'AGT' FRAUD Family is Getting Death Threats

When I asked Did Afghanistan Vet Tim Poe "play wounded" on America's Got Talent? the answer turned out to be yes he did. What made all of this worse was that Poe had used pictures taken by Staff Sgt. Norman Bone, passing them off as his own. I thought it was about as bad as it could get. I was wrong.

'AGT' FRAUD Family is Getting Death Threats


The family of the stuttering veteran Timothy Poe who sang on "America's Got Talent" tell TMZ they have been receiving death threats since our stories revealed Poe is a fraud.

As we reported, Poe gave producers of "AGT" a photo which he claimed showed him in Afghanistan, but in reality the pic is of someone else. And Poe could produce no documentation to prove he suffered a debilitating brain injury in the war -- as he claimed on the show.

Poe's family tells us ... several family members have been getting death threats. We're told Poe's sister-in-law went to the store Thursday with her kids and someone came up to them and said, "We're going to kill you and the whole family." read more here

STUTTERING 'AGT' CONTESTANT On the Chopping Block OVER LIES



I went on to read some more stories, but this one stuck in my head. I am very careful about pulling stories from around the country and only use sources I trust, like newspapers covering their local heroes. This time, when I watched America's Got Talent, I didn't even bother to check Poe out. I praised him in Afghanistan wounded veteran Tim Poe on America's Got Talent

"Last night Tim Poe's story made me cry.

He was wounded in Afghanistan and left with traumatic brain injury that causes him to stutter. As I listened to his story, I thought about the great courage he showed knowing that some small minded people would laugh at him. I thought about his attitude and how his smile was so warm no matter what he faced. Then he opened his mouth to sing. I cried harder but this time with joy!"

Aside from feeling like a fool, I had to search my heart to discover why I wanted to believe this story was true. It is because I track these stories, it all seemed so possible.

I read stories like this everyday, usually in small town news sites, reporting on the under-reported men and women coming back from serving this country.

While we think of all of them as heroes, some are called heroes by their own peers because they did something even they didn't expect. Some end up needing help from their communities to have the quality of their lives made better even though their limbs cannot be replaced. Some of them need help recovering from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder and Traumatic Brain Injury, wounds no one can see with their own eyes. Some, sadly, discover sometimes the hardest battle to fight is the one going on inside of themselves. For whatever reason, and there are plenty, they thought they had to fight it alone. Some lost hope of finding what they needed to heal and took their own lives.

Those are the stories that break my heart but then I find great joy when I am able to share stories offering hope. Some of them want to tell their own stories of recovering and healing so that others can find hope for themselves. Some families are talking about someone they loved so that other families don't have to feel the way they do.

Poe's story got to me because I read stories just like his all the time and know that while the major newspapers pass by fantastic stories all the time, they live as quiet heroes. The last thing I thought was that some man would go up in front of the world and lie so that he could look cool for his kids.

What was he thinking? Did he think of the men serving in Afghanistan, away from their own families, risking their lives? Did he think of the wounded in military hospitals? Did he think of the hundreds of thousands of TBI or PTSD veterans searching for hope or how they would feel when the truth came out? Obviously with the Internet, the truth would come out sooner or later. When someone left a comment on my blog, I didn't want to believe the comment. I wanted to believe Poe was telling the truth.

For me, it seemed I was always more able to find excuses than courage. The people showing up on America's Got Talent all have the courage to show up. Sometimes they have a huge ego but no talent, other times they have a lot of talent but have had no opportunity to show it. Here comes a man with a humble attitude, a heart tugging story of going through something few others will ever know and rising above it all to go on a national TV show to let the world hear him stuttering to get words out and then singing with a wonderful voice. Who wouldn't love it? There was hope in it enough to think that anyone can rise above what has happened to them in their lives if they only believed in themselves.

When the news came out that this was all a lie, I received this comment on my post.

BNG said... Chaplain Kathie,
You have just identified where I have the issue with him claiming his injuries and duties.
If enough of this goes on, people like you might get ticked off one too many times and stop doing the great works.

I thought that wasn't going to happen but I find myself wondering if the story I'm hearing is real or not now. I wonder when I get emails from veterans needing help if they are telling the truth or not. After all, I have no idea if they are telling me the truth or, most of the time, who they are aside from a email user name. Then I wonder what they have to gain by lying to me, so I move past any suspicion I had. They have nothing to gain by lying to me except my time. When they have the courage to talk to a reporter, they usually have little to gain other than attention for what they are talking about. Most of the time talking about something like PTSD comes with grief from idiots but they are willing to face them so they can help someone else. So I'll worked past my doubts on what I'm reading and remember how many wonderful men and women I read about all the time and admire.

Poe got the attention of the country for a while but I doubt this is the kind of attention he thought about. He wanted to look cool to his kids and now they are being threatened on top of being ashamed.

UPDATE 12:33 est
This story just got worse.

'America's Got Talent' contestant's tales ignite a firestorm
By Amy Forliti and Steve Karnowski
Associated Press
Posted: 06/08/2012

Timothy Michael Poe won over the crowd and the judges of NBC's "America's Got Talent" even before he began to sing with his moving story of blocking a grenade blast in 2009 to save his buddies in Afghanistan -- an act of heroism he said broke his back and left him with a brain injury.

When a judge remarked during the episode broadcast Monday, June 4, on the disappearance of Poe's stutter during his cover of a Garth Brooks song, he spun another tale: He discovered his talent only after his speech therapist suggested he sing in the shower to help with the stutter.

The truth, said an ex-wife, was that Poe not only was never hurt on the battlefield, but that he had been singing "pretty much his whole life" and spent four years fronting an alternative rock and cover band in Rochester, Minn. A MySpace page last updated in February 2009 for the Rochester band Crawl Space lists Poe as vocalist.

click link for the rest of this.

