4 NFL coaches visit troops in Afghanistan
By RICHARD ROSENBLATT (AP) – 1 hour ago
As Andy Reid visited with injured soldiers in a hospital at Bagram Air Field in Afghanistan, the coach of the Philadelphia Eagles couldn't get over how eager they were to return to action.
"You see guys in there, some of them missing limbs and some pretty beat up," Reid said. "These guys couldn't wait to go back out there, if they could, and fight to protect our country. It's quite an amazing thing."
Reid, John Fox of the Carolina Panthers, Marvin Lewis of the Cincinnati Bengals and Brad Childress of the Minnesota Vikings met with hundreds of soldiers at the air field north of Kabul over the Fourth of July weekend.
The NFL-USO coaches tour is in its second year. Last year, five coaches visited troops in Iraq.
Watching a war unfold on TV half a world away and then suddenly being with the soldiers doing the fighting was an eye-opening experience for the coaches.
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4 NFL coaches visit troops in Afghanistan
Monday, July 5, 2010
Camp Pendleton Marine died in Afghanistan saving another
Camp Pendleton Marine died in Afghanistan while carrying wounded Marine
July 5, 2010 8:33 am
The body of Cpl. Larry Harris Jr., 24, a Camp Pendleton Marine killed in Afghanistan, has been returned to the U.S. and to his family in Colorado.
And the details of Harris' heroism are beginning to emerge.
Harris, a mortar man, was killed July 1 while on combat patrol in Helmand province, a Taliban stronghold. His patrol was ambushed and Lance Cpl. Jake Henry was wounded.
Harris was carrying Henry to safety outside the "kill zone." Brian Henry, the lance corporal's father, wrote on a Facebook page for family members of the 3rd Battalion, 1st Marine Regiment:
"He was carrying my son when he tripped an explosive device. His life was lost but my son lives.
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Camp Pendleton Marine died in Afghanistan
Kayaker says he found 46 military grave markers going back to Civil War
Kayaker says he found 46 military grave markers
The Associated Press
Posted : Monday Jul 5, 2010 13:03:26 EDT
ALLENTOWN, Pa. — An Allentown kayaker says he found a cache of military grave markers in the Lehigh River.
Joe Brozowski said he found 46 of the small markers in shallow water near a Catasauqua bridge last month.
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Kayaker says he found 46 military grave markers
The Associated Press
Posted : Monday Jul 5, 2010 13:03:26 EDT
ALLENTOWN, Pa. — An Allentown kayaker says he found a cache of military grave markers in the Lehigh River.
Joe Brozowski said he found 46 of the small markers in shallow water near a Catasauqua bridge last month.
He said some appear to honor service dating back to the Civil War.
There are no signs of corrosion, suggesting they were dumped recently.
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Kayaker says he found 46 military grave markers
Tiny spider bite nearly claims Washington man's life
Tiny spider bite nearly claims Wash. man's life
By Associated Press
PORT ANGELES, Wash. (AP) - What seemed like a minor spider bite almost turned deadly for a Port Angeles plumber.
The Peninsula Daily News reports that Joel Roberson was working on a plumbing job in May when a tiny spider bit him. A few days later, his leg had swollen to twice its size, then fevers set in. Doctors gave him antibiotics, and he improved, but he soon developed a full-body skin rash.
"One day it would be a little bit better, and so we would put off going to the doctor for another day," said his wife, Sandi Roberson.
The bite had let in Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus - commonly known as MRSA.
read more here
http://www.komonews.com/news/local/97745559.html
By Associated Press
PORT ANGELES, Wash. (AP) - What seemed like a minor spider bite almost turned deadly for a Port Angeles plumber.
The Peninsula Daily News reports that Joel Roberson was working on a plumbing job in May when a tiny spider bit him. A few days later, his leg had swollen to twice its size, then fevers set in. Doctors gave him antibiotics, and he improved, but he soon developed a full-body skin rash.
"One day it would be a little bit better, and so we would put off going to the doctor for another day," said his wife, Sandi Roberson.
The bite had let in Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus - commonly known as MRSA.
read more here
http://www.komonews.com/news/local/97745559.html
Navy brass targets hike in sexual assaults
Navy brass targets hike in sexual assaults
Intervention strategy mimics college efforts
By Jeanette Steele, UNION-TRIBUNE STAFF WRITER
Originally published July 3, 2010 at 10:41 p.m., updated July 4, 2010 at 12:02 a.m.
The Navy’s top brass wants commanders to “get uncomfortable” about sexual assaults, which are happening at the rate of more than one a day and to one in five female sailors during her career — mostly at the hands of other shipmates.
