Return to Tarawa
Synopsis
The story of Leon Cooper's -- World War II veteran and American original -- return to "Red Beach". Cooper, a veteran of the battle of "Bloody Tarawa," returned to Tarawa in February 2008 in order to learn more about reports he had read about garbage on the fabled "Red Beach."
In November 1943, Leon, a US Navy landing craft officer, helped launch the first major amphibious assault on a Central Pacific Japanese stronghold. Leon is dismayed to discover that this hallowed ground is strewn with garbage rotting in the sun, a painful insult to the sacrifice his fellow marines made for their country, during one of the bloodiest three-day battles in American war history.
Cooper's trip is full of wonder, anger, amazement and divine providence as he and film maker Steven C. Barber visit what Leon suspects to be the graves of hundreds of Marines still buried on Tarawa. Follow Leon Cooper's trip back in time, as narrated by Oscar-nominated actor, Ed Harris. A story of redemption and passion that will move you to tears.
Look for the new sequel from filmmaker Steven C. Barber, Until They Are Home. Coming Soon. Learn more at Until They Come Home
Monday, May 28, 2012
Sunday, May 27, 2012
Parents of captured U.S. soldier lead Washington motorcycle rally
Parents of captured U.S. soldier lead Washington motorcycle rally
By Stacey Samuel
CNN
updated 6:14 PM EDT, Sun May 27, 2012
STORY HIGHLIGHTS
Bowe Bergdahl disappeared in June 2009 in Afghanistan
His parents lead the Rolling Thunder ride
Robert Bergdahl's message to his son: "Stay strong, never give up"
Washington (CNN) -- The parents of missing U.S. serviceman Bowe Bergdahl led the Rolling Thunder ride in Washington on Sunday, trailed by the roar of what was estimated to be hundreds of thousands of motorcycles.
The annual Memorial Day weekend ride, now in its 25th year, is held in remembrance of prisoners of war and those missing in action.
Bergdahl, a 26-year-old army sergeant, was captured in Afghanistan in 2009 after he finished his guard shift at a combat outpost in southeastern Paktika province.
read more here
By Stacey Samuel
CNN
updated 6:14 PM EDT, Sun May 27, 2012
Rolling Thunder motorcyclists ride into Washington on Sunday, the day before Memorial Day
STORY HIGHLIGHTS
Bowe Bergdahl disappeared in June 2009 in Afghanistan
His parents lead the Rolling Thunder ride
Robert Bergdahl's message to his son: "Stay strong, never give up"
Washington (CNN) -- The parents of missing U.S. serviceman Bowe Bergdahl led the Rolling Thunder ride in Washington on Sunday, trailed by the roar of what was estimated to be hundreds of thousands of motorcycles.
The annual Memorial Day weekend ride, now in its 25th year, is held in remembrance of prisoners of war and those missing in action.
Bergdahl, a 26-year-old army sergeant, was captured in Afghanistan in 2009 after he finished his guard shift at a combat outpost in southeastern Paktika province.
read more here
Quadruple amputee vet Todd Nicely sees new home
The toll of war now includes more amputees
By Steve Almasy
CNN
Sun May 27, 2012
Frank Siller, left, and Gary Sinise, center, announce a concert to raise money for quadruple amputee vet Todd Nicely
STORY HIGHLIGHTS
More troops surviving bad wounds thanks to battlefield medicine, body armor
Badly wounded vets find help via special organizations
One group raises money to build special homes for triple, quadruple amputees
Expert: VA needs staff, money to handle growing wounded population
(CNN) -- Moments after the explosion, as he lay in a canal in rural Afghanistan, Cpl. Todd Nicely screamed twice at the top of his lungs. He was hurt so badly, his right leg blown away, his left one barely hanging on, but then he thought of two things.
His wife and his men.
He didn't think of dying.
He wanted to concentrate on getting home, and before that, he didn't want his squad's last image to be its leader wailing in pain.
"I just [told myself] keep breathing, keep breathing. If you do that you'll make it back to your wife," he said recently by phone. "I knew I was injured. It was whether I could bring myself to remain calm and not freak out and cause my vitals to go crazy."
What Nicely, who had stepped on the pressure plate of a roadside bomb, didn't realize at the time was that he had lost more than his legs. His arms also would need to be amputated.
In another war, another time, Nicely would have died on the battlefield.
Truth be told, there's a strong chance his heart did stop at some point on that day in March 2011. But thanks to modern body armor and a helicopter that arrived in just six minutes -- as well as quick reactions by his fellow Marines -- Nicely lived and became just the second quadruple amputee to survive battlefield injury wounds.
They are a small group, the quadruple amputee combat vets -- just five of them.
