Expert: Post-traumatic stress misunderstood
By Doug Harlow dharlow@mainetoday.com
Staff Writer
FARMINGTON -- A former chief judge and chairman of the U.S. Board of Veterans Appeals said Monday that after decades of war, Americans still do not understand post-traumatic stress disorder.
Charles Cragin, of Raymond, who in 2009 was appointed chairman of a study commission on Gulf War I veterans, commented Monday following the shooting death Saturday morning of former U.S. Army Ranger Justin Crowley-Smilek.
"No one outside of the military and Department of Veterans Affairs is trained to deal with these sorts of issues because America has just become so disconnected from its military," Cragin said. "There are stories behind these young men and women who are coming home."
Crowley-Smilek, 28, who served in Afghanistan, was shot by Farmington police Officer Ryan Rosie outside the Farmington municipal building on U.S Route 2. Crowley-Smilek had called the police dispatch center from a telephone in front of the building. When Rosie came outside, Crowley-Smilek came at him in a threatening manner with a knife and was shot, police said.
Crowley-Smilek's father, Michael Smilek, said his son had come home from the war with severe combat stress. He suffered from bouts of substance use and had frequent problems with police as a result of post-traumatic stress disorder, his father said.
Autopsy results released Monday by the Office State Medical Examiner's show Crowley-Smilek died Saturday from multiple gun shot wounds. Brenda Kielty, spokeswoman for the Office of Attorney General, which is investigating the shooting, said the investigation into the shooting has not been completed.
read more here
Tuesday, November 22, 2011
Proposal to help dying vets slow to pass
Proposal to help dying vets slow to pass
by SUSANNAH FRAME / KING 5 News
Posted on November 21, 2011
LAKE STEVENS, Wash. -- Last year at this time Rich Knapton of Lake Stevens was jogging six miles, four times a week. But his running days are over. Now he struggles to make it a few feet down his hallway with the aid of a walker.
"All the things that I love to do I can no longer do. It was just taken from me. All the plans I had were taken from me. (It’s a) tremendous loss; just tremendous loss," said Rich.
In September Rich was diagnosed with Lou Gehrig’s disease, which is also known as amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). It’s a progressive, untreatable, and fatal disease that destroys the nerve cells that control muscle function. Eventually a patient can't walk, talk or breathe, while the mind stays sharp.
The news was devastating.
"I cried. I cried a lot. Eventually you can't cry. You run out (of tears) and I realized this is how I'm going to die," said Rich. “And it won't affect my mind. I'll be trapped in a body that won't work, but a mind that is still working."
read more here
by SUSANNAH FRAME / KING 5 News
Posted on November 21, 2011
LAKE STEVENS, Wash. -- Last year at this time Rich Knapton of Lake Stevens was jogging six miles, four times a week. But his running days are over. Now he struggles to make it a few feet down his hallway with the aid of a walker.
"All the things that I love to do I can no longer do. It was just taken from me. All the plans I had were taken from me. (It’s a) tremendous loss; just tremendous loss," said Rich.
In September Rich was diagnosed with Lou Gehrig’s disease, which is also known as amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). It’s a progressive, untreatable, and fatal disease that destroys the nerve cells that control muscle function. Eventually a patient can't walk, talk or breathe, while the mind stays sharp.
The news was devastating.
"I cried. I cried a lot. Eventually you can't cry. You run out (of tears) and I realized this is how I'm going to die," said Rich. “And it won't affect my mind. I'll be trapped in a body that won't work, but a mind that is still working."
read more here
When The Cure Is Worse Than The Disease
When The Cure Is Worse Than The Disease
November 22, 2011: After four decades of use, the U.S. Army is banning the use of mefloquine (an anti-malaria drug) because of side effects. Malaria is a debilitating (and sometimes fatal) disease found in most tropical areas. The medication to prevent it has always been unpleasant, either in terms of taste (no longer a problem) and side effects. These uncomfortable side effects are the big problem now. Sometimes it's a huge problem. Two years ago, PTSD (post-traumatic stress disorder) was found to interact in a fatal way with mefloquine. PTSD sufferers taking mefloquine resulted in more anxiety and suicidal behavior.
Once this interaction was discovered, troops with PTSD could no longer use the mefloquine. This impacted a lot of troops, and prevented them from being sent to some areas (like the Persian Gulf and Afghanistan) where malaria is a risk. The number of troops affected was considerable. In some parts of the world, less effective drugs, like doxycycline, could be substituted. But for doxycycline to work troops had to take the pill daily, without fail. The troops don’t always do that, partly because of the side effects (digestion problems and additional skin sensitivity) and the press of battlefield business.
read more here
November 22, 2011: After four decades of use, the U.S. Army is banning the use of mefloquine (an anti-malaria drug) because of side effects. Malaria is a debilitating (and sometimes fatal) disease found in most tropical areas. The medication to prevent it has always been unpleasant, either in terms of taste (no longer a problem) and side effects. These uncomfortable side effects are the big problem now. Sometimes it's a huge problem. Two years ago, PTSD (post-traumatic stress disorder) was found to interact in a fatal way with mefloquine. PTSD sufferers taking mefloquine resulted in more anxiety and suicidal behavior.
Once this interaction was discovered, troops with PTSD could no longer use the mefloquine. This impacted a lot of troops, and prevented them from being sent to some areas (like the Persian Gulf and Afghanistan) where malaria is a risk. The number of troops affected was considerable. In some parts of the world, less effective drugs, like doxycycline, could be substituted. But for doxycycline to work troops had to take the pill daily, without fail. The troops don’t always do that, partly because of the side effects (digestion problems and additional skin sensitivity) and the press of battlefield business.
read more here
Local soldier fighting PTSD
Local soldier fighting PTSD
Adrienne Ruiz: 'You hit bottom, but there is hope'
Author: Shari St. Clair
Published On: Nov 21 2011
SAN ANTONIO -
Adrienne Ruiz's soft voice belies a woman tortured with persistent images of her battlefield experience in Afghanistan.
