Video: Marine’s mom tells Morristown crowd: Don’t pity my Double Amp
Posted by Kevin Coughlin
May 24, 2012
We all gripe about our aches and pains. After hearing a story like Landi Simone’s, they quickly melt away.
Landi is the mother of Adrian Simone, who joined the Marines after graduating from Montville High School in 2010. He went to Afghanistan young and strong…and came back a “double amp.” That’s double amputee, in military hospital slang.
At a Memorial Day ceremony in Morristown on Wednesday, Adrian’s mom told a powerful story of sacrifice, devotion and love.
Patriotism, ultimately, is not about brass bands and flag-waving. It’s about 19-year-old boys who bravely carry on, after feces-covered roadside bombs blow their legs off. And it’s about the families who help make them whole again, savoring every extra minute that medicine and luck have granted them.
If you want to thank Lance Corporal Simone for his service, take 17 minutes from your holiday weekend and watch this video of a grateful mother doing him proud.
read more here
Thursday, May 24, 2012
Wednesday, May 23, 2012
Hero N.J. cop turned NBA ref helps vets with PTSD
Hero N.J. cop turned NBA ref helps vets with post-traumatic stress
WEDNESDAY MAY 23, 2012
BY JEFF ROBERTS
STAFF WRITER
THE RECORD
The shotgun never was out of reach, stashed near the bed on those anxious nights Bob Delaney actually dared to sleep.
A threat had been discovered on a wiretap recording, part of a conversation among mob figures. And the message was all too clear.
Delaney had to die.
“All I was thinking was, ‘They’re coming to get me,’ ” the former New Jersey State Trooper said.
The mob never caught up with the Paterson native, despite his work in the landmark undercover operation Project Alpha, in which he infiltrated the Genovese and Bruno crime families from 1975 to 1977.
But the stress of being so deeply immersed — often with a wire attached to his body — exacted a toll on Delaney.
However, the hero cop turned decorated NBA referee has harnessed that experience in his third career, helping the soldiers and veterans of the Iraq and Afghanistan wars cope with the debilitating effects of post-traumatic stress disorder.
read more here
WEDNESDAY MAY 23, 2012
BY JEFF ROBERTS
STAFF WRITER
THE RECORD
The shotgun never was out of reach, stashed near the bed on those anxious nights Bob Delaney actually dared to sleep.
A threat had been discovered on a wiretap recording, part of a conversation among mob figures. And the message was all too clear.
Delaney had to die.
“All I was thinking was, ‘They’re coming to get me,’ ” the former New Jersey State Trooper said.
The mob never caught up with the Paterson native, despite his work in the landmark undercover operation Project Alpha, in which he infiltrated the Genovese and Bruno crime families from 1975 to 1977.
But the stress of being so deeply immersed — often with a wire attached to his body — exacted a toll on Delaney.
However, the hero cop turned decorated NBA referee has harnessed that experience in his third career, helping the soldiers and veterans of the Iraq and Afghanistan wars cope with the debilitating effects of post-traumatic stress disorder.
read more here
WWII veteran graduates high school at 87!
World War II vet, 87, graduates high school
Posted:May 22, 2012
LANCASTER COUNTY, PA (WPMT/FOX) – An 87-year-old man who dropped out of high school to serve during World War II finally earned his diploma.
Carlos E. Gonzalez was awarded his high school diploma during a special ceremony Monday.
Gonzalez is now a graduate of the 2012 class of Conestoga Valley High School.
Gonzalez said it was something he wanted to accomplish ever since he left high school at 18 to serve in the army.
read more here
Posted:May 22, 2012
LANCASTER COUNTY, PA (WPMT/FOX) – An 87-year-old man who dropped out of high school to serve during World War II finally earned his diploma.
Carlos E. Gonzalez was awarded his high school diploma during a special ceremony Monday.
Gonzalez is now a graduate of the 2012 class of Conestoga Valley High School.
