Dying veteran renews vows on special day
By Dan Bain KPIC News Published: Nov 14, 2011
ROSEBURG, Ore. -- Veterans Day was already a special day for one man who served, but he decided to make it even more special.
It was a heartwarming love story.
Bill Little, 65, knows he doesn't have much time left. He's in the late stages of cancer, and he and his wife of 35 years decided they wanted to renew their wedding vows .
So on Friday, 11-11-11, they decided to do it.
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Tuesday, November 15, 2011
WWII Veteran killed in crash following ceremony
Veteran killed in crash following ceremony
by Kate Harrison
Brown, a U.S. Navy seaman, was one of a handful of veterans recognized during a ceremony at the Red Bank church.
"He shook my hand afterward and had tears in his eyes," said Charles Clemons, another veteran honored at the ceremony. "He was very touched by the gratitude."
But just hours after receiving the accolades, Brown was killed in a head-on crash.
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by Kate Harrison
Mary Bea' Brown, Henry 'Leo' Brown, and Pastor Dwight Martin during a service honoring World War II veterans at Calvary Baptist Church on Sunday. About three hours after the photo was taken, Leo Brown was killed in a car wreck on Mountain Creek Road. Mary Brown remains in critical condition at Erlanger hospital.On Sunday morning, 84-year-old Henry "Leo" Brown walked to the front of Calvary Baptist Church and was -- for only the second time of his life -- publicly honored for his service in World War II.
Photo by Contributed Photo /Chattanooga Times Free Press .
published Monday, November 14th, 2011
Brown, a U.S. Navy seaman, was one of a handful of veterans recognized during a ceremony at the Red Bank church.
"He shook my hand afterward and had tears in his eyes," said Charles Clemons, another veteran honored at the ceremony. "He was very touched by the gratitude."
But just hours after receiving the accolades, Brown was killed in a head-on crash.
read more here
Fort Carson Soldier saved lives in fire while own life was falling apart
Critics: Fort Carson policy targeted troubled, wounded soldiers
By BILL MURPHY JR.
Stars and Stripes
Published: November 15, 2011
FORT CARSON, Colo. — Army Cpl. Joshua Smith saw the orange glow against the South Carolina night sky long before he reached his sister’s apartment complex. The fire in the back buildings was intense. People stood in shock, watching the blaze.
Smith leapt from his rental car and vaulted a five-foot brick wall, yelling at onlookers to call for help. He grabbed an exercise weight someone had left in the yard, threw it through a sliding glass door and burst into the burning building. He shepherded a mother and her 16-month-old daughter to safety, then turned his attention to the other apartments, kicking down doors, running room to room, making sure no one else was trapped. By the time he emerged, firefighters had arrived. The local TV news hailed the 22-year-old infantryman — home on leave after a tour in Iraq before transferring to Fort Carson, Colo. — whose quick action saved lives.
“It was easy,” Smith said later. “Nobody was shooting at me.”
Sixteen months later, in November 2010, the acting commander at Fort Carson, Brig. Gen. James H. Doty, pinned the Soldier’s Medal, the Army’s highest award for noncombat heroism, to Smith’s chest. It was the young soldier’s second valor medal in three years in the military, after an Army Commendation Medal with valor device that he’d been awarded for his combat service.
For all his heroics, however, Smith’s life was falling apart.
read more here
By BILL MURPHY JR.
Stars and Stripes
Published: November 15, 2011
FORT CARSON, Colo. — Army Cpl. Joshua Smith saw the orange glow against the South Carolina night sky long before he reached his sister’s apartment complex. The fire in the back buildings was intense. People stood in shock, watching the blaze.
Smith leapt from his rental car and vaulted a five-foot brick wall, yelling at onlookers to call for help. He grabbed an exercise weight someone had left in the yard, threw it through a sliding glass door and burst into the burning building. He shepherded a mother and her 16-month-old daughter to safety, then turned his attention to the other apartments, kicking down doors, running room to room, making sure no one else was trapped. By the time he emerged, firefighters had arrived. The local TV news hailed the 22-year-old infantryman — home on leave after a tour in Iraq before transferring to Fort Carson, Colo. — whose quick action saved lives.
“It was easy,” Smith said later. “Nobody was shooting at me.”
Sixteen months later, in November 2010, the acting commander at Fort Carson, Brig. Gen. James H. Doty, pinned the Soldier’s Medal, the Army’s highest award for noncombat heroism, to Smith’s chest. It was the young soldier’s second valor medal in three years in the military, after an Army Commendation Medal with valor device that he’d been awarded for his combat service.
For all his heroics, however, Smith’s life was falling apart.
read more here
Troops feel more pity than respect
Is pity such a bad thing? Considering that pity requires some kind of emotional connection, some would say it's better than not caring at all. With so many people in this country walking around without a single clue or care about the members of our military, at least those who show "pity" care.
The last thing I would do is pity any of them. I admire them. After meeting so many of our veterans, the last thought would be pity because no matter what they face when they come home, they would do it all over again. But after reading this report it makes me wonder if the word is being misused.
Do they deserve to come home and have the rest of the country oblivious? Do they deserve to come home after their military service is over and not be able to find a job? Do they deserve to come home and discover that what came home with them is not being addressed properly? The list of what they don't deserve goes on and on.
You can pity their state of being but still admire what was inside of them that took them to where they are.
The last thing I would do is pity any of them. I admire them. After meeting so many of our veterans, the last thought would be pity because no matter what they face when they come home, they would do it all over again. But after reading this report it makes me wonder if the word is being misused.
Pity
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Pity originally means feeling for others, particularly feelings of sadness or sorrow, and was once used in a comparable sense to the more modern words "sympathy" and "empathy". Through insincere usage, it now has more unsympathetic connotations of feelings of superiority or condescension.[1]
The word "pity" comes from the Latin word "pietas".
The word is often used in the translations from Ancient Greek into English of Aristotle's Poetics and Rhetoric. Aristotle argued (Rhetoric 2.8) that before a person can feel pity for another human, the person must first have experienced suffering of a similar type, and the person must also be somewhat distanced or removed from the sufferer.[2] In Aristotle's Rhetoric he defines pity as follows: "Let pity, then, be a kind of pain in the case of an apparent destructive or painful harm of one not deserving to encounter it, which one might expect oneself, or one of one's own, to suffer, and this when it seems near".[2] Aristotle also pointed out that "people pity their acquaintances, provided that they are not exceedingly close in kinship; for concerning these they are disposed as they are concerning themselves....For what is terrible is different from what is pitiable, and is expulsive of pity".[2] Thus, from Aristotle's perspective,
in order to feel pity, a person must believe that the person who is suffering does not deserve their fate.[2] Developing a traditional Greek view in his work on poetry, Aristotle also defines tragedy as a kind of imitative poetry that provokes pity and fear.[3]
Do they deserve to come home and have the rest of the country oblivious? Do they deserve to come home after their military service is over and not be able to find a job? Do they deserve to come home and discover that what came home with them is not being addressed properly? The list of what they don't deserve goes on and on.
You can pity their state of being but still admire what was inside of them that took them to where they are.
Troops feel more pity than respect
Stars and Stripes
Published: November 14, 2011
STARS AND STRIPES
Troops believe the general public treats them as victims rather than heroes when civilians try to honor men and women in uniform, the Washington Post reported on Monday.
Civilians tend to focus on troops' suffering instead of their accomplishments, the newspaper reported. As a result, the message troops come away with is the public feels sorry for them.
“We aren’t victims at all,” Brig. Gen. Sean B. MacFarland told the newspaper.“But it seems that the only way that some can be supportive is to cast us in the role of hapless souls.”
read more here
Troubled ex-Marine's disappearance weighs on family
Troubled ex-Marine's disappearance weighs on family
Francis X. Donnelly/ The Detroit News
Lake Ann, Mich.— After abruptly quitting his job as a Los Angeles police officer last year, Noah Pippin visited his parents in Michigan.
He was depressed, unsure about his future, said his parents. He didn't know where he would live or how he would earn a living. He tried to give the little money he had to his father.
His father, Mike Pippin, was so alarmed that he asked his son whether he was going to kill himself. Noah said no.
After the weeklong visit, Noah Pippin drove to Montana and hiked deep into Rocky Mountains wilderness, said police. That was 14 months ago. The 31-year-old hasn't been seen since.
"Whatever was driving him, whatever was going on, he wasn't sharing with anyone else," said Sgt. Pat Walsh, a detective with the Flathead County Sheriff's Office in Montana.
Pippin's disappearance has left his parents with a flurry of questions.
What drove the former Marine into the wilderness? What happened to him there? What was he running from? What was he running to?
Answers come grudgingly, when they come at all.
With Pippin's cell phone and credit card inactive since his disappearance, authorities presume he's dead, lying somewhere amid a million-acre nature preserve.
People who saw him on the trails said he look troubled. They also said he was ill-equipped for the remote terrain, which has no roads, structures or cell service.
read more here
Francis X. Donnelly/ The Detroit News
Lake Ann, Mich.— After abruptly quitting his job as a Los Angeles police officer last year, Noah Pippin visited his parents in Michigan.
He was depressed, unsure about his future, said his parents. He didn't know where he would live or how he would earn a living. He tried to give the little money he had to his father.
His father, Mike Pippin, was so alarmed that he asked his son whether he was going to kill himself. Noah said no.
After the weeklong visit, Noah Pippin drove to Montana and hiked deep into Rocky Mountains wilderness, said police. That was 14 months ago. The 31-year-old hasn't been seen since.
"Whatever was driving him, whatever was going on, he wasn't sharing with anyone else," said Sgt. Pat Walsh, a detective with the Flathead County Sheriff's Office in Montana.
Pippin's disappearance has left his parents with a flurry of questions.
What drove the former Marine into the wilderness? What happened to him there? What was he running from? What was he running to?
Answers come grudgingly, when they come at all.
With Pippin's cell phone and credit card inactive since his disappearance, authorities presume he's dead, lying somewhere amid a million-acre nature preserve.
People who saw him on the trails said he look troubled. They also said he was ill-equipped for the remote terrain, which has no roads, structures or cell service.
read more here
Iraq Veteran told to leave class because of his PTSD service dog
Student Turned Away From DMACC Class Because of Service Dog
Emily Price, KCCI.com
November 14, 2011
ANKENY, Iowa -- Des Moines Area Community College administrators issued a public apology Monday after a two-time Iraq war veteran was turned away from his class on the Ankeny campus because he had a service dog with him. The dog helps him cope with post-traumatic stress disorder and is, by law, allowed in class.
“Right now, based on interviews we've done so far, it appears it was a misunderstanding,” said DMACC Executive Dean of Student Services Laurie Wolf.
Last Friday, which was Veterans Day, the former soldier walked into DMACC building 6 with his service dog. He was prepared to watch a production in the auditorium in order to write a paper on it over the weekend. The student’s instructor told him that the dog could not come to class and they would have to leave.
Wolf said the instructor was concerned the dog might be a distraction.
“The professor told him the production was open to the public, but he was a little concerned about having a service dog. He didn't know if other people might be allergic or might be sensitive to having a dog there,” said Nicole Shumate, the executive director of Paws and Effect, a local nonprofit that trains dogs and teams them up with veterans who have PTSD.
More than anything, Shumate said, the dogs help with the psychological after-effects of war.
read more here
Emily Price, KCCI.com
November 14, 2011
ANKENY, Iowa -- Des Moines Area Community College administrators issued a public apology Monday after a two-time Iraq war veteran was turned away from his class on the Ankeny campus because he had a service dog with him. The dog helps him cope with post-traumatic stress disorder and is, by law, allowed in class.
“Right now, based on interviews we've done so far, it appears it was a misunderstanding,” said DMACC Executive Dean of Student Services Laurie Wolf.
Last Friday, which was Veterans Day, the former soldier walked into DMACC building 6 with his service dog. He was prepared to watch a production in the auditorium in order to write a paper on it over the weekend. The student’s instructor told him that the dog could not come to class and they would have to leave.
Wolf said the instructor was concerned the dog might be a distraction.
“The professor told him the production was open to the public, but he was a little concerned about having a service dog. He didn't know if other people might be allergic or might be sensitive to having a dog there,” said Nicole Shumate, the executive director of Paws and Effect, a local nonprofit that trains dogs and teams them up with veterans who have PTSD.
