"Violence and the Military" only part of the story

Violence and the Military by Elspeth Cameron Ritchie on Time's Battleland seems to be more about headline grabbing than anything else. As I read it, I wondered why it was not mentioned that with over 2 million veterans from Iraq and Afghanistan, there are very few committing crimes?

Why would this simple fact be left out? Easy. It doesn't bleed so they won't let it lead.

Ritchie writes

I certainly do not want to add to the stigma by highlighting these examples of violence. Veterans are already too high on the list of those who are unemployed. But if there is a trend, we need to know about it. Read more

Ritchie's article is part of the reason so many of them are unemployed. It is reporting like this that will leave the impression our veterans are someone to fear.

In 2011 the population of the USA was 311,591,917 but we only have about 24 million veterans and less than 1% serve in the military today. While the media loves to make sure they mention Iraq Veteran or Afghanistan Veteran in their headlines, much as they did with Vietnam Veterans linked to crimes, no one seems willing to also mention the fact that as veterans are rare in this country, those committing crimes are even more rare.

One other thing that keeps getting omitted from reports is that if the serviceman or woman has been discharged, they are no longer counted by the military in any reports including suicides. If they are not in the VA system, they are not counted by the Veterans Affairs either. In other words, with all the figures we read, the majority of this minority are not counted by anyone.

The data has been in for a long time going back to Vietnam veterans but reporters didn't seem to care about the vast majority coming home, raising families, going to work, contributing to their communities, joining forces to make life better for all veterans all while living with the memories of combat.

I usually love to read what Ritchie writes but this time I closed the link pissed off.

Yes, they need to report on a lot of things from medications linked to suicides and crimes just as much as they should be investigating the failure of "Resiliency Training" brainwashing these men and women into believing if they end up with PTSD it is their fault and there is something wrong with them. They need to report on the homeless veterans because they are not getting the right kind of help for PTSD, have to turn to drugs and alcohol so they get numb to the pain just as much as they need to investigate the failures of the VA, millions of tax dollars being wasted on what does not work along with charities taking in donations for the veterans while giving very little to veterans.

They need to report on things that do actually work, veterans taking their own pain to the public so that other veterans won't have to go it alone along with the general public benefitting from their work. If you've seen a mental health worker, psychologist or had a crisis responder come to your aid, it is because Vietnam Veterans fought for it. When civilians are in trouble, it is usually a veteran showing up to help.

Veterans join the National Guards and they show up after a natural disaster. National Guardsmen usually go into law enforcement and fire departments or work as emergency responders in other fields. Then there are the medical advancements accomplished by government funding for the VA in burn units, taking care of amputees and research in TBI and PTSD. None of these things we talk about everyday get into the reporting done as much as the trouble thy get into.

The above article is part of the problem, asking questions that do not lead to answers as much as they lead to conclusions.

WWII Montford Point Marines Receive Congressional Gold Medal

WWII Montford Point Marines Receive Congressional Gold Medal
Coral Anika Theill
Salem-News.com
Jun-19-2012

"The Montford Point Marines' selfless service and sacrifice during a time when their contributions to our nation were not fully appreciated or recognized have made this country a better place for all Americans.” –Commandant of the Marine Corps General James F. Amos

L to R LtCol Joseph Carpenter, USMC (Ret), Sgt Earl Evans, USMC (Ret), SSgt Eugene Groves, USMC (Ret), and GySgt Reuben McNair, USMC (Ret) on the Capitol Steps. (Photo: Courtesy of the office of Rep. Corrine Brown)

(WASHINGTON DC) - Seventy years since the first African- American Marine recruit reported to train at the segregated camp called Montford Point at Camp Lejeune, N.C., the Montford Point Marines are finally getting the recognition they deserve.

The fact that African-Americans went through the rigorous training of Marines when the Corps was segregated and while they were treated as inferiors in our society, speaks loudly about the courage and dedication of each and every one of the Montford Point Marines.

There are approximately 500 surviving members of the almost 20,000 original Montford Point Marines. Every properly documented surviving Montford Point Marine or lineal descendant of one who was alive as of Nov. 23, 2011 when the President signed the bill into law will receive an invitation to the Congressional Gold Medal ceremony.

