21-year HPD veteran commits suicide at Westside Patrol Station CW 39 News BY NEWSFIX STAFF MARCH 31, 2017
HOUSTON -- The Houston Police Department is mourning the death of one of its own after a sergeant took his own life at an HPD substation Friday morning.
According to HPD Chief Art Acevedo, officers discovered the body of a sergeant -- a 21-year veteran-- at the Westside Patrol Station at 3203 S. Dairy Ashford.
The sergeant arrived at the station at 5:45 a.m. and remained in the parking lot until 6:15 a.m. He then walked into the building.
At 7:40 a.m., personnel noted the sergeant did not appear at roll call and was unusually late. HPD personnel made efforts to locate the sergeant through phone contact and through his family members.
Officers learned the sergeant had left his residence and later located his vehicle inside the patrol station's parking lot. Upon identifying the vehicle, it was determined that they search the station. His body was found around 8:35 a.m.
The sergeant died from a single, self-inflicted gunshot wound to the head. read more here
Double-Amputee U.S. Marine Veteran Weds in Oceanside NBC Los Angeles By Todd Strain and Monica Garske April 1, 2017
Veteran United States Marine Cpl. Chris Van Etten married Samantha Yovandich Saturday in the wedding of their dreams, thanks to a program called "Vows for Vets"
A United States Marine veteran who lost both of his legs while serving in Afghanistan walked down the aisle Saturday to the love of his life during a beautiful wedding ceremony in Oceanside. Vibrant spring flowers, lace table cloths and, of course, a gorgeous white gown, filled the Paradise Falls event venue in Oceanside, all for the wedding of veteran U.S. Marine Cpl. Chris Van Etten and his bride, Samantha Yovandich.
Their wedding story is one that involves tragedy, love and generosity. The ceremony was a gift from Paradise Falls owners Al and Cathie Ransom. Once a year, the couple helps veterans by gifting weddings to wounded warriors through a program called "Vows for Vets." read more here
Iraq War vet pays tribute to his World War I brothers in arms The Morning Call Will Scheihing April 1, 2017
The brittle, yellowed postcard shows a crowd gathered in their Sunday best for a welcome home parade honoring the husbands, sons and brothers who served in World War I. A banner strung across Pennsylvania Avenue in Pen Argyl proclaims "History will honor you always."
For Bill Casamassima, an Iraq War veteran and former high school history teacher, that sentiment became a mission.
"It was a major war," Casamassima said, postcard in hand. "I didn't want the guys to be forgotten."
That mission led him on dozens of forays into Slate Belt cemeteries to unlock the lives of the men who served in the war America entered 100 years ago this week.
In his Pen Argyl home recently, Casamassima opened a thick ring binder in which he has listed the names, gleaned from gravestones, of local men who served. Casamassima thought he would discover 70 to 80 gravestones, what he found stunned him — 703. read more here
East Palo Alto: Veteran whose heroic deeds went unrecognized for six decades dead at 100 Mercury News Jason Green April 1, 2017
The captain “could not recognize me in the battle report because we had that vicious bigotry,” Clark said in an interview with this newspaper in 2012. He added that he was thrown in the brig, the ship’s holding cell, on two occasions for “acting like a white man.”
Carl Clark, 95, speaks after being awarded The Navy and Marine Corps Commendation Medal with the Combat Distinguishing Device at Moffett Field in Mountain View on Tuesday, Jan. 17, 2012. Clark, a World War II veteran, was honored Tuesday for his heroism on May, 3, 1945, when he helped save his destroyer, the USS Aaron Ward, during a kamikaze attack.
(Kirstina Sangsahachart/ Daily News)
EAST PALO ALTO — Friends, family and military personnel gathered Friday to pay tribute to the late Carl E. Clark, a U.S. Navy veteran from Menlo Park who had to wait more than 65 years for formal recognition of his heroism on the front lines of World War II.
Clark died March 16 at the Menlo Park division of the VA Palo Alto Health Care System. He was 100 years old.
Clark, an African-American, received the Navy and Marine Corps Commendation Medal at a ceremony in January 2012, six decades after he shrugged off a broken collarbone to douse fires and drag his fellow sailors to safety amidst a harrowing kamikaze attack on the USS Aaron Ward.
Although the captain personally thanked Clark, his actions were excluded from the official record.
read more here
Colorado woman's remains found under grave of WWII veteran Associated Press Thomas Peipert April 1, 2017
"For 7,826 days, 3 hours and 22 minutes, the location of Tina's remains has been a mystery," Weld County District Attorney Michael Rourke said in a news release Friday.
