Rogers served five years in the Army as a military police officer killed by police

Funeral held Monday for father shot by police

Rogers served five years in the Army as a military police officer.

by KREM.com and Shawn Chitnis
NWCN.com
Posted on October 3, 2011
MEDICAL LAKE, Wash.—The family of James Rogers laid his body to rest Monday after he was shot and killed by Spokane Police September 26th.

Roger was buried at the Washington State Veterans Cemetery in Medical Lake after a funeral service, but they are still dealing with a mix of emotions about how he died.

Authorities say a search warrant shows Rogers had a suicide note along with criminal citations and a military baseball hat inside his van.

Rogers’ father still wonders if he could have prevented his son’s death.

"I wish I would have had five more minutes to get there, so I could have hopefully talked him out of that van," Alonzo Rogers said.
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DOD offers worst advice to prevent military suicides

Is going to the gym a good idea when you have PTSD? Sure it is because when you take care of all of you, body, mind and soul, you heal. The problem comes when the DOD offers advice to go to the gym and get away from the platoon. That is the very reason why the National Guards and Reservists have a harder time when they come back. The lack of support from others is their biggest problem. They need to be with others who understand and they can trust. The other bad advice is to tell them to "keep busy" but this only gets them to avoid the issue itself. Being busy helps to heal but staying too busy to address healing makes it worse.

When it comes to families, too often they have no clue what is going on with the soldier. We also have to face the fact there are many without a close family tie. The men and women they serve with are their family so telling them to get away from them is the worst thing to say but it must sound good in their own minds.

News: Importance of suicide prevention

1st Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division
Story by Spc. Bailey Jester Follow This Journalist
COS KALSU, Iraq – The number of suicides in the military for the month of August was lower than it was last year.

According to stripes.com, since the start of the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, more than approximately 1,100 soldiers have taken their own lives.

“Be aware of each other and take care of each other,” advises Ansted, W.Va., native, Capt. Mary Markivich, attached to the 1st Brigade, 1st Cavalry Division as the officer in charge of the Combat Stress Clinic. “Pay attention to their mood, socializing and sleeping habits.”

Markivich says there have been confirmed suicides in the month of August, but overall this year has been lower than past years.

Make time for socializing and make sure to stay connected to loved ones a couple ways to keep busy and spirits up, suggested Markivich.

“We encourage our Soldiers to take personal time,” explained Sgt. 1st Class Wesley Ramon, the first sergeant of Company D, 2nd Battalion, 8th Cavalry Regiment, 1st Brigade, 1st Cavalry Division.

“Take time away from the platoon and read a book, contact family or go to the gym.”
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Home Depot Celebration of Service gives 1.5 million more for veterans

The Home Depot Foundation Announces $1.5 Million in New Grants to Nonprofits Serving Veterans
Fourth of Weekly Grant Announcements Totaling $9 Million Being Announced from September 11 - Veterans Day

(3BL Media / theCSRfeed) Atlanta, GA - October 3, 2011 - As part of its “Celebration of Service” initiative to honor U.S. military veterans, The Home Depot® Foundation today announced $1.55 million in grants to nonprofits dedicated to addressing the critical housing needs of U.S. military veterans. Today’s grant recipients assist more than 8,000 veterans on an annual basis with housing and other supportive services. Volunteers of America (VOA) is receiving a grant to fund programs at 11 locations nationwide; and Veterans’ Homestead and Affordable Housing and Services Collaborative are receiving funding to serve veterans in Massachusetts and throughout the New England area. In addition to receiving funding, each nonprofit will also be supported by Team Depot, the Company’s associate-led volunteer force.

Each Monday between September 11 and Veterans Day (November 11), The Home Depot Foundation is announcing approximately $1 million in grants to veterans’ initiatives for a total of $9.1 million. Grants announced during “Celebration of Service” are part of The Home Depot Foundation’s commitment of $30 million over three years to veterans’ housing needs. Learn more about the grants announced thus far.

