Court Rules Against V.A. on Fiduciaries
By JOHN SCHWARTZ
A federal appeals court has told the Department of Veteran’s Affairs to loosen its grip on benefits decisions for veterans who have been declared incompetent.
The department appoints fiduciaries to manage the benefits of veterans who are no longer able to take care of themselves. There are 110,000 veterans’ accounts under fiduciary management, and the total value is about $3.2 billion.
Veterans’ families have argued in several recent cases that they do not want the financial minders appointed by the department, as an article in The New York Times reported earlier this month.
When families have sued, however, the department has generally argued that while families may have input in the decision to appoint a fiduciary, once the minder is in place the relationship is solely within the jurisdiction of the Department of Veterans Affairs and is not subject to judicial review.
On Tuesday, the United States Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims in Washington ordered the secretary of Veterans Affairs and his department to take a second look at that argument.
read more here
Court Rules Against V.A. on Fiduciaries
Thursday, April 28, 2011
Lake Mary Florida company used to help VA communication
United States Department of Veterans Affairs Adopts F4W Systems
LAKE MARY, Fla., April 28, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- F4W, Inc. (F4W) announced today that it is providing the United States Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) with thirteen of its latest Core communication systems. The systems, which will be placed at VA's twelve Emergency Management Strategic Healthcare Group (EMSHG) regional offices throughout the United States and in the office of VA Secretary Eric K. Shinseki, will provide VA with secure, resilient communications in the event of natural disasters and other emergencies.
"We're very proud to be able to support VA and veterans with our state-of-the-art communications equipment," said Harry Timmons, president of F4W. "We believe that our technology is the best in the marketplace, and will significantly improve VA's ability to respond to hurricanes, earthquakes and other emergency situations."
F4W's communications systems utilize the power and flexibility of the Internet and Voice over IP (VoIP) technology to enable encrypted voice and data connections without the need for additional hardware. The company's systems use any available connection to access the Internet for voice and data connectivity without relying on any single system or communications provider.
Using one of F4W's systems, VA employees will be able to conduct up to twenty simultaneous phone calls over a 3G cellular modem. Every call will be secure, private, and have superior sound quality. The systems VA purchased come in an easily transported kit form so that they can be quickly delivered to individual VA facilities requiring assistance.
Each kit provides voice and data communications across any available network. If normal network infrastructure is unavailable, the kit also contains a broadband satellite system to ensure connectivity beyond the incident site. The kit requires absolutely no technical support to set up and needs only ten to twenty minutes to begin working.
read more here
Department of Veterans Affairs Adopts F4W Systems
LAKE MARY, Fla., April 28, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- F4W, Inc. (F4W) announced today that it is providing the United States Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) with thirteen of its latest Core communication systems. The systems, which will be placed at VA's twelve Emergency Management Strategic Healthcare Group (EMSHG) regional offices throughout the United States and in the office of VA Secretary Eric K. Shinseki, will provide VA with secure, resilient communications in the event of natural disasters and other emergencies.
"We're very proud to be able to support VA and veterans with our state-of-the-art communications equipment," said Harry Timmons, president of F4W. "We believe that our technology is the best in the marketplace, and will significantly improve VA's ability to respond to hurricanes, earthquakes and other emergency situations."
F4W's communications systems utilize the power and flexibility of the Internet and Voice over IP (VoIP) technology to enable encrypted voice and data connections without the need for additional hardware. The company's systems use any available connection to access the Internet for voice and data connectivity without relying on any single system or communications provider.
Using one of F4W's systems, VA employees will be able to conduct up to twenty simultaneous phone calls over a 3G cellular modem. Every call will be secure, private, and have superior sound quality. The systems VA purchased come in an easily transported kit form so that they can be quickly delivered to individual VA facilities requiring assistance.
Each kit provides voice and data communications across any available network. If normal network infrastructure is unavailable, the kit also contains a broadband satellite system to ensure connectivity beyond the incident site. The kit requires absolutely no technical support to set up and needs only ten to twenty minutes to begin working.
read more here
Department of Veterans Affairs Adopts F4W Systems
Louisiana police officer dies protecting daughter and 2,000 guardsmen activated as storm toll climbs
"In Choctaw County, Miss., a Louisiana police officer was killed Wednesday morning when a towering sweetgum tree fell onto his tent as he shielded his young daughter with his body. The girl wasn’t hurt."
2,000 guardsmen activated as storm toll climbs
The Associated Press
Posted : Thursday Apr 28, 2011 7:50:10 EDT
TUSCALOOSA, Ala. — About 2,000 Alabama National Guard soldiers were being deployed around the state as dozens of tornadoes wiped out neighborhoods across a wide swath of the South, killing at least 201 people in the deadliest outbreak in nearly 40 years. Officials said Thursday they expected the death toll to rise.
Alabama’s state emergency management agency said it had confirmed 131 deaths, while there were 32 in Mississippi, 16 in Tennessee, 13 in Georgia, eight in Virginia and one in Kentucky.
The National Weather Service’s Storm Prediction Center in Norman, Okla., said it received 137 tornado reports around the regions into Wednesday night.
“We were in the bathroom holding on to each other and holding on to dear life,” said Samantha Nail, who lives in a blue-collar subdivision in the Birmingham suburb of Pleasant Grove, where the storm slammed heavy pickup trucks into ditches and obliterated tidy brick houses, leaving behind a mess of mattresses, electronics and children’s toys scattered across a grassy plain where dozens used to live. “If it wasn’t for our concrete walls, our home would be gone like the rest of them.”
read more here
2,000 guardsmen activated as storm toll climbs
Good Samaritan Saves Veterans From Burning Home
Good Samaritan Saves Veterans From Burning Home
A Good Samaritan saved seven men from a fiery death by alerting them of the fire.
"We were on our way home from the grocery store when we saw this smoke. We pulled over to see what it was, and their house was on fire. And they had no idea their house was on fire. So we told everyone, got everyone out of the house, and called the fire department," said Jamie Coffman, the Good Samaritan.
Some of the veterans who lived in the home were previously homeless, or recovering from substance abuse.
Everyone inside was able to get out safe.
"I didn't even smell the smoke, nothing, took us all by surprise," said Victor Mejia, one of six veteran's who lived at the group home.
read more here
Good Samaritan Saves Veterans From Burning Home
A Good Samaritan saved seven men from a fiery death by alerting them of the fire.
"We were on our way home from the grocery store when we saw this smoke. We pulled over to see what it was, and their house was on fire. And they had no idea their house was on fire. So we told everyone, got everyone out of the house, and called the fire department," said Jamie Coffman, the Good Samaritan.
Some of the veterans who lived in the home were previously homeless, or recovering from substance abuse.
Everyone inside was able to get out safe.
"I didn't even smell the smoke, nothing, took us all by surprise," said Victor Mejia, one of six veteran's who lived at the group home.
read more here
Good Samaritan Saves Veterans From Burning Home
Missing Vietnam War memorial plaque sold online, found headed to Thailand
Investigation turns up Cumberland memorial plaque for Vietnam veterans
By James Halpin
Staff writer
How exactly a veteran's memorial plaque that had been missing from Fayetteville for years ended up in a crate bound for Thailand remains a mystery.
U.S. Customs and Border Protection agents recently intercepted the plaque, dedicated to Vietnam servicemen who were missing in action or prisoners of war, at the Port of Long Beach in California, according to the Los Angeles Border Enforcement Security Task Force.
"It was bought off the Internet," said Suzette Schrump, whose father-in-law's name is among those on the plaque. "We believe it was being sold as a trophy to go back to 'Nam. What a disgrace."
read more here
Investigation turns up Cumberland memorial plaque
By James Halpin
Staff writer
How exactly a veteran's memorial plaque that had been missing from Fayetteville for years ended up in a crate bound for Thailand remains a mystery.
U.S. Customs and Border Protection agents recently intercepted the plaque, dedicated to Vietnam servicemen who were missing in action or prisoners of war, at the Port of Long Beach in California, according to the Los Angeles Border Enforcement Security Task Force.
"It was bought off the Internet," said Suzette Schrump, whose father-in-law's name is among those on the plaque. "We believe it was being sold as a trophy to go back to 'Nam. What a disgrace."
read more here
Investigation turns up Cumberland memorial plaque
New Zealand Veteran confronts fake Vietnam Hero
"That record shows Bateman never left New Zealand as part of his service."
THE SOUTHLAND TIMES GEOFF BATEMAN: Told The Southland Times on Anzac Day that he volunteered for Vietnam in 1968.Veteran changes Vietnam story
JARED MORGAN
A man masquerading as a Vietnam veteran has confessed to a military record that shows he never served in the conflict after a genuine ex-serviceman paid him a house call today.
The Southland Times tagged along this morning as Graeme Henderson, who served as a warrant officer with 161 Battery in South Vietnam in 1971, knocked on Geoff Bateman's door and asked for an explanation.
Geoff Bateman told the Times on Anzac Day that he volunteered for Vietnam in 1968, the height of the conflict and the peak of anti-war protests.
When pressed for details of his service, he said he would not talk about it the memories were painful and he had "lost mates".
Yesterday he maintained the story when questioned, saying: "Yeah, I was in Vietnam.''
Today, he recanted that, claimed he had never served in the conflict and that he never said he did.
However, his confused wife Urmilla Wati demanded to know why her husband was being questioned.
Her husband had told her throughout their relationship and two-year marriage he had served in the war, she said.
read more here
Veteran changes Vietnam story
72 year young Vietnam era-veteran walking 2,300 miles for others
Vietnam veteran walking 2,300 miles to thank comrades in arms
Written by
DON WALKER
FLORIDA TODAY
Those who say they support American troops and the sacrifices they make for country should walk a mile in Al Slusser's shoes.
Since April 4, the Vietnam War-era Navy veteran has treaded 260-plus miles of U.S. 1, walking north from Key West and bound for Fort Kent, Maine. That might seem an impossible 2,300 miles, but the former principal, who was happily retired in Cottonwood, Ariz., already has completed a cross-country trek that spanned from the Pacific to the Atlantic coasts.
Tuesday afternoon, Slusser gave his feet a rest just outside Cocoa, where he planned to stay the night. He'll head out again this morning on his Great America Walk, dedicated to the honor of all U.S. veterans.
"I just want to thank veterans for their service and show respect to them I think they deserve," the 72-year-old Slusser said. "I'm not raising money, just recognition for their service, what they've done and what they do. They put their lives on hold, their families and dreams, and put their lives on the line for this country."
read more here
Vietnam veteran walking 2,300 miles to thank comrades in arms
Written by
DON WALKER
FLORIDA TODAY
Those who say they support American troops and the sacrifices they make for country should walk a mile in Al Slusser's shoes.
Since April 4, the Vietnam War-era Navy veteran has treaded 260-plus miles of U.S. 1, walking north from Key West and bound for Fort Kent, Maine. That might seem an impossible 2,300 miles, but the former principal, who was happily retired in Cottonwood, Ariz., already has completed a cross-country trek that spanned from the Pacific to the Atlantic coasts.
Tuesday afternoon, Slusser gave his feet a rest just outside Cocoa, where he planned to stay the night. He'll head out again this morning on his Great America Walk, dedicated to the honor of all U.S. veterans.
"I just want to thank veterans for their service and show respect to them I think they deserve," the 72-year-old Slusser said. "I'm not raising money, just recognition for their service, what they've done and what they do. They put their lives on hold, their families and dreams, and put their lives on the line for this country."
read more here
Vietnam veteran walking 2,300 miles to thank comrades in arms
San Diego Naval Hospital Treats 15 for ‘Spice’
San Diego Naval Hospital Treats 15 for ‘Spice’
April 27, 2011
Associated Press
SAN DIEGO - The San Diego Naval Medical Center says it admitted 15 sailors over a five-month period last year for use of a synthetic drug that mimics marijuana.
Doctors say side effects of the drug often known as Spice include hallucinations, paranoia and confusion that can become debilitating. The symptoms can often last days.
read more here
San Diego Naval Hospital Treats 15 for ‘Spice’
April 27, 2011
Associated Press
SAN DIEGO - The San Diego Naval Medical Center says it admitted 15 sailors over a five-month period last year for use of a synthetic drug that mimics marijuana.
Doctors say side effects of the drug often known as Spice include hallucinations, paranoia and confusion that can become debilitating. The symptoms can often last days.
read more here
San Diego Naval Hospital Treats 15 for ‘Spice’
Post-Vietnam-Era Vets Have Highest Substance Use Rate
Post-Vietnam-Era Vets Have Highest Substance Use Rate
Last Updated: April 27, 2011.
