Afghans stunned as US Army Captain Kelvington honors death of police officer

Reuters Pictures of the week should have been the story of the week on cable news considering when our soldiers do something wrong, they all jump on the story. Take a look at this picture and read the story behind it.

U.S. Army Captain Michael Kelvington, commander of the Battle company, 1-508 Parachute Infantry battalion, 4th Brigade Combat Team, 82nd Airborne Division, bows next to the remains of Gulam Dostager, a member of the Afghan Local Police, who was killed in an IED blast during a joint Tor Janda (Black Flag in Pashtu) operation, in Zahri district of Kandahar province, southern Afghanistan, May 25, 2012. REUTERS/Shamil Zhumatov

This is really remarkable considering how many of our soldier have been killed by Afghan police officers while being trained by US forces. Think about Captain Kelvington having so much compassion for Dostager that he fell to his knees to honor the loss.

I couldn't find a full story on this but when you look at the faces of the Afghans standing near the memorial, it is easy to understand how much this meant to them.

How many other times does a US soldier honor the loss of Afghans fighting for their own country but no one bothers to report it?

Vietnam veteran receives medals earned 40 years ago

Sheffield Village veteran receives medals 40 years later
Published: Friday, May 25, 2012
By RON VIDIKA

SHEFFIELD VILLAGE — It’s been a long time coming but well worth the wait.

More than 40 years after serving in the Vietnam War, retired U.S. Army Master Sgt. Raymond Hatch will be presented with 11 medals earned for exemplary service in the war, including a Bronze Star and a Purple Heart.

Today, in a special ceremony in Cleveland, U.S. Sen. Sherrod Brown will present Hatch, a Sheffield Village resident, with various medals such as the Bronze Star, Purple Heart, Army Commendation, National Defense Service, Vietnam Campaign, Parachute Badge, Sharpshooter M-14, Army Good Conduct, Republic of Vietnam Gallantry Cross with Palm Unit Citation, the Republic of Vietnam Civil Actions Honor Medal First Class Unit Citation and the Vietnam Service Medal with four Bronze Service Stars.
read more here

Caretakers finally acknowledged in treating PTSD, again

Reminder, this is yet one more study about something that was known back in the 80's but passed off as something "new" and different. Point Man Ministries has been working with veterans and their families since 1984!

Caretakers are key to successful PTSD treatment
Special
By Samantha A. Torrence
May 12, 2012
in Health

A recent study has found that treating the families of veterans with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder for the psychological stress that comes with living with a vet with PTSD increases the success rate of treatment for the Veteran as well.

A young charity, Military with PTSD, has already been addressing the problems caregivers are facing for the past two years and has taken a unique approach to spreading awareness.

One of the major complaints from caregivers is that they have no one to turn to and no real help. They become exhausted and display symptoms of Secondary Trauma Stress, or Secondary PTSD. The new study put forth from the University of Syracuse's Institute for Veterans and Military Families suggests that treating the family members for their STS will make the living environment better for veterans and increase the chances of success in treatment.

From the study abstract: Research has identified PTSD as mediating the effect of veterans’ combat experience on the family.

Veterans’ numbing/arousal symptoms are especially predictive of family distress; while, to a lesser extent, veterans’ anger is also associated with troubled family relationships and secondary traumatization among family members. Empirical modeling of additional factors involved in secondary traumatization is needed. Marital/family interventions have largely focused on improving relationships and reducing veterans’ symptoms, rather than targeting improvements in the psychological well-being of the spouse and children. Interventions directly addressing the needs of significant others, especially spouses, are advocated. The potential for increased effectiveness of PTSD interventions and possible cost-savings attained by improving relationships and reducing caregiver burden are also discussed.
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Female Marine Veteran waits 50 years for justice

Woman battles for PTSD benefits after rape
Reported by: Tim Becker

PORTLAND, Ore. -- A former Marine is coming forward with a painful secret.

An 80-year-old Portland woman says she was raped during her military service — and has been fighting ever since for the veterans benefits she says she deserves.
read more here

Memorial Weekend events 2012 - for Orange, Osceola and Seminole Counties

Cathy Haynes keeps Central Florida up to date on what is going on for the military/veterans community and works tirelessly putting together a list of events topped off with showing up at most of them. If you think I work hard, I can't figure out how she does what she does!