“The Home Depot Foundation is committed to ensuring that every veteran has a safe place to call home, and the high quality services provided by nonprofits are essential to fulfilling that goal,” said Kelly Caffarelli, president, The Home Depot Foundation. “We are extremely impressed with the ability of VOA, Veterans’ Homestead and Affordable Housing Services to change and improve the lives of those who have served our country, and we hope that our funding and volunteer assistance will allow them to assist more veterans and their families every year.”
Volunteers of America, $750,000, Locations Nationwide
Volunteers of America Florida, $250,000
Veterans’ Homestead, Inc., $300,000, New England Area and Puerto Rico
The Affordable Housing and Services Collaborative, $250,000 Boston, MA
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More wounded coming home, Tampa VA cuts jobs?

More answers needed from Haley VA Medical Center on its budget

In Print: Tuesday, October 4, 2011

The platitudes coming from the mouthpiece at the James A. Haley VA Medical Center about the hospital's financial challenges are just short of, "Don't worry, be happy." That sort of arrogant, condescending attitude should not sit well with veterans and other taxpayers. Haley is a public hospital funded with public money to provide top-quality care for veterans, and it should be more transparent about its budget woes and their impact on patients.

The Department of Veterans Affairs sent the Tampa hospital $28.7 million in cash from VA reserves to cover a shortfall once estimated as high as $47.5 million, the Times' William R. Levesque reported Sunday. Haley needs that much cash to balance its books at the end of the fiscal year, even after spending cuts that included reducing lab services by $1.5 million and cutting staff through attrition by 111 positions. There are serious issues here that deserve more transparent treatment than a canned statement from VA spokeswoman Mary Kay Hollingsworth that Haley "will continue to improve efficiencies and reduce costs.''

Members of Congress are getting no better treatment as they seek information. The chairman and ranking member of the Senate Veterans Affairs Committee sent a letter last month to VA Secretary Eric Shinseki about the Tampa hospital's budget issues. Chairwoman Patty Murray, D-Wash., and ranking member Richard Burr, R-N.C., expressed concern that Haley's cuts "could have an adverse impact on patient care quality.'' They have yet to receive an answer.
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VA lacks resources to deal with mental health, survey finds

VA lacks resources to deal with mental health, survey finds

By Steve Vogel
Tuesday, October 4, 12:00 AM

"Last year, more than 1.2 million veterans were treated by the VA for a mental health problem, including 408,000 with a diagnosis of post-traumatic stress disorder. By comparison, 934,000 were treated for mental health problems four years earlier."

A survey of social workers, nurses and doctors working for the Department of Veterans Affairs finds that more than 70 percent of respondents think the department lacks the staff and space to meet the needs of growing numbers of veterans seeking mental health care.

More than 37 percent of the 272 respondents say they cannot schedule an appointment in their clinics for a new patient within the 14-day standard mandated by the department, according to the survey, a copy of which was obtained by The Washington Post.

The survey was requested by the Senate Committee on Veterans Affairs after a hearing this summer at which veterans diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder and other mental health issues described long waits for treatment that could raise the risk of suicide. On average, 18 veterans commit suicide every day, according to the VA.

“The sad truth is that veterans who call to get a VA appointment have at least made the decision to reach out to VA for help,” Sen. Patty Murray (D-Wash.), chairwoman of the committee, wrote in a letter sent Monday to the VA. “That is the critical step in accessing care, and it is not acceptable to have veterans, who have stepped up and shown the courage to ask for help, be denied that care.”
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Family talks about ex-Marine charge with shooting deputy and PTSD

This story has so many twists and turns it is hard to keep up. First we have this to contradict what the spokesman from Tampa VA had to say about staff. More wounded coming home, Tampa VA cuts jobs This was said later in the article below. Next twist comes from Buendia's girlfriend. Some may be stunned that she said Buendia had a PTSD episode when he attacked her, but that is only if they don't have a clue what combat PTSD does to someone. Thankfully she understands why he did what he did, which has been known by other significant others since wars began. We can be ignorant and simply blame them or we can be informed and know the help they need just isn't there. It is our fault for allowing all of this to go on as long as it has without the proper response to it. We will keep reading more and more stories about domestic violence, crimes and suicides until everyone is doing everything possible to address it. Cutting staff at the very hospital Buendia was treated by opened the door for more needless suffering.

