Soldiers return to Fort Campbell on Fourth of July

Soldiers return to Fort Campbell on Fourth of July
WSMV News
Posted by Kevin Young
Posted: Jul 03, 2013

FORT CAMPBELL, KY (WSMV)

There's no day more patriotic than Independence Day, especially for a soldier homecoming.

Members of the 541st Transportation Company returned home to Fort Campbell early Thursday morning after a nine-month deployment to Afghanistan.
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Vietnam veteran died saving others from house fire

Veteran died trying to save others from fire, son says
WHTM News
By Karissa Shatzer
Posted: Jul 04, 2013

LANCASTER, Pa. (WHTM)
A Lancaster man who died in an house fire that killed three others was a war veteran and a hero who made the ultimate sacrifice, according to his son.

"He was a Vietnam vet. He served in '68-'69. He was 101st Airborne," Jimmie Brock said of his father, 64-year-old Jimmie Moore. "I miss him."

Not only did Moore put his life on the line for his country, he died early Thursday after running back into his burning home at 115 E. Clay Street in an attempt to save 13 people who were still inside. Two children between the ages of 2 and 8 are among the victims.

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Fourth of July parade tragedy when child run over by float Dad was driving

Father driving float accidentally runs over son at Fourth of July parade
NBC News
By Sophia Rosenbaum
July 4, 2013

An Oklahoma Fourth of July parade turned tragic Thursday morning when a father accidentally ran over and killed his eight-year-old son who had been on a parade float, police said.

Thousands of people had gathered on the streets of Edmond, Okla., to watch the 40th annual Fourth of July parade, which is part of the weeklong LibertyFest celebration.

When he was loaded into the ambulance, the nurse said he still had a pulse but the boy was pronounced dead when he arrived at UC Presbyterian Hospital.
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Allowed to live or selected to die at Gettysburg

Who 'Dies' is Tough Decision at Gettysburg
Associated Press
by Genaro C. Armas
Jul 04, 2013

GETTYSBURG, Pa. - You're a Civil War re-enactor carrying an authentic musket, out on the field with your history-buff buddies making a charge under withering enemy fire. It's great fun except for one thing: Someone's going to have to "die."

And lying motionless in the grass on a sultry July day in a historically accurate wool uniform while others are performing heroic deeds all around you does not always make for an exciting afternoon.

That's why deciding who lives and who dies - and when they must fall - is one of the heaviest responsibilities a pretend commander at a Civil War re-enactment is likely to face.

"That is the age-old re-enacting question, and that is a tough one," said Bob Minton, commander of the Union re-enactor forces last weekend at Gettysburg, the small town where the pivotal battle between North and South was waged on July 1-3, 1863.

For those whose hobby is dressing up in the blue and gray of the Union and the Confederacy, the Battle of Gettysburg is the pinnacle, and this week's 150th anniversary events are a very big deal.

Re-enactors are sticklers for historical accuracy, but sometimes, in the heat of battle, things go awry. Some people, especially those who might have traveled a long ways for the event, don't want to get shot, bayoneted or put to the sword a mere five minutes into a scene and miss all the fun, and so they keep on marching.

To make sure things unfold realistically, some re-enactor groups draw up scripts and work things out ahead of time with the corresponding enemy unit, deciding in advance who will be asked to give what Abraham Lincoln would later call "the last full measure of devotion."
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The Ongoing Sacrifice: Exploring PTSD This Independence Day

The Ongoing Sacrifice: Exploring PTSD This Independence Day
Huffington Post
Jane Mosbacher Morris
Director of Humanitarian Action
McCain Institute for International Leadership
Posted: 07/03/2013

As a kid, I used to count down the days until the Fourth of July. The holiday meant that I got to don my favorite red, white and blue swimsuit, eat endless amounts of BBQ and spend time with my family and friends. As I've gotten older, however, I've tried to reflect less on the festivities and more on the true meaning of Independence Day and all that it represents. In anticipation of this year's holiday, my mission was to learn more about the ongoing needs of those who have made and kept America free -- our veterans.

I decided to reach out to William Roby, Board Chair of the veterans' organization USA Cares, to teach me about the challenges that post-9/11 veterans are facing, particularly with regards to post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).

Morris: First, tell me about USA Cares. What is the mission of the organization?

Roby: USA Cares' official mission is to help bear the burdens of service by providing post-9/11 military families with financial and advocacy support in their time of need.

M: Tell me more about what that means and what that looks like on a day-to-day basis.

R: Let's say that a reservist normally makes $60,000 a year in her civilian job. If she was called to active duty after 9/11 and remained on active duty for seven years, she may only be making $30,000 a year, as a solider. That means that she has been sacrificing half of the income that she normally contributes to her family. Accordingly, her family may be in financial trouble (underwater on the mortgage, owing car loans etc.).

Or, let's take a veteran suffering from post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Treatment may be free, but he may need to miss a couple of months of work in order to get that treatment. This often discourages a veteran from seeking treatment because he and his family cannot afford to lose those three months of salary.

