New policy on brain death has families in mind

New policy on brain death has families in mind

By Gregg Zoroya - USA TODAY
Posted : Monday Mar 22, 2010 21:47:41 EDT

WASHINGTON — Family members of combat troops declared brain-dead will have an opportunity for a final reunion with their loved ones before life support is removed, according to new guidelines provided to battlefield doctors.

The guidelines are aimed at helping doctors determine what to do when a combat casualty suffers brain death, a decision physicians were left to figure out before on a case-by-case basis.

Moving brain-dead troops to more advanced military hospitals, such as those in Europe or the United States, will also make it possible to harvest organs for transplants, the guidelines say.

The recommendations were issued last week by the military’s Joint Theater Trauma System, which provides medical research and guidance for battlefield care.

Since the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan began, about 175 troops with catastrophic head injuries have been evacuated from the war zones only to die later of their wounds, says Army Col. Brian Eastridge, director of the Joint Theater Trauma System. Doctors in combat operations are not required to obtain permission from next of kin before removing a brain-dead patient from life support, Eastridge says.

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New policy on brain death has families in mind

Halliburton, KBR drop court appeal in rape case

Halliburton, KBR drop court appeal in rape case
By RAMIT PLUSHNICK-MASTI Associated Press Writer © 2010 The Associated Press
March 22, 2010, 5:09PM

HOUSTON — Halliburton Co. and KBR Inc. have withdrawn an appeal asking the U.S. Supreme Court to block a lawsuit by a former military contractor who says she was raped by KBR co-workers in Iraq.

KBR said in a statement Monday that it withdrew the appeal to not risk violating a recently passed federal provision it called "very broad and vague," that restricts the Defense Department from doing business with companies that prohibit employees from seeking redress for certain crimes through the courts.
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Halliburton, KBR drop court appeal in rape case
linked from RawStory

Officials Reassure Troops On TRICARE

When the DOD has to release statements to reassure the troops the health insurance reform will not harm the care they get, it's obvious there are a lot of rumors out there. For anyone lying about something as important as the healthcare coverage the troops and veterans receive, it should be regarded as an attack against them. Have people sunk so far they have to cause military families to fear this when they have so many real things to worry about?

There was a time when common sense was involved in legitimate disagreements by people in office. They would not sink to lying while they were spinning.

Officials Reassure Troops On TRICARE
March 23, 2010
Stars and Stripes
by Leo Shane III

WASHINGTON — Military and Veterans Affairs officials spent the weekend refuting allegations that the health care reform legislation approved by Congress will harm TRICARE programs or Veterans Affairs health benefits, instead promising that servicemembers and veterans will see no change in their coverage.

Before Sunday’s vote approving the massive health care overhaul, VA Secretary Eric Shinseki released a statement saying that none of the proposals would force veterans to purchase new health care or change the way current benefits are delivered.

“Fears that veterans’ health care and TRICARE will be undermined by the health reform legislation are unfounded,” he said. “We pledge to continue to provide the men and women in uniform and our veterans the high quality health care they have earned.”
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Officials Reassure Troops On TRICARE

TRICARE Meets New Health Bill Standards
March 22, 2010
American Forces Press Service

WASHINGTON – The TRICARE military health plan meets the standards set by the health care reform bill the House of Representatives passed last night, Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates said in a statement issued yesterday.
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TRICARE Meets New Health Bill Standards

Wife accused of shooting husband at West Fort Hood

Wife accused of shooting husband at West Fort Hood

Posted On: Thursday, Mar. 18 2010 11:53 PM
From staff reports

FORT HOOD – A Fort Hood soldier was shot twice by his wife during a domestic dispute Thursday, FBI officials said.

The shooting occurred soon after 10 a.m. in Montague Village, according to a release from the post's public affairs office. Montague Village is a family housing area at West Fort Hood.
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http://www.kdhnews.com/news/story.aspx?s=40077

Veterans organizations voice unhappiness about license plate funds

Veterans organizations voice unhappiness about license plate funds
by T.W. Budig
ECM capitol reporter

Veterans organization officials appeared before a Senate committee today (Thursday, March 18) to voice unhappiness over the perceived besmirching of the Support Our Troops license plate.

“Perhaps it wasn’t the intention, but that’s what happening,” Department of Veterans Affairs Deputy Commissioner of Services Michael Pugliese told the Senate Finance Committee.
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Veterans organizations voice unhappiness about license plate funds

Back of the head bullet ruled suicide?

