Kingman soldier uses Army skills to save man's life
Gonzales first on the scene of accident at Fort Carson
Erin Taylor
Miner Staff Reporter
KINGMAN - Spc. Raymond Gonzales recently got back from a yearlong tour of duty in Iraq, but it was only after his return stateside that he got a chance to put his military medical training into use to save a life.
Gonzales, 24, is currently stationed at Fort Carson in Colorado where he lives with his wife, Jennifer, and their three girls. Both Raymond and Jennifer grew up in Kingman and still visit several times a year.
Raymond was on his way to work on the morning of July 15 when he came upon a man lying in the street who only seconds before had been hit by a car.
Gonzales was the first person on scene and automatically reverted to his medical training.
"We call it 'muscle memory,'" he said. "You just go back to your training. You don't even realize what you're doing while you're doing it."
Gonzales used his uniform shirt to compress a wound on the man's neck that was pouring blood from the jugular vein. At the same time, he quickly assessed the man's double compound fracture to his right arm and used the waistband from a passersby's sweatpants to stem the bleeding from a wound there.
read more here
Kingman soldier uses Army skills to save man life
Saturday, July 23, 2011
Vets face shortage of therapists that understand them
The need for therapists is high but according to the data coming in, it is only going to get higher instead of lower. More and more come home from multiple deployments carrying all they went through with them. Stressful enough but when you consider they are returning to families and friends with very little understanding of the changes they see in someone they love, it adds to the stress. Then consider the men and women discharged, facing the rest of their lives with the weight of the world on their shoulders, suffering from PTSD, TBI or physical wounds making it impossible to hold a job even if they could find one, and you see how the price of war does not expire when they come home.
Medication helps but numbing them is not healing them. Therapy in whatever form works best for the individual veteran, is a must but few do it and the majority of the therapist have no clue what makes a veteran different from a civilian.
You don't have to go to war to be able to understand but you can't gain the knowledge from a class text book. You have to be with them, talk to them and invest a lot of time in discovering what makes them all so different. You can't treat them for combat traumas if you never even looked at a picture of what is left of a body after a bomb has blown up. You can't help them get past their haunting nightmares if you don't have a clue what happened in combat. Most of the therapy they need comes with common sense but if you have nothing in common with them, it makes no sense to them.
In 2005, after too many years of researching PTSD as well as living with it, I began to create videos to make it easier for the veterans to understand and come to terms with PTSD. When I searched for pictures, there were thousands of them. Many of them were graphic images of what comes with war but many were of the sadness when someone from their unit was killed. Tracking all these reports across the country, I know what happened there as much as I do about what is happening here. Looking back at almost 30 years of doing this, the greatest knowledge came from listening to them but had I not invested the time in researching "their combat lives" I wouldn't have a clue how to really help them.
I tend to their spiritual needs and I can help them to a point but I need therapists to send them too. What they need more is someone with a specialized training on trauma as well as combat but there are not enough of them.
If you are considering psychology please think about taking care of them. I can assure you that it will be a recession proof job with the numbers I'm seeing. I can also assure you that you will not come into contact with a finer group of people to help than our veterans. If you do decide to treat them then please find out where they've been and what went on there so that you at least know the difference between an IED and RPG. War in Iraq is not the same as war in Afghanistan. Know the difference as much as you learn the difference between the branches of service, regular military and reserves. The more you know, the more you'll be able to help them heal and while they will tug at your heart, you won't regret a single day of it.
Medication helps but numbing them is not healing them. Therapy in whatever form works best for the individual veteran, is a must but few do it and the majority of the therapist have no clue what makes a veteran different from a civilian.
Vets face shortage of therapists
New program training clinicians in psychology of combat is an attempt to help fill the gap
By Peter Cameron, Special to the Tribune
July 20, 2011
When Daniel Brautigam tried to tell therapists how he felt having urine thrown in his face at Guantanamo Bay, he experienced the same frustration as thousands of other returning veterans who have sought counseling.
