Suspect in VA hospital shooting pleads guilty
Associated Press
By LISA CORNWELL
17 hours ago
An Ohio man pleaded guilty Friday to assault with a dangerous weapon in a Veterans Affairs hospital shooting that wounded an employee.
Former Veterans Affairs employee Neil Moore pleaded guilty as part of a deal in which federal prosecutors agreed to drop a second charge. The 59-year-old Moore, of Trotwood, had also been charged with use of a deadly weapon in the commission of a violent crime.
Moore made the plea after a federal judge in Dayton ruled that he was mentally competent to stand trial. The judge had ordered a mental evaluation in response to a request from Moore's attorney, Frank Malocu, who says his client has a history of mental illness.
The plea agreement recommends a sentence of 5½ years in prison, which the judge can accept or reject. The count carries a possible maximum sentence of up to 10 years in prison and a possible fine of up to $250,000.
Moore entered a break room at the Dayton VA Medical Center on May 5 and pointed a gun at several employees, and one employee was shot in the ankle in the ensuing scuffle, authorities said. Moore pointed the revolver at another person before fleeing, according to court documents.
read more here
Saturday, September 13, 2014
Guilty Plea After Veterans Affairs Hospital Shooting
UPDATE to this story Gun knocked out of hand after shooting at Ohio VA
Camp Lejeune Marines Save Man From Burning Car
Camp Lejeune Marines pull man from burning vehicle
WCTI News
By Katy Harris
Sep 12 2014
SNEADS FERRY, ONSLOW COUNTY
Two Camp Lejeune Marines pulled a man from his burning SUV after the victim was involved in a three-vehicle crash at the top of a bridge.
Cpl. David Qualls, 22, and Cpl. Nathan Bryson, 21, were leaving Camp Lejeune Friday morning when they pulled up to a traffic jam on the Highway 172 bridge.
They said they heard people yelling for fire extinguishers. That was when they realized a car was on fire at the top of the bridge. The Marines ran toward the top of the bridge and saw a three-car crash.
Inside the burning vehicle was 54-year-old Larry Flesher, a Camp Lejeune contractor from New Hanover County, according to Camp Lejeune spokesman Nat Fahy.
A Highway Patrol trooper said Flesher was headed north across the bridge toward Camp Lejeune when he crossed the center line and struck a vehicle. A third vehicle heading north across the bridge toward Camp Lejeune was also involved.
read more here
WCTI News
By Katy Harris
Sep 12 2014
SNEADS FERRY, ONSLOW COUNTY
Two Camp Lejeune Marines pulled a man from his burning SUV after the victim was involved in a three-vehicle crash at the top of a bridge.
Cpl. David Qualls, 22, and Cpl. Nathan Bryson, 21, were leaving Camp Lejeune Friday morning when they pulled up to a traffic jam on the Highway 172 bridge.
They said they heard people yelling for fire extinguishers. That was when they realized a car was on fire at the top of the bridge. The Marines ran toward the top of the bridge and saw a three-car crash.
Inside the burning vehicle was 54-year-old Larry Flesher, a Camp Lejeune contractor from New Hanover County, according to Camp Lejeune spokesman Nat Fahy.
A Highway Patrol trooper said Flesher was headed north across the bridge toward Camp Lejeune when he crossed the center line and struck a vehicle. A third vehicle heading north across the bridge toward Camp Lejeune was also involved.
read more here
Untold truth behind Military-Veteran Suicides
First the bad news, then the good
Wounded Times
Kathie Costos
September 13, 2014
A veteran is sitting in the VA Doc's office with his wife. He was told to bring her. The Doc walks in with a folder. Pulls his glassed to the tip of his nose and says, "I wanted your wife with you because I have some bad news." The Vet squeezed his wife's trembling hand. "The test came back and you're going to die." The Vet asks how long he has to live. The Doc replies, "Judging by the results, probably when your grandkids get married." The Vet looks at him and says, "But I'm only 26!" Doc smiles and says "Exactly! Now don't you feel better?"
Everything in life depends on how you learn it. What you hear may not always be what it actually turns out to be.
Borrowing a line from Joan Rivers, "Can we Talk?" Military Suicide Prevention has not worked, clearly, but what does prevent them is never really talked about. Starting with the bad news.
They set aside September to address suicides connected to military life. Military Suicide Prevention Month report from 2010 pretty much sums up the untold truth.
When the DOD started to "prevent suicides" 160 soldiers committed suicide.
DOD reports showed reduced enlisted from 2012 to 2014
For the first quarter of 2014 they reported these suicides
As for the Department of Veterans Affairs,
So when do we actually get honest? When do we get past what has not worked and start doing what does work? When do they stop taking their own lives after risking them for someone else?