There are some families unable to deal with the loss of someone because of suicide. It happens all the time and they must cope with all the unanswerable questions. Then there are other times when the death is ruled suicide but it seems impossible to believe for a reason. Usually a bullet into the back of a head is done to someone and not self-inflicted.

Soldier's widower fears 'stigma'
Tirador doubts suicide ruling for wife, Amy, and seeks a second autopsy
By LEIGH HORNBECK, Staff writer
First published in print: Saturday, March 20, 2010

COLONIE -- Four months after his wife's mysterious death in Iraq, Michael "Mickey" Tirador spoke for the first time about what the Army has said was Staff Sgt. Amy Tirador's suicide.

Tirador is on leave from the Army. He traveled to the Capital Region to meet with forensic scientist Michael Baden in hopes the doctor will perform a second autopsy on Amy Tirador's body, which will have to be exhumed from the national cemetery at Saratoga.

Tirador said Thursday his wife was happy and the couple planned to start a family after Amy finished her deployment.

"I was confident the Army would find my wife's killer," Tirador said, explaining why he has chosen to launch his own investigation into her death. "I do not believe Amy killed herself."

Tirador said he is angry and tired. Amy was "it" for him, he said, the reason he was always excited to come home from work at night.



Read more: Tirador doubts suicide ruling for wife

Replica of Vietnam Veterans Memorial arrives in Whittier

Replica of Vietnam Veterans Memorial arrives in Whittier
By Brian Day, Staff Writer
Posted: 03/21/2010 08:16:31 PM PDT

WHITTIER - More than 400 motorcyclists escorted a scale model of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington, D.C., Sunday on the last leg of its journey to Rose Hills Memorial Park and Mortuary.

The Dignity Memorial Vietnam Wall, a three-quarter size replica of the memorial in the nation's capital, will remain at Rose Hills through March 30 - the first state-recognized Welcome Home Vietnam Veterans holiday, Rose Hills Executive Director of Business Bruce Lazenby said.

Just like the original, the wall is engraved with the names of the more than 58,000 men and women killed or missing in action in the Vietnam War. It stretches for 240 feet and stands 8 feet tall.
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http://www.whittierdailynews.com/news/ci_14727570

Formal 'welcome home' for Vietnam veterans

Formal 'welcome home' for Vietnam veterans produces tears, gratitude
By: Ronald Ahrens
Posted: 7:04 p.m. March 21, 2010


Horace Frazier found himself wiping away tears Saturday night when he and dozens of other Vietnam veterans received a formal “welcome home” at Weber’s Inn.

The ceremony, attended by about 205 people, was arranged by the Erwin Prieskorn American Legion Post 46 of Ann Arbor as a way of honoring men and women of Washtenaw County who served in the long, unpopular war and returned to face many difficulties.


Frazier, senior vice president of VFW Post 423, said he was “really touched” by the evening’s speeches. He was particularly affected by the keynote address from William Henderson of Ypsilanti, a retired commander of the Michigan Air National Guard who flew 125 missions during the war.

When Henderson included some audience participation - asking people to share the names of the operations they participated in and the places of battle - Frazier thought about mentioning the valuable field training given in his United States Army artillery unit by Kentucky national guardsmen. That company ultimately sustained heavy losses.

“I wanted to get up, but I chickened out,” said the Ypsilanti resident, who drives a bus for the Ann Arbor Public Schools.

Part of the observance was Kenneth Rogge’s poignant reading of the names of all 77 service members from Washtenaw County who died in the war.

Rogge, vice president of Vietnam Veterans Post 310, also read a proclamation from Gov. Jennifer Granholm, declaring March 29 as Vietnam Veterans Day in Michigan.
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Formal welcome home for Vietnam veterans

Teen in Critical Condition After Alleged Text-Message Dispute

Teen in Critical Condition After Alleged Text-Message Dispute
by Colleen Egan Mar 22nd 2010 2:28PM


A 15-year-old Florida girl is in a medically-induced coma after being brutally beaten by a 13-year-old boy, an incident that allegedly stemmed from a text-message exchange.

Wayne Treacy was reportedly trying to reach his ex-girlfriend -- 13-year-old Kayla Manson, who didn't have a text-message-enabled phone -- through her friend, Josie Lou Ratley. Treacy allegedly became enraged after Ratley reportedly told him that she didn't approve of the relationship and made disparaging remarks about Treacy's brother, who'd committed suicide last year, the Today show reports.

