Veterans warned about fake email circulating
By Press Release
Jan 18, 2011
Someone pretending to be an attorney with the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) is sending an email to military veterans “warning” them against using the services of a group called Veterans Affairs Services. BBB Military Line, a complaint resource specialized for the military and their families, has received several inquiries about the email.
read more here
Veterans warned about fake email circulating
Wednesday, January 19, 2011
Thieves steal bronze plaques from war memorial
How could they do it? Thieves steal bronze plaques from war memorial for brave veterans
By DAILY MAIL REPORTER
Last updated at 11:14 AM on 18th January 2011
More than 600 names dating back to World War I listed
'It's heartbreaking,' says angry vet
Police are investigating the theft of eight bronze plaques from a foreign war memorial that stood proudly for decades as a tribute to the bravery of its troops.
Thieves have not only stolen the memorial plaques but they formed the only official list of all the veterans who died that belonged to the Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 6919 in Morningside, Maryland.
'It's heartbreaking to have this happen to us', Post Commander and Vietnam veteran James Holland said.
Read more: Thieves steal bronze plaques from war memorial
By DAILY MAIL REPORTER
Last updated at 11:14 AM on 18th January 2011
More than 600 names dating back to World War I listed
'It's heartbreaking,' says angry vet
Police are investigating the theft of eight bronze plaques from a foreign war memorial that stood proudly for decades as a tribute to the bravery of its troops.
Thieves have not only stolen the memorial plaques but they formed the only official list of all the veterans who died that belonged to the Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 6919 in Morningside, Maryland.
'It's heartbreaking to have this happen to us', Post Commander and Vietnam veteran James Holland said.
Read more: Thieves steal bronze plaques from war memorial
Hepatitis C Cases Appearing More In Vietnam Veterans
Hepatitis C Cases Appearing More In Vietnam Veterans
By MIKE BOWERSOCK
Published: January 17, 2011
BEXLEY, Ohio --
It is becoming a battle that doesn't end for Vietnam veterans.
Medical writers researching VA medical centers claim that between 10 and 20 percent of veterans from the Vietnam era have hepatitis c.
"It can remain undetected, usually remains undetected for 20 to 30 years and then all of a sudden things start to show up with you," said Dennis Agin, who has the virus.
Agin is a navy veteran and was a doctor in Vietnam.
"I did unprotected surgery in Vietnam," said Agin.
In fact, that's where the disease is showing up: among medics from Vietnam.
"If they were medics and they went to a wounded person, they're going to get that person's blood on them and if they had a cut on their body or it went in their eyes they're going to pick up the disease," Agin said.
It is believed that the disease could have also been passed with air injection inoculations, but it is among the medical veterans where it is showing up more frequently.
read more here
Hepatitis C Cases Appearing More In Vietnam Veterans
By MIKE BOWERSOCK
Published: January 17, 2011
BEXLEY, Ohio --
It is becoming a battle that doesn't end for Vietnam veterans.
Medical writers researching VA medical centers claim that between 10 and 20 percent of veterans from the Vietnam era have hepatitis c.
"It can remain undetected, usually remains undetected for 20 to 30 years and then all of a sudden things start to show up with you," said Dennis Agin, who has the virus.
Agin is a navy veteran and was a doctor in Vietnam.
"I did unprotected surgery in Vietnam," said Agin.
In fact, that's where the disease is showing up: among medics from Vietnam.
"If they were medics and they went to a wounded person, they're going to get that person's blood on them and if they had a cut on their body or it went in their eyes they're going to pick up the disease," Agin said.
It is believed that the disease could have also been passed with air injection inoculations, but it is among the medical veterans where it is showing up more frequently.
read more here
Hepatitis C Cases Appearing More In Vietnam Veterans
Bus driver told homeless veteran to get off the bus caught on video
A homeless veteran guy is told to get off the bus for NO REASON by the disrespectful bus driver of MTA in Baltimore, MD
He got on the bus with the money to pay for the ride. The drive covered the slot so he couldn't put his money in. His hand was shaking. He pleaded with the bus driver telling him it was cold outside but the driver kept telling him to get off.
It looks like this was shot with a cell phone and it should make us wonder how many other times this happens without a camera capturing all of it.
He got on the bus with the money to pay for the ride. The drive covered the slot so he couldn't put his money in. His hand was shaking. He pleaded with the bus driver telling him it was cold outside but the driver kept telling him to get off.
It looks like this was shot with a cell phone and it should make us wonder how many other times this happens without a camera capturing all of it.
Parents plead guilty to stealing from severely injured Iraq war veteran
Parents plead guilty to stealing from severely injured Iraq war veteran
Michael and Lori Nault were also sentenced for the felony charge after admitting to gambling away at least $53,000 that belonged to their son
Posted: 8:54 PM Jan 18, 2011
The parents of a severely injured Iraq war veteran pleaded guilty to stealing from their son.
Michael and Lori Nault were then sentenced for the felony charge after admitting to gambling away at least $53,000 that belonged to Shane Nault.
