Banks won't take Fort Hood shooting suspect's paychecks
By Jeremy Schwartz
AMERICAN-STATESMAN STAFF
Published: 9:00 p.m. Thursday, July 29, 2010
BELTON — As he sits in the Bell County Jail, accused of the Nov. 5 Fort Hood shooting that left 13 dead, Maj. Nidal Hasan continues to receive his monthly U.S. Army paycheck, which based on his rank and experience is probably more than $6,000.
That's standard procedure for soldiers who are confined before military trial, according to Army officials.
But Hasan, charged with a shooting spree that shocked the country, is not a standard defendant. And he's having a hard time finding a bank to take his money.
According to his civilian attorney John Galligan , Bank of America notified Hasan last month that it was closing his account and no area bank so far has agreed to open an account for the Army psychiatrist. Military regulations require soldiers to be paid through direct deposit, making a bank account indispensable.
read the rest here
Fort Hood shooting suspect paychecks
linked from
Kansascity.com
Saturday, July 31, 2010
Gen. Peter Chiarelli: Screening for suicides won't work
General: Screening for suicides won't work
Published: July 30, 2010 at 7:40 PM
WASHINGTON, July 30 (UPI) -- The U.S. Army cannot reduce its suicide rate by screening out recruits who might become suicide risks, Gen. Peter Chiarelli said Friday.
Chiarelli, the Army vice chief of staff, held a news conference at the Pentagon to discuss a new report on military suicide. He commissioned the report after the suicide rate among soldiers exceeded that among civilians for the first time since the Vietnam era.
The National Institute of Mental Health said screening intensively enough to prevent two suicides a year would mean the Army would not meet its recruiting goals, he said.
Published: July 30, 2010 at 7:40 PM
WASHINGTON, July 30 (UPI) -- The U.S. Army cannot reduce its suicide rate by screening out recruits who might become suicide risks, Gen. Peter Chiarelli said Friday.
Chiarelli, the Army vice chief of staff, held a news conference at the Pentagon to discuss a new report on military suicide. He commissioned the report after the suicide rate among soldiers exceeded that among civilians for the first time since the Vietnam era.
The National Institute of Mental Health said screening intensively enough to prevent two suicides a year would mean the Army would not meet its recruiting goals, he said.
While the increased suicide rate has been blamed on repeated deployments in Iraq and Afghanistan, Chiarelli said soldiers are most likely to take their own lives in their first year in the Army or in the early months of their first overseas deployment. Those who enlist when they are older, often after losing civilian jobs, are three times as likely to kill themselves.
read more here
Only human after all
Only human after all
by
Chaplain Kathie
After the training is over they are rough, tough, combat ready Marines. Their bodies are young, conditioned, able to be pushed past where most others would collapse. Their senses sharpened by training and the sense of individuality beaten out of them by the Drill Instructor's constant taunting. They are ready to face any enemy, any obstacle and any harsh condition. This training also attempts to prepare them to forget about being human.
Marines try to explain that when they come home from combat, after watching bombs blow up friends, seeing buddies burn, picking up pieces of what used to be someone they knew, they are not supposed to cry. They have witnessed the worst man is capable of at the same time they have witnessed courage beyond all measure from their buddies and themselves. While back home they may reflect on the actions of others in full perspective, they often forget about their own. They focus on the pain they finally allow themselves to feel when the danger to their buddies is over. They tell themselves Marines don't cry because it means they are weak.
What they don't see is the Marine who did their duty no matter how much pain they were in, no matter how much they were grieving and no matter how much PTSD had already taken away from them. They had a duty to do and they carried it out but they forget that part when they are back home and then they blame themselves for not "preparing their brains" for not being "tough enough" and for being human.
We talk a lot about PTSD and what it does to them when they come home but what we don't talk about is the magnificence of their spirit when they are able to endure so much while deployed and others are counting on them to be fully engaged in the battle. This they do no matter what but once out of harms way, when they are alone, when they are back home, the greatest danger awakens. There is no one there to remind them of their courage rising above the weight of the world on their shoulders.
"Never leave a man behind" is often regarded as an action taken in combat but should be always part of what happens when they come home and one of their own is in danger from the enemy within. They need to be retrained to accept the fact they are only human after all.
I've held Marines in my arms as they run out of words to explain the pain they are carrying but the silence is broken with apologies for falling apart because I was dealing with a "Marine" who thought that returning to a human state of mind meant they did not train properly.
I've talked to soldiers in shock as they wonder what the hell happened to them. When they couldn't wait to go home and then once there, they couldn't wait to go back into hell. The hell of combat became a familiar place and home became foreign territory because the person inside of their skin changed.
National Guards tell a familiar story but for them it is more complicated because they return home to civilian life in communities facing the same demands and problems everyone else has but carrying the memories of combat while they listen to their neighbors complain about the trivial details of their own lives. They hear co-workers complain about having to stay an hour late to finish a project after they had just returned from days without much sleep at all and a year on a project that could have cost them their lives.
With all of this, somehow they got the message that being human, suffering from PTSD, is their fault. Somehow they got the message that they should be tough enough to defeat this enemy on their own. No one told them they were not deployed into combat alone, didn't fight the enemy alone over there and they should not have to fight the enemy inside of them alone either.
We read about the rates going up and shake our heads wondering when it will stop being too late to save the lives that managed to survive combat but cannot survive coming home.
Here is one of their stories
A Marine's Suicide Brings The Battle Home
by Wade Goodwyn
This can help because too many are not getting any mental health counseling at all.
Here's some more links you may want to read
• U.S. House of Representatives passes suicide-prevention measure named after N.J. soldier
• N.J. Army soldier's death highlights gap in military suicide prevention efforts
• U.S. Rep. Rush Holt introduces military suicide prevention bill named for N.J. soldier
• Military suicides: Cases of post-traumatic stress mount at alarming rate
• Military suicides: Army Sgt. Coleman Bean's downward spiral ends with gunfire
• Military suicides: Hero's life transforms to nightmare for Marine James T. Jenkins
• VIDEO: Military suicides: U.S. soldiers struggle with torment of war
by
Chaplain Kathie
After the training is over they are rough, tough, combat ready Marines. Their bodies are young, conditioned, able to be pushed past where most others would collapse. Their senses sharpened by training and the sense of individuality beaten out of them by the Drill Instructor's constant taunting. They are ready to face any enemy, any obstacle and any harsh condition. This training also attempts to prepare them to forget about being human.