DENVER — A Colorado man who pleaded guilty Friday to killing his estranged wife more than two decades ago recently led authorities to her body, which was buried under the grave of a World War II veteran.
John Sandoval, 52, pleaded guilty to second-degree murder and was sentenced to 25 years in prison for the 1995 death of Kristina Tournai-Sandoval.
As part of a plea deal, he told investigators March 22 the remains were buried at a Greeley cemetery. read more here
Marine family to receive keys to new home with a heavy heart KXAN News By Lauren Lanmon Published: March 31, 2017
NEW BRAUNFELS, Texas (KXAN) – A New Braunfels Marine and his family will be handed the keys to a new home on Monday all thanks to the Helping a Hero organization.
Master Sergeant Blaine Scott joined the Marine Corps in 1992. In 2006, during his second deployment to Iraq, Scott was severely injured in an IED blast.
“Forty percent of my body burned. I had a severe left ankle break,” said Scott.
His injures make it difficult to get around his current home, so three years ago he applied for a new one through Helping a Hero.
“We are so excited, my wife and I, we feel very fortunate for this to happen to us,” said Scott.
For years, Scott and his family have opened their home to other wounded veterans. Scott says his new home has an extra room specifically built to house veterans who are going through a tough situation. “You still find those one or two guys that have nothing wrong with them and it’s deep inside and you say ‘hey man, I’ve had these issues too, let’s talk about it,’” he said.
However, the deepest wound for Scott didn’t happen in 2006, it happened just last year. “She was being bullied in school and we didn’t realize how bad it was,” said Scott.
In August, Scott’s daughter committed suicide. read more here
Community rallies to save property of Army veteran WY Daily.com By Andrew Harris March 31, 2017
“It’s such a weight off,” Winn said through tears after hearing the news Friday. “When my father left me the land, I knew it was important to keep it.”
Thanks to donations from the Williamsburg community, Army veteran Kimberly Winn will be able to keep land that has been in her family for five generations.
Kimberly Winn will be able to keep her land as the result of a community effort to raise her funds. (Andrew Harris/WYDaily)
WYDaily reported Thursday that Winn was delinquent more than $2,400 in fees associated with her two-acre Toano property. The veteran of the first Gulf War had until Friday to pay off her delinquency.
She would see the property head to auction if she failed to pay off her debt to the James City County’s Treasurer’s Office.
In one day, from Thursday morning into Friday, community citizens raised more than the amount needed to pay off Winn’s debt. read more here
The jerk decided to send a Tweet about how he felt. Not bad enough he actually feels that way, but when he was confronted for his actions, he turned around and blamed the media?
Professor tweets ‘trying not to vomit’ when person gives seat to soldier FOX 8 News BY CNNWIRE MARCH 31, 2017
PHILADELPHIA, Pennsylvania — A Drexel University professor tweeted that he was “trying not to vomit or yell about Mosul” after he watched a first-class passenger give up his seat for a uniformed soldier on an airplane.
Many on Twitter responded to the professor’s comments with anger and outrage.
George Ciccariello, associate professor of politics and global studies, posted the tweet Sunday on his private Twitter account. CNN obtained his tweet from a retweet someone else posted publicly on the social media platform.
Father, son dead in Longview murder-suicide The boy was a 1st grader at Northlake Elementary School KOIN 6 News Staff Published: March 30, 2017
A statement from the Lower Columbia Community Action Program said Pittore-Montiel had overcome many obstacles in his life. Staff said he grew up in foster care and was homeless after being discharged from the military
LONGVIEW, Wash. (KOIN) — A man and his son were found dead in what investigators determined was a murder-suicide in Longview Thursday morning.
David Pittore-Montiel and his son were found dead in an apparent murder-suicide in Longview on March 30, 2017. (LinkedIn photo)
David Michael Pittore-Montiel was 34 and his son, Michael, was 7 years old. Neighbors told KOIN Pittore-Montiel was a single father. The boy’s mother lives in California.
Longview police received a call about a suicidal man around 5:30 a.m. Thursday and responded to the apartment in the 900 block of 8th Avenue. Officers heard shots when they got to the door and found the man and child dead inside. read more here
Hopkins was ready to test pot as a treatment for PTSD. Then it quit the study Washington Post By Aaron Gregg March 31 at 3:43 PM
One of the lead researchers from MAPS recently did just that, in a PBS report that said the government-grown marijuana provided for the study was of poor quality and contaminated with mold. Hopkins quit the study two days later.
Marijuana provided by the federal government to a team of researchers studying whether the drug should be used to treat veterans with PTSD. (Multidisciplinary Association for Psychedelic Studies)
Eighteen months after joining a study on using marijuana to treat post-traumatic stress disorder, Johns Hopkins University has pulled out without enrolling any veterans, the latest setback for the long-awaited research.