"We entered what we called a choke point, two hills, we entered it, we received massive rocket propelled grenade and direct fire with armor piercing," said Ruiz.
It was an attack that changed her life that July day in 2008, and an attack that is still fresh in her mind today. "I had a massive brain hemorrhage, yes, and along with that, cervical two, three, five and six blew," Ruiz said.
Ruiz's physical wounds are mostly fixed. But it's the emotional battles she fights every day. "It's horrific, and you remember it, you remember everything you did," Ruiz said. "And, to take human lives? You live with that, but it's how you choose to live."
read more here
Adrienne Ruiz: 'You hit bottom, but there is hope'
Author: Shari St. Clair
Published On: Nov 21 2011
SAN ANTONIO -
Adrienne Ruiz's soft voice belies a woman tortured with persistent images of her battlefield experience in Afghanistan.
"We entered what we called a choke point, two hills, we entered it, we received massive rocket propelled grenade and direct fire with armor piercing," said Ruiz.
It was an attack that changed her life that July day in 2008, and an attack that is still fresh in her mind today. "I had a massive brain hemorrhage, yes, and along with that, cervical two, three, five and six blew," Ruiz said.
Ruiz's physical wounds are mostly fixed. But it's the emotional battles she fights every day. "It's horrific, and you remember it, you remember everything you did," Ruiz said. "And, to take human lives? You live with that, but it's how you choose to live."
read more here
Tiger in Good View
Tiger in Good View
by
Chaplain Kathie
There is a tiger walking around Central Florida's Lake Buena Vista but if you drive down on I-4, you don't know he's there. Thousands of people see him everyday because they go to where he lives. Everyone else on I-4 is too focused on their own lives to even think about the tiger or his friends walking around, so they just don't have a good view of him.
People are like that. They see what they want to see and think about what is important to them during their days. There are few reminders of others living nearby them. Few see them because few go where they live. As with the tiger, while some have no clue what lives nearby but out of their view, they are still there.
Last night, as with every Monday night, Point Man Ministries had a conference call and the question about publicizing issues with veterans came up. It's something that has been a problem for a long time. If we publicize it some will think what they thought when Vietnam Veterans came home and they were drugged up hot heads ready to explode. That wasn't the case but considering all people knew about Vietnam veterans was what they read in the paper or saw in a news report, that was all they were shown. These veterans only made the news when they were arrested, otherwise, they were overlooked.
Families kept their secrets. No one wanted to talk about how they came back home anymore than other families wanted to talk about Korean War veterans came home changed. For that matter, any other generation. They knew what was going on, even if they didn't know exactly why, because they had a good view of all of it. They saw the thrashing of the sheets when they dreamed. They saw the shaking hands when memories overtook the veterans' minds. They saw the tears flow and the stunned expression on their face when they snapped back to the "here and now" away from the horrors the veterans saw. Families lived the best way possible with them accepting what was or leaving them for what could be.
A day came when someone decided they would stop being silent about what war did to veterans after their public battles were over and they were no longer paid to risk their lives but began to pay for all of it with the rest of their lives. Vietnam veterans somehow found enough support to give them the courage to talk about life after war. They forced the government to address what came home with them and all we see available today for this generation of veterans came because they opened the eyes of the public showing them what life was like for them.
Soon the public discovered that while they had read reports of a tiny portion of veterans being arrested for clashes with the law, most were suffering in silence while doing the best they could to live as normal as possible.
"Only the dead have seen the end of war" has been quoted over the years, attributed to Plato but that is up for debate. What is not debatable is the truth within those words. A combat veteran is a veteran for the rest of their lives because they have seen what war does with their own eyes. Their innocent view of mankind forever changed by what they saw, they walk away with the most horrific images overpowering the most loving. Loving in war? Yes, absolutely. There are many pictures of soldiers risking their lives to carry a wounded friend out of danger so he may live. There are pictures of great compassionated acts. All reminders that even in the midst of the worst man can do, loved lived there as well.
A nurse during the Gulf War was haunted by the voices of the dying after a several mortars struck. She had gone to get a jacket for another nurse before they left to pick up supplies. For whatever reason, on her way out, she grabbed her medical bag. The mortars started to hit as soon as she was out the door. She heard their dying screams as she tended to the living. Saving the lives of the men she could, concentrating on them, the screams had dug into her soul. She said that she is still in contact with some of the men saved that day. I told her that they are alive because she was there. She wanted to save all of them. When you look at her, she is smiling and involved in a lot of veterans events. No one knows what she is carrying inside of her except those she feels comfortable enough to share with. Her family has a clearer view of what being there to save lives did to her.
This blog is here so that you can have a good view of what is real on a daily basis. There are some wonderful stories along with terrible ones. There are stories of veterans doing so much to still help others mixed with a report of a veteran hurting others. These stories are tracked across the country because while they serve this one nation, they return home to big cities and tiny towns blending into population but as with the tiger, the only people seeing them are actually going to where they live. Breaking the silence, showing what is real to them takes the power away from fear of the unknown. Once people understand that few of the over two million veterans of Iraq and Afghanistan have been involved in crimes but many have returned suffering, they will no longer fear them and begin to see them.
History has shown us that this is possible because Vietnam veterans are held in high regard because they had the courage to show themselves as they are. I have a good view of them and I can tell you from what I see on a daily basis, there is not another group of people I would rather be with.
