Many Military Vets in College Plagued By Thoughts of Suicide
They're six times more likely than other students to attempt it, study shows
Posted: August 4, 2011
By Alan Mozes
HealthDay Reporter
THURSDAY, Aug. 4 (HealthDay News) -- American military veterans attending college are far more likely to entertain thoughts of suicide than fellow students who have never been in the military, a new national survey indicates.
Data from the poll paints a grave picture of these students' mental health: Nearly half of all vets currently in higher education say they have considered suicide at some point in their lives, while one in five say they have actually made plans to go through with it.
Such figures far exceed estimates of suicidal tendencies among college students who have never been in the military, the research team noted.
"The data suggest that the problems experienced by soldiers while on active duty don't end when they separate from the service," said study author David Rudd, of the National Center for Veterans Studies at the University of Utah in Salt Lake City. "Rather, a large number of student veterans continue to experience significant problems, including post-traumatic stress symptoms and suicide risk."
"The reported rate of suicide attempts among student veterans was six times that of the general student population," Rudd noted, "and those reporting 'serious' suicidal thoughts -- those thinking about suicide with a plan -- was more than three times that of the general student population."
read more here
Many Military Vets in College Plagued By Thoughts of Suicide
Thursday, August 4, 2011
Cops twice as likely to commit suicide than die in line of duty
Cops have a lot more in common with the troops than any other group. They not only witness traumatic events, they participate in them as well.
Tragic cases like Celina Cass a challenge for investigators
WCAX
Burlington, Vermont - August 3, 2011
"As a trooper, I can remember just about every mile marker where I had a fatal car crash," said Sonny Provetto, a licensed clinical social worker.
Provetto is a former Burlington Police officer and Vermont State Trooper. Now he helps other cops work through job-related trauma. He says the mental images of gruesome crime scenes stay with law enforcement officials long after the incident has passed.
For the hundreds of investigators working on the Celina Cass case in West Stewartstown, N.H., putting the little girl's tragic death out of their minds when the investigation is over could prove challenging. Provetto says incidents involving children rank fourth in job-related stress, behind killing in the line of duty, losing a partner or having a near death experience themselves.
"They will always remember exactly what it was like for them," Provetto said.
Stressors like these-- if left untreated-- can take their toll. Provetto says cops are twice as likely to commit suicide as die in the line of duty; 25 percent abuse alcohol to cope with their experiences and 6 to 14 percent suffer from post-traumatic stress disorder. But unlike war, police officers don't get to leave the geographical area that sparks the trauma.
read more here
Tragic cases like Celina Cass a challenge for investigators
Vet Center Crucial Void For Veterans In Clarksville
Crucial Void For Veterans In Clarksville
CLARKSVILLE, Tenn. - There are four Veteran Centers in Tennessee. But not one of them is in Montgomery County, the only county with a military post and the highest number of veterans.
A group of local lawmakers said it doesn't make any sense and that the vital counseling services should be available in Fort Campbell's backyard to help with the often difficult transition from combat to life back in Clarksville.
"It's not easy because you go from being in this foreign country getting blown up having bombs grown at you keep your eyes out you cone back here and you are still doing the same thing it's hard," said Sandra Sawin, a recent vet and mother of two.
Sawin is supporting the push to get a Vet Center built in Clarksville.
"With it being Fort Campbell right here with so many soldiers right here why can't we gave one closer," she said.
read more here
Crucial Void For Veterans In Clarksville
CLARKSVILLE, Tenn. - There are four Veteran Centers in Tennessee. But not one of them is in Montgomery County, the only county with a military post and the highest number of veterans.
A group of local lawmakers said it doesn't make any sense and that the vital counseling services should be available in Fort Campbell's backyard to help with the often difficult transition from combat to life back in Clarksville.
"It's not easy because you go from being in this foreign country getting blown up having bombs grown at you keep your eyes out you cone back here and you are still doing the same thing it's hard," said Sandra Sawin, a recent vet and mother of two.
Sawin is supporting the push to get a Vet Center built in Clarksville.
"With it being Fort Campbell right here with so many soldiers right here why can't we gave one closer," she said.
read more here
Crucial Void For Veterans In Clarksville
Sen. Murray wants other states to also track veterans' suicides
What has been reported on this blog is the fact that if they are not in the DOD system or the VA system, no one is tracking them. When we read numbers like 18 a day commit suicide, there are many, many more no one is tracking. It will be a lot higher once every state is actually tracking all of them.
Sen. Murray wants other states to also track veterans' suicides
Washington Sen. Patty Murray on Wednesday encouraged state governments to start tallying veteran suicides, as her state already does.
ADAM ASHTON; STAFF WRITER
Published: 08/04/11
Washington Sen. Patty Murray on Wednesday encouraged state governments to start tallying veteran suicides, as her state already does.
Her goal is to quantify an under-reported number that could help health agencies improve their outreach to service members who have fought in Iraq and Afghanistan.
The Department of Veterans Affairs has an incomplete picture of suicide among former service members because it doesn’t count the deaths of veterans not enrolled in VA care.
“One of the most significant obstacles to understanding veteran suicide is the lack of information available regarding these individuals,” Murray wrote with two of her Democratic colleagues in a letter to the National Governors Association.
