VA Marks 85 Years

Normally something like this would present a hopeful moment but after tracking all that has gone wrong for our veterans all these years, I'm left to wonder what they are putting their money into. All these billions over all these years, especially in mental health and PTSD, all the studies, research, testing and we have ended up with a suicide rate going up every year along with everything else the veterans have had to deal with once they were supposed to stop worrying about their lives. I keep reading about this study and that study, remembering I read the same research being done thirty years ago. I keep reading they have done this, they have done that and end up finding out that their expensive this's and that's have done no good at all.

We read about the thousands of veterans calling into the Suicide Prevention Hotline but never manage to look at what the numbers are really telling us. How can it be a good thing that thousands of veterans have been so mistreated they would think of taking their own lives instead of being assured their lives mattered enough? That the VA was finally able to figure out why some came home with the war trapped inside of them and they were addressing it seriously? That research would not be funded over and over and over again after researchers have blown past research and it turned into a bunch of crap? When will they get this right? I get angry waiting because they keep dying when they should never have to face the choice to stay alive or die by their own hands.

When the VA releases a report that they know what I know then I'll be impressed. Considering I do not have anything more than a lot of years with them and a hell of a lot of common sense, but managed to figure it out, they should have a long, long time ago. The problem is what I know does not have a price tag, does not help any pharmaceutical corporation nor does it put more of them in their graves.

VA Marks 85 Years of "Discovery, Innovation and Advancement"
Researchers Have Brought Hope to Generations

WASHINGTON (April 22, 2010) - Eighty-five years of enriching the lives
of Veterans and all Americans through top-notch medical research will be
spotlighted April 26-30 when the Department of Veterans Affairs
celebrates National VA Research Week.

On April 22, Deputy Secretary of Veterans Affairs W. Scott Gould was
joined by disability advocate Lee Woodruff and country music star - and
Iraq and Afghanistan vet - Stephen Cochran at VA's Central Office in
Washington to kick off the official 85th birthday party for the
Department's research program.

"The rich history of accomplishment by VA researchers has improved
Veterans' lives and advanced the practice of medicine throughout the
country," said Gould. "The innovative VA researchers who turn so many
hopes into realities are truly national treasures."

VA, which has the largest integrated health care system in the country,
also has one of the largest medical research programs. This year,
nearly 3,400 researchers will work on more than 2,300 projects, funded
by nearly $1.9 billion.

VA's research program was recently in the news when the prestigious New
England Journal of Medicine published the results April 16 of a study by
VA's Albert Lo of Providence, R.I., to use robotics to improve the
recovery of stroke victims with impaired use of their arms and hands.

Gould noted the most recent space shuttle flight on April 5 carried to
the international space station a VA research project to study the
impact of aging on the human immune system. The study is overseen by
Dr. Millie Hughes-Fulford, a VA researcher in San Francisco and a former
scientist-astronaut who flew on the space shuttle in 1991.

"From the development of effective therapies for tuberculosis and
implantable cardiac pacemakers, to the first successful liver transplant
and the nicotine patch, VA's trail-blazing research accomplishments are
a source of great pride to our Department and the nation," Gould added.

In 1977, VA researcher Rosalind Yalow was awarded the Nobel Prize in
Medicine for developing techniques that measure substances in the blood
with great accuracy. Her work brought about "a revolution in biological
and medical research," according to the Nobel Committee.

Eighteen years before, in 1959, Dr. William Oldendorf, a VA researcher
in Los Angeles, built a unique device to measure blood flow in the brain
with only $3,000. He went on to create something even more remarkable
-- a prototype for the first computerized tomography (CT) scanner.

"Examples of this dedication and advancement are not limited to
history," said Gould. "Today's committed VA researchers are focusing on
traumatic brain injury, post-traumatic stress disorder, post-deployment
health, womens health and a host of other issues key to the well-being
of our Veterans."

Vermont National Guard soldiers' families called by evil hoaxer

Hoaxer calls Vermont National Guard soldiers' families telling them their son or daughter is injured
By Ethan Sacks
DAILY NEWS STAFF WRITER

Wednesday, April 21st 2010, 10:54 AM
Family members of soldiers serving in Afghanistan have been targeted with late-night phone calls from a twisted hoaxer expressing sympathy for their son or daughter's injuries or death in the line of duty.

At least three prank calls were believed to have been made by a woman last week in Vermont, making the family worry until it could get in touch with the loved one, who was not injured, ABC News reported.

"All our families, it's a roller-coaster ride," National Guard Lt. Col Lloyd Goodrow told ABC. "Somebody does something like this, it just makes it worse."

About 1,500 Vermont guardsmen are serving in Afghanistan, The Associated Press reported.



Read more: Hoaxer calls Vermont National Guard soldiers families

The National Guard Needs Your Help

The National Guard Needs Your Help

Sen. Ron Wyden
U.S. Senator from Oregon
Posted: April 21, 2010 07:45 PM

When the first members of Oregon's Army National Guard began returning from Iraq last weekend family, friends and neighbors literally lined up to welcome them home. 110 motorcyclists escorted the caravan of buses along a route lined with Oregonians holding signs to show their support. Parents, spouses and children rushed to embrace their loved ones, while elected officials -- such as myself -- offered words of thanks for the ten months these brave men and women spent serving their country in harm's way. I hope Oregon's Guard got the message that we are grateful for their service and glad to have them home safe.

Oregonians aren't the only ones who recognize the extraordinary service and sacrifice of their state's National Guard. For decades these scenes have repeatedly played out across the country as reservists and guardsmen and women have increasingly been called on for extended deployments. During the Vietnam War 3,000 reservists and guardsmen were called to duty. For Operation Desert Shield and Desert Storm, 267,300 reserve component service men and women were called to service. Current Operations in Afghanistan and Iraq had already involved more than 760,000 guard and reservists.

However, unlike active duty service members -- who come home to military bases and the jobs and support systems that they provide -- once the fanfare of homecoming subsides, returning Guard members are in many instances left to face the increasingly stark reality of transitioning to civilian life on their own.
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The National Guard Needs Your Help

PTSD I Grieve

Posted to Great Americans by NamGuardianAngel on September 11, 2009

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Vietnam Veterans finally finding their way back home

Guns, grunts, guts and grief is the best way to explain how Vietnam veterans came home. Some of them were so humiliated after risking their lives by people attacking them back home they wondered if their lives mattered at all. Imagine risking your life after being drafted or enlisting and then finding out your own countrymen treat you like a target. For others, they came home to avoidance and ambivalence with family and friends wanting to forget all about where they had been. No one wanted to hear anything.

They didn't give up. They fought to have PTSD treated and compensated by the VA. Most of what we see today in psychologists treating trauma survivors came out of their courage to make it happen for combat veterans. For far too many the message was late in being delivered.

Now we have Iraq and Afghanistan veterans reaping the rewards of their battles at the same time the Vietnam veterans are slowly arriving at the VA seeking help after all these years. Sons and daughters returning from combat are finally understanding what was wrong with their Dads all these years and they are talking them into going for help. They suffered all these years thinking there was no hope for them but evidence has shown it is never too late to get help to heal.

There are parts of lives that can be restored and for what can't be there are coping skills to ease the pain. When you find a gathering of Vietnam veterans they will tell you that almost everyone of them have PTSD in some degree. There are many different levels of PTSD and while most will experience every symptom of it, some will only have a few of them, or at least, they admit to having a few symptoms. They may talk about nightmares but deny flashbacks. Family members have witnessed the moments of returning to combat as they try to deny their time travel back. Some have given up on healing because no one seems to have been able to help them.

Attitudes have changed toward PTSD just as they have changed toward the veterans coming home. Now they find support. They find comfort when they see more and more of their brothers admitting they have PTSD and going for help to heal. They also find hope that it is not too late for them to return back home all the way.

Instead of fighting battles with guns, they do it with the same guts they had in Vietnam courageously facing their fears so they can heal. These grunts have walked miles knowing each step could be their last and each day back home a little more of them became trapped by the ghosts of Vietnam. They grieved for the loss of friends, the loss of their innocence, the loss of faith in their own countrymen and the loss of themselves. Now they find strength in numbers and support to know it is never too late for them.

Current wars prompt Vietnam vets to seek help for post-traumatic stress
Thursday, April 22, 2010
By Maryann Gogniat Eidemiller

"When you leave the war zone, there's grief and guilt and traumatic bereavement over things you did that, in the heat of the moment, seemed correct. When you go back with your own family, the guilt rises and grief hits."

