Why is the press silent on military suicides?

Why is the press silent on military suicides?
Wounded Times
Kathie Costos
July 29, 2013

This is really deplorable. This is the end of July. So far this month the Department of Defense released the number of suicides for April and May on the 18th. They still have not released the June deaths by suicide. Why? Why hasn't the press been interested in even asking or reminding the public this information has been withheld?

For April there are 6 still under investigation and May Army report has 12 remaining under investigation. April, 17 cases remain under investigation for Army National Guards and Army Reserves and 10 for May.

The Suicide Event Report for 2012 has not been released. This report contains suicides by branch, means, demographics and the number of attempted suicides. Why is there a delay in releasing this? The numbers are from last year!

As bad as all of this is, families are still waiting for the outcome of investigations.
They still don't have answers from last year.

Active-duty suicide numbers for calendar year (CY) 2012: 183 (162 have been confirmed as suicides and 21 remain under investigation).

Not on active duty suicide numbers for CY 2012: 140 (93 Army National Guard and 47 Army Reserve). Of these, 138 have been confirmed as suicides and two remain under investigation.

Do they matter or not? It seems as if every newspaper and TV station is ready to jump on whatever crumb of information the DOD is willing to release but to this day few have bothered to stay on top of any of this. Why hasn't the press actually asked for some accountability on this? Why haven't they asked for answers from the DOD or Congress?

Families feel forgotten and that their suffering just doesn't matter. They sent their sons and daughters off prepared for the fact it could be the last time they see them. They are not expecting to have to bury them after they came home from combat. They don't expect to have to bury them after they have been discharged from risking their lives.

What is going on and who is asking in their name?

UPDATE

Obama: In America, no War Should Ever Be Forgotten
Associated Press
by Darlene Superville
Jul 28, 2013

WASHINGTON -- Six decades after the Korean War ended, President Barack Obama said Saturday that American veterans deserved a better homecoming from a war-weary nation and that their legacy is the 50 million people who live freely in a democratic South Korea.

"Here in America, no war should ever be forgotten, and no veteran should ever be overlooked," he said in a speech at the Korean War Veterans Memorial on the National Mall, where ceremonies marked the 60th anniversary of the end of hostilities on the peninsula.

Obama said the conflict didn't unite or divide the country the same way World War II or the Vietnam War did, respectively, and that U.S. veterans came home to neither parades nor protests because "there was, it seemed, a desire to forget, to move on" by Americans tired of battle.

But they "deserved better," Obama said, adding that, on Saturday's anniversary, "perhaps the highest tribute we can offer our veterans of Korea is to do what should have been done the day you came home."

He appealed for people to pause and let these veterans "carry us back to the days of their youth and let us be awed by their shining deeds." In the audience of several thousand on a sunny and humid morning were dozens of American and Korean veterans of the war. Obama asked them to stand and be recognized.
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President Obama is Commander-in-Chief but he isn't demanding any answer either.

Soldier's parents horrified to learn son's widow had sold medal online

Hero soldier's parents forced to buy back his posthumous gallantry medal after his widow sells it on Gumtree for just £500 - without even telling them
Daily Mail
By KERRY MCDERMOTT
29 July 2013

Fusilier Simon Annis, 22, killed by a bomb in Helmand in 2009
Wife Caroline presented with posthumous Elizabeth Cross as next of kin
Soldier's parents horrified to learn son's widow had sold medal online
Pete and Ann Annis have bought it back from new owner for £2,457
Soldier's widow is understood to be in a new relationship

'Insulting': Fusilier Annis' morther Ann said she would
have re-mortgaged
her house to get her son's medal back

The parents of a young soldier killed in Afghanistan have told of their disgust after his widow sold a medal honouring his sacrifice on Gumtree.

Fusilier Simon Annis' wife Caroline was presented with the posthumous Elizabeth Cross - given to the next of kin of soldiers killed in action - after he died in an explosion in Helmand in 2009 at just 22.

She has now been branded 'callous' by the soldier's parents, after she sold it for £500 through the website without even offering it to them.

The couple have now paid out £2,457 to its new owner in order to get their son's Elizabeth Cross back.

'It's as if my boy's life meant nothing to her,' Ann Annis told the newspaper, adding: 'It was terribly insulting that she didn't offer us the medal instead of sneakily selling it.'

Simon, from Irlam in Salford, who served with 2nd Battalion, Royal Regiment of Fusiliers, and Caroline had been married for just a few months when he was killed while on duty.
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VA investigation takes a year to figure out while veterans are left without?

The only thing this counselor is accused of is knowing the veteran. That's it. The VA is claiming she didn't tell them she knows the veteran. Either she blew it or she didn't. So why take a year to investigate while she's still on the payroll and veterans depending on her are left without her help?

