When Jocks Take a Knee to Anthem, Real Patriots Take a Stand

It was bad enough when the American public discovered that all the patriotism shown during games was actually paid by the Department of Defense...

Report: Defense Dept. paid NFL millions of taxpayer dollars to salute troops

And now it seems that these players do not respect the anthem and the owners don't respect it or their own rules.

The Kansas City Star has the rule from the NFL on the National Anthem...

“The NFL doesn’t follow their own rules. The specific rule pertaining to the national anthem is found on pages A62-63 of the NFL League Rulebook. It states: “The National Anthem must be played prior to every NFL game, and all players must be on the sideline for the National Anthem.

“During the National Anthem, players on the field and bench area should stand at attention, face the flag, hold helmets in their left hand, and refrain from talking. The home team should ensure that the American flag is in good condition...

“...It should be pointed out to players and coaches that we continue to be judged by the public in this area of respect for the flag and our country. Failure to be on the field by the start of the National Anthem may result in discipline, such as fines, suspensions, and/or the forfeiture of draft choice(s) for violations of the above, including first offenses.”

Do they understand that they are paid to play a game but others are paid so much less to risk their lives defending their rights to prove they cannot respect any of it?

My Dad fought in the Korean War and my Uncles fought during WWII. My husband fought in Vietnam and so did his Nephew. My Father-in-law and his brothers fought in WWII and one of them was killed in Saipan. Both of us are only second generation Americans! Our families came here because of what this country stood for and now these jocks cannot even stand for what families like ours fought for?

If the New England Patriots cannot stand for the anthem, then they should change their logo as well as their name because they do not deserve to have either of them associated with their stunts!

They are not acting like patriots but these football players are!

As His Team Planned to Protest the Anthem, Green Beret Veteran Player Hit Them With a Brutal Message

“That anthem means different things to us. America means different things to us. I love my country and I love what that flag and that anthem means to me and what it represents. I would love more than anything for everyone to feel that pride for the country that I feel.”

As almost one-third of the entire NFL planned on protesting during the national anthem in response to President Donald Trump calling out those who “disrespect the flag,” one green beret veteran, who became an NFL player after six years of service for the U.S. Army in both Iraq and Afghanistan, isn't having any of it.

And he stood up!

So did he!

(Sickening update: "This national anthem ordeal has sort of been out of control, and there's a lot of blame on myself," Villanueva, Pittsburgh's starting left tackle, said Monday.

"I made coach (Mike) Tomlin look bad, and that is my fault and my fault only. I made my teammates look bad, and that is my fault.")

(And back to when I thought he deserved praise for standing up to pressure to bow down!)

Villanueva’s career in the NFL didn’t begin until 2014. Prior to that, he served three tours of duty in Afghanistan, where he served as a Captain in the army, as well as being an army ranger.

Villanueva was critical of Colin Kaepernick’s anthem protest in August of 2016, when he said:

"I don't know if the most effective way is to sit down during the national anthem with a country that's providing you freedom, providing you $16 million a year ... when there are black minorities that are dying in Iraq and Afghanistan for less than $20,000 a year."

 And so did some of them!

This isn't about what POTUS had to say to most of us. This is about what that Anthem means to us!

Iraq Veteran Scott Farnsworth Shot By Police in Arizona

Veteran shot by Mesa police sought treatment from Phoenix VA, wife says 
AZ Central 
Uriel Garcia 
September 25, 2017


"If we can't get the help our vets need, this (type of incident) is what it comes down to." Stephanie  Hamilton 
For Scott Farnsworth, serving a tour in Iraq as an Army infantry soldier was a point of pride.

But it was also the source of the 28-year-old's struggle with mental health, his wife, Stephanie Hamilton, told The Arizona Republic on Sunday.

That struggle led to a deadly encounter with police Friday night, she said, when officers fatally shot Farnsworth near Skyline High School in east Mesa as a football game was letting out.

Officers had responded to reports of Farnsworth waving a gun near Crismon Road and Southern Avenue, according to Mesa Det. Nik Rasheta.

"He was a good person," Hamilton said in a phone interview, describing Farnsworth as a family man and a veteran who loved his country. "But this is what a vet looks like when they don’t get help."

Hamilton declined to share additional details about Farnsworth's service or his mental-health. She said Farnsworth had sought help from the Phoenix VA Health Care System only to have his case fall "by the wayside."

Court records indicate Farnsworth faced assault and disorderly conduct charges in May and pleaded guilty to misdemeanor attempted car theft in August.

