Fort Campbell Soldier Killed Crossing Street 2 Months After Afghanistan Mission

Police ID Connecticut man killed while walking on I-40
The Tennessean
Adam Tamburin
November 24, 2014

James Garvey, center, with his parents

the day he returned to Fort Campbell from Afghanistan in September.

(Photo: Submitted)

Police in Nashville are turning to the community for help answering questions about a young soldier's final moments on Interstate 40.

Garvey was killed early Sunday morning when two vehicles slammed into him while he was walking along the interstate near the Nashville International Airport. It is unclear why he was there; investigators did not find his car nearby.

Answers, if they come, will likely do little to ease the grief of the 24-year-old's shell-shocked family. Garvey's parents traveled from Connecticut to Ft. Campbell in September to welcome the young soldier back from Afghanistan, where he had flown Apache gunships, his father said.

In an email, James Garvey's father, William Garvey, said welcoming his son back to American soil just two months ago ranked among the happiest days of his life.
read more here

Psychiatrist left disillusioned with the Army’s understanding of PTSD

Editorial: Wounded warriors deserve better Dallas News
November 24, 2014

The get-tough attitude doesn’t work when someone with PTSD is groggy from medication or sunk by depression. Telling that soldier to suck it up isn’t just bad medicine, it’s bad discipline.

Vernon Bryant/Staff Photographer
Michael “Mikey” Howard gets medication from wife Robin at their Killeen home. Howard, a former combat medic, has PTSD and early-onset dementia. He sought relief from the Warrior Transition Unit but got “stress and work.”

The Army’s Warrior Transition Unit should be a place where the unseen wounds of soldiers, the psychological injuries, are salved and allowed to begin to heal.

Instead, as an exhaustive two-part report from The Dallas Morning News and KXAS-TV (NBC5) shows, it too often is subject to a military culture that either doesn’t comprehend or doesn’t care enough about the depth of pain that some soldiers experience upon return from war.

That is unacceptable in a program designed in 2007 to help the Army treat soldiers with post-traumatic stress disorder.

At the very least, the Army should ensure that a doctor’s orders trump higher-ranking officers when it comes to routine matters like showing up for formation or being assigned to night watch when a suffering soldier needs rest. The Army must also do more to meld military culture with good psychological care.

The Army should be, and is, a place of stern discipline. And there is evidence that soldiers recovering from PTSD can benefit from the strict routines of Army life.

But this isn’t about some slackers and complainers who don’t show up for formation. It’s about people like former Army medic Zackary Filip.

Filip displayed extraordinary courage in Afghanistan and then at home when he leaped to help the wounded cut down by Fort Hood shooter Nidal Hasan.

Yet even someone like Filip, named 2010 Soldier of the Year by Army Times, has been caught between his doctors and his unit.

Dr. Stephen M. Stahl, a psychiatrist who worked closely with the transition program at Fort Hood, left disillusioned with the Army’s understanding of PTSD.

The sense was the disorder wasn’t real or that it was a weakness, he said.

Zackary Filip isn’t weak. And neither are the soldiers like him. The Army must respect that as it nurtures these wounded back to health.
read more here

Soldiers in WTU with PTSD degraded and told to "man up"

Why do they not go for help? Why do they feel as if there is still a reason to be ashamed? The answer is because of the attitude of too many in the military.

"Howard said the WTU medical staff tried to help but the unit’s non-medical commanders treated him more like a drunk and a troublemaker who needed to be punished, not a soldier suffering from PTSD who needed compassion."

This is the result of "resilience training" telling them it was their fault. When brass told soldiers it is to make them mentally tough, that meant they were mentally weak. When brass told them this, it was because of what they actually believed no matter how many years have proven them wrong.

Injured Heroes, Broken Promises: Injured Soldiers Question Training of WTU Leaders
Soldier with PTSD questions being given leadership role inside WTU
NBC 5 and Dallas Morning News
By Scott Friedman, Eva Parks and David Tarrant
November 24, 2014

NBC 5 Investigates found hundreds of injured soldiers complain of harassment and verbal abuse inside the Army’s Warrior Transition Unit’s (WTUs) that were designed to help active duty soldiers heal.

Now, more questions have surfaced about how the Army chooses WTU commanders and how much training they’re receiving to care for injured soldiers.

