Fort Drum soldier being treated for rabies
Associated Press
FORT DRUM, N.Y. — Officials at Fort Drum say they are treating a soldier believed to have contracted rabies during an overseas deployment.
Officials at the northern New York Army post say the unidentified 10th Mountain Division soldier was diagnosed Friday.
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Thursday, August 25, 2011
Atheists in military want their own Chaplains?
This makes no sense at all. We all know how I feel about Chaplains forgetting they are supposed to help everyone and not convert anyone, especially in the military. This article addresses how some Chaplains "view atheists as people to be converted or dismissed" as well as talking about how Chaplains have responsibility in a lot of aspects of a soldier's life. That said, how on earth would they ever come up with the requirements to have an Atheist Chaplain?
Many consider themselves spiritual with a belief in God or a "higher power" while not having any religious ties. At least they can pray to God but who or what does an atheist pray to?
Many consider themselves spiritual with a belief in God or a "higher power" while not having any religious ties. At least they can pray to God but who or what does an atheist pray to?
Military Atheists Seek Benefits Given to Religious Groups
August 24, 2011
Stars and Stripes
by Chris Carroll
The ultimate goal would be the appointment of atheists as military chaplains in each service.
WASHINGTON -- In early August, a small group of soldiers, airmen and their spouses gathered at a Panera Bread restaurant near Fort Meade, Md., to talk about the meaning of faith and how to share their convictions about life's deepest questions.
As they sipped coffee and nibbled pastries, the scene might have passed for a low-key Wednesday night Bible study except for one thing -- the members of the newly formed ATOM, or Atheists of Meade group, didn't have any Bibles. Their belief system, they say, stops at the boundaries of the natural world.
It's this rejection of supernatural belief that pushes the group off base instead of having the dedicated meeting space that religious groups get, said Army Capt. Ryan Jean, one of group's organizers. That's not fair, he said, because ATOM mostly does what religions do -- provide fellowship and a chance for ethical and moral development.
"If there's a reason to support religion in the military, it's the ethics and values that come out of it, not the supernatural claims," he said. "We also have constructive ethics and values, but we rally around humanism rather than the supernatural."
read more here
The Burn Pits of Iraq and Afghanistan Killing Soldiers
Toxic Trash: The Burn Pits of Iraq and Afghanistan
Published on August 24 2011
Billy McKenna and Kevin Wilkins survived Iraq—and died at home. The Oxford American sent filmmaker Dave Anderson and journalist J. Malcolm Garcia to Florida to investigate this deadly threat to American soldiers.
"Smoke Signals," by J. Malcolm Garcia
Published in the Fall 2011 Issue of The Oxford American.
Strange to think about it, the black smoke.
As it turns out, the eventual killer of Billy McKenna was lurking in the photographs he snapped in Iraq. Billy wrote captions beneath some of his photographs: typical day on patrol reads one. The photo is partially obscured by the blurred image of a soldier’s upraised hand. Brown desert unfurls away from a vehicle toward an empty horizon, and a wavering sky scorched white hovers above. Off to one side: Balad Air Base and the spreading umbrella of rising dank smoke from a burn pit.
Billy told his wife, Dina, in e-mails from Iraq that the stench was killing him. The air so dirty it rained mud. He didn’t call them burn pits. She can’t recall what he called them. He didn’t mean killing him literally. Just that the overwhelming odor was god-awful and tearing up his sinuses. He didn’t wear a mask. It would not have been practical. In heat that soared above a hundred degrees, what soldier would wear one?
Dina doesn’t know when she first heard the words “burn pit.” A Veterans Affairs doctor may have said it. The doctors were telling her a lot of things when Billy was on a ventilator. All she could think was, How can he have cancer? He’s indestructible. He’s been to hell and back. He can build houses, race cars, fish, camp. He was an Eagle Scout as a kid. He doesn’t smoke cigarettes.
But Billy had been exposed to something much more harmful than cigarettes. Since 2003, defense contractors have used burn pits at a majority of U.S. military bases in Iraq and Afghanistan as a method of destroying military waste. The pits incinerate discarded human body parts, plastics, hazardous medical material, lithium batteries, tires, hydraulic fluids, and vehicles. Jet fuel keeps pits burning twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week.
read more here
Published on August 24 2011
Billy McKenna and Kevin Wilkins survived Iraq—and died at home. The Oxford American sent filmmaker Dave Anderson and journalist J. Malcolm Garcia to Florida to investigate this deadly threat to American soldiers.
"Smoke Signals," by J. Malcolm Garcia
Published in the Fall 2011 Issue of The Oxford American.
Strange to think about it, the black smoke.
As it turns out, the eventual killer of Billy McKenna was lurking in the photographs he snapped in Iraq. Billy wrote captions beneath some of his photographs: typical day on patrol reads one. The photo is partially obscured by the blurred image of a soldier’s upraised hand. Brown desert unfurls away from a vehicle toward an empty horizon, and a wavering sky scorched white hovers above. Off to one side: Balad Air Base and the spreading umbrella of rising dank smoke from a burn pit.
Billy told his wife, Dina, in e-mails from Iraq that the stench was killing him. The air so dirty it rained mud. He didn’t call them burn pits. She can’t recall what he called them. He didn’t mean killing him literally. Just that the overwhelming odor was god-awful and tearing up his sinuses. He didn’t wear a mask. It would not have been practical. In heat that soared above a hundred degrees, what soldier would wear one?
Dina doesn’t know when she first heard the words “burn pit.” A Veterans Affairs doctor may have said it. The doctors were telling her a lot of things when Billy was on a ventilator. All she could think was, How can he have cancer? He’s indestructible. He’s been to hell and back. He can build houses, race cars, fish, camp. He was an Eagle Scout as a kid. He doesn’t smoke cigarettes.
