Gulf War Officially Ended, But Veterans Still Fight

If you're wondering why Iraq lasted as long, claimed as many lives, this day is a good reminder of what had been forgotten about by Congress.

New York Times

History:Persian Gulf War

With Iraqi resistance nearing collapse, Bush declared a ceasefire on February 28, ending the Persian Gulf War. According to the peace terms that Hussein subsequently accepted, Iraq would recognize Kuwait’s sovereignty and get rid of all its weapons of mass destruction (including nuclear, biological and chemical weapons). In all, an estimated 8,000 to 10,000 Iraqi forces were killed, in comparison with only 300 coalition troops.

General Colin Powell

Would you describe the decision to stop the fighting?

The last day was a fascinating one. In briefing the president, I said Norm and I thought that in another couple of days we would be asking him to end the war. The Highway of Death was all over television at that point.The president said, “Well, if we've accomplished the mission, and I think we have, then what's the point of killing more people. Why not end it in the next 12 to 18 hours?”I agreed. Mr. Cheney agreed. Norm agreed. All the president's advisors agreed. And that's what we did. We gave Norm like 12 hours to stake out a line, figure out where everybody was to give up, and halt the war at that point. It was the subject of great controversy afterward.For more than 10 years, I had people asking me, “Why didn't you go to Baghdad?” I explained why, as did the president and Mr. Cheney. Then, in 2003, we went to Baghdad, and nobody asked me again.

General Norman Schwarzkopf

Despite extensive second-guessing about the conclusion of the Persian Gulf War, former Gen. H. Norman Schwarzkopf said the United States and its allies never seriously considered pressing the military offensive on to Baghdad.

In a radio interview and in his forthcoming autobiography, "It Doesn't Take a Hero," Schwarzkopf, the field commander during the conflict, said that taking Baghdad would have splintered the 28-nation Gulf War coalition, cost American lives and dragged the United States into a quagmire "like the dinosaur in the tar pit."

The result:Department of Veterans Affairs

Gulf War

Veterans discharged under conditions other than dishonorable who served in the Southwest Asia theater of military operations, which includes the areas specified by regulation, but not Afghanistan, may be entitled to disability compensation for certain undiagnosed illnesses, certain diagnosable chronic disability patterns, and certain presumptive diseases ( as described below) even though these disorders did not become manifest during qualifying service. Veterans who served in Afghanistan on or after September 19, 2001, may be entitled to disability compensation for certain presumptive diseases.

Eligibility Requirements

• Qualifying undiagnosed illnesses or diagnosable chronic disability patterns, that appeared either during a qualifying period of active service or prior to December 31, 2021, must meet the following conditions:
  • There must be no other cause for your disability or illness than service in the Southwest Asia theater of military operations.
  • your disability existed for 6 months or more, AND
  • If your disability or illness did not appear during active duty in the Southwest Asia theater of military operations, then it must have appeared prior to December 31, 2021, to a degree that is at least 10-percent disabling (for VA rating purposes).

The disability must be one or more of the following:

• Undiagnosed illnesses. These are illnesses that may include but are not limited to: abnormal weight loss, fatigue, cardiovascular disease, muscle and joint pain, headache, menstrual disorders, neurological and psychological problems, skin conditions, respiratory disorders, and sleep disturbances.
• Diagnosable functional gastrointestinal disorders. Functional gastrointestinal disorders are a group of conditions characterized by chronic or recurrent symptoms that are unexplained. These disorders may include but are not limited to irritable bowel syndrome, functional dyspesia, functional vomiting, functional constipation, functional bloating, functional abdominal pain syndrome, and functional dysphagia.
• Diagnosable Chronic Fatigue Syndrome
• Diagnosable Fibromyalgia

Certain presumptive diseases, which will be considered to have been incurred in or aggravated by service even if there is no evidence of such disease during active service. With three exceptions (see asterisks), one of the following must have become manifest to a degree of 10 percent or more within 1 year of the date of separation from a qualifying period of active service:

• Burcellosis
• Campylobacter jejuni
• Coxiella burnetii (Q fever)
• Malaria* (if not 10 percent or more within one year of separation, may be 10 percent or more at a time when standard or accepted treatises indicate that the incubation period commenced during qualifying period of service)
• Mycobacterium tuberculosis* (no time limit)
• Nontyphoid Salmonella
• Shigella
• Visceral leishmaniasis* (no time limit)
• West Nile Virus

 Congress did not learn from history, and the troops were destined to repeat it. 

