From Combat Boots to High Heels: Grand Forks woman enters pageant to shine light on veteran homeless Grand Folks Herald By Pamela Knudson Feb 28, 2017
"It's one of those things you never imagine yourself doing. I've never been a 'girly girl.' I didn't wear high heels; I wore a uniform and combat boots."
Sandy Gessler
Sandy Gessler never imagined herself as a beauty pageant contestant.
But, at age 60, she's entering the Ms. Veteran America contest to focus attention on the plight of homeless veterans—something she has experienced.
The Grand Forks woman plans to compete in the Ms. Veteran America regional pageant May 27 in Las Vegas. If she's one of the 25 contestants who wins there, she'll go on to the final competition in October in Washington, D.C. read more here
Custom-ordered Harley brings ‘freedom’ to disabled St. Augustine veteran Florida Times Union By Beth Reese Cravey Posted February 27, 2017
Brandon Long had wanted a motorcycle since he was a kid.
Salesman John Armstrong hands Brandon Long the keys to his new motorcycle as he walks him through the features of the custom Harley-Davidson the Adamec dealership on Baymeadows Road in Jacksonville created for him. Long, 26, a Marine veteran who lives in St. Augustine, ordered a three wheeler configured with hand control to cover the functions normally controlled by the rider's feet. Photo Bob Self Florida Times Union.
Long thought that dream would go unfulfilled after stepping on an improvised explosive device while on Marine Corps deployment in Afghanistan in December 2010. He said he died — and was resuscitated — eight times, lost both legs and spent two years in physical therapy.
“When I came back injured, I didn’t think I would be able to ride,” Long said.
Still, the dream persisted.
So Long and John Armstrong, a salesman at Adamec Harley-Davidson dealership on Baymeadows Road, spent about a year studying the motorcycle options for a double amputee in a wheelchair. And on Feb. 16, Long, now 26, arrived at the Jacksonville dealership to meet his brand-new Freewheeler, a three-wheeled motorcycle with all custom hand controls.
Long, who had waited a long “two months and two days” for the bike to arrive, was ecstatic.
“It was amazing,” he said last week. “Just absolutely amazing.” read more here
Soldier found dead at Fort Rucker hotel identified WTVY.com By April Davis Feb 28, 2017
FORT RUCKER, Ala. (WTVY) – [UPDATE: February 28, 2017] The soldier found deceased yesterday on Fort Rucker has been identified as Chief Warrant Officer Two Andre G. Nance.
Nance was 34 years of age and was previously stationed at Fort Hood, Texas. He was at Fort Rucker for the Warrant Officer Advance Course with onward orders to his next duty station at Fort Bragg, North Carolina.
At approximately 7:42 a.m. yesterday, an IHG employee called 911 after discovering Nance unresponsive in lodging on post. Upon examination, an Army flight surgeon declared him deceased.
The cause of death is currently under investigation by the U.S. Army Criminal Investigation Command. read more here
Veterans biker club headquarters burns down WCJB ABC News Published February 27th, 2017
"Our home burnt down. We know our community is behind us and we know the brotherhood doesn't go with the ashes of the house, because that's in here (points to heart) and we will grow here," Reeve said.
MARION COUNTY, Fla -- A veteran group in Marion Country is recovering from the shock of losing their headquarters in a massive fire.
The building was located near the intersection of SE 135th Ave. and SE 114th St. Rd. in Ocklawaha. The US Military Vets Motorcycle Club Marion County Chapter used this home as their headquarters since 2001.
The century-old home full of memories was left a pile of burnt wood and ashes Monday afternoon. Marion County Fire Rescue responded around 6:30 AM. Monday. HAZMAT teams members responded to the scene to mitigate propane tank hazards.
"You can't replace the items we had in the house that reflects our entire history. All the photos from our community involvement, the appreciative certificates and plaques that we had from our community," said David Reeve, a spokesperson for the club.