A Johns Hopkins spokeswoman said the university’s goals were no longer aligned with those of the administrator of the study, the Santa Cruz, Calif.-based Multidisciplinary Association for Psychedelic Studies (MAPS). A spokesman for MAPS said the dispute was over federal drug policy and whether to openly challenge federal rules that say medical cannabis research must rely on marijuana grown by the federal National Institute on Drug Abuse. read more here
Houston VA Hospital Hosts Art Exhibit Showcasing Paintings By Female Veterans Houston Public Media AL ORTIZ POSTED ON MARCH 31, 2017
Lopez is in the process of being discharged due to Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) and says painting has been therapeutic in her journey to cope with the horrors of war.
Texas has the highest population of women veterans in the country and doing artistic work is one of the strategies some of them use to ease the transition to civilian life. The Michael E. DeBakey VA Medical Center has hosted an exhibit this month showing some of their paintings. Natalie Lopez, a San Antonio native, is the author of one of the pieces. Actually her painting, which is titled “Forever unfit puzzle” and depicts a soldier in distress, was one of 10 that won a nationwide contest organized by the Veteran Artist Program and the VA’s Center for Women Veterans. “Painting helps me release stress, just like the gym for most people,” Lopez, who was deployed in Afghanistan in 2007 and Iraq in 2008 and is now stationed in Abilene, told Houston Public Media. read more here
Tears and relief as NSW Police moves to remember officers who took their lives ABC News Australia Exclusive by the National Reporting Team's Lorna Knowles Posted about an hour ago
In 2013, Deborah Bryant's husband Ashley made a harrowing call to triple-0.
Key points:
Police who've suffered trauma on the job and took their lives will now be remembered on the wall
The shift in NSW Police policy is the result of campaigning from loved ones
Retiring police chief Andrew Scipione used his last months in office to change the criteria for inclusion on the wall
PHOTO: NSW is the first state to include officers who've taken their lives in their memorial. (ABC News: Benjamin Sveen)
The distraught former police officer told the operator: "I'm about to take my life. I suffer post-traumatic stress disorder, I can no longer live with the trauma of it.
"I want this to go to the coroner. There needs to be more things put in place for the partners of those that suffer, 'cause I suffer and so do the partners and there has to be more done with them.
"I have no more to say."
Those were his final words — the end of a long battle with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) following more than two decades as police officer in the Lismore area, in northern New South Wales.
This week, his widow gathered with others to see her husband officially recognised and honoured for his service and sacrifice.
Ms Bryant is among four women who have successfully campaigned to have the names of police officers who took their lives following trauma on the job included on the NSW Police Wall of Remembrance. read more here
VA Supports Congress’s Effort to Change Legislation to Expedite Process
WASHINGTON – After a through internal review of an employee of the Michael DeBakey Veterans Affairs Medical Center in Houston caught watching pornography while with a patient, the designated proposing official recommended removal from federal service.
VA immediately removed the employee in question from patient care and placed the employee on administrative duties. Due to current law, the deciding official cannot affect a final determination for 30 days from the date the proposal for removal was made. VA is committed to ensuring every employee retains their right to due process while at the same time reducing the time it takes to remove employees who have engaged in misconduct.
“This is an example of why we need accountability legislation as soon as possible,” said Secretary of Veterans Affairs David J. Shulkin. “It’s unacceptable that VA has to wait 30 days to act on a proposed removal.”
Under current law, the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) must continue to pay employees who are in the process of being removed. During this advance notice period, at least 30 days from the date that the employee’s removal has been proposed, assuming there is no evidence that the employee has committed a crime, an employee must be paid. If the employee has been assessed as a potential danger to Veterans, the employee should be placed on administrative leave with pay. If the employee does not pose an immediate threat to Veterans, they are typically placed on administrative duties, which limits their contact with Veterans and their families while ensuring that they aren’t sitting at home collecting a pay check without providing any services to the government.
VA is grateful that Congress has made employee accountability a priority. VA has been working with Congress to ensure legislation would provide VA the ability to expedite removals while still preserving an employee’s right to due process. Without these legislative changes, VA will continue to be forced to delay immediate actions to remove employees from federal service.
“Current legislation in Congress reduces the amount of time we have to wait before taking action,” continued Secretary Shulkin. “I look forward to working with both the Senate and the House to ensure final legislation gives us the flexibility we need.”
