Marine Corps reservists attacked in Piladelphia

Police: Marine reservists attacked, robbed in Philadelphia

By: The Associated Press
November 21, 2018

PHILADELPHIA — Philadelphia police say a group of men and women attacked several Marine Corps reservists near a conservative rally last weekend.

The "We the People Rally" near Independence Hall drew more counterprotesters than participants Saturday.

Police say a few blocks away from the rally, the reservists were approached by the group that called them "Nazis" and "white supremacists." Police say members of the group used mace on the reservists and punched and kicked them. They allegedly stole one person's phone before running away.

Police released video of some of the attackers from the earlier counter-protest.
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In Generals the courage to heal and inspire

Generals refused to surrender to PTSD

Combat PTSD Wounded Times
Kathie Costos
November 22, 2018

Ten years ago, I wrote about being thankful for General Carter Ham because he talked openly about his own battle with PTSD, when other generals were shaming their soldiers for having it.

Today, sadly, I just posted about a Command Sgt. Major showing that efforts by leaders such as General Ham, have not educated the people under them.

General Ham was not alone that year. 

Major General David Blackledge showed courage admitting he needed help to heal.

Blackledge got psychiatric counseling to deal with wartime trauma, and now he is defying the military's culture of silence on the subject of mental health problems and treatment.
"It's part of our profession ... nobody wants to admit that they've got a weakness in this area," Blackledge said of mental health problems among troops returning from America's two wars.
"I have dealt with it. I'm dealing with it now," said Blackledge, who came home with post-traumatic stress. "We need to be able to talk about it."
As the nation marks another Veterans Day, thousands of troops are returning from Iraq and Afghanistan with anxiety, depression and other emotional problems.

This is what real leaders do! They show those they lead that PTSD is not from what they lack or any kind of weakness. It comes from where their courage to serve took them, and what they had to do for those they served with.

A year later, this report came out and yet another General had more to say.

Generals share their experience with PTSD 

CNN 

By Larry Shaughnessy and Barbara Starr 

March 6, 2009
STORY HIGHLIGHTS

Memory of soldier who died before his eyes stays with one general...Another still questions himself over suicide bomb attack that killed 22...By sharing stories, they hope to ease stigma attached to stress...Military should have different view of post-traumatic stress disorder, they say 

WASHINGTON (CNN) -- Army generals aren't known for talking about their feelings.
Gen. Carter Ham says PTSD is stigmatized, although "intellectually we all know it's wrong." Brig. Gen. Gary S. Patton says he wants the military to change the way it views post-traumatic stress disorder.

Brig. Gen. Gary S. Patton says he wants the military to change the way it views post-traumatic stress disorder.

But two high-ranking officers are doing just that, hoping that by going public they can remove the stigma that many soldiers say keeps them from getting help for post-traumatic stress disorder.

Brig. General Gary S. Patton and Gen. Carter Ham have both sought counseling for the emotional trauma of their time in the Iraq war.

"One of our soldiers in that unit, Spec. Robert Unruh, took a gunshot wound to the torso, I was involved in medevacing him off the battlefield. And in a short period of time, he died before my eyes," Patton told CNN in an exclusive interview. "That's a memory [that] will stay with me the rest of my life."

Ham was the commander in Mosul when a suicide bomber blew up a mess tent. Twenty-two people died.

"The 21st of December, 2004, worst day of my life. Ever," Ham said. "To this day I still ask myself what should I have done differently, what could I have done as the commander responsible that would have perhaps saved the lives of those soldiers, sailors, civilians."

Both generals have been back from Iraq for years, but still deal with some of the symptoms of the stress they experienced.

"I felt like that what I was doing was not important because I had soldiers who were killed and a mission that had not yet been accomplished," Ham said. "It took a very amazingly supportive wife and in my case a great chaplain to kind of help me work my way through that."

Ham and his wife drove from Washington State to the District of Columbia right after he returned from combat.

"I probably said three words to her the whole way across the country. And it was 'Do you want to stop and get something to eat?' I mean, no discussion, no sharing of what happened," he explained.

Ham still can't talk to his wife about much of what he saw.

For Patton the stress hits him in the middle of the night.

