Veterans with hidden wounds face service dog harassment
by Phil Anaya /
KENS 5
Posted on April 28, 2012
For many people across Texas, having a service dog to help them with their disability is a great tool, as well as a great companion. However, for some being out in public with their service dog doesn’t come without some sort of scrutiny.
Most service dogs are trained to help those who are deaf, blind or physically handicapped. But there are also those with invisible wounds or disabilities. For example; Veterans that suffer from PTSD.
In recent months KENS 5 has come across several people questioned and/or harassed about their disability because their service dog doesn’t look like your typical service K9, or because the person handling the dog doesn’t appear to be disabled.
San Antonian Carrie Ann Partch suffers from PTSD. She has a toy poodle named Bella who is her service dog. Partch claims she’s been harassed about her service dog twice this semester at the UTSA downtown campus, as well as at other places around town.
read more here
Monday, April 30, 2012
Fort Bragg WTU needs to give better care
Report: Bragg WTU needs to give better care
By Joe Gould -
Staff writer
Posted : Sunday Apr 29, 2012
An investigation into claims of maltreatment of soldiers at the Fort Bragg, N.C., warrior transition battalion found the post needs to improve the way it selects and trains its staff, and that the staff needs to communicate better with the troops in their care.
“From our position, the perception of that soldier and his wife is reality,” said Brig. Gen. Michael X. Garrett, the departing 18th Airborne Corps chief of staff, referring to publicized complaints about the WTU. “And so we’re trying to figure out, how do we better connect with him? How do we better keep him informed? How do we better prepare leaders for what I would argue is one of the most difficult tasks in our Army?”
Lt. Gen. Frank G. Helmick, the commanding general of 18th Airborne Corps and Fort Bragg, ordered the investigation after an advocacy group told him in February that soldiers in the battalion were being overmedicated, poorly treated and unfairly discharged.
The inspector general’s report was not released, but Garrett summarized the inspector general’s findings in a news conference on the post April 17. He told reporters they can request the report from the Inspector General’s Office at Army headquarters under the Freedom of Information Act. Army Times has made that request but had not received the report by press time.
read more here
By Joe Gould -
Staff writer
Posted : Sunday Apr 29, 2012
An investigation into claims of maltreatment of soldiers at the Fort Bragg, N.C., warrior transition battalion found the post needs to improve the way it selects and trains its staff, and that the staff needs to communicate better with the troops in their care.
“From our position, the perception of that soldier and his wife is reality,” said Brig. Gen. Michael X. Garrett, the departing 18th Airborne Corps chief of staff, referring to publicized complaints about the WTU. “And so we’re trying to figure out, how do we better connect with him? How do we better keep him informed? How do we better prepare leaders for what I would argue is one of the most difficult tasks in our Army?”
Lt. Gen. Frank G. Helmick, the commanding general of 18th Airborne Corps and Fort Bragg, ordered the investigation after an advocacy group told him in February that soldiers in the battalion were being overmedicated, poorly treated and unfairly discharged.
The inspector general’s report was not released, but Garrett summarized the inspector general’s findings in a news conference on the post April 17. He told reporters they can request the report from the Inspector General’s Office at Army headquarters under the Freedom of Information Act. Army Times has made that request but had not received the report by press time.
read more here
Parents say Fort Bragg soldier charged with shooting at firefighters has PTSD
Parents want Army to care for shooting suspect
By Joe Gould
Staff writer
Posted : Sunday Apr 29, 2012
The parents of a Fort Bragg, N.C., soldier charged with shooting at police and firefighters who responded to a fire at his home said he suffered from combat-related stress and believed he was being attacked by insurgents.
The soldier, Staff Sgt. Joshua “Ike” Eisenhauer, 30, shot at emergency workers who came to fight a small fire on his deck Jan. 13. No emergency workers were seriously injured in the shootout, but Eisenhauer was hospitalized for gunshot wounds.
He has since recovered and was charged with 15 counts of attempted murder, nine counts of assault with a deadly weapon on a government official and six counts of assault on a law enforcement officer with a firearm.
In separate letters to Army Times, Eisenhauer’s parents — Mark Eisenhauer and Dawn Erickson — said their son was traumatized after two deployments and called on the Army to “assume responsibility” and take over the prosecution from the state.
Mark Eisenhauer said in the letter, “the Army should take care of its own even when that means prosecutions of its own. The Army has the facilities to provide the physical and psychiatric care or soldier needs to recover and become a useful member of civilian society again.”
