OEF and OIF Veterans Out of Military Looking For Work

A generation of veterans is out of the military and looking for work
Seattle Times
By Tyrone Beason
Pacific NW magazine writer
June 30, 2016

Since the terrorist attacks of 9/11 and the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, America has raised a whole generation of service members and combat-hardened men and women — 3.6 million people as of last year — who’ve been trickling back into their communities and starting over as private citizens.

Many employers say military veterans are ideal job candidates because of their work ethic, on-the-job experience and leadership qualities. 

(Ken Lambert/The Seattle Times)

AS MOST OF US got ready for bed on the night of March 19, 2003, Nicole Gadson got ready for war.

Halfway around the world in Kuwait, Gadson was at the wheel of a Humvee as part of the Stryker Brigade combat team that would soon lead the invasion of neighboring Iraq to topple the government of Saddam Hussein.

It was a strange turn of events for the New York City native, who now lives in Snohomish County.

After growing disenchanted with studying accounting in college, Gadson signed up for the Army in January 2001. On the morning of Sept. 11 that year, she was half asleep in physical training on base in Pierce County when news came about the terror attack on the World Trade Center back home.

Watching events unfold on a TV in the gym, she thought of friends and family who might be in harm’s way in New York.

And she realized one other thing.

“I knew we were going to war,” Gadson says.

In Iraq, Gadson’s most basic, yet greatest, achievement at any given moment was ensuring her own survival and the lives of everyone around her.

“I was just happy to see the next day,” she says. “If I woke up, I was good.”
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July 4th Winn Dixie Doing it Again, Forgetting All Other Veterans Who Kept Us Free

Winn Dixie is following up their PR disaster of last year when they raised money for Wounded Warrior Project. Yep, those guys. 

Apparently they didn't get the message that they ended up dismissing all the other generations responsible for keeping this nation free. You know, all the pre-9-11 veterans who should matter equally, especially on the 4th of July, but they don't.

All July 4 Winn Dixie profits go to Hope for the Warriors
Pensacola News Journal
Troy Moon
June 29, 2016

Want to do something for military personnel other than throw a "We Support the Troops" sticker on the back of the car?

Go shopping at any Winn Dixie on July 4. Because 100 percent of the profits from the holiday will be given to Hope for the Warriors, a nonprofit organization that assists veterans, active duty military and their families.

***But not interested in all other generations who waited longer with the same wounds and with a lot less help***

"It makes me proud to work for a company that is able to do something like this,'' said David Logan, district manager for Winn Dixie, which has 14 stores in Escambia and Santa Rosa counties in Florida and Baldwin County, Alabama. "It's awesome to be able to give back to the community on such a great day."

The Independence Day donation program is a venture of Southeastern Grocers, Winn Dixie's parent company. More than 700 Winn Dixie grocery stores across the Southeastern states will participate. Last year's profit donation drive raised more than $3 million for veterans.
read more here

So who are Hope for the Warriors? I had to look them up too.

OUR PROGRAMS
We provide a full cycle of care to restore self, family, and hope to post-9/11 service members, their families, and families of the fallen.

Instead of donating to charities that actually take care of all generations of veterans, they managed to yet once again tell the majority of veterans in this country they just don't matter as much. 

Look up the DAV, the VFW and the American Legion and then ask yourself why a campaign to raise funds for veterans on the 4th of July was not for them since they take care of most of the veterans forgotten about all over the country by the groups getting the attention and the funds. Deplorable!

Female Homeless Veteran Adopted by Community

Middletown animal control officers cared for homeless veteran in life — and death
The Middletown Press
By Kathleen Schassler
POSTED: 06/28/16

Baboolal first met Chaffee about five years ago, when he found her in a city parking lot in a sleeping bag with two small dogs, Mister and Peanut, on a cold and snowy December eve. Chaffee would not part with her beloved dogs so she could not enter the city’s homeless shelter.

