Fort Bliss Soldier From Florida Receives Army Commendation Medal with Valor Device

Army chief of staff honors two young Fort Bliss soldiers as heroes 
Army chief of staff pins medals of valor for their actions during an ambush in Afghanistan
El Paso Times
By David Burge
POSTED: 05/27/2015

Rudy Gutierrez—El Paso Times
Gen. Raymond T. Odierno, left, the 38th Chief of Staff for the U.S. Army pins the Army Commendation Medal with Valor Device to SPC Robert Gillespie, center, and PFC Nile Clarke, right, during a ceremony on post. The two soldiers were cited for their actions on March 13, 2014 when the convoy they were riding in was ambushed by insurgents in Afghanistan.

FORT BLISS
Two young Fort Bliss soldiers say they were just doing their jobs as infantry men, but the Army says they are heroes.

Spc. Robert Gillespie, a 21-year-old from Bartow, Fla., and Pfc. Nile Clarke, a 20-year-old from Norwalk, Conn., were each given the Army Commendation Medal with Valor Device during a ceremony at Fort Bliss on Wednesday.

They were recognized for their actions when the unit they were with in Afghanistan was ambushed on March 13, 2014, in the Zabul Province. They both exposed themselves to enemy fire, returned fire and allowed a six-vehicle convoy they were riding in to free itself up. No American soldiers were killed or wounded in the incident.

Making Wednesday's ceremony even more memorable, Chief of Staff of the Army Gen. Raymond T. Odierno, who was visiting Fort Bliss for the day, pinned the medals on the two soldiers.

"They represent what we are about" as soldiers, Odierno said. "They care about the mission, they care about each other, about who they are and what they represent."

"War is a very personal business, especially on the squad and platoon level," Odierno added.

"It's about taking care of each other."
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Fort Hood First Lieutenant Found Dead on Memorial Day

W. Mich. soldier dies from gunshot wound at Fort Hood
WWMT News 3
May 27, 2015

FORT HOOD, Texas (NEWSCHANNEL 3) - A soldier from West Michigan has died from an apparent gunshot wound in Fort Hood, Texas.

30-year-old First Lieutenant Dilon Mitchell died on Memorial Day at his on-post home.
check here for update

Fort Bragg Soldier's Death Touched Many By How He LIved

Fallen Fort Bragg soldier remembered for selfless service, dedication to troops 
Fay Observer
By Drew Brooks, Military editor
May 27, 2015

A Fort Bragg soldier who died in Afghanistan the day before Memorial Day is being remembered for his selfless service to the families of fallen troops and his dedication to his soldiers.

Pablo A. Ruiz III died Sunday of non-combat-related injuries in Bagram.

The 37-year-old soldier from Melbourne, Florida, was deployed with elements of the 3rd Special Forces Group. The cause of his death remains under investigation, officials said.

Ruiz, who was posthumously promoted to master sergeant, was noncommissioned officer in charge of a dining facility for Special Forces soldiers in Afghanistan, according to officials.

His battalion commander, Lt. Col. John Sannes, said in an email from Afghanistan that Ruiz led by example, "always diving in alongside his soldiers to complete any mission or task."

"We lost a great soldier, leader, husband and father," Sannes said.
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Salem Virginia PTSD Veterans Sent to North Carolina?

The good thing is that this article points out they are separating types of PTSD finally. Treating them all the same, no matter what the trauma was, didn't make sense for decades. The best-real-experts, have been saying that for as long as they have been researching PTSD and that goes back to about 40 years ago.

The bad thing is, this means that the veterans will be away from their family support.

Salem VA to shift some PTSD patients to North Carolina
Roanoke.com
Luanne Rife

May 28, 2015

The Salem VA Medical Center in July will begin to send veterans with combat-related post-traumatic stress disorder to North Carolina for residential treatment.

The change announced Thursday affects only veterans whose PTSD is considered combat-induced. No changes are expected to outpatient PTSD treatment programs and support groups. Veterans whose PTSD is attributed to other causes, including military sexual assault, can continue to access a residential program in Salem.

Until now, the Salem VA did not differentiate between combat and noncombat PTSD.

