Iraq Veteran Among Dead in Colorado

UPDATE

Planned Parenthood Victim Ke'Arre Stewart Tried to Save Others

Man killed in Colorado shooting was veteran, served in Iraq
AP
By KRISTEN WYATT and SADIE GURMAN
Nov. 30, 2015

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (AP) — A look at the three people who were killed in a shooting at a Colorado Planned Parenthood clinic:

COMBAT VETERAN, FATHER

Ke'Arre Stewart, 29, was accompanying someone at the clinic when he was killed, said Amburh Butler, a lifelong friend and family spokeswoman. Stewart leaves behind two girls, 11 and 5, who live in Texas. Stewart and Butler met when they were 11 in Waco, Texas and were high school sweethearts, she said.

They both joined the Army, but Stewart joined first, right after his high school graduation in 2004, she said. He served in the Fourth Infantry Division and was deployed to Iraq, where he would often send her letters describing the horrors he saw on the front lines.

"He would tell me how terrible it was, how many guys he watched die. It was terrible for him," Butler said. The Army stationed Stewart at Fort Carson in Colorado Springs in 2013, she said. He was discharged from the military the following year. "He went someplace where people expect to die, only to come back ... and be killed."

John Ah-King told The Denver Post that his daughter 36-year-old Jennifer Markovsky, was one of three people who died Friday when a gunman opened fire. He described Markovsky as a kind-hearted, lovable person with two children.

Garrett Swasey worked as a police officer at the University of Colorado, Colorado Springs. He was there when he was called to assist with an active shooter at the nearby clinic. read more here

Da Nang Vietnam Veterans Remember Twist of Fate

Veterans form friendship, discover unusual link
The News Gazette
Jim Dey 1
1/26/2015

Nearly 50 years ago — May 22, 1968 — Bob Harrison, a 19-year-old U.S. Marine from Villa Grove, was carrying a radio as part of a four-man patrol team near Da Nang in Vietnam, the site of a major air base used by American and South Vietnamese forces.

He had seen extensive combat since arriving on Thanksgiving Day 1967. That included a harrowing 77-day siege at Khe Sanh that began Jan. 21, 1968. It's one of the most publicized battles of any American war, one in which hugely outnumbered Marines, assisted by round-the-clock B-52 airstrikes, fought off North Vietnamese soldiers trying to overrun their base.

American forces suffered extensive casualties. Although Harrison's backpack took a bullet, he escaped injury. But his luck was about to run out.

The last thing Harrison remembers of his patrol that day is calling in his group's position.
read more here

Miami Family Grieving After Murder Suicide

Mother, son found dead in Miami home in apparent murder-suicide 
Woman finds mother in pool of blood, calls 911
Local 10 News
Author: Peter Burke, Managing Editor
Amy Viteri, Reporter
Published On: Nov 25 2015

Sources told Local 10 News that Loholfftz was preparing a Thanksgiving turkey when she was shot. They said Reyes' sister and friend told them he was an Army veteran and suffered from post-traumatic stress disorder.

MIAMI - A woman and her son were found dead inside a Miami home in an apparent murder-suicide.

The discovery was made Wednesday afternoon in the 1700 block of Northwest 30th Street.

Miami police said a woman entered the home, found her mother lying in a pool of blood and saw her brother sitting in the living room with what appeared to be a gun, so she ran out of the house and called 911.

When police arrived, they found the woman's mother and brother dead of gunshot wounds.
read more here

Guest Post on PTSD Treatment

Guest Post: As a policy, allowing guest post does not signify an endorsement. Any questions, see links.

A New Treatment That Addresses The Real Cause of PTSD

PTSD is a serious problem. Why isn’t anyone really paying attention? There are countless statistics quoted by the media, yet how many veterans with PTSD are really treated to remission?

The drugs aren’t working and we need alternative solutions.

We are all frustrated at how our heroes and loved ones have been treated. They deserve better. What’s the solution?

