June deadliest month for troops in Afghanistan in 9 months
Stars and Stripes
By Heath Druzin
Published: June 30, 2013
KABUL -- In a dark reminder that the fighting in Afghanistan is still raging, despite the multinational military coalition’s pronouncements that the war is winding down, June has become the deadliest month for international troops in the country in nearly a year.
Already in June, at least 27 foreign troops have died, including 17 Americans, the most deaths in a month since September 2012, according to iCasualties.org, a website that tracks troop deaths. Twenty-five of the deaths were termed “hostile,” or battle-related.
A large part of the higher casualty rate in June is likely due to violence traditionally rising in the warmer months, as insurgents stream back into Afghanistan from their winter redoubts in Pakistan.
Afghan troops have been dying at a much higher rate as they have taken on more responsibility for day-to-day security while facing a still-entrenched insurgency. Almost as many Afghan troops were killed in 2012 alone than the number of U.S. troops killed in the entire nearly 12-year war.
read more here
Sunday, June 30, 2013
Boston VA claims prove Vietnam veterans are largest percentage of claims
The media has been focusing on the OEF and OIF veterans as if everyone else was taken care of. The truth is, we didn't take care of Gulf War veterans and we sure didn't take care of Vietnam veterans. That is worth talking about since it also points out one very simple fact. They are waiting in line because no President, no Congress has ever put veterans first. As bad as it is for the newer veterans, if we don't get the VA fixed now, what will it be like for them 20, 30 or 40 years from now?
Boston sixth longest wait for vets' disability
Sentinel and Enterprise
By Rick Sobey
MediaNews
Posted: 06/30/2013
With a seemingly endless number of Vietnam veterans learning about available benefits and countless veterans returning from Iraq and Afghanistan, the veteran disability wait in Boston is one of the highest in the nation.
But Billerica Vietnam veteran Frank Busalacchi and Tyngsboro Veteran Agent Chris Dery, who's in a two-year backlog, are not surprised the average Boston claims are taking about a year.
"It's the perfect storm right now," Dery said. "Boston gives some of the best benefits, which keeps all the veterans here. The VA is doing all they can. They're just up against the wall."
As of June 22 in the Boston Veterans Affairs regional office, 10,279 claims were pending, and on average, claims had been pending for 306 days. Boston has the sixth longest wait in the country. The Washington, D.C. regional office now has the longest delay -- 442 days.
One of the issues, Busalacchi said, is that many Vietnam veterans did not file claims when they returned in the 1960s and '70s.
"There was the 'too macho, too tough' mentality," said Busalacchi, who filed an eye and knee disability claim in 1967.
"So they waited and waited and waited, and it's really backlogged."
Only 22 percent of the pending claims are from veterans of the Iraq and Afghanistan wars. The rest are from prior wars and peacetime, with Vietnam War vets -- at 36 percent -- comprising the largest group.
read more here
6 brothers fought in World War II
6 brothers fought in World War II
By John D. Russell
The (Florence) Morning News via AP
Jun. 29, 2013
FLORENCE, S.C. — Most parents would agree keeping up with children while away at school can be a challenge.
Imagine what it would be like keeping up with six sons, all serving in the military at the same time in World War II.
It happened to Florence's Emutral Garrison.
She did the best she could do.
For two years, from 1944-46, Emutral kept up a steady correspondence with her six boys, William, James, Rogers, Daniel, Fred and Charles, sending news from home and, most importantly, transmitting news gleaned from one son to all the others.
Daniel Garrison, 92, one of the last two living brothers, served in the U.S. Navy as an Aviation Ordnance chief petty officer from 1941 to 1959. Daniel said the letters from Mom meant everything and were a true blessing.
"My mother had all those letters to write," Daniel said. "She didn't leave any of us out. That's a good mom."
read more here
My husband's Dad and uncles all served in WWII as well. First generations Americans, four brothers, four branches of the military. Dad was Army, Uncle John Marine Corps, killed in Saipan, Uncle in Merchant Marines and another was Navy.
By John D. Russell
The (Florence) Morning News via AP
Jun. 29, 2013
FLORENCE, S.C. — Most parents would agree keeping up with children while away at school can be a challenge.
Imagine what it would be like keeping up with six sons, all serving in the military at the same time in World War II.
It happened to Florence's Emutral Garrison.
She did the best she could do.
For two years, from 1944-46, Emutral kept up a steady correspondence with her six boys, William, James, Rogers, Daniel, Fred and Charles, sending news from home and, most importantly, transmitting news gleaned from one son to all the others.