Memorial Weekend events 2012 - for Orange, Osceola and Seminole Counties


Friday, May 25

8am - American Legion Post 109 at Ocoee Cemetery - The Colors will be raised and posting of American flags on veterans’ graves. The flags will remain posted until 1700 Monday, May 28th when they will be collected and Colors struck at the Cemetery. Info: 407-656-7285

11am - The City of Ocoee will remember and honor fallen soldiers at the Starke Lake Gazebo, 125 North Lakeshore Drive, next to City Hall. The keynote speaker for the Memorial Day Ceremony will be JD Lopez. In 2002, Mr. Lopez became a combat soldier with the U.S. Army 82nd Airborne Infantry division. He is a two-time Iraq War veteran who survived a near fatal car explosion. Ceremony includes patriotic songs, Ocoee Police Department Honor Guard, Ocoee High School Air Force JROTC Color Guard, honor wreath to be set at Ocoee’s Memorial Wall inscribed with the names of Ocoee residents who sacrificed and served their country. Mayor Scott Vandergrift will recite the names of Ocoee residents who gave their lives for freedom. At the conclusion of the ceremony, Ocoee High School student Nathan Kimbrell will play Taps. Refreshments afterwards. For more information, please call (407) 905-3100. (filming this)

Saturday, May 26

10am - Vietnam War Memorial Groundbreaking Ceremony - Veterans Memorial Park, 2380 Lake Baldwin Lane, Orlando. Presented by Vietnamese-American Memorial Committee in Florida. Veterans, Vietnamese-Americans and their families and friends are invited. (Info courtesy of Joe Rassel, Orlando Sentinel.)

Sunday, May 27

9 am-5 pm - Team Patriot Paddle - Katie's Landing on Wekiva River, 190 Katie's Cove, Sanford. Eight-mile Memorial Day River Run event for kakaks, canoes and stand-up paddlers to raise funds and awareness for the Wounded Warrior Project and Heroes on the Water. Bring your own gear. $5 donation. Details: 407-461-9420. (Info courtesy of Joe Rassel, Orlando Sentinel)

11am – American Legion Post 112 honors and remembers the persons who served and died for our freedoms. 4490 N. Goldenrod Road, Winter Park, 32792. The public is invited. Free. 407-671-6404 or 407-212-6587.

12 noon – American Legion Post 331 and JROTC will place flags on veterans’ graves and have a ceremony at Taft Cemetery, 501 Landstreet Road in south Orlando, 32824. The public is invited. For more information, call 407-294-7228 or 407-405-3786.

2:30pm – Annual Memorial Day service at the Larry E. Smedley National Vietnam War Museum (aka: the Bunker”) at 3400 N. Tanner Rd. in east Orlando. A solemn ceremony of 5 Color Guards, Vietnamese Veterans of Central FL, Guest speaker Marine Col. David Smith, wreath ceremony, and dedication of the new T-34 and Caribou airplanes. Optional und raising picnic style dinner following. The public is invited. Website and directions: www.nwmvocf.org For more info: 407-463-0192 or 508-523-7192 . (filming this)

Monday, May 28 – Memorial Day ceremonies
Orange County

8:30 am - Veterans Park, 420 S. Park Ave., Winter Garden. West Orange High School JROTC with roll call of veterans, placement of wreaths and patriotic songs. (Info courtesy of Joe Rassel, Orlando Sentinel.)

10am – Orange County Courthouse Veterans Memorial Wall, 425 N. Orange Ave. downtown Orlando on south side of bldg. Ceremony honoring the 2 Orange County soldiers who died in Afghanistan this past year – Pvt. J. Vaquerano and Pvt. A. Obod, Jr.. Their names will be engraved on the Memorial Wall of the Orange County persons who were killed serving our country and were county residents upon joining the armed forces. Mayor Teresa Jacobs, guest speaker SSgt Christopher Olejnik, the fallen warriors families, Color Guard, Orange County Sheriff’s Dept. and others, Public is invited. Free. 407-836-2857.

10am – Woodlawn Memorial Park, 62nd Annual service, 400 Woodlawn Cemetery Rd., Gotha, 34734. Guest speaker Former Congressman Lou Frey, Orlando Concert Band, Color Guard, JROTC and Scouts, Wreath laying and more to honor those who died while in military service. Band begins at 9:30 am. Following the service on the opposite side of the grounds will be the free 5th Annual Cruise-In car show and BBQ lunch (while supplies last.) 11am-3pm. Public is invited. Free. 407-293-1361.

10am – American Legion Post 19 and Ladies Auxiliary will conduct a ceremony at Greenwood Cemetery, 1603 Greenwood St. in downtown Orlando, 32801. The ceremony will include a guest speaker, wreath laying, rifle volley and Taps. Food and Entertainment at Post from 2pm – 5pm. The public is invited. For more information, call 407-453-5695.

