Report: Troops, vets to get checked for chemical exposure in Iraq
Stars and Stripes
Published: October 30, 2014
The Pentagon will offer medical examinations and long-term health monitoring to servicemembers and veterans exposed to chemical warfare agents in Iraq as part of a review of how the military handled encounters with chemical munitions during the American occupation, The New York Times reported Wednesday.
An Oct. 15 Times story found that while the United States had gone to war looking for an active weapons of mass destruction program, troops instead quietly found and suffered from the remnants of the long abandoned arsenal.
Since that article, which detailed instances of exposure that the military kept secret in some cases for nearly a decade, more veterans and servicemembers have come forward, the Times reported. To date, neither the Pentagon nor any of the services have released a full list of chemical weapons recoveries and exposures.
The Times found that the military did not follow its own guidelines in the initial care of many patients, and did not establish a means for tracking their health, as guidelines also required.
In response, two senior Army doctors said in interviews this week that new medical examinations for troops and veterans who were exposed to chemical munitions would begin in early 2015. The Navy too has announced it will ramp up care.
read more here
Friday, October 31, 2014
Fayetteville VA Hospital Closed Emergency Room Over No Doctors?
PROTESTERS DEMAND VETERANS AFFAIRS EMERGENCY ROOM REOPEN IN FAYETTEVILLE
ABC 11 News
By Andrea Blanford
Thursday, October 30, 2014
FAYETTEVILLE (WTVD) -- A few dozen protesters, made up of Veterans Affairs workers and union members representing employees of the Fayetteville VA Medical Center, carried signs and chanted at the VA's entrance on Ramsey St. Thursday afternoon. They demanded the VA's emergency room reopen after administrators closed its doors in September.
But VA officials said the ER was closed for good reasons.
"I would hope that, much like me, their first concern would be the safety of our veteran patients," said Jeff Melvin, Fayetteville VA Medical Center Spokesperson.
The VA told veterans and employees in September, the closure was due to contractors failing to provide enough qualified ER doctors to properly staff Fayetteville's Emergency Dept. A 12-hour urgent care clinic was opened in its place, but many veterans say it's not enough.
read more here
ABC 11 News
By Andrea Blanford
Thursday, October 30, 2014
FAYETTEVILLE (WTVD) -- A few dozen protesters, made up of Veterans Affairs workers and union members representing employees of the Fayetteville VA Medical Center, carried signs and chanted at the VA's entrance on Ramsey St. Thursday afternoon. They demanded the VA's emergency room reopen after administrators closed its doors in September.
But VA officials said the ER was closed for good reasons.
"I would hope that, much like me, their first concern would be the safety of our veteran patients," said Jeff Melvin, Fayetteville VA Medical Center Spokesperson.
The VA told veterans and employees in September, the closure was due to contractors failing to provide enough qualified ER doctors to properly staff Fayetteville's Emergency Dept. A 12-hour urgent care clinic was opened in its place, but many veterans say it's not enough.
read more here
Fake Heroes Beware: Court Rules Wearing Unearned Medals Is a Crime
Court Rules Wearing Unearned Medals Is a Crime
Stars and Stripes
Oct 31, 2014
Lying about receiving a military medal is protected speech, but there's no right to wear a combat decoration that hasn't been earned, a federal appeals court said Wednesday.
The difference, said a divided panel of the Ninth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, is that lying is speech, but wearing a medal is conduct, according to a report in the San Francisco Chrnonicle.
The decision in an Idaho case returned the court to a controversy that led to a 2012 Supreme Court ruling and a rewriting of the law by Congress in 2013.
The defendant, Elven Swisher, served in the Marine Corps from 1954 to 1957, the Chronicle reported. In 2001, he applied for disability benefits, claiming he had been wounded in a secret mission to North Korea in 1955, after the Korean War ended. The Department of Veterans Affairs granted the request in 2004 after Swisher submitted what appeared to be a military document saying he had been awarded a Silver Star and other medals for his actions.
read more here
Stars and Stripes
Oct 31, 2014
Lying about receiving a military medal is protected speech, but there's no right to wear a combat decoration that hasn't been earned, a federal appeals court said Wednesday.
