He Works So Others Have Homes
Posted Oct 22nd 2009 5:30PM by Brett Widness
At age 54, Ed Pierce thought his income from rental properties in West Virginia and South Carolina would provide sufficient income to retire in Rock Hill, S.C., and be closer to his adult daughter.
When his tenants told him they couldn't pay their rent, he could have started the eviction process. Instead, he went back to work at a local Walgreens.
"I sat with them and prayed for better times," Peirce told a columnist for The Herald. "These are stand-up guys. Family men. Proud. They paid me before, when they were working. You don't show your faith, your Christianity, in words. You do it in deeds."
While we tend to think of landlords as disgruntled ogres who clamor outside your window for their monthly monthly check, property managers are generally very reasonable and even generous people.One of Pierce's tenants worked in construction and has a wife and two small kids. A second worked in utilities contracting and has a baby in the house. Both tenants got laid off several months ago.
read more here
He Works So Others Have Homes
Saturday, October 24, 2009
50 to 100 police and detectives investigating the case of murdered priest
Priest killed; Town urged to be vigilant
From Jesse Solomon
CNN
October 24, 2009 11:35 a.m. EDT
(CNN) -- Residents of the New Jersey town where a priest was found dead in the kitchen of his church's rectory Friday morning should exercise caution, Morris County Prosecutor Robert Bianchi said.
Due to the nature of the wounds, the death of the Rev. Ed Hinds, 61, of St. Patrick's Church "in all likelihood was in fact a homicide," Bianchi told reporters at a news conference Friday afternoon.
He said investigators believe Hinds was killed sometime between 11 p.m. Thursday and 8 a.m. Friday, when his death was discovered after he failed to show up for morning Mass. He was fully dressed in a black clerical robe when police arrived on the scene, Bianchi said.
Chatham Borough police were interviewing witnesses and had 50 to 100 police and detectives investigating the case, according to Bianchi. Watch police search the neighborhood
Though he urged residents to go about their daily lives, he warned they "should be extra vigilant during these next couple of days."
Parents of children at the church Friday morning were called to come pick up their kids, though they were not believed to be in any immediate danger, Bianchi said.
read more here
http://www.cnn.com/2009/CRIME/10/23/priest.killed/index.html
From Jesse Solomon
CNN
October 24, 2009 11:35 a.m. EDT
(CNN) -- Residents of the New Jersey town where a priest was found dead in the kitchen of his church's rectory Friday morning should exercise caution, Morris County Prosecutor Robert Bianchi said.
Due to the nature of the wounds, the death of the Rev. Ed Hinds, 61, of St. Patrick's Church "in all likelihood was in fact a homicide," Bianchi told reporters at a news conference Friday afternoon.
He said investigators believe Hinds was killed sometime between 11 p.m. Thursday and 8 a.m. Friday, when his death was discovered after he failed to show up for morning Mass. He was fully dressed in a black clerical robe when police arrived on the scene, Bianchi said.
Chatham Borough police were interviewing witnesses and had 50 to 100 police and detectives investigating the case, according to Bianchi. Watch police search the neighborhood
Though he urged residents to go about their daily lives, he warned they "should be extra vigilant during these next couple of days."
Parents of children at the church Friday morning were called to come pick up their kids, though they were not believed to be in any immediate danger, Bianchi said.
read more here
http://www.cnn.com/2009/CRIME/10/23/priest.killed/index.html
Ex-VFW official admits $122,000 theft
Ex-VFW official admits $122,000 theft
Updated: Saturday, 24 Oct 2009, 12:06 AM MDT
Published : Friday, 23 Oct 2009, 8:05 PM MDT
Reporter: Crystal Gutierrez
Web Producer: Bill Diven
ALBUQUERQUE (KRQE) - A Vietnam War veteran Friday admitted to stealing more than a $122,000 from fellow veterans and is awaiting sentencing.
