 months," said Staff Sgt. Travis Willard, manager of the suicide prevention program for the West Virginia National Guard.
Willard said the soldier had been going through a divorce, and had been seeing a professional about his problems. "At one point he discontinued his treatment," Willard said. "He just stopped going."
Members of the American Red Cross and West Virginia National Guard teamed up Wednesday to present a Suicide Prevention and Military Families Workshop at Charleston's Embassy Suites Hotel.
About 50 people -- mostly health providers, behavioral health professionals and family advocates -- came to find out more about spotting service members at risk for suicide and how to stop suicidal thoughts before it's too late.
read more here
http://wvgazette.com/News/200908260754
Deacon Bob Little, Vietnam Vet, Air Force Major, killed in accident
Three tours of Vietnam, Gulf War, Deputy Sheriff and the list goes on.
Deacon Bob Little - 1946 - 2009
By David Stoneberg
STAFF WRITER
Thursday, August 27, 2009
Deacon Bob Little of the St. Helena Catholic Church died Sunday morning following a crash about 10 miles north of Laytonville in Humboldt County.
According to Sgt. Jim Malner of the CHP Garberville office, the 63-year-old Little was on his Yamaha motorcycle on Highway 101, north of Laytonville. According to witnesses he was going about 60 mph when he approached a stopped vehicle waiting to turn left into a driveway. Little braked and skidded to the right, around the stopped vehicle. He lost control of the motorcycle and ended up on the edge of the roadway. The accident happened shortly after 10 a.m.
Little, who was wearing a helmet and protective riding apparel, was transported via Calstar 4 helicopter to Ukiah Valley Medical Center, where he was pronounced dead.
Little, who lived in American Canyon, was riding his motorcycle north to visit his daughter, Rebecca, who lives in Portland, Ore. According to Monsignor John Brenkle, he left about 7:30 a.m. and was expected to be back on Wednesday.
Deacon Bob Little - 1946 - 2009
By David Stoneberg
STAFF WRITER
Thursday, August 27, 2009
Deacon Bob Little of the St. Helena Catholic Church died Sunday morning following a crash about 10 miles north of Laytonville in Humboldt County.
According to Sgt. Jim Malner of the CHP Garberville office, the 63-year-old Little was on his Yamaha motorcycle on Highway 101, north of Laytonville. According to witnesses he was going about 60 mph when he approached a stopped vehicle waiting to turn left into a driveway. Little braked and skidded to the right, around the stopped vehicle. He lost control of the motorcycle and ended up on the edge of the roadway. The accident happened shortly after 10 a.m.
Little, who was wearing a helmet and protective riding apparel, was transported via Calstar 4 helicopter to Ukiah Valley Medical Center, where he was pronounced dead.
Little, who lived in American Canyon, was riding his motorcycle north to visit his daughter, Rebecca, who lives in Portland, Ore. According to Monsignor John Brenkle, he left about 7:30 a.m. and was expected to be back on Wednesday.
Three Vietnam tours
After high school he joined the military and served three tours in Vietnam from 1966 to 1969 and later was activated and served in Desert Storm for several months. He worked his way up from the enlisted ranks to U.S. Air Force major and retired from the Air Force Reserve in March 2006.
He was a sheriff’s deputy for 15 years and later earned his teaching credential while going to night school.
He taught science and physical education at St. Helena Catholic School from 1986 to 1991. While he was a teacher, Little augmented his salary by working in the hospitality room at Sutter Home and then moved over to head hospitality and marketing at Silver Oak Cellars.
read more here
Deacon Bob Little
Veterans Group Blasts Right Wingers Pushing “Death Book”
Disclosure right now is that I am in a very, very bad mood right now. This is one of the first emails I read this morning. It is not a great way to start my day after my morning prayer.
I did a huge post about this. I won't bother you with repeating all of it. You can read it here.
Veterans are not stupid, stop treating them like they are
In my life, I've met all kinds of people from all walks of life. Each one of them have within them the same possibilities to do good or to do harm. Some choose to think of others, putting themselves in the place of others, while some, well, let's just say they only think of themselves and their own gain, never bothering to once think of who they are hurting as long as they get what they want.
Some of them are just too blind to see what they are turning into. Others, well, they must have something really twisted in their soul to the point where they have slaughtered whatever good God intended them to produce in this world.
I do not fully blame the people repeating this abomination because they are too uninformed to know what is true and what is a blatant lie. They have been following the people they believe instead of using what God provided them with called a brain.
I blame the creators and the pushers of this lie against our veterans, trying to cause them to fear, feel even more hopeless by this lie being repeated and above all, reminding them that they are yet again the victim of a political game played by people with no morals, no values for anyone other than themselves and have sold their own souls for power.
Truly despicable people push this lie, sending it out onto massive email chains, never once thinking about who will read it because they think, "Now we got them right where we want them" and causing harm to our veterans in the process. Never once do the senders of this sin contemplate the real magnitude of the problems our veterans face everyday, or the fact that it got worse for them while they enabled party loyalty to overshadow what was happening when "their guy" was in office. They got what they wanted and that was all they needed to know. Nothing else mattered.
I track all of this all the time and never once did I see from any of these pushers a post or email chain about the suicides, when they could have done something. The veterans coming back homeless, were their own fault, or in the words of their hero Bill O'Reilly, they were not real. I didn't see posts about the lack of troops in Iraq when they were dying, or the equipment issues, or the fact the wounded were coming back and having to wait in the valley of despair for their claims to be approved. The list of what I didn't read goes on but above all it proved that they don't care about the veterans unless they can use them.
These "fiscally responsible conservatives" propagating lies never once thought about the vast amounts of tax payer dollars driving the deficit to astronomical highs was pushed by two wars never included in the Presidential budget or the fact hundreds of millions of dollars was lost, never accounted for and wasted. This at the same time their heroes in the Congress kept saying there wasn't enough money to righteously fund the VA to take care of the wounded and waiting.
For all the truly patriotic conservatives out there, be appalled. Find out what the truth is and then nail these liars once and for all! It is not only your duty to your country it is your moral obligation to stand up for our veterans being assaulted again.
This is not a harmless rumor. It goes far beyond a lie about the "death book" because it ends up telling veterans they don't matter when it comes to politics and that is the biggest sin of all. If you hear any of these political animals on the radio or TV repeating these lies, hit them with the facts for the sake of the veterans. Stand up for them and stop allowing people to use any veteran in this country as a political tool. If you get one of these emails, ask yourself what the person sending it has to gain and then ask what they have against veterans when they see fit to use them.
Remember veterans served this one nation. Not Democrats and not Republicans. No side should use them instead of standing up for them!
I did a huge post about this. I won't bother you with repeating all of it. You can read it here.
Veterans are not stupid, stop treating them like they are
In my life, I've met all kinds of people from all walks of life. Each one of them have within them the same possibilities to do good or to do harm. Some choose to think of others, putting themselves in the place of others, while some, well, let's just say they only think of themselves and their own gain, never bothering to once think of who they are hurting as long as they get what they want.
Some of them are just too blind to see what they are turning into. Others, well, they must have something really twisted in their soul to the point where they have slaughtered whatever good God intended them to produce in this world.
I do not fully blame the people repeating this abomination because they are too uninformed to know what is true and what is a blatant lie. They have been following the people they believe instead of using what God provided them with called a brain.
I blame the creators and the pushers of this lie against our veterans, trying to cause them to fear, feel even more hopeless by this lie being repeated and above all, reminding them that they are yet again the victim of a political game played by people with no morals, no values for anyone other than themselves and have sold their own souls for power.
Truly despicable people push this lie, sending it out onto massive email chains, never once thinking about who will read it because they think, "Now we got them right where we want them" and causing harm to our veterans in the process. Never once do the senders of this sin contemplate the real magnitude of the problems our veterans face everyday, or the fact that it got worse for them while they enabled party loyalty to overshadow what was happening when "their guy" was in office. They got what they wanted and that was all they needed to know. Nothing else mattered.
I track all of this all the time and never once did I see from any of these pushers a post or email chain about the suicides, when they could have done something. The veterans coming back homeless, were their own fault, or in the words of their hero Bill O'Reilly, they were not real. I didn't see posts about the lack of troops in Iraq when they were dying, or the equipment issues, or the fact the wounded were coming back and having to wait in the valley of despair for their claims to be approved. The list of what I didn't read goes on but above all it proved that they don't care about the veterans unless they can use them.
These "fiscally responsible conservatives" propagating lies never once thought about the vast amounts of tax payer dollars driving the deficit to astronomical highs was pushed by two wars never included in the Presidential budget or the fact hundreds of millions of dollars was lost, never accounted for and wasted. This at the same time their heroes in the Congress kept saying there wasn't enough money to righteously fund the VA to take care of the wounded and waiting.
For all the truly patriotic conservatives out there, be appalled. Find out what the truth is and then nail these liars once and for all! It is not only your duty to your country it is your moral obligation to stand up for our veterans being assaulted again.
This is not a harmless rumor. It goes far beyond a lie about the "death book" because it ends up telling veterans they don't matter when it comes to politics and that is the biggest sin of all. If you hear any of these political animals on the radio or TV repeating these lies, hit them with the facts for the sake of the veterans. Stand up for them and stop allowing people to use any veteran in this country as a political tool. If you get one of these emails, ask yourself what the person sending it has to gain and then ask what they have against veterans when they see fit to use them.
