Operation Homefront Launches Annual Holiday Meals for Military Program
By Operation Homefront
Published: Monday, Oct. 29, 2012
SAN ANTONIO
PRNewswire-USNewswire
Operation Homefront, the national non-profit dedicated to providing emergency financial and other assistance to the families of our nation's military, has announced today that it is launching its annual Holiday Meals for Military program.
The Holiday Meals for Military Program began Thanksgiving 2009 as a result of a chance encounter in a supermarket in Utica, N.Y., near Ft. Drum. A soldier, his wife, and infant had a handful of grocery items they could not afford, so a Beam Inc. employee picked up the $12 cost for the groceries. Since that time, the program has grown from initially providing 500 meals kits to military families in 2009 to providing 5,200 this holiday season.
The 5,200 meal kits, which include all the grocery items necessary for a full holiday meal, will be distributed to lower and mid-grade ranking military families, E-1 thru E-6, at seventeen bases nationwide in December 2012, including Camp Pendleton, Calif.; Fort Benning, Ga.; Fort Campbell, Ky.; Fort Carson, Colo.; Fort Drum, N.Y.; Fort Hood, Texas; Fort Knox, Ky.; Great Lakes Naval Base, Ill.; and MacDill Air Force Base, Fla.
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Tuesday, October 30, 2012
Riverine success in Iraq shows need for naval quick-reaction force
Riverine success in Iraq shows need for naval quick-reaction force
U.S. NAVY
By MATTHEW M. BURKE
Stars and Stripes
Published: October 29, 2012
SASEBO NAVAL BASE, Japan — When the U.S. Navy’s Riverine forces were resurrected six years ago to secure Iraq’s rivers and coastal waterways, they functioned much as the highly decorated river rats of the Mekong Delta did in Vietnam. Their success has given new life to the unit and the strategy.
In Iraq, Riverine forces became a quick reaction force — capable of search-and-seizure, insertion or extraction — on swift, agile boats with heavy-caliber weaponry. Between March 2007 and October 2011, the Riverines carried out more than 2,000 missions, trained Iraqi River Police, screened detainees and discovered weapons caches while flying 667 unmanned aerial vehicle hours.
Army and Navy river units were dismantled after the Vietnam War ended in 1975 and the Riverines’s future was in limbo when the Iraq war wound down last year. The Navy, however, has decided it has an enduring need for these quick and lethal small boat fighters.
``Just because you don’t need a tool right this second, why would you throw it away?’’ asked Chief Petty Officer William Squires, who is training to command one of the boats. ``It gives us capability to dominate inland waterways… It’s mind-boggling what we can do with four boat patrols and the weaponry we have.’’
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U.S. NAVY
By MATTHEW M. BURKE
Stars and Stripes
Published: October 29, 2012
Petty Officer 3rd Class Jobey French, a boatswain's mate assigned to Riverine Command Boat 803 from Riverine Squadron 2, mans an MK-44 mini machine gun while conducting security escort operations for ships transiting out to sea through the Intracoastal Waterway in North Carolina, during Exercise Bold Alligator 2012 on Feb. 1.
SASEBO NAVAL BASE, Japan — When the U.S. Navy’s Riverine forces were resurrected six years ago to secure Iraq’s rivers and coastal waterways, they functioned much as the highly decorated river rats of the Mekong Delta did in Vietnam. Their success has given new life to the unit and the strategy.
In Iraq, Riverine forces became a quick reaction force — capable of search-and-seizure, insertion or extraction — on swift, agile boats with heavy-caliber weaponry. Between March 2007 and October 2011, the Riverines carried out more than 2,000 missions, trained Iraqi River Police, screened detainees and discovered weapons caches while flying 667 unmanned aerial vehicle hours.
Army and Navy river units were dismantled after the Vietnam War ended in 1975 and the Riverines’s future was in limbo when the Iraq war wound down last year. The Navy, however, has decided it has an enduring need for these quick and lethal small boat fighters.
