The power of Point Man Ministries

Last night I returned home from the Point Man Ministries conference in Buffalo. I left Orlando Friday afternoon drained. Too many reports on people suffering and too few offering hope tends to do that to just about everyone. I got to the airport in no mood to talk to anyone. After security and finding my gate, I saw a man sitting near another gate with a uniform on. Out of habit, I went to say hello. He asked me to sit down.

I told him who I was and showed my credentials since I didn't have my chaplain gear on this trip. As we talked about where he was and where he was heading, he wanted to talk about the needs of someone else. The conversation took a swing and someone we managed to talk about St. Paul.

We talked about the fact St. Paul managed to think he was serving God when he was still called Saul. At that time, Saul was determined to hunt down Christians and rejoiced over their deaths. Saul was positive he was serving God and I am sure he really loved God but someone got everything wrong. He just couldn't believe that Christ was the Son of God.

We talked about the road to Damascus where Christ changed Saul's life and then I asked the soldier what he thought about that. At first he didn't know what I meant. Then I asked, "Why do you think that Christ reached out to change Saul instead of just obliterating him?" The soldier had never thought about it that way until then. As he headed for the door to get on his plane, I said, "It's because God saw into Saul's heart and knew what was there." A look of peace took over the soldier's expression as he waved good-bye.

God sees into the hearts of everyone. He knows what they are feeling, where their heart is and he knows what their intentions are. God saw into Saul's heart and saw the great love he had for God even though he got almost everything else wrong.

I got on the Air Trans flight to Buffalo, taking my seat near the window, in the full flight. Kids, parents, business people and couples all talking about small stuff from their normal lives. I pulled out my Digital Media text book and studied the whole way. I just didn't want to think about anything else. I didn't want to listen to their conversations and I certainly didn't want to think about the news. It was one of the worst flights I have taken in a long time because it was the first time I had my nose buried in a book instead of paying attention to the people around me.

As the plane was beginning to land, a young girl behind me was experiencing landing for the first time. She let out a laugh and said "My tummy is being tickled!" The sounds she made, filled with glee reminded me of what kids sound like on roller-coaster rides as the cart goes up and then down. Her laughter was infections. Soon she had at least ten surrounding rows of people laughing with her. It had to be the best landing I ever had. I wondered where my joy had gone that I was not able to just enjoy life like she was able to do.

I arrived near the baggage claim area and there was Dana Morgan waiting to take me to the hotel. Seeing him standing there, I started to feel more alive. We talked on the way and he told me about what was going to happen over the weekend. I was still a bit off and tired as I checked into the hotel, finally finding my room, dropped off my bags and plugged in everything that had to be charged. My camera battery had to be charged. My laptop had to be charged. My cell phone had to be charged but I didn't have time and there was no possibility of me leaving that in the room, so I prayed it would last as long as I needed it to.

We arrived at My Father's House, the church Dana and his wife started. Right away I was greeted by loving people. I didn't feel like a stranger. Then came the start of the conference. It was the first time I attended a conference in a church. Dana talked about his life and then introduced all the people who were going to be speaking during the weekend. I sat there stunned by the young Iraq veterans there.

March 9, 2004
Three Schofield soldiers injured in Iraq shooting

By William Cole
Advertiser Military Writer

KIRKUK, Iraq — Three Schofield Barracks soldiers remained hospitalized today following a firefight yesterday evening in which their vehicle came under small arms fire on a crowded city street.

Yesterday's firefight represented the greatest number of 25th Infantry Division (Light) soldiers injured in a shooting incident.

Sgt. Israel Burks, a forward observer attached to Company B, 1st Battalion, 21st Infantry Regiment, received multiple gunshot wounds, as did Staff Sgt. Santiago Frias, 24. A third Company B soldier, Staff Sgt. Timothy Pollock, 25, suffered a single gunshot wound, said 2nd Brigade Adjutant Maj. Scott Halstead. Family members have been notified of the injuries.

Pollock and Frias were taken first to Kirkuk Air Base and then to the Army hospital in Baghdad. Burks, whose age was unavailable, was at the air base after having surgery, Halstead said.

All three were expected to be flown to the U.S. medical facility in Landstuhl, Germany, he said.
http://the.honoluluadvertiser.com/dispatches/stories/030904

Ret. Staff Sgt. Tim Pollock shared his story about his time in Iraq, healing, the people he met at Walter Reed during his 18 months of recovery and then what changed in him when he began to use the experiences he had coupled with the love he has for his fellow veterans. Tim could have let his wound and loss of part of his scull along with losing his eye turn him bitter but the love he has in his heart would not surrender. He has changed many lives because he answered Christ's call to help others.

When I got back to the hotel, everything was charged up and ready to go. So was I.

About Point Man Ministries

Since 1984, when Seattle Police Officer and Vietnam Veteran Bill Landreth noticed he was arresting the same people each night, he discovered most were Vietnam vets like himself that just never seemed to have quite made it home. He began to meet with them in coffee shops and on a regular basis for fellowship and prayer. Soon, Point Man Ministries was conceived and became a staple of the Seattle area. Bills untimely death soon after put the future of Point Man in jeopardy.

However, Chuck Dean, publisher of a Veterans self help newspaper, Reveille, had a vision for the ministry and developed it into a system of small groups across the USA for the purpose of mutual support and fellowship. These groups are known as Outposts. Worldwide there are hundreds of Outposts and Homefront groups serving the families of veterans.

PMIM is run by veterans from all conflicts, nationalities and backgrounds. Although, the primary focus of Point Man has always been to offer spiritual healing from PTSD, Point Man today is involved in group meetings, publishing, hospital visits, conferences, supplying speakers for churches and veteran groups, welcome home projects and community support. Just about any where there are Vets there is a Point Man presence. All services offered by Point Man are free of charge. http://www.pmim.org/index.html

There is an awful lot of talking lately about the role of Chaplains in the military and most of it is negative. For all the Chaplains I know, they are deeply troubled by some that think it's ok to just go out and try to convert servicemen and women into their own denomination, wasting time instead of trying to help a troubled soul reconnect to God or at the very least, be able to release some of their emotional pain. In the process of trying to convert instead of help, they end up not only pushing them away from Christ, but build a barrier against them asking for help at all.

Well here are some people living up to what it is supposed to be like, helping people in whatever way they can without trying to put them into the pew of their church group. If the military Chaplains understood that if they do their job right, that won't be a problem later on because people will follow their example and remember the kindness they received. On the other hand, if they receive judgment and condemnation, that is what they will remember as they walk away.

Speaker after speaker talked about what they were doing and they talked about their own lives. All in all there was hope.

first part of series covering the other speakers.

Back from trip

The Power Of Point Man Ministries
by
Chaplain Kathie

I am sure you noticed that since Friday there have not been new posts, highly unusual for more and the last time I didn't post a lot of you emailed because you were concerned. Judging from the emails I have to read, that has happened again and I didn't want any of you to worry needlessly. I just got back home from Buffalo. I was invited to speak at the Point Man Ministries Conference and that's why I haven't posted. I thought I'd have some time to catch up but the whole weekend was way too busy. I promise that I will answer the emails as soon as I can but right now, there is something pressing me to write instead of unpack.

For years now most of the post I do are centered around the problems and the heartaches most of us share or at least know someone who is suffering. To tell you the truth, it gets very depressing to track all of this and that is exactly where I was when I got on the plane to Buffalo on Friday.

My heart was heavy. Too many bad stories to read and post with too few glimpses of God's hand at work (or us working for Him) and hope was hard to find. Between heaven and hell there is "us" just trying to do the best we can with what we've been given. The barrier to hell seemed to be getting pretty thin lately.

That all changed when I arrived at the church Dana Morgan and his wife Susan built. My Father's House is a perfect name for this place where love lives on. From the moment I walked in I was welcomed like a part of this family. I didn't feel like a stranger to anyone. I had not met Dana before he picked me up from the airport. We just emailed and talked a few times on the phone. I was as if we've known each other for ever. Dana is the President of Point Man Ministries on top of everything else he does.

Once a year they have a conference to share what's going on as well as offer fellowship to Point Man members around the country. Each speaker (more on them later) told heartbreaking stories but followed them up with God's hand at work through them. Things, wondrous things, are happening across the country and this is all good.

People can look at life as if what they want, what they need is all that matters. When it is pointed out to them a lot of people have it worse, they tend to only think of the people who have it better. I know what you're thinking but be honest and admit you do it too. There's a problem in thinking like that but not for the reason you may think.

