A cost of war: Soaring disability benefits for veterans
By Aaron Smith
CNNMoney
April 27, 2012
NEW YORK (CNNMoney)
After more than a decade of continuous warfare, the cost of disability compensation for wounded veterans is surging to mammoth proportions.
The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs expects to spend $57 billion on disability benefits next year. That's up 25% from $46 billion this year, and nearly quadruple the $15 billion spent in 2000, before the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan began.
"This is the cost of going to war," said Larry Korb, a senior fellow at the Center for American Progress who served as assistant secretary of defense during the Ronald Reagan administration. "We've made so much progress in medicine [that] you're going to have a lot of people survive their injuries who didn't in the past."
About 4,500 U.S. troops were killed in Iraq and about 1,800 have been killed in Afghanistan. Some 633,000 veterans -- one out of every four of the 2.3 million who served in Iraq and Afghanistan -- have a service-connected disability, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
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Friday, April 27, 2012
Band of Brothers Hero John McGrath dies at 92
Soldier depicted in 'Band of Brothers' dies at 92
By JAY LEVIN
The Record
(Hackensack N.J.)
Published: April 26, 2012
John McGrath, a reluctant World War II hero whose derring-do became well known after his depiction in the HBO miniseries “Band of Brothers,” died on Tuesday. He was 92.
For decades, McGrath’s local claim to fame was his service to the Elmwood Park Fire Department in New Jersey, which he joined in 1952. He was chief in 1970 and 1971, when the borough was called East Paterson. After retiring as a truck driver, he worked as the borough’s part-time fire code official.
True to the Greatest Generation, the humorously gruff McGrath, who was known as Jack, seldom spoke about what he did in the war.
Stephen E. Ambrose blew his cover.
The historian and biographer immortalized the soldiers of Easy Company, the 506th Parachute Infantry Regiment, 101st Airborne Division, in his 1992 book “Band of Brothers.” McGrath belonged to the legendary company, whose successes stretched from D-Day to the capture of Hitler’s Bavarian outpost. The Carlstadt-born soldier had his moment on page 100, where Ambrose describes how McGrath blew up a German tank with a bazooka shot — “the critical moment,” Ambrose writes, in the Allied forces’ taking of Carentan, France, during the invasion of Normandy.
“Band of Brothers” became a critically acclaimed miniseries in 2001, and McGrath’s exploits were officially out in the open.
“I had no idea of his war record until the miniseries — he never said anything,” said Richard Mola, a longtime friend and Elmwood Park’s mayor since 1972.
read more here
By JAY LEVIN
The Record
(Hackensack N.J.)
Published: April 26, 2012
John McGrath, a reluctant World War II hero whose derring-do became well known after his depiction in the HBO miniseries “Band of Brothers,” died on Tuesday. He was 92.
For decades, McGrath’s local claim to fame was his service to the Elmwood Park Fire Department in New Jersey, which he joined in 1952. He was chief in 1970 and 1971, when the borough was called East Paterson. After retiring as a truck driver, he worked as the borough’s part-time fire code official.
True to the Greatest Generation, the humorously gruff McGrath, who was known as Jack, seldom spoke about what he did in the war.
Stephen E. Ambrose blew his cover.
The historian and biographer immortalized the soldiers of Easy Company, the 506th Parachute Infantry Regiment, 101st Airborne Division, in his 1992 book “Band of Brothers.” McGrath belonged to the legendary company, whose successes stretched from D-Day to the capture of Hitler’s Bavarian outpost. The Carlstadt-born soldier had his moment on page 100, where Ambrose describes how McGrath blew up a German tank with a bazooka shot — “the critical moment,” Ambrose writes, in the Allied forces’ taking of Carentan, France, during the invasion of Normandy.
“Band of Brothers” became a critically acclaimed miniseries in 2001, and McGrath’s exploits were officially out in the open.
“I had no idea of his war record until the miniseries — he never said anything,” said Richard Mola, a longtime friend and Elmwood Park’s mayor since 1972.
read more here
Florida homeless veterans get help
Governor's $1 million grant helps homeless veterans
A grant by the governor will give veteran support groups in the state of Florida a $1 million boost.