NBC 5 Investigates teamed up with The Dallas Morning News for a six month investigation to uncover stunning allegations described by soldiers recovering in Texas from the wounds of war.

Spc. Michael Howard returned home to Texas Dec. 24, 2011. It was the moment every family waits for. “Life was perfect that day,” said Robin Howard, Michael’s wife.

But for Robin and Michael Howard, the homecoming wasn’t the happy ending it appeared to be.

Michael Howard served as an Army medic in Southeastern Iraq and the images of combat traveled home with him.

Suffering from post-traumatic stress he tried to erase the memories by self-medicating with alcohol to get rid of the pain.

The Army sent Howard to the Warrior Transition Unit at Fort Hood, which is one of more than 20 special units created across the country to treat mentally and physically injured soldiers.

When Howard first arrived at the unit he said he was expecting to find relief but instead found nothing but stress.

Howard said the WTU medical staff tried to help but the unit’s non-medical commanders treated him more like a drunk and a troublemaker who needed to be punished, not a soldier suffering from PTSD who needed compassion.

He said commanders told him to “man-up” and “get over it,” even calling him degrading and offensive names.
read more here

Part One

WTF! Fort Hood WTU Mistreatment of Wounded Soldiers!

PTSD soldiers treated like recruits "had to be whipped into shape" and they wonder why soldiers don't want to seek help?

Injured Heroes, Broken Promises: Hundreds of Soldiers Allege Mistreatment at Army Warrior Transition Units
Wounded soldiers found harassment and verbal abuse from commanders assigned to care for the injured.
By Scott Friedman, Eva Parks and David Tarrant
NBC 5 and Dallas Morning News
November 24, 2014

NBC 5 Investigates has learned hundreds of America's active duty soldiers have complained about harassment, verbal abuse and mistreatment at the Army’s Warrior Transition Units that were designed to help the injured heal.

NBC 5 investigative reporter Scott Friedman teamed up with The Dallas Morning News' Dave Tarrant for a six-month investigation to uncover the stunning allegations described by soldiers recovering in Texas from the wounds of war.

The soldiers returned home injured, both physically and mentally, and were once again under attack as they were ridiculed, harassed and threatened by commanders assigned to help the recover.

Army Sgt. Zack Filip served as a combat medic at a primitive outpost in Afghanistan earning a bronze star for valor as he treated the wounded in harsh conditions, under nearly constant attack.

"I thought I was going to die there. I mean I had actually prayed about it and came to peace with the fact that I was going to die," said Filip.

Filip came home to Fort Hood suffering from post-traumatic stress — haunted by things he had seen. Then came another nightmare; the 2009 Fort Hood shooting that left 13 dead.

Filip jumped into action — helping save the life of a wounded police officer. For his heroics The Army Times named him the 2010 "Army Soldier of the Year."

"I was just kind of in awe of the whole situation”, Filip said.
read more here

Vietnam Veteran Chuck Hagel Leaving Department of Defense

A Shifting Battleground: Why Chuck Hagel Resigned
NBC News
BY PERRY BACON JR.
November 24, 2014

Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel’s resignation at the urging of the president is not a sign of a broader shift in the White House’s national security or defense policies, according to former and current administration officials.

Rather, Hagel’s departure reflects two new dynamics that have emerged since he took the helm at the Pentagon early last year. Hagel’s background as a Vietnam War veteran and former Nebraska senator was seen by administration officials as giving credibility and clout to implement one of President Obama’s major priorities back then: a broad overhaul of America’s military that would reduce defense spending and shrink the U.S. Army to its smallest force levels in decades.

But the rise of ISIS and other military challenges, like halting Russia’s incursions into the Ukraine and stopping the spread of Ebola, have emerged over the last two years, so the restructuring of the Pentagon is no longer at the top of Obama’s to-do list.

He had a crappy relationship with Susan Rice.

And those events abroad have focused attention on Hagel’s management skills. The Defense Secretary, according to administration sources, simply failed to convince leaders at the White House or the Pentagon that he is the right person to lead what is akin to a war against ISIS.

“They chose Hagel for a job that just turned out to be very different than what was expected with the rise of ISIS,” said one former Obama national security aide.
read more here

Bradenton firefighter shot and killed by police was also a veteran

UPDATE

Wendt joined the Bradenton Fire Department in December 2003 after volunteering with Cedar Hammock-Southern Manatee while working at Ten-8 Fire Equipment.