According to a group of forward-thinking therapists and doctors, the reason a solution has not been developed is that the medical field doesn’t truly understand PTSD. This causes doctors and medical organizations to take the easy way out and just prescribe medications.

Prescription medications only treat the symptoms of PTSD, not the underlying illness. The flashbacks, panic attacks, nightmares and other symptoms are NOT the illness. They are a symptom of a much deeper issue.

Blue Morpho Foundation has discovered the true source of PTSD – it is a problem of consciousness.

PTSD happens when a person experiences a negative or damaging shift in consciousness during trauma. After the traumatic event, prolonged symptoms pattern the trauma into PTSD. To cure the illness, there needs to be a new shift in consciousness - a peak experience to allow for a positive shift in consciousness and a method to integrate it.

A new treatment that actually works?

We have treated PTSD into remission without medication or decades of psychotherapy. In fact, there are now thousands of former PTSD sufferers worldwide who swear by our treatment’s effectiveness. They attest to the results that they have experienced firsthand, which includes lasting relief without the return of their illness.

The treatment works without medications and the common side effects thereof. It works by using propriety technology to address the underlying issues in the patient’s psyche. Through a series of healing shifts in consciousness, the release of a traumatic past is achieved.

The BMF advisory board, comprised of forward-thinking therapists, is treating PTSD into remission without side effects or medication using these new techniques.

This isn’t your average psychotherapy.

It leverages all four modalities of human experience, harnessing the power of imagination, cognition, body, and emotion individually and in unison to shift consciousness to a new state where the mental illness is no longer present.

We truly want to help our veterans and have dedicated our lives to treating mental illness. Our goal is to fund a long-term research study that will prove to the world what we have discovered - that our treatment works. Our veterans desperately need a solution and we need to make this available to them. Thousands can already testify to the efficacy of our treatment; now we just have to prove it to the modern medical establishment so that we can legally distribute it.  

For more information on this campaign, please go to our website: www.bluemorphofoundation.org

For all media inquiries, please contact Jed Wallace at (310) 403-0559 or jed@streetrelations.com.

Town Tore Down Home of Navy Veteran Away For Surgery

This sums everything up.

"The house was in terrible condition for a long time," next door neighbor Keylin Escobar said. "Nobody really lived in the house; the house was abandoned. Everyone who came over to visit, people always say, 'What's going on with this house?'"

Then why didn't they care enough to learn anything about the neighbor who served this country and probably couldn't afford to fix it? Maybe they could have offered to lend him a hand instead of giving him an empty lot to go back to?

Town demolished veteran's house while he was away for surgery
Associated Press
By By MICHAEL BALSAMO and FRANK ELTMAN
Published: November 28, 2015

"The town basically took everything from me," said Williams, who is now staying with a friend in Florida and has only two suitcases of belongings. "The town does not have a right to take all of my property, all of my possessions."

WEST HEMPSTEAD, N.Y. — When a U.S. Navy veteran traveled from Long Island to Florida for a knee replacement, his house was the last thing on his mind. But now his memory of it is all he can think about.

Philip Williams' home was demolished in the spring by town officials while he spent about six months recuperating from surgical complications in Fort Lauderdale. Back in New York, officials in the Town of Hempstead deemed his modest two-story home unfit for habitation and knocked it down.

The 69-year-old has now waged a legal battle against the suburban New York town. He wants reimbursement — for the house and all the belongings inside.

"I'm angry and I'm upset. It's just wrong on so many levels," he said "My mortgage was up to date, my property taxes were up to date ... everything was current and fine."
read more here

Vietnam Veteran Remembers Battle of the Ia Drang

Not sure about this report. How could a soldier go through basic training in 1963 and not know anything about Vietnam for a year?