Roseburg VA counselor upset by investigation
CT Post
July 27, 2013

ROSEBURG, Ore. (AP) — A Veterans Affairs counselor in Roseburg has been idle for close to a year as officials investigate whether she had an intimate relationship with a veteran who attended support groups for those with post-traumatic stress disorder.

Jamie Carlson, 33, has remained on the payroll during the investigation, collecting her $65,000 annual salary while spending her workday on Facebook and YouTube. Though her work life might sound cushy, Carlson said she'd rather be meeting with patients.

"They have made it intolerable for me," she told the Roseburg News-Review newspaper.
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Will Capt. William Swenson ever receive Medal of Honor?

Dakota Meyer said that he would not be alive had it not been for Capt. Swenson. So why hasn't Swenson received the honor he should have?

Army Capt. William Swenson

"The 2009 battle of Ganjgal is perhaps the most remarkable of the Afghan war for its extraordinary heroism and deadly incompetence. It produced dozens of casualties, career-killing reprimands and a slew of commendations for valor. They included two Medal of Honor nominations, one for Swenson.

Yet months after the first living Army officer in some 40 years was put in for the nation’s highest military award for gallantry, his nomination vanished into a bureaucratic black hole. The U.S. military in Afghanistan said an investigation had found that it was “lost” in the approval process, something that several experts dismissed as improbable, saying that hasn’t happened since the awards system was computerized in the mid-1970s.

In fact, the investigation uncovered evidence that suggests a far more troubling explanation. It showed that as former Marine Cpl. Dakota Meyer’s Medal of Honor nomination from the same battle sailed toward approval despite questions about the accuracy of the account of his deeds, there may have been an effort to kill Swenson’s nomination.

Swenson’s original nomination was downgraded to a lesser award, in violation of Army and Defense Department regulations, evidence uncovered by the investigation showed."

The Marine Corps Times reported that Swenson had been highly critical of the rules of engagement in Afghanistan and the lack of assistance from Army support personnel after he had radioed for help that night.

“When I’m being second-guessed by higher or somebody that’s sitting in an air-conditioned TOC [tactical operations center], why [the] hell am I even out there in the first place?” Swenson told investigators looking into the ambush, according to the Marine Corps Times. “Let’s sit back and play Nintendo.”

Sgt. Rafael Peralta will not receive Medal of Honor for saving lives

News Press puts out help request to find son days after his body was found

I don't know what is going on with the media these days but this was released today.

Southwest Florida mom asks for help to find her soldier son
Anyone with information urged to call military law enforcement Jul. 28, 2013
Written by Philip Grey
Leaf-Chronicle
read more here

Really odd considering the same reporter wrote this

Body found on post is that of missing soldier

Family members notified Friday evening The Leaf Chronicle Written by Philip Grey Jul. 19, 2013 FORT CAMPBELL, KY. — A family member of Spc. Brandon David Bertolo has confirmed that the body found in a Fort Campbell training area Friday morning is that of the 23-year-old “Strike” Brigade soldier, missing since July 14.

VA Travel claims drop after fraud arrests

Arrests bring drop in Seattle VA travel claims
By GENE JOHNSON
Associated Press
July 28, 2013

SEATTLE (AP) — A funny thing happened after federal authorities arrested several military veterans last year and accused them of lying about how far they drove to get to medical appointments at the Veterans Administration hospital in Seattle.

A bunch of others who didn't get busted stopped filing for so much money in mileage reimbursements, and the VA hospital began saving tens of thousands of dollars a month, officials say.

"We are taking this benefit-travel fraud seriously because of the amount of money that's going out the door," says James O'Neill, the VA's assistant inspector general for investigations. "When we can publicize the ramifications of committing this fraud and being prosecuted, we can really reduce it."

Ten people, including two VA clerks who admitted taking kickbacks, were charged in federal court in Seattle, and several are due to be sentenced this week. Others have already been given prison terms of up to two years.

Among the recent cases:

— 16 people were indicted in Cleveland last year and charged with stealing a combined $250,000 in fraudulent mileage reimbursements.

— A veteran in Maine pleaded guilty last September to charges of falsely claiming more than $17,000 in travel reimbursements.

—Last April, a veteran in Oklahoma City was sentenced to probation and ordered to return more than $36,000 in false mileage claims.
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From PTSD to Prison: Why Veterans Become Criminals

From PTSD to Prison: Why Veterans Become Criminals
The Daily Beast
by Matthew Wolfe
Jul 28, 2013

Nearly 1 in 10 inmates have served in the military. Matthew Wolfe on how the system fails them—and the new prison dorms that could help them get back on track.

During the last year of his service contract with the Marine Reserves, Christopher Lee Boyd was sent to Iraq. Boyd was a driver in the 4th Combat Engineer Battalion, Charlie Company, out of Lynchburg, Virginia. In Iraq, Boyd’s unit escorted convoys and swept for land mines. When Boyd drove, he watched the road for IEDs. The bombs could be disguised as almost anything; his team found them stashed in potholes, trash bags, and, once, in a dead sheep. In November of 2004, Charlie Company was transferred to a base near Haditha. At the same time, 100 miles to the southeast, coalition forces were attacking Fallujah, an insurgent stronghold. As the insurgents fled the city, they flocked north.