"I've had sleep interruptions from loud noises. Of course there's no IEDs or rockets going off in my bedroom, but the brain has a funny way of remembering those things," Patton said. "Not only recreating the exact sound, but also the smell of the battlefield and the metallic taste you get in your mouth when you have that same incident on the battlefield."

Both acknowledge that in military circles, there is still a stigma attached to admitting mental health problems.
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Can you imagine what it would be like today for all the veterans who needed to keep hearing from Generals like them, but only heard about how many veterans committed suicide?

Command Sgt. Maj. Gary Iverson needs history lesson on PTSD!

More BS from a leader?

This is a stunner! The "Veteran of the Year" knows nothing about the rest of the veterans he just insulted!

This report has every war from WWI, WWII, Korea and Vietnam in it and all of it deals with PTSD.

I have it hanging over my desk to remind me why I do this everyday!

The report was based on research for the Forgotten Warrior Project.

"It was not until WWI that specific clinical syndromes came to be associated with combat duty." 

Because a psychiatrist was embedded with the troops. Evacuations were happening because of mental health crisis events. By WWII, psychiatric evacuations went up 300%. The report also has the Korean War and Vietnam, all before the "digital" age that you will read in the article that made my head explode so early this morning.

A Command Sergeant Major, a person of great authority and responsibility, may have just answered how the results of war, after all these years, has produced a higher number of suicides connected to the military and many, many more left out because of discharges that were not honorable. 

How the hell can a Command Sgt. Major know so little about the history of PTSD that he comes out with such nonsense?

It is heartbreaking to lose someone to suicide and addictions but that does not give him the right to insult all the veterans needing help of leaders to heal.

Veteran of Year: Too many like son die of addiction, suicide on the Houston Chronicle has this!

HATTIESBURG, Miss. (AP) — Command Sgt. Maj. Gary Iverson was named the Hattiesburg area Veteran of the Year for 2018, but he took the stage to talk about what was on his mind: the high rate of deaths in veterans from suicide and opioid overdoses. 

"The issues that the troops have today when they come back (from deployment) — they don't have the life-coping skills of World War I, World War II and Korea to deal with them," he said. "As (older veterans) were growing up as children, they understood what it was to butcher a hog or a chicken and what it took to live."Younger veterans have grown up in the digital age, he said, and don't have the same life-coping skills. "In saying that, we have got to take care of veterans in different ways than we did before."

Does he know that as of 1999, before the "digital age" the number of known veteran suicides was 20 a day?

Does he know that all the reports from the VA put more than half of the known suicides ending veterans lives were over the age of 50? Does he know that the number of veterans living in the country at the time of the above report were 5 million more than we have today? Does he know that the latest report from the VA shows the results of inept leaders failing to learn what is required to change the outcome?

What they teaching those who lead has just explained how we have arrived at a time when surviving war is deadlier than war itself. Looks like he failed to even use the "digital age" tools to do basic research before coming out with that load of FUBAR!

 But that was not all he got wrong!

"The first thing, we need to have a conversation about is suicide. We're losing 22 veterans a day. These are some of the best and brightest the country has to offer."

Yep! Does not even know that number has been changed, and what the rest of that story is.

Some gain money while we lose veterans

Take a stand for giving, thanks

Combat PTSD Wounded Times
Kathie Costos
November 22, 2018


The word "stand" has many different meanings. As a transitive verb it can mean "to derive benefit or enjoyment from" as well as "remain firm in face of" something.

It also means "to be in a position to gain or lose because of an action taken or a commitment made."

Some gain money while we lose veterans.

One word with so many different meanings? Yes, and that is part of the problem. Most words can have different meanings. What we should be watching out for is, not just the words that accompany the one we focus on, but what the total message is.

Each of us take a stand, often without realizing it. The stands are based on what we believe and what we know to be true.

When we believe something is true, that does not mean it actually is the truth. It just means we think it is and the people who informed us, were telling the truth. The problem is, we never know if they just heard it was true or invested anything into knowing what the truth actually was.

Today is Thanksgiving Day, but while we think we know the trip was made to establish a place where people could worship the way they wanted to, there is much more to that "stand" they took.

