Gulf War Vet and wife's death may have been murder-suicide

UPDATE

AH Shooting Ruled Murder-Suicide; Two Had DP Ties
Posted: Saturday, January 28, 2012 11:54 am
By TOM ROBB Journal and Topics Reporter
Members of Des Plaines veterans organizations remembered two colleagues this week found dead in what the Cook County Medical Examiner Thursday ruled a murder-suicide.

Police said Roger and Angelita James, 48 and 56 respectively, of the 900 block of Shady Way, Arlington Hts., both sustained gunshot wounds Wednesday. A gun was found "in close proximity to the body" at the crime scene, said Arlington Hts. Police Capt. Ken Galinski.

Mr. James was commander of Des Plaines American Legion Post 36 and a member of Des Plaines VFW Post 2992. Mrs. James was a member of the American Legion Women's Auxiliary.

Arlington Hts. police conducting a welfare check with the couple's adult son found the couple dead in their home across from Forest View Educational Center Wednesday morning.
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Arlington Heights couple found shot to death in home

By Matt Arado and Madhu Krishnamurthy
1/25/2012

Arlington Heights police are investigating the deaths of a husband and wife found shot to death in their home Wednesday morning.

Police discovered the bodies of Angelita James, 56, and Roger D. James, 48, about 8:40 a.m. after forcing their way into the residence on East Shady Way when no one responded to the door.

Police Sgt. Richard Kappelman said evidence collected so far was “pointing” to the shootings being a murder-suicide.

Angelita James' son met police at the residence, telling officers his mother had not shown up for work for the past two days and couldn't be reached. The vehicles of both Angelita and Roger James were parked outside the home, police said.

Inside, police found the couple in a bedroom, dead from gunshot wounds. A firearm was found inside the home, but police declined to say whether they believe it was the weapon used in the shootings.

Police said they believe the tragedy was domestic and there is no danger to the community. Autopsies are scheduled for Thursday at the Cook County medical examiner's office.

Roger James was a veteran of the Gulf War and commander of the Des Plaines American Legion Post 36, said his friend and past commander Phil Campbell. He was last seen at the Legion office on Monday.
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Fort Riley Big Red One back from Afghanistan

Fort Riley Cavalry Soldiers Honored After Return From Afghanistan
Jan 25, 2012
"Big Red One" soldiers were honored for their service and bravery at Fort Riley Wednesday after returning from Afghanistan.
Reporter: Lindsey Rogers

FORT RILEY, Kan. (WIBW) -- "Big Red One" soldiers were honored for their service and bravery at Fort Riley Wednesday after returning from Afghanistan.

Commanders say they faced off against the enemy nearly every day for a year during a dangerous and deadly deployment.

Combat Team, 1st Infantry Division, held a ceremony to award Soldiers for valorous actions at Fort Riley's Marshall Army Airfield Wednesday afternoon.

The soldiers are just back from Afghanistan and during the ceremony, commanders gave out eight Army Commendation Medals for Valor, 25 Bronze Stars for Service and 48 Purple Hearts.

"Because of individual actions of soldiers in this squadron, 4-4 Cav defeated the Taliban in central Zhari, freed the people in that area from oppression and in the process, made history.

The warriors in this room destroyed thousands of pounds of homemade explosives, military vests and military grade explosives," said Lieutenant Colonel Michael Katona, Squadron Commander.

"There’s 144 total purple hearts earned across the squadron of just a little over 500 soldiers.
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Wounded Marine gets 6,000 followers on Facebook

Wounded Marine gets some fresh air during treatment at Walter Reed
1/25/2012
ANDREA L. CHAFFIN
Staff Writer

Despite being in a hospital bed, Cpl. Josh Sams, Wilmington, is showing he has a lot of strength left.

Sams was moved off the critical care floor Tuesday, where he is a patient at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center in Maryland. Wound wash surgeries went well and the family received a good report from the trauma team, said his mother, Barb Regan. In addition, his wife, Hillsboro High School graduate Lindsey Sams, was able to spend the night with him for the first time.

“We have a long way to go, but it’s a step in the right direction,” Regan said.