A handful of veterans meets on Fridays at the Veterans Affairs clinic in Hempfield to talk about the Vietnam War.

Anne Merical, a licensed clinical social worker, listens.

"When they came home, they had nothing to identify what was going on with them, as far as nightmares, anger, hyper-vigilance, addictions, triggers for flashbacks and relationship problems," she said. "Now they are talking for the first time about what they went through."

The ones who did talk to civilian and VA psychiatrists years ago helped lead to the identification of the condition known as post-traumatic stress disorder and its inclusion in the American Psychiatric Association's 1980 edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Illness.

After facing constant news coverage of the current wars and learning that today's soldiers are returning with similar issues, many Vietnam veterans are finally seeking treatment for post-traumatic stress disorder, Ms. Merical said.

About 70 percent of her clients are Vietnam War vets, and half suffer from the disorder. Two other Greensburg area therapists, David Johns and psychologist Andrea VanEstenberg, have treated veterans from the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.



Read more: Current wars prompt Vietnam vets to seek help for PTSD

Project Healing Waters "much-needed respite" for veterans

Veterans take to Cherokee waters for healing
By Giles Morris • Staff writer

I don't do people,

Bart Crowe said matter-of-factly.

But there he was getting his fishing tackle together to hit the trophy waters in Cherokee with a couple of fishing buddies.

Crowe carried an M-60 machine gun during Operation Desert Storm in 1990. His war was four days long, he said, and punctuated by a 20-hour tank battle. Now he is a disabled veteran with diagnoses of post-traumatic stress disorder, post-traumatic brain injury, fybromyalgia and chronic fatigue.

I don't sleep. I've bounced from job to job. I've literally gone after bosses, Crowe said. I really don't do people. I center my life around veterans.

Crowe and a handful of other Western North Carolina veterans gathered at River's Edge Outfitters in Cherokee on Monday morning and then headed up Oconaluftee River to fish alongside members of the North Carolina Fly Fishing Team. The outing was the inaugural fishing event for the Cherokee Chapter of Project Healing Waters.

For Crowe, it was a much-needed respite.

Just getting out there on the water is relaxing, Crowe said. It's not about catching fish. It's about getting some peace and hearing the streams instead of thinking about things I shouldn't.

Project Healing Waters was founded in 2005 as a way to help rehabilitate wounded veterans at Walter Reed Hospital in Washington, D.C. Today, there are more than 80 chapters nationwide and the project continues to grow.
read more here
Veterans take to Cherokee waters for healing

'Welcome Home' for Vietnam vets set for Saturday

'Welcome Home' for Vietnam vets set for Saturday
Rock Hill will finally honor Vietnam vets like Mutt and his brothers in arms
By Andrew Dys - Columnist His name is Edward McCrorey, but even at 61, as he walks through the hallway of the old York County building on Cherry Road, the name "Mutt" rings out.

McCrorey has been Mutt in Rock Hill on ball fields and streets and churches since he has walked - maybe before. He was Mutt on the worst battlefields on earth in Vietnam.

Mutt is not a pejorative. It is a nickname. A name of respect. A man with a nickname that has lasted 61 years through hell on earth in a war, and still counting - that's somebody known and loved.

This call-out came from the guy who runs that county building, a giant of a man in this city, Magistrate Judge Bob Davenport.

"Mutt, man, it is good to see you," said Davenport.

"Good to be seen," said Mutt.

Mutt is at the building Tuesday because it houses the county's veterans affairs office. That's where people who served in the military go to get their benefits handled, where they meet others just like themselves.

Mutt is more than some veteran. His hat says "USMC." His shirt says "Vietnam Veteran." His face says, when it comes to Vietnam and combat and what a skinny kid from Rock Hill had to do for his country, "Horror."

On Saturday at District Three Stadium, this area will honor vets like Mutt for the first time with a "Welcome Home" ceremony.

It comes 39 years after Mutt came home.



Read more: Welcome Home for Vietnam vets set for Saturday

Vietnam Vet lived long enough to see dream come true

Vietnam veterans's dream comes true

By: Debbie Griffin, River Falls Journal


Vietnam War veteran and longtime teacher at Meyer Middle School Lanny Saumer worked for years to raise funds and build Trieu Trung Elementary in Vietnam, not far from where he served as a Marine near the Demilitarized Zone.

He worked with the non-profit organization DOVE Fund and engaged students at MMS students to support the project.

His wife, Karen Saumer, said construction on the $62,000 school finished in September last year -- just before Lanny died in November. He knew before he passed away that the school was finished and would be dedicated soon.

“It made him smile,” said his 34-year-old son Brandon.
read more here
http://www.riverfallsjournal.com/event/article/id/94914/

Group wants Billy Graham's son off Pentagon's National Day of Prayer event

There are things I agree with Mikey Weinstein. When he makes sure that all soldiers get to practice their faith or lack of it according to their own beliefs, I think it's a wonderful thing. Yet when he wants the honorary chairman left off the event itself, that is really going way too far. It's a free speech thing on top of that. People can say whatever they want but no one is forced to listen. If they are forcing the troops to listen, then that would be wrong, but if they have a choice, there should be no problem at all.

Group wants evangelist off May Pentagon event

By Dan Elliott - The Associated Press
Posted : Tuesday Apr 20, 2010 15:59:28 EDT

DENVER — A watchdog group on Tuesday objected to an evangelist’s invitation to speak at the Pentagon next month, saying his past description of Islam as “evil” offended Muslims who work for the Defense Department and the appearance should be canceled.

Mikey Weinstein, president of the Military Religious Freedom Foundation, said inviting evangelist Franklin Graham to speak May 6, the National Day of Prayer, “would be like bringing someone in on national prayer day madly denigrating Christianity” or other religious groups.

It would also endanger American troops by stirring up Muslim extremists, Weinstein said.

Graham is the son of famed evangelist Billy Graham and president and CEO of both Samaritan’s Purse, a Christian international relief organization in Boone, N.C., and the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association, in Charlotte, N.C.
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Group wants evangelist off May Pentagon event

Waging War on PTSD

When it comes to numbers, the going rate of PTSD is usually one out of three. Some say one out of five. The difference is between a fast change in the survivor or one that comes long after.

They can look back and see it through history but as much as they look back if they do not understand what opens the door to it, they will never really find what works for them to heal.

To "Know your enemy" finds a way to defeat them. This enemy invader will keep winning until the day comes when they understand what makes some changed so drastically while others walk away. The key to this is in their soul. How much they care, how deeply they feel, is the difference between grieving and healing.

Many US veterans have been mentally scarred by recent conflicts

US military wages war on Post Traumatic Stress Disorder

After long campaigns in Iraq and Afghanistan, many US soldiers are suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder, prompting the US military to develop ways to help them, the BBC's Paul Adams in Washington reports.

Twelve soldiers sit on the floor, with eyes closed, focussing on their sacral chakra. They chant in unison.

An audience listens attentively to the words of a Greek tragedy, written 2,500 years ago.

And a young man, mentally scarred, trains a dog to open doors for an injured colleague.

These are surprising scenes from the US military's 21st Century war on post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).

We're looking at skyrocketing suicide rates, and we recently hit the 30-year high Tim Embree, Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America

It's been more than eight years since the US went to war in Afghanistan, and more than seven since it invaded Iraq.

In that time, almost two million American men and women have been sent to one or other battlefield. Many have been sent to both.

It's hard to know precisely how many have already suffered PTSD, or will do as a result of their traumatic experiences, but experts believe the number is high.

Family distress

Dr Charles Engel, director of the Pentagon's Deployment Health Clinical Center based at the Walter Reed military hospital in Washington, extrapolates on the basis of past experience.



The Theatre of War programme has a huge healing effect, medics say
"What we usually think of in terms of PTSD are numbers of the order of 10-15% of people who've been deployed to theatre being affected," he says.

That would be 200,000-300,000 people.

"I think it's safe to say we haven't grappled with it since Vietnam," says Dr Engel.

Recent surveys have all shown that PTSD is taking its toll on military men and women and their families, with symptoms including depression, substance abuse, domestic violence.