It's not jealousy that causes harm but forgetfulness that does the harm. It is when we forget that it feels pretty lousy to be in need and feel alone on top of everything else. When no one wants to help, this world can be pretty cold. Yet when we think of the people who have less than we do, are in more need, are feeling deeper pain, that is when miracles can happen. We reach back to them and say "come with me and I'll help you this far." Isn't that what we all pray for, search for, hope for? Isn't that all we need to make us feel better about this life we have for ourselves? Isn't that what Christ told His followers they needed to do? Life is not just about sharing the joys with others but it is also sharing the burdens so the load is a bit lighter.

I'll post some more tomorrow on this but I wanted to let you all know I'm fine. Just really tired. Tomorrow I have a full day of classes but I will get back to all of your emails as soon as possible. I also did some taping while I was there so should have a video on this soon.

Buck denies that he wants to privatize veteran’s health care

Too bad for Buck that the GOP "plan" for this country should they take over again has this "plan" in what they want to do. Along with turning over Social Security to Wall Street and cutting Medicare, this is what they want to do to our veterans. Do they know what this will do to them? Do they know what message they are delivering to our veterans when they say this is their plan? Do they know what harm it does to even talk about cutting the VA budget off their backs? Social Security hits the elderly but it also hits disabled veterans. Medicare hits the elderly but it also hits disabled veterans because a well kept secret is the fact that veterans using the VA have to have other insurance to cover anything not connected to their disability. Most of them have Medicare or Medicaid to supplement coverage from the VA.

This "plan" should mean three strikes and they are out! All the advances have happened since 2007 when Democrats took over the Chairmanship of the Committees in the House and Senate. The problems veterans faced just got worse while the GOP heads ignored all of it. Now they want control again? Look what they've done to stop bills from being voted on and tying them up while veterans suffer waiting. Look at how they voted against veterans every chance they had. The GI Bill, they didn't want that because it was "too generous" for the troops. They didn't want to give them pay raises. This shows they are against the servicemen and women but favor the defense contractors just like turning over the VA to companies would favor the companies and harm the veterans.

Veterans’ health care debate goes on
Buck denies that he wants to privatize veteran’s health care
Gene Davis, DDN Staff Writer
Friday, September 24, 2010

Democrat Michael Bennet’s campaign yesterday continued to hammer Republican gubernatorial rival Ken Buck for saying he believes that the private sector is better suited than the government to run a veterans administration’s hospital.

Buck’s campaign fired back, however, saying that Bennet’s campaign is trying to mislead the media and voters with a video clip that doesn’t tell the whole story.

Bennet’s campaign held a press conference with Democrat lawmakers and veterans to blast Buck for the “troubling” comment he made at a Tea Party event earlier this year. The comment Ń in which Buck said, “Would a veteran’s administration hospital that is run by the private sector be better run then by the public sector? In my view, yes;” Ń came in a small clip circulated by the Bennet campaign.

Despite having some issues along the way, veterans are continually more satisfied with their government-run health care compared to people with private health providers, according to the American Customer Satisfaction index. Artie Guerrero, a veteran who was wounded in Vietnam, said at Bennet’s press conference yesterday that the government should continue to provide health care for veterans.

“To turn it over to bureaucrats and the bureaucracy that have absolutely no knowledge of military process or the VA process would be totally wrong,” he said.
read more  here

Veterans health care debate goes on

Restoring Hope to defeat military suicides

I am sure you've heard the expression "Where there is life, there is hope." This saying usually means that the next breath we take offers hope of something getting better. People only commit suicide when they have lost all hope of anything getting better.

If we hope that tomorrow we'll finally feel loved, there is a reason to get up the next day.
If we hope we'll find a job or someone will give us a chance to prove ourselves, there is a reason to wake up in the morning.
If we hope we'll find justice, find help, find someone does care about us, then it is worth planning on waking up.

Yet if we have spent far too many nights hoping and too many days waiting, hope slips away and the reason to try one more day, one more hour, one more minute is just too painful to even try to last.

This is why so many commit suicide. The reasons behind the downfall are too numerous in normal civilian life but with all of the usual reasons people have for trying to end their own life, the members of the military and survivors of traumatic experiences have one more. They want to escape the ghosts haunting them. They grow tired of waiting to "get over it" and they don't want to believe there is someone out there able to help them because whoever they are, they are not showing up to do it for them.

With PTSD they are disconnected emotionally from family and friends. While this pushing away of people in their lives distances them from feeling their pain, it also prevents them from the connection that would offer them support and love. They get the idea no one cares. They feel they let down their families. They feel as if they are condemned to the hell they live with. The list of levels of hell go on at the same time they want to return to being "who" they were before all of it happened.

If they know others have been in the same emotional state they are in then there is hope. There is hope because the others are standing up and still breathing after being through the same horrors. They offer hope by simply still being alive. They offer more hope when they can talk about where they were, what they went through and how much it changed them, but are still alive. Giving someone the chance to hear about a survivor surviving life after is the best medication on the planet because they find hope again that they can heal too.

Restoring Hope: On Covering Suicide

On Friday, Sept. 24th the Pentagon Channel wraps up its special Restoring Hope programming on This Week in the Pentagon. Throughout the month, we have introduced you to families impacted by the loss of a loved one due to suicide as well the warning signs and what actions the military is taking in suicide prevention.

In this blog post, Pentagon Channel producer Terese Schlachter shares her experience working on this special project. You can hear more of her thoughts, along with This Week in the Pentagon producer Candace Hewitt, by clicking here. For comprehensive Restoring Hope coverage please visit http://www.defense.gov/restoringhope.

When Danelle Hackett drives to the Walmart to do her grocery shopping, she puts a cooler in her trunk. That’s because she lives so far from the frozen food section, stuff will thaw before she gets it home. She agreed to move to Carpenter, Wyoming because her husband, a 26 year Marine Corps veteran, wanted to retire to a wide open space. He bought the house after sending his wife of more than 20 years just a picture. She wanted so much for him to be happy. So they lived there- occasionally defending their garden from wandering horses- watching snow drift easily over their four foot fence.

On June 5, Jeff Hackett drove the distance to the American Legion hall in Cheyenne, where he shot himself.

Danelle is one of the widows I spent an afternoon with, as part of the Pentagon Channel’s special coverage of suicide in the military. Her grief was raw. She sobbed as she told me how her husband’s PTSD had worsened and how he wouldn’t ask for help. But she wanted to be part of the series “Restoring Hope”, so others might learn from her story. I still look at her Facebook page occasionally, to see what she’s thinking about. Comments people write to her are warm and supportive, but as I read them I imagine all their voices throwing echoes because they’re coming from so far away.
click link above for more

Soldier shot in Fort Carson domestic call is two tour Iraq Vet

Officer Shoots and Wounds Fort Carson Soldier On Post
Reporter: Lisa McDivitt
Fort Carson officials say they were called to a home on post at 11:45 a.m. regarding a soldier acting erratically. Twenty-five minutes later, police say the soldier came at them in a threatening manner and that's when one officer took a shot to subdue him. The soldier was taken to Memorial Hospital, and was in good condition on Thursday night.

A Fort Carson soldier was wounded at his home on Thursday afternoon. Officials on the Mountain Post say the soldier was acting in an erratic manner, and police officers at Fort Carson tried to subdue him.

After spending about half-an-hour calming the soldier down, officials say the soldier came at the officers in a threatening way, and that's when one of the officers shot him. Authorities say the soldier had a knife, and sources close to the soldier's family say he was shot in the hand.

Officials say the man's family was not home at the time of the shooting. He's part the 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division, which is currently deployed to Iraq.

On Thursday afternoon, 11 News spoke with people who live in the same neighborhood as the soldier. They say he was shot in the hand that was holding the knife.

It all happened at the Choctaw Village apartments on the post. The people who spoke with 11 News are close to the soldier's family. They say the soldier is in his early 20's, and had been deployed to Iraq twice. The sources close to his family also say the soldier has a history of domestic abuse and attempts at taking his own life.
read more here
Officer Shoots and Wounds Fort Carson Soldier On Post

Fallen Marine's dad says 'We're not alone'

Marine's dad: 'We're not alone'

Josh Ose services next week
By ROBERT LEE LONG
Community Editor
Published: Thursday, September 23, 2010 1:07 AM CDT
HERNANDO — Hugs were exchanged all around in a backyard patio of the Ose home, a stately two-story white-columned house off winding Robertson Gin Road where grain silos dot the landscape.

A bumper sticker on the family car in the driveway proudly proclaimed "My Son is A U.S. Marine."

The woods and fields surrounding the home where Josh Ose roamed and played as a youngster stood deathly quiet during the long walk up the paved driveway. The hushed stillness was suddenly replaced by the clamor of voices and the click of camera lens on the back patio.

