Book reviews: 'Shake the Devil Off' by Ethan Brown and 'The Year Before the Flood' by Ned Sublette
12:00 AM CDT on Sunday, August 30, 2009 By BEATRIZ TERRAZAS / Special Contributor to The Dallas Morning News Beatriz Terrazas is a former Dallas Morning News photographer and writer whose work will be published in TCU Press' upcoming Literary El Paso.
Just in time for Hurricane Katrina's fourth anniversary come two ambitious books set against New Orleans. Both lay bare collective wounds.
In Shake The Devil Off: A True Story of the Murder That Rocked New Orleans, veteran journalist Ethan Brown examines post-traumatic stress disorder through Zackery Bowen, a charismatic soldier in the U.S. Army's 527th MP Company.
Zack, a New Orleans bartender before his enlistment, did tours of duty in Kosovo and Iraq. While overseas, his marriage derailed. Discharged in 2004, he returned with his family to New Orleans only to divorce and begin a turbulent relationship with artist Addie Hall. They were among the holdouts who made headlines by riding out Katrina.
A year later, having survived Kosovo, Iraq and Katrina, Zack made news again by killing Addie, dismembering her body, then killing himself.
One psychiatrist tells Brown that Zack's downward spiral probably had several causes, including the loss of friends in Iraq, the collapse of his marriage and the transition to civilian life. Zack's fellow soldiers express feelings of being forgotten by the rest of America.
But Brown discovers the military, too, is at fault. He cites a VA memo cautioning against PTSD diagnoses: "Consider a diagnosis of Adjustment Disorder ... we really don't have time to do the extensive testing that should be done to determine PTSD." At the same time, the National Institute of Mental Health warned that inadequate mental health care could lead to "postwar suicides among Iraq and Afghanistan vets" exceeding combat deaths.
Two firefighters die battling blaze in Los Angeles County
Story Highlights
NEW: Two dead firefighters identified
Fast-growing Los Angeles County wildfire has become 42,000-acre conflagration
So-called Station Fire threatens up to 10,000 homes and 2,000 other structures
LOS ANGELES, California (CNN) -- Fire officials late Sunday identified two firefighters who died accidentally while battling a fast-spreading wildfire in Los Angeles County.
Capt. Tedmund Hall, 47, and Spc. Arnaldo Quinones, 35, were in a vehicle that "went over the side" on Sunday afternoon, according to the Los Angeles Country Fire Department.
They were fighting what is known as the Station Fire, which had spread to 42,000 acres by late Sunday.
Hall was with the department for 26 years and Quinones for eight years.
The accident happened near Acton, about 25 miles north of central Los Angeles, during "intense fire activity that was occurring near Mount Gleason," Deputy Fire Chief Michael Bryant said.
read more here http://www.cnn.com/2009/US/08/31/california.wildfires/index.html
UPDATE
LA firefighters killed trying to save inmate crew
By CHRISTINA HOAG and JACOB ADELMAN, Associated Press Writers
Monday, August 31, 2009
18:21 PDT LOS ANGELES (AP) --
As the roaring wall of flame raged through the Angeles National Forest, firefighters Ted Hall and Arnie Quinones worked feverishly to protect their fire-crew camp, made up mostly of prison inmates.
Police: 'No known suspects' in 8 Georgia deaths Story Highlights Police: Someone not in custody may have information about the deaths
Seven found dead Saturday at mobile home park residence in Brunswick, Georgia
One other victim died Sunday, 9th victim still in critical condition Sunday
Police said they have been called to the home before, but would not say why
(CNN) -- Authorities believe at least one person not in custody may have information about the deaths of eight people in a Georgia mobile home, Glynn County Police Chief Matt Doering said Sunday.
Seven people were found dead Saturday at a residence in a mobile home park in Brunswick, Georgia.
"I'm confident to say that there's somebody, at least an individual, that we would like to know about that's not at the scene," whether or not they were directly involved in the case, Doering said.
Seven people were found dead Saturday at a residence in the New Hope mobile home park in Brunswick, Georgia. Two others were hospitalized in critical condition, and one of them died Sunday, authorities said.
Police have "no known suspects," Doering told reporters Sunday afternoon. "We are not looking for any known suspects. That doesn't say that there are no suspects. They're just not known to us." go here for more http://www.cnn.com/2009/CRIME/08/30/georgia.killings/index.html
Veterans Demand Apology from GOP and FOX for Lies About VA Written by Veterans for Common Sense Thursday, 27 August 2009 12:36 August 27, 2009 - The claim that the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) has a manual encouraging veterans to "commit suicide," made by Republican National Committee Chairman Michael Steele, is an asinine assertion with no basis in fact.
Steele made the charge two days ago (August 25th) on FOX News. Steele's egregious comments are an outrageous slander against VA designed to create an atmosphere of mistrust and fear among the millions of our veterans who rely on the VA for medical care. Veterans demand an apology from Steele and FOX News.
"Let me be absolutely clear, Steele lied. There is no VA manual encouraging veterans to commit suicide," said Paul Sullivan, the executive director of VCS, a non-profit based in Washington, DC providing advocacy for veterans, especially veterans with mental health conditions.
Here is the full text of Steele's comments:
"If you want an example of bad public policy, let's look at this situation with our veterans where you have a manual out there, telling our veterans stuff like, ‘Are you really a value to your community?' and, you know, encouraging them to commit suicide. This is crazy coming from the government, and this is exactly what concerns people, what puts them in fear of what government controlled health care, of health care, will look like."
Law keeps veterans with post-traumatic stress disorder out of jail
By Chris Roberts / El Paso Times
Posted: 08/30/2009 12:00:00 AM MDT
EL PASO -- Combat veterans with post-traumatic stress disorder who are accused of certain crimes may soon have a choice between a trial or mental-health treatment.
El Paso judges last week took the first step in creating a Veterans Mental Health Treatment Court. They authorized the program for Judge Ricardo Herrera's county criminal court.
"I just think we need to get ahead of the curve a little bit and get this in place," said Herrera, who proposed the idea to the Council of Judges.
He said the court would make sense for El Paso because of Fort Bliss and its explosive growth. The post has about 20,000 active-duty soldiers and is expected to grow to 34,000 by 2013.
The court would be geared to active-duty soldiers or veterans who served in combat zones or other hazardous assignments and suffer from post-traumatic stress disorder, said Cesar Prieto, who works in Herrera's court.
He said the court for veterans would include felonies and misdemeanors, but not the most serious crimes, such as murder and rape. Prosecutors would have to approve a defendant's participation in the program.
read more here http://www.elpasotimes.com/ci_13232775?source=most_emailed
By Tim Reynolds - The Associated Press
Posted : Sunday Aug 30, 2009 13:49:27 EDT
MIAMI — Tim James apologized for being late. A rough day at work, said the Miami Heat’s 1999 first-round draft pick. Vehicles broke down, problems flared up, and he simply fell behind.
“It happens,” James said. “Even here.”
Even here — on the front line of the Iraq war.
A former NBA player who often wondered about his true calling, Tim James is now a soldier, a transformation that even many of the people closest to him never saw coming.
“I got my degree, lived the life I was able, have my freedom and became a professional athlete,” James said last week from Iraq. “I’m the example of the American dream.”
James is at Camp Speicher, the massive base near Tikrit, 85 miles north of Baghdad, not far from Saddam Hussein’s hometown and where insurgents still are a perpetual threat. For Miami Northwestern High, the Miami Hurricanes, three NBA teams and some foreign clubs, he was forward Tim James. For the Army, he’s Spc. Tim James of Task Force ODIN — short for Observe, Detect, Identify, Neutralize.
read more here Former NBA player now with Army in Iraq
We all play the "what if" game after things happen and wonder what we could have done differently, said differently to prevent it, especially when someone commits suicide.
A neighbor back home in Massachusetts, went to wake up her son for work and found him hanging in his closet. She had no idea he was in such pain emotionally. No one in the family did. His friends didn't know. They all looked back asking "what if" and wondering what they missed. He didn't let them know. He hid it well.
My husband's nephew, another Vietnam vet, was the same age as my husband. He knew what I did with PTSD and veterans, but no matter how hard I tried to talk to him, he just wouldn't listen. I kept trying, wondering what I was saying wrong, or not saying, wondering how I could reach him. He committed suicide because he had given up. His girlfriend was a therapist. She was lost after this happened and wondering what she missed, what she could have done differently and so was I. The truth is, I still wonder and play the "what if" games in my head. His death still affects everyone.
