New Army Second LT Murdered in Maryland

Death of graduating college student killed at U of Maryland investigated as hate crime
ABC 7 WJLA
by Ryan Hughes, John Gonzalez and Anna-Lysa Gayle
Sunday, May 21st 2017

Collins’ pastor Darryl Godlock says not only was he days away from graduation, but he was recently commissioned into the U.S. Army as a second lieutenant.

COLLEGE PARK, Md. (ABC7) — Bowie State University’s vice president for student affairs, Dr. Artie Lee Travis, expressed outrage Sunday night.

“Hate has no place in America. Hate has no place on a college campus,” said Travis. “We have no doubt that Sean Urbanski, with a knife, stabbed Richard W. Collins III,” said UMPD Chief David Mitchell. “He said to the victim ‘step left if you know what’s good for you’.”

Officials are now investigating Collins’ murder as a possible hate crime.

The FBI was brought in to assist with the investigation after detectives learned that Urbanski is a member of a racist Facebook group page.
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Vietnam Veterans Memorial Vandalized in Chicago

UPDATE

Comment left had a link to a Vietnam veteran and his daughter going to clean it!

Chicago Vietnam Veterans Memorial vandalized

ABC 7 News Chicago

Monday, May 22, 2017 08:09AM

CHICAGO (WLS) --

Chicago police are looking for whomever who wrote their own names on the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Wall.

Vietnam veteran David Goddard said he saw two women writing their names on the wall near State Street and Wacker Drive Sunday afternoon.

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Vietnam Veteran's 67 Corvette Sold for $675K?

Vietnam War hero's dream Corvette fetches $675K at auction
The Indianapolis Star
USA TODAY NETWORK
John Tuohy
May 21, 2017

INDIANAPOLIS — A marina blue 1967 Chevrolet Corvette Coupe bought by a Vietnam War hero and maintained by his son sold for $675,000 at an Indianapolis auction Saturday.

The unrestored sports car, with 8,553 miles on it, was bought by Carmel, Ind., resident Gary Runyon at Dana Mecum’s 30th Spring Classic at the State Fairgrounds.

"It was very exciting but also very, very difficult," to part with the car, said its owner, Matt Litavsky. "It was all kind of a haze."
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SCAM ALERT on Veterans Choice Program

Telephone scam targets veterans looking for healthcare

WITN News

May 22, 2017

A new telephone scam is targeting veterans who are making some decisions on healthcare.

The Veterans Choice Program allows certain vets to use health care providers outside of the Veterans Affairs System.

If eligible, veterans or families can call a toll-free number to get started on the program.

But here's the problem: scammers have set up a phony telephone line that closely resembles the real program number and they're sending out letters to veterans with this fake number on it.

When you call the fake number, you'll hear an automated message that says you're entitled to a rebate if you give a credit card number.

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WWII Veteran Finally Receives Bronze Star 73 Years Late

WW II vet receives Bronze Star 73 years after it was awarded
The State
BY JEFF WILKINSON
May 20, 2017

AIKEN During World War II, Pfc. James R. “Boots” Beatty of Barney, Ga., served in the 1st Special Service Force, also called The Devil's Brigade, an elite American-Canadian commando unit.

The 1,800 “Force Men,” as they were the called, were the first commando unit, trained in special tactics from mountaineering to skiing to amphibious operations. They were the predecessors of today’s Army Rangers, Green Berets and Navy Seals.

They fought the Japanese in the Aleutian Islands, then the Germans in Italy and southern France, conducting night raids behind enemy lines, killing as many enemy soldiers as possible and capturing the rest. In Italy they would leave cards on the bodies of dead German soldiers with the ominous warning: “Das Dike Ende Kommt Noch!” which translates as “The Worst Is Yet To Come.”
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Vietnam Veteran Message on PTSD "There’s no need to suffer alone anymore.”

Iowa veterans speak out about getting service members the help they need
The DesMoines Register
Molly Longman
May 20, 2017

Vietnam veteran Larry Clayton approached a podium under the Iowa State Capitol Rotunda Saturday with a message for Iowans.

He wanted veterans, their families and their friends to realize the physical and mental health problems veterans face during and after their service — and to understand that there’s help.

“I am proud of the part I played in the Vietnam conflict, and I pray for all those soldiers who did not come home and those who came home physically or emotionally broken,” Clayton said. “And I thank God every day that he has seen fit to grant me peace during my life.

