Marine Veteran Killed Children Then Herself

UPDATE
Autopsy: Veteran 15 weeks pregnant at time of murder-suicide
March 17, 2015

Johnny Isakson backs Atlanta VA director in wake of a veteran’s apparent murder-suicide
AJC News February 3, 2015

U.S. Sen. Johnny Isakson, R-Ga., speaks at a news conference at the Department of Veterans Affairs headquarters in Washington. Behind him: House VA Committee Chairman Jeff Miller, R-Fla.; House VA Committee ranking Democrat Corrine Brown, D-Fla.; VA Secretary Robert McDonald; Senate VA Committee ranking Democrat Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn. (AJC/Daniel Malloy)

WASHINGTON — Georgia Republican U.S. Sen. Johnny Isakson, the chairman of the Veterans Affairs Committee, backed the Atlanta VA’s leadership in the case of a Cobb County veteran accused of killing her three children and herself.

Internal VA documents labeled Kisha Holmes a “high risk for suicide” and she had missed mental health appointments in December.

She and her children, aged 10, 4 and 9 months, were found inside their Austell apartment last week.

Isakson said at a news conference Tuesday that he was privy to details of the internal investigation that he could not share, and the medical center’s director, Leslie Wiggins, called him “immediately” after the incident.

Isakson’s assessment:

“I can’t discuss everything I know, but I think as the story unfolds, people will understand the VA does an excellent job and we recognize one of the big differences with soft tissue issues – which is PTSD and TBI – you have to have a continuum of care and contact, where people can fall through the cracks.

 “The Atlanta VA has done a wonderful job of seeing to it that the veteran has the close touch and the close contact with the VA mental health supervisors there in charge of it, and I’m sure when all the facts come out, we’ll understand this tragedy was something, hopefully, that could have been prevented, but we’ll do a better job of seeing to it that it doesn’t happen again.”
read more here

After Georgia ex-Marine kills her children, then herself, VA suicide programs to be reviewed
Kisha Holmes, 35, was tagged as a high risk for suicide, according to reports. New legislation would require the evaluation of suicide-prevention treatment for vets.
BY DEBORAH HASTINGS
NEW YORK DAILY NEWS
Tuesday, February 3, 2015

Has President Obama Forgotten Promise and Spc. Chris Dana?

Wounded Times
Kathie Costos
February 3, 2015

I was just reading a good article on Private moments in Obama's war education help shape his evolution on casualties and wondering what the point was. Why do it? It tells about how hard it has been on Obama as Commander-in-Chief. Wars are always hard on Presidents. It told the story of how in 2012 he visited mortuary affairs soldiers in Afghanistan and those 15 soldiers wondered why.

As I kept reading I began to wonder about something else that has been asked thousands of times ever since President Obama had made another detour away from the press way back in 2008. He was just a Senator back then and was on the Veterans Affairs Committee.

In 2007 when he announced his list of advisors on veterans issues.

Veterans from World War II, Korea, Vietnam, Iraq and Current Conflicts to Advise Obama Chicago, IL - The Obama campaign announced the launch of his National Veterans Advisory Committee today that will advise Senator Obama through the course of the campaign on issues related to the challenges facing troops and veterans. The group will also take the lead on building the grassroots network of support in the veteran's community in key primary states and in communities with large veteran's populations across the country.

"Senator Obama has been a leader for veterans in the Senate, and has laid out the most comprehensive plan to care for veterans among the 2008 candidates," said Major General Merrill "Tony" McPeak, a retired four-star Air Force general. "I am honored to work with him to care for our fighting men and women, both when they serve and when they return home. I firmly believe Barack Obama is the best candidate for our nation's veterans, and I would be proud to call him my commander in chief."

"Barack Obama has fought to improve veterans' care, to reduce homelessness among veterans, and ensure fair disability benefits," said Former Senate Majority Leader Tom Daschle, who served as a United States Air Force intelligence officer. "As President, Barack Obama will continue his leadership for the rights and benefits of veterans. He will stand with veterans -- just as they have stood up for us."

"I'll be a President who ensures that America serves our men and women in uniform as well as they've served us, and that's why I'm proud to have the support of these veterans advising me on the issues facing our troops and veterans," Obama stated. "After seven years of an Administration that has stretched our military to the breaking point, ignored deplorable conditions at some VA hospitals, and neglected the planning and preparation necessary to care for our returning heroes, America's veterans deserve a President who will fight for them not just when it's easy or convenient, but every hour of every day for the next four years."

