60-Foot Wall In Lake County Will Honor Veterans
Sunday, May 23, 2010 2:11:09 AM
Reported by Dave D'Marko
LEESBURG-- Following bagpipes, a Color Guard carried the flag of every foreign war involving U.S. soldiers.
In the crowd were veterans from almost every war of the past century, including World War II’s Tom Donahoe, who waited 65 years to see his service recognized.
"Nothing is ever easy and I'm sure it was brought up many times," Donohoe said.
"The governments don't seem to want to give money to build the monuments, so the veterans have to come up with the money,” said Don Van Beck, Executive Director of Veteran’s Memorial Committee. “The only time they want veterans is when there’s a war."
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60 Foot Wall In Lake County Will Honor Veterans
Sunday, May 23, 2010
Saturday, May 22, 2010
New rules for families of deceased soldiers
New rules for families of deceased soldiers
By Jim Tice - Staff writer
Posted : Saturday May 22, 2010 15:15:05 EDT
A recent change to Defense Department policy authorizes eligible relatives of deceased service members round-trip travel and transportation allowances to a memorial event that occurs at a location other than the burial site.
The policy change, directed by the undersecretary of defense for personnel and readiness, took effect May 11, and will be included in an upcoming revision of Army Regulation 600-20 (Command Policy).
Army policy already requires commanders to conduct a unit memorial event for all deceased soldiers, to include those who commit suicide.
As part of the Army Family Covenant, commanders also are required to inform family members about any memorial event that is conducted by the unit in a combat theater.
read more here
New rules for families of deceased soldiers
By Jim Tice - Staff writer
Posted : Saturday May 22, 2010 15:15:05 EDT
A recent change to Defense Department policy authorizes eligible relatives of deceased service members round-trip travel and transportation allowances to a memorial event that occurs at a location other than the burial site.
The policy change, directed by the undersecretary of defense for personnel and readiness, took effect May 11, and will be included in an upcoming revision of Army Regulation 600-20 (Command Policy).
Army policy already requires commanders to conduct a unit memorial event for all deceased soldiers, to include those who commit suicide.
As part of the Army Family Covenant, commanders also are required to inform family members about any memorial event that is conducted by the unit in a combat theater.
read more here
New rules for families of deceased soldiers
41st Fires Bde works on building ‘spiritual muscles’
41st Fires Bde works on building ‘spiritual muscles’
By Staff Sgt. Kyle J. Richardson, 41st Fires Bde. Public Affairs
May 20, 2010 News
As anyone in the military can attest, physical fitness is essential to good health and success in the Army. However, fitness isn’t just acquired; Soldiers must work hard to develop their bodies. The same effort is needed to develop a Soldier’s spiritual fitness.
The 41st Fires Brigade went the extra distance to ensure Soldiers within the brigade received the opportunity to work out their spiritual physique, according to Chap. (Capt.) James Ward, chaplain for 1st Battalion, 21st Field Artillery Regiment, 41st Fires Bde. His unit hosted a spiritual fitness luncheon for the Soldiers and command in the Grande Ball Room at Club Hood May 11.
“As the spirit goes up, we stay motivated, on-point, think more clearly; we’re just a better equipped team-oriented people when our spirits are right,” said Ward.
read more here
http://www.forthoodsentinel.com/story.php?id=3878
By Staff Sgt. Kyle J. Richardson, 41st Fires Bde. Public Affairs
May 20, 2010 News
As anyone in the military can attest, physical fitness is essential to good health and success in the Army. However, fitness isn’t just acquired; Soldiers must work hard to develop their bodies. The same effort is needed to develop a Soldier’s spiritual fitness.
The 41st Fires Brigade went the extra distance to ensure Soldiers within the brigade received the opportunity to work out their spiritual physique, according to Chap. (Capt.) James Ward, chaplain for 1st Battalion, 21st Field Artillery Regiment, 41st Fires Bde. His unit hosted a spiritual fitness luncheon for the Soldiers and command in the Grande Ball Room at Club Hood May 11.
“As the spirit goes up, we stay motivated, on-point, think more clearly; we’re just a better equipped team-oriented people when our spirits are right,” said Ward.
read more here
http://www.forthoodsentinel.com/story.php?id=3878
Family lives in car to "keep house clean" for 8 years?
Miami parents, daughter lived in car outside house for eight years, police say
By Laura Morales and Jennifer Lebovich, The Miami Herald
9:12 p.m. EDT, May 21, 2010
For years, a Miami couple and their daughter have been sleeping, crammed together, in a small car parked in the front yard of their home, police say.
They used a hose to bathe outside and plastic containers for waste.
On Friday, Miami police charged Philipe Mathieu, 62, and Sherrine Mathieu, 42, with 863 counts of child neglect, and their 16-year-old daughter is in protective custody.
His wife, Philipe Mathieu told police, cleaned compulsively and wouldn't let her husband or family inside their home on the 6300 block of Northwest First Court. But police say the south unit of the duplex was nearly empty and very dirty.
read more here
Miami parents daughter lived in car outside house
By Laura Morales and Jennifer Lebovich, The Miami Herald
9:12 p.m. EDT, May 21, 2010
For years, a Miami couple and their daughter have been sleeping, crammed together, in a small car parked in the front yard of their home, police say.
They used a hose to bathe outside and plastic containers for waste.
On Friday, Miami police charged Philipe Mathieu, 62, and Sherrine Mathieu, 42, with 863 counts of child neglect, and their 16-year-old daughter is in protective custody.
His wife, Philipe Mathieu told police, cleaned compulsively and wouldn't let her husband or family inside their home on the 6300 block of Northwest First Court. But police say the south unit of the duplex was nearly empty and very dirty.
read more here
Miami parents daughter lived in car outside house
Woman loses breast after brown recluse spider bite
Woman Loses Breast After Spider Bite
Updated: 9:55 am EDT May 21, 2010
PAULDING COUNTY, Ga. -- A Paulding County woman is recovering from major surgery after being bitten by a brown recluse spider at her home.
“I would have never known in a million years that a spider could ever do this much damage,” said Victoria Franklin.
Franklin was at WellStar Windy Hill Hospital Friday morning, recovering from an April mastectomy.
“I didn’t flip out over that. I was glad to be alive,” she said of her surgery.
read more here
http://www.wsbtv.com/news/23630182/detail.html
linked from CNN.com
Updated: 9:55 am EDT May 21, 2010
PAULDING COUNTY, Ga. -- A Paulding County woman is recovering from major surgery after being bitten by a brown recluse spider at her home.
“I would have never known in a million years that a spider could ever do this much damage,” said Victoria Franklin.
Franklin was at WellStar Windy Hill Hospital Friday morning, recovering from an April mastectomy.
“I didn’t flip out over that. I was glad to be alive,” she said of her surgery.
read more here
http://www.wsbtv.com/news/23630182/detail.html
linked from CNN.com
Eight of 166 passengers aboard plane taken to hospital
158 feared dead in India plane crash
By the CNN Wire Staff
May 22, 2010 10:29 a.m. EDT
STORY HIGHLIGHTS
NEW: All but three bodies recovered from charred wreck of plane
Eight of 166 passengers aboard plane taken to hospital
Believed the plan overshot the runway, crashed into valley and burst into flames
Boeing 737 flew from Dubai, UAE to Mangalore in southern India
New Delhi, India (CNN) -- Rescue teams worked into the night at the smoldering scene of an Air India plane crash that killed 158 people Saturday after the jet overshot a runway in southern India, crashed into a ravine and burst into flames, officials said.
As darkness descended, workers used portable lights to pull charred bodies out of the wreckage outside Mangalore International Airport. All but three bodies have been recovered, said Jeeja Harisingh, head of fire and emergency services.
Eight of the 166 people on board Air India Flight IX-812 survived the crash and were taken to hospitals.
go here for more
158 feared dead in India plane crash
By the CNN Wire Staff
May 22, 2010 10:29 a.m. EDT
STORY HIGHLIGHTS
NEW: All but three bodies recovered from charred wreck of plane
Eight of 166 passengers aboard plane taken to hospital
Believed the plan overshot the runway, crashed into valley and burst into flames
Boeing 737 flew from Dubai, UAE to Mangalore in southern India
New Delhi, India (CNN) -- Rescue teams worked into the night at the smoldering scene of an Air India plane crash that killed 158 people Saturday after the jet overshot a runway in southern India, crashed into a ravine and burst into flames, officials said.
As darkness descended, workers used portable lights to pull charred bodies out of the wreckage outside Mangalore International Airport. All but three bodies have been recovered, said Jeeja Harisingh, head of fire and emergency services.
Eight of the 166 people on board Air India Flight IX-812 survived the crash and were taken to hospitals.
go here for more
158 feared dead in India plane crash
The enchantment of a warrior
The enchantment of a warrior
by
Chaplain Kathie
When we think about adulthood, we tend to think our kids reach it when they turn 21. At that age they are supposed to be responsible for all they do. By the age of 18, they are considered responsible enough to vote and decide the direction this country will take, yet they are not old enough in most parts of the country to legally drink alcohol. There is a reason for this and that is their minds are still too able to be under the influence of it. Imagine being a Marine or member of another branch of service, sent into combat, and then be told you are just too young to drink, but this happens all the time. Read about some of the deaths in Iraq and Afghanistan, just as we've read stories about other wars and you see many under the age of 21.
Old enough for combat but the rest of the country says they are not old enough to drink. The view of them being unable to control themselves comes from the development of the human mind. The emotional part of the mind is not fully mature until the age of 25. The "person" we end up becoming is pretty much "carved in stone" by then.
It works the same way when the military trains Marines, Soldiers, Airmen, Sailors and National Guardsmen. They are trained to think a different way and be able to function in dangerous conditions, then adapt back to be able to deal with nothing to do. Adrenalins rushing every part of them, followed by alert boredom. They do remember they are in a war zone even when there is nothing going on. Considering what's been happening in Iraq and Afghanistan all these years with suicide bombers, IED filled roads and Taliban attacks, they never really rest.
This report shows that "monotony" plays a part in outcoming veteran and what comes next.
We understand how alcohol can influence the mind but fail to understand how adrenaline changes the way humans respond from that point on. Take a young Marine, convince them they are tougher than the average human, train them to endure and you enchant them into thinking they are supposed to stop being a teenager still growing up or a pre-adult with very real grownup problems facing them.
The enchantment of the warrior begins. While it is necessary to teach them how to use weapons, focus on the mission, follow orders without stopping to really think about those orders, train their bodies to function under extreme conditions, what is not necessary is to attempt to train them to be machines without emotions.
The emotions they enter into the military with are strong. Their courage is built on the foundation of their chain of emotions. While they should be developing under "normal" circumstances, the abnormal has become "normal" to them. They need to be reminded of what "normal" really is.
They return home to family and friends, but they notice they are not thinking the same way they did before. They don't feel things the same way they did before.
Age matters but depends on the branch in special training.
To become a Navy SEAL the age is 18-28, yet to become a Army Green Beret it is 20-30.
The average age for Special Forces is 32.
It really depends on the maturity of the candidate for these special warrior classifications. They must be physically able as well as mentally able.
If we look back at veterans with PTSD, it is not so much the age they are when they seek help or are finally coming to terms with it, we need to look back at the age they were when they were exposed to the traumatic events haunting them now. The older they are when exposed, the less likely they may pay the price is the theory I am approaching this with. It comes from too many years of researching PTSD and contact with veterans. Compassion is a great indicator of if they walk away from combat traumas with more pain than they are able to carry on their own, or if they manage to leave it behind them. Compassion, the strong human emotion feeding the courage they have to be able to serve, is the doorway to PTSD but age may very well turn out to be the key.
If this is the case then it would also explain how younger veterans of combat seeking help soon after a PTSD diagnosis has a better chance of healing more fully. Before 25, the frontal lobe is still "growing up" and able to re-learn "normal" reactions to normal emotions. Being able to control their reactions is restored. It is perhaps one of the factors behind many older veterans feeling as if they "never grew up" even with the advanced years of combat Vietnam veterans. There are many "childlike" qualities still within them. The bonding they feel toward others is strong, in many cases, unbreakable as if they have spent all their lives with other veterans they call "brother."
This indicates that as their minds "grew up" with the wound of war trapped inside, it becomes less reversible. This could be because of the rest of their lives piling onto what was already suffering from a young age. While they have discovered it is not too late to heal no matter how many years have passed, it is also common knowledge there are aspects of PTSD that will not heal. When the rest of their lives are healed, when they understand why they think and react the way they do, they discover a whole new set of coping tools to help them overcome what could not be reversed.
The self-loathing, feeling as if they are unforgivable, evaporates and then the return of joys as the emotional wall is broken down so that emotions can live freely in their lives. Even with Vietnam seeking help over 30 years after the emotional assault, they are still healing. They feel forgiven and they forgive themselves. Regrettably too many never healed and took their own lives, walk the streets as homeless veterans or live isolated lives trapped in past pain.
Time and age should be placed in alert methods to respond to the crisis we see today in returning OEF and OIF veterans. There is a "golden hour" in this as well. The sooner they seek help to heal the sooner it takes over what PTSD is trying to do to them. If we understand how the human mind works, how we all change by events we live through, we are able to look at veterans through our own experiences and how they affected us. We then can take that understanding and imagine our own lives subjected to the same events, durations and exposures they go through all the time. Programs should be developed to bring awareness of PTSD to the level they can understand easily to overcome it better. The younger they are in this case, may predict how hard they fall and how fast.
