More For Orlando Veterans To Do After Invictus Games

From Cathy Haynes

May list of veteran, military or patriotic events in Central Florida

 

Memorial Day events will be sent separately.

 

Send me your events – people cannot attend an event if they don’t know about it!

 

Greeters needed!  Honor Flight Welcome Home – Sat. May 14 – Orlando Int’l Airport –After a day spent in Washington DC, 21 veterans of WWII and 4 Korean War veterans return home thru Orlando Int’l Airport.  This group is composed of 10 Army, 9 Navy, 3 Marines and 3 Army Air Corps/Air Force veterans.  10 of them are over age 90.  This Honor Flight hub is a part of the nation-wide organization that takes veterans on a single day trip to our nation’s capital where they visit the WWII, Korea, and Vietnam War Memorials, Marine Corps Iwo Jima and the Air Force Monuments, and witness the changing of the guard at the Tomb of the Unknowns at Arlington National Cemetery.  This particular group will return just before 10pm and enter the terminal area at about 10:30pm. Come welcome these former warriors home!  “Welcome Home” receptions at the airports makes a difference!  Bring your flags, banners and signs! –Southwest Airlines # 2238 from Baltimore-Washington (BWI), Terminal A, Airside 2 (hotel area in front of Starbucks.) Before leaving home, check online to see if the flight is on time because there may be delays due to weather, mechanical or medical issues. 

Free parking has been arranged at an off airport property – FastPark and Relax – who has been very generous to Honor Flights with free parking and shuttles to the airport (tips welcomed by drivers!) - Contact Cathy Haynes for those details NLT 7pm   407-239-8468  chaynes11629 @yahoo .com

New:  Vouchers are available for airport garage parking from a GOAA rep. in the terminal for this event – maximum of 3 hours – BUT you have to take a paper ticket upon entering the airport garage.  The vouchers will not work if you use the SunPass transponders – we cannot credit the charge back.

For the Early Birds - you can wave these veterans off in the morning no later than 5am – same location.  They process thru Security early and quickly.  Wave them off for a wonderful day!

 

Mission United Education Fair – Sat. May 14 – This FREE event specifically geared towards veterans and eligible dependents with representation from 24 local schools both collegiate and technical.  VA benefits staff will be there to address any GI Bill and Voc Rehab questions and CareerSource will be there to address any local job market questions. 10am – 2pm.  From 11am – 12noon the event will also have a veteran panel discussion.  This will highlight the experiences of five veterans who will speak of their path choosing a school, degree program and how that helped them find success in the civilian sector.  Orange Technical College, Mid Florida Campus, 1600 Bldg., 2900 W. Oak Ridge Rd, Orlando, 32809.   www. 211missionunited .org

 

Honoring the WASP fliers – Sat. May 14 – The Museum of Military History is sponsoring this FREE screening of “Silver Wings / Flying Dreams” as well as an OPEN House with reduced admission.  The Emmy nominated documentary tells the story of the Women Air Force Service Pilots – the WASPs - recently back in the national news.  $4 admission to the Museum during the day.  Free admission to the documentary reception at 5pm, showing at 6pm.  Donations are invited to provide DVD copies to area public schools.  5210 W. Irlo Bronson Hwy., Kissimmee.  407-507-3894.

 

Florida Association of Veteran Owned Businesses mtg (FAVOB) – Tues May 17 – meeting at 10am, a “Chamber of Commerce” of sorts open to all veteran owned businesses, at American Legion Florida Department bldg., 1912A Lee Road, Orlando, FL 32810.  19 states offer contract preferences to veteran owned businesses.  Florida is NOT one of them.  Our goal is to change that in big business, our cities, and counties too.  See FAVOB Facebook site.  Info:  Chairman Michael Waldrop  mwaldrop @blue-cord .com

 

Orange County Mayors’ Veterans Advisory Council –Wed. May 18 – Changed time of meeting this month to 1pm; normally 1:30pm monthly meeting of numerous organizations and individuals for the benefit of Central FL veterans and active duty personnel.  Planning of events and awareness is shared.  Designated representatives allow groups to coordinate efforts and unite for the common cause.  If your Orange County /Central FL vet/military associated group isn’t attending, it should plan to get involved.  Mayor Teresa Jacobs is very supportive of a veteran-friendly community.  Contact Chairman Edwin Marrero for attendance and location information.  emarrero81 @cfl .rr. com 

 