When do we talk about how the other 22 million veterans live, heal, love and find hope again? When do we talk about how they need to stop trying to fit in with people who will never understand them and start to tell them there are millions of other veterans who not only understand them, but prove they do belong with them?
Suicide Prevention is a nice title but clearly the numbers show talking about them hasn't worked on preventing them from happening. We need to start talking about healing them instead!
Can't fit in? That depends on who you want to fit in with. Expecting to fit in with civilians after the military is like me thinking I can fit in with models when my favorite food is dessert. It ain't gonna happen! I can't understand them and they sure won't understand me. Same way with expecting civilians to understand someone deciding to join the military with all you know you'll have to put up with, let go of and endue to prepare you to risk your life for others. Think about it. Did your friends understand you wanting to join? Did they join with you?
Bet they didn't get it. Bet they tried to talk you out of it. So if you didn't fit in then, what makes you think you can fit in with them after you put your life on the line. After you sacrificed years of brutal conditions, endless hours on edge, watching friends get shot, blown up, wounded and gone in a second? All of this while they stayed here working for more money, less hours, time to party, go to movies, watch reality TV shows and the only danger they faced was their commute to work?
You do fit in with others like you. Other veterans who have been there and done that. They are the only ones knowing exactly what you're talking about when you don't even say a word. They know when you need to sit and when it is time to walk you away from a crowd. They know when you need to laugh again and they know how to do it. They also know how important it is that you find a place where you don't have to explain for the hundredth time where you were.
They won't force you to talk but make you feel comfortable when you need to.
Above all, when it comes to healing, the answer is alway right in front of you. They do it all the time. They do it with their own kind and for their own kind. They can tell you what it was like when they came home, what didn't work as much as they can tell you what did work.
You won't find what they have to give you if you don't go where they are.
If you live in Central Florida, every month there is at least one post up about veterans events right here and there are plenty of them. Take a look at what is going on in the veterans community and plan to spend some time with other veterans. There are many groups of veterans all over the state and patriotic folks for your families.
You have the DAV, VFW motorcycle bikers groups like the Orlando Nam Knights and the Green Swamp Chapter and groups like Semper Fidelis America
You are part of a group that represents 7% of the population but there are 22 million of you. You won't find them sitting alone on the computer but keep in mind, they found each other without any computers at all. Vietnam veterans managed to do it before the internet. The key is, they wanted to. What's your excuse? Want to stay stuck where you are or do you want to heal and live a better life?
Wounded Times
Kathie Costos
September 13, 2014
A veteran is sitting in the VA Doc's office with his wife. He was told to bring her. The Doc walks in with a folder. Pulls his glassed to the tip of his nose and says, "I wanted your wife with you because I have some bad news." The Vet squeezed his wife's trembling hand. "The test came back and you're going to die." The Vet asks how long he has to live. The Doc replies, "Judging by the results, probably when your grandkids get married." The Vet looks at him and says, "But I'm only 26!" Doc smiles and says "Exactly! Now don't you feel better?"
Everything in life depends on how you learn it. What you hear may not always be what it actually turns out to be.
Borrowing a line from Joan Rivers, "Can we Talk?" Military Suicide Prevention has not worked, clearly, but what does prevent them is never really talked about. Starting with the bad news.
They set aside September to address suicides connected to military life. Military Suicide Prevention Month report from 2010 pretty much sums up the untold truth.
What is it?
The Army will demonstrate our ongoing commitment to enhancing Health Promotion / Risk Reduction / Suicide Prevention (HP/RR/SP) programs for Soldiers, Department of the Army (DA) civilians, and families by observing Army Suicide Prevention Month, Sept. 1 - 30, 2010, in conjunction with National Suicide Prevention Week, Sept. 5 - 11, 2010. Suicide Prevention Month is an Army-wide opportunity to raise awareness, understanding, and use of Army HP/RR/SP programs among our key internal and external audiences.
What has the Army done?
Over 160 Active-duty Soldiers committed suicide during 2009, continuing a five-year trend of increasing suicides in the Army. In response, the Army instituted a multi-level, holistic approach to HP/RR/SP that recognizes the many challenges our Soldiers, families and Army civilians face.
When the DOD started to "prevent suicides" 160 soldiers committed suicide.
2012 1,393,948
2013 1,372,336
2014 1,347,187
For the first quarter of 2014 they reported these suicides
The Department of Defense reported this week that 120 members of the military had taken their lives in the first quarter of calendar year 2014.
The number of first-quarter 2014 military suicides included 74 active-duty personnel, 24 Reservists and 22 members of the National Guard.
As for the Department of Veterans Affairs,
"Veterans over the age of 50 who had entered the VA healthcare system made up about 78 percent of the total number of veterans who committed suicide"The number of younger veterans committing suicide have also increased.
