After veteran's death, government demands $581 benefits repayment
CTV News
January 28, 2014
Just days after the funeral of a Canadian veteran who died of suicide on Christmas Day, her husband received a letter from Veterans Affairs saying the family must repay a portion of her monthly disability cheque.
The letter, dated Jan. 9 -- a day after retired Cpl. Leona MacEachern’s husband publicly revealed that her death was in fact a suicide -- expresses condolences to the family while asking for a repayment of $581.67.
In an email to CTV News, Tom MacEachern called it “a slap in the face.”
“(I) didn’t know whether to laugh or cry…was breathless actually,” he said.
The letter from Veterans Affairs begins with: “We have recently been advised of the death of Mrs. MacEachern. Our most sincere sympathy is extended to you and your family at this time.”
It goes on to say that “Earnings Loss benefits paid under the Canadian Forces Members and Veterans Re-establishment and Compensation Act are payable up to the day of Mrs. MacEachern’s death.
read more here
Wednesday, January 29, 2014
California VA Law Enforcement Officer sent naked selfie?
VA Hospital Officer Allegedly Sends Nude Selfie
UPI
Jan 28, 2014
A federal law enforcement officer in California is being investigated for allegedly sending a woman a nude photo after she came to him for help, officials said.
The victim, a 31-year-old West Los Angeles resident CBSLA.com did not identify, said she visited an area Veterans' Affairs hospital in November searching for her uncle, who was missing. There, she encountered officer Jason Fougere, who offered to help in the search for her uncle.
The two exchanged information, including their personal cellphone numbers.
The woman said the following day she received a text from Fougere asking if she would meet him for a cup of coffee and if she had a boyfriend. That was followed by a photo of himself in uniform with the note "here's something to remember me."
"I quickly responded that I was in a meeting and I couldn't talk right now," the woman said.
read more here
UPI
Jan 28, 2014
A federal law enforcement officer in California is being investigated for allegedly sending a woman a nude photo after she came to him for help, officials said.
The victim, a 31-year-old West Los Angeles resident CBSLA.com did not identify, said she visited an area Veterans' Affairs hospital in November searching for her uncle, who was missing. There, she encountered officer Jason Fougere, who offered to help in the search for her uncle.
The two exchanged information, including their personal cellphone numbers.
The woman said the following day she received a text from Fougere asking if she would meet him for a cup of coffee and if she had a boyfriend. That was followed by a photo of himself in uniform with the note "here's something to remember me."
"I quickly responded that I was in a meeting and I couldn't talk right now," the woman said.
read more here
Sneak Peak of Super Bowl Ad with Soldier
The Orlando Sentinel was a bit late on reporting on this. Everyone there knew what was going on and to tell the truth, most of us would have shown up even if it wasn't going to be a commercial.
I was delighted to see such a huge gathering and you can see what went on so that when you see the wonderful version Budweiser plays, you'll know the rest of the story. As usual Wounded Times was right in the middle of all of it.
I was delighted to see such a huge gathering and you can see what went on so that when you see the wonderful version Budweiser plays, you'll know the rest of the story. As usual Wounded Times was right in the middle of all of it.
Winter Park veteran will star in Super Bowl ad
Orlando Sentinel
By David Breen
January 28, 2014
A local veteran — and the city of Winter Park — will star in their very own Super Bowl commercial on Sunday.
The spot, titled "Hero's Welcome," was filmed Jan. 8 in downtown Winter Park. Army Lt. Chuck Nadd, newly returned from deployment as a helicopter pilot in Afghanistan, took a flight to Sanford and was driven into Winter Park.
Nadd had been told by his commanding officer that he'd be filmed for a documentary on returning veterans. His girlfriend, Shannon Cantwell, was in on the deception and accompanied him from the airport.
He arrived in Winter Park to find the Budweiser Clydesdales, a marching band, cheerleaders and hundreds of flag- and sign-waving spectators awaiting his arrival.
Nadd and Cantwell rode the parade route atop the Budweiser wagon, pulled by the Clydesdales, as confetti rained around them.
The brewer was tightlipped at the time about where the footage would be used, but confirmed Tuesday that it will run during Super Bowl XLVIII, pitting the Denver Broncos against the Seattle Seahawks. Kickoff is set for 6:30 p.m. Sunday on Fox.