Remember veterans served this one nation. Not Democrats and not Republicans. No side should use them instead of standing up for them!
The Plum Line
Greg Sargent's blog
Veterans Group Blasts Right Wingers Pushing “Death Book” Claim As “Cruel” To Veterans
Today Rush Limbaugh used Ted Kennedy’s death to keep pushing the “death book” tale, that claim being spread on the right that Obama’s veteran’s agency is distributing manuals urging veterans to hurry up and die.
“No government of ours should ever become a partner in snuffing out a life,” Rush declared on the air. “Ted Kennedy didn’t have to read a death book. Ted Kennedy wasn’t asked to say, `Is my life worth living?’”
That’s unsightly enough on its own. But it turns out Rush’s broadside comes a day after the Vietnam Veterans of America, a national advocacy group, defended the manual and strongly denounced “death book” claims as “hysteria” and as “cruel” to veterans themselves.
“This booklet was developed with guidance from clerics, and it addresses options most of us and our loved ones will have to sort through as we live our final years,” the group said in a little-noticed statement that was sent my way. “To play politics with veterans’ end-of-life choices is not only irresponsible politically, but it is cruel.”
read more here
Veterans Group Blasts Right Wingers Pushing Death Book
Wednesday, August 26, 2009
Veterans still fighting for health care
I think the thing that bothers me the most about the false uproar over the VA choice pamphlet, is that a lot of veterans already feel like the VA just wants them to hurry up and die. I know it's not the case, but given what they have to go through and how much time it takes to have a claim approved, you really can't blame them for feeling that way.
Even once they are in the system with a ranking of a service connected disability, what is done for them is really "better than nothing" in most facilities. Veterans end up getting better results going to a Vet Center than they do going to the VA in some states.
Families are also a huge part of this but they are left out of all of it. There used to be support groups at the VA hospitals for the families. Even back then, they were told only the basics, but at least they found someone going through the same things. They were able to learn from each other. Understanding PTSD better, they were also able to help their husbands. Women veterans, well, they were pretty much forgotten about when it came to PTSD. It didn't seem to matter that a lot of nurses ended up with PTSD.
With all the talk going on now about the Iraq and Afghanistan veterans needing help, Vietnam veterans end up being forgotten yet again but they waited a lot longer. Do any of the new groups understand that had it not been for the Vietnam veterans, there wouldn't be anything there for them either? Veterans came back from wars with the same wound but it took the Vietnam veterans to fight to make it all happen.
If the VA were really serious about doing what our veterans needed, they would listen to the Vietnam veterans and their families to make sure all these years of mistakes were not simply repeated.
Even once they are in the system with a ranking of a service connected disability, what is done for them is really "better than nothing" in most facilities. Veterans end up getting better results going to a Vet Center than they do going to the VA in some states.
Families are also a huge part of this but they are left out of all of it. There used to be support groups at the VA hospitals for the families. Even back then, they were told only the basics, but at least they found someone going through the same things. They were able to learn from each other. Understanding PTSD better, they were also able to help their husbands. Women veterans, well, they were pretty much forgotten about when it came to PTSD. It didn't seem to matter that a lot of nurses ended up with PTSD.
With all the talk going on now about the Iraq and Afghanistan veterans needing help, Vietnam veterans end up being forgotten yet again but they waited a lot longer. Do any of the new groups understand that had it not been for the Vietnam veterans, there wouldn't be anything there for them either? Veterans came back from wars with the same wound but it took the Vietnam veterans to fight to make it all happen.
If the VA were really serious about doing what our veterans needed, they would listen to the Vietnam veterans and their families to make sure all these years of mistakes were not simply repeated.
Veterans still fighting – for health care
by Melissa Suran
Aug 26, 2009
The heavy smell of Asian food was in the air. Street vendors were selling fresh groceries, parents were buying their children cheap good-luck charms, and the chatter of everyone could be heard throughout the square. It was like any other day for Sgt. Gil Rivera, who vividly recalls the midday scene.
Suddenly, Rivera heard some voices speaking in Vietnamese. A soldier in the Vietnam War, he was ready to kill the passersby, whose voices were coming closer and closer.
But he didn’t have his gun. And he wasn’t in Vietnam. In fact, he was in New York – in Chinatown.
The incident occurred about 30 years after the Vietnam War. Rivera, who served in the U.S. Army, said what happened to him was a reaction caused by Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, or PTSD, a mental illness that can result from being in a terrifying situation where one’s physical well-being is threatened.
Post Traumatic Stress Disorder is not to be confused with Post Traumatic Stress, or PTS, which results directly from a traumatic event or from trauma. Although many who suffer from PTS personally underwent a terrible experience, PTS can also be caused by witnessing a traumatic event. Patients are diagnosed with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder when PTS symptoms last for a month or more.
Although many experience PTS, it does not always rise to the level of a being a disorder. Symptoms of PTS include being angered easily or having unpleasant emotions triggered by sensory perception such as sound or smell.
It took Rivera three decades to get the help he needed and is now fully pensioned. Unfortunately, his case is an all-too-common one.
“I hadn’t heard Vietnamese spoken since Vietnam,” said Rivera, 63, who now lives in Prince Frederick, Md. “Honestly, if I had a gun who knows, maybe I would have shot those people.”
Rivera is one of more than 1 million veterans who suffer from PTSD. But Rivera is lucky that he received any help at all.
On Aug. 17 at the Veterans of Foreign Wars National Convention in Phoenix, President Barack Obama said he plans to do more when it comes to veterans’ health care.
“We are a country of more than 300 million Americans. Less than one percent wears the uniform,” he said. “As we protect America, our men and women in uniform must always be treated as what they are: America’s most precious resource.”
read more here
Veterans still fighting for health care
Number of homeless students in Volusia County FL climbs
August 26, 2009
Number of homeless students in Volusia climbs
By LINDA TRIMBLE
Education writer
DELAND -- The number of homeless children attending Volusia County public schools has increased more than five-fold since 2003, with most of them enrolled in elementary schools, the School Board heard Tuesday night.
"Our numbers are high for Florida and high for a county this size," Pam Woods, the school district's homeless education liaison, told the School Board.
Volusia schools enrolled 1,990 homeless students last school year, compared to 350 in 2003, Woods reported. Volusia Schools has about 62,000 total students this year.
Under federal law, children are considered homeless when they lack "fixed, regular and adequate night-time residence."
read more here
Number of homeless students in Volusia climbs
Number of homeless students in Volusia climbs
By LINDA TRIMBLE
Education writer
DELAND -- The number of homeless children attending Volusia County public schools has increased more than five-fold since 2003, with most of them enrolled in elementary schools, the School Board heard Tuesday night.
"Our numbers are high for Florida and high for a county this size," Pam Woods, the school district's homeless education liaison, told the School Board.
Volusia schools enrolled 1,990 homeless students last school year, compared to 350 in 2003, Woods reported. Volusia Schools has about 62,000 total students this year.
Under federal law, children are considered homeless when they lack "fixed, regular and adequate night-time residence."
read more here
Number of homeless students in Volusia climbs
Local Clinical Trial May Cure The Cancer That Killed Sen. Kennedy
Local Clinical Trial May Cure The Cancer That Killed Sen. Kennedy
Wednesday, August 26, 2009 7:15:15 PM
ORLANDO -- Doctors at the M.D. Anderson Cancer Center have launched a new clinical trial to fight the type of brain cancer that killed Senator Edward M. Kennedy.
He had undergone surgery, radiation, and chemotherapy since he was diagnosed with cancer in May of last year.
It really is a huge medical breakthrough.
M.D. Anderson is only the second site in the world to launch this trial.
read more here
Local Clinical Trial May Cure The Cancer
Wednesday, August 26, 2009 7:15:15 PM
ORLANDO -- Doctors at the M.D. Anderson Cancer Center have launched a new clinical trial to fight the type of brain cancer that killed Senator Edward M. Kennedy.
He had undergone surgery, radiation, and chemotherapy since he was diagnosed with cancer in May of last year.
It really is a huge medical breakthrough.
M.D. Anderson is only the second site in the world to launch this trial.
read more here
Local Clinical Trial May Cure The Cancer
NH Guard to honor men lost in Vietnam
NH Guard to honor men lost in Vietnam
The Associated Press
Posted : Wednesday Aug 26, 2009 6:25:22 EDT
CONCORD, N.H. — New Hampshire National Guardsmen who served in Vietnam are paying tribute to their fallen comrades.
A ceremony scheduled for 5 p.m. Wednesday at guard headquarters in Concord is honoring seven citizen-solders who died while serving with the 3rd Battalion, 197th Field Artillery, in Vietnam. Five of the soldiers, who were from Manchester, died together when the truck they were riding in struck a land mine Aug. 26, 1969 — 40 years ago on Wednesday.
In all, 506 New Hampshire guardsmen deployed with the battalion, serving in South Vietnam from Sept. 16, 1968, to Sept. 4, 1969. They came from five batteries located in five different New Hampshire Guard armories including Portsmouth, Somersworth, Manchester, Nashua and Franklin/Laconia.
