GOP want to cut budget by hitting veterans

I have no clue what the hell happened to Republicans in Congress but this is what they have been doing behind the backs of veterans for a long time. This is not new and frankly didn't make it into the 24/7 cable news shows. When Congress was debating the VA budget during the ticking time bomb of wounded veterans entering into the VA system, GOP in congress said they couldn't afford to increase the VA budget to take care of them because "There are two wars to pay for." Yes, that's right and if you watched CSPAN you would have heard these words come right out of their mouth with absolutely no shame. After all, when it came to defense contractors, they demanded money to just flow in if other congressmen "supported the troops" they had to support the missions without hesitation. They didn't seem to make the same connection in their own heads when it came to really taking care of the troops and our wounded.

They want to keep going on the tax breaks for the wealthy claiming it's all about jobs but after all these years, the average American is still asking when these breaks for the rich will make any jobs. We're still working with the budget giving the rich money off our backs, but again, the media has not thought this was an important point to make when they talk about how much the average American in hurting. Well if that wasn't enough to get our blood boiling these same folks now say support the rich by letting the wounded veterans suck it up and give up their own lives and futures as if they have not already done that.

When members of the GOP called the VA a welfare program, the mass media ignored it. They were too busy letting the talking heads spout off about how the tax cuts for the rich were needed and covering every single word Sarah Palin tweeted about what she just ate for breakfast. They never once confronted her on the fact for every dollar the people of Alaska paid out in taxes, the state got $5 back,,,,,,in other words, tax breaks worked for them but she complains about paying taxes? What? Yet this makes sense? Rich? Hell ya they should get all they wanted after all they already paid to put the bodies in congress to watch their backs so screw the rest of the American people and the veterans.

If you heard a tenth of the things I've heard coming out of their mouths you'd want to send each and everyone of them to Iraq and Afghanistan with combat boots on and a pack on their backs to see what it was really like for the wounded coming home. A few of them went with a military escort protecting them so they never really understood what it was really like and they were in safe zones just to show up and get a picture taken with some real heroes.

The truth is members of the GOP in congress stopped being real Republicans a long time ago. I used to find many of them deeply committed to the military and veterans but then things changed. They started to vote against them while they pretended to care. Now they don't even bother to pretend they give a damn at all. They'll show up at meetings and talk about how the nation has to support the troops and honor veterans but they are not including themselves in on that. They just expect the American people to take over what they want the government to stop doing. When it came time to really show they had the backs of the men and women risking their lives, the GOP had out a dagger in perfect position to drive the knife straight in without ever once having to look into the eyes of the men and women they just betrayed!

GORDON DUFF: TWO WARS LOST, AN UNGRATEFUL NATION NOW TURNS ON ITS VETERANS
September 3, 2010 posted by Gordon Duff

CONGRESS PLANS “STEALTH ATTACK” ON VETERANS BENEFITS
By Gordon Duff STAFF WRITER/Senior Editor

A week ago, we marched out of Iraq, leaving 50,000 “administrative” troops and tens of thousands of contractors behind. They perform no useful purpose of any kind, no more than the original attack which Secretary of Defense Robert Gates now openly refers to as unnecessary and wrong. The war that never should have started cost America 3 trillion dollars, much of it unaccounted for. Along with the thousands of American dead and the untold devastation in Iraq, the war also cost America health and welfare of up to 400,000 of her veterans, America’s children. A generation of young adults, another generation of our best and bravest stand betrayed.

We have money for fraud of every kind, projects paid for but never finished, weapons stolen, defective or never delivered, buying poisoned water for our troops at 5 times the cost of French Wine, I could go on for hours, the list is endless.
read more here
AN UNGRATEFUL NATION NOW TURNS ON ITS VETERANS

So why not tell corporations to pull up their own bootstraps and pitch in? Why not ask them to be patriotic in this time of crisis? Why not? Because while the veterans were so deeply patriotic they were willing to die for this country, the corporations have proven their are selfish and only care about themselves, what they can get out of this nation and what they can retire on. Think I'm wrong? Then ask them why it is when NAFTA was passed and they were able to set up businesses outside the US hiring foreign workers, they not only jumped at the chance but demanded the right to do it more? Ask them why when two wars were going on and contractors were sent in more than the troops were, why they thought they could get away with the way they were treating the troops, getting pay outs for cost plus contracts and then decided it was in their best interests to just pay fines for what they did? Because that would make sense to the American people but would make a lot of really rich people upset enough they stopped backing these BS superstars we were suckered into sending to congress.

The same folks who said no to reform of the health insurance industry did it off our backs siding with the corporations. Did the American people notice this? Nope and for the most part, they are ticked off the things the congress has managed to do were just not big enough or fast enough even though with the Democrats in the majority of the House, they have passed more bills waiting for some in the Senate to stop blocking debate. We're all suffering while they hold our futures for ransom thinking if things are bad enough no one will remember how we ended up like this in the first place.

I've been angry for a long time but even this one is just about the lowest blow the GOP could ever pull off. Telling wounded veterans they are not patriotic enough because they want what we promised them is the lowest level of depravity. This is not a handout! They paid for it with their lives for 4 years and even more in too many cases while the elected in congress ended up doing a couple of years of living off what the men and women serving risking their lives provided them with. This democracy of ours was provided by the men and women who served this nation since it was begun and now people like Simpson are saying they just haven't done enough? Now do you get the idea why people like me are furious?

VA Secretary Addresses TBI Conference

VA Secretary Addresses Traumatic Brain Injury Conference

WASHINGTON (August 30, 2010) - Recognizing the longstanding, integrated
collaboration shared by the Department of Veterans Affairs and
Department of Defense, VA Secretary Eric K. Shinseki gave the keynote
address Monday at the fourth annual Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI)
Military Training Conference here.

"We--DoD and VA--simply cannot afford to be less than aggressive in our
effort to identify, treat and rehabilitate TBI victims," Shinseki told
the approximately 1,000 military, VA and civilian health care workers at
the conference sponsored by the Defense and Veterans Brain Injury Center
(DVBIC).

The Defense and Veterans Brain Injury Center was established by
Congress in 1992. DoD and VA together offer clinical care, research and
education on traumatic brain injury. DVBIC is the operational component
of the Defense Center of Excellence for Psychological Health and
Traumatic Brain Injury.

In praise of the collaborative DVBIC model, Secretary Shinseki said it
should be replicated for all military personnel transitioning to VA
care, and not just for TBI or burn care.

"When it comes to DoD's patients, there is a network of information and
hands-on human care," the Secretary said, "that helps a wounded warrior
transition from one system to the other-- from the battlefield to our
polytrauma centers."

There are DVBIC researchers assigned at each of the four VA Polytrauma
Rehabilitation Centers (Tampa, Richmond, Minneapolis and Palo Alto)
where they gather information regarding care of patients with TBI,
analyze and translate this information into recommendations to improve
care, and educate providers in implementing those improvements
clinically.

DVBIC and VA have shared, and continue to collaborate, on many
significant initiatives. Recent examples include developing and
implementing:

* Joint DoD/VA clinical practice guidelines for TBI;

* Materials and information for families and caregivers of
Veterans with TBI;

* Integrated education and training curriculum, and joint
training on TBI of VA and DoD heath care providers;

* A Congressionally-mandated 5-year pilot program to assess the
effectiveness of providing assisted living services to Veterans with
TBI;

* The TBI Screening tool used for all Veterans who served in
Iraq or Afghanistan and are receiving care within VA; and

* A specialized Emerging Consciousness Care program at the four
polytrauma centers to serve those Veterans with severe TBI who are also
slow to recover consciousness.

VA Publishes Final Regulation to Aid Veterans Exposed to Agent Orange

VA Publishes Final Regulation to Aid Veterans Exposed to Agent Orange

VA Health Care and Benefits Provided for Many Vietnam Veterans

WASHINGTON (August 30, 2010)- Veterans exposed to herbicides while
serving in Vietnam and other areas will have an easier path to access
quality health care and qualify for disability compensation under a
final regulation that will be published on August 31, 2010 in the
Federal Register by the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA). The new
rule expands the list of health problems VA will presume to be related
to Agent Orange and other herbicide exposures to add two new conditions
and expand one existing category of conditions.

"Last October, based on the requirements of the Agent Orange Act of
1991 and the Institute of Medicine's 2008 Update on Agent Orange, I
determined that the evidence provided was sufficient to award
presumptions of service connection for these three additional diseases,"
said Secretary of Veterans Affairs Eric K. Shinseki. "It was the right
decision, and the President and I are proud to finally provide this
group of Veterans the care and benefits they have long deserved."

The final regulation follows Shinseki's determination to expand the list
of conditions for which service connection for Vietnam Veterans is
presumed. VA is adding Parkinson's disease and ischemic heart disease
and expanding chronic lymphocytic leukemia to include all chronic B cell
leukemias, such as hairy cell leukemia.

In practical terms, Veterans who served in Vietnam during the war and
who have a "presumed" illness don't have to prove an association between
their medical problems and their military service. By helping Veterans
overcome evidentiary requirements that might otherwise present
significant challenges, this "presumption" simplifies and speeds up the
application process and ensure that Veterans receive the benefits they
deserve.

