Soldier's Memorial Honors Vietnam Veterans

Vietnam Veterans Honored With Soldier’s Cross 
WNEP News 
BY ALLEN VICKERS 
MAY 13, 2017 

NORTH MANHEIM TOWNSHIP -- A fallen soldier's cross was unveiled at the Schuylkill County Vietnam Memorial just outside Schuylkill Haven.

Even with rain falling, people made their way out to honor those who lost their lives in Vietnam.

“People leave and make the commitment. They are writing a blank check and when you join the service, you are writing a blank check. You go away from your family and fight for what you think is right so we can live the way we want to live in the United States,” said veteran Bill Higgins, Vietnam War Post 29. 

The memorial, which sits next to the First United Church of Christ, was dedicated 20 years ago. Now, bronze boots, a weapon, and a helmet sit on a pedestal.

“It’s an honor to be here. These guys deserve the credit they didn't get when they came home. That's why we are here honoring our veterans,” said Kenneth Albitz of Schuylkill Haven. read more here

Flag covered veteran's body on gurney instead of being in a casket?

Funeral home faces backlash after visitation with veteran’s body on gurney
FOX 2 News St. Louis
MAY 12, 2017

The funeral home and the family came to an agreement before Friday afternoon’s service. Taylor was placed in a coffin in time for the service and the burial.

CATOOSA COUNTY, GA – A dispute between the family of a deceased veteran and a funeral home has gone viral. A picture of George Taylor’s body on display at a visitation has outraged many on Facebook. The deceased was placed on a gurney and draped with an American flag.

Taylor’s family says Heritage Funeral Home refused to put Taylor in a casket because of problems with the life insurance payment. His family was given little or no notice before the visitation.

WTVC-TV reports that funeral home representatives who say they did what the family asked and did nothing wrong. They also said since the photo was shared on social media, they’ve been receiving threats from the community.

The family and the funeral home came to an agreement on Friday. Taylor’s body was placed in a coffin in time for the service and burial.
read more here

Tucson Fire Department Fighting PTSD "Firefighters are normal people, too!"

Tucson Fire Department taking strides to ensure mental, physical health of troubled employees
Arizona Daily Star
By Caitlin Schmidt
May 13, 2017

“Firefighters are normal people, too, and people have stress in their lives. Those things are what we’re trying to deal with.” Assistant Chief Joe Gulotta.

Kelly Presnell Arizona Daily Star 2016

Tucson Fire Department offers first responders a medical plan that addresses post traumatic stress disorder and other mental health issues

For years, Tucson-area fire departments have been working with a local health-care program to create a comprehensive medical plan that addresses stress and mental health in first responders.

April was a difficult month for the Tucson Fire Department, with a murder-suicide perpetrated by one of its own taking place days before the sentencing of a former captain for three murders.

On April 15, Frederick Bair, a captain, shot and injured his ex-wife and fatally shot her friend at Firebirds restaurant at La Encantada. Bair killed himself in the incident. Days later, former Capt. David Watson was sentenced to life in prison for the murders of his ex-wife, her mother and her mother’s friend.

Bair’s shocking act of violence hit department members hard. Firefighters and paramedics across the department were shaken by the incident. But it also affected Dr. Wayne Peate, who’d known Bair for decades.

“One of the things that firefighters do well is work as a team. I could see them grieving, but I could start to see the team forming to support those who needed help,” said Peate, who has worked as a doctor with the Tucson Fire Department since the 1990s and started a company that subcontracts with the Fire Department to provide health and wellness programs.
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Flag Gently Placed in Hands of a Broken Mother

Guest Post
On Behalf of a Grateful Nation
Elmer Miguel
May 11, 2017

"The family, sobbing quietly, held one another and stared at the flag awaiting the ceremony. It would soon be presented, triangular and crisp, gently placed in the hands of a broken mother."

A crowd huddled around the flag draped casket. Pewter and silver opposed the bold bright colors of the cloth. She did not wave on this day, rather she lay solemnly embracing the venerated Marine beneath.

The family, sobbing quietly, held one another and stared at the flag awaiting the ceremony. It would soon be presented, triangular and crisp, gently placed in the hands of a broken mother.

The surviving warriors, those who had been scorched by the flames of warfare, wished he was still alive yet coveted his glory. They dreamed of dying in close combat as he did, fierce and loud as a hurricane. Their hearts, normally happy and strong, now crushed by the finality of the grave. What once was a possibility in the mind now was a reality in the flesh. Their shoulders strained under the heaviness of his body as they carried him to the grave. Disbelief, sorrow, and pride spilled from their chests. With stern faces and focused stares into the skyline, they refused to break military bearing though their eyes were on the brink of bursting. In those moments a few tears seeped through the hardiest defenses.

“On behalf of the President of the United States, the Commandant of the Marine Corps, and a grateful nation, please accept this flag as a symbol of our appreciation for Wade’s honorable and faithful service.”
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Australia Veterans Joining Together to Save Lives of Other Veterans

'He had 10 knives and a machete': The unvarnished truth about veteran suicides
Sydney Morning Herald
David Wroe
May 13, 2017

Andrew "Mung" Perry, an Air Force sharpshooter who had spent eight months in Afghanistan watching the backs of other Australian troops, tried eight times to kill himself after he returned, with some incidents requiring police tactical response teams. On the eighth attempt, in December 2015, he took his life.

