US military detains soldier linked to Iraq video
(AP) – 3 hours ago
BAGHDAD — The U.S. military in Iraq says it has detained a soldier who has been identified as the source of a leaked video showing Army helicopters killing two journalists in a 2007 shooting.
The military said Monday it is holding Army Specialist Bradley Manning of the 2nd Brigade 10th Mountain Division in pretrial confinement in Kuwait and that he is suspected of releasing classified information.
go here for the rest
US military detains soldier linked to Iraq video
Monday, June 7, 2010
Veterans to be honored at Fourth of July baseball game
Vietnam veterans needed for local video
By Laura Eastes
Jun 7, 2010, 11:20
Veterans to be honored at Fourth of July baseball game
Army Veteran Ed Poley knows first-hand what it is like to never receive recognition for his service to the country during the Vietnam War.
He also knows other veterans who never received a "thank you" or a standing ovation for their service.
Poley, the executive director for the Whirlwind Career Counseling Center, said he will finally get the recognition he and fellow veterans deserve.
Area Vietnam veterans will be properly recognized and thanked for their service at the Fourth of July Bee Jay's baseball game. After the game, all Vietnam veterans will be asked to step down to the field for a presentation and crowd recognition.
"The stands will be full,” said Poley. “People will be sitting down on the sidelines. It is the best opportunity I know for saying to a group of guys and gals, 'thanks for a job well done.'”
Poley, like many Vietnam veterans, returned back to the United States being advised to change out of his uniform to avoid comments from anti-war protesters. Poley said he returned back to Kansas with no parades, no welcome home ceremonies and no recognition.
The presentation will feature a short video with music, photos and voice clips from area soldiers sharing experiences of coming back to the United States from Vietnam. Currently, Poley is interviewing as many Vietnam veterans as possible for the video presentation.
read more here
Vietnam veterans needed for local video
By Laura Eastes
Jun 7, 2010, 11:20
Veterans to be honored at Fourth of July baseball game
Army Veteran Ed Poley knows first-hand what it is like to never receive recognition for his service to the country during the Vietnam War.
He also knows other veterans who never received a "thank you" or a standing ovation for their service.
Poley, the executive director for the Whirlwind Career Counseling Center, said he will finally get the recognition he and fellow veterans deserve.
Area Vietnam veterans will be properly recognized and thanked for their service at the Fourth of July Bee Jay's baseball game. After the game, all Vietnam veterans will be asked to step down to the field for a presentation and crowd recognition.
"The stands will be full,” said Poley. “People will be sitting down on the sidelines. It is the best opportunity I know for saying to a group of guys and gals, 'thanks for a job well done.'”
Poley, like many Vietnam veterans, returned back to the United States being advised to change out of his uniform to avoid comments from anti-war protesters. Poley said he returned back to Kansas with no parades, no welcome home ceremonies and no recognition.
The presentation will feature a short video with music, photos and voice clips from area soldiers sharing experiences of coming back to the United States from Vietnam. Currently, Poley is interviewing as many Vietnam veterans as possible for the video presentation.
read more here
Vietnam veterans needed for local video
Film crew covers Nam Knights Memorial Day ride to the Wall
Father and son team stayed with the Nam Knights all weekend and went on the rides Saturday and Sunday. Really nice guys.
wprior1 — June 06, 2010 — Interview with Al Molaf of the Nam Knights Motorcycle Club. Filmed Memorial Day Weekend at the Rolling Thunder R... wprior1 — June 06, 2010 — Interview with Al Molaf of the Nam Knights Motorcycle Club. Filmed Memorial Day Weekend at the Rolling Thunder Rally 5/30/2010 Washington D.C. Al talks about his service in the United States Army and his treatment he experienced after returning home from the war in Vietnam. The producers of the "WE REMEMBER" documentary will continue to post more interviews with the veterans from the Rolling Thunder Rally 2010. View more interviews on you-tube under the tag line Rolling Thunder 2010. Special thanks to all the members of the Nam Knights MC. -William M. Prior, William J. Prior.
Adm. Mike Mullen says "Vets need not suffer alone"
Mullen on D-Day: Vets need not suffer alone
By Robert Burns - The Associated Press
Posted : Sunday Jun 6, 2010 17:04:15 EDT
BEDFORD, Va. — In a stirring tribute to the D-Day sacrifices of American soldiers and their allies, the U.S. military’s top officer said Sunday that World War II’s defining moment should remind all that returning warriors need not “suffer in quiet desperation.”
Adm. Mike Mullen, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, spoke in the peaceful setting of this small town, which is said to have born the heaviest share of American losses in the June 6, 1944, landings on the beaches of Normandy. The National D-Day Memorial was established here in 2001 as a tribute to those who died in the invasion of German-occupied Europe.
Mullen drew a parallel with the needs and aspirations of the men and women returning from today’s battlefields, many with the invisible psychological wounds of war.
“They, too, have seen and done things we cannot know,” he said. “Their lives, too, are forever changed. And just as previous generations of heroes did, they must likewise adjust themselves to peace.”
read more here
http://www.armytimes.com/news/2010/06/ap_d_day_anniversary_mullen_060610/
By Robert Burns - The Associated Press
Posted : Sunday Jun 6, 2010 17:04:15 EDT
BEDFORD, Va. — In a stirring tribute to the D-Day sacrifices of American soldiers and their allies, the U.S. military’s top officer said Sunday that World War II’s defining moment should remind all that returning warriors need not “suffer in quiet desperation.”
