At Vietnam vet's funeral, strangers mourn a lost soul
Written by
Will Higgins
MARION, Ind. -- Kenneth Earl Taylor Jr.'s funeral drew two-dozen Patriot Guard motorcyclists, a VFW honor guard and five Daughters of the American Revolution, among others.
Nearly 100 people in all.
But only three of them actually knew Taylor.
The others mourned not Taylor personally but rather the circumstances that formed one man's grim narrative: Vietnam veteran, living in squalor, kills himself.
Marion Behr, Indianapolis, came to the services at the national cemetery to "represent all the mentally ill people and their troubles."
David Gray, Indianapolis, came for his brother, Danny White, who died alone in Texas, a Vietnam vet who'd been living under a bridge. Gray missed that funeral -- he didn't hear of his brother's passing until five years later.
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At Vietnam vet's funeral, strangers mourn a lost soul
Wednesday, May 25, 2011
First Person: Memorial Day 2011
First Person: Memorial Day 2011: United States Marines: A ‘Band of Brothers’
May 25, 2011
By Commander (Chaplain) MANUEL DON A. BIADOG JR., CHC, USN
Band of Brothers was made famous by the 2001 Stephen Spielberg and Tom Hanks 10-part television miniseries based on a book about a U.S. Army elite paratrooper unit during World War II by historian and biographer Stephen E. Ambrose.
In the book and in the miniseries, the Band of Brothers were men of Easy Company of the 506th Parachute Infantry Regiment, 101st Airborne Division. They formed together a band of brothers, a brotherhood of their shared experiences from basic training in 1942 at Camp Toccoa, Ga., to D-Day in June of 1944 and their ultimate triumph at the end of World War II.
A modern day band of brothers, or brothers-in-arms, has shared a difficult, dangerous, traumatic, and stressful experience in battle, losing their fellow brothers-in-arms in combat. Those who know the true meaning of brotherhood, have lived it each and every day, and established a special bond that binds them together for the rest of their lives.
May 25, 2011
By Commander (Chaplain) MANUEL DON A. BIADOG JR., CHC, USN
ARLINGTON, Va. (BP)—Today’s Marines in combat are our modern-day Band of Brothers.
HONORING THE FALLEN Corporals Stephen Rothermelpilla (left)and Richard Castagna salute Lance Corporal Kevin Michael Cornelius and Lance Corporal Tyler Owen Griffins gravesite at Arlington National Cemetery. Photo by Dan DeGuzman, Jr.
Band of Brothers was made famous by the 2001 Stephen Spielberg and Tom Hanks 10-part television miniseries based on a book about a U.S. Army elite paratrooper unit during World War II by historian and biographer Stephen E. Ambrose.
In the book and in the miniseries, the Band of Brothers were men of Easy Company of the 506th Parachute Infantry Regiment, 101st Airborne Division. They formed together a band of brothers, a brotherhood of their shared experiences from basic training in 1942 at Camp Toccoa, Ga., to D-Day in June of 1944 and their ultimate triumph at the end of World War II.
A modern day band of brothers, or brothers-in-arms, has shared a difficult, dangerous, traumatic, and stressful experience in battle, losing their fellow brothers-in-arms in combat. Those who know the true meaning of brotherhood, have lived it each and every day, and established a special bond that binds them together for the rest of their lives.
Obamacares
Rant for the day off topic but can't help it.
I keep hearing about "Obamacare" which is nothing to be ashamed of since it shows he does care about people, not the corporations controlling their healthcare insurance. He doesn't think that companies should have the power to tell a new Mom after she delivers a child with birth defects the child will be too expensive to take care of. He doesn't think that someone finding out they have cancer after working all their lives should be shut off because staying alive will be too expensive. Just as he doesn't think that someone without getting insurance should just be able to have the rest of the country cover their care when they find out they are the patient with cancer and no insurance simply because they didn't want it when they were healthy.
This is not the only thing that gets me stirred up.
When you hear some of the talking heads on radio shows talking about the evils of "socialism" maybe you should consider the tornadoes taking out towns, leaving thousands homeless and killing many. FEMA shows up funded by taxpayer dollars. The National Guards show up funded by taxpayer dollars and civilians show up to take care of those in need.
Over and over again I keep wondering who decided that taking care of people was a bad thing and taking care of companies was a good thing? Doesn't sound fishy to you? These same folks saying that the oil companies should keep getting what they get from taxpayers also say that people don't deserve Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid on top of not deserving to be able to go to the doctor's office without being sent into the poor house. They complain about things people have paid into but want corporate welfare to continue? Is the deficit important or not? Do people matter to them or not? What happened to all the "family values" these same folks used to talk about? They proved they don't care when they keep going after someone who does. Every time they say "Obama care" I say, yes he does but they don't.