The Marine was on routine patrol Jan. 11 when he stepped on an improvised explosive device (IED) and was rendered a double amputee. Since, a Facebook page supporting him titled, Support WIA Marine Scout Sniper Josh Sams, has steadily gained popularity and now has more than 6,600 followers.
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Wife of Camp Lejeune Marine shot to death

Woman from Kalamazoo found shot to death at a home in North Carolina Monday
Published: Wednesday, January 25, 2012
By Simon A. Thalmann

KALAMAZOO — A woman from Kalamazoo was found shot to death at a home in North Carolina Monday, according to local media reports there and in Michigan.

ABC affiliate WCTI, which operates from New Bern, N.C., reports that no arrests have been made for the murder of Susan Zemlick, 50, who was found dead at a South Dogwood Lane home shortly before 11 a.m. Monday.

Zemlick was married to Matthew Zemlick, a 29-year-old Marine who has family in Portage and is based at Camp Lejeune, according to WWMT Newschannel 3.
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also

Victim Name, New Info Released In Swansboro Shooting
By WCTI Staff

UPDATED: 6:59 pm EST January 25, 2012

SWANSBORO -- Swansboro Police have a suspect in the shooting death of a woman found Monday.
An arrest has not yet been made.
Police found Susan Zemlick, 50, dead at a South Dogwood Lane home after a 911 call at 10:50 a.m. Monday, police said.
Zemlick lived at the home with John and Helen Giltz, neighbors said.
Zemlick married 29-year-old Matthew Zemlick, a Camp Lejeune Marine, in 2009.
Susan asked for domestic violence protective order against Matthew last year, records show.
Matthew "threatened to kill [me] and himself," Susan alleged last summer.
The couple later agreed to not have contact with each other, records show.
Matthew is not involved in the case, police said.
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'ReEntry' Play teaches Marines about returning home

'ReEntry' - Play teaches Marines about returning home

I Marine Expeditionary Force
Story by Cpl. Jennifer Pirante

CAMP PENDLETON, Calif. - Marines and family members with I Marine Expeditionary Force gathered to watch a play at the South Mesa Club at Camp Pendleton, Calif., Jan. 24.

“ReEntry” is a play written by theater writer Emily Ackerman and KJ Sanchez, CEO of American Records, based on interviews conducted with Marines returning from Iraq and Afghanistan and their family members.

“I am a member of a military family,” Ackerman said. “I had no idea of a lot of the things they were going through, a lot of the things that they thought until we started working on this play. I try to be supportive and it was hard to figure out how to do that. It wasn’t until we started talking to a lot of Marines that I got a better idea of things that people actually go through, the way they actually feel and how to be more supportive.”
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4 Month Old Pup's Death Tied to Vet's "War Trauma"?

This is not the first time this kind of thing has happened. It is also not the first time PTSD has been blamed for it. With many veterans with PTSD turning to PTSD service dogs to help them heal, it is obvious how much they love their dogs and how much the dogs love them in return.

When my husband's PTSD was about as bad as it could be, we had a Golden Retriever named Brandon. Like all puppies, he was getting into trouble, trying to learn what he could and could not do. There were times when my husband would yell at him more than he should have but that is just about as far as that went. Brandon lived to almost 14 years old. My husband called him "brother" and he was not just a "dog" to us, but part of our family.

Anger is an issue with PTSD but it is no excuse to allow it to be so out of control a puppy ends up dead. Violence cannot be excused but it does need to be taken into consideration when seeking justice. We need to be asking a lot of questions.

The lawyer said he was being treated for PTSD at the VA. Was he getting any anger management help? Was he on medication he had a bad reaction to? Is he a dog lover or stressed about a puppy he didn't really want? These questions the court needs to ask before they can know what to do with this veteran accused of this crime.

Pup's Death Tied to Vet's "War Trauma": Family
Defendant's uncle believes a case like this is one where "Support Our Troops" comes into play
By R. Stickney
Wednesday, Jan 25, 2012

NBC San Diego

NBCSanDiego
Phillip Shawn Rich (left) at his arraignment and Knight shown with another dog before the beating.

A San Diego-area man charged with beating a puppy so badly it had to be euthanized is a veteran currently getting treatment for PTSD at the VA hospital, according to his defense attorney.