"We're looking at skyrocketing suicide rates," says Tim Embree, of the campaigning group, Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America, "and we recently hit the 30-year high."
read more here
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/8634277.stm

Vietnam veterans honored for their service and sacrifice

Vietnam veterans honored for their service

By Malia Rulon - Gannett News Service
Posted : Monday Apr 19, 2010 20:43:28 EDT

WASHINGTON — Sisters, brothers, wives, daughters, sons, grandchildren, friends and volunteers took turns at a memorial service Monday reading the names of 97 members of the armed forces who died as a result of their service in Vietnam.

Among the names: William Howard Hegge of Cincinnati, who died six years ago of pancreatic cancer at the age of 54. Donald Dwight McCans of Gettysburg, Pa., also died of cancer. He was 60. So did William Black St. John of Hobe Sound, Fla., who was 67.

As family members read aloud the names of their loved ones, many noted the branch of service they were in, their rank and the dates served. Most also tacked on a too-common postscript: Agent Orange.

These service personnel, many of whom died of cancer decades after the war ended, don’t qualify to have their names etched onto the actual Vietnam Veterans Memorial wall in Washington.

Under Defense Department guidelines, only men and women who died from wounds suffered in combat zones are eligible. The wall contains 58,261 such names.

But the scars of war stretch far beyond those 58,261 deaths. Each year, the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund honors men and women whose noncombat deaths are related to their service, through either emotional suffering caused by their service or complications associated with exposure to Agent Orange, a herbicide used by the U.S. military to remove plants and leaves from foliage that provided enemy cover.

Nearly 2,000 veterans have been honored since the annual memorial service began.
read more here
http://www.armytimes.com/news/2010/04/ap_vietnamvets_041910/

Who more than self their country loved

And crown thy good with brotherhood

We all sing the lyrics to America the Beautiful with memorized verses but others live the lives we sing about.

Who more than self their country loved
by
Chaplain Kathie


The brotherhood they live is with the men and women they serve this nation with. They came from every part of this nation to join together as the defenders of this land. They serve to preserve our freedoms and rights. While they have been fighting on foreign shores for generations, they go where the nation sends them. Some may say, "I didn't want them to go." but circumstances and elected politicians, chosen by the majority, decided where they would go and for how long they would stay. This is why we as a nation must separate the politicians deciding from the men and women risking their lives because of their decisions.

Their brotherhood joins them together with others from cities, towns, political parties and faiths. They come together from broken homes and strong families, adopting each other as one of their own. This bond does not break. This bond is not forgotten. From the day they deploy into combat, they are no longer citizen thinking of themselves. They are warrior risking their lives for the sake of this nation and each other. When they return, they do not return to living among the rest of us as citizen once more. They return as veteran, the few among the many knowing what the price of our lives is. They retain it all in their soul.

America the Beautiful

Words by Katharine Lee Bates,
Melody by Samuel Ward


.......O beautiful for heroes proved
In liberating strife.
Who more than self their country loved
And mercy more than life!
America! America!
May God thy gold refine
Till all success be nobleness
And every gain divine!

O beautiful for patriot dream
That sees beyond the years
Thine alabaster cities gleam
Undimmed by human tears!
America! America!
God shed his grace on thee
And crown thy good with brotherhood
From sea to shining sea!

Who more than self their country loved

They carry the burdens we will never know embedded in their soul and we move on. We see them march in parades as the years go by, yet once they are home, we feel our duty is done. Yet longing to return to our selfish lives we push memories of their sacrifices away until the next Memorial Day when we once again hang the flag from our homes and decorate the grave markers of our own family members. On Veterans Day, we may skip shopping and actually go to see them march down the street never once thinking that they are veterans every day of their lives.

We don't think of their wounds. We don't think of the memories they have to hold. We don't think of the nights they are haunted by dreams or the days when flashbacks take them back to danger. We don't think of how they grieve over the loss of brothers they shared their lives with no more than we think of the strangers they were sent to fight and defeat.

July 4th we watch the fireworks and stuff ourselves at cookouts. We feel oh so patriotic on a few days a year, but they know what it is like to have paid the price as patriots believing in this nation enough to be willing to lay down their lives for her.

No matter what they returned to, they would still find this nation worthy of doing it again. When asked, Vietnam veterans held this nation in that great of esteem, even after they were subjected to terrible treatment and betrayed, that they would still go back, still held onto their sense of pride they were among the few to know the price of freedom. They reached beyond themselves even then and made sure they would take care of each other as well as taking on the extra burden of other generations of veterans so that none of them would feel the sting of a national anger being taken out on the warriors sent or the ambivalence toward the wounded in need of care.

Today veterans of Iraq and Afghanistan carry on that brotherhood, that bond forged by service to this nation and they take care of each other. The rest of us move on, worry about what our own problems, become obsessed with the latest celebrity gossip and take political positions where we regard the other side as less patriotic without ever thinking that the men and women sent to fight our battles came from every political party, walk of life, faith and belief we now feel we have the right to treat with disgust. Oh, how we have managed to once again let politics remove us from gratitude.

Let the disagreements go on since they fought to defend that right to disagree. Let there be differences debated since our differences have as much to do with our strength as what binds us together. Let there be voices heard from different views. What we must stop is the slander and lies, the anger and hatred, the personal attacks against one party from another and begin to work with the knowledge the price of our right to speak freely has been paid from by the men and women serving together and risking their lives together first and foremost in their souls.

Let there be no veteran spending his/her days in need of help to survive with their wounds or neglected from our care. Let there never be one veteran left to regret they survived to the point where it becomes more acceptable to take their own lives than to live one more day in pain.

Let us never again send them into combat without preparing ahead of time to care for the wounded and the widows and let us never again allow any veteran we sent to wait for care that should have been waiting for them. "Crown they good" and let them know this nation is not going to forget the price they paid for the rest of us.

Sparta pastor’s spiritual journey leads to Iraq and back

Sparta pastor’s spiritual journey leads to Iraq and back
By STACEY KALAS skalas@lacrossetribune.com Posted: Sunday, April 18, 2010
The Rev. Deris L. Rice looks at life differently since returning in February after spending 10 months and 18 days in Iraq as a U.S. Army Reserve chaplain.

“I think I’m a lot closer to my family,” said the 30-year-old pastor of Congregational United Church of Christ in Sparta. “Family is the No. 1 priority for me now. Maintaining my physical health is important. That was one of the things I worked on a lot during my deployment.”

He’s also grown as a listener and gained an appreciation for beauty and the simple pleasures in life, said his wife, the Rev. Kristin Schmor Rice, an ordained Presbyterian minister and a student of supervisory education at Gundersen Lutheran Medical Association of Clinical Pastoral Education at Gundersen Lutheran Medical Center.

“He’s always been a reflective person,” she said. “But now he seems to appreciate the opportunity to do more of that out loud. He’s also become more of a ‘systems thinker,’ paying careful attention to how systemic issues or events in our world impact different people, and he’s been more willing to engage some of these issues as an advocate.”

As chaplain of the 55th Medical Company combat stress control unit, made up of mental health professionals, Rice’s job was to “go along and support missions spiritually and religiously,” he said, regardless of his own political or social views.

“I’m not there to judge people based on what they believe. I’m there to provide for their needs,” said Rice, who described himself as being more on the “conservative, evangelical end” of the UCC spectrum, but open minded.

read more here

Sparta pastor spiritual journey leads to Iraq and back

Operation Safety 91 brings wounded warrior to students

Saturday, April 17, 2010
OS91 brings US hero, William Castillo to New Hope Christian Academy in Minneola, FL

Friday, April 16, 2010, Operation Safety 91 (OS91) www.OS91.com founded to honor and protect America's 1st Responders, brought wounded Iraq/Afghan war hero, William Castillo to New Hope Christian Academy (NHCA) in Minneola, FL, to speak with the students. OS91 surprised William with a grand welcome from Mayor Pat Kelley, and Ladder 86 with Fire Chief Derryl O’Neal, Lt. Jim Simon, Vance Flummer, George (Sam) Smith and Josh Smith. Assistant Chief David Kilbury of Clermont Fire Department also attended. Representing Lake County Sheriff's Department were Captain Stevin Moss (Tavares) and Lt. Gregory Link (Minneola).
read more here
http://operationsafety91.blogspot.com/

Iceland volcano delays evac for U.S. wounded in Afghanistan

Iceland volcano delays evac for U.S. wounded in Afghanistan


By Nancy A. Youssef McClatchy Newspapers
WASHINGTON — The volcanic ash cloud hanging over Europe is slowing down U.S. military transport of soldiers injured in Afghanistan back to U.S. hospitals by eight hours, Pentagon officials said Monday.