On Tuesday, Eau Claire County Judge Lisa Stark sentenced Michael Nault to seven months in jail, two of which can be converted to community service. Lori Nault, who is Shane's primary caregiver, will do 400 hours community service in lieu of five months in jail. Both were also sentenced to three years of probation.
“I would like to take this time to apologize for everything we did wrong,” Michael Nault said in court, choking up at times. “We love our son, Your Honor, and we're sorry for what we've done and we ask that someday the community be able to forgive us.”
Michael Nault apologized to Shane, his fellow veterans and the community.
read more here
Parents plead guilty to stealing from severely injured Iraq war veteran
Michael and Lori Nault were also sentenced for the felony charge after admitting to gambling away at least $53,000 that belonged to their son
Posted: 8:54 PM Jan 18, 2011
The parents of a severely injured Iraq war veteran pleaded guilty to stealing from their son.
Michael and Lori Nault were then sentenced for the felony charge after admitting to gambling away at least $53,000 that belonged to Shane Nault.
On Tuesday, Eau Claire County Judge Lisa Stark sentenced Michael Nault to seven months in jail, two of which can be converted to community service. Lori Nault, who is Shane's primary caregiver, will do 400 hours community service in lieu of five months in jail. Both were also sentenced to three years of probation.
“I would like to take this time to apologize for everything we did wrong,” Michael Nault said in court, choking up at times. “We love our son, Your Honor, and we're sorry for what we've done and we ask that someday the community be able to forgive us.”
Michael Nault apologized to Shane, his fellow veterans and the community.
read more here
Parents plead guilty to stealing from severely injured Iraq war veteran
Maine's family files suit over 12-13 shots by Baltimore police
Slain Marine's Family Sues Baltimore, Officer
Officer Charged With Killing Tyrone Brown
BALTIMORE -- Relatives of an unarmed man shot to death by a Baltimore police officer last summer have filed a multimillion-dollar wrongful death lawsuit.
Police Officer Gahiji Tshamba has been charged with first-degree murder in the death of Tyrone Brown, who was killed outside of the Eden Lounge in Mount Vernon on June 5.
The lawsuit named Tshamba, as well as his supervisors, police Commissioner Fred Bealefeld, Baltimore's mayor and City Council and the state of Maryland.
The lawsuit said Brown, who was with his sister and a friend, touched a female ahead of him in line while waiting to go inside the club. It said the woman expressed her displeasure, and that's when things began to escalate.
"Mr. Brown, who was home from Iraq, was trying to apologize and defuse the situation," said A. Dwight Pettit, the family's attorney. "The officer accosted him, identified himself as a Baltimore police officer, and shot at Mr. Brown approximately 12 or 13 times, killing him."
The lawsuit said Brown, 32, had his hands in the air and backed into an alley before Tshamba shot him at close range. It also said Brown's sister tried to intervene immediately before he was shot.
read more here
Slain Marine's Family Sues Baltimore, Officer
Officer Charged With Killing Tyrone Brown
BALTIMORE -- Relatives of an unarmed man shot to death by a Baltimore police officer last summer have filed a multimillion-dollar wrongful death lawsuit.
Police Officer Gahiji Tshamba has been charged with first-degree murder in the death of Tyrone Brown, who was killed outside of the Eden Lounge in Mount Vernon on June 5.
The lawsuit named Tshamba, as well as his supervisors, police Commissioner Fred Bealefeld, Baltimore's mayor and City Council and the state of Maryland.
The lawsuit said Brown, who was with his sister and a friend, touched a female ahead of him in line while waiting to go inside the club. It said the woman expressed her displeasure, and that's when things began to escalate.
"Mr. Brown, who was home from Iraq, was trying to apologize and defuse the situation," said A. Dwight Pettit, the family's attorney. "The officer accosted him, identified himself as a Baltimore police officer, and shot at Mr. Brown approximately 12 or 13 times, killing him."
The lawsuit said Brown, 32, had his hands in the air and backed into an alley before Tshamba shot him at close range. It also said Brown's sister tried to intervene immediately before he was shot.
read more here
Slain Marine's Family Sues Baltimore, Officer
Tuesday, January 18, 2011
Palin refuses to accept responsibility for what she says
They named the title of this article wrong. It should have been "Palin refuses to accept responsibility for what she says." Palin claims people want to shut her up but has yet to point out one single person getting in the way of her putting her foot in her mouth. She has every right to say anything she wants but people are discovering they don't have to listen to her or agree with everything she says. It's time for her to understand that she is responsible for what words come out of her mouth and will be held accountable for what she says. No one gets a free pass for using their "free speech" rights. After all, she wanted to be the Vice President and would have been held accountable for every word just as VP Biden is but you don't see him whining that anyone is trying to stop him from talking.
Palin explains 'blood libel' comment
She accuses critics of negative spin; vows to keep speaking out
WASHINGTON — Former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin, defending herself against criticism following the Tucson, Ariz., shootings, said Monday that she used the term "blood libel" to describe comments made by those who falsely tried to link conservatives to the assassination attempt against Rep. Gabrielle Giffords.