``Just because you don’t need a tool right this second, why would you throw it away?’’ asked Chief Petty Officer William Squires, who is training to command one of the boats. ``It gives us capability to dominate inland waterways… It’s mind-boggling what we can do with four boat patrols and the weaponry we have.’’
read more here
Hurricane Sandy's impact: State by state
Sandy's impact: State by state
By the CNN Wire Staff
October 30, 2012
STORY HIGHLIGHTS
New York: More than 50 houses burned down in Queens
West Virginia: A woman was killed in a car accident after the storm dumped 5 inches of snow
New Jersey: Sandy has killed at least three people in the Garden State
Pennsylvania: Two people were killed by falling trees
(CNN) -- States along the East Coast were pummeled as superstorm Sandy came crashing ashore.
The storm officially made landfall along the coast of southern New Jersey, but it is affecting a much wider area.
By early Tuesday, more than 7 million customers were without power in the mid-Atlantic region, according to the latest CNN estimate.
At least 16 people have died.
President Barack Obama has declared states of emergency for at least five states and the nation's capital.
Here's a look at how Sandy has impacted U.S. states, as well as Canada.
read more here
By the CNN Wire Staff
October 30, 2012
STORY HIGHLIGHTS
New York: More than 50 houses burned down in Queens
West Virginia: A woman was killed in a car accident after the storm dumped 5 inches of snow
New Jersey: Sandy has killed at least three people in the Garden State
Pennsylvania: Two people were killed by falling trees
(CNN) -- States along the East Coast were pummeled as superstorm Sandy came crashing ashore.
The storm officially made landfall along the coast of southern New Jersey, but it is affecting a much wider area.
By early Tuesday, more than 7 million customers were without power in the mid-Atlantic region, according to the latest CNN estimate.
At least 16 people have died.
President Barack Obama has declared states of emergency for at least five states and the nation's capital.
Here's a look at how Sandy has impacted U.S. states, as well as Canada.
read more here
Navy Ball remembers War of 1812
Navy Ball remembers War of 1812
Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune
Story by Lance Cpl. Scott Whiting
NEW BERN, N.C. - Food, drinks, birthday cake, dancing and camaraderie filled the extravagantly-decorated convention center in New Bern, as United States Navy sailors aboard Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune celebrated their 237th birthday Oct. 20.
Sailors and Marines starting packing the large dining area at approximately 5 p.m. as couples took photos to commemorate the occasion, found their tables and caught up with friends. The ceremony commenced at approximately 7:30 p.m.
This particular Navy Ball had a large emphasis on the history of the War of 1812 in its 200-year anniversary. The Navy fought in many decisive battles in the war and played an important role in the United States’ ability to effectively fight the British naval forces.
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Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune
Story by Lance Cpl. Scott Whiting
NEW BERN, N.C. - Food, drinks, birthday cake, dancing and camaraderie filled the extravagantly-decorated convention center in New Bern, as United States Navy sailors aboard Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune celebrated their 237th birthday Oct. 20.
Sailors and Marines starting packing the large dining area at approximately 5 p.m. as couples took photos to commemorate the occasion, found their tables and caught up with friends. The ceremony commenced at approximately 7:30 p.m.
This particular Navy Ball had a large emphasis on the history of the War of 1812 in its 200-year anniversary. The Navy fought in many decisive battles in the war and played an important role in the United States’ ability to effectively fight the British naval forces.
read more here
Romney’s lax regulation may have fueled meningitis outbreak
While smaller government always sounds good to most people, this is what can happen when the smaller government does not do what they are supposed to do.
Romney’s lax regulation may have fueled meningitis outbreak
A meningitis epidemic that has killed 25 is linked to a Mass. company Romney's administration failed to regulate
Salon.com
BY CRAIG UNGER
OCT 30, 2012
The fatal meningitis epidemic sweeping the United States can now be traced to the failure of then-Gov. Mitt Romney to adequately regulate the Massachusetts pharmaceutical company that is being blamed for the deaths.
At least 344 people in 18 states have been infected by the growing public health crisis and 25 have died so far.
But the epidemic may also play a role in the presidential campaign, now that state records reveal that a Massachusetts regulatory agency found that the New England Compounding Co., the pharmaceutical company tied to the epidemic, repeatedly failed to meet accepted standards in 2004 — but a reprimand was withdrawn by the Romney administration in apparent deference to the company’s business interests.
“It goes all the way up to Mitt Romney,” said Alyson Oliver, a Michigan attorney representing victims of the outbreak. According to Oliver, on at least six occasions, NECC was cited by authorities for failure to meet regulatory standards and almost subjected to a three-year probation. “It goes directly to the heart of what Romney says about regulation, ‘Hands off. Let the companies do their thing.’”
