102,499 Soldiers Non-Deployable

Army Has 50,000 Active Soldiers Who Can't Deploy, Top NCO Says 
Military.com
by Matthew Cox
Nov 25, 2015

In total, the Army's active, Guard and Reserve force 102,499 soldiers from all ranks that were non-deployable for medical, legal, or other administrative reasons as of mid-August, according to Master Sgt. Michelle Johnson, spokeswoman for Dailey, adding that that number is about 10 percent of the total force, Johnson said.

The U.S. Army's top enlisted soldier said the number-one readiness problem facing the service is that the active component -- the most deployable force -- has 50,000 soldiers who can't deploy.

That figure represents the largest number of non-deployable soldiers in all three components of the service. The National Guard has 28,000 non-deployable soldiers and the Reserve component has 25,000, according to Sgt. Maj. of the Army Daniel Dailey's office.

Having 50,000 non-deployable, active soldiers is comparable to three of the Army's 10 active combat divisions, Dailey told a group of sergeants recently at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas, according to an Army press release.

"That's huge. That's three out of the 10 divisions," he said. "If you will not or cannot fight and win, then there's no place for you in the Army. We have to become unemotional about this. We have a job to do."

Dailey's comments come at a time when President Barack Obama is under enormous pressure to commit some type of ground force to the Middle East to fight extremists from the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria, or ISIS.
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Veteran With PTSD Service Dog Kicked Out of Mall

Veteran kicked out of mall for having service dog
13 News Now
Arrianee LeBeau
November 23, 2015

Brown said the experience immediately triggered his anxiety, sending him into a panic attack.

CHESAPEAKE, Va (WVEC) -- Joshua Brown is a veteran that requires the assistance of a service dog, because he suffers from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). He has had his current dog for about a year, and said she helps him get back to living a normal life.

"She's definitely helped me with being able to go out in public places with crowds," said Brown.

Last Friday, Brown said he was kicked out of Greenbrier Mall in Chesapeake, because of his service dog. Brown's dog trainer -- a psychiatrist and another veteran -- were walking the animals around the mall to get them both comfortable in public places.
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Until We Finally Rest at Arlington

Until We Finally Rest at Arlington
Wounded Times
Kathie Costos

No one has to tell us what freedom really means.
Your boots were back on last night in your dreams.
As for me, no one told me I'd be fighting a war
with memories of things I never saw.
But I'll do what other wives have done since Lexington
fighting this last battle until we finally rest at Arlington.

I still love you as much as I can
but to tell you the truth, you're not the same man.
The man I knew wouldn't push me away
he'd be doing whatever he had to do to stay.
If you're afraid I'll stop loving you,
then darling you don't have a clue
that after all the years we've been through
there isn't anything I won't do for you.

Tell me you don't deserve me in your life
and I'll tell you I'm glad I'm your wife.
PTSD doesn't have to defeat or rob tomorrow
replacing this love of our with sorrow.
So I'm going to tell you exactly what I think of you
like the only person on earth that really knows what is true.

You did what few others have done
from the first battle at Lexington
when brave men fought for freedom to be obtained
and all those who came after to to keep it retained
when all was said and done
the battle back home had just begun
to find your place back at home
feeling as if you had to fight alone.

I know you changed since those dark days
but I also know there are different ways
to change again and live a happier life
to feel all the love I promised when I became your wife.
But fighting wars should never be easier for any of you
then being back home remembering what you had to do.

The grieving you do comes from an unselfish heart
and that was within you right from the start.
It took love to be willing to lay down your life
and courage to endure all the strife.
You may wonder why God let it all happen
but you really need to look again
at all the compassion surrounding you
when your friends were willing to sacrifice for you too.

So please search for all that now
so that you can live a better life somehow.
And the sadness in your eyes will melt away
when you understand that I'm going to stay
and fight for you as hard as you fought back then
until the day we finally rest at Arlington.