Gonzalez said it was something he wanted to accomplish ever since he left high school at 18 to serve in the army.
read more here
Police offer course on taking care of combat veterans
Police share info on vets in crisis
Article by: Mark Brunswick
Star Tribune
Updated: May 22, 2012
A one-day course is scheduled next month to teach law enforcement personnel de-escalation tactics for military veterans in crisis.
The course, hosted by the Lakeville Police Department and the Upper Midwest Community Policing Institute, recognizes the unique circumstances first responders often face when dealing with veterans.
The eight-hour class teaches cops, 911 dispatchers, emergency medical responders, jail personnel, chaplains and others who may encounter a veteran in crisis how to use verbal tactical skills to defuse potentially dangerous situations. It also will deal with the effects of multiple deployments, understanding the emotional impact of war-time stressors, challenges of veterans with reintegration and definitions and how to identify the symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and other mental health disorders affecting veterans.
read more here
Article by: Mark Brunswick
Star Tribune
Updated: May 22, 2012
A one-day course is scheduled next month to teach law enforcement personnel de-escalation tactics for military veterans in crisis.
The course, hosted by the Lakeville Police Department and the Upper Midwest Community Policing Institute, recognizes the unique circumstances first responders often face when dealing with veterans.
The eight-hour class teaches cops, 911 dispatchers, emergency medical responders, jail personnel, chaplains and others who may encounter a veteran in crisis how to use verbal tactical skills to defuse potentially dangerous situations. It also will deal with the effects of multiple deployments, understanding the emotional impact of war-time stressors, challenges of veterans with reintegration and definitions and how to identify the symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and other mental health disorders affecting veterans.
read more here
For this VA doctor, TBI and PTSD is personal
After all is said and done, the best "helpers" have a personal connection to PTSD. Here's one of them.
VA Hospital doctor is injured veteran himself
Posted on: May 22, 2012
by Ted Perry
MILWAUKEE — This Memorial Day weekend, we will rightly honor those who served our country and paid the ultimate price. One National Guard colonel who survived an attack is determined to help other veterans.
What he learned about himself makes him a hero in the hospital.
When he was in college, Kenneth Lee got a call from his father. The conversation was brief and direct. His father didn’t approve of his son taking grant money to pay for tuition. To his father’s pride and his mother’s horror, Lee joined the National Guard and stayed in to help pay for school at the Medical College of Wisconsin.
Dr. Lee re-enlisted and became Colonel Lee – the top medical professional in the Wisconsin National Guard. In 2003, his unit was called to Iraq. There were some close calls, but none closer than the one on September 12th, 2004.
“Out of nowhere came a suicide car bomber, straight to us, right into our convoy. Next thing I know I wake up in the ER,” Lee said.
Dr. Lee cannot remember that day, and as he takes FOX6 News on a tour around the VA Hospital, he was almost nonchalant about a photograph of the event that almost took his life.
Dr. Lee looks perfectly fit and strong, but there is a lasting effect from that September day. Dr. Lee suffered a traumatic brain injury, and his short-term memory is still week.
“If I don’t have it down in my Blackberry, even though my wife told me four hours ago it’d be out the window. I’ve been going through a lot of notepads and my secretaries are constant reminders to me. They remind me of a lot of things,” Dr. Lee said.
read more here
Tug McGraw Celebrity Shootout for PTSD and TBI veterans
Tug McGraw Foundation Sets Lineup For 'Celebrity Shootout'
May 23, 2012
The TUG McGRAW FOUNDATION, has announced the lineup for its "CELEBRITY SPORTING CLAY SHOOTOUT," presented by DELTASPORTS TV, on TUESDAY, JUNE 5th at the NASHVILLE GUN CLUB.
