PTSD decorated veteran, tasered by police, files lawsuit

Tasered Veteran Files Lawsuit Against New Lenox Police
Brian Wilhelm, 28, was Tasered by police in December 2010 while trying to help people in a car accident. The lawsuit claims officers acted with "reckless disregard" and maliciously prosecuted him.
By Michael Sewall
New Lenox police officers used "reckless disregard" when they Tasered resident Brian Wilhelm last year, a recently filed lawsuit against the officers claims.

Wilhelm, a 28-year-old Army veteran who was Tasered in December by New Lenox police, and his attorneys filed a federal lawsuit Aug. 23 in the U.S. District Court for the northern district of Illinois.

The lawsuit states that Wilhelm is seeking compensatory and punitive damages, but his attorney, Lewis Gainor, would not put a dollar amount to what he wants.

Wilhelm came to help at the scene of a Dec. 11 car accident near his home at Woodlawn and Wisconsin roads. After trying to assist an injured passenger, Wilhelm got into a confrontation with New Lenox police officer Mark Klausner.

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101st Airborne Paratroopers jump into Michigan Stadium on YouTube

Michigan vs Notre Dame 2011, paratroopers of the 101st Airborne Division, U.S. Army, jump into Michigan Stadium during the half time show.

Five people found dead after Tennessee motorcycle charity run

Five people found dead after Tennessee motorcycle charity run

By Tim Ghianni
NASHVILLE, Tenn
Sun Sep 18, 2011
(Reuters) - Five people who were part of a charity motorcycle run in Tennessee, were found dead at a campground where bikers were staying after the Saturday event, organizers said on Sunday.

The bodies of the three men and two women were found in a camper at the Clarksville Speedway, where 200 bikers and their families were camped out. Local media said police were looking into carbon monoxide poisoning as a possible cause.

The bikers were part of a contingent of 1,500 riders, mostly on Harleys, who rode through the streets of Clarksville, Tennessee, on Saturday for the 30th Annual Leslie W. Watson Memorial Toy Run, sponsored by local charity Bikers Who Care.

Bikers must donate at least one new toy to participate, and the bikers had filled four trucks with items bound for the Clarksville Fire Department Christmas toy drive for underprivileged children.
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Home Depot Foundation Announce 2012 Veteran Housing Rehabilitation Project

Sept. 19, 2011, 12:45 p.m. EDT
U.S.VETS and the Home Depot Foundation Announce 2012 Veteran Housing Rehabilitation Project for Homeless and Low-Income Veterans

Creating Transitional and Permanent Housing for 170 Veterans and Veteran Families in St. Louis and Washington, D.C.

LOS ANGELES, Sep 19, 2011 (GlobeNewswire via COMTEX) -- The United States Veterans Initiative (U.S.VETS) and The Home Depot(R) Foundation today announced the 2012 Veteran Housing Rehabilitation project to expand housing for homeless and low-income veterans in the District of Columbia and St. Louis, Missouri. As part of its "Celebration of Service" initiative to honor U.S. military veterans, The Home Depot(R) Foundation has awarded U.S.VETS $400,000 to support the launch of its newest site in St. Louis and increase the capacity of its location in the Nation's capital.

Funding from The Home Depot Foundation will enable U.S.VETS to expand its presence and provide programs and services to twice as many veterans in the D.C. area, while also replicating many of its most successful programs for a new population of veterans in St. Louis. These services include residential and reintegration programs for disabled veterans; education, employment and preventative mental health services for recently returned Iraq and Afghanistan veterans; as well as focused and specific services for women veterans.

"A new generation of men and women are coming home from service to fight another battle -- the transition back to civilian life," said Stephen Peck, President and CEO of U.S.VETS. "They join thousands of veterans from previous wars in their struggles with homelessness, unemployment, and mental trauma. We are grateful to have the support of The Home Depot Foundation and this opportunity to expand our services and presence in the places where veterans' needs are also growing."



They are doing it right here in Orlando too!
Home Depot Mission Continues at DAV

If you are a veteran support Home Depot because they support you!

U.S. army braces itself for increase in PTSD in sniffer dogs

U.S. army braces itself for increase in PTSD in sniffer dogs
by Mark Glenning on September 20, 2011
The American Marine Corps is taking steps to combat post-traumatic stress disorder in its’ bomb sniffing dogs, as it prepares to increase the number of those on duty in Afghanistan.

The highly trained canines recently hit the news when Cairo, a Belgian Malinois, accompanied the team that stormed the compound of Osama Bin Laden in May. So far, he is the only personnel to be named as taking part in the operation.