I keep hearing about "Obamacare" which is nothing to be ashamed of since it shows he does care about people, not the corporations controlling their healthcare insurance. He doesn't think that companies should have the power to tell a new Mom after she delivers a child with birth defects the child will be too expensive to take care of. He doesn't think that someone finding out they have cancer after working all their lives should be shut off because staying alive will be too expensive. Just as he doesn't think that someone without getting insurance should just be able to have the rest of the country cover their care when they find out they are the patient with cancer and no insurance simply because they didn't want it when they were healthy.
This is not the only thing that gets me stirred up.
When you hear some of the talking heads on radio shows talking about the evils of "socialism" maybe you should consider the tornadoes taking out towns, leaving thousands homeless and killing many. FEMA shows up funded by taxpayer dollars. The National Guards show up funded by taxpayer dollars and civilians show up to take care of those in need.
Over and over again I keep wondering who decided that taking care of people was a bad thing and taking care of companies was a good thing? Doesn't sound fishy to you? These same folks saying that the oil companies should keep getting what they get from taxpayers also say that people don't deserve Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid on top of not deserving to be able to go to the doctor's office without being sent into the poor house. They complain about things people have paid into but want corporate welfare to continue? Is the deficit important or not? Do people matter to them or not? What happened to all the "family values" these same folks used to talk about? They proved they don't care when they keep going after someone who does. Every time they say "Obama care" I say, yes he does but they don't.
4 hurt in accidental shooting at Smokey Bones including 4 year old boy
4 hurt in accidental shooting at Smokey Bones on East Colonial
The injuries are minor. The man whose gun went off has a concealed-weapon permit.
By David Breen, Orlando Sentinel
9:17 p.m. EDT, May 24, 2011
Thinking of bringing your gun out to dinner with the family? A man who did just that this evening ended up injuring four people, himself included, at a Smokey Bones restaurant on East Colonial Drive in Orlando.
The victims, including a 4-year-old boy, were slightly injured when the gun went off accidentally in the restaurant's foyer, Orlando police said.
The owner of the gun, a 35-year-old man who was not identified, suffered powder burns and abrasions to his leg. He declined medical treatment.
The other three people were slightly injured, primarily in the legs, by either bullet fragments or bits of floor tile, according to Orlando police Lt. John Holysz. Those victims were a 32-year-old woman, her 4-year-old son, and an unrelated man in his 20s. All three were taken to local hospitals as a precautionary measure.
According to Lt. Holysz, the man had just arrived for dinner with his wife and child at about 7 p.m. when the gun discharged near the restaurant's entrance.
read more here
4 hurt in accidental shooting at Smokey Bones
The injuries are minor. The man whose gun went off has a concealed-weapon permit.
By David Breen, Orlando Sentinel
9:17 p.m. EDT, May 24, 2011
Thinking of bringing your gun out to dinner with the family? A man who did just that this evening ended up injuring four people, himself included, at a Smokey Bones restaurant on East Colonial Drive in Orlando.
The victims, including a 4-year-old boy, were slightly injured when the gun went off accidentally in the restaurant's foyer, Orlando police said.
The owner of the gun, a 35-year-old man who was not identified, suffered powder burns and abrasions to his leg. He declined medical treatment.
The other three people were slightly injured, primarily in the legs, by either bullet fragments or bits of floor tile, according to Orlando police Lt. John Holysz. Those victims were a 32-year-old woman, her 4-year-old son, and an unrelated man in his 20s. All three were taken to local hospitals as a precautionary measure.
According to Lt. Holysz, the man had just arrived for dinner with his wife and child at about 7 p.m. when the gun discharged near the restaurant's entrance.
read more here
4 hurt in accidental shooting at Smokey Bones
Over 1,900 Guardsmen Activated for Weather Emergencies
Over 1,900 Guardsmen Activated for Weather Emergencies
May 24, 2011
Stars and Stripes|by Derek Turner
WASHINGTON -- The half-mile-wide tornado that ripped through Joplin, Mo., Monday morning has claimed the lives of 117 people so far, and it's prompted the mobilization of the state's National Guard troops, a common occurrence lately as violent weather has pummeled parts of the South and Midwest this spring.
