Caring for the invisible wounds that warriors bring home
'A SOLDIER'S HEART': DAY ONE OF A PG SPECIAL SERIES
Sunday, November 07, 2010
By Michael A. Fuoco, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
WELLS TANNERY, Pa. -- Derrick Earley steers a four-wheeler up the gravel driveway to his father's hand-built stone home and climbs off. Fit and goateed, the 23-year-old is wearing a cutoff T-shirt, camouflage shorts and cap as he shyly greets visitors, not quite making eye contact, not quite avoiding it, either.
He is surrounded by his father's 300-acre farm amid the grandeur of Fulton County. So breathtaking is this area about 10 miles northeast of Breezewood it is difficult to absorb -- rolling hills, valleys peppered with lush forests, well-groomed hay fields, and, miles away, majestic Sideling Hill, part of the Allegheny Mountains
Read more: Caring for the invisible wounds that warriors bring home
Sunday, November 7, 2010
Veterans of Korea and Vietnam get special focus during Veterans Day Parade
Veterans Day Parade in Auburn stirs pride for a soldier mom
Despite the rain, thousands thronged the sidewalks of Auburn's Main Street to watch the 200 military units, more than two dozen high-school marching bands, Army tankers, drill teams and bagpipers pass by. The event is billed by the city as one of the largest in the country honoring veterans.
By Sonia Krishnan
Seattle Times staff reporter
It still feels a little surreal.
Sgt. Lyn Kibler can actually hold her 3-year-old son now. And when he wants to hear her voice, he doesn't have to listen to a recording she sent to him from Iraq. He just says "Mom," and there she is.
Kibler, 25, returned to Joint Base Lewis-McChord in March after a yearlong deployment. On Saturday, she wore fatigues and walked with her son, Azrael, in the 45th annual Veterans Day Parade in Auburn.
Despite the rain, thousands thronged the sidewalks of Main Street to watch the 200 military units, more than two dozen high-school marching bands, Army tankers, drill teams and bagpipers pass by. The event is billed by the city as one of the largest in the country honoring veterans.
Some brought children decked out in red, white and blue, while others brought dogs, such as one golden retriever with an American flag around its neck. Everywhere, people beamed with pride.
read more here
Veterans Day Parade in Auburn
Despite the rain, thousands thronged the sidewalks of Auburn's Main Street to watch the 200 military units, more than two dozen high-school marching bands, Army tankers, drill teams and bagpipers pass by. The event is billed by the city as one of the largest in the country honoring veterans.
By Sonia Krishnan
Seattle Times staff reporter
This year, the parade paid special tribute to the Veterans of Foreign Wars. Dozens who fought in Korea and Vietnam received cheers and praise as they walked the one-mile route.
"Welcome home!" shouted Gary Knutson to a tanker filled with Vietnam vets.
"It's a brotherhood," explained Knutson, who served in Vietnam from 1965 to 1966. "Whether you know (the vets) or not," it's like family when you see one another, he said.
It still feels a little surreal.
Sgt. Lyn Kibler can actually hold her 3-year-old son now. And when he wants to hear her voice, he doesn't have to listen to a recording she sent to him from Iraq. He just says "Mom," and there she is.
Kibler, 25, returned to Joint Base Lewis-McChord in March after a yearlong deployment. On Saturday, she wore fatigues and walked with her son, Azrael, in the 45th annual Veterans Day Parade in Auburn.
Despite the rain, thousands thronged the sidewalks of Main Street to watch the 200 military units, more than two dozen high-school marching bands, Army tankers, drill teams and bagpipers pass by. The event is billed by the city as one of the largest in the country honoring veterans.
Some brought children decked out in red, white and blue, while others brought dogs, such as one golden retriever with an American flag around its neck. Everywhere, people beamed with pride.
read more here
Veterans Day Parade in Auburn
Don't forget the wounded, they are veterans too!
While parades are nice for Veterans Day, we need to remember all the veterans in hospitals trying to recover from the wounds they received. This is about a program to get themn out of the hospital, even if it is just for a little while and let them just be men/women again. They are veterans everday, but for them they are also wounded veterans.
Program lets wounded vets experience W.Va. hunts
By John McCoy - The Charleston Gazette via AP
Posted : Sunday Nov 7, 2010 12:00:18 EST
FRANKLIN, W.Va. — With a quick squeeze of a crossbow's trigger, James Raffetto proved that it would take more than an insurgent's bomb to keep him from enjoying life.
