Fire destroys Mount Dora candidate's home
By Martin E. Comas
Sentinel Staff Writer
12:07 p.m. EDT, October 7, 2009
MOUNT DORA - The home of former City Council member Fay Brooks-Williams, who is running for the at-large seat on the council this fall, was destroyed in a fire this morning, fire officials said.
Brooks-Williams was taken to Florida Hospital Waterman in Tavares after suffering from smoke inhalation, officials said. A neighbor had carried her out of the burning home, according to authorities.
"We heard that she is going to be all right," fire Chief Ronnie Snowberger said.
However, two of Brooks-Williams' three dogs, died in the blaze.
read more here
Fire destroys Mount Dora candidates home
Wednesday, October 7, 2009
For Max Cleland, Politics Was A Refuge From War
Courtesy of The Max Cleland Collection, duPont-Ball Library, Stetson UniversityMax Cleland reads Arthur Schlesinger's biography of John F. Kennedy, A Thousand Days, while recuperating at Walter Reed Army Medical Center in 1968.
For Max Cleland, Politics Was A Refuge From War
October 6, 2009
As a boy growing up in a small town in Georgia, Max Cleland, a former Democratic senator from Georgia, was inspired by the adventures of the Lone Ranger on his TV screen.
Just as the Lone Ranger was motivated by a sense of duty, so was Cleland. As he tells NPR's Renee Montagne, Cleland's parents raised him "to be an eagle, not a sparrow." When he was in college, he joined the ROTC and volunteered to go to war in Vietnam. There, he was brutally maimed by a grenade that a fellow soldier dropped accidentally. The explosion took away both of his legs and his right arm.
In his new memoir, Heart of a Patriot, Cleland recalls that moment, and how he overcame the trauma it caused. The book is subtitled "How I Found The Courage To Survive Vietnam, Walter Reed and Karl Rove."
After his military service, Cleland turned to public service as a way to find meaning in life outside of his own struggles. "It meant survival. It meant a purpose and destiny," he says.
His political career spanned four decades, and ended with a loss to Republican Saxby Chambliss in 2002. Cleland says that his opponent — backed by Karl Rove's political machine — questioned his patriotism by airing attack ads that listed his votes on homeland security bills that opposed President George W. Bush's policies.
read more here
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=113497762
Tuesday, October 6, 2009
Little known underground Horrorcore music genre celebrates macabre killings
'Horrorcore' singer suspected in Virginia killings
Story Highlights
20-year-old rapper of "Horrorcore" accused of Virginia slayings
Little known underground music genre celebrates macabre killings
Tow-truck driver gave suspect a lift; said he was "stinkiest rascal I've ever smelled"
Defense lawyer said he's unsure Richard McCroskey "gets the severity of everything"
By Wayne Drash
CNN
(CNN) -- Elizabeth McCutchen and a friend were walking to book club two weeks ago in quaint Farmville, Virginia, when they strolled by a home on First Avenue. "Something smells dead," her friend said.
They were thinking animal. A dog, a cat, something like that. They never imagined they were smelling the remains of massacred humans. It was Thursday, September 17. But another 24 hours would pass before police made the gruesome discovery.
Richard Samuel McCroskey III -- a 20-year-old rapper in the underground genre of "Horrorcore" who sang of chopping people into pieces -- has been arrested in connection with the slayings. The crime scene was so horrifying police would not even describe it, saying only that the victims died of blunt force trauma.
The victims were Mark Niederbrock, 50, the beloved pastor at Walker's Presbyterian Church; his 16-year-old daughter, Emma Niederbrock; Melanie Wells, Emma's 18-year-old friend from West Virginia; and Niederbrock's estranged wife, Debra Kelley, 53, a professor at Longwood University.
read more here
http://www.cnn.com/2009/CRIME/10/06/virginia.horrorcore.killings/index.html
Story Highlights
20-year-old rapper of "Horrorcore" accused of Virginia slayings
Little known underground music genre celebrates macabre killings
Tow-truck driver gave suspect a lift; said he was "stinkiest rascal I've ever smelled"
Defense lawyer said he's unsure Richard McCroskey "gets the severity of everything"
By Wayne Drash
CNN
(CNN) -- Elizabeth McCutchen and a friend were walking to book club two weeks ago in quaint Farmville, Virginia, when they strolled by a home on First Avenue. "Something smells dead," her friend said.