“A lot of it is blue on blue, sailor on sailor,” the Navy’s No. 2 officer, Vice Chief of Naval Operations Jonathan Greenert, said during a recent speech in San Diego.
“In your Navy and my Navy, that’s, to me, totally unsatisfactory. I have a problem even talking about it. It gets me irritated,” he said.
After spending five years concentrating on supporting victims but seeing no decrease in assault numbers, the Navy’s new tactic is to get “left of the event” — the same language the Pentagon used when it concentrated on diminishing roadside bomb deaths.
They are instructing sailors to step in when something looks sinister, even if the perpetrator is of a higher rank — something, they acknowledge, that may be tough to achieve because the difference between a commander and a petty officer is woven into the basic fabric of the military.
The Navy recently held “bystander intervention” seminars in San Diego, Virginia and Hawaii. It’s a pilot program, and officials will look at the results before they roll out the seminars to the entire fleet.
read more here
Navy brass targets hike in sexual assaults
linked from Stars & Stripes
Intervention strategy mimics college efforts
By Jeanette Steele, UNION-TRIBUNE STAFF WRITER
Originally published July 3, 2010 at 10:41 p.m., updated July 4, 2010 at 12:02 a.m.
The Navy’s top brass wants commanders to “get uncomfortable” about sexual assaults, which are happening at the rate of more than one a day and to one in five female sailors during her career — mostly at the hands of other shipmates.
“A lot of it is blue on blue, sailor on sailor,” the Navy’s No. 2 officer, Vice Chief of Naval Operations Jonathan Greenert, said during a recent speech in San Diego.
“In your Navy and my Navy, that’s, to me, totally unsatisfactory. I have a problem even talking about it. It gets me irritated,” he said.
After spending five years concentrating on supporting victims but seeing no decrease in assault numbers, the Navy’s new tactic is to get “left of the event” — the same language the Pentagon used when it concentrated on diminishing roadside bomb deaths.
They are instructing sailors to step in when something looks sinister, even if the perpetrator is of a higher rank — something, they acknowledge, that may be tough to achieve because the difference between a commander and a petty officer is woven into the basic fabric of the military.
The Navy recently held “bystander intervention” seminars in San Diego, Virginia and Hawaii. It’s a pilot program, and officials will look at the results before they roll out the seminars to the entire fleet.
read more here
Navy brass targets hike in sexual assaults
linked from Stars & Stripes
Military enlistment a popular option during recession
Military enlistment a popular option during recession
With the nation's economy suffering and unemployment hovering near 10 percent, many are remaining in uniform longer than they planned. The Army, Navy, Air Force, and Marines exceeded their retention goals last year and this year despite the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq. The Army met 124 percent of its goal last year, compared with 102 percent in 2001.
With the nation's economy suffering and unemployment hovering near 10 percent, many are remaining in uniform longer than they planned. The Army, Navy, Air Force, and Marines exceeded their retention goals last year and this year despite the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq. The Army met 124 percent of its goal last year, compared with 102 percent in 2001.
Talks of cutting funds for troops disgraceful
When will politicians understand that they are the people responsible for committing men and women to fight the battles they decide need to be fought? Taking care of them and their families are part of the deal considering how much they are sacrificing for our sake. Taking care of them should never, ever be part of any debate but should be a priority.
Anyone suggesting the troops are not worth the price, needs to ask themselves what part of freedom they do not want anymore. Yes, budgets have to be cut but try to start with the no-bid contracts defense contractors have received and holding them to account for every dime of tax payer funds. Considering how much of the defense budget goes to them, that seems like a perfect place to start. When it comes to the troops, lawmakers should be ashamed of the disgraceful thoughts of cutting the budget off their backs.
Anyone suggesting the troops are not worth the price, needs to ask themselves what part of freedom they do not want anymore. Yes, budgets have to be cut but try to start with the no-bid contracts defense contractors have received and holding them to account for every dime of tax payer funds. Considering how much of the defense budget goes to them, that seems like a perfect place to start. When it comes to the troops, lawmakers should be ashamed of the disgraceful thoughts of cutting the budget off their backs.
Military benefits target in cost-cutting talks
By Rick Maze - Staff writer
Posted : Sunday Jul 4, 2010 10:11:52 EDT
From the left, right and center of the political spectrum, talk about drastically cutting military personnel costs is on the rise.
The $549 billion defense budget makes for a juicy target, and the $197 billion of that budget that goes to personnel costs is being attacked from all sides — even the Defense Department itself — as excessive in a time of economic malaise and belt-tightening.
