Fired Vietnam Veteran Wins Judgment Against City Of Copperhill
Thursday, February 02, 2012
A Vietnam veteran who was terminated as city maintenance supervisor by the mayor of Copperhill has won a judgment in Federal Court.
A jury awarded Paul Hunter $350,000. Judge Sandy Mattice will also consider what amount of "front pay" he should receive as well as attorney fees. Front pay is the amount he would be expected to earn from the date of the trial until retirement at age 66. He is now 61 and was 58 when he was terminated in 2009.
The suit was filed on grounds of age discrimination and disability (due to a severe hearing loss from Vietnam).
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Tuesday, February 7, 2012
Mother of Fort Campbell soldier who took his own life donates to school
Mother of Fort Campbell soldier who took his own life donates $25,000 to school
11:08 AM, Feb. 7, 2012
Hooah Campbell
ELKHART, Ind. (AP) - The mother of an Army soldier who committed suicide last year has donated $25,000 to help fund scholarships to an alternative school in northern Indiana where her son was a student.
Sherrie Lovely wants to help other families avoid the struggles her family endured trying to pay tuition, The Elkhart Truth and The Goshen News reported in stories published Tuesday.
When she found out she would receive money from the military following the death of her 20-year-old son, Michael, Lovely said she immediately thought of The Crossing.
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11:08 AM, Feb. 7, 2012
Hooah Campbell
ELKHART, Ind. (AP) - The mother of an Army soldier who committed suicide last year has donated $25,000 to help fund scholarships to an alternative school in northern Indiana where her son was a student.
Sherrie Lovely wants to help other families avoid the struggles her family endured trying to pay tuition, The Elkhart Truth and The Goshen News reported in stories published Tuesday.
When she found out she would receive money from the military following the death of her 20-year-old son, Michael, Lovely said she immediately thought of The Crossing.
read more here
Law OKs cross-state PTSD telehealth counseling
Law OKs cross-state PTSD telehealth counseling
By Joe Gould - Staff writer
Posted : Tuesday Feb 7, 2012 9:29:32 EST
The recent passage of the National Defense Authorization Act in Congress will make it easier for active-duty personnel and veterans to get mental health care wherever they are, officials said.
A provision of the act, aimed at expanding federal exemptions for behavioral telehealth consultations across state lines, removes the requirement for health care providers to be licensed in the state in which their patients are being treated.
Gen. Peter Chiarelli, the Army vice chief of staff and an advocate for providing behavioral health counseling to soldiers in their homes via telehealth, praised the new law as a “big victory.”
“It’s the biggest step forward we’ve seen in two years,” Chiarelli told Army Times. “For me, it is huge. We have just to take advantage of it.”
Nearly 20 percent of military personnel returning from Iraq and Afghanistan showed symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder, according to a Rand Corp. survey.
Patients are plentiful, but the doctors who are needed to treat them are not. Chiarelli acknowledged a shortage of behavioral health specialists in the Army, as well as the challenge of attracting, hiring and retaining them to the rural areas that surround some posts.
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By Joe Gould - Staff writer
Posted : Tuesday Feb 7, 2012 9:29:32 EST
The recent passage of the National Defense Authorization Act in Congress will make it easier for active-duty personnel and veterans to get mental health care wherever they are, officials said.
A provision of the act, aimed at expanding federal exemptions for behavioral telehealth consultations across state lines, removes the requirement for health care providers to be licensed in the state in which their patients are being treated.
Gen. Peter Chiarelli, the Army vice chief of staff and an advocate for providing behavioral health counseling to soldiers in their homes via telehealth, praised the new law as a “big victory.”
“It’s the biggest step forward we’ve seen in two years,” Chiarelli told Army Times. “For me, it is huge. We have just to take advantage of it.”
Nearly 20 percent of military personnel returning from Iraq and Afghanistan showed symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder, according to a Rand Corp. survey.
Patients are plentiful, but the doctors who are needed to treat them are not. Chiarelli acknowledged a shortage of behavioral health specialists in the Army, as well as the challenge of attracting, hiring and retaining them to the rural areas that surround some posts.
read more here
Why was Maj. Troy Gilbert's body left behind in Iraq?
North Texas family seeks pilot's body left in Iraq
by JIM DOUGLAS
WFAA
Posted on February 6, 2012
NEWS 8 EXCLUSIVE
Maj. Troy Gilbert took off in his F-16 in November 2006 for a mission near Baghdad.
Now that U.S. forces have left Iraq, his family wonders who will look for his body to bring it home to Texas.
The 22nd combat mission for the Texas Tech grad would earn him the Distinguished Flying cross with valor, one of the nation's highest military awards.
He's credited with saving about 20 American commandos under fire.
"They say he was very calm," said the hero's mom, Kaye Gilbert. "He told this young man on the ground, 'I will not leave you.'"
According to witnesses, Maj. Gilbert destroyed one gun truck, then turned sharply to attack a second.
"Of course, he was already too low to begin with to do a strafing run," said his father, Ronnie Gilbert. "He went ahead and did it."
Kaye finished her husband's thought: "...because they were calling him from the ground saying, 'We're dying down here.' And when someone says, 'I'm dying down here,' you do everything you can."
The jet's tail hit the ground. Maj. Gilbert died instantly.
read more here
by JIM DOUGLAS
WFAA
Posted on February 6, 2012
NEWS 8 EXCLUSIVE
Maj. Troy Gilbert took off in his F-16 in November 2006 for a mission near Baghdad.
Now that U.S. forces have left Iraq, his family wonders who will look for his body to bring it home to Texas.
The 22nd combat mission for the Texas Tech grad would earn him the Distinguished Flying cross with valor, one of the nation's highest military awards.
He's credited with saving about 20 American commandos under fire.
"They say he was very calm," said the hero's mom, Kaye Gilbert. "He told this young man on the ground, 'I will not leave you.'"
According to witnesses, Maj. Gilbert destroyed one gun truck, then turned sharply to attack a second.
"Of course, he was already too low to begin with to do a strafing run," said his father, Ronnie Gilbert. "He went ahead and did it."
Kaye finished her husband's thought: "...because they were calling him from the ground saying, 'We're dying down here.' And when someone says, 'I'm dying down here,' you do everything you can."
The jet's tail hit the ground. Maj. Gilbert died instantly.
read more here
Madigan PTSD denials were about saving money, not lives
When AP reported in September of 2011 this,
Not much changed after this report came out in 2008.
A third of military suicides told of plans to die it stated that "About 46 percent had been seen at a military treatment facility sometime in the 90 days before death. The treatment services include physical and behavioral health, substance abuse, family advocacy and chaplains."It should have caused the American public to flood their elected officials offices with angry phone calls, but not much has changed since this report came out.
Not much changed after this report came out in 2008.
VA denies money a factor in PTSD diagnosesDo you really think anything is going to change now that this report came out?
The Associated Press - The Associated Press
Posted : Tuesday Jun 3, 2008 6:12:45 EDT
WASHINGTON — A Veterans Affairs Department psychologist denies that she was trying to save money when she suggested that counselors make fewer diagnoses of post-traumatic stress disorder in injured soldiers.
Norma Perez, who helps coordinate a post-traumatic stress disorder clinical team in central Texas, indicated she might have been out of line to cite growing disability claims in her March 20 e-mail titled “Suggestion.” She said her intent was simply to remind staffers that stress symptoms could also be adjustment disorder. The less severe diagnosis could save VA millions of dollars in disability payouts.
“In retrospect, I realize I did not adequately convey my message appropriately, but my intent was unequivocally to improve the quality of care our veterans received,” Perez said in testimony prepared for delivery Wednesday before a Senate panel.
The Senate Veterans’ Affairs Committee and the VA inspector general are investigating whether there were broader VA policy motives behind the e-mail, which was obtained and disclosed last month by two watchdog groups. VA has strenuously denied that cost-cutting is a factor in its treatment decisions.
“One question that was raised repeatedly about this latest e-mail was, ‘Why would a clinician be so concerned about the compensation rolls?”’ said Sen. Daniel Akaka, D-Hawaii, who chairs the Senate panel. “As an oversight body, we must know whether the actions of these VA employees point to a systemic indifference to invisible wounds.”
VA Secretary James Peake has called Perez’s e-mail suggestion “inappropriate.” VA officials this week said her e-mail was taken out of context.
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Madigan memo on PTSD costs sparked Army review
February 6, 2012
A memo about a psychiatrist's remarks about costs of treating post-traumatic stress disorder has helped spark what the Army Regional Medical Command calls a "top-to-bottom" review of a Madigan Army Medical Center forensic psychiatric team charged with screening soldiers under consideration for medical retirement.
By Hal Bernton
Seattle Times staff reporter
In a lecture to colleagues, a Madigan Army Medical Center psychiatrist said a soldier who retires with a post-traumatic-stress-disorder diagnosis could eventually receive $1.5 million in government payments, according to a memo by a Western Regional Medical Command ombudsman who attended the September presentation.
The psychiatrist went on to claim the rate of such diagnoses eventually could cause the Army and Department of Veterans Affairs to go broke.
"He (the psychiatrist) stated that we have to be good stewards of the tax payers dollars, and we have to ensure that we are just not 'rubber stamping' a soldier with the diagnoses of PTSD," stated the ombudsman's memo.
That memo has helped spark what the Army Medical Command calls a "top-to-bottom" review of a Madigan forensic psychiatric team charged with screening soldiers under consideration for medical retirement.
read more here
Iraq veteran lost hands but found passion as artist
Iraq veteran lost hands but found passion as artist
by
Chaplain Kathie
This has to be one of my favorite people! Pete Damon lost his hands in Iraq but manages to paint beautifully! Go to his site at the below link and see some more of his artwork.
" Nantucket Light" 6"x6" oil on canvasboard $200
Here is another painting I did over the summer that's been hanging around my studio. It depicts the Brant Point lighthouse on the picturesque island of Nantucket, MA. It is often photographed, and painted probably equally as much. If ever asked, I would have to say that this particular lighthouse is Nantucket's "signature" lighthouse.
I wish I had something more current to post. At present, I am working on a very large painting which will be submitted to the National Veterans' Creative Arts Competition. The deadline for submissions is next Monday. As usual, I am feverishly working to complete the piece so that I can compete this year. Last year, I opted out. In 2009 I won third prize nationally . This year I hope to win big. Wish me luck.
Pete Damon
I am an artist and a severely wounded Iraq war veteran. In October of 2003 I lost parts of both my arms while serving in Iraq as a helicopter mechanic in the military. The accident killed my buddy, SPC. Paul J Bueche 19, of Daphne AL. Since then, art has become a huge source of therapy for me, both physically and mentally. Painting has given me a new perspective on life. I've made a promise to Paul to make the most of it. This website is dedicated to him.
by
Chaplain Kathie
This has to be one of my favorite people! Pete Damon lost his hands in Iraq but manages to paint beautifully! Go to his site at the below link and see some more of his artwork.
" Nantucket Light" 6"x6" oil on canvasboard $200
Here is another painting I did over the summer that's been hanging around my studio. It depicts the Brant Point lighthouse on the picturesque island of Nantucket, MA. It is often photographed, and painted probably equally as much. If ever asked, I would have to say that this particular lighthouse is Nantucket's "signature" lighthouse.
I wish I had something more current to post. At present, I am working on a very large painting which will be submitted to the National Veterans' Creative Arts Competition. The deadline for submissions is next Monday. As usual, I am feverishly working to complete the piece so that I can compete this year. Last year, I opted out. In 2009 I won third prize nationally . This year I hope to win big. Wish me luck.
I am an artist and a severely wounded Iraq war veteran. In October of 2003 I lost parts of both my arms while serving in Iraq as a helicopter mechanic in the military. The accident killed my buddy, SPC. Paul J Bueche 19, of Daphne AL. Since then, art has become a huge source of therapy for me, both physically and mentally. Painting has given me a new perspective on life. I've made a promise to Paul to make the most of it. This website is dedicated to him.
Chaplain from St. Augustine featured in Washington Post
Chaplains hear call to serve God while serving country
By Debra Rubin
Religion News Service,
By Debra Rubin
Religion News Service,
As a student at the U.S. Naval Academy in Annapolis, Md., Aaron Kleinman was the “Jew who did Jewish stuff.” Although he served two years as president of the academy’s Jewish Midshipmen Club, becoming a rabbi had never really entered his mind. If he hadn’t experienced deployments on two carrier ships that didn’t have onboard Jewish chaplains, it might have remained that way.
Kleinman, 38, had grown up in a Conservative Jewish home. When he was stationed in St. Augustine, Fla., he and his wife gradually grew comfortable with an Orthodox lifestyle.
Kleinman, who already had begun studies “to fill in some the gaps in my Jewish knowledge,” left active duty in 2005 for the reserves. But the rabbi shortage was growing more acute. Kleinman saw the number of Navy rabbis drop from 15 in 1995 to seven a decade later.
“Sometime around then, I realized that I needed to become a chaplain,” said the rabbi, a lieutenant stationed aboard the USS Harry S. Truman in his hometown of Norfolk, Va. “As someone who had proven compatibility with the military lifestyle, this was something I should do.”
Thirty-five rabbis are on active military duty, 13 of them in the Navy.
Kleinman was ordained in 2007 through a military chaplaincy program offered by the Yeshiva Pirchei Shoshanim in Lakewood, N.J. “If I felt there were enough Jewish chaplains to go around,” he said, “I don’t know if the interest to be a rabbi would have come to me.”
read more here
Veteran sues after SWAT response to his call to National Suicide Hotline for help
That's not the Help He Wanted
By IULIA FILIP
(CN) - A depressed Army reservist who made a phone call for help says dozens of police responded by surrounding his home and arresting him, vandalizing and searching his place without a warrant, seizing his dog and killing his tropical fish.
