Firefighters, Santa bring Somersworth Marine home for Christmas
BY AIMEE LOCKHARDT
alockhardt@fosters.com
Sunday, December 26, 2010
SOMERSWORTH — Four-year-old Anthony Griffin's eyes lit up when he saw the fire engine climb the hill toward his apartment on Winter Street.
Then suddenly a grin stretched across his face when he noticed who was inside. Right in the front was Santa Claus, waving at him.
As Santa stepped from the engine, Anthony rushed over and into his arms, and that's when he noticed the figure who had followed Santa out of the fire engine. The man knelt on the ground, trying to hold back tears, as Anthony then flew into his arms.
This would be the first Christmas he'd spend with his uncle since 2008.
The Somersworth Fire Department, with help from Santa and an elf, made a special trip on Christmas Eve day to deliver 22-year-old Marine Lance Cpl. Matthew Sanborn home after he was away for two and a half years.
"I'm supposed to be the toughest of the tough, and I'm about to cry," Sanborn said about seeing his family again.
A couple of weeks ago, firefighter James Drakopoulos was on duty when he received a phone call from Sanborn asking for help surprising his nephew with his homecoming.
"A lot of the guys (on the fire department) are veterans," Drakopoulos said, adding that he didn't hesitate to assist. "And we usually try to help whoever we can with what they need ... Everyone was willing to do whatever they could. These guys are serving our country."
Sanford spent his first year away from home in training, and then during his second year, he was deployed with the 24th Marine Expeditionary Unit. He spent time in Haiti after the earthquake hit, and then wen to Djibouti, Africa, and Jordan. He returned to the states in August, where he was stationed at Camp Lejeune in North Carolina.
"Not a day goes by when I don't think about them or what they're doing," the lance corporal said.
read more here
Firefighters, Santa bring Somersworth Marine home for Christmas
Sunday, December 26, 2010
Soldier committed suicide outside Fayetteville PD
Soldier committed suicide outside Fayetteville PD
December 26, 2010 posted by Chaplain Kathie ·
read more here
Soldier committed suicide outside Fayetteville PD
Sword of Damocles
December 26, 2010 posted by Chaplain Kathie ·
There is a hidden war going on in this country that few are talking about. While news reports finally spread the growing crisis of veterans returning home with PTSD, seeing their lives fall apart, these cases are usually attributed to combat operations. A few days ago Dana Morgan, President of Point Man Ministries, and I were talking about this other hidden crisis. The soldiers sent for humanitarian relief operations are more affected by what they witness."The value of the sword is not that it falls, but rather, that it hangs."
Soldier committed suicide outside Fayetteville PDThis happens. What they see is not something they can fight against. There is no battle plan to defeat a natural disaster. They also see death on a massive scale followed by suffering survivors waiting for help.
FAYETTEVILLE, N.C. — A man who shot himself Thursday outside the Fayetteville Police Administrative Building was a Fort Bragg soldier, according to the post.
Spc. Freddy J. Hook, 20, of Maurice, La., was a healthcare specialist with Company C, 407th Brigade Support Battalion, 2nd Brigade Combat Team. He had been stationed at Fort Bragg since Sept. 2009. His most recent deployment was for earthquake relief in Haiti in January.
Hook shot himself on Hay Street shortly before 6 a.m. Thursday. He died at Cape Fear Valley Medical Center on Saturday, police said.
read more here
Soldier committed suicide outside Fayetteville PD
Sword of Damocles
Saturday, December 25, 2010
A simple casket with an American flag for Vietnam Veteran Andrew Elmer Wright
There are many post I think about often but at this time of year a post I did back in March seems to fit very well with what Christmas is supposed to be. It is supposed to be a day of making others feel loved and that is exactly what a church did for a homeless Vietnam Vet and he returned the love to them. He passed away in March but his life touched so many that I wanted to post this story again.
A few days ago I received an email from Chaplain Lyle Schmeiser, DAV Chapter 16, asking for people to attend a funeral for a homeless Vietnam veteran. After posting about funerals for the forgotten for many years across the country, I felt compelled to attend.
As I drove to the Carey Hand Colonial Funeral Home, I imagined an empty room knowing how few people would show up for a funeral like this. All the other homeless veteran stories flooded my thoughts and this, I thought, would be just one more of them.
When I arrived, I discovered the funeral home was paying for the funeral. Pastor Joel Reif, of First United Church of Christ asked them if they could help out to bury this veteran and they did. They put together a beautiful service with Honor Guard and a 21 gun salute by the VFW post.
I asked a man there what he knew about Andrew and his eyes filled. He smiled and then told me how Andrew wouldn't drink the water from the tap. He'd send this man for bottled water, always insisting on paying for it. When the water was on sale, he'd buy Andrew an extra case of water but Andrew was upset because the man didn't use the extra money for gas.
Then Pastor Joel filled in more of Andrew's life. Andrew got back from Vietnam, got married and had children. His wife passed away and Andrew remarried. For some reason the marriage didn't work out. Soon the state came to take his children away. Andrew did all he could to get his children back, but after years of trying, he gave up and lost hope.
A few years ago, after going to the church for help from the food pantry, for himself and his cats, Andrew lost what little he had left. The tent he was living in was bulldozed down in an attempt to clear out homeless people from Orlando. Nothing was left and he couldn't find his cats.
Andrew ended up talking to Pastor Joel after his bike was stolen again, he'd been beaten up and ended up sleeping on church grounds in the doorway. Pastor Joel offered him the shed in the back of the church to sleep in so that he wouldn't have to face more attacks.
The shed had electricity and they put in a TV set, a frying pan and a coffee maker. They wanted to give Andrew more but he said they had already given him enough.
Pastor Joel told of how Andrew gave him a Christmas card with some money in it one year. Pastor Joel didn't want to take money from someone with so little, but Andrew begged him to take it saying "Please, don't take this away from me" because it was all he had to give and it meant a lot to give it to the Pastor. Much like the widow with two cents gave all she had in the Bible, Andrew was truly grateful for what little he had been given from the church.
What was soon made clear is that Pastor Joel gave him even more than he imagined. Andrew took it on himself to be the church watchman. While services were going on after Andrew greeted the parishioners, he would travel around the parking lot to make sure the cars were safe. At night he made sure any guests of the church were equally watched over. Pastor Joel not only gave him a roof over his head and food, he gave him something to make him feel needed.
More and more people came to the service and there was a lot of weeping as Pastor Joel spoke. What was very clear this day is that Andrew was called a homeless veteran but he was not homeless. He found one at the church. He lost his family and his children, but he found a family at the church.
From what was said about Andrew, he was a Vietnam veteran with PTSD and he wanted no help from the VA. Too many of them feel the same way and they live on the streets, depending on the kindness of strangers to help them out. Andrew wasn't one of the panhandlers we see in Orlando. He refused to beg for money and he wanted to work for whatever he was given. His health got worse but he still did what he could. Right up until March 16, 2010 when Andrew passed away, no matter what happened to him during his life, Andrew proved that this veteran was not hopeless, not helpless because he found the fulfillment of hope in the arms of strangers who took him in and he found help as he asked as well as gave.
The legacy of this homeless veteran is that he touched the lives of so many hearts and will never be forgotten.
A simple casket with an American flag for Vietnam Veteran Andrew Elmer Wright.
A simple bouquet of flowers was placed with a simple photo a church member snapped.
By all accounts, Andrew was a simple man with simple needs but what was evident today is that Andrew was anything but a "simple" man.
A few days ago I received an email from Chaplain Lyle Schmeiser, DAV Chapter 16, asking for people to attend a funeral for a homeless Vietnam veteran. After posting about funerals for the forgotten for many years across the country, I felt compelled to attend.
As I drove to the Carey Hand Colonial Funeral Home, I imagined an empty room knowing how few people would show up for a funeral like this. All the other homeless veteran stories flooded my thoughts and this, I thought, would be just one more of them.
When I arrived, I discovered the funeral home was paying for the funeral. Pastor Joel Reif, of First United Church of Christ asked them if they could help out to bury this veteran and they did. They put together a beautiful service with Honor Guard and a 21 gun salute by the VFW post.
I asked a man there what he knew about Andrew and his eyes filled. He smiled and then told me how Andrew wouldn't drink the water from the tap. He'd send this man for bottled water, always insisting on paying for it. When the water was on sale, he'd buy Andrew an extra case of water but Andrew was upset because the man didn't use the extra money for gas.
Then Pastor Joel filled in more of Andrew's life. Andrew got back from Vietnam, got married and had children. His wife passed away and Andrew remarried. For some reason the marriage didn't work out. Soon the state came to take his children away. Andrew did all he could to get his children back, but after years of trying, he gave up and lost hope.
A few years ago, after going to the church for help from the food pantry, for himself and his cats, Andrew lost what little he had left. The tent he was living in was bulldozed down in an attempt to clear out homeless people from Orlando. Nothing was left and he couldn't find his cats.
Andrew ended up talking to Pastor Joel after his bike was stolen again, he'd been beaten up and ended up sleeping on church grounds in the doorway. Pastor Joel offered him the shed in the back of the church to sleep in so that he wouldn't have to face more attacks.
The shed had electricity and they put in a TV set, a frying pan and a coffee maker. They wanted to give Andrew more but he said they had already given him enough.
Pastor Joel told of how Andrew gave him a Christmas card with some money in it one year. Pastor Joel didn't want to take money from someone with so little, but Andrew begged him to take it saying "Please, don't take this away from me" because it was all he had to give and it meant a lot to give it to the Pastor. Much like the widow with two cents gave all she had in the Bible, Andrew was truly grateful for what little he had been given from the church.
What was soon made clear is that Pastor Joel gave him even more than he imagined. Andrew took it on himself to be the church watchman. While services were going on after Andrew greeted the parishioners, he would travel around the parking lot to make sure the cars were safe. At night he made sure any guests of the church were equally watched over. Pastor Joel not only gave him a roof over his head and food, he gave him something to make him feel needed.
More and more people came to the service and there was a lot of weeping as Pastor Joel spoke. What was very clear this day is that Andrew was called a homeless veteran but he was not homeless. He found one at the church. He lost his family and his children, but he found a family at the church.
From what was said about Andrew, he was a Vietnam veteran with PTSD and he wanted no help from the VA. Too many of them feel the same way and they live on the streets, depending on the kindness of strangers to help them out. Andrew wasn't one of the panhandlers we see in Orlando. He refused to beg for money and he wanted to work for whatever he was given. His health got worse but he still did what he could. Right up until March 16, 2010 when Andrew passed away, no matter what happened to him during his life, Andrew proved that this veteran was not hopeless, not helpless because he found the fulfillment of hope in the arms of strangers who took him in and he found help as he asked as well as gave.
The legacy of this homeless veteran is that he touched the lives of so many hearts and will never be forgotten.
Behind this church, in a tiny shed, Andew spent his last hours on this earth. Born in Riverside Park NJ on November 5, 1938 he returned to God on March 16, 2010.
John 14:2-3
In my Father's house are many rooms; if it were not so, I would have told you. I am going there to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am.
Matthew 25
35 For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in,
36 I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.'
After shooting, officials work to prevent lasting trauma
If you can understand the need for something like this after one event, then maybe you can understand a soldier coming home needing help after a year's worth of events when their lives were on on the line.
After shooting, officials work to prevent lasting trauma
December 25, 2010 02:17:00 PM
S. BRADY CALHOUN / News Herald Writer
PANAMA CITY — Everyone involved in the hostage crisis at the Bay District Board room has a buddy.
It was one of the first things Superintendent Bill Husfelt ordered, along with time with a counselor for all the board members shortly after Clay Duke pulled out a gun during a Dec. 14 board meeting and ultimately opened fire on the board. The 56-year-old was shot by Mike Jones, the district’s chief of safety, security and police. Duke fell to the ground, returned fire and then turned his gun on himself.
