Local Marines open doors for homeless vets on Thanksgiving WNDU 16 News Shaun Gallagher November 24, 2016
"A lot of us when we were in the service, a lot of us couldn't go home, couldn't afford to go home or couldn't make a drive," Castillo said. "We all got together and that was Thanksgiving. It was as good as being with family without being with your family."
ELKHART, Ind. --- Thanksgiving is a day to enjoy time with family and some great food but for some local veterans, they don't have that option. Some homeless veterans from Miller's Vets had the opportunity to experience Thanksgiving with a family of a different kind; their extended military family.
"We've all had our Thanksgiving with our families," Paul "Goose" Patillo, Squad Leader of Marine Riders of Michiana said. "Every year, it's the same thing. Well, we'd like to start taking care of the veterans on Thanksgiving Day to have the full effect of Thanksgiving."
Patillo is a member of Marine Riders of Michiana, a local motorcycle club of marines. Patillo says many times people hold dinners for veterans down on their luck a week or two after Thanksgiving but it loses its luster. So he wanted to hold something day of to give them the full effect of the holiday.
For the veterans in attendance, they're familiar with missing holidays like Thanksgiving while serving overseas. So they depend on each other as family to enjoy Thanksgiving.
read more here
Navy veteran, who was supposed to be on USS Thresher, to be buried where submarine sank The Day By Julia Bergman Day staff writer November 26, 2016 Groton — A Navy veteran will soon be laid to rest at the bottom of the ocean, more than 200 miles off the New England coast.
A submarine from the Naval Submarine Base will fulfill the wish of deceased Navy Capt. Paul "Bud" Rogers to be buried at sea. During routine operations, the submarine will transport Rogers' cremated remains to where the USS Thresher (SSN-593) sank.
The Navy is not releasing the name of the submarine or the date the burial will take place, since it does not discuss submarine operations. Rogers, who spent much of his 41-year career serving on submarines, was supposed to be an observer on the Thresher during the boat's sea trials, but his supervisor, at the last minute, decided that he didn't have enough experience and replaced him with someone else. It was just a day or two later, according to Rogers' wife, that on April 10, 1963, the Thresher sank — killing all 129 men aboard. Rogers was devastated, and felt survivor's remorse for much of his life. "Bud felt that he should've been the one to go down with the Thresher, not this other man," his wife, Barbara "Bobbye" Rogers, 86, said from her home in Wernersville, Penn. "All those years, it bothered him." read more here
The state where the Revolutionary started raised a bunch of whiners afraid of the flag patriots died for? And the college gave into them, taking it down...can't publish the rest of what I'm thinking right now.
Veterans to Protest at College That Stopped Flying US Flags By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS AMHERST, Mass Nov 27, 2016
Veterans are planning a protest at a western Massachusetts college facing criticism from around the country for its decision to stop flying U.S. flags after students allegedly burned a flag in protest of Donald Trump's presidential election.
Local veterans and others intend to place hundreds of U.S. flags on the streets around Hampshire College in Amherst on Sunday, as part of what organizers are calling a "peaceful demonstration of freedom." read more here Hampshire College In Amherst Stops Flying All Flags CBS News Boston November 22, 2016
“There were a range of views on campus, including people whose experience growing up have made the flag a symbol of fear,"
A worker takes down an American flag on the campus of Hampshire College. (WBZ-TV)
AMHERST (CBS) — It’s been a week of flag-related controversy for Hampshire College, after the school’s Board of Trustees made the decision to lower the U.S. flag on campus to half-staff in the wake of the presidential election–and then decided to remove the flag entirely after a wave of backlash. Hampshire College President Jonathan Lash told WBZ NewsRadio 1030’s Ben Parker he knows it’s a controversial decision to remove the flag, but he wanted to create a dialogue among those with differing opinions about the symbol.
read more here
History Has Proven You Wrong Combat PTSD Wounded Times Kathie Costos November 27, 2016 Did you know if you are using veterans committing suicide, most veterans are making fun of you? It is ridiculous to talk about their suffering when you are doing absolutely nothing to prevent them from taking their own lives. It is like taking a video on your smart phone while you operate it dumb as dirt, filming someone dying on the side of the road, so you get to say you're raising awareness they did, instead of using that phone to call 911 and try to save their life. KNOCK IT OFF!
“Those who don't know history are doomed to repeat it.”
Edmund Burke
If you're thinking you have done any good, history has proven you wrong. Aside from the simple fact all this awareness of "22 a day" or "20 a day" being quoted as if they are real numbers, or as the military puts it for current service members as "one too many" it has gotten worse. But hey, just keep talking about their suffering. The time to raise awareness happened decades ago when it was happening to veterans but you didn't notice. I've been noticing for over three of those decades when there were more veterans in the country. Yep, much more veterans suffering while fighting for the right to live after war. If you doubt any of this, then look at the numbers the VA released in the misquoted report of 2012 when the number was released as "22 a day" since apparently you didn't read the report. You didn't notice that the "number" came with a notice that it was taken from just 21 states, that they knew they missed many, or the other overlooked fact that most of the veterans they did know about were over the age of 50.