Proceeds from the event will benefit the TUG McGRAW FOUNDATION and its efforts to improve the lives of military service members who have been affected by Post-traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) and Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI).
read more here
May 23, 2012
The TUG McGRAW FOUNDATION, has announced the lineup for its "CELEBRITY SPORTING CLAY SHOOTOUT," presented by DELTASPORTS TV, on TUESDAY, JUNE 5th at the NASHVILLE GUN CLUB.
Proceeds from the event will benefit the TUG McGRAW FOUNDATION and its efforts to improve the lives of military service members who have been affected by Post-traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) and Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI).
read more here
While some companies hire veterans HP cutting 25,000 workers
The push is on for companies to take the breaks from the government to hire veterans but HP is cutting 25,000 workers.
HP prepares to announce mass layoffs
By David Goldman and Michal Lev-Ram @CNNMoneyTech
May 23, 2012
Hewlett-Packard will lay off around 25,000 employees, but that may not help it fix its core problems.
NEW YORK (CNNMoney) -- Hewlett-Packard will announce another round of substantial job cuts Wednesday afternoon in an effort to streamline its teetering PC and services businesses, a source familiar with the plans told Fortune.
The layoffs will be "in the ballpark" of 25,000 workers, the source said, which would amount to about 7% of HP's global workforce. The nation's largest technology company by revenue currently employs 349,600 people worldwide, according to its latest regulatory filing.
read more here
Frustrated Bay Area veterans descend on 'Fix-it' event
Frustrated Bay Area veterans descend on 'Fix-it' event
By Gary Peterson
Contra Costa Times
Posted:05/22/2012
SAN FRANCISCO -- Chris Munich was part of the military force that invaded Iraq in 2003, which within nine months had toppled Iraq's government.
Munich has been waiting almost two years for the Oakland Veterans Affairs office to consider his request to upgrade the rating on his disability for post-traumatic stress disorder.
"I've been rated 35 percent for PTSD," said Munich, 30, who lives at his parents' home in Oakland while pursuing a career as a chef. "It took them six months to get me paperwork. It just seems like a big circus. It doesn't seem like anybody's held accountable."
read more here
By Gary Peterson
Contra Costa Times
Posted:05/22/2012
SAN FRANCISCO -- Chris Munich was part of the military force that invaded Iraq in 2003, which within nine months had toppled Iraq's government.
Munich has been waiting almost two years for the Oakland Veterans Affairs office to consider his request to upgrade the rating on his disability for post-traumatic stress disorder.
"I've been rated 35 percent for PTSD," said Munich, 30, who lives at his parents' home in Oakland while pursuing a career as a chef. "It took them six months to get me paperwork. It just seems like a big circus. It doesn't seem like anybody's held accountable."
read more here
Stress 'shrank brains of Japan's tsunami survivors'
Stress 'shrank brains of Japan's tsunami survivors'
The emotional stress of Japan's tsunami and earthquake disaster resulted in some survivors suffering a shrinkage of the brain, according to a new study.
By Danielle Demetriou in Tokyo
10:41AM BST 23 May 2012
Scientists compared before and after brain scans of healthy adolescents who were affected by last year's March 11 disaster in order to measure the neurological effects of emotional trauma. The findings revealed that those suffering from symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) had experienced a shrinkage in the part of the brain associated with decision-making and regulation of emotions.
read more here
The emotional stress of Japan's tsunami and earthquake disaster resulted in some survivors suffering a shrinkage of the brain, according to a new study.
By Danielle Demetriou in Tokyo
10:41AM BST 23 May 2012
Scientists compared before and after brain scans of healthy adolescents who were affected by last year's March 11 disaster in order to measure the neurological effects of emotional trauma. The findings revealed that those suffering from symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) had experienced a shrinkage in the part of the brain associated with decision-making and regulation of emotions.
read more here
Marine lost legs and arms but skydives!
Injured Marine flies again thanks to special parachute jump
BY DIANA KUYPER
Sun-Times Media
May 22, 2012
Antioch Marine Sgt. John Peck whooped for joy and maybe a bit of relief as he completed a successful tandem parachute jump at Skydive Midwest in Sturtevant, Wis.