Veterans diagnosed with serious mental illness more likely to have substance use disorder
Substance use rates are highest in war veterans who served in the post-Vietnam era, and in those who served in Operation Enduring Freedom/Operation Iraqi Freedom in Iraq and Afghanistan and have comorbid diagnoses of bipolar disorder and schizophrenia, according to a study published in the May-June issue of the American Journal on Addictions.
WEDNESDAY, April 27 (HealthDay News) -- Substance use rates are highest in war veterans who served in the post-Vietnam era (VET), and in those who served in Operation Enduring Freedom/Operation Iraqi Freedom (OEF/OIF) in Iraq and Afghanistan and have comorbid diagnoses of bipolar disorder and schizophrenia, according to a study published in the May-June issue of the American Journal on Addictions.
read more here
Post-Vietnam-Era Vets Have Highest Substance Use Rate
Last Updated: April 27, 2011.
Veterans diagnosed with serious mental illness more likely to have substance use disorder
Substance use rates are highest in war veterans who served in the post-Vietnam era, and in those who served in Operation Enduring Freedom/Operation Iraqi Freedom in Iraq and Afghanistan and have comorbid diagnoses of bipolar disorder and schizophrenia, according to a study published in the May-June issue of the American Journal on Addictions.
WEDNESDAY, April 27 (HealthDay News) -- Substance use rates are highest in war veterans who served in the post-Vietnam era (VET), and in those who served in Operation Enduring Freedom/Operation Iraqi Freedom (OEF/OIF) in Iraq and Afghanistan and have comorbid diagnoses of bipolar disorder and schizophrenia, according to a study published in the May-June issue of the American Journal on Addictions.
read more here
Post-Vietnam-Era Vets Have Highest Substance Use Rate
Nonprofit putting wounded from Fort Meade to work
Nonprofit to hire 48 wounded vets
By BEN WEATHERS Staff Writer
Published 04/27/11
The nonprofit group that takes over a multimillion-dollar contract for maintenance services at Fort George G. Meade this summer expects to hire up to 170 people.
While Upper Marlboro-based Melwood may hire many of the men and woman now working for the outgoing contractor, it is looking to add 48 people with special qualifications - veterans wounded in the service of their country.
Melwood CEO Janice Frey-Angel said her group is working with the Department of Veterans Affairs and the Maryland Center for Veteran Education and Training to identify potential candidates. Candidates may have cognitive, mental health and physical disabilities, as well as brain injuries and post-traumatic stress disorder.
The group also is recruiting the 200 soldiers in Fort Meade's Warrior in Transition unit, which helps servicemen and women return to civilian life, said Fort Meade spokeswoman Mary Doyle.
"Being able to provide veterans with jobs has been one of Melwood's missions," Frey-Angel said. "Being on base, it's a familiar (environment for them) - it's not like taking them out of their comfort zone. In many ways, it gives us the opportunity … to do our job, meet our mission and also help the country."
read more here
Nonprofit to hire 48 wounded vets
By BEN WEATHERS Staff Writer
Published 04/27/11
The nonprofit group that takes over a multimillion-dollar contract for maintenance services at Fort George G. Meade this summer expects to hire up to 170 people.
While Upper Marlboro-based Melwood may hire many of the men and woman now working for the outgoing contractor, it is looking to add 48 people with special qualifications - veterans wounded in the service of their country.
Melwood CEO Janice Frey-Angel said her group is working with the Department of Veterans Affairs and the Maryland Center for Veteran Education and Training to identify potential candidates. Candidates may have cognitive, mental health and physical disabilities, as well as brain injuries and post-traumatic stress disorder.
The group also is recruiting the 200 soldiers in Fort Meade's Warrior in Transition unit, which helps servicemen and women return to civilian life, said Fort Meade spokeswoman Mary Doyle.
"Being able to provide veterans with jobs has been one of Melwood's missions," Frey-Angel said. "Being on base, it's a familiar (environment for them) - it's not like taking them out of their comfort zone. In many ways, it gives us the opportunity … to do our job, meet our mission and also help the country."
read more here
Nonprofit to hire 48 wounded vets
173 dead after tornadoes, media spends day on one birth certificate
UPDATE 6:30
Update 3:05
UPDATE
Violent Storms Rip Through 6 Southern States, Kill at Least 200
It is silly season after all when the media has been following around Donald Trump and giving the "birth issue" coverage instead of covering a massive story like this. As Jon Stewart pointed out last night, Trump was taking credit for Obama releasing the "long form" birth certificate and felt as if he had done "something really important" by causing the release when if Trump really cared about this country, he'd take that helicopter to some of these areas hit by tornadoes and actually do something to be proud of since it is because of him no one is giving these states the attention they deserve. These are real lives but Trump turned a non-story into every cable station covering it. They even had to waste time talking about if the coverage is over or not!
Southern storms: 'I don't know how anyone survived'
By the CNN Wire Staff
April 28, 2011 5:59 p.m. EDT
STORY HIGHLIGHTS
NEW: Nearly 1 million customers without power
Death toll nears 200 in Alabama
President Obama calls storms "heartbreaking," will travel to Alabama on Friday
More than 1,100 are people treated at hospitals
Read more about this story from CNN affiliates WBMA-TV and WIAT-TV. Is severe weather affecting you? Share stories, photos and video with iReport.
Tuscaloosa, Alabama (CNN) -- Public and private assistance -- in the form of food, tarps and hugs -- began arriving Thursday in storm-battered Southern communities that lost nearly 300 people and saw once-familiar neighborhoods reduced to piles of debris.
The grim death toll continued to rise across the region, with 284 counted in six states. Nearly 1 million customers were without electricity in seven states.
The vast majority of fatalities occurred in Alabama, where at least 195 people perished, said Gov. Robert Bentley.
read more here
I don't know how anyone survived
Update 3:05
250 die as storms carve up South
More victims are being found after a tornado outbreak that leveled entire neighborhoods and crippled towns in six Southern states. Alabama was hardest hit with 162 dead.
FULL STORY
UPDATE
Violent Storms Rip Through 6 Southern States, Kill at Least 200
Storms rip across the South, killing at least 173
By the CNN Wire Staff
April 28, 2011 8:01 a.m. EDT
STORY HIGHLIGHTS
NEW: Alabama governor: Some University of Alabama students died
The death toll in Alabama skyrockets to 128
Birmingham's mayor says many people are missing and hundreds are injured
"My bathroom is across the street," a resident says
(CNN) -- Daylight illuminated a scene of utter devastation across many areas of the South Thursday, following storms of near-epic proportions that killed as many as 173 people in five states.
The vast majority of fatalities occurred in Alabama, where at least 128 people perished, Jennifer Ardis, a spokeswoman for Gov. Robert Bentley, told CNN Thursday. A breakdown provided by Ardis showed that violent weather claimed lives in 16 Alabama counties. The hardest hit was DeKalb County, where 30 people perished.
Before dawn Thursday, Mississippi emergency management officials also added 14 previously unreported fatalities to the count, increasing the death toll in that state to 32, officials said. At least one person died in both Arkansas and Tennessee and 11 died in Georgia.
Entire neighborhoods were leveled and hundreds of thousands of people were without power.
"This could be one of the most devastating tornado outbreaks in the nation's history by the time it's over," CNN Meteorologist Sean Morris said.
read more here
Storms rip across the South, killing at least 173
It is silly season after all when the media has been following around Donald Trump and giving the "birth issue" coverage instead of covering a massive story like this. As Jon Stewart pointed out last night, Trump was taking credit for Obama releasing the "long form" birth certificate and felt as if he had done "something really important" by causing the release when if Trump really cared about this country, he'd take that helicopter to some of these areas hit by tornadoes and actually do something to be proud of since it is because of him no one is giving these states the attention they deserve. These are real lives but Trump turned a non-story into every cable station covering it. They even had to waste time talking about if the coverage is over or not!
Wednesday April 27, 2011
Believe It or Believe It
Obama Releases Long-Form Birth Certificate
Barack Obama expresses his sad disappointment in Americans, and Donald Trump proudly takes credit. (07:18)
Ohio veterans have money waiting for them while they count pocket change
Many Ohio veterans aren't applying for benefits
Posted: Apr 27, 2011
By Dave Dykema - email
By Jonathan Walsh, Reporter
Toledo, OH -
TOLEDO, OH (WTOL) - Tens-of-thousands of veterans in Ohio are supposed to be getting some money from the state, but so far they haven't applied.
Anyone who served in the Persian Gulf War or Iraq or Afghanistan is eligible for up to $1,500. Families of fallen soldiers could get up to $6,500.
Former Marine Brad Luderman says, "I'm sure there are a lot of people who don't know about it."
Luderman served in Iraq in 2003, 2004, 2005. When he got back he applied for the Ohio Veterans bonus money last October.
"When they first came out with it they said it would be within 8 weeks and here it is 5-6 months later and I still haven't got it," Luderman said. "But I'll get it eventually."
He says he just talked to program reps Tuesday and was told some more paperwork is needed. Despite the delay, he says the application is not hard.
read more here
Many Ohio veterans aren't applying for benefits
Posted: Apr 27, 2011
By Dave Dykema - email
By Jonathan Walsh, Reporter
Toledo, OH -
TOLEDO, OH (WTOL) - Tens-of-thousands of veterans in Ohio are supposed to be getting some money from the state, but so far they haven't applied.
Anyone who served in the Persian Gulf War or Iraq or Afghanistan is eligible for up to $1,500. Families of fallen soldiers could get up to $6,500.
Former Marine Brad Luderman says, "I'm sure there are a lot of people who don't know about it."
Luderman served in Iraq in 2003, 2004, 2005. When he got back he applied for the Ohio Veterans bonus money last October.
"When they first came out with it they said it would be within 8 weeks and here it is 5-6 months later and I still haven't got it," Luderman said. "But I'll get it eventually."
He says he just talked to program reps Tuesday and was told some more paperwork is needed. Despite the delay, he says the application is not hard.
read more here
Many Ohio veterans aren't applying for benefits
Is iPhone a risk to security of deployed troops?
When we talk about not wanting to be tracked by the iPhone, we do it because we don't like to have our privacy challenged. When the owner of an iPhone happens to be in the military, we should be asking if this is putting their lives at risk.
Stop and think about all the programs that are supposed to be secure only to discover they have been hacked because someone else was smarter.
Apple Sued Over iPhone Data Privacy
The disclosure of Unique Device Identifiers associated with Apple's mobile devices represents a privacy law violation, the complaint claims.
By Thomas Claburn InformationWeek
February 01, 2011 02:56 PM
Apple last week was sued in San Jose, Calif., for alleged privacy and state business law violations arising from its disclosure of iPhone device identifiers and personal information.
Plaintiff Anthony Chiu, a resident of Alameda, Calif., claims that Apple knowingly transmits data to third parties that can be used to identify users of Apple's mobile devices, without user consent and in violation of various laws. The legal filing also targets 50 unnamed "John Doe" defendants, raising the possibility that third-party developers of apps that use the data in question could wind up in court.
We spoke with Chris Sather, Product Management for Network Defense at McAfee about McAfee's next generation firewalls that analyze relationships and not protocols.
The case hinges on Apple's use Unique Device Identifiers (UDIDs), serial numbers associated with every mobile device. The complaint states that Apple allows UDIDs to be displayed to application developers and allows downloaded apps to access the user's browsing history whenever the user clicks on an ad or application using his or her mobile device.
read more here
Apple Sued Over iPhone Data Privacy
These are not just personal phones heading into combat with the troops, but they have been handed out to them by the military as a new weapon to help them. What happens if someone hacks into them and finds out where they are if these phones are tracking their every move? If iPhones can track anyone, what about iPods? The troops are using iPod Touch.
Apple’s New Weapon
To help soldiers make sense of data from drones, satellites and ground sensors, the U.S. military now issues the iPod Touch.
Tying the hands of a person who is speaking, the Arab proverb goes, is akin to "tying his tongue." Western soldiers in Iraq know how important gestures can be when communicating with locals. To close, open and close a fist means "light," but just opening a fist means "bomb." One soldier recently home from Iraq once tried to order an Iraqi man to lie down. To get his point across, the soldier had to demonstrate by stretching out in the dirt. Translation software could help, but what's the best way to make it available in the field?
The U.S. military in the past would give a soldier an electronic handheld device, made at great expense specially for the battlefield, with the latest software. But translation is only one of many software applications soldiers now need. The future of "networked warfare" requires each soldier to be linked electronically to other troops as well as to weapons systems and intelligence sources. Making sense of the reams of data from satellites, drones and ground sensors cries out for a handheld device that is both versatile and easy to use. With their intuitive interfaces, Apple devices—the iPod Touch and, to a lesser extent, the iPhone—are becoming the handhelds of choice.