NH Guard to honor men lost in Vietnam
The Associated Press
Posted : Wednesday Aug 26, 2009 6:25:22 EDT
CONCORD, N.H. — New Hampshire National Guardsmen who served in Vietnam are paying tribute to their fallen comrades.
A ceremony scheduled for 5 p.m. Wednesday at guard headquarters in Concord is honoring seven citizen-solders who died while serving with the 3rd Battalion, 197th Field Artillery, in Vietnam. Five of the soldiers, who were from Manchester, died together when the truck they were riding in struck a land mine Aug. 26, 1969 — 40 years ago on Wednesday.
In all, 506 New Hampshire guardsmen deployed with the battalion, serving in South Vietnam from Sept. 16, 1968, to Sept. 4, 1969. They came from five batteries located in five different New Hampshire Guard armories including Portsmouth, Somersworth, Manchester, Nashua and Franklin/Laconia.
NH Guard to honor men lost in Vietnam
Off-Duty Marion Deputy Pulls Woman From Burning Car
Off-Duty Marion Deputy Pulls Woman From Burning Car
Wednesday, August 26, 2009 4:43:03 PM
Reported By Heather Sorentrue
BELLEVIEW -- Quick thinking and selflessness likely saved a woman's life Tuesday night.
An off-duty Marion County Sheriff's deputy was driving down county Road 467 when he saw across a car on its side, on fire and managed to free the driver who was trapped inside.
The driver, Kathleen Powell of Ocala, was taken to the hospital after the crash, but she was treated and released.
Around 10:50 p.m. Tuesday, off-duty Deputy Jonah Music spotted a vehicle turned on its side against a fence with flames coming from underneath.
read more here
Off Duty Marion Deputy Pulls Woman From Burning Car
Wednesday, August 26, 2009 4:43:03 PM
Reported By Heather Sorentrue
BELLEVIEW -- Quick thinking and selflessness likely saved a woman's life Tuesday night.
An off-duty Marion County Sheriff's deputy was driving down county Road 467 when he saw across a car on its side, on fire and managed to free the driver who was trapped inside.
The driver, Kathleen Powell of Ocala, was taken to the hospital after the crash, but she was treated and released.
Around 10:50 p.m. Tuesday, off-duty Deputy Jonah Music spotted a vehicle turned on its side against a fence with flames coming from underneath.
read more here
Off Duty Marion Deputy Pulls Woman From Burning Car
Texas may have executed innocent man Cameron Todd Willingham
Texas may have executed innocent man
By Daniel Tencer
Published: August 26, 2009
A 1991 house fire in Corsicana, Texas, that sent three infant girls to their deaths and their father to the execution chamber was incorrectly ruled an arson, and may have in fact been accidental, says a report from a top fire scientist.
The report from renowned fire expert Craig Beyler, requested by the Texas Forensic Science Commission, casts doubt on death penalty supporters’ insistence that there are sufficient safeguards to prevent the innocent from being put to death. It will also likely raise new calls for the abolition of the death penalty.
The state of Texas executed Cameron Todd Willingham by lethal injection on February 17, 2004, for the deaths of his daughters Amber, 2, and twins Karmon and Kameron, aged one. Willingham protested his innocence to the end.
If the Texas Forensic Science Commission accepts Beyler’s findings, “it could lead to the first-ever declaration by an official state body that an inmate was wrongly executed,” reports the Chicago Tribune.
read more here
http://rawstory.com/08/news/2009/08/26/texas-executed-innocent/
By Daniel Tencer
Published: August 26, 2009
A 1991 house fire in Corsicana, Texas, that sent three infant girls to their deaths and their father to the execution chamber was incorrectly ruled an arson, and may have in fact been accidental, says a report from a top fire scientist.
The report from renowned fire expert Craig Beyler, requested by the Texas Forensic Science Commission, casts doubt on death penalty supporters’ insistence that there are sufficient safeguards to prevent the innocent from being put to death. It will also likely raise new calls for the abolition of the death penalty.
The state of Texas executed Cameron Todd Willingham by lethal injection on February 17, 2004, for the deaths of his daughters Amber, 2, and twins Karmon and Kameron, aged one. Willingham protested his innocence to the end.
If the Texas Forensic Science Commission accepts Beyler’s findings, “it could lead to the first-ever declaration by an official state body that an inmate was wrongly executed,” reports the Chicago Tribune.
read more here
http://rawstory.com/08/news/2009/08/26/texas-executed-innocent/
Vietnam doctors want veteran status
Vietnam doctors want veteran status
Posted Wed Aug 26, 2009 4:39pm AEST
A group of former doctors and nurses are fighting the Federal Government to be classified as war veterans.
In the 1960s and '70s more than 450 Australian medical staff volunteered to go to Vietnam to treat civilian casualties of war.
They have been fighting ever since for veterans' entitlements.
Former nurse Dot Angell says the civilian surgical team members suffered the same post-war problems as soldiers, but have faced Government discrimination.
"The amount of cancer that is rife amongst the team members, which is not being recognised at all is equal to the cancers in the military personnel which is recognised," she said.
"It just seems this anomaly is a Government disgrace, really."
read more here
Vietnam doctors want veteran status
Posted Wed Aug 26, 2009 4:39pm AEST
A group of former doctors and nurses are fighting the Federal Government to be classified as war veterans.
In the 1960s and '70s more than 450 Australian medical staff volunteered to go to Vietnam to treat civilian casualties of war.
They have been fighting ever since for veterans' entitlements.
Former nurse Dot Angell says the civilian surgical team members suffered the same post-war problems as soldiers, but have faced Government discrimination.
"The amount of cancer that is rife amongst the team members, which is not being recognised at all is equal to the cancers in the military personnel which is recognised," she said.
"It just seems this anomaly is a Government disgrace, really."
read more here
Vietnam doctors want veteran status
UK:Special Air Service and PTSD
SAS 'suffering from post traumatic stress'
Updated on 26 August 2009
By Carl Dinnen
A former SAS trooper breaks the regiment's vow of silence to reveal the effect that wars in Iraq and Afghanistan are having on the mental health of soldiers.
Ex-Corporal Bob Paxman says servicemen and women are being over-worked, with little time to recover between overseas missions, leading to a rise in cases of post traumatic stress disorder.
He says members of the Special Air Service are suffering particularly badly - and estimates that half of the SAS personnel he knows have serious behavioural problems.
go here for video report
SAS suffering from post traumatic stress
Updated on 26 August 2009
By Carl Dinnen
A former SAS trooper breaks the regiment's vow of silence to reveal the effect that wars in Iraq and Afghanistan are having on the mental health of soldiers.
Ex-Corporal Bob Paxman says servicemen and women are being over-worked, with little time to recover between overseas missions, leading to a rise in cases of post traumatic stress disorder.
He says members of the Special Air Service are suffering particularly badly - and estimates that half of the SAS personnel he knows have serious behavioural problems.
go here for video report
SAS suffering from post traumatic stress
VA Pledge to Women Veterans on Women's Equality Day
Recent VA News Releases
http://www.va.gov/opa/pressrel
VA Pledge to Women Veterans on Women's Equality Day
WASHINGTON (Aug. 26, 2009) - Secretary of Veterans Affairs Eric K.
Shinseki pledged today on Women's Equality Day that the Department of
Veterans Affairs (VA) will work to ensure the nation upholds its
obligation to meet the needs of our Veterans - including women Veterans.
"Our Veterans deserve the very best care. Anything less is
unacceptable," Secretary Shinseki said. "If we are to transform VA into
a 21st century organization, we need to continually improve our services
to women Veterans."
Although VA has long provided equal benefits to women Veterans, the
Department has embarked on new initiatives to meet their unique needs.
These initiatives include:
* Comprehensive primary care and specialized medical
care at every VA medical center;
* Enhanced mental health care specifically for women
Veterans;
* Staffing every VA medical center with a women
Veterans program manager;
* Creating a mini-residency on women's health for
primary care physicians;
* Supporting a multifaceted research program on
women's health;
* Improving communication and outreach to women
Veterans; and
* Continuing the operation of organizations such as
VA's Center for Women Veterans and the Women Veterans Health Strategic
Healthcare Group.
"During this observance we should remember the special contributions and
sacrifices of the 200,000 women currently serving in the armed forces
and 1.8 million who are Veterans," Assistant Secretary L. Tammy
Duckworth said.
Women Veterans are one of the fastest growing segments of the Veteran
population. They comprise 7.5 percent of the total Veteran population
and nearly 5.5 percent of all Veterans who use VA health care services.
VA estimates women Veterans will constitute 10 percent of the Veteran
population by 2020 and 9.5 percent of VA patients.
http://www.va.gov/opa/pressrel
VA Pledge to Women Veterans on Women's Equality Day
WASHINGTON (Aug. 26, 2009) - Secretary of Veterans Affairs Eric K.
Shinseki pledged today on Women's Equality Day that the Department of
Veterans Affairs (VA) will work to ensure the nation upholds its
obligation to meet the needs of our Veterans - including women Veterans.
"Our Veterans deserve the very best care. Anything less is
unacceptable," Secretary Shinseki said. "If we are to transform VA into
a 21st century organization, we need to continually improve our services
to women Veterans."