Greeters needed!  Honor Flight Welcome Home – WEDNESDAY  May 18 – Orlando Int’l Airport –After a day spent in Washington DC, 16 veterans of WWII and 19 Korean War veterans (including 2 women veterans) return home thru Orlando Int’l Airport.  This group is composed of 15 Army, 9 Navy, 4 Marines and 7 Army Air Corps/Air Force veterans.  This Honor Flight hub is part of the nation-wide organization that takes veterans on a single day trip to our nation’s capital where they visit the WWII, Korea, and Vietnam War Memorials, Marine Corps Iwo Jima and the Air Force Monuments, and witness the changing of the guard at the Tomb of the Unknowns at Arlington National Cemetery.  Due to airline schedule changes, this particular group will return just after 11pm and enter the terminal area at about 11:30pm. Come welcome these former warriors home!  “Welcome Home” receptions at the airport makes a big difference for these senior veterans!  Bring your flags, banners and signs! –Southwest Airlines # 2703 from Baltimore-Washington (BWI), Terminal A, Airside 2 (hotel area in front of Starbucks.) Yes, it is late – but these honorable former warriors have been awake before 3am and deserve a nice “Welcome Home” reception!  Before leaving home, check online to see if the flight is on time because there may be delays due to weather, mechanical or medical issues. 

Free parking has been arranged at an off airport property – FastPark and Relax – who has been very generous to Honor Flights with free parking and shuttles to the airport (tips welcomed by drivers!) - Contact Cathy Haynes for those details NLT 7pm   407-239-8468-  chaynes11629 @yahoo. com

New:  Vouchers are available for airport garage parking from a GOAA rep. in the terminal for this event – maximum of 3 hours – BUT you have to take a paper ticket upon entering the airport garage.  The vouchers will not work if you use the SunPass transponders – we cannot credit the charge back.

For the Early Birds - you can wave these veterans off in the morning no later than 5am – same location.  They process thru Security early and quickly.  Wave them off for a wonderful day!

 

JOBS AVAILABLE – Several Heavy Equipment Operators are needed – part-time, temporary, ideal position for veterans!  Location is just east of Orlando – clearing wetlands area.  Must have clean background and a driver’s license.  Minimum starting salaries:  Trainees, $11.50 per hour;  Dump Truck Operators:  $13 per hour; Bulldozer Operators / Excavator Operators:  $15 per hour.  Salaries adjustable based on knowledge and experience.  No experience necessary as the employer is willing to train.  Send resume ASAP to Ella May Artis of VA’s Veteran Community Employment Coordinator at    ellamay.artis @va. gov   407-646-5500 x28846

 

Special thanks go to everyone who volunteered or attended the recent Invictus Games held in Orlando! 485 wounded service members from 14 countries competed in adapted athletic sports.  Much success was experienced in many areas – physically and mentally!  Central Florida has much to be proud of! Recorded Games and events may still possibly be seen at ESPN3 links.  I hope that you enjoyed the proceedings as much as I did!

 

Memorial Day events will be sent separately.

 

Caring and sharing,

 

Cathy Haynes

Member/supporter/volunteer for numerous veteran/military organizations in Central FL

407-239-8468

chaynes11629 @yahoo. com

Air Force Veteran Making Airmen Aware of Healing PTSD

Veteran raises PTSD awareness, encourages Airmen to seek support
375th Air Mobility Wing Public Affairs
by Sean Clements
5/12/2016

SCOTT AIR FORCE BASE, Ill. -- After separating from the Air Force in 2014, Travis Johnson returned to Scott Air Force Base, Illinois, May 6 to brief newly-minted Airmen on his struggle with overcoming obstacles and expectations of coping with Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder.

Former Scott Air Force Base Airman Travis Johnson with his service dog, Bella. Johnson recently spoke at the First Term Airmen Center to encourage young Airmen to speak openly about their struggles with stress management. (U.S. Air Force photo/Senior Airman Jake Eckhardt)

With his service dog, Bella, sitting by his side, Johnson spoke at the First Term Airmen Center to encourage young Airmen to speak openly about their struggles with stress management.

Through the help of on-base resources, as well as retired Chief Master Sgt. Joe Markin, Johnson is in the process of recovering from a military career comprised of three deployments, including one to Iraq.

With assistance from the Air Force's Wounded Warrior Program and Veterans Affairs office, Johnson has been able to pursue a path of treatment for his PTSD and traumatic brain injury symptoms.

"You can sit and watch a slideshow on resilience training, but this is real life," Markin said to the FTAC class. "This is resilience in the flesh."

Johnson explained how the traditional "be tough" mentality can be a hindrance to successful reintegration after high-stress scenarios, such as deployments. Even with a vast array of support services available to the modern military member, it is still an ongoing struggle to convince Airmen to step forward and seek out assistance.
read more here

Navy SEAL Trainee Deaths Led to Review of Procedures

Navy Reviews What Procedures Might Need to Be Improved After Three Deaths of SEAL Trainees
ABC News
By Luis Martinez
May 13, 2016

“In the wake of the recent suicide we have acknowledged opportunities to improve out-process and recovery procedures for students who disenrolled -- specifically improving accountability for sleep-deprived Sailors,” Capt. Jay Hennessey,

The Navy is reviewing procedures for keeping track of trainees who do not make it through the grueling course to become SEALs in the wake of three deaths involving sailors who participated in the last four training classes, military officials said.