“In many cases the Department of Veterans Affairs does not even know that a veteran has died if that individual was not enrolled in VA health care,” wrote Murray.
read more here
Sen. Murray wants other states to also track veterans suicides
Army releases name of soldier found dead at Ariz's Fort Huachuca
Army releases name of soldier found dead at Ariz's Fort Huachuca hours after his weapon arrest
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
First Posted: August 03, 2011
FORT HUACHUCA, Ariz. — Army officials have released the name of a soldier found dead in his residence at Fort Huachuca in southern Arizona.
Authorities say 38-year-old Sgt. 1st Class Jose J. Algarin-Colon died Monday afternoon of an apparent gunshot wound.
read more here
Army releases name of soldier found dead at Ariz's Fort Huachuca
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
First Posted: August 03, 2011
FORT HUACHUCA, Ariz. — Army officials have released the name of a soldier found dead in his residence at Fort Huachuca in southern Arizona.
Authorities say 38-year-old Sgt. 1st Class Jose J. Algarin-Colon died Monday afternoon of an apparent gunshot wound.
read more here
Army releases name of soldier found dead at Ariz's Fort Huachuca
National Guards promised $34M in Bonuses Under Question
Guard: $34M in Bonuses Under Question
August 03, 2011
Associated Press|by Tim Fought
PORTLAND, Ore. - The National Guard will allow an Oregon recruit the $20,000 bonus it promised her in 2007, even though it believes the money was among $34 million worth of incentives improperly granted in recent years.
A month ago, the Guard had asked Pfc. Chelsea Wells to return the first half of the bonus, which she got in 2008, and refused to pay the second half - even though it didn't suggest she had done anything wrong. But facing congressional pressure to honor Wells' contract, the Guard confirmed Tuesday that it changed its position in the case, which has opened a window into recruitment practices that involve a variety of incentives.
Since Wells' case came to light in mid-July, the Guard has revealed that a new verification system has found that more than 4,000 bonuses nationwide were "improperly offered to the applicant" in 2007-2009. Those incentives had been offered by recruiters and enlistment officers.
read more here
$34M in Bonuses Under Question
August 03, 2011
Associated Press|by Tim Fought
PORTLAND, Ore. - The National Guard will allow an Oregon recruit the $20,000 bonus it promised her in 2007, even though it believes the money was among $34 million worth of incentives improperly granted in recent years.
A month ago, the Guard had asked Pfc. Chelsea Wells to return the first half of the bonus, which she got in 2008, and refused to pay the second half - even though it didn't suggest she had done anything wrong. But facing congressional pressure to honor Wells' contract, the Guard confirmed Tuesday that it changed its position in the case, which has opened a window into recruitment practices that involve a variety of incentives.
Since Wells' case came to light in mid-July, the Guard has revealed that a new verification system has found that more than 4,000 bonuses nationwide were "improperly offered to the applicant" in 2007-2009. Those incentives had been offered by recruiters and enlistment officers.
read more here
$34M in Bonuses Under Question
Troops abusing alcohol has roughly doubled in the last five years
The "cure" of choice when soldiers do not feel safe seeking help for PTSD is alcohol. They want to numb what they do not want to feel anymore. It should come as no shock the number of troops abusing alcohol has doubled.
Army Hiring More Counselors for Alcohol Abuse
August 04, 2011
Associated Press|by Pauline Jelinek
WASHINGTON -- The Army is increasing its staff of substance abuse counselors by about 30 percent to help the rising number of troops with alcohol problems.
Officials said Wednesday that they posted 130 new job openings this week in hopes of increasing staff to counsel Soldiers at bases around the world from the current level of around 400.
"One of the largest challenges in maintaining health is addressing issues of substance abuse by our Soldiers," Army Vice Chief of Staff Gen. Peter Chiarelli said. Getting more qualified counselors to areas where there are staff shortfalls "is an issue that needs to be rectified as soon as possible."
The number of troops abusing alcohol has roughly doubled in the last five years as Soldiers go through the stressful cycle of training, serving in the wars, readjusting to home life and then doing it all over again months later, Dr. Les McFarling, head of the army's substance program, said in an interview.
read more here
Army Hiring More Counselors for Alcohol Abuse
Drug court disbanded for lack of funding
Drug court disbanded for lack of funding
2011-08-04 / Community
State-mandated program focuses on treatment over jail
By Darleen Principe
darleen@theacorn.com
Certain nonviolent drug offenders in Ventura County will still have the opportunity to seek treatment in lieu of incarceration despite the recent disbanding of the county’s collaborative drug court program.
Proposition 36 Court, an underone roof justice program made up of representatives from Ventura County’s probation agency, behavioral health department, district attorney’s office and public defender’s office, held its last session on July 22.
According to Robert Sherman, assistant executive officer for the Ventura County Superior Court, funding cuts have forced agencies to withdraw from the program, which means it is “no longer viable” as a functioning collaborative court.
read more here
Drug court disbanded for lack of funding
Mental health court expands during first eight months
Mental health court expands during first eight months
Posted: Wednesday, Aug 3rd, 2011
BY: April Bamburg
When an individual with a mental illness is arrested, the experience they have with law enforcement may be different than that of someone who doesn't suffer from a mental illness. For the past eight months, a program in Lincoln County has aimed to assist individuals with mental illnesses who have found themselves in trouble with the law. That program is the Lincoln County Mental Health Court.
read more here
Mental health court expands during first eight months
Fort Hood female soldier saves baby from burning house
More Than 100 Firefighters Battle Major Fire, Soldier Rescues Baby From Home
Killeen firefighters battled a fire that consumed two houses on the north side of the city.