Adm. Mike Mullen, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, spoke in the peaceful setting of this small town, which is said to have born the heaviest share of American losses in the June 6, 1944, landings on the beaches of Normandy. The National D-Day Memorial was established here in 2001 as a tribute to those who died in the invasion of German-occupied Europe.
Mullen drew a parallel with the needs and aspirations of the men and women returning from today’s battlefields, many with the invisible psychological wounds of war.
“They, too, have seen and done things we cannot know,” he said. “Their lives, too, are forever changed. And just as previous generations of heroes did, they must likewise adjust themselves to peace.”
read more here
http://www.armytimes.com/news/2010/06/ap_d_day_anniversary_mullen_060610/
WWII vets, observers mark D-Day anniversary
WWII vets, observers mark D-Day anniversary
The Associated Press
Posted : Sunday Jun 6, 2010 13:14:14 EDT
COLVILLE-SUR-MER, France — Veterans and those grateful for their sacrifices have marked the 66th anniversary of the D-Day landings, remembering the invasion that turned the tide of World War II.
U.S. Army veteran William Duane Bush, wearing a military jacket, raised the American flag at the Normandy American Cemetery in Colleville-sur-Mer, which overlooks Omaha Beach. It was the first time Bush, 93, of Lincoln, Neb., had returned to Europe since the war’s end.
read more here
WWII vets, observers mark D-Day anniversary
The Associated Press
Posted : Sunday Jun 6, 2010 13:14:14 EDT
COLVILLE-SUR-MER, France — Veterans and those grateful for their sacrifices have marked the 66th anniversary of the D-Day landings, remembering the invasion that turned the tide of World War II.
U.S. Army veteran William Duane Bush, wearing a military jacket, raised the American flag at the Normandy American Cemetery in Colleville-sur-Mer, which overlooks Omaha Beach. It was the first time Bush, 93, of Lincoln, Neb., had returned to Europe since the war’s end.
read more here
WWII vets, observers mark D-Day anniversary
VA sees sharp rise in sleep apnea cases
VA sees sharp rise in apnea cases
By Tom Vanden Brook - USA Today
Posted : Monday Jun 7, 2010 10:42:20 EDT
WASHINGTON — The number of veterans receiving disability benefits for a sleeping disorder has increased 61 percent in the past two years and now costs taxpayers more than $500 million per year, according to Veterans Affairs data released to USA Today.
More than 63,000 veterans receive benefits for sleep apnea, a disorder that causes a sleeping person to gasp for breath and awaken frequently. It is linked to problems ranging from daytime drowsiness to heart disease. The top risk factor for contracting the disorder appears to be obesity, though a sleep expert at the VA and a veteran’s advocacy organization cite troops’ exposure to dust and smoke in places such as Afghanistan and Iraq as contributing factors.
More claims are likely to be made in the future as Baby Boomers age and get heavier, says Max Hirshkowitz, director of the Sleep Disorder Center at the Houston Veterans Affairs Medical Center.
Veterans are four times more likely than other Americans to suffer from sleep apnea, Hirshkowitz said.
read more here
VA sees sharp rise in apnea cases/
By Tom Vanden Brook - USA Today
Posted : Monday Jun 7, 2010 10:42:20 EDT
WASHINGTON — The number of veterans receiving disability benefits for a sleeping disorder has increased 61 percent in the past two years and now costs taxpayers more than $500 million per year, according to Veterans Affairs data released to USA Today.
More than 63,000 veterans receive benefits for sleep apnea, a disorder that causes a sleeping person to gasp for breath and awaken frequently. It is linked to problems ranging from daytime drowsiness to heart disease. The top risk factor for contracting the disorder appears to be obesity, though a sleep expert at the VA and a veteran’s advocacy organization cite troops’ exposure to dust and smoke in places such as Afghanistan and Iraq as contributing factors.
More claims are likely to be made in the future as Baby Boomers age and get heavier, says Max Hirshkowitz, director of the Sleep Disorder Center at the Houston Veterans Affairs Medical Center.
Veterans are four times more likely than other Americans to suffer from sleep apnea, Hirshkowitz said.
read more here
VA sees sharp rise in apnea cases/
Vietnam War veteran meets Iraq wounded soldier he helped save
Iraq veteran reunites with rescuer
By AUDREY PARENTE, Staff Writer
June 7, 2010 12:05 AM
Blood-splattered blue jeans -- worn two years ago by veteran photojournalist Jim Wade -- have never been washed.
Wade brought the well-preserved jeans with him from West Melbourne to show former Army corporal and Purple Heart recipient Walter "Matt" Bailey.
The recent reunion in a quiet gated Palm Coast condominium community was their first since an explosion in Iraq on March 30, 2008, wounded Bailey, then 19. He was driving the armored military vehicle in which Wade was a passenger.
Then a private, Bailey was injured by an improvised explosive device that sprayed molten-hot shrapnel.
"The last thing I remember seeing was Jim," said Bailey, 22. "He was wrapping up my foot."
In addition to losing part of his foot, Bailey suffered injuries to both legs, severe nerve damage to his right arm and serious emotional trauma.
The explosion left a crater, said Wade, a 60-plus-year-old Vietnam War veteran -- who leaped out of the back passenger door of the vehicle to help Bailey and others in the Humvee. A retired aircraft mechanic and Seabee, Wade was embedded with Wade's unit, and has been back and forth to the war zone capturing war footage.
read more here
Iraq veteran reunites with rescuer
By AUDREY PARENTE, Staff Writer
June 7, 2010 12:05 AM
Blood-splattered blue jeans -- worn two years ago by veteran photojournalist Jim Wade -- have never been washed.
Wade brought the well-preserved jeans with him from West Melbourne to show former Army corporal and Purple Heart recipient Walter "Matt" Bailey.
