1,600 museums offer troops free tickets
By Brett Zongker
The Associated Press
Posted : Tuesday May 22, 2012
WASHINGTON — More than 1,600 museums across the country will offer free admission to active-duty military personnel and their families this summer in a program that has more than doubled in size since 2010.
The expanded Blue Star Museums initiative will be announced Tuesday at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City where more than 40 museums are participating. The offer of free admission runs from Memorial Day until Labor Day at sites nationwide.
RELATED READING
National parks entrance fees waived for troops (May 15)
The program began in 2010 as a partnership between the National Endowment for the Arts, Blue Star Families and the Defense Department. It's adding 300 new museums this year.
read more here
Tuesday, May 22, 2012
Man Arrested After Throwing Bullets Into Barbecue Has PTSD
Man Arrested After Throwing Bullets Into Barbecue
Luis Macias, 25, Taken To Hospital After Standoff With Sheriff Deputies
POSTED:May 22, 2012
LEMON GROVE, Calif. -- A Spring Valley man with post-traumatic stress disorder was taken into custody at his home early Tuesday following a standoff of about two hours with sheriff's deputies during which he threw bullets and other items into a lit barbecue grill in his backyard, authorities said.
Deputies were called to the residence in the 3000 block of Central Avenue at 11:12 p.m. Monday, according to San Diego County sheriff's Sgt. Luis Chavez.
The man's wife called from a neighbor's house, saying her husband suffers from PTSD and was throwing items into a swimming pool, Chavez said in a statement.
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Luis Macias, 25, Taken To Hospital After Standoff With Sheriff Deputies
POSTED:May 22, 2012
LEMON GROVE, Calif. -- A Spring Valley man with post-traumatic stress disorder was taken into custody at his home early Tuesday following a standoff of about two hours with sheriff's deputies during which he threw bullets and other items into a lit barbecue grill in his backyard, authorities said.
Deputies were called to the residence in the 3000 block of Central Avenue at 11:12 p.m. Monday, according to San Diego County sheriff's Sgt. Luis Chavez.
The man's wife called from a neighbor's house, saying her husband suffers from PTSD and was throwing items into a swimming pool, Chavez said in a statement.
read more here
Troop Mental Ills: Psychiatric or Organic?
Troop Mental Ills: Psychiatric or Organic?
By ELSPETH CAMERON RITCHIE
May 22, 2012
There’s a continuing tension over whether mental disorders are “organic” or “psychological”. The first is easier to define — a brain injury caused by an insult, such as a bullet wound, blow to the head or bomb blast. “Psychological” is usually chalked up to bad parenting.
Two new debates raise this issue again. One is whether “post-traumatic stress disorder” should be called “post-traumatic brain injury”. The other is the emerging findings on “CTE” — chronic traumatic encephalopathy — which shows long-acting brain changes after concussions.
read more here
By ELSPETH CAMERON RITCHIE
May 22, 2012
There’s a continuing tension over whether mental disorders are “organic” or “psychological”. The first is easier to define — a brain injury caused by an insult, such as a bullet wound, blow to the head or bomb blast. “Psychological” is usually chalked up to bad parenting.
Two new debates raise this issue again. One is whether “post-traumatic stress disorder” should be called “post-traumatic brain injury”. The other is the emerging findings on “CTE” — chronic traumatic encephalopathy — which shows long-acting brain changes after concussions.
The term “shell shock” was later re-named “not yet diagnosed, nervous”, “battle fatigue”, “PTSD” and “combat stress reaction”. Now the term “post-traumatic stress injury” is being considered.
Dr. Remington Nevin has proposed that some of these reactions are actually the result of neurotoxic injuries from certain anti-malarial medications given to soldiers over the years, most recently mefloquine, or Lariam®.
read more here
Wounded Marine's inspiring recovery
Wounded Marine's inspiring recovery
Posted: May 21, 2012
TAMPA
(FOX 13)
You'd be hard pressed to find a more optimistic man than Mike Jernigan. The wounded war veteran has endured so much in a short period of time. He was severely injured in Iraq when an IED (improvised explosive device) blew-up the vehicle he was riding in.