The difference, said a divided panel of the Ninth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, is that lying is speech, but wearing a medal is conduct, according to a report in the San Francisco Chrnonicle.
The decision in an Idaho case returned the court to a controversy that led to a 2012 Supreme Court ruling and a rewriting of the law by Congress in 2013.
The defendant, Elven Swisher, served in the Marine Corps from 1954 to 1957, the Chronicle reported. In 2001, he applied for disability benefits, claiming he had been wounded in a secret mission to North Korea in 1955, after the Korean War ended. The Department of Veterans Affairs granted the request in 2004 after Swisher submitted what appeared to be a military document saying he had been awarded a Silver Star and other medals for his actions.
read more here
Department of Defense Tracking Smart Phones?
Top Three are Army
The DOD used DARPA for tracking social media sites. Ok, and what exactly was accomplished by all of this?
Fort Hood 33%
Fort Campbell 35%
Fort Bragg 11%
The DOD used DARPA for tracking social media sites. Ok, and what exactly was accomplished by all of this?
This Is The Suicide Info Whisper Gave To The Department Of Defense
Forbes
Kashmire Hill
Forbes Staff
October 30, 2014
What Whisper sent to a Department of Defense researcher, via Whisper.
Last month, the Guardian did a hard-hitting piece on Whisper, reporting that the start-up that offered users the cover of anonymity to voice their deepest secrets was actually tracking interesting users, storing user data and making it searchable for editorial and research use by outside organizations (like the Guardian), and “sharing information with the US Department of Defense gleaned from smartphones it knows are used from military bases.” Regarding one sex-crazed lobbyist using the app from D.C., an unnamed member of the Whisper team told Guardian reporters that “he’s a guy that we’ll track for the rest of his life and he’ll have no idea we’ll be watching him.”
Whisper has fought back hard against the damaging report — which led to terrible press and an angry letter from a senator – saying the Guardian exaggerated the scrutiny it put its users under, was wrong about its cavalierly digging up location information on users who hadn’t volunteered it, and had talked to an employee whose statements “[did] not reflect our values and what we stand for.”
What I wanted to know was what exactly Whisper was handing over to the Pentagon. The Guardian described it thusly: “The company is cooperating with the US Department of Defense, sharing information with researchers investigating the frequency of mentions of suicide or self-harm from smartphones that Whisper knows are being used from US military bases.” I reached out to both Whisper and to the DoD to find out the exact nature of the information being handed over, and found out it was less alarming — and less useful — that it initially seemed.
At first the Pentagon had no idea what I was talking about. Whisper CEO Michael Heyward had said Whisper was working with the Department of Defense’s Suicide Prevention Office but Defense Department spokesperson James Brindle said that wasn’t the case. “The Defense Suicide Prevention Office is unaware of the use of Whisper as a suicide prevention tool for the Department of Defense,” said Brindle.
read more here
PTSD On Trial: Decorated Marine Iraq Veteran
Suspect who shot Athens cop is decorated Iraq war combat vet with PTSD
Online Athens
By JOE JOHNSON
October 30, 2014
A former U.S. Marine who shot and wounded an Athens-Clarke County police officer three months ago is a decorated combat veteran of the Iraq war whose post traumatic stress syndrome may have played a role in the altercation, according to a motion recently filed in Clarke County Superior Court.
Police said that on Aug. 31 James Michael Marcantonio shot the officer with his own holstered handgun during a struggle that began when the officer responded to a disturbance involving Marcantonio and a former girlfriend.
Defense attorney Edward Tolley argues in the motion that it was “evident” from an examination of the shooting by the Georgia Bureau of Investigation that Marcantonio “did not (intend) to harm the officer; the gun discharged during a struggle and when it went off, the struggle ended.”
