Man claims PTSD caused crime spree involving gun

Police: Man claims PTSD caused crime spree involving gun
Posted on26 August 2011.
By Kelci Parks

A Pahrump man was arrested in the early morning hours yesterday after allegedly going on an alcohol and drug-induced crime spree. In less than two hours John David Radell, 43, was reported to have pulled a gun on three people in three separate locations.

Deputies were first dispatched to Paddy’s Pub on Pahrump Valley Boulevard just before midnight on Wednesday evening. Deputies discovered that Radell had allegedly pulled a gun and put it to the first victim’s head during some sort of verbal dispute outside of the bar. No shots were fired and Radell fled the scene before police could respond.

“It was pretty random. He just kept picking different locations,” said Nye County Sheriff Tony DeMeo.

The severity of the incidents increased a little each time. Less than 15 minutes after the first incident, deputies were dispatched to Terrible’s Country Store gas station on Highway 160 across from the entrance to Calvada Blvd. Witnesses there told police that Radell walked into the gas station and engaged in a verbal argument with a patron at the store. Radell then allegedly pulled out a gun and put it to the head of the second victim. Again, no shots were fired, but Radell allegedly pistol-whipped the patron and again fled the scene before deputies showed up.

The sheriff says that the suspect was not on foot, but driving from location to location.

Just before 2 a.m. Thursday, deputies responded to a suicide threat at 2240 S. Winery Rd., the suspect’s residence. The press release states that Radell had pointed the gun at his wife and then fired a shot into the wall.

Radell told police that his actions were an attempt to draw attention to his Post Traumatic Stress Disorder that he claims resulted from his service in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Radell’s claims to have served in the U.S. Army have yet to be confirmed, but the suspect told police that he served tours in both Afghanistan and Iraq. He also told them he was on medication for his PTSD.
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Veteran Says Deputies Shot Him in the Back

Veteran Says Deputies Shot Him in the Back
By MATT REYNOLDS

SAN DIEGO (CN) - A Gulf war veteran and his wife say a sheriff's deputy shot the veteran in the back, leaving him paraplegic, and that the Sheriff's Department then lied about the shooting, claiming the veteran had shot first.

Michael and Kimberly Foster sued San Diego County and its Sheriff William Gore in Federal Court.

Kimberly Foster says she called 911 from her Alpine home on Oct. 19, 2010, "out of concern for her husband's safety." She says she felt that her husband, an Army medic who had served in Bosnia and the Persian Gulf, "was having a PTSD episode."

Alpine is a distant suburb in the hills east of San Diego.

She says San Diego County Sheriff deputies and a SWAT team responded to her call.

"At approximately 1:00 pm, plaintiff Michael Foster walked outside into his back yard in broad daylight. With his back turned to the officers and without provocation, plaintiff Michael Foster was shot multiple times in the back by the SWAT team members," the complaint states.

Kimberly adds that "at the time he was shot," her husband "posed no immediate threat of harm to any of the officers."

She says that when she heard the shots she thought her husband had been killed.

"Immediately after the shooting, San Diego Sheriff's Lieutenant Dennis Brugos made a public statement indicating that the Sheriff SWAT officers shot Mr. Foster because Mr. Foster first shot at them one or two times," the complaint states. "Lieutenant Brugos' statement was entirely false as subsequent investigation has proven that Mr. Foster never discharged his firearm in the presence of the sheriff's officers."

The Fosters say the County of San Diego stuck by the story, even though Brugos' statement was "indisputably false."
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Parade will welcome home injured soldier

UPDATE August 25, 2012
Disabled soldier acquitted on shooting charge
UPDATE
Parade canceled after soldier arrested

This has been a great morning so far. Posts on homeless veterans and now this. Why? Because it shows people do care about our veterans and the troops. Watching national news, you'd never know that unless something catastrophic happens but there are thousands of stories across the nation proving how much the American people do care.

Parade will welcome home injured soldier
Losing leg 'part of war and part of life,' Braman says
Aug. 26, 2011
Written by
ERIC WEDDLE

Eric Braman talks Friday about his service as an MP with the Army 101st Airborne in Afghanistan. Braman lost his right leg when the vehicle his was riding in was struck by a rocket propelled grenade. (By John Terhune/Journal & Courier)

The intricate sleeve of tattoos on Eric Braman's right arm tells a story.

Among a skull, rose and vibrant colors are permanent drawings that honor his family, a deceased friend, and one that spells out his credo: no regrets in life.

That's the philosophy Braman takes when telling the story of his right leg. It was amputated below the knee a year ago after the military vehicle he was riding in was stuck by a rocket-propelled grenade in Nangarhar, Afghanistan.

Braman's friend and another solider died from the attack.
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I often wonder what it is like for them to be in Iraq or Afghanistan watching news reports and wondering if they have been forgotten or if anyone cares. National media drums up the political discord tracking people in the Tea Party, as if they speak for America, talking about not wanting to pay taxes while avoiding reports about how they want to take away from veterans.

Imagine risking your life and reading what they have to say online or watching one of their videos. Turn on any major news station and you will not find many reports about them in Iraq or Afghanistan any more than you'll see reports on what happens to them back home.

