Almost 60 and Still a Soldier
By Conor Powell
Published November 22, 2011
FoxNews.com
KUNAR PROVINCE, Afghanistan – Most men at the age of 59 are planning for retirement, but Staff Sgt. Don Nicholas is no ordinary man. He wants to re-enlist in the U.S. Army and stay a soldier as long as he can.
A Vietnam veteran, Nicholas is the oldest soldier serving on the front lines in Afghanistan.
After the Sept. 11 attacks, Sgt. Nic, as he is affectingly called by younger soldiers, re-enlisted in the military.
“It was the right thing to do,” he says. “It’s as simple as that. I just didn’t want everyone else out there doing things I should be doing.”
A former Marine rifleman with two tours under his belt in Vietnam, including one at the U.S. Embassy in Saigon as enemy troops moved into the capital city, Nicholas thought he could faithfully rejoin their ranks.
But the Marines rejected his application. So he turned to the only other unit that offered him a chance to see combat – the U.S. Army.
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Wednesday, November 23, 2011
Fort Benning Soldier Claims He Was Predatory Lending Victim
Ga. Soldier Claims He Was Predatory Lending Victim
By RUSS BYNUM Associated Press
SAVANNAH, Ga. November 22, 2011 (AP)
Army Staff Sgt. Jason Cox says he borrowed $3,000 for an emergency trip to pick up his daughter. The loan ended up costing him more than $4,000 in interest, plus a sport utility vehicle the lender seized when he defaulted.
Now the Fort Benning soldier is suing the lender in federal court, contending the interest rate and other terms violated a 2007 law passed by Congress to protect military service members from predatory lending.
Cox's lawyer, former Georgia Gov. Roy Barnes, is trying to persuade a federal judge to grant class-action status because the lender, Atlanta-based Community Loans of America Inc., operates more than 900 stores in 22 U.S. states. Barnes believes numerous soldiers have taken out similar loans, likely without knowing the terms are illegal, though it's not clear how many.
"The rates are so lucrative for those that ignore the law," said Barnes, a Democrat who pushed a statewide crackdown on high-interest payday loans when he was governor from 1999 to 2002. Some in the military are too busy with moves between bases and overseas deployments to bring lawsuits or complain, Barnes said.
read more here
By RUSS BYNUM Associated Press
SAVANNAH, Ga. November 22, 2011 (AP)
Army Staff Sgt. Jason Cox says he borrowed $3,000 for an emergency trip to pick up his daughter. The loan ended up costing him more than $4,000 in interest, plus a sport utility vehicle the lender seized when he defaulted.
Now the Fort Benning soldier is suing the lender in federal court, contending the interest rate and other terms violated a 2007 law passed by Congress to protect military service members from predatory lending.
Cox's lawyer, former Georgia Gov. Roy Barnes, is trying to persuade a federal judge to grant class-action status because the lender, Atlanta-based Community Loans of America Inc., operates more than 900 stores in 22 U.S. states. Barnes believes numerous soldiers have taken out similar loans, likely without knowing the terms are illegal, though it's not clear how many.
"The rates are so lucrative for those that ignore the law," said Barnes, a Democrat who pushed a statewide crackdown on high-interest payday loans when he was governor from 1999 to 2002. Some in the military are too busy with moves between bases and overseas deployments to bring lawsuits or complain, Barnes said.
read more here
Iraq veteran says ‘There Are Things Worth Paying For’
This is something I've been trying to point out for a very long time.
Politicians say what they want, but it is what they do that really matters. When it comes to the troops and veterans, what really matters is they do it everyday and risk their lives for each other. I'll take those values any day over what has been happening in this country for far too long.