The recent reunion in a quiet gated Palm Coast condominium community was their first since an explosion in Iraq on March 30, 2008, wounded Bailey, then 19. He was driving the armored military vehicle in which Wade was a passenger.
Then a private, Bailey was injured by an improvised explosive device that sprayed molten-hot shrapnel.
"The last thing I remember seeing was Jim," said Bailey, 22. "He was wrapping up my foot."
In addition to losing part of his foot, Bailey suffered injuries to both legs, severe nerve damage to his right arm and serious emotional trauma.
The explosion left a crater, said Wade, a 60-plus-year-old Vietnam War veteran -- who leaped out of the back passenger door of the vehicle to help Bailey and others in the Humvee. A retired aircraft mechanic and Seabee, Wade was embedded with Wade's unit, and has been back and forth to the war zone capturing war footage.
read more here
Iraq veteran reunites with rescuer
Accidental overdoses alarm military officials
Short term memory loss plays a big part in this. Often they can't remember if they took their medication or not. They need to use reminders, like pill separators, so they will not think they forgot to take their pills and then take double the amount.
Alcohol is a huge no-no! Drinking will change how the medications work on the brain. Take mind focused drugs, don't drink. Simple as that. Plus the other thing is that when you stop drinking, the medications work better. Is having a lot of beer with the guys worth the price your healing pays? You are trying to not be depressed but alcohol adds to it.
Added to these warnings is the one you cannot control and that is being given drugs that work against the others. Be pro-active and check the warning signs of all medications you are on and talk to your doctor. Do not adjust them on your own. You have to talk to your doctor first.
Alcohol is a huge no-no! Drinking will change how the medications work on the brain. Take mind focused drugs, don't drink. Simple as that. Plus the other thing is that when you stop drinking, the medications work better. Is having a lot of beer with the guys worth the price your healing pays? You are trying to not be depressed but alcohol adds to it.
Added to these warnings is the one you cannot control and that is being given drugs that work against the others. Be pro-active and check the warning signs of all medications you are on and talk to your doctor. Do not adjust them on your own. You have to talk to your doctor first.
The Army deaths have shocked that service’s medical community and prompted an internal review. But despite a “safety stand down” in January 2009, the number of fatalities continued to rise last year — to 15 in 2009, up from 11 the year before. Meanwhile the total number of soldiers assigned to the 29 WTUs nationwide dropped from about 12,000 to about 9,000.
Accidental overdoses alarm military officials
By Andrew Tilghman and Brendan McGarry - Staff writers
Posted : Sunday Jun 6, 2010 18:22:42 EDT
Prescription drug cocktails have lead to at least 32 accidental overdoses among Marines and soldiers since 2007, bringing military medical practices for treating physical and psychiatric problems under scrutiny.
At least 30 soldiers and two Marines overdosed while under the care of Army Warrior Transition Units or the Marine Corps Wounded Warrior Regiment, created three years ago to tightly focus care and attention on troops suffering from injuries as a result of combat.
Most of the troops had been prescribed “drug cocktails,” combinations of drugs including painkillers, sleeping pills, antidepressants and anti-anxiety drugs, interviews and records show. In all cases, suicide was ruled out.
Army officials say the deaths are often complicated by troops mixing medications with alcohol, taking their own medications incorrectly or without a prescription.
go here for more
Sunday, June 6, 2010
Search continues for soldier feared drowned in Taylorsville lake
Search continues for soldier feared drowned in Taylorsville lake
Posted by Charles Gazaway
TAYLORSVILLE, KY (WAVE) - Search crews continued patrolling Taylorsville Lake on Friday, hoping to find a Fort Knox soldier who disappeared while swimming on May 29.
High water and debris on the lake continued to hamper the search for 23-year old Specialist Anthony Carter, who was assigned to the Warrior Transition Battalion.
go here for the rest
http://www.wave3.com/Global/story.asp?S=12597370
Posted by Charles Gazaway
TAYLORSVILLE, KY (WAVE) - Search crews continued patrolling Taylorsville Lake on Friday, hoping to find a Fort Knox soldier who disappeared while swimming on May 29.
High water and debris on the lake continued to hamper the search for 23-year old Specialist Anthony Carter, who was assigned to the Warrior Transition Battalion.
go here for the rest
http://www.wave3.com/Global/story.asp?S=12597370
Veteran missing in Yellowstone has PTSD
Veteran missing in Yellowstone has PTSD
Gazette Staff Posted: Friday, June 4, 2010
An Oklahoma man missing in Yellowstone National Park is a former Marine suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder he incurred after surviving two bomb blasts while serving in Iraq.
The news is the latest information released by park officials in a search for Peter Louis Kastner, 25, whose car was found parked at the Hellroaring Trailhead on Monday. The investigating ranger found that the red Cadillac STS sedan with Oklahoma plates had been rented a month earlier and was two weeks overdue.
Kastner is 6 feet, 1 inch tall, weighs 185 pounds and has brown hair and hazel eyes.
According to information provided to the Park Service by Kastner’s family, he was honorably discharged from the Marine Corps after serving four years. During his service, he was twice injured by improvised explosive devices in Iraq. He had moved to Oklahoma City from the Minneapolis-St. Paul area to attend college. His family is concerned about his mental state and said he was suffering from post-traumatic stress syndrome.
go here for more
Veteran missing in Yellowstone has PTSD
Search continues for man missing in Yellowstone
Rangers and investigators are still hoping the public can help with the ongoing search for a man missing in Yellowstone National Park since Monday.