By Craig Rubadoux, Malcolm Denemark and Tim Walter
Posted April 27, 2012
A grant by the governor will give veteran support groups in the state of Florida a $1 million boost.
By Craig Rubadoux, Malcolm Denemark and Tim Walter
Posted April 27, 2012
Heroic Vietnam veteran always there for comrades
Heroic Vietnam veteran always there for comrades
By HOWARD ALTMAN
The Tampa Tribune
Published: April 26, 2012
TAMPA
Jimmy Basta hovered the Huey helicopter gunship over a mountainous stretch northwest of Kon Tum, a provincial capital in Vietnam, laying down a barrage of rockets and bullets at the enemy below.
Known by the call signal "Tornado White," Basta was doing what he did best in the jungle: protecting buddies regardless of risk.
"It was his hallmark," said Charlie Rayl. Now a lawyer in Kansas, Rayl was then a fellow member of the Ruthless Riders, 7th Armored Squadron, 17th Air Cavalry. Rayl's chopper had crashed. Basta was saving his life on March 9, 1968.
Years later, Basta would move to Tampa, where he was part of what eventually would become the Joint Communications Support Element at MacDill Air Force Base. He helped put together the Vietnam War Memorial at Veterans Memorial Park, off U.S. 301 in Tampa, volunteered for Meals-on-Wheels and became known as the guy who would cart around the little scout helicopter to parades and schools.
On Tuesday, Basta died after a long bout with lung cancer. He was 72.
His family and friends remember him as a straight shooter who ignored danger, be it to his life in the form of enemy fire or to his career in the form of general officers he was not afraid to criticize.
Before leaving Vietnam, where he did three tours, Basta would be shot down six times, said his wife, Marie, also 72. He earned the Bronze Star, two Purple Hearts, the Distinguished Flying Cross, the Legion of Merit, the Meritorious Service Medal and, because he flew so many missions, 55 Air Medals.
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Luc Pieterbourg Jim Basta, right with Barry Spear, helped put together the Vietnam War Memorial at Veterans Memorial Park.
By HOWARD ALTMAN
The Tampa Tribune
Published: April 26, 2012
TAMPA
Jimmy Basta hovered the Huey helicopter gunship over a mountainous stretch northwest of Kon Tum, a provincial capital in Vietnam, laying down a barrage of rockets and bullets at the enemy below.
Known by the call signal "Tornado White," Basta was doing what he did best in the jungle: protecting buddies regardless of risk.
"It was his hallmark," said Charlie Rayl. Now a lawyer in Kansas, Rayl was then a fellow member of the Ruthless Riders, 7th Armored Squadron, 17th Air Cavalry. Rayl's chopper had crashed. Basta was saving his life on March 9, 1968.
Years later, Basta would move to Tampa, where he was part of what eventually would become the Joint Communications Support Element at MacDill Air Force Base. He helped put together the Vietnam War Memorial at Veterans Memorial Park, off U.S. 301 in Tampa, volunteered for Meals-on-Wheels and became known as the guy who would cart around the little scout helicopter to parades and schools.
On Tuesday, Basta died after a long bout with lung cancer. He was 72.
His family and friends remember him as a straight shooter who ignored danger, be it to his life in the form of enemy fire or to his career in the form of general officers he was not afraid to criticize.
Before leaving Vietnam, where he did three tours, Basta would be shot down six times, said his wife, Marie, also 72. He earned the Bronze Star, two Purple Hearts, the Distinguished Flying Cross, the Legion of Merit, the Meritorious Service Medal and, because he flew so many missions, 55 Air Medals.
read more here
Blind Iraq Veteran taking Walk for Vision
Moorhead man who lost sight in Iraq War to take part in Walk for Vision
By: Helmut Schmidt,
INFORUM
April 26, 2012
MOORHEAD -
Eric Marts made it a point to take care of the soldiers he led in battle in Iraq, even as repeated roadside blasts were robbing him of his eyesight.
Now blind, the 50-year-old former Army National Guard master sergeant is still helping others, hoping to give people in the same situation – whether veterans or lifelong civilians – the same advantages.