“I’m not going out there to talk about I’m a Democrat, I’m a Republican, or anything like that. I’m going out there to talk about issues,” he said.I wish people in this country had the same attitude when they voted. This blog is up for this same reason. Back in 2007 I was operating another blog, full of information but it also had my political views. Back then I was one of those people thinking "I know everything" and I was out to prove it. I opened an email from a Marine saying that he came into that blog for information and support but he didn't want to read my political rants. Well, still so full of myself, I replied defending what I wrote and why I wrote it. He responded with a very short email back with one question. "Are you doing this for us or for yourself?" I cried. He opened my eyes and I realized I had fallen into the political abyss. I replied by telling him that from that point on I would have a blog for them and keep my political views out of it. Most of the time I succeed and limit the "rants" to when a politician (from both sides) votes against the troops or veterans. I will admit that once in a while I do "pop my cork" and get carried away, but I'm getting better at controlling that.
Politicians say what they want, but it is what they do that really matters. When it comes to the troops and veterans, what really matters is they do it everyday and risk their lives for each other. I'll take those values any day over what has been happening in this country for far too long.
Candidate: ‘There Are Things Worth Paying For’
Chris Miller, a decorated Iraq War veteran who’s now running for Congress as a Democrat in Illinois, is watching budget wrangling in Washington with special knowledge about what Pentagon cuts mean.
President Obama has vowed to repeal any attempt to mitigate the cuts that isn’t part of a broader deficit deal.
On ABC’s “Top Line” today, Miller, D-Ill, said he’s not sure that’s the right strategy.
“We have to take a careful look at making any cuts, especially to the military,” said Miller, who served nine years in the Army and received a Purple Heart for injuries sustained in Iraq. “I don’t think that this world is gonna become a safer place or a place that we have to stop worrying about defending just because we’re having budgetary issues.”
“The problems that we have are not — they’re not simply going away, and we need to think about that and things in that context of there’s things that are worth paying for. And I believe that national security is one of them.”
Miller, who’s running for an open House seat in southern Illinois, said his message on the trail is “jobs, jobs, and jobs.”
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Tuesday, November 22, 2011
Reward offered in fatal shooting of Vietnam vet in Lauderdale
Reward offered in fatal shooting of Vietnam vet in Lauderdale
By Ihosvani Rodriguez, Sun Sentinel
5:24 p.m. EST, November 21, 2011
FORT LAUDERDALE—
Broward Crime Stoppers on Monday issued a $1,000 reward in the hopes of turning up leads in the killing of a man described as his neighborhood's "go to" guy.
Nelson Heck, 66, a Vietnam veteran and retired Florida Power & Light Co. worker, was found fatally shot on Nov. 15 inside his home along the 1100 block of Northwest 48th Street.
Fort Lauderdale police investigators hope the reward will generate more information in the case, said Detective Travis Mandell.
read more here
By Ihosvani Rodriguez, Sun Sentinel
5:24 p.m. EST, November 21, 2011
FORT LAUDERDALE—
Broward Crime Stoppers on Monday issued a $1,000 reward in the hopes of turning up leads in the killing of a man described as his neighborhood's "go to" guy.
Nelson Heck, 66, a Vietnam veteran and retired Florida Power & Light Co. worker, was found fatally shot on Nov. 15 inside his home along the 1100 block of Northwest 48th Street.
Fort Lauderdale police investigators hope the reward will generate more information in the case, said Detective Travis Mandell.
read more here
Two Tour Iraq veteran Sgt. Shane Scott Pease found dead in creek
NEWS
Man found dead in Chapel Hill creek served in Iraq
TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 22, 2011 (Updated 5:09 am)
By THE HERALD-SUN OF DURHAM
CHAPEL HILL — The man who was found dead in Bolin Creek Saturday morning was a member of the 82nd Airborne Division who served two tours of duty in Iraq.
The Chapel Hill Police Department was mum Monday on an investigation into the death of 24-year-old Sgt. Shane Scott Pease, who was found dead in the creek by a jogger, but in a press release from the 82nd Airborne, Pease was identified as an infantryman in Company A, 2nd Battalion, 505th Parachute Infantry Regiment, 3rd Brigade Combat Team.