Daniel Garrison, 92, one of the last two living brothers, served in the U.S. Navy as an Aviation Ordnance chief petty officer from 1941 to 1959. Daniel said the letters from Mom meant everything and were a true blessing.
"My mother had all those letters to write," Daniel said. "She didn't leave any of us out. That's a good mom."
read more here
Judge orders public shame for fraud defendants
Judge orders shame for fraud defendants
By Guillermo Contreras
San Antonio Express-News
Published: June 29, 2013
SAN ANTONIO — In what he noted might not be legal, a federal judge on Friday ordered a very public shaming for two former officials of a now defunct contractor for their roles in overcharging taxpayers more than $6.4 million between 2002 and 2008.
Chief U.S. District Judge Fred Biery sentenced Donald Dean Brewer and his wife, Sherri Lynn Brewer, both 64, to a lifetime of probation and ordered them to publish an admission to their crimes in their hometown newspaper.
The former San Antonio residents retired to Clovis, a small town in southeastern New Mexico, and faced six to 10 years in federal prison.
“There has not been a full and forthcoming acceptance of responsibility,” Biery said. “There's been minimization. You are going to write a letter to be published in the Clovis newspaper. ...It better be a real strong confessional. It better say, 'I am a liar. I am a thief. I betrayed my friends. I betrayed the United States.'”
read more here
By Guillermo Contreras
San Antonio Express-News
Published: June 29, 2013
SAN ANTONIO — In what he noted might not be legal, a federal judge on Friday ordered a very public shaming for two former officials of a now defunct contractor for their roles in overcharging taxpayers more than $6.4 million between 2002 and 2008.
Chief U.S. District Judge Fred Biery sentenced Donald Dean Brewer and his wife, Sherri Lynn Brewer, both 64, to a lifetime of probation and ordered them to publish an admission to their crimes in their hometown newspaper.
The former San Antonio residents retired to Clovis, a small town in southeastern New Mexico, and faced six to 10 years in federal prison.
“There has not been a full and forthcoming acceptance of responsibility,” Biery said. “There's been minimization. You are going to write a letter to be published in the Clovis newspaper. ...It better be a real strong confessional. It better say, 'I am a liar. I am a thief. I betrayed my friends. I betrayed the United States.'”
read more here
Veteran's Home Run race for worthy vets cause of Crawford House
Veteran's Home Run race for worthy vets cause of Crawford House
The Gazette
By Brent Briggeman
Published: June 29, 2013
When it comes to reasons to take an early morning run, well, this one is tough to beat.
More than 280 runners took on a 5K course at Memorial Park at 7 a.m. Saturday for the Veteran's Home Run, a race in its eighth year that raises money for the Crawford House - a haven and treatment center for homeless veterans.
"I like racing for vets and the Crawford House," race winner Paul Mann said. "I know it's a good cause."
The entirely paved race produced quick times, with five course age-group records falling. Mann won in 17 minutes, 34 seconds, with runner-up Jay Meservy finishing 12 seconds later.
Mann, 35, is a Cheyenne Mountain graduate who ran track and cross country at Colorado State.
The finishers behind Mann included a U.S. Marine, a man carrying a POW/MIA flag, runners as young as 8 and as old as 76 and Ross Osborne, who navigated the course in a wheelchair.
read more here
The Gazette
By Brent Briggeman
Published: June 29, 2013
When it comes to reasons to take an early morning run, well, this one is tough to beat.
More than 280 runners took on a 5K course at Memorial Park at 7 a.m. Saturday for the Veteran's Home Run, a race in its eighth year that raises money for the Crawford House - a haven and treatment center for homeless veterans.
"I like racing for vets and the Crawford House," race winner Paul Mann said. "I know it's a good cause."
The entirely paved race produced quick times, with five course age-group records falling. Mann won in 17 minutes, 34 seconds, with runner-up Jay Meservy finishing 12 seconds later.
Mann, 35, is a Cheyenne Mountain graduate who ran track and cross country at Colorado State.
The finishers behind Mann included a U.S. Marine, a man carrying a POW/MIA flag, runners as young as 8 and as old as 76 and Ross Osborne, who navigated the course in a wheelchair.
read more here
Fort Campbell soldier's death in Afghanistan under investigation
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
June 29, 2013
FORT CAMPBELL, Kentucky — A Fort Campbell soldier from New York has died in Afghanistan.
