Officer Andre Jenkins sent the last "10-7" after 30 years

See tearful moment Florida officer signs off for retirement after 30 years
ABC News
By KARMA ALLEN
Apr 30, 2018

The cameras were rolling over the weekend as a veteran Florida police officer broke into tears while finishing the last patrol before his retirement.

Officer Andre Jenkins, a 30-year veteran with the Sarasota Police Department in central Florida, got emotional on Saturday as he sent the last "10-7," out of service message, of his long career in law enforcement, according to video released by the department.

“This will be my last transmission on the radio,” Jenkins says, while sitting in the driver’s seat of a police cruiser. “I’d like to thank all my SPD family for the last 30 years of being by my side.
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Veteran sits in jail, instead of getting help he sought from VA?

First, weapons are not allowed on VA property. Do not try to take them with you. The veteran in the following report pulled out a knife and a security guard shot him.

The biggest thing to take away from this report is for all the "help" out there, it is mostly too little, too late, because no one cared enough to make sure veterans did not find coming home, harder than combat.

None of this is new and that is the most depressing part of all. Anyone in Congress have an answer for what they failed to do, or are they still too busy talking about sending our veterans into the same mess everyone else has to settle for?

This is what mental health is like for civilians in crisis.

A viral video from Baltimore is drawing attention to a crisis that's unfolding in emergency rooms across the country: Surging numbers of patients with psychiatric conditions aren't receiving the care they need.
On a cold night in January, a man walking by a downtown Baltimore hospital saw something that shocked him. He started recording the incident on his phone.
Imamu Baraka's video, which has been viewed more than 3 million times, shows security guards walking away from a bus stop next to the emergency room of University of Maryland Medical Center Midtown Campus.

And now what happened to the veteran who sits in jail.

Father of Army vet shot at Oregon VA clinic feels betrayed
ASSOCIATED PRESS SALEM, Ore.
By ANDREW SELSKY
Apr 30, 2018

Brent Brooks, who served with Negrete in the 10th Mountain Division, said he was a "really driven, goal-oriented" soldier. Their unit maintained Kiowa helicopters and sometimes came under mortar fire. In Afghanistan, their second deployment, a mortar round tore apart a wooden shack 20 yards (meters) from their own, wounding all the soldiers inside, Brooks said.

In this undated photo provided by Alyss Negrete, she poses with her with husband, Gilbert "Matt" Negrete and their children, from left, Aubree, Mya and Camren. Negrete, an Army veteran who served in Iraq and Afghanistan, is in jail awaiting trial for attempted assault and other crimes after he allegedly pulled a knife during an altercation with veteran clinic staffers in January 2018, in White City, Ore. (Courtesy of Alyss Negrete via AP)

The father of a veteran with post-traumatic stress disorder who was shot at a government clinic in Oregon blames Veterans Affairs for letting down his son.

Gilbert "Matt" Negrete, who served in Iraq and Afghanistan, is in jail in the former timber town of Medford, charged with attempted assault and other crimes after he allegedly displayed a knife during a confrontation at the VA clinic in nearby White City on Jan. 25. A VA guard shot him in the chest.

"First they shoot him, now they're gonna try to put him away," his father, Gilbert Negrete, told The Associated Press in a Facebook message. "You would think they would have some concern about us. My son needs help not prison."
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Vietnam Veterans Wall Permanently in Kentucky?

Vietnam Veterans Memorial Wall officially opens in Elizabethtown
WDRB News
By Fallon Gli
Apr 28, 2018

The permanent wall, which was built by veterans themselves, was years in the making.

ELIZABETHTOWN, Ky. (WDRB) – A near replica of the original Vietnam Veteran's Memorial is officially complete in Elizabethtown and opened to the public on Saturday. Those who served in the Vietnam War say this local memorial is now a place of healing.

The more than 58,000 names carved into the black stone each have a story.

“I was a medic and unfortunately there were a couple that I couldn't save,” veteran Richard Uhler said. “And they're listed on this wall.”

This Vietnam Veteran's Memorial Wall is 360-feet long, an 80 percent scale of the one in Washington D.C. Now fully finished at Veteran's Tribute Park in Elizabethtown, the men’s and women’s names represent the cost of soldiers left on the battlefield and the impact on those left behind.

“I've found some guys that I knew that I flew with, some that I kind of lived with in basic training ... sometimes it's just really hard to recognize, like someone said, that you got to come home and they didn't,” veteran Bradley Burkholder said.

For many who proudly donned their veteran hats, they remember the war like it was yesterday. Some took a knee to get an up close look at the names that weigh heavy on their hearts.

“It did bring a tear to the eye, that's right,” Uhler said.
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VA Clinics not always what you think they are

First question should be, is this a VA run clinic or is it a contractor run clinic? You know, like maybe something like this...

