Man set on fire after fight over beer, cigarettes, money
The Associated Press
2:09 p.m. EDT, September 27, 2009
DAYTONA BEACH, Florida - Officials say a man's face was doused with gasoline and his body set on fire after a fight over beer, money and cigarettes Saturday afternoon.
EVAC Ambulance spokesman Mark O'Keefe says Dean Allen Fultz, 47, suffered "serious burns." Fultz was airlifted to Orlando Regional Medical Center for treatment.
According to Daytona Beach police Chief Mike Chitwood, Fultz was drinking in a home's back yard when the fight broke out.
read more here
Man set on fire
Sunday, September 27, 2009
Man set on fire after fight over beer, cigarettes, money
As bad as this story is, at least someone did try to help the man set on fire.
Samaritans are helping in Hiram Georgia
Helping flood victims 1:29
Some good Samaritans are helping one Hiram, Georgia, family whose home was hit hard by floods. CNN's Catherine Callaway reports.
Helping Flood Victims
Some good Samaritans are helping one Hiram, Georgia, family whose home was hit hard by floods. CNN's Catherine Callaway reports.
Helping Flood Victims
Vietnam MIA's remains return to his family
Remains of soldier killed in 1965 come home
The Associated Press
Posted : Sunday Sep 27, 2009 12:26:27 EDT
OMAHA, Neb. — The remains of a soldier who has been missing since a 1965 helicopter crash in South Vietnam have been returned to Nebraska.
A casket containing Spc. Donald Grella’s body was flown from Hawaii to Omaha on Sept. 26. Grella’s sister, Shirley Haase of Omaha, accompanied his remains.
Haase learned in July that Grella’s body was among the remains found at a helicopter crash site near An Khe, Vietnam, in 2006.
read more here
http://www.armytimes.com/news/2009/09/ap_army_soldier_returns_home_092709/
The Associated Press
Posted : Sunday Sep 27, 2009 12:26:27 EDT
OMAHA, Neb. — The remains of a soldier who has been missing since a 1965 helicopter crash in South Vietnam have been returned to Nebraska.
A casket containing Spc. Donald Grella’s body was flown from Hawaii to Omaha on Sept. 26. Grella’s sister, Shirley Haase of Omaha, accompanied his remains.
Haase learned in July that Grella’s body was among the remains found at a helicopter crash site near An Khe, Vietnam, in 2006.
read more here
http://www.armytimes.com/news/2009/09/ap_army_soldier_returns_home_092709/
Saturday, September 26, 2009
Clergy abuse victims suffering after settlements
Clergy abuse victims suffering after settlements
Chris Carlson / AP
Money was meant to heal, but for the most deeply scarred, the checks have instead made things far worse. Virginia and Frank Zamora, with a picture of their son, Dominic.
LOS ANGELES - David Guerrero lies curled like a small child in bed, his teeth chattering and his fever spiked at 104 degrees. He has left his room only once since he crawled home from his latest crystal meth binge three days ago, to let his mother drive him to the emergency room for his soaring temperature.
Now, Minerva Guerrero hovers close to her 41-year-old son, making a mental list of the day ahead: she must change his bed linens, nurse him, pick up his new prescriptions.
Sixty miles away and days later, Dominic Zamora rages at his father, who suspects he bought a house in someone else's name. You're not my father, Dominic screams. You just want my money. When the 36-year-old finally calls his parents three weeks later, he is drunk and angry at the world — and most especially, at them.
Full story
Chris Carlson / AP
Money was meant to heal, but for the most deeply scarred, the checks have instead made things far worse. Virginia and Frank Zamora, with a picture of their son, Dominic.
LOS ANGELES - David Guerrero lies curled like a small child in bed, his teeth chattering and his fever spiked at 104 degrees. He has left his room only once since he crawled home from his latest crystal meth binge three days ago, to let his mother drive him to the emergency room for his soaring temperature.
Now, Minerva Guerrero hovers close to her 41-year-old son, making a mental list of the day ahead: she must change his bed linens, nurse him, pick up his new prescriptions.