"They had no idea how to respond to that. It looked like to me that they were grossed out, and they're supposed to be helping me," said Brautigam, 31, who was diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder and depression following his return to Hoffman Estates from tours with the Navy in the Northern Arabian Gulf and Cuba.
The Department of Veterans Affairs estimates that 11 percent to 20 percent of veterans from the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq are suffering from PTSD. Others think the number is higher.
When vets seek therapy, they want a professional who can relate to soldiers in combat, and that usually means a therapist who has military experience. Without such empathy, therapy often is doomed, vets say.
Because most psychologists and mental health care professionals don't have a military background, there's a void in the safety net for vets. Some veterans' organizations have stepped up, training members to help their peers, and the Soldiers Project provides free counseling from licensed professionals and veterans by phone to newly returned vets.
read more here
Vets face shortage of therapists
You don't have to go to war to be able to understand but you can't gain the knowledge from a class text book. You have to be with them, talk to them and invest a lot of time in discovering what makes them all so different. You can't treat them for combat traumas if you never even looked at a picture of what is left of a body after a bomb has blown up. You can't help them get past their haunting nightmares if you don't have a clue what happened in combat. Most of the therapy they need comes with common sense but if you have nothing in common with them, it makes no sense to them.
In 2005, after too many years of researching PTSD as well as living with it, I began to create videos to make it easier for the veterans to understand and come to terms with PTSD. When I searched for pictures, there were thousands of them. Many of them were graphic images of what comes with war but many were of the sadness when someone from their unit was killed. Tracking all these reports across the country, I know what happened there as much as I do about what is happening here. Looking back at almost 30 years of doing this, the greatest knowledge came from listening to them but had I not invested the time in researching "their combat lives" I wouldn't have a clue how to really help them.
I tend to their spiritual needs and I can help them to a point but I need therapists to send them too. What they need more is someone with a specialized training on trauma as well as combat but there are not enough of them.
If you are considering psychology please think about taking care of them. I can assure you that it will be a recession proof job with the numbers I'm seeing. I can also assure you that you will not come into contact with a finer group of people to help than our veterans. If you do decide to treat them then please find out where they've been and what went on there so that you at least know the difference between an IED and RPG. War in Iraq is not the same as war in Afghanistan. Know the difference as much as you learn the difference between the branches of service, regular military and reserves. The more you know, the more you'll be able to help them heal and while they will tug at your heart, you won't regret a single day of it.
Friday, July 22, 2011
Bill would test competency of VA claims workers
Bill would test competency of VA claims workers
By Rick Maze - Staff writer
Posted : Friday Jul 22, 2011 13:58:17 EDT
A House subcommittee postponed on Friday passage of a bill that would require an annual competency test for veterans’ claims processors after some lawmakers worried this would only add to the already considerable backlog of claims.
The bill, HR 2349, would require an annual assessment of the skills of employees and managers at the Veterans Affairs Department who are involved in processing benefits and pension claims.
read more here
Bill would test competency of VA claims workers
By Rick Maze - Staff writer
Posted : Friday Jul 22, 2011 13:58:17 EDT
A House subcommittee postponed on Friday passage of a bill that would require an annual competency test for veterans’ claims processors after some lawmakers worried this would only add to the already considerable backlog of claims.
The bill, HR 2349, would require an annual assessment of the skills of employees and managers at the Veterans Affairs Department who are involved in processing benefits and pension claims.
read more here
Bill would test competency of VA claims workers
Army deserter arrested in Orlando
Army deserter arrested in Orlando, accused of attempted murder
By Anika Myers Palm, Orlando Sentinel
2:05 p.m. EDT, July 21, 2011
A U.S. Army sergeant accused of both deserting the military and an attempted murder in Tennessee was arrested Thursday morning in Orlando.
Sgt. First Class Andres Betancourt, 32, of Clermont, is in custody and under guard in a Central Florida hospital, according to the Orange County jail. Officials at the jail have refused to identify his exact location, citing safety concerns.
Betancourt, a native of Cali, Colombia, deserted a unit based at Fort Campbell, Ky., according to an Army affidavit for his arrest.