Matthew Corrigan, who lives alone with his dog, sued the District of Columbia in D.C. Federal Court.
Confronted with a massive police presence after his plea for help, Corrigan says, he denied officers permission to enter his house, but they entered and trashed it anyway, saying, "I don't have time to play this constitutional bullshit!"
Corrigan says the debacle started on Feb. 2, 2010.
"Corrigan telephoned what he believed to be the 'Military's Emotional Support Hotline' because he was depressed and had not slept for several days," the complaint states.
"The number Corrigan called was in fact the National Suicide Hotline. When he stated that he was a veteran, he was asked if he had firearms, to which he said yes. He said nothing about being suicidal or using a firearm or threatening anyone. After a short conversation, Corrigan hung up, turned off the phone, took prescribed sleeping medication, and went to bed.
"At approximately 4 a.m. in the morning of Feb. 3, 2010, Corrigan awoke because he heard his name being called over a bullhorn. There were floodlights outside his front and back doors and an estimated 8 police officers in the back yard and 20 in the front yard.
"Corrigan turned on his phone and found that Officer Fischer of the 5th District was calling him, asking him to come out, which he did at about 4:50 a.m., locking the door behind him. He was handcuffed and put in the back of a SWAT truck.
read more here
By IULIA FILIP
(CN) - A depressed Army reservist who made a phone call for help says dozens of police responded by surrounding his home and arresting him, vandalizing and searching his place without a warrant, seizing his dog and killing his tropical fish.
Matthew Corrigan, who lives alone with his dog, sued the District of Columbia in D.C. Federal Court.
Confronted with a massive police presence after his plea for help, Corrigan says, he denied officers permission to enter his house, but they entered and trashed it anyway, saying, "I don't have time to play this constitutional bullshit!"
Corrigan says the debacle started on Feb. 2, 2010.
"Corrigan telephoned what he believed to be the 'Military's Emotional Support Hotline' because he was depressed and had not slept for several days," the complaint states.
"The number Corrigan called was in fact the National Suicide Hotline. When he stated that he was a veteran, he was asked if he had firearms, to which he said yes. He said nothing about being suicidal or using a firearm or threatening anyone. After a short conversation, Corrigan hung up, turned off the phone, took prescribed sleeping medication, and went to bed.
"At approximately 4 a.m. in the morning of Feb. 3, 2010, Corrigan awoke because he heard his name being called over a bullhorn. There were floodlights outside his front and back doors and an estimated 8 police officers in the back yard and 20 in the front yard.
"Corrigan turned on his phone and found that Officer Fischer of the 5th District was calling him, asking him to come out, which he did at about 4:50 a.m., locking the door behind him. He was handcuffed and put in the back of a SWAT truck.
read more here
Despite Ceremony, NY Fort's Skeletons not Buried
Despite Ceremony, NY Fort's Skeletons not Buried
February 07, 2012
Associated Press|by Chris Carola
LAKE GEORGE, N.Y. -- For decades, tourists visiting this popular Adirondack village could gape at the skeletons of soldiers from nearby French and Indian War sites. Then in 1993, a somber reburial ceremony was held to finally put the remains to rest.
Only that never happened.
Almost all of the 18th-century skeletons were never buried. Instead, the collection of remains eventually was taken to Arizona and Canada for study and has yet to be returned for reburial. In this small upstate New York town that was the real-life setting for the historical events depicted in "The Last of the Mohicans," people had no idea.
"Most of them aren't there?" asked Robert Blais, mayor of Lake George since 1971, who learned about the decision from The Associated Press.
The AP spoke to archaeologists who have dug at the site, fort officials and the anthropologists who have the remains to confirm that the bulk of the skeleton collection is not at the fort.
Now, the people behind the decision are publicly discussing for the first time how such important artifacts left Lake George, and why they haven't been returned after nearly two decades.
read more here
February 07, 2012
Associated Press|by Chris Carola
LAKE GEORGE, N.Y. -- For decades, tourists visiting this popular Adirondack village could gape at the skeletons of soldiers from nearby French and Indian War sites. Then in 1993, a somber reburial ceremony was held to finally put the remains to rest.
Only that never happened.
Almost all of the 18th-century skeletons were never buried. Instead, the collection of remains eventually was taken to Arizona and Canada for study and has yet to be returned for reburial. In this small upstate New York town that was the real-life setting for the historical events depicted in "The Last of the Mohicans," people had no idea.
"Most of them aren't there?" asked Robert Blais, mayor of Lake George since 1971, who learned about the decision from The Associated Press.
The AP spoke to archaeologists who have dug at the site, fort officials and the anthropologists who have the remains to confirm that the bulk of the skeleton collection is not at the fort.
Now, the people behind the decision are publicly discussing for the first time how such important artifacts left Lake George, and why they haven't been returned after nearly two decades.
read more here
Little Rock citizens don't want Veterans Center because "beautiful heritage is at stake"???
Does this make sense to you? Why is it people always say they love veterans but love them more when they are out of sight? Their "beautiful heritage" looks a bit tarnished now.
Neighbors opposed to VA Center in downtown area
8:22 PM, Feb 6, 2012
Written by
Pam Baccam
LITTLE ROCK, Ark. (KTHV) -- The Little Rock City council will vote on an ordinance tomorrow, which could determine the fate of a new Veterans Affairs center.
The VA has plans to move into the old Cook Jeep dealership on Main Street. If the city amends an ordinance, the VA would have to apply for a permit.
The VA announced last month plans to expand services to Main Street, but some residents in the area are upset they did not have a chance to voice their opinions on the clinic.
Jo Summar and Dick Kelley live near Little Rock's Main Street. They're neighbors and want to see the area thrive as it once was.
"Our beautiful heritage is at stake here."
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FAA told to make room for drones in U.S. skies
FAA told to make room for drones in U.S. skies
By Bart Jansen, USA TODAY
WASHINGTON – Within a few years, that flying object overhead might not be a bird or a plane, but an unmanned aircraft.
Drones, perhaps best known for their combat missions in Afghanistan, are increasingly looking to share room in U.S. skies with passenger planes. And that's prompting safety concerns.
Right now, remote-controlled drones are used in the U.S. mostly by the military and Customs and Border Patrol in restricted airspace.
Now, organizations from police forces searching for missing persons to academic researchers counting seals on the polar ice cap is eager to launch drones weighing a few pounds to some the size of a jetliner in the same airspace as passenger planes.
On Monday, the Senate sent to President Obama legislation that would require the Federal Aviation Administration to devise ways for that to happen safely in three years.
"It's about coming up with a plan where everybody can get along," says Doug Marshall, a New Mexico State University professor helping develop regulations and standards. "Nobody wants to get hurt. Nobody wants to cause an accident."
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By Bart Jansen, USA TODAY
WASHINGTON – Within a few years, that flying object overhead might not be a bird or a plane, but an unmanned aircraft.
Drones, perhaps best known for their combat missions in Afghanistan, are increasingly looking to share room in U.S. skies with passenger planes. And that's prompting safety concerns.
Right now, remote-controlled drones are used in the U.S. mostly by the military and Customs and Border Patrol in restricted airspace.
Now, organizations from police forces searching for missing persons to academic researchers counting seals on the polar ice cap is eager to launch drones weighing a few pounds to some the size of a jetliner in the same airspace as passenger planes.
On Monday, the Senate sent to President Obama legislation that would require the Federal Aviation Administration to devise ways for that to happen safely in three years.
"It's about coming up with a plan where everybody can get along," says Doug Marshall, a New Mexico State University professor helping develop regulations and standards. "Nobody wants to get hurt. Nobody wants to cause an accident."
read more here
Monday, February 6, 2012
Defense cuts test lawmakers’ resolve on deficit
Defense cuts test lawmakers’ resolve on deficit
By Donna Cassata - The Associated Press
Posted : Monday Feb 6, 2012 13:03:48 EST
WASHINGTON — President Barack Obama’s call to shrink the military, shut bases and cancel weapons to meet the demand for budget cuts tests the resolve of lawmakers who came to Washington determined to slash the deficit.
A new national security strategy reflecting an end to decade-long wars in Iraq and Afghanistan offers the opportunity to reduce defense spending and government deficits by hundreds of billions of dollars over the next 10 years — but at a cost of thousands of jobs in lawmakers’ states and districts.
Democrats as well as Republicans are resisting, looking to protect home turf from California, where the Global Hawk unmanned aircraft is built, to Wisconsin, home to speedy Littoral combat ships, to military installations all across the country.
“It’s funny that we want to save money everywhere except when it can bother us,” Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., said in an interview. Graham is a member of the Armed Services Committee and one of the few lawmakers who favors another round of domestic base closings.
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By Donna Cassata - The Associated Press
Posted : Monday Feb 6, 2012 13:03:48 EST
WASHINGTON — President Barack Obama’s call to shrink the military, shut bases and cancel weapons to meet the demand for budget cuts tests the resolve of lawmakers who came to Washington determined to slash the deficit.
A new national security strategy reflecting an end to decade-long wars in Iraq and Afghanistan offers the opportunity to reduce defense spending and government deficits by hundreds of billions of dollars over the next 10 years — but at a cost of thousands of jobs in lawmakers’ states and districts.
Democrats as well as Republicans are resisting, looking to protect home turf from California, where the Global Hawk unmanned aircraft is built, to Wisconsin, home to speedy Littoral combat ships, to military installations all across the country.
“It’s funny that we want to save money everywhere except when it can bother us,” Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., said in an interview. Graham is a member of the Armed Services Committee and one of the few lawmakers who favors another round of domestic base closings.
read more here
Families link burn pits to health woes, debt
Families link burn pits to health woes, debt
By Patricia Kime - Staff writer
Posted : Monday Feb 6, 2012 13:36:19 EST
Army Reserve wife Rosie Torres, 38, stood in line Jan. 19 at a Texas Health and Human Services office to apply for assistance with her mortgage, bills and groceries.
Mounting debt related to her husband’s medical bills has pushed the couple into arrears; between insurance deductibles, house payments and overages, they owe more than $55,000.
LeRoy Torres, 39, a Reserve captain and former Texas state trooper, was assigned to Joint Base Balad, Iraq, in 2008 and believes exposure to the camp’s open-air burn pits left him with debilitating respiratory problems. He can’t walk long distances, perform daily tasks or even roughhouse with his kids.
But although he can’t work full time, between his drill pay and Rosie’s part-time pay, they make too much to qualify for a grant.
“My husband actually said that with our insurance, we’d be better off if he’s not around,” Rosie Torres said. “I don’t want to hear that. That’s not what our family needs.”
read more here
By Patricia Kime - Staff writer
Posted : Monday Feb 6, 2012 13:36:19 EST
Army Reserve wife Rosie Torres, 38, stood in line Jan. 19 at a Texas Health and Human Services office to apply for assistance with her mortgage, bills and groceries.
Mounting debt related to her husband’s medical bills has pushed the couple into arrears; between insurance deductibles, house payments and overages, they owe more than $55,000.
LeRoy Torres, 39, a Reserve captain and former Texas state trooper, was assigned to Joint Base Balad, Iraq, in 2008 and believes exposure to the camp’s open-air burn pits left him with debilitating respiratory problems. He can’t walk long distances, perform daily tasks or even roughhouse with his kids.
But although he can’t work full time, between his drill pay and Rosie’s part-time pay, they make too much to qualify for a grant.
“My husband actually said that with our insurance, we’d be better off if he’s not around,” Rosie Torres said. “I don’t want to hear that. That’s not what our family needs.”
read more here
Tucson shooting survivor poised for congressional run
Tucson shooting survivor poised for congressional run for Giffords' old seat
Ron Barber, Gabrielle Giffords' soft-spoken former state director who was wounded in the Jan. 8, 2011, mass shooting near Tucson, appears to have emerged as the frontrunner to receive the former congresswoman's endorsement in the race to finish her term.
Barber, 66, continues to cope with physical and psychological challenges related to his injuries, including post-traumatic stress disorder and a lack of stamina that leaves him exhausted after about four hours of work. But he has long been the sentimental favorite of many southern Arizona Democrats to succeed Giffords, who resigned Jan. 25. The latest chatter is that Barber will run in this year's special election to finish Giffords' third term in the current 8th Congressional District, but would not seek a full term of his own in the new 2nd Congressional District. Giffords' district was redrawn and renumbered as part of this year's redistricting process.
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Ron Barber, Gabrielle Giffords' soft-spoken former state director who was wounded in the Jan. 8, 2011, mass shooting near Tucson, appears to have emerged as the frontrunner to receive the former congresswoman's endorsement in the race to finish her term.
Barber, 66, continues to cope with physical and psychological challenges related to his injuries, including post-traumatic stress disorder and a lack of stamina that leaves him exhausted after about four hours of work. But he has long been the sentimental favorite of many southern Arizona Democrats to succeed Giffords, who resigned Jan. 25. The latest chatter is that Barber will run in this year's special election to finish Giffords' third term in the current 8th Congressional District, but would not seek a full term of his own in the new 2nd Congressional District. Giffords' district was redrawn and renumbered as part of this year's redistricting process.
read more here
Law suit says Pfizer hid birth defect risks to pregnant mothers
Feb. 6, 2012, 3:49 p.m. EST
St. Louis-based Carey, Danis & Lowe Announces Suit Against the Maker of Zoloft
Alleges Pfizer hid birth defect risks to pregnant mothers prescribed the antidepressant
ST. LOUIS, Feb 06, 2012 (BUSINESS WIRE) -- St. Louis--based law firm Carey, Danis & Lowe announces the filing of a lawsuit on behalf of 18 plaintiffs against Pfizer PFE +0.05% , maker of the antidepressant drug Zoloft.