We can't reach everyone but we can try. We can do the best we can, listen to them, be there for them, try to get them to talk, but we cannot force them. Sometimes I think we are always looking for that magic word that will open their mind and unlock the hold darkness has on them. Wanting to find the key is not the same as finding it and then we are left with regret even though we did all we could.
I still want to save everyone, but I know I can't. No one really can and experts tell us to focus on those we save. While comforting enough to keep doing this work, it is the losses that hang on.
When someone in your life commits suicide, you need support too. It is a shock. You do not come past any of this unchanged. Acknowledge that. Talk to someone you trust and if not, then talk to a professional. Above all, understand that you are not God and do not know everything, nor are you expected to. We all do the best we can in that moment with what we understood in that moment and we cared enough to try.
Dealing with suicide Woman finds way to help following her own tragedy By R.E. Spears III (Contact) Suffolk News-Herald
Published Saturday, August 29, 2009
Russell Neblett was a well-respected man in the Suffolk’s Bethlehem community.
A deacon and Sunday School teacher at Bethlehem Christian Church, he had led a youth group with his wife, Therese for several years. He was a member and past president of the Bethlehem Ruritan Club.
He was a devoted father, encouraging his two sons and one daughter through years of baseball, piano, band, field hockey and soccer.
“We had a love that most couples don’t have these days,” Therese recalls. Her husband, always a bit of a joker, would send her flowers each Groundhog Day, just to be different from all the other husbands who would be sending their wives flowers on Valentine’s Day.
Somehow, shockingly, everything fell apart on May 10, 2008.
That was the day that Neblett’s wife came home and found him dead by his own hand in a recliner.
For Therese and her children, the months that have followed have been a struggle. They’ve tried to understand what was going on in Russell Neblett’s mind when he shot himself. They’ve tried to overcome feelings of anger and guilt.
The wounds left on the survivors have often been kept fresh by the constant picking of “What if … ?” in the backs of their minds, especially for the woman he left widowed after 31 years of marriage. read more here http://www.suffolknewsherald.com/news/2009/aug/29/dealing-suicide/
Tammy Duckworth: VA official, war amputee is flying again 'I leave my wheelchair behind up in the air," Hoffman Estates woman says Tammy Duckworth flying again
Not sure what to make out of this. Scams happen all the time. I did a quick search but didn't find much on this woman. I never heard of her, read anything about her, but that doesn't mean that much. I focus on PTSD, but take a great interest in Agent Orange. My husband was exposed, is in the registry and we get the updates, which has hung over our heads ever since the VA doctor said "No health effects yet!" and that was a long time ago. I also take interest for another personal reason. My friend Capt. Agnes Irish Bresnahan who suffered because of PTSD and Agent Orange until the day she died, March 11, 2009.
This link was sent to me by another friend of Irish and a champion for Agent Orange awareness.
Agent Orange Quilt of Tears This is one of the reasons I feel it should be posted. People taking advantage of veterans are just as bad as the ones that claim to be veterans when they are not. What do they hope to gain? I will never understand this.
The other part of this article is that it says the only way to know is a blood test and that is true. The VA also finds where the veteran was and if there was spraying in the area at the time the veteran was there.
Veterans Target Of Mold Lady by Paul C. Clark Staff Writer August 27, 2009 The woman who thrust herself into the center of the Oak Ridge Elementary School environmental mystery, terrifying parents, is at it again.
Linda May, a self-proclaimed "mold expert" who drove the news coverage of the longstanding health problems at Oak Ridge for weeks, trying to get herself hired as an expert witness and to sell $345 medical tests of questionable validity to worried Oak Ridge parents, has moved on to another target audience: elderly, ailing veterans.
On August 11, May appeared on Veterans for Veteran Connection, an internet radio program, selling the same test kits for Agent Orange exposure. Agent Orange is a pesticide chemically unrelated to mold and was used as a defoliant during the Vietnam War.
On the show, May claimed that the test kits are approved by the US State Department, Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA). "We are approved to do the testing for Agent Orange T-2 toxin for all government agencies in the US," she said of her company, Warbler of Illinois. T-2 is a toxin found in mold and is chemically unrelated to Agent Orange.
All that sounds impressive, but May, as usual, didn't provide anything to back up either her personal qualifications or the claims she made for the test she is selling. She said the Warbler of Illinois lab is in Pontiac, Illinois, in a secret location. On the show, as in Guilford County, she repeatedly turned down requests to verify her credentials and those of her purported laboratory by saying they were deep government secrets. When she was operating here, she refused to provide her resume, the number of the patent she claims to hold on the urine test, any US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approvals for the test, or proof of Clinical Laboratory Improvement Amendments (CLIA) registration for the claimed laboratory – a registration that is required for labs offering medical tests in the United States. read more here Veterans Target Of Mold Lady
Toyota Accused of Hiding Evidence Former Lawyer at Automaker Charges Evidence in Rollover Cases Was Concealed, Destroyed
(CBS) By CBS News Investigative Unit Contributor Myron Levin
A former attorney for Toyota has accused the automaker of illegally withholding evidence in hundreds of rollover death and injury cases, in a "ruthless conspiracy" to keep evidence "of its vehicles' structural shortcomings from becoming known."
The explosive allegations are contained in a federal racketeering suit filed in Los Angeles by Dimitrios P. Biller, former managing counsel for Toyota Motor Sales, USA, Inc., who claims his complaints about the company's legal misconduct cost him his job.
Toyota, which is second to General Motors in car and truck sales in the U.S., called Biller's charges "inaccurate and misleading," in a statement issued late Friday to CBS News. "Toyota takes its legal obligations seriously and works to uphold the highest professional and ethical standards," the company said.
Company lawyers have not filed an answer to Biller's lawsuit, but have brought a motion to seal the complaint, claiming it is "rife with privileged and confidential information" that Biller, as a former Toyota lawyer, has no right to divulge.
A hearing on the motion has been set for September 14.
Biller, who did not return phone calls, worked for Toyota Motor Sales, based in Torrance, Calif., from 2003 to 2007. He was involved in defending rollover lawsuits that blamed injuries and deaths on instability and weak roofs of the company's SUVs and pickups. read more hereToyota Accused of Hiding Evidence
Seven slain, two injured, at Ga. trailer park
Police: ‘We've never had such an incident with so many victims'
updated 36 minutes ago
BRUNSWICK, Ga. - Seven people were found slain and two critically injured Saturday at a mobile home located on a historic plantation in southeastern Georgia, police said.
Glynn County Police Chief Matt Doering called it the worst mass slaying in his 25 years of police work in this coastal Georgia county. He wouldn't say how the victims died and released few other details.
The Associated Press
Posted : Saturday Aug 29, 2009 16:21:27 EDT
FORT BLISS, Texas — A Fort Bliss soldier charged with murder in the shooting death of a local high school student has been found incompetent to stand trial, the Army announced Saturday.
Spc. Gerald Polanco, 37, will be transferred within the next week from the Otero County Detention Facility in New Mexico to the Bureau of Prisons and hospitalized for up to four months, the Army said in a news release. Justice Department officials plan to place Polanco in a medical center in Missouri or one in North Carolina, Polanco’s attorney John Convery told the El Paso Times.
Polanco’s family has requested the North Carolina center because they consider it more modern, he said.
Convery told The Associated Press that he had already talked to the newspaper and that was all he was prepared to say.
He said previously that Polanco and his family tried unsuccessfully to get the soldier help through his unit before the shooting. Polanco’s family also has tried to get treatment for him at the Otero County jail, Convery said.
read more here Bliss E4 charged with murder found incompetent
I will never understand how the men and women we send into combat are not given everything they need while they risk their lives, any more than I can understand how this same nation can abandon them when they come home.
I said a long time ago that this blog is not about politics but holding them accountable for what they do and do not do. If this is true and these soldiers did not get everything possible to protect them as well as everything they needed to fight with, then President Obama and Secretary Gates have a lot to explain.
Fallen soldier worried about lack of equipment
By Keith Eldridge Watch the story FEDERAL WAY, Wash. - The grieving family of a local soldier who was killed in Afghanistan says he often expressed concern about a lack of ammo and other resources to fight the war.
