Homeless Vet Aided Dying Bellevue Mom in Seattle Shooting
Gloria Leonidas of Bellevue was one of Ian Stawicki's victims in Wednesday's shooting spree in Seattle. SeattlePI.com reported that a homeless veteran was among those who came to Leonidas' aid after she was shot.
By Patch Staff
June 1, 2012
A homeless veteran, a married couple and a passerby who abandoned her running car were among those who came to the aid a Bellevue mother of two killed in a Seattle shooting rampage that took the lives of six people, the SeattlePI.com reported.
Gloria Leonidas of Bellevue was fatally shot and her Mercedes SUV taken by Ian Stawicki, who had fled the scene of a mass shooting at Cafe Racer coffee shop in the Ravenna neighborhood earlier in the day, Seattle police said.
Seattle police say that Stawicki, 40, shot five people at Cafe Racer, killing four of them and critically wounding the fifth.
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Saturday, June 2, 2012
Camp Lejeune Marine murdered posted on Facebook
Murder-suicide appears to be result of lover's triangle
Posted: Jun 01, 2012
By: WECT Staff
Police in Jacksonville are investigating a murder-suicide that happened late Thursday night. (Source: WITN)
ONSLOW COUNTY, NC (WITN/WECT) – Police in Jacksonville are investigating a murder-suicide that happened late Thursday night. Apparently, it was the result of a lover's triangle. The victim may have posted a warning on Facebook that something was about to happen.
WITN is reporting Jason Eimer, 30 of Jacksonville, and Christopher Apger, a Marine from Camp Lejeune, were killed in the incident.
According to WITN, police received a call just before midnight. Several officers responded and had a "significant presence at the New River Harley-Davidson dealership" in Jacksonville.
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Posted: Jun 01, 2012
By: WECT Staff
Police in Jacksonville are investigating a murder-suicide that happened late Thursday night. (Source: WITN)
ONSLOW COUNTY, NC (WITN/WECT) – Police in Jacksonville are investigating a murder-suicide that happened late Thursday night. Apparently, it was the result of a lover's triangle. The victim may have posted a warning on Facebook that something was about to happen.
WITN is reporting Jason Eimer, 30 of Jacksonville, and Christopher Apger, a Marine from Camp Lejeune, were killed in the incident.
According to WITN, police received a call just before midnight. Several officers responded and had a "significant presence at the New River Harley-Davidson dealership" in Jacksonville.
read more here
Army Specialist Brandy Fonteneaux was stabbed 74 times
Jun 01, 2012
By Ned Hibberd, Reporter
HOUSTON (FOX 26)
Seventy-four stab wounds: those are some of the injuries inflicted on a female soldier from Houston, in her own barracks.
The new information comes as her alleged murderer, a fellow soldier, is claiming he suffered from temporary insanity.
"I had to know. I had to see just what this man did to my daughter," said Verona Fonteneaux.
Her daughter, 28-year old Army Specialist Brandy Fonteneaux, was stabbed and choked in her room at Fort Carson in Colorado on January 8.
Plenty of moms would leave it at that. But Verona Fonteneaux needed to know. Everything.
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Women Combating PTSD, "The Silent Killer of the Military"
Women Combating PTSD, "The Silent Killer of the Military"
*Click here for an exclusive interview with an active female veteran.
Comparing The PTSD Rate Among Military Men Vs. Women Serving In The Military
You know all about physically wounded warriors. You hear their stories on television and you read them online. It's important to realize the "Silent Killer of the Military" is just as debilitating to our nation's troops. That is, to our servicemen, as well as servicewomen."
The statistics are surprising.
Shadowing One Of Texoma's Female Veterans – Kymm Putman, Iowa Park
Kymm R. Putman is a veteran of the United States Air Force. She spent about 14 years serving in the Air Force. Kymm spent time serving her country overseas on numerous occasions, including in Germany. She was stationed across the globe, including in Germany at times, but was also deployed to various regions, as well.
