All the Single Babies: If You Like it, Then You Shoulda Put a Bib on it
by Susan Avery
All the Single Babies
Friday, September 25, 2009
Soldier reaches out to veterans suffering from PTSD
Soldier reaches out to veterans suffering from PTSD
By Joyce Kelly/Daily News staff
Daily News Tribune
Posted Sep 24, 2009 @ 01:20 AM
NEWTON — Pulling a photo of a young infantryman out of his pocket, retired Brigade Command Sgt. Major Samuel Rhodes explained, "He is the reason I do this."
He carries the picture with him everywhere, the picture of the young man who killed himself on July 28, 2009, suffering from depression after serving in the war.
Rhodes, who served 30 months in Iraq over three years, understands all too well - intense guilt and anxiety about surviving the war, while so many "kids" in his unit did not, almost cost Rhodes his life, he said.
"I watched 21 of my fellow soldiers die, and every time one died - if you care at all about life - it has an effect on you," Rhodes said.
Overwrought with the feeling that he was actually responsible for traumatic events, which he later realized he had no control over, Rhodes was preparing to kill himself in April 2007, he said.
"I've got all kinds awards and medals, you name it. You'd think I'm invincible, but I'm human," Rhodes said.
"I was a walking zombie ready to die."
Somehow, a single thought of reaching out to a friend interrupted the barrage of thoughts that he had no reason to live. That thought saved his life, he recalled as he spoke to a group of veterans and their loved ones, as well as state Rep. Carolyn Dykema, D-Holliston, during a presentation on helping veterans cope with post-traumatic stress at the Marriott Hotel in Newton last night.
read more here
Soldier reaches out to veterans suffering from PTSD
By Joyce Kelly/Daily News staff
Daily News Tribune
Posted Sep 24, 2009 @ 01:20 AM
NEWTON — Pulling a photo of a young infantryman out of his pocket, retired Brigade Command Sgt. Major Samuel Rhodes explained, "He is the reason I do this."
He carries the picture with him everywhere, the picture of the young man who killed himself on July 28, 2009, suffering from depression after serving in the war.
Rhodes, who served 30 months in Iraq over three years, understands all too well - intense guilt and anxiety about surviving the war, while so many "kids" in his unit did not, almost cost Rhodes his life, he said.
"I watched 21 of my fellow soldiers die, and every time one died - if you care at all about life - it has an effect on you," Rhodes said.
Overwrought with the feeling that he was actually responsible for traumatic events, which he later realized he had no control over, Rhodes was preparing to kill himself in April 2007, he said.
"I've got all kinds awards and medals, you name it. You'd think I'm invincible, but I'm human," Rhodes said.
"I was a walking zombie ready to die."
Somehow, a single thought of reaching out to a friend interrupted the barrage of thoughts that he had no reason to live. That thought saved his life, he recalled as he spoke to a group of veterans and their loved ones, as well as state Rep. Carolyn Dykema, D-Holliston, during a presentation on helping veterans cope with post-traumatic stress at the Marriott Hotel in Newton last night.
read more here
Soldier reaches out to veterans suffering from PTSD
It is not their burden, it is our's
It is not their burden, it is our's
by
Chaplain Kathie
When we send them to get onto planes, do we think our job is done because we showed up? So did they. They showed up. Their job is just beginning but our's is never really begun at all.
When they come home, we may stand in line complaining about having to wait so long for them to come by, but what exactly is the weight of our burden? The wait itself? What did we do between the time they left and the time we stood there to welcome them home? Anything? Did we go back to our jobs, homes and lives never giving more than a passing thought to them in Iraq, Afghanistan or any other part of the world?
We managed to complain a lot about the Vietnam veterans and how they were treated so poorly, but we are still doing it. The difference is, we are just not as obvious with our apathy.
Build them a monument here and there, give them a party and call it their "welcome home" celebration, thinking we have now done our part, but then pass them by on the streets because they are begging for handouts. Judge them and never once allow our brain to contemplate how they went from risking their lives in Vietnam to homeless on our streets for the last thirty years.
It was not their burden to carry when they came home. It was our's but we never even thought about it or them. We still don't. We spent hours on signs to protest war in Iraq and supporting the war in Iraq, but did we make one single sign to protest the lack of care the wounded were receiving or support programs that were started by average citizens paying attention to do for them what the government refused to do? No we didn't. We argued with people on the other side, but did we ever once argue with them over anything that really mattered to them? Anything that was non-political was not allowed because everything became political. People too sides against each other and neither side was taking the side of the troops alone.
This was our burden and still is. It is our burden that they come home and commit suicide because they are not getting what they need to heal. 18 veterans a day commit suicide and 10,000 attempt it every year. This is not counting the active military also committing suicide because they are not getting what they need to heal. They are our burden.
They are showing up back home, wounded, no jobs, no income, trapped in the VA system without compensation and ending up homeless. They are our burden.