Although VA has long provided equal benefits to women Veterans, the
Department has embarked on new initiatives to meet their unique needs.
These initiatives include:
* Comprehensive primary care and specialized medical
care at every VA medical center;
* Enhanced mental health care specifically for women
Veterans;
* Staffing every VA medical center with a women
Veterans program manager;
* Creating a mini-residency on women's health for
primary care physicians;
* Supporting a multifaceted research program on
women's health;
* Improving communication and outreach to women
Veterans; and
* Continuing the operation of organizations such as
VA's Center for Women Veterans and the Women Veterans Health Strategic
Healthcare Group.
"During this observance we should remember the special contributions and
sacrifices of the 200,000 women currently serving in the armed forces
and 1.8 million who are Veterans," Assistant Secretary L. Tammy
Duckworth said.
Women Veterans are one of the fastest growing segments of the Veteran
population. They comprise 7.5 percent of the total Veteran population
and nearly 5.5 percent of all Veterans who use VA health care services.
VA estimates women Veterans will constitute 10 percent of the Veteran
population by 2020 and 9.5 percent of VA patients.
VA to apologize for mistaken Lou Gehrig's disease notices
VA to apologize for mistaken Lou Gehrig's disease notices
Story Highlights
Letters sent last week informed 1,864 veterans and survivors of ALS diagnosis
VA confirms some recipients did not have ALS, and is reviewing claims files
VA: "Employees are personally contacting" those who don't have disease
Agency is reviewing notification process to ensure no such error is repeated
By Ashley Hayes
CNN
(CNN) -- The Department of Veterans Affairs said Wednesday it will apologize to veterans who were mistakenly told they'd been diagnosed with a fatal neurological condition.
Letters were sent last week to 1,864 veterans and survivors, the VA said in a written statement. They were supposed to be sent to veterans with ALS -- also known as Lou Gehrig's disease -- to keep them apprised of expanding benefits eligibility.
"According to the records of the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), you have a diagnosis of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS)," said the letter, according to the National Gulf War Resource Center. "This letter tells you about VA disability compensation benefits that may be available to you."
But some who received the letters, like Brent Casey, do not have ALS. Casey, a disabled Army veteran from the first Gulf War, told CNN that when he received the letter, he was "just completely beside myself. Just floored. Went into a complete and total meltdown. I couldn't speak, couldn't -- I guess I was, truthfully, speechless."
After hearing from veterans who received the letter but do not have ALS, the VA immediately began reviewing individual claims files for all the recipients to determine who received the letter by mistake, agency spokeswoman Katie Roberts said in the statement. "VA employees are personally contacting these individuals to ensure they understand the letter should not be confused with a medical diagnosis of ALS, explain why they mistakenly received the letter and express VA's sincere apologies for the distress caused by this unfortunate and regrettable error."
read more here
http://www.cnn.com/2009/POLITICS/08/26/veterans.letters.disease/index.html
Story Highlights
Letters sent last week informed 1,864 veterans and survivors of ALS diagnosis
VA confirms some recipients did not have ALS, and is reviewing claims files
VA: "Employees are personally contacting" those who don't have disease
Agency is reviewing notification process to ensure no such error is repeated
By Ashley Hayes
CNN
(CNN) -- The Department of Veterans Affairs said Wednesday it will apologize to veterans who were mistakenly told they'd been diagnosed with a fatal neurological condition.
Letters were sent last week to 1,864 veterans and survivors, the VA said in a written statement. They were supposed to be sent to veterans with ALS -- also known as Lou Gehrig's disease -- to keep them apprised of expanding benefits eligibility.
"According to the records of the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), you have a diagnosis of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS)," said the letter, according to the National Gulf War Resource Center. "This letter tells you about VA disability compensation benefits that may be available to you."
But some who received the letters, like Brent Casey, do not have ALS. Casey, a disabled Army veteran from the first Gulf War, told CNN that when he received the letter, he was "just completely beside myself. Just floored. Went into a complete and total meltdown. I couldn't speak, couldn't -- I guess I was, truthfully, speechless."
After hearing from veterans who received the letter but do not have ALS, the VA immediately began reviewing individual claims files for all the recipients to determine who received the letter by mistake, agency spokeswoman Katie Roberts said in the statement. "VA employees are personally contacting these individuals to ensure they understand the letter should not be confused with a medical diagnosis of ALS, explain why they mistakenly received the letter and express VA's sincere apologies for the distress caused by this unfortunate and regrettable error."
read more here
http://www.cnn.com/2009/POLITICS/08/26/veterans.letters.disease/index.html
Polls show atheists on the rise in America
I think the biggest reason is that too many people have been turned away or pushed away from churches for far too long. Not just here in America but around the world.
Here in Central Florida, I went to over 20 churches looking for help for our veterans with PTSD. One responded, he was a Chaplain and a minister. The others, well they just couldn't be bothered. I kept trying. I would talk to this one and that one at a church highly recommended by a parishioner. Offered a polite conversation and a promise I would be contacted by the person I needed to talk to, but never heard back from them. There is too much talking about being Christian and too little actions to go with it.
People have basic needs and each searching for what they need to be "happy" in this life. Food, shelter, clothing and someone to share their life with, but they also look for what they feel is missing inside of them. If they looked for it in churches before and didn't find it, do you really expect them to believe there is a God up there loving them when they couldn't find anyone acting like Him down here?
If people are turning away from the churches, we have only ourselves to blame.
Here in Central Florida, I went to over 20 churches looking for help for our veterans with PTSD. One responded, he was a Chaplain and a minister. The others, well they just couldn't be bothered. I kept trying. I would talk to this one and that one at a church highly recommended by a parishioner. Offered a polite conversation and a promise I would be contacted by the person I needed to talk to, but never heard back from them. There is too much talking about being Christian and too little actions to go with it.
People have basic needs and each searching for what they need to be "happy" in this life. Food, shelter, clothing and someone to share their life with, but they also look for what they feel is missing inside of them. If they looked for it in churches before and didn't find it, do you really expect them to believe there is a God up there loving them when they couldn't find anyone acting like Him down here?
If people are turning away from the churches, we have only ourselves to blame.
Polls show atheists on the rise in America
By Agence France-Presse
Published: August 26, 2009
DAVIE, Florida — When South Florida atheists held their first meeting, they were just five friends, having a beer at a bar.
Four years later, they’ve moved to a bigger place — still a bar — to hold their weekly meet-and-greets. Membership is up to almost 500, Darwin Day is in the planning stages and bumper stickers are on sale.
“There is no God, but ice-cream is great,” reads one. “What schools need is a moment of science,” reads another.
Atheist groups are growing all over the United States, challenging stereotypes and confronting what they consider a big backslide in the separation of church and state.
They are chatting online, picking up trash along “adopted” highways, and advertising on buses and billboards. In South Florida, they recently picketed a prayer meeting in a public safety building paid for with tax dollars.
read more here
http://rawstory.com/08/news/2009/08/26/polls-show-atheists/
linked from RawStory
Camp Lejeune residents blame rare cancer cluster on the water
Mike Partain shows an X-ray of the tumor found in his right breast. He knows of 19 fellow former Camp Lejeune residents who have had male breast cancer. (Colin Hackley / Florida Times-Union / December 31, 2008)
Camp Lejeune residents blame rare cancer cluster on the water
For three decades, dry-cleaning chemicals and industrial solvents laced the water used by local Marines and their families. Mike Partain and at least 19 others developed male breast cancer.
By David Zucchino
August 26, 2009
Reporting from Tallahassee, Fla. - One night in April 2007, as Mike Partain hugged his wife before going to bed, she felt a small lump above his right nipple. A mammogram -- a "man-o-gram," he called it -- led to a diagnosis of male breast cancer. Six days later, the 41-year-old insurance adjuster had a mastectomy.
Partain had no idea men could get breast cancer. But he thinks he knows what caused his: contaminated drinking water at Camp Lejeune, N.C., where he was born.
Over the last two years, Partain has compiled a list of 19 others diagnosed with male breast cancer who once lived on the base.
For three decades -- from the 1950s to the mid-1980s -- the water supply used by hundreds of thousands of Marines and their families was laced with chemicals from an off-base dry-cleaning company and industrial solvents used to clean military equipment.
read more here
Camp Lejeune residents blame rare cancer cluster
linked from RawStory
Disabled veteran panhandling in Wilmington
Disabled veteran panhandling in Wilmington
Posted: Aug 25, 2009 4:51 PM EDT
Posted by Debra Worley
WILMINGTON, NC (WECT) - A disabled Vietnam veteran who is upset with the healthcare system has taken to the streets to survive.
Alfred Overstreet has cancer and had brain surgery, but said he does not get enough funding from Medicaid to survive.
He lives in a rest home and said he doesn't have much money to live on after his rent and prescriptions are paid.
go here for more
http://www.wect.com/Global/story.asp?S=10988852
Posted: Aug 25, 2009 4:51 PM EDT
Posted by Debra Worley
WILMINGTON, NC (WECT) - A disabled Vietnam veteran who is upset with the healthcare system has taken to the streets to survive.
Alfred Overstreet has cancer and had brain surgery, but said he does not get enough funding from Medicaid to survive.