Museum of Military History Anniversary – Fri. March 31 – This great, but often overlooked, treasure celebrates the end of their 5th year and the beginning of their 6th. Soar through the air in our F-16A flight stimulator. Explore exhibits that recognize the sacrifice of our service members throughout military history eras – also Civil War, Buffalo Soldiers, K-9 exhibit, military coalition participants. Tour guides will be available to enhance your museum experience. Cake and coffee will be available all day to commemorate this anniversary! 5210 W. Irlo Bronson Hwy (192), Kissimmee. 407-507-3894. (If you no longer want your military treasures and artifacts, please consider donating them for safekeeping. Keep them out of a future landfill. Stories of the item(s) also appreciated!)
Osceola County Veterans Council Awards Dinner – Sat. April 1 - 16th Annual recognition of veterans making a difference in Osceola County. Kissimmee Elks Lodge on Kings Highway in Kissimmee. Happy hour commences at 6pm with dinner at 7pm. Limited number of tickets available. Contact Don at 407-507-3894.
Car Wash – Sat. April 1 – The Military Ministry at St. Luke’s United Methodist Church is holding a Car Wash from 8am – 12 noon. The Orlando Devil Dogs group of Young Marines will be assisting. Funds go towards care packages for military troops overseas. 4851 S. Apopka-Vineland Road, Orlando, 32819. Office: 407.876.4991 For info about Young Marines contact SGM Gionet at 407-963-9388.
Wounded Warfighter & Lone Sailor 5K/10K Run - Sat. April 1 – Hoping that you are participating in this great event! Information was in the March List #2 and #3. BUT – if you can’t actually attend, please consider the first time ever Virtual 5K/10K race sponsored by the Central Florida Navy League!! For the first time ever, if you have a conflicting calendar or live too far away, you can participate in a virtual race! The virtual race runs thru April 14. All participants will receive a high quality tech-shirt and finisher's medal. To register or to find out more information about this historic event, visit www. cfnl5k .org or the Facebook page at www. facebook.com/ cfnl5K
Orlando Navy Training Base - Were you aware that over 600,000 lives were changed on the site of the 5k/10k race – Blue Jacket Park - the former Orlando Navy Training Base? From 1968 until October 1994, NTC Orlando was also the sole location for providing recruit training for female enlisted personnel. The Central Florida Navy League is finishing the project of commemorating the enlisted persons with the bronze Lone Sailor Monument. Efforts are starting to commemorate the women who attended Basic Training in a female bronze monument – Project Sparky. Check out the website at cfnavyleague .org Also order a brick paver to commemorate your loved Navy sailor!
Classic Car Show – Sun April 2 - The Sons of the Legion host this gathering from 11am – 4pm at the American Legion Post 19, 5320 Alloway Street, Orlando, 32810. Come and see classic cars, listen to music, enjoy food, and baked goods. Info: SAL Commander Gene Mills mills.gene@ gmail .com 407-860-0301
CFDC Veterans Business Initiative (VBI) session # 6 starts on Tues. April 4 at 8:30 am. The VBI will run for eight weeks through March and April. This is a no cost program for all Military Veterans and their spouses who are seeking employment, entrepreneurial training and continuing education paths. Partners/Employers attending this session will be Duke Energy Corporation, U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Eagle 6 and Score. National Entrepreneur Center, 3201 E. Colonial Drive -Suite A-20 Orlando, 32803. Veterans and spouses can register at: www. cfdisabilitychamber .org/vbi/ Info: Rogue Gallart 407-420-4875 rogue@ nationalec .org
UCF Army ROTC Military Ball – Wed. April 5 - RSVP Deadline for AUSA Members, UCF Alumni, and interested others are invited to attend the Ball on Friday, 21 April at the Doubletree Hilton Hotel, Downtown Orlando, 60 S. Ivanhoe Blvd. Special guest speaker. More info and Tickets at ucfarotc.redpodium .com/alumni Info: john.bartholomew@ ucf .edu 407-823-0403
VA Discussion – Thurs. April 6 – Updates of changes in the local VA at Lake Nona and at the Lake Baldwin facilities. Also general discussion about the Choice program. Q & A opportunity. 11am at the Westminster Winter Park living facility, 1111 South Lakemont Ave, Suite 101. Public invited. Info and RSVP to Robbie at 407-647-7329, ext. 366.
Veteran Infused Employment Workshops – Tues – Thurs, April 10 - 13 - Various free seminars offered to veterans that will assist in job searching. Lake Nona VA Hospital site, 4th Flr conference rooms. 13800 Veterans Way, Orlando, 32827. Apr 10 – Creating your Job Search Plan; Apr 11 – Create a Marketable You; Apr 12 – Define your Resources; Apr 13 – Take Action and Mock Interviews. Seminars are 10am – 2pm, Lunch is NOT provided. Contact Annie Artis, ellamay.artis@ va .gov 407-646-5500 x27246 Contact her to get on future job fair lists, employer events and future employment workshops.