According to Eisenhauer’s father, his son said he had “flashbacked to combat in Afghanistan.” He awoke to the sound of footsteps on the stairs outside his apartment, saw flames, smelled smoke, and “fired on the ‘insurgents’ who were actually firemen and police officers.”
read more here
By Joe Gould
Staff writer
Posted : Sunday Apr 29, 2012
The parents of a Fort Bragg, N.C., soldier charged with shooting at police and firefighters who responded to a fire at his home said he suffered from combat-related stress and believed he was being attacked by insurgents.
The soldier, Staff Sgt. Joshua “Ike” Eisenhauer, 30, shot at emergency workers who came to fight a small fire on his deck Jan. 13. No emergency workers were seriously injured in the shootout, but Eisenhauer was hospitalized for gunshot wounds.
He has since recovered and was charged with 15 counts of attempted murder, nine counts of assault with a deadly weapon on a government official and six counts of assault on a law enforcement officer with a firearm.
In separate letters to Army Times, Eisenhauer’s parents — Mark Eisenhauer and Dawn Erickson — said their son was traumatized after two deployments and called on the Army to “assume responsibility” and take over the prosecution from the state.
Mark Eisenhauer said in the letter, “the Army should take care of its own even when that means prosecutions of its own. The Army has the facilities to provide the physical and psychiatric care or soldier needs to recover and become a useful member of civilian society again.”
According to Eisenhauer’s father, his son said he had “flashbacked to combat in Afghanistan.” He awoke to the sound of footsteps on the stairs outside his apartment, saw flames, smelled smoke, and “fired on the ‘insurgents’ who were actually firemen and police officers.”
read more here
VFW to restore memorial cross in Mojave Desert
Court settlement paves way for veterans to restore memorial cross in Mojave Desert
Published April 29, 2012
Associated Press
LOS ANGELES
A veterans group can restore a memorial cross in the Mojave Desert under a court settlement that ends a decade-old legal battle, the National Park Service said Tuesday.
A federal judge approved the lawsuit settlement on Monday, permitting the park service to turn over a remote hilltop area known as Sunrise Rock to a Veteran of Foreign Wars post in Barstow and the Veterans Home of California-Barstow.
The park will give up the acre of land in exchange for five acres of donated property elsewhere in the 1.6 million acre preserve in Southern California.
The swap, which could be completed by the end of the year, will permit veterans to restore a cross to the site and end a controversy that became tangled in the thorny issues of patriotism and religion and made its way to the U.S. Supreme Court in 2003.
read more here
Published April 29, 2012
Associated Press
LOS ANGELES
A veterans group can restore a memorial cross in the Mojave Desert under a court settlement that ends a decade-old legal battle, the National Park Service said Tuesday.
A federal judge approved the lawsuit settlement on Monday, permitting the park service to turn over a remote hilltop area known as Sunrise Rock to a Veteran of Foreign Wars post in Barstow and the Veterans Home of California-Barstow.
The park will give up the acre of land in exchange for five acres of donated property elsewhere in the 1.6 million acre preserve in Southern California.
The swap, which could be completed by the end of the year, will permit veterans to restore a cross to the site and end a controversy that became tangled in the thorny issues of patriotism and religion and made its way to the U.S. Supreme Court in 2003.
read more here
In Blacksburg parade, veterans hear a hearty 'thanks'
In Blacksburg parade, veterans hear a hearty 'thanks'
Hundreds of New River Valley residents gathered on South Main Street on Sunday to clap, wave flags and greet veterans who paraded by.
By Mason Adams
Hundreds of New River Valley residents gathered on South Main Street to clap, wave small American flags and say "thank you" as the veterans walked or rode by.
As one vet passed by in the back of a car, Peggy Eaton of Montgomery County rushed out to shake his hand. Eaton said she lost three fathers -- her birth father, her stepfather and her father-in-law -- to World War II, and said it was important to be at the parade to pay tribute to their sacrifices.
Gary Harris of Radford had the same idea. He has been driving a recreational vehicle called "A Soldier's Spirit" for years to pay tribute to those who have perished in wars. Harris, commander of Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 776, served in the Army and fought in the Vietnam War in 1970.
"My friend Steve Traynor, we had 48 days to come home from Vietnam, and he got killed," Harris said. "So when I retired, I bought this old bus and put that mural on the side. When I went out camping or on trips, other people want to put a name of their loved one on the side."