Marines try to explain that when they come home from combat, after watching bombs blow up friends, seeing buddies burn, picking up pieces of what used to be someone they knew, they are not supposed to cry. They have witnessed the worst man is capable of at the same time they have witnessed courage beyond all measure from their buddies and themselves. While back home they may reflect on the actions of others in full perspective, they often forget about their own. They focus on the pain they finally allow themselves to feel when the danger to their buddies is over. They tell themselves Marines don't cry because it means they are weak.
What they don't see is the Marine who did their duty no matter how much pain they were in, no matter how much they were grieving and no matter how much PTSD had already taken away from them. They had a duty to do and they carried it out but they forget that part when they are back home and then they blame themselves for not "preparing their brains" for not being "tough enough" and for being human.
We talk a lot about PTSD and what it does to them when they come home but what we don't talk about is the magnificence of their spirit when they are able to endure so much while deployed and others are counting on them to be fully engaged in the battle. This they do no matter what but once out of harms way, when they are alone, when they are back home, the greatest danger awakens. There is no one there to remind them of their courage rising above the weight of the world on their shoulders.
"Never leave a man behind" is often regarded as an action taken in combat but should be always part of what happens when they come home and one of their own is in danger from the enemy within. They need to be retrained to accept the fact they are only human after all.
I've held Marines in my arms as they run out of words to explain the pain they are carrying but the silence is broken with apologies for falling apart because I was dealing with a "Marine" who thought that returning to a human state of mind meant they did not train properly.
I've talked to soldiers in shock as they wonder what the hell happened to them. When they couldn't wait to go home and then once there, they couldn't wait to go back into hell. The hell of combat became a familiar place and home became foreign territory because the person inside of their skin changed.
National Guards tell a familiar story but for them it is more complicated because they return home to civilian life in communities facing the same demands and problems everyone else has but carrying the memories of combat while they listen to their neighbors complain about the trivial details of their own lives. They hear co-workers complain about having to stay an hour late to finish a project after they had just returned from days without much sleep at all and a year on a project that could have cost them their lives.
With all of this, somehow they got the message that being human, suffering from PTSD, is their fault. Somehow they got the message that they should be tough enough to defeat this enemy on their own. No one told them they were not deployed into combat alone, didn't fight the enemy alone over there and they should not have to fight the enemy inside of them alone either.
We read about the rates going up and shake our heads wondering when it will stop being too late to save the lives that managed to survive combat but cannot survive coming home.
Here is one of their stories
A Marine's Suicide Brings The Battle Home
by Wade Goodwyn
Tina Fineberg/AP
Mary Gallagher, photographed at her home in October 2007, the year after her husband, Marine Gunnery Sgt. James Gallagher, took his own life.
'Lot Of Ugly Things'
Mary Gallagher said when her husband returned stateside, he kept the worst of it to himself: "Most Marines were not ones to really talk at all. Jim always said he'd placed it in his heart, and he said, 'I'll carry it forward because that's what I have to do and that's how I'll get through it.'
"I'm sure he saw a lot of ugly things. I just don't know all the ugly he did see."
After he returned home, Sgt. Gallagher was soon sent to the Marines advanced course. Mary Gallagher said her husband seemed mostly fine.
"I didn't really see it coming at all. I think that people are a little misled at the fact that PTS is very visible, but it's not as visible as people think," she said.
PTS refers to post-traumatic stress.
It is only in retrospect that Mary Gallagher can see what she missed at the time.
"To me, he just seemed sad. You know, he was not quite himself, but, you know, I just had no idea that he was really struggling as bad as he was," she said. "And obviously he was struggling a lot.
"And that's the hardest part for me. You know, it's something I carry with me every day, that I didn't notice that I didn't realize how much he was hurting."
A Sergeant's Suicide Brings The Battle Home
NPR
July 30, 2010
A U.S. Army study released Thursday says it suffered a record number of soldier suicides last year, pointing to a military that has been stretched thin by wars in Afghanistan and Iraq.
The report says 160 soldiers took their own lives in 2009; another 1,800 tried to commit suicide. The report says multiple deployments and too little time at home are part of the underlying problem."Our last phone call of that day, he just repeatedly told me how much he loved me and, you know, if I truly knew how much he loved me, and I said, 'I do, Jim, and we can get through this together.'
"And my children and I came home, and my daughters actually found their father before I could protect them from that — and he was hanging in the garage in our home."click link above for the rest of this
This can help because too many are not getting any mental health counseling at all.
N.J. Sen. Frank Lautenberg introduces mental health counseling bill for U.S. soldiers
Published: Friday, July 30, 2010
MaryAnn Spoto/The Star-Ledger
WASHINGTON, D.C. — A day after the U.S. Army released a report showing alarming increases in suicide rates among its soldiers, U.S. Sen. Frank Lautenberg today introduced legislation to help more military personnel get mental health counseling.
Called the Sgt. Coleman Bean National Guard and Reserves Mental Heath Act, the bill extends to National Guard and Reserves members the same access to mental health as active-duty personnel.
Last year’s National Defense Authorization Act amended added a provision requiring five in-person mental health screenings for military personnel returning from combat. But that provision did not extended to the Inactive National Guard, the Individual Ready Reserves and Individual Mobilization Augmentee, who, unlike full-time Army personnel, have a more difficult time accessing mental health services after returning from combat because they return to civilian life.
read more here
Lautenberg introduces mental health counseling bill
Here's some more links you may want to read
• U.S. House of Representatives passes suicide-prevention measure named after N.J. soldier
• N.J. Army soldier's death highlights gap in military suicide prevention efforts
• U.S. Rep. Rush Holt introduces military suicide prevention bill named for N.J. soldier
• Military suicides: Cases of post-traumatic stress mount at alarming rate
• Military suicides: Army Sgt. Coleman Bean's downward spiral ends with gunfire
• Military suicides: Hero's life transforms to nightmare for Marine James T. Jenkins
• VIDEO: Military suicides: U.S. soldiers struggle with torment of war
Friday, July 30, 2010
Another rumor about Obama proved wrong but still goes on
Honest people bother to read what the facts are. Honest people bother to see what has changed since he has been President when it comes to taking care of our troops and our veterans. Other people start rumors and other people want to believe the lies instead of the truth.