Rather than flying from Germany’s Ramstein Air Force base, which has been grounded by the ash cloud, soldiers are now being transported to the naval base in Rota, Spain. The resulting re-routing to get troops to Rota means an additional eight hours of flight back to the United States, the Pentagon said.

When a soldier is seriously injured in Iraq and Afghanistan, doctors stabilize them there, and then get them to Ramstein where medical teams conduct emergency surgeries and stabilize them for the trip home. Troops then come home to the United States for long-term treatment.

Ramstein is a large mega-base that has been the home for such efforts to save soldiers since 2001; Rota is much smaller and not nearly as engaged in the wars. That said, there are far fewer injuries in Iraq and so far this month in Afghanistan troop deaths at 10, far fewer than the peak of scores of dead that came through Ramstein at the height of violence in Iraq.



Read more: Iceland volcano delays evac for U.S. wounded in Afghanistan

Read more: http://www.mcclatchydc.com/2010/04/19/92451/iceland-volcano-delays-evac-for.html#ixzz0lah3QVlL

Navy looks for answers after Seabee dies from malaria

Navy looks for answers after Seabee dies from malaria
By Nancy Montgomery, Stars and Stripes
European edition, Monday, April 19, 2010

HEIDELBERG, Germany — By the time he got to Landstuhl, Joshua Dae Ho Carrell was more dead than alive.

The Seabee was unconscious, with a tube stuck down his throat to help him breathe. His kidneys, liver and lungs were failing, and he was in shock, with his blood pressure falling.

Carrell, 23, was suffering from severe falciparum malaria, an infection of red blood cells acquired from mosquito bites that had sent parasites coursing through his bloodstream, sticking to capillaries, obstructing blood flow, damaging organs and, worst of all, causing his brain to swell.

It was three days before last Christmas. Carrell had been infected during a deployment to Liberia. He and 24 other Seabees from Naval Mobile Construction Battalion 3 were in the fourth month of a goodwill mission to renovate a hospital.
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Navy looks for answers after Seabee dies from malaria

VA GI BIll students underpaid living stipends

VA underpaying on GI Bill living stipends

By Rick Maze - Staff writer
Posted : Monday Apr 19, 2010 13:50:19 EDT

In a sign of continuing problems with the Post-9/11 GI Bill, Veterans Affairs Department officials acknowledged Monday that living stipends being paid to students for the spring term are outdated because of problems with computing the payments.

On average, this means students are receiving about $63 less a month than they should. In some cases, especially in high-cost areas, the losses could be significantly higher.

The problem came to light just days before the Senate Veterans’ Affairs Committee will hold a hearing about implementation problems for the new and problem-plagued education program, which launched Aug. 1.
read more here
VA underpaying on GI Bill living stipends

Deal reached on family caregiver VA benefits

Deal reached on family caregiver benefits

By Rick Maze - Staff writer
Posted : Monday Apr 19, 2010 16:36:46 EDT

People caring for severely disabled veterans would be eligible for a host of new benefits — including payment for some — under a compromise reached between key congressional committees, the Veterans Affairs Department and the White House.

The agreement, supported by major military and veterans groups, proposes training, education, counseling and mental health services for the primary caregivers of veterans whose disabilities are so great that they likely would be institutionalized if a friend or family member was not providing daily care.

It also proposes full-day in-home respite care for veterans so caregivers can take a break.

For the live-in caregivers of severely disabled Iraq and Afghanistan veterans, the agreement provides VA health care for those who do not have other health insurance and a monthly living stipend to compensate them for what it would cost VA to provide similar care by contract.
read more here
Deal reached on family caregiver benefits

Suspect shoots 3 at Parkwest Medical Center in Knoxville, kills self

Suspect shoots 3 at Parkwest Medical Center in Knoxville, kills self
Posted: Apr 19, 2010 4:49 PM EDT
Updated: Apr 19, 2010 6:06 PM EDT

The incident was first reported around 4:30 p.m. at the hospital at 9352 Park West Boulevard.

(WATE) - Officials say a suspect shot three people at Parkwest Medical Center in West Knoxville Monday afternoon, then died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound.
go here for more

http://www.wate.com/Global/story.asp?S=12337008&hpt=T2

15 years later, victims, residents remember Oklahoma City bombing

15 years later, victims, residents remember Oklahoma City bombing
By Ed Payne, CNN
April 19, 2010 3:16 p.m. EDT
STORY HIGHLIGHTS
NEW: Homeland security chief joins survivors, local officials, others at memorial ceremony
"It felt like I'd hit a car," said Daniel Gordon, 37, who was about 7 miles from the blast
Teen, injured by bomb at 18 months old, goes on with life, rarely asks, "Why me?"
Two other victims share sense of destiny, aim to make a difference with their lives

Today is the 15th anniversary of the Oklahoma City bombing. Tonight, hear from the survivors and the people who lived through it. How has life changed, and what are the unanswered questions from that day? Tune in tonight for prime-time coverage beginning at 8 ET on CNN.

(CNN) -- Fifteen years ago, a bomb ripped through a federal building in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, in the worst homegrown terrorist attack on U.S. soil.

The April 19, 1995, attack killed 168 people, shattering the notion that America was largely immune to domestic terrorism.

On Monday, Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano traveled to to Oklahoma City to commemorate the 15th anniversary of the bombing. She joined survivors, local officials and others at a memorial ceremony, standing in silence for 168 seconds representing the number of dead.

In a poignant moment, the names of each of the victims were later read aloud by relatives and colleagues, with speakers referring to their mothers, grandparents and others who died in the bombing.
read more here
15 years later, victims, residents remember Oklahoma City bombing

Andrew Pogany called "coward" courageously fights for other PTSD veterans

Once branded a coward, he fights for PTSD victims
By PAULINE ARRILLAGA
The Associated Press
Monday, April 19, 2010; 12:00 AM

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. -- They call him the angry guy now. Even his friends. And at this moment, on a snowy evening when he should be home, putting his son to bed, Andrew Pogany is, in fact, ticked off.

He sits with a soldier in a law office. The man has brought with him a pile of medical files, and another desperate story: Sent off to war to fight for his country. Diagnosed, now, with post-traumatic stress disorder. Yet the Army, the soldier tells Pogany, is drawing up papers to discharge him in a way that could mean no medical benefits.

The soldier confides he thinks about killing himself. All the time, he says.

Pogany makes sure he has his cell number. Then he copies the medical records, and recommends a book by a Vietnam veteran turned Zen monk. The man once helped Pogany through his own tough times. Maybe the monk's words will help this guy hang on.

Two hours behind closed doors, then a handshake and the soldier leaves. Pogany seethes.

"Disgusting," he fumes. "This is so disgusting."
read more here
Once branded a coward, he fights for PTSD victims

Camp Lejeune ignored water warnings

Report: Lejeune ignored water warnings
Published: April 18, 2010 at 9:37 PM


WASHINGTON, April 18 (UPI) -- The U.S. Marine Corps denies officials disregarded warnings about contaminated water at Camp Lejeune, N.C., for years.

Thousands of Marines and their families drank, cooked and bathed in water laced with dangerous chemicals, The (Charlotte, N.C.) Observer said Sunday in an exclusive report. Citing documents, the newspaper said when outside contractors raised concerns base officials ignored their warnings or ordered more tests.

The most contaminated wells shut down in 1984, more than four years after the first of repeated warnings, the newspaper said.

"The kind part of me wants to say (the Marines) took a while to figure it out," said Mike Hargett, a contractor who had raised questions about the water in 1982 and 1983. "The unkind part says somebody was sloppy and negligent."
read more here
Lejeune ignored water warnings

Veterans reunion celebrates 23 years of helping soldiers

When you look into the eyes of Bill Vagianos you see a hero. I don't use that term lightly. He came home from Vietnam and became an advocate for all veterans as well as working to take care of Orlando's homeless. He could have served his time with the Marines in Vietnam and then did nothing more other than just take a job, but Bill ended up with a mission that still has not ended. He is still watching the backs of his brothers.

It's no secret how I feel about Vietnam veterans and Bill is one of the greatest examples of why I adore them as much as I do.