The Secretary's decision to add these presumptives is based on the
latest evidence provided in a 2008 independent study by the Institute of
Medicine concerning health problems caused by herbicides like Agent
Orange.

Veterans who served in Vietnam anytime during the period beginning
January 9, 1962, and ending on May 7, 1975, are presumed to have been
exposed to herbicides.

More than 150,000 Veterans are expected to submit Agent Orange claims in
the next 12 to 18 months, many of whom are potentially eligible for
retroactive disability payments based on past claims. Additionally, VA
will review approximately 90,000 previously denied claims by Vietnam
Veterans for service connection for these conditions. All those awarded
service-connection who are not currently eligible for enrollment into
the VA healthcare system will become eligible.

This historic regulation is subject to provisions of the Congressional
Review Act that require a 60-day Congressional review period before
implementation. After the review period, VA can begin paying benefits
for new claims and may award benefits retroactively for earlier periods.
For new claims, VA may pay benefits retroactive to the effective date of
the regulation or to one year before the date VA receives the
application, whichever is later. For pending claims and claims that
were previously denied, VA may pay benefits retroactive to the date it
received the claim.

VA encourages Vietnam Veterans with these three diseases to submit their
applications for access to VA health care and compensation now so the
agency can begin development of their claims.

Individuals can go to a website at
Claims

to get an
understanding of how to file a claim for presumptive conditions related
to herbicide exposure, as well as what evidence is needed by VA to make
a decision about disability compensation or survivors benefits.

Additional information about Agent Orange and VA's services for Veterans
exposed to the chemical is available at Public Health Exposures to Agent Orange



The regulation is available on the Office of the Federal Register
website at OFR.gov

PTSD: The battle after the war

PTSD: The battle after the war

Edmonds woman starts support group for veterans

By Mina Williams
Enterprise editor

EDMONDS -- For armed services men and women returning stateside, fear can become a ghost haunting them in daily life, more frightening than the firestorms and improvised explosive devices they encountered abroad. For these veterans, a new war begins at home with post-traumatic stress disorder, or PTSD.

“Admitting you have PTSD is like admitting you are a bad soldier,” said Dedie Davis, an Edmonds resident and wife of a veteran. Davis' husband asked not to be identified.

Watching her husband struggle to adjust to life in Edmonds spurred her to create Operation Open Arms in 2006. The relief and support network is for veterans with PTSD, an anxiety disorder triggered by witnessing events that cause intense fear, and others suffering from post-combat angst.

Although the organization has been supported through casual donations, Davis is spearheading an event Sept. 1o aimed at raising funds to provide support for veterans with PTSD.
read more here
PTSD The battle after the war

also you can watch the video I made.

U.S. military chaplain killed in Afghanistan

For first time in Iraq or Afghanistan wars, U.S. military chaplain is killed
Editor's Note: CNN Belief Blog Co-Editor Eric Marrapodi and CNN Producer Paul Vercammen filed this report.

For the first time in the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, a U.S. military chaplain has been killed in action.

On August 30, U.S. Army chaplain Capt. Dale Goetz, 43, was killed in the Arghandab River Valley in Afghanistan, when the convoy he was traveling in was struck by an improvised explosive device, according to the Department of Defense. Four other soldiers also were killed in the attack.

Goetz was serving as the battalion chaplain for the 1st Battalion, 66th Armor Regiment.

Friends and co-workers said Goetz was a dedicated father and chaplain. He leaves behind a wife and three sons.

The Army's chief of chaplains, Maj. Gen. Douglas Carver, said in a statement, "Dale was a selfless servant of God, a devoted husband and father, a strong American patriot, and a compassionate spiritual leader whose love for Soldiers was only surpassed by his firm commitment to living his calling as a United States Army Chaplain."
go here for more
http://religion.blogs.cnn.com/2010/09/02/chaplain-killed-in-action/

Ex-Senator Simpson doesn't think Vietnam Vets are worth taking care of

I was watching Countdown last night because I heard a friend of mine and of all veterans, Paul Sullivan was going to be on the show. Low and behold, I was stunned to hear what Senator Simpson had to say about Vietnam veterans and Agent Orange. When veterans are treated like this behind their backs, the whole nation should be outraged!

Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

OLBERMANN: On Monday, the secretary of Veterans Affairs, Eric Shinseki, announced what he called a long overdue rule delivering justice to some of America's veterans-- long overdue in the sense, meaning, since the Vietnam War.

But in our fourth story: a top Republican is unhappy about the rule and he's blaming the veterans. Secretary Shinseki's announcement was about Agent Orange. Agent Orange-- the toxic defoliant which America dumped on Vietnam to kill the growth of plants that were used as cover by the Viet Cong. More than 19 million gallons of herbicides were sprayed during the war. Most of it, Agent Orange, sprayed on inland forests near Vietnam's borders, north of Saigon, and on a mangrove forest lining Saigon's shipping channels -- meaning it was not just killing trees. It was being breathed in by American soldiers. Soldiers who did not know exposure would later be linked to potentially fatal conditions such a Hodgkin's disease, soft tissue cancers and non- Hodgkin's lymphoma. So, in 1991, Congress passed a law to get treatment to Vietnam vets suffering from any of 12 diseases did have to prove they were caused by Agent Orange. On Monday, Shinseki wrote, quote, "The president and I are proud," unquote, to provide additional treatment under the 1991 law. It has been extended to cover Parkinson's, some leukemias and some heart disease. Enter former Republican Senator Simpson.

read more here

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/3036677/#38964662

Three Tour Iraq Vet needs your help

Sent from Veterans for Change

From time to time we come to you and ask for your assistance to help a Veteran in need as we have done in the past.

We now have one veteran in need of our assistance therefore I now come to you to ask again for your help.

This veteran served three tours in Iraq and was honorably discharged, was shot twice and deals with PTSD, was working a good job, and had to take time off due to flashbacks.

Spc. Stephen Lewis has exhausted his vacation and medical leave from work so he came to ask if we’d be able to help him on his utility and telephone which is a total of $188.50.

I have spoke to both of Stephen’s utilities and put off till tomorrow for a firm answer and transfer of funds.

In the mean time his VSO (Veteran Service Officer) is working on getting him a better VA Rating to have his benefits increased.

So I come to you and ask if we have a few good people out there who are willing to donate $25-$50 each to help this veteran.

If you’re able to contribute $25-$50 to help these Veterans, who like many of you have fought for this great Country of ours please click HERE to be taken direct to the PayPal site which is very safe and secure.

Vet shot by police had sought help

Vet shot by police had sought help

By Matthew Santoni and Stephanie Hacke
PITTSBURGH TRIBUNE-REVIEW
Thursday, September 2, 2010


A man police shot to death during a confrontation in Baldwin Borough sought psychiatric treatment at the VA Pittsburgh Healthcare System on Highland Drive before reportedly becoming suicidal, police said.

A Baldwin police officer shot Edward Zevola Sr., 61, at his home Tuesday night on Songo Street, a quiet hilltop enclave of two-story homes and swimming pools above Streets Run Road.

Police said Zevola's wife called them about 9 p.m. to say the two argued and Zevola threatened her with a gun. She told police she feared he was suicidal or willing to kill someone.

Scott said Zevola was in and out of psychiatric treatment at the VA hospital for the past year.

"The only thing I want to say is that this is a tragedy, ... the worst day of all our lives," said a woman who identified herself as Zevola's daughter-in-law, while carrying a suitcase out of his home Wednesday afternoon. "This is horrific, and we want to keep this as private as possible."

Vet shot by police had sought help

Wednesday, September 1, 2010
Man Shot, Killed By Police During Baldwin Standoff

Another oil rig explodes in Gulf of Mexico

Oil Rig Explodes in Gulf of Mexico
Updated: 3 minutes ago

NEW ORLEANS, La. (Sept. 2) -- An offshore petroleum platform exploded and was burning Thursday in the Gulf of Mexico about 100 miles off the Louisiana coast, west of the site where BP's undersea well spilled after a rig explosion.

The Coast Guard said no one was killed in the explosion, which was spotted by a commercial helicopter flying over the site Thursday morning. All 13 people aboard the rig have been accounted for, with one injury. The extent of the injury was not known.

They were rescued from the water by an offshore service vessel, the Crystal Clear, said Coast Guard Cmdr. She said they were taken to a nearby platform. All were being flown to the Terrebonne General Medical Center in Houma to be checked over.
read the rest here
Oil Rig Explodes in Gulf of Mexico

Fort Carson says its suicide rate is falling

Fort Carson says its suicide rate is falling

The Associated Press
Posted : Wednesday Sep 1, 2010 12:34:20 EDT

FORT CARSON, Colo. — Commanders at Fort Carson say the suicide rate among their soldiers is on track to drop by 45 percent.

Fort Carson's deputy commanding general for support, Brig. Gen. Jim Pasquarette, said Wednesday the decrease might be due in part to a campaign to make mental health experts more accessible and to reduce the stigma sometimes associated with seeking help.

He cautions that the rate could still climb. He says officials are still studying the reasons for the declining rate at the post.

Suicide rates are measured in deaths per 100,000 people.