1965 Major battle erupts in the Ia Drang Valley

1st Cavalry unit ambushed in the Ia Drang Valley

Something about this story seems off,,,,

Vietnam Voices: Bob Beebe: 'Oh Lord, what have I gotten myself into?'
Billings Gazette
Larry Mayer
Updated Nov 27, 2015

Bob Beebe served in the United States Army from 1963 to 1968. He graduated from Bozeman High School. He served in the Battle of the Ia Drang, one of the bloodiest and most severe, which was highlighted in the book and movie "We Were Soldiers Once and Young." This is part of his Vietnam story.

Gazette: In 1963, did you know anything about Vietnam?

Beebe: "Not until March 1964 — that's when I first I heard about Vietnam because it started hitting the news."

Beebe did basic training in Fort Ord, Calif., and then did artillery school in Fort Sill, Okla., for advanced individual training. In January 1964, he went to "jump school" in Fort Benning, Ga.

Beebe: "The U.S. government at that time was getting interested in the Vietnam War, and we started experimenting with helicopters, so we formed the 11th Air Assault Division ... We spent three months in North and South Carolina in maneuvers and experimenting with helicopters."

Beebe: "The U.S. government at that time was getting interested in the Vietnam War, and we started experimenting with helicopters, so we formed the 11th Air Assault Division ... We spent three months in North and South Carolina in maneuvers and experimenting with helicopters."
read more here

Navy Vietnam Veteran Still Serving His Country

Vietnam Navy vet Joe Hill still serving his country
KPLC News
By John Bridges
Posted: Nov 27, 2015

LAKE CHARLES, LA (KPLC) - A Vietnam veteran of the Navy, Joe Hill continued his military career helping other veterans. After graduating OCS, Joe Hill went on to the Navy JAG school to become a Navy legal officer. He later found himself doing 2 tours of duty in Vietnam on board the U.S.S. Pyro.

"We had people ashore and at that time it was top secret," said Hill. "The second one was a shooting war. Our job was to keep the combatants: the destroyers, the cruisers, the aircraft carriers... full of bullets."

After the war, Hill got involved in Navy intelligence.

"I felt very privileged for Operation Homecoming in which we interviewed all of the prisoners of war from the Vietnam War and heard their stories and helped shoe spoon them back into a country that they didn't even recognize."
read more here
KPLC 7 News, Lake Charles, Louisiana

Firefighters Battled Apartment Fire in Santa Monica

Man In Custody After Explosive Fire At Santa Monica Apartment 
CBS Los Angeles
November 29, 2015

SANTA MONICA (CBSLA.com) — Authorities say one person has been taken into custody on suspicion of arson after a huge explosion and fire rocked a Santa Monica apartment.

The explosion unfolded about 1 a.m. Sunday at a second-story apartment of a complex in the 1800 block of Euclid Street. Neighbors say it was then that they heard a huge explosion. A fire erupted afterwards. “I was watching TV and tried to go to sleep and I just heard a big blast that pretty much shook the apartment,” Nguyen Trinh, a neighbor, said.

Neighbors described that person as a veteran. They said they believe he was suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder. According to authorities, the man allegedly told them he turned on the gas, which they believe caused the explosion. read more here

Australia Soldiers Say Mefloquine Left Them Scarred

Soldiers fear drug program has scarred them with depression, anxiety, nightmares
Sydney Morning Herald
Henry Belot
November 29, 2015

"At various times it was like living in a heavily armed lunatic asylum."

ADF veteran prescribed Lariam

Major Stuart McCarthy is calling for a public inquiry into the ADF's use of antimalarial drug mefloquine. Photo: Brendon Thorne

Australian soldiers and veterans are calling for an immediate inquiry into the use of an antimalarial drug they believe scarred them with permanent psychological damage, anxiety attacks, vertigo, nightmares, suicidal thoughts and hallucinations.

The group, which includes commandos and officers who have served in Iraq and Afghanistan, believe they have been incorrectly diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder or depression and were ignored by the military after raising concerns about the drug.

The Inspector-General of the Australian Defence Force has launched an internal inquiry into the use of the drug mefloquine, or Lariam, which has been used on up to 2000 personnel since a controversial drug trial in East Timorin 2001-02.