They were thinking animal. A dog, a cat, something like that. They never imagined they were smelling the remains of massacred humans. It was Thursday, September 17. But another 24 hours would pass before police made the gruesome discovery.
Richard Samuel McCroskey III -- a 20-year-old rapper in the underground genre of "Horrorcore" who sang of chopping people into pieces -- has been arrested in connection with the slayings. The crime scene was so horrifying police would not even describe it, saying only that the victims died of blunt force trauma.
The victims were Mark Niederbrock, 50, the beloved pastor at Walker's Presbyterian Church; his 16-year-old daughter, Emma Niederbrock; Melanie Wells, Emma's 18-year-old friend from West Virginia; and Niederbrock's estranged wife, Debra Kelley, 53, a professor at Longwood University.
read more here
http://www.cnn.com/2009/CRIME/10/06/virginia.horrorcore.killings/index.html
Leaders must focus on military families, McHugh says
It is the families on the front lines when it comes to them coming home, and one day, being able to be sent back again. It is the families on the front lines for the rest of their lives as well when they do not go back. This we've heard before, but this may be just more talk instead of plans we waited for.
Leaders must focus on families, McHugh says
By Karen Jowers - Staff writer
Posted : Tuesday Oct 6, 2009 17:22:24 EDT
If Army leadership doesn’t take care of the Army family, then the leadership has failed.
That, said new Secretary of the Army John McHugh, is one of the lessons he took away from his 17 years in Congress, delving into military quality-of-life and personnel issues.
At a family forum of about 800 people at the Association of the U.S. Army’s annual meeting, McHugh said he has a lot of things to focus on as the new top civilian Army leader. But when it comes to challenges, “preeminent in my mind is ensuring we take care of soldiers, and that means taking care of their families,” he told the attendees — more than half of whom were family readiness group leaders.
In his discussions with Army uniformed leaders during his first two weeks in the job, McHugh said, he has been “uplifted by the fact they understand.”
Army Chief of Staff Gen. George Casey, Vice Chief of Staff Peter Chiarelli and Lt. Gen. Robert Wilson, chief of the Army’s Installation Management Command, are “leading in this initiative to do a better job for families,” McHugh said.
He said it is critical to encourage bases — from the unit level on up — to “think innovatively to implement programs that tend to the needs of Army families.”
read more here
http://www.armytimes.com/news/2009/10/military_mchugh_families_100609w/
Army vet donates $1.5m to VA hospital
Army vet donates $1.5m to VA hospital
By David Mercer - The Associated Press
Posted : Tuesday Oct 6, 2009 20:33:50 EDT
CHAMPAIGN, Ill. — After serving in the Korean War, John Wright apparently lived a quiet life in Danville, where he volunteered at the local Veterans Administration hospital but otherwise kept to himself.
As it turns out, Wright was also building a fortune in real estate and other investments worth $1.56 million, all of which he left to the eastern Illinois town’s VA hospital when he died.
The staff and other volunteers he got to know in his 40 years volunteering at the hospital’s recreation therapy section were the closest thing Wright had to family, said Douglas Shouse, a hospital spokesman.
“They were his family,” Shouse said. “On holidays he would go to [meet] the recreation staff for meals.”
His colleagues at the hospital did not know much more about Wright’s life outside the hospital or his military record.
“John was pretty subdued and didn’t really talk about his military service,” Shouse said.
read more here
http://www.armytimes.com/news/2009/10/ap_army_va_hospital_will_100609/
By David Mercer - The Associated Press
Posted : Tuesday Oct 6, 2009 20:33:50 EDT
CHAMPAIGN, Ill. — After serving in the Korean War, John Wright apparently lived a quiet life in Danville, where he volunteered at the local Veterans Administration hospital but otherwise kept to himself.
As it turns out, Wright was also building a fortune in real estate and other investments worth $1.56 million, all of which he left to the eastern Illinois town’s VA hospital when he died.
The staff and other volunteers he got to know in his 40 years volunteering at the hospital’s recreation therapy section were the closest thing Wright had to family, said Douglas Shouse, a hospital spokesman.