Phillip Shawn Rich, 26, of Crest, faces one felony charge of animal abuse for the death of his four-month-old male Siberian husky.

Rich brought the puppy, named Knight, to a veterinary hospital Saturday night. After the hospital staff examined the dog, they decided its injuries were so severe the animal had to be euthanized.

His attorney requested no bail, explaining that her client has been diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder and is currently receiving treatment at the VA hospital.
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Many Soldiers Have Their Own Terrors to Deal With

I read a lot of articles about faith and war. This one I really want you to read if you have been struggling with your faith.

Coming Home From the War on Terror, Many Soldiers Have Their Own Terrors to Deal With
One Special Forces major recommends ways civilians can help veterans readjust to American life after Iraq, Afghanistan.
Share by JUSTIN BELL 01/25/2012

Major Stephen C. Flanagan of the U.S. Army Special Forces served four combat tours in Iraq and Afghanistan. The Tewksbury, Mass., native is in the mid-career Master in Public Administration program at Harvard’s John F. Kennedy School of Government. The previous year, he had completed courses in the human development and psychology program in Harvard’s Graduate School of Education.

His next stop will be teaching at the U.S. Military Academy at West Point in the behavioral sciences and leadership department.

Flanagan, 32, recently met with Register correspondent Justin Bell at the Harvard Catholic Student Center at St. Paul’s Parish in Cambridge, Mass., to discuss how he felt God’s protection in combat and the struggles soldiers have returning to American society.

Could you speak to a specific time when you felt God really taking care of you?


God whispers to you through your successes and screams at you through your pains ... fears and dangers. ... So I really felt that; my faith has probably [been as] strong as it’s ever been in some of those times in combat. I was reading the Bible and praying a lot. I was almost never in any place where I could have regular religious services or anything.

One time, in Iraq in 2007 on my third combat tour ... we’re driving through the center of town, and all of a sudden we got ambushed from two sides. All the terrain and everything were to the enemy’s advantage. We couldn’t get the vehicles out of the road, and they had pushed a burning vehicle in … in front of us.

We’re sitting there in the open: The “kill zone” is what it’s actually called. … I had to [try to move the truck, and so I ran] through a big open area, getting shot at from both sides. …

I was saying an Our Father just subconsciously … running between a hail of bullets. I remembered looking to the side, and I saw fire coming out of windows; and I was shooting to the side as I was running. And all of a sudden a guy started charging down the hill at me; he looked like he was shooting his AK [AK-47 assault rifle]. ... Luckily, I think one of our Iraqi soldiers actually shot the guy and killed him.

I got up there and was able to work with the Iraqis to get them to push the vehicle out of the way. … I think we captured 14 more terrorists that day, and they didn’t have a single American or an Iraqi army soldier killed.

That just really seemed like a miracle to me … It wasn’t just us on that battlefield; there were angels and demons there with us having their own battle. … I reflect back, and I thank God for sending a small legion to our support.
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Military guests at State of the Union

Military guests at tonight’s State of the Union
By LEO SHANE III
Published: January 24, 2012

WASHINGTON – The White House has announced its guest list for tonight’s State of the Union address.

Army Sgt. Ashleigh Berg -- Berg is from Malibu, California, and joined the United States Army in July of 2004. She has been stationed in South Korea and Germany, and has served two tours of duty in Iraq.

Retired Navy Capt. Mark Kelly -- Kelly is an American astronaut, best-selling author, and an experienced naval aviator who flew combat missions during the Gulf War. The winner of many awards, including the Legion of Merit, two Defense Superior Service Medals and two Distinguished Flying Crosses, Kelly was selected as an astronaut in 1996.

Navy Adm. William McRaven -- McRaven assumed command of the Joint Special Operations Command on June 13, 2008. Prior to assuming command, he served from June 2006 to March 2008 as commander, Special Operations Command Europe. In addition to his duties as COMSOCEUR, he was designated as the first director of the NATO Special Operations Forces Coordination Centre, where he was charged with enhancing the capabilities and inter-operability of all NATO Special Operations Forces.