Stop allowing them to carry all the burden all the time all by themselves. It's time to do our part for their sake or just stop saying we do. It's better to be obviously oblivious than claim we are caring but still ignoring them.
U.S. seeing more female homeless veterans
Sgt. Angela Peacock is seen in 2004, after she returned to the United States from duty in Iraq.
U.S. seeing more female homeless veterans
Story Highlights
VA: Percentage of homeless female veterans growing faster than male veterans
Female Iraq war vet blames wartime trauma for her PTSD and near-homelessness
Unemployment among post-9/11 vets has nearly doubled, to 11.3 percent
VA secretary vows to end homelessness among vets in five years
By Thom Patterson
CNN
(CNN) -- When Iraq war veteran Angela Peacock is in the shower, she sometimes closes her eyes and can't help reliving the day in Baghdad in 2003 that pushed her closer to the edge.
While pulling security detail for an Army convoy stuck in gridlocked traffic, Peacock's vehicle came alongside a van full of Iraqi men who "began shouting that they were going to kill us," she said.
One man in the vehicle was particularly threatening. "I can remember his eyes looking at me," she said. "I put my finger on the trigger and aimed my weapon at the guy, and my driver is screaming at me to stop."
"I was really close to shooting at them, but I didn't."
Now back home in Missouri, Peacock, 30, is unemployed -- squatting without a lease in a tiny house in a North St. Louis County neighborhood.
She points to the Baghdad confrontation as a major contributor to her struggles with drug abuse and post-traumatic stress disorder, or PTSD. She says she's one step away from living on the street.
read more here
http://www.cnn.com/2009/LIVING/09/25/homeless.veterans/index.html
This is one of the videos I made on female veterans. I have a DVD with five videos on it for female veterans. As always, the videos are free online from my blog here and on my website at
http://www.namguardianangel.com/ but I do ask for a donation if you want a DVD sent to you. If you are having a hard time getting people to understand what PTSD is, or why women have it at higher rates than males do, these videos can help you explain it to them. Suggested donation for this DVD set is $30.00. You can email me at namguardianangel@aol.com or use the paypal button on the sidebar.
Posted to Great Americans by NamGuardianAngel on September 10, 2009
Siblings of troops often are forgotten mourners
Siblings of troops often are forgotten mourners
By Kimberly Hefling - The Associated Press
Posted : Thursday Sep 24, 2009 16:38:39 EDT
WASHINGTON — The photo tells one story: brothers Chad and Ian Weikel, all smiles, arms around each other on Ian’s wedding day. The tattoos now on Chad’s forearms tell another — about his anguish over his brother’s death in Iraq.
Words like “rage,” “alone” and “fury” are interwoven in the tattoos along with the likeness of Capt. Ian Weikel, a West Point graduate. Chad, 32, says his older brother’s death in 2006 put him on a path that led to divorce and a decision to enlist in the Army Reserves. He recently moved from Colorado Springs, Colo., to Washington for a fresh start after a car crash kept him from starting basic training.
“It got pretty dark after all the services and all the family and friends stopped coming by,” says Weikel. “We were very close. I miss him every day.”
Weikel is one of the wars’ forgotten mourners, the brothers and sisters of those killed in Iraq and Afghanistan. Unlike a parent or a spouse, they don’t typically get the knock at the door notifying them of a sibling’s death. At a time when they, too, are grieving, they find themselves doing the comforting, writing the thank you notes, mediating family disputes.
On Friday, about 100 siblings and their spouses are meeting in Las Vegas for a weekend retreat organized by Tragedy Assistance Program for Survivors, a Washington-based nonprofit that offers support to anyone who lost a loved one in the Armed Forces.
TAPS says there are thousands of surviving siblings from the recent wars. A majority are in their 20s or 30s — a time when many are starting careers and families.
There have been divorces and suicide attempts among siblings taking part in an online private support group facilitated by TAPS, says Ami Neiberger-Miller, 38, a spokeswoman for the organization. Her own brother, Army Spc. Christopher Neiberger, 22, of Gainesville, Fla., died in Iraq in 2007.
read more here
http://www.armytimes.com/news/2009/09/ap_military_grieving_siblings_092409/
By Kimberly Hefling - The Associated Press
Posted : Thursday Sep 24, 2009 16:38:39 EDT
WASHINGTON — The photo tells one story: brothers Chad and Ian Weikel, all smiles, arms around each other on Ian’s wedding day. The tattoos now on Chad’s forearms tell another — about his anguish over his brother’s death in Iraq.
Words like “rage,” “alone” and “fury” are interwoven in the tattoos along with the likeness of Capt. Ian Weikel, a West Point graduate. Chad, 32, says his older brother’s death in 2006 put him on a path that led to divorce and a decision to enlist in the Army Reserves. He recently moved from Colorado Springs, Colo., to Washington for a fresh start after a car crash kept him from starting basic training.