Then we have the Deputy shot while responding to the domestic violence call. More and more law enforcement officers are responding to crisis situations that didn't need to happen, risking their lives facing off with combat veterans suffering from where they've been. The truth is hard to take but what makes it worse is the fact all of this could have been avoided if the DOD and the VA were prepared ahead of time to address the psychological impact of repeated deployments. The Army released a study in 2006 about the increased risk of PTSD but the DOD and the VA did not gear up to take care of the men and women we sent accordingly.

PTSD raised in shooting of deputy

By HOWARD ALTMAN
The Tampa Tribune
Published: October 04, 2011

TAMPA --
Friday night, according to the Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office, Matthew Lane Buendia began beating up his girlfriend after an argument. Investigators said he tackled her as she tried to flee, punched her, slammed her head on the floor, grabbed her by the throat and slapped the phone away when she tried calling 911.

When Deputy Lyonelle De Veaux, 35, responded, Buendia shot her twice in the leg and once in the shoulder, the sheriff's office said. De Veaux, a five-year veteran of the sheriff's office, was recuperating in the hospital Monday after surgery to remove a bullet from her shoulder.

Buendia is a former Marine who served two tours in Iraq and one in Afghanistan. His family said he suffers from post-traumatic stress disorder and wasn't getting adequate treatment.

The argument that Buendia's actions can be at least partially attributed to post-traumatic stress disorder divides some local therapists. One calls that rationale "overblown;" another says that Buendia might not even have realized he was shooting at a deputy.

The former Marine has an unexpected defender.

"It's hard to explain," his girlfriend posted Sunday when asked by a friend whether she and Buendia had been fighting. "He was having a really bad Ptsd episode."
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Family says former Marine accused of shooting Hillsborough County Deputy suffers from PTSD
By: Sarina Fazan
TAMPA - Matthew Buendia's family describe him as a proud Marine, joining the service after graduating Leto High School and serving three consecutive tours in Somalia, Iraq and Afghanistan.

"We don't know what it does to you," Matthew's older brother Zach said.

Matthew Buendia had been home for about a year and half and Zach could sense something was not the same.

"I know he had PTSD issues."

Zach said his brother was trying to get help through the VA hospital. Because of strict privacy laws, James A. Haley Veterans Hospital could not confirm if Buendia was a patient.

But Dr. Carri-Ann Gibson, who specializes in combat veterans going through Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), said they are seeing more and more patients suffering from PTSD.

"Our staff has more than doubled."

While Dr. Gibson could not comment directly on the Buendia case, she stressed it's a real illness that needs to be treated.

"It's a real disorder that people have," Dr. Gibson said. "People with PTSD may misperceive their environment, so they may respond to potential threats or there may not be a threat and they may perceive a threat."

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Suspect in Hillsborough deputy shooting a former Marine

3 Tour Ex-Marine arrested in Hillsborough County deputy shooting

Remains of Local Soldier Missing from Vietnam War Identified

Remains of Local Soldier Missing from Vietnam War Identified
FOX2now.com
4:18 p.m. CDT, October 3, 2011

(KTVI - FOX2now.com)—
The remains of a local soldier, missing in action from the Vietnam War, will be laid to rest.

Sgt. 1st Class Charles F. Prevedel of St. Louis, Mo., of the U.S. Army, has been identified and returned to his families for burial with full military honors.

Sgt. Prevedel will be buried on Oct. 5 at Arlington National Cemetery.

On April 17, 1969, Prevedel was on a long-range reconnaissance patrol operating in Quang Nam Province, Vietnam, near the border of Laos.
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Pentagon draws flak for rarity of Medal of Honor

Pentagon draws flak for rarity of MoH
Services say they’re ‘satisfied’ with numbers, even though today’s veterans get 10 times fewer top medals
By Andrew Tilghman - Staff writer
Posted : Monday Oct 3, 2011 13:54:34 EDT
Sgt. 1st Class Alwyn “Al” Cashe was in the gunner’s turret when a massive roadside bomb struck his Bradley fighting vehicle.

As the vehicle went up in flames, small-arms fire began to rain down. A ruptured fuel cell spewed gasoline, soaking Cashe’s uniform as the flames spread.

Cashe didn’t run.