11am – Glen Haven Memorial Park, 2300 Temple Dr., Winter Park, 32789. Featuring guest speakers Capt. Tae Shin, FLNG, and Capt. Joshua Walker, FLNG, VFW Post #2093 Band, singers, Civil War Reinactors, Winter Springs AJROTC, Scouts and others. Public is invited. Free. 407-647-1100. (filming this)

11am – American Legion Post 242 honors and remembers the persons who died for the freedoms of Americans and others. 17142 E. Colonial Dr. in eastern Orlando, 32820. Cookout at 1pm. Public is invited. 407-568-3416.

Osceola County

8:30 am – Ceremony at Osceola Memory Gardens by the Osceola County Veterans Council and numerous groups. 1717 Old Boggy Creek Rd., Kissimmee, 34744. Public is invited. Free. 407-957-2511

10am – VFW Post 3227 and American Legion Post#80 ceremony at Mount Peace Cemetery, 755 E. 10th St., St. Cloud, 34769. Guest speaker Peter Olivo – wounded Vietnam soldier, wreaths representing various wars and Posts, flags placed on veterans graves by Boy Scouts. Public is invited. Refreshments at American Legion Post 80 after the ceremony – 1019 Pennsylvania Ave., St. Cloud. 321-624-7093 or 407-892-8808.

11am – American Legion Post 10 honors and remembers the persons who died for our freedoms while serving our country. Ceremony at the Post flagpole. 200 Lakeshore Blvd., Kissimmee, 34742. Public is invited. Free. 407-847-4193.

Seminole County

10am – Memorial Day Parade in downtown Sanford featuring many veterans, military and patriotic groups. Begins on 1st Street in Sanford and thru the historic downtown area. Immediately following the parade is a tribute at the Veterans Memorial Park on the waterfront with honorary guests, gun volley salute, and helicopter flyover. Public is invited. 386-837-3973.

3pm – Casselberry Veterans Club will honor and remember the persons who died for our freedoms while serving our country with a Flagpole ceremony. 200 Concord Dr., Casselberry, 32750. A BBQ meal will be available for a small charge after the ceremony and until 6pm. Public is invited, ceremony is free. 407-340-9780.

3pm – American Legion Post 183 and VFW Post 10180 will have a patriotic ceremony at 3pm and picnic meal following the ceremony. Maitland/Casselberry/FernPark Post, 2706 Wells Ave., Casselberry, 32730. Public is invited. 407-831-8004.

Florida National Cemetery (6502 SW 102nd Avenue, Bushnell, 33513, in Sumter County) The Memorial Day Ceremony begins at 11:00 AM on Monday, May 30, rain or shine. The Guest Speaker will be Major Gen. Jeffrey E. Phillips, assistant deputy chief of staff; Hernando High School Band will play patriotic music prior to the ceremony and music will be performed during the ceremony. Seating is limited, those attending are encouraged to arrive early, wear comfortable clothing, and bring a lawn chair or blanket to sit on. Organizations with colors are invited to participate in the massing of colors at the beginning of the program and should plan to arrive by 9:30 A.M. The Florida National Cemetery Visitor's Center will be open to the public on Memorial Day from 8:00 AM to 7:00 PM. For more information call 352-793-7740.

Others – Courtesy of Joe Rassel, Orlando Sentinel: 9 am-5 pm - Saturday-Monday - Valiant Air Command Open House - Valiant Air Command Warbird Museum, 6600 Tico Road, Titusville. Vintage aircraft and memorabilia, flybys throughout weekend and pilots who flew the aircraft on display. Admission free for military (active or retired) and Florida residents. I.D. required. Details: 321-268-1941.

Memorial Remembrance Service: 9 a.m. Monday; Rockefeller Gardens, 25 Riverside Drive, Ormond Beach. Music by Daytona Beach Concert Band, flyovers by Spruce Creek Gaggle Flight and 21-gun salute by Volusia County Sheriff's Office, followed by taps. Parking at The Casements, Fortunato Park and the Ormond Memorial Art Museum. Details: 386-676-3241.

Memorial Day Service: 10 a.m. Monday; Deltona Memorial Gardens, 1295 Saxon Blvd., Orange City. Sponsored by Veterans Community Education Partnership and Deltona Memorial Gardens Cemetery. Presentation of colors and placement of wreaths at Veterans Memorial by veterans groups and other organizations. Details: Bob McFall, 386-775-4260, or Mick Cotton, 386-960-5425.