“It got pretty dark after all the services and all the family and friends stopped coming by,” says Weikel. “We were very close. I miss him every day.”
Weikel is one of the wars’ forgotten mourners, the brothers and sisters of those killed in Iraq and Afghanistan. Unlike a parent or a spouse, they don’t typically get the knock at the door notifying them of a sibling’s death. At a time when they, too, are grieving, they find themselves doing the comforting, writing the thank you notes, mediating family disputes.
On Friday, about 100 siblings and their spouses are meeting in Las Vegas for a weekend retreat organized by Tragedy Assistance Program for Survivors, a Washington-based nonprofit that offers support to anyone who lost a loved one in the Armed Forces.
TAPS says there are thousands of surviving siblings from the recent wars. A majority are in their 20s or 30s — a time when many are starting careers and families.
There have been divorces and suicide attempts among siblings taking part in an online private support group facilitated by TAPS, says Ami Neiberger-Miller, 38, a spokeswoman for the organization. Her own brother, Army Spc. Christopher Neiberger, 22, of Gainesville, Fla., died in Iraq in 2007.
read more here
http://www.armytimes.com/news/2009/09/ap_military_grieving_siblings_092409/
Thursday, September 24, 2009
St. Petersburg firefighters accidentally run over victim
St. Petersburg firefighters accidentally run over victim they were sent to help
By Jamal Thalji, Times staff writer
Posted: Sep 24, 2009 05:36 PM
ST. PETERSBURG — The callers to 911 Thursday afternoon said there was a man bleeding from the face near the fire station. Two firefighters piled into Rescue 5 to go help him. They opened the garage bay door, turned on the emergency lights and pulled forward.
Then they heard a "thump."
The firefighters accidentally ran over the very person they were sent to help.
"They never even saw him," said St. Petersburg Fire Rescue Lt. Joel Granata.
Authorities said the man who was run over is Ted Allen Lenox, a 41-year-old homeless man. He suffered life-threatening injuries and was at Bayfront Medical Center Thursday night.
read more here
St. Petersburg firefighters accidentally run over victim
By Jamal Thalji, Times staff writer
Posted: Sep 24, 2009 05:36 PM
ST. PETERSBURG — The callers to 911 Thursday afternoon said there was a man bleeding from the face near the fire station. Two firefighters piled into Rescue 5 to go help him. They opened the garage bay door, turned on the emergency lights and pulled forward.
Then they heard a "thump."
The firefighters accidentally ran over the very person they were sent to help.
"They never even saw him," said St. Petersburg Fire Rescue Lt. Joel Granata.
Authorities said the man who was run over is Ted Allen Lenox, a 41-year-old homeless man. He suffered life-threatening injuries and was at Bayfront Medical Center Thursday night.
read more here
St. Petersburg firefighters accidentally run over victim
Where was Glenn Beck when Spc. Douglas Barber killed himself?
It is a question many of us have been asking, but not getting any answers. We listened as they debated, tried to play a game of whose who in the patriotic games that never seemed to really make any points other than people were pissed off. Not about Iraq or Afghanistan, just pissed off at the other side. Some people had valid points and truly motivated by what they believed, but the rest, were just a bunch of hacks running around the country trying to dump their own bad moods onto someone else's shoulders.
People like Beck fed on it. He showed up at rallies just like the one he mentioned tonight as I was channel suffering and wondering what he was talking about. The truth is, he never once mentioned how our "troops" which he was just too lazy to use the words of Soldier, Marine, Sailor, Airman or National Guardsman, were committing suicide when they were supposed to be back home, safe and sound with their families.
Oh, he couldn't be bothered to read a tiny insignificant blog like this one or my older one, but take a peek and see what was on this one post. I did it for research on the video I made, Death Because They Served, because of the numbers of suicides people like Beck were just ignoring.
But as long as people like Beck get to say they support the troops and wave a flag, that's all they feel obligated to do. Isn't it?
What do people like Beck know about Vietnam veterans anyway? What does he know about what it was like for them to come home to a nation worse than ambivalent? That is what they got from us. They went to the American Legion halls and the VFW posts looking for some kind of support, but were told they didn't belong there. They were not welcomed there either. But Beck forgets that part.
What does he know about what it was like for them to go to the VA because their lives were falling apart, their wives wanted divorces, their kids hated them and they were about to lose yet another job because they couldn't find a way to sleep without having a nightmare walk them up, drain them of all energy and then have to deal with the daytime nightmares called flashbacks? Does Beck know what it was like for them to go thru any of this? No, it's easier to just focus on what was obviously done against the Vietnam veterans because then he can feel oh so noble.