Two of the deaths involved trainees who had recently not made it through BUDS -- Basic Underwater Demolition/SEAL -- training that selects the sailors who will join the elite special operations unit.

In April, Seaman Daniel DelBianco, 23, committed suicide after he did not make it through "hell week," the intense week-long climax to BUDS during which prospective SEALs endure extreme sleep deprivation and tough physical conditions to see if they can carry out their military training under exhausting conditions. Trainees who successfully complete the BUDS course must then pass an additional six-month course to actually qualify to become SEALs.

In November, Petty Officer 2nd Class Caplen Weare died in a car accident while driving intoxicated, the accident occurred three days after he had voluntarily dropped out of the BUDS course, officials said.
read more here

USS Frank E. Evans May Be Added to Vietnam Wall

Pentagon may add Syracuse vet's son, 73 Navy shipmates to Vietnam Memorial
Syracuse.com
By Mark Weiner
May 12, 2016

"For more than four decades, surviving crew members and relatives of those lost on the USS Frank E. Evans, like Larry Reilly Sr. of Syracuse, have struggled to understand why geographical lines have superseded these sailors' sacrifice and service," Sen. Charles Schumer

World War ll and Vietnam veteran Larry Reilly Sr., age 91, served in the Navy. During the Vietnam War he and his son were together on a Navy ship when it was involved in a collision with an Australian destroyer. His son Larry Reilly Jr. was killed.

WASHINGTON, D.C. -- The Department of Defense has agreed to review a request from families of 74 U.S. Navy sailors, including one with ties to Syracuse, to add their names to the national Vietnam Veterans Memorial wall, according to U.S. Sen. Charles Schumer.

The sailors died aboard the USS Frank E. Evans when the Navy destroyer collided with an Australian aircraft carrier in the South China Sea during a Vietnam War-era training exercise.

The sailors who perished June 3, 1969 are not listed on the Vietnam memorial wall in Washington because the accident happened outside the official combat zone for the Vietnam War.
read more here

UK Walter Mitty Hunters Catch Fraud Before Invictus Games

Ex-soldier lied about being blown up by a bomb so he could 'look more of a catch' to women
Telegraph UK
Lydia Willgress
12 MAY 2016

Lorraine Richardson, whose son Matthew, 26, suffered severe injuries after a landmine explosion in Helmand seven years ago, told the Daily Record: "He should have admitted that this was all lies long before now.

A former soldier has admitted he lied about surviving a suicide attack carried out by a child in Afghanistan so he could "look more of a catch" to women.

Broxburn veteran Danny Hutchison returns from the 2015 Warrior Games in America lifting a bronze medal for British Armed Forces team. CREDIT: WEST LOTHIAN COURIER

Danny Hutchison told people he had been on a tour in the north of the country in 2008 when he was blown up by a bomb planted by a 12-year-old with a wheelbarrow.

The 43-year-old, from West Lothian, Scotland, posted pictures of a real attack to strengthen his story and was due to compete in the Invictus Games, a competition founded by Prince Harry for wounded servicemen and women, before he withdrew, citing health reasons.

His lies were uncovered in a blog post on The Walter Mitty Hunters Club - a website dedicated to exposing people who pose as soldiers - after a "concerned member of a well-known charity" tipped them off.
read more here

Hamburger Hill Vietnam Veteran Joe Ybarra Honored

Hamburger Hill veteran Joe Ybarra of Colton honored as ‘Hometown Hero’
The Sun
By Ryan Hagen
POSTED: 05/10/16

COLTON
Joe Ybarra will always remember May 10.

U.S Army Sgt. First Class Chad Bliss says a few words before awarding Army Veteran Joe L. Ybarra of Colton, with the Silver Star medal for his service in the Vietnam War, during a hometown hero banner ceremony in Colton Tuesday.

JOHN VALENZUELA — STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER

It’s the day he was born, and it’s the day in 1969 that he and others began the Battle of Hamburger Hill, where his actions earned him the Silver Star.

And May 10, 2016 is the day 50 friends and supporters surprised Ybarra outside the Stater Bros. on Washington Street with a banner recognizing him as a “Hometown Hero.”

After months of work by his family, the celebration — which included a reception afterward with a caterer, DJ and more — wasn’t a complete surprise, said Ybarra, who arrived wearing a dress shirt and tie.

“It’s overwhelming,” Ybarra said after the ceremony. “I have a lot of family and friends I haven’t seen for years, and for them all to come today, I’m honored.”

Colton, one of many local cities to hold a “Hometown Hero” program, has put up nearly 200 of the banners since it began the program in earnest in 2013, said Deputy City Clerk Sabdi Sanchez, who manages the program.

The banners, displayed on thoroughfares, honor veterans and active-duty military personnel from the city.