The injured Marine endured dozens of surgeries, almost dying several times on the operating room table, but was able to recover. His skull was crushed, he lost sight in both eyes, sustained severe burns, and injured his knees.
read more here
Posted: May 21, 2012
TAMPA
(FOX 13)
You'd be hard pressed to find a more optimistic man than Mike Jernigan. The wounded war veteran has endured so much in a short period of time. He was severely injured in Iraq when an IED (improvised explosive device) blew-up the vehicle he was riding in.
The injured Marine endured dozens of surgeries, almost dying several times on the operating room table, but was able to recover. His skull was crushed, he lost sight in both eyes, sustained severe burns, and injured his knees.
read more here
Mental Health Worker Fatally Stabbed While Delivering Medication
Mental Health Worker Fatally Stabbed While Delivering Medication
ABC News
(ST. HELENS, Ore.) The stabbing death of a mental health worker has put the spotlight on the safety of home visits.
Jennifer Warren, 38, was killed Sunday while delivering medication to a patient in St. Helens, Ore., ABC affiliate KATU reported. Warren worked for Columbia Community Mental Health, which provides in-home counseling and medication management for people with mental illness.
"She was a real good worker," Columbia Community Mental Health's director Roland Migchielsen told KATU.
"We had her for 10 years, and this is a devastating loss."
The suspect, 30-year-old Brent Redd, was taken to a hospital and treated for injuries, KATU reported. Police would not say whether Redd's injuries were self-inflicted or the result of a struggle with Warren, but did say he called 911 to report what he'd done.
In 2007, Redd was found not guilty by reason of insanity for the attempted murder of his mother. He was sentenced to 20 years under the jurisdiction of the Oregon Psychiatric Security Review Board, a sentence he started serving in Oregon State Hospital. But in 2010, the board granted Redd conditional release into community care.
"Public safety is the first concern of the Psychiatric Security Review Board," Mary Claire Buckley, executive director of the board, said in a statement Sunday. "Today's tragic incident is the first time in 34 years when any client under the board's jurisdiction has been alleged to have committed a violent act of this nature."
Because of patient confidentiality laws, the nature of Redd's mental illness is not known. His family told KATU he had been taking antipsychotic and antidepressant medications, but that the doses had been scaled back for an upcoming surgery.
read more here
Oregon man accused of slaying mental health caseworker suffers neck wound, remains in ICU
Suspect's family blames system for death of mental health care worker
ABC News
(ST. HELENS, Ore.) The stabbing death of a mental health worker has put the spotlight on the safety of home visits.
Jennifer Warren, 38, was killed Sunday while delivering medication to a patient in St. Helens, Ore., ABC affiliate KATU reported. Warren worked for Columbia Community Mental Health, which provides in-home counseling and medication management for people with mental illness.
"She was a real good worker," Columbia Community Mental Health's director Roland Migchielsen told KATU.
"We had her for 10 years, and this is a devastating loss."
The suspect, 30-year-old Brent Redd, was taken to a hospital and treated for injuries, KATU reported. Police would not say whether Redd's injuries were self-inflicted or the result of a struggle with Warren, but did say he called 911 to report what he'd done.
In 2007, Redd was found not guilty by reason of insanity for the attempted murder of his mother. He was sentenced to 20 years under the jurisdiction of the Oregon Psychiatric Security Review Board, a sentence he started serving in Oregon State Hospital. But in 2010, the board granted Redd conditional release into community care.
"Public safety is the first concern of the Psychiatric Security Review Board," Mary Claire Buckley, executive director of the board, said in a statement Sunday. "Today's tragic incident is the first time in 34 years when any client under the board's jurisdiction has been alleged to have committed a violent act of this nature."
