Harley riders raise funds for wounded warriors
By ERIKA I. RITCHIE
THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER
Nov. 3, 2012
At first, all Sgt. Kealoha Kuikahi saw was a couple of Harley-Davidsons rolling toward the Warrior Hope and Cure Center at Camp Pendleton on Friday morning.
Then the rumble grew louder. Soon there was what seemed to be an unending line of Harleys heading toward him along the Marine base's roads. In all, there were more than 400 motorcyclists.
They were part of the first Injured Warriors Appreciation Run from Harley-Davidson headquarters in Irvine to Camp Pendleton. The event, sponsored by the Orange Coast Chapter of the Harley Owners Group, raised more than $14,000 through registrations, sponsorships and online donations for the Warrior Foundation.
The foundation, based in San Diego, helps injured service members at Southern California military medical centers such as Camp Pendleton's Naval Hospital, said Sandy Lehmkuhler, who heads up the all-volunteer organization. Part of the money raised from the run will help more than 400 service members travel home for the holidays this year, she said.
Kuikahi, who was wounded in Iraq, is one of more than 400 Marines with the Wounded Warrior Battalion West, activated in 2007. The battalion provides recovery support to Marines, said Lt. Col Jim Fallwood, the battalion's commanding officer.
read more here
Saturday, November 3, 2012
Eleven soldiers from Fort Hood were honored
Nov 2, 2012
by kxan
Eleven soldiers from Fort Hood were honored Friday for their actions while serving Afghanistan. Nine of them were decorated for bravery under fire in the Adi Ghar Mountains of Southern Afghanistan.
by kxan
Eleven soldiers from Fort Hood were honored Friday for their actions while serving Afghanistan. Nine of them were decorated for bravery under fire in the Adi Ghar Mountains of Southern Afghanistan.
1st Lt. Steven D. Hail
Silver Star and Purple Heart
Staff Sgt. Adam Davila
Silver Star
Sgt. Christopher Ernst
Bronze Star Medal with Valor
Spc. Daniel J. Evenson
Bronze Star Medal with Valor
Staff Sgt. David T. Smothers
Army Commendation Medal with Valor
Sgt. Scott Simpson
Army Commendation Medal with Valor
Sgt. John S. Lowry
Army Commendation Medal with Valor
Spc. Conner S. Daley
Army Commendation Medal with Valor
Spc. Zacjary W. Trice
Army Commendation Medal with Valor
1st Lt. Jonathan P. Pechon
Purple Heart
Spc. Phillip A. Bergerson
Purple Heart
Mom talks about son's suicide after deployment and PTSD
Soldiers struggle for peace after duty ends
By Donna Vickroy
November 3, 2012
“It came from a gun we did not even know he owned,” said his mother, Sharon Orsborn, of Arlington, Texas.
Orsborn came to the Southland last week to share the story of her son’s suicide and to shed light on some of the darker issues affecting America’s soldiers and their families.
In addition to Orsborn’s candid speech about the death of her youngest child, John Akridge, panelists for Governors State University’s “Before and After Deployment: Trauma and the Impact on the Military Family” forum addressed sexual assault in the military, post-traumatic stress disorder and the effect of the military’s “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” policy on gay soldiers.
read more here
By Donna Vickroy
November 3, 2012
Sharon Orsborn sits with her son, John Akridge. Akridge, an Army vet, committed suicide in 2007 after suffering from post traumatic stress. Supplied photoThey found his body inside the new car he’d paid cash for in a field in Fort Worth, Texas. A bullet through his brain.
“It came from a gun we did not even know he owned,” said his mother, Sharon Orsborn, of Arlington, Texas.
Orsborn came to the Southland last week to share the story of her son’s suicide and to shed light on some of the darker issues affecting America’s soldiers and their families.
In addition to Orsborn’s candid speech about the death of her youngest child, John Akridge, panelists for Governors State University’s “Before and After Deployment: Trauma and the Impact on the Military Family” forum addressed sexual assault in the military, post-traumatic stress disorder and the effect of the military’s “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” policy on gay soldiers.
read more here
Iraq Veteran "All I remember is a boy in the window"
Nicholas McCallon served two tours in Iraq and he is an example of what these men and women are like. While most people are paying attention to the tragedies after Hurricane Sandy, they aren't paying much attention to the fact many of the responders are in fact combat veterans like McCallon.