Instead, he dragged a burning soldier from the driver’s hatch and extinguished the fire that was gripping the driver’s clothes.

Then he went to the back of the vehicle and crawled into a troop compartment that was engulfed in flames — and stayed inside until he had helped pull six soldiers from the vehicle.

Cashe saved seven lives that day, Oct. 17, 2005, while sustaining second- and third-degree burns all over his body. He died several weeks later.

For the Army, that was enough to merit a Silver Star — but not a Medal of Honor, the nation’s highest award for military valor.

Cashe’s courageous actions are at the heart of a growing debate about whether the Pentagon is shortchanging today’s troops on the medals that were bestowed far more frequently in past wars.
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Recognition sought for soldier’s heroic acts
By LEO SHANE III
Stars and Stripes
Published: October 2, 2011
WASHINGTON — When the roadside bomb detonated, it ripped through the fuel tank of the Bradley Fighting Vehicle and ignited like napalm. The seven men seated inside were knocked unconscious and had no chance to escape the fire.

But the gunner, Sgt. 1st Class Alwyn Cashe, managed to crawl out of the burning wreckage. Wounded and drenched in diesel fuel, he pulled the Bradley’s driver from his seat before the flames reached there, dragging him to safety.

And then he went back.

The 16-year Army veteran had seen a dozen of his men die on that tour in Iraq, and he couldn’t bear to lose another. His uniform caught fire as he desperately tried to open the Bradley’s hatch.

By the time he got in, all he had on was his body armor and helmet, the rest of his uniform in ashes or seared to his skin. With help, he carried one of his dying men out of the fire and back to horrified medics trying to triage their charred colleagues.

And then he went back.

Soldiers couldn’t tell what rounds pinging off the Bradley were from insurgents’ weapons and which ones were from their own ammunition ablaze in the vehicle. As he reached the next soldier, Cashe tried to douse the fire on his uniform, only to realize that his own skin was peeling off from the heat. As another soldier helped pat out the flames, Cashe moved the next wounded friend to safety.

And then he went back.

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Sister fights to win Medal of Honor for deceased brother
February 04, 2011|By Darryl E. Owens, COMMENTARY
It's a label overused to knight everyone from athletes with long rap sheets to miners who survived a cave-in without going postal.

Hero.

There's less ambiguity on the battlefield, where real heroes earn the Medal of Honor for "gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of one's own life above and beyond the call of duty."

In September, a soldier from Oviedo became the third recipient of the award for valor in Afghanistan. But another Oviedo soldier is deserving, too. His name: Army Sgt. 1st Class Alwyn "Al" Cashe.

Maureen Miller, who knows a little something about heroes, thinks Cashe merits strong consideration. Last month, hundreds at All Faiths Memorial Cemetery watched as a special marker — signifying a Medal of Honor recipient — was placed at the grave of the woman's son, U.S. Army Staff Sgt. Robert Miller. He was killed Jan. 25, 2008, in Afghanistan after drawing enemy fire and taking on ambushers so his teammates could find cover.

The same distinction has so far eluded Cashe, a 1988 Oviedo High graduate, frustrating his sister who's on a mission to see her baby brother properly honored.

Cashe's story adds kindling to the hot debate about whether the Pentagon is shortchanging today's heroes, considering that fewer Medals of Honor have emerged from the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan than any of America's other major conflicts.

On Oct. 20, 2005, when Kasinal Cashe White and her family arrived at Brooke Army Medical Center in Texas, all she knew was that her brother had been burned. Badly.
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HAND AMPUTEE DEPLOYS TO SET EXAMPLE FOR WOUNDED WARRIORS

There are stories I read and think it is too impossible to be true especially when the stories come in emails. This is one of those times. I received an email with a picture of a Marine with one regular hand and one mechanical hand with the story of him still serving. I couldn't believe it so I tracked the story down and found the original story. If you have seen the email with "This Marine fights for you with one hand" it is true. Here's the story and it is even better than what was in the email.