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National Guard Called Into Hoboken
National Guard Called Into Hoboken; 15,000 Without Power
Mayor Dawn Zimmer called in the national guard around 10 p.m. on Monday night. As of 3 a.m. on Tuesday they had not arrived in Hoboken.
By Claire Moses
October 29, 2012
UPDATED 2:45 a.m.—Flood water started receding in Hoboken around midnight, but not after causing major flooding, power outages and damage all over town.
Hoboken Mayor Dawn Zimmer called in the National Guard on Monday night for extra assistance as raging floodwaters from Tropical Storm Sandy ravaged Hoboken. Roughly 15,000 people were without power as of 9:45 p.m. on Monday night, with two substations in town underwater.
The national guard did not make it to Hoboken, as of 3 a.m. Tuesday.
Much of the west side was in the dark, as of 10:30 p.m. It's unclear when power will be restored.
Zimmer said Public Service Electric and Gas workers were attempting to get to Hoboken to restore power, but weren't able to enter the city due to widespread flooding, Zimmer said.
A swollen Hudson River overflowed on Newark, First and Second Street from Garden through Grand.
"It was like a river," according to one city employee. "In all my life, this is the worst I have seen it."
read more here
Mayor Dawn Zimmer called in the national guard around 10 p.m. on Monday night. As of 3 a.m. on Tuesday they had not arrived in Hoboken.
By Claire Moses
October 29, 2012
UPDATED 2:45 a.m.—Flood water started receding in Hoboken around midnight, but not after causing major flooding, power outages and damage all over town.
Hoboken Mayor Dawn Zimmer called in the National Guard on Monday night for extra assistance as raging floodwaters from Tropical Storm Sandy ravaged Hoboken. Roughly 15,000 people were without power as of 9:45 p.m. on Monday night, with two substations in town underwater.
The national guard did not make it to Hoboken, as of 3 a.m. Tuesday.
Much of the west side was in the dark, as of 10:30 p.m. It's unclear when power will be restored.
Zimmer said Public Service Electric and Gas workers were attempting to get to Hoboken to restore power, but weren't able to enter the city due to widespread flooding, Zimmer said.
A swollen Hudson River overflowed on Newark, First and Second Street from Garden through Grand.
"It was like a river," according to one city employee. "In all my life, this is the worst I have seen it."
read more here
Whistleblower VA doctors lost jobs after news report
Fact Finder: Union Says V.A. Retaliated Against Whistleblowers
KRNV
Reported by: Joe Hart
Doctors Ralph Coppola and Vidur Mahadeva both worked at the Reno V.A. Hospital, unitl last month. Coppola as an E-N-T surgeon, Mahadeva in the emergency room.
Both doctors, who worked part time, recently received the exact same letter, telling them they'd been terminated.
The letter did not give a reason.
"The letter of termination was 2 days after your report was on TV," Coppola told News 4.
The letters to Doctors Coppola and Mahadeva were each dated September 13th: two days after News 4's Fact Finder report aired uncovering the results of an investigation conducted at the V.A. Hospital by the Office of the Medical Inspector. The O.M.I. report produced 53 recommendations to improve patient care at the V.A.
Both Coppola and Mahadeva met with O.M.I. representives during their investigation to voice their concerns about staffing, patient care timelines and other quality of care issues at the V.A. Hospital.
"Both of us tried to offer constructive cricitism and were under the impression we were helping our vets at the time. Both of us lost our jobs soon thereafter," said Dr. Mahadeva.
Jeanine Swygman is the vice president of the union which represents Doctors Coppola and Mahadeva. She says its clear the firings were retaliation by the V.A.
"Absolutely. The timing was two days after your story aired on the O.M.I. Report," said Swygman.
read more here
KRNV
Reported by: Joe Hart
Doctors Ralph Coppola and Vidur Mahadeva both worked at the Reno V.A. Hospital, unitl last month. Coppola as an E-N-T surgeon, Mahadeva in the emergency room.
Both doctors, who worked part time, recently received the exact same letter, telling them they'd been terminated.
The letter did not give a reason.