MOH Capt. Florent Groberg receives tribute at Disneyland

VIDEO: Medal of Honor recipient U.S. Army Capt. Florent Groberg receives tribute at Disneyland
OC Register
Mark Eades
Nov. 22, 2015

Medal of Honor recipient U.S. Army Capt. Florent Groberg got to go to Disneyland on Saturday. He was there to be honored by the Disneyland Resort at its Flag Retreat Ceremony.

Captain Groberg received the Medal of Honor from President Obama on November 12, 2015, for actions in saving lives in Afghanistan in August 2012.

According to the mission report, Groberg was assigned as part of a security detachment for Task Force Mountain Warrior, which was responsible for the safety of 28 coalition military personnel, and civilian officers.
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Medal of Honor recipient U.S. Army Captain Florent Groberg honored at Disneyland

Hispanic Pilot Flew With Tuskegee Airmen

Once Unknown, Story of World War II Latino Tuskegee Airman Uncovered 
Fox News
by Bryan Llenas
Nov 24, 2015

Among the legendary Tuskegee Airmen, America's first African-American military air squadron which heroically fought in World War II, was a little known about Hispanic pilot named Esteban Hotesse.

(Fox News photo)

Born in Moca, Dominican Republic, but a New Yorker since he was 4 years old, Hotesse served with the Tuskegee Airmen for more than three years before he died during a military exercise on July 8th, 1945. He was just 26.

As a black Dominican, Hotesse was a part of a squadron credited for single-handedly tearing down the military's segregation policies, while helping to change America's perception of African-Americans during the Jim Crow era.

He is believed to be the first Dominican soldier to serve on the well-known squadron. His historic role was recently discovered by a group of New York academics.
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Fort Hood Helicopter Crash Claims Lives of 4 Soldiers

4 killed in Fort Hood helicopter crash
Killeen Daily Herald
Jacob Brooks Herald staff writer
November 24, 2015

FORT HOOD — An Army Black Hawk helicopter with four crew members on board crashed Monday evening, killing the four soldiers, officials said in a statement early this morning.

The crash happened sometime after 5:49 p.m. in the northeast portion on the Fort Hood Range.

"After an extensive search, emergency crews located the scene of the incident and are reporting the four crew members found deceased," Fort Hood officials said in a statement.

"The crew was assigned to Division West, First Army. They were on a routine training mission at the time of the crash."
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Vietnam Veteran 7 1/2 Year Wait For Agent Orange Testing

Local veteran waits on Agent Orange testing for 7 1/2 years
First Coast News
Ken Amaro
November 23, 2015

ST. AUGUSTINE, Fla. -- During the Vietnam War, 20 million gallons of Agent Orange was dumped on Vietnam and parts of Cambodia.

Bill Harnage, 65, now retired after 20 years of service in the Army and the National Guard, said he was in the line of some of the dumping. "I was a gray water soldier.

The area we were Agent Orange was in use."

The Vietnam veteran is on a new mission. He wants to be tested for exposure to the herbicide

"I asked to be tested, but never did get it," he said.

In 2008, the former Army medic made his request in writing to the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. It was sent to the VA Medical Center in Gainesville and received. But, he said, nothing happened.

"They don't know why it wasn't addressed," said Harnage.

The irony is every year he goes to the VA for his annual physical exam. He said at no time was he asked to take or was he given an Agent Orange exam.
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Eligibility for Agent Orange Registry health exam These Veterans are eligible for the Agent Orange Registry health exam:

Vietnam
Veterans who served in Vietnam between 1962 and 1975, regardless of length of time. Veterans who served aboard smaller river patrol and swift boats that operated on the inland waterways of Vietnam (also known as “Brown Water Veterans”). Check VA's list of U.S. Navy and Coast Guard ships that operated in Vietnam.

Korea
Veterans who served in a unit in or near the Korean Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) anytime between April 1, 1968 and August 31, 1971.