Air Force Col. Ginger Wallace -- Colonel Ginger Wallace is an Air Force intelligence officer who has led airlift and intelligence operations during Operations Southern Watch, Provide Relief, Uphold Democracy, Allied Force, Enduring Freedom And Iraqi Freedom. She currently lives in McLean, Va., with her partner of over a decade, Kathy Knopf.

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also

Military mentions in Obama speech were carefully phrased

Published: January 24, 2012

NPR's "It's All Politics" blog analyzed President Barack Obama's references to U.S. military operations in Tuesday's State of the Union address and concluded his words were carefully chosen.

The president didn't devote much of the speech to military issues, but he opened and closed with a tribute to the armed forces, holding out their "team" approach as an example for the rest of society. "At a time when too many of our institutions have let us down," he said, "they exceed all expectations. They're not consumed with personal ambition. They don't obsess over their differences. They focus on the mission at hand."
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Orlando Police Chaplain called in after drivers hit pedestrian on I-4

I-4 reopens after horrific crash kills pedestrian
Susan Jacobson, Orlando Sentinel
7:46 a.m. EST, January 25, 2012

Interstate 4 westbound has reopened after a pedestrian fatality closed the highway from John Young Parkway to Conroy Road late Tuesday.

A man walking on the highway about 7:45 p.m. was hit by several vehicles, police Lt. Barbara Jones said.

Three vehicles stopped, but police received calls from other drivers who thought they might have run over the man and from witnesses who said more cars were involved, she said.
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Big Boy news stations forgot about the rest of the news

This morning I posted how the last military shipment from Iraq had arrived in Beaumont and it bothered me. Why wasn't this story all over the "big boy" news station? It seems as if all they are interested in is politics.

There are so many other stories out there reported on a daily basis that should be covered by the 24-7 cable "news" station but someone decided a long time ago to play a game with what they tell us. FOX has been the Republican station of choice. MSNBC decided to serve the Democrats. CNN has been trying to stay in the middle. There isn't a cable news station for the rest of the news.

I spend a lot of time in my car, so I bought a satellite radio. I like to listen to oldies and enjoy the fact I can decide what decade I feel like hearing. Sometimes it is the 60's, other times it is the 80's but most of the time it is the 70's. I don't expect to hear rap on any of them. I don't expect to hear classical music instead of the groups I grew up with. On a rare occasion I hear a song I had not heard before but I always know the song fits in with the rest of what I want to listen to. There are a lot of choices so that people can listen to what they want to hear and trust that is what they will be provided with.

There was a time when I could feel that way with turning on a news station. I lived in the Boston area most of my life. I knew when I turned on WBZ radio I would hear the news and not hear a bunch of political nonsense. I knew what was going on in the area from traffic reports to events along with reports on crimes and even some feel good stories. The only time there was political coverage was when there was an election coming up but never once did they spend years covering the candidates unless they did something really "news worthy" the general public needed to know about.

We have no choices now. We have little information now. Even when you turn on local news stations, you hear about political candidates on a national level way too much. The GOP candidates are covering Florida now, so some of the coverage is understandable but they have been reporting on what has been happening when these candidates show up in other states more than they covered local stories.

Who decided the American public didn't need to know what was going on in this country as much as they needed to know about the people wanting to run it?

Disabled Vietnam Veteran will live in car to help homeless veterans

Mesa man to live in car for 3 days to raise awareness of homeless vets
By Mike Sakal, Tribune

A Mesa man soon will begin an "on the street" experience aimed at bringing awareness to the plight of homeless veterans while accepting donations of cash and blue jeans for a nonprofit organization that helps them.

From 9 a.m. Thursday until 6 p.m. Sunday, Tom Steinhagen, a disabled Vietnam War veteran, will start fasting and living in his car outside of Berge Ford, 460 E. Auto Center Drive, near Mesa Drive and the U.S. 60, for the Stand Up and Stand Proud organization, giving the community an around-the-clock opportunity to stop by and see how he's living - rain or shine.