“Right now we have an inpatient program that we bring in a big group for a six-week period of time for combat and noncombat PTSD,” said Ann Benois, a spokeswoman for the medical center. The shift requires sorting between the types and sending vets with combat-related cases to a pilot project established at the Salisbury VA Medical Center in North Carolina.
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Ret. Master Sergeant Memorial Day Speech All Should Read

A speech on the occasion of Memorial Day, May 25, 2015 
Harvard Press
by Master Sergeant (ret.) Dennis Lyddy
May 28, 2015

Master Sergeant (ret.) Dennis Lyddy. 

(Photo by Lisa Aciukewicz) 

Distinguished guests, honored brothers and sisters in arms, my family—Kelly, Patrick, Victor, Taylor, and Ashton—fellow citizens of America …

I am grateful to be standing before you this Memorial Day, May 25, 2015.

Memorial Day is the day citizens can still freely gather to honor those men and women, a father or a mother, a son or a daughter, a brother or a sister who sacrificed everything in this world, so that we can continue our American way of life each day: a way of life safe from the horror of suicide bombers; secure from the brutality of snipers, car bombers, and thoughtless mines; unthreatened by indiscriminate mortars and the savagery of IEDs—a way of life that provides opportunity to learn without terror, to worship without judgment, to nourish without want, to love without labels, and to speak without fear.

Each of us present today believes, acts, and teaches the continuum of noblesse oblige.



A simple question: Why so few?
Memorial Day is a day of acknowledgment.

A day of memories and emotions Memorial Day is a day of memories and emotions.

On August 27, 2003, a native son of Deerfield, Massachusetts, died in Al Hilla, Iraq.

A roadside bomb, detonated by cowards, murdered 24-year-old Sgt. Gregory Belanger—a chef, a son, a fellow citizen-soldier.

The chef could not prepare a four-star, candlelit, romantic meal for two in a cozy apartment for a broken-hearted fiancée. The son did not get the chance to pass on his winning smile and impish tricks to a child that would make grandparents laugh and carry on the family name.

The nation lost a generous citizen-soldier who shared his tent with me and willingly left behind school, family, the love of his life, when he heard the clarion.

On September 20, 2003, a brutal insurgent mortar attack targeting Iraqi prisoners killed 26-year-old Sgt. David Travis Friedrich. Travis Friedrich, the student, studied with fabled Dr. Henry Lee to become a forensic scientist.

Sgt. Friedrich, the citizen-soldier, blended his skills, discipline, and humanity to go after the biggest group of criminals since World War II. Travis’s light was prematurely snuffed out before his brilliance could illuminate the darkness of crime.

These are only two small stories about Americans killed in a combat zone. When will they end? On MassLive, reporter Fred Contrada wrote about U.S. Army Capt. Roselle M. Hoffmaster, a Smith College graduate. Hoffmaster, a surgeon assigned to Iraq, died under “non-combat-related” circumstances in September 2007, according to the army. Sixteen months later, a government report concluded that Roselle took her own life.

In a May 6, 2014, article, the Boston Globe reported that Jeffrey Lucey, a USMC veteran, committed suicide on June 22, 2004. The Globe also photographed members of the Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America placing 1,892 flags representing veterans and service members who have died by suicide.

These are only two short stories about Americans dying in a safety zone. The statistics from various studies, government agencies, and independent researchers reveal that the suicide rate of veterans exceeds the suicide rate of civilians for the first time.

I simply ask: Why so many? read more here

Military-Civilian Police Officer Not Allowed in 7-11 on Memorial Day?

This story is in need of editing. Deitch is the veteran/owner and Sox is the dog. Hope they fix it.

Owner of 7-Eleven apologizes for kicking out veteran's service dog
New Jersey.com
By Dave Hutchinson
May 27, 2015

Deitch is both a military police and civilian police service dog, according to News 12.

PARSIPPANY — The owner of a Parsippany 7-Eleven has apologized to a veteran who was not allowed into the store on Memorial Day because of his service dog, according to News 12 New Jersey.

Veteran Michael Deitch said he was not allowed into the 7-Eleven on North Beverwyck Road because he had his service dog, Sox, with him, the report said. Sox, a 7-month-old lab-hound-mix, is federally protected under the American with Disabilities Act, the report said. read more here

Boston Homeless Veterans Center Getting Makeover

The New England Center for Homeless Veterans is very near to my heart. When I lived in Massachusetts I had a tour of the building and saw the work they do first hand. I sat with some of the veterans for a while and discovered what a difference it made to them to know they were cared about as well as cared for.