Pfc. Dennis M. Williams, 24, of Federal Way, was one of four soldiers killed Tuesday in a roadside bomb blast in Afghanistan. It was Williams' first tour there.
Although he was only a private first class, his family says Dennis was wise beyond his years when it came to the military.
"What he was told and what he heard is that ammo was low, conserve your stuff, and he just didn't feel that they were equipped like they should have been - like it was a low-budget war," says Dennis' brother, David Williams.
Dennis and the 4,000 members of the 5th Stryker Brigade from Fort Lewis have only been in Afghanistan a month and have already lost six soldiers.
The other three soldiers killed in Tuesday's roadside bombing were identified as Capt. John L. Hallett III, 30, of California; Capt. Cory J. Jenkins, 30, of Arizona; and Sgt. 1st Class Ronald W. Sawyer, 38, of Trenton, Mo.
Two other Stryker Brigade soldiers were killed last week
Marine officer receives Bronze Star for leading attacks in Afghanistan August 29, 2009 8:28 am
A Marine officer at Camp Pendleton has received the Bronze Star for bravery for leading multiple assaults on Taliban insurgents in Afghanistan.
Maj. James W. Eagan III was a platoon commander with the 1st Marine Special Operations Battalion in southern Afghanistan in 2007. While other Marines were assigned to help tutor Afghan security forces, the Special Operations forces were assigned to seek out and confront the Taliban.
Times Publishing hit with $10 million judgment in libel suit
By Jamal Thalji, Times Staff Writer
In Print: Saturday, August 29, 2009
ST. PETERSBURG — The former chief of medicine at Bay Pines VA Medical Center prevailed Friday in a libel lawsuit against Times Publishing Co.
The jury found against the parent company of the St. Petersburg Times and awarded Dr. Harold L. Kennedy more than $10 million in damages.
"We are very disappointed by the verdict," said Times Executive Editor and Vice President Neil Brown. "We believe our reporting and editing of these stories met the highest journalistic and ethical standards.
"The Times will appeal the jury's decision.''
The lawsuit was filed over three articles that appeared in the Times in December 2003 about Kennedy's reassignment from chief of medicine to his subspecialty of cardiology. Kennedy filed suit in Pinellas-Pasco Circuit Court in 2005.
read more here Times Publishing hit with 10 million judgment in libel suit
Public suicide in Pasco agonizes family, haunts stranger
By Camille C. Spencer, Times Staff Writer
In Print: Sunday, August 30, 2009
NEW PORT RICHEY — David Miller was getting ready for bed on Aug. 14 when one of his mutts started barking.
Miller, in boxer shorts and flip flops, peered outside a front window at his house on Widgeon Way. He spotted a German shepherd yelping and opened his garage door.
The German shepherd ran from Miller's garage back to a pavilion across the street in River Ridge.
Miller, 41, went inside his house, put on a pair of pants and grabbed his glasses and cell phone. He drove toward the pavilion and shined his headlights toward it.
A man's body was hanging by the dog's black nylon leash, tied to a set of white rafters in the pavilion. His blue and white tennis shoes dangled to the ground. A beer can and a cell phone, still ringing, sat on a forest green picnic table nearby.
read more here Public suicide in Pasco agonizes family
Police seek suspects in Virginia Tech students' deaths
The bodies of two sophomores with bullet wounds were found in a campground area of the Jefferson National Forest.
By Shawna Morrison
The bodies of two young Virginia Tech students from central Virginia were found Thursday in a remote area of Montgomery County, and authorities are considering their deaths to be a double homicide.
The victims are David Lee Metzler, 19, of Lynchburg and Heidi Lynn Childs, 18, of Forest, according to the Montgomery County Sheriff's Office.
In the Virginia Tech student directory, Metzler's major is listed as industrial and systems engineering. Childs is listed as a biochemistry major. Both were sophomores.
Sheriff Tommy Whitt said both victims appeared to have been shot where they had parked in a day-use area of Caldwell Fields. The area is a large group campground in the Jefferson National Forest more than eight miles down Craig Creek Road, where a shooting range and Camp Tuk-A-Way are located, off U.S. 460.
read more here http://www.roanoke.com/news/nrv/wb/216886
linked from AOL news
Suicides climb in New Orleans 3:24 CNN's Dr. Sanjay Gupta looks at the effects on mental health caused by Hurricane Katrina.
4 years after Katrina, NOLA mental health system still in crisis Story Highlights New Orleans continues to face crisis of mental health needs, resources
Study: Before storm, area had 487 inpatient psychiatric beds; now,190
Police officer's slaying by mentally ill man renewed spotlight on city's needs
By Stephanie Smith CNN Medical Producer
NEW ORLEANS, Louisiana (CNN) -- As the storm raged outside her hospital room four years ago, an equally consuming force hijacked Alesia Crockett's mind: deep depression.
For days, Crockett lay in darkness and a tangle of sweaty hospital bed sheets, one among hundreds of desperate patients trapped inside Charity Hospital in 2005, while outside, Hurricane Katrina and its aftermath battered the city.
Crockett had been admitted to Charity's inpatient mental health unit after having a psychotic episode. She had struggled for years with bipolar disorder, an illness that causes her to volley between euphoria and profound depression.
She said she barely remembers Katrina.
"Most of the time, I was in a fog, but I do remember some things," Crockett said. "Where my room was, I could see thousands of people wandering, and I could see the waters rise."
Crockett, and many other New Orleanians suffering from chronic mental illness -- and those with what is called "soft depression," or nonchronic mental illness -- say Katrina may have relented days after it hit New Orleans proper, but their mental health issues have not.
In January 2008, a New Orleans police officer was killed by a man suffering from psychosis due to schizophrenia, New Orleans police said. The officer, Nicola Cotton, approached 44-year-old Bernel Johnson for questioning about a rape. A struggle ensued, and Johnson overpowered and killed Cotton with her own gun, police said.
Victims of repeated abuse suffer complex trauma
Story Highlights
It's challenging for people freed from captivity to adjust to a new life
Experts in child sexual abuse cases say perpetrators mentally manipulate kids
Recovery is possible, but it could take several years.
By Madison Park
CNN
(CNN) -- For 18 years, a girl who was whisked away into a secret backyard compound was forced to grow up in isolation.
By the time authorities discovered Jaycee Lee Dugard, she was a 29-year-old mother of two who had spent more than half of her life in sheds. One of the alleged abductors, Phillip Garrido, is the father of her two daughters, according to police.
Garrido and his wife, Nancy, face 29 felony counts, including kidnapping for sexual purposes, forcible rape and forcible lewd acts on a child. They pleaded not guilty Friday. The maximum penalty for each defendant, if convicted, is life imprisonment.
Dugard, who disappeared from South Lake Tahoe, California, in 1991, faces a challenging road to recovery. Dr. Kerry Landry, a child psychiatrist in Durham, North Carolina, said that repeated abuse causes complex trauma.
UPDATE
Looks like this news site is a bit late on reporting on this. This came out a day after Army Times had announced it was already approved.
Veterans who saved 100 soldiers ask Obama to present citation
Sunday, August 30, 2009
By Torsten Ove, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
Ray Tarr, 59, has a fake eye, a dent in his head, a withered arm and wince-inducing scars on his back, all courtesy of a rocket-propelled grenade that slammed into his tank in Cambodia in 1970.
"We had a saying in Vietnam," he shrugged last week in recollection. "When someone died or something bad happened, we just said, 'It don't mean nothing.' "
But the actions of his unit on March 26, 1970, a few months before he was wounded, did mean something -- resulting in a Presidential Unit Citation issued in March, 39 years after the fact.
Now the veterans of that battle are asking President Obama to present the citation to them personally in the East Room of the White House this fall. It could happen as early as October.
With a First Cavalry infantry company pinned down, outnumbered and out of ammunition, Mr. Tarr's Alpha Troop of the 11th Armored Cavalry rushed to save 100 men.
By Michelle Tan - Staff writer
Posted : Saturday Aug 29, 2009 8:17:21 EDT
The news filtered down to Capt. John Poindexter and his troops around noon.
Four kilometers away from their position, an infantry company was surrounded by a battalion’s worth of North Vietnamese fighters. The Americans were running low on ammunition, and casualties were mounting.
Poindexter reached a decision — a decision he and his soldiers knew they had to make.