Steinhagen, the founder of Stand Up and Stand Proud, is a member of Legion Riders and the Arizona Patriot Guard Riders, and is also active with local American Legion groups. He has set a goal of filling the trunk of his car with new or slightly used blue jeans that will be passed on to homeless veterans within those 80 hours.
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Dignity Memorial provides 1,000th military funeral for homeless veteran

Dignity Memorial® Network to Provide Military Burial for Homeless Portland Veteran
Homeless Veterans Burial Program provides 1,000th military funeral service


By Dignity Memorial network
Published: Tuesday, Jan. 24, 2012 - 9:50 am
PORTLAND, Ore., Jan. 24, 2012 -- /PRNewswire/ -- Lincoln Memorial Park, a member of the Dignity Memorial network, will provide a funeral with full military honors on Jan. 25 at the Willamette National Cemetery for a homeless Portland veteran, the 1,000th burial provided through the Dignity Memorial Homeless Veterans Burial Program.

Naval Petty Officer 2nd Class Stevenson L. Roy, a recently deceased homeless Vietnam veteran, will be buried at the Willamette National Cemetery in Portland, Ore., on Wednesday, Jan. 25, at 1:30 p.m.

"We are humbled to help provide the military honors that Mr. Roy deserves," said Jean-Christophe Aubry, market director for the Portland area Dignity Memorial providers. "It is a great privilege to show our community's deep gratitude for veterans like him who have given so much to our country."
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US Spec-ops raid in Somalia frees American, Dane

Spec-ops raid in Somalia frees American, Dane
By Abdi Guled and Katharine Houreld - The Associated Press
Posted : Wednesday Jan 25, 2012 6:02:34 EST

MOGADISHU, Somalia — U.S. military forces flew into Somalia in a nighttime helicopter raid Wednesday, freed an American and a Danish hostage, and killed nine pirates in a mission President Obama appeared to reference before his State of the Union speech, officials and a pirate source said.

The Danish Refugee Council confirmed that the two aid workers, American Jessica Buchanan and Dane Poul Hagen Thisted, were freed "during an operation in Somalia." Buchanan, 32, and Thisted, 60, had been working with a de-mining unit of the Danish Refugee Council when they were kidnapped in October.

Obama seemed to refer to the mission before his State of the Union address in Washington on Tuesday night. As he entered the House chamber in the U.S. Capitol, he pointed at Defense Secretary Leon Panetta in the crowd and said, "Good job tonight."
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Last military shipment from Iraq

Beaumont receives last military shipment from Iraq


By Courtney Francisco - email
The end of the war in Iraq has brought the end of an era here in Beaumont, for the Port that is.

Military service personnel and port workers unloaded the last ship returning military equipment to the U.S. from Iraq Tuesday.

Lt. Col. Michael Arnold is Commander of the 842nd Transportation Battalion stations at the Port of Beaumont and says the ship more than just another job to unload.

Nearly 400 ships have traveled from Iraq to Beaumont since 2002 stocked full of supplies ranging from helicopters to military equipment.

However, now that troops have been withdrawn from Iraq the equipment is no longer needed there, and Lt. Col. Arnold says unloading it marks a milestone.
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U.S. Marine spared from jail time in Iraq killings

If you read about any war, civilians died. It is an ugly part of what happens that "polite" civilians never want to think about. Most of the time it is because of the type of warfare being waged where enemy forces are part of the population, dressed like everyone else and attacking from the crowds of innocent people. That is what happened in Iraq as well as Afghanistan, just as it happened in Vietnam.

The men and women we send to fight these wars never know who is a simple bystander and who wants to kill them until it is too late for second guesses.

Did these Marines snap or was it more a case of everything else that happened in Iraq? None of of us really know because we weren't there. These memories will be with them for the rest of their lives.

U.S. Marine spared from jail time in Iraq killings


By Mary Slosson
CAMP PENDLETON, Calif
Wed Jan 25, 2012 7:13am EST
(Reuters) - A U.S. Marine accused of leading a 2005 massacre of 24 civilians in the Iraqi city of Haditha was spared jail time when he was sentenced on Tuesday for his role in killings that brought international condemnation on U.S. troops.

The harshest penalty Staff Sergeant Frank Wuterich, 31, now faces for his guilty plea on Monday to a single count of dereliction of duty is a demotion to the rank of private, the lowest rank in the service, as recommended by a military judge.

As part of his guilty plea, Wuterich accepted responsibility for giving negligent verbal instructions to the Marines under his command when he told them to "shoot first and ask questions later," orders that resulted in the deaths of civilians.