It was a gathering place for a brotherhood formed through years of sacrifice and service.
"Our brothers who are fallen; their memorials are in there," Reeve said. read more here
82nd Airborne paratrooper dies near Fort Bragg Army Times By: Charlsy Panzino February 27, 2017
A paratrooper from Fort Bragg, North Carolina, died Thursday in an off-post incident, according to an Army news release.
Spc. Johnathon D. Poole, of Oxford, Iowa, was assigned to Delta Company, 2nd Battalion, 505th Parachute Infantry Regiment, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 82nd Airborne Division.
The Fayetteville Police Department is investigating the incident, according to a spokesman with the 82nd Airborne Division. The nature of the incident was not announced as of mid-day Monday, and the police department did not respond immediately to Army Times' request for comment.
The 26-year-old infantryman joined the Army in February 2012 and was assigned to the 82nd Airborne Division in February 2013.
read more here
COUPLE DEPLORES HEARTBREAKING SCENE AT DURHAM VA HOSPITAL ABC 11 News John Camp February 27, 2017
"He was visibly in pain," said Hanna. "And I think the thing with that that disturbed me so much was that there were people just sitting there acting like nothing was happening and he was sitting right in front of them and they were not even acknowledging that it was happening."
DURHAM, North Carolina (WTVD) -- It's not hard to find stories of headaches -- and heartache -- when it comes to the VA. What makes this one different is it has pictures to go with it.
Marine veteran Stephen McMenamin and his wife, Hanna, moved to Raleigh from their home in Milwaukee a few months ago and already have amassed an armload of personal stories about long wait times at the Durham VA hospital -- both to get appointments in the first place and in the waiting room once at the hospital.
But they said it was what they saw Friday that moved them to take pictures and post them to Facebook.
"It was very upsetting," Stephen McMenamin said. He and his wife said they saw a handful of older veterans mistreated and ignored during the seven hours they were at the hospital, including an aged-veteran in a wheelchair. read more here
Soldiers take fresh approach in discussing feelings that could lead to suicide Killeen Daily Herald Capt. Kevin Sandell 504 Military Intelligence Brigade February 27, 2017
Maj. Chuck Lowman, the 504th’s brigade chaplain, said the initial planning process brought together representatives from the Army’s Family Advocacy Program, Army Community Services, the Fort Hood Suicide Prevention Office, the Behavioral Health Department at Carl R. Darnall Army Medical Center, and unit chaplains to discuss the event. He said the group consensus was “to get at the heart of what would create such despair within a person.
Col. Laura Knapp, far right, commander of the 504th Military Intelligence Brigade at Fort Hood, discusses the concepts of vulnerability and shame with soldiers and leaders Thursday, Feb. 16, 2017, at the Resiliency Leaders Development Forum at the West Fort Hood gym. The event was designed to get soldiers discussing factors towards suicide, and how to leverage camaraderie and team-spirit to defeat suicide.
FORT HOOD — Soldiers in military intelligence units on post recently took a fresh approach to talking openly about shame, vulnerability and similar feelings, including some that are known to lead to suicide. The Feb. 16 event, known as resiliency training in the Army, touched on weighty concepts not often seen in traditional Army training, but allowed soldiers to open a dialogue about difficult but universal emotions. Modeled after the brigade’s internal Leaders Professional Development program on the book, “Daring Greatly,” by Dr. Brene Brown, the forum took soldiers out of their comfort zones to discuss perceptions about vulnerability and shame. Both factors are leading contributors to behavioral health concerns, including suicide. During the forum’s opening comments, Command Sgt. Maj. Ryan Hipsley, the highest-ranking enlisted soldier for Fort Hood’s 504th Military Intelligence Brigade, said the purpose of the day was to get people talking about an uncomfortable topic in an unfamiliar setting. In the end, however, he said the experience would benefit soldiers and their units. read more here
Air Force officer's sexual assault sentence called lenient Associated Press February 26, 2017
SAN ANTONIO
Military prosecutors originally lodged seven charges and 17 specifications of misconduct against him. Conviction on all those charges could have resulted in more than 87 years in prison.
