Mica blames bureaucracy for delays in accreditation
April 19, 2011
U.S. Rep. John L. Mica held an emergency meeting of state VA and other leaders today, April 19th, at 3:30 p.m. in St. Augustine City Hall, where he tells Historic City News Editor Michael Gold that he wants answers regarding the delay in getting proper accreditation for the Clyde E. Lassen State VA Nursing Home.
Mica voiced his concern today to Veterans Administration and Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, “To resolve this outstanding matter and to prevent any further veterans from being turned away.”
The new Clyde E. Lassen State VA Nursing Home, which opened this past September, will help homeless veterans in the region and will also provide much needed counseling and long-term medical care for those who have served our nation.
“It is a shame that it has taken nearly seven months for the new state VA nursing home in St. Augustine to become fully accredited,” said Mica. “St. Johns County is home to over 17,000 veterans — and growing.”
read more here
Mica blames bureaucracy for delays in accreditation
Wednesday, April 20, 2011
2nd sailor found dead aboard Enterprise
2nd sailor found dead aboard Enterprise
By Hugh Lessig, hlessig@dailypress.com
April 19, 2011
A sailor aboard the USS Enterprise was found dead Tuesday, and the death is under investigation, the Navy reported.
The sailor was not identified and no other details were released. However, the Navy said it has notified the sailor's family and sends condolences.
It is the second time in about a month that a sailor has been found dead aboard the ship, which is currently in the Arabian Gulf.
Petty Officer First Class Vincent A. Filpi III, 41, died March 22 in a non-combat related incident, the Defense Department previously reported. He was an aviation ordnance man and had enlisted in the Navy in 1992. He had been on the Enterprise since 2009.
read more here
2nd sailor found dead aboard Enterprise
By Hugh Lessig, hlessig@dailypress.com
April 19, 2011
A sailor aboard the USS Enterprise was found dead Tuesday, and the death is under investigation, the Navy reported.
The sailor was not identified and no other details were released. However, the Navy said it has notified the sailor's family and sends condolences.
It is the second time in about a month that a sailor has been found dead aboard the ship, which is currently in the Arabian Gulf.
Petty Officer First Class Vincent A. Filpi III, 41, died March 22 in a non-combat related incident, the Defense Department previously reported. He was an aviation ordnance man and had enlisted in the Navy in 1992. He had been on the Enterprise since 2009.
read more here
2nd sailor found dead aboard Enterprise
PTSD? They have an app for that too!
A New Way to Serve Our Veterans
By Secretary Eric K. Shinseki , Secretary of the Department of Veterans Affairs
Some of the most important programs our department provides are mental health services. I am pleased to announce that VA and the Department of Defense (DoD) have launched the PTSD Coach – our first in a suite of jointly developed mobile smartphone applications (apps) for mental health.
When speaking with Veterans living with PTSD, we were told that they wanted and needed a convenient way to learn more about the services and resources available to them, as well as an app that could help them manage symptoms of PTSD at any given moment. The PTSD Coach is a cutting edge app which provides information and tools that Veterans and service members can use to cope with their PTSD symptoms any moment of the day—24/7.
This new tool is useful for anyone who is receiving treatment for PTSD. It is also an anonymous resource that will be important for Veterans and service members, who may not be in treatment now, but who may be seeking quick, accessible information about PTSD. It’s available now on iTunes and will be online soon for Android phones, as well. I recommend it for anyone, who wants to learn more about PTSD, and we’ll look forward to introducing additional apps over the course of the coming year. This is just one more way that VA and DoD are working together to provide 21st Century tools for the men and women who are serving, and have served, our great Nation.
A New Way to Serve Our Veterans
By Secretary Eric K. Shinseki , Secretary of the Department of Veterans Affairs
Some of the most important programs our department provides are mental health services. I am pleased to announce that VA and the Department of Defense (DoD) have launched the PTSD Coach – our first in a suite of jointly developed mobile smartphone applications (apps) for mental health.
When speaking with Veterans living with PTSD, we were told that they wanted and needed a convenient way to learn more about the services and resources available to them, as well as an app that could help them manage symptoms of PTSD at any given moment. The PTSD Coach is a cutting edge app which provides information and tools that Veterans and service members can use to cope with their PTSD symptoms any moment of the day—24/7.
This new tool is useful for anyone who is receiving treatment for PTSD. It is also an anonymous resource that will be important for Veterans and service members, who may not be in treatment now, but who may be seeking quick, accessible information about PTSD. It’s available now on iTunes and will be online soon for Android phones, as well. I recommend it for anyone, who wants to learn more about PTSD, and we’ll look forward to introducing additional apps over the course of the coming year. This is just one more way that VA and DoD are working together to provide 21st Century tools for the men and women who are serving, and have served, our great Nation.
A New Way to Serve Our Veterans
Fallen airman's daughter send cookies and love to the troops
Her Girl Scout cookie project wins praise from top general
By Meg Jones of the Journal Sentinel
Waukesha - Mackenzie Frost's dad loved Girl Scout cookies, especially peanut butter sandwiches.
When U.S. Air Force Staff Sgt. Christopher Frost was deployed to Iraq, he received Girl Scout cookies in the mail and even sent a photo of himself holding up a cookie. So when 8-year-old Mackenzie sold Girl Scout cookies this year for the first time as a Brownie, she asked her customers if they would be willing to donate boxes of cookies to send to troops in Iraq.
The second-grader wrote a note for each package introducing herself, explaining which Brownie troop she belonged to and how she came up with the idea. She also told the U.S. service members in Iraq that the cookies were a great way to remember her dad.
Christopher Frost was killed in a helicopter crash in Iraq in March 2008 when Mackenzie was 5.
Touched by her heartfelt letter, as well as the 600 boxes of Girl Scout cookies sent by Mackenzie and the rest of the girls in Waukesha Brownie Troop 2653, the U.S. service members decided to say thank you the best way they knew how.
