Combat Veteran Back Home, and Homeless

October 5, 2011, 12:48 PM
Back Home, and Homeless
By MATT FARWELL

Not too long after that, when my friends in my old unit were rotating back, I started to crack a bit. That year the Taliban killed two of my friends, Staff Sgt. Esau I. DeLaPena-Hernandez, 25, and Sgt. Carlie M. Lee III, 23. The next year a helicopter crash killed my brother, Chief Warrant Officer Gary Marc Farwell. As my last real duty in the Army, I escorted his body home from Germany, wearing a dress uniform and saluting his casket in Atlanta and Salt Lake City as it was loaded and unloaded from the commercial airliner.

Mid-June, 2011: I find myself alone in a dark wooded park tucked between million-dollar houses south of Stanford University, looking for a spot in the bushes to stash my bags. Until that morning I’d been living in a cheap weekly-rate motel in Palo Alto. Before checkout, knowing I couldn’t afford the $48 fee for another night, I laid out my stuff on the bed. Over the cigarette burns on threadbare sheets, I scrounged for quarters, dimes and nickels. There was enough for an extra value meal at Taco Bell. I divided everything else I had between three bags; an olive-drab backpack my brother used in the Army Rangers, a black duffel I bought at Goodwill and a satchel for my laptop.

This was my life. I was two weeks shy of my 28th birthday, unemployed, broke, thousands of miles from my family, watching the weather forecast to see how uncomfortable sleeping outside would be that night. Whatever the prediction, I could handle it. Four and a half years in the Army, including 16 months as an infantryman in eastern Afghanistan, provided plenty of skills with no legal application in the civilian world. It was, however, wonderful preparation for being homeless.
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Congress debt fights hold up Hiring Heroes Act of 2011

Veterans employment legislation faces delays
By Rick Maze - Staff writer
Posted : Tuesday Oct 4, 2011 16:55:03 EDT
Congress is finding it hard to pass jobs-creating legislation for veterans by Veterans’ Day.

There is bipartisan support for a veterans employment package — with details to be determined — but passage has not been a top priority in Congress, making it difficult for a compromise to be signed into law by Nov. 11, the nominal deadline set by supporters of the legislation.

Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America, which has increasingly complained that the Obama administration and Congress are not doing enough to help unemployed veterans, announced in March that it viewed Nov. 11 as a deadline for the government to reduce the number of jobless veterans.

Lawmakers interpreted this as a deadline for passage of legislation that would reduce the jobless rate in the future, not by Veterans Day — and even that deadline may not be met.

The Democratic-controlled Senate has been sitting since July 18 on the Hiring Heroes Act of 2011, a comprehensive package of employment and training provisions passed by the Senate Veterans’ Committee on July 7. The bill, S 951, was set aside during fights involving the debt ceiling and deficit reduction, overhaul of patent laws and an effort to prevent shutdown of the entire federal government at the start of the fiscal year.
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"War Vet Village," where battled scarred vets can heal

Oct 4, 2011
"War Vet Village," where battled scarred vets can heal
"Once a Marine, always a Marine." It's not just a slogan. For most of our vets, war is with them forever. But there's a farm in Scott County where vets are helping vets find peace.
Posted: 8:37 PM Oct 4, 2011
Reporter: Kate Burgess

ONEIDA, Tenn. (WVLT)--"Once a Marine, always a Marine." It's not just a slogan. For most of our vets, war is with them forever. Battered and broke, many suffer from depression, Post Traumatic Stress Disorder and have trouble transitioning to life at home. But there's a farm in Scott County where vets are helping vets heal wounds and find peace.

That's where you'll find Shawn Welch, who fought in Operation Iraqi Freedom.

He remembered the war as "a mixture of excitement, terror, and fun."

A mixture, a rush, he craved after he got home.

"First things I got involved with were things that sped me up. Got me the excitement of war, such as cocaine. It progressed and I realized I was in a lot of pain as well, so I started to get involved in pain killers and heroin."

Adding to the grief he already felt.