He lives in a rest home and said he doesn't have much money to live on after his rent and prescriptions are paid.
go here for more
http://www.wect.com/Global/story.asp?S=10988852
Detectives honor homeless Vietnam veteran, Gary Dale Wilson
Detectives honor homeless Vietnam veteran who died alone in Riveria Beach woods
With no family to be found, they make sure Gary Dale Wilson's passing is noted.
By JASON SCHULTZ
Palm Beach Post Staff Writer
Wednesday, August 26, 2009
Gary Dale Wilson died alone in the woods in Riviera Beach sometime in May or June.
Nobody reported Wilson, a 61-year-old Vietnam veteran, missing for weeks. Even after police found his decomposed body in late July, they could not find any family members to claim him.
But on Tuesday two Riviera Beach police officers who helped find Wilson's body made sure that at the end, somebody was there to remember him.
"This guy served his country. Somebody should be there," said Detective Sgt. Patrick Galligan at the South Florida National Cemetery.
Wilson, who served as a private in the U.S. Army, was buried Tuesday at the military cemetery on State Road 7 just south of Lantana Road. Galligan and Detective Jeremy Summers were the only people who attended the ceremony, except for cemetery and funeral home employees, and a three-man Army honor guard.
Wilson, who was homeless, frequented the Veterans Affairs Medical Center in Riviera Beach to pick up medicine for the throat cancer that eventually killed him. He also did odd jobs at St. George's Church and Community Center.
He was last seen alive in May after leaving the medical center.
Church officials reported him missing in July. Police found his decomposed remains on July 29 in what appeared to be his campsite in the woods south of Martin Luther King Boulevard, Summers said.
"He wouldn't take a handout. He worked around the church and accepted food, but he never accepted money, even for the work he put in," Summers said. "He just did it alone and didn't have many friends."
read more here
Detectives honor homeless Vietnam veteran
Australia fake Vietnam "Hero" has no excuse
"I never went to Vietnam and I thought, 'maybe I can say I am a vet because I'm associating with them all the time'. Charles Gibbons said after being caught as a fake Vietnam veteran with medals.
Yes, he really said that. I associate with them all the time too, plus spent the last 25 years married to one of them. I can tell you that just being around them makes people admire them, respect them, value them enough that no one in their right mind would ever consider impersonating one of them. People who do such a despicable act can never come close to understanding them because these men and women, they thought about others when they risked their lives in Vietnam. Didn't matter if they found themselves in Vietnam by will to serve or draft number pulled, they all served side by side and risked their lives for each other.
Thirty years this man pulled off a huge lie, used the Vietnam veterans he "associated with" and managed to look them in the eyes when he was spinning his tall tales of glory and suffering. Now he's sorry? Did he admit it all by himself by a sudden awakening of his conscience? No. He was turned in and then he was sorry. Just like the rest of them they are always sorry when they are caught, offering all kinds of excuses for what they did, trying to be what they will never be and will never understand the kind of person it takes to really be a Vietnam veteran. How about all the veterans this man hurt? How about the real ones trapped because they didn't save their paperwork and frauds like this make is almost impossible to be believed? They just never cared enough about the men and women they pretended to be or they would have never, ever thought about trying to take what they did not earn from them, respect.
Service a lie: Charles Gibbons wore beret and medals he was not entitled to on Anzac Day
Man apologises for posing as war veteran for 30 years
Russell Robinson
August 27, 2009 12:00am
A "WANNABE" war hero apologised to Diggers for fraudulently passing himself off as a Vietnam veteran.
For years council parking inspector Charles Campbell Gibbons, 60, claimed he had completed two tours of duty as a military policeman in South Vietnam.
During that time, he claimed, he'd lost a lung.
He would proudly march on Anzac Day wearing the red beret and badge of the military police.
Pinned to his tunic would be seven medals, signifying Vietnam War service, and 15 years regular army service.
But it was all a lie.
"It was done very stupidly. I should never have done it, but I did it and I regret it," he told the Herald Sun.
"I know there are people out there who do this, and I did it.
"I have no excuse for what I did. If I could go back in time there's not a chance I would have done this.
"I am disgusted with myself."
His double life was exposed on the ANZMI military imposters website.
read more here
http://www.news.com.au/heraldsun/story/0,21985,25986890-2862,00.html
Texas mom's struggle for a better life ends abruptly in Tampa
A mom's struggle for a better life ends abruptly in Tampa at hot dog stand
By Alexandra Zayas, Times Staff Writer
In Print: Wednesday, August 26, 2009
TAMPA — Carolina Allmon worked in a school cafeteria in Texas, but fantasized about running her own restaurant.
She was 42, supporting two daughters, struggling to pay the bills.
Two weeks ago, she took a chance. She moved with her girls from Texas to Tampa and partnered with her friend's husband, Vicente Hernande Quintero, to open a roadside hot dog stand. They settled in a gas station parking lot on busy Hillsborough Avenue. On Monday at 11 a.m., they opened for business.
As Quintero recovered at Tampa General Hospital from broken ribs and back injuries, he recalled what happened on that first day.
Allmon was securing a sign just before 4 p.m. when Quintero heard her scream.
Moments later, police found him under the metal tongue of a runaway trailer. Police say the trailer detached from a pickup truck and careened toward their stand, striking them.
Quintero later learned that Allmon had tried to flee, but was hit by a riding lawn mower as it tumbled off the trailer. She lay next to him, dead.
The 16-year-old pickup truck driver, Dennis Tintle, was cited for failing to secure his trailer.
read more here
A moms struggle for a better life ends abruptly in Tampa
By Alexandra Zayas, Times Staff Writer
In Print: Wednesday, August 26, 2009
TAMPA — Carolina Allmon worked in a school cafeteria in Texas, but fantasized about running her own restaurant.
She was 42, supporting two daughters, struggling to pay the bills.
Two weeks ago, she took a chance. She moved with her girls from Texas to Tampa and partnered with her friend's husband, Vicente Hernande Quintero, to open a roadside hot dog stand. They settled in a gas station parking lot on busy Hillsborough Avenue. On Monday at 11 a.m., they opened for business.
As Quintero recovered at Tampa General Hospital from broken ribs and back injuries, he recalled what happened on that first day.
Allmon was securing a sign just before 4 p.m. when Quintero heard her scream.
Moments later, police found him under the metal tongue of a runaway trailer. Police say the trailer detached from a pickup truck and careened toward their stand, striking them.
Quintero later learned that Allmon had tried to flee, but was hit by a riding lawn mower as it tumbled off the trailer. She lay next to him, dead.
The 16-year-old pickup truck driver, Dennis Tintle, was cited for failing to secure his trailer.
read more here
A moms struggle for a better life ends abruptly in Tampa
St. Petersburg woman uses defibrillator to save man
St. Petersburg woman uses defibrillator to save man outside Sweetbay grocery store
By Kameel Stanley, Times Staff Writer
Posted: Aug 25, 2009 11:12 PM
ST. PETERSBURG — A 33-year-old woman helped save a 73-year-old man's life Tuesday night when she used a defibrillator to get his heart beating again.
Jennifer Trombly of St. Petersburg had just walked out of a Sweetbay Supermarket about 6 p.m. when she heard a commotion and saw a man lying on the ground outside the store.
When the man stopped breathing, bystanders began performing CPR.
Trombly, whose 9-year-old son has a condition that can cause him to go into a life-threatening arrhythmia, raced to her car and got her personal automated external defibrillator, or AED.
read more here
St Petersburg woman uses defibrillator to save man
By Kameel Stanley, Times Staff Writer
Posted: Aug 25, 2009 11:12 PM
ST. PETERSBURG — A 33-year-old woman helped save a 73-year-old man's life Tuesday night when she used a defibrillator to get his heart beating again.
Jennifer Trombly of St. Petersburg had just walked out of a Sweetbay Supermarket about 6 p.m. when she heard a commotion and saw a man lying on the ground outside the store.
When the man stopped breathing, bystanders began performing CPR.
Trombly, whose 9-year-old son has a condition that can cause him to go into a life-threatening arrhythmia, raced to her car and got her personal automated external defibrillator, or AED.
read more here
St Petersburg woman uses defibrillator to save man
Man, 57, shot 21-year-old girlfriend, drove away with her body
UPDATE
Winter Haven man involved in murder-suicide was Republican political operative in Pennsylvania
Cops: Man, 57, shot 21-year-old girlfriend, drove away with her body
John "Jack" M. Nicholson, 57, is accused of shooting 21-year-old Kristy Lisenby at around 5:29 a.m. Tuesday in front of Jarrett Gordon Ford, 3015 Lake Alfred Road, Winter Haven.
Kevin P. Connolly
Sentinel Staff Writer
9:06 a.m. EDT, August 26, 2009
Authorities are searching for a Winter Haven man and his 21-year-old live-in girlfriend after witnesses said he shot the woman Tuesday and put her in his SUV before driving away.
John "Jack" M. Nicholson, 57, is accused of shooting Kristy Lisenby at around 5:29 a.m. Tuesday in front of Jarrett Gordon Ford, 3015 Lake Alfred Road, Winter Haven.