They sent her a care package.
And on Tuesday afternoon, in front of her classmates at Hawthorne Elementary School in Waukesha, Mackenzie was presented with gifts sent from troops in Iraq - a U.S. flag flown over Iraq in Christopher Frost's memory, a large framed photo collage and a video greeting from a three-star Army general who is deputy commander of U.S. forces in Iraq.
read more here
Girl Scout cookie project wins praise from top general
By Meg Jones of the Journal Sentinel
Waukesha - Mackenzie Frost's dad loved Girl Scout cookies, especially peanut butter sandwiches.
When U.S. Air Force Staff Sgt. Christopher Frost was deployed to Iraq, he received Girl Scout cookies in the mail and even sent a photo of himself holding up a cookie. So when 8-year-old Mackenzie sold Girl Scout cookies this year for the first time as a Brownie, she asked her customers if they would be willing to donate boxes of cookies to send to troops in Iraq.
The second-grader wrote a note for each package introducing herself, explaining which Brownie troop she belonged to and how she came up with the idea. She also told the U.S. service members in Iraq that the cookies were a great way to remember her dad.
Christopher Frost was killed in a helicopter crash in Iraq in March 2008 when Mackenzie was 5.
Touched by her heartfelt letter, as well as the 600 boxes of Girl Scout cookies sent by Mackenzie and the rest of the girls in Waukesha Brownie Troop 2653, the U.S. service members decided to say thank you the best way they knew how.
They sent her a care package.
And on Tuesday afternoon, in front of her classmates at Hawthorne Elementary School in Waukesha, Mackenzie was presented with gifts sent from troops in Iraq - a U.S. flag flown over Iraq in Christopher Frost's memory, a large framed photo collage and a video greeting from a three-star Army general who is deputy commander of U.S. forces in Iraq.
read more here
Girl Scout cookie project wins praise from top general
Tuesday, April 19, 2011
Medal of Honor recipient Sammy L. Davis speaks at Fort Benning
MEDIA ADVISORY
April 15, 2011
FORT BENNING, Ga. – Medal of Honor recipient Sammy L. Davis will address an audience of Fort Benning Soldiers at 1 p.m. April 19 in Pratt Hall.
Davis was awarded the Medal of Honor for his actions on Nov. 18, 1967 in Vietnam while serving as a cannoneer at a remote fire support base.
Davis’ fire support base, under heavy mortar attack, was simultaneously attacked by a battalion- sized ground assault which came within 25 meters of friendly lines.
Davis was providing covering fire as his artillery gun crew attempted to fire. An enemy recoilless rifle round scored a direct hit on his crew’s artillery piece, Davis was blown into a foxhole and set the artillery piece on fire.
Despite being seriously injured and disregarding enemy gunfire aimed at his position, Davis managed to fire the artillery gun five times. He then seized an air mattress, and despite his inability to swim, made his way across a river to rescue three wounded Soldiers on the far side. While the most seriously wounded Soldier was helped across the river, Davis protected the other two, standing upright and firing into dense vegetation to prevent the Viet Cong forces from advancing, until he could pull the wounded Soldiers back across.
Refusing medical attention, he then joined another artillery crew which fired at the Viet Cong forces until they broke contact and fled.
There will be a brief media opportunity at the conclusion of Davis’ presentation.
The Medal of Honor is the nation’s highest military award, presented for gallantry and intrepidity above and beyond the call of duty while engaged in an action against an enemy of the United States.
Media interested in attending this event should contact the Public Affairs Office during duty hours to coordinate a media escort to Pratt Hall.
Michelle Obama, Jill Biden talk about Military families on the View
Michelle Obama, Jill Biden talk military families, other issues, on 'The View'
By: CNN Political Producer Shannon Travis
Washington (CNN) – First lady Michelle Obama and Jill Biden, wife of Vice President Joe Biden, appeared on ABC's "The View" on Monday to talk about the challenges military families face and urged Americans to do more to support them.
And since the show is known for casual chats, Mrs. Obama and Mrs. Biden also discussed other subjects, such as how each woman reacts to political criticism of their husbands, the upcoming presidential race – even how President Obama, as a dad, is handling his oldest daughter's becoming a teenager.
Most of the talk focused on support for military families. In the audience were service members and their families, some of whom explained the challenges they face as they serve abroad while loved ones must care for family matters at home.
The issue is one that Mrs. Obama and Mrs. Biden have long been passionate about. Last week, the first lady and Mrs. Biden visited four states, in two days, to raise awareness about the needs of families of military service members.
"We're trying to expand public awareness. Because our military families sacrifice so much for us," the first lady said. "And most Americans are probably like I was. Not really recognizing the sacrifices and the challenges that these families make."
Obama said that the focus on the campaign, titled "Joining Forces: Taking Action to Serve America's Military Families," will be on employment, mental health and wellness for troops and their families and education.
Mrs. Biden urged Americans to commit to acts of kindness.
"Go to your schools or your churches or your communities and find out [who] the families who are," she said.
read more here
Michelle Obama, Jill Biden
By: CNN Political Producer Shannon Travis
Washington (CNN) – First lady Michelle Obama and Jill Biden, wife of Vice President Joe Biden, appeared on ABC's "The View" on Monday to talk about the challenges military families face and urged Americans to do more to support them.
And since the show is known for casual chats, Mrs. Obama and Mrs. Biden also discussed other subjects, such as how each woman reacts to political criticism of their husbands, the upcoming presidential race – even how President Obama, as a dad, is handling his oldest daughter's becoming a teenager.
Most of the talk focused on support for military families. In the audience were service members and their families, some of whom explained the challenges they face as they serve abroad while loved ones must care for family matters at home.