A rental car belonging to Peter Louis Kastner, 25, of Oklahoma City, Okla., was discovered early Monday morning at the Hellroaring trailhead in the northcentral section of Yellowstone.
An investigation revealed the red Cadillac STS sedan with Oklahoma plates had been rented a month earlier and was two weeks overdue.
Family members told investigators they had not been in touch with Kastner in recent weeks. He had been honorably discharged from the Marine Corps after serving for four years and was twice injured by improvised explosive devices in Iraq, according to his family. He had moved to Oklahoma City from the Minneapolis-St. Paul, Minn., area to attend college.
go here for more
Search continues for man missing in Yellowstone
Gazette Staff Posted: Friday, June 4, 2010
An Oklahoma man missing in Yellowstone National Park is a former Marine suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder he incurred after surviving two bomb blasts while serving in Iraq.
The news is the latest information released by park officials in a search for Peter Louis Kastner, 25, whose car was found parked at the Hellroaring Trailhead on Monday. The investigating ranger found that the red Cadillac STS sedan with Oklahoma plates had been rented a month earlier and was two weeks overdue.
Kastner is 6 feet, 1 inch tall, weighs 185 pounds and has brown hair and hazel eyes.
According to information provided to the Park Service by Kastner’s family, he was honorably discharged from the Marine Corps after serving four years. During his service, he was twice injured by improvised explosive devices in Iraq. He had moved to Oklahoma City from the Minneapolis-St. Paul area to attend college. His family is concerned about his mental state and said he was suffering from post-traumatic stress syndrome.
go here for more
Veteran missing in Yellowstone has PTSD
Search continues for man missing in Yellowstone
Peter Louis Kastner
Courtesy of National Park Service
Rangers and investigators are still hoping the public can help with the ongoing search for Peter Louis Kastner, who has been missing in Yellowstone National Park since Monday, May 31,2010.
Rangers and investigators are still hoping the public can help with the ongoing search for a man missing in Yellowstone National Park since Monday.
A rental car belonging to Peter Louis Kastner, 25, of Oklahoma City, Okla., was discovered early Monday morning at the Hellroaring trailhead in the northcentral section of Yellowstone.
An investigation revealed the red Cadillac STS sedan with Oklahoma plates had been rented a month earlier and was two weeks overdue.
Family members told investigators they had not been in touch with Kastner in recent weeks. He had been honorably discharged from the Marine Corps after serving for four years and was twice injured by improvised explosive devices in Iraq, according to his family. He had moved to Oklahoma City from the Minneapolis-St. Paul, Minn., area to attend college.
go here for more
Search continues for man missing in Yellowstone
As loved ones go to war, military families face private battles
Ten years ago, I decided to write a book about living with PTSD. Nine years ago, after the attacks of September 11th, not having any luck finding a publisher to even think about publishing it, I self-published it. (It's online for free now.) Five years ago, I decided that it was time to try something different. I made videos so that other people could get to where it took me over 20 years to get to. I know what PTSD is and why I ended up married into the war my husband fought in. The following article is one of the biggest reasons why I did it.
I had to make the same decisions spouses make everyday. Do we stay or do we go? Can we stay and fight for them? Do we have what it takes to do it? Can we every break down that wall pain built? Will we ever be happy again? Will today be the day he walks away? So many questions we face each and everyday married to a stranger.
Sitting here, after being married for almost 26 years, I can assure you that you can stay together and help them heal if you love them enough to want to. You need to invest a lot of time in trying to understand PTSD so that you know what is causing all the reactions they have. You will also learn what you can do to help them instead of fighting against them. We can help them heal or we can make their lives worse.
One thing not talked about enough is domestic violence. If they are violent to you or your kids, if they are emotionally abusive to the point where you are in fear, you need to get yourself and your kids out of harms way. You also need to know that if there was no history of violence in them before deployment, PTSD is usually the cause of it after. First be safe then learn. Even if you decide to end the marriage, you should learn why it fell apart, for your sake and for the sake of the kids. You will end up either hating him or blaming yourself when in most cases, neither of you are to blame for PTSD taking over your lives. There is so much damage done to families that lasts a lifetime when we don't know what caused it. Knowing brings the ability to heal and above all, to forgive. Forgive them and forgive ourselves for the mistakes we made simply because we didn't know any better.
If violence is not an issue, then you need to decide if you love him enough to stay and fight to help him get out of the darkness he's in. Before deciding, learn what PTSD is. This will also give you a tool to help you know where all of it is coming from. We can make it worse for them or we can help them heal.
I married into a war that ended long before I came along. It is even harder for you than it was for me because I didn't have the worry about my husband deploying. You need all the help you can get to get through all of this. Invest the time to learn so that your future does not have to be suffering instead of healing.
I had to make the same decisions spouses make everyday. Do we stay or do we go? Can we stay and fight for them? Do we have what it takes to do it? Can we every break down that wall pain built? Will we ever be happy again? Will today be the day he walks away? So many questions we face each and everyday married to a stranger.
Sitting here, after being married for almost 26 years, I can assure you that you can stay together and help them heal if you love them enough to want to. You need to invest a lot of time in trying to understand PTSD so that you know what is causing all the reactions they have. You will also learn what you can do to help them instead of fighting against them. We can help them heal or we can make their lives worse.
One thing not talked about enough is domestic violence. If they are violent to you or your kids, if they are emotionally abusive to the point where you are in fear, you need to get yourself and your kids out of harms way. You also need to know that if there was no history of violence in them before deployment, PTSD is usually the cause of it after. First be safe then learn. Even if you decide to end the marriage, you should learn why it fell apart, for your sake and for the sake of the kids. You will end up either hating him or blaming yourself when in most cases, neither of you are to blame for PTSD taking over your lives. There is so much damage done to families that lasts a lifetime when we don't know what caused it. Knowing brings the ability to heal and above all, to forgive. Forgive them and forgive ourselves for the mistakes we made simply because we didn't know any better.