They serve, risk their lives for one reason, to help. Help defend this nation and help when natural disasters hit. Help when people of other nations are in harms way and this nation says they must go. Help when their comrades are in danger. For them it isn't a matter of just "doing their duty" while in uniform, but they carry the same willingness to help throughout their lives.
Why did McCallon rush to the mangled car? Because someone needed him to.
Now the image of the dead 7 year old in the car will stay with him as he holds his own newborn son, born right after the accident. Yet too many of us never stop to think of what they go through to do what they do for us.
Iraq vet first at scene where boy died in wreck
Iraq veteran was first on the scene where a 7-year-old died in a crash
By Eric Stevick
Herald Writer
November 3, 2012
EVERETT -- Nicholas McCallon had seen death in its most raw and indelible forms during two tours of duty in Iraq.
What the ex-soldier hadn't prepared for was the death of a child less than a mile from his Everett home.
McCallon, 27, was the first person to reach the scene of a fatal crash Tuesday night in the 7800 block of Evergreen Way. A 7-year-old Everett boy died.
McCallon, his wife and young son were headed to a friend's house for dinner when they say a black BMW zipped by them along Evergreen Way, swerving in and out of lanes.
"Nick, I don't want you to be anywhere near that car," Felicia McCallon remembers telling her husband.
Less than a minute later, they saw the car again, now reduced to crumpled metal on the rain-soaked thoroughfare.
They serve, risk their lives for one reason, to help. Help defend this nation and help when natural disasters hit. Help when people of other nations are in harms way and this nation says they must go. Help when their comrades are in danger. For them it isn't a matter of just "doing their duty" while in uniform, but they carry the same willingness to help throughout their lives.
Why did McCallon rush to the mangled car? Because someone needed him to.
Now the image of the dead 7 year old in the car will stay with him as he holds his own newborn son, born right after the accident. Yet too many of us never stop to think of what they go through to do what they do for us.
Iraq veteran was first on the scene where a 7-year-old died in a crash
By Eric Stevick
Herald Writer
November 3, 2012
Mark Mulligan / The Herald
Nicholas McCallon, 27, of Everett, with his newborn son, Nathan, was the first to respond at the scene of a fatal accident on Evergreen Way on Oct. 30. After going home from the scene, McCallon was awoken at 3:20 a.m. by his wife, telling him that it was time to head to the hospital. Nathan arrived two weeks earlier than expected.
EVERETT -- Nicholas McCallon had seen death in its most raw and indelible forms during two tours of duty in Iraq.
What the ex-soldier hadn't prepared for was the death of a child less than a mile from his Everett home.
McCallon, 27, was the first person to reach the scene of a fatal crash Tuesday night in the 7800 block of Evergreen Way. A 7-year-old Everett boy died.
McCallon, his wife and young son were headed to a friend's house for dinner when they say a black BMW zipped by them along Evergreen Way, swerving in and out of lanes.
"Nick, I don't want you to be anywhere near that car," Felicia McCallon remembers telling her husband.
Less than a minute later, they saw the car again, now reduced to crumpled metal on the rain-soaked thoroughfare.
As medics tried to help the boy, McCallon put compression on the woman's wound and tried to comfort her.
"The first words out of her mouth (were), 'All I remember is a boy in the window,' " McCallon said.
Only when he returned to his car, while his wife gave a statement to the police, did McCallon allow the magnitude of the tragedy to get to him. read more here
Oregon National Guardsmen win $85 million from KBR
This happened when Congress didn't give a damn and KBR made a lot of money. This is how National Guards Soldiers were treated but too many didn't care to pay attention.
Iraq War Contractor Ordered to Pay $85 Million
By NIGEL DUARA and STEVEN DUBOIS
Associated Press
PORTLAND, Ore.
November 3, 2012
(AP)
A jury on Friday ordered an American military contractor to pay $85 million after finding it guilty of negligence for illnesses suffered by a dozen Oregon soldiers who guarded an oilfield water plant during the Iraq war.