When they are not reporting on politics, they report on celebrities or create new ones. It would be nice if they decided to make the troops celebrities. It takes a disaster to get them to report on anything else. Every station is focused on Hurricane Irene which is fine because of how many lives are affected by this giant. The problem is, there is just never enough focus on them. I had to face the fact the American people have no idea what is going on in other parts of the country because while their local news does a great job talking about their local veterans and troops deployed from their own communities, the national news failed them a long time ago. This is yet one more reason a blog like this exists. The stories are all out there but now we can all know what is happening one state to another. Sure there are heartbreaking reports about what is wrong across the country but there are also many reports about what is right with the people in this country no matter what state they live in. The national news may not care, but the American people do!

Grant helps homeless veterans and veterans living in poverty

$1m grant to help homeless vets
August 26, 2011
By John Ruch
The JP-based Volunteers of America Massachusetts (VOAMA) has received a $1 million grant to help homeless and at-risk veterans.

VOAMA estimates that there are over 1,000 homeless veterans and over 7,000 veterans living in poverty in Suffolk, Norfolk and Plymouth counties.

The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs grant is for VOAMA programming in collaboration with the Quincy homeless program Father Bill’s & MainSpring.
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Vets gets clothes, food other help at Brunswick National Guard Armory

Vets gets clothes, food other help at Brunswick armory

'Stand Down' event includes clothing, haircuts and more
Posted: August 27, 2011

By Terry Dickson
Men and women who left the military decades ago got some new uniform clothing Friday.

The Army National Guard Armory in Brunswick was lined with tables of new but outdated uniforms and other surplus equipment that volunteers handed out to veterans in the annual Stand Down for Veterans. Although the event concentrated on the homeless, volunteers and agency staff members didn't turn any needy people away.

Gregory Senters of the Carl Vinson VA Medical Center in Dublin, who coordinated the event, said it couldn't happen without the local veterans organizations and other volunteers. Among them was Coast Guard Petty Officer 1st Class Justin Irwin, who came with a contingent of Coast Guardsmen who were handing out clothing.

"It's just people pretty much at the bottom and these people are out here to help them," Irwin said of the Salvation Army, American Red Cross and other agencies set up at the armory.

Irwin said it was heartwarming to see the reaction of the homeless veterans.

There were socks, blankets, underwear, shirts, pants, a bag of toiletries provided by Target and a duffel bag to carry it all in. Those who wanted it left with a full stomach after a free spaghetti lunch cooked by the Salvation Army.

The Humane Society of Coastal Georgia was also there to help veterans with their pets.
"We ran out of dog food," said Leigh Anne Estrada of the Humane Society. "We also brought collars and leashes. Last year, guys were walking around with men's neckties around their dogs."
Senters said a lot of vets have dogs, and not just for the companionship. "That's your alarm system under the bridge," he said.

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3 Doors Down Team Up With Home Depot to Help Homeless Veterans

3 Doors Down Team Up With Home Depot to Help Homeless Veterans
Posted on Aug 26th 2011 11:00AM by Carlos Ramirez

Michael Kovac, Getty Images

3 Doors Down have built their career on the back of an endless parade of melodic rock radio hits. But it's their tireless work with the US Military that has made them the go-to band for the Armed Forces these past few years. "It's the least we can do for these troops and we'll always find time to play for them if it lifts their spirits," 3 Doors Down guitarist Matt Roberts tells Noisecreep. We're in West Los Angeles with Roberts and his bandmates where they're volunteering for their latest passion project.

The band is here with The Home Depot Foundation, The Mission Continues and local volunteers, to refurbish the exterior grounds of New Directions, a nonprofit organization, which runs a residential program on the campus of the West Los Angeles Veterans Administration Medical Center.

New Directions provides an array of services for homeless veterans recovering from "Invisible illnesses" including substance abuse, mental illness and post-traumatic stress disorder.

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Hurricane Irene alters Walter Reed transfer

Hurricane Irene alters Walter Reed transfer
By Patricia Kime - Staff writer
Posted : Friday Aug 26, 2011 14:24:58 EDT
Hurricane Irene’s march up the East Coast has accelerated plans to move the last patients from Walter Reed Army Medical Center in Washington, D.C., to a new flagship hospital a few miles away in Bethesda, Md.

The transfer of 100 patients from Walter Reed, scheduled to take place Sun. Aug. 28, will occur on Saturday, Aug. 27, starting at roughly 7 a.m. ahead of the expected arrival of Irene, set to dump tropical rains on the national capital area sometime Saturday afternoon and evening.

The move will involve multiple ambulances and a 5-mile journey from the iconic Army hospital on Georgia Avenue, Washington, D.C., to the newly built Walter Reed National Military Medical Center Bethesda, on the grounds of the National Naval Medical Center. The transfer is expected to be complete by 10 a.m.
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Vietnam veteran presented with medals

Vietnam veteran presented with medals
Posted: Aug 26, 2011
by Melanie Yuill
A Vietnam veteran received six long overdue medals and several ribbons on Thursday.

The VFW, Marine Corps League and American Legion watched from the Butte-Silver Bow Courthouse steps as U.S. Senator Jon Tester presented Gary Sonsteng with the medals. They include a combat action ribbon, Navy Commendation Medal, Vietnam Service Medal and more.
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Video helps VA patients cut out long doctor trips

Video helps VA patients cut out long doctor trips
By Andrew Doughman The Orlando Sentinel
First Posted: August 26, 2011

ORLANDO, Fla. , Jon Yeitrakis used to drive almost an hour each way to see his psychiatrist at the Veterans Affairs hospital in Orlando, Fla.

