Blind Veteran Marine Helps Give Other Veterans A New VIsion

Wounded warrior shares story in new motivational book
Bay News 9
By Cait McVey, Reporter
June 03, 2016

Retired Marine Michael Jernigan shares his story of recovery and re-discovery of purpose in a new book titled "Vision," which was released on Memorial Day at the Armed Forces History Museum in Largo.

ST. PETERSBURG
A marine critically wounded in Iraq is now sharing his story of recovery and rebirth in a book, which was released recently at Largo's Armed Forces History Museum in Largo.

Retired Marine Michael Jernigan was serving in Iraq in 2004 when he was severely injured by a roadside bomb.

“I had shrapnel enter my right eye and exit my left eye,“ Jernigan said. “I had two fingers re-attached. My right hand was fully reconstructed. My left knee was fully reconstructed. I fractured my patellar and cut my femoral artery.”

After 30 surgeries, Jernigan’s physical recovery was nothing short of remarkable. But he said his mind went to a very dark place.

“I was a Marine without a mission," said Jernigan. "Without a mission, I had no purpose or sense of direction. So my goal at that point was to find a mission. And I realized at that point, I needed to go back to college.”

Jernigan went on to earn his bachelor’s degree in history from University of South Florida St. Petersburg in 2012. He now works as a motivational speaker for Southeastern Guide Dogs.
read more here

Jan 8, 2015
Marine Warrior Michael Jernigan shares his story of overcoming adversity.
In 2014, Jernigan completed HCC's Fellowship Program and since has launched into his professional speaking career. He's continued to serve his community by pioneering the Paws for Patriots Program as well as over 500 hours of community service with Honor Courage Commitment, Inc (HCC) in Dallas, TX.

Justice For Staff Sgt. Cory Griffin?

Staff Sgt. Cory Griffin's story caused me to write Deadly Decade of PTSD Healing Prevention in March. Since then his Mom, Debbie, has been an inspirational champion in the fight to get justice for veterans like her son. Not just legal justice, but all the way around.

There was no justice for Cory while serving at Fort Carson. Griffin was charged, convicted and sentenced to 8 years in prison. But this is not the end of the story, since many people are fighting to make sure that true justice is delivered for Cory.

A press release from Uniformed Services Justice and Advocacy Group, you can read what is all so easy to ignore.

Take a look at the following quotes in the press release and then look at what has been missing in all the talk about PTSD Awareness month. That started way back in 2010 by Congress yet it has all gotten worse because Congress has failed to become aware of anything that actually worked.

"Staff Sergeant Griffin is a twenty-seven year old man who served in the United States Army for eight years. During the course of his service he spent 12 months in Iraq, 9 months in Afghanistan and another 8 months in Qatar on a classified assignment, guarding a high-value asset. He spent additional time in Germany and at various state-side duty stations, including Ft. Carson."

Griffin would not have missed had he actually targeted his friend instead of hitting a thumb.

"There's another critical, common sense consideration here: the Military Occupational Specialty (MOS) of SSG Cory Griffin–he was 19 Delta, a Cavalry Scout who also served on a sniper team in Afghanistan. He was a Sharpshooter. If you ask no other question about this case, ask this one: Does it make any sense at all that a man who served in some of the most dangerous places on the planet as a sniper would miss an intended target at close range? For those of us with any respect or any experience in the US military know, if a highly-trained US Army Sniper had intended to kill a man at close range, he'd be dead."

Everyone Griffin served with trusted him with their lives because of what he could do when he intended to hit a target. The rest of the story about what happened that night can be found on the above link and you really should read it especially if the other missing links will ever make sense.

The case against him is one of assumption after assumption and you will read them.  A gun was shot yet when officers responded, Griffin was not arrested and charged with attempted murder began this farce of justice for Griffen, or did it?

Actually the farce began while military leaders refused to obey the law and dismissed the importance of post deployment screenings further compounding their total lack of regard to their failure of leadership while pushing a prevention program that had failed far too many.

It continued when members of the Senate Armed Services Committee knew that the leaders needed to do the post-deployment screenings but they were not being done and did nothing to hold any of them accountable.