Soldier feels lucky to be alive after IED doesn't explode right

‘The price of war’
Soldier feels lucky to be alive
June 8, 2012
BY MARY WICOFF
Commercial-News

DANVILLE — Army Spc. Matthew Commons clearly remembers that day when 5 pounds of explosives shattered his world.

At first, he thought his legs were gone, but he looked down and didn’t see any blood.

Commons, a native of West Lebanon, Ind., was one of the lucky ones. The improvised explosive device he stepped on during patrol in Afghanistan on May 23 didn’t fully explode.

Now, he’s recovering in Walter Reed Army Medical Center in Maryland, with injuries to his right foot.

“I feel lucky to be alive,” he said in a telephone interview. “I’m glad I didn’t lose any limbs.”
read more here

"You have an RPG in your leg" Marine talks about that day

Risky RPG in Marine's leg



"You have an RPG in your leg"

Editor's note: Watch Barbara Starr's report on Sanjay Gupta MD (Saturday at 430pET/Sunday at 730aET).

By Ashley Fantz, with reporting from Barbara Starr and Larry Shaughnessy

If it were a movie, the moment would play slowly.

The big, boyish eyes of 23-year-old Marine Cpl. Winder Perez would widen. His lips would part. The sound of chaos around him would be muted as he watched a rocket-propelled grenade zooming toward him.

Then, snapped back to real time, Perez would look down and think: "Oh, crap! I have an RPG in my leg!"

The whole thing, the entire, awful metal Nerf football-looking RPG was lodged inside his mangled leg. It was maybe a foot long. Its tail - fins, kind of - poked out.

In his shock, the Marine instinctively grabbed his radio to call for help, not realizing that it was totaled.
read more here

CNN Hero Mary Cortani and her PTSD service dogs helping recovery

Inside the mind of an Iraq combat vet
CNN
Added on June 7, 2012

Iraq War veteran James McQuoid shows how his service dog has improved his life thanks to CNN Hero Mary Cortani.

Two Fort Bragg Officers Killed in Afghanistan Helicopter Crash

2 Bragg officers killed in Afghan helo crash
Staff report
Posted : Friday Jun 8, 2012

Two North Carolina-based soldiers were killed in Afghanistan, the Pentagon announced Friday.

Killed were:

• Capt. Scott P. Pace, 39, of Brawley, Calif.

• 1st Lt. Mathew G. Fazzari, 25, of Walla Walla, Wash.

They died Wednesday in Qarah Bagh, Afghanistan, when their helicopter crashed.
They were assigned to the 1st Squadron, 17th Cavalry Regiment, 82nd Combat Aviation Brigade, 82nd Airborne Division, Fort Bragg, N.C.
No additional information was immediately available.

Romney 4 deferments? Really?

Romney 4 deferments? Really? Sure didn't know that about him when I lived in Massachusetts and he was Governor.

According to the following report, he told the Boston Globe he "longed to be in Vietnam", but that was 2007 and by then the Vietnam Veterans finally began to enjoy some of the respect and appreciation they should have had all along. Guess Romney was thinking like the rest of the jerks pretending to be Vietnam Veterans but never had the _____ to go.

Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

Iraq vet recounts struggles at suicide prevention conference

Iraq vet recounts struggles at suicide prevention conference
BY DEBORAH CIRCELLI
EDUCATION WRITER
June 8, 2012

DAYTONA BEACH -- Just five days into his deployment in Iraq, Bryan Adams' close friend and his company commander were killed when an explosive device buried in the road detonated.

Later, during that same Army deployment as a sniper in 2004, he and two other soldiers were ambushed while walking back to their unit. He was shot in the left leg and another bullet grazed his hand.

"As I was running, there were bullets everywhere," the 28-year-old told more than 200 people at Thursday's third annual Matter of Life & Death Suicide Prevention Conference, which partly focused on veterans.

"I could feel the heat and hear the noise -- boom, boom, boom. My future was flashing in my face -- everything I wanted to do."

The Rutgers University senior from New Jersey shared the anxiety he lived with daily while in Iraq waiting for the enemy to attack.

"It's a terrifying environment to be in. You can feel the anxiety in the air," he said.

That anxiety followed the Purple Heart veteran home as he tried to reintegrate back into society where he described feeling like "an alien." His struggles trying to fit back in included alcohol binges, depression and being angry until he was diagnosed and sought treatment from the Veterans Affairs for Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD).

Adams now speaks around the country for a student group called Active Minds, which raises mental health awareness on college campuses. His message is "seeking help is a strength as opposed to a weakness."
read more here

Lawmakers press VA on improper drug orders

Lawmakers press VA on improper drug orders
By Cid Standifer
Staff writer
Posted : Thursday Jun 7, 2012

Lawmakers are keeping the Veterans Affairs Department on the hot seat over “unauthorized purchases” of pharmaceuticals in violation of federal acquisition regulations, even as VA officials insist they’ve slashed the number of improper buys from more than 70,000 last September to 434 in March — a 99 percent drop.

At a Wednesday hearing before the House Veterans’ Affairs Committee, a panel of VA officials assured lawmakers that veterans were never put in danger or denied needed medications during the years when a computer system allowed pharmacy ordering officers to place orders outside the VA’s Pharmaceutical Prime Vender contract with McKesson Corp.

However, since the orders weren’t properly bid out to get the best price, VA violated federal purchasing laws. The committee first grilled VA about violations in February, though the violations may have begun as early as 1994, when the VA initiated its first Pharmaceutical Prime Vendor contract.
read more here

Wounded ride for others

FOCUS ON WOUNDED WARRIORS:
Sea to Shining Sea bike riders stop in Fallon
By Steve Ranson
Lahontan Valley News
June 7, 2012

Retired Navy Seabee Michael Malkin is on a mission, and for him, it was fitting that one leg of the Sea to Shining Sea bike race passed through Fallon, home of the Naval Air Strike and Warfare Center.