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Hundreds of New River Valley residents gathered on South Main Street on Sunday to clap, wave flags and greet veterans who paraded by.
By Mason Adams
Col. Wesley Fox, one of fewer than 85 living Medal of Honor recipients, talks with compatriots before the Welcome Home Veterans Parade in Blacksburg. Fox was in the Marines for 43 years and is a former deputy commandant for the Virginia Tech Corps of Cadets. BLACKSBURG -- Generations of military veterans marched together Sunday in a parade that culminated with the annual Virginia Tech Corps of Cadets' change of command ceremony.
Hundreds of New River Valley residents gathered on South Main Street to clap, wave small American flags and say "thank you" as the veterans walked or rode by.
As one vet passed by in the back of a car, Peggy Eaton of Montgomery County rushed out to shake his hand. Eaton said she lost three fathers -- her birth father, her stepfather and her father-in-law -- to World War II, and said it was important to be at the parade to pay tribute to their sacrifices.
Gary Harris of Radford had the same idea. He has been driving a recreational vehicle called "A Soldier's Spirit" for years to pay tribute to those who have perished in wars. Harris, commander of Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 776, served in the Army and fought in the Vietnam War in 1970.
"My friend Steve Traynor, we had 48 days to come home from Vietnam, and he got killed," Harris said. "So when I retired, I bought this old bus and put that mural on the side. When I went out camping or on trips, other people want to put a name of their loved one on the side."
read more here
At 102, female WWII veteran keeps doing good deeds
At 102, female WWII veteran keeps doing good deeds
Bea Abrams Cohen has worked for more than seven decades supporting philanthropic organizations and the U.S. military.
By Ann M. Simmons
Los Angeles Times
April 30, 2012
It's all about "mitzvah," said Bea Abrams Cohen as she sought to explain one possible secret to her longevity. The meanings of the Hebrew word include an act of human kindness or a good deed. That's what Cohen, age 102, has spent a lifetime doing.
"Pay back. It works," said the chatty centenarian, who served her country during World War II and has worked for more than seven decades supporting the U.S. military and philanthropic organizations.
A resident of Westchester, Cohen is believed to be California's oldest female veteran, according to the California Department of Veterans Affairs. She was recently recognized at a state Capitol celebration during Women's Military History Week honoring the achievements of women in the armed forces.
"I don't want anyone to ever forget our veterans," Cohen said. "They are our heroes."
read more here
Bea Abrams Cohen has worked for more than seven decades supporting philanthropic organizations and the U.S. military.
By Ann M. Simmons
Los Angeles Times
April 30, 2012
It's all about "mitzvah," said Bea Abrams Cohen as she sought to explain one possible secret to her longevity. The meanings of the Hebrew word include an act of human kindness or a good deed. That's what Cohen, age 102, has spent a lifetime doing.
"Pay back. It works," said the chatty centenarian, who served her country during World War II and has worked for more than seven decades supporting the U.S. military and philanthropic organizations.
A resident of Westchester, Cohen is believed to be California's oldest female veteran, according to the California Department of Veterans Affairs. She was recently recognized at a state Capitol celebration during Women's Military History Week honoring the achievements of women in the armed forces.
"I don't want anyone to ever forget our veterans," Cohen said. "They are our heroes."
read more here
Tampa VA veterans awaiting appointments hiked from 30 to 120 days
VA standard for veterans awaiting appointments hiked from 30 to 120 days
By William R. Levesque,
Times Staff Writer
Monday, April 30, 2012
Tampa Bay's two veterans hospitals have changed a much-watched measure of their performance by increasing from 30 to 120 days the time a patient must go without an appointment before being placed on a waiting list, interviews and documents obtained by the Tampa Bay Times show.
Critics of the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs say the change is part of a wider VA trend of fudging statistics showing how well facilities serve veterans.
The VA denies the charge.
But at James A. Haley VA Medical Center in Tampa, a switch from 30 to 120 days this month left the hospital's waiting list for outpatient appointments much improved. It dropped from March's 4,981 patients to 1,800 this month, Haley figures show.
read more here
By William R. Levesque,
Times Staff Writer
Monday, April 30, 2012
Tampa Bay's two veterans hospitals have changed a much-watched measure of their performance by increasing from 30 to 120 days the time a patient must go without an appointment before being placed on a waiting list, interviews and documents obtained by the Tampa Bay Times show.