Nadd was chosen to represent all returning veterans in the commercial after being nominated by Cantwell for the honor through the VFW, Budweiser said. The commercial was originally planned to be 30 seconds, but during the editing process, the company decided to expand it to 60 seconds.
"There was just so much good footage, we couldn't resist expanding the spot to include more of Lt. Nadd's homecoming," said Budweiser Vice President Brian Perkins.
Winter Park Mayor Kenneth Bradley was pleased to hear his city would play a prominent role on Super Bowl Sunday, calling the exposure on a worldwide stage "priceless."
read more here
Police cleared in killing of Iraq veteran with PTSD
Lynn police cleared in fatal shooting of Iraq veteran
Victim had taken gun from officer
Boston Globe
By John R. Ellement
GLOBE STAFF
JANUARY 28, 2014
Hilton acted to protect himself and others from Denis Reynoso, 29, who had been diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder and was behaving irrationally, Blodgett said in a statement and report on an investigation into the Sept. 5 incident.
“When Mr. Reynoso gained control of an officer’s gun and fired two rounds in close proximity to two police officers despite their attempts to get the gun away from him, he put their lives in imminent danger, thus justifying the use of lethal force by a third officer,’’ Blodgett said in a statement.
Reynoso continued to laugh and scream even after he was shot once in the left flank, the report said. He died at Lynn Union Hospital about five hours after the incident began. According to the report, Reynoso’s 5-year-old son was in the living room during the fatal confrontation.
read more here
Victim had taken gun from officer
Boston Globe
By John R. Ellement
GLOBE STAFF
JANUARY 28, 2014
JESSICA RINALDI FOR THE GLOBE/FILELynn police Officer Joshua Hilton was justified in using deadly force against an Iraq war veteran who had managed to grab hold of another officer’s gun and fire two shots at police during a desperate struggle, Essex District Attorney Jonathan Blodgett concluded Tuesday.
Denis Reynoso had been diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder.
Hilton acted to protect himself and others from Denis Reynoso, 29, who had been diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder and was behaving irrationally, Blodgett said in a statement and report on an investigation into the Sept. 5 incident.
“When Mr. Reynoso gained control of an officer’s gun and fired two rounds in close proximity to two police officers despite their attempts to get the gun away from him, he put their lives in imminent danger, thus justifying the use of lethal force by a third officer,’’ Blodgett said in a statement.
Reynoso continued to laugh and scream even after he was shot once in the left flank, the report said. He died at Lynn Union Hospital about five hours after the incident began. According to the report, Reynoso’s 5-year-old son was in the living room during the fatal confrontation.
read more here
The rest of the story of Sgt. 1st Class Cory Remsburg
UPDATE, The video on the DAV speech given by President Obama went viral since last night.
I was on a temp job yesterday and had to leave work a little early to go to a memorial service. The service was attended by mostly veterans gathered together to remember the son of one of the veterans. I was not able to watch the whole State of the Union speech President Obama gave. I won't be able to find out what else he said until much later today.
What I did see was the end. That was when President Obama talked about the troops and our disabled veterans.
Obama pointed out one of the guests, Sgt. 1st Class Cory Remsburg. It was not the first time I heard him talk about this Army Ranger. His story was told to thousands at the DAV convention in August.
I filmed President Obama at the DAV convention and you can hear the entire 45 minutes of his speech broken up by subject.
Rightly so, Cory was given a standing ovation.
During President Obama's speech at the DAV he saved Cory's story for last part of his speech. There was the same reaction to Cory there as well. Michelle Obama talked about a Marine, Cpl. Perez and how so many risked their lives to get him to the help he needed with a live RPG in his leg.
I believe they do care about the troops and our veterans. Michelle has been very active for them and their families. President Obama vowed to do whatever he could to reduce suicides. That is the most depressing thing in all of this because as more has been done for them, what is happening to them has not been met with solutions that work and no one has been held accountable. Suicides among the troops and veterans has gone up during a time when there has never been more to help them heal.
As I listened to the rest of President Obama's speech, I was waiting to hear that things were going to change for them but the speech ended and so did the lives of at least 22 veterans yesterday.
I was on a temp job yesterday and had to leave work a little early to go to a memorial service. The service was attended by mostly veterans gathered together to remember the son of one of the veterans. I was not able to watch the whole State of the Union speech President Obama gave. I won't be able to find out what else he said until much later today.
What I did see was the end. That was when President Obama talked about the troops and our disabled veterans.