“They were his family,” Shouse said. “On holidays he would go to [meet] the recreation staff for meals.”
His colleagues at the hospital did not know much more about Wright’s life outside the hospital or his military record.
“John was pretty subdued and didn’t really talk about his military service,” Shouse said.
read more here
http://www.armytimes.com/news/2009/10/ap_army_va_hospital_will_100609/
PTSD and AWOL, is this justice?
Soldier turns himself in after deserting
Alexandra Poolos and Ismael Estrada
AC360°
Jerri Hyde first sent Anderson an email in July. In it, she wrote that her sons Donald and Daniel had both served in Iraq. Dan, 23, worked as an explosives expert in the Marines, and Don, 25, had been in the Army. Both, Jerri wrote, now suffered from Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) and weren’t getting the help they needed.
“I am writing because I feel Mr. Cooper just might be the one to listen,” Jerri wrote. “My sons are suffering PTSD after serving our country. And getting no help. I don’t understand this.”
Jerri’s email arrived after visiting her younger son Dan in Texas.
When we first called her, Jerri told us that Dan’s problems seemed minor when compared to his older brother Don’s, who had deserted the military almost six months ago after reenlisting for another tour of duty. Don didn’t know what to do now that he deserted the army. Jerri didn’t know where he was hiding, just that he was somewhere in their home state of Illinois. For three months, the family kept in touch, and then finally in late September, Don reached out and said he wanted to talk.
Don was on the run and was getting tired of looking over his shoulder. He was ready to turn himself in and face the reality of his decision to abandon his duties.
According to the army, the penalties for desertion can be quite steep. He could receive up to 5 years of confinement, forfeiture of all pay, and a dishonorable discharge.
Still, Don showed up at the Illinois State Police station with his mother, father-in-law and girlfriend. He was emotional, but ready to turn himself in. He says leaving was a good decision because he was worried that he would hurt himself or a fellow soldier while he was in the army. His only regret was re-enlisting.
Alexandra Poolos and Ismael Estrada
AC360°
Jerri Hyde first sent Anderson an email in July. In it, she wrote that her sons Donald and Daniel had both served in Iraq. Dan, 23, worked as an explosives expert in the Marines, and Don, 25, had been in the Army. Both, Jerri wrote, now suffered from Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) and weren’t getting the help they needed.
“I am writing because I feel Mr. Cooper just might be the one to listen,” Jerri wrote. “My sons are suffering PTSD after serving our country. And getting no help. I don’t understand this.”
Jerri’s email arrived after visiting her younger son Dan in Texas.
When we first called her, Jerri told us that Dan’s problems seemed minor when compared to his older brother Don’s, who had deserted the military almost six months ago after reenlisting for another tour of duty. Don didn’t know what to do now that he deserted the army. Jerri didn’t know where he was hiding, just that he was somewhere in their home state of Illinois. For three months, the family kept in touch, and then finally in late September, Don reached out and said he wanted to talk.
Don was on the run and was getting tired of looking over his shoulder. He was ready to turn himself in and face the reality of his decision to abandon his duties.
According to the army, the penalties for desertion can be quite steep. He could receive up to 5 years of confinement, forfeiture of all pay, and a dishonorable discharge.
Still, Don showed up at the Illinois State Police station with his mother, father-in-law and girlfriend. He was emotional, but ready to turn himself in. He says leaving was a good decision because he was worried that he would hurt himself or a fellow soldier while he was in the army. His only regret was re-enlisting.
PTSD across military and civilian communities
Ret. Chaplain: PTSD across military & civilian communities
By Arthur Mondale Reporter
Published: October 1, 2009
A chaplain in the heart of military country is tackling one of the biggest problems facing service men and women: Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder. The problem stretches equally across the military and civilian populations.
When it comes to PTSD, Lt. Col (Ret.) Chaplain Charles Smith of Saint Paul’s Lutheran Church in Havelock wants to dispel a myth. He says you don’t have to go to war to have a problem.
Chaplain Smith brings 25 years of experience down range and across the country asking one question: Do you know the signs to identify PTSD? Because you could be suffering from it.