Job Fair at UCF – Tues. April 11 – Job Fair from 5pm – 8 pm, UCF Morgridge International Reading Center, UCF campus at 4143 Andromeda Loop, Orlando, 32816. 407-882-6472 (407-882-MIRC)
My bad – I made a mistake on the date of the following – it should have been April 11 instead of April 4. Only those who show up at the meeting can vote on whether or not I should be punished… a “Code Red”?
Marine Corps League Orlando - Tues, April 11 - Cpl. Larry E. Smedley, Detachment 064 Monthly Meeting, 7pm – 8pm at the at American Legion Florida Department bldg., 1912A Lee Road, Orlando, FL 32810. Info: mclcfl @gmail. com or Sr.Vice Cdr at 407-963-9388.
(Cpl. Larry Smedley was an Orange County resident and enlisted in the Marine Corps. He was killed in Vietnam on December 21, 1967 after heroic actions were seen in battle. He earned the Medal of Honor, awarded posthumously; he was 18 yrs old.)
Central Florida Navy League luncheon and meeting – Wed. April 12 – All persons who support the sea services, whether civilian or military, are welcomed to attend this gathering on the 2nd Wed. of each month. 11:30 – 1pm at the Holiday Inn – UCF, 1724 N. Alafaya Trail, Orlando, 32826. Interesting speakers and networking potential includes the simulation technology businesses. $20 with credit card payment on website (cfnavyleague .org) or $25 at the door. 3rd largest Navy League in FL with diverse membership including nearby technology industries. Contact Bob K. (Membership Chair.) at navleaguecenfl@ juno .com 407-977-7575
(NEW! The Navy League offers national E-Membership for only $25 per year! Prior military service is NOT required. Support the sea services – Navy, Marines, Coast Guard and Merchant Marines – with membership.)
Army Aviation Association of America, Networking Social – Fri April 14 – Join the Central Florida Chapter of 4A’s (aka Quad A) during Happy Hour for some fun and friendship at Froggers, Alafaya Square, 27 Alafaya Woods Blvd, Oviedo, 32765. Info: sean.c.osmond@ gmail .com
Coast Guard Auxiliary meeting – Sat. April 15 – The Orlando-Winter Park Flotilla 17-11 meets on the 3rd Sat. of each month, 9am, at the Lake Baldwin VA Clinic, 5201 Raymond St., Orlando, 32803. Auxiliary members are volunteers who support the Coast Guard in all its non-military, and non-law-enforcement missions. Members help to provide maritime safety, security and stewardship; to secure the homeland, save lives and property; and to protect the environment. There are several Flotillas (groups) in Central Florida and membership in the Auxiliary is open to persons 17 years of age and older – some are much older but young at heart! Info: Joseph Bonaccorse bonaccorse@usa.net 407.222.9681.
VFW Post 10139 Annual Easter Egg Hunt – Sat. April 15 – Enjoy Spring and Easter and bring the little ones to join in on our Easter Egg Hunt! Also face painting, a bounce house, cupcake decorating, Easter crafts, hot dogs and tons of FUN! Open to the public! 10am-12noon. VFW Post 10139, 300 Lake Mills Ave, Chuluota, 32766. (East Seminole County) This is a 100% Smoke-Free Post!
Florida Association of Veteran Owned Businesses mtg (FAVOB) – Tues April 18 - 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, and with our state, our cities, and counties too. See FAVOB Facebook site. Info: chairman@ favob .org or marketing@ favob .org
Orange County Mayors’ Veterans Advisory Council –Wed. April 19 – 1:30pmmonthly 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 Col. Edwin Marrero for attendance and location information. emarrero81 @cfl.rr .com
April 20 - The Holocaust Center's annual Dinner of Tribute will be honoring Orlando Mayor Buddy Dyer. As a member of his Veteran’s Advisory Council, I (Cathy Haynes) would be interested in learning about our living veterans from WW2 who may have assisted with the liberation of the Nazi labor camps and death camps. With the 75th anniversary of many WW2 events present or coming up, perhaps some students would be interested in learning, and such veterans willing to share their stories that could be collected by the Holocaust Center… Perhaps they can be honored as a defender of freedoms? Maybe survivors or families of survivors would like to thank them for their service. Let me know… chaynes11629@ yahoo .com
CFMCF Social Networking – Fri. April 21 - Enjoy some time during Happy Hour with the Central Florida Marine Corps Foundation at the Buffalo Wild Wings, 11400 University Blvd, Orlando, 32817 4:30pm starts your weekend with some friends, networking, and learning how you can serve in the community to make Central Florida a better place! Look for the red shirts. Happy Hour Info: sean.c.osmond@ gmail. com
Earth Day Beautification – Sat. April 22 – Come join the employees of Siemens when they add landscaping and other beautification to the Domicilary area of the Orlando VA Outpatient Medical Center at Lake Baldwin, 8 am – 5 pm, 5201 Raymond Street, Orlando, 32803.