Obama pointed out one of the guests, Sgt. 1st Class Cory Remsburg. It was not the first time I heard him talk about this Army Ranger. His story was told to thousands at the DAV convention in August.
Aug 11, 2013
Sgt. 1st Class Cory Remsburg The Army Ranger was injured in Afghanistan in 2009 on his 10th tour of duty.
I filmed President Obama at the DAV convention and you can hear the entire 45 minutes of his speech broken up by subject.
Rightly so, Cory was given a standing ovation.
Cory Remsburg's Heartwrenching Story Draws Standing Ovation At The State Of The Union Address
The Huffington Post
By Paige Lavender
Posted: 01/28/2014
Army Ranger Sgt. 1st Class Cory Remsburg received a standing ovation after President Barack Obama told his story during his State of the Union address on Tuesday.
Remsburg, who sat next to First Lady Michelle Obama during the speech, was injured by a roadside bomb during his 10th deployment. Remsburg was in a coma for three months and partially paralyzed. Obama noted in his speech the soldier is still blind in one eye and "struggles on his left side."
"[S]lowly, steadily, with the support of caregivers like his dad Craig, and the community around him, Cory has grown stronger. Day by day, he’s learned to speak again and stand again and walk again – and he’s working toward the day when he can serve his country again," Obama said. "'My recovery has not been easy,' he says. 'Nothing in life that’s worth anything is easy.'"
"Cory is here tonight. And like the Army he loves, like the America he serves, Sergeant First Class Cory Remsburg never gives up, and he does not quit," Obama continued.
read more here
During President Obama's speech at the DAV he saved Cory's story for last part of his speech. There was the same reaction to Cory there as well. Michelle Obama talked about a Marine, Cpl. Perez and how so many risked their lives to get him to the help he needed with a live RPG in his leg.
Aug 10, 2013 First Lady Obama spoke at the DAV convention in Orlando today and told about the men and women she has met in the military and how they inspire her. She also talked about Marine Cpl. Winder Perez wounded with a live RPG in his leg. Of the Marines risking their lives to save his, of the helicopter crew risking their's and the bomb tech risking her life.
I believe they do care about the troops and our veterans. Michelle has been very active for them and their families. President Obama vowed to do whatever he could to reduce suicides. That is the most depressing thing in all of this because as more has been done for them, what is happening to them has not been met with solutions that work and no one has been held accountable. Suicides among the troops and veterans has gone up during a time when there has never been more to help them heal.
As I listened to the rest of President Obama's speech, I was waiting to hear that things were going to change for them but the speech ended and so did the lives of at least 22 veterans yesterday.
Tuesday, January 28, 2014
Settlement reached in police shooting of Iraq war veteran
Settlement reached in police shooting of Iraq war veteranI could keep posting these stories but here are just a few more on how often this happens.
KOB News4
Elizabeth Reed
January 28, 2014
A judge's approval is needed to finalize the city of Albuquerque's nearly $8 million settlement with the family of an Iraq war veteran who was fatally shot by an officer.
In 2010, APD officer Brett Lampiris Tremba shot and killed Kenneth Ellis while Ellis held a gun to his own head.
Last March, a jury awarded a total of $10.2 million to the son of the Iraq war veteran.
read more here
May 11, 2010 Joshua James Gerard (wife) watched in horror as a deputy sheriff shot her husband Sunday as he pointed a shotgun at the law-enforcement officer.
July 10, 2010 James F. Popkowski " former U.S. Marine fatally shot by law enforcement officers near a veterans hospital Thursday was remembered by friends Friday as a generous, considerate man who struggled heroically to overcome a rare form of cancer and believed strongly in his right to carry a gun."
August 29, 2010 Brandon Barrett, a veteran of the war in Afghanistan, was wearing full battle gear and carrying a loaded rifle when a police officer confronted him in downtown Salt Lake City on Friday afternoon. A police spokeswoman said Barrett opened fire, striking the officer in the leg. The officer returned fire, killing the 28-year-old soldier, whose bloodied body fell in a patch of grass behind the Grand America Hotel, near one of the city’s busiest intersections.
September 2, 2010 Edward Zevola Sr.
Free medical coverage for some VA service dogs of veterans
New health coverage for vets' service dogs
Army Times
By Karen Jowers
Staff writer
January 27, 2014
Free medical coverage for the service dogs of veterans is now being handled under a new Veterans Affairs Department contract with pet health insurance company Trupanion.