"Josh would have loved this," Sissy Ose said of her Marine Corps son, as her eyes brimmed with tears.

Ose was referring to the outpouring of support she and husband Ross have received since word spread through this close-knit community that the couple's only child, 19-year-old Josh had been killed in what may turn out to be one of the worst single attacks so far in Afghanistan.

Pfc. Joshua Ose died Monday while conducting combat operations in Helmand province, Afghanistan. He was assigned to 1st Battalion, 8th Marine Regiment, 2nd Marine Division, II Marine Expeditionary Force, Camp Lejeune, N.C.
read more here
We are not alone

Two veterans healing from PTSD from Khe Sanh to Kirkut

VIDEO: Two soldiers deal with mental, emotional battle scars
By RON VIDIKA
rvidika@MorningJournal.com
LORAIN — If not for their disparate ages, you would think Bill Wenger and Rachel Ferrer fought in the same war.

Both came home from battle with clean bills of health, physically. But mentally and emotionally, war had taken its toll on both in the form of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, psychological turmoil brought on by the horrors of battle that remain with soldiers long after the war has ended.

Wenger, 61, a native Lorainite, now living in Florida, served two tours of duty in Vietnam and fought in the battle of Khe Sanh, one of the bloodiest of the war.

He is the author of “A Bunker Mentality: Surviving War and Living with PTSD.”

Ferrer, 26, of Lorain, served six months with the U.S. Air Force in Iraq, manning an M-60 machine gun atop a Humvee through the dusty, narrow and deadly streets of Kirkuk.

Both Wenger and Ferrer came back from their respective wars with the same set of untreated emotional and mental wounds.
read more here
Two soldiers deal with mental, emotional battle scars

DOD:5 Fort Campbell soldiers and 4 Navy special forces named killed in crash

5 Campbell troops dead in Afghan helo crash

The Associated Press
Posted : Thursday Sep 23, 2010 11:10:14 EDT

FORT CAMPBELL, Ky. — Five members of the 101st Airborne Division are among the nine American troops killed in a helicopter crash in southern Afghanistan, the military said Wednesday.

The five were assigned to the 101st Combat Aviation Brigade, which deployed in March, said Fort Campbell spokesman Rick Rzepka.

The crash Tuesday was the worst coalition helicopter crash in Afghanistan in four years.

Killed from the 101st were

Maj. Robert F. Baldwin, 39, of Muscatine, Iowa;
Chief Warrant Officer Matthew G. Wagstaff, 34, of Orem, Utah;
Chief Warrant Officer Jonah D. McClellan, 26;
Staff Sgt. Joshua D. Powell, 25, of Pleasant Plains, Ill.; and
Sgt. Marvin R. Calhoun Jr., 23, of Elkhart, Ind.

The military said McClellan was from Minnesota; his father said his son grew up near Battle Ground, Wash.

read more here
5 Campbell troops dead in Afghan helo crash


Navy IDs 4 killed in Afghanistan helo crash

By Mark D. Faram - Staff writer
Posted : Thursday Sep 23, 2010 15:16:23 EDT

Navy officials have released the names of the four Navy personnel killed when their helicopter crashed Tuesday in Zabul province, southern Afghanistan.

Three Navy SEALs and one naval special warfare support sailor are among those confirmed dead. Five U.S. Army air crew members also died in the crash. Three others, including another Navy SEAL, were injured in the crash and remain in critical condition at a U.S. medical facility in Afghanistan.

Killed were:

Lt. Brendan John Looney, 29, a native of Owings, Md

Senior Chief Cryptologic Technician (Collection) (SW/FMF) David Blake McLendon, 30, of Thomasville, Ga

Special Warfare Operator 2nd Class (SEAL) Adam Olin Smith, 26, of Hurdland, Mo

Special Warfare Operator 3rd Class (SEAL) Denis Miranda, 24, of Toms River, N.J.

read more here

Navy IDs 4 killed in Afghanistan helo crash

More contractors killed than military personnel since January

More contractors killed than military personnel since January

By Nick Wakeman
Sep 23, 2010

Since the beginning of 2010, more U.S. contractors have been killed in Iraq and Afghanistan than military personnel, according to a study by a law student and procurement expert.

After analyzing data from the Defense and Labor departments, Steven Schooner, co-director of the Government Procurement Law Program at George Washington University, and Collin Swan, a law student at George Washington, estimated that 232 contractors have been killed in Afghanistan since January, compared to 195 U.S. troops. In Iraq, 204 contractors have been killed since January 2009, compared to 188 troops.

read more here
More contractors killed than military personnel since January

Vietnam Vet inducted into Chapel of the Four Chaplains

St. Louisville man inducted into Chapel of the Four Chaplains
Sep 23, 2010
Written by
L.B. WHYDE
ST. LOUISVILLE -- It was more than 30 years after St. Louisville resident Gary Jones served in the Vietnam War that he started talking about his war experiences.

He attended his first Vietnam Veterans of America meeting in 2000, liked what he saw and became a member of Chapter 55.

Since then, he has made up for lost time discussing his experiences.

Jones has served on a number of local, district, national and even international committees. He has taken five trips back to Vietnam to assist in recovering people who were missing in action on both sides of the war.

In recognition of his efforts, he recently was inducted into the Chapel of the Four Chaplains.

The four chaplains were four U.S. Army chaplains who died during the sinking of the troop ship USAT Dorchester off the coast of Newfoundland in 1942, during World War II.

After being torpedoed and left in the dark, the crew started to panic.

The four chaplains -- Methodist Rev. George Fox, Rabbi Alexander Goode, Roman Catholic Priest John Washington and Reformed Church in America Rev. Clark Poling -- calmed the men and organized an orderly evacuation of the ship.

As the lifejackets were passed out, the supply ran out. The four chaplains removed their own lifejackets and gave them to others. The chaplains last were seen, arms linked, praying and singing for the safety of the men, as they went down with the ship.
read more hereSt Louisville man inducted into Chapel of the Four Chaplains

VA defends Agent Orange, heart disease links

VA defends Agent Orange, heart disease links
By BEN EVANS (AP) – 1 hour ago

WASHINGTON — Veterans Affairs Secretary Eric Shinseki on Thursday defended an expensive proposal to extend disability payments to Vietnam veterans who get heart disease, saying studies show a significant link between the ailment and the toxic defoliant Agent Orange.

Responding to concerns about the costs of a rapidly expanding program, Shinseki told the Senate Veterans Affairs Committee that the law requires his agency to grant automatic benefits for diseases that are scientifically associated with Agent Orange. It leaves him no discretion to weigh costs or other considerations, he said, such as the fact that heart disease occurs commonly in men in their 60s and is strongly linked to smoking, poor diet and other factors.

Shinseki, a Vietnam veteran wounded in combat, said six of nine rigorous studies reviewed by the agency showed strong associations between the herbicide and heart disease. The evidence "more than satisfies" the law's requirements, he said.

read more here
VA defends Agent Orange, heart disease links

President Obama, be not ashamed

President Obama, be not ashamed
by
Chaplain Kathie

There are a lot of people in this country you will never please. Some are just upset a Democrat is in the White House while others are bothered by the color of your skin. There is nothing you can do to satisfy them. For them, all they care about is defeating you no matter what it is you are trying to do. This always happens in life. There will always be someone out there trying to take away what you have or make you feel as if you are nothing at all. Considering how you grew up, what you managed to do with your life because you had loving support from your family, you should be very proud of all you accomplished. The people who hate you say that you are a Muslim but they are also the same people who complained about your attending church with Rev. Wright without ever once noticing the word "church" instead of mosque. They are also the same group of people saying that you were not born in Hawaii ignoring the fact it would have taken a massive conspiracy over 40 years ago when the newspaper announced your birth in order to pull anything like what they are suggesting.

But for right now and tomorrow you need to pray for their souls since everything they are doing goes against what is in the Bible and everything Christ taught. So be not ashamed of them breaking the commandment of "thou shall not bear false witness" because the shame belongs to them.

When others attack you, they say that what you want to do and have done has hurt the country. You need to ask yourself where all these people were when what was being done to hurt this country, getting us into the trouble we're in were back then when they could have prevented most of this. Where were they when the tax cuts for the rich were not funded? Where were they when the attacks of 9-11 happened, all the defenses this nation had all failed at the very time they were needed?