There are also 40 triple amputees. When they come home, they have their own set of issues, but many face the problems of every wounded vet. They start their new lives together.
read more here
Military suicide families find support
Survivors of military suicide victims come together to grieve
By Rebecca Ruiz
For the family and friends of service members who died by suicide, Memorial Day can be not only a solemn day, but also a painful reminder that military suicides are not treated the same as combat deaths.
Kim Ruocco, the national director of suicide education and outreach at Tragedy Assistance Program for Survivors, or TAPS, has experienced this isolating grief firsthand. This weekend, she is bringing together about 100 suicide survivors at TAPS' annual Memorial Day weekend National Military Survivor Seminar and Good Grief Camp for Young Survivors.
"[Suicide survivors] are surrounded by people whose loved ones were killed in action," Ruocco said. "There's a real sense that their loved one's death was not an honorable death."
Ruocco's husband, Marine Corps Maj. John Ruocco, killed himself seven years ago. He was a Cobra helicopter pilot who ran 75 combat missions during a five-month deployment in Fallujah, Iraq, in 2004. He had struggled with depression in the past, particularly after a training accident in the 1990s when two Cobras collided in midair, and he lost four friends.
In February 2005, while living temporarily in a hotel room near Camp Pendleton in California, awaiting a redeployment to Iraq and considering mental health counseling, John Ruocco hanged himself.
read more here
By Rebecca Ruiz
For the family and friends of service members who died by suicide, Memorial Day can be not only a solemn day, but also a painful reminder that military suicides are not treated the same as combat deaths.
Kim Ruocco, the national director of suicide education and outreach at Tragedy Assistance Program for Survivors, or TAPS, has experienced this isolating grief firsthand. This weekend, she is bringing together about 100 suicide survivors at TAPS' annual Memorial Day weekend National Military Survivor Seminar and Good Grief Camp for Young Survivors.
"[Suicide survivors] are surrounded by people whose loved ones were killed in action," Ruocco said. "There's a real sense that their loved one's death was not an honorable death."
Ruocco's husband, Marine Corps Maj. John Ruocco, killed himself seven years ago. He was a Cobra helicopter pilot who ran 75 combat missions during a five-month deployment in Fallujah, Iraq, in 2004. He had struggled with depression in the past, particularly after a training accident in the 1990s when two Cobras collided in midair, and he lost four friends.
In February 2005, while living temporarily in a hotel room near Camp Pendleton in California, awaiting a redeployment to Iraq and considering mental health counseling, John Ruocco hanged himself.
read more here
Lt. Col. Tosten talks about combat and PTSD
Service to country never ends
May. 26, 2012
Written by
Scott Rogers
Army Lt. Col. Tom Tosten led troops during stints in the deserts of Iraq and Afghanistan, but the toughest battle he's had to fight was at home as he transitioned back into civilian life after four deployments over his military career.
Tosten's tours of duty included eight months in Desert Storm during the Persian Gulf War in the early 1990s followed by six months in Somalia in 1994. His most recent tours were 15 months in Iraq followed by another to Afghanistan.
His tour in Afghanistan was cut short after four months when Army officials decided to send him home for treatment for post traumatic stress disorder.
That's a decision that haunted him for months as he felt responsible for the well-being of the men and women in the Marines under his command and didn't want to leave them.
read more here
May. 26, 2012
Written by
Scott Rogers
Army Lt. Col. Tom Tosten led troops during stints in the deserts of Iraq and Afghanistan, but the toughest battle he's had to fight was at home as he transitioned back into civilian life after four deployments over his military career.
Tosten's tours of duty included eight months in Desert Storm during the Persian Gulf War in the early 1990s followed by six months in Somalia in 1994. His most recent tours were 15 months in Iraq followed by another to Afghanistan.
His tour in Afghanistan was cut short after four months when Army officials decided to send him home for treatment for post traumatic stress disorder.
That's a decision that haunted him for months as he felt responsible for the well-being of the men and women in the Marines under his command and didn't want to leave them.
read more here
Mentally ill inmates on the rise in California prisons and jails
Mentally ill inmates on the rise in California prisons and jails
By Jocelyn Wiener
CHCF Center for Health Reporting
Published: Sunday, May. 27, 2012
MODESTO – Inmates with serious mental illnesses deemed incompetent to stand trial are languishing in California jail cells for months as they wait for state hospital beds to open up, according to advocates, jail officials and family members.
State and county budget cuts to mental health programs are combining with prison realignment and a shrinking number of state hospital beds to exacerbate the problem, they say.
In many counties, seriously mentally ill inmates routinely wait three to six months in jail before a state hospital bed opens up, said Randall Hagar, director of government affairs for the California Psychiatric Association. He calls the situation, which he says has gotten worse in recent years, "tragic."
read more here
By Jocelyn Wiener
CHCF Center for Health Reporting
Published: Sunday, May. 27, 2012
MODESTO – Inmates with serious mental illnesses deemed incompetent to stand trial are languishing in California jail cells for months as they wait for state hospital beds to open up, according to advocates, jail officials and family members.
