Two Tampa Police Officers killed after traffic stop

UPDATE

Florida Police Officer's Widow Has Baby Hours After His Killing

Published June 29, 2010
NewsCore

The widow of a Florida police officer gunned down after making a traffic stop early Tuesday has given birth to their first child just hours after he passed away, CBS News reported.

Officer Jeff Kocab was called to the scene as backup after fellow Tampa police officer Dave Curtis stopped a car about 2:15am Tuesday because the license tag wasn't visible.

Tampa police said the passenger in the vehicle, Dontae Rashawn Morris, 24, had a minor warrant for arrest and opened fire on the two officers.
Florida Police Officer Widow Has Baby Hours After His Killing

Slain Tampa police officers recalled as devoted family men and crime-fighters
Times staff
Posted: Jun 29, 2010 01:31 PM
TAMPA — Police officers Jeffrey Kocab and David Curtis were remembered Tuesday as men who were devoted to their jobs and families.

Both 31 years old, Kocab and Curtis were gunned down early Tuesday morning during a traffic stop at 50th Street and 23rd Avenue. They both worked the midnight shift, and both were relatively new to the Tampa Police Department.

Officer Jeffrey Kocab, center, with Tampa Mayor Pam Iorio and former police Chief Steve Hogue.

Kocab joined the department about 14 months ago from the Plant City Police Department.

He was chosen by his fellow Plant City officers as employee of the month four times in three years.

Kocab and his wife were expecting their first child next week but she went into labor just hours after her husband died, said Tampa Mayor Pam Iorio.

Officer David Curtis, left, with former Tampa police Chief Steve Hogue.

Curtis left behind a wife and four young children: Austin, 9; Sean, 6; Tyler, 5; and Hunter, 8 months, Iorio said.

read more here

Tampa Police officers David Curtis and Jeffrey Kocab

One of two suspects found

Tampa Police officers David Curtis and Jeffrey Kocab were killed around 2 a.m., shot in the head by the side of the road. Police say they have found one suspect, Cortnee Nicole Brantley, as well as the car she was driving at the time. The other suspect, Dontae Rashawn Morris, has not been located.

Veterans for Common Sense warns of need to hire more doctors now

They are right. Too often I'll talk to veterans and find out while they get all the meds they need, there isn't any therapy for them. They are given meds and told to come back in a few months but that's just about it. When you tell a twenty-something year old he needs to be on medication the rest of his/her life, they tend to not find much hope in that. Yet when you tell them what PTSD is, and what they can do to get to the point when they won't need much medication at all, that gives them hope. They need to know healing is possible and how to get there. This is their biggest complaint of all and it's easy to understand why it is that way.

National Security News
Finally, the press starts to wake up to the escalating and shocking human toll nine years of war has had on our military. The L.A. Times reports the number of U.S. military casualties caused by the Iraq and Afghanistan wars is more than 500,000. The real total is 537,099, according to VA, because VA also counts veteran patients with TBI, mental illness, and warzone-acquired diseases - categories not counted in misleading and incomplete Pentagon reports.

The Army Times reports on the the military's struggles related to the severe shortage of medical personnel. VCS believes the number of suicides rises, in part, due to the lack of medical professionals, especially mental health professionals (other factors include multiple deployments, the lack of medical exams, and discrimination against veterans with mental health conditions).

Our messsage to Secretary Gates: Hire more doctors now !

Yoga Therapy for Depression, Anxiety, PTSD

It isn't hard to understand but most of the Marines I work with think I'm nuts. Aside from the obvious reasons, they are usually convinced of this as soon as I tell them to go take Yoga. All these young, strong, tough Marines think of is bending their bodies up like a pretzel and they are done with the idea. Then I tell them their bodies know how to calm down, how to stop feeling as if they are going to explode when they have a panic attack or anxiety takes over. It's all built into the body but we all forget how to do it. Yoga instructors teach a lot more than how to twist your body up into un-natural shapes and on this, their help is priceless. They can help you regain the ways your body and mind work. Whenever the body-mind and spirit are all addressed, healing is much greater and faster than addressing one part of "you" at a time.