Using a commercial product for such a crucial military role is a break from the past. Compared with devices built to military specifications, iPods are cheap. Apple, after all, has already done the research and manufacturing without taxpayer money. The iPod Touch retails for under $230, whereas a device made specifically for the military can cost far more.
read more here
Apple's New Weapon
As you can see from the Apple site, it looks like the same technology is available. If they can find a lost iPod Touch, then their iPods can be traced as well.
If you lose your iPod touch, help is only a tap away.
Locate your iPod touch on a map.
Apple iPod Touch
People misplace things all the time. Fortunately, if your iPod touch is one of those things, Find My iPod touch can help. It’s a feature that’s part of MobileMe, but now it’s also free on every iPod touch (4th generation) with iOS 4.2 or later.1 Enable Find My iPod touch in Settings. Then if you misplace your iPod touch, you can sign in to me.com from any computer web browser or using the Find My iPhone app on another iPod touch, iPhone, or iPad to display its approximate location on a map.2
They say the reason they need to do this is to track you!
Why Apple and Google need to stalk you
By David Goldman, staff writerApril 28, 2011: 5:18 AM ET
NEW YORK (CNNMoney) -- Apple, Google and Microsoft have finally cleared up most of the mysteries about how and why the smartphones their software runs store your location information.
Here's the run-down:
Are they tracking you? Sort of. Companies that design smartphone operating systems like Apple, Google, Research In Motion, Microsoft and Nokia all collect current and historical data about your location that, the companies say, is anonymized and can't be traced back to you.
The information that's collected is uploaded to massive databases maintained by the companies. A very small part of those databases are stored on your phone. The information tracked is actually not comprised of your specific locations, but rather the locations of the Wi-Fi network routers and cell towers around you.
What exactly are the companies doing with your data? The information is used for two reasons: To provide a way to locate you if GPS is unavailable, and to more quickly locate a GPS signal when one is around.
read more here
Why Apple and Google need to stalk you
Wednesday, April 27, 2011
Vietnam Vet's son, Mark Wills, spokesperson for Military Outreach Program
Mark Wills Is New Spokesperson for Military Outreach Program
Posted Apr 27th 2011 8:30AM by Cory Stromblad
Mark Wills has been asked to be the official spokesperson for the 'Crazy Being Home' military outreach program. The singer will kick off the campaign with a performance at the 6th Annual National MilBlog Conference in Washington D.C. on April 29. Former Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfield has been confirmed to appear at the conference.
The program was created to raise national awareness for Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) and Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI), two crippling, long-term effects of war service. The organization is a subdivision of the USA Warrior Treatment Today program.
Posted Apr 27th 2011 8:30AM by Cory Stromblad
Mark Wills has been asked to be the official spokesperson for the 'Crazy Being Home' military outreach program. The singer will kick off the campaign with a performance at the 6th Annual National MilBlog Conference in Washington D.C. on April 29. Former Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfield has been confirmed to appear at the conference.
The program was created to raise national awareness for Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) and Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI), two crippling, long-term effects of war service. The organization is a subdivision of the USA Warrior Treatment Today program.
Mark has a personal connection the the cause. His father experienced disabling psychological symptoms after serving in the Vietnam War.
"When my dad returned, he was inexplicably a changed man. The problem was we didn't know what it was or what to do for him," Mark recalls. "Now we know he was suffering from PTSD. It's sad that even still today, too many men and women who sacrificed their lives, go without diagnosis, help or treatment. We're hoping to change that."
read more here
Mark Wills Is New Spokesperson
American GI, nonissue to Americans
Now that President Obama kills birth issue, releases certificate the cable news stations will just go back to focusing on the royal wedding. After that there will probably be another celebrity getting into trouble or one more politician making stupid claims even the average American is insulted by.
Today an Afghan Colonel opens fire, kills 6 US soldiers at airport when they were there trying to train the Afghans to take control over their own security and their own future. These six soldiers, along with the thousands of others dead, have no future other than to have their bodies carried back to the US under a flag. What will the cable "news" stations be focused on? The wedding and the birth issue as one by one talking heads will try one more time to spin the news and talking points their way. Talk radio is just as bad. Is there any wonder why the American public considers the troops and our veterans a nonissue?
Arlington Graves Of Iraq And Afghanistan Vets Digitized By Teen
Arlington Graves Of Iraq And Afghanistan Vets Digitized By Teen
by MARK MEMMOTT
"Richard 'Ricky' Gilleland III — 11th-grader and Junior Future Business Leaders of America computer ace — has succeeded where the Army failed," the Los Angeles Times writes this morning. "He has created the only digitized record of Iraq and Afghanistan veterans laid to rest at Arlington [National Cemetery]. His website, PreserveAndHonor.com, is a reverent catalog of the fallen, and one young man's response to a scandal of Army mismanagement, mismarked graves and unmarked remains that has rocked this hallowed place for two years."
"It's a tool to help remember people. They can go on and think, 'Wow, look at all these people who gave their lives just so I can walk around,' " 17-year-old Ricky tells the Times. He has focused on the cemetery's Section 60, "where about 700 veterans of Iraq and Afghanistan are buried, more than anywhere else in the country," the Times says.
read more here
Arlington Graves Of Iraq And Afghanistan Vets Digitized By Teen
by MARK MEMMOTT
"Richard 'Ricky' Gilleland III — 11th-grader and Junior Future Business Leaders of America computer ace — has succeeded where the Army failed," the Los Angeles Times writes this morning. "He has created the only digitized record of Iraq and Afghanistan veterans laid to rest at Arlington [National Cemetery]. His website, PreserveAndHonor.com, is a reverent catalog of the fallen, and one young man's response to a scandal of Army mismanagement, mismarked graves and unmarked remains that has rocked this hallowed place for two years."
"It's a tool to help remember people. They can go on and think, 'Wow, look at all these people who gave their lives just so I can walk around,' " 17-year-old Ricky tells the Times. He has focused on the cemetery's Section 60, "where about 700 veterans of Iraq and Afghanistan are buried, more than anywhere else in the country," the Times says.
read more here
Arlington Graves Of Iraq And Afghanistan Vets Digitized By Teen
Obama kills birth issue, releases certificate
April 27th, 2011
BREAKING: White House releases Obama's birth certificate
By: CNN Political Unit
(CNN) – President Obama released his original birth certificate Wednesday, saying the controversy surrounding the issue had become a "sideshow."
The surprise release follows recent and sustained remarks by businessman Donald Trump, among others, that raised doubts as to whether the president was born in the United States.
“Over the last two and half years, I have watched with amusement. I have been puzzled with the degree with which this thing just kept going,” Obama told reporters Wednesday.
"We are not going to be able to solve are problems if we get distracted by side shows." he added.
read more here
White House releases Obama's birth certificate1
Bachmann settles birth issue
BREAKING: White House releases Obama's birth certificate
By: CNN Political Unit
(CNN) – President Obama released his original birth certificate Wednesday, saying the controversy surrounding the issue had become a "sideshow."
The surprise release follows recent and sustained remarks by businessman Donald Trump, among others, that raised doubts as to whether the president was born in the United States.
“Over the last two and half years, I have watched with amusement. I have been puzzled with the degree with which this thing just kept going,” Obama told reporters Wednesday.
"We are not going to be able to solve are problems if we get distracted by side shows." he added.
read more here
White House releases Obama's birth certificate1
Bachmann settles birth issue
NCIS, police arrest Cleveland murder suspect
NCIS, police arrest Cleveland murder suspect
Written by
Kim Wendel
CLEVELAND -- Police Chief Michael McGrath confirmed the arrest of two men wanted on aggravated murder warrants in the death of Asia Harris, 20, of Parkway Road in Cleveland, on April 11.
McGrath said the two arrested are the victim's husband, Samuel Wilson, 21, of Fallback, California, and Darin M. Brusiter, 25, of Cleveland.
The arrest warrants were issued as the result of an investigation by the Cleveland Division of Police Homicide Unit of the incident at E. 37th Street and Croton Avenue April 11.
Today Wilson was arrested at Camp Pendleton Marine Corps Base, located in San Diego County, California by Naval Criminal Investigative Services (NCIS).
Brusiter was arrested about 5:30 p.m. Monday in the 200 block of Euclid Avenue in Cleveland by Cleveland Division of Police Homicide Detectives.
read more here
NCIS, police arrest Cleveland murder suspect
Written by
Kim Wendel
CLEVELAND -- Police Chief Michael McGrath confirmed the arrest of two men wanted on aggravated murder warrants in the death of Asia Harris, 20, of Parkway Road in Cleveland, on April 11.
McGrath said the two arrested are the victim's husband, Samuel Wilson, 21, of Fallback, California, and Darin M. Brusiter, 25, of Cleveland.
The arrest warrants were issued as the result of an investigation by the Cleveland Division of Police Homicide Unit of the incident at E. 37th Street and Croton Avenue April 11.
Today Wilson was arrested at Camp Pendleton Marine Corps Base, located in San Diego County, California by Naval Criminal Investigative Services (NCIS).
Brusiter was arrested about 5:30 p.m. Monday in the 200 block of Euclid Avenue in Cleveland by Cleveland Division of Police Homicide Detectives.
read more here
NCIS, police arrest Cleveland murder suspect
Afghan Colonel opens fire, kills 6 US soldiers at airport
UPDATE
Nine Americans Killed By Afghan 'Pilot' at Kabul Airport
By BEN FORER
April 27, 2011
An Afghan wearing the uniform of an Afghan Air Corps pilot opened fire on a group of Americans today, killing nine before he was shot dead.
The Afghan military said the gunman was a 20 year veteran of the Afghan Air Corps and he fired after arguing with the Americans. The Taliban claimed the shooter was an insurgent who impersonated an officer to gain access to the secure area.
The dead included eight U.S military personnel and one American contractor. Five Afghan soldiers were also injured in the violence, most receiving broken bones and cuts, said Afghan Air Corps spokesman Col. Bahader.
click link above for more of this update
Nine Americans Killed By Afghan 'Pilot' at Kabul Airport
By BEN FORER
April 27, 2011
An Afghan wearing the uniform of an Afghan Air Corps pilot opened fire on a group of Americans today, killing nine before he was shot dead.
The Afghan military said the gunman was a 20 year veteran of the Afghan Air Corps and he fired after arguing with the Americans. The Taliban claimed the shooter was an insurgent who impersonated an officer to gain access to the secure area.
The dead included eight U.S military personnel and one American contractor. Five Afghan soldiers were also injured in the violence, most receiving broken bones and cuts, said Afghan Air Corps spokesman Col. Bahader.
click link above for more of this update
Afghan official: Man opens fire on Americans in Kabul; 6 dead
By Nick Paton Walsh, CNN
April 27, 2011 8:39
The man "was holding the rank of colonel at the time and he had an AK-47 with him. After his bullets were finished, then he was shot to death by armed forces," Mujahid told CNN.
STORY HIGHLIGHTS
Six Americans are killed, an Afghan official says
The Taliban claims responsibility for the shooting
The militant group says a "suicide attacker" killed 14 people
Kabul, Afghanistan (CNN) -- At least six American service members were killed Wednesday when an Afghan military pilot opened fire on international trainers and a "gunfight" ensued at an airport in the Afghan capital, military officials said.
NATO said six International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) troops and a contractor were killed. It did not disclose their nationalities.
The incident -- which occurred at the Afghan national air force compound at North Kabul International Airport -- stemmed from an argument between an Afghan pilot and an international colleague, officials said.
The Taliban claimed responsibility for the attack and said it had been working with the shooter for some time.
"A 50-year-old man opened fire at armed U.S. military soldiers inside the airport after an argument between them turned serious," said Col. Baha Dur, chief of public relations for the Afghan National Army at Kabul military airport.
read more here
Man opens fire on Americans in Kabul
Armed Forces Family Aid Concert
This part of the story is true.
Readers of this blog know that there has never been more done to help veterans with PTSD and it is due to congress finally getting involved. Funding for research and treatment has been at an all time high in the last six years, and that is a good thing, but the above article attempts to portray the congress as being AWOL on PTSD and military families.
There are families suffering right along with the veterans. There are foreclosures piling on more stress and lost incomes. There are over 100,000 claims tied up, turned down or sitting in a pile that belongs to a veteran suffering financially while he/she has to fight to have the claim approved. How do I know this? Because it happened to us.
We spent six years fighting the VA to have my husband's claim approved. Other than the money we needed to pay bills, the denials increased the stress because he felt even more betrayed and all of this added to what PTSD was doing to him and the family. Back in the 90's no one was talking about PTSD or any of this. Families like mine had nowhere to turn to for help so this is a good thing. What would be even better would be for the general public to have some clue about what is going on. This article points that fact out and rightly so. Knowing people care offers more than just support. It offers hope.
Congress has made it easier to prove a PTSD claim and they have also passed a Caregiver's bill to help families of disabled veterans. While this does not stop the suffering, it helps.