More than anything, Shumate said, the dogs help with the psychological after-effects of war.
read more here
Australia reports on War veterans homeless in America
You know it is really bad with Australia has to do a report on our shame. Homeless veterans have nothing to be ashamed of but we have plenty because these men and women end up this way.
War veterans homeless in America
Updated November 14, 2011 23:35:00
An estimated 200,000 American war veterans are homeless, and unemployment among recently returned veterans is 3 per cent higher than the national average.
Jane Cowan
ALI MOORE, PRESENTER: They're meant to be war heroes, but having risked their lives for their country, they're homeless in the land of the free.
An estimated 200,000 American war veterans are living on the streets or in shelters, a state of affairs likely to be exacerbated when another 1 million servicemen and women stream home from Iraq and Afghanistan over the next five years.
With unemployment among recently returned veterans 3 per cent higher than the national average, the US president has managed to push through Congress new measures to help ex-soldiers find work, one of the few elements of Barack Obama's stalled jobs plan which has found bi-partisan support.
North America correspondent Jane Cowan has this special report from Dallas, Texas for Lateline.
JANE COWAN, REPORTER: This isn't how Larry imagined his life would turn out. Having graduated with a degree in sociology and served his country as a sniper in Vietnam, he's living beneath a freeway overpass.
LARRY, WAR VETERAN: I, 64 years old, I seven months looking for a job. Ha ha. I went to every job for - imaginable here in Dallas, Texas. I did not get one call back. No, nothing, nothing. I have degrees, you know. I have experience, you know. So, I mean, who's going to hire an old man? (Laughs).
JANE COWAN: Drugs and the death of his wife began a downward spiral.
LARRY: One day I just didn't go home. I just didn't go home. I can't - to this day, I cannot explain to you what just - I thought about going home that night and it was drugs.
JANE COWAN: Now this patch of dirt is home.
How do you ever get any rest here with the noise from the highway?
go here for video
Romney Clueless on Veterans
I stopped listening to people running for office a long time ago. They can be coached on what to say, when to say it and how to pretend they know what they're talking about, but the problem is, they can't be coached on how to really care.
With veterans the easy answer is turning them over to private companies. When politicians talk about it they hope the veterans think of the problems they have with the VA and drop the wondering. The problem comes when the veterans think about the simple fact private companies are in it for profit, for the money, and not in it for them. The easy answer is to destroy the VA so they can feed their buddies stock portfolios. The right thing to do would be to fix the problems in the VA, which would cost a lot less but offer a lot more CARE to veterans.
With veterans the easy answer is turning them over to private companies. When politicians talk about it they hope the veterans think of the problems they have with the VA and drop the wondering. The problem comes when the veterans think about the simple fact private companies are in it for profit, for the money, and not in it for them. The easy answer is to destroy the VA so they can feed their buddies stock portfolios. The right thing to do would be to fix the problems in the VA, which would cost a lot less but offer a lot more CARE to veterans.
Romney Clueless on Veterans
Posted: 11/14/11
Ashwin Madia
Interim Chairman of VoteVets.org
Just before the weekend, Mitt Romney held a Veterans Day event in South Carolina. A nice photo op, for sure. Yet, it wasn't the pictures, but his words, that made news. At this event, ostensibly to show support for veterans, Mitt Romney told them that as President he'd be open to tossing them into the private care system, from the Department of Veterans Affairs.
He said:
"Sometimes you wonder, would there be some way to introduce some private sector competition, somebody else that could come in and say, you know, each soldier gets X thousand dollars attributed to them and then they can choose whether they want to go on the government system or the private system and then it follows them, like what happens with schools in Florida where they have a voucher that follows them. Who knows?"
What's so interesting about this is that it's not an official policy statement. In fact, Romney hasn't issued any policies on VA care. It would be one thing if he did, and you could chalk the position up to him kowtowing to the conservative GOP base, which seems to think anything with government involvement is evil. You could say, well, maybe he doesn't really believe it, like when he flip-flopped his position on a woman's right to choose. But, this was a stream of consciousness, and tells us that when it comes to veterans, Mitt Romney is absolutely clueless.
Could he learn and be coached? Maybe. But I wouldn't hope too much for that. Not when his chief veterans advisor is Jim Nicholson -- the same man who, as Secretary of the VA, requested billions of dollars less than the VA needed, and then had to run to Congress to beg for emergency funding to keep the doors open, because of his blundering as head of the department.
read more here
Monday, November 14, 2011
Amputee soldier re-enlists in Afghanistan
Five years after being wounded in one war, amputee soldier re-enlists in another
By MATT MILLHAM
Stars and Stripes
Published: November 14, 2011
FORWARD OPERATING BASE FRONTENAC, Afghanistan — When people ask Staff Sgt. Brian Beem why he stayed in the Army after a bomb blast took part of his right leg, he usually answers with a joke.
“I was on a lot of drugs when I made that decision.”
On Wednesday, a little more than five years after the blast, Beem was lucid and upright on a prosthetic limb as he re-enlisted at a remote base in Kandahar province, Afghanistan, extending his contract with the military.
The decision was easy, he said.
Even as he lay doped up on painkillers in a hospital bed at Walter Reed Army Medical Center in 2006, “I knew I was going to stay in for the full 20,” he said. “I’ve always known that.”
His patrol was returning to base Oct. 11, 2006, rolling a block south of the notorious Baghdad slum Sadr City when an explosively formed penetrator sliced through the hull of his Stryker combat vehicle. Beem, of Poughkeepsie, N.Y., was knocked off his feet, but didn’t know why.
read more here
By MATT MILLHAM
Stars and Stripes
Published: November 14, 2011
FORWARD OPERATING BASE FRONTENAC, Afghanistan — When people ask Staff Sgt. Brian Beem why he stayed in the Army after a bomb blast took part of his right leg, he usually answers with a joke.
“I was on a lot of drugs when I made that decision.”
On Wednesday, a little more than five years after the blast, Beem was lucid and upright on a prosthetic limb as he re-enlisted at a remote base in Kandahar province, Afghanistan, extending his contract with the military.
The decision was easy, he said.
Even as he lay doped up on painkillers in a hospital bed at Walter Reed Army Medical Center in 2006, “I knew I was going to stay in for the full 20,” he said. “I’ve always known that.”
His patrol was returning to base Oct. 11, 2006, rolling a block south of the notorious Baghdad slum Sadr City when an explosively formed penetrator sliced through the hull of his Stryker combat vehicle. Beem, of Poughkeepsie, N.Y., was knocked off his feet, but didn’t know why.
read more here
Pentagon has not evaluated PTSD and TBI programs, just repeated them
Over four years ago when programs like Battlemind came out, I started screaming that no one was asking for any proof it worked. What we ended up with was more suicides every year. What did the DOD do? They repeated the same failed programs under different names while more and more of our military men and women were killing themselves! Now, after all this time the Associated Press has finally begun to ask some serious questions. What ... .... took them so long to ask for anyone to be held accountable? Why hasn't Congress been asking them instead of asking grieving families to repeat the same heartbreaking stories they've been listening to for the last ten years?
UPDATE
APNewsBreak: Report: Pentagon doesn't evaluate its 200-plus programs on PTSD, brain injuries
DAN ELLIOTT Associated Press
First Posted: November 14, 2011
DENVER — A study commissioned by the Pentagon says the military has more than 200 programs devoted to brain Injuries and the psychological Health of its troops, but no uniform way to evaluate whether they work or to share their findings.
The Rand Corp. study says some programs duplicate others and that the Pentagon risks making a poor investment of its resources without better coordination.
The Pentagon didn't immediately comment on the study.
read more here
UPDATE
APNewsBreak: Study: PTSD Programs Duplicated
By DAN ELLIOTT Associated Press
DENVER November 15, 2011
The U.S. military has more than 200 programs devoted to brain injuries and the psychological health of its men and women, but no uniform way to evaluate whether they work or to share their findings, according to a study commissioned by the Pentagon.
The Rand Corp. study said some programs overlap and the proliferation of programs creates "a high risk of a poor investment" of military spending.
Military officials are still reviewing the report, but some of its recommendations are already being implemented, Defense Department spokeswoman Cynthia O. Smith said Monday.
The proliferation of programs came about because each branch of the service has the authority to create its own programs and because local commanders can also create or adapt programs to fit needs, Smith said in an email to The Associated Press.
The Defense Department estimates that nearly 213,000 U.S. military personnel have suffered traumatic brain injuries in Iraq and Afghanistan since 2000. An earlier Rand report estimated that 300,000 veterans of those wars suffered post-traumatic stress disorder or major depression.
read more of this here
National Anthem sung by National Guardsman for Veterans Day
Here's the video of it with a huge American Flag!
Clay Walker sings the National Anthem at Reliant Stadium on 9/11/11 before the Houston Texans took on the Indianapolis Colts.
Wounded Warrior Inspires Fellow Vets
Wounded Warrior Inspires Fellow Vets
November 14, 2011
Armed Forces Press Service
by Terri Moon Cronk
WASHINGTON -- Wounded veterans who come to the San Diego Veterans Affairs Medical Center for their prosthetic care find the clinic there offers more than top-notch medicine.
They also find a compassionate caseworker in Tristan Wyatt, himself a wounded veteran who's lived the to-hell-and-back journey that proves there is life after losing a limb.
Wyatt has worn a prosthetic leg since shortly after an insurgent attack in Fallujah, Iraq, in 2003 left him and two of his six squad mates each without a leg.
As assistant chief of the prosthetics service, Wyatt helps introduce new veterans to the VA's program. Many, recognizing that he's overcome many of the same obstacles they now face, look to him for guidance.
"I spend a lot of time with them," Wyatt said. "And when they do ask, I tell them they'll have to let go of certain things or come to terms with them to assimilate back into 'the world back home.'"
Wyatt said severely wounded veterans know that losing a limb will shape many of their life experiences, but tells them the road ahead doesn't have to be a lonely one.
Through trial and error, Wyatt said he learned that getting a new prosthetic leg is about progression -- how to use it, what feels normal and what doesn't. He thought he had to live with the pain he felt, but found that adjustments or even new devices could mitigate the problem.
"When you're a new user," he tells patients, "you're not sure how it's supposed to feel or function or what a normal level of pain or discomfort is." If it hurts, he said, take the prosthetic off, relax, and look into an adjustment.
read more here
November 14, 2011
Armed Forces Press Service
by Terri Moon Cronk
WASHINGTON -- Wounded veterans who come to the San Diego Veterans Affairs Medical Center for their prosthetic care find the clinic there offers more than top-notch medicine.
They also find a compassionate caseworker in Tristan Wyatt, himself a wounded veteran who's lived the to-hell-and-back journey that proves there is life after losing a limb.
Wyatt has worn a prosthetic leg since shortly after an insurgent attack in Fallujah, Iraq, in 2003 left him and two of his six squad mates each without a leg.
As assistant chief of the prosthetics service, Wyatt helps introduce new veterans to the VA's program. Many, recognizing that he's overcome many of the same obstacles they now face, look to him for guidance.
"I spend a lot of time with them," Wyatt said. "And when they do ask, I tell them they'll have to let go of certain things or come to terms with them to assimilate back into 'the world back home.'"
Wyatt said severely wounded veterans know that losing a limb will shape many of their life experiences, but tells them the road ahead doesn't have to be a lonely one.
Through trial and error, Wyatt said he learned that getting a new prosthetic leg is about progression -- how to use it, what feels normal and what doesn't. He thought he had to live with the pain he felt, but found that adjustments or even new devices could mitigate the problem.
"When you're a new user," he tells patients, "you're not sure how it's supposed to feel or function or what a normal level of pain or discomfort is." If it hurts, he said, take the prosthetic off, relax, and look into an adjustment.
read more here
Another veteran arrested for AWOL while getting help with PTSD
AWOL soldier arrested while seeking help for PTSD
Story Created: Nov 13, 2011 at 10:37 PM America/New_York
LEE COUNTY, Fla. - The family of an Orlando soldier arrested for going "AWOL" is fighting to get him out of jail.
25-year-old Devon Ritchie was getting treatment for Post Traumatic Stress Disorder when he was arrested for not returning to his station.