Yet, suicides by veterans from 18 to 29 have jumped from 40.3 to 57.9 per 100,000 from 2009 to 2011, a 44 percent increase, the VA announced earlier this year.California, Texas and Florida have the most veterans but were not part of the data collected on veteran suicides. Florida is among the top states with the highest number of veterans committing suicide. Rates of Combat PTSD are sky high but while real experts talk about how combat PTSD is different from other types of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, we are allowing them to be lumped in with all other causes of PTSD leaving too many failed by "prevention" that does not work.
In Florida, the numbers are staggering.
Although veterans make up only 8 percent of the state’s population, they accounted for more than 25 percent of its suicides, according to the report.
Between 1999 and 2011, 31,885 suicides were reported in the state, according to the Florida Department of Health. That would mean more than 8,000 Florida veterans took their lives during those 13 years, according to the VA.
The numbers put Florida among states with the highest percentage of veteran suicides — but the numbers don't explain why.
So when do we actually get honest? When do we get past what has not worked and start doing what does work? When do they stop taking their own lives after risking them for someone else?
When do we talk about how the other 22 million veterans live, heal, love and find hope again? When do we talk about how they need to stop trying to fit in with people who will never understand them and start to tell them there are millions of other veterans who not only understand them, but prove they do belong with them?
Suicide Prevention is a nice title but clearly the numbers show talking about them hasn't worked on preventing them from happening. We need to start talking about healing them instead!
Can't fit in? That depends on who you want to fit in with. Expecting to fit in with civilians after the military is like me thinking I can fit in with models when my favorite food is dessert. It ain't gonna happen! I can't understand them and they sure won't understand me. Same way with expecting civilians to understand someone deciding to join the military with all you know you'll have to put up with, let go of and endue to prepare you to risk your life for others. Think about it. Did your friends understand you wanting to join? Did they join with you?
Bet they didn't get it. Bet they tried to talk you out of it. So if you didn't fit in then, what makes you think you can fit in with them after you put your life on the line. After you sacrificed years of brutal conditions, endless hours on edge, watching friends get shot, blown up, wounded and gone in a second? All of this while they stayed here working for more money, less hours, time to party, go to movies, watch reality TV shows and the only danger they faced was their commute to work?
You do fit in with others like you. Other veterans who have been there and done that. They are the only ones knowing exactly what you're talking about when you don't even say a word. They know when you need to sit and when it is time to walk you away from a crowd. They know when you need to laugh again and they know how to do it. They also know how important it is that you find a place where you don't have to explain for the hundredth time where you were.
They won't force you to talk but make you feel comfortable when you need to.
Above all, when it comes to healing, the answer is alway right in front of you. They do it all the time. They do it with their own kind and for their own kind. They can tell you what it was like when they came home, what didn't work as much as they can tell you what did work.
You won't find what they have to give you if you don't go where they are.
If you live in Central Florida, every month there is at least one post up about veterans events right here and there are plenty of them. Take a look at what is going on in the veterans community and plan to spend some time with other veterans. There are many groups of veterans all over the state and patriotic folks for your families.
You have the DAV, VFW motorcycle bikers groups like the Orlando Nam Knights and the Green Swamp Chapter and groups like Semper Fidelis America
You are part of a group that represents 7% of the population but there are 22 million of you. You won't find them sitting alone on the computer but keep in mind, they found each other without any computers at all. Vietnam veterans managed to do it before the internet. The key is, they wanted to. What's your excuse? Want to stay stuck where you are or do you want to heal and live a better life?
Troubling report from DOD on military suicides
This sounded as if the DOD was trying to bring understanding as to why servicemembers keep committing suicide after all these years of "training" them to be "resilient" and heal. It is about a sailor "Navy Petty Officer Considers Suicide" but as we read more, we see that he tried to end his life when he was just a child.
They are still pushing the notion that these men and women were already "damaged" before they joined the military. Very troubling considering the DOD has psychological tests they give to every recruit before they are allowed in. Saying a servicemember was already troubled when he joined is dangerous. It leaves us believing these men and women were trained to use weapons while mentally challenged by suicidal thoughts.
After all, they can't actually be honest with us and admit their "resilience training" does not work at best, at worse, prevents them from seeking help because they believe they are mentally weak. They have been pushing the same program since 2009. If I could see it would raise suicides as a "non-professional" then why didn't they? Why didn't they stop when the numbers went up? Why didn't they learn anything about the thousands they studied who lived after attempting suicide while in the military multiple times?
This article sold as being helpful only shows how the military doesn't get the simple fact they were already resilient before they joined.
No one can be trained to be resilient. The vast majority of servicemembers face deployments and push past all the pain they carry because their families, their military unit family, is counting on them so they can all go back home. Most suicides happen after deployments into combat and not during it.
The DOD reports on military suicides but they accept no responsibility when veterans commit suicide. Why should they when they are no longer held accountable for what they did to these men and women in the first place? The VA is responsible for veterans, but even they do not know how many veterans take their own lives after risking them for the sake of others.