The problems families have are enormous but the biggest ones come between wound and compensation.
Armed Forces Family Aid Concert,’ April 29th – May 1stYou can read the rest here Armed Forces Family Aid Concert because I won't post it. It is a blend of truth and spin.
Posted by Rick Amato Apr 26th 2011
A tremendously important story has gone virtually untold by the media, ignored by our political leaders, and unknown to the American public. Despite the extraordinarily high price they have paid, America’s severely wounded veterans are enduring humiliating financial hardships of epic proportions. Home evictions, utility shutoffs, car repossessions, and foreclosures are commonplace.
“The Armed Forces Family Aid Concert” seeks to benefit those families suffering severe financial hardship.
Readers of this blog know that there has never been more done to help veterans with PTSD and it is due to congress finally getting involved. Funding for research and treatment has been at an all time high in the last six years, and that is a good thing, but the above article attempts to portray the congress as being AWOL on PTSD and military families.
There are families suffering right along with the veterans. There are foreclosures piling on more stress and lost incomes. There are over 100,000 claims tied up, turned down or sitting in a pile that belongs to a veteran suffering financially while he/she has to fight to have the claim approved. How do I know this? Because it happened to us.
We spent six years fighting the VA to have my husband's claim approved. Other than the money we needed to pay bills, the denials increased the stress because he felt even more betrayed and all of this added to what PTSD was doing to him and the family. Back in the 90's no one was talking about PTSD or any of this. Families like mine had nowhere to turn to for help so this is a good thing. What would be even better would be for the general public to have some clue about what is going on. This article points that fact out and rightly so. Knowing people care offers more than just support. It offers hope.
Congress has made it easier to prove a PTSD claim and they have also passed a Caregiver's bill to help families of disabled veterans. While this does not stop the suffering, it helps.
The problems families have are enormous but the biggest ones come between wound and compensation.
Tuesday, April 26, 2011
Jim Phillips, a World War II veteran, knows what vets need
A hero helping heroes
Jim Phillips, a World War II veteran, knows what vets need
By Ann Sperring
Correspondent
Published: Sunday, April 24, 2011
Building the destroyer USS Luce in 1942 took more than nine months. She sank in less than six minutes, a victim of Japanese kamikaze pilots, trapping more than 120 of her crew of 312 men in a blazing coffin.
Commissary Petty Officer Jim Phillips was among the injured who jumped overboard or were blasted by the ship's exploding bombs into a South Pacific sea full of hungry sharks.
“It was just around breakfast when they hit. The Japanese pilots flew their planes into us and in just a few minutes I was in the ocean holding onto some empty aluminum casing to stay afloat,” said Phillips, of Ocala.
In combat situations, he commanded the 20-millimeter cannon at the bow of the ship and his was the last gun to have a chance of blasting a diving plane away.
The force of bursting bombs and his ship's ammunition knocked Phillips out of his shoes. His uniform in tatters, he struggled for survival as salt water washed into his burned body.
“All around me I could hear shipmates pleading for help. The worst part was the sharks attacking,” he recalled. “I would hear a buddy screaming, a lot of thrashing and in a few minutes there was nothing left but bloody water.”
Phillips was rescued after a full day under the blazing sun. At one point, an enemy plane strafed him.
read more here
A hero helping heroes
Catherine Zeta-Jones Was 'Outed' in Bipolar Fight
The National Enquirer has done something no one else ever could, or would. They just told the rest of the population they have no right to privacy at the same time they turned Jones into a shining example of getting help is nothing to be ashamed of. She is the one who stood there after her private life was taken away and then held her head up high talking about mental illness. The only shame here belongs to the National Enquirer.
Michael Douglas Says Catherine Zeta-Jones Was 'Outed' in Bipolar Fight
By Rob Shuter
A raspy-voiced Michael Douglas is speaking out about Catherine Zeta-Jones' battle with bipolar II disorder, telling Oprah Winfrey in an interview airing Tuesday that his actress wife's private struggle with depression was cruelly "outed" by the media.
"I must say, Catherine's being quite open about it because she was outed, you know," he said. "She went to go get some help and some other patient probably in there said, 'Hey, you won't believe who's in here now.' And, so, once that happens, I think she felt [it] best to kind of get out the story."
He is referring to the fact that the National Enquirer first reported that Zeta-Jones was in a mental health facility, which then prompted a statement from the actress hours later.
Michael told the talk show queen why she was reluctant at first to talk about her problems.
"My oldest son is in federal prison, my ex-wife is suing me, and I got cancer. It's kind of hard for the wife to say, 'I'm depressed,'" Michael tells Oprah.
Catherine spent a total of five days in a mental health clinic to get help, leading Michael to tell PEOPLE magazine, "It takes a lot of courage to seek help and I am proud of Catherine for doing something positive about her situation. It's onwards and upwards for us."
read more here
Catherine Zeta-Jones Was 'Outed' in Bipolar Fight
First Lady Aims to Improve Military Families’ Lives with Joining Forces
American Forces Press Service
First Lady Aims to Improve Military Families’ Lives
By Elaine Sanchez
American Forces Press Service
WASHINGTON, April 25, 2011 – First Lady Michelle Obama stood tall behind a podium in the White House’s East Room, her husband close at hand, as she addressed a packed audience of high-ranking military and government officials.
Although it was a high-powered crowd, the first lady wasn’t there for the officials or for the star-studded brass. She was there to speak for military families.
As the flashes of hundreds of cameras lit the room, the first lady unveiled an unprecedented initiative intended to draw the entire nation together in support of military families.
This is about “the extraordinary military families who serve and sacrifice so much every day,” Obama said. One Marine wife, tightly gripping her husband’s hand, wiped away tears.
The event marked not only the launch of the “Joining Forces” campaign, but also the culmination of a long journey to improve military families’ lives. Over the past two years the first lady, with Dr. Jill Biden at her side, has traveled to bases -- stateside and overseas -– to meet with military spouses and to advocate for funding on their behalf.
“This is the moment that we’ve been working toward for such a very long time,” she said.
For Obama, it’s a journey that began even before her husband took the oath of office. Just over two years ago, she hit the campaign trail and met with working women to discuss the challenges of balancing work and family while “staying sane.”
read more here
First Lady Aims to Improve Military Families’ Lives
First Lady Aims to Improve Military Families’ Lives
By Elaine Sanchez
American Forces Press Service
WASHINGTON, April 25, 2011 – First Lady Michelle Obama stood tall behind a podium in the White House’s East Room, her husband close at hand, as she addressed a packed audience of high-ranking military and government officials.
Although it was a high-powered crowd, the first lady wasn’t there for the officials or for the star-studded brass. She was there to speak for military families.
As the flashes of hundreds of cameras lit the room, the first lady unveiled an unprecedented initiative intended to draw the entire nation together in support of military families.
This is about “the extraordinary military families who serve and sacrifice so much every day,” Obama said. One Marine wife, tightly gripping her husband’s hand, wiped away tears.
The event marked not only the launch of the “Joining Forces” campaign, but also the culmination of a long journey to improve military families’ lives. Over the past two years the first lady, with Dr. Jill Biden at her side, has traveled to bases -- stateside and overseas -– to meet with military spouses and to advocate for funding on their behalf.
“This is the moment that we’ve been working toward for such a very long time,” she said.
For Obama, it’s a journey that began even before her husband took the oath of office. Just over two years ago, she hit the campaign trail and met with working women to discuss the challenges of balancing work and family while “staying sane.”
read more here
First Lady Aims to Improve Military Families’ Lives
Traffic cam captures Iraq Vet on motorcycle being hit
Video: Iraq war veteran on motorcycle gets rear-ended; survives crash
Posted: 8:23 AM
Last Updated: 1 hour and 41 minutes ago
By: Eric Ristow
DALLAS - A soldier returning from Iraq is in good spirits despite being rear-ended by a car in Texas while he was riding his motorcycle. The man lived, and the incident was all caught on video.
A driver slammed into Army Cpl. Zacharie Perez from behind on the Dallas North Tollway as he was on his way home from work.
read more here
Iraq war veteran on motorcycle gets rear-ended
Posted: 8:23 AM
Last Updated: 1 hour and 41 minutes ago
By: Eric Ristow
DALLAS - A soldier returning from Iraq is in good spirits despite being rear-ended by a car in Texas while he was riding his motorcycle. The man lived, and the incident was all caught on video.
A driver slammed into Army Cpl. Zacharie Perez from behind on the Dallas North Tollway as he was on his way home from work.
read more here
Iraq war veteran on motorcycle gets rear-ended
"Hope Unseen" blind soldier and daughter of NY fallen firefighter earn awards
The Christophers' Special Awards to Capt. Scotty Smiley, First Blind Active-Duty Army Officer, and Shannon Hickey, Young Activist for the Homeless
Capt. Smiley, commander of Warrior Transition Unit for ailing or wounded soldiers at West Point, to receive 2011 Christopher Leadership Award; Hickey, 21, founder of ministry serving poor and homeless which was inspired by 9/11 victim, Father Mychal Judge, to get 2011 James Keller Award
NEW YORK, April 25, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- (http://www.myprgenie.com) -- Capt. Scotty Smiley, the U.S. Army's first blind active-duty officer, and Shannon Hickey, a 21-year old college student who, at age 11, was inspired to help provide for the poor and homeless by the example of Father Mychal Judge, the New York City Fire Dept. Chaplain killed in the 9/11 World Trade Center attacks, will both receive special Awards at the 62nd annual Christopher Awards ceremony in New York City on Thursday, May 19th.
Capt. Smiley, who was nearly killed while leading his platoon on patrol in Iraq in 2005, will receive the Christopher Leadership Award for his exemplary courage and leadership in the face of adversity. He opted not to retire from the Army, as is customary after a life-changing injury, but instead fought to regain his health and went on to command the Warrior Transition Unit for ailing or wounded soldiers at West Point. Hickey will receive the 2011 James Keller Award for founding Mychal's Message, a ministry that serves the poor and homeless, and which has taught many teens about the problem of homelessness in society.
The Christopher Leadership Award recognizes individuals whose work, actions and example serve as a guiding light to those in and out of public life, and inspires others to lead lives that make a difference for the good. This year's winner barely survived the shrapnel and debris that pierced his eyes and brain following a car bomb attack in Iraq. Crushed by the news he would never see again, Captain Smiley at first questioned his faith and his belief in God.
During his recovery at Walter Reed Army Medical Center, the Army pressured his wife to follow standard procedure by signing papers that would "medically retire" her husband, since it was accepted wisdom that blind people couldn't serve in the Army. She resisted, believing her husband might still have a future within the Army he loved.
After tremendous physical, emotional and spiritual struggles, Capt. Smiley came to terms with his new reality and successfully fought to stay on active duty. Along with teaching leadership at West Point, he also earned an MBA from Duke University with assistance from his wife and a dedicated tutor, and wrote an autobiography, "Hope Unseen."
With the vast number of American servicemen and women returning from war with serious injuries, his job is of critical importance as is the example he is setting. He remains committed to living a life of service to others and admits his trust in God has been taken to new levels.
read more here
The Christophers' Special Awards
Capt. Smiley, commander of Warrior Transition Unit for ailing or wounded soldiers at West Point, to receive 2011 Christopher Leadership Award; Hickey, 21, founder of ministry serving poor and homeless which was inspired by 9/11 victim, Father Mychal Judge, to get 2011 James Keller Award
NEW YORK, April 25, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- (http://www.myprgenie.com) -- Capt. Scotty Smiley, the U.S. Army's first blind active-duty officer, and Shannon Hickey, a 21-year old college student who, at age 11, was inspired to help provide for the poor and homeless by the example of Father Mychal Judge, the New York City Fire Dept. Chaplain killed in the 9/11 World Trade Center attacks, will both receive special Awards at the 62nd annual Christopher Awards ceremony in New York City on Thursday, May 19th.
Capt. Smiley, who was nearly killed while leading his platoon on patrol in Iraq in 2005, will receive the Christopher Leadership Award for his exemplary courage and leadership in the face of adversity. He opted not to retire from the Army, as is customary after a life-changing injury, but instead fought to regain his health and went on to command the Warrior Transition Unit for ailing or wounded soldiers at West Point. Hickey will receive the 2011 James Keller Award for founding Mychal's Message, a ministry that serves the poor and homeless, and which has taught many teens about the problem of homelessness in society.
The Christopher Leadership Award recognizes individuals whose work, actions and example serve as a guiding light to those in and out of public life, and inspires others to lead lives that make a difference for the good. This year's winner barely survived the shrapnel and debris that pierced his eyes and brain following a car bomb attack in Iraq. Crushed by the news he would never see again, Captain Smiley at first questioned his faith and his belief in God.