Because of patient confidentiality laws, the nature of Redd's mental illness is not known. His family told KATU he had been taking antipsychotic and antidepressant medications, but that the doses had been scaled back for an upcoming surgery.
read more here
Oregon man accused of slaying mental health caseworker suffers neck wound, remains in ICU
Suspect's family blames system for death of mental health care worker
Joaquin Phoenix Plays WWII veteran with PTSD in "The Master"
Joaquin Phoenix Makes a 'Crazy' Comeback in 'The Master'
(VIDEO)
Posted by Linda Sharps
May 21, 2012
(VIDEO)
Posted by Linda Sharps
May 21, 2012
While The Master has been described as a thinly-veiled attack on Scientology (it centers on the leader/creator of a faith-based organization, with Philip Seymour Hoffman playing the leader), you can't really tell that from the teaser. It's focused entirely on Joaquin Phoenix, who plays a psychologically-scarred WW II vet who Hoffman eventually taps to be his right-hand man.read more here
Coming Home: Canandaigua VA Expanding to Stop Suicides
Coming Home: Canandaigua VA Expanding to Stop Suicides
By: Kevin Doran
Updated: May 21, 2012
America we have a crisis on our hands. Thousands of men and women who have served our country are killing themselves each year. These aren't just people coming home from Iraq and Afghanistan. Older veterans are committing suicide at an alarming rate. And an army of local responders is leading the nation's fight to save their lives and get them help.
When a United States Veteran anywhere in the world calls the VA's Crisis Line it rings here in Canandaigua. A highly trained Responder like Peter Grant is ready to help. "We listen intently in terms of what that veteran is communicating to us. Not only in their words but in their tone. um They may be crying, they may be in a crisis situation."
Peter served in the Air Force during the Vietnam War. "Every day it's an honor to serve our veterans. And I keep that in mind when they call."
Doctor Caitlin Thompson is an Assistant Professor at the University of Rochester and Coordinator of the VA's Veterans Crisis Line. There's no other place like this in the country. It's the heart of the government's response to an alarming number of Veteran's killing themselves.
read more here
By: Kevin Doran
Updated: May 21, 2012
America we have a crisis on our hands. Thousands of men and women who have served our country are killing themselves each year. These aren't just people coming home from Iraq and Afghanistan. Older veterans are committing suicide at an alarming rate. And an army of local responders is leading the nation's fight to save their lives and get them help.
When a United States Veteran anywhere in the world calls the VA's Crisis Line it rings here in Canandaigua. A highly trained Responder like Peter Grant is ready to help. "We listen intently in terms of what that veteran is communicating to us. Not only in their words but in their tone. um They may be crying, they may be in a crisis situation."
Peter served in the Air Force during the Vietnam War. "Every day it's an honor to serve our veterans. And I keep that in mind when they call."
Doctor Caitlin Thompson is an Assistant Professor at the University of Rochester and Coordinator of the VA's Veterans Crisis Line. There's no other place like this in the country. It's the heart of the government's response to an alarming number of Veteran's killing themselves.
read more here
Iraq War veteran, Fitchburg native filmed at Devens powwow
Iraq War veteran, Fitchburg native filmed at Devens powwow
By Mary E. Arata
Posted:05/21/2012
DEVENS - "Oh Lord, Creator of Mother Earth and the Universe, I have opened my eyes to another day," said Johnny "Paleface" Sarmiento of Granby, age 95 who served in World War II, the Korean and Vietnam Wars. Sarmiento's prayer opened the 2-day, inter-tribal powwow on Devens last weekend.
"Please help me by taking away all that is negative," said Sarmiento. "Take away my impatience, intolerance, resentment, denials, anxiety and any other things that are negative within me."
Such spiritual cleansing has become a life journey for Tim Durrin of Great Barrington. Durrin is a Fitchburg native who also has many relatives in Lunenburg. Durrin and his family participated in the gathering to honor his ancestor's Micmac tribal roots.