"Others haven't been nearly as fortunate."

Clayton talked about the effects of Agent Orange, a defoliant chemical sprayed over South Vietnam to eliminate forests and militia crops used by the U.S. military during the Vietnam War. The chemical is linked to diseases such as B-cell leukemia and Hodgkin’s lymphoma.

He talked about Post Traumatic Stress Disorder and the high rate of veteran suicides.

He wanted veterans to know this: “Admit to yourself that you or a family member might benefit from some medical attention.

"There’s no need to suffer alone anymore.”
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Dying Vietnam Veteran's Bucket List Had Marry Wife Again--So They Did

Terminally ill veteran surprises wife with wedding: 'It was on my bucket list'
KVAL 13 News
Ashley Force
Nay 20, 2017

ALBANY, Ore. – A wedding 50 years in the making has finally happened, and it was a surprise to the bride.

A terminally ill Vietnam veteran made it his goal to give his wife the wedding she never had.

The KVAL news team was first introduced to Charles Upton during our recent coverage of Honor Flights.

Upton was one of the local veterans traveling to Washington DC.

The trip was something on his bucket list he made during his battle with cancer. A surprise wedding for his wife was another check off the list.
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Las Vegas Patriot Fest Shows "Magnitude of lives lost" in Vietnam

Replicated monument draws Vietnam vets to Patriot Fest in Las Vegas
Las Vegas Review-Journal
By Katelyn Newber
May 20, 2017

“It’s a powerful thing. When you see how small the names are and how big it is, you see the magnitude of how many people lost their lives.” Branan Allison

A replica of Vietnam Veterans Memorial Wall hosted by American Veterans Traveling Tribute at Craig Ranch Park on Friday May 19, 2017 in North Las Vegas.
Erik Verduzco Las Vegas Review Journal

As his motorized wheelchair rolled past 58,307 names on the replica Vietnam Veterans Memorial, Dennis Daniels was consumed with grief. He reminded his wife, Aleta, to use her walker as she traced three familiar names on the wall.

But Dennis was afraid to look.

“It just brings back instant memories,” the 70-year-old said. “I don’t want to look and see if they’re up there.”

The Danielses were attending the third annual American Patriot Fest, underway at Craig Ranch Regional Park in North Las Vegas, on Saturday during Armed Forces Day.

This was the first year the American Veterans Travel Tribute organization brought the replica, sized down 80 percent from the fixture in Washington, D.C., said Branan Allison, the president of Source 1 Events, which organized the festival. The memorial will be open to the public until 3 p.m. Sunday.

Allison said he hopes to bring the memorial to the festival each year.
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In Depth of Despair Veteran "Drove to Top of Mountain" and Died

Soldier and father Dylan Jones took his own life after suffering with PTSD
Wales Online
BY PHILIP DEWEY
20 MAY 2017

'More should have been done' for Dylan Jones, 37, who was traumatised by his time in the Armed Forces

Dylan served tours of Northern Ireland, Iraq and Afghanistan with the armed forces

Dylan Jones served in the Armed Forces for 18 years and served tours in Northern Ireland, Afghanistan and Iraq, as a member of the Welsh Guards, 14 Signal Regiment and Royal Welch Fusiliers.

But an impressive career in the forces took an emotional toll.

One friend died in his arms after being shot. A number of others were killed by an explosive device.

Sick of suffering with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), on July 4, 2015, the 37-year-old, of Llansawel, Carmarthenshire, drove to the top of a mountain and took his own life - leaving twin children behind.
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Sergeant First Class Kevin Heins came home

Myrtle Beach police officer comes home after serving in Afghanistan for a year
WBTW 13 News
By Sina Gebre-Ab
Published: May 20, 2017

MYRTLE BEACH, SC (WBTW) – Dozens of people filled Myrtle Beach International Airport to welcome a local hero home on Saturday.

Sergeant First Class Kevin Heins came home to Myrtle Beach, after serving in Afghanistan for a year with the Army Reserves. He’s served in the Reserves for a little over 27 years, and this was his last deployment overseas, much to the joy of his wife and two teenage children. 

Heins is also a Captain with the Myrtle Beach Police Department. He’s been a part of the force for 25 years, and many of his fellow officers were also at the airport to welcome him back.
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