UK: Homeless PTSD veteran searching for veteran angels who took care of him

Homeless Army veteran tries to track down Good Samaritans 'John' and 'Patrick' who paid for him to stay in a hotel and gave him 'military-grade' clothing after seeing him in a doorway
Daily Mail
Rory Tingle
February 28, 2018

Ed was approached by the two men when he was on the streets in Bridgend
The pair took him for a meal in Wetherspoons and then paid for a hotel room
When he returned to his spot next day he found a bag of cold-weather gear
Do you know the good Samaritans? Contact rory.tingle@mailonline.co.uk

A homeless Army veteran with PTSD is trying to track down two Good Samaritans who paid for him to stay in a hotel and gave him 'military-grade' warm clothing after seeing him in a doorway.

Ex-serviceman Ed - who was deployed to Iraq, Afghanistan and Sierra Leone - thought he was being moved on by security when he was approached in Bridgend, south Wales, last week.

Instead the two men, who are also thought to be ex forces, took the 48-year-old for a meal at Wetherspoons and then to a hotel where he stayed for two nights.
read more here

Medic posted soldier's body part on Snapchat?

This is the excuse?

"The soldier’s motive for posting the image stemmed from his pride in taking part in the procedure rather than in seeking to embarrass or violate the patient’s rights, the source said."

But evidently not enough respect for the soldier!

Medic disciplined after posting photo of soldier’s severed body part on Snapchat
STARS AND STRIPES
By JOHN VANDIVER
Published: February 28, 2018

STUTTGART, Germany — Military medical officials are imposing new social media guidelines after an Army medic at Landstuhl Regional Medical Center in Germany posted an operating room photo of a patient’s severed body part.

The incident, which occurred in mid-September but was just confirmed Wednesday, provoked unspecified disciplinary action against the medic and a commandwide warning from the Army’s top doctor.

“This type of behavior is unprofessional and violates the trust of those we serve, and the tenets of our profession,” said Army Surgeon General Lt. Gen. Nadja West in an email to medical staff.

The image of “unrecognizable body tissue that had been removed" from a soldier was posted to the social media site Snapchat Story, where images automatically expire after 24 hours. However, personnel learned of the incident and ordered that the picture also be deleted from the staffer’s phone, LRMC officials said.
read more here

Veterans Deserve Better Than Having to Make a Choice! 
Combat PTSD Wounded Times
Kathie Costos
February 27, 2018

Members of Congress need to remember that veterans were disabled serving this nation and risked their lives for this nation. Honoring that should never be a "choice" but must be regarded as an obligation!

You'd think they would already know that, but they have not taken action to make sure the VA was able to fulfill their needs.

Congress? Yes! It has been their job since 1946, so if there is anything veterans are not getting, it is their fault. 

As for the "choice" that some members of Congress are pushing, remember, they are the same ones telling civilians how bad our system is. Why on earth would they think it was a good idea to toss veterans out of the VA and send them into this mess?

We seem to have our answer, and it is not a good one. Greedy people want to make a lot of money off our veterans! Tell them we owe veterans, we do not own them. Stop trying to sell them off!

White House meets with veterans groups amid tension over Shulkin, Choice program
CVA is backed by Charles and David Koch, billionaires who seek to roll back government bureaucracy. The group has been one of VA's most vocal critics since the agency's 2014 wait-time scandal was exposed. Its profile has grown during the Trump administration, with one of its former senior advisers, Darin Selnick, serving as veteran affairs adviser inside the White House.

Which is more BS if you look up the history of the VA and backlog of claims. By June of 2009 they were up to a million in the backlog. Go back and check for when Bush was President too, but don't stop there. Veterans have had to come home and protest for promises to be kept since the Revolutionary War!!!!!

VA Partners with billionaire funding free PTSD help for veterans

If the name you read from the VA press release sounds familiar, it should be.
Billionaire funding 20 to 25 clinics for veterans

"Cohen's clinics would offer free mental health care to all veterans, regardless of discharge status, with priority given to post-9/11 vets."

Now that you know what the Cohen Veterans Network is, this will seem like a very good idea.

VA Partners with Cohen Veterans Network to Increase Access to Mental Health Resources

WASHINGTON — Today the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) and the Cohen Veterans Network, Inc., (CVN) announced a new partnership to increase Veterans’ access to mental health resources to reduce Veteran suicides.

The partnership will allow VA and CVN to work together to advance and improve Veterans’ mental health and well-being and expand and promote community collaboration to increase Veterans’ access to mental health resources.

“VA and CVN have a shared goal to improve Veterans’ health and access to mental health services to reduce Veteran suicide,” said VA Secretary David J. Shulkin. “With 14 out of the 20 Veterans who take their own lives per day not engaging VA care, partnerships such as this help those Veterans, as well as their families, receive care where they live.”

