3 Marines Accused Of Hazing To Appear In Court

3 Marines Accused Of Hazing To Appear In Court
by THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
HONOLULU September 8, 2011, 04:18 am ET
Three Hawaii-based Marines are appearing in a military court to face accusations of hazing and beating a fellow Marine who would later committed suicide in Afghanistan.

Sgt. Benjamin E. Johns, Lance Cpl. Carlos Orozco III and Lance Cpl. Jacob D. Jacoby face an Article 32 hearing, the military justice equivalent of a grand jury proceeding. The hearing will be held at Marine Corps Base Hawaii at Kaneohe Bay, where the three are assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 3rd Marine Regiment, 3rd Marine Division.
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original report
Marine Suicide tied to hazing

Marines report 2 suicides and 15 attempted for August

Since 2003 when the DOD began to address suicides and stress along with the steps taken with the Suicide Prevention Hotline, we are left with attempted suicides still high. While there is still a chance to save their lives, the number of successful suicides proves what they have been doing has not been working.

MILITARY: Two Marine Corps suicides recorded in August
By MARK WALKER
Posted: Wednesday, September 7, 2011

Two U.S. Marines killed themselves in August, raising the service's number of suicides for the year to 23.

An additional 15 Marines attempted suicide last month, according to the latest report from the Marine Corps' Suicide Prevention Program, bringing the number of attempts for the year to 125.

If that pace continues, the Marine Corps would record roughly 185 suicide attempts in 2011, surpassing the 172 attempted suicides reported last year, the highest such figure the service has ever recorded.

On Friday, the House Armed Services Committee is conducting a hearing on Capitol Hill on the status of suicide prevention programs in the military.

Marine Corps Lt. Gen. Robert Milstead Jr., deputy commandant for manpower and reserve affairs, is among the witnesses scheduled to testify before the panel that includes Rep. Duncan Hunter, R-El Cajon.

The 23 Marine suicides so far this year and 37 reported in 2010 are lower than the record 52 the service recorded in 2009.
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VA Begins New Program to Serve Veterans Living Abroad

VA Begins New Program to Serve Veterans Living Abroad

WASHINGTON (September 7, 2011) - The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA)
has instituted a new program to provide comprehensive compensation and
pension (C&P) examinations to U.S. Veterans living overseas.

"We are proud to deliver these services to our Veterans living abroad,"
said Secretary of Veterans Affairs Eric K. Shinseki. "This is an
example of how VA is supporting Veterans in unprecedented ways to help
them get the benefits they have earned."

In June, VA staff traveled to Camp Lester in Okinawa, Japan, to join
with members of the Department of Defense in providing C&P exams to
Veterans. Over the course of their three week trip, the team completed
247 examinations on 39 Veterans. Due to the success of the pilot
program, a return visit is planned for Sept. 19-30.

Typically, VA uses local physicians and the assistance of U.S. Navy
personnel for disability examinations overseas, but these trips allow VA
practitioners more familiar with VA protocols and requirements to
provide the Veterans' examinations.

VA's C&P examination program includes providing a medical assessment to
evaluate Veterans' current disabilities that may be related to their
military service. If VA has previously determined a Veteran has a
service-connected medical condition, the examination helps determine the
current severity of the condition, which could affect the amount of VA
disability compensation payable or entitlement to additional benefits.
One Veteran can require separate examinations for various conditions.
On average, Veterans receive four examinations during the VA C&P
process.

In addition, VA conducted its first international C&P examination in
Okinawa using telehealth technology on April 13. To date, six Veterans
have participated in remote C&P examinations between VA's National
Telemental Health Center location and the U.S. Naval Hospital in
Okinawa. VA is using telehealth technology to reduce the number of
Veterans awaiting examinations overseas and to ease their burden of
travel.

VA plans to explore other opportunities to provide similar services to
additional destinations in Europe and Asia where U.S. Veterans live.

Guardsmen killed in Nevada IHOP served in Iraq, Afghanistan

Guardsmen killed in NV served in Iraq, Afghanistan
SANDRA CHEREB, Associated Press
Updated 03:29 p.m., Wednesday, September 7, 2011

CARSON CITY, Nev. (AP) — Dozens of 911 calls made from in and around a Nevada IHOP detail a frantic scene as witnesses describe the shooter and dispatchers tried figure out if more than one person was involved in the rampage that killed four and wounded seven.