Speaking out for the first time since she used the term in a video, Palin said on Fox's Sean Hannity show that the term referred to those "falsely accused of having blood on their hands."
Some Jewish groups strongly protested her use of the term, which historically was used to accuse Jews of using blood of Christians in religious rituals.
"Just two days before, an op-ed in The Wall Street Journal had that term in its title. And that term has been used for eons," said Palin, a potential Republican presidential candidate in 2012.
"I think the critics again were using anything that they could gather out of that statement," she said. "You can spin up anything out of anybody's statements that are released and use them against the person who is making the statement."
Palin said the criticism won't stop her from speaking out and accusing Democrats of taking the country in the wrong direction.
"They can't make us sit down and shut up," she said.
read more here
Palin explains blood libel comment
Police mum about cause of John Wheeler’s death
Police mum about cause of Wheeler’s death
By Cris Barrish - The (Wilmington, Del.) News Journal
Posted : Monday Jan 17, 2011 8:15:20 EST
WILMINGTON, Del. — How was former Pentagon official John P. Wheeler III killed?
If police know, they aren't saying.
Two full weeks after Wheeler's body was spotted tumbling out of a trash hauler into a landfill here on New Year's Eve, police and the state Medical Examiner's Office remain uncharacteristically silent.
Though officials immediately labeled his death a "homicide," they have refused to provide the cause, nor will they say whether they're sure how Wheeler died.
Law enforcement's posture runs contrary to normal Delaware police procedure in homicide cases. Police agencies routinely say how a homicide victim died, even in cases where the crime occurred in a private home rather than a public place like a street shooting, and where no suspect has been arrested or identified.
read more here
Police mum about cause of Wheeler’s death
By Cris Barrish - The (Wilmington, Del.) News Journal
Posted : Monday Jan 17, 2011 8:15:20 EST
WILMINGTON, Del. — How was former Pentagon official John P. Wheeler III killed?
If police know, they aren't saying.
Two full weeks after Wheeler's body was spotted tumbling out of a trash hauler into a landfill here on New Year's Eve, police and the state Medical Examiner's Office remain uncharacteristically silent.
Though officials immediately labeled his death a "homicide," they have refused to provide the cause, nor will they say whether they're sure how Wheeler died.
Law enforcement's posture runs contrary to normal Delaware police procedure in homicide cases. Police agencies routinely say how a homicide victim died, even in cases where the crime occurred in a private home rather than a public place like a street shooting, and where no suspect has been arrested or identified.
read more here
Police mum about cause of Wheeler’s death
Will new stress hotline work for Marines?
New stress hot line launched for Marines
January 17, 2011 8:35 PM
BY GUNNERY SGT. BILL LISBON - SPECIAL TO YUMA SUN
An anonymous “by Marine/for Marine” hot line was recently launched to help deal with various stress-related issues before they lead to serious Corps-crippling problems such as suicide, substance abuse and domestic violence.
Dubbed “DStress,” the service lets Marines seek assistance from “one of our own” to build skills necessary to cope with the widely varying challenges of life in the Corps and the inevitable stress of combat, according to a Marine Administrative Message released Monday.
Besides a toll-free hot line via telephone and Skype, Dstressline.com allows Marines to help themselves to information and resources. A live online chat feature is also expected to launch by the end of January.
“If this DStress line saves one Marine or one family member, then it is well worth it,” said Sgt. Maj. Michael S. Timmerman with the Marine Corps' Personal and Family Readiness Division.
The counselors on the other end of the line are veteran Marines, Navy corpsmen who've served in the Fleet Marine Force or civilian counselors specifically trained in Marine Corps culture, said Timmerman, who briefed air station leaders here on the program last month.
The hot line won't be a crutch or a way to escape personal responsibility, said Timmerman. Instead, counselors will help callers set goals to deal with the stress, provide resources or referrals and follow up to see how they are doing.
“We want this to be that personal,” said Timmerman.
read more here
New stress hot line launched for Marines
January 17, 2011 8:35 PM
BY GUNNERY SGT. BILL LISBON - SPECIAL TO YUMA SUN
An anonymous “by Marine/for Marine” hot line was recently launched to help deal with various stress-related issues before they lead to serious Corps-crippling problems such as suicide, substance abuse and domestic violence.
Dubbed “DStress,” the service lets Marines seek assistance from “one of our own” to build skills necessary to cope with the widely varying challenges of life in the Corps and the inevitable stress of combat, according to a Marine Administrative Message released Monday.
Besides a toll-free hot line via telephone and Skype, Dstressline.com allows Marines to help themselves to information and resources. A live online chat feature is also expected to launch by the end of January.
“If this DStress line saves one Marine or one family member, then it is well worth it,” said Sgt. Maj. Michael S. Timmerman with the Marine Corps' Personal and Family Readiness Division.
The counselors on the other end of the line are veteran Marines, Navy corpsmen who've served in the Fleet Marine Force or civilian counselors specifically trained in Marine Corps culture, said Timmerman, who briefed air station leaders here on the program last month.