"The letter of termination was 2 days after your report was on TV," Coppola told News 4.
The letters to Doctors Coppola and Mahadeva were each dated September 13th: two days after News 4's Fact Finder report aired uncovering the results of an investigation conducted at the V.A. Hospital by the Office of the Medical Inspector. The O.M.I. report produced 53 recommendations to improve patient care at the V.A.
Both Coppola and Mahadeva met with O.M.I. representives during their investigation to voice their concerns about staffing, patient care timelines and other quality of care issues at the V.A. Hospital.
"Both of us tried to offer constructive cricitism and were under the impression we were helping our vets at the time. Both of us lost our jobs soon thereafter," said Dr. Mahadeva.
Jeanine Swygman is the vice president of the union which represents Doctors Coppola and Mahadeva. She says its clear the firings were retaliation by the V.A.
"Absolutely. The timing was two days after your story aired on the O.M.I. Report," said Swygman.
read more here
Thousands of Arizona veterans face backlog on disability claims
Thousands of Arizona veterans face backlog on disability claims with VA
Monday, Oct. 29, 2012
By FARA ILLICH
Cronkite News
Torres is asking the VA re-evaluate the 30 percent disability he was awarded in the 1960s for injuries to both feet during a training exercise and to grant him disability for lingering gastrointestinal problems from food poisoning.
Torres said he’s happy with the services the VA has provided him over the years like free medical and vision care, but said he doesn’t understand why he’s been waiting more than a year for answers.
“I can wait, but I’d like to have some sort of notice,” he said. “I deserve what I’m asking for.”
Torres is part of a backlog of 17,000 disability compensation claims in Arizona as of October, according to the VA’s Phoenix Regional Office, which processes disability compensation for the state. These are claims that have been pending longer than 125 days.
There were 587,800 claims pending in the backlog nationwide as of September, according to the VA.
Despite efforts by the VA to ramp up processing times, officials say the department can’t keep up with the volume of claims, which have risen nearly 50 percent since 2008.
Part of the increase has to do with the conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan winding down and many new veterans filing, but is also due to a class-action lawsuit that added ischemic heart disease, hairy cell and other forms of B-cell leukemia and Parkinson’s to a list of diseases associated with exposure to Agent Orange, according to John Rowan, national president of Vietnam Veterans of America.
“We’ve got a backlog because of a perfect storm,” Rowan said.
read more here
Monday, Oct. 29, 2012
By FARA ILLICH
Cronkite News
VA backlog: Number of veterans in Arizona: 600,000PHOENIX – Peering through the new prescription glasses he just got from the veterans hospital, Korean War veteran Gilbert Torres sifted through a stack of papers detailing claims he’d had pending with the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs since July 2011.
Number of pending veterans disability claims: 23,000
Number of claims with a wait time over 125 days: 17,000
Average number of days a claim is pending: 320
Average number of days a claim takes to complete: 365
Sources: Phoenix Veterans Affairs Regional Office and Arizona Department of Veterans Services
Torres is asking the VA re-evaluate the 30 percent disability he was awarded in the 1960s for injuries to both feet during a training exercise and to grant him disability for lingering gastrointestinal problems from food poisoning.
Torres said he’s happy with the services the VA has provided him over the years like free medical and vision care, but said he doesn’t understand why he’s been waiting more than a year for answers.
“I can wait, but I’d like to have some sort of notice,” he said. “I deserve what I’m asking for.”
Torres is part of a backlog of 17,000 disability compensation claims in Arizona as of October, according to the VA’s Phoenix Regional Office, which processes disability compensation for the state. These are claims that have been pending longer than 125 days.
There were 587,800 claims pending in the backlog nationwide as of September, according to the VA.
Despite efforts by the VA to ramp up processing times, officials say the department can’t keep up with the volume of claims, which have risen nearly 50 percent since 2008.
Part of the increase has to do with the conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan winding down and many new veterans filing, but is also due to a class-action lawsuit that added ischemic heart disease, hairy cell and other forms of B-cell leukemia and Parkinson’s to a list of diseases associated with exposure to Agent Orange, according to John Rowan, national president of Vietnam Veterans of America.