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'Dream Come True.' Florida soldier becomes US citizen, HS graduate
'Dream Come True.' Florida soldier becomes US citizen, HS graduate
Story by Capt. Kyle Key
OCALA, Fla. -- Coming to America was easy, but the journey to stay here was paved with struggle for Pvt. Angel E. Chavez and his family.
Pvt. Chavez grew up in Panama in the city of La Chorrera and dreamed of coming to the United States some day.
“I would tell my friends in elementary school,” said Chavez. “They used to laugh at me. I would tell them, I am going there one day and I’m going to make it.”
In 2005, Chavez arrived in the United States with his parents and three siblings. They settled in Ocala, Fla., where his father started a business repairing and exporting vehicles to Panama and his mother found a job as a cosmetologist. He and his siblings were doing well in school and were adjusting to their new lives when a big problem arose: their visas expired and their entire family was subject to deportation.
The Chavez family tried every legal avenue to stay in the country. The dishonor of being illegal immigrants wore on the children. By 2008, his mother divorced and remarried a U.S. citizen and shocked the family by disappearing for two years with her new husband.
read more here
Story by Capt. Kyle Key
OCALA, Fla. -- Coming to America was easy, but the journey to stay here was paved with struggle for Pvt. Angel E. Chavez and his family.
Pvt. Chavez grew up in Panama in the city of La Chorrera and dreamed of coming to the United States some day.
“I would tell my friends in elementary school,” said Chavez. “They used to laugh at me. I would tell them, I am going there one day and I’m going to make it.”
In 2005, Chavez arrived in the United States with his parents and three siblings. They settled in Ocala, Fla., where his father started a business repairing and exporting vehicles to Panama and his mother found a job as a cosmetologist. He and his siblings were doing well in school and were adjusting to their new lives when a big problem arose: their visas expired and their entire family was subject to deportation.
The Chavez family tried every legal avenue to stay in the country. The dishonor of being illegal immigrants wore on the children. By 2008, his mother divorced and remarried a U.S. citizen and shocked the family by disappearing for two years with her new husband.
read more here
Ocala Iraq veteran has new home for this Thanksgiving
Veteran Receives New Home
David Calhoun Ready To Celebrate Thanksgiving In New Home
POSTED: 2:42 pm EST November 21, 2011
OCALA, Fla. -- A veteran who was wounded and saved the life of a fellow soldier will be receiving a home for him and his family this Thanksgiving.
David Calhoun and his family were given a home as a gift from the Military Warriors Support Foundation and JPMorgan Chase.
"It's beautiful," said Calhoun. "I never thought I would have my own house."
Calhoun was told he was selected for the enormous gift on the anniversary of the terrorist attacks on Sept. 11, 2001, at halftime of a New York Jets game on NBC.
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David Calhoun Ready To Celebrate Thanksgiving In New Home
POSTED: 2:42 pm EST November 21, 2011
OCALA, Fla. -- A veteran who was wounded and saved the life of a fellow soldier will be receiving a home for him and his family this Thanksgiving.
David Calhoun and his family were given a home as a gift from the Military Warriors Support Foundation and JPMorgan Chase.
"It's beautiful," said Calhoun. "I never thought I would have my own house."
Calhoun was told he was selected for the enormous gift on the anniversary of the terrorist attacks on Sept. 11, 2001, at halftime of a New York Jets game on NBC.
read more here
DoD studies social media’s impact on deployment
DoD studies social media’s impact on deployment
By Mike Chalmers - The (Wilmington, Del.) News Journal
Posted : Tuesday Nov 22, 2011 10:28:28 EST
In previous deployments to Iraq and South America, Master Sgt. Clifford Snyder relied on letters and brief phone calls to keep in touch with his wife and three children back in Camden, Del.
“The kids grew so much during those times,” Snyder said. “You felt when you first got home like a visitor in the house.”