Family says Ritchie was on emergency leave after his mother, Barbie Boynton, suffered a series of strokes.
He was due to return to his base in Alaska October 11th.
That day, Boynton got a frantic call from Ritchie's wife.
read more here
Story Created: Nov 13, 2011 at 10:37 PM America/New_York
Loved ones immediately brought him to a hospital where he was deemed a danger to himself. For the next few weeks he shuffled between psychiatric facilities, while doctors tried to find him long-term treatment.
LEE COUNTY, Fla. - The family of an Orlando soldier arrested for going "AWOL" is fighting to get him out of jail.
25-year-old Devon Ritchie was getting treatment for Post Traumatic Stress Disorder when he was arrested for not returning to his station.
Family says Ritchie was on emergency leave after his mother, Barbie Boynton, suffered a series of strokes.
He was due to return to his base in Alaska October 11th.
That day, Boynton got a frantic call from Ritchie's wife.
read more here
Veterans To Create World's Largest Medical Database
Does this sound like a good idea to you? It did to me at first until I read one sentence.
We've already read reports about veterans personal data getting into the hands of someone when the laptops were lost. We've already read reports on veterans being used in research. I'd like to think that all that damage is in the past, but on this one, I'll go with the hairs on my neck.
"The VA is now turning that information into a gold mine for medical research."The hairs on the back of my neck stood straight up. This sounds more like a way for "researchers" to make more money and that usually means private companies getting their hands on more veterans to use as lab rats.
We've already read reports about veterans personal data getting into the hands of someone when the laptops were lost. We've already read reports on veterans being used in research. I'd like to think that all that damage is in the past, but on this one, I'll go with the hairs on my neck.
Veterans To Create World's Largest Medical Database
by AMY STANDEN
November 14, 2011
What haunts Carl Schuler about his two tours in Iraq is the fact that he came out of them largely unscathed.
This was not the case for his best friend, who was badly injured when his truck was hit by a roadside bomb.
"You start thinking about, well, how fair is that? You know, here's my best friend, this is how he ends up, 80 percent burns, two members in the vehicle were killed, and here I am in a similar situation, and all of us ended up being OK," Schuler says. "It's a tough thing to deal with."
Back in the States, Schuler has struggled with problems that will sound familiar to a lot of veterans. He's had to tame his road rage. And sometimes he can be a bit withdrawn.
What's gotten him through all of this is helping other returning soldiers. He's a counselor for veterans who are having financial problems. And it was that same impulse — to help veterans — that brought him to a VA Medical Center in Palo Alto, Calif., on a recent morning.
Schuler came to take part in something called the Million Veteran Program, or MVP. The idea is to build a huge database, with both medical histories and blood samples from 1 million U.S. veterans.
What makes this possible is that the Department of Veterans Affairs has been keeping computerized medical records for more than two decades. This puts the VA way ahead of the curve, compared with most hospitals and doctors' offices. The VA is now turning that information into a gold mine for medical research.
read more here
Long fall from soldier to homeless
Long fall from soldier to homeless
By: Andy Wontor
Published: November 13, 2011
The day they signed up for the military, their excitement was palpable. Young men just out of high school. "Next thing I know I was signing my name," says Ronald Lee, who was in the Air Force from 1973 to 1993.
However, after their days of glory, they had a hard time adjusting to the real world. Brett Bush served in the Navy from 1982 to 1989. He remembers the day he was discharged like it was yesterday, "I just kind of melted into the sidewalk."
read more here
By: Andy Wontor
Published: November 13, 2011
The day they signed up for the military, their excitement was palpable. Young men just out of high school. "Next thing I know I was signing my name," says Ronald Lee, who was in the Air Force from 1973 to 1993.
However, after their days of glory, they had a hard time adjusting to the real world. Brett Bush served in the Navy from 1982 to 1989. He remembers the day he was discharged like it was yesterday, "I just kind of melted into the sidewalk."
read more here
New program aimed to help Montana vets deal with PTSD
New program aimed to help MT vets deal with PTSD
Posted: Nov 13, 2011 11:14 PM by Amanda Venegas
BILLINGS - With so many service members returning home from the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, post traumatic stress disorder is a reality for some of these veterans. Senator Jon Tester, D- Mont., says a new program called Access Received Closer to Home, or ARCH, will now take place in Billings and in Anaconda.
A.R.C.H. will allow veterans to use their healthcare benefits to receive medical care in facilities closer to where they live. According to Senator Tester, the program will allow veterans to get care faster and reduce the number of patients waiting to get treatment.
read more here
Posted: Nov 13, 2011 11:14 PM by Amanda Venegas
BILLINGS - With so many service members returning home from the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, post traumatic stress disorder is a reality for some of these veterans. Senator Jon Tester, D- Mont., says a new program called Access Received Closer to Home, or ARCH, will now take place in Billings and in Anaconda.
A.R.C.H. will allow veterans to use their healthcare benefits to receive medical care in facilities closer to where they live. According to Senator Tester, the program will allow veterans to get care faster and reduce the number of patients waiting to get treatment.
read more here
Recruiting Veterans, Columbia Finds an Impressive Applicant Pool
Recruiting Veterans, Columbia Finds an Impressive Applicant Pool
By MICHAEL WINERIP
Published: November 13, 2011
CAMP PENDLETON, Calif. — Two years ago, in an effort to attract more veterans to Columbia, Curtis Rodgers, a dean of admissions, began recruiting at military bases. Almost immediately he noticed differences between the Marines and the typical 18-year-old Ivy League applicant.
Marines are less aggressive. When Mr. Rodgers asked Sgt. Tiffani Watts at the end of a recent interview if she had any questions, the Marine answered, “I do, sir, but I don’t want to make you late for your next interview, sir.”
Marines are open about academic weaknesses. “To be forthright, sir, I did very poorly in high school,” Cpl. Leland Dawson began his interview. “It was a bit shaky, sir.”
Marines are understated. While 18-year-olds describe in detail a week they spent in Costa Rica building houses for the needy, Sergeant Watts, Cpl. Benjamin Vickery, Cpl. Tyler Fritz and Cpl. Andrew King barely mentioned their deployments to Iraq and Afghanistan. “No one wants to brag about something so terrible,” Corporal King said. “In a brief 30 minutes you can’t explain something that dramatic in your life.”
Which makes the dean’s interviews with Marines a little tougher. “They tend to play down their accomplishments,” Mr. Rodgers said.
read more here
Columbia Leadership Scholar Program
By MICHAEL WINERIP
Published: November 13, 2011
CAMP PENDLETON, Calif. — Two years ago, in an effort to attract more veterans to Columbia, Curtis Rodgers, a dean of admissions, began recruiting at military bases. Almost immediately he noticed differences between the Marines and the typical 18-year-old Ivy League applicant.
Marines are less aggressive. When Mr. Rodgers asked Sgt. Tiffani Watts at the end of a recent interview if she had any questions, the Marine answered, “I do, sir, but I don’t want to make you late for your next interview, sir.”
Marines are open about academic weaknesses. “To be forthright, sir, I did very poorly in high school,” Cpl. Leland Dawson began his interview. “It was a bit shaky, sir.”
Marines are understated. While 18-year-olds describe in detail a week they spent in Costa Rica building houses for the needy, Sergeant Watts, Cpl. Benjamin Vickery, Cpl. Tyler Fritz and Cpl. Andrew King barely mentioned their deployments to Iraq and Afghanistan. “No one wants to brag about something so terrible,” Corporal King said. “In a brief 30 minutes you can’t explain something that dramatic in your life.”
Which makes the dean’s interviews with Marines a little tougher. “They tend to play down their accomplishments,” Mr. Rodgers said.
read more here
Columbia Leadership Scholar Program
Sunday, November 13, 2011
Brevard sets aside day to say 'thanks' to veterans
Brevard sets aside day to say 'thanks' to veterans
Cocoa volunteers return special favor for 3 veterans
7:32 AM, Nov. 12, 2011
Written by
Andrew Knapp
FLORIDA TODAY
COCOA — Friday was a day of parades and memorials across the Space Coast, as residents saluted those who have served their country past and present.
But for more than 100 volunteers in Cocoa, Veterans Day was a time to get down and dirty and return the favor to former military members. They dispersed to three houses — all in need of a little TLC — and cleaned gutters, cleared yards of waste and rolled on fresh coats of paint.
“We’re serving the veterans who have served us,” said Sgt. Eric Austin, who leads the Cocoa Police Department’s community resources unit. “We’re here to serve . . . the people who are not necessarily able to care for their houses the way they would like to.”
read more here
Cocoa volunteers return special favor for 3 veterans
7:32 AM, Nov. 12, 2011
Written by
Andrew Knapp
FLORIDA TODAY
COCOA — Friday was a day of parades and memorials across the Space Coast, as residents saluted those who have served their country past and present.
But for more than 100 volunteers in Cocoa, Veterans Day was a time to get down and dirty and return the favor to former military members. They dispersed to three houses — all in need of a little TLC — and cleaned gutters, cleared yards of waste and rolled on fresh coats of paint.
“We’re serving the veterans who have served us,” said Sgt. Eric Austin, who leads the Cocoa Police Department’s community resources unit. “We’re here to serve . . . the people who are not necessarily able to care for their houses the way they would like to.”
read more here
Dover mortuary’s treatment of Marine’s remains shocks his parents
Dover mortuary’s treatment of Marine’s remains shocks his parents
By Craig Whitlock, Published: November 12
It was after dusk one evening this month when the Marine casualty assistance officer knocked on the door of the home of Kathy and William Angus in Thonotosassa, Fla. The Marine was bearing bad news. Again.
The last time, a similar knock from the same Marine had signaled a death knell. Their son, Sgt. Daniel M. Angus, 28, married and daddy to a little girl, had been blown apart by a bomb in Afghanistan. But that was almost two years ago. What did this solemn Marine standing outside want now?
read more here
By Craig Whitlock, Published: November 12
It was after dusk one evening this month when the Marine casualty assistance officer knocked on the door of the home of Kathy and William Angus in Thonotosassa, Fla. The Marine was bearing bad news. Again.
The last time, a similar knock from the same Marine had signaled a death knell. Their son, Sgt. Daniel M. Angus, 28, married and daddy to a little girl, had been blown apart by a bomb in Afghanistan. But that was almost two years ago. What did this solemn Marine standing outside want now?
read more here
Longwood soldier killed in Afghanistan on Veterans Day
Longwood soldier killed in Afghanistan
By Susan Jacobson, Orlando Sentinel
9:08 p.m. EST, November 12, 2011
A Longwood soldier was killed Friday morning in Kandahar Province, Afghanistan, by an roadside bomb, the U.S, Department of Defense announced tonight.
He was on foot when he was killed, but the Army provided no further details.
Pfc. Theodore B. Rushing, 25, was supporting Operation Enduring Freedom when enemy forces attacked his unit with an improvised explosive device, the Department of Defense said.
A cavalry scout, he was assigned to the 3rd Squadron, 71st Cavalry Regiment; 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 10th Mountain Division (Light), Fort Drum, N.Y.
read more here
By Susan Jacobson, Orlando Sentinel
9:08 p.m. EST, November 12, 2011
A Longwood soldier was killed Friday morning in Kandahar Province, Afghanistan, by an roadside bomb, the U.S, Department of Defense announced tonight.
He was on foot when he was killed, but the Army provided no further details.
Pfc. Theodore B. Rushing, 25, was supporting Operation Enduring Freedom when enemy forces attacked his unit with an improvised explosive device, the Department of Defense said.
A cavalry scout, he was assigned to the 3rd Squadron, 71st Cavalry Regiment; 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 10th Mountain Division (Light), Fort Drum, N.Y.
read more here
Honoring Our Veterans for Their Service and Sacrifice
Dear President Obama,
"Honoring Our Veterans for Their Service and Sacrifice" needs to begin by setting the tone.
There is a difference between Memorial Day and Veterans Day. Memorial Day is a day to honor the men and women who gave their lives in service to this nation and passed away. Veterans Day is for the men and women who also gave their lives and lived. The term "giving their lives" also means that their own personal needs, wants, comforts, are set aside for the "greater good" so much so, they were willing to die for it.