Marts plans to walk with his guide dog, “Corporal” Deacon, at North Dakota State University on Saturday in the Fargo version of “Walk for Vision,” the main fundraiser for the North Dakota Association of the Blind.
“I’m pretty blessed,” Marts says matter-of-factly.
After all, the Army and the Department of Veterans Affairs helped get him the training and the technology to make a life without sight more navigable, as well as his big, friendly English Labrador guide dog.
He wants to be part of the walk to raise money so that those without his support system can go to camps and get the same sort of help to ease their way through the world.
“So I guess that’s a good cause,” Marts said.
read more here
By: Helmut Schmidt,
INFORUM
April 26, 2012
MOORHEAD -
Eric Marts made it a point to take care of the soldiers he led in battle in Iraq, even as repeated roadside blasts were robbing him of his eyesight.
Now blind, the 50-year-old former Army National Guard master sergeant is still helping others, hoping to give people in the same situation – whether veterans or lifelong civilians – the same advantages.
Marts plans to walk with his guide dog, “Corporal” Deacon, at North Dakota State University on Saturday in the Fargo version of “Walk for Vision,” the main fundraiser for the North Dakota Association of the Blind.
“I’m pretty blessed,” Marts says matter-of-factly.
After all, the Army and the Department of Veterans Affairs helped get him the training and the technology to make a life without sight more navigable, as well as his big, friendly English Labrador guide dog.
He wants to be part of the walk to raise money so that those without his support system can go to camps and get the same sort of help to ease their way through the world.
“So I guess that’s a good cause,” Marts said.
read more here
Lance Cpl. Cory Killgore 'use this tragedy for good'
Marine whose wife was killed wants to 'use this tragedy for good'
April 26, 2012
The husband of the slain Brittany Dawn Killgore said in a statement Thursday that he is searching for a way "to use this tragedy for good."
"Brittany's death cannot be in vain," Marine Lance Cpl. Cory Killgore said in a statement released by the San Diego County Sheriff's Department. "At this point I don't know how to use this tragedy for good, but others have found their way, and I hope to do the same. Brittany meant too much to do any less."
Killgore was deployed in Afghanistan when his 22-year-old wife went missing April 13. Her body was found dumped near Lake Skinner in Riverside County on April 17. He is now home on emergency leave arranged by the Red Cross and the Marine Corps.
read more here
also
April 26, 2012
The husband of the slain Brittany Dawn Killgore said in a statement Thursday that he is searching for a way "to use this tragedy for good."
"Brittany's death cannot be in vain," Marine Lance Cpl. Cory Killgore said in a statement released by the San Diego County Sheriff's Department. "At this point I don't know how to use this tragedy for good, but others have found their way, and I hope to do the same. Brittany meant too much to do any less."
Killgore was deployed in Afghanistan when his 22-year-old wife went missing April 13. Her body was found dumped near Lake Skinner in Riverside County on April 17. He is now home on emergency leave arranged by the Red Cross and the Marine Corps.
read more here
also
Man pleads not guilty in death of deployed Marine's wife
By the CNN Wire Staff
Fri April 27, 2012
STORY HIGHLIGHTS
Marine sergeant pleads not guilty in woman's death
Authorities have said he was with Brittany Killgore when she was last seen alive
Killgore's body was found in a rural area; authorities haven't said how she died
(CNN) -- On the day one of two suspects in his wife's death was arraigned, a deployed Marine said Thursday he was devastated but wanted to ensure her death was not in vain.
"My wife, Brittany, was beautiful beyond words and her murder has left me devastated. My duty to her memory is now to ensure her good reputation remains intact, and help law enforcement and prosecutors secure justice for the person or persons who took her away from me," Lance Cpl. Cory Killgore said in a statement.
Marine Staff Sgt. Luis Ray Perez, 45, was arraigned on a suspicion of murder charge in San Diego County, California, in the death of Brittany Killgore, 22. He pleaded not guilty, according to CNN affiliate KGTV.