"I never thought I'd be able to do something like this," Raffetto said, as he sat forward in his wheelchair and gestured to the deer lying dead nearby. "When you get hit, you think your life is over. This is proof that it isn't."
For Raffetto and a growing roster of servicemen wounded in Iraq and Afghanistan, the Potomac Highlands Wounded Warrior Outreach has been an avenue back toward an active lifestyle. Founded last January by a retired West Virginia conservation officer and a handful of friends, the outreach brings wounded soldiers, Marines and sailors to West Virginia to hunt, to fish and to enjoy a few days of life outside a hospital's walls.
"We work with the people at Walter Reed (Army Hospital) and Bethesda (Naval Hospital) to bring these fellows here," said group founder Bill Armstrong. "The idea is to get them into the outdoors for a day or two so they can relax. Some of these guys have literally been in the hospital for years, and they need some time away from the hospital routine."
read more here
Program lets wounded vets experience W.Va. hunts
Nam Knights Orlando Ride to Salute Veterans
This is how I spent yesterday. On a ride with the Nam Knights out of Orlando and a lot of other groups to salute veterans. It was really cold! But we all had a great time.
Saturday, November 6, 2010
Daughter Shops for Bigger Knife To Kill Her Mother
Report: Daughter Shops for Bigger Knife To Kill Her Mother
Catherine Eisley says she simply had enough. Her mother had to die.
Reporter: Scott Howard
Email Address: scott.howard@kolotv.com
SPARKS - Catherine Eisley says she simply had enough. Her mother had to die.
After decades of suppressing anger that she says her mom caused, the 48-year-old Sparks woman told investigators that she decided to do something. When it was all over, 70-year-old Cherry Clasen lay dead in her daughter's home, beaten with a bat and stabbed Wednesday night.
According to a police report, Eisley told investigators that her mother caused her to have post Traumatic Stress Disorder, explaining she witnessed, as a young girl, her mother and 15-year old brother committing incest. By 1995, Eisley said she was forced to take special medication to help level out her depression.
read more here
Daughter Shops for Bigger Knife To Kill Her Mother
Catherine Eisley says she simply had enough. Her mother had to die.
Reporter: Scott Howard
Email Address: scott.howard@kolotv.com
SPARKS - Catherine Eisley says she simply had enough. Her mother had to die.
After decades of suppressing anger that she says her mom caused, the 48-year-old Sparks woman told investigators that she decided to do something. When it was all over, 70-year-old Cherry Clasen lay dead in her daughter's home, beaten with a bat and stabbed Wednesday night.
According to a police report, Eisley told investigators that her mother caused her to have post Traumatic Stress Disorder, explaining she witnessed, as a young girl, her mother and 15-year old brother committing incest. By 1995, Eisley said she was forced to take special medication to help level out her depression.
read more here
Daughter Shops for Bigger Knife To Kill Her Mother
Building free homes for wounded vets
Building free homes for wounded vets
By Kathleen Toner, CNN
March 11, 2010 4:08 p.m. EST
STORY HIGHLIGHTS
Dan Wallrath's organization built four houses for wounded vets in Texas
Retired homebuilder started program after meeting father of wounded Marine
Wallrath's team remodeled house for free to make it handicapped-accessible
Do you know a hero? Nominations are open for 2010 CNN Heroes
Houston, Texas (CNN) -- Alexander Reyes' boyhood dream of a military career ended when he was hit by an improvised explosive device during a patrol two years ago in Baghdad.
"Laying in that hospital bed ... sometimes I felt I'd rather [have] died," Reyes said. "My life came to a complete halt."
Reyes sustained severe blast injuries that led to his medical discharge; he's on 100 percent medical disability. Like many soldiers wounded in Iraq and Afghanistan, Reyes, now 24, found the transition to civilian life difficult.
But he and a handful of other injured veterans are getting help from what may seem an unlikely source: a custom home builder in Houston, Texas.
Dan Wallrath recently presented Reyes and his wife with an unexpected gift: a home built especially for them, mortgage-free.
Building free homes for wounded vets
By Kathleen Toner, CNN
March 11, 2010 4:08 p.m. EST
STORY HIGHLIGHTS
Dan Wallrath's organization built four houses for wounded vets in Texas
Retired homebuilder started program after meeting father of wounded Marine
Wallrath's team remodeled house for free to make it handicapped-accessible
Do you know a hero? Nominations are open for 2010 CNN Heroes
Houston, Texas (CNN) -- Alexander Reyes' boyhood dream of a military career ended when he was hit by an improvised explosive device during a patrol two years ago in Baghdad.