I am very glad that Norman Moody wrote this because there are so many people working very hard to help veterans and most people never hear about them.

"The premise behind it when we started was never again will another generation of veterans be treated like that," said Bill Vagianos, the immediate past-president of the Vietnam and All Veterans of Brevard. "You may object to the war and the politics, but don't blame the warrior."

Veterans reunion celebrates 23 years of helping soldiers
Event aided Cocoa man, and he's been a part of it ever since
BY R. NORMAN MOODY • FLORIDA TODAY • April 19, 2010


As point man during the Vietnam War, Ken Baker kept a watchful eye for danger at the front of foot patrols.

After he came home critically injured and spent a year in hospitals, he withdrew. He stayed away from public places. He avoided being at the front of anything.

"I was a hermit," he said. "We did a lot of things ourselves. We didn't like crowds. I didn't like the grocery store."

It took several years, but Baker came to terms with his injuries and the post-traumatic stress disorder, building relationships with fellow Vietnam veterans, which eventually led them to the formation of the Vietnam Veterans of Brevard in 1985.

Baker once again became a point man of sorts.

Over the years, he has served in every role for the 300-member organization that in 2005 became the Vietnam and All Veterans of Brevard. This week, the group hosts its 23th annual reunion at Wickham Park in Melbourne, billed as the largest veterans' gathering in the nation.

Organizers say it attracts tens of thousands of veterans, their families and other visitors.

Baker, 61, of Cocoa said the idea for a reunion grew from those early days, when members of the group went to see the 1986 movie "Platoon." The reunion marked a turning point for Baker and others suffering from the emotional effects of war.

The group is working to get judges to understand and take defendants' PTSD into consideration and helping to establish an Honor Flight chapter in Brevard County, a group that takes World War II veterans to Washington, D.C. It also runs a yearly Stand Down, a one-day event to help homeless veterans with personal needs.

read more here
Veterans reunion celebrates 23 years of helping soldiers

Sea of bikes escort Vietnam Memorial Wall in Melbourne

The Vietnam Memorial Traveling Wall escort was this morning out of Melbourne FL. Amazing to see so many bikes from all over. It was great riding through the streets and seeing people along the way waving and holding American flags. As usual the police did a great job blocking off the side roads so the parade of bikes could pass.

There is no offical count as of this post. The media didn't really cover it and since there were so many from all over, you'd think there would have been wall to wall media there, but I didn't see any.

Two decades later, father goes back to jail for same crime

Jailed at 19 for shaking baby, Fla. father guilty again when she dies from it 2 decades later

MITCH STACY

Associated Press Writer

1:44 p.m. EDT, April 17, 2010


NEW PORT RICHEY, Fla. (AP) — Soon after Christina Welch turned 18 in the spring of 2005, her biological parents asked permission to pay her a visit. Mike and Tina Wells broke down when the bed covers were pulled back and they saw the state of the girl: so severely brain damaged as a baby that she never learned to walk, talk or sit up by herself.

Maureen Welch, the woman who had adopted her, walked into the kitchen to leave the three of them alone, thinking to herself that it was good the couple finally got to see what Mike Wells had done to his infant daughter.

"I didn't know I hurt her that bad," he said to Welch when he came into the kitchen. He apologized and told Welch she was a guardian angel sent by God to take care of their Christina.

Mike Wells was 19 when he shook his 2-month-old daughter and covered her mouth to stop her from crying. He and Tina Wells were convicted of aggravated child abuse in 1989, and each served less than a year in prison.
read more here
Jailed at 19 for shaking baby

Vietnam veteran and captain with the fire department died

Kathy McLaughlin
The casket of Roosevelt fire department Capt. Vince Iaccino awaits burial at St Peter's Cemetery in the Town of POughkeepsie on Saturday, April 17, 2010.

Hundreds of firefighters mourn "a wonderful man"
John W. Barry • April 17, 2010


About 300 people - two-thirds of them fire fighters - turned out to Our Lady of the Rosary Chapel in Poughkeepsie today for a funeral Mass held for Roosevelt Fire Department volunteer Vincent Iaccino, who died Monday.


Iaccino, a Vietnam veteran and captain with the fire department, died of an apparent heart attack following a fire training exercise. Iaccino, 65, was president of Roosevelt Engine Co. No. 1 and captain of the Emergency Service Squad. He served in the Navy during the Vietnam War and volunteered with the Roosevelt fire department for 22 years.


"I feel very strongly about tradition," Roosevelt Fire Chief William Steenbergh said shortly before the funeral procession arrived at the church. "There is no more sacred tradition in the fire service than the line-of-duty funeral."
See more of these powerful pictures and read more here
Hundreds of firefighters mourn a wonderful man-

U.S. combat-wounded troops war theater to Washington due to volcanic ash

Ash plume over Europe affects medevac flights

By William H. McMichael - Staff writer
Posted : Saturday Apr 17, 2010 10:45:55 EDT

A volcanic ash plume that has severely impacted commercial aviation over Europe also has forced the diversion of all military and commercial contract flights over the region, an official said Friday morning.

The most immediate effect is on U.S. combat-wounded troops, who are being flown straight from the war theater to Washington, D.C., without making the customary stop in Germany, said Navy Capt. Kevin Aandahl, a spokesman for U.S. Transportation Command.

One contracted commercial passenger flight has been grounded in Europe, “and they’re just going to wait out the plume,” Aandahl said.

He said he couldn’t identify the base, or whether it was carrying troops forward to the war theater, for operational security reasons.
go here for more
Ash plume over Europe affects medevac flights

Military Connection reaches 25,000 followers on Twitter

MILITARYCONNECTION.COM - The Go to Site Reaches 25,000 Followers on Twitter
SIMI VALLEY (April 6, 2010) - MilitaryConnection.com, often referred to as "The Go to Site" reached a milestone in its social networking efforts today, reaching 25,000 followers on Twitter. The event is a landmark in the company's history as it continues to act as a leader in the military/veteran arena, offering thousands of pages of free information and resources to military members, veterans and their families.

MilitaryConnection.com has something for everyone and is constantly updated to provide our audience with the most relevant information. Many of the site's thousands of daily visitors are job seekers or prospective students who utilize the multitude of employment and educational resources available. Students find pertinent information regarding the new Post 9/11 GI Bill, while job candidates surf our resources for employment in both civilian and government sectors.

MilitaryConnection.com is one of the most comprehensive online directories of military and veteran resources, and was named a 2009 Top 100 Employment Web Site. Debbie Gregory, CEO said, "We live in the greatest nation in the world. Military Connection takes pride in our continuing efforts to support and assist non-profit groups that help those who serve, past and present. We often facilitate collaborations that are win/wins for corporations, non-profits and most importantly for our military, veterans and their families."

Military Connection has received commendations and awards from USO, Soldier's Angels, TAPS, ThanksUSA, Homefront America, the Defense Department and many others groups. In 2008, Military Connection became a corporate partner with the Department of Defense's America Supports You program.

With all that it has to offer, it is no wonder why Military Connection stands at the forefront of the military networking crusade, continuously reaching further and encompassing more branches of information for the military community.

The site's Virtual Job Fair and Job Boards alone feature thousands of jobs daily, while the Directory of Scholarships lists thousands of pages of scholarship information for military, veterans and their families.

MilitaryConnection.com encourages military, veterans, non-profits and government organizations to exchange links.

Send YOUR press releases, articles, special events, reunions, conferences, etc. that will be included on our site to bring visibility and help get out the word about your organization.

When the next tour is back home, it's on MilitaryConnection.com – The Go to Site for everything military and veteran.

Register for Newsletter: HERE

Follow MilitaryConnection.com: Twitter

Facebook Send inquiries & link exchanges: HERE

Powered by Military Connection 250 East Easy Street, Suite 4Simi Valley, CA. 930651-800-817-3777

Reminder of the violence that she survived

Virginia Tech Commemorates 2007 Shootings
Three Years After Massacre Claimed 32 Lives, Survivors Remember Tragedy in Differing Ways

(CBS/AP) Heidi Miller worked hard to ensure that her time at Virginia Tech would be defined by her academic achievements and experiences, not by the massacre during her freshman year that claimed 32 lives and left her wounded in 2007.

After a long summer of physical rehabilitation back home in Harrisonburg, Miller returned to Tech the next semester.