Now, the Kissimmee, Fla., resident and former Marine medic drives eight minutes to a local VA clinic.

The doctor is still in Orlando. Yeitrakis is still in Kissimmee. But now Yeitrakis attends his 50-minute "tele-psychiatry" appointments over a two-way video system.

Although the technology has been around for decades, only within the past few years has it been available to patients such as Yeitrakis. And the VA plans to expand those telemedicine services during the next year.

"The advantage of telemedicine is that it allows the veteran, or civilian for that matter, to access care in their location," said Nick Ross, assistant director of outpatient clinics and planning at the VA of North Florida and South Georgia.

In some respects, telemedicine represents the death of distance.

Patients with chronic diseases such as diabetes can now use a device to send medical data to the doctor's office from their homes. Then doctors can provide targeted advice over the telephone when necessary.

No more drives to the doctor's office or long waits in the waiting room.
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Matt Blain Honored With Rare Soldier's Medal

Matt Blain Honored With Rare Soldier's Medal For River Rescue (VIDEO)
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Advocates, Veterans Raise Awareness About PTSD

Advocates, Veterans Raise Awareness About PTSD

POSTED: AUG 26, 2011
By Jamie Guirola, Reporter
By Kevin Johnson, Photojournalist

LAS VEGAS - Post Traumatic Stress Disorder or PTSD is sometimes referred to as a hidden wound of war. Attorney Gerald Gillock produced the documentary "Who Will Stand" to bring attention to the issue.

"Right now, we're finding out that an earthquake that knocked over a couple of lawn chairs in Washington is more important than PTSD," Gillock said. "Sometimes, it's hidden by the soldiers themselves who try to hide it. Other times, it's just that people have ignored it."

Veterans returning home from combat often have the anxiety disorder which is triggered by a traumatic event involving death or injury. PTSD changes how the body responds to stress and varies for each person.
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Military widows bond at Alaska retreat

Military widows bond at Alaska retreat
By MARK THIESSEN, Associated Press
GIRDWOOD, Alaska (AP) — Jennifer Tullis still keeps her husband's camouflage uniform in the closet, all starched, ironed and folded, even though he died 12 years ago.

"He took so much pride in that," she said, smiling at the memory of her husband, Michael Peterson, a powerlifting Marine from Tooele, Utah, whose nickname was Ogre.

"I lost my husband when I was 19 to suicide, which is one of the harder ways because there's so many stigmas attached to it," said Tullis, of Valley Center, Calif.

Tullis and about 75 other military widows — ranging in age from 21 to 62 — shared memories of their loved ones while hiking rugged wooded trails, canyoneering in the backcountry and rafting the rapids of Alaska's Crow Creek last weekend. They were participants in the second Alaska Adventure excursion organized by TAPS, the Tragedy Assistance Program for Survivors.

Tullis turned to the group for support when Peterson died, and now gives back as a peer mentor to the growing ranks of military widows and widowers whose spouses or significant others died in combat, from illness, suicide, "every type of loss imaginable," said TAPS founder and president Bonnie Carroll.

"What brings us together and really binds us as a community is their life, and their service and their sacrifice to this nation. This is about honoring the life, and remembering the love far more than it is about mourning the death," Carroll said.

Tullis simply calls TAPS family.
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Army Pilot Program Allows Soldiers to Confidentially Enroll in Alcohol Treatment

Army Pilot Program Allows Soldiers to Confidentially Enroll in Alcohol Treatment

August 23rd, 2011
A pilot Army program allows soldiers at high risk for developing alcohol problems to enroll in a confidential treatment program that will not adversely impact their careers. The program, which started at three Army installations, is now at six posts.

The Confidential Alcohol Treatment and Education Project (CATEP) is aimed at helping soldiers who abuse alcohol, before more serious substance abuse problems develop that could harmfully impact their finances, health, relationships and military career.

Soldiers are overwhelmingly young males, who have higher rates of drinking than the general population, according to Colonel Charles S. Milliken, MD, of the Walter Reed Army Institute of Research. In addition to drawing from this demographic, soldiers have specific reasons for abusing alcohol, including “self-medicating” sleep problems and irritability. These reasons are common in not just those with post-traumatic stress disorder, but in many soldiers first returning from war.


One study found that an estimated 27 percent of soldiers reported alcohol misuse three months after redeploying from Iraq, Col. Milliken says. “Soldiers who drink too much are at high risk of behaviors that put themselves and others at risk, including drinking and driving or riding with a drunk driver.”

Traditionally, when a soldier enrolls in the Army’s substance abuse treatment program, known as ASAP, his or her Commanding Officer is automatically notified. Soldiers who fail to comply with or respond successfully to treatment are processed for administrative separation from military service.

The project initially started in 2009 at three sites: Schofield Barracks Army Health Clinic in Hawaii, Fort Lewis in Washington and Fort Richardson in Alaska. In April 2010, the program was expanded to include Fort Riley in Kansas, Fort Carson in Colorado and Fort Leonard Wood in Missouri. Col. Milliken estimates that the program now covers about 25 percent of those on active duty in the Army.