The issue is one that Mrs. Obama and Mrs. Biden have long been passionate about. Last week, the first lady and Mrs. Biden visited four states, in two days, to raise awareness about the needs of families of military service members.
"We're trying to expand public awareness. Because our military families sacrifice so much for us," the first lady said. "And most Americans are probably like I was. Not really recognizing the sacrifices and the challenges that these families make."
Obama said that the focus on the campaign, titled "Joining Forces: Taking Action to Serve America's Military Families," will be on employment, mental health and wellness for troops and their families and education.
Mrs. Biden urged Americans to commit to acts of kindness.
"Go to your schools or your churches or your communities and find out [who] the families who are," she said.
read more here
Michelle Obama, Jill Biden
Attempted robbery at Allied Veterans Internet Café leaves one dead
Suspected robber shot dead in Apopka
By Anika Myers Palm, Orlando Sentinel
7:01 a.m. EDT, April 19, 2011
A man who may have been trying to rob an Internet café was shot dead early today in Apopka
Gary Bryant, 21, was one of two men who walked into the Allied Veterans Internet Café at 3030 East Semoran Boulevard about 1 a.m., according to the Seminole County Sheriff's Office.
When the men entered the building, one of them immediately became involved in an altercation with a security guard.
One of the robbers fired a shot at the security guard, who in turn fired a round and struck Bryant in the back.
Just before leaving the scene in an older model tan Oldsmobile, one of the robbers fired several gunshots into the business.
read more here
Suspected robber shot dead in Apopka
By Anika Myers Palm, Orlando Sentinel
7:01 a.m. EDT, April 19, 2011
A man who may have been trying to rob an Internet café was shot dead early today in Apopka
Gary Bryant, 21, was one of two men who walked into the Allied Veterans Internet Café at 3030 East Semoran Boulevard about 1 a.m., according to the Seminole County Sheriff's Office.
When the men entered the building, one of them immediately became involved in an altercation with a security guard.
One of the robbers fired a shot at the security guard, who in turn fired a round and struck Bryant in the back.
Just before leaving the scene in an older model tan Oldsmobile, one of the robbers fired several gunshots into the business.
read more here
Suspected robber shot dead in Apopka
Military had better be ready after tornadoes for mental healthcare
700 from Fort Bragg are getting ready to deploy into Afghanistan.
How many are still deployed with this going on back home?
When you remember the shootings at Fort Hood, what you may not have noticed was the increase in mental healthcare demands. Their safety was taken away from them. The tornadoes brought one more kind of trauma beyond combat and the military had better be ready for what will follow from military families in crisis and needing help.
Bragg deals with aftermath of tumultuous stormsImagine packing to leave your family after the tornadoes. Then imagine you will spend a year worrying about them on top of your own life.
Staff report
Posted : Sunday Apr 17, 2011 18:16:38 EDT
FORT BRAGG, N.C. — Fort Bragg officials announced on Facebook that the base will operate on a two-hour delay on Monday except for adverse weather personnel, who are to report at normal duty hours or as directed. Civilian employees and schools will also operate on a two-hour delayed schedule.
The base remained closed Sunday except for key and essential personnel after severe weather damaged buildings and cut off power to the installation Saturday.
There are no reports of loss of life or significant injuries on post, according to a statement posted to Fort Bragg’s Facebook page Saturday night. Power was restored to the majority of the base late Sunday morning, officials said in a statement. Progress Energy utility crews were working to restore power to the Linden Oaks community and Simmons Army Airfield.
read more here
Bragg deals with aftermath of tumultuous storms
Camp Lejeune homes destroyed and damaged by tornado
Onslow County tornado damage, Camp Lejeune homes destroyed
By CHRIS BROWN
Published: April 16, 2011
CAMP LEJEUNE, N.C. - Base officials say 10 to 12 homes were destroyed, 40 to 60 homes were significantly damaged and 40 to 60 more homes have suffered minor damage including broken windows, siding, gutters and trees in the yard. A 23-month old child was flown to Pitt Memorial Hospital Saturday night and is still listed in critical condition with multiple trauma related injuries.
read more here
Camp Lejeune homes destroyed and damaged by tornado
How many are still deployed with this going on back home?
When you remember the shootings at Fort Hood, what you may not have noticed was the increase in mental healthcare demands. Their safety was taken away from them. The tornadoes brought one more kind of trauma beyond combat and the military had better be ready for what will follow from military families in crisis and needing help.
Monday, April 18, 2011
Dr. Keith Ablow using hero's suicide for attention?
The story of Clay Hunt and his family came out April 8. It has been a very big story online with most sites picking up his story out of heartache. Ten days later, it seem Dr. Keith Ablow decided to write something but added nothing to the story of Clay Hunt or to his life. Had he wanted to just write a story on "survivor's guilt" then he should have left this Marine out of his story. Had Ablow known about the reports already done on Clay, he would have known how much pain he was carrying and why it was there.
Perhaps some of these questions? This is what this article was all about. Guess work, adding nothing new, not talking to the family or adding anything that could help but he had to drag Hunt into this from the beginning.
Survivor's Guilt Haunting the Military
By Dr. Keith Ablow
Published April 18, 2011
FoxNews.com
On March 31, 2011, Clay Hunt, a 28-year-old Marine veteran who had served with great honor in Iraq and Afghanistan, receiving a Purple Heart, finally succumbed to the psychological fallout of that service, killing himself in his Sugar Land, Texas, apartment.
Hunt, a leading voice in helping other veterans get psychological help, had struggled publicly with the demons of war, especially the loss of four friends in his platoon.
“Two were lost in Iraq, and the other two were killed in Afghanistan,” his mother, Susan Selke, told the Houston Chronicle. “When that last one went down, it just undid him.”
Perhaps some of these questions? This is what this article was all about. Guess work, adding nothing new, not talking to the family or adding anything that could help but he had to drag Hunt into this from the beginning.