There is a problem in this country when politicians blend the two together. The dead can ask no more of us other than to care for the living and we have failed at that. You have done a lot for veterans since you served on the Veterans Affairs Committee. You should be applauded for all you've done but even you admit there is much more that needs to be done. Veterans Day is for the men and women coming home from the wars we sent them to fight.
Going to lay a wreath is honoring the fallen while those still standing fall everyday. They fall by suicide. They fall into homelessness. They fall into an oblivious society. Their families fall apart. They fall into the valley of claims that came before them wondering when it will be their time to have their service honored, wounds tended to and suffering healed.
Next Veterans Day you will still be in office so please consider instead of laying a wreath for the dead on Veterans Day, you stand before veterans and tell them what they mean to you by looking them in the eyes and saying;
You have tried to get things done on these issues but you need to do more, and make sure Congress does as well, to make sure that next Veterans Day, there are not more added needlessly to those you remember on Memorial Day.
"Honoring Our Veterans for Their Service and Sacrifice" needs to begin by setting the tone.
There is a difference between Memorial Day and Veterans Day. Memorial Day is a day to honor the men and women who gave their lives in service to this nation and passed away. Veterans Day is for the men and women who also gave their lives and lived. The term "giving their lives" also means that their own personal needs, wants, comforts, are set aside for the "greater good" so much so, they were willing to die for it.
There is a problem in this country when politicians blend the two together. The dead can ask no more of us other than to care for the living and we have failed at that. You have done a lot for veterans since you served on the Veterans Affairs Committee. You should be applauded for all you've done but even you admit there is much more that needs to be done. Veterans Day is for the men and women coming home from the wars we sent them to fight.
Going to lay a wreath is honoring the fallen while those still standing fall everyday. They fall by suicide. They fall into homelessness. They fall into an oblivious society. Their families fall apart. They fall into the valley of claims that came before them wondering when it will be their time to have their service honored, wounds tended to and suffering healed.
Next Veterans Day you will still be in office so please consider instead of laying a wreath for the dead on Veterans Day, you stand before veterans and tell them what they mean to you by looking them in the eyes and saying;
There are no more homeless veterans.
There is no more backlog of claims.
There are no more suicides.
Veterans are no longer suffering higher unemployment than civilians.
Every veteran with PTSD has been healed if not cured.
No family ever again has to wonder what's wrong with their veteran. They know what PTSD is.
You have tried to get things done on these issues but you need to do more, and make sure Congress does as well, to make sure that next Veterans Day, there are not more added needlessly to those you remember on Memorial Day.
The White House Blog
Weekly Address: Honoring Our Veterans for Their Service and Sacrifice
Posted by Matt Compton on November 12, 2011
President Obama speaks from the USS Carl Vinson in San Diego during Veterans Day and calls on all Americans to rededicate themselves to serving our brave men and women in uniform as well as they have served us.
Pastor helps veterans overcome trauma at Greenwich retreat
They did their jobs and when they come home, they should rest and let us do the fighting for the for a change. Clergy need to step up and help their souls heal.
Pastor helps veterans overcome trauma at Greenwich retreat
Meg Hagerty
Saturday, November 12, 2011
GREENWICH -- The 16 veterans entered the chapel of Christ the King Spiritual Life Center to fanfare.
It was the closing ceremonies of the 11th Welcome Home Initiative, meant to help those suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder, and the former members of the armed forces who had experienced the horrors of battle, both on the field and at home, were receiving a standing ovation of support from uniformed school girls, the Greenwich Color Guard, members of the Patriot Riders and the community.
As they made their way to their seats to the tune of Lee Greenwood's "God Bless the USA" and words of "Welcome Home! Thank you!" projected on three overhead screens, some of the veterans seemed overwhelmed, with a few wiping away tears while others were smiling broadly.
For three days, these men and one woman - some with spouses - shared painful memories, prayed together and learned about resources that could help them survive their ordeals with PTSD and thrive.
"Some of you came in very dejected, very broken, with obvious burdens upon your shoulders, and the joy of the Lord now is upon you as the Lord has healed you, redeemed, refreshed and set you free," the Rev. Nigel Mumford said to the veterans seated in the first two rows.
read more here
PTSD on Trial: Private John Needham
UPDATE
Tuesday's "48 Hours Mystery" Was #1 in Households and Viewers
CBS spins the numbers for Tuesday, June 26.
[via press release from CBS]
"48 HOURS MYSTERY" TUESDAY'S EXAMINATION OF THE ROLE PLAYED BY POST-TRAUMATIC STRESS DISORDER IN PVT. JOHN NEEDHAM'S KILLING OF HIS GIRLFRIEND WAS #1 IN HOUSEHOLDS AND VIEWERS
CBS News' 48 HOURS MYSTERY TUESDAY (R) was first in households (4.0/07) and viewers (5.66m), while delivering a 1.5/04 in adults 25-54, according to preliminary Nielsen same day ratings for June 26. Compared to last week, 48 HOURS MYSTERY TUESDAY was even in both adults 25-54 and adults 18-49.
The broadcast, which aired on the eve of National PTSD Awareness Day, featured Troy Roberts' emotional report on Pvt. John Needham, who beat to death the woman he loved, 19-year-old Jacque Villagomez. Needham's story started in Iraq where he was severely injured in combat and exposed to multiple IED and grenade attacks. He was later diagnosed with traumatic brain injury and post-traumatic stress disorder. Needham's father says the war took a heavy toll on his son, and ravaged his mind and body. From the beginning, Needham took responsibility for Villagomez's death but said he remembered little of the incident. He said that as they argued one night, something inside him snapped. He blamed his brain injury and PTSD for the beating that came next.
Read more At first I thought it took 48 Hours way too long to do a story like this since it happened in 2008.
What should jump out at you is a simple fact. When war comes home inside of them and we don't take care of them, they suffer, so do their families, friends, communities and in the end, this entire nation.
War damaged vet kills girlfriend; PTSD to blame?
(CBS News) Produced by Chris Young Ritzen
SAN CLEMENTE, Calif. -- "That day and what happened that day is gonna be with me until the day I die. It's something I carry on my conscience every day," John Needham explained. "I just can't believe that this is where my life is right now. When I look back when I was younger, I never see myself at 26 years old being called a murderer."
"I was trained to kill. ...I come home. I can't adjust to regular civilian lifestyle," Needham continued. "I spun out of control. I needed help."
"Unfortunately with the way I was trained, you know to react to threats is to neutralize threats. ...Even with someone I love."
In July of 2009, John Needham was out on bail... but far from a free man.
"I feel like a tagged animal," he said looking down at his ankle bracelet. "This is a constant reminder of what has happened and what is true reality no matter how much I try to hide from it or try and escape from it."
Needham was awaiting trial for a crime he found difficult to comprehend - killing a woman he says he loved.
"You know she was absolutely precious to me. She still is," he said.
Jacqwelyn Villagomez was 19 when she died and had only known John Needham for a few months. She'd been a track star in high school - and was hoping to break into modeling and acting.
read more here
Extra: John Needham interrogation
November 12, 2011 7:30 PM
On Sept. 2, 2008, homicide detectives with the Orange County Sheriff's Department questioned John Needham in the beating death of his girlfriend, Jacqwelyn Villagomez.
Private Needham's war
November 12, 2011 7:45 PM
A young soldier is accused of killing the woman he loves. Was she a casualty of war? Troy Roberts reports.
Extra: A father's mission
November 12, 2011 7:46 PM
Since the death of his son, Michael Needham Sr. has been speaking to audiences throughout the country to promote the John Needham Media Center, a non-profit organization associated with The Veterans Project.
Tuesday's "48 Hours Mystery" Was #1 in Households and Viewers
CBS spins the numbers for Tuesday, June 26.
[via press release from CBS]
"48 HOURS MYSTERY" TUESDAY'S EXAMINATION OF THE ROLE PLAYED BY POST-TRAUMATIC STRESS DISORDER IN PVT. JOHN NEEDHAM'S KILLING OF HIS GIRLFRIEND WAS #1 IN HOUSEHOLDS AND VIEWERS
CBS News' 48 HOURS MYSTERY TUESDAY (R) was first in households (4.0/07) and viewers (5.66m), while delivering a 1.5/04 in adults 25-54, according to preliminary Nielsen same day ratings for June 26. Compared to last week, 48 HOURS MYSTERY TUESDAY was even in both adults 25-54 and adults 18-49.
The broadcast, which aired on the eve of National PTSD Awareness Day, featured Troy Roberts' emotional report on Pvt. John Needham, who beat to death the woman he loved, 19-year-old Jacque Villagomez. Needham's story started in Iraq where he was severely injured in combat and exposed to multiple IED and grenade attacks. He was later diagnosed with traumatic brain injury and post-traumatic stress disorder. Needham's father says the war took a heavy toll on his son, and ravaged his mind and body. From the beginning, Needham took responsibility for Villagomez's death but said he remembered little of the incident. He said that as they argued one night, something inside him snapped. He blamed his brain injury and PTSD for the beating that came next.
Read more At first I thought it took 48 Hours way too long to do a story like this since it happened in 2008.
Original story from 2008But considering how many more stories this blog has covered in the last 4 years, I'm grateful they reported on it finally.
Iraq Vet John Wylie Needham charged with murder
What should jump out at you is a simple fact. When war comes home inside of them and we don't take care of them, they suffer, so do their families, friends, communities and in the end, this entire nation.
War damaged vet kills girlfriend; PTSD to blame?
November 12, 2011 10:50 PMPrivate John Needham and Jacque Villagomez
(CBS News) Produced by Chris Young Ritzen
SAN CLEMENTE, Calif. -- "That day and what happened that day is gonna be with me until the day I die. It's something I carry on my conscience every day," John Needham explained. "I just can't believe that this is where my life is right now. When I look back when I was younger, I never see myself at 26 years old being called a murderer."
"I was trained to kill. ...I come home. I can't adjust to regular civilian lifestyle," Needham continued. "I spun out of control. I needed help."
"Unfortunately with the way I was trained, you know to react to threats is to neutralize threats. ...Even with someone I love."
In July of 2009, John Needham was out on bail... but far from a free man.
"I feel like a tagged animal," he said looking down at his ankle bracelet. "This is a constant reminder of what has happened and what is true reality no matter how much I try to hide from it or try and escape from it."
Needham was awaiting trial for a crime he found difficult to comprehend - killing a woman he says he loved.
"You know she was absolutely precious to me. She still is," he said.
Jacqwelyn Villagomez was 19 when she died and had only known John Needham for a few months. She'd been a track star in high school - and was hoping to break into modeling and acting.
read more here
Extra: John Needham interrogation
November 12, 2011 7:30 PM
On Sept. 2, 2008, homicide detectives with the Orange County Sheriff's Department questioned John Needham in the beating death of his girlfriend, Jacqwelyn Villagomez.
Private Needham's war
November 12, 2011 7:45 PM
A young soldier is accused of killing the woman he loves. Was she a casualty of war? Troy Roberts reports.
Extra: A father's mission
November 12, 2011 7:46 PM
Since the death of his son, Michael Needham Sr. has been speaking to audiences throughout the country to promote the John Needham Media Center, a non-profit organization associated with The Veterans Project.
Saturday, November 12, 2011
For job-seeking vets, location matters
For job-seeking vets, location matters
By PAUL DAVIDSON
USA Today
Published: November 11, 2011
Many recent military veterans are struggling to find jobs in a tough economy, but some parts of the country may be better job-hunting grounds for former soldiers seeking civilian careers, according to a new study.
Oklahoma City is the best place for military retirees to find work, according to a ranking of 379 metro areas by Military.com and USAA, a financial service provider to military personnel.
Norfolk, Va., is ranked second, followed by Richmond, Va.; Austin and San Antonio; Madison, Wis.; Philadelphia; Raleigh, N.C.; Omaha; and Manchester, N.H.
read more here
By PAUL DAVIDSON
USA Today
Published: November 11, 2011
Many recent military veterans are struggling to find jobs in a tough economy, but some parts of the country may be better job-hunting grounds for former soldiers seeking civilian careers, according to a new study.
Oklahoma City is the best place for military retirees to find work, according to a ranking of 379 metro areas by Military.com and USAA, a financial service provider to military personnel.
