AWOL soldier stole Microsoft co-founder's identity, FBI says
Associated Press
March 27, 2012, 1:26 p.m.
An AWOL soldier's simple scheme to defraud one of the richest men in the world has landed him in federal custody, according to a criminal complaint.
In the complaint unsealed Monday, federal investigators allege Brandon Lee Price changed the address on a bank account held by billionaire Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen, then had a debit card sent to his Pittsburgh home so he could use it for payments on a delinquent Armed Forces Bank account and personal expenses.
Price called Citibank in January and changed the address on an account held by Allen from Seattle to Pittsburgh, then called back three days later to say he'd lost his debit card and asked for a new one to be sent to him, an FBI investigator wrote in a criminal complaint filed in February.
read more here
Wednesday, March 28, 2012
Dr. Frank Ochberg talks about Sgt. Robert Bales and the nature of PTSD
Sgt. Robert Bales and the nature of PTSD
by Steve Edwards
Mar. 27, 2012
Some, including his lawyers, say Sgt. Robert Bales, the soldier accused of killing 16 people in Afghanistan, may have been suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder or PTSD. Others disagree.
Nevertheless, the incident, Bates' frequent tours of duty in Afghanistan and the growing violence in the country have put PTSD back in the spotlight. In fact, WBUR's On Point devoted an entire hour to the subject yesterday.
Of course, PTSD affects more than just soliders in war zones. It affects children and families living in such areas, victims of natural disasters, and some say, even affects the residents of some of Chicago's most violent neighborhoods.
Dr. Frank Ochberg was among the scientists who came to define PTSD during its earlier years.
read more here
also
Frank M. Ochberg, M.D.
Gift From Within
by Steve Edwards
Mar. 27, 2012
Some, including his lawyers, say Sgt. Robert Bales, the soldier accused of killing 16 people in Afghanistan, may have been suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder or PTSD. Others disagree.
Nevertheless, the incident, Bates' frequent tours of duty in Afghanistan and the growing violence in the country have put PTSD back in the spotlight. In fact, WBUR's On Point devoted an entire hour to the subject yesterday.
Of course, PTSD affects more than just soliders in war zones. It affects children and families living in such areas, victims of natural disasters, and some say, even affects the residents of some of Chicago's most violent neighborhoods.
Dr. Frank Ochberg was among the scientists who came to define PTSD during its earlier years.
read more here
also
Frank M. Ochberg, M.D.
Gift From Within
Fort Campbell soldier's body discovered in lake
Soldier's Death Under Investigation
By WSIL Manager
Story Created: Mar 27, 2012
POPE CO. -- Illinois State Police are investigating the death of a soldier whose body was discovered at a Pope County lake.
The body of Timothy A. Clark, 21, of Fort Campbell, Kentucky, was found inside a vehicle submerged in the water at Lake Glendale.
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By WSIL Manager
Story Created: Mar 27, 2012
POPE CO. -- Illinois State Police are investigating the death of a soldier whose body was discovered at a Pope County lake.
The body of Timothy A. Clark, 21, of Fort Campbell, Kentucky, was found inside a vehicle submerged in the water at Lake Glendale.
read more here
Tuesday, March 27, 2012
GI Bill Consumer Awareness Act to help veterans decide
Sens.: Grade schools that take GI Bill benefits
By Rick Maze - Staff writer
Posted : Tuesday Mar 27, 2012 14:26:35 EDT
A new Senate bill proposes to create a consumer report card for every school covered by Post-9/11 GI Bill education benefits to disclose information about their policies on transferring credits to other schools, their average student loan debt, their course or degree completion rate, and how many graduates find jobs in their chosen fields.
The GI Bill Consumer Awareness Act is the latest effort by lawmakers to provide a warning to those using generous veterans’ education benefits that some schools may make big promises but deliver very little.
Sen. Patty Murray, D-Wash., the Senate Veterans’ Affairs Committee chairwoman and chief sponsor of the bill, said it is a response to “stories of frustration, confusion and even manipulation.”
“We have seen that in certain instances, our service members and veterans have been misled just to boost enrollment of students with this very lucrative benefit,” she said, referring mostly to some for-profit schools that use recruiters or salespeople to sign up students.
“We have seen reports of veterans who utilize the benefit for one school only to find out that when they want to move on to graduate school, the degree they received from the first school is inadequate,” Murray said.
read more here
By Rick Maze - Staff writer
Posted : Tuesday Mar 27, 2012 14:26:35 EDT
A new Senate bill proposes to create a consumer report card for every school covered by Post-9/11 GI Bill education benefits to disclose information about their policies on transferring credits to other schools, their average student loan debt, their course or degree completion rate, and how many graduates find jobs in their chosen fields.
