Army Ranger to get Medal of Honor for heroics in Afghanistan

Army Ranger to get Medal of Honor for heroics in Afghanistan
From Brad Lendon, CNN
July 12, 2011 5:30 a.m. EDT

STORY HIGHLIGHTS
Petry will be the second living Medal of Honor recipient from the Iraq and Afghan wars
He was wounded by a bullet that went through both legs while serving in Afghanistan
He then picked up an enemy grenade and tossed it away from fellow soldiers
If not for Petry's actions, "we would have been seriously injured or killed," a Ranger writes

(CNN) -- An Army Ranger who lost his right hand while tossing an enemy grenade away from fellow soldiers in Afghanistan will be awarded the Medal of Honor on Tuesday.

Sgt. 1st Class Leroy Arthur Petry will be the second living recipient of the Medal of Honor from the Iraq and Afghan wars, according to the U.S. military. President Barack Obama will present the award to Petry.

"It's very humbling to know that the guys thought that much of me and my actions that day, to nominate me for that," Petry said, according to an Army News Service report.

Petry is being awarded the medal for actions on May 26, 2008, in Paktia, Afghanistan.

Already wounded by a bullet that went through both his legs, Petry picked up an enemy grenade that landed near him and two fellow Rangers and threw it back toward the enemy, according to the Army News Service. The grenade detonated and amputated Petry's right hand. Petry applied a tourniquet to his wound and called for help.

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Army Ranger to get Medal of Honor for heroics in Afghanistan

One Marine's plan to fight the ravages of war

Vetville: One Marine's plan to fight the ravages of war
By Mike Sager • Mon, Jul 11th, 2011

Recently I spent some time in Vetville.

It’s a real place and not a real place at the same time, as you’ll see if you keep reading. Right now, it’s sort of a walking around daydream. From the look of things, it’s getting more solid every day.

Maybe you can help. I think they’ve stumbled upon something very important in the unspoiled hills of north central Tennessee, the home of the original Overmountain men, the first wave of storied Tennessee Volunteers.

Vetville is the unofficial name for a farm is owned by a man named Alan Beaty. His great-great-great-great grandfather walked hundreds of miles to North Carolina in 1780 to lend his long rifle to the Battle of Kings Mountain, a pivotal victory in the Revolutionary War.

Through successive generations, the Beatys have continued to serve. Alan’s father, Keith, was a Marine; he endured some of the thickest fighting in Vietnam. Alan himself did three different stints in Iraq and Afghanistan, one as a Marine, two as a U.S. government-employed mercenary.
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One Marine plan to fight the ravages of war

also on this

Don’t Tell Someone With PTSD To “Get Over It”
By RICHARD ZWOLINSKI, LMHC, CASAC

Neuroscientistific research shows that our memory is strongest and lasts the longest when our emotions are heightened. This helps explain why we might remember every nuance of our wedding day or our valedictory speech in college.

It also holds true for our memories of traumatic events such as abuse or even one-time events such as severe accidents.

Trauma and abuse seem etched in people’s memories, while “important” information, such as remembering the Capitols of the states, is more easily forgotten. Often, treatment techniques used in the treatment of PTSD (and other disorders such as depression and anxiety which are sometimes related to painful memories), assume that traumatic memories are the hardest to let go of.

Now, new research seems to show that if you really want to forget a memory—you might be able to. Researcher Gerd Waldhauser from Lund University in Sweden says that we can learn to control our memory in the same way as we can control our motor impulses.

EEG measures of the brain show that the same parts of the brain are activated when we stop our motor impulses as when we suppress a memory. Waldhauser believes that just as we can practice restraining motor impulses, we can also actively train ourselves to repress memories and maybe even forget painful or traumatic events.
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Do not tell someone with PTSD get over it

Funeral services held for three homeless veterans

Funeral services held for three homeless veterans
by CYNTHIA VEGA
WFAA
Posted on July 11, 2011 at 1:05 PM

DALLAS - Three US military veterans who helped protect our nation's freedom, only to spend the last years of their lives struggling to keep a roof over their heads were honored at the Dallas Fort Worth National Cemetery Monday.

With no known family members to honor their lives, the Dignity Memorial Homeless Veterans Burial program put together a proper good-bye and their final resting place at the Dallas Fort Worth National Cemetery.

50-year-old Andres Muniz, who was recently found dead behind a Dallas liquor store. He was remembered for his four years of service as a US Marine from 1979 to 1983.

61-year-old Michael Reagan Gilmore

66-year-old Herman Dunlop

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Funeral services held for three homeless veterans

Shock therapy used for depression touted as miracle?

Does this work for some? Sure. To say that it is some kind of miracle, leaving the impression it should be widely used again is not a good thing. The doctor even said he had to paralyze the patient to make sure she didn't hurt herself when her body reacted to the shocks. Let's hope rest of the blog world question this instead of just spreading the news. The last thing veterans need is to have this done on them again.

'Miracle' Treatment for Woman Battling Back From Depression
A local woman tells of a treatment that turned her life around.
Reporter: Rachelle Baillon

Posted Monday, July 11, 2011

MADISON--" I kept overdosing, medications just didn't really work for my depression and my post traumatic stress disorder," said Ava Martinez. "The last time i overdosed it was pretty significant overdose, I was unconscious for a couple days."

Martinez spent decades fighting crippling depression. But a few years ago she finally found a treatment that worked for her. "It's helped with my depression so much a year and a half ago I went off of Social Security disability," she said. "I'm working full time now."

Her new treatment is actually very old. It's called ECT.

"ECT is a treatment modality for treatment resistant depression that has been around for almost a hundred years now," said Dr. Tyler Rickers.
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Miracle Treatment for Woman Battling Back From Depression

Obama drug strategy focuses on vets, women and college kids?

We need to take this problem seriously because drugs do a lot more damage to more than the person taking the drugs. They destroy families as well as futures. That said, when I read this, I had to laugh. Considering that some drugs are good and others are bad in the eyes of the government, it doesn't make sense to put PTSD veterans on medication then tell them they can't take drugs.

The easy response from too many in mental health is to tell veterans to take pills. The hard work comes in with therapy but there are too few providing the therapy and too many providing the prescriptions. Now they want to curb the use of prescriptions but don't seem as interested in doing something about the need for them.

They are given prescriptions for mental issues to address sleeping problems, waking up, calming down and eating. What did they expect would happen when they told them to take these drugs?

Obama drug strategy focuses on vets, women and college kids
Obama drug strategy focuses on veterans, women, college students.
By Gary Martin
gmartin@express-news.net


WASHINGTON — In promoting a government-wide anti-drug strategy, a White House official said Monday that he is focused on curbing the abuse of prescription pills, particularly among veterans and college students.

Gil Kerlikowske, the administration's National Drug Control Policy director, touted the 2011 National Drug Control Strategy in Ohio, saying the roadmap would require collaboration from a variety of sectors, including law enforcement, recovery communities and parents.

Three at-risk populations — women and their dependent children, college students and veterans — have been identified because of high rates of substance abuse.

Among veterans, about 375,000 Veterans' Administration hospital patients suffered such problems, according to a 2007 study. And recent Justice Department surveys of state and federal prison inmates show that about 60 percent of the 140,000 incarcerated veterans are struggling with substance abuse.


Read more: Obama drug strategy focuses on vets, women and college kids

First VA colonoscopy trial begins in Miami

First VA colonoscopy trial begins in Miami


A trial began Monday on behalf of a U.S. Air Force veteran from Coral Gables who is claiming millions in damages, claiming he contracted life-threatening hepatitis C from a colonoscopy done with improperly cleaned equipment at the Veterans Administration
BY FRED TASKER

FTASKER@MIAMIHERALD.COM

Air Force veteran Robert Metzler says his life is ruined. His attorney says Metzler, of Coral Gables, faces a future of exhaustion, loss of sexual companionship and the threat of cirrhosis or liver cancer. But the lawyer defending the Veterans Administration says Metzler might be cured of the underlying condition, hepatitis C, within a year.