If we let them get away with controlling the conversation, twisting the truth, then we're going to be counting higher numbers next year among servicemembers and veterans.
 |
| They live for the sake of others in combat. |
Navy Petty Officer Considers Suicide
DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE
by Shannon Collins
Sep 11, 2014
WASHINGTON -- This month is Suicide Prevention Month, and Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel has said preventing military suicides is one of the Defense Department's highest priorities.
"As we observe Suicide Prevention Month," he said in a message to the department's workforce, "we must rededicate ourselves to actively working not only every month, but every day to fulfill our collective responsibility to watch out for each other and take care of each other."
This is the first article in a four-part series about a Navy petty officer who came close to taking his own life but did not do so, thanks to the intervention of his leadership and the use of support networks, and how he continues to brave his battle with alcoholism and depression.
Navy Petty Officer 1st Class Jason Thompson, a mass communication specialist, is an instructor at a joint command in Maryland. He began his journey in Detroit as the child of a mother and stepfather who were drug users. He suffered physical and emotional trauma, he said, and his mother repeatedly told him he was a liar and a cheater, that he was stupid, and that life was only going to get worse.
Because of this, Thompson said, he first thought of suicide when he was 8 years old, and he attempted it when he was 9.
read more here
They are still pushing the notion that these men and women were already "damaged" before they joined the military. Very troubling considering the DOD has psychological tests they give to every recruit before they are allowed in. Saying a servicemember was already troubled when he joined is dangerous. It leaves us believing these men and women were trained to use weapons while mentally challenged by suicidal thoughts.
After all, they can't actually be honest with us and admit their "resilience training" does not work at best, at worse, prevents them from seeking help because they believe they are mentally weak. They have been pushing the same program since 2009. If I could see it would raise suicides as a "non-professional" then why didn't they? Why didn't they stop when the numbers went up? Why didn't they learn anything about the thousands they studied who lived after attempting suicide while in the military multiple times?
This article sold as being helpful only shows how the military doesn't get the simple fact they were already resilient before they joined.
No one can be trained to be resilient. The vast majority of servicemembers face deployments and push past all the pain they carry because their families, their military unit family, is counting on them so they can all go back home. Most suicides happen after deployments into combat and not during it.
The DOD reports on military suicides but they accept no responsibility when veterans commit suicide. Why should they when they are no longer held accountable for what they did to these men and women in the first place? The VA is responsible for veterans, but even they do not know how many veterans take their own lives after risking them for the sake of others.
If we let them get away with controlling the conversation, twisting the truth, then we're going to be counting higher numbers next year among servicemembers and veterans.
South Carolina’s Day of Recognition for Veterans’ Spouses and Families
Veterans, families join in bill signing
Herald Online.com
BY DON WORTHINGTON
September 12, 2014
As state holidays go, it won’t be a day of parades or grand speeches.
But on South Carolina’s Day of Recognition for Veterans’ Spouses and Families – the day after Thanksgiving – there should be more than just a day of thanks, say those who advocated for the day. It should be a day of action and not words, they say.
Gov. Nikki Haley celebrated the new state day of recognition on Friday with a ceremonial signing of a bill that passed through the Legislature unanimously on its second try this year.
Surrounding Haley at the bill signing in Columbia were veterans and their families.
Spouses and their families, said Harvey Mayhill, an Air Force veteran and Rock Hill resident, “are pretty much alone without support,” when loved ones are deployed.
They go through “just as much hell as veterans deployed,” Mayhill said. “They are veterans in a different way that support this country.”
read more here
Herald Online.com
BY DON WORTHINGTON
September 12, 2014
“All military wives deserve this day,” said Gino Del Buono of Rolling Thunder and a Navy veteran of 30 years.
Gov. Nikki Haley signs the bill designating the day after Thanksgiving as a day of recognition for veterans’ families. S.C. Rep. Raye Felder (in black jacket, red blouse) stands behind Haley. York County veteran Harvey Mayhill (in suit with patriotic tie) standing to the right the governor.
PROVIDED BY S.C. REP. RAYE FELDER — Provided by S.C. Rep. Raye Felder
As state holidays go, it won’t be a day of parades or grand speeches.
But on South Carolina’s Day of Recognition for Veterans’ Spouses and Families – the day after Thanksgiving – there should be more than just a day of thanks, say those who advocated for the day. It should be a day of action and not words, they say.
Gov. Nikki Haley celebrated the new state day of recognition on Friday with a ceremonial signing of a bill that passed through the Legislature unanimously on its second try this year.
Surrounding Haley at the bill signing in Columbia were veterans and their families.
Spouses and their families, said Harvey Mayhill, an Air Force veteran and Rock Hill resident, “are pretty much alone without support,” when loved ones are deployed.