So far, more than 1,900 guardsmen are responding to disasters in 10 states. In Missouri, 270 had been mobilized as of Tuesday morning and members of the the 117th Engineer Team were sifting through the rubble, carrying out search-and-rescue missions. They're also conducting emergency route clearance, communications support and security efforts, according to a National Guard statement.
read more here
Over 1,900 Guardsmen Activated for Weather Emergencies
May 24, 2011
Stars and Stripes|by Derek Turner
WASHINGTON -- The half-mile-wide tornado that ripped through Joplin, Mo., Monday morning has claimed the lives of 117 people so far, and it's prompted the mobilization of the state's National Guard troops, a common occurrence lately as violent weather has pummeled parts of the South and Midwest this spring.
So far, more than 1,900 guardsmen are responding to disasters in 10 states. In Missouri, 270 had been mobilized as of Tuesday morning and members of the the 117th Engineer Team were sifting through the rubble, carrying out search-and-rescue missions. They're also conducting emergency route clearance, communications support and security efforts, according to a National Guard statement.
read more here
Over 1,900 Guardsmen Activated for Weather Emergencies
Woman Wanted For Stealing From Marines
Woman Wanted For Stealing From Marines
By Megan Cassell / Reporter
ONSLOW COUNTY -- A woman last seen in Jacksonville is wanted for stealing from Marines.
When Victor Arroyo got a call from Navy Federal Credit Union saying he was writing bad checks, he had an idea of who may be to blame.
Christine Jean Maloney-Beville was his old roommate's girlfriend in 2009.
In a phone interview, he said, "I actually got a Facebook message from a Marine's wife that rented a room out to her...she ended up stealing a bunch of money and jewelry from them and ran and left behind my old checks."
She was allegedly signing his name of checks written for more than $1,000 each.
Authorities say he's not the only Marine she's targeted. Maloney-Beville has a list of arrest warrants dating back to 2007, including ID fraud, worthless checks, and most recently probation violations and failure to show up in court.
read more here
Woman Wanted For Stealing From Marines
By Megan Cassell / Reporter
ONSLOW COUNTY -- A woman last seen in Jacksonville is wanted for stealing from Marines.
When Victor Arroyo got a call from Navy Federal Credit Union saying he was writing bad checks, he had an idea of who may be to blame.
Christine Jean Maloney-Beville was his old roommate's girlfriend in 2009.
In a phone interview, he said, "I actually got a Facebook message from a Marine's wife that rented a room out to her...she ended up stealing a bunch of money and jewelry from them and ran and left behind my old checks."
She was allegedly signing his name of checks written for more than $1,000 each.
Authorities say he's not the only Marine she's targeted. Maloney-Beville has a list of arrest warrants dating back to 2007, including ID fraud, worthless checks, and most recently probation violations and failure to show up in court.
read more here
Woman Wanted For Stealing From Marines
Special Forces soldier in flip-flops caught suspect running from police
Special Forces soldier awarded for putting self in harm's way to assist local police officer
Story by David Chace
FAYETEVILLE, N.C. - The streets of Fayetteville, N.C., are a little safer thanks to the quick thinking and initiative of a recent Special Forces Qualification Course graduate.
Sgt. Valentin Birlean was assigned to the 1st Special Warfare Training Group (Airborne) awaiting transfer to the 10th Special Forces Group (Airborne) at Fort Carson, Colo.
In mid-April, Birlean, his wife and son were enjoying their last weeks in Fayetteville before moving the family out west, and were driving down Cliffdale Rd. toward a local park when he noticed a police officer in need of assistance.
At an intersection, a Fayetteville police officer had conducted what seemed to be a routine traffic stop. The officer and the car’s owner stood nearby.
Suddenly, the owner of the car grabbed his backpack, which they’d been searching through, and started running down the road. The police officer attempted to chase after him, but was pushed onto the ground.
Birlean didn’t think twice; he threw his car into park, jumped out and chased after the man, who didn’t expect to have to compete with a Special Forces soldier who could run 5 miles in less than 37 minutes.
Even in flip-flops, it didn’t take Birlean long to catch up with and subdue the suspect.
read more here
Special Forces soldier awarded for putting self in harm's way
Story by David Chace
FAYETEVILLE, N.C. - The streets of Fayetteville, N.C., are a little safer thanks to the quick thinking and initiative of a recent Special Forces Qualification Course graduate.
Sgt. Valentin Birlean was assigned to the 1st Special Warfare Training Group (Airborne) awaiting transfer to the 10th Special Forces Group (Airborne) at Fort Carson, Colo.
In mid-April, Birlean, his wife and son were enjoying their last weeks in Fayetteville before moving the family out west, and were driving down Cliffdale Rd. toward a local park when he noticed a police officer in need of assistance.