In November 2003, toward the beginning of the war in Iraq, Kymm Putman was deployed to Tallil, Iraq, as part of the 4077 Expeditionary Medical Group for the United States Air Force. Her deployment was four and a half months long. While deployed, her squadron's focus and dedication was on public health.
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*Click here for an exclusive interview with an active female veteran.
Comparing The PTSD Rate Among Military Men Vs. Women Serving In The Military
You know all about physically wounded warriors. You hear their stories on television and you read them online. It's important to realize the "Silent Killer of the Military" is just as debilitating to our nation's troops. That is, to our servicemen, as well as servicewomen."
The statistics are surprising.
- Eight out of 100 men (only 8%) serving in the military in the United States have PTSD.
- Twenty out of 100 women in the military, or one in five (20%) have been diagnosed with PTSD.
- It's also important to remember that perspective is key in this data. The military is made up, in a large majority, of men, not women. Yet, the PTSD rate among military women is double that (or higher) compared to men. Of those members of the military deployed right now in Iraq or Afghanistan, only 15% of them are women.
Shadowing One Of Texoma's Female Veterans – Kymm Putman, Iowa Park
Kymm R. Putman is a veteran of the United States Air Force. She spent about 14 years serving in the Air Force. Kymm spent time serving her country overseas on numerous occasions, including in Germany. She was stationed across the globe, including in Germany at times, but was also deployed to various regions, as well.
In November 2003, toward the beginning of the war in Iraq, Kymm Putman was deployed to Tallil, Iraq, as part of the 4077 Expeditionary Medical Group for the United States Air Force. Her deployment was four and a half months long. While deployed, her squadron's focus and dedication was on public health.
read more here
Quadruple amputee Taylor Morris story goes viral
UPDATE
September 17, 2012
Amazing love story of Taylor Morris
September 17, 2012
Amazing love story of Taylor Morris
Funds roll in after injured sailor's story goes viral
By PAT KINNEY
Posted: Friday, June 1, 2012
Taylor Morris, right, and his dad, Dan, rest at Walter Reed Army Hospital. (Courtesy Photo)
CEDAR FALLS, Iowa --- The story of Taylor Morris, the Cedar Falls sailor recovering from injuries he suffered in an Afghan bomb blast, has gone viral.
A Venice, Calif.-based Internet site called theChive.com posted a story about Morris on Wednesday, along with online fundraising links set up by the family.
The site invited viewers to make contributions toward a cabin for Taylor and girlfriend Danielle Kelly. Morris told theChive.com co-owner John Resig that would be his dream home.
Just 12 hours after posting the story, $143,000 had been raised through online donations at TaylorMorris.org.
"I think it's amazing," Taylor's mother, Juli Morris, said this morning by phone from Washington, D.C., where Taylor is recovering at Walter Reed Army Medical Center.
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Quadruple amputee Taylor Morris says "I chose this path"
Veterans being scammed by calls claiming to be from the VA
Posts Tagged: ‘veterans administration’
Scam of the day
May 30, 2012 – More veterans scams
May 29, 2012 Posted by Steven Weisman, Esq.
Just a few days after Memorial Day, it is a good time for us to remember our veterans and their service to our country. Unfortunately, scammers always are thinking of veterans, but when they think of veterans, they think of how they can steal from them and make them victims of scams.
One of the more common recent veterans scams involves a telephone call or an email from someone purporting to be with the Veterans Administration asking for the veteran to update his or her debit card number or financial records.
read more here
Scam of the day
May 30, 2012 – More veterans scams
May 29, 2012 Posted by Steven Weisman, Esq.
Just a few days after Memorial Day, it is a good time for us to remember our veterans and their service to our country. Unfortunately, scammers always are thinking of veterans, but when they think of veterans, they think of how they can steal from them and make them victims of scams.
One of the more common recent veterans scams involves a telephone call or an email from someone purporting to be with the Veterans Administration asking for the veteran to update his or her debit card number or financial records.
read more here
Another VA laptop stolen with veterans' personal data
Stolen laptop contained veterans' information, VA says
Laptop had personal data of 824 veterans
By Kyle Martin
Staff Writer
Friday, June 1, 2012 4:12 PM
The personal information of more than 800 veterans was contained in a laptop that was stolen two months ago, the Charlie Norwood VA Medical Center said Friday.