A witness took a photo of the 1991 Ford Explorer 2-door Sport that Nicholson was driving. The gray vehicle has a Florida license plate: F807FS. Nicholson lives at 80 Perch St., Winter Haven,
Authorities checked local hospitals but no one matching Lisenby's description has been treated, according to a news release this morning from the Polk County Sheriff's Office.
Witness told authorities a man thought to be Nicholson was driving his SUV when he pulled alongside a woman later identified as Lisenby.
"Lisenby was then observed to walk to the vehicle, lean into the passenger window and at the same time, witnesses say they observed the driver, a male, raise an unknown type of gun at the victim. Witnesses reported hearing a gunshot,'' according to the release.
"Witnesses reported they then saw Lisenby fall to the ground. The driver then exited the SUV, walked around picked up the victim, and placed her in the passenger seat. The suspect then drove away from the scene. "
An arrest warrant charging Nicholson with aggravated battery with a firearm and aggravated assault with a firearm has been issued for him.
Anyone with information is asked to call the Sheriff's Office at 863-534-6379 or 863-534-6200.
Winter Haven man involved in murder-suicide was Republican political operative in Pennsylvania
John M. Nicholson, 57, of Winter Haven is accused of shooting his 21-year-old live-in girlfriend, Kristy Lisenby, on Tuesday in Polk County.
Cops: Man, 57, shot 21-year-old girlfriend, drove away with her body
John "Jack" M. Nicholson, 57, is accused of shooting 21-year-old Kristy Lisenby at around 5:29 a.m. Tuesday in front of Jarrett Gordon Ford, 3015 Lake Alfred Road, Winter Haven.
Kevin P. Connolly
Sentinel Staff Writer
9:06 a.m. EDT, August 26, 2009
Authorities are searching for a Winter Haven man and his 21-year-old live-in girlfriend after witnesses said he shot the woman Tuesday and put her in his SUV before driving away.
John "Jack" M. Nicholson, 57, is accused of shooting Kristy Lisenby at around 5:29 a.m. Tuesday in front of Jarrett Gordon Ford, 3015 Lake Alfred Road, Winter Haven.
A witness took a photo of the 1991 Ford Explorer 2-door Sport that Nicholson was driving. The gray vehicle has a Florida license plate: F807FS. Nicholson lives at 80 Perch St., Winter Haven,
Authorities checked local hospitals but no one matching Lisenby's description has been treated, according to a news release this morning from the Polk County Sheriff's Office.
Witness told authorities a man thought to be Nicholson was driving his SUV when he pulled alongside a woman later identified as Lisenby.
"Lisenby was then observed to walk to the vehicle, lean into the passenger window and at the same time, witnesses say they observed the driver, a male, raise an unknown type of gun at the victim. Witnesses reported hearing a gunshot,'' according to the release.
"Witnesses reported they then saw Lisenby fall to the ground. The driver then exited the SUV, walked around picked up the victim, and placed her in the passenger seat. The suspect then drove away from the scene. "
An arrest warrant charging Nicholson with aggravated battery with a firearm and aggravated assault with a firearm has been issued for him.
Anyone with information is asked to call the Sheriff's Office at 863-534-6379 or 863-534-6200.
Vietnam Vet Maj. Donald Graham to receive 2 Silver Stars
BOB PENNELL / THE (MEDFORD, ORE.) MAIL TRIBUNE VIA AP Retired Army Maj. Donald Graham will receive two Silver Stars and other medals during a ceremony Aug. 27. Graham was nominated for the medals during the Vietnam War but only recently learned they had been awarded.
Vietnam vet to receive forgotten Silver Stars
By Paul Fattig - The (Medford, Ore.) Mail Tribune via AP
Posted : Wednesday Aug 26, 2009 8:46:34 EDT
MEDFORD, Ore. — As a retired Army major who did two combat tours in South Vietnam, longtime Medford resident Donald Graham has always had high regard for Silver Star recipients.
After all, he knew they had put their lives on the line for their fellow soldiers and were recognized with the Army’s second-highest award.
“I was put in for three Silver Stars — one was downgraded to a Bronze Star,” said the soft-spoken veteran. “But I never heard anything about the Silver Stars after they put me up for them.”
After completing 20 years in the Army, Graham, 68, went on with his life, joining the U.S. Postal Service and retiring last year after 17 years.
It was only within the past month that he learned from the Jackson County Veterans Service Office that the Army had indeed awarded him two Silver Stars for bravery during combat in two separate missions more than 35 years ago. The information came up during a check of his military records he had requested.
read more here
Vietnam vet to receive forgotten Silver Stars
Soldier's case against Subway advances
Subway should be blocked from bases in Iraq and Afghanistan because of this. Go onto any military base around the country and you see Subway shops. Yet apparently they do not support the men and women serving, especially this one while he was serving in Afghanistan. If they do not support those who serve, then they should not be allowed to do business on bases.
Soldier's case against Subway advances
03:35 PM CDT on Tuesday, August 25, 2009
By KAREN ROBINSON-JACOBS / The Dallas Morning News
krobinson@dallasnews.com
Claims against the real estate arm of the Subway sandwich chain for alleged violation of a law designed to protect the interests of U.S. troops can move forward, a Dallas County civil judge has ruled.
Attorneys for Subway Real Estate Corp. had sought a summary judgment essentially ending the 2-year quest of Lt. Col. Leon Batie, whose Subway eateries fell behind on rent and were taken from him while he was on active duty in Afghanistan.read more here
Soldier's case against Subway advances
Soldiers come home to families, crowded Carson
Soldiers come home to families, crowded Carson
August 25, 2009 5:19 PM
TOM ROEDER
THE GAZETTE
The lines at Fort Carson — to get on the post, to get a burger, to do just about anything — got a bit longer today.
The post was a virtual ghost town early this year with just a few thousand GIs on hand. Now, with soldiers coming home from Iraq and arriving by the score every day to fill out the 4th Infantry Division headquarters and its 1st Brigade Combat Team, the post is brimming.
And leaders couldn’t be happier.
“It’s great getting all these kids home safe,” said division Command Sgt. Maj. Daniel Dailey at a ceremony this afternoon to welcome 230 soldiers of the 2nd Brigade Combat Team back from a year in Iraq.
The post now houses three combat brigades — more troops than have been on the post at one time since the invasion of Iraq.
read more here
Soldiers come home to families crowded Carson
August 25, 2009 5:19 PM
TOM ROEDER
THE GAZETTE
The lines at Fort Carson — to get on the post, to get a burger, to do just about anything — got a bit longer today.
The post was a virtual ghost town early this year with just a few thousand GIs on hand. Now, with soldiers coming home from Iraq and arriving by the score every day to fill out the 4th Infantry Division headquarters and its 1st Brigade Combat Team, the post is brimming.
And leaders couldn’t be happier.
“It’s great getting all these kids home safe,” said division Command Sgt. Maj. Daniel Dailey at a ceremony this afternoon to welcome 230 soldiers of the 2nd Brigade Combat Team back from a year in Iraq.
The post now houses three combat brigades — more troops than have been on the post at one time since the invasion of Iraq.
read more here
Soldiers come home to families crowded Carson
Cancels Contract with UTSW Medical Center
UPDATE
A New False outrage
As usual spin is in and truth is out, even when it comes to our veterans. This program was not working according to the agreement the VA had with them. This is from a "news" site. Notice the wording.
Too bad this "news" site missed this
And this one
There were rules this funding involved and if this "news" site read the report they posted, they would know why the funding was cut off. I thought people were supposed to care about our veterans and where the money was goind while they wait for help.
A New False outrage
As usual spin is in and truth is out, even when it comes to our veterans. This program was not working according to the agreement the VA had with them. This is from a "news" site. Notice the wording.
Democrats cancel Gulf War illness research money
that Republicans earmarked for Texas center
Suzanne Gamboa August 26th, 2009
Too bad this "news" site missed this
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
July 31, 2009
11:49 AM
CONTACT: Congressman Dennis Kucinich
Nathan White (202)225-5871
Kucinich Secures $8 Million For Gulf War Veterans Illness Research
Money Will Expand On Studies For Treatment, Bringing Us Closer To Identifying A Cure
WASHINGTON - July 31 -
Congressman Dennis Kucinich (D-OH) secured a major victory for veterans of the first Gulf War by garnering $8 million for Gulf War Illness (GWI) research in the Fiscal Year 2010 Appropriations bill that passed the House yesterday.
“This research will build on previous studies on Gulf War Illness.” Kucinich said. “This funding will take giant steps forward in identifying a treatment or a cure for Gulf War Veteran’s illness.”
In its landmark 454-page report delivered in November, the Congressionally-mandated Research Advisory Committee on Gulf War Veterans Illnesses at the Department of Veterans Affairs (RAC) reported that “Gulf War illness is real, that it is the result of neurotoxin exposures during Gulf War deployment and that few veterans have recovered or substantially improved with time.”
For the first time, the report identified several suspected causes and two known causes: exposure to pesticides and a drug given to troops to protect them from nerve gas.
“There are currently no effective treatments for these conditions. With research, we learn the true causes of GWI and the possibilities open up. We must continue to attack GWI and fund the research with an amount commensurate with the scope of the problem,” said Kucinich.