An Air Force noncommissioned officer convicted of misconduct with eight women, including three who accused him of sexually assaulting them, was sentenced to three months confinement and another month of hard labor, a punishment a victims' rights advocate called "shockingly light."
Tech. Sgt. Anthony Lizana, 35, also was reduced in rank to airman first class and was given a dishonorable discharge Saturday night at his trial at Joint Base San Antonio-Lackland. read more here
Navy identifies sailor shot and killed at Oceana Naval Air Station The Virginian-Pilot By Courtney Mabeus 17 hrs ago
Before entering the Navy, Wright, who was believed to be in his early 20s, was a volunteer firefighter with the Franktown Fire Protection District, about 35 miles southeast of Denver.
A sailor who crashed through Gate 2 of Oceana Naval Air Station late Friday made it all the way to the hangar for the squadron he worked for before he was shot and killed by a master at arms, U.S. Navy Fleet Forces Command said Sunday night.
Seaman Robert Colton Wright enlisted in the Navy in May 2016 and was assigned to Strike Fighter Squadron 81, based at Oceana, since Dec. 27, according to a Navy biography. He worked as an information systems technician for the squadron, which flies F/A-18E Super Hornets, according to the unit’s website.
Wright’s death occurred after a string of events that began with a hit-and-run about a mile from Oceana at the intersection of Dam Neck and Drakesmile roads just before 10 p.m. Friday. read more here
PTSD Hits First Responders Harder Combat PTSD Wounded Times Kathie Costos February 26, 2017
Suicide numbers edging up in Mass. on the Daily News out of Newburyport focused on a lot of details behind suicides. Within the article are the usual statistics, gender, age and means by which they ended their lives.
"One thing, if anything, taken away from this article is this part. “They feel like they’ve lost all hope and they don’t have options. Sometimes just having someone on the phone to listen and talk to is enough to turn them around.” Sen. Barbara L’Italien.
When I trained as a Chaplain with the IFOC I focused on First Responders simply because, while civilians can be hit by PTSD from one event, they face it on a daily basis, actually subjecting themselves to what the rest of us avoid. There are not enough people trying to take care of them. They get hit harder because they feel they are the ones who are supposed to be stronger, tougher than the rest of us, but what they do not realize is that at their core, they care more than the rest of us. Think about it. They are willing to die for each other and total strangers on a daily basis. When they are not facing the events that could end their lives, they are thinking about the ones that may come as much as they are remembering the ones that already happened. Massachusetts is trying to do something about that.
One proposal, by Sen. Barbara L’Italien, D-Andover, focuses on law enforcement officers who, according to statistics, are more likely to commit suicide than be killed in the line of duty. The bill was filed on behalf of Janice McCarthy, an Andover women whose husband, Paul, a former state police captain, died from suicide in 2006. The bill would create a new training program for police to recognize signs of post-traumatic stress disorder and suicidal behavior.
One thing they can try to do is have more folks trained in helping the responders. It has to be specialized training and sanctioned by the Police and Fire Departments, because they are closed off to the rest of the population, wanting to take care of their own. This, most of the time, is beneficial, but when you are too close to those you need to help, that emotional connection tends to get in the way and adds a heavier burden to the caregivers. As more and more people understand what PTSD is, more and more people are talking openly about it. There is power in the numbers but there is also a downside to it. Talking about it without investing the time in learning about it, has done more harm than good. It is great to care but when you don't care enough to learn first and act afterwards, you are part of the problem and one of the reasons they lose hope. I hope this helps you understand what they need to be reminded of.
Kevin Davison, Nova Scotia First Responder, Writes Song About 'Heavy Burden' Of The Job Huffington Post Canada Maham Abedi Posted: 02/25/2017
"You can't unsee the things you've seen. It keeps going on, when those sirens are gone." Kevin Davison
Kevin Davison is a volunteer firefighter.