The Congressional Gold Medal ceremony, in honor of the original Montford Point Marines, is scheduled for Wednesday, June 27 at 3 p.m. at the U.S. Capitol Visitor Center, Washington D.C. The Montford Point Marines will be recognized by Congress for their contributions to the Marine Corps and our nation. At this ceremony, one Congressional Gold Medal will be accepted on behalf of the Montford Point Marines. Attendance at this event is by invitation only.
read more here

I interviewed Charles Foreman at the Orlando Nam Knights Clubhouse when he came for a visit.

Navy Cross recipient gets Father’s Day surprise

Navy Cross recipient gets Father’s Day surprise
JUNE 19TH, 2012
BATTLE RATTLE
POSTED BY GINA HARKINS

Cpl. Christopher Farias received a Father’s Day surprise after he threw out the first pitch at the Dodgers game on Sunday — his dad was behind the catcher’s mask.

Farias thought he was throwing out the first pitch as “veteran of the game,” but there was a bigger plan in action.

According to his dad, this was the first Father’s Day in eight years that the 11th Marines Field Artillery School instructor wasn’t called away on duty. So he hid behind the catcher’s gear and got behind the plate to catch his son’s ceremonial first pitch.

Farias, based in Dodger-territory at Camp Pendleton, Calif., said he could tell it was his dad as soon as he caught the ball and started walking towards him. Check out the video capturing the surprise.
read more here

Digital Nation Changing Nation

Digital Nation Changing Nation
by Chaplain Kathie
Last night I was watching Digital Nation on PBS. They were talking about how everyone is hooked up into a digital world from school age, to college to senior citizens. The show focused on a lot of the negative aspects with people multitasking, believing they are mastering all but it turned out they were falling short in thinking.

As I watched it had me doing a lot of thinking. This digital world has the power to connect people to stories they would have never known about.

Watch Digital Nation on PBS. See more from FRONTLINE.

Sure there are a lot of fun things going on, stupid stuff wasting time but had it not been for this new world of digital technology and a lot of really smart people changing it on a daily basis, this country wouldn't be stepping up to help veterans. No one would be talking about PTSD, combat, families suffering, along with all the bad that comes but they wouldn't be helping each other heal either.

When Vietnam veterans came home, no one knew what they were going through, so it seemed as if they didn't care. The journalists were focused on all the times a Vietnam veteran got into trouble because as the value the "bleeds" stories putting them into the headlines, stories about these veterans rising above all we did to them, waging another battle to have PTSD treated as a wound caused by combat, were happening all across this country. No one knew about any of it. This made their battle harder to fight than if they had this ability to connect across the country.

Stop and think for a second about our view of these veterans. No one wanted anything to do with any of them because they were an oddity topped off with the only reports released about them in the press were painting them all as drug addicts and criminals. They wouldn't give up on us and fought to make their suffering known so we turned around and actually did something about it.

Most of what they achieved happened because of the introduction of the Web enabling them to connect to other veterans beyond the limited, narrow view of the press. Sites started to link them together. Army Lost and Found is just one example of the sites I visited in the 90's. It is a posting site helping veterans find each other. I used it when I was researching PTSD, reading their stories and discovered how much they still need each other, watch over each other and learn.

While the media ignored all of this, they found ways of connecting and there was an underground railroad of information flowing between veterans.

Today we see this and we still witness the greatness of our veterans. If you only watch cable news, you're missing out on most of what is going on in this country. The digital world will kill off MSNBC, FOX and CNN because they are all focusing on politics more than anything else forcing viewers like me to stop watching. Yet even they occasionally report on a veteran's story that captures the nation's attention.

Every morning I read the emails, alerts about what is going on, press releases, you name it, and every morning I see how this technology is changing this country for the better. We don't just read about stories, we actually do something about what we're reading.

They returned from Iraq and Afghanistan with an abundance of ways to connect and share. The problem for most of them is the information overload leaving them to feel overwhelmed not knowing where to click to find what they need. But this technology is also feeding people in need, giving them shelter, compelling groups to offer support and even saving lives.

Thirty years ago, I had to go to the library and buy books to do research. Twenty years ago, it was searching online and emails. Today it is a growing list.

