Plan to shut military supermarkets shows difficulty of cutting defense spending
Washington Post
By Rajiv Chandrasekaran
Published: June 1
CAMP LEJEUNE, N.C. — Motion sensors and razor-wire coils ring the ammunition depot on this vast Marine Corps base. Sentries stand watch in the lobby of the headquarters complex. Military police officers patrol the barracks every few hours. But no building here boasts the defenses of the giant, government-run supermarket, whose bright, wide aisles are stocked with seemingly every brand of every food product available in America — Heinz ketchup, Oscar Mayer bacon, Lay’s chips — all sold at close to wholesale prices.
The cost of ordering the goods, filling the shelves and checking out customers is all borne by the American taxpayer.
Three summers ago, Richard V. Spencer, a retired investment banker who serves on a Pentagon advisory board, proposed shutting down the commissary at Camp Lejeune and every other domestic military base, a step that would save taxpayers about $1 billion a year.
He called several large retailers to see if they would be willing to take over the markets. None were, but Wal-Mart, which has stores within 10 miles of most U.S. bases, proposed offering equivalent discounts to troops, their spouses and their retired brethren. He figured other national chains would follow suit.
read more here
Sunday, June 2, 2013
Open Carry Rally and March Triggers Second Amendment Rights
Open Carry Rally and March Triggers Second Amendment Rights
KWTX News
Kristin Gordon
June 1, 2013
TEMPLE (June 1, 2013)--A run in between a Fort Hood soldier and the Temple Police Department triggers an open carry rally and march...and a strong desire to protect second amendment rights.
On March 16, Army Master Sergeant CJ Grisham and his son were walking down Airport Road in West Temple.
He had a loaded assault style rifle strapped across his chest. While Grisham had the right to carry a firearm, a person called police out of concern after seeing the weapon in public.
Grisham's son recorded video on his phone of police confiscating his dad's weapon and taking Grisham into custody.
Arguments are still being heard over why this incident took place between Grisham and Temple Police.
But it has also awakened a desire to show support for the second amendment.
read more here
From YouTube
KWTX News
Kristin Gordon
June 1, 2013
TEMPLE (June 1, 2013)--A run in between a Fort Hood soldier and the Temple Police Department triggers an open carry rally and march...and a strong desire to protect second amendment rights.
On March 16, Army Master Sergeant CJ Grisham and his son were walking down Airport Road in West Temple.
He had a loaded assault style rifle strapped across his chest. While Grisham had the right to carry a firearm, a person called police out of concern after seeing the weapon in public.
Grisham's son recorded video on his phone of police confiscating his dad's weapon and taking Grisham into custody.
Arguments are still being heard over why this incident took place between Grisham and Temple Police.
But it has also awakened a desire to show support for the second amendment.
read more here
From YouTube
Vietnam Vet acquitted of killing wife's lover celebrates at Waffle House in Florida
Add this to strange news out of Florida!
Elderly Veteran Catches Young Wife Cheating; Shoots, Kills Her Lover
(VIDEO)
6/01/13
by Chris Mandia
Guns.com
The 70-year-old Vietnam veteran from Brandon, Florida, who confessed to killing another man after finding him having sex with his wife, has been acquitted of any wrongdoing.
Ralph Lewis Wald called 911 on March 21 and calmly told a dispatcher he shot 32-year-old Walter Lee Conley, whom he’d reportedly caught “fornicating” with his 42-year-old wife Johnna Flores.
When Hillsborough County Sheriffs deputies arrived, Wald explained he’d woken up for a late-night drink from the kitchen when he saw the lovers having sex in his living room. He returned to his room, grabbed a gun and shot Conley several times.
“Because my husband puts me first, he’s taking me to the Waffle House,” said Flores.read more here
Police Officer suicide is a dark subject that many people prefer to avoid
PTSD and POLICE OFFICER SUICIDE – Two Dirty Secrets
Police Insider
MAY 29, 2013
Police Officer suicide is a dark subject that many people prefer to avoid.
