Community helps repair Marine’s burglarized home
Posted: Jan 23, 2010 6:14 PM EST
LEE COUNTY: On Friday we reported a story about burglars who hit a Lehigh Acres Marine's home, and in less than 24 hours the community has reached out to help.
Steven Vonsooten, 23, is serving in Iraq while his mother is watching his new home.
During a check of the residence on Thursday his mother, Nancy Gonzalez, found five windows were broken and appliances were missing from the home.
We had many calls and e-mails come into our newsroom from people offering to help out.
Help also came when Captain John Bunch started receiving calls Saturday at 5:00 a.m. from nearly 50 people who were ready to help.
"With the economy right now, it's bringing out the worst in people, and virtually one day later, I'm seeing the best in people," said Gonzalez.
read more here
http://www.nbc-2.com/Global/story.asp?S=11870262
Sunday, January 24, 2010
Marine from Potomac fatally stabbed at Baltimore party
Marine from Potomac fatally stabbed at Baltimore party
Saturday, January 23, 2010; 8:39 PM
A 20-year-old Marine from Potomac was stabbed to death early Saturday morning at a college party in Northeast Baltimore.
A second man was also stabbed at the gathering. His condition is unknown.
Darius Ray, who was stationed in the District, was taken to an area hospital for a stab wound to the upper torso. He was pronounced dead at 4:58 a.m.
The second unidentified male was taken to Maryland Shock Trauma Center with a stab wound, according to police spokesman Donny Moses. Police were called to the 6900 block of McClean Boulevard at around 4 a.m. for the report of a cutting.
read more here
Marine from Potomac fatally stabbed at Baltimore party
Saturday, January 23, 2010; 8:39 PM
A 20-year-old Marine from Potomac was stabbed to death early Saturday morning at a college party in Northeast Baltimore.
A second man was also stabbed at the gathering. His condition is unknown.
Darius Ray, who was stationed in the District, was taken to an area hospital for a stab wound to the upper torso. He was pronounced dead at 4:58 a.m.
The second unidentified male was taken to Maryland Shock Trauma Center with a stab wound, according to police spokesman Donny Moses. Police were called to the 6900 block of McClean Boulevard at around 4 a.m. for the report of a cutting.
read more here
Marine from Potomac fatally stabbed at Baltimore party
PTSD is a huge trust test that we have failed
PTSD is a huge trust test that we have failed
by
Chaplain Kathie
There are many things being done to address PTSD that were not being done when other veterans came home from combat. What it took to accomplish this is someone had to care about doing something about it instead of watching them suffer. PTSD is not new. It's what happens to one out of three humans after traumatic events. It has been around as long as man has walked this planet and will be around until the end of our existence here. We cannot control other people. We cannot control nature. We cannot stop all wars any more than we can stop all criminals from deciding they are of more value than anyone else. We cannot prevent all fires, car accidents, plane crashes, drowning deaths or anything else that has been proven to induce PTSD. What we can do is prevent what comes after. For what we cannot prevent, we can alleviate the hell after the trauma.
First look at the different types of trauma. Some are caused by nature and survivors have a little easier time making peace with it because there is no one to blame for it. They thank God they survived as they mourn the loss of those who did not. Some will walk away thinking God did it to them as some sort of punishment and they will have a harder time healing from it. It also gets harder to heal if what came after trauma was more suffering. As with Katrina, they survived the hurricane but then saw help delayed, bodies in the streets, families separated into different states and the list goes on. Much of what is happening in Haiti since the earthquake is worse for them than the earthquake itself. It will take much longer time to heal and a lot more effort to help them heal because of the aftermath.
A survivor of fires caused by nature will recover more easily than one caused by the acts of a person. The list goes on. What is harder to recover from is when someone else caused the traumatic event or made it worse.
This is why combat takes such a heavy toll on the men and women we send. Wars are all caused by man and they witness what man is capable of doing to man. The goal of war is to defeat and destroy what cannot be defeated. The terrorists actions we've seen have been done in order to cause as much suffering as possible because they know the survivors will suffer after constantly looking over their shoulder wondering when the next act of violence will strike. They have no control over what other people do. They operate under no rules. Civilians are their favorite target, men, women and children. The military has rules and while they train to take out "bad guys" they do not intend to take out civilians. With Iraq and Afghanistan, much like Vietnam, there were no clear targets to take out. Someone can appear to be just minding their own business only to turn around and blow themselves up. These unbelievable actions take hold. The soldiers know they cannot trust what they see and are forever changed by their experiences.