The hot line won't be a crutch or a way to escape personal responsibility, said Timmerman. Instead, counselors will help callers set goals to deal with the stress, provide resources or referrals and follow up to see how they are doing.
“We want this to be that personal,” said Timmerman.
read more here
New stress hot line launched for Marines
Marine Sergeant Chase Love's Family Mourns After Murdered In Baltimore
Family Mourns Marine Murdered In Baltimore
January 17, 2011 6:31 PM
BALTIMORE (WJZ) — The family of a Marine is still struggling to come to terms with his murder at a club in Baltimore, just days before he was heading to Afghanistan. His sister spoke to Mike Hellgren just days after police arrested a teenager and charged him with the brutal crime.
Marine Sergeant Chase Love worked in some of the most dangerous combat zones in the world in Iraq and Afghanistan. His family never imagined he would die at a hookah lounge during his first visit to Baltimore with friends.
Police say 18-year-old Ronald Johnson shot him over and over again during an argument, before fleeing and leaving Love to die on the sidewalk.
For the first time, Love’s sister is speaking about the crime from her home near New Orleans.
“I think this would have been his third time going to Afghanistan and he always came home scot-free, untouched, never hurt. I just couldn’t even compose myself. I just couldn’t believe it,” said Keoka Love. “I really thought I was living a dream.”
read more here
Family Mourns Marine Murdered In Baltimore
January 17, 2011 6:31 PM
BALTIMORE (WJZ) — The family of a Marine is still struggling to come to terms with his murder at a club in Baltimore, just days before he was heading to Afghanistan. His sister spoke to Mike Hellgren just days after police arrested a teenager and charged him with the brutal crime.
Marine Sergeant Chase Love worked in some of the most dangerous combat zones in the world in Iraq and Afghanistan. His family never imagined he would die at a hookah lounge during his first visit to Baltimore with friends.
Police say 18-year-old Ronald Johnson shot him over and over again during an argument, before fleeing and leaving Love to die on the sidewalk.
For the first time, Love’s sister is speaking about the crime from her home near New Orleans.
“I think this would have been his third time going to Afghanistan and he always came home scot-free, untouched, never hurt. I just couldn’t even compose myself. I just couldn’t believe it,” said Keoka Love. “I really thought I was living a dream.”
read more here
Family Mourns Marine Murdered In Baltimore
Monday, January 17, 2011
'Stop loss' bonuses go unpaid to 35,000 soldiers
'Stop loss' bonuses go unpaid to 35,000 soldiers
Christopher Collette
WASHINGTON (USA TODAY) -- The Army is struggling to find about 35,000 soldiers, most of them veterans now, who are owed bonuses because they were forced to remain in the military beyond their normal enlistment.
The government authorized the "special pay" in 2009 following criticism from some troops and Congress who said the "stop loss" policy that extended enlistments amounted to a "back door draft." Most of the troops fought in Iraq and Afghanistan.
Veterans groups have faulted the Pentagon for not being able to locate the troops.
"In this economy, I haven't met a single stop-loss veteran who can't use this money for their family or school," said Paul Rieckhoff, executive director of Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America.
The Army has paid $245 million in bonuses for 84,000 soldiers since the law passed, said Army Maj. Roy Whitley, who is managing Army efforts to provide the special pay.
read more here
'Stop loss' bonuses go unpaid to 35,000 soldiers
Christopher Collette
WASHINGTON (USA TODAY) -- The Army is struggling to find about 35,000 soldiers, most of them veterans now, who are owed bonuses because they were forced to remain in the military beyond their normal enlistment.
The government authorized the "special pay" in 2009 following criticism from some troops and Congress who said the "stop loss" policy that extended enlistments amounted to a "back door draft." Most of the troops fought in Iraq and Afghanistan.
Veterans groups have faulted the Pentagon for not being able to locate the troops.
"In this economy, I haven't met a single stop-loss veteran who can't use this money for their family or school," said Paul Rieckhoff, executive director of Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America.
The Army has paid $245 million in bonuses for 84,000 soldiers since the law passed, said Army Maj. Roy Whitley, who is managing Army efforts to provide the special pay.
read more here
'Stop loss' bonuses go unpaid to 35,000 soldiers
National Guard study shows TBI symptoms more likely to be PTSD instead
For a long time you've been reminded that bomb blasts are a traumatic event. Well it looks like the "experts" finally agree and when they have been trying to put all the symptoms onto the TBI title, they were dealing with two different outcomes afterwards. About time!
Some TBI Symptoms More Likely to be PTSD
Week of January 17, 2011
A recent study which tracked National Guard Soldiers during the final month of their 16-month deployment to Iraq and then again a year after they returned home, found that servicemembers who suffer mild traumatic brain injuries in combat and then struggle with depression, irritability, alcohol abuse and similar problems are more likely to be experiencing post-traumatic stress than brain injury symptoms. An abstract of the study is available in the January 2011 edition of the Archives of General Psychiatry.
Fort Stewart Soldier on leave stabbed on plane trying to break up fight
Man accused of stabbing soldier on jet
Sonia Azad
More: Bio, E-mail, News Team
HOUSTON (KTRK) -- A soldier was attacked, stabbed in the neck after he tried to break up a fight on a plane. And now, we're learning new details about what happened.