The GI Bill Consumer Awareness Act is the latest effort by lawmakers to provide a warning to those using generous veterans’ education benefits that some schools may make big promises but deliver very little.
Sen. Patty Murray, D-Wash., the Senate Veterans’ Affairs Committee chairwoman and chief sponsor of the bill, said it is a response to “stories of frustration, confusion and even manipulation.”
“We have seen that in certain instances, our service members and veterans have been misled just to boost enrollment of students with this very lucrative benefit,” she said, referring mostly to some for-profit schools that use recruiters or salespeople to sign up students.
“We have seen reports of veterans who utilize the benefit for one school only to find out that when they want to move on to graduate school, the degree they received from the first school is inadequate,” Murray said.
read more here
Psychologist says Nicholas Horner was in a ‘dreamlike state’
Expert: Horner lacked intent
Psychologist says veteran was in a ‘dreamlike state’
March 27, 2012
By Phil Ray
The Altoona Mirror
HOLLIDAYSBURG - Nicholas A. Horner was in a "dreamlike state," or delirium, when he shot three people, killing two, during a 2009 robbery and getaway, a defense psychologist testified Monday in Blair County Court.
It was caused by repeated use of medication, and it also meant Horner was unable to form an intent to kill, psychologist Ernest Boswell of Minnesota said.
"He was operating at a different level," he testified.
Horner, who served three tours with the Army in Iraq, suffers from post-traumatic stress disorder, but Boswell said it was not the cause of the April 6, 2009, incident at 58th Street Subway.
Horner, 31, is charged with killing Scott Garlick, 19, and wounding Michelle Petty, both Subway employees.
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Psychologist says veteran was in a ‘dreamlike state’
March 27, 2012
By Phil Ray
The Altoona Mirror
HOLLIDAYSBURG - Nicholas A. Horner was in a "dreamlike state," or delirium, when he shot three people, killing two, during a 2009 robbery and getaway, a defense psychologist testified Monday in Blair County Court.
It was caused by repeated use of medication, and it also meant Horner was unable to form an intent to kill, psychologist Ernest Boswell of Minnesota said.
"He was operating at a different level," he testified.
Horner, who served three tours with the Army in Iraq, suffers from post-traumatic stress disorder, but Boswell said it was not the cause of the April 6, 2009, incident at 58th Street Subway.
Horner, 31, is charged with killing Scott Garlick, 19, and wounding Michelle Petty, both Subway employees.
read more here
Murray helps meet the nation's obligation to all the casualties of war
Murray helps meet the nation's obligation to all the casualties of war
The armed services have an ally in Washington's U.S. Sen. Patty Murray to help them rethink how they deal with post-traumatic stress disorder within their ranks, and to help veterans after they leave active duty.
Seattle Times Editorial
AMERICANS who saw heavy combat suffer a toll in health, happiness, marital status and earning power as civilians. So concluded a major study in 1985, followed by others.
The devastating traumas of combat experience, and exposure to the hazards and tensions of a war zone, are as old as the Trojan War, and as fresh as the multiple deployments of U.S. troops spread across two conflicts.
One thing has changed. Washington Sen. Patty Murray, chairwoman of the Senate Committee on Veterans Affairs, has emerged as a tenacious advocate for service personnel and veterans with post-traumatic stress disorder and related mental health issues.
What apparently has not changed is the military's own ambivalence about the condition. Anyone who wants to stay in the service believes it's a career-ender to acknowledge the flashbacks, nightmares and depression that characterize PTSD. At the very least, it could compromise a promotion.
read more here
The armed services have an ally in Washington's U.S. Sen. Patty Murray to help them rethink how they deal with post-traumatic stress disorder within their ranks, and to help veterans after they leave active duty.
Seattle Times Editorial
AMERICANS who saw heavy combat suffer a toll in health, happiness, marital status and earning power as civilians. So concluded a major study in 1985, followed by others.
The devastating traumas of combat experience, and exposure to the hazards and tensions of a war zone, are as old as the Trojan War, and as fresh as the multiple deployments of U.S. troops spread across two conflicts.
One thing has changed. Washington Sen. Patty Murray, chairwoman of the Senate Committee on Veterans Affairs, has emerged as a tenacious advocate for service personnel and veterans with post-traumatic stress disorder and related mental health issues.
What apparently has not changed is the military's own ambivalence about the condition. Anyone who wants to stay in the service believes it's a career-ender to acknowledge the flashbacks, nightmares and depression that characterize PTSD. At the very least, it could compromise a promotion.
read more here
Survey Gives Glimpse Into Minds of Recent Veterans
Survey Gives Glimpse Into Minds of Recent Veterans
By JAMES DAO
March 26, 2012
The 2012 edition of Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America’s annual survey of its members came out on Monday. The largest such survey by the group to date, its results provide some interesting insights into what’s on the minds of recent veterans today.