As a member of the Senate Veterans' Affairs Committee, Senator Obama is committed to helping the heroes who defend our nation today and the veterans who fought in years past. As a grandson of a World War II veteran who went to college on the G.I. Bill and a member of the Senate Committee on Veterans Affairs, Senator Obama has successfully reached out to Republicans and Democrats to pass laws to improve care for troops recovering from injuries, combat homelessness among veterans, and make the disability benefits process more equitable.

Obama has made it a priority to reach out to veterans as part of his presidential campaign. In August, he laid out a comprehensive plan to build a 21st-century Department of Veterans Affairs that upholds America's sacred trust with our veterans.

It was a big deal when he escaped the national press to meet with family of a National Guardsman, Chris Dana. Dana couldn't be there because Chris Dana committed suicide in March of 2007.

Obama promises to repeat Montana's National Guard PTSD work nation wide
Obama Pledges Nationwide Use of PTSD Program
Eric Newhouse

Great Falls Tribune
Aug 28, 2008 - Democratic presidential nominee Barack Obama promised Wednesday to expand Montana's pilot program to assess the mental health of combat vets nationwide, if elected.The Montana National Guard has developed a program to check its soldiers and airmen for signs of post-traumatic stress disorder every six months for the first two years after returning from combat, then once a year thereafter. The program exceeds national standards set by the U.S. Department of Defense.The pilot program was created in response to the suicide of former Army Spc. Chris Dana of Helena, who shot himself on March 4, 2007, days after being given a less-than-honorable discharge because he could no longer handle attending drills following a tour in Iraq.

"He (Obama) told me he understood why we need to have additional screenings for PTSD," said Matt Kuntz, Dana's stepbrother, who was among a small group invited to meet with Obama on Wednesday in Billings. "And he told me when he is elected president, he will implement Montana's pilot program nationwide."Kuntz, who recently gave up his job as a lawyer in Helena to advocate for the mentally ill and their families, said he was invited to brief Obama on how Montana had become a national model for assessing the mental health of its combat vets.

Like everyone else paying attention to all of this, there was a lot of hope back then for me. Over the years I've been wondering where that guy went. After all the years claimed more and more lives and more men and women were kicked out of the military instead of helped while it in. More veterans ended up surviving combat but their lives ended back home. I kept waiting. Waiting to see that same guy show up and know what he was talking about. The same guy who showed that their lives mattered.

When the Vice Joint Chiefs of Staff admitted to the Senate Armed Service Committee they were not doing post deployment screenings, no one said anything about it and they sure as hell didn't do anything about the claiming they just didn't have the money or manpower to do them.

When suicides went up after Congress had been writing bill after bill, he signed them but never once demanded any of them to account for the increased suffering.

If seeing bodies in mortuary affairs was supposed to be some kind of reflection of being touched by the price of war, then why hasn't the deaths of thousands a year touched him enough to act? Why hasn't a history of being on the Veterans Affairs Committee and all the hard questions he used to ask actually carry on to when he was given the power to actually change things? This isn't the change we were hoping for.

Why has he forgotten that day on the park bench making a promise to Chris Dana's family that he was going to do something to save their lives?

This is what they knew during the first year Obama went from Senator to President.

Lost Marine Found New Way Home

What PTSD Drove a Veteran to Before he Disappeared 
13 WHO News
BY DAN WINTERS
FEBRUARY 2, 2015

"It’s a raw, aching description of life 

with Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder."

DES MOINES, Iowa — Kate Lay had always been skeptical of love at first sight. She’s practical. She’s a surgical nurse who was born and raised in Iowa. But she says practicality flew out the window the first time she laid eyes on the man she would eventually marry.

“He was a Marine. So, he was big and buff, and beautiful. I fell in love with him right away,” she said.

After proposing, Brandon finished his second tour of duty in Afghanistan. They married, bought a house, and started life on their terms. She said Brandon’s job as a delivery driver wasn’t fulfilling his ambitious dreams of traveling the world and helping people. She could see that he was bored. Still, she never dreamed that one day he would disappear.