If the military keeps trying to enchant them into thinking that being "resilient" means they can prevent being human, the warriors coming back will keep paying the price.
by
Chaplain Kathie
When we think about adulthood, we tend to think our kids reach it when they turn 21. At that age they are supposed to be responsible for all they do. By the age of 18, they are considered responsible enough to vote and decide the direction this country will take, yet they are not old enough in most parts of the country to legally drink alcohol. There is a reason for this and that is their minds are still too able to be under the influence of it. Imagine being a Marine or member of another branch of service, sent into combat, and then be told you are just too young to drink, but this happens all the time. Read about some of the deaths in Iraq and Afghanistan, just as we've read stories about other wars and you see many under the age of 21.
These are just from the first page of CNN Special Reports page and only those who died in Iraq.
Pfc. Steven Acosta 19 Company C, 3rd Battalion, 67th Armored Regiment, 4th Infantry Division Calexico, California Died from a non-hostile gunshot wound in Baquba, Iraq, on October 26, 2003
Pfc. Michael S. Adams 20 Company C, 1st Battalion, 35th Armor Regiment, 1st Armored Division Spartanburg, South Carolina Died of injuries sustained in a fire during a small-arms fire exercise. The fire began when a bullet ricocheted and ignited a fire in the building in Baghdad, Iraq on August 21, 2003
Pfc. Christopher S. Adlesperger 20 Company K, 3rd Battalion, 5th Marine Regiment, 1st Marine Division, I Marine Expeditionary Force Albuquerque, New Mexico Died due to enemy action in Anbar province, Iraq, on December 9, 2004. Adlesperger was posthumously awarded the Navy Cross, the nation's second highest military honor for valor, for actions in a firefight on November 10, 2004.
Lance Cpl. Anthony Aguirre 20 2nd Battalion, 3rd Marine Regiment, 3rd Marine Division, III Marine Expeditionary Force Mineral City, Ohio Killed while conducting combat operations in Anbar province, Iraq, on February 26, 2007
Pfc. Daniel J. Allman II 20 1st Battalion, 26th Infantry Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 1st Infantry Division Canon, Georgia One of two soldiers killed when a roadside bomb exploded near their vehicle during combat operations in Baghdad, Iraq, on November 13, 2006
Pfc. Adriana Alvarez 20 571st Military Police Company, 504th Military Police Battalion, 42nd Military Police Brigade San Benito, Texas Died of injuries sustained while supporting combat operations in Baghdad, Iraq, on February 10, 2010
Spc. Brushaun X. Anderson 20 Company C, 2nd Battalion, 14th Infantry Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 10th Mountain Division Columbus, Georgia Died of wounds suffered from a non-combat related incident in Baghdad, Iraq, on January 1, 2010
Lance Cpl. Nicholas H. Anderson 19 Weapons Company, 1st Battalion, 4th Marine Regiment, 1st Marine Division, I Marine Expeditionary Force Las Vegas, Nevada Died in a vehicle incident during combat operations in Anbar province, Iraq, on November 12, 2004
Spc. Yoe M. Aneiros 20 Company C, 2nd Battalion, 70th Armor, 3rd Brigade, 1st Armored Division Newark, New Jersey Killed when his patrol vehicle came under attack by enemy forces using rocket-propelled grenades in Sadr City, Iraq, on September 7, 2004
Lance Cpl. Levi T. Angell 20 11th Combat Service Support Group, 1st Force Service Support Group, I Marine Expeditionary Force St. Louis, Minnesota Died due to injuries received from hostile fire in Anbar province, Iraq, on April 8, 2004
Pfc. Joseph J. Anzack Jr. 20 Company D, 4th Battalion, 31st Infantry Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 10th Mountain Division Torrance, California One of five soldiers killed when their patrol was attacked by enemy forces using automatic fire and explosives in Taqa, Iraq, on May 12, 2007.
Pfc. Michael A. Arciola 20 Company D, 1st Battalion, 503rd Infantry Regiment, 2nd Infantry Division Elmsford, New York Died of injuries sustained from enemy small-arms fire in Ramadi, Iraq, on February 15, 2005
Pfc. James J. Arellano 19 1st Battalion, 67th Armored Regiment, 2nd Brigade, 4th Infantry Division Cheyenne, Wyoming Died of injuries suffered when his patrol encountered enemy forces using roadside bombs and small arms fire in Baghdad, Iraq, on August 17, 2006
Cpl. Bradley T. Arms 20 Company C, 4th Combat Engineer Battalion, 4th Marine Division, Marine Forces Reserve Charlottesville, Virginia Died as result of enemy action in Falluja, Anbar province, Iraq, on November 19, 2004
Lance Cpl. Alexander S. Arredondo 20 Company A, Battalion Landing Team, 1st Battalion, 4th Marine Regiment, 11th Marine Expeditionary Unit Randolph, Massachusetts Killed as result of hostile action in Najaf, Iraq, on August 25, 2004
Spc. Richard Arriaga 20 Headquarters Battery, 4th Battalion, 42nd Field Artillery Regiment, 4th Infantry Division Ganado, Texas Killed when his unit was ambushed with small-arms fire and rocket-propelled grenades in Tikrit, Iraq, on September 18, 2003
Pfc. Shawn M. Atkins 20 Headquarters Company, 4th Aviation Brigade, 1st Armored Division Parker, Colorado Died as a result of a non-combat injury in Baghdad, Iraq, on June 14, 2004
Pfc. Shane R. Austin 19 1st Battalion, 35th Armor Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 1st Armored Division Edgerton, Kansas Died of injuries suffered from enemy grenade fire in Ramadi, Iraq, on October 8, 2006
Pfc. Jeffrey A. Avery 19 571st Military Police Company, 504th Military Police Battalion, 42nd Military Police Brigade Colorado Springs, Colorado Died from wounds suffered when a homemade bomb exploded during checkpoint operations in Muquadadiya, Iraq, on April 23, 2007
Spc. Adrian L. Avila 19 1343rd Chemical Company, 151st Chemical, Biological, Radiological and Nuclear Battalion, 115th Fires Brigade, Alabama Army National Guard Opelika, Alabama Died of injuries sustained in a non-combat related accident at Khabari Crossing, Kuwait, on October 29, 2009
Lance Cpl. Andrew Julian Aviles 18 Headquarters & Service Company, 4th Assault Amphibian Battalion, 4th Marine Division Tampa, Florida Killed when an Iraqi artillery round struck his amphibious assault vehicle near Baghdad, Iraq, on April 7, 2003
Cpl. Salem Bachar 20 Headquarters Battalion, 1st Marine Division, I Marine Expeditionary Force Chula Vista, California One of two Marines killed due to enemy action in Anbar province, Iraq, on April 13, 2006
Pfc. Roberto C. Baez 19 Company D, 3rd Battalion, 504th Infantry Regiment, 82nd Airborne Division Tampa, Florida One of three soldiers killed when a roadside bomb detonated near their Humvee during combat operations in Haqlaniya, Iraq, on October 3, 2005
Pfc. Joe L. Baines 19 1st Squadron, 7th Cavalry Regiment, 1st Brigade, 1st Cavalry Division Newark, New Jersey Died of wounds suffered when a roadside bomb detonated near his Humvee in Taji, Iraq, on December 16, 2006
Pfc. Dane R. Balcon 19 1st Squadron, 7th Cavalry Regiment, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division Colorado Springs, Colorado One of two soldiers killed when a homemade bomb exploded in Balad, Iraq, on September 5, 2007
Pfc. Stephen P. Baldwyn 19 Weapons Company, 3rd Battalion, 8th Marine Regiment, 2nd Marine Division, II Marine Expeditionary Force Saltillo, Mississippi Died of wounds received from an explosion during combat operations against enemy forces in Nasser Wa Salaam, Iraq, on May 9, 2005
Pfc. Chad E. Bales 20 1st Transportation Support Battalion, 1st Force Service Support Group Coahoma, Texas Killed in a non-hostile vehicle accident during convoy operations east of Ash Shahin, Iraq, on April 3, 2003
Pvt. Craig Barber 20 Company C, 2nd Battalion, The Royal Welsh Ogmore Vale, Wales Killed by small-arms fire while driving a Warrior Armored Vehicle during a night operation to counter indirect fire attacks on Basra Palace in Basra, Iraq, on August 6, 2007
Airman 1st Class Eric M. Barnes 20 90th Logistics Readiness Squadron Lorain, Ohio Died as a result of a roadside bomb attack on an Air Force convoy about 100 miles south of Baghdad, Iraq, on June 10, 2007
Lance Cpl. Matthew R. Barnes 20 Headquarters & Service Company, 3rd Battalion, 6th Marine Regiment, 2nd Marine Division, II Marine Expeditionary Force West Monroe, Louisiana One of two Marines killed when a suicide car bomber attacked their vehicle near Qaim, Iraq, on February 14, 2006
Pvt. Charles Yi Barnett 19 2nd Battalion, 12th Cavalry Regiment, 4th Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division Bel Air, Maryland Died of injuries sustained from a non-combat related incident in Tallil, Iraq, on November 20, 2008
Spc. Jacob D. Barton 20 277th Engineer Company, 420th Engineer Brigade Lenox, Missouri One of five U.S. troops who died of wounds suffered in a non-combat related incident at Camp Liberty, Baghdad, Iraq, on May 11, 2009. Maj. Gen. David Perkins, a military spokesman, said Army Sgt. John M. Russell allegedly shot the five U.S. troops. Russell has been charged with five counts of murder and one count of aggravated assault.
Cpl. David A. Bass 20 Combat Logistics Battalion 7, 1st Marine Logistics Group, I Marine Expeditionary Force Nashville, Tennessee One of six Marines killed when the seven-ton truck they were riding rolled over in a flash flood near Asad, Iraq, on April 2, 2006
Spc. Todd M. Bates 20 135th Military Police Company, Ohio Army National Guard Bellaire, Ohio Bates was on a patrol on the Tigris River south of Baghdad, Iraq, on December 10, 2003, when his squad leader fell overboard. Bates dived into the water and did not surface. He was listed as missing until his body was recovered on December 23, 2003.