According to CBS4, Treacy rode his bike to Deerfield Beach Middle School to confront Ratley. Since he'd never met her face-to-face before, he reportedly asked Manson to point her out. When he found Ratley, the boy, wearing steel-toed boots, began kicking and stomping her, Broward Sheriff Al Lamberti tells CBS 4.
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Teen in Critical Condition After Alleged Text Message Dispute

Soldier Found Dead at Ft. Carson Recent Victim of Theft

Soldier Found Dead at Ft. Carson Recent Victim of Theft

Posted: March 19, 2010 05:53 PM EDT

By: Johnray Strickland
j.strickland@krdo.com

COLORADO SPRINGS – A Fort Carson Soldier who was found dead Thursday on the post was a recent victim of a theft, according to his facebook status updates.

An investigation is underway by the Criminal Investigation Division after 19-year-old Pfc. Winston James Miroy, a Fort Carson Soldier with 1st Battalion, 2nd Aviation Regiment, died on post Thursday, March 17.
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Soldier Found Dead at Ft. Carson Recent Victim of Theft

For Hero in Afghanistan, just another "day at the office"

Mother thought hero soldier son worked in office

Michael Smith

From The Sunday Times March 21, 2010


Lance Bombardier Gary Prout who risked his life three times under Taliban gunfire in Afghanistan.


THE mother of a soldier decorated for bravery in Afghanistan had thought he was working in an office until she found out he had won an honour second only to the Victoria Cross.

This weekend it was announced that Lance Bombardier Gary Prout had been awarded the Conspicuous Gallantry Cross. He was one of more than 150 servicemen and women who were honoured.

Prout risked his life three times in quick succession when his patrol was caught in a vicious firefight with the Taliban.

Heather, his mother, said: “He kept it from me that he was actually on the front line ... He had already done one tour. I thought he worked in an office.”

Prout, 27, from Lisburn, Co Antrim, won his medal for what the citation described as “the most incredible courage”. It added: “It was a miracle he was not killed.”


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Mother thought hero soldier son worked in office

Secret Service helps crack Florida hit-and-run case

Secret Service helps crack Florida hit-and-run case
Agency analyzed cell phone records for Porsche owner, friend

By Mike Clary and Jon Burstein, Tribune Newspapers

8:12 a.m. CDT, March 22, 2010
FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. — To crack the hit-and-run case of the speeding Porsche that killed two men, Fort Lauderdale police turned to a crime-fighting ally: the U.S. Secret Service.

The government agency that protects the president and zealously pursues counterfeiters played a role in the investigation by analyzing cell phone records for the car's owner and one of his friends, police records show.

The analysis helped lead to vehicular homicide charges last week against the Porsche's owner, Ryan LeVin, of Hoffman Estates, Ill., who is now in the Broward County Jail in Florida without bond.

What got the Secret Service involved? Neither the federal agency nor Fort Lauderdale police would say. The local head of the Secret Service declined to discuss how often his agency is asked to analyze such cell phone records.
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Secret Service helps crack Florida hit and run case

Vietnam vet in Haiti eager to share war experiences

Vietnam vet in Haiti eager to share war experiences

By Seth Robson, Stars and Stripes
European edition, Sunday, March 21, 2010

PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti — When soldiers working in Haiti see Giles Pace coming, they often do a double take.

A typical outfit for the 66-year-old father of six, who’s in Haiti working as a contractor in support of the U.S. State Department, is an Army combat uniform top, worn unbuttoned with the sleeves rolled up, and a tattered green beret that marks him as a former member of the U.S. Army’s elite Special Forces.

Soldiers who get close enough might glimpse his tattoo, with the SF emblem and the numbers of the 1st, 5th and 7th SF Groups that Pace served with during the Vietnam War.

The Chicago native did two tours of duty in Vietnam after joining the Army straight out of high school in 1961 and being assigned to 1st Battalion, 325th Airborne Infantry Regiment, 82nd Airborne Division.

Some Vietnam War veterans are reluctant to talk about the war, but Pace isn’t one of them. He said he’s eager to share his experiences to inspire today’s soldiers and show them that Vietnam War veterans are still supporting them. He’s also eager to tell them how much easier they have it.

“These guys don’t know what war is,” Pace said of modern soldiers. “We didn’t look like robo-cops. All we had were soft caps and our weapons and we’d go chasing [the enemy] in the jungle.”