She is preparing to graduate next month with a 3.7 grade-point average, a double major in international studies and geography, and a minor in French.

She will remember many of the highlights, such as her trips to Europe and New Zealand.

Even though she believes she has done her best to make the most of her time in college, she is ready to move on from Blacksburg, a place that also has served as a harsh and frustrating reminder of the violence that she survived.
read more here
Virginia Tech Commemorates 2007 Shootings

Marine found dead in barracks at Cherry Point

Marine found dead in barracks at Cherry Point
April 16, 2010 1:36 PM
Sun Journal Staff
CHERRY POINT — A Marine at Cherry Point air station was found dead in his barracks room Wednesday, officials there said Friday through a press statement.

Lance Cpl. Daniel W. Sweeney, 20, of Coon Rapids, Minn., was assigned to the Marine Attack Training Squadron 203 (VMAT-203), 2nd Marine Aircraft Wing. He was found during a barracks inspection at 3:10 p.m. and was pronounced dead by emergency medical treatment personnel about 10 minutes later.

read more here

Marine found dead in barracks at Cherry Point

$1 million raised at D.C. gala for families of fallen troops

$1 million raised at D.C. gala for families of fallen troops
By Jeff Schogol, Stars and Stripes
Online Edition, Wednesday, April 14, 2010

WASHINGTON, D.C. — A leading group dedicated to helping families of fallen servicemembers raised $1 million at its annual fundraising gala on Tuesday.

The Tragedy Assistance Program for Survivors has helped the families of more than 25,000 servicemembers who have died in the line of duty, in accidents or by suicide since 1994. The group provides a peer mentoring program, seminars for adults and a “good grief camp” for children on how to deal with grief, as well as casualty case management assistance for families on a variety of issues.

“We’ve trained over 2,000 peer and military volunteers to meet the mission of caring for all who are grieving the death of an American hero,” said group founder and chair Bonnie Carroll.

About 300 people attended Tuesday’s gala including 30 surviving family members, said TAPS spokeswoman Ami Neiberger-Miller

Kim Ruocco, whose husband Marine Corps Maj. John Ruocco committed suicide in 2005, said TAPS allowed her family to deal with their grief without shame or embarrassment.
read more here
http://www.stripes.com/article.asp?section=104&article=69359

Staff Sgt. Thomas H. Oakley, killed while helping others

Police: Soldier was helping motorists when hit, killed
By Dan Blottenberger, Stars and Stripes
European edition, Friday, April 16, 2010
BAMBERG, Germany — A 172nd Infantry Brigade soldier was struck and killed by a car on the autobahn Wednesday night, after he stopped to help some motorists who had an accident, Army officials said Thursday.

The 33-year-old soldier, whose name was not released because his next of kin have not been notified, was based in Schweinfurt, but lived in Bamberg, brigade spokesman Maj. Dan Welsh said.

German police said the incident took place near Bamberg at 9:30 p.m. Wednesday, when two cars crashed in the southbound, left lane on autobahn A73.

The soldier saw the accident, stopped his car and crossed the autobahn to offer help, a Bamberg police spokesman said.
read more here
http://www.stripes.com/article.asp?section=104&article=69385

UPDATE
Army IDs soldier killed while trying to help at Bamberg accident scene
By Dan Blottenberger, Stars and Stripes
European edition, Saturday, April 17, 2010


Staff Sgt. Thomas H. Oakley, ammunition section chief, service battery, 1st Battalion, 77th Field Artillery Regiment, based in Schweinfurt, Germany, died Wednesday night after being struck by a car while attempting to help motorists involved in an accident on A73 toward Nuremberg. BAMBERG, Germany — Army officials have identified a 172nd Infantry Brigade soldier who was struck and killed by a car Wednesday night near Bamberg after he stopped to help some motorists who had an accident.

Staff Sgt. Thomas H. Oakley, 33, of Wakefield, R.I., was driving home from work in Schweinfurt when he stopped to help the accident victims, according to police and military reports.

German police said the accident took place near Bamberg at 9:30 p.m. on Wednesday, when two cars crashed in the southbound left lane on autobahn A73.
read more here
http://www.stripes.com/article.asp?section=104&article=69395

Airman found dead at Incirlik Air Base

Airman found dead at Incirlik Air Base
Stars and Stripes
European edition, Saturday, April 17, 2010
An airman assigned to the 728th Air Mobility Squadron at Incirlik Air Base, Turkey, was found dead on base Wednesday.

A memorial service for Staff Sgt. Robert Larson will be held at 4 p.m. Wednesday at the base chapel, according to a 39th Air Base Wing news release.

The Air Force Office of Special Investigations is investigating the death.

http://www.stripes.com/article.asp?section=104&article=69403

Officials suspect body found at Bamberg is soldier

Officials suspect body found at Bamberg is soldier's
Stars and Stripes
European edition, Saturday, April 17, 2010
BAMBERG, Germany – A badly decomposed corpse that washed up in a river lock in Bamberg might be that of a U.S. soldier, U.S. military officials said.

Construction workers found the body this week in the Main-Danau canal adjacent to Galgenfuhr street on the outskirts of Bamberg. Reports did not disclose exactly when the body was found.
read more here
http://www.stripes.com/article.asp?section=104&article=69402

Vets should be marketed to employers

Experts: Vets should be marketed to employers

Natalie Bailey - Medill News Service
Posted : Friday Apr 16, 2010 15:16:00 EDT

In tough times, employers need little reason to turn a candidate away. For some, a link to the military is enough.

“Civilian employers are increasingly not hiring those in service,” retired Navy Reserve Capt. Marshall Hanson said at a Thursday hearing before the House Veterans Affairs subcommittee on economic opportunity.

Among the obstacles veterans face today, panelists said, are employers’ misconception of post-traumatic stress disorder, fear that a reservist will be deployed, and/or ignorance of how military job skills translate into the civilian world.

The military needs to translate its persuasive enlistment campaigns into the widespread marketing of veterans’ skills to employers, said Justin Brown, a legislative associate with Veterans of Foreign Wars.
read more here
Vets should be marketed to employers

Army veteran wearing military fatigues kills himself at the VA

I still cry. Doesn't matter how many years I do this or how many posts I have to put up about one more suicide, it just never gets easier. Lives gone when there should have been no reason to end up feeling so hopeless they choose death over surviving as a veteran. When you think of what they survived in combat, what they managed to return from, to find they cannot survive back home, that is the loudest alarm bell humanly possible to sound, but too few hear it.

They face death all the time, but they survive. They are supposed to be able to survive living here after but too many can't. Their lives are supposed to be out of danger once back on American soil but too many times being back home is more dangerous to them than being in combat. They are supposed to be able to face their enemy and defeat them, or die trying but what happens when the enemy is inside of them and they have no help to defeat the enemy then? What happens when they are forced to fight alone? When they go for help but the help is not available or good enough to really help? What then? This is just one more result of the neglect they face in a system too overloaded to take care of all the wounded and programs that just don't work when they can get into them.

We can't save all of them but we should be a lot better at saving more after all these years of trying. So who's listening? Who's doing anything about this? We've been hearing since 2004 they are getting their act together but the veterans are still dying at their own hands. When will we get this right and stop letting it be more life threatening for them to come home than it is to be deployed into combat?

Photos courtesy of Thereasa Osborne of Elm City, N.C. Infantryman Jesse Huff hands out candy to a child during a patrol in Iraq in 2006.

Huff’s suicide caused many veterans seeking treatment there Friday to pause and ask questions. The veterans shook their heads or talked in small groups in the parking lot near where Huff’s body was found.

Former soldier kills self on steps of VA center
Iraq war veteran left no suicide note, police say
Jesse C. Huff ‘wasn’t the same when he came back’ from Iraq, a cousin says.

By Lucas Sullivan and Margo Rutledge Kissell
Staff Writers
Updated 11:25 PM Friday, April 16, 2010
DAYTON — Authorities might never completely determine why Jesse C. Huff dressed in Army fatigues, walked to the steps of the Dayton Veterans Affairs Department’s Medical Center and shot himself to death Friday morning.

Police said they found no suicide note and knew of no ominous statements he made to employees while inside the medical center hours before his death.

Huff’s cousin, Jason Osborne, 32, of Wilson, N.C., said Friday evening that he saw Huff two months ago while visiting his grandmother in Dayton.