One of the good moments Kamaia Alexander had with her stepfather after he came back from Afghanistan was when he was in hospital recovering from a suicide attempt. That day was like the old times when they had joked and played pranks together.

Andrew "Mung" Perr was an Air Force sharpshooter who had spent eight months in Afghanistan.

"We made his escape plan. Our plan was to get the food trays and skate our way out. We forgot that home was actually uphill, not down. It was a good plan in our heads," she says.

But there were mostly bad moments, like one afternoon in bushland north-east of Darwin. Alexander was just 18 at the time.

"He had 10 knives and a machete on his person. He had carved some words into his legs," she says.

"We spent from 4.30 in the afternoon to midnight to slowly convince him to get rid of each knife.

"Once I got him down to one knife, I got him to drop it and I ended up just lying on the dirt with him and giving him a hug and letting him cry."
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Australian veterans joining forces in the fight against military suicide
Sydney Morning Herald
David Wroe
May 13, 2017

On New Year's Day, Garth Camac got a call from a former soldier under his command telling him that a mutual friend was in trouble.

Garth Camac served on two tours of Iraq and was also commander of a unit that lost five of its members in Malaysia in 1993. Photo: Robert Shakespeare

The mutual friend, also an ex-soldier, had taken a potentially fatal cocktail of drugs. He was also threatening to kill himself. He'd just passed out while on the phone to the man who was now calling Camac for help.

Camac, who has a lengthy history working with struggling ex-military personnel and is now associated with a group called Warriors Return, hit the phones and summoned the cavalry in Queensland.

"I was able to co-ordinate police and ambulance and other mates to get involved and get him into ICU and he's now recovering well," Camac recalls.

Three months later, another case emerged. Ashley Meek, a veteran who'd served in Iraq and East Timor and gone on to become a South Australian policeman, had posted a Facebook message stating "F--- the police, F--- the Army" and indicating he was going to kill himself.

Though Camac didn't know him, they had at different times served in the same battalion. Once again, a network of veterans kicked into gear, contacting emergency services and each other to be ready to provide support. State police were already on the case, but this time everyone was too late. Meek walked into the hospital in the small town of Cowell, 500 kilometres west of Adelaide, and killed himself in front of medical staff.
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Vietnam Veteran Came Home With PTSD and Music

How music is healing the wounds of Richmond Veteran with PTSD
WTVR 6 News
BY GREG MCQUADE
MAY 12, 2017

RICHMOND, Va. -- In his darkened, cluttered basement Steve Koslowski finds sheer bliss with a beat.

Koslowski immerses himself in song.

“Most days I am down here for five, six seven hours,” said Koslowski. “You name it. It runs the entire gambit.”

From the Bee Gees and Bach to Chopin and Shaft.

“I can go back and listen to Isaac Hayes if I want to,” he added.

“Eighteen of us went in country North Vietnam 30 miles west of Hanoi. Four of us came out,” he said.

The experience in his late teens scarred him on the outside and in. Koslowski showed reporter Greg McQuade the scars of three bullet holes he says were from the enemy in Vietnam.

“I have bullet holes here. Here and here. They went in there. Came out there. Bounced off,” said Koslowski.

PTSD led to a string of unsuccessful jobs driving trucks and a failed first marriage. He was at the end of his rope. But rediscovering music is slowly pulling Koslowski out of his dark place.
read more here

The 11th Marine Expeditionary Unit Welcomed Back Home

Daddy's home!
Daily Mail
By Ekin Karasin For Mailonline
PUBLISHED: 07:45 EDT, 12 May 2017

Ecstatic toddler runs into his Marine father's arms while a tearful sailor cradles his pregnant wife's baby bump at emotional homecoming reunion after seven months overseas
Elijah Proctor flew to embrace his father Sergeant William, at Camp Pendleton in Oceanside, California
The 11th Marine Expeditionary Unit returned after serving in Western Pacific, Middle East, and Horn of Africa
Photos also captured an emotional Lance Corporal Shane McMain embracing his pregnant wife Madison

This is the heart-rending moment Elijah Proctor ran into the arms of his Marine father William when he finally returned home after serving overseas for seven months, at a homecoming reception in California

Elijah Proctor flew to embrace his beaming father Sergeant William, while his mother Lindsey looked on lovingly, at a homecoming reception at Camp Pendleton in Oceanside, California, on Thursday.

Sgt Proctor was among dozens of excited Marines and sailors from the 11th Marine Expeditionary Unit returning home after serving in the Western Pacific, Middle East, and Horn of Africa.

Sgt Proctor cradled Elijah in his arms as the sweet toddler puckered his lips to give his father a kiss

Touching photos also captured a tearful Lance Corporal Shane McMain kneeling to embrace his wife Madison, who is pregnant with their first child, and cradle her baby bump.