He also is facing charges of aggravated assault and attempted second-degree murder in connection with an alleged attempt to run over his girlfriend in May 2010 in Clarksville, Tenn.
read more here
Army deserter arrested in Orlando
By Anika Myers Palm, Orlando Sentinel
2:05 p.m. EDT, July 21, 2011
A U.S. Army sergeant accused of both deserting the military and an attempted murder in Tennessee was arrested Thursday morning in Orlando.
Sgt. First Class Andres Betancourt, 32, of Clermont, is in custody and under guard in a Central Florida hospital, according to the Orange County jail. Officials at the jail have refused to identify his exact location, citing safety concerns.
Betancourt, a native of Cali, Colombia, deserted a unit based at Fort Campbell, Ky., according to an Army affidavit for his arrest.
He also is facing charges of aggravated assault and attempted second-degree murder in connection with an alleged attempt to run over his girlfriend in May 2010 in Clarksville, Tenn.
read more here
Army deserter arrested in Orlando
Iraq vet gets 4 years for shooting at deputies
His brother, also served in Iraq and came home with the war inside of him. He committed suicide in 2003 when no one was talking about any of this.
In January, Andrew was getting help to heal.
PTSD on trial, Iraq veteran gets treatment
So the headline reads he gets four years in prison but when other people have mental health problems, they don't go on trial and they don't go to jail. They get sent to get help because their troubled minds were not right at the time of the crime. Why was there only justice part way for this veteran?
Iraq vet gets 4 years for shooting at deputies
The Associated Press
Posted : Thursday Jul 21, 2011 7:21:51 EDT
WINCHESTER, Ind. — A Marine veteran of the Iraq war has been sentenced to four years in prison for firing a shotgun at three sheriff's deputies in eastern Indiana.
A Randolph County judge accepted an agreement under which 27-year-old Andrew Ward of Farmland pleaded guilty to a felony charge of criminal recklessness and a misdemeanor battery charge.
read more here
Iraq vet gets 4 years for shooting at deputies
In January, Andrew was getting help to heal.
PTSD on trial, Iraq veteran gets treatment
Iraq War veteran opens fire on police in Indiana
Associated Press
Posted on October 11, 2009 at 5:34 PM
LYNN, Ind. (AP) — An ex-Marine who served in Iraq has been charged with three counts of attempted murder of a police officer after firing on police.
Authorities say 26-year-old Andrew Ward of rural Lynn fired four shotgun blasts at three officers Friday night at a rural farm house. No officers were hurt.
After that weapon and another malfunctioned, officers used a stun gun to subdue Ward. He was being held without bond Sunday. He also faces preliminary charges of criminal recklessness, battery and intimidation.
Relatives say Ward was discharged from the Marines last month and is seeking disability veterans benefits for anxiety and post-traumatic-stress disorder. An older brother who also served in Iraq killed himself in 2003.
Lynn is about 65 miles east of Indianapolis.
So the headline reads he gets four years in prison but when other people have mental health problems, they don't go on trial and they don't go to jail. They get sent to get help because their troubled minds were not right at the time of the crime. Why was there only justice part way for this veteran?
Thursday, July 21, 2011
After tour, Reservists' mental health may suffer
After tour, Reservists' mental health may suffer
By Amy Norton
NEW YORK | Thu Jul 21, 2011 4:03pm EDT
(Reuters Health) - Reservists returning from Iraq or Afghanistan may have more trouble adjusting to life at home than full-time soldiers do -- and that can take a toll on their mental well-being, a UK study finds.
Past studies in both the UK and U.S. have found that, compared with regular troops, Reservists and National Guard members have more mental health issues -- including more symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) -- after returning home from Iraq or Afghanistan.
The latest findings, researchers say, suggest that difficulty readjusting to civilian life may account for some of that extra risk.
Of the nearly 5,000 UK troops they surveyed, Reservists were more likely to say they'd had problems getting back to their normal social activities in the weeks after coming home.