Reporter: Josh Wucher and Megan Snipes
KILLEEN (August 3, 2011)—Firefighters battled a major structure fire in Killeen near Fort Hood that consumed two houses.
The fire started as a house fire around 2:30 p.m. Wednesday on the 700 block of Northside Dr., but spread to Fort Hood.
A home was fully engulfed, and the fire spread to another home.
Three garages, three sheds, two cars, two boats, and a trailer were also destroyed by the fire.
Firefighters from Killeen, Harker Heights and Fort Hood were at the scene.
Fire departments from Southwest Bell County, Central Bell County, Temple and Copperas Cove also helped.
Before some firefighters arrived on the scene, a Fort Hood soldier sprung into action.
Army Pvt. Denae Jensen kicked down the door of a home and saved two puppies. She then ran into another burning home and saved a baby that was in the crib. The mother of the child was gathering their belongings at the time of the rescue.
read more here
Soldier Rescues Baby From Home
Killeen firefighters battled a fire that consumed two houses on the north side of the city.
Reporter: Josh Wucher and Megan Snipes
KILLEEN (August 3, 2011)—Firefighters battled a major structure fire in Killeen near Fort Hood that consumed two houses.
The fire started as a house fire around 2:30 p.m. Wednesday on the 700 block of Northside Dr., but spread to Fort Hood.
A home was fully engulfed, and the fire spread to another home.
Three garages, three sheds, two cars, two boats, and a trailer were also destroyed by the fire.
Firefighters from Killeen, Harker Heights and Fort Hood were at the scene.
Fire departments from Southwest Bell County, Central Bell County, Temple and Copperas Cove also helped.
Before some firefighters arrived on the scene, a Fort Hood soldier sprung into action.
Army Pvt. Denae Jensen kicked down the door of a home and saved two puppies. She then ran into another burning home and saved a baby that was in the crib. The mother of the child was gathering their belongings at the time of the rescue.
read more here
Soldier Rescues Baby From Home
Non-combat Deaths of Three Camp Lejeune Marines Being Investigated
3 MARSOC Marines, dog die in Afghan blaze
By Andrew deGrandpre - Staff writer
Posted : Wednesday Aug 3, 2011 18:09:32 EDT
Three Marine Corps special operators died Sunday along with a military dog after their living quarters caught fire in western Afghanistan.
Staff Sgt. Patrick R. Dolphin, 29, Sgt. Dennis E. Kancler, 26, and Sgt. Christopher M. Wrinkle, 29, were killed in Herat province, according to a Defense Department news release issued late Wednesday. All three were assigned to Marine Corps Forces Special Operations Command’s 2nd Marine Special Operations Battalion, based at Camp Lejeune, N.C.
MARSOC officials said only that the men died in a “non-combat” incident, and that the matter is being investigated by U.S. military personnel in Afghanistan.
But other sources with knowledge of the mishap told Marine Corps Times that the men died in a house fire.
A fourth MARSOC Marine and an Army special operator sustained unspecified injures as a result of the incident, said Maj. Jeffrey Landis, a MARSOC spokesman. It’s unclear whether they were evacuated from Afghanistan, he said.
A military dog also died in the incident, Landis said. He declined to comment on whether a fire caused the deaths.
read more here
3 MARSOC Marines, dog die in Afghan blaze
Details released about area Marine's death
BY KATIE SULLIVAN (STAFF WRITER)Published: August 4, 2011
The death of an area Marine and former Elmhurst Township resident is still under investigation after he died while serving in Afghanistan.
Staff Sgt. Patrick R. Dolphin, 29, died July 31 while supporting combat operations in Herat province of Afghanistan, according to a press release from the Department of Defense.
Further details surrounding the incident are still unclear, said Major Jeff Landis, a spokesman for the United States Marine Corps Forces Special Operations Command.
Dolphin leaves behind a wife of more than two years, Lindsey, along with his parents Tom Dolphin and Jean Uffalussy, and a younger brother Tom Dolphin Jr., who all traveled to Dover, Del. to retrieve Sgt. Dolphin's remains Tuesday.
Read more:
Details released about area Marine death
Deaths of Three Camp Lejeune Marines Being Investigated
By WCTI Staff
ONSLOW COUNTY -- The Department of Defense announced Wednesday the deaths of three Marines who were based at Camp Lejeune.
Staff Sgt. Patrick R. Dolphin, 29, of Moscow, Pa., Sgt. Dennis E. Kancler, 26, of Brecksville, Ohio, and Sgt. Christopher M. Wrinkle, 29, of Dallastown, Pa., died July 31 as a result of a non-combat related incident in Herat province, Afghanistan.
read more here
Deaths of Three Camp Lejeune Marines Being Investigated
Married Marines serve together in Afghanistan
Married Marines serve together in Afghanistan
Helicopter technicians say they don’t see each other much despite shared deploymen
BY GEOFF PURSINGER
The Times, Aug 4, 2011
Tigard native Branden McClintock doesn’t get to see his wife Krystal much these days.
As a sergeant in the U.S. Marine Corps serving in Afghanistan, that’s not too surprising.
What is surprising is that his wife is right there beside him.
McClintock is married to fellow avionics technician Sgt. Krystal Palace-McClintock from Kansas City, Mo. The couple met while serving in the Marine Light Attack Helicopter Squadron 267 and are currently serving their second tour together as helicopter technicians.