Although the skydiving center annually conducts thousands of successful jumps, Peck’s Monday jump was unique: He wore a specially-designed harness to accommodate the loss of his arms and legs in an IED explosion in Afghanistan.
read more here
BY DIANA KUYPER
Sun-Times Media
May 22, 2012
Antioch Marine Sgt. John Peck whooped for joy and maybe a bit of relief as he completed a successful tandem parachute jump at Skydive Midwest in Sturtevant, Wis.
Although the skydiving center annually conducts thousands of successful jumps, Peck’s Monday jump was unique: He wore a specially-designed harness to accommodate the loss of his arms and legs in an IED explosion in Afghanistan.
read more here
AP Correction: The Russians Are Coming story
Wounded Times posted on April 27, 2012 The Russians are coming
Reported on Business Insider
But it took AP until May 17th and had to give a correction?
Correction: The Russians Are Coming story
Reported on Business Insider
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.
But it took AP until May 17th and had to give a correction?
Correction: The Russians Are Coming story
General Pittard, was Marine Clay Hunt selfish too?
UPDATE May 27, 2012
A friend of Clay Hunt has been nominated for CNN HERO and he talks about TEAM RUBICON along with the loss of Clay. I thought it was an important story to point out considering what Pittard said. While Pittard has issued a retraction he came up with "while working out in the gym" five months after he wrote that troops committing suicide were selfish, there were many people thinking the same way.
General Pittard, was Marine Clay Hunt selfish too?
by Chaplain Kathie
When Major General Dana Pittard decided to blame the troops for committing suicide, calling them selfish, it got to me so much that I had to walk away from the computer.
The more I thought about how sickening his statement was, it made me wonder if he felt that way all along and this is not simply about his sudden frustration.
Was Clay Hunt selfish?
Was Jacob Manning selfish too?
Was Jonathan Bartlett selfish?
That is something General Pittard didn't think about. 18 veterans a day commit suicide along with one active duty serviceman/woman every 36 hours. There are 529 posts on this blog alone connected to military suicides. There are many more stories of them doing their duty, their jobs, risking their lives until everyone they were with were out of danger before they let their own pain "get to them" because they were thinking of others. How many committed suicide because they were not taken care of in return for what they were willing to sacrifice? How many tried to commit suicide for the same reason? Did Pittard ever think about them?
What good does it do to be "devoted" to suicide prevention when he has this kind of attitude?
A friend of Clay Hunt has been nominated for CNN HERO and he talks about TEAM RUBICON along with the loss of Clay. I thought it was an important story to point out considering what Pittard said. While Pittard has issued a retraction he came up with "while working out in the gym" five months after he wrote that troops committing suicide were selfish, there were many people thinking the same way.
In the worst calamities, these veterans rush to the rescue
By Kathleen Toner
CNN
March 29, 2012
STORY HIGHLIGHTS
Jake Wood started Team Rubicon to help those in need after natural disasters
Most of the group's 1,400 volunteers are military veterans who still want to serve
The nonprofit also gives veterans a chance to connect and feel part of a team
Los Angeles (CNN) -- When Haiti suffered a massive earthquake two years ago, many people responded by donating money.
Jake Wood responded with a Facebook post.
"I'm going to Haiti. Who's in?" wrote the former U.S. Marine.
The images Wood was seeing on the news reminded him of his tours of duty in Iraq and Afghanistan. He realized that the skills he had acquired in the service, including the ability to adapt to difficult conditions, work with limited resources and maintain security in a dangerous environment, were sorely needed.
"Those are just lessons that you work at every single day in Falluja," said Wood, 28. "To a veteran, it's second nature."
Wood wanted to help, and he persuaded his college roommate, a firefighter, to join him. Within minutes of seeing Wood's Facebook post, another friend and former Marine, William McNulty, signed on. Interest quickly snowballed, and soon donations poured into Wood's PayPal account. Three days later, he and seven others were in the Dominican Republic, heading into neighboring Haiti with medicine and equipment.