A majority -- 69 percent -- also felt like other people did not understand what they had gone through during deployment. And they were less likely than regular troops to feel supported by the military.
read more here
After tour Reservists mental health may suffer
By Amy Norton
NEW YORK | Thu Jul 21, 2011 4:03pm EDT
(Reuters Health) - Reservists returning from Iraq or Afghanistan may have more trouble adjusting to life at home than full-time soldiers do -- and that can take a toll on their mental well-being, a UK study finds.
Past studies in both the UK and U.S. have found that, compared with regular troops, Reservists and National Guard members have more mental health issues -- including more symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) -- after returning home from Iraq or Afghanistan.
The latest findings, researchers say, suggest that difficulty readjusting to civilian life may account for some of that extra risk.
Of the nearly 5,000 UK troops they surveyed, Reservists were more likely to say they'd had problems getting back to their normal social activities in the weeks after coming home.
A majority -- 69 percent -- also felt like other people did not understand what they had gone through during deployment. And they were less likely than regular troops to feel supported by the military.
read more here
After tour Reservists mental health may suffer
DOD supports military families? Not this one
You'd think that the DOD understands the struggles military families have by now, especially with all the reports we've been reading, but then read this and know when it came to needing support, this growing family didn't have any.
Metro Detroit Family Says Solider's Discharge Unfair
Updated: Thursday, 21 Jul 2011, 10:58 AM EDT
Published : Wednesday, 20 Jul 2011, 7:55 PM EDT
By AMY LANGE
WJBK | myFOXDetroit.com
SOUTHFIELD, Mich. (WJBK) - "How (are we) going to take care of our family because it affects us a lot," said Krystal Jones.
She is worried. Her husband is 22-year-old Darnell Jones -- a private serving with the 101st Airborne Division in Afghanistan. It has been his dream since he was 15 years old. He had just re-enlisted in the Army. They were supposed to move to Germany, but now he's being kicked out instead.
"They always promote family, and it's like they're going against everything they stand for," Krystal Jones said.
You see, Jones was home on leave in metro Detroit back in February when doctors told his pregnant wife she needed to have an emergency delivery. FOX 2 was shown a letter requesting that Jones be there. This was serious so the soldier asked for additional time at home, but was denied.
"My son made a decision to stay home until his son was born safely and with all intentions to return and they're calling it AWOL," said concerned mother Ericka Jones.
read more here
Metro Detroit Family Says Solider's Discharge Unfair
Metro Detroit Family Says Solider's Discharge Unfair: MyFoxDETROIT.com
Medal of Honor Cpl. Larry Smedley Vietnam War Museum
This has to be one of the best kept secrets in Orlando. Too many people have no clue a museum like this is here for everyone, not just Vietnam Veterans or today's veterans, but for everyone.
Cpl. Larry E. Smedley National Vietnam War Museum
Orlando, Florida
3400 N.Tanner Rd.
Orlando, FL 32826
phone: 407-601-2864
e-mail: wminfo@nwmvocf.org
web: www.nwmvocf.org
Welcome to the Larry E. Smedley National Vietnam War Museum, a place full of knowledge, experiences, and memories. Here you will discover many unique and historical artifacts of the Vietnam Era. As you tour our facility, you will encounter exhibits that are on loan from government, as well as those that were both donated and built by members of the Vietnam and all Veterans of Central Florida.
The Larry E. Smedley National Vietnam War Museum includes the first dedicated monument to Fallen Vietnam War Veterans in the state of Florida, with 167 names of men and women from Orange County, Florida. Other static displays consists of a U.S. Navy Patrol Boat River (PBR), also known as “River Rat”, Douglas A-4B Skyhawk aircraft that is currently on loan from the National Museum of Naval Aviation, Pensacola, Florida, and a Bell UH-1 (Huey) Dustoff helicopter. The existing museum center includes numerous artifacts from the Vietnam era; a room-size, to scale, firebase recreation that took approximately eleven years to complete; and recently remodeled an educational media/research room with enhanced audiovisual capabilities.