Major Stuart McCarthy was prescribed mefloquine while serving in Ethiopia and Eritrea in 2001 and has since suffered depression, vertigo, hearing and memory problems and cognitive impairment.

Major Stuart McCarthy was prescribed mefloquine while serving in Ethiopia and Eritrea in 2001 and has since suffered depression, vertigo, hearing and memory problems and cognitive impairment. Photo: Brendon Thorne

But documents obtained by Fairfax Media reveal Chief of Army Lieutenant-General Angus Campbell does not support a campaign against the drug because it would deny deployment opportunities, despite acknowledging the side effects.

"I have been an army officer 27 years and I have no trust in the Australian Defence Force's handling of this matter," he said. read more here

Will Congress Notice Neglect of Veterans Began With Congress

Neglect of Veterans Began With Congress!
Wounded Times
Kathie Costos
November 29, 2015

"Gus Bilirakis represents Florida's 12th congressional district" wants to hold the VA accountable. Sounds good however veterans are wondering when members of Congress will hold themselves accountable in the first place. It isn't as if he hasn't known about all these problems.

He heard them just last year. Veterans tell Bilirakis about heath care complaints

Holding the VA accountable
Washington Examiner
By GUS BILIRAKIS
11/28/15

Our veterans have bravely fought for our country. They have sacrificed so much for the freedoms we enjoy on a daily basis, and I am forever grateful for their service.

As vice chair of the Veterans' Affairs Committee, I have the privilege to work with my colleagues in the House to serve our nation's heroes. This is not a job I take lightly. This is my top priority – to ensure our veterans receive the support and care they deserve.

Unfortunately, as the committee has seen firsthand through many reports, hearings and meetings, our veterans often face unnecessary barriers when it comes to accessing quality care.

Earlier this year, a Department of Veterans Affairs Inspector General report found "serious" problems with enrollment data for veterans seeking healthcare. The VA's inspector general confirmed that nearly 900,000 military veterans have officially pending applications for healthcare. Of those 900,000, an estimated 307,000 veterans listed died before their applications for care were processed.
read more here

Why not mention that a VA Claim does not go away until the veteran gives up? They can keep a claim in appeals for as long as they have the will to fight in them. Even when they pass away, the family can keep the claim in the system. Justice for veterans does not end when their lives do.

Why not mention the simple fact that veterans have been living on a rollercoaster of claims going way up over and over again as the line gets longer? While we're on the subject, how about mentioning the fact that Congress approved of the VA paying contractors to process claims as well as provide substandard care members of Congress always blame the VA employees for?
Not that he hadn't heard about all these problems going back to when he was first elected.

Congressman Gus M. Bilirakis is a Republican from Palm Harbor, representing Florida’s 12th Congressional District, which includes all of Pasco and northern parts of Pinellas and Hillsborough counties. He was first elected to Congress on November 7, 2006, and is currently serving his fifth term in the United States House of Representatives.

But this part sums it all up!

Vice-Chairman, House Committee on Veterans' Affairs
Subcommittee on Health: Legislative, oversight, and investigative jurisdiction over the Veterans Health Administration, including medical services, medical support and compliance, medical facilities, medical and prosthetic research, and major and minor construction.

Bilirakis wrote,

They are depending on us to ensure the commitments made to them are upheld, as they have honored their commitment through service and sacrifice.

And he's right on that but what he is wrong about is the fact they blame members of Congress since they have jurisdiction over the VA. They heard all the speeches, read all the claims members have made since 1946 and they are fed up. Tied of promises delivered over and over again only to discover their pockets have been picked as they are pushed to the back of the line past sessions of Congress promised to fix.

Here's a few links to what they already know.

VA is buried in a backlog of never-ending veterans disability appeals

History Repeated on Veterans Waiting for the VA and Congress!

Veterans Crisis Proves the Devil is in the Details

Daily Show Jon Stewart credited for clueing in Congress?