If the commanders of the service groups can't get them to believe he's been very good to veterans or the fact he is going to the DAV convention to address them, then nothing will change the minds of the people happy to be so wrong if they think it justifies hating him. After all these are the same people who thought Bush was their friend at the same time he was cutting the VA budget in half the year after he increased it with two wars on, veterans killing themselves and no one doing anything about any of it. Why can't people get it into their heads that the truth does not change with elections, nor should it?
But if you really want to know the truth on this, the insurance companies can actually refuse to pay when a veteran is diagnosed with anything attached to their service. When a VA claim is denied, the veteran tries to get help from private doctors but if the records show a diagnosis from the VA, they can turn down the claim saying it is the responsibility of the government to treat the medical need. Considering there was an enormous backlog of claims when this was even being thought of, it would mean that veterans wouldn't have to pay for services until their claim was approved. But none of the talking heads ever mention this nor do they mention the fact the VA bills insurance companies for any care not attached to their claim. There is a lot that never gets talked about because too many people are too busy trying to find crap instead of focusing on what is really wrong in this country and making sure that politics stays out of caring for veterans and the troops.
If the commanders of the service groups can't get them to believe he's been very good to veterans or the fact he is going to the DAV convention to address them, then nothing will change the minds of the people happy to be so wrong if they think it justifies hating him. After all these are the same people who thought Bush was their friend at the same time he was cutting the VA budget in half the year after he increased it with two wars on, veterans killing themselves and no one doing anything about any of it. Why can't people get it into their heads that the truth does not change with elections, nor should it?
Did Obama really say that about vets?
By Jeff Schogol
Published: July 30, 2010
President Barack Obama recently met with veterans groups at the White House.
With November’s midterm elections approaching, chain e-mails are swirling about politicians’ alleged wrongdoings or political missteps.
One claims that President Barack Obama made outrageously offensive comments about veterans. That rumor has been debunked, but because it is still in circulation, it is worth a reminder that it is false.
The rumor stems from an Obama administration proposal last year to bill veterans’ private insurance companies for treatment they received from the Department of Veterans Administration. After much sound and fury from veterans groups, the idea died quickly.
“They stubbed their toe on that one,” Veterans of Foreign Wars Executive Director Bob Wallace said last year. “But once it bubbled up, the president called us in, listened to our concerns and decided against it. What encouraged me the most was that the president himself got involved to fix it.”
read more here
Did Obama really say that about vets
But if you really want to know the truth on this, the insurance companies can actually refuse to pay when a veteran is diagnosed with anything attached to their service. When a VA claim is denied, the veteran tries to get help from private doctors but if the records show a diagnosis from the VA, they can turn down the claim saying it is the responsibility of the government to treat the medical need. Considering there was an enormous backlog of claims when this was even being thought of, it would mean that veterans wouldn't have to pay for services until their claim was approved. But none of the talking heads ever mention this nor do they mention the fact the VA bills insurance companies for any care not attached to their claim. There is a lot that never gets talked about because too many people are too busy trying to find crap instead of focusing on what is really wrong in this country and making sure that politics stays out of caring for veterans and the troops.
4 positive tests of St. Louis vets
APNewsBreak: 4 positive tests of St. Louis vets
By JIM SALTER
Associated Press Writer
ST. LOUIS (AP) -- Four veterans treated at the St. Louis VA Medical Center's dental clinic have tested positive for hepatitis, but further testing will be necessary to determine if inadequately sterilized dental equipment is to blame, VA officials said Friday.
The Department of Veterans Affairs provided test results to The Associated Press after repeated requests over the past two weeks. The VA has drawn criticism from some members of congressional delegations in Missouri and Illinois for taking too long to release information on how many veterans tested positive.
read more here
4 positive tests of St. Louis vets
By JIM SALTER
Associated Press Writer
ST. LOUIS (AP) -- Four veterans treated at the St. Louis VA Medical Center's dental clinic have tested positive for hepatitis, but further testing will be necessary to determine if inadequately sterilized dental equipment is to blame, VA officials said Friday.
The Department of Veterans Affairs provided test results to The Associated Press after repeated requests over the past two weeks. The VA has drawn criticism from some members of congressional delegations in Missouri and Illinois for taking too long to release information on how many veterans tested positive.
read more here
4 positive tests of St. Louis vets
Faith foiled a robbery in Florida
Friday July 30, 2010
Keep the Faith - ‘Early Show’
Faith foiled a robbery in Florida last Friday. 'Early Show' correspondent Betty Nguyen examines an incident in which a clerk at a cell phone store talked a robber into leaving without the goods by appealing to his Christian faith. As 'The Early Show' rolls the surveillance camera footage, Betty explains, "The suspect asked for money from the register, but the clerk said she had to talk to him about Jesus."
A transcript of the surveillance tape reveals that the clerk told the suspect "You can do whatever you want. I'm going to talk to you about the Jesus I have." As he blesses her for that, the compassionate clerk offers to help the man find a job, asking about his family, etc. After talking it over with the evangelical clerk, the man leaves empty handed. "That's one way to do it," Betty opines.
CBS Weekdays, 7AM
go here for the video
Faith foiled a robbery in Florida last Friday
Keep the Faith - ‘Early Show’
Faith foiled a robbery in Florida last Friday. 'Early Show' correspondent Betty Nguyen examines an incident in which a clerk at a cell phone store talked a robber into leaving without the goods by appealing to his Christian faith. As 'The Early Show' rolls the surveillance camera footage, Betty explains, "The suspect asked for money from the register, but the clerk said she had to talk to him about Jesus."
A transcript of the surveillance tape reveals that the clerk told the suspect "You can do whatever you want. I'm going to talk to you about the Jesus I have." As he blesses her for that, the compassionate clerk offers to help the man find a job, asking about his family, etc. After talking it over with the evangelical clerk, the man leaves empty handed. "That's one way to do it," Betty opines.