Zoloft (generic name sertraline) belongs to a class of drugs known as selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors, or SSRIs. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has approved Zoloft for the treatment of major depressive disorder, obsessive-compulsive disorder, panic disorder, acute post--traumatic stress disorder, premenstrual dysphoric disorder and social anxiety disorder.
The lawsuit, Shainyah Lancaster, et al. v. Pfizer, Inc., cause no. 1222-CC00766, was filed on Feb. 2 in St. Louis Circuit Court on behalf of 18 children born with defects after their mothers were prescribed Zoloft while pregnant. The suit was brought on behalf of the plaintiffs by the law firms of Carey, Danis & Lowe; Matthews & Associates; Freese & Goss; and Clark, Burnett, Love & Lee.
The suit notes that SSRIs have been found to cause severe birth defects in the children of women who were prescribed the drug while pregnant and alleges that Pfizer knew or should have known of SSRI studies revealing that children born to mothers who had taken SSRIs during pregnancy had a greater risk of congenital birth defects such as atrial septal defect, multiple holes in the heart and persistent pulmonary hypertension of the newborn. The plaintiffs also allege that Pfizer knew that physicians were prescribing Zoloft to women of childbearing age but failed to adequately warn the medical community and the public of the danger.
read more here
St. Louis-based Carey, Danis & Lowe Announces Suit Against the Maker of Zoloft
Alleges Pfizer hid birth defect risks to pregnant mothers prescribed the antidepressant
ST. LOUIS, Feb 06, 2012 (BUSINESS WIRE) -- St. Louis--based law firm Carey, Danis & Lowe announces the filing of a lawsuit on behalf of 18 plaintiffs against Pfizer PFE +0.05% , maker of the antidepressant drug Zoloft.
Zoloft (generic name sertraline) belongs to a class of drugs known as selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors, or SSRIs. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has approved Zoloft for the treatment of major depressive disorder, obsessive-compulsive disorder, panic disorder, acute post--traumatic stress disorder, premenstrual dysphoric disorder and social anxiety disorder.
The lawsuit, Shainyah Lancaster, et al. v. Pfizer, Inc., cause no. 1222-CC00766, was filed on Feb. 2 in St. Louis Circuit Court on behalf of 18 children born with defects after their mothers were prescribed Zoloft while pregnant. The suit was brought on behalf of the plaintiffs by the law firms of Carey, Danis & Lowe; Matthews & Associates; Freese & Goss; and Clark, Burnett, Love & Lee.
The suit notes that SSRIs have been found to cause severe birth defects in the children of women who were prescribed the drug while pregnant and alleges that Pfizer knew or should have known of SSRI studies revealing that children born to mothers who had taken SSRIs during pregnancy had a greater risk of congenital birth defects such as atrial septal defect, multiple holes in the heart and persistent pulmonary hypertension of the newborn. The plaintiffs also allege that Pfizer knew that physicians were prescribing Zoloft to women of childbearing age but failed to adequately warn the medical community and the public of the danger.
read more here
Fort Benning soldier arrested in 5-vehicle crash that kills one, injures 7
Fort Benning soldier arrested in 5-vehicle crash that kills one, injures 7
Posted: Feb 05, 2012
By Taylor Kinkade
COLUMBUS, GA (WTVM) -
A five vehicle crash in Columbus Saturday night left one man dead, injured several others and has landed a Fort Benning soldier in jail.
Jacob Keller is in the Muscogee County Jail, charged with vehicular homicide, reckless driving, and DUI after police say he caused the five car crash.
Columbus police responded to a multiple car crash at the intersection of Buena Vista and Floyd Roads just before 7 o'clock Saturday night. Upon arrival they discovered five cars that were involved in the accident, and a total of seven people who were injured from the crash.
read more here
Posted: Feb 05, 2012
By Taylor Kinkade
COLUMBUS, GA (WTVM) -
A five vehicle crash in Columbus Saturday night left one man dead, injured several others and has landed a Fort Benning soldier in jail.
Jacob Keller is in the Muscogee County Jail, charged with vehicular homicide, reckless driving, and DUI after police say he caused the five car crash.
Columbus police responded to a multiple car crash at the intersection of Buena Vista and Floyd Roads just before 7 o'clock Saturday night. Upon arrival they discovered five cars that were involved in the accident, and a total of seven people who were injured from the crash.
read more here
101st Airborne Division soldier gunned down in Kentucky
101st Airborne Division Soldier Killed
February 6, 2012
Fort Campbell, KY – A 101st Airborne Division Soldier was found dead in the 400 block of Fidelio road, Hopkinsville, KY February 3rd. The soldier died from multiple gunshot wounds and the incident remains under investigation by local authorities, along with the U.S. Army Criminal Investigation Command.
Sergeant Vincent Edward Goslyn Jr., 28, of Cadillac, MI was a Quartermaster and Chemical equipment repairer, assigned to 4th Battalion, 101st Aviation Regiment, 159th Combat Aviation Brigade, 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault).
read more here
February 6, 2012
Fort Campbell, KY – A 101st Airborne Division Soldier was found dead in the 400 block of Fidelio road, Hopkinsville, KY February 3rd. The soldier died from multiple gunshot wounds and the incident remains under investigation by local authorities, along with the U.S. Army Criminal Investigation Command.
Sergeant Vincent Edward Goslyn Jr., 28, of Cadillac, MI was a Quartermaster and Chemical equipment repairer, assigned to 4th Battalion, 101st Aviation Regiment, 159th Combat Aviation Brigade, 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault).
read more here
Veterans of Iraq War Also Deserve Parade in New York City
When Gulf War veterans came home and marched in parades in their honor, Vietnam veterans cried because it was something they never had. Now, they are honored and respected but no one can undo what should have been done back then. Don't let these veterans regret honor coming too late for them.
Veterans of Iraq War Also Deserve Parade in City, Some Argue
By KATE TAYLOR
Published: February 6, 2012
The New York Giants on Tuesday will be showered with confetti and greeted by throngs as they are feted with the city’s most storied honor: a parade through its Canyon of Heroes.
But all the fanfare — the parade this week is the fourth since 2000 to honor a sports team — has touched off anger and unease among some returned Iraq veterans, who are eagerly awaiting their own recognition.
“Everybody recognizes that the Giants deserve a parade,” said Paul Rieckhoff, founder and executive director of Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America. But, he added, “If a football team gets a parade, shouldn’t our veterans?”
Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg, who has long expressed his regret that the United States did not do a better job honoring veterans of the Vietnam War in the 1970s, has cited advice from the Pentagon in deciding it was not appropriate to hold a parade while American soldiers are still fighting in Afghanistan.
But a growing coalition of veterans, elected officials and other public figures are disagreeing, saying it is time to celebrate the men and women who served in Iraq.
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Moreno Family of PTSD Veteran Wants To Help Those With PTSD
Vet's Family Speak After His Death
Moreno Family Wants To Help Those With PTSD
POSTED: 9:10 am MST February 6, 2012
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. -- The family of a young veteran who died in a car accident on Friday night spoke recently with Action 7 News.
Albuquerque police said they still cannot say whether Phillip Moreno, 23, died from the crash impact or medical issues he was experiencing as he rode to the hospital. A friend was driving Phillip Moreno to the hospital when their car was hit after turning into oncoming traffic.
It's a tragedy that's struck the Moreno family to the core.
"You know, He was a survivor. His sister called him Superman," his mother, Lydia Moreno, said.
Police said Phillip Moreno was going to the hospital for a possible overdose. The young Marine veteran told his family that medication wasn't helping his anxiety and post-traumatic stress disorder.
"You could see that this kid who left Albuquerque, he was different when he came back. He wasn't wounded physically. He was wounded mentally," his father, Jim Moreno, said.
read more here
Moreno Family Wants To Help Those With PTSD
POSTED: 9:10 am MST February 6, 2012
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. -- The family of a young veteran who died in a car accident on Friday night spoke recently with Action 7 News.
Albuquerque police said they still cannot say whether Phillip Moreno, 23, died from the crash impact or medical issues he was experiencing as he rode to the hospital. A friend was driving Phillip Moreno to the hospital when their car was hit after turning into oncoming traffic.
It's a tragedy that's struck the Moreno family to the core.
"You know, He was a survivor. His sister called him Superman," his mother, Lydia Moreno, said.
Police said Phillip Moreno was going to the hospital for a possible overdose. The young Marine veteran told his family that medication wasn't helping his anxiety and post-traumatic stress disorder.
"You could see that this kid who left Albuquerque, he was different when he came back. He wasn't wounded physically. He was wounded mentally," his father, Jim Moreno, said.
read more here
Troops in Afghanistan long distance "tailgate" Super Bowl
Thousands of miles away from home, soldiers celebrate Super Bowl XLVI in war zone
504th Battlefield Surveillance Brigade
Story by Sgt. Marc Loi
FORWARD OPERATING BASE SPIN BOLDAK, Afghanistan – When Giants quarterback Eli Manning hit wide receiver Victor Cruz for a 2-yard touchdown pass in the first quarter of Super Bowl XLVI , nearly 7,000 miles from Indianapolis, in a tent just north of the Afghan-Pakistan border, the crowd erupted, breaking the early-morning silence on the dark, muddy forward operating base.
Although they conducted combat operations as usual on Super Bowl Sunday, the soldiers of the 504th Battlefield Surveillance Brigade, deployed here in support of Operation Enduring Freedom from Fort Hood, Texas, also got a chance to watch the 46th annual NFL championship, and in doing so, experienced a duality that brought back memories of Super Bowls past, yet at the same time, subtly reminded them they were still in a war zone.
There were still paper plates heaping with food – hot wings and pizza, meatballs and onion rings – all the snack items that are parts of the Americana they’d swore to protect. Yet, when the soldiers raised their glasses to celebrate a touchdown, it was with non-alcoholic beers and carbonated beverages instead of the potent potables that would have overflowed had they been home.
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504th Battlefield Surveillance Brigade
Story by Sgt. Marc Loi
FORWARD OPERATING BASE SPIN BOLDAK, Afghanistan – When Giants quarterback Eli Manning hit wide receiver Victor Cruz for a 2-yard touchdown pass in the first quarter of Super Bowl XLVI , nearly 7,000 miles from Indianapolis, in a tent just north of the Afghan-Pakistan border, the crowd erupted, breaking the early-morning silence on the dark, muddy forward operating base.
Although they conducted combat operations as usual on Super Bowl Sunday, the soldiers of the 504th Battlefield Surveillance Brigade, deployed here in support of Operation Enduring Freedom from Fort Hood, Texas, also got a chance to watch the 46th annual NFL championship, and in doing so, experienced a duality that brought back memories of Super Bowls past, yet at the same time, subtly reminded them they were still in a war zone.
There were still paper plates heaping with food – hot wings and pizza, meatballs and onion rings – all the snack items that are parts of the Americana they’d swore to protect. Yet, when the soldiers raised their glasses to celebrate a touchdown, it was with non-alcoholic beers and carbonated beverages instead of the potent potables that would have overflowed had they been home.
read more here
Creating ice sculpture stirs emotions in US military team
Creating ice sculpture stirs emotions in US military team
By MATTHEW M. BURKE
Stars and Stripes
Published: February 6, 2012
SASEBO NAVAL BASE, Japan — Last week, sailors from Naval Air Facility Misawa made the daylong journey to Sapporo, Japan to play in the snow. However, it was by no means a vacation.
For the past 28 years, sailors from Misawa have traveled to the Sapporo Snow Festival, located on the northern island of Hokkaido, and participated in their snow sculpture showcase, which draws world-class snow sculptors and tourists from around the world.
This year was different, however, as some of the sailors involved carried with them the emotions and fellowship of having participated in relief operations after the March 11 earthquake and tsunami that devastated northern Japan.
As the six-sailor delegation finished their bust reprisal of the Navy’s iconic “Lone Sailor” statue, which is located at the U.S. Navy Memorial in Washington D.C., Chief Christopher “Billy” Knox said they decided to make a last-minute addition to the meticulously planned work of art.
They added “Tomodachi,” the name of the relief operation, in Japanese script under the sailor’s chin.
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By MATTHEW M. BURKE
Stars and Stripes
Published: February 6, 2012
On Saturday, Navy sailors and an airman from Naval Air Facility Misawa displayed their finished contribution to the 63rd Annual Sapporo Snow Festival, ''The Lone Sailor'' snow sculpture.
DANIEL SANFORD/COURTESY OF THE U.S. NAVY
SASEBO NAVAL BASE, Japan — Last week, sailors from Naval Air Facility Misawa made the daylong journey to Sapporo, Japan to play in the snow. However, it was by no means a vacation.
For the past 28 years, sailors from Misawa have traveled to the Sapporo Snow Festival, located on the northern island of Hokkaido, and participated in their snow sculpture showcase, which draws world-class snow sculptors and tourists from around the world.
This year was different, however, as some of the sailors involved carried with them the emotions and fellowship of having participated in relief operations after the March 11 earthquake and tsunami that devastated northern Japan.
As the six-sailor delegation finished their bust reprisal of the Navy’s iconic “Lone Sailor” statue, which is located at the U.S. Navy Memorial in Washington D.C., Chief Christopher “Billy” Knox said they decided to make a last-minute addition to the meticulously planned work of art.