Critics of the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs say the change is part of a wider VA trend of fudging statistics showing how well facilities serve veterans.
The VA denies the charge.
But at James A. Haley VA Medical Center in Tampa, a switch from 30 to 120 days this month left the hospital's waiting list for outpatient appointments much improved. It dropped from March's 4,981 patients to 1,800 this month, Haley figures show.
read more here
Son of Vietnam Veteran to receive Silver Star
Soldier from Houston to receive Silver Star for heroism
Sunday, April 29, 2012
Katie McCall
HOUSTON
(KTRK)
A local soldier will be honored this week at Fort Polk in Louisiana.
U.S. Army Sgt. Joshua Laughery of Houston will receive the prestigious Silver Star, the third-highest combat decoration that can be awarded to a member of any branch of military for valor in the face of an enemy.
"It is a really big honor for valor for bravery under fire, and not many people get it, and I am very proud of him for getting it -- definitely," the soldier's father, Christopher Laughery said.
Christopher Laughery is a Vietnam veteran who has watched his 27-year-old son serve two tours in Iraq and another in Afghanistan, leaving behind two daughters and a wife to serve his country.
read more here
Sunday, April 29, 2012
Katie McCall
HOUSTON
(KTRK)
A local soldier will be honored this week at Fort Polk in Louisiana.
U.S. Army Sgt. Joshua Laughery of Houston will receive the prestigious Silver Star, the third-highest combat decoration that can be awarded to a member of any branch of military for valor in the face of an enemy.
"It is a really big honor for valor for bravery under fire, and not many people get it, and I am very proud of him for getting it -- definitely," the soldier's father, Christopher Laughery said.
Christopher Laughery is a Vietnam veteran who has watched his 27-year-old son serve two tours in Iraq and another in Afghanistan, leaving behind two daughters and a wife to serve his country.
read more here
Sunday, April 29, 2012
Fort Lauderdale Air Show Cancelation Causes Disappointment
Air Show Cancelation Causes Disappointment
April 29, 2012 6:07 PM
(CBS4)
FT. LAUDERDALE
(CBSMiami) – Due to weather conditions, organizers of the Ft. Lauderdale Air Show were forced to cancel Sunday’s performance.
“After consulting with city officials in regards to public safety, the Lauderdale Air Show has been canceled for Sunday,” show officials posted on their Facebook page.
“It was devastating,” air show worker Leo Abate said after he learned the news. “There were a lot of sad faces, a lot of work in preparing for this, we’ve been preparing for this like six months.”
But Abate realized the right decision was made.
“We had rain bands coming just like our hurricanes and it just was not safe to put people out there on the beach,” said Abate. “They had an issue on the beach with water, standing water, and the tents and things like that.”
read more here
The thrill is back: Air show wows the crowds, despite gray skies and drizzles
By Robert Nolin
Sun Sentinel
April 28, 2012
Afterburners flaming, contrails streaming from wingtips, the gray F-18 Navy Hornet appeared out of nowhere and roared over Fort Lauderdale beach.
The crowd below roared back.
The wild blue yonder just got wilder.
After five years, warbirds and civilian stunt planes returned to lace the skies Saturday with heart-in-your-throat aerobatics as the newly resurrected Lauderdale Air Show soared into town. The show continues today, from noon to 4 p.m. on Fort Lauderdale beach.
read more here
April 29, 2012 6:07 PM
(CBS4)
FT. LAUDERDALE
(CBSMiami) – Due to weather conditions, organizers of the Ft. Lauderdale Air Show were forced to cancel Sunday’s performance.
“After consulting with city officials in regards to public safety, the Lauderdale Air Show has been canceled for Sunday,” show officials posted on their Facebook page.
“It was devastating,” air show worker Leo Abate said after he learned the news. “There were a lot of sad faces, a lot of work in preparing for this, we’ve been preparing for this like six months.”
But Abate realized the right decision was made.
“We had rain bands coming just like our hurricanes and it just was not safe to put people out there on the beach,” said Abate. “They had an issue on the beach with water, standing water, and the tents and things like that.”
read more here
The thrill is back: Air show wows the crowds, despite gray skies and drizzles
By Robert Nolin
Sun Sentinel
April 28, 2012
Afterburners flaming, contrails streaming from wingtips, the gray F-18 Navy Hornet appeared out of nowhere and roared over Fort Lauderdale beach.
The crowd below roared back.
