Joseph Dwyer lost battle for his own life, but more saved because of him

This is the famous picture of Joseph Dwyer,

And this is what came after he lost his battle to save his own life.

Senate trying to get more funding for peer-to-peer veterans aid network

Legislative Gazette
Jeffrey Trotter
March 5, 2018

Veterans across New York are voicing their support for the Joseph P. Dwyer Project and rallying to adopt the peer-to-peer veteran support program as part of the governor’s executive budget.

The Joseph P. Dwyer Project is a peer-to-peer initiative that provides aid to veterans by linking them up with other vets. Veterans across the state continue to advocate for the project due to its success at providing needed aid to those who’ve served in the military.

According to the project’s website, “the Joseph P. Dwyer Project is a Senate funded initiative which provides peer-to-peer, vet-to-vet support for veterans struggling with PTSD and other issues due to combat experience and other military service-related violence.”

Joseph Dwyer was a combat medic who served in Iraq and gained fame for a photo that documenting him cradling a wounded Iraqi boy. Dwyer suffered from PTSD and drug addiction after returning home, and his behavior became increasingly erratic and dangerous. He died from a drug overdose in 2008.

The Dwyer Project is not a part of the governor’s budget. For the past two years the Senate has reallocated funds to provide Dwyer with $3.1 million annually, which amounts to a minimum of $185,000 for each county chapter. Adding the Dwyer project to the state budget would save this reallocation step and provide a permanent source of funding for the project. 

Sen. Joe Addabbo, D-Ozone Park, wants to double that figure by adding $6 million to the budget to continue to grow the Dwyer Program into the five boroughs of New York City. 

“[The project] has a proven track record,” Addabbo said. “When it comes to veterans there is no place for politics.”read more here

Army mishandled 200 bomb-sniffing dogs!

Army mishandled bomb-sniffing dogs from Afghanistan, report says
Associated Press
March 4, 2018

WASHINGTON — A report finds that the Army failed to do right by some of the more than 200 bomb-sniffing dogs that served with U.S. soldiers in Afghanistan, detecting roadside bombs and saving lives.

A 3-year-old chocolate lab and tactical explosives detector dog chews on a tennis ball at the National Training Center on Fort Irwin, Calif., in 2012. (Sgt. Christopher M. Gaylord/Army)

The Defense Department’s inspector general has determined that, after the program ended in 2014, some soldiers struggled or were unable to adopt the dogs they had handled.

This included two dogs among 13 that were given to a private company to be used as service dogs for veterans but then abandoned at a Virginia kennel.

read more here,,,,then contact Congress TO DO THE RIGHT THING!

6th Annual Orlando Rocks for Veterans Honoree Ret. US Navy Kelly Smith

Yesterday was one of my favorite events. It was the 6th Annual Orlando Rocks for Veterans at VFW Post 4287 in Orlando, sponsored by Semper Fidelis America. 

This year, I am dealing with a lot of back problems, so not the same footage as previous years, but as you can see, we still had a great day for a great lady!

 Kelly Smith and Cook

 CB Mike, Seabees

 Hubby visiting after he locked me up!

 And yes, he took my camera away too!

This is Jason. He was locked up more than most people.

And yes, we locked up his adorable baby son too!

Be defined by what is strong inside of you!

Don't be defined by what is wrong with you!
PTSD Patrol
Kathie Costos
March 4, 2018

Yesterday I went to an event for this fantastic veteran!

Kelly Smith will not let anything stop her. You can see the video from the event on Combat PTSD Wounded Times later today.

For now, we need to talk about some of the conversations going on at the event. It was more about a veteran worried about another veteran, than anyone talking about themselves. AND THAT IS THE POINT MOST OF YOU MISS!

No one is in this after combat alone! The same people you would have died for, the same ones who would have died for you, still care! What the hell makes you think they wouldn't listen to you if you need them? What stops you from talking to them if you think they need help?