Kate said, “Everything that I thought I knew got torn out from underneath me.”

One day, she came home from work and Brandon was gone, along with his Jeep and his dog. Kate called the police. “I didn’t even know if he was alive.”

Several days later, Brandon finally called. He was in a small town in Montana. The secrets were about to be revealed. Kate explained, “Not a single person knew what was going on.”
read more here

Veterans deserved better from all of us then and they still do

UPDATE
Clay Hunt Suicide Prevention Act passed and heads to the White House.

Paul Rieckhoff, CEO and founder of the Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America, an advocacy group that pushed for the bill, called Senate passage "a tremendous day" for veterans and their families.

"For too long the crisis of veteran suicide has been hidden in the shadows. This bill gives many veterans the new hope they so desperately need and demonstrates that our leaders are willing to give veterans the care they deserve," Rieckhoff said.

Bullshit! As you can see, we've heard it all before and more graves ended up being filled instead of someone finally having the courage to fight to stand up and tell them none of it has been good enough! For too long veterans have been waiting from all generations and families like mine have been attending funerals instead of celebrating. After all these years no one has explained why veterans commit suicide double civilian rate and younger veterans are triple their peers after all the other efforts to reduce suicides produced more of them.

Now back to the original post.

As everyone on TV is pushing for passage of the Clay Hunt Suicide Prevention Act, apparently unaware of it doing anything differently, here is a look back at politicians and what they said about the Joshua Omvig Suicide Prevention Act of 2007 signed by President Bush in 2008.

Statement of Congressman Leonard Boswell
Before The Committee on Veterans' Affairs:
Subcommittee on Health
United States House of Representatives
September 28, 2006
Joshua Omvig Suicide Prevention Act

Mr. Chairman and Members of the Committee, thank you for the opportunity to testify here today concerning the emerging trends regarding veterans' mental health. With more and more veterans returning from tours of duty in Iraq and Afghanistan, many new issues have arisen regarding veterans mental health that have not received attention in the past. This is an issue that Congress cannot ignore and I am pleased that this Committee is holding hearings on this important issue.

The number of veterans returning with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) is alarmingly high. A recent study found that 17 percent of soldiers and Marines returning from Iraq screened positive for PTSD. Our men and women in uniform returning from combat are fighting a different type of war and a different type of enemy. The National Center for PTSD found several things associated with individuals diagnosed with PTSD, such as physical pain, sleep disturbance and nightmares, substance abuse, and self-harm or suicide.

Obviously there is a connection between PTSD and suicide. Some estimates have found that almost one thousand veterans receiving care from the Department of Veterans Affairs commit suicide each year, and research shows that one out of 100 veterans who have returned from Iraq have considered suicide. I find this number disturbing.

Since March 2003, 80 individuals, who have served in Iraq or Afghanistan, have committed suicide. Our young men and women serving our country have kept us safe for so long; it is now our turn to protect them.

A few months ago I learned of a young man from my district, Joshua Omvig, who experienced undiagnosed PTSD after returning from an 11-month tour in Iraq. His family and friends did not know how to help him. Then in December of last year Joshua tragically took his life. He was only 22 years old. After I heard Joshua's story I was shocked to find one in a hundred Operation Iraq Freedom veterans have reported thinking about suicide.

I knew something had to be done. That is why I introduced H.R. 5771, the Joshua Omvig Veterans Suicide Prevention Act. This legislation will mandate the Department of Veterans Affairs to develop and implement a comprehensive program to regularly screen and monitor all veterans for risk factors for suicide within the Veterans Affairs system. At any point in a veteran's life, if they were found to have specific risk factors for suicide they would be entered into a tracking system; ensuring they do not fall through the cracks. Then they would be entered into a counseling referral system to make certain those veterans receive the appropriate help. It would provide education for all VA staff, contractors, and medical personnel who have interaction with the veterans. In addition, it would make available 24-hour mental health care for veterans found to be at risk for suicide.

Currently, the Department of Veterans Affairs regularly screens veterans for depression, PTSD, and substance abuse but not suicide specifically.

Boswell Urges House Committee to Pass the Joshua Omvig Veterans Suicide Prevention Bill

I am saddened by the circumstances that this legislation grew out of, but I know that if enacted, this program could save lives. We treat their physical injuries, now it is time to treat the wounds that are not visible.