A 2003 graduate of Montachusett Technical High School, Durrin enlisted in the Army and served in the 101st Airborne Division, 372nd Transportation Company. From 2004 to 2005, Durrin served in Iraq.
Among other atrocities, Durrin lost two fellow soldiers to suicide, and a third unit member who was killed by a roadside bomb. "Every day we were being attacked," said Durrin.
"Don't make me cry," said Durrin's aunt, Chere "Morningsun" Piermarini of Fitchburg. "He's been through a lot in his young life. But we all dream and live."
Durrin returned stateside and began self-medicating to try, in vain, of dealing with his post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Following a stint in rehabilitation, Durrin turned both to meditation and back to his Native American roots.
read more here
By Mary E. Arata
Posted:05/21/2012
Iraqi War veteran Tim Durrin of Great Barrington, center, shakes a tail feather at the inter-tribal powwow on Devens over the weekend. (Nashoba Publishing/Mary Arata)
DEVENS - "Oh Lord, Creator of Mother Earth and the Universe, I have opened my eyes to another day," said Johnny "Paleface" Sarmiento of Granby, age 95 who served in World War II, the Korean and Vietnam Wars. Sarmiento's prayer opened the 2-day, inter-tribal powwow on Devens last weekend.
"Please help me by taking away all that is negative," said Sarmiento. "Take away my impatience, intolerance, resentment, denials, anxiety and any other things that are negative within me."
Such spiritual cleansing has become a life journey for Tim Durrin of Great Barrington. Durrin is a Fitchburg native who also has many relatives in Lunenburg. Durrin and his family participated in the gathering to honor his ancestor's Micmac tribal roots.
A 2003 graduate of Montachusett Technical High School, Durrin enlisted in the Army and served in the 101st Airborne Division, 372nd Transportation Company. From 2004 to 2005, Durrin served in Iraq.
Among other atrocities, Durrin lost two fellow soldiers to suicide, and a third unit member who was killed by a roadside bomb. "Every day we were being attacked," said Durrin.
"Don't make me cry," said Durrin's aunt, Chere "Morningsun" Piermarini of Fitchburg. "He's been through a lot in his young life. But we all dream and live."
Durrin returned stateside and began self-medicating to try, in vain, of dealing with his post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Following a stint in rehabilitation, Durrin turned both to meditation and back to his Native American roots.
read more here
Life after the battlefield not easy for Iraq veteran Wright
Life after the battlefield not easy for veteran Wright
By GREG WELTER
Staff Writer
Posted:05/21/2012
CHICO — As Nick Wright was pulled through the twists and turns of losing his mother at 15, a failed marriage, war, a severe brain injury and the ravages of post-traumatic stress disorder, he never lost touch with his sense of honor.
Wright joined the Marines at 18, and went on to volunteer for three frontline tours in Iraq.
With three children by his first wife while still in the service, Wright has had two more since getting remarried nearly three years ago. He is a devoted father and has made his family the center of his universe.
Struggling to regain his footing, Wright's moral compass keeps him looking inward for the answers to his emotional problems from PTSD. "I blame no one but myself for what has happened," he says.
Now the decorated combat soldier from Chico is adding his voice to "American Homecomings." The experience is likely to expose the scars he desperately wants to keep from the outside world, but it's one he's willing to endure if it helps other veterans.
Wright, 29, left the battlefield five years ago with a traumatic brain injury and plenty of emotional baggage. Several months later he was back home.
read more here
By GREG WELTER
Staff Writer
Posted:05/21/2012
CHICO — As Nick Wright was pulled through the twists and turns of losing his mother at 15, a failed marriage, war, a severe brain injury and the ravages of post-traumatic stress disorder, he never lost touch with his sense of honor.
Wright joined the Marines at 18, and went on to volunteer for three frontline tours in Iraq.
With three children by his first wife while still in the service, Wright has had two more since getting remarried nearly three years ago. He is a devoted father and has made his family the center of his universe.