Callers describe victims gunned down inside the restaurant on tapes released Wednesday; the sheriff's office said those killed included two National Guard members who served overseas.

"In the IHOP! In the IHOP!" one caller said. "Now he's coming back out with a gun shooting people in the parking lot!"

The attack by lone gunman Eduardo Sencion, aka Eduardo Perez Gonzalez, left four dead and seven injured. Sencion also killed himself.

The dead included three Nevada National Guard members, identified Wednesday as:

Sgt. 1st Class Christian Riege, 38, of Carson City;

Major Heath Kelly, 35, of Reno; and

Sgt. 1st Class Miranda McElhiney, 31, of Reno.

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Health survey headed to Tampa Bay veterans of Camp Lejeune

Health survey headed to Tampa Bay veterans of Camp Lejeune

By William R. Levesque, Times Staff Writer
Posted: Sep 06, 2011 07:07 PM

Times Staff Writer

Tampa Bay residents who lived at Camp Lejeune, N.C., between 1972 and 1986 will receive a health survey by Friday as scientists research whether the base's polluted water harmed their health.

About 250,000 former residents of the Marine Corps base in every U.S. state are getting the mailing from the Agency for Toxic Substances & Disease Registry, ATSDR officials say.

The survey is one of the largest of its type ever conducted and includes about 14,000 Floridians — 2,816 of those from the Tampa Bay area. ATSDR says the work may help direct future research.

But the survey, which must be returned to ATSDR by Christmas, comes amid controversy as critics accuse the Marine Corps and its Navy overseers of trying to quash participation. The Corps denies the charge.

"The Marine Corps fully supports ATSDR's work on the health survey and strongly encourages participation," said Capt. Kendra Hardesty, a Corps spokeswoman. "The more surveys that are filled out and returned, the more likely the results will be useful."
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Fort Carson sees drop in military suicides

In December Fort Carson offered some hope in addressing military suicides when I posted this.
Fort Carson sees progress in mental health battle as suicides drop

According to the following, it looks as if they just may have gotten it right.

Fort Carson reports 1 confirmed suicide this year
3:29 PM, Sep 1, 2011
Written by
Associated Press
FORT CARSON (AP) - Fort Carson commanders reported Thursday that one soldier suicide has been confirmed so far this year and three other possible suicides are still under investigation, a signal that a broad prevention campaign may be paying off. Last year, Fort Carson reported seven suicides.

Brig. Gen. James Doty, Fort Carson's acting senior commander, said the post emphasized suicide-prevention training at all levels of leadership, from corporal up.

"I could take any one of these guys," Doty said, motioning to an auditorium where about 400 soldiers were attending a suicide prevention forum, "and they would know what the signs of behavior problems are, they would know what the signs of PTSD are, they would know what the signs of (traumatic brain injury) are."

"That's extraordinary," he said.

Fort Carson is one of only a few posts where behavioral health specialists work alongside soldiers where they live and train, so they are easily accessible.
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Three Nevada National Guardsmen killed at IHOP

As with the Fort Hood shootings, if they do not address this with crisis intervention right now, there will be many problems afterwards among the National Guardsmen. The plain truth is, when they are deployed into combat, they know the risk involved but when they are home, there isn't supposed to be any risk to their lives here. This is where they live, where their families live. To have this happen at an IHOP leaves them wondering where "safe" is.

5 dead, including gunman, at Nevada IHOP
By the CNN Wire Staff
September 7, 2011 1:42 a.m. EDT

Steven Martin, a witness, told CNN Reno affiliate KRNV that he ran to see if he could help after he heard the shots. "There was blood everywhere; broken glass everywhere. It was just a war zone down there," he said.