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http://www.stripes.com/article.asp?section=104&article=68803

Survivor shows sexual abuse victims how to reclaim their lives

Vacaville man showing other sexual abuse victims how to reclaim their lives
By David Deerfeeder
Posted: 03/21/2010 12:02:56 PM PDT


I attended a Roman Catholic elementary school, high school and university. I knew many dedicated priests and nuns who lived in integrity. Early on, I also met the priest who molested me repeatedly as a child. He was a sick and twisted individual. With the emerging news of sex abuse scandals concerning Roman Catholic schools in Europe, I am reminded of my own abuse experiences and the long road of reaction and recovery that followed them. Archbishop Robert Zollitsch, head of the German Bishops Conference, is quoted as saying, "Sexual abuse of children ... has neither to do with celibacy, nor with homosexuality, nor with Catholic sexual doctrine."

I am relieved to hear a Roman Catholic prelate who understands that the sexual abuse of a child by an adult is not about sexual orientation. It is about power. Recovering from sexual abuse is also about power. Breaking the silence about what happened is the start of reclaiming the power that was surrendered -- not lost -- during the abuse. It may be decades before that silence can be approached, much less broken. It requires attaining a moment that feels safe and mustering enough courage to feel strong.

It can be a long and difficult road from the abuse to that moment of coinciding strength and safety. Our society portrays the ideal man as the strong, silent type, expected to rise to any challenge in a world where "winning isn't everything, it's the only thing." Even a boy knows this expectation. When he is sexually abused, he knows he was not the winner in the encounter. Shame over his powerlessness will hold him in silence for as long as he keeps the secret.
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http://www.thereporter.com/features/ci_14725285

Yoga Helps Veterans Heal Physical, Emotional Wounds

Hendrickson is 55 years old, but can stretch and pose like someone half his age. He says he practiced yoga on and off starting in college, but it became a regular part of his routine when he was deployed to Afghanistan in 2003. He was in charge of a medical team that treated soldiers and civilians injured by bombs and land mines.

Yoga Helps Veterans Heal Physical, Emotional Wounds
By Erin Toner
March 22, 2010 WUWM Milwaukee, WI
The wars in Iraq and Afghanistan have taken a heavy toll on military families. There’s a high rate of divorce, depression and substance abuse among people who’ve served. Some suffer from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. Doctors often treat PTSD with medication and psychotherapy, but WUWM’s Erin Toner met a group of veterans who also practice yoga as part of their healing process.

In the daytime, the VA Medical Center in Milwaukee is a hectic place. You can drive around for 15 minutes just to find a parking spot. It’s a different scene at night, when the appointments are finished and much of the staff has gone home. But even in the calm, the care continues.

“Good evening, welcome to session seven of the Battle Body Relaxation Yoga Sessions.” That’s Andy Hendrickson, a registered nurse at the VA. He also leads yoga classes here a few nights a week.

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http://www.wuwm.com/programs/news/view_news.php?articleid=5926

New veterans court aims to help soldiers struggling at home

If this Marine had been treated for PTSD instead of forced to use alcohol and drugs to cope, then he wouldn't have been discharged. There would have been one more Marine receiving treatment and sent back to the job he loved but instead, there is one less Marine, without help and a less than honorable discharge.

While Veterans Courts acknowledge the fact there are complicated issues tied to service, service organizations have yet to adapt. They will still not allow anyone without an honorable discharge into their groups. It doesn't matter what the circumstances were. It doesn't matter that for too many, legal issues can be tied to their service. Remember the years when it was reported soldiers were being diagnosed with "preexisting personality disorders" instead of PTSD? They were discharged under less than honorable as well and they received nothing.

Wheeler's trouble started on his way back to Minnesota. Like the other Marines in his unit, he used alcohol and marijuana to numb his memories. He failed a drug test one month before his discharge and spent 30 days in the brig.

New veterans court aims to help soldiers struggling at home
by Jessica Mador, Minnesota Public Radio
March 22, 2010

Chaska, Minn. — The Pentagon estimates that as many as one in five veterans of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan will suffer from mental health problems as a result of their military service.

Many returning veterans with conditions like post-traumatic stress disorder get in trouble with the law. Some wind up in the criminal justice system for years while their PTSD goes untreated.

This summer, a new court opens in Hennepin County to divert these veterans from prison, and get them the services they need to recover.

Veterans Treatment Court aims to help veterans like former Marine Jonathan Wheeler.

With his two children napping upstairs, Wheeler's townhouse in Chaska is quiet. But until recently, things weren't so peaceful.

Wheeler pulls open a sliding closet door he ripped out of the frame, in one of many violent rages.

"Pictures that used to be hanging here are gone, because I broke them," said Wheeler. "I broke a lot of pictures of my wife and I. I don't know why I was so mad at her. I wasn't. I think I was just taking it out on her. But I broke a lot of pictures and ripped up a lot of stuff that was memorable, because of how angry I was. I took my anger towards something else, an object or something."

