New York City police officer was acquitted of beating Iraq Vet

NYPD officer acquitted of assaulting vet

By Jennifer Peltz - The Associated Press
Posted : Monday Jun 28, 2010 17:19:06 EDT

NEW YORK — A New York City police officer was acquitted Monday of assaulting an Iraq war veteran and lying about the confrontation, which was caught on videotape.

David London, 45, sobbed as he heard the jury’s verdict and left the courtroom with tears streaming down his face, hugging supporters.

London’s trial was the second in as many months that offered video to rebut a police officer’s account of a clash with a citizen. In both cases, defense lawyers suggested the videos didn’t provide a full view of the provocation and danger the officers faced.

London, an officer for 16 years, confronted Harvin as the Army veteran walked into his mother’s Manhattan apartment building without a key and declined to provide identification, the officer said.

Harvin didn’t testify at London’s trial. Prosecutors, his lawyer and his mother have said they don’t know where he is. His mother and his lawyer have said Harvin suffers from post-traumatic stress syndrome that deepened after his encounter with London.

go here for more

http://www.armytimes.com/news/2010/06/ap_vetbeating_062810/

Devil Dogs, Marines remembered in France

Hawaii panel to discuss military mental health

Hawaii panel to discuss military mental health

The Associated Press
Posted : Sunday Jun 27, 2010 11:14:32 EDT

HONOLULU — A panel composed of mental health experts, and representatives of law enforcement and military families will discuss the impact of war of service members and their families.

Mental Health America of Hawaii will sponsor the seminar on Monday at Central Union Church in Honolulu.
read more here
Hawaii panel to discuss military mental health

Habitat for Humanity builds homes for vets

Habitat for Humanity builds homes for vets

By Josh Jarman - The Columbus (Ohio) Dispatch via AP
Posted : Sunday Jun 27, 2010 16:02:43 EDT

NEWARK, Ohio — At three years, Wayne Lupher’s stint in the Army was relatively short.

An incident while he was serving in South Korea in 1987, however, left him with a permanent back injury that has cost him jobs and two decades of financial insecurity. Now, a coalition of Licking County veterans service organizations has decided that it’s time for some payback.

Lupher was selected for a first-of-its-kind partnership between local veterans groups and the Licking County Habitat for Humanity, which are teaming up to build Lupher and his family their first home of their own.
read more here
http://www.armytimes.com/news/2010/06/ap_military_vets_habitat_homes_062710/

Court rejects wife’s Halliburton suit

Court rejects wife’s Halliburton suit

The Associated Press
Posted : Monday Jun 28, 2010 12:18:12 EDT

WASHINGTON — The Supreme Court has rejected an appeal from a woman who wants to sue Halliburton for the brain injury her husband suffered when a truck in a fuel convoy crashed in Iraq.

The justices, without comment Monday, let stand a federal appeals court ruling dismissing the lawsuit filed by Annette Carmichael of Atlanta, on behalf of her husband, Army Sgt. Keith Carmichael. The Obama administration recommended the denial of the appeal.
read more here
Court rejects wife Halliburton suit

Vet, facing deportation, says Army let him down

If they serve, they should stay! These are not just "illegal immigrants" looking for what this nation has to offer. They are willing to lay down their lives because they really want to pay this country back, and, should the day come, to even lay down their lives for it.

Vet, facing deportation, says Army let him down

By Gerald Ensley - Tallahassee (Fla.) Democrat
Posted : Sunday Jun 27, 2010 8:24:01 EDT

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — Axel Runtschke is blond and blue-eyed. He hunts and fishes. He listens to country music and watches NASCAR. He spent three years in the Army, is married and has three kids.

He’s a regular American guy. Except that he’s an illegal immigrant.

And though he has been in the United States for 20 years after moving here from his native Germany as a child, he has been unable to gain legal residency status — even though he said the Army promised him they would take care of it when he enlisted in 1997.

So he is unable to get a job, is running out of money and his home is being foreclosed. The stress is overwhelming.

“I don’t sleep, it’s a constant headache. I’m at my wit’s end,” said Runtschke, 32. “I made a commitment to this country and I fulfilled it honorably. I just want them to recognize this.”