It's really funny when you think about it. At least the anti-war people didn't try to hide how they felt about the Vietnam veterans, but people like Beck hid it rather well. Much like what's been going on in congress for the last 8 years as the death counts from suicides and attempted suicides went up but people in congress decided that taking care of our veterans was just not worth it politically when they could sucker them in just by claiming they supported them.
We keep hearing that we should do this, or we should do that, to really show that we are patriotic, but that's not the way it should be measured. We should take care of our veterans in the first place by never making them "troops" in combat unless it is absolutely necessary for our security instead of just being claimed to be. We do it by making sure when they are sent, they have everything they need from equipment to the plans to do it and win it. There has to be a end game so that no one will ever scratch their heads wondering if it's over or not. Then we do it by making sure they come home and never, ever, have to fight to have their wounds taken care of. That's how you do it. You don't do it with telling people to get rid of their flags or stain them with tea! You don't do it by tossing a frog into boiling water and wonder why it didn't do what it was supposed to do and you surely don't do it by avoiding any reporting on what is going on with them if it happens to look badly on someone you voted for!
People like Beck have a golden opportunity right now to bitch, moan and complain all they want about President Obama and actually make a difference by reporting on the numbers of suicides and attempted suicides among veterans as well as the "troops" but first he needs to be brought up to speed on the fact the VA numbers are different than the DOD and their numbers usually don't include totals from the Army, the Marines, Air Force or the Navy. He won't have a clue. Then he will also need to know that if he does report on what is happening to our "troops" that their backlog of claims is almost a million and that also means they are not receiving any paychecks, he'll also have report on the fact that this all started under Bush and people like him ignored all of it!
I doubt he'd do it. He would actually have to admit it and humble himself, but since we've seen him cry on his show, he should have no trouble finding the motivation to shed a tear or two for the men and women who should still be here instead of in the ground because we ignored their suffering.
When they all come out, on both sides, claiming to be patriotic, ask them where they were when some of the people on the above list were killing themselves waiting to really matter.
People like Beck fed on it. He showed up at rallies just like the one he mentioned tonight as I was channel suffering and wondering what he was talking about. The truth is, he never once mentioned how our "troops" which he was just too lazy to use the words of Soldier, Marine, Sailor, Airman or National Guardsman, were committing suicide when they were supposed to be back home, safe and sound with their families.
Oh, he couldn't be bothered to read a tiny insignificant blog like this one or my older one, but take a peek and see what was on this one post. I did it for research on the video I made, Death Because They Served, because of the numbers of suicides people like Beck were just ignoring.
Non-combat deaths-Non caring media
April 5, 20071/25/2007 JUSTIN BAILEY 27 CALIFORNIA OVERDOSE Iraq war veteran Justin Bailey checked himself in to the West Los Angeles VA Medical Center just after Thanksgiving. Among the first wave of Marines sent into battle, the young rifleman had been diagnosed since his return with posttraumatic stress disorder and a groin injury. Now, Bailey acknowledged to his family and a friend, he needed immediate treatment for his addiction to prescription and street drugs."We were so happy," said his stepmother, Mary Kaye Bailey, 41. "We were putting all of our faith into those doctors."On Jan. 25, Justin Bailey got prescriptions filled for five medications, including a two-week supply of the potent painkiller methadone, according to his medical records. A day later, he was found dead of an apparent overdose in his room at a VA rehabilitation center on the hospital grounds. He was 27
Spc. Doug Barber: One Year After His Tragic Suicide-Unaired Interviews by Jay Shaft Wednesday, Jan. 17, 2007 at 7:39 PM Two previously unreleased audio interviews with Spc. Douglas Barber, who served in Iraq with the Ohio National Guard. Released to commemorate the one year anniversary of his suicide due to untreated PTSD and overwhelming mental trauma. Interviews conducted by Jay Shaft: Editor-In-Chief/Executive Investigative Editor Thought Bomb Radio- Shock and Awe For the Mind Radio Hour/Coalition For Free Thought In Media 1-16-2006
Last month, on December 16, 2005, Operation Iraqi Freedom veteran Spc. Douglas Barber was my guest on my radio talk show. He said he'd been diagnosed with PTSD (Post traumatic stress disorder) and despite receiving some help from the V.A., was still having trouble getting his life back together. Yesterday, one month later, on January 16, 2006, I received an email from a listener who'd been exchanging emails with Douglas since his appearance on my show. Douglas has just sent him an email that troubled the listener. Douglas said he no longer had anything to live for, and was getting ready to "check out of this world." My wife immediately called Douglas and left a message on his cell phone. She also called the Montgomery Police Department in Alabama. At the start of the 3rd hour of my program last night, I received an email from one of Douglas's friends, who told me that Douglas had committed suicide earlier that afternoon. Today I was able to confirm his suicide with the Opelika, Alabama Police Department. The officer in charge of the investigation told me that it had happened with officers on the scene trying to talk Douglas out of it. The officer told me Douglas took his gun, fired one shot, and killed himself.