Investigators say the plane was on the tarmac at Bush Airport last month, ready to fly to Savannah, Georgia, when the fight started.
The soldier, Nicholas Shipley, 20, is back on post in Fort Stewart, Georgia. The guy accused of threatening him is free after posting bail.
Robert Paterson, 38, works as a contractor in Afghanistan. During a vacation from the war zone, he was arrested at Bush Intercontinental Airport for threatening Shipley and allegedly stabbing him with a type of knife on an airplane.
The men were on an Express Jet flight to Savannah. Police reports indicate the whole thing started with a fight on board. When a stewardess tried to calm the guys down, police say Paterson stabbed Shipley.
read more here
Man accused of stabbing soldier on jet
Sonia Azad
More: Bio, E-mail, News Team
HOUSTON (KTRK) -- A soldier was attacked, stabbed in the neck after he tried to break up a fight on a plane. And now, we're learning new details about what happened.
Investigators say the plane was on the tarmac at Bush Airport last month, ready to fly to Savannah, Georgia, when the fight started.
The soldier, Nicholas Shipley, 20, is back on post in Fort Stewart, Georgia. The guy accused of threatening him is free after posting bail.
Robert Paterson, 38, works as a contractor in Afghanistan. During a vacation from the war zone, he was arrested at Bush Intercontinental Airport for threatening Shipley and allegedly stabbing him with a type of knife on an airplane.
The men were on an Express Jet flight to Savannah. Police reports indicate the whole thing started with a fight on board. When a stewardess tried to calm the guys down, police say Paterson stabbed Shipley.
read more here
Man accused of stabbing soldier on jet
Mental Health In Focus After Shooting In Arizona for Responders Too
One of the reasons I trained as a Chaplain with the International Fellowship of Chaplains was to be able to help the "helpers" the rest of us depend upon. They are the last people to ask for help, which makes it more difficult for them to get any. We never think they need help after the crisis is over for us. Think about it. They put out fires, save lives but they also have to recover bodies, often bodies of children. They have to respond to accidents, save lives but they also have to recover bodies and body parts. We never think of them after they've done their jobs.
After Katrina, responders had to recover the bodies of people they were too late to save. No one thought of them. After September 11th, few people in this country thought of the survivors among the personnel responding to give aid and again, recover bodies and body parts. The countless hours of hoping, praying for survivors ended with just praying they could find all the bodies for the sake of the families.
Here again, another crisis with more responders needing help to recover. The next time you see a firefighter, police officer or other emergency responders, remember this story and then think of all they go through after the crisis is over for us. It was one time out of our lives but it is endless days of one crisis after another for them.
After Katrina, responders had to recover the bodies of people they were too late to save. No one thought of them. After September 11th, few people in this country thought of the survivors among the personnel responding to give aid and again, recover bodies and body parts. The countless hours of hoping, praying for survivors ended with just praying they could find all the bodies for the sake of the families.
Here again, another crisis with more responders needing help to recover. The next time you see a firefighter, police officer or other emergency responders, remember this story and then think of all they go through after the crisis is over for us. It was one time out of our lives but it is endless days of one crisis after another for them.
Mental Health In Focus After Shooting In Arizona
by JEFF BRADY
January 16, 2011
The two have relied mostly on each other for support because patient privacy laws make it difficult to talk about specifics with anyone else. In fact, Southwest Ambulance says it can't even confirm that Rogers and Magnotta transported Giffords, but the Pima County Sheriff’s office released the information in a time line of events from that day.
Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords (D-AZ) is still listed in critical condition at a Tucson, Ariz., hospital. Doctors say her recovery has been "exceptional" so far. She's opening her eyes, responding to commands and Saturday she was taken off a ventilator.
Outside the hospital, in the community she represents, mental health has been a recurring discussion topic since the shooting that left six people dead. There are questions about the alleged gunman and concern for the victims who survived. The police and firemen who responded also require special care.
Paramedic Aaron Rogers and EMT Wes Magnotta treated Giffords right after shooting and transported her to the hospital in the back of their ambulance.
Rogers and Magnotta had four days off after the shooting and are back at work now. The gruesome details of what they experienced will be with them for a long time.
"One thing that stood out for me was smell," Rogers says. "There was so much blood on-scene and it being warm, from the sun, that that's what I smelled. It was that iron-y smell."
read more here
Mental Health In Focus After Shooting In Arizona
Chase over charged 4,000 troops and foreclosed on 14 military families
We know what happened with Chase because of the lawsuit Capt. Jonathan Rowles filed so Chase has to do the right thing now but what about the damage done to all of these families? What do they get for the needless suffering they had to go through? What about your mortgage company? Are they causing harm to other military families?
No. 2 bank overcharged troops on mortgages
NBC News exclusive: JPMorgan Chase also improperly foreclosed on homes
By Lisa Myers and Sarah Heidarpour
NBC News
updated 23 minutes ago
One of the nation's biggest banks — JP Morgan Chase — admits it has overcharged several thousand military families for their mortgages, including families of troops fighting in Afghanistan. The bank also tells NBC News that it improperly foreclosed on more than a dozen military families.