No one besides Duke was physically hurt but officials are concerned that the emotional and psychological scars could linger.
“We set up a buddy system so we can look out for one another,” Husfelt said. “Especially over the holidays.”
Those who survive a traumatic event sometimes suffer from acute stress disorder, said Omar Howard, a psychiatrist with Life Management Center in Panama City.
“They have intense fear, feelings of helplessness or horror,” Howard said, adding that victims often have nightmares, problems sleeping, anger issues. They may also avoid the source of the trauma and if the incident was videotaped, like the hostage situation, they may avoid watching the video.
read more here
After shooting, officials work to prevent lasting trauma
U.S. soldiers home for Christmas at Fort Levenworth
U.S. soldiers home for Christmas — at the Army’s disciplinary barracks at Ft. Leavenworth
By Earl Glynn On December 24, 2010
LEAVENWORTH, KAN. — Her prayer went unanswered.
At a September rally in Leavenworth, Vicki Behenna from Edmond, Okl., gave details about her son’s court martial, conviction and appeal.
“We’re praying that Michael’s conviction will be reversed and he will join us home,” she said. “We’re praying for a decision by Christmas.”
The Behenna family was disappointed Wednesday to learn their son’s Dec. 2 appeal to the Army Clemency and Parole Board was denied. They had hoped for a suspended sentence and immediate parole in time for Christmas.
Letters of support from the Governor of Oklahoma, the Oklahoma Attorney General, and the entire Oklahoma Congressional Delegation had no effect. Three letters offering immediate employment upon his release had no effect.
A decision from the Army Court of Criminal Appeals from a hearing on Dec. 9 may not be known for 3 to 15 months. Michael’s family and a courtroom of supporters drove many hours to attend that hearing in Arlington, Va.
Vicki Behenna and her husband Scott travel to Leavenworth most weekends and are spending as much time as allowed with their son on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day.
read more here
U.S. soldiers home for Christmas
By Earl Glynn On December 24, 2010
LEAVENWORTH, KAN. — Her prayer went unanswered.
At a September rally in Leavenworth, Vicki Behenna from Edmond, Okl., gave details about her son’s court martial, conviction and appeal.
“We’re praying that Michael’s conviction will be reversed and he will join us home,” she said. “We’re praying for a decision by Christmas.”
The Behenna family was disappointed Wednesday to learn their son’s Dec. 2 appeal to the Army Clemency and Parole Board was denied. They had hoped for a suspended sentence and immediate parole in time for Christmas.
Letters of support from the Governor of Oklahoma, the Oklahoma Attorney General, and the entire Oklahoma Congressional Delegation had no effect. Three letters offering immediate employment upon his release had no effect.
A decision from the Army Court of Criminal Appeals from a hearing on Dec. 9 may not be known for 3 to 15 months. Michael’s family and a courtroom of supporters drove many hours to attend that hearing in Arlington, Va.
Vicki Behenna and her husband Scott travel to Leavenworth most weekends and are spending as much time as allowed with their son on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day.
read more here
U.S. soldiers home for Christmas
Grandfather of 16, paralyzed veteran murdered
Prayer Vigil Held For Slain Veteran
Posted: 2:23 pm EST December 24, 2010
Updated: 10:02 am EST December 25, 2010
DAYTON, Ohio -- Family and friends of a paralyzed Air Force veterans, brutally killed, visited the site where his body was found on Wednesday.
William Boykin, 66, was found slain inside his own van that was parked in an alley off Ferguson Ave..
Today, family members continued voicing their hope that those responsive will come forward.
At an afternoon prayer vigil, the victim's brother spoke out. He said Boykin was paralyzed from the waist down after back surgery so he was defenseless.
Paul Boykin said, "I kinda wish I could have been with him, then they would have found two in the van instead of one. I would have been back to back with him. i feel like my brother was that way. If it was one of us, he would have stayed with us through thick and thin."
Family members believe Boykin was murdered over money that he had saved to give his 16 grandchildren for Christmas.
"We just hope this thing doesn't happen anymore. We have to start caring for one another instead of destroying one another," said Paul Boykin.
read more here
Prayer Vigil Held For Slain Veteran
Posted: 2:23 pm EST December 24, 2010
Updated: 10:02 am EST December 25, 2010
DAYTON, Ohio -- Family and friends of a paralyzed Air Force veterans, brutally killed, visited the site where his body was found on Wednesday.
William Boykin, 66, was found slain inside his own van that was parked in an alley off Ferguson Ave..
Today, family members continued voicing their hope that those responsive will come forward.
At an afternoon prayer vigil, the victim's brother spoke out. He said Boykin was paralyzed from the waist down after back surgery so he was defenseless.
Paul Boykin said, "I kinda wish I could have been with him, then they would have found two in the van instead of one. I would have been back to back with him. i feel like my brother was that way. If it was one of us, he would have stayed with us through thick and thin."
Family members believe Boykin was murdered over money that he had saved to give his 16 grandchildren for Christmas.
"We just hope this thing doesn't happen anymore. We have to start caring for one another instead of destroying one another," said Paul Boykin.
read more here
Prayer Vigil Held For Slain Veteran
Dying Vietnam vet gives away home to veteran without one
Veteran gives home to fellow vet for Christmas
By KATHIE BASSETT
The (Alton) Telegraph
ROSEWOOD HEIGHTS, Ill. — A Vietnam veteran is spending Christmas in the first home he ever has owned, thanks to the generosity of a fellow soldier from that war.
Retired Army Sgt. First Class Frederick Evanik, who is dying from lung cancer, decided to deed his trailer home to another veteran of the conflict, Steve Brown, who had been renting a room in a nearby trailer at Oak Ridge Trailer Park for several years.
Serving in Vietnam from 1968 until 1971, Brown had been a specialist in the Army; he drove fuel trucks. Although Evanik and Brown served in both Vietnam and Germany, they did not meet one another until about four years ago.
"It's amazing that he would do this for me," Brown said. "I was fixing to be in the streets once Gary (Paulding), the owner of the trailer I had been living in, put his up for sale this spring."
read more here
Veteran gives home to fellow vet for Christmas
By KATHIE BASSETT
The (Alton) Telegraph
ROSEWOOD HEIGHTS, Ill. — A Vietnam veteran is spending Christmas in the first home he ever has owned, thanks to the generosity of a fellow soldier from that war.
Retired Army Sgt. First Class Frederick Evanik, who is dying from lung cancer, decided to deed his trailer home to another veteran of the conflict, Steve Brown, who had been renting a room in a nearby trailer at Oak Ridge Trailer Park for several years.
Serving in Vietnam from 1968 until 1971, Brown had been a specialist in the Army; he drove fuel trucks. Although Evanik and Brown served in both Vietnam and Germany, they did not meet one another until about four years ago.
"It's amazing that he would do this for me," Brown said. "I was fixing to be in the streets once Gary (Paulding), the owner of the trailer I had been living in, put his up for sale this spring."
read more here
Veteran gives home to fellow vet for Christmas
Where was God?
How can love live within their hearts while they are surrounded by death? It is because God is there when they are able to feel compassion, shed a tear, say a prayer and when they are still able to grieve over a fallen friend.
He is there when they risk their lives to save someone else. He was there when simple men fought to save others after they were wounded and we call they heroes presenting them with a Medal of Honor or to the families of the fallen who paid the price so that others may live.
God was there when a hand reached out to help, to comfort and when a knee was bent in prayer.
He was there when a family back home stood near a flag draped coffin and they were surrounded by love.
For Christians around the world today, Christmas Day, it is not a holiday but a holy day when the birth of Christ is celebrated but for the rest of the year we forget about one of the last things Christ did was to forgive the hands that nailed Him to the cross. God was there that day too. So many believe things they have done in their lives, especially during war, are unforgivable. The horrific memories grow stronger over the years and the tender moments when the love they felt was all that mattered are forgotten. They cannot believe God could ever care about them again, yet He does now just as He did then.
Christ made the dead live again, but they killed. He made the lame walk again but they made some lame. He made the blind see again, but they made some blind. He took care of the poor and needy but they took away homes with bombs, made widows and orphans. These thoughts take over the reason they were there in the first place. They went to fight the enemy trying to kill the people they went to save. They went in the place of the President and Congress deciding it had to be done. They went to serve the country they loved and to fight next to their brothers so that more of them would come home when it was over. They forget what was in their hearts but God did not forget that it was not out of hatred, but out of love they were willing to lay down their lives so that others may live.
John 15 The Vine and the Branches
1 “I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener. 2 He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit he prunes[a] so that it will be even more fruitful. 3 You are already clean because of the word I have spoken to you. 4 Remain in me, as I also remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me.
5 “I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing. 6 If you do not remain in me, you are like a branch that is thrown away and withers; such branches are picked up, thrown into the fire and burned. 7 If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you. 8 This is to my Father’s glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples.
9 “As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Now remain in my love. 10 If you keep my commands, you will remain in my love, just as I have kept my Father’s commands and remain in his love. 11 I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete. 12 My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you. 13 Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends. 14 You are my friends if you do what I command. 15 I no longer call you servants, because a servant does not know his master’s business. Instead, I have called you friends, for everything that I learned from my Father I have made known to you. 16 You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you so that you might go and bear fruit—fruit that will last—and so that whatever you ask in my name the Father will give you. 17 This is my command: Love each other.
During the foreign soil wars they were sent to save lives in other countries. They were willing to die in order to do it. There was no evil inside of them in what began their journey but when they came home they began to feel as if they were. They return feeling forsaken by God, not understood by family and friends and then forsaken by the rest of the country when they have a need to be taken care of. Being forsaken becomes a part of them and love is pushed away until they find that God was there all the time right by their side when love lived on no matter what they had to do and what they had to go through.
Medic in famous photo dies after PTSD struggle
By Kelly Kennedy - Staff writer
Posted : Tuesday Jul 8, 2008 6:35:20 EDT
During the first week of the war in Iraq, a Military Times photographer captured the arresting image of Army Spc. Joseph Patrick Dwyer as he raced through a battle zone clutching a tiny Iraqi boy named Ali.
The photo was hailed as a portrait of the heart behind the U.S. military machine, and Doc Dwyer’s concerned face graced the pages of newspapers across the country.
But rather than going on to enjoy the public affection for his act of heroism, he was consumed by the demons of combat stress he could not exorcise. For the medic who cared for the wounds of his combat buddies as they pushed toward Baghdad, the battle for his own health proved too much to bear.
On June 28, Dwyer, 31, died of an accidental overdose in his home in Pinehurst, N.C., after years of struggling with post-traumatic stress disorder. During that time, his marriage fell apart as he spiraled into substance abuse and depression. He found himself constantly struggling with the law, even as friends, Veterans Affairs personnel and the Army tried to help him.
“Of course he was looked on as a hero here,” said Capt. Floyd Thomas of the Pinehurst Police Department. Still, “we’ve been dealing with him for over a year.”
The day he died, Dwyer apparently took pills and inhaled the fumes of an aerosol can in an act known as “huffing.” Thomas said Dwyer then called a taxi company for a ride to the hospital. When the driver arrived, “they had a conversation through the door [of Dwyer’s home],” Thomas said, but Dwyer could not let the driver in. The driver asked Dwyer if he should call the police. Dwyer said yes. When the police arrived, they asked him if they should break down the door. He again said yes.
“It was down in one kick,” Thomas said. “They loaded him up onto a gurney, and that’s when he went code.”