They go through “just as much hell as veterans deployed,” Mayhill said. “They are veterans in a different way that support this country.”
read more here
9-11 Survivor Remembers Some Who Stayed
Oregon City man remembers 9/11: 'Me and this other guy dove through this glass door'
KATU.com
By Bob Heye
Published: Sep 12, 2014
OREGON CITY, Ore. - There's a reason Mike Tremko's memories from 9/11 are fading some.
Now living in Oregon City, Tremko was at the World Trade Center for a stock broker training session in New York when the planes hit 13 years ago.
“Almost everybody in my class made it out,” says Tremko, “I think there was like, two or three people who decided to stay and make sure that everybody else was out.”
They died.
read more here
KATU.com
By Bob Heye
Published: Sep 12, 2014
OREGON CITY, Ore. - There's a reason Mike Tremko's memories from 9/11 are fading some.
Now living in Oregon City, Tremko was at the World Trade Center for a stock broker training session in New York when the planes hit 13 years ago.
“Almost everybody in my class made it out,” says Tremko, “I think there was like, two or three people who decided to stay and make sure that everybody else was out.”
They died.
read more here
Friday, September 12, 2014
Vietnam Veteran With 3 Purple Hearts, Tugs Hearts of Community
He earned three Purple Hearts; now a community is rescuing his home
Pastor, Navy volunteers and Habitat for Humanity restore disabled vet's home in Orange Park
Jacksonville.com
By Clifford Davis
Posted: September 11, 2014
On the 13th anniversary of the day terrorists tried to tear the country apart, members of the military, state agencies, charities, a church and community volunteers came together to do what Americans have always done.
At the home of Vietnam veteran Joseph Gainer, a three-time recipient of the Purple Heart, workers buzzed around the home knocking out walls and tearing off shingles.
“I can’t believe it,” the 68-year-old Gainer said. “All my little money I get, I’ve put into the house already.
“I never could’ve done what they’re doing.”
Gainer volunteered for the Army in 1966 and continued to airborne training. He went to Vietnam as a squad leader with the 501st Parachute Infantry Regiment of the 101st Airborne Division.
Wounded on three occasions, he returned home and eventually medically retired from the city of Orange Park.
Now mostly confined to a scooter, Gainer’s home on Miller Street fell into disrepair. The porch had rotted and the roof was sinking in. But a chance encounter with a stranger eventually changed everything.
“Joe Gainer is the reason that my church is here,” said the Rev. William Randall of St. Simon Baptist Church. “He and his buddies were out front barbecuing one Saturday afternoon while I was driving around looking for property to build my church.
read more here
Pastor, Navy volunteers and Habitat for Humanity restore disabled vet's home in Orange Park
Jacksonville.com
By Clifford Davis
Posted: September 11, 2014
On the 13th anniversary of the day terrorists tried to tear the country apart, members of the military, state agencies, charities, a church and community volunteers came together to do what Americans have always done.
At the home of Vietnam veteran Joseph Gainer, a three-time recipient of the Purple Heart, workers buzzed around the home knocking out walls and tearing off shingles.
“I can’t believe it,” the 68-year-old Gainer said. “All my little money I get, I’ve put into the house already.
“I never could’ve done what they’re doing.”
Gainer volunteered for the Army in 1966 and continued to airborne training. He went to Vietnam as a squad leader with the 501st Parachute Infantry Regiment of the 101st Airborne Division.
Wounded on three occasions, he returned home and eventually medically retired from the city of Orange Park.
Now mostly confined to a scooter, Gainer’s home on Miller Street fell into disrepair. The porch had rotted and the roof was sinking in. But a chance encounter with a stranger eventually changed everything.
“Joe Gainer is the reason that my church is here,” said the Rev. William Randall of St. Simon Baptist Church. “He and his buddies were out front barbecuing one Saturday afternoon while I was driving around looking for property to build my church.
read more here
Wounded Iraq Veteran Getting Dream Wedding Day
Community steps up for wounded warrior’s wedding
Tampa Bay Online
Tribune Staff Ronnie Blair
Published: September 12, 2014
ODESSA — The explosion happened as Jacob Leach drove a Humvee in the area of Ramadi, Iraq.
An improvised explosive device made from two 155mm shells had been planted along his route. The IED could be detonated remotely with the push of a button.
Someone pushed the button.
“It lifted the vehicle up and put us back down,” Leach said.
The concussion rattled his brain and left him with some loss of hearing, but he and the other two soldiers aboard the Humvee survived and walked away. The destroyed Humvee required a tow.
For Leach, a disabled veteran, it was just another day in Iraq, where he spent 15 months.
The folks at Old McMicky’s Farm, though, think his service is worth celebrating. They chose Leach and his fiancee, Brittany Polinsky, to receive the farm’s $40,000 “Mission I Do” prize package, which includes a wedding dress, rings, wedding cake, entertainment and reception.