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Hurricane to do list

After surviving Charlie, Francis and Jeanne in 2004, my family learned a lot of lessons. As Irene heads up the East Coast, there are a lot of people without any idea what they need to do before it hits. Plus, while I live in Florida now, I am a New Englander!

First, go shopping. Think about nothing to cook with unless you have a gas stove. Don't think about using the BBQ grill until it is all over.

Buy
Bread, Peanut Butter/Jelly and marshmallow, fresh fruit or canned as long as you have a hand held can opener. Cereal and comfort foods should be on your list too.

Milk, cold cuts and bags of ice to put in a cooler. If you don't have one, buy one. Keep the bags of ice in your freezer in case the power goes out and then load them into the cooler along with anything that has to stay cold.

Avoid buying frozen foods.

Water, water and more water.

Batteries for a radio and if you don't have one, get one. If your power goes out, your cable TV will too. Forget about portable TV's (analog) because you need cable to get a signal. Batteries for flashlights. Candles do little good if you have nothing to light them with so make sure you have a few lighters or matches to last. Do not leave candles burning unless you are in the room.

Make sure your cell phone is fully charged. Think about buying a car charger so that you can power it up from your car if the power is out for too long. Most people do not have land lines anymore. If you have a battery operated/electric home phone and the power goes out, it will not work.

Buy meats only if they will fit into a cooler so that you can use your grill if the power goes out.

Gas for your car and for your grill for when the hurricane passes.

Think before you buy if you have what you need for at least three days and then think about if you can keep the food safe to eat without any power.

Go to buy plywood for your windows. Taping your windows up won't work with hurricane force winds. Don't forget you need to cut the plywood and need to nail it to your house.

Buy a large tarp in case you lose shingles. It could be a long time before anyone can come to fix your roof.

Buy a bucket in case you lose power and cannot flush your toilet or wash.

Make sure you have enough medicine for at least three days.

Make sure you have some cash in case banks lose power for days.

Shopping done, take care of your home. First remove anything not "nailed down" in your yard. It will save you a lot of grief if there are not things blowing around aimed at your house.

Nail up the plywood to windows. Things left out by your neighbors will blow around plus tree branches can come smashing into them.


Fill your bathtubs and sinks so that you can flush toilets and wash up.

Walk around your property and take a look at trees to see if dead branches should be removed and then get them into a garage until they can be hauled away. If not, then tie up heavy bunches so that the wind will not take them one by one.

Let family members know who to call in case it hits and not everyone is home. This needs to be done in case all you have is a cell phone and cannot power it up or get a signal.

Remember that the wind is not the only thing that you have to worry about. We all live with electronics. No power means nothing will work and this can cause a lot of anguish if you are not ready to rough it a few days and get prepared ahead of time.

For pets

Cats are easy but they may act out so just be aware they may. For dogs, you have to stop feeding and giving water so they can empty themselves before the storm comes. The last thing you want is for your dog to have to go "potty" in the middle of the hurricane. When it is safe, take them out as soon as you can and once it passes, feed them, give them water and plenty of love.

Check for roofing shingles in your yards because if you see them there are roofing nails to go with them somewhere. Watch for broken glass as well.

Fort Riley private. not robbed, shot himself

Police: Riley pvt. not robbed, shot himself
The Associated Press
Posted : Friday Aug 26, 2011 8:29:15 EDT
KANSAS CITY, Mo. — A Fort Riley soldier who said he was shot and robbed while jogging in Kansas City has been charged with making a false report.
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California, Others Cut Veterans Courts From Budget

California, Others Cut Veterans Courts From Budget

Though specialized veterans courts can save taxpayers up to $12,00 per client, some states have squashed the initiative to curb budget spending.

As many as 25 to 30 percent of returning veterans suffer from mental illness, according to the National Association of Drug Court Professionals, a statistic that inspired Buffalo, NY to establish the first Veterans Treatment Court in 2008. Modeled after drug courts, it aims to lead veterans down the road of recovery and sobriety, instead of throwing them behind bars. While more than 80 such courts have cropped up in the last three years, states like California have nixed their opening to cut spending, the Bay Citizen reports.

“Nobody knows what the hell these guys are going through. It can quickly spiral out of control,” Ken Gardner, a veteran who now practices law, told Lancaster Online. “We certainly owe it to them to at least look at another option [for prosecution].”

Lancaster, PA—home to more than 250 imprisoned veterans—is slated to open a veterans court in January, the news outlet reported.

Though offering troubled veterans access to drug and alcohol treatment, mental health counseling and employment services has proven to help them rehabilitate and kick their criminal past, California Gov. Jerry Brown recently vetoed a bill that would’ve expanded the system, according to the Bay Citizen.
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Camp Pendleton house fire claims life of Marine's daughter

Teenager dies in Camp Pendleton house fire

Written by
Pauline Repard

CAMP PENDLETON — A Marine’s 13-year-old daughter died Thursday morning after a fire swept through their single-family home on base at Camp Pendleton, officials said.

The fire broke out about 6:30 a.m. in the O’Neil Heights military housing area, in the southeastern part of the base near the Naval hospital, base spokesman Sgt. John Jackson said.