“The choice, to me, was one of [the] certainty of suffering versus a lifetime of guilt,” he said. “It was a collective realization of what we were getting ourselves into, but the consequence was to see a hundred men killed.”
For the next eight hours, Poindexter and his soldiers would battle the jungle and a determined, dug-in enemy force as they fought their way to their fellow soldiers.
The battle that day, March 26, 1970, was fierce and bloody.
Mother Of Fallen Marine Sets Up Fund For Veterans
Fund Will Benefit Easter Seals' Veterans Services
POSTED: 10:53 am EDT August 28, 2009
MANCHESTER, N.H. -- The mother of a Marine from New Hampshire who was killed in Afghanistan has started a fund to benefit veterans.
The fund is named in honor of Michael Ouellette, a 1999 graduate of Memorial High School in Manchester. He was serving his third tour of duty since 2006 when he was killed in combat in March.
read more here http://www.wmur.com/news/20599742/detail.html
Record High Temperatures Won't Stop Camp Pendleton's Marines and Sailors From Building a Park in San Juan Capistrano
From Iraq to San Juan Capistrano, These Marines and Sailors Are Happy to Serve Their Country and Their Community as They "Come Back to Give Back"
SANTA ANA, CA -- (Marketwire) -- 08/28/09 -- Approximately 400 Marines and Sailors from Camp Pendleton will brave the heat this week as they volunteer to build a private park in the Habitat for Heroes and Foundations for Families(TM) development of homes in San Juan Capistrano.
For four days -- August 31-September 3, 2009 -- approximately 100 Marines and Sailors per day will trade their uniforms for blue jeans and travel to San Juan Capistrano to build a neighborhood park for the families who will live in this 27-home development. In addition to assisting on the five homes under construction, they will plant grass, flowers and trees, and pour the foundation for a flagpole for the new park at 24611 Calle Rolando.
The Marines and Sailors are from the 1st Maintenance Battalion, Combat Logistics Regiment 15, 1st Marine Logistics Group at Camp Pendleton. They will be working on site from 9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. on those four days.
"These Marines today are the best of our society," said Kevin Stewart, LtCol, USMC, Commanding Officer of the 1st Maintenance Battalion, Combat Logistics Regiment 15, 1st Marine Logistics Group. "They raised their hand to serve their country. Many will be going to Afghanistan and Iraq to serve. And this week, they have taken it upon themselves to come out here and give back. It shows the high quality of today's Marines. You can be proud of the Marines who are serving our country."
read more here http://ca.sys-con.com/node/1086679
The tributes and speeches for Senator Kennedy were very moving, but above that, they proved political divisions should not divide people. The emails have turned even more disgusting about Senator Kennedy totally ignoring what he accomplished, what he did for others and how when it came to being human, politics didn't matter at all. He could argue with another Senator one minute and then call them to find out how they were doing the next. He cared about "people" more than he cared about sides.
This is from last night when Senator Orrin Hatch spoke about his friend.
Senator Orrin Hatch on Senator Ted Kennedy's life
I really wish that people would return to being human all the time and stop allowing politics to take over everything. The passing of Senator Kennedy showed that even senators can rise above it. These are the political leaders. If they can do it, why can't the rest of us? Republican Senators showed how deeply they care about Senator Kennedy, but there are some in this country more willing to hate than even contemplate how remarkable he was. This even though so much about their own personal life has been changed because of him. They never bothered to look up all the parts of their own lives he made better.
Whenever I post about someone in politics I am not sure of, I look up their record. This is how we can get politics out of everything. There are some you may not agree with all the time but on the issues that matter to you the most, you should know what the truth is. There are some with great voting records for veterans and some poor ones. You cannot tell by the party they belong to because they are humans like the rest of us. What I really hope to do with posting on records is to stop the hatred one side has for the other.
I didn't know too much about Senator Hatch, so I looked him up on VoteSmart. This is something we all need to do no matter what party we belong to. My primary issue is veterans. Use the links for what you care about most. It is not a matter of getting someone out of office but it is holding them accountable for what they do once they get there. It's the responsibility of all of us to make sure they do what they say they will do once they get there.
Date Bill Title Vote Outcome 09/27/2008 Continuing Appropriations HR 2638 Y Concurrence Vote Passed - Senate (78 - 12) 05/22/2008 GI Bill and Other Domestic Provisions S Amdt 4803 N Amendment Adopted - Senate (75 - 22) 01/22/2008 Defense Authorizations Bill HR 4986 Y Bill Passed - Senate (91 - 3) 10/01/2007 National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2008 HR 1585 Y Bill Passed - Senate (92 - 3) 05/11/2006 Tax Relief Extension Reconciliation Act of 2005 HR 4297 Y Conference Report Adopted - Senate (54 - 44) 05/04/2006 Emergency Supplemental Appropriations Act, 2006 HR 4939 NV Bill Passed - Senate (77 - 21) 02/02/2006 Tax Relief Extension Reconciliation Act of 2005 HR 4297 Y Bill Passed - Senate (66 - 31) 02/02/2006 Tax Rate Extension Amendment S AMDT 2735 N Motion Rejected - Senate (44 - 53) 11/17/2005 Additional Funding For Veterans Amendment S AMDT 2634 N Motion Rejected - Senate (43 - 55) 10/05/2005 Health Care for Veterans Amendment S AMDT 1937 N Motion Rejected - Senate (48 - 51) 11/08/2001 Veterans Affairs and HUD Appropriations Act of 2002 HR 2620 Y Conference Report Adopted - Senate (87 - 7) 10/15/1999 Veterans Affairs and HUD Appropriations bill, FY 2000 HR 2684 Y Conference Report Adopted - Senate (93 - 5) 07/07/1998 Space Station Termination Amendment S Amdt 3062 N Amendment Rejected - Senate (33 - 66) 09/27/1994 Fiscal Year 1995 Appropriations for the Departments of Veterans Affairs and Housing and Urban Development HR 4624 Y Conference Report Adopted - Senate (90 - 9) 08/04/1994 Fiscal Year 1995 Appropriations for the Departments of Veterans Affairs and Housing and Urban Development HR 4624 Y Bill Passed - Senate (86 - 9) 09/22/1993 Veterans Administration and Housing and Urban Development Appropriations Bill Fiscal Year 1994 HR 2491 Y Bill Passed - Senate (91 - 9)
2007-2008 In 2007-2008 Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America gave Senator Hatch a grade of C.
2006 Senator Hatch supported the interests of the Disabled American Veterans 50 percent in 2006.
2006 In 2006 Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America gave Senator Hatch a grade of D.
2006 Senator Hatch sponsored or co-sponsored 12 percent of the legislation favored by the The Retired Enlisted Association in 2006.
2005 Senator Hatch supported the interests of the Disabled American Veterans 33 percent in 2005.
2004 Senator Hatch supported the interests of the Disabled American Veterans 0 percent in 2004.
2004 Senator Hatch supported the interests of the The Retired Enlisted Association 0 percent in 2004.
2003-2004 Senator Hatch supported the interests of the Vietnam Veterans of America 100 percent in 2003-2004.
2003 Senator Hatch supported the interests of the The American Legion 100 percent in 2003.
2001 Senator Hatch supported the interests of the Vietnam Veterans of America 76 percent in 2001.
1999 Senator Hatch supported the interests of the Disabled American Veterans 33 percent in 1999.
1997-1998 Senator Hatch supported the interests of the Vietnam Veterans of America 0 percent in 1997-1998.
1989-1990 On the votes that the Vietnam Veterans of America considered to be the most important in 1989-1990 , Senator Hatch voted their preferred position 50 percent of the time.