Pasquarette says Fort Carson's rate was 44 per 100,000 in 2008, and this year is on track to be 25 per 100,000.

The Army's overall suicide rate is about 22 per 100,000.
Fort Carson says its suicide rate is falling

10 infant deaths investigated at Fort Bragg

10 infant deaths investigated at Fort Bragg

By Tom Breen - The Associated Press
Posted : Wednesday Sep 1, 2010 11:49:25 EDT

FORT BRAGG, N.C. — The mysterious deaths of two infants at the same home within three months of each other has prompted a probe into eight other unexplained infant deaths at the Fort Bragg Army base since January 2007, the military said Tuesday.

At a news conference at the base, military leaders say they don’t suspect foul play in any of the deaths, and are conducting tests of the air, building materials and other elements at the on-base housing where the deaths occurred.

So far, though, investigators have not found any link between the deaths since the probe was ordered earlier this summer, according to Christopher Grey, spokesman for the U.S. Army Criminal Investigation Command.

“There are no commonalities that we’ve found thus far,” he said.
go here for more
10 infant deaths investigated at Fort Bragg

Man Shot, Killed By Police During Baldwin Standoff

Man Shot, Killed By Police During Baldwin Standoff
BALDWIN BOROUGH (KDKA)
Sep 1, 2010

Baldwin Borough police shot and killed an armed man while responding to a domestic dispute Tuesday night.

Police say the man threatened to shoot a police officer and that is when an officer fired a single shot, which killed him.

The incident stemmed from a domestic dispute that quickly turned into a standoff.

"One of our officers was across the street from the residence trying to ascertain what the address was when the deceased called out to our officer and said, 'You know, I don't want to shoot you. If I wanted to, I have seven rounds here and I'm a Vietnam vet and I won't shoot for your Kevlar, I'll shoot for your heads,'" Baldwin Police Chief Michael Scott said.

According to police, that's the message they received from Edward Zevola, 61, when they arrived at the home on Songo Street.
read more here

Man Shot Killed By Police During Baldwin Standoff

Marine Sgt. Floyd Holley of Casselberry dies in Afghanistan

Chrissy and Floyd Holley on their wedding day. Holley, 36, a Marine gunnery sergeant from Casselberry, was killed by a roadside bomb Aug. 29 in Helmand province, Afghanistan. (Facebook / August 30, 2010)

Marine Sgt. Floyd Holley of Casselberry dies in Afghanistan
By Susan Jacobson, Orlando Sentinel

11:56 p.m. EDT, August 30, 2010
Gunnery Sgt. Floyd Holley did one of the most dangerous jobs in the military.

A specialist in roadside explosives, Holley grew up in Casselberry and was planning to come home to the U.S. from Afghanistan for the birth of his first child — a daughter — in November.

On Sunday, however, Holley was killed during his third tour of duty in the Middle East, the Department of Defense announced this evening.

Holley, 36, died in Helmand province when he was hit by a blast from an improvised explosive device, the military said.
go here for more
Marine Sgt Floyd Holley

Samaritan who saved driver from sinking car was afraid of lake

Samaritan who saved driver from sinking car: 'I'm terrified of this lake'
Kent Nugent, 32, rescued a woman from a sinking car after she crashed into a pond, officials say

By Jeff Weiner, Orlando Sentinel

9:31 p.m. EDT, August 31, 2010
Firefighters in Orange County rescued a woman from a sinking car on Tuesday, with a big assist from a man who dove in headfirst to help.

Florida Highway Patrol Sgt. Kim Montes said 31-year-old Terasa Susanne Meadows had a medical emergency while driving south on Westgate Road.

Meadows lost control of her vehicle, Montes said, driving off the road and into a pond at about 2:25 p.m. Tuesday.

Kent Nugent, 32, lives across the street from the pond and was getting ready to mow his lawn when the vehicle hit the water, officials say.

As an Orange County Fire Rescue spokesman described it, "Without hesitation, he swam out to the vehicle to assist the driver in exiting."
read more here
Samaritan who saved driver from sinking car

Questions loom over drug given to sleepless vets

Questions loom over drug given to sleepless vets
By MATTHEW PERRONE (AP)

WASHINGTON — Andrew White returned from a nine-month tour in Iraq beset with signs of post-traumatic stress disorder: insomnia, nightmares, constant restlessness. Doctors tried to ease his symptoms using three psychiatric drugs, including a potent anti-psychotic called Seroquel.

Thousands of soldiers suffering from PTSD have received the same medication over the last nine years, helping to make Seroquel one of the Veteran Affairs Department's top drug expenditures and the No. 5 best-selling drug in the nation.

Several soldiers and veterans have died while taking the pills, raising concerns among some military families that the government is not being up front about the drug's risks. They want Congress to investigate.

In White's case, the nightmares persisted. So doctors recommended progressively larger doses of Seroquel. At one point, the 23-year-old Marine corporal was prescribed more than 1,600 milligrams per day — more than double the maximum dose recommended for schizophrenia patients.

A short time later, White died in his sleep.
read more of this here
Questions loom over drug given to sleepless vets


read some more collected reports from this blog

Links to medications suspected with non-combat deaths Sunday, January 13, 2008

Vets taking PTSD drugs die in sleep Saturday, May 24, 2008

"Vets' Sudden Cardiac Deaths Are Not Suicides or Overdoses" says doctor Tuesday, May 19, 2009

But this one really stands out
Seroquel fine to be paid but what about the rest of the story? Wednesday, April 28, 2010

AstraZeneca Pharmaceuticals took advantage of the government and has agreed to pay a fine. The problem is, the FDA, another branch of the government, did not approve Seroquel for "uses that were not approved by the FDA as safe and effective (including aggression, Alzheimer’s disease, anger management, anxiety, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, bipolar maintenance, dementia, depression, mood disorder, post-traumatic stress disorder, and sleeplessness)." Why isn't anyone asking the VA why they used them without checking to see if the company was telling them the truth or not? It's great to hold the companies accountable, but who is holding the VA and other agencies accountable?

click the links to read more of these stories

Diabetes now tops Vietnam vets' claims

It never fails to amaze me that this nation can be so good at spending money on the machinery of the Department of Defense but we never really do seem to be able to plan on taking care of the men and women we send. Congressman Filner said in Orlando on Sunday that the price of war should always take into account the wounded, but somehow the Presidents and planners of wars never seem to think of this. The survival rate is higher than ever and troops are surviving wounds that would have killed them on the spot during other wars but while they do make it back home to their families, the care of these men and women will need to be taken care of, and rightly so, for the rest of their lives. We spent as a nation a boat load of money over the years to find ways of keeping the wounded alive but that never seemed to translate into the money that would be needed to make sure they had what they needed for the rest of their lives.

All these years later the "good idea of Agent Orange" still does not have a price tag on it. How many years do you think it will take before the rest of good ideas the DOD has used surfaces in the lives of our troops from other wars?

Diabetes now tops Vietnam vets' claims
By MIKE BAKER (AP)

RALEIGH, N.C. — By his own reckoning, a Navy electrician spent just eight hours in Vietnam, during a layover on his flight back to the U.S. in 1966. He bought some cigarettes and snapped a few photos.

The jaunt didn't make for much of a war story, and there is no record it ever happened. But the man successfully argued that he may have been exposed to Agent Orange during his stopover and that it might have caused his diabetes — even though decades of research into the defoliant have failed to find more than a possibility that it causes the disease.

Because of worries about Agent Orange, about 270,000 Vietnam veterans — more than one-quarter of the 1 million receiving disability checks — are getting compensation for diabetes, according to Department of Veterans Affairs records obtained by The Associated Press through the Freedom of Information Act.

More Vietnam veterans are being compensated for diabetes than for any other malady, including post-traumatic stress disorder, hearing loss or general wounds.

Tens of thousands of other claims for common ailments of age — erectile dysfunction among them — are getting paid as well because of a possible link, direct or indirect, to Agent Orange.
read more here
Diabetes now tops Vietnam vets' claims

Fort McPherson soldier was in near-catatonic state before shooting

Lawyer: Sgt. in shooting was on strict diet

Reserve soldier was in near-catatonic state after being ‘belittled, humiliated and berated’
By Greg Bluestein - The Associated Press
Posted : Tuesday Aug 31, 2010 9:46:48 EDT

FORT McPHERSON, Ga. — A soldier was fasting to meet strict military weight guidelines and was nearly catatonic when he shot and killed a supervisor who denied his vacation request, his attorney said Monday.

Attorney William Cassara said Army Reserve Sgt. Rashad Valmont was dehydrated, exhausted and delirious when he burst into Master Sgt. Pedro Mercado's office in nearby Fort Gillem in June and shot him six times.

Valmont, 29, faces a premeditated murder charge. The details of the shooting were revealed for the first time Monday at a military hearing to determine if there is enough evidence to go to trial. No immediate recommendation was issued.
read more here
Lawyer Sgt in shooting was on strict diet

Five Fort Campbell Soldiers Killed In Afghanistan

Five Fort Campbell Soldiers Killed In Afghanistan
NewsChannel5.com

FORT CAMPBELL, Ky. – Five Fort Campbell soldiers have been killed in three separate incidents in Afghanistan over the past few days.