The McClintocks are one of three married couples currently deployed with the Camp Pendleton, Calif.,-based helicopter squadron in Helmand Province in Afghanistan.
read more here
Married Marines serve together in Afghanistan
Helicopter technicians say they don’t see each other much despite shared deploymen
BY GEOFF PURSINGER
The Times, Aug 4, 2011
Tigard native Branden McClintock doesn’t get to see his wife Krystal much these days.
As a sergeant in the U.S. Marine Corps serving in Afghanistan, that’s not too surprising.
What is surprising is that his wife is right there beside him.
McClintock is married to fellow avionics technician Sgt. Krystal Palace-McClintock from Kansas City, Mo. The couple met while serving in the Marine Light Attack Helicopter Squadron 267 and are currently serving their second tour together as helicopter technicians.
The McClintocks are one of three married couples currently deployed with the Camp Pendleton, Calif.,-based helicopter squadron in Helmand Province in Afghanistan.
read more here
Married Marines serve together in Afghanistan
Marine Injured in Oceanside Motorcycle Crash
Marine Injured in Oceanside Motorcycle Crash
He attempted to split lanes in stopped traffic at a high rate of speed, the Highway Patrol reports.
By Tom Roebuck
August 3, 2011
A 22-year-old Marine stationed at Camp Pendleton was hospitalized with a compound fracture to his right leg Wednesday morning after the motorcycle he was driving hit a stopped car in Oceanside, according to the Highway Patrol.
read more here
Marine Injured in Oceanside Motorcycle Crash
He attempted to split lanes in stopped traffic at a high rate of speed, the Highway Patrol reports.
By Tom Roebuck
August 3, 2011
A 22-year-old Marine stationed at Camp Pendleton was hospitalized with a compound fracture to his right leg Wednesday morning after the motorcycle he was driving hit a stopped car in Oceanside, according to the Highway Patrol.
read more here
Marine Injured in Oceanside Motorcycle Crash
House doesn't care if you have a job or not
Wonder why the unemployment rate is going up? Look in one place for the answer. Hint, it's in Washington DC. The building is supposed to be housing people with one mission. That mission is supposed to take care of the people in this country. They called it "the people's house" for that reason.
Ever since January when this congress began session, it has not been about what the people in this country need. It has not been about our jobs or making this country a better place for all of her citizens. It has been all about focusing on the wealthy, protecting their tax discounts and cutting everything else so that the people in this country not interested in paying taxes won't have to. How unAmerican is that? It sounds good because no one wants to pay taxes but most of the people in this country fully understand that we have to pay to have this country succeed.
The military, funded by taxes, is not just about contractors making millions off every contract. It is also about the men and women serving this country, putting their physical lives on the line and their personal lives on hold. It's their families wondering how to make ends meet at the same time they are wondering if their loved one is in danger, hurt or if they will get the stranger in uniform at the door with sad news. It is about their retirement after they served their 20 years or more being able to collect military retirement and Social Security after paying into both systems. It is about knowing they will be able to take care of their families if they are wounded in action and if they will have their medical needs met.
You want to be able to fly with some assurance you will arrive safely? We're heading into the tenth year after this nation was attacked on that bright September morning. Four planes were taken over and since then security at airports across the country has been increased so that people will be safe to fly and no more plans will be used as weapons against civilians. We all understood this ten years ago but the people working for the TSA and the FAA don't do it for free. They have bills to pay just like everyone else. What did Congress do? They took off for vacations without funding the FAA. Now we have people out of work and money paid by passengers not collected for the country.
FAA
$200 million a week not being collected in taxes but paid by passengers. Fiscal responsibility? Nope. Then there are the employees out of jobs and in the unemployment line.
There are 4,000 of them in the unemployment line now along with 70,000 construction workers.
Then there are the weakest among us. The homeless. Since there are not enough jobs to go around even though some folks in congress kept the tax discounts for the rich going claiming they are the job creators instead of terminators, more people became homeless under their watch. Well, it looks like once we finally arrived at a time when there was a lot being done to help the homeless, we did a u-turn. Not only are they being left to fend for themselves more and more, now there are wonderful people out of work who used to take care of them.
Chicago
In state after state public employees are losing their jobs, yet the same folks responsible for them walking the streets are the ones screaming about the unemployment rate pointing a twisted finger at the President as if they had nothing to do with any of this. Well, in a way they are right. They had nothing to do with putting people back to work but plenty to do with putting them out of work and as for the term "the People's House" they should put a sing up "Sold to the highest bidder."
One third of the homeless are veterans. Veteran lose their homes all the time because they cannot work and their claims are not approved fast enough leaving them with no income. National Guards and Reservist usually work in public service on their regular jobs, as police officers, firefighters, emergency responders and every other agency the rest of us depend on. Imagine being notified you will be deployed at the same time you get a layoff notice.
Now we may be able to appreciate the folks saying they don't want to pass on the debt to their kids but that is only if we don't look at them right now. What kind of country do we want them growing up in? One that takes care of the wealthy on the backs of the rest of the population or one that manages to do the right thing? Do we want them growing up worrying about their roads, bridges and tunnels being safe for us to take them for a ride? Safe to fly down to Disney for a vacation? Safe to take medicine, drink water, eat food without being made sick? Do we want to know that if they do get sick they can go to a doctor to get better?