In his court statement on Tuesday, Wuterich added that when he gave that order, "the intent wasn't that they should shoot civilians. It was that they would not hesitate in the face of the enemy."

He said that he and his fellow Marines behaved honorably under extreme circumstances, and that he "never fired my weapon at any women or children that day."
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State of the Union

State of the Union

President Obama brought up how the men and women in the military don't do anything "political" but for the nation and for each other. "This nation is great because we work together as a team." Great way to end his address.

Dr. Bernice King was at Valencia College today and I was part of the film crew streaming her speech. She talked about how people working together can do so much more than when they watch out for themselves.

If you read this blog then you know how I feel about the divide this nation has been suffering from for far too long. It seems like everything is political and nothing is "us" anymore. It is always, "them" with one party against another, one class against another but few noticing the times when even the wealthy push aside their "own" for the sake of someone else in need. They don't notice the ex-homeless veteran doing everything he can to make sure other veterans don't suffer the way he did any more than they notice all the good stories out there.

There is a saying in the media that "if it bleeds, it leads" because someone thought that was all people wanted to read about or see in a news report. I can tell you that is simply not true. The number one story on this blog has nothing to do with politics. It has to do with a soldier and a tattoo along with combat medics in Afghanistan. For Those I Love I Will Sacrifice and the other is about a wounded Marine Lance Cpl. William Carpenter These two stories tell me that it matters more what people do with their lives than how they vote. It matters more how they can about strangers as much as they care about their friends and neighbors. I read about them all the time. That is what makes this nation great. Regular men and women thinking more about someone else than they do about themselves and becoming far from regular.

Iraq War Veteran's husband accused of stabbing her and holding her hostage

Charges: Man Stabbed Wife, A Veteran, Held Her Hostage
January 24, 2012

ST. PAUL (WCCO) — A St. Paul man is accused of assaulting his wife, who is an Iraq war veteran, threatening to kill her and holding her hostage for five days, according to the Ramsey County Attorney’s Office.

Charlie Pearman Blackwell, 30, was charged with felony counts of kidnapping, second-degree assault, terroristic threats and domestic assault by strangulation.

According to the criminal complaint, police responded to the 1000 block of Hatch Avenue in St. Paul Saturday on the report of a woman stabbed and being held against her will. When they arrived, several attempts to announce their presence went ignored, so they gained entrance to the residence through the back patio door. They then located Blackwell and a 21-year-old woman on the floor of the living room.
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Wife arrested in Camp Shelby MP’s shooting

Wife arrested in Shelby MP’s shooting
The Associated Press
Posted : Tuesday Jan 24, 2012 9:55:05 EST
HATTIESBURG, Miss. — The wife of a Camp Shelby soldier has been charged with shooting him.

Forrest County Sheriff Billy McGee says 30-year-old Tiffany Wright was arrested Monday and charged with aggravated assault.

McGee says the shooting appeared to stem from a domestic issue.
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Hell and Back Again

UPDATE
Film about area Marine gets Academy nod
January 25, 2012 7:06 AM
HOPE HODGE - DAILY NEWS STAFF
A feature documentary about a Camp Lejeune Marine returning wounded from war was nominated for an Academy Award on Tuesday.

“Hell and Back Again,” directed by filmmaker Danfung Dennis, follows 26-year-old Marine Sgt. Nathan Harris as he deploys to Afghanistan in 2009 with Camp Lejeune’s Echo Company, 2nd Battalion, 8th Marines; sustains combat wounds; and returns to Jacksonville to recover and rebuild his life.

Dennis traveled with the unit as an embedded reporter during the deployment, observing firefights and missions from outside the wire. After Harris’ deployment was cut short by a machine gun bullet that tore through his midthigh and up to the center of his back, Dennis obtained permission to spend extended time with the Marine and his wife, Ashley, as they readjusted to life back home.

Harris told The Daily News when the film premiered last October that Dennis had become a part of the couple’s day-to-day life as a background presence for months, observing doctors’ appointments, rehabilitation and, at times, the tension and imbalance caused by combat wounds and post-traumatic stress.

Dennis told The Daily News Tuesday that his film was intended not to communicate a specific message, but to acquaint Americans with the unvarnished realities of war.