When I finished college, I posted on my blog updated my profile, Facebook and because of the way my blog is set up, it automatically updated Twitter. I changed my profile on Linked In. I use YouTube for videos and Great Americans because this generation doesn't want to read much and is used to being able to find what they want with a click off their phones and laptops.

While I do agree we have information overload, there is a lot happening in this country that would not have been possible without it.

I just had to laugh considering in 1993, my brother gave me my first computer and I couldn't figure out how to use the mouse! The new generation of veterans coming home are connecting with each other but they are also connecting to my generation and we in turn connect to our parents generation. We learn, we teach, we lead, we follow and we grow. We don't have to sit and wonder how we can help, we just do it. We don't have to go off on our merry way assuming there is nothing to do for our veterans. We know better. In ways great and small, we manage to change this country for the better but the media giants are slow learners. They'll stay focused on the people in politics wanting to run this nation but we are the ones making this nation better.

Most of the good things being done in this country are being done because veterans got involved with it and the digital world hooked them up.

Veterans raising funds for Iraq Veterans Memorial

Veterans raising funds for Iraq Veterans Memorial in Riverview

YVETTE C. HAMMETT/STAFF
Air Force and Iraq War veteran Mark Goujon, left, and Army veteran Mike Zaffino are helping to raise money for the Iraq war memorial.

By YVETTE C. HAMMETT
The Tampa Tribune
Published: June 20, 2012
RIVERVIEW

For Mark Goujon, heading up the committee to raise funds for an Iraq Veterans Memorial is a labor of love for the six teammates he lost during Operation Enduring Freedom.

"My motivation is those six people that I served with that didn't come back," the Air Force Iraq War veteran said.

Goujon served beside those fallen comrades on teams sent out to gather intelligence on roadside bombs and, after bombings, to seek evidence to determine who set off the explosives.

"With this memorial here, we won't have to go to Washington, D.C., to honor them, and our kids and grandkids will know the effort we put into this," Goujon said.

Army veteran Mike Zaffino didn't serve in Iraq, but he was at the Pentagon the day the plane hit — Sept. 11, 2001. "And I had many friends who served and have fallen" in Iraq, he said.

Joining them on the committee to raise $250,000 for an Iraq Veterans Memorial in Veterans Memorial Park are Tim Lawn, who is in the Army and preparing to deploy to Afghanistan; Bosnia and Iraq Army veteran Mike Graham; and Iraq Army veteran Chris Harrington.

This memorial will be the second of 12 theaters of war set to be constructed at the park on U.S. 301 next to the Tampa Bypass Canal.

The Vietnam Veterans Memorial was completed in 2011.

Goujon wants to have the Iraq memorial completed in time to dedicate it on Veterans Day 2013.
read more here

DAV and American Legion have concerns on claims scanning

Official: VA Would Need Staff of 4,000 to Scan All Its Backlogged Benefit Records
By Bob Brewin
Nextgov.com
Updated: June 19, 2012

Jeffrey Hall, assistant national legislative director for Disabled American Veterans, said “NARA's decision to stop performing this work caught [the Veterans Benefits Administration] somewhat by surprise.”

The Veterans Affairs Department would have to employ 4,000 more workers in order to scan billions of pages of paper benefit claims, William Bosanko, a top executive at the National Archives and Records Administration, told a hearing of the House Veterans' Affairs Committee on Tuesday.

NARA has performed sophisticated scanning operations for the department at five sites for the past two years under contracts valued at $9.7 million, Bosanko told lawmakers at the hearing. The system NARA developed for VA not only scans documents, but also has been taught to recognize and compile data from 170 different forms the Veterans Benefits Administration uses, he said. VA’s contracts with NARA expires next week.

Bosanko said NARA has recommended VA seek help from the private sector for meeting its systemwide scanning requirements.