Tallahassee lawyers Neil Rambana and Elizabeth Ricci, who specialize in immigration law, are working to gain Runtschke a green card as a permanent resident, if not full-fledged citizenship.
read more here
http://www.armytimes.com/news/2010/06/gns_army_citizenship_062610/

Semper Fidelis lives up to motto in Orlando

Saturday I had the pleasure of sitting down and listening to the members of Semper Fidelis in Orlando. My husband and I were invited to help out at the Orlando VA during their cookout for the patients and employees at the clinic's branches. If you live near Orlando, see what you can do to help this group. They do a lot for the veterans forgotten by most of the area. They are one of the best kept secrets in Orlando.

It was my honor to tape this.

Part Two
This is what the members had to say about being a part of this group and how they feel about veterans

J.R. Martinez, wounded Iraq veteran, shines in All My Children

After surviving Iraq, Pine Valley's a breeze
Disfigured and nearly killed in a 2003 land-mine explosion, Army vet J.R. Martinez has become the soap opera world's most unlikely star with his role on 'All My Children.'

By Greg Braxton, Los Angeles Times

June 26, 2010 5:54 p.m.


The police station set of "All My Children" buzzed as the cast and crew prepared for a scene. Sitting behind a desk in his officer's uniform all ready to go was J.R. Martinez, smiling as makeup and hair artists attended to actress Shannon Kane, who plays his partner on the ABC soap.

"One day I'll have to get a wig so I know what's it's like to be waited on," he said. "I never have to show up early like everyone else for hair and makeup. I'm camera-ready as soon as I arrive."

Martinez stands out in the glamorous cast of "All My Children," one of daytime's most enduring serials. His face, like much of his body, is badly burned and bears the marks of repeated skin grafts. His left eye slightly droops. His left ear is gone. His shaved head is heavily scarred. A distinctive line separates the smooth bridge of his nose from the burned tip.

Though he doesn't share the perfect hair and silky features of his costars, it is clear that somehow, Martinez, an Iraqi war veteran who was injured in 2003, fits in. He will be among the cast members participating in a salute to the 40-year-old drama during the Daytime Emmy Awards on Sunday night in Las Vegas.
read more here
After surviving Iraq

Soldier killed in Afghanistan had joined Army to help son

Provided
This is a family photo of Army Pfc. Russell Madden (left) with his father , Martin, after the younger Madden completed Army Airborne training.

Soldier killed in Afghanistan had joined Army to help son

Russell Madden was second Bellevue High Class of 2000 graduate to die in combat

BELLEVUE, KY. - When Russell Madden signed up for the Army two years ago, it was with one purpose – to provide medical care for his son.
Four-year-old Parker suffers from cystic fibrosis.

“Where he had been working he had no benefits or anything like that,” said Madden’s sister Lindsey Madden, “so he joined because he knew that Parker would always be taken care of no matter what.”

Madden’s family learned Wednesday night that the 29-year-old Bellevue High School graduate had been killed in Afghanistan. Madden, a private first class, died that morning when his convoy was attacked with a rocket-propelled grenade, his sister said.
read more here
Soldier killed in Afghanistan had joined Army to help son

Law enforcement crisis negotiation class focuses on military

There was a time, not so long ago, when a veteran or his spouse would call police for help but end up regretting it. The outcome depended on how much the responding officers knew or what they just assumed. If they didn't know anything about what makes combat veterans different than your average citizen, they ended up arrested and charged instead of taken to VA hospitals. We've come a long way since then but this report showing how far we've come, also paints a picture of how far we have to go. Depending on where the veteran lives, they can be helped or harmed. I've traveled to many states over the years and whenever I can, I ask officers what they know about PTSD. Depending on the state, the answer range from they are fully involved, or they don't have a clue. Programs like this need to be replicated across the nation since all states are faced with crisis among the National Guards and Reservists. This needs to happen if far more than military towns.


This was sent by Lily at Healing Combat Trauma

Law enforcement crisis negotiation class focuses on military, PTSD
June 22, 2010 3:32 AM
HOPE HODGE
A 40-year-old New River Marine staff sergeant calls 911 on a day in late November 2007, warning police he had a gun and stood with it outside the home of his estranged wife. After hours of negotiations and a burst of gunfire, the Marine lay dead with two bullets in his chest, a tragedy that would be classified “police-assisted suicide,” or suicide by cop.