One Camp Pendleton firefighter was taken to Tri-City Medical Center for treatment of burns and smoke inhalation, Jackson said.
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Troops photograph every Arlington grave

Troops photograph every Arlington grave

August 26, 2011 5:21 AM
KIMBERLY HEFLING
Associated Press
ARLINGTON, Va. — Night after night this summer, troops from the Army's historic Old Guard have left their immaculately pressed dress blues, white gloves and shiny black boots at home to slip into Arlington National Cemetery in T-shirts and flip-flops to photograph each and every grave with an iPhone.

The sometimes eerie task to photograph more than 219,000 grave markers and the front of more than 43,000 sets of cremated remains in the columbarium is part of the Army's effort to account for every grave and to update and fully digitize the cemetery's maps. The Old Guard performs its work at night to escape the summer heat and to avoid interrupting funerals.

Last year a scandal over mismanagement at the nation's most hallowed burial ground revealed unmarked and mismarked graves. Congress then mandated that the cemetery account for the graves of the more than 330,000 people interred in the cemetery. Markers may bear more than one name, such as a service member and spouse.

The photos taken at night are matched with other records to find the discrepancies that need to be fixed, a process officials say is too early to draw any conclusions. Military officials hope they can eventually use the photos to create an online database for the public.
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Some 9/11 Charities Failed Miserably

Some 9/11 Charities Failed Miserably
August 25, 2011
Associated Press|by Brett J. Blackledge and David B. Caruso

NEW YORK - Americans eager to give after the 9/11 terrorist attacks poured $1.5 billion into hundreds of charities established to serve the victims, their families and their memories. But a decade later, an Associated Press investigation shows that many of those nonprofits have failed miserably.

There are those that spent huge sums on themselves, those that cannot account for the money they received, those that have few results to show for their spending and those that have yet to file required income tax returns. Yet many of the charities continue to raise money in the name of Sept. 11.

One charity raised more than $700,000 for a giant memorial quilt, but there is no quilt. Another raised more than $4 million to help victims, but didn't account publicly for how it spent all of the money. A third helps support a 9/11 flag sold by the founder's for-profit company.
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Families say "help" for PTSD is not there

OEF stands for Operation Enduring Freedom. It began in 2001 when troops were sent into Afghanistan. Ten years later, the fact too many are enduring the emotional pain caused by war it should be clear that while many have returned from war, they have not found freedom from it.

If you read this, there can be little doubt that the claims the DOD make about addressing PTSD and combat stress, are nothing more than claims.

The 11 potential suicides would set a record at JBLM. There were nine suicides on the base in 2010.

This following statement is misleading at best, uninformed at worst.

"The leaders at Joint Base Lewis-McChord say the Army now has dozens of programs aimed at preventing suicide."

"Now" would suggest that they learned from the mistakes of the past and just addressed it. The problem is, they began all of these "programs" back in 2003 for Iraq and Afghanistan troops.

While they pretended there was nothing before this, the truth is, there were programs going all the way back to the 70's for Vietnam Veterans. Research started because they demanded it. To end up with this many suicides after they came out with the programs proves they are not working.

"Aimed at suicide prevention" is also misleading because while they have saved lives, the numbers would have gone down on successful suicides. As bad as the number of attempted suicides are, it is one more indication the "programs they now have" are not working any more than they worked back in 2003 when they came out with their "Battlemind" program.

They would not need suicide prevention if any of their other programs worked in the first place. They would have to be totally blind to the data coming into the Suicide Prevention Hotline proving yet again, the programs to help them after war, are just not there.

Then we have this report.

'If you're going to ask for help ... they're going to chastise you'
By Keith Eldridge Published: Aug 22, 2011

JOINT BASE LEWIS-MCCHORD, Wash. -- A record-setting month for soldier suicides has the U.S. Army taking the offensive, saying it's making every effort to prevent them.

But the families of some of those soldiers say the military is not doing enough.

The Army says suicide prevention is a top priority, with scores of programs in place to help identify someone in trouble. But several families of the soldiers who took their own lives say the programs are falling short, and their loved ones paid the price.

The wars in Iraq and Afghanistan are really taking their toll, both in the combat field and in the heads of soldiers. The Army says July hit a record for potential suicides at 22.

The mother of Spc. Jonathon Gilbert says her son committed suicide in Lakewood because he didn't want to return to combat after one tour in Iraq.
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The fact redeployments increase the risk of PTSD by 50% for each time sent back into combat did not change the fact the DOD still does it.

"Just one month earlier, the wife of Army Ranger Jared Hagemann says her husband committed suicide on base because he didn't want to be deployed a ninth time."

Ten years of war and a ninth tour of duty? How could anyone think this would end well?

We keep heading onto YouTube links when there is a video of soldiers acting silly, dancing to the sound track of a pop star but we don't head onto videos about what they come home to. Yesterday there was a video of a dog laying by the casket of Navy SEAL Officer Jon Tumilson that made it into the emails of people around the world. It was touching but while families are touched by funerals everyday that did not need to happen, no one is watching their tributes or doing anything to ease their grief.

Ask them what they want after they had to bury a son or daughter because of military suicide and they will tell you they want no other family to suffer the way they are. Ask a wife after she has had to endure months or years after her husband came back from war changed as she stands near his casket what she wants. She will tell you that she doesn't want any more families to have to endure that pain or watch their children grow up knowing their Dad took his own life.