Ponce Inlet Memorial Day Ceremony: 11 a.m. Monday; Davies Lighthouse Park, 4931 S. Peninsula Drive, Ponce Inlet. Flyover by Spruce Creek Gaggle Flight, 21-gun salute, wreath-laying and playing of taps.

Information was compiled by Cathy Haynes, member/supporter on numerous veterans and military organizations with the help from each organization.
All information is correct to the best of my knowledge with care. Sincere apologies if there are errors as the best of intentions and efforts were made. If additional ceremonies were not included, please contact me so that the information can be included next year.
407-239-8468
chaynes11629@yahoo.com

Tim McGraw to give 25 homes to veterans

Tim McGraw to give 25 homes to veterans
CHRIS TALBOTT
Associated Press
Friday, May 25, 2012

Nashville, Tenn.

Tim McGraw will be saluting veterans in a big way while on tour this summer.

The country music superstar is giving away 25 mortgage-free houses - one for each stop on his upcoming Brothers of the Sun tour with Kenny Chesney - to wounded or needy service members.

McGraw will kick off the campaign with a Memorial Day concert for military members at New York City's Beacon Theatre during Fleet Week.

"My sister's a veteran, my uncle's a veteran, my grandfather was a veteran, one of my best friends is a veteran," McGraw said. "I've known people my whole life who are in service to America. And I think in my position to be able to do something like that is probably the ultimate thing. So to be able to go on tour and provide sort of a stable foundation for a veteran and their family is something I really look forward to."
Read more

Marines to offer early retirement, with benefits

Marines to offer early retirement, with benefits
By MATTHEW M. BURKE
Stars and Stripes
Published: May 25, 2012

U.S. MARINE CORPS

SASEBO NAVAL BASE, Japan — The Marine Corps soon will offer early retirement with benefits to some troops as part of force-shaping efforts aimed at cutting 20,000 jobs from the rolls over the next four years, Corps officials said this week.

Under the plan, expected to start this fall, Marines and officers with 15-20 years of service will be offered early retirement with benefits. It’s part of a larger Marine initiative that includes voluntary early discharges and the convening of a selective early retirement board for lieutenant colonels and colonels already eligible for 20-year retirement benefits, who have stagnated in their grade.
read more here

Marine back from Afghanistan dies in Grand Canyon

Marine on way home to Kansas after Afghanistan tour dies in sightseeing fall at Grand Canyon
By Associated Press
Published: May 24

DERBY, Kan. — A young Marine returning to civilian life in Kansas died this week after falling from the South Rim of the Grand Canyon, where he had stopped to do some sightseeing on his way home from Camp Pendleton, Calif., his father said.

After two years in the Marines, Jeffery Klingsick had big plans, said his father, Russ Klingsick. The 20-year-old veteran of Afghanistan planned to join a band, become an emergency medical technician and, said his father, watch lots of John Wayne movies.
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US lawmakers probe food contract for troops in Afghanistan

US lawmakers probe food contract for troops in Afghanistan
Reuters
Thu May 24, 2012

* Pentagon asked for refund of over $750 million last year
* Lawmakers question Pentagon oversight of contract
By Susan Cornwell
WASHINGTON, May 24 (Reuters) - U.S. lawmakers are investigating a billing dispute of at least $750 million between the main supplier of food to U.S. troops in Afghanistan and the Pentagon.

The Pentagon says Supreme Foodservice GmbH overcharged it, but the Netherlands-headquartered company said the rates were properly based on the complexities and dangers of supplying food in war-ravaged Afghanistan.

The Republican and Democratic leaders of a House of Representatives panel have written to the company as well as the Pentagon's Defense Logistics Agency, demanding information and documents within ten days about the dispute on a contract dating to 2005 that so far has cost U.S. taxpayers $5.5 billion.

The lawmakers' probe comes amid continuing concerns about waste and abuse of tax dollars in Afghanistan, with scrutiny intensifying as the Pentagon budget faces big cuts.
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Soldier found guilty of trying to blow up Fort Hood families

It seemed important to add "families" into the title of this report. I've been on Fort Hood, ate in the food court a few times and it is full of families along with soldiers.

AWOL Muslim soldier guilty in plot to blow up eatery full of Fort Hood troops
He was found at motel with numerous bomb-making components
AP
updated 5/24/2012

WACO, Texas — A federal jury on Thursday convicted a Muslim soldier on six charges in connection with a failed plot to blow up a Texas restaurant full of Fort Hood troops, his religious mission to get "justice" for the people of Iraq and Afghanistan.