Perhaps some of these questions plagued Clay Hunt. Maybe they plagued many of the other veterans who have taken their lives after returning from Iraq and Afghanistan. Maybe many are more hobbled by guilt than by terror, awakened in the night not by flashbacks to their own near-death experiences, but to the deaths of others; not by terror, but by guilt—by the very fact that they somehow do not deserve to be alive, even that others died because of something lacking in them.
read more here
Survivor's Guilt Haunting the Military
Camp Lejeune homes destroyed and damaged by tornado
Onslow County tornado damage, Camp Lejeune homes destroyed
By CHRIS BROWN
Published: April 16, 2011
CAMP LEJEUNE, N.C. - Base officials say 10 to 12 homes were destroyed, 40 to 60 homes were significantly damaged and 40 to 60 more homes have suffered minor damage including broken windows, siding, gutters and trees in the yard. A 23-month old child was flown to Pitt Memorial Hospital Saturday night and is still listed in critical condition with multiple trauma related injuries.
read more here
Onslow County tornado damage
By CHRIS BROWN
Published: April 16, 2011
CAMP LEJEUNE, N.C. - Base officials say 10 to 12 homes were destroyed, 40 to 60 homes were significantly damaged and 40 to 60 more homes have suffered minor damage including broken windows, siding, gutters and trees in the yard. A 23-month old child was flown to Pitt Memorial Hospital Saturday night and is still listed in critical condition with multiple trauma related injuries.
read more here
Onslow County tornado damage
Sunday, April 17, 2011
Soldier home from Afghanistan wins $250,000
Soldier home from Afghanistan wins $250,000
The Associated Press
Posted : Saturday Apr 16, 2011 10:11:29 EDT
ATLANTA — An Army veteran in Georgia won $250,000 playing the lottery just days before his return to Afghanistan.
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports that Gregg Curry bought a winning Georgia Lottery Cool Cash ticket in Fayetteville.
He was home for two weeks from Bagram Airfield, where he has been stationed for the past seven months.
The 47-year-old father of three and a master sergeant with the Third U.S. Army Forces Central Command, is scheduled to return to Afghanistan Monday.
Curry told lottery officials that he plans to use his $250,000 to pay bills and take a vacation after he returns from the Mideast
The Associated Press
Posted : Saturday Apr 16, 2011 10:11:29 EDT
ATLANTA — An Army veteran in Georgia won $250,000 playing the lottery just days before his return to Afghanistan.
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports that Gregg Curry bought a winning Georgia Lottery Cool Cash ticket in Fayetteville.
He was home for two weeks from Bagram Airfield, where he has been stationed for the past seven months.
The 47-year-old father of three and a master sergeant with the Third U.S. Army Forces Central Command, is scheduled to return to Afghanistan Monday.
Curry told lottery officials that he plans to use his $250,000 to pay bills and take a vacation after he returns from the Mideast
Counselors told not to treat PTSD and suicide?
Missoula therapist fights human resources firm over confidentiality, PTSD treatment for soldiers
By BETSY COHEN of the Missoulian
Outraged by a change in a counseling contract that provides mental health care to military personnel and their families, a Missoula therapist is waging a one-person war to defend soldiers' rights.
Taking on this battle is David Stube, a licensed clinical counselor who is fighting Ceridian, a global human resources firm that is contracted with the U.S. Department of Defense to provide psychological health services to soldiers.
The issue came to light in January when Ceridian sent a letter to counselors it contracts with in all 50 states. The letter asked those professionals to sign an addendum that not only waives doctor-patient confidentiality, but also forces counselors to agree not to provide counseling for post-traumatic stress disorder, depression, addiction issues, or violent or suicidal behavior.
Stube refused to sign the addendum and believes Ceridian's new requirements and the Defense Department's acceptance of those changes are unethical. Now, a few months into the fray, he's recruited and gained support from Sen. Jon Tester, D-Mont.
"If you are a soldier or in a soldier's family, this means you can no longer be counseled for these conditions, even though all military websites refer all soldiers to Ceridian MilitaryOne Source counselors for these exact issues," Stube said. "The websites neglect to tell the soldiers that the counselors have agreed to not treat PTSD, depression, addiction issues and problems with dangerous angry behavior.
"Furthermore, if the counselor does not post their clinical notes after each session on the Ceridian website within three days after seeing the soldier, the counselor will not be paid," Stube said.
read more here
Missoula therapist fights human resources firm
By BETSY COHEN of the Missoulian
Outraged by a change in a counseling contract that provides mental health care to military personnel and their families, a Missoula therapist is waging a one-person war to defend soldiers' rights.
Taking on this battle is David Stube, a licensed clinical counselor who is fighting Ceridian, a global human resources firm that is contracted with the U.S. Department of Defense to provide psychological health services to soldiers.
The issue came to light in January when Ceridian sent a letter to counselors it contracts with in all 50 states. The letter asked those professionals to sign an addendum that not only waives doctor-patient confidentiality, but also forces counselors to agree not to provide counseling for post-traumatic stress disorder, depression, addiction issues, or violent or suicidal behavior.
Stube refused to sign the addendum and believes Ceridian's new requirements and the Defense Department's acceptance of those changes are unethical. Now, a few months into the fray, he's recruited and gained support from Sen. Jon Tester, D-Mont.
"If you are a soldier or in a soldier's family, this means you can no longer be counseled for these conditions, even though all military websites refer all soldiers to Ceridian MilitaryOne Source counselors for these exact issues," Stube said. "The websites neglect to tell the soldiers that the counselors have agreed to not treat PTSD, depression, addiction issues and problems with dangerous angry behavior.