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Marine so badly hurt he filmed himself giving himself the Last Rites
Ex-Marine aims camera at self to heal from the war
By John Rogers
Associated Press
April 27, 2012
LOS ANGELES—An ex-Marine filmmaker whose unit carried pocket digital cameras into some of the worst fighting in Iraq is using that footage, and post-war interviews, to open viewers' eyes about combat and help himself deal with the lasting emotional impact.
The videos are stark. One Marine is so badly hurt he filmed himself giving himself the Last Rites.
Some of the fighters seem unaffected years later in civilian life, while others have gone through severe bouts of post-traumatic stress and one man, who in Iraq saved fellow Marines' lives, wound up in prison back home.
Garrett Anderson hopes to show this all up close with "And Then They Came Home," a documentary he is making from footage he and his comrades gathered on Nov. 22, 2004, one of the bloodiest days of fighting during Iraq's second battle of Fallujah.
One of Anderson's comrades died that day and six others in his platoon were wounded as they fought building to building in the city of Fallujah, searching for snipers. One of those shot was so badly wounded that he pulled out his digital camera and hit the record button as he gave himself the Last Rites so his family would have a record of it. Anderson plans to include that footage in his film.
"We were probably the first group of people who were allowed to go into combat with a digital camera in your pocket," Anderson said recently from his home in Portland, Ore.
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By John Rogers
Associated Press
April 27, 2012
This Feb. 2006 photo provided by Josh Echeverria shows U.S. Marine Garrett Anderson in a prone firing position in Kunar Province, Afghanistan. Anderson, an ex-Marine filmmaker whose unit carried pocket digital cameras into some of the worst fighting in Iraq is using that footage, and post-war interviews, to open viewers' eyes about combat and help himself deal with the lasting emotional impact. (AP Photo/Josh Echeverria)
LOS ANGELES—An ex-Marine filmmaker whose unit carried pocket digital cameras into some of the worst fighting in Iraq is using that footage, and post-war interviews, to open viewers' eyes about combat and help himself deal with the lasting emotional impact.
The videos are stark. One Marine is so badly hurt he filmed himself giving himself the Last Rites.
Some of the fighters seem unaffected years later in civilian life, while others have gone through severe bouts of post-traumatic stress and one man, who in Iraq saved fellow Marines' lives, wound up in prison back home.
Garrett Anderson hopes to show this all up close with "And Then They Came Home," a documentary he is making from footage he and his comrades gathered on Nov. 22, 2004, one of the bloodiest days of fighting during Iraq's second battle of Fallujah.
One of Anderson's comrades died that day and six others in his platoon were wounded as they fought building to building in the city of Fallujah, searching for snipers. One of those shot was so badly wounded that he pulled out his digital camera and hit the record button as he gave himself the Last Rites so his family would have a record of it. Anderson plans to include that footage in his film.
"We were probably the first group of people who were allowed to go into combat with a digital camera in your pocket," Anderson said recently from his home in Portland, Ore.
read more here
New Hampshire VA psychopharmacologist was intoxicated while providing patient care
“Why I Quit the VA”
By MARK THOMPSON
April 26, 2012
Nicholas Tolentino spelled out the reasons he resigned from New Hampshire’s main Department of Veterans Affairs health center Wednesday before the Senate Committee on Veterans Affairs.
While his prepared remarks also detail just how flexible the VA’s data are when it comes to showing that vets are getting adequate mental-health care, it’s why the 14-year Navy vet says he left the VA last December after two years that may be most illuminating – and frustrating:
By MARK THOMPSON
April 26, 2012
Nicholas Tolentino spelled out the reasons he resigned from New Hampshire’s main Department of Veterans Affairs health center Wednesday before the Senate Committee on Veterans Affairs.
While his prepared remarks also detail just how flexible the VA’s data are when it comes to showing that vets are getting adequate mental-health care, it’s why the 14-year Navy vet says he left the VA last December after two years that may be most illuminating – and frustrating:
I could detail other instances of unethical practice at the Manchester VAMC that contributed to my decision to resign, but the final straw occurred when the medical center failed to take meaningful action in response to the discovery that a VA clinical psychopharmacologist was intoxicated while providing patient care. On October 31st, 2011 the Mental Health Service Line Manager discovered that a psychopharmacologist at our facility was noticeably intoxicated and slurring his speech. The Service Line Manager became aware of this situation when a veteran reported that the clinician had failed to appear for an appointment. Looking into the matter, I discovered that he had written numerous prescriptions during that day, presumably during the period of his intoxication.