CBS Weekdays, 7AM
go here for the video
Faith foiled a robbery in Florida last Friday
Jill Biden appears in Army Wives
Some of my friends in the military think I'm nuts because I love Army Wives. Can't help it. I'm hooked. They tell me how unreal it is but when it comes to this show, considering it's about the military, it has broken the long list of failures of other attempts to show any kind of military life. Movies fail more than they succeed and so do TV shows. Army Wives will never be another MASH but it outlasted what a lot of critics had predicted. This summer fill in has a lot of loyal fans and I'm one of them.
Jill Biden appears in ‘Army Wives’
The Associated Press
Posted : Friday Jul 30, 2010 11:11:02 EDT
WASHINGTON — It isn't much of a stretch for Jill Biden when she takes an acting turn in an episode of Lifetime network's "Army Wives."
The second lady, playing herself, visits the show's Fort Marshall to hear about the challenges facing military families and offer them words of encouragement.
"I'm proud to be here today as a second lady, but I'm even more proud to be here as a military mom," Biden tells a group that gathers for the post's annual fun run to benefit military kids.
In between all of the bickering, smooching and other interpersonal drama of the TV show, Biden gives the crowd a pep talk. She tells them how important it is to build "stronger ties between our civilian and military communities."
"Although only 1 percent of Americans are fighting our wars today, we need 100 percent of Americans to support them and their families," she says.
read more here
Jill Biden appears in Army Wives
12 Republicans honor 9-11 responders with Democrats
House rejects bill to aid sick 9/11 responders
By The Associated Press
Friday, July 30th, 2010
As aid bill for sick 9/11 responders fails, court settlement may be workers' only option.
A bill that would have provided up to $7.4 billion in aid to people sickened by World Trade Center dust fell short in the House on Thursday, raising the possibility that the bulk of compensation for the ill will come from a legal settlement hammered out in the federal courts.
The bill would have provided free health care and compensation payments to 9/11 rescue and recovery workers who fell ill after working in the trade center ruins.
It failed to win the needed two-thirds majority, 255-159. The vote was largely along party lines, with 12 Republicans joining Democrats supporting the measure.
read more here
House rejects bill to aid sick 9 11 responders
Rep. Anthony Weiner
But these are the people who forgot what happened 9 years ago and don't want to do anything for the people who were there!
These had the courage to care from the GOP
Yea AK-0 Young, Donald [R]
Yea IL-10 Kirk, Mark [R]
Yea LA-2 Cao, Anh [R]
Yea MI-10 Miller, Candice [R]
Yea NJ-2 LoBiondo, Frank [R]
Yea NJ-4 Smith, Christopher [R]
Yea NJ-7 Lance, Leonard [R]
Yea NJ-11 Frelinghuysen, Rodney [R]
Yea NY-3 King, Peter [R]
Yea NC-3 Jones, Walter [R]
Yea PA-15 Dent, Charles [R]
Yea PA-18 Murphy, Tim [R]
Vote
But these did not. If your state or congressman is not here, they voted yea.
Alabama
Nay AL-1 Bonner, Jo [R]
Nay AL-2 Bright, Bobby [D]
Nay AL-3 Rogers, Michael [R]
Nay AL-4 Aderholt, Robert [R]
Not Voting AL-5 Griffith, Parker [R]
Nay AL-6 Bachus, Spencer [R]
Arizona
Nay AZ-2 Franks, Trent [R]
Not Voting AZ-3 Shadegg, John [R]
Nay AZ-6 Flake, Jeff [R]
Not Voting AZ-7 Grijalva, Raul [D]
Arkansas
Nay AR-1 Berry, Robert [D]
Nay AR-3 Boozman, John [R]
California
Nay CA-2 Herger, Walter [R]
Nay CA-3 Lungren, Daniel [R]
Nay CA-4 McClintock, Tom [R]
Not Voting CA-19 Radanovich, George [R]
Nay CA-21 Nunes, Devin [R]
Not Voting CA-22 McCarthy, Kevin [R]
Nay CA-24 Gallegly, Elton [R]
Nay CA-25 McKeon, Howard [R]
Nay CA-26 Dreier, David [R]
Not Voting CA-33 Watson, Diane [D]
Nay CA-40 Royce, Edward [R]
Nay CA-41 Lewis, Jerry [R]
Nay CA-42 Miller, Gary [R]
Nay CA-44 Calvert, Ken [R]
Nay CA-45 Bono Mack, Mary [R]
Nay CA-46 Rohrabacher, Dana [R]
Nay CA-48 Campbell, John [R]
Nay CA-49 Issa, Darrell [R]
Nay CA-50 Bilbray, Brian [R]
Nay CA-52 Hunter, Duncan [R]
Colorado
Nay CO-5 Lamborn, Doug [R]
Nay CO-6 Coffman, Mike [R]
Delaware
Nay DE-0 Castle, Michael [R]
Florida
Nay FL-1 Miller, Jeff [R]
Nay FL-4 Crenshaw, Ander [R]
Nay FL-5 Brown-Waite, Virginia [R]
Nay FL-6 Stearns, Clifford [R]
Nay FL-7 Mica, John [R]
Nay FL-9 Bilirakis, Gus [R]
Not Voting FL-10 Young, C. W. [R]