Ybarra, who turned 67 Tuesday, volunteered for the paratroopers and wound up in the “Screaming Eagles” of the 101st Airborne Division.
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Veteran Blames PTSD and VA For Double Murder--VA Says Huh?

Man accused of killing his mother and stepfather pleads not guilty, attorney says PTSD is to blame
Kern Gold Empire
By Tabatha Mills
Published 05/11 2016

"Derek Connell is a highly decorated Iraq War vet whose experience in Iraq caused him all kind of medical and mental conditions and his thanks he got for serving on the front in Iraq was a total failure by the Veteran's Administration to take care of his problems," said Paul Cadman.

But here's the thing, according to Dick Taylor, the Director of the Kern County Veteran Service Department, Connell is not receiving any veteran benefits and has never walked into the Kern County office.

BAKERSFIELD, Calif.
The man accused of killing his mother and stepfather pleaded not guilty, his attorney stating PTSD is to blame.

Derek Connell, 29, faces two counts of first-degree murder after officers were called to his parent's home in northwest Bakersfield and found them lying in pools of blood.

His attorney said Connell is a veteran who suffers from post-traumatic stress disorder and was failed by the Department of Veterans Affairs.

We're checking with Veterans Affairs about Connell's service in the Army and his benefits, so far what we're not finding is very telling, according to one local veterans advocate.

Dressed in paper clothing, Connell appeared to be on suicide watch as he sat in court for arraignment Wednesday afternoon.

His attorney asked him to face the wall in an attempt to block our cameras.

Connell pleaded not guilty to two counts of first-degree murder.

On April 30, police were called to a home on Lily Pad Court where they found Connell attempting to leave.

His mother, Kim Higginbotham, and his step-father, Christopher Higginbotham dead inside.
read more here

Prince Harry Says Get Help Quickly for PTSD

Prince Harry, former President Bush stress importance of healing invisible wounds
US Army
By Shannon Collins
May 10, 2016

Former President George W. Bush and Britain's Prince Harry discuss the topic of post-traumatic stress during the 2016 Invictus Games Symposium on Invisible Wounds in Orlando, Fla., May 8, 2016.

(DoD photo by EJ Hersom)

ORLANDO, Fla. (May 10, 2016) -- Great Britain's Prince Harry, former President George W. Bush, and service members from each of their nations led a discussion at the 2016 Invictus Games Symposium on Invisible Wounds presented, May 8, by the George W. Bush Institute.

Former First Lady Laura Bush said she and the Bush Institute leadership were grateful the symposium was addressing an issue that affects so many veterans, as well as their family members, many of whom become their caregivers.

"George and I are committed to caring for our veterans and their families through the Bush Institute," she said. "We celebrate the service and sacrifice of our veterans at the 100-kilometer bike ride we host at our ranch and at the Warrior Open, a competitive golf tournament held in Dallas. We listen to the warriors tell their stories -- their triumphs and their struggles. Through these testimonies, we've recognized that the invisible wounds are not treated in the same way as the visible wounds, and that's why we're here today, to educate more people about those invisible wounds."

GETTING HELP QUICKLY

Prince Harry said the Invictus Games in 2014 in London smashed the stigma around physical injuries, and that he hopes this year's Invictus Games can do the same for invisible injuries.

The prince, who served in Afghanistan as a combat helicopter pilot, recently acknowledged that he has post-traumatic stress to bring light to the importance of recognizing invisible injuries. He said the key to fixing the problem is speaking out and using the resources available.

"I've spoken to everybody who has severe PTSD, through to minor depression, anxiety, whatever it may be, and everybody says the same thing: if you can deal with it soon enough, if you deal with it quick enough and actually have the ability and platform to be able to speak about it openly, then you can fix these problems," he said. "If you can't fix them, you can at least find coping mechanisms. There's no reason why people should be hiding in shame after they've served their country."
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“Task Force Violent: The unforgiven” Earns Journalism Award

Andrew deGrandpre
(Photo: Alan Lessig/Staff)

Military Times earns journalism honors for investigative series on betrayed Marines
Military Times
May 9, 2016
For his powerful series exposing how a team of elite combat Marines were wrongfully accused of war crimes and the truth buried for political expediency, Military Times senior editor Andrew deGrandpre has been awarded the prestigious Gerald R. Ford Presidential Foundation's Journalism Prize for Distinguished Reporting on National Defense.

“Task Force Violent: The unforgiven,” a five-part series, details the ordeal endured by the special operations Marines of Fox Company who bravely fought to survive an enemy suicide attack and ambush only to be accused of recklessly gunning down innocent Afghan civilians — and then betrayed by their superiors and the service they loved.
read more here

Military Is Failing to Support Its Sickest Kids

The U.S. Military Is Failing to Support Its Sickest Kids
The Atlantic
Adrienne LaFrance
MAY 10, 2016

The military health-care system serves 2 million children, but there are only a handful of full-time pediatric social workers across the Defense Department’s sprawling network of hospitals. In the civilian world, this kind of staffing is “unimaginable.”