The Martin Bouchard story brought back some painful memories for me.
Martin Bouchard (30) was an RCMP Officer who suffered from PTSD after working a posting in Shamatttawa, Manitoba, a troubled Indian Reservation 1,200 kilometers northeast of Winnipeg known for substance abuse and suicide.
In 2007, seventy-four (74) youths attempted suicide and a further eighty-two (82) made suicide threats. In the first five (5) months of 2008 thirty-seven (37) youths and ten (10) adults attempted suicide. Fifty-two (52) others told health care workers they intended to kill themselves. The youngest person to attempt suicide was a nine (9) year old child. (Source: Gladu.org “Many suicides in Shamattawa.”)
According to Bouchard’s wife Krista, the suicides and attempt suicides were the most traumatic events for Martin. Quoted in a Winnipeg Free Press article by reporter Rebekah Funk, Krista got to the crux of the matter, “The biggest thing was the hangers, they called them. They were cutting people out of the trees weekly for attempted suicides and suicides.”
Martin would be diagnosed with depression and PTSD, a devastating condition that affects countless men and women in Law Enforcement and the Military. Krista reports that Martin became a changed, angry and hostile man, factors that caused the couple to separate. Simply put, “the job” was eating Martin up.
On November 8, 2012, just four (4) days after handing in his badge, Martin Bouchard committed suicide.
Krista Bouchard links her husbands death to his ongoing struggle with PTSD and believes it was preventable if the RCMP had placed some priority on helping Martin cope with trauma he suffered as a result of his employment.
read more here
Police Insider
MAY 29, 2013
Police Officer suicide is a dark subject that many people prefer to avoid.
The Martin Bouchard story brought back some painful memories for me.
Martin Bouchard (30) was an RCMP Officer who suffered from PTSD after working a posting in Shamatttawa, Manitoba, a troubled Indian Reservation 1,200 kilometers northeast of Winnipeg known for substance abuse and suicide.
In 2007, seventy-four (74) youths attempted suicide and a further eighty-two (82) made suicide threats. In the first five (5) months of 2008 thirty-seven (37) youths and ten (10) adults attempted suicide. Fifty-two (52) others told health care workers they intended to kill themselves. The youngest person to attempt suicide was a nine (9) year old child. (Source: Gladu.org “Many suicides in Shamattawa.”)
According to Bouchard’s wife Krista, the suicides and attempt suicides were the most traumatic events for Martin. Quoted in a Winnipeg Free Press article by reporter Rebekah Funk, Krista got to the crux of the matter, “The biggest thing was the hangers, they called them. They were cutting people out of the trees weekly for attempted suicides and suicides.”
Martin would be diagnosed with depression and PTSD, a devastating condition that affects countless men and women in Law Enforcement and the Military. Krista reports that Martin became a changed, angry and hostile man, factors that caused the couple to separate. Simply put, “the job” was eating Martin up.
On November 8, 2012, just four (4) days after handing in his badge, Martin Bouchard committed suicide.
Krista Bouchard links her husbands death to his ongoing struggle with PTSD and believes it was preventable if the RCMP had placed some priority on helping Martin cope with trauma he suffered as a result of his employment.
read more here
WWII veteran's suicide leads to help for others
Local group wins $250,000 to build military retreat for veterans with PTSD
WDRB News
Posted: Jun 01, 2013
LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- A local non-profit organization has beat out other groups across the nation in the fight to win $250,000 for military families.
With a final push from veterans for votes in Home Depot's 'Aprons in Action' competition, the organization took home the grand prize.
For Troy Yocum, this moment, has been a long time in the making.
It started in 1981, when his grandfather, a World War II veteran suffering from PTSD, committed suicide.
"As a kid I didn't' understand it, until I went to Iraq myself and realized a lot of my friends and comrades were going through a lot of similar things," says Troy Yocum.
Yocum came home and set out on a mission across the country.
In 2011, we caught up with him as he was walking across the country to raise money for veterans in need.