State and county budget cuts to mental health programs are combining with prison realignment and a shrinking number of state hospital beds to exacerbate the problem, they say.
In many counties, seriously mentally ill inmates routinely wait three to six months in jail before a state hospital bed opens up, said Randall Hagar, director of government affairs for the California Psychiatric Association. He calls the situation, which he says has gotten worse in recent years, "tragic."
read more here
San Clemente police chief tries building trust after Marine was killed
San Clemente police chief tries building trust after Marine shooting
Building a connection could be a challenge for the new chief after a recent, high-profile deputy-involved shooting of a Camp Pendleton Marine sergeant at San Clemente High School.
May 26, 2012
By SALVADOR HERNANDEZ and FRED SWEGLES
THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER
SAN CLEMENTE – In 1986, John Coppock was a young officer starting his career in what was then the San Clemente Police Department. He was eager to go out and "crush crime."
Twenty-six years later, Coppock is a lieutenant in the Orange County Sheriff's Department and oversees its operations in San Clemente, making him the de facto chief of police in the city where he grew up and spent most of his teenage summers on the beaches.
Coppock now has 35 deputies under his command. He said he tells the younger ones he doesn't just want them to crush crime but also to get out of their patrol cars and build a bond with members of the oceanfront community.
But making that connection could be a challenge for the new chief after a deputy's recent shooting of a Camp Pendleton Marine sergeant at San Clemente High School.
The shooting generated big headlines, a lawsuit from the Marine's family and a crisis of confidence among some residents who asked the City Council to terminate its contract with the Sheriff's Department and bring back the San Clemente Police Department. Others spoke out about what they said is a history of heavy-handedness by local deputies.
read more here
Building a connection could be a challenge for the new chief after a recent, high-profile deputy-involved shooting of a Camp Pendleton Marine sergeant at San Clemente High School.
May 26, 2012
By SALVADOR HERNANDEZ and FRED SWEGLES
THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER
SAN CLEMENTE – In 1986, John Coppock was a young officer starting his career in what was then the San Clemente Police Department. He was eager to go out and "crush crime."
Twenty-six years later, Coppock is a lieutenant in the Orange County Sheriff's Department and oversees its operations in San Clemente, making him the de facto chief of police in the city where he grew up and spent most of his teenage summers on the beaches.
Coppock now has 35 deputies under his command. He said he tells the younger ones he doesn't just want them to crush crime but also to get out of their patrol cars and build a bond with members of the oceanfront community.
But making that connection could be a challenge for the new chief after a deputy's recent shooting of a Camp Pendleton Marine sergeant at San Clemente High School.
The shooting generated big headlines, a lawsuit from the Marine's family and a crisis of confidence among some residents who asked the City Council to terminate its contract with the Sheriff's Department and bring back the San Clemente Police Department. Others spoke out about what they said is a history of heavy-handedness by local deputies.
read more here
Outlaws Motorcycle Club part of vigil at Vietnam Memorial in Illinois
24-hour vigil at veterans memorial a night to remember
By JASON NEVEL
The State Journal-Register
Posted May 26, 2012
Last update May 27, 2012
Sometimes even outlaws prefer peace and quiet.
Among the groups of people who stood guard over the Illinois Vietnam Veterans Memorial at Springfield’s Oak Ridge Cemetery on May 5-6 was the Springfield chapter of the Outlaws Motorcycle Club, part of an international group.
The Outlaws were among members of different organizations participating in the 24-hour vigil who say they prefer to walk the memorial when, typically, nobody is looking.
Between 10 p.m. and 11 p.m. on May 5, the Outlaws patrolled the 24th annual vigil to honor the 2,938 Illinois servicemen who died in the Vietnam War. Members also patrolled the World War II and Korean War memorials.
Mike O’Neal, one of about a dozen Outlaws at the Memorial, said the late-night shift is the perfect time to reflect. It’s quiet, peaceful and there are not a lot of distractions, he said.
“We prefer this shift over the daytime because you can concentrate on what you’re doing and why,” O’Neal said. “We will continue to do it because it’s our pleasure and honor.”
read more here
By JASON NEVEL
The State Journal-Register
Posted May 26, 2012
Last update May 27, 2012
Sometimes even outlaws prefer peace and quiet.
Among the groups of people who stood guard over the Illinois Vietnam Veterans Memorial at Springfield’s Oak Ridge Cemetery on May 5-6 was the Springfield chapter of the Outlaws Motorcycle Club, part of an international group.