When they come home, if there is more suffering inflicted because there is only judgment against them, belittling when try to open up about what is going on inside of them or they are handed pills instead of help, it adds to their loss of trust. When their families, the people they are supposed to be able to trust, turn against them because they don't understand why they act the way they do, it adds to their loss of trust. When they turn to the government, the DOD or the VA, for help, are responded with delayed claims being processed or a series of denials and appeals, this adds to the loss of trust. When they do end up going to a mental health provider with no idea what PTSD is, this makes PTSD worse and they lose trust yet again.
PTSD is a huge trust test that we have failed.
There is also the spiritual aspect involved when some will survive traumatic events, especially in combat, then believe God has abandoned them, judged them and have left them on their own to suffer. With little ability to trust another human, the loss of ability to trust God removes hope. If a soldier turns to a military Chaplain with no understanding of what PTSD is, then it makes it all worse, yet if they have a full knowledge, there is great healing possible, restoring faith in God's compassion and also restoring faith in man knowing someone cares enough to help.
Friday I attended a conference, Clinical Issues for Clinicians Working With OEF and OIF Veterans and their Families. The people attending were from all walks, psychiatrists, psychologist, social workers, veterans and me. All of us trying to make lives better for our veterans. Some of the questions came from psychologists addressing the issue of patients saying they do not believe in God. When people survive combat, or any other traumatic event, most of the time it is not a matter of they never believed in God, but lost the ability to believe. Mental health providers need to ask if the patient believe in God before or never had reason to believe and then take it from there instead of just assuming they never did. The spiritual aspect is vital to healing PTSD especially if the patient had faith before because they are now dealing with the loss of the faith they always had before.
There are conferences all over the country trying to get ahead of what combat is doing to our veterans so that finally the suicide rate will go down instead of up because we know it will take buddies, the chain of command, chaplains and the mental health workers while they are still enlisted, but it will also take the VA, doctors, social workers, nurses, claims processors, communities, clergy and especially families to help these veterans heal. The knowledge gained by all will help restore trust in the combat veteran and thus, help them heal.
This is what the Montana National Guard is doing with their Yellow Ribbon Program. They are putting together an army of people to help these veterans heal. They understand it is not just a matter of welcoming them back home and then assume they are finally safe. We lose more after combat than during it. The Montana National Guard managed to think outside the box and it appears to be working.
Montana model for PTSD detection to face first major test
By ERIC NEWHOUSE • Tribune Projects Editor • January 24, 2010
One of the largest troop deployments in the state since World War II will test the Montana model for combat stress assessment and treatment over the next couple of years.
It is a particularly important test because Montana's model of preparing families for deployment, assessing soldiers for post-traumatic stress disorder and mobilizing crisis response teams to help traumatized soldiers has become the nation's model.
"This would have been great stuff to have had on my first deployment," said Lt. Col. Ryck Cayer, commander of the 219th RED HORSE, who is facing his fourth tour of duty abroad. "I wish I'd had this kind of knowledge going in the first time."
So far with the suicides of veterans as well as active duty, we have failed this test of trust. The good news is, at least many are trying to change what has been done wrong with knowledge and a true understanding of how to help.
by
Chaplain Kathie
There are many things being done to address PTSD that were not being done when other veterans came home from combat. What it took to accomplish this is someone had to care about doing something about it instead of watching them suffer. PTSD is not new. It's what happens to one out of three humans after traumatic events. It has been around as long as man has walked this planet and will be around until the end of our existence here. We cannot control other people. We cannot control nature. We cannot stop all wars any more than we can stop all criminals from deciding they are of more value than anyone else. We cannot prevent all fires, car accidents, plane crashes, drowning deaths or anything else that has been proven to induce PTSD. What we can do is prevent what comes after. For what we cannot prevent, we can alleviate the hell after the trauma.