Currently available data include information on suicide mortality among the population of
residents in 21 states. Veteran status in each of these areas is determined by a single question
asking about history of U.S. military service. Information about history of military service is
routinely obtained from family members and collected by funeral home staff and has not been
validated using information from the DoD or VA. Further, Veteran status was not collected by
each state during each year of the project period.
And you must have missed this part as well, since none of you are even mentioning it,
Information reported on state death certificates indicates that the ages 50-59 years is also an important group for addressing risk for suicide.
And on page 18 of the report, you must have missed this too,
The final report will be publicly released later this month. Key findings of the analysis will include:
65% of all Veterans who died from suicide in 2014 were 50 years of age or older. Veterans accounted for 18% of all deaths from suicide among U.S. adults. This is a decrease from 22% in 2010. Since 2001, U.S. adult civilian suicides increased 23%, while Veteran suicides increased 32% in the same time period. After controlling for age and gender, this makes the risk of suicide 21% greater for Veterans. Since 2001, the rate of suicide among US Veterans who use VA services increased by 8.8%, while the rate of suicide among Veterans who do not use VA services increased by 38.6%. In the same time period, the rate of suicide among male Veterans who use VA services increased 11%, while the rate of suicide increased 35% among male Veterans who do not use VA services. In the same time period, the rate of suicide among female Veterans who use VA services increased 4.6%, while the rate of suicide increased 98% among female Veterans who do not use VA services.
As you can see, back in 1999 when no one was raising funds doing pushups, taking walks or making speeches, when we had over 5 million more veterans in this country, the number reported by the VA was 20 a day. So, what good have you done any of them? Keep making this about you wanting to raise awareness instead of raising a reason to enjoy living again, and it will keep getting worse for them as you gain more publicity for yourself. If your guessing I got another email from yet another "awareness raiser" wanting me to publicize them, you're right and they are still way too wrong!
Veteran plays music at grave of fallen comrade ABC News 10 Anne State Nov 23, 2016
SAN DIEGO - A Marine veteran continues to give thanks at Fort Rosecrans National Cemetery to those who made the ultimate sacrifice.
Simon Sandoval visits the cemetery often, and he plays music for fallen service members. While he has lost many friends during the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, his good friend, Lance Cpl. Jason Hill, is his only friend buried at Fort Rosecrans.
"I play a little bit of country music for him since he's a country boy," said Sandoval.
10News was there as Sandoval cued up the music on his phone, adding, "I think he still likes listening."
Sandoval said of Hill: "He was one of my fine young men."
Hill, a native of Poway, was killed in Afghanistan in 2011. Shortly after his death, his friends gathered at the family home and described Hill as loyal, funny and charming. They said he was proud to serve his country. read more here
Paratrooper who saw 'very severe action' in Afghanistan fell to his death from a hotel rooftop in Vietnam while waiting for a psychiatrist to decide whether he had PTSD, inquest hears Daily Mail By RORY TINGLE FOR MAILONLINE PUBLISHED: 15:21 EST, 25 November 2016
Peter O'Sullivan was assessed by a nurse who felt he might of had PTSD. Nurse decided to refer him to psychiatrist but was a 4 month waiting list. Former soldier did not survive until then, falling to his death in Vietnam.
Peter O'Sullivan, who had seen 'very severe military activity' in Afghanistan during ten years in the Parachute Regiment, had been assessed by a mental health nurse
A former paratrooper fell to his death from a hotel rooftop while waiting for a psychiatrist to decide whether he was suffering from post traumatic stress disorder, an inquest heard yesterday. Peter O'Sullivan, who had seen 'very severe military activity' in Afghanistan during ten years in the Parachute Regiment, had been assessed by a mental health nurse from the Combat Stress charity who felt he might have PTSD. The nurse decided to refer him to a consultant psychiatrist - but there was a four month waiting list for an appointment and Mr O'Sullivan did not survive until then. Two months before the appointment he took crystal meth while on holiday in Vietnam and fell to his death from the top of the Liberty Hotel in Ho Ch Minh City on Feb 13th this year, the Gloucester inquest was told. His family, from Stroud, Gloucestershire, are now hoping the authorities will recognise Mr O'Sullivan's death as a direct consequence of PTSD resulting from his service in the elite Pathfinder platoon of the Parachute Regiment.
read more here
Veteran gets first type of spinal surgery in Upstate Index Journal By: Ariel Gilreath Posted: Sunday, November 27, 2016
When Marcus English first got back from his service with the U.S. Army in Afghanistan, he not only had to deal with post-traumatic stress disorder from watching his squadmate die right in front of him from an improvised explosive device (IED), but he also dealt with the pain of a herniated disc from the blast for six years.
As of Sept. 21, he is the first patient in the Upstate to receive the BRYAN artificial disc surgery on two disc levels.
The BRYAN surgery uses artificial discs to alleviate herniated discs rather than the traditional operation spinal surgeons use, which fuses the two discs together.
English was first deployed to Afghanistan in 2010 and was part of front line infantry. His squadron was doing a foot patrol to secure a compound in 2010 when one of them set off an IED.