Then it was all made even worse when no one was ever held accountable for anything other than the veterans being charged with crimes after they did everything to save lives in combat.

Justice for Cory? Hardly.

PTSD Veterans Say Stop Stereotyping Us

Veterans warn against stereotyping PTSD
KHOU News
Grace White
June 2, 2016

The gunman killed by police on Memorial Drive was an Army veteran, who friends believe was suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).

But local veterans say it's dangerous to connect the shooting to PTSD alone.

"Just because we've seen war, just because we've seen death—not everyone is like the individual who did what he did in the Memorial area," said Justin Masters, a veteran and veteran coordinator at Camp Hope, a facility that helps veterans and their families with the effects of PTSD.

These veterans all have their own stories.

"Each one of us had different jobs in the military. My PTSD comes from being a medic," said Ron Youngblut, Camp Hope's director of operations and veteran.

Their struggles are real.

"Just counting the people I've lost from my unit to suicide is getting up there," Masters said.
read more here

Soldier Saved Hundreds But Did Not Get Medal of Honor?

This Army hero took out suicide bombers and saved hundreds. Why no Medal of Honor?
Army Times
Kyle Jahner
June 3, 2016

“His efforts contained the enemy to the edge of the airfield, and saved the lives of hundreds of soldiers, coalition partners and civilians,” the narrative said.

Sgt. 1st Class Earl D. Plumlee, right, assigned to 1st Special Forces Group (Airborne), is presented the Silver Star by Maj. Gen. Kenneth R. Dahl, I Corps Deputy Commanding General. (Photo: Spc. Codie Mendenhall/Army)

With a new Army Secretary at the helm, Congressman Duncan Hunter, R-Calif., has relaunched his campaign to award the Medal of Honor to a Special Forces soldier whose Afghanistan heroics were once considered for the top award but ultimately downgraded to a Silver Star.

On Aug. 28, 2013, then-Staff Sgt. Earl Plumlee helped to fend off an insurgent attack on Forward Operating Base Ghazni. Plumlee "aggressively advanced" and took out several insurgents, some wearing suicide vests. Plumlee, now a sergeant first class, is credited with saving hundreds of lives.

His nomination for the MoH was endorsed at the time by Marine Corps Gen. Joseph Dunford and Army Gen. Mark Milley, but the Senior Army Decorations Board recommended a downgrade, and the decision was endorsed by then-Army Secretary John McHugh.

“(T)he Silver Star underrepresents SFC Plumlee’s actions," Hunter wrote in a letter to Army Secretary Eric Fanning. "You are in the position to make this right. The Army’s decision to downgrade SFC Plumlee’s nomination for the Medal of Honor is well known in the Special Operations Community — resubmitting his nomination will go a long way to restoring trust and morale among our warfighters at the leading edge of the fight.”
read more here

North Carolina Bill Just Killed Off Veterans Protection?

Oops! North Carolina’s Anti-LGBT Law Also Hurts Veterans
Vets in Congress says HB 2 is “unconscionable” and should be repealed ASAP.
Huffington Post
Jennifer Bendery
06/03/2016

ASSOCIATED PRESS

Gov. Pat McCrory (R-N.C.) is making friends left and right these days

WASHINGTON — When North Carolina Gov. Pat McCrory (R) signed HB 2 into law in March, with the swish of a pen, he overturned all of the state’s local ordinances that protected lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people from being discriminated against.

But there was another consequence to the sweeping anti-LGBT law: It wiped out local anti-discrimination protections for veterans, too.

Two jurisdictions in North Carolina — Greensboro and Orange County — had ordinances in place that barred job discrimination against vets. These types of protections trace back to the Vietnam War, when vets couldn’t get work as a result of their military service. In more recent years, veterans’ advocates have raised concerns about Iraq and Afghanistan War vets being turned away from jobs because of employers’ fears, unfounded as they may be, that they suffer from post-traumatic stress disorder and would be emotionally unstable on the job.

McCrory eliminated those two local ordinances for veterans when he signed HB 2. The law also ensures that cities and counties can’t pass these kinds of protections going forward.
read more here

Pennsylvania VA Was Not Treating Hundreds of Veterans?