Athens-Clarke County police said Marcantonio grabbed the officer’s weapon and “manipulated” it in the holster when he fired a shot that wounded the officer in the area of his hip and thigh. He was arrested at the scene and charged with aggravated assault and aggravated battery on a police officer.
read more here
Online Athens
By JOE JOHNSON
October 30, 2014
A former U.S. Marine who shot and wounded an Athens-Clarke County police officer three months ago is a decorated combat veteran of the Iraq war whose post traumatic stress syndrome may have played a role in the altercation, according to a motion recently filed in Clarke County Superior Court.
Police said that on Aug. 31 James Michael Marcantonio shot the officer with his own holstered handgun during a struggle that began when the officer responded to a disturbance involving Marcantonio and a former girlfriend.
Defense attorney Edward Tolley argues in the motion that it was “evident” from an examination of the shooting by the Georgia Bureau of Investigation that Marcantonio “did not (intend) to harm the officer; the gun discharged during a struggle and when it went off, the struggle ended.”
Athens-Clarke County police said Marcantonio grabbed the officer’s weapon and “manipulated” it in the holster when he fired a shot that wounded the officer in the area of his hip and thigh. He was arrested at the scene and charged with aggravated assault and aggravated battery on a police officer.
read more here
Vietnam Veteran "I know my purpose, I know my destiny"
Vietnam vet had the Purple Heart - now he can fly the flag
Twin Cities News
By Mary Divine
POSTED:10/30/201
The Rev. Richard Jenkins didn't receive a warm welcome when he returned from Vietnam.
Jenkins, who received a Purple Heart for shrapnel wounds to his leg, said there were no yellow ribbons, no ticker-tape parades, no standing ovations.
"I had such anger," said Jenkins, 72, an Army draftee who now lives in Newport. "I didn't volunteer for any of it."
Two of his neighbors are doing their part to right that wrong. Jason Lange and Joe Williams recently bought a flagpole and installed it in Jenkins' front yard to honor his sacrifice and celebrate his service. They also gave him an American flag and a flag that honors Purple Heart recipients.
"What he's done for us, for our families, is a lot more than we did here," Williams said.
Twin Cities News
By Mary Divine
POSTED:10/30/201
Richard Jenkins, left, a Vietnam vet and Purple Heart recipient, talks on Wednesday, Oct. 29, 2014, with his neighbors Joe Williams, center, and Jason Lange, who put up an American flag and a Purple Heart flag in Jenkins' yard in Newport.
(Pioneer Press: Jean Pieri)
His favorite Bible verse is Psalms 37:23-25: "The steps of a good man are ordered by the Lord and he delighteth in his way. Though he fall, he shall not be utterly cast down: for the Lord upholdeth him with his hand. I have been young, and now am old; yet have I not seen the righteous forsaken, nor his seed begging bread."
"I have never looked back," Jenkins said. "You have to have an impact. To change the lives of people, that's with the grace of God.
The Rev. Richard Jenkins didn't receive a warm welcome when he returned from Vietnam.
Jenkins, who received a Purple Heart for shrapnel wounds to his leg, said there were no yellow ribbons, no ticker-tape parades, no standing ovations.
"I had such anger," said Jenkins, 72, an Army draftee who now lives in Newport. "I didn't volunteer for any of it."
Two of his neighbors are doing their part to right that wrong. Jason Lange and Joe Williams recently bought a flagpole and installed it in Jenkins' front yard to honor his sacrifice and celebrate his service. They also gave him an American flag and a flag that honors Purple Heart recipients.
"What he's done for us, for our families, is a lot more than we did here," Williams said.
For 30 years, he has volunteered as a chaplain at Minnesota prisons. He is an advocate for veterans, serves on the board of Black Veterans of America and counsels those with post-traumatic stress disorder, a condition he was diagnosed with 25 years ago.
"I came back with the survivor's guilt: 'Lord, why me?' " he said. "The longer I live and the veterans that I have crossed paths with, I know that God has allowed me to come back for a purpose. I know my purpose, I know my destiny.
read more here
Thursday, October 30, 2014
Watchfire to show you the way back from far
Watchfire to show you the way back from far
Wounded Times
Kathie Costos
October 30, 2014
Jason headed down route 50 on his Harley waiting for the light to turn green
Looking around nothing seemed like home to him after everything else he'd seen.