“He was a really good guy. He just went through a lot after he got out of the Iraq war,” Osborne said in a phone interview. “It really affected him mentally. He wasn’t the same when he came back.”

read more here

Iraq war veteran left no suicide note, police say

Staff photo Ron Alvey An assault rifle lies in front of the Dayton VA Medical Center, located at 4100 W. Third St. Police on the scene said the death is the result of a suicide. The deceased man, Jesse C. Huff, was 27 years old and had been seen in the medical center's emergency room prior to his body being found outside, according Donna Simmons, VA spokeswoman.

Did war vet kill self to make a statement?

Man had been in VA emergency room earlier in the morning.

By Lucas Sullivan and Margo Rutledge Kissell
Staff Writers
Updated 11:23 PM Friday, April 16, 2010

DAYTON — Jesse Charles Huff walked up to the Veterans Affairs Department’s Medical Center on Friday morning wearing U.S. Army fatigues and battling pain from his Iraq war wounds and a recent bout with depression.

The 27-year-old Dayton man had entered the center’s emergency room about 1 a.m. Friday and requested some sort of treatment. But Huff did not get that treatment, police said, and about 5:45 a.m. he reappeared at the center’s entrance, put a military-style rifle to his head and twice pulled the trigger.

Huff fell near the foot of a Civil War statue, his blood covering portions of the front steps.

read more here

Did war vet kill self to make a statement




Army veteran wearing military fatigues kills himself at the VA
By Dan Sewell - The Associated Press
Posted : Friday Apr 16, 2010 14:01:09 EDT

DAYTON, Ohio — An Army veteran wearing military fatigues shot and killed himself Friday with an assault rifle on the steps of a Veterans Affairs medical center in Ohio where he had been a patient, authorities said.

Police found a rifle and a satchel near the body, which was on the steps of the Dayton VA center’s main entrance Friday morning. Bomb squad members detonated the satchel, but there was no immediate information on what was in the bag.

The Montgomery County coroner identified the man as 27-year-old Jesse Huff.
read more here
Former soldier kills self on steps of VA center

North Carolina Senator Richard Burr has long been hostile to veterans

There is fairness on this blog, since it is not a political blog, but a veteran friendly blog. If anyone has a story to tell about veterans, no matter what political side you are on, you can find it posted here if you want to. If Senator Burr can prove he's a friend to veterans, I would be more than happy to post it here.

North Carolina Senator Richard Burr has long been hostile to veterans – voting against us, more than with us. In his short time in the Senate, he’s voted against billions in funding for veterans care, against assured funding for the Department of Veterans Affairs, and even against a new GI Bill for vets. Do you want to replace him with a veteran? Now, you can!

CLICK HERE TO HELP CAL CUNNINGHAM BEAT RICHARD BURR

Iraq veteran, Cal Cunningham, is challenging Burr this year, and he needs our help. Cal is just the kind of candidate we need to take on Burr, and bring leadership to the Senate.In the U.S. Senate, Cunningham has vowed to fight to improve health care and job training for veterans, to protect North Carolina's military communities and the bases that create thousands of jobs, and to strengthen North Carolina's public schools, community colleges, and universities so we can grow the new economy jobs that will power an American comeback.But before Cal can take on Burr, he needs your support to win the Democratic primary on May 4. That’s just 18 days away!

CLICK HERE TO HELP CAL CUNNINGHAM BECOME NORTH CAROLINA’S NEW SENATOR

Fed up with private corporations having their way in Washington? Cal stood up in Iraq to take on contractors and their abhorrent actions there. Cal served as a military prosecutor at the Multi-National Corps-Iraq. During his tour, he was government counsel on the first court-martial of a contractor under military law since 1968. In addition to the Bronze Star Medal, he received the General Douglas MacArthur Leadership Award for his leadership.If Cal wins, he would be the first veteran of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan to serve in the U.S. Senate.Let’s show Cal that we’re there for him. Take a moment give Cal the boost he needs to win before the May 4 primary. We can’t sit on the sidelines.

CLICK HERE TO HELP CAL CUNNINGHAM BEFORE THE MAY 4 PRIMARYThanks for all of your support.
Sincerely,Jon Soltz
Iraq War Veteran
Chairman, VoteVets.org

In Memory Day Ceremony at the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington

Local vet being honored at Vietnam memorial

By Staff reports
Norton Mirror
Posted Apr 15, 2010 @ 04:13 PM
Norton — Norton Vietnam veteran Alan Wayne Pare is among fellow veterans being honored posthumously Monday in an In Memory Day Ceremony at the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington, D.C., according to Jan C. Scruggs, founder and president of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund (VVMF), which holds the ceremony each year.

Ninety-seven American heroes from the Vietnam War era will be honored during the annual In Memory Day Ceremony.

In Memory Day was created to pay tribute to the men and women who died prematurely from non-combat injuries and emotional suffering caused directly by their service in the Vietnam War, but who are not eligible to have their names inscribed on the Vietnam Veterans Memorial.
read more here
Local vet being honored at Vietnam memorial

VA Uses Recovery Act Money to Repair Historic Monuments

Veterans monuments and cemeteries, very worthy "shovel ready" projects.

VA Uses Recovery Act Money to Repair Historic Monuments

WASHINGTON (April 16, 2010) - The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA)
will use up to $4.4 million in funds from the American Recovery and
Reinvestment Act program to repair and preserve historic monuments and
memorials at VA-operated national cemeteries, soldiers' lots and other
facilities throughout the United States.

"The Recovery Act will help us preserve these historic memorials for
future generations," said Secretary of Veterans Affairs Eric K.
Shinseki. "In many cases, these irreplaceable historic structures will
receive long overdue repairs while keeping skilled American artisans
employed on projects important to our heritage."

Funds for the monument and memorial repairs are coming from more than
$1.4 billion in the Recovery Act allocated to VA.

Forty-nine monuments at 36 sites in 23 states will be repaired or
conserved under this program. These represent some of the oldest and
most significant memorials at VA cemeteries, and require treatments that
include cleaning, roof and step repairs, stone consolidation, joint
repointing, and painting or waxing of metals.

Cost estimates for individual projects range from less than $10,000 to
$510,000. The monuments and memorials included in this treatment
initiative were installed between 1842 and 1952, and most are associated
with the Civil War.

The most costly preservation project is the National Soldiers' Monument
at Dayton National Cemetery in Ohio. The Soldiers' Monument dominates
the landscape from atop a mound at the center of the cemetery. The
cornerstone was laid in 1873 and it was completed in 1877. This
dramatic structure is composed of a 30-foot marble column on a granite
base and topped with a soldier at parade rest.

At the corners of the base are four figures representing the infantry,
cavalry, artillery and Navy. President Rutherford B. Hayes delivered
the dedication address on Sept. 12, 1877, to a crowd of about 22,000.
This monument was severely vandalized in 1990, and the current
initiative will address problems associated with the repair.

The oldest monument among the 49 sites is Dade's Pyramids at St.
Augustine National Cemetery in Florida. The pyramids cover vaults that
contain the remains of 1,468 soldiers who died during the Second
Seminole War from 1835 to 1842. The three Dade's Pyramids are each six
feet tall and were constructed in 1842 of coquina stone. They were
dedicated at a ceremony that marked the end of the Florida Indian Wars.


The funds will also be used to repair and conserve three monumental
limestone entrance archways built around 1870 at national cemeteries in
Nashville and Chattanooga, Tenn., and Marietta, Ga. VA will also use
ARRA funds to conserve the soldiers' obelisk monuments at cemeteries
affiliated with the National Homes for Disabled Veteran Soldiers. Also
scheduled for repairs are 11 monuments funded by states where large
numbers of their troops were buried, five Confederate monuments, and a
memorial to President Zachary Taylor located near his tomb in
Louisville, Ky.

The Recovery Act, signed into law by President Obama on Feb. 17, 2009,
is an unprecedented effort to jumpstart the American economy, create and
save millions of jobs, and put a down payment on addressing
long-neglected challenges so our country can thrive in the 21st century.
In addition to repairs to monuments and memorials, America's national
cemeteries will receive an estimated:

* $25.9 million for national shrine projects to raise, realign,
and clean headstones or grave markers and repair sunken graves at
various locations across the country;

* $5.9 million for energy-related projects such as conserving
energy and water through the use of wind turbines, solar power and other
measures;

* $9.5 million to repair roads, buildings, and other cemetery
infrastructure at locations nationwide; and

* Nearly $6 million for equipment purchases for cemetery
operations.