VA officials say the possible expiration of a contract with a medical clinic in Ely would not cause a hardship for veterans there, but two members of Nevada’s congressional delegation want to be sure.

U.S. Sen. Dean Heller, R-Nev., and Rep. Ruben Kihuen, D-Nev., both expressed concerns last week that the possible decision by the Veterans Affairs Salt Lake City Health Care System not to renew the contract with the William Bee Ririe Hospital and Rural Health Clinic in Ely could adversely impact the 230 veterans who receive care there.

VA hospital launches inquiry after tweets from veteran's dad about 'unsanitary' room
Deseret News
Ben Lockhart
Published: April 28, 2018

Christopher Wilson said he was in the room for an appointment on April 5 to get 18 injections in his ankle and surrounding area, and worried about the appearance of the room, which he said "felt unsanitary." The ankle was being treated in relation to a service injury he suffered while serving in Iraq, according to his father.

Pictured is a patient room at the George E. Wahlen Department of Veterans Affairs Medical Center in Salt Lake City that Army veteran Christopher Wilson says he encountered during a visit on April 5, 2018.

SALT LAKE CITY — After the father of a U.S. Army veteran tweeted photos of an unkempt patient room at a Veterans Affairs clinic in Salt Lake, igniting angry reactions on social media, a top administrator there said the facility is investigating why the space was in poor condition.

The tweeted photos showed some medical supplies strewn out on a counter, a bowl containing water and a plaster-like substance sitting mostly full in a sink, and an overflowing garbage can.

"I figured they would say, 'Oh, this room's not clean' and take me somewhere else, but they just kind of blew past it, didn't acknowledge it," said Christopher Wilson, who spent six years in the Army and was deployed to Iraq twice. "They're doctors, right? So I figure one of them was going to say 'Let's go somewhere else' or 'Give us a minute to clean it,' but nothing."
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Combat wounded veteran needed fundraiser for medical care?

This could be one of the worst reporting jobs of the week. There is no explanation as to why this Marine veteran needs financial help to get medical treatment. 

Wounded veterans get 5 years of free medical care, plus if they have a service connected VA claim, they get free care too. If they are 100%, all of their healthcare is covered.

It would have been a lot more helpful to know if he needs help because he is fighting the VA to have his claim approved or not. 

If he is going to one of the over 400,000 charities for veterans out there, then they are supposed to be providing the help for free. Isn't that what they are getting all the donations for?

So who let this veteran down or is it all of the above?

Fundraiser to help injured West Michigan veteran get medical treatment
FOX 17 NEWS
APRIL 28, 2018

GREENVILLE, Mich. -- Dozens of families are supporting a West Michigan veteran who served fourteen years as a United States Marine. On Saturday, they joined together to help raise funds for medical treatments for injuries occurring during his time protecting the nation.

Chris Van Dyken, a United States Marine veteran, reacted to the many people who met in Greenville to support and fund medical treatment, and therapy care he needs.

His wife Morgan is one of many who is helping make it happen.

“I’m so thankful for her. With some of the stuff that’s happened in the past, I almost feel like I don’t deserve her,” said Chris. “But she stays beside me, hopes everything is going to be better, and gives me hope.”

During his time in service, he was injured from an r-p-g blast in 2005 in Iraq and in 2009 from an explosion in Afghanistan.
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Hope spark plug works to heal PTSD

Hope spark plug works
PTSD Patrol
Kathie Costos
April 29, 2018


If all you hear is negative, how can you find anything positive to fire your imagination? If your car battery only had negative terminals, it would not work, no matter how many times you tried to charge it.

You need something to put energy into your life again. You need some spark plugs to get you going.

This is from Firestone Complete Auto Care but think of it as complete YOU care.

EVERYTHING YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT SPARK PLUGS
What do spark plugs do?

Spark plugs are vital to your car’s efficiency!

"Think of spark plugs as the tiniest bolt of lighting. Small but mighty, the spark of electricity that the plug emits across a small gap creates the ignition for the combustion needed to start your car. By putting the engine’s pistons in motion, your car can power up, stay powered up and produce a smooth burn of the compressed air-fuel mixture. Mind you, spark plugs like it hot: they withstand extreme heat and pressure within your cylinders and are built to burn off deposits from fuel additives or other contaminants."

read more here 

PTSD Veteran "Helping people is what helps me"

'It controls my life': How a military veteran manages his PTSD by helping others
CBC News Canada
April 28, 2018

"Helping people is what helps me. So, this clinic, this is my medicine. This is what makes me better. That's where I draw my healing, my everything from."

Chris Dupee and his wife, Angel, founded Cadence - a health centre for first responders and military veterans. (Chris Dupee / Canadian Military Family)

Chris Dupee feels proud when he stares at his Canadian Armed Forces uniform, which he's framed and hung on a wall. It's what he wore during his eight-month tour of Afghanistan in 2008 — and he says it represents the pinnacle of his military career.