Those were the sharply contrasting opening statements presented in Miami federal court Monday in a medical malpractice case filed against the VA. It’s the first such case that has gone to trial after some 11,000 U.S. military vets learned that the colonoscopies they had at three VA hospitals, including Miami’s, were performed with improperly cleaned equipment.


Read more: First VA colonoscopy trial begins in Miami

Officials identify soldier found dead at Fort McCoy

Officials identify soldier found dead at Fort McCoy

FORT MCCOY (WKOW) -- Fort McCoy's public affairs office says Capt. Felicity Binnier, 40, of East Stroudsburg, Pa. died Saturday morning at Fort McCoy.

The public affairs office says Binnier was there for a training and was assigned to the 78th Training Division, Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst, NJ.
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Officials identify soldier found dead at Fort McCoy

Another National Guards solider dies in parachute incident

Soldier dies in training at Fort Harrison
By EVE BYRON Independent Record

A soldier training at Fort Harrison Sunday afternoon died from injuries received during parachute activities.

The soldier was with the West Virginia Army National Guard’s 2nd Battalion, 19th Special Forces Group. Major Tim Crowe, chief of public affairs for Montana at Fort Harrison, declined to provide details of the accident, including the name of the soldier, whether the incident involved a helicopter or airplane, or how the death occurred.


Read more: Soldier dies in training at Fort Harrison

Wounded vets find normalcy in shooting event

When you wake up everyday the same way, eat at the same time, drink the same coffee, have your "normal" routine un-interupted, that is what is "normal" for you. Drive into work on the same road in New England, and the first snow storm comes, normal goes out the window. That first snow storm causes all kinds of issues as if people forgot what it was like to drive in the snow even though they lived there all their lives.

This second is what we see "normal" as. I'm sitting at my computer, hacking away at the keys, reading the reports I track and my puppy is sleeping behind me. This is normal for this second but I know any second an email can come in from someone needing help or a phone call I'll have to take and what is my "normal" routine ends. I just go with the flow but there are times when the phone call or email is a bit too much to take and I have to go off and do something other than read more reports about people suffering. This is my life and I'm used to it now but it wasn't always this way.

Before I met my husband, I didn't have a clue what Vietnam did to anyone. I grew up with veterans all my life and honestly, never really gave their time in war much thought at all. I went to work, hung out with friends and watched nighttime soaps like Dallas and Dynasty. I had my own issues to come to terms with after my ex-husband tried to kill me one night. First being with him was "normal" but once he did what he did, it was "normal" to want to be away from him. Then it was "normal" to go through the grieving process while trying to find who I was all over again. I knew I had changed and so did my life.

Then I met a skinny Vietnam Vet with beautiful brown eyes and I was changed again. I had a new "normal" life to live but this one included PTSD and a lot of emotional highs and lows.

That is what happens when veterans come back home especially after combat. That time away became "normal" to them. What most do not understand is that new "normal" world became a part of them just as every event in our lives becomes a part of us. The trauma they endure engrains those events into their soul. It doesn't have to be tragic. It doesn't have to be sad. Once they face the truth they may never be cured, they can rejoice over healing instead. They can heal when they make peace with themselves, others and the things they survived if they get the right kind of help.

When it comes to what "normal" is, it depends on each one of us and the life we've had this far.

Wounded vets find normalcy in shooting event
NORTH ANSON -- For a few minutes Sunday, Tim Valliere, 25, of Portland, felt normal.

click image to enlarge
Dwight Dodge, 56, of Paris, takes aim in the Warrior Legacy Foundation’s Wounded Heroes Machine Gun Shoot on Sunday in North Anson.
Maine Air National Guard photo
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The Deering High School graduate, who served his country with the 82nd Airborne Division in Afghanistan and Iraq, sustained a traumatic brain injury, is deaf in his right ear, has torn muscles in his lower back and has post-traumatic stress disorder.

But Sunday, at the Warrior Legacy Foundation's Wounded Heroes Machine Gun Shoot, Valliere was in his prime.

"It's an opportunity to feel like I'm back in the military," said Valliere, who played lacrosse for the Rams.

"A lot of us who are injured strive for a sense of normalcy. This puts me back to where I was when I was healthy ... at least for a few minutes."

Lt. Col. Bill Crowley organized the shooting event for Valliere and 20-plus other veterans at Williams Machine Gun Range, built by veteran Andy Williams after the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks.

The veterans were presented swag bags that included gift cards from Cabela's and musical gifts from rocker Ted Nugent and country star Toby Keith.
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Wounded vets find normalcy in shooting event

Patriot Guard Riders bring an Army veteran home from Florida to Kentucky

Patriot Guard Riders bring an Army veteran home
Patriot Guard Riders are bringing an Army veteran who passed away in Florida back home to his daughter in Eastern Kentucky.
Posted: 6:10 PM Jul 10, 2011
Reporter: Jerrika Insco

Patriot Guard Riders are bringing an Army veteran who passed away in Florida back home to his daughter in Eastern Kentucky.

Their first stop was Williamsburg before their final destination in London.

United States Army Veteran John Waddy Junior passed away nearly three weeks ago.

The Patriot Guard Riders stepped in at the request of his family, who say this is what he wanted.

"That was one of his wishes, to be transported by the Patriot Guard back home to his daughter in London," said Ride Captain Steve Yates.

And this mission was a first for these riders.

"First time for the Patriot Guard Riders to actually escort the ashes or the soldier himself or herself. And it's the first time it's gone across four states," said Kentucky State Patriot Guard Captain Danny Valentine.
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Patriot Guard Riders bring an Army veteran home

60 Minutes puts focus on homeless veterans and Stand Down

Stand Down

Some veterans returning from Iraq or Afghanistan into the recession are finding themselves homeless. Scott Pelley reports on an annual encampment in San Diego where veterans can find hope, help and services.

Pentagon Center For Brain Injuries, PTSD Is Dysfunctional

The "Center of Excellence" has been shown to be dysfunctional and the troops have been paying the price for all of this. Why do they keep spending money on what does not work? Because people are making money off all of this without having to prove what they do even works.

Center for the Study of Traumatic Stress
Established: 1987
Read Report Here
DCOE is a relatively small entity and it does not typically appear in DOD DHP budget presentation materials and falls below the most detailed level that is presented—the Budget Activity Group level.28 DCOEhasonly appeared in DOD’s budget presentation materials for fiscal year 2010, when PH and TBI funding was first included in the DHP base budget request.29 In there quest,DOD did not specify that DCOE’s individual budget request for 2010 was only about $168 million 30 of the $800 million requested. Specifically, the request stated “$0.8B to fund operations of the Defense Center of Excellence (DCoE) for Psychological Health and Traumatic Brain Injury, and to ensure that critical wartime medical and health professionals are available to provide needed mental health services by improving hiring and retention bonuses and offering targeted special pay.”

Report: Pentagon Center For Brain Injuries, PTSD Is Dysfunctional
Categories: Military, Health, National News
07:52 am

July 11, 2011

by T. CHRISTIAN MILLER and DANIEL ZWERDLING

The military center that's supposed to lead the effort to find the best ways to diagnose and treat traumatic brain injuries and post traumatic stress disorder is so dysfunctional that it's been hard to carry out its mission, the Government Accountability Office concludes in a new report.

The Defense Centers of Excellence for Psychological Health and Traumatic Brain Injury (DCoE) was created in 2007 after Congress told the Pentagon to set up a national center to deal with many of the troops coming home from Iraq and Afghanistan who had suffered brain injuries from explosions and were suffering from PTSD. The program was supposed to lead a ground-breaking campaign to figure out the best ways to fight these injuries.
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Pentagon Center For Brain Injuries, PTSD Is Dysfunctional

KC soldier who killed himself felt he ‘was just a number’

KC soldier who killed himself felt he ‘was just a number’

By BILL MURPHY JR.

Stars and Stripes

Jacob Andrews did well in the first months of his deployment in Afghanistan, where this photo was taken in 2009. But by the time of his discharge in 2010, he was a changed man.

By September, the Army had had just about enough of Jacob Andrews, so it gave the young infantryman a general discharge and a one-way bus ticket home to Kansas City.

Andrews had plenty to think about on the 30-hour trip from Fort Drum, N.Y.