The wild blue yonder just got wilder.
After five years, warbirds and civilian stunt planes returned to lace the skies Saturday with heart-in-your-throat aerobatics as the newly resurrected Lauderdale Air Show soared into town. The show continues today, from noon to 4 p.m. on Fort Lauderdale beach.
read more here
Vietnam Veterans Reunion 2012
While the media loves to say that Afghanistan is the longest war, they forget when the US started to lose lives in Vietnam.
Yesterday we went to the Florida Vietnam and All Veterans Reunion. If reporters bothered to look at the Wall whenever they covered it, they'd know that the years on it began in 1959 and kept claiming lives until 1975.
The last died in May of 1975 Capture and Release of SS Mayaguez
Yesterday we went to the Florida Vietnam and All Veterans Reunion. If reporters bothered to look at the Wall whenever they covered it, they'd know that the years on it began in 1959 and kept claiming lives until 1975.
July 8, 1959 - Two U.S. military advisors, Maj. Dale Buis and Sgt. Chester Ovnand, are killed by Viet Minh guerrillas at Bien Hoa, South Vietnam. They are the first American deaths in the Second Indochina War which Americans will come to know simply as The Vietnam War.
The last died in May of 1975 Capture and Release of SS Mayaguez
At Afghanistan hospital, Texas troops treat the wounds of war
Bagram hospital helps keep survival rates at record highs even as it sees horrible injuries from roadside bombs.
By Jeremy Schwartz
AMERICAN-STATESMAN STAFF
Sunday, April 29, 2012
BAGRAM AIR BASE, AFGHANISTAN — Just after 9 a.m., the helicopter descends past jagged, snowcapped mountains, and the crew rushes a soldier with a gunshot wound to his leg into the trauma center. Nurses, doctors and medical technicians, clad in camouflage scrubs, flood into the room, unwrapping his bloody bandage, checking vital signs and inserting lines for intravenous fluids.
The injury is minor compared with what these military medical workers see on a regular basis. In addition to a growing number of gunshot victims, the trauma center sees many NATO troops whose legs and arms have been blown off by land mines hidden in the Afghan countryside, victims of what the military has termed dismounted complex blast injury. On busy days, staffers treat dozens of patients, as they did on a recent Saturday when insurgent forces staged a series of attacks around Kabul.
By nighttime, the soldier will have been carefully bundled onto a stretcher, or "packaged," and along with a dozen other wounded service members, put on a C-17 cargo plane and flown to the Army's military hospital in Landstuhl, Germany.
read more here
By Jeremy Schwartz
AMERICAN-STATESMAN STAFF
Sunday, April 29, 2012
BAGRAM AIR BASE, AFGHANISTAN — Just after 9 a.m., the helicopter descends past jagged, snowcapped mountains, and the crew rushes a soldier with a gunshot wound to his leg into the trauma center. Nurses, doctors and medical technicians, clad in camouflage scrubs, flood into the room, unwrapping his bloody bandage, checking vital signs and inserting lines for intravenous fluids.
The injury is minor compared with what these military medical workers see on a regular basis. In addition to a growing number of gunshot victims, the trauma center sees many NATO troops whose legs and arms have been blown off by land mines hidden in the Afghan countryside, victims of what the military has termed dismounted complex blast injury. On busy days, staffers treat dozens of patients, as they did on a recent Saturday when insurgent forces staged a series of attacks around Kabul.
By nighttime, the soldier will have been carefully bundled onto a stretcher, or "packaged," and along with a dozen other wounded service members, put on a C-17 cargo plane and flown to the Army's military hospital in Landstuhl, Germany.
read more here
Orange Park soldier, military dog handler, dies in Afghanistan
Orange Park soldier dies in Afghanistan
2 Army sergeants killed while serving in Ghanzi Province, Afghanistan
Published On: Apr 27 2012
ORANGE PARK, Fl
Two soldiers supporting Operation Enduring Freedom, one from Orange Park, died Thursday while supporting Operation Enduring Freedom in Afghanistan.
Sgt Dick A. Lee Jr. and Staff Sgt. Brandon F. Eggleston died Thursday in Ghanzi province from injuries suffered when their vehicle struck an improvised explosive device.
Lee., 31, of Orange Park, was assigned to 95th Military Police Battalion, 18th Military Police Brigade, 21st Theater Sustainment Command, Sembach, Germany.
Lee is survived by a wife and two sons.