The list of programs under attack includes pay raises, retired pay, health care benefits, commissaries and exchanges, and even the size of the force.
“We are very concerned about the outlook for the future,” said Joe Barnes of the Fleet Reserve Association, who is also a co-chairman the Military Coalition, a group of more than 30 military-related organizations. “We have had a lot of successes over the last 10 to 12 years, and we need to maintain them and to make further improvements.”
But, he added, “There is some pain coming.”
On the right, tea party activists and fiscal conservatives want the government to stop spending so much.
read more here
http://www.armytimes.com/news/2010/07/army_benefits_070210w/
White House celebrates 4th with 1,200 troops and family members
Obama has Troops Over for the Fourth
July 05, 2010
Military.com
by Bryant Jordan
President Obama opened the South Lawn of the White House to more than 1,200 American servicemembers and their families yesterday for a Fourth of July celebration.
Visitors ate hot dogs and ice cream to the sounds of Dixieland jazz played by the Marine Corps Band before Obama, speaking from the bunting-adorned balcony of the White House, thanked the military families gathered for doing their part in protecting the United States.
"This is the spirit of which Adams spoke so long ago," he told them. "You are the men and women who toil to defend these states. You are patriots, and you have earned your place among the greatest generations."
read more here
Obama has Troops Over for the Fourth
July 05, 2010
Military.com
by Bryant Jordan
President Obama opened the South Lawn of the White House to more than 1,200 American servicemembers and their families yesterday for a Fourth of July celebration.
Visitors ate hot dogs and ice cream to the sounds of Dixieland jazz played by the Marine Corps Band before Obama, speaking from the bunting-adorned balcony of the White House, thanked the military families gathered for doing their part in protecting the United States.
"This is the spirit of which Adams spoke so long ago," he told them. "You are the men and women who toil to defend these states. You are patriots, and you have earned your place among the greatest generations."
read more here
Obama has Troops Over for the Fourth
UK former sergeant major wanted to go to jail instead of being a burden
Iraq war veteran: Haunted, in prison, now homeless
Karen McVeigh The Guardian, Monday 5 July 2010
John Dale has completed 20 years of military service, in Iraq – the last time in 2006 amid some of the fiercest fighting of the war – and Sierra Leone and Northern Ireland. His plan was to leave the army and join the police or fire service.
But today, aged 40, the former sergeant major and father of three children is homeless, living in a tent in the garden of the Margate house belonging to the brother of his wife, Kerry.
He had been released from prison in April, after being found not guilty of the attempted murder of Kerry. The charge, he says, came about after he lied to police so that they would lock him up, so that his family, who had watched helplessly as he fell apart, would not have to "babysit" him any more.
Dale's life began to unravel two years ago, when his regiment, the 1st Battalion, the Light Infantry, was preparing to return to Iraq on what would have been his fourth tour. He never made it. The nightmares and flashbacks he increasingly suffered but had tried to suppress, became impossible to ignore. He saw dead children everywhere. He couldn't see a way out and tried to kill himself.
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Iraq war veteran Haunted in prison now homeless
Case study: Former sergeant major John Dale's life began to unravel two years ago, when 20 years of military service brought nightmares and flashbacks
Karen McVeigh The Guardian, Monday 5 July 2010
John Dale has completed 20 years of military service, in Iraq – the last time in 2006 amid some of the fiercest fighting of the war – and Sierra Leone and Northern Ireland. His plan was to leave the army and join the police or fire service.
But today, aged 40, the former sergeant major and father of three children is homeless, living in a tent in the garden of the Margate house belonging to the brother of his wife, Kerry.
He had been released from prison in April, after being found not guilty of the attempted murder of Kerry. The charge, he says, came about after he lied to police so that they would lock him up, so that his family, who had watched helplessly as he fell apart, would not have to "babysit" him any more.
Dale's life began to unravel two years ago, when his regiment, the 1st Battalion, the Light Infantry, was preparing to return to Iraq on what would have been his fourth tour. He never made it. The nightmares and flashbacks he increasingly suffered but had tried to suppress, became impossible to ignore. He saw dead children everywhere. He couldn't see a way out and tried to kill himself.
read more here
Iraq war veteran Haunted in prison now homeless
Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction helps veterans with PTSD
Local program helps veterans deal with the stress from war
TUCSON - Thousands of vets returned to Arizona from combat in Afghanistan and Iraq, and many will carry the war with them for months or even years.