This video also introduces Murray! It is a glorious morning here in Florida and he wanted to get some fresh air. 
Don't settle for the way thing are today! TAKE YOUR LIFE BACK!
Cross posted from PTSD Patrol

Three Non-combat deaths Operation Inherent Resolve this year

Mystery surrounds 'non combat' death of female soldier battling ISIS in Iraq as her body is returned home and Department of Defence announce an investigation
Daily Mail UK
Associated Press
March 3, 2018

The Department of Defense announced Tuesday that 26-year-old Christina Marie Schoenecker, Arlington, died Monday in Baghdad, Iraq
The department did not release any details about her death and said it is under investigation
The Army Sgt. was the third soldier to die since the beginning of 2018 in the U.S.-led fight against ISIS called Operation Inherent Resolve
The military noted that 51 U.S. military members have died since the start of Operation Inherent Resolve in 2014

Mystery surrounds the death of an Army Reserve soldier from Kansas who has died in Iraq in a non-combat situation.

The Department of Defense announced Tuesday that 26-year-old Christina Marie Schoenecker, Arlington, died Monday in Baghdad, Iraq.

The department did not release any details about her death and said it is under investigation.

The Department of Defense announced Tuesday that 26-year-old Christina Marie Schoenecker (Pictured), Arlington, died Monday in Baghdad, Iraq

The Army Sgt. was the third soldier to die since the beginning of 2018, according to The Kansas City Star. 

All three deaths in the ongoing, U.S.-led fight against ISIS called Operation Inherent Resolve were non-combat related. Schoenecker enlisted in the Army in May 2009 and was on her first deployment, which began last June. A human resources specialist, she was assigned to the 89th Sustainment Brigade out of Wichita. read more here

Disabled Iraq Veteran Continues to Serve Others...why aren't you?

Veteran seriously injured in Iraq continues to serve at home
St. Louis Post Dispatch
Lori Rose
March 4, 2018

“I got involved with the Disabled American Veterans - they were the ones that helped me with my disability claim and helped me get my head out of the funk,” Alexander says. “We do whatever we can do to help veterans. Pretty much whatever a veteran needs, we try to get it for him or her.”

Tim Alexander (U.S. Army)

He doesn’t know why he didn’t strap in as regulations dictated, but that one decision may have saved his life.

Army Staff Sgt. Tim Alexander was a sniper atop a Humvee traveling outside Basra in southern Iraq on Oct. 29, 2005, when an IED hidden in the sand detonated, destroying the vehicle, killing the four soldiers inside and blasting Alexander some 45 feet through the hot, dusty air.

“All I remember is hearing the explosion and seeing the flash and seeing the sky,” the Glen Carbon man says. “The next thing I know I woke up in Germany.”

Alexander, now 46, doesn’t remember the fighting that ensued, in which two more American soldiers were injured, or the helicopter flight to Baghdad, where doctors put him in a medically induced coma and transferred him to a military hospital in Germany. He had broken his back in six places.

“We had vehicles in front of us clearing (improvised explosive devices) but you knew every day when you went outside the wire there was a chance they could miss something,” he said. “I still don’t know why I didn’t strap myself in that day. I’ve racked my brain. I can’t say why.”
read more here

My husband is a life member of the DAV, he was Commander of Chapter 16 for a few years and I'm a life member of the DAV Auxiliary.
 
If you're a disabled veteran, why aren't you a member?

PTSD "Prevention" on Trial but Judges MIA

PTSD "Prevention" on Trial
Combat PTSD Wounded Times
Kathie Costos
March 4, 2018

The military did a great job selling "resilience" training. Too bad it turned out that it did not work. As a matter of fact, it made seeking help an impossible dream. Who the hell would want to ask for help, especially a Marine, after hearing the training was intended to make them mentally tough enough?

That is exactly what this training did. Every member of the military has to take this training since 2009 and since then, while the number of enlisted personnel went down, the number of suicides were not reduced accordingly.

There was Sergeant Major's trail that is more of an indictment on this FUBAR than on him. 

Marine sentenced for hate crime at Iraqi restaurantBy: The Associated PressMarch 3, 2018
PORTLAND, Ore. — A highly decorated active-duty Marine who slammed a chair into the neck and shoulder of an employee at an Iraqi restaurant in Portland has been sentenced to five years of probation and $21,000 in fines.
The Oregonian/OregonLive reports Damien Rodriguez was charged with a hate crime and assault that could have put him in prison for a mandatory five years and 10 months.
But Rodriguez’s defense attorney presented evidence that Rodriguez suffers from post-traumatic stress disorder from witnessing soldiers die while in combat in Iraq.read more here

Is anyone paying attention to this? It keeps happening but no one with the power to end this deadly assault on our troops, will call for accountability!

It was predicted to have this outcome back in 2009! And it was predicted right here. 