"Laying in that hospital bed ... sometimes I felt I'd rather [have] died," Reyes said. "My life came to a complete halt."
Reyes sustained severe blast injuries that led to his medical discharge; he's on 100 percent medical disability. Like many soldiers wounded in Iraq and Afghanistan, Reyes, now 24, found the transition to civilian life difficult.
But he and a handful of other injured veterans are getting help from what may seem an unlikely source: a custom home builder in Houston, Texas.
Dan Wallrath recently presented Reyes and his wife with an unexpected gift: a home built especially for them, mortgage-free.
Building free homes for wounded vets
Flag Still Stands for Freedom Campaign
Online telethon to raise funds for veterans
By Rick Maze - Staff writer
Posted : Friday Nov 5, 2010 19:03:14 EDT
A retired Navy senior chief has organized a 24-hour virtual telethon for veterans, beginning at midnight Friday, as a way to share information about veterans programs and raise a little money for support organizations.
Laura Kennedy, a New York consultant on business startups, has put together an around-the-clock webcast of entertainers, authors and veterans advocates as part of an effort that evolved out of her view that the American flag wasn’t being displayed enough in everyday life.
She first had a radio show, “Red, White and Blue,” that talked about patriotic themes; that morphed into what she now calls the Flag Still Stands for Freedom Campaign.
http://www.armytimes.com/news/2010/11/military-veterans-day-virtual-telethon-110510w/
By Rick Maze - Staff writer
Posted : Friday Nov 5, 2010 19:03:14 EDT
A retired Navy senior chief has organized a 24-hour virtual telethon for veterans, beginning at midnight Friday, as a way to share information about veterans programs and raise a little money for support organizations.
Laura Kennedy, a New York consultant on business startups, has put together an around-the-clock webcast of entertainers, authors and veterans advocates as part of an effort that evolved out of her view that the American flag wasn’t being displayed enough in everyday life.
She first had a radio show, “Red, White and Blue,” that talked about patriotic themes; that morphed into what she now calls the Flag Still Stands for Freedom Campaign.
http://www.armytimes.com/news/2010/11/military-veterans-day-virtual-telethon-110510w/
Afghan soldier may have killed 2 troops
Afghan soldier may have killed 2 troops
By Katharine Houreld - The Associated Press
Posted : Saturday Nov 6, 2010 9:47:58 EDT
KABUL, Afghanistan— NATO said Saturday it is investigating whether an Afghan National Army soldier killed two coalition service members in southern Afghanistan, where joint forces are pushing into insurgent strongholds.
NATO said the coalition and the Afghan government were jointly investigating how the two service members died Friday evening in Sangin, a dangerous district of Helmand province.
An insurgent attack killed another NATO service member Saturday in the south, NATO said, without giving details or providing a nationality.
The Taliban issued a statement on the deaths in Sangin district saying an Afghan soldier shot and killed the service members on their base and then defected to the insurgency. The Taliban said the dead coalition members were Americans and put the number killed at three, but often exaggerates casualty figures in announcing its attacks.
read more here
Afghan soldier may have killed 2 troops
By Katharine Houreld - The Associated Press
Posted : Saturday Nov 6, 2010 9:47:58 EDT
KABUL, Afghanistan— NATO said Saturday it is investigating whether an Afghan National Army soldier killed two coalition service members in southern Afghanistan, where joint forces are pushing into insurgent strongholds.
NATO said the coalition and the Afghan government were jointly investigating how the two service members died Friday evening in Sangin, a dangerous district of Helmand province.
An insurgent attack killed another NATO service member Saturday in the south, NATO said, without giving details or providing a nationality.
The Taliban issued a statement on the deaths in Sangin district saying an Afghan soldier shot and killed the service members on their base and then defected to the insurgency. The Taliban said the dead coalition members were Americans and put the number killed at three, but often exaggerates casualty figures in announcing its attacks.
read more here
Afghan soldier may have killed 2 troops
Vietnam vet says "I’m doing pretty good for a dead guy," after the VA told him he was dead
Local veteran mistakenly considered dead by VA's office
by Brad Woodard / 11 News
khou.com
Posted on November 5, 2010 at 5:54 PM
Updated yesterday at 6:55 PM
SAN LEON, Texas—A veteran who depends on his benefits to survive is thought to be dead by the Veterans Administration.
Rogers Mills, Jr., of San Leon, said his steps are more measured these days. His casting arm isn’t what it used to be, but for a man in his condition, he gets around better than you might expect.