It is my hope that a comprehensive veterans bill will result from this hearing and that any bill considered will include provisions of the Joshua Omvig Veterans Suicide Prevention Act. This important issue cannot go one more day without the attention it needs.

Mr. Chairman and Members of the Committee, thank you again for this opportunity to share some major concerns regarding the quality of mental health care our veterans' are receiving.

Sen. Tom Harkin Mr. President, I am honored to join with the distinguished senior Senator from my State, Senator Grassley, to introduce the Joshua Omvig Veterans Suicide Prevention Act.During my years in the Navy, I learned one of the most important lessons of my entire life: Never leave a buddy behind. That's true on the battlefield--and it's also true after our servicemembers return home. Taking care of our veterans is a continuing cost of national defense, and we need to make sure we don't abandon them once they return home.

Our service men and women endure tremendous stress during combat. Almost all of our soldiers reported being under fire while serving in Iraq and knowing someone seriously injured or killed. Returning home and rejoining their families and friends can be a time of hope and joy, but it can also be a time of enormous stress. In particular, the traumas and memories of combat service can cause profound problems. Army studies show that around 25 percent of soldiers who have served in Iraq display symptoms of serious mental-health problems, including depression, substance abuse and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).

Tragically, suicide disproportionately affects veterans. In 2004, veterans accounted for more than 20 percent of deaths by suicide, yet they make up only 10 percent of the general population. We should be addressing this shocking rate of suicide among our veterans. But the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) currently does not have appropriate suicide prevention, early detection, and treatment programs available to meet the needs of our veterans. This is unacceptable!

The aim of our bill is to improve early detection and intervention; provide access to services for veterans in crisis; and, thereby, prevent the unnecessary deaths of the men and women who have put their lives on the line to defend our nation.Joshua Omvig was one such veteran. Josh was a member of the United States Army Reserve 339th MP Company, based in Davenport, IA. Before leaving for Iraq, he was a member of the Grundy Center Volunteer Fire Department and the Grundy Center Police Reserves. He felt honored to serve his country in the Reserves and hoped to return to serve his community as a police officer. Unfortunately, when he returned from his 11-month deployment in Iraq, he brought the traumas of war with him. He committed suicide a few days before Christmas in 2005. He was just 22 years old.

This was a preventable death.

If Josh and his family had had better access to mental health services; if they had been trained to recognize the symptoms of PTSD; and if they had known where to turn for help; then the tragedy of his death might well have been avoided.In his honor, Senator Grassley and I offer this legislation to improve the services offered by the VA, and to bring down the appalling rate of suicide among veterans.

First, this bill focuses on reducing the stigma associated with seeking treatment for mental health problems. Almost 80 percent of soldiers serving in Iraq and Afghanistan who exhibited signs of mental health problems were not referred for mental health services. More than two-thirds of the servicemembers who screened positive for a mental health problem reported that they were concerned about the stigma associated with seeking treatment.Given these statistics, our bill calls for the creation of a mental health campaign to increase awareness of mental illness and the risk factors for suicide.

Veterans need to hear from members of the chain of command, leadership within the VA, and from their peers that seeking mental health services is important for their health, their families, and no different than seeking treatment for a physical health issue, such as chronic pain or a broken leg.Second, this bill ensures that VA staff and medical personnel will receive suicide prevention and education training so that they can recognize when and where to refer veterans for assistance. Additionally, the legislation ensures 24-hour access to mental health care for those who are at risk for suicide, including those in rural or remote areas. Veterans who do not have easy access to VA hospitals and veterans centers must be assured of access to services during periods of crisis.Finally, this bill recognizes the importance of family and peer support.

It trains peer counselors to understand the risk factors for suicide, provide support during readjustment, and to assist veterans in seeking help. This bill also engages family members by helping them to understand the readjustment process; to recognize the signs and symptoms of mental illness; and let them know where to turn for assistance. By enlisting the aid and support of family members and peers, we will reduce the likelihood that our veterans suffer in isolation.The stresses that our service men and women endure in combat are strong and can trigger severe mental health issues. Although our men and women may come home safely, the war isn't over for them. Often, the physical wounds of combat are repaired, but the mental damage--the psychological scars of combat--can haunt a person for a lifetime.