From that came the non-profit Active Heroes, which has helped military families needing financial assistance, and home repairs.
But Yocum still dreamed of a place to help veterans like his grandfather, suffering from PTSD.
"My grandfather's suicide definitely touched me as a kid. I'm now 34 years old, and that dream of building a retreat has always been there," says Troy Yocum.
That dream, will now become a reality.
read more here
WDRB News
Posted: Jun 01, 2013
LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- A local non-profit organization has beat out other groups across the nation in the fight to win $250,000 for military families.
With a final push from veterans for votes in Home Depot's 'Aprons in Action' competition, the organization took home the grand prize.
For Troy Yocum, this moment, has been a long time in the making.
It started in 1981, when his grandfather, a World War II veteran suffering from PTSD, committed suicide.
"As a kid I didn't' understand it, until I went to Iraq myself and realized a lot of my friends and comrades were going through a lot of similar things," says Troy Yocum.
Yocum came home and set out on a mission across the country.
In 2011, we caught up with him as he was walking across the country to raise money for veterans in need.
From that came the non-profit Active Heroes, which has helped military families needing financial assistance, and home repairs.
But Yocum still dreamed of a place to help veterans like his grandfather, suffering from PTSD.
"My grandfather's suicide definitely touched me as a kid. I'm now 34 years old, and that dream of building a retreat has always been there," says Troy Yocum.
That dream, will now become a reality.
read more here
Marine Major found not guilty of rape
Marine major found not guilty of raping mid
Marine Corps Times
By Jacqueline Klimas
Staff writer
Jun. 1, 2013
A Marine officer and former Naval Academy instructor is not guilty of raping a mid at his home in April 2011, a jury determined late Friday night.
However, Maj. Mark Thompson is guilty of committing an indecent act, having an unduly familiar relationship and conduct unbecoming an officer. The officer’s court-martial began Tuesday at Washington Navy Yard and his sentencing is slated for Monday.
Thompson was accused of assaulting the mid on April 30, 2011, along with having consensual sex with another mid that same evening.
It was the day of the academy’s annual croquet match with St. John’s College, and both women had spent the day drinking at the event, according to their testimony. They testified that the night ended at Thompson’s home where they played strip poker and drank multiple tequila shots. After allegedly moving to the bedroom, one woman, now a Marine second lieutenant, testified she was sexually assaulted. The other mid, Sarah Stadler, now an ensign, said she had consensual sex with the major that night, and that it was just the latest of multiple sexual encounters with him.
read more here
Marine Corps Times
By Jacqueline Klimas
Staff writer
Jun. 1, 2013
A Marine officer and former Naval Academy instructor is not guilty of raping a mid at his home in April 2011, a jury determined late Friday night.
However, Maj. Mark Thompson is guilty of committing an indecent act, having an unduly familiar relationship and conduct unbecoming an officer. The officer’s court-martial began Tuesday at Washington Navy Yard and his sentencing is slated for Monday.
Thompson was accused of assaulting the mid on April 30, 2011, along with having consensual sex with another mid that same evening.
It was the day of the academy’s annual croquet match with St. John’s College, and both women had spent the day drinking at the event, according to their testimony. They testified that the night ended at Thompson’s home where they played strip poker and drank multiple tequila shots. After allegedly moving to the bedroom, one woman, now a Marine second lieutenant, testified she was sexually assaulted. The other mid, Sarah Stadler, now an ensign, said she had consensual sex with the major that night, and that it was just the latest of multiple sexual encounters with him.
read more here
Adultery charges against 5 Marines at Camp Pendleton
MARINE CORPS COMES DOWN HARD ON 5 LINKED TO ADULTERY
Staff sergeants claim they were falsely accused and couldn’t get a fair trial
UT San Diego
By Gretel C. Kovach
JUNE 2, 2013
As the armed forces put the spotlight on sexual misconduct, the Marine Corps is kicking five senior noncommissioned officers from Camp Pendleton out of the military because of accusations of adultery and fraternization with a female lance corporal.