"I’m doing pretty good for a dead guy," said Mills.
At least in the eyes of the Veterans Administration.
"They killed me on paper," said Mills, "and that’s pretty dead."
A Vietnam-era veteran, Mills is disabled and receives benefits. But this month, the check wasn’t in the mail.
"Nothing. Bubkiss. Zero," said Mills.
Mills says he decided to pay a visit to the Department of Veterans Affairs regional office in Houston, where he learned his status had been changed to deceased.
read more here
Local veteran mistakenly considered dead
by Brad Woodard / 11 News
khou.com
Posted on November 5, 2010 at 5:54 PM
Updated yesterday at 6:55 PM
SAN LEON, Texas—A veteran who depends on his benefits to survive is thought to be dead by the Veterans Administration.
Rogers Mills, Jr., of San Leon, said his steps are more measured these days. His casting arm isn’t what it used to be, but for a man in his condition, he gets around better than you might expect.
"I’m doing pretty good for a dead guy," said Mills.
At least in the eyes of the Veterans Administration.
"They killed me on paper," said Mills, "and that’s pretty dead."
A Vietnam-era veteran, Mills is disabled and receives benefits. But this month, the check wasn’t in the mail.
"Nothing. Bubkiss. Zero," said Mills.
Mills says he decided to pay a visit to the Department of Veterans Affairs regional office in Houston, where he learned his status had been changed to deceased.
read more here
Local veteran mistakenly considered dead
Fort Hood marks a somber anniversary
Fort Hood marks a somber anniversary
By Ann Gerhart
Washington Post Staff Writer
Friday, November 5, 2010
Until Friday, there was only one outward symbol at Fort Hood of the chaos and carnage that erupted there on Nov. 5, 2009. The wreaths of ribbons and flowers hung on a fence surrounding Building 42003 at the massive Army post in Texas. They were placed there by a wife who became a widow that day.
Now there is a 6-foot-tall granite memorial, unveiled at a ceremony on the one-year anniversary of the massacre, the worst at a U.S. military installation. Inscribed with the names of the 13 slain when a soldier opened fire as they waited to do paperwork before a deployment, the marker has taken its place near the post's memorials to those killed in war - more than 500 in the past five years.
"Our home was attacked . . . not in a distant battlefield but right here . . . and American heroes sacrificed their lives," Gen. William Grimsley, Fort Hood's commanding general, told about 1,000 people gathered Friday morning for the ceremony, according to the Associated Press.
read more here
Fort Hood marks a somber anniversary
By Ann Gerhart
Washington Post Staff Writer
Friday, November 5, 2010
Until Friday, there was only one outward symbol at Fort Hood of the chaos and carnage that erupted there on Nov. 5, 2009. The wreaths of ribbons and flowers hung on a fence surrounding Building 42003 at the massive Army post in Texas. They were placed there by a wife who became a widow that day.
Now there is a 6-foot-tall granite memorial, unveiled at a ceremony on the one-year anniversary of the massacre, the worst at a U.S. military installation. Inscribed with the names of the 13 slain when a soldier opened fire as they waited to do paperwork before a deployment, the marker has taken its place near the post's memorials to those killed in war - more than 500 in the past five years.
"Our home was attacked . . . not in a distant battlefield but right here . . . and American heroes sacrificed their lives," Gen. William Grimsley, Fort Hood's commanding general, told about 1,000 people gathered Friday morning for the ceremony, according to the Associated Press.
read more here
Fort Hood marks a somber anniversary
Camp Pendleton, 19 year old Marine loses leg after freeway crash
Marine loses leg after freeway crash
By ALEJANDRA MOLINA
THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER
A 19-year-old Marine lost his left leg after he crashed into a guardrail Thursday on the southbound I-5 as he was headed to Camp Pendleton for his morning assignment.
It was about 5:07 a.m. on Thursday when Lance Cpl. Jordon Sickinger veered to the right, crashed into a metal guardrail and rolled over near El Toro Road, the California Highway Patrol said.
A passenger, who is also a Marine, pulled Sickinger out of the car and administered first aid to his wounds, said Donya Larson, who is Sickinger's mom.
read more here
Marine loses leg after freeway crash
By ALEJANDRA MOLINA
THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER
A 19-year-old Marine lost his left leg after he crashed into a guardrail Thursday on the southbound I-5 as he was headed to Camp Pendleton for his morning assignment.
It was about 5:07 a.m. on Thursday when Lance Cpl. Jordon Sickinger veered to the right, crashed into a metal guardrail and rolled over near El Toro Road, the California Highway Patrol said.