During his recovery at Walter Reed Army Medical Center, the Army pressured his wife to follow standard procedure by signing papers that would "medically retire" her husband, since it was accepted wisdom that blind people couldn't serve in the Army. She resisted, believing her husband might still have a future within the Army he loved.
After tremendous physical, emotional and spiritual struggles, Capt. Smiley came to terms with his new reality and successfully fought to stay on active duty. Along with teaching leadership at West Point, he also earned an MBA from Duke University with assistance from his wife and a dedicated tutor, and wrote an autobiography, "Hope Unseen."
With the vast number of American servicemen and women returning from war with serious injuries, his job is of critical importance as is the example he is setting. He remains committed to living a life of service to others and admits his trust in God has been taken to new levels.
read more here
The Christophers' Special Awards
Soldier and veteran suicides, "You don't always see it coming,"
No one sees the bullet coming. It travels too fast. No one sees the bomb planted in a road. It is covered up. Sometimes we can see when a veteran or soldier is in trouble, but sometimes you can't understand how fast they can change or how deeply they are hurting. Sometimes there are signs they are thinking about it. When they give away things they cared about as if they just don't matter anymore. When they seem as if they don't care about anyone in their lives, stop talking about anything in the future as if they have no hope for tomorrow and when you look into their eyes the "life" seems to be gone. Other times, they cover up the pain so well that you may think they are doing better, until the phone call comes or the knock on the door shatters all hope you had for them.
ILLINOIS SPOTLIGHT: Sycamore veteran raises awareness of soldier suicides
CAITLIN MULLEN The (DeKalb) Daily Chronicle
First Posted: April 26, 2011
SYCAMORE, Ill. — Laurie Emmer wants everyone to know Clay Hunt's name.
Sycamore resident Emmer, 48, a member of Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America (IAVA), recently spent time in Washington, D.C., as part of Storm the Hill, where members of IAVA spoke with legislators about their agenda for the year and what they'd like to see addressed through legislation.
It's the second consecutive year Emmer, commander of Sycamore VFW Post 5768, has been chosen to attend. She served more than 23 years in the Army, spending most of her time in the 82nd Airborne Division.
The group spent most of this year's trip focusing on veteran unemployment. But news received on their last day in Washington - of a fellow veteran's suicide - shocked group members and inspired them to change direction.
Hunt, who also was an IAVA member, was a 28-year-old Marine from Houston who served two tours of duty. He struggled with post-traumatic stress disorder but was an advocate for veterans and remained active with various charity groups. He was the last person his IAVA friends expected to succumb to extreme depression, Emmer said.
Hunt killed himself March 31.
"You don't always see it coming," Emmer said.
read more here
Sycamore veteran raises awareness of soldier suicides
Monday, April 25, 2011
Former Army chaplain in Iraq tries new role at home in Alabama
Former Army chaplain in Iraq tries new role at home in Alabama
JIMMY SMOTHERS The Gadsden Times
First Posted: April 25, 2011
GADSDEN, Ala. — He once was the subject of a television documentary that was broadcast over the Military Channel, and about the same time stories about him were published in some of the nation's larger newspapers. That was three years ago as he was winding up 27 months of duty during several deployments as an Army chaplain to U.S. military forces in Iraq.
Today, he is no longer in the military nor pastors a church, but still has a "flock" in a secular way. "The only "preaching' I do these days is therapy," Chuck Popov said, referring to his therapy group as his congregation.
Popov was a major when he left the service after 15 years. He once was an Army chaplain in the 2nd Battalion, 27th Infantry Regiment, known as the Wolfhounds. He recently was back on base at Fort Benning, Ga., where he had once trained for deployment and where he later served as a brigade chaplain. This time he was serving his country in another role, helping military families live with — even if they don't understand — the horrors of war.
Over a period of five years, 2003-2007, Popov said he was deployed "quite often, and never got enough time back home to get it out of my system."
During one 15-month deployment, in one of the most dangerous parts of Iraq at the time, his unit had 18 killed and 300 wounded.
Popov said there were many medics but only one surgeon at the battalion aid station, and one of his duties was to help carry off the dead and write letters home to their families.
He talked about opening the body bag of a young soldier who had been killed and seeing that he was still clutching the cross he wore on a chain around his neck.
"I could just see him saying the rosary and clutching the cross, praying that he wouldn't die," Popov said. "I opened another body bag and the body of a very good friend was staring up at me."
read more here
Former Army chaplain in Iraq tries new role at home in Alabama
JIMMY SMOTHERS The Gadsden Times
First Posted: April 25, 2011
GADSDEN, Ala. — He once was the subject of a television documentary that was broadcast over the Military Channel, and about the same time stories about him were published in some of the nation's larger newspapers. That was three years ago as he was winding up 27 months of duty during several deployments as an Army chaplain to U.S. military forces in Iraq.
Today, he is no longer in the military nor pastors a church, but still has a "flock" in a secular way. "The only "preaching' I do these days is therapy," Chuck Popov said, referring to his therapy group as his congregation.
Popov was a major when he left the service after 15 years. He once was an Army chaplain in the 2nd Battalion, 27th Infantry Regiment, known as the Wolfhounds. He recently was back on base at Fort Benning, Ga., where he had once trained for deployment and where he later served as a brigade chaplain. This time he was serving his country in another role, helping military families live with — even if they don't understand — the horrors of war.
Over a period of five years, 2003-2007, Popov said he was deployed "quite often, and never got enough time back home to get it out of my system."
During one 15-month deployment, in one of the most dangerous parts of Iraq at the time, his unit had 18 killed and 300 wounded.
Popov said there were many medics but only one surgeon at the battalion aid station, and one of his duties was to help carry off the dead and write letters home to their families.
He talked about opening the body bag of a young soldier who had been killed and seeing that he was still clutching the cross he wore on a chain around his neck.
"I could just see him saying the rosary and clutching the cross, praying that he wouldn't die," Popov said. "I opened another body bag and the body of a very good friend was staring up at me."
read more here
Former Army chaplain in Iraq tries new role at home in Alabama
U.S. Army Reserve nurse killed in Afghanistan
Jamestown family mourns loss of soldier killed in Afghanistan
By Keith Gushard
Meadville Tribune
MEADVILLE — Mike McClimans of Jamestown was asleep at home when his phone rang just after 7 a.m. Saturday.
“He said to me, ‘Mr. McClimans, I’m Maj. Scott North and I’m outside your door,’ ” McClimans said, his voicing quivering slightly.
McClimans knew what the call meant.
“I said, ‘You’ve got to be kidding me.’ He said, ‘No sir, I’m not.’ ”
North was there to inform him that McClimans’ son, Capt. Joshua McClimans, 30, a registered nurse serving with the U.S. Army Reserve, had been killed in action in Afghanistan.
Capt. McClimans apparently had left his living quarters to begin a 12-hour shift at a hospital when he was shot.
read more here
Jamestown family mourns loss of soldier killed in Afghanistan
By Keith Gushard
Meadville Tribune
MEADVILLE — Mike McClimans of Jamestown was asleep at home when his phone rang just after 7 a.m. Saturday.
“He said to me, ‘Mr. McClimans, I’m Maj. Scott North and I’m outside your door,’ ” McClimans said, his voicing quivering slightly.
McClimans knew what the call meant.
“I said, ‘You’ve got to be kidding me.’ He said, ‘No sir, I’m not.’ ”
North was there to inform him that McClimans’ son, Capt. Joshua McClimans, 30, a registered nurse serving with the U.S. Army Reserve, had been killed in action in Afghanistan.
Capt. McClimans apparently had left his living quarters to begin a 12-hour shift at a hospital when he was shot.
read more here
Jamestown family mourns loss of soldier killed in Afghanistan
Female veterans get their own VFW Post!
Vets start female-focused VFW post
By Matthew Daneman - USA Today
Posted : Monday Apr 25, 2011 6:21:44 EDT
BUFFALO, N.Y. — Marlene Roll is used to standing out in a crowd.
The former Army reservist joined the Veterans of Foreign Wars in 1991 shortly after returning from a deployment in the Middle East during the Persian Gulf War. She quickly found that attracting fellow female military veterans to the male-dominated VFW was no easy task.
As Roll rose through the ranks of the VFW, and post after post asked her for advice on attracting female members, she decided maybe a different approach was needed.
“I thought the only way to bring them in was give them a post of their own,” said Roll, chief of staff for the New York state VFW and women veterans chairwoman for the national VFW.
And so, Roll went to work organizing what has become the nation’s only VFW post founded by and targeting the needs of women.
Men often wear their military backgrounds almost literally on their sleeve, with jackets or hats proclaiming their veteran statuses, Roll said.
“But not in the female world. A lot of them didn’t even know they were veterans and eligible for the VFW,” said Roll, 46, of Alden, N.Y. “And a lot of them shifted gears when they came back — ‘I’m a mom, I’m a business woman.’”
The VFW has a membership of 1.6 million, with membership typically being men ages 60 and up, said Jerry Newberry, VFW director of communications.
read more here
Vets start female-focused VFW post
By Matthew Daneman - USA Today
Posted : Monday Apr 25, 2011 6:21:44 EDT
BUFFALO, N.Y. — Marlene Roll is used to standing out in a crowd.
The former Army reservist joined the Veterans of Foreign Wars in 1991 shortly after returning from a deployment in the Middle East during the Persian Gulf War. She quickly found that attracting fellow female military veterans to the male-dominated VFW was no easy task.
As Roll rose through the ranks of the VFW, and post after post asked her for advice on attracting female members, she decided maybe a different approach was needed.
“I thought the only way to bring them in was give them a post of their own,” said Roll, chief of staff for the New York state VFW and women veterans chairwoman for the national VFW.
And so, Roll went to work organizing what has become the nation’s only VFW post founded by and targeting the needs of women.
Men often wear their military backgrounds almost literally on their sleeve, with jackets or hats proclaiming their veteran statuses, Roll said.
“But not in the female world. A lot of them didn’t even know they were veterans and eligible for the VFW,” said Roll, 46, of Alden, N.Y. “And a lot of them shifted gears when they came back — ‘I’m a mom, I’m a business woman.’”
The VFW has a membership of 1.6 million, with membership typically being men ages 60 and up, said Jerry Newberry, VFW director of communications.
read more here
Vets start female-focused VFW post
Mother remembers night tornado struck, injured son at Camp Lejeune
Mother remembers night tornado struck, injured son
April 24, 2011 11:38 AM
HOPE HODGE
One moment, Kelsey Salerno had reached into the crib of her 23-month old son Evan to comfort him against a coming storm. The next, she had been hurled away from the crib and buried under sheetrock, and the baby had disappeared.
That is how Salerno, 21, remembers experiencing the April 16 tornado that tore through sections of Camp Lejeune housing, leaving the Salernos’ house a pile of rubble in its wake.
“I was just barely touching (Evan) when it sounded like a freight train,” she said. “I look over and the window is busted. I see the curtain is blowing and there’s glass everywhere, and all of a sudden I get thrown to a corner of the bedroom. I’m tumbling, all of a sudden I’m rolling and rolling and all I see is gray; that’s all that I can see.”
Salerno’s husband, Seaman Jesse Salerno, a corpsman with 1st Battalion, 9th Marines, had returned from his first deployment in August and was now training for a May deployment in California. High school sweethearts from Charleston, S.C., the Salernos had known that life as a military family would not be easy, but they had never realized one of their greatest trials would come in the form of a Carolina tornado.
“You know, I’ve lived on the coast my whole life,” Kelsey Salerno said. “I know more about hurricanes than anything else. But I never thought I’d have to deal with a tornado.”
But when she was ripped away from her son, instinct was more powerful than experience.
read more here
Mother remembers night tornado struck, injured son
April 24, 2011 11:38 AM
HOPE HODGE
One moment, Kelsey Salerno had reached into the crib of her 23-month old son Evan to comfort him against a coming storm. The next, she had been hurled away from the crib and buried under sheetrock, and the baby had disappeared.
That is how Salerno, 21, remembers experiencing the April 16 tornado that tore through sections of Camp Lejeune housing, leaving the Salernos’ house a pile of rubble in its wake.
“I was just barely touching (Evan) when it sounded like a freight train,” she said. “I look over and the window is busted. I see the curtain is blowing and there’s glass everywhere, and all of a sudden I get thrown to a corner of the bedroom. I’m tumbling, all of a sudden I’m rolling and rolling and all I see is gray; that’s all that I can see.”
Salerno’s husband, Seaman Jesse Salerno, a corpsman with 1st Battalion, 9th Marines, had returned from his first deployment in August and was now training for a May deployment in California. High school sweethearts from Charleston, S.C., the Salernos had known that life as a military family would not be easy, but they had never realized one of their greatest trials would come in the form of a Carolina tornado.