Date Bill Title Vote Outcome 09/27/2008 Continuing Appropriations HR 2638 NV Concurrence Vote Passed - Senate (78 - 12) 05/22/2008 GI Bill and Other Domestic Provisions S Amdt 4803 NV Amendment Adopted - Senate (75 - 22) 01/22/2008 Defense Authorizations Bill HR 4986 Y Bill Passed - Senate (91 - 3) 10/01/2007 National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2008 HR 1585 Y Bill Passed - Senate (92 - 3) 05/11/2006 Tax Relief Extension Reconciliation Act of 2005 HR 4297 N Conference Report Adopted - Senate (54 - 44) 05/04/2006 Emergency Supplemental Appropriations Act, 2006 HR 4939 Y Bill Passed - Senate (77 - 21) 02/02/2006 Tax Relief Extension Reconciliation Act of 2005 HR 4297 N Bill Passed - Senate (66 - 31) 02/02/2006 Tax Rate Extension Amendment S AMDT 2735 Y Motion Rejected - Senate (44 - 53) 11/17/2005 Additional Funding For Veterans Amendment S AMDT 2634 Y Motion Rejected - Senate (43 - 55) 10/05/2005 Health Care for Veterans Amendment S AMDT 1937 Y Motion Rejected - Senate (48 - 51) 11/08/2001 Veterans Affairs and HUD Appropriations Act of 2002 HR 2620 Y Conference Report Adopted - Senate (87 - 7) 10/15/1999 Veterans Affairs and HUD Appropriations bill, FY 2000 HR 2684 NV Conference Report Adopted - Senate (93 - 5) 07/07/1998 Space Station Termination Amendment S Amdt 3062 Y Amendment Rejected - Senate (33 - 66) 09/27/1994 Fiscal Year 1995 Appropriations for the Departments of Veterans Affairs and Housing and Urban Development HR 4624 Y Conference Report Adopted - Senate (90 - 9) 08/04/1994 Fiscal Year 1995 Appropriations for the Departments of Veterans Affairs and Housing and Urban Development HR 4624 Y Bill Passed - Senate (86 - 9) 09/22/1993 Veterans Administration and Housing and Urban Development Appropriations Bill Fiscal Year 1994 HR 2491 Y Bill Passed - Senate (91 - 9)
2006 Senator Kennedy supported the interests of the Disabled American Veterans 80 percent in 2006.
2006 In 2006 Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America gave Senator Kennedy a grade of B+.
2006 Senator Kennedy sponsored or co-sponsored 35 percent of the legislation favored by the The Retired Enlisted Association in 2006.
2005 Senator Kennedy supported the interests of the Disabled American Veterans 92 percent in 2005.
2004 Senator Kennedy supported the interests of the Disabled American Veterans 100 percent in 2004.
2004 Senator Kennedy supported the interests of the The Retired Enlisted Association 0 percent in 2004.
2003-2004 Senator Kennedy supported the interests of the Vietnam Veterans of America 0 percent in 2003-2004.
2003 Senator Kennedy supported the interests of the The American Legion 50 percent in 2003.
2001 Senator Kennedy supported the interests of the Vietnam Veterans of America 84 percent in 2001.
1999 Senator Kennedy supported the interests of the Disabled American Veterans 100 percent in 1999.
1997-1998 Senator Kennedy supported the interests of the Vietnam Veterans of America 60 percent in 1997-1998.
1989-1990 On the votes that the Vietnam Veterans of America considered to be the most important in 1989-1990 , Senator Kennedy voted their preferred position 100 percent of the time.
Enhancing Mental Health Care For decades, Senator Kennedy was a national leader in the cause of mental health care. He understands the unique challenges faced by the 54 million Americans with mental disorders. Also in 1996, Senator Kennedy joined Senators Domenici and Wellstone to enact Mental Health Parity legislation to help eliminate unjust annual and lifetime limits on mental health coverage which differ from those imposed on other covered illnesses. In 2000, Kennedy and his same Senate colleagues, Senators Domenici and Wellstone, introduced the comprehensive Mental Health Early Intervention, Treatment and Prevention Act of 2000. The bipartisan legislation addressed a wide range of mental health issues, including an antistigma campaign, training for teachers and emergency services personnel to identify and respond to individuals with mental illness, continuing education on mental health care for primary care physicians, suicide prevention, centers for post-traumatic stress disorders, funding to develop integrated treatment of serious mental illness and co-occurring addiction, funding for community based services for adults and children at high risk of adverse outcomes, and jail diversion initiatives. In 2001, Senators Domenici, Wellstone and Kennedy introduced the Mental Health Equitable Treatment Act to strengthen and make permanent the mental health insurance parity protections passed five years earlier. Congress enacted a one-year extension of the existing law, but Senator Kennedy continued to fight for lasting legislation with the Paul Wellstone Mental Health Equitable Treatment Act Amendment of 2006, which would eliminate the discriminatory treatment of mental illness by requiring insurers provide parity between mental health benefits and medical and surgical benefits. In 2008, after more than 10 years of effort, Senator Kennedy championed historic legislation to reform the inequities in the way mental health and substance use disorders are treated by the insurance industry. This legislation co-sponsored by Senator Domenici, assured individuals living with mental health and substance abuse issues that their mental health benefit would be treated equally with the medical-surgical benefit regarding treatment limitations and financial requirements. This means that co-pays, out of pocket expenses, and deductibles cannot be treated differently than they way medical and surgical coverage is provided. This legislation assured equity for 113 million Americans. Better treatments and potential cures for mental illnesses are also of great interest to Senator Kennedy, who has championed increased mental health research funding. This funding increased from 2004 – 2009, from $35 million dollars to over $70 million. Response to Mental Health Needs Following 9/11: Senator Kennedy’s commitment to the citizens of Massachusetts affected by September 11th, particularly the families of victims of the terrorist attacks, has been critical to the success of the Commonwealth’s mental health response to the tragedy. Soon after September 11th, the Senator called together disaster relief and mental health organizations to plan a coordinated response to September 11th for the families of victims of the tragedy. His leadership provided immediate avenues for collaboration between disaster response agencies and ensured a timely and comprehensive response. Senator Kennedy made his Massachusetts staff completely available to assist with the Department Of Mental Health’s (DMH) FEMA funded crisis counseling program. His staff were in almost daily contact with DMH, as well as the Massachusetts Office for Victim Assistance (MOVA), in order to facilitate referrals of families to counselors, assist with entitlement and relief fund issues and help to coordinate with other state and federal agencies. His office prepared services and referral guides for families of victims, developed a comprehensive Web site, and assisted DMH and MOVA in providing training to counselors. In 2005, Senator Kennedy sought to extend the period for COBRA coverage for spouses and children of victims of the terrorist attacks for an additional four months. Supporting Massachusetts Hospitals and Health Providers Senator Kennedy worked closely and diligently with Massachusetts hospitals and health providers to sustain their unparalleled achievements in quality health care. No state has a greater commitment and as impressive a record of success in training quality health care professionals as Massachusetts. Senator Kennedy fought hard for the Balanced Budget Refinement Act of 1999, which restored many of the excessive cuts made by the Balanced Budget Act of 1997. As a result of the 1999 law and Senator Kennedy’s efforts, Massachusetts hospitals received over $250 million over five years in payment increases under Medicare. Home health agencies in the Commonwealth received approximately $15 million over five years. Senator Kennedy also pushed for passage of the Benefits Improvement Protection Act of 2000, under which $212 million over five years was intended for Massachusetts hospitals, $33 million for Massachusetts home health agencies and $54 million for nursing homes in the Commonwealth.