Greeters needed! Honor Flights - Orlando Int’l Airport –After a day spent in Washington DC, veterans of WWII, Korean War and Vietnam return home thru Orlando Int’l Airport in the evening. The nation-wide organization has three local hubs that take 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. Come welcome these former warriors home! “Welcome Home” receptions at the airports make a difference! Bring your flags, banners and signs! – This months’ dates are:
Sat. April 22 – info pending on the return of 25 veterans in the evening.
Sat. May 6 - info pending on the return of 24 veterans in the evening.
Information on these and for more Flights will be forthcoming. Contact Cathy Haynes for those details 407-239-8468 chaynes11629 @yahoo .com
(Did you watch the NCIS program on CBS on March 28? You definitely need to see the final minutes to understand what these veterans feel at these Honor Flight Welcome Home events.)
Vietnam Traveling Memorial Wall - April 27 - May 1 - City of Eustis is the site of this touching memorial. Volunteers, sponsors, vendors for this event are welcomed. Also yearly music Fest event April 28-30th. Info: Erin Bailey 352-483-5491
U. S. Marine Corps Combat Correspondents Foundation Golf Tournament – Fri. April 28 – The Florida Chapter of this group (USMCCCA) use all the proceeds of this 13th Annual event to benefit America's wounded Marines in charitable, educational and patriotic programs. Sherman Hills Golf Club - considered one of Central Florida’s better venues - at 31200 Eagle Falls Drive, Brooksville, 34602. 12:30pm sharp, shotgun start, usual tournament benefits, and meal, awards following tournament. Corporate sponsorships still welcomed! Donations VERY welcomed! Info: James “Red” Carpenter at jcar1@ tampabay.rr. com or (352) 688-6720.
Vietnam Traveling Memorial Wall – Sun. April 30, Mon. May 1 – This replica tribute arrives on Sunday April 30 for a week at the Vietnam and All Veterans Reunion. Large motorcycle and first responder vehicle escort leaving Eastern Florida State College, Clearlake Rd, Cocoa at 10am. Proceeding down the highway to Wickham Park, 2500 Parkway Dr, Melbourne, 32935. It will remain at Wickham Park thru Sun. May 7. The cortege is a sight to behold going down the highway! 12pm: Covered dish picnic and wall set up.
Mon. May 1 – 6pm: Presentation of Wreaths from organizations. 7pm – Opening ceremonies.
This is from last year....
Mon. May 8 – 9am Wall take down and clean up.
Vietnam and All Veterans Reunion – Thurs. May 4 – Sun. May 7 – This is the 30th Annual Reunion - the nation’s largest veterans reunion is very well attended; military displays, reenactments and ceremonies, music, old and new friends. All eras, all branches. Military vendors have almost every patch or pin that you could ever need. Last year brought 87k+ persons. Wickham Park, 2500 Parkway Dr., Melbourne, 32935. Additionally, the Vietnam Veterans Traveling Memorial Wall will be onsite from Sun. Apr. 30 to May 7. Definitely check the website for the schedule of numerous and varied events at floridaveteransreunion .com – VERY busy and interesting each day. Free parking, free admission. Info: Info: 321-408-2698. Vendors call: 321-652-4185 or vet.reunion.vendor@ gmail .com
MISCELLANEOUS
Fantasy of Flight Museum is currently OPEN on weekends!! It has a large collection of military aircraft. Friday - Sunday 11am - 3pm. Fantasy of Flight Museum, 1400 Broadway Blvd SE, Polk City, 33868 (Take exit 44 from I-4) Ph: 863-984-3500 or check their website for more info.
The Young Marines is a youth program open to all youth, boys and girls, between the ages of 8 to 18. The Orlando Devil Dogs is the local group for Central Florida youth and has received many awards, do volunteer work and have lots of fun. The national organization guides the youth by:
To promote the mental, moral, and physical development in its members, the principles of honesty, fairness, courage, respect, loyalty, dependability, attention to duty, and fidelity to the United States and its institutions
To stimulate an interest in, and respect for academic achievement and the history and traditions of the United States and the U.S. Marine Corps.