They added “Tomodachi,” the name of the relief operation, in Japanese script under the sailor’s chin.
read more here
Vietnam Veteran awarded Silver Star after 45 years
Fairbanks Vietnam veteran honored for war heroics
by Reba Lean / rlean@newsminer.com
Feb 05, 2012
FAIRBANKS — The memories are still vivid, former Staff Sgt. Paul Taylor said. That was why after receiving the third-highest decoration in all U.S. military branches, he had his daughter, Laura, say his thanks.
Taylor, 68, received the Silver Star award Saturday at Fort Wainwright, 45 years after an act of heroism that saved a fellow soldier’s life and sent Taylor to a nine-month stay in the hospital. After earning the award Jan. 17, 1967, the paperwork got lost in the shuffle, and Taylor never received recognition.
Taylor joined the U.S. Army in 1964, during a period of heightening U.S. involvement in the Vietnam War.
He voluntarily joined because, he said, he didn’t want a run-of-the-mill job, like cooking or driving.
“If I was going to go into the Army, I wanted to do something exciting,” he said.
What Taylor really wanted to do was become part of a special forces unit. He remembers the window of opportunity to join a special forces unit was closing, when he decided to call one legendary Mrs. Billye Alexander — an employee of the Pentagon’s personnel office, who wrote the transfer orders for special forces soldiers.
He asked if he could be sent to Vietnam with a unit.
by Reba Lean / rlean@newsminer.com
Feb 05, 2012
FAIRBANKS — The memories are still vivid, former Staff Sgt. Paul Taylor said. That was why after receiving the third-highest decoration in all U.S. military branches, he had his daughter, Laura, say his thanks.
Taylor, 68, received the Silver Star award Saturday at Fort Wainwright, 45 years after an act of heroism that saved a fellow soldier’s life and sent Taylor to a nine-month stay in the hospital. After earning the award Jan. 17, 1967, the paperwork got lost in the shuffle, and Taylor never received recognition.
Taylor joined the U.S. Army in 1964, during a period of heightening U.S. involvement in the Vietnam War.
He voluntarily joined because, he said, he didn’t want a run-of-the-mill job, like cooking or driving.
“If I was going to go into the Army, I wanted to do something exciting,” he said.
What Taylor really wanted to do was become part of a special forces unit. He remembers the window of opportunity to join a special forces unit was closing, when he decided to call one legendary Mrs. Billye Alexander — an employee of the Pentagon’s personnel office, who wrote the transfer orders for special forces soldiers.
He asked if he could be sent to Vietnam with a unit.
On Jan. 17, 1966, Taylor’s platoon was on patrol when it came under heavy gun fire. Taylor and another soldier led a charge toward the enemy’s machine gun, but were wounded. They were trapped in a rice paddy. The platoon’s senior medic, Taylor dragged his fellow soldier to safety and continued the attack on the enemy. He ensured the safety of the soldier and his platoon before being transported to a hospital with three gun shot wounds for a nine-month stay. He medically retired that year.
read more here
In Afghan War, Officer Becomes a Whistle-Blower
In Afghan War, Officer Becomes a Whistle-Blower
By SCOTT SHANE
Published: February 5, 2012
WASHINGTON — On his second yearlong deployment to Afghanistan, Lt. Col. Daniel L. Davis traveled 9,000 miles, patrolled with American troops in eight provinces and returned in October of last year with a fervent conviction that the war was going disastrously and that senior military leaders had not leveled with the American public.
Since enlisting in the Army in 1985, he said, he had repeatedly seen top commanders falsely dress up a dismal situation. But this time, he would not let it rest. So he consulted with his pastor at McLean Bible Church in Virginia, where he sings in the choir. He watched his favorite movie, “Mr. Smith Goes to Washington,” one more time, drawing inspiration from Jimmy Stewart’s role as the extraordinary ordinary man who takes on a corrupt establishment.
And then, late last month, Colonel Davis, 48, began an unusual one-man campaign of military truth-telling. He wrote two reports, one unclassified and the other classified, summarizing his observations on the candor gap with respect to Afghanistan. He briefed four members of Congress and a dozen staff members, spoke with a reporter for The New York Times, sent his reports to the Defense Department’s inspector general — and only then informed his chain of command that he had done so.
read more here
By SCOTT SHANE
Published: February 5, 2012
WASHINGTON — On his second yearlong deployment to Afghanistan, Lt. Col. Daniel L. Davis traveled 9,000 miles, patrolled with American troops in eight provinces and returned in October of last year with a fervent conviction that the war was going disastrously and that senior military leaders had not leveled with the American public.
Since enlisting in the Army in 1985, he said, he had repeatedly seen top commanders falsely dress up a dismal situation. But this time, he would not let it rest. So he consulted with his pastor at McLean Bible Church in Virginia, where he sings in the choir. He watched his favorite movie, “Mr. Smith Goes to Washington,” one more time, drawing inspiration from Jimmy Stewart’s role as the extraordinary ordinary man who takes on a corrupt establishment.
And then, late last month, Colonel Davis, 48, began an unusual one-man campaign of military truth-telling. He wrote two reports, one unclassified and the other classified, summarizing his observations on the candor gap with respect to Afghanistan. He briefed four members of Congress and a dozen staff members, spoke with a reporter for The New York Times, sent his reports to the Defense Department’s inspector general — and only then informed his chain of command that he had done so.
read more here
Wife Arrested; Charged with Death of Fort Campbell Soldier Husband
Wife Arrested; Charged with Death of Soldier Husband
Posted: Feb 05, 2012
CHRISTIAN COUNTY, Ky.- Christian County officials aren't releasing many details, but they believe Jessie Goslyn is responsible for the death of her husband and Fort Campbell solider, Vincent Goslyn.
Investigators say Jessie Goslyn implicated herself in the crime during an interview with deputies Saturday morning. She is now behind bars charged with murder along with another man, 24-year-old Jarred Long. He was picked up in Colorado, but detectives say he was a part of this murder in Christian County Friday night.
read more here
Posted: Feb 05, 2012
CHRISTIAN COUNTY, Ky.- Christian County officials aren't releasing many details, but they believe Jessie Goslyn is responsible for the death of her husband and Fort Campbell solider, Vincent Goslyn.
Investigators say Jessie Goslyn implicated herself in the crime during an interview with deputies Saturday morning. She is now behind bars charged with murder along with another man, 24-year-old Jarred Long. He was picked up in Colorado, but detectives say he was a part of this murder in Christian County Friday night.
read more here
1 million veterans donate blood to help someone else
Project seeks 1 million veterans to give blood, DNA for disease research
Department of Veterans Affairs working to uncover genetic mysteries
By Meredith Cohn, The Baltimore Sun
4:23 p.m. EST, February 5, 2012
Actually, more than a few are needed. Officials overseeing health care for the nation's veterans are undertaking what may be the largest effort of its kind in the nation, to collect medical records and blood samples from a million former service members for a bank of genetic information.
The idea is to give researchers enough DNA and other data to link specific genes to mental and physical maladies, from post-traumatic stress disorder to heart disease, and eventually develop new preventive measures or treatments.
"We did tell them that this may not benefit them directly," said Dr. Joel Kupersmith, the VA's chief research and development officer. "But vets are very altruistic people and they're likely to help if you tell them it will benefit someone else."
read more here
Department of Veterans Affairs working to uncover genetic mysteries
By Meredith Cohn, The Baltimore Sun
4:23 p.m. EST, February 5, 2012
Air Force veteran Aaron Franz of Baltimore has donated his blood for a genetics project by the Veterans Administration. (Algerina Perna, Baltimore Sun / February 2, 2012)The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs is looking for a few good men and women to volunteer for a battle it's waging at home — against disease.
Actually, more than a few are needed. Officials overseeing health care for the nation's veterans are undertaking what may be the largest effort of its kind in the nation, to collect medical records and blood samples from a million former service members for a bank of genetic information.
The idea is to give researchers enough DNA and other data to link specific genes to mental and physical maladies, from post-traumatic stress disorder to heart disease, and eventually develop new preventive measures or treatments.
"We did tell them that this may not benefit them directly," said Dr. Joel Kupersmith, the VA's chief research and development officer. "But vets are very altruistic people and they're likely to help if you tell them it will benefit someone else."
read more here
Florida VA hospitals use "Yacker Tracker" because healthcare is noisy
Tampa Bay VA hospitals pump down the volume
By William R. Levesque, Times Staff Writer
In Print: Monday, February 6, 2012
Nurses might be talking up a storm outside a room. Doctors are paged. Intravenous alarms sound. Food carts rattle. Fingers pounding a computer keyboard echo like tiny jackhammers.
Jonathon Starkey, 47, said he has learned one thing about veterans hospitals through numerous operations for bad knees.
Health care is noisy.
But Tampa Bay's two veterans hospitals, the Bay Pines and James A. Haley medical centers, are testing devices that measure the decibel level on inpatient wards. Placed at nursing stations and looking like a red light signal, the device flashes red when the noise exceeds levels set by the hospital.
The device — so far, just three are installed, though more may follow — is called a "Yacker Tracker." And it can't come soon enough for Starkey, an Army veteran and Tampa resident.
"If you're sick or recovering from surgery, the thing you need more than anything is sleep," said Starkey, who has been treated at both Haley in Tampa and Bay Pines in Seminole. "But it can be as loud as a war zone. And it's annoying."
Department of Veterans Affairs officials say studies have repeatedly documented that noise can delay healing. One study noted a correlation between the increased use of painkillers and noisier hospital wards.
read more here
By William R. Levesque, Times Staff Writer
In Print: Monday, February 6, 2012
Nurses might be talking up a storm outside a room. Doctors are paged. Intravenous alarms sound. Food carts rattle. Fingers pounding a computer keyboard echo like tiny jackhammers.
Jonathon Starkey, 47, said he has learned one thing about veterans hospitals through numerous operations for bad knees.
Health care is noisy.
But Tampa Bay's two veterans hospitals, the Bay Pines and James A. Haley medical centers, are testing devices that measure the decibel level on inpatient wards. Placed at nursing stations and looking like a red light signal, the device flashes red when the noise exceeds levels set by the hospital.
The device — so far, just three are installed, though more may follow — is called a "Yacker Tracker." And it can't come soon enough for Starkey, an Army veteran and Tampa resident.
"If you're sick or recovering from surgery, the thing you need more than anything is sleep," said Starkey, who has been treated at both Haley in Tampa and Bay Pines in Seminole. "But it can be as loud as a war zone. And it's annoying."
Department of Veterans Affairs officials say studies have repeatedly documented that noise can delay healing. One study noted a correlation between the increased use of painkillers and noisier hospital wards.
read more here
Murder-suicide may have ended life of 3 tour Iraq veteran and wife
Police say ex-82nd soldier and wife from Lillington killed in Daytona Beach, Fla., murder-suicide
Feb 06, 2012
A staff report
A Harnett Central High School graduate and a former 82nd Airborne soldier were killed Saturday in Daytona Beach, Fla., in what police there called a murder-suicide.
Police found Jason Pemberton, 28, and his 25-year-old wife, Tiffany Selvia Pemberton, dead in their apartment Sunday, according to a news release. A preliminary investigation indicated Pemberton shot his wife and then himself with a rifle, the release stated.
The couple had lived in Daytona Beach for about a year.
Jason Pemberton, a native of Alabama, was a former staff sergeant with the 82nd Airborne Division. He deployed to Iraq with the 73rd Cavalry Regiment, 3rd Brigade Combat Team in 2007, according to an Army news story from that year.
Jason Pemberton served three tours in Iraq, his uncle, Darrel Pemberton, told the Daytona Beach News-Journal.
read more here
He was decorated, had Purple Hearts and was a sniper.
Iraq vet shoots and kills wife; himself in Daytona Beach
Updated: Sunday, 05 Feb 2012
By Steve Gehlbach
FOX 35 News
Police in Daytona Beach say a decorated Iraq War veteran shot and killed his young wife before turning the gun on himself.
Neighbors of the couple's apartment off of Jimmy Ann Drive thought they heard two gunshots late Saturday night, but didn't think anything was wrong Sunday morning. "When they didn't see or hear from them, they went knocked on the door, no response around 11 a.m. and they called us," says Daytona Beach Police Chief Mike Chitwood.
Officers kicked in the door and found 25 year old Tiffany Pemberton dead from a gunshot wound in the living room. Her husband, 28 year old Jason Pemberton was dead in the bedroom about 10 feet away with what appears to be a self-inflicted gunshot wound to the head from a rifle.
"He was a man that had a big heart and he just snapped," said neighbor Rick Lang of Pemberton.
"He was highly decorated, three purple hearts, was really not happy about the way he was being treated by the V.A."
read more here
Original story
Sunday, February 5, 2012
Grace after agony
Grace after agony
by
Chaplain Kathie
There are many stories that apply to this. These are some of the top ones.
And in a way, it applies to me.
It has been 30 years of a lot of crying for me trying to help our veterans heal because I know what it like when they do just as much as I know what it is like when they suffer. I know because I also live with it everyday. My husband is a wonderful example of grace after agony. He is involved with veterans groups trying to help others in whatever way possible including calling out Bingo numbers at the Community Living Center. While he'll be in therapy and on medication the rest of his life, he has arrived on the other side of the darkness. I want all of them to heal instead of suffering.
I usually end up being contacted by family members when they are suicidal or have already lost everything they had. It has also been 30 years of rejoicing for them when they have come out on the other side of darkness.
We read so many reports of them getting into trouble but what we don't read about is how amazing they are when they have carried so much pain deep inside but would still go back into combat to serve side by side with a "brother" or when they they turn that pain into trying to help someone else.