A passenger, who is also a Marine, pulled Sickinger out of the car and administered first aid to his wounds, said Donya Larson, who is Sickinger's mom.
read more here
Marine loses leg after freeway crash
Friday, November 5, 2010
AWOL Soldier Refusing Deployment Because of Severe PTSD
AWOL Soldier Refusing Deployment Because of Severe PTSD
Friday 05 November 2010
by: Sarah Lazare, t r u t h o u t | Report
(Photo: RDECOM / Flickr)
"I am just trying to get help," insisted Jeff Hanks, active duty US Army infantryman, who has served in Iraq and Afghanistan. "My goal in this situation is to simply heal. And they wonder why there are so many suicides." Jeff spoke rapidly over the phone from Virginia, where he, his wife and his two young daughters are staying while he is AWOL from the military. Days earlier, Jeff had walked out of an airport, refusing to board a plane headed for Kuwait, which was to be his first stop on his way back to Afghanistan.
During his mid-September leave from his second combat tour with the 101st Airborne Division, Jeff sought help from Fort Bragg and Fort Campbell military doctors for post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and physical wounds sustained in battle. Yet, just as his treatment was getting started, his command interfered, insisting that his military health care providers grant him clearance for immediate deployment. His providers acquiesced, even though they had not completed preliminary testing.
Jeff, who has trouble being in large crowds of people and difficulty controlling his anger, says he is in no state to deploy back to the war from which he is still struggling to heal. The 30 year-old soldier decided that his only choice was to go AWOL. Jeff plans to turn himself into his command at Fort Campbell on Veterans Day, November 11.
read more here
AWOL Soldier Refusing Deployment Because of Severe PTSD
Friday 05 November 2010
by: Sarah Lazare, t r u t h o u t | Report
(Photo: RDECOM / Flickr)
"I am just trying to get help," insisted Jeff Hanks, active duty US Army infantryman, who has served in Iraq and Afghanistan. "My goal in this situation is to simply heal. And they wonder why there are so many suicides." Jeff spoke rapidly over the phone from Virginia, where he, his wife and his two young daughters are staying while he is AWOL from the military. Days earlier, Jeff had walked out of an airport, refusing to board a plane headed for Kuwait, which was to be his first stop on his way back to Afghanistan.
During his mid-September leave from his second combat tour with the 101st Airborne Division, Jeff sought help from Fort Bragg and Fort Campbell military doctors for post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and physical wounds sustained in battle. Yet, just as his treatment was getting started, his command interfered, insisting that his military health care providers grant him clearance for immediate deployment. His providers acquiesced, even though they had not completed preliminary testing.
Jeff, who has trouble being in large crowds of people and difficulty controlling his anger, says he is in no state to deploy back to the war from which he is still struggling to heal. The 30 year-old soldier decided that his only choice was to go AWOL. Jeff plans to turn himself into his command at Fort Campbell on Veterans Day, November 11.
read more here
AWOL Soldier Refusing Deployment Because of Severe PTSD
Another Adversary To Defeat
This is my first post as a staff writer for Veteran's Today. When I think that having PTSD does not make anything hopeless, it is vital that we dedicate everything we have into defeating it with just as much dedication as we do going after enemies we can see.
Another Adversary To Defeat
by Chaplain Kathie
Coming Home Returning from Hell Military Men and Women Just Want to Get Back to Their Normal Lives
When the men and women leave their bases, they head into combat with weapons they were trained to use. Imagine if they were sent without weapons. Imagine if they were sent with weapons but left alone to figure out how to use them. The military is great at drilling, training and even manipulating the thinking process of the soldiers they send, but not so good on the returning process. They've never been trained with as much sense of urgency on how to come home.
Read More
Another Adversary To Defeat
National Guard Try To Stop Suicides Among Veterans
National Guard Try To Stop Suicides Among Veterans
Military Suicide Rates Double National Average
By MIKE BOWERSOCK
Published: November 04, 2010
COLUMBUS, Ohio --
Inside a classroom near Beightler Armory Thursday, a group of mostly Ohio National guardsmen learned how to better diagnose their fellow soldiers who may be on the brink of committing suicide.
"Historically the suicide rate in the military, in the Army has been lower than the national average. But about two years ago, we started to go above the national average," said Ohio National Guard Capt. Nick Chou.
The suicide rate in the general public is about 11 people per 100,000, but among veterans it's 20 per 100,000.