In a plea deal with the state prosecutors Joe Salas, 63, pleaded guilty to 17 counts of fraud for stealing from a Veterans of Foreign Wars bank account Friday in a plea deal with.
In court Salas told District Judge Kenneth Martinez he would reimburse $17,000 of the stolen money.
Salas was the VFW state treasurer. His scheme was uncovered three years ago leaving veterans outraged
“It's disgust, it's knots in the stomach, it's bad thoughts through my head,” Fred Ortiz told KRQE News 13.
Prosecutors said Salas used the post debit card to go on a three-year spending spree. The list of items he bought included tires, gas, car washes, jewelry and plane tickets to Florida.
As the financial officer for the post Salas had a card in his name.
Suspicions arose after a check bounced. Then an internal investigation revealed the amount of missing money to be in the hundreds of thousands of dollars.
The money Salas used came from VFW membership fees and payments from VFW posts.
read more here
Ex-VFW official admits theft
Updated: Saturday, 24 Oct 2009, 12:06 AM MDT
Published : Friday, 23 Oct 2009, 8:05 PM MDT
Reporter: Crystal Gutierrez
Web Producer: Bill Diven
ALBUQUERQUE (KRQE) - A Vietnam War veteran Friday admitted to stealing more than a $122,000 from fellow veterans and is awaiting sentencing.
In a plea deal with the state prosecutors Joe Salas, 63, pleaded guilty to 17 counts of fraud for stealing from a Veterans of Foreign Wars bank account Friday in a plea deal with.
In court Salas told District Judge Kenneth Martinez he would reimburse $17,000 of the stolen money.
Salas was the VFW state treasurer. His scheme was uncovered three years ago leaving veterans outraged
“It's disgust, it's knots in the stomach, it's bad thoughts through my head,” Fred Ortiz told KRQE News 13.
Prosecutors said Salas used the post debit card to go on a three-year spending spree. The list of items he bought included tires, gas, car washes, jewelry and plane tickets to Florida.
As the financial officer for the post Salas had a card in his name.
Suspicions arose after a check bounced. Then an internal investigation revealed the amount of missing money to be in the hundreds of thousands of dollars.
The money Salas used came from VFW membership fees and payments from VFW posts.
read more here
Ex-VFW official admits theft
What the FBI did after TWA Flight 800 went down
Chaplain Jake Popejoy Ph.D was at the Chaplain's day conference held yesterday in Viera Florida. He spoke about a lot of things Chaplains need to remember, but above all, he told a story about TWA Flight 800 most people do not know.
If you view these pictures, it shows what was left behind from this tragedy. What it does not show is what the FBI did for the families in honor of the victims.
After they recovered the bodies and body parts they could find, after they found every shred of evidence, they collected whatever personal items they could find to return to the families.
Between luggage being submerged along with everything else, the condition of these items was pretty disgusting. They didn't want to just give things back the way they were because they were able to put themselves into the shoes of the family members, knowing this would very well be the last memory of their loved one after this horrific tragedy.
What these FBI agents did was donate their own money to purchase washing machines and driers, irons to press each piece of clothing, so they could return the items to the families as a memorial. They didn't stop there. They had obtained gift boxes and found someone to put messages in calligraphy on each box with their deepest sympathy. This is what they did but no one seemed to know anything about it.
Why?
Often we do things that are good, but we may feel it's just the right thing to do and seek no rewards for it. The FBI, being the FBI, would be the last people to seek publicity. The media was all too busy reporting on the tragedy instead of this act of human kindness by the men and women in the FBI.
This happens all the time. Whenever you read about a terrible story of human tragedy after traumatic events, try to remember one very important thing. For every piece of bad news we read, there are always back stories of the good people do as well.
TWA Flight 800 Crash Families Gathering For 13-Year Anniversary (PHOTOS)
If you view these pictures, it shows what was left behind from this tragedy. What it does not show is what the FBI did for the families in honor of the victims.