His commanding officer called Lee a great soldier and military dog handler and that everyone who knew Lee considered it an honor to serve with him.
read more here
2 Army sergeants killed while serving in Ghanzi Province, Afghanistan
Published On: Apr 27 2012
ORANGE PARK, Fl
Two soldiers supporting Operation Enduring Freedom, one from Orange Park, died Thursday while supporting Operation Enduring Freedom in Afghanistan.
Sgt Dick A. Lee Jr. and Staff Sgt. Brandon F. Eggleston died Thursday in Ghanzi province from injuries suffered when their vehicle struck an improvised explosive device.
Lee., 31, of Orange Park, was assigned to 95th Military Police Battalion, 18th Military Police Brigade, 21st Theater Sustainment Command, Sembach, Germany.
Lee is survived by a wife and two sons.
His commanding officer called Lee a great soldier and military dog handler and that everyone who knew Lee considered it an honor to serve with him.
read more here
Biker killed after hitting deer in Ocala National Forest
Biker killed after hitting deer in Ocala National Forest
By Kevin P. Connolly
Orlando Sentinel
April 28, 2012
A South Florida motorcyclist heading north on State Road 19 in the Ocala National Forest was killed Saturday after his bike hit a deer that jumped out of the woods and into his path.
Bruce L. Pelish, 57, of Miramar was killed after the 10:20 a.m. crash at S.R. 19 and Sunset Strip, the Florida Highway Patrol said. The crash happened in a part of the forest located in north Lake County.
read more here
By Kevin P. Connolly
Orlando Sentinel
April 28, 2012
A South Florida motorcyclist heading north on State Road 19 in the Ocala National Forest was killed Saturday after his bike hit a deer that jumped out of the woods and into his path.
Bruce L. Pelish, 57, of Miramar was killed after the 10:20 a.m. crash at S.R. 19 and Sunset Strip, the Florida Highway Patrol said. The crash happened in a part of the forest located in north Lake County.
read more here
More than 500 Volunteers Join Rebuilding Together Boston
More than 500 Volunteers Join Rebuilding Together Boston to Renovate Homes and Non-Profit Facilities on National Rebuilding Day
April 28, 2012
BOSTON
PRNewswire via COMTEX/ -- Volunteers, including New England Patriots employees and alumni and an all women skilled tradesperson team, are repairing homes and renovating housing for formerly homeless veterans, women and children at nine sites across the City.
Today, Rebuilding Together Boston (RTB), an affiliate of Rebuilding Together, the nation's leading nonprofit working to preserve affordable housing and revitalize communities, is engaging more than 500 local volunteers and civic leaders to rehabilitate six homes in Mattapan, Dorchester and Roxbury; Pine Street Inn Veterans' housing and a residence for formerly homeless women, and the Nazareth Residence for Mothers and Children on National Rebuilding Day.
This work is made possible by the generosity of sponsors: Bank of America, Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts, Booz Allen Hamilton, Bullhorn, Fairway Independent Mortgage Corporation, Gilbane Building Company, Grand Circle Corporation, the Jacobs family, Mirassou Winery, Sears Holdings and Starbucks. Also, the Home Depot Foundation made a generous community impact grant to Rebuilding Together Boston for the donation of supplies to support the renovation work on National Rebuilding Day.
Projects this year include the renovation of an 89-year old widow's home by an all women crew who are providing plumbing, electricity, and carpentry services at her home in Mattapan where she has resided in for more than 40 years and has cared for her grandson who has cerebral palsy.
read more here
April 28, 2012
BOSTON
PRNewswire via COMTEX/ -- Volunteers, including New England Patriots employees and alumni and an all women skilled tradesperson team, are repairing homes and renovating housing for formerly homeless veterans, women and children at nine sites across the City.
Today, Rebuilding Together Boston (RTB), an affiliate of Rebuilding Together, the nation's leading nonprofit working to preserve affordable housing and revitalize communities, is engaging more than 500 local volunteers and civic leaders to rehabilitate six homes in Mattapan, Dorchester and Roxbury; Pine Street Inn Veterans' housing and a residence for formerly homeless women, and the Nazareth Residence for Mothers and Children on National Rebuilding Day.
This work is made possible by the generosity of sponsors: Bank of America, Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts, Booz Allen Hamilton, Bullhorn, Fairway Independent Mortgage Corporation, Gilbane Building Company, Grand Circle Corporation, the Jacobs family, Mirassou Winery, Sears Holdings and Starbucks. Also, the Home Depot Foundation made a generous community impact grant to Rebuilding Together Boston for the donation of supplies to support the renovation work on National Rebuilding Day.