Struggling to regain his footing, Wright's moral compass keeps him looking inward for the answers to his emotional problems from PTSD. "I blame no one but myself for what has happened," he says.
Now the decorated combat soldier from Chico is adding his voice to "American Homecomings." The experience is likely to expose the scars he desperately wants to keep from the outside world, but it's one he's willing to endure if it helps other veterans.
Wright, 29, left the battlefield five years ago with a traumatic brain injury and plenty of emotional baggage. Several months later he was back home.
read more here
Jury convicts man for WWII veteran's death on Veterans Day
Man guilty in mugging death of WW II veteran
Jury convicts John McKinney, of Huntington Beach, of second-degree murder in the 2003 Veteran's Day attack that killed Cecil “Lucky” Warren.
By VIK JOLLY
THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER
SANTA ANA – An Orange County jury Monday found a 30-year-old man guilty of killing a 77-year-old Army veteran who was mugged and later slipped into a coma.
The jury of 11 women and one man deliberated about two days before finding John Kirk McKinney of Huntington Beach guilty of second-degree murder. He now faces a 15 years to life in state prison at his June 15 sentencing by Superior Court Judge Thomas Goethals.
Prosecutors had charged McKinney with one felony count of special circumstances murder in the commission of a robbery in the 2003 Veteran's Day attack that killed Cecil "Lucky" Warren.
read more here
Jury convicts John McKinney, of Huntington Beach, of second-degree murder in the 2003 Veteran's Day attack that killed Cecil “Lucky” Warren.
By VIK JOLLY
THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER
SANTA ANA – An Orange County jury Monday found a 30-year-old man guilty of killing a 77-year-old Army veteran who was mugged and later slipped into a coma.
The jury of 11 women and one man deliberated about two days before finding John Kirk McKinney of Huntington Beach guilty of second-degree murder. He now faces a 15 years to life in state prison at his June 15 sentencing by Superior Court Judge Thomas Goethals.
Prosecutors had charged McKinney with one felony count of special circumstances murder in the commission of a robbery in the 2003 Veteran's Day attack that killed Cecil "Lucky" Warren.
read more here
Iraq veteran Ocampo faces death penalty for "thrill" killings
Death penalty sought for Iraq war vet in California killings
Dan Whitcomb
Reuters
May 21, 2012
LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - California prosecutors will seek the death penalty against an Iraq war veteran charged with six murders, including the serial "thrill" killings of four homeless men in Orange County, a top prosecutor said on Monday.
Itzcoatl Ocampo, a 24-year-old former U.S. Marine, is scheduled to stand trial in September on six counts of first degree murder with special circumstances, including the brutal stabbing deaths of four transients beginning in late December.
Orange County District Attorney Tony Rackauckas said he chose to seek the death penalty against Ocampo after consulting a special committee in his office that considers "the nature of the crime, the vulnerability of the victim, the defendant's criminal record and other factors."
read more here
Dan Whitcomb
Reuters
May 21, 2012
Former U.S. Marine Itzcoatl Ocampo, 23, an Iraq war veteran, has his arraignment postponed on charges of first degree murder in Santa Ana
(POOL New Reuters, REUTERS February 6, 2012)
LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - California prosecutors will seek the death penalty against an Iraq war veteran charged with six murders, including the serial "thrill" killings of four homeless men in Orange County, a top prosecutor said on Monday.
Itzcoatl Ocampo, a 24-year-old former U.S. Marine, is scheduled to stand trial in September on six counts of first degree murder with special circumstances, including the brutal stabbing deaths of four transients beginning in late December.