Nay FL-12 Putnam, Adam [R]
Nay FL-13 Buchanan, Vern [R]
Nay FL-14 Mack, Connie [R]
Nay FL-15 Posey, Bill [R]
Nay FL-16 Rooney, Thomas [R]
Nay FL-18 Ros-Lehtinen, Ileana [R]
Nay FL-21 Diaz-Balart, Lincoln [R]
Nay FL-25 Diaz-Balart, Mario [R]
Georgia
Nay GA-1 Kingston, Jack [R]
Nay GA-3 Westmoreland, Lynn [R]
Nay GA-6 Price, Tom [R]
Nay GA-7 Linder, John [R]
Nay GA-9 Graves, Tom [R]
Nay GA-10 Broun, Paul [R]
Nay GA-11 Gingrey, John [R]
Hawaii
Nay HI-1 Djou, Charles [R]
Idaho
Nay ID-2 Simpson, Michael [R]
Illinois
Nay IL-6 Roskam, Peter [R]
Nay IL-8 Bean, Melissa [D]
Nay IL-13 Biggert, Judy [R]
Nay IL-15 Johnson, Timothy [R]
Nay IL-16 Manzullo, Donald [R]
Nay IL-18 Schock, Aaron [R]
Nay IL-19 Shimkus, John [R]
Indiana
Nay IN-4 Buyer, Stephen [R]
Nay IN-5 Burton, Dan [R]
Nay IN-6 Pence, Mike [R]
Iowa
Nay IA-4 Latham, Thomas [R]
Nay IA-5 King, Steve [R]
Kansas
Not Voting KS-1 Moran, Jerry [R]
Nay KS-2 Jenkins, Lynn [R]
Not Voting KS-4 Tiahrt, Todd [R]
Kentucky
Nay KY-1 Whitfield, Edward [R]
Not Voting KY-2 Guthrie, Brett [R]
Nay KY-4 Davis, Geoff [R]
Nay KY-5 Rogers, Harold [R]
Louisiana
Nay LA-1 Scalise, Steve [R]
Nay LA-4 Fleming, John [R]
Nay LA-5 Alexander, Rodney [R]
Nay LA-6 Cassidy, Bill [R]
Nay LA-7 Boustany, Charles [R]
Maryland
Nay MD-6 Bartlett, Roscoe [R]
Michigan
Not Voting MI-2 Hoekstra, Peter [R]
Nay MI-3 Ehlers, Vernon [R]
Nay MI-4 Camp, David [R]
Nay MI-6 Upton, Frederick [R]
Nay MI-8 Rogers, Michael [R]
Nay MI-11 McCotter, Thaddeus [R]
Not Voting MI-13 Kilpatrick, Carolyn [D]
Not Voting MI-14 Conyers, John [D]
Minnesota
Nay MN-2 Kline, John [R]
Nay MN-3 Paulsen, Erik [R]
Nay MN-6 Bachmann, Michele [R]
Mississippi
Nay MS-3 Harper, Gregg [R]
Missouri
Not Voting MO-1 Clay, William [D]
Not Voting MO-2 Akin, W. [R]
Nay MO-6 Graves, Samuel [R]
Nay MO-7 Blunt, Roy [R]
Nay MO-8 Emerson, Jo Ann [R]
Nay MO-9 Luetkemeyer, Blaine [R]
Montana
Nay MT-0 Rehberg, Dennis [R]
Nebraska
Nay NE-1 Fortenberry, Jeffrey [R]
Nay NE-2 Terry, Lee [R]
Nay NE-3 Smith, Adrian [R]
Nevada
Nay NV-2 Heller, Dean [R]
New Jersey
Nay NJ-5 Garrett, Scott [R]
New York
Nay NY-26 Lee, Christopher [R]
North Carolina
Nay NC-5 Foxx, Virginia [R]
Nay NC-6 Coble, Howard [R]
Nay NC-9 Myrick, Sue [R]
Nay NC-10 McHenry, Patrick [R]
Not Voting NC-12 Watt, Melvin [D]
Ohio
Nay OH-2 Schmidt, Jean [R]
Nay OH-3 Turner, Michael [R]
Nay OH-4 Jordan, Jim [R]
Nay OH-5 Latta, Robert [R]
Nay OH-7 Austria, Steve [R]
Nay OH-8 Boehner, John [R]
Nay OH-12 Tiberi, Patrick [R]
Nay OH-14 LaTourette, Steven [R]
Oklahoma
Nay OK-1 Sullivan, John [R]
Nay OK-3 Lucas, Frank [R]
Nay OK-4 Cole, Tom [R]
Nay OK-5 Fallin, Mary [R]
Oregon
Nay OR-2 Walden, Greg [R]
Pennsylvania
Nay PA-5 Thompson, Glenn [R]
Nay PA-6 Gerlach, Jim [R]
Nay PA-9 Shuster, William [R]
Not Voting PA-10 Carney, Christopher [D]
Nay PA-16 Pitts, Joseph [R]
Nay PA-19 Platts, Todd [R]
South Carolina
Nay SC-1 Brown, Henry [R]
Nay SC-2 Wilson, Addison [R]
Nay SC-3 Barrett, James [R]
Nay SC-4 Inglis, Bob [R]
Tennessee
Nay TN-1 Roe, Phil [R]
Nay TN-2 Duncan, John [R]
Not Voting TN-3 Wamp, Zach [R]
Nay TN-5 Cooper, Jim [D]
Nay TN-7 Blackburn, Marsha [R]
Texas
Nay TX-1 Gohmert, Louis [R]
Nay TX-2 Poe, Ted [R]
Nay TX-3 Johnson, Samuel [R]
Nay TX-4 Hall, Ralph [R]
Nay TX-5 Hensarling, Jeb [R]
Nay TX-6 Barton, Joe [R]
Nay TX-7 Culberson, John [R]
Nay TX-8 Brady, Kevin [R]
Nay TX-10 McCaul, Michael [R]
Nay TX-11 Conaway, K. [R]
Nay TX-12 Granger, Kay [R]
Nay TX-13 Thornberry, William [R]
Nay TX-14 Paul, Ronald [R]
Nay TX-19 Neugebauer, Randy [R]
Nay TX-21 Smith, Lamar [R]
Nay TX-22 Olson, Pete [R]
Nay TX-24 Marchant, Kenny [R]
Nay TX-26 Burgess, Michael [R]
Nay TX-31 Carter, John [R]
Nay TX-32 Sessions, Peter [R]
Utah
Nay UT-1 Bishop, Rob [R]
Nay UT-3 Chaffetz, Jason [R]
Virginia
Nay VA-1 Wittman, Rob [R]
Nay VA-4 Forbes, J. [R]
Nay VA-6 Goodlatte, Robert [R]
Nay VA-7 Cantor, Eric [R]
Nay VA-10 Wolf, Frank [R]
Washington
Nay WA-4 Hastings, Doc [R]
Nay WA-5 McMorris Rodgers, Cathy [R]
Nay WA-8 Reichert, Dave [R]
West Virginia
Nay WV-2 Capito, Shelley [R]
Wisconsin
Nay WI-1 Ryan, Paul [R]
Nay WI-5 Sensenbrenner, F. [R]
Nay WI-6 Petri, Thomas [R]
Wyoming
Nay WY-0 Lummis, Cynthia [R]
here's the link
Chaplain Kathie on WDJA Saturday
A couple of days ago I received an email from Tom about my website and the work I do for veterans. He invited me to be on his radio show for Saturday and I am totally amazed to be included in on such a group to be on the show.