He had been down the road a thousand times before
but then the world turned upside down on his last tour.
He'd been away for 9 long months in Afghanistan.
Not the first time he was there but he swore he'd never go back again.
His thoughts were of friends he lost
as he wondered if any of it was worth the cost.
Then he wondered what his life meant then or what it would mean tomorrow
when he couldn't remember the last time he wasn't filled with so much sorrow.
The light turned green, traffic moved ahead
he was stuck thinking of being better off dead.
Jason took the right onto Goldenrod almost hit by a jerk on the phone
he fought to control the bike as much as he fought feeling all alone.
Then he saw the bikes in front of the Laughing Horse bar, his second home.
Betty's eyes twinkled when he walked in the door
Stomped his boots on the floor
He winked with a grin he asked her "where you been?"
She gave him a hug and grabbed him a beer
thinking the last time she saw him was about a year
He took a seat and looked around a while
seeing the pictures on the wall, all with a smile
Then he saw a stranger with a Vietnam Vet patch on his head
He turned away long enough to get his belly fed
looked across to see the empty stool
then thought about his buddy from high school
So many plans they had as kids
No one ever thought they'd be doing what they did
But right after September 11th Bob joined the Army
prepared to leave behind his friends and family
Josh followed right behind the way it always was
since Josh believed that's just what a friend does.
Bob was killed took a part of Josh away
He made sure to have a beer to honor that day
the day Bob sacrificed his life to keep his word
to keep Josh alive or die trying, though living was prefered
The stranger came back and put out his hand
"Come with me if you want to understand"
Josh, polite as always followed and saw the flames behind the bar
"It's called a Watchfire to show you the way back from far
Back from far? What's that mean?
You didn't find your own way into war or what you've seen
You had to be shown the way and taken there
Now you have to be shown the way home to people who care
I went in a different time to a different place
but someone showed me the way home with grace
and helped me find peace to last all these years
Ya can't find it in cigarettes and beers
Ya can't find it unless someone helps you see it
that's why the watchfire was lit
but you don't have to look at the flames burning
to ease the places where you're hurting
What you need is already there
in the place where you care
cause it was love that caused you to go
to be willing to die for someone you know
It's my time to pass it on
Cause one of these days I'll be gone
but one day when you're as old as me
someone else will be lost as you seem to be
and you can help him find his way
the same way I guide you starting this day
PTSD doesn't have to ruin your life
or end your relationship with your wife
You ain't stuck with the way it is now
It changed you once but you can change again if you learn how
I'll spend as much time as you need me to
for only a promise that you'll do it too
when you're strong enough to take the watch for another
and show them the way back from far, brother to brother.
Wounded Times
Kathie Costos
October 30, 2014
Looking around nothing seemed like home to him after everything else he'd seen.
He had been down the road a thousand times before
but then the world turned upside down on his last tour.
He'd been away for 9 long months in Afghanistan.
Not the first time he was there but he swore he'd never go back again.
His thoughts were of friends he lost
as he wondered if any of it was worth the cost.
Then he wondered what his life meant then or what it would mean tomorrow
when he couldn't remember the last time he wasn't filled with so much sorrow.
The light turned green, traffic moved ahead
he was stuck thinking of being better off dead.
Jason took the right onto Goldenrod almost hit by a jerk on the phone
he fought to control the bike as much as he fought feeling all alone.
Then he saw the bikes in front of the Laughing Horse bar, his second home.
Betty's eyes twinkled when he walked in the door
Stomped his boots on the floor
He winked with a grin he asked her "where you been?"
She gave him a hug and grabbed him a beer
thinking the last time she saw him was about a year
He took a seat and looked around a while
seeing the pictures on the wall, all with a smile
Then he saw a stranger with a Vietnam Vet patch on his head
He turned away long enough to get his belly fed
looked across to see the empty stool
then thought about his buddy from high school
So many plans they had as kids
No one ever thought they'd be doing what they did
But right after September 11th Bob joined the Army
prepared to leave behind his friends and family
Josh followed right behind the way it always was
since Josh believed that's just what a friend does.
