Utica Contractors Team Up for Disabled Vietnam Veteran

Volunteers band together to help local veteran
By WKTV News
Story Created: Dec 12, 2014

(WKTV) - It was a chilly day to be working outside Friday, but that's what about a dozen local contractors did all day long -- and they're donating their services.

They are teaming up to make a local veteran's life more comfortable. The man who lives in a home on Kirkland Avenue in Clinton is 68-year-old Richard Koury, a Clinton native. Koury served in Vietnam as a Marine in 1965 and 1966.

He suffers from post-traumatic stress disorder, as well as health problems related to Agent Orange and napalm, but still worked for years at Kelsey Hayes in Utica, not taking any government help at all.

Recently, he suffered two strokes and is confined to either his hospital bed or his wheelchair in one room of his home, which is not very handicapped accessible.
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Two American soldiers were killed overnight

Two American Soldiers Killed in Afghanistan Attack: Official
NBC News

KABUL, Afghanistan — Two American soldiers were killed overnight when their convoy came under enemy attack near Bagram Airbase near Kabul in Afghanistan, a U.S. official told NBC News on Saturday. The official spoke on the condition of anonymity.

Earlier, NATO coalition spokesman Lt. Cmdr. Justin Hadley said a roadside bomb had killed two foreign soldiers traveling in convoy near the largest U.S. military base in that country late on Friday. "It is coalition policy to defer the identity and nationality of the service members to the national authorities," Hadley said.

The bomb detonated while vehicles passed a road leading up to Bagram Airfield, local police chief Gen. Zaman Mamozai. The Taliban claimed responsibility for the attack in a Twitter message.
see more here
UPDATE Department of Defense

IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Release No: NR-617-14
December 14, 2014
DoD Identifies Army Casualties

The Department of Defense announced today the deaths of two soldiers who were supporting Operation Enduring Freedom.

They died Dec. 12, in Parwan Province, Afghanistan, of wounds suffered when the enemy attacked their vehicle with an improvised explosive device. These soldiers were assigned to 3rd Engineer Battalion, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division, Fort Hood, Texas.

Killed were:
Sgt. 1st Class Ramon S. Morris, 37, of New York, New York; and
Spc. Wyatt J. Martin, 22, of Mesa, Arizona.

VA split up PTSD veteran peer support group on purpose?

Veterans are stronger together but the VA in Cape Coral just split up a group of 10 veterans.

Tell Mel: Vets with PTSD say Cape VA clinic kicked them out
News Press By Melanie Payne
December 11, 2014

No doubt the 10 men who were booted out of the Veterans Administration Healthcare Center in Cape Coral were treated shabbily. These guys are combat veterans who fought in Korea, Vietnam, Iraq and Afghanistan. They all suffer from post-traumatic stress disorder or PTSD, a mental disorder that can develops following a terrifying events like those that happen in war.

Every Friday for the past 18 months the men have held their support group at the VA Clinic offices. And they wanted to continue those meetings there with their current group leaders.

The VA has a different idea. It wants one of two peer specialists, employees who are certified mental health professionals, to help run the group; something the members of this PTSD support group have refused to allow.

The current group leader is a trained volunteer, Luis Casilla. A 63-year-old Vietnam vet, Casilla is a trained peer specialist with more than a decade of experience.

"They don't want to associate with these guys," Casilla said the PTSD support group members have told him. The VA's specialists haven't had PTSD. "They don't trust them. They want keep our group. But (the VA) wants to do it their way."

The change is being dictated by a national policy, said spokesman Jason Dangel, a public affairs officers with the Bay Pines VA Healthcare System.
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Gringe Landlord says Soldier can't stay with wife and new baby for holidays

Visiting soldier can’t stay in wife’s SC apartment, landlord says
BY CNN WIRE
DECEMBER 12, 2014

CENTRAL, S.C. — A soldier returning home for the holidays to see his wife and newborn baby in South Carolina is being kicked out of his wife’s apartment after the landlord said he is overstaying the time allowed for visitors, reported WHNS.