After a three-week trial, the jury deliberated for just two days before reaching a decision against the contractor, Kellogg Brown and Root.
The suit was the first concerning soldiers' exposure to a toxin at a water plant in southern Iraq. The soldiers said they suffer from respiratory ailments after their exposure to sodium dichromate, and they fear that a carcinogen the toxin contains, hexavalent chromium, could cause cancer later in life.
Rocky Bixby, the soldier whose name appeared on the suit, said the verdict should reflect a punishment for the company's neglect of U.S. soldiers.
"This was about showing that they cannot get away with treating soldiers like that," Bixby said. "It should show them what they did was wrong, prove what they did was wrong and punish them for what they did."
Each soldier received $850,000 in noneconomic damages and $6.25 million in punitive damages.
Another suit from Oregon Guardsmen is on hold while the Portland trial plays out. There are also suits pending in Texas involving soldiers from Texas, Indiana and West Virginia.
KBR was found guilty of negligence but not a secondary claim of fraud.
read more here
Oregon National Guardsmen still fighting for justice after Iraq
Friday, November 2, 2012
Camp Lejeune Marine dies in Afghanistan of non combat injuries
PENTAGON
NOVEMBER 2, 2012
BY: ROBERT TILFORD
The Department of Defense announced today the death of a Marine who was supporting Operation Enduring Freedom.
“Cpl. Alex F. Domion, 21, of Richfield Springs, N.Y., died Oct. 31, as a result of a non-combat related incident in Helmand province, Afghanistan. He was assigned to 2nd Combat Engineer Battalion, 2nd Marine Division, II Marine Expeditionary Force, Camp Lejeune, N.C. This incident is under investigation"
read more here
Songwriting with Soldiers Fight PTSD Battle
Songwriting with Soldiers
KUT News Austin
November 2, 2012
by: Peter Babb
According to a study by the Rand Corporation, 1 in 5 Iraq and Afghanistan veterans suffer from some type of post-traumatic stress: more than 300 thousand servicemen and women. PTSD (post-traumatic stress disorder) can lead to alcohol and drug abuse, broken families, homelessness—and suicide. On average, 18 veterans commit suicide each day.
Only half of those suffering from PTSD seek treatment. Many soldiers fear that admitting a problem might hurt their careers.
For those who do reach out, resources are available—from traditional therapies to new approaches.
Austin-based singer-songwriter Darden Smith is the founder of a new program to help promote soldiers’ healing through music. Texas Music Matters’ David Brown reports from a camp outside Fort Hood, TX, site of a recent Songwriting with Soldiers retreat.
go here for audio
KUT News Austin
November 2, 2012
by: Peter Babb
According to a study by the Rand Corporation, 1 in 5 Iraq and Afghanistan veterans suffer from some type of post-traumatic stress: more than 300 thousand servicemen and women. PTSD (post-traumatic stress disorder) can lead to alcohol and drug abuse, broken families, homelessness—and suicide. On average, 18 veterans commit suicide each day.
Only half of those suffering from PTSD seek treatment. Many soldiers fear that admitting a problem might hurt their careers.
For those who do reach out, resources are available—from traditional therapies to new approaches.
Austin-based singer-songwriter Darden Smith is the founder of a new program to help promote soldiers’ healing through music. Texas Music Matters’ David Brown reports from a camp outside Fort Hood, TX, site of a recent Songwriting with Soldiers retreat.
go here for audio
Hearing Other Veterans’ Traumatic Experiences Helps Reduce PTSD
Hearing Other Veterans’ Traumatic Experiences Helps Reduce PTSD
November 1st, 2012
Good Therapy
Group-based exposure therapy (GBET) is a therapeutic approach that involves confronting traumatic memories in a group setting. This type of treatment is designed to help clients work through fear and anxiety related to the trauma and process emotional responses in an adaptive way.