Dwyer served in Iraq with 3rd Squadron, 7th Cavalry Regiment as the unit headed into Baghdad at the beginning of the war. As they pushed forward for 21 days in March 2003, only four of those days lacked gunfire, he later told Newsday. The day before Warren Zinn snapped his photo for Military Times, Dwyer’s Humvee had been hit by a rocket.
About 500 Iraqis were killed during those days, and Dwyer watched as Ali’s family near the village of al Faysaliyah was caught in the crossfire. he grabbed the 4-year-old boy from his father and sprinted with him to safety. Zinn grabbed the moment on his camera. The image went nationwide and Dwyer found himself hailed as a hero.
Medic in famous photo dies after PTSD struggle
When love lives on, God is there. When they can find the ability to still care, God is there. Until the day comes when there is peace on this earth, there will be men and women stepping up out of love willing to lay down their lives for others. Pray for those we send until that day comes when man shall kill man no more.
New Jersey helps veterans get counseling
If you want to assume veterans are treated by the VA for free, think again. Until there is a service connected rating, they are charged for treatment unless their income is too low. For too many veterans they will hear from a VA doctor they are suffering because of their service but until their claim is approved, they are not covered. The other factor is that private insurance companies will turn down claims for mental health as soon as there is a diagnosis linking it to service.
How do I know this? My husband's claim took six years to become service-connected, years after a VA doctor said it was and even more years after a private psychologist said it was. The VA charged for his care because his claim was not approved yet. Our insurance company said they would no longer cover mental healthcare for him because it was the responsibility of the government to treat him. This all ended up leading the VA to take our tax refund to cover what we couldn't pay for. Once his claim was approved, we got back most of the money but the stress and heartache of getting from admitting he needed help to having the need covered was a nightmare.
What New Jersey legislators want to do is very much needed!
How do I know this? My husband's claim took six years to become service-connected, years after a VA doctor said it was and even more years after a private psychologist said it was. The VA charged for his care because his claim was not approved yet. Our insurance company said they would no longer cover mental healthcare for him because it was the responsibility of the government to treat him. This all ended up leading the VA to take our tax refund to cover what we couldn't pay for. Once his claim was approved, we got back most of the money but the stress and heartache of getting from admitting he needed help to having the need covered was a nightmare.
What New Jersey legislators want to do is very much needed!
NJ Senate Passes Tax Credit For Veterans In Need Of Post-War Counseling
Thursday, December 23, 2010
TRENTON — Legislation to provide an income tax credit to veterans who require psychological counseling and treatment upon returning home from war has been passed by the state Senate.
Senate Majority Leader Barbara Buono said her bill would help prevent suicides by returning Iraq and Afghanistan veterans who are suffering from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD).
Under the measure (S-1026), returning veterans would be eligible for a direct state income tax credit up to $10,000 of unreimbursed psychiatric treatment — counseling that is not covered by insurance
Read more:
NJ Senate Passes Tax Credit For Veterans
Friday, December 24, 2010
Fort Carson sees progress in mental health battle as suicides drop
Fort Carson sees progress in mental health battle as suicides drop
Better screening, less stigma credited
December 24, 2010 2:23 PM
DAVE PHILIPPS
The Gazette
The murder rate for Fort Carson troops is dropping. The suicide rate is too. So is the rate of soldiers locked in the local mental hospital for suicidal or homicidal thoughts.
Army officials say it is because changes made in the last few years are finally taking hold.
And when Army brass come to tour Fort Carson looking for the keys to the success, they often stop in the office of a friendly, young psychologist named Captain Katie Kopp.
Kopp, 29, is the behavioral health officer for the 4th Infantry Division’s 4th Brigade Combat Team — basically a combat shrink. When the brigade spent 12 months in the remote mountains of southeastern Afghanistan in 2009 and 2010, she was there with them, helicoptering through war-torn valleys to tend to soldiers at outposts. In areas too dangerous for helicopters, she jumped supply convoys that often attracted rifle fire and rocket attacks.
“It gives me street cred with the Joes,” she said recently with a slight laugh. But seriously, she added, spending a year in the those valleys enables her to relate to the men she is now counseling for post-traumatic stress and other psychological wounds.
If a patient mentions he was in a certain company, she said, “I know exactly who the guys killed in that company were. I know the dates of those anniversaries, and I know the people who are probably going to need to talk about those anniversaries.”
Deploying a shrink with a brigade is nothing new. What’s new is that Kopp is still with them. In the past, most psychologists showed up just before the deployment and left days after the brigade got home. They weren’t there to help with the often turbulent months after soldiers return.
Kopp will stay with the brigade until it deploys again, and perhaps longer.
That change, and many like it, are designed to address the problems that kept soldiers who needed help from being identified, and kept soldiers who identified themselves from getting help.
At the start of the Iraq war in 2003, Fort Carson had little recent experience dealing with soldiers returning from combat and few mental health professionals. A third of mental health staff positions were unfilled.
As the war escalated, so did the amount of cases. By 2007, the number of soldiers being treated for post-traumatic stress at Fort Carson had jumped more than 700 percent.
Soldiers waited weeks to see a therapist, often only to be handed a drug prescription. Soldiers caught for drug and alcohol abuse and sent for treatment usually never got it. At the same time, countless soldiers never were identified as needing help at all. Many saw post-traumatic stress disorder as a weakness, or worse, a made-up excuse for cowards. Some soldiers were berated or punished by their sergeants for trying to seek help.
Read more: Fort Carson sees progress in mental health battle as suicides drop
Better screening, less stigma credited
December 24, 2010 2:23 PM
DAVE PHILIPPS
The Gazette
The murder rate for Fort Carson troops is dropping. The suicide rate is too. So is the rate of soldiers locked in the local mental hospital for suicidal or homicidal thoughts.
Army officials say it is because changes made in the last few years are finally taking hold.
And when Army brass come to tour Fort Carson looking for the keys to the success, they often stop in the office of a friendly, young psychologist named Captain Katie Kopp.
Kopp, 29, is the behavioral health officer for the 4th Infantry Division’s 4th Brigade Combat Team — basically a combat shrink. When the brigade spent 12 months in the remote mountains of southeastern Afghanistan in 2009 and 2010, she was there with them, helicoptering through war-torn valleys to tend to soldiers at outposts. In areas too dangerous for helicopters, she jumped supply convoys that often attracted rifle fire and rocket attacks.
“It gives me street cred with the Joes,” she said recently with a slight laugh. But seriously, she added, spending a year in the those valleys enables her to relate to the men she is now counseling for post-traumatic stress and other psychological wounds.
If a patient mentions he was in a certain company, she said, “I know exactly who the guys killed in that company were. I know the dates of those anniversaries, and I know the people who are probably going to need to talk about those anniversaries.”
Deploying a shrink with a brigade is nothing new. What’s new is that Kopp is still with them. In the past, most psychologists showed up just before the deployment and left days after the brigade got home. They weren’t there to help with the often turbulent months after soldiers return.
Kopp will stay with the brigade until it deploys again, and perhaps longer.
That change, and many like it, are designed to address the problems that kept soldiers who needed help from being identified, and kept soldiers who identified themselves from getting help.
At the start of the Iraq war in 2003, Fort Carson had little recent experience dealing with soldiers returning from combat and few mental health professionals. A third of mental health staff positions were unfilled.
As the war escalated, so did the amount of cases. By 2007, the number of soldiers being treated for post-traumatic stress at Fort Carson had jumped more than 700 percent.
Soldiers waited weeks to see a therapist, often only to be handed a drug prescription. Soldiers caught for drug and alcohol abuse and sent for treatment usually never got it. At the same time, countless soldiers never were identified as needing help at all. Many saw post-traumatic stress disorder as a weakness, or worse, a made-up excuse for cowards. Some soldiers were berated or punished by their sergeants for trying to seek help.
Read more: Fort Carson sees progress in mental health battle as suicides drop
Blumenthal Seeks to Leave No Veteran Left Behind
Blumenthal seeks seat on Senate Veterans' Affairs Committee
Neil Vigdor, Staff Writer
Published: 07:00 a.m., Tuesday, December 21, 2010
Tripped up during the campaign by the revelation that he exaggerated his military record, U.S. Sen.-elect Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., is seeking a seat on Senate Veterans' Affairs Committee.
Blumenthal, 64, plans to use the clout of his new office, which he will assume on Jan. 3, to champion improvements to the social safety net for veterans.
"The goal is to keep faith with our veterans and keep our promises to them," Blumenthal told Greenwich Time Friday during a wide-ranging interview on his transition from longtime state attorney general to senator.
Blumenthal will call for a comprehensive No Veteran Left Behind program when he fills the seat of fellow Democrat Chris Dodd, who is retiring.
"Essentially, No Veteran Left Behind is a program that I've advanced, along with others, to improve job training, educational opportunities, employment openings and health care for veterans, including aid for homeless veterans," said Blumenthal, who served in the U.S. Marine Corps Reserve during the Vietnam War but did not see combat.
Neil Vigdor, Staff Writer
Published: 07:00 a.m., Tuesday, December 21, 2010
Tripped up during the campaign by the revelation that he exaggerated his military record, U.S. Sen.-elect Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., is seeking a seat on Senate Veterans' Affairs Committee.
Blumenthal, 64, plans to use the clout of his new office, which he will assume on Jan. 3, to champion improvements to the social safety net for veterans.
"The goal is to keep faith with our veterans and keep our promises to them," Blumenthal told Greenwich Time Friday during a wide-ranging interview on his transition from longtime state attorney general to senator.
Blumenthal will call for a comprehensive No Veteran Left Behind program when he fills the seat of fellow Democrat Chris Dodd, who is retiring.
"Essentially, No Veteran Left Behind is a program that I've advanced, along with others, to improve job training, educational opportunities, employment openings and health care for veterans, including aid for homeless veterans," said Blumenthal, who served in the U.S. Marine Corps Reserve during the Vietnam War but did not see combat.
Jimmy Sparrow, 63, a veterans' advocate from Stamford who was a Marine Corps rifleman in Vietnam, said Blumenthal wholeheartedly deserves to be on the committee.
"He's always, always been a friend of the veterans," Sparrow said. "I think he would be an excellent choice. This thing that happened, clearly he misspoke, and they're making a big deal about it."
Read more: Blumenthal seeks seat on Senate Veterans' Affairs Committee
'God is' billboard replaces controversial Lincoln Tunnel atheist billboard
'God is' billboard replaces controversial Lincoln Tunnel atheist billboard
By Emanuella Grinberg and Nicole Saidi, CNN
An atheist billboard on the New Jersey side of the Lincoln Tunnel that declared Christmas a "myth" has been replaced by a pro-Christian billboard.
The old billboard, put up in late November by the American Atheists organization, said "You know it's a myth. This season, celebrate reason."
The sign stirred controversy among Christian organizations, prompting the Catholic League to erect its own pro-Christmas billboard on the New York side of the tunnel that read, "You Know It's Real: This Season Celebrate Jesus."
The new sign, which was posted by the Manhattan-based Times Square Church, reads "God is," and includes a word cloud of religious themes.
read more here
'God is' billboard replaces controversial Lincoln Tunnel atheist billboard
Top colleges reconsider ROTC after DADT repeal
Top colleges reconsider ROTC after DADT repeal
By Eric Gorski - The Associated Press
Posted : Thursday Dec 23, 2010 15:08:19 EST
Three days a week, Yale sophomore James Campbell rises at 5 a.m. for ROTC drills on a college campus that isn’t his own.
He would gladly do push-ups and run circles on Yale’s campus.
But even if that were an option, he wouldn’t have much company. Campbell is Yale’s only Army ROTC cadet.
Like other ROTC members who attend colleges that do not host the program, Campbell trains at another school — in this case, the neighboring University of New Haven. Because Yale does not fully recognize ROTC, he does not earn any academic credit toward his Yale degree for the military science course he must take at New Haven for his commission.