“We’ve got a backlog because of a perfect storm,” Rowan said.
read more here
Cherry Point Marine rushes to teen’s aid after car accident
Marine rushes to teen’s aid after car accident
By Cpl. Tyler J. Bolken, U.S. Marine Corps
Published: Monday, October 29, 2012
CHERRY POINT – A Marine and his wife were chatting as they prepared for bed around 10 p.m. Oct. 23 when they heard the sound of squealing tires not far from their home in Newport.
“It was an extremely loud screeching sound, followed by a few bangs and crashes,” said Cpl. Joshua Murphy, an airframe mechanic at Cherry Point. “We stopped in mid sentence and just kind of stared at each other.
“My wife and I both knew it was an accident.”
Murphy, a native of Colton, Calif., immediately told his wife to dial 911 before quickly grabbing his keys to drive toward the sounds of chaos.
According to police reports, a vehicle ran off the right side of a sharp curve on Lake Road, striking a street sign before impacting a tree and overturning onto its passenger side. No other cars were involved.
Murphy arrived at the scene and saw a totaled minivan less than a quarter mile from his home. It was pitch black outside, and he could only see what was in front of his headlights.
“You couldn’t even tell where the front end was,” said Murphy, adding that at this point, he was very concerned.
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By Cpl. Tyler J. Bolken, U.S. Marine Corps
Published: Monday, October 29, 2012
Cpl. Joshua Murphy, an airframe mechanic with Marine Aerial Refueler Transport Squadron 252, stands in front of one of the squadron’s KC-130J Hercules on the Cherry Point flight line Monday. Murphy, a native of Colton, Calif., recently rushed to the aid of a 19-year-old woman who was in a car accident near his home in Newport. Murphy applied pressure to a wound on the young woman’s head until paramedics arrived. She was airlifted to Vidant Medical Center in Greenville, where she was treated for non-life threatening injuries.
Cpl. Tyler J. Bolken/U.S. Marine Corps
CHERRY POINT – A Marine and his wife were chatting as they prepared for bed around 10 p.m. Oct. 23 when they heard the sound of squealing tires not far from their home in Newport.
“It was an extremely loud screeching sound, followed by a few bangs and crashes,” said Cpl. Joshua Murphy, an airframe mechanic at Cherry Point. “We stopped in mid sentence and just kind of stared at each other.
“My wife and I both knew it was an accident.”
Murphy, a native of Colton, Calif., immediately told his wife to dial 911 before quickly grabbing his keys to drive toward the sounds of chaos.
According to police reports, a vehicle ran off the right side of a sharp curve on Lake Road, striking a street sign before impacting a tree and overturning onto its passenger side. No other cars were involved.
Murphy arrived at the scene and saw a totaled minivan less than a quarter mile from his home. It was pitch black outside, and he could only see what was in front of his headlights.
“You couldn’t even tell where the front end was,” said Murphy, adding that at this point, he was very concerned.
read more here
Monday, October 29, 2012
Sailor found dead at Japanese train station
Sasebo sailor found dead at Japanese train station
By MATTHEW M. BURKE AND HANA KUSUMOTO
Stars and Stripes
Published: October 29, 2012
SASEBO NAVAL BASE, Japan — A Sasebo-based sailor — possibly breaking a curfew for U.S. servicemembers in Japan — was found dead Sunday morning at a train station, according to Japanese police.
A worker found Petty Officer 2nd Class Samuel Lewis Stiles, 25, lying face down on a platform at Japan Railways’ Haiki station in Sasebo city about 5 a.m., a Haiki police spokesman said Monday, adding that cause of death was under investigation. Japanese media reported he fell and hit his head after climbing atop a train, where he was electrocuted by an overhead power line.
read more here
By MATTHEW M. BURKE AND HANA KUSUMOTO
Stars and Stripes
Published: October 29, 2012
SASEBO NAVAL BASE, Japan — A Sasebo-based sailor — possibly breaking a curfew for U.S. servicemembers in Japan — was found dead Sunday morning at a train station, according to Japanese police.
A worker found Petty Officer 2nd Class Samuel Lewis Stiles, 25, lying face down on a platform at Japan Railways’ Haiki station in Sasebo city about 5 a.m., a Haiki police spokesman said Monday, adding that cause of death was under investigation. Japanese media reported he fell and hit his head after climbing atop a train, where he was electrocuted by an overhead power line.
read more here
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