Sergeant William Bolt is stationed in Missouri, but his wife has been in Central, S.C. She gave birth to their daughter two weeks ago.

Bolt said the landlord at The Groves apartment complex in Central told him he had overstayed, saying visitors are not allowed to stay in the apartments past seven days, per the agreement signed by Bolt’s wife, Lily.

“I’m stationed in Missouri and we haven’t seen each other in six months. What’s the problem with me staying and visiting with my wife?” Bolt said.
read more here

Tom Coburn Kicks Suicide Prevention Bill Down the Road

Wounded Times
Kathie Costos
December 12, 2014

Clay Hunt Suicide Prevention Bill is on hold and I am glad. When I read that Tom Coburn is holding it up, I had to leave the computer to fight the gag reflex. It isn't about what Coburn said but the simple fact I found myself agreeing with him and that left a lousy taste in my mouth. I just don't like politicians in general.

Tom Coburn puts hold on veterans suicide prevention bill

But Mr. Coburn, an Oklahoma Republican serving out his final days in the Senate before his retirement, said the bill wouldn’t accomplish much new.

“In almost every case, VA already has the tools and authorities it needs to address these problems,” he said in a statement listing his objections. “The department needs leadership, not another piece of ineffective legislation. Congress should be holding the VA accountable rather than adding to its list of poorly managed programs.”
The bill, largely driven by Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America, would require an annual outside review of suicide prevention programs to expand what works best for veterans and do away with ineffective programs. The bill also allows the VA to partner with mental health nonprofits, create a website to consolidate the VA’s mental health resources, and expand peer support networks.

Had this bill, or any of the others, come close to actually reducing suicides tied to the military, I'd be screaming "No amount of money is too much" to save their lives. But it isn't even going to come close to solving anything. We've had 40 years to learn that what works best is peer support but if their peers think PTSD is a sign of weakness, that support goes out the fucking door. Therapy works great but if they are not trained on trauma, especially combat trauma, that won't work as well. Drugs only numb but they are used all the time. Spiritual help works, especially with survivor guilt but then they turn around and shut up Chaplains sharing their own struggles with PTSD.

Here's a thought. How about "Stop Passing PTSD-Suicide Bills Without Knowing Cost" since all that billions a year have produced are higher suicides in the military and among the veteran population? How much time are they supposed to get to figure that out? How many more lives have to be lost after a decade of attempts to prevent suicides?

This part really got to me and actually proves the point of a clueless congress.

Saul Levin, CEO of the American Psychiatric Association, said, “Hundreds of additional lives will be lost” if lawmakers wait until the next Congress to put these reforms into place.

Reform needed to start by getting rid of Comprehensive Soldier Fitness.
The Dark Side of Comprehensive Soldier Fitness

There seems to be reluctance and inconsistency among the CSF promoters in acknowledging that CSF is "research" and therefore should entail certain protections routinely granted to those who participate in research studies. Seligman explained to the APA's Monitor on Psychology, "This is the largest study - 1.1 million soldiers - psychology has ever been involved in" (a "study" is a common synonym for "research project"). But when asked during an NPR interview whether CSF would be "the largest-ever experiment," Brig. Gen. Cornum, who oversees the program, responded, "Well, we're not describing it as an experiment. We're describing it as training." Despite the fact that CSF is incontrovertibly a research study, standard and important questions about experimental interventions like CSF are neither asked nor answered in the special issue. This neglect is all the more troubling given that the program is so massive and expensive, and the stakes are so high.

The biggest part of the problem rests on this same group backing up Comprehensive Soldier Fitness. It was a research project sold to the military for soldiers even though they were just studying kids and their sense of self worth. How did they actually expect it to work on soldiers in combat?

"Regardless of how one evaluates prior PRP research, PRP's effects when targeting middle-school students, college students, and adult groups can hardly be considered generalizable to the challenges and experiences that routinely face our soldiers in combat, including those that regularly trigger PTSD."