Private First Class Chad Derek Coleman, and
Private Adam Jacob Novak, both 20,
were killed on August 27 when a command-wired improvised explosive device detonated near their vehicle during convoy operations in the Paktiya province, Afghanistan.

Coleman was a Cavalry Scout; Novak was an infantryman. Both Coleman and Novak were assigned to B Troop, 1st Squadron, 33rd Cavalry Regiment, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 101st Airborne Division.

The Department of Defense reported that
Specialist James Robinson, 27,
died August 28 when insurgents attacked his Forward Operating Base in the Bermal district, Paktika province, Afghanistan.

Captain Ellery R. Wallace, 33, and
Private First Class Bryn T. Raver, 20,
died August 29 at Nangahar, Afghanistan, of wounds sustained when their military vehicle was struck by rocket propelled grenade on August. 28.

read more here

Five Fort Campbell Soldiers Killed In Afghanistan

Cape Coral City employees raise $3,200 for soldier

City employees raise $3,200 for soldier
Funds hand delivered to Pfc. Kent at Walter Reed Hospital

By DREW WINCHESTER,

City of Cape Coral employees are trying to look out for one of their own.

City employees donated $3,200 to Pfc. Corey Kent's family recently, hand delivered by Cape Police Sgt. Rob Wardrop to Walter Reed Hospital where Kent is recovering from serious injuries.

City spokeswoman Connie Barron said Wardrop originally intended to have city employees sign cards showing their support for Kent, but later decided to try and raise money for his family, who are also at Walter Reed in Maryland.

Barron said Wardrop expected to collect a few hundred dollars, and was overwhelmed, but happy, that donations were so strong.

Donations were collected over a period of two weeks, according to Barron.

"The idea was to reach out to him (Kent), and let him know city employees care about him," Barron said.
read more here
http://www.cape-coral-daily-breeze.com/page/content.detail/id/518938.html

Vietnam Vet with PTSD aimed at Westboro group

Marine veteran haunted by memories
By Matthew Hansen
WORLD-HERALD STAFF WRITER


George Vogel drove his Ford pickup truck toward a group of people he thought were the infamous Westboro Baptist protesters.

The 62-year-old Omahan’s trigger finger rested on a can of potent pepper spray that can cause temporary blindness and vomiting. His grandson rode in the passenger seat.

But what Vogel saw as he leaned out the driver’s side window and twice sprayed the crowd outside the Saturday funeral of Marine Staff Sgt. Michael Bock is a 40-year-old memory he can’t shake, his wife says.

In the memory, Vogel is himself a young Marine. He has just climbed off the ship that has brought him back to the United States from a brutal tour of duty in Vietnam. And he encounters a group of anti-war protesters, young adults his own age, waving signs and screaming at him.

“He kept saying, ‘All I could think of was when I got off the boat,’” Marlene Vogel said Monday of the lone phone conversation she has had with her husband since he was jailed Saturday on suspicion of 16 counts of misdemeanor assault.

The charges stem from the 16 people — none of whom are believed to be Westboro Baptist members — who were allegedly harmed by Vogel’s bear repellent, a Mace-like chemical that burned their eyes, turned their stomachs and sent several to the hospital.

“In no way did he want to take away from the honor of Sgt. Bock, the solemn occasion for his family,” Marlene Vogel says. “But he was not thinking clearly. All he saw in his mind were those protesters when he got off the ship.”

Vogel is a Creighton graduate, a father of four, a retired vice president of a telemarketing firm and a longtime member of a veterans group that aids families of Marines killed or wounded in combat.

He is also a longtime victim of post-traumatic stress disorder, his wife and his attorney said Monday. He is spooked by loud noises. He has long suffered nightmares — his children, when young, grew used to hearing him call in artillery and scream for help while asleep.
read more here

http://www.omaha.com/article/20100831/NEWS97/708319913/0

Sunday, August 29, 2010

600 Patriot Guard Riders stood vigil for Staff Sgt. Michael Bock
Staff Sgt. Michael Bock, 26, who died August 13 in Afghanistan's Helmand province

Veterans with PTSD at greater risk for dementia

Veterans with PTSD at greater risk for dementia
31. August 2010 07:05

More Study Needed to Determine Why Veterans with PTSD Are More at Risk Than Others

Results of a study reported in the September issue of the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society suggest that Veterans with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) have a greater risk for dementia than Veterans without PTSD, even those who suffered traumatic injuries during combat.

Exposure to life threatening events, like war, can cause PTSD, and there are high rates among veterans. PSTD includes symptoms such as avoiding things or people that remind a person of the trauma, nightmares, difficulty with sleep, and mood problems.

"We found Veterans with PTSD had twice the chance for later being diagnosed with dementia than Veterans without PTSD," said Mark Kunik, M.D., M.P.H., a psychiatrist at the Michael E. DeBakey VA Medical Center, Texas, USA, and senior author of the article. "Although we cannot at this time determine the cause for this increased risk, it is essential to determine whether the risk of dementia can be reduced by effectively treating PTSD. This could have enormous implications for Veterans now returning from Iraq and Afghanistan."
read more here
Veterans with PTSD at greater risk for dementia

Glenn Beck took advantage of the troops for himself

Glenn Beck took advantage of the troops and our love for them!


There have been reports that the money Beck raised during his rally did not come with a warning that the money would first go to pay for the rally and then into the foundation. There is a disclaimer on his site about this but when a reported $5 Million dollars was raised for the sake of the troops and the wounded, it is sickening that this happened.

If you donated for them you ended up donating to Beck and his rally.

Thank you to all those that attended 8/28 both in person and online

With your support and help we were able to raise more than $5-million dollars for the Special Operations Warrior Foundation.

If you would like to donate to their cause you can do so online here OR you can text SOWF to 85944 to make a $10 donation.

THE SPECIAL OPERATIONS NEEDS YOUR HELP!

Every day service personnel risk their lives to protect our country. It is through the support of non-profit organizations like the Special Operations Warrior Foundation (SOWF) that the families of these service members are taken care of in the event of an accident or loss of life. Learn more about the SOWF today by visiting www.specialops.org.

Help us to honor our heroes, our heritage and our future by making a tax-deductible donation online or by sending a check to:

SOWF
C/O Mercury Radio Arts
1270 Avenue of the Americas, 9th Floor
NY, NY 10020
(all checks should be payable to Special Operations Warrior Foundation)

This is at the bottom of the page,,,,,,,,,

This rally is compliant with IRS Rules and Regulations found in IRS publication 557 and IRS publication 4221-PC. For tax purposes a gift to the Special Operations Warrior Foundation is deductible in accordance with Internal Revenue Service's tax laws. No goods or services were provided in exchange for your contribution. The purchase of Restoring Honor Rally merchandise is not a donation to SOWF, but all net proceeds from the sale of Restoring Honor Rally merchandise is being donated to the Special Operations Warrior Foundation. All contributions made to the Special Operations Warrior Foundation (SOWF) will first be applied to the costs of the Restoring Honor Rally taking place on August 28, 2010. All contributions in excess of these costs will then be retained by the SOWF. Tax ID 52-1183585.

http://www.glennbeck.com/828/

Quick update

As of today, I am a college "girl" as my husband puts it. I went back to college for Digital Media and Post Production. Mondays and Wednesdays will be very light posting from now on since I have two three hour classes and a long drive. Feels really strange being back in college since the last time I was in one my daughter was getting her bachelor's degree. The last time I was a student was over 10 years ago when I went back to get certified in Microsoft Office.

The good news is that if you like my videos now, think of what I can do with this kind of training!

I'll post tomorrow because this college "girl" is really tired.

Vietnam veteran retiring from Guard after serving since 1970

Vietnam veteran retiring from Guard

One of the last veterans of the Vietnam War still serving in the North Dakota Army National Guard is retiring.

Master Sgt. Douglas F. Balliet will be honored at a retirement ceremony at 1 p.m. Monday at the Army Aviation Support Facility, 3410 Airway Ave., south of the Bismarck Airport. The event is open to the public.

A native of Linton, Balliet enlisted in the U.S. Army in 1970 and was assigned as an aircraft mechanic with the 101st Airborne Division at Camp Eagle, Vietnam, from September 1970, to September 1971.

After an additional tour in the active duty Army, Balliet joined the North Dakota Army National Guard in 1972.

He is assigned as the North Dakota Army National Guard’s aircraft maintenance supervisor.

There are two other Vietnam War veterans still serving in the North Dakota Army Guard.
Vietnam veteran retiring from Guard

Vets mourn loss of Vietnam Veteran Ken Baker

Vets mourn loss of Ken Baker, 61
BY R. NORMAN MOODY
FLORIDA TODAY
August 29, 2010


When it came to helping veterans, Ken Baker was always there.

Today, fellow veterans will gather at 2 p.m. for a memorial service for Baker at the Veterans Memorial Center in Merritt Island. Baker, who was 61, died Aug. 18.

Friends and fellow veterans said Baker would do whatever he could for veterans' causes. He would also enlist others to help.

"He used to come to me," Ralph Earrusso said. "He'd say 'Ralph, it's easy. I'll help you.' He did help me. He was always there for me."