Projects this year include the renovation of an 89-year old widow's home by an all women crew who are providing plumbing, electricity, and carpentry services at her home in Mattapan where she has resided in for more than 40 years and has cared for her grandson who has cerebral palsy.
Also, volunteers will be working on several other projects including providing home modifications and energy-efficiency upgrades for a World War II Veteran and his wife. RTB volunteers will complete needed repairs in the basement; reconstruct the front porch with new windows and paint; repair the railing and lattice work on the back porch and paint; install a new walkway from the driveway to back yard; install drainage for down spouts; and make any needed home modifications for the couple to ensure safety.
read more here
Tacoma VFW Post 91 helps Bales family get through nightmare
Tacoma VFW Post 91 helps Bales family get through nightmare
Kari Bales and her two young children stayed hidden in plain sight at the Daffodil Parade on April 14. They were among about a dozen people waving at the crowd from a float entered by Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 91 in Tacoma.
FACT BOX
CHRISTIAN HILL
STAFF WRITER
Published: 04/28/12
Kari Bales and her two young children stayed hidden in plain sight at the Daffodil Parade on April 14. They were among about a dozen people waving at the crowd from a float entered by Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 91 in Tacoma.
Despite the international coverage of their plight, only two friends in the crowd recognized the wife and two children of the Joint Base Lewis-McChord soldier who’s charged with murdering 17 Afghan civilians, said Elmer Clark, the VFW post commander.
Clark made the arrangements for the Bales family to ride the float – one of many ways the post is wrapping its arms around family members during their nightmare that began seven weeks ago today.
read more here
Kari Bales and her two young children stayed hidden in plain sight at the Daffodil Parade on April 14. They were among about a dozen people waving at the crowd from a float entered by Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 91 in Tacoma.
FACT BOX
HOW TO HELP VFW Post 91 is accepting donations for Kari Bales and her children at its post building, 2000 S. Union Ave. in Tacoma. The money will supplement the family’s living expenses while they pay mounting bills. Donations can be placed in a secured box located just inside the post’s front door. Checks should be made out to VFW Post 91. Call 253-759-6995 to see if the building is open.
CHRISTIAN HILL
STAFF WRITER
Published: 04/28/12
Kari Bales and her two young children stayed hidden in plain sight at the Daffodil Parade on April 14. They were among about a dozen people waving at the crowd from a float entered by Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 91 in Tacoma.
Despite the international coverage of their plight, only two friends in the crowd recognized the wife and two children of the Joint Base Lewis-McChord soldier who’s charged with murdering 17 Afghan civilians, said Elmer Clark, the VFW post commander.
Clark made the arrangements for the Bales family to ride the float – one of many ways the post is wrapping its arms around family members during their nightmare that began seven weeks ago today.
read more here
Veteran's mission continues even after his return from combat
Veteran's mission continues even after his return from combat
Saturday, April 28, 2012
BY COLIN GAMBARO
COLUMBIA
James Casey, a U.S. military veteran, had trouble finding an identity in society when he returned home from Iraq.
On Saturday, The Mission Continues — a nonprofit organization that challenges post-9/11 military veterans to be leaders in their communities — teamed up with Fox Sports Midwest as part of the Summer Service Slam to spearhead a refurbishment of Rainbow Softball Center at Cosmopolitan Park.
"Many veterans struggle to find the same purpose at home as they found in the mission, camaraderie and structure of the military. The Mission Continues does not offer charity, rather, it challenges returning service members to utilize their tremendous skills and leadership to continue serving our country at home," the organization's website says.
Saturday was an opportunity for veterans such as Casey to give back to their community with the help from civilian volunteers.
read more here
Saturday, April 28, 2012
BY COLIN GAMBARO
COLUMBIA
James Casey, a U.S. military veteran, had trouble finding an identity in society when he returned home from Iraq.
After suffering a knee injury in 2009, however, Casey was forced to return to St. Louis. It was during this time that he developed post-traumatic stress disorder.He needed to find the focus and purpose back home that he had during his three tours of duty in Iraq. The Mission Continues helped provide that purpose.
“It was being idle and not doing anything,” Casey said, “I was going through a major loss in my life. I was losing an identification of self because for almost a decade I had identified with being a combat soldier.”