A statement from the Army on Saturday says 25-year-old Sgt. Justin Richard Rogers of Barton, New York, died Friday at Bagram Airfield in a noncombat related incident. The Army says it is investigating Rogers' death.
read more here
Raised concerns about mental health did little to stop redeployment from Lewis-McChord
Mental health surveys divert few soldiers from deployment
The News Tribune
ADAM ASHTON
STAFF WRITER
Published: June 29, 2013
A small fraction of soldiers deploying out of Joint Base Lewis-McChord during the peak of the Iraq War were removed from combat missions because their answers on last-minute screenings raised concerns about their mental health, according to data obtained by The News Tribune.
Just 250 out of more than 72,000 pre-deployment health surveys reviewed at Madigan Army Medical Center between 2006 and 2010 led to soldiers being taken off combat tours after they revealed signs of ailments such as post-traumatic stress disorder or head injuries. That’s less than 0.4 percent of the surveys that were completed.
The numbers appear small, but they come from a group of soldiers who had been considered healthy and ready to deploy when they took the surveys in the months before they were scheduled to leave the country.
“These are the people who have already drawn their gear and are on the ramp,” said Madigan Commander Col. Dallas Homas.
The data shed new light on one of the safety valves military officials put in place after it became clear they would be sending soldiers in an all-volunteer Army on multiple combat tours, continually exposing the same troops to insurgent bombs in Afghanistan and Iraq.
Army-supported studies since 2007 have shown that repeated deployments increase the probability soldiers will experience PTSD.
read more here
Same reminder on this one.
The News Tribune
ADAM ASHTON
STAFF WRITER
Published: June 29, 2013
A small fraction of soldiers deploying out of Joint Base Lewis-McChord during the peak of the Iraq War were removed from combat missions because their answers on last-minute screenings raised concerns about their mental health, according to data obtained by The News Tribune.
Just 250 out of more than 72,000 pre-deployment health surveys reviewed at Madigan Army Medical Center between 2006 and 2010 led to soldiers being taken off combat tours after they revealed signs of ailments such as post-traumatic stress disorder or head injuries. That’s less than 0.4 percent of the surveys that were completed.
The numbers appear small, but they come from a group of soldiers who had been considered healthy and ready to deploy when they took the surveys in the months before they were scheduled to leave the country.
“These are the people who have already drawn their gear and are on the ramp,” said Madigan Commander Col. Dallas Homas.
The data shed new light on one of the safety valves military officials put in place after it became clear they would be sending soldiers in an all-volunteer Army on multiple combat tours, continually exposing the same troops to insurgent bombs in Afghanistan and Iraq.
Army-supported studies since 2007 have shown that repeated deployments increase the probability soldiers will experience PTSD.
read more here
Same reminder on this one.
Military suicides: an unspoken tragedy
Military suicides: an unspoken tragedy
Roanoke.com
by RODNEY A. FRANKLIN
Sunday, June 30, 2013
Since 2001, more than 2,700 have taken their lives. In 2012 alone, the Army reported 168 suicides; the Navy, 53; the Air Force, 56; and the Marines, 46.
While researchers list financial problems, substance abuse and spousal breakups as causes for this upsurge, in reality they are only manifestations. Most agree the real cause boils down to repeated deployment. Many have pulled three and four tours in Iraq or Afghanistan. After being in a “survival mode” for a year, it takes time to come down, and when they finally do, they find themselves again on deployment, and the cycle begins all over again.
Self-inflicted wounds prior to battle have always plagued military commanders. Since 2001, however, military men and women have taken their lives after they return home because they cannot reintegrate. Kim Ruocco, head of Tragedy Assistance for Survivors, said, “We should expect our troops to need psychological care after all we’ve asked of them.” Ruocco’s husband, a Marine Corps Major, hanged himself between Iraq deployments in early 2005. (“Grim Record: Soldier Suicides Reach new High,” Time magazine, Aug. 16, 2012.)
If re-integration is difficult for men, it is doubly so for our women soldiers. In the minority, they often feel alone. Where a man can always find a fellow soldier with whom he can relate, women find it more difficult. Too, they have issues unknown to men.
read more here
They did it anyway. Now they say that most of the suicides were not connected to deployment. They never seem to manage to bring up the other causes of trauma like sexual assaults (male and female) abuse of all kinds and training with bombs blowing up.