The case of Neil Manson is just one of a number of case studies law enforcement personnel reviewed during a two-day crisis negotiation class held this week at Coastal Carolina Community College in Jacksonville. Prompted by a recommendation from Jacksonville police chief Mike Yaniero, this course had a special focus on negotiations with individuals, particularly military service members, suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder.

The class included law enforcement from across the state as well as military officials, provost marshals and officials from the state and federal bureaus of investigation: 90 attendees and 130 participants total, officials said.

“We have to be better equipped to deal with these types of situations,” Yaniero said. “Giving us the tools to understand it better will help us deal with it more effectively.”
read more here
Law enforcement crisis negotiation class focuses on military

How did we get to PTSD awareness day?

Maybe you thought it was strange that this is PTSD Awareness Day, but a PTSD blog has been silent. I've been busy editing a video I shot yesterday about a fantastic group out of Orlando, Semper Fidelis and how they are getting ready to go to the Orlando VA to have a 4th of July Cookout with over 200 patients and employees there.

We seem to always forget how we get to where we are simply because while the media may report on the bad stuff, and usually it ends up helping as with PTSD, but in the process, they ignore a lot of good work being done. This country is full of regular people stepping up to make this country a better place but you'd never know most of them. What you do end up knowing is the results of their hard work when things change for the better. As with Semper Fidelis, no one knew who they were or what they've been doing all this time. I was even shocked to find out as much as I did. (Check back tomorrow for the videos on this interview.)

The best part about being involved in working toward helping the veterans, aside for meeting the veterans themselves, are the people who worked so hard to get us to a day set aside to raise awareness for PTSD.

One of the reasons we got here is Lily Casura. She has worked so hard without recognition but had it not been for people like her, this day wouldn't have happened. What you don't know about Lily is that reporters have used her worked and never bothered to even thank her or mention her. Other people jumped on stories she worked for hours on just so they could claim it for themselves. Over the years, she's wondered why she has worked so hard but will never give up because her heart is dedicated to helping our veterans. She's simply an amazing woman and I've very proud to call her my friend. Well, it looks as if Lily had finally gotten some big time support from the Founder of Craigslist with a post on the Huffington Post.

When you read it, understand that had it not been for people like Lilly and my other friend Paul Sullivan over at Veterans for Common Sense, and a lot of other groups pushing to make change happen, there wouldn't be a day to mention at all. Just a lot more endless hopeless days for a lot more veterans and their families.

Bravo Lily! I adore you even more!

Craig Newmark
Founder of Craigslist
Posted: June 26, 2010 04:51 PM
"Healing combat trauma" and "The Brain at War"
Okay, people are supporting the troops in ways that are deeply important, in ways that as a country, we got a lot of work to do. There are physical injuries that even I can understand, but beyond that, there's traumatic brain injury (TBI) and the invisible damage to troops, like post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD.)

Recently the NCIRE and The Veterans Health Research Institute, ran the "The Brain at War" conference, which I attended briefly. (I'm not very tough, and this stuff is hard to hear.) This was all about helping vets deal with these real problem. I don't really understand a lot, so I'll get out of the way, and hear from someone with real expertise.

Check out Healing Combat Trauma and specifically, "The Brain at War" Conference in San Francisco:click link for the rest of this

Or you could go to my friend Lily's site and read the great work she's been doing.

June 27, 2010 is "National PTSD Awareness Day"
Amazingly enough -- and suddenly, because the U.S. Senate just passed it -- tomorrow is "National PTSD Awareness Day." Even MORE amazingly, the text of the resolution is very veteran-focused (yippee!).
Here's the full text of the bill. Enjoy! My only quibble is that the numbers seem a little on the low side, but mebbe not. (Actually, the advocacy group Veterans for Common Sense, led by veteran and former VA bureaucrat, Paul Sullivan, lists the numbers as much higher. See link here for current information.)
And, of course, a focus on treatment through integrative medicine would also be nice. It alludes to, but does not mention directly MST (military sexual trauma), which plagues women and men in the Armed Forces AND which unfortunately also leads directly to PTSD. The combination is often too much to bear. With all those caveats, it's still a great bill, and we appreciate any and all emphasis on the topic, as beneficial to veterans, their loved ones, their caregivers, decision-makers, and the general larger community of humankind.

click the link above for more

Anger counselor gets jail after getting angry and pulling gun on US Marshals?