The program pays 100 percent of the costs for veteran-owned service dogs for ongoing preventive care as well as emergency care and other medical treatments and prescription medications.
The coverage is available only to veteran-owned service dogs that VA has determined are eligible for the program, as well as VA-owned PTSD dogs. The contract is expected to speed up the process for reimbursement to veterinarians.
VA provides the information about eligible dogs directly to Trupanion. Information was not immediately available about how many dogs are eligible.
read more here
Army Times
By Karen Jowers
Staff writer
January 27, 2014
Free medical coverage for the service dogs of veterans is now being handled under a new Veterans Affairs Department contract with pet health insurance company Trupanion.
The program pays 100 percent of the costs for veteran-owned service dogs for ongoing preventive care as well as emergency care and other medical treatments and prescription medications.
The coverage is available only to veteran-owned service dogs that VA has determined are eligible for the program, as well as VA-owned PTSD dogs. The contract is expected to speed up the process for reimbursement to veterinarians.
VA provides the information about eligible dogs directly to Trupanion. Information was not immediately available about how many dogs are eligible.
read more here
Vietnam Veteran MOH Sammy Davis talks about PTSD
Forrest Gump Rerun
Sammy talks about what it was like coming home after being wounded and earning the Medal of Honor
Sammy and Dixie have message to all veterans and their families
Sammy talks about his experience in Vietnam and why he plays Shenandoah
Vet whose Medal of Honor ceremony was used in 'Forrest Gump' tells of PTSD struggles
World-Herald staff writer
By Steve Liewer
January 28, 2014
CHRIS MACHIAN/THE WORLD-HERALD
Sammy L. Davis and his wife, Dixie, said they still feel the effects of the trauma of Sammy Davis' service in Vietnam more than 45 years ago. He is still tormented by nightmares. “I fight that battle almost every night,” he said. “It doesn't go away.”
The man in the military dress uniform blew a mournful “Shenandoah” on his harmonica, his audience in a ballroom at the CenturyLink Center still and silent.
Sammy L. Davis, a Medal of Honor recipient, learned to play the song as a young Army private in Vietnam for a sergeant in his unit who loved the river and the song. The sergeant told Davis it “renewed his heart.”
Years later, he would start a tradition of playing the tune at the Vietnam War Memorial in Washington, D.C. — in front of the spot on Panel 50E, Row 13, where the sergeant's name, Johnston Dunlop, is etched on the wall.
“I hope it finds a place in your heart and renews your soul,” Davis told the crowd of 540, who had gathered to hear him speak at a $50-a-plate fundraiser for At Ease USA, an Omaha-based veterans support group.
They gave him a standing ovation.
At Ease USA started in 2007, when a group of volunteers organized to aid both veterans and families suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder. Since then, the group has opened counseling centers in Bellevue, Grand Island and North Platte.
“From a neighbor's basement, to the farthest corners of the state, there are veterans who need our help,” said Tim Burke, the group's president.
It also is funding research on PTSD treatment at Creighton University, in partnership with Lutheran Family Services of Nebraska.
read more here
AT EASE USA CLINICS
730 N. Fort Crook Road
Bellevue, NE 68005
402-292-9105
AtEase@lfsneb.org
Great Western Bank Building
1811 W. Second St., Suite 365
Grand Island, NE 68803
308-382-4255
Clifford L. Johnson Center for Healthy Families
120 E. 12th St.
North Platte, NE 69101
308-532-0653
Sammy talks about what it was like coming home after being wounded and earning the Medal of Honor
Sammy and Dixie have message to all veterans and their families
Sammy talks about his experience in Vietnam and why he plays Shenandoah
Monday, January 27, 2014
After waiting 46 years, Vietnam veteran's claim approved and heading to Washington
Vietnam vet a symbol of overcoming VA delays
Fort Lauderdale man will be in audience for Obama's State of Union address
Sun Sentinel
By William E. Gibson
Washington Bureau January 26, 2014
WASHINGTON
A Vietnam War veteran from Fort Lauderdale who suffered severe burns in combat and financial hardship back home will be watching from the House gallery Tuesday night when President Barack Obama delivers his State of the Union address.
Jeff Colaiacovo will represent all American service members, but especially the hundreds of thousands who endure bureaucratic snags and delays when seeking disability benefits.
His saga began 46 years ago with a mine explosion in Vietnam that left him temporarily blinded. A firefight a few months later burned a third of his body. After nearly a half-century of health problems, he began receiving $3,014 a month in disability payments this year with a boost from U.S. Rep. Lois Frankel and her staff.