Dr. Eugene Lipov
Navy Seal James "Patches" Watson -One of the FIRST Navy Seals!
I will be focusing on the spiritual healing of our veterans since it is my greatest belief this is a spiritual wound and any healing must include the spiritual part of being human. Each one of us walks away from traumatic events either feeling blessed or cursed. We believe God spared us, saved us, was watching over us, or God abandoned us, judged us, punished us by what we had to endure. I've been exposed to all kinds of traumatic events other than combat. My experiences had allowed me to see my husband in a different way because I connected the events in my life to his. The more I worked with veterans the more I was able to understand that they experienced traumatic events for their entire deployment into combat zones. For them, it was not just a matter of the events themselves, but the fact they were in positions where they feared the events could happen at any moment.
As I studied PTSD it became a quest to understand why I didn't have PTSD. There are two factors that later training helped me to understand. As an IFOC chaplain, I was trained to respond to crisis situations moments after they happen. This is done so that people can find someone to talk to. In my life, I had a big Greek family where things were talked about until no one needed to talk about them anymore. Plenty of ears to listen and surrounded by people I felt safe to talk to made all the difference. The other factor was my faith and the understanding that I was loved by God and because of my faith, I was not alone. I am Christian but I do not dismiss the faith of other people. The Bible is filled with accounts from the Hebrews about warfare and spiritual crisis. History is rich with accounts of war and many different faiths addressing the spiritual aspects of being human.
One of the biggest things to come out of research in recent years is the development of the frontal lobe and how it is not fully mature until the age of 25. This helps us to understand that as the age of recruits into the military right out of high school has some benefits, it should also cause greater awareness of the need to have someone to talk to right after traumatic events. There is a lot of support out there for this because as they trained their bodies to endure, addressing the crisis right after it happens helps to train their brains to recover from them.
I also believe that we will see the suicide, attempted suicide, self-medicating, homelessness among veterans and divorce rates continue to rise if this is not addressed. As we read about the calls flooding into the Suicide Prevention Hotline, there are lives saved but when there were over 200,000 calls in three years, that should have been a alarm heard around the country. To have that many veterans reach the point of that kind of despair they feel the need to call is the greatest indicator of the failures of the past being continued.
The other issue that has to be addressed is family involvement. Most families have no idea what PTSD and what little others do know does not help them to understand how their reactions can either help the veteran heal or can harm them more. They need to be fully informed just as much as they need to be fully involved in the mental healthcare provided. Doctors only know what the veteran tells them and most of the time, they hold back too much. Families have to be included to set the record straight for the doctor to know what the reality is.
I hope you tune in tomorrow and listen to the show to hear more and about other things being done to help our veterans heal. It will be broadcast to the troops serving overseas.
TOM GRAVER REPORTS ON MATTERS NEAR & DEAR TO THE MILITARY, THEIR FAMILIES AND THE PUBLIC
Listen to him on the G I Radio Network
Saturday from 12:00 NOON to 2 on
POWERTALK 1420 A M WDJAPeople call listen through out the world by going to http://www.wdja.com/ or http://www.giradio.us/.
CALL IN LINE: 877-278-1420
Dr. Eugene Lipov
Stellate ganglion block offers hope for PTSD treatments
About Raymond Cralle
Raymond Crallé has been a practicing Physical Therapist for 39 years, most of that time in his own private practice. There is no physician ownership since Crallé was one of the original private practices in Florida founded by his mother Ruth Crallé in 1957. Raymond graduated from the University of Iowa in 1971 following service with the Marines during the Vietnam conflict. Raymond served on many committees in the Florida Physical Therapy Associations twice as Chairman of the Private Practice Section. He sold controlling interest in 13 sports medicine centers in 1992 to specialize in treatment for Brain injury, Sports injury and has developed an international reputation in these areas of practice. Mr. Cralle works with many of the Polo team members from Wellington, he was featured in “ Polo Magazine” season guide, 2006.
Crallé’s advanced training in Neuro rehab has found him as an annual presenter to international symposiums on rehabilitation for brain injury and cerebral palsy. He was also featured in Cerebral Palsy Magazine regarding his advanced work with such children.
Cralle' has added Hyperbaric Oxygen Treament to his practice and has had amazing results. (www.ORCCAHBO.com)
The 501(3)(C)corporation will allow us to solicit funds to further extend staff, equipment and service for the underprivileged. Benefactors will allow us to support research, arrange for Physician Specialists visits and provide for adaptive chairs, braces and other needs.
We are excited about our future because of our special “Angels” here on earth.
Navy Seal James "Patches" Watson -One of the FIRST Navy Seals!
Keith DeMello "Battleship Missouri at Pearl Harbor
Captain Howard - National Navy UDT - Seal Museum
And then there is me.
I am a Senior Chaplain with the International Fellowship of Chaplains, IFOC.org and Chaplain of the Disabled American Veterans Auxiliary, Chapter 16 Orlando. Aside from being the wife of a Vietnam veteran, fast approaching 26 years, I've been helping veterans and their families to survive and heal PTSD since I met my husband.
I track PTSD around the country and reports focused on veterans, the troops, National Guards and Reservists, police officers, firefighters and trauma survivors on this blog. I also make videos on PTSD so that people find understanding, support and comfort on what it took me over 20 years to learn.
I have a Charter of the IFOC and seek donations to support my work, so please, if you find what I do to be worthy of support, don't wait for someone else to do it.
I am the author of For the Love of Jack, about 18 years of living with PTSD. This book is for free on my website, Nam Guardian Angel and I have over 30 videos to watch on this blog currently housed on Great Americans.
I will be focusing on the spiritual healing of our veterans since it is my greatest belief this is a spiritual wound and any healing must include the spiritual part of being human. Each one of us walks away from traumatic events either feeling blessed or cursed. We believe God spared us, saved us, was watching over us, or God abandoned us, judged us, punished us by what we had to endure. I've been exposed to all kinds of traumatic events other than combat. My experiences had allowed me to see my husband in a different way because I connected the events in my life to his. The more I worked with veterans the more I was able to understand that they experienced traumatic events for their entire deployment into combat zones. For them, it was not just a matter of the events themselves, but the fact they were in positions where they feared the events could happen at any moment.