Wood realized the importance of this after a personal loss in April 2011. His best friend, Clay Hunt -- a fellow veteran and Team Rubicon volunteer -- committed suicide. Hunt had suffered from post-traumatic stress disorder and survivor's guilt. It was a shock to Wood, as Hunt seemed to be adjusting well. He was literally a poster boy for returning veterans, appearing in a public-service announcement for a veterans advocacy group.
"It was tremendously difficult to feel like I had let him down, knowing that we had survived two wars together but that when things were easy and it had come to peace, that I wasn't there enough for him," Wood said. "That has been a very tough battle for me, dealing with that."
Brothers in arms refocusing efforts
Hunt's death made Wood realize how critically important the connections are that Team Rubicon enables veterans to build with each other. It also made the group refocus its own mission: Instead of being a disaster relief organization that uses veterans, Team Rubicon is now a veterans support organization that uses disasters as opportunities for continued service.
"We're giving them a reason to come together ... and that community lasts long after the mission," Wood said. "Right now, Team Rubicon is focused on how we can ... get them involved in as many ways as possible."
read more here
General Pittard, was Marine Clay Hunt selfish too?
by Chaplain Kathie
When Major General Dana Pittard decided to blame the troops for committing suicide, calling them selfish, it got to me so much that I had to walk away from the computer.
The more I thought about how sickening his statement was, it made me wonder if he felt that way all along and this is not simply about his sudden frustration.
Was Clay Hunt selfish?
Marine Clay Hunt's suicide causes group to take action
Group Aims To Help Young Vets With Civilian Life
Rick Collins Says 'Unseen Wounds' Aims To Guide Young Vet Away From Alcohol, Drugs, Isolation, Suicide
March 27, 2012
SAN DIEGO -- A local group is planning to give struggling young veterans entering civilian life some free help.
After fighting in Iraq and Afghanistan, Clay Hunt – who was diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder – left the Marines and became an advocate for veterans. A year ago – at the age of 28 – the Texas veteran committed suicide.
Rick Collins called him a friend.
"His death is an example of person who gave his life for service to his country," said Collins.
"When he left the service, the support wasn't there for him."
Hunt's death was one motivating factor in Collins' bid to heal the "unseen wounds."
Collins, who served with the British Royal Marines, is starting a free local program called "Unseen Wounds" to guide struggling young veterans away from the path of alcohol, drugs, isolation and suicide.
Was Jacob Manning selfish too?
A suicidal veteran and a call for help, unanswered
By LEO SHANE III
Stars and Stripes
Published: April 24, 2012
WASHINGTON
Jacob Manning waited until his wife and teenage son had left the house, then walked into his garage to kill himself.
The former soldier had been distraught for weeks, frustrated by family problems, unemployment and his lingering service injuries. He was long ago diagnosed with traumatic brain injury, caused by a military training accident, and post-traumatic stress disorder stemming from the aftermath. He had battled depression before, but never an episode this bad.
He tossed one end of an extension cord over the rafters above and then fashioned a noose.
The cord snapped. It couldn’t handle his weight.
He called Christina Roof, a friend and national veterans policy adviser who helped him years before, and rambled about trying again with a bigger cord or a gun. She urged him to calm down. She sent a message to Manning’s wife, Charity, telling her to rush home. The two of them tried for more than a day to persuade him to get professional help.
He eventually agreed to call the veterans hospital in Columbia, Mo., near his home.
When a staffer at the mental health clinic answered the phone, Manning explained what he had done, and asked if he could be taken into care.
The staffer asked if Manning was still suicidal. He wavered, saying he wasn’t trying to kill himself right then. The hospital employee told him the office was closing in an hour, and asked if Manning could wait until the next day to deal with the problem.
