Wounded Marine Lived for Love

Real Alabama Weddings: Marine severely wounded in Afghanistan marries the woman who helped him hold on
Real Alabama
Alex McDaniel
September 22, 2014

Jessica Stender and Kendall Bane celebrate their wedding at the Huntsville Veterans Memorial Saturday, Sept. 20, 2014 in Huntsville, Ala. The reception followed at Good Shepherd Catholic Church.
(Eric Schultz)

Bane said his motivation was hinged upon the future, what he wanted his life to be, and more importantly, who he wanted to spend it with.

Days after a surprise Taliban attack in Afghanistan left Kendall Bane wrecked, war-torn and with a coin-flip's chance of survival, he woke up in a hospital room in Germany asking about his pictures.

They were of his girlfriend, Jessica Stender -- a small handful of laminated squares to remind him of the girl he knew he'd marry, the girl back in Alabama waiting for him to come home. And they were tucked away in a small pocket on his uniform Sept. 20, 2012, when a disguised Taliban operative armed with an AK-47 approached the base where the 19-year-old Marine was standing post and opened fire.

Bane doesn't remember much after that. Bullets had torn through his abdomen and both legs, leaving him severely wounded and losing blood fast. Lying on the ground, he slipped in and out of consciousness as medics moved quickly to save his life.

He remembers shock. Disbelief. Chaos.

Grappling with the reality that someone had tried to kill him.

Fighting like hell to get to those pictures.

It wasn't the first time he fought for Jessica Stender. And it wouldn't be the last.
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Fort Campbell Soldiers Welcomed Back From Afghanistan

Almost 200 Ft. Campbell soldiers return home from Afghanistan
WBIR
September 22, 2014

Soldiers return home from Afghanistan

(Photo: WSMV)

Hundreds of Tennessee troops saw a true hero's welcome Monday. Almost 200 Fort Campbell soldiers returned home from Afghanistan to their Middle Tennessee homes.

It's the first time the soldiers were able to see their loved ones in almost 10 months. The members of the 159th Combat Aviation Brigade and the 2nd Brigade Combat team say nothing compares to seeing the faces that have gotten them through their tough times overseas.
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1 in 5 Army hospital heads suspended just in last 2 years

One in five Army hospital leaders suspended in two years: What's behind the discipline?
By Adam Ashton
The News Tribune (Tacoma, Wash.)
Published: September 22, 2014

The Joint Base Lewis-McChord general who lost his command earlier this month is one of eight senior Army medical officers around the world who've been suspended or relieved of command over the past two years.

That means nearly one in five major Army medical facilities has had a commander suspended during that time.

It's an eye-grabbing amount of public discipline for an Army often criticized for being too slow to remove commanders in high-profile positions rather than dismissing them when controversy arises.

It's unclear if a theme unites the eight suspensions; each was carried out for a distinct reason.

But some officials with recent experience in Army medicine are concerned that the suspensions point to broader problems as the system recovers from 13 years of ground war in Iraq and Afghanistan. The discipline could stem from an increasing demand for health care services, they say, or from oversights in preparing top doctors for leadership positions.

"The ones that I know are very good people who have done very well in their careers, otherwise they wouldn't be hospital commanders," said Dr. Elspeth Ritchie, a former colonel and Army psychiatrist who is now chief clinical officer for the District of Columbia Department of Mental Health. "The way I put this together is that there's an enormous amount of need that has overwhelmed the system."
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Afghanistan soldiers caught at the famed Rainbow Bridge

Found! Missing Afghan Soldiers Caught Trying to Enter Canada
NBC News

The three Afghanistan National Army officers who disappeared this weekend during a training exercise on Cape Cod have been found trying to cross the border into Canada near Niagara Falls, officials said Monday.

A top Massachusetts law enforcement officials told NBC News that the three were caught at the famed Rainbow Bridge. It was unclear what the process will be to return them to Joint Base Cape Cod or if they will be returned somewhere else.

The Massachusetts State Police later said in a statement that the men were being interviewed by federal authorities, and there was "no information that suggests the three men committed any crimes."