Baker was there so much for others that friends say it will be difficult to replace him in all he did through his volunteer work for Vietnam and All Veterans of Brevard. He served as president and in many other capacities for veterans' organizations.

Baker, a Vietnam War veteran of the Army's 1st Cavalry Division, began his work with veterans organizations after coming to terms with his critical war injuries and post-traumatic stress disorder.

"He was a charter member and the backbone of the organization," said Bill Vagianos, past president of the Vietnam and All Veterans of Brevard. "At the time of his death, he was still on the board of directors."

read more here
Vets mourn loss of Ken Baker

Congressmen Filner and Grayson were asking for you today

Just back from meeting Congressman Filner and Congressman Grayson in downtown Orlando. They came together today to ask how you are doing, that is, if you are a veteran. For all the hard work both of these gentlemen do all year long for veterans, they want to know what you need and how what they are trying to do is working for you.

There were a lot of people there working on behalf of veterans and some really great questions but for me right now I want to tell you what I asked. I wanted to know why I was listening to CSPAN and hearing some people in congress say they couldn't increase funding for the VA because "there were two wars to pay for" at the time all the reports of inadequate care were the topic of many news stories beginning with the scandal at Walter Reed. Congressman Filner said he didn't have an answer as to why the general public didn't have a clue about any of this but I have a feeling he was just being nice. We know it is because the cable news shows had better things to talk about than just taking care of veterans or mouthing support to their faces at the same time they were stabbing them in the backs. If you want to know who was voting against veterans, look up the voting record of your senator and representative to learn all about them. If you noticed, then in 2007 when Filner took over chairmanship of the House Veterans Affairs Committee, things started to get better but there is a long way to go and there at too many people getting in the way.

Congressman Grayson added to Filner's answer by saying on the Presidential committee, there are some saying that stopping the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan are not the answer to coming up with fixing the funding problems. They want to cut the pay to the troops and cut back on services to the veterans. Again, he was being nice because we know that has been the answer all along because the Republicans some of my friends elected were duped into believing they cared simply because they were told and never bothered to check the voting records. Filner and Grayson said it was a moral obligation to take care of the men and women we send into combat and their care should be part of the budget for any war as a debt that needs to be paid just like all other war spending.

I asked Congressman Filner about why he holds so many hearings on the problems our veterans face but doesn't seem to be getting any testimony on what works. Wives of Vietnam veterans were the same age as the newer wives of the Iraq and Afghanistan veterans. We have years of experience to offer them in telling them how they can heal their marriages and help their husbands heal. After all we had to make all the mistakes learning because no one was talking about any of this when the Vietnam veterans came home. My own marriage is going on 26 years and yes, I remember what it felt like to be lost, alone, afraid and often even ashamed. I remember what it was like trying to explain all of this to our daughter and our families. I had the luxury, if you want to call it that, of knowing what PTSD was and why my husband changed because I was studying it since 1982 right after we met and my Dad said it was shell shock.

Congressman Filner said that people like me should be hired so that we can help other families cope and help the veteran heal. He's right. Taking care of the veteran and the families keeps families together and then it should help stop many veterans from becoming homeless. None of this has to be this bad.

Both Congressmen also brought up how the DOD says there are so many killed and so many wounded but the figures coming out of the VA do not match. The DOD says there are less than 50,000 wounded but over 100,000 filed claims for their wounds with the VA. The figures on the deaths do not come close because there are many not counted who committed suicide.

There is a lot that has to be done but these two men are trying and so are a lot of others across the country. I just thought it was important that you knew you were talked about today and both of these men wanted to know how you really are instead of waiting for the troubles your going through to become too great before someone does something more for you. They feel it is a debt that needs to be paid and not something any of you should have to do without, beg for or fight for.

Wisconsin Guardsman charged with killing separated Marine

Guardsman charged with killing separated Marine

By Joe Gould - Staff writer
Posted : Sunday Aug 29, 2010 8:46:22 EDT

A 24-year-old guardsman in Waukesha, Wis., allegedly shot dead “his best friend,” a 23-year-old Marine Corps veteran, after the two argued during a night of drinking, according to local police.

Steven P. Osburn Jr., a specialist with the Wisconsin National Guard, was charged with intentional homicide in the Aug. 6 death of Zachary S. Gallenberg, formerly a Hawaii-based Marine corporal.

Police said Osburn shot Gallenberg in the chest outside Osburn’s home, where police discovered him bleeding and unresponsive. The first-degree intentional homicide charge can carry a life sentence. Osburn was being held in lieu of $500,000 bond at the Waukesha County Jail as of Aug. 18.
read more here
Guardsman charged with killing separated Marine

Georgia girl who doesn't feel pain helps researchers

Georgia girl who doesn't feel pain helps researchers understand condition
Posted: August 28, 2010

By Jeremy Cox
PATTERSON, Ga. - Ashlyn Blocker didn't cry when she was born.

A severe diaper rash when she was 2 weeks old didn't faze her. She never fussed when she was hungry, so her parents had to remind themselves to feed her every two hours. At 6 months, she laughed and cooed as a nurse administered stinging drops to dilate her eyes.

Doctors found that Ashlyn had a one-in-a-billion condition: She couldn't feel pain. And unlike most people in medical literature with a documented insensitivity to pain, she was otherwise normal and healthy.

It sounds like a gift. Imagine never having to worry about the discomfort of paper cuts, skinned knees or going to the dentist.

However, being immune to pain is also a curse, both physiologically and philosophically.

You wouldn't know if you were getting too hot or too cold. A sudden medical emergency like a heart attack or appendicitis might go unnoticed until it was too late. And how would you ever feel empathy for the suffering of others if you had never suffered yourself?
read more here

Georgia girl who does not feel pain helps researchers

Putnam teacher from St. Johns was decapitated

Putnam teacher from St. Johns was decapitated, sheriff reveals
Posted: August 27, 2010
By Tia Mitchell
ST. AUGUSTINE — The details of how an elementary school teacher’s body was decapitated and dismembered have rattled even St. Johns County Sheriff David Shoar, a 30-year law enforcement veteran.


“This is probably one of the most heinous crimes that I have been involved in,” he said Friday.


Shoar announced new details about the death of 48-year-old Jan Dunn Keller, whose funeral will be today in Putnam County where she grew up and taught.


Her boyfriend, Timothy Dale Rose, 51, has been charged with murder. He told investigators he last saw Keller leaving a St. Augustine Beach restaurant Sunday. The two lived together at a home on Enon Court in St. Augustine.
read more here
Putnam teacher from St Johns was decapitated

Joy and tears greet US Army troops back from Iraq

Joy and tears greet US Army troops back from Iraq
By Dan De Luce (AFP)


WASHINGTON — Mothers cried and children squealed with delight as a company of US troops arrived back from Iraq on Saturday, after a year-long tour marked by desert heat and monotony.

A crowd of families roared as 124 soldiers from Charlie Company, 1st Battalion, 3rd Infantry Regiment, arrived marching in formation, part of a wave of homecomings as President Barack Obama scales back the US role in Iraq.

The welcoming ceremony at Fort Myer, outside Washington, was a joyous event for the soldiers and their loved ones after 12 months of separation, even if the legacy of the US invasion of Iraq remains a subject of bitter debate at home and abroad.

"It has been a very long year," said a tearful Charlotte Thompson, whose 25-year-old son had volunteered for the Iraq assignment.

The unit spent most of its time guarding a prison with about 300 Iraqi detainees in Taji, and carried out combat patrols as well, officers said.
read more here
Joy and tears greet US Army troops back from Iraq

AWOL soldier shot dead after Dad says Army failed him

Dad: GI shot dead seemed happy, Army failed him
By Matthew D. LaPlante

The Salt Lake Tribune

Updated Aug 28, 2010 11:12PM
There was something different about Brandon Barrett when he came home from Army basic training in early 2007.

Bill Barrett had always been proud of his son. But now, the Marine Corps veteran noticed, “Brandon held himself higher. Joining the Army was a life-changing experience for him. It was a good change.”

But Bill Barrett now fears that his son’s experiences at war brought on another change — something deeper, something darker.

Something deadly.

The younger Barrett, a veteran of the war in Afghanistan, was wearing full battle gear and carrying a loaded rifle when a police officer confronted him in downtown Salt Lake City on Friday afternoon. A police spokeswoman said Barrett opened fire, striking the officer in the leg. The officer returned fire, killing the 28-year-old soldier, whose bloodied body fell in a patch of grass behind the Grand America Hotel, near one of the city’s busiest intersections.

According to military records, Brandon Barrett served in Afghanistan as part of the NATO-led International Security Force from July 2009 to June 2010, a member of the Army’s 4th Battalion, 23rd Infantry Regiment.
read more here
GI shot dead seemed happy Army failed him

7 US troops killed in latest Afghanistan fighting

7 US troops killed in latest Afghanistan fighting
By CHRISTOPHER BODEEN (AP)

KABUL, Afghanistan — Seven U.S. troops have died in weekend attacks in Afghanistan's embattled southern and eastern regions, NATO said Sunday.

Two servicemen died in bombings Sunday in southern Afghanistan, while two others were killed in a bomb attack in the south on Saturday and three in fighting in the east the same day, NATO said. Their identities and other details were being withheld until relatives could be notified.