"I have really bad back pain. I suffer from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. And I have some kind of unknown stomach condition."
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PTSD a very real concern for Boise doctors as troops come home

PTSD a very real concern for Boise doctors as troops come home
By Eric Fink
CREATED OCT. 4, 2011

As hundreds of soldiers from Idaho's Army National Guard's 116th Calvary Brigade Combat team share an emotional homecoming with their families, some soldeirs are returning from Iraq and Afghanistan only to start more personal battle with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder.

According to doctors and mental health professionals at the Boise VA medical center, PTSD is more prevalent in men and women who have completed multiple tours of duty.

"With more deployments, you're exposed to more trauma, more combat stressors," Sue Hicks, a Treasure Valley licensed clinical soccial worker said. "PTSD is a normal reaction to abnormal events. People are being exposed to combat which are very serious, extreme situations.
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More OEF OIF have no religious affiliation

This is stunning. At a time in our history when combat veterans need to heal spiritually and emotionally, fewer of them have ties to a faith base. This is a sad commentary on how the churches have failed to reach out to them to let them know they are forgiven, for whatever they believe they need forgiveness for and above all, they are loved.

The best healing comes from addressing the spiritual issues of combat. Considering families are fractured, dealing with a lot of stress from repeated deployments and financial stress, this is the worst time to leave them with no spiritual help.

One in three view the wars as a waste according to the poll from Pew research. They also say they are proud of their service, as they should be because when they were in combat, they were fighting for each other. They also say that the general public has little understanding adding to their hurt. Considering how little coverage they receive it is hard to imagine they would feel otherwise. The rest you can read for yourself, but unless we focus on these factors, we will see more and more heartaches in more and more families that did not need to happen.

Poll: 1 in 3 Vets Sees Iraq, Afghan Wars as Wastes

October 05, 2011
Associated Press
by Robert Burns

WASHINGTON -- One in three U.S. veterans of the post-9/11 military believes the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan were not worth fighting, and a majority think that after 10 years of combat America should be focusing less on foreign affairs and more on its own problems, according to an opinion survey released Wednesday.

The findings highlight a dilemma for the Obama administration and Congress as they struggle to shrink the government's huge budget deficits and reconsider defense priorities while trying to keep public support for remaining involved in Iraq and Afghanistan for the longer term.

Nearly 4,500 U.S. troops have died in Iraq and about 1,700 in Afghanistan. Combined war costs since the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks have topped $1 trillion.

The poll results presented by the Pew Research Center portray post-9/11 veterans as proud of their work, scarred by warfare and convinced that the American public has little understanding of the problems that wartime service has created for military members and their families.

The survey also showed that post-9/11 veterans are more likely than Americans as a whole to call themselves Republicans and to disapprove of President Obama's performance as commander in chief.

They also are more likely than earlier generations of veterans to have no religious affiliation.
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This is from CNN

Poll finds pride in military, but not for Afghanistan, Iraq wars
By Moni Basu, CNN
updated 9:26 AM EST, Wed October 5, 2011
STORY HIGHLIGHTS
Only one-third of post-9/11 veterans say the wars have been worth the costs
Four in 10 vets say they had a hard time adjusting back to life after war
Veterans say civilians don't understand their problems; the public agrees
Both military and nonmilitary respondents oppose a return of the draft

A U.S. soldier secures a landing zone for a Blackhawk helicopter in the Shigal district center in Kunar province, Afghanistan.

(CNN) -- America marks the 10th anniversary this week of the Afghanistan conflict, the longest running war in the nation's history. And since the first U.S. troops headed to the mountains and valleys of the Hindu Kush in October 2001, the United States entered yet another war in Iraq.
"These wars, this time period has been unique in our history," said Paul Taylor, one of the authors of a study published Wednesday by the Pew Research Center. "This has been the longest period of sustained conflict in our history and the fight has been carried by the smallest share."
While Americans remain supportive of their all-volunteer military (only one half of 1% of the population has been on active duty service in the past decade), the length of the conflicts has reshaped attitudes toward war and sacrifice, the survey found.