Not surprisingly, the survey found that employment, mental health, disability benefits, health care, education (including the G.I. Bill), suicide and families — in that order — were the top concerns of the more than 4,200 members who responded.
Nearly 17 percent said they were unemployed when they took the survey in January, a higher rate than was documented by the Bureau of Labor Statistics, which put the veterans’ unemployment rate for January at 9 percent.
Of those who are working, 37 percent said they worked for the government at some level, far outpacing the second largest industry listed, health care and pharmaceuticals, which tallied 8 percent. Similarly, of those looking for work, the largest group, about a quarter, said they wanted to find jobs in government.
In its summary of the survey, I.A.V.A. noted that because many local, state and federal agencies have been trimming their work forces, “the threat to veteran employment may grow.”
More than one in three respondents, 37 percent, said they knew someone who had committed suicide, down slightly from last year’s result. Asked if the person who committed suicide was serving or had separated from the military, respondents were almost evenly divided: 30 percent said the person had separated when the act occurred; 27 percent said the person was serving but not deployed; 25 percent said the person was serving and deployed. Another 11 percent said the person was in the National Guard and not deployed.
read more here
By JAMES DAO
March 26, 2012
The 2012 edition of Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America’s annual survey of its members came out on Monday. The largest such survey by the group to date, its results provide some interesting insights into what’s on the minds of recent veterans today.
Not surprisingly, the survey found that employment, mental health, disability benefits, health care, education (including the G.I. Bill), suicide and families — in that order — were the top concerns of the more than 4,200 members who responded.
Nearly 17 percent said they were unemployed when they took the survey in January, a higher rate than was documented by the Bureau of Labor Statistics, which put the veterans’ unemployment rate for January at 9 percent.
Of those who are working, 37 percent said they worked for the government at some level, far outpacing the second largest industry listed, health care and pharmaceuticals, which tallied 8 percent. Similarly, of those looking for work, the largest group, about a quarter, said they wanted to find jobs in government.
In its summary of the survey, I.A.V.A. noted that because many local, state and federal agencies have been trimming their work forces, “the threat to veteran employment may grow.”
More than one in three respondents, 37 percent, said they knew someone who had committed suicide, down slightly from last year’s result. Asked if the person who committed suicide was serving or had separated from the military, respondents were almost evenly divided: 30 percent said the person had separated when the act occurred; 27 percent said the person was serving but not deployed; 25 percent said the person was serving and deployed. Another 11 percent said the person was in the National Guard and not deployed.
read more here
Department of Veterans Affairs offering free training for rural clergy
PTSD attacks the soul. Plain and simple. It is an attack and does not begin within. PTSD only strikes after a traumatic event and it hits humans in all walks of life. We hear more about PTSD connected to combat for several reasons. The biggest one is the number of times these men and women are exposed to traumatic events and the violent nature of the trauma. Another reason is because they are a tiny minority in this country. Less than 1% serve today. With over 300 million people in the USA, we have about 24 million veterans but these are the latests figures from the VA about the number of them needing care.
According to the report the number of veterans with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder is 501,280. Yet this nation has a problem taking care of them? The Paul Ryan Budget did not include our veterans as if they are a burden to be forgotten.
Some will say it is the government's job to take care of them so they don't have to do anything when our veterans come home from combat. Yet when the government needs more money to do it, we hear about the deficit and passing on our debt to our children. When it comes to our veterans, this is a debt we owe to all veterans and it was paid for in advance when they offered their lives in service to this nation. Shame on us!
Every single one of us needs to do all we can when they come home. This includes members of the clergy helping them heal spiritually. If you live in a rural area, you are needed for the veterans and their families. Time to step up!
If you are a veteran with PTSD and need spiritual help you can contact Point Man International Ministries
VA Annual Benefits Reports for 2011
Number of Veterans and Survivors Receiving Compensation Benefits at the End of Fiscal Year 2011 is 3,710,215
Veterans received service-connected disability benefits 3,354,741
Survivors received service-connected death benefits 355,474
Veterans Receiving Service-Connected Disability Benefits at the End of Fiscal Year 2011 by Period of Service
World War II 191,425
Korean Conflict 148,180
Vietnam Era 1,161,473
Gulf War Era 1,203,834
Peacetime 649,829
According to the report the number of veterans with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder is 501,280. Yet this nation has a problem taking care of them? The Paul Ryan Budget did not include our veterans as if they are a burden to be forgotten.