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New veterans court aims to help soldiers struggling at home

Shot policewoman quits force due to stress

This report is from the UK but it speaks loudly about the fact the dangerous job of police work sometimes leaves wounds no one can see.

The men and women entering into law enforcement, no matter what nation they live in, are much like the men and women entering into the military. They know the job is dangerous but they know it has to be done.

"Policing is a vocation and attracts a certain calibre of person. Those who feel an overwhelming sense of wanting to serve, to help others, and believe strongly in the principles of upholding the law to protect the law-abiding majority and keep people safe. Rachael Bown is one of those people."

Shot policewoman quits force due to stress

By Theo Usherwood, PA


A police officer shot in the stomach by an illegal immigrant announced today that she was leaving her force because of post-traumatic stress.


Pc Rachael Bown, now 27, said she still suffered flashbacks and panic attacks after being shot by Trevon Thomas while investigating a burglary in Lenton, Nottingham, in February 2006.

She needed emergency surgery and spent several days in intensive care after the bullet passed through her stomach.

Pc Bown, a trainee at the time of the shooting, went back to work after 12 months. But she could not return to frontline policing and was restricted to desk duties.

Today she said she was leaving Nottinghamshire Police.

In an open letter to the force, she said: "People think you can get over it or simply move on.

"But the reality is so very different. I have symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder and suffer from panic attacks, nightmares and anxiety flashbacks. I have developed phobias about hospitals and the dark.

"Being shot changes you as a person. You see things differently. You also know that no-one can ever truly understand what you are going through."
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Shot policewoman quits force due to stress

Iraq War's 7th Anniversary Came and Went

Iraq War's 7th Anniversary Came and Went
Bob Schieffer Reflects on the Conflict's Impact Upon All of Us, Especially the Men and Women Who've Fought It
By Bob Schieffer
Play CBS Video Video An Anniversary Forgotten
As the news cycle revolves around health care, Friday marked an important anniversary that received little attention. As Bob Schieffer explain, it was the 7th anniversary of the Iraq war.
(CBS) Washington has always been a one-story town. And for the last few weeks - months, really - the story has been health care reform. It's all we've been talking about.

Which is probably one reason a rather important anniversary passed almost without notice: March 19.

Ring a bell? Probably not. But March 19 was the seventh anniversary of the Iraq invasion, which began our longest war.

A heavy news cycle was not the only reason it went unnoticed. We remember the wars and events that had an impact on our daily lives - December 7, or Sept. 11.

But in the age of the all-volunteer military, few of us remember much about a war that had so little effect on our day-to-day lives - especially a war where questions still exist over whether it should have been fought at all.
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Iraq War 7th Anniversary Came and Went

Iraq War Anniversary Quietly Passes
As thousands more soldiers from The Mountain Post are heading to Iraq, there was little mention that Friday was the seventh anniversary since the start of the war in Iraq.

From fighters to fixers

From fighters to fixers: Marines woo villagers
Yesterday I wrote a piece for Afghanistan Crossroads touching on the main challenge facing the coalition now that the fighting in Marjah has come to an end: winning over the local population.
Today, Monday, we saw first hand what that means. We went to the rough base of the Charlie Company to join a patrol heading to the village of Nasiri, outside Marjah. Mad-dogs, Englishmen and the Marines go out in the midday sun.
The purpose of the patrol was not to engage in combat with the Taliban, however. It was essentially a social call, intended to build relationships between the Marines and the people around Marjah. (Watch the video of troops practicing diplomacy in the village)

GI killed in Vietnam 1965 to be buried at Arlington

GI killed in 1965 to be buried at Arlington

The Associated Press
Posted : Sunday Mar 21, 2010 13:18:18 EDT

SPARTANBURG, S.C. — A soldier who died more than 40 years ago in a Vietnam jungle will be buried next month at Arlington National Cemetery.

The remains of Army Spc. Thomas Rice Jr. will be buried April 9 after a memorial service for him and three others who were aboard a helicopter that went missing in 1965, Rice’s sister Faye Smith told the Herald-Journal of Spartanburg.

“This is the final goodbye because now we know we’re actually fixing to bury his remains,” Smith said.

Rice’s family held a memorial service for the 23-year-old soldier after he was officially declared dead in 1966. Family members still wondered whether he had died or was being held prisoner.

Also aboard the chopper were Army Spc. 5th Class Donald C. Grella, Chief Warrant Officer Jessie D. Phelps and Chief Warrant Officer Kenneth L. Stancil.

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GI killed in 1965 to be buried at Arlington