The latest deaths bring to 42 the number of American forces who have died this month in Afghanistan after July's high of 66. A total of 62 international forces have died in the country this month, including seven British troops.

Fighting is intensifying with the addition of 30,000 U.S. troops to bring the total number of international forces in Afghanistan to 120,000 — 100,000 of them American. Most of those new troops have been assigned to the southern insurgent strongholds of Helmand and Kandahar provinces where major battles are fought almost daily as part of a gathering drive to push out the Taliban.
read more here
7 US troops killed in latest Afghanistan fighting

600 Patriot Guard Riders stood vigil for Staff Sgt. Michael Bock

Staff Sgt. Michael Bock, 26, who died August 13 in Afghanistan's Helmand province

He should be the focus of this story. He was killed serving this country. He didn't serve Afghanistan. He died there. He served the United States of America. He served with his brothers and sisters, his military family just as much as he served for his family and friends back home. The nation borrowed him for a time but he was their's first and they will remember him, mourn the loss of him, visit his grave and grieve for him as Michael Bock.

The incident occurred during the funeral and while nearly 600 members of the Patriot Guard Riders ringed the church and stood vigil, the group's state leader said.

Scott Knudsen, Patriot Guard Riders captain for Nebraska, said no members of the Patriot Guard had any interaction with the church members or counter-protesters, which he numbered Saturday at about 12.

"We don't get close to them," Knudsen said of the Westboro members. "We have our backs to them."

Patriot Guard members, who come when they are invited by families, shield families from distraction, Knudsen said.

"We don't condone counter-protesters," said Knudsen, adding he was troubled by Saturday's incident.

"It's inappropriate," he said. "It's a funeral service."

The 600 riders of the Patriot Guard came to honor his life as well as stand as a barrier between the protestors of the Westboro group. (Sorry but I have a hard time calling them a church with the way they act.) On short notice, they plan to give up plans they had ahead of time, make the ride or the drive to these funerals and face whatever the weather brings. In the freezing cold, rain, snow or sweltering heat, they stand guard to protect the family and friends as much as possible. Imagine how heartbreaking it is to have to bury a young member of your family and then be greeted by signs saying someone is thanking God for IED and praising Him for blowing up the troops. That's no god I know. It can't be the same God who sent Christ to tell us how much He loved us or the same one telling us that we needed to love each other. The Patriot Guard Riders formed for this mission as soon as the Westboro group decided to invade and attack mourners at a funeral.

Protestors and counter protestors will keep going on as long as the Supreme Court refuses to stop this. Free speech does need to be protected but since when does someone's free speech rights demand anyone has to listen to them, see them or be attacked by them?

If people want to protest no one is stopping them but the point here is that the family has no choice. They get to decide what color the casket should be. They get to decide what funeral home will conduct it, what church to hold the service in or to have no religious service at all, when to have it and what flowers to order. They get to decide what cemetery they visit. They have to be there with the other family members and friends to comfort each other but the Westboro group does not have to be there. They can go some place else but they want the publicity. Why the hell should the Supreme Court defend their right to publicize hatred to a captive audience?

Should someone in the Westboro group pass away, would it be ok with them if family members of the fallen showed up to protest at the funeral for one of their own? Can they hold up signs saying "Thank God for sending this one back to hell?" Would it be ok with them for someone to shout out about God's judgement and vengeance? How would they feel if someone shouted out that the person they loved deserved to die?

Man fires pepper spray on protesters outside Marine's funeral
By the CNN Wire Staff
August 28, 2010 11:28 p.m. EDT
STORY HIGHLIGHTS
NEW: Church member says police didn't control counter-protesters
A motorist fires pepper spray on a crowd outside a funeral for a Marine
Protesters from Westboro Baptist Church were in Omaha, Nebraska
An Omaha resident faces felony and misdemeanor assault charges

(CNN) -- A motorist fired pepper spray Saturday at a group of demonstrators and counter-protesters outside a funeral for a U.S. Marine in Omaha, Nebraska, police said.

The incident occurred shortly before 10 a.m. (11 a.m. ET) as members of a small Kansas church that protests at military funerals and counter-protesters stood nearly a block away from First United Methodist Church during services for Staff Sgt. Michael Bock, 26, who died August 13 in Afghanistan's Helmand province.

A man in a Ford-150 pickup truck drove by, extended his arm and sprayed with a large can, police said. His vehicle was stopped a few minutes later.

"Initial indications are he was probably targeting the Westboro Baptist Church" protesters, said officer Michael Pecha, a spokesman for Omaha police.
read more here
Man fires pepper spray on protesters


Westboro group should not be the focus but had it not been for them CNN wouldn't be covering the story of Staff. Sgt. Bock's funeral. The 600 members of the Patriot Guard Riders wouldn't be covered by CNN had it not been for the man who decided to add to the emotional damage being done by attacking the people adding to the trauma.

Fred Phelps
Fred Waldron Phelps, Sr. (born November 13, 1929) is an American pastor who is the founder of the Westboro Baptist Church (WBC), an Independent Baptist church based in Topeka, Kansas. WBC that is notorious for its anti-gay protests, claiming that most natural disasters and terrorist attacks are God's punishment for a society that tolerates homosexuality.[1][2] The church is monitored as a hate group by the Anti-Defamation League and Southern Poverty Law Center.[3][4][5] Phelps was a disbarred lawyer, founder of the Phelps Chartered law firm, a past civil rights activist in Kansas, and a Democrat who has five times been a candidate for political office in Kansas Democratic Party primaries. He and his daughter, Shirley Phelps-Roper, are banned from entering the United Kingdom.[6]

Phelps's followers frequently picket various events, especially military funerals, gay pride gatherings, high-profile political gatherings, performances of The Laramie Project, and even Christian gatherings and concerts with which he had no affiliation, arguing it is their sacred duty to warn others of God's anger. When criticized, Phelps' followers say they are protected in doing so by the First Amendment.[7][8] In response to Phelps' protests at military funerals, President George W. Bush signed the Respect for America's Fallen Heroes Act into law in May 2006,[9] and, in April 2007, Kansas governor Kathleen Sebelius signed into law a bill establishing a 150-foot no-picketing buffer zone around funerals.

Phelps describes himself as an Old School Baptist, and states that he holds to all five points of Calvinism.[23] Phelps particularly highlights John Calvin's doctrine of unconditional election, the belief that God has elected certain people for salvation before birth, and limited atonement, the belief that Christ only died for the elect, and condemns those who believe otherwise

He has the right to believe what he wants but so does everyone else. He has the right to preach his message of hatred but no one should be forced to listen to him or any member of his group. This not only crosses the line of freedom of religion, it corrupts the right to free speech. "Life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness" should protect the family members from having to listen to him and his group thank God for the death of a fallen son or daughter, protect them from having their liberty to attend a funeral without being harassed but it seems the only ones to deserve any happiness are those rejoicing with Phelps over the loss of life.

How someone goes from being a civil rights lawyer to attacking the civil rights of others is something we may never know.


But here is a story that CNN didn't cover. Lance Cpl. Nathaniel Schultz died in Afghanistan and his funeral was at a Baptist Church. Why did he want to serve? This is what he said,,,,

"To fight for righteous, individual freedom for myself and all children of God no matter where they were raised."

Yet while most people were thanking God for his life being sent here, people like the Westboro group were thanking God another Marine died. Which group do you think follows what Christ preached?

Fallen Marine was defender of 'righteous freedom'
By Bill Varian, Times Staff Writer
In Print: Sunday, August 29, 2010
Some time after he joined the Marine Corps, Nathaniel Schultz filled out a questionnaire asking him why he had signed up.

"Self reliance and ability to protect my family," Schultz wrote. "Decided if I go to war I might as well be the best, most well-trained. To fight for righteous, individual freedom for myself and all children of God no matter where they were raised."

Family and friends gathered under mostly cloudy skies Saturday morning at Bell Shoals Baptist Church in Brandon to honor a righteous fight cut short and the young man who waged it. There they were comforted by Pastor George Thomasson, who held up Schultz's goals as evidence of his focus, dedication and deep convictions.

"Nate's life was cut so short," Thomasson said. "We so appreciate deeply in our hearts the sacrifice he made."

Lance Cpl. Schultz was killed Aug. 21 during combat operations in Afghanistan's war-ravaged Helmand province. He was deployed to that country in June after training at Camp Lejeune in North Carolina and was promoted to lance corporal three weeks before his death.
read more here
Fallen Marine was defender of righteous freedom

America needs to get act together now

Excuse me right now but I just poured a second glass of wine and shut down my PC. I'm on my laptop trying to get some air. I am really angry right now and it seems to just be building up after the news I read today. Glen Beck and Sarah Palin were in Washington today and according to reports they brought up how we need to "support the troops" and take care of our veterans. Strange because President Obama said the same thing in his weekly address to the nation. What is even more strange about all of this is there is a lot of talking going on that doesn't seem to worth very much.