Yoga Therapy for Depression, Anxiety, PTSD, Bipolar Disorder and …
By randy
Yoga Therapy for Depression, Anxiety, PTSD, Bipolar Disorder and … Posted by randy 28 Jun, 2010. Some studies have shown that controlled breathing, which is an integral part of most types of yoga

A new 'war' to fight at home after Iraqi deployment ends

Guest column: A new 'war' to fight at home after Iraqi deployment ends
Posted: June 28, 2010 - 3:12pm
Madeleine Tavares is a freelance writer for USA Today.

As we took our seats at Starbucks, Sgt. Mark Middlebrook, who recently completed his four-year Army tour, walked to the back and selected a seat with his back to the wall and facing the front door.

Middlebrook, who is 24 years old, has suffered Post Traumatic Stress Disorder since completing his 15 months in Iraq in 2007. You would never know it simply by looking at him.

I have followed Middlebrook's Army journey through his parents, Gayle and Mark Sr., of Ponte Vedra. We participate in a support group for families of deployed military.

At the end of 2007, two friends and I realized our three sons would be in Iraq at the same time and wanted to reach out to others who might be in the same situation.

Since leaving the Army this past summer, Middlebrook has been trying to move on with his life, but worry often gets in the way.
read more here
A new war to fight at home

Veterans' Medallion Available for Order

Veterans' Medallion Available for Order
New Option for Marking Veterans' Graves in Private Cemeteries

WASHINGTON (June 29, 2010) - Secretary of Veterans Affairs Eric Shinseki announced today that the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) is offering bronze medallions to attach to existing, privately purchased headstones or markers, signifying a deceased's status as a Veteran.

"For Veterans not buried in a national or state Veterans cemetery, or those without a government grave marker, VA is pleased to offer this option that highlights their service and sacrifices for our country," said Secretary Shinseki.

The new item can be furnished instead of a traditional government headstone or marker for Veterans whose death occurred on or after Nov. 1, 1990, and whose grave in a private cemetery is marked with a privately purchased headstone or marker.

Under federal law, eligible Veterans buried in a private cemetery are entitled to either a government-furnished grave marker or the new medallion, but not both. Veterans buried in a national or state Veterans cemetery will receive a government headstone or marker of the standard design authorized at that cemetery.

The medallion is available in three sizes: 5 inches, 3 inches and 1 ½ inches in width. Each bronze medallion features the image of a folded burial flag adorned with laurels and is inscribed with the word "Veteran" at the top and the branch of service at the bottom.

Next of kin will receive the medallion, along with a kit that will allow the family or the staff of a private cemetery to affix the medallion to a headstone, grave marker, mausoleum or columbarium niche cover.

More information about VA-furnished headstones, markers and medallions can be found at http://www.cem.va.gov/cem/hm/hmtype.asp


VA is currently developing an application form for ordering the medallion. Until it is available, applicants may use the form for ordering government headstones and markers, VA Form 40-1330. Instructions on how to apply for a medallion are found on the VA Web site at www.cem.va.gov/hm_hm.asp


Veterans with a discharge issued under conditions other than dishonorable, their spouses and eligible dependent children can be buried in a VA national cemetery. Other burial benefits available for all eligible Veterans, regardless of whether they are buried in a national cemetery or a private cemetery, include a burial flag, a Presidential Memorial Certificate and a government headstone or grave marker.

The new medallions will be available only to Veterans buried in private cemeteries without a government headstone or marker. Families of eligible decedents may also order a memorial headstone or marker when remains are not available for interment.

VA operates 131 national cemeteries in 39 states and Puerto Rico and 33 soldiers' lots and monument sites. More than 3 million Americans, including Veterans of every war and conflict -- from the Revolutionary War to the current conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan -- are buried in VA's national cemeteries on more than 19,000 acres.

Information on VA burial benefits can be obtained from national cemetery offices, from the VA Web site on the Internet at www.cem.va.gov or by calling VA regional offices toll-free at 1-800-827-1000.

Warrior poems online

The DCoE Blog

Readers Share Their Poetry
Posted by Communications, DCoE on June 25, 2010

Readers, thank you for sharing your poems with us and the rest of the warrior community. We look forward to continuing to post your submissions for the coming weeks. We encourage you to share the link to your published poems with your loved ones and communities. Reaching out is a sign of strength; pass the message on.