Do we want them to grow up worried they will not learn enough in school because their classroom is overcrowded due to teacher layoffs? What kind of future will they have with a lousy education? Do we want them to know that they do matter and we fully accept the responsibility to make sure they have the best education possible no matter what income class their parents belong in?
There are folks in congress wanting to keep things plan and simple so that people will just think of their words instead of what their words mean. They want us to be deaf to the cries of our own neighbors, dumb enough to follow where they want us to go and blind to the fact they are being funded by the wealthy they owe their careers to.
The People's House is a colloquial term used to describe the institution of the United States House of Representatives.
The term comes from the populist characteristics of the House: smaller representative districts, shorter terms of office for its members and (perhaps most importantly) direct election by the people. The House of Representatives was the only branch of the Federal government to be directly elected by the people until ratification of the Seventeenth Amendment to the United States Constitution in 1913, when the Senate was made a directly elected body.
Ever since January when this congress began session, it has not been about what the people in this country need. It has not been about our jobs or making this country a better place for all of her citizens. It has been all about focusing on the wealthy, protecting their tax discounts and cutting everything else so that the people in this country not interested in paying taxes won't have to. How unAmerican is that? It sounds good because no one wants to pay taxes but most of the people in this country fully understand that we have to pay to have this country succeed.
The military, funded by taxes, is not just about contractors making millions off every contract. It is also about the men and women serving this country, putting their physical lives on the line and their personal lives on hold. It's their families wondering how to make ends meet at the same time they are wondering if their loved one is in danger, hurt or if they will get the stranger in uniform at the door with sad news. It is about their retirement after they served their 20 years or more being able to collect military retirement and Social Security after paying into both systems. It is about knowing they will be able to take care of their families if they are wounded in action and if they will have their medical needs met.
You want to be able to fly with some assurance you will arrive safely? We're heading into the tenth year after this nation was attacked on that bright September morning. Four planes were taken over and since then security at airports across the country has been increased so that people will be safe to fly and no more plans will be used as weapons against civilians. We all understood this ten years ago but the people working for the TSA and the FAA don't do it for free. They have bills to pay just like everyone else. What did Congress do? They took off for vacations without funding the FAA. Now we have people out of work and money paid by passengers not collected for the country.
FAA
$200 million a week not being collected in taxes but paid by passengers. Fiscal responsibility? Nope. Then there are the employees out of jobs and in the unemployment line.
There are 4,000 of them in the unemployment line now along with 70,000 construction workers.
Then there are the weakest among us. The homeless. Since there are not enough jobs to go around even though some folks in congress kept the tax discounts for the rich going claiming they are the job creators instead of terminators, more people became homeless under their watch. Well, it looks like once we finally arrived at a time when there was a lot being done to help the homeless, we did a u-turn. Not only are they being left to fend for themselves more and more, now there are wonderful people out of work who used to take care of them.
Chicago
City Lays Off 24,
Owing to their homeless program's state funding being cut in half, the city's Department of Family and Support Services announced Tuesday that they have been forced to lay off 24 employees effective Sept. 1.
The majority of the workers being laid off staffed the overnight, midnight-to-8 a.m. shift, picking up homeless individuals and transporting them to shelters, the Chicago Sun-Times reports. Now those individuals will likely go without the city's help during the evening, making an already bad system even worse, according to Julie Dworkin, director of policy for the Chicago Coalition of the Homeless.
"They tell you to go to a hospital or a police station and the van will come to take you to a shelter. But, people often have to wait hours for the van to come," Dworkin told the Sun-Times.
"From now on if you call in the middle of the night, you can add another eight hours to your wait."
read more here
Cuts Overnight Emergency Homeless Services
In state after state public employees are losing their jobs, yet the same folks responsible for them walking the streets are the ones screaming about the unemployment rate pointing a twisted finger at the President as if they had nothing to do with any of this. Well, in a way they are right. They had nothing to do with putting people back to work but plenty to do with putting them out of work and as for the term "the People's House" they should put a sing up "Sold to the highest bidder."
One third of the homeless are veterans. Veteran lose their homes all the time because they cannot work and their claims are not approved fast enough leaving them with no income. National Guards and Reservist usually work in public service on their regular jobs, as police officers, firefighters, emergency responders and every other agency the rest of us depend on. Imagine being notified you will be deployed at the same time you get a layoff notice.
Now we may be able to appreciate the folks saying they don't want to pass on the debt to their kids but that is only if we don't look at them right now. What kind of country do we want them growing up in? One that takes care of the wealthy on the backs of the rest of the population or one that manages to do the right thing? Do we want them growing up worrying about their roads, bridges and tunnels being safe for us to take them for a ride? Safe to fly down to Disney for a vacation? Safe to take medicine, drink water, eat food without being made sick? Do we want to know that if they do get sick they can go to a doctor to get better?
Do we want them to grow up worried they will not learn enough in school because their classroom is overcrowded due to teacher layoffs? What kind of future will they have with a lousy education? Do we want them to know that they do matter and we fully accept the responsibility to make sure they have the best education possible no matter what income class their parents belong in?
There are folks in congress wanting to keep things plan and simple so that people will just think of their words instead of what their words mean. They want us to be deaf to the cries of our own neighbors, dumb enough to follow where they want us to go and blind to the fact they are being funded by the wealthy they owe their careers to.