BACK TO WORK: HAND AMPUTEE DEPLOYS TO SET EXAMPLE FOR WOUNDED WARRIORS
PATROL BASE FIRES, HELMAND PROVINCE, AF - (09.08.2011)
STORY BY CPL. BENJAMIN CRILLY

SGT. RICARDO RAMIREZ, A COMBAT REPLACEMENT FOR 1ST BATTALION, 5TH MARINE REGIMENT, WADES THROUGH AN IRRIGATION CANAL TO MOVE INTO A NIGHT OBSERVATION POST IN SANGIN, AFGHANISTAN, AUG. 5. IN FEBRUARY OF 2006, RAMIREZ WAS WOUNDED IN ACTION WHILE SERVING IN IRAQ WITH 3RD BN., 5TH MARINES AND TWO YEARS LATER BECAME THE FIRST HAND-AMPUTEE TO RE-ENLIST IN THE MARINES CORPS. SINCE THEN THE MULTIPLE-TOUR COMBAT VETERAN OF BOTH IRAQ AND AFGHANISTAN HAS SERVED AS AN URBAN WARFARE INSTRUCTOR, ATTENDED THE PRE-SNIPER COURSE AT DIVISION SCHOOLS AND STAYED CLOSE TO HIS INFANTRY ROOTS. (PHOTO BY CPL. BENJAMIN CRILLY)

"The word came out that noncommissioned officers were needed as combat replacements," said combat replacement for 1st Battalion, 5th Marine Regiment, Sgt. Ricardo Ramirez. "Guys with experience who wanted to help out our brothers in Sangin."

Ramirez, a veteran of Iraq, fit the description, answered the call and volunteered to deploy to Afghanistan. His previous combat experience shows right off the bat, and is one of the first things people notice about the warrior.

He only has one hand.

In February of 2006, Ramirez was wounded in action while serving in Iraq with 3rd Battalion, 5th Marine Regiment and two years later became the first hand-amputee to re-enlist in the Marines Corps. Since then he has served as an urban warfare instructor to train other Marines, attended a pre-sniper course to pursue a life goal, and his present service demonstrates a continued refusal to leave his infantry roots. The example has been set for other wounded warriors: fight for it and you’ll get it.

"When I first got to 1st Platoon I happened to be sitting in the (combat operation center) when I heard Marines on post," recalled Ramirez. "It came over the radio 'Hey we just got our combat replacements and damn! One of them is missing a hand’ and then all you hear is 'What? Are you serious?'"

The Commandant of the Marine Corps annulled would-be skeptics, of his ability to return to the battlefield, by granting Ramirez's requests to re-enlist and ordered him to full-duty status.
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Ghosts of Iraq war still haunt RI veteran struggling with PTSD

Ghosts of Iraq war still haunt RI veteran struggling with PTSD / Video
10:29 AM EDT on Monday, October 3, 2011
By G. Wayne Miller

Journal Staff Writer

By March 2008, John DiRaimo had been home from Iraq for nearly two years.

Still an active member of the Rhode Island Army National Guard, he was living in a Cranston apartment and periodically visiting the Providence VA Medical Center for treatment of what he now understood was PTSD. He was not fully complying with the terms of his care, and his life had become unbearable.

His nightmares continued and sometimes, in his bedroom in the middle of the night, he saw the apparition of a young Iraqi girl who may have been tortured and killed by Saddam Hussein’s forces, her mutilated body buried in a distant part of what became the U.S. camp at Ar Ramadi, where DiRaimo was based.
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VCS Releases Updated War Statistics

VCS Releases Updated War Statistics
Written by VCS
Thursday, 29 September 2011 16:43

VCS Releases "Iraq and Afghanistan War Impact Report," VA Confirms Nearly 712,000 Iraq and Afghanistan War Veteran Patients
October 1, 2011 (VCS Exclusive) - In an effort to document the severe and escalating human and financial consequences of the Iraq and Afghanistan wars, Veterans for Common Sense (VCS) summarizes several government reports about U.S. military service members and veterans who deployed to the Iraq - Afghanistan war zone since September 11, 2011.

When sharing our VCS quarterly report, please cite how VCS uses reports from the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) and Department of Defense (DoD) obtained by VCS under the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA). The report serves as a reminder our nation remains at war.
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Three Iraq veterans share their stories with big smiles

I had the pleasure of meeting some terrific veterans of the Iraq War. Christopher O'Connor, Andrew Berry and Joshua Cope, all suffered wounds from IEDs in Iraq.