This is where USA Cares comes in -- providing emergency financial assistance to veterans and their families in appreciation for their service and sacrifice. The organization relies solely on donations, meaning that it never charges fees or accepts repayment from veterans, so veterans don't have to worry about paying it back.
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Fireworks ignite painful memories for PTSD sufferers

Fireworks ignite painful memories for PTSD sufferers
FOX 4 News
by Andrew Lynch and Charly Arnolt
July 3, 2013

OTTAWA, Kan. – For some war veterans with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, the sights and sounds on the Fourth of July can be nothing short of a shell-shocking nightmare.

“The sounds, the appearances, the smells…they send me back to where I once was,” Allen Hill of Ottawa, Kan said.

He’s been back from Iraq for nearly six years, but due to PTSD he still can’t shake the feeling of being in battle.

“Think about something that scared you once and then that moment is seared into your brain,” Allen said.

Every Fourth of July, Allen fights that battle.

“When he has an episode, he’s not here, he doesn’t see us,” said wife Gina Hill, “If he sees us we’re someone in Iraq instead of his family, so for him it can be pretty dangerous.”

Allen said he and his family prepare for the worst on the holiday with a back-up plan.

If the fireworks prove to be too much, Allen will go into his “quiet room”, equipped with soundproof walls and special equipment to block out the noise.
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Too many have forgotten the true price of the 4th of July

Too many have forgotten the true price of the 4th of July
Wounded Times Blog
Kathie Costos
July 4, 2013

USA Today has an article titled Forget fireworks: July 4 is for freebies and it is a safe bet that many will read it and search for what they can get for free or as cheap as possible.

That is how some view how to honor the birth of this nation. Too many have forgotten the true price of the 4th of July.

“What we obtain too cheap, we esteem too lightly: it is dearness only that gives every thing its value. Heaven knows how to put a proper price upon its goods; and it would be strange indeed if so celestial an article as freedom should not be highly rated.” Thomas Paine

There is a church near my house with a sign that says the price of freedom has been paid. I hope they are referring to our freedom from sin and the price Christ paid with His life because if they imagine the price for the freedom of this nation has been paid, they are delusional. We will never really pay for our freedom until every man and woman willing to risk their lives so we can retain our freedom are properly taken care of and honored for all they were willing to sacrifice for our sake.

It seem really popular right now to jump all over the Department of Veterans Affairs for all they got wrong in the last four years or so but an honest observation demands clarity. The clear message is, we have never properly taken care of our veterans and we will never do it unless we actually admit what we did before all of this suffering.

We didn't fix much after the Gulf War. We didn't fix enough after Vietnam or Korea. We came close after WWII but there was still much we didn't fix after WWI. We didn't get it right after the Civil War because we didn't learn much from the Revolutionary War.

Too many have forgotten the history of how we not only obtained our freedom but what price has been paid by those willing to sacrifice all to retain it.

When you are looking for your bargain today so you can save some money, remember the price paid for this day in our country.

National Guardsmen get thousands from Taco Bell, trade back for burritos

Guardsmen, friend mistakenly given cash at Taco Bell drive-thru
Associated Press
Jul. 3, 2013

GRAND RAPIDS, MICH. — That was no burrito.

Three people who ordered food at a Taco Bell drive-thru in western Michigan got something more valuable: $3,600 in cash.

A Taco Bell employee mistakenly passed the cash to the three instead of their food Saturday. The money was returned a short time later.

Rue, boyfriend Grant Kruse, 20, and another friend, Luke Postma, 25, got their meal when they returned the money. Kruse and Postma are National Guard members who were in Grand Rapids for training.
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Troops still wary of admitting mental health problems and why they are

Do you want to know why? Easy. I figured it out in 2009 because I LISTENED TO THE VETERANS!

Comprehensive Soldier Fitness will make it worse

Troops still wary of admitting mental health problems
USA TODAY
Gregg Zoroya
July 3, 2013

America's combat troops are no more willing today to seek help for mental health problems than they were a decade ago, a failure stoking record suicide rates.

America's combat troops are no more willing today to seek help for mental health problems than they were a decade ago, a failure stoking record suicides that have haunted the military in recent years.

In a confidential survey of troops in Afghanistan last year, nearly half of those in the Army who reported psychological issues said they would be seen as weak if they sought help. Sixty percent of Marines with mental health problems responded the same way, according to the latest in a series of Army war-zone field studies.

These sentiments come despite years of Pentagon programs aimed at combating stigma — urging troops to seek help, increasing access to behavioral health specialists and assuring service members that their careers will not suffer.
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I know I keep saying read THE WARRIOR SAW, SUICIDES AFTER WAR and you'll know exactly what is going on!

Iraq combat vet slams lawmakers over New York Safe Act

Iraq combat vet slams lawmakers for passing the NY SAFE Act on the ‘demented actions of a couple mad men’
(VIDEO)
Guns.com
by Jennifer Cruz
July 3, 3013

Aaron Weiss, an Iraq combat veteran and law enforcement officer, delivered an emotionally charged three minute speech to the legislators of Duchess County, New York, against the passing of the NY SAFE Act.

Weiss questions the lawmakers’ definition of the “courage” they claim it took to pass the act, rebuking them for their middle of the night meetings, which he refers to as a “mafia-style sit-down to divvy up what’s good for the bosses.”
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