Please click on the below links for this week’s featured poems.

William D’Emilio, Jr., U.S. Army Veteran, “THE STILL JOURNEY”
Kristian Ray March, Untitled
Bill Yamanaka, Lieutenant Commander, U.S. Navy (Retired), “Keep a Grateful Perspective”
read these and more here
http://www.dcoe.health.mil/blog/article.aspx?id=1&postid=114

Homeless Veterans in Orlando, not hopeless

At the Orlando VA hospital there was a great gathering of people dedicated to our veterans. This event was to address homeless veterans issues taking into account all the reasons they end up homeless. From substance abuse, to PTSD, lack of supportive family and friends, legal problems and lack of jobs, all the reasons were tackled.

There were people from the Department of Corrections and legal
Ms. Sherri Claudio LCSW
Atty. Robert Wesley Public Defender
and Ms. Maria Scruggs-Weston Inmate Program Supervisor

From the VA
Heather Gallagher LCSW, Program Coordinator
Brian Wright, LCSW, Outreach Social Worker
Lou Smith, Peer Support

From Housing
HUD/VASH team and Ms. Carolyn Smith of Winter Park Pointe

In the audience there were people from community services, service groups like the DAV and others working to help the veterans in Orlando and Central Florida. One of the most moving panels was the ex-homeless veterans themselves.

Hearing their stories about their service and then what followed left lumps in everyone's throats. All of them had their own stories and reasons why they ended up homeless but just when they thought there was no hope for them they found their way to the Orlando VA and the DOM. This program has never been about putting a roof over their heads for a few weeks but to provide what they need to be able to live on their own. This is a program dedicated to staying with them, right by their sides to help them stay in a place of their own.

The message is clear. Our homeless veterans should not be alone, or feel alone, when there is a army of dedicated people ready to help them. This is one of the best kept secrets in Central Florida. Many people I come in contact with are stunned to discover there is a homeless veterans facility on the VA grounds. They know even less about the work being done for veterans.

While we are far from being able to take care of every homeless veteran, we are so much closer to it than ever before with programs like today. The problem is, no one knows about it. The media doesn't seem interested in reporting on great things being done simply because people care. They need to report on the homeless veterans, just as they do all veterans, but they just don't seem willing to invest the time in getting to know any of these men or women.

These are our veterans and all most of them need is to know someone cares. They have found it right here in Orlando.

Now as for the work that still needs to be done, we need to get the local churches involved. There was someone from Northland in Longwood at this gathering. Northland has been very involved in the community for a long time, so I was not surprised to see someone from that church there, but I was very disheartened to not see more from the religious/spiritual community.

This is an issue that requires action from the faith based groups but too few have been interested. Unlike the general population needing help finding places to live and assistance when they have fallen on hard times, the vast majority of our homeless veterans ended up needing help because they served in the military. They have unique issues behind them and they need help to heal from combat in many cases, which is a spiritual issue above and beyond what others face.

We need all faith based groups involved in stepping up to help, not just the homeless veterans, but for all veterans before they end up homeless as well.

Chaplain Kathie
PTSD Consultant
Senior IFOC Chaplain
DAV Chapter 16 Auxiliary Chaplain
Kathie "Costos" DiCesare
407-754-7526
web site
www.namguardianangel.com



"The willingness with which our young people are likely to serve in any war, no matter how justified, shall be directly proportional to how they perceive veterans of early wars were treated and appreciated by our nation." - George Washington
Nam Guardian Angel is a Charter of the IFOC, (501c3)

New Hampshire aims to end vet homelessness by 2014

State aims to end vet homelessness by 2014

By Holly Ramer - The Associated Press
Posted : Monday Jun 28, 2010 14:52:33 EDT

CONCORD, N.H. — New Hampshire could eliminate homelessness among veterans in four years with a plan that emphasizes moving beyond housing to focus on other support services, according to report released Monday.