"If we can't get the help our vets need, this (type of incident) is what it comes down to," Hamilton said.

The veterans hospital did not immediately respond to requests for comment Sunday.
read more here

Was Dillan Tabares One of the Wrongly Discharged with PTSD

When reporters go to cover more of this story, finding out if Tabares was one of the thousands with "bad paper" discharges instead of being treated for PTSD. 

If he was, then being shot by police on Friday night should be part of the historical account about how we treat those who serve.

Man Killed By Huntington Beach Officer Was Navy Veteran, Says Mother Looking For Answers

CBS Los Angeles
September 24, 2017

HUNTINGTON BEACH (CBSLA.com) — The mother of a 27-year-old man fatally shot by a Huntington Beach police officer Friday says her son was a Navy veteran who suffered from mental health issues.

Cell phone video shows the moments leading up to Dillan Tabares’ death, reported around 9:40 a.m. in the parking lot of a 7-Eleven at 6012 Edinger Avenue.

In one of two videos, Tabares appears to swing at the Huntington Beach police officer and the two wrestle and fall to the ground. Another angle shows Tabares appear to grab something from the officer’s waistband. Seconds later, the officer opens fire seven times, killing Tabares.

The victim’s mother, Tiffany Tabares, was at the scene grieving with loved ones Sunday evening. 

She said her son received a less-than-honorable discharge from the Navy and she’s looking for answers.read more here

Combat PTSD Wounded Times Made Top Ten PTSD Blog Award

WOW after 10 years my site has won an award and made it into the top ten!

Feedspot PTSD Blogs List

The Best PTSD blogs from thousands of top PTSD blogs in our index using search and social metrics. Data will be refreshed once a week.

These blogs are ranked based on following criteria

• Google reputation and Google search ranking
• Influence and popularity on Facebook, twitter and other social media sites
• Quality and consistency of posts.
• Feedspot’s editorial team and expert review

Top 75 PTSD Blogs Winners

CONGRATULATIONS to every blogger that has made this Top PTSD Blogs list! This is the most comprehensive list of best PTSD blogs on the internet and I’m honoured to have you as part of this! I personally give you a high-five and want to thank you for your contribution to this world.

If your blog is one of the Top 75 PTSD blogs, you have the honour of displaying the following badge on your site. Use the below code to display this badge proudly on your blog. You deserve it!:

ADL Service Dog Missing in Shelton Connecticut

Reward offered for missing service dog in Shelton 
WTNH.com 
Staff
Published: September 24, 2017

SHELTON, Conn. (WTNH) — A $500 reward is being offered for a missing service dog in Shelton. ADL Service Dogs says a poodle named Raven disappeared last night from Wellington Restaurant in Shelton. 

The company thinks the dog was stolen, so they do not know if he will be wearing a collar. Raven is described as a brown male standard poodle with a few white hairs on his back. He has been training to help and live with a disabled Southern Connecticut State University student. 
go here for more information

NFL Afghanistan Veteran Army Ranger Stood Alone For Anthem

Alejandro Villanueva, a U.S. Army veteran, was the lone Steeler on the field during national anthem

SB Nation

by James Dator  

Sep 24, 2017

Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin explained on Sunday morning why his team would remain in the locker room during the national anthem in Chicago. He didn’t want his team to be part of a political discussion, or there to be division in the locker room as a result of players protesting or not protesting. But in the end there was one player who took the field, offensive tackle Alejandro Villanueva.

Villanueva’s career in the NFL didn’t begin until 2014. Prior to that, he served three tours of duty in Afghanistan, where he served as a Captain in the army, as well as being an army ranger.

Villanueva was critical of Colin Kaepernick’s anthem protest in August of 2016, when he said:

"I don't know if the most effective way is to sit down during the national anthem with a country that's providing you freedom, providing you $16 million a year ... when there are black minorities that are dying in Iraq and Afghanistan for less than $20,000 a year."

However, he was also quick to acknowledge the problems in this country.

"I will be the first one to hold hands with Colin Kaepernick and do something about the way minorities are being treated in the United States, the injustice that is happening with police brutality, the justice system, inequalities in pay," Villanueva said. "You can't do it by looking away from the people that are trying to protect our freedom and our country." 
read more here

Double Amputee Vietnam Veteran Helps Others in War Zones

Vietnam veteran builds prosthetics in war zones
Charleston Gazette Mail
Douglas Imbrogno
September 22, 2017

“The majority of my patients — 90 percent of them — are war-related,” Evans said. “Land-mine victims or gunshot victims. Victims of conflict.” But at clinics and rehabilitation centers from El Salvador to Iraq, he and his technicians are not ones to turn anyone away.