But Billy had been exposed to something much more harmful than cigarettes. Since 2003, defense contractors have used burn pits at a majority of U.S. military bases in Iraq and Afghanistan as a method of destroying military waste. The pits incinerate discarded human body parts, plastics, hazardous medical material, lithium batteries, tires, hydraulic fluids, and vehicles. Jet fuel keeps pits burning twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week.
read more here
Wednesday, August 24, 2011
Army silence and censors bring agony to families of fallen by suicide
Army silence and censors bring agony
Article by: MARK BRUNSWICK , Star Tribune Updated: August 24, 2011 - 3:52 PM
The aftermath of soldier suicides can entail a frustrating search for answers and endless anguish for the families.
What frequently follows, survivors say, is a string of slights, stonewalling and misinformation that conveys a disturbing message: Their loved ones remain government property, even after their deaths.
Military authorities routinely promise that they will do all they can to help, but some families are left feeling that the military's real goal is to protect itself.
The Campbell family of Cloquet, Minn., came to that conclusion after Corinne Campbell, still grieving after the funeral of her son, Jeremy, her mind reduced to "scrambled eggs,'' started up his laptop. The Army, she discovered, had wiped its hard drive clean. Even his personal pictures from a trip to Germany were gone.
Jan Fairbanks of St. Paul spent months of frustration searching for answers about the death of her son, Jacob. Then one day, a thick stack of investigative files was left unannounced by military officials at her front door -- documents that only raised new questions.
Meanwhile, the Hervas family of Coon Rapids contends that the Army so zealously protected information about their son, Tad, a high-ranking intelligence officer who killed himself, that more than half of the documents the family asked for were edited to the point of being largely indecipherable. Even his parents' names were blacked out.
read more here
For Maj. Tad Hervas, discipline, despair and death
Article by: MARK BRUNSWICK , Star Tribune Updated: June 27, 2011 - 1:01 PM
Was punishment appropriate or excessive for a high-ranking officer who was called on the carpet?
In the fall of 2009, Maj. Tad Hervas was a 17-year military veteran on his third combat deployment, an intelligence officer with top secret security clearance who was in almost daily contact with the CIA.
And his Army career was effectively over.
Hervas, 48, from Coon Rapids, was being forced out of the Army because the National Guard had determined that he'd had an inappropriate relationship with a subordinate.
On Oct. 6, Hervas was scheduled to fly to Baghdad to begin his legal defense. The day before, he prepared four notes, hiding one of them in his roommate's pillowcase. That morning, Hervas found an isolated room, unholstered his 9-millimeter service pistol and shot himself in the head.
"This was a cold and calculated act. I spoke to nor hinted of this to anyone," Hervas wrote in the letters marked for his commanders. "Do not blame anyone for my death."
Hervas became the highest-ranking member of the Minnesota National Guard -- and one of the most senior officers in the entire Army -- to take his own life.
read more here
Article by: MARK BRUNSWICK , Star Tribune Updated: August 24, 2011 - 3:52 PM
The aftermath of soldier suicides can entail a frustrating search for answers and endless anguish for the families.
Corinne Campbell discovered the Army had wiped clean the hard drive of her son Jeremy’s laptop.
Jim Gehrz, Star Tribune
When family members asked for the document, they say the Army referred them to the National Guard. When they went to the Guard, they say they were told to talk to the Army.For the families of soldiers who kill themselves, the anguish that accompanies the initial news is often only the beginning of their ordeal.
What frequently follows, survivors say, is a string of slights, stonewalling and misinformation that conveys a disturbing message: Their loved ones remain government property, even after their deaths.
Military authorities routinely promise that they will do all they can to help, but some families are left feeling that the military's real goal is to protect itself.
The Campbell family of Cloquet, Minn., came to that conclusion after Corinne Campbell, still grieving after the funeral of her son, Jeremy, her mind reduced to "scrambled eggs,'' started up his laptop. The Army, she discovered, had wiped its hard drive clean. Even his personal pictures from a trip to Germany were gone.
Jan Fairbanks of St. Paul spent months of frustration searching for answers about the death of her son, Jacob. Then one day, a thick stack of investigative files was left unannounced by military officials at her front door -- documents that only raised new questions.
Meanwhile, the Hervas family of Coon Rapids contends that the Army so zealously protected information about their son, Tad, a high-ranking intelligence officer who killed himself, that more than half of the documents the family asked for were edited to the point of being largely indecipherable. Even his parents' names were blacked out.
read more here
For Maj. Tad Hervas, discipline, despair and death
Article by: MARK BRUNSWICK , Star Tribune Updated: June 27, 2011 - 1:01 PM
Was punishment appropriate or excessive for a high-ranking officer who was called on the carpet?
In the fall of 2009, Maj. Tad Hervas was a 17-year military veteran on his third combat deployment, an intelligence officer with top secret security clearance who was in almost daily contact with the CIA.
And his Army career was effectively over.
Hervas, 48, from Coon Rapids, was being forced out of the Army because the National Guard had determined that he'd had an inappropriate relationship with a subordinate.
On Oct. 6, Hervas was scheduled to fly to Baghdad to begin his legal defense. The day before, he prepared four notes, hiding one of them in his roommate's pillowcase. That morning, Hervas found an isolated room, unholstered his 9-millimeter service pistol and shot himself in the head.
"This was a cold and calculated act. I spoke to nor hinted of this to anyone," Hervas wrote in the letters marked for his commanders. "Do not blame anyone for my death."
Hervas became the highest-ranking member of the Minnesota National Guard -- and one of the most senior officers in the entire Army -- to take his own life.
read more here
Utah National Guard scrambling now that Iraq deployment is called off
Guard members scrambling now that Iraq deployment is called off
Published: Wednesday, Aug. 24, 2011 10:59 a.m. MDT
By Steve Fidel, Deseret News
WEST JORDAN — Members of the Utah National Guard's 1-211 Attack Recon Battalion have been preparing for as long as a year to deploy to Iraq in September.
The Apache attack helicopter battalion's deployment was scrubbed at the last minute, leaving about 400 Guard members in a scramble to reconnect with their lives at home while also having a "warning order" they will instead go to Afghanistan in about 13 months.