Helping Military Families Senator Kennedy was always a champion of military families and children. In 1985, Kennedy introduced legislation to improve the lives of military families. The bill included provisions that would make it easier for military wives to get government jobs, required the military to pay attention to the children who moved with their parents, and reduced the costs that servicemen had to pay when they were transferred from one base to another. In addition, Kennedy was a successful voice for bumping up the date of a three-percent military pay raise, arguing that military pay lagged more than 10 percent behind civilian pay for comparable jobs. In 1989, Kennedy won passage of the National Military Child Care Act. This important legislation established the DOD child-care system that is still viewed as one of the best in the country today. Military families make difficult decisions and numerous sacrifices to defend our freedom, and the Military Child Care Act is just one way we can begin to compensate them for this. Since the start of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, he has fought tirelessly to ensure that families who have loved ones deployed overseas get access to the best care and services possible. In April of 2008, Kennedy introduced the National Month of the Military Child, which honors and recognizes the achievements of children of service members. Senator Kennedy deeply understands and cares about the effects that the invasion of Iraq and Afghanistan have on military children. Protecting our Troops and Modernizing our Armed Forces Since the beginning of the war in Iraq, Kennedy worked to guarantee effective vehicle armor and body armor for our troops to protect them from improvised explosive devices in Iraq. Again and again, Pentagon procurement has fallen short, and troops have suffered needless casualties and deaths. In 2003, Senator Kennedy met Brian and Alma Hart at the burial of their son John at Arlington National Cemetery. On October, 18, 2003, the Bedford, Massachusetts resident was killed in Taza, Iraq when enemy forces attacked his patrol using small arms fire and rocket propelled grenades. Before his death, John asked his parents to do something to improve the availability of armored humvees to American troops in combat. After hearing this story and John’s plea, Senator Kennedy invited the Harts to testify before Congress and later secured over $1 billion in funding for armored vehicles for our troops. Said Mr. Hart in 2008, “Senator Kennedy taught me that government can function for the common man.” In 2005, the Senate Armed Services Committee continued to provide additional protective gear to our troops. The committee, with Senator Kennedy’s support added nearly $835 million for Army and Marine Corps armored vehicles. In 2007, Senator Kennedy offered an amendment to the Defense Authorization Act, calling for additional funding to the Joint IED Defeat Organization’s (JIEDDO) budget to explore ways to mitigate the effects of Explosively Formed Projectiles (EFPs). Again and again, Pentagon procurement has fallen short, and troops have suffered needless casualties and deaths. He has been a consistent champion of the Mine Resistant Ambush Protected Vehicle or MRAP. The services were slow to recognize that these heavily armored vehicles could protect our troops better than up-armored humvees. Senator Kennedy has pressed for a full and fair investigation into why the Marine Corps disregarded a universal, urgent needs statement calling for MRAPs in 2002 because he feels that quicker and more complete fielding of MRAPs could have saved soldier’s lives. He continues to press for streamlining for the urgent needs process to insure that our soldiers receive the best equipment possible as rapidly as possible. Senator Kennedy led the fight to preserve the Air Force’s newest, most capable airlift platform, the C-17, a unique aircraft that facilitates the delivery of necessary materials to our troops all over the world. Senator Kennedy was a strong proponent of a reasonable and affordable mix of strategic airlift. He authored language requiring the testing of C-5A and C-5B aircraft undergoing the Avionics Modernization Program (AMP) and Reliability Enhancement and Re-Engining Program (RERP) before any aircraft can be retired. Only after understanding the outcome of these two programs to modernize our C-5 fleet can the Congress and the Air Force make responsible decisions on the proper mix of the two platforms. Protecting Equal Opportunity for Women in Combat In 1991, Kennedy strongly supported legislation to repeal the ban on women serving as combat aviators. The bill made it possible for women to play a full and complete role in our national defense by discontinuing an archaic law preventing women from combat aviation. By repealing these outdated statutes, Sen. Kennedy helped to achieve equal opportunity for women in the military. Caring for our Wounded Warriors In 2008, Senator Kennedy was a champion of Wounded Warrior legislation contained in the FY08 Defense Authorization bill. In response to alarming statistics of increased suicides in the Army and the lack of adequate mental health care, he introduced National Guard and Reserve Mental Health Access Act of 2008 to improve access to mental health care for our returning Guard and Reserve men and women by requiring the prompt implementation of the Yellow Ribbon Reintegration program, a pilot program for tele-mental health, create mental health Directors in each state and territory, and provide for an anti-stigma campaign.
Photo credit: Joseph D. Sullivan | Victoria Nemes, the wife of officer Michael Nemes, follows the coffin after the funeral mass in Rocky Point. (Aug. 28, 2009)
Family, colleagues mourn Southampton police officer
August 28, 2009
By SUMATHI REDDY
A motorcade of police motorcycles and cars pulled into St. Anthony of Padua Roman Catholic Church. And the hundreds of white-gloved police officers lined up Friday outside of the Rocky Point church stood tall and saluted as they prepared to say goodbye to one of their own.
Michael Nemes, 37, a five-year veteran with the Southampton Town Police Department and a former New York City Police Department officer, was killed last weekend in North Carolina while riding a personal watercraft. Officials have said Nemes, of Eastport, drowned but they are still investigating his death.
read more here Family colleagues mourn Southampton police officer
Utah soldier mourned by family, including 60 foster siblings
Crossfire » Kurt Curtiss told family his Afghanistan tour was 'brutal.'
By Matthew D. LaPlante
The Salt Lake Tribune
Updated: 08/28/2009 06:26:33 PM MDT
As a boy, Kurt Curtiss didn't understand all the tragic stories that guided dozens of children through the open door of his mother's foster home in Diamond Valley, Arizona.
All he knew was that he had plenty of brothers and sisters to play with, to fight with, and to lean on in difficult times.
Today, Curtiss' four siblings and more than 60 foster siblings are leaning on each other once again, as they try to come to terms with the 27-year-old soldier's death in Afghanistan.
read more here http://www.sltrib.com/news/ci_13225138
Father of soldier returning from Iraq killed
(AP) – 4 hours ago
FORT CARSON, Colo. — A soldier returning home from Iraq received grim news as soon as he arrived — his father died in a car crash while en route to greet him.
read more here Father of soldier returning from Iraq killed
August 28th, 2009 DJ AM dies Posted: 09:14 PM ET NEW YORK (CNN) — Nearly a year after surviving a plane crash in South Carolina, disc jockey Adam “DJ AM” Goldstein was found dead in his New York apartment Friday afternoon, his publicist said.
His publicist,Jenni Weinman, said the circumstances of his death were unclear.
Goldstein and Travis Barker, the former drummer for rock band Blink-182, were the only survivors of a September 2008 plane crash in South Carolina that left both critically injured. http://cnnwire.blogs.cnn.com/
McCain is a Vietnam Vet, was a POW, but when you listen to him, you'd think he never met a veteran needing the VA. I guess he never reads what Vietnam Vets have to say either. His voting record is usually against veterans anyway. The big problem for him now is that he has shown politics comes before veterans and that is sickening. Now he makes it even more clear by pushing the talking points painting veterans as stupid fools willing to believe anything when they can find the real truth in their own hands and straight from any VA hospital, provided by their doctors honoring their end of life decisions knowing they are fully capable to do it. This is what the Vietnam Veterans had to say and then there is a link to the post I did with the real facts on the so called "death book" some politicians have been using to put fear into our veterans instead of honoring their intelligence.
Shame on John McCain! The veterans finally figured out that while he is a Vietnam veteran, he has never had their backs when it came to his votes. Shame on FOX as well because they are really pushing this for what they think they'll gain instead of understanding they are insulting veterans instead.
McCain perpetuates 'death panel' for veterans myth
Speaking with Fox editorialist Sean Hannity on Thursday, U.S. Senator John McCain (R-AZ), a beneficiary of government-funded health care, supported the myth that President Barack Obama's health insurance reforms would establish some kind of nebulous, undefined "death panel."
Hannity was specifically talking about the literature, "Your Life, Your Choice," which he insinuated somehow encourages sick and dying veterans to not be a burden on society.
The claim is an echo of the latest attack on the proposed insurance reforms.
First came Palin's allegation that a so-called "death panel" would have killed her down syndrome baby.
More recently, RNC Chairman Michael Steele alleged that a VA pamphlet dredged up by the Obama administration is encouraging vets to "commit suicide."
Hannity's cleverly-worded question merely piggy-backed on this fallacy, albeit through the use of softer terminology.
Addressing McCain, the Fox pundit asked, "Is that the kind of death panel that people were maybe afraid of ... ?"
McCain, a veteran himself, answered: "Yes."
He added: "But, I think they're also concerned because they're well-read, they're knowledgeable, they're informed. They know what's happening in other countries where basically there is a rationing of health care, particularly when people reach a certain age, as to what kind of treatment people can get and if they can get it, and the incredible delays seen in acquiring that kind of care. So, I think it's not just that. I think it's the example of government-run health care in other countries, which is not ... Wa ... America is not ready for that."
Help available for veterans with PTSD August 31, 2009
DANIEL THOMPSON Staff Writer staffwriter1@occc.edu
Educators at OCCC can play a critical role in helping military veterans when they re-enter society through the doorway of higher education, said Rob Braese, a clinical psychologist.
Braese said he works at the Oklahoma City Veterans Administration Hospital at the University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center and one of his specialties is treating veterans suffering from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder.
“You have a unique role and opportunity to help veterans re-tool their lives.” Braese said to the OCCC staff. “One of the more significant difficulties is readjustment.
“You do not just go into battle. A soldier has to be trained.”