If violence is not an issue, then you need to decide if you love him enough to stay and fight to help him get out of the darkness he's in. Before deciding, learn what PTSD is. This will also give you a tool to help you know where all of it is coming from. We can make it worse for them or we can help them heal.
As loved ones go to war, military families face private battles
12:18 AM CDT on Sunday, June 6, 2010
By DAVID TARRANT / The Dallas Morning News dtarrant@dallasnews.comYet "there are not enough mental health providers to meet the demand, case managers and providers are overwhelmed, wait times are too long for appointments and between appointments for those in need of mental health and other services," the report stated. The institute's two-year study was mandated by Congress to help veterans readjust to civilian life.
The story of war is not just about combat on the battlefield. It's also about the families who remain behind to fight their own private battles.
It's the story of Aimee Ybarra, a mother of two grade-school children, whose husband came home after his fifth combat tour and told her he wanted to leave their 15-year marriage because he had gotten used to being gone. It's the story of Lisa Bernreuther, who's steeling herself for her husband's sixth deployment; he's only been home from his last tour since April. She keeps his Army boots by the door, she says, "because sometimes I forget I even have a husband."
read more here
Military families face private battles
I married into a war that ended long before I came along. It is even harder for you than it was for me because I didn't have the worry about my husband deploying. You need all the help you can get to get through all of this. Invest the time to learn so that your future does not have to be suffering instead of healing.
Vietnam Veteran Mentors Soldiers in Iraq
Vietnam Veteran Mentors Soldiers in Iraq
13th Sustainment Command (Expeditionary)
Story by Sgt. Chad Menegay
06.04.2010 VICTORY BASE COMPLEX, Iraq —As a point man during the Vietnam War, Marine Pfc. Willie Yarbrough guided his platoon through rugged jungles and fierce guerilla warfare near the Ben Hai river. He learned a lot about the North Vietnamese soldiers, developed a knack to sniff out an ambush and a capacity to stay focused on the moment.
As a radio operator in Vietnam, another highly targeted position, he became a skilled communicator under pressure and did what was necessary to stay alive.
Later in the war, as a Marine corporal and squad leader, Yarbrough made battlefield decisions and managed men in his squad.
During his 16-year tenure in the U.S. Marine Corps, Yarbrough served as a platoon sergeant, drill instructor, career counselor and a school instructor.
After a 22-year break in service, Spc. Yarbrough,
a logistics specialist for the 812th Quartermaster Company, 373rd Combat Sustainment Support Battalion, 3rd Sustainment Brigade, 13th Sustainment Command (Expeditionary), and a Beaumont, Texas, native, now works in the Camp Liberty Oasis water treatment facility at Victory Base Complex, Iraq, to make sure Soldiers receive purified drinking water.
Forty years removed from Vietnam, the 59-year-old Yarbrough volunteered to deploy with the 812th, leaving his home unit, the 1002nd Quartermaster Company, out of Beaumont, Texas, which he joined three years earlier.
"A recruiter asked me did I ever think about going back in," Yarbrough said. "I told him, man, at my age, you must be out of your mind. He said, no, you could do it."
He's done it, and he's made an impact along the way, mentoring Soldiers.
read more here
Vietnam Veteran Mentors Soldiers in Iraq
13th Sustainment Command (Expeditionary)
Story by Sgt. Chad Menegay
06.04.2010 VICTORY BASE COMPLEX, Iraq —As a point man during the Vietnam War, Marine Pfc. Willie Yarbrough guided his platoon through rugged jungles and fierce guerilla warfare near the Ben Hai river. He learned a lot about the North Vietnamese soldiers, developed a knack to sniff out an ambush and a capacity to stay focused on the moment.
As a radio operator in Vietnam, another highly targeted position, he became a skilled communicator under pressure and did what was necessary to stay alive.
Later in the war, as a Marine corporal and squad leader, Yarbrough made battlefield decisions and managed men in his squad.
During his 16-year tenure in the U.S. Marine Corps, Yarbrough served as a platoon sergeant, drill instructor, career counselor and a school instructor.
After a 22-year break in service, Spc. Yarbrough,
a logistics specialist for the 812th Quartermaster Company, 373rd Combat Sustainment Support Battalion, 3rd Sustainment Brigade, 13th Sustainment Command (Expeditionary), and a Beaumont, Texas, native, now works in the Camp Liberty Oasis water treatment facility at Victory Base Complex, Iraq, to make sure Soldiers receive purified drinking water.
Forty years removed from Vietnam, the 59-year-old Yarbrough volunteered to deploy with the 812th, leaving his home unit, the 1002nd Quartermaster Company, out of Beaumont, Texas, which he joined three years earlier.
"A recruiter asked me did I ever think about going back in," Yarbrough said. "I told him, man, at my age, you must be out of your mind. He said, no, you could do it."
He's done it, and he's made an impact along the way, mentoring Soldiers.
read more here
Vietnam Veteran Mentors Soldiers in Iraq
Former Marine Killed By Off-Duty Police Officer
Former Marine Killed By Off-Duty Police Officer
BALTIMORE (WJZ) ― Click to enlarge1 of 1
A U.S. Marine is dead after being shot by an off-duty police officer.
CBS
A U.S. Marine is killed at the hands of an off-duty Baltimore City police officer.