First look at the different types of trauma. Some are caused by nature and survivors have a little easier time making peace with it because there is no one to blame for it. They thank God they survived as they mourn the loss of those who did not. Some will walk away thinking God did it to them as some sort of punishment and they will have a harder time healing from it. It also gets harder to heal if what came after trauma was more suffering. As with Katrina, they survived the hurricane but then saw help delayed, bodies in the streets, families separated into different states and the list goes on. Much of what is happening in Haiti since the earthquake is worse for them than the earthquake itself. It will take much longer time to heal and a lot more effort to help them heal because of the aftermath.
A survivor of fires caused by nature will recover more easily than one caused by the acts of a person. The list goes on. What is harder to recover from is when someone else caused the traumatic event or made it worse.
This is why combat takes such a heavy toll on the men and women we send. Wars are all caused by man and they witness what man is capable of doing to man. The goal of war is to defeat and destroy what cannot be defeated. The terrorists actions we've seen have been done in order to cause as much suffering as possible because they know the survivors will suffer after constantly looking over their shoulder wondering when the next act of violence will strike. They have no control over what other people do. They operate under no rules. Civilians are their favorite target, men, women and children. The military has rules and while they train to take out "bad guys" they do not intend to take out civilians. With Iraq and Afghanistan, much like Vietnam, there were no clear targets to take out. Someone can appear to be just minding their own business only to turn around and blow themselves up. These unbelievable actions take hold. The soldiers know they cannot trust what they see and are forever changed by their experiences.
When they come home, if there is more suffering inflicted because there is only judgment against them, belittling when try to open up about what is going on inside of them or they are handed pills instead of help, it adds to their loss of trust. When their families, the people they are supposed to be able to trust, turn against them because they don't understand why they act the way they do, it adds to their loss of trust. When they turn to the government, the DOD or the VA, for help, are responded with delayed claims being processed or a series of denials and appeals, this adds to the loss of trust. When they do end up going to a mental health provider with no idea what PTSD is, this makes PTSD worse and they lose trust yet again.
PTSD is a huge trust test that we have failed.
There is also the spiritual aspect involved when some will survive traumatic events, especially in combat, then believe God has abandoned them, judged them and have left them on their own to suffer. With little ability to trust another human, the loss of ability to trust God removes hope. If a soldier turns to a military Chaplain with no understanding of what PTSD is, then it makes it all worse, yet if they have a full knowledge, there is great healing possible, restoring faith in God's compassion and also restoring faith in man knowing someone cares enough to help.
Friday I attended a conference, Clinical Issues for Clinicians Working With OEF and OIF Veterans and their Families. The people attending were from all walks, psychiatrists, psychologist, social workers, veterans and me. All of us trying to make lives better for our veterans. Some of the questions came from psychologists addressing the issue of patients saying they do not believe in God. When people survive combat, or any other traumatic event, most of the time it is not a matter of they never believed in God, but lost the ability to believe. Mental health providers need to ask if the patient believe in God before or never had reason to believe and then take it from there instead of just assuming they never did. The spiritual aspect is vital to healing PTSD especially if the patient had faith before because they are now dealing with the loss of the faith they always had before.
There are conferences all over the country trying to get ahead of what combat is doing to our veterans so that finally the suicide rate will go down instead of up because we know it will take buddies, the chain of command, chaplains and the mental health workers while they are still enlisted, but it will also take the VA, doctors, social workers, nurses, claims processors, communities, clergy and especially families to help these veterans heal. The knowledge gained by all will help restore trust in the combat veteran and thus, help them heal.
This is what the Montana National Guard is doing with their Yellow Ribbon Program. They are putting together an army of people to help these veterans heal. They understand it is not just a matter of welcoming them back home and then assume they are finally safe. We lose more after combat than during it. The Montana National Guard managed to think outside the box and it appears to be working.
Coming home is the moment that troops deployed abroad dream about, but it's also a traumatic moment because soldiers are changed by combat. The Montana National Guard's Yellow Ribbon program is designed in part to help soldiers reintegrate into their families, their jobs and their communities. (PHOTO COURTESY OF MONTANA ARMY NATIONAL GUARD)
Montana model for PTSD detection to face first major test
By ERIC NEWHOUSE • Tribune Projects Editor • January 24, 2010
One of the largest troop deployments in the state since World War II will test the Montana model for combat stress assessment and treatment over the next couple of years.