Jurors in U.S. District Court in Waco deliberated a little more than an hour before finding Pfc. Naser Jason Abdo guilty of attempting to use a weapon of mass destruction, attempted murder of U.S. officers or employees, and four counts of possessing a weapon in furtherance of a federal crime of violence — two involving a gun and two involving a destructive device.
read more here

Veterans Face Ruin Awaiting Benefits As Wounded Swamp VA

UPDATE May 25, 2012
My two cents
After having lived with some of these same problems, it is heartbreaking to know so little has changed. My husband didn't want help from the VA when he got home from Vietnam. He wanted to work. He adopted his father's attitude that the VA was for "guys that couldn't work" especially the veterans missing arms and legs. No matter how hard I tried to get him to go to the VA, it took ten years from the time we met for him to go to a Veterans Center. The fight to have his claim approved took 6 years.

What veterans and their families go through is a pile of bills that cannot be paid getting higher as someone at the VA says, "Well once the claim is approved, you'll get all the money prorated" as if all the suffering means nothing.

First comes denial. The veteran says they don't need help. It isn't that bad. They just need time to get over it. As their family is falling apart, their job is in jeopardy, they begin to think they should get some help. They look at veterans living with physical wounds and think they don't deserve the same kind of help for their own wounds. A bullet wound leaves a visible scar but you can't see the whole damage done. A bomb blast leaves scars on the body but you can't see what lives beneath the flesh. PTSD and TBI can't be seen with your eyes. You have to see them with your heart and know the human you see lived through something you probably will never have to experience because they did it for you.

Then there is the stigma they don't want to face. They don't want the label they still don't understand. As claims are denied, they begin to think that whatever is going on inside of them is their fault and not because they survived combat. After all, the VA is there for them and if the VA is turning down their claims, well then, it has to be their fault. It is like a knife in their back.

Somehow they find the courage to file an appeal. They may even get some help from organizations like the DAV to help them with all the paperwork that has to be done exactly right. More time goes by, more damage done to their families and to them but still they find just enough hope to keep fighting for what they wouldn't need help with if they didn't serve. The world no longer makes sense to them. A lot of veterans end up homeless because of the stress placed on them and their families. Everyone is at the end of their endurance. A VA doctor told me many years ago for ever 10 veterans filing a claim, 8 drop out from frustration, but it also could be because they lose the support of family members and friends. None of this is good. Most of it makes PTSD worse and for a veteran with TBI they cannot fight alone. What are we if we cannot take care of our disabled veterans and stop putting them through more hell than they survived during combat?

Veterans Face Ruin Awaiting Benefits As Wounded Swamp VA
By William Selway
Bloomberg News
May 23, 2012

Rebecca Tews sat at her kitchen table in North Aurora, Illinois, stared into her laptop and tried to find a place for her family to live.

The 43-year-old psychologist spent seven years fighting for disability benefits for her husband, Duane Kozlowski, after he left the U.S. Army, unable to hold a job because of brain damage and post-traumatic stress. She borrowed $20,000 from her father’s and grandfather’s retirement accounts, stopped paying her student loans and ran up tens of thousands of dollars in bills for Duane’s tests and medical care.

While she eventually got the benefits, her credit is in ruins. This month, an eviction notice was taped to the door of her rented 5-bedroom home. She’s worried about finding a landlord willing to rent to her, Duane and five children.

“It’s basically been like a tornado,” she said of her struggle with the U.S. Veterans Affairs Department. “It’s wiped out our future. It’s wiped out our relationship with our extended family. It’s wiped everything out and we’re starting out again below ground.”

Tews and Kozlowski, 44, are among thousands of former soldiers and their families suffering the effects of a Veterans department overwhelmed by a decade of fighting overseas. With the Iraq war finished and troops returning from Afghanistan, record numbers of former service members are turning to the federal government for disability pay, adding to a backlog of claims and delays that have dogged the agency for years.
read more here

Ill and injured troops wait 394 days for military evaluations

Wait gets longer for VA disability benefits
By Patricia Kime - Staff writer
Army Times
Posted : Wednesday May 23, 2012

Ill or injured service members now wait an average of 394 days to move through the military’s disability evaluation process, an increase of more than 10 percent since 2010 and well off the goal of 295 days, according to the Government Accountability Office.

In fiscal 2011, just 19 percent of active-duty service members and 18 percent of National Guard and Reserve members completed the Integrated Disability Evaluation System, or IDES, process within the goal of 295 days for active-duty members and 305 days for Guard and Reserve personnel.