Malkin, who served in the Navy from 1990-1998, suffers from a traumatic brain injury that occurred during the first Gulf War — Desert Storm — more than two decades ago.

Prior to heading out on one of the longest legs of their cross-country trip earlier this week, Malkin was candid about his injury.

“We were at a training range in the U.S. on a metal observation tower when we were hit by lightning,” he recalls the resident of Normal, Ill.

From that point on, Malkin's life would never be the same.

“I have had untold years of migraines,” Malkin explained, describing how he is missing much of his tissue from his right front lobe.

Malkin, though, quickly pointed out how helpful the Veterans Administration has been, and how people in Normal supported his quest to ride across the country by working out with him.
read more here

Army policy making PTSD service dogs hard to keep

Controversial Army policy makes it difficult for soldiers to get service dogs
By Rebecca Ruiz

One day this spring, Army Specialist David Bandrowsky, 27, played Russian roulette with his .38 revolver.

Bandrowsky planned to end his life, which had been at turns unbearable since he returned from a 16-month deployment in Iraq in 2008. He had been diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder, a traumatic brain injury and depression as a result of his combat experience.

Right before he pulled the trigger, his service dog, Benny, jumped up and knocked the gun out of his hand.

"He saved my life," Bandrowsky said.

Benny was not trained for that scenario, but the 18-month-old Shepherd-hound mix has been taught to, among other tasks, push Bandrowsky away from crowds, wake him if he removes a sleep apnea mask at night and nudge him into a petting session if he seems on the verge of a panic attack.

Last fall, Benny was prescribed to Bandrowsky by a mental health counselor at Fort Bliss in El Paso, Texas, where he is stationed. Bandrowsky has received counseling and drug therapy and undergone in-patient mental health treatment twice. It is Benny, though, that gets Bandrowsky through each day. He was paired with Benny in November and feels unsafe if the dog is not at his side.

But Bandrowsky may lose permission to have Benny at Fort Bliss because of an Army policy implemented in January.
read more here

More PTSD BS from so called "research"

When will they ever learn? A bomb blast IS A TRAUMATIC EVENT!

It causes damaged to brains. PTSD is caused by traumatic events, like a bomb blast.

Having TBI and PTSD does not mean they go hand in hand but were both caused by the same event!

Combat-Caused Hidden Head Injuries Linked to PTSD
Thursday, June 7, 2012
By Beth Ford Roth

Hard-to-detect head injuries suffered by troops in combat may make them more vulnerable to posttraumatic stress disorder, or PTSD, according to a new study.

The study by the University of Rochester Medical Center finds combat injuries that may be only detected with advanced imaging techniques could give those injured a predisposition to PTSD.
read more here

More wasted money for something that should have been common sense.

I had TBI when I was very young and they didn't know what head trauma really did. I can tell you that it screwed up my speech and caused me to be terrified of heights into adulthood. The event did not cause PTSD in me but it did a lot of damage to my brain. (Yes I know my friends are chuckling over that one.)

A human body will suffer from a bomb blast and the event itself is traumatic. Everyone with TBI will not have PTSD any more than those with PTSD will have TBI. Two different results from the same event do not equal anything.

Suicides are surging among US troops

"Suicides are surging among US troops" more proof of needless deaths! I won't bore you with another reminder of all the posts I've done on Resiliency Training failures or the fact it leaves the troops thinking they were mentally weak and didn't train right.

I'll leave you now with this reminder so you can read the latest news on military suicides.If Resiliency Training worked, then why are they still committing suicide?

AP IMPACT: Suicides are surging among US troops
By Robert Burns
AP National Security Writer
June 7, 2012

WASHINGTON—Suicides are surging among America's troops, averaging nearly one a day this year -- the fastest pace in the nation's decade of war.

The 154 suicides for active-duty troops in the first 155 days of the year far outdistance the U.S. forces killed in action in Afghanistan -- about 50 percent more -- according to Pentagon statistics obtained by The Associated Press.

The numbers reflect a military burdened with wartime demands from Iraq and Afghanistan that have taken a greater toll than foreseen a decade ago. The military also is struggling with increased sexual assaults, alcohol abuse, domestic violence and other misbehavior.

Because suicides had leveled off in 2010 and 2011, this year's upswing has caught some officials by surprise.

The reasons for the increase are not fully understood. Among explanations, studies have pointed to combat exposure, post-traumatic stress, misuse of prescription medications and personal financial problems. Army data suggest soldiers with multiple combat tours are at greater risk of committing suicide, although a substantial proportion of Army suicides are committed by soldiers who never deployed.
read more here

"Suicides had levelled off in 2010 and 2011, but this year's surge has caught officials by surprise."

So why are they so shocked to discover yet again what they are doing is failing? Every time the numbers go up, they are "surprised" but they never change what they are doing. They just push harder on what already failed!

Suicides at 10-year high in US military
Combat exposure, post-traumatic stress, misuse of drugs and debt problems blamed for increase
Associated Press
guardian.co.uk
Thursday 7 June 2012

Suicide is on the rise in the US military, averaging almost one every day, according to statistics.

In the first 155 days of 2012 there was 154 suicides among active troops, around 50% more than the number killed in action in Afghanistan, according to Pentagon statistics obtained by Associated Press. This is the highest number in 10 years.

The numbers reflect the burden of conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan, according to experts. The military is also struggling with increased sexual assaults, alcohol abuse, domestic violence and other problems.

Suicides had levelled off in 2010 and 2011, but this year's surge has caught officials by surprise.
read more here

This is from CBS

June 7, 2012 7:02 PM
Military suicides grow at sharp rate
By David Martin

(CBS News) One suicide a day. That is the rate of U.S. military personnel taking their own lives just since the first of this year -- more troops lost to suicide than died in combat. It's a sharp increase over last year and it's caught the attention of the Pentagon.