Crenshaw looking to honor Vietnam vets
08/28/2009
from staff
Fourth-Congressional District Vietnam-era veterans will receive certificates of Special Recognition from U.S. Rep. Ander Crenshaw in a Nov. 10 ceremony at Naval Air Station Jacksonville. The application deadline to receive the honor is Oct. 13.
“Vietnam veterans served our country with distinction during one of our most tumultuous times as a nation,” said Crenshaw. “They answered the call of duty, but when they returned home many did not receive the recognition they properly deserved. These brave individuals helped fight for freedom and democracy at a time when their country needed them, and this ceremony will help show our appreciation.”
In the past two years, Crenshaw has recognized nearly 500 Vietnam veterans eligible for either the Vietnam Service Medal or the Vietnam Campaign Medal. This year’s ceremony will recognize the contributions of all who served in the U.S. Armed Forces, including the Coast Guard and the Merchant Marines, during the dates of the Vietnam War, March 1, 1961–April 1975. Armed Forces members who qualified for the Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal by service in Vietnam between July 1, 1958 and July 3, 1965 will also be recognized. Foreign Service Officers with the U.S. Diplomatic Corps members serving in Southeast Asia during the periods above are also eligible for special recognition. click link for more
But according to VoteSmart, it is not what his practice has been, so maybe he should keep looking at how he can really honor the Vietnam Veterans and all veterans. It's easy to say you support veterans but it is proven when we really do it. He seems to have done better for the newer veterans but does not have a track record of support. Maybe there is hope for him?
Fundraisers scheduled for family of slain Tampa police Cpl. Mike Roberts By Robbyn Mitchell, Times Staff Writer In Print: Friday, August 28, 2009 TAMPA — With three family-friendly events scheduled in the next week, people who want to donate to the grieving family of slain Tampa police Cpl. Mike Roberts have more options than heading to a local credit union.
From radio-controlled car racing to a professional hockey scrimmage to a barbecue, there are lots of choices.
Friday night, families can head over to Ronnie Setser Customs, 7321/2 N Dale Mabry Highway, where they'll be racing radio-controlled cars to raise money for Roberts' family.
Report: Staff at veterans nursing home feels terrorized by administrator
ANTHONY COLAROSSI
Sentinel staff report
2:57 p.m. EDT, August 28, 2009
DAYTONA BEACH - A State Department of Children and Families Inspector General's Investigation found that many staffers at a Daytona Beach Veteran's Nursing Home found the workplace environment to be problematic.
The probe found that 35 of 57 staff members had particular concerns about the administrator at the Emory L. Bennett Memorial State Veteran's Nursing Home. The administrator, Belkis Pineyro-Wiggins, was described by those 35 employees as "terrorizing" or "belittling" and "degrading" or "threatening," according to the 13-page Management Review completed earlier this month.
Pineyro-Wiggins could not be immediately reached for comment this afternoon.
In a comments section at the end of the report, the Inspector General's Office recommended that the Florida Department of Veterans' Affairs review specific portions ot the document and determine appropriate actions.
read more here Staff at veterans nursing home feels terrorized by administrator
Hit-and-run claims life of motorcycle passenger
Driver critically injured; Make of suspect's vehicle identified
Susan Jacobson and Anthony Colarossi
Sentinel Staff Writers
3:38 p.m. EDT, August 28, 2009
A British woman is dead and a Clermont man seriously hurt after a hit-and-run vehicle struck their motorcycle last night, the Florida Highway Patrol said.
Now traffic homicide investigators say the suspected vehicle is a 2000 to 20003 GMC SUV. It could be a Chevy Tahoe or a Chevy Suburban. It is silver and has damage to the left front, FHP officials said.
The left front headlight is broken and will probably not be working. Part of the left front bumper is also broken.
The crash happened a little after 10 p.m. at U.S. highways 192 and 27, on the Lake County side of Four Corners.
Dunkin R. Jackson, 53, of Clermont, was driving with his passenger on a Yamaha motorcycle when a gray or silver SUV struck the motorcyle on the westbound side of U.S. 192, FHP officials said.
Jackson was thrown into the center lane. His passenger, a British National who was not identified, was thrown into the path of the SUV. After the collision, the SUV continued on in the right lane and dragged the 50-year-old female passenger more than a quarter of a mile.
The SUV's driver was "swerving" and trying to dislodge the body from the vehicle, according to the FHP report. The woman's body was finally dislodged and the driver continued westbound on U.S. 192 toward U.S. Highway 27.
read more here and pass it on to find the person who did this please. Hit and run claims life of motorcycle passenger
I think we should all feel bad for the family with this double shock. I do hope it does not consume all news in the process though. You know the trial will.
Coroner rules Jackson's death a homicide The Los Angeles County coroner has ruled that Michael Jackson's death was a homicide. The pop star died from "acute propofol intoxication," a statement from the coroner's office said. "Other conditions contributing to death: benzodiazepine effect," the statement said. developing story
The Associated Press
Posted : Friday Aug 28, 2009 10:20:03 EDT
MONTGOMERY, Ala. — The Alabama National Guard soldiers who rescued passengers when a Louisiana church bus wrecked on Interstate 20 are being honored with commendation medals.
The 47 soldiers were returning to Aliceville from drill at Camp Shelby, Miss., on July 12 when the tire blew out on a 30-passenger bus in front of them carrying members of the First Baptist Church of Shreveport, La.
This brought back a lot of memories for me living in Massachusetts. I started writing into the Item, Letters to the Editor so many years ago, it's hard to remember most of them. Some of my fondest memories as going to Fraser field and see the traveling Wall come into the city. So many veterans from all wars gathering together among a sea of citizens holding flags and generations of families making sure the young never forget that all they have and enjoy came with a price. Mothers explained to young children what the names meant. Old veterans teary eyed standing in front of it an knowing full well what it meant as they remembered their own brothers long gone from this earth but not from their hearts.
Great sadness comes over me when I know that feeling, as deep as it is, for those who have not served, fade away so easily. They go home, go about their own lives, and forget all about how they felt standing in front of that black wall. So few in this country know what happened to the men and women that came home because of the over 58,000 names they see. Maybe their hearts just can't take more and knowing how many died because of Agent Orange or suicides or homelessness, would just be too much to take in. I don't know why people may be transformed for an hour or so and then just move on, but I am grateful these people bother to show up. Too many others don't.
To Thor in case you read this,,,wow do I miss my city! I've been home 9 times in 5 years.
A solemn salute in Lynn
By Thor Jourgensen / The Daily Item
LYNN - "This makes you understand," said Kenneth Mailloux Thursday night, minutes after he joined other loved ones in presenting a wreath in memory of his uncle, John, at The Wall That Heals on Fraser Field.
Mailloux and the relatives of 18 other Lynn residents who lost their lives in the Vietnam War saluted their brothers, son, uncles and nephews Thursday evening as an appreciative crowd applauded.
The two-hour event began with the posting of the colors and ended with a bagpiper playing as he slowly walked the length of the 250-foot, half-sized version of the Vietnam Memorial in Washington D.C. "Some of my men are on that wall," said Vietnam veteran and North Shore Community College President Wayne Burton as he watched the wreath-laying ceremony that included a presentation by Colleen Piper and Marblehead veterans in honor of the late Christopher Piper.
Rank and organization: Lieutenant Commander, U.S. Navy, River Assault Division
Place and date: Ong Muong Canal, Kien Hoa Province, Republic of Vietnam, 15 June 1969
Entered service at: Boston, Massachusetts
Born: 13 May 1939, Boston, Massachusetts
Citation:
For conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of his life above and beyond the call of duty in the afternoon while serving as commander of River Assault Division 152 during combat operations against enemy aggressor forces. Lt. Comdr. (then Lt.) Kelley was in charge of a column of 8 river assault craft which were extracting 1 company of U.S. Army infantry troops on the east bank of the Ong Muong Canal in Kien Hoa Province, when 1 of the armored troop carriers reported a mechanical failure of a loading ramp.
At approximately the same time, Viet Cong forces opened fire from the opposite bank of the canal. After issuing orders for the crippled troop carrier to raise its ramp manually, and for the remaining boats to form a protective cordon around the disabled craft, Lt. Comdr. Kelley realizing the extreme danger to his column and its inability to clear the ambush site until the crippled unit was repaired, boldly maneuvered the monitor in which he was embarked to the exposed side of the protective cordon in direct line with the enemy's fire, and ordered the monitor to commence firing.