However, as the armed forces begin to rely on dogs more and more, the numbers that are wounded or killed on the front line are rising steadily. In fact, 14 highly trained dogs have died on the front line since May 2010. In that period, six were wounded and three are still missing in action.

Richard Vargus, who is head of law enforcement at the U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM), understands the support that is required to rehabilitate dogs that have been at the sharp end in the fight against the Taliban. He commented:

“Our biggest issue that we have with canines is canine PTSD.”

“We’ve seen a significant issue with that because when you’re standing 10 feet away from an explosion, the dog has emotions and the dog is affected as well.”
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Marine awarded for combat invention

Marine awarded for combat invention

Staff Sgt. Craig S. Cooper received the Lambertsen award for operational invented a pocket-sized device that incorporated a crowbar claw and a wrench to help open blast doors on armored vehicles.
Don Bryan/The Daily News

September 20, 2011 5:25 AM
HOPE HODGE
Like many inventions, it began with an unsolved problem.

Deployed to Afghanistan with 2nd Marine Special Operations Battalion in 2010, Staff Sgt. Craig S. Cooper, a motor transport chief, found that armored vehicle blast doors on several of the personnel carriers were difficult to open from the outside in the event that they were hit and flipped or rolled over, which was not uncommon. While the vehicles were equipped with a tool that released all their doors, it was too large to carry and sometimes could not be reached if the armored transport was upside down.

“We came up with the idea to make one tool that would open up all the blast locks,” said Cooper, 38.

The result was simple, but effective: a pocket-sized device that incorporated a crowbar claw and a wrench. Cooper knew it would come through in a crisis, and in November, a crisis would prove him right.
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Suspect in Yuma Marine shooting broke weapons rules

Suspect in Marine shooting broke weapons rules
September 19, 2011 7:28 PM
BY MARA KNAUB - SUN STAFF WRITER
Although Saturday's shooting of a Marine appears to be accidental, the suspect is still facing charges of breaking Marine Corps Air Station rules regarding the transportation of weapons.

The shooting occurred just after midnight near the Navy Federal Credit Union Bank in the proximity of Hart Street and Thomas Avenue.

Investigators from the Naval Criminal and Investigative Service identified the shooter as another Marine, who used a .45-caliber pistol. His name will not be released until formal charges are filed, according to Capt. Staci Reidinger, director of public affairs for the MCAS Yuma.

The shooting appears to be an accidental discharge, said Reidinger. However, “rules were broken in this case. They are deciding what formal charges to bring against him.”

She expects charges to be filed sometime this week. In the meantime, the suspect is being held in pretrial restrictions pending disciplinary action, she said.

The victim, Lance Cpl. Daryl Adams, 22, “is doing well with recovery at Yuma Regional Medical Center,” she added. Officials are working to bring his family to Yuma “to be with him as he recovers.”
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Exeter Marine Reservist Dies In Colorado Shooting

Exeter Marine Reservist Dies In Colorado Shooting

Police: Fellow Marine Corps Reservist Accidentally Shot Victim
September 20, 2011


EXETER, N.H. -- A Marine Corps reservist died over the weekend after what police said was a tragic incident.

Benton Brubaker, 24, was shot by a fellow Marine Corps reservist at a gathering in Colorado on Thursday, and officers said alcohol may have played a role in the shooting.

Officers said they arrested Barton Enoch, 25, and charged him with manslaughter.

According to a press release, "detectives are looking at the possibility that alcohol may have contributed to this tragic set of circumstances."

Police in Aurora said about six Marine Corps reservists were inside a condominium unit just after midnight when a single shot was fired from a handgun.
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2 Marines killed in helicopter crash at Calif base

2 Marines killed in helicopter crash at Calif base
September 20, 2011
CAMP PENDLETON, Calif.—An investigation was under way into the cause of a helicopter crash that killed two Marines during a training exercise at Southern California's Camp Pendleton.

The crash sparked a brush fire that burned 120 acres, a base statement said. It was 80 percent contained.

The twin-engine, two-seat AH-1W Cobra attack helicopter belonging to the 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing crashed in the southeast corner of the base Monday near the community of Fallbrook.

The Marines died at the scene. Their names won't be released until their families have been notified, officials said.

The fire grew quickly after the crash, burning 50 acres within three hours after the helicopter went down. It initially was moving near the base's border with the town of De Luz, but was confined to the base late Monday, a base statement said.
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Remains of WWII MIA to be buried at Arlington National Cemetery

Yesterday during a POW-MIA program at the Vietnam Veterans Museum, Ret. Marine Sgt. Major John Gionet, announced the remains of his uncle Tech Sgt. Leonard A. Gionet, were identified and he will be buried at Arlington National Cemetery this year.