With Point Man Ministries we talk about the news reports and lament over the lives lost after combat when they are supposed to be safe. On a daily basis we're reminded of the lives saved and wonder what it will take to be able to save all of them. How is this one put in touch with help but others are hidden from the help they need? It is only because no one showed them the way. No one showed them stories about this life saved or that one healing to the point where they want to make sure others get to where they are, lovingly forgiven and able to forgive themselves for whatever they feel the need for.
The nurse felt guilty because she couldn't save all the men there that day and wanted forgiveness but she had to be the one to forgive herself and see the lives she did save. Men and women like her come home everyday after war with regrets few others will ever understand. They feel alone because no one has given them a better view of others just like them. They lose hope because no one shows them others who felt the same way but ended up on the other side of the darkness in their soul. No one showed them that the other side is more love moving in and more pain moving out. That the tiger was only something to fear when it was free to attack.
Showing them they are loved takes that power away. Being there for them everyday instead of just a couple of times a year, proves they are worth the time of someone else. That we are there when they need us instead of just when we can show up easily.
by
Chaplain Kathie
People are like that. They see what they want to see and think about what is important to them during their days. There are few reminders of others living nearby them. Few see them because few go where they live. As with the tiger, while some have no clue what lives nearby but out of their view, they are still there.
Last night, as with every Monday night, Point Man Ministries had a conference call and the question about publicizing issues with veterans came up. It's something that has been a problem for a long time. If we publicize it some will think what they thought when Vietnam Veterans came home and they were drugged up hot heads ready to explode. That wasn't the case but considering all people knew about Vietnam veterans was what they read in the paper or saw in a news report, that was all they were shown. These veterans only made the news when they were arrested, otherwise, they were overlooked.
Families kept their secrets. No one wanted to talk about how they came back home anymore than other families wanted to talk about Korean War veterans came home changed. For that matter, any other generation. They knew what was going on, even if they didn't know exactly why, because they had a good view of all of it. They saw the thrashing of the sheets when they dreamed. They saw the shaking hands when memories overtook the veterans' minds. They saw the tears flow and the stunned expression on their face when they snapped back to the "here and now" away from the horrors the veterans saw. Families lived the best way possible with them accepting what was or leaving them for what could be.
A day came when someone decided they would stop being silent about what war did to veterans after their public battles were over and they were no longer paid to risk their lives but began to pay for all of it with the rest of their lives. Vietnam veterans somehow found enough support to give them the courage to talk about life after war. They forced the government to address what came home with them and all we see available today for this generation of veterans came because they opened the eyes of the public showing them what life was like for them.
Soon the public discovered that while they had read reports of a tiny portion of veterans being arrested for clashes with the law, most were suffering in silence while doing the best they could to live as normal as possible.
This blog is here so that you can have a good view of what is real on a daily basis. There are some wonderful stories along with terrible ones. There are stories of veterans doing so much to still help others mixed with a report of a veteran hurting others. These stories are tracked across the country because while they serve this one nation, they return home to big cities and tiny towns blending into population but as with the tiger, the only people seeing them are actually going to where they live. Breaking the silence, showing what is real to them takes the power away from fear of the unknown. Once people understand that few of the over two million veterans of Iraq and Afghanistan have been involved in crimes but many have returned suffering, they will no longer fear them and begin to see them.
History has shown us that this is possible because Vietnam veterans are held in high regard because they had the courage to show themselves as they are. I have a good view of them and I can tell you from what I see on a daily basis, there is not another group of people I would rather be with.
With Point Man Ministries we talk about the news reports and lament over the lives lost after combat when they are supposed to be safe. On a daily basis we're reminded of the lives saved and wonder what it will take to be able to save all of them. How is this one put in touch with help but others are hidden from the help they need? It is only because no one showed them the way. No one showed them stories about this life saved or that one healing to the point where they want to make sure others get to where they are, lovingly forgiven and able to forgive themselves for whatever they feel the need for.
The nurse felt guilty because she couldn't save all the men there that day and wanted forgiveness but she had to be the one to forgive herself and see the lives she did save. Men and women like her come home everyday after war with regrets few others will ever understand. They feel alone because no one has given them a better view of others just like them. They lose hope because no one shows them others who felt the same way but ended up on the other side of the darkness in their soul. No one showed them that the other side is more love moving in and more pain moving out. That the tiger was only something to fear when it was free to attack.
Showing them they are loved takes that power away. Being there for them everyday instead of just a couple of times a year, proves they are worth the time of someone else. That we are there when they need us instead of just when we can show up easily.
Monday, November 21, 2011
Armed airman still barricaded at Schriever AFB
UPDATE
Airman Ends Stand-off at Colorado Air Base
November 22, 2011
Associated Press
SCHRIEVER AIR FORCE BASE, Colo. -- An Airman at a Colorado Air Force base that controls GPS satellites surrendered to authorities Monday night after barricading himself in a building with a gun, officials said.
The man was detained by law-enforcement officials after surrendering around 8 p.m., Air Force officials said. No injuries were reported.
The Airman was in a building where personnel prepare for deployments, and it was evacuated after the standoff began, said Schriever Air Force Base spokeswoman Jennifer Thibault. A negotiator and a SWAT team from the El Paso County Sheriff's Department responded at the Air Force's request, said Air Force Lt. Marie Denson.
Control rooms for GPS and other military satellites are in a separate, heavily protected inner compound surrounded by fences and staffed with armed guards.
read more here
Airman Ends Stand-off at Colorado Air Base
November 22, 2011
Associated Press
SCHRIEVER AIR FORCE BASE, Colo. -- An Airman at a Colorado Air Force base that controls GPS satellites surrendered to authorities Monday night after barricading himself in a building with a gun, officials said.