Sixty miles away and days later, Dominic Zamora rages at his father, who suspects he bought a house in someone else's name. You're not my father, Dominic screams. You just want my money. When the 36-year-old finally calls his parents three weeks later, he is drunk and angry at the world — and most especially, at them.
Full story
Iraq Veteran and Advocate passed away after surgery
Obituary: Ryan Job was a spokesman for wounded veterans
Ryan Job, who grew up in Issaquah, died Thursday morning after major reconstructive surgery in Phoenix. He was 28.
Blinded by a sniper's bullet in Iraq, Ryan Job retained his characteristic determination and persistence. He climbed Mount Rainier, trained for a triathlon and became a spokesman for an organization that helps wounded veterans transition to civilian life.
"He didn't back down from any challenge," said a friend, Tyler Lein, of Scottsdale, Ariz.
Mr. Job, who grew up in Issaquah, died Thursday morning after major reconstructive surgery at Maricopa Medical Center in Phoenix. He was 28.
Mr. Job's younger brother, Aaron, served three tours of duty in Iraq with the Marines. The Seattle Times profiled the Job family during Aaron Job's deployments in 2003 and 2004.
read more here
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/obituaries/2009945844_ryanjob26m.html
Ryan Job, who grew up in Issaquah, died Thursday morning after major reconstructive surgery in Phoenix. He was 28.
Blinded by a sniper's bullet in Iraq, Ryan Job retained his characteristic determination and persistence. He climbed Mount Rainier, trained for a triathlon and became a spokesman for an organization that helps wounded veterans transition to civilian life.
"He didn't back down from any challenge," said a friend, Tyler Lein, of Scottsdale, Ariz.
Mr. Job, who grew up in Issaquah, died Thursday morning after major reconstructive surgery at Maricopa Medical Center in Phoenix. He was 28.
Mr. Job's younger brother, Aaron, served three tours of duty in Iraq with the Marines. The Seattle Times profiled the Job family during Aaron Job's deployments in 2003 and 2004.
read more here
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/obituaries/2009945844_ryanjob26m.html
One couple's health care story
You can try to pass off my feelings, my words, what I post, as just being about a Chaplain, but you'd be wrong. I felt this way long before I became one.
I felt this way when my brother was still alive and each time he lost his job, he had to worry about healthcare for his family. The last time he lost his job, it cost him his life. Less than a week after he was let go, he died of a massive heart attack. He was 56.
I felt this way when my Mom, after spending most of her life working and saving, ended up seeing most of what she earned gone to pay for the nursing home she would spend the last months of her life in.
I've felt this way all my life, that this is wrong when some people can get the medical care they need to stay as healthy as possible but others can't even afford to go to the emergency room when something minor turned into something deadly.
Here are some stories.
Now we can all stay angry, then end up putting ourselves in someone's place. We can keep saying we have it and their on their own, until we end up turning into "them" suddenly and wondering how the hell we're supposed to pay for an operation we didn't expect or for pills we can't afford. We can all keep shouting but in the end, the people making the money off our suffering are the ones we end up taking care of instead of each other. They won't care if you're the one standing in line for help next year. Plus one more thing is that while we work hard for our pay, we end up seeing raises go to pay for heath insurance and not real healthcare. When you look at it the way it really is, defending companies against humans needing medical care, just doesn't really make a lot of sense.
I felt this way when my brother was still alive and each time he lost his job, he had to worry about healthcare for his family. The last time he lost his job, it cost him his life. Less than a week after he was let go, he died of a massive heart attack. He was 56.
I felt this way when my Mom, after spending most of her life working and saving, ended up seeing most of what she earned gone to pay for the nursing home she would spend the last months of her life in.
I've felt this way all my life, that this is wrong when some people can get the medical care they need to stay as healthy as possible but others can't even afford to go to the emergency room when something minor turned into something deadly.
Here are some stories.
Maxed out: One couple's health care story
'Nothing's in my hands. Nothing.'
Helga Kenny and her husband John spent half a century planning for retirement. Now he's had a stroke, and she's left to figure out how to care for him — they had health insurance, but his benefits ran out. First in a series of three stories.