First, Obama has done a lot to fix some of the messes our troops and veterans have had to deal with for a very long time but people against him politically don't seem to think any of this is worth mentioning. The same people doing a lot of talking today have kept their mouths shut and their ears off all these years but now they want everyone to think they really give a shit about what happens to any of them? I am going to be very blunt because you have one pissed off tipsy chaplain here.

These self-proclaimed "troops supports" always seen to end up hating veterans as if they go into the military with the thought of sucking off the system for the rest of their lives.

Sure, a kid out of high school thinks of joining the military so they can learn how to shoot, fire other weapons, travel, risk their lives, watching buddies die and get blown up at the same time killing other humans so that they can then come back home with the intention of screwing up their families lives, ending their marriages, messing up their kids so they can end up homeless, living in shelters and on the streets drinking themselves to death. Right. After all, that year of deployment, staying alive and worry about their buddies going home in boxes meant they should deserve time off on a park bench somewhere tossing a few down with some other homeless veterans living the good life in pouring rain, freezing snow and endless days without any food in their belly at all.

Well some in this country think that they are criminals wanting to file false claims so that they never have to work again. Even if that were true, would you have wanted to swap jobs with them for the time they did serve in some God forsaken hell they were sent into? If you have the nerve to say yes then why didn't you go? If you said yes and you did end up going then you better get the notion that you are better than any of them out of your head because they are not less than you. They are better than you! They came home with problems because they cared more about other people than you did. You may have been older than they were. That protected the part of your brain you are supposed to feel with.

Bet you didn't know that one! That's right. The frontal lobe is where the emotions are living inside of you and up until 25 that part of your brain has not grown up yet. So if you ended up risking your life at an older age than a high school kid, then count your blessings.

If they come home "messed up" then you should also look in the mirror because they served in the same military you did. Are you proud of your service? Did you do your job? Then what makes you think they are not proud of their service? Didn't do their job? They feel the pain more because they could feel everything else more.

For most of today it's been one comment left after another on a lot of the articles I've read by hacks posing as "troop supporters" at the same time they turn around and slander veterans.

PTSD is real and no they do not deserve to suffer.

PTSD is not new and one out of three combat veterans came home with it going all the way back to your great-great-great granddad. How much do you want to be that if you were able to know everything about your Civil War relative or Revolutionary War kin you'd end up finding out the war in one way or another ended their lives early?

This nation had better stop talking about doing something and getting it right, right now! Too many have died and many more have suffered while a lot of yakking is going on and not enough doing. The next time you hear one more talking head say that we need to take care of our troops and veterans, get themn to explain what the hell they have done instead of just talking about it when a veteran is in earshot. What has Glen Beck done? Sarah Palin? Any ideas? Did they ever mention during their airtime how many died by their own hand? How many ended up homeless? How many families were destroyed? Their talk is cheap and so is the attention they get because it does not cost them anything. They make money off talking. Folks these reports have been coming out since Vietnam. Both of them are old enough to remember about the way Vietnam veterans were treated and they should know better now.


The suicide rate keeps going up so if you want to hang onto the excuse they want to suck off the system then explain how they are supposed to do that when they are in an early grave~

Father John Fergueson On Accepting His Darkside and PTSD

Father John Fergueson On Accepting His Darkside And Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder
Jamala Henderson
08/28/2010

Father John Fergueson is an Episcopal priest at the Church of the Redeemer in Kenmore, Washington. In 1967 he was a Marine fighting in the Vietnam War. He was part of a counterintelligence unit whose mission was to take down the Viet Cong infrastructure. In order to do that, they took prisoners. Father John Fergueson talks about becoming a priest and accepting who he was as a soldier in order to manage his post–traumatic stress disorder.
listen online here
Father John Fergueson On Accepting His Darkside

President Obama weekly address focused on Veterans

It is all true what President Obama said and again he focused on TBI and PTSD.

CIA blocking lawsuit over experiments on troops during Vietnam War

Veterans’ group: CIA blocking lawsuit over experiments on troops


By Daniel Tencer
Friday, August 27th, 2010


An advocacy group working on behalf of Vietnam veterans has asked a federal judge in California to sanction the CIA, saying the spy agency has been blocking efforts to uncover its role in alleged experiments on US soldiers from the 1950s to 1970s.

The Vietnam Veterans of America filed a lawsuit on behalf of six Vietnam War veterans in January, 2009, claiming that the CIA had used an estimated 7,800 US service members as "guinea pigs" in experiments involving "at least 250, but as many as 400 chemical and biological agents," according to Courthouse News.

Among the chemicals the lawsuit alleges were used on the soldiers were LSD, sarin and phosgene nerve gases, cyanide, PCP and even THC, the active ingredient in marijuana.

The lawsuit described it as a "vast program of human experimentation" that was "shrouded in secrecy" and carried out without the informed consent of the experiment subjects.

"In 1970, [the CIA] provided Congress with an alphabetical list showing that they had tested 145 drugs during Projects Bluebird, Artichoke, MKULTRA and MKDELTA," the lawsuit stated, as quoted at Courthouse News.
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CIA blocking lawsuit over experiments on troops

Honolulu Police Department award goes to two hero soldiers

Two soldiers honored for car crash aid

By Joe Gould - Staff writer
Posted : Saturday Aug 28, 2010 8:39:20 EDT

Staff Sgt. Cameron Grimone and his wife were giving a friend visiting on leave, 1st Lt. Joseph Fontana, a scenic tour of sunny Honolulu when a terrible crash happened before their eyes.

An old Toyota pickup truck raced by them on the H-1 Freeway, slammed into an embankment and flipped three times. The truck was on its side and on fire, the driver’s legs were pinned beneath the cab, and his head was bleeding heavily.

What Grimone and Fontana did next earned them the Honolulu Police Department’s highest medal for bravery, the Civilian Medal of Valor. Grimone received the award at an Aug. 7 ceremony, though Fontana had returned from Iraq the day before and missed the ceremony.

The two childhood buddies from Saranac Lake, N.Y., said they did not do anything extraordinary. As soldiers, they were trained to help, and that’s what they did.
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Two soldiers honored for car crash aid

Hawaii reservists are not alone when they come home from battle

Hawaii reservists are not alone when they come home from battle
Aug 28, 2010

By Teri Okita

HONOLULU (HawaiiNewsNow) - Flashbacks, insomnia, hallucinations - all very real problems for some of Hawaii's returning servicemembers.

"It was pretty rough. I did have nightmares. The stress level was pretty high for me, just because of what I experienced there."

Sergeant Noelani DE Silva saw some pretty horrific things during her 10 month tour in Iraq. "I had no choice but to be strong, "she says. DE Silva's job was to meet with and collect personal information from injured soldiers - many who's limbs had been blown off from roadside bombs.

When she returned home to Hawaii in 2007, she had a hard time adjusting, although she was never specifically diagnosed with PTSD. Still, at first, she didn't want counseling. "I did actually go and seek help afterwards for relief, ‘cause I couldn't sleep, and it was real difficult."

DE Silva still battles some emotions, especially when thinking about a fellow soldier who she took under her wing in Iraq. She tears up when saying "He's still having problems, and we've been back for what, three years now? So, I still carry that burden because it kind of destroyed his personal life."

The Department of Defense finally decided it needed to specifically address the problems and challenges of reservists. Since 9-11, the military has had to call upon more part-time servicemembers for both Iraq and Afghanistan, and many have gone on multiple tours in the Middle East. When they return from war, their needs are often quite different from those on active duty.

Many return, not to the security and familiarity of a military base, but to their civilian lives where they were often left on their own. So, two summers ago - seven years after the September 11th attacks - the DOD launched the Yellow Ribbon program.
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Hawaii reservists are not alone when they come home from battle

Military Suicide Prevention Task Force Report

Military Suicide Prevention Task Force Report
Aug 24, 2010
Department of Defense
Task Force on the Prevention of Suicide by Members of the Armed Forces

The Armed Services Suicide Prevention Task Force presented its final report. The report contained a number of finding and included recommendations to overhaul the Department of Defense's ability to react to increasing suicide rates and detect potential problems. Congress established the panel in .. Read More
The Armed Services Suicide Prevention Task Force presented its final report. The report contained a number of finding and included recommendations to overhaul the Department of Defense's ability to react to increasing suicide rates and detect potential problems. Congress established the panel in August 2009 to study the issue of suicides in the military. The group has seven members from the military and seven members with professional suicide prevention and mental health backgrounds.
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http://c-spanvideo.org/program/295153-1&personid=9274079

Korean War veteran receives medal of valor

Korean War veteran receives medal of valor

Lisa Irish/The Daily Courier


A Korean War veteran in hospice at the Bob Stump Veterans Affairs Medical Center received the Warriors Medal of Valor on Thursday afternoon as his wife Joy, daughter and others looked on in the community living center's dining room.

As flute music played, Ed Albert, a member of the Cherokee of the Bear Clan, gently touched Jim Bork, 78, of Camp Verde, with an eagle feather and blessed him with a smoldering bundle of sweet sage.

"It is an honor and a pleasure to award you the Warriors Medal of Valor for your service to this country and your people. This is just a small token of our appreciation," said U.S. Marine Corps (retired) Sgt. Alfonso Santillan Jr., commander of the Military Order of the Purple Heart, Chapter 608. "We thank you for a job well done."