The 824 affected veterans have been notified and offered free credit monitoring for a year, according to a news release.
read more here
Laptop had personal data of 824 veterans
By Kyle Martin
Staff Writer
Friday, June 1, 2012 4:12 PM
The personal information of more than 800 veterans was contained in a laptop that was stolen two months ago, the Charlie Norwood VA Medical Center said Friday.
The 824 affected veterans have been notified and offered free credit monitoring for a year, according to a news release.
read more here
Over 40,000 Veterans Appeals Ignored
VA Audit: Over 40,000 Veterans Appeals Ignored
Posted on June 1, 2012 by VCS
From Ben Krause VCS AD for Advocacy and founder of disabledveterans.org
VA Regional Offices are ignoring 18.5 percent of veterans’ appeals on average, according to a recent audit. The Veterans Affairs Office of Inspector General (OIG) found that ignoring claims causes a processing delay of 444 days.
Let’s hope the VA notices your appeal. In “Audit of VA Regional Offices’ Appeals Management Processes” report, auditors found that one veteran’s claim had been ignored for over 1,500 days.
As of the date of the audit, 246,000 disability appeals were on file. If the 18.5 percent average holds across the entire VA, another 45,000 appeals claims are not on record despite the VA having the appeal on file.
To assess appeals processing, the Veterans Affairs OIG created a sample of VA regional offices across the US. These offices served as the “average” regional offices. The auditors then handed the different offices 783 potential NOD’s. VA adjudicators failed to identify 145 of these as potential appeals.
Here is how the process works. A veteran files an appeal because they disagree with a decision by the VA. In this form, it is considered a Notice of Disagreement (NOD). Once a review of the claim is completed, if the reviewer does not agree with the veteran, a Statement of the Case is created by the VA. If the veterans still disagrees, they appeal and VA then certifies the appeal to the Board of Appeals.
For the Notice of Disagreement portion, the VA has set a target of 125 days to complete the review. The VA has also set a 180-day target for the certification process.
In 2010, VA took an average of 656 days to fully process an appeal. This audit does not provide the average for 2011, but one unidentified regional office averages 1,219 days.
read more here
Posted on June 1, 2012 by VCS
From Ben Krause VCS AD for Advocacy and founder of disabledveterans.org
VA Regional Offices are ignoring 18.5 percent of veterans’ appeals on average, according to a recent audit. The Veterans Affairs Office of Inspector General (OIG) found that ignoring claims causes a processing delay of 444 days.
Let’s hope the VA notices your appeal. In “Audit of VA Regional Offices’ Appeals Management Processes” report, auditors found that one veteran’s claim had been ignored for over 1,500 days.
As of the date of the audit, 246,000 disability appeals were on file. If the 18.5 percent average holds across the entire VA, another 45,000 appeals claims are not on record despite the VA having the appeal on file.
To assess appeals processing, the Veterans Affairs OIG created a sample of VA regional offices across the US. These offices served as the “average” regional offices. The auditors then handed the different offices 783 potential NOD’s. VA adjudicators failed to identify 145 of these as potential appeals.
Here is how the process works. A veteran files an appeal because they disagree with a decision by the VA. In this form, it is considered a Notice of Disagreement (NOD). Once a review of the claim is completed, if the reviewer does not agree with the veteran, a Statement of the Case is created by the VA. If the veterans still disagrees, they appeal and VA then certifies the appeal to the Board of Appeals.
For the Notice of Disagreement portion, the VA has set a target of 125 days to complete the review. The VA has also set a 180-day target for the certification process.