These same people did not want to know what happened, who failed or why nothing worked. These same people were silent when troops were sent into Afghanistan and nothing was ready to take care of the widows and orphans of the fallen troops nor the wounded coming home needing the services of the DOD and the VA to take care of them. These same people did not care about sending troops into Iraq or the fact neither operation was funded in President Bush's budget. Both were paid for with borrowed money and provided from emergency supplemental requests. They just didn't care that two wars important enough to risk the lives of the troops was not important enough to plan for. In the process, thousands of the troops died and tens of thousands were wounded but left to be without services they needed due to their service to this country. Anyone asking for plans was told they were "againt the troops" because they did not support the President allowing President Bush to do what he wanted to as Commander-in-Chief.

Yet while all this was going on, this picture is one of the reasons why you proved how much you do care about our veterans.


You were running for the Presidency when this was taken at the Montana National Guards. You wanted to know about their efforts to stop military suicide. The cable news stations did not report on it, few other media people thought it was important. They didn't think it was important to report on the number of suicides or the fact that we had so many returning from where we sent them with the ghosts of war haunting them. Post Traumatic Stress Disorder is tied to suicide as well as self-medicating, and you knew this. You knew this because you cared enough to find out and listen. What I found most remarkable about this was the fact you knew anything about what the Montana National Guard was doing at all. There were so many other programs beginning back then but this is the one you wanted to learn the most about. This happened to be the one I thought was important as well, but then again, I track all of this so while it is no big deal I knew about it, it was impressive that you knew with everything else you had to learn about running this country.

See Mr. President, it is very telling how much you do care about the troops and the veterans in this country because they are such a small percentage of the population. Doing things for them does not make national cable news shows. You showed how much you care because of the budget and all the advances that have happened since you took office. So be not ashamed you fought for the men and women in the military instead of defense contractors. Be not ashamed you fought for our veterans while the people who attack you want to slash funding for the VA and then turn around and put the care of veterans into the hands of profit making corporations. Be not ashamed you want to save their lives and put a roof over the heads of homeless veterans while other presidents ignored them. Be not ashamed you wanted to increase the pay for those who serve and be not ashamed you want to take care of them when they need help to care for themselves. Be not ashamed you wanted them to be able to get a good education when their service was done while people like John McCain said it was "just too generous" and would cause troops to leave the military.

When others fought against health insurance reform, they were actually fighting for the insurance companies and health conglomerations. Be not ashamed you fought for families, fought for people who were not able to receive healthcare and driven into bankruptcy just because someone got sick. Be not ashamed you wanted to help young adults be able to be covered under their parents plans so they had time to get on their own two feet. Be not ashamed that people will not longer have to face having their insurance canceled because they got sick.

When others fought to stop financial reform they were in turn fighting for banks and credit card companies. Be not ashamed you fought for people who have to use credit cards and deal with banks for everything they need to survive. Be not ashamed you saw what was being done to us and wanted to stop it from happening.

When others say they want to cut the deficit while these same people were responsible for it happening in the first place, they are in fact fighting for the rich, corporations who see it as their duty to stockholders to create jobs in other countries while we lost jobs here. They are fighting for them while they are destroying us. They had their years of creating all these problems but now they attack you for trying to do something about it. They created all this hardship in eight years but complain because the few bills they allowed to be voted on in the Senate, were passed and have addressed what people need in this country. They twist and manipulate what good work you have done and make it look evil. We know better and see how much you do care.

Be not ashamed that you want to preserve social security while they want to privatize it.
Be not ashamed that you cut waste in Medicare while they say that the cuts were against the elderly. Not one senior lost anything but they want them to think it happened. The cut was done against waste and fraud but they want to turn it into something evil to put fear into the elderly.

Be not ashamed that you care about the education of our kids while they want to eliminate the Department of Education, cut teachers and twist history around to suit their own personal religious beliefs.

Be not ashamed you want to keep cops on the streets and put firefighters back to work. They say they don't to pay taxes to do it. These same people don't want to fund tax cuts but want to do them at the same time they complain about the deficit.

Be not ashamed you want to put people back to work fixing our roads and bridges for our future needs as much as you want to meet the needs of people who just want to get back to work for their living.

Be not ashamed you wanted to extend unemployment benefits while they didn't even want to allow it to come to a vote.

Be not ashamed you wanted to stop the policy that keeps people from serving, not matter how heroically, not matter how deeply committed they were to our national defense just because they were gay. Our coalition partners serving side by side with our troops in Afghanistan see this as a non-issue yet they want to portray gay servicemen and women as evil, thus insulting our coalition partners and inflicting religious beliefs on our own forces instead of providing for equal rights as honorable humans.

Mr. President I heard the woman say on TV she was tired of defending you. I am here to tell you that I am not tired of defending you at all. I will fight for you for as long as I see who you are trying to help and know we are your thoughts. I am not so lucky to have a job but I don't blame you. I lost it before you took office two and a half years ago. I didn't get unemployment because I worked for a church that didn't pay into the system. Do I blame you for this? No it isn't your fault. I can't find a job but again, had you not done anything, a lot more of my "neighbors" wouldn't have jobs either. I went back to college with student loans and VA education benefits because I am married to a disabled veteran. When I finish, I want to continue to help veterans and make better videos than I do now so that they understand what PTSD is along with helping their families help them heal.

Mr. President, there are many times I see you on TV and how much this is wearing on you but for all you've done, do not allow them to get the best of you while you are trying to give your best to us. Be not ashamed of how much you have done already and do not let them beat you down. You decided to fight for us when you became a Senator. Hang onto your passion and what you know is the right thing to do and stop letting them even suggest they know better than you do. They are the ones who sent us into the abyss in the first place. The sin and shame of what they did to good, honest and hard working people, along with those who serve the rest of us, belongs to them. God will judge them as they have treated us and as we hoped for mercy from them, they will not receive any from God.

(New International Version)
Galatians 6
7 Do not be deceived: God cannot be mocked. A man reaps what he sows.
8 The one who sows to please his sinful nature, from that nature will reap destruction; the one who sows to please the Spirit, from the Spirit will reap eternal life.

You have fought for us, the people in need and forgotten about for far too long. They shall reap what they sow by fighting for greedy people against the needy.

9 troops killed in Afghanistan helo crash

9 troops killed in Afghanistan helo crash

By Deb Riechmann - The Associated Press
Posted : Wednesday Sep 22, 2010 6:03:30 EDT

KABUL, Afghanistan — A NATO helicopter crashed Tuesday in southern Afghanistan, killing nine international troops in a region where forces are ramping up pressure on Taliban insurgents. It was the deadliest chopper crash for the coalition in four years.

A “large number” of Americans were among those who died, according to a senior military official in Washington, who spoke on condition of anonymity because not all relatives had been notified. He said it remained unclear whether troops of other nationalities were among the fatalities.

The cause was not immediately clear. The Taliban claimed to have shot down the helicopter, but NATO said there were no reports of hostile fire.

It happened in Zabul province — rugged terrain where helicopters are heavily used to transport military troops spread over mountainous areas with few roads.
read more here
9 troops killed in Afghanistan helo crash

U.S. Army battling a silent enemy: Soldier suicides

U.S. Army battling a silent enemy: Soldier suicides

by Wendy Rigby
KENS 5


Posted on September 20, 2010 at 12:02 PM

At Ft. Sam Houston Monday, leaders took time out from a busy schedule to talk about the problem and share information about the wide variety of resources to help.

Police officers often face stresses similar to soldiers. “Both our military personnel and our police officer see unspeakable acts of violence and uses of deadly force,” commented S.A.P.D. chief William McManus.

SAN ANTONIO -- The U.S. military is fighting against a killer: suicide. The suicide rate in all four branches is now higher than the national average.

The problem of soldiers killing themselves is on the rise. Now military leaders in San Antonio and across the country are working aggressively to reverse this disturbing trend.

With war fronts in both Iraq and Afghanistan, it’s an extremely stressful time to be in the service. Even those soldiers here at home who haven’t been deployed are busy with military expectations and personal relationships fraught with the pressure of home, family and finances.

All of that has led to a growing problem. Since 2006, the number of Army suicides is up by 37%. Already in 2010, 196 soldiers have killed themselves.
read more here
US Army battling a silent enemy

Police: One Kern Iraq vet murdered by another

Police: One Kern Iraq vet murdered by another

An Air Force staff sergeant fatally shot in front of his California City home Saturday was killed by another Iraq War veteran, police said.

Police believe the two had never met before the deadly shooting. "And why he made that choice to kill him we don't know," California City Police Chief Steve Colerick said.

Brian Carragher, 29, was shot to death in front of his home Saturday evening.

Police arrested Timothy Atkins, 26, on murder charges.