The Federal Government has a moral contract with those who have fought for our country and sacrificed so much. Together, we can work to make good on that contract. Our service men and women deserve to know that we will not forget about their service--and we will not leave them behind. By Mr. KOHL (for himself, Mr. Hatch, and Mr. Specter):S. 480. A bill to amend the Antitrust Modernization Commission Act of 2002, to extend the term of the Antitrust Modernization Commission and to make a technical correction; to the Committee on the Judiciary.

But not only did the federal government forget about their "moral contract" so did politicians and reporters. The price paid was more years of more veterans suffering and more families left behind after suicide.

Joshua Omvig's parents had hope their loss would save lives too.

Iowa Family Urges Congress To Pass Soldier Bill, Updated: Apr 17, 2008
Joshua Omvig of Grundy Center committed suicide in 2005 shortly after returning home from a tour of duty in Iraq. On Capitol Hill, his parents, Randy and Ellen Omvig, urged the Senate Veterans Affairs Committee to pass the Joshua Omvig Suicide Prevention Act. It would improve prevention and early detection to help veterans in crisis and prevent needless deaths like Omvig's. Randy Omvig, Joshua's father, says, "This bill has Josh's name on it, but it represents so many men and women before and after Josh who were unable to live with the physical, mental and psychological effects of their service." The U.S. House of Representative passed the Joshua Omvig Suicide Prevention Bill earlier this year.

Veterans deserved better from all of us then and they still do.

Fewer Veterans Wanted "Choice" Over VA Care

8 minutes ago Budget: Obama proposes big increase in VA funding
Stars and Stripes
By Heath Druzin
Published: February 2, 2015

"The suggestion to divert some of the Veterans Choice Act money was in response to fewer than expected veterans expressing interest in seeking care outside the VA healthcare system, VA Assistant Secretary for Management and Chief Financial Officer Helen Tierney said."

WASHINGTON — Facing a growing national crisis in veterans’ health care and a flood of new veterans from the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, the president wants to give the beleaguered Department of Veterans Affairs a nearly 8 percent boost to hire more VA doctors, give veterans more healthcare options, and increase money for construction.

The proposed 2016 budget includes roughly $70 billion in discretionary funding for the VA, for a total budget of about $168 billion – the rest being made up of mandatory benefit programs such as pensions and disability payments. read more here

"Grieving Parents" Indicted For Fraud After Son's Suicide

Wounded Times
Kathie Costos
February 2, 2015

In August of 2011 Oregon Live featured the suicide of Matthew Brennan and what happened The life and death of an Oregon Guardsman illustrates a national tragedy including his baptism in Iraq.

Matt Brennan asked to be baptized during his deployment and a military chaplain performed the rite. Brennan kneels before sandbags stacked high to shield troops from shrapnel from incoming mortars and rockets.

How this story ended has not been written yet. His parents have been accused of not only having a fake charity in his name, but also taking money from another family member, a disabled parent.

There have been a lot of charities popping up after people gained attention from the press. A few have been trying to do the best they can but this story just goes to show that just because people gain attention that doesn't mean they should gain your money.

With the growing number of bills passed by Congress and charities popping up all over the place, you'd think that the number of lives lost to suicide would have gone way down but as Congress gets on more bill tied to another suicide, there is a section in Matt's story that shows exactly how much worse it has all gotten for our troops and veterans.

It's not clear just how much more likely a person is to kill himself if he's served in the military. But the rate of suicides in all branches of the service is as much as 3.2 times higher than the general population, according to independent studies and annual reports by each branch. Admiral Mike Mullen, former chairman of the Joint Chiefs, declared last year that the military faces a suicide "crisis." In the blunt phrasing of a 2010 Army report, "Simply stated, we are often more dangerous to ourselves than the enemy."

The rate of veterans committing suicide is now double the population and for younger veterans it is triple their peer rate.

The Army intensified suicide prevention in 2006, as it became clear the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan were taking a heavy emotional toll. It produced reports, trained chaplains, appointed suicide prevention managers, conducted outreach programs, linked legal and medical databases, and sought to reverse the notion it's unsoldierly to admit mental and emotional distress. The Guard replicated many of the initiatives.

Still, following the report of 32 Army suicides in July, Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., sent a letter to the Pentagon, saying the military hasn't moved quickly enough to adopt recommendations made last year by the commission that studied the suicide problem.