It is a particularly important test because Montana's model of preparing families for deployment, assessing soldiers for post-traumatic stress disorder and mobilizing crisis response teams to help traumatized soldiers has become the nation's model.
"This would have been great stuff to have had on my first deployment," said Lt. Col. Ryck Cayer, commander of the 219th RED HORSE, who is facing his fourth tour of duty abroad. "I wish I'd had this kind of knowledge going in the first time."
The National Guard's determination to take better care of its soldiers who deploy was a result of the suicide of a former infantryman, Chris Dana from Helena, in March 2007.
Dana was one of approximately 700 soldiers from the 163rd Infantry who served in Iraq in 2004-05. Once he returned home, he began isolating himself. When he could no longer handle Guard drills, he received a less-than-honorable discharge and shot himself a few days later.
In a state with one of the nation's highest percentages of veterans per capita, Dana's death spurred calls for reform, which the Guard responded to immediately.
Among the Yellow Ribbon briefings are several on PTSD, alerting soldiers and their families of the danger signs such as hyper-vigilance, irritability, nightmares, flashbacks and excessive reliance on alcohol or drugs, as well as how to seek help if a service member displays those signs.
To make sure service members don't drop through the cracks, the Montana National Guard set up a system under which all service members returning from combat receive a mental health assessment — not just a self-report questionnaire — every six months for the first two years after their return.
"We've had problems with suicide and depression previously," Reiman said. "Combat is a new thing for many of these soldiers, and there's a lot of stress. It's a great benefit for returning airmen to provide an avenue to get them help.
"We can't judge them," he added. "We just have to give them help."
"Of the hundreds of guys that I talked with, every one of them had symptoms, things like hypersensitivity and irritability," he said. "And we had policemen and firemen and EMTs (emergency medical technicians) whose previous experiences may have contributed to their PTSD."
read more here
Montana model for PTSD detection to face first major test
So far with the suicides of veterans as well as active duty, we have failed this test of trust. The good news is, at least many are trying to change what has been done wrong with knowledge and a true understanding of how to help.
Friday, January 22, 2010
Stress symptoms rise with multiple tours
Deployments take heavy toll
Stress symptoms rise with multiple tours
Devon Haynie
The Journal Gazette
The day after President Obama announced the Afghanistan surge, Spc. Curt Kelley got a letter from the Department of Defense.
It was a letter he’d received twice before: First, in 2005, foreshadowing a tame tour of central Iraq. And again in 2007, foreshadowing a far more dangerous deployment – the bloody kind that he says still haunts his dreams.
As a former active Army soldier with two years left in the U.S. Army Individual Ready Reserve, Kelley feels honor-bound to go back to Iraq a third time. But his other side, his civilian side, is concerned about how his next deployment will affect his sleeping problems, his anxiety and his changing personality – symptoms he chalks up to self-diagnosed post-traumatic stress disorder, commonly referred to as PTSD.
read more here
http://www.journalgazette.net/article/20100117/LOCAL12/301179914/1002/LOCAL
Stress symptoms rise with multiple tours
Devon Haynie
The Journal Gazette
The day after President Obama announced the Afghanistan surge, Spc. Curt Kelley got a letter from the Department of Defense.
It was a letter he’d received twice before: First, in 2005, foreshadowing a tame tour of central Iraq. And again in 2007, foreshadowing a far more dangerous deployment – the bloody kind that he says still haunts his dreams.
As a former active Army soldier with two years left in the U.S. Army Individual Ready Reserve, Kelley feels honor-bound to go back to Iraq a third time. But his other side, his civilian side, is concerned about how his next deployment will affect his sleeping problems, his anxiety and his changing personality – symptoms he chalks up to self-diagnosed post-traumatic stress disorder, commonly referred to as PTSD.
read more here
http://www.journalgazette.net/article/20100117/LOCAL12/301179914/1002/LOCAL
Thursday, January 21, 2010
New caucus to address vets’ mental health
New caucus to address vets’ mental health
By Rick Maze - Staff writer
Posted : Thursday Jan 21, 2010 13:27:19 EST
After a year in which more service members across the military committed suicide than were killed in action in Iraq and Afghanistan, four lawmakers have formed a congressional caucus to push for improvements in military and veterans mental health services.
