Special courts in Wash. designed for veterans
By Kevin Graman - The Spokesman-Review
Posted : Monday Sep 20, 2010 8:29:30 EDT
SPOKANE, Wash. — After surviving 15 months in one of the most dangerous places on Earth, Iraq war veteran Carl Jacobson thought he could cope with just about anything civilian life had to throw at him.
Jacobson realized he was wrong the day he learned that his beloved former platoon leader had been gravely wounded by an enemy sniper.
"It broke me down," Jacobson said. "No matter what comes your way, it's crucial to any soldier to avoid losing control. You can't lash out."
Jacobson was arrested in July on a domestic violence charge after breaking the door of the north Spokane apartment he shares with his girlfriend and her two young children.
The former Army sergeant could have been convicted of third-degree malicious mischief last week, but instead he received a "stipulated order of continuance" from Spokane County District Judge Vance Peterson on the first day of Veterans Court.
If Jacobson completes a two-year counseling program under the terms of his continuance, the charge will be dismissed.He was one of 13 veterans and active-duty soldiers answering misdemeanor or gross misdemeanor charges in Peterson's courtroom on Thursday.
read more here
Monday, September 20, 2010
13 Veterans in one day for Veterans Court in Spokane Washington
This is the way to show support of the troops in a real way!
Montana National Guard gets support from Austalia
Here are just a few stories covered over the years on the Montana National Guard. This is something the cable news does not cover but is very important in the fight to save their lives. There are over 30 posts on the Montana National Guard's efforts to save the men and women we sent into combat.
Thursday, June 12, 2008
Why Montana National Guard is taking PTSD head on
Monday, December 1, 2008
The death of Chris Dana changed Montana National Guard
Wednesday, November 5, 2008
Obama win also means PTSD work gets new hero
Thursday, June 12, 2008
Why Montana National Guard is taking PTSD head on
Monday, December 1, 2008
The death of Chris Dana changed Montana National Guard
Wednesday, November 5, 2008
Obama win also means PTSD work gets new hero
Yellow ribbon program supports Montana National Guard
By Louisa Barber
Sidney Herald
Published on Sunday, September 19, 2010 7:09 AM MDT
They served this country, and they won’t be forgotten for it. Not through the Montana Yellow Ribbon Program, a year-old program dedicated to assisting the state’s Army National Guard soldiers through deployment.
On tour throughout the state, representatives of the National Guard visited Sidney for a luncheon and meeting in an attempt to reach out to the public to earn its support of its members. “Ultimately, this is the way to see success,” Ryan Luchau, outreach and marketing coordinator, said.
The Montana Yellow Ribbon Program, created in January 2009, is geared to assist service members and families going through deployment or those recently returned from a deployment. The program stemmed from reintegration issues and includes a three-step process. First is the pre-deployment academy in which soldiers and their families go through a workshop to discuss what to expect during and after deployment.
The second phase takes place during deployment. Families left behind are offered support through activities and training for when their loved one returns. It also includes monthly morale checks with returning soldiers and identifying at-risk service members. Being prepared and aware of who families can call to get assistance is a great asset.
The third phase is conducted once the service member returns and includes two steps: the 30-day post-deployment, which is re-establishing connection with family, the employer and the community, and the 60-day post-deployment which focuses on discussing problems, going through anger and stress management as well as suicide prevention.
read more here
Yellow ribbon program supports Montana National Guard
Helping vets stop cycle of crime
Helping vets stop cycle of crime
Monday, September 20, 2010
BY KIBRET MARKOS
The Record
STAFF WRITER
Police in North Jersey now have a new question for those who end up handcuffed in the back of a patrol car: "Are you a war veteran?"
The answer may determine if the offender will be sent to the Veterans Assistance Project, a new program that offers counseling, addiction services and other help to veterans charged with crimes.
More than 350 veterans in 11 counties — including 34 in Bergen and 12 in Passaic — have participated in the program since it was launched in phases starting in December 2008. The state is gradually expanding the program to all counties, following a similar trend nationwide.
Officials point to studies finding that more than 20 percent of war veterans show signs of mental illness, and many of those who served in Iraq and Afghanistan are returning home with some form of mental disorder.
The new thinking taking hold in courts nationwide is that veterans should be offered treatment rather than being pushed through a system that was designed primarily to penalize.
read more here
Helping vets stop cycle of crime
Monday, September 20, 2010
BY KIBRET MARKOS
The Record
STAFF WRITER
Police in North Jersey now have a new question for those who end up handcuffed in the back of a patrol car: "Are you a war veteran?"