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Hundreds of Fort Carson soldiers came home
Soldiers, Families Reunited After Months Apart
Hundreds of Fort Carson soldiers were welcomed home from Afghanistan Thursday morning, after almost a year away.
Apr 26, 2012
Reporter: KKTV
After nearly a year, hundreds of Fort Carson soldiers are back in the arms of their loved ones.
For months, the only contact these soldiers had with their families and friends were phone calls and e-mails. For months, loved ones felt the painful absence as they navigated their daily lives with their father, daughter, spouse an ocean away.
That's all over for the 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division, who returned to Fort Carson early Thursday morning.
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Hundreds of Fort Carson soldiers were welcomed home from Afghanistan Thursday morning, after almost a year away.
Apr 26, 2012
Reporter: KKTV
After nearly a year, hundreds of Fort Carson soldiers are back in the arms of their loved ones.
For months, the only contact these soldiers had with their families and friends were phone calls and e-mails. For months, loved ones felt the painful absence as they navigated their daily lives with their father, daughter, spouse an ocean away.
That's all over for the 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division, who returned to Fort Carson early Thursday morning.
read more here
The Russians are coming?
Russia Is Sending Troops To The US To Learn American Military Tactics
Eloise Lee
Apr. 25, 2012
Russian paratroopers will meet up with American forces next month for an unprecedented military exercise in Colorado, according to RT News.
It's the first time Russian service members will be invited into the United States for a joint drill.
A Russian airborne task force will "exercise with U.S. special service weapons," an announcement by Russian Defense Ministry spokesperson Col. Aleksandr Kucherenko revealed.
The official purpose of the joint training is to practice airborne tactics and anti-terror operations, such as dropping into a hostile area and conducting a "terrorist camp raid."
"Soldiers of the two countries will hold a tactical airborne operation, including reconnaissance of an imaginary terrorists' camp and a raid," said Kucherenko.
read more here
Eloise Lee
Apr. 25, 2012
Russian paratroopers will meet up with American forces next month for an unprecedented military exercise in Colorado, according to RT News.
It's the first time Russian service members will be invited into the United States for a joint drill.
A Russian airborne task force will "exercise with U.S. special service weapons," an announcement by Russian Defense Ministry spokesperson Col. Aleksandr Kucherenko revealed.
The official purpose of the joint training is to practice airborne tactics and anti-terror operations, such as dropping into a hostile area and conducting a "terrorist camp raid."
"Soldiers of the two countries will hold a tactical airborne operation, including reconnaissance of an imaginary terrorists' camp and a raid," said Kucherenko.
read more here
Thursday, April 26, 2012
Lance Cpl. Philip Bushong was days away from leaving Marines
Family remembers slain Marine
April 25, 2012
LINDELL KAY -
DAILY NEWS STAFF
The father of a Camp Lejeune Marine killed over the weekend in Washington, D.C., said his son was just days away from leaving the Corps and beginning a new life with his girlfriend.
Lance Cpl. Philip Bushong, 23, died Saturday after being stabbed in the heart with a pocket knife.
The Marine charged with second-degree murder in Philip Bushong’s death has said he acted in self defense. Pfc. Michael Poth, 20, told police the stabbing was because Philip Bushong punched him in the head. Police detectives did not notice any wounds, and Poth did not request medical treatment, according to court documents obtained by The Associated Press.
The altercation occurred at around 2:30 a.m. Saturday on the Barracks Row end of 8th Street in southwest Washington, which has several bars and restaurants where Philip Bushong had been a well-known and popular patron, said his father Michael Bushong, of Broad Brook, Conn.
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Original story Marine kills another Marine
April 25, 2012
LINDELL KAY -
DAILY NEWS STAFF
The father of a Camp Lejeune Marine killed over the weekend in Washington, D.C., said his son was just days away from leaving the Corps and beginning a new life with his girlfriend.