Courtesy photo - Dave Evans often sees the youngest victims of the Syrian conflict in need of prosthetic limbs, like this young girl from a refugee camp who came to the clinic where the Cabin Creek native was working last year in Amman, Jordan.

Dave Evans’ life didn’t end the day he lost both his legs below the knees in Vietnam.

But the explosive booby trap the Cabin Creek native stepped on along a rice paddy dike on Dec. 4, 1970, would determine the course of his life to come.

Evans looks back at his experience as a soldier in the new Suzanne Higgins documentary, “Vietnam: West Virginians Remember,” which screens at 7 p.m. Sunday on West Virginia Public Broadcasting, in advance of an episode of the Ken Burns and Lynn Novick documentary, “Vietnam.”

Evans is quoted quite piercingly in the documentary about what Vietnam meant to small-town West Virginia teens like him, shipped off to a place they could not have found on a map.

“When you send an 18-year-old kid to war, and they cross that bridge from peacetime into wartime, there’s no way they ever come back,” Evans said. “That bridge is burnt. You’ve changed forever.”

He looks back in the documentary to his life as a combat Marine, but the notable life that came after Vietnam for him is worth consideration, too.
read more here

Believe 208 For First Responders Fighting PTSD

Believe 208 5K helps first responders fight depression, PTSD

WFSB 3 News
By Sujata Jain
By Joseph Wenzel IV, News Editor
September 24, 2017

EAST HARTFORD, CT (WFSB) -

"We do peer-support training and anything that our officers need to support them and let them know they're appreciated," Trish Buchanan said. "This is also about suicide awareness, officer wellness."

More than 500 people will lace up their running shoes for the annual Believe 208 5K run on Sunday morning.

The fourth annual run supports Believe 208, which is an organization that connects first responders with resources to fight depression and post-traumatic stress disorder.

"Taking the tragedy and turning it into something positive for all our first responders," Trish Buchanan, who is the founder of Believe 208, said. 

The event was established in memory of East Hartford Police Officer Paul Buchanan, who took his own life in 2013. Paul's wife Trish Buchanan said he suffered depression and post-traumatic stress disorder from 24 years on the job.

"He asked us to do this in his memory to help others like him," Trish Buchanan said. 
read more here

Central Florida Leathernecks Poker Run for ADL Service Dogs

Saturday I was out at Seminole Harley Davidson for a poker fun sponsored by Central Florida Leathernecks for ADL Service Dogs. Donna Neff is paring a PTSD veteran with his own service dog to help him heal. As you know, service dogs are absolutely wonderful!

Donna Neff of ADL Service Dogs

Loved the ladies room!

Two of my buddy babies...since I'm old enough to be their Mom...and act like it too!

Why Do Some PTSD Veteran Caregivers Matter More?

Why Do Some PTSD Veteran Caregivers Matter More?
Combat PTSD Wounded Times
Kathie Costos
September 24, 2017

None of us should matter more than the rest of us. So why is it that only Post 9-11 veterans seem to matter more than all other generations? Do people simply assume the others have all they need? Do they think our generation has nothing to teach them?

There are no new wounds, no new heartaches, no new struggles for the veterans or the families they come home to. When we read about the younger spouses struggling to help their veterans, we are shocked that they still know very little. Shocked? Yes, because when our veterans came home, we had to learn on our own and lean on each other.

There is a story out of Ohio, "Veterans' spouses get pampered" but only OEF and OIF spouses seem to matter.

Read the article because it tells the story of what it is like when they come home to all of us. None of this is new but as social media seems to have inflicted oblivious reporters seeking an easy way of doing their jobs, they flock to what they see, instead of searching for the truth. Our generation and the ones before us feel as if we didn't matter then and we don't matter now.

“I didn’t know any of this,” Megan Cain said. “We had a young son. We were so grateful for my husband to come back. When he wasn’t the same, and he had all these issues, I was lost. It would be the middle of the night, and he’d walk the perimeter of our house with a baseball bat. He knew it wasn’t rational, but he felt they would come back to retaliate for what he’d done.”

We could have told her. After all, it is exactly the same thing all of us went through when no one noticed.

They still don't! We don't want them to have any less. Actually, we want them to have a lot more than we had, but we never planned on being left behind.