And at some installations, the average wait is nearly 18 months or longer. At Fort Belvoir, Va., for example, soldiers face an average processing period of 537 days, while guardsmen at Fort Carson, Colo., wait 651 days.
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Homeless man upset with VA broke into TV station and stabbed 2 workers

Man upset with Veterans Affairs breaks into Kansas television station, stabs 2 workers
By Associated Press
Published: May 23

TOPEKA, Kan. — A man wielding a knife broke into a Kansas television station Wednesday morning and stabbed two sales employees.

WIBW-TV in Topeka (http://bit.ly/MnNXEV) reported the man eventually was tackled and held down by several employees until police arrived. While restrained, the man threatened to kill the staff and bit at least one worker.

The suspect and two people who were stabbed were taken to a hospital for treatment. None of their injuries were considered serious.

Topeka police Capt. Brian Desch said in a news release that the 48-year-old homeless man was booked into jail on suspicion of six counts, including aggravated battery and burglary.
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American Railroad company wants to hire 3,000 veterans

Bringing America Back: Working on the Railroad
The railroad industry is on the mend and looking for new employees.
01:58
05/05/2012

The nation’s freight railroads have an almost 200 year commitment to the nation’s service men and women. Between 20-25 percent of current employees are veterans. Today, we continue this tradition by especially targeting veterans as we plan to hire more than 15,000 new employees, approximately 3,000 of whom are expected to be veterans. GI Jobs ranked four freight railroad companies in the top twenty of its 2011 “Military Friendly Employers” list. With an average annual salary and benefit package of $107,000, veterans who join the freight rail industry can expect a well-paid job—and one that can never be shipped overseas.

FREIGHT RAIL'S MILITARY VETERANS
Gary Adkins
Manager of Signals and Communications
Canadian National
Chicago, IL
17 years in the industry
6 years in the military
Base: Twenty-nine Palms, CA

As a small child, Gary Adkins remembers wanting to grow up to be in the military and work for the Illinois Central Railroad where his father, a Vietnam War veteran, had operated trains and was later an assistant superintendent.

So after leaving the U.S. Marines in 1994, Gary continued to follow his dream and took a job with the Illinois Central as a trackman laborer. Responsible for maintaining track, he steadily climbed the ranks to his current job as manager of signals and communications for Canadian National (CN), which merged with the Illinois Central in 1999. Read More »

USMC braces for post-combat child abuse spike

USMC braces for post-combat child abuse spike
By Gina Harkins
Staff writer
Marine Corps Times
Posted : Wednesday May 23, 2012

With the end of full-scale combat in Afghanistan in sight, the Marine Corps wants to head off an anticipated spike in the number of child-abuse and child-neglect incidents associated with post-deployment stress and family reunification.

Family advocacy personnel throughout the service are being trained to better help Marines — along with their spouses and children — improve communication and cope with traumatic events. The effort focuses on therapy techniques that emphasize participation from parents and children.

This program, called trauma focused cognitive behavioral therapy, was developed in the 1960s and has proven effective in civilian circles. But stressors that are found in military and civilian communities — such as divorce, bullying and substance abuse — can be compounded in the former by challenges brought on by frequent moves, long parental absences and deployments, said Maj. Shawn Haney, a spokeswoman for Manpower and Reserve Affairs, home to the Corps’ Family Advocacy Program.

From 2007 to 2010, as the Corps grew by thousands of Marines to meet demands in Iraq and then Afghanistan, the number of reported child-maltreatment cases — including physical and sexual abuse, and neglect — nearly doubled, according to an information paper provided to Marine Corps Times in April by the Family Advocacy Program. In 2007, there were 397 reported cases. In 2010, there were 767.
read more here

Deployed Marines face electrocution threat

Deployed Marines face electrocution threat
By Dan Lamothe
Staff writer
Marine Corps Times Posted : Wednesday May 23, 2012

Clockwise from upper left are: Cpl. Jon-LukeBateman, Cpl. Adam Buyes, Cpl. Connor Lowry and Lance Cpl. Kenneth Cochran.

At least four Marines have been electrocuted in Afghanistan since November, highlighting another hazard for ground forces fighting in Helmand province.

Cpls. Adam Buyes, Connor Lowry and Jon-Luke Bateman and Lance Cpl. Kenneth Cochran were killed in three separate incidents. Buyes died Nov. 26, Bateman and Cochran on Jan. 15, and Lowry on March 1.

Buyes was a radio operator with 3rd Reconnaissance Battalion, out of Okinawa, Japan. He died in Sangin district after leaving a patrol base on foot with his unit, according to documents outlining a command investigation into his death. His three-foot radio antenna hit a power line hanging about eight feet high, causing “sparks/fire” beneath his feet.