There were the alcohol-fueled mistakes that had led to the end of his military career, memories of comrades killed in Afghanistan — including one close friend crushed to death — and the night Andrews tried to kill himself.

Despite clear signs that Andrews suffered post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), family and friends say the Army punished and abandoned him after he had done his combat tour.

Once home, he was hounded to repay a re-enlistment bonus and then was incorrectly denied educational benefits needed for a new start. Andrews became part of the grimmest military statistic of our times — one of the 18 U.S. veterans, on average, who commit suicide each day.

In April, the 22-year-old was found hanged near his parents’ home in Kansas City.



Read more: KC soldier who killed himself felt he was just a number

Fort Bliss sending wrong message on "mental toughness" training

If they had to come up with a program to help them "learn to be mentally tough" then they are telling PTSD veterans they were weak. When will they understand this is a huge part of the problem?

It is not just the Army. A couple of years ago, I held a young Marine in my arms, in public at the VA because he was crying. Why was he crying? Because he had PTSD topped off with the message he got from the Marines that he was supposed to be "tough" making him believe it was all his fault. He apologized for crying because Marines are not supposed to cry. I asked him if anyone told him he was not supposed to still be human.

These so called "programs" may have a lot of good points and intentions but the numbers show they are not working. The military has yet to understand what causes PTSD in the first place so they keep messing up on helping these soldiers recover when PTSD is mild. Telling them they can get "mentally tough" is killing them. They already were or they couldn't have endured their deployments or combat. Common sense has been forgotten about and the human factor has been removed.

Soldiers Learn To Be "Mentally Tough"
Comprehensive Soldier Training Program On Fort Bliss

U.S. Govt. Helping Soldiers
Posted: 4:06 pm MDT July 10, 2011
Updated: 9:25 pm MDT July 10, 2011

EL PASO, Texas -- Local soldiers are learning how to be "mentally tough" through a comprehensive soldier training program on Fort Bliss.

Sgt. First Class David Parish of Fort Bliss said soldiers learn how to be more optimistic, how to be more self aware, how to build mental toughness.

This comes just two years after a Fort Bliss soldier, possibly suffering from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, shot an 18-year-old Chapin High School senior to death.

Throughout his terms in office, President Barack Obama has vowed to raise awareness regarding soldiers and mental health issues.

According to an Army report last year, annual suicide rates in the Marine Corps and the Army -- the two branches most involved in combat operations in Iraq and Afganistan -- increased steadily between 2004 and 2009, to more than 20 per 100,000 people. During that time the rate for those two branches surpassed the age-adjusted, national civilian average, whereas suicide rates for the Air Force and Navy stayed below the national average.
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Comprehensive Soldier Training Program On Fort Bliss

How tough do you have to be to be able to still do your duty in combat, enduring all of it, pushing past the emotional pain until the rest of your unit is out of danger? How tough do you have to be to worry more about your brothers than yourself? This is what they do everyday. Then the military comes along and tells them if they are hurting they can train to become mentally tough. Are they out of their minds? When will they see they do more harm than good?

Spc. Edward Faulkner Jr's life remembered

Family remembers son, soldier on birthday

July 10, 2011 6:50 PM
Melissa Kansky
Times-News

"While serving, his unit was attacked at Combat Outpost Keady by the Taliban. Eight soldiers from Ed Faulkner’s unit were lost that day, and 29 were wounded."

GIBSONVILLE — Butterfly and star-shaped balloons, each marked with “Happy Birthday,” sailed toward rain clouds Wednesday evening as the Faulkner family sang happy birthday in the Gibsonville Community Cemetery to their son on his 28th birthday.

Sharon and Edward Faulkner released 27 balloons in honor of their son’s birthday. One butterfly balloon, attached to a red, white and blue wreath, swayed above the grave of veteran Ed Faulkner Jr.

“This is his first birthday in heaven,” Sharon said.

The release of 27 of the 28 balloons represented his 27 years of life, Edward said.

“It’s just significant that we honor him as a soldier, and as a son, on his birthday,” she said.

While the balloons represented Ed Faulkner Jr.’s birthday, the butterfly balloons also have a greater significance. For Sharon, it signifies a connection between her and her son.

While working around his grave a month ago, a brown monarch followed her and remained on her sleeve.

“We found out later that the brown monarch is rare,” she said. “It doesn’t come around often, and when it does it is a kiss from the king.”

Sharon and Edward interpreted the butterfly as a sign of their son’s presence.
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Family remembers son, soldier on birthday

Reports of family violence, abuse within military rise

Reports of family violence, abuse within military rise
By NANCY MONTGOMERY
Stars and Stripes
Published: July 10, 2011

The number of reports of family violence within the military, which had been in decline over several years, has been rising over the last two years, and reports of abused children and spouses increased significantly last year, a report by the Defense Department’s Family Advocacy Program shows.

But what it means — more people reporting who had kept silent in the past, better record-keeping or more people in the military abusing their spouses and children — is unknown.

“It’s really hard to say at this point,” said Tib Campise, analyst at the Family Advocacy Program, the armed forces program set up decades ago to prevent and treat domestic violence and child abuse within the military.

“I don’t think I could answer whether anybody has a good sense of the prevalence (of family violence) across the military.”

In fiscal year 2010, the rate of confirmed spouse abuse was 11.2 per one-thousand couples, up from 10.1 per thousand in 2009 and 9.4 per thousand in 2008. Prior to 2008, the rate had been steadily declining from 16.5 per thousand in fiscal year 2001.
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Reports of family violence, abuse within military rise

also

Army charges Fort Campbell soldier in 2 deaths
The Associated Press
Posted : Sunday Jul 10, 2011 11:13:41 EDT
FORT CAMPBELL, Ky. — A jailed Fort Campbell soldier is facing military charges in the 2007 slayings of his estranged wife and her former mother-in-law.

The Army said Saturday it had brought premeditated-murder charges against Sgt. Brent Burke.
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Army charges Fort Campbell soldier in 2 deaths

With Abuse Increasing, Army Limits Addictive Meds

July 12, 2011
Associated Press|by Kristin M. Hall
FORT CAMPBELL, Ky. -- Faced with rising abuse of prescription drugs, the Army has limited how many painkillers a Soldier can get at one time and is threatening disciplinary action for troops caught violating the restriction.

Army data requested by The Associated Press shows the number of Soldiers referred for opiate abuse treatment has been growing steadily for at least a decade, a time when increasing numbers of troops have returned from Iraq and Afghanistan with combat or training injuries that can cause chronic pain. The Department of Veterans Affairs says more than 50 percent of Iraq and Afghanistan veterans report pain issues as they leave active-duty military service.

The Army put limits on painkillers in November by restricting most Schedule II controlled substances, which include narcotics, opiates and amphetamines, to just 30-day prescriptions. Previously, some prescriptions had been available for 60 or 90 days and the average was 40 days. The policy makes an exception for medications for attention deficit hyperactivity disorder and it affects anyone who fills a prescription at an Army hospital or pharmacy, including military spouses, children and retirees.

In June, the Army followed with a policy that Soldiers found using the restricted drugs six months after they were prescribed could be disciplined, too. The force carries out random drug tests among active-duty soldiers.
read more of this here
With Abuse Increasing, Army Limits Addictive Meds

Fort Hood Survivor Celebrates His Wedding Day

Fort Hood Survivor Celebrates His Wedding Day

In 2009, 13 soldiers were killed and 32 others were injured a shooting that took place at Fort Hood Texas.

One of the soldiers wounded in that shooting, was Staff Sgt. Patrick Zeigler.

On July 9th, he and his wife Jessica celebrated their wedding with family and friends in Rochester.

"It was literally my dream come true," Jessica Zeigler says.

For Jessica and Patrick, it's not the first time they've pledged their love for each other.

Back in December of 2010, the couple received a surprise wedding after being a part of Extreme Makeover Home Edition. However, this time around the day is even more meaningful.

"This time it feels more real. We were part of it. We were setting stuff up and I really felt like I was sending my daughter off this time," Jessica's father Bill Hansen says.