POW MIA Orlando Ride

Today was a busy, wonderful day. It started out with a ride on the back of a pick up truck to film a great bunch of people wanting to make sure that the POW-MIAs were remembered in Orlando. The ride started at the Vietnam Veterans War Museum and ended at the VFW in Orlando. It was a half hour ride cut down to just over 5 minutes of film for this. There were two service filmed and will be up in a couple of days. Here's the ride.

Highest-ranking civilian at Polk Sheriff's Office beat to death by husband

Highest-ranking civilian at Polk Sheriff's Office beat to death by husband, deputies say

By Amy Pavuk, Orlando Sentinel
9:51 a.m. EDT, September 19, 2011

The highest-ranking civilian at the Polk County Sheriff's Office — a woman who managed all administrative aspects of the agency — was beaten to death by her husband over the weekend, authorities said.

Beatrice "Bea" Dickey, 44, was found early Sunday in Plant City with blunt-force trauma to her head.

Authorities said Dickey's husband, Lawrence Douglas Dickey, admitted to beating her with a baseball bat. He was arrested on a first-degree murder charge.

As executive director of the Office of Business Affairs at the Sheriff's Office, Bea Dickey was the third-highest ranking executive staff member after Sheriff Grady Judd and Chief of Staff Steve Lester.
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Cutting-edge care for wounded warriors at Fort Sam Houston

Cutting-edge care for wounded warriors
By Michelle Tan - Staff writer
Posted : Monday Sep 19, 2011

JAMES J. LEE/MILITARY TIMES STAF

FORT SAM HOUSTON, Texas — The Center for the Intrepid is harnessing technology and innovative thinking to improve its care of wounded warriors.

From providing virtual reality therapy and custom-made prosthetics, to using a Flowrider wave pool and creating a one-of-a-kind orthosis that has helped wounded troops return to combat, the experts here continue to push their patients and set the tone for wounded warrior care in the future.

“When this facility was established, we were given three missions: patient care, research, and education and training of the next generation of rehabilitation specialists,” said Becky Hooper, program manager for CFI.

War almost always drives medical advancements that will have a long-term impact on caring for the wounded, said Lt. Col. Don Gajewski, director of CFI and an orthopedic surgeon.
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Study links Gulf War illnesses to location

Study links Gulf War illnesses to location
By Kelly Kennedy - USA TODAY
Posted : Monday Sep 19, 2011 7:20:53 EDT
WASHINGTON — New research to be released Monday shows that veterans with Gulf War illness faced different toxins depending on where they were served: anti-nerve-agent pills and Scud missiles for forward-deployed troops and pesticides for support personnel in the rear.

There’s also no correlation between anthrax shots, depleted uranium and psychological issues and Gulf War illness, said the study by the Midwest Research Institute to appear in the Environmental Health Perspectives journal. That supports earlier research on those topics.

“Already, the evidence was mounting for these two exposures,” said Lea Steele, lead author and director of Baylor University’s Research Initiative on Complex Illness. “When you pull all the research together, you start to see patterns that are very consistent.”

About one-fourth of the 700,000 veterans who served in the 1991 Persian Gulf War developed symptoms that include chronic headaches, widespread pain, memory and concentration problems, persistent fatigue, gastrointestinal problems, skin abnormalities and mood disturbances.”
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Study: Medics Suffer Higher Depression Rates

Study: Medics Suffer Higher Depression Rates
September 17, 2011
Stars and Stripes|by Seth Robbins and Steven Beardsley

Combat medics serve double duty, both professionally and psychologically.

In addition to bearing all the responsibilities of soldiering, medics must calmly treat the devastating wounds of modern warfare: legs and arms mangled by roadside bombs, bodies peppered with shrapnel, arteries severed by high-velocity bullets.

They are more exposed than other soldiers to seriously wounded or dead fellow servicemembers.

Unlike hospital doctors or nurses, who rarely know their patients, medics have the added pressure of being close to the soldiers they are trying to keep alive.

And when one dies, medics often face self-doubt — an emotion they must hide or risk losing the platoon’s confidence, said Sgt. Joshua Hetisimer, 33, a senior medic with the 173rd Airborne Brigade Combat Team, who has deployed three times.

It’s an awesome responsibility all medics embrace, said Sgt. Chad Howell, 29, of 557 Area Support Medical Company.

“Guys get hurt on the battlefield,” he said, “they look to us, they scream your name.”
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For those I love I will sacrifice