Vancouver SWAT Veteran Standoff Peaceful End

Allen St. standoff: Man sticks loaded gun in friend's face 
TDN News
Marissa Luck
January 31, 2015

Renford said Kennedy, a security worker the Weyerhaeuser Co. mill site, is a good person who has struggled with depression and post-traumatic stress disorder. They served in the army together, including a stint in Iraq in 2004. Kennedy was having a hard time accessing treatment at Vancouver Veteran’s Affairs, Renford said, and was self-medicating with alcohol.

Rex Renford never expected his best friend to point a gun at his face. Standing at the end of loaded pistol, Renford said he feared for his life. But instinct and years of military training kicked in, helping him to disarm his friend Ronald Kennedy.

“I had to get the gun away from him,” Renford, 47, of Longview said Friday, the day after police arrested Kennedy after a two-hour standoff at his Kelso trailer home off Allen Street near Taco Bell and Burger King. “There was no thinking about it. It was do this or die.”

Kennedy, 47, was hanging out with Renford and another friend, Lynne Galloway, Thursday night when Kennedy’s ex-girlfriend Margaret Sullivan showed up to pick up belongings. Sullivan told police she and Kennedy had broken up last weekend. The couple got into a heated argument.

When Sullivan left, Kennedy wandered into his bedroom, drunk and upset, Renford said. Renford said he went to check on Kennedy and found him with pistol pointed at his head. He threatened to kill himself. read more here

Family Searching For Missing Texas Afghanistan Veteran

Sad update February 4, 2016 NBC reported this.
Remains found in Harris County, Texas have been positively identified as those of missing Army veteran Brian Orolin, who disappeared in November 2014.


Volunteers to search for missing veteran
KHOU News Houston
Larry Seward
January 30, 2015

THE WOODLANDS, Texas – Veterans and volunteers plan to lead a search party to find missing veteran Brian Orolin, 42. He has not been seen since November. His wife and two daughters are anxious for closure.

Between dogs and daughters, Donna Orolin's hands are full, especially with her heart and soul missing.

"I'm not eating,"

Donna Orolin said. "I'm not sleeping. I'm financially stressed because he took care of that. He did everything for us. I need my partner."

Brian Orolin is passionate about those he loves. He planned every aspect of his wedding, his wife said. Brian even cooked three meals a day to make sure his three- and five-year-old daughters ate their favorite meals.

He also served his country. One tour in Afghanistan sent him home wounded. He suffered through headaches, post-traumatic stress and struggled to get around without his service dog named "Battle."

Still, Orolin battled until November 19th.

"We haven't seen him since," Donna Orolin said.
read more here

Dayton VA Employee Checked on Decomposed Veteran?

Dayton hospital employee subject of neglect investigation in vet's death 
Employee not yet facing charges
WLWT News
Karin Johnson
Jan 29, 2015

MIDDLETOWN, Ohio —A man who was supposed to be caring for a Middletown Army veteran is under investigation for negligence.

Police are not naming the worker because charges have not yet been filed, but they say he worked for the Dayton Veterans Affairs Hospital. Watch this story The health care worker was supposed to be caring for 62-year-old Calvin Coleman, who lived on Carolina Street.

Coleman was found dead inside his home March 28, 2014. Police say the VA employee reported checking on Coleman the day before. The coroner says that's not possible.

"Due to the amount of decomposition to Calvin's body, they knew this could not have happened. 

He died three or four days before his body was discovered," Lt. Scott Reeve said.
read more here

Suicide claimed 19 Canadian soldiers in 2014

Suicide claimed 19 Canadian soldiers in 2014, military says
Torstar News Service
By Staff
January 29, 2015

A photo of Cpl. Stuart Langridge is seen along with his beret and medals on a table during a news conference on Parliament Hill in Ottawa on October 28, 2010. He was one of the soldiers who suffered with post-traumatic stress disorder and killed himself.

OTTAWA—There were 19 suicides among soldiers serving in the Canadian Armed Forces in 2014, one of the highest levels in the last decade, new figures show.

There were 16 suicides among regular force males and another three suicides among reservists though some deaths remain under investigation, said Brig.-Gen. Jean-Robert Bernier, surgeon general for the Canadian Armed Forces. There were no suicides among female regular force members in 2014.

That compares to the 13 suicides last year and is topped only by the 25 deaths in 2011 and 22 deaths in 2009, according to Defence Department statistics that date back to 2004.

In the Commons Wednesday, NDP Leader Thomas Mulcair asked about the recent death of Sgt. Jesse Tait, based at CFB Shilo in Manitoba.