Some people never learn what they end up teaching. Priest? Ok, ex-priest. Must not have learned what Christ taught. Then a counselor trying to teach people to control their own anger but couldn't control his own?

Anger counselor who pulled out gun gets jail
Friday, June 25, 2010

ALEXANDRIA, Va. -- A former priest and anger-management counselor who pulled a gun in a traffic dispute on two men who happened to be U.S. Marshals has been sentenced to a year in prison. Fifty-seven-year-old Jose Luis Avila of Annandale pleaded guilty earlier this year in U.S. District Court to assaulting a federal officer.
read more here
Anger counselor who pulled out gun gets jail

Rolling Stone broke interview ground rules?

Is it really a matter of a report hearing something and reporting on it or is it the fact these things were said?

One good question that has not been asked is; If McChrystal really felt the things he said, did it end up hurting the operations in Afghanistan? He was in charge and along with him, so were his subordinates. Did their bad attitude toward the President and his cabinet change their orders and planing?

It would be only human considering any one of us are influenced by the attitude we have toward our own bosses. McChrystal is only human after all so if he had a bad attitude, it very well could have been transferred onto the way he ran the military in Afghanistan.

As for the reporter letting the public know what was said, if they feel this way, then none of it should have been said in the first place. It isn't as if they didn't know who was listening.

Military official disputes Rolling Stone article
By Barbara Starr, CNN Pentagon Correspondent
June 26, 2010 12:09 a.m. EDT

STORY HIGHLIGHTS
Mlitary official says some controversial comments were off-the-record
Official does not dispute the comments, however
Magazine says it followed the rules, did due diligence
Washington (CNN) -- In the Rolling Stone article that got him fired, Gen. Stanley McChrystal says of the aides who surround him "I'd die for them. And they'd die for me." But the military men around McChrystal are now silent.

Not one of those anonymously quoted has come forward, according to a source close to the general. No one has acknowledged they told Rolling Stone McChrystal thought President Barack Obama looked "uncomfortable and intimidated" in his first meeting with military brass or that the general was personally "disappointed" after a meeting with the commander-in-chief.

It's no surprise he never claimed he was misquoted, several military sources who personally know McChrystal told CNN. They say, despite his fatal mistake in judgment, it is in his character to take sole responsibility for the inappropriate statements and command atmosphere.
read more hereMilitary official disputes Rolling Stone article



Military: Rolling Stone broke interview ground rules
A command review of events has concluded that McChrystal was betrayed when the journalist quoted banter among the general and his staff, much of which they thought was off the record. They contend that the magazine inaccurately depicted the attribution ground rules for the interviews.
The 30 questions Rolling Stone's fact-checker sent to McChrystal's aide



Petraeus will review controversial rules of engagement
Gen. David Petraeus will review and possibly modify the controversial rules of engagement for U.S. troops in Afghanistan when he assumes command of the mission there, a spokesman for the general said Friday.
Petraeus may soon find Afghanistan is no Iraq
What do you think: Are combat rules in Afghanistan putting U.S. lives in danger?

Troops in Afghanistan react to McChrystal's firing 11:46 June 24, 2010

Army Supports Wounded Warriors' Children

AMERICA'S HEROES


Army Supports Wounded Warriors' Children

(NAPSI)-Children face significant challenges when a soldier returns from war with severe injuries. After the stress of parents' deployment, the recovery process can last for years, deeply affecting children.

Sometimes they have to travel to the hospital where the parents recover, changing schools and leaving their friends behind. Sometimes they watch their parents learn to walk or talk all over again. Sometimes their parents are angry and anxious as they cope with the post-traumatic stress that often follows combat.

The U.S. Army recognizes the impact of these challenges and is taking proactive steps to help families.

Each year, the U.S. Army Wounded Warrior Program (AW2) hosts a symposium where wounded soldiers, veterans and their families gather to prioritize the top challenges facing the wounded warrior community. During the weeklong event, the children ages 6 to 17 attend Operation Purple®, an urban adventure camp hosted by the National Military Family Association.