When your child is hospitalized with a life-threatening illness, the rest of the world ceases to exist. At least until reality begins to creep back in.

There’s paperwork to be signed, insurance companies to be called, childcare arrangements to be made for the sick child’s siblings, and bosses who must be briefed.

Laura Bingham experienced all this firsthand last year when her 4-year-old son, Dalton, was diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukemia, a type of cancer that attacks the blood and bone marrow. For weeks, Dalton hadn’t been feeling well. He had night sweats. He wasn’t acting like himself. But doctors couldn’t find a problem. Then came the petechiae, an alarming splattering of blood spots on his face and eyes.

“Two days later, we had an official diagnosis,” Bingham told me. “It was devastating.”

(The Defense Department told me there are 15 full-time pediatric social workers at Navy, Army, and Air Force hospitals, with more than half of them based in Japan, not the United States.) The military health system has an annual budget of $50 billion, so why does it spend so little on full-time pediatric social workers for hospitalized babies and children? read more here

McCain Fights for His Job After Not Bothering To Do It?

John McCain is fighting for his job and seems to blame the GOP instead of himself? Veterans get how bad he has been on taking care of them and military gets how he has not taken care of the troops as Chairman of the Armed Services Committee. We've seen him walk out of hearings, thanks to coverage from CSPAN, as many times as we've seen him turn his back on seeking justice for the deplorable attempts to prevent suicides.  

How is it that members of the House and Senate forget the positions they hold on all of the committees put them in control over those departments? McCain forgets a lot but veterans and families remember all the decades of suffering while politicians like him take no responsibility for what they failed to do.  Now he wants to blame anyone but himself so he won't have to face the fact he didn't do his job?

The GOP changed around John McCain -- and now he's fighting to get re-elected CNN
CNN Digital Expansion DC Manu RajuAlex Lee
Story by Manu Raju and video by Alex Lee
May 10, 2016

McCain isn't trying to be president any more. He's just trying to keep his job in the Senate.

Story highlights
McCain is running for reelection and it'd be his 5th term
The party has changed a lot in 30 years

Phoenix (CNN)Sen. John McCain is under siege: Navigating the cross-currents of Donald Trump at the top of the ticket, facing a challenger pushed by the Democratic establishment and being a Washington veteran of more than three decades in a year dominated by outsiders.

But he seems to be reveling in it all.

After being peppered last week with Trump questions at a news conference in Phoenix, McCain said it was time to wrap up: "Surely, there's one more question about Trump?" At an event with freshmen GOP senators, McCain rattled off one-by-one the long list of Arizona politicians who failed to become president - everyone from Republican Barry Goldwater to Democrat Mo Udall and including himself. "Arizona may be the only state in America where mothers don't tell their children that someday they could be president of the United States."
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Air Force Colonel Faces Trial for Rape, Adultery and Dirty Selfie

Schriever Air Force Base colonel headed to trial on allegations of rape, adultery, dirty selfie
The Gazette
By: Tom Roeder
May 10, 2016

An evidence hearing in the case in March included a long walk through the married colonel's alleged love life, which prosecutors say included adulterous acts with a half-dozen mistresses. He's also charged with taking an obscene selfie "while in uniform and seated in his office" at Schriever, one of the military's most secure and secretive bases.

Col. Marcus Caughey will head to court-martial in August on a pile of charges, including multiple instances of adultery and a sexual assault.

(U.S. Air Force photo/Christopher DeWitt)

A Schriever Air Force Base colonel will head to court-martial in August on a pile of charges, including multiple instances of adultery and a sexual assault.

Prosecutors allege Col. Eugene Marcus Caughey's misconduct dates back to 2013. The rape allegation stems from a 2014 incident at Schriever, where prosecutors allege Caughey assaulted a woman "while holding her against the wall and floor."

The trial is scheduled to begin Aug. 8, Peterson Air force Base spokesman Steve Brady said.

Caughey, who was reassigned to Air Force Space Command headquarters pending his court-martial, faces a maximum penalty of life in prison if convicted.
read more here
Linked from Stars and Stripes

Doctor Gave Up On Sex Abuse Victim with PTSD and Let Her Pick Death?

There are times when I read a story and think that it cannot be true. That is what happened with the story of a woman being allowed to choose euthanasia because she had PTSD. It could be a false story but what if it isn't?

Sex abuse victim in her twenties allowed euthanasia as mental health problems ‘INCURABLE’
Express UK
By LAURA MOWAT
PUBLISHED: 08:43, Wed, May 11, 2016

A WOMAN who was sexually abused as a child has successfully applied for euthanasia as she could not live with her mental suffering.

The victim was given a lethal injection after health professionals decided her post-traumatic stress disorder and other conditions were incurable.

Her condition included severe anorexia, chronic depression and suicidal mood swings, tendencies to self-harm, hallucinations, obsessions and compulsions.