The admissions are an outgrowth of a lawsuit filed by Marine Capt. Jonathan Rowles. Rowles is the backseat pilot of an F/A 18 Delta fighter jet and has served the nation as a Marine for five years. He and his wife, Julia, say they’ve been battling Chase almost that long.
The dispute apparently caused the bank to review its handling of all mortgages involving active-duty military personnel. Under a law known as the Servicemembers Civil Relief Act (SCRA), active-duty troops generally get their mortgage interest rates lowered to 6 percent and are protected from foreclosure. Chase now appears to have repeatedly violated that law, which is designed to protect troops and their families from financial stress while they’re in harm's way.
A Chase official told NBC News that some 4,000 troops may have been overcharged. What’s more, the bank discovered it improperly foreclosed on the homes of 14 military families.
read more here
http://today.msnbc.msn.com/id/41043127/ns/business-real_estate/
Wounded soldier left stranded finds people do still care
January 16, 2011
Wounded Army soldier finds help in McAlester
By James Beaty
Senior Editor
McALESTER — It’s a need McAlester couldn’t let go by unanswered — a man identified as a wounded veteran of the war in Iraq, stranded in the city, broke and hundreds of miles from home.
On Thursday, Kristophier Barta wound up on foot in McAlester. He said his bus ticket between Veterans Administration hospitals had been extended several times and would no longer get him home to Lexington, Ken.
Barta, who said he had been wounded as a member of the U.S. Army in Iraq, still had a port tube in his chest to help drain the wound.
In McAlester, Barta didn’t know what to do. A helpful employee at the service station where he had been stranded noticed his plight.
She offered him some coffee —and something that proved to be much more.
Barta, who said he’s of Cherokee Indian ancestry, said he’d been hoping to visit a foster sister who lived in Tahlequah.
He said he asked how far it was to the Cherokee reservation, actually meaning the Cherokee Capitol grounds in Tahlequah.
read more of this great story here
Wounded Army soldier finds help in McAlester
Wounded Army soldier finds help in McAlester
By James Beaty
Senior Editor
McALESTER — It’s a need McAlester couldn’t let go by unanswered — a man identified as a wounded veteran of the war in Iraq, stranded in the city, broke and hundreds of miles from home.
On Thursday, Kristophier Barta wound up on foot in McAlester. He said his bus ticket between Veterans Administration hospitals had been extended several times and would no longer get him home to Lexington, Ken.
Barta, who said he had been wounded as a member of the U.S. Army in Iraq, still had a port tube in his chest to help drain the wound.
In McAlester, Barta didn’t know what to do. A helpful employee at the service station where he had been stranded noticed his plight.
She offered him some coffee —and something that proved to be much more.
Barta, who said he’s of Cherokee Indian ancestry, said he’d been hoping to visit a foster sister who lived in Tahlequah.
He said he asked how far it was to the Cherokee reservation, actually meaning the Cherokee Capitol grounds in Tahlequah.
read more of this great story here
Wounded Army soldier finds help in McAlester
Arizona shooting survivor taken to hospital after arrest
Ariz. shooting victim goes to hospital after arrest
Eric Fuller, 63, is accused of yelling 'you're dead' at a Tea Party spokesman
By AMANDA LEE MYERS, BOB CHRISTIE
TUCSON, Ariz. — Grief-stricken after the Tucson supermarket massacre, shooting victim James Eric Fuller found comfort writing down the Declaration of Independence from memory while still recovering in the hospital.
The self-described liberal and military veteran became distraught Saturday, authorities said, when he began ranting at the end of a televised town hall meeting about the tragedy. He took a picture of a local tea party leader and yelled "you're dead" before calling others in the church a bunch of "whores," authorities said.
Deputies arrested him and called a doctor. They decided he should be taken to a hospital for a mental evaluation, said Pima County sheriff's spokesman Jason Ogan said.
"I didn't know how to calm myself down," he said on the TV show, "so I wrote down the Declaration of Independence, which I memorized some time ago. And that did help to organize my thoughts."
He also lashed out at conservative Republicans for "Second Amendment activism," arguing it set the stage for the shooting.
Fuller returned to the Safeway supermarket Friday, telling KPHO-TV he had always considered trauma a figment of imagination until the events of Jan. 8.
"Today I'm back on my feet, more or less, and I'm in a combative mood," Fuller said as he limped across the store parking lot. "It's helping me. I've never had any trauma like this in my life."
read more here
Ariz. shooting victim goes to hospital after arrest
Sunday, January 16, 2011
Treating trauma - Risks of debriefing after disaster
I am alive and pretty well balanced because without knowing it, my family did debriefing every time there was a crisis. They were there to listen. That's the point of crisis teams showing up after a crisis. They are there to listen and let people talk to someone without having to worry about hearing a judgment, having their feelings dismissed or hearing someone tell them they have all the answers. Crisis teams are there to take care of immediate needs including the need to talk, cry and let it out. The crisis teams are not there to force anyone to talk but there for the people who feel the need to be comforted this way. There is also a residual effect when they see others being comforted. It allows them to seek it for themselves.