Reps. Michael McMahon, D-N.Y.; Harry Teague, D-N.M.; Phil Roe, R-Tenn.; and Tom Rooney, R-Fla., announced Thursday they are the founding members of Invisible Wounds Caucus in the House of Representatives.
The caucus has two basic goals:
• To promote more awareness of wounds like traumatic brain injury, post-traumatic stress disorder, substance abuse and mental disorders that may not be readily apparent.
• To push for expanded government treatment programs for those suffering from these so-called “invisible” wounds.
In a joint letter to colleagues inviting them to join the caucus, the founders say mental health for combat veterans is “becoming a pressing national issue worthy of our attention.”
“Not doing enough has had a high price paid by our returned service members and those close to them in the form of depression, lower quality of life, economic insecurity, substance abuse, and suicide,” the letter states.
go here for more
New caucus to address vets’ mental health
By Rick Maze - Staff writer
Posted : Thursday Jan 21, 2010 13:27:19 EST
After a year in which more service members across the military committed suicide than were killed in action in Iraq and Afghanistan, four lawmakers have formed a congressional caucus to push for improvements in military and veterans mental health services.
Reps. Michael McMahon, D-N.Y.; Harry Teague, D-N.M.; Phil Roe, R-Tenn.; and Tom Rooney, R-Fla., announced Thursday they are the founding members of Invisible Wounds Caucus in the House of Representatives.
The caucus has two basic goals:
• To promote more awareness of wounds like traumatic brain injury, post-traumatic stress disorder, substance abuse and mental disorders that may not be readily apparent.
• To push for expanded government treatment programs for those suffering from these so-called “invisible” wounds.
In a joint letter to colleagues inviting them to join the caucus, the founders say mental health for combat veterans is “becoming a pressing national issue worthy of our attention.”
“Not doing enough has had a high price paid by our returned service members and those close to them in the form of depression, lower quality of life, economic insecurity, substance abuse, and suicide,” the letter states.
go here for more
New caucus to address vets’ mental health
No More Jesus Rifles
No More Jesus Rifles
After ABC News Report, Trijicon Announces Plan to Remove Bible Codes from Gun Sights Provided to U.S. Military
By LUIS MARTINEZ, JOSEPH RHEE and MARK SCHONE
Trijicon, the gunsight maker that has imprinted Bible verse numbers on its scopes, has announced that it will no longer imprint the verses on the sides of scopes intended for the U.S. military, and will also provide clients with the kits to remove the Bible verse numbers from existing scopes.
An ABC News report earlier this week revealed that the Michigan-based company, which has a contract to provide up to 800,000 scopes to the U.S. military, prints references to New Testament chapters and verses in code next to the model numbers of its scopes. The scopes are used by the U.S. Marine Corps and Army in Iraq and Afghanistan, and by U.S. allies in those countries, and for the training of Afghan and Iraqi troops.
Earlier today, Gen. David Petraeus, who commands CentCom, which oversees U.S. forces in Iraq and Afghanistan, told a D.C. thinktank that the company's practice was "disturbing …and a serious concern for me" and field commanders. He said there had been considerable discussions within the Department of Defense about how to deal with Trijicon's practice.
go here for more
No More Jesus Rifles
After ABC News Report, Trijicon Announces Plan to Remove Bible Codes from Gun Sights Provided to U.S. Military
By LUIS MARTINEZ, JOSEPH RHEE and MARK SCHONE
Trijicon, the gunsight maker that has imprinted Bible verse numbers on its scopes, has announced that it will no longer imprint the verses on the sides of scopes intended for the U.S. military, and will also provide clients with the kits to remove the Bible verse numbers from existing scopes.
An ABC News report earlier this week revealed that the Michigan-based company, which has a contract to provide up to 800,000 scopes to the U.S. military, prints references to New Testament chapters and verses in code next to the model numbers of its scopes. The scopes are used by the U.S. Marine Corps and Army in Iraq and Afghanistan, and by U.S. allies in those countries, and for the training of Afghan and Iraqi troops.