Forty years ago, ROTC units disappeared from Yale, Harvard, Columbia, Stanford and other elite schools, casualties of Vietnam-era tension and academic power struggles. Now, those same schools are moving toward welcoming ROTC units back thanks to the imminent demise of “don’t ask, don’t tell.”
read more here
Top colleges reconsider ROTC after DADT repeal
By Eric Gorski - The Associated Press
Posted : Thursday Dec 23, 2010 15:08:19 EST
Three days a week, Yale sophomore James Campbell rises at 5 a.m. for ROTC drills on a college campus that isn’t his own.
He would gladly do push-ups and run circles on Yale’s campus.
But even if that were an option, he wouldn’t have much company. Campbell is Yale’s only Army ROTC cadet.
Like other ROTC members who attend colleges that do not host the program, Campbell trains at another school — in this case, the neighboring University of New Haven. Because Yale does not fully recognize ROTC, he does not earn any academic credit toward his Yale degree for the military science course he must take at New Haven for his commission.
Forty years ago, ROTC units disappeared from Yale, Harvard, Columbia, Stanford and other elite schools, casualties of Vietnam-era tension and academic power struggles. Now, those same schools are moving toward welcoming ROTC units back thanks to the imminent demise of “don’t ask, don’t tell.”
read more here
Top colleges reconsider ROTC after DADT repeal
Hardest-Hit Unit From Iraq War Deploys to Afghanistan
Hardest-Hit Unit From Iraq War Deploys to Afghanistan, Leaving Families Behind
Sergeant's Wife Gives Birth to Their First Child While He Stays by Her Side Via Skype
By CHRISTINE ROMO, TERI WHITCRAFT, BOB WOODRUFF and OLIVIA KATRANDJIAN
Dec. 24, 2010
For the past five months, a small team of ABC News producers has been embedded with the Marines of Lima Company and their families in Columbus, Ohio. Lima Company was the hardest-hit unit in the Iraq War five years ago -- in 2005, the unit lost 23 men and more than 40 were wounded.
Now, five years later, Lima Company has been called to serve again, deploying this time to Helmand Province, Afghanistan, a Taliban stronghold, leaving their families behind. This time, so far, Lima has been safe.
"Not coming home is the biggest fear for everybody," said Sgt. Ken Pompilli, who is on his second deployment. "But we're all well-trained. We're all going to come home."
read more here
Hardest-Hit Unit From Iraq War Deploys to Afghanistan
Sergeant's Wife Gives Birth to Their First Child While He Stays by Her Side Via Skype
By CHRISTINE ROMO, TERI WHITCRAFT, BOB WOODRUFF and OLIVIA KATRANDJIAN
Dec. 24, 2010
For the past five months, a small team of ABC News producers has been embedded with the Marines of Lima Company and their families in Columbus, Ohio. Lima Company was the hardest-hit unit in the Iraq War five years ago -- in 2005, the unit lost 23 men and more than 40 were wounded.
Now, five years later, Lima Company has been called to serve again, deploying this time to Helmand Province, Afghanistan, a Taliban stronghold, leaving their families behind. This time, so far, Lima has been safe.
"Not coming home is the biggest fear for everybody," said Sgt. Ken Pompilli, who is on his second deployment. "But we're all well-trained. We're all going to come home."
read more here
Hardest-Hit Unit From Iraq War Deploys to Afghanistan
Marine on leave dies in metro-east crash
Friday, Dec. 24, 2010 1 Comment
Marine on leave dies in metro-east crash
BY KEVIN BERSETT - News-Democrat
A U.S. Marine on leave from his North Carolina base was killed in three-vehicle crash Thursday evening just east of the Poplar Street Bridge in East St. Louis, Illinois State Police Trooper Chad Thompson said.
The victim's 2006 Nissan Altima struck the rear of a tractor-trailer while they were driving in the westbound lanes of Interstate 64-55-70 in the wider, three-lane approach to the bridge. Police were withholding the identity of the victim until his family had been notified of his death.
A third vehicle bumped the rear of the Altima, but suffered no major damage and no injuries, Thompson said. The tractor-trailer had to be towed, but the driver was not hurt, he said.
Read more: Marine on leave dies in metro-east crash
Marine on leave dies in metro-east crash
BY KEVIN BERSETT - News-Democrat
A U.S. Marine on leave from his North Carolina base was killed in three-vehicle crash Thursday evening just east of the Poplar Street Bridge in East St. Louis, Illinois State Police Trooper Chad Thompson said.
The victim's 2006 Nissan Altima struck the rear of a tractor-trailer while they were driving in the westbound lanes of Interstate 64-55-70 in the wider, three-lane approach to the bridge. Police were withholding the identity of the victim until his family had been notified of his death.
A third vehicle bumped the rear of the Altima, but suffered no major damage and no injuries, Thompson said. The tractor-trailer had to be towed, but the driver was not hurt, he said.
Read more: Marine on leave dies in metro-east crash
Canadian Supreme Court reinstates veterans’ class-action suit
Supreme Court reinstates veterans’ class-action suit
By Janice Tibbetts, Postmedia News December 23, 2010
OTTAWA — A class-action lawsuit against the federal government for clawing back the disability payments of injured military veterans can go ahead after the Supreme Court of Canada on Thursday refused to throw out a legal challenge from a former Nova Scotia soldier.
"We're one step closer to having our day in court," said Dennis Manuge, the lead plaintiff in the suit, who served in Bosnia before he was released from the military on medical grounds.
The former corporal received the high court's unanimous approval for up to 6,500 veterans — more than half of them with mental-health problems — to sue the federal government for millions of dollars.
Their victory comes at the end of the year in which the government was under attack from the former veterans' ombudsman, Pat Stogran, who spent his final months in office, chastising the federal government for what he described as a "long-standing and deeply rooted" practice of treating veterans unfairly.
Read more: Supreme Court reinstates veterans’ class-action suit
By Janice Tibbetts, Postmedia News December 23, 2010
OTTAWA — A class-action lawsuit against the federal government for clawing back the disability payments of injured military veterans can go ahead after the Supreme Court of Canada on Thursday refused to throw out a legal challenge from a former Nova Scotia soldier.
"We're one step closer to having our day in court," said Dennis Manuge, the lead plaintiff in the suit, who served in Bosnia before he was released from the military on medical grounds.
The former corporal received the high court's unanimous approval for up to 6,500 veterans — more than half of them with mental-health problems — to sue the federal government for millions of dollars.
Their victory comes at the end of the year in which the government was under attack from the former veterans' ombudsman, Pat Stogran, who spent his final months in office, chastising the federal government for what he described as a "long-standing and deeply rooted" practice of treating veterans unfairly.
Read more: Supreme Court reinstates veterans’ class-action suit
McCain calls suicide prevention overreach and blocks bill
McCain calls suicide prevention an "overreach" and blocks bill! If all the parents out there visiting the cemetery this year for Christmas instead of sitting down with their veteran son/daughter watched this video about McCain, they would line up in front of his house and demand he resign from the Senate.
McCain told Representative Rush Holt "Don't give me a lecture" as Holt tried to explain this crisis.
John McCain blocks troop suicide prevention program
Posted by AzBlueMeanie:
From MSNBC's The Last Word with Lawrence O'Donnell blog:
Arizona Republican Senator John McCain, who admitted in his memoir to attempting suicide while held captive as a P.O.W. in Vietnam for 5 1/2 years, is responsible for blocking funding for a suicide prevention program aimed at military reserve troops returning home from combat.
McCain blocks suicide prevention bill
The Marines have reported the numbers have gone down, but they have reported drops in the past only to be followed up by another increase. While it is hopeful, it is not impressive. As you can see, we just keep losing them after they have survived combat operations but could not survive with the aftermath of combat.
Military suicide prevention efforts fail: report
By Maggie Fox, Health and Science Editor
WASHINGTON | Thu Sep 23, 2010
(Reuters) - Efforts to prevent suicides among U.S. war veterans are failing, in part because distressed troops do not trust the military to help them, top military officials said on Thursday.
Poor training, a lack of coordination and an overstretched military are also factors, but a new 76-point plan lays out ways to improve this, Colonel John Bradley, chief of psychiatry at Walter Reed Army Hospital in Washington, told a conference.
Bradley said a team of experts spent a year interviewing troops who had attempted suicide, family members and others for the report and plan, presented last month to Defense Secretary Robert Gates, who is due to report to Congress in 90 days.
"They tell us again and again that we are failing," Bradley told a symposium on military medicine sponsored by the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences and the Henry M. Jackson Foundation.
Each branch of the services -- the Army, Air Force, Navy and Marines -- rushed to create a suicide prevention program, but there was no coordination. The report recommends that the defense secretary's office take over coordination of suicide prevention efforts.
On-the-ground prevention training often failed because those running the sessions did not understand their importance, Bradley said.
"They are mocked and they are probably harmful," he said.
According to the report, available at www.health.mil/dhb/default.cfm, 1,100 servicemen and women committed suicide in 2005 to 2009 -- one suicide every day and a half. The Army's suicide rate doubled in that time.
About 1.9 million U.S. service men and women have been deployed in Iraq and Afghanistan.
read more here
Military suicide prevention efforts fail: report
Yet with these numbers, the National Guards and Reservists have a harder time surviving because when they return home, they are expected to and expect themselves to, just get back to their "normal" lives with no support system and a disconnected civilian circle surrounding them. He told Holt that "Maybe you need something like this in New Jersey, but we don't need it in Arizona." Too bad he must not read the newspaper from Tucson when they also carried the following report on this link. Civilian soldiers' suicide rate alarming
Civilian soldiers' suicide rate alarmingMcCain must not know anything about this either.
By Gregg Zoroya, USA TODAY
National Guard soldiers who are not on active duty killed themselves this year at nearly twice the rate of 2009, marring a year when suicides among Army soldiers on active duty appear to be leveling off, new Army statistics show.
Eighty-six non-active-duty Guard soldiers have killed themselves in the first 10 months of 2010, compared with 48 such suicides in all of 2009.
The reason for the rise in suicides among these "citizen soldiers" is not known. It may be linked to the recession, says Army Col. Chris Philbrick, deputy commander of an Army task force working to reduce suicides.
Philbrick said investigations into the suicides of soldiers not on full-time-active status have found that some were facing stressful situations such as home foreclosures, debt and the loss of a job.
Other factors have played a role in the suicides, including relationship problems, depression, substance abuse, combat stress and mild brain injuries, Philbrick says.
The rise comes as the rate of suicides leveled among full-time active-duty Army soldiers, National Guard members and reservists following years of increases, Philbrick says. Among that group, there were 132 confirmed or suspected suicides in the first 10 months of this year compared with 140 such suicides for the same period in 2009.
That positive trend among active-duty troops was more than offset by the rise in suicides among non-active-duty National Guard members.
There were 252 confirmed or suspected suicides among active and non-active Army members through October of this year. There were 242 such deaths in all of 2009.
read more of this here
Civilian soldiers' suicide rate alarming
National Guard sergeant from Phoenix found dead outside armoryBut in all of this, to tell Holt that it is not needed in Arizona, McCain forgets that he has run his entire political life as being a veteran and a POW. He forgets that the laws and bills passed in Washington are not about one state over another but for all states which he has been a senator long enough that he should know that. These men and women are coming home from doing what he voted for them to do but he can't manage to do anything for them when they come home? How dare he be so callous? How dare he use his title of being a veteran and then turn his back on every veteran in this country? How dare the people of Arizona put him back into office over and over again when he has voted against veterans over and over again?
by Alicia E. Barrón
azfamily.com
Posted on August 7, 2010 at 5:59 PM
Updated Saturday, Aug 7 at 6:02 PM
PHOENIX - A homicide investigation is underway involving the United States Military in Phoenix.