This time instead of taking place in Texas, the ceremony and reception were in Rochester. Many of the decorations, food items, and entertainment were donated by friends and supportive businesses in the community.
read more here
Fort Hood Survivor Celebrates His Wedding Day

NY Senator Gillibrand pushes bill to get veterans jobs

US senator from NY pushes to help unemployed vets

Associated Press

NEW YORK — Thousands of military veterans who served in Iraq and Afghanistan are living in New York City with no jobs — when they could be paid for skills learned in the military or be retrained, a U.S. senator said Sunday.

"Too many of our troops who risked their lives protecting our country are returning home to an alarming rate of joblessness," Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand told a news conference at her Manhattan office.

Nationwide, the New York Democrat said more than 20 percent of veterans ages 18-to-24 were unemployed in 2010.

As a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, Gillibrand is sponsoring the Hiring Heroes Act of 2011. The legislation would help veterans through training, personal employment assessments and workshops on how to write resumes and conduct interviews.

The senator was joined by a group of the city's veterans; Paul Rieckhoff, executive director of Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America, the largest new veterans group headquartered in New York City; and Wesley Poriotis, founder of Veterans Across America, a nonprofit dedicated to helping veterans find jobs.
read more here
US senator from NY pushes to help unemployed vets

Taking away what was paid for is wrong

Rant of the day but can't help it. I've been listening to the talking heads and ending up scratching mine.

The House speaker says Democrats' insistence on higher taxes prevents any chance Republicans could support a comprehensive deficit reduction deal. FULL STORY

Social Security has already been paid for by millions of Americans and all of us expected to retire after all the years of not only working, but paying into the system. Now some in congress want to cut it?

We paid into Medicare and some in congress want to cut it?

Veterans paid the debt when they joined the military and now some in congress want to cut their benefits?

All of us have already paid the bill and some in congress want to take away from us to fund the tax breaks for the rich saying they are the "job creators" but have not proven any of what they say is true. The tax breaks for them have been around for all the years we lost jobs and even though they just got another round of tax breaks, the unemployment went up again.

They complain about the Stimulus Bills but never mention the fact that there have been many states with the money unspent. So no, the money has not paid off simply because it is still sitting in the bank. Florida didn't spend all of their's and we have a high unemployment rate. DAH!

Some in congress are not even ashamed they say what they say and do what they do. Maybe that's because most of them are rich and they benefit from the tax breaks they give themselves and their friends while the rest of us paid for all of it. Didn't they think we'd notice?

Two times deployed soldier ends up with PTSD and two timed by wife

O-5 suspended while alleged affair investigated
By Joe Gould - Staff writer
Posted : Sunday Jul 10, 2011 8:41:15 EDT

Sgt. Mitchell Streeter was overwhelmed. Twice deployed, he was suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder, unable to sleep, stressed out by his job as a recruiter, and now he was being forced out of the Army after a drunken-driving arrest.

To top it off, his wife was acting suspiciously.

Late on the night of his 37th birthday, April 27, Streeter paged through his sleeping wife’s cellphone. There, among the messages he might have expected, were some shocking extras: graphically sexual messages between her and another man.

He woke up his wife to confront her. She confessed. The other man was his married battalion commander, and the two of them had carried on an affair for 10 months. It had ended a month earlier.

Streeter, who had lost a stripe after a drunken-driving arrest in 2008, and was on the verge of losing his 13-year career after a 2010 drunken-driving arrest, was devastated. He began his own investigation, hiring Ellington IT & Forensics, of Raleigh, N.C., which extracted dozens of text messages, many of them containing sexually explicit and provocative comments from her phone.
read more here
O-5 suspended while alleged affair investigated

Mobilizing counseling services for rural veterans

Mobilizing counseling services for rural veterans
By ABBIE TUMBLESON West Yellowstone News
Posted on July 10, 2011

Department of Veterans Affairs Vet Center employees John Viviano and Douglas Bell spend their days working with veterans visiting their office.

Their office has helped servicemen and women cut down on travel costs and the time it takes to attend counseling services.

Simply put, their office comes to the veterans.

Viviano is the proud driver and operator of MVC 0829, one of 50 Mobile Vet Centers in the lower 48 states.

Montana is home to two of the centers based out of Billings and Missoula.

The large motor coaches act as offices on wheels and come equipped with a comfortable seating area, a satellite system, laptop computers and an onboard readjustment counselor to assist veterans coping with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder.

"The units were originally purchased to supply Vet Centers so they could provide outreach to warzone veterans with PTSD," Viviano said. "Each unit has a two-person crew."
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Mobilizing counseling services for rural veterans

Petitions seeking locally based care for veterans to VA office in Washington

Rep. Frank LoBiondo to deliver stack of petitions seeking locally based care for veterans to VA office in Washington

By ROB SPAHR Staff Writer
SOMERS POINT - Leigh Hartshorn Jr. must still wear a bandage on his right leg from a fragment wound he suffered in the Vietnam War. The 63-year-old Northfield resident needs the assistance of a cane to walk, but once a week he is forced to make the long trek to Wilmington, Del., for wound care treatments.

Wilmington and Philadelphia are the closest places that Hartshorn - and thousands of other South Jersey veterans - can receive significant medical treatments through the Department of Veterans Affairs.

Yet the VA has repeatedly insisted that there is "no need" for more substantial health care services for veterans in the region.

Hartshorn called that "frustrating," considering he was injured fighting for his country.

"You just have to make the best of it," he said.
read more here
Petitions seeking locally based care for veterans to VA office in Washington

Families of military suicide victims call for widened condolence policy

There are letters a family receives after a veteran dies no matter what the cause is.

Presidential Memorial Certificates
A Presidential Memorial Certificate (PMC) is an engraved paper certificate, signed by the current President, to honor the memory of honorably discharged deceased Veterans.

History

This program was initiated in March 1962 by President John F. Kennedy and has been continued by all subsequent Presidents. Statutory authority for the program is Section 112, Title 38, of the United States Code.

Administration

The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) administers the PMC program by preparing the certificates which bear the current President’s signature expressing the country’s grateful recognition of the Veteran’s service in the United States Armed Forces.
Eligibility

Eligible recipients include the next of kin and loved ones of honorably discharged deceased Veterans. More than one certificate may be provided.

To say that there should be a special class of combat veterans receiving condolence letters after they have been out of the combat zone, you'd have to include everyone. How can one veteran's life be different from all others? Do they want to go back to the days when WWII veterans came home and committed suicide? Korean, Vietnam and Gulf War veterans died after combat because of combat as well but no one was paying any attention. They were also dying as a direct result of combat with illnesses caused by war. Agent Orange is still claiming lives just as Gulf War Syndrome is but there are no special letters above what is given to all fallen veterans.

It breaks my heart that these men and women die after combat and they should be counted as casualties just as assuredly as those who die of physical wounds are later included in the list of names but it can't be one generation over another having a special classification. They cannot go back and undo all of it for all the generations that came before this one. What they can to is to at least go back to the men and women who died while deployed, no matter how they died and send letters of condolence to their families. For those who die after they came home, leave it as it is and honor all of their lives with equal value and appreciation for their service.

Families of military suicide victims call for widened condolence policy

By Steve Vogel, Published: July 7
Marine Sgt. Thomas R. Bagosy returned from a combat tour in Afghanistan in November 2009 suffering from a severe case of post-traumatic stress disorder. Six months later, when officials at Camp Lejeune, N.C., tried to hospitalize him for treatment, Bagosy shot himself in the head during a standoff with military police.

The White House this week reversed its policy against extending official condolences to the families of military personnel who kill themselves, but the change applies only to those who commit suicide in officially designated combat zones.
read more here
Families of military suicide victims call for widened condolence policy

Murder Charge For Camp Lejeune Deputy Provost Marshal's Son

Murder Charge For Deputy Provost Marshal's Son
By Mike Valerio / Reporter

ONSLOW COUNTY -- The son of the deputy provost marshal at Camp Lejeune has been charged in the shooting death of a young Jacksonville woman.