First responders are ordinary people, but they're faced with the extraordinary challenges everyday.
Nova Scotia firefighter and paramedic Kevin Davison knows exactly what it's like — he has spent decades rescuing people, but also faced tragic loses. The gruesome scenes from his job often keep him awake at night, and at times he can't shake them off during the day. Though he's never been diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), Davison says he identifies with many of the symptoms.
"There have been times I've been to a major accident on the highway and it's taken me days to get my sleep back in order," Davison told The Huffington Post Canada. "Some of the things that you experience kind of stay with you."
After decades as a paramedic, Davison now focuses on his music career and volunteers as a firefighter in New Minas, N.S. He says music can be an escape during stressful times.
"I can forget about all the bad things that have happened, and just do music. I find it very therapeutic." read more here
When Those Sirens Are Gone Official Music Video Kevin Davison
How horses are helping Aussie diggers deal with post-traumatic stress disorder Daily Telegraph EXCLUSIVE, Jordan Baker The Sunday Telegraph February 25, 2017
“Even in times of high stress, afterwards you can think back and know there is another side, that you don’t always have to be hyper-vigilant or stressed or angry.” Ben Tyne
EVER since he returned from his army tour of Afghanistan, Ben Tyne has lived with the mental torture that is post-traumatic stress disorder. The rage, depression and loneliness are relentless, so any escape is precious.
There are currently limited services to assist servicemen and women who return from service. Picture: Sam Ruttyn
To that end, Mr Tyne spends as much time as he can with horses.
“It’s very honest,” he said. “There is no judgment and no ridicule.”
Equine-assisted therapy is rapidly growing in popularity as a way to calm and treat people with addiction and post-traumatic stress disorder.
The theory is that horses are socially sophisticated animals, and deeply responsive to emotional cues. In order to successfully interact with the horses, patients must work on regulating their own emotions, and keep their anger in check.
read more here
Soldier standoffs: Police, community respond to scars of war Killeen Daily Herald By Josh Sullivan and David Bryant | Herald staff writers February 25, 2017
“It’s a case where the individual has bad PTSD, so confrontations bring back previous confrontations with the enemy, and there are proponents of a flashback that drives back their current behavior. Those are the sad ones.” Dr. Thomas Newton
Eric J. Shelton | Herald Soldier standoffs: Police, community respond to scars of war FILE — Police officers draw their weapons during a crisis response after residents reported a man threatened others with a gun. Police have to deal with a medley of factors, from post-traumatic stress disorder to how long a veteran served, is taken into account in an effort to preserve life.
About 6:15 p.m. on a Friday, police responded to a call that a 30-year-old man had barricaded himself in his southwest Killeen home. The Killeen Police Department and the special weapons and tactics team engaged the man for nearly 10 hours before the standoff ended around 4:30 a.m.
While Army officials confirmed the man in the Feb. 10 standoff with Killeen police was a former Fort Hood soldier, information regarding the mental health status of individuals involved in similar incidents cannot be released, as it is protected health information, Fort Hood spokesman Christopher Haug said.
The man was taken into custody for evaluation after the standoff ended, according to Killeen Police Department spokeswoman Ofelia Miramontez. That’s not an unusual outcome for people who threaten self-harm, as long as there is no one else involved in the incident, she said.
Standoffs with police that involve either active-duty soldiers or veterans are nothing new. On Aug. 3, police shot a man in Copperas Cove after he aimed a rifle at them. On May 2, 2016, KPD was involved in a standoff from 8:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. with an armed and suicidal active-duty soldier about 4 miles north of the Feb. 10 standoff. On March 23, 2015, KPD responded to a standoff in northwest Killeen with a man who neighbors said was a veteran. KPD handled these situations without incident.