This article seems to miss this point as it goes far to show that there are risks of debriefing but the risks come when people are not trained properly and they can do more harm than good. There is also the risk to the responder. Deploying into one crisis after another can leave them being drained and often they need to talk to someone too but good trainers and team leaders already have someone in place for them to connect with.
This article seems to miss this point as it goes far to show that there are risks of debriefing but the risks come when people are not trained properly and they can do more harm than good. There is also the risk to the responder. Deploying into one crisis after another can leave them being drained and often they need to talk to someone too but good trainers and team leaders already have someone in place for them to connect with.
Treating trauma - Risks of debriefing after disaster
By Natasha Mitchell
The church in Carisbrook shows how high the water rose in town (ABC Ballarat: Brad Barber)
Last week's floods have brought devastation to thousands of Queenslanders, and now Victorian homes are going under.
The stories of loss and survival emerging from close-knit communities in the Lockyer valley, in towns like Grantham and Ipswich are confronting and sobering, as people describe hanging on for dear life to trees, rooftops and each other as floodwaters pushed past them with the force of an "inland tsunami". People are still missing, some ripped from the arms of loved ones, and search and rescue teams are steeling themselves for grizzly discoveries amidst the rubble and receding waters.
"Mum and dad are beautiful people, and we're still in shock we've lost them", Sarah Norman told ABC News, after both of her parents perished, their bodies swept to their final resting place two kilometres from their Spring Bluff home, near Murphy's Creek. "It was heartbreaking, but we just believe they were together and God has his hands on all of this".
Sarah shared her story on camera with quiet clarity and without the raw emotion you might expect, but her muted stare gave it away - this was a woman in shock. Surreal, numbing, stunned shock.
After the deluge, our natural inclination is to want to help people deal with this shock, and fast.
Help comes in many forms, both material and emotional. Donating to the Queensland Premier's Flood Relief Fund is one way, or registering with Volunteering Queensland to lend a hand is another, offering people temporary shelter, helping families sort through the stinking mud and debris for precious hints of life as it was, and reaching out with open arms and hearts to those who have lost everything.
Next we want to send in the psychologists and counsellors, and understandably so. Talking through the hell that's happened will help, won't it? It makes sense and sounds right for professionals to get in early and help us bear witness to our own trauma, doesn't it?
read more here
Treating trauma - Risks of debriefing after disaster
Surviving Families of Suicide in the Military
"Military suicides show some families work through their grief, while others are left feeling angry and confused."
Surviving Families of Suicide in the Military Speak to DoD Task Force on Suicide Prevention
This video from CNN talks about a life lost with a family left behind praising TAPS but does little to prevent more families from having to go to a military funeral after the soldier has come home.
Military Suicide: CNN's Interview with the Ruocco Family
It has not been a secret that the military has had a problem for a very long time. All the years of claiming to be doing something about it is better than their silence but the problem we all seem to overlook is that for all the years they've been at it, the numbers don't show they know what they're doing is working.
Congress has held countless hearings on PTSD and suicide but while they listen to the problems from those left behind, they have done nothing to discover what has worked and replicate it. Wives like me have been there and done that. We watched our Vietnam veteran husbands lose the will to live, battled their fights with the VA for help and compensation and try to give them everything we had to keep them going. Our stories are not all hopeless but some of us have lost our husbands or other relatives to suicide because of their military duty. My marriage has lasted over 26 years. Friends of mine have been married 30-40 years showing that there are things that do work to keep them alive.
PTSD is as old as man going into combat. Yet with this, with the rate of divorce in this country, with 18 veterans a day committing suicide, ending up homeless or incarcerated, we have managed to survive it all. We have done it for reasons to complicated to get into right now, but we did it because we understood them and they were worth fighting for. If Congress and the DOD ever really want to stop all of this from happening they need to listen to the families that made it through the fire so that it won't be too late for other families to be able to do the same.
Surviving Families of Suicide in the Military Speak to DoD Task Force on Suicide Prevention
This video from CNN talks about a life lost with a family left behind praising TAPS but does little to prevent more families from having to go to a military funeral after the soldier has come home.
Military Suicide: CNN's Interview with the Ruocco Family
It has not been a secret that the military has had a problem for a very long time. All the years of claiming to be doing something about it is better than their silence but the problem we all seem to overlook is that for all the years they've been at it, the numbers don't show they know what they're doing is working.
Supporting Those Left Behind By Military Suicides
by SARAH GONZALEZ
October 21, 2010
A spike in military suicides has led to a renewed focus on prevention efforts by the Defense Department. But the surviving family members often have an uneven network of support that allows some to work through their grief, while others are left feeling angry and confused.
The Tragedy Assistance Program for Survivors — TAPS — is trying to fill the gaps by bringing together families from across the country to share their grief and learn.
About 250 adults and children recently gathered at a hotel in Arlington, Va., to share their stories at the TAPS seminar for surviving family members of suicide by service members. Some traveled from as far as Alaska and Hawaii.