It was not about giving everyone religious freedom, to decide on their own to believe what they wanted to. It was intended to provide the group the ability to have it their way...and everyone else had to follow their rules.

We see that all the time. People seem to take  stands, use words to make their thoughts more acceptable than they deserve to be.

This nation began with people being protected by members of the military...

Mayflower Compact

One now-famous colonist who signed the Mayflower Compact was Myles Standish. He was an English military officer hired by the Pilgrims to accompany them to the New World to serve as military leader for the colony. Standish played an important role in enforcing the new laws and protecting colonists against unfriendly Native Americans.

The words "conspiracy" seems dreadful but it is not always a bad thing. Freedom was established by a conspiracy of brave colonists who wrote different rules and by those who were willing to take a stand to put those words into action. Those patriots were willing to die to secure the ideals the rest of us enjoy.

Now, you'd think after all these years, the people of this nation would be willing to take a stand for those who serve to preserve our freedoms, but we settle for what we think to be true, when we should know the difference.

If we truly stand for them, then we need to stop falling for everything we hear, just because other people said it was true.

Over and over again, people defend the "22" stunts for "raising awareness" that veterans are killing themselves. Over and over again, it has been proven that there is no benefit for the veterans needing help, but plenty of benefits for the perpetrators of the conspiracy to cover up their intent.

Having a "fun time" because they think a number of veterans are committing suicide, is repulsive. Some groups just use veterans, while others were just following their footsteps without the intent to deceive. What all of them have in common is they failed to understand they were doing more harm than good.

Just as the Pilgrims wanted religious freedom for themselves, we thought that meant everyone else could have it too, but that was not their intent. Doing something to prevent veterans from committing suicide, is only what some want you to believe. The truth however is you only fell for it because you would not take a stand for the sake of the veterans not being able to find hope! 

Start taking a stand for what you want to give...thanks!

FOX Investigation about 5 years behind facts!

Wow this headline sounds important!

FOX23 Investigates: Veteran PTSD

The Veterans Administration estimates 22 veterans commit suicide each day. In Oklahoma, it’s estimated that one person dies by suicide every 11 hours.

Too bad it wasn't!

Had to recheck the date because I figured they would not possibly be this incompetent on such an important subject! It came out 9 hours ago!!!!!!!!!!

And now we all know why the "22" a day "awareness" stunt pullers keep getting away with it!

PTSD drug making nightmares worse and suicide thought stronger?

Drug used for PTSD may worsen nightmares, not reduce suicidal thoughts

Medical Press
Medical College of Georgia at Augusta University
November 19, 2018

McCall reconfirmed in 2013 in The Journal of Clinical Sleep Medicine the link between insomnia and nightmares and how losing hope of ever getting another good night's sleep itself is a risk factor for suicide.

Nightmares and insomnia often accompany posttraumatic stress disorder and increase suicide risk.

Dr. W. Vaughn McCall, chair of the Department of Psychiatry and Health Behavior at the Medical College of Georgia. Credit: Phil Jones, Senior Photographer, Augusta University

A small study looking at whether the drug prazosin, best known for treating high blood pressure but also used to treat PTSD-related sleep problems, can reduce suicidal thoughts has yielded surprising results.

They indicate it may actually worsen nightmares and insomnia and doesn't reduce suicidal thinking, investigators report in the Journal of Clinical Psychopharmacology.

"I think we have to view this as not the final word on this, but it raises questions," says Dr. W. Vaughn McCall, chair of the Department of Psychiatry and Health Behavior at the Medical College of Georgia at Augusta University.

McCall is currently seeking input from PTSD experts across the country but says a likely consensus could be that prazosin may help some, but may not be a good choice when suicide is an active concern.

Two larger studies in active and retired military personnel yielded mixed results as well, the first in active duty military showed it helped with nightmares and sleep quality and a follow-up study just published this year on military veterans with chronic PTSD indicated it was no better than placebo.

McCall's pilot study is the first in which all participants had suicidal thoughts or actions.

"It did not seem to do much for suicidal ideation and that was somewhat disappointing, but the thing what was mind-blowing was that is actually worsened nightmares," says McCall. "Maybe it's not for everybody." He notes that with PTSD, a patient's nightmares often focus on the trauma that produced their disorder.
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Villains getting more attention than veterans?