The staff sergeants, dismissively called “The Fab Five” by some on base, said they have been falsely accused by the woman, who is not being named because she has not been charged with a crime. They said they are unable to receive a fair trial, even in front of a jury of fellow Marines, because of undue influence from their commanding general and pressure to eradicate sexual misconduct.
According to court documents, the woman was in the process of being separated from the Marine Corps for drug use and was in intensive outpatient treatment for suicidal depression before the allegations came to light.
Other Marines reported in March that she was sexually involved with several male colleagues in Communications Company, Combat Logistics Regiment 17, 1st Marine Logistics Group.
The woman had reported being raped by her Marine recruiter and abused on other occasions before she joined the military in 2010. After the command began investigating her relationships in the company, she tried to commit suicide again by cutting her arm with a kitchen knife in the Camp Pendleton barracks, according to court documents.
Staff sergeants claim they were falsely accused and couldn’t get a fair trial
UT San Diego
By Gretel C. Kovach
JUNE 2, 2013
As the armed forces put the spotlight on sexual misconduct, the Marine Corps is kicking five senior noncommissioned officers from Camp Pendleton out of the military because of accusations of adultery and fraternization with a female lance corporal.
The staff sergeants, dismissively called “The Fab Five” by some on base, said they have been falsely accused by the woman, who is not being named because she has not been charged with a crime. They said they are unable to receive a fair trial, even in front of a jury of fellow Marines, because of undue influence from their commanding general and pressure to eradicate sexual misconduct.
According to court documents, the woman was in the process of being separated from the Marine Corps for drug use and was in intensive outpatient treatment for suicidal depression before the allegations came to light.
Other Marines reported in March that she was sexually involved with several male colleagues in Communications Company, Combat Logistics Regiment 17, 1st Marine Logistics Group.
The woman had reported being raped by her Marine recruiter and abused on other occasions before she joined the military in 2010. After the command began investigating her relationships in the company, she tried to commit suicide again by cutting her arm with a kitchen knife in the Camp Pendleton barracks, according to court documents.
Adultery, like oral sex with one’s spouse or anyone else, is a crime under the Uniform Code of Military Justice.
The command recommended that the woman who said she had sex with the “Fab Five” be charged with fraternization and adultery. Others apparently decided the woman had experienced enough troubles.
The night before her third suicide attempt, she sent a text to one of the defendants, saying: “I should just burn in hell. I don’t want to live and I don’t know when to say ‘no’ because I just want to fit in and be nice. All I want is a nice house, a husband who adores me and beautiful healthy children. I just want to be normal, and apparently I am an outcast.”
read more here
Paralyzed, Marine fights for active duty
Paralyzed, Marine fights for active duty
Foundation raising money for exoskeleton for SpecOps Marine
UT San Diego
By Gretel C. Kovach
MAY 30, 2013
CAMP PENDLETON — The first enemy bullet blew a hole in the neck of a Marine sergeant. The second lodged in the spine of Capt. Derek Herrera, a special operations team leader who was deployed last summer in southwestern Afghanistan.
Herrera tried to pick himself up and discovered he was paralyzed from the chest down. The sergeant lying so still and silent beside him must be dead, he thought. But the other Marine came to a few minutes after teammates carried them off the mud roof. Today that sergeant is almost fully recovered and back at work.
read more here
Foundation raising money for exoskeleton for SpecOps Marine
UT San Diego
By Gretel C. Kovach
MAY 30, 2013
 |
| Capt. Derek Herrera, of 1st Marine Special Operations Battalion, during physical therapy with Lt. Cmdr JD Garbrecht at Camp Pendleton. Herrera was paralyzed from the chest down when he was shot in June 2012 in southwestern Afghanistan. — Nelvin C. Cepeda |
CAMP PENDLETON — The first enemy bullet blew a hole in the neck of a Marine sergeant. The second lodged in the spine of Capt. Derek Herrera, a special operations team leader who was deployed last summer in southwestern Afghanistan.