Pfc. Matthew E. Baylis 20 2nd Battalion, 12th Infantry Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 2nd Infantry Division Oakdale, New York Died May 31, 2007 in Baghdad, Iraq, of wounds suffered when his dismounted patrol encountered enemy small-arms fire on May 30
Spc. Beau R. Beaulieu 20 Company B, 27th Main Support Battalion, 1st Cavalry Division Lisbon, Maine Killed during a mortar attack on Camp Cooke in Taji, Iraq, on May 24, 2004
Pfc. Gunnar D. Becker 19 Company B, 2nd Battalion, 63rd Armor Regiment, 1st Infantry Division Forestburg, South Dakoka Died of non-combat related injuries in Mosul, Iraq, on January 13, 2005
Pfc. Andrew D. Bedard 19 Company L, 3rd Battalion, 7th Marine Regiment, 1st Marine Division, I Marine Expeditionary Force Missoula, Montana Killed by a homemade bomb that detonated during combat operations against enemy forces in Ramadi, Iraq, on October 4, 2005
Spc. David W. Behrle 20 1st Battalion, 5th Cavalry Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division Tipton, Iowa One of six soldiers killed when a roadside bomb detonated near their vehicle in Baghdad, Iraq, on May 19, 2007
Pfc. Wilfred D. Bellard 20 Battery C, 1st Battalion, 41st Field Artillery Regiment, 3rd Infantry Division Lake Charles, Louisiana Killed when his vehicle fell into a ravine in Iraq on April 4, 2003
Pfc. Stephen C. Benish 20 Company B, 1st Battalion, 503rd Infantry Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 2nd Infantry Division Clark, New Jersey Killed after receiving enemy fire during a dismounted patrol in Ramadi, Iraq, on November 28, 2004
Spc. Robert T. Benson 20 Company A, 1st Battalion, 35th Armored Regiment, 2nd Brigade, 1st Armored Division Spokane, Washington Died from a non-hostile gunshot wound in Baghdad, Iraq, on November 4, 2003
Pfc. David J. Bentz III 20 1st Battalion, 64th Armor Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 3rd Infantry Division Newfield, New Jersey One of four soldiers killed when a roadside bomb exploded near their vehicle in Baghdad, Iraq, on June 20, 2007
Pfc. Ryan R. Berg 19 1st Battalion, 12th Cavalry Regiment, 3rd Brigade, 1st Cavalry Division Sabine Pass, Texas Died of wounds suffered when his unit came in contact with enemy forces using small arms fire in Baquba, Iraq, on January 9, 2007
Spc. Joel L. Bertoldie 20 Headquarters Company, 4th Battalion, 64th Armor Regiment, 3rd Infantry Division Independence, Missouri Killed when an explosive device was detonated underneath the military vehicle he was driving in Falluja, Iraq on July 18, 2003
Pfc. Stephen D. Bicknell 19 2nd Battalion, 505th Infantry Regiment, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 82nd Airborne Division Prattville, Alabama One of two soldiers killed when two land mines detonated near their Humvee in Samarra, Iraq, on October 15, 2006
Cpl. Albert Bitton 20 1st Battalion, 502nd Infantry Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 101st Airborne Division Chicago, Illinois One of three soldiers killed when their vehicle encountered a roadside bomb in Baghdad, Iraq, on February 20, 2008
Cpl. Stephen R. Bixler 20 2nd Reconnaissance Battalion, 2nd Marine Division, II Marine Expeditionary Force Suffield, Connecticut Killed during combat operations against enemy forces in Anbar province, Iraq, on May 4, 2006
Pfc. Christopher T. Blaney 19 1st Battalion, 66th Armor Regiment, 1st Brigade, 4th Infantry Division Winter Park, Florida Died from a non-combat related incident in Taji, Iraq, on September 29, 2006
Spc. Kamisha J. Block 20 401st Military Police Company, 720th Military Police Battalion, 89th Military Police Brigade Vidor, Texas Died of injuries suffered from a non-combat related incident in Baghdad, Iraq, on August 16, 2007
Spc. Clinton C. Blodgett 19 1st Battalion, 18th Infantry Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 1st Infantry Division Pekin, Indiana Died when the vehicle he was in struck a roadside bomb in Baghdad, Iraq, on May 26, 2007
Lance Cpl. Nicholas William B. Bloem 20 Company B, 4th Reconnaissance Battalion, 4th Marine Division, Marine Forces Reserve Belgrade, Montana One of 14 Marines killed when their Amphibious Assault Vehicle struck a roadside bomb during combat operations south of Haditha, Iraq, on August 3, 2005
Pfc. Brandon K. Bobb 20 401st Military Police Company, 92nd Military Police Battalion, 89th Military Police Brigade Orlando, Florida One of two soldiers killed when a roadside bomb exploded near their vehicle in Baghdad, Iraq, on July 17, 2007
Pvt. Jeremy S. Bohannon 18 59th Military Police Company, 759th Military Police Battalion, 89th Military Police Brigade Bon Aqua, Tennessee One of two soldiers killed by enemy indirect fire in Baghdad, Iraq, on August 5, 2007
Pfc. John G. Borbonus 19 1st Squadron, 40th Cavalry Regiment, 4th Brigade Combat Team, 25th Infantry Division Boise, Idaho One of two soldiers killed when their patrol encountered a roadside bomb in Baghdad, Iraq, on April 12, 2007
Pfc. Rachel K. Bosveld 19 527th Military Police Company, V Corps Waupun, Wisconsin Killed during a mortar attack on the Abu Ghraib Police Station in Baghdad, Iraq, on October 26, 2003
Spc. Samuel M. Boswell 20 243rd Engineer Company, Maryland Army National Guard Elkridge, Maryland One of three soldiers killed when an 18-wheel tractor trailer accidentally struck the rear of their Humvee, starting a fire and causing ammunition to detonate in Taji, Iraq, on October 14, 2005
Pfc. Brian A. Botello 19 3rd Squadron, 61st Cavalry Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 2nd Infantry Division Alta, Iowa One of three soldiers killed when a roadside bomb exploded near their unit during combat operations in Baghdad, Iraq, on April 29, 2007
Pvt. Michael E. Bouthot 19 1st Battalion, 67th Armored Regiment, 2nd Brigade, 4th Infantry Division Fall River, Massachusetts One of four soldiers killed when a roadside bomb detonated near their Humvee, causing a fire, during combat operations in Baghdad, Iraq, on April 22, 2006
Lance Cpl. Jeremy D. Bow 20 Company B, 1st Battalion, 3rd Marine Regiment, 3rd Marine Division, III Marine Expeditionary Force Lemoore, California Killed when a Marine convoy was attacked with a car bomb in western Iraq, near Baghdad's Abu Ghraib prison, on October 30, 2004
Pfc. Matthew C. Bowe 19 1st Squadron, 89th Cavalry Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 10th Mountain Division Coraopolis, Pennsylvania One of three soldiers killed when the vehicle they were in was struck by a roadside bomb in Baghdad, Iraq, on February 19, 2007
Spc. Edward W. Brabazon 20 Company A, 2nd Battalion, 505th Infantry Regiment, 82nd Airborne Division Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Died of a non-hostile gunshot wound in Baghdad, Iraq, on March 9, 2004
Pfc. David J. Brangman 20 Company A, 3rd Battalion, 69th Armor Regiment, 3rd Infantry Division Lake Worth, Florida Killed when a mortar round struck his vehicle at Patrol Base Uvanni in Samarra, Iraq, on February 13, 2005
Pfc. Jeffrey F. Braun 19 Battery B, 2nd Battalion, 319th Field Artillery Regiment, 82nd Airborne Division Stafford, Connecticut Died of a non-hostile gunshot wound in Baghdad, Iraq, on December 12, 2003
Pvt. Lucas M. Bregg 19 2nd Battalion, 5th Cavalry Regiment, 1st Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division Wright City, Missouri Died of injuries suffered from a non-combat related incident in Baghdad, Iraq, on July 8, 2009
Lance Cpl. Adam R. Brooks 20 Company B, 1st Battalion, 2nd Marine Regiment, 2nd Marine Division, II Marine Expeditionary Force Manchester, New Hampshire Died due to enemy action in Babil province, Iraq, on November 28, 2004
Lance Cpl. Dominic C. Brown 19 Truck Company, Headquarters Battalion, 1st Marine Division, I Marine Expeditionary Force Austin, Texas Died due to a non-combat related incident in Anbar province, Iraq, on September 13, 2004
Pfc. Donald S. Brown 19 2nd Battalion, 3rd Marine Regiment, 3rd Marine Division, III Marine Expeditionary Force Succasunna, New Jersey Died of wounds received while conducting combat operations in Anbar province, Iraq, on October 25, 2006
Lance Cpl. James E. Brown 20 3rd Battalion, 2nd Marine Regiment, 2nd Marine Division, II Marine Expeditionary Force Owensville, Indiana Killed during combat operations in Anbar province, Iraq, on November 2, 2006
Spc. Micheal D. Brown 20 1st Battalion, 1st Aviation Regiment, 1st Combat Aviation Brigade, 1st Infantry Division Williamsburg, Kansas Died on October 16, 2007, in Landstuhl Regional Medical Center in Landstuhl, Germany, of a non-combat related illness after being transported from Tikrit, Iraq, on October 15
Pfc. Oliver J. Brown 19 Company C, 1st Battalion, 109th Infantry Regiment, 28th Infantry Division, Pennsylvania Army National Guard Carbondale, Pennsylvania One of five soldiers killed when their M2A2 Bradley Fighting Vehicle was attacked by enemy forces using indirect fire in Ramadi, Iraq, on September 28, 2005
Pfc. Brian A. Browning 20 4th Battalion, 31st Infantry Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 10th Mountain Division Astoria, Oregon Died of wounds suffered from enemy small arms fire while conducting security operations in Baghdad, Iraq, on February 6, 2007
Lance Cpl. Daniel Scott R. Bubb 19 Company A, 1st Light Armored Reconnaissance Battalion, 1st Marine Division, I Marine Expeditionary Force Grottoes, Virginia Killed by small-arms fire during combat operations against enemy forces in Ar Rutbah, Iraq, on October 17, 2005
Pfc. Paul J. Bueche 19 Company E, 131st Aviation Regiment, Alabama Army National Guard Daphne, Alabama Died when the tire he was changing on a UH-60 Black Hawk helicoper exploded in Balad, Iraq, on October 21, 2003
Lance Cpl. Richard A. Buerstetta 20 3rd Battalion, 24th Marine Regiment, 4th Marine Division Franklin, Tennessee One of two Marines killed during combat operations in Anbar province, Iraq, on October 23, 2006
Lance Cpl. Brian Rory Buesing 20 Headquarters & Service Company, 1st Battalion, 2nd Marine Regiment, 2nd Marine Expeditionary Brigade Cedar Key, Florida Killed by enemy mortar fire during combat operations near Nasiriya, Iraq, on March 23, 2003
Lance Cpl. Jeffrey C. Burgess 20 Wing Support Squadron 373, Wing Support Group 37, 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing, I Marine Expeditionary Force Plymouth, Massachusetts Killed in action during operations near Falluja, Iraq, on March 25, 2004
Lance Cpl. Jason K. Burnett 20 2nd Tank Battalion, 2nd Marine Division, II Marine Expeditionary Force St. Cloud, Florida One of four Marines killed as a result of a vehicle accident in Anbar province, Iraq, on May 11, 2006
Lance Cpl. Kyle W. Burns 20 Company A, 1st Light Armored Reconnaissance Battalion, 1st Marine Division, I Marine Expeditionary Force Laramie, Wyoming Died as the result of enemy action in Anbar province, Iraq, on November 11, 2004
Pfc. David P. Burridge 19 Company F, 2nd Battalion, 1st Marine Regiment, 1st Marine Division, I Marine Expeditionary Force Lafayette, Louisiana Killed when a suicide car bomb exploded next to his military vehicle while on patrol on the outskirts of Falluja, Iraq, on September 6, 2004
Pvt. Joshua C. Burrows 20 1st Battalion, 8th Cavalry Regiment, 2nd Bridade, 1st Cavalry Division Bossier City, Louisiana One of three soldiers killed when a roadside bomb exploded near their vehicle in Baghdad, Iraq, on November 26, 2006
Pvt. Matthew D. Bush 20 F Troop, 1st Squadron, 10th Armored Cavalry Regiment, 4th Infantry Division East Alton, Illinois Died in his sleep on August 8, 2003, in Camp Caldwell in Kirkush, Iraq. A fellow soldier tried to wake Bush and noticed he was not breathing.
Lance Cpl. Kenneth J. Butler 19 Company E, 2nd Battalion, 2nd Marine Regiment, 2nd Marine Division, II Marine Expeditionary Force Rowan, North Carolina Killed when a homemade bomb detonated during combat operations against enemy forces near Amariya, Iraq, on October 21, 2005
Lance Cpl. Anthony E. Butterfield 19 3rd Light Armored Reconnaissance Battalion, 1st Marine Division, I Marine Expeditionary Force Clovis, California One of two Marines killed while conducting combat operations in Anbar province, Iraq, on July 29, 2006
Pfc. Henry G. Byrd III 20 1st Battalion, 30th Infantry Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 3rd Infantry Division Veguita, New Mexico Died on June 24, 2007, in Landstuhl, Germany, from a non-combat related illness sustained while in Iraq on June 18.
http://www.cnn.com/SPECIALS/2003/iraq/forces/casualties/
Old enough for combat but the rest of the country says they are not old enough to drink. The view of them being unable to control themselves comes from the development of the human mind. The emotional part of the mind is not fully mature until the age of 25. The "person" we end up becoming is pretty much "carved in stone" by then.
It works the same way when the military trains Marines, Soldiers, Airmen, Sailors and National Guardsmen. They are trained to think a different way and be able to function in dangerous conditions, then adapt back to be able to deal with nothing to do. Adrenalins rushing every part of them, followed by alert boredom. They do remember they are in a war zone even when there is nothing going on. Considering what's been happening in Iraq and Afghanistan all these years with suicide bombers, IED filled roads and Taliban attacks, they never really rest.
This report shows that "monotony" plays a part in outcoming veteran and what comes next.
Study finds boredom puts troops at risk of anti-social behavior later
Navy researchers in San Diego say that a war zone deployment marked by monotony can be an even greater precursor of misconduct than the psychological trauma of combat.
By Tony Perry, Los Angeles Times
May 22, 2010
It's long been assumed — correctly — that a Marine who experiences the psychological trauma of combat in Iraq or Afghanistan has an increased chance of getting into trouble when he comes home.
But two researchers at the Naval Health Research Center in San Diego have found another deployment experience that can be an even greater precursor of bad behavior later: boredom.
A survey of 1,543 Marines at Camp Pendleton, Twentynine Palms, Calif., and the Marine base in Okinawa, Japan, found that the Marine most likely to disobey orders, get into physical confrontations, neglect his family or run afoul of the police is one who reports that his war zone deployment was marked by boredom.
Dr. Stephanie Booth-Kewley and Robyn Highfill-McRoy of the research center's behavioral sciences and epidemiology department reported on their study to the Navy and Marine Corps Combat & Operational Stress Conference this week in San Diego. Their findings may later be published in the journal Aggressive Behavior.The study also concluded that divorced Marines, younger Marines and those with mild traumatic brain injury are also more likely to display such behavior when they return. The average age of the Marines in the survey was 26 years; 46% had been deployed multiple times.
read more here
We understand how alcohol can influence the mind but fail to understand how adrenaline changes the way humans respond from that point on. Take a young Marine, convince them they are tougher than the average human, train them to endure and you enchant them into thinking they are supposed to stop being a teenager still growing up or a pre-adult with very real grownup problems facing them.
The enchantment of the warrior begins. While it is necessary to teach them how to use weapons, focus on the mission, follow orders without stopping to really think about those orders, train their bodies to function under extreme conditions, what is not necessary is to attempt to train them to be machines without emotions.
The emotions they enter into the military with are strong. Their courage is built on the foundation of their chain of emotions. While they should be developing under "normal" circumstances, the abnormal has become "normal" to them. They need to be reminded of what "normal" really is.
They return home to family and friends, but they notice they are not thinking the same way they did before. They don't feel things the same way they did before.
Age matters but depends on the branch in special training.
To become a Navy SEAL the age is 18-28, yet to become a Army Green Beret it is 20-30.
The average age for Special Forces is 32.
Special Forces
The popularity of Special Forces among recent U.S. decision makers is due to their maturity, secretiveness, and ability to achieve substantial aims with small numbers. Special Forces recruits chiefly noncommissioned officers. The average age of troopers is 32—ten years older than the average army infantryman or Marine. Troopers therefore have already had considerable experience, extensive training, the ability to teach, and are likely to command more respect than would a younger, less experienced soldier. Additionally, Special Forces troopers are parachutists; they are also required to speak at least one foreign language.
It really depends on the maturity of the candidate for these special warrior classifications. They must be physically able as well as mentally able.
If we look back at veterans with PTSD, it is not so much the age they are when they seek help or are finally coming to terms with it, we need to look back at the age they were when they were exposed to the traumatic events haunting them now. The older they are when exposed, the less likely they may pay the price is the theory I am approaching this with. It comes from too many years of researching PTSD and contact with veterans. Compassion is a great indicator of if they walk away from combat traumas with more pain than they are able to carry on their own, or if they manage to leave it behind them. Compassion, the strong human emotion feeding the courage they have to be able to serve, is the doorway to PTSD but age may very well turn out to be the key.