Dying in combat is considered to be the ultimate sacrifice. Families know the doorbell can ring at any moment. Dying after they have come home because of combat by taking their own lives is the direct result of the failures of this nation. How long will we accept the claims the DOD makes while they cannot endure coming home?

"For those I love I will sacrifice"

UPDATE
Wounded Big Red One Soldier continues to serve Army family
Army
By Mollie Miller, 1st Infantry Division Public Affairs
January 9, 2012

FORT RILEY, Kan. (Jan. 9, 2012) -- Love can make people do some crazy, unusual, heroic things.

A dance outside in a rain storm, a midnight flight across the country, a dash into a burning home, none of these are outside the realm of what people will do for those they love.

For one 1st Infantry Division Soldier, his love for his family and his country led him into an Army recruiter's office, onto basic training, up the road to Fort Riley, Kan., and around the world to Afghanistan.

And then that love led him right to death's front door.

Pfc. Kyle Hockenberry, 4th Squadron, 4th Cavalry Regiment, 1st Heavy Brigade Combat Team, joined the Army in the fall of 2010 after a summer full of friends, dirt bikes and post high school graduation parties. Joining the Army was the realization of a dream for the young man from Marietta, Ohio.

"I always wanted to serve my country, protect our freedom, to keep the life that all the ones I love live safe," the 19-year-old said recently.

Hockenberry's enlistment wasn't much of a surprise for his parents, Chet and Kathy Hockenberry.

"Being a Soldier was all Kyle ever talked about, even when he was little," Kathy said of her youngest son. "I still have all his G.I. Joe guys that he always used to play with because he didn't want me to get rid of them."

Kyle graduated from basic training in January 2011 and was assigned to the Big Red One's 4th Squadron, 4th Cavalry Regiment "Pale Riders." The Pale Rider team was already busy making final preparations for a deployment to Afghanistan when Kyle arrived and the new Soldier began his own preparations for this upcoming mission -- a mission that would have him leaving Kansas in less than six weeks.

First on Kyle's list of deployment preparations was a visit to a tattoo shop in Manhattan, Kan.

"I had wanted a tattoo for a long time and I wanted to finally get one before we left," he said.

One evening, shortly before the deployment, Kyle and a few fellow Soldiers "went under the needle." One of the Soldiers had his children's names or birth dates tattooed, some had a lucky number or special picture done but Kyle selected a seven word phrase that had been rolling around in his head ever since he decided he was going to be a Soldier.

That night, the tattoo artist etched, "For those I love, I will sacrifice" onto Kyle's right side.

"I thought since I was in the military that it would be a good one to get," he said. "'Those I love' is for everyone -- for my parents, my brother and all my family but it really for everyone in the country."
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"For those I love I will sacrifice" pretty much sums up how they all feel. They are ready to face danger and ready to save a life even if it means they lose their own. If you want to see how much they care about each other, go to the link below and see the pictures going with this article. If you want to know why they are willing to do all of this, read it and know this isn't about killing. It is about caring.

Pfc. Kyle Hockenberry, of 4th Squadron, 4th Cavalry Infantry Regiment, 1st Heavy Combat Brigade, 1st Infantry Division, who was injured in an improvised explosive device attack near Haji Ramuddin, is treated by flight medic Cpl. Amanda Mosher while being transported by medevac helicopter to the Role 3 hospital at Kandahar Air Field in Afghanistan on June 15, 2011. Laura Rauch/Stars and Stripes

Calm in the midst of chaos is lifesaving protocol for medevac crew in southern Afghanistan
By LAURA RAUCH
Stars and Stripes
Published: August 25, 2011
FORWARD OPERATING BASE PASAB, Afghanistan — It was the worst of places, but the soldiers on the ground had few options when they marked the landing zone for the medevac helicopter. One of their buddy’s legs had been blown off by an Improvised Explosive Device near Pashmul South, and another had suffered a traumatic brain injury from the blast.

Grape rows, tree lines and mud walls surrounded the field. It was the perfect setting for an ambush.

Purple smoke billowed from the landing zone as the crew of Dustoff 59 sped toward a small band of 1st Infantry Division soldiers, waiting with their wounded. As pilot and Chief Warrant Officer 2 Marcus Chambers slowed for the landing, gunfire broke out and the all-too-familiar tat-tat-tat-tat, tat-tat-tat-tat pinged around them.

Chambers set the aircraft down and flight medic Staff Sgt. Garrick Morgenweck flung the door open to retrieve the wounded. As he stepped out, insurgents fired a rocket-propelled grenade from close range, striking a mud wall and narrowly missing the helicopter as it blasted through.
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If you ask a Vietnam veteran why they did what they did, there are several reasons they may give to get you to stop asking them. The honest answer is "we did it for each other" and that is what they are all fighting for today in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Time had an update on this story

No Idle Boast: A Soldier's Tattoo Becomes Truth
Posted by Mark Thompson Wednesday, September 28, 2011

Tattoos are as old as war. Lots of soldiers get them, with military motifs, girlfriend's names, or various guns, skulls or dragons adorning their skin. Some get something less ornate. Private First Class Kyle Hockenberry had For those I love I will sacrifice stitched into his flesh. He had no idea how prescient he was.