As part of the collaboration, VA and CVN will:

Work together on potential mental health education initiatives, consumer marketing and public health messaging

Discuss potential locations for Cohen Clinics in regions believed to have underserved Veterans in need of mental health care services. 

Collaborate to share publicly available, VA-developed educational resources for health care providers, such as military culture training and suicide prevention training with CVN staff and clinic employees. 

“This partnership will help us save lives by getting care to Veterans faster and, therefore, preventing suicides,” said Dr. Anthony Hassan, president and CEO of CVN. “We are excited about partnering with VA and advancing the field through innovative clinician training initiatives and public messaging. 

This partnership adds another layer of depth and quality to our robust network of Cohen Military Family Clinics.”

For more information about VA mental health services, visit www.mentalhealth.va.gov. Information about the Cohen Veterans Network may be found at: https://www.cohenveteransnetwork.org.

Veterans in crisis or having thoughts of suicide — and those who know a Veteran in crisis — should call the Veterans Crisis Line for confidential support 24 hours a day and 365 days a year. Call 800-273-8255 and press 1, chat online at VeteransCrisisLine.net/Chat, or text to 838255.

If you think work on PTSD is new, it isn't

A veteran returned to Seattle and became a police officer. He noticed more and more veterans being arrested, and then started to listen to them. He heard the same heartbreaking stories. 

Then he decided to meet them in a coffee shop so they could talk longer. He decided to change the conversation from what was wrong in their lives, to how to make them better.

Not long after that, he started to work with their families. He brought in more veterans and their families, so that more healing could happen. And it worked.

The veteran did not come home from Iraq. He did not come home from Afghanistan. No, it wasn't during the Gulf war. That veteran came home from Vietnam and the year this veteran decided to change the conversation, was 1984!

Point Man International Ministries

Since 1984, when Seattle Police Officer and Vietnam Veteran Bill Landreth noticed he was arresting the same people each night, he discovered most were Vietnam vets like himself that just never seemed to have quite made it home. He began to meet with them in coffee shops and on a regular basis for fellowship and prayer. Soon, Point Man Ministries was conceived and became a staple of the Seattle area. Bills untimely death soon after put the future of Point Man in jeopardy.

However, Chuck Dean, publisher of a Veterans self help newspaper, Reveille, had a vision for the ministry and developed it into a system of small groups across the USA for the purpose of mutual support and fellowship. These groups are known as Outposts. Worldwide there are hundreds of Outposts and Homefront groups serving the families of veterans.

PMIM is run by veterans from all conflicts, nationalities and backgrounds. Although, the primary focus of Point Man has always been to offer spiritual healing from PTSD, Point Man today is involved in group meetings, publishing, hospital visits, conferences, supplying speakers for churches and veteran groups, welcome home projects and community support. Just about any where there are Vets there is a Point Man presence. All services offered by Point Man are free of charge.

And another Vietnam veteran is President of PMIM. So, while all of the online news may seem to be "new news" now you know it isn't. 

YOUTH DAY EVENT

ON

SATURDAY, MARCH 17, 2018 FROM 12PM – 3PM

SPONSORED AT

HOLIDAY COMMUNITY FELLOWSHIP CHURCH

via POINTMAN INTERNATIONAL MINISTRIES

AT 5144 SUNRAY DRIVE, HOLIDAY, FLORIDA 34690       

All Veterans, Children and        

 Community are invited.

PLEASE DON’T MISS OUT 

 MEETING AND SEEING THE

 FOLLOWING;

Christian Karate Club Exhibition;                              Christian Hot Rod Assoc. Exhibition Suncoast Credit Union                                                                                     Holiday’s Veteran’s Alternatives

US Marine Corps and 2 trucks, etc.                            Gideon's International

A Mobile Dental Unit                                                       Racing 4 Veterans on Exhibit

Local Marine Corp League                                            Chick-Fil-A

A Model Car Center by HCFC Members                   Local Fire Dept. #12

Pasco County Sheriff Dept.                                           Supporting Motorcycle Organizations           

Light House of Faith, Hudson Beach                       ACCESS for Education/Finance Infor.

For more information: Please contact Rev. Ernie Bullock at 585-727-3331, Don deMeurers 315-491-6235 or Donna Franklin at 727-389-4558;

DONATIONS APPRECIATED

Shell-shocked and the images of Vietnam

Look at the faces and then you can see what PTSD looks like from the outside. This is a video you have got to watch, especially if you are a Vietnam veteran. 