Kucinich’s request for funding received bipartisan support from Reps. Henry Brown, Holt, Filner, Michaud, Baldwin, C. Brown, Conyers, Edwards, Grijalva, Hall, Maloney, McDermott, D. Moore, G. Moore, Pascrell, Pingree, Ross, Sestak, Stark and Yarmuth.
And this one
Gulf War Research Funding Positive Sign for Affected Veterans
Submitted by linda on Wed, 12/06/2006 - 12:00am.
Wednesday, December 6, 2006
WASHINGTON - The leader of the nation’s largest veterans organization applauds Congress for having the foresight to provide funding to the Southwestern Medical Center’s Gulf War Illness research program. The Center, headed by Dr. Robert Haley at the University of Texas Southwestern, was awarded $15 million, renewable for up to four years, to further the scientific knowledge on Gulf War Veterans Illnesses research. “This research will not only impact veterans of the 1991 Gulf War, but may prove beneficial for those currently serving in the Southwest Asia theater and the Middle East during this Global War on Terror,” said National Commander Paul A. Morin. According to the quarterly Operation Iraqi Freedom/Operation Enduring Freedom health care utilization report released last month issued by the Veteran Health Administration's Office of Public Health and Environmental Hazards, there have been 67,743 visits made for illnesses categorized as “Symptoms, Signs and Ill Defined Conditions” out of the 205,097 visits made to VA Medical Centers. The Institute of Medicine’s September 2006 report, Gulf War and Health, Volume 4, indicated that existing research has demonstrated that Gulf War veterans are reporting more symptoms including more severe symptoms than their non-deployed counter-parts and there is no known explanation for it. “The purpose of research is to fill in the gaps of knowledge where there is little, yet suggestive information,” Morin explained. “Dr. Haley’s research will further this knowledge about Gulf War veterans’ illnesses and hopefully help improve the lives of ill Gulf War veterans, and their families who suffer beside them,” Morin added.Gulf War Research Funding Positive Sign for Affected Veterans
There were rules this funding involved and if this "news" site read the report they posted, they would know why the funding was cut off. I thought people were supposed to care about our veterans and where the money was goind while they wait for help.
VA Continues Gulf War Research,
Cancels Contract with UTSW Medical Center
WASHINGTON (Aug. 26, 2009) - Citing persistent noncompliance and
numerous performance deficiencies, the Department of Veterans Affairs
(VA) will not exercise the third year of a five-year, $75 million
contract with the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center
(UTSWMC) to perform research into Gulf War Veterans' Illnesses (GWVI).
"Research into the illnesses suffered by Gulf War Veterans remains a
priority for VA," said Dr. Gerald M. Cross, VA's Acting Under Secretary
for Health. "As part of our commitment to this vital effort, we must
make certain that our resources are used to support effective and
productive research."
VA listed several reasons for not exercising the contract option,
including UTSWMC's persistent and continuing noncompliance with contract
terms and conditions and detailed documentation by the contracting
officer of performance deficiencies. VA also noted that its Office of
Inspector General documented severe performance deficiencies in a July
15 report and recommended that no further task orders be issued under
the contract.
VA will meet with UTSWMC contract staff on today to provide guidance for
completing work in progress and submitting adequate documentation to
allow payment. UTSWMC will be allowed to fulfill task orders already in
progress if it corrects all performance deficiencies. .
The decision not to continue the contract means VA's research program
will be able to redirect funds to support additional research into GWVI.
In 2010, that research will include a genomic study to identify
susceptibility factors and markers of GWVI; studies of similarities and
differences with chronic fatigue syndrome and fibromyalgia; studies of
new diagnostic tests; identification of sub-populations of ill Gulf War
Veterans; and studies of potential new treatments.
The redirected funding for these new VA research initiatives will be in
addition to the substantial support VA already provides for GWVI
research--$7 million in 2008 and $4.8 million so far in 2009.
Convicted GI poisoned himself before surrendering
Father: Convicted GI poisoned himself before surrendering
By Seth Robbins, Stars and Stripes
Online Edition, Tuesday, August 25, 2009
A Special Forces soldier who was on the run for nearly two days following a court-martial conviction poisoned himself before surrendering to police, his father told Stars and Stripes on Tuesday.
Kelly A. Stewart — a sergeant first class at the time of his conviction last week on charges of kidnapping, forcible sodomy and aggravated sexual assault of a German woman in August 2008 — is now in intensive care at Walter Reed Army Medical Center, according to his father, John.
Stewart, 36, fled early Thursday morning after being convicted the night before at his court-martial in Vilseck, Germany. He surrendered late Friday to military police in Stuttgart and was taken to the Army confinement facility at Coleman Barracks in Mannheim. It was at the confinement facility where Stewart showed the first signs of illness, his father said in a telephone interview Tuesday morning.
Stewart, a medic by training, may have injected himself with poison or swallowed pills while he was fleeing authorities, his father said.
He was taken to Landstuhl Regional Medical Center on Sunday and then flown to Walter Reed in Washington, D.C., on Monday afternoon, medical officials said. Patient privacy rules prevent medical officials from discussing patient treatment and conditions.
“He may or may not live,” said John Stewart, who said he was heading to an airport to board a plane from Nebraska to be at his son’s bedside. “He is in the ICU (intensive care unit) and there appears to be some major organ damage, particularly to his kidneys.”
read more here
http://www.stripes.com/article.asp?section=104&article=64383
By Seth Robbins, Stars and Stripes
Online Edition, Tuesday, August 25, 2009
A Special Forces soldier who was on the run for nearly two days following a court-martial conviction poisoned himself before surrendering to police, his father told Stars and Stripes on Tuesday.
Kelly A. Stewart — a sergeant first class at the time of his conviction last week on charges of kidnapping, forcible sodomy and aggravated sexual assault of a German woman in August 2008 — is now in intensive care at Walter Reed Army Medical Center, according to his father, John.
Stewart, 36, fled early Thursday morning after being convicted the night before at his court-martial in Vilseck, Germany. He surrendered late Friday to military police in Stuttgart and was taken to the Army confinement facility at Coleman Barracks in Mannheim. It was at the confinement facility where Stewart showed the first signs of illness, his father said in a telephone interview Tuesday morning.
Stewart, a medic by training, may have injected himself with poison or swallowed pills while he was fleeing authorities, his father said.
He was taken to Landstuhl Regional Medical Center on Sunday and then flown to Walter Reed in Washington, D.C., on Monday afternoon, medical officials said. Patient privacy rules prevent medical officials from discussing patient treatment and conditions.
“He may or may not live,” said John Stewart, who said he was heading to an airport to board a plane from Nebraska to be at his son’s bedside. “He is in the ICU (intensive care unit) and there appears to be some major organ damage, particularly to his kidneys.”
read more here
http://www.stripes.com/article.asp?section=104&article=64383
Senator Ted Kennedy battle with brain cancer ends
Obama calls Kennedy 'greatest U.S. senator of our time'
Posted: August 26th, 2009 08:07 AM ET
(CNN) – President Obama issued a statement Tuesday morning on the passing of Sen. Ted Kennedy:
For five decades, virtually every major piece of legislation to advance the civil rights, health and economic well being of the American people bore his name and resulted from his efforts.
I valued his wise counsel in the Senate, where, regardless of the swirl of events, he always had time for a new colleague. I cherished his confidence and momentous support in my race for the Presidency. And even as he waged a valiant struggle with a mortal illness, I've profited as President from his encouragement and wisdom.
An important chapter in our history has come to an end. Our country has lost a great leader, who picked up the torch of his fallen brothers and became the greatest United States Senator of our time.
For most of my life I lived in Massachusetts. Senator Kennedy will never be forgotten for all he tried to do. When he could have taken the easy way out, he fought because he thought it was the right thing to do. Just like his brother, President John F. Kennedy, said in his famous speeches. To the Kennedy family, it was a lot more than words.
Was he perfect? No, none of us are. I am sure some in this country will bring up Mary Jo Kopecky and the Chappaquidic Bridge, because it's already started. This happened in 1969. They never stop to think that this man had already suffered too many deaths and maybe, just maybe was not thinking right at all.
Joseph Patrick Kennedy, Jr, 1944 died in WWII
Kathleen Agnes Kennedy, died in a plane crash in 1948
John Kennedy, assassinated 1963
Bobby Kennedy, assassinated in 1968
Rosemary Kennedy, lobotomy at age 23
Did he make a fatal mistake in judgment? Yes, but what is missed is why and what was behind it.
The rest of his life, what he tried to do and the people he tried so hard to take of though, remember him as a champion for the forgotten. He could have spent his life out of the public eye and relaxed with the family's wealth but he chose to serve instead. Three brothers before him died in service to this nation, one in the military, one in the president's office and one on his way there left him knowing his life of pain and anguish also enabled him to retain compassion in public service.
If you want to leave a comment about Chappaquidic, forget about it. I won't allow one. That day haunted him enough already. He pleaded guilty for leaving the scene of an accident, but it never left him. If you look up what he did for the rest of us the rest of his life, maybe, just maybe, he can be forgiven by those who still wish to judge him.