Although the Dutch victim showed improvements after intensive therapy, she was given the right to die after doctors said treatment was hopeless.
read more here

There is no "cure" for PTSD but that does not mean there isn't healing and often, coming out of the dark to live a better quality of life. That is if folks get the proper care. If something doesn't work, then try something else. It isn't as if the answer to healing does not exist. It just means she didn't find what could have worked for her.

After surviving what she went through, how could it have been worse trying to heal? How did the medical community give up on her and just allow her to die instead of making sure they tried absolutely everything there is to help her live? They have been working on PTSD for over 40 years and most survivors of trauma, no matter what the cause, survive questionable care until they do in fact find what they need.

Camp Lejeune Marine Reservist "I Don't Count"

‘I don’t count’ – Camp Lejeune Marine reservist suffering after exposure to tainted water
News Channel 8
Investigative Reporter Mark Douglas
Published: May 9, 2016

Boulay wore the same uniform, crawled through the same mud and drank the same tainted water at Camp Lejeune as regular Marines, but doesn’t qualify for any benefits under the Camp Lejeune Family Act of 2012 because he was a Marine Reservist who was never called up for active duty.

“I don’t count,” Boulay said.

(WFLA) – Like thousands of other former Marines who served at Camp Lejeune Bob Miranda-Boulay suffers a long list of serious and life-threatening illnesses that he attributes to the toxic water that tainted wells at that training base in North Carolina over a period of 34 years.
“This was the Marine Corps that did this to us,” Boulay said.

Boulay insists he enlisted out of patriotism, but now feels betrayed by the Corps.

“I wanted to make a difference,” Bouley said. “I love my country and I wanted to do the right thing. I wanted to be a Marine.”

Boulay says he was an amateur boxer in perfect health prior to his two months of infantry training at Camp Lejeune. About 30 years later he now suffers from liver and kidney disease and has survived a brain tumor. He takes a dozen medications to make it through the day and activated a pacemaker at bedtime to keep from dying in his sleep.

For years Boulay’s various maladies puzzled doctors who at one point chalked up his troubles to Lyme Disease. Now, Boulay’s doctor attributes his medical ills to the chemical-laced drinking water he consumed during training at Lejeune.

“Eventually like my doctor says I’m going lose the battle,” Boulay said. I’m only going hold it off so long.”

read more here

Invictus Games Update

First gold medal of Invictus Games goes to 9-11 survivor
Orlando Sentinel
Stephen Ruiz
May 9, 2016

American Sarah Rudder kisses the 2 gold medals she earned Monday at the Invictus Games at Disney World. (Alex Menendez/Getty Images for Invictus Games)

It was a big day for Sarah Rudder. She was getting promoted in front of the Pentagon.

The date was Sept. 11, 2001.

"We were pulling survivors out at first,'' said Rudder, a retired lance corporal in the U.S. Marines. "The next day, I went to pull non-survivors, and upon pulling non-survivors, I crushed my [left] ankle. I had several reconstructive surgeries, but they couldn't save the leg.''

It seemed appropriate Monday that Rudder claimed the first gold medal awarded at the first Invictus Games on American soil. She won it in women's lightweight powerlifting and later added another gold in indoor rowing.
read more here


Army Nurse Takes Pride in Representing Team USA at Invictus Games
DoD News
By Shannon Collins
Defense Media Activity
May 10, 2016

“I’m grateful for my family to be present to watch me compete, especially having my daughter in attendance for this year’s games, since she wasn’t able to attend the inaugural games,” she said. “These games are very personal for me, given my military career and background, and it’s a blessing to have my family in attendance to experience how much these games mean to me.”

Army Capt. Kelly Elmlinger performs laps in her race wheelchair at Joint Base San Antonio, Texas, while training for the 2015 Department of Defense Warrior Games, June 11, 2015. DoD photo by EJ Hersom

ORLANDO, Fla., May 10, 2016 — Fierce competitor Army Capt. Kelly Elmlinger will participate in track and field, swimming and rowing at the 2016 Invictus Games being held this week at the ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex at Walt Disney World here.

During the 2014 Invictus Games, Elmlinger’s first foray into the competition, she earned gold medals in the 100-meter and 400-meter wheelchair races, the shot put, and in the cycling time trial; silver medals in discus during track and field, the cycling road race, and the 50-meter backstroke in swimming. She took fourth place in the 50-meter and 100-meter freestyle in swimming.
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At Invictus Games, athletes forge powerful friendships in beating adversity
Stars and Stripes
Dianna Cahn
May 10, 2016

ORLANDO, Fla. — They didn’t know each other when one was blown up and the other was shot a year apart in southern Afghanistan.

By the time they met at a wounded warrior competition, retired Air Force Tech Sgt. Leonard Anderson was missing one arm below the elbow and all but one finger on his other hand. Air Force Staff Sgt. August O'Niell had endured at least a dozen surgeries.