"What am I going to do now?" was the first thing to go through Spc. Angela Christiansen's mind when members got word on Thursday the deployment had been scrubbed. "I have no idea since I was focused completely (on deploying) since June."
As unnerving as deploying to Iraq might have been, unhitching from deployment plans "is more frightening because it's more uncertain," she said. "I quit my job. I was renting an apartment. I left that. I was staying with a friend temporarily, so now I have nowhere to live."
Sgt. David Driscoll has a house he can't live in because he leased it for the time he expected to be gone. Now he's trying to find something else near where his children are going to school. Spc. William Price, an Apache crew chief, took a year off school to get ready for the deployment. He has been out of school long enough that he will soon have student loans coming due without the combat-zone-enhanced full-time military paycheck to cover those costs.
read more here
Published: Wednesday, Aug. 24, 2011 10:59 a.m. MDT
By Steve Fidel, Deseret News
WEST JORDAN — Members of the Utah National Guard's 1-211 Attack Recon Battalion have been preparing for as long as a year to deploy to Iraq in September.
The Apache attack helicopter battalion's deployment was scrubbed at the last minute, leaving about 400 Guard members in a scramble to reconnect with their lives at home while also having a "warning order" they will instead go to Afghanistan in about 13 months.
"What am I going to do now?" was the first thing to go through Spc. Angela Christiansen's mind when members got word on Thursday the deployment had been scrubbed. "I have no idea since I was focused completely (on deploying) since June."
As unnerving as deploying to Iraq might have been, unhitching from deployment plans "is more frightening because it's more uncertain," she said. "I quit my job. I was renting an apartment. I left that. I was staying with a friend temporarily, so now I have nowhere to live."
Sgt. David Driscoll has a house he can't live in because he leased it for the time he expected to be gone. Now he's trying to find something else near where his children are going to school. Spc. William Price, an Apache crew chief, took a year off school to get ready for the deployment. He has been out of school long enough that he will soon have student loans coming due without the combat-zone-enhanced full-time military paycheck to cover those costs.
read more here
Would you wait 4 years for Workman's Comp? Why should veterans?
If you get hurt on the job, you get Workman's Comp and can pay most of your bills. If you happen to work for Uncle Sam in the military, get wounded on your job, you get discharged, sent home but no money to pay your bills. Disabled veterans should not be second class citizens. Isn't that what we're talking about here?
The news has been bleak for active duty military folks with suicides going up just as the reports of 18 veterans a day commit suicide, but the truth is, they are not all counted. Once they are discharged the DOD does not track them. Until they are in the VA system, they are not counted by the VA. How many more are committing suicide without anyone counting them? How many commit suicide because they cannot live with the extra stress of being wounded serving their country then having the country deny any responsibility?
"The willingness with which our young people are likely to serve in any war, no matter how justified, is directly proportional to how they perceive the veterans of earlier wars were treated and appreciated"
-- George Washington
The news has been bleak for active duty military folks with suicides going up just as the reports of 18 veterans a day commit suicide, but the truth is, they are not all counted. Once they are discharged the DOD does not track them. Until they are in the VA system, they are not counted by the VA. How many more are committing suicide without anyone counting them? How many commit suicide because they cannot live with the extra stress of being wounded serving their country then having the country deny any responsibility?
VCS / VUFT Lawsuit in San Francisco Chronicle
Written by Bob Egelko
Wednesday, 24 August 2011 09:01
VA appeals ruling on veterans' health care
August 24, 2011, San Francisco, California (San Francisco Chronicle) - The Obama administration is challenging a court ruling that would open the door to changes in a veterans' health care system beset by long delays and a high suicide rate.
The ruling by the Ninth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in San Francisco would allow veterans' groups to go to court to seek an overhaul of the Department of Veterans Affairs' procedures and timetables to speed health care to veterans.
The appellate judges "ignored basic limits on judicial authority," Justice Department lawyers said in a new appeal to the court.
They said the ruling violated Congress' decision "to prevent the courts from second-guessing the VA's performance of these critical functions."
The administration requested a new hearing before a larger appellate panel.
The court's 2-1 ruling in May followed a 2008 trial in San Francisco that revealed a health care system plagued by delays and gaps in care, particularly for veterans returning from Iraq and Afghanistan with severe mental trauma.
The average waiting time for health benefit claims was 4.4 years, and more than 1,400 veterans who had been denied coverage died in one six-month period while their appeals were pending, the court said.
read more here
Marines based in Okinawa forced to listen to insurance sales pitch
Report: Private firms still selling unsuitable insurance to troops
By Charley Keyes, CNN Senior National Security Producer
August 23, 2011 7:58 p.m. EDT
STORY HIGHLIGHTS
Pentagon says junior enlisted members not protected
Officers don't enforce existing rules, report says
Troops solicited to buy policies they don't need, can't afford
Washington (CNN) -- Five years after a law to protect U.S. military personnel from salespeople selling life insurance, a new Pentagon report finds problems continue.
The Inspector General found that insurance agents used prohibited sales practices both on and off U.S. military bases to persuade personnel to buy insurance they may not need or be able to afford.
And the report also found that military personnel failed to enforce existing policies that limits solicitation of military personnel. In addition, the report said, companies used misleading marketing techniques and misused the Defense Department myPAY internal payment system.
"Although DoD (Department of Defense) has taken some corrective actions and some States have initiated actions against insurance agents and companies, junior enlisted Service members continue to purchase high-cost life insurance products considered unsuitable for most military personnel and which may threaten their financial stability," the Pentagon Inspector General wrote in a report released Tuesday.
All military personnel are automatically enrolled in a life insurance policy administered by the Veterans Administration from their first day of training or active duty.
The report found that as an example of improper actions by private insurance agents, Marines based in Okinawa were introduced to an insurance agent during a financial class taught by a Defense Department civilian and were later told by a noncommissioned officer to attend a sales solicitation event. Another Marine told Inspector General investigators he was not allowed to leave formation before agreeing to provide contact information to insurance salesmen.
red more here
By Charley Keyes, CNN Senior National Security Producer
August 23, 2011 7:58 p.m. EDT
STORY HIGHLIGHTS
Pentagon says junior enlisted members not protected
Officers don't enforce existing rules, report says
Troops solicited to buy policies they don't need, can't afford
Washington (CNN) -- Five years after a law to protect U.S. military personnel from salespeople selling life insurance, a new Pentagon report finds problems continue.