Earlier today, Gen. David Petraeus, who commands CentCom, which oversees U.S. forces in Iraq and Afghanistan, told a D.C. thinktank that the company's practice was "disturbing …and a serious concern for me" and field commanders. He said there had been considerable discussions within the Department of Defense about how to deal with Trijicon's practice.
go here for more
No More Jesus Rifles
The War Followed Him Home
The War Followed Him Home
Veterans discuss PTSD and the suicide of a brother in arms
By Marisa Demarco
Veteran Micah Shaw in Trebil, Iraq, on the Jordanian border Joseph Callan was shocked and saddened when he heard about the Jan. 13 death of Iraq veteran Kenneth Ellis III. And he was angry.
Callan is a combat veteran who did three tours of duty in Iraq, including the initial invasion of the country. He was an infantryman, but he left the Marine Corps in early 2008 and came back to Albuquerque. "I had every intention of being in the Marines for 20 years and retiring," he says, but he couldn't live with his conscience. "I couldn't believe what we were doing." When he returned to civilian life, he says he felt isolated and didn't have support from the Department of Veterans Affairs or the military. "I started to get angry." He was diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder.
So was Ellis, the man who died in front of the 7-Eleven at Constitution and Eubank last week. The 25-year-old was pulled over because his car had the wrong plates, according to news reports. He got out of the car and put a gun to his head while he was talking to his mother on his cell phone. Police shot him after he refused to put the weapon down.
Ellis had been part of an inpatient PTSD program at the VA Medical Center. Sonja Brown, spokesperson for the VA, would not confirm or deny Ellis was kicked out of the program, as has been reported. She wouldn’t comment on Ellis’ case due to patient privacy laws.
read more here
The War Followed Him Home
Veterans discuss PTSD and the suicide of a brother in arms
By Marisa Demarco
Veteran Micah Shaw in Trebil, Iraq, on the Jordanian border Joseph Callan was shocked and saddened when he heard about the Jan. 13 death of Iraq veteran Kenneth Ellis III. And he was angry.
Callan is a combat veteran who did three tours of duty in Iraq, including the initial invasion of the country. He was an infantryman, but he left the Marine Corps in early 2008 and came back to Albuquerque. "I had every intention of being in the Marines for 20 years and retiring," he says, but he couldn't live with his conscience. "I couldn't believe what we were doing." When he returned to civilian life, he says he felt isolated and didn't have support from the Department of Veterans Affairs or the military. "I started to get angry." He was diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder.
So was Ellis, the man who died in front of the 7-Eleven at Constitution and Eubank last week. The 25-year-old was pulled over because his car had the wrong plates, according to news reports. He got out of the car and put a gun to his head while he was talking to his mother on his cell phone. Police shot him after he refused to put the weapon down.
Ellis had been part of an inpatient PTSD program at the VA Medical Center. Sonja Brown, spokesperson for the VA, would not confirm or deny Ellis was kicked out of the program, as has been reported. She wouldn’t comment on Ellis’ case due to patient privacy laws.
read more here
The War Followed Him Home
At Vatican, U.S. military chaplains study PTSD
At Vatican, U.S. military chaplains study post-traumatic syndrome
By Cindy Wooden
Catholic News Service
VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- Like chaplains in the U.S. military around the world, a group of Catholic chaplains meeting at the Vatican spent a full day studying how to provide pastoral and spiritual care to people suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder.
Archbishop Timothy P. Broglio, head of the U.S. Archdiocese for the Military Services, brought 40 U.S. Catholic chaplains, who are on active military duty, to the Vatican Jan. 19-21 to discuss what's going on in the archdiocese, learn more about responding to post-traumatic stress disorder and discuss preparations for using the new Mass translations.
By Cindy Wooden
Catholic News Service
VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- Like chaplains in the U.S. military around the world, a group of Catholic chaplains meeting at the Vatican spent a full day studying how to provide pastoral and spiritual care to people suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder.
Archbishop Timothy P. Broglio, head of the U.S. Archdiocese for the Military Services, brought 40 U.S. Catholic chaplains, who are on active military duty, to the Vatican Jan. 19-21 to discuss what's going on in the archdiocese, learn more about responding to post-traumatic stress disorder and discuss preparations for using the new Mass translations.
With 285 active duty chaplains for the military and about 150 chaplains working in the hospitals, "we are terribly undermanned," he said.
read more here
Canada looks at caring for veterans as a human rights issue
That is what it all boils down to isn't it? Replacing income because a combat veteran suffers for having served, having risked their life, having already paid the price few others will come close to understanding, leaving them without enough money to live off of, should be considered nothing less than a human rights issue. They are disabled and should be treated as disabled with the medical care and financial support they need just like anyone else but unlike anyone else, they would not be disabled unless they risked their lives for the sake of everyone else in the country. So how is it that they are forced to fight yet another battle to make sure they do not have to suffer even more for suffering in the first place?