Norfolk, Va., is ranked second, followed by Richmond, Va.; Austin and San Antonio; Madison, Wis.; Philadelphia; Raleigh, N.C.; Omaha; and Manchester, N.H.
read more here
Joliet police lieutenant returns from Iraq
Joliet police lieutenant returns from Iraq
By Brian Stanley
November 12, 2011
JOLIET — Look out, drug dealers, Ol’ Mac is back.
Dennis McWherter thought the weather here was lousy last week, but he wasn’t complaining.
“It’ll take some getting used to, but I’m just so glad to be home,” he said.
A Major in the Illinois National Guard, McWherter had been in Iraq nearly all of this year commanding 75 soldiers from the Peoria-based 709th Area Support Medical Company. The Major is a Lieutenant in his “civilian” job — supervising the Joliet Police Narcotics Unit.
This was McWherter’s second tour-of-duty in Iraq, which he explained as “essentially running a ‘quick care’ at a forward operating base.”
But within days of arriving, the unit ended up getting split up between seven locations for McWherter to keep track of — all while the Department of Defense was turning operations over to the state department and civilian control.
read more here
By Brian Stanley
November 12, 2011
JOLIET — Look out, drug dealers, Ol’ Mac is back.
Dennis McWherter thought the weather here was lousy last week, but he wasn’t complaining.
“It’ll take some getting used to, but I’m just so glad to be home,” he said.
A Major in the Illinois National Guard, McWherter had been in Iraq nearly all of this year commanding 75 soldiers from the Peoria-based 709th Area Support Medical Company. The Major is a Lieutenant in his “civilian” job — supervising the Joliet Police Narcotics Unit.
This was McWherter’s second tour-of-duty in Iraq, which he explained as “essentially running a ‘quick care’ at a forward operating base.”
But within days of arriving, the unit ended up getting split up between seven locations for McWherter to keep track of — all while the Department of Defense was turning operations over to the state department and civilian control.
read more here
National Guard, single Mom wins Honda Civic
Soldier and single mom wins new car on Veterans Day weekend
Sat Nov 12, 2011.
By Matt Chiappardi Staff writer
HAMILTON — This Veterans Day weekend is going to be one Warrant Officer Seron Verrett won’t soon forget.
The Pemberton Township resident, information technology specialist for the National Guard, and single mother of three children is not only accepting thanks for her service to the country, she also just won a brand new car.
“I thought someone was pulling my leg,” Verrett, 38, said. “This is amazing.”
The nearly 20-year veteran of the National Guard entered the drawing, along with about 1,900 other hopefuls, at Hamilton Honda on Route 130 in April for a 2012 Honda Civic.
read more here
Sat Nov 12, 2011.
By Matt Chiappardi Staff writer
HAMILTON — This Veterans Day weekend is going to be one Warrant Officer Seron Verrett won’t soon forget.
The Pemberton Township resident, information technology specialist for the National Guard, and single mother of three children is not only accepting thanks for her service to the country, she also just won a brand new car.
“I thought someone was pulling my leg,” Verrett, 38, said. “This is amazing.”
The nearly 20-year veteran of the National Guard entered the drawing, along with about 1,900 other hopefuls, at Hamilton Honda on Route 130 in April for a 2012 Honda Civic.
read more here
Hilton soldier killed in Vietnam finally laid to rest
Hilton soldier killed in Vietnam finally laid to rest
Posted at: 11/12/2011
By: Ted Fioraliso
WHEC.com
His family waited four decades for this day. And Saturday, a soldier from Hilton was finally in his final resting place.
The remains of Army Sgt. David Lemcke were buried next to his parents at a Parma cemetery Saturday -- 43 years after he was listed as missing-in-action in Vietnam.
“We're reminded that life is short, and David did not get his fore score,” said Chaplain Walter Steenson. “David paid the price for our nation in a war our current soldiers only read about.”
Lemcke was declared MIA back in 1968.
“In time, you accepted David's death and wondered if this day would ever come,” said Steenson.
Lemcke’s family had no body to bury, until now. After 43 years, Lemcke's remains were finally flown home to Rochester this week. On Saturday, Lemcke got the sendoff he deserved all those years ago.
“Today is not about the war. It's about those who served our country because they were asked to,” said Lemcke’s cousin, Rick Lemcke.
read more here
Posted at: 11/12/2011
By: Ted Fioraliso
WHEC.com
His family waited four decades for this day. And Saturday, a soldier from Hilton was finally in his final resting place.
The remains of Army Sgt. David Lemcke were buried next to his parents at a Parma cemetery Saturday -- 43 years after he was listed as missing-in-action in Vietnam.
“We're reminded that life is short, and David did not get his fore score,” said Chaplain Walter Steenson. “David paid the price for our nation in a war our current soldiers only read about.”
Lemcke was declared MIA back in 1968.
“In time, you accepted David's death and wondered if this day would ever come,” said Steenson.
Lemcke’s family had no body to bury, until now. After 43 years, Lemcke's remains were finally flown home to Rochester this week. On Saturday, Lemcke got the sendoff he deserved all those years ago.
“Today is not about the war. It's about those who served our country because they were asked to,” said Lemcke’s cousin, Rick Lemcke.
read more here
Orlando FL 2011 Veterans Day Parade
Here are some pictures of the Orlando Veterans Day Parade from today. Video is coming soon.
UPDATE
Video is done
UPDATE
Video is done
Department of Defense doesn't buy American only?
Aside from the fact our military has been handed fake-defective electronics they give to the troops, this one should outrage everyone for one simple reason. Our military doesn't buy American made only? Are they out of their minds? What about security if they need another reason other than our military deserves American made products?
‘MADE IN CHINA’: U.S. MILITARY FINDING FAKE CHINESE ELECTRONICS IN GEAR AT ALARMING RATE
Posted on November 9, 2011
by Buck Sexton
And the problem appears to be getting worse for the defense industry. The Senate report cited Commerce Department statistics including one that said, “In 2005, there were 3,868 incidents detected, compared with 9,356 in 2008.”
The U.S. Senate Armed Services Committee has found that counterfeit electronic parts are finding their way into the U.S. military supply chain at an alarming rate.
The Senate released a report that claims that on 1,800 separate occasions, the U.S. military or contractors have purchased electronics materials for defense systems that were either fake or poorly recycled.
In some cases, defective chips made their way into critical U.S. weapons and navigation systems. The examples could provide a serious wake-up call to defense contractors and others involved in the military supply chain. In one instance highlighted by the Senate report, it was pointed out that, on September 8th, the defense contractor Raytheon notified the Navy of the following:
“Counterfeit transistors had been found on a night vision or FLIR system used on the Navy’s SH-60B helicopters. If the FLIR system were to fail, the Navy said the helicopter would be unable to conduct surface warfare missions using Hellfire missiles.”
read more here
When war kills at home "48 Hours Mystery"
When war kills at home "48 Hours Mystery" follows my 2009 Salon story about a troubled Iraq war vet and his tragic, controversial end BY MICHAEL DE YOANNA
I’ll never forget the first time I saw John Wiley Needham. It was at Denver International Airport in late 2007. John, a private in the Army, was wearing camouflage clothing, toting his backpack and helmet over his shoulder. His father, Mike Needham, told me that John, a fun-loving champion surfer from Southern California, was called “Needhammer.” He was tough, built like an NFL quarterback. Yet he seemed nothing like these descriptions when I first set eyes on him, limping through the baggage claim, slouching. He avoided making eye contact with anyone.
At the time, John was part of the 2nd Battalion, 12th Infantry Regiment at Fort Carson, Colo. He had done a long, bloody combat tour in the al-Dora neighborhood in Baghdad. His medical records confirm he was suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder. He also had a brain injury. Both were the result of combat.
John received an Army Commendation Medal for saving the lives of his comrades by firing on an insurgent who had a grenade. He also got a Purple Heart for the shrapnel that entered his leg when the grenade exploded. Those honors, and others, were important to John. They were things he held onto, helping him to remember that at one point during the war, he was a hero.
John told me he felt slighted that some medals he had received were never actually pinned on him in a ceremony. He blamed it on his breakdown. He felt he became a pariah after he cracked, and certainly some of my interviews with others in his platoon confirm that. We was drinking a lot. He became reckless on missions. It was the bloodshed. He recalled one incident in which his unit killed suspected insurgents in a truck. He was sent to inspect the truck and when he opened the door, a man slid out, his brains spilling on John’s chest as women and children watched and cried, yelling at him. John thinks they were the family.
read more here
I’ll never forget the first time I saw John Wiley Needham. It was at Denver International Airport in late 2007. John, a private in the Army, was wearing camouflage clothing, toting his backpack and helmet over his shoulder. His father, Mike Needham, told me that John, a fun-loving champion surfer from Southern California, was called “Needhammer.” He was tough, built like an NFL quarterback. Yet he seemed nothing like these descriptions when I first set eyes on him, limping through the baggage claim, slouching. He avoided making eye contact with anyone.
At the time, John was part of the 2nd Battalion, 12th Infantry Regiment at Fort Carson, Colo. He had done a long, bloody combat tour in the al-Dora neighborhood in Baghdad. His medical records confirm he was suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder. He also had a brain injury. Both were the result of combat.
John received an Army Commendation Medal for saving the lives of his comrades by firing on an insurgent who had a grenade. He also got a Purple Heart for the shrapnel that entered his leg when the grenade exploded. Those honors, and others, were important to John. They were things he held onto, helping him to remember that at one point during the war, he was a hero.
John told me he felt slighted that some medals he had received were never actually pinned on him in a ceremony. He blamed it on his breakdown. He felt he became a pariah after he cracked, and certainly some of my interviews with others in his platoon confirm that. We was drinking a lot. He became reckless on missions. It was the bloodshed. He recalled one incident in which his unit killed suspected insurgents in a truck. He was sent to inspect the truck and when he opened the door, a man slid out, his brains spilling on John’s chest as women and children watched and cried, yelling at him. John thinks they were the family.
read more here
Florida Legislation would allow veterans to get therapy instead of jail
Legislation would allow veterans to get therapy instead of jail
November 12, 2011
TALLAHASSEE— A year ago, Palm Beach County Judge Ted Booras helped open the county's first veterans court, a docket for veterans affected by mental-health and substance-abuse issues related to their military service.
It was supposed to handle a few people, every other week. Now, it's every Thursday. So far, 201 veterans have gone before Booras, who is trying to combine sentencing with treatment programs.
"You may go on probation, but you get all these services," Booras said. "That's going to make a big difference in a lot of people's lives." Each vet returns to court monthly to give Booras, himself a former Marine, a full report.
Some veterans succeed, Booras said, completing treatment programs and getting jobs. Others have had probation violations or drug relapses. Most, he said, "really try."
read more here
November 12, 2011
TALLAHASSEE— A year ago, Palm Beach County Judge Ted Booras helped open the county's first veterans court, a docket for veterans affected by mental-health and substance-abuse issues related to their military service.
It was supposed to handle a few people, every other week. Now, it's every Thursday. So far, 201 veterans have gone before Booras, who is trying to combine sentencing with treatment programs.
"You may go on probation, but you get all these services," Booras said. "That's going to make a big difference in a lot of people's lives." Each vet returns to court monthly to give Booras, himself a former Marine, a full report.
Some veterans succeed, Booras said, completing treatment programs and getting jobs. Others have had probation violations or drug relapses. Most, he said, "really try."
read more here
2 Deaths at Occupy Protests in Calif. and Vermont
2 Deaths at Occupy Protests in Calif. and Vermont
By TERRY COLLINS Associated Press
OAKLAND, Calif. November 11, 2011 (AP)
Police are investigating a fatal shooting just outside the Occupy Oakland encampment in Northern California and the apparent suicide of a military veteran at an Occupy encampment in Vermont's largest city.
The Oakland killing is further straining relations between local officials and anti-Wall Street protesters. A preliminary investigation into the gunfire Thursday that left a man dead suggests it resulted from a fight between two groups of men at or near the camp on a plaza in front of Oakland's City Hall, police Chief Howard Jordan said.
Investigators do not yet know if the men in the fight were associated with Occupy Oakland, but they are looking into reports that some protest participants tried to break up the altercation, Jordan said.