At an intersection, a Fayetteville police officer had conducted what seemed to be a routine traffic stop. The officer and the car’s owner stood nearby.
Suddenly, the owner of the car grabbed his backpack, which they’d been searching through, and started running down the road. The police officer attempted to chase after him, but was pushed onto the ground.
Birlean didn’t think twice; he threw his car into park, jumped out and chased after the man, who didn’t expect to have to compete with a Special Forces soldier who could run 5 miles in less than 37 minutes.
Even in flip-flops, it didn’t take Birlean long to catch up with and subdue the suspect.
read more here
Special Forces soldier awarded for putting self in harm's way
Vietnam Vet killed in motorcycle accident showed up for others
Vietnam vet who died in crash was dedicated to greeting returning soldiers
May 24, 2011 8:52 PM
Vietnam veteran David Fitzgerald saw the devastation on a soldier’s face when he wasn’t greeted home from the perils of war.
He vowed it would never happen again.
The 60-year-old Manitou Springs resident rode his burly tricycle on 140 missions the past couple years with the Colorado Patriot Guard Riders, a group of motorcyclists that greet soldiers when they return from tours overseas.
“When he liked something, he kind of went at something like he was killing snakes — all or nothing,” said his wife, Judith Fitzgerald.
But his time on that tricycle ended Thursday while on what was to have been one of his longest missions: A trip to the Vietnam Memorial in Washington D.C. called the Run for the Wall.
Fitzgerald, a two-time cancer survivor, lost control of his tricycle around 6:45 a.m. while exiting Interstate 25 in Albuquerque. He died at the scene of the crash; his passenger, Mark Gritton of Colorado Springs, survived.
Read more:
Vietnam vet who died in crash
May 24, 2011 8:52 PM
Vietnam veteran David Fitzgerald saw the devastation on a soldier’s face when he wasn’t greeted home from the perils of war.
He vowed it would never happen again.
The 60-year-old Manitou Springs resident rode his burly tricycle on 140 missions the past couple years with the Colorado Patriot Guard Riders, a group of motorcyclists that greet soldiers when they return from tours overseas.
“When he liked something, he kind of went at something like he was killing snakes — all or nothing,” said his wife, Judith Fitzgerald.
But his time on that tricycle ended Thursday while on what was to have been one of his longest missions: A trip to the Vietnam Memorial in Washington D.C. called the Run for the Wall.
Fitzgerald, a two-time cancer survivor, lost control of his tricycle around 6:45 a.m. while exiting Interstate 25 in Albuquerque. He died at the scene of the crash; his passenger, Mark Gritton of Colorado Springs, survived.
Read more:
Vietnam vet who died in crash
Fort Carson on alert after armed man robs post store
How does this happen after what happened at Fort Hood?
'Armed and Dangerous' Man Robs Fort Carson store
Fort Carson officials are looking for an armed and dangerous man accused of robbing a store on post.
Reporter: KKTV
Fort Carson sent out the following information to military and families on post: "Community members should be on the lookout for a thin, dark-complexioned black male wearing a grey hooded sweatshirt, dark shorts and white tennis shoes in connection with a robbery at the Gate 3 Shoppette. He should be considered armed and dangerous.
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'Armed and Dangerous' Man Robs Fort Carson store
What's a dog doing in court?
Lisa Blanchard of Clinton Township watches her 3-year-old Doberman pinscher, Rylan, get some attention Monday from Judge Brian MacKenzie of 52nd District Court. Rylan is the newest addition to the therapy-heavy program for veterans that MacKenzie started last year. / Photos by MANDI WRIGHT/Detroit Free PressBY L. L. BRASIER
DETROIT FREE PRESS STAFF WRITER
Fourteen men sitting in a room at the Novi district courthouse had two things in common: They were military veterans, and they were in legal trouble.
Rylan, a 3-year-old Doberman pinscher, offered up some sympathy to the men waiting Monday. She wagged her tail and placed her long snout on an occasional knee. Rylan is the nation's first veterans court dog, a trained support animal that provides distraught and often anxious veterans with a way to cope as they work through their legal problems. She sits with them before court, then accompanies them before the judge -- a calming presence in a sometimes threatening environment.
"I was surprised when I first saw her. I thought, 'What's a dog doing in court?' " said Dean Hayden, 48, of Wixom, a Marine Corps vet participating in the veterans court program following a drunken-driving arrest last year. "But then I could see how she helps everybody relax."
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Court dog offers hope
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