The three arrived 11 days ago with 200 soldiers and civilians from several countries for training at Camp Edwards on Joint Base Cape Cod. They were last seen Saturday at a shopping mall in Hyannis during a day off. Massachusetts State Police, with the help of the FBI and the Guard, had been trying to find them.
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Sgt. Cory Muzzy returned to Duke University Medical Center

SOLDIER REUNITES WITH MEDICAL STAFF WHO SAVED HIS LIFE
ABC 11 News
By Caitlin Knute
Friday, September 19, 2014

DURHAM (WTVD) -- A soldier who almost didn't survive a training accident at Fort Bragg reunited Friday with the medical staff who saved his life.

Sgt. Cory Muzzy returned to Duke University Medical Center for the special reunion.

Muzzy served two tours of duty overseas, but never dreamed he would be injured in a training accident last February here at home. But, he says thanks to Duke staff he's still alive to enjoy his wife and young son.

That training accident on base last February killed one soldier and injured six others besides Muzzy, who was in critical condition.

"I had a brain bleed, broken neck, broken forearm. I lost my right leg and my left foot got mangled up," recalled Muzzy.
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Police vs Veterans

UPDATE
Add Gregory Smith to the list.

Father of US Army vet who was shot and killed discusses his son's PTSD
KVIA ABC News
Alec Schreck, Alec Schreck
Sep 21, 2014

LAS CRUCES, New Mexico
Gregory Smith says he tried for years to get his son to seek treatment from the VA for his PTSD. Smith told KVIA that his son William Smith served in the Army from 2003-2007. He said his son was not the same when he returned from his second tour.

Following several years of difficulty where the younger Smith struggled with PTSD, several criminal arrests and the use of illegal street drugs, former US Army Sergeant William Smith was shot and killed by a New Mexico state policeman on Friday.
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Jacinto Zavala was killed by police officers and they have been cleared. Never a good ending for the veteran or the officers. This one is more tragic because Greeley Police Chief said "I am both saddened and angry that this individual put our young officers and their families through this. I am equally sad that he inflicted pain on his own family members." Didn't he feel sad that after a 21 year old veteran reached the point where he wanted to die? It happened in August and the headline read "Man fatally shot by police in Greeley"

It happened in September to "Jeffrey Johnson, the 33-year-old father and veteran killed during an officer-involved shooting" after his wife called police to help her husband.

It happened in August when six bullets ended life of Marine Cpl. Allan DeVillena II when he was 22.

In July

A Kentucky National Guardsman served two tours in Iraq. Justin Neil Davis was only 24. His last tour ended when he was 22 in 2012. Davis knew he was having problems. He had been in the VA rehab for 30 days but as it turned out, it didn't make that much of a difference.

And in Kansas

Police say Icarus Randolph charged at an officer with a knife after they were called to the scene by family for a report of a suicidal person. The family said the man was in the military and had done tours in Iraq. He had been dealing with mental issues prior to this incident.

In June
"A psychologist called 911 and said he had just received a call from a patient who was potentially suicidal" and police shot him in his driveway in Denver.

In May

Jerome Christmas died Saturday after a struggle with Shreveport police, and while witnesses said he was acting wild before it happened, his brother knew a completely different person.

Witnesses say they saw Jerome Christmas go crazy, throwing things, getting undressed, talking to himself, and acting as though he was on fire. Christmas' brother Drake said his brother was a veteran who served his country, and suffered from PTSD.

It keeps happening but no one seems bothered by the simple fact when it does, the veterans had gone from risking their lives to facing off with police.

It is sad for the police officers, families and community but the fact this keeps happening should never be forgotten. They lived for others but died because they didn't get the help they needed and were promised for doing a job few others wanted to do.

Selfies for Homeless Veteran Gets Cash from Selfish People

Ingenious way to get people to help homeless veteran. They paid out of selfishness for someone who was selfless!

Selfies for the Homeless Dennis Roady Deeds

Iraq Veteran From Stop Loss to Nashville

Iraq War veteran's inspiring journey from front lines to 'Nashville'
FOX News
By Hollie McKay
Published September 22, 2014

LOS ANGELES – Melvin Kearney may be best-known for playing Hayden Panettiere’s bodyguard Bo on the hit ABC series “Nashville,” but as a two-time Iraq combat veteran, his story away from the cameras is even more moving and drama-filled.