Was Jonathan Bartlett selfish?
Wounded Iraq vet commits suicide
Local wounded Iraq vet commits suicide
by Mike Gooding
WVEC.com
Posted on April 20, 2012
NORFOLK -- A local former Army soldier whose grit and determination were an inspiration to many people in Hampton Roads has died at his own hand.
Jonathan Bartlett was just 19 when he lost both of his legs following an improvised explosive device attack in Iraq, back in 2004.
Bartlett never wanted anybody to feel sorry for him.
"Being shot at sucks, but I mean, it was a job I chose to do," he had said. "If the enemy had waited until my cabin was over the bomb instead of the engine, everyone would have died. Instead, no one died. I lost a few pounds. I'll be fine."
That is something General Pittard didn't think about. 18 veterans a day commit suicide along with one active duty serviceman/woman every 36 hours. There are 529 posts on this blog alone connected to military suicides. There are many more stories of them doing their duty, their jobs, risking their lives until everyone they were with were out of danger before they let their own pain "get to them" because they were thinking of others. How many committed suicide because they were not taken care of in return for what they were willing to sacrifice? How many tried to commit suicide for the same reason? Did Pittard ever think about them?
What good does it do to be "devoted" to suicide prevention when he has this kind of attitude?
Pittard, for his part, is far more devoted to suicide prevention than his comments might suggest. Fort Bliss -- which houses roughly 40,000 troops, 40,000 military family members, and 13,000 other civilians in Texas and New Mexico -- has an unusually large staff of 160 psychologists, psychiatrists, and other mental-health professionals.
At Pittard’s direction, the base has also constructed a “Wellness Fusion Campus” designed to provide education on resilience, suicide prevention, and spotting signs of depression or other mood disorders in one’s self or fellow troops.
Major General Dana Pittard blames soldiers for suicides?
Fort Bliss Major General Dana Pittard called soldiers who committed suicide "selfish" but did not seem to be thinking about the vast majority of them that did think of their comrades first. That's right! They finished their tour of duty with honor and courage beyond their own comfort because they were thinking of others! It was not until most were back in the US they ended their own lives. How is that selfish? Is it selfish to experience that level of emotional pain, flashbacks, nightmares and everything else that comes with PTSD, end up not getting what they need to heal after sacrificing their lives?
Did General Pittard ever once consider that? Or the fact these men and women put others first the day they signed up to serve in the Army? He may be frustrated they are still committing suicide in rising numbers and attempted suicides have gone up as well, but he needs to look at what they are DOING WRONG and stop blaming the soldiers!
The rates have gone up because they did not get what they needed to heal including enough dwell time without being sent back too soon and sent back on medication for PTSD caused by where they were already sent!
Did General Pittard ever once consider that? Or the fact these men and women put others first the day they signed up to serve in the Army? He may be frustrated they are still committing suicide in rising numbers and attempted suicides have gone up as well, but he needs to look at what they are DOING WRONG and stop blaming the soldiers!
The rates have gone up because they did not get what they needed to heal including enough dwell time without being sent back too soon and sent back on medication for PTSD caused by where they were already sent!
General's blog post reignites Army suicide debate
By Yochi J. Dreazen National Journal
Maj. Gen. Dana Pittard Muhannad Fala'ah/AP file photo
Maj. Gen. Dana Pittard commands Fort Bliss, one the nation’s largest Army bases, so his blunt comments about suicide has raised eyebrows throughout the military.
"The remarks may reflect Pittard’s own frustration and emotional exhaustion after a grim few months at Fort Bliss. A total of 14 soldiers from the post were killed in traffic accidents and training mishaps between October and December of last year, along with several suicides. Pittard himself had just come from a memorial service for a soldier who killed himself in front of his twin 6-year-old daughters."
“I have now come to the conclusion that suicide is an absolutely selfish act,” he wrote on his official blog recently. “I am personally fed up with soldiers who are choosing to take their own lives so that others can clean up their mess. Be an adult, act like an adult, and deal with your real-life problems like the rest of us.”