History
The National Vietnam War Museum, Inc., established in 2000, is a Central Florida non-profit museum, recently name was changed to Larry E. Smedley National Vietnam War Museum owned and operated by the Vietnam Veterans of Central Florida, Inc., also a non-profit organization in Central Florida, founded in 1982. Corporal Larry Eugene Smedley (March 4, 1949–December 21, 1967) was a United States Marine which his name has officially been added to museum title, see his bio to the right. This organization assists the servicemen and women of all wars and branches of military service. While mainly an organization of Vietnam War Era members, the VVCF welcomes all that served with the Armed Forces of the United States.
Artifacts Collections
Static Displays: UH1 (Huey) Helicopter, A-4 Skyhawk Jet Plane, Mk II PBR Navy Patrol Boat, USMC Humvee w/Stinger Missle pods, USA APC (Tracked), jeeps, trucks, trailers
Research Collections
Weapons, clothing, medals, certificates, letters, a lending library and reading room
Educational Programs
Traveling exhibitions, museum tours, vehicle transport to parades and functions, work study programs
Cpl. Larry E. Smedley National Vietnam War Museum
Orlando, Florida
3400 N.Tanner Rd.
Orlando, FL 32826
phone: 407-601-2864
e-mail: wminfo@nwmvocf.org
web: www.nwmvocf.org
Welcome to the Larry E. Smedley National Vietnam War Museum, a place full of knowledge, experiences, and memories. Here you will discover many unique and historical artifacts of the Vietnam Era. As you tour our facility, you will encounter exhibits that are on loan from government, as well as those that were both donated and built by members of the Vietnam and all Veterans of Central Florida.
The Larry E. Smedley National Vietnam War Museum includes the first dedicated monument to Fallen Vietnam War Veterans in the state of Florida, with 167 names of men and women from Orange County, Florida. Other static displays consists of a U.S. Navy Patrol Boat River (PBR), also known as “River Rat”, Douglas A-4B Skyhawk aircraft that is currently on loan from the National Museum of Naval Aviation, Pensacola, Florida, and a Bell UH-1 (Huey) Dustoff helicopter. The existing museum center includes numerous artifacts from the Vietnam era; a room-size, to scale, firebase recreation that took approximately eleven years to complete; and recently remodeled an educational media/research room with enhanced audiovisual capabilities.
History
The National Vietnam War Museum, Inc., established in 2000, is a Central Florida non-profit museum, recently name was changed to Larry E. Smedley National Vietnam War Museum owned and operated by the Vietnam Veterans of Central Florida, Inc., also a non-profit organization in Central Florida, founded in 1982. Corporal Larry Eugene Smedley (March 4, 1949–December 21, 1967) was a United States Marine which his name has officially been added to museum title, see his bio to the right. This organization assists the servicemen and women of all wars and branches of military service. While mainly an organization of Vietnam War Era members, the VVCF welcomes all that served with the Armed Forces of the United States.
Artifacts Collections
Static Displays: UH1 (Huey) Helicopter, A-4 Skyhawk Jet Plane, Mk II PBR Navy Patrol Boat, USMC Humvee w/Stinger Missle pods, USA APC (Tracked), jeeps, trucks, trailers
Research Collections
Weapons, clothing, medals, certificates, letters, a lending library and reading room
Educational Programs
Traveling exhibitions, museum tours, vehicle transport to parades and functions, work study programs
Iraq veteran, Niagara Deputy loses both legs in car crash
Deputy loses both legs in crash of cruiser
Fellow officers saved his life
By Nancy A. Fischer
NEWS NIAGARA REPORTER
Updated: July 21, 2011, 6:38 AM
Niagara County Sheriff Deputy Allen Gerhardt, a decorated veteran who flew combat missions in Iraq, lost both of his legs when his cruiser crashed into a guardrail Monday night in Ransomville.
Gerhardt, 36, of Newfane, was listed in stable condition Wednesday after undergoing 5 1/2 hours of surgery Tuesday night.
The deputy’s family members say the quick action of officers who first arrived at the scene saved his life. As it turned out, both officers were members of the department’s emergency response team and both knew how to tie a tourniquet.