The Outlaws were among members of different organizations participating in the 24-hour vigil who say they prefer to walk the memorial when, typically, nobody is looking.
Between 10 p.m. and 11 p.m. on May 5, the Outlaws patrolled the 24th annual vigil to honor the 2,938 Illinois servicemen who died in the Vietnam War. Members also patrolled the World War II and Korean War memorials.
Mike O’Neal, one of about a dozen Outlaws at the Memorial, said the late-night shift is the perfect time to reflect. It’s quiet, peaceful and there are not a lot of distractions, he said.
“We prefer this shift over the daytime because you can concentrate on what you’re doing and why,” O’Neal said. “We will continue to do it because it’s our pleasure and honor.”
read more here
Romney, Obama compete for veteran vote, Florida emerging as battleground
Romney, Obama compete for veteran vote, Florida emerging as battleground
By Joseph Weber
Published May 26, 2012
FoxNews.com
The effort to win the votes of military veterans in the presidential election takes the spotlight Memorial Day weekend, with President Obama and Mitt Romney each attending public events and arguing he has a better plan to improve veterans' weak unemployment situation and other issues.
Romney is scheduled to appear Monday with Arizona GOP Sen. John McCain at a Veterans Museum and Memorial Center in San Diego, a conservative region and so-called Navy town.
McCain, a decorated Navy officer and Vietnam prisoner, won the veteran vote over Obama as the Republican nominee in the 2008 election.
The GOP has long been considered the party that supports a strong national defense and holds the vote of veterans and active-duty members. But the percentages are dropping and the vote appears to be up for grabs this year.
President George W. Bush won the veteran vote by 16 percentage points in his 2004 race against Democrat and Vietnam veteran Sen. John Kerry.
McCain won in 2008 against Obama, though only by 10 percent, 54 percent to 45 percent.
read more here
By Joseph Weber
Published May 26, 2012
FoxNews.com
The effort to win the votes of military veterans in the presidential election takes the spotlight Memorial Day weekend, with President Obama and Mitt Romney each attending public events and arguing he has a better plan to improve veterans' weak unemployment situation and other issues.
Romney is scheduled to appear Monday with Arizona GOP Sen. John McCain at a Veterans Museum and Memorial Center in San Diego, a conservative region and so-called Navy town.
McCain, a decorated Navy officer and Vietnam prisoner, won the veteran vote over Obama as the Republican nominee in the 2008 election.
The GOP has long been considered the party that supports a strong national defense and holds the vote of veterans and active-duty members. But the percentages are dropping and the vote appears to be up for grabs this year.
President George W. Bush won the veteran vote by 16 percentage points in his 2004 race against Democrat and Vietnam veteran Sen. John Kerry.
McCain won in 2008 against Obama, though only by 10 percent, 54 percent to 45 percent.
read more here
Widow of 9-11 Flight 93 pilot passed away
Widow of 9/11 pilot dies 'peacefully'
By THE DENVER POST
May 26, 2012
DENVER — Sandy Dahl, who channeled the tragedy of her husband's death on Sept. 11, 2001, into a powerful campaign to honor his memory, has died.
Dahl, 52, apparently passed away in her sleep, said family friend David Dosch. Dahl's husband, Jason, was the captain of United Flight 93 on 9/11.
She strongly believed Jason fought alongside passengers to keep terrorists from crashing the plane into the U.S. Capitol or the White House.
The plane instead crashed into a field in rural Pennsylvania.
The couple lived in the Denver-area dream home Jason was renovating. Sandy moved out following the Sept. 11 attacks, but continued to live in Colorado.
After Jason's death, Dahl became a public face for all grieving 9/11 families.
She founded a scholarship in Jason's honor to provide funding for young pilots to receive their education. And she gradually warmed to public speaking, to make sure the heroism of Jason and many others aboard Flight 93 was not forgotten.
By THE DENVER POST
May 26, 2012
DENVER — Sandy Dahl, who channeled the tragedy of her husband's death on Sept. 11, 2001, into a powerful campaign to honor his memory, has died.
Dahl, 52, apparently passed away in her sleep, said family friend David Dosch. Dahl's husband, Jason, was the captain of United Flight 93 on 9/11.
She strongly believed Jason fought alongside passengers to keep terrorists from crashing the plane into the U.S. Capitol or the White House.
The plane instead crashed into a field in rural Pennsylvania.
The couple lived in the Denver-area dream home Jason was renovating. Sandy moved out following the Sept. 11 attacks, but continued to live in Colorado.
After Jason's death, Dahl became a public face for all grieving 9/11 families.
She founded a scholarship in Jason's honor to provide funding for young pilots to receive their education. And she gradually warmed to public speaking, to make sure the heroism of Jason and many others aboard Flight 93 was not forgotten.
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