STORY HIGHLIGHTS
In all, 11 people are shot
Of them, three National Guard members and a civilian are killed
Witness: "It was just a war zone down there"
The suspect died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound, authorities say
Read more about this story from CNN affiliate KRNV.
(CNN) -- The death toll from a shooting at a Nevada IHOP restaurant has risen to four, officials said early Wednesday morning.
A gunman carrying a variant of an AK-47 rifle opened fire on uniformed Nevada National Guard members as they were having breakfast at the Carson City restaurant Tuesday morning.
In all, 11 people were shot.
Of them, one civilian was killed as were two National Guard members. Another National Guard member, who was taken to a hospital and underwent surgery, later died -- bringing the toll to four, said Carson City Sheriff Ken Furlong.
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Tampa soldier dies of injuries from bombing in Afghanistan

Tampa soldier dies of injuries from bombing in Afghanistan

By Jessica Vander Velde, Times Staff Writer
In Print: Wednesday, September 7, 2011

TAMPA — Christophe Marquis was 39 when he joined the Army.

His wife was wary, but Marquis insisted it was the best way he could provide. She had just given birth to their first son, Christopher.

"It was the health insurance, the chance to have a house and just to not have to worry about anything," Brittany Jackson-Marquis said.

He said goodbye and left for basic training. Then he moved to a base in Alaska and shipped off to Afghanistan as a private first class in April. On Sunday, he died at a German hospital from injuries suffered Aug. 27 in the Kandahar province of Afghanistan, the Army said.

Jackson-Marquis, 22, said Army officials told her a suicide bomber set off an improvised explosive device at a checkpoint where Marquis had been working that day.

"Christophe was the closest one to him," she said.

She flew to Germany last week with their son, but Marquis was already on life support. She talked to him anyway.

She thanked him for little Christopher and sang their song, Happy Together. He had loved that song from the time they began dating — the only one for me is you, and you for me.

On Saturday, their son, who will turn 2 next week, waved goodbye to his father at the hospital. The next day, Marquis was taken off life support.
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Transcendental Meditation helping ease PTSD

There is only one road to PTSD and its location is any place where traumatic events happen. We can understand when someone is changed by a natural disaster, an accident or a crime but we have a harder time understanding when a firefighter, EMT, police officer or member of the armed forces end up with PTSD. Considering the number of times the road they travel is filled with trauma, it should be easier to understand the suffering they endure. Is it because we expect more of them? Think their training should shield them from the hell they are sent into? Whatever causes our lack of understanding, we allow it to get in the way of their healing.

There are many different programs offering help with PTSD. Yoga, Martial Arts along with a list of physical approaches helps take care of the body and Transcendental Meditation helps calm the body down taking care of the spirit. With many veterans the spiritual healing they need will not come from a religious approach to healing their soul/spirit, so this fills the need for some. When this is coupled with their faith being addressed, it is of tremendous benefit to the veteran. They need their mind-body and soul tended to since all of the "veteran" is paying the price for where they were sent to go to.

Overcoming the Nightmare of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder
Eighteen veterans will commit suicide every day—a horrific consequence of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). In fact, more veterans die by suicide every year than are killed annually in Iraq and Afghanistan.
Over 500,000 U.S. troops deployed to Afghanistan and Iraq since 2001 suffer from PTSD.
Forty percent of all homeless people are veterans.
Health care costs for all veterans with PTSD will be an estimated $6.2 billion biannually.
David Lynch Foundation

There is no "one size fits all" healing so keep looking until you find what works for you. Take care of your own "trinity" of your body, your mind and your soul/spirit and you will find a better life. Remember when it comes to traumatic events, you took the road less traveled by others.