The posting was subsequently scrubbed from the Fort Bliss website, but the comments are adding new fuel to a contentious debate about whether the record numbers of troops who are taking their own lives are acting out of weakness and selfishness or because of legitimate cases of depression and other psychological traumas.
Pittard is expected to formally retract his comments later this week, but suicide-prevention experts believe that Pittard’s blog posting has already conveyed precisely the wrong message to emotionally-fragile troops.
“Soldiers who are thinking about suicide can’t do what the general says: They can’t suck it up, they can’t let it go, they can’t just move on,” said Barbara Van Dahlen, the founder of Give an Hour, an organization that matches troops with civilian mental-health providers. “They’re not acting out of selfishness; they’re acting because they believe they’ve become a burden to their loved ones and can only relieve that burden by taking their own lives.”
read more here
Tuesday, May 22, 2012
Gloucester Mayor adds Vietnam Memorial back into Memorial Day Parade?
Update: Mayor adds Vietnam ceremony to end of parade
By Richard Gaines
Staff Writer
May 22, 2012
The Vietnam Memorial was restored today to its traditional place at the end of the city's official Memorial Day ceremonies.
Mayor Carolyn Kirk today expanded the official Memorial Day Parade to once again include the Vietnam Memorial outside Gloucester High School, which sent 11 of its own to be lost in the lost war that the U.S. entered 50 years ago.
The decision to extend the parade to the memorial reverses a decision to exclude the Vietnam Memorial ceremony from the official agenda.
The initial change had been outlined Friday and over the weekend to perplexed and widespread opposition.
Many in the community said they could not understand the decision to essentially eliminate the Vietnam War ceremony from the official agenda for the Memorial Day, especially in a year that marks the nation's decision 50 years ago to become in a war that the nation would ultimately lose, bringing bitterness and lingering pain, especially among the veterans who served.
Kirk had said that the decision was based on a desire to produce a single unified memorial ceremony at the World War II Memorial off Stacy Boulevard. In a letter to Mark Nestor, the organizer of the Vietnam War Memorial ceremony, Kirk apologized "for not overcoming the logistical challenge of incorporating the Vietnam Memorial into the parade salute for this year. I should have caught this sooner, and we plan to do everything we can to properly honor the fallen sons of Gloucester."
Nestor, a local attorney and a helicopter pilot in Vietnam, said this morning, "I congratulate the mayor."
read more here
By Richard Gaines
Staff Writer
May 22, 2012
The Vietnam Memorial was restored today to its traditional place at the end of the city's official Memorial Day ceremonies.
Mayor Carolyn Kirk today expanded the official Memorial Day Parade to once again include the Vietnam Memorial outside Gloucester High School, which sent 11 of its own to be lost in the lost war that the U.S. entered 50 years ago.
The decision to extend the parade to the memorial reverses a decision to exclude the Vietnam Memorial ceremony from the official agenda.
The initial change had been outlined Friday and over the weekend to perplexed and widespread opposition.
Many in the community said they could not understand the decision to essentially eliminate the Vietnam War ceremony from the official agenda for the Memorial Day, especially in a year that marks the nation's decision 50 years ago to become in a war that the nation would ultimately lose, bringing bitterness and lingering pain, especially among the veterans who served.
Kirk had said that the decision was based on a desire to produce a single unified memorial ceremony at the World War II Memorial off Stacy Boulevard. In a letter to Mark Nestor, the organizer of the Vietnam War Memorial ceremony, Kirk apologized "for not overcoming the logistical challenge of incorporating the Vietnam Memorial into the parade salute for this year. I should have caught this sooner, and we plan to do everything we can to properly honor the fallen sons of Gloucester."
Nestor, a local attorney and a helicopter pilot in Vietnam, said this morning, "I congratulate the mayor."
read more here
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