“I owe my husband’s life to them,” said Gerhardt’s wife, Tina. “They are 100 percent my heroes.”
“I can’t express our gratitude,” added his father, Steven A. “You can imagine how much blood you can lose with both your legs ripped off. If they hadn’t had tourniqueted him, I would have been making funeral arrangements right now.”
read more here
Deputy loses both legs in crash of cruiser
Fellow officers saved his life
By Nancy A. Fischer
NEWS NIAGARA REPORTER
Updated: July 21, 2011, 6:38 AM
Niagara County Sheriff Deputy Allen Gerhardt, a decorated veteran who flew combat missions in Iraq, lost both of his legs when his cruiser crashed into a guardrail Monday night in Ransomville.
Gerhardt, 36, of Newfane, was listed in stable condition Wednesday after undergoing 5 1/2 hours of surgery Tuesday night.
The deputy’s family members say the quick action of officers who first arrived at the scene saved his life. As it turned out, both officers were members of the department’s emergency response team and both knew how to tie a tourniquet.
“I owe my husband’s life to them,” said Gerhardt’s wife, Tina. “They are 100 percent my heroes.”
“I can’t express our gratitude,” added his father, Steven A. “You can imagine how much blood you can lose with both your legs ripped off. If they hadn’t had tourniqueted him, I would have been making funeral arrangements right now.”
read more here
Deputy loses both legs in crash of cruiser
Marine identified in fatal wreck
Marine identified in fatal wreck on Interstate 8 near Ogilby Road exit
By SILVIO J. PANTA
Imperial Valley Press Staff Writer
1:14 a.m. PDT, July 21, 2011
WINTERHAVEN — A coroner’s official identified Wednesday the U.S. Marine who died during a rollover crash on westbound Interstate 8 near the Ogilby Road exit.
Cpl. Sylverson Moise, 24, was pronounced dead Tuesday at the scene of the crash, said Imperial County Supervisory Deputy Coroner Sgt. Thomas Garcia.
The crash left an unidentified second Marine with what the California Highway Patrol described as major injuries that required a flight out to St. Joseph’s Hospital and Medical Center in Phoenix, said Highway Patrol Officer Chris Boudreaux.
read more here
Marine identified in fatal wreck
By SILVIO J. PANTA
Imperial Valley Press Staff Writer
1:14 a.m. PDT, July 21, 2011
WINTERHAVEN — A coroner’s official identified Wednesday the U.S. Marine who died during a rollover crash on westbound Interstate 8 near the Ogilby Road exit.
Cpl. Sylverson Moise, 24, was pronounced dead Tuesday at the scene of the crash, said Imperial County Supervisory Deputy Coroner Sgt. Thomas Garcia.
The crash left an unidentified second Marine with what the California Highway Patrol described as major injuries that required a flight out to St. Joseph’s Hospital and Medical Center in Phoenix, said Highway Patrol Officer Chris Boudreaux.
read more here
Marine identified in fatal wreck
Reporter does hardest job, writes about suicide of Marine friend
Reflecting on the suicide of a Marine friend made in Afghanistan
JULY 14TH, 2011
DAN LAMOTHE
This is one of the hardest pieces of journalism that I’ve written in a long time.
As it appears online, the family members of a friend of mine — Sgt. Ian McConnell, 24 — are traveling today from Camp Pendleton, Calif., to his hometown in Woodbury, Minn. They’re preparing for his funeral at Fort Snelling National Cemetery, a U.S. cemetery in nearby Minneapolis.
It’s common that when a person dies with most of his or her life seemingly ahead of them, friends and family create online memorials. Ian is no different. His sister, Meg, posted one on Facebook over the weekend, and it has overflowed with stories of his compassion, selflessness and sense of humor as a human being and his honor, courage and commitment as a Marine.
A key detail hasn’t been shared publicly, though.
Ian killed himself.