The reason? It seems veterans, reserve, guard, and active military have come into a perfect storm of stress
Suicides Among Veterans
Military Suicide Rates Double National Average
By MIKE BOWERSOCK
Published: November 04, 2010
COLUMBUS, Ohio --
Inside a classroom near Beightler Armory Thursday, a group of mostly Ohio National guardsmen learned how to better diagnose their fellow soldiers who may be on the brink of committing suicide.
"Historically the suicide rate in the military, in the Army has been lower than the national average. But about two years ago, we started to go above the national average," said Ohio National Guard Capt. Nick Chou.
The suicide rate in the general public is about 11 people per 100,000, but among veterans it's 20 per 100,000.
The reason? It seems veterans, reserve, guard, and active military have come into a perfect storm of stress
Suicides Among Veterans
Soldier's mother says military let her son down
Soldier's mother says military let her son down
Goldstream Gazette
Two and a half years after her son’s suicide, a Victoria woman’s struggles with the Department of National Defence have finally been acknowledged at the highest level.
A long-awaited apology came only after Sheila Fynes made a trip to Ottawa to share her story with the national media.
Backed by Victoria MP Denise Savoie, Fynes spoke out about the military’s handling of her son’s post-traumatic stress disorder (a psychological condition sometimes seen in soldiers who have served in a battle zone) and subsequent mistreatment of the family.
“We believe that there has been a concerted effort on the part of the Department (of National Defence) to tarnish our son’s reputation and memory to absolve it of any responsibility,” Fynes said. “Our hope is that never again should a soldier or soldier’s family suffer as ours has.”
On March 15, 2008, Cpl. Stuart Langridge, then 28, hanged himself in his barracks at CFB Edmonton.
He had served tours of duty in Bosnia and Afghanistan starting in 2002 and had an outstanding military record until 2006.
Troubles started in 2007.
According to files compiled by Savoie’s office, Langridge was medicated for an anxiety-related issue in March. Until his death a year later, he struggled with substance abuse and attempted suicide six times.
read more here
Soldier's mother says military let her son down
Goldstream Gazette
Two and a half years after her son’s suicide, a Victoria woman’s struggles with the Department of National Defence have finally been acknowledged at the highest level.
A long-awaited apology came only after Sheila Fynes made a trip to Ottawa to share her story with the national media.
Backed by Victoria MP Denise Savoie, Fynes spoke out about the military’s handling of her son’s post-traumatic stress disorder (a psychological condition sometimes seen in soldiers who have served in a battle zone) and subsequent mistreatment of the family.
“We believe that there has been a concerted effort on the part of the Department (of National Defence) to tarnish our son’s reputation and memory to absolve it of any responsibility,” Fynes said. “Our hope is that never again should a soldier or soldier’s family suffer as ours has.”
On March 15, 2008, Cpl. Stuart Langridge, then 28, hanged himself in his barracks at CFB Edmonton.
He had served tours of duty in Bosnia and Afghanistan starting in 2002 and had an outstanding military record until 2006.
Troubles started in 2007.
According to files compiled by Savoie’s office, Langridge was medicated for an anxiety-related issue in March. Until his death a year later, he struggled with substance abuse and attempted suicide six times.
read more here
Soldier's mother says military let her son down
Shreveport soldier Sgt. Derrick Smith to get Soldier's Medal for Fort Hood action
Local soldier tapped for heroic actions
BY JOHN ANDREW PRIME • JPRIME@GANNETT.COM • NOVEMBER 5, 2010
One year ago, Shreveport soldier Sgt. Derrick Smith waited to get paperwork done in the Soldier Readiness Processing Center on the sprawling Army city of Fort Hood, Texas, when hell broke loose.
An officer whose motivations are the subject of Army court hearings started firing rounds from two guns at fellow soldiers and civilians, killing 13 people and wounding 32 others. Smith and his commanding officer rendered aid to the wounded and advanced on the officer accused of the rampage, Army psychiatrist Major Nidal Halik Hasan.
Hasan was finally felled by shots fired by civilian police officers Kimberly Munley, who was wounded several times, and Mark Todd.
One of the four heroic actions Smith performed was to save Munley's life.
For that and other actions, the now-retired Louisiana Army National Guard soldier will be among 70 soldiers and civilians honored in a ceremony today at Fort Hood, with Army Chief of Staff Gen. George Casey and Army Secretary John McHugh presiding.