Wednesday, August 3, 2011
Tea Party elected put military pay and veterans programs in line for cuts
Is this what the people who voted for these Tea Party folks really wanted? Did they even pay attention to what they were up to before they voted for them? It has been clear from the start that anything to do with the government was not worth anything and now they just proved it.
Wasn't it bad enough with all the fighting over protecting tax cuts for the wealthy ended up making them worried about being deployed and not getting paid? What happened to the jobs these people said they wanted to create? Any bills done on getting people back to work? What happened to honoring the men and women serving this country? Any idea who the hell is supposed to process claims and take care of the wounded if employees get cut? There are not enough of them now!
Under debt deal, military pay, veterans programs in play for cuts
By Bob Brewinbbrewin@govexec.com
August 3, 2011
Military pay raises, funding for veterans health care and the Post-9/11 GI Bill could be sacrificed to new fiscal realities as the result of the deal signed by President Obama on Tuesday to raise the federal debt ceiling, according to the Military Officers Association and veterans groups. The law requires the federal budget be cut $2.1 trillion over 10 years.
The White House said it plans to cut $350 billion from the Defense Department budget (excluding war funding) over the next decade. Retired Air Force Col. Michael Hayden, the association's deputy director for government relations, said this means "everything is on the table," including military pay.
While Congress historically has been reluctant to freeze military pay, the 2011 Budget Control Act signed by Obama on Tuesday makes it clear upfront that military pay is no longer off-limits in budget discussions. If the administration and Congress fail to make the required reductions then across-the-board cuts in discretionary funding will be triggered through a procedure known as sequestration. The law gives the president "authority to exempt any [military] personnel account from sequestration" but only if "savings are achieved through across-the-board reductions in the remainder of the Department of Defense budget," states a House Rules Committee analysis of the bill.
read more here
Under debt deal, military pay, veterans programs in play for cuts
Wasn't it bad enough with all the fighting over protecting tax cuts for the wealthy ended up making them worried about being deployed and not getting paid? What happened to the jobs these people said they wanted to create? Any bills done on getting people back to work? What happened to honoring the men and women serving this country? Any idea who the hell is supposed to process claims and take care of the wounded if employees get cut? There are not enough of them now!
Decorated Vietnam veteran's valor is saluted
Vietnam veteran's valor is saluted
by Phil Keren & Ellin Walsh
FALLS NEWS-PRESS EDITOR, REPORTER
Cuyahoga Falls officials on July 22 recognized a decorated Vietnam veteran by renaming a portion of Front Street in his honor.
Bernard V Slider Jr., "J.R." to his friends, died Oct. 7, 2003, after a battle with cancer. He was 53.
About 20 people -- including Mr. Slider's brothers Don and Ken, and his father, Bernard V. Slider Sr. -- attended a brief ceremony in sweltering heat at the corner of Front Street and Grant Avenue across from American Legion Post 281.
Mayor Don Robart designated the day (July 22) as "Sgt. J.R. Slider Day" in Cuyahoga Falls. Donald and Ken Slider then unveiled the sign at Front Street and Grant Avenue which bears the name "Sgt. J.R. Slider Silver Memorial Way."
"It's beautiful," said Ken Slider moments after the ceremony concluded. A catalyst in getting the city to designate the stretch of street in his brother's honor, Don Slider says J.R. "was the most highly decorated Vietnam veteran in Summit County." The idea of honoring J.R. this way has been in the works for three years. "His dedication to our country set him apart," Ken Slider says, adding, "if your life had to be in somebody else's hands, you'd want it to be J.R.'s."
Sgt. Slider served in the U.S. Army -- Company E, 2nd Battalion (Airborne) 502nd Infantry as a radio-telephone operator during Vietnam. He received two Purple Heart medals, the Silver Star for gallantry in action, eight air medals, the Brave Eagle coin for valor and two Bronze Stars.
read more here
Vietnam veteran valor is saluted
by Phil Keren & Ellin Walsh
FALLS NEWS-PRESS EDITOR, REPORTER
Cuyahoga Falls officials on July 22 recognized a decorated Vietnam veteran by renaming a portion of Front Street in his honor.
Bernard V Slider Jr., "J.R." to his friends, died Oct. 7, 2003, after a battle with cancer. He was 53.
About 20 people -- including Mr. Slider's brothers Don and Ken, and his father, Bernard V. Slider Sr. -- attended a brief ceremony in sweltering heat at the corner of Front Street and Grant Avenue across from American Legion Post 281.
Mayor Don Robart designated the day (July 22) as "Sgt. J.R. Slider Day" in Cuyahoga Falls. Donald and Ken Slider then unveiled the sign at Front Street and Grant Avenue which bears the name "Sgt. J.R. Slider Silver Memorial Way."
"It's beautiful," said Ken Slider moments after the ceremony concluded. A catalyst in getting the city to designate the stretch of street in his brother's honor, Don Slider says J.R. "was the most highly decorated Vietnam veteran in Summit County." The idea of honoring J.R. this way has been in the works for three years. "His dedication to our country set him apart," Ken Slider says, adding, "if your life had to be in somebody else's hands, you'd want it to be J.R.'s."