Spc. Rusty W. Bell 21 Company A, 603rd Aviation Support Battalion, Aviation Brigade, 3rd Infantry Division Pocahontas, Arkansas Died of non-combat related injuries in Taji, Iraq, on August 12, 2005 Similarly, Army Spec. Rusty W. Bell, 21, of Pocahontas, Ark., showed signs of combat stress after his first deployment to the Middle East in 2003 as a member of the Army National Guard, said his mother, Darlene Gee. When he came home in April 2004, he enlisted in the Army and was sent back to Iraq in early 2005."He saw tons of combat that first time, and I think it affected him," Gee said. "I never asked him about it straight-out, but he said a few things that stick with me. He said, `Mom, I wish they'd just nuke the entire place. I know I would die, but at least I would die for a reason.' I said, `Bub, don't talk like that.'"I thought they shouldn't have sent him back so soon," she said. "Let him have a normal life for a while, after what he'd been through."An autopsy report on Bell's death concludes that he shot himself last August, with witnesses saying he was "distraught over family problems." Gee said she was not aware that her son, who was married, was having any significant personal problems.
Posted to Great Americans by NamGuardianAngel on September 10, 2009
But as long as people like Beck get to say they support the troops and wave a flag, that's all they feel obligated to do. Isn't it?
What do people like Beck know about Vietnam veterans anyway? What does he know about what it was like for them to come home to a nation worse than ambivalent? That is what they got from us. They went to the American Legion halls and the VFW posts looking for some kind of support, but were told they didn't belong there. They were not welcomed there either. But Beck forgets that part.
What does he know about what it was like for them to go to the VA because their lives were falling apart, their wives wanted divorces, their kids hated them and they were about to lose yet another job because they couldn't find a way to sleep without having a nightmare walk them up, drain them of all energy and then have to deal with the daytime nightmares called flashbacks? Does Beck know what it was like for them to go thru any of this? No, it's easier to just focus on what was obviously done against the Vietnam veterans because then he can feel oh so noble.
It's really funny when you think about it. At least the anti-war people didn't try to hide how they felt about the Vietnam veterans, but people like Beck hid it rather well. Much like what's been going on in congress for the last 8 years as the death counts from suicides and attempted suicides went up but people in congress decided that taking care of our veterans was just not worth it politically when they could sucker them in just by claiming they supported them.
We keep hearing that we should do this, or we should do that, to really show that we are patriotic, but that's not the way it should be measured. We should take care of our veterans in the first place by never making them "troops" in combat unless it is absolutely necessary for our security instead of just being claimed to be. We do it by making sure when they are sent, they have everything they need from equipment to the plans to do it and win it. There has to be a end game so that no one will ever scratch their heads wondering if it's over or not. Then we do it by making sure they come home and never, ever, have to fight to have their wounds taken care of. That's how you do it. You don't do it with telling people to get rid of their flags or stain them with tea! You don't do it by tossing a frog into boiling water and wonder why it didn't do what it was supposed to do and you surely don't do it by avoiding any reporting on what is going on with them if it happens to look badly on someone you voted for!
People like Beck have a golden opportunity right now to bitch, moan and complain all they want about President Obama and actually make a difference by reporting on the numbers of suicides and attempted suicides among veterans as well as the "troops" but first he needs to be brought up to speed on the fact the VA numbers are different than the DOD and their numbers usually don't include totals from the Army, the Marines, Air Force or the Navy. He won't have a clue. Then he will also need to know that if he does report on what is happening to our "troops" that their backlog of claims is almost a million and that also means they are not receiving any paychecks, he'll also have report on the fact that this all started under Bush and people like him ignored all of it!
I doubt he'd do it. He would actually have to admit it and humble himself, but since we've seen him cry on his show, he should have no trouble finding the motivation to shed a tear or two for the men and women who should still be here instead of in the ground because we ignored their suffering.
When they all come out, on both sides, claiming to be patriotic, ask them where they were when some of the people on the above list were killing themselves waiting to really matter.
Stand off at VA hospital ends, son charged with murder of parents
Couple shot to death in West Side home
Barricade suspect in custody after 7-hour standoff
By Carlos Sadovi, Annie Sweeney and Dan Simmons
Tribune reporters
September 24, 2009
They were a father and son who lived, worked and fished together, two members of a close-knit family raised with "traditional Southern values."
But on Tuesday when Joe Washington refused his 53-year-old son's request for money -- knowing he had already burned through several hundred dollars on his cocaine habit -- he turned on him, police say.
The son, who has no criminal background, allegedly shot to death his 79-year-old father and mother, Johnnie Washington, 77, in their West Side home, several police sources said. No charges were filed by Wednesday evening.
The son fled the home in the 2200 block of South Kildare Avenue and allegedly confessed to the double murder in a 911 call to a police dispatcher, the sources said. Hours later, he walked into the Jesse Brown VA Medical Center with a gun to his head and again allegedly confessed to an employee that he had killed his parents, the sources said.