The Inspector General found that insurance agents used prohibited sales practices both on and off U.S. military bases to persuade personnel to buy insurance they may not need or be able to afford.
And the report also found that military personnel failed to enforce existing policies that limits solicitation of military personnel. In addition, the report said, companies used misleading marketing techniques and misused the Defense Department myPAY internal payment system.
"Although DoD (Department of Defense) has taken some corrective actions and some States have initiated actions against insurance agents and companies, junior enlisted Service members continue to purchase high-cost life insurance products considered unsuitable for most military personnel and which may threaten their financial stability," the Pentagon Inspector General wrote in a report released Tuesday.
All military personnel are automatically enrolled in a life insurance policy administered by the Veterans Administration from their first day of training or active duty.
The report found that as an example of improper actions by private insurance agents, Marines based in Okinawa were introduced to an insurance agent during a financial class taught by a Defense Department civilian and were later told by a noncommissioned officer to attend a sales solicitation event. Another Marine told Inspector General investigators he was not allowed to leave formation before agreeing to provide contact information to insurance salesmen.
red more here
Justice Department to brief 9/11 families on hacking probe
Justice Department to brief 9/11 families on hacking probe
From Susan Candiotti, CNN
August 24, 2011 6:26 a.m. EDT
News Corp. CEO Rupert Murdoch said he had seen "no evidence" that 9/11 families' phones had been hacked.
STORY HIGHLIGHTS
The FBI has been probing whether 9/11 victims' phones and voice mail were hacked
The scandal has led to several arrests and resignations in Britain
New York (CNN) -- Families of victims of the 9/11 attacks are expected to meet with top Justice Department officials Wednesday to discuss whether any of their relatives' phone messages were hacked by employees of News Corp.
The FBI began investigating that claim amid a widespread scandal in Britain over the use of phone hacking by employees or associates of News Corp. papers there. The Wednesday meeting with Justice officials will update the families on the progress of the investigation, retired New York firefighter Jim Riches told CNN last month.
"We hope to find out results of the investigation and find out who was tapped, and whether they will hold any anyone accountable if it happened," said Riches, whose son died in the al Qaeda attack on New York's World Trade Center.
Norman Siegel, an attorney representing 9/11 families' organizations, said Attorney General Eric Holder has agreed to take part in the meeting.
read more here
From Susan Candiotti, CNN
August 24, 2011 6:26 a.m. EDT
News Corp. CEO Rupert Murdoch said he had seen "no evidence" that 9/11 families' phones had been hacked.
STORY HIGHLIGHTS
The FBI has been probing whether 9/11 victims' phones and voice mail were hacked
The scandal has led to several arrests and resignations in Britain
New York (CNN) -- Families of victims of the 9/11 attacks are expected to meet with top Justice Department officials Wednesday to discuss whether any of their relatives' phone messages were hacked by employees of News Corp.
The FBI began investigating that claim amid a widespread scandal in Britain over the use of phone hacking by employees or associates of News Corp. papers there. The Wednesday meeting with Justice officials will update the families on the progress of the investigation, retired New York firefighter Jim Riches told CNN last month.
"We hope to find out results of the investigation and find out who was tapped, and whether they will hold any anyone accountable if it happened," said Riches, whose son died in the al Qaeda attack on New York's World Trade Center.
Norman Siegel, an attorney representing 9/11 families' organizations, said Attorney General Eric Holder has agreed to take part in the meeting.
read more here
Funeral service set for soldier of Oklahoma National Guard
Funeral service set for soldier
By Michael Pineda, Staff Writer
The Ardmoreite
Posted Aug 23, 2011
Kingston —
Family and friends of 2nd Lt. Joe Cunningham are still trying to come to grips with his death, which occurred on Aug. 13 at the Laghman province of Afghanistan.
A Department of Defense press release said Cunningham died of injuries sustained in a non-combat related incident while assigned to the 1st Battalion, 179th Infantry Regiment, 45th Infantry Brigade Combat Team, Oklahoma Army National Guard.
red more here
The Ardmoreite
Posted Aug 23, 2011
Kingston —
Family and friends of 2nd Lt. Joe Cunningham are still trying to come to grips with his death, which occurred on Aug. 13 at the Laghman province of Afghanistan.
A Department of Defense press release said Cunningham died of injuries sustained in a non-combat related incident while assigned to the 1st Battalion, 179th Infantry Regiment, 45th Infantry Brigade Combat Team, Oklahoma Army National Guard.
red more here
Psychiatrist wins medal for fighting stress
Psychiatrist wins medal for fighting stress
Army lieutenant colonel earned Bronze Star for work in Iraq
By Madeline Will
When Rebecca Tomsyck was 53, she joined the Army. Now, six years later, she has been awarded a Bronze Star.
A Charlotte psychiatrist who is board certified in pediatrics, psychiatry and child psychiatry, Tomsyck had a successful practice in the Arboretum area, where her home is, but wanted something more.
When Army recruiters started expressing an interest in her son, Jay, she saw an opportunity. Her son didn't join the Army, but Tomsyck did.
"I wanted to serve and I wanted a change, and I wanted an adventure before I died," said Tomsyck, now 59.
When Tomsyck was in medical school, she had thought about serving in the military after she finished her residency; but her parents had strong objections. She married before her residency was over, and the idea was laid to rest.
Her goal was realized decades later when she was commissioned a lieutenant colonel in the Army in July 2005. She went on active duty that September, stationed in Heidelberg, Germany, as Chief of Child and Adolescent Psychiatric Services, where she served soldiers' children.
read more here
Army lieutenant colonel earned Bronze Star for work in Iraq
By Madeline Will
When Rebecca Tomsyck was 53, she joined the Army. Now, six years later, she has been awarded a Bronze Star.