“You know, I’ve lived on the coast my whole life,” Kelsey Salerno said. “I know more about hurricanes than anything else. But I never thought I’d have to deal with a tornado.”
But when she was ripped away from her son, instinct was more powerful than experience.
read more here
Mother remembers night tornado struck, injured son
War, Wives and a Near Suicide
Reading this, all I could think about was some friends. The same thing happened to them but we don't want to talk about any of this. We don't want to talk about the fact some of these "Army Wives" spent years in college, got degrees and then discovered none of it does any good when you are tied to military because the person you fell in love with belongs to the government. They go where they are sent for as long as they are told to stay. This means the families go with them. Kids end up in different schools but they are surrounded by other kids with the same stories. For a spouse, jobs are hard to get no matter how much they have to pay back in student loans.
A friend of mine became a lawyer. She was married to a helicopter pilot. She had a couple of kids to take care of but part of her wanted to practice law. Unable to join a firm because they could end up moving with a transfer, she had a lot more to worry about than just his deployments. She had to worry about all of it including her own future.
One of the other things we don't talk about is the other sword hanging over their heads. Like with all marriages, there is always the chance of a spouse falling out of love with them and in love with someone else. When they get divorced they lose all of it. They have to find another place to live and pick up the pieces of their past civilian lives.
My friend ended up divorced and alone to raise her kids. She didn't have many friends outside of military and her family was not close leaving her basically alone wondering what all the years of sacrificing for the military was for.
When you read this story, understand that it happens all the time. It is a serious issue they face all the time.
A friend of mine became a lawyer. She was married to a helicopter pilot. She had a couple of kids to take care of but part of her wanted to practice law. Unable to join a firm because they could end up moving with a transfer, she had a lot more to worry about than just his deployments. She had to worry about all of it including her own future.
One of the other things we don't talk about is the other sword hanging over their heads. Like with all marriages, there is always the chance of a spouse falling out of love with them and in love with someone else. When they get divorced they lose all of it. They have to find another place to live and pick up the pieces of their past civilian lives.
My friend ended up divorced and alone to raise her kids. She didn't have many friends outside of military and her family was not close leaving her basically alone wondering what all the years of sacrificing for the military was for.
When you read this story, understand that it happens all the time. It is a serious issue they face all the time.
April 25, 2011, 8:26 AM
War, Wives and a Near Suicide
By ALISON BUCKHOLTZ
“If you are reading this, you should know that I am dead,” began the blog of a 27-year-old Army wife named Jessica Harp. “At least I hope I’m dead,” she added. “It would be awful to fail at your own suicide.”
The entry, posted to the blog “(Mis)Adventures of an Army Wife” on April 11, was titled “A Final Goodbye.” Its broad outlines, though not dramatic conclusion, are recognizable to many in the post-9/11 generation of military spouses. In 4,100 words, Ms. Harp chronicled her husband’s severe depression after his unit’s deployment to Afghanistan in 2009, and her own subsequent depression, for which she sought counseling and medication.
After her husband’s return and their cross-country move to Fort Jackson, S.C., so he could attend an eight-month officers’ course, she was told she could not join the base’s family support group because her husband was only a student there. She tried to put to use her master’s degree in financial counseling, but was told she was unemployable because she would be leaving the area before the year’s end. Her husband’s erratic behavior, coupled with his drinking, convinced her that he was an alcoholic, and she encouraged him to get help.
“The doctor immediately put him on antidepressants and sleeping pills,” she recounts. “And that was it. No counseling. No getting to the root cause of the issue. Just drugs.” She writes that he mixed his prescriptions with alcohol and at times became violent.
As their marriage deteriorated, Ms. Harp realized her husband was involved with another woman. Ms. Harp checked herself into the hospital because of suicidal thoughts, and her husband left her. She felt that the military community, for which she had given up her career and her independence, had abandoned her as well. “I wish he had just died in combat,” she writes. “If he had died, I would have been surrounded with so much support that I wouldn’t have known what to do with it. Instead, he has discarded me on the side of the road like a piece of rubbish, and the Army ‘family’ has shrugged its shoulders and said, ‘Well, he doesn’t want you anymore. There’s nothing we can do about it.’ ”
read more here
War, Wives and a Near Suicide
Alligator invites himself into Palmetto home
Off topic but part of life in Florida
Alligator invites himself into Palmetto home
(Photo/Jimmy Pollack) Seeing the gator was quite a shock for homeowner Alexis Dunbar, who had just walked in her front door.
PALMETTO --
A Manatee County woman got quite a surprise Saturday when she found a 6-foot alligator in her house.
Seeing the gator was quite a shock for homeowner Alexis Dunbar, who had just walked in her front door.
"I look to the right," she said. "And there's an alligator in my guest bedroom."
Dunbar immediately got out of the house, and became concerned for her pets.
see more pictures and read more here
Alligator invites himself into Palmetto home
Sunday, April 24, 2011
Why Are We Throwing Traumatized Vets in Jail for Calling 911
Why Are We Throwing Traumatized Vets in Jail for Calling 911?
Joe Bangert is being jailed for doing exactly what he was trained to do: calling for backup when he feels threatened.
April 21, 2011
On March 4, 2011, the Honorable J. Thomas Kirkman, addressed the defendant in Barnstable Massachusetts' Second District Court: "Mr. Bangert, I see that you served your country honorably. It's time to do that again. I'm asking you to serve your country honorably again by (spending) nine months in the house of correction." And the gavel came down.
Joe's crime? Calling 911.
Joe Bangert is being punished for doing exactly what he was trained to do: calling for backup when he feels threatened. The problem is that, since September 11, it's not always clear to him whether the threat is coming from outside or inside. His PTSD keeps him constantly on full alert, trying to keep everything and everyone out beyond what vets call the "kiss me/kill me" range.
No question about it: Joe can be a civic nightmare. When he's upset, things get messy, rules get broken. But that should come as no surprise. We have studies going back 100 years connecting wartime experiences with traumatic injuries that lead to criminal behaviors.
read more here
Why Are We Throwing Traumatized Vets in Jail for Calling 911
Joe Bangert is being jailed for doing exactly what he was trained to do: calling for backup when he feels threatened.
April 21, 2011
On March 4, 2011, the Honorable J. Thomas Kirkman, addressed the defendant in Barnstable Massachusetts' Second District Court: "Mr. Bangert, I see that you served your country honorably. It's time to do that again. I'm asking you to serve your country honorably again by (spending) nine months in the house of correction." And the gavel came down.
Joe's crime? Calling 911.
Joe Bangert is being punished for doing exactly what he was trained to do: calling for backup when he feels threatened. The problem is that, since September 11, it's not always clear to him whether the threat is coming from outside or inside. His PTSD keeps him constantly on full alert, trying to keep everything and everyone out beyond what vets call the "kiss me/kill me" range.
No question about it: Joe can be a civic nightmare. When he's upset, things get messy, rules get broken. But that should come as no surprise. We have studies going back 100 years connecting wartime experiences with traumatic injuries that lead to criminal behaviors.
read more here
Why Are We Throwing Traumatized Vets in Jail for Calling 911
Don't be fooled by some collecting for veterans
There is the
Disabled Veterans Foundation
Then there is Disabled Veterans National Foundation
This all has people very confused because when they hear Disabled Veterans, they think DAV.org
The DAV does not dress up in a costume. I call it that because there are people collecting money in uniform but when asked, they say they are not a veteran but paid to collect on streets.
Disabled American Veterans, the DAV known nationally for what they've been doing for disabled veterans since,
It is totally up to you if you want to give to these other groups or not but don't think your giving money to the DAV when it is going to one of the other groups.
Near my home they have been collecting all weekend. One told me he was a disabled vet, then when I asked him "who are you with" he said Disabled American Veterans Foundation but he wasn't. I told him I was with the Auxiliary, then he said, "Oh no, not that one" but this isn't new. If they can give you a fast answer so you'll drop a buck into the bucket, you'll drive away thinking you just donated to the DAV. He was with the Disabled Veterans Foundation. The names are so close that people can't tell them apart but the veterans can. They know how much work the DAV does for them and how long they've been doing it.
Disabled Veterans Foundation
Then there is Disabled Veterans National Foundation
This all has people very confused because when they hear Disabled Veterans, they think DAV.org
The DAV does not dress up in a costume. I call it that because there are people collecting money in uniform but when asked, they say they are not a veteran but paid to collect on streets.
Disabled American Veterans, the DAV known nationally for what they've been doing for disabled veterans since,
"Incorporated in 1931, the Disabled American Veterans National Service Foundation was set up to assist in raising funds for the service initiatives of the Disabled American Veterans (DAV) National Organization. The Foundation initially served to ensure that the DAV’s National Service Program and other service initiatives would always be available should the DAV National Organization suffer a downturn in its financial health. Over the years, the Foundation’s role has grown and changed as the times and the needs of veterans and DAV service programs at all levels have changed.
From the outset, the Foundation has continued its identity as a separate nonprofit organization, maintaining its primary focus on direct services for veterans who come home from military service sick or injured. In this way, it has become a strong partner of the DAV in our mission to build better lives for America’s disabled veterans and their families."
It is totally up to you if you want to give to these other groups or not but don't think your giving money to the DAV when it is going to one of the other groups.
Near my home they have been collecting all weekend. One told me he was a disabled vet, then when I asked him "who are you with" he said Disabled American Veterans Foundation but he wasn't. I told him I was with the Auxiliary, then he said, "Oh no, not that one" but this isn't new. If they can give you a fast answer so you'll drop a buck into the bucket, you'll drive away thinking you just donated to the DAV. He was with the Disabled Veterans Foundation. The names are so close that people can't tell them apart but the veterans can. They know how much work the DAV does for them and how long they've been doing it.
Bachmann settles "birth issue" too late for Maj. Gen. Karl Horst
Correction:
To replace Horst with Lakin. The change of mind of Bachmann came too late when Horst had to approve the sentence of Lakin. Totally embarrassed over this misplaced name.
To replace Horst with Lakin. The change of mind of Bachmann came too late when Horst had to approve the sentence of Lakin. Totally embarrassed over this misplaced name.
Because of people like Michele Bachmann getting attention for accusing President Obama of not being a natural born citizen, there were a lot of people paying the price for what this "congresswoman" told them. People like Lt. Col. Terrence Lakin believed it and it cost him his career and freedom.
Military affirms Army birther’s sentence
The Associated Press
Posted : Friday Apr 22, 2011 13:49:00 EDT
FORT MEADE, Md. — The commander of the Military District of Washington is affirming the six-month prison sentence of an Army doctor who disobeyed deployment orders because he doubted President Barack Obama’s eligibility to serve as commander-in-chief.
A spokeswoman said Friday that Army Maj. Gen. Karl Horst has approved the findings and sentence of Lt. Col. Terrence Lakin’s court-martial in December.
Lakin was sentenced to six months at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas, for refusing to go to Afghanistan.
In online videos posted on YouTube, Lakin aligned himself with the so-called “birther” movement that questions whether Obama is a natural-born citizen, as the Constitution requires for presidents.
Lakin’s sentence also includes dismissal from the armed services.
Now with the same evidence she had since the beginning about President Obama's place of birth being Hawaii, now she says "it's settled" but it is too late to undo the damage done.
"Not proud of lack of care our vets are receiving now"
There is only one "one size fits all" therapy for veterans and that is we do all we can to give them what they need. If a tiny program works for these veterans, do it. Don't find excuses to cut something that is helping them heal. Doing all we can is therapy for them because we prove they do matter. Cutting programs tells them they are not worth the price.
End of VA program spurs protests
Posted: April 22, 2011
By Ann Marie Bush
THE CAPITAL-JOURNAL
The elimination of a program at the Colmery-O'Neil VA Medical Center has some people concerned about the possibility of cuts to other veterans’ programs.
"The bottom line is the VA has closed some very important clinics," said Marvella Kreipe, of Tecumseh.
At issue in this case is the lapidary program, where rock cutting and polishing took place.
Kreipe and her husband, Bill, a Vietnam veteran, were two of six people protesting cuts outside of the VA hospital Thursday afternoon.
Georgia and James Bent, of Quenemo, also held signs protesting the closure of the lapidary program and the possible closure of other programs.
James Bent, who served in the Kansas National Guard, has had a lot of improvement during his time in the lapidary program, Georgia Bent said. James returned from Iraq a few years ago.
"My husband was in the military for over 20 years," Georgia wrote in an email. "He and I are both proud of that. What we are not proud of is the lack of care our vets are receiving now. My husband is not the same man he was prior to spending a year in Iraq. It has taken many, many months of counseling and treatment programs to get him where he is able to function normally."
read more here
End of VA program spurs protests
Female Army Vet, released from PTSD program, committed suicide at shooting range
TAYLOR: Iowa woman recently released from post-traumatic stress disorder treatment program
Published: Saturday, April 23, 2011
By Rene Cizio
TAYLOR — A 38-year-old Iowa woman killed herself Wednesday at Top Gun Shooting Sports, 16725 Racho Road.