The man was detained by law-enforcement officials after surrendering around 8 p.m., Air Force officials said. No injuries were reported.
The Airman was in a building where personnel prepare for deployments, and it was evacuated after the standoff began, said Schriever Air Force Base spokeswoman Jennifer Thibault. A negotiator and a SWAT team from the El Paso County Sheriff's Department responded at the Air Force's request, said Air Force Lt. Marie Denson.
Control rooms for GPS and other military satellites are in a separate, heavily protected inner compound surrounded by fences and staffed with armed guards.
read more here
Armed airman still barricaded at Schriever AFB
Web Staff
5:00 p.m. MST, November 21, 2011
SCHRIEVER AIR FORCE BASE, Colo. -- An armed Air Force airman reportedly facing reprimand barricaded himself inside a building on Schriever AFB Monday east of Colorado Springs Monday.
Officials say the man, whose name was not released, is a member of the 50th Security Forces Squadron.
He barricaded himself in a deployment processing building at about 10 a.m. and remained holed-up as of 5 p.m.
read more here
Parade to honor Marine called off because of missed flight
Parade to honor local Marine called off
By Jo Ann Hustis
Created: Sunday, November 20, 2011
Returning Marine Corps hero Ryan Davis was not honored with a parade Saturday in downtown Morris after all.
The parade to welcome him back home was scrubbed after Davis missed his flight to the Midwest from Camp Pendleton in California earlier Saturday.
read more here
By Jo Ann Hustis
Created: Sunday, November 20, 2011
Returning Marine Corps hero Ryan Davis was not honored with a parade Saturday in downtown Morris after all.
The parade to welcome him back home was scrubbed after Davis missed his flight to the Midwest from Camp Pendleton in California earlier Saturday.
read more here
President Obama signs Veterans' Jobs Bill
Neglecting Veterans Is a Disservice to Our Economy
Posted by Justin Constantine on November 21, 2011 at 12:00 PM EST
We have all heard about the compelling attributes my fellow service members bring to the table when they look for jobs as they transition out of the military – leadership experience, goal-oriented, can-do attitude, great work ethic, etc. Yet we have also heard about the disturbing unemployment statistics for today’s youngest veterans – those in the 24-36 age group. How can this be true, and what is this Administration doing about it?
Unfortunately, our youngest veterans are entering the private workforce at a very challenging time. Many of them are likely to be employed in industries such as construction, manufacturing and transportation, which have all struggled in the last few years. Further, many of these vets come from and return to rural parts of the country, and do not have the benefit of a college degree. Another critical issue is that there currently does not exist a truly effective and cohesive transition assistance program for them. And on top of all that, a staggering number of our returning service members suffer from behavioral health issues, including Post Traumatic Stress, but these issues are not being adequately addressed. The unemployment of today’s young vets is very complicated and cannot be considered in a vacuum.
I was honored to stand behind President Obama today as he signed into law his job bill for military veterans. In a nutshell, this law encourages private industry to hire unemployed veterans and wounded warriors through several generous tax credits. On its own, the law is not an overall panacea to our veterans’ unemployment problems; when considered together with other related initiatives announced by President Obama however, the public-private partnership it fosters will certainly be a big help. And this is critical, because as we end the war in Iraq and wind down the war in Afghanistan, over one million service members are projected to leave the military between 2011 and 2016.
Some of these far-reaching initiatives include: a challenge to the private sector to hire or train 100,000 unemployed veterans or their spouses by the end of 2013; “Gold Cards” issued to service members in transition to help jump-start their job search process; the Veterans Job Bank connecting unemployed vets to job openings with companies that want to hire them; My Next Move for Veterans; and an interagency task force is now developing reforms to ensure that every service member receives the training, education and credentials they need for a successful transition.
read more here
Posted by Justin Constantine on November 21, 2011 at 12:00 PM EST
We have all heard about the compelling attributes my fellow service members bring to the table when they look for jobs as they transition out of the military – leadership experience, goal-oriented, can-do attitude, great work ethic, etc. Yet we have also heard about the disturbing unemployment statistics for today’s youngest veterans – those in the 24-36 age group. How can this be true, and what is this Administration doing about it?
Unfortunately, our youngest veterans are entering the private workforce at a very challenging time. Many of them are likely to be employed in industries such as construction, manufacturing and transportation, which have all struggled in the last few years. Further, many of these vets come from and return to rural parts of the country, and do not have the benefit of a college degree. Another critical issue is that there currently does not exist a truly effective and cohesive transition assistance program for them. And on top of all that, a staggering number of our returning service members suffer from behavioral health issues, including Post Traumatic Stress, but these issues are not being adequately addressed. The unemployment of today’s young vets is very complicated and cannot be considered in a vacuum.
I was honored to stand behind President Obama today as he signed into law his job bill for military veterans. In a nutshell, this law encourages private industry to hire unemployed veterans and wounded warriors through several generous tax credits. On its own, the law is not an overall panacea to our veterans’ unemployment problems; when considered together with other related initiatives announced by President Obama however, the public-private partnership it fosters will certainly be a big help. And this is critical, because as we end the war in Iraq and wind down the war in Afghanistan, over one million service members are projected to leave the military between 2011 and 2016.