In 2009, the evidence was already gathered to the point where this was predicted to increase suicides if it was pushed on soldiers. It was easy to see it. It was more of the same the soldiers were already complaining about. It was yet one more way of feeding the stigma by telling them they would be able to train their brains to be resilient. It was obvious that they would translate this into not training right and being mentally weak. Who predicted it? I did. That was just from talking to them and reading the reports. Members of congress could have done the same basic research before they shoved it down the throats of the troops.

Congress had the same ability to take the data coming in after this clusterfuck was pushed and suicides went up at the same time the number of enlisted went down.

What makes all of this even worse is when troops become veterans, the military stops counting them even though they are paying the price for what the military failed to do.

Top that off with the fact that this program isn't even good enough to keep "non-deployed" from committing suicide and you get the drift of what is behind all of this.

Add in the fact that out of Texas, the Dallas Morning News and NBC joint investigation actually documents the fact that PTSD soldiers in Warrior Transition Units were still being treated like crap, told to man up and get over it.

So yes, Coburn is right. He just doesn't know why he is.

The day I support something like this is when they prove they not only care about what they are doing, they actually understand it.

Soldier Dad Welcomed Home For Christmas Wish

Soldier Fulfills Daughter’s Wish At ESPN Wide World of Sports
ESPN Sports

Published on Dec 8, 2014

One year ago 9-year-old Adisen Kallas made a wish with her family in front of Cinderella Castle. She wished that her dad, Navy SEABEE UT1 Scott Kallas, would return from deployment in Afghanistan in time to watch her dance at the 2014 Pop Warner National Cheer and Dance Championships at ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex at Walt Disney World Resort. At that time Scott was preparing for his fifth military deployment.

Well Adisen, wishes do come true.

What happened on Saturday after Adisen and the Mighty Might Tri Town Raiderettes dance team from Schererville, IN, performed was nothing short of magical. It is a moment you will want to watch for yourself.

Welcome home Scott Kallas. Thank you for serving our country and showing all of us that wishes do come true

Fort Bragg Soldier's Death Under Investigation

Soldier's death at Fort Bragg under investigation 
WRAL News
December 11, 2104

FORT BRAGG, N.C. — Military investigators are looking into the death of a Fort Bragg soldier in his home on post last week, officials said Thursday.

Sgt. Donald "Charlie" Higgins, 34, of Barberton, Ohio, was found dead on Dec. 4.

No details of his death were released.

Higgins had been in the Army for 12 years, most recently serving as a human-resources personnel specialist.
read more here

Bass Pro Shop, Santa and Elves Bring Soldier Dad Home For Christmas

Soldier surprises 3-year-old daughter for Christmas
KSDK
Elizabeth Matthews
December 8, 2014

Madyson and her dad.(Photo: KSDK)

ST. CHARLES, Mo. - There was not a dry eye in the house as a 3-year-old little girl sat on Santa's lap and asked to see her daddy, her wish was granted.

Year after year, one by one, children climb into Santa's lap and ask for gifts and sometimes miracles.

The scene was no different Sunday afternoon at the Bass Pro Shop in St. Charles.

Three-year-old Madyson's wish? For her soldier daddy to come home. On cue as if it were magic, he appears!

"Daddy!" she exclaimed.

"Hi baby!" he said.

Army Staff Sergeant Josh Pohlman has been in Afghanistan for the past nine months. He says it's overwhelming to hear his daughter ask for him for Christmas.

"It hits me straight in the heart it's exciting to know that she's really excited for me to come home," Pohlman said.

Helping Santa with this Christmas miracle were the elves at Bass Pro Shop.

"This is our way of giving back and we just couldn't be happier to have something like this so close to Christmas," manager Tom O'Donnell said.
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Marine talks of survivor guilt in a powerful animated film

Marine describes losing comrades in Iraq in moving animated film
Marine Times
By Hope Hodge Seck
Staff writer
December 10, 2014

Marine veteran Travis Williams doesn't try to hide the way his voice cracks when he describes the day he lost 11 teammates to a single roadside bomb in Iraq.

Williams, a former lance corporal with the Reserve unit 3rd Battalion, 25th Marines, out of Columbus, Ohio, told his story this fall for StoryCorps, an organization that records and archives interviews with participants across the country. StoryCorps recently turned Williams' interview into a short animated feature, one of three made in honor of Veterans Day this year.