These are the soldiers suffering from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder or PTSD.
For those vets, an 8 week class is being offered for free.
It's called Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction and we talk with 2 combat veterans from the Vietnam War who find the practice life changing.
go here for more
Local program helps veterans deal with the stress from war
TUCSON - Thousands of vets returned to Arizona from combat in Afghanistan and Iraq, and many will carry the war with them for months or even years.
These are the soldiers suffering from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder or PTSD.
For those vets, an 8 week class is being offered for free.
It's called Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction and we talk with 2 combat veterans from the Vietnam War who find the practice life changing.
go here for more
Local program helps veterans deal with the stress from war
Vt. soldier, wounded 4 years ago in Iraq, dies in Afghanistan
Vt. soldier, wounded 4 years ago in Iraq, dies in Afghanistan
By Emma Stickgold
Globe Correspondent
July 5, 2010
He was injured while serving in Iraq several years ago, his leg wounded from an improvised explosive device. But Specialist Ryan J. Grady of the Vermont Army National Guard was determined to be a career soldier, and headed back overseas in March, this time to Afghanistan.
Tweet Be the first to Tweet this!Submit to DiggdiggsdiggYahoo! Buzz ShareThis On Friday, Grady died shortly after his military vehicle was hit by an improvised explosive device near Bagram Airfield.
“He was a warrior,’’ said his father, James A. Grady of West Burke, Vt. “He loved the Army.’’
At 6 feet 4 inches, Grady was “a big, friendly giant,’’ his father said.
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Vt soldier wounded 4 years ago in Iraq dies in Afghanistan
By Emma Stickgold
Globe Correspondent
July 5, 2010
He was injured while serving in Iraq several years ago, his leg wounded from an improvised explosive device. But Specialist Ryan J. Grady of the Vermont Army National Guard was determined to be a career soldier, and headed back overseas in March, this time to Afghanistan.
Tweet Be the first to Tweet this!Submit to DiggdiggsdiggYahoo! Buzz ShareThis On Friday, Grady died shortly after his military vehicle was hit by an improvised explosive device near Bagram Airfield.
“He was a warrior,’’ said his father, James A. Grady of West Burke, Vt. “He loved the Army.’’
At 6 feet 4 inches, Grady was “a big, friendly giant,’’ his father said.
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Vt soldier wounded 4 years ago in Iraq dies in Afghanistan
Horse rescue group comes to Marine's aid
Horse rescue group comes to Marine's aid
By Bob Hallmark - bio email
LONGVIEW,TX (KLTV)- 23 year old Michael Attaway grew up with a boyhood dream.
"I had asked for a horse ever since I could speak really," says Attaway.
While he was serving in the Marines in Iraq, he got a letter from his father explaining a new girl named Lucy, was waiting for him.
"I was over there in Iraq, and opened up my letter, and he had all these pictures in there of Lucy and another horse and he said 'well I finally got you your horse son,'" he says.
After he got out, Attaway came home and started a family, including Lucy, but struggled financially. When Lucy had a severe leg injury, he had to face facts.
"And I was really short on money and didn't know what to do I wanted her to go to a good home. I was caught between and family and a horse I loved and really wanted to hang on to her," Attaway says.
But that's when Safe Haven Equine Rescue stepped in.
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http://www.kltv.com/Global/story.asp?S=12755038
By Bob Hallmark - bio email
LONGVIEW,TX (KLTV)- 23 year old Michael Attaway grew up with a boyhood dream.
"I had asked for a horse ever since I could speak really," says Attaway.
While he was serving in the Marines in Iraq, he got a letter from his father explaining a new girl named Lucy, was waiting for him.
"I was over there in Iraq, and opened up my letter, and he had all these pictures in there of Lucy and another horse and he said 'well I finally got you your horse son,'" he says.
After he got out, Attaway came home and started a family, including Lucy, but struggled financially. When Lucy had a severe leg injury, he had to face facts.
"And I was really short on money and didn't know what to do I wanted her to go to a good home. I was caught between and family and a horse I loved and really wanted to hang on to her," Attaway says.
But that's when Safe Haven Equine Rescue stepped in.
go here for more
http://www.kltv.com/Global/story.asp?S=12755038
Sunday, July 4, 2010
Four limbs gone, Iraq vet reclaims his life
Spirit intact, injured Iraq vet reclaims his life
'I never catch him feeling sorry for himself. I've never heard him say, 'I wish this had never happened.' '
by Lizette Alvarez
New York Times
WASHINGTON — Brendan Marrocco and his brother, Michael, were constructing a summer bucket list, to get them out and about, trying new things. A Washington Nationals game versus their beloved Yankees — sure, since they were stuck here rather than home on Staten Island. Perhaps a ride on the Metro, with its reliable elevators. Pizza: definitely.