“Commanders or supervisors tend to key in on the symptoms of something and not the cause of the symptoms,” Chaplain Smith said. “And PTSD—you not only have to know the symptom you have to know what causes it and try to go to the root of it.“
Smith says 60% of men and 51% of all women have suffered a traumatic experience that could lead to PTSD. Stress could intensify the problem.
Smith says the answer is coping and overcoming individual circumstances—not avoiding it. He adds, “You have to reach out to something that’s real and what’s real is medication or some kind of spiritual outlet…there are people to help.“
Saint Paul Lutheran Church in Havelock will host two more rounds of seminars on PTSD later this month. Classes planned for October 8th and October 15th.
go here for video
PTSD across military and civilian communities
Stolen Valor - At War Blog - NYTimes.com
There is so much that is missed when we hear stories about phony veterans, especially posers pretending to have medals of valor, as if they would even know what that word meant. This one, did much more damage than that but I doubt he cared at all.
He claimed he had a Purple Heart, when he never even served. Then he claimed he had PTSD, when again, he never served. People will read this story and just think about the fact this is one more coward-lower-life-form wanting to take what he did not earn. The problem is, he took a lot more than that when he claimed to have PTSD.
There have been Vietnam veterans suffering for over 30 years with PTSD, real veterans with real battle scars, with real suffering. They will not admit they have PTSD because they cannot overcome the stigma of it as if it is some kind of stain on their courage, but this fake, saw it as a badge of courage he would take as well. He had no clue. We've lost too many because they viewed PTSD as something to be ashamed, instead of something that came home with them because they cared. This man, this man didn't care about anyone but himself.
He claimed he had a Purple Heart, when he never even served. Then he claimed he had PTSD, when again, he never served. People will read this story and just think about the fact this is one more coward-lower-life-form wanting to take what he did not earn. The problem is, he took a lot more than that when he claimed to have PTSD.
There have been Vietnam veterans suffering for over 30 years with PTSD, real veterans with real battle scars, with real suffering. They will not admit they have PTSD because they cannot overcome the stigma of it as if it is some kind of stain on their courage, but this fake, saw it as a badge of courage he would take as well. He had no clue. We've lost too many because they viewed PTSD as something to be ashamed, instead of something that came home with them because they cared. This man, this man didn't care about anyone but himself.
October 5, 2009, 6:19 pm
Stolen Valor
By James Dao
Fraudulently claiming to be a decorated war hero so infuriates veterans that they have given the deception a name: stolen valor. And since 2005, it has been against federal law, punishable by a fine and up to a year in prison.
Now, in perhaps the highest-profile case of its type this year, the government has charged a Colorado man, Richard G. Strandlof, with fraudulently claiming to have won a Purple Heart in Iraq.
Until he was unmasked this year, Mr. Strandlof was better known in Colorado as Rick Duncan, a charismatic former Marine Corps captain who had served three tours in Iraq, been wounded by a roadside bomb in Falluja and struggled with post-traumatic stress disorder.
His tale was convincing enough that Mr. Strandlof became a spokesman for Iraq veterans in Colorado, meeting with mayors, appearing with political candidates and forming a well-regarded group, Colorado Veterans Alliance.
read more here
http://atwar.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/10/05/stolen-valor/
Vietnam vet is awarded Silver Star after 43 years
Vietnam vet is awarded Silver Star after 43 years
The Boyle Heights man hadn't received the medal for heroism because of lost paperwork. When the officer who recommended him found out, he doggedly worked to correct the oversight.
By Esmeralda Bermudez
October 4, 2009
It took 43 years, but Marine Pfc. Daniel Hernandez finally got his medal.
And when he did Saturday morning in Boyle Heights, the Vietnam veteran stood up straight and proudly puffed out his chest, his eyes glistening with emotion.
"His immediate and fearless actions, while himself painfully wounded, undoubtedly saved many lives," said Marine Lt. Jim Lupori, reading from the Silver Star medal citation that, because of lost paperwork, was never awarded to Hernandez by the secretary of the Navy after he left Vietnam in the late 1960s.
The four-decade wait only made the honor more meaningful to Hernandez, 63, as several hundred relatives, friends and fellow veterans gathered for a ceremony in his honor at the Hollenbeck Youth Center. Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, Rep. Lucille Roybal-Allard (D-East Los Angeles) and a host of other state and city leaders attended.