Bob was killed took a part of Josh away
He made sure to have a beer to honor that day
the day Bob sacrificed his life to keep his word
to keep Josh alive or die trying, though living was prefered
The stranger came back and put out his hand
"Come with me if you want to understand"
Josh, polite as always followed and saw the flames behind the bar
"It's called a Watchfire to show you the way back from far
Back from far? What's that mean?
You didn't find your own way into war or what you've seen
You had to be shown the way and taken there
Now you have to be shown the way home to people who care
I went in a different time to a different place
but someone showed me the way home with grace
and helped me find peace to last all these years
Ya can't find it in cigarettes and beers
Ya can't find it unless someone helps you see it
that's why the watchfire was lit
but you don't have to look at the flames burning
to ease the places where you're hurting
What you need is already there
in the place where you care
cause it was love that caused you to go
to be willing to die for someone you know
It's my time to pass it on
Cause one of these days I'll be gone
but one day when you're as old as me
someone else will be lost as you seem to be
and you can help him find his way
the same way I guide you starting this day
PTSD doesn't have to ruin your life
or end your relationship with your wife
You ain't stuck with the way it is now
It changed you once but you can change again if you learn how
I'll spend as much time as you need me to
for only a promise that you'll do it too
when you're strong enough to take the watch for another
and show them the way back from far, brother to brother.
Veterans Caught Not Breaking The Law?
This is the headline on Washington Times
So why all of a sudden are headlines like this coming out?
"Veterans caught triple-dipping on benefits"Seems really bad right? Nope. This is the part that came further down the article.
"The arrangement is legal"Few if able, stop working after they retire from the military. That means they pay into their pensions as well as Social Security. Hurt on the job then they get Social Security Disability plus any private insurance they pay for. Granted a service connected disability for what happened while in the military is another thing they paid for with their service.
So why all of a sudden are headlines like this coming out?
Veterans caught triple-dipping on benefits
The Washington Times
By Stephen Dinan
Thursday, October 30, 2014
The arrangement is legal, but it raises questions about the generosity of the American safety net system at a time when disability programs are already under severe financial stress.
One veteran on disability collected nearly $210,000 in benefits in 2013, while another earned more than $122,000 — nearly three times what his actual military pay would have been — according to a watchdog report being released Thursday that found tens of thousands of veterans are triple-dipping on disability.
Tens of thousands of veterans collect their military retirement pay and disability benefits from the Veterans Administration and disability checks from Social Security too, according to a new report from the Government Accountability Office. All told, nearly 60,000 triple dippers collected $3.5 billion in benefits.
“This report shows that, like other government programs, there is little coordination between these overlapping benefits, which increase cost[s] to taxpayers,” said Sen. Tom Coburn, the Oklahoma Republican who requested the GAO report. “We should fulfill our promises to the men and women who serve, but we need to streamline these duplicative programs.”
For decades, up until 2004, the government clamped down on veterans taking both military retirement pay and VA disability benefits. The Pentagon docked retirement pay dollar for dollar up to the amount of their VA benefits.
read more here
Upcoming Central Florida Veterans Events
October list #3 – Central FL additional List of veteran, military and patriotic events.
Are you going to be a person sitting at home in a chair while watching mind twaddle re-runs on TV with your mind dissolving? Or are you going to be a patriotic person (if you aren’t already a Veteran) and participate in community events?