Timothy Joseph Akers, 24, is charged in the first degree murder of his girlfriend, 19-year-old Caitlyn Elizabeth Culpepper. Akers' father, Major Tim Akers, is head of the police force at Camp Lejeune.
read more here
Murder Charge For Deputy Provost Marshal Son

Pfc. David L. Potter, missing name on monument

When you read this article you'll discover how some people said his name did not belong there. Yes, that attitude lives on. Some people just don't get that had he not served this country, he probably would still be alive. Potter committed suicide in Iraq but what cannot be dismissed is that he had been kept in Iraq even though he had already been diagnosed with PTSD and tried to commit suicide before this.

Missing name on monument a mistake; it can be righted
Ken Herman, Commentary

FORT HOOD — The obits and news stories noting the death of Pfc. David L. Potter of Johnson City, Tenn., told us a little about his 22-year life.

He was born in New Hampshire, graduated from high school in Tennessee and studied art at East Tennessee State University. He joined the Army reserves to help pay for college. He signed on for active duty and was stationed at Fort Hood.

Family members said he didn't seem to be the military type, but he was inspired by the service of his father and an older brother.

"He'd hoped to one day become a pastry chef," a Knoxville, Tenn., television station told viewers.

From Fort Hood, Potter was deployed to Iraq and served as a cook and security guard. He died in Baghdad on Aug. 7, 2004, of what the Army called "non-combat related injuries."

Potter killed himself. The Hartford Courant, in a 2006 study of military suicides, noted that he had been diagnosed with anxiety and depression while in Iraq.

"Potter remained with his unit in Baghdad despite a suicide attempt and a psychiatrist's recommendation that he be separated from the Army, records show," the Courant reported. "Ten days after the recommendation was signed, he slid a gun out from under another soldier's bed, climbed to the second floor of an abandoned building and shot himself through the mouth, the Army has concluded."
read more here
Missing name on monument a mistake

Vietnam War: A Company held them off, but at the cost of 24 killed and 54 wounded

Soldiers' valor lauded 45 years later
A citation is awarded to nine vets for their efforts during a 1966 gunbattle in Vietnam

By Lynn Nakagawa
Jul 09, 2011

Howard Lavy remembers the day in 1966 when waves of North Vietnamese army soldiers attacked his Hawaii-based Army company in Ho Bo Woods.

"If it hadn't been for the aviation company (airlifting the soldiers out), we would have been overrun finally because we had run out of ammunition," said Lavy, a retired lieutenant colonel.

Nearly 45 years after that battle, Lavy and eight fellow soldiers returned to Schofield Barracks Friday to receive a Presidential Unit Citation for their actions that day.

The soldiers were members of Schofield's A Company, 1st Battalion, 27th Infantry Regiment. A larger NVA force charged their position three times on July 19, 1966, pouring machine gun and mortar fire on the Americans during a 3-hour battle. A Company held them off, but at the cost of 24 killed and 54 wounded, Lavy said.

A recommendation for a Presidential Unit Citation was prepared in September 1966, but a platoon leader inadvertently packed it with his belongings and shipped it to his father in California, Lavy said. The paperwork was discovered in 2004 when a family member opened the long-forgotten box.
read more here
Soldiers valor lauded 45 years later

They survived combat, but can't survive coming back home

They survived combat, but can't survive coming back home. This is not sending out alarm bells across the country? Throughout the military? Throughout the Veterans Administration? Sgt. Adrian Simmons did what he was supposed to do and asked for help. He was "sent to" Fort Bragg's Family Advocacy but it wasn't enough to help him want to live.

We need to know why.

Family says soldier killed himself at Hoke home

A staff report

Nichole Simmons said her husband had been suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder for more than a year.

RAEFORD - An 82nd Airborne Division paratrooper found dead from a single gunshot wound committed suicide, his family said Saturday.

Authorities on Friday reported they were investigating the death of Sgt. Adrian A. Simmons, 26, but they provided few details.

His wife, Nichole, who is 24, said she found her husband's body Wednesday morning in the garage of their home in Hoke County. He was supposed to have gone to work that day, she said.

read more here
Family says soldier killed himself at Hoke home

In combat, they face the worst that man can do to man. Bullets, bombs, young and old die, friends die and bodies are broken. Homes are destroyed. While all of this is going on, they fight to stay alive. They fight to keep their friends alive. So how is it when they are back home, supposedly out of danger, they cannot spend one more day on this earth and take their own lives?

They value life or they wouldn't join the military. While some in this country want to dismiss the fact they serve to protect, that is exactly what they are doing. Police have to train to shoot criminals but they don't want to be forced to decide who lives or dies even though they are prepared to do what has to be done. Soldiers are the same. They train to shoot and use other weapons. They don't want to do it but are prepared when forced into pulling the trigger.

When someone tried to boil this all down to a political debate, to them, it doesn't matter what side on of their own happen to be on. They don't care about the right or wrong of being there when one of their own is in danger. They fight for each other, right along side of someone they care about and yes, even for total strangers from another unit. Life matters to them.

They know what grief is when one of their own dies. They mourn. The last thing they want to do is leave their families grieving for them. So they try. They try to find reasons to be happy again. They try to "get over" all they went through. They try and keep trying. They go to the doctors and they take the pills that are supposed to take away their pain and when those pills numb them, they cannot feel anything good while those pills do their jobs.

Families are left clueless. They rejoice when their warrior comes back home. After all the worry during the deployment, they relax. No more fears of him or her getting killed over there. No more fears of them getting wounded. No more struggles of having to do things without them. Life is back to normal when they are back home. But they don't see there is more to worry about.

The fear they should have is that the pain of what they came home from is as real as when they had to face the enemy. The deaths and woundings they witnessed are in their minds so strongly it has all penetrated their soul and it eats away at them like an infection spreading to every part of their lives.

They want to go back to the way they were before as much as their families expect them to. That doesn't always happen. Days go by as they try to push it back, forget it, move on and smile again. In those days they look at their families and friends and know what is expected of them. They can't do it. They can't just forget and move on. They can't undo and hit the reset button on their minds.

Every event in a human's life goes into who they are today. How they think, how they feel and how they respond to life has been built on everything that has happened in their lives to that point. For a combat veteran, it includes a long list of events piled onto other events and then they come back home to where everything was "normal" except them. They can't see how "normal" it is for then to grieve and be changed by their experiences. So they ignore it at first. Then they fight it. They deny it. They try to drown it with alcohol.

With nothing working, they get angry with themselves, then with everyone else.

When they finally come to terms with the fact they need help and the DOD or the VA hands them pills to numb it away, that supports their own thoughts they are not supposed to feel anything at all.

When will they get the help they need to heal? How many others have to come home after surviving all they went through, only to die by their own hands? How many other families will be left behind wondering what could have been done to defeat the enemy inside the warrior's soul?

In February I attended a wedding for a National Guardsman. We talked during the after rehearsal dinner. He said he was fine and looking forward to spending the rest of his life with his new wife. It was a beautiful wedding and he seemed so happy. A couple of months ago I received a phone call they had separated. He showed all the signs of PTSD and his new wife was not prepared to cope with the changes in him. He had done a good job of covering up his pain when he came home. He was in denial he needed help because he was too busy trying to pretend everything was fine.

She tried to understand. She tried to help, but as with everyone else, there were limits to what she was willing and able to do. They are getting divorced. The life she was looking at was not what she planned for and coming home was not what he expected.

There are so many stories out there you'll never hear about. Families and friends pay the price of combat veterans not getting help. Strangers do when a few of them commit crimes and police have to face taking out a veteran with a gun in his hands not wanting to live anymore. Those stories we'll read when they are splashed across the top fold of our local newspapers but countless more stories are kept secret.

We'll read the numbers of suicides in the military along with "death under investigation" or "suspected suicide" but we'll never really know what the true numbers are. We'll read numbers released from the VA but again, we'll never know the true numbers. Even with all the reports there are so many more in between the DOD and the VA. The DOD doesn't track them anymore after discharge and the VA won't track them until they are in the system. If they commit suicide during the time no one claims any connection to them, no one knows who they are and they are not counted.

So we'll keep reading more and more stories like this one and think we know the truth, but we will never really know what the truth is and what the true price of war is. The families are the only ones counting all of them when they are back home.