They came in support of a man they had known for decades as a community youth leader and president of the Hollenbeck Youth Center, which provides after-school programs to keep children away from gangs and drugs.
Few knew Hernandez also was a war hero.
"There's a difference between action heroes in movies and action heroes in real life," said Schwarzenegger, who has long collaborated with Hernandez on youth issues. "Danny is a real action hero."
read more here
http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-medal4-2009oct04,0,3123760.story
The Boyle Heights man hadn't received the medal for heroism because of lost paperwork. When the officer who recommended him found out, he doggedly worked to correct the oversight.
By Esmeralda Bermudez
October 4, 2009
It took 43 years, but Marine Pfc. Daniel Hernandez finally got his medal.
And when he did Saturday morning in Boyle Heights, the Vietnam veteran stood up straight and proudly puffed out his chest, his eyes glistening with emotion.
"His immediate and fearless actions, while himself painfully wounded, undoubtedly saved many lives," said Marine Lt. Jim Lupori, reading from the Silver Star medal citation that, because of lost paperwork, was never awarded to Hernandez by the secretary of the Navy after he left Vietnam in the late 1960s.
The four-decade wait only made the honor more meaningful to Hernandez, 63, as several hundred relatives, friends and fellow veterans gathered for a ceremony in his honor at the Hollenbeck Youth Center. Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, Rep. Lucille Roybal-Allard (D-East Los Angeles) and a host of other state and city leaders attended.
They came in support of a man they had known for decades as a community youth leader and president of the Hollenbeck Youth Center, which provides after-school programs to keep children away from gangs and drugs.
Few knew Hernandez also was a war hero.
"There's a difference between action heroes in movies and action heroes in real life," said Schwarzenegger, who has long collaborated with Hernandez on youth issues. "Danny is a real action hero."
read more here
http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-medal4-2009oct04,0,3123760.story
Bodies of soldiers killed in Afghanistan due back in U.S.
Bodies of soldiers killed in Afghanistan due back in U.S.
Story Highlights
NEW: Afghan security forces hunting down attackers kill insurgents in raids
Coffins of at least four U.S. soldiers due to return home
At least eight U.S. soldiers, two Afghan soldiers killed in attack in Nuristan province
Largest number of U.S. soldiers killed in single attack in more than a year
(CNN) -- The flag-draped coffins of at least four U.S. soldiers killed during a weekend onslaught against a U.S. military outpost in Afghanistan were scheduled to arrive Tuesday at Dover Air Force Base in Delaware, the military said.
for more go here
http://www.cnn.com/2009/US/10/06/us.afghanistan.troops/index.html
Story Highlights
NEW: Afghan security forces hunting down attackers kill insurgents in raids
Coffins of at least four U.S. soldiers due to return home
At least eight U.S. soldiers, two Afghan soldiers killed in attack in Nuristan province
Largest number of U.S. soldiers killed in single attack in more than a year
(CNN) -- The flag-draped coffins of at least four U.S. soldiers killed during a weekend onslaught against a U.S. military outpost in Afghanistan were scheduled to arrive Tuesday at Dover Air Force Base in Delaware, the military said.
according to the Air Force mortuary affairs office. The dignified transfer ceremony also might include other fallen service members.The bodies will include
Sgt. Joshua J. Kirk of South Portland, Maine;
Spc. Michael P. Scusa of Villas, New Jersey;
Spc. Christopher T. Griffin of Kincheloe, Michigan; and
Pfc. Kevin C. Thomson of Reno, Nevada
for more go here
http://www.cnn.com/2009/US/10/06/us.afghanistan.troops/index.html
Monday, October 5, 2009
Army continues criminal probes into Iraq electrocutions
Army continues criminal probes into Iraq electrocutions
By Lisa M. Novak, Stars and Stripes
European edition, Sunday, October 4, 2009
It was near 100 degrees on May 8, 2004, when Spc. Chase Whitham and a few other soldiers decided to cool off in the swimming pool at Forward Operating Base Patriot in Mosul, Iraq.
A junior officer had recently renovated the pool, but a battalion commander had placed the pool off-limits until final precautions could be made.