Pennsylvania VA Caught Manipulating Data On Patient Care
Daily Caller
MICHAEL VOLPE
Contributor
June 3, 2016

In his initial 2013 review, DeNofrio found that out of 647 patients identified as having a TBI who the hospital said were receiving care 414 were not receiving any care. Out of those left, DeNofrio found that 97 were still in need of follow-up appointments.

The Veteran Affairs Office of Inspector General (VAOIG) is currently investigating the Altoona Pennsylvania VA Medical Center (VAMC) for manipulating data in treating patients with traumatic brain injuries (TBI).

“We have opened a case based on a review of the information you sent to our office,” according to a May 10 email sent to James DeNofrio, an Altoona VAMC employee and whistleblower who originally filed the complaint.

Because veterans who suffer TBIs can develop all sorts of physical and psychological issues ranging from Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) to chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE) they require specialized care which is provided in polytrauma at the Altoona VAMC.

The problems started in 2013 when Dr. David MacPherson, then the Chief Medical Officer for Veteran Integrated Services Network (VISN) 4, a region which includes the Altoona VAMC, expressed concerns that the number of TBI patients purported to be treated at the Altoona VAMC appeared to be unusually high.

“Altoona reports a very large number of case managed polytrauma Veterans and I don’t think the report is accurate,” Dr. MacPherson said in a 2013 email to Dr. Santha Kurian, the chief of staff of the Altoona VAMC.

A call to VISN 4 was left unreturned and Andrea Young, public affairs officer for the Altoona VAMC said Dr. MacPherson has since retired.

DeNofrio was then tasked with reviewing the TBI files.

According to subsequent emails sent to superiors, DeNofrio found that not only did Altoona VAMC take credit for providing polytraumatic care to patients who were not receiving it — many who the hospital claimed were receiving care had moved to other parts of the country and DeNofrio discovered one was in jail. He also found dozens of veterans with TBI who were receiving no care at all.
read more here

Firefighter With PTSD Convicted After Killing Puppy

Firefighter sentenced to jail for killing puppy
Napa Valley Regigister
MARIA SESTITO
June 3, 2016

Minagawa said that PTSD is more common among first responders than in the general public. “I see PTSD with police officers, sheriff’s deputies, paramedics, firefighters and federal agents,” he said.

Nicholas Luiz, the Santa Clara firefighter who pleaded no contest to two charges of animal cruelty after killing his 6-month-old German Shepherd puppy, was sentenced to 210 days in jail in Napa County Superior Court on Friday.

The puppy named Woody was killed by Luiz at his former home on Massa Drive in Napa on Dec. 29 after months of being abused. The incident was reported by a neighbor who claimed to have seen Luiz “beat his dog to death,” according to the prosecution’s sentencing brief.

The neighbor reported that Luiz had picked Woody up, thrashing his body on the ground seven or eight times, prosecution said. When police arrived that night, no one answered. They obtained a search warrant and found the animal the next morning wrapped in a plastic garbage bag in the laundry room. Luiz admitted that “things got out of control” and that he had been drinking, prosecution said.

Woody’s supporters from Jameson Animal Rescue Ranch, who have been following the case since the beginning, took up nearly two rows of seats of the courtroom waiting to hear Judge Francisca P. Tisher’s sentencing decision.
read more here

Tragic End To Search for Fort Hood Soldiers, 9 Confirmed Dead

9 confirmed dead in Fort Hood training accident
Killeen Daily Herald
Clay Thorp
Herald Staff Writer
June 3, 2016

The search for four missing Fort Hood soldiers came to a tragic end Friday.

A total of nine Fort Hood soldiers were confirmed dead Friday evening, after rescue teams located the bodies of the remaining four soldiers missing after Thursday’s deadly Owl Creek accident.

Floodwaters swept away an Army vehicle Thursday, killing nine and injuring three. The three surviving soldiers were released from Carl R. Darnall Army Medical Center at Fort Hood on Friday afternoon.