Some of these far-reaching initiatives include: a challenge to the private sector to hire or train 100,000 unemployed veterans or their spouses by the end of 2013; “Gold Cards” issued to service members in transition to help jump-start their job search process; the Veterans Job Bank connecting unemployed vets to job openings with companies that want to hire them; My Next Move for Veterans; and an interagency task force is now developing reforms to ensure that every service member receives the training, education and credentials they need for a successful transition.
read more here
Troops Celebrate Thanksgiving in Iraq
Troops Celebrate Thanksgiving in Iraq
Published on Nov 20, 2011 by AssociatedPress
US soldiers at Camp Victory in Iraq celebrated the American holiday of Thanksgiving on Sunday. The traditional Thanksgiving lunch was served four days early because the camp was being closed in preparation for the troops' departure. (November 20)
Published on Nov 20, 2011 by AssociatedPress
US soldiers at Camp Victory in Iraq celebrated the American holiday of Thanksgiving on Sunday. The traditional Thanksgiving lunch was served four days early because the camp was being closed in preparation for the troops' departure. (November 20)
Berea Murder Suspect Disarmed Bombs In Iraq, Afghanistan
Uncle: Berea Murder Suspect Disarmed Bombs In Iraq, Afghanistan
Posted: Nov 21, 2011
The coroner remained on the scene late Monday morning of a double shooting in Berea that left one man dead and the suspect on the run.
Police say Matthew Denholm, 27, shot and killed one person and injured another in an apartment above a law office along Chestnut Street just after 7 a.m.
Police have not identified the victims, saying only they were both males. The injured man was taken to UK Hospital. No word on the extent of his injuries.
Police say Denholm may be driving a black 2005 four-door Pontiac Grand Prix GT with Kentucky license plate 182-OAN. He's described as white male, approximately 6-foot-1, 200 pounds with closely cropped dark hair. He may have another person with him, a white male.
According to his uncle, Denholm joined the U.S. Army after graduating high school, and did some of the most dangerous work a person can do overseas, as he was responsible for disarming road-side bombs and explosives to clear the way for U.S. troops to get around.
read more here
Posted: Nov 21, 2011
The coroner remained on the scene late Monday morning of a double shooting in Berea that left one man dead and the suspect on the run.
Police say Matthew Denholm, 27, shot and killed one person and injured another in an apartment above a law office along Chestnut Street just after 7 a.m.
Police have not identified the victims, saying only they were both males. The injured man was taken to UK Hospital. No word on the extent of his injuries.
Police say Denholm may be driving a black 2005 four-door Pontiac Grand Prix GT with Kentucky license plate 182-OAN. He's described as white male, approximately 6-foot-1, 200 pounds with closely cropped dark hair. He may have another person with him, a white male.
According to his uncle, Denholm joined the U.S. Army after graduating high school, and did some of the most dangerous work a person can do overseas, as he was responsible for disarming road-side bombs and explosives to clear the way for U.S. troops to get around.
read more here
Chicago Veterans memorial no place for peace
Veterans memorial no place for peace
By LISA BLACK
Chicago Tribune
Published: November 21, 2011
CHICAGO - Shortly after 19-year-old Geoffrey Morris died in 2004 as a Marine fighting in Iraq, his father considered turning the family's sprawling backyard in Gurnee into a memorial wildlife sanctuary.
It would be only fitting, Kirk Morris thought, since his son had spent so much time there playing paintball with friends, several of whom joined the military in the wake of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks.
The father's idea soon grew into something much larger after village officials offered the use of public land for a veterans memorial and then celebrated the groundbreaking with an appearance by then-Lt. Gov. Pat Quinn in spring 2005.
But today, work on the Heroes of Freedom Memorial has stalled and is the subject of a lawsuit that some blame on a political dispute between Mayor Kristina Kovarik and Kirk Morris, now a trustee on the village board.
After private donors contributed an estimated $270,000 in materials and services toward the memorial, Kovarik stopped the project, saying the foundation's plan was not in the village's "best interests." The village turned off the lights and removed flags from nine flagpoles at the site, 4580 Old Grand Ave. That was two years ago.
read more here
By LISA BLACK
Chicago Tribune
Published: November 21, 2011
CHICAGO - Shortly after 19-year-old Geoffrey Morris died in 2004 as a Marine fighting in Iraq, his father considered turning the family's sprawling backyard in Gurnee into a memorial wildlife sanctuary.
It would be only fitting, Kirk Morris thought, since his son had spent so much time there playing paintball with friends, several of whom joined the military in the wake of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks.
The father's idea soon grew into something much larger after village officials offered the use of public land for a veterans memorial and then celebrated the groundbreaking with an appearance by then-Lt. Gov. Pat Quinn in spring 2005.
But today, work on the Heroes of Freedom Memorial has stalled and is the subject of a lawsuit that some blame on a political dispute between Mayor Kristina Kovarik and Kirk Morris, now a trustee on the village board.
After private donors contributed an estimated $270,000 in materials and services toward the memorial, Kovarik stopped the project, saying the foundation's plan was not in the village's "best interests." The village turned off the lights and removed flags from nine flagpoles at the site, 4580 Old Grand Ave. That was two years ago.
read more here
Troops among targets of N.Y. bomb-plot suspect
Troops among targets of N.Y. bomb-plot suspect
By Tom McElroy - The Associated Press
Posted : Monday Nov 21, 2011 8:33:59 EST
NEW YORK — An "al-Qaida sympathizer" accused of plotting to bomb police and post offices in New York City as well as U.S. troops returning home has been arrested on numerous terrorism-related charges.
Mayor Michael Bloomberg announced at a news conference Sunday the arrest of Jose Pimentel of Manhattan, "a 27-year-old al-Qaida sympathizer" who the mayor said was motivated by terrorist propaganda and resentment of U.S. troops in Afghanistan and Iraq.