How is all of this possible? The answer is a plain as the day of the week this is. Today is Sunday. The day we remember the sacrifice of Christ, hear stories of the men he traveled with but all too often not reminded of how they died for the love of God. Christ was beaten and His hands were nailed to wooden beams. So much pain yet His last words were about the people standing there after they pounded the nails into His hands and feet. He was asking His Father to forgive them. They hated Him and thought He was worthy of death but He had only given love, compassion and mercy. He healed them, fed them and prayed for them. He was willing to die for the sake of people who hated Him just as much as those who loved Him.
Some saw what happened that day and figured Christ was a failure but look what happened out of all that.
There are a lot of people in pain today but because others have suffered, more will heal. It is because of the love they feel is stronger than the pain they felt. They are filled with the grace of God after the agony they went through just as much as God was sustaining them during it.
Dana Morgan was a Marine in Vietnam and is President of Point Man International Ministries. He holds weekly conference calls on Skype. Listening to what other leaders are doing leaves me feeling as if I am doing nothing. They work with other organizations, travel to veterans hospitals, volunteer in their communities and do whatever they can to ease the pain of others.
Jay Magee Outpost Leader in Colorado helps Fort Carson troops and veterans as well as Crawford House offering emergency housing and rehabilitation for homeless veterans, help for substance abuse and PTSD. He does it out of love just as everyone else with Point Man International Ministries.
Out of agony these men and women across the country remember their own pain well but because they also know the grace of God, they want to make sure they share that gift. When we suffer it is easy to overlook the fact that God sends others to help us. We keep wondering where He is in all of this yet never seem to notice someone showed up in His place.
by
Chaplain Kathie
There are many stories that apply to this. These are some of the top ones.
Fallen Marine Sgt. William Stacey's last letter, "it was all worth it"
"My death did not change the world; it may be tough for you to justify its meaning at all. But there is a greater meaning to it. Perhaps I did not change the world. Perhaps there is still injustice in the world. But there will be a child who will live because men left the security they enjoyed in their home country to come to his."
Michael Cooney a six year old boy with Cerebral Palsy walked into the arms of his Dad just back from Afghanistan after his family worked with him so that he could walk across the floor for the first time.
Marine Lance Cpl. William Kyle Carpenter, hero Marine honored because he threw himself in front of the grenade to protect his best friend in Afghanistan, Cpl. Nick Eufrazio.
Kyle Hockenberry, 19, lost both legs and his left arm in the blast. On his body were the words "For those I love, I will sacrifice"
Nadia McCaffrey’s dream was to set up a group home there for veterans plagued by post-traumatic stress disorder after her own son was killed in Iraq in 2004.
And in a way, it applies to me.
Chaplain Kathie Costos has produced this video on "Point Man International Ministries" (PMIM). We who are in PMIM want to Thank Chaplain Kathie for her heartfelt gift. She has told us to use the video wherever we can. Be blessed Chaplain Costos and may our Lord use the video to reach many...!I wrote this a long time ago when I made a video for Point Man.
Below the video link is some text that Chaplain Kathie wrote regarding PMIM. Please direct your comments to her here: Namguardianangel@aol.com
God Bless,
Mike Harris
Point Man Int. Ministries Is There
04:41
No matter what war, Point Man is there help you heal.
One of the greatest blessing in what I do is coming into contact with people from all over the country and in many other nations. People who work on PTSD do it for one reason and that is to help people who have survived trauma. Some do it because someone they know was wounded so deeply they developed PTSD, as in my case with my husband. Some do it because they survived trauma and felt blessed they did not develop PTSD. Others simply do it out of the goodness of their hearts. Whatever the reason, all of us agree that each part that makes us human has been wounded and needs to be taken care of to heal as well as possible. The mind, body and spirit are all connected. This I know very well and so do groups like Point Man International Ministries.
There is a lot of talk in the news about the soldier who is an atheist being treated badly because he does not believe in God. As a Chaplain it is not our duty to convert anyone or force anyone into anything. We are supposed to be there to help as humans. Oh, sure our faith is the basis for what we do, but Chaplains come in all faiths. More on this later.
For most who offer their spiritual guidance and support, nothing else matters but the need for help, healing, forgiveness and compassion. That is what Point Man has been doing since 1984.
Chaplain Kathie Costos
It has been 30 years of a lot of crying for me trying to help our veterans heal because I know what it like when they do just as much as I know what it is like when they suffer. I know because I also live with it everyday. My husband is a wonderful example of grace after agony. He is involved with veterans groups trying to help others in whatever way possible including calling out Bingo numbers at the Community Living Center. While he'll be in therapy and on medication the rest of his life, he has arrived on the other side of the darkness. I want all of them to heal instead of suffering.
I usually end up being contacted by family members when they are suicidal or have already lost everything they had. It has also been 30 years of rejoicing for them when they have come out on the other side of darkness.
We read so many reports of them getting into trouble but what we don't read about is how amazing they are when they have carried so much pain deep inside but would still go back into combat to serve side by side with a "brother" or when they they turn that pain into trying to help someone else.
How is all of this possible? The answer is a plain as the day of the week this is. Today is Sunday. The day we remember the sacrifice of Christ, hear stories of the men he traveled with but all too often not reminded of how they died for the love of God. Christ was beaten and His hands were nailed to wooden beams. So much pain yet His last words were about the people standing there after they pounded the nails into His hands and feet. He was asking His Father to forgive them. They hated Him and thought He was worthy of death but He had only given love, compassion and mercy. He healed them, fed them and prayed for them. He was willing to die for the sake of people who hated Him just as much as those who loved Him.
Some saw what happened that day and figured Christ was a failure but look what happened out of all that.
There are a lot of people in pain today but because others have suffered, more will heal. It is because of the love they feel is stronger than the pain they felt. They are filled with the grace of God after the agony they went through just as much as God was sustaining them during it.
Jay Magee Outpost Leader in Colorado helps Fort Carson troops and veterans as well as Crawford House offering emergency housing and rehabilitation for homeless veterans, help for substance abuse and PTSD. He does it out of love just as everyone else with Point Man International Ministries.
Out of agony these men and women across the country remember their own pain well but because they also know the grace of God, they want to make sure they share that gift. When we suffer it is easy to overlook the fact that God sends others to help us. We keep wondering where He is in all of this yet never seem to notice someone showed up in His place.
Veteran’s Purple Heart comes after struggle to have TBI recognized
Veteran’s Purple Heart comes after struggle to have war injury recognized
FARGO - Saturday was a day more than three years in the making for Iraq War veteran Russell “Rusty” Ouart and his wife, Marilyn.
By: Jessica Ballou, jballou@forumcomm.com, INFORUM
February 04, 2012
Three years after suffering a traumatic brain injury from a mortar attack while on duty in Baghdad, Ouart was finally awarded a Purple Heart at a packed ceremony inside the Armed Forces Reserve Center in Fargo.
The Purple Heart is awarded to those killed or injured in war combat, and only under certain conditions.
A former firefighter, Ouart enlisted in the North Dakota National Guard in 2006, though he had previously served in the Navy.
Ouart knew he wanted to join the Guard as soon as he saw footage of the 9/11 attacks. He enlisted when the Army raised the age limit for joining from 35 to 42. He was 41. He had lost more than 70 pounds to meet fitness requirements.
The award ceremony came so long after his injury because of many misdiagnoses by members of the medical and military community. Ouart was told the debilitating headaches, vertigo, short-term memory loss and constant fatigue were all just in his head.
But Ouart and his family refused to believe it was all in his head.
Their quest for treatment took the father of three to a New Orleans-area facility where he and other veterans breathed in 100 percent oxygen in a sealed room. The treatment, once reserved for divers suffering from “the bends,” has caught the eye of the military as a promising option for injured soldiers, and it helped Ouart.
Dr. Paul Harch treated Ouart with that hyperbaric therapy and was on hand for Saturday’s ceremony, but not without difficulty.
read more here
FARGO - Saturday was a day more than three years in the making for Iraq War veteran Russell “Rusty” Ouart and his wife, Marilyn.
By: Jessica Ballou, jballou@forumcomm.com, INFORUM
February 04, 2012
Spc. Russell “Rusty” Ouart, seated, receives a standing ovation during his Purple Heart award ceremonies Saturday morning at the Fargo Armed Forces Reserve Center. David Samson / The ForumFARGO - Saturday was a day more than three years in the making for Iraq War veteran Russell “Rusty” Ouart and his wife, Marilyn.
Three years after suffering a traumatic brain injury from a mortar attack while on duty in Baghdad, Ouart was finally awarded a Purple Heart at a packed ceremony inside the Armed Forces Reserve Center in Fargo.
The Purple Heart is awarded to those killed or injured in war combat, and only under certain conditions.
A former firefighter, Ouart enlisted in the North Dakota National Guard in 2006, though he had previously served in the Navy.
Ouart knew he wanted to join the Guard as soon as he saw footage of the 9/11 attacks. He enlisted when the Army raised the age limit for joining from 35 to 42. He was 41. He had lost more than 70 pounds to meet fitness requirements.
The award ceremony came so long after his injury because of many misdiagnoses by members of the medical and military community. Ouart was told the debilitating headaches, vertigo, short-term memory loss and constant fatigue were all just in his head.
But Ouart and his family refused to believe it was all in his head.
Their quest for treatment took the father of three to a New Orleans-area facility where he and other veterans breathed in 100 percent oxygen in a sealed room. The treatment, once reserved for divers suffering from “the bends,” has caught the eye of the military as a promising option for injured soldiers, and it helped Ouart.
Dr. Paul Harch treated Ouart with that hyperbaric therapy and was on hand for Saturday’s ceremony, but not without difficulty.
read more here
Crime surge among veterans suggest some didn't leave horrors behind
There is a report on the Fayetteville Observer, When war comes home: Crime surge among veterans suggest some didn't leave horrors behind focusing on crimes committed by veterans. Is it true? Yes, sadly it is very true. Most of the reports can be read on this blog. While it is also true most of these veterans had never been in any trouble before combat, there is something missing in the reports. The increase in crimes committed by veterans could be more about more combat veterans now than anything else. More veterans, more of them to commit crimes. Still the numbers are low compared to how many have come home from Iraq and Afghanistan. It seems like a bigger issue than it is because we're talking about people willing to die for the sake of someone else turning around and suddenly accused of committing harm to someone else. While we read about civilians committing crimes on a daily basis, when it is a veteran, it makes the headlines. Veterans are rare and veterans committing crimes are even more rare.
We cannot dismiss the growing need to help them heal after combat or the fact there are special circumstances when they face a judge or law enforcement. They deserve no less. Their victims deserved to not have it happen in the first place but justice demands all the facts are reviewed and considered when deciding what to do with them afterwards.
In a way, the media reporting on what happens when they don't get the help they need to heal is a good thing. It just would be really nice if when they do write an article like this, they mention how few out of the over 2 million end up facing criminal charges.
We cannot dismiss the growing need to help them heal after combat or the fact there are special circumstances when they face a judge or law enforcement. They deserve no less. Their victims deserved to not have it happen in the first place but justice demands all the facts are reviewed and considered when deciding what to do with them afterwards.
In a way, the media reporting on what happens when they don't get the help they need to heal is a good thing. It just would be really nice if when they do write an article like this, they mention how few out of the over 2 million end up facing criminal charges.
Veterans bond with horses in therapy program
Veterans bond with horses in therapy program
DAVID TARRANT, The Dallas Morning News
Published 12:05 a.m., Sunday, February 5, 2012
KELLER, Texas (AP) — Just blocks from suburban sprawl sits an oasis of rolling green pastures and grazing horses, where seldom is heard a discouraging word.
Or so it must seem to the war veterans who arrive here for therapy.
Robert MacTamhais, a medic in Iraq from December 2008 to July 2009, started coming here shortly after a fire alarm at work sent him into a panic attack. The alarm sparked a flashback to the warning sirens that sounded when his base came under mortar attack in Iraq.
"I had to go home," MacTamhais said. "I couldn't concentrate on anything, much less work."
Rocky Top Therapy Center recently received a $290,000 state grant to serve military veterans and their families dealing with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and other psychological issues, including those associated with combat deployments and adjustment to civilian life.
Over the last decade, about 2 million troops have deployed to war in Iraq and Afghanistan. Studies show that about one in five has symptoms of PTSD, depression, traumatic brain injury, or some combination of the three.
In 2011, the number of suicides among active-duty soldiers hit an all-time high of 164, up from 159 in 2010, according to data recently released by the Army. Both the defense and veterans affairs departments have been putting more resources into behavioral health programs aimed at active-duty service members and recent war veterans.
read more here
DAVID TARRANT, The Dallas Morning News
Published 12:05 a.m., Sunday, February 5, 2012
KELLER, Texas (AP) — Just blocks from suburban sprawl sits an oasis of rolling green pastures and grazing horses, where seldom is heard a discouraging word.
Or so it must seem to the war veterans who arrive here for therapy.
Robert MacTamhais, a medic in Iraq from December 2008 to July 2009, started coming here shortly after a fire alarm at work sent him into a panic attack. The alarm sparked a flashback to the warning sirens that sounded when his base came under mortar attack in Iraq.
"I had to go home," MacTamhais said. "I couldn't concentrate on anything, much less work."
Rocky Top Therapy Center recently received a $290,000 state grant to serve military veterans and their families dealing with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and other psychological issues, including those associated with combat deployments and adjustment to civilian life.
Over the last decade, about 2 million troops have deployed to war in Iraq and Afghanistan. Studies show that about one in five has symptoms of PTSD, depression, traumatic brain injury, or some combination of the three.