If this is the case then it would also explain how younger veterans of combat seeking help soon after a PTSD diagnosis has a better chance of healing more fully. Before 25, the frontal lobe is still "growing up" and able to re-learn "normal" reactions to normal emotions. Being able to control their reactions is restored. It is perhaps one of the factors behind many older veterans feeling as if they "never grew up" even with the advanced years of combat Vietnam veterans. There are many "childlike" qualities still within them. The bonding they feel toward others is strong, in many cases, unbreakable as if they have spent all their lives with other veterans they call "brother."
This indicates that as their minds "grew up" with the wound of war trapped inside, it becomes less reversible. This could be because of the rest of their lives piling onto what was already suffering from a young age. While they have discovered it is not too late to heal no matter how many years have passed, it is also common knowledge there are aspects of PTSD that will not heal. When the rest of their lives are healed, when they understand why they think and react the way they do, they discover a whole new set of coping tools to help them overcome what could not be reversed.
The self-loathing, feeling as if they are unforgivable, evaporates and then the return of joys as the emotional wall is broken down so that emotions can live freely in their lives. Even with Vietnam seeking help over 30 years after the emotional assault, they are still healing. They feel forgiven and they forgive themselves. Regrettably too many never healed and took their own lives, walk the streets as homeless veterans or live isolated lives trapped in past pain.
Time and age should be placed in alert methods to respond to the crisis we see today in returning OEF and OIF veterans. There is a "golden hour" in this as well. The sooner they seek help to heal the sooner it takes over what PTSD is trying to do to them. If we understand how the human mind works, how we all change by events we live through, we are able to look at veterans through our own experiences and how they affected us. We then can take that understanding and imagine our own lives subjected to the same events, durations and exposures they go through all the time. Programs should be developed to bring awareness of PTSD to the level they can understand easily to overcome it better. The younger they are in this case, may predict how hard they fall and how fast.
If the military keeps trying to enchant them into thinking that being "resilient" means they can prevent being human, the warriors coming back will keep paying the price.
Sister's love and awareness helping PTSD Veteran heal
One step at a time
They've always been close. So when Jonathan Zagami returned from Iraq suffering from PTSD, his sister Jaime went the extra mile to help.
By Bella English
Globe Staff
Four days after he turned 18, in May 2002, Jonathan Zagami enlisted in the Army Reserves and shipped out with the first ground forces that invaded Iraq. A combat engineer, he cleared minefields, did demolition work, and built camps and guard towers for the soldiers.
“I’d help load guys on the plane who were all shot up,’’ he says, recalling one soldier who had lost a leg. “I said, ‘Dude, I feel so bad for you.’ He said, ‘I feel bad for you. I’m going home.’ That was a real gut check for me.’’
Zagami had left his Needham home after high school graduation an outgoing, affable teenager: “everybody’s friend,’’ as he puts it. He returned home two years later an angry, profane stranger.
“He couldn’t even let us hug him when he first came back,’’ says his sister, Jaime.
When Jonathan and Jaime cross home plate with 3,000 others tomorrow at Fenway Park, it will be just the latest milestone the brother and sister have reached since he returned from Iraq, a wounded warrior, six years ago. They’re participating in the 9K Run To Home Base, a fund-raiser sponsored by the Red Sox Foundation and Massachusetts General Hospital. The race benefits Home Base, a new partnership between the two organizations to treat veterans of Iraq and Afghanistan who suffer from post traumatic stress disorder and traumatic brain injury — the two signature wounds of the wars.
The program began percolating in Tom Werner’s mind after the Red Sox visited veterans at Walter Reed Army Medical Center following the 2007 World Series championship. Werner, chairman of the Red Sox, was shocked at the high percentage of soldiers with PTSD and traumatic brain injury. The Pentagon recently announced that mental health disorders caused more hospitalizations among US troops last year than any other reason, accounting for 40 percent of all days spent in hospitals.
read more here
One step at a time
Friday, May 21, 2010
For your unconquerable soul
Invictus
Out of the night that covers me,
Black as the pit from pole to pole,
I thank whatever gods may be
For my unconquerable soul.
In the fell clutch of circumstance
I have not winced nor cried aloud.
Under the bludgeonings of chance
My head is bloody, but unbowed.
Beyond this place of wrath and tears
Looms but the Horror of the shade,
And yet the menace of the years
Finds and shall find me unafraid.
It matters not how strait the gate,
How charged with punishments the scroll,
I am the master of my fate:
I am the captain of my soul.
William Ernest Henley (1849–1903)
You are captain of your soul and can heal that soul you are in charge of, if you work as hard to heal as you do to hide the pain, you will heal.
It all depends on how you see yourself, thru whose eyes you see what is invisible to the rest of the world but they are witness of through all you do. What is it you show them? What is it you want them to see when they look into your eyes? Is it all that God blessed you with, love, mercy, joy, compassion and courage to act for the sake of someone else, or is it everything you thought you were gone from your days? It's all still there beneath the pain you carry.
When you look at the people you loved, do you want them to see a stranger standing there so they don't see the pain you carry or do you want them to see you just need help finding "you" again?
Do you really want to push your wife away because you are afraid she will look too closely and see what you don't want her to see or do you want her to see someone she loved, someone she wanted to spend the rest of her life with is now being held prisoner of his circumstances?
If you choose to hide instead of heal, you will lose yourself in the sadness, but if you choose to heal, you will come out on the other side better and stronger for it. The people you love, the ones who loved you, will not walk away from your life if they understand the changes in you need help to come out of you. You are captain of your soul and you choose the direction.
It is not strength to let your soul grow weaker. It is not courage to be afraid to face the pain so that you can overcome it. It is not honoring the life you had before trying to run away from where that life placed you. Heal your yesterday so you can be whole tomorrow.
PTSD is a part of your life in this moment, in this hour, because of events that happened in your life but you choose to let them take over the rest of your life or you choose to allow the person you always were to be stronger than the pain. Forgetting about it, pushing it into the back of your mind, "getting over it" is not overcoming it or defeating it. It is allowed to defeat you. Fight it with everything that is available to you and lean on people who care about you. Drinking and trying to drug it away will make it stronger and you weaker.
Lean on love around you since pain is what caused it to enter into your soul. Reach out just as you would expect others to reach out to you without fear of judgment. Be captain of your own soul and set the course for healing so that you can once again know your "unconquerable soul."
VA warns against cuts to vet housing program
VA warns against cuts to vet housing program
Medill News Service - Medill News Service
Posted : Friday May 21, 2010 10:49:18 EDT
Budget cuts to a crucial housing program for homeless veterans could demolish the Veterans Affairs Department’s five-year plan to end veteran homelessness, Secretary Eric Shinseki said Thursday at a joint hearing of two Senate appropriations subcommittees.
Since 2008, Congress has allotted $75 million a year to the Housing and Urban Development Department and VA for the Supportive House program. But HUD has eliminated the program from its proposed 2011 budget, shifting the burden of funding entirely to VA.
At a time when the number of unemployed and mentally ill veterans is on the rise, the lack of resources creates what Shinseki called a “perfect storm” for homelessness among vets.
read more here
VA warns against cuts to vet housing program
Medill News Service - Medill News Service
Posted : Friday May 21, 2010 10:49:18 EDT
Budget cuts to a crucial housing program for homeless veterans could demolish the Veterans Affairs Department’s five-year plan to end veteran homelessness, Secretary Eric Shinseki said Thursday at a joint hearing of two Senate appropriations subcommittees.
Since 2008, Congress has allotted $75 million a year to the Housing and Urban Development Department and VA for the Supportive House program. But HUD has eliminated the program from its proposed 2011 budget, shifting the burden of funding entirely to VA.
At a time when the number of unemployed and mentally ill veterans is on the rise, the lack of resources creates what Shinseki called a “perfect storm” for homelessness among vets.
read more here
VA warns against cuts to vet housing program
Real Warriors Campaign shows no shame in asking for help
Panel Discusses Post-traumatic Stress
By Christen N. McCluney
Emerging Media, Defense Media Activity
WASHINGTON, May 21, 2010 – As the frequency and length of military deployments increase, servicemembers and their families are faced with challenges associated with deployment and combat.
Building resilience, facilitating recovery and supporting reintegration of returning servicemembers and veterans are important steps in helping to prevent and treat combat stress reactions such as post-traumatic stress disorder.
“The biggest challenge is often related to the mental health stigma that exists out there,” Air Force Lt. Col. Christopher Robinson, senior executive for psychological health at the Defense Centers of Excellence for Psychological Health and Traumatic Brain Injury, said in a “DoD Live” bloggers roundtable yesterday.
The Defense Centers of Excellence partners with the Defense and Veterans Affairs departments and a network of military and civilian agencies and mental health experts to encourage servicemembers to increase their awareness of psychological health and traumatic brain injury concerns and use resources available to them.
Army Staff Sgt. Meg Krause, a reservist and Real Warriors Campaign volunteer, as well as retired Navy Cmdr. René A. Campos, director of health care issues and government relations for the Military Officers Association of America, joined Robinson on the conference call.
The Real Warriors Campaign, sponsored by the Defense Centers of Excellence, combats the stigma associated with seeking psychological health care and treatment. At the heart of the campaign are servicemembers like Krause, who are proving through example that reaching out for care does not mean the end of a military career.
Krause, who experienced PTSD after a tour in Iraq, discussed how she thought she would be able to cope after returning home. Her biggest fear was that she would lose her job if she admitted that there was something wrong.
“I figured a few nightmares or flashbacks here or there were normal, and did my best to cope and avoid triggers … as it turned out I faced a larger struggle than expected,” Krause said.
Krause said she began having issues with substance abuse and neglected her military commitments. It wasn’t until she was contacted by her unit, she added, that she realized she would not lose her job or be disciplined for having PTSD. Her commander told her he had received treatment for PTSD, she said, and that helped her to discover that there was no shame in admitting she needed help.
read more here
Real Warriors Campaign
By Christen N. McCluney
Emerging Media, Defense Media Activity
WASHINGTON, May 21, 2010 – As the frequency and length of military deployments increase, servicemembers and their families are faced with challenges associated with deployment and combat.
Building resilience, facilitating recovery and supporting reintegration of returning servicemembers and veterans are important steps in helping to prevent and treat combat stress reactions such as post-traumatic stress disorder.
“The biggest challenge is often related to the mental health stigma that exists out there,” Air Force Lt. Col. Christopher Robinson, senior executive for psychological health at the Defense Centers of Excellence for Psychological Health and Traumatic Brain Injury, said in a “DoD Live” bloggers roundtable yesterday.
The Defense Centers of Excellence partners with the Defense and Veterans Affairs departments and a network of military and civilian agencies and mental health experts to encourage servicemembers to increase their awareness of psychological health and traumatic brain injury concerns and use resources available to them.
Army Staff Sgt. Meg Krause, a reservist and Real Warriors Campaign volunteer, as well as retired Navy Cmdr. René A. Campos, director of health care issues and government relations for the Military Officers Association of America, joined Robinson on the conference call.
The Real Warriors Campaign, sponsored by the Defense Centers of Excellence, combats the stigma associated with seeking psychological health care and treatment. At the heart of the campaign are servicemembers like Krause, who are proving through example that reaching out for care does not mean the end of a military career.
Krause, who experienced PTSD after a tour in Iraq, discussed how she thought she would be able to cope after returning home. Her biggest fear was that she would lose her job if she admitted that there was something wrong.
“I figured a few nightmares or flashbacks here or there were normal, and did my best to cope and avoid triggers … as it turned out I faced a larger struggle than expected,” Krause said.
Krause said she began having issues with substance abuse and neglected her military commitments. It wasn’t until she was contacted by her unit, she added, that she realized she would not lose her job or be disciplined for having PTSD. Her commander told her he had received treatment for PTSD, she said, and that helped her to discover that there was no shame in admitting she needed help.
read more here
Real Warriors Campaign
Doing the Right Thing for homeless veterans
Doing the Right Thing . . .
Tonight, Veterans for Common Sense shares a special video featuring Eric Shinseki, our current Secretary of Veterans Affairs and an retired Army General, discussing our homeless veterans.
In our February 7, 2008, VCS Congressional testimony about VA's 2009 budget, VCS asked for a new VA policy of "zero tolerance for homeless veterans."
Watching Secretary Shinseki's video, we believe he gets it, and we want him to win this battle for our veterans by ending homelessness.
We are in this together. Yes, we can do this.
Sincerely, Veterans for Common Sense
Tonight, Veterans for Common Sense shares a special video featuring Eric Shinseki, our current Secretary of Veterans Affairs and an retired Army General, discussing our homeless veterans.
In our February 7, 2008, VCS Congressional testimony about VA's 2009 budget, VCS asked for a new VA policy of "zero tolerance for homeless veterans."
Watching Secretary Shinseki's video, we believe he gets it, and we want him to win this battle for our veterans by ending homelessness.
We are in this together. Yes, we can do this.
Sincerely, Veterans for Common Sense
Vietnam veteran killed outside gate at Florida Air Force base
Why was an FBI agent at the gate in the first place? Why wouldn't he shoot the hand with the knife instead of killing him? So many questions we may never know the answers to. Stress can send a PTSD veteran into flashbacks. Was he having one?
Randolph native and Vietnam veteran killed outside gate at Florida Air Force base
By Lane Lambert
The Patriot Ledger
Posted May 21, 2010 @ 07:05 AM
A Vietnam War veteran who grew up in Randolph was shot and killed at the gate of a Tampa Air Force base after he apparently threatened an off-duty FBI agent with a knife.