Smith will receive the Soldier's Medal, the highest award given for heroism not involving combat with an armed enemy.
read more here
Local soldier tapped for heroic actions
BY JOHN ANDREW PRIME • JPRIME@GANNETT.COM • NOVEMBER 5, 2010
One year ago, Shreveport soldier Sgt. Derrick Smith waited to get paperwork done in the Soldier Readiness Processing Center on the sprawling Army city of Fort Hood, Texas, when hell broke loose.
An officer whose motivations are the subject of Army court hearings started firing rounds from two guns at fellow soldiers and civilians, killing 13 people and wounding 32 others. Smith and his commanding officer rendered aid to the wounded and advanced on the officer accused of the rampage, Army psychiatrist Major Nidal Halik Hasan.
Hasan was finally felled by shots fired by civilian police officers Kimberly Munley, who was wounded several times, and Mark Todd.
One of the four heroic actions Smith performed was to save Munley's life.
For that and other actions, the now-retired Louisiana Army National Guard soldier will be among 70 soldiers and civilians honored in a ceremony today at Fort Hood, with Army Chief of Staff Gen. George Casey and Army Secretary John McHugh presiding.
Smith will receive the Soldier's Medal, the highest award given for heroism not involving combat with an armed enemy.
read more here
Local soldier tapped for heroic actions
House Dems See Defense Experts Tossed Aside
House Dems See Defense Experts Tossed Aside
November 04, 2010
Stars and Stripes|by Leo Shane III
WASHINGTON -- The Republican takeover of the House on Tuesday was largely led by voters’ unhappiness over the economy, but Democrats in the chamber saw major losses in their defense voices as a result.
At least 10 Democrats on the House Armed Services Committee were ousted, including Chairman Ike Skelton, a fixture in the chamber for 33 years.
Their less-experienced replacements will be left to fight against the defense priorities of a Republican majority: an increase in military spending, more emphasis on missile defense, changes to the planned Afghanistan withdrawal timelines, and scuttling plans to close prison facilities at Guantanamo Bay.
The change in power also means that if a “don’t ask, don’t tell” repeal isn’t passed this year, it likely won’t find any real legislative support in the House next year.
California Rep. Buck McKeon, in line to take over as chairman of the House Armed Services Committee, said Wednesday that Republicans in both the House and Senate chambers are “committed to passing a [bill] that is not weighed down by the current majority’s social agenda items.” And Iraq veteran Patrick Murphy of Pennsylvania, the Democrats’ leading advocate for repealing the ban on gays serving openly, lost his re-election race, much to the dismay of House Democrats and gay rights groups.
read more here
House Dems See Defense Experts Tossed Aside
Some more of his votes and you can find the rest of his votes on VoteSmart
08/02/2007 Mandatory Troop Rest Periods Between Deployments to Iraq
HR 3159 N Bill Passed - House
(229 - 194)
and then there was this one too
November 04, 2010
Stars and Stripes|by Leo Shane III
WASHINGTON -- The Republican takeover of the House on Tuesday was largely led by voters’ unhappiness over the economy, but Democrats in the chamber saw major losses in their defense voices as a result.
At least 10 Democrats on the House Armed Services Committee were ousted, including Chairman Ike Skelton, a fixture in the chamber for 33 years.
Their less-experienced replacements will be left to fight against the defense priorities of a Republican majority: an increase in military spending, more emphasis on missile defense, changes to the planned Afghanistan withdrawal timelines, and scuttling plans to close prison facilities at Guantanamo Bay.
The change in power also means that if a “don’t ask, don’t tell” repeal isn’t passed this year, it likely won’t find any real legislative support in the House next year.
California Rep. Buck McKeon, in line to take over as chairman of the House Armed Services Committee, said Wednesday that Republicans in both the House and Senate chambers are “committed to passing a [bill] that is not weighed down by the current majority’s social agenda items.” And Iraq veteran Patrick Murphy of Pennsylvania, the Democrats’ leading advocate for repealing the ban on gays serving openly, lost his re-election race, much to the dismay of House Democrats and gay rights groups.
Republicans in the Senate blocked the annual defense authorization bill in September because it included a repeal of the “don’t ask, don’t tell” law. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, who was re-elected in Nevada, has promised another vote later this year but will need to find at least one Republican ally to move the legislation ahead. House Republicans would get another shot at that bill during reconciliation between the chambers.
read more here
House Dems See Defense Experts Tossed Aside
Some more of his votes and you can find the rest of his votes on VoteSmart
Nay (with party)08/02/2007 Mandatory Troop Rest Periods Between Deployments to Iraq
HR 3159 N Bill Passed - House
(229 - 194)
and then there was this one too
Key Votes:
HR 2206
H Amdt 2: Replacing Titles I and II of House Amdt 1 to HR 2206
H Amdt 1: Departmental Appropriations for Defense, Security, and Hurricane Recovery
Issues: Budget, Spending and Taxes, Business and Consumers, Defense, Foreign Aid and Policy Issues, Labor, Military Issues
Date: 05/10/2007
Sponsor: Rep. Obey, David Ross (D-WI)
Representative McKeon voted NO
Read statements Representative McKeon made in this general time period.