Their three core values are leadership, discipline, and teamwork
This past December, 20 of the local Young Marines went to Pearl Harbor in Hawaii to participate in the 75th Anniversary. They took part in the commemorative parade, visiting the USS Arizona and USS Missouri, and placing a wreath at the Punchbowl burial site. They also assisted the 75+ remaining Pearl Harbor survivors who were attending the various ceremonies. Past trips have been made to Iwo Jima, and Arizona to honor the Navajo Code Talkers. Note: You don't see these young men and women in headlines for crimes or being taken into juvenile detention. And there's a reason........... For more info contact sgtmajgna@ earthlink .net
Gold Star daughter needs help – It has come to the attention of a valuable resource that the 15 year old daughter of a fallen Marine needs a MAC computer. She is being homeschooled, hopes to go into engineering, and the various associated courses and lessons are only MAC compatible. Laptop preferred but desktop would be welcomed. If you or your business can help, contact Ms. Baines at S.O.S. – Survivor Outreach Services at 407-240-5939 x1612.
Villagers for Veterans reports that they would like donated bicycles to be used by veterans for therapy Bike Rides in The Villages area. Your donation is Tax Deductible. Call Marie Bogdonoff at 516-220-5068.
Bicycles and bicycle repair equipment would be greatly appreciated at the Domicilary’s located at the Orlando VA Hospital at Lake Nona and the Orlando VA Medical Center at Lake Baldwin. Some of the veterans are undergoing various rehabilitation and appreciate access to bicycles. Tools and equipment to perform repairs to tires and chains needed too. Contact: Jenny Danieli at 407-631-7110 jenny.danieli @va. gov or Mike Weaver at (Lake Baldwin) 407-646-5500 x29003 michael.weaver2@ va.gov
Wanted: Leather Craft instructor and Yoga instructor(s) – The veterans at the Domicilary’s at Lake Nona and Lake Baldwin want to learn the basics! They already have tools and yoga mats but they need the caring people to guide the idle hands and limbs! Contact Volunteer Services at 407-631-0135 or the above contact resources.
Mentors needed - Veteran Courts ARE succeeding! Longer term success is possible and proven with community mentors. There are mentoring programs in Orange, Seminole and Osceola Counties. Be a “battle buddy” or “foxhole buddy” by assisting someone with life challenges. No proselytizing – just non-judgmental caring. Most of the offenders are DUI or possession, or “minor” PTS anger issues that are being rechanneled. No dangerous felony-accused are in the Veterans Court program. If you have experienced substance abuse – although not required - and came thru it, you may be very helpful to someone else. Women mentors for women veterans are needed. If you are interested in participating as a mentor, know someone who is interested, or are a part of an organization where Mentors can be recruited, contact your local Veterans Court resource.
Ancestors who were veterans – Have you ever wondered if you had relatives who served in the military? It is possible to find them! Groups like local genealogical societies, Sons of the American Revolution (SAR), Daughters of the American Revolution (DAR) and others are very happy to teach you how to research those ancestors. When you find those veteran ancestors, why not join an organization to honor their service as a regular member or associate/auxiliary? Korean War Veterans, SAR, DAR, Sons/Daughters of the Confederacy or Union Veterans, and others. As I like to suggest to veterans who have found ancestors who fought in the American Revolution, “You swore to uphold nearly the same Constitution that your ancestors fought to allow to get into place….” Group membership is a nice way to honor them. And the freedoms that were fought for and won is what immigrant ancestors wanted for themselves and their families. It’s a neat honor to commemorate those ancestors, and a family member with military service puts a new facet on learning US History for kids and grandkids!
Caring and sharing,
Cathy Haynes
Member/supporter of numerous veteran and military organizations in Central FL
WASHINGTON, D.C.– Bipartisan legislation authored by Senator Pat Toomey (R-Pa.) and Senator Joe Donnelly (D-Ind.) permanently designating March 29th as National Vietnam War Veterans Day has been signed into law by President Trump.
The Vietnam War Veterans Recognition Act represents the first federal statute recognizing the bravery and sacrifice of veterans who served during the Vietnam War.
“In many cases, Vietnam veterans did not receive the warm welcome they earned when they came home,” said Sen. Toomey.
Military veteran making steel US flags shows his mettle FOX Alicia Acuna March 29, 2017
That was more than 18 months ago. Today, his company, Iron Mountain Designs, has an 8,000-square-foot production facility in Salt Lake City, where he has a team, and an expanded business, making custom ironwork and furniture for other businesses.
Military veterans can have a tough time re-entering the workforce after serving in war. The special skills honed on the battlefield don't always translate to the civilian world.