The war in Iraq is over and the war in Afghanistan is winding down, but the pace of military suicides is actually increasing to a record level. Pentagon figures show that as of this past Monday, 154 service members had taken their lives so far in 2012 -- an average of more than one a day and much higher than the 138 killed so far this year in Afghanistan.

At this point in 2011, 130 service members had killed themselves -- in 2010, the number was 123. Pentagon officials had been expecting the number of suicides to level off after seeing the number soar as the intensity of the wars increased.

U.S. military averaging a suicide a day in 2012
Spc. Carl McCoy survived two tours in Iraq, only to take his own life and shatter the life of his wife Maggie.
read more here

From Houston Chronicle

AP IMPACT: Suicides are surging among US troops
ROBERT BURNS, AP National Security Writer
Updated 03:46 a.m., Friday, June 8, 2012


WASHINGTON (AP) — Suicides are surging among America's troops, averaging nearly one a day this year — the fastest pace in the nation's decade of war.

The 154 suicides for active-duty troops in the first 155 days of the year far outdistance the U.S. forces killed in action in Afghanistan — about 50 percent more — according to Pentagon statistics obtained by The Associated Press.

The numbers reflect a military burdened with wartime demands from Iraq and Afghanistan that have taken a greater toll than foreseen a decade ago. The military also is struggling with increased sexual assaults, alcohol abuse, domestic violence and other misbehavior.

Because suicides had leveled off in 2010 and 2011, this year's upswing has caught some officials by surprise.

The reasons for the increase are not fully understood. Among explanations, studies have pointed to combat exposure, post-traumatic stress, misuse of prescription medications and personal financial problems. Army data suggest soldiers with multiple combat tours are at greater risk of committing suicide, although a substantial proportion of Army suicides are committed by soldiers who never deployed.
read more here

OEF and OIF veterans have information overload

This is really the first generation of veterans coming home with the availability of the Internet.

Internet The origins of the Internet reach back to research of the 1960s, commissioned by the United States government in collaboration with private commercial interests to build robust, fault-tolerant, and distributed computer networks. The funding of a new U.S. backbone by the National Science Foundation in the 1980s, as well as private funding for other commercial backbones, led to worldwide participation in the development of new networking technologies, and the merger of many networks. The commercialization of what was by the 1990s an international network resulted in its popularization and incorporation into virtually every aspect of modern human life. As of 2011, more than 2.2 billion people – nearly a third of Earth's population — use the services of the Internet.[1]

Even when Gulf War veterans came home, most of them did not have computers and did not have the ability to connect to other veterans around the country. When Vietnam veterans came home, there was nothing for them or their families. So much for a good thing.

What is happening right now is there is information overload for OEF and OIF veterans. They don't know where to go, who to trust or where to get the answers they need.

This is one of the reasons this blog is here. I track news reports across the country so veterans can find out the truth easily. I film events in the Orlando area because the media usually doesn't show up and when they do they only manage to get a few seconds on the news.

Finding information for Combat PTSD is vital for them, so I post about all the groups doing something for them. This is an enormous undertaking because there are way too many groups trying to fill the gaps but in the process trying to reinvent what has been done for 40 years!

You name it and they are doing it from researchers pretending to do new studies to the latest charity popping up looking for dollars to support what they are doing and in the process taking away funds from established groups. Confused? So are they!

Here are a few of the best groups out there.

DAV, Disabled American Veterans for help filing claims with the VA.
Point Man International Ministries for help with Combat PTSD, they help veterans and their families.
Homes For Our Troops, building homes for disabled veterans and handing over the keys free and clear.
These are just a few of the groups helping veterans across the country.

What you should look for is what they offer and who is doing the offering. If they say they are there to help veterans with Combat PTSD, check the background of the person to make sure they know what they are talking about. When I started I always made sure I was reading reports from psychologists or psychiatrist or someone that was living with PTSD.

Check Charity Navigator to make sure they are on the up and up. There are times when they get it wrong too but it gives you a basis to work off of. Then Google them. If they are doing good things, you'll find plenty of sites linking to them instead of bad reports piling up.

Look to see how long they have been in operation. Just to give you an idea, this is about the DAV.

The story of compassion & service for our nation's disabled veterans, detailed in the history of the Disabled American Veterans.

Wars and scars—those are the hard facts of history that brought about the creation of the Disabled American Veterans. Compassion and service—those are the tools with which the DAV responds to our Nation’s disabled veterans and their families.

This great organization was formed as our country struggled to deal with the painful effects of World War I. At this moment our Nation is struggling once again with the impact of war—as American men and women face combat in Iraq, Afghanistan, and other nations.

A great deal has changed in the 85 years since the DAV was founded, but this much has remained the same: those who come home from war wounded and sick need the care and attention of a grateful nation. And our Nation’s citizens have an organization they can trust to serve as their vehicle of compassion for their wartime disabled veterans. Through the DAV, they can fully express their appreciation and their concerns for those whose bodies and minds have been forever scarred by war.

But the story on the pages that follow—the history of the Disabled American Veterans—is not a story of able-bodied people taking care of handicapped veterans. While it is certainly true that the American people have been invaluable partners in the DAV’s mission, the work of our organization has been a self-help proposition since the beginning. The DAV—disabled veterans helping disabled veterans—continues working cohesively to build better lives for all disabled veterans and their families!

I started with the groups I listed above because I am associated with these groups in one way or another. Point Man has been around since 1984. I know what they do and how hard they work for all veterans. Homes For Our Troops is a group I have been supporting for the last couple of years. They are a newer group but have a fantastic program as well as great reputation.

Whatever you do, don't give up finding what you need to help you with the next part of your life. You will be a veteran everyday but there are plenty of people who remember you always instead of once a year. Don't get frustrated finding them.