“Sgt. Tait was struggling with depression. His mother says that when he went for help, he was turned away,” Mulcair said.
read more here

Convicted Ex-Cops Stole Medications From Sick

Married Ex-Cops Sorry About Crimes, But Get 3 Years in Prison
Times of San Diego
POSTED BY ALEXANDER NGUYEN
JANUARY 30, 2015

“These two have betrayed the badge,” the prosecutor said. “They were wolves in sheep’s clothing.”

Two married former San Diego police officers who broke into people’s homes while on duty and stole prescription painkillers to feed their drug addictions were each sentenced Friday to three years in state prison.

Bryce Charpentier, 32, and Jennifer Charpentier, 42, pleaded guilty in November to conspiracy to commit a burglary, conspiracy to commit a crime — possession and sale of a controlled substance — selling or furnishing a narcotic substance and possession of a firearm by an addict.

The Charpentiers admitted sending text messages to each other in order to set up burglaries in which they stole prescription drugs from people with whom they had contact while on duty. The defendants also admitted stealing Hydrocodone and selling the drug, even taking one of their four children along on one of the deliveries, authorities said.

Bryce Charpentier — a six-year SDPD veteran — apologized to the San Diego Police Department and the community for his actions, saying he became addicted to painkillers because of post-traumatic stress disorder along with disc, hip and spinal pain.

Deputy District Attorney Matthew Tag, arguing for a seven-year prison term for Jennifer Charpentier and six years in prison for her husband, said the defendants stole from the sick in order to get high.

“These two have betrayed the badge,” the prosecutor said. “They were wolves in sheep’s clothing.”
read more here

Camp Pendleton Afghanistan Veteran Marine Trial Ends

Former Camp Pendleton Marine gets 11 years in prison for DUI crash that killed 3 fellow servicemen
Orange County Register
Sean Emery
January 30, 2015

Arguing that Hale's drinking was an attempt to self-medicate in order to cope with post-traumatic stress disorder from his experiences in heavy combat in Sangin, Afghanistan,

Jared Hale, a former Camp Pendleton Marine sergeant convicted of a drunken-driving crash that killed three of his fellow Marines, listens as he is sentenced at the West Justice Center in Westminster on Friday.
KEVIN SULLIVAN, STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER

A former Camp Pendleton Marine sergeant convicted of killing three other servicemen in a drunken-driving crash was sentenced Friday to more than a decade in prison, as an Orange County Superior Court judge denied his request for treatment rather than time behind bars.

Jared Hale, 27, told Judge Terri K. Flynn-Peister that for the rest of his life he will have to live with the loss of Sgt. Jeremiah Callahan, 23; Cpl. Christopher Arzola, 21; and Cpl. Jason Chleborad, 22, all of whom suffered fatal injuries in the 2012 crash in Dana Point.

"It's been a rough five years," Hale said, his voice unsteady with apparent emotion. "But there is just not much left of me, honestly."
read more here

Fort Bragg: Marine's Death Caused By "Malfunction"

Report: Cause of Marine’s death on Fort Bragg similar to previous seat malfunctions
Fayetteville Observer
By Amanda Dolasinski
Published: Friday, January 30, 2015

Marine Lance Cpl. Steven J. Szymanski reached over the front seat of a light armored vehicle to grab his helmet.

In doing so, the lever that raises the seat was accidentally triggered and Szymanski was trapped with his neck between the back of the driver’s seat and the ceiling of the vehicle.

At least 15 minutes passed before a fellow Marine found Szymanski and pulled him out. By then, according to officials, it was too late.

A 147-page report obtained Thursday by the Observer details the Marine’s accidental death on Fort Bragg last year and shows that at least 11 other Marines from his unit had experienced similar seat malfunctions.
read more here

Fort Hood 5 Non-Combat Soldier Deaths Since December

Fort Hood: Soldier Found Dead In Off-Post Residence 
KWTX News
January 27, 2015

FORT HOOD

Fort Hood Tuesday identified a soldier who was found dead Saturday in his off-post residence in Killeen, as Spc. Joshua Avery Snapp, 30, of Spartanburg, S.C.

Snapp was pronounced dead at the scene at 6:55 p.m. Saturday.

Snapp joined the Army in January 2010 and in June 2010 arrived at Fort Hood where he was assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 7th Cavalry Regiment, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division.

He deployed to Afghanistan from October 2012 to July 2013.

Killeen police are investigating the death.


Spc. Jason Krusczynski, 35, was found dead on January 27th.