“There was actually two guys in front of me -- the one guy kind of leaned up against the side of the building, hit a pressure plate IED and it went off,” English said. “I caught the blast that kind of threw me back, but when I landed, I actually landed on my neck and shoulders. So the blunt of the force was actually when I landed.”
English said the soldier who leaned against the pressure plate died.
“Then the gentleman behind him, he caught some fragments to his face from the fellow that was in front of him, and he went blind, and he actually had, I’d say, seven or eight different eye surgeries and they finally restored his vision,” English said.
English still has flashbacks of that moment and said he has since been diagnosed with PTSD.
From 2012-16, he lived with the pain of a herniated disc from the IED blast until almost exactly six years later, Dr. Michael Kilburn, with Self Regional’s South Carolina Spine Center, performed the BRYAN artificial disc surgery on him.
“The pain itself was gone immediately,” English said. “It made a world of difference immediately.” read more here
After fighting in Vietnam, he struggles with PTSD, the VA – and a terminal diagnosis News and Observer Michael Doyle November 23, 2016
“I did the very best I could for my country,” Sosa said.
THE APPELLANT RECOUNTED EXCHANGING GUNFIRE WITH THE ENEMY AND THE WOUNDING AND KILLING OF MEMBERS OF HIS UNIT . . . THE APPELLANT ALSO STATED THAT DURING THE AMBUSH HE ‘PRAYED FOR HIS LIFE.’ U.S. Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims Judge Mary J. Schoelen
The Gulfport, Mississippi, resident couldn’t escape them. Shards of what happened in South Vietnam in 1966 burst inside the 78-year-old Army veteran, shredding his peace of mind, he says.
For years, though, Department of Veterans Affairs examiners repeatedly denied Sosa’s claim of suffering from service-connected post-traumatic stress disorder. Inadequate evidence, one examiner said. Too vague, said another. Unsupported by “objective test results,” ruled a third.
Now, a specialized federal court for veterans has given Sosa another fighting chance to obtain the diagnosis he’s been seeking. If he succeeds this time, his VA benefits will increase, as will, perhaps, this terminally ill man’s belief in the system that so far has frustrated him.
“I am sorely disappointed in the VA,” Sosa said in a telephone interview. “They didn’t do nothing for me.”
Time, for Sosa, is getting short.
The retired commercial artist has been diagnosed with terminal cancer. He says doctors have given him just several months to live.
At one point, thinking about a potential increase in VA benefits, he imagined taking a vacation with his wife, Sheryl. Now, having given up morphine because of the hallucinations, he ranks his pain at 8 on a 10-scale, and future planning is stripped to the bone.
“My main concern: not to leave my wife in (bad) financial circumstances,” Sosa said.
Sosa started seeking post-traumatic-stress disability compensation benefits more than a dozen years ago, launching a prolonged process that has since carried him through myriad medical exams, administrative hearings and court proceedings.
“The court notes that (Sosa’s) claim has been pending since 2004 and has been remanded by the board three times for additional development,” Schoelen wrote, adding pointedly that she “regrets that this claim must be remanded to the board but expects that the secretary (of veterans affairs) will handle this claim in an expeditious manner.” Judge Schoelen, in her 12-page ruling, called that assessment inadequate, in part because it failed to properly consider Sosa’s own account of what he’d experienced. Her decision bounces Sosa’s application back to the Board of Veterans Appeals, where a new review will have to race against Sosa’s decline. read more here
Friends: Soldier who took his life outside VA is tragic example of vets desperate for help FOX 17 News BY ERIKA LATHON FRIDAY NOVEMBER 25TH 2016
"My only three options now or go back to jail, be homeless or check myself into the psych ward they knew the extent of my problems with PTSD depression,” Toombs says in the video.
MURFREESBORO, Tenn. (WZTV) -- Friends say a soldier who took his life before Thanksgiving is a tragic example of veterans desperate for help.
Authorities found the soldier's body on the Alvin York campus in Murfreesboro where he'd been recently discharged from a drug treatment program.
Veterans helping veterans as the Military Vets Motorcycle Club is camping for 48 hours.
read more here
From YouTube
My friend John Toombs last testament before he committed suicide after the VA refused to help him.
Justice For Toombs
Veterans 911: What’s Being Done to Combat Suicide After Service FOX 40 News BY NIKKI LAURENZO NOVEMBER 23, 2016
On July 28, right after he was released from Doctors Behavioral Health Center in Modesto, Scott went to Costco. He was shot by an off-duty police officer after lunging at him with a knife, according to investigators.
He survived and is now in the Stanislaus County Jail. It's a bond that began when they were kids, growing even stronger as they got older. Suzanne Perez said she tried everything.
"It was very hard. I wanted to make him better,” she said.
As the big sister, she felt a sense of responsibility.
“It was out of my control, and that was hard to accept,” Perez said.
Her brother, Gary Scott, is a Vietnam veteran who she said is battling severe depression and early signs of multiple sclerosis.
“He felt like it was hopeless, like nobody could help him. So he wanted to end his life,” Perez explained, fighting back tears.
She said she knew her brother was going to do something, but she didn’t imagine what was about to happen. read more here