"Furthermore, if the counselor does not post their clinical notes after each session on the Ceridian website within three days after seeing the soldier, the counselor will not be paid," Stube said.
read more here
Missoula therapist fights human resources firm
Marine attacked at zoo, fought back
Marine released following stabbing arrest
A Marine, who was arrested for stabbing a man in Waikiki, was released after prosecutors decided not to charge him.
Just after midnight Saturday, police say a group approached the Marine near the Honolulu Zoo, and tried to rob him of his beer.
When the marine said no, police say the group then attacked him.The marine fought back and stabbed one of the group's members.
read more here
Marine released following stabbing arrest
A Marine, who was arrested for stabbing a man in Waikiki, was released after prosecutors decided not to charge him.
Just after midnight Saturday, police say a group approached the Marine near the Honolulu Zoo, and tried to rob him of his beer.
When the marine said no, police say the group then attacked him.The marine fought back and stabbed one of the group's members.
read more here
Marine released following stabbing arrest
Afghan soldier "sleeper agent" blamed for killing 3 US soldiers and 5 others
NATO: 3 service members killed in Afghanistan
(AP) – 4 hours ago
KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) — Three more NATO service members were killed in attacks in Afghanistan on Saturday, the international coalition said, making a total of eight killed on one of the deadliest days for NATO troops this year.
The three deaths announced Sunday came from two separate bomb attacks in the south on the same day that five NATO service members were killed in a suicide bombing by a Taliban sleeper agent at a U.S. base in the east.
NATO officials have said they expect a particularly violent spring and summer in Afghanistan as insurgents try to pour back into areas taken over by international troops over the winter.
Fighting usually increases in Afghanistan as the weather warms and insurgents climb back over the mountainous border with Pakistan. This year, NATO has pushed further into Taliban strongholds in the south and has said their goal is to hold these areas so that militants cannot re-establish themselves.
The next couple months are particularly key for the United States, because President Barack Obama has pledged to start drawing down troops in July.
The suicide attack in eastern Laghman province also killed four Afghan soldiers and an interpreter. The Taliban claimed responsibility for the bombing and spokesman Zabiullah Mujahid said Sunday that the soldier was a sleeper agent who had been in the army for years and had been in contact with Taliban operatives for "a long time."
read more here
3 service members killed in Afghanistan
(AP) – 4 hours ago
KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) — Three more NATO service members were killed in attacks in Afghanistan on Saturday, the international coalition said, making a total of eight killed on one of the deadliest days for NATO troops this year.
The three deaths announced Sunday came from two separate bomb attacks in the south on the same day that five NATO service members were killed in a suicide bombing by a Taliban sleeper agent at a U.S. base in the east.
NATO officials have said they expect a particularly violent spring and summer in Afghanistan as insurgents try to pour back into areas taken over by international troops over the winter.
Fighting usually increases in Afghanistan as the weather warms and insurgents climb back over the mountainous border with Pakistan. This year, NATO has pushed further into Taliban strongholds in the south and has said their goal is to hold these areas so that militants cannot re-establish themselves.
The next couple months are particularly key for the United States, because President Barack Obama has pledged to start drawing down troops in July.
The suicide attack in eastern Laghman province also killed four Afghan soldiers and an interpreter. The Taliban claimed responsibility for the bombing and spokesman Zabiullah Mujahid said Sunday that the soldier was a sleeper agent who had been in the army for years and had been in contact with Taliban operatives for "a long time."
read more here
3 service members killed in Afghanistan
When faith crashes
I haven't felt I've been living up to the title of Chaplain for a long time. I haven't lost faith in God or questioned the love of Christ, but I lost faith in people. When too many people turn their backs on others, it is almost impossible to look for the goodness in others.
Last night I went with ten other members of Valencia College Veteran's Council to a homeless shelter run by Coalition for the Homeless. We served meals and smiles to 290 men and women. The words of Christ rang in my ears.
Then the voices I've heard from the few getting attention in this country took over. The people who claim to be so concerned with the debt of this nation, pretending passing on the debt to our kids is more tragic than taking care of the least among us has made me doubt the suffering today matter at all.
Their voices of not wanting to make sure everyone has access to healthcare while conditions that could have been treated early end up causing death ignored by their hearts. They say they don't want to be forced to get health insurance but they never seem to have an answer for what will happen and who will be expected to pay when they get cancer or need a transplant to save their lives. Many of them have government health insurance in the form of Medicare and Medicaid but they don't seem to want anyone else to have it.
My cousin passed away Wednesday after spending two months in the hospital. She had decided, for whatever reason, to not go for checkups. In December, it was clear she something was going on inside of her body. Two months later, she was in enough distress that she finally went to the doctor. Her liver was failing, she had heart problems and no one knew what caused any of it. Then her kidneys shut down. Checkups might have been able to catch these problems in the beginning but by the time she went, it was too late.
She wasn't one of the people without health insurance. She had it but decided she didn't want to use it. How many people in this country saying they don't want to be forced to have health insurance any more than they want other people to have it, ever thought about the day when they are suddenly unhealthy? Do they plan on losing everything they have to pay for their care? Do they plan on other people paying for it? Do they plan on just ending up on pubic assistance then?
Here in Florida we have cut after cut for what regular people need but at the same time the folks wanting these cut backs scream about giving to the rich and what they need. Yet 290 showed up for a meal and a place on the floor to sleep. Some of them were in wheel chairs. Some of them were clearly veterans with metal where their legs used to be and the scars they carry are deep inside of them. They risked their lives for this country, ended up paying a very high price for it and then ended up paying more back home.
The folks wanting to cut 1.3 million veterans from getting healthcare from the VA never consider that most of these veterans have unapproved claims for wounds they suffered in combat and no one cared enough to make sure they got what they needed when they came home before they just gave up.
When you see and read so much suffering and then hear what people are unashamed to say, it is very hard to hang onto any kind of faith in man when they are so unkind.