Atkins is also a military man, who police said recently returned home to California City to live with his parents. "Former Army. I believe did a couple of tours in Iraq," Colerick said.
read more here
One Kern Iraq vet murdered by another

Transition center meant to help stem Air Force suicide

The airman resiliency program was unveiled earlier this year as the Air Force, like the other services, looks for ways to combat rising suicide numbers. As of Sept. 10, 37 active-duty airmen had committed suicide in 2010, showing little improvement from last year’s 41 suicides, which was the highest annual total in three years.

Transition center meant to help stem Air Force suicide, PTSD rates
By Jennifer H. Svan
Stars and Stripes
Published: September 21, 2010
RAMSTEIN AIR BASE, Germany — The Air Force has opened a $5 million Deployment Transition Center at Ramstein as part of a new “airman resiliency” program launched by the service to stem rising suicide and post-traumatic stress disorder numbers.

Since it opened this summer, more than 450 airmen from across the Air Force have passed through the center on their way back from Iraq or Afghanistan. The Air Force believes the airmen who spend time “outside the wire” in a combat zone need time to decompress before returning to their assigned units and families.

Mandatory for security forces, explosive ordnance disposal and convoy operations, the program gives airmen who have deployed together one last time to talk about their shared combat experiences and the challenges they may face as they transition back to Air Force life.
read more here
Transition center meant to help stem Air Force suicide

Vietnam veteran owes his life to soon-to-be Medal of Honor recipient

Veteran owes his life to soon-to-be Medal of Honor recipient

By Jeff Schogol
Stars and Stripes
Published: September 20, 2010

ARLINGTON, Va. — John Daniel owes his life to Chief Master Sgt. Richard L. Etchberger, who will be posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor on Tuesday, more than 42 years after he saved Daniel and two other airmen during an attack on their base in Laos.

Etchberger and Daniel were part of a secret mission in Laos to call in airstrikes on the Ho Chi Minh Trail. On March 11, 1968, the enemy overran their mountaintop base.

He and Etchberger were with three other airmen perched on the ledge of a cliff that dropped off about 3,000 feet.

The enemy was firing and dropping grenades on them from above.

As the shooting progressed, Daniel was hit twice in the legs and two airmen were killed. Another was hit and presumed dead but was just unconscious. At one point, Daniel used the body of one his fallen comrades to absorb the blast from a grenade.
read more here and watch the video account of this veteran's story
Medal of Honor recipient

National News Shows, the idiot's guide

National News Shows, the idiot's guide

Lately I have lead to understand why so many Americans would rather watch reality TV instead of news. While most do tune into local news at least once a day, they avoid the cable news shows like FOX, CNN and MSNBC. With FOX you get Republican talking points. With MSNBC you get Democratic talking points that miss most of what we really need to know and letting the other side lead the discussion. With CNN it all depends on the day which way they will go.

I spend most of my days reading news reports from around the country, none of them are deemed important enough to replace the political discussions on any of these stations. Reality we live with everyday is not considered a hot topic.

Right now what's hot is the Tea Party, a group so small that Wiki's response when I Googled how many members in the Tea Party, is a band out of Canada and not the political storm that the media makes them out to be.
The Tea Party.

The Tea Party was a Canadian rock band with blues, progressive rock, Indian and Middle Eastern influences, dubbed "Moroccan roll" by the media. Active throughout the 1990s up until 2005 when the band broke up, The Tea Party released eight albums on EMI Music Canada, selling 1.6 million records worldwide, and achieving a #1 Canadian single "Heaven Coming Down" in 1999.

Over 80,000 showed up for Glenn Beck's rally in Washington but we cannot assume they were all members of the Tea Party since Beck draws from all Republican audiences. What they got was a lesson on what Beck thinks makes a Christian. To this day I am wondering what is in the Mormon Bible that causes him to think that Christ was for the rich, against taking care of the sick and "rendering unto Caesar that which is Caesar's" along with everything else Christ preached about. Beck had told his audience on his radio show that if they heard a preacher say that they should do anything along the lines of what is in the Bible the rest of us read, they should walk out the door. Yet Beck never mentions the fact that what the Tea Party wants is the destruction of everything else this country needs to function.

He avoids talking about the fact that while the GOP borrowed money to supply rich people with tax cuts at the same time they said they would end up creating jobs, we lost jobs and drove up the debt while they did manage to create jobs in other countries. He avoids talking about the Tea Party agenda being adopted by the GOP is to eliminate Social Security, Medicare, the VA, the Department of Education along with ignoring the problems with our roads and bridges, de-funding the National Parks department while allowing our national treasures like the memorials in Washington to fall apart. He avoids telling his audience anything that does not fit in with the message he wants to deliver.

All of this is ok since he does not claim to be a news reporter but the problem is when the people who do in fact claim to be reporters end up repeating what he says. They just follow the flow. The national media ends up turning us into a bunch of idiots and all three are guilty. All of them focus more on politics than anything else so that stories about what is really happening across the country are not even considered worthy of their attention.

When we started to lose jobs, they were silent. When wars were not paid for or even made part of the budget they were silent. Imagine that! War in Afghanistan and Iraq were not considered important enough to pay for or even include in the budget during the Bush administration. The tax cuts for the wealthy (making over $250k) were not funded, yet none of the people in the Tea Party seemed to have noticed any of this when it was happening taking us down the road to damnation. Now, well, all that changed because there is a Democrat in the White House named Obama.

If the media has their way, succeeds in making stars out of rocks we lose. On their agenda we lose the following.
Veterans lose healthcare because they want to privatize the VA and have publicly said that they want to balance the budget by cutting VA funding.
Troops lose because they have been against the GI Bill, pay increases and most denied the reality of PTSD along with TBI, so that most of the advances we've seen in addressing these two "signature wounds" of Iraq and Afghanistan will end up suffering.
Teachers will suffer because they want to de-fund the Department of Education.
Police, firefighters and emergency responders will end up being cut in a time when we need more of them on the job.
The FDA will go away and our food supply will end up giving us more contaminated food products along with dangerous drugs.
Health insurance will win but the rest of us will not be able to get it if we cannot afford to pay for huge premiums. What part of everyone should be able to see a doctor no matter what income bracket they live in do they not understand?
Banks and credit card companies will win and the rest of us will end up in bankruptcy because no one will keep them under control and limit what they can do to us.

I have been listening to the commercials down here in Florida with politicians slamming politicians without ever facing the fact they became a politician as soon as they decided to run. This practice has been carried over onto the national news shows and no reporter wants to confront then on this point. They are just too busy making stars to draw ratings but what they end up doing is making thinking people change the channel to Pawn Stars and Swamp People instead. They live the rest of their lives never knowing that our veterans are suffering around the country right now and the people trying to replace Democrats in office are the biggest part of the problem determined to make it worse. We lost 18 veterans to suicide alone yesterday, just as we did the day before and will lose today.

Think about that. In 18 homes this very day, a family member will discover the body of someone they love, dead by suicide after serving this country and managing to survive the war we sent them to fight. 18 families and friends are hearing word of funeral plans from the ones who died yesterday. In tiny towns and huge cities, this is repeated every single day but do you hear about them being interviewed on CNN? MSNBC? FOX? Do any of them talk about something like this?
13 Veterans in one day for Veterans Court in Spokane Washington

There are veterans' courts all over the country because the problem is so bad for our veterans that the local law enforcement departments had to do something to treat them fairly instead of locking them up when most of what they are doing can be tied back to combat. 13 veterans in one day in a courtroom in Spokane? That was not a huge story on the national news? Excuse me but these men and yes, women, served this nation and were not sent into combat to defend Spokane alone! Veterans are a national issue and there are more and more of them added to their numbers everyday growing a lot faster than population of the Tea Party folks determined to take away what they need to recover from combat.

When the GOP was in charge veterans were last on their list of things to take care of. Right at the top was tax cuts for the rich. Then came defense contractors. Ever watch CSPAN when they cover the debates from the floor? They said they couldn't increase funding for the VA because they had two wars to pay for but this was right after they were screaming about giving Bush all he asked for to pay to keep the troops in Iraq and Afghanistan along with equal numbers of contractors. Now there are some in congress who want to cut funding of the VA so they can reduce the deficit they created in the first place. Does CNN tell veterans about this? Does MSNBC tell them? Does FOX tell them?

John McCain managed to pull off being a friend to veterans for years simply because the media allowed him to. They never once challenged him as a Vietnam Vet/POW on what he actually voted against and the rest of the country was left in the dark about what he was doing when the camera was on someone else. His voting record on veterans is terrible. He fought against the GI Bill because he said it was too generous and would end up getting more troops to leave the military. Did the media report on this?