In individualized therapy, clients often are encouraged to recall the details of their trauma. But in group settings, the question has arisen whether the explicit recollection of trauma-related details by one member would increase traumatic symptoms in others. Specifically, does one person’s account of his or her trauma serve as a trigger for another person’s traumatic memory, especially if the traumas are similar in nature? And if so, does this impair or enhance therapeutic progress?
read more here
November 1st, 2012
Good Therapy
Group-based exposure therapy (GBET) is a therapeutic approach that involves confronting traumatic memories in a group setting. This type of treatment is designed to help clients work through fear and anxiety related to the trauma and process emotional responses in an adaptive way.
In individualized therapy, clients often are encouraged to recall the details of their trauma. But in group settings, the question has arisen whether the explicit recollection of trauma-related details by one member would increase traumatic symptoms in others. Specifically, does one person’s account of his or her trauma serve as a trigger for another person’s traumatic memory, especially if the traumas are similar in nature? And if so, does this impair or enhance therapeutic progress?
read more here
VETERANS MULTI-PURPOSE CENTER WISHES TO RECONIZE A WIFE OF A VIETNAM VETERAN
I am delighted that I will finally get to meet my friends on the 10th!
ON THIS VETERANS DAY 2012 THE VETERANS MULTI-PURPOSE CENTER WISHES TO RECONIZE A WIFE OF A VIETNAM VETERAN AND THE WOMAN BEHIND A TON OF WORK BEING DONE FOR VETERANS HERE IN FLORIDA. WE ARE PROUD TO ATTEST TO THE GREAT WORK OF OUR GOOD FRIEND KATHY COSTOS.
She is the creator of "The Wounded Times Blog" and the author of the book "For the Love of Jack" She is located here in Florida and her story is printed on her web site but, there is much more to this woman and her dedication to all veterans. At a time when our nations economy is suffering, we need to realize non-profit organizations suffer as well.
We must do what we can to strengthen these organizations who provide the much needed help. No, the Wounded Times Blog is not a large nationally known organization with expensive adds pleading for money on the television. No, this is one person behind the effort to help educate veterans and their families what PTSD is and how to live with it.
This is from someone who knows better than most, the anguish and despair this combat related disorder can cause. As a non-profit organization ourselves, we know all to well the struggle involved in funding the work we all do. However, we can't let this effort by Kathie Costos go un-noticed and un-funded.
Please go to the web site Wounded Times Blog We challenge all veterans and veterans organizations to MAKE A DONATION and let her know you support the work she is doing, WE HAVE!
Marine Veteran in Pink Tutu Knocks Out Disabled Vet In Wheelchair
Marine Veteran in Pink Tutu Knocks Out Disabled Vet In Wheelchair Over Costume Dispute
by Jonathan Turley
November 1, 2012
Bizarre , Criminal law , Society
We are just hearing about torts and crimes rolling in from Halloween (to be added to our 2013 listing of Spooky Torts).
None are quite as bizarre as the arrest of Christopher Dabney, 22, a Marine veteran who took offense at the costume of Daniel Priotti in a wheelchair. It appears that Priotti was dressed as a veteran in a wheelchair. It turns out that Priotti is a disabled Marine veteran confined to a wheelchair.
At the time of the attack, Dabney was wearing a pink tutu.
The scene unfolded in a Pita Pit restaurant in Gainesville, Florida around 2 a.m. when both were in line. Dabney reportedly called Priotti a “fake” and hit the victim twice and knocked him unconscious. Dabney was stopped by men at the restaurant from leaving.
read more here
by Jonathan Turley
November 1, 2012
Bizarre , Criminal law , Society
We are just hearing about torts and crimes rolling in from Halloween (to be added to our 2013 listing of Spooky Torts).
None are quite as bizarre as the arrest of Christopher Dabney, 22, a Marine veteran who took offense at the costume of Daniel Priotti in a wheelchair. It appears that Priotti was dressed as a veteran in a wheelchair. It turns out that Priotti is a disabled Marine veteran confined to a wheelchair.
At the time of the attack, Dabney was wearing a pink tutu.
The scene unfolded in a Pita Pit restaurant in Gainesville, Florida around 2 a.m. when both were in line. Dabney reportedly called Priotti a “fake” and hit the victim twice and knocked him unconscious. Dabney was stopped by men at the restaurant from leaving.
read more here
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