He barricaded himself in the hospital for seven hours before surrendering without a struggle to members of the Chicago Police Department's SWAT team about 9 a.m. Wednesday.
Members of the Washington family confirmed their brother was in custody. They vowed they would not abandon him.
"I want it clear. He is not a monster," the Rev. Mansa Kenyatta said as he fought back tears as he spoke of his brother. "He's still my brother, and we still love him. Our mother wouldn't want us to disown him."
read more here
http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/chi-double-homicide-barricadesep24,0,7341558.story
Barricade suspect in custody after 7-hour standoff
By Carlos Sadovi, Annie Sweeney and Dan Simmons
Tribune reporters
September 24, 2009
They were a father and son who lived, worked and fished together, two members of a close-knit family raised with "traditional Southern values."
But on Tuesday when Joe Washington refused his 53-year-old son's request for money -- knowing he had already burned through several hundred dollars on his cocaine habit -- he turned on him, police say.
The son, who has no criminal background, allegedly shot to death his 79-year-old father and mother, Johnnie Washington, 77, in their West Side home, several police sources said. No charges were filed by Wednesday evening.
The son fled the home in the 2200 block of South Kildare Avenue and allegedly confessed to the double murder in a 911 call to a police dispatcher, the sources said. Hours later, he walked into the Jesse Brown VA Medical Center with a gun to his head and again allegedly confessed to an employee that he had killed his parents, the sources said.
He barricaded himself in the hospital for seven hours before surrendering without a struggle to members of the Chicago Police Department's SWAT team about 9 a.m. Wednesday.
Members of the Washington family confirmed their brother was in custody. They vowed they would not abandon him.
"I want it clear. He is not a monster," the Rev. Mansa Kenyatta said as he fought back tears as he spoke of his brother. "He's still my brother, and we still love him. Our mother wouldn't want us to disown him."
read more here
http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/chi-double-homicide-barricadesep24,0,7341558.story
Family of soldier murdered in car wants answers
Family of soldier killed wants answers
Posted: Sep 23, 2009 7:40 PM EDT
Updated: Sep 23, 2009 7:49 PM EDT
By Don Logana
SAVANNAH, GA (WTOC) - The family of Damion Reese, a Hunter Army Airfield soldier shot and killed last week, wants answers. Police discovered the murder after Reese's car collided with another car late last Thursday night at the intersection of Montgomery Street and 40th Street.
The family is struggling with what has happened. At a memorial service on Hunter Army Airfield Wednesday, fellow soldiers described Damion Reese as a father figure, an old soul, with a way with words. His family wants to know who took Damion away from them.
"We're saddened," said Shari Reese, Damion Reese's aunt. "We're disappointed. We're angry.We're hurt. This is my sister's son, my mother's grandson slash son, my nephew. He was pretty much the cornerstone of our family."
Reese's aunt and cousin sat before the media on the day they laid the Hunter Army Airfield soldier to rest.
"He joined the military because he wanted to do something differently with his life," said Shari Reese.
Reese's life was cut short by what was first thought to be an accident which quickly developed into a murder scene. Police found Reese's body inside his Toyota Camry.
"The fact he was murdered by someone who probably he would have tried and help, the fact he is an active duty soldier, someone thought so little of his life is very disheartening," Shari told WTOC.
go here for more
http://www.wtoctv.com/Global/story.asp?S=11187299
Posted: Sep 23, 2009 7:40 PM EDT
Updated: Sep 23, 2009 7:49 PM EDT
By Don Logana
SAVANNAH, GA (WTOC) - The family of Damion Reese, a Hunter Army Airfield soldier shot and killed last week, wants answers. Police discovered the murder after Reese's car collided with another car late last Thursday night at the intersection of Montgomery Street and 40th Street.
The family is struggling with what has happened. At a memorial service on Hunter Army Airfield Wednesday, fellow soldiers described Damion Reese as a father figure, an old soul, with a way with words. His family wants to know who took Damion away from them.
"We're saddened," said Shari Reese, Damion Reese's aunt. "We're disappointed. We're angry.We're hurt. This is my sister's son, my mother's grandson slash son, my nephew. He was pretty much the cornerstone of our family."
Reese's aunt and cousin sat before the media on the day they laid the Hunter Army Airfield soldier to rest.
"He joined the military because he wanted to do something differently with his life," said Shari Reese.
Reese's life was cut short by what was first thought to be an accident which quickly developed into a murder scene. Police found Reese's body inside his Toyota Camry.