MIDDLETOWN
For 26 years, Charlotte Chafee worked as a registered nurse before suffering a debilitating heart attack that led to the loss of her job. Soon after, the U.S. Air Force veteran silently slid into homelessness.

Middletown Animal Control Officers Gail Petras and Sgt. Nick Baboolal went above and beyond with efforts to provide Chaffee with safety and security while she lived, and with a final resting place in the State Veterans’ Cemetery after her untimely death last month.

On Monday, a small group of local veterans and residents joined Petras and two staff members from the Department of Veterans Affairs for a military burial service for Chaffee. The honor detail performed a ceremony that included the folding and presenting of the American flag to the next of kin, a 21-gun salute and the playing of “Taps.”
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Homeless Male Veterans With Kids Cannot Stay Together?

Homeless veterans with kids in Fresno need a place to call home
The Fresno Bee
BY BARBARA ANDERSON
June 28, 2016

"I HAD TO DIVIDE MY KIDS UP SO I COULD BE IN THE HOMELESS PROGRAM"
Former homeless veteran Sean Tait

Male veterans cannot have children in transitional housing

Children of female vets can live with their homeless mothers

Fresno dad had to split his children up while in transitional housing

Army veteran Sean Tait turned to veterans officials for help last year when he was evicted from a Sanger apartment.

He had injured his right knee while serving with the reserves in Afghanistan in 2009. The knee injury led to a bad back, and he needed an operation. He had worked on-and-off at jobs since returning home, but by December 2014 he couldn’t work, and he couldn’t pay $850 rent and utilities.

Ending veterans’ homelessness is a high priority at the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, which has set a December 2016 deadline for getting veterans off streets and into housing. The Fresno VA had a place available for Tait.

However, the divorced father had a son and daughter who lived with him. He needed somewhere they all could stay together. read more here

Take Me Home Huey Sculpture At Henry Ford Museum

FOX 2 News

JUN 29 2016

(WJBK) - A Huey helicopter that was turned into an art installation has arrived at the Henry Ford Museum. The helicopter arrived Wednesday morning, escorted by dozens of motorcycles. The 47-foot long sculpture called Take me Home Huey is part of a mission to help those with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder.

Steve Maloney, the artist of the project, says this project brings notice to those who served not only the Vietnam War but all other conflicts, too.
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Veteran Arrested After Fireworks Caused Flashback

EXCLUSIVE: Fireworks Trigger Waukesha Veteran's PTSD Leading to Arrest
WDJT News
By Amanda Porterfield, Anchor/Reporter
Updated: Jun 28, 2016

CBS 58's Amanda Porterfield has the exclusive interview. Fireworks going off at a nearby festival over the weekend scared the vet.

His wife said he fired shots into the air and that ended with him in jail. This couple says - this incident has been scary. We're not naming them to maintain their privacy.

However, they wanted to tell their story - to highlight the struggles many veterans have around fireworks and especially the 4th of July.

She says - her husband was a combat veteran in Afghanistan. He is in the reserves and has suffered from PTSD for years.

"When the fireworks went off it triggered him."

She says for her husband hearing those fireworks was like being in the war all over again.

"It just sounded really loud and really close and he's told me before the fireworks sound like the guns over in Afghanistan."

She says on Friday, he was working on his truck outside when the booms went off. He ran upstairs - grabbed his rifle - then crouched on the side of his car - gun in the air as if he were hiding from the enemy.

"I called 911 and as I was on the phone with the operator I heard five gunshots. He shot the gun off as he was sitting by his vehicle. He was so upset he hyperventilated and passed out. He didn't hurt anyone. He thought he was being attacked."
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Canada Wants Money Back From Disabled Veteran?

Former soldier shocked by $81,000 bill from Veterans Affairs
CBC News
By Travis McEwan
Posted: Jun 28, 2016

'It’s almost two years of my salary that they want back, that’s a lot of money' Dean Campbell

Retired Armed Forces veteran Dean Campbell relaxes at his property east of Sherwood Park.