Are you supporting veterans or villains?

Combat PTSD Wounded Times
Kathie Costos
November 21, 2018

This is the month when most Americans think about our veterans because of Veterans Day. The thing is, everyday is Veterans Day because they never stop being a veteran.

"...people donate more than $2.5 billion annually to the over 40,000 American charities with military-related missions."

If we fail to pay attention to what veterans need, they will still be used by groups and veterans will wonder if anyone really cares.

There is a lot of confusion about most charities. I got into one of those discussions yesterday. While all veterans served this country since the beginning, not all charities serve all veterans equally.

Charity Navigator has a list of charities focusing on veterans

The Federal Trade Commission, along with 70 other agencies, just announced 100 law enforcement actions across all 50 states against fraudulent charities stealing from individuals looking to give to nonprofits that support veterans and military members. During certain times of the year, we make time to honor the sacrifices many brave individuals have made and continue to make in order to keep us all safe. Americans love, respect, and honor our troops all year round -- in fact, people donate more than $2.5 billion annually to the over 40,000 American charities with military-related missions.We've curated this list of highly-rated trustworthy organizations providing a variety of services from lifting troops' morale to offering financial assistance for food, rent, utilities, and medical expenses. All of these organizations demonstrate financial responsibility and a commitment to accountability and transparency best practices.

As with all things, you need to find the charity itself to see who they are supposed to be working to help.

Wounded Warrior Project, for example, has this as their mission statement.

The mission of Wounded Warrior Project is to honor and empower wounded warriors. Our purpose is: to raise awareness and enlist the public's aid for the needs of severely injured service men and women; to help severely injured service members aid and assist each other; and to provide unique, direct programs and services to meet the needs of severely injured service members.

But they do not do anything for the other generations, just the OEF and OIF generation.

WWP began as a small, grassroots effort to provide immediate assistance when a warrior of this generation was injured. We felt we could do the most good by providing more comprehensive programs and services to the newly injured, rather than spread ourselves too thin by trying to help all veterans. We also knew there were many terrific veterans' organizations for warriors from previous conflicts, but very few focused on serving our newest generation.

Also with them, you do not know where the funds are going since they give millions in grants to colleges. 

Wounded Warrior Project® (WWP) announced it has awarded $2.3 million in grants to organizations also serving this generation of injured service members and their families. Since its inception in 2012, the WWP Grant Program has awarded grants to over 85 different organizations, totaling more than $9.1 million.

Another key factor in all of this is none of the "suicide awareness" groups are on the lists. If you try to find out how many groups are doing the "awareness" stunts, you end up finding the results of groups doing prevention instead.

Having fun, doing stunts and having parties because veterans are killing themselves, is repulsive. It abuses the veterans they claim they care about. 

The most famous group is 22 Kill. This is their story....

History of 22KILL:

In 2012, the Veterans’ Administration (VA) released a Suicide Data Report that found an average of 22 veterans die by suicide everyday. The 22KILL initiative started in 2013, at first just as a social media movement to raise awareness, and later became an official 501(c)3 nonprofit organization. 22KILL is committed to researching and understanding the common issues connected with suicide; including Post Traumatic Stress and depression, the various circumstances that they stem from, their effects on the individual, and the impact that suicide has on family, friends, and the community as a whole.

And yet, they seemed to have failed at researching the report that got them started. It stated clearly the "number" was not be taken as a whole because it was limited data from just 21 states.

For the rest of the results of the stunts, we find that right here.

Less veterans alive, more suicides, higher percentage of known suicides. Yet most of the groups do not even mention how many were not counted...or even have a clue about them.

They are not on the top 75 PTSD sites from Feedspot. This site is number 10!

So, if you want to keep having fun because veterans are killing themselves, think of what the result will be. The only stunts veterans have been doing lately are committing suicide in public so that you will be aware they were failed by all the 40,000 groups collect $2.5 billion a year!

Town destroyed by fire, another town steps up by love

California wildfires: Town hosting displaced victims for Thanksgiving feast

NBC News

By Dareh Gregorian and Rima Abdelkader
November 19, 2018

The town of Lincoln, California, is banding together to help the wildfire victims try to have a happy Thanksgiving.