In 2010, VA took an average of 656 days to fully process an appeal. This audit does not provide the average for 2011, but one unidentified regional office averages 1,219 days.
read more here
Friday, June 1, 2012
New Education Benefit for Vets
New Education Benefit for Unemployed Veterans Has Strong Response
VA Outreach for Veterans Retraining Assistance Program Garners Over 12,000 Applicants since May 15
WASHINGTON (May 31, 2012) – Within two weeks of being announced, a program to give skills training to some unemployed Veterans has garnered over 12,000 online applications, according to the Department of Veterans Affairs.
“VA is committed to supporting Veterans as they seek employment. This initiative will help provide education and training so that Veterans have an opportunity to find meaningful employment in a high-demand field,” said Secretary of Veterans Affairs Eric K. Shinseki. “We will continue to build on the success of our initial outreach efforts to Veterans.”
Called the Veteran Retraining Assistance Program (VRAP), the program allows qualifying Veterans between the ages of 35 and 60 to receive up to 12 months of education assistance. Maximum payments are equal to the full-time rate for the Montgomery GI Bill – Active Duty, currently $1,473 monthly.
Under VRAP, Veterans apply on a first-come, first-served basis for programs that begin on or after July 1. VA began accepting applications on May 15. Forty-five thousand Veterans can participate during the current fiscal year, and up to 54,000 may participate during the fiscal year beginning Oct. 1, 2012.
The goal of the program is to train 99,000 Veterans for high-demand jobs over the next two years.
To qualify Veterans must:
- Be 35 to 60 years old, unemployed on the day of application, and have been issued discharges under conditions other than dishonorable;
- Be enrolled in education or training after July 1, 2012, in a VA-approved program of education offered by a community college or technical school leading to an associate degree, non-college degree or a certificate for a high-demand occupation as defined by the Department of Labor;
- Not be eligible for any other VA education benefit, such as the Post-9/11 GI Bill, the Montgomery GI Bill, or Vocational Rehabilitation and Employment;
- Not have participated in a federal or state job training program within the last 180 days; and
- Not receive VA compensation at the 100 percent rate due to individual unemployability.
While the initial response has been encouraging, VA officials stress the need for a sustained effort to reach potential VRAP applicants.
“Besides the Veterans themselves, we are asking anyone who knows of an unemployed Veteran to help us get the word out so everyone can take advantage of this new benefit,” said Curtis Coy, VA’s deputy undersecretary for economic opportunity. “With the help of our Veterans community and our partners in the Department of Labor, we hope to reach as many eligible Veterans as possible.”
In addition to its national outreach campaign, VA will seek out potential VRAP-qualified Veterans through online applications and at the National Veterans Small Business Conference being held in Detroit June 26-28. During 2012, VA representatives will also provide VRAP information and assistance at hiring fairs sponsored by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce through the Hiring Our Heroes campaign.
For more information on the Veterans Opportunity to Work (VOW) program, the Hire Heroes Act of 2011, VRAP, high demand occupations, and application procedures, visit the website at www.benefits.va.gov/VOW, or call VA National Call Center toll free at 1-800-827-1000.
Veterans may also access the VRAP application online athttps://www.ebenefits.va.gov through eBenefits, a joint project between VA and the Department of Defense.
Veterans are also encouraged to visit the nearly 3,000 One-Stop Career Centers across the nation for assistance from staff, Local Veterans’ Employment Representatives (LVERS), and Disabled Veterans’ Outreach Program (DVOP) specialists. Center locations are listed at www.servicelocator.org.
Army adds more charges against Staff Sgt. Robert Bales
Army drops murder charge in Afghanistan shooting rampage
SEATTLE (AP) — The Army has dropped a murder charge, but added others, including steroid use, against a soldier accused in a deadly shooting rampage in Afghanistan.
Staff Sgt. Robert Bales is now accused of gunning down 16 civilians in pre-dawn raid on two Afghan villages in March.
read more here
SEATTLE (AP) — The Army has dropped a murder charge, but added others, including steroid use, against a soldier accused in a deadly shooting rampage in Afghanistan.
Staff Sgt. Robert Bales is now accused of gunning down 16 civilians in pre-dawn raid on two Afghan villages in March.
read more here
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