In 2011, the number of suicides among active-duty soldiers hit an all-time high of 164, up from 159 in 2010, according to data recently released by the Army. Both the defense and veterans affairs departments have been putting more resources into behavioral health programs aimed at active-duty service members and recent war veterans.
read more here
Veterans turn to families to help cope with PTSD
With V.A. budget stretched thin, veterans turn to families to help cope with PTSD
Military families and veterans met at a conference in Tacoma
Jeff Van Sant
Q13 FOX News reporter
9:50 p.m. PST, February 4, 2012
TACOMA—
With the war in Iraq over and operations in Afghanistan winding down, there is an influx of veterans from both conflicts – estimated to be well over a million after a decade of war. Many are dealing withpost-traumatic stress disorder.
The United States Department of Veterans Affairs has estimated that as many as one in five veterans suffer from the disorder. And those numbers are causing an underfunded and unprepared VA system to be stretched thin.
Many veterans have turned to outside help. Military families and veterans gathered to discuss the challenges they faced at a conference in Tacoma.
“We need to be proactive instead of reactive, and get these young men and woman the help they need,” said Lauri Turner, whose son Jacob Andrews was an Afghanistan veteran.
read more here
Military families and veterans met at a conference in Tacoma
Jeff Van Sant
Q13 FOX News reporter
9:50 p.m. PST, February 4, 2012
TACOMA—
With the war in Iraq over and operations in Afghanistan winding down, there is an influx of veterans from both conflicts – estimated to be well over a million after a decade of war. Many are dealing withpost-traumatic stress disorder.
The United States Department of Veterans Affairs has estimated that as many as one in five veterans suffer from the disorder. And those numbers are causing an underfunded and unprepared VA system to be stretched thin.
Many veterans have turned to outside help. Military families and veterans gathered to discuss the challenges they faced at a conference in Tacoma.
“We need to be proactive instead of reactive, and get these young men and woman the help they need,” said Lauri Turner, whose son Jacob Andrews was an Afghanistan veteran.
read more here
Disabled veteran displaced by fire, renewed by caring strangers
Veteran, family to move into donated home this week
February 04, 2012 8:05 PM
JANNETTE PIPPIN - DAILY NEWS STAFF
RICHLANDS — A Richlands family celebrated more than a new house Saturday as friends, family and partners on the Purple Heart Homes project gathered to welcome them home.
The Davis lost their home and belongings last year after their house was vandalized and destroyed in a fire but the new home doesn’t just replace a structure.
The new home is handicap accessible to meet the needs of Davis, a service connected disabled veteran who served the country during Desert Storm.
Davis thanked everyone who stepped up to help during the project, from friends and family to volunteers he had never met.
“When you look out the window and you watch the people working on your home and there are people you’ve never seen before in your life working together to build you a house so you can get around without being restricted to certain areas and don’t have to wait on your wife to get home to go to the bathroom or do all the little things in our daily activities, it’s pretty amazing,” he said.
read more here
February 04, 2012 8:05 PM
JANNETTE PIPPIN - DAILY NEWS STAFF
RICHLANDS — A Richlands family celebrated more than a new house Saturday as friends, family and partners on the Purple Heart Homes project gathered to welcome them home.
Purple Heart Homes Co-founder Dale Beatty, left, speaks during the Mission Completion ceremony marking the close of the organization's project helping Richlands family Jim Davis, seated, and his wife, Jodie, and daughter, Julianna.The Mission Completion Ceremony marks the closing of the project, with Jim and Jodie Davis and their daughter Julianna planning to move into their new home this week. It was also an opportunity to recognize the partnerships and community support that have made the new home possible.
Jannette Pippin/The Daily News
The Davis lost their home and belongings last year after their house was vandalized and destroyed in a fire but the new home doesn’t just replace a structure.
The new home is handicap accessible to meet the needs of Davis, a service connected disabled veteran who served the country during Desert Storm.
Davis thanked everyone who stepped up to help during the project, from friends and family to volunteers he had never met.
“When you look out the window and you watch the people working on your home and there are people you’ve never seen before in your life working together to build you a house so you can get around without being restricted to certain areas and don’t have to wait on your wife to get home to go to the bathroom or do all the little things in our daily activities, it’s pretty amazing,” he said.
read more here
Marine awarded Silver Star goes to Super Bowl
Marine awarded Silver Star goes to Super Bowl
BY ERIKA I. RITCHIE / THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER
CAMP PENDLETON A Marine who earned the Silver Star for saving the life of a critically wounded Marine in Afghanistan will attend the Super Bowl.
Master Sgt. David Jarvis, battalion training chief for the 1st Reconnaissance Battalion, will attend the Super Bowl with his wife, Tina, thanks to a gift from News America Marketing, owned by News Corporation, a company that also owns Fox News. He was recommended for the honor by his superiors, Homepost.kpbs.org reported.
Jarvis, 34, was awarded the Silver Star and Bronze Star in October 2011 for heroic actions in Afghanistan.
read more here
BY ERIKA I. RITCHIE / THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER
CAMP PENDLETON A Marine who earned the Silver Star for saving the life of a critically wounded Marine in Afghanistan will attend the Super Bowl.
Master Sgt. David Jarvis, battalion training chief for the 1st Reconnaissance Battalion, will attend the Super Bowl with his wife, Tina, thanks to a gift from News America Marketing, owned by News Corporation, a company that also owns Fox News. He was recommended for the honor by his superiors, Homepost.kpbs.org reported.
Jarvis, 34, was awarded the Silver Star and Bronze Star in October 2011 for heroic actions in Afghanistan.
read more here
Wife of Marine Gunnery Sgt. killed in propane gas explosion
Marine wife killed in Ca. explosion was Iowan, 31
(AP) – 4 hours ago
COLEVILLE, Calif. (AP) — A woman killed in a propane gas explosion outside a remote Northern California training base was the 31-year-old wife of a U.S. Marine, and a mother of two from Hudson, Iowa, military officials said late Saturday.
The woman, Lori Hardin, was the wife of Gunnery Sgt. Greg G. Hardin of Tuolumne, Calif., a public works planner for the Marines, according to a statement from the Marine Corps.
Greg Hardin and the couple's two children were not hurt in the Friday night explosion at a housing unit in the Mono County town of Coleville that serves the U.S. Marine Corps Mountain Warfare Training Center, where Marines train for mountain operations.
Two other blast victims, a Navy corpsman and his wife, were flown to hospitals with serious injuries including third-degree burns.
One of them was treated at Renown Regional Medical Center in Reno, Nev. and was released Saturday. The other remained in critical condition at the University of California, Davis Medical Center.
The Marines did not say whether it was the corpsman or his wife who remained in the hospital, and authorities have not released their names.
read more here
(AP) – 4 hours ago
COLEVILLE, Calif. (AP) — A woman killed in a propane gas explosion outside a remote Northern California training base was the 31-year-old wife of a U.S. Marine, and a mother of two from Hudson, Iowa, military officials said late Saturday.
The woman, Lori Hardin, was the wife of Gunnery Sgt. Greg G. Hardin of Tuolumne, Calif., a public works planner for the Marines, according to a statement from the Marine Corps.
Greg Hardin and the couple's two children were not hurt in the Friday night explosion at a housing unit in the Mono County town of Coleville that serves the U.S. Marine Corps Mountain Warfare Training Center, where Marines train for mountain operations.
Two other blast victims, a Navy corpsman and his wife, were flown to hospitals with serious injuries including third-degree burns.
One of them was treated at Renown Regional Medical Center in Reno, Nev. and was released Saturday. The other remained in critical condition at the University of California, Davis Medical Center.
The Marines did not say whether it was the corpsman or his wife who remained in the hospital, and authorities have not released their names.
read more here
Saturday, February 4, 2012
VA chief to visit troubled Orlando hospital, lawmaker says
10-24-08 is engraved on the shovel I received at the ground breaking ceremony for this VA hospital. Yep. That long ago. I remember all the speeches given by politicians on both sides. Well it was to be expected since it was a big election year. Here we are in 2012 and as hundreds of thousands of veterans still wait there is more waiting to do. If you need to see a doctor, good luck getting into the VA clinic in Orlando. That parking lot fills up fast!
VA chief to visit troubled Orlando hospital, lawmaker says
posted by Mark Matthews on February, 3 2012 3:12 PM
WASHINGTON — VA Secretary Eric Shinseki told U.S. Rep. Corrine Brown today that he soon would visit Orlando’s incoming VA Medical Center, which is expected to miss its planned October opening because of design and construction problems.
Brown, a Jacksonville Democrat, said Shinseki made that promise during a breakfast meeting in Washington and that they were working to resolve what she called a dispute between the VA and its contractors. No date was given for Shinseki’s visit; officials at the Department of Veterans Affairs did not immediately respond to questions seeking comment or confirmation.
“We need to get it done and get it open,” Brown said.
read more here
Coast Guard Veteran honored for saving lives of the men on the USS Dorchester
Veteran who pulled soliders from sea honored 69 years later
By Richard Robbins, TRIBUNE-REVIEW
Saturday, February 4, 2012
It was a tale that unfolded in the dark, frigid waters of the North Atlantic Ocean. On Feb. 3, 1943, at one of the lowest points of World War II, Vitale, a 21-year-old seaman with the Coast Guard, helped rescue 92 soldiers from certain death after a German submarine attack on the troop ship USS Dorchester.
On Friday, Vitale received the Navy and Marine Corps Medal during a ceremony at the American Legion post in North Belle Vernon -- the same medal for bravery awarded to John F. Kennedy for his role in rescuing the PT-109 crew in August 1943.
"I never spoke about the war to anyone," said Vitale, a retired school teacher and steelworker.
"I never thought it was important."
read more here
By Richard Robbins, TRIBUNE-REVIEW
Saturday, February 4, 2012
Tom Vitale received the Navy and Marine Corps Medal during a ceremony on Friday in the American Legion post in North Belle Vernon.For 69 years, Tom Vitale never told his family the story.
Brian F. Henry | Tribune-Review
It was a tale that unfolded in the dark, frigid waters of the North Atlantic Ocean. On Feb. 3, 1943, at one of the lowest points of World War II, Vitale, a 21-year-old seaman with the Coast Guard, helped rescue 92 soldiers from certain death after a German submarine attack on the troop ship USS Dorchester.
Nearly 700 men were lost, and the Dorchester's sinking became the stuff of legend when four military chaplains gave up their life jackets so that others could live.For the next seven decades, Vitale, a hearty 90-year-old who lives in Fellsburg, Rostraver Township, said not a word about his actions during those rescue operations by the Coast Guard cutter Comanche -- not to Lois, his wife of 62 years, to his sons or daughter, to grandchildren or great-grandchildren.
On Friday, Vitale received the Navy and Marine Corps Medal during a ceremony at the American Legion post in North Belle Vernon -- the same medal for bravery awarded to John F. Kennedy for his role in rescuing the PT-109 crew in August 1943.
"I never spoke about the war to anyone," said Vitale, a retired school teacher and steelworker.
"I never thought it was important."
read more here
Army doctors at Madigan suspended over PTSD screenings
Army doctor at Madigan suspended over PTSD comments
Two physicians on a Madigan Army Medical Center psychiatric team have been removed from clinical duties, as the Army opens an investigation into whether PTSD screenings for soldiers were mishandled.
By Hal Bernton
Seattle Times staff reporter
A Madigan Army Medical Center psychiatrist who screens soldiers for PTSD has been removed from clinical duties while investigators look into controversial remarks he made about patients and the financial costs of disability benefits, according to U.S. Sen. Patty Murray.
Dr. William Keppler is a retired Army officer who leads a forensic psychiatric team responsible for assessing the PTSD diagnoses of soldiers under consideration for medical retirement at Madigan, an Army hospital located at Joint Base Lewis-McChord south of Tacoma.
Army Medical Command officials confirmed two doctors had been temporarily removed from clinical duties and assigned to administrative work, but they did not name them.
In a prepared statement to The Seattle Times, they said the command has "initiated a top-to-bottom review of the process associated with the forensic psychiatric reviews conducted at Madigan Army Medical Center."
Two physicians on a Madigan Army Medical Center psychiatric team have been removed from clinical duties, as the Army opens an investigation into whether PTSD screenings for soldiers were mishandled.
By Hal Bernton
Seattle Times staff reporter
A Madigan Army Medical Center psychiatrist who screens soldiers for PTSD has been removed from clinical duties while investigators look into controversial remarks he made about patients and the financial costs of disability benefits, according to U.S. Sen. Patty Murray.
Dr. William Keppler is a retired Army officer who leads a forensic psychiatric team responsible for assessing the PTSD diagnoses of soldiers under consideration for medical retirement at Madigan, an Army hospital located at Joint Base Lewis-McChord south of Tacoma.
Army Medical Command officials confirmed two doctors had been temporarily removed from clinical duties and assigned to administrative work, but they did not name them.
In a prepared statement to The Seattle Times, they said the command has "initiated a top-to-bottom review of the process associated with the forensic psychiatric reviews conducted at Madigan Army Medical Center."
In rejecting those diagnoses, the Madigan team cited psychometric tests that indicated some of those soldiers were malingerers.
Some of the soldiers had been deployed repeatedly to combat zones and been diagnosed with PTSD by other medical professionals, according to a review of their medical records.
"Gen. Horoho has taken this seriously," Murray said. "I think it is important to send a message that this will not be tolerated."
read more here
Fort Hood Brig. Gen. Terence Hildner died in Afghanistan
13th Sustainment commander dies in Afghanistan
Posted On: Friday, Feb. 3 2012 05:41 PM
FORT HOOD FORT HOOD — Officials have confirmed that Brig. Gen. Terence Hildner, commander of the 13th Sustainment Command, died Friday in Kabul, Afghanistan, of apparent natural causes.
Hildner, 49, listed his home of record as Fairfax, Va. He was born in New Haven, Conn.