After they recovered the bodies and body parts they could find, after they found every shred of evidence, they collected whatever personal items they could find to return to the families.
Between luggage being submerged along with everything else, the condition of these items was pretty disgusting. They didn't want to just give things back the way they were because they were able to put themselves into the shoes of the family members, knowing this would very well be the last memory of their loved one after this horrific tragedy.
What these FBI agents did was donate their own money to purchase washing machines and driers, irons to press each piece of clothing, so they could return the items to the families as a memorial. They didn't stop there. They had obtained gift boxes and found someone to put messages in calligraphy on each box with their deepest sympathy. This is what they did but no one seemed to know anything about it.
Why?
Often we do things that are good, but we may feel it's just the right thing to do and seek no rewards for it. The FBI, being the FBI, would be the last people to seek publicity. The media was all too busy reporting on the tragedy instead of this act of human kindness by the men and women in the FBI.
This happens all the time. Whenever you read about a terrible story of human tragedy after traumatic events, try to remember one very important thing. For every piece of bad news we read, there are always back stories of the good people do as well.
Missouri Veterans Commission Holds Listening Post
Missouri Veterans Commission Holds Listening Post
Reported by: Brian Richardson
Thursday, Oct 22, 2009 @08:45pm CDT
Violence overseas is taking its toll on our service men and women.
The Missouri Veterans Commission held a listening post in Springfield Monday night to make sure those returning from conflicts in Afghanistan and Iraq are not forgotten.
It's estimated that 80% of the men and women returning from those conflicts suffer from some form of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder.
The post allowed veterans of previous wars to come together and learn how they can serve those who are returning home.
Twenty-two years in the Marines gave Eric Olson a lot to talk about, but most of those stories are disturbing.
"The worst was seeing the kids that were getting hurt." Olson said. "The next worse was seeing your buddies getting hurt. A lot of the screaming going on. You'd see your friends getting blown away."
With massive numbers of other soldiers coming home from Iraq and Afghanistan, Olson says they could be fighting a different kind of war, their memories.
"One of the few good things to come out of the wars that we're fighting now in Iraq and Afghanistan is the recognition that combat stress and Post Traumatic Stress Disorder are serious injuries," Olson said.
read more here
http://ozarksfirst.com/content/fulltext/?cid=198402
Reported by: Brian Richardson
Thursday, Oct 22, 2009 @08:45pm CDT
Violence overseas is taking its toll on our service men and women.
The Missouri Veterans Commission held a listening post in Springfield Monday night to make sure those returning from conflicts in Afghanistan and Iraq are not forgotten.
It's estimated that 80% of the men and women returning from those conflicts suffer from some form of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder.
The post allowed veterans of previous wars to come together and learn how they can serve those who are returning home.
Twenty-two years in the Marines gave Eric Olson a lot to talk about, but most of those stories are disturbing.
"The worst was seeing the kids that were getting hurt." Olson said. "The next worse was seeing your buddies getting hurt. A lot of the screaming going on. You'd see your friends getting blown away."
With massive numbers of other soldiers coming home from Iraq and Afghanistan, Olson says they could be fighting a different kind of war, their memories.
"One of the few good things to come out of the wars that we're fighting now in Iraq and Afghanistan is the recognition that combat stress and Post Traumatic Stress Disorder are serious injuries," Olson said.
read more here
http://ozarksfirst.com/content/fulltext/?cid=198402
National Veterans Foundation
Thank you for your interest in the National Veterans Foundation's (NVF) programs, serving the crisis needs of all U.S. Veterans and their families.
We need your help today to spread the word about the critically important work we are doing.
Every day, it seems, news breaks about returning Vets from the current wars, struggling with their transition to civilian life. Unemployment, homelessness, Traumatic Brain Injury, post-traumatic stress, and drug and alcohol abuse are issues that too many of our returning Veterans face after serving in Iraq and Afghanistan. Moreover, they are dealing with these problems without proper support from their government and their communities.