Nevada National Guardsmen shot at IHOP leaving 2 dead

UPDATES
Three Nevada National Guardsmen killed

Gunman kills 3, wounds 6 at Nevada IHOP
By the CNN Wire Staff
September 6, 2011 4:27 p.m. EDT
Three shot and killed at Nevada IHOP
STORY HIGHLIGHTS
NEW: Two of the dead were members of the Nevada National Guard, official says
The suspect was found with a self-inflicted gunshot wound and is not expected to survive
Two people were found dead at the scene; a third died during surgery
Police decline to identify the shooting suspect
(CNN) -- A gunman opened fire Tuesday at a Carson City, Nevada, IHOP restaurant, killing three people and wounding six others before turning the gun on himself, police said.
The suspected gunman is not expected to survive, said Sheriff Ken Furlong of the Carson City Sheriff's Office.
The shooting began shortly before 9 a.m., according to Furlong. When authorities arrived, those who called in the incident identified the shooting suspect as a man lying wounded in the parking lot.
Two victims were found dead at the scene, and seven others were taken to a hospital for emergency surgery. One of the wounded died during surgery, Furlong said. He did not know which hospital was treating the suspect.
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2 guardsmen killed in Nevada IHOP shooting
By Sandra Chereb - The Associated Press
Posted : Tuesday Sep 6, 2011 17:00:30 EDT
CARSON CITY, Nev. — An official says five of the nine people who were shot by a gunman at an IHOP restaurant were members of the Nevada National Guard.

Nevada National Guard spokeswoman April Conway says all five uniformed Guard members who were in the restaurant at the time were shot. Two have died — one man and one woman.

Conway also says there’s no indication the shooter had any connection with the Guard. The restaurant is about four miles from the Guard’s headquarters complex.
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3 Silver Stars awarded for fierce firefight at Fort Campbell

3 Silver Stars awarded for fierce firefight
By Michelle Tan - Staff writer
Posted : Monday Sep 5, 2011 9:20:28 EDT

101st Airborne Commanding General Maj. Gen. John Campbell, right, makes remarks on Sgt. Rocky Bloom, left, and Staff Sgt. Sean Outman during a ceremony Tuesday at Fort Campbell after they received Silver Star Medals for their valor in Afghanistan.

Rocket-propelled grenades and small-arms fire slammed into the soldiers’ command post, immediately taking out some of their weapon systems.

The enemy had launched an L-shaped ambush, targeting soldiers from A Company, 1st Battalion, 327th Infantry Regiment.

Spc. Jesse Snow, without regard for his safety and despite his disabled weapon, low-crawled to the command post to aid the wounded. He dragged two comrades more than 30 feet to cover, at the same time spotting targets for a machine-gun team.

When the team ran low on ammunition, Snow, under intense enemy fire, fed them more. As he continued to provide life-saving aid to the wounded, Snow used his body to shield a wounded soldier from intense, incoming machine-gun fire.

When the fighting stopped, Snow and four other soldiers had been fatally wounded.

But for his actions on that day in Kunar province, Afghanistan, Snow was posthumously awarded the Silver Star, the third-highest award for valor.

Also recognized for their actions that day are Staff Sgt. Sean Outman and Sgt. Rocky Bloom, who received their Silver Stars during a ceremony Aug. 9 at Fort Campbell, Ky.
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VCS Editorial: Suicide Remains Sad Legacy of 9/11

Veterans for Common Sense has been a champion for veterans and they are responsible for much of what has been happening in the battle to save the lives of our veterans. They released an editorial on the plight our veterans face especially the post 9-11 veterans. As the tenth anniversary approaches, we pause to think of the lives lost that day, we should also think of the lives lost answering the call to serve in the military because of that day.

"According to VA, as of July 31, 2011:

462,854 total calls to VA's Crisis Line at 800-273-8255

259,891 calls from veterans

6,030 calls from active duty service members

16,955 “rescues” of veterans and service members"

While this is a great editorial by Veterans For Common Sense, they are a lot nicer than I am. I have to face it, I am not politically correct and I have no patience when it comes to needless suffering. When will someone notice these numbers and actually know what they represent?

These numbers do show the need for and success of the Suicide Prevention Hotline. Wonderful when you look at it and never really think about it. Yet when you add in the fact the suicide numbers have still gone up even after all these "programs" were started by the DOD to address the suffering, these numbers show failure of those programs sold as "resiliency training" to toughen their minds. If the attempt worked when introduced in 2003, there would have never been a need for the Suicide Prevention Hotline.

Almost 17,000 rescues, which is also wonderful but what happens to them after they are "rescued?" Do they have the help they need to make sure they never get that hopeless again? Where do they go? Do they end up with approved claims from the VA to support themselves and give them the emotional boost when the VA accepts responsibility for what they are suffering from? Or are they still trapped in the pile of 850,000 other claims, as pointed out by this editorial, waiting to be processed? Or the 250,000 other claims trapped for over 4 years? Any idea what kind of stress this adds to a veteran dealing with PTSD? Any idea what kind of stress this adds to their families trying to come to terms with someone they love falling apart?