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**2012 ACADEMY AWARD®-NOMINATED DOCUMENTARY**

HELL AND BACK AGAIN– Releasing on Cable VOD, Digital, Blu-ray and DVD. An unprecedented exploration of the moving image and a film of uncommon intimacy, Danfung Dennis’s critically acclaimed, award-winning documentary, HELL AND BACK AGAIN, comes full circle as it lays bare the true cost of war. HELL AND BACK AGAIN premiered at the 2011 Sundance Film Festival and won Grand Jury and Cinematography prizes. The film premiered theatrically in October 2011 and continues to tour nationwide. HELL AND BACK AGAIN was nominated for Film Independent’s “Truer Than Fiction” Spirit Award and a Gotham Award for Best Documentary. Nominated for four Cinema Eye Awards, the film won Outstanding Achievement in Cinematography. Danfung Dennis is the recipient of International Documentary Association’s Jacqueline Donnet Emerging Filmmaker Award and the prestigious Alfred I. duPont-Columbia University Award. (Docurama Films).

"A tour de force...HELL AND BACK AGAIN stacks one astonishing shot atop the next: perfectly composed tracking sequences in the heat of battle; saturated moody low-light compositions in rainy North Carolina parking lots; gorgeous rich soundscapes." - The New York Times

"An astonishing technical achievement in war journalism and documentary filmmaking that may very possibly change the way conflicts are reported forever.” – CNN

Top 10 Films of 2011 - Associated Press, NPR Fresh Air, New York

2012 ACADEMY AWARD®-NOMINATED DOCUMENTARY, “HELL AND BACK AGAIN,” RELEASES TODAY ON CABLE VOD, BLU-RAY, DVD AND DIGITAL

Winner of 2011 Sundance Film Festival Prizes; IDA Jacqueline Donnet Emerging Filmmaker Award

In 2009, U.S. Marines launched a major helicopter assault on a Taliban stronghold in southern Afghanistan. Within hours of being dropped deep behind enemy lines, 25-year-old Sergeant Nathan Harris’s unit (US Marines Echo Company, 2nd Battalion, 8th Marine Regiment) is attacked from all sides. Cut off and surrounded, the Marines fight a ghostlike enemy and experience immense hostility from displaced villagers caught in the middle.

Director Danfung Dennis, embedded as a photojournalist in Echo Company during the assault, captures the frontline action with visceral immediacy. When Sergeant Harris returns home to North Carolina after a life-threatening injury in battle, HELL AND BACK AGAIN evolves from a war exposé to the story of one man’s personal apocalypse.

Nominated for a 2012 Academy Award® for Best Documentary, HELL AND BACK AGAIN is available today via Cable VOD, digital download and streaming platforms, Blu-ray and DVD. The film will air on the PBS television series “Independent Lens” in May 2012 through a partnership with the producers and ITVS.

The “stars” of the film are Nathan Harris and his wife, Ashley (now 29 years old). They are self-aware, articulate, funny and generous. They have shared their most intimate and painful moments with the world in order to help us understand what they and hundreds of thousands like them are going through. Ashley's role in Nathan's rehabilitation is a great testimony to what thousands of women are going through, trying to maintain intimacy and normalcy while picking up the pieces of the lives of their husbands, sons, fathers or brothers.
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Florida Senate honors Veterans, passes Vet assistance package

Senate honors Veterans, passes Vet assistance package

By Kathleen Haughney January 24, 2012 10:03 AM
TALLAHASSEE -- The Florida Senate passed a large Veterans' bill that combined several bills that had been put forth by various members of the Legislature.

The bill passed 40-0 with all members of the Senate serving as a co-sponsor.

* It allows individual judicial circuits to create court diversion programs for veterans suffering from post traumatic stress disorder or a traumatic brain injury

* Creates the Florida Veterans Hall of Fame Council within the Department of Veterans Affairs to take nominations for the Veterans Hall of Fame

* Create a vendor preference provision for veterans applying for state contracts

* Creates several specialty military license plates

* Designates Aug. 7 each year as Purple Heart Day

* Allows veterans of the U.S. Armed Forces who want to attend a public college or university to be considered a resident for tuition purposes
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