On Saturday, The Mission Continues — a nonprofit organization that challenges post-9/11 military veterans to be leaders in their communities — teamed up with Fox Sports Midwest as part of the Summer Service Slam to spearhead a refurbishment of Rainbow Softball Center at Cosmopolitan Park.
"Many veterans struggle to find the same purpose at home as they found in the mission, camaraderie and structure of the military. The Mission Continues does not offer charity, rather, it challenges returning service members to utilize their tremendous skills and leadership to continue serving our country at home," the organization's website says.
Saturday was an opportunity for veterans such as Casey to give back to their community with the help from civilian volunteers.
read more here
Soldier accused of selling stolen arms on eBay from Iraq
Feds: Soldier sold stolen arms on eBay from Iraq
Fidel Ignacio Cisneros is accused of violating federal arms export laws, according to the Homeland Security investigators.
By Arelis R. Hernández
Orlando Sentinel
April 28, 2012
A U.S. Army soldier with connections to Orlando sold stolen arms to buyers on eBay while he was deployed in Iraq in 2010, according to Homeland Security investigators.
Fidel Ignacio Cisneros is accused of violating federal law regarding the export of sensitive technology such as night-vision equipment, rifle scopes and high-powered infrared lasers that were not intended for the public, according to an affidavit filed in federal court in Orlando.
Using the eBay name of "silentpro2010," Cisneros told buyers he was retired from the military and based in Orlando selling surplus equipment, investigators said.
His listing touted the arms as being extremely rare and "impossible to find on the international market," the affidavit said.
read more here
Fidel Ignacio Cisneros is accused of violating federal arms export laws, according to the Homeland Security investigators.
By Arelis R. Hernández
Orlando Sentinel
April 28, 2012
A U.S. Army soldier with connections to Orlando sold stolen arms to buyers on eBay while he was deployed in Iraq in 2010, according to Homeland Security investigators.
Fidel Ignacio Cisneros is accused of violating federal law regarding the export of sensitive technology such as night-vision equipment, rifle scopes and high-powered infrared lasers that were not intended for the public, according to an affidavit filed in federal court in Orlando.
Using the eBay name of "silentpro2010," Cisneros told buyers he was retired from the military and based in Orlando selling surplus equipment, investigators said.
His listing touted the arms as being extremely rare and "impossible to find on the international market," the affidavit said.
read more here
Saturday, April 28, 2012
Camp Lejeune Marines justified in killing home invaders
DA: Deaths were justified
April 28, 2012 6:15 AM
LINDELL KAY
DAILY NEWS STAFF
Prosecutors announced Friday they will not press charges against two Camp Lejeune Marines and a civilian who fought for their lives and killed two local men who were burglarizing their Jacksonville home earlier this month.
Maurice Skinner, 33, of Banks Street, and Diego M. Everette, 33, of Graytown Road, were shot and killed by residents of 107 Country Club Drive around 2 a.m. on April 15.
District Attorney Ernie Lee refused to publicly identify the residents involved in the shooting.
He said it was clear from the evidence that the state’s Castle Doctrine, which allows for deadly force in defending one’s home, and self-defense laws apply in the case.
“After investigation by the Jacksonville Police Department and reading the statements of the witnesses, it is clear that Everette’s and Skinner’s death were justified because of the actions of Everette and Skinner in burglarizing the residence and assaulting, robbing and threatening to kill the occupants of the residence,” Lee said.
read more here
April 28, 2012 6:15 AM
LINDELL KAY
DAILY NEWS STAFF
Prosecutors announced Friday they will not press charges against two Camp Lejeune Marines and a civilian who fought for their lives and killed two local men who were burglarizing their Jacksonville home earlier this month.
Maurice Skinner, 33, of Banks Street, and Diego M. Everette, 33, of Graytown Road, were shot and killed by residents of 107 Country Club Drive around 2 a.m. on April 15.
District Attorney Ernie Lee refused to publicly identify the residents involved in the shooting.
He said it was clear from the evidence that the state’s Castle Doctrine, which allows for deadly force in defending one’s home, and self-defense laws apply in the case.
“After investigation by the Jacksonville Police Department and reading the statements of the witnesses, it is clear that Everette’s and Skinner’s death were justified because of the actions of Everette and Skinner in burglarizing the residence and assaulting, robbing and threatening to kill the occupants of the residence,” Lee said.
read more here
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