Herrera tried to pick himself up and discovered he was paralyzed from the chest down. The sergeant lying so still and silent beside him must be dead, he thought. But the other Marine came to a few minutes after teammates carried them off the mud roof. Today that sergeant is almost fully recovered and back at work.
read more here
Researchers looking at wrong connection between TBI and suicides
Last year I did something that was really hard for me. I wrote about having TBI. My life with TBI tells the story so you won't have to read it all here. It was a traumatic event that caused my brain injury. My scull was cracked and I had a concussion. The event caused the damage to my brain as well as how I lived the rest of my life.
TBI does not cause suicides but events do. How you view your life and your future change by events and if you are not able to talk about it, work through it, it eats away at you.
In my case I was only 4 when it happened. There was a lot going on in my young life including a violent alcoholic Dad who found sobriety when I was 13. Even with all of that going on and my sense of self worth eroded, my extended family members were always talking and ready to listen. With only common sense, they were able to be surrogate psychologists and helped me work through all of it.
They gave some bad advice at times yet even when they did they made me understand that I was worthy of them even caring. I knew I was loved no matter what.
PTSD is caused by trauma. I would have ended up with PTSD after many near death experiences and none of them connected to military service because I never served. All were just part of being human. The only reason I didn't was because of talking and a whole lot of faith knowing He didn't do it to me. He helped me forgive what was done to me so other people's actions were not able to ruin me.
PTSD and TBI research overlook the obvious. They are both caused by traumatic events. They do not cause the other. When we talk about suicides trying to connect them to TBI is pretty stupid. People commit suicide because they run out of hope. Treat the PTSD properly and they gain hope that their lives can be better. Treat TBI properly and again, hope they will live better lives has therapeutic treasures.
People can live through almost anything as long as they have hope the next day can be better than the one they are suffering in right now.
They die when there is nothing to hope for.
TBI does not cause suicides but events do. How you view your life and your future change by events and if you are not able to talk about it, work through it, it eats away at you.
In my case I was only 4 when it happened. There was a lot going on in my young life including a violent alcoholic Dad who found sobriety when I was 13. Even with all of that going on and my sense of self worth eroded, my extended family members were always talking and ready to listen. With only common sense, they were able to be surrogate psychologists and helped me work through all of it.
They gave some bad advice at times yet even when they did they made me understand that I was worthy of them even caring. I knew I was loved no matter what.
PTSD is caused by trauma. I would have ended up with PTSD after many near death experiences and none of them connected to military service because I never served. All were just part of being human. The only reason I didn't was because of talking and a whole lot of faith knowing He didn't do it to me. He helped me forgive what was done to me so other people's actions were not able to ruin me.
PTSD and TBI research overlook the obvious. They are both caused by traumatic events. They do not cause the other. When we talk about suicides trying to connect them to TBI is pretty stupid. People commit suicide because they run out of hope. Treat the PTSD properly and they gain hope that their lives can be better. Treat TBI properly and again, hope they will live better lives has therapeutic treasures.
People can live through almost anything as long as they have hope the next day can be better than the one they are suffering in right now.
They die when there is nothing to hope for.
Research examines link between traumatic brain injuries, soldier suicides
FOX 13 News
by Mark Green
June 1, 2013
SALT LAKE CITY – A new study indicates people in the military who suffer more than one traumatic brain injury have a higher risk of suicide.
Assistant psychology professor Craig Bryan, University of Utah, was the lead author of the research performed by the National Center for Veterans Studies at the University of Utah.
They studied 161 military personnel stationed in Iraq who had a possible traumatic brain injury and found their risk for suicidal thoughts increased significantly over the short-term as well as throughout the individual’s lifetime.
Bryan said the problem is complicated by the fact some soldiers are unwilling to face up to the full danger of the situation.
“Most will minimize the problems and the symptoms they’re having because they don’t want to be removed from duty,” he said. “They want to stay and continue their mission.”
Bryan said soldiers who do report symptoms after an injury usually see improvement within 24 to 72 hours of the incident.
read more here
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)