“On behalf of the city of Killeen, I extend my deepest sympathy to Fort Hood,” said Mayor Jose Segarra on Friday afternoon. “In times of tragedy, the bond between city and fort is ever present, and we stand ready to assist in the days to come.”
read more here

Veterans Court Judge Reprimanded For Fight Too Hard For Green Beret?

Hillsborough judge agrees to reprimand for going 'too far' on defendant's behalf
Tampa Bay Times
Anna M. Phillips
Times Staff Writer
Friday, June 3, 2016

TAMPA — Hillsborough Circuit Judge Gregory P. Holder, who intervened in the case of a former U.S. Army Green Beret charged with multiple felonies, has agreed to be publicly reprimanded for trying to persuade prosecutors to change the man's sentence.

In a deal reached with the Florida Judicial Qualifications Commission, which oversees judges across the state, Holder acknowledged that he "went too far" in his attempts to lighten the man's punishment, creating "the appearance of impropriety and partiality."

In addition to being publicly reprimanded by the Florida Supreme Court, he will have to complete six hours of training "on topics related to ethics," if the Florida Supreme Court accepts the commission's recommendation of discipline.

Holder did not respond to requests for comment, but his attorney, David Weinstein, said he was disappointed the commission had filed the charges against the judge in the first place.

"From my perspective, the JQC's action was not based on what Judge Holder was trying to accomplish or why but, instead, how he went about it," Weinstein said.
read more here

UK Navy Veteran Standoff With Police

Combat caused PTSD does not just happen here in the US. It happens to humans no matter what country they serve to defend. Civilians benefit from what they fought for in order to have this wound treated. After all, Trauma is Greek for wound. It is something that happened to them and they survived. It is an ancient wound. It has been described in some of the first printed words including the pages of the Bible, especially within the Psalms of David.

What has never been explained is, how is it that most humans know so little about it when everyone seems to be talking about it?

There are far too many claiming they are raising awareness about PTSD and suicides yet none of them have the ability to truly do anything to change what has been happening. Why? Simply because they do quick searches, find the number "22" and never bother to do anymore research. How important is it when they can't even bother to invest the time in understanding it? They are unprepared and the results show how little they actually know.

When asked simple basic questions they should have known before they even began to publicize themselves, they give the wrong answers. When asked if they are prepared for an encounter with a veteran in crisis, they have not even thought about it. They are not ready to make anything better or help a veteran when they are losing everything in the process.

They will talk about PTSD but never mention what comes with it when normal life happens to deliver more trauma. It happened in the UK with a standoff between a veteran and police officers.

Chris Taylor, prosecuting, said Emerson’s mental health issues were compounded by the break-up of his marriage.

He said: “Added to these problems was that he lived next door to his ex mother-in-law. His ex-wife would still attend at the property with her new partner and children.

“All these circumstances added together to provide a very tense situation.”

PTSD is followed by a series of misfortunate events because they did not get the proper help. That is what everyone needs to know in all of this. So when do we start to make surviving be more of a blessing instead of it feeling like a curse?

Former Navy officer threatened to shoot police during armed siege in “suicide by cop” attempt
Mirror UK
BY NEIL DOCKING
4 JUN 2016

Neil Emerson threatened to shoot police during a five-hour armed siege in a “suicide by cop” attempt

An ex-Royal Navy officer wearing a gas mask and threatened to shoot police during a five-hour armed siege in a “suicide by cop” attempt.

Neil Emerson, who was suffering post traumatic stress disorder, brandished an axe after calling officers to his home in Waterloo, Merseyside, at around 5.30pm on March 7 this year, the Liverpool Echo reported.

Liverpool Crown Court heard he yelled: “I’m wearing Kevlar so you will have to shoot me in the head when you come in here to get me.”

He then shouted: “I’ve got an SLR [self-loading rifle] and I’m going to take potshots at you – you won’t even see it coming.”

Emerson had earlier dialled 999 and told an operator: “I’ve set the house up. I’m ready for youse. Come and get me. I’m going to kill youse.”

The 52-year-old, of Oxford Drive, added: “You’ve got my number, you’ve got my name, so come and get me. Tell them to come in heavy.”
read more here