Ronald J. Bullock, 61, suffered from post-traumatic stress disorder and was taking medications, according to published reports in Tampa that quoted Bullock’s uncle and one of his brothers.
The confrontation and shooting occurred about 6 p.m. Wednesday at the Dale Mabry gate at MacDill Air Force Base. Bullock was pronounced dead an hour later.
On Thursday, Bullock’s family remained in the dark about what happened.
‘‘Something happened at the gate. He pulled a knife and an FBI agent shot him. It’s all very sketchy,’’ Bullock's brother, John, told Channel 5.
Authorities said the incident began with an altercation at an on-base camping area that is open to anyone with a military identification card.
The off-duty FBI agent who shot Bullock was with base security officers responding to the disturbance. According to authorities, Bullock got on his motorcycle and headed for the gate, refusing to stop for security.
read more here
Vietnam veteran killed outside gate at Florida Air Force base
Predatory lenders to pay $1 million to Fort Campbellsoldiers
Predatory lenders to pay $1 million to soldiers
The Associated Press
Posted : Thursday May 20, 2010 16:09:07 EDT
NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Tennessee Attorney General Bob Cooper says North Carolina-based financial companies accused of predatory lending practices against Fort Campbell soldiers will have to pay them more than $1 million.
read more here
http://www.armytimes.com/news/2010/05/ap_lending_suit_052010/
The Associated Press
Posted : Thursday May 20, 2010 16:09:07 EDT
NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Tennessee Attorney General Bob Cooper says North Carolina-based financial companies accused of predatory lending practices against Fort Campbell soldiers will have to pay them more than $1 million.
read more here
http://www.armytimes.com/news/2010/05/ap_lending_suit_052010/
Vet riding across state to raise PTSD awareness
Vet riding across state to raise awareness
To honor a friend and raise awareness about post-traumatic stress disorder and suicide, a Fargo man will ride from Beach to Fargo beginning Sunday.
By: Beth Wischmeyer, The Dickinson Press
To honor a friend and raise awareness about post-traumatic stress disorder and suicide, a Fargo man will ride from Beach to Fargo beginning Sunday.
National Guard Spc. Dan Olson, 26, of Bismarck, now of Fargo, served with Staff Sgt. Joe Biel, a native of Peever, S.D., and they became friends while in Iraq.
On their second deployment, the two were assigned to trip route clearance, or driving routes used by U.S. forces in search of military weapons. They located over 470 weapons, but reported they felt themselves always on edge, worried about their safety and the safety of others in their unit.
Biel and Olson returned from duty in November 2006.
On May 1, 2007, Biel’s family buried him in Wilmot, S.D., after he committed suicide just a few days earlier, a result of PTSD.
PTSD is an anxiety disorder that can develop after exposure to a terrifying event or ordeal in which grave physical harm occurred or was threatened. Traumatic events that may trigger PTSD include violent personal assaults, natural or human-caused disasters, accidents or military combat, according to the National Institute of Mental Health.
People with PTSD have persistent frightening thoughts and memories of their ordeal and feel emotionally numb, especially with people they were once close to. They may experience sleep problems and can be easily startled, according to NIMH.
Backed by the North Dakota American Legion’s “Courage Carries On” program, Olson hopes that his ride will help other soldiers affected by PTSD.
“We started ‘Courage Carries On’ a few years ago just because of this whole suicide issue, to bring awareness of the issue of the post-traumatic stress disorder and how severe that can get to the point where somebody wants to commit suicide,” said Jim Deremo, chairman of the American Legion Veterans Affairs & Rehabilitation committee.
read more here
Vet riding across state to raise awareness
To honor a friend and raise awareness about post-traumatic stress disorder and suicide, a Fargo man will ride from Beach to Fargo beginning Sunday.
By: Beth Wischmeyer, The Dickinson Press
To honor a friend and raise awareness about post-traumatic stress disorder and suicide, a Fargo man will ride from Beach to Fargo beginning Sunday.
National Guard Spc. Dan Olson, 26, of Bismarck, now of Fargo, served with Staff Sgt. Joe Biel, a native of Peever, S.D., and they became friends while in Iraq.
On their second deployment, the two were assigned to trip route clearance, or driving routes used by U.S. forces in search of military weapons. They located over 470 weapons, but reported they felt themselves always on edge, worried about their safety and the safety of others in their unit.
Biel and Olson returned from duty in November 2006.
On May 1, 2007, Biel’s family buried him in Wilmot, S.D., after he committed suicide just a few days earlier, a result of PTSD.
PTSD is an anxiety disorder that can develop after exposure to a terrifying event or ordeal in which grave physical harm occurred or was threatened. Traumatic events that may trigger PTSD include violent personal assaults, natural or human-caused disasters, accidents or military combat, according to the National Institute of Mental Health.
People with PTSD have persistent frightening thoughts and memories of their ordeal and feel emotionally numb, especially with people they were once close to. They may experience sleep problems and can be easily startled, according to NIMH.
Backed by the North Dakota American Legion’s “Courage Carries On” program, Olson hopes that his ride will help other soldiers affected by PTSD.
“We started ‘Courage Carries On’ a few years ago just because of this whole suicide issue, to bring awareness of the issue of the post-traumatic stress disorder and how severe that can get to the point where somebody wants to commit suicide,” said Jim Deremo, chairman of the American Legion Veterans Affairs & Rehabilitation committee.
read more here
Vet riding across state to raise awareness
Army and Marines should learn from Air Force programs
Marines and Soldiers face more than the Air Force, but it is the Air Force with the best programs. How is this possible? They deal with trauma the way the rest of the country does. They take action and understand the men and women serving are still humans. They take fast action understanding that the sooner they start to heal, the better the results. The Army and Marines face more traumatic events more often and on the ground but the Air Force is way ahead of them. Just doesn't seem right at all.
Air Force Prevention Program reduces suicide rates significantly
The U.S. Air Force Suicide Prevention Program (AFSPP) has reduced suicide rates significantly since it was launched in 1996, according to a new study that examined almost three decades of data.
"The enduring public health message from 12 years of this program is that suicide rates can be reduced, and that program success requires interventions to be consistently supported, maintained, and monitored for compliance," the researchers conclude in the study published by the American Journal of Public Health.
Kerry L. Knox, Ph.D., associate professor of Psychiatry at the University of Rochester Medical Center, led the study. She also directed a landmark assessment of the AFSPP almost seven years ago.
In the current study, which examined suicide rates in the Air Force from 1981 to 2008, Knox and her colleagues found a reduction in the mean suicide rate after the implementation of the prevention program of about 21 percent that was consistent except for one year, 2004.
Still, the researchers called the AFSPP "the first long-term sustained effort of its kind to serve as an example of what communities can accomplish in reducing morbidity and mortality attributable to suicidal behaviors if there is ongoing commitment to do so."
The AFSPP encourages members of the Air Force to seek help, promotes the development of coping skills and fights the stigma associated with receiving mental health care. The program stresses the absence of negative career consequences for seeking and receiving treatment.
Through the AFSPP, suicide prevention is included in all military training. Commanders receive training on how and when to use mental health services, and their role in encouraging early help-seeking behavior. Trauma stress response teams were established worldwide to respond to traumatic incidents such as terrorist attacks, serious accidents, or suicide. These teams help personnel deal with the emotions they experience in reaction to traumatic incidents.
read more here
Air Force Prevention Program reduces suicide rates
Two officers killed, two more wounded after traffic stop
Suspects in police shooting killed in West Memphis shootout
Posted: May 20, 2010 1:17 PM EDT
WEST MEMPHIS, AR (WMC-TV) - Two West Memphis police officers were shot and killed Thursday during a traffic stop along a busy cross-country interstate highway. The local sheriff and his chief deputy were wounded in a later shootout that left a pair of suspects dead.
Officers pulled over a white minivan with Ohio license plates while "running drug interdiction" on Interstate 40 in east Arkansas, said West Memphis Police Inspector Bert Shelton. Two men got out of the van with the assault rifles and opened fire on the officers, he said.
Sgt. Brandon Paudert, 39, the son of West Memphis' police chief, died at the scene and Officer Bill Evans, 38, died at a hospital, authorities said. Evans made the initial stop, and Paudert arrived moments later as backup, Assistant Police Chief Mike Allen said late Thursday.
"In what was probably only a few minutes, Officer Evans was shoved to the ground and the men in the minivan started shooting at both officers," Allen said.
Posted: May 20, 2010 1:17 PM EDT
WEST MEMPHIS, AR (WMC-TV) - Two West Memphis police officers were shot and killed Thursday during a traffic stop along a busy cross-country interstate highway. The local sheriff and his chief deputy were wounded in a later shootout that left a pair of suspects dead.
Officers pulled over a white minivan with Ohio license plates while "running drug interdiction" on Interstate 40 in east Arkansas, said West Memphis Police Inspector Bert Shelton. Two men got out of the van with the assault rifles and opened fire on the officers, he said.
Sgt. Brandon Paudert, 39, the son of West Memphis' police chief, died at the scene and Officer Bill Evans, 38, died at a hospital, authorities said. Evans made the initial stop, and Paudert arrived moments later as backup, Assistant Police Chief Mike Allen said late Thursday.
"In what was probably only a few minutes, Officer Evans was shoved to the ground and the men in the minivan started shooting at both officers," Allen said.
Additionally, Crittenden County Sheriff Dick Busby and a deputy, W. A. Wren, were shot and wounded. Both men were taken by helicopter to The MED.
go here for more
Military intelligence in Afghanistan didn't include weapons?
We sent troops into Afghanistan in 2001! It took the military this long to figure out the Afghan's had longer range firing power? Older guns were killing off our troops because they could reach them when the US guns couldn't reach back? And no one noticed this until now?
Also reported was the fact the deadly attack the other day was carried out because they had uniforms.
US rifles not suited to warfare in Afghan hills
By SLOBODAN LEKIC
The Associated Press
Friday, May 21, 2010; 4:41 AM
KABUL, Afghanistan -- The U.S. military's workhorse rifle - used in battle for the last 40 years - is proving less effective in Afghanistan against the Taliban's more primitive but longer range weapons.
As a result, the U.S. is reevaluating the performance of its standard M-4 rifle and considering a switch to weapons that fire a larger round largely discarded in the 1960s.
The M-4 is an updated version of the M-16, which was designed for close quarters combat in Vietnam. It worked well in Iraq, where much of the fighting was in cities such as Baghdad, Ramadi and Fallujah.
read more here
US rifles not suited to warfare in Afghan hills
Also reported was the fact the deadly attack the other day was carried out because they had uniforms.
Official: Bagram attackers wore U.S.-style uniforms
Insurgents who attacked Bagram Air Base in Afghanistan on Wednesday were wearing U.S. Army-style battle fatigue uniforms, according to a U.S. military official who has seen initial eyewitness accounts of the attack.
A second U.S. military official confirmed the initial accounts but said he did not know if all of the attackers were wearing U.S.-style uniforms.
The officials did not want to be identified because of the ongoing investigation.
Neither official could say whether the uniforms were stolen, or how the insurgents came into possession of them. U.S. military-style items are available on the internet for purchase.
Attackers had AK-47 rifles, rocket-propelled grenades and "typical Middle Eastern load-carrying equipment" such as ammunition belts and other military accessories, according to the first official.
read more of this here
Bagram attackers wore US style uniforms
Stolen Valor, Fake Marine Fakes way into Army as NCO
AP INVESTIGATION: Texas man faked way into Army
By DANNY ROBBINS (AP) – 5 hours ago
FORT WORTH, Texas — A Texas man with no military experience managed to trick the Army into letting him enter a reserve unit as a noncommissioned officer earlier this year, putting an untrained soldier in a leadership position in a time of war, an Associated Press investigation has found.
The revelation comes just months after the Army drew criticism for failing to flag the suspicious activities of the Army psychiatrist now charged with killing 13 and wounding dozens of others at Fort Hood.
The case, detailed in court records and other documents examined by the AP, raises more questions about the Army's ability to vet soldiers' backgrounds as it faces continued pressure from Congress over its screening and records system. While the soldier never deployed overseas, some say the case demonstrates how easily someone could pose as a member of the U.S. military.
Jesse Bernard Johnston III, 26, joined the Army Reserve in February as a sergeant and was assigned to the Corps Support Airplane Company based at the Fort Worth Naval Air Station. But he wasn't qualified to hold that rank, according to military records obtained by the AP. The records show that Johnston's only military experience was attending part of a 12-week Marine officer candidate course for college students in 2004.
Maj. Shawn Haney, spokeswoman for Marine Manpower and Reserve Affairs, said Johnston didn't complete the course's final six weeks. "He was never considered a Marine," she said.
The matter, currently under investigation by the Army, means a soldier received a security clearance and was in position to lead troops in combat even though he hadn't gone through basic training or spent any time in the service. The Corps Support Airplane Company has been deployed in Iraq, providing pilots as well as intelligence and support personnel for an aviation battalion set up to destroy improvised explosive devices.
If it's proven that Johnston gained his Army rank based on a phony Marine record, it would be the first documented case of so-called "stolen valor" in which the military was duped during the enlistment process, according to watchdogs of such fraud. Most cases involve attempts to get veterans' benefits or other forms of financial gain. Congress attempted to crack down on military impostors in 2005 by passing a law that makes it a crime to claim false decorations or medals.
read more here
Texas man faked way into Army
By DANNY ROBBINS (AP) – 5 hours ago
FORT WORTH, Texas — A Texas man with no military experience managed to trick the Army into letting him enter a reserve unit as a noncommissioned officer earlier this year, putting an untrained soldier in a leadership position in a time of war, an Associated Press investigation has found.