Police Commissioner Raymond Kelly said police had to move quickly to arrest Pimentel on Saturday because he was ready to carry out his plan.
"We had to act quickly yesterday because he was in fact putting this bomb together. He was drilling holes and it would have been not appropriate for us to let him walk out the door with that bomb," Kelly said.
read more here
By Tom McElroy - The Associated Press
Posted : Monday Nov 21, 2011 8:33:59 EST
NEW YORK — An "al-Qaida sympathizer" accused of plotting to bomb police and post offices in New York City as well as U.S. troops returning home has been arrested on numerous terrorism-related charges.
Mayor Michael Bloomberg announced at a news conference Sunday the arrest of Jose Pimentel of Manhattan, "a 27-year-old al-Qaida sympathizer" who the mayor said was motivated by terrorist propaganda and resentment of U.S. troops in Afghanistan and Iraq.
Police Commissioner Raymond Kelly said police had to move quickly to arrest Pimentel on Saturday because he was ready to carry out his plan.
"We had to act quickly yesterday because he was in fact putting this bomb together. He was drilling holes and it would have been not appropriate for us to let him walk out the door with that bomb," Kelly said.
read more here
Day before he was shot, troubled veteran ordered to seek help
Day before he was shot, troubled veteran ordered to seek help
By Andie Hannon, Staff Writer
Published on Monday, Nov 21, 2011
FARMINGTON — For those who knew him best and loved him most balancing their memories of the 18-year-old Justin Crowley-Smilek who went off to fight for his country with the 28-year-old knife-wielding man who was shot and killed Saturday by a Farmington police officer is a struggle.
Watching his beloved son spiral into delusions and mental illness likely triggered by post-traumatic stress disorder and severe combat stress was heartbreaking, his father, Michael Smilek, said.
But even more troubling as a parent was the fact that by law there was nothing he could do to force his son to seek help following his return from Afghanistan six years ago.
"He was very, very troubled when he came back from overseas," Smilek said. "My wife and I spent the better part of a year trying to get him the services he needed."
Crowley-Smilek was shot to death Saturday morning by Farmington police officer Ryan Rosie after he pulled a knife and menaced Rosie, officials said.
Unfortunately, reaching out for psychological help was the one and only choice the honorably discharged Army Ranger needed to make on his own. Smilek and others who work closely with local veterans all agree — unless an individual is a threat to themselves or someone else — forcing them to seek psychiatric help is near impossible.
Charlie Bennett, district adjutant for the American Legion, said the help is there for any veteran who wants it, but "wanting helping" is key. As a Vietnam War veteran who suffered from PTSD, Bennett said it took him several years to finally seek help from the Veterans Administration Clinic at Togus.
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Afghanistan Vet Army Ranger with PTSD killed by police
Parents of dead veteran talk of scars
By Doug Harlow dharlow@mainetoday.com
Staff Writer
Michael Smilek said his son, Justin Crowley-Smilek, 28, had been to court on criminal charges the day before the shooting and a judge ordered that he undergo a full psychological evaluation. He said his son suffered from bouts of alcohol and drug use and had frequent problems with police as a result of post-traumatic stress disorder.
"On Thursday he started to become very delusional; he became manic," Michael Smilek, 55, said Sunday. "Justin was 100 percent post-traumatic stress and was diagnosed as being bipolar because of what he saw in Afghanistan. I was with him in court on Friday."
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By Andie Hannon, Staff Writer
Published on Monday, Nov 21, 2011
FARMINGTON — For those who knew him best and loved him most balancing their memories of the 18-year-old Justin Crowley-Smilek who went off to fight for his country with the 28-year-old knife-wielding man who was shot and killed Saturday by a Farmington police officer is a struggle.
Watching his beloved son spiral into delusions and mental illness likely triggered by post-traumatic stress disorder and severe combat stress was heartbreaking, his father, Michael Smilek, said.
But even more troubling as a parent was the fact that by law there was nothing he could do to force his son to seek help following his return from Afghanistan six years ago.
"He was very, very troubled when he came back from overseas," Smilek said. "My wife and I spent the better part of a year trying to get him the services he needed."
Crowley-Smilek was shot to death Saturday morning by Farmington police officer Ryan Rosie after he pulled a knife and menaced Rosie, officials said.
Unfortunately, reaching out for psychological help was the one and only choice the honorably discharged Army Ranger needed to make on his own. Smilek and others who work closely with local veterans all agree — unless an individual is a threat to themselves or someone else — forcing them to seek psychiatric help is near impossible.
Charlie Bennett, district adjutant for the American Legion, said the help is there for any veteran who wants it, but "wanting helping" is key. As a Vietnam War veteran who suffered from PTSD, Bennett said it took him several years to finally seek help from the Veterans Administration Clinic at Togus.
read more here
Afghanistan Vet Army Ranger with PTSD killed by police
Parents of dead veteran talk of scars
By Doug Harlow dharlow@mainetoday.com
Staff Writer
Lorna and Michael Smilek on Sunday hold a 2006 photograph of Michael’s son, Justin Crowley-Smilek, who was shot and killed Saturday after he confronted Farmington police. Michael Smilek said his son served as a U.S. Army Ranger in Afghanistan and had returned home with severe combat stress.FARMINGTON -- The father of a man shot and killed by a police officer Saturday morning said Sunday his son had been a U.S. Army Ranger who served in Afghanistan and had come home with severe combat stress.
Michael Smilek said his son, Justin Crowley-Smilek, 28, had been to court on criminal charges the day before the shooting and a judge ordered that he undergo a full psychological evaluation. He said his son suffered from bouts of alcohol and drug use and had frequent problems with police as a result of post-traumatic stress disorder.