VA holds records on millions of veterans dating as far back as World War II. Bosanko estimated the department would have to scan 60 million pieces of paper a month so that records could be used with VA’s new paperless claims-processing system, the Veterans Benefits Management System -- a feat that would require a staff of 4,000. He did not say how long the process could take.
read more here

More help coming for veterans with Combat PTSD in Florida

Viera VA clinic to nearly double mental health staff
More help coming for war-weary
Written by
R. Norman Moody
FLORIDA TODAY
Jun 19, 2012

Since 2007, VA nationally has seen a 35 percent increase in the number of veterans receiving mental health services and as a result, increased its mental health staff by 41 percent. In the past three years, it increased its mental health care budget by 39 percent and last year, provided mental health services to 1.3 million veterans.

Just as the number of troops returning home from Iraq and Afghanistan swelled with the end of one war and the draw-down from the other, so did the number of veterans seeking mental health care.

More than one million troops served in those conflicts during the past decade.

A plan announced last week by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs to address the growing need for better mental health care for U.S. veterans will mean the Viera VA Outpatient Clinic will almost double its mental health staff.

The national recruitment effort that already has added some mental health professionals at the Viera clinic — a facility that had 23,000 mental health visits last year — will culminate in about six months with 14 positions added to the previous 16.
read more here

Problem arises for veterans job training program

UPDATE June 21, 2012
VA fixes problem with vets job training program
By Rick Maze
Staff writer
Army TImes
Posted : Wednesday Jun 20, 2012
With just 10 days before a new education benefits is launched to help unemployed veterans learn a new skill, the VA has rushed to fix a problem that could have left community colleges in 18 states and Puerto Rico ineligible for participation.

Veterans Affairs Department officials told Congress late Wednesday they were revising their eligibility criteria for community colleges to be part of the Veterans Retraining Assistance Program so that schools that offer a limited number of four-year bachelor degrees would not be left out.

Four-year colleges and universities will remain ineligible but community colleges listed by the U.S. Education Department’s National Center for Educational Statistics College Navigator as a two-year school will be covered, VA officials said in a note to the House Veterans Affairs Committee, which raised questions about eligibility on Tuesday.
read more here

Problem arises for vets job training program
By Rick Maze
Staff writer
Army Times
Posted : Tuesday Jun 19, 2012

A problem has arisen for a veterans’ training program expected to launch July 1: Classes at community colleges in 18 states and territories will not be covered because those schools also provide bachelors’ degrees.

The Veterans Retraining Assistance Program, created by Congress to provide one year of training and education benefits to certain unemployed veterans to prepare them for work in high-demand fields, was to be limited to short courses that could yield big results.

However, “using VA’s narrow definition of ‘community college,’ if a school awarded one bachelor’s degree along with hundreds or even thousands of associate degrees, that school would not qualify for VRAP training,” said Rep. Gus Bilirakis, R-Fla., the second ranking Republican on the House Veterans’ Affairs Committee.

Bilirakis said some community colleges are allowed by state law to provide a small number of four-year degrees. For example, 23 of Florida’s 28 community colleges are not eligible for VRAP, the chancellor of the Florida College System has warned.

“The reason given for this denial is that each of those 23 community colleges awards a very limited number of bachelors’ degrees, most often in technical and health care fields, such as a bachelor of nursing degree,” Bilirakis said.
read more here

This came in from the Department of Veterans Affairs

Vocational Rehabilitation and Employment Hosts Workshops during Detroit VA for Vets Hiring Fair

WASHINGTON ( June 19, 2012) – The Department of Veterans Affairs Vocational Rehabilitation and Employment program (VR and E) will host several workshops aimed at helping Veterans understand the many benefits and programs that promote Veteran employment during the VA for Vets Hiring Fair being held in Detroit June 26-28.

As part of the Veteran Open House, VA will educate Veterans on vocational rehabilitation and employment services, register them for VA’s online employment toolkit, www.VetSuccess.gov , and provide tools that help Veterans find meaningful careers, receive accommodations for disabilities at their place of employment, and start a small business.

“At VA, we know the skills and characteristics Veterans bring with them to a new career can only benefit an organization,” said Under Secretary for Benefits Allison A. Hickey. “Our VR and E program is committed to assisting Veterans find meaningful careers, whether in the federal government or in the private sector.”

VA is hosting three major events at Detroit’s Cobo Center June 26-29: The VA for Vets Hiring Fair, the Veterans Open House, and the National Veterans Small Business Conference and Expo. The events are expected to attract thousands of Veterans, business owners and federal employees, with an economic impact estimated at $11 million for the city.