"The fact he was murdered by someone who probably he would have tried and help, the fact he is an active duty soldier, someone thought so little of his life is very disheartening," Shari told WTOC.
go here for more
http://www.wtoctv.com/Global/story.asp?S=11187299
Four police officers, suspect shot in New Jersey raid
Four police officers, suspect shot in New Jersey raid
Story Highlights
Police officers shot in raid for firearms and narcotics in Lakewood, New Jersey
Suspect also wounded after officers return fire, official says
Lakewood is about 70 miles south of New York
(CNN) -- Four police officers and a suspect were shot in a raid for firearms and narcotics early Thursday in central New Jersey, a local prosecutor's office said.
The officers from the Lakewood Police Department's tactical unit were shot upon entering the property and returned fire, hitting suspect Jamie Gonzalez, said Ocean County Deputy Chief Prosecutor Michael Mohel.
Gonzalez, 39, received multiple gunshot wounds and is in critical but stable condition, Mohel said.
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Four police officers, suspect shot in New Jersey raid
Story Highlights
Police officers shot in raid for firearms and narcotics in Lakewood, New Jersey
Suspect also wounded after officers return fire, official says
Lakewood is about 70 miles south of New York
(CNN) -- Four police officers and a suspect were shot in a raid for firearms and narcotics early Thursday in central New Jersey, a local prosecutor's office said.
The officers from the Lakewood Police Department's tactical unit were shot upon entering the property and returned fire, hitting suspect Jamie Gonzalez, said Ocean County Deputy Chief Prosecutor Michael Mohel.
Gonzalez, 39, received multiple gunshot wounds and is in critical but stable condition, Mohel said.
read more here
Four police officers, suspect shot in New Jersey raid
Male breast cancer patients blame water at Marine base
Male breast cancer patients blame water at Marine base
Story Highlights
20 people, all Marines or sons of Marines, have had male breast cancer
Each lived at Camp Lejeune between the 1960s and 1980s
"We all at some point in our lives drank the water at Camp Lejeune," one says
Marine Corps says two studies found no link to "adverse health effects
From Abbie Boudreau and Scott Bronstein
CNN Special Investigations Unit
Editor's note: This is part one of a two-part series.
Jim Fontella was based at Camp Lejeune in 1966 and 1967. He was diagnosed with breast cancer in 1998.
TAMPA, Florida (CNN) -- The sick men are Marines, or sons of Marines. All 20 of them were based at or lived at Camp Lejeune, the U.S. Marine Corps' training base in North Carolina, between the 1960s and the 1980s.
They all have had breast cancer -- a disease that strikes fewer than 2,000 men in the United States a year, compared with about 200,000 women. Each has had part of his chest removed as part of his treatment, along with chemotherapy, radiation or both.
And they blame their time at Camp Lejeune, where government records show drinking water was contaminated with high levels of toxic chemicals for three decades, for their illnesses.
"We come from all walks of life," said Mike Partain, the son and grandson of Marines, who was born on the base 40 years ago. "And some of us have college degrees, some of us have blue-collar jobs. We are all over the country. And what is our commonality? Our commonality is that we all at some point in our lives drank the water at Camp Lejeune. Go figure."
read more here
http://www.cnn.com/2009/HEALTH/09/24/marines.breast.cancer/index.html
Story Highlights
20 people, all Marines or sons of Marines, have had male breast cancer
Each lived at Camp Lejeune between the 1960s and 1980s
"We all at some point in our lives drank the water at Camp Lejeune," one says
Marine Corps says two studies found no link to "adverse health effects
From Abbie Boudreau and Scott Bronstein
CNN Special Investigations Unit
Editor's note: This is part one of a two-part series.
Jim Fontella was based at Camp Lejeune in 1966 and 1967. He was diagnosed with breast cancer in 1998.
TAMPA, Florida (CNN) -- The sick men are Marines, or sons of Marines. All 20 of them were based at or lived at Camp Lejeune, the U.S. Marine Corps' training base in North Carolina, between the 1960s and the 1980s.
They all have had breast cancer -- a disease that strikes fewer than 2,000 men in the United States a year, compared with about 200,000 women. Each has had part of his chest removed as part of his treatment, along with chemotherapy, radiation or both.
And they blame their time at Camp Lejeune, where government records show drinking water was contaminated with high levels of toxic chemicals for three decades, for their illnesses.
"We come from all walks of life," said Mike Partain, the son and grandson of Marines, who was born on the base 40 years ago. "And some of us have college degrees, some of us have blue-collar jobs. We are all over the country. And what is our commonality? Our commonality is that we all at some point in our lives drank the water at Camp Lejeune. Go figure."
read more here
http://www.cnn.com/2009/HEALTH/09/24/marines.breast.cancer/index.html
Retired trooper warned census worker to 'be careful'
Retired trooper warned census worker to 'be careful'
The census worker found hanged with "fed" scrawled on his chest was apparently warned beforehand by a retired state trooper that "he might meet up with some folks who aren't too fond of people from the government showing up on their doorsteps," according to Ted Werbin, news director for WHAS radio in Louisville, Kentucky.