Special report: Maxed out — insured, but not covered
PolitiFact: Keeping the health care plan debate honest
Now we can all stay angry, then end up putting ourselves in someone's place. We can keep saying we have it and their on their own, until we end up turning into "them" suddenly and wondering how the hell we're supposed to pay for an operation we didn't expect or for pills we can't afford. We can all keep shouting but in the end, the people making the money off our suffering are the ones we end up taking care of instead of each other. They won't care if you're the one standing in line for help next year. Plus one more thing is that while we work hard for our pay, we end up seeing raises go to pay for heath insurance and not real healthcare. When you look at it the way it really is, defending companies against humans needing medical care, just doesn't really make a lot of sense.
Vietnam War Vets Finally Get Their Homecoming
Vietnam War Vets Finally Get Their Homecoming, A Day in Their Honor
Posted: Sep 25, 2009 07:55 PM EDT
By Nathan Baca, News Channel 3 Reporter
nbaca@kesq.com
TWENTYNINE PALMS - California is giving Vietnam Veterans their due.
Friday at the Twentynine Palms Marine Base, Governor Schwarzenegger signed a bill creating "Welcome Home Vietnam Veterans Day."
"We are gathering this morning to say to our Vietnam Veterans what should have been said a long time ago: Welcome home, welcome home, welcome home," said the governor.
Nearly 6,000 Californians were killed in Vietnam, but for those who came home alive, airport homecomings were often hostile.
Veteran Ralph Ford recalls, "We had to walk past the chain link fence into customs inspection. We were spat on and called all kinds of foul names. This day, today, is long, long overdue."
go here for more
Vietnam War Vets Finally Get Their Homecoming
Posted: Sep 25, 2009 07:55 PM EDT
By Nathan Baca, News Channel 3 Reporter
nbaca@kesq.com
TWENTYNINE PALMS - California is giving Vietnam Veterans their due.
Friday at the Twentynine Palms Marine Base, Governor Schwarzenegger signed a bill creating "Welcome Home Vietnam Veterans Day."
"We are gathering this morning to say to our Vietnam Veterans what should have been said a long time ago: Welcome home, welcome home, welcome home," said the governor.
Nearly 6,000 Californians were killed in Vietnam, but for those who came home alive, airport homecomings were often hostile.
Veteran Ralph Ford recalls, "We had to walk past the chain link fence into customs inspection. We were spat on and called all kinds of foul names. This day, today, is long, long overdue."
go here for more
Vietnam War Vets Finally Get Their Homecoming
Vets waiting for education benefits will get emergency funds
Vets waiting for education benefits will get emergency funds
Story Highlights
Backlog in tuition payments forces VA to authorize millions in emergency funds
VA estimates 75,000 veterans are eligible for the emergency funds
Delayed payments makes vets fear they may have to drop out of school
By Adam Levine
CNN
WASHINGTON (CNN) -- A backlog in processing education benefits has forced the Department of Veterans Affairs to authorize millions of dollars in emergency funds for veterans who need the cash to pay for school
The department announced Friday that it will issue up to $3,000 to students who have yet to receive the funds that the VA's various education bills -- including the recently passed Post-9/11 GI Bill -- provide to help veterans pay for college.
"This is an extraordinary action we're taking," VA Secretary Eric Shinseki said in a statement. "But it's necessary because we recognize the hardships some of our Veterans face."
The VA estimates there are 75,000 veterans eligible for the emergency funds, including 25,000 veterans who have served since September 11.
VA statistics show more than 27,500 vets have already received benefits for housing or books under the new Post-9/11 GI Bill, and hundreds of thousands more have gotten benefits under its other programs.
read more here
http://www.cnn.com/2009/US/09/26/veterans.education.benefits/index.html
Story Highlights
Backlog in tuition payments forces VA to authorize millions in emergency funds
VA estimates 75,000 veterans are eligible for the emergency funds
Delayed payments makes vets fear they may have to drop out of school
By Adam Levine
CNN
WASHINGTON (CNN) -- A backlog in processing education benefits has forced the Department of Veterans Affairs to authorize millions of dollars in emergency funds for veterans who need the cash to pay for school
The department announced Friday that it will issue up to $3,000 to students who have yet to receive the funds that the VA's various education bills -- including the recently passed Post-9/11 GI Bill -- provide to help veterans pay for college.