A year later, he spent 13 months in Iraq with the United States Army Reserve. Wendt received a Bronze Star Medal for his efforts.

On May 13, 2005, as a recovery section sergeant with HHC Platoon, 1st Battalion, 103rd Armor and Task Force Liberty, Wendt “went to the aid of a fellow soldier who was injured and trapped under a burning vehicle during a Vehicle Born Improvised Explosives Device attack,” according to the U.S. War Office. He used tow chains to move the burning vehicle away from the injured soldier.

“It seems like every day you read about this, but when it hits home, it's different,” Gallo said.

I am posting this with an extremely heavy heart. This morning I woke up to news of this from his Mom. My prayers for my friend and his entire family as well as the firefighters and police officers involved with this tragedy.

He was a firefighter and volunteered to serve this country in combat.

When will we ever get to the point where being back home is less dangerous than combat for those we send?

Officer fatally shoots firefighter brandishing guns
Herald Tribune
STAFF REPORT
Published: Monday, November 24, 2014

Donald Wendt in a 2008 photo provided by the City of Bradenton
Wendt, 50, was shot and killed Nov. 23, 2014, by a Bradenton police officer.

MANATEE COUNTY - A Bradenton firefighter was shot and killed by a city police officer Sunday night after the firefighter reportedly approached officers brandishing two handguns.

Bradenton Police SWAT Officer Jason Nuttall — a 15-year veteran — shot Donald Wendt, 50, who was employed as a firefighter for the Bradenton Fire Department.

The Florida Department of Law Enforcement is investigating the shooting.

Bradenton Police Chief Michael Radzilowski said Wendt served two tours of military duty in Afghanistan and may have been suffering from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder.

At 9:30 p.m. Sunday, neighbors called police to report Wendt was outside of his home in the 3300 block of Oxford Drive waving a weapon and threatening to kill himself and his sister.

A SWAT team and hostage negotiators were summoned. Wendt was inside when police arrived, so officers set up a perimeter and evacuated people from nearby homes.

Team members were trying to contact Wendt by phone, when he re-emerged from the home and pointed a gun at police.

Nuttall fired a single shot at the firefighter, killing him.
read more here

New Jersey National Guardsman Suicides Blamed On 4 Soldiers?

This part sums up the ineffectiveness of "suicide prevention" and resilience training.

“Everybody has to take some responsibility when we lose a soldier,” Cunniff said. “It’s our duty as citizens, much less soldiers, to look after one another. That’s one of the cornerstones of our suicide prevention program here and the military on the whole.”

If it doesn't work for those not deployed, then how did they expect it to work for the deployed? They can blame the soldiers all they want but when they pushed programs that failed, they should have stopped using them. So what is behind this still being used when the number of suicides went up afterwards?

"They are among a large and vulnerable group of young soldiers who enlist in the Guard and bring to the job the baggage of their everyday life, from family and relationship conflicts to financial and job problems, that puts them at risk."

The National Guards is like all other branches and they do psychological testing before enlistment. How were these "vulnerable" men allowed to enlist?

N.J. Army National Guard grapples with three suicides after decade of none
NJ.com
Christopher Baxter
November 23, 2014

Governor Chris Christie greets the troop before the ceremony during the New Jersey National Guard Military Review at the National Guard Training Center in Sea Girt , NJ 9/27/14 (Ed Murray | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com)

TRENTON — Five years ago, the country’s top military officer touted the New Jersey Army National Guard as a model of success for the nation, noting that it had experienced no suicides among its members since the invasion of Iraq began in 2003.

The record was impressive and one matched by only a handful of other states. The overall suicide rate in the Guard steadily climbed through the decade and, by 2008, had exceeded the rate among the general population, federal statistics show.

Since then, the rise has continued, with the Guard hitting an all-time record of 120 suicides across the nation in 2013. New Jersey held steady at zero.

But that came to a quiet end this year, when, in the span of six months, three New Jersey Army National Guard members committed suicide, and a fourth died as a result of a possible drug overdose, NJ Advance Media has learned.