A Charlotte psychiatrist who is board certified in pediatrics, psychiatry and child psychiatry, Tomsyck had a successful practice in the Arboretum area, where her home is, but wanted something more.
When Army recruiters started expressing an interest in her son, Jay, she saw an opportunity. Her son didn't join the Army, but Tomsyck did.
"I wanted to serve and I wanted a change, and I wanted an adventure before I died," said Tomsyck, now 59.
When Tomsyck was in medical school, she had thought about serving in the military after she finished her residency; but her parents had strong objections. She married before her residency was over, and the idea was laid to rest.
Her goal was realized decades later when she was commissioned a lieutenant colonel in the Army in July 2005. She went on active duty that September, stationed in Heidelberg, Germany, as Chief of Child and Adolescent Psychiatric Services, where she served soldiers' children.
read more here
Navy Can't Be Sued Over Young Officer's Suicide?
Navy Can't Be Sued Over Young Officer's Suicide
By JOE CELENTINO
CHICAGO (CN) - Family members of a hospital corpsman who committed suicide cannot seek damages from the Navy, the 7th Circuit ruled.
Christopher Lee Purcell enlisted in the Navy at age 18. Three years later, on Jan. 27, 2008, Purcell committed suicide.
Shortly before his death, the 21-year-old contacted his sister and several other people on MySpace. He wrote: "I don't want to die, I don't know what else to do, I have a loaded gun in my lap right now, I'm so scared."
A friend who was also stationed at the Brunswick Naval Air Station, called base security and reported that Purcell was contemplating suicide and had a gun.
Arriving on the scene, officers found an empty gun case and bullets on top of a television stand but no weapon. When the officers tried to restrain Purcell, a struggle ensued. He was eventually subdued by five officers.
Back in his room, Purcell was permitted to use the bathroom and one of his handcuffs was removed. He was accompanied by his friend, Nathan Mutschler.
"After entering the bathroom, Purcell pulled his gun from his waistband and committed suicide by shooting himself in the chest," court documents state.
Two responding officers, Petty Officer First Class Mitchell Tafel and Petty Officer First Class David Rodriguez, faced courts-martial for negligent conduct and were punished via extrajudicial proceeding.
Purcell's family filed an administrative tort claim with the Navy seeking $45 million in damages.
The claim was denied on the Feres doctrine, a tenant of the Federal Tort Claims Act that bars lawsuits brought by soldiers against the United States and its employees for military service-related injuries.
read more here
By JOE CELENTINO
CHICAGO (CN) - Family members of a hospital corpsman who committed suicide cannot seek damages from the Navy, the 7th Circuit ruled.
Christopher Lee Purcell enlisted in the Navy at age 18. Three years later, on Jan. 27, 2008, Purcell committed suicide.
Shortly before his death, the 21-year-old contacted his sister and several other people on MySpace. He wrote: "I don't want to die, I don't know what else to do, I have a loaded gun in my lap right now, I'm so scared."
A friend who was also stationed at the Brunswick Naval Air Station, called base security and reported that Purcell was contemplating suicide and had a gun.
Arriving on the scene, officers found an empty gun case and bullets on top of a television stand but no weapon. When the officers tried to restrain Purcell, a struggle ensued. He was eventually subdued by five officers.
Back in his room, Purcell was permitted to use the bathroom and one of his handcuffs was removed. He was accompanied by his friend, Nathan Mutschler.
"After entering the bathroom, Purcell pulled his gun from his waistband and committed suicide by shooting himself in the chest," court documents state.
Two responding officers, Petty Officer First Class Mitchell Tafel and Petty Officer First Class David Rodriguez, faced courts-martial for negligent conduct and were punished via extrajudicial proceeding.
Purcell's family filed an administrative tort claim with the Navy seeking $45 million in damages.
The claim was denied on the Feres doctrine, a tenant of the Federal Tort Claims Act that bars lawsuits brought by soldiers against the United States and its employees for military service-related injuries.
read more here
Why does feeding faith matter in combat?
Why does faith matter in combat?
by
Chaplain Kathie
Holding onto faith is never easy. With all the stress people have in their daily lives it often becomes hard to believe anyone cares. Fractured families drift apart and some may feel it was no great loss considering their family was never close in the first place. Marriages started off good but then reality set in, stress increased and the glowing faces in the frame on the wall seem more like strangers. There is an empty place inside of them. They wonder, "is this it?" as they begin to think their lives at the moment will never be any better.
When you think about everything civilians go through it becomes a tiny bit easier to understand what the men and women serving in the military are. Just humans like the rest of us. Unlike the rest of us, they have to worry about combat.
Living in Central Florida there seems to be a church on every major street. Some of them have thousands of members packing the pews every week. There is a reason people give up a couple of hours a week to show up as just one more face in the crowd. They believe they will be seen by the eyes that count the most. God's eyes. Their souls are fed enough to face the rest of their week with all the stresses that may come their way. Can the troops be expected to be any different than the rest of us when it comes to their own need to feed their faith?
There are some about to read the following and they will not be able to understand the need for Chaplains as they scream "separation of church and state" simply because they don't understand anyone needing to go to church. What they fail to accept is that being in the military "state" should never be allowed to separate them from their "church" just because they are not on this soil.
by
Chaplain Kathie
Holding onto faith is never easy. With all the stress people have in their daily lives it often becomes hard to believe anyone cares. Fractured families drift apart and some may feel it was no great loss considering their family was never close in the first place. Marriages started off good but then reality set in, stress increased and the glowing faces in the frame on the wall seem more like strangers. There is an empty place inside of them. They wonder, "is this it?" as they begin to think their lives at the moment will never be any better.
When you think about everything civilians go through it becomes a tiny bit easier to understand what the men and women serving in the military are. Just humans like the rest of us. Unlike the rest of us, they have to worry about combat.
Living in Central Florida there seems to be a church on every major street. Some of them have thousands of members packing the pews every week. There is a reason people give up a couple of hours a week to show up as just one more face in the crowd. They believe they will be seen by the eyes that count the most. God's eyes. Their souls are fed enough to face the rest of their week with all the stresses that may come their way. Can the troops be expected to be any different than the rest of us when it comes to their own need to feed their faith?