"On Thursday he started to become very delusional; he became manic," Michael Smilek, 55, said Sunday. "Justin was 100 percent post-traumatic stress and was diagnosed as being bipolar because of what he saw in Afghanistan. I was with him in court on Friday."
read more here
Loved ones honor soldier killed in motorcycle crash
Loved ones honor soldier killed in crash
Updated: Sunday, 20 Nov 2011, 7:07 PM EST
Published : Sunday, 20 Nov 2011, 7:07 PM EST
Rachel Kingston
Posted by: Kellie Mazur
BUFFALO, N.Y. (WIVB) - Loved ones gathered in Buffalo Sunday afternoon to remember a local soldier killed in a crash in Texas.
23 year old, Kaylynn Rhodes, grew up in Buffalo. She was killed in a motorcycle crash November 14th near her Army base in Fort Hood, Texas.
Sunday afternoon her friends and family gathered on the basketball courts in Delaware Park where they used to play together to celebrate her life.
Kaylynn's smile is going to be one of things her friends will miss the most.
Michelle Lane said, "Kay Kay was crazy. She was silly. She was hilarious. She was the silliest person you would ever meet. She could make a bad situation, like it wasn't even happening."
Rhodes was killed in a motorcycle crash in Texas last week. Even though she moved away from Buffalo six years ago to join the Army.
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Updated: Sunday, 20 Nov 2011, 7:07 PM EST
Published : Sunday, 20 Nov 2011, 7:07 PM EST
Rachel Kingston
Posted by: Kellie Mazur
BUFFALO, N.Y. (WIVB) - Loved ones gathered in Buffalo Sunday afternoon to remember a local soldier killed in a crash in Texas.
23 year old, Kaylynn Rhodes, grew up in Buffalo. She was killed in a motorcycle crash November 14th near her Army base in Fort Hood, Texas.
Sunday afternoon her friends and family gathered on the basketball courts in Delaware Park where they used to play together to celebrate her life.
Kaylynn's smile is going to be one of things her friends will miss the most.
Michelle Lane said, "Kay Kay was crazy. She was silly. She was hilarious. She was the silliest person you would ever meet. She could make a bad situation, like it wasn't even happening."
Rhodes was killed in a motorcycle crash in Texas last week. Even though she moved away from Buffalo six years ago to join the Army.
read more here
VA Announces Retroactive Traumatic Brain Injury Benefits
VA Announces Retroactive Traumatic Brain Injury Benefits (Video)
Benefits are available to service members who suffered qualifying injuries during the period Oct. 7, 2001 to Nov. 30, 2005, regardless of the geographic location where the injuries occurred.
November 20, 2011
The Department of Veterans Affairs is extending retroactive traumatic injury benefits to service members who suffered qualifying injuries during the period Oct. 7, 2001 to Nov. 30, 2005, regardless of the geographic location where the injuries occurred.
“Now all of our nation’s Servicemembers who suffered severe traumatic injuries while serving their country can receive the same traumatic injury benefits, regardless of where their injury occurred,” said Secretary of Veterans Affairs Eric K. Shinseki. “We at VA appreciate the efforts of Congress and the President to improve benefits for our troops.”
Effective Oct. 1, the Servicemembers’ Group Life Insurance (SGLI) Traumatic Injury Protection benefit, known as TSGLI, will be payable for all qualifying injuries incurred during this period. This retroactive benefit is payable whether or not the Servicemember had SGLI coverage at the time of the injury.
read more here
Benefits are available to service members who suffered qualifying injuries during the period Oct. 7, 2001 to Nov. 30, 2005, regardless of the geographic location where the injuries occurred.
November 20, 2011
The Department of Veterans Affairs is extending retroactive traumatic injury benefits to service members who suffered qualifying injuries during the period Oct. 7, 2001 to Nov. 30, 2005, regardless of the geographic location where the injuries occurred.
“Now all of our nation’s Servicemembers who suffered severe traumatic injuries while serving their country can receive the same traumatic injury benefits, regardless of where their injury occurred,” said Secretary of Veterans Affairs Eric K. Shinseki. “We at VA appreciate the efforts of Congress and the President to improve benefits for our troops.”
Effective Oct. 1, the Servicemembers’ Group Life Insurance (SGLI) Traumatic Injury Protection benefit, known as TSGLI, will be payable for all qualifying injuries incurred during this period. This retroactive benefit is payable whether or not the Servicemember had SGLI coverage at the time of the injury.
read more here
Sunday, November 20, 2011
Goodies for Orlando Marine Reservists
Yesterday at the Renaissance Hotel in Orlando about 40 people gathered together to pack up 100 boxes for 24 Marines deployed to Afghanistan for a 7 month tour. They are with the 6th Motor Transport Battalion, Alpha Company. They will be missed for Thanksgiving and Christmas. Some of the family members wanted to say send greetings so here they are.
Iraq war veteran says some older vets don't like change
Iraq war veteran says some older vets don't like change
Posted: Nov 18, 2011
By Elizabeth Donatelli
LOUISVILLE, KY (WAVE) - WAVE 3 investigated why veterans' organizations across the country are losing numbers and found the younger vets aren't joining. This prompted older members to call on younger members to participate. An Iraq war veteran contacted WAVE 3 after the story aired and said it's partly because a lot of the posts don't want to change.
The folks at local AMVETS #9 invited us over on a busy Saturday afternoon filled with football and horse racing. There were veterans of several wars, but few, if any, from Iraq and Afghanistan.