How about going to an amusement park? Michael suggested optimistically.
“Would that really be safe?” asked Brendan, a smirk crossing his lips.
read more here
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/38083693/ns/us_news-the_new_york_times/
linked from ICasualties.org
'I never catch him feeling sorry for himself. I've never heard him say, 'I wish this had never happened.' '
Then, on Easter Sunday 2009, a roadside bomb exploded under his vehicle, and he became the first veteran of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan to lose all four limbs in combat and survive.
by Lizette Alvarez
New York Times
WASHINGTON — Brendan Marrocco and his brother, Michael, were constructing a summer bucket list, to get them out and about, trying new things. A Washington Nationals game versus their beloved Yankees — sure, since they were stuck here rather than home on Staten Island. Perhaps a ride on the Metro, with its reliable elevators. Pizza: definitely.
How about going to an amusement park? Michael suggested optimistically.
“Would that really be safe?” asked Brendan, a smirk crossing his lips.
read more here
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/38083693/ns/us_news-the_new_york_times/
linked from ICasualties.org
Death on Facebook:“Rest in Peace 1Lt Joe Theinert"
July 2, 2010, 3:12 pm
Death on Facebook
By MARK LARSON
They say war isn’t real until you’re getting shot at or shooting at someone, but the true reality of war doesn’t hit until you lose one of your own. This terrible knowledge is shared amongst the comrades, family and friends of some 5,517 Americans who have lost their lives fighting for their country in Iraq and Afghanistan over the past eight years. For the first time since the war began, I now regrettably count myself amongst those who personally know the terrible cost of war. A friend, First Lt. Joe Theinert of Sag Harbor, N.Y., was killed in an ambush in Kandahar Province, Afghanistan, on 4 June.
I found out about this sad loss on Facebook when I noticed on my newsfeed that several of my Army friends had joined a group called “Rest in Peace 1Lt Joe Theinert, a True Hero!” I was taken aback at first, so unexpected was the news, when suddenly it struck me: I actually had heard about his death shortly after it happened when a colleague of mine mentioned that a lieutenant from 1st Battalion 71 Cavalry Regiment – one of our sister units in 1st BCT, 10th Mountain Division – had died in the south. He asked me if I knew him, but not knowing any information about who had died or what had happened, I said I didn’t, said a quick prayer for the deceased, and returned to work.
The sad reality is that soldiers die every day in Afghanistan and most of these deaths pass unnoticed within the vast majority of the Army’s ranks. Very few of us search out casualty reports to see if we may have known the deceased. I’m no different, and after hearing the news it quickly passed out of my mind. Only when I came across it on Facebook did I realize I had lost a friend.
read more here
http://atwar.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/07/02/death-on-facebook/
linked from ICasualties.org
Death on Facebook
By MARK LARSON
They say war isn’t real until you’re getting shot at or shooting at someone, but the true reality of war doesn’t hit until you lose one of your own. This terrible knowledge is shared amongst the comrades, family and friends of some 5,517 Americans who have lost their lives fighting for their country in Iraq and Afghanistan over the past eight years. For the first time since the war began, I now regrettably count myself amongst those who personally know the terrible cost of war. A friend, First Lt. Joe Theinert of Sag Harbor, N.Y., was killed in an ambush in Kandahar Province, Afghanistan, on 4 June.
I found out about this sad loss on Facebook when I noticed on my newsfeed that several of my Army friends had joined a group called “Rest in Peace 1Lt Joe Theinert, a True Hero!” I was taken aback at first, so unexpected was the news, when suddenly it struck me: I actually had heard about his death shortly after it happened when a colleague of mine mentioned that a lieutenant from 1st Battalion 71 Cavalry Regiment – one of our sister units in 1st BCT, 10th Mountain Division – had died in the south. He asked me if I knew him, but not knowing any information about who had died or what had happened, I said I didn’t, said a quick prayer for the deceased, and returned to work.
The sad reality is that soldiers die every day in Afghanistan and most of these deaths pass unnoticed within the vast majority of the Army’s ranks. Very few of us search out casualty reports to see if we may have known the deceased. I’m no different, and after hearing the news it quickly passed out of my mind. Only when I came across it on Facebook did I realize I had lost a friend.
read more here
http://atwar.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/07/02/death-on-facebook/
linked from ICasualties.org
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