The farm teamed up with Vincent Jackson, a wide receiver with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, and several local businesses to provide the prize package, which originally was valued at $25,000 but grew as more businesses added their support.
“The fact the community came together for something like this is amazing,” Leach said. “They have done nothing but make our lives easy.”
The wedding will be at the farm Nov. 16.
read more here
Tampa Bay Online
Tribune Staff Ronnie Blair
Published: September 12, 2014
Wounded veteran Jacob Leach and Brittany Polinsky will be married at Old McMicky’s Farm. Local businesses and individuals helped to grow their prize package. Wounded veteran Jacob Leach and Brittany Polinsky will be married at Old McMicky’s Farm. Local businesses and individuals helped to grow their prize package. Krista Rosado
ODESSA — The explosion happened as Jacob Leach drove a Humvee in the area of Ramadi, Iraq.
An improvised explosive device made from two 155mm shells had been planted along his route. The IED could be detonated remotely with the push of a button.
Someone pushed the button.
“It lifted the vehicle up and put us back down,” Leach said.
The concussion rattled his brain and left him with some loss of hearing, but he and the other two soldiers aboard the Humvee survived and walked away. The destroyed Humvee required a tow.
For Leach, a disabled veteran, it was just another day in Iraq, where he spent 15 months.
The folks at Old McMicky’s Farm, though, think his service is worth celebrating. They chose Leach and his fiancee, Brittany Polinsky, to receive the farm’s $40,000 “Mission I Do” prize package, which includes a wedding dress, rings, wedding cake, entertainment and reception.
The farm teamed up with Vincent Jackson, a wide receiver with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, and several local businesses to provide the prize package, which originally was valued at $25,000 but grew as more businesses added their support.
“The fact the community came together for something like this is amazing,” Leach said. “They have done nothing but make our lives easy.”
The wedding will be at the farm Nov. 16.
read more here
Green Beret's widow on mission for truth
Widow fights Army ruling of Green Beret's death as overdose
Los Angeles Times (MCT)
By Tina Susman
Published: September 11, 2014
Debbie Venetz heard the doorbell ring and saw those familiar Army boots as she peeked through the window onto her front steps.
Her husband, Sgt. 1st Class Anthony Venetz, was back from Afghanistan, in time for their daughter's seventh birthday party the next day.
That's what Venetz thought, until she opened the door and saw the chaplain.
It was Jan. 28, 2011, and Anthony Venetz, a 30-year-old Green Beret, had become the latest U.S. soldier to die in Afghanistan. Two weeks later, the recipient of two Purple Hearts and two Bronze Stars was buried at Arlington National Cemetery.
Years later, Debbie Venetz is still fighting to learn the circumstances of her husband's death and to claim benefits the Army has refused to pay after it ruled he died of an accidental drug overdose and, therefore, not in the line of duty.
"It's a daily thing. For over 3 1/2 years now, this is all I've been dealing with," she said, sitting at a table in her parents' home in this suburb of New York City. "But nobody has ever said to me, 'Just move on,' because they know something is not right."
Los Angeles Times (MCT)
By Tina Susman
Published: September 11, 2014
A U.S. Army carry team transfers the remains of Sgt. 1st Class Anthony Venetz Jr. of Prince William, Va., at Dover Air Force Base, Del., on Jan. 30, 2011.
JASON MINTO/U.S. AIR FORCE
Debbie Venetz heard the doorbell ring and saw those familiar Army boots as she peeked through the window onto her front steps.
Her husband, Sgt. 1st Class Anthony Venetz, was back from Afghanistan, in time for their daughter's seventh birthday party the next day.
That's what Venetz thought, until she opened the door and saw the chaplain.
It was Jan. 28, 2011, and Anthony Venetz, a 30-year-old Green Beret, had become the latest U.S. soldier to die in Afghanistan. Two weeks later, the recipient of two Purple Hearts and two Bronze Stars was buried at Arlington National Cemetery.
Years later, Debbie Venetz is still fighting to learn the circumstances of her husband's death and to claim benefits the Army has refused to pay after it ruled he died of an accidental drug overdose and, therefore, not in the line of duty.
"It's a daily thing. For over 3 1/2 years now, this is all I've been dealing with," she said, sitting at a table in her parents' home in this suburb of New York City. "But nobody has ever said to me, 'Just move on,' because they know something is not right."
Interviews conducted in 2011 as part of the first military investigation into his death paint Venetz as a steadfast serviceman whose only crutches were cigarettes and long Skype calls with his wife and their two young children.
"Exuded confidence." "Natural leader." "Straight up. … I'd follow him anywhere." "Everybody liked him." "He would always follow the rules."