No signs were posted, so Whitham and the others jumped in. The 21-year-old from Oregon was electrocuted when he touched a metal pipe that was circulating the pool water. It was later determined that the water pump had shorted and was not properly grounded.
Whitham was one of the first Americans to be killed by electrical problems at U.S. bases in Iraq.
read more here
http://www.stripes.com/article.asp?section=104&article=65180
By Lisa M. Novak, Stars and Stripes
European edition, Sunday, October 4, 2009
It was near 100 degrees on May 8, 2004, when Spc. Chase Whitham and a few other soldiers decided to cool off in the swimming pool at Forward Operating Base Patriot in Mosul, Iraq.
A junior officer had recently renovated the pool, but a battalion commander had placed the pool off-limits until final precautions could be made.
No signs were posted, so Whitham and the others jumped in. The 21-year-old from Oregon was electrocuted when he touched a metal pipe that was circulating the pool water. It was later determined that the water pump had shorted and was not properly grounded.
Whitham was one of the first Americans to be killed by electrical problems at U.S. bases in Iraq.
read more here
http://www.stripes.com/article.asp?section=104&article=65180
2 in custody after reports of armed men on South Florida campus
2 in custody after reports of armed men on South Florida campus
Story Highlights
NEW: Campus police question 2 men after incidents on school campus Monday
Report of armed intruder on the University of South Florida campus in Tampa, Florida
Police received a report of person armed with bomb, gun near the library
USF police say say no one was hurt, no shots were fired
(CNN) -- Campus police at the University of South Florida were questioning two men in connection with back-to-back incidents on the school campus Monday.
Investigators were questioning one man following a report of an armed intruder, USF police Lt. Meg Ross said. And a second man was also being questioned following a report of a man carrying a large hunting knife and a puppy, she said.
USF police asked the Tampa police's bomb team to respond to the campus regarding a backpack belonging to man in the first incident, said Ross. No one was hurt, she said, and no shots were fired.
"We have someone we think may have been involved," Ross told CNN, "but we have to investigate fully."
read more here
http://www.cnn.com/2009/CRIME/10/05/south.florida.intruder/index.html
Story Highlights
NEW: Campus police question 2 men after incidents on school campus Monday
Report of armed intruder on the University of South Florida campus in Tampa, Florida
Police received a report of person armed with bomb, gun near the library
USF police say say no one was hurt, no shots were fired
(CNN) -- Campus police at the University of South Florida were questioning two men in connection with back-to-back incidents on the school campus Monday.
Investigators were questioning one man following a report of an armed intruder, USF police Lt. Meg Ross said. And a second man was also being questioned following a report of a man carrying a large hunting knife and a puppy, she said.
USF police asked the Tampa police's bomb team to respond to the campus regarding a backpack belonging to man in the first incident, said Ross. No one was hurt, she said, and no shots were fired.
"We have someone we think may have been involved," Ross told CNN, "but we have to investigate fully."
read more here
http://www.cnn.com/2009/CRIME/10/05/south.florida.intruder/index.html
Congratulations to Military Times
Military Times Web site wins journalism award
Staff report
Posted : Monday Oct 5, 2009 16:40:10 EDT
MilitaryTimes.com has been honored for its service to the far-flung military community.
The Web site won “Best Large Specialty Site,” one of the 2009 Online Journalism Awards given Sunday by the Online News Association during its conference in San Francisco.
M. Scott Mahaskey, Military Times’ managing editor for interactive and visual coverage, accepted the award.
The organization of online journalists and academics, founded in 1999, praised MilitaryTimes.com for both its content and design.
“This site is cleanly designed and easy to navigate. It has a unique challenge in that it does serve a community, but not one with a geographic centre — the type of challenge for which the Internet is perfect,” the organization wrote. “This is a virtual meeting place for people in the military, where they can catch up on news of professional and personal interest, exchange stories and advice, and honor their colleagues and their service.”
The awards are administered by the Online News Association, in partnership with the University of Miami’s School of Communication, and are funded in part by the Gannett Foundation. Gannett Corp. is the parent company of Military Times.