With a self-inflicted gunshot wound, he ended his life on the 4th of July, shocking those who know him as an upbeat, kind young man who went out of his way to regularly pick up the spirits of those around him. He left no note explaining why, his family said.
read more here
Reflecting on the suicide of a Marine
JULY 14TH, 2011
DAN LAMOTHE
This is one of the hardest pieces of journalism that I’ve written in a long time.
As it appears online, the family members of a friend of mine — Sgt. Ian McConnell, 24 — are traveling today from Camp Pendleton, Calif., to his hometown in Woodbury, Minn. They’re preparing for his funeral at Fort Snelling National Cemetery, a U.S. cemetery in nearby Minneapolis.
It’s common that when a person dies with most of his or her life seemingly ahead of them, friends and family create online memorials. Ian is no different. His sister, Meg, posted one on Facebook over the weekend, and it has overflowed with stories of his compassion, selflessness and sense of humor as a human being and his honor, courage and commitment as a Marine.
A key detail hasn’t been shared publicly, though.
Ian killed himself.
With a self-inflicted gunshot wound, he ended his life on the 4th of July, shocking those who know him as an upbeat, kind young man who went out of his way to regularly pick up the spirits of those around him. He left no note explaining why, his family said.
read more here
Reflecting on the suicide of a Marine
Five hour standoff with veteran ends with suicide
Ex-Military Man Dies After Five-Hour Standoff With Law Enforcement
Brian Hartsock, 21, held off law enforcement in a five-hour standoff that ended when he killed himself with a shotgun.
By Annie Lane
A young ex-military man who held officers at bay as he repeatedly fired a shotgun into the air at his home in North County killed himself with the weapon after a five hour standoff with law enforcement, authorities said.
Brian Hartsock, 21, barricaded himself in the house in the 700 block of Stanley Avenue in an unincorporated area just outside Escondido city limits shortly before 7:30 p.m. Monday, according to sheriff's officials.
When deputies arrived at the residence, they heard Hartsock talking on the telephone in a seemingly hostile tone of voice, then saw him walk onto a rear patio, carrying what appeared to be a shotgun, Sgt. Mark Haynesworth said.
read more here
Ex Military Man Dies After Five-Hour Standoff
Brian Hartsock, 21, held off law enforcement in a five-hour standoff that ended when he killed himself with a shotgun.
By Annie Lane
A young ex-military man who held officers at bay as he repeatedly fired a shotgun into the air at his home in North County killed himself with the weapon after a five hour standoff with law enforcement, authorities said.
Brian Hartsock, 21, barricaded himself in the house in the 700 block of Stanley Avenue in an unincorporated area just outside Escondido city limits shortly before 7:30 p.m. Monday, according to sheriff's officials.
When deputies arrived at the residence, they heard Hartsock talking on the telephone in a seemingly hostile tone of voice, then saw him walk onto a rear patio, carrying what appeared to be a shotgun, Sgt. Mark Haynesworth said.
read more here
Ex Military Man Dies After Five-Hour Standoff
New Guide Helps Communities Aid Homeless Women Vets
New Guide Helps Communities Aid Homeless Women Vets
By Cheryl Pellerin
American Forces Press Service
WASHINGTON, July 20, 2011 – The Women’s Bureau of the Department of Labor has released an online publication that will help community service providers aid homeless women veterans, Labor Secretary Hilda L. Solis said today.
Solis addressed an audience of several hundred at the Women in Military Service for America Memorial Theater on the grounds of Arlington National Cemetery.
“Where we’re falling short in meeting the challenge of service women is when they come home,” Solis said.
“Too many women who once wore our uniform now go to sleep in our streets,” she added. “It breaks my heart to see that because many of them are sick [and] in need of help, and many are hungry. And it isn’t just them -- some of them have children.”
The publication, called Trauma-Informed Care for Women Veterans Experiencing Homelessness: A Guide for Service Providers, also known as the Trauma Guide, is the result of nationwide listening sessions with women veterans and service providers about the challenges of homelessness.
Women now make up 20 percent of new recruits, 14 percent of the military and 18 percent of the National Guard and Reserve.