So, now this Marine, has lost everything because no one stopped what should have never been pushed before they had any proof of what the results would be.

Who is accountable to this Marine?

Marine Corps sergeant major indicted on hate crime charges

Immediately following the incident, the 1st Marine Division removed Rodriguez from his position as the 1st Battalion, 11th Marines battalion sergeant major. "The 1st Marine Division will continue to assist the Portland District Attorney with this matter," Gainey said. "The Marine Corps does not tolerate disorderly conduct or bad behavior from its Marines or senior leaders and expects all Marines to uphold the highest of principles and ethical behavior, both on and off duty."

Who is accountable for any of them since this cause more harm to them than enemy bullets? 

Factor in all the younger veterans committing suicide, despite having been trained to be "resilient" and out of the combat zones. 

Factor in how they now have 400,000 charities to turn to for help. 

Factor in how they have Veterans Courts to get them the help they need.

Factor in the Suicide Prevention hotline.

Why would they continue to push this training when they could have easily accomplished the same result by giving them bean bags to fight with instead of bullets? 

The deadly outcome was predicted but no one listened. They are still not listening!

Iraq veteran survived war, police work but not son's gun

Police arrest Plainfield teen suspected of killing his parents at Central Michigan University
Chicago Tribune
Matthew Walberg, Angie Leventis Lourgos and John Keilman
March 3, 2018

The victims were identified by authorities as Davis’ parents, James Eric Davis Sr. and Diva Jeneen Davis. Davis Sr. was a police officer in west suburban Bellwood and an Illinois National Guard veteran who served in Operation Iraqi Freedom. Diva Davis’s Facebook page identified her as a real estate broker; friends said she was also a breast cancer survivor and had worked as a flight attendant.

After a nearly daylong manhunt, authorities took into custody a college student from the Chicago suburbs who police said fatally shot his parents on the campus of Central Michigan University.

Part-time Bellwood police Officer James Eric Davis Sr. He and wife Diva Davis were shot and killed, allegedly by their son, James Eric Davis Jr., at Central Michigan University. (Bellwood Police Department)

The university and local police said 19-year-old James Eric Davis Jr., of Plainfield, was taken into custody after being seen passing through the campus after midnight Saturday.
read more here

Las Vegas Victims Fund Raised $31.5 Million

$275K going to family of each person slain in Vegas shooting
Associated Press
By KEN RITTER AND ANITA SNOW
Published: March 2, 2018

Victims fund spokesman Howard Stutz said the nonprofit expects to pay 100 percent of the funds raised, with payouts beginning Monday.

Manuela Barela passes crosses set up to honor those killed during the mass shooting in Las Vegas. GREGORY BULL/AP

Police say 851 people were hurt by gunfire or other injuries while fleeing. LAS VEGAS — A $31.5 million victims' fund that started as a GoFundMe effort announced plans Friday to pay $275,000 to the families of each of the 58 people killed in the deadliest mass shooting in modern U.S. history.

The Las Vegas Victims Fund said the maximum $275,000 also will be paid to 10 other people who were paralyzed or suffered permanent brain damage in the Oct. 1 shooting on the Las Vegas Strip.

The nonprofit posted a chart projecting payments on a scale to a total of 532 people, including more than $10 million divided among 147 people who were hospitalized.
read more here

Choice Providers "know little about the military or veterans"

Study: Private sector may not be ready for new veteran patients
Military Times
Leo Shane
March 2, 2018

Only about one in three providers met the study’s “minimum threshold for familiarity with military culture,” and only one in five routinely asked patients if they had a military background.

WASHINGTON — Lawmakers appear poised to send tens of thousands of veterans in the private sector for health care in an effort to provide quicker, more convenient appointments for an array of medical needs.

But a new study casts doubt on whether private care providers can do that.

Researchers from the Rand Corp. on Thursday released a new study of New York state medical providers that noted the majority of physicians working outside Veterans Affairs programs “know little about the military or veterans, are not routinely screening for conditions common among veterans, and are unfamiliar with VA.”

Though restricted to one state, the findings echo concerns among critics of the White House push to send more veterans outside the VA’s medical system to receive care: that easing access for veterans appointments may bring with it a host of other, unintended problems.

House and Senate lawmakers are currently crafting separate but similar measures which would ease access for veterans to receive health care from doctors in their communities at the federal government’s expense.
read more here