Boston homeless veterans center to get $31m upgrade
Boston Globe
By Steve Annear
GLOBE STAFF
MAY 27, 2015

The renovation project will include adding 200 transitional housing units and 38 permanent housing units to the center, as well as upgrades to the 59 permanent living spaces already in use.

Homeless veterans in Boston and surrounding communities will have better access to improved living accommodations, transitional services, and vocational programs, as a center dedicated to helping them begins work on a multimillion-dollar renovation downtown.

On Wednesday, the New England Center for Homeless Veterans will break ground on the $31 million, 18-month construction project to provide state-of-the art resources for its clients.

“The building is showing its age, so we are creating a facility that can be adaptable for veterans for decades to come,” said Andy McCawley, president and chief executive of the Court Street center. “These upgrades will get people into housing faster and more effectively, and offer a full array of services like case management support, vocational training, employment services, and wellness services.”

The project should be complete by the end of next year, said McCawley, a retired Navy officer, and will help aid the more than 1,500 homeless vets that the center assists annually.
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Camp Lejeune Marine Court-martialed Over Bible Verse?

Marine court-martialed for refusing to remove Bible verse 
FOX News
Todd Starnes
May 26, 2015

“This is a very scary time when you are not allowed to have a very small printed Bible verse in your own personal workspace because it might offend other Marines,” Sasser told me. “Our Marines are trained to deal with some of the most hostile people on the planet. I don’t think they are afraid of tiny words on a tiny piece of paper.”

A United States Marine was convicted at a court-martial for refusing to remove a Bible verse on her computer – a verse of Scripture the military determined “could easily be seen as contrary to good order and discipline.”

The plight of Lance Corporal Monifa Sterling seems unbelievable – a member of the Armed Forces criminally prosecuted for displaying a slightly altered passage of Scripture from the Old Testament: “No weapon formed against me shall prosper.”

Sterling, who represented herself at trial, was convicted February 1, 2014 in a court-martial at Camp Lejune, North Carolina after she refused to obey orders from a staff sergeant to remove the Bible verses from her desk.

She was found guilty of failing to go to her appointed place of duty, disrespect toward a superior commissioned officer, and four specifications of disobeying the lawful order of a noncommissioned officer.

The Christian Marine was given a bad conduct discharge and a reduction in rank from lance corporal to private.
read more here

Sailor's Death in Abu Dhabi Under Investigation

Sailor from Illinois dies overseas 
WGN News
BY TOM NEGOVAN
MAY 22, 2015

ABU DHABI– A sailor from Illinois has died overseas, according to the Department of Defense.

Petty Officer 3rd Class Ryan D. Burris, 24, of Lisle, died May 21, in Abu Dhabi, UAE, of a non-combat related incident at Zayed Military City as he was helping to support Operation Inherent Resolve—that is the fight against ISIS.

He was temporarily assigned to the Crisis Response Element of Joint Special Operations Task Force-Arabian Peninsula, Special Operations Command Central, U.S. Central Command, according to the Department of Defense. read more here

Restaurant Makes Amends After PTSD Veteran Turned Away

Restaurant manager fired after veteran, dog turned away
WGNO News
BY ANTHONY PERRUCCI
MAY 26, 2015

Hershey the Labradoodle was turned away from a restaurant in Illinois. (WGN)

ALGONQUIN, Ill. (WGN)— An Illinois veteran’s trip to a restaurant over the weekend caused an uproar and cost a restaurant manager her job.

Garrett Loughran of Huntley has served four tours in Iraq and Afghanistan. And like a lot of veterans, Garrett uses a service dog to help with his PTSD, post-traumatic stress disorder.

Hershey, a 5-year-old Labradoodle, helps keep him calm in crowds and adjust to civilian life. He’s no ordinary canine. In fact, he’s specially trained for this. By law, he’s allowed to go where Garrett does.

But Garrett’s mom wanted to take him to a pre-Memorial Day lunch at the Houlihan’s in nearby Algonquin. And that’s when things got a little touchy. The veteran, his mom and his dog were turned away.

Houlihan’s says the manager involved in turning Laura, Garrett and Hershey away has been fired and it’s donating $2,000 dollars to the organization Pets for Vets.
read more here