The body of a National Guard soldier was discovered Saturday morning in a parking lot next to the city's armory.
The victim has been identified as 45-year old Karl Markovic. Phoenix police say another National Guard member discovered him in the parking lot a few hours after he was supposed to report for drill.
read more
National Guard sergeant from Phoenix found dead outside armory
Wednesday, December 22, 2010
Five veteran suicide rescues in a two-hour period—so John McCain blocks suicide prevention
December 22, 2010 posted by Chaplain Kathie
Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) Blocks suicide prevention measure
A small crisis group gets calls all the time from veterans in crisis. Considering these men and women know what it is like to face death on a daily basis, reaching the point where all seems hopeless indicates a crisis itself, we fail to grasp how serious this is. Yet on one night this same small crisis group had to rescue 5 suicidal veterans!
read more here
http://woundedtimes.blogspot.com/2010/12/five-veteran-suicide-rescues-in-two.html
Thursday, December 23, 2010
Soldier charged in knife attack
Soldier charged in knife attack
The Associated Press
Posted : Thursday Dec 23, 2010 12:38:42 EST
FORT CAMPBELL, Ky. — An Army sergeant who was shot during a fight at Fort Campbell has been charged with attempted murder and assault for stabbing a military police officer, officials said Thursday.
The fight broke out Tuesday when Staff Sgt. Ian J. Kriebel flagged down a military police officer who was on patrol, the military said in a statement. Kriebel and the officer began to fight and Kriebel stabbed the officer “repeatedly with a knife” in the neck and upper torso.
read more here
Soldier charged in knife attack
The Associated Press
Posted : Thursday Dec 23, 2010 12:38:42 EST
FORT CAMPBELL, Ky. — An Army sergeant who was shot during a fight at Fort Campbell has been charged with attempted murder and assault for stabbing a military police officer, officials said Thursday.
The fight broke out Tuesday when Staff Sgt. Ian J. Kriebel flagged down a military police officer who was on patrol, the military said in a statement. Kriebel and the officer began to fight and Kriebel stabbed the officer “repeatedly with a knife” in the neck and upper torso.
read more here
Soldier charged in knife attack
Ex-MP says he killed lover, ditched body
Ex-MP says he killed lover, ditched body
By Joe Gould - Staff writer
Posted : Tuesday Dec 21, 2010 13:32:23 EST
Former military policeman Christopher Anthony Wilaby told a chilling story of how he strangled his married, stripper girlfriend five years ago, loaded her body into her car and drove onto Fort Riley, Kan., where he sank the car to the bottom of Moon Lake.
In a confession to agents of the FBI and the U.S. Army Criminal Investigation Command, Wilaby, 26, told how he choked Echo May Wiles to death in Junction City, Kan., during an argument over her breaking up with him.
Wilaby now stands charged in the death of Echo Wiles, the 20-year-old wife of Joshua D. Wiles, then a deployed soldier and now a civilian employee of the Army.
“She meant the world to me,” Joshua Wiles said in a Dec. 9 phone conversation with Army Times. “I loved her, and she told me she had messed up a lot but she wanted to make things right, work it out, go to marriage counseling.”
Wilaby, assigned to the 977th Military Police Company, 97th MP Battalion at Fort Riley, entered the Army in 2003 and was administratively discharged in August 2005 at the rank of private first class, said a post spokesman. According to investigators, Wilaby was disciplined for going absent without leave and for assaulting Echo Wiles.
read more here
Ex-MP says he killed lover, ditched body
By Joe Gould - Staff writer
Posted : Tuesday Dec 21, 2010 13:32:23 EST
Former military policeman Christopher Anthony Wilaby told a chilling story of how he strangled his married, stripper girlfriend five years ago, loaded her body into her car and drove onto Fort Riley, Kan., where he sank the car to the bottom of Moon Lake.
In a confession to agents of the FBI and the U.S. Army Criminal Investigation Command, Wilaby, 26, told how he choked Echo May Wiles to death in Junction City, Kan., during an argument over her breaking up with him.
Wilaby now stands charged in the death of Echo Wiles, the 20-year-old wife of Joshua D. Wiles, then a deployed soldier and now a civilian employee of the Army.
“She meant the world to me,” Joshua Wiles said in a Dec. 9 phone conversation with Army Times. “I loved her, and she told me she had messed up a lot but she wanted to make things right, work it out, go to marriage counseling.”
Wilaby, assigned to the 977th Military Police Company, 97th MP Battalion at Fort Riley, entered the Army in 2003 and was administratively discharged in August 2005 at the rank of private first class, said a post spokesman. According to investigators, Wilaby was disciplined for going absent without leave and for assaulting Echo Wiles.
read more here
Ex-MP says he killed lover, ditched body
54 active-duty Airmen have committed suicide this year alone
Air Force Suicide Rate Hits 17-Year High
December 23, 2010
Stars and Stripes|by Jennifer H. Svan
Air Force suicides hit a 17-year high in 2010, and officials say relationship problems remain the No. 1 reason Airmen decide to end their lives.
Through Tuesday, 54 active-duty Airmen have committed suicide -- 13 more than last year -- and the highest rate since 1993.
The alarming news comes after nearly two years of efforts within the Defense Department to lower suicide numbers.
The other services are reporting slightly lower numbers among active-duty troops. In the Army, there have been 144 confirmed or suspected suicides among active-duty Soldiers, compared with 162 in 2009. The Navy says its suicide rate dropped from 46 in 2009 to 33 this year, and the Marine Corps say its numbers fell from 52 last year to 46 so far in 2010.
Air Force leaders said that, in addition to relationship problems, other risk factors they evaluate include history of mental health issues, alcohol in system at time of death, financial problems and whether an Airman was deployed in the past year.
Air Force Suicide Rate Hits 17-Year High
December 23, 2010
Stars and Stripes|by Jennifer H. Svan
Air Force suicides hit a 17-year high in 2010, and officials say relationship problems remain the No. 1 reason Airmen decide to end their lives.
Through Tuesday, 54 active-duty Airmen have committed suicide -- 13 more than last year -- and the highest rate since 1993.
The alarming news comes after nearly two years of efforts within the Defense Department to lower suicide numbers.
The other services are reporting slightly lower numbers among active-duty troops. In the Army, there have been 144 confirmed or suspected suicides among active-duty Soldiers, compared with 162 in 2009. The Navy says its suicide rate dropped from 46 in 2009 to 33 this year, and the Marine Corps say its numbers fell from 52 last year to 46 so far in 2010.
Air Force leaders said that, in addition to relationship problems, other risk factors they evaluate include history of mental health issues, alcohol in system at time of death, financial problems and whether an Airman was deployed in the past year.
This year, 197 Airmen have survived suicide attempts, while the Marine Corps has reported 165 attempts. The Navy said 60 Sailors have attempted suicide.read more here
Army numbers were not available.
Air Force Suicide Rate Hits 17-Year High
VA Awareness of Services During the Holiday Season
Awareness of Services During the Holiday Season
WASHINGTON -- The holidays are a traditional time of joy, laughter and
sharing with family and friends. They are also a time of remembrance of
past celebrations and anticipation of family gatherings.
While the holiday season is often experienced as a season for
celebration and giving thanks, for many, the holidays may bring
loneliness, depression, anxiety and stress. As the holidays approach,
we encourage you to think about how you take care of yourself during
this time. As a Veteran or a family member or caregiver for a Veteran,
you are never alone; our caring professional counselors are just a phone
call away at 1-800-273-8255.
Below are some tips to help you cope with the stress, anxiety and
depression that can be brought on by the holiday season:
Pace yourself: This time of year can be a joyful occasion but also hard
on relationships and the pocketbook. Be aware of your financial
situation, so you know what you can afford when it comes to gift-giving
and travel. Plan ahead to avoid surprises.
Plan it out: Write lists to prioritize and schedule. Writing things down
often helps you to keep everything organized during a stressful and busy
time.
Take care of yourself: The holidays are for gathering with loved ones,
but keep in mind it is a time for rest as well. Watch your diet and
limit alcohol use whenever possible. Prioritize holiday activities and
avoid those that have caused stress in the past. Most of all, stay
healthy and active. For an exercise strategy, see VA's MOVE program,
www.move.va.gov.
Be of service to others: Instead of buying something, you can provide a
service for someone or volunteer your efforts as a gift. Visit a
Veteran who may not have family. Help those in need by volunteering at
a homeless shelter or food pantry. Do something for someone else who
needs it. Focusing on others for a time and doing some good can help
fight the 'holiday blues'. For opportunities to give back to Veterans
for their service, see www.volunteer.va.gov.
Ask for help: If you continue to feel depressed, anxious or stressed, do
not be afraid to seek help. Remember, our caring professional
counselors are always just a phone call away at 1-800-273-8255. We also
have online chat capabilities at
http://suicidepreventionlifeline.org/Veterans/Default.aspx.
You can also call your local VA medical center to speak with your health
care team. You can also contact the main social work office of the
medical center to get assistance. Find your local VA medical center at
www.va.gov/directory.
WASHINGTON -- The holidays are a traditional time of joy, laughter and
sharing with family and friends. They are also a time of remembrance of
past celebrations and anticipation of family gatherings.
While the holiday season is often experienced as a season for
celebration and giving thanks, for many, the holidays may bring
loneliness, depression, anxiety and stress. As the holidays approach,
we encourage you to think about how you take care of yourself during
this time. As a Veteran or a family member or caregiver for a Veteran,
you are never alone; our caring professional counselors are just a phone
call away at 1-800-273-8255.
Below are some tips to help you cope with the stress, anxiety and
depression that can be brought on by the holiday season:
Pace yourself: This time of year can be a joyful occasion but also hard
on relationships and the pocketbook. Be aware of your financial
situation, so you know what you can afford when it comes to gift-giving
and travel. Plan ahead to avoid surprises.
Plan it out: Write lists to prioritize and schedule. Writing things down
often helps you to keep everything organized during a stressful and busy
time.
Take care of yourself: The holidays are for gathering with loved ones,
but keep in mind it is a time for rest as well. Watch your diet and
limit alcohol use whenever possible. Prioritize holiday activities and
avoid those that have caused stress in the past. Most of all, stay
healthy and active. For an exercise strategy, see VA's MOVE program,
www.move.va.gov.
Be of service to others: Instead of buying something, you can provide a
service for someone or volunteer your efforts as a gift. Visit a
Veteran who may not have family. Help those in need by volunteering at
a homeless shelter or food pantry. Do something for someone else who
needs it. Focusing on others for a time and doing some good can help
fight the 'holiday blues'. For opportunities to give back to Veterans
for their service, see www.volunteer.va.gov.
Ask for help: If you continue to feel depressed, anxious or stressed, do
not be afraid to seek help. Remember, our caring professional
counselors are always just a phone call away at 1-800-273-8255. We also
have online chat capabilities at
http://suicidepreventionlifeline.org/Veterans/Default.aspx.
You can also call your local VA medical center to speak with your health
care team. You can also contact the main social work office of the
medical center to get assistance. Find your local VA medical center at
www.va.gov/directory.
Not knowing how to find the Christ Child
"The soldiers sent by Herod killed 14,000 children" under orders so that Jesus would no longer be a threat to Herod. While Christians focus on the gifts to buy at Christmas, this is pushed out of our minds because it is evil beyond comprehension.
The Flight into Egypt and Return to Nazareth
But there was a history of this kind of warfare when innocent people were killed and there were no limits to what soldiers were ordered to do.