The answer may determine if the offender will be sent to the Veterans Assistance Project, a new program that offers counseling, addiction services and other help to veterans charged with crimes.
More than 350 veterans in 11 counties — including 34 in Bergen and 12 in Passaic — have participated in the program since it was launched in phases starting in December 2008. The state is gradually expanding the program to all counties, following a similar trend nationwide.
Officials point to studies finding that more than 20 percent of war veterans show signs of mental illness, and many of those who served in Iraq and Afghanistan are returning home with some form of mental disorder.
The new thinking taking hold in courts nationwide is that veterans should be offered treatment rather than being pushed through a system that was designed primarily to penalize.
read more here
Helping vets stop cycle of crime
A hero of Vietnam finds victory in defeat
A hero of Vietnam finds victory in defeat
By Eugene Patterson, Times Editor Emeritus
In Print: Monday, September 20, 2010
MAYPORT — If one healer can splint the American fracture left by the Vietnam War, a Vietnamese named Harry looked the part in a ceremony over the weekend at this U.S. Navy base.
"We won the war," said the former South Vietnamese army colonel, five times wounded and 13 years imprisoned by North Vietnam. "The Hanoi government knows China is going to attack Vietnam. So it must democratize and unify the country and be friends with America because the enemy of my enemy is my friend."
His name is Tran Ngoc Hue. U.S. Marines nicknamed him Harry nearly a half-century ago. It stuck to this day when he was honored aboard the Navy warship USS Hue City in a memorial of the 1968 Tet battle for Hue.
Harry was a hero there. But he was no victor in the war. As a South Vietnamese, he lost along with his departing American allies. Like Pickett's charge at Gettysburg, though, his transcendent gallantry in a lost cause offered both sides in a polarized America a unifying symbol of their kinship in courage.
read more here
A hero of Vietnam finds victory in defeat
By Eugene Patterson, Times Editor Emeritus
In Print: Monday, September 20, 2010
MAYPORT — If one healer can splint the American fracture left by the Vietnam War, a Vietnamese named Harry looked the part in a ceremony over the weekend at this U.S. Navy base.
"We won the war," said the former South Vietnamese army colonel, five times wounded and 13 years imprisoned by North Vietnam. "The Hanoi government knows China is going to attack Vietnam. So it must democratize and unify the country and be friends with America because the enemy of my enemy is my friend."
His name is Tran Ngoc Hue. U.S. Marines nicknamed him Harry nearly a half-century ago. It stuck to this day when he was honored aboard the Navy warship USS Hue City in a memorial of the 1968 Tet battle for Hue.
Harry was a hero there. But he was no victor in the war. As a South Vietnamese, he lost along with his departing American allies. Like Pickett's charge at Gettysburg, though, his transcendent gallantry in a lost cause offered both sides in a polarized America a unifying symbol of their kinship in courage.
read more here
A hero of Vietnam finds victory in defeat
Sunday, September 19, 2010
New Hampshire works with VA to aid vets in jail
New Hampshire works with VA to aid vets in jail
The Associated Press
Posted : Sunday Sep 19, 2010 12:35:01 EDT
CONCORD, N.H. — Veterans who are serving time in New Hampshire’s prisons will get more help when they’re released under an agreement reached between the state Department of Corrections and the federal Department of Veterans Affairs.
The agencies recently signed an agreement that calls for the corrections department to notify the VA six months before a veteran is scheduled to be released. VA officials will then meet with the offender and make appropriate referrals for housing, substance abuse, employment, medical and mental health services.
Corrections Commissioner William Wrenn says he is optimistic the arrangement will lead to a more successful re-entry for the offenders.
There are 270 inmates incarcerated in the state prison system who report that they are veterans.
read more here
http://www.armytimes.com/news/2010/09/ap-veterans-new-hampshire-works-to-help-vets-in-prison-091910/
The Associated Press
Posted : Sunday Sep 19, 2010 12:35:01 EDT
CONCORD, N.H. — Veterans who are serving time in New Hampshire’s prisons will get more help when they’re released under an agreement reached between the state Department of Corrections and the federal Department of Veterans Affairs.
The agencies recently signed an agreement that calls for the corrections department to notify the VA six months before a veteran is scheduled to be released. VA officials will then meet with the offender and make appropriate referrals for housing, substance abuse, employment, medical and mental health services.
Corrections Commissioner William Wrenn says he is optimistic the arrangement will lead to a more successful re-entry for the offenders.
There are 270 inmates incarcerated in the state prison system who report that they are veterans.
read more here
http://www.armytimes.com/news/2010/09/ap-veterans-new-hampshire-works-to-help-vets-in-prison-091910/
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