Orange County District Attorney Tony Rackauckas said he chose to seek the death penalty against Ocampo after consulting a special committee in his office that considers "the nature of the crime, the vulnerability of the victim, the defendant's criminal record and other factors."
read more here
Soldiers and civilians join Red Sox Foundation for PTSD and TBI
SOLDIERS, CIVILIANS ‘RUN HOME’ TO SUPPORT PTSD, TBI TREATMENT
STORY BY KELLY SOUZA
U.S. ARMY
RESEARCH INSTITUTE OF ENVIRONMENTAL MEDICINE
BOSTON (May 21, 2012) — It was a beautiful Sunday morning, the kind of day where the sun is saying so long to spring and heating up for summer. Fans eagerly crowded into Fenway Park adorned with team shirts and carrying supportive signs.
But, fans were not there to cheer on the Red Sox that morning.
Instead, they were supporting runners and walkers as they crossed Fenway Park’s famous home plate. About a dozen active duty Soldiers and civilians from Natick Soldier Systems Center in Natick, Mass., joined the nearly 2,000 runners and walkers who participated in the Red Sox Run-Walk to Home Base, May 20, 2012.
The Run-Walk to Home Base is a unique 9k fundraising run and three-mile walk which helps raise money for the Red Sox Foundation and Massachusetts General Hospital Home Base Program. Participants begin at Fenway, wind through a scenic route of Boston and then end back at the Park with a timed finish in front of the Green Monster and a photo opportunity crossing home plate.
Dr. Naomi Simon is a psychiatrist and the chief medical officer for the Red Sox Foundation and Massachusetts General Hospital Home Base Program. She said that the program is a joint collaboration between these two organizations that provides clinical care and support services to Iraq and Afghanistan veterans and families affected by combat- or deployment-related stress and traumatic brain injury, regardless of their financial situations. This makes the dollars raised from the Run-Walk to Home Base vital.
“The Run-Walk to Home Base has been a major philanthropic sustaining force for the Home Base Program,” Simon said. “Almost all of our services are paid for through philanthropic efforts like the Run to Home Base. This program is critical in giving families a place to seek care, regardless of their ability to pay for it.”
The Home Base program also provides community education and research to improve the understanding and treatment of post-traumatic stress disorder and traumatic brain injury — the so called “invisible wounds of war.”
read more here
STORY BY KELLY SOUZA
U.S. ARMY
RESEARCH INSTITUTE OF ENVIRONMENTAL MEDICINE
Soldiers and civilians from Natick Soldier Systems Center stand together at Fenway Park before the Run-Walk to Home Base, May 20, 2012. About a dozen active duty Soldiers and civilians from NSSC in Natick Mass., joined the nearly 2,000 runners and walkers who participated in the Red Sox Run-Walk to Home Base. The Run-Walk to Home Base is a unique 9k run and three-mile walk which helps raise awareness and support for PTSD and TBI.
(Photo by David Kamm, NSRDEC)
BOSTON (May 21, 2012) — It was a beautiful Sunday morning, the kind of day where the sun is saying so long to spring and heating up for summer. Fans eagerly crowded into Fenway Park adorned with team shirts and carrying supportive signs.
But, fans were not there to cheer on the Red Sox that morning.
Instead, they were supporting runners and walkers as they crossed Fenway Park’s famous home plate. About a dozen active duty Soldiers and civilians from Natick Soldier Systems Center in Natick, Mass., joined the nearly 2,000 runners and walkers who participated in the Red Sox Run-Walk to Home Base, May 20, 2012.
The Run-Walk to Home Base is a unique 9k fundraising run and three-mile walk which helps raise money for the Red Sox Foundation and Massachusetts General Hospital Home Base Program. Participants begin at Fenway, wind through a scenic route of Boston and then end back at the Park with a timed finish in front of the Green Monster and a photo opportunity crossing home plate.
Dr. Naomi Simon is a psychiatrist and the chief medical officer for the Red Sox Foundation and Massachusetts General Hospital Home Base Program. She said that the program is a joint collaboration between these two organizations that provides clinical care and support services to Iraq and Afghanistan veterans and families affected by combat- or deployment-related stress and traumatic brain injury, regardless of their financial situations. This makes the dollars raised from the Run-Walk to Home Base vital.