The documents were released to Marine Corps Times through a Freedom of Information Act request.
read more here

General Pittard retracts "selfish suicide" statement

UPDATE Would be nice if "reporters" would either stay on a story or give credit where credit is due. Happens all the time and they get paid for what they do.

Army general retracts statement about suicide By Patricia Kime - Staff writer Posted : Friday May 25, 2012 13:29:21 EDT

General Pittard retracts "selfish suicide" statement too late!
by Chaplain Kathie

When Major General Dana Pittard blames soldiers for committing suicide and says they are "selfish" for doing it we should all be wondering how much more he isn't saying. How many others in his position feel the same way? Is this type of thinking holding up recovery after combat? Is it what is behind a failure like Resiliency Training? After all, considering the theory behind what was called "Battlemind" claims soldiers can "train their brains to be mentally tough" ended up telling them if they do become a combat survivor with PTSD, it is their fault.

We have rejoiced when general have come out publicly talking about their own battles with PTSD and how they got help to heal. The assumption the military finally got it turned out to be wishful thinking when the servicemen and women were still being betrayed by the military. The number of military suicides went up along with attempted suicides no matter how much was "done" to address it.

I started to slam Battlemind back in 2008 when reports started to come about what the programming was actually producing. A generation of troops with limited knowledge on PTSD corrupted by thinking PTSD was their fault for being weak minded and not training right.

It seems General Pittard just let the cat out of the bag when he said soldier suicides were selfish acts.

Then while "working out in the gym" he thought better about it and retracted his statement. So why did it take this long to change his mind? He wrote his commentary in January? It took Yochi J. Dreazen National Journal publishing this May 22, 2012 before the general public was made aware of it.

Thoughts while working out in the gym

Maj. Gen. Dana J. H. Pittard 1st AD and Fort Bliss Commanding General
Maj. Gen. Dana J. H. Pittard
1st AD and Fort Bliss Commanding General
On Suicide – A Retraction

In my commentary published January 19, 2012, I stated suicide was a selfish act. Thanks to many of you and your feedback, I have learned that this was a hurtful statement. I also realize that my statement was not in line with the Army’s guidance regarding sensitivity to suicide. With my deepest sincerity and respect towards those whom I have offended, I retract that statement.

There are many reasons why a person may take his or her own life; it is very complex. Suicide is a serious problem, not only in our Army, but throughout our entire nation. Our efforts to prevent suicide at Fort Bliss are having a beneficial effect. We have lower than average suicide rates within FORSCOM. We have more than four times the number of Applied Suicide Intervention Skills Training (ASIST) personnel than other Army installation, the most Master Resilience Trainers, 160 behavioral health providers, and inspiring stories every month of Soldiers who intervened when one of their battle buddies had suicidal ideations or attempts. Our Wellness Fusion Campus is unique within the Army and is the cornerstone of a deliberate, programmed and accountable installation-wide resilience campaign. Our goal is to create the most fit, healthy, and resilient community in America.

We must continue to do better each and every day, reaching out, encouraging and helping those in need.

A person sometimes considers suicide when they lose hope about the future and they do not feel connected with others around them – a profound sense of hopelessness. We can all help by wrapping our arms around our fellow Soldiers and showing them a future that is positive and supportive. This takes both leadership and compassion. Leaders at all levels must continue with the intrusive, yet caring and compassionate, leadership that has become a part of our culture at Team Bliss. Battle buddies and leaders must stay vigilant and act when someone is in need. None of us are immune from needing help. All of us, at some point, need help for mental, emotional, or relationship stress.

Please seek help – it is the right thing to do!

• 24-hour Chaplain: 915-637-4265
•Team Bliss Operations Center: 915-744-1255
• Emergence Crisis Hotline: 915-779-1800
• National Suicide Prevention Hotline: 1-800-273-TALK (8255)

Would you want to listen to this guy on what to do about PTSD after he said what he said? Why is he still pushing "Resiliency Training" when it has been proven to be a deadly failure? Stop and think about the other steps taken to save their lives and get them help. All of these programs along with groups around the country have not been enough to bring the suicides and attempted suicides down for a reason. Battlemind already told them to blame themselves just like Pittard's comment calling them selfish!

General Pittard, was Marine Clay Hunt selfish too?

Walter Reed Hospital welcomes combat veteran visitors

Welcome, Military Visitors
Combat veterans from capital in town
Wednesday, May. 23, 2012
Recovering injured combat veterans from Washington area military medical centers arrive today for a six-night visit including participation in several events wrapping up Military Appreciation Days and the Memorial Day weekend.