Women represent only 8 percent of veterans, according to the guide, but they are at a four-times-greater risk of homelessness than their nonveteran male counterparts.
read more here
New Guide Helps Communities Aid Homeless Women Vets
By Cheryl Pellerin
American Forces Press Service
WASHINGTON, July 20, 2011 – The Women’s Bureau of the Department of Labor has released an online publication that will help community service providers aid homeless women veterans, Labor Secretary Hilda L. Solis said today.
Solis addressed an audience of several hundred at the Women in Military Service for America Memorial Theater on the grounds of Arlington National Cemetery.
“Where we’re falling short in meeting the challenge of service women is when they come home,” Solis said.
“Too many women who once wore our uniform now go to sleep in our streets,” she added. “It breaks my heart to see that because many of them are sick [and] in need of help, and many are hungry. And it isn’t just them -- some of them have children.”
The publication, called Trauma-Informed Care for Women Veterans Experiencing Homelessness: A Guide for Service Providers, also known as the Trauma Guide, is the result of nationwide listening sessions with women veterans and service providers about the challenges of homelessness.
Women now make up 20 percent of new recruits, 14 percent of the military and 18 percent of the National Guard and Reserve.
Women represent only 8 percent of veterans, according to the guide, but they are at a four-times-greater risk of homelessness than their nonveteran male counterparts.
read more here
New Guide Helps Communities Aid Homeless Women Vets
Iowa National Guards Soldier get briefings on PTSD coming home
Iowans At War: Soldiers Turn In Their Guns and Gear
Sonya Heitshusen
Reporter
9:29 p.m. CDT, July 20, 2011
A chartered plane lands in the stormy night at Volk Airfield in Wisconsin. It's carrying about 200 Soldiers from the Iowa National Guard's 113th Cavalry. The 16 hour flight is just the beginning of their journey back to their families.
After a personal greeting from some of the Guard's top brass, the Soldiers line up for buses, waiting to take them to their next stop, a garage. Here, they will part with one of their closest companions.
Soldiers Turn In Their Guns and Gear
Sonya Heitshusen
Reporter
9:29 p.m. CDT, July 20, 2011
A chartered plane lands in the stormy night at Volk Airfield in Wisconsin. It's carrying about 200 Soldiers from the Iowa National Guard's 113th Cavalry. The 16 hour flight is just the beginning of their journey back to their families.
After a personal greeting from some of the Guard's top brass, the Soldiers line up for buses, waiting to take them to their next stop, a garage. Here, they will part with one of their closest companions.
In addition to the physical screenings, all Soldiers receive a mental health evaluation. They must also attend briefings on how to identify Post Traumatic Stress Disorder.read more here
"If you get home and you're having feelings of helplessness, hopelessness or worthlessness and you don't know where to go, you can always go to your local emergency room," says a Chaplain leading a debrief.
Lt. Col. Sutton notes the difference between PTSD and Post Traumatic Stress. She says every Soldier experiences stress. PTSD is diagnosed when a Soldier experience behavioral disorders like nightmares and hyper-vigilance for more than two months.
Soldiers Turn In Their Guns and Gear
Marine Dakota Meyer to receive Medal of Honor
Obama to present Medal of Honor to Marine for valorous actions in Afghanistan
By Associated Press, Published: July 20
WASHINGTON — Pentagon officials say President Barack Obama will present the Medal of Honor to a Marine who braved enemy fire in Afghanistan in a bid to find and retrieve three missing Marines and a Navy corpsman.
Dakota Meyer, who left active duty in June 2010, will be the first living Marine in 41 years to receive the nation’s highest award for valor.
read more here
Obama to present Medal of Honor to Marine
By Associated Press, Published: July 20
WASHINGTON — Pentagon officials say President Barack Obama will present the Medal of Honor to a Marine who braved enemy fire in Afghanistan in a bid to find and retrieve three missing Marines and a Navy corpsman.
Dakota Meyer, who left active duty in June 2010, will be the first living Marine in 41 years to receive the nation’s highest award for valor.
read more here
Obama to present Medal of Honor to Marine
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