Burlington, Vt., police said preliminary investigations show a 35-year-old military veteran fatally shot himself in the head Thursday at an Occupy Wall Street encampment. The name of the Chittenden County man is being withheld because not all of his family has been notified.
read more here
Veteran commits suicide at Occupy Vermont
By TERRY COLLINS Associated Press
OAKLAND, Calif. November 11, 2011 (AP)
Police are investigating a fatal shooting just outside the Occupy Oakland encampment in Northern California and the apparent suicide of a military veteran at an Occupy encampment in Vermont's largest city.
The Oakland killing is further straining relations between local officials and anti-Wall Street protesters. A preliminary investigation into the gunfire Thursday that left a man dead suggests it resulted from a fight between two groups of men at or near the camp on a plaza in front of Oakland's City Hall, police Chief Howard Jordan said.
Investigators do not yet know if the men in the fight were associated with Occupy Oakland, but they are looking into reports that some protest participants tried to break up the altercation, Jordan said.
Burlington, Vt., police said preliminary investigations show a 35-year-old military veteran fatally shot himself in the head Thursday at an Occupy Wall Street encampment. The name of the Chittenden County man is being withheld because not all of his family has been notified.
read more here
Veteran commits suicide at Occupy Vermont
Veterans Day: Military Spouses Share Their Pain
Everyday is Veterans Day for them.
Veterans Day: Military Spouses Share Their Pain
By KRISTINA WONG (@kristina_wong)
Nov. 11, 2011
Less than a year ago, Army wife Kat Honaker opened her bedroom door and found her husband inside with a gun in his mouth.
Minutes earlier, he had rampaged through the house in Bristol, Tenn., picking up chairs and smashing them on the kitchen counter top, turning the family's oak dining table and chairs into thousands of splinters. When she told her trembling children to run and call 9-1-1, he grabbed all the phones and destroyed them, too. He was furious that she had put a trash bag outside the front door instead of trudging through snow to the garbage can.
She coaxed him into putting the gun down, unloaded it, and gave it to her oldest son to hide outside. After he went through all the liquor in the house -- five beers, two pints of Jack Daniels and a bottle of moonshine -- they convinced him to get into the truck.
On the way to the hospital about an hour away, Honaker's husband started ranting about improvised explosive devices (IEDs) and how the route hadn't been cleared and that they were going the wrong way. He started screaming about the tractor trailer in front of them, and how it was a bomb and they were going to get blown up.
Her oldest son, 13 at the time, took charge. Recognizing that his father thought he was in Iraq, he started giving orders.
"Sergeant, you need to get in the truck and drive. Stand down soldier ... stand down. We will be getting ourselves back to the FOB to get some rest," he barked at his father, who kept saying, "I have blood all over me, it's all over me."
read more here
Last year I was speaking at the Point Man Ministries conference in Buffalo. It is my great pleasure to be a part of this organization and one of the reasons is this Staff Sgt. He is an Iraq veteran. I was listening to the church band play, getting some footage for the audio when Paul stood up and began to talk. I couldn't find the will to shut off the camera. It was not planned but his story was so moving, I knew I had to put the video online. I went over to Paul during a break and introduced myself. He said he knew who I was. "I make videos." He said "I know that and I've seen them." Then I watched his expression change when I told him I filmed his presentation. "You what?" I had to tell him to relax because I was willing to give him the tape, destroy it or put it up on YouTube. He didn't hesitate. He looked me right in the eyes and said, "Get it up on YouTube. I'm tired of losing my men."
Paul talked about putting the gun in his mouth too. He talked about the pain he felt coming home. In the end he also talked about healing spiritually and how his life changed because of Point Man Ministries. Paul is one more example that while we honor them one day out of the year, they are veterans everyday of their lives.
Veterans Day: Military Spouses Share Their Pain
By KRISTINA WONG (@kristina_wong)
Nov. 11, 2011
Less than a year ago, Army wife Kat Honaker opened her bedroom door and found her husband inside with a gun in his mouth.
Minutes earlier, he had rampaged through the house in Bristol, Tenn., picking up chairs and smashing them on the kitchen counter top, turning the family's oak dining table and chairs into thousands of splinters. When she told her trembling children to run and call 9-1-1, he grabbed all the phones and destroyed them, too. He was furious that she had put a trash bag outside the front door instead of trudging through snow to the garbage can.
She coaxed him into putting the gun down, unloaded it, and gave it to her oldest son to hide outside. After he went through all the liquor in the house -- five beers, two pints of Jack Daniels and a bottle of moonshine -- they convinced him to get into the truck.
On the way to the hospital about an hour away, Honaker's husband started ranting about improvised explosive devices (IEDs) and how the route hadn't been cleared and that they were going the wrong way. He started screaming about the tractor trailer in front of them, and how it was a bomb and they were going to get blown up.
Her oldest son, 13 at the time, took charge. Recognizing that his father thought he was in Iraq, he started giving orders.
"Sergeant, you need to get in the truck and drive. Stand down soldier ... stand down. We will be getting ourselves back to the FOB to get some rest," he barked at his father, who kept saying, "I have blood all over me, it's all over me."
read more here
Last year I was speaking at the Point Man Ministries conference in Buffalo. It is my great pleasure to be a part of this organization and one of the reasons is this Staff Sgt. He is an Iraq veteran. I was listening to the church band play, getting some footage for the audio when Paul stood up and began to talk. I couldn't find the will to shut off the camera. It was not planned but his story was so moving, I knew I had to put the video online. I went over to Paul during a break and introduced myself. He said he knew who I was. "I make videos." He said "I know that and I've seen them." Then I watched his expression change when I told him I filmed his presentation. "You what?" I had to tell him to relax because I was willing to give him the tape, destroy it or put it up on YouTube. He didn't hesitate. He looked me right in the eyes and said, "Get it up on YouTube. I'm tired of losing my men."
Paul talked about putting the gun in his mouth too. He talked about the pain he felt coming home. In the end he also talked about healing spiritually and how his life changed because of Point Man Ministries. Paul is one more example that while we honor them one day out of the year, they are veterans everyday of their lives.
Veterans Day Ceremony in Bethesda
PHOTOS: Veterans Day Ceremony in Bethesda
Residents and community leaders gathered to honor veterans in Bethesda Friday.
By Erin Donaghue
Residents and community leaders gathered to honor veterans in Bethesda Friday.
By Erin Donaghue
The yearly event is sponsored by the Kiwanis Club of Bethesda and the American Legion post #105. Credit: Erin Donaghuego here for more pictures
Marines erect cross on Veterans Day to honor fallen comrades
Marines erect cross on Veterans Day to honor fallen comrades
November 11, 2011
To honor the memory of four Marine comrades killed in Iraq and to show respect for all military personnel sent to foreign lands, a small but determined group trudged up a steep hill at Camp Pendleton on Friday morning as the nation observed Veterans Day.
At precisely the date and time when World War I officially ended, giving rise to Armistice Day -- the forerunner to Veterans Day -- the group erected a 13-foot cross. The cross replaced one put on the hill in 2003 by the Marines before they deployed to Iraq. It was destroyed by a brush fire.
The four Marines were part of the 2nd Battalion, 1st Marine Regiment. The 2/1 was a lead element in the battle of Fallouja in early 2004.
“We wanted them all to know that they’ll always be in our hearts, that they’ll never be forgotten,” said Staff Sgt. Justin Rettenberger. He was also with the 2/1 and will deploy soon for his second tour to Afghanistan with a different battalion. He was wounded in Iraq and Afghanistan but insisted on reenlisting.
read more here
November 11, 2011
At precisely the date and time when World War I officially ended, giving rise to Armistice Day -- the forerunner to Veterans Day -- the group erected a 13-foot cross. The cross replaced one put on the hill in 2003 by the Marines before they deployed to Iraq. It was destroyed by a brush fire.
The four Marines were part of the 2nd Battalion, 1st Marine Regiment. The 2/1 was a lead element in the battle of Fallouja in early 2004.
“We wanted them all to know that they’ll always be in our hearts, that they’ll never be forgotten,” said Staff Sgt. Justin Rettenberger. He was also with the 2/1 and will deploy soon for his second tour to Afghanistan with a different battalion. He was wounded in Iraq and Afghanistan but insisted on reenlisting.
read more here
Iraq Veteran Eric "Patrick" Cooper passed away and passes on love
Patriot Guard Riders sends out notices from families so that the Riders can come out but they do so much more than just give up their time to honor the passing of someone. They leave comments and prayers for the families on their site.
PFC Eric "Patrick" Cooper
One of the comments left on the thread had this for a quote:
Just as an example of how much money we're talking about to go to homeless veterans, this basket from 1800Flowers is over $100.00.
Robert L. Miller Sr. Veteran's Center
Eric Cooper will Ride with the Angels. Will you? If this story touches your heart, how about making a donation in his name to the center and "make a life by what you give."
PFC Eric "Patrick" Cooper
One of the comments left on the thread had this for a quote:
"We make a living by what we get; we make a life by what we give." ~ Winston ChurchillThe fact he was so young is heartbreaking but there is more to this story that needs more attention. His family has requested donations be made to a homeless Veterans center instead of money being spent on flowers.
Just as an example of how much money we're talking about to go to homeless veterans, this basket from 1800Flowers is over $100.00.
($129.99)
Eric "Patrick" Cooper
Eric "Patrick" Cooper, 24, of Bradenton, formerly of Osceola, Ind. passed away November 4, 2011.Services will be held at Sarasota National Cemetery on Monday, November 14, 2011 at 1:30p.m.Survivors include his mother, Lee Ann Mason; step-father, Richard Mason; brother, Kyle; sister, Brittany; three grandparents and numerous aunts, uncles, cousins and friends. He is also survived by his father, Eric Cooper (Tracey) and his beloved dog, Aquilles."Patrick" was an Army veteran who served in the Iraqi War. He also at-tended MMI Technical Institute. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to Robert L. Miller, Sr., c/o The Veterans Homeless Center, 815 S. Michigan St., South Bend, IN 46601. "Ride Free with the Angels"
read more here
Robert L. Miller Sr. Veteran's Center
We are proud to announce the newest addition to the Center for the Homeless family at 747 S. Michigan. When complete, this beautiful facility will welcome 25 male veterans, with bedrooms, baths, a kitchenette, a gathering room that opens into the Community garden, and a front desk, offices and conference area. Veterans will be assigned a therapist and coach the day they check in, and will have access to drug and alcohol treatment, individual and group therapy, clothes and meals, and the help they need to reintegrate into society. They will be given support as they come to grips with PTSD, medical issues and, for many, years on the streets.
Eric Cooper will Ride with the Angels. Will you? If this story touches your heart, how about making a donation in his name to the center and "make a life by what you give."
Friday, November 11, 2011
Senator DeMint calls Veterans Jobs Bill, "pandering"
All Americans deserve the same opportunity? Is he serious?
Veteran's Day: Jim DeMint Is The One Percent Who Voted Against Veterans
by DAVID BADASH on NOVEMBER 11, 2011
“We’re pandering to different political groups with programs that have proven to be ineffective,” DeMint said on the Senate floor, the Beaufort Gazette reported. “All Americans deserve the same opportunity to get hired. I cannot support this tax credit because I do not believe the government should privilege one American over another when it comes to work.”
read more here
Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy
Fort Hood shooting victims, families file claims against Army
Fort Hood shooting victims, families file claims against Army
By Jim Forsyth
SAN ANTONIO, Texas
Thu Nov 10, 2011 6:31pm EST
(Reuters) - Dozens of relatives of people killed in a November 2009 shooting at Fort Hood -- as well as some of the wounded -- are filing administrative claims against the Army, seeking more than $750 million in total damages.
The lawyer representing the more than 80 claimants said on Thursday that the Army "acted in total disregard" for the safety of soldiers and civilian employees by allowing Major Nidal Hasan -- an Army psychiatrist charged in the killings -- to serve on active duty.
"They enabled him, they put him in a position to commit fratricide, and allowed him to commit the only deadly terror attack on U.S. soil since 9/11, and they knew all about it," the lawyer, Neil M. Sher of New York City, told Reuters.
read more here
By Jim Forsyth
SAN ANTONIO, Texas
Thu Nov 10, 2011 6:31pm EST
(Reuters) - Dozens of relatives of people killed in a November 2009 shooting at Fort Hood -- as well as some of the wounded -- are filing administrative claims against the Army, seeking more than $750 million in total damages.