In the three-minute, 45-second account titled "1st Squad, 3rd Platoon," Williams describes the events of Aug. 3, 2005, and their aftermath. The 12-man team set out on a rescue mission to find a missing Marine in Barwanah. After loading together into their tracked armored vehicle, Williams was told he needed to ride in the next vehicle in the convoy.

"I said, 'Catch you guys on the flipside," Williams said in the StoryCorps account. "And that was the last thing I ever said to them."
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Nov 11, 2014
In August 2005, Marine Lance Cpl. Travis Williams and his squad were sent on a rescue mission in Barwanah, Iraq. En route, their vehicle was hit by a roadside bomb. Of Travis' entire 12-person team, he alone survived. Here, Travis reflects on the hours and days after the explosion, as well as his life now, and pays tribute to the men he left behind.

Navy Gets Frickin Laser For Ships Not Sharks

Remember when Dr. Evil wanted sharks with laser beams......
Navy just got lasers but no sharks.

Video: Navy Brand New Laser Protects Ponce in Persian Gulf
Defense Tech
by MIKE HOFFMAN
DECEMBER 10, 2014
US Navy Laser Weapon System (LaWS) Live Firing Onboard USS Ponce AFSB(I)-15 Office Of Naval Research

Navy admirals showed off the laser mounted to the USS Ponce Wednesday to the Pentagon press corps as the Navy announced it was confident the laser could protect the sailors aboard the Ponce, which is deployed to the Persian Gulf. As part of the media blitz, the Navy released this video showing the litany of testing the 30-kilowatt laser executed before Navy leaders felt comfortable make the declaration. The video shows sailors shooting down small drones and hitting targets on fast attack boats — two of the major threats Navy surface ships face. read more here

IAVA and VFW Call for Action After Warrior Transition Unit Reports

Veterans organizations call for action on wounded soldiers’ complaints
Dallas Morning News
By DAVID TARRANT, SCOTT FRIEDMAN and EVA PARKS
Published: 10 December 2014

Two of the nation’s largest veterans organizations are calling for Congress and the Pentagon to address the mistreatment of wounded soldiers in the Army’s Warrior Transition Units — a problem that came to light in a joint investigation by The Dallas Morning News and KXAS-TV (NBC5).

Congress and the Pentagon need to do more to protect those assigned to special units to treat injured service members, said spokesmen for both the Veterans of Foreign Wars and the Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America.

“These are guys and gals who put their lives on the line to defend their country, so they need to be treated with respect, and they need to be treated with a certain amount of compassion,” said Brendon Gehrke, senior legislative associate with the Veterans of Foreign Wars in Washington, D.C.

Hundreds of current or former soldiers have complained of harassment and intimidation by leadership at three Texas-based Warrior Transition Units, or WTUs, according to hundreds of documents and interviews with soldiers and medical experts.

The complaints were reported in “Injured Heroes, Broken Promises,” a two-part series published and broadcast last month by NBC5 and The News.
read more here

Related
Part 1: Wounded soldiers allege mistreatment in the units
Part 2: Transition leaders disrespectful, say soldiers; unit defends selection, training
Complaints about wounded warriors’ treatment pile up
He sought to help, but PTSD hindered him

From NBC

PTSD Afghanistan Veteran Walked From New Jersey to Vegas

Veteran’s cross-country walk brings him to Las Vegas
FOX 5 Vegas
Written by Craig Huber
Posted: Dec 11, 2014

Veteran Eric Peters is walking from New Jersey to California
to raise awareness about post-traumatic stress disorder. (FOX5)

LAS VEGAS (FOX5)
Veteran Eric Peters has walked from his home in Clark, NJ, to Las Vegas to raise awareness for post-traumatic stress disorder, and his journey's not over yet.

Peters, 23, won't stop until he's reached Santa Monica, CA.

A veteran of the War in Afghanistan, Peters was injured on the battlefield.

"There are a lot of demons that I'm fighting, but I continue to put a smile on my face and help out other people. It's actually more therapy to me helping other people," Peters said.