Then Larry Kimmel of the Military Order of the Purple Heart and a member of the Miami Tribe of Indians of Indiana presented Bork with his medal.

The Warriors Medal of Honor was designed by Marshall Tall Eagle Serna, who wanted to honor veterans with a medallion to show appreciation for their sacrifices, Santillan said.
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Korean War veteran receives medal of valor

Vietnam Vet, Charles "Larry" Deibert honored by Oregon Army National Guard

This is one incredible story about a hero Vietnam Vet!

Oregon Guard aviator, who saved Marines in Vietnam, honored with Salem building
Friday, August 27, 2010
Julie Sullivan, The Oregonian


For decades, as he aged into a salesman with silver hair and a golden touch, no one knew the story, except the men he served with, and the men he saved.

Today, the two groups will meet in Salem so the rest of Oregon will know how Charles "Larry" Deibert flew a two-seater Cessna into history over South Vietnam.

The Oregon Army National Guard will dedicate its new $14.8 million aviation center to Deibert, the most decorated living Oregon Guard aviator. The center is the hub for the Guard's 12 search-and-rescue Blackhawks, firefighting and the civil support team that responds to chemical, biologic or nuclear attacks. It replaces a double-wide trailer and a hangar.

On hand to celebrate will be 76 of the 3rd Battalion/26th Regiment Marines, who arrived in Portland Wednesday for a reunion hosted by Deibert. Their lives turned on Sept. 10, 1967, at a place called Ambush Valley in South Vietnam. More than 800 Marines were on the ground, outnumbered 6-to-1. Deibert was above, flying the improbably low and slow reconnaissance plane known as a "bird dog."

"I wouldn't be standing here if it wasn't for Larry," says Moe Miller, 63, who lives off the grid in rural Ohio. "And these men wouldn't be here either."

For Deibert, though, Sept. 10 was like Oct. 11, or Nov. 12, "another day." After a year in combat, he had flown 570 missions, including 73 over North Vietnam. He was awarded two Distinguished Flying Crosses, three Vietnam Crosses for Gallantry, a Bronze Star, two Meritorious Service medals, and 25 other awards. He was back in the Oregon Guard and working when he was called to Camp Rilea on the Oregon Coast in 1968 and presented with the Distinguished Service Cross, the second-highest American decoration, second only to the Medal of Honor for his actions on Sept. 10, 1967.
Oregon Guard aviator

Vietnan veteran Larry Deibert

US taxpayers pay for computers for Iraqi kids, but they were auctioned off

Military: Where are PCs bought for Iraqi kids?

By Rebecca Santana - The Associated Press
Posted : Friday Aug 27, 2010 16:38:53 EDT

BAGHDAD — The U.S. military is demanding to know what happened to $1.9 million worth of computers purchased by American taxpayers and intended for Iraqi schoolchildren that have instead been auctioned off by Iraqi officials for less than $50,000, the military said Friday.

The U.S. press release was a rare public admission by the military of the loss of American taxpayer money in Iraq and an equally rare criticism of Iraqi officials with whom the Americans are trying to partner as the military hands over more and more responsibility and withdraws troops from the country.

A shipment of computers intended for schoolchildren in the central Babil province was found to have been auctioned on Aug. 16 for $45,700 — before the computers could be sent to the province, the U.S. military said.

The computers were auctioned off by a senior Iraqi official at the southern port of Umm Qasr, the statement said.

“United States Division-South Commander Maj. Gen. Vincent Brooks called for an immediate investigation into the actions of the Umm Qasr official to determine why computers destined for children to facilitate their education were approved for auction,” it read.
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Where are PCs bought for Iraqi kids

Facebook Virginia Tech blogger ordered by judge to join military

Judge orders man to join military

By Scott Johnson - The Montgomery (Ala.) Advertiser
Posted : Friday Aug 27, 2010 13:00:19 EDT

MONTGOMERY, Ala. — A judge ordered an Alabama man to join the military as a condition for of his probation for a provocative Facebook message about the mass killing at Virginia Tech.

Zachary Lambert pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor charge of harassing communications, and a judge in Montgomery placed the 23-year-old man on probation.
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Judge orders man to join military

Supporters line procession route of fallen Marine

Supporters line procession route of fallen Marine

By KEITH MORELLI The Tampa Tribune

Published: August 27, 2010

Tears welled up in Tom Allen's eyes even after the procession carrying the fallen Marine passed by on Bayshore Boulevard. Allen didn't know the man, actually teenager, in the hearse. Lance Cpl. Nathaniel J.A. Schultz of Safety Harbor was killed in Helmand Province, Afghanistan, on Saturday.

Allen has never met the corporal's family.

But it feels like a member of his own family has died, Allen says. He feels the same way every time he comes out to pay his respects to fallen soldiers at these processions.
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Supporters line procession route of fallen Marine

VA/NIH Award $6 Million for Substance Abuse Research

VA/NIH Award $6 Million for Substance Abuse Research

Studies to Fill Knowledge Gaps about OIF/OEF Service Members

WASHINGTON - The Department of Veterans Affairs is partnering with the
National Institutes of Health (NIH) to award $6 million in grants for
research examining the link between substance abuse and military
deployments and combat-related trauma.

"VA has a commitment to meet the full range of our Veterans' physical
and mental health care needs, and that includes addressing substance
abuse," said Dr. Joel Kupersmith, VA's chief research and development
officer. "This coordinated research effort is one more way we are
turning that commitment into action."

NIH agencies taking part in the initiative are the National Institute on
Drug Abuse, the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, and
the National Cancer Institute.

Several studies will look at treatment seeking patterns -- why and when
Veterans ask for help, and why many don't. Scientists will also explore
treatment strategies, including cognitive behavioral therapy and
Web-based approaches, as well as the most effective therapies for
soldiers who have other disorders, such as depression and substance
abuse.

Researchers will also determine if early intervention can improve
outcomes. Other projects will focus on how Veterans readjust to their
work and families after returning from war.

Institutions receiving the grants include Brandeis University; Dartmouth
College; the Medical University of South Carolina; the National
Development and Research Institutes in New York City; the University of
California, San Francisco; the University of Minnesota, Twin Cities; the
University of Missouri in Columbia; and the VA medical centers in West
Haven, Conn.; Philadelphia; Little Rock, Ark.; and Seattle.

"These research projects will give us important information about the
ways that combat stress and substance abuse affect returning military
personnel and their families," said NIDA Director Dr. Nora Volkow.
"This knowledge will be used to improve our prevention and treatment
approaches, which we hope will reduce the burden of combat-related
trauma. Working cooperatively with VA and other partners will help in
finding solutions for this shared concern."

VA NIH Award 6 Million for Substance Abuse Research

Katrina Five Years After: Hurricane Left a Legacy of Health Concerns

Katrina Five Years After: Hurricane Left a Legacy of Health Concerns
Friday, August 27, 2010
By Brian Donnelly


Five years ago, Hurricane Katrina devastated the Gulf region, killing nearly 2,000 and displacing more than 250,000 others from Louisiana to Florida. This week, in a series titled "Hurricane Katrina: Five Years After," FoxNews.com looks back on the costliest natural disaster ever to strike the United States.

When Hurricane Katrina ripped through New Orleans, leaving a legacy of death and destruction in its wake, the storm's immediate effects were evident. But now, five years later, the long-term effects on the devastated population’s mental and physical health still linger.

A study released this week linked the costliest natural disaster in U.S. history with a high incidence of anxiety in Gulf Coast-area children displaced by the hurricane, while another found increased sensitivity to mold in children with asthma whose homes were flooded.

“Being exposed to transient home situations, not being able to get access to care and the adversity of just the recovery process fraught with so many difficulties added and compounded the stress and trauma of being exposed to the devastation and personal loss of life and property during the event of the hurricane and the flooding itself,” said Anthony Speier, psychologist and deputy assistant secretary for the Office of Behavioral Health for the Louisiana Department of Health and Hospitals. “So that kind of set the stage for increased vulnerability of the population.”
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Hurricane Left a Legacy of Health Concerns




Katrina's toll includes rise in suicide, mental illness

By Pam Firmin McClatchy Newspapers
BILOXI, Miss. — The last five years have been a mental health roller coaster for many among the Mississippi Gulf Coast's post-Hurricane Katrina population.

Suicides are up since Katrina hit on Aug. 29, 2005. More people are seeking treatment for substance abuse, therapists say, and post-traumatic stress disorder is on the rebound.

Though suicide numbers were higher in 2004 than in the years immediately after the storm, they have climbed in the years that followed. In Harrison County, the largest county on the Mississippi Coast, the number of people who committed suicide has increased since the storm from 30 in 2005 to 32 in 2006, 36 in 2007 and 44 in 2008.

Read more: Katrina and toll on mental health

2 GIs accused of using water punishment on kids

2 GIs accused of using water punishment on kids

The Associated Press
Posted : Thursday Aug 26, 2010 19:12:06 EDT

OLYMPIA, Wash. — Two Joint Base Lewis-McChord soldiers who live in Yelm were accused of using water punishments on their children in January.

The Olympian reports both soldiers had served in Iraq but the incidents were unrelated.
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2 GIs accused of using water punishment on kids