The big question now is did alcohol play a role in the deadly shooting? Suzanne Collins reports the family has gathered to mourn the loss of the man who was a husband and father.
The family says they can't understand why a police officer would shoot Tyrone Brown.
They say he's a former Marine, he's a hard worker, a father, and a law-abiding citizen.
Brown's family is hugging, crying, and trying to come to terms with his death.
Scott's sister was present around 1:30 Saturday morning outside a tavern on Eager Street when the off-duty officer fired multiple shots at her brother.
read more here
Former Marine Killed By Off-Duty Police Officer
BALTIMORE (WJZ) ― Click to enlarge1 of 1
A U.S. Marine is dead after being shot by an off-duty police officer.
CBS
A U.S. Marine is killed at the hands of an off-duty Baltimore City police officer.
The big question now is did alcohol play a role in the deadly shooting? Suzanne Collins reports the family has gathered to mourn the loss of the man who was a husband and father.
The family says they can't understand why a police officer would shoot Tyrone Brown.
They say he's a former Marine, he's a hard worker, a father, and a law-abiding citizen.
Brown's family is hugging, crying, and trying to come to terms with his death.
Scott's sister was present around 1:30 Saturday morning outside a tavern on Eager Street when the off-duty officer fired multiple shots at her brother.
read more here
Former Marine Killed By Off-Duty Police Officer
Homeless Veterans shine on America's Got Talent
New Directions Choir, ex-homeless veterans, shined on America's Got Talent. They stood up talking about being homeless after serving this country and reached out to all veterans and those serving today to reach out for the help they couldn't find before. They don't want anyone to go through what they did. They managed to do so much more than just sing with beautiful voices. They put the spotlight on homeless veterans as well as PTSD. In the end, they received two standing ovations and lots of tear filled eyes.
Saturday, June 5, 2010
Gen. Charles “Hondo” Campbell retires after 40 years
Army Gen. Charles “Hondo” Campbell, the only remaining four-star general in the Army who served in combat in Vietnam, retired June 3, capping a 40-year career in the service.
Forces Command head retires after 40 years
By Michelle Tan - Staff writer
Posted : Saturday Jun 5, 2010 9:53:17 EDT
Gen. Charles “Hondo” Campbell marked the end of a 40-year Army career on Thursday, one that began in the jungles of Vietnam and culminated in a ceremony at historic Fort McPherson, Ga.
Campbell, who was the only four-star general in the Army who served in combat in Vietnam, received his commission in 1970 from Louisiana State University.
He served as the commander of a Special Operations A-team in Vietnam before going on to serve in multiple command positions, including in an armor battalion in the 3rd Armored Division and a mechanized brigade in the 2nd Infantry Division. He also was commanding general of the 7th Infantry Division and later commanded 8th Army in Korea.
Campbell closed his Army career as commander of Forces Command, the Army’s largest organization responsible for training, mobilizing, deploying, sustaining and transforming today’s soldiers.
read more here
Exorcizing the demons of war that come home with the warrior
Brown: Exorcizing the demons of war that come home with the warrior
By BOB BROWN
Special to the Star-Telegram
Our brave men and women in uniform have risked life and limb and made unimagined sacrifices to defend our country. Many return to lead happy productive lives. But for some the horrors of war leave crippling scars on their souls.
This is not new. We called it shell shock suffered by the airborne trooper who jumped in Normandy, battle fatigue for the Navy gunny who piloted boats up the rivers of Vietnam and now post-traumatic stress disorder suffered by the Texas Guard medic after her third tour in Iraq. Among Iraq and Afghanistan veterans, PTSD and major depression are as real as a gunshot wound and strike 1 in 5 service members nationally.
These combat veterans deal with their experiences and memories differently, but they all must face them. The effects of their experiences may manifest themselves in nightmares, anger, family violence, criminal activity, job problems, relationship problems, and self-medication with alcohol or drugs. These warriors deserve nothing less than our fully resourced effort to fight those demons they brought home with them. Today we know these problems can be addressed with adequate mental health treatments.
Texas has more than 1.6 million veterans, almost half a million of whom have served in the Gulf War, Iraq and Afghanistan. In Tarrant County alone, there are more than 125,000 veterans, many of whom need treatment for PTSD, addictions or other mental health problems directly related to their combat service.
Read more: Exorcizing the demons of war that come home with the warrior
By BOB BROWN
Special to the Star-Telegram
Our brave men and women in uniform have risked life and limb and made unimagined sacrifices to defend our country. Many return to lead happy productive lives. But for some the horrors of war leave crippling scars on their souls.
This is not new. We called it shell shock suffered by the airborne trooper who jumped in Normandy, battle fatigue for the Navy gunny who piloted boats up the rivers of Vietnam and now post-traumatic stress disorder suffered by the Texas Guard medic after her third tour in Iraq. Among Iraq and Afghanistan veterans, PTSD and major depression are as real as a gunshot wound and strike 1 in 5 service members nationally.
These combat veterans deal with their experiences and memories differently, but they all must face them. The effects of their experiences may manifest themselves in nightmares, anger, family violence, criminal activity, job problems, relationship problems, and self-medication with alcohol or drugs. These warriors deserve nothing less than our fully resourced effort to fight those demons they brought home with them. Today we know these problems can be addressed with adequate mental health treatments.
Texas has more than 1.6 million veterans, almost half a million of whom have served in the Gulf War, Iraq and Afghanistan. In Tarrant County alone, there are more than 125,000 veterans, many of whom need treatment for PTSD, addictions or other mental health problems directly related to their combat service.