Disabled vets wage new war
By SEAN BRUYEA
Thu. Jan 21 - 4:46 AM
It has become a sad truth that the path of an injured soldier to receive disability benefits in Canada is a minefield of obstacles. Today, the Supreme Court of Canada will hear about some of them.
When Canadian Forces members are injured on duty, they receive pain and suffering payments from Veterans Affairs while keeping their full salary. If soldiers are so disabled as to be unemployable, they are kicked out of the military and paid 75 per cent of their salary through a long-term disability plan held by the Canadian Forces. Then, in some seemingly petty act of revenge, the Canadian Forces insurance plan deducts amounts for pain and suffering paid by Veterans Affairs.
No other long-term disability income plan in Canada is allowed to deduct Veterans Affairs payments for pain and suffering. This is why Nova Scotia resident Dennis Manuge has brought his case to the Supreme Court; his case represents more than 4,000 disabled soldiers similarly affected. I am one of the 4,000.
The National Defence ombudsman has called the deductions "profoundly unfair" and said that "the inequity might very well be serious enough to attract the protection of human rights legislation" including "the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms, which identifies physical and mental disabilities as prohibited grounds of discrimination."
read more here
http://thechronicleherald.ca/Columnists/1163449.html
Trijicon said it has had such inscriptions on its products for three decades
N. Zealand to remove Bible verses from sights
By Ray Lilley - The Associated Press
Posted : Thursday Jan 21, 2010 5:48:01 EST
WELLINGTON, New Zealand — New Zealand said Thursday that Biblical citations inscribed on U.S.-manufactured weapon sights used by New Zealand’s troops in Afghanistan will be removed, saying they are inappropriate and could stoke religious tensions.
The inscriptions on products from defense contractor Trijicon of Wixom, Michigan, came to light this week in the U.S. where Army officials said Tuesday they would investigate whether the gun sights — also used by U.S. troops in Afghanistan and Iraq — violate U.S. procurement laws.
Australia also said Thursday its military used the sights and was now assessing what to do.
Trijicon said it has had such inscriptions on its products for three decades and has never received complaints about them before. The inscriptions, which don’t include actual text from the Bible, refer numerically to passages from the book.
New Zealand defense force spokesman Maj. Kristian Dunne said that Trijicon would be instructed to remove the inscriptions from further orders of the gun sights for New Zealand and that the letters would be removed from gun sights already in use by troops.
“The inscriptions ... put us in a difficult situation. We were unaware of it and we’re unhappy that the manufacturer didn’t give us any indication that these were on there,” Dunne said. “We deem them to be inappropriate.”
read more here
N. Zealand to remove Bible verses from sights
By Ray Lilley - The Associated Press
Posted : Thursday Jan 21, 2010 5:48:01 EST
WELLINGTON, New Zealand — New Zealand said Thursday that Biblical citations inscribed on U.S.-manufactured weapon sights used by New Zealand’s troops in Afghanistan will be removed, saying they are inappropriate and could stoke religious tensions.
The inscriptions on products from defense contractor Trijicon of Wixom, Michigan, came to light this week in the U.S. where Army officials said Tuesday they would investigate whether the gun sights — also used by U.S. troops in Afghanistan and Iraq — violate U.S. procurement laws.
Australia also said Thursday its military used the sights and was now assessing what to do.
Trijicon said it has had such inscriptions on its products for three decades and has never received complaints about them before. The inscriptions, which don’t include actual text from the Bible, refer numerically to passages from the book.
New Zealand defense force spokesman Maj. Kristian Dunne said that Trijicon would be instructed to remove the inscriptions from further orders of the gun sights for New Zealand and that the letters would be removed from gun sights already in use by troops.
“The inscriptions ... put us in a difficult situation. We were unaware of it and we’re unhappy that the manufacturer didn’t give us any indication that these were on there,” Dunne said. “We deem them to be inappropriate.”
read more here
N. Zealand to remove Bible verses from sights
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