Over 250,000 calls from veterans but no one is asking why they reach the point of contemplating suicide with all the things available to them now? How many charity groups are out there supposedly taking care of them, getting grants and collecting donations? Does anyone bother to check to see if their programs are working, work the best or fail? Support groups are all over the Internet providing more support than ever before to veterans all over the country yet no one is studying if the support they are getting is helpful or harmful.

We see ads all the time with companies promising to donate a portion of the money we spend to programs like Wounded Warriors Project, a worthy endeavor offering programs for a full range of wounds but along with the other groups we should all be asking why the tragic numbers go up despite these efforts.

We can keep reading about veterans facing more life threatening situations back home than they face in combat or we can look at what has been working, repeat it and stop what has not been working.

VCS Editorial: Suicide Remains Sad Legacy of 9/11
Written by vcs
Monday, 05 September 2011 17:08

VCS Releases New Suicide-Related Statistics as Part of National Suicide Prevention Week
September 5, 2011 (VCS Editorial) - As the war in Afghanistan enters its 10th year, and as the war in Iraq enters its 21st year, our troops and veterans suffer enormous casualties. One sad legacy is the current suicide epidemic. In the last two years more of our service members completed suicide than were killed by the enemy. An average of 18 veterans from all wars complete suicide every day.

VCS remains at the forefront of this issue. With the assistance of attorneys at Morrison / Foerster and Disability Rights Advocates, VCS and VUFT sued VA for turning away suicidal veterans in 2007. Our vigorous advocacy continues prompting improvements in medical care and awareness at both VA and DoD.

However, as the wars drag on, the deadly suicide crisis worsens. Untreated depression and PTSD can become serious issues for service members, veterans, and families. Deployment and re-deployment to war, improper denials for care, lengthy delays to see doctors, and discrimination against those seeking mental healthcare further increase the risk for suicide.
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Firefighter Arrested After Weekend Standoff was Military Police Officer

Firefighter Arrested After Weekend Standoff

Attorney: Client Being Treated For PTSD

CINCINNATI -- A Deerfield Township firefighter was arrested after a standoff on Saturday.
Prosecutors said Nicholas Bomske broke into his girlfriend's parents' home in the 3700 block of N. Berkley Circle.

A SWAT unit was called in and residents were kept in their homes until Bomske was taken into custody.

At his arraignment Monday, Bomske's attorney said his client is a current firefighter and former military police officer who is undergoing treatment for post-traumatic stress disorder at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base.
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New center could offer equine therapy to disabled veterans

New center could offer equine therapy to disabled veterans
UCF medical school, Osceola County may partner on project
By Jeannette Rivera-Lyles, Orlando Sentinel
7:34 p.m. EDT, August 31, 2011

An emerging partnership between UCF's College of Medicine and Osceola County could result in an unusual center that useshorses to help disabled veterans from across the country.

UCF wants to establish an equestrian center to help rehabilitate soldiers through therapeutic horse riding, also known as equine therapy. The program would draw patients from the Veterans Affairs hospital under construction at the Medical City at Lake Nona, which is also home to the college.

"What we would want to do is become the national center for this kind of therapy and its research," said Dr. Manette Monroe, a dean of students at the college who is developing the equine program.

Jim Sursely, a past commander of the Central Florida chapter of the Disabled American Veterans, said the center would be "wonderful" for disabled veterans, who don't have many local options.

"Not just for the young soldiers coming back from Iraq but for others, like me, who were wounded in Vietnam and other conflicts," said Sursely, who lost both legs and an arm in Vietnam. "Many of the older soldiers could benefit from additional therapy."

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Marine died of "multi-drug toxicity"

This young Marine died in March but it was not until now that the family found out why? Were these drugs prescribed by the military?