Our Veterans and the National Veterans Foundation need the support of people who care about Veterans more than ever.
The NVF's programs and services for Veterans in crisis rely on people like you to continue. The more supporters who are aware of the plight of Veterans and the solutions the National Veterans Foundation provides, the more resources we have to continue our important work.
Please share information about the National Veterans Foundation with your friends and family today.
Thank you so much for your support!
Sincerely,
Floyd "Shad" Meshad
Founder and President
PTSD:Deleting history
There is a feature all PC's have. You can go into the properties area, make a couple of clicks and your browsing history is gone. It clears up where you've been from where you want to go. You may be thinking it would be great if our minds could do the same, but if you are, you are not taking into consideration what your own history has put into you. Deleting history from you mind will take away part of you. That is the biggest problem with what some researchers want to do.
They want to just delete the traumatic events from the minds of people suffering from PTSD. Sounds like a logical thing to seek but considering everything that happens in our lives becomes a part of us, it would be taking part of "us" away.
You don't want to wipe out memories of friends that died, even though the memory of death is painful, the rest of your memory of him/her, is something you want to cherish. They added to your life while they were alive. You cared about them while receiving care from them. Eliminating any part of them from your memory would not change the outcome but would take away what they added to your life.
In times of crisis, you really don't want to wipe away memories of moments in your life when you had great courage or deep compassion. While painful, these emotions were gaining their strength and developing. You did things you never expected you were capable of.
The goal should not be to remove the traumatic memories. It should be to find peace with them.
When you know what PTSD is, know what your own body-mind and spirit are capable of, you find peace with the pain and then begin to heal instead of trying to escape it.
I would like you to watch the video I did for the National Guards to understand PTSD a little better than you do right now. Then maybe, we can get past all the talk about getting rid of memories.
Yesterday I was at a Chaplain's conference. While it it informed and fueled my soul, it also left me disheartened. There was a military chaplain there. He has great courage and compassion. What he did not have was knowledge of what PTSD is. This happens all the time. It is my belief it happens because they view PTSD as a "mental illness" and not caused by trauma. They can understand people in crisis but they cannot understand what happens all too often when moments of crisis and great stress are not addressed.
I use this explanation often. If you think of PTSD as an infection, that is easy to understand. We've all had an infection of one kind or another during our lives. We know that when some part of you becomes infected, it needs antibiotics to heal or it gets worse and spreads. It could begin small then spread out. As it does, it causes a lot of pain and suffering. It goes deeper as it spreads out.
PTSD gets worse untreated. It spreads out, claims more of "you" while digging deeper into your soul. It infects every aspect of your life. When you seek treatment with the antibiotic of talking, it stops getting worse. You begin to heal. In the beginning the release of built up pain is much like when an antiseptic is applied to an infected wound. IT HURTS. You feel a rush of pain come out of you as tears flow. This is pain from behind the wall your mind built to protect itself. The antibiotic is therapy with talking and medication as well as seeking spiritual healing. The wound heals. Depending on how much time between the original emotional wound and the time you heal, the depth of your scar is determined by that.
When you have received an "infection" your body and medicine healed, that area is either made stronger so that you don't feel much pain there again or it is a bit more tender in the exact area, but the surrounding area is stronger. That can be you.
You will never go back to the way you were before because life always changes us, goes into who we are, what we think and how we feel. What can happen is that you can be more tender in certain areas of your life while stronger in others. In other words, you can come out better on the other side of this darkness than you are in right now.
Please understand that what is needed with PTSD is healing not deleting what has already become a part of you.
They want to just delete the traumatic events from the minds of people suffering from PTSD. Sounds like a logical thing to seek but considering everything that happens in our lives becomes a part of us, it would be taking part of "us" away.
You don't want to wipe out memories of friends that died, even though the memory of death is painful, the rest of your memory of him/her, is something you want to cherish. They added to your life while they were alive. You cared about them while receiving care from them. Eliminating any part of them from your memory would not change the outcome but would take away what they added to your life.