A member of the 1st Infantry Division, Hockenberry's world changed June 15. He was on a foot patrol just outside Haji Ramuddin, Afghanistan, when an improvised explosive device detonated nearby. In this photograph, by Laura Rauch for the military's Stars and Stripes newspaper, flight medic Corporal Amanda Mosher is tending to Hockenberry's wounds aboard a medevac helicopter minutes after the explosion.

Kyle Hockenberry, 19, lost both legs and his left arm in the blast.
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Dog of Fallen Navy Seal won't leave casket

Dog of Fallen Navy SEAL, Officer Jon Tumilson, Refuses To Leave Casket (VIDEO)
The dog of fallen Navy SEAL Officer Jon Tumilson refused to leave his owner's casket at the officer's funeral earlier this week, Animal Planet reported.

Tumilson's cousin Lisa Pembleton captured the loyal pup, Hawkeye, resting alongside Tumilson's casket at the Rockford, Iowa ceremony.
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Fort Drum soldier being treated for rabies after deployment

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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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?

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."
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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.
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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.

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.
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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.

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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.
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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 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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.

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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.
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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.

Baptism at Camp Leatherneck in Afghanistan
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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Military 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.

Marine suicide tied to hazing in Afghanistan

UPDATE
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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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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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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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.
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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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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.
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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:

“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.


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.”

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

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:
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.

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.

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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Disabled veterans suffered needlessly for 14 years

Disabled veterans suffered needlessly for 14 years
by
Chaplain Kathie

The idea that medical records should be linked between the DOD and the VA seemed like a great one. After all, if they are wounded while in the service, it would only make sense to have it documented by the Department of Defense so that after they are discharged the VA would have their records a lot faster. That's what a lot of people think. The news reports have left the impression this is something new. Aside from the fact it has not been done, the backlog of claims rises and veterans wait months, even years, to have their claims approved, the systems are still not joined.

ELECTRONIC HEALTH RECORDS
DoD's Struggle to Streamline with VA
September 8, 2010

As you can see this video was uploaded September 2010. With Iraq and Afghanistan producing over 2 million more veterans, Vietnam veterans also sought claim approvals for Agent Orange and Post Traumatic Stress Disorder as the rules to file these claims were changed.

What do they live off of when they can't work due to a true "service connected disability" that has not been approved due to backlog of claims and lack of records? They have heard every excuse used over and over again along with hearing that the problem is being addressed. What good does it do to set rules if no one is enforcing them?

This outrageous situation has been allowed to continue because as members of congress change what has been done is all forgotten about.

The need to connect the DOD and the VA was addressed 14 years ago before troops were sent into Afghanistan and Iraq, long before the rule changes to file claims for Vietnam Veterans and still they wait while all of this could have been avoided.

U.S. Department of Defense
Office of the Assistant Secretary of Defense (Public Affairs)
News Release

IMMEDIATE RELEASE
No. 658-97
December 04, 1997

VA, DOD AGREE ON PRE-DISCHARGE EXAMS FOR DISABILITY CLAIMS
Under an agreement between the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) and the Department of Defense (DoD), active duty military personnel should have an easier process for and get faster decisions on their disability compensation claims as well as their eligibility for VA health care.

When fully implemented, the new national policy calls for separating or retiring servicemembers expecting to file a claim for VA disability compensation to undergo a single physical exam prior to discharge. The exam will meet VA requirements for claims determinations, as well as DoD needs for a separation medical examination. The new policy will be phased in as expeditiously as possible as details are worked out at the local level.

Previous procedures required two separate examinations several months apart. Until now, military personnel have first had to get a DoD physical exam prior to discharge from active duty. These personnel then usually have to undergo a second exam by VA after filing claims for disability compensation because of differences between VA and DoD protocols. The results of these examinations are a determining factor in eligibility for VA health care.

The new national policy was spearheaded by VA Under Secretary for Health Dr. Kenneth W. Kizer and DoD Acting Assistant Secretary of Defense for Health Affairs Dr. Edward D. Martin following months of work on this and other matters of joint interest.

Kizer said, "This change will help us avoid unnecessary or redundant physical exams, improve the quality of the examination process, and improve service for separating servicemembers by eliminating lengthy delays in claims decisions and health-care eligibility determinations. We are hopeful the new policy also will enhance ongoing efforts to reduce the time it takes to process compensation claims and, further, it should reduce costs."

Martin said, "By reengineering the system to require only one physical, we are making life easier for our beneficiaries. This is a good news story."

In pilot tests of the dual-purpose exam at VA and Army facilities, claims processing time was reduced to less than one-third of national levels under the existing system. The current national average for processing an original compensation claim is 133 days.

Under the new policy, VA physicians generally will conduct the pre-discharge exams. In areas where VA physicians are not available, DoD physicians will conduct the exams according to VA protocols.

Imagine if this was done 14 years ago there wouldn't be so many veterans waiting for what they were in fact owed for their disabilities caused by service to this country.

Paul Sullivan of Veterans For Common Sense sent an email to let me know that back when this started, he was part of getting it done.

In 1997, while I was executive director of the National Gulf War Resource Center in Washington, DC, I worked with Rep. Lane Evans to pass the Force Health Protection Act that mandated the records and exams.