House votes to stop same-sex marriages on base

So if a serviceman or woman from a state where they allow gay marriage, decides to get married in the military, they lose the right because they serve? Seems like the last people you'd want to take rights away from are members of the military.

House votes to stop same-sex marriages on base
By Donna Cassata - The Associated Press
Posted : Friday Jul 8, 2011 15:30:21 EDT
WASHINGTON — Intent on delaying the new policy allowing gays to serve openly in the armed forces, the House voted on Friday to prohibit military chaplains from performing same-sex marriages on the nation’s bases regardless of state law.

On a 236-184 vote, the House attached the amendment to the defense spending bill, one of several steps the Republican-controlled chamber has taken this year to delay President Obama’s new policy.

Pentagon leaders have said they see no roadblocks to ending the 17-year ban, and Defense Secretary Leon Panetta is likely to certify the change for mid-summer after months of training for the services.

Still, opposition remains strong in the House.
House votes to stop same-sex marriages on base

Doesn't congress have better things to do like maybe figure out how to add jobs instead of taking things away? They cut back on a lot of programs and now rights? Seems that none of what they said would work did when the unemployment rate just went up again after the wealthy got their tax cuts extended again and regular people lost a lot of help they needed but this is even more crazy than their sham of saying they care about the debt most of them helped make. Taking away states rights to people risking their lives is not the right thing to do.

Suicide: For some South Florida veterans, it's the biggest threat

Suicide: For some South Florida veterans, it's the biggest threat
By Mike Clary, Sun Sentinel
July 7, 2011
WEST PALM BEACH— During 27 years in the Army, Ben Mericle survived tours in Bosnia, the Gulf War and Iraq. But it was only after coming home to West Palm Beach in 2006 that he came close to dying — by his own hand.

"I just wanted to disappear," said Mericle, 50, recalling the many times he considered mixing a fatal cocktail from his prescribed medications and the prodigious amounts of alcohol he was drinking.


"I had so much anger. I wasn't sleeping, had nightmares when I did, flashbacks. It was survivor's guilt."

Some do not survive, leading Adm. Mike Mullen, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, to identify the "emergency issue" facing the American military: a rise in the number of suicides.

On Wednesday, President Obama announced he will reverse a longstanding policy and begin sending condolence letters to the families of service members who commit suicide while deployed to a combat zone.

"This decision was made after a difficult and exhaustive review of the former policy, and I did not make it lightly," Obama said in a statement. "This issue is emotional, painful, and complicated, but these Americans served our nation bravely. They didn't die because they were weak. And the fact that they didn't get the help they needed must change."

Last year, 301 active-duty Army, Reserve and National Guard soldiers committed suicide, compared with 242 in 2009, according to Army figures.

read more here
For some South Florida veterans the biggest threat
 

VA creates Woman veteran's call center

VA Creates Women Veterans Call Center

Major Outreach Effort Launched

WASHINGTON (July 07, 2011) - The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) has
embarked on a major initiative to reach out to women Veterans in order
to solicit their input on ways to enhance the health care services VA
provides to women Veterans.

"We are taking a proactive approach to enhancing VA health care for
women Veterans," said Secretary of Veterans Affairs Eric K. Shinseki.
"We are seeking the input of women Veterans so that VA can continue to
provide high quality health care to the growing numbers of women
Veterans."

Representatives at VA's Health Resource Center (HRC) are placing calls
to women Veterans nationwide, asking them to share their experiences
with VA and suggest potential enhancements that will further VA's
mission to provide the best care anywhere.

Women Veterans are one of the fastest growing segments of the Veteran
population. Of the 22.7 million living Veterans, more than 1.8 million
are women. They comprise nearly 8 percent of the total Veteran
population and 6 percent of all Veterans who use VA health care
services.

VA estimates by 2020 women Veterans will constitute 10 percent of the
Veteran population and 9.5 percent of VA patients. The HRC, which
started placing calls on June 1, is contacting women Veterans who have
enrolled, but have not begun using VA services.

"Through this contact center, we are placing friendly, conversational
calls to women Veterans," said Patricia Hayes, chief consultant of the
VA's Women Veterans Health Strategic Health Care Group. "We want these
Veterans and their caregivers to talk candidly about why they are not
using VA, whether they are aware of the gender-specific services we
offer, and what additional services they would like to see VA offer."

The HRC representatives making the calls are also informing women
Veterans about the services VA offers and quickly connecting them with
appropriate departments if they are interested in trying VA health care.
Veterans who have complaints about VA are connected to a patient
advocate who helps resolve issues.

VA has trained professionals in all aspects of women's health, including
general primary care, osteoporosis management, heart disease, mental
health care, menopausal services and obesity-related issues, such as
diabetes. Preventive screenings for breast and cervical cancer are also
areas in which VA excels. Soon, all VA facilities will offer
comprehensive primary care for women from a single provider.

The Women Veterans Health Care program has made significant changes in
the last few years to enhance the health care offered to eligible women
Veterans. This progress includes:

* Adopting key policies to improve access and enhance
services for women Veterans;

* Implementing comprehensive primary care for women Veterans;


* Conducting cutting-edge research on the effects of military
service on women's lives;

* Improving communication and outreach to women Veterans; and

* Providing mental health, homelessness and other services
designed to meet the unique needs of women Veterans

For more information about VA programs and services for women Veterans,
please visit: www.va.gov/womenvet and
www.publichealth.va.gov/womenshealth.

Iraq vet, double amputee, killed when tossed by roller coaster

UPDATE July 13, 2011
Sheriff's Department to Update Darien Lake Investigation
Written by
Aaron Saykin
FILED UNDER
James Hackemer
BATAVIA, NY -The Genesee County Sheriff's Department has called a news conference for Wednesday morning to announce their findings in the case of an Iraqi war veteran who fell to his death from the "Ride of Steel" rollercoaster.

Army Sergeant James Hackemer, who lost both legs in Iraq in 2008, should have never been allowed to board the Darien Lake rollercoaster that caused his fatal accident.

That is according to Amusement Park Safety Expert Bill Avery, a managing partner of the Florida-based company Avery & Avery.
read more here
Sheriff Department to Update Darien Lake Investigation

UPDATE
Probe continues after vet falls from NY coaster

By CAROLYN THOMPSON Associated Press
Posted: 07/11/2011

BUFFALO, N.Y.—An investigation is continuing into the death of an Iraq war veteran and double amputee who fell from a 208-foot-tall roller coaster in upstate New York.
Sgt. James Thomas Hackemer, who had lost both his legs to a roadside bomb, was ejected Friday from the Ride of Steel coaster at Darien Lake Theme Park Resort, located between Buffalo and Rochester.
The ride remained closed Sunday and the park's website said it will not operate again until authorities complete their investigation.
Amusement park industry consultant Dennis Speigel said two things should be considered when determining whether someone should be allowed on a ride.
"One is rider responsibility and then there is operator responsibility, and those two issues have to homogenize," Speigel said Sunday. "This just seems to me that it was a bad decision on both parts."
Hackemer's relatives have said they don't hold the park responsible for his death.
"It's nobody's fault. It was an accident. James thought it wasn't an issue," Jody Hackemer said over the weekend of her brother's disability.
She said her brother had had recently returned from the Walter Reed Army Medical Center in Washington, D.C., where he was fitted with a new set of prosthetic legs. Jody Hackemer said she did not believe he was wearing the prostheses on the roller coaster.
read more here
Probe continues after vet falls from NY coaster

Iraq vet, double amputee, killed when tossed by roller coaster

(CBS/AP) DARIEN, N.Y. — An investigation is under way into a roller coaster accident in upstate New York that killed an Army veteran who lost both his legs to a roadside bomb in Iraq.

Teams of inspectors on Saturday were examining the 200-foot tall Ride of Steel roller coaster at the Darien Lake Theme Park Resort, about 30 miles east of Buffalo, between Buffalo and Rochester, the Genesee County sheriff's office said.

James Hackemer, of Gowanda, died Friday evening when he was ejected from the ride.