Read more: Exorcizing the demons of war that come home with the warrior
Achy heart, breaky soul
Achy heart, breaky soul
by
Chaplain Kathie
But don't tell my heart, my achy breaky heart
I just don't think it'd understand
And if you tell my heart, my achy breaky heart
He might blow up and kill this man
When we hear God breathed life into Adam, we tend to forget Adam was already formed from the earth,
Genesis 2:7
the LORD God formed the man [a] from the dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living being.
,,,so the image of God is not flesh and bones.
God does not have flesh growing old or becoming ill. God does not have bones that can be broken. God is, as always and always shall be, the same as He created within each of us, the same image as our soul. We cannot see the soul but we can see the results of the soul at work within us. We can see it when we love and rejoice just as surely as we can see it when we are in pain and grieve.
The soul within us came from God and there is a connected relationship we have with Him. When we pray, our soul is crying out to God. I'm not talking about repeating Bible verses or memorizing the Creed. I'm talking about when our souls reach out to heaven for help or offer a prayer of thanks when no words can measure it properly.
We live subjected to events in our lives and subjected to the actions of others. We hear them say things that twist around what we thought we knew to the point where we can question everything we believed. On the flip side, they can feed us and restore faith, hope, remind us we are worthy of being loved and that we matter to someone out there.
When we do the right thing, do what our souls call us to do on this planet and suffer for it, we wonder where God is. Did we do it wrong? Didn't we do what He wanted? Wasn't our "heart" in the right place even though our body was in the wrong one? So many questions fueled by our suffering after doing something unselfishly. How could God want us to do something and then walk away leaving us on our own, letting us fall and suffer without helping us? So we call out to God again as our heart aches for help, for answers, for directions, and perhaps above all, to know we do still matter to Him.
We call out to God over and over and over again while our lives fall apart searching for one sign God hears us but there is only silence. Then we can't feel anything greater than the pain in our heart and we pull back from God. Much like a relationship with an unfaithful friend, we believe we are better off without them but we end up wanting to know what we did wrong, why we were left to suffer when they mattered so much to us, we do the same thing with our relationship with God. Our soul pulls away from God and the connection between us breaks. We are lost, feeling hopeless as a part of us feels as if it is falling so far down into the pit of despair there is no hope of anything getting better.
People we love say the wrong thing at the wrong time trying to make us feel better. When what they say fails to provide relief, they then end up telling us how wrong we are feeling the way we do. As if that's supposed to be helpful? When Job was trying to tell his friends he didn't do anything wrong, they started out comforting him but soon they ended up blaming him so sure he had done something wrong and God was in fact punishing him. Job suffered from what was happening to him just as much as he suffered from what was happening around him but what made him suffer more was losing the connection he felt to God.
Job 1
Prologue
1 In the land of Uz there lived a man whose name was Job. This man was blameless and upright; he feared God and shunned evil. 2 He had seven sons and three daughters, 3 and he owned seven thousand sheep, three thousand camels, five hundred yoke of oxen and five hundred donkeys, and had a large number of servants. He was the greatest man among all the people of the East.
4 His sons used to take turns holding feasts in their homes, and they would invite their three sisters to eat and drink with them. 5 When a period of feasting had run its course, Job would send and have them purified. Early in the morning he would sacrifice a burnt offering for each of them, thinking, "Perhaps my children have sinned and cursed God in their hearts." This was Job's regular custom.
Job's First Test
6 One day the angels [a] came to present themselves before the LORD, and Satan [b] also came with them. 7 The LORD said to Satan, "Where have you come from?"
Satan answered the LORD, "From roaming through the earth and going back and forth in it."
8 Then the LORD said to Satan, "Have you considered my servant Job? There is no one on earth like him; he is blameless and upright, a man who fears God and shuns evil."
9 "Does Job fear God for nothing?" Satan replied. 10 "Have you not put a hedge around him and his household and everything he has? You have blessed the work of his hands, so that his flocks and herds are spread throughout the land. 11 But stretch out your hand and strike everything he has, and he will surely curse you to your face."
Job lost everything and his friends ended up walking away. Soon even his wife couldn't stand it anymore and told him to curse God so that he could die. God ended up restoring everything Job lost plus more but had that been any one of us, we would be remembering that pain and wondering when the next time would come when God was going to test us again. We know how unfair that was to Job but what we know and what we believe in times like this end up at war with each other. This is what is behind the notion "God only gives me what I can handle" meaning God sends all the bad into our lives, or allows it. We get it all twisted around so nothing makes sense. How can God love me at the same time He pulls a temper tantrum against me and sends me all kinds of pain and loss and grief? Satan managed to focus in on Job but we're not Job and nowhere near as perfect in our faith as Job was. We only have to deal with what other people do, say and fail to do. The tiny voices invade their own soul and cause them to ignore God's calling them to help, ignoring the words they need to say and take the actions they need to take in order to fill our requests to God.
The truth is, God is sending us what we need to get through it, to make us stronger, to make us able to ask others for help, just as much as He is wanting us to help someone else in times of need only we can understand. Do you hear Him? Is He telling you that "this too will pass" and your pain will be replaced by rejoicing? Is He telling you that He loves you even if you feel as if there is nothing worthy of love within you? Did you ever feel loved by God or someone else? Then there was something worthy of being loved there once and thus, is still there since your soul cannot vanish as much as you try to vanquish it.
Our hearts/soul can feel so much pain that becomes all we know. We wait for help to find hope again and we get passed by while it seems everyone around us is finding what we need or able to walk away from something that has us trapped, crushing us and killing off the last thread of hope we had. But then something happens. Something unexpected comes into our lives reminding us we do matter even if it is just something as quiet as a glimmer within our soul filling us with a second of warmth.