Thailand
U.S. Air Force Veterans who served on Royal Thai Air Force (RTAF) bases near U-Tapao, Ubon, Nakhon Phanom, Udorn, Takhli, Korat, and Don Muang, near the air base perimeter anytime between February 28, 1961 and May 7, 1975.

U.S. Army Veterans who provided perimeter security on RTAF bases in Thailand anytime between February 28, 1961 and May 7, 1975.

U.S. Army Veterans who were stationed on some small Army installations in Thailand anytime between February 28, 1961 and May 7, 1975. However, the Army Veteran must have been a member of a military police (MP) unit or was assigned a military occupational specialty whose duty placed him or her at or near the base perimeter.

Cape Canaveral National Cemetery Dedicated

National Cemetery dedicated in north Brevard
FLORIDA TODAY
R. Norman Moody
November 21, 2015

SCOTTSMOOR — Cape Canaveral National Cemetery has officially become the ninth national cemetery in Florida and the 134th in the nation.

The Cape Canaveral National Cemetery, which will serve the burial needs of veterans in Central Florida for many years, was dedicated in a ceremony Friday afternoon that attracted hundreds veterans and their families from Brevard and surrounding counties.

"This is probably one of the best things for the veterans and their families since the VA hospital in Orlando," said Al "Gunner" Dudley, a Marine veteran from Mims who is past state commander of the American Legion.

Secretary of Veterans Affairs Robert McDonald told the crowd of more than 500 that he was pleased to be a part the dedication that shows the nation's gratitude to those who served in uniform.

The VA purchased the land for the cemetery in July 2012 for $2.1 million. The construction company, G and C Fab-Con, LLC., is expected to complete an early turn-over portion of the cemetery which will be used for in-ground casket and cremation interments in January. That phase of construction is anticipated to provide for about 17,000 burial over the next 10 years.
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Thief Stole Fallen Soldier's Memorial Quilt

THIEF CAUGHT ON CAMERA STEALING PACKAGE FULL OF DECEASED SON'S T-SHIRTS IN EDISON
ABC 7 News
By Anthony Johnson
Friday, November 20, 2015

EDISON, N.J. (WABC) -- A family in New Jersey is heartbroken after someone stole an irreplaceable package from their front porch in Edison.

A heartless thief was seen on surveillance video calmly walking up to the door carrying a pillow and then stealing the memories of a beloved son.

This insensitive act has angered many because the culprit took memory quilts made by a mother to remember her son who died a year ago.

"I just want them back, that's all we have really are his memories and some of his things," said Karen Delmonaco, Robert Delmonaco's mother.

The quilts made of her son's t-shirts were supposed to be Christmas presents and were sent to a company to be stitched together.

Karen was happy and ready to receive the package, but is now upset that her son's lasting possessions have been taken.
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Southeast Asian Refugees Face Deportation

Forty Years After Resettlement, Thousands of Southeast Asian Refugees Face Deportation
NBC News
by JUSTINE CALMA
November 23, 2015

Over the past two decades, more than 13,000 Cambodian, Vietnamese, and Laotian Americans have been served deportation orders, according to the Southeast Asia Resource Action Center. Advocates say those communities live in constant fear of being relocated from their homes.

David Ros, second from the left, stands for a photo with his siblings, mother, and extended family. Ros and his family, who fled Cambodia together, are wearing T-shirts donated to them once they reached a refugee camp in Thailand. Courtesy of David Ros

Memories of captivity are still vivid for David Ros. "I remember clearly the hunger," Ros told NBC News. "And [I remember] the crying and the foraging for anything I [could] find that was edible."

Ros was born in Cambodia in 1974, one year before the capital, Phnom Penh, fell to the Khmer Rouge — a Communist regime that would ultimately claim the lives of two million Cambodians. Because his family was connected to the military—his grandfather had been a lieutenant colonel before the war—Ros, his parents, and siblings were targeted by the Khmer Rouge and detained.

His father was killed and his mother was tortured and beaten, Ros said.

Ros also has memories from the dangerous journey his family took when they escaped to Thailand in 1978: bombs, fires, dead bodies floating down the river.