Krystin Harvey, left, comforts her daughter Araya Cipollini at the remains of their home burned in the Camp Fire, Saturday, Nov. 10, 2018, in Paradise, Calif.John Locher / AP

Residents of the Sacramento suburb — population 47,000 — are putting aside their own Thanksgiving Day plans to serve meals to those who’ve been displaced by the widespread destruction.

"It’s going to be a good night out to get their minds off what's happened," one of the organizers, Jeannette Bermudez, told NBC News on Monday.

The event was "thrown together pretty fast because all of this happened so fast," said another organizer, Jack Montgomery, 38.

The local fire department held a turkey drive that resulted in over 100 turkeys being donated. The city of Lincoln offered up its event space, McBean Pavilion, for free. A local casino offered up buses for transportation to and from hotels. 

Companies were donating games and arts and crafts to keep kids busy. Townspeople and local restaurants and stores were cooking up food for the event.

My Dog's Spot, a local dog grooming shop, offered to house victims' pets during the dinner — and to give them a bath and some grooming if needed, Bermudez said.

"They'll be loved on and spoiled while their owners enjoy dinner," she said.
read more here

Business rips off Disabled Veterans Of America!

DAV, their name got stolen...again!

"I call myself the Disabled Veterans of America instead of David's Advertising so I don't get hung up on," he explained.

Is Valley veteran business really doing charitable work?

Make a lot of money all while helping veterans? Sounds like a great job, but it's not a charity. So is this local business doing a good thing or is it a misleading way to make money?

An alluring ad you may have seen on Craigslist promises up to $8,000 a month for salespeople. And you'd be able to help veterans by working for the Disabled Veterans of Arizona.

For $199, businesses would get a disabled vet sticker for their window, an advertising tax deduction, and their name listed on a website showing they support vets.

But it was another part of the ad that we really questioned; it said that salespeople get to keep 60% of what they take in.
read more here



UPDATE
Here are a few more that ripped off veterans recently!

HARRISBURG, Pa. (WHTM) - A Thompsontown man has admitted in court that he defrauded a disabled veteran of more than $300,000.Jason Ehrhart, 48, pleaded guilty Tuesday in U.S. District Court to health care fraud. He also agreed to make full restitution to the veteran’s estate, U.S. Attorney David Freed said.A sentencing hearing was not immediately scheduled.Prosecutors say Ehrhart in October 2006 successfully applied to serve as the legal custodian of a former Perry County resident who had been diagnosed with multiple sclerosis while serving in the U.S. Army.The veteran received $476,260 in federal disability benefits from October 2006 to August 2016.

Legal News Line

SAN DIEGO — A California jury handed the state a legal victory by rendering an $8.8 million award in the state's lawsuit against operators of a veteran's charity scam who used donated funds for personal expenses. 

In a lawsuit filed last year, the California Attorney General's Office alleged Matthew and Danella Gregory, along with their adult children who served as directors for the Wounded Warriors Support Group and Central Coast Equine Rescue and Retirement, used donations earmarked for wounded veterans for personal use. According to the Attorney General's Office, the defendants used donated funds for shopping trips, personal credit card debt and traveling.

“These unscrupulous con artists exploited the generosity of Americans by falsely claiming to help our country’s wounded warriors and their families," California Attorney General Xavier Becerra said in a statement. "Instead, they used our charitable donations for personal gain. A jury of their peers has justly slapped down the Gregory family and their corrupt enterprise. 

New firefighter has a leg to stand on...really!

Disabled veteran graduates fire academy

NBC News
November 19, 2018

(KING) An injured veteran in Washington continued his tradition of serving others with an important graduation ceremony Saturday.

Retired Air Force Tech Sgt. Daniel Fye was serving his fourth tour of duty in Afghanistan in 2011, when he stepped on an IED.

He lost his left leg below the knee, and fought for months of surgery to keep his right leg.

Within two years, he was able to walk without any help.

Today, he's achieved his lifelong dream of becoming a firefighter, after graduating with honors from the South Sound Fire Academy.
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