The numbers went up after this and 2012 broke the record, a year after this article came out.

In calendar year 2012, there were 319 deaths by suicide among active component service members and 203 deaths by suicide among reserve component service members (73 in the reserve and 130 in the National Guard).

Now that you know the background, read what these "grieving parents" are accused of doing. There are no words to express the depravity of their actions.

Happy Valley couple faces charity fraud charges
Michael and Maria Brennan were arraigned Jan. 29, 2015
KOIN 6 News
Staff
Published: February 2, 2015

They claimed the organization benefited veterans with post traumatic stress disorder, in honor of their late son Matthew, who committed suicide in 2011 at age 22.

Michael Brennan, left, and Maria Brennan in photos released

by the Clackamas County Sheriff's Office, Feb. 2, 2015

HAPPY VALLEY, Ore. (KOIN 6) — A married couple faces 37 separate charges after a grand jury indicted them over alleged theft and fraud from a charity.

Michael Brennan, 51, and 46-year-old Maria Brennan were indicted for felony charges of first-degree theft by deception, theft of services, unlawfully obtaining public assistance and unlawfully using supplemental nutritional assistance.

Clackacmas County has been investigating this case for eight months, officials said. Both Brennans were arraigned January 29.

The case

In May 2014, Michael Brennan was arrested for allegedly siphoning funds into a fake veterans website, defrauding his disabled father-in-law and committing food stamp fraud, and was charged with three counts of theft by deception in relation to numerous alleged frauds.

He allegedly set up a website for a non-existent non-profit with his wife called “Saving America’s Heroes,” in which he solicited donations for the “Mathew M. Brennan Foundation.”
read more here

Troops At Bagram Air Field Had Superbowl Party

Troops in Afghanistan join in Super Bowl revelry 
Stars and Stripes
Carlo Munoz
February 2, 2015

Seahawks fans cheer at Bagram Air Field, Afghanistan, as Seattle scores its first touchdown in Super Bowl XLIX. It was already the early hours of Monday, Feb. 2, 2015, in Afghanistan. Despite the Seahawks' 10-point lead in the second half, the Patriots rallied to win 28-24. CARLO MUNOZ/STARS AND STRIPES

BAGRAM AIR FIELD, Afghanistan — Though it may not be an official holiday, Super Bowl Sunday remains a cause for celebration for football fans throughout the United States.

It’s no different for the roughly 10,600 American servicemembers still stationed in Afghanistan. 

U.S. civilians and military personnel based at Bagram spent two months preparing for the game.

They created football-themed decorations throughout the sprawling base and planned a massive Super Bowl party at the “Clamshell,” one of the base’s biggest Morale, Welfare and Recreation facilities.

In his first Super Bowl downrange, Air Force 1st Lt. Andrew Carper and his team helped pull together enough food, games and entertainment to get the crowd of soldiers, sailors, airmen and Marines ready for the kickoff at 4 a.m. Monday in Afghanistan.
read more here

Royal Marine Sniper Has 173 Confirmed Kills

British Royal Marine is world's deadliest sniper 
Corporal reported to have recorded 173 confirmed kills during tours of Afghanistan and Iraq, putting him ahead of US Navy SEAL Chris Kyle featured in American Sniper film
Telegraph UK
By Danny Boyle, and Ben Farmer
02 Feb 2015

"The Royal Marines and Army refuse to identify snipers for fear they will become targets for Islamist revenge attacks"

A Royal Marine who has 173 confirmed kills fighting Taliban insurgents is the deadliest sniper in the world, it has been claimed.

The unnamed Marine’s toll of kills in Afghanistan surpasses that of Chris Kyle, the US Navy SEAL, whose exploits are portrayed in the Oscar-nominated film American Sniper.

The corporal, who is still serving, made the majority of his kills during a single six-month tour of Helmand province eight years ago. His actual total of kills could be far higher, sources told the Sun.

The identity of the sniper, who is a married father who grew up in the South of England, is a closely guarded secret for fear he will become a target for Islamist terrorists.

One source told the newspaper: "Only people inside the community know about his incredible contribution — but young recruits are in awe of him.

The records of both Kyle and the British sniper remain far from the numbers of kills credited to the most prolific Second World War marksmen.