But Ros says he considers himself and his siblings lucky to have survived long enough to reach a refugee camp and be sponsored by a Catholic organization for resettlement in the United States.
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Veterans Appeals Never-Ending Wait

VA is buried in a backlog of never-ending veterans disability appeals
LA Times
Alan Zarembo
November 23, 2015

If they limit veterans to one appeal a claim, it makes the system more efficient at the detriment of veterans' rights.
- James Vale, director of benefits for Vietnam Veterans of America

It's a veteran disability case that never ends.

Ivan Figueroa Clausell with paperwork from his disability appeals to the Department of Veterans Affairs. (Erika P. Rodriguez / For The Times)

In 1985, Ivan Figueroa Clausell filed a claim for a variety of conditions he said stemmed from a car accident while training with the Puerto Rico Army National Guard. The Department of Veterans Affairs ruled that he wasn't disabled.

He appealed and lost. He appealed again and lost again, and again and again.

In all, the VA has issued more than two dozen rulings on his case over the years. Still, he continues to appeal. Even after he won and started receiving 100% disability pay, he pressed on in hopes of receiving retroactive payments.

"I'm never going to give up," said the 66-year-old Vietnam veteran. "I don't care how long it takes."

Figueroa's is the oldest case among the more than 425,000 now swamping a veterans appeals system that advocates and government officials say is badly broken.

The appeals system does not have enough staff to handle the record number of veterans — from the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq as well as Vietnam — filing for disability payments over the last decade, then appealing when all or part of their claims are denied.

But experts point to a more fundamental problem. Unlike U.S. civil courts, the appeals system has no mechanism to prevent endless challenges. Veterans can keep their claims alive either by appealing or by restarting the process from scratch by submitting new evidence: service records, medical reports or witness statements.

Appeals that can't be resolved at VA regional offices around the country wind up at the appeals board. The 65 judges who handle cases ruled on 55,713 cases last fiscal year — an all-time high.
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Test the PTSD Suicide Awareness Groups

Be Aware of What They Don't Know
Wounded Times
Kathie Costos
November 23, 2015

With all the groups out there claiming to be raising awareness on PTSD and suicides, things just keep getting worse for our veterans.  It is time to find out what they know and what they are telling the veterans they are claiming to be helping.

The following are basic questions I've learned the answers to over the last 3 decades. If they really know what they are talking about, then they should already know all these answers. I supplied links to the answers of what they should know. If a link is missing it means the answer can be found within another question. I don't want to make it too easy on them. On some questions there are several answers, so search for all the ones you can find. If they cannot answer all of them, then they are part of the problem our veterans have been dealing with.

You'll know the answers but if you print the questions out in plain text without the links, they can either track back this post or actually look them up themselves. If they don't even bother to find the answers, then they do not deserve any support from you or anyone else. At the very least, they may learn something to actually change things for the better.

What is PTSD?
What do the terms used actually mean?
What are the causes of PTSD?
What are the different types of PTSD?
How many Americans have PTSD?
What is the history of PTSD and war?
What is Complex PTSD?
What is MST PTSD? What is a secondary stressor?
What is secondary PTSD?
What is a flashback?
What is Peer Support?
Why do they have a hard time sleeping?
What does lack of sleep do?
How is PTSD diagnosed?
Is PTSD a mental illness?
Is PTSD curable?
When did research start on PTSD?
What is the worst program the military is using?
When did Congress start addressing suicides?
What is the difference between self-medicating and addiction?
What is a dual diagnosis?
What is TBI?
Should TBI and PTSD be treated the same way?
What have brain scans shown?
What are the statistics on suicide among veterans?
Why are there so many accidents with PTSD veterans?
Do you help all veterans or only some generations?
Do you help families?
How do you help them?
What is spiritual therapy?
What are the different ways to do physical therapy for PTSD?
Why does it work?
What is your background?
What is your training?
How long have you been doing it?
What are you doing differently?
Do you have proof what you do works?
What are you doing with the money donated to you?
Why do you need money if Facebook is free and that is where most younger veterans search?