Police said Army veteran Wendy Torrey had been released recently from a post-traumatic stress disorder treatment program at the Battle Creek Veterans Affairs Medical Center.
Police said Torrey went to the range at about 1 p.m., rented a semiautomatic handgun and shot at targets for awhile. Surveillance video shows that she stopped firing at the target and shot herself in the head.
read more here
Iowa woman recently released
Published: Saturday, April 23, 2011
By Rene Cizio
TAYLOR — A 38-year-old Iowa woman killed herself Wednesday at Top Gun Shooting Sports, 16725 Racho Road.
Police said Army veteran Wendy Torrey had been released recently from a post-traumatic stress disorder treatment program at the Battle Creek Veterans Affairs Medical Center.
Police said Torrey went to the range at about 1 p.m., rented a semiautomatic handgun and shot at targets for awhile. Surveillance video shows that she stopped firing at the target and shot herself in the head.
read more here
Iowa woman recently released
Ignored sacrifices
If you search Google images for Easter, there are 20,700,000 results to find. This was the first picture and up until page 11 in the results, it was all about colored eggs and the Easter Bunny.
Much like Christmas being all about Santa, Easter has been taken over and has taken away Christ. This image showed up on page 11.
If you go to church, Christmas is all about the birth of Christ. At least that's the day Christians celebrate it but when you look back to why they decided on December 25, discovering this day is not really a holy day to most of the world, is not that big of a shock. The trees, holly and celebrations were tied to old traditions of celebrating the Winter Solstice and had nothing to do with the birth of the Son of God. It was all about what was in it for the people. The early Christian church couldn't get the people to stop celebrating, so they decided to tie the celebrating to Christ.
Easter has been one more time during the year when people do more celebrating than honoring the willingness of Christ to sacrifice His life for the sake of humanity. We ignore His life, how He lived and what He did, pretend that the crucifixion was a failure instead of a known outcome predicted 700 years before it happened as much as we forget He had a choice that day to walk away or fulfill God's mercy. When plain humans have a choice of thinking of themselves or of others, we seem to find it easier to accept self interest above sacrifice. Most want to know what's in if for them.
We ignore sacrifices everyday. Volunteering is considered to be done by people not good enough to be paid for what they do. High school graduates entering into the military are thought of as doing it just because they can't find a job or can't afford college. Sacrifices for the sake of someone else are reasons to find excuses to dismiss what some do for the sake of others. It makes us feel better about ourselves when we do nothing for anyone else.
We ignore Christ and forget about God until we need something from them. We ignore the men and women serving in the military until we need them to do something for the country and what they do better end soon after it begins or we lose interests, then complain about how much what they are doing is costing us. We ignore volunteers until something is not being done and then we wonder why no one is showing up to feed the hungry, help someone in need or even hold a door for us when our hands are full.
When the world turns selfish, we wonder why, until another disaster hits and suddenly they show up again. It is not that they stopped doing things for other people. We stopped looking for them.
If you go to church, Christmas is all about the birth of Christ. At least that's the day Christians celebrate it but when you look back to why they decided on December 25, discovering this day is not really a holy day to most of the world, is not that big of a shock. The trees, holly and celebrations were tied to old traditions of celebrating the Winter Solstice and had nothing to do with the birth of the Son of God. It was all about what was in it for the people. The early Christian church couldn't get the people to stop celebrating, so they decided to tie the celebrating to Christ.
Easter has been one more time during the year when people do more celebrating than honoring the willingness of Christ to sacrifice His life for the sake of humanity. We ignore His life, how He lived and what He did, pretend that the crucifixion was a failure instead of a known outcome predicted 700 years before it happened as much as we forget He had a choice that day to walk away or fulfill God's mercy. When plain humans have a choice of thinking of themselves or of others, we seem to find it easier to accept self interest above sacrifice. Most want to know what's in if for them.
We ignore sacrifices everyday. Volunteering is considered to be done by people not good enough to be paid for what they do. High school graduates entering into the military are thought of as doing it just because they can't find a job or can't afford college. Sacrifices for the sake of someone else are reasons to find excuses to dismiss what some do for the sake of others. It makes us feel better about ourselves when we do nothing for anyone else.
We ignore Christ and forget about God until we need something from them. We ignore the men and women serving in the military until we need them to do something for the country and what they do better end soon after it begins or we lose interests, then complain about how much what they are doing is costing us. We ignore volunteers until something is not being done and then we wonder why no one is showing up to feed the hungry, help someone in need or even hold a door for us when our hands are full.
When the world turns selfish, we wonder why, until another disaster hits and suddenly they show up again. It is not that they stopped doing things for other people. We stopped looking for them.
Saturday, April 23, 2011
Reporter ignores more important story
This is what the headline was.
Ex-Marine beats wife during divorce hearing
They focused on the fact this man was a Marine. Was that just an easier headline for them to use than the fact this woman tried to get a restraining order against her husband but it was denied before this even happened? Where was her protection?
When women are afraid in their own home, it is about as bad as it gets, but for too many the nightmare comes when they try to get someone to protect them. Why was it denied? Who denied it?
We cover a lot of stories on veterans but one that does not get enough attention is the simple fact that some of the veterans coming back are living on anger because they did not get the help they needed. This is a price being paid all too often.
When families are dealing with PTSD veterans, it makes it harder to live with some of them. Keep in mind that most do not abuse their families, but as we've read too many times, some do. The first thing families need to do is find a safe place to live and then try to get their spouse help from a distance.
I don't know if Gonzalez has PTSD or not but I do know this woman tried to get protection from him and this is the result of her not getting it. So why was this a bigger story as an ex-Marine beating his wife in court than the fact the court refused to help her be save in the first place?
Ex-Marine beats wife during divorce hearing
They focused on the fact this man was a Marine. Was that just an easier headline for them to use than the fact this woman tried to get a restraining order against her husband but it was denied before this even happened? Where was her protection?
Wife speaks about court attack
FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. (WSVN) -- A mother of two came on camera to talk about a brutal beating by her husband that unfolded in front of a judge.
The incident occurred at the Broward County Courthouse, last Friday.
Caty Scott-Gonzalez was at the final court hearing for her divorce from her husband, Paul Gonzalez. Scott-Gonzalez said her husband blind-sided her inside the private chambers of Judge Ronald Rothschild. As Gonzalez began beating his wife, a dozen bailiffs rushed in to subdue him.
The victim said, "They had to Tase him twice in order to remove him from me."
Scott-Gonzalez was beaten so badly, she fell unconscious. "The first blow to my face knocked me out, so I don't really remember anything," she said. "I just had a bad feeling, but I thought that the place that I was in, that there was nothing that could happen to me, and I was wrong."
Gonzalez has been charged with felony battery. The ex-Marine remains in jail on $1 million bond. During Gonzalez's appearance in bond court, the judge said, "Rarely in my career have I ever set a bond in this amount or even approaching it, but the allegations are indeed extremely serious and shocking."
According to Scott-Gonzalez, she tried to tell others that her husband could be violent at times. The battered wife said she attempted to get a restraining order against her husband; however, her request was denied.
click link above for more
When women are afraid in their own home, it is about as bad as it gets, but for too many the nightmare comes when they try to get someone to protect them. Why was it denied? Who denied it?
We cover a lot of stories on veterans but one that does not get enough attention is the simple fact that some of the veterans coming back are living on anger because they did not get the help they needed. This is a price being paid all too often.
When families are dealing with PTSD veterans, it makes it harder to live with some of them. Keep in mind that most do not abuse their families, but as we've read too many times, some do. The first thing families need to do is find a safe place to live and then try to get their spouse help from a distance.
I don't know if Gonzalez has PTSD or not but I do know this woman tried to get protection from him and this is the result of her not getting it. So why was this a bigger story as an ex-Marine beating his wife in court than the fact the court refused to help her be save in the first place?
Military faces challenge to malpractice shield Feres
Military faces challenge to malpractice shield
(AP)
BRADENTON, Fla. (AP) — Veterans, military families and others who oppose a decades-old law that shields military medical personnel from malpractice lawsuits are rallying around a case they consider the best chance in a generation to change the widely unpopular protection.
The U.S. Supreme Court has asked for more information from attorneys and will decide next month whether to hear the case of a 25-year-old noncommissioned officer who died after a nurse put a tube down the wrong part of his throat.
If the law is overturned, it could expose the federal government to billions of dollars in liability claims. That makes it highly unlikely a divided Congress desperate to cut expenses will act on its own to change what's called the Feres Doctrine, a 1950 Supreme Court ruling that effectively equates injuries from medical mistakes with battlefield wounds.
The court case involves the death of Air Force Staff Sgt. Dean Patrick Witt, who was hospitalized in 2003 for what should have been a routine appendectomy at Travis Air Force Base in Fairfield, Calif. Following surgery, a nurse anesthetist inserted a breathing tube into his esophagus instead of his trachea or airway, depriving his brain of oxygen. Witt, of Oroville, Calif., died once his family removed him from life support three months later.
The nurse admitted her mistake and surrendered her state license. Federal courts denied the legal claim by Witt's widow, saying their hands were tied by the Feres Doctrine. Witt's family appealed, aiming to help other service members who get hurt in military hospitals.
"We labored on this for a long, long time, and we decided that the right thing to do here was to protect the rights of other people who go into the military and are signing away their rights to get good health care in the military system," said Witt's brother-in-law, Carlos Lopez, of Salt Lake City. "So we're hoping, we're praying, that his case could be the one that changes everything."
The Feres (pronounced FEHR-es) ruling grew out of the Federal Tort Claims Act of 1946, which allowed lawsuits against the government for negligent acts under certain circumstances. Initially the law was interpreted to forbid lawsuits by military personnel and their families only for combat-related injuries and deaths, but the decision in Feres vs. United States — involving a soldier who died in a barracks fire — widened that exclusion to bar any lawsuits over injuries "incident to military service."
read more here
Military faces challenge to malpractice shield
(AP)
BRADENTON, Fla. (AP) — Veterans, military families and others who oppose a decades-old law that shields military medical personnel from malpractice lawsuits are rallying around a case they consider the best chance in a generation to change the widely unpopular protection.
The U.S. Supreme Court has asked for more information from attorneys and will decide next month whether to hear the case of a 25-year-old noncommissioned officer who died after a nurse put a tube down the wrong part of his throat.
If the law is overturned, it could expose the federal government to billions of dollars in liability claims. That makes it highly unlikely a divided Congress desperate to cut expenses will act on its own to change what's called the Feres Doctrine, a 1950 Supreme Court ruling that effectively equates injuries from medical mistakes with battlefield wounds.
The court case involves the death of Air Force Staff Sgt. Dean Patrick Witt, who was hospitalized in 2003 for what should have been a routine appendectomy at Travis Air Force Base in Fairfield, Calif. Following surgery, a nurse anesthetist inserted a breathing tube into his esophagus instead of his trachea or airway, depriving his brain of oxygen. Witt, of Oroville, Calif., died once his family removed him from life support three months later.
The nurse admitted her mistake and surrendered her state license. Federal courts denied the legal claim by Witt's widow, saying their hands were tied by the Feres Doctrine. Witt's family appealed, aiming to help other service members who get hurt in military hospitals.
"We labored on this for a long, long time, and we decided that the right thing to do here was to protect the rights of other people who go into the military and are signing away their rights to get good health care in the military system," said Witt's brother-in-law, Carlos Lopez, of Salt Lake City. "So we're hoping, we're praying, that his case could be the one that changes everything."
The Feres (pronounced FEHR-es) ruling grew out of the Federal Tort Claims Act of 1946, which allowed lawsuits against the government for negligent acts under certain circumstances. Initially the law was interpreted to forbid lawsuits by military personnel and their families only for combat-related injuries and deaths, but the decision in Feres vs. United States — involving a soldier who died in a barracks fire — widened that exclusion to bar any lawsuits over injuries "incident to military service."
read more here
Military faces challenge to malpractice shield
Friday, April 22, 2011
After over 60 years, Daytona Beach soldier's remains are coming home
Many people do not know how many were not accounted for after Korea.
Here is one more story I came across that will warm your heart a bit more. It is about the Vietnam War and a group of veterans, police and firefighters making a difference.
KOREAN UNACCOUNTED FOR
(Bodies not identified/bodies not recovered) 8,176
Prisoner of War 2,045
Killed in Action 1,794
Missing in Action 4,245
Non-battle 92
Total: 8,176
After over 60 years, Daytona Beach soldier's remains are coming home
By Jason Wheeler, Volusia County Reporter
Last Updated: Friday, April 22, 2011 2:58 PM
DAYTONA BEACH --
The son of a U.S. soldier, killed during the Korean War, is getting ready to lay his father to rest -- 61 years after he died.