“I grew up as an Army brat, my dad was my hero and I saw the sense of pride that came over his face every time he put on that uniform,” Kearney told FOX411. “I knew that was what I wanted to do. I thought I would just be guarding a base near my college in North Carolina, but halfway through basic training 9/11 happened.”

Kearney deployed to Iraq in 2003, and lost a number of close friends on the battlefield. His plan was to finish college and become a U.S. Marshall after returning, but as he was walking to the stage on college graduation day, he received a call from the Army: “Kearney, its Stop Loss. You’re going back to Iraq.”

Stop Loss was a policy that extended one’s military contract, which the Pentagon ended in 2011. From 2001 to 2009, an estimated 120,000 soldiers were affected by stop loss.
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Abused Mom Dies After Saving Baby

Mother saves baby with last breath
WSB Radio
By Pete Combs
September 18, 2014

She was young, beautiful and tragically killed by her daughter’s father early Sunday morning. Now, Jessica Arrendale, 33, is being hailed by her family as a hero for saving her six-month old daughter’s life, even as she died from a bullet to the head.

Jessica’s mother, Teresa Inniello, spoke exclusively with WSB’s Pete Combs Wednesday night, telling him the sad details of her daughter’s death and the miraculous survival of her granddaughter, Cobie.

It began Saturday night when Jessica and Cobie’s father, 30-year old Antoine Davis, went out for the evening. At some point, Ionniello said, Davis, a former Marine who served in Iraq, became belligerently drunk and abusive. It had happened many times, Ionniello said, but her daughter did not seem able to turn Davis away no matter how often he abused her.
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Vietnam Veteran Healing "God left me here for something"

Soldiers and Families Heal Through Song
LIVEFox 17 This Morning
September 21 2014

Less than half of current and retired soldiers who suffer from illness like Post Traumatic Stress Disorder actually seek treatment, according to Veterans and PTSD organization.

Non-profit SAFE (Soldiers and Families Embraced) is trying to change that offering free treatment services. The group also offered a unique measure to healing through "Singing Their Stories" Retreat.

Twenty people of all ages and backgrounds came on common ground to the Historic Scarritt Bennet Center in Nashville. Bill Wheeler says, "I've seen a lot of soldiers die. I don't know why I was spared, but God left me here for something. I have not told that story to anyone until now." Wheeler is a veteran who fought in Vietnam.

This weekend, he and others were paired up with some Music City's top songwriters to channel his military experiences into a song.
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Combat to Criminal? How they got to that point is the question

Ever think about how in control soldiers have to be to be in the military in the first place? Think about it. All the training they have to do topped off with following orders telling them what to do, when to eat, when to wake up and when to go to sleep. They spend years of being in control.

We are always told the military is addressing their need to heal, but over and over again, we discover far too many times the military used the wrong address.

Suicides have gone up since the military started to "do something" about them. Suicides back home have gone up as well with more and more veterans facing off with law enforcement, usually when they have reached the point where suicide seems to be the only option they can see.

Communities wonder what justice really is but it wouldn't have to come to that point had they wondered first how they ended up that way after all they did for us.

These folks are not your average citizen. They were willing to die for someone else. So why do some go from that, surviving combat, years of honorable service, to being treated like a criminal?

What is not being done? What is being done needs to be changed, but when do they do it? When will they ever reach the point where the "one too many suicide" really happens and they actually do something about it instead of repeating what already failed them?

Criminal or victim?
Communities weigh how to deal with battle-scarred soldiers who do wrong after coming home
Washington Post
Greg Jaffe
September 20, 2014

FAIRBANKS, Alaska - Staff Sgt. Robert D. Carlson raised the gun to his head. In the parking lot of their duplex, his wife was calling the police.

"Please help," she cried. "He punched me in the face."

His intention, Carlson would say later, was to kill himself. Instead, alone on the second floor of their house, he lowered the gun from his head, pointed it toward a window and squeezed the trigger again and again, nine times in all.

Some of the rounds went into the roof of a garage, just below the window. Two rounds hit apartment buildings across the street. One round flew into the headlamp of a responding police SUV.