Marine Vietnam Veteran Attacked At Airport By Current Marines

Veteran says he was attacked, shamed at Charlotte airport
WSOC News North Carolina
By Ken Lemon
CHARLOTTE, N.C.
November 18, 2015

CHARLOTTE, N.C. — A Vietnam veteran and two-time recipient of the Purple Heart said he was attacked Saturday at Charlotte-Douglas International Airport.

Jack Hughes, 66, said when he came home from battle in the 1960s, people threw rotten eggs at his uniform. Vietnam was an unpopular war and he expected that back then.

He said he didn't expect to be assaulted by other Marines when he arrived Saturday.

Hughes, who lives in Gastonia, showed Channel 9 the jacket he wore Saturday with his medals and ribbons.

He cried thinking about the feeling he had when he said Marines at the airport accused him of pretending to be a veteran.

"I just can't believe that one veteran or group of veterans would do that to somebody else,” Hughes said.

He said as he got off the plane from a Veterans Day event in St. Louis, another man, claiming to be a Marine himself, walked towards him yelling.

"Your ribbons are crooked. You’re a fake. You are a phony," Hughes said the man shouted.
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Support pours in for Marine vet who says he was shamed at airport
AJC news
Ken Lemon
Nov. 21, 2015

GASTON COUNTY, N.C. — Support has poured in for a Marine veteran who said he was assaulted and shamed by other Marines at Charlotte’s airport.

Jack Hughes sat down for a follow-up interview and discussed the calls and letters that he said saved his life.

Hughes suffers from post-traumatic stress disorder from his stint in Vietnam. He said when the other Marines tried to wrongfully shame him Saturday it sent him back in a regressive state, but the tremendous outpouring of support has been more than a boost. They shouted at him in the airport, and one even tried to rip the ribbons off of his jacket.
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Iraq Homeless Veteran Coming Out of the Woods

Out of the Woods
Inside Nova
Jill Palermo
November 20, 2015

After living outside off and on for much of the last decade, Garrett, a local Iraq War vet, insists he had no plans to leave his Woodbridge homeless camp.

Garrett, who didn't want his last name used, lives in a homeless camp, but recently received a housing voucher through a federal program for veterans. By Delia Engstrom/For InsideNoVa.com

Stubbornly independent, the broad-shouldered, 30-year-old Army reservist spent a year protecting military convoys behind an M240 machine gun in 2009. He was homeless before deploying overseas and returned to living outside after his marriage broke up in 2013.

Garrett, who asked that his last name not be printed, said he’d since grown accustomed to living in the woods. He has long refused to move back home to Manassas and didn’t like the idea of being tied down by a lease.

Then, two things changed his mind.

First, he told his Veterans Administration counselor that his homelessness was making it difficult to show up for counseling appointments to help with his post-traumatic stress disorder. Then, his girlfriend found out she was pregnant.

Thanks to the counselor, the first revelation helped Garrett obtain one of 30 Veterans Affairs Supportive Housing vouchers allotted to Prince William County veterans who cannot afford to live indoors. The news that he would soon become a dad convinced him to take it.
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Twenty Nine Palms Marine Killed In Car Crash

Marine based at 29 Palms killed in car crash
The Desert Sun
Sherry Barkas
November 20, 2015

A Marine based in Twentynine Palms was killed early Wednesday morning in a single-vehicle crash outside of Traver, the California Highway Patrol has confirmed.

Layne Johnson, 19, a private first class armorer with the Marine Unmanned Aerial Vehicle Squadron 1 – or VMU-1 – was northbound on Highway 99 in Tulare County when he may have fallen asleep at the wheel, CHP spokesman Officer Scott Harris said Friday.

Johnson's Volkswagen Jetta drifted onto the shoulder and slammed into a guardrail with so much force that the car went airborne.

The car's roof hit a sign about 4 feet off the ground, Harris said.
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