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Posted: Nov 18, 2011
By Elizabeth Donatelli
LOUISVILLE, KY (WAVE) - WAVE 3 investigated why veterans' organizations across the country are losing numbers and found the younger vets aren't joining. This prompted older members to call on younger members to participate. An Iraq war veteran contacted WAVE 3 after the story aired and said it's partly because a lot of the posts don't want to change.
The folks at local AMVETS #9 invited us over on a busy Saturday afternoon filled with football and horse racing. There were veterans of several wars, but few, if any, from Iraq and Afghanistan.
read more here
Family shattered by TBI, PTSD picks up pieces
War-torn marriage: Family shattered by TBI, PTSD picks up pieces
By MEGAN MCCLOSKEY
Stars and Stripes
Published: November 20, 2011
CAMP LEJEUNE, N.C. — The breaking point came when Sandra Rivera found their 9-year-old son backed against a wall with his arms over his face, shielding himself from her husband’s screaming.
Desperate, she did what is unfathomable for a Marine wife: She called her husband’s commander.
It was a Friday in fall 2010, about a year and a half after Gunnery Sgt. Felix Rivera emerged as the sole survivor of a car bomb in Afghanistan. By the following Monday, he was checked into a mental hospital.
His struggles with post-traumatic stress disorder and traumatic brain injury were ravaging their marriage. Husband and wife had been relegated to patient and caregiver.
Sandra wishes she could say it was love that kept her from leaving when things were so bad that she regularly hid in a closet to cry.
“But I’d be lying,” she said. “I didn’t love the man who came back from war.”
With TBI and PTSD, the war comes home but the husband doesn’t, not in the way he was before. The family is upended. A wife has to embrace a new role and create a new family identity. And, often, she must try to forge a new love for the man her husband has become.
read more here
By MEGAN MCCLOSKEY
Stars and Stripes
Published: November 20, 2011
CAMP LEJEUNE, N.C. — The breaking point came when Sandra Rivera found their 9-year-old son backed against a wall with his arms over his face, shielding himself from her husband’s screaming.
Desperate, she did what is unfathomable for a Marine wife: She called her husband’s commander.
It was a Friday in fall 2010, about a year and a half after Gunnery Sgt. Felix Rivera emerged as the sole survivor of a car bomb in Afghanistan. By the following Monday, he was checked into a mental hospital.
His struggles with post-traumatic stress disorder and traumatic brain injury were ravaging their marriage. Husband and wife had been relegated to patient and caregiver.
Sandra wishes she could say it was love that kept her from leaving when things were so bad that she regularly hid in a closet to cry.
“But I’d be lying,” she said. “I didn’t love the man who came back from war.”
With TBI and PTSD, the war comes home but the husband doesn’t, not in the way he was before. The family is upended. A wife has to embrace a new role and create a new family identity. And, often, she must try to forge a new love for the man her husband has become.
read more here
Army reports 17 suspected suicides for October
When you read this report on the Web keep in mind that while this number seems bad, it is worse because of the National Guards and Reservists not included in on the title count.
Army reports 17 suspected suicides for October
Staff report
Posted : Friday Nov 18, 2011 17:06:44 EST
The Army on Friday reported 17 suspected suicides during the month of October.
One of the deaths has been confirmed as suicide, while the other 16 remain under investigation.
Among reserve-component soldiers who were not on active duty, as many as 12 committed suicide in October, the Army reported.read more here
Veteran dies in fall at Lovell Center
Veteran dies in fall at Lovell Center
By Frank Abderholden
November 18, 2011 9:14PM
Updated: November 19, 2011 2:13AM
NORTH CHICAGO — Suicide among veterans has become an increasing concern for the Department of Defense and Veteran Affairs facilities are responding.
In Lake County, Thomas Farley, 57, a homeless veteran, apparently committed suicide Oct. 5 just after 7:30 p.m. at the Captain James A. Lovell Federal Health Care Center when he went off a three-story atrium bannister and died from the fall.
While it is still under investigation by Veterans Affairs Police, Lake County Coroner Artis Yancey stated that the preliminary investigation points to a suicide and the final determination is due in a few weeks.
Jonathan Friedman, public affairs officer at the Lovell Center, said Farley was a patient in the homeless program that works to transition veterans back into housing. He climbed to the stop of the atrium and was standing on the opposite side of the railing when some employees there noticed him and rushed to grab him.
“They ran and grabbed him and tried to pull him up. He either slipped or jumped. The best we can do is remind people that we have resources here,” he said.
According to the Army Times, there are 18 suicides a day and about five by veterans who are receiving VA care. There are an average of 950 suicide attempts each month nationwide.
read more here
By Frank Abderholden
November 18, 2011 9:14PM
Updated: November 19, 2011 2:13AM
NORTH CHICAGO — Suicide among veterans has become an increasing concern for the Department of Defense and Veteran Affairs facilities are responding.
In Lake County, Thomas Farley, 57, a homeless veteran, apparently committed suicide Oct. 5 just after 7:30 p.m. at the Captain James A. Lovell Federal Health Care Center when he went off a three-story atrium bannister and died from the fall.
While it is still under investigation by Veterans Affairs Police, Lake County Coroner Artis Yancey stated that the preliminary investigation points to a suicide and the final determination is due in a few weeks.
Jonathan Friedman, public affairs officer at the Lovell Center, said Farley was a patient in the homeless program that works to transition veterans back into housing. He climbed to the stop of the atrium and was standing on the opposite side of the railing when some employees there noticed him and rushed to grab him.
“They ran and grabbed him and tried to pull him up. He either slipped or jumped. The best we can do is remind people that we have resources here,” he said.
According to the Army Times, there are 18 suicides a day and about five by veterans who are receiving VA care. There are an average of 950 suicide attempts each month nationwide.
read more here
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