Canada Military Suicides "In a sense, these are our forgotten casualties"

National Defence Minister Orders Suicide Prevention As A Priority For Soldiers And Veterans
“In a sense, these are our forgotten casualties.”
The Argus Lakehead University Canada
By Olivia Levesque , Staff Writer
November 26, 2015

“The military will spend a fortune to train a soldier to go to war. They need to spend that same amount of money to repair that soldier when they come back.” says military veteran Darrell McMullin to the Globe and Mail in an interview after the investigation was released.

On the day before Remembrance Day, Globe and Mail released an investigation that had been in the works for months with the Canadian Armed Forces. The investigation known as “The Unremembered” released disturbing statistics of the number of soldiers and veterans who had taken their own lives after serving in Afghanistan.

The numbers show that Canada isn’t just losing troops overseas, but losing them here at home too. Since the beginning of the 13-year NATO-led Afghan mission, 54 military personnel and veterans have committed suicide, according to the statistics released by the Globe and Mail. The number suicides since the beginning of our mission in Afghanistan number more than one third of the number of Canadian troops who killed in action during the conflict itself. It’s a sad reality but it seems those returning from deployment face a war on Canadian soil almost as deadly as the one they faced overseas.

National Defence Minister, Harjit Singh Sajjan, has responded to the investigation by issuing an order to Canada’s top military leader to make suicide prevention a major priority within the Armed Forces. The investigation has also shown that the number of suicides have increased over the past year amongst returning veterans as well. Fourteen suicides were recorded since the beginning of 2014 according to the investigation.
read more here

New "Honorary Marine" Joins Less Than 100 in Marine Corps History

Local man to be awarded "Honorary Marine"
KXXV ABC News
By Taylor Durden
Posted: Nov 28, 2015

Waco Texas

A local man will be honored by the United States Marine Corps as an "Honorary Marine" on Thursday, a title that less than 100 people have been given in the 240 years of the Marine Corps.

Waco native, Rusty Hicks, will head to San Antonio on Thursday to receive the "Honorary Marine" title for his work in helping wounded military men and women.

"Seeing that there was a need, I decided to really get involved and jump in with both feet. I just didn't know how deep I was going to jump in," said Hicks.

Hicks said it all started after 9/11. He felt like he needed to do something patriotic and wanted to help wounded military men and women. Today, Hicks is the executive director of Combat Marine Outdoors, a non-profit organization that has taken over 2,000 combat wounded on fishing and hunting excursions to help with their rehabilitation.

"You get them back into an environment that they used to enjoy before their injury," said Hicks. "And we have seen visible results time and time again. All these warriors want is an opportunity to be treated normal. We don't talk down to them. It is what it is. Let's go have some fun."

Combat Marine Outdoors has taken 55 hunts so far this year and that number is still increasing. Hicks said the number of combat wounded, ill and injured in the U.S. is staggering.
read more here

KXXV-TV News Channel 25 - Central Texas News and Weather for Waco, Temple, Killeen |

Why Are "Several Food Pantries" Needed For Military Families?

Fast food workers want $15 an hour while soldiers go to food pantry? Does this make sense to anyone? The worst thing is, none of this is new.

Food pantries support those in need all year
Killeen Daily Herald
By Jennise Colin-Ventura
November 29, 2015

Many families struggle financially to provide food, shelter and expenses for their household, especially during the holidays. And of course, if you are trying to save up for a few gifts under the tree, your finances are pretty much drained.

There are several food pantries in the area to help you and your family.

Operation Phantom Support and the Sgt. Leevon Ritter Support your Troops Resale Center: 317 E. Avenue C, Killeen. Call 254-233-1441 or go to www.operationphantomsupport.com and www.facebook.com/OOIALFortHood.