When word filtered back to fellow soldiers that his death was the result of drugs, the reaction was disbelief.
"There was nothing but shock," one soldier who had been in Afghanistan with Venetz said in the investigative report, which had most names redacted. "It just dumbfounded me," another said. "It just seemed out of character … not the Tony I knew."
Nonetheless, the Army's Criminal Investigation Command, which investigates noncombat deaths, ruled that Venetz died as a result of his misconduct, based on autopsy findings. That meant his widow, now 33, would not receive benefits that included compensation of more than $1,200 a month and coverage of some school costs for her children, who were 6 and 3 when their father died.
At her urging, the 7th Special Forces Group, to which her husband belonged, conducted its own investigation the following year, and that convinced her she didn't have the whole story.
read more here
One pilot missing, one stable after 2 F/A-18 Hornets crash in Pacific
UPDATE
Navy IDs Hornet Pilot Presumed Dead After Crash
Associated Press
Sep 15, 2014
LEMOORE, Calif. -- A Navy fighter pilot presumed dead after two jets crashed in the far western Pacific Ocean was identified Sunday as Lt. Nathan Poloski, a 26-year-old native of Lake Arrowhead, Calif.
Poloski was the subject of a 36-hour search in the waters off the U.S. territory of Wake Island after two F/A-18C Hornets collided in midair Friday. Wake Island is 2,300 miles west of Honolulu.
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Navy IDs Hornet Pilot Presumed Dead After Crash
Associated Press
Sep 15, 2014
LEMOORE, Calif. -- A Navy fighter pilot presumed dead after two jets crashed in the far western Pacific Ocean was identified Sunday as Lt. Nathan Poloski, a 26-year-old native of Lake Arrowhead, Calif.
Poloski was the subject of a 36-hour search in the waters off the U.S. territory of Wake Island after two F/A-18C Hornets collided in midair Friday. Wake Island is 2,300 miles west of Honolulu.
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One pilot missing, one stable after 2 F/A-18 Hornets crash in Pacific
Stars and Stripes
Published: September 12, 2014
WASHINGTON — The Navy is searching for one pilot and treating the injuries of another after two F/A-18 Hornets crashed after colliding Friday over the western Pacific while operating from an aircraft carrier.
The aircraft, part of Carrier Air Wing 17 on the USS Carl Vinson, belonged to Strike Fighter Squadron 94 and Strike Fighter Squadron 113, according to a Navy release. The Carl Vinson is scheduled to participate in a large exercise off the coast of Guam beginning Monday, and was operating about 250 nautical miles west of Wake Island.
One pilot was pulled quickly from the water after the crash and is in stable condition, according to a spokesman for the Navy’s 7th Fleet. Navy ships and aircraft were still searching for the other pilot.
The rescued pilot was in fair condition in the medical department of the Carl Vinson, Navy Cmdr. Jeannie Groeneveld told The Associated Press from San Diego.
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Wounded Iraq Veteran Gets Home
WOUNDED VETERAN SHOWN THANKS WITH NEWLY RENOVATED HOME
ABC News 13
By Steve Campion
Thursday, September 11, 2014
PEARLAND, TX (KTRK) -- On Meadow Green Drive in Pearland Thursday morning, there was no shortage of American pride.
A large group gathered to give Staff Sergeant Michael Craven a new home including Patriot Guard volunteers. Craven was injured on his 2nd tour in Iraq back in 2011. An IED went off near his vehicle, the attack left him with serious back problems.
"Often times, I'd fall over trying to walk," said Sgt. Craven. "They fix that. I still new 2 more surgeries."
The Texas Sentinels Foundation and Bank of America teamed up to make the event possible. The foundation renovated house. Bank of America donated the property.
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ABC News 13
By Steve Campion
Thursday, September 11, 2014
PEARLAND, TX (KTRK) -- On Meadow Green Drive in Pearland Thursday morning, there was no shortage of American pride.
A large group gathered to give Staff Sergeant Michael Craven a new home including Patriot Guard volunteers. Craven was injured on his 2nd tour in Iraq back in 2011. An IED went off near his vehicle, the attack left him with serious back problems.
"Often times, I'd fall over trying to walk," said Sgt. Craven. "They fix that. I still new 2 more surgeries."
The Texas Sentinels Foundation and Bank of America teamed up to make the event possible. The foundation renovated house. Bank of America donated the property.
read more here
South Carolina Wounded 101st Veteran Stunned by Community
Wounded Army veteran surprised with free home in Port Royal
Island Packet
BY MATT MCNAB
September 10, 2014
U.S. Army Sgt. Lynn "Allan" Holland and his family got the surprise of a lifetime Wednesday in Port Royal -- a new, free house.
Looking at the future site of his home in the Shadow Moss development, Holland could muster only one word: "Wow."