As I studied PTSD it became a quest to understand why I didn't have PTSD. There are two factors that later training helped me to understand. As an IFOC chaplain, I was trained to respond to crisis situations moments after they happen. This is done so that people can find someone to talk to. In my life, I had a big Greek family where things were talked about until no one needed to talk about them anymore. Plenty of ears to listen and surrounded by people I felt safe to talk to made all the difference. The other factor was my faith and the understanding that I was loved by God and because of my faith, I was not alone. I am Christian but I do not dismiss the faith of other people. The Bible is filled with accounts from the Hebrews about warfare and spiritual crisis. History is rich with accounts of war and many different faiths addressing the spiritual aspects of being human.
One of the biggest things to come out of research in recent years is the development of the frontal lobe and how it is not fully mature until the age of 25. This helps us to understand that as the age of recruits into the military right out of high school has some benefits, it should also cause greater awareness of the need to have someone to talk to right after traumatic events. There is a lot of support out there for this because as they trained their bodies to endure, addressing the crisis right after it happens helps to train their brains to recover from them.
I also believe that we will see the suicide, attempted suicide, self-medicating, homelessness among veterans and divorce rates continue to rise if this is not addressed. As we read about the calls flooding into the Suicide Prevention Hotline, there are lives saved but when there were over 200,000 calls in three years, that should have been a alarm heard around the country. To have that many veterans reach the point of that kind of despair they feel the need to call is the greatest indicator of the failures of the past being continued.
The other issue that has to be addressed is family involvement. Most families have no idea what PTSD and what little others do know does not help them to understand how their reactions can either help the veteran heal or can harm them more. They need to be fully informed just as much as they need to be fully involved in the mental healthcare provided. Doctors only know what the veteran tells them and most of the time, they hold back too much. Families have to be included to set the record straight for the doctor to know what the reality is.
I hope you tune in tomorrow and listen to the show to hear more and about other things being done to help our veterans heal. It will be broadcast to the troops serving overseas.
When soldiers' deaths benefit companies, families continue to lose
As the combat in Afghanistan heats up and draws down in Iraq, we can still argue all we want about the necessity to have troops in either country, but the reality is, we ignore the other issues as we make the claims to support them and their families.
For years as they suffered because of the backlog of claims in the VA, most people in this country didn't have a clue. As the suicides were ever increasing, again, most people didn't have a clue. What it took to bring attention to what we so easily ignore, were the families involved to speak out and fight for what they should have never been forced to fight for. Had they not spoken out, we would blissfully sleep at night knowing they were doing their jobs serving and defending this country and assuming all was well with them too.
So Secretary of Defense Bill Gates attends yet another military funeral as another milestone is reached in Afghanistan. But too often the family's pain is just starting.
We could very well settle for that knowing the fallen soldiers receive a military funeral, but then the back story would show a totally different story when we read about the problems at Arlington National Cemetery topped off with the recent news of families left behind being ripped off by insurance companies that are supposed to be paying the families instead of themselves first.
The Lucey family lost their son because he wasn't taken care of and committed suicide. These people are heroes! They could have just grieved in the privacy of their own home, let the death of their son remain a private matter, but they knew other families were suffering and something had to be done to end the silence.
I remember when their son's story first came out.
And they won!
Not only did they bring honor to the life of their son, they managed to bring attention to the suffering of hundreds of other families so that their ranks would not grow without anyone noticing.
Now they are fighting another public battle for the sake of other families. No longer can insurance companies just do what they want without anyone even trying to stop them. Today the news is flooding in from other families and it will go on for a while as the media reports on it. Just as with suicides happening in private lives, it took someone coming forward to talk about it so that others stop suffering. Ending the silence brought attention to PTSD. It brought attention to suicides. Things changed because people were more concerned about others going through the same thing than they were about their privacy. Things only change when someone has the courage to speak out.
But this is not the worst of it or the end of it. This is what they used to excuse what they were doing,,,,
This was from Prudential's press release posted on MarketWatch
Prudential addresses concerns with the Department of Veterans Affairs
How dare they? Do they do this on all life insurance policies? Do they try to "save people the trouble" of having to decide what to do with the insurance checks? Who the hell told them they had any right to decide what people did with the money?
These families had to spend day in and day out wondering if their warrior would spend their last day on this earth, then ended up with the doorbell proclaiming their worst fears had come true. They have to wait for the body to return home covered by a flag on top of a casket, then prepare for a funeral. To have anyone holding back paying out on an insurance claim for any reason is unacceptable and appalling! There is no excuse for this at all!
For years as they suffered because of the backlog of claims in the VA, most people in this country didn't have a clue. As the suicides were ever increasing, again, most people didn't have a clue. What it took to bring attention to what we so easily ignore, were the families involved to speak out and fight for what they should have never been forced to fight for. Had they not spoken out, we would blissfully sleep at night knowing they were doing their jobs serving and defending this country and assuming all was well with them too.
So Secretary of Defense Bill Gates attends yet another military funeral as another milestone is reached in Afghanistan. But too often the family's pain is just starting.
Grim milestone as three U.S. soldiers killed in Afghanistan
By the CNN Wire Staff
July 30, 2010 6:52 a.m. EDTDefense Secretary Robert Gates on Thursday consoles the family of Army Pfc. David T. Miller, who was killed in Afghanistan.
STORY HIGHLIGHTS
Deaths bring July tally to 63, the highest monthly toll for U.S. forces in the 9-year war
Milestone comes amid concern over Washington's strategy in the Afghan war
A total of 85 international service members, including Americans, have died this month
(CNN) -- Three U.S. soldiers were killed in two separate blasts in southern Afghanistan, making July the deadliest month for American forces since the war started nine years ago.
The three died Thursday after an improvised explosive device attack, the International Security Assistance Force said.
Their deaths bring the July tally to 63. A total of 85 international service members, including Americans, have died this month.
Before this month, June was the deadliest month for Americans and coalition forces. A total of 103 international soldiers died last month -- including 60 Americans. The totals are based on reports compiled by CNN.