Remains of Vietnam MIA Arden Hassenger going home

Remains of Vietnam veteran come home after nearly 50 years
By KATU News
Published: Jun 6, 2012

PORTLAND, Ore. – It was a bittersweet homecoming Wednesday for the family of an Oregon veteran lost in the Vietnam War.

Arden Hassenger's plane was shot down in 1965. He was declared dead even though his body was never found.
read more here

Fort Campbell looking for a few good,,,,psychiatrists

Fort Campbell seeks psychiatrists, 48 needed
FORT CAMPBELL, Ky. (AP) — The U.S. Army hospital at Fort Campbell has expanded its search for psychiatrists as most newly created jobs remain unfilled.

The Army post on the Tennessee-Kentucky state line is putting out an urgent call for applicants and expanding its search beyond the immediate area of Fort Campbell and surrounding communities, The Leaf-Chronicle reported.

The post is trying to fill positions created by their new Embedded Behavioral Health Program, which will put a 13 person team in each of the 101st Airborne Division's four combat brigades. Of the 52 positions created by that new program, 48 remain unfilled.
read more here

Fort Bliss Retired Master Sgt. Not Silent About Combat PTSD

No longer suffering in silence
Veteran spreads message of healing invisible wounds
Fort Bliss Monitor
Sgt. Robert Larson
24th Press Camp Headquarters

Retired Army Master Sgt. Mike Martinez and his wife Maria conduct an interview with a reporter from Univision May 30 at the USO Caregivers Conference at Fort Sam Houston, Texas. Martinez was recognized at the conference for his volunteer efforts working with the USO to educate the public about post traumatic stress and traumatic brain injuries. Photo by Mark Matson, USO.

Many servicemembers come back for their deployments with visible wounds. Some have scars from the shrapnel that ripped through their bodies. Many have lost limbs or other body parts as a result of their service in Iraq or Afghanistan. But there are many more who come home with injuries that cannot be seen, “invisible wounds” that also need healing and support.

One of the many Soldiers who came back from down range with these invisible wounds is retired Master Sgt. Mike Martinez, an El Paso native and spokesperson for the United Service Organizations’ new Portraits campaign, a series of public service announcements designed to educate Americans on post-traumatic stress and traumatic brain injuries.

Martinez was deployed to Iraq three times during his military career, the first coming in 1990 shortly after joining the Army. The third and final time was in 2007, when an improvised explosive device ripped his vehicle in half. This was the second time Martinez, a first sergeant at the time, had been involved in an IED attack. This time his injures put him on a flight home.
read more here

American Legion Hiring Heroes Today In Orlando

The American Legion held the 2012 Hire Heroes event at the Renaissance Sea World Orlando Hotel. There were 40 tables set up to help put our troops back to work or help them with college.

Two colleges promised me they would put together veterans groups so veterans can find each other and the support they need.

Cathy Haynes, classy as always dressed up as Lady Liberty and she stopped for this picture with a representative from Hero2Hired

Roadmaster was there trying to get veterans back behind the wheel of the "big toys" they are already used to driving.

There were representatives from Congresswoman Sandy Adams office and Congressman Webster's representative Cindy Brown spent a great deal of time talking about what is going on with our veterans. Delightful lady!

Walmart said they do not use veteran's preference in hiring but the skills gained in the military work well with advancement. I talked to a veteran in management now and he said it was his skills that took him from cashier to store management.

There are a lot of great things going on for veterans and there should be more media coverage of these events. That is the one thing that bothers veterans the most.

Florida takes lead against VA bonuses while Veterans wait

VA Reviewing Bonuses After Awarding $400M in 2011
Jun 07, 2012
Military.com
by Bryant Jordan

The Department of Veterans Affairs’ ongoing review of performance bonuses has already yielded the cancellation of 43 of the 78 previously extended to senior executives. Only two of the remaining 35 have been approved for continuation, with the rest pending a final decision, according to the VA.

The agency began reviewing bonus awards last year, VA spokeswoman Josephine Schuda said.

The awards have come under increased scrutiny by Congress since testimony in April that some executives may have been “gaming the system” to make it appear more veterans seeking mental health counseling were getting appointments within a required time.

Hitting the right numbers translated into executive bonuses, said a former senior VA official with the agency’s New Hampshire system.

Last week Rep. Cliff Stearns, R-Fla., submitted a bill that would bar all bonuses to senior executive services employees at the VA.

“I want to ensure the best care for our veterans, but the VA continues to have an unmanageable backlog, extremely long wait lists, and a poor record on oversight. Given this troubling record, the VA should discontinue paying bonuses to its top executives,” he said when his bill was adopted as an amendment to the VA’s 2013 budget.

Rep. Jeff Miller, chairman of the House Veterans Affairs Committee, told Military.com that VA funding “should first and foremost be allocated to caring for veterans.”
read more here

Stolen Valor soldier indicted on federal charges

Soldier accused of lying about Vietnam Purple Hearts, Afghanistan attack
By msnbc.com staff and news services

LOS ANGELES - A U.S. Army soldier who prosecutors say falsely claimed to have fought in Vietnam and Afghanistan - and to have earned two Purple Heart medals and a Bronze Star for heroism - was indicted on federal charges on Wednesday, the 68th anniversary of D-Day.

Command Sergeant Major William John Roy is accused of lying about his service as he sought disability, medical and educational benefits from the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, U.S. Attorney's spokesman Thom Mrozek said.

Roy, 57, was awarded more than $27,000 in disability benefits and $30,000 in educational benefits after submitting bogus evidence of his combat wounds and bravery in action, Mrozek said.

He faces a maximum sentence of 55 years in prison if convicted at trial.
read more here

May is highest number of Marine suicides this year

Take a look at this.