Sgt. Slider served in the U.S. Army -- Company E, 2nd Battalion (Airborne) 502nd Infantry as a radio-telephone operator during Vietnam. He received two Purple Heart medals, the Silver Star for gallantry in action, eight air medals, the Brave Eagle coin for valor and two Bronze Stars.
read more here
Vietnam veteran valor is saluted
Vietnam MIA comes home to Knox
Vietnam veteran, missing for decades, comes home to Knox
By Terry Turner Post-Tribune correspondent
Updated: August 3, 2011 1:59AM
KNOX — Andy Howes, missing in action since 1970 and Starke County’s final casualty of the Vietnam War, came home Monday evening to a tremendous turnout of veterans, classmates and the Knox and Starke County community.
The emotional goodbye for the 1968 graduate of Knox High School, who was just 19 when the Huey he was co-piloting was lost as he and his fellow crew members were returning from a mission, continued Tuesday evening, in what family members termed “a homecoming.”
Howes’ casket was carried a block-and-a-half by fellow Vietnam veterans from the M.C. Smith Funeral Home to the Knox Community Center. A long line of flag-carrying Indiana Patriot Guards on both sides of the street stood at attention as the casket went by.
Howes will be buried in his final resting place at Arlington National Cemetery on Aug 5.
read more here
Vietnam veteran, missing for decades, comes home to Knox
By Terry Turner Post-Tribune correspondent
Updated: August 3, 2011 1:59AM
KNOX — Andy Howes, missing in action since 1970 and Starke County’s final casualty of the Vietnam War, came home Monday evening to a tremendous turnout of veterans, classmates and the Knox and Starke County community.
The emotional goodbye for the 1968 graduate of Knox High School, who was just 19 when the Huey he was co-piloting was lost as he and his fellow crew members were returning from a mission, continued Tuesday evening, in what family members termed “a homecoming.”
Howes’ casket was carried a block-and-a-half by fellow Vietnam veterans from the M.C. Smith Funeral Home to the Knox Community Center. A long line of flag-carrying Indiana Patriot Guards on both sides of the street stood at attention as the casket went by.
Howes will be buried in his final resting place at Arlington National Cemetery on Aug 5.
read more here
Vietnam veteran, missing for decades, comes home to Knox
VA Kicks Off National Caregiver Support Conference
VA Kicks Off National Caregiver Support Conference
Caring for Those Who Care for Our Veterans
WASHINGTON (Aug. 3, 2011) - Dr. Robert Petzel, Department of Veterans Affairs Under Secretary for Health, gave the keynote address Aug. 2 kicking off the 2011 National Caregiver Support Conference, "Caring for Those Who Care for Our Veterans."
The training conference, August 2-4 in Washington highlights VA's support of caregivers of all eras, with plenary sessions featuring national experts in care giving.
The conference follows the implementation of landmark legislation by VA that provides a direct benefit for the first time to designated, approved family caregivers of eligible Post 9/11 Veterans, which includes monthly stipends and health insurance.
"Family caregivers are full partners with VA who help to ensure that Veterans receive the top-quality care they have earned," said Dr. Petzel. "Expanded services will support family caregivers, improve their self-care, provide training and help them connect with each other
for support and encouragement."
Veterans and Servicemembers undergoing medical discharge may be eligible for the family caregiver program if they incurred or aggravated a serious injury in the line of duty on or after 9/11/2001, are in need of personal care services, and meet defined eligibility criteria.
The conference is part of the comprehensive program of caregiver support that VA is implementing.
"Staff from VA medical centers across the country are attending to share best practices and gain new understanding of the unique challenges faced by family caregivers of Veterans from all eras," said Deborah Amdur, chief consultant, Care Management and Social Work Service.
The department began accepting applications for caregiver stipend and benefits payments by mail, telephone and online May 9. As of July 26, there have been 1,644 total applications received and in process. To date, 567 stipends have been approved with a monthly average of $1,600.
In addition, caregiver support includes the new caregiver website that was launched May 31. The website -- www.caregiver.va.gov -- is now averaging more than 1,481 hits per day, 4.5 pages viewed per visit, for a total of at least 6,649 pages viewed daily.
As one of the primary outreach tools to reach caregivers and Veterans of all eras, the website includes a zip code search feature to locate the nearest VA medical center-based caregiver support coordinator, links to existing VA social media, and information on future caregiver-specific social media features.
In collaboration with Easter Seals, the VA core caregiver training continues to be conducted through home study as well as traditional classrooms. Classroom training was conducted June 9-10 in Silver Spring, Md.; July 7-8 in Reno, Nev.; and July 21-22 in Augusta, Ga. An additional 13 classroom training sessions are scheduled nationwide in the next 90 days. More classes will be scheduled as requested. Online training will be available Aug. 5.
VA's Caregiver Support Line (1-855-260-3274), located at the Canandaigua VA Medical Center in New York has responded to more than 12,132 calls since its inception Feb. 1. Clinical social workers respond to calls, provide information and referral to VA and community resources, and
offer supportive counseling to callers from across the country. Since May 21, the Caregiver Support Line has been staffed 24/7.
Congress created the new benefits for family caregivers of eligible Post 9/11 Veterans in legislation known as the Caregivers and Veterans Omnibus Health Services Act of 2010 (PL 111-163), which was signed by the President in May 2010.
Caring for Those Who Care for Our Veterans
WASHINGTON (Aug. 3, 2011) - Dr. Robert Petzel, Department of Veterans Affairs Under Secretary for Health, gave the keynote address Aug. 2 kicking off the 2011 National Caregiver Support Conference, "Caring for Those Who Care for Our Veterans."
The training conference, August 2-4 in Washington highlights VA's support of caregivers of all eras, with plenary sessions featuring national experts in care giving.