FOX does a great job saying they support the troops with a lot of their stars taking off to go to Iraq for a show but then when they got back home what the troops were suffering from including having to dig through trash from metal to take care of their Humvees, FOX ignored it. When the reports came out on the deplorable treatment at Walter Reed, FOX stars attacked the reporters. O'Reilly denied there were homeless veterans. I mean the list just goes on and on but it isn't just FOX. It's all of the national news shows. They used to keep us informed but over the last ten years or so, they have been following the ratings instead of the news and have left this nation filled with idiots. To this day, no matter where I go or who I talk to people are still unaware of what PTSD is. How is this possible? None of them know what else is going on and they look at me stunned because they didn't hear it on CNN, MSNBC or FOX. If it isn't there then they think there is no need to care. It must be a tiny story or the news they trust would cover it. That's how bad things are in this country.

Now we face yet another election. It seems as if the national news shows just finished covering the Presidential election. Still they are not really informing voters what is going on, what the candidates really want to do or how they really think. They expect the viewers to actually spend time looking up facts online? Isn't it their job to let us all know what the facts are and confront these people when they lie?

They vilify the Dems for what? Thinking people show be able to go to a doctor when they are sick without having to declare bankruptcy to do it? That is what health insurance reform was all about. So if people were against it then they were actually fighting for the insurance companies and not humans. They wanted to protect consumers from banks and credit card companies from ripping us off. How is that a bad thing? They fought to give the troops pay raises. Is that a wrong thing to do considering how many times they've been sent into combat in Iraq and Afghanistan? They wanted to take care of the wounded neglected over the last 10 years. Is that an expense the GOP does not want to pay? Then they shouldn't have sent any of them into combat in the first place.

There is so much we're missing when we trust national news shows. We may take a couple of minutes out of our busy day and our own problems to see what's going on in the nation but end up with a bunch of people talking about what the news station determines we should know. The next time you turn on CNN, FOX or MSNBC, ask yourself why they are telling you what they are telling you then ask yourself why they are focused on it. The chances are, they have an agenda all their own and informing you has nothing to do with any of it. They want to manipulate how you think with what they tell you is important and we are all guided to be idiots in the process.

I was one of you but hardly ever tune into these shows now. I'd rather read news from across the country and at night, when I want to relax, I put on Pawn Stars to know that the economy is so bad that people have to sell things that have been important to them and Swamp People so that I know how other people live ready to risk their lives to catch gators. At least when it comes to real events, these shows come closer than the news.

Here's a few links to let you know that not only do they plan on cutting the VA they are proud of it. The VA has the best care for our veterans but they want to turn it over to companies that want to make money instead of fixing the VA problems?

Tea Party Candidate Ken Buck Called For Privatizing Veterans’ Health Care
Reid out with new ad attacking Angle on veterans’ issues

They don't think there is anything wrong with this at all. Then again, they may even believe that turning the DOD over to contractors is a good thing too. After all their attitude was paying the contractors was a good thing but taking care of the troops just cost too much. Taking care of veterans, well, that's something they say but never seem to get around to it.

2 injured, 1 dead in Fort Bliss shooting

2 injured, 1 dead in Fort Bliss shooting
By Maggie Ybarra and Chris Roberts El Paso Times
Posted: 09/20/2010 11:54:09 PM MDT


Click photo to enlargeA military police vehicle blocked traffic on Cassidy Road on... (Victor Calzada / El Paso Times)123 FORT BLISS -- A man shot two women in the head at a Fort Bliss convenience store before he was killed by military police Monday.
Garrison Commander Col. Joseph Simonelli said military police received reports of several shots fired at one of the Army post's convenience stores about 3 p.m. The military police responded to the shooting in less than three minutes, he said.
read more here
2 injured, 1 dead in Fort Bliss shooting

Lady Gaga fights for 14,000 discharged over don't ask don't tell

Lady Gaga's Rally To Feature Testimonial From Discharged Marine
'I got the chance to meet her in D.C., and she genuinely cared about the issue,' former Marine Danny Hernandez says of Gaga.
By Kyle Anderson


Since she first broke into the mainstream two years ago, Lady Gaga has used her fame to bring gay rights issues to the forefront. In the past few weeks, she has focused squarely on the repeal of the U.S. military's "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" policy, including bringing several casualties of the law to the 2010 MTV Video Music Awards in Los Angeles and recording a video that encourages her fans to contact their senators to oppose the policy. On Monday (September 20), Gaga will host a rally in Portland, Maine, organized by the Servicemembers Legal Defense Network (SLDN), in an effort to get the two senators from the state — Republicans Olympia Snowe and Susan Collins — to vote to break a filibuster and repeal the DADT policy in Tuesday's procedural vote in Washington, D.C.

Those gathered at the rally will also hear testimonial from Danny Hernandez, a former Marine who was discharged from the military for "don't ask, don't tell" violations. "I was in the Marine Corps and was under investigation for violating 'don't ask, don't tell,' and I ended up working with SLDN in Washington," Hernandez explained to MTV News in a Skype interview from Portland.

Though Hernandez was a victim of a "don't ask, don't tell" discharge — one among 14,000 similar cases — he hasn't let that get in the way of his dream of service. "I've been wanting to serve in the military for as long as I can remember," he said. "My brother, my cousins — everybody is in the Marine Corps. It's a family thing.
read more here
Lady Gaga Rally

Searching for Stolen Marine's Truck

Searching for Stolen Marine's Truck
Reported by: Polo Sandoval
Last Update: 12:24 am


WESLACO - A Valley Marine's mother is making a plea to whomever stole her son's truck.

Sylvia Salazar borrowed her son's truck and parked it in a lot on east frontage road yesterday morning.

When she came out of the store, the truck was gone. Salazar is upset and angry that someone would steal the truck of a United States Marine deployed overseas.

Salazar says, "That truck means a lot to him. [It] means a lot to us because he left it under our care, and I lost it. So that hurts, that hurts a lot."

The truck is a dark grey four-door Dodge Ram.

It has Texas license plates ANO-5210.

If you’ve seen it, you’re asked to call Weslaco CRIMESTOPPERS at 968-8477.
KRGV.com

Florida has 18,000 homeless veterans

"Where they live many times is in the woods or on the street. In the state of Florida, there are 18,000 homeless veterans, 4,500 in Central Florida and about 1,000 Brevard County alone." George Taylor

Homeless veterans get some much needed help
By Margaret Kavanagh, Reporter
Last Updated: Saturday, September 18, 2010 10:25 PM
TITUSVILLE
They put their lives on the line, served our country and now don't have a place to live.

The problem of homeless veterans plagues our state. News 13 attended an event run by the National Veterans Homeless Support Group in Titusville called Stand Down. The group is working to teach other veteran groups around the state how to organize similar events.

Veteran Philip Campbell received a brand new motorized bike. It will help him get to classes at Brevard County Community. The veteran is homeless and living in a tent in the woods.

"Such a shock, the honor that they gave me, the bike, it's a, I'm amazed, I'm amazed," Campbell said.

He was one of 350 veterans that attended the Stand Down event run by the group National Veterans Homeless Support. They received clothes, food, toiletries, medical and legal advice.

The founder of the organization, George Taylor, once lived in the woods himself. He understands what it's like to be a homeless veteran, but said now-a-days it's tougher for the soldiers coming home.
read more here
Homeless veterans get some much needed help

Bronx Church prays for comfort after deadly crash that claimed Bishop, his wife and others

Bronx Church Looks to Prayer After Deadly Crash
By
Mara Gay
(Sept. 20) -- Even after a horrible accident took the lives of their bishop, his wife and four other congregants, the members of a devastated Bronx church trust that God has a plan.

"We know God knows best and doesn't make mistakes, but it's still hard," church member Delores Tulloch told the New York Daily News. But, she said, "I'm still trying to figure out how this is part of his plan."

Bishop Simon White, 55, his wife, Zelda, 52, and four other members of Joy Fellowship Christian Assemblies were killed Saturday when their van blew a tire and rolled across a New York State highway, sending eight people flying out of the vehicle. Sunday, worshippers at the church looked to music and praise to push through their grief.

Members of the evangelical church sang "Such a good God" and gave thanks. "We take life and death for granted, but this is a wake-up call," Associate Pastor Recardo Millwood told grieving church members Sunday, according to The Wall Street Journal. "It's serious, serious business. No one knows when your number is going to come up."

Fourteen church members were traveling to a sister church in upstate New York when the van flipped at least three times. Police said the aftermath was horrific.
read more here
Bronx Church Looks to Prayer After Deadly Crash

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!