“The Run-Walk to Home Base has been a major philanthropic sustaining force for the Home Base Program,” Simon said. “Almost all of our services are paid for through philanthropic efforts like the Run to Home Base. This program is critical in giving families a place to seek care, regardless of their ability to pay for it.”
The Home Base program also provides community education and research to improve the understanding and treatment of post-traumatic stress disorder and traumatic brain injury — the so called “invisible wounds of war.”
read more here
DOD-VA finally link health records of the troops
DOD, VA to Launch Joint Electronic Health Record System
By Cheryl Pellerin and Army Sgt. 1st Class Tyrone C. Marshall Jr.
American Forces Press Service
NORTH CHICAGO, Ill., May 21, 2012 – The Defense and Veterans Affairs departments have joined in a unique effort to combine their health records in what will become the world’s largest electronic system by 2017, the secretaries of both departments announced here today.
Defense Secretary Leon E. Panetta and VA Secretary Eric K. Shinseki briefed reporters after a tour of the Capt. James A. Lovell Federal Health Care Center, the nation's first fully integrated DOD-VA medical facility treating service members, veterans, military retirees and dependents.
“Over the past two days, as many of you know, world leaders have gathered in Chicago to affirm our commitment to finishing the job right in Afghanistan,” Panetta said. “This afternoon, Secretary Shinseki and I are coming together to affirm what in many ways is an equally important commitment: to care for and honor those who have protected our nation by serving it in uniform.”
The center -- named for retired Navy captain and former NASA astronaut Jim Lovell, who was in the audience today -- amounts to a proving ground for the DOD-VA joint operating concept. It incorporates facilities, services and resources from the North Chicago VA Medical Center and the Naval Health Clinic Great Lakes.
read more here
By Cheryl Pellerin and Army Sgt. 1st Class Tyrone C. Marshall Jr.
American Forces Press Service
NORTH CHICAGO, Ill., May 21, 2012 – The Defense and Veterans Affairs departments have joined in a unique effort to combine their health records in what will become the world’s largest electronic system by 2017, the secretaries of both departments announced here today.
Defense Secretary Leon E. Panetta and VA Secretary Eric K. Shinseki briefed reporters after a tour of the Capt. James A. Lovell Federal Health Care Center, the nation's first fully integrated DOD-VA medical facility treating service members, veterans, military retirees and dependents.
“Over the past two days, as many of you know, world leaders have gathered in Chicago to affirm our commitment to finishing the job right in Afghanistan,” Panetta said. “This afternoon, Secretary Shinseki and I are coming together to affirm what in many ways is an equally important commitment: to care for and honor those who have protected our nation by serving it in uniform.”
The center -- named for retired Navy captain and former NASA astronaut Jim Lovell, who was in the audience today -- amounts to a proving ground for the DOD-VA joint operating concept. It incorporates facilities, services and resources from the North Chicago VA Medical Center and the Naval Health Clinic Great Lakes.
read more here
Wounded veterans demand action from VA on 125 days wait
This is what happens when a nation does not go to war with them!
In S.F., wounded veterans demand action from VA
Demian Bulwa
Tuesday, May 22, 2012
More than 200 veterans, from an old man who stormed Normandy to a young man who invaded Baghdad, came together Monday in San Francisco with a common purpose: getting the government to pay for their wounds.
A severe backlog of disability claims, which hit Northern Californians especially hard, prompted Reps. Jackie Speier and Barbara Lee to hold a public forum at the War Memorial Veterans Building, where they demanded better service from the Department of Veterans Affairs.
The event was part scolding and part workshop. VA officials stationed claims representatives at seven tables, where they met with some of the more than 200 people who signed up in an attempt to get their cases completed.
As of Monday, 65 percent of all disability claims from veterans nationwide - a total of 566,000 - had been pending for at least 125 days. The delays have been especially long in the Northern California regional office in Oakland, where agency auditors have also found accuracy problems.
read more here
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