Lance Cpl. Philip Bushong, 23, died Saturday after being stabbed in the heart with a pocket knife.
The Marine charged with second-degree murder in Philip Bushong’s death has said he acted in self defense. Pfc. Michael Poth, 20, told police the stabbing was because Philip Bushong punched him in the head. Police detectives did not notice any wounds, and Poth did not request medical treatment, according to court documents obtained by The Associated Press.
The altercation occurred at around 2:30 a.m. Saturday on the Barracks Row end of 8th Street in southwest Washington, which has several bars and restaurants where Philip Bushong had been a well-known and popular patron, said his father Michael Bushong, of Broad Brook, Conn.
read more here
Original story Marine kills another Marine
Veterans refused to attend group labeled as “non-compliant” for treatment
This is about as bad as it can be since groups do fine for some veterans but for others, it makes PTSD worse!
From Marine Times
Whistle-blower blasts VA mental health policies
By Patricia Kime -
Staff writer
Posted : Wednesday Apr 25, 2012
Testimony from a former employee at a New Hampshire Veterans Affairs hospital confirmed what the VA’s inspector general noted in a scathing report released Monday — that VA embellishes its success rates of helping veterans with their mental health care needs.
Taking it further, Nicholas Tolentino, a former mental health administrator at the Manchester VA Medical Center, said VA culture encourages administrators to game performance metrics, lie on VA-wide surveys and emphasize quantity over quality.
For example, at Manchester, the hospital was able to say it was providing therapy to numerous veterans in a timely manner by placing those who needed intense individual psychotherapy into group sessions.
If veterans refused to attend group, they were labeled as “non-compliant” for treatment.
Worse, Tolentino added, this strategy spread to other regional VA hospitals, ensuring that administrations met their performance metrics by failing needy veterans.
“The system is too open to putting numerical performance goals ahead of veterans’ mental health care needs — too susceptible to gaming practices to make facilities ‘look good’ — and too little focused on overseeing the effectiveness of the mental health care,” said Tolentino, a former Navy corpsman and combat veteran.
read more here
Warning Signs of Suicidal Airmen
Moody: Warning Signs of Suicidal Airmen
Two airmen died this month in possible suicides; one is still under investigation.
Apr 25, 2012
Reporter: Greg Gullberg
Valdosta, Ga.
Two recent deaths are now putting Moody Air Force Base on high alert for suicidal behavior.
Two airmen died this month in possible suicides; one is still under investigation. It's been about two and a half years since the last suicide at Moody.
"People are not made to stand up to that kind of grueling activity. And that's one of the reasons we see as much Post Traumatic Stress Disorder as we have today," said Ed Kent.
Kent is a Gulf War veteran and member of the Georgia State Department of Veteran's Services. He helps military personnel with PTSD cope with everyday life.
Kent sees first hand how suicide is an ever lingering fog over our armed forces. He says our men fighting today face challenges like nothing his generation ever knew.
read more here
Two airmen died this month in possible suicides; one is still under investigation.
Apr 25, 2012
Reporter: Greg Gullberg
Valdosta, Ga.
Two recent deaths are now putting Moody Air Force Base on high alert for suicidal behavior.
Two airmen died this month in possible suicides; one is still under investigation. It's been about two and a half years since the last suicide at Moody.
"People are not made to stand up to that kind of grueling activity. And that's one of the reasons we see as much Post Traumatic Stress Disorder as we have today," said Ed Kent.
Kent is a Gulf War veteran and member of the Georgia State Department of Veteran's Services. He helps military personnel with PTSD cope with everyday life.
Kent sees first hand how suicide is an ever lingering fog over our armed forces. He says our men fighting today face challenges like nothing his generation ever knew.
read more here
Gary Sinise playing Albany show to help build house for disabled vet
Actor-musician Gary Sinise talks about crash and upcoming benefit concert
Actor-musician Gary Sinise playing Albany show to help build house for disabled vet
By Tom Keyser
Wednesday, April 25, 2012
In his first concert tour since being injured March 30 in a car wreck, Gary Sinise and his band will perform Saturday at the Washington Avenue Armory to raise money to build a home for a disabled veteran from Nassau.