More than 24,000 federal and private-sector job openings across the country will be available at the free Veteran Hiring Fair June 26-28. VA will bring together partners like the First Lady’s “Joining Forces” initiative and Hiring Our Heroes, along with private sector companies, during the fair. Not only will the fair provide Veterans an opportunity to showcase their skills to potential employers, it will also assist Veterans with resume preparation, interview techniques and career coaching to help Veteran attendees become career ready. VA hosted a similar event Jan. 18 in Washington, D.C., which attracted over 4,100 Veterans and resulted in over 2,600 on-the-spot interviews and more than 500 tentative job offers.

The Open House gives Veterans and their families the chance to find out about the wide range of financial and health-care benefits, services and resources that are available from federal, state and community agencies. Veterans can conveniently enroll in VA care, sign up for eBenefits and MyHealtheVet, and get their questions answered face to face.

The National Veterans Small Business Conference and Expo is the premier government event for Veteran-owned businesses. Last year’s conference in New Orleans drew almost 5,000 attendees, and more than 6,000 participants are expected this year. VA will provide Veteran-owned and Service-Disabled Veteran-owned businesses with a wide range of information to help them maximize opportunities in the federal workplace.

Known historically as the world’s capital for the transportation industry, the Detroit metro area is reinventing itself with six booming industries: medical research, defense, entertainment, green tech, urban farming, and aeronautics. About 330,000 Veterans are served by the city’s VA medical center, and more than 704,000 Veterans live in Michigan.

VA invites all interested persons and businesses to attend. More information about the small business conference is available at National Veterans Conference. Information and registration for the hiring fair is available at VAforVets.

Horseshoe GM says vet's vest, military uniforms OK at casino

Horseshoe GM says vet's vest, military uniforms OK at casino
Tuesday, June 19, 2012
By Thomas Ott
The Plain Dealer

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- If a security guard barred a Vietnam veteran wearing a military-themed vest from the Horseshoe Casino Cleveland last week, it was because the guard misinterpreted policy on proper dress, General Manager Marcus Glover said Monday.

The Horseshoe allows vests like the one worn by Marine veteran Gerald Doris, Glover said. He said the casino also does not bar active military personnel in uniform, as alleged by a friend of Doris'.

Doris, who lives in Florida but spends half of the year at a campground near Lodi, said he was stopped at the door to the casino early Wednesday afternoon because he was wearing a leather vest adorned with a Marine Corps emblem and a map of Vietnam. He said a guard ruled his vest violated a ban on clothing with "colors."
read more here

Rain didn't stop Patriot Guard Riders

Rain does not dampen Patriot Ride’s spirit
By Eric Hagen
June 19, 2012


Thousands of people Saturday showed veterans and current service members that their service to America will not be forgotten.

An estimated 2,000 motorcyclists drove a 60-mile round trip between Ham Lake and Cambridge June 16 in honor of military veterans and the current service members during the seventh annual Patriot Ride.

It was raining when the Patriot Ride first began in 2006 and it was lightly raining again during the beginning of the seventh annual ride June 16.

Doug Bley admitted he was not among one of the approximately 100 people who braved the rain in 2006, but he has been to every one since then and now serves as the president of the Minnesota Patriot Guard. This organization and the Minnesotans’ Military Appreciation Fund (MMAF) split the proceeds of the Patriot Ride, which has raised about $600,000 the first six years, according to Bley.
read more here

Memories of battlefields strong for Vietnam veteran

Memories of battlefields strong as Vietnam veteran weighs search for those he served with
MICHAEL WANBAUGH
The Goshen News
First Posted: June 19, 2012

GOSHEN, Ind. — Here inside VFW Post 985 on a sun-splashed Wednesday afternoon, local military veterans sip their beers, puff their cigarettes and bust each other's chops.

The bartender, who knows all her customers by name, hears a song she likes on the radio and turns up the volume on Norman Greenbaum's "Spirit in the Sky." More wisecracking ensues.

As the clock hits 3 p.m., out come the poker chips and on go the overhead lights as a small group splinters from the bar and takes up residence at a nearby card table.