Everyone and especially Veterans – please plan to attend the various school programs. There MAY be events at some schools near your home that are not listed here. Our young ones need to be aware of who veterans are and how they have served our country. Your attendance reinforces the efforts that some teachers are trying to provide. Be an example – be someone that the young generation will remember and model after…
Again, these events are in ADDITION (except for updates) to ones previously posted……
Angel's Life Foundation's Motorcycle "Ride to Infinity and Beyond" - Sat. Nov 1 - Motorcycle ride to raise funds for cystic fibrosis awareness and research. Local fallen warrior (KIA July 2012) Army SPC Brenden Salazar-Nelson's sole surviving sibling has cystic fibrosis - a life-threatening fatal genetic disease. Ride Starts and ends at Orlando Harley Davidson South, 7786 West Irlo Bronson Hwy, Kissimmee, 34747 (about 3 miles west of I-4 on SR192) Events thru the day. Angel’s Life Foundation - 501(c)(3) non-profit. Info:Jovanna@Angelslife.Org 407-542-4929
Army Rangers and Others Breakfast - First Sat of each month local past and present Rangers, their families, and friends gather informally at IHOP located at 647 E. Colonial Dr., Orlando. (Summerlin and Colonial Dr. (CR50) just east of I-4.) Just for friendship, laughs and storytelling mixed with a little truth! Meals on your own. Special Forces, Navy Seals, Force Recon, Pararescue, etc. are also welcomed. Facebook: Ranger Breakfast Orlando. Contact Richard Nelson for time and details - rnelson134@cfl.rr.com
Camaraderie Foundation Family Fun Day - Sat. Nov 1 - Central Florida Women's League kindly honors military families with fun and food at no cost to them. 10am - 2pm at Bill Fredericks Park at Turkey Lake in southwest Orlando, 3401 S. Hiawassee Rd, Orlando, 32835. RSVP needed to 407.841.0071 events@camaraderiefoundation.com See website about assistance to military and their families.
Daylight Savings Time ends – Sun. Nov 2 – Turn your clock back one hour. Use that bonus time to do something nice for our veterans and service personnel!
Osceola County Commissioners Proclamation - Mon Nov 3 - All veterans and public are invited to hear the proclamation recognizing them and their continued committed work within the communities and Osceola County. 1:30pm Commission Chambers, 1 Courthouse Square, Suite 4100, Kissimmee, 34741.
Election Day – Tues. Nov 4 – Become educated and do your civic duty – VOTE!
Greeters needed! Honor Flight Welcome Home –WED. Nov 5 – Orlando Int’l Airport – This is the VERY LAST Honor Flight for the 2014 year from the Central Florida area. Winter, ice, and senior citizens don’t do too well together in Washington DC. The WW2 and Korean War veterans truly appreciate the “Welcome Home” receptions at the airports with the flags and patriotic signs – It makes a difference! After a day spent in Washington DC, 25 veterans of WWII and Korean War veterans return home thru Orlando Int’l Airport. The nation-wide organization has three local hubs that take veterans on a single day trip to our nation’s capital where they visit the WWII, Korea, and Vietnam War Memorials, Marine Corps Iwo Jima and the Air Force Monuments, and witness the changing of the guard at the Tomb of the Unknowns at Arlington National Cemetery. This group will return at about 9:30 pm. Come welcome these former warriors home! Bring your flags, banners and signs! Southwest Airlines #3303 from Baltimore-Washington (BWI), Terminal A, Airside 2 (hotel area in front of Starbucks.) Before leaving home, check online to see if the flight is on time because there may be delays due to weather, mechanical or medical issues. Free parking has been arranged at an off airport property – FastPark and Relax – who has been very generous to Honor Flights with free parking and shuttles to the airport - Contact Cathy Haynes for those details NLT 7pm - chaynes11629@yahoo.com 407-239-8468.
UPDATE: Orlando Airport Operations is graciously providing parking validation for persons “sending off” and “welcoming home” the Honor Flight. BUT certain conditions must apply. Contact me (Cathy) for details.
For the Early Birds - you can wave them off in the morning no later than 5am – same location. They process thru Security early and quickly.
Honor Flights will resume in the Spring of 2015 when the weather improves.
A Tribute to our Heroes, A YMCA event - Sat. Nov 8 - Recognizing Wounded and Disabled Veterans in our community. FREE, open to all from 11am to 1pm at Dr. P. Phillips YMCA Family Center, 7000 Dr Phillips Blvd., Orlando, 32819 (Southwest Orlando.) Brunch, Flag ceremony, speaker Army Lt.Gen. Jay M. Garner (ret.) Info: bevans@cfymca.org 407.351.9417 ymcacentralflorida.com Shared by DAV member Lyle Schmeiser.