Colaiacovo said he "almost fell to the floor" when Frankel, a Democrat from West Palm Beach, invited him to the Capitol to attend the president's address as her guest. "I feel so blessed," he said. "I will do whatever I can to help any vet."
For Frankel, the mother of a retired Marine, it's a chance to showcase service to constituents, especially veterans. For Colaiacovo, it's a way to signify that veterans can and should get what they deserve.
read more here
Fort Lauderdale man will be in audience for Obama's State of Union address
Sun Sentinel
By William E. Gibson
Washington Bureau January 26, 2014
WASHINGTON
A Vietnam War veteran from Fort Lauderdale who suffered severe burns in combat and financial hardship back home will be watching from the House gallery Tuesday night when President Barack Obama delivers his State of the Union address.
Jeff Colaiacovo will represent all American service members, but especially the hundreds of thousands who endure bureaucratic snags and delays when seeking disability benefits.
His saga began 46 years ago with a mine explosion in Vietnam that left him temporarily blinded. A firefight a few months later burned a third of his body. After nearly a half-century of health problems, he began receiving $3,014 a month in disability payments this year with a boost from U.S. Rep. Lois Frankel and her staff.
Colaiacovo said he "almost fell to the floor" when Frankel, a Democrat from West Palm Beach, invited him to the Capitol to attend the president's address as her guest. "I feel so blessed," he said. "I will do whatever I can to help any vet."
For Frankel, the mother of a retired Marine, it's a chance to showcase service to constituents, especially veterans. For Colaiacovo, it's a way to signify that veterans can and should get what they deserve.
read more here
Never shall I fail my comrades, Army Ranger and suicides of brothers
They are willing to accept the risks facing whatever comes in combat. Some pass it off as part of the deal when they joined. I guess that way citizens can just ignore their pain. To lose a friend in combat is something they are ready to endure even though it breaks their hearts. To lose a friend after combat because of what was asked of them is something no one should be willing to accept under any conditions. So why do we?
Why do we allow them to suffer the way this Army Ranger did taking the blame upon his shoulders wondering what he could have done differently? Isn't that the question we should have been asking of ourselves years ago?
Why do we allow them to suffer the way this Army Ranger did taking the blame upon his shoulders wondering what he could have done differently? Isn't that the question we should have been asking of ourselves years ago?
A Former Army Ranger Copes with His Friends' Suicides, and Asks What He Could Have Done to Help Them
The Daily Beast
6 HOURS AGO
BY TED JANIS
Every day 22 veterans commit suicide. Former Army Ranger Ted Janis struggles with the suicides of his own friends and affirms the role that veterans can play in helping each other.
I will never forget the first day I heard the Ranger Creed, the motto of the Army Rangers that every soldier learns by heart before joining the famed unit. It was the fall of 2006, and my class of United States Army officers, the first to have joined out of high school after the attacks of 9/11, was preparing to deploy to Iraq and Afghanistan. The hallowed passage laid out what was expected of us in the years to come, as we fought in Anbar deserts and the labyrinth of Baghdad, battled from Pashtun poppy fields to the valleys of the Pech River. I didn’t realize it at the time, but the third stanza would forever haunt me: Never shall I fail my comrades. While tragic and testing, losing friends in combat was expected. It wasn’t until I had left the military and friends kept dying, taking their own lives, that I felt I failed.
Shamil Zhumatov/Reuters
On this past Veterans Day, I contemplated writing about the epidemic of veteran suicide, in honor of two friends. They had come home from fighting overseas and killed themselves. I decided against it. I did not want to darken their lives by bringing their deaths into the harsh glare of the media. I wanted to avoid causing any more pain to their grieving families, to avoid the renewed anguish that the sight of their names in print would bring.
Three weeks later, a third friend joined their ranks. Again, the pain was fresh and the shock numbing. And again the scouring for clues and agonizing over what I could have done.
This third friend and I had learned the Ranger Creed together all those years ago; then he went overseas and tested what it really meant. He served for six years before leaving the military and joining the civilian world. Wrestling with demons born in Afghanistan, he had lost his job, quarreled with his girlfriend and given away his dog. He hanged himself the day after Thanksgiving.
‘It wasn’t until I had left the military and friends kept dying, taking their own lives, that I felt I failed.’
read more here
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