VA operates 131 national cemeteries in 39 states and Puerto Rico and 33
soldiers' lots and monument sites. More than three million Americans,
including Veterans of every war and conflict - from the Revolutionary
War to the conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan - are buried in VA's
national cemeteries on more than 19,000 acres of land.

Fort Campbell medic fatally injured in Afghanistan

Campbell medic fatally injured in Afghanistan
The Associated Press
Posted : Wednesday Apr 14, 2010 19:17:52 EDT

FORT CAMPBELL, Ky. — The military says a Fort Campbell soldier has died from wounds suffered when his vehicle was hit by a roadside bomb in eastern Afghanistan.

The 101st Airborne Division said in a news release that 23-year-old Pfc. Jonathan Hall died April 8 from wounds suffered a day earlier when his vehicle was hit in Paktika Province.

Hall was a combat medic assigned to Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 3rd Battalion, 187th Infantry Regiment, 3rd Brigade Combat Team. He joined the Army in October 2008 and arrived at Fort Campbell in August 2009.

He is survived by his mother, Robynn Harrison of Rocky Face, Ga., and father, Air Force Lt. Col. Steven Hall of Anchorage, Alaska.

Defense and security are part of where the tax money goes

Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid is 43% of the taxes we pay.
Defense is 20% of the taxes we pay
Homeland Security is 2% of the taxes we pay.

Part of the taxes we pay goes to taking care of veterans. Veterans we were very glad to have serve when we needed them however we seem to have a problem taking care of them afterwards.

When you stop and think about where our money goes and what it pays for, all the things we say are important to us, it is very hard to understand the people protesting paying for them. This is not to say there is not wasteful spending but if the people protesting taxes protested wasteful spending instead of all spending, then they would have a valid point. The problem is, when they complain about they "don't want government" involved in their Social Security, their Medicaid or Medicaid, it is a ridiculous argument. They end up delivering a message they want the benefits but don't want to pay for having them.

This is not the worst part in this. The worst part is that 22% goes to homeland security and defense. This means the men and women serving as well. The men and women we deployed into Iraq and Afghanistan, into the Persian Gulf, Vietnam, Korea and the few remaining WWII veterans. These are the men and women we deployed into other foreign lands in order to provide security in times of peace. They are the men and women so committed to their states, they decided it was worth their lives by serving in the National Guards and Reserves and ended up being deployed into Iraq and Afghanistan.

So many people in this country do a fine job of cheering on the troops when we are sending them into combat but these same people never seem willing to live up to the obligation of taking care of the wounded when they come home. We scream when we want this nation to be safe but we never seem to manage to understand there is a price to pay for it. There is a price to be paid because of our security that is paid everyday, year after year, by those wounded for having provided it to us. Next time you hear someone say they don't want to pay taxes, remember where the money goes and then have them talk about the wasteful spending instead of spending on everything.

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Why the IOM has found so much PTSD in Gulf War Vets

Why the IOM has found so much PTSD in Gulf War Vets
April 15, 2010 posted by Bob Higgins ·


By Jim Bunker National Gulf War Resource Center

The Institute of Medicine (IOM) recently concluded that there is sufficient evidence of a causal relationship for Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) in Persian Gulf War (PGW) veterans that would in turn explain their other physical ailments. What a slap in the face. When you look at only a select handful of research studies and discount most others, you can no doubt make a convincing case for PTSD as the primary cause of Gulf War Illnesses (GWI). Veterans from today’s wars as well as the 1991 Persian Gulf War know better. All one needs to do in order to find the truth is to use the internet.

The truth is, for the first 15 years after the PGW the VA focused primarily on PTSD, pushing the belief that that’s what was wrong with us. This is how it’s been for years. When the VA doctors don’t understand something new they write it off as a psychosomatic illness. In other words, they’re telling us that it’s all in our heads. Yes, some of us do have PTSD. Every time men and women have gone to war some have come home with PTSD. Sadly, some even legitimately develop PTSD from having to fight with the VA to gain access to the benefits they earned through their service and sacrifice. These battles between the veteran and the VA continue to this day with not only our PGW veterans, but with our OEF and OIF veterans as well. I just talked to a fellow PGW veteran and he is still having problems with the doctors at the VA in Houston, Texas. Whenever he brings up GWIs, they tell him there is “no such thing”.
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Why the IOM has found so much PTSD in Gulf War Vets

Northrop Grumman Honored by NaVOBA

Years ago I had a temp job with Northrop Grumman and it was a good job for several months. I can't tell you what the management feels about the troops but it is clear how the workers feel about being devoted to them. Most of the employees had some kind of personal military connection. After this, it looks as if the management feels the same way.

April 15, 2010, 9:05 a.m.

Northrop Grumman Honored by NaVOBA as One of the 10 Best Corporations for Veteran-Owned Businesses
ARLINGTON, Va., Apr 15, 2010 (GlobeNewswire via COMTEX) -- The National Veteran-Owned Business Association (NaVOBA) has honored Northrop Grumman Corporation in its April issue Vetrepreneur magazine of as one of its 10 Best Corporations for Veteran-Owned Businesses for 2010.

"Northrop Grumman is honored to be named one of the Best 10 Corporations for Veteran-Owned Businesses. This recognition is an acknowledgement that our focus on creating a competitive advantage by partnering with diverse, technologically superior and agile suppliers is a winning proposition for Northrop Grumman and veteran-owned businesses," said Susan Cote, vice president, corporate contracts, pricing and supply chain. "More importantly, it proves our assertion that a diverse supplier base is more than good business -- it is a business imperative."
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Northrop Grumman Honored by NaVOBA

VA laboring under surge of wounded veterans

VA laboring under surge of wounded veterans: Analysis
By McClatchy-Tribune News Service
April 15, 2010, 4:57PM
JASON GROTT and TIM JONES, Chicago Tribune

CHICAGO -- In a sobering reminder of the long-term costs of war, a dramatic spike in disability claims during the last seven years has overwhelmed the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs and nearly doubled the cost of compensating wounded veterans, according to a Chicago Tribune analysis.

The bulk of the increases didn't come from veterans of the current wars in Iraq and Afghanistan but from those who served years or even decades before. Veterans from the Vietnam and Persian Gulf eras accounted for roughly 84 percent of the rise in spending, which hit $34.3 billion last year.

The surge from past eras comes even as more soldiers than expected are returning home from Iraq and Afghanistan in need of care. With hundreds of thousands of troops still deployed, the VA already provides disability payments to nearly 200,000 veterans from the current conflicts, a number that is expected to balloon during the next 30 years.
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VA laboring under surge of wounded veterans

Army preserves items of remembrance at Section 60

Charles Dharapak, AP / April 13, 2010

Paula Davis, 55, of Gaithersburg, Md., a single mother who lost her only child, Army Pfc. Justin Davis, 29, in Afghanistan in 2006, sits at his grave at Section 60, at Arlington National Cemetery where more than 600 service members who served in the Iraq and Afghanistan wars are buried, Sunday, April 11, 2010 in Arlington, Va. (AP Photo/Charles Dharapak)

Army preserves items of remembrance at Section 60, Arlington's place for Iraq, Afghan war dead
KIMBERLY HEFLING

Associated Press Writer

April 15, 2010 12:02 a.m.
ARLINGTON, Va. (AP) — Army curator James Speraw stood by Spc. Christopher Coffland's grave, tucked among the rows of white headstones at Arlington National Cemetery, and read the inscription on dog tags that he cupped gently in his palms.

"I thank God every time I remember you," said the tags. "We love you Chris, our brother."

Speraw had little time to ponder the 43-year-old soldier who was killed in Afghanistan. "8955," he called out to a fellow curator, who jotted that grave site number down. They took photos of the dog tags and placed them in an archival bag, part of a new trial effort to preserve graveside mementoes at Section 60 — Arlington's primary resting place for the dead from the Iraq and Afghan wars.

The two then moved on to another grave to collect a teddy bear and blue stuffed bunny left for another fallen soldier. A few rows away, a backhoe pushed dirt over the grave of a servicemember buried minutes earlier, its loud, steady rumble punctuating the air in a sad refrain.

"It's an honor to do it, but you just really hate to see the graves," Speraw said, choking back tears.
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Army preserves items of remembrance at Section 60