Four of the Marines in the Humvee — Sgt. Jesse Strong, 24; Cpl. Jonathan Bowling, 23; Lance Cpl. Karl Linn, 20; and Cpl. Chris Weaver, 24 — were killed. Five others were injured. Of the ten men in his vehicle, only Boyd escaped without injury.

A few months later, Boyd was back in Virginia, working a third shift at a Frito-Lay plant. He had trouble sleeping. When he did sleep, he had nightmares about the raid. Boyd soon discovered that if he drank until he passed out, he didn't dream.

Boyd's twin sister, Crystal, remembers the change in her brother happening gradually. She knew Chris as a cheerful, easy-going family man. Slowly, he grew anxious, irritable and sullen. He began to distance himself from his girlfriend and their two sons. Before long, he started carrying a gun, a .380 pistol. He explained that he wanted to be able to protect his family.

One Saturday morning in 2008, Boyd finished his shift and began to drink. In the evening, a friend drove him to a party. The last thing Boyd says he remembers is sitting in the front seat of the car outside the party, drinking liquor. When he woke up, he was in a police car, on his way to jail. The police officer told Boyd that he had shot his friend in the chest. The bullet made a clean exit, and the friend lived. Corporal Boyd was sentenced to five years in prison.
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Mother And Son From Unity Gearing Up To Deploy To Afghanistan Together

Mother And Son From Unity Gearing Up To Deploy To Afghanistan Together
WABI News
by Morgan Sturdivant
July 27th 2013

Unity - A member of the Maine Army National Guard, Specialist Parker is getting ready to deploy to Afghanistan.

With patriotism being an important part of life for many in Unity, they're honoring him, and his family, with Blue Star Service banners to proudly hang on their home while he's away.

His mother couldn't be prouder. Maybe that's because she's going to be serving right along side of him.

"I'll be getting to take my mother with me," said Parker.

"We're both going together, which is such a source of pride for me, you can't even begin to imagine," said Holly Parker, specialist with the Maine Army National Guard.

Serving in the same unit and deploying at the same time is a part of her life she says she'll never forget.

"I've always had that burning desire to serve my country, and to know that I can answer this call is just a source of pride, and to have my son want to do that as well, and to be able to go, and to have him side by side serving with me, it's just an amazing opportunity," said Holly Parker.
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War fighters justified even when reason for war was not

War fighters justified even when reason for war was not
De-tour Combat PTSD Survivor's Guide
Kathie Costos
July 28, 2013

When humans do something unselfish, end up suffering for it afterwards, we tend to forget why we even tried. We may try to save a life but if they die, we blame ourselves for missing something we should have done. When we try to stop someone from committing suicide, it is even worse. We keep torturing ourselves believing we failed them. We can't see how many other factors contributed to the anguish that made them want to leave.

Doing something for a good reason with a bad outcome eats away at our core. Believe me, I know how that feels. When we act on what our heart tells us to do, end up feeling used and betrayed, we think it is our fault and the next time, we are not so willing to even try again.

For the men and women in the military it is even worse. They have a good reason to want to go into the military. Sometimes it is because someone they admire in their family served. Sometimes it is because they never thought of doing anything else. It is a good reason to want to serve the country and an even better reason when they want to save the lives of others.

Lately there has been a lot of talk about the "moral injury" veterans must face to heal Combat PTSD. Like many before them, the reason they were sent pushes the reason they wanted to serve into the fog of war. This fog goes far beyond the battlefield. It makes it very hard to focus on the beginning when the end brought so much pain.
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Injured Afghanistan Vet Told She Can’t Fly American Flag

UPDATE
Injured Afghanistan Vet Now Being Allowed To Fly Her American Flag As-Is

Injured Afghanistan Vet Told She Can’t Fly American Flag At Apartment
CBS Sacramento
Reporting Anjali Hemphill
July 27, 2013

CITRUS HEIGHTS (CBS13) — An injured veteran of the war in Afghanistan has been told to take down the American flag she has flying from her balcony by her apartment’s management company.

Jen Elliot was shocked when she found a notice on her front door. It’s from her property management company asking her to remove an American flag from her balcony, along with some other items.

“I was very upset and very offended by it,” she said. “We live in America. Why shouldn’t we fly our flag proudly?”

Elliot says she immediately checked her lease to see if she was in fact violating any rules.

“It does say you cannot have flags, plants or wind chimes. However, it does say that the American flag can be displayed within the laws of the state and proper flag etiquette. And mine is.”

After CBS13 went to the property manager, the rental company called Elliot to say she can fly her flag—it just can’t stay where it’s at. The flag can’t be screwed into the siding of her balcony.
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