That’s not as simple as it may seem, because police have to deal with a medley of factors. Everything from post-traumatic stress disorder to how long a veteran served is taken into account in an effort to carry out the preservation of life. read more here
Fury as MoD scheme to give disabled war veterans hi-tech limbs is cancelled THREE times MIRROR UK BY MARTYN HALLEDAN WARBURTON 25 FEB 2017 Officials at the Ministry of Defence say they are unable to say when the trial – which fuses bones with titanium rods – will start again
A scheme that could give dozens of limbless war veterans new legs on the NHS has been cancelled three times, the Sunday People can reveal.
Defence chiefs admitted a 27-patient surgical programme has been delayed due to issues with the “equipment supply chain”.
It is a blow to brave veterans who have suffered devastating injuries in conflict zones across the world including Iraq and Afghanistan. read more here
Navy: Arrest of AWOL sailor and new mother was 'last resort' By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. Feb 24, 2017
Later, the judge told the newspaper his assistant bought a breast pump for $42.39 and gave it to Gnecco.
A 24-year-old U.S. Navy sailor who had a baby in August was arrested and remains on a military hold after being accused of deserting her post, court records show.
Ana Lucia Gnecco was arrested Wednesday at her parents' home in Hollywood, Florida, after failing to report on Jan. 14 to her base in Portsmouth, Virginia, where she is a seaman quartermaster and worked in the reception and medical support at the Naval Medical Center.
Her father, Armando Rodriguez, told the SunSentinel he didn't know she left the Navy earlier than she should have.
"She basically went AWOL; that's what the Navy is claiming," he told the newspaper.
The arrest was the last resort, said Christina Johnson, a Navy public affairs officer for the medical center. "She was in contact with her command and with the Navy's arm that would bring her back to duty. All efforts were made to get her back to work, but she chose to stay there."
When someone misses a return day by 30 days, "it's considered desertion," Johnson said. read more here
VA awards full benefits to veteran with Alzheimer's and PTSD after wife shares his story WITN News By CB Cotton/Lindsay Oliver Feb 23, 2017
"We had to have one of our examiners review that medical report, review the other evidence that they may have had, and really render an opinion that the veteran had PTSD," says Mark Bilosz, the director. "They were not able to disassociate the symptoms between the PTSD and the Alzheimer's, but basically once they diagnosed PTSD, we rated that and were able to grant 100 percent disability based on all the veteran's symptoms."
ONSLOW COUNTY, N.C. (WITN) - A local woman is facing a difficult battle - she is losing the man she loves. He's a man who served our country for more than 20 years in the Marines and now he's battling Alzheimer's disease.
After fighting to get benefits for her husband's care from the VA, things changed for the better after sharing her story with WITN.
"I asked him, 'Is my name Jeanette' and he said 'No' and I said, 'Well, am I your wife?' and he said 'Yes'," Jeanette Martinez says.
She says she and William were a happy family, raising two daughters, one adopted and one biological with Down syndrome. They've been married for 43 years.
She says in 2006, William, who served more than 20 years in the Marines, was starting to forget.
"We got the diagnosis in the 2008 that he had early onset dementia," Jeanette says. "It was devastating to both of us. It was the first time I saw my husband cry."
William was just 55 years old when diagnosed and was put on memory medications, medications that Jeanette says bought them time.
"As it progressed, the bad days were getting longer, but you could see the frustration, it's like he knew he didn't know and it frustrated him terribly," she explains. read more here
From A World Away: A Female Veteran Finds Understanding From An Unexpected Person Greeneville Sun By Kristen Early Associate Editor February 24, 2017
Now, she’s found peace in their quiet property — 11 acres of wooded land where they are building a log home. And having a husband who has been in battle, someone who understands her post-war demons more than most, has brought her some peace. Hayel served two mandatory years in the Iranian Air Force during Iran’s war against Iraq.
The story of how a U.S. Army veteran of the war in Iraq became the wife of a man born in Iran is complicated, to say the least.