After prompting by VCS, in 2009, one of President Obama's first actions for VA and DoD was to push forward with the single record.

In my VCS Congressional testimony since 2007, I repeatedly asked for the records and exams.

Then, surprise, in late 2010, DoD confirmed they are doing more of the exams. DoD did a test to see if exams and more doctors improved the health of the troops. And they did, according to a New York Times article published in October 2010.

Are VA and DoD going in the correct direction? Yes. Are they going fast enough? Hell no. Troops still need their pre- and post-deployment medical exams, and our troops and veterans need the electronic lifetime medical record so toxic exposures, exams, and prescriptions are all documented.

As you can see, while Paul has been a "go to guy" for reporters over the last few years, he's been working hard for veterans for a very, very long time.

Motorcycle Reportedly Stolen From Disabled Veteran in Phoenix

Motorcycle Reportedly Stolen From Disabled Veteran in Phoenix
Published August 22, 2011
FoxNews.com
A motorcycle belonging to a disabled veteran who recently returned to the United States after tours in the Middle East has reportedly been stolen.

Ben Davidson, a disabled veteran now living in Arizona, completed three combat tours in Afghanistan and Iraq. But Davidson's only mode of transportation was nowhere to be found when he returned to his north Phoenix apartment, MyFoxPhoenix.com reports.

“We both have to work and take his daughter to school, and somehow we’ve got to get everybody to where they need to be, and it's hard,” Davidson's wife, Wendy, told the website.

"I think it's cowardly, you know, that they would take a bike like that," Davidson said. "It hurts."
read more here

Granger soldier's Kandahar death deemed suicide

Granger soldier's Kandahar death deemed suicide

YAKIMA HERALD-REPUBLIC

GRANGER, Wash. — Investigators say the January death of an Army private from Granger who was serving in Kandahar, Afghanistan was due to a self-inflicted gunshot.

Pfc. Robert Near shot himself shortly after being notified he was being investigated in the theft of a government computer network file server, according to a report obtained by the Yakima Herald-Republic from the Army's Criminal Investigation Command.
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Conference for families of wounded warriors

Conference for families of wounded warriors
by Staff Report

On September 14 and 15, the USO is hosting its 2nd Annual Wounded Warrior and Caregivers Conference in Fayetteville and Ft. Bragg.

At the event, experts, along with military personnel and couples will highlight several newsworthy topics, including major challenges facing our military, their caregivers and the children of deployed and wounded troops. Many of these challenges like suicide and depression are seen most when troops return home to their families. Troops will be withdrawn from Iraq and Afghanistan in the coming months and years, makes the Wounded Warrior and Caregivers Conference even timelier.

Wounded Warrior and Caregiver’s Conference is a two-day event focusing on the issues facing our nation’s wounded warriors and their caregivers (i.e., a spouse, significant other, mom or dad). The event will cover topics such as post-traumatic stress, compassion fatigue, parenting and children’s grief, and suicide prevention. The conference is free and open to caregivers and wounded warriors from Fort Bragg’s Warrior Transition Unit and Camp Lejeune’s Wounded Warrior Regiment.

The Caregiver’s Conference will be held on Sept. 14 at the Doubletree Hotel and Conference Center in Fayetteville, and the Wounded Warriors Conference will be held the next day at the Bragg Club on Fort Bragg.

There will be more than 400 Caregivers in attendance, as well as Wounded Warriors, and featured presenters Sloan Gibson, USO President; John Pray, USO Senior Vice President Entertainment and Programs; Dr. Kim Norman, Health Sciences Clinical Professor of Psychiatry, University of California; Melissa Lofaso, Director of Suicide Prevention & Education, TAPS; Trevor Romain, the Trevor Romain Foundation and Game On Entertainment.

read more here

Judge sets bail after Palm Beach VA drug raid

Judge sets bail for woman arrested in drug raid at the VA Medical Center
By CYNTHIA ROLDAN AND CYNTHIA ROLDAN
Palm Beach Post Staff Writer
Monday, Aug. 22, 2011

WEST PALM BEACH — Terri Guerra went before a judge Monday morning hoping to get some leniency.

But even after listening to the Jupiter woman's attorney try to explain why federal agents found hundreds of prescription pills and thousands of dollars in cash in her home, Circuit Judge Joseph Marx ordered Guerra held on $50,000 bail. And if she posts bond, he ordered that she be placed under house arrest.

Guerra, 53, also ordered not to travel and have no contact with controlled substances, is scheduled to return to court for a status hearing on Sept. 9.

Last Thursday, she was among 17 people arrested during a raid at the Veterans Affairs Medical Center in Riviera Beach. Unlike the rest, however, Guerra's bond hearing was postponed at the request of her attorney, Joseph R. Atterbury.

Waiting to go before Marx at the downtown courthouse on Monday allowed time for Atterbury to bring in a character witness, the pastor of her church. Meanwhile, Assistant state Attorney Phil Wiseberg brought in an agent of the Office of Inspector General at the VA and an agent of the Multi-Agency Diversion Task Force.

Wiseberg argued that Guerra, who faces conspiracy to distribute oxycodone charges, was well aware of her son's illegal activities. Federal authorities arrested Larry J. Dorsey, 32, in July on the same charge as his mother.
read more here