The five suicides in May represent the highest number recorded in any month this year.

Does this have your attention yet? If not then look at this.

Through the end of May, 140 suicides have been recorded this year among active-duty troops in all service branches, according to the Pentagon.

Do you need any more proof that Resiliency Training does not work?

MILITARY: Five Marine suicides reported in May
8 hours ago
By MARK WALKER

Five active-duty U.S. Marines took their own lives in May, raising the total for the year to 18.

Eleven other Marines attempted to kill themselves last month, according to the service's suicide prevention program office.

The five suicides in May represent the highest number recorded in any month this year.

The 18 recorded so far in 2012 compares with 30 Marines reported killed in Afghanistan this year.

The deaths come despite widespread outreach and available counseling efforts instituted throughout the Marine Corps.

At least three of this year's suicides have taken place at Camp Pendleton, where 11 Marines took their own lives last year.

The 80 attempted suicides reported so far in 2012 compare with 163 attempts recorded in 2011 and a record 172 in 2010.
read more here

Now that you've read this, what do you think the military is going to do about it? Pretty much the same thing they have been doing since the suicides started going up. Repeating the same failed program they've been using but pushing it even more!

D-day anniversary brings honor to Easy Company

D-day anniversary brings honor to Easy Company
By Michael Muskal
June 6, 2012

To commemorate the 68th anniversary of D-day -- the Allied invasion that paved the way for the end of the World War II in Europe -- a statue honoring Maj. Dick Winters and his fellow front-line leaders was unveiled in France.

The story of Winters and his fellow soldiers of Easy Company of the 101st Airborne Division was the subject of the 2001 miniseries, "Band of Brothers."

The 12-foot bronze statue was unveiled in the Normandy village of Sainte-Marie-du-Mont and shows Winters with his weapon at the ready. Winters, a native of Ephrata, Pa., who died last year at age 92, accepted serving as the statue's likeness after monument planners agreed to dedicate it to the memory of all junior U.S. military officers who served that day, the Associated Press reported.
read more here

DoD benefits database rife with errors

Report: DoD benefits database rife with errors
By Rick Maze
Staff writer
Posted : Tuesday Jun 5, 2012

The Senate Armed Services Committee wants quick action to improve the accuracy of the Defense Enrollment Eligibility and Reporting System, both to correct mistakes about beneficiaries qualified to receive health care and other benefits, and to weed out those who are not eligible.

In a report filed Monday about the pending 2013 defense authorization bill, the committee is calling for a swift response to an April 2012 report by the Defense Department inspector general that found 200,000 discrepancies in DEERS, and 2,495 instances in which Tricare health benefits were used by ineligible people. The erroneously paid health care benefits totaled $11.2 million, according to the Senate committee report.

DEERS has about 9.4 million people enrolled, including active-duty, reserve and retired service members and their spouses and children, who are eligible for military health care and other benefits. The inspector general report found supporting documents were missing for up to 2.8 million beneficiaries.
read more here

Army to review mental health compensation

Army to review mental health compensation
by Gregg Zoroya
Jun. 05, 2012
USA TODAY News

Tucson Citizen

The Army says it will pore through — in less than 90 days — about 190,000 medical files of current and former soldiers dating to 2001 to see whether any were shortchanged on retirement compensation for mental health problems.

Army Secretary John McHugh had announced the unprecedented review three weeks ago, but details about the scope of the effort surfaced this week.

The estimated 190,000 cases represent about 160,000 soldiers who went through medical examinations — in some cases more than once — since 2001, says Lt. Col. Richard Paz, executive officer for a task force leading the effort.

Sen. Patty Murray, D-Wash., who has pushed hard for a broad review, says she was pleased “that the Army is taking sweeping steps to review this problem, (but) it will be essential that it’s done right. That means prompt attention to the problems of servicemembers identified during the review and quick action to implement and enforce solutions.”

The 10-year review was prompted by a scandal at the Madigan Army Medical Center near Tacoma, Wash., where post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) diagnoses of soldiers seeking medical retirements were downgraded, potentially reducing pension payments.

“(The review is) going to be hard to execute,” says Maj. Gen. Richard Thomas, new head of the Army’s Western Regional Medical Command. “But let’s satisfy these soldiers.”
read more here

Veterans with PTSD use film to say "I was there"

I Was There: Veterans with PTSD seek control of lives through Army-sponsored filmmaking
By Associated Press

FORT CARSON, Colo. — In 1943, an enraged Gen. George S. Patton slapped a battle-fatigued U.S. soldier at a military hospital and accused him of cowardice, an episode that nearly ended Patton’s career. Nearly 70 years later, two filmmakers — one of them Patton’s grandson — are trying to help soldiers cope with what is now called post-traumatic stress disorder by getting them to tell their war stories through a movie.

“Their generation just didn’t understand what this meant,” said Ben Patton, who takes his grandfather’s violent reaction as a sign that he too may have been suffering PTSD. “And that’s my call to action.”
read more here

Fort Hood families displaced by a fire last month get help

Killeen: Chick-Fil-A Helps 2 Families Displaced By Fire
KILLEEN (June 5, 2012)
Chick-Fil-A is hosting two nights of food and fun to help two Fort Hood families who were displaced by a fire last month.

At around midnight on May 25, a fire that broke out in a duplex displaced the families of two soldiers.

Friends say the Allen and Hattix families lost everything including their vehicles.

"While they have received all of the clothing and household good they can use right now, the Allen family only had liability on their car so they are not able to replace it," Comanche III Village Mayor Dana Welch said.