In times of crisis, you really don't want to wipe away memories of moments in your life when you had great courage or deep compassion. While painful, these emotions were gaining their strength and developing. You did things you never expected you were capable of.
The goal should not be to remove the traumatic memories. It should be to find peace with them.
When you know what PTSD is, know what your own body-mind and spirit are capable of, you find peace with the pain and then begin to heal instead of trying to escape it.
I would like you to watch the video I did for the National Guards to understand PTSD a little better than you do right now. Then maybe, we can get past all the talk about getting rid of memories.
Posted to Great Americans by NamGuardianAngel on September 11, 2009
Yesterday I was at a Chaplain's conference. While it it informed and fueled my soul, it also left me disheartened. There was a military chaplain there. He has great courage and compassion. What he did not have was knowledge of what PTSD is. This happens all the time. It is my belief it happens because they view PTSD as a "mental illness" and not caused by trauma. They can understand people in crisis but they cannot understand what happens all too often when moments of crisis and great stress are not addressed.
I use this explanation often. If you think of PTSD as an infection, that is easy to understand. We've all had an infection of one kind or another during our lives. We know that when some part of you becomes infected, it needs antibiotics to heal or it gets worse and spreads. It could begin small then spread out. As it does, it causes a lot of pain and suffering. It goes deeper as it spreads out.
PTSD gets worse untreated. It spreads out, claims more of "you" while digging deeper into your soul. It infects every aspect of your life. When you seek treatment with the antibiotic of talking, it stops getting worse. You begin to heal. In the beginning the release of built up pain is much like when an antiseptic is applied to an infected wound. IT HURTS. You feel a rush of pain come out of you as tears flow. This is pain from behind the wall your mind built to protect itself. The antibiotic is therapy with talking and medication as well as seeking spiritual healing. The wound heals. Depending on how much time between the original emotional wound and the time you heal, the depth of your scar is determined by that.
When you have received an "infection" your body and medicine healed, that area is either made stronger so that you don't feel much pain there again or it is a bit more tender in the exact area, but the surrounding area is stronger. That can be you.
You will never go back to the way you were before because life always changes us, goes into who we are, what we think and how we feel. What can happen is that you can be more tender in certain areas of your life while stronger in others. In other words, you can come out better on the other side of this darkness than you are in right now.
Please understand that what is needed with PTSD is healing not deleting what has already become a part of you.
Thursday, October 22, 2009
No one thought to pray after they came home
No one thought to pray after they came home
October 22, 9:26 PM
Orlando Veteran's Health Examiner Kathie DiCesare
Their story has been written since man left home to fight battles in places where he did not live. They left with the prayers of their wives and children, their families and friends and even prayers of neighbors they never talked to. Everyone knew where they were going along with how much they would need the protection of God's angels to come home again. They knew should the worst happen, they would also need God's mercy, grace and forgiveness so they could return to heaven, forgiven of their sins.
Prayers continued while they were gone. It was common knowledge during times of war, there were many dangers to be faced. Prayers came, letters came, people paid attention as much as possible.
On return home, there were prayers of thanksgiving. A sense of relief the soldier had returned, save and sound, but no one really thought about what the word "sound" meant or what was really save. They didn't think to pray after the soldier came home because there was seen to be no need of it. By the time prayers were obviously needed, it was often too late. The time deployed into danger, forgotten about. Before their eyes, they saw a man they no longer knew. They couldn't see he had been slowly buried under a burden he was not meant to carry alone.
read more here
No one thought to pray after they came home
John Newton’s own sermon notes for his hymn
New Year's Morning1 January 1773
1 Chronicles 17:16,17
And David the king came and sat before the LORD, and said, Who am I, O LORD God, and what is mine house, that thou hast brought me hitherto? And yet this was a small thing in thine yes, O God, for thou hast also spoken of thy servant’s house for a great while to come, and hast regarded me according to the estate of a man of high degree, O LORD God.John Newton’s own sermon notes for his hymn
Amazing Grace, how sweet the sound,
That saved a wretch like me....