An estimated 57 visitors will be the largest number thus far on the visits arranged by Scents for Soldiers. “I’m pretty confident we’ll have a bus full – 57 [service veterans wounded in Iraq and Afghanistan] – this time,” says Christina Shealy, founder of Scents for Soldiers. “The most we’ve done on the bus trips is 37.” This is the sixth bus trip, and Scents also has brought injured service people here in small groups.

The visitors this weekend include Marines for the first time, a dozen from the former National Naval Medical Center at Bethesda, Md., combined in 2011 with the Walter Reed Army Medical Center to form the new tri-service Walter Reed National Military Medical Center. Other Scents patients are from Fort Belvoir Community Hospital in Virginia. The latter includes Army, Navy and Air Force medical personnel.
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Marine's Mom says to not pity her son

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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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).
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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.
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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."
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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.
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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.
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AP Correction: The Russians Are Coming story

Wounded Times posted on April 27, 2012 The Russians are coming


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.

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."
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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!

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.”
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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."
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1,600 museums offer troops free tickets

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.
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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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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.

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®.

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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.
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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.
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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

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.

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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.
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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

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.
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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.
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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.
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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

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."
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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

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.”
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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.
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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.
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Senators promise answers on VA medication deaths

Senators promise answers on I-Team report
Steve Daniels

RALEIGH (WTVD) -- Both of North Carolina's senators promise action after an ABC11 I-Team report on the deaths of U.S. troops blamed on "fatal drug intoxication."

"We will look into this in great detail - work with the military and the VA - to understand better the decisions that were made," said Senator Richard Burr - a ranking member of the Senate Committee on Veterans Affairs.

The I-Team investigation uncovered cases where troops survived combat only to die at home while undergoing treatment for Post-traumatic stress disorder.

Stan and Shirley White told ABC11 that's how they lost their son Andrew.

"He died because of his PTSD, because of what he saw in the war zone. The medication is what killed him. We consider him as being a casualty of war," offered Stan White.
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Another non-combat death for Fort Riley

Riley soldier’s death ruled accidental
The Associated Press
Posted : Monday May 21, 2012
MANHATTAN, Kan. — Riley County police say a Fort Riley soldier’s death at his Manhattan home apparently was caused by an accidental drug overdose.

Twenty-four-year-old Derek H. Holgersen was found dead at his apartment on Friday.

Riley County police Capt. Kurt Moldrup announced Monday that preliminary autopsy reports indicate Holgersen died from an accidental drug overdose.

Moldrup says another tenant found Holgersen’s body.

Wounded Soldiers from Greater Philadelphia Honored

Wounded Soldiers from Greater Philadelphia Honored at Rose Tree Park
The 5th Annual Walk for the Wounded was held Saturday, May 19.
By Lauren Avellino Turton

The walk route was lined with flags in honor of the wounded soldiers. Credit: Lauren Avellino Turton

Mother Nature delivered the perfect day for the 5th Annual Walk for the Wounded held at Rose Tree Park in Upper Providence Township on Saturday.

Family, friends, and visitors from Haverford Township and the rest of Delaware County and beyond came out by the thousands to recognize the injured soldiers and help raise money for them and their families with personal and financial needs.

There was much to do for all ages. There were several interactive military displays, including a medical tent from the 11th Airborne, and a UH1 helicopter that kids could sit in and pose for photos.

There was an elaborate motorcycle and car show, local veterans groups and vendors from the area, and plenty of activities popular with the kids, like moon bounce and giant slide.
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Pathfinders' preparedness is tested by deadly IED blasts

Pathfinders' preparedness is tested by deadly IED blasts
By LAURA RAUCH
Stars and Stripes
Published: May 21, 2012

Part one of a two-part Stars and Stripes series, "Devastation and Endurance."

KANDAHAR AIRFIELD, Afghanistan — The soldier knew something was wrong when the Black Hawk and Kiowa helicopters tore sharply into the compound. Their landing, skittish and odd, made Sgt. Jon McMillen’s gut turn.

Several of McMillen’s teammates, all with Team 3 out of Kandahar Airfield, were on a reconnaissance mission in the Shorabak district near the Pakistani border while he and other Pathfinders from the 159th Combat Aviation Brigade were staged as backup at Forward Operating Base Spin Boldak.

Upon landing, the crew chief jumped out and waved in McMillen’s platoon leader, 1st Lt. John Runkle. Moments later, Runkle returned to his soldiers and told them to grab their kit and get the [expletive] on the bird. Now he knew there was trouble; Runkle never cussed.
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