The loss of the vehicle cost one of the soldier’s wife’s her job because she couldn’t get to work, Welch said.
read more here

Marine got redeployment orders while already deployed

California Marine deploys back to back
Regimental Combat Team 6
Story by Cpl. Ed Galo

Sergeant Izmael Loria, squad leader, Echo Battery, 2nd Battalion, 10th Marines, Regimental Combat Team 6, shouts commands to the rest of his squad while on a patrol through the Delaram District Center, Afghanistan, June 3, 2012. Loria is currently on his second deployment to Afghanistan in two years. DELARAM DISTRICT CENTER, Afghanistan — Deployments can be challenging for service members and their families.

Sgt. Izmael Loria, squad leader, Echo Battery, 2nd Battalion, 10th Marines, Regimental Combat Team 6, has faced this challenge twice in two years with back-to-back combat deployments.

“I got orders to a deploying unit while I was on my last deployment,” said Loria, of Rialto, Calif. “I love this deployment though. It’s different experience from my last (one).”

Loria, a field wireman, deployed to Afghanistan with 8th Communications Battalion, based out of Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune, N.C., in June 2011. He came home in January 2012 and then deployed again to Afghanistan in April 2012 with Echo Battery.
read more here

Fort Carson Soldier Saves Local Family from Foreclosure

Fort Carson Soldier Saves Local Family from Foreclosure
Monument, CO
(SBWIRE)
06/04/2012

The national economic downturn has hit one local family hard recently; so hard that they were facing foreclosure. The Stowell family had been able to faithfully make their mortgage payments for nearly two decades, when health and employment issues came knocking. But, someone else came knocking, too… Wells-Fargo, their mortgage holder, who filed a demand to take their home away. The Stowells could not catch up the payments, let alone the thousands of dollars in fees. The American Dream of home ownership was turning into a nightmare. Then one clear day this past January, just ten days before their home was to go to the Trustee’s Sale, a letter arrived.

Luke Humphreys, a Fort Carson soldier facing retirement was looking for a way to replace his Army income.
read more here

Marine who lost his legs in Afghanistan talks to 17 News

Local Marine who lost his legs in Afghanistan talks to 17 News

A Bakersfield High School graduate who lost both of his legs defending our country in Afghanistan, did his first television interview with 17 News. Jeremiah Thein stepped on an improvised explosive device (IED) while trying to save the life of another marine. That marine was not hurt, and now Jeremiah is recovering at Walter Reed Hospital.

Jeremiah's accident happened just over a month ago. He's in good spirits, even cracking jokes. He also goes into great detail, remembering everything, when talking about the day he lost his legs.

"You know I was born and raised in Bakersfield," Thein tells us.

Proud to be from Bakersfield and proud to serve his country, 21-year-old Jeremiah Thein was strong and focused before his accident in Afghanistan.

Today, the Lance Corporal is still strong and focused at his room at Walter Reed Hospital.
read more here

Did Afghanistan Vet Tim Poe "play wounded" on America's Got Talent?

UPDATE June 28, 2012
The web is filled with news that Tim Poe was sent home from America's Got Talent when he didn't make it in the selection round. This happened before news broke that his claims were not true because it was taped. I won't glorify this man further by putting up a new post with his name in the title. His moment of fame is over.

America's Got Talent Tim Poe still thinks he blocked grenade June 9, 2012

'AGT' FRAUD Family is Getting Death Threats

Update 6/8/12
Soldier: 'America's Got Talent' contestant Timothy Poe stole photo of me, passed off as himself
Published June 07, 2012
TMZ

Stuttering "America's Got Talent" contestant Timothy Poe is not the soldier in the photo displayed during his tearjerker audition this week, it's someone else. And the real soldier is angry.

Staff Sgt. Norman Bone tells TMZ he first heard about the photo from his ex-wife who was watching "AGT" -- Bone thought it was part of a tribute to the troops and didn't think twice about it.
read more here

UPDATE
5:49 est
It just got worse. Now he's been wearing medals he admits he did not earn!

'America's Got Talent' singer admits to claiming military medals he didn't earn

Poe told Grisham that he attended a golf tournament put on by the Defenders of Freedom. At the event, a poster, using information provided by Poe himself, claimed that Poe was awarded a Purple Heart, which is given for those wounded while serving, and a Bronze Star, which is awarded for bravery or acts of merit. The blog This Ain't Hell displays a blown-up photograph of that poster, which also shows other medals, including the Combat Infantryman’s Badge.

This part blew me away! The man has no clue how many people were hurt.

When asked by Grisham if he said anything inaccurate on "America's Got Talent," he answered, "Sure," and compared it to exaggerating to one's children to make their dad seem cool. "It was a show," he said. "It wasn't out there to make anyone feel bad."

Then again, I doubt he cares at all.

If he was trying to be famous, looks like he made it but I doubt he thought he'd get caught.

There were several comments on the post I did for Tim Poe the Afghanistan veteran claiming to have TBI on America's Got Talent. At first I didn't believe them considering the people leaving the comments did it anonymously.

Well today there were a couple more that got me thinking I may have been a sucker for a sweet story about one of our combat wounded.

Looks like I was taken in just like most people watching the show. So to the anonymous people leaving comments, looks like you were right and I was wrong.

MN Nat'l Guard: No Record of TV Singer's Claimed Combat Injury
KSTP.com
By: Scott Theisen
Created: 06/05/2012

A singer who appeared on the NBC show "America's Got Talent" and claimed he was injured during a grenade blast in Afghanistan has no military record of his purported combat injuries, the Minnesota National Guard said Tuesday.

Timothy Michael Poe appeared on the nationally televised show Monday. He told the judges he spent 14 years in the military, and suffered a broken back and brain injury when he was hit by a grenade in Afghanistan in 2009.

"I had volunteered for a team to go out and clear buildings and help out with the wounded," Poe said during a taped interview on the show. "There was a guy who come up with a rocket-propelled grenade. I saw it coming down, and by the time I turned and went to jump on top of my guys, I yelled 'grenade' and the blast had hit me."