The 29-year-old was missing both legs and part of a hip.
read more here
Iraq vet killed when tossed by roller coaster

Dad of Marine found dead in barracks, dies in Tuscarawas River

Man identified in Tuscarawas River death

By Lee Morrison
TimesReporter.com staff writer
Posted Jul 08, 2011

NEW PHILADELPHIA —
Steven E. Sickels, 57, of New Philadelphia, has been identified as the man whose body was found Thursday in the Tuscarawas River, according to Tuscarawas County Sheriff Walt Wilson.

An autopsy was performed by the Stark County Coroner’s Office on Friday and no evidence of trauma or foul play was found, Wilson said, adding he is awaiting toxicology results from the lab, which are expected in a couple of months. Tattoos and clothing were used to confirm Sickels’ identity.

Sickels reportedly had been depressed over the death of his son, Marine Cpl. Shawn Sickels, 22, of New Philadelphia, who was found dead in his barracks in Camp Lejeune, N.C., on March 30.

Concerned family members had called New Philadelphia police Thursday afternoon. At 1:36 p.m., his longtime girlfriend said he had been missing since 4 p.m. Tuesday, when he was last seen leaving the residence. She said he had medical issues, but all of his medications were at the residence.

read more here
Man identified in Tuscarawas River death

Six month old baby died after house fire at Camp Lejeune

Baby dies in fire at Camp Lejeune home


CAMP LEJEUNE, N.C. — A six-month-old girl died Friday afternoon when fire struck her home on Camp Lejeune. The child and her mother were home when the fire began, at about 2:30 p.m., in the living room of their Midway Park home. Both were hospitalized, but the child died.

The mother was in critical condition Friday night at Naval Hospital Camp Lejeune.

The name of the child and her parents are being withheld pending notification of next-of-kin. Base officials are investigating what caused the blaze.
Baby dies in fire at Camp Lejeune home

Jeff Lucey's Dad talks about Condolence Letters to families like his

"How often do you have to study a suicide epidemic?" asked Jeff's Dad. The answer is, congress has been more interested in listening to the tragic outcomes instead of what can be done.






Obama Reverses Policy Denying Condolence Letters to Families of U.S. Soldiers Who Commit Suicide

The Obama administration has reversed a longstanding U.S. policy to deny presidential condolence letters to families of soldiers who have committed suicide, saying it hopes to reduce the stigma associated with the mental health costs of war. Service member suicides have increased as some troops serve repeated tours of duty and suffer post-traumatic stress. The new condolence letter policy went into effect this month, but will not apply retroactively. Mental health and troop advocacy groups welcomed the change but said those who die outside war zones also should be recognized, and that more should be done to prevent suicide among service members. We speak to Gregg and Jannett Keesling, parents of Chancellor Keesling, a U.S. soldier who took his own life during his second tour of duty in Iraq; and Kevin Lucey, whose son, Jeff Lucey, took his own life after returning home from military duty in Iraq.
Obama Reverses Policy Denying Condolence Letters

Chase Bank to welcome home soldier with foreclosure

One thing is clear. If you read this blog, you care about them. Doesn't matter if they are veterans of past wars to today's wars, you wouldn't read these posts if they didn't matter to you. How many times have you read a post and wished you could have done something to help? Here's your chance.

Chase Bank, under pressure from the media and the public seemed to be willing to do the right thing for the sake of Aaron Collette but according to Change.org, they must have changed their minds on what is right and what is wrong. You can help make a difference on this story. I signed it.

In one month, soldier Aaron Collette will return from Iraq for two weeks’ leave. By the time he does, he won't have a home -- and neither will his family.

Tim Collette, Aaron's dad, did everything right. He put $100,000 down on his home in Bend, Oregon, when he purchased it in 2006.

In 2008, after the economic crisis devastated his small flooring and countertop business, Tim realized he needed a loan modification and went to Chase Bank for help.

Chase told him he had to miss two payments to qualify for a loan modification. But once Tim did that, they began foreclosure proceedings instead of helping him.

Local non-profit Economic Fairness Oregon has been helping Tim stand up to Chase, but they need a surge in public support right now to save his home. Please sign their petition to help Tim and his family keep their home.

Banks across the state -- and country -- are taking advantage of homeowners in Tim’s situation all the time. Economic Fairness Oregon is pushing state legislators to pass a bill that will address the housing crisis and help people like Tim stay in their homes.

In the meantime, Tim needs public support to pressure Chase to stop the foreclosure.

When news of this story broke earlier in June after Senator Merkley spoke about it on the Senate floor, Chase agreed to delay the foreclosure and told the press they'd work to find a solution for Tim and his family.

But as soon as media attention faded, Chase called Tim and rescheduled the foreclosure for August 9 -- just 10 days before Aaron returns from Iraq.

Every day that this issue is not resolved Aaron has to worry about his family and where they'll live even as he’s risking his life in Iraq.

Sign here to tell Chase that we're still watching and urge them to honor their promise to find a solution for the Collette family:

Save Aaron Collette Home

Thanks for taking action,

- Jess and the Change.org team

University of Colorado releases a report on Understanding Gulf War Syndrome

Researchers at the University of Colorado, Boulder have made an important step in Understanding Gulf War Syndrome. Neuroscientist Donald Cooper, Ph.D. and his team found that a common organophosphate insecticide used in the Gulf War was capable of changing neuronal activity in a rodent brain region, known as the Locus Coeruleus, a brain region that is critical for attention, anxiety, and addiction. Their paper released in Nature Precedings is the first report
describing how exposure to the toxic metabolite of the insecticide, chlorpyrifos leads to lasting changes in neuronal activity that persist long after exposure.

These researchers have previously shown similar changes in neuronal signaling to be similar to those that follow withdrawal from heroin and morphine and would likely produce similar states of anxiety, discomfort and memory problems.

The paper is available in Nature Precedings and was funded, in part, by the University of Texas, Southwestern Medical center and the University of Colorado, Boulder.

Gulf War Syndrome: A role for organophosphate induced plasticity of locus coeruleus neurons
Jun-li Cao1, Andrew L. Varnell2 & Donald C. Cooper3



Jiangsu Province Key Laboratory of Anesthesiology, Xuzhou Medical College, Xuzhou, China
Center for Neuroscience, Department of Psychology and Neuroscience, University of Colorado at Boulder, Boulder Colorado
Institute for Behavioral Genetics, Center for Neuroscience, Department of Psychology and Neuroscience,University of Colorado,Boulder
PDF (295.9 KB)
Document Type:
Manuscript
Date:
Received 07 July 2011 21:50 UTC; Posted 08 July 2011
Subjects:
Neuroscience, Pharmacology
Tags:
Chlorpyrifos Gulf War Syndrome Neuroplasticity anxiety neuroscience PESTICIDES Insecticides. Neuro-cloud.net
Abstract:
Gulf War syndrome is a chronic multi-symptom illness that has affected about a quarter of the deployed veterans of the 1991 Gulf War. Exposure to prolonged low-level organophosphate insecticides and other toxic chemicals is now thought to be responsible. Chlorpyrifos was one commonly used insecticide. The metabolite of chlorpyrifos, chlorpyrifos oxon, is a potent irreversible inhibitor of acetylcholinesterase, much like the nerve agent Sarin. To date, the target brain region(s) most susceptible to the neuroactive effects of chlorpyrifos oxon have yet to be identified. To address this we tested ability of chlorpyrifos oxon to influence neuronal excitability and induce lasting changes in the locus coeruleus, a brain region implicated in anxiety, substance use, attention and emotional response to stress. Here we used an ex vivo rodent model to identify a dramatic effect of chlorpyrifos oxon on locus coeruleus noradrenergic neuronal activity. Prolonged exposure to chlorpyrifos oxon caused acute inhibition and a lasting rebound excitatory state expressed after days of exposure and subsequent withdrawal. Our findings indicate that the locus coeruleus is a brain region vulnerable to chlorpyrifos oxon-induced neuroplastic changes possibly leading to the neurological symptoms affecting veterans of the Gulf War.