Anyone in need can visit this pantry once a month at no charge. Plus, anyone with a military ID can pay $10 or more a month and visit the food pantry twice a week. The food pantry is open on Thursdays and Saturdays from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. All is needed is photo or military ID and basic household information. Food selection varies for each visit but you may get meat, eggs, canned and dry goods as well as fruits and vegetables. They also have a thrift shop inside so when you need clothes or furniture, you can shop there, especially when they have their “Fill A Bag” sale. They also offer a program called “Operation Phantom Cakes,” which offers free birthday cakes for children up to 18 years old. If you would like to donate cake mixes, frosting or money for this program and/or to the organization, call 254-233-1441.
read more here and find more places to turn to

None of this is new. This report is from 2013

Celebration of Love brings holiday cheer to Fort Hood

Fort Hood Sentinel “Some Soldiers may need a little extra help getting ready for the holiday season, so we try to provide something that would help out during this time,” said Michael Ashford, the president and executive director of Celebration of Love. “We provide the makings for a Christmas meal, which includes a turkey, a pie, four cans of green beans, four cans of corn, two boxes of mac and cheese, apple sauce, milk and rice.”

You can find a lot more reports from "Armed Forces Day Armed With Food Stamps" post on Wounded Times May 15, 2008. And this report is from 1994.

As Military Pay Slips Behind, Poverty Invades the Ranks
New York Times
By ERIC SCHMITT
Published: June 12, 1994

WASHINGTON, June 11— Like other airmen at Hickam Air Force Base in Honolulu, 21-year-old Jason Edwards worries about tensions far away in North Korea that could erupt into fighting and involve his supply base.

But Airman Edwards has more immediate concerns, too. He is worried about how to feed his 22-year-old wife, Beth, and their two small children on his total pay and allowances of $1,330 a month. In desperation, the Edwardses last month began drawing $228 a month in food stamps to get by.

"It's a very tight squeeze for us," Mrs. Edwards said. "We haven't bought any steaks since we've been here, and whenever I want to cook something with ham, I substitute Spam for it."

In a trend that has senior Pentagon officials deeply troubled, an increasing number of military families are turning to food stamps to make ends meet. Three-quarters of America's enlisted forces earn less than $30,000 a year, and the gap between civilian and military wages is growing.

To be sure, no one ever joined the military to get rich. But neither did they expect to have to go on welfare. Military officials worry that a growing demand for food stamps and other Government assistance may signal larger personnel problems in a culture that preaches self-reliance and self-discipline.

The truth is we don't take care of them while they are in the military and we sure as hell don't take care of them when they come home. Just goes to show that no political side is really grateful for those willing to sacrifice their lives to retain the freedoms the rest of us enjoy, including demanding more money than they make!

Legionnaires Bacteria Found At Minneapolis VA

Minneapolis VA taking steps to clean water system of Legionnaires disease bacteria
Star Tribune
By Josephine Marcotty
NOVEMBER 27, 2015

No human illnesses have been discovered.

JIM MONE – ASSOCIATED PRESS - AP
Minneapolis VA officials said routine testing on Nov. 19 found the type of Legionella bacteria that causes most human illness.

The bacteria that cause Legionnaires’ Disease have been detected in water samples at the Minneapolis Veterans Medical Center, and officials said they are taking steps to eliminate the pathogen.

No illnesses have been discovered.

VA officials said routine testing on Nov. 19 found the type of Legionella bacteria that cause most human illness in 5 out of 40 samples from the hospital’s water system. The hospital has since installed filters on taps and shower heads and is flushing the water system to eliminate the bacteria.

First identified in 1976 after an outbreak at an American Legion convention in Philadelphia, the Legionella bacterium causes 8,000 to 18,000 hospitalizations a year in the United States. Prompt treatment with antibiotics typically cures the infection.
read more here
Linked from Military.com

Memorial for Harold "Cutter" Perry

Today was a sad day because on November 14, 2015 shortly after the Veterans Day Parade in Orlando, Cutter was on his motorcycle on the way home and was killed.  He had a day doing what he loved with people he called family.  

Nov 28, 2015
On November 14, 2015, shortly after the Veterans Day parade in Orlando, Cutter was killed while riding his motorcycle. Today was the day we celebrated his life and said goodbye.