In March of 2011, Peters and his unit, the 101st Airborne Division, were hit by enemy mortar fire while patrolling in a Humvee in the Kunar province.

Peters was knocked unconscious by the blast and shrapnel. He was later diagnosed with PTSD.

"It takes a piece of your soul, you know, and it just flushes it away," he said.

Peters said the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs recently sent him a letter stating his request for further treatment had been denied.
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"Deficiencies" Prevent Veteran in Cardiac Arrest From Emergency Care

Veterans Affairs Weighs In On Patient Death
Central PA.com
Ashley Doerzbacher
12/08/2014

HOLLIDAYSBURG, BLAIR COUNTY - A report out indicates that man stopped breathing after going into cardiac arrest at the Hollidaysburg Veterans Home.

That report states the home did not send that patient to the emergency room after he complained of severe pains.

Both the Department of Veterans Affairs and the Department of Health conducted investigations.

They found two deficiencies at the facility, but they don't feel they played any role in that man's death.

According to a report from the department of health, about 8:30 PM on August 29, a man complained of excruciating abdominal pain to a nurse at the home, and requested to go to the emergency room.

At that time, a physician increased his pain medication. About five hours later, just before one o'clock in the morning on August 30, that man went into cardiac arrest and stopped breathing.
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Wife fills political shoes for senator serving in Afghanistan boots

Wife fills in for Indiana state senator serving in Afghanistan
Fox News.com
Published December 10, 2014

Talk about a power couple.

Indiana state Sen. Jim Banks has found the perfect match to fill in for him in the state legislature while he serves in Afghanistan as part of his Navy Reserves unit – his wife.

In what is reportedly an Indiana first, Banks’ wife Amanda will serve as an interim senator in his place while he completes his Afghanistan tour.

Banks, speaking with Fox News in a joint interview with his wife on Wednesday, said he’s “very proud.”

“I know she will represent the district well,” Banks said, speaking from Afghanistan.

The Republican senator found out he wouldn’t be around for election day during the campaign. But he won reelection, unopposed, and was sworn in via Skype, from Afghanistan.
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"Holy Crap" Christian Chaplain Told He Can't Share Faith?

In 2012, The Chicago Tribune did a study on "non-believers" in the military.

Christianity also dominates the religious makeup of the military. Only about 8,000 out of 1.4 million active duty members in the Army, Navy, Marine Corps and Air Force identify themselves as atheists, and another 1,800 say they are agnostic, according to the Defense Department.

The article focused on a concert "Rock Beyond Belief" at Fort Bragg for non-believers.

Fort Bragg's garrison commander said allowing the atheist event to be held on base was just the latest manifestation of the Army's efforts to make sure nonbelievers in its ranks were treated like everyone else.

"We don't treat soldiers who are atheists as atheists," said Col. Stephen Sicinski. "We treat them as soldiers."

After rain gave way to sunshine on Saturday, a smaller-than-expected crowd streamed onto the same large field where Christians gathered in 2010. There was again face painting and jumping inflatables for children, but a performer on stage rapped that "creationism is dead wrong" and a T-shirt for sale featured a Bible along with the slogan "Holy Crap."

Over at Fort Benning a Chaplain dared to share his story of struggles and his faith. Chaplain Lawhorn wanted to talk about what he did to help with his depression.

FORT BENNING, Ga., Dec. 9, 2014 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Today, Liberty Institute, on behalf of U.S. Army Chaplain (Captain) Joe Lawhorn, responded to the Army's punishment against him on December 8, 2014.

On November 20, 2014, Chaplain Lawhorn conducted suicide prevention training as required by Army regulations. During the training, he discussed his own personal struggles and how he used the Bible to successfully combat his depression. One of the soldiers in attendance complained to an atheist group about Chaplain Lawhorn's presentation. In response, Army Airborne and Ranger Training Brigade Commander, Colonel David G. Fivecoat, issued Chaplain Lawhorn a Letter of Concern alleging that Chaplain Lawhorn "advocated for . . . Christianity and used Christian scripture and solutions" and therefore violated Army regulations.