There are some about to read the following and they will not be able to understand the need for Chaplains as they scream "separation of church and state" simply because they don't understand anyone needing to go to church. What they fail to accept is that being in the military "state" should never be allowed to separate them from their "church" just because they are not on this soil.
Baptism at Camp Leatherneck in AfghanistanMilitary Chaplains are vital in all of this. The only issue I have is when they are used to replace mental health workers and some manage to tell soldiers they will go to hell unless they convert to the "right" group.
Riazat Butt visits the US camp in Afghanistan's Helmand Province – and notes the differences between the American and British military's approach to religion
Posted by
Riazat Butt
Tuesday 23 August 2011
Members of the US and UK forces attend a baptism service for three serving soldiers in Camp Leatherneck in Helmand Province, Afghanistan. Padre Mucha leads the congregation in prayer before moving to the baptism area outside the chapel. Photograph: Sergeant Alison Baskerville RLC
It is often said America and England are two nations separated by a common language. The same could be said about their religious practices.
On the corner of Echo and 5th Street in Camp Leatherneck - the US equivalent of Camp Bastion in Helmand - is a building identical to the others surrounding it - mass-produced and military. Its interior, however, is nothing short of a revelation. It houses the chapel for US Christians in the armed forces, laying on standing room only services on a Sunday morning, prayer squares, guitar solos from its resident praise team and a lavish beverage station featuring two types of cookie and flavoured syrups for your freshly brewed coffee. Satin, fringed banners hang from the walls bearing phrases such as "Lamb of God" and "Lion of Judah".
"We named the chapel the oasis, we are in the middle of a desert and it is a physical and spiritual wilderness," says Padre Mucha ("like run amok"), chaplain to the US Navy and US Marine Corps. "There is a perception that we are a Christian country because of the Founding Fathers. But it is a great challenge to stay focused on the Lord in this day and age when you are around so many people who aren't."
Four servicemen - three US and one Briton - are being baptised in the chapel's custom built tank. Before this occasion, there is the not so small matter of evening worship. Padre Mucha is on stage, while before him a congregation that is multi-racial, young and mostly but not exclusively male rocks out to songs such as All Those Who Are Thirsty and We Want to See Jesus Lifted High. Hands lift, eyes close and feet tap.
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Marine suicide tied to hazing in Afghanistan
UPDATE
3 Marines accused of hazing
3 Marines accused of hazing
Marine suicide tied to hazing in Afghanistan
By Dan Lamothe - Staff writer
Posted : Tuesday Aug 23, 2011 20:00:13 EDT
One Marine faces court-martial and another faces non-judicial punishment for allegedly hazing a lance corporal who killed himself in Afghanistan, according to a military investigation report obtained by Marine Corps Times.
Lance Cpl. Harry Lew, 21, killed himself with a two- or three-round burst from an M249 Squad Automatic Weapon early April 3, according to a Marine Corps investigation. He was hazed that night by two other lance corporals in 2nd Battalion, 3rd Marines, out of Marine Corps Base Hawaii, who were angry he had fallen asleep several times while manning a guard post, the report said.
“May hate me now, but in the long run this was the right choice I’m sorry my mom deserves the truth,” a message found on Lew’s arm said.
The report outlines an incident at Patrol Base Gowragi, in Nawa district, that escalated over several hours. It began with Lew not responding to calls on his radio about 11:15 p.m. on April 2.
A sergeant found him sleeping in a fighting hole, and told other lance corporals that “peers should correct peers,” without providing specific instruction, the report said.
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Tuesday, August 23, 2011
Quake rocks Washington area, Pentagon, White House and Congress evacuated
Quake rocks Washington area, Pentagon evacuated
By Bob Lewis - The Associated Press
Posted : Tuesday Aug 23, 2011 15:09:27 EDT
MINERAL, Va. — One of the strongest earthquakes ever recorded on the East Coast shook buildings and rattled nerves from South Carolina to New England on Tuesday and forced the evacuations of parts of the Capitol, White House and Pentagon.
There were no immediate reports of deaths, but fire officials in Washington said there were at least some injuries. The U.S. Geological Survey said the quake registered at magnitude 5.8 and was centered about 40 miles northwest of Richmond, Va.
Two nuclear reactors at the North Anna Power Station, in the same county as the epicenter, were automatically taken off line by safety systems, said Roger Hannah, a spokesman for the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission.
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By Bob Lewis - The Associated Press
Posted : Tuesday Aug 23, 2011 15:09:27 EDT
MINERAL, Va. — One of the strongest earthquakes ever recorded on the East Coast shook buildings and rattled nerves from South Carolina to New England on Tuesday and forced the evacuations of parts of the Capitol, White House and Pentagon.
There were no immediate reports of deaths, but fire officials in Washington said there were at least some injuries. The U.S. Geological Survey said the quake registered at magnitude 5.8 and was centered about 40 miles northwest of Richmond, Va.
Two nuclear reactors at the North Anna Power Station, in the same county as the epicenter, were automatically taken off line by safety systems, said Roger Hannah, a spokesman for the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission.
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Friends remember homeless veteran
Friends remember homeless veteran
Written by
JESSE BASS
American Staff Writer
For years, friends of Marion Seward could find him parked in one of the northernmost benches of Hattiesburg's Town Square Park.
But the 65-year-old Vietnam veteran hasn't sat there for about a month.
The last time his friend Frank Bunnell saw him was July 24. Seward showed up for a Sunday outreach session at the Hope House, where Bunnell heads up the program.
"We open our doors to our homeless family, usually on Sunday," said Chris Wilkes, president of the soon-to-be nonprofit organization.
Bunnell said he loaned Seward a coffee mug in violation of Hope House rules the last Sunday he showed up. He trusted Seward to leave the mug where he said he would near his usual bench.
Bunnell came back the next day and picked up the mug - exactly where Seward said he would leave it. However, Seward was nowhere to be found.