Second swing at life

Andrew Berry passes the lessons he’s learned at Fairways for Warriors clinics onto his son, Gionni, 8.

By Megan Stokes
May 4, 2011
“It’s all in the hips, just like in the Adam Sandler movie,” Sgt. Andrew Berry told his son, Gionni, 8, who laughed at the joke before swinging his golf club in their backyard.

Berry spends many afternoons standing behind his two sons, the oldest of four, making sure they are bending their knees and keeping their eyes on the ball.

Even though he starred in all three at Colonial High School, Berry can’t play football, basketball or baseball anymore.

But he can golf.

His sacrifice

The former Army sniper was shot twice and was hit by eight IED explosions during several tours in Iraq.

The explosions caused traumatic brain injury, which has progressed to deafness in his right ear, blindness in his right eye, massive headaches and prescriptions to 15 medications, which Berry avoids taking when possible.

“I’ll be screaming in pain before I take a pain pill,” he said swigging bottled water. His meds give him dry mouth but make soda taste horrible. “I have four boys who I’m a role model for.”

He wears a brace up to his right thigh, a lingering reminder of a leg that was crushed at the ankle after he fell 14 feet, saving himself and another soldier from a burning tank that had rolled over an IED during his last tour in Iraq in 2009—10 days after he reenlisted with a goal to become an Army Ranger. Some days he needs a wheelchair, other days his walking stick – a hand-carved gift from his wife, Rebecca – will suffice.

When he got home to East Orlando, the deaths of so many of his friends overseas stirred so much anger inside him that it boiled over onto his wife and kids.

“I felt useless. I didn’t think I was smart enough to go to school and I didn’t want to do paperwork (in the Army). I was in a bad place,” he said. “But I finally manned up and got help.”
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Joshua Cope

Christopher O'Connor Orlando, FL
Military Branch: Marine Corps
Fellowship Location: Orlando VA Medical Center
Christopher O’Connor grew up bouncing around the boroughs of New York City. His family later moved into the Pocono Mountains. After graduating high school, Christopher had no place to go. Eager to find some stability in his life, and motivated by the events of 9/11, Christopher enlisted in the United States Marine Corps. Within six months of joining, Christopher was deployed to Fallujah, Iraq as a Machine Gun Team Leader.

He provided security for convoys and bases, patrolled the streets daily, raided homes of suspected insurgents and provided aid to locals. The day before his twentieth birthday he was hit by a remote detonated IED while patrolling on foot. The blast vaulted him ten feet in the air and left him unconscious for nearly two minutes. He was medically evacuated out of Iraq to Landstuhl, Germany and eventually Bethesda Naval Hospital in Washington, D.C. The IED explosion left him with a Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI), other minor physical injuries and has led to the onset of PTSD. Christopher received the Purple Heart because of his injuries and was medically retired from the Marine Corps the following year.

After his discharge from the service, Christopher was left feeling confused, anxious, disappointed and lost. He missed serving his country, being with his unit and the sense of purpose the Marine Corps had provided him. Christopher’s TBI and PTSD have hindered his adjustment to civilian life, presenting legal and financial issues and withdrawal from his family and friends.

Facing homelessness, he committed himself to finding a way to overcome his injuries and continue his service at home. His immediate goals are to finish his Master’s Degree in Social Work, become a licensed clinical social worker and start a career helping veterans who have struggled with TBI and PTSD. The Mission Continues Fellowship exemplified exactly what he wanted to do for his community. He will serve with the Orlando VA Medical Center with post-9/11 veterans.

Mayor Scott Vanderfrift of Ocoee showed up with his usual big smile. Anytime there is an event for the troops or our veterans, he is usually there to show support.

Cathy Haynes a military Mom took some time out of her day after going to another event to also show support. As busy as I am, she is twice as busy and does it with her heart sunk into everything she does.

Section 8 played some great tunes on their guitars.

Reporters from 13 News and FOX came to film this event and I am grateful they did. Too many times our veterans are heartsick over the lack of attention they receive from the media, so thank you very much for showing up to let them know they are really valued. Both reporters showed a great interest in our new veterans as well as the older ones.