Their backgrounds, however, do not fit the profile of soldiers who ship off to war and struggle with post-traumatic stress and reintegration upon return. All four men were first-time enlistees, from 21 to 25 years old, and had never been deployed.
read more here

Vietnam Veteran Came Home in 1970, Survived Then Surcumbed

Murphy came home from Vietnam in 1970. He survived combat plus decades here. We can only wonder how long he could have survived had he been granted the promises made "to care for him who shall have borne the battle" as President Lincoln said. To read the beginning of the fine article on Savannah Now, it would not do proper justice to this life gone too soon.

"Robert Lloyd Murphy Jr. was born in Newport News, Va., but spent his childhood in Virginia and in Florida. His father was a Baptist minister, Townsend said, and “they moved around a lot.”

Murphy’s parents are both dead now. So is his sister, his only sibling.

For his senior year in high school, Murphy attended Oak Hill Academy, a private, Baptist-affiliated boarding school in Virginia. His fellow seniors in the Class of 1966 voted him “Best Personality.”

“Bob, you have so much potential,” a teacher named Edith Hough wrote on a page of Murphy’s “Hilltopper” yearbook. “Live up to your potential.”

In Murphy’s case, that meant serving his country.

The Vietnam War had been raging for two years when Murphy got his high school diploma. By the end of 1966, the number of American troops in Vietnam reached 385,000 men.

On May 7, 1967, Murphy started on a path to join them by enlisting in the U.S. Army. His superiors trained him to fly helicopters. He arrived in Vietnam on Oct. 20, 1968, on the heels of the huge battle at Khe Sanh. Murphy must have been good at his job, as he became a commander for his rotary wing unit.

“He made captain when he was 22,” Murphy’s nephew said. “He got shot down once, and he said he was lucky to get out with only a few injuries. But he was hard core. He wanted to do his duty.”

He served 19 months in Vietnam and returned to the states in May 1970. He was honorably discharged in 1971 from Fort Stewart."

Tom Barton: VA scandal hits home: Vet hooked on morphine, takes own life
Savannah Now.com
Tom Barton
Posted: November 22, 2014

My morphine addiction is a necessary evil that prevents my death by suicide. I know it is inevitable and the increase of the dosage is without a doubt a foregone conclusion. I don’t look forward to it.
— Bob Murphy on Veterans Day, 2013
read the rest here

Desert Storm Veteran Reduced to Tears

A Disabled Vet Breaks Down When He Finds Out That He Isn’t Being Filmed For A Documentary
IJ Review
BY JUSTEN CHARTERS

Johnny Hicks served in Desert Storm and then for 20 years in the Navy. After retiring, Hicks took a government job but was unfortunately let go.

Hicks suffers from tremors, memory issues and kidney problems. Since losing his job, he’s struggled to make ends meet.

Fortunately for Hicks, a guy by the name of Rob Anderson wanted to give back to our veterans. Anderson is a street magician and YouTube filmmaker, who gained national attention for turning a homeless veteran’s sign into a wad of money:
read more here and then stop asking why there are no more miracles on this earth.

Disabled Vet Gets Life-Changing Thank You!

Court Helps Veterans Take Leap of Faith

Veterans Trauma Court: From broken and battered to a leap of faith
The Gazette
Stephen Hobbs
November 23, 2014

"I was a battered, broken soldier that felt like I had no hope," said Kenneth Authier, an Army veteran. At the end of his speech, Authier's voice cracked with emotion as he advised program participants to "take that leap of faith" with the staff of the Veterans Trauma Court.

About 100 military veterans, community advocates and elected officials gathered for a milestone graduation ceremony recently for the Veterans Trauma Court program at the 4th Judicial District courthouse in Colorado Springs.

The program, which started at the courthouse in December 2009, works to give veterans a chance to receive rehabilitation and get treatment after entering the criminal justice system.

At the 45-minute ceremony this month, five of the eighteen graduates of the Veterans Trauma Court were given diplomas and a special coin and were congratulated by peer mentors, probation officers and attorneys connected with the program.

"You did what 99 percent of our fellow Americans chose not to do or couldn't do," said Lt. Col. Aaron M. Termain, battalion command of the Warrior Transition Battalion at Fort Carson, who gave the keynote address at the ceremony. "We're very lucky to have a community out there to support us."

The Nov. 13 event was the 10th graduation since the program began. As part of the ceremonies, three of the graduates read letters to those in attendance.
read more here