The conference follows the implementation of landmark legislation by VA that provides a direct benefit for the first time to designated, approved family caregivers of eligible Post 9/11 Veterans, which includes monthly stipends and health insurance.
"Family caregivers are full partners with VA who help to ensure that Veterans receive the top-quality care they have earned," said Dr. Petzel. "Expanded services will support family caregivers, improve their self-care, provide training and help them connect with each other
for support and encouragement."
Veterans and Servicemembers undergoing medical discharge may be eligible for the family caregiver program if they incurred or aggravated a serious injury in the line of duty on or after 9/11/2001, are in need of personal care services, and meet defined eligibility criteria.
The conference is part of the comprehensive program of caregiver support that VA is implementing.
"Staff from VA medical centers across the country are attending to share best practices and gain new understanding of the unique challenges faced by family caregivers of Veterans from all eras," said Deborah Amdur, chief consultant, Care Management and Social Work Service.
The department began accepting applications for caregiver stipend and benefits payments by mail, telephone and online May 9. As of July 26, there have been 1,644 total applications received and in process. To date, 567 stipends have been approved with a monthly average of $1,600.
In addition, caregiver support includes the new caregiver website that was launched May 31. The website -- www.caregiver.va.gov -- is now averaging more than 1,481 hits per day, 4.5 pages viewed per visit, for a total of at least 6,649 pages viewed daily.
As one of the primary outreach tools to reach caregivers and Veterans of all eras, the website includes a zip code search feature to locate the nearest VA medical center-based caregiver support coordinator, links to existing VA social media, and information on future caregiver-specific social media features.
In collaboration with Easter Seals, the VA core caregiver training continues to be conducted through home study as well as traditional classrooms. Classroom training was conducted June 9-10 in Silver Spring, Md.; July 7-8 in Reno, Nev.; and July 21-22 in Augusta, Ga. An additional 13 classroom training sessions are scheduled nationwide in the next 90 days. More classes will be scheduled as requested. Online training will be available Aug. 5.
VA's Caregiver Support Line (1-855-260-3274), located at the Canandaigua VA Medical Center in New York has responded to more than 12,132 calls since its inception Feb. 1. Clinical social workers respond to calls, provide information and referral to VA and community resources, and
offer supportive counseling to callers from across the country. Since May 21, the Caregiver Support Line has been staffed 24/7.
Congress created the new benefits for family caregivers of eligible Post 9/11 Veterans in legislation known as the Caregivers and Veterans Omnibus Health Services Act of 2010 (PL 111-163), which was signed by the President in May 2010.
Ineligible contractors getting $500M a year from VA
Ineligible contractors getting $500M a year from VA, OIG says
Federal auditors found programs for vet-owned and disabled-vet-owned companies rife with problems
By Alice Lipowicz
Aug 02, 2011
Federal auditors took a hard look at procurement practices at the Veterans Affairs Department in two new reports, finding that VA is likely to be awarding about $500 million a year to ineligible contractors.
In a July 25 audit, investigators evaluated the veteran-owned small business (VOSB) and the service-disabled veteran-owned small business programs (SDVOSB), which together generated about $3.5 billion in procurements in fiscal 2010, or about 23 percent of total VA procurements.
The inspector general’s office reviewed 42 “statistically-selected” contracts in those two programs with a total value of $46.5 million that had been awarded to businesses alleged to be eligible for those programs. The review found that 32 of the businesses were ineligible to participate in the programs or were ineligible for the specific contracts they were awarded.
Based on that analysis, the inspector general’s office forecasted the total impact of contracts in those programs awarded to businesses that are ineligible for those programs.
read more here
Ineligible contractors getting $500M a year from VA
Federal auditors found programs for vet-owned and disabled-vet-owned companies rife with problems
By Alice Lipowicz
Aug 02, 2011
Federal auditors took a hard look at procurement practices at the Veterans Affairs Department in two new reports, finding that VA is likely to be awarding about $500 million a year to ineligible contractors.
In a July 25 audit, investigators evaluated the veteran-owned small business (VOSB) and the service-disabled veteran-owned small business programs (SDVOSB), which together generated about $3.5 billion in procurements in fiscal 2010, or about 23 percent of total VA procurements.
The inspector general’s office reviewed 42 “statistically-selected” contracts in those two programs with a total value of $46.5 million that had been awarded to businesses alleged to be eligible for those programs. The review found that 32 of the businesses were ineligible to participate in the programs or were ineligible for the specific contracts they were awarded.
Based on that analysis, the inspector general’s office forecasted the total impact of contracts in those programs awarded to businesses that are ineligible for those programs.
read more here
Ineligible contractors getting $500M a year from VA
Saginaw VA evacuated after bomb threat
UPDATE: Patients, workers return to VA hospital after evacuation
Published: Wednesday, August 03, 2011
By Justin L. Engel
The Saginaw News
SAGINAW — State police have given workers and patients the OK to return to Lutz Veterans Affairs Medical Center after someone called in a bomb threat this morning, a hospital spokeswoman said.
read more here
Patients, workers return to VA hospital after evacuation
Published: Wednesday, August 03, 2011
By Justin L. Engel
The Saginaw News
SAGINAW — State police have given workers and patients the OK to return to Lutz Veterans Affairs Medical Center after someone called in a bomb threat this morning, a hospital spokeswoman said.
read more here
Patients, workers return to VA hospital after evacuation
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)