Commander of the 13th Sustainment since August 2010, he deployed in December to lead the unit's ground-breaking mission to train Afghan troops in logistics.
"We are truly saddened by the loss of Brig. Gen. Hildner," Lt. Gen. Don Campbell Jr., III Corps and Fort Hood commanding general, said in statement. "This is a tragic loss for the Army, III Corps and for our Central Texas community. Our thoughts and prayers are with his family and friends."
read more here
Posted On: Friday, Feb. 3 2012 05:41 PM
FORT HOOD FORT HOOD — Officials have confirmed that Brig. Gen. Terence Hildner, commander of the 13th Sustainment Command, died Friday in Kabul, Afghanistan, of apparent natural causes.
Hildner, 49, listed his home of record as Fairfax, Va. He was born in New Haven, Conn.
Commander of the 13th Sustainment since August 2010, he deployed in December to lead the unit's ground-breaking mission to train Afghan troops in logistics.
"We are truly saddened by the loss of Brig. Gen. Hildner," Lt. Gen. Don Campbell Jr., III Corps and Fort Hood commanding general, said in statement. "This is a tragic loss for the Army, III Corps and for our Central Texas community. Our thoughts and prayers are with his family and friends."
read more here
Marines to Return from Longest at Sea Deployment in 40 Years
Marines to Return from Longest at Sea Deployment in 40 Years
Creatas/Thinkstock
(CAMP LEJEUNE, N.C.) — A Marine unit is returning Saturday to Camp Lejeune in North Carolina after the longest at sea Marine deployment in 40 years.
“Approximately 270 Marines and Sailors with Battalion Landing Team, 2nd Battalion, 2nd Marine Regiment, and 30 Marines and Sailors with Combat Logistics Battalion 22 are scheduled to return and see their family and friends,” a military statement said.
Another 960 Marines and Sailors from the same Marine Air Ground Task Force will return to Camp Lejeune on Sunday.
read more here
Creatas/Thinkstock
(CAMP LEJEUNE, N.C.) — A Marine unit is returning Saturday to Camp Lejeune in North Carolina after the longest at sea Marine deployment in 40 years.
“Approximately 270 Marines and Sailors with Battalion Landing Team, 2nd Battalion, 2nd Marine Regiment, and 30 Marines and Sailors with Combat Logistics Battalion 22 are scheduled to return and see their family and friends,” a military statement said.
Another 960 Marines and Sailors from the same Marine Air Ground Task Force will return to Camp Lejeune on Sunday.
read more here
Man planted a 17-foot white cross on property he owns for fallen memorial
MILITARY: Man seeks network of crosses to honor veterans
By RICK ROGERS For the North County Times
Posted: Friday, February 3, 2012
Don Vierstra is an affable guy.
But the smile slides from his face when talking about the Camp Pendleton cross and efforts to remove it for arguably not squaring with the Constitutional separation of church and state.
"I just couldn't believe what they want to do," said Vierstra, 76, a Murrieta resident whose nephew survived a bomb attack while serving in Iraq. "Why would somebody not like it?"
The Pendleton cross rose on Veterans Day in tribute to those wounded or killed in combat. The site has since become a shrine and reports are that another cross might have been added.
Americans United for Separation of Church and State, along with the Military Association of Atheists and Freethinkers, wants it removed.
This troubled Vierstra and roused him to action.
"When I see something wrong, I think, 'What can I do?'"
Last week, Vierstra planted a 17-foot white cross on property he owns along the west side of Interstate 15 in Murrieta, near the I-215 split.
read more here
By RICK ROGERS For the North County Times
Posted: Friday, February 3, 2012
Don Vierstra of Murrieta stands next to a cross he erected on his own land near Interstate 15. Photo by Rick Rogers
Don Vierstra is an affable guy.
But the smile slides from his face when talking about the Camp Pendleton cross and efforts to remove it for arguably not squaring with the Constitutional separation of church and state.
"I just couldn't believe what they want to do," said Vierstra, 76, a Murrieta resident whose nephew survived a bomb attack while serving in Iraq. "Why would somebody not like it?"
The Pendleton cross rose on Veterans Day in tribute to those wounded or killed in combat. The site has since become a shrine and reports are that another cross might have been added.
Americans United for Separation of Church and State, along with the Military Association of Atheists and Freethinkers, wants it removed.
This troubled Vierstra and roused him to action.
"When I see something wrong, I think, 'What can I do?'"
Last week, Vierstra planted a 17-foot white cross on property he owns along the west side of Interstate 15 in Murrieta, near the I-215 split.
read more here
War Torn: An Iraq War Veteran's Story Lance Cpl. Ian Welch
War Torn: An Iraq War Veteran's Story
Wall Street Journal
WSJDigitalNetwork on Feb 3, 2012
Ian Welch was on his first combat tour in Iraq, waiting to storm across the Diyala Bridge and seize Baghdad, when an artillery round exploded behind him--changing his life forever. Now he and his girlfriend Katie are hoping love can change it back.
U.S. NEWS
FEBRUARY 4, 2012
For Wounded Vet, Love Pierces the Fog of War
By MICHAEL M. PHILLIPS
That made it all the more jarring when he asked a favor as they said goodbye in the parking lot: "When you see me again, just say, 'Hi, Ian, you remember me,' so I'll know that we've met before."
So began the wartime love triangle of Ms. Brickman, Mr. Welch and his post-traumatic stress disorder.
Mr. Welch's amnesia, induced by the combination of PTSD and traumatic brain injury, leaves him struggling to remember events, words and friends, even Ms. Brickman. Most days, Mr. Welch doesn't change out of his pajamas. Small surprises—a traffic jam, a crowded waiting room, a loud noise, a change in plans—trigger anxiety and anger, echoes of the violence he dealt and endured.
The Iraq war is over for America and the end of the Afghan conflict is just over the horizon. But a generation of military families will face its physical and psychological consequences for years after most other Americans have put the wars behind them.
read more here
Wall Street Journal
WSJDigitalNetwork on Feb 3, 2012
Ian Welch was on his first combat tour in Iraq, waiting to storm across the Diyala Bridge and seize Baghdad, when an artillery round exploded behind him--changing his life forever. Now he and his girlfriend Katie are hoping love can change it back.
U.S. NEWS
FEBRUARY 4, 2012
For Wounded Vet, Love Pierces the Fog of War
By MICHAEL M. PHILLIPS
Gilles Bassignac/Gamma via Getty ImagesDALLAS—The night Katie Brickman met Ian Welch at the bar, she knew right away the Iraq war veteran was the man she wanted to marry.
Ian Welch reported to boot camp on Sept. 10, 2001. After three tours of duty in Iraq, he retired on Feb. 27, 2010, for medical reasons, including post-traumatic stress disorder.
That made it all the more jarring when he asked a favor as they said goodbye in the parking lot: "When you see me again, just say, 'Hi, Ian, you remember me,' so I'll know that we've met before."
So began the wartime love triangle of Ms. Brickman, Mr. Welch and his post-traumatic stress disorder.
Mr. Welch's amnesia, induced by the combination of PTSD and traumatic brain injury, leaves him struggling to remember events, words and friends, even Ms. Brickman. Most days, Mr. Welch doesn't change out of his pajamas. Small surprises—a traffic jam, a crowded waiting room, a loud noise, a change in plans—trigger anxiety and anger, echoes of the violence he dealt and endured.
The Iraq war is over for America and the end of the Afghan conflict is just over the horizon. But a generation of military families will face its physical and psychological consequences for years after most other Americans have put the wars behind them.
read more here
DADT repeal crusader Dave Guy-Gainer dies
DADT repeal crusader Dave Guy-Gainer dies
Posted on 03 Feb 2012
Dave Guy-Gainer, who was a leading local advocate for the repeal of “don’t ask, don’t tell,” died unexpectedly at his home in Forest Hill on Thursday.
Guy-Gainer was 63. A public memorial will be held at 5 p.m. on Saturday, Feb. 4 at the Legacy of Love monument on Cedar Springs Road at Oak Lawn Avenue.
Guy-Gainer, a retired Air Force chief master sergeant who came out after leaving the service, was a member of the board of Equality Texas and a founding board member of the Servicemembers Legal Defense Network. He worked tirelessly for the repeal of “don’t ask, don’t tell.” He also ran unsuccessfully in 2010 for the City Council in Forest Hill, a small town in Tarrant County south of Fort Worth.
Guy-Gainer was invited to the White House for the DADT repeal legislation signing ceremony.
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Posted on 03 Feb 2012
Dave Guy-Gainer, who was a leading local advocate for the repeal of “don’t ask, don’t tell,” died unexpectedly at his home in Forest Hill on Thursday.
Guy-Gainer was 63. A public memorial will be held at 5 p.m. on Saturday, Feb. 4 at the Legacy of Love monument on Cedar Springs Road at Oak Lawn Avenue.
Guy-Gainer, a retired Air Force chief master sergeant who came out after leaving the service, was a member of the board of Equality Texas and a founding board member of the Servicemembers Legal Defense Network. He worked tirelessly for the repeal of “don’t ask, don’t tell.” He also ran unsuccessfully in 2010 for the City Council in Forest Hill, a small town in Tarrant County south of Fort Worth.
Guy-Gainer was invited to the White House for the DADT repeal legislation signing ceremony.
read more here
Medal of Honor nominee among 26 vets at Maine "No Boundaries"
Medal of Honor nominee among 26 vets at Maine Adaptive's Veterans/No Boundaries program
By Terry Karkos, Staff Writer
Published on Saturday, Feb 4, 2012
NEWRY — From all outward appearances, Tyler Kurth looked and acted like a Maine Adaptive Sports and Recreation volunteer on Friday at Sunday River Ski Resort.
Dressed head to toe in black, Kurth, 28, even wore a bright orange “Guide” vest while helping volunteer Kathy Kroll with her blind skier brother, Carl Kroll.
However, Kurth is one of 26 disabled veterans and active-duty military persons participating with their families in Maine Adaptive's seventh annual Veterans/No Boundaries program this weekend.
A retired captain with the 10th Mountain Division, he now works with the Wounded Warrior Unit at Fort Drum in Watertown, N.Y.
By Terry Karkos, Staff Writer
Published on Saturday, Feb 4, 2012
NEWRY — From all outward appearances, Tyler Kurth looked and acted like a Maine Adaptive Sports and Recreation volunteer on Friday at Sunday River Ski Resort.
Dressed head to toe in black, Kurth, 28, even wore a bright orange “Guide” vest while helping volunteer Kathy Kroll with her blind skier brother, Carl Kroll.
However, Kurth is one of 26 disabled veterans and active-duty military persons participating with their families in Maine Adaptive's seventh annual Veterans/No Boundaries program this weekend.
A retired captain with the 10th Mountain Division, he now works with the Wounded Warrior Unit at Fort Drum in Watertown, N.Y.
Like many of the participating veterans, Kurth is dealing with post-traumatic stress disorder and physical limitations.
During a patrol on Oct. 2, 2009, with Afghan police in Afghanistan, Kurth was shot three times — in the right leg, right chest and right shoulder — from 4 feet away by an Afghan officer armed with an AK-47 assault rifle.
Kurth used his body to shield a soldier behind him, then saved the lives of two other soldiers and called for help.
Two soldiers were killed, while Kurth and two other soldiers were severely wounded. It was the first such attack of its kind by previously trusted Afghan nationals they'd trained, he said.
For his actions that day, Kurth has been nominated for the Medal of Honor. But on Friday, he just wanted to enjoy Maine Adaptive's program.
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Florida Navy Officer Shares Personal Experience with PTSD
While Lt. Firth says "When you return home in that mindset, you are considered abnormal.” he is following along with something many others do. The issue here isn't a matter of coming home "normal" because there is nothing "normal" in a human's life connected to combat. They are "not normal" in the first place when you consider they are less than 1% of the population of this nation. They are already unusual.
Look up the definition of "abnormal" and this is what you'll find.
Look up the definition of "abnormal" and this is what you'll find.
Definition of ABNORMALWe have less than 10% of the population living as veterans. When you understand this, then understand that while they may be "abnormal" to the rest of us, the changes they go through after combat is not. There are different levels of change, but every single one of them are changed by what they went through. The rest of us expect them to be "trained" to just go and come back as many times as they are sent without needing anything from us. It is all "normal" to them just as it is normal for a police officer to leave his family, get into a police car and be prepared to not be able to go back home again.
deviating from the normal or average : unusual, exceptional
Navy Officer Shares Personal Experience with PTSD
Posted February 3rd, 2012 by USNavySeals
A member of the Navy Safe Harbor community shared his journey with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).
Lt. Chet Firth was diagnosed with PTSD in 2011 after being deployed to Iraq for a year as an Individual Augmentee (IA). At present, he serves as a non-medical care manager for Navy Safe Harbor, the wounded warrior support program of the Navy and Coast Guard at Naval Hospital Jacksonville, in Florida.
Firth admitted that he was among those who did not consider PTSD as a real condition, but eventually had a change of heart. He shared: “After spending a year in a combat zone, you can’t return the same person… your brain is wired differently. You experience so many close calls that you become emotionally numb. In combat, that numbness, as well as demonstrating constant vigilance, makes you brave and strong. When you return home in that mindset, you are considered abnormal.”
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Friday, February 3, 2012
War not over: Ga. vets of Iraq now going to Afghanistan
War not over: Ga. vets of Iraq now going to Afghan
By Russ Bynum
Associated Press / February 3, 2012
FORT STEWART, Ga.—About 700 soldiers from Georgia are among the latest U.S. troops headed to Afghanistan for a war that continues even after the Iraq conflict's end, leaving anxious spouses and parents who wonder why their loved ones are still fighting.