Not long after he returned to Canada, Dupee was diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), and was discharged just before he hit the 10-year mark.

Chris Dupee was on tour for eight months in Afghanistan in 2008. (Submitted by Chris Dupee) "When I look at my tour, I don't see anything negative. I was well-ready. I don't have those terrible, terrible memories that some people might expect out of soldiers. There were bad instances over there — there absolutely was. But that was part of the deal."

People might not always expect that reaction from someone whose military career has led him down a path of mental illness. And though it's been years since Dupee served, managing his mental health will be a lifelong journey.
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Front-line stress and trauma: are Island first responders prepared?
Oak Bay News
KATHERINE ENGQVIST
Apr. 28, 2018

“The one thing we’re not prepared for is how this job will effect you,” Savoia said, emphasizing a need for more pre-incident training. “PTSD strikes when you least expect it.”

Emergency responders carry a man to an awaiting ambulance after being extricated from his pickup truck, one of two vehicles involved in a collision along Highway 97B in Salmon Arm (Lachlan Labere/Salmon Arm Observer file)

Big Read: Industry leaders call for more pre-incident training

They’re first on scene and there when you need them.

But for public service members who dedicate themselves to helping others, sometimes the biggest challenge is taking care of themselves.

It’s a lesson Michael Swainson learned the hard way.

“A lot of people suffer in silence … First responders put everybody else first – that’s the nature of the beast – we’re really shitty at taking care of ourselves.”

Swainson worked in the Yukon for 25 years as a paramedic, emergency medical services supervisor and dispatch supervisor, firefighter, professional ski patroller, and a disaster trainer and evaluator. As a paramedic alone, he went on roughly 6,000 calls in Whitehorse. For that area it was normal. If he had been working somewhere like Vancouver, he said that number could have easily been double.

“For first responders it’s a conveyor belt of trauma, eventually you run out of coping strategies,” Swainson said.
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Vietnam Veteran Rudolph Muck III Laid to Rest With Honor

Community holds funeral for 'unclaimed' Vietnam veteran
WROC/CNN
Saturday, April 28th 2018

ROMULUS, NY (WROC/CNN) – The hospital called him "an unclaimed individual." But to many, he was a Vietnam veteran who deserved full military honors at his funeral.

Maria Ramos and her mother Norma had known Rudolph Muck III, an Army veteran who served in Vietnam, for three years.

"Me and my mother were his caretakers and we just did favors - groceries; he was very fragile," Ramos said.

Earlier in April, Muck was hospitalized and later died. With no known family, the hospital turned to Ramos.

"They asked me if I wanted to be held responsible and I saw no other answer; I had to do it as a military sister and a human being," Ramos said.
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What the hell were you thinking?

Advocates freaked out about "awareness" stunts
Combat PTSD Wounded Times
Kathie Costos
April 28, 2018

What is the harm in talking about veterans committing suicide? That is such an easy answer and the proof of the harm being done has been right under our noses for almost two decades. These are the numbers of veterans the VA knows committed suicide. There are many more.

The numbers from the VA, the real ones, not the ones made up from a headline, prove it.

Last report from the VA is, 20 a day! 

The numbers from the Department of Defense prove it.

In 1999, reporters did not want to hear about any of this. It was at a time when there were 26.4 million more veterans living in the US. That is over 5 million more veterans living here now.

If you cannot see these numbers prove beyond a doubt these stunts and slogans do more harm than good, then you must be running one of those groups.

What the hell were you thinking? Did you think no one was doing anything before you became aware veterans were killing themselves? 

Did you think that you only needed to figure out how to get publicity because you knew a number you read from a headline? On that subject, did you think it may have been more helpful to take it all seriously enough to have bothered to read the damn report first? Invested time in discovering what had worked over the last 4 decades to avoid repeats of what failed?

The problem is not that you do not care. The problem is you did not care enough. Not enough to know the report you quote was from limited data from just 21 states. Did not care enough to notice that that 65% of the veterans who were counted, were over the age of 50. 

The press loves a stunt and a feel good story, so they cover you but the rest of us are covering our mouths out of the bitter taste you left us to swallow.

Our veterans do not need to know you cared so little about them their lives did not merit real effort from you. You reduced them down to slogan and then collected money while they were left to suffer and die by their own hands.

Last weekend I was at the Veterans Reunion in Melbourne. This is what we talked about most of the time. You have stolen hope away from veterans looking for a way to survive one more day.

You have used the generosity of the American people hoping to do some good, because they did not know who was actually doing something to change the outcome.

What makes all of this worse is, it was brought up that if veterans started to heal instead of suffer, you'd be out of business.

Ok, so how about you make it your business to actually help them? Redemption is waiting for you to actually invest the time and your resources, as well as your exposure, into something that will give them a reason to live! That is a hell of a lot better than making them aware of how many you think killed themselves this day.