Some will say it is the government's job to take care of them so they don't have to do anything when our veterans come home from combat. Yet when the government needs more money to do it, we hear about the deficit and passing on our debt to our children. When it comes to our veterans, this is a debt we owe to all veterans and it was paid for in advance when they offered their lives in service to this nation. Shame on us!
Every single one of us needs to do all we can when they come home. This includes members of the clergy helping them heal spiritually. If you live in a rural area, you are needed for the veterans and their families. Time to step up!
Matthew 9:37-38
New International Version (NIV)
37 Then he said to his disciples, “The harvest is plentiful but the workers are few. 38 Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field.”
Public and Intergovernmental Affairs
Rural Clergy
March 22, 2012
VA Offering Training for Rural Clergy
Finding New Ways to Connect Rural Vets with VA Services
WASHINGTON (March 22, 2012) -- Members of the clergy in rural areas can sign up for free, one-day workshops offered by the Department of Veterans Affairs to educate these community leaders about the concerns of Veterans and the services offered by VA in their communities.
“VA has always recognized that faith is an important healing resource for many Veterans,” said Secretary of Veterans Affairs Eric K. Shinseki. “These new workshops will provide training that will help community clergy in supporting Veterans in rural areas.”
It is estimated that one-fourth of people who seek help for mental health problems go to members of the clergy. “In addition to providing good spiritual care, we hope clergy will recognize the presence and severity of mental health problems, and know when and how to collaborate with health care professionals,” said Chaplain Jeni Cook, Associate Director of VA’s National Chaplain Center in Hampton, VA.
Workshops will run through June in rural parts of Virginia, North Carolina, West Virginia, Kentucky and Tennessee. Community clergy and Veterans Service Organization representatives are invited to attend.
Participants will learn about VA benefits and services and about how to contact local VA facilities to request information or assistance for Veterans.
Workshop topics will include post-deployment readjustment challenges, the spiritual and psychological effects of war trauma on survivors, and the important role of community in helping to reduce mental health stigma and support Veterans and their families.
Seating for the workshops is limited and pre-registration is required. For more information about dates and locations, visit Rural Clergy Training or contact Jim Goalder at 1-800-872-9975 or at jim.goalder@gmail.com.
If you are a veteran with PTSD and need spiritual help you can contact Point Man International Ministries
Monday, March 26, 2012
Memorial march for Bataan vets draws 7,000
Memorial march for Bataan vets draws 7,000
The Associated Press
Posted : Monday Mar 26, 2012
WHITE SANDS MISSILE RANGE, N.M. — Nearly 7,000 have participated in a march at White Sands Missile Range to honor the 70th anniversary of the Bataan Memorial Death March.
The special ceremony also drew more than a dozen survivors, including 94-year-old survivor Ben Skardon of Clemson, S.C.
read more here
The Associated Press
Posted : Monday Mar 26, 2012
WHITE SANDS MISSILE RANGE, N.M. — Nearly 7,000 have participated in a march at White Sands Missile Range to honor the 70th anniversary of the Bataan Memorial Death March.
The special ceremony also drew more than a dozen survivors, including 94-year-old survivor Ben Skardon of Clemson, S.C.
read more here
Governor poised to settle Virginia War Memorial issue
Governor poised to settle Virginia War Memorial issue
By Bill Sizemore
The Virginian-Pilot
© March 26, 2012
RICHMOND
A long-running dispute over how to honor Virginians killed in America's 21st century wars is grinding slowly toward resolution, but the final chapter of the saga could still be years away.
One reason it's taking so long is the unique nature of the "war on terror," which poses questions that past wars didn't: What does it encompass? When did it begin? When, if ever, will it end? And how will we know?
State lawmakers have wrestled with the quandary for four years. Now it appears Gov. Bob McDonnell may have the final word.
At the center of the dispute is the Virginia War Memorial, a glass and marble monument on a picturesque hillside with a panoramic view of the James River and downtown Richmond. In some ways, its mission has been a moving target from the beginning.
read more here
By Bill Sizemore
The Virginian-Pilot
© March 26, 2012
RICHMOND
A long-running dispute over how to honor Virginians killed in America's 21st century wars is grinding slowly toward resolution, but the final chapter of the saga could still be years away.
One reason it's taking so long is the unique nature of the "war on terror," which poses questions that past wars didn't: What does it encompass? When did it begin? When, if ever, will it end? And how will we know?
State lawmakers have wrestled with the quandary for four years. Now it appears Gov. Bob McDonnell may have the final word.
At the center of the dispute is the Virginia War Memorial, a glass and marble monument on a picturesque hillside with a panoramic view of the James River and downtown Richmond. In some ways, its mission has been a moving target from the beginning.
read more here
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