How that same man came to the United States for the right to help others — and found God in the process — is powerful. When he met his future wife, she was struggling with post-traumatic stress disorder and the stigmas of being a female veteran.
Her first reaction to him: “He looked like a total terrorist to me.”
But her tone and the loving gaze the Mosheim couple shared as she said it proves how far Cindy Castle and Dr. Kamran Hayel have come since they first met while working at Johnson City’s Woodridge Hospital in 2006.
Castle hadn’t been home long from spending 18 months in Iraq, where she only felt safe when she was in a turret with a companion she called “Frank” — an M240 Bravo machine gun.
She was the only female in a 24-member Civil Affairs division and achieved the rank of sergeant; she’s proud of her service. Castle says she knew she wanted to enter as soon as she left high school. From there, she went to basic training, entered the Army Reserves and got her undergraduate degree in psychology at East Tennessee State University. read more here
Hundreds say goodbye to Amie Muller, who sounded alarm over toxic risks for Iraq veterans Star Tribune By Mark Brunswick FEBRUARY 24, 2017
Muller, who died of pancreatic cancer at age 36, worked and lived next to one of the most toxic military burn pits in all of Iraq.
National Guard veteran Amie Muller believed deployments to Iraq caused the cancer that killed her.
She worked and lived next to burn pits that billowed toxic smoke night and day at an air base in northern Iraq. After returning to Minnesota, she began experiencing health problems usually not seen in a woman in her 30s.
Muller died a week ago, nine months after being diagnosed with Stage III pancreatic cancer. On Friday, more than 800 of her friends and family gathered at a memorial service in Woodbury to remember the life of the 36-year-old mother of three. A pastor noted her loss was both painful and seemingly incomprehensible.
“I wish there was a simple way to explain what has happened to Amie. Why Amie is gone,” said Pastor Lisa Renlund. “Life truly isn’t that simple. It can get messy. It can feel complicated. It can seem unfair.”
But others also are remembering Muller’s battle to win recognition from the U.S. government for victims of the burn pits, which have the potential of becoming the Iraq and Afghanistan wars’ equivalent of the Vietnam War’s Agent Orange. It took nearly three decades for the U.S. government to eventually link the defoliant used in Vietnam to cancer.
Muller first told her story in the Star Tribune last year shortly after she was diagnosed.
In 2005 and in 2007, Muller was deployed to Balad, Iraq, with the Minnesota Air National Guard, embedded with a military intelligence squadron. The burn pit near her living quarters there was one of the most notorious of the more than 230 that were constructed at military bases across Iraq and Afghanistan before their use was restricted in 2009. Items ranging from Styrofoam to metals and plastics to electrical equipment to human body parts were incinerated, the flames stoked with jet fuel. read more here
Army Sued for Deadly Rampage at Fort Hood Courthouse News RYAN KOCIAN February 24, 2017
KILLEEN, Texas (CN) — Surviving family members of a 2015 shooting rampage outside Fort Hood say the Army failed to protect a battered spouse and her neighbors from her abusive husband, who should not have been able to obtain the gun he used in the murders.
Karin Kristensen, Michael Farina and Christina Guzman sued the United States in Federal Court on behalf of the estates of Dawn Larson Giffa, Lydia Farina and Steven Guzman, and their six surviving minor children.
In February 2015, Spc. (Specialist) Atase Giffa was living off-base with his wife, Dawn Giffa, and her son K.L. in Killeen. Dawn and K.L. were Canadian citizens and lawful U.S. residents. Giffa was about to be transferred to Georgia, but Dawn wanted to stay in Killeen to finish nursing school.
“Spc. Giffa took this news poorly,” the lawsuit says. On Feb. 9 Giffa took Dawn’s and K.L.’s passports and identification cards, plus Dawn’s credit cards and money. In a subsequent argument, neighbors saw him slam Dawn against their truck and hold her down by the wrists. The neighbors noticed red marks on Dawn where Giffa had grabbed her, thrown her, and restrained her, according to the complaint. read more here