There are many accounts in the Bible that can be translated into what we call Post Traumatic Stress Disorder today when soldiers had to cope with what was allowed in rules of warfare. Back then it was whatever they were ordered to do. The troops today are not ordered to destroy all people who live there but because innocent people do get killed in war, they grieve deeply for them. Roman soldiers during the time Christ lived were ordered to kill men and women as well as children as we read in the account of Herod's orders yet Christ took pity on a Roman Centurion, healing his servant but members of the clergy will not point this out to those who served and felt abandoned by God or no longer worthy of the love of Christ any more than they point out the fact that God created a warrior angel named Michael long before He created man. Churches neglect veterans all the time when they ignore the spiritual crisis they go through after war and the let them along with their families suffer because they refuse to do anything to help. These same churches will adorn their walls and windows with decorations with more loving care than they see fit to provide for a veteran in need of spiritual healing. The Holy Child they call others to honor has been lost when His life means so little and they refuse to take care of those in need. If Christ had so much compassion for a Roman when they were willing to follow orders to kill women and children, why can't the clergy have compassion for soldiers today when they grieve for what they had to do or for a fallen friend? These men and women were willing to do what Christ said was the greatest love.
No matter what, we allow people like the Westboro group follow families to funerals for the fallen soldiers, carrying hateful signs and shouting at the mourners just because they claim to be a Christian Church operating under free speech and not paying taxes as a church because they think homosexuals are evil and thank God for the soldier's death, no matter if he/she was gay or not. We allow soldiers to be pushed out of the military under all kinds of false reasons to avoid having to take responsibility for them after they risked their lives. We allow them to become homeless. We allow them to suffer, judging them as turning into something they never would have become had they not faced the brutal nature of war.
We do not know when Christ was born and experts cannot even agree on the year, but Christians celebrate the birth of Christ on the 25th of December. This date was adopted by the early Christian church from a pagan celebration connected to the Winter Solstice. We put up tress in our homes, decorated with lights and stuff the bottom of it with gifts. When we explain to our children why they get gifts we tell them it is because the Wise Men traveled to Bethlehem to give gifts to Christ. Most Christians do not know why we have trees, wreaths, string lights or have feasts unless they know the history of it but even with that, it has become more tradition than anything else. Santa replaced Christ, shopping malls replaced church and greed replaced charity.
Some give to charities this time of year between Thanksgiving and Christmas more than they do during the year but when you look at the luxuries they obtain for themselves the rest of the year, it shows what they value more leaving the poor and needy the rest of the year to wait for donations and guilt to awaken again. If Christ lived in their hearts, they would not be able to deny help the rest of the year, judge the needy complaining about them not taking care of themselves any more than they would be able to speak out against those in need the rest of the year.
The health insurance debate this nation had was about what? People were screaming they didn't want to take care of the sick who couldn't afford it? Are these people celebrating Christmas after that? Most of the people shouting the loudest carry a Medicare card provided by other tax payers paying into the system. Some of them carry a VA card because other tax payers believe they earned it just by risking their lives for the sake of this nation. Both government run health coverage. Yet poor people in this same country without the ability to pay the insurance premiums along with rent, food and clothing should do without? In other words they should just die an early death that could have been prevented had they received the medical care they needed? The really odd thing no one is talking about is the fact members of congress, their families and staff receive health insurance coverage from the government even though they didn't want citizens to receive it as well. Yet again, they make speeches on how evil "socialized" medicine is. Taking "care of the poor and needy" the way Christ talked about was replaced by "let them take care of themselves" by the same people who no longer have to take care of themselves because of government run programs doing it for them.
These same "followers of Christ" calling themselves Christian, getting on the TV sets screaming about the "war on Christmas" act is if Christ mattered to them but the rest of the year they show how much against what Christ taught they truly are. Do they really think Christ cares if someone says "Merry Christmas" instead of "Happy Holidays" when these same people want others to suffer because they cannot afford to see a doctor? Do they think He cares if people go to a "Holiday Party" instead of a "Christmas Party" when the rest of the year there are millions of people in this country with no food to eat and no place to call home living on the streets?
There is no account in the Bible about Christ getting a birthday party but there are many accounts of what He preached to all willing to listen to Him. He talked about all that would be good in the world and preached against all that was evil in the world. When someone says they follow Him one day but fight for the sake of all He said was evil, no one trusts them with anything else they say. We push out of our minds anything that is evil we do the rest of the year as long as we have this holiday to enjoy ourselves and feel "good" about giving to others stuff they don't need but we have no problem buying what we cannot afford just to say we gave a gift to someone else. Makes no sense at all anymore.
Tomorrow night churches will be filling up to hear about the Christ Child being born. They will hear songs like Oh Holy Night when the stars were brightly shining and when the weary heart rejoiced when the soul felt its worth.
Yet with these songs and the box for donated toys gone, the next service will be a return to the what happens all during the rest of the year when the life of Christ is talked about but not something to live by. People will go back to their normal lives forgetting about the poor and needy the rest of the year because they took care of them for Christmas. A mom who cannot afford to feed and shelter her kids the rest of the year will still be on her own to make it one day to the next. The homeless fed for Christmas and Thanksgiving will still find little to be found to eat everyday or shelters to keep them from freezing to death now that winter has begun. The soul will return to not feeling its worth when they are forgotten about by everyone the rest of the time between the day after Christmas and Thanksgiving the following year when people care again. We don't know how to find the Christ Child because we have forgotten all about the MAN he was and still IS.
9. The Flight into Egypt and Return to Nazareth.You can find more about Christ here
When all was fulfilled according to the Law concerning Jesus in the Temple in Jerusalem, and the wise men were already on the road to their home, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream and said, "Arise, and take the young Child and His Mother, and flee into Egypt, and lie thou there until I bring thee word, for Herod will seek the young Child to destroy Him."
Joseph immediately arose, saddled his donkey, quickly gathered the necessary things, took the young Child and His Mother, and the same night went into Egypt. According to tradition, James, son of Joseph, accompanied them on this journey.
In the meantime, Herod impatiently awaited the return of the wise men. When the wise men did not return from Bethlehem, he concluded that the wise men, not finding a newborn king, were ashamed to return to Jerusalem. For the time being, Herod was tranquil.
But after forty days the news spread throughout Jerusalem that Mary had presented in the Temple Her newborn Son, and that the aged Simeon had come to the Temple to meet this Child and had prophesied that He was the Christ. Then, Herod realized that the wise men had figured out his evil intent and had purposely avoided returning to him. He was exceedingly angry.
Not knowing how to find the Christ Child, King Herod gave the disastrous order to kill all the children that were in Bethlehem and its surroundings from two years old and under. He hoped that among these children would be killed the Christ. Thus he calculated according to the time when he had diligently questioned the wise men. The soldiers sent by Herod killed 14,000 children. Everywhere were heard the howls and screams of the mothers whose crying for their children, innocent children, killed by the order of the brutal King would never have been comforted. They were the first martyrs to spill their blood for Christ.
Soon after this, Herod was punished for his cruelty. He came down with a terrible illness. His body rotted alive and was eaten by worms, and he died in terrible torment.
After the death of Herod, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in Egypt and said, "Arise, and take the young Child and His mother, and go into the land of Israel; for they are dead which sought the young Child’s life." Joseph did as he was told and took his family into the land of Israel. But when he heard that Archelaus reigned in Judea in the place of Herod, his father, and that he was just as much cruel, Joseph was afraid to go there. Being warned of God in a dream, Joseph turned aside into the parts of Galilee, into his native city Nazareth. There Joseph dwelt with the child Jesus and His Mother.
The child Jesus grew and became strong in spirit and filled with wisdom; and the grace of God was upon Him. From the earliest years of His childhood, Jesus Christ exhibited unusual intelligence and remarkable sanctity in all His actions.
The Flight into Egypt and Return to Nazareth
But there was a history of this kind of warfare when innocent people were killed and there were no limits to what soldiers were ordered to do.
Joshua 6
The Fall of Jericho
15On the seventh day they rose early, at the dawn of day, and marched around the city in the same manner seven times. It was only on that day that they marched around the city seven times. 16And at the seventh time, when the priests had blown the trumpets, Joshua said to the people, "Shout, for the LORD has given you the city. 17And the city and all that is within it shall be(H) devoted to the LORD for destruction.[b] Only Rahab the prostitute and all who are with her in her house shall live, because she(I) hid the messengers whom we sent. 18But you, keep yourselves from the things devoted to destruction, lest when you have devoted them you take any of the devoted things and make the camp of Israel(J) a thing for destruction and(K) bring trouble upon it. 19But all silver and gold, and every vessel of bronze and iron, are holy to the LORD; they shall go into the treasury of the LORD." 20So the people shouted, and the trumpets were blown. As soon as the people heard the sound of the trumpet, the people shouted a great shout, and(L) the wall fell down flat, so that the people went up into the city, every man straight before him, and they captured the city. 21Then they(M) devoted all in the city to destruction, both men and women, young and old, oxen, sheep, and donkeys, with the edge of the sword.
There are many accounts in the Bible that can be translated into what we call Post Traumatic Stress Disorder today when soldiers had to cope with what was allowed in rules of warfare. Back then it was whatever they were ordered to do. The troops today are not ordered to destroy all people who live there but because innocent people do get killed in war, they grieve deeply for them. Roman soldiers during the time Christ lived were ordered to kill men and women as well as children as we read in the account of Herod's orders yet Christ took pity on a Roman Centurion, healing his servant but members of the clergy will not point this out to those who served and felt abandoned by God or no longer worthy of the love of Christ any more than they point out the fact that God created a warrior angel named Michael long before He created man. Churches neglect veterans all the time when they ignore the spiritual crisis they go through after war and the let them along with their families suffer because they refuse to do anything to help. These same churches will adorn their walls and windows with decorations with more loving care than they see fit to provide for a veteran in need of spiritual healing. The Holy Child they call others to honor has been lost when His life means so little and they refuse to take care of those in need. If Christ had so much compassion for a Roman when they were willing to follow orders to kill women and children, why can't the clergy have compassion for soldiers today when they grieve for what they had to do or for a fallen friend? These men and women were willing to do what Christ said was the greatest love.
John 15They are willing to do it for their friends and for total strangers yet they are allowed to feel as if they have become evil? Why? Because members of the clergy take no interest in them except on Memorial Day when they "honor" the fallen or say a passing prayer for those who serve?
13 Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends.
No matter what, we allow people like the Westboro group follow families to funerals for the fallen soldiers, carrying hateful signs and shouting at the mourners just because they claim to be a Christian Church operating under free speech and not paying taxes as a church because they think homosexuals are evil and thank God for the soldier's death, no matter if he/she was gay or not. We allow soldiers to be pushed out of the military under all kinds of false reasons to avoid having to take responsibility for them after they risked their lives. We allow them to become homeless. We allow them to suffer, judging them as turning into something they never would have become had they not faced the brutal nature of war.
We do not know when Christ was born and experts cannot even agree on the year, but Christians celebrate the birth of Christ on the 25th of December. This date was adopted by the early Christian church from a pagan celebration connected to the Winter Solstice. We put up tress in our homes, decorated with lights and stuff the bottom of it with gifts. When we explain to our children why they get gifts we tell them it is because the Wise Men traveled to Bethlehem to give gifts to Christ. Most Christians do not know why we have trees, wreaths, string lights or have feasts unless they know the history of it but even with that, it has become more tradition than anything else. Santa replaced Christ, shopping malls replaced church and greed replaced charity.
Some give to charities this time of year between Thanksgiving and Christmas more than they do during the year but when you look at the luxuries they obtain for themselves the rest of the year, it shows what they value more leaving the poor and needy the rest of the year to wait for donations and guilt to awaken again. If Christ lived in their hearts, they would not be able to deny help the rest of the year, judge the needy complaining about them not taking care of themselves any more than they would be able to speak out against those in need the rest of the year.