The state created a committee last year to identify the needs of homeless veterans and improve collaboration among the state health and human services department, community groups and the two VA medical centers that serve New Hampshire residents. The plan it released Monday outlines nearly a dozen goals grouped in six categories, from outreach and education to housing and employment.

Last year, 9 percent of those served by state and federally funded homeless assistance programs in New Hampshire were veterans. Those programs counted 428 veterans, but officials estimate another 200 didn’t seek help. Nationally, veterans make up about 10 percent of the general population but 15 percent of the homeless population.
read more here
State aims to end vet homelessness

4TROOPS to Perform USO Concert LIVE Online

4TROOPS to Perform USO Concert LIVE Online
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
June 28, 2010
Contact:
Sharee Posey, (703) 740-4980
http://www.blogger.com/
4TROOPS to Perform USO Concert LIVE Online With Help From Stickam
The 30-Minute Show to be Featured on USO.org
WHAT: USO Concert Featuring 4TROOPS
WHEN: July 2, 2010 2:00 p.m. EST
WHERE: New York, NYhttp://www.blogger.com/ (Courtesy of stickam.com)

WHY: 4TROOPS, a new vocal group of U.S. combat veterans signed to Sony Masterworks, will perform a 30-minute USO concert live from New York City on July 2, 2010, at 2:00 pm EST. Broadcast exclusively online the concert is being streamed with the help of Stickam, an industry leader in online multimedia communications services. During the concert, 4TROOPS will answer questions from fans, share their thoughts on what it means to serve our nation and reflect on their USO experiences. Fans will be able to view the concert live and submit advance questions for the group online via http://www.uso.org/.

Each member of the group served on the front lines in Iraq and Afghanistan, and is on a mission to give back to troops. Their self-titled debut album was released May 11, and a portion of the proceeds will benefit the USO and other organizations that support U.S. soldiers, veterans and their families. Most recently, the quartet has made appearances on “Good Morning America,” “The View,” “CNN,” “Nightline” and “Larry King Live,” among other prominent news programs. Their PBS special “4TROOPS: Live From the Intrepid” is currently airing on PBS stations nationwide and this fall the group will embark on a 50-city national tour.
This is the first-ever USO concert available exclusively on the web.

If you watched America's Got Talent last year, you would have heard the beautiful voice of Sgt. Daniel Jens. I really wanted him to win! This group is really good and even better is they are all veterans.

Former Sgt. Daniel Jens, a native of Milwaukee, Wisconsin, was attracted to becoming a musician/singer after seeing Elvis and The Beatles perform and hearing the adoring screams of their female fans. He was inspired to join the Army and serve his country after the events of 9/11. In October of 2007 he deployed to Iraq with the 1st Cavalry Division as a crew member of the Field Artillery Cannon. Jens sang at everything from Prayer Breakfasts to Talent Nights at the U.S. Embassy. Upon his return, Daniel went on to become one of the top twenty acts in season three of America’s Got Talent.

Former Cpt. Meredith Melcher spent four years in the Army as an officer in the Medical Service Corps where she was deployed in support of the first Operation Iraqi Freedom. While on the front lines of Iraq her ambulance platoon successfully evacuated hundreds of injured Americans and Iraqis to higher levels of medical treatment. Upon her return, she was cast in the 2004 U.S. Army Soldier Show and performed for audiences of military personnel and civilians worldwide.

Staff Sgt. (Ret.) Ron Henry retired from the Army after a twenty-year military career; his last seven years were spent traveling unprotected roads in Iraq in the dangerous position of Transporter and Transportation Manager. Influenced by Gospel music, Ron delivered stellar performances in the first season of Military Idol, a show that featured military contestants in the popular American Idol format. He went on to lead the successful Army singing group “Transportation Express,” lifting the morale of those families whose military parents were serving multiple deployments back to back.

Former Sgt. David Clemo – who was in Basic Training, getting his first ID on 9/11 – initially deployed to Afghanistan where he provided communications support for major logistics and fire bases. His second deployment, from November 2004, was as a team chief for communications and fiber optic cable installations in Iraq. Following that, David spent a number of fulfilling years as Assistant Director of the U.S. Army Soldier Show, touring and entertaining his fellow soldiers and their families.
http://www.4troopsmusic.com/biography

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/