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

Special courts in Wash. designed for veterans

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

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

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

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/

Soldiers help replace vet’s stolen medals

Far more than just a lesson about what our soldiers do for veterans, this goes a long way to explain why Stolen Valor rules mean so much to these real heroes. A disabled veteran has his medals taken away from him but soldiers decided to step up knowing how much they really do mean to those who earned them. Great story all the way around.

Soldiers help replace vet’s stolen medals

By Evan Belanger - Montgomery (Ala.) Advertiser
Posted : Sunday Sep 19, 2010 9:22:05 EDT

DECATUR, Ala. — With tears forming in his eyes, disabled war veteran Scott Sharbutt said he was thankful and proud after a medal repatriation ceremony Thursday at Decatur City Hall.

The ceremony, arranged by members of Redstone Arsenal’s 2nd Medical Recruiting Battalion, replaced the Gulf War veteran’s service medals, which were stolen from his Decatur home in a burglary this month.

“I’m about to cry,” Sharbutt said after the ceremony. “I didn’t think the response was going to be this great.”

Army civilian employee Stephen Hogan, who organized the ceremony, said he and other veterans in his battalion were touched when they read Sharbutt’s story last week.

“Being a prior veteran, it caught my eye, and I saw these medals that I actually have, too, and the first thing I thought was ‘How can I assist this veteran?’ ” Hogan said. “Because once a veteran, always a veteran. It’s a brotherhood that you’re always helping and assisting as much as you can.”
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Soldiers help replace vet stolen medals

What’s happening at Joint Base Lewis-McChord?

What’s happening at Joint Base Lewis-McChord?
Base scrutinized over war crime allegations, mental breakdowns and post-combat treatment

By Megan McCloskey
Stars and Stripes
Published: September 17, 2010

JOINT BASE LEWIS-McCHORD, Wash. — First the medical center at this sprawling joint military base was alleged to have turned away National Guard soldiers seeking help for war wounds on the grounds that they were merely “weekend warriors” who were feigning injuries.

Then a dozen soldiers based here were accused of involvement in one of the worst war crimes allegedly committed by U.S. troops in Afghanistan.

And then three soldiers associated with the base suffered dangerous public mental breakdowns after returning from the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, leading to confrontations with police and the deaths of two of them.

Now multiple criminal and military investigations are under way into the conduct of Lewis-McChord troops and the adequacy of the medical and mental health care they are receiving when they come home from war.
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What’s happening at Joint Base Lewis-McChord

VA Honors Veterans on POW/MIA National Recognition Day

VA Honors Veterans on POW/MIA National Recognition Day

Special Benefits Available to Former POWs



WASHINGTON (September 20, 2010)- Secretary of Veterans Affairs Eric K.
Shinseki wants former American prisoners of war (POWs) to be aware of
the benefits and services available to them as Americans across the
nation show respect and appreciation for this special group of men and
women during POW/MIA National Recognition Day.

"These Veterans made great sacrifices for their country in time of war,
and it is our Nation's turn to honor them by reinforcing to them the
full range of compensation, health care and benefits they have earned,"
said Secretary of Veterans Affairs Eric K. Shinseki.

The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) has expanded policies to cover
increasing numbers of former prisoners of war.

Special benefits for former POWs include enrollment in medical care for
treatment at VA hospitals and clinics without copayments, as well as
disability compensation for injuries and diseases that are associated
with internment.

Former POWs are also generally entitled to a presumption of
service-connection for certain diseases, based on the length of
captivity and the severity of their conditions.

Free dental treatment for any dental condition is also available to
former POWs. These benefits are in addition to regular Veterans'
benefits and services to which they are already entitled.

A major benefit for survivors of former POWs include Dependency and
Indemnity Compensation (DIC), which is a monthly benefit which may be
payable to the surviving spouse, children and, in some cases, parents.

Currently, more than 15,000 POWs are receiving VA benefits for
service-connected injuries, diseases, or illnesses. VA is asking former
POWs not currently utilizing VA benefits to contact the agency at
1-800-827-1000 to find out if they may be eligible for disability
compensation and other services.

Veterans can also apply online at
http://vabenefits.vba.va.gov/vonapp/main.asp or contact their
coordinator for former POWs located at each VA regional office.

More information about VA services for former POWs is available at
http://www.vba.va.gov/VBA/benefits/factsheets/misc/formerpow.doc

Army not sure about 13 potential suicides

Army Releases August Suicide Data
The Army released suicide data today for the month of August 2010. Among active-duty soldiers, there were 13 potential suicides: none have been confirmed as suicides, and all 13 remain under investigation. For July, the Army reported 12 potential suicides among active-duty soldiers. Since the release of that report, five have been confirmed as suicides, and seven remain under investigation.

During August, among reserve component soldiers who were not on active duty, there were 10 potential suicides. For July, among that same group, there were 16 total suicides. Of those, eight were confirmed as suicides and eight are pending determination of the manner of death.

“With the release of the Army Health Promotion, Risk Reduction and Suicide Prevention Report in July, the Army has transitioned suicide prevention efforts to the Health Promotion, Risk Reduction Council and Task Force. These two elements will help analyze, shape and implement the more than 240 additional changes to Army policy, procedure and processes recommended in the report,” said Col. Chris Philbrick, deputy director of the Army Health Promotion, Risk Reduction Council and Task Force.

“Our efforts continue to evolve as we learn more about the multiple factors contributing to suicides and high-risk behavior within our Army family. The end state remains the ability to provide our soldiers, civilians and families with the quality care and support they need and deserve,” Philbrick said.

Soldiers and families in need of crisis assistance can contact Military OneSource or the Defense Center of Excellence (DCoE) for Psychological Health and Traumatic Brain Injury Outreach Center. Trained consultants are available from both organizations 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, and 365 days a year.

The Military OneSource toll-free number for those residing in the continental United States is 1-800-342-9647; their Web site address is Military OneSource. Overseas personnel should refer to the Military OneSource Web site for dialing instructions for their specific location.
The Army's comprehensive list of is located at Suicide Prevention Program information .
Army leaders can access current health promotion guidance in newly revised Army Regulation 600-63 (Health Promotion) at: Health Promotion and Army Pamphlet 600-24 (Health Promotion, Risk Reduction and Suicide Prevention) at Suicide Prevention.
Suicide prevention training resources for Army families can be accessed at Suicide prevention training
(requires Army Knowledge Online access to download materials).

The DCoE Outreach Center can be contacted at 1-866-966-1020, via electronic mail at Resources@DCoEOutreach.org and at DCoE Outreach Center.

Information about the Army’s is located at Comprehensive Soldier Fitness Program .

American Foundation for Suicide Prevention.

Suicide Prevention Resource Councilsp.

Combat trauma afflicts women, men alike

In all these years I have met a lot of wonderful people trying to make a difference, offer someone a helping hand and perhaps the most important gift of all is offering hope. Lily has done all of them. She cares about them and wants to help them so she reports on the problems they face like a veteran reporter but Lily has never been satisfied to tell people what is wrong. She wants to tell them what helps so they don't feel as if this is the way the rest of their life has to be. It can change. Because of people like Lily, there is a whole new world opened up for our veterans no matter what age. Read about Healing Combat Trauma and what she has been doing.

Combat trauma afflicts women, men alike
Lily Casura Napa Valley Register
Posted: Sunday, September 19, 2010
A few months ago, I attended the week-long clinical training program in post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) at the National Center for PTSD in Menlo Park (Veterans Administration) as well as the “Brain at War” conference in San Francisco, put on by the Department of Defense. Both made clear how much money is being spent on research ($500 million), but success stories can be hard to find. PTSD affects veterans, their families and communities; it can also lead to suicide.

Current statistics show an active-duty suicide every 36 hours, and that 18 veterans a day die by their own hand. Suicides are on the rise in every branch of the military that’s seen heavy combat in the current wars — Marines, Army, National Guard — and so far this year, there have been more suicides than combat deaths.

The problem extends to women veterans as well. According to the American Psychiatric Association, “Women veterans are two to three times more likely to commit suicide than nonveteran women” — and also die at a younger age, “between 18 and 34.”

Clearly, the problem is serious and troubling. Suicide is the final step on a journey of misery, pain and despair that can potentially be halted earlier, by intervention that increases a veteran’s chances of survival and success.