I once was lost but now am found,
Was blind, but now, I see.
T'was Grace that taught...
my heart to fear.
And Grace, my fears relieved.
How precious did that Grace appear...
the hour I first believed.
Through many dangers, toils and snares...
we have already come.
T'was Grace that brought us safe thus far...
and Grace will lead us home.............
http://www.littleleaf.com/amazinggrace.htm
Please click above to read the rest of this piece. I didn't want to get too preachy on it and space is a bit limited on the site, but here I can add a little more to it.
The grace of God is what we are expected to help deliver by opening eyes and letting our veterans know nothing they have done they cannot be forgiven for. Most of them believe they have to be forgiven for something. Frankly, we all do things we need to be forgiven for, but to them the depth of their pain is very deep. Do no pass of if they tell you they are evil. Remind them of what God has already forgiven in the Bible and let them know there is nothing they cannot be forgiven for. It will cost you nothing to help them remember that and show them compassion for their pain.
Do not regard them as if they are suddenly different people totally changed from the loving person they used to be. They are still in there and they are not suddenly a monster, suddenly uncaring, suddenly unloving. They are behind the wall of pain with the same compassion they had before they walked through the gates of hell with the courage to risk their lives for the sake of others. They are still there. You just have to find them and help them find themselves.
There is a lot you have to learn about PTSD but it is not impossible to do it. All you need is the love you already had in you when you decided to seek the information that lead you here.
Firefighter in critical condition after wrong-way motorcycle crash
Firefighter in critical condition after Carrollwood wrong-way motorcycle crash
By Kim Wilmath, Times Staff Writer
In Print: Thursday, October 22, 2009
CARROLLWOOD — A 47-year-old Hillsborough County firefighter was hospitalized early Wednesday after she crashed her motorcycle into a pickup truck on S Village Drive.
Patti Valero of Brandon was driving a Harley-Davidson the wrong way in the eastbound lanes of S Village about 1 a.m., according to a Hillsborough County sheriff's report. Valero collided with an eastbound red Chevy pickup driven by Peter Spiropoulos, 21, of Tarpon Springs.
read more here
Firefighter in critical condition
By Kim Wilmath, Times Staff Writer
In Print: Thursday, October 22, 2009
CARROLLWOOD — A 47-year-old Hillsborough County firefighter was hospitalized early Wednesday after she crashed her motorcycle into a pickup truck on S Village Drive.
Patti Valero of Brandon was driving a Harley-Davidson the wrong way in the eastbound lanes of S Village about 1 a.m., according to a Hillsborough County sheriff's report. Valero collided with an eastbound red Chevy pickup driven by Peter Spiropoulos, 21, of Tarpon Springs.
read more here
Firefighter in critical condition
Gunshot victim walks into Children's hospital and died
Police ID gunshot victim who walked into All Children's Hospital and died
By Jamal Thalji and Brant James, Times Staff Writers
ST. PETERSBURG — A man bleeding from multiple gunshot wounds stumbled through the doors of All Children's Hospital on Thursday and died, police said.
Police said doctors rushed to treat the man, identified as Christopher Lamont Danford, 21, of 1517 25th Avenue S, but he soon died in the lobby.
Detectives were investigating who shot Danford and who was in the SUV that left him at the hospital before driving off.
read more herePolice ID gunshot victim
By Jamal Thalji and Brant James, Times Staff Writers
ST. PETERSBURG — A man bleeding from multiple gunshot wounds stumbled through the doors of All Children's Hospital on Thursday and died, police said.
Police said doctors rushed to treat the man, identified as Christopher Lamont Danford, 21, of 1517 25th Avenue S, but he soon died in the lobby.
Detectives were investigating who shot Danford and who was in the SUV that left him at the hospital before driving off.
read more herePolice ID gunshot victim
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