The revelation comes just months after the Army drew criticism for failing to flag the suspicious activities of the Army psychiatrist now charged with killing 13 and wounding dozens of others at Fort Hood.
The case, detailed in court records and other documents examined by the AP, raises more questions about the Army's ability to vet soldiers' backgrounds as it faces continued pressure from Congress over its screening and records system. While the soldier never deployed overseas, some say the case demonstrates how easily someone could pose as a member of the U.S. military.
Jesse Bernard Johnston III, 26, joined the Army Reserve in February as a sergeant and was assigned to the Corps Support Airplane Company based at the Fort Worth Naval Air Station. But he wasn't qualified to hold that rank, according to military records obtained by the AP. The records show that Johnston's only military experience was attending part of a 12-week Marine officer candidate course for college students in 2004.
Maj. Shawn Haney, spokeswoman for Marine Manpower and Reserve Affairs, said Johnston didn't complete the course's final six weeks. "He was never considered a Marine," she said.
The matter, currently under investigation by the Army, means a soldier received a security clearance and was in position to lead troops in combat even though he hadn't gone through basic training or spent any time in the service. The Corps Support Airplane Company has been deployed in Iraq, providing pilots as well as intelligence and support personnel for an aviation battalion set up to destroy improvised explosive devices.
If it's proven that Johnston gained his Army rank based on a phony Marine record, it would be the first documented case of so-called "stolen valor" in which the military was duped during the enlistment process, according to watchdogs of such fraud. Most cases involve attempts to get veterans' benefits or other forms of financial gain. Congress attempted to crack down on military impostors in 2005 by passing a law that makes it a crime to claim false decorations or medals.
read more here
Texas man faked way into Army
The Dry Land movie based on real PTSD veterans
'The Dry Land' sheds light on stress disorder
Filmmakers will premiere the movie in Boise.
By Dana Oland - doland@idahostatesman.com
Published: 05/21/10
Filmmaker Ryan Piers Williams wants his movies to be about more than just entertainment. They have to be about real life.
"One of the most powerful things about movies is that they can raise questions, start conversations and inspire action," he says by phone from his New York apartment.
That was the goal from the beginning for Williams' feature debut "The Dry Land," a hard-hitting look at the growing problem of post-traumatic stress disorder among American service people returning from Iraq.
Produced by Boise's Heather Rae, it has won critical acclaim at the Sundance Film Festival and the grand prize at the Dallas Film Festival. Rae, Williams and star America Ferrera ("Ugly Betty") will be in Boise next week for a premiere screening to benefit the Veterans Resource Network Group and to kick off a series of screenings on military bases across the country.
Half the tickets will be sold to the public, half will be given to members of the military and their significant others.
Read more: The Dry Land sheds light on stress disorder
Filmmakers will premiere the movie in Boise.
By Dana Oland - doland@idahostatesman.com
Published: 05/21/10
Filmmaker Ryan Piers Williams wants his movies to be about more than just entertainment. They have to be about real life.
"One of the most powerful things about movies is that they can raise questions, start conversations and inspire action," he says by phone from his New York apartment.
That was the goal from the beginning for Williams' feature debut "The Dry Land," a hard-hitting look at the growing problem of post-traumatic stress disorder among American service people returning from Iraq.
Produced by Boise's Heather Rae, it has won critical acclaim at the Sundance Film Festival and the grand prize at the Dallas Film Festival. Rae, Williams and star America Ferrera ("Ugly Betty") will be in Boise next week for a premiere screening to benefit the Veterans Resource Network Group and to kick off a series of screenings on military bases across the country.
Half the tickets will be sold to the public, half will be given to members of the military and their significant others.
Read more: The Dry Land sheds light on stress disorder
Thursday, May 20, 2010
Veterans Village of San Diego
For years readers of this blog have heard me say how the Vietnam Veterans lived up to the promise of never leaving one generations of veterans behind. This is one group that proves just how serious Vietnam Veterans were about this expression of dedication.
Courage to Call
24/7 Information & Support HelplineCourage to Call, (877) MyUsVet, (877) 698-7838, is a new Prevention and Early Intervention program in San Diego County, entirely staffed by military veterans who have recently served their country. Services are provided to those who have served in any Military or Guard (both active & former), their families and loved ones.
VVSD History
Over the years, VVSD has developed a continuum of care for veterans which stretches from the three days of outreach to homeless veterans at Stand Down to providing affordable, sober living houses for those who have successfully passed through VVSD's Veterans Rehabilitation Center.
1981: Veterans Village of San Diego was founded as the Vietnam Veterans of San Diego by five Vietnam Veterans, dealing with their own issues and addictions stemming from the Vietnam War. From the onset to the present day, VVSD has been dedicated to assisting needy veterans. 1984: Established "Landing Zone" on 11th Avenue near Market Street opened providing 44 licensed alcohol and drug treatment facility beds for Vietnam Veterans funded by County Alcohol and Drug Services.
1988: Established "Dust Off", an 18 bed transitional housing facility on 5th Avenue. During that same year VVSD founded Stand Down and served over 650 homeless veterans. VVSD is the model for the over 200 Stand Downs that now exist nationwide.
go here for more of VVSD's history
http://www.vvsd.net/history.htm
House panel labels Fort Hood victims as combat casualties
House panel labels Fort Hood victims as combat casualties
By Leo Shane III, Stars and Stripes
Online Edition, Thursday, May 20, 2010
WASHINGTON — Victims of the Fort Hood shooting in Texas last November could be recognized as combat casualties under a measure approved by a House panel Wednesday.
The move would make survivors and relatives of those killed eligible for certain specialty pays and benefits, although it would not make the injured eligible for Purple Hearts. The House Armed Services Committee included the provision in their draft of the fiscal 2011 Defense Authorization Bill, along with a host of other military spending items.
Under current Defense Department rules, families of servicemembers killed in combat zones receive another $100,000 death benefit on top of the $400,000 maximum life insurance payout, and those wounded overseas are guaranteed additional money for catastrophic injuries. Those specialty pays are not taxed when awarded in a combat theater.
read more here
House panel labels Fort Hood victims as combat casualties
By Leo Shane III, Stars and Stripes
Online Edition, Thursday, May 20, 2010
WASHINGTON — Victims of the Fort Hood shooting in Texas last November could be recognized as combat casualties under a measure approved by a House panel Wednesday.
The move would make survivors and relatives of those killed eligible for certain specialty pays and benefits, although it would not make the injured eligible for Purple Hearts. The House Armed Services Committee included the provision in their draft of the fiscal 2011 Defense Authorization Bill, along with a host of other military spending items.
Under current Defense Department rules, families of servicemembers killed in combat zones receive another $100,000 death benefit on top of the $400,000 maximum life insurance payout, and those wounded overseas are guaranteed additional money for catastrophic injuries. Those specialty pays are not taxed when awarded in a combat theater.
read more here
House panel labels Fort Hood victims as combat casualties
Army identifies five killed in Kabul blast
Army identifies five killed in Kabul blast
Three officers among fallen, including colonel
By Dan Blottenberger, Stars and Stripes
Mideast edition, Friday, May 21, 2010
An Army colonel based in Fort Leavenworth, Kan., was among five U.S. soldiers killed by the powerful blast in Kabul on Tuesday, Pentagon officials have confirmed.
Two lieutenant colonels from Fort Drum, N.Y., and two Germany-based enlisted soldiers also died when a vehicle loaded with explosives hit a NATO convoy near government buildings.
http://www.stripes.com/article.asp?section=104&article=70112
Three officers among fallen, including colonel
By Dan Blottenberger, Stars and Stripes
Mideast edition, Friday, May 21, 2010
An Army colonel based in Fort Leavenworth, Kan., was among five U.S. soldiers killed by the powerful blast in Kabul on Tuesday, Pentagon officials have confirmed.
Two lieutenant colonels from Fort Drum, N.Y., and two Germany-based enlisted soldiers also died when a vehicle loaded with explosives hit a NATO convoy near government buildings.
read more hereLt. Col. Paul R. Bartz
Staff Sgt. Richard J. Tieman
Spc. Joshua A. Tomlinson
Col. John M. McHugh
Lt. Col. Thomas P. Belkofer
http://www.stripes.com/article.asp?section=104&article=70112
Gates concedes fight against 1.9% pay raise for the troops
Gates concedes fight against 1.9% pay raise
By William H. McMichael - Staff writer
Posted : Thursday May 20, 2010 16:16:56 EDT
Defense Secretary Robert Gates waved the white flag Thursday over the House Armed Services Committee’s decision to boost the Pentagon’s basic pay raise request for fiscal 2011 by half a percentage point, saying he would not recommend a presidential veto if the proposal is included in the final defense spending bill.
“I want change,” Gates told reporters at the Pentagon. “But I’m not crazy.”
The bill that came out of committee this week included a 1.9 percent raise in base pay effective Jan. 1. Congress has added one-half point to every Pentagon basic pay raise request since 2000 in an effort to narrow a perceived pay gap between average military and civilian wages.
If the Pentagon’s 1.4 percent proposal somehow survived, it would be the lowest raise in the history of the all-volunteer era that began in 1973.
read more hereGates concedes fight against pay raise
By William H. McMichael - Staff writer
Posted : Thursday May 20, 2010 16:16:56 EDT
Defense Secretary Robert Gates waved the white flag Thursday over the House Armed Services Committee’s decision to boost the Pentagon’s basic pay raise request for fiscal 2011 by half a percentage point, saying he would not recommend a presidential veto if the proposal is included in the final defense spending bill.
“I want change,” Gates told reporters at the Pentagon. “But I’m not crazy.”
The bill that came out of committee this week included a 1.9 percent raise in base pay effective Jan. 1. Congress has added one-half point to every Pentagon basic pay raise request since 2000 in an effort to narrow a perceived pay gap between average military and civilian wages.
If the Pentagon’s 1.4 percent proposal somehow survived, it would be the lowest raise in the history of the all-volunteer era that began in 1973.
read more hereGates concedes fight against pay raise
Senators aim to help troubled, jobless vets
Senators aim to help troubled, jobless vets
By Kelly Kennedy - Staff writer
Posted : Thursday May 20, 2010 15:35:24 EDT
As the Senate Veterans’ Affairs Committee reviewd various legislative proposals to help veterans Wednesday, they focused on two issues:
• Why can’t veterans get jobs?
• Why can’t they access the benefits they need to make them healthy, educate them for the future, and, ultimately, keep them off the streets?
Lawmakers and veterans service organization representatives laid the blame on bureaucracy.
At the White House Office of Management and Budget, veterans make up only 1 percent of the work force, said Rick Weidman, executive director for policy and government affairs for the Vietnam Veterans of America, and he said none of those veterans has disabilities.
read more here
Senators aim to help troubled, jobless vets
By Kelly Kennedy - Staff writer
Posted : Thursday May 20, 2010 15:35:24 EDT
As the Senate Veterans’ Affairs Committee reviewd various legislative proposals to help veterans Wednesday, they focused on two issues:
• Why can’t veterans get jobs?
• Why can’t they access the benefits they need to make them healthy, educate them for the future, and, ultimately, keep them off the streets?
Lawmakers and veterans service organization representatives laid the blame on bureaucracy.
At the White House Office of Management and Budget, veterans make up only 1 percent of the work force, said Rick Weidman, executive director for policy and government affairs for the Vietnam Veterans of America, and he said none of those veterans has disabilities.
read more here
Senators aim to help troubled, jobless vets
Amazing Grace students reach out to war vets
Amazing Grace students reach out to war vets
Students at Amazing Grace Christian School in Seattle cleaned out their piggy banks and raised more than $2,500 to benefit veterans groups and one disabled veteran.
By Nancy Bartley
Seattle Times staff reporter
The war in Afghanistan may be across the globe, but the conflict is very much a part of the daily curriculum in Michelle Zimmerman's class at Amazing Grace Christian School in Seattle.
When the class saw a news story about Army 1st Lt. Dan Berschinski, of Joint Base Lewis-McChord near Tacoma, who had lost his legs in battle, "We wanted to know more about Afghanistan," said Taelor Willhoite, 12, one of the students in the combined sixth- and seventh-grade class.
Writing to the soldiers there and learning about the war prompted the students to start a school-year-long campaign to support the troops and their families. The results: more than $2,500 raised for veterans groups and Berschinski.
read more here
Amazing Grace students reach out to war vets
Students at Amazing Grace Christian School in Seattle cleaned out their piggy banks and raised more than $2,500 to benefit veterans groups and one disabled veteran.
By Nancy Bartley
Seattle Times staff reporter
The war in Afghanistan may be across the globe, but the conflict is very much a part of the daily curriculum in Michelle Zimmerman's class at Amazing Grace Christian School in Seattle.
When the class saw a news story about Army 1st Lt. Dan Berschinski, of Joint Base Lewis-McChord near Tacoma, who had lost his legs in battle, "We wanted to know more about Afghanistan," said Taelor Willhoite, 12, one of the students in the combined sixth- and seventh-grade class.
Writing to the soldiers there and learning about the war prompted the students to start a school-year-long campaign to support the troops and their families. The results: more than $2,500 raised for veterans groups and Berschinski.
read more here
Amazing Grace students reach out to war vets
Chicago Cop, Home From Iraq, Slain By Robbers
Chicago Cop, Home From Iraq, Slain By Robbers
(Chicago, IL) -- An off-duty Chicago cop survived his second tour of duty in Iraq only to be slain in front of his parent's home on the city's South Side.
Authorities say Thomas Wortham had finished dinner with his parents and was leaving their home shortly before 11:30 local time last night.