A "law enforcement official, who was not authorized to discuss the case and requested anonymity, did not say what type of instrument was used to write the word on the chest of Bill Sparkman, a 51-year-old part-time Census field worker and teacher," the AP reports. "He was found Sept. 12 in a remote patch of the Daniel Boone National Forest in rural southeast Kentucky."
read more here
Retired trooper warned census worker to be careful
The census worker found hanged with "fed" scrawled on his chest was apparently warned beforehand by a retired state trooper that "he might meet up with some folks who aren't too fond of people from the government showing up on their doorsteps," according to Ted Werbin, news director for WHAS radio in Louisville, Kentucky.
A "law enforcement official, who was not authorized to discuss the case and requested anonymity, did not say what type of instrument was used to write the word on the chest of Bill Sparkman, a 51-year-old part-time Census field worker and teacher," the AP reports. "He was found Sept. 12 in a remote patch of the Daniel Boone National Forest in rural southeast Kentucky."
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Retired trooper warned census worker to be careful
Vietnam veterans have earned our assistance and our thanks
Guest view: Vietnam veterans have earned our assistance and our thanks
By Sen. Kathleen Vinehout
Last Saturday I was honored to participate in the annual Vietnam Veteran Appreciation Gathering in Altoona, Wis. Veterans from around northern and western Wisconsin gathered to share camaraderie and memories. The day, sponsored by Thuy Smith and her husband, Steve, was particularly special as we celebrated the creation of a new law to honor and remember Vietnam veterans.
All who attended were invited to speak about their experiences. Listening to each other was an opportunity to share and to heal. As I listened, I learned the Internet and DNA samples have become useful tools in finding fellow veterans, locating Amerasian children and finding those still missing or killed in action.
But mostly I learned making connections and telling stories can heal.
One veteran described how, upon his return home, his family was instructed to always change the subject when he brought up Vietnam. “They treated me like I was on a fishing trip,” he said. Years later, the man finally had the opportunity to share his experiences.
Another vet talked about how he loved to hunt and fish. “When I returned,” he said, “I found I could never kill any thing again.”
Many of the men were Army veterans. But one man who spoke served in the U.S. Air Force. “For years I felt guilty,” he choked on his words. “You guys were down there fighting and dying. I was high above you. So far removed.”
One of his Army brothers stood up and said, “Don’t you feel guilty man! You and your Air Force buddies saved my life so many times. I was never so happy as to hear you in the air!”
read more here
http://www.jacksoncountychronicle.com/articles/2009/09/23/opinion/02vinehout.txt
By Sen. Kathleen Vinehout
Last Saturday I was honored to participate in the annual Vietnam Veteran Appreciation Gathering in Altoona, Wis. Veterans from around northern and western Wisconsin gathered to share camaraderie and memories. The day, sponsored by Thuy Smith and her husband, Steve, was particularly special as we celebrated the creation of a new law to honor and remember Vietnam veterans.
All who attended were invited to speak about their experiences. Listening to each other was an opportunity to share and to heal. As I listened, I learned the Internet and DNA samples have become useful tools in finding fellow veterans, locating Amerasian children and finding those still missing or killed in action.
But mostly I learned making connections and telling stories can heal.
One veteran described how, upon his return home, his family was instructed to always change the subject when he brought up Vietnam. “They treated me like I was on a fishing trip,” he said. Years later, the man finally had the opportunity to share his experiences.
Another vet talked about how he loved to hunt and fish. “When I returned,” he said, “I found I could never kill any thing again.”
Many of the men were Army veterans. But one man who spoke served in the U.S. Air Force. “For years I felt guilty,” he choked on his words. “You guys were down there fighting and dying. I was high above you. So far removed.”
One of his Army brothers stood up and said, “Don’t you feel guilty man! You and your Air Force buddies saved my life so many times. I was never so happy as to hear you in the air!”
read more here
http://www.jacksoncountychronicle.com/articles/2009/09/23/opinion/02vinehout.txt
Afghanistan war hero and Military Cross soldier was tortured by guilt
Brave: Sergeant Michael Lockett receives the Military Cross from the Queen at Buckingham Palace, for services in Afghanistan
Afghanistan war hero and Military Cross soldier was tortured by guilt
By Michael Seamark
Last updated at 8:52 AM on 24th September 2009
His unflinching bravery in saving wounded comrades under fire earned him the Military Cross but, astonishingly, Sergeant Michael Lockett was later racked with guilt.
The 29-year-old hero - who repeatedly risked his life for others - was killed this week by a roadside bomb during a return tour to Afghanistan.
But before his final mission the father of three gave a series of haunting interviews in which he spoke of his despair at having to leave one dead colleague behind.
read more here
Afghanistan war hero and Military Cross soldier was tortured by guilt
Agony and courage of hero in mourning
The Military Cross hero killed by the Taliban after returning to front line
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