"The ambivalence that many post-9/11 veterans feel about their military mission has a parallel in the mixture of benefits and burdens they report having experienced since their return to civilian life," the report said.

On top of that, veterans -- 84% -- said most Americans do not understand the myriad problems they and their families have had to face including long separations, physical and psychological injuries and stress. Some 71% of the public agreed.

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Unfriendly skies to disabled veteran at Virginia Airport

Disabled Veteran Reportedly Claims Discrimination at Virginia Airport
Published October 03, 2011
FoxNews.com

A disabled Army veteran was reportedly not allowed to be aboard a plane last week in Virginia because she uses a walker.

Kathleen Wood told MyFoxBoston.com she was not allowed to board a shuttle at Reagan National Airport in Virginia last week as she returned to Walpole, Mass., from a vacation in Florida. Wood and her husband had to change flights in Virginia and had just 30 minutes to do so.

Wood, who suffers from lupus, also has a permanent back injury from a fall she took 12 years ago while serving in the Army. She tried to change gates along with the rest of the passengers, but a U.S. Airways employee refused to let her do so because of her walker.
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'Dancing With The Stars': J.R. Martinez Brings The Tears

'Dancing With The Stars': J.R. Martinez Brings The Tears
Ricki Lake nabs the season's highest score so far with emotional rumba.
By Kelley L. Carter
J.R. Martinez and Karina Smirnoff
War hero Martinez picked the year he was injured in Iraq when he drove over a landmine. He shared the story of when he first looked at his face after his accident and talked about how he started to blame himself and question how his life had turned upside down. He said it was a tough time in his life and didn't think there was anyone who could understand the pain he was going through. He picked Tim McGraw's "If You're Reading This" for his rumba and said there are a lot of families that don't get a second chance. His dance was in tribute to the men and women who didn't make it home. The judges and the audience (judging by the long applause) found the dance to be beautiful and moving. "Heroes are normal people. Tonight, you did something extraordinary: You touched us all. That was one of the most profound, honest dances I've ever seen," Inaba said. 26/30
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Combat veteran hospitalized after pulling knife on grandfather at breakfast

Man hospitalized after pulling knife on grandfather at breakfast

Filed by Chronicle-Telegram Staff October 4th, 2011 in Top Stories.

LORAIN — The breakfast shift at a West Erie Avenue restaurant was interrupted Sunday morning when a patron pulled a knife on his grandfather, according to a police report.

The family of the patron blamed the episode on post-traumatic stress disorder, which the family said he has suffered from since recently returning from combat in Afghanistan and Iraq with the Marines.

When officers arrived at Pete’s Family Restaurant, 2405 W. Erie Ave., they discovered the grandfather lying on top of his 25-year-old grandson underneath a table.
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Man Accused of Impersonating Marine Refuses Plea Deal

Man Accused of Impersonating Marine Refuses Plea Deal
October 03, 2011
Press Democrat|by Paul Payne
A Santa Rosa man charged with impersonating a Marine Corps combat veteran and defrauding his wife's 97-year-old grandfather rejected a plea bargain Friday and appears headed to trial.

Paul Alexander Tart, 29, was promised a five-year county jail sentence for his plea to a single count of elder financial abuse with an enhancement for taking more than $65,000, prosecutors said.
But he would not accept the deal, said his lawyer, Amy Chapman.
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Remains of 3 GIs missing since 1969 identified

Remains of 3 GIs missing since 1969 identified
Staff report
Posted : Monday Oct 3, 2011 14:37:03 EDT
The Pentagon on Monday said it had identified the remains of three soldiers who had been missing in action for more than 40 years. The remains will be buried later this week at Arlington National Cemetery.

The soldiers were identified as:

• Master Sgt. Charles V. Newton of Canadian, Texas.

• Sgt. 1st Class Douglas E. Dahill of Lima, Ohio.

• Sgt. 1st Class Charles F. Prevedel of St. Louis.

The soldiers went missing April 17, 1969, after being ambushed while on a reconnaissance patrol in Quang Nam province, Vietnam, near the Laos border.
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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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