"This is an extraordinary action we're taking," VA Secretary Eric Shinseki said in a statement. "But it's necessary because we recognize the hardships some of our Veterans face."
The VA estimates there are 75,000 veterans eligible for the emergency funds, including 25,000 veterans who have served since September 11.
VA statistics show more than 27,500 vets have already received benefits for housing or books under the new Post-9/11 GI Bill, and hundreds of thousands more have gotten benefits under its other programs.
read more here
http://www.cnn.com/2009/US/09/26/veterans.education.benefits/index.html
Friday, September 25, 2009
Neighbors help rescue man from Renton house fire
Neighbors help rescue man from Renton house fire
RENTON — Neighbors heard cries for help, broke a window and helped a firefighter rescue a man from a burning home near Renton in the Lake Desire area.
By The Associated Press
RENTON — Neighbors heard cries for help, broke a window and helped a firefighter rescue a man from a burning home near Renton in the Lake Desire area.
The man reportedly suffered burns on his back today and was taken to Harborview Medical Center in Seattle in critical condition.
Neighbor Nick Vacca is a former firefighter and had turned a garden hose on the fire with his son Nick Vacca Jr. after they discovered it about 4 a.m. When they saw their neighbor at a window they broke it and pulled out the man, who is in his 60s.
Firefighters called a second alarm on the fire because of rough terrain and little access to water.
Neighbors help rescue man from Renton house fire
RENTON — Neighbors heard cries for help, broke a window and helped a firefighter rescue a man from a burning home near Renton in the Lake Desire area.
By The Associated Press
RENTON — Neighbors heard cries for help, broke a window and helped a firefighter rescue a man from a burning home near Renton in the Lake Desire area.
The man reportedly suffered burns on his back today and was taken to Harborview Medical Center in Seattle in critical condition.
Neighbor Nick Vacca is a former firefighter and had turned a garden hose on the fire with his son Nick Vacca Jr. after they discovered it about 4 a.m. When they saw their neighbor at a window they broke it and pulled out the man, who is in his 60s.
Firefighters called a second alarm on the fire because of rough terrain and little access to water.
Neighbors help rescue man from Renton house fire
Vets may get $3,000 GI Bill check by Oct. 2
Vets may get $3,000 GI Bill check by Oct. 2
By Rick Maze - Staff writer
Posted : Friday Sep 25, 2009 21:54:12 EDT
Faced with growing criticism from delays in paying GI Bill benefits, Veterans’ Affairs Secretary Eric K. Shinseki has ordered an unprecedented $3,000 one-time payment in advance benefits that could be available as early as Oct. 2.
Exactly where to pick up the checks will depend on unannounced details.
In some cases, checks will be picked up at the nearest VA regional benefits office. In other cases, VA officials will be on the campus of schools that are either far from a regional office or that have a large population of student veterans, VA officials said in a statement.
read more here
http://www.armytimes.com/news/2009/09/at_gibillsideNEW_100509/
By Rick Maze - Staff writer
Posted : Friday Sep 25, 2009 21:54:12 EDT
Faced with growing criticism from delays in paying GI Bill benefits, Veterans’ Affairs Secretary Eric K. Shinseki has ordered an unprecedented $3,000 one-time payment in advance benefits that could be available as early as Oct. 2.
Exactly where to pick up the checks will depend on unannounced details.
In some cases, checks will be picked up at the nearest VA regional benefits office. In other cases, VA officials will be on the campus of schools that are either far from a regional office or that have a large population of student veterans, VA officials said in a statement.
read more here
http://www.armytimes.com/news/2009/09/at_gibillsideNEW_100509/
We all have to laugh:Beyonce has baby dancing
All the Single Babies: If You Like it, Then You Shoulda Put a Bib on it
by Susan Avery
All the Single Babies
by Susan Avery
All the Single Babies
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
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