But last night, when I went to bed, the sadness I felt at the shelter was replaced with the knowledge that as the "conservatives" end up with all the media attention, the people showing up to help others are doing God's work and there are a lot more of them than the people getting the attention of the media these days and there is great hope in that.
I used to work as the Circulation manager of a newspaper. There was a saying that "if it bleeds, it leads" and the "conservatives" have proven that fact. They get the attention for bleeding help for the needy dry and the others showing up to help are totally ignored.
So, faith restored in the goodness of ignored outnumbering the greedy, Palm Sunday is not going to feel empty to me. Some of us did learn from Christ but others, well, they must still be looking for the Easter Bunny instead.
Matthew 25
34 “Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world.
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.’
37 “Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink?
38 When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you?
39 When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?’
40 “The King will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.’
Then the voices I've heard from the few getting attention in this country took over. The people who claim to be so concerned with the debt of this nation, pretending passing on the debt to our kids is more tragic than taking care of the least among us has made me doubt the suffering today matter at all.
Their voices of not wanting to make sure everyone has access to healthcare while conditions that could have been treated early end up causing death ignored by their hearts. They say they don't want to be forced to get health insurance but they never seem to have an answer for what will happen and who will be expected to pay when they get cancer or need a transplant to save their lives. Many of them have government health insurance in the form of Medicare and Medicaid but they don't seem to want anyone else to have it.
My cousin passed away Wednesday after spending two months in the hospital. She had decided, for whatever reason, to not go for checkups. In December, it was clear she something was going on inside of her body. Two months later, she was in enough distress that she finally went to the doctor. Her liver was failing, she had heart problems and no one knew what caused any of it. Then her kidneys shut down. Checkups might have been able to catch these problems in the beginning but by the time she went, it was too late.
She wasn't one of the people without health insurance. She had it but decided she didn't want to use it. How many people in this country saying they don't want to be forced to have health insurance any more than they want other people to have it, ever thought about the day when they are suddenly unhealthy? Do they plan on losing everything they have to pay for their care? Do they plan on other people paying for it? Do they plan on just ending up on pubic assistance then?
Here in Florida we have cut after cut for what regular people need but at the same time the folks wanting these cut backs scream about giving to the rich and what they need. Yet 290 showed up for a meal and a place on the floor to sleep. Some of them were in wheel chairs. Some of them were clearly veterans with metal where their legs used to be and the scars they carry are deep inside of them. They risked their lives for this country, ended up paying a very high price for it and then ended up paying more back home.
The folks wanting to cut 1.3 million veterans from getting healthcare from the VA never consider that most of these veterans have unapproved claims for wounds they suffered in combat and no one cared enough to make sure they got what they needed when they came home before they just gave up.
When you see and read so much suffering and then hear what people are unashamed to say, it is very hard to hang onto any kind of faith in man when they are so unkind.
But last night, when I went to bed, the sadness I felt at the shelter was replaced with the knowledge that as the "conservatives" end up with all the media attention, the people showing up to help others are doing God's work and there are a lot more of them than the people getting the attention of the media these days and there is great hope in that.
I used to work as the Circulation manager of a newspaper. There was a saying that "if it bleeds, it leads" and the "conservatives" have proven that fact. They get the attention for bleeding help for the needy dry and the others showing up to help are totally ignored.
Colossians 1 13
For he has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of the Son he loves
So, faith restored in the goodness of ignored outnumbering the greedy, Palm Sunday is not going to feel empty to me. Some of us did learn from Christ but others, well, they must still be looking for the Easter Bunny instead.
Matthew 11
28 “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. 29 Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. 30 For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.”
Saturday, April 16, 2011
Marine Clay Hunt's suicide not counted as "military suicide"
In this report, it is pointed out that Clay Hunt's suicide will not be considered "military suicide" but the painful truth is, none of them are considered that after they are no longer in the service. It doesn't seem to bother the Pentagon that young men and women are taking their own lives after they leave the service because they were in the service, deployed into combat, survived combat but could not survive being back home. Full circle, all tied to their service but the military does not have to count them anymore and they, well, they can't count on the military anymore. The startling truth is that yesterday was no different than the day Clay joined 17 other veterans in ending their own pain with suicide. 18 veterans take their lives everyday in this country with over 1,000 attempting suicide every month.
Hunt did everything right in combat and afterwards. He was told to get help and he did. His family did all they could to be supportive. Hunt not only sought help but offered to give it to others and that is one more thing experts tell them to do. No matter what, nothing was enough to help him heal the pain he brought back with him.
While the Daily Mail reporter does not seem to know that a Purple Heart is for being wounded and is not "won for bravery" they did a good job otherwise on this report.
Heartbroken: His parents, Stacy Hunt and Susan Selke, said he had battled through his difficulties and seemed to be turning his life aroundHe had turned his life around
Mystery of handsome Purple Heart-winning Marine and mental health advocate who killed himself
By DAILY MAIL REPORTER
Last updated at 11:39 AM on 16th April 2011
He won a Purple Heart for his bravery in Iraq and so epitomised the survivor spirit he appeared as a mental health advocate in a public service announcement to help veterans cope.
But last month, 28-year-old former Marine corporal Clay Hunt shot himself in his Houston apartment.
His heartbreaking suicide has deeply shaken his fellow veterans, who are at a loss to explain why the handsome Marine - who outwardly was coping well after leaving the military - would take his own life.
They say it is a 'wake-up call for America', and are demanding the military does more to help its veterans of war cope.
The haunting question of 'why' hung over a memorial service for the popular former Marine attended by more than 1,100 mourners in Houston last week.
Moving on: Mr Hunt travelled to Haiti to help the earthquake relief effort with an organisation called Team Rubicon.
Although he battled post-traumatic stress disorder, he had 'turned his life around' and thrown himself into charity work and lobbying.