Such was the case for retired Air Force pararescueman Josh Vandenbrink. After 14 years of service and 21 deployments to Iraq and Afghanistan, his life back home came with some readjusting.
The Utah man tried multiple jobs in a variety of industries, when one day he, somewhat accidentally, launched his own business. A fellow veteran in the Salt Lake City area who owned a coffee company called Black Rifle Coffee let him set up a work room in the back of his warehouse.
The first thing he did was buy a flag.
On each flag, he puts a reminder from the past. A quote by President George Washington is engraved on a wood plaque, hidden on the back. It reads: "I hope I shall possess the firmness and virtue enough to maintain what I consider the most enviable of all titles. The character of an honest man." read more here
Killeen: Soldier salutes fallen veteran in pouring rain KWTX 10 News By Kathleen Serie Mar 28, 2017 KILLEEN, Texas (KWTX) A Fort Hood soldier is receiving positive recognition for saluting a fallen veteran’s funeral procession in the pouring rain.
Kenneth Varnes said he was driving northbound on Highway 195 in Killeen on Friday when he noticed a funeral procession on the other side of the highway.
When he pulled over, he recognized that the procession was for a fallen veteran, so he got out of his truck and saluted until the last patrol car passed.
DoD-VA Research Partnership to Improve Understanding of Active Duty and Veteran Health CA, UNITED STATES Courtesy Story Naval Health Research Center 03.28.2017
“The current study shows the course of PTSD is similar between separated and continuously serving active duty personnel, supporting the use of common treatment methods within the VA and DoD, which will facilitate the transition of patients from one system to the other,” said Faix.
A new partnership between DoD and VA medical researchers achieves a milestone with its first joint publication, which examines post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms in veteran and active duty populations. The study will be published in the Journal of Psychiatric Research, June 2017.
The new study, the first to compare PTSD symptom trajectories of current and former service members, was authored by researchers from the VA and the DoD’s Millennium Cohort Study (MCS), a longitudinal study to evaluate the health of military personnel throughout their careers and after, launched in 2001 and led by the Naval Health Research Center.
“The Millennium Cohort Study is one of the largest sources of self-reported health information of current and former service members,” said Cmdr. Dennis Faix, director of the Millennium Cohort Study and preventive medicine physician. “Many DoD studies only examine current service members and many VA studies begin examining veterans after they have separated from the military. The Millennium Cohort Study is one of the few studies that straddle this line.”
In the joint study, DoD and VA researchers found similar PTSD symptom trajectories in active duty personnel and veterans, suggesting consistency in how both groups experience PTSD over time. Of the four trajectories found in both groups, the most common was the resilient trajectory with low PTSD symptom levels. Veterans, however, were less likely to be classified in the resilient category than those on active duty. read more here
Some South Texas veterans suffering from mental illness get in-home treatment FOX 29 San Antonio March 28, 2017
The team works at the Audie Murphy Memorial Veterans Hospital. Social workers, doctors and some veterans drive to a vet's home to help them cope with illnesses like Schizophrenia or Bi-polar disorder.
SAN ANTONIO - Mental illness is a topic many people are afraid to talk about and it may even discourage some military veterans from seeking help. That's why the Veterans Affairs administration has been providing a special option for some vets suffering from severe mental illness. According to the VA, a growing number of military vets in our area need help dealing with mental illness. For more than 10 years, the Intensive Community Mental Health Recovery team has been providing home visits to vets as far away as Kerrville. read more here
Trump's budget could hurt efforts to curb veteran homelessness Associated Press Jennifer McDermott March 28, 2017
Navy veteran Stephen Matthews sits for a photograph in the bedroom of a relatives home, in Warwick, R.I., on Dec. 11, 2016. STEVEN SENNE/AP
PROVIDENCE, R.I. — The push to end homelessness among veterans would suffer without the U.S. Interagency Council on Homelessness, which is up for elimination under President Donald Trump's proposed budget, nonprofits and local officials say.
The council coordinates the efforts of 19 federal agencies that play a role in preventing and ending homelessness among all Americans. But the strides made with veterans — for whom homelessness has been effectively ended in three states and dozens of communities amid a concerted effort — make the proposed cuts particularly upsetting to advocates.
Homeless advocates in any given state consult the council, whose annual budget is about $3.5 million, on which strategies are working elsewhere as they seek to house veterans. They worry momentum will slow.
"We've learned how to end homelessness," said Nonie Brennan, chief executive of the nonprofit All Chicago. "It would be a tremendous shame if we were not able to continue to implement these strategies in our communities across the country." read more here