Suddenly, an enemy rocket scored a direct hit on the coxswain's flat, the shell penetrating the thick armor plate, and the explosion spraying shrapnel in all directions. Sustaining serious head wounds from the blast, which hurled him to the deck of the monitor, Lt. Comdr. Kelley disregarded his severe injuries and attempted to continue directing the other boats. Although unable to move from the deck or to speak clearly into the radio, He succeeded in relaying his commands through 1 of his men until the enemy attack was silenced and the boats were able to move to an area of safety.
Lt. Comdr. Kelley's brilliant leadership, bold initiative, and resolute determination served to inspire his men and provide the impetus needed to carry out the mission after he was medically evacuated by helicopter. His extraordinary courage under fire, and his selfless devotion to duty sustain and enhance the finest traditions of the U.S. Naval Service. http://www.mishalov.com/Kelley.html
This is great advice in this piece and something I practice all the time. Ok, sometimes not often enough. The post I did about God forsaking me was the result of not doing it often enough.
Not much has changed since that post, but the wondrous thing is that a lot of you emailed me letting me know you care, sharing your own stories, your own faith and it really helped a great deal.
One of the causes behind this blog is to show how we are all really connected. Some hurt but others help. Some are in need, but others give. The problem is when we forget that the really important thing is what binds us together. I don't pick and choose who I help because none of my heroes did. I don't want to get so swallowed up in the political division in this country that everything else vanishes. That hating anyone solves nothing, ignoring the truth and believing in lies makes bad things worse, plus it leaves behind a lot of people the same energy could be used to help. Focusing on what we can do makes a lot of people a lot better off.
It was also about sharing my own joys, pains, frustrations and struggles. That was also the reason I wrote the book. No, no nobility here. I had seen a therapist and was encouraged to write it as a way of healing and helping. Healing me, getting me over the anger I was still unable to move past along with the pain, was the primary goal. If you are a caregiver, it may help you especially if you are dealing with PTSD. Click the link on the side bar back to my website and you can read it in Adobe.
This article says that talking helps, but it's not just about talking, it's about sharing the fact that we are all human and none of us can overcome everything alone no matter how much faith we have.
Story Highlights Caretakers can struggle with demands on time, energy and patience But they can also become overwhelmed if they're too empathetic That can flood them with other person's pain, leaving them exhausted, angry Meditate, keep a journal, keep in touch with outside and be unafraid to ask for help By Tim Jarvis
(OPRAH.com) -- The next time someone dreams up a new superhero, she should be wielding a bedpan. And Kleenex. And playing cards and travel Scrabble.
Caregivers try to be empathetic but they run the risk of taking on the other's stress and depression.
As any of the more than 50 million Americans caring for an elderly, disabled, or chronically ill loved one knows, the task requires superhuman strength and patience -- and loads of compassion.
Given the constant demands on your time and energy -- for months or years on end -- as well as the stress and frustration involved, having large reserves of empathy is crucial.
Yet as strange as it sounds, all that empathy can backfire, flooding you with the other person's pain, and leaving you exhausted, angry, even unable to care anymore. No one likes to talk about these feelings; they seem selfish, shameful, indecent. They take a toll, however -- on both you and the patient. And they're a growing concern among physicians, who have a name for what's happening: compassion fatigue. Oprah.com: Caring for parents, keeping your sanity
"About 6 to 8 percent of physicians and nurses suffer compassion fatigue," says Michael Kearney, M.D., the lead author of a report on the subject published this year in the Journal of the American Medical Association.
Unlike burnout, which is caused by everyday work stresses (dealing with insurance companies, making treatment choices), compassion fatigue results from taking on the emotional burden of a patient's agony.
In a way, it's similar to post-traumatic stress disorder, except that the stress is a reaction to the trauma of another. As with PTSD, symptoms include irritability, disturbed sleep, outbursts of anger, intrusive thoughts, and a desire to avoid anything having to do with the patient's struggle. read more here Compassion fatigue how to protect yourself
Naked man hijacks bus carrying students
Story Highlights
Police: Arris Pitmon ran toward the bus and climbed in through an open window
Pitmon took control of the bus then abandoned it while it was moving, police say
The bus crashed and some students were taken to area hospitals
ATLANTA, Georgia (CNN) -- An angry, naked man commandeered a school bus full of teenage students Thursday in Atlanta, police said.
The man drove the bus for less than a mile before a student confronted him and the bus crashed into a wall off the road, according to police.
The incident started Thursday afternoon when the bus stopped to let students out, said Atlanta police officer James Polite.
Arris Pitmon, 23, darted toward the bus and hoisted himself in through an open window, Polite said.
Pitmon took control of the bus as the frightened driver ran to the back of it, the officer said.
While the bus was moving, the man abandoned the steering wheel and walked toward the back of the bus, Polite added.
A student then ran toward the steering wheel, prompting the man to fight the student. The unmanned bus continued until it left the roadway and crashed.
Students fled the bus, many using the back door emergency exit, and onlookers subdued the man until police arrived.
The Associated Press
Posted : Friday Aug 28, 2009 8:25:06 EDT
CLARKSVILLE, Tenn. — Police are looking for a Fort Campbell soldier after an overnight stabbing left a man dead.
Officer Jim Knoll told WKRN-TV in Nashville that police have obtained a criminal homicide warrant for the arrest of Donald Ray Green Jr.
Green is wanted in a stabbing that occurred late Thursday night in the parking lot of a supermarket near the Army post.
read more here Campbell soldier sought in fatal stabbing
Pastors Warned After 'Horrific' Slaying
By SEAN MURPHY, AP
ANADARKO, Okla. (Aug. 26) - Authorities warned pastors in a town where a preacher was brutally killed inside her own church that they should take precautions at their buildings, even as police refused to say exactly what happened.
District Attorney Bret Burns, who described the killing as "horrific," held a closed-door session with about two dozen pastors, along with members of law enforcement. Several pastors who were there said authorities did not discuss any facts of the case.
"We talked about security issues within their churches and their congregations," Burns said. "We asked them to remain vigilant and be aware of their surroundings and their church locations."
He did not say why the meeting was held just with pastors rather than the community at large, or what kind of a threat the clergy might face.
The body of 61-year-old Carol Daniels was found Sunday in the Christ Holy Sanctified Church in Anadarko. A preliminary autopsy found she died of "multiple sharp force injuries," but law enforcement declined to elaborate and have been tight-lipped about details of the crime or a possible motive.
Burns did not rule out the possibility that the killer specifically targeted a pastor or a church.
"There are a lot of things we're not prepared to rule out," he said. "I'm concerned about the nature of this crime. I'm concerned about the community."
read more here Pastors Warned After Horrific Slaying
Tricare programs offer online counseling By Mark Abramson, Stars and Stripes European edition, Thursday, August 27, 2009 Servicemembers and family members in the States can now see marriage counselors and psychologists online from home, thanks to two new Tricare programs.
The Tricare Assistance Program, or TRIAP, was launched on a trial basis on Aug. 1 and allows servicemembers and family members ages 18 and older to use Skype and a webcam to go online at home or anywhere that has Internet access to see and talk with a counselor.
TRIAP users have access to marriage counselors and other similar professionals to help them deal with stress, family and relationship problems, anxiety and other issues.
“The [TRIAP] system now is low-level counseling without a diagnosis,” said Tricare Management Activity’s Kathleen Larkin.
Tricare Assistance and the similar new Telemedicine program, which has psychologists to help people deal with depression and other mental health conditions, prescribe medication and make diagnoses, are not modeled after other programs that use online counseling; they are just ways to add to the services Tricare provides, Larkin said. read more here http://www.stripes.com/article.asp?section=104&article=64410
Federal employees’ leave extended to care for wounded
By Leo Shane III, Stars and Stripes
Pacific edition, Friday, August 28, 2009
WASHINGTON — Federal employees can take up to 26 weeks of unpaid leave from their job to care for a servicemember injured in combat under new rules outlined by the White House on Wednesday.
Office of Personnel Management officials said the rules are technically still in the proposal and review stage, but federal agencies have already begun following them based on changes made to the Family and Medical Leave Act earlier this year.
Jerry Mikowicz, deputy assistant director for pay and leave administration, said the goal is to help provide medical and emotional care to a servicemember injured in the line of duty during their recovery. It will also apply to troops who contract a potentially life-threatening disease while serving on active duty.