Five years ago, after writing about integrative medicine for years, I created the nonprofit Healing Combat Trauma, a website devoted to therapeutic resources for veterans with combat-based PTSD. Today, that’s becoming an actual program to lead combat vets with PTSD through, using integrative medicine — “the best of East and West” — to help them recover from the scars of war.
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Combat trauma afflicts women, men alike

Veterans, tiny fish in big pond back home

Veterans, tiny fish in big pond back home
by
Chaplain Kathie

They walk by us everyday. A shaved head, a unit tattoo, a determined walk and once in a while you catch a flash of light as the sun hits a metal leg, but most of the time they show no signs of having been in the places we occasionally read about in newspapers. You know the stories well. As you flip through the pages of your local newspaper, they are the stories you stay away from while searching for movie listings and the latest gossip on your favorite celebrity. You may spend more time on a report if it is in the obituary section but honestly, you may have only read it to see when the funeral will be so you know when to stay away from the area. You may be a very busy, important person with places to go and things to do so your time is precious to you. You may want to disregard what is happening so far away from here because in your mind, if it really mattered, it would be all over the news and there would be no escaping it. With so little reported on Iraq and Afghanistan, you may rationalize it as being something involving less than one percent of the population eliminating the possibility it involves anyone you know. The problem is, you may know them already but have no clue where they’ve been.

They are in your local movie theater. They go to your favorite bar and restaurant. They shop at the same grocery store you do. They go to your church but unless your pastor mentions they are home from a tour of duty, you’d never know it especially with some of the mega size churches around the country. They are on your college campus but they blend right in. They are the few, the proud, the veteran. Tiny fish in a big pond the rest of us live in pursuing our own happiness, worrying about our own lives and what we perceive as problems in them.

We have bills to pay, so do they. We have problems at work, home, in our studies, so do they. We have to put up with jerks driving cars talking on cell phones, so do they. They are just like us. For the most part, they look just like us. We assume they are no more special than we are but we miss the fact that while the rest of us guppies are swimming in the pond they are the ones ready to swim into the mouth of the big fish trying to eat us.

They are the people who join the military and the National Guards because while they want to live with the rest of us they know we need someone to be unselfish for our sake. We want someone else to step up when a storm comes, floods wash away roads, downs power lines, or when a fire threatens to wipe out everything. We want to have them show up but that never seems to translate into us showing up for them.

So here’s our chance. For the homeless veterans there is a Stand Down next weekend in Orlando. Sign up, show up and stand up for them. The information is on the sidebar of this blog. I can’t go. I’ll be in Buffalo with Point Man Ministries. What you’ll see there is not about sadness but about what is possible. You’ll see all kinds of people helping these homeless veterans simply because they care. Other tiny fish stepping up to take care of them for a change will warm your heart and you may even decide to do what you can for them after that. Go and meet these people, find out what happened to them and what you can do to help them.

If you are in one of the colleges here in Central Florida and you think you may see a veteran in one of your classes, ask them. If they are not a veteran then you just put the idea to ask into the head of another tiny fish classmate to wonder if someone he knows is. If they are a veteran then get to know them. Don’t be afraid. You won’t hear any gory stories. As a matter of fact you will hear very little about what they went through because none of them really talk that much to people they know well about any of it. Just know one thing. They were willing to die for you since you live in this country and they wanted to serve for the sake of this country doing what they were told was needed to be done. The politics didn’t matter. All they needed to know was it was what other men and women were being sent to do and they wanted to go too. They risked their lives for the sake of the people they served with but would a friend of yours do the same for you? These people are just like the rest of the tiny fish on the outside but on the inside they are committed, driven and a hell of a lot more compassionate than the rest of us.

If you work for a living, then do the same. Find out if someone is a veteran or not and spend some time getting to know them. If they go to your church, find out if they need any kind of spiritual help and then get the pastor involved. Put a section in your bulletin so that veterans can contact someone for help if they need it or if a National Guards/Reservist family needs some help while their spouse is deployed.

Think of it this way. While you are a tiny fish in this really big pond, wouldn't you want someone else in the pond to care about you? Now top that off with the fact they cared so much they set their lives aside to serve and now they are trying to play catch up.

Friends gather to remember fallen Marine "Pretty Boy Floyd"

When we read stories about their Memorials, we are touched for a time but then we get to go back to our lives as if nothing happened. The family and friends have to go back to living their lives with a piece of their hearts missing. Moms bury sons and daughters. A lifetime of praying and worrying about them, being proud and worried, being hugged and hearing those sweet words, "I'm home" will not be repeated again in over 5,000 homes. Such a small percentage of the population of this country and easy to ignore if we choose to, yet if we do, we miss knowing about men and women who died for our sake.

Friends gather to remember fallen Marine

By Eloísa Ruano González, Orlando Sentinel

4:52 p.m. EDT, September 18, 2010

Memorial service for Marine Gunnery Sgt. Floyd Holley
(Copied by Ricardo Ramirez Buxeda, Orlando Sentinel / September 18, 2010)
A photo shows Marine Gunnery Sgt. Floyd Holley, who was killed in Afghanistan on Aug. 29, on display during a celebration of his life, on Saturday, September 18, 2010, in the auditorium of Lyman High School, where he attended. Holley, a roadside explosives specialist, died after he was hit by a blast from an improvised explosive device.

LONGWOOD — For some of the former Lyman High School students, it was their first time back on campus since their graduation almost two decades ago. They were there on Saturday to honor a classmate who could not join them.

Gunnery Sgt. Floyd Holley never made it home from his third tour of duty in the Middle East. The Marine, who grew up in Casselberry, died Aug. 29 after he was hit by a blast from a homemade bomb in Afghanistan's Helmand province.

Hundreds of friends and relatives gathered in the school's auditorium to pay tribute to their hometown hero. Although somber at times, the memorial was a way for people to relive the happy memories. They shared pictures of Holley, an outgoing, yet, kind-spirited man. In most of the pictures, he wore a big grin on his face, held a beer in his hand or flashed a shaka, a common greeting among surfers. While in the service, he taught an Afghani man and boy to flash shakas. The photo was displayed on a table at the entrance of the auditorium.
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Friends gather to remember fallen Marine

Wife of N.C. Marine copes with husband's suicide

Wife of N.C. Marine copes with husband's suicide

By LINDELL KAY, The Daily News of Jacksonville

Jacksonville, N.C. — Katie Bagosy had been a Marine wife long enough to know when two men in uniform showed up at her front door it meant her husband wasn’t coming home again.

But she expected the visit while he was on one of his deployments, not after he went for a mental health session.

Sgt. Tom Bagosy, 25, died May 10 after shooting himself during a confrontation with base police on McHugh Boulevard.

His wife saw it coming a long time before it happened, she said, but felt helpless to stop the self-destruction of the man she loved.

Bagosy joined the Marine Corps in 2004 and married Katie in 2005. They have two children.

He was deployed to Iraq in 2006 and promoted to sergeant in 2007. He joined Marine Corps Force Special Operations Command in October 2008 and was deployed to Afghanistan. During his tours, he earned several medals, including two Combat Action Ribbons and a Marine Corps Good Conduct Medal, according to information from MarSOC.
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Wife of NC Marine copes with husband suicide

Chester County judge voids prison time for Iraq War veteran

Chester County judge voids prison time for Iraq War veteran
Published: Saturday, September 18, 2010
By Michael P. Rellahan, Special to The Mercury

WEST CHESTER — A Chester County Court judge erased a proposed prison term for an Iraq War veteran who suffers from post-traumatic stress disorder after the man's attorney argued that the combat horrors he survived in that country justified a reduced sentence.

"I figure this country owes him," attorney John Duffy of West Chester told Common Pleas Court Judge William P. Mahon, who was set to sentence Robert Allen Delaney to 20 days in Chester County Prison as part of Delaney's acceptance into the county's Recovery Court program for repeat offenders with substance abuse and psychological problems.

Mahon, in forgoing the jail term in favor of an increased amount of time Delaney will spend on electronic home monitoring, recalled the way that some veterans were treated when they returned from the Vietnam War. No one said, "Welcome, home," he remarked.
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Chester County judge voids prison time for Iraq War veteran

Illness kills soldier from Fort Gordon

Sergeant dies in Iraq
Illness kills soldier from Fort Gordon

By Adam Folk
Staff Writer
Friday, Sept. 17, 2010

The Fort Gordon soldier who died Thursday in Iskandariya, Iraq, of an illness had spent most of his career in Augusta.

Sgt. John Franklin Burner III, 32, was deployed with the 63rd Expeditionary Signal Battalion, which is part of the 35th Signal Brigade, according to Buz Yarnell, a Fort Gordon spokesman.

Burner, who was originally from Baltimore, left Fort Gordon with his unit Aug. 21 to work as a satellite systems team chief.
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Illness kills soldier from Fort Gordon