Spc. Kendrick Vernell Sneed, 24, January 13, 2015

Cpt. Jonathan Nyle Muniz, 42, Rocky Ford Colorado, January 11, 2015

Sgt. 1st Class Keith Robert Tucker, 37, Virginia, December 18, 2014

Fort Hood: Florida Soldier's Death Under Investigation

Fort Hood soldier from Cape Coral found dead 
NBC 2 News
Posted: Jan 30, 2015

A Fort Hood soldier from Cape Coral was found dead in his off-base home in Killeen, Texas, according to Fort Hood officials.

Spc. Jason Krusczynski, 35, was found dead on January 27th.

Kruszczynski, 35, began active-duty service in May 2008 as a wheeled-vehicle mechanic for the U.S. Army. 

He has been stationed at Fort Hood since July 2014. He was deployed during Operation Enduring Freedom from January 2012 to October 2012.

The circumstances surrounding his death are under investigation. check for updates here

Jesse Ventura Gains Attention For Saying Nothing New

Jesse Ventura has been getting a lot of attention attacking American Sniper and Chris Kyle's service. After all, Kyle claimed to have punched out Ventura and that really hurt his feelings. Ventura sued Kyle and won but when Kyle was killed trying to help a veteran with PTSD, Ventura decided to make sure he got what he must have thought was worthy of his hurt feelings. Jesse Ventura wins $1.8M in defamation lawsuit against ex-SEAL sniper

No one would ever expect Ventura to approve of the movie so why is he getting so much attention from reporters for saying absolutely nothing new?
Famous Veteran: Jesse Ventura

Jesse Ventura Sets Sights on Wife of Slain Navy SEAL Chris Kyle

Despite his membership with Underwater Demolition Team 12, Ventura never saw combat during Vietnam although he did receive the Vietnam Service Medal.

One of my favorite songs is Don Henley's Dirty Laundry

I make my living off the evening news
Just give me something
Something I can use
People love it when you lose
They love dirty laundry
Well, I coulda been an actor
But I wound up here
I just have to look good
I don't have to be clear
Come and whisper in my ear
Give us dirty laundry
Kick 'em when they're up
Kick 'em when they're down
Kick 'em when they're up
Kick 'em when they're down
Kick 'em when they're up
Kick 'em when they're down
Kick 'em when they're up
Kick 'em all around
We got the bubble headed
Bleached blonde
Comes on at five
She can tell you 'bout the plane crash
With a gleam in her eyev It's interesting when people die
Give us dirty laundry

This video is the Eagles performing Dirty Laundry and dedicated it to Rupert Murdoch

Jesse Ventura skipping ‘American Sniper’; says Chris Kyle is no hero
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
01/29/2015

MINNEAPOLIS – “American Sniper” is tops at the box office but don’t expect to see former Minnesota Gov. Jesse Ventura lining up at a theater for it.

Ventura, a former Navy SEAL, won $1.8 million in a defamation lawsuit last year against the estate of the late Chris Kyle, the SEAL protagonist of the movie, which has sparked debate over whether snipers should be considered heroes. Ventura said Wednesday he won’t see the film partly because Kyle is no hero to him.

“A hero must be honorable, must have honor. And you can’t have honor if you’re a liar. There is no honor in lying,” Ventura said from his winter home in Baja California, Mexico. He also noted that the movie isn’t playing there.

Ventura also dismissed the movie as propaganda because it conveys the false idea that Iraq had something to do with the 9/11 attacks.
read more here

In this country, anyone can say whatever they want. On the flip side, no one is forced to listen to it however mucking up the works are reporters giving folks a platform to get more people exposed to their thoughts. In a perfect world, reporters would actually stop long enough to ask a question about what was just said by the subject of the interview.

Ayman Mohyeldin said that Chris Kyle went on "killing sprees" with the full force of facts in his voice. That didn't last long when he was challenged by Joe Scarborough. After a painful pause, his tone changed and when he responded it pretty much summed up he had no intention of proving a single claim he just made.

MSNBC Reporter: ‘Racist’ Chris Kyle Went on ‘Killing Sprees’ in Iraq 
Washington Free Beacon
Staff
January 29, 2015

NBC foreign affairs reporter Ayman Mohyeldin made the suggestion Thursday on Morning Joe that Chris Kyle, late subject of the hit movie “American Sniper” and credited as the most lethal sniper in U.S. military history, had “racist tendencies” toward Iraqis and Muslims and “went on killing sprees in Iraq on assignment.”

 “American Sniper” has given a lot of Americans an inside look at what actually happened over in Iraq during the war.

It has also raised a national discussion on post-traumatic stress disorder, addressing the personal issues veterans face when they come home.

Mohyeldin’s commentary left host Joe Scarborough dumbfounded.

“Killing sprees?” Scarborough asked incredulously. “Chris Kyle was going on killing sprees?”
read more here

At least Joe Scarborough decided to ask a question on two points made but not proven.