Veterans Day Fireworks Celebration - Sat. Nov 8 - VFW Post 10139 in Chuluota is the site for fun starting at 3pm with Fireworks starting at 7pm sponsored by Tijuana Flats. Bounce houses, food, drinks and music. Special ceremony. Post is located at the corner of Lake Mills Ave and East 7th St., Chuluota, 32766 in Seminole Co. Info: 407-359-5020 info@vfwpost10139.org Shared by Adam Zavardino, Commander of VFW Post 10139.
Jewish War Veterans – Sun. Nov 9 – Join JWV Post 475 for a cup of coffee at 10:30 am while we remember and honor the liberators of the European work camps and death camps from 70 years ago. All persons welcomed, especially the liberators. The Jewish War Veterans is the oldest continuously active veterans’ organization in the United States, and serves all veterans. Congressionally chartered in 1896, JWV is dedicated to upholding America’s democratic traditions and fighting bigotry, prejudice, injustice, and discrimination of all kinds. Honoring our service and our faith. 10:30 am meeting at Kinneret Apartments social room, 515 Delaney Ave, downtown Orlando, 32801. Info: Dave at dlitwack@aol.com 407-363-0969.
Happy Birthday United States Marine Corps! The official birthday is on 10 November 1775. That was the day when the Second Continental Congress established the Continental Marines. Semper Fi!
SOS Breakfast celebrating USMC 239th Birthday - Mon. Nov 10 - Central Florida Chapter of the 1st Marine Division Association invites all interested persons. Winter Park Community Center (not the Civic Center!) located at 721 West New England Ave. three blocks west of the Farmers’ Market, at 8:30 am. The guest speaker is Lt. Col. William W. Yates, Program Manager of Training Systems (PM TRASYS). $25 benefits local chapter outreach and scholarship fund. RSVP required no later than Wed. Nov. 5, contact Mike for instructions - 321. 276.7515 koolade@embarqmail.com (* If SOS is not your “thing” a full breakfast buffet is included in your admission) Shared by Mike Galyean.
Museum of Military History – Tues. Nov 11 – Free admission for Veterans with ID, $2 off admission for all others. 5210 West Irlo Bronson Highway - located west of SR 535 on SR 192 Kissimmee, FL – near the Poinciana Blvd. intersection on the south side of the road. "Educating the world about the cost of freedom" with educational exhibits starting with the Civil War, incorporating World War I, World War II, the Korean War, the Vietnam War, the Gulf War and leading the visitor up to the most current pages of our military history in Afghanistan and Iraq. Hours of 10 am to 6 pm on Tuesdays thru Sunday (Closed Mondays.) For more information call 407 507-3894 (See *Note below)
Veterans Day Parade in Melbourne - Tues Nov 11. Parade hosted by Honor America honoring veterans and those currently fighting abroad. Starts 10 am at Melbourne Ave. to Melbourne Ct., then to New Haven Ave., west through downtown to Oak Street., then North on Oak St. to the Liberty Bell Memorial Museum. The parade will end at entrance to the museum. Info: Honor America 321.727.1776. Shared by Deb Plaag, Commodore John Barry Chapter of DAR.
West Melbourne Veterans Recognition Celebration - Tues. Nov 11 - All residents of Brevard County invited to join, honor those heroes of America's armed forces who have served to protect our freedom on Veteran's Day. The ceremony starts at 1130 am at the Veterans Memorial Complex, 2285 Minton Rd, West Melbourne, 32904. Free event will feature: Patriotic music, Presentation of the Colors, and a keynote speaker. Info: agallagher@westmelbourne.org 321-837-7779. Shared by Deborah Plaag of Commodore John Barry Chapter DAR.