Adding Guilt To The Grief
For many, like Denise Coutlakis, the grief is still raw. Her husband, Col. Todd Hixson, committed suicide in October 2009. The 27-year Marine veteran of several wars had been home just three weeks from his only deployment to Iraq.
In 2007, Army Spc. Jeremy LaClaire returned from his first deployment to Afghanistan distant and unable to relate to his family. His widow, Megan LaClaire, says the Army diagnosed him as bipolar. Less than a year later, he was scheduled to be deployed to Iraq.read more here
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=130723915
Congress has held countless hearings on PTSD and suicide but while they listen to the problems from those left behind, they have done nothing to discover what has worked and replicate it. Wives like me have been there and done that. We watched our Vietnam veteran husbands lose the will to live, battled their fights with the VA for help and compensation and try to give them everything we had to keep them going. Our stories are not all hopeless but some of us have lost our husbands or other relatives to suicide because of their military duty. My marriage has lasted over 26 years. Friends of mine have been married 30-40 years showing that there are things that do work to keep them alive.
PTSD is as old as man going into combat. Yet with this, with the rate of divorce in this country, with 18 veterans a day committing suicide, ending up homeless or incarcerated, we have managed to survive it all. We have done it for reasons to complicated to get into right now, but we did it because we understood them and they were worth fighting for. If Congress and the DOD ever really want to stop all of this from happening they need to listen to the families that made it through the fire so that it won't be too late for other families to be able to do the same.
Women in combat? They already are.
Some say they are not brave enough. This says they are.
watch The Voice, Women at War and see how brave they always have been.
The Voice, Women at War
CAMP SALERNO, Afghanistan — A 19-year-old medic from Texas will become the first woman in Afghanistan and only the second woman since World War II to receive the Silver Star, the nation's third-highest medal for valor.And so does this
Army Spc. Monica Lin Brown saved the lives of fellow soldiers after a roadside bomb tore through a convoy of Humvees in the eastern Paktia province in April 2007, the military said.
After the explosion, which wounded five soldiers in her unit, Brown ran through insurgent gunfire and used her body to shield wounded comrades as mortars fell less than 100 yards away, the military said.
"I did not really think about anything except for getting the guys to a safer location and getting them taken care of and getting them out of there," Brown said Saturday at a U.S. base in the eastern province of Khost.
Brown, of Lake Jackson, Texas, is scheduled to receive the Silver Star later this month. She was part of a four-vehicle convoy patrolling near Jani Kheil in the eastern province of Paktia on April 25, 2007, when a bomb struck one of the Humvees.
Spc. Monica Lin Brown
By Ann Scott TysonWhen they end up in positions where they have to use weapons anyway, when they are trained to use them, brave enough to serve in a combat zone as it is, then why not treat them equally?
Washington Post Staff Writer
Friday, June 17, 2005
Sgt. Leigh Ann Hester fought her way through an enemy ambush south of Baghdad, killing three insurgents with her M-4 rifle to save fellow soldiers' lives -- and yesterday became the first woman since World War II to win the Silver Star medal for valor in combat.
The 23-year-old retail store manager from Bowling Green, Ky., won the award for skillfully leading her team of military police soldiers in a counterattack after about 50 insurgents ambushed a supply convoy they were guarding near Salman Pak on March 20.
Sgt. Leigh Ann Hester
Report: Women should be allowed to serve in combat
From Alison Harding, CNN
January 15, 2011
STORY HIGHLIGHTS
A Pentagon commission says the ban should be lifted to create a "level playing field"
More than 200,000 women have served in the U.S. military in Iraq and Afghanistan
The commission will send its findings to Congress and President Barack Obama
Washington (CNN) -- A Pentagon commission on diversity is recommending the U.S. military end its ban on women serving in direct combat roles -- a restriction the group says is discriminatory and out of touch with the demands of modern warfare.
In its draft report, the Military Leadership Diversity Commission said the military should gradually eliminate the ban in order to create a "level playing field for all qualified service members."
The commission, comprised of senior military officers, businessmen and academics, must now release a final report. Its findings would then need to be sent to Congress and President Obama before any changes to policy would be implemented.
The draft report said the military's "combat exclusion policies" do not reflect the realities of the current wars in Iraq and Afghanistan and create institutional barriers to women, who are prevented from getting key assignments that could lead to career advancement.
"Service policies that bar women from gaining entry to certain combat-related career fields, specialties, units, and assignments are based on standards of conventional warfare, with well-defined, linear battlefields," the report said. "However, the current conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan have been anything but conventional."
More than 200,000 women have served in the U.S. military in Iraq and Afghanistan. Since those wars began, 132 female service members have been killed, and 721 have been wounded.
Proponents of the commission's recommendations agree that technology and circumstance have drastically altered modern warfare. They say it is difficult to distinguish between combat and non-combat roles on the front lines of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.
read more here
Women should be allowed to serve in combat
watch The Voice, Women at War and see how brave they always have been.
The Voice, Women at War
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