Before long, Richard Clark Sr. strolls into the bar and orders a beer. The 61-year-old Goshen native has two more meetings left in his one-year elected tenure as commander of the post. His official last day in charge was Saturday.

"It's a lot of hours," Clark said of his position before taking a sip from his can of Coors Light. "But we have so many great volunteers that keep this place running. If it wasn't for our volunteers nothing would get done around here."

Clark lights a cigarette and sits back in his chair. He's wearing a sleeveless shirt that shows off his tan arms and tattoos. On his right bicep are the letters U.S.A. Above it is an eagle head.
read more here

Dignity Memorial Vietnam Wall at Calverton National Cemetery

Dignity Memorial Vietnam Wall Tells Stories
The replica of the Washington, DC Vietnam Veterans Memorial Wall will be onview at Calverton National Cemetery this Wednesday through Sunday.
By Lisa Finn
June 18, 2012

A 15-year-old boy, who lied about his age to be able to fight in the Vietnam War.

Twelve female nurses. Eight clergymen. And over 58,000 others.

Although they may never have met, each shares a tragic and heroic destiny forged by war: Each of the 58,257 names inscribed on the Dignity Memorial Vietnam Wall, a traveling replica of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Wall in Washington, DC, that will be on view at Calverton National Cemetery from Wednesday through Friday, is forever memorialized.

"Behind every name, there is a story," said Charles Spencer, chairman of the Dignity Memorial Vietnam Wall.

And Spencer, a funeral director who has been involved with the project since 1995, has made it his personal mission to ensure that no one's story is forgotten.

Spencer said he was invited to bring the memorial to Calverton National Cemetery because it is the largest cemetery for veterans in the United States, with over a quarter of a million buried within its grassy knolls. "They take care of all the veterans, after they pass away for eternity. What better place to honor our veterans?" he asked.
read more here

Florida DAVA Member of Year from Orlando Chapter

Florida Disable American Veterans Auxiliary Member of the Year from Orlando Chapter
by
Chaplain Kathie

How do I write this objectively when the member of the year is me?
The DAV-DAVA Florida convention is usually a great event. This year I showed up with my camera, set it up, filmed a great group of ladies singing and got ready to film the top award for the Auxiliary. My hands started to shake when it dawned on me they were talking about me.

As you can see in this video, I was in shock. When I got up to accept the award, I was asked if I had anything to say. If you read this blog often, you know I am hardly ever short on something to say. The only thing I could say was thank you.

Thank you to all the members of the Disabled American Veterans and the Auxiliary. You inspire me everyday!

Wounded Marines biking cross country from Florida to California

Marines biking cross-country grateful for national support
By Wendy Victora
Northwest Florida Daily News
Published: June 19, 2012
A combat-wounded Marine and two other Marine veterans continued their bicycle trek across Northwest Florida on Monday, raising awareness and funds for the Injured Marine Semper Fi Fund. Ben Maenza, a 23-year-old double amputee from Tennessee, is pedaling the entire route with his arms.

"It's been really interesting, really hot," said Maenza, taking a lunch break at Gulf Islands National Seashore west of Navarre Beach.

"We've had people stop us when we're riding on the road and give us money to put toward the fund. Every penny we make is going to make a difference in some way." The cyclists left June 10 from St. Augustine and plan to arrive at Marine Base Camp Pendleton in California on Aug. 10.

They were escorted by sheriff's office deputies as they traveled through Walton, Okaloosa and Santa Rosa counties. A support vehicle drives ahead of the group, which stops every 15 miles for water.
read more here

Stories of Faith and Courage from the Home Front

Stories of Faith and Courage from the Home Front
Battlefields and Blessings
This devotional book contains 365 true stories of struggles, courage, and actions of women, children, and men involved in the home front of American wars, in chronological order, from the French Indian War through the current conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan.

These stories illustrate effective prayers, heroism, volunteer efforts, and daily courage.

Special weekend devotions consist of original words from a journal, newspaper, letter, or newspaper, and glimpses into life during that era, such as fashion, pastimes, work, and celebrations.

Each story includes a coordinated Scripture and a prayer for today’s military, families, or individuals encountering struggles.

linked from Point Man of Kansas