Several Soviet snipers were credited with each killing more than 400 German soldiers.

Simo Häyhä, a Finnish soldier nicknamed White Death, was credited with 505 sniper kills during the Winter War of 1939 to 1940, when the Soviet Union invaded Finland.
read more here

Ex-Navy SEAL Accused of Scamming Other SEALS

Ex-Navy SEAL faces up to 12 years for scheme that ensnared brothers in arms
FoxNews.com
By Malia Zimmerman
Published February 02, 2015

A Navy SEAL who admitted he shattered the elite special force's code of brotherhood by stealing from his brethren to finance his luxurious lifestyle and gambling faces up to 12 years in prison, not to mention the scorn of men who served with him but now consider him “the most repugnant scum on Earth.”

Jason Mullaney, part of SEAL Team Five until 2003, convinced 11 SEAL team members and one civilian to invest a collective $1.2 million into his company, Trident Global Financial Holdings.

Named after the Trident SEAL symbol, Mullaney said his company would award loans to credit-challenged small businesses and individuals for high interest rates, secured with assets that covered the principal and profit. Investors would receive back their investment plus a 24 percent profit within a year, Mullaney pledged.

Former Navy SEAL Jason Mullaney tried to change his plea, but a judge would not allow him to.
(Courtesy: 10News ABC)

“Jason, I wish you the worst and hope that you rot in Hell for what you did to all of us – you are the most repugnant scum on Earth.”
- Former Navy SEAL Alexander Sonnenberg

Instead, Mullaney ran a pyramid scheme, and, rather than repay investors, he spent their money on a new Mercedes Benz, an extravagant home and on gambling in Las Vegas, according to prosecutors. And even though Mullaney pleaded guilty to four charges on Sept. 8, 2014, including three counts of grand theft and one count of securities fraud, he has shown no remorse, and even tried to revoke his plea, a maneuver that was nixed by the judge last month.

The SEALs had no idea they were cheated until some tried to collect on their investment. Mullaney, they reported to the FBI and San Diego District Attorney on April 27, 2011, had vanished with their money.
read more here

PTSD changed you for a time, but you can change again!

The list of times I faced traumatic events is long but I can tell you that this report on Salon is not the total truth. Yes, the trauma stays with you just as every other good event in your life. Everything that happens become part of you at this moment in time. Your past tags along.

Yet when you think about the fact that you kept changing up to and including the "big one" setting off PTSD, you can keep changing. You can keep healing, finding peace and live a better quality of life. PTSD changed you for a time, but you can change again! It doesn't have to win.

“There is no cure for trauma. Once it enters the body, it stays there forever”
Survivors say the day of their trauma marks the end of a chapter in their lives.
The IED attack in Iraq was mine
Salon.com
DAVID J. MORRIS
FEB 1, 2015

We are born in debt, owing the world a death. This is the shadow that darkens every cradle. Trauma is what happens when you catch a surprise glimpse of that darkness, the coming annihilation not only of the body and the mind but also, seemingly, of the world. Trauma is the savagery of the universe made manifest within us, and it destroys not only the integrity of consciousness, the myth of self-mastery, and the experience of time but also our ability to live peacefully with others, almost as if it were a virus, a pathogen content to do nothing besides replicate itself in the world, over and over, until only it remains.

Trauma is the glimpse of truth that tells us a lie: the lie that love is impossible, that peace is an illusion. Therapy and medication can ease the pain but neither can suck the venom from the blood, make the survivor unsee the darkness and unknow the secret that lies beneath the surface of life. Despite the quixotic claims of modern neuroscience, there is no cure for trauma.

Once it enters the body, it stays there forever, initiating a complex chemical chain of events that changes not only the physiology of the victims but also the physiology of their offspring. One cannot, as war correspondent Michael Herr testifies in “Dispatches,” simply “run the film backwards out of consciousness.” Trauma is our special legacy as sentient beings, creatures burdened with the knowledge of our own impermanence; our symbolic experience with it is one of the things that separates us from the animal kingdom. As long as we exist, the universe will be scheming to wipe us out. The best we can do is work to contain the pain, draw a line around it, name it, domesticate it, and try to transform what lies on the other side of the line into a kind of knowledge, a knowledge of the mechanics of loss that might be put to use for future generations.
read more here