MilitaryTimes.com is part of the Military Times family of Web sites, which includes AirForceTimes.com, ArmyTimes.com, MarineCorpsTimes.com and NavyTimes.com.
http://www.armytimes.com/news/2009/10/military_times_online_award_100509w/
Staff report
Posted : Monday Oct 5, 2009 16:40:10 EDT
MilitaryTimes.com has been honored for its service to the far-flung military community.
The Web site won “Best Large Specialty Site,” one of the 2009 Online Journalism Awards given Sunday by the Online News Association during its conference in San Francisco.
M. Scott Mahaskey, Military Times’ managing editor for interactive and visual coverage, accepted the award.
The organization of online journalists and academics, founded in 1999, praised MilitaryTimes.com for both its content and design.
“This site is cleanly designed and easy to navigate. It has a unique challenge in that it does serve a community, but not one with a geographic centre — the type of challenge for which the Internet is perfect,” the organization wrote. “This is a virtual meeting place for people in the military, where they can catch up on news of professional and personal interest, exchange stories and advice, and honor their colleagues and their service.”
The awards are administered by the Online News Association, in partnership with the University of Miami’s School of Communication, and are funded in part by the Gannett Foundation. Gannett Corp. is the parent company of Military Times.
MilitaryTimes.com is part of the Military Times family of Web sites, which includes AirForceTimes.com, ArmyTimes.com, MarineCorpsTimes.com and NavyTimes.com.
http://www.armytimes.com/news/2009/10/military_times_online_award_100509w/
Military men and the secrets they carry
Military Men Silent on Sexual Assaults
October 05, 2009
Virginian-Pilot
For years after the parachute accident that ended his Army service, Cody Openshaw spiraled downward.
He entered college but couldn't keep up with his studies. He had trouble holding a job. He drank too much. He had trouble sleeping, and when he did sleep, he had nightmares. He got married and divorced in less than a year. He had flashbacks. He isolated himself from his friends and drank more.
"His anxiety level was out of this world," his father said. "This was a young man who got straight A's in high school, and now he couldn't function."
Openshaw had the classic symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder, even though he had never been in combat. His parents attributed the trauma to the accident and the heavy medications he was taking for the continuing pain.
But there was more.
Finally, he broke down and told his father.
A few months after his accident, as he was awaiting his medical discharge from the Army, he had been sexually assaulted.
The attack left him physically injured and emotionally shattered. Inhibited by shame, embarrassment, sexual confusion and fear, it took him five years to come forward with the full story.
What truly sets this story apart, however, is not the details of the case, horrific as they are, but the gender of the victim.
There is a widespread presumption that most victims of sexual assault in the military services are women. That presumption, however, is false.
In a 2006 survey of active-duty troops, 6.8 percent of women and 1.8 percent of men said they had experienced unwanted sexual contact in the previous 12 months. Since there are far more men than women in the services, that translates into roughly 22,000 men and 14,000 women.
read more here
Military Men Silent on Sexual Assaults
October 05, 2009
Virginian-Pilot
For years after the parachute accident that ended his Army service, Cody Openshaw spiraled downward.
He entered college but couldn't keep up with his studies. He had trouble holding a job. He drank too much. He had trouble sleeping, and when he did sleep, he had nightmares. He got married and divorced in less than a year. He had flashbacks. He isolated himself from his friends and drank more.
"His anxiety level was out of this world," his father said. "This was a young man who got straight A's in high school, and now he couldn't function."
Openshaw had the classic symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder, even though he had never been in combat. His parents attributed the trauma to the accident and the heavy medications he was taking for the continuing pain.
But there was more.
Finally, he broke down and told his father.
A few months after his accident, as he was awaiting his medical discharge from the Army, he had been sexually assaulted.
The attack left him physically injured and emotionally shattered. Inhibited by shame, embarrassment, sexual confusion and fear, it took him five years to come forward with the full story.
What truly sets this story apart, however, is not the details of the case, horrific as they are, but the gender of the victim.
There is a widespread presumption that most victims of sexual assault in the military services are women. That presumption, however, is false.
In a 2006 survey of active-duty troops, 6.8 percent of women and 1.8 percent of men said they had experienced unwanted sexual contact in the previous 12 months. Since there are far more men than women in the services, that translates into roughly 22,000 men and 14,000 women.
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Military Men Silent on Sexual Assaults
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