One soldier complained.

I don't have access to read all the words he used. I didn't have a front row seat to see the soldier getting upset having to listen to someone share his heartbreak as well as what helped him. I don't need to. What I do have is a loss of hope that the best way to help soldiers heal PTSD has to address the spiritual aspect as well as their body and the rest of their mind.

On Mother Jones there is still an article up from 2011 about atheist chaplains. Jason Torpy, an Iraq vet and president of the Military Association of Atheists and Freethinkers, participated in an interview.

"We've got a considered opinion that chaplains are appropriate, given the modern chaplaincy. The military has heaped upon the chaplains responsibilities for ethical advisement, for well-rounding the person, to provide support to a military that is less than 70 percent Christian and less than 50 percent Protestant, to provide support to a unit and still be relevant. Chaplains are given responsibility for deployment counseling, for family counseling, financial counseling, and now this new resiliency training."

What exactly is free thinking when it seems as if a Chaplain isn't free to share his thoughts? If atheists are so convinced people of faith are so full of nonsense, then what are they afraid of? After all, I am a Christian and a Chaplain, albeit not a member of the military, but my faith is so strong that I don't have to get the approval of atheists. Why do they want the approval of people they disregard as being so stupid they believe in something there is no proof of?

I get the fact they don't seem to be able to grasp the concept of belief not requiring proof above and beyond what it took to get them to decided to believe as much as what it lacked for atheists to choose not to. What I don't get is, how does all of this work in their own minds?

Again, why are they free to think and believe what they want yet others are not? Why do they think they are entitled to shut up a Chaplain, a Christian Chaplain from sharing his faith with those willing to listen?

It is a Chaplains job to share his/her faith and that is why they are in the positions they are in. So what are atheists afraid of? That it will rub off on them? Give me a break! I am not afraid an atheist will take away my belief but I talk to them. I'll listen to what they are going through and talk to them like a person. Whenever I do need to share what I believe in, I tell them that they can think of it the same way they always do. That when I mention God or Christ, it is just a nice story. Sooner or later they get the point that we're not all trying to get them to convert half as much as we're trying to help them with their spiritual warfare.

Atheists struggle with good and evil just as much as anyone else but they are harder to reach when they don't really believe they have a soul but have some type of disconnected emotional part of their brain searching for reason. They can still feel better when they walk away once they are able to at least think of things differently.

I had an argument a long time ago with a veteran hell bent on pointing out how evil I was to support God. He kept telling me that it was impossible to believe in God because of all that is wrong with the world and the hell of suffering going on. This lasted quite a while until I asked him where he thought good came from.

He didn't understand at first. So I asked him if he ever saw anything good in Vietnam. Once he got over being angry, he paused for a bit, then said he never saw anything good. I could tell there was something he was hiding. I asked him what made him cry there. He told me about a young child. Then went off on a rant about kids suffering all over the world.

I asked him, "Where do you think the good inside of you came from that lasted all these years?"

He walked away. I wasn't about to argue with him considering he had a lot to drink. Later at the event he kept looking at me and the expression on his face softened. I talked to more people and kept catching him looking over at me. As I was leaving, he came over, gave me a hug and walked away. I guess I struck a nerve and got him to remember that things are not as bad as we think they are most of the time, because most of the time, we don't notice what is good.

I have no problem with atheists having their own groups but I do have a problem with them wanting to stop believers having the same rights they want for themselves. I have no problem with them not wanting to go to Christian events but I do have a problem with them wanting to take away the rights of others do go to them.

I also have a huge problem with them being so bent out of shape over a symbol of a cross they don't believe in. If they don't believe in it then how can it be so offensive to them they can't stand the thought of it giving comfort to someone else?

There are limits to everything and they shouldn't have to put up with being forced to do anything regarding faith or the lack of it so they should be able to have their own groups but they can't get what they want by taking away the same ability from others.

Atheists believe in nothing but on this point, what they seem to believe in is non-sense. Telling a Chaplain he can't share what he believes in defeats the reason he is there in the first place.