A battalion from Fort Stewart, near Savannah, is deploying in the coming days, the first engagement in Afghanistan for ground forces from the Georgia-based 3rd Infantry Division that fought four times in Iraq, including in the invasion of Baghdad in 2003. Two more battalions are scheduled to follow this spring and summer.
"Do I really want him to go to war? No," said Christy Van Nest of her husband, Sgt. Jeffrey Van Nest, one of the deploying soldiers. "...It was sudden for a lot of the families and there was that conflict where we don't want to see our soldiers leave."
At a departure ceremony for the troops this week, she said she's proud of her husband and his fellow soldiers in spite of her concerns, then added: "There's a very real possibility that some of these people won't come home."
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By Russ Bynum
Associated Press / February 3, 2012
FORT STEWART, Ga.—About 700 soldiers from Georgia are among the latest U.S. troops headed to Afghanistan for a war that continues even after the Iraq conflict's end, leaving anxious spouses and parents who wonder why their loved ones are still fighting.
A battalion from Fort Stewart, near Savannah, is deploying in the coming days, the first engagement in Afghanistan for ground forces from the Georgia-based 3rd Infantry Division that fought four times in Iraq, including in the invasion of Baghdad in 2003. Two more battalions are scheduled to follow this spring and summer.
"Do I really want him to go to war? No," said Christy Van Nest of her husband, Sgt. Jeffrey Van Nest, one of the deploying soldiers. "...It was sudden for a lot of the families and there was that conflict where we don't want to see our soldiers leave."
At a departure ceremony for the troops this week, she said she's proud of her husband and his fellow soldiers in spite of her concerns, then added: "There's a very real possibility that some of these people won't come home."
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St. Louis Iraq War parade may be the start of many more
St. Louis Iraq War parade prompts at least 10 other cities to consider doing the same
By Associated Press, Updated: Friday, February 3, 1:06 PM
ST. LOUIS — A St. Louis parade welcoming home Iraq War and other post-Sept. 11 veterans was such a hit that at least 10 other cities around the country are considering similar celebrations.
Organizers of the parade that drew an estimated 100,000 observers and 20,000 participants in St. Louis on Jan. 28 said Friday that they have been approached by people from Chicago, Denver, Philadelphia, San Antonio, Oklahoma City, Seattle, Tucson, Ariz., Nashville, Tenn., Greensboro, N.C., and Clinton, Iowa.
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By Associated Press, Updated: Friday, February 3, 1:06 PM
ST. LOUIS — A St. Louis parade welcoming home Iraq War and other post-Sept. 11 veterans was such a hit that at least 10 other cities around the country are considering similar celebrations.
Organizers of the parade that drew an estimated 100,000 observers and 20,000 participants in St. Louis on Jan. 28 said Friday that they have been approached by people from Chicago, Denver, Philadelphia, San Antonio, Oklahoma City, Seattle, Tucson, Ariz., Nashville, Tenn., Greensboro, N.C., and Clinton, Iowa.
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The Living Diet is a great read
Once in a while a book for me to review comes in and I am pleasantly surprised. Usually by the fourth page, the book gets put away and I never mention it. I simply don't give bad reviews. This is one of the books that I am happy to share. It is short, so that says a lot for the author not wanting to "hear his own voice" more than the message he wants to share with the readers. He wants to share healing and that is very much needed right now. Great read.
The Living Diet
The world is full of people who are stressed out. Anyone who has lived through a catastrophic event – military veterans, disaster survivors, crime victims, firefighters and others – can have symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). The Living Diet chronicles the life of a veteran who is overwhelmed by PTSD following his return from overseas combat tours. His only safety line is a former military chaplain who encourages him to seek help. It doesn’t matter who you are – veteran or non-veteran. It doesn’t matter whether you are male or female. PTSD can get a grip on you and control your life. Learn to adapt to the four key strategies of The Living Diet and begin your healing process today!
Marine slain by Afghan soldier during joint duty
Marine from Miss. killed
Slain by Afghan soldier during joint duty
10:57 PM, Feb. 2, 2012
Dycus
Written by
Therese Apel
FILED UNDER
News
Mississippi's first casualty this year from the war in Afghanistan died at the hands of an Afghan soldier who was guarding a joint operating base with him in the Helmand province, officials said.
Wednesday's death of Marine Lance Cpl. Edward Dycus, 22, of Greenville is under investigation, military officials say. Details were not released.
"He's not just another dead soldier," said childhood friend Kayla Bevill. "He wasn't killed by 'the enemy.' He was killed by someone that was supposed to be helping him guard, and that's what hurts the most."
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Slain by Afghan soldier during joint duty
10:57 PM, Feb. 2, 2012
Written by
Therese Apel
FILED UNDER
News
Mississippi's first casualty this year from the war in Afghanistan died at the hands of an Afghan soldier who was guarding a joint operating base with him in the Helmand province, officials said.
Wednesday's death of Marine Lance Cpl. Edward Dycus, 22, of Greenville is under investigation, military officials say. Details were not released.
"He's not just another dead soldier," said childhood friend Kayla Bevill. "He wasn't killed by 'the enemy.' He was killed by someone that was supposed to be helping him guard, and that's what hurts the most."
read more here
Judge Delays Fort Hood Shooting Rampage Trial
Judge Delays Fort Hood Shooting Rampage Trial
February 03, 2012
Associated Press
by Angela K. Brown
FORT HOOD, Texas -- The Army psychiatrist accused of killing 13 people during the Fort Hood shooting rampage will go on trial in June, a military judge ruled Thursday after agreeing to a three-month delay.
Attorneys for Maj. Nidal Hasan argued during a hearing at the Army post in Texas that they still lacked key evidence needed to prepare for the March trial. Prosecutors insisted defense lawyers didn't need more time, saying one defense expert was hired nearly two years ago and that he alone has already racked up about $250,000 in fees billed to the government.
The defense had asked for a July trial, but the judge settled for June 12. The trial is expected to last about two months.
Hasan is charged with 13 counts of premeditated murder and 32 counts of attempted premeditated murder for the November 2009 attack at the sprawling Army post, which is about 130 miles southwest of Dallas. If convicted, he faces the death penalty.
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February 03, 2012
Associated Press
by Angela K. Brown
FORT HOOD, Texas -- The Army psychiatrist accused of killing 13 people during the Fort Hood shooting rampage will go on trial in June, a military judge ruled Thursday after agreeing to a three-month delay.
Attorneys for Maj. Nidal Hasan argued during a hearing at the Army post in Texas that they still lacked key evidence needed to prepare for the March trial. Prosecutors insisted defense lawyers didn't need more time, saying one defense expert was hired nearly two years ago and that he alone has already racked up about $250,000 in fees billed to the government.
The defense had asked for a July trial, but the judge settled for June 12. The trial is expected to last about two months.
Hasan is charged with 13 counts of premeditated murder and 32 counts of attempted premeditated murder for the November 2009 attack at the sprawling Army post, which is about 130 miles southwest of Dallas. If convicted, he faces the death penalty.
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Corpsman up! So Marines may live
Corpsman up! So Marines may live
100th Air Refueling Wing Public Affairs
Story by Tech. Sgt. Kevin Wallace
RAF MILDENHALL, England -- "Corpsman up!" rang out like a shotgun in his ears.
The 7-ton truck he was riding in just crashed back down after being thrown 5 feet into the air after hitting an improvised explosive device while on convoy in eastern Afghanistan.
The smoke and dirt hadn't yet settled, and former Petty Officer 2nd Class Shawn 'Doc' Dickens strained all his senses - desperately trying to find the 11 Marines and Soldier who accompanied him on the convoy.
"Hearing Marines scream 'corpsman up,' is the last thing a corpsman wants to hear because that means a Marine is hurt," said Marine Sgt. Dickens, who left the Navy to pursue a career in the Marine Corps after that Afghan deployment. "As I went from Marine to Marine and assessed the damage, I blanked out.
"It's not like I didn't know what to do, but more like I treated everyone - but don't really remember doing it," continued the former corpsman. "I can remember before, and have memory once everyone was fixed, but the center is kind of fuzzy."
Of the 13 men on the convoy, Dickens was the only one not injured. Sitting next to the spare tire in the truck saved his life. He remembers seeing the tire later and it was literally riddled with shrapnel, he said.
After the attack, Dickens triaged, then treated each and every fellow serviceman on that Afghan roadside, and can still recall the most-severely wounded Marine:
"Cpl. Aaron Grossman had taken shrapnel through the backs of his legs," recalled the former corpsman. "A large piece literally tore out his calf muscle, while another hit near a major artery. Had I not removed it, it could have shifted and would have cut his artery. He'd have bled out in a matter of minutes."
After saving the team members' lives, four were medically evacuated out of Afghanistan, treated at a stateside hospital, and except one, all eventually returned to their deployed unit.
Dickens didn't see Grossman again until he returned home. But, what happened during post-deployment defines what Sergeant Dickens considers the most rewarding part of his job as a corpsman.
At their barracks on Camp Lejeune, N.C., while moving as fast as his crutches would allow, Grossman scurried up to Dickens' mom, gave her a big hug and said, "Thank you for having the son you have. If he had not been there for me when I got hit, I probably wouldn't be able to hug my own mom anymore."
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100th Air Refueling Wing Public Affairs
Story by Tech. Sgt. Kevin Wallace
RAF MILDENHALL, England -- "Corpsman up!" rang out like a shotgun in his ears.
The 7-ton truck he was riding in just crashed back down after being thrown 5 feet into the air after hitting an improvised explosive device while on convoy in eastern Afghanistan.
The smoke and dirt hadn't yet settled, and former Petty Officer 2nd Class Shawn 'Doc' Dickens strained all his senses - desperately trying to find the 11 Marines and Soldier who accompanied him on the convoy.
"Hearing Marines scream 'corpsman up,' is the last thing a corpsman wants to hear because that means a Marine is hurt," said Marine Sgt. Dickens, who left the Navy to pursue a career in the Marine Corps after that Afghan deployment. "As I went from Marine to Marine and assessed the damage, I blanked out.
"It's not like I didn't know what to do, but more like I treated everyone - but don't really remember doing it," continued the former corpsman. "I can remember before, and have memory once everyone was fixed, but the center is kind of fuzzy."
Of the 13 men on the convoy, Dickens was the only one not injured. Sitting next to the spare tire in the truck saved his life. He remembers seeing the tire later and it was literally riddled with shrapnel, he said.
After the attack, Dickens triaged, then treated each and every fellow serviceman on that Afghan roadside, and can still recall the most-severely wounded Marine:
"Cpl. Aaron Grossman had taken shrapnel through the backs of his legs," recalled the former corpsman. "A large piece literally tore out his calf muscle, while another hit near a major artery. Had I not removed it, it could have shifted and would have cut his artery. He'd have bled out in a matter of minutes."
After saving the team members' lives, four were medically evacuated out of Afghanistan, treated at a stateside hospital, and except one, all eventually returned to their deployed unit.
Dickens didn't see Grossman again until he returned home. But, what happened during post-deployment defines what Sergeant Dickens considers the most rewarding part of his job as a corpsman.
At their barracks on Camp Lejeune, N.C., while moving as fast as his crutches would allow, Grossman scurried up to Dickens' mom, gave her a big hug and said, "Thank you for having the son you have. If he had not been there for me when I got hit, I probably wouldn't be able to hug my own mom anymore."
read more here
Cherry Point Marines return from 10-month deployment
Cherry Point Marines return from 10-month deployment
Harrier detachment part of 22nd MEU
Havelock News
Some call them heroes, the men who pilot jet fighters in far off lands, protecting the United States and its allies from harm.
They see it a little differently.
“I think the heroes out of the whole group were the families that had to keep on pushing for 10 months with their spouses being gone,” said Maj. Michael P. Murphy, an AV-8B Harrier pilot who returned to Cherry Point Thursday after a 10-month deployment with the 22nd Marine Expeditionary Unit.
The return of the six Harriers attached to Marine Attack Squadron 231 Thursday was just the beginning of homecomings at Camp Lejeune, New River and Cherry Point as the 2,200 Marines and sailors completed the longest sea deployment for a MEU since 1973. The typical MEU deployment is about six months.
“It was four months longer than most people were ready for, but we did it,” Murphy said. “I think everyone’s proud that we were able to make it happen.”
The 22nd MEU deployed about three months early on March 29 as tensions increased in Libya and the Middle East.
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Harrier detachment part of 22nd MEU
Drew C. WilsonDrew C. Wilson
Capt. Michael Murphy, a Harrier pilot with VMA-231, bends down to talk to daughter Elliot, 5, while walking hand in hand with daughter Annabel, 4, and wife JoAnne Murphy, of New Bern Thursday after Murphy returned from 10-month deployment.
Havelock News
Some call them heroes, the men who pilot jet fighters in far off lands, protecting the United States and its allies from harm.
They see it a little differently.
“I think the heroes out of the whole group were the families that had to keep on pushing for 10 months with their spouses being gone,” said Maj. Michael P. Murphy, an AV-8B Harrier pilot who returned to Cherry Point Thursday after a 10-month deployment with the 22nd Marine Expeditionary Unit.
The return of the six Harriers attached to Marine Attack Squadron 231 Thursday was just the beginning of homecomings at Camp Lejeune, New River and Cherry Point as the 2,200 Marines and sailors completed the longest sea deployment for a MEU since 1973. The typical MEU deployment is about six months.
“It was four months longer than most people were ready for, but we did it,” Murphy said. “I think everyone’s proud that we were able to make it happen.”
The 22nd MEU deployed about three months early on March 29 as tensions increased in Libya and the Middle East.
read more here
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