Marine Corps: Sickels died of drug overdose

TimesReporter.com staff report
Posted Sep 02, 2011 @ 12:14 AM
JACKSONVILLE, N.C. —
The Marine Corps has ruled that Cpl. Shawn Sickels, 22, of New Philadelphia — found dead in his barracks at Camp LeJeune, N.C., on March 30 — died of an accidental drug overdose.

The listed cause of death was “multi-drug toxicity,” according to 2nd Lt. Oliver David, public affairs officer for the Second Marine Division. Sickels was a field artillery cannoneer with the 3rd Battalion, 10th Marine Regiment, 2nd Marine Division.
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Homeless veteran says 'I'm Jesus Fine'

Homeless man: 'I'm Jesus Fine' (SOUNDSLIDE)

September 04, 2011 5:38 PM
FORT WALTON BEACH — Bill Parker remembers standing in front of the Waterfront Rescue Mission with nothing but his clothes in hand and his daughter by his side.

He pointed to the ground and told her that that was their home. Parker said she looked into his eyes with a warm smile and said, “I don’t care, Dad, as long as I’m with you,”

Little did Parker and his 11-year-old daughter LeighAnn Carper know that only hours later they would be setting up home at Opportunity Place across town.

Opportunity Place, which opened in July 2009, houses homeless women and families who are seeking future housing and stability. They get help through outreach programs such as personal finance and parenting classes and support groups. They also are referred to other agencies for various needs.

“Whatever it takes to help them reach their stability, I should be able to find that resource that can help make it happen,” said C.C. Fearson, director of Opportunity Place.

One of those resources is a newer program that has been in place in Okaloosa County for the past year. The Homeless Veterans Reintegration Program, or HVRP, provides veterans with job training and helps them find employment.

“The goal of the HVRP program is to get our people back into employment,” said Stephanie Duenas, the HVRP program director at Opportunity Place. “They are not disqualified by their barriers.”

From jail to ministry
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Reducing Suicide Among Veterans Requires Shared Vigilance

Reducing Suicide Among Veterans Requires Shared Vigilance
Published Sunday, September 4, 2011 2:15 am
by Dennis Maley
Today marks the start of National Suicide Prevention Week. For anyone who has ever had to confront the complex emotional web of sorrow that accompanies losing a loved one by that person's own hand, I need not speak of the pain and difficulty involved. Increasingly, a large portion of Americans lost to this unfortunate act are coming from one place – the ranks of those who have served in our nation's military.

For the past two years, more U.S. soldiers have been lost to suicide than to the ongoing wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. Even on a superficial level, this is incomprehensible. Machine gun fire, improvised explosive devices, mortar rockets, surface to air missiles, grenades, etc., yet statistically, the most likely way one of our soldiers will meet their end is by taking their own life, giving up their very existence rather than endure the torturous reality that is their every waking hour and goes on to haunt their sporadic sleep.

This epidemic has finally been acknowledged, however slowly. Studies have not been able to clearly determine precisely what factors lead to increased likelihood . Numbers have not proven whether more deployments heighten risk or diminish it. But they do shed light on the stark volume in a way that calls attention to the entire warfare culture and indicts it on still another level.


20 percent of U.S. suicides are said to be committed by veterans, though they make up just over 8 percent of the population. Over the past five years of intense military deployment in multiple theaters, the Pentagon says that hospitalization of soldiers for suicidal thoughts has skyrocketed 7,000 percent. This is at least somewhat owed to an improving atmosphere, in which it is more accepted to express such problems, and the onus to direct soldiers toward treatment has thankfully grown.
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Why Is the Military Spending Millions on Christian Contractors

I was sent a link to this story Gov't Spending Millions in Tax Money to Covert Soldiers to Christianity taking me to the original story, leaving me deeply troubled, but not for the reasons listed here.

Why Is the Military Spending Millions on Christian Contractors Bent on Evangelizing US Soldiers?
Why do Christian contractors play such a prominent role in our military?
August 21, 2011
By Chris Rodda

When the average American thinks of military spending on religion, they probably think only of the money spent on chaplains and chapels. And, yes, the Department of Defense (DoD) does spend a hell of a lot of money on these basic religious accommodations to provide our troops with the opportunity to exercise their religion while serving our country. But that's just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to the DoD's funding of religion. Also paid for with taxpayer dollars are a plethora of events, programs, and schemes that violate not only the Constitution, but, in many cases, the regulations on federal government contractors, specifically the regulation prohibiting federal government contractors receiving over $10,000 in contracts a year from discriminating based on religion in their hiring practices.