The grim milestone comes amid concern at home over Washington's strategy in the Afghanistan war.
read more here
Grim milestone as three U.S. soldiers killed in Afghanistan
We could very well settle for that knowing the fallen soldiers receive a military funeral, but then the back story would show a totally different story when we read about the problems at Arlington National Cemetery topped off with the recent news of families left behind being ripped off by insurance companies that are supposed to be paying the families instead of themselves first.
Dead soldier's family sues insurer
Friday, July 30, 2010
By FRED CONTRADA
fcontrada@repub.com
SPRINGFIELD - A Belchertown family that has advocated for soldiers with post-traumatic stress disorder since their son committed suicide in 2004 is among the lead plaintiffs in a class-action lawsuit against Prudential Insurance Co. of America.
Kevin and Joyce Lucey received a $250,000 life insurance payment following the death of their son, Jeffrey, an Army corporal who hanged himself in their home shortly after returning from active duty in Iraq.
The class-action suit filed Thursday in U.S. District Court in Springfield by Conway lawyer Cristobal Bonifaz alleges that the Luceys and other beneficiaries of life insurance policies on members of the military were short-changed by Prudential, which was earning 5.7 percent interest on the benefits while paying 1 percent interest.
According to Bonifaz' calculation, Prudential has kept more than $100 million that should have been paid to the families of soldiers. The suit includes as plaintiffs all beneficiaries dating back six years.
Kevin Lucey said Thursday that he and his wife received a kind of checkbook from Prudential weeks after their son's suicide that gave them access to an account worth $250,000, the amount of the policy. The Luceys spent about $53,000 of that money, but took out the remaining $197,000 last year after talking to a financial adviser and invested it so it would have a higher yield.
Lucey said he is outraged that Prudential is making a profit on his son's life insurance policy.
The Lucey family lost their son because he wasn't taken care of and committed suicide. These people are heroes! They could have just grieved in the privacy of their own home, let the death of their son remain a private matter, but they knew other families were suffering and something had to be done to end the silence.
I remember when their son's story first came out.
Thursday, July 26, 2007
Jeffery Lucey's parents sue government over suicide, bravo!
Iraq war veteran's parents sue U.S. after suicide
Thu Jul 26, 2007 5:41PM EDT
By Svea Herbst-Bayliss
BOSTON (Reuters) - The parents of an Iraq war veteran who committed suicide sued the U.S. government on Thursday for negligence, charging their son hanged himself after the government ignored his depression.The suit accuses the federal government of not helping 23-year-old Jeffrey Lucey, who committed suicide in his parents' Massachusetts basement less than a year after returning home from fighting during the invasion of Iraq in 2003. U.S. Veterans Affairs Secretary James Nicholson was also named in the suit.
And they won!
Marine Reserve Cpl. Jeffrey Lucey's family wins law suit
Family of Iraq vet gets settlement after his suicideU.S. loses wrongful death suit
By Jeff Schogol,
Stars and Stripes
Mideast edition, Friday, January 16, 2009
ARLINGTON, Va. — Marine Reserve Cpl. Jeffrey Lucey hanged himself on June 22, 2004, about three weeks after being released as an inpatient from the Northampton Veterans Medical Center in Leeds, Mass.His parents filed a wrongful death lawsuit against the U.S. government, claiming the VA initially refused to treat him for post-traumatic stress disorder because they required him to be sober first.Now they will receive $350,000 under a settlement with the U.S. government that was announced Thursday by Military Families Speak Out, an anti-war group to which they both belong."The Government killed my son," Lucey’s father, Kevin, said in Thursday’s news release. "It sent him into an illegal and reckless war and then, when he returned home, it denied him the basic health care he needed."
click link for more of this
Not only did they bring honor to the life of their son, they managed to bring attention to the suffering of hundreds of other families so that their ranks would not grow without anyone noticing.
Now they are fighting another public battle for the sake of other families. No longer can insurance companies just do what they want without anyone even trying to stop them. Today the news is flooding in from other families and it will go on for a while as the media reports on it. Just as with suicides happening in private lives, it took someone coming forward to talk about it so that others stop suffering. Ending the silence brought attention to PTSD. It brought attention to suicides. Things changed because people were more concerned about others going through the same thing than they were about their privacy. Things only change when someone has the courage to speak out.
Local veterans upset over life insurance policy
Elise Preston
NewsChannel 10
AMARILLO---A national out cry of disgust rises as people learn Prudential life insurance makes money off of dead veterans benefits. Prudential is the sole provider of life insurance for active duty and recently retired service members.
They provide what's called a retained asset account. When active duty or recently retired service members die, they're beneficiaries don't receive a lump sum. Instead, they receive the funds through a checking account. The account also allows the beneficiaries to earn interest on the policy.
read more of this here
NY subpoenas MetLife, Pru on soldier death benefits
By Jonathan Stempel
NEW YORK
Thu Jul 29, 2010 7:26pm EDT
(Reuters) - New York's attorney general has subpoenaed MetLife Inc and Prudential Financial Inc as part of a probe into whether life insurers are defrauding families of deceased military personnel by siphoning off millions of dollars of death benefits for themselves.
"It is shocking and plain wrong for these multinational life insurance companies to pocket hundreds of millions in profits that really belong to those who have lost family members and have already suffered immensely," the attorney general, Andrew Cuomo, said in a statement.
Cuomo announced the subpoenas of the largest U.S. life insurers on Thursday, one day after the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs said in a published report that it had begun its own investigation into the issue.
read the rest of this here
NY subpoenas MetLife, Pru on soldier death benefits
But this is not the worst of it or the end of it. This is what they used to excuse what they were doing,,,,
-- We do not think it makes sense to force people to make decisions in a difficult and complex financial environment during a very emotional time in their lives.
This was from Prudential's press release posted on MarketWatch
Prudential addresses concerns with the Department of Veterans Affairs
How dare they? Do they do this on all life insurance policies? Do they try to "save people the trouble" of having to decide what to do with the insurance checks? Who the hell told them they had any right to decide what people did with the money?
These families had to spend day in and day out wondering if their warrior would spend their last day on this earth, then ended up with the doorbell proclaiming their worst fears had come true. They have to wait for the body to return home covered by a flag on top of a casket, then prepare for a funeral. To have anyone holding back paying out on an insurance claim for any reason is unacceptable and appalling! There is no excuse for this at all!
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