According to military records, Poe served with the Minnesota Army National Guard from December 2002 through May 2011, working as a supply specialist. Records show he was deployed in Kosovo from Oct. 10, 2007 to July 15, 2008, and then served in Afghanistan for about a month in 2009. read more here

Here's the clip from the show.



I went from feeling like a fool to getting ticked off about this. I have too many friends with TBI and one of them lost part of his head.

If it turns out that Poe not only lied about having TBI but also "shielding" his men, he needs to make an equal public apology to all of the men and women serving!

Orlando wants to hire heroes!

Hiring Our Heroes Convention Career Fair

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Date Event: June 07, 2012 | CLICK HERE for Event Flyer

Join us June 7, 2012 from 9:00 AM to 1:00 PM, for a job fair catered to veteran job seekers, active duty military members, Guard and Reserve members, as well as military spouses, in the Atrium of the Renaissance SeaWorld Orlando, 6677 Sea Harbor Drive. This event will be held in conjunction with the 94th Annual American Legion Department of Florida Convention and will be a one-of-a-kind FREE hiring fair for both employers and job seekers.

This Hero2Hired (H2H), GE, and Fedex-sponsored hiring event is being conducted by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and The American Legion Department of Florida in partnership with the Department of Labor Veterans Employment and Training Services (DOL VETS), the Florida Committee of the Employer Support of the Guard and Reserve (ESGR), WorkSource Florida, Florida Department Economic Opportunity, NBC News, and other local partners.

June 7, 2012
9 am to 1 pm
Renaissance SeaWorld Orlando
6677 Sea Harbor Drive
Orlando, FL 32821

Registration
Job seekers CLICK HERE.
Employers CLICK HERE.

If you need assistance registering, please contact us at hiringourheroes@uschamber.com.

Please Be Advised the Renaissance Orlando property features a gated parking lot. To avoid parking charges,
individuals attending this event are encouraged to exit the lot by Westwood Blvd, which will remain open during
the hours of the job fair.

www.uschamber.com/hiringourheroes

CLICK HERE for Event Flyer

Col. charged with fraud, adultery, forgery, but not charged for blown up ego

UPDATE 6-11-12

Col. pleads guilty to bigamy; some charges dropped

Col. charged with fraud, adultery, forgery, but not charged for blown up ego.

When you read this you'll feel the same way too. How could any man in his position actually think he'd get away with all of this?

O-6 faces bigamy, fraud, adultery charges
By Joe Gould - Staff writer
Posted : Tuesday Jun 5, 2012

The brigade commander seemed born to one day wear stars on his shoulder boards. The son of a distinguished Army general, his own career — including war-zone command of the esteemed 173rd Airborne Brigade Combat Team — had soared impressively toward flag rank.

Now it’s all in tatters. Fired from command, his next battle will come at court-martial June 11, when he will fight charges that he defrauded the Army out of tens of thousands of dollars to “frolic” with an Iraqi mistress, whom he allegedly made his wife even though he already was married.

If charges prove true, Col. James H. Johnson III is a cheat and a bigamist.

In all he is charged with six counts of violations of the Uniform Code of Military Justice and 27 specifications. Among them: forgery, fraud, lying and bigamy.

The woman who was his sweetheart while he was a cadet at West Point — and then his wife and mother to his two children — said she was sure her husband was unfaithful but had no clue he had wed his alleged mistress.

Kristina Johnson, 47, said she was shocked to learn about the second marriage, finding out only after being denied Tricare health coverage. She said it was then that she discovered a divorce certificate she suspects was doctored in the process of transferring benefits to the Iraqi woman. She said Army investigators informed her that her husband had married again.
read more here

Montgomery Veterans Affairs Medical Center list of problems

VA plagued by probes of deaths, improper records access, personnel shortages
Jun. 2, 2012

The G.V. "Sonny" Montgomery Veterans Affairs Medical Center over the last year has been under scrutiny for patient deaths, improper review of medical records and personnel shortages.

An unidentified patient died in December 2010 after suffering what officials called an "adverse event" in the intensive care unit.

Officials with the South Central VA Health Care Network, the oversight group for Jackson's center, visited Jan. 4, 2011, to look into whether nurse staffing in the ICU was adequate.

The then-VA medical director, Linda Watson, retired about three weeks later.
read more here

Suicidal Cops Often Reluctant to Seek Help

Suicidal Cops Often Reluctant to Seek Help
State suicide prevention report puts police in a high-risk category for suicide. More officers commit suicide every year than are killed in the line of duty.
By Daryl Nerl

The Pennsylvania suicde prevention report says police officers are three to four times more likely to commit suicide than everyone else and that more cops – an estimated 300 every year – die by their own hand than by homicide, though they acknowledge that “data is often hard to obtain.”

The apparent suicide of Bethlehem Police Officer Frank A. Rossnagle over the weekend is a reminder that the stress cops live with daily can too often lead to similar tragedies.

At the same time, police officers are too often reluctant to get help because of the stigma attached to needing it, according to a 2006 official state report on suicide prevention, which identified law enforcement officers as having a higher than normal risk of suicide.

Rossnagle’s is the second high-profile suicide in the Lehigh Valley in the past three months.

Political activist and businessman Charles Snelling killed himself in March after killing his wife, Adrienne, who had been suffering with Alzheimer’s disease. Family members said he could no longer bear to watch his wife suffer.
read more here

Afghanistan wounded veteran Tim Poe on America's Got Talent

Update thanks to some readers.

Did Afghanistan Vet Tim Poe "play wounded" on America's Got Talent?

Last night Tim Poe's story made me cry.

He was wounded in Afghanistan and left with traumatic brain injury that causes him to stutter. As I listened to his story, I thought about the great courage he showed knowing that some small minded people would laugh at him. I thought about his attitude and how his smile was so warm no matter what he faced. Then he opened his mouth to sing. I cried harder but this time with joy!