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Written by
JESSE BASS
American Staff Writer
For years, friends of Marion Seward could find him parked in one of the northernmost benches of Hattiesburg's Town Square Park.
But the 65-year-old Vietnam veteran hasn't sat there for about a month.
The last time his friend Frank Bunnell saw him was July 24. Seward showed up for a Sunday outreach session at the Hope House, where Bunnell heads up the program.
"We open our doors to our homeless family, usually on Sunday," said Chris Wilkes, president of the soon-to-be nonprofit organization.
Bunnell said he loaned Seward a coffee mug in violation of Hope House rules the last Sunday he showed up. He trusted Seward to leave the mug where he said he would near his usual bench.
Bunnell came back the next day and picked up the mug - exactly where Seward said he would leave it. However, Seward was nowhere to be found.
read more here
Missing Vietnam Vet Daniel Sullivan's scull found
Human skull found in Temple identified as missing Vietnam vet
Days after a human skull is found in the middle of a road, authorities have identified it. Temple Police are now saying it belongs to a Vietnam Veteran who's been missing for over 2 years. But they still have a lot of work to do in this case.
Temple police identified the skull as 55-year-old Daniel Patrick Sullivan, but they have no idea how it got to that road or how he died. Those who knew him say it'll give them some sort of closure.
On April 4, 2009 Sullivan was reported missing after he left his house in the block of S. 3rd Street on April 2, 2009.
Daniel Sullivan was a regular at Bill's Grill in Temple. Gail Sirny works there and had known him for years. She says his disappearance came as a shock to everyone, and even now it still hurts those who knew him. "We're all depressed, all the people who work here came in when they heard that he's been found," says Sirny.
read more here
Days after a human skull is found in the middle of a road, authorities have identified it. Temple Police are now saying it belongs to a Vietnam Veteran who's been missing for over 2 years. But they still have a lot of work to do in this case.
Temple police identified the skull as 55-year-old Daniel Patrick Sullivan, but they have no idea how it got to that road or how he died. Those who knew him say it'll give them some sort of closure.
On April 4, 2009 Sullivan was reported missing after he left his house in the block of S. 3rd Street on April 2, 2009.
Daniel Sullivan was a regular at Bill's Grill in Temple. Gail Sirny works there and had known him for years. She says his disappearance came as a shock to everyone, and even now it still hurts those who knew him. "We're all depressed, all the people who work here came in when they heard that he's been found," says Sirny.
read more here
Iraq veteran, off duty police officer killed in motorcycle crash
Off-duty Hamilton police officer, 26, dies in crash on I-195 in Millstone
Retired corrections officer injured in crash
Written by
Charles Webster
Staff Writer
MILLSTONE — An off-duty police officer died and a retired corrections officer was hurt after their motorcycles collided on Interstate 195, west of Exit 16, Monday night, State Police said.
John J. Harvilla, 26, of Hamilton in Mercer County, died at CentraState Medical Center in Freehold Township after the motorcycle he was driving collided with the motorcycle driven by Roberto Castro, 41, of Trenton, while the two men were entering the westbound lanes of the highway from eastbound Route 537, according to Capt. Frank Davis.
Harvilla is a police officer in his hometown. He graduated from the Mercer County Police Academy in 2009, said his stepfather Joseph Piscopo, reached by telephone at his Hamilton residence.
Harvilla joined the U.S. Marine Corps in December 2003, just months after graduating from Nottingham High school, Piscopo said.
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Retired corrections officer injured in crash
Written by
Charles Webster
Staff Writer
MILLSTONE — An off-duty police officer died and a retired corrections officer was hurt after their motorcycles collided on Interstate 195, west of Exit 16, Monday night, State Police said.
John J. Harvilla, 26, of Hamilton in Mercer County, died at CentraState Medical Center in Freehold Township after the motorcycle he was driving collided with the motorcycle driven by Roberto Castro, 41, of Trenton, while the two men were entering the westbound lanes of the highway from eastbound Route 537, according to Capt. Frank Davis.
Harvilla is a police officer in his hometown. He graduated from the Mercer County Police Academy in 2009, said his stepfather Joseph Piscopo, reached by telephone at his Hamilton residence.
Harvilla joined the U.S. Marine Corps in December 2003, just months after graduating from Nottingham High school, Piscopo said.
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Vets with PTSD Require Family Education and Patience
Vets with PTSD Require Family Education and Patience
Posted Tue, Aug 23, 2011
By Bobbie O'Brien
TAMPA (2011-9-23) -
Forsythe said the hardest part of dealing with his PTSD is trying to get his family to understand his behavior.Army mental health specialist Cheyenne Forsythe was trained to help combat troops in Iraq deal with the onset of Post Traumatic Stress. Yet, he didn't notice his own signs of PTSD after surviving an IED blast and returning home from Iraq.
His erratic behavior due to the PTSD helped to break up his first marriage something he's working hard to avoid with his fiancé Joy Finley.
“My lowest point was when I was sitting in a cell in Killeen, Texas after I had been arrested for domestic violence,” Forsythe said, “From there, I had to change, I had to do something, I had to address the issue.”
He was arrested for hitting his former wife with a flip-flop. “I had lost control,” Forsythe said. “It was like I was watching myself and I couldn’t stop myself and I wasn’t there, I was on autopilot.”
Forsythe did not tell police that he had just returned from Iraq, instead Forsythe chose to “admit my guilt and get on with it.”
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Senator John McCain blocking effort to bring fallen sailors home from Libya
American Legion Sees Chance To Bring Home Remains Of Sailors Buried In Libya 200 Years Ago
Amanda Terkel
WASHINGTON -- Thirteen U.S. sailors who died in 1804 during the First Barbary War and were buried in Tripoli, Libya, may finally be coming home, if the American Legion gets its way.
Since the uprising in Libya broke out six months ago, the veterans organization has been lobbying Congress to bring home the remains of the U.S. servicemen. The crew, led by Master Commandant Richard Somers and Lt. Henry Wadsworth (uncle of the poet Henry Wadsworth Longfellow), died when their explosives-packed ship blew up prematurely during a mission to Tripoli.