That was July 2012. Now, two years later, after being found guilty of assault with a deadly weapon and sentenced to eight years in prison, Carlson wonders about the fairness of such a punishment. "I know I did wrong," he said recently from the detention facility at Joint Base Lewis-McChord in Washington state. But is jail time appropriate for someone who, before he fired those shots, spent 16 months in Iraq, followed by 12 months in Iraq, followed by another 12 months in Afghanistan?

Forty months total at war: He had survived a blast from a suicide car bomb. He had killed an Iraqi insurgent as the man's children watched in horror. He had traded places one day with a fellow soldier who then was killed by a sniper's bullet, standing in the very place where Carlson would have been if he hadn't switched. Did his years in combat mean he was deserving of compassion?

Compassion or conviction - that's the choice more and more communities across the country are facing as the effects of 12 years of war are increasingly seeping into the American legal system.
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Fort Stewart Soldier Saved Woman From Gators in Georgia

Soldier pulls woman from alligator-infested Fort Stewart pond
Army Times
Sep. 21, 2014

“I saw someone who needed help,” he said in the release. “I didn’t think, I just wanted to get the person out of the car.”

Pfc. Nathan Currie, an EOD specialist for the 756th Explosive Ordnance Detachment, rescued a woman after her car went into a pond at Fort Stewart, Georgia. (Army)

Like many soldiers in his situation, Pfc. Nathan Currie credited his Army training for informing his actions when he saved a woman from drowning last month at Fort Stewart, Georgia.

But few Army courses deal directly with diving into an alligator- and snake-infested pond to fish a stranger out of a sedan. That’s exactly what Currie, 28, did, interrupting his first fishing trip to Holbrook Pond after hearing a car splash into the water, according to an Army news release.

Currie, with 756th Explosive Ordnance Company, 63rd EOD Battalion, 52nd EOD Group, felt a body in the back seat of the car on his first dive, then went down again to retrieve the woman, according to the Tuesday release from 20th Chemical, Biological, Radiological, Nuclear and Explosives Command, his unit’s parent outfit.
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Fort Hood Soldier Killed in Motorcycle Crash

Fort Hood soldier dies in Killeen motorcycle crash
American-Statesman Staff
By Andrew McLemore
Sept. 21, 2014

A 23-year-old soldier died in an Army hospital Saturday night after a motorcycle crash in Killeen early that morning, police said.

He was riding his 2014 Harley Davidson on the 500 block of North 38th Street at about 8:30 a.m. when a 17-year-old driving a PT Cruiser failed to yield the right of way while turning into a parking lot, Killeen police spokesperson Carroll Smith said.
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5,500 vets on the street in the Sunshine State

Jacksonville Officials See Population Of Homeless Vets Changing
WJCT News
Peter Haden
September 21, 2014

Volunteers assisted nearly 300 veterans at Jacksonville's Stand Down event Saturday.

Credit Peter Haden

Any trend in veteran homelessness will be seen in Florida. In 2013, officials counted more than 5,500 vets on the street in the Sunshine State-- 10 percent of all homeless vets in the nation. Only California had more.

Brian Richmond, 25, was discharged from the United States Air Force four years ago. He's been homeless for the last three and a half.

"My mom passed away. I ran out of money and couldn’t keep my house up, so had to sell it," he said. "So, I had to come out here - out to the streets."

He slept in a tent under a bridge in Jacksonville for two years. Then he got into the Sulzbacher Center - a transitional housing facility where he stays now.

Richmond was one of about 300 vets that came to the Veterans Stand Down Resource Fair Saturday at the Jacksonville Fairgrounds. They had access to medical and dental care, haircuts, clothes and help with legal issues.

It’s the 15th year in a row Jacksonville has hosted the Stand Down event.
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If you care about homeless veterans, you may be interested in this as well.

Veterans housing initiative imperiled by Shinseki's resignation

But an estimated 50,000 veterans remain homeless, and Shinseki, the driving force behind the initiative, is now gone, forced to resign amid the department's health care scandal. There are concerns that Congress, despite bipartisan support in the past, will not continue to finance the program at its current level.