His mother, Susan Selke, told CNN: 'In my mind he is a casualty of war. But he died here instead of over there. He died as a result of his war experience. There is no doubt in my mind.'
His death will not be counted as an official military suicide by the Pentagon, because he left the Marines in 2009.
His best friend, Jacob Wood, told CNN: 'That is a complete sham in my opinion. Part of Clay was killed in Iraq. Part of Clay was killed in Afghanistan and the rest of him was killed in Houston, Texas. And if that is not reflected in military statistics, it's a shame.'
When Mr Hunt left the military in 2009, he seemed to put the trauma of war behind him, travelling to Chile and Haiti to help the rescue effort after the earthquakes, road-biking with wounded veterans and lobbying on Capitol Hill.
But friends and family say although outwardly he seemed to be coping, he suffered post-traumatic stress disorder, depression - and was wracked with survivor's guilt.
They said he never truly recovered from the deaths of four of his closest friends in Iraq.
click link for more
Army is investigating death of Fort Drum soldier
Army is investigating death of Fort Drum soldier
FRIDAY, APRIL 15, 2011
FORT DRUM — The Army’s Criminal Investigation Division is investigating the non-combat-related death of a 10th Mountain Division soldier last month in the final days of his Afghan deployment.
Spc. Andrew P. Wade, 22, of Antioch, Ill., died March 10 in Kunduz, Afghanistan, of wounds suffered March 7.
read more here
Army is investigating death of Fort Drum soldier
FRIDAY, APRIL 15, 2011
FORT DRUM — The Army’s Criminal Investigation Division is investigating the non-combat-related death of a 10th Mountain Division soldier last month in the final days of his Afghan deployment.
Spc. Andrew P. Wade, 22, of Antioch, Ill., died March 10 in Kunduz, Afghanistan, of wounds suffered March 7.
read more here
Army is investigating death of Fort Drum soldier
Southampton police officer found dead, Police Chief suffers heart attack responding
UPDATED: Township Mourns Loss of Veteran Officer
Officials said Officer Richard Lizzio was found in his patrol car Friday morning, following a self-inflicted gun shot wound.
By Jennifer Mohan
April 15, 2011
Flags around the township are flying at half-mast in honor of an Upper Southampton police officer found dead early Friday morning.
Just after 8:30 a.m., Officer Richard Lizzio, a 24-year veteran of the Upper Southampton police force was found in his patrol car, which was parked at the Jesus Focus Ministry.
Upper Southampton Chief of Police Ron MacPherson said Ofc. Lizzio was a firearms instructor for the department as well as an officer in charge, a position that often required him to substitute for an off-duty sergeant.
“He was a valuable member of our team,” said MacPherson. “He will be sorely missed.”
Lizzio was on duty at the time of the incident, but was not answering a call at the church.
read more here
Township Mourns Loss of Veteran Officer
Officials said Officer Richard Lizzio was found in his patrol car Friday morning, following a self-inflicted gun shot wound.
By Jennifer Mohan
April 15, 2011
Flags around the township are flying at half-mast in honor of an Upper Southampton police officer found dead early Friday morning.
Just after 8:30 a.m., Officer Richard Lizzio, a 24-year veteran of the Upper Southampton police force was found in his patrol car, which was parked at the Jesus Focus Ministry.
Upper Southampton Chief of Police Ron MacPherson said Ofc. Lizzio was a firearms instructor for the department as well as an officer in charge, a position that often required him to substitute for an off-duty sergeant.
“He was a valuable member of our team,” said MacPherson. “He will be sorely missed.”
Lizzio was on duty at the time of the incident, but was not answering a call at the church.
MacPherson said Ivyland Borough Police Chief Nicholas Rosato was out in the street directing traffic around the area of the incident when he suffered a heart attack
read more here
Township Mourns Loss of Veteran Officer
Friday, April 15, 2011
Remember Clay Hunt's life as much as his death
Team Rubicon, is where Clay Hunt's family wants donations sent to. (Please read down to the bottom for the address.) By all accounts he tried very hard to make a difference for other veterans with PTSD. Remembering his life will end up helping other veterans survive after war. To lose 18 veterans a day, is just too much to ignore.
HUNT
Clay Warren Hunt, a war hero and giant-hearted humanitarian, died in Houston, Texas on Thursday, the 31st of March 2011, at the age of 28.
Following his heart, Clay joined the United States Marine Corps in May of 2005, completed the School of Infantry in 2006, and shipped out to Iraq in January of 2007 as part of the Second Battalion, Seventh Regiment of the U.S.M.C. While on patrol in Anbar Province, near Fallujah, he was wounded in a sniper attack, earning a Purple Heart. Clay recuperated in 2007, and applied for and graduated from the Marine Corps Scout Sniper School in February of 2008.
His scout sniper teams shipped out to an area near Sangin, Afghanistan in March of 2008 as part of NATO's multi-national force deployed against the Taliban in southern Afghanistan. Clay's unit returned to the states in October of 2008, and he was honorably discharged from the Marine Corps in April of 2009.
Clay cherished his time in the Marine Corps and the unconditional and absolute bonds of camaraderie that he built with his band of brothers in Iraq and Afghanistan. He often wondered why he survived when so many close friends and others paid the ultimate price for our nation's freedom.
Clay continued to give back to ease the suffering of others in January of 2010, when he and Marine brother Jake Wood and others founded Team Rubicon, an early response team for natural disaster relief. Clay and Team Rubicon entered Port-Au Prince, Haiti one week after that country's devastating earthquake, and immediately established field medical facilities, and secured transportation to those facilities for thousands of injured Haitians during a month-long stay in that ravaged country. Team Rubicon was on the ground saving lives long before the Red Cross and other institutional organizations were up and running. Clay found his true calling for service in the chaos of Haiti, and his warrior mentality along with his compassion for others were the perfect combination to deliver "hands-on" medical and other humanitarian aid to those so desparately in need.