The lawyer representing the more than 80 claimants said on Thursday that the Army "acted in total disregard" for the safety of soldiers and civilian employees by allowing Major Nidal Hasan -- an Army psychiatrist charged in the killings -- to serve on active duty.
"They enabled him, they put him in a position to commit fratricide, and allowed him to commit the only deadly terror attack on U.S. soil since 9/11, and they knew all about it," the lawyer, Neil M. Sher of New York City, told Reuters.
read more here
Falmouth Soldier’s Death In Iraq Ruled Homicide
Family: Falmouth Soldier’s Death In Iraq Ruled Homicide
By Bill Shields, WBZ-TV
FALMOUTH (CBS) – The family of a Falmouth soldier killed in Iraq this past June said they have been told his death was a homicide.
Army Sgt. Matthew Gallagher was killed on June 26, a week before his 23rd birthday, under what were said to be mysterious circumstances while serving with the 1st Cavalry Division.
Nearly 500 people turned out for Falmouth’s celebration of Veteran’s Day.
read more here
By Bill Shields, WBZ-TV
FALMOUTH (CBS) – The family of a Falmouth soldier killed in Iraq this past June said they have been told his death was a homicide.
Army Sgt. Matthew Gallagher was killed on June 26, a week before his 23rd birthday, under what were said to be mysterious circumstances while serving with the 1st Cavalry Division.
Nearly 500 people turned out for Falmouth’s celebration of Veteran’s Day.
read more here
Vietnam vet makes sure others aren't forgotten
Vietnam vet makes sure others aren't forgotten
MICHELE HASKELL/Times Herald-Record
Published: 2:00 AM - 11/11/11
Forty-nine American soldiers lay dead in a town near Saigon. They had walked into an ambush. Most were kids, not long out of high school, in the thick of the Vietnam War.
"I had to pick up the bodies," says Eldred's Kevin Thomas Marrinan today. "Bits and pieces. It was awful."
This is what Marrinan saw as a young soldier in 1968, just a few years after he had left the Bronx. He had grown up near a veterans hospital, where he saw shellshocked men with vacant eyes, hiding behind Fords, Chevys and Pontiacs in the streets.
Those horrible memories of lost lives came rushing back to Marrinan, 64, just a few years ago. He was placing tiny American flags on the graves of veterans in small Sullivan County cemeteries in Lumberland and Highland for the American Legion Sylvan Liebla Post 1363 of Highland when he saw that some of the graves of World War II vets were littered with dirt and debris. The names of the soldiers and where they served were buried, like the soldiers.
Marrinan thought of the bodies he saw in Vietnam. He thought of the lonely bodies in the dozens of aluminum coffins he sat next to on the cargo plane he took home when his father died.
"I thought of what these guys went through," he says, "and how nobody remembers them."
read more here
MICHELE HASKELL/Times Herald-Record
Published: 2:00 AM - 11/11/11
Forty-nine American soldiers lay dead in a town near Saigon. They had walked into an ambush. Most were kids, not long out of high school, in the thick of the Vietnam War.
"I had to pick up the bodies," says Eldred's Kevin Thomas Marrinan today. "Bits and pieces. It was awful."
This is what Marrinan saw as a young soldier in 1968, just a few years after he had left the Bronx. He had grown up near a veterans hospital, where he saw shellshocked men with vacant eyes, hiding behind Fords, Chevys and Pontiacs in the streets.
Those horrible memories of lost lives came rushing back to Marrinan, 64, just a few years ago. He was placing tiny American flags on the graves of veterans in small Sullivan County cemeteries in Lumberland and Highland for the American Legion Sylvan Liebla Post 1363 of Highland when he saw that some of the graves of World War II vets were littered with dirt and debris. The names of the soldiers and where they served were buried, like the soldiers.
Marrinan thought of the bodies he saw in Vietnam. He thought of the lonely bodies in the dozens of aluminum coffins he sat next to on the cargo plane he took home when his father died.
"I thought of what these guys went through," he says, "and how nobody remembers them."
read more here
Vietnam Vet's funeral canceled over Government insurance check
Vietnam Vet's Funeral Canceled Over Insurance Check Dispute
By: NADIA BASHIR
Published: November 10, 2011
A Columbus family says a local funeral home canceled their father's funeral the day before it was scheduled to take place after a dispute over an insurance check.
The cancelation of a Vietnam veteran's funeral came two days before Veterans Day.
"This family has suffered a lot of tragedy ... There's no reason why my father should be laying over there ... in ... [the] basement for four weeks," said Monica Grady who is coordinating her father's funeral.
The Grady family waited nearly a month for an insurance check to help pay for the funeral, scheduled for Thursday, Nov 10.
The funeral home, Diehl-Whittaker Funeral Services, canceled the service Wednesday because the family was unable to make full payment pursuant to its contract.
The Gradys showed the funeral home a letter from the Department of Veterans Affairs, which stated an insurance check for $10,000 was on its way -- more than enough to cover the $6,000 funeral expenses.
read more here
By: NADIA BASHIR
Published: November 10, 2011
A Columbus family says a local funeral home canceled their father's funeral the day before it was scheduled to take place after a dispute over an insurance check.
The cancelation of a Vietnam veteran's funeral came two days before Veterans Day.
"This family has suffered a lot of tragedy ... There's no reason why my father should be laying over there ... in ... [the] basement for four weeks," said Monica Grady who is coordinating her father's funeral.
The Grady family waited nearly a month for an insurance check to help pay for the funeral, scheduled for Thursday, Nov 10.
The funeral home, Diehl-Whittaker Funeral Services, canceled the service Wednesday because the family was unable to make full payment pursuant to its contract.
The Gradys showed the funeral home a letter from the Department of Veterans Affairs, which stated an insurance check for $10,000 was on its way -- more than enough to cover the $6,000 funeral expenses.
read more here
Returning Heroes and Wounded Warrior Tax Credits Passes Senate
Kathie --
Happy Veterans Day.
It's a special one. Yesterday, the Senate passed the President's jobs plan to help veterans find work after returning home. It's a huge victory for the men and women who served with honor and distinction, and in many cases put their lives on the line for us.
To say thank you to veterans and their families this holiday weekend, President Obama recorded a personal message of gratitude.
This wouldn't have happened without your persistence and the President's refusal to take no for an answer. That's why he insisted on Congress voting on parts of the American Jobs Act -- one by one -- until they finally did the right thing.
The two bills that the Senate passed yesterday, the Returning Heroes and Wounded Warrior Tax Credits, will give businesses up to $9,600 back for hiring veterans who are out of work or who have service-related disabilities. That's on top of new career resources that the President announced this week to support the more than 850,000 unemployed veterans living here at home, and more than a million returning from Iraq and Afghanistan in the next few months and years.
One of the highest duties we share as Americans is to serve the men and women who've served us. We simply couldn't wait for these commonsense steps to help our veterans. And thanks to Democrats and Republicans in the Senate putting country before party, we won't need to.
Watch the President's personal Veterans Day message and then share it with family and friends:
http://my.barackobama.com/Veterans-Day-Video
Of course, the fight for jobs is far from over, but yesterday proved that Congress can still come together to do the right thing when Americans demand it. So let's keep the pressure on.
Thanks,
Messina
Jim Messina
Campaign Manager
Obama for America
Happy Veterans Day.
It's a special one. Yesterday, the Senate passed the President's jobs plan to help veterans find work after returning home. It's a huge victory for the men and women who served with honor and distinction, and in many cases put their lives on the line for us.
To say thank you to veterans and their families this holiday weekend, President Obama recorded a personal message of gratitude.
This wouldn't have happened without your persistence and the President's refusal to take no for an answer. That's why he insisted on Congress voting on parts of the American Jobs Act -- one by one -- until they finally did the right thing.
The two bills that the Senate passed yesterday, the Returning Heroes and Wounded Warrior Tax Credits, will give businesses up to $9,600 back for hiring veterans who are out of work or who have service-related disabilities. That's on top of new career resources that the President announced this week to support the more than 850,000 unemployed veterans living here at home, and more than a million returning from Iraq and Afghanistan in the next few months and years.
One of the highest duties we share as Americans is to serve the men and women who've served us. We simply couldn't wait for these commonsense steps to help our veterans. And thanks to Democrats and Republicans in the Senate putting country before party, we won't need to.
Watch the President's personal Veterans Day message and then share it with family and friends:
http://my.barackobama.com/Veterans-Day-Video
Of course, the fight for jobs is far from over, but yesterday proved that Congress can still come together to do the right thing when Americans demand it. So let's keep the pressure on.
Thanks,
Messina
Jim Messina
Campaign Manager
Obama for America
Clinics report spike in PTSD among Vietnam vets
After-effects of war surface years later
Clinics report spike in post-traumatic stress disorder among Vietnam vets
12:20 AM, Nov. 11, 2011
Written by
Denise Goolsby
The Desert Sun
Thirty-six years after the end of the war, the number of Vietnam veterans reaching out to deal with their depression and anxiety has spiked.
They're “accessing mental health services at a faster rate than any other veterans group,” said Annie Tuttle, spokeswoman for the Jerry L. Pettis Memorial Veterans Administration Hospital in Loma Linda.
That VA hospital is the closest one to the Coachella Valley, and has a mental health clinic in Palm Desert.
The diagnosis — post-traumatic stress disorder — occurs in about 30 percent of all Vietnam veterans, according to the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs.
read more here
Clinics report spike in post-traumatic stress disorder among Vietnam vets
12:20 AM, Nov. 11, 2011
Written by
Denise Goolsby
The Desert Sun
Thirty-six years after the end of the war, the number of Vietnam veterans reaching out to deal with their depression and anxiety has spiked.
They're “accessing mental health services at a faster rate than any other veterans group,” said Annie Tuttle, spokeswoman for the Jerry L. Pettis Memorial Veterans Administration Hospital in Loma Linda.
That VA hospital is the closest one to the Coachella Valley, and has a mental health clinic in Palm Desert.
The diagnosis — post-traumatic stress disorder — occurs in about 30 percent of all Vietnam veterans, according to the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs.
read more here
Vietnam War's horror still haunt after four decades
Veteran's Day: Memories of Vietnam War's horror still haunt after four decades
2:12 AM, Nov. 11, 2011
Written by
JENS MANUEL KROGSTAD
Ray Hutchison still feels hunted, four decades after Vietnam.
His paranoia and anxiety swell in crowded rooms. At his grandson’s fourth-grade musicals, he sits in back, at the end of a row near the exits. At restaurants, he sits at tables with his back against the wall.
Hutchison, 63, hates Fourth of July fireworks.
“I need a way out,” he said. “A quick way out. I try to get out without screaming and hollering and climbing over people.”
Hutchison traces his post-traumatic stress disorder to the Tet offensive of 1968 in Saigon, now called Ho Chi Minh City. He was one of hundreds of military police who patrolled a city of millions while under constant but unpredictable gunfire.
read more here
2:12 AM, Nov. 11, 2011
Written by
JENS MANUEL KROGSTAD
Ray Hutchison still feels hunted, four decades after Vietnam.
His paranoia and anxiety swell in crowded rooms. At his grandson’s fourth-grade musicals, he sits in back, at the end of a row near the exits. At restaurants, he sits at tables with his back against the wall.
Hutchison, 63, hates Fourth of July fireworks.
“I need a way out,” he said. “A quick way out. I try to get out without screaming and hollering and climbing over people.”
Hutchison traces his post-traumatic stress disorder to the Tet offensive of 1968 in Saigon, now called Ho Chi Minh City. He was one of hundreds of military police who patrolled a city of millions while under constant but unpredictable gunfire.
read more here
I won't say Happy Veterans Day but wish you have them everyday
To our veterans,
I started this morning the way I always do. I brewed the coffee, turn on the news for half an hour and then turn on my computer. You are the first thing I think about in the morning and the last thing I think about at night. Heck, most of the time your voices are in my dreams.
That said, I can't post Happy Veterans Day to you today anymore than I can post those words the other 364 days of the year. I can't because I know you're not happy. How could you be?