(Travis McEwan/CBC)

Dean Campbell sometimes sees bombs dropping, smells things burning, hears the sounds of war.

His flashbacks are symptoms of post-traumatic stress syndrome, and can be triggered by loud noises, large crowds or stress.

The latest bout, he said, was brought on by a letter from Veterans Affairs Canada.

According to the government, the former warrant officer owes his country $81,272.10.

Part of the problem can be traced to a class-action lawsuit settled in 2014. The court ruled that veterans with disabilities were entitled to lump-sum payments to compensate for cost-of-living increases dating back to the 1970s, increases required under their long-term disability plan.

Campbell said his one-time payment from that settlement was close to $112,000.

In a letter sent in May, Veterans Affairs told Campbell he had been overpaid under the Service Income Security Insurance Plan by a total of $74,252.10 between 2012 and 2016. The letter said he had also received a separate overpayment of $7,020.

The government wants all the money back.
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California Looking To Expand Veterans Courts

California May Take Closer Look at Treatment Courts for Veterans
KQED News
Katie Orr
June 28, 2016

“One of the things that the study will look at is whether there’s opportunities for regional means of making sure that veterans have these services available to them.” Sharon Reilly

U.S. Army soldiers from the 2-82 Field Artillery, 3rd Brigade, 1st Cavalry Division, walk off the plane as they arrive at their home base of Fort Hood, Texas, in 2011. ( Joe Raedle/Getty Images)

Of California’s 58 counties, 25 operate courts for veterans, including six in the Bay Area. They allow vets with substance abuse issues or mental health problems to be placed in treatment rather than prison or jail.

The state Senate Veterans Affairs Committee today approved a bill that would require an evaluation of those courts, with an eye toward possibly expanding them.

Businessman Wayne Hughes Jr. is sponsoring the bill and has pledged to pay for half of the study. It is expected to cost about $200,000.

Hughes, who runs a program for veterans at his cattle ranch in San Miguel (San Luis Obispo County), says many vets have trouble adjusting when they get home.
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Veterans Crisis Text Unanswered by Contractors?

I am sure by now you heard about how veterans sending text messages to the VA Crisis Line went unanswered. The key is within this. "The VA told the GAO it relies on its text messaging service provider to monitor and test the text messaging system, the report says. But the provider said it doesn’t conduct any routine testing." In other words, a contractor otherwise they would have used "employees" or similar language. 

If you look online for government contracts you'll find that most VA Clinics are run by contractors.  Just like the Choice program is, care has been outsourced by politicians writing the rules and paying the bills instead of making sure our veterans received the best care by the VA.  You know, the one Congress has had jurisdiction over since 1946!

Health Net Federal Services, LLC (Health Net) is proud to partner with the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to provide a wide spectrum of high quality, cost-effective health care services supporting U.S. Veterans nationwide.

Veteran Marine Confrontation With Police Sign of Need For PTSD Training

Video shows Marine with PTSD in dangerous confrontation with police officers Could proper PTSD training for officers help avoid such violent arrests?
Click on Detroit
By Kevin Dietz - Reporter
Posted:June 27, 2016

A terrifying traffic stop caught on video shows a highly-trained and decorated war veteran who suffers from post-traumatic stress disorder squaring off with police officers.

The officers were armed with guns and Tasers. The confrontation ended with a trip to the hospital and jail.

The war veteran, Kirk Shahan, is a Marine who was shot at plenty of times on the battlefield while serving his country overseas. Now, back home, he was Tased during a violent traffic stop in the suburbs of Detroit.

Shahan knows all about war. He credits one American flag for his survival during tours in Okinawa, Iraq and Kuwait.

"I carried it in my flack jacket in case something ever happened, that way I would be buried with the U.S. flag," he said.

He saw plenty of death on the battlefield.

"Saw things people shouldn't see. I've done things people shouldn't have done. If I had done those things stateside, I would probably be in prison. Now, they throw a medal on your chest," he said.

Shahan carried his friends' bodies back to safe zones so they could have proper burials.
read more here