Project Vote Smart's Synopsis:
Vote to appropriate $118.73 billion to certain departments for various purposes, including the war on terror and Hurricane Katrina efforts, and to raise the minimum wage and reduce business taxes.
Highlights:
-Appropriates $101.93 billion for the Department of Defense.
-Appropriates $6.86 billion for the Department of Homeland Security.
-Appropriates $5.24 billion for the Department of State.
-Appropriates $1.79 billion for the Department of Veterans Affairs.
-Appropriates $1.56 billion for the Department of Health and Human Services.
-Appropriates $909.5 million for the Department of Agriculture.
-Appropriates $717.94 million for the Department of Transportation.
-Expresses the sense of the Congress that U.S. troops should be redeployed from Iraq as battalions of Iraqi security forces become able to conduct security operations on their own (Sec. 1326).
-Increases the federal minimum wage to $5.85 per hour 60 days after the enactment of this bill, $6.55 per hour 12 months after that 60th day, and $7.25 per hour 24 months after that 60th day (Sec. 7102).
-Addresses business tax modifications, including such adjustments as extending the work opportunity tax credit, extending and increasing expensing for small business, extending and expanding the low-income housing credit rules under the Gulf Opportunity Zone Tax for buildings in the GO zones, and other adjustments (Secs. 7211, 7212, 7222).
Fort Hood Marks One Year Since Deadly Rampage
Hood Marks One Year Since Deadly Rampage
November 05, 2010
Agence France-Presse
FORT HOOD, Texas -- When the first shots rang out in a deployment center here, Soldiers thought it was a drill. They were stunned to discover they were in a middle of a massacre, by one of their own.
By the time it was over, 13 people were dead and dozens more wounded in an attack that brought home the war to this sprawling military base in the heart of Texas, and raised the specter of homegrown Islamic extremism.
A year after the shootings, Maj. Nidal Malik Hasan, 40, sits paralyzed from the chest down in a jail cell facing 13 counts of premeditated murder -- charges that could bring the death penalty.
The Nov. 5, 2009, shooting shocked the nation. Military officials have faced intense criticism for overlooking warning signs about Hasan, an army psychiatrist who corresponded by e-mail with a radical cleric now in Yemen.
The cleric, Anwar al-Awlaki, has since been accused of links to a string of other plots originating from Yemen, most recently the discovery of explosive devices on U.S. cargo planes.
The Army's top civilian, John McHugh, and chief of staff, Gen. George Casey, will speak here Friday at a ceremony in memory of the victims. A 6-foot-tall granite memorial etched with the names of the 13 people killed in last year's shooting rampage was to be unveiled at the ceremony.
Survivors have searing memories of the day.
read more here
Hood Marks One Year Since Deadly Rampage
November 05, 2010
Agence France-Presse
FORT HOOD, Texas -- When the first shots rang out in a deployment center here, Soldiers thought it was a drill. They were stunned to discover they were in a middle of a massacre, by one of their own.
By the time it was over, 13 people were dead and dozens more wounded in an attack that brought home the war to this sprawling military base in the heart of Texas, and raised the specter of homegrown Islamic extremism.
A year after the shootings, Maj. Nidal Malik Hasan, 40, sits paralyzed from the chest down in a jail cell facing 13 counts of premeditated murder -- charges that could bring the death penalty.
The Nov. 5, 2009, shooting shocked the nation. Military officials have faced intense criticism for overlooking warning signs about Hasan, an army psychiatrist who corresponded by e-mail with a radical cleric now in Yemen.
The cleric, Anwar al-Awlaki, has since been accused of links to a string of other plots originating from Yemen, most recently the discovery of explosive devices on U.S. cargo planes.
The Army's top civilian, John McHugh, and chief of staff, Gen. George Casey, will speak here Friday at a ceremony in memory of the victims. A 6-foot-tall granite memorial etched with the names of the 13 people killed in last year's shooting rampage was to be unveiled at the ceremony.
Survivors have searing memories of the day.
read more here
Hood Marks One Year Since Deadly Rampage
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