Clay also went to Chile in 2010 with Team Rubicon to aid earthquake victims in that nation, and returned to Haiti in June of 2010 on a follow-up mission. He also "felt the pain and did something about it" of his fellow veterans by participating in four Ride2Recovery challenges to raise money for struggling wounded veterans across the U.S. Additionally, he helped lobby Congress on behalf of Iraq-Afghanistan Veterans of America for better and more timely delivery of benefits for our veterans of these two conflicts.
Clay had a smile that would light up a room, and his boundless energy was his greatest asset. No family could have had a better son.
HUNT
Clay Warren Hunt, a war hero and giant-hearted humanitarian, died in Houston, Texas on Thursday, the 31st of March 2011, at the age of 28.
Following his heart, Clay joined the United States Marine Corps in May of 2005, completed the School of Infantry in 2006, and shipped out to Iraq in January of 2007 as part of the Second Battalion, Seventh Regiment of the U.S.M.C. While on patrol in Anbar Province, near Fallujah, he was wounded in a sniper attack, earning a Purple Heart. Clay recuperated in 2007, and applied for and graduated from the Marine Corps Scout Sniper School in February of 2008.
His scout sniper teams shipped out to an area near Sangin, Afghanistan in March of 2008 as part of NATO's multi-national force deployed against the Taliban in southern Afghanistan. Clay's unit returned to the states in October of 2008, and he was honorably discharged from the Marine Corps in April of 2009.
Clay cherished his time in the Marine Corps and the unconditional and absolute bonds of camaraderie that he built with his band of brothers in Iraq and Afghanistan. He often wondered why he survived when so many close friends and others paid the ultimate price for our nation's freedom.
Clay continued to give back to ease the suffering of others in January of 2010, when he and Marine brother Jake Wood and others founded Team Rubicon, an early response team for natural disaster relief. Clay and Team Rubicon entered Port-Au Prince, Haiti one week after that country's devastating earthquake, and immediately established field medical facilities, and secured transportation to those facilities for thousands of injured Haitians during a month-long stay in that ravaged country. Team Rubicon was on the ground saving lives long before the Red Cross and other institutional organizations were up and running. Clay found his true calling for service in the chaos of Haiti, and his warrior mentality along with his compassion for others were the perfect combination to deliver "hands-on" medical and other humanitarian aid to those so desparately in need.
Clay also went to Chile in 2010 with Team Rubicon to aid earthquake victims in that nation, and returned to Haiti in June of 2010 on a follow-up mission. He also "felt the pain and did something about it" of his fellow veterans by participating in four Ride2Recovery challenges to raise money for struggling wounded veterans across the U.S. Additionally, he helped lobby Congress on behalf of Iraq-Afghanistan Veterans of America for better and more timely delivery of benefits for our veterans of these two conflicts.
Clay had a smile that would light up a room, and his boundless energy was his greatest asset. No family could have had a better son.
In lieu of customary remembrances, the family requests with gratitude that memorial contributions in Clay's name be directed to Team Rubicon, Inc., P.O. Box 7476, Santa Monica, CA, 90406 (www.teamrubiconusa.org); or to Ride2Recovery, 23679 Calabasas Rd., #420, Calabasas, CA, 91302, (www.ride2recovery.com).
UK report tries to blame the veteran for US PTSD higher rates
Here's another theory for the UK. Maybe the UK has not diagnosed as many of their veterans but that does not mean they do not have PTSD. The 4th paragraph of this "report" is one sentence typed twice, so it was a little hard to take seriously.
The US has longer tours of duty and is expected to carry most of the load no matter how many other nations are involved in the operations. They are redeployed more with less dwell time. The list of reasons for PTSD is longer than in the UK but with all the other reports coming out of the UK, the evidence points to the lack of soldiers being diagnosed with PTSD and not the lack of PTSD in UK soldiers.
Over the years there have been many other studies boiling down to blame the veteran but this one may very well top the others.
The invisible division: US soldiers are seven times as likely as UK troops to develop post-traumatic stress
By Ethan Watters
Something is happening at the end of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan that mental health experts are finding hard to explain: British and American soldiers appear to be having markedly different reactions to the stress of combat. In America, there has been a sharp increase in the number experiencing mental-health problems, including post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Between 2006 and 2007 alone, there was a 50 per cent jump in cases of combat stress among soldiers and suicides more than doubled. Why the precipitous rise? And why hasn't there been an accompanying rise in these symptoms among British troops?
The conclusion that British soldiers appear to have a different psychological reaction to the stresses of these modern conflicts was the finding of several recent high-profile studies. This year, in a Royal Society journal, Neil Greenberg of the Academic Centre for Defence Mental Health at King's College London and colleagues reported that studies of American soldiers showed PTSD prevalence rates of in excess of 30 per cent while the rates among British troops was only four per cent. UK soldiers were more likely to abuse alcohol (13 per cent reported doing so) or experience more common mental disorders such as depression (20 per cent).
Such differences were found even when comparing soldiers who served in the most intense combat zones. In addition, while researchers found increased mental-health risk for American personnel sent on multiple deployments, no such connection was found in British soldiers.
One theory to explain these differences is that the minds of soldiers are responsive to cultural expectations of how they should feel – and that those expectations can be different from one place (or time) to another. One theory to explain these differences is that the minds of soldiers are responsive to cultural expectations of how they should feel – and that those expectations can be different from one place (or time) to another.
"Despite some claims to the contrary," Greenberg et al write, "PTSD seems not to be a 'universal stress reaction', arising in all societies across all time. Evidence from both world wars suggests that the ways in which service personnel communicate distress is culturally determined and that the development of PTSD may be one more phase in the evolving picture of human reaction to adversity."
read more here
The invisible division
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