"It's the best chance we've had in a long time," said Tim Tetz, legislative director for the American Legion. "We've got a change of politics in Libya. We've got family members who have stood up and said, 'We want to have our family members brought home.' We've got the will and might of America to say, 'Let's respect those who fought our wars for us, and that includes all wars.'"
As Politico's Dave Levinthal reports, the American Legion is one of 11 groups that have "formally lobbied the federal government on pet causes that, in one fashion or another, concern Libya." Oil companies, the American Civil Liberties Union and United to End Genocide have all been taking their concerns to the federal government.
The American Legion, with the backing of House Intelligence Committee Chairman Mike Rogers (R-Mich.), was able to secure an amendment to a House bill directing the Defense Secretary to "exhume and transfer the remains of certain deceased members of the Armed Forces buried in Tripoli, Libya."
The Senate, however, has not followed suit. According to Tetz, one stumbling block may be Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.), who served in the U.S. Navy.
"He has expressed some concern that he doesn't want to see it pass, which is disconcerting to us, and we've tried to influence him where and when we can. So far, to no avail," said Tetz.
read more here
Amanda Terkel
WASHINGTON -- Thirteen U.S. sailors who died in 1804 during the First Barbary War and were buried in Tripoli, Libya, may finally be coming home, if the American Legion gets its way.
Since the uprising in Libya broke out six months ago, the veterans organization has been lobbying Congress to bring home the remains of the U.S. servicemen. The crew, led by Master Commandant Richard Somers and Lt. Henry Wadsworth (uncle of the poet Henry Wadsworth Longfellow), died when their explosives-packed ship blew up prematurely during a mission to Tripoli.
"It's the best chance we've had in a long time," said Tim Tetz, legislative director for the American Legion. "We've got a change of politics in Libya. We've got family members who have stood up and said, 'We want to have our family members brought home.' We've got the will and might of America to say, 'Let's respect those who fought our wars for us, and that includes all wars.'"
As Politico's Dave Levinthal reports, the American Legion is one of 11 groups that have "formally lobbied the federal government on pet causes that, in one fashion or another, concern Libya." Oil companies, the American Civil Liberties Union and United to End Genocide have all been taking their concerns to the federal government.
The American Legion, with the backing of House Intelligence Committee Chairman Mike Rogers (R-Mich.), was able to secure an amendment to a House bill directing the Defense Secretary to "exhume and transfer the remains of certain deceased members of the Armed Forces buried in Tripoli, Libya."
The Senate, however, has not followed suit. According to Tetz, one stumbling block may be Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.), who served in the U.S. Navy.
"He has expressed some concern that he doesn't want to see it pass, which is disconcerting to us, and we've tried to influence him where and when we can. So far, to no avail," said Tetz.
read more here
Military Chaplain tells grieving troops inability to cry is a "blessing"
When I saw the headline, I knew it would be an emotional piece to read. I never expected to be totally pissed off!
Troops from the 10th Mountain Division gathered to honor and grieve for the loss of their friends. They were seeking comfort but instead heard the Chaplain tell them:
Troops from the 10th Mountain Division gathered to honor and grieve for the loss of their friends. They were seeking comfort but instead heard the Chaplain tell them:
“So the numbness you experience, the callous attitude you may have, your inability to cry like normal people during times of grief is not a burden or a curse that you should be concerned about.Yesterday I did a post about how there is more and more demand placed on Chaplains but not enough to go around. DOD manual did no good
It is actually a blessing from God that allows you to continue in this fight.
“You are warriors with hearts of steel that have allowed you to fight a brutal war day in and day out. You are not normal people, you are soldiers, American soldiers who go outside the wire and accomplish your mission in spite of the reality that every step, every movement mounted or dismounted could possibly be your last.”
The UMT can help Soldiers regain their emotional, psychological, and spiritual strength. The chaplain’s ability to relate religious and spiritual aspects of life to the Soldier’s situation is an essential element of the replenishment process. Chaplains contribute to replenishment by ensuring the following types of religious support:This was issued March 2009. If this is what Chaplains are telling our troops when they are left with the loss of friends, then maybe it goes a long way to explaining why suicides have gone up and why so many still won't ask them for help.
Providing worship services, sacraments, rites, and ordinances.
Providing memorial services and/or ceremonies honoring the dead.
Assisting with the integration of personnel replacements.
Providing personal counseling to assist Soldiers dealing with the grief process.
Requesting religious resources as required for reinforcing the Soldier’s sense of hope.
Supporting TEM by providing opportunities for Soldiers to talk about their combat experiences and to facilitate integration of the combat experience into their lives.
Providing leadership training and supervision of TEM.
Reconnecting the Soldier to the foundational principles of his personal faith.
Assisting in resolving spiritual, moral, and ethical dilemmas presented by the circumstances of war.
Memorial in Afghanistan stirs soldiers’ emotions as they grapple with combat deaths
By LAURA RAUCH
Stars and Stripes
Published: August 20, 2011
FOB HOWZ-E-MADAD, Afghanistan - A muted laughter echoed under the canopy as a small band of Company C soldiers gathered on a wooden platform.
They talked of small things; unimportant things that made them smile.
But as a gentle music began to play, a somber realism took hold: The members of Company C, 1st Battalion, 32nd Regiment, part of the 10th Mountain Division out of Fort Drum, N.Y., were there to remember. They took their seats as the other guests settled in around them. Some bowed their heads in prayer. Others began to quietly weep.
A cruel emptiness filled the space as the battalion chaplain, Capt. Omari Thompson, read the names of the soldiers being remembered: Sgt. Edward J. Frank II, 26, of Yonkers, N.Y.; Spc. Jameel T. Freeman, 26, of Baltimore; Spc. Patrick L. Lay II, 21, of Fletcher, N.C.; Spc. Jordan M. Morris, 23, of Stillwater, Okla.; and Pfc. Rueben J. Lopez, 27, of Williams, Calif.
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