Roanoke.com
by RODNEY A. FRANKLIN
Sunday, June 30, 2013
Franklin served in the Navy during the Korean Conflict and in the Air Force during Vietnam. He lives in Bedford County.When Marine Medal of Honor recipient Dakota Meyer put a pistol to his head and pulled the trigger, the gun misfired. Had he died that night sitting in his pickup in Kentucky, his death would have been added to the growing number of active duty military personnel who have committed suicide.
Since 2001, more than 2,700 have taken their lives. In 2012 alone, the Army reported 168 suicides; the Navy, 53; the Air Force, 56; and the Marines, 46.
While researchers list financial problems, substance abuse and spousal breakups as causes for this upsurge, in reality they are only manifestations. Most agree the real cause boils down to repeated deployment. Many have pulled three and four tours in Iraq or Afghanistan. After being in a “survival mode” for a year, it takes time to come down, and when they finally do, they find themselves again on deployment, and the cycle begins all over again.
Self-inflicted wounds prior to battle have always plagued military commanders. Since 2001, however, military men and women have taken their lives after they return home because they cannot reintegrate. Kim Ruocco, head of Tragedy Assistance for Survivors, said, “We should expect our troops to need psychological care after all we’ve asked of them.” Ruocco’s husband, a Marine Corps Major, hanged himself between Iraq deployments in early 2005. (“Grim Record: Soldier Suicides Reach new High,” Time magazine, Aug. 16, 2012.)
If re-integration is difficult for men, it is doubly so for our women soldiers. In the minority, they often feel alone. Where a man can always find a fellow soldier with whom he can relate, women find it more difficult. Too, they have issues unknown to men.
read more here
If you think he is wrong on redeployments, here is a good reminder
They did it anyway. Now they say that most of the suicides were not connected to deployment. They never seem to manage to bring up the other causes of trauma like sexual assaults (male and female) abuse of all kinds and training with bombs blowing up.
Evidence in UK soldier’s suicide ‘not sufficiently clear’
Evidence of Mansfield soldier’s suicide ‘not sufficiently clear’
Chad.com UK
June 29, 2013
The inquest into the death of Mansfield former soldier Ashley Clarkson found that evidence into his death was ‘not sufficiently clear’ that he had intended to end his own life.
Nottinghamshire deputy coroner Heidi Connor delivered a narrative verdict at the hearing on Thursday into the untimely death of the 23-year-old in March 2012.
The troubled ex-Royal Logistic Corps private, had been found hanging at his home on Clifford Street by his girlfriend Chloe.
The day-long inquest, in which numerous witnesses were called including family and military and medical spokesmen, heard that Mr Clarkson had suffered from anxiety and depression, caused by numerous factors that included the death of close family and friends, and the horrors of what he witnessed while on tour of Iraq during his time in the army.
However, the army deemed a low risk in terms of suicidal thoughts by the time he was discharged from the army in 2011.
Chad.com UK
June 29, 2013
The inquest into the death of Mansfield former soldier Ashley Clarkson found that evidence into his death was ‘not sufficiently clear’ that he had intended to end his own life.
Nottinghamshire deputy coroner Heidi Connor delivered a narrative verdict at the hearing on Thursday into the untimely death of the 23-year-old in March 2012.
The troubled ex-Royal Logistic Corps private, had been found hanging at his home on Clifford Street by his girlfriend Chloe.
The day-long inquest, in which numerous witnesses were called including family and military and medical spokesmen, heard that Mr Clarkson had suffered from anxiety and depression, caused by numerous factors that included the death of close family and friends, and the horrors of what he witnessed while on tour of Iraq during his time in the army.
However, the army deemed a low risk in terms of suicidal thoughts by the time he was discharged from the army in 2011.
On the day of his death, and almost a year after his discharge, Ashley had visited his mother at work on the morning, where she said he looked vacant and distant, had been up all night and smelled of alcohol.
Later that day family members became worried after text messages were not being returned by Ashley.
His girlfriend, Chloe Thompson, with whom he lived with at Clifford Street, returned to their house where she found him hanging from the top of the stairs. No letter or suicide not note had been left.
Passing the narrative verdict, Ms Connor absolved responsibility from the army by saying: “For a tragedy like this to be preventable, it has to be predictable. Ashley was not thought to be suffering from a mental illness before he was discharged.”
read more here
Where are the military suicide reports?
End of June and monthly Army suicide report for May has not come out. The 2012 Suicide Event Report has still not been released. Anyone explain where these reports are? Has anyone explained the delay?
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)