Anti-suicide program for Minnesota military running out of funds

Anti-suicide program for Minnesota military nears depletion
The Minnesota National Guard leads the country in the number of soldiers who have committed suicide, and a program that has been shown to successfully prevent suicides in the state's military now faces the prospect of running out of money by the end of the year.
By: Mark Brunswick, Star Tribune (Minneapolis) / MCT

MINNEAPOLIS

The Minnesota National Guard leads the country in the number of soldiers who have committed suicide, and a program that has been shown to successfully prevent suicides in the state's military now faces the prospect of running out of money by the end of the year.

With demand increasing, the program from Lutheran Social Service of Minnesota is burning through money at a rate of $50,000 to $70,000 a month, and a $500,000 appropriation from the Legislature is likely to be depleted by December or January. With funding capped and its contract not up until June, local services are likely to be stopped for anyone who doesn't have a way to pay for them, or they will be directed to a federal military call-in program answered by a phone bank from another state.

"We run a real risk of being victims of our own success," said Mary Beth Galey, senior director of counseling and adoption for Lutheran Social Service, the state's largest nonprofit social service organization. "To a great extent, we'll probably be stuck."
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Sleeping in alley no way for a soldier to end up

Sleeping in alley no way for a soldier to end up
By Jeff Ward For The Courier-News October 2, 2011
If you haven’t already, ya gotta start reading Dave Gathman’s regular Courier-News reports. His latest on the senseless murder of homeless Elgin veteran Richard Gibbons is the kind of writing that really gets you thinking.

On the evening of Aug. 10, Gibbons, who’d most likely been drinking, was sleeping it off in the alley between the Fulton Street parking garage and the former Prairie Rock restaurant. Shelters won’t take you if you reek of alcohol.

At about 1:40 a.m., a group of men, also suspected of being inebriated, started partying on the upper deck of the parking garage, making it difficult for Gibbons to sleep. After words were exchanged, 23 year-old Chicago resident Yancarlo Garcia allegedly grabbed a 2-foot-long fire extinguisher and dropped it on the defenseless man lying 40 feet below. The blow ruptured multiple organs and broke Gibbons’ pelvis.

The injured man dialed 911 using a government-provided cellphone, but despite the best efforts of Provena Saint Joseph and Lutheran General hospitals, Gibbons died of those injuries on Sept. 4. Garcia, now charged with first-degree murder, sits in jail cell on $1 million bail.

It certainly makes you want to give up drinking, doesn’t it?

But Richard Gibbons wasn’t always homeless. By the accounts of his former common-law wife and his children, he was a talented carpenter, a charismatic man and, even though he was homeless, he worked with the Elgin Salvation Army to prevent other people from suffering a similar fate.

It was after he was drafted into the Army during the final stage of the Vietnam War that his drinking became a problem. Though she was hesitant to blame the alcoholism on the Army, Gibbons’ daughter Melissa told Gathman, “But the service really messed him up. He wouldn’t talk about it much, but the service was a time in his life that he just wanted to forget.”
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Cain: I Should've Defended Gay Soldier From Boos at Debate

To anyone still getting emails denying a soldier was booed from the audience, send them this.

Cain: I Should've Defended Gay Soldier From Boos at Debate
Published October 02, 2011
Associated Press

WASHINGTON -- Republican presidential candidate Herman Cain said Sunday that he should not have stayed silent after the audience at a GOP debate booed a gay soldier serving in Iraq.

The Georgia businessman told ABC's "This Week" that it would have been "appropriate" for him to have defended the soldier. None of the candidates on stage at the Sept. 22 forum responded to the boos.

"In retrospect, because of the controversy it has created and because of the different interpretations that it could have had, yes, that probably -- that would have been appropriate," Cain said, when asked if he should have asked the audience to respect the soldier.

Cain said it wasn't immediately clear to him what had drawn the audience's scorn, adding, "I happen to think that maybe they were booing the whole 'don't ask, don't tell' repeal more so than booing that soldier."

The so-called don't ask, don't tell policy barring gays from serving openly in the military was officially lifted last month.
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