Rev. Tim Vakoc, Chaplain, died after neglect
Workers at home where chaplain fell criticized
By PATRICK CONDON (AP)
MINNEAPOLIS — A patient at a Minnesota nursing home who fell and later died was neglected by two health care workers there, according to a report from state health officials in what appears to be an investigation into the death of a chaplain who had been injured in Iraq.
The investigative report from the Minnesota Department of Health does not name the patient because of privacy laws, and spokesman John Steiger would not confirm the identity Tuesday.
However, details in the report match those previously reported about the accident at St. Therese Home in New Hope on June 20 that preceded the death of the Rev. Tim Vakoc. The priest was believed to be the first military chaplain wounded in Iraq.
The state investigation refers to a patient who hit his head after he fell out of a mechanical lift while being moved by two staff members. He died at a hospital later that day.
The investigation said the two employees, both nursing assistants, did not follow procedures for using the lift despite having been trained to do so. "Neglect did occur," the report states.
By PATRICK CONDON (AP)
MINNEAPOLIS — A patient at a Minnesota nursing home who fell and later died was neglected by two health care workers there, according to a report from state health officials in what appears to be an investigation into the death of a chaplain who had been injured in Iraq.
The investigative report from the Minnesota Department of Health does not name the patient because of privacy laws, and spokesman John Steiger would not confirm the identity Tuesday.
However, details in the report match those previously reported about the accident at St. Therese Home in New Hope on June 20 that preceded the death of the Rev. Tim Vakoc. The priest was believed to be the first military chaplain wounded in Iraq.
The state investigation refers to a patient who hit his head after he fell out of a mechanical lift while being moved by two staff members. He died at a hospital later that day.
The investigation said the two employees, both nursing assistants, did not follow procedures for using the lift despite having been trained to do so. "Neglect did occur," the report states.
However, details in the report match those previously reported about the accident at St. Therese Home in New Hope on June 20 that preceded the death of the Rev. Tim Vakoc. The priest was believed to be the first military chaplain wounded in Iraq.
Vakoc, a Robbinsdale native who was 49 when he died, became an Army chaplain in 1996. He was returning from celebrating a Mass with troops near Mosul on May 29, 2004, when he was struck by a bomb blast that severely injured his brain and cost him an eye. He was believed to be the first military chaplain wounded in Iraq.
He was hospitalized at both Walter Reed Army Medical Center in Washington and the Veterans Affairs Medical Center in Minneapolis, and underwent numerous surgeries. He had slowly started recognizing friends and families, and spoke again for the first time about three years ago. He was transferred to St. Therese at the end of 2006.read more here
Tuesday, August 25, 2009
Tenn. hostage situation ends in 4 dead
Tenn. hostage situation ends in 4 dead
Published: Aug. 25, 2009 at 6:33 PM
MOOSEBURG, Tenn., Aug. 25 (UPI) -- A hostage situation in a Mooseburg, Tenn., barn ended Tuesday with four people dead, including the hostage taker-shooter, sheriff's department officials said.
The apparent multiple murder-suicide was discovered after more than three dozen heavily armed police tactical unit officers entered the barn where the killings occurred, WJHL-TV, Johnson City, reported.
read more here
Tenn. hostage situation ends in 4 dead
Published: Aug. 25, 2009 at 6:33 PM
MOOSEBURG, Tenn., Aug. 25 (UPI) -- A hostage situation in a Mooseburg, Tenn., barn ended Tuesday with four people dead, including the hostage taker-shooter, sheriff's department officials said.
The apparent multiple murder-suicide was discovered after more than three dozen heavily armed police tactical unit officers entered the barn where the killings occurred, WJHL-TV, Johnson City, reported.
read more here
Tenn. hostage situation ends in 4 dead
Some people just don't get what 9-11 meant
Do you think they cared if someone was a Republican or a Democrat that day? Or any other day?
Unlike First Lady Michelle Obama, I won't back down from this. I have never been more proud of this country after 9-11 and more appalled by what it is turning into now. If you love your children, you correct their behavior. You may be proud of them but at the moments when you have to scream at them to stop acting like jerks, not so much pride there. You still love them the same way I still love this country but when politics have to take over every single thing that happens, including the event that changed this country for the better, even though it didn't last long, is just pure "jerk" from the people using it.
The problem for people like this is that 9-11 is etched into our hearts and memories so that no one can ever make us forget what it was like watching the firefighters and police officers rushing to the burning buildings. No one can forget how they stood side by side and spent endless days searching for the people lost because they knew someone was waiting for them, but they didn't come home. We saw them stand in reverence as one of their own was recovered. We saw what it was like to drive down any street in this country and see a sea of flags from every house and flying on cars.
We also remember what it was like when every member of Congress stood together as Americans!
House Speaker Dennis Hastert (R) says: “Senators and House members, Democrats and Republicans will stand shoulder to shoulder to fight this evil that has perpetrated on this nation. We will stand together to make sure that those who have brought forth this evil deed will pay the price.”
Senate Majority Leader Tom Daschle (D) calls the day’s attacks “an assault on our people and on our freedom,” and says, “We, Republicans and Democrats, House and Senate, stand strongly united behind the president and we’ll work together to ensure that the full resources of the government are brought to bear in these efforts.” To applause, he announces, “Congress will convene tomorrow.” The press conference ends with the members of Congress joining together for an apparently spontaneous singing of “God Bless America.”
Congress History Commons
So please tell me how turning even this into some kind of political game is anything to be proud of?
Right-wingers cry socialism over 9/11 anniversary plan backed by many in GOP
By Daniel Tencer
Published: August 25, 2009
Right-wing commentators are claiming that the White House is planning to “erase the meaning” of the 9/11 attacks and turn the anniversary into “a day of leftist celebration and statist idolatry” — despite the fact that the plan for a National Day of Service on 9/11 had broad bipartisan support.
An article by Matthew Vadum, published Monday in the American Spectator, states that the president’s plan for a National Day of Service, to be celebrated on September 11, would eliminate 9/11 as a political tool for Republicans.
“The plan is to turn a ‘day of fear’ that helps Republicans into a day of activism called the National Day of Service that helps the left,” writes Vadum. “In other words, nihilistic liberals are planning to drain 9/11 of all meaning.”
As some commentators have pointed out, Vadum’s article overlooks the fact that the idea to link the 9/11 anniversary to volunteerism was originally promoted by President George W. Bush, and the bill to make it law, passed this spring, had bipartisan support.
Seventy House Republicans and 22 GOP senators voted for the Generations Invigorating Volunteerism and Education (GIVE) Act, which established the National Day of Service and Remembrance on September 11.
read more here
Right-wingers cry socialism over 9 11
Wife, bystander unable to help man who drowned after saving dog
Wife, bystander unable to help man who drowned after saving dog
Husband, she says, wanted to be remembered for his art
By Joseph Ruzich
Special to the Tribune
August 25, 2009
Dilbara Arapova "had a bad feeling about the place."
She and her husband, Vasily Fedorouk, an internationally renowned sculptor from Westmont, were playing with their dog, Era, near Horsetail Lake in the Cook County forest preserve in Palos Township on Sunday morning. It was the first time they had taken the dog to the location, and Arapova was leery.
"There were a lot of weeds [along the shore]," Arapova said.
The 2 1/2 -year-old German hunting terrier went into the lake to fetch a ball but got caught in some vegetation. Fedorouk, 59, jumped into the lake, freed the family pet but wound up getting entangled himself, officials said.
"He was waving his hands in the water," Arapova said. "At first I thought he was joking. Then he went underwater and I started to scream. I couldn't help him. I can't swim."
Arapova said another man at the scene, who also couldn't swim, called police on a cell phone. Police and paramedics arrived about eight minutes after the incident, Arapova said, but it was too late.
Fedorouk was found submerged in 6 to 8 feet of water and later was pronounced dead. An official with the Cook County medical examiner's office said Monday that Fedorouk died of accidental drowning. Arapova said police told her that Fedorouk apparently got caught in fishing line.
read more here
Wife bystander unable to help man who drowned after saving dog
Husband, she says, wanted to be remembered for his art
By Joseph Ruzich
Special to the Tribune
August 25, 2009
Dilbara Arapova "had a bad feeling about the place."
She and her husband, Vasily Fedorouk, an internationally renowned sculptor from Westmont, were playing with their dog, Era, near Horsetail Lake in the Cook County forest preserve in Palos Township on Sunday morning. It was the first time they had taken the dog to the location, and Arapova was leery.
"There were a lot of weeds [along the shore]," Arapova said.
The 2 1/2 -year-old German hunting terrier went into the lake to fetch a ball but got caught in some vegetation. Fedorouk, 59, jumped into the lake, freed the family pet but wound up getting entangled himself, officials said.
"He was waving his hands in the water," Arapova said. "At first I thought he was joking. Then he went underwater and I started to scream. I couldn't help him. I can't swim."
Arapova said another man at the scene, who also couldn't swim, called police on a cell phone. Police and paramedics arrived about eight minutes after the incident, Arapova said, but it was too late.
Fedorouk was found submerged in 6 to 8 feet of water and later was pronounced dead. An official with the Cook County medical examiner's office said Monday that Fedorouk died of accidental drowning. Arapova said police told her that Fedorouk apparently got caught in fishing line.
read more here
Wife bystander unable to help man who drowned after saving dog
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)