But during his most recent six-month deployment to Iraq in 2009 and 2010, he checked in with them on Facebook and video-chatted with them on Skype almost daily.
“I got to see the kids, and they were able to give me updates on how school was going and stuff,” Snyder said. “I felt like I was there for the whole time.”
That nearly constant connection made his deployment with with Delaware Air National Guard more bearable and eased his homecoming transition, Snyder said. It’s having the same effect for thousands of service members and their families around the world.
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By Mike Chalmers - The (Wilmington, Del.) News Journal
Posted : Tuesday Nov 22, 2011 10:28:28 EST
In previous deployments to Iraq and South America, Master Sgt. Clifford Snyder relied on letters and brief phone calls to keep in touch with his wife and three children back in Camden, Del.
“The kids grew so much during those times,” Snyder said. “You felt when you first got home like a visitor in the house.”
But during his most recent six-month deployment to Iraq in 2009 and 2010, he checked in with them on Facebook and video-chatted with them on Skype almost daily.
“I got to see the kids, and they were able to give me updates on how school was going and stuff,” Snyder said. “I felt like I was there for the whole time.”
That nearly constant connection made his deployment with with Delaware Air National Guard more bearable and eased his homecoming transition, Snyder said. It’s having the same effect for thousands of service members and their families around the world.
read more here
Former military leaders bash GOP candidates
Former military leaders bash GOP candidates
By Henry C. Jackson - The Associated Press
Posted : Monday Nov 21, 2011 18:55:07 EST
WASHINGTON — Three former top military officials slammed the Republican presidential field ahead of Tuesday night’s GOP debate on foreign policy. The Democratic-leaning former officials said the entire Republican field has been all over the map but focused on GOP front-runner Mitt Romney.
“My concern would be that he might not be credibly decisive,” Richard Danzig, who served as Navy secretary under President Bill Clinton, said of Romney on Monday. “There’s too much of a track record here of moving between positions.”
Danzig said President Barack Obama has shown the required decisiveness throughout his presidency.
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By Henry C. Jackson - The Associated Press
Posted : Monday Nov 21, 2011 18:55:07 EST
WASHINGTON — Three former top military officials slammed the Republican presidential field ahead of Tuesday night’s GOP debate on foreign policy. The Democratic-leaning former officials said the entire Republican field has been all over the map but focused on GOP front-runner Mitt Romney.
“My concern would be that he might not be credibly decisive,” Richard Danzig, who served as Navy secretary under President Bill Clinton, said of Romney on Monday. “There’s too much of a track record here of moving between positions.”
Danzig said President Barack Obama has shown the required decisiveness throughout his presidency.
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Marine back from Afghanistan sets fire to Vietnam Vet Marine's flag
Marine Accused of Torching Fellow Marine's Flag
By Mike Valerio / Reporter
UPDATED: 10:59 am EST November 22, 2011
JACKSONVILLE -- A Camp Lejeune Marine is accused of setting a retired Marine's American flag on fire Friday, during a party celebrating the suspect's return from Afghanistan.
Vernon Johnson, 24, was charged Saturday with first degree arson by the Jacksonville Police Department. According to neighbors, Johnson was with friends next door to Purple Heart recipient Robert Grafton, 71. Witnesses said Johnson was intoxicated, and torched Grafton's American flag hanging from his porch flagpole.
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By Mike Valerio / Reporter
UPDATED: 10:59 am EST November 22, 2011
JACKSONVILLE -- A Camp Lejeune Marine is accused of setting a retired Marine's American flag on fire Friday, during a party celebrating the suspect's return from Afghanistan.
Vernon Johnson, 24, was charged Saturday with first degree arson by the Jacksonville Police Department. According to neighbors, Johnson was with friends next door to Purple Heart recipient Robert Grafton, 71. Witnesses said Johnson was intoxicated, and torched Grafton's American flag hanging from his porch flagpole.
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Expert: Post-traumatic stress misunderstood
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.
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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
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.
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