A concert tour? Sinise is an actor, not a musician, right? Actually, he is both, and the name of his band encapsulates that — Lt. Dan Band. In the role for which he is best known, Sinise played Lt. Dan Taylor in the Oscar-winning movie "Forrest Gump."
But beyond the acting and performing, Sinise, star of the CBS series "CSI: NY," is a tireless supporter of veterans, first responders and children in ravaged parts of the world. When he was involved in the accident in Washington, D.C., he was on his way to Walter Reed Army Medical Center to spend time visiting veterans, and the next day the Lt. Dan Band was to play in Martinsville, Va., to raise money for a triple-amputee veteran wounded in Afghanistan.
read more here
Actor-musician Gary Sinise playing Albany show to help build house for disabled vet
By Tom Keyser
Wednesday, April 25, 2012
In his first concert tour since being injured March 30 in a car wreck, Gary Sinise and his band will perform Saturday at the Washington Avenue Armory to raise money to build a home for a disabled veteran from Nassau.
A concert tour? Sinise is an actor, not a musician, right? Actually, he is both, and the name of his band encapsulates that — Lt. Dan Band. In the role for which he is best known, Sinise played Lt. Dan Taylor in the Oscar-winning movie "Forrest Gump."
But beyond the acting and performing, Sinise, star of the CBS series "CSI: NY," is a tireless supporter of veterans, first responders and children in ravaged parts of the world. When he was involved in the accident in Washington, D.C., he was on his way to Walter Reed Army Medical Center to spend time visiting veterans, and the next day the Lt. Dan Band was to play in Martinsville, Va., to raise money for a triple-amputee veteran wounded in Afghanistan.
read more here
More Soldiers Face Homeless Homecomings Due To Economy, PTSD
More Soldiers Face Homeless Homecomings Due To Economy, PTSD
[VIDEO]
By Sarah Pusateri
When Stacie King finished up 10 years of service in the United States Navy, she was assured by her Navy TAP class instructor – a class that helps soldiers transition into civilian life and find jobs – that she would be a hot commodity for many employers.
“They were just like, ‘everyone wants to hire a veteran,’” recalls King. “Everyone wants to hire a veteran. You’re so marketable!”
King says for her, the exact opposite was true. She applied for dozens of jobs but got no response.
Finally, the single mother of three did manage to land a job at McDonald’s but quickly realized she wasn’t going to be making enough money to support her family. She packed up her children and belongings and moved to Florida to live with her brother’s family. Several months later, she still hadn’t found a job.
“I was on the brink. I was technically considered homeless because I was doubled up with my family, but even at that point, it wasn’t good. It wasn’t a good situation.”
She’s not alone. King’s family is among hundreds in Hillsborough County experiencing the threat of homelessness.
“With the current troop draw downs, we’re seeing an increase in request for services,” says Sara Romeo the Executive Director of Tampa Crossroads. “We have been really overwhelmed by the needs in the community.”
read more here
[VIDEO]
By Sarah Pusateri
When Stacie King finished up 10 years of service in the United States Navy, she was assured by her Navy TAP class instructor – a class that helps soldiers transition into civilian life and find jobs – that she would be a hot commodity for many employers.
“They were just like, ‘everyone wants to hire a veteran,’” recalls King. “Everyone wants to hire a veteran. You’re so marketable!”
King says for her, the exact opposite was true. She applied for dozens of jobs but got no response.
Finally, the single mother of three did manage to land a job at McDonald’s but quickly realized she wasn’t going to be making enough money to support her family. She packed up her children and belongings and moved to Florida to live with her brother’s family. Several months later, she still hadn’t found a job.
“I was on the brink. I was technically considered homeless because I was doubled up with my family, but even at that point, it wasn’t good. It wasn’t a good situation.”
She’s not alone. King’s family is among hundreds in Hillsborough County experiencing the threat of homelessness.
“With the current troop draw downs, we’re seeing an increase in request for services,” says Sara Romeo the Executive Director of Tampa Crossroads. “We have been really overwhelmed by the needs in the community.”
read more here
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