"For the first time, I didn't feel alone," said 12-year-old Savannah Cramblett, whose mother sustained significant injuries while on active duty in Iraq. "My friends at school don't understand what my family is going through, but the kids at Operation Purple® camp did. I enjoyed the horseback riding, trip to Sea World and even swimming. These are memories, I will never forget."
read more here
http://www.napsnet.com/articles/64235.html

Battle Company: Loving Life, Making War

Battle Company: Loving Life, Making War
By A. O. SCOTT
Published: June 25, 2010
“Restrepo,” a documentary that sticks close to a company of American soldiers during a grueling 14-month tour of duty in an especially dangerous part of Afghanistan, is an impressive, even heroic feat of journalism. Not that the filmmakers — Sebastian Junger, an adventurous reporter perhaps best known as the author of “The Perfect Storm,” and Tim Hetherington, a photographer with extensive experience in war zones — call attention to their own bravery. They stay behind the portable high- and standard-definition video cameras, nimble flies on a wall that is exposed to a steady barrage of bullets.


Hanging out with the members of Battle Company in their hilltop outposts in the Korangal Valley between May 2007 and July 2008, Mr. Junger and Mr. Hetherington recorded firefights, reconnaissance missions, sessions of rowdy horseplay and hours of grinding boredom. Afterward, when the tour was done, the filmmakers conducted interviews in which the soldiers tried to make sense of what they had done and seen. There is nothing especially fancy or innovative here, just a blunt, sympathetic, thorough accounting of the daily struggle to stay alive and accomplish something constructive.
read more here
Loving Life Making War

Lakeland Florida gunfight leaves two deputies wounded, suspect dead

Lakeland gunfight leaves two deputies wounded, suspect dead
By Danny Valentine, Times Staff Writer
Posted: Jun 25, 2010 05:55 AM
LAKELAND — Two Polk County sheriff's deputies were shot multiple times in an early-morning gunfight with a suspected prowler Friday.

The unidentified suspect was killed but the two deputies are expected to recover, authorities said.

Deputy Paul Fairbanks III, 58, was shot in the stomach and left arm and was taken to Lakeland Regional Medical Center for surgery.

Deputy Michael Braswell, 32, was shot in the extremities, deputies said. He was taken to the same hospital for treatment.

Both deputies were wearing bullet-proof vests.
read more here
Lakeland gunfight leaves two deputies wounded

Family mourns loss of son, a Marine

Family mourns loss of son, a Marine
Updated: Friday, 25 Jun 2010, 5:49 PM EDT
Published : Friday, 25 Jun 2010, 5:49 PM EDT

Lorey Schultz
Posted by: Eli George
NORTH TONAWANDA, N.Y. (WIVB) - A dedicated Marine from North Tonawanda has made his final journey home. The body of Lance Corporal Timothy Serwinowski arrived at the Niagara Falls Air Base Friday morning as his heartbroken family looked on.

The body of Marine Lance Cpl. Timothy Serwinowski arrived, the latest casualty of war. Friday morning, he returned home to a hero's welcome. His heartbroken family linked arms and huddled close as fellow Marines carried his flag draped casket; his dog tag hung loosely. It was an emotional moment for everyone at the air base.

Patriot Guard Riders of NY member Joseph Shiah said, "It's getting more difficult. Every one is difficult. The Ride Captains get to know the families well, and it's like they're part of our family."

The 21-year-old North Tonawanda native was on patrol in Afghanistan Monday when fatally wounded by a sniper's bullet.
read more here
http://www.wivb.com/dpp/military/Family-mourns-loss-of-son-a-Marine

New details on toxic water at Camp Lejeune

Lejeune details under new study

BY BARBARA BARRETT - Washington Correspondent
WASHINGTON -- A congressional oversight committee has begun looking into new details about historic water contamination at Camp Lejeune.

Investigators in the House Science and Technology Committee have requested hundreds of documents from the state of North Carolina that include details about underground storage tanks buried across the Marine base in past decades. The tanks contained fuel, tricholorethylene (TCE) and other chemicals.

Some of the storage tanks leaked into the groundwater, including some buried about 300 feet from a drinking well. The well was found in 1984 to be contaminated with benzene, a fuel component and a human carcinogen. It was closed in December 1984.

McClatchy has obtained the state of North Carolina documents and reported Friday that federal scientists have learned of the leaking fuel tanks near the historic well as they, too, work to understand the health effects of decades of contamination across the Marine base.