Salute to Veterans in The Villages - Tues. Nov 11 - Honoring all area military veterans. Villages Honor Flight has been designated as the beneficiary of the proceeds from the event. This benefit (with 50/50 raffle, prizes, baskets) will assist funding the VHF mission of taking American war heroes to see the memorials dedicated to their service, without cost to them. Starts 5pm at Brownwood Square, The Villages, with a Parade of Veterans, music, food, and more. Sponsored by Parady Financial Group. Info: Sally Byrnes 352-259-5890 orsbyrnes123@yahoo.com
Saluting Our Troops, A Night of Jazz - Tues. Nov 11 - East River High School Jazz Ensemble celebrates our veterans with a FREE WWII era jazz concert!. Swing to Glenn Miller, Duke Ellington, and more. 6:30pm at ERHS, 650 East River Falcons Way, Orlando, FL 32833 (east Orange County.) Shared by Army Maj. Steven Celeste (ret.) JROTC instructor, steven.celeste@ocps.net 407.956.8550, Ext: 6332910
Central Florida Navy League Luncheon meeting – Wed. Nov 12 – The Navy League has grown into the foremost citizens’ organization to serve, support and stand with all the sea service members and their families – the U.S. Navy, U.S. Marine Corps, U.S. Coast Guard and U.S.-flag Merchant Marine. Guest speaker: Commanding Officer of the Coast Guard Cutter Vigilant from Port Canaveral. He will be able to let us know what they have been up to while on patrol, especially intersecting drug transportation. Radisson Hotel, 1724 N. Alafaya Trail, Orlando, 32826 (near UCF; SW corner of Alafaya Trail and Colonial/50). 11:30 luncheon. Cost is $20 with RSVP (before Tues.) or $25 at the door without RSVP. Pay online at our website: cfnavyleague.org Info/RSVP: Bob at navleaguecenfl@juno.com 407-977-7575.
UCF Veterans' Speaker Series, Lessons Learned for Today's Veterans - Wed. Nov 12 - Free and open to the public. 4:30pm speaker: Dr. Brian Craig Miller specializes in the physical and psychological ramifications of warfare on veterans. 6 - 7pm: Joseph Sousa, filmmaker, producer/director on the critically acclaimed PBS series, "Coming Back with Wes Moore" that tells the story of a search for answers to some of the most difficult questions related to returning to war. And Army Sgt. Taylor Urruella (ret) who was wounded and appears in the series. Morgridge International Reading Center, Bldg. 122, 4143 Andromeda Loop, Orlando, 32816 on the UCF campus. Info: Tiffany Rivera 407-823-3817 tiffany.rivera@ucf.edu
*Note: If you or your friends have military items that may not mean much to your other family members, please consider donating them or placing them "on permanent loan" with a Museum for safekeeping. Others may appreciate their historical significance, and it will keep them out of potential landfills. If possible please include the story of the item.
Caring and sharing,
Cathy Haynes
Member/supporter of numerous veteran and military organizations in Central Florida
407-239-8468
Iraq veteran second chance taking care of Mom with $1 million
Iraq veteran 'taking care of mom' with $1M SC lottery win
The State.com
October 30, 2014
A Charleston man was fixing lunch when he got a call from the South Carolina Education Lottery yesterday saying he won $1 million.
When he hung up the phone, he turned off the stove and called his mom. “We need to talk,” he said.
The Iraqi veteran entered about five or so non-winning tickets in the Lottery’s Millionaire Madness Second-Chance Drawing and then completely forgot about them. One of those tickets was selected from more than 525,000 entries received to win the $1 million prize, according to a release from the South Carolina Education Lottery.
“I thought it was a practical joke,” he said, until he checked the Lottery’s website and saw the winner was from Charleston and the number that called him was registered to the Lottery.
read more here
The State.com
October 30, 2014
A Charleston man was fixing lunch when he got a call from the South Carolina Education Lottery yesterday saying he won $1 million.
When he hung up the phone, he turned off the stove and called his mom. “We need to talk,” he said.
The Iraqi veteran entered about five or so non-winning tickets in the Lottery’s Millionaire Madness Second-Chance Drawing and then completely forgot about them. One of those tickets was selected from more than 525,000 entries received to win the $1 million prize, according to a release from the South Carolina Education Lottery.
“I thought it was a practical joke,” he said, until he checked the Lottery’s website and saw the winner was from Charleston and the number that called him was registered to the Lottery.
read more here
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