Gulf War Syndrome

Army investigating death of McNair soldier

Army investigating death of McNair soldier
By Cindy Schroeder - The Cincinnati (Ohio) Enquirer
Posted : Thursday Jul 7, 2011 19:29:28 EDT
The Army is investigating the death of a Fort McNair soldier who’d recently been ill and was found dead in his barracks.

Pfc. Charles A. Pfetzer, 20, of Villa Hills, Ky., who served as an honor guard for fallen soldiers, was discovered Tuesday morning when he failed to report for duty.

Since Pfetzer’s family learned of his death, the community has rallied around them.

“He was loved by a lot of people,” said his sister, Andrea Pfetzer. “We’ve had a tremendous amount of support that we really appreciate. Everyone’s been gathering around us.”

Charles Pfetzer had been home on leave for eight days when he was diagnosed with mononucleosis, his sister said. The last three days, she said her brother was in bed most of the time. He flew back to Washington on Monday night.
read more here
Army investigating death of McNair soldier

Fallen Marine's own words shared at funeral

Fallen Marine's own words shared at funeral
'I don't want anyone to be sad or cry over me,' wrote Farias.
By Scott Huddleston
shuddleston@express-news.net

NEW BRAUNFELS — More than 1,000 mourners who gathered for a final farewell for a man they called a “hometown military hero” sat in rapt silence as they heard the words that Lance Cpl. John Felix Farias had written, knowing he might not come home alive.

“Thank you for being here,” Chris Serna, Farias' longtime friend and classmate at Canyon High School, said Thursday, reading a letter the fallen Marine had penned before he died June 28 on combat operations in Afghanistan.

“I don't want anyone to be sad or cry over me,” wrote Farias, 20. “Tell my nieces and nephews to remember me.”

Although Farias made a passing reference in his letter about “inner demons” he'd fought before committing to Christianity, there were no reservations among mourners who celebrated his life during a nearly two-hour service at Tree of Life Church.


Read more: Fallen Marine's own words shared at funeral

Camp Pendleton Marine saves infant's life

Marine first on scene, saves infant's life
By Cpl. Jenn Calaway
Camp Pendleton Public Affairs

Courtesy Photo
Sgt. Sergio Zacarias Jr., combat instructor, Alpha Company, Infantry Training Battalion, School of Infantry, was the first responder on the scene of a baby girl drowning in the San Onofre III Housing Community, June 20. Zacarias took immediate action and assisted in administering CPR, an act which slowly but surely brought the baby back to life. (Official Marine Corps photo by Cpl. Jenn Calaway)

MARINE CORPS BASE CAMP PENDLETON, Calif. — Baby Nynette Pedroza will turn 14 months old next month thanks to the heroic actions of a Camp Pendleton Marine.

Luckily for Nynette’s mother, who lives in base housing, Sgt. Sergio Zacarias Jr. happened to live next door when her daughter stopped breathing while taking a bath, June 20.

At approximately three in the afternoon, Zacarias, a combat instructor, Alpha Company, Infantry Training Battalion, School of Infantry was enjoying a regular evening home from work.

“I was getting ready for a soccer game and walked past the window and saw my neighbor screaming help me, help me!” Zacarias said. “I ran downstairs, told my wife to call 911 and went outside. My neighbor was holding her baby up high in the air and didn’t know what to do. I took the baby and she was blue and unconscious. At first, I thought she was choking so I applied pressure to her chest and nothing happened.”
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Marine first on scene, saves infant

Lejeune water documentary receives standing ovation

Lejeune water documentary receives standing ovation
July 07, 2011 9:47 AM
HOPE HODGE
An award-winning new documentary about a search for answers regarding a period of water contamination aboard Camp Lejeune received standing ovations at a screening recently inside the U.S. Capitol.

The film, Semper Fi: Always Faithful, tells the story of Onslow County resident and former Camp Lejeune Marine Jerry Ensminger, who began a single-minded fight to learn the truth after he discovered that a three-decade period of water contamination in base housing areas could be responsible for the leukemia death of his 9-year-old daughter Janey in 1985.

It was screened on June 23 by Rep. Brad Miller, D-NC, and Sen. Richard Burr, R-NC, and sponsored by Sen. Kay Hagan, D-NC, and Rep.John Dingell, D-MI, all endorsers of legislation that would grant care through the department of Veterans Affairs to former Lejeune troops and family members affected by exposure to base water.

Miller, who introduced the film, said he had been won to the cause by the persistence and dedication of advocates like Ensminger.
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Lejeune water documentary receives standing ovation

also


Pension comes just in time for disabled South Bend veteran
KEVIN ALLEN
South Bend Tribune Staff Writer
5:38 p.m. EDT, July 7, 2011

SOUTH BEND — Eileen Sullivan looks back a little more than a month ago and, understandably, says she was a basket case.

Her husband, John, suffers from seizures, debilitating joint and muscle pain, and other health issues he blames on exposure to contaminated water while serving in the Marine Corps in the 1980s.

John already was unable to work, as his health was declining. Eileen was spending so much time caring for him, she couldn’t find a job on the side.

The Sullivans had been waiting 16 months for the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs to determine John’s eligibility for a pension.

The couple were on the verge of losing their home near Edison Park. They struggled to fill their car’s gas tank, not to mention buy food for themselves and their two daughters, ages 8 and 13.

Then, on June 4, they received some relief.

Eileen said a VA official called to say John’s pension request was approved. The 45-year-old was classified as disabled and would begin receiving a monthly check of about $1,600 as well as a lump sum of roughly $11,000 in retroactive pension payments.
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Pension comes just in time for disabled South Bend veteran

Fort Carson Soldiers Trying To Bring Adopted Puppy To United States

If you are not a dog lover, there is not much of a chance this story will touch your heart. I have had some cats in my life, but dogs, well, they don't love you depending on what mood they are in.

This is Harpo and me at 20 (long time ago) a German Shepherd/Mastiff at six months old. When I brought him home, he was just two months old and I drove my car with him in my coat pocket. He was with me in some very difficult times. As a matter of fact, while Harpo loved everyone, he didn't like my ex-husband from the time we started to date. He was a better judge of character than I was.

Brandon, our Golden was with us for almost 14 years. We had to put him down two years ago when age caught up to him and he began to shut down. Brandon came into our lives when this family was falling apart because of PTSD and the poor dog had to listen to all of us cry, get soaked with our tears and gave us more love back than we could have ever given him.


This is Mac a Lab/Border Collie. Mac was with us only 5 months this year. We adopted him in January. He got sick the end of June and we had to put him down a couple of weeks ago. In the short time he was with us, he loved us beyond measure. He used to take naps with me on the family room sofa.

Mac was also subjected to a lot of projects for my college classes.

And now we have Harry. A Rottweiler/Lab. He's almost 4 months old.

At every major time in my life and when life was good, dogs were there just as much as any other part of my family. It didn't matter if I had them for months or years, the connection was so strong that they were equal to humans in our family. The bond can, and usually is, that strong.

When I look back at pictures I've seen with men and women deployed into combat, it is clear to see that they are not just smiling with a cute puppy, but loving them. Knowing first hand how much they tug at your soul, it is easy for me to understand that bond and the need to get them back. War dogs offer something no weapon ever can in combat. A reminder that unconditional love can live on even in horrible places.

Fort Carson Soldiers Trying To Bring Adopted Puppy To United States
Less than a week ago, several troops returned home to Fort Carson from a year long deployment in Afghanistan. While overseas, an Army unit adopted a puppy and they're now fighting to bring it to the United States.
Reporter: Alyssa Chin

Less than a week ago, several soldiers returned home to Fort Carson from a year long deployment in Afghanistan. While overseas, their unit adopted a puppy and they're now fighting to bring it to Colorado Springs.

During our interview with SGT Ryan Kivistad, he flipped through the photos of his deployment in Afghanistan. Several of them featured a dog named Gordita.


"She's a good dog. It's not really a good place over there. (I want to) make sure she gets a good home," Kivistad said.

Shortly after the loss of three unit members killed by a roadside bomb, Gordita was adopted in a trade for three parachutes. She helped these troops cope and quickly became the highlight of their time overseas.
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Fort Carson Soldiers Trying To Bring Adopted Puppy To United States