The tanks were buried beneath a former refueling station known as Building 1115; they were removed in 1993.

"That water was stunningly contaminated," said U.S. Rep. Brad Miller, chairman of the oversight panel on the science and technology committee. "It was stunningly toxic, and the fact that Marines and their families drank that water for 30 years is inexcusable."



Read more: Lejeune details under new study

Former Marine Recalls Feeling Forgotten On 60th Anniversary of Korean War

On 60th Anniversary of Korean War, Former Marine Recalls Feeling 'Forgotten'
Written by Jennifer Moore
Friday, 25 June 2010


The Korean War began 60 years ago Friday when North Korea invaded the South.

President Truman was in his home in Independence, Missouri, when his Secretary of State delivered the news. Within a few short weeks, US Troops were preparing to come to the defense of South Korea, even though war was never officially declared. One soldier who was among them was a young Marine by the name of Clifford Auberry. On Friday, he joined KSMU's Jennifer Moore by phone in Springfield.


Auberry went to Korea just a few months after the invasion in 1950, and he stayed through 1951.

"Well, I was a Marine, and I was pretty proud to go over there. But I felt like we were forgotten over there," he said.

"We didn't have equipment. We didn't have food. And other than our folks, we didn't hear from anybody," Auberry said.

He made two major landings in amphibious tanks, and said South Korea was "pretty well shot up" by the time US troops got there.

I asked him what emotions he feels when he hears the Korean War referred to as the "Forgotten War."

"Well, it's not very good emotions. We felt that way when we were over there. Only our families seemed to be the only ones who knew we were in Korea. And they said it wasn't really a war, that it was a police action," he recalls.
read more here
http://www.ksmu.org/content/view/6882/2/

Paws for Vets founder knew what PTSD felt like

Michele Malloy lost her 11 week old grandson when he died suddenly. That trauma changed everything she was feeling inside, as well as her outlook on the future. In a way, she ended up knowing what PTSD feels like. She also did something about it after discovering something that helped her heal. She started Paws for Vets because she knew what pain felt like.

That's really the biggest point here. We can all understand what the veterans are going through by remember what we felt like after a life altering event in our own lives.

A family member dying suddenly.
A life threatening event, an accident or the worry of having medical diagnosis like cancer.

One minute your life is pretty much laid out and your have your routine. You get up at the same time every morning and start your day the same way everyday. The people in your life are always expected to be there doing what they always do. Each day, there are parts of our lives we just expect to be there but when suddenly the routine and "normal" parts of our lives are gone, it is shocking and traumatic. Everything inside of skin is put into a tailspin because you know nothing will ever be the same way again.

Well, this is what PTSD begins with. Life changing events that are extreme and usually multiple events piled one on another. When you are a combat veteran, you have the usual things happen just like everyone else, but you also have to try to heal from the events that happen in war. Michele Malloy is one of those rare people able to take their own pain and do some good for others.

Michele Malloy, who founded Paws for Vets, holds Ginger. "From the moment I got her — from the moment even that I knew about her — I started feeling better, " says Malloy, who was in despair after the death of an infant grandson. (GEORGE SKENE, ORLANDO SENTINEL / June 24, 2010)

For wounded warriors, Orlando nonprofit brings healing on a leash

By Kate Santich, Orlando Sentinel

June 26, 2010


By the time Jason Jensen returned from his last deployment in Iraq, he already knew something was wrong. Physically, the marine had escaped the sniper fire and roadside bombing attempts that punctuated daily life, but he was not the same man who had enlisted at age 29.

Now 44, he was edgy, anxious and hyper-vigilant. He could never let himself relax, and he had no patience for the petty grievances his subordinates would bring to him. For that matter, he didn't want to deal with people at all, sometimes even his own wife and children.

Then he met Yahtzee, a 2-year-old German shepherd.

"I wasn't really a dog person," Jensen admits. "But Yahtzee has been a real blessing. Just being around him calms me down."

Diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder, traumatic brain injury and anger issues, Jensen is one of a handful of soldiers being helped by a new nonprofit organization founded by an Orlando woman. Paws for Vets is her grassroots attempt to provide psychiatric service dogs, canine trainers and supplies to servicemen and women in need — to share with them the same profound healing a pup named Ginger once brought her.
read more here
Orlando nonprofit brings healing on a leash