The health insurance debate this nation had was about what? People were screaming they didn't want to take care of the sick who couldn't afford it? Are these people celebrating Christmas after that? Most of the people shouting the loudest carry a Medicare card provided by other tax payers paying into the system. Some of them carry a VA card because other tax payers believe they earned it just by risking their lives for the sake of this nation. Both government run health coverage. Yet poor people in this same country without the ability to pay the insurance premiums along with rent, food and clothing should do without? In other words they should just die an early death that could have been prevented had they received the medical care they needed? The really odd thing no one is talking about is the fact members of congress, their families and staff receive health insurance coverage from the government even though they didn't want citizens to receive it as well. Yet again, they make speeches on how evil "socialized" medicine is. Taking "care of the poor and needy" the way Christ talked about was replaced by "let them take care of themselves" by the same people who no longer have to take care of themselves because of government run programs doing it for them.
These same "followers of Christ" calling themselves Christian, getting on the TV sets screaming about the "war on Christmas" act is if Christ mattered to them but the rest of the year they show how much against what Christ taught they truly are. Do they really think Christ cares if someone says "Merry Christmas" instead of "Happy Holidays" when these same people want others to suffer because they cannot afford to see a doctor? Do they think He cares if people go to a "Holiday Party" instead of a "Christmas Party" when the rest of the year there are millions of people in this country with no food to eat and no place to call home living on the streets?
There is no account in the Bible about Christ getting a birthday party but there are many accounts of what He preached to all willing to listen to Him. He talked about all that would be good in the world and preached against all that was evil in the world. When someone says they follow Him one day but fight for the sake of all He said was evil, no one trusts them with anything else they say. We push out of our minds anything that is evil we do the rest of the year as long as we have this holiday to enjoy ourselves and feel "good" about giving to others stuff they don't need but we have no problem buying what we cannot afford just to say we gave a gift to someone else. Makes no sense at all anymore.
Tomorrow night churches will be filling up to hear about the Christ Child being born. They will hear songs like Oh Holy Night when the stars were brightly shining and when the weary heart rejoiced when the soul felt its worth.
O Holy Night! The stars are brightly shining,It is the night of the dear Saviour's birth.Long lay the world in sin and error pining.Till He appeared and the Spirit felt its worth.A thrill of hope the weary world rejoices,For yonder breaks a new and glorious morn.Fall on your knees! Oh, hear the angel voices!O night divine, the night when Christ was born;O night, O Holy Night , O night divine!O night, O Holy Night , O night divine!
Led by the light of faith serenely beaming,With glowing hearts by His cradle we stand.O'er the world a star is sweetly gleaming,Now come the wisemen from out of the Orient land.The King of kings lay thus lowly manger;In all our trials born to be our friends.He knows our need, our weakness is no stranger,Behold your King! Before him lowly bend!Behold your King! Before him lowly bend!
Truly He taught us to love one another,His law is love and His gospel is peace.Chains he shall break, for the slave is our brother.And in his name all oppression shall cease.Sweet hymns of joy in grateful chorus raise we,With all our hearts we praise His holy name.Christ is the Lord! Then ever, ever praise we,His power and glory ever more proclaim!His power and glory ever more proclaim!
Yet with these songs and the box for donated toys gone, the next service will be a return to the what happens all during the rest of the year when the life of Christ is talked about but not something to live by. People will go back to their normal lives forgetting about the poor and needy the rest of the year because they took care of them for Christmas. A mom who cannot afford to feed and shelter her kids the rest of the year will still be on her own to make it one day to the next. The homeless fed for Christmas and Thanksgiving will still find little to be found to eat everyday or shelters to keep them from freezing to death now that winter has begun. The soul will return to not feeling its worth when they are forgotten about by everyone the rest of the time between the day after Christmas and Thanksgiving the following year when people care again. We don't know how to find the Christ Child because we have forgotten all about the MAN he was and still IS.
Wednesday, December 22, 2010
Senate passes revised 9/11 first responders health benefits bill
Senate passes revised 9/11 first responders health benefits bill
From Ted Barrett and Dana Bash, CNN
December 22, 2010 4:19 p.m. EST
STORY HIGHLIGHTS
NEW: Sen. Charles Schumer hails passage as a "great day" for America
The Senate passes the revised bill on a voice vote, sending it to the House
Sen. Tom Coburn: Compromise produced a better bill, totaling $4.2 billion over 10 years
The bill would provide free treatment for health issues from working at ground zero
Washington (CNN) -- The Senate on Wednesday passed a compromise version of a bill to provide free medical treatment and compensation to first responders of the September 11 terrorist attack.
The bill passed on a voice vote on what is expected to be the final day of the lame-duck session of Congress. It now goes to the House, which also is expected to approve it and send it to President Barack Obama to be signed into law.
Jubilant Democrats hailed the last-minute approval as a triumph for firefighters, police officers and other emergency personnel who put themselves in harm's way to help others in the 2001 terrorist attack.
New York Sen. Chuck Schumer, who acknowledged that approval of the bill was in doubt until a few hours before the vote, called it a "great day" for the nation an especially for first responders sickened by exposure to toxic pollution from the collapse of the World Trade Center towers because now they know their country will take care of them.
read more here
Senate passes revised 9/11 first responders health benefits bill
From Ted Barrett and Dana Bash, CNN
December 22, 2010 4:19 p.m. EST
STORY HIGHLIGHTS
NEW: Sen. Charles Schumer hails passage as a "great day" for America
The Senate passes the revised bill on a voice vote, sending it to the House
Sen. Tom Coburn: Compromise produced a better bill, totaling $4.2 billion over 10 years
The bill would provide free treatment for health issues from working at ground zero
Washington (CNN) -- The Senate on Wednesday passed a compromise version of a bill to provide free medical treatment and compensation to first responders of the September 11 terrorist attack.
The bill passed on a voice vote on what is expected to be the final day of the lame-duck session of Congress. It now goes to the House, which also is expected to approve it and send it to President Barack Obama to be signed into law.
Jubilant Democrats hailed the last-minute approval as a triumph for firefighters, police officers and other emergency personnel who put themselves in harm's way to help others in the 2001 terrorist attack.
New York Sen. Chuck Schumer, who acknowledged that approval of the bill was in doubt until a few hours before the vote, called it a "great day" for the nation an especially for first responders sickened by exposure to toxic pollution from the collapse of the World Trade Center towers because now they know their country will take care of them.
read more here
Senate passes revised 9/11 first responders health benefits bill
2 firefighters dead, 14 hurt in extra-alarm blaze 10:01 AM
2 firefighters dead, 14 hurt in extra-alarm blaze
December 22, 2010 10:01 AM
Two firefighters died after a wall collapsed during a 3-11 alarm fire at an abandoned South Side commercial building this morning, authorities said. Fourteen other firefighters were injured, including two who were trapped with the ones who died.
Police squad cars escorted two ambulances north on Lake Shore Drive to Northwestern as ramps were closed to clear it of traffic, according to fire communications. One of the firefighters taken there has died, sources said. The condition of the other one was not known.
A third trapped firefighter was taken to Christ Medical Center in Oak Lawn, where he died.
The fourth firefighter buried in the rubble, and as many as 12 other firefighters with undisclosed injuries, were also taken to hospitals. Fire officials and sources said 10 were stable and six were taken to hospitals in serious to critical condition, including the two who later died.
read more here
2 firefighters dead, 14 hurt in extra-alarm blaze
December 22, 2010 10:01 AM
Two firefighters died after a wall collapsed during a 3-11 alarm fire at an abandoned South Side commercial building this morning, authorities said. Fourteen other firefighters were injured, including two who were trapped with the ones who died.
Police squad cars escorted two ambulances north on Lake Shore Drive to Northwestern as ramps were closed to clear it of traffic, according to fire communications. One of the firefighters taken there has died, sources said. The condition of the other one was not known.
A third trapped firefighter was taken to Christ Medical Center in Oak Lawn, where he died.
The fourth firefighter buried in the rubble, and as many as 12 other firefighters with undisclosed injuries, were also taken to hospitals. Fire officials and sources said 10 were stable and six were taken to hospitals in serious to critical condition, including the two who later died.
read more here
2 firefighters dead, 14 hurt in extra-alarm blaze
Five veteran suicide rescues in a two-hour period—so John McCain blocks suicide prevention
December 22, 2010 posted by Chaplain Kathie
Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) Blocks suicide prevention measure
A small crisis group gets calls all the time from veterans in crisis. Considering these men and women know what it is like to face death on a daily basis, reaching the point where all seems hopeless indicates a crisis itself, we fail to grasp how serious this is. Yet on one night this same small crisis group had to rescue 5 suicidal veterans!
Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) Blocks suicide prevention measure
A small crisis group gets calls all the time from veterans in crisis. Considering these men and women know what it is like to face death on a daily basis, reaching the point where all seems hopeless indicates a crisis itself, we fail to grasp how serious this is. Yet on one night this same small crisis group had to rescue 5 suicidal veterans!
Suicide Prevention Workers See Spike In Calls
Oregon Partnership Reports Five Suicide Rescues In Two Hours
PORTLAND, Ore. — Workers with Oregon Partnership are calling on the public to get educated on the warning signs of suicide following an increase in the need for suicide rescues.
A suicide rescue is when crisis line workers have to intervene in a suicide attempt by sending police to the person’s house, said Leslie Storm, Crisis Line Supervisor.
Last Wednesday, Storm said they had five suicide rescues in a two-hour period; an amount she calls unprecedented.
“We’ve never done five in one evening. I’ve been here four years, we don’t do five a week generally so this is very alarming to us,” Storm said.
Oregon Partnership is a non-profit organization that provides drug and alcohol awareness, drug prevention programs and a 24-hour crisis lines for suicide intervention. The organization also operates a crisis line for military members and their families, as well as a treatment referral line.
read more here
Five veteran suicide rescues in a two-hour period—so John McCain blocks suicide prevention
Fallen soldier's Mom needs help taking care of other "kids"
UPDATE Huffington Post and CNN get Jacob's Light and Dorine Kenney attention.
What I do has no tangible value.
tangible
adjective
1.
capable of being touched; discernible by the touch; materialor substantial.
2.
real or actual, rather than imaginary or visionary: thetangible benefits of sunshine.
3.
definite; not vague or elusive: no tangible grounds forsuspicion.
4.
(of an asset) having actual physical existence, as real estateor chattels, and therefore capable of being assigned a valuein monetary terms.
No matter how many hours I work helping veterans, covering their stories and doing videos, many people wonder why on earth I would need money to help me do this. I get "but you're a volunteer" all the time as if what I do has no value at all. It has been a struggle to find reasons to do this anymore when no one seems to find any value in it at all until I get an email telling me it has done some good. That said, understand how I know people doing good stop doing it if they are not supported. It is not that they stop caring. They care even more if they are forced to stop because perhaps for the first time in their lives they feel they are powerless. While most people just take care of themselves, worry about their own problems and their own families, there are people across this country doing good for total strangers. While they expect nothing back from the people they help they need someone to financially back them up so they can do the work. After all, the time spent helping others is worth something since they are not getting a paycheck for the hours gone.
So the following is about a Mom after her son was killed, taking care of troops not getting mail from home and letting them know someone does care about them. She has to not only give up her time to make their lives better, her heart is tugged by each and everyone of them, but she also has to buy what she sends to them. She needs help to do it. 285 soldiers are counting on her to send something to comfort them and open a package because she cared. Will you let all these troops down? Will you let this lady end up not being able to do good in this world because she ran out of money? Will you support someone who dedicates time and money topped off with a boat load of love? Don't let this woman wake up one morning with the regret she can't help anyone because no one helped her. I know what that feels like and believe me, it sucks the life right out of you. We keep complaining about what is wrong, wondering when someone will step up and fix the problem but we don't support them. Then we dare to wonder why no one does anything anymore unless there is something in it for them. Wonder no more and kick in a few bucks for the Mom in this story and let her know, her work is important enough to support. Donate to Jacob's Light Foundation so that we don't have to wonder why no one is doing this anymore.