Three robbers tried to take his new motorcycle and one of them opened fire.
Wortham died at a local hospital with multiple gunshot wounds to his head.
go here for the rest
Chicago Cop, Home From Iraq, Slain By Robbers
Unclaimed vet remains in NM, NJ laid to rest
Unclaimed vet remains in NM, NJ laid to rest
The Associated Press
Posted : Thursday May 20, 2010 9:55:39 EDT
Groups in both New Mexico and New Jersey have made efforts to honor the cremated remains of veterans that have gone unclaimed by friends and relatives.
The New Mexico Department of Veterans' Services has launched a program to bury, with full military honors, any unclaimed cremated remains of veterans.
The Forgotten Heroes Burial Program lets the agency become the de facto family for the veteran and to contact the National Cemetery in Santa Fe for a service after the Department of Veterans Affairs verifies the dead person is a veteran.
read more hereUnclaimed vet remains laid to rest
The Associated Press
Posted : Thursday May 20, 2010 9:55:39 EDT
Groups in both New Mexico and New Jersey have made efforts to honor the cremated remains of veterans that have gone unclaimed by friends and relatives.
The New Mexico Department of Veterans' Services has launched a program to bury, with full military honors, any unclaimed cremated remains of veterans.
The Forgotten Heroes Burial Program lets the agency become the de facto family for the veteran and to contact the National Cemetery in Santa Fe for a service after the Department of Veterans Affairs verifies the dead person is a veteran.
read more hereUnclaimed vet remains laid to rest
Fisher family to open new TBI mental health center
New TBI, mental health center to open in June
By Karen Jowers - Staff writer
Posted : Thursday May 20, 2010 10:17:57 EDT
A new 72,000-square-foot center for treatment of service members and veterans diagnosed with traumatic brain injury and psychological health conditions will open June 24 at National Naval Medical Center in Bethesda, Md.
The National Intrepid Center of Excellence, to be funded by private donations, is a project of the Intrepid Fallen Heroes Fund, a nonprofit organization begun by the Fisher family for supporting service members and their families.
The family is well known in the military community for its Fisher Houses, which provide low- or no-cost lodging for families of wounded or injured service members undergoing medical treatment or rehabilitation.
read more here
New TBI, mental health center to open in June
By Karen Jowers - Staff writer
Posted : Thursday May 20, 2010 10:17:57 EDT
A new 72,000-square-foot center for treatment of service members and veterans diagnosed with traumatic brain injury and psychological health conditions will open June 24 at National Naval Medical Center in Bethesda, Md.
The National Intrepid Center of Excellence, to be funded by private donations, is a project of the Intrepid Fallen Heroes Fund, a nonprofit organization begun by the Fisher family for supporting service members and their families.
The family is well known in the military community for its Fisher Houses, which provide low- or no-cost lodging for families of wounded or injured service members undergoing medical treatment or rehabilitation.
read more here
New TBI, mental health center to open in June
Armed Robbers Lock Diners In Restaurant Cooler
Armed Robbers Lock Diners In Restaurant Cooler
Thursday, May 20, 2010 10:35:16 AM
Reported by Dave D’Marko
WINTER SPRINGS -- Nearly a dozen employees and customers at a Seminole County Denny’s were forced into the restaurant’s walk-in cooler during a robbery.
Deputies said three armed men wearing masks walked into the Denny’s on Springs Villas Point late Wednesday night.
read more here
Armed Robbers Lock Diners In Restaurant Cooler
Thursday, May 20, 2010 10:35:16 AM
Reported by Dave D’Marko
WINTER SPRINGS -- Nearly a dozen employees and customers at a Seminole County Denny’s were forced into the restaurant’s walk-in cooler during a robbery.
Deputies said three armed men wearing masks walked into the Denny’s on Springs Villas Point late Wednesday night.
read more here
Armed Robbers Lock Diners In Restaurant Cooler
Can caring make you sick
Can caring make you sick?
By Elizabeth Cohen, CNN Senior Medical Correspondent
May 20, 2010 8:58 a.m. EDT
STORY HIGHLIGHTS
Caregiving can lead to psychological and physical health problems
Researchers believe depression and high levels of the stress hormone cortisol take toll
Author and mother gives five tips on stress and caregiving
(CNN) -- Soon after Paul Coskie's bicycle collided with a car, it became clear to his mother that her son would be sick for a very long time, and indeed he was. The 13-year-old boy went into a coma for a month and spent six months total in the hospital.
What his mother didn't know at the time was that Paul's collision would eventually claim another victim -- one who was nowhere near the accident scene.
After taking care of her son for a year, Dixie Fremont-Smith Coskie started to lose her balance, stumbling at times when she walked. Then she became so weak she couldn't get out of bed.
read more here
Can caring make you sick
By Elizabeth Cohen, CNN Senior Medical Correspondent
May 20, 2010 8:58 a.m. EDT
STORY HIGHLIGHTS
Caregiving can lead to psychological and physical health problems
Researchers believe depression and high levels of the stress hormone cortisol take toll
Author and mother gives five tips on stress and caregiving
(CNN) -- Soon after Paul Coskie's bicycle collided with a car, it became clear to his mother that her son would be sick for a very long time, and indeed he was. The 13-year-old boy went into a coma for a month and spent six months total in the hospital.
What his mother didn't know at the time was that Paul's collision would eventually claim another victim -- one who was nowhere near the accident scene.
After taking care of her son for a year, Dixie Fremont-Smith Coskie started to lose her balance, stumbling at times when she walked. Then she became so weak she couldn't get out of bed.
read more here
Can caring make you sick
Soldiers still fight combat back home
I was going through some old emails and I ran across this. It was from a post I did two years ago. A post that has haunted me and angered me ever since. This is one of the biggest reasons why I think programs like Battle Mind, while well intended, have done more harm than good. The other factor is that suicides have gone up instead of down.
The BBC did interviews in 2008 with US troops in Afghanistan. As reported, Battle Mind training was reduced to 11 1/2 minutes during two days of briefings after troops arrived. This is what we knew in 2008 and this is what has still been part of the problem in helping them heal.
The BBC did interviews in 2008 with US troops in Afghanistan. As reported, Battle Mind training was reduced to 11 1/2 minutes during two days of briefings after troops arrived. This is what we knew in 2008 and this is what has still been part of the problem in helping them heal.
Soldiers' fight persists post-war
Tuesday, 27 May 2008 00:28 UK
Nearly half the US soldiers who serve in Iraq and Afghanistan will suffer some form of post-traumatic stress, according to the US military.
Now there are efforts to find new ways to deal with the 60,000 cases of combat-related stress diagnosed since the conflicts began.
Dominic Di-Natale reports from Afghanistan.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/programmes/newsnight/7422853.stm
Sons Say Vietnam Vet Shot In Police Standoff Had PTSD
Sons Say Dad Shot In Police Standoff Had PTSD
GREELEY, Colo. (AP) ―
Two sons of a man who was shot outside a diner in Evans in a standoff with police say he was a Vietnam veteran who suffered from post-traumatic stress disorder.
Police say 60-year-old Kenneth Yeager pointed a gun at officers before they fired on him Sunday outside a diner where he had been thrown out earlier.
go here for more
http://cbs4denver.com/news/Angry.Colorado.diner.2.1704027.html
GREELEY, Colo. (AP) ―
Two sons of a man who was shot outside a diner in Evans in a standoff with police say he was a Vietnam veteran who suffered from post-traumatic stress disorder.
Police say 60-year-old Kenneth Yeager pointed a gun at officers before they fired on him Sunday outside a diner where he had been thrown out earlier.
go here for more
http://cbs4denver.com/news/Angry.Colorado.diner.2.1704027.html
Deputy and National Guard soldier shot by 16 year old
Investigators: Iowa Soldier Shot At His Home By Teen
POSTED: 5:43 pm CDT May 18, 2010
BROOKS, Iowa -- Investigators continued to gather evidence at the scene of a shooting in the Iowa town of Brooks on Tuesday.
Authorities said Daniel Beardsley, 16, escaped from the Clarinda Academy and drove to Matthew Herring's home.
Investigators said Beardsley shot Herring when Herring returned home from work. Beardsley also fired on Deputy Jason Swanson when Swanson came to the house to investigate the reported shooting.
Swanson suffered only minor injures.
After a three-hour standoff, Beardsley surrendered to authorities.
read more here
http://www.kcci.com/news/23599550/detail.html
POSTED: 5:43 pm CDT May 18, 2010
BROOKS, Iowa -- Investigators continued to gather evidence at the scene of a shooting in the Iowa town of Brooks on Tuesday.
Authorities said Daniel Beardsley, 16, escaped from the Clarinda Academy and drove to Matthew Herring's home.
Investigators said Beardsley shot Herring when Herring returned home from work. Beardsley also fired on Deputy Jason Swanson when Swanson came to the house to investigate the reported shooting.
Swanson suffered only minor injures.
After a three-hour standoff, Beardsley surrendered to authorities.
read more here
http://www.kcci.com/news/23599550/detail.html
Soldier dies in I-380 accident
Soldier dies in I-380 accident
Staff Sergeant Howard Joseph Braxton, 28, of Hampton, Virginia
A soldier stationed at Tobyhanna Army Depot died early Saturday morning in a one-vehicle crash on Route 380 in Clifton Twp., according to State Police-Dunmore.
go here for more
Soldier dies in I 380 accident
People in pain told how to kill themselves by nurse
Added On May 20, 2010
CNN's Randi Kaye reports on a former Minnesota nurse accused of instructing people how to kill themselves.
3,800 vets affected by latest VA data breaches
3,800 vets affected by latest VA data breaches
By Tom Spoth - Staff writer
Posted : Wednesday May 19, 2010 17:42:42 EDT
More than 3,800 veterans had their personal information compromised last month in two data breaches that have led to renewed criticism of the Veterans Affairs Department’s data security.
On April 22, an unencrypted laptop belonging to VA contractor Heritage Health Solutions was stolen from a vehicle, compromising the records of more than 600 veterans, Rep. Harry Mitchell, chairman of the House Veterans’ Affairs subcommittee on oversight, said at a hearing Wednesday.
And on April 24, a log book vanished from a medical lab that contained the records of 3,265 veterans.
Both incidents were related to VA facilities in Texas.
go here for more
3800 vets affected by latest VA data breaches
By Tom Spoth - Staff writer
Posted : Wednesday May 19, 2010 17:42:42 EDT
More than 3,800 veterans had their personal information compromised last month in two data breaches that have led to renewed criticism of the Veterans Affairs Department’s data security.
On April 22, an unencrypted laptop belonging to VA contractor Heritage Health Solutions was stolen from a vehicle, compromising the records of more than 600 veterans, Rep. Harry Mitchell, chairman of the House Veterans’ Affairs subcommittee on oversight, said at a hearing Wednesday.
And on April 24, a log book vanished from a medical lab that contained the records of 3,265 veterans.
Both incidents were related to VA facilities in Texas.
go here for more
3800 vets affected by latest VA data breaches
Red Sox program helps vets get care
Red Sox program helps vets get care
By Ashley Studley/Daily News staff
Milford Daily News
Posted May 19, 2010 @ 01:17 AM
FRANKLIN — Asking for help is never easy, and for the new generation of proud veterans, it can seem almost impossible.
That's why outreach coordinators for the Home Base Program told Franklin Veterans Agent Bob Fahey yesterday that they want to spread the word about new services for Iraq and Afghanistan veterans suffering from combat-related stress and traumatic brain injury.
"It's our mission to help veterans," veteran outreach coordinator Kenneth Isaksen said.
The Red Sox Foundation and Massachusetts General Hospital teamed up last fall to form the Home Base Program, a group of clinicians and specialists that provide individual counseling and rehabilitation to veterans, Isaksen said.
Sean Kennedy, the program's leader for veterans outreach, said it offers a variety services not found elsewhere.
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Red Sox program helps vets get care
By Ashley Studley/Daily News staff
Milford Daily News
Posted May 19, 2010 @ 01:17 AM
FRANKLIN — Asking for help is never easy, and for the new generation of proud veterans, it can seem almost impossible.
That's why outreach coordinators for the Home Base Program told Franklin Veterans Agent Bob Fahey yesterday that they want to spread the word about new services for Iraq and Afghanistan veterans suffering from combat-related stress and traumatic brain injury.
"It's our mission to help veterans," veteran outreach coordinator Kenneth Isaksen said.
The Red Sox Foundation and Massachusetts General Hospital teamed up last fall to form the Home Base Program, a group of clinicians and specialists that provide individual counseling and rehabilitation to veterans, Isaksen said.
Sean Kennedy, the program's leader for veterans outreach, said it offers a variety services not found elsewhere.
go here for more
Red Sox program helps vets get care
CBT and EMDR A revolution in war-stress UK solutions
A revolution in war-stress solutions
By KATE WIGHTON
Published: Today
TWO shocking stories this week highlighted the struggle many of our brave Forces' personnel face AFTER they leave the battlefield - but revolutionary help is at hand.
Victoria Cross hero, L/Cpl Johnson Beharry revealed how he tried to commit suicide in 2008 by crashing his car at 100mph after battling depression triggered by the horrors of Iraq four years earlier.
Meanwhile, ex-soldier Michael Fong admitted trying to take his own life last month after suffering Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) from his time in Ulster and Iraq.
PTSD is thought to affect one in 20 UK troops and can cause horrendous flashbacks and traumatic nightmares.
But there are now incredible treatments offered to soldiers to help them overcome the ordeals of war, including Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) and Eye Movement Desensitisation and Reprogramming (EMDR).
In a session of EMDR, a patient is asked to talk about a traumatic incident while a therapist sends their mind into a similar state to dreaming. The patient is completely awake and aware.