About a year ago, the Military Religious Freedom Foundation (MRFF) began an investigation into just how much money the DoD spends on promoting religion to military personnel and their families.

What prompted this interest in DoD spending on religion was finding out what the DoD was spending on certain individual events and programs, such as the $125 million spent on the Army's Comprehensive Soldier Fitness program and its controversial "Spiritual Fitness" test, a mandatory test that must be taken by all soldiers. The Army insists that this test is not religious, but the countless complaints from soldiers who have failed this "fitness" test tell a different story. The experience of one group of soldiers who weren't "spiritual" enough for the Army can be read here. But the term "Spiritual Fitness is not limited to this one test. The military began using this term to describe a variety of initiatives and events towards the end of 2006, and this `code phrase' for promoting religion was heavily in use by all branches of the military by 2007.
read more here

I am deeply trouble because it doesn't work. If it did we would see the number of suicides and attempted suicides go down. Troubled marriages? You'd see the divorce rate go down especially when you acknowledge that when it is a military divorce, the civilian spouse has to go and usually that means taking the kids off to who knows where. Yep, they lose their base housing. There is a lot more to lose but still the rates are higher than the civilian world. Drug and alcohol abuse is up as well. What they are doing is not working but they keep putting money into something that failed.

It is not that spiritual programs are bad or there is anything wrong with having Christian groups working to help soldiers as long as they include other faiths but when the results are what they are, they need to rethink what they are funding.

"Spiritual Fitness" is code for if a soldier belongs to the right group or not. If not, then they are told they're going to hell. This is about conversion. Does the brass know what they are funding or are they part of it? Blaming the Tea Party? Not sure that makes sense since I haven't seen anything Christian about the Tea Party at all so I doubt they'd be giving a green light to this funding. What has been done has not worked but it is not the fault of God or Christ. It's the fault of the people running these programs with a different agenda in mind than healing the souls of the warriors.

Marine saves man from mobile home fire

Marine saves man from mobile home fire



Uploaded by WOODTV8 on Sep 4, 2011
OLIVE TOWNSHIP, Mich. (WOOD) - Three Ottawa County fire departments were sent to put out a fire in a mobile home in Ottawa County Saturday night.

Ottawa County Sheriff's dispatchers said the mobile home was fully involved and that Port Sheldon, Olive, and Grand Haven township firefighters responded to the scene.

The fire started just before 9 p.m. in the 9000 block of 4 Winds Lane West in Olive Township.

A woman who lives across the street from the mobile home that was on fire said she smelled and saw smoke, and called 911. She had friends from out of town coming to visit, and when they got to her house, saw the mobile home on fire.

The woman's friend, a Marine veteran, ran into the house, where he found a 43-year-old man breathing hard. He was able to pull the man about three quarters of the way out of the burning home, but the smoke was so heavy, he had to run to get himself to safety.

Healing is about moving ahead in spite of the pain

Sept. 11, 2001, anniversary key to healing
Published: Sept. 5, 2011 at 4:37 AM
By ALEX CUKAN, United Press International

"Healing is about moving ahead in spite of the pain that might always be there to some degree," Wolford said. "People learn to reach out to others, to reconnect with those who might have gone through the same or similar traumatic events."

Even if people avoid the televised 10th anniversary remembrances from New York, Washington and Shanksville, Pa., the date alone will be enough to trigger memories.

Sept. 11, 2001.

"Sept. 11 marks such a deep and tragic loss for our country, there is no doubt that this year's anniversary in particular will be significant for many people not just because it is the 10th anniversary but for other reasons as well," Karen Wolford, a licensed psychologist, board certified expert in traumatic stress and professor at the State University of New York at Oswego, told UPI in an interview.

This year's anniversary of the terror attacks may also be more difficult due to recent events -- the recent earthquake and hurricane impacting the Northeast and New York, people may already be under increased stress, Wolford said.
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