A well of care packages to troops is about to run dry
Since Dorine Kenney lost her son in Iraq, she's sent thousands of boxes to service members overseas. This year's Christmas shipment was her biggest yet. But she's running short on funds.
By Faye Fiore, Los Angeles Times
December 21, 2010
Reporting from Middletown, N.Y. —
When Dorine Kenney learned that her son, Jacob, was going to Iraq, she looked for a way to take care of him even if she couldn't keep him safe.
She started sending a box of goodies every week — chocolate chip cookies, beef jerky, AA batteries and macaroni and cheese deluxe, his favorite.
The shopping and packing kept her from thinking about the worst. When the worst happened on Nov. 14, 2003, eight months after he parachuted into northern Iraq with the 173rd Airborne Brigade, she sat in her apartment wanting to die. She couldn't work. She couldn't eat. The only thing she could think to do was send another box.
So she packed one up for his unit and mailed it, 11 days after a roadside bomb killed Pfc. Jacob Fletcher, a paratrooper and her only child. It went out on what would have been his 29th birthday.
Every month since, Dorine Kenney has been sending care packages to Afghanistan and Iraq. This month she will send 285 13-inch cardboard cubes — a personal record. They go first to the troops who don't get mail from home, then to forward operating bases in the remote reaches of the war zones that have no access to amenities as basic as toothpaste. Really, though, she'll send a box to anyone in uniform who asks for one; more than 90% of requests for packages come from the troops themselves.
Now her funding is running out. Grant money from a Newport Beach philanthropist runs out next year and there is no new sponsor in the wings.
"It's time to put the sirens on and figure out how we're going to continue. Our troops have come to count on us," Dorine says from her two-bedroom rental where she lives and runs Jacob's Light Foundation, a military support group that grew from one mother's unbearable grief.
read more here
A well of care packages to troops is about to run dry
Tuesday, December 21, 2010
VA Urges Veterans to Sign Up for Direct Deposits
VA Urges Veterans to Sign Up for Direct Deposits
Treasury Publishes Final Regulation to Phase Out Paper Checks by 2013
WASHINGTON (Dec. 21, 2010)- The Department of the Treasury announced a
new rule that will extend the safety and convenience of electronic
payments to millions of Americans and phase out paper checks for federal
benefits by March 1, 2013. Officials at the Department of Veterans
Affairs (VA) urge Veterans to sign up for electronic payment of their
benefits.
"Receiving VA benefits electronically will increase the security,
convenience and reliability of these vital payments," said Secretary of
Veterans Affairs Eric K. Shinseki. "VA encourages Veterans who are now
receiving their benefits in paper checks to set up direct deposits
before the deadline."
On March 1, 2013, VA will stop issuing paper checks. People who do not
have electronic payments for their federal benefits by that time will
receive their funds via a pre-paid debit card. Called the Direct
Express card, it is issued by Comerica Bank as the financial agent of
the U.S. Treasury.
Another deadline affects people receiving VA's compensation or pensions
for the first time after May 1, 2011. Those people will automatically
receive the benefits electronically.
Anyone already receiving federal benefit payments electronically will be
unaffected by the changes. To learn more about the federal government's
switch to direct deposit - or to change VA benefits to direct deposit --
visit www.GoDirect.org. Information about the federal government's "Go
Direct" campaign is also available at 1-800-333-1795.
Along with payments for VA benefit, the change will also affect
recipients of payments from Social Security, Supplemental Security
Income, Railroad Retirement Board,or Office of Personnel Management.
For more information about VA benefits and programs, go to www.va.gov
or call toll free 1-800-827-1000.
Treasury Publishes Final Regulation to Phase Out Paper Checks by 2013
WASHINGTON (Dec. 21, 2010)- The Department of the Treasury announced a
new rule that will extend the safety and convenience of electronic
payments to millions of Americans and phase out paper checks for federal
benefits by March 1, 2013. Officials at the Department of Veterans
Affairs (VA) urge Veterans to sign up for electronic payment of their
benefits.
"Receiving VA benefits electronically will increase the security,
convenience and reliability of these vital payments," said Secretary of
Veterans Affairs Eric K. Shinseki. "VA encourages Veterans who are now
receiving their benefits in paper checks to set up direct deposits
before the deadline."
On March 1, 2013, VA will stop issuing paper checks. People who do not
have electronic payments for their federal benefits by that time will
receive their funds via a pre-paid debit card. Called the Direct
Express card, it is issued by Comerica Bank as the financial agent of
the U.S. Treasury.
Another deadline affects people receiving VA's compensation or pensions
for the first time after May 1, 2011. Those people will automatically
receive the benefits electronically.
Anyone already receiving federal benefit payments electronically will be
unaffected by the changes. To learn more about the federal government's
switch to direct deposit - or to change VA benefits to direct deposit --
visit www.GoDirect.org. Information about the federal government's "Go
Direct" campaign is also available at 1-800-333-1795.
Along with payments for VA benefit, the change will also affect
recipients of payments from Social Security, Supplemental Security
Income, Railroad Retirement Board,or Office of Personnel Management.
For more information about VA benefits and programs, go to www.va.gov
Orlando Sentinel Report Scott Maxwell explains why veterans deserve special attention
I don't make a practice of emailing reporters but in this case I had to. Scott listed all the reasons we should pay special attention to veterans. We are great at saying we support them but lousy at really doing it.
I do a lot of posts on homeless veterans. What I end up getting are emails on not caring about all homeless people equally. The fact is, veterans are equal to no one. They risked their lives serving this country and the last two words that should ever be put together are "homeless veteran" but few want to acknowledge that. My heart goes out to all our homeless but it is the veterans tugging it more. I donate to charities serving all in need but I donate more to the veterans. I cleaned out my closet the other day because it was full of clothes I hardly ever wear. Today the Vietnam Veterans of America driver will pick up the two bags I filled with warm clothes and a couple of coats. A couple of days ago I delivered bags of clothes, a blanket and comforter my daughter left behind when she moved because she didn't want them anymore. That donation went to general use for anyone in need. Why? Because these men and women would probably not be homeless had they not served the rest of us in the first place.
PTSD, self-medicating, unemployment and divorce all contribute to the homeless veterans' population. In most cases these issues can be directly tied back to their military life. They face the same problems everyone else in the country does but they have a harder time as veterans after combat yet few want to acknowledge this.
Read Scott's article on why he feels the same way and then maybe you'll understand it too.
I do a lot of posts on homeless veterans. What I end up getting are emails on not caring about all homeless people equally. The fact is, veterans are equal to no one. They risked their lives serving this country and the last two words that should ever be put together are "homeless veteran" but few want to acknowledge that. My heart goes out to all our homeless but it is the veterans tugging it more. I donate to charities serving all in need but I donate more to the veterans. I cleaned out my closet the other day because it was full of clothes I hardly ever wear. Today the Vietnam Veterans of America driver will pick up the two bags I filled with warm clothes and a couple of coats. A couple of days ago I delivered bags of clothes, a blanket and comforter my daughter left behind when she moved because she didn't want them anymore. That donation went to general use for anyone in need. Why? Because these men and women would probably not be homeless had they not served the rest of us in the first place.
PTSD, self-medicating, unemployment and divorce all contribute to the homeless veterans' population. In most cases these issues can be directly tied back to their military life. They face the same problems everyone else in the country does but they have a harder time as veterans after combat yet few want to acknowledge this.
Read Scott's article on why he feels the same way and then maybe you'll understand it too.
Special attention for veterans? Yes, and here's why
Scott Maxwell
TAKING NAMES
10:23 p.m. EST, December 18, 2010
Every now and then, I get a note from a reader who wants to know why I often highlight veterans when writing about homeless people and the downtrodden.
One reader recently suggested that I must think "veteran homeless are superior to other homeless people."
Another asked why I think veterans are special.
Well, let me tell you why.
Because this country has a shoddy record of taking care of the men and women whom it sends off to war.
Because veterans constitute a disproportionately large segment of the homeless population — one out of every three people on the street, according to the Department of Veterans Affairs.
Because when I stood outside the Orlando Rescue Mission one day last month, I couldn't even count the number of men and women wearing jackets and hats that indicated they had served our country.
Because many of the chicken-hawk politicians so eager to send men and women off to war have never served themselves.
Because the number of cases of post-traumatic stress disorder among veterans in this country can now be counted in the tens of thousands.
Because about 150 soldiers took their own lives last year, marking a record high.
read more here
Special attention for veterans
US National Guard helicopter crashes in Puerto Rico, 6 feared dead
US National Guard helicopter crashes in Puerto Rico, 6 feared dead
DANICA COTO
Associated Press
8:56 a.m. EST, December 21, 2010
SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico (AP) — A Puerto Rico National Guard helicopter has crashed in the ocean after returning from a drug raid, with all six people aboard feared dead, officials said Tuesday.
Two of the passengers are prosecutors with the local justice department and the other four are officials with the National Guard, three of them crew members, said U.S. Coast Guard spokesman Ricardo Castrodad.
Crews are searching for those aboard, and Police Chief Jose Figueroa Sancha told NotiUno radio station that officials found the fuselage of the UH-72 helicopter just north of the island.
The helicopter was returning from the neighboring island of Vieques when it disappeared late Monday just north of the coastal city of Rio Grande. One pilot had 10 years of experience and the other had at least six years, and neither reported any problems during the flight, said National Guard Gen. Antonio Vicens.
read more here
US National Guard helicopter crashes in Puerto Rico
DANICA COTO
Associated Press
8:56 a.m. EST, December 21, 2010
SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico (AP) — A Puerto Rico National Guard helicopter has crashed in the ocean after returning from a drug raid, with all six people aboard feared dead, officials said Tuesday.
Two of the passengers are prosecutors with the local justice department and the other four are officials with the National Guard, three of them crew members, said U.S. Coast Guard spokesman Ricardo Castrodad.
Crews are searching for those aboard, and Police Chief Jose Figueroa Sancha told NotiUno radio station that officials found the fuselage of the UH-72 helicopter just north of the island.
The helicopter was returning from the neighboring island of Vieques when it disappeared late Monday just north of the coastal city of Rio Grande. One pilot had 10 years of experience and the other had at least six years, and neither reported any problems during the flight, said National Guard Gen. Antonio Vicens.
read more here
US National Guard helicopter crashes in Puerto Rico
New Hampshire policeman pulls soldier from burning car
Policeman pulls soldier from burning car
The Associated Press
Posted : Monday Dec 20, 2010 17:09:13 EST
RAYMOND, N.H. — A Raymond police officer is being credited with saving the life of a soldier home from overseas deployment by pulling him out of a burning car.
Police say Officer Ryan Lehman was nearby when he heard the report of a crash on a Route 101 off-ramp early Sunday morning. He could see the car in the woods, so instead of driving, he ran toward it, arriving just as the vehicle became engulfed in flames.
read more here
Policeman pulls soldier from burning car
The Associated Press
Posted : Monday Dec 20, 2010 17:09:13 EST
RAYMOND, N.H. — A Raymond police officer is being credited with saving the life of a soldier home from overseas deployment by pulling him out of a burning car.
Police say Officer Ryan Lehman was nearby when he heard the report of a crash on a Route 101 off-ramp early Sunday morning. He could see the car in the woods, so instead of driving, he ran toward it, arriving just as the vehicle became engulfed in flames.
read more here
Policeman pulls soldier from burning car
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)