Sergeant First Class James Caldwell's remains were were excavated from a mass grave by the North Korean government in the 90's, and turned over to the U.S.
DNA helped identify the remains at the POW-MIA Accountability Center.
Johnston Caldwell was a toddler when his father disappeared in 1950.
For Caldwell, he and his sister said their goodbyes years ago.
"I lost my dad when I was a kid, only 4 1/2 years of age," Johnston Caldwell said. "I never got to know that much about him except what my mother told me, so we kind of buried him a long time ago."
James Caldwell's remains are being flown to Volusia County on Monday. They will be met by a full military honor guard, as well as the president of the local Korean War Veterans Assocation, Robert McGuire.
According to McGuire, Caldwell's family is lucky. Many more families are still waiting for word of their loved ones.
read more here
Daytona Beach soldier's remains are coming home
Here is one more story I came across that will warm your heart a bit more. It is about the Vietnam War and a group of veterans, police and firefighters making a difference.
KIA Man’s Dog Tag Returned to Family by Nam Knights
Biker group returns fallen soldier’s dog tag
By AUDREY PARENTE, Staff writer
March 10, 2011 – DAYTONA BEACH — At 16, Darlene Woodruff looked up to her soldier cousin, Army Sgt. Robert Melvin Fletcher, who wrote letters to her from the jungles of Vietnam.
The thought of him not coming home never crossed her mind. But on Mother’s Day in 1968, she learned of his death.
“I remember thinking — wondering — what kind of things he had faced over there as such a young man,” Woodruff said. “I remember thinking he had done something far greater than I had done or would ever do.”
More than four decades later, as part of an annual Bike Week party Thursday morning, she learned how her cousin died.
At a special ceremony at the Veterans of Foreign War Post 1590, she watched her sister, Sharron Blais, clutch his dog tag and hug the soldier in whose arms he died.
The former soldier, retired steelworker Clifford William Searcy Jr., found his way to Daytona Beach and Fletcher’s family as part of a chain of events that began in 1998 when a Wall Street trader bought a sack of 100 dog tags from a Vietnamese peasant. The journey ended with Searcy telling Woodruff and Blais the story of their cousin’s final moments.
read more here
KIA Man’s Dog Tag Returned to Family by Nam Knights
JP Morgan and Chase will pay $26 Military Foreclosure Claims
Bank Settles Military Foreclosure Claims
April 22, 2011
Stars and Stripes|by Bill Murphy Jr.
Banking giant JPMorgan Chase and Co., which admitted earlier this year that it had improperly overcharged thousands of military families on their mortgages and foreclosed on the homes of servicemembers in Iraq and Afghanistan, will pay $26 million to settle the class action lawsuit that brought the activity to light.
Marine Capt. Jonathan Rowles and his wife, Julia, filed the suit, which accused Chase of ignoring the protections they were due under a federal law known as the Servicemembers Civil Relief Act.
“We are sorry and regret the mistakes our firm made on mortgages for members of the military, and we’d like to thank Capt. and Mrs. Rowles for helping us address them,” Chase's chief administrative officer, Frank Bisignano, said in a statement announcing the deal. “We hold ourselves accountable and responsible for these mistakes, and fixing them is just the beginning of a new way forward with the military and veteran community as we make serving them a core part of how we operate our business every day."
“My family and I thank Chase for resolving this matter,” Capt. Rowles said in the same statement.
“It is our hope that this settlement will result in greater attention by the entire financial services industry to the nation’s laws that protect our military families."
read more here
Bank Settles Military Foreclosure Claims
April 22, 2011
Stars and Stripes|by Bill Murphy Jr.
Banking giant JPMorgan Chase and Co., which admitted earlier this year that it had improperly overcharged thousands of military families on their mortgages and foreclosed on the homes of servicemembers in Iraq and Afghanistan, will pay $26 million to settle the class action lawsuit that brought the activity to light.
Marine Capt. Jonathan Rowles and his wife, Julia, filed the suit, which accused Chase of ignoring the protections they were due under a federal law known as the Servicemembers Civil Relief Act.
“We are sorry and regret the mistakes our firm made on mortgages for members of the military, and we’d like to thank Capt. and Mrs. Rowles for helping us address them,” Chase's chief administrative officer, Frank Bisignano, said in a statement announcing the deal. “We hold ourselves accountable and responsible for these mistakes, and fixing them is just the beginning of a new way forward with the military and veteran community as we make serving them a core part of how we operate our business every day."
“My family and I thank Chase for resolving this matter,” Capt. Rowles said in the same statement.
“It is our hope that this settlement will result in greater attention by the entire financial services industry to the nation’s laws that protect our military families."
read more here
Bank Settles Military Foreclosure Claims
Scientists make breakthrough in understanding stress related disorders again
Most enter into the military right out of high school. This region of the brian is not fully developed until the age of 25. So there you have part one of the reason so many young veterans never leave combat behind and why they grow old fighting battles in their minds.
The problem I'm having right now is this study was even done in the UK when it was already known years ago. This is one more reason why there has been no real new research done.
I've been involved with PTSD since 1982 when I met my Vietnam Vet husband. Over the years there isn't much I have not read simply because my life was involved as his wife. This wasn't just research to me. It was my life so it mattered a great deal. Over all these years I've gone to more conferences and taken training to the point where I cannot remember all of them unless I search my book case and storage boxes for the information I brought back home. I can tell you for a fact this information has been out there for several years but it did not come from studying members of the military. It came from research done on civilians.
What this does not include is the answer as to why the average rate of humans exposed to trauma and ending up with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder is one out of three and not 100%. The answer is in how we are all different.
Some people are selfish thinking about themselves and their own needs more than others. Some are compassionate enough that they put other people ahead of themselves. Some are in between these two groups. PTSD strikes those who are able to feel more deeply than others. They not only walk away with their own pain but they take upon themselves the pain of others.
They want to develop a drug that blocks proteins without ever understanding why PTSD strikes in the first place. They don't understand why the exposures to traumatic events increase the risk of PTSD even in the subjects that fall into the "self" group. They ignore the increased levels of police officers over firefighters and the military higher than anyone else. Police and military members are not only exposed to more events but they also participate in the events with violence. Their PTSD is much different than simply surviving the event itself. Firefighters respond after the fire and they develop PTSD as well but as with civilians, it is a different type of wound they carry with them.
Until researchers understand what is behind it, they will not make any real contributions to healing it. Repeating studies that were already done is a waste of time.
Scientists make breakthrough in understanding stress
A team of neuroscientists has made a breakthrough in understanding how the brain responds to traumatic events.
The discovery could lead to new treatments for stress-related psychiatric disorders.
Dr Robert Pawlak, from the University of Leicester, said: "It was known certain individuals are more susceptible to detrimental effects of stress.
"However, the reasons were not clear."
Researchers, led by Dr Pawlak, found that the emotional centre of the brain – the amygdala – reacts to stress by increasing production of the protein neuropsin.
This triggers a series of chemical reactions including activating a gene that determines the stress response.
Blocking those proteins reduced stress levels.
Dr Pawlak said: "We are tremendously excited about these findings. Our discovery opens new possibilities for the prevention and treatment of stress-related psychiatric disorders such as depression and post-traumatic stress disorder."
Scientists make breakthrough in understanding stress
The problem I'm having right now is this study was even done in the UK when it was already known years ago. This is one more reason why there has been no real new research done.
I've been involved with PTSD since 1982 when I met my Vietnam Vet husband. Over the years there isn't much I have not read simply because my life was involved as his wife. This wasn't just research to me. It was my life so it mattered a great deal. Over all these years I've gone to more conferences and taken training to the point where I cannot remember all of them unless I search my book case and storage boxes for the information I brought back home. I can tell you for a fact this information has been out there for several years but it did not come from studying members of the military. It came from research done on civilians.
What this does not include is the answer as to why the average rate of humans exposed to trauma and ending up with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder is one out of three and not 100%. The answer is in how we are all different.
Some people are selfish thinking about themselves and their own needs more than others. Some are compassionate enough that they put other people ahead of themselves. Some are in between these two groups. PTSD strikes those who are able to feel more deeply than others. They not only walk away with their own pain but they take upon themselves the pain of others.
They want to develop a drug that blocks proteins without ever understanding why PTSD strikes in the first place. They don't understand why the exposures to traumatic events increase the risk of PTSD even in the subjects that fall into the "self" group. They ignore the increased levels of police officers over firefighters and the military higher than anyone else. Police and military members are not only exposed to more events but they also participate in the events with violence. Their PTSD is much different than simply surviving the event itself. Firefighters respond after the fire and they develop PTSD as well but as with civilians, it is a different type of wound they carry with them.
Until researchers understand what is behind it, they will not make any real contributions to healing it. Repeating studies that were already done is a waste of time.
It took a Vietnam Vet 28 years to have VA claim approved
You may read this and say "it's great" but when you think about the hell they go through between filing a claim and finally seeing the day it is honored, you'd know how high the price was. It eats away at them when they see everything they have slip away and it seems no one gives a damn.
Local veteran wins 28-year-long battle for disability and medical benefits with the help of Sen. Gillibrand
Published: Thursday, April 21, 2011
By PAUL POST
ppost@saratogian.com
SARATOGA SPRINGS — Vietnam veteran Roger Lefco has finally won a 28-year battle to obtain disability and medical benefits.
The 68-year-old Stillwater resident has obtained $42,000 in retroactive benefits and will get an additional $2,600 in monthly Veterans Administration benefits going forward.
He was forced to leave his job 10 years ago because of war-related post-traumatic stress disorder and has been out of work ever since.
"There is hope for New York veterans," he said. "They should never give up and keep on fighting for what they deserve."
Lefco served in Vietnam from 1963 to 1966, where he picked up fuel, bombs and explosives for delivery to his own base at Phu Bai. In 1970, he went to work for New York Telephone Co. where he stayed until December 2001, when PTSD forced him to leave his job.
Lefco filed his first claim for VA benefits in 1983. However, at that time, veterans were required to document specific incidents that might have triggered the disorder.
read more here
Local veteran wins 28-year-long battle
Judge Robert Russell and Veterans Treatment Court Honored
Legislature Honors Judge Robert Russell and Veterans Treatment Court
By WKBW News
April 20, 2011
Updated Apr 20, 2011 at 2:00 PM EDT
Buffalo, NY – ( release) The Erie County Legislature honored Judge Robert Russell and his vision and leadership in creating the nation’s first Veteran Treatment Court in Buffalo.
Legislator Daniel Kozub drafted the Proclamation that was read on the floor of the Legislature at a regular session on April 14, 2011. In it he thanked Judge Russell for forming the first ever veterans treatment court in the nation in January of 2008. Since that time the program has been copied in counties throughout the United States.
read more here
Legislature Honors Judge Robert Russell
By WKBW News
April 20, 2011
Updated Apr 20, 2011 at 2:00 PM EDT
Buffalo, NY – ( release) The Erie County Legislature honored Judge Robert Russell and his vision and leadership in creating the nation’s first Veteran Treatment Court in Buffalo.
Legislator Daniel Kozub drafted the Proclamation that was read on the floor of the Legislature at a regular session on April 14, 2011. In it he thanked Judge Russell for forming the first ever veterans treatment court in the nation in January of 2008. Since that time the program has been copied in counties throughout the United States.
read more here
Legislature Honors Judge Robert Russell
As many as one-third of U.S. military veterans suffering
If you doubted the "one out of three" percentage I usually use, when you read about "experts" saying the figure is a lot less, here is more proof supporting the percentage that has been used for over 30 years by experts working on PTSD before it was "newsworthy" and the media only focused on Vietnam Vets going to jail.
They self-medicate because they are not getting what they need, not getting support enough to seek help still and yes, still being treated as if they "owe" us anything when they have to fight the VA for disability ratings and treatment.
Vets substance abuse, mental illness link
Published: April 20, 2011 at 11:17 PM
NEW HAVEN, Conn., April 20 (UPI) -- As many as one-third of U.S. military veterans who suffer from mental health disorders also have substance use disorders, researchers say.
Study leader Dr. Ismene Petrakis of Yale University School of Medicine in New Haven, Conn., used data from the Department of Veterans Affairs to examine rates of substance use disorders among veterans who served in Iraq and Afghanistan. They checked those who were diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder and other psychiatric disorders.
Read more:
Vets substance abuse, mental illness link
They self-medicate because they are not getting what they need, not getting support enough to seek help still and yes, still being treated as if they "owe" us anything when they have to fight the VA for disability ratings and treatment.
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