There are parts in it where you'll see other young Marines risking their lives to save the wounded. If you don't think they would give up some time to save yours now, remember what they did for you back then!


Shell-shocked: Anthony Loyd goes in search of the Vietnam War veterans photographed by Don McCullin
The Times
February 23, 2018

The award-winning Times war correspondent has spent two years tracking down the traumatised young men whose images by McCullin defined the horror of the conflict. So what happened to those US Marines photographed 50 years ago this month at the battle of Hue?

The Marine was swallowed by the night. When he was found he was mute, though in his eyes lay a stare best unmet while dreaming: a gaze that was part trance, part fear, but mostly horror. The men who had located him recall that he neither blinked nor uttered a single word.

His true name is lost and his fate has become a mystery. But you may know his face already, for a photograph of him remains his only known legacy. Taken by Sir Don McCullin during the brutal battle for Hue in Vietnam 50 years ago this month, it is the portrait of the frozen man who became better known to the world by a clumsy caption: “Shell-shocked US Marine”.
read more here and the video you have got to watch!

Four Chaplains Awardee supports pot for PTSD

Marine veteran from Schenectady receives Four Chaplains award
Daily Gazette
Andrew Beam
February 25, 2018

'We hope those principles dominate the spirit of how people treat other people'

Longtime Marine Bob Becker of Schenectady listens at a ceremony in which he received the Four Chaplains Brotherhood Award. PHOTOGRAPHER: MARC SCHULTZ

Becker served in the U.S. Marine Corps as a supply chief and platoon sergeant in the Second Marine Division from 1960 until 1966. He then joined the USMC Reserve in 1966 and retired as a first sergeant in 1982. After his retirement, he advocated on behalf of veterans' rights. One of the more recent accomplishments Becker obtained through his advocacy was helping pass the bill in New York state allowing medical marijuana for treatment of those with post-traumatic stress disorder.

SCHENECTADY — After hearing several veterans, elected officials and church members talk about Bob Becker on Sunday, it was Becker’s turn to talk.

Becker, who had just received the Four Chaplains Brotherhood Award, barely spoke about himself. Instead, much like the meaning behind the award he was given on Sunday, he chose to focus on everyone else who got him to that point.

“This award is not for me,” Becker said. “It’s for the committee I work on.”

Becker, of Schenectady, was given the award by the Jewish War Veterans of the United States Albany Post 105 at the First Reformed Church on Sunday.

The award was created in the name of the Four Chaplains. The chaplains were among those who died in February of 1943 on the S.S. Dorchester when the ship was struck by a German torpedo during World War II in the North Atlantic.

The four man group was made up of a Methodist minister, a rabbi, a Catholic priest and a Dutch Reformed minister. They are heralded for putting the rest of those on the boat before themselves, as they helped the other soldiers board lifeboats and gave up their own life jackets when the supply ran out. They then linked arms, prayed and sang hymns as the boat sank into the sea.
read more here

Congressman Brian Mast says ban assault weapons

Republican, veteran and gun rights supporter Brian Mast says assault weapons should be banned
Tampa Bay Times
Alex Leary
February 25, 2018

We "must unite with one mission: that no one will ever be murdered in school again," Mast says

WASHINGTON – Congressman Brian Mast, R-Palm City, has as much authority on guns as anyone, having served in the Army and losing both legs in Afghanistan. He says assault weapons such as the AR-15 should be banned.

"I cannot support the primary weapon I used to defend our people being used to kill children I swore to defend," Mast, who represents a swing district and faces a tough re-election, writes in an op/ed for the New York Times.

"The Second Amendment is unimpeachable. It guarantees the right of citizens to defend themselves. I accept, however, that it does not guarantee that every civilian can bear any and all arms.

"For example, the purchase of fully automatic firearms is largely banned already, and I cannot purchase an AT-4 rocket, grenades, a Bradley fighting vehicle or an Abrams tank. I know that no single action can prevent a truly determined person from committing mass murder, and I am aware of other ways to commit mass murder, such as bombings and mass vehicular slaughter. Not being able to control everything, however, should not prevent us from doing something."
read more here

PTSD Patrol Putting Hope in Your Engine

PTSD Patrol Fuels Hope
Kathie Costos
February 25, 2018

We need to talk! How many times have you heard those words and thought, oh crap, bad news coming? This time, it is good news!

Starting today, PTSD Patrol is going to be changing the conversation from suicide to healing. We need to face the fact that we will never know how many took their own lives but we do know why they did it. They lost hope that the next day would be any better for them.

We're going to be changing that conversation and start giving them reasons to hope for a much better life even with PTSD.

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