It is so easy to be thankful when we have all we need, like Job did. It would have been very difficult for him to understand pain, suffering and questioning everything had he never been subjected to it himself. Most of us have a hard time understanding pain if we never experienced it. How can you understand someone falling apart if all you've ever known is a happy life? How can you understand the pain of someone losing everything they had if you have always had everything you needed? How can you understand if you have never been pulled from God sucked into the abyss of doubts.
This is what pain looks like when someone is waiting for prayers to be answered. This is what it seems like as they suffer waiting and wondering when a reason to believe in hope will ever come into their lives again. When they did the right thing for the right reason and ended up suffering for it they wonder what it was all for. Did they matter at all? Did their suffering mean anything to anyone? Did God even notice they did what they were supposed to do? When they are surrounded by people looking for reasons for the suffering instead of searching for what they can do to really help, they add to the suffering instead of being the answer to the prayer.
Hungry people need food, not blame by the well fed. Homeless people need shelter, not people heading off to the other side of the street so they don't get bothered by the wretched beggar. People grieving need comfort, not someone telling them they shouldn't feel the way they do. Survivors of trauma need to be reassured they are loved and worthy of love, not subjected to someone telling them to "get of it" without even trying to help them heal.
God does not snap His fingers to answer our prayers. He calls to others to do the work. He tries to send us to answer the prayers because we understand what it is like to lack hope at times just as much as we remember what it was like when we came out of the darkest despair in our own lives. Do we hear Him? Are we willing to go where He's sending us? Are we willing to re-experience the pain in order to help someone experience the joy again?
If we do not, if we are not willing to help someone, then a soul is being subjected to breaking apart the connection to God. If we refuse to help with the help that is needed, even if it is beyond our own comfort level, then we have just refused God. If we close the calling to our soul because we have something more important to do, then we close off hope to someone.
If someone is in pain, be there to listen and spend time with them without trying to fix them quickly so that you can get back to your own life.
If someone is ill and suffering, show up and visit without looking at your watch to see if you spent enough time there.
If someone has lost someone they love, don't tell them God needed them more than they did.
If someone is hungry, feed them. If they hunger to know God has not forgotten them, don't offer only to pray for them instead of trying to really fill the need they have.
We will all question our lives when our hearts ache and no one tries to strengthen our souls so they do not break. Can you bind up the wounds of others? Can you remember your own pain in your own life long enough to reach out to someone else and help them get to where you are? Is God asking you to do some of the work for Him right now?
If you have come out of the abyss of trauma induced afterlife, then speak out and help someone else. If you are falling into the abyss, reach out for help so that you can heal and then promise to turn around and help someone else out. You may be a Soldier or a Marine, or cop or a firefighter, but you are still just human like the rest of us and like the rest of us, events in your life can have you questioning your life but you feel it deeper because you cared more to begin with.
Friday, June 4, 2010
National Guard's Major's death rule suicide
Guardsman's death labeled a suicide
Last update: June 3, 2010 - 9:45 PM
A Minnesota National Guardsman serving his second tour of duty in Iraq killed himself last October, the Army reported Thursday.
According to the Army's Criminal Investigation Command, Maj. Tad Hervas, 48, died of a self-inficted gunshot wound to the head.
Hervas, of Coon Rapids, was a winner of the Bronze Star for his performance during his first deployment to Iraq.
Previously, the Army had ruled his death was non-combat-related.
Hervas was deployed to a base in southern Iraq and was working in military intelligence, his family has said.
read more here
Guardsman death labeled a suicide
Vietnam vets urged to seek help for emotional scars
Vietnam vets urged to seek help for emotional scars
By Michael King • The News-Record • June 4, 2010
Phil Moore was awarded three Bronze Stars and a Purple Heart for service during the Vietnam War.
But the 63-year-old Menasha man knows he will get no honors for his behavior as a husband and father after the war ended.
Like many Vietnam veterans, Moore didn’t share much about his Army service in the years following the military fighting. It wasn’t until several years ago that he sought help for a variety of mental health issues — torments that originated in the war-torn jungles and villages of Southeast Asia.
Shrapnel from an enemy grenade that exploded near Moore’s head on Dec. 28, 1969, tore some 60 wounds in his shoulder, arms, hands, neck, face and one eye. While his helmet likely saved his life, protective gear and weapons could not shield him from the less-obvious emotional scars that emerged during the next four decades and touched nearly every facet of his life.
“There have been a lot of negative impacts on me personally — my job, my wife, my children, people around me — because of (post-traumatic stress disorder),” Moore said.
read more here
Vietnam vets urged to seek help for emotional scars
By Michael King • The News-Record • June 4, 2010
Phil Moore was awarded three Bronze Stars and a Purple Heart for service during the Vietnam War.
But the 63-year-old Menasha man knows he will get no honors for his behavior as a husband and father after the war ended.
Like many Vietnam veterans, Moore didn’t share much about his Army service in the years following the military fighting. It wasn’t until several years ago that he sought help for a variety of mental health issues — torments that originated in the war-torn jungles and villages of Southeast Asia.
Shrapnel from an enemy grenade that exploded near Moore’s head on Dec. 28, 1969, tore some 60 wounds in his shoulder, arms, hands, neck, face and one eye. While his helmet likely saved his life, protective gear and weapons could not shield him from the less-obvious emotional scars that emerged during the next four decades and touched nearly every facet of his life.
“There have been a lot of negative impacts on me personally — my job, my wife, my children, people around me — because of (post-traumatic stress disorder),” Moore said.
read more here
Vietnam vets urged to seek help for emotional scars
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)