Their lives have intertwined ever since.

They train and compete together. Anderson was there for O'Niell’s leg amputation and again when his daughter was born. O'Niell was there when Anderson, missing his hands, had no choice but to retire from the Air Force.

And when Anderson prepares for the swimming finals at the Invictus Games on Wednesday, his buddy will be there to help him to pull on his Speedo.

Their friendship is the story of these warrior games, where the fierce determination needed to get here comes with a disarming vulnerability. That’s a tough pill to swallow for these guys, but it forges deep friendships and a camaraderie among competitors like none other in the world.
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Spartan Alliance and Disabled American Veterans Get Pledge From Veterans To Seek Help

Veterans pledge to seek help before suicide
Washington Post
By Susan Svrluga
May 8, 2016

On Sunday, Col. Matt Pawlikowski, a chaplain from the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, led a Mothers’ Day service at the American Veterans Disabled for Life Memorial near the Mall honoring women whose children are serving or have died. The ceremony closed with the pledge.

At the Mall, veterans touch a sword and pledge to reach out to military buddies if they start to have thoughts of suicide. (Michael S. Williamson/The Washington Post)

A couple of years after he left the U.S. Marine Corps, Lyndon Villone kept trying to reach a close friend who had served with him in Iraq. When he didn’t hear back,Villone thought maybe it was best to give him some space.

His friend shot himself in the head.

Within a year, Villone had lost two more Marine Corps brothers to suicide.

And he was beginning to think about it himself.

This weekend, a coalition of nonprofits led a “Spartan Weekend” for hundreds of sick and injured veterans centered on a promise: They would not take their own life without reaching out to someone for help. And they would take that oath with their hands on a sword hammer-forged of steel salvaged from the remains of the World Trade Center.

By one estimate, an average of 22 veterans take their own lives each day. Some people debate that number from the Department of Veterans Affairs, said Steve Danyluk, who worked with wounded service members after returning from a tour in Iraq with the Marines, “but I think anybody that served in a combat unit can run through a list of people that they know that committed suicide.”

And everyone says the same thing when they hear about a suicide, said Danny Prince, a retired New York City firefighter who often visited Walter Reed National Military Medical Center after the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks to thank service members: “’I can’t believe it — I would’ve done something.’ ”

That is why Danyluk helped organize the event for the Spartan Alliance and Disabled American Veterans. “You don’t have to be suicidal to take the pledge,” he said. “It’s finding a mission: Help your buddy. It’s reconnecting, reestablishing those relationships that seem to vanish once you leave the military.”
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Linked from Stars and Stripes

This is the report you have to read if you really want to know what the claim of "22 a day" is all about and it is far more than 22. Here is the link to the VA Suicide Report. Read at least to page 15.

Camp Lejeune Marine Spent Mother's Day Grieving For Mom, Savannah's 22 Homicide Victim of 2016

Family, neighbors mourn loss of Savannah mother of 2 shot, killed on Ash Street
Savannah Morning News
Will Peebles
May 8, 2016

Tyler Schmidt traveled from Camp Lejeune, N.C., to Savannah on Sunday. As an active-duty Marine, Schmidt’s work schedule would have prevented him from having time to visit Savannah for Mother’s Day, but he was granted leave given the grave circumstances.

Kathy Henry and her son Tyler Schmidt fish from a boat in coastal Savannah.

(Photo courtesy Richard Schmidt)

Sunday was a solemn Mother’s Day for Tyler Schmidt, the son of a 43-year-old Savannah woman who was found shot and lying in the street Saturday night — the latest victim of gun violence in the city.

“She’s a loving person,” said Tyler’s father, Richard Schmidt, about his ex-wife, Kathy Henry. Police found Henry about 8:45 p.m. on Ash Street, according to Eunicia Baker, police spokeswoman, only a few blocks from her father’s home.

Henry was taken to Memorial University Medical Center, where she died, Baker said.

“She’s never hurt anyone intentionally,” Richard Schmidt said. “If it was over money, she would’ve given them money. She would’ve given them anything they asked for. We’re still numb and in shock that something like this could happen.”

Henry’s death is the 22nd homicide in Savannah in 2016 — nearly twice the number of killings recorded by this time last year. She was shot and killed on the same day of the funeral of Hannah Brown, a mother of five, who died April 28.
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Less Soldiers Serving Now Than After WWII?

If you are a reporter with a functioning brain, I beseech you to take this report and then compare it to the number of suicides still in the military. If you thought you understood the problem before, this will really make your head explode. Less serving yet suicide totals remain high and Congress has done nothing to hold anyone accountable for the blank checks they write to "prevent them!" The question is, who is getting the benefits of all the money they pay out while families have to face funerals instead of futures? This is a link to the number of military suicides for 2015.