You are less than 10 percent of the population of this nation but we can't manage to tend to your needs after you were willing to give your life? If you are serving today, you are just .75 percent of the population yet here on this blog we read about how much you're suffering.
I want to wish, hope and pray you have everyday as a Happy Veterans' Day but that won't be possible until we can look all of you in the eyes and say, we have done everything possible for all of you. When we can say there are no more suicides. There are no more homeless veterans. There are no more living in poverty. No more doing without their medical needs being met. No more wondering how to find jobs after military life or how to manage to get into and pay for college. After all, you get just one day to "honor" you but you are a veteran everyday of your life. Above all of that, when a blog like mine doesn't have to be here at all, then I'll know you are happy.
I started this morning the way I always do. I brewed the coffee, turn on the news for half an hour and then turn on my computer. You are the first thing I think about in the morning and the last thing I think about at night. Heck, most of the time your voices are in my dreams.
That said, I can't post Happy Veterans Day to you today anymore than I can post those words the other 364 days of the year. I can't because I know you're not happy. How could you be?
You are less than 10 percent of the population of this nation but we can't manage to tend to your needs after you were willing to give your life? If you are serving today, you are just .75 percent of the population yet here on this blog we read about how much you're suffering.
According to the 2010 Census, the population of the United States is 308,745,538. Including active duty, national guard and reserves, the population of Americans in uniform is 2,317,761, meaning that less than1 percent, .75 percent to be exact, of the country's population is a member of the military.
U.S. Veterans: By the Numbers
By LUIS MARTINEZ (@LMartinezABC) and AMY BINGHAM (@Amy_Bingham)
Nov. 11, 2011
ABC News
Former U.S. Administrator to Iraq Paul Bremer
America has been at war with Iraq and Afghanistan for more than a decade, and during that time, more than 2 million Americans have been deployed overseas.
Today, on 11-11-11, as the country celebrates Veteran's Day, the millions Americans who have not worn the country's uniform will take a moment to honor and remember those who have.
read more here
I want to wish, hope and pray you have everyday as a Happy Veterans' Day but that won't be possible until we can look all of you in the eyes and say, we have done everything possible for all of you. When we can say there are no more suicides. There are no more homeless veterans. There are no more living in poverty. No more doing without their medical needs being met. No more wondering how to find jobs after military life or how to manage to get into and pay for college. After all, you get just one day to "honor" you but you are a veteran everyday of your life. Above all of that, when a blog like mine doesn't have to be here at all, then I'll know you are happy.
ONC Celebrates Veterans Day
ONC Celebrates Veterans Day and VA’s Commitment to Health IT Through Blue Button
November 10, 2011, 1:44 pm
Parmeeth M.S. Atwal
ONC Office of Communications
This Veterans Day, we honor our country’s military veterans and celebrate the one year anniversary of the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) “Blue Button,” an online tool that allows veterans to access, download, and manage their electronically-stored health data.
The Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology (ONC) is committed to helping providers implement electronic health records (EHRs) to improve care, as well as helping consumers take an active role in their health through health IT.
We’d like to recognize the VA’s commitment to helping veterans become engaged in their care by enabling them to access their VA medical records through its Blue Button initiative.
About the Blue Button
The VA’s Blue Button, which is hosted on MyHealtheVet, a secure Web portal, enables veterans to easily download and share their electronic VA medical records with physicians or family members. Veterans can also download medical appointment schedules, laboratory results and prescription history, as well as actively participate and manage their health and health care by updating their records online.
“We wanted to give Veterans and their families easy access to their health data with the Blue Button so they can have greater control over the health care they receive,” said Secretary of Veterans Affairs Eric K. Shinseki in an October 25, 2011 press release.
read more here
November 10, 2011, 1:44 pm
Parmeeth M.S. Atwal
ONC Office of Communications
This Veterans Day, we honor our country’s military veterans and celebrate the one year anniversary of the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) “Blue Button,” an online tool that allows veterans to access, download, and manage their electronically-stored health data.
The Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology (ONC) is committed to helping providers implement electronic health records (EHRs) to improve care, as well as helping consumers take an active role in their health through health IT.
We’d like to recognize the VA’s commitment to helping veterans become engaged in their care by enabling them to access their VA medical records through its Blue Button initiative.
About the Blue Button
The VA’s Blue Button, which is hosted on MyHealtheVet, a secure Web portal, enables veterans to easily download and share their electronic VA medical records with physicians or family members. Veterans can also download medical appointment schedules, laboratory results and prescription history, as well as actively participate and manage their health and health care by updating their records online.
“We wanted to give Veterans and their families easy access to their health data with the Blue Button so they can have greater control over the health care they receive,” said Secretary of Veterans Affairs Eric K. Shinseki in an October 25, 2011 press release.
read more here
Veterans at Valencia College bond together in class just for them
Easing the Transition to College Life: Vets Bond Together in Speech Class
Thursday, November 10, 2011
By Linda Shrieves Beaty
After serving in a war zone, worrying about insurgents and roadside bombs, it’s sometimes hard to fit in at college, where many of your classmates are more concerned about the latest cell phones or what’s on Facebook.
But for a handful of veterans at Valencia College, there’s one place where they feel at home a speech class that is open only to veterans. It’s designed to help veterans overcome their fear of public speaking - and, at the same time, help ease the transition from the military to college life.
“It’s nice to be in a class with people who understand me,” says Ashley Powell, a former Marine whose job included handling the paperwork for Marines who were killed in action. Now married to a fellow Marine, she finds camaraderie in the speech class that she hasn’t found in others.
The class is the brainchild of Valencia speech professor John Creighton, a former veteran. Because speech is a required entry level course at Valencia, everyone has to take it — including returning vets. But Creighton noticed that when veterans stood up to speak about their experiences, the poignant or difficult experiences that they described often went right over the heads of most of their classmates.
“The idea for the class came from one student who had served two tours in Iraq,” Creighton said. “He started speaking about his experiences and I could see in his eyes that he was reliving it -- but I looked around the class and they didn’t get it.”
read more here
Speech Class for Veterans Only
Thursday, November 10, 2011
By Linda Shrieves Beaty
After serving in a war zone, worrying about insurgents and roadside bombs, it’s sometimes hard to fit in at college, where many of your classmates are more concerned about the latest cell phones or what’s on Facebook.
But for a handful of veterans at Valencia College, there’s one place where they feel at home a speech class that is open only to veterans. It’s designed to help veterans overcome their fear of public speaking - and, at the same time, help ease the transition from the military to college life.
“It’s nice to be in a class with people who understand me,” says Ashley Powell, a former Marine whose job included handling the paperwork for Marines who were killed in action. Now married to a fellow Marine, she finds camaraderie in the speech class that she hasn’t found in others.
The class is the brainchild of Valencia speech professor John Creighton, a former veteran. Because speech is a required entry level course at Valencia, everyone has to take it — including returning vets. But Creighton noticed that when veterans stood up to speak about their experiences, the poignant or difficult experiences that they described often went right over the heads of most of their classmates.
“The idea for the class came from one student who had served two tours in Iraq,” Creighton said. “He started speaking about his experiences and I could see in his eyes that he was reliving it -- but I looked around the class and they didn’t get it.”
read more here
Speech Class for Veterans Only
Veteran committed suicide at Occupy Burlington Vermont
Protesters: Veteran shoots self at Vt. encampment
By Dave Gram
Associated Press
November 11, 2011
Burlington police said the name of the Chittenden County resident is being withheld because his family has not been fully notified.
The man shot himself inside a tent in City Hall Park on Thursday afternoon. Mike Noble, a spokesman for the Fletcher Allen Health Care hospital in Burlington, confirmed that the man had died. Noble said he could provide no other details.
read more here
Paramedics rush a shooting victim from the Occupy Burlington, Vt., encampment at City Hall Park to an ambulance Thursday, Nov. 10, 2011. The public was not believed to be at risk after the afternoon shooting at City Hall Park in Burlington, but the circumstances are still being investigated, said Burlington Police Deputy Chief Andi Higbee. (AP Photo/Burlington Free Press, Ryan Mercer)
By Dave Gram
Associated Press
November 11, 2011
"This person has clearly needed more help than we were capable of giving him here at this park," said Emily Reynolds, a University of Vermont student and a leader in the local Occupy movement.BURLINGTON, Vt.—Police said preliminary investigations show a 35-year-old military veteran fatally shot himself in the head Thursday at an Occupy Wall Street encampment in Vermont's largest city.
If government provided better mental health services, she said, "this probably wouldn't have happened."
Burlington police said the name of the Chittenden County resident is being withheld because his family has not been fully notified.
The man shot himself inside a tent in City Hall Park on Thursday afternoon. Mike Noble, a spokesman for the Fletcher Allen Health Care hospital in Burlington, confirmed that the man had died. Noble said he could provide no other details.
read more here
Thursday, November 10, 2011
Vietnam vet wants to open a coffeehouse haven for veterans
Grass Roots: Vietnam vet wants to open a coffeehouse haven for veterans
PAT SCHNEIDER
The Capital Times
When Bob Curry wants to make the point about how critical it is for combat veterans with post traumatic stress disorder to get treatment, he just needs to tell his own story.
Curry, a Vietnam War veteran, crossed the center line of a Dodge County highway one night in 2002 and struck and killed a motorcyclist. He was drunk at the time. A jury the next year found him not guilty of homicide because of PTSD.
Today, Curry is on a mission to make sure veterans who need help get it.
"I can't redo yesterday. I can only take my story and say, look, this is serious, you've got to get treatment before things get out of control," says Curry, who was committed for mental health treatment after his trial.
To help other veterans realize that they might need help and get into treatment, Curry founded Dryhootch, a coffeehouse in Milwaukee where veterans can talk with others who understand how the stress of combat haunts their lives back home.
read more here
PAT SCHNEIDER
The Capital Times
When Bob Curry wants to make the point about how critical it is for combat veterans with post traumatic stress disorder to get treatment, he just needs to tell his own story.
Curry, a Vietnam War veteran, crossed the center line of a Dodge County highway one night in 2002 and struck and killed a motorcyclist. He was drunk at the time. A jury the next year found him not guilty of homicide because of PTSD.
Today, Curry is on a mission to make sure veterans who need help get it.
"I can't redo yesterday. I can only take my story and say, look, this is serious, you've got to get treatment before things get out of control," says Curry, who was committed for mental health treatment after his trial.
To help other veterans realize that they might need help and get into treatment, Curry founded Dryhootch, a coffeehouse in Milwaukee where veterans can talk with others who understand how the stress of combat haunts their lives back home.
read more here
A day in the life of a veterans' advocate
A day in the life of a veterans' advocate: Helping those who served
Posted: Wednesday, November 9, 2011
By Gail T. Boatman Special to the BCT
WESTAMPTON — Walter Tafe is a man with a message to deliver.
He believes that if more people knew what he knows, the world would be a better place.
"I want to get the word out that many veterans and widows of veterans don't know about the benefits they may be entitled to,'' the Eastampton resident said.
A veteran himself, with 30 years of Air Force service behind him, Tafe is director of the Burlington County Department of Military and Veterans Services.
His office is in the county's Human Services Facility, a large brick building at Route 541 and Woodlane Road. A steady stream of veterans and their families files into his book- and photograph-filled space looking for help.
Many are frustrated, bringing with them heartbreaking stories. Others leave with a new sense of financial well-being. These are the success stories, and Tafe celebrates them.
read more here
Posted: Wednesday, November 9, 2011
By Gail T. Boatman Special to the BCT
WESTAMPTON — Walter Tafe is a man with a message to deliver.
He believes that if more people knew what he knows, the world would be a better place.
"I want to get the word out that many veterans and widows of veterans don't know about the benefits they may be entitled to,'' the Eastampton resident said.
A veteran himself, with 30 years of Air Force service behind him, Tafe is director of the Burlington County Department of Military and Veterans Services.
His office is in the county's Human Services Facility, a large brick building at Route 541 and Woodlane Road. A steady stream of veterans and their families files into his book- and photograph-filled space looking for help.
Many are frustrated, bringing with them heartbreaking stories. Others leave with a new sense of financial well-being. These are the success stories, and Tafe celebrates them.
read more here
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