While talking about the incident, their eyes follow a dot moving left to right on a computer screen.
They do this for around three minutes and repeat ten times in a session.
This helps to reprogramme the memory, so a patient can think about an incident without getting upset.
Read more: A revolution in war stress solutions
By KATE WIGHTON
Published: Today
TWO shocking stories this week highlighted the struggle many of our brave Forces' personnel face AFTER they leave the battlefield - but revolutionary help is at hand.
Victoria Cross hero, L/Cpl Johnson Beharry revealed how he tried to commit suicide in 2008 by crashing his car at 100mph after battling depression triggered by the horrors of Iraq four years earlier.
Meanwhile, ex-soldier Michael Fong admitted trying to take his own life last month after suffering Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) from his time in Ulster and Iraq.
PTSD is thought to affect one in 20 UK troops and can cause horrendous flashbacks and traumatic nightmares.
But there are now incredible treatments offered to soldiers to help them overcome the ordeals of war, including Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) and Eye Movement Desensitisation and Reprogramming (EMDR).
In a session of EMDR, a patient is asked to talk about a traumatic incident while a therapist sends their mind into a similar state to dreaming. The patient is completely awake and aware.
While talking about the incident, their eyes follow a dot moving left to right on a computer screen.
They do this for around three minutes and repeat ten times in a session.
This helps to reprogramme the memory, so a patient can think about an incident without getting upset.
Read more: A revolution in war stress solutions
Vietnam Veteran shares thoughts on LZ Lambeau Event
Onalaska Vietnam Veteran shares thoughts on LZ Lambeau Event
Posted: May 20, 2010 12:21 AM EDT
35 years after the end of the Vietnam War, Wisconsin veterans are finally getting a formal welcome home.
A big event this weekend at Lambeau Field in Green Bay will honor the state's Vietnam vets for their service and sacrifice for our country.
The event is called LZ Lambeau, named for the landing zones the veterans were often deployed to. Of the more than 165,000 Wisconsin veterans who served in Vietnam, nearly 1300 never made it home and for those who did, it wasn't always the warmest of welcome backs. Now, all these years later, the public is getting a chance to recognize and thank a group of veterans that sacrificed so much and got so little in return.
Every day, 63 year old Tom Baertsch of Onalaska lives with the horrors of the past. "There isn't a day go by that I don't think about something that went on and there's still the nightmares and there still are the flashbacks and there's still all that kind of stuff," says Baertsch.
Although Tom's learned to live with the emotional scars from more than four decades ago, he considers himself lucky to even be here today. "There was many times when I made peace with the lord, like they say there's no atheists in a fox hole. That's probably one of the scariest things for a 21 year old to be able to do is to be at peace with himself that if he's going to die, he's going to die."
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http://www.wkbt.com/Global/story.asp?S=12512211
Posted: May 20, 2010 12:21 AM EDT
35 years after the end of the Vietnam War, Wisconsin veterans are finally getting a formal welcome home.
A big event this weekend at Lambeau Field in Green Bay will honor the state's Vietnam vets for their service and sacrifice for our country.
The event is called LZ Lambeau, named for the landing zones the veterans were often deployed to. Of the more than 165,000 Wisconsin veterans who served in Vietnam, nearly 1300 never made it home and for those who did, it wasn't always the warmest of welcome backs. Now, all these years later, the public is getting a chance to recognize and thank a group of veterans that sacrificed so much and got so little in return.
Every day, 63 year old Tom Baertsch of Onalaska lives with the horrors of the past. "There isn't a day go by that I don't think about something that went on and there's still the nightmares and there still are the flashbacks and there's still all that kind of stuff," says Baertsch.
Although Tom's learned to live with the emotional scars from more than four decades ago, he considers himself lucky to even be here today. "There was many times when I made peace with the lord, like they say there's no atheists in a fox hole. That's probably one of the scariest things for a 21 year old to be able to do is to be at peace with himself that if he's going to die, he's going to die."
go here for more
http://www.wkbt.com/Global/story.asp?S=12512211
Army vet fatally shot by FBI agent at MacDill
Army vet fatally shot by FBI agent at MacDill base in Tampa; security chased him after fight
TAMARA LUSH
Associated Press Writer
9:27 p.m. EDT, May 19, 2010
TAMPA, Fla. (AP) — An Army veteran who sped away from MacDill Air Force Base security on a motorcycle was fatally shot Wednesday by an FBI agent after the man threatened him with a knife, officials said.
At about 6 p.m., base security was called to an altercation, which wasn't described, at a camping area inside the base, said Col. Larry Martin, the base commander.
The veteran who was described as a guest at the camping area was arguing with another person, but officials wouldn't name either.
"We don't have a lot of details about what went on in that altercation," Martin said.
The veteran sped away on his motorcycle and security tried to stop him, Martin said.
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Army vet fatally shot by FBI agent at MacDill
TAMARA LUSH
Associated Press Writer
9:27 p.m. EDT, May 19, 2010
TAMPA, Fla. (AP) — An Army veteran who sped away from MacDill Air Force Base security on a motorcycle was fatally shot Wednesday by an FBI agent after the man threatened him with a knife, officials said.
At about 6 p.m., base security was called to an altercation, which wasn't described, at a camping area inside the base, said Col. Larry Martin, the base commander.
The veteran who was described as a guest at the camping area was arguing with another person, but officials wouldn't name either.
"We don't have a lot of details about what went on in that altercation," Martin said.
The veteran sped away on his motorcycle and security tried to stop him, Martin said.
go here for more
Army vet fatally shot by FBI agent at MacDill
Heroes rescue trucker from burning tanker in Orlando
Rescuer: 'It just burst into flames'
Orlando man pulled driver from cab after tanker truck explodes on Interstate 4
By Anthony Colarossi, Orlando Sentinel
5:38 a.m. EDT, May 20, 2010
David Neel of Orlando was driving home when he spotted the tanker truck barrel into a right-lane divider wall along Interstate 4 and burst into a fireball at John Young Parkway.
"It was like watching a movie. It just burst into flames," Neel said.
He then ran up to the truck, popped open the driver's side door and found the driver.
Another motorist helped with the rescue, too.
The flaming wreck snarled eastbound traffic along I-4 for hours, but it also provided a glimpse of hometown heroism, as two motorists stopped at and pulled the truck driver from the burning rig.
"He was still moving and we snatched him out of the truck," Neel said. "He was dazed. He couldn't tell me what happened.
"Everything was just smoke and flames."
The tanker fire was extinguished a short time after the accident, and the driver suffered minor injuries, police said.
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Rescuer It just burst into flames
Orlando man pulled driver from cab after tanker truck explodes on Interstate 4
By Anthony Colarossi, Orlando Sentinel
5:38 a.m. EDT, May 20, 2010
David Neel of Orlando was driving home when he spotted the tanker truck barrel into a right-lane divider wall along Interstate 4 and burst into a fireball at John Young Parkway.
"It was like watching a movie. It just burst into flames," Neel said.
He then ran up to the truck, popped open the driver's side door and found the driver.
Another motorist helped with the rescue, too.
The flaming wreck snarled eastbound traffic along I-4 for hours, but it also provided a glimpse of hometown heroism, as two motorists stopped at and pulled the truck driver from the burning rig.
"He was still moving and we snatched him out of the truck," Neel said. "He was dazed. He couldn't tell me what happened.
"Everything was just smoke and flames."
The tanker fire was extinguished a short time after the accident, and the driver suffered minor injuries, police said.
go here for more
Rescuer It just burst into flames
Fatal shooting outside MacDill Air Force Base
Fatal shooting outside MacDill Air Force Base in Florida, home to U.S. Central Command
Wednesday, May 19th, 2010
TAMPA, FLORIDA (BNO NEWS) -- A person was shot dead outside MacDill Air Force Base in Tampa, Florida on Wednesday evening, authorities say. The base is also home to the U.S. Central Command.
Tampa Fire Rescue crews responded to the Dale Mabry gate of MacDill Air Force Base at 6.47 p.m. Eastern time. "Rescuers are on scene at this time as are Tampa Police and Base Security," a spokesman said.
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Fatal shooting outside MacDill Air Force Base
UPDATE
It was an Army veteran
Army vet fatally shot by FBI agent at MacDill
Wednesday, May 19th, 2010
TAMPA, FLORIDA (BNO NEWS) -- A person was shot dead outside MacDill Air Force Base in Tampa, Florida on Wednesday evening, authorities say. The base is also home to the U.S. Central Command.
Tampa Fire Rescue crews responded to the Dale Mabry gate of MacDill Air Force Base at 6.47 p.m. Eastern time. "Rescuers are on scene at this time as are Tampa Police and Base Security," a spokesman said.
go here for more
Fatal shooting outside MacDill Air Force Base
UPDATE
It was an Army veteran
Army vet fatally shot by FBI agent at MacDill
Wednesday, May 19, 2010
Bill adds protections for sex assault victims
Bill adds protections for sex assault victims
By Rick Maze - Staff writer
Posted : Wednesday May 19, 2010 15:49:13 EDT
In a move that could lead more military women to report sexual assaults and seeking counseling, the House Armed Services Committee voted Wednesday to allow conversations between victims and victims’ advocates to be privileged communications.
At the urging of Rep. Susan Davis, D-Calif., the committee approved a new rule that would treat communications between sexual assault victims and their advocates in a way similar to information shared between patients and psychiatrists.
read more here
Bill adds protections for sex assault victims
By Rick Maze - Staff writer
Posted : Wednesday May 19, 2010 15:49:13 EDT
In a move that could lead more military women to report sexual assaults and seeking counseling, the House Armed Services Committee voted Wednesday to allow conversations between victims and victims’ advocates to be privileged communications.
At the urging of Rep. Susan Davis, D-Calif., the committee approved a new rule that would treat communications between sexual assault victims and their advocates in a way similar to information shared between patients and psychiatrists.
read more here
Bill adds protections for sex assault victims
Veterans for Common Sense Power House for sake of all veterans
While there is an ever growing list of groups working for veterans, there is one that stands out above the rest. Veterans for Common Sense, under the leadership of champion advocate Paul Sullivan, has been behind most of the changes in how we treat our veterans. Admittedly, I am in awe of Paul's work as well as his humbleness.
The truth is we need Veterans for Common Sense because what politicians manage to do well is say one thing but do another. They are the watchers of what is done and when words do not translate into action, they let us know about it. These are just a few of the recent reports VCS has released.
So how about it folks? Ready to get to work and make the call for Vietnam Veterans?
The truth is we need Veterans for Common Sense because what politicians manage to do well is say one thing but do another. They are the watchers of what is done and when words do not translate into action, they let us know about it. These are just a few of the recent reports VCS has released.
VCS in the News
Speaking at the Coalition for Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans (CIAV) conference in Washington, DC, VCS revealed how recent VA audits of eight Veterans Benefits Administration (VBA) offices found an overall error rate of 28 percent among selected claims. Our presentation was covered by Kelly Kennedy at Army Times.
Also last week, VCS was featured on National Public Radio (NPR) discussing problems veterans face dealing with VBA. VCS highlighted VBA's frustrating and burdensome 23-page claim form with NPR reporter John McChesney.
In a piece of good news,VCS plans to closely monitor VBA's plans to build a new system to handle the expected hundreds of thousands of new disability claims filed by Vietnam War veterans who remain ill due to Agent Orange poisoning.
In another piece of good news, VBA plans to overhaul how VBA employees are judged for their work - the infamous and misleading work credit system
. We'll be watching this development, too.
Unfortunately, in a piece of bad news, VCS remains outraged that VBA still fights against our Vietnam War veterans seeking healthcare and benefits due to Agent Orange exposure while aboard Navy ships off the coast of Vietnam. Please read this shocking and shameful Congressional testimony by VBA's Tom Pamperin before the Senate today. Pamperin told Senators that "VA does not support" S 1939.
This means President Barack Obama and VA Secretary Eric Shinseki oppose reasonable Agent Orange benefits for blue water Vietnam War veterans. VCS asks you to contact your Representative and Senator as well as VA and voice your support for all of our Vietnam War veterans.
So how about it folks? Ready to get to work and make the call for Vietnam Veterans?
Vietnam Veterans’ Memorial to host Memorial Day ceremony
Vietnam Veterans’ Memorial to host Memorial Day ceremony
HOLMDEL — The New Jersey Vietnam Veterans’ Memorial Foundation will hold its Memorial Day ceremony at 11 a.m. on Monday, May 31, at the New Jersey Vietnam Veterans’ Memorial in Holmdel.
The guest speaker at this year’s ceremony will be Maj. Gen. Glenn Rieth.
The ceremony will include the presentation of scholarships to two New Jersey high school seniors and the induction of two Vietnam veterans into the memorial’s “In Memory” program.
Rieth is the 30th adjutant general of New Jersey and commands more than 9,000 soldiers and airmen of the New Jersey Army and Air National Guard.
go here for more
Vietnam Veterans Memorial to host Memorial Day ceremony
HOLMDEL — The New Jersey Vietnam Veterans’ Memorial Foundation will hold its Memorial Day ceremony at 11 a.m. on Monday, May 31, at the New Jersey Vietnam Veterans’ Memorial in Holmdel.
The guest speaker at this year’s ceremony will be Maj. Gen. Glenn Rieth.
The ceremony will include the presentation of scholarships to two New Jersey high school seniors and the induction of two Vietnam veterans into the memorial’s “In Memory” program.
Rieth is the 30th adjutant general of New Jersey and commands more than 9,000 soldiers and airmen of the New Jersey Army and Air National Guard.
go here for more
Vietnam Veterans Memorial to host Memorial Day ceremony
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