Army Has Fewest Active-Duty Soldiers Since 1940, Report Says
Fox News
May 09, 2016

The number of U.S. Army soldiers on active duty has been reduced to its lowest since 1940, according to a published report.

The Army Times reported this weekend that the Army's end strength for March was 479,172. That's 154 fewer soldiers than the service's previous post-World War II low, which was reached during the Army's post-Cold War drawdown in 1999.

The current number is still well above the 269,023 soldiers on duty in 1940, the year before America entered World War II. However, the report says the active force has been reduced by more than 16,500 troops over the past year -- the equivalent of about three brigades.

According to the Army Times, the Army is on track to reach its goal of reducing the number of active duty troops to 475,000 by Sept. 30, the end of fiscal year 2016. Under a drawdown plan unveiled last July, the number of active-duty soldiers would be reduced to 460,000 soldiers by the end of fiscal year 2017 and 450,000 by the end of fiscal year 2018, barring action by Congress or the Pentagon.

If those targets are met, the number of soldiers on active duty would be down 20 percent from 2010, when there were nearly 570,000 soldiers on active duty.

In addition to those on active duty, the Army has 548,024 soldiers in reserve, for a total force of 1,027,196 soldiers. Under the drawdown plan, the total force number would be reduced to 980,000 by the end of fiscal year 2018.
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Air Force Master Sgt. Israel Del Toro Jr Defied The Odds Again

To Hell And Back 
ESPN
Steve Wulf
05/09/16

Air Force Master Sgt. Israel Del Toro Jr. emerged from an inferno that ravaged his face and his fingers, but not his heart. By defying the odds and setting world records, Del Toro has inspired warriors and competitors all over the map.

“When the doctor told me I would never walk again, and that I would have to spend the rest of my life on a respirator, I told him, ‘Kiss my ass.’”
- ISRAEL DEL TORO, JR.

The eyes of Air Force Master Sgt. Israel Del Toro Jr. have seen a lot. The hills of Afghanistan and the mound at Comiskey Park in Chicago. His newborn son and what he thought might be his own death. A life his wife didn't quite deserve and the wedding she did. The ceilings of countless operating rooms and the skies above athletic venues where he would set world records.

On this mid-April day, though, those eyes are focused on the icy road ahead. A freak snowstorm has blown into the Colorado Springs, Colorado, area, but DT -- the name everyone calls him -- needs to get to the local fitness center at Woodmen Hills in Peyton to train for the upcoming second-ever Invictus Games (May 8-12) at the ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex in Orlando, Florida. That's where the 41-year-old will compete against other wounded warriors from 13 other countries in the discus, shotput, power lifting and recumbent cycling.

This fitness trip is also an opportunity for some father-son bonding time, so Izzy, his 13-year-old namesake, comes along for the ride in the four-wheel-drive truck. "I apologize," DT says to the visitors. "I'm not in the best condition. I hurt my shoulder a few weeks ago shoveling 4 feet of snow in my driveway."

That said, he would put most other athletes to shame. From a standing position, he starts out by jumping onto a bench about 18 inches high. Again and again, again and again. Then, despite having half-fingers on his right hand and only a thumb on his left hand, he does an impressive series of bench presses, inflating the tattoos on his upper arms -- his guardian angel St. Michael on the left, a self-designed image of a man emerging from flames on the right.
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For 'DT,' recovery was all about family
Air Force Master Sgt. Israel Del Toro Jr. got third-degree burns on 80 percent of his body in a 2005 IED explosion in Afghanistan. But his love for his wife and son inspired him to survive and recover, and now he will compete in the second Invictus Games. Joe Amon for ESPN

President Bush and Prince Harry Talk About Invisible Wounds At Invictus

Bush, Prince Harry highlight invisible wounds at Invictus
Orlando Sentinel
Paul Brinkmann
May 8, 2016

Del Toro was burned severely over much of his body and lost fingers in 2005 in Afghanistan. But he said psychological wounds were also very real. He said the military and his health-care team treated his visible wounds, but "my family dealt with my invisible wounds."

Bush underscored a major theme of the day when he suggested dropping the D from the end of PSTD (Post Traumatic Stress Disorder). "We don't view it as a disorder we view it as an injury," Bush said during a panel discussion.

Britain's Prince Harry joined former President George W. Bush Sunday afternoon on Disney World property to present and showcase ideas on how society can help military personnel overcome mental and emotional wounds after returning from active service.

The event took place just before the official opening of the international Invictus Games for wounded warriors, which is taking place this week at Disney's ESPN Wide World of Sports. Brain injury, post-traumatic stress disorder and other "invisible" wounds were front and center.

The symposium brought a large international crowd to Disney's Shades of Green resort, an official U.S. Armed Forces Recreation Center Resort.

More than 500 competitors from 14 nations are competing in archery, cycling, indoor rowing, power lifting, sitting volleyball, swimming, track and field, wheelchair basketball, wheelchair rugby, and wheelchair tennis.
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