A tearful Lance Corporal Shane McMain knelt to embrace his wife Madison, who is pregnant with their first child, and cradle her baby bump

Elsewhere, proud mother Teresa Vickers squeezed her eyes shut as she wrapped her arms tightly around her son, Sergeant Nicholas, while Katie Sciutto tenderly kissed her boyfriend Corporal Seth Peaton through tears.
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"You've always had the power to go back"

"You've always had the power to go back"
PTSD Patrol
Kathie Costos
May 13, 2017

It is no secret I love old movies! As a child, they got my imagination into high gear. When I grew up, knew more about what makes us who we are, I noticed how many lessons on life were actually in the script.

One of my favorites is The Robe. I tell veterans they need to watch this movie and see what Combat PTSD is. It has all of it but few connect the life of Tribune Galio to all the symptoms of PTSD. 

"In the Roman province of Judea during the 1st century, Roman tribune Marcellus Gallio is ordered to crucify Jesus of Nazareth but is tormented by his guilty conscience afterwards."

Tribune Galio was haunted by the sound of the nail being driven into Jesus, had nightmares and during flashbacks he kept asking, "Were you there?" He had mood swings, anger issues, you name it, all classic symptoms of PTSD. He believed he was possessed by the Robe that Jesus wore on his way to be crucified. 

In the end of the movie, there was an awakening to the power he had within him all along to heal. He believed in the power of love again to the point where he would rather die than return to the way he was before.
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70 Year Old Veteran Died From Choking on Trash Bag

Sapulpa veteran died with 2-foot trash bag in his throat at state care home, new autopsy report says

Sapulpa man died from choking on a trash bag while in the care of state veterans center in Talihina, report shows

• By Andrea Eger Tulsa World

A new report from the Oklahoma Medical Examiner’s Office confirms that a Sapulpa man died from choking on a trash bag while in the care of a state nursing home for veterans.

Leonard Smith, 70, was an advanced-dementia patient living in a locked-down special-needs unit at the Oklahoma Veterans Center in Talihina when he choked to death Jan. 31 after being given food, fluids and medication. After he died, a medical provider found that he had a plastic bag lodged deep in his throat.

In its final report on the death, the medical examiner determined Smith’s probable cause of death was asphyxia due to choking on a foreign body and the manner of his death was accidental.

The ME’s report revealed that included with items sent with Smith’s body to be examined was what was found in his throat: “a twisted clear trash bag covered in pink vomitus. The trash bag is intact and measures 24 (inches) in length and 1 (inch) in width when twisted. When the trash bag is untwisted, it measures 5 (inches) in width.”

Christine Cornwell, a Tulsa County resident and Smith’s niece, whom he had entrusted with his power of attorney, said the ME’s report may close a chapter in Smith’s death but not her and other relatives’ anguish over the circumstances.

read more here

22Kill Advocate Lost His Battle With PTSD

I can only guess at this, but I have a feeling that Benjamin Adams was one of those you'd turn to for help. You know the type, they are always ready to listen, to help and encourage. They are also the last ones to ask for help for themselves.

Man who fought suicide among veterans loses fight with PTSD
By KSLA Staff
Friday, May 12th 2017

Army Sgt. Benjamin Michael Adams / Source: KSLA News 12

TEXARKANA, TX (KSLA)
The mission of the nonprofit 22Kill is hitting close to home.

"There are 22 veterans that kill themselves every day. We are here to stop that," board member Cory Ryan said.

Now an ArkLaTex native and advocate of the group can be counted among those statistics.

The organization was started two years ago with the goal of helping military veterans fight PTSD.

Patriot Motorcycle Groups led the funeral procession of Sgt. Benjamin Michael Adams through three states to lay the Army veteran to rest in Caddo Parish.

The graduate of Southwood High School in Shreveport was injured in 2005 while serving in Iraq.

After his release from the military, he suffered from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder.

Adams then became an advocate for 22Kill.

But last week he lost his battle with PTSD.

Now his friends are working to keep his memory and the fight alive.
read more here

How many more stories like this will it take for this country to finally figure out that talking about veterans committing suicide is not the same as raising awareness that they can heal? It isn't the same as telling them what PTSD is, why they have it or showing them how they can change their lives from grieving to thriving.

For the last three decades I've seen way too much evidence of miracles happening and lives changing. For the last decade, I've seen way too much talking about the worst outcome followed by more lives lost in the process.

We actually had better results back in the 90's when there were more veterans in the country but no social media or media coverage at all, no cell phones or computers in every house. It was done side by side, sharing our heartbreaks as well as our blessings and in that, veterans found hope they could do the same and learn how to feel the smile they showed the rest of the world.

My heart breaks for the group Adams was apparently dedicated to and for his family. Far too many like him carry the burden of everyone else yet find it impossible to share their own. That is hardest thing to get through to them.

If you know someone like that, then please remind them that in combat, they had no problem asking for as much reinforcement as they could get. They knew it meant lives would be saved. It meant they thought about saving other lives and this time, they need to think of saving their own, so they can save more by being an example of what is possible just by staying alive and healing.