The veteran, injured in combat in Afghanistan in 2012, and his family found out at a ceremony in the development Wednesday that they will receive a mortgage-free home in the coming months.
"It's awesome," Holland said. "It's changed our lives."
read more here
Island Packet
BY MATT MCNAB
September 10, 2014
U.S. Army Sgt. Lynn "Allan" Holland and his family got the surprise of a lifetime Wednesday in Port Royal -- a new, free house.
Looking at the future site of his home in the Shadow Moss development, Holland could muster only one word: "Wow."
The veteran, injured in combat in Afghanistan in 2012, and his family found out at a ceremony in the development Wednesday that they will receive a mortgage-free home in the coming months.
"It's awesome," Holland said. "It's changed our lives."
read more here
Packet and Gazette News Video
Published on Sep 10, 2014
U.S. Army Sgt. Lynn "Allan" Holland and his family found out on Wednesday afternoon that he and his family are being given a new Centex home at the Shadow Moss community. The home will be built mortgage free by the PulteGroup, Inc.’s Built to Honor program in partnership with Operation Finally Home.
Thursday, September 11, 2014
Tennessee Veterans Committing Suicide in Higher Numbers
Veteran suicides on the rise in Tennessee
WBIR
Rachel Kinney
September 11, 2014
The physical scars of war are not the only wounds that can be debilitating for veterans. Traumatic events seared in veterans' memories often haunts them off the battlefield through serious illnesses like depression and post-traumatic stress disorder.
Unfortunately, more veterans in Tennessee committed suicide in 2013 than the previous year. The Tennessee Department of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services and the Tennessee Department of Veterans Affairs announced Thursday that the number of veteran suicides jumped from 197 in 2012 to 214 in 2013.
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WBIR
Rachel Kinney
September 11, 2014
The physical scars of war are not the only wounds that can be debilitating for veterans. Traumatic events seared in veterans' memories often haunts them off the battlefield through serious illnesses like depression and post-traumatic stress disorder.
Unfortunately, more veterans in Tennessee committed suicide in 2013 than the previous year. The Tennessee Department of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services and the Tennessee Department of Veterans Affairs announced Thursday that the number of veteran suicides jumped from 197 in 2012 to 214 in 2013.
read more here
Oh beautiful, for heroes proved
This morning I was listening to Sunny 105FM and heard the song by Ray Charles in tribute to the lives lost on 9-11 and the members of the armed forces.
It is from 1972 when young men and women were still serving in Vietnam and far too many came home, pretty much to the same things today's veterans return to, but no one knew. No one other than their families.
There were so many protestors that it seemed as if no one was supporting the troops, but as you can see, that is far from the truth. Ray Charles America The Beautiful
Oh beautiful, for heroes proved,
In liberating strife,
Who more than self, their country loved,
And mercy more than life,
America, America, may God thy gold refine,
Till all success be nobleness
And every gain devined
And you know when I was in school,
We used to sing it something like this, listen here:
Oh beautiful, for spacious skies,
For amber waves of grain,
For purple mountains majesty,
Above the fruited plain,
But now wait a minute, I'm talking about
America, sweet America,
You know, God done shed his grace on thee,
He crowned thy good, yes he did, with brotherhood,
From sea to shining sea.
You know, I wish I had somebody to help me sing this
(America, America, God shed his grace on thee)
America, I love you America, you see,
My God he done shed his grace on thee,
And you oughta love him for it,
Cause he, he, he, he, crowned thy good,
You know he gave us brotherhood,
(From sea to shining sea).
Oh Lord, oh Lord, I thank you Lord
From THE DICK CAVETT SHOW. September 18, 1972.
It is from 1972 when young men and women were still serving in Vietnam and far too many came home, pretty much to the same things today's veterans return to, but no one knew. No one other than their families.
There were so many protestors that it seemed as if no one was supporting the troops, but as you can see, that is far from the truth. Ray Charles America The Beautiful
Oh beautiful, for heroes proved,
In liberating strife,
Who more than self, their country loved,
And mercy more than life,
America, America, may God thy gold refine,
Till all success be nobleness
And every gain devined
And you know when I was in school,
We used to sing it something like this, listen here:
Oh beautiful, for spacious skies,
For amber waves of grain,
For purple mountains majesty,
Above the fruited plain,
But now wait a minute, I'm talking about
America, sweet America,
You know, God done shed his grace on thee,
He crowned thy good, yes he did, with brotherhood,
From sea to shining sea.
You know, I wish I had somebody to help me sing this
(America, America, God shed his grace on thee)
America, I love you America, you see,
My God he done shed his grace on thee,
And you oughta love him for it,
Cause he, he, he, he, crowned thy good,
You know he gave us brotherhood,
(From sea to shining sea).
Oh Lord, oh Lord, I thank you Lord
From THE DICK CAVETT SHOW. September 18, 1972.
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