Wisconsin Army National Guard assaulted and betrayed getting justice the hard way

Final punishment: As Wisconsin National Guard officer Megan Plunkett took steps to leave the Guard after she said she was sexually assaulted three times, officials tried to revoke her benefits

Madison.com
Katelyn Ferral
May 11, 2019

“I was like, ‘I’m out, I just want to be left alone.’ I don’t want to cause more problems and then he came at me with fraternization. Are you ... kidding me?” she said. “He… assaulted me and how dare they accuse me of fraternization without asking me what happened?”

Eight months after the Wisconsin Army National Guard finished its investigations into 1st Lt. Megan Plunkett’s sexual assault claims, they tried to kick her out.

They did so even though Plunkett was already making her own way out. She was going through a medical discharge for post-traumatic stress disorder connected to alleged sexual assaults by two different men in two different units she served in.

She was not actively training at that time but was having a consensual relationship with an enlisted soldier in her unit. After the relationship ended, Plunkett said that man also sexually assaulted her. As it did in the first two cases, the Guard said her allegations were unsubstantiated, but they went one step further than that, finding Plunkett guilty of “fraternization.” In the military, officers are forbidden to have sexual relationships with enlisted soldiers.

As of today, Plunkett has won some measure of vindication from other agencies. A panel of out-of-state Army officers ultimately rejected the Guard's attempt to strip her benefits and status, though that ruling is not yet final. Separately, the Veterans Administration awarded her full service-connected disability compensation and medical benefits for PTSD, which they determined was caused by military sexual trauma she experienced in the Wisconsin Army National Guard.

'Failure to Protect'
This week, the Cap Times is publishing “Failure to Protect,” a four-part investigation by reporter Katelyn Ferral into the Wisconsin Army National Guard and its treatment of soldiers who are sexually abused in its service. The series is centered on 1st Lt. Megan Plunkett, a soldier who says she was sexually assaulted by three different Guard colleagues over the course of three years.

After she brought those allegations forward, the Guard not only decided that they were unsubstantiated, but took multiple steps to punish her. Plunkett eventually brought her story to the Cap Times, and after a four-month investigation including access to extensive records of a type rarely available to the public, we are sharing her story with you. It is alarming, nuanced and sometimes graphic, but it is important to hear, coming amidst growing concern among government officials in Wisconsin and nationally about the number of military sexual abuse victims and their treatment.

Part one focused on Plunkett’s allegations, the Guard’s responses and also explains its procedures for responding to sexual assault allegations.

Part two took a close look at a yearlong, internal Guard investigation into Plunkett’s first unit, which concluded that it had a longstanding culture of sexual misconduct.

Part three examined the phenomenon of “military sexual trauma” as well as Plunkett’s often frustrating efforts to maintain consistent medical care and legal representation.

Part four (below) describes the Guard’s final — and at this point, unsuccessful — effort to strip Plunkett of military benefits even after she was in the process of getting a discharge for medical reasons.
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At 35, Army Reservist... finally a soldier

He couldn't enlist after 9/11 because he was undocumented. At 35, he just finished boot camp

CBS News
BY CAMILO MONTOYA-GALVEZ
MAY 10, 2019

Vargas' enlistment in the Army Reserve marked the culmination of a remarkable, nearly two-decades-long journey from undocumented immigrant to trail-blazing attorney and activist. It also served as a stark reminder that the country Vargas has fought so hard to serve in uniform is still leaving many — including his family — in the shadows.

Specialist Cesar Vargas, 35, a former undocumented immigrant, graduated from basic training in late April after unsuccessfully trying to enlist for nearly two decades. CAMILO MONTOYA-GALVEZ

Fort Leonard Wood, Mo. — One by one, the young soldiers stepped forward methodically, announcing their rank, last name and hometown.

By the time it was Cesar Vargas' turn, his brothers and sisters in arms in Charlie Company had mapped out locations across the U.S. and around the world — from Omaha, Nebraska and Brooklyn, to West Africa's Burkina Faso and Lima, Peru.

"Puebla, Mexico!" the 35-year-old Vargas shouted, stepping in front of his comrades, many of whom had recently graduated from high school.

The stark age difference between him and the other boot camp graduates was not lost on Vargas, now a specialist in the Army Reserve. Since he was a teenager, he's been trying to join the armed forces. "After 9/11 — as a New Yorker — I took it very personally," he told CBS News. "And while many of my friends were trying to enlist, I couldn't because of my immigration status."
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Gatekeeper highlights the real struggles veterans face with PTSD and suicide

How soldier-made 'The Gatekeeper' fights veteran suicide

We Are The Mighty
Shannon Corbeil
May. 09, 2019

Martinez is a combat veteran who saw first-hand the psychological effects war has on returning service members — and decided to do something about it.

There were more than 6000 veteran suicides each year from 2008-2016 alone.

'The Gatekeeper' cast and crew filming on location at the Los Angeles National Cemetery.

In contrast, the total number of fatal casualties from Iraq and Afghanistan since 2001 is 6,995.

Suicide is a threat to our nation's service members — and in U.S. Army Paratrooper and creator Jordan Martinez's words, "Now, more than ever, we must tell stories about their experiences and remind others how important it is to never give up on the battle at home."

His passion for this topic is what inspired the USC School of Cinematic Arts graduate student to create The Gatekeeper, a psychological thriller that accurately, artistically, and authentically highlights the real struggles veterans face with PTSD and suicide.

This ain't no ordinary student film:

The Gatekeeper will be the first film in USC history to use motion capture technology for pre-visualization. Martinez has invested state of the art technology and equipment, incredible production locations, and professional cast and crew for this film, including Navy veteran and Stranger Things actress Jennifer Marshall and Christopher Loverro, an Army veteran and the founder of non-profit Warriors for Peace Theater.
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Love story of Veteran and Bride, who had to plan funeral 5 hours after wedding

Veteran dies of cancer 5 hours after getting married

Army Times
By: J.D. Simkins
May 9, 2019

Tianna Laue, married for just five hours before losing her husband, told KWWL the lessons she’s learned from the experience, however brief, will last a lifetime.

Army veteran Tristan Laue married his wife just five hours before succumbing to a rare form of liver cancer. (Tristan Laue GoFundMe)

When Tristan Laue joined the Army in July 2016, he never envisioned an enlistment that would be cut drastically short, but an indiscriminate universe had other ideas.

Laue was medically discharged from the service in April 2018 after it was discovered that the young soldier had developed a rare form of liver cancer.

Determined to battle the disease, Laue carried on with his life, attending the University of Northern Iowa while seeing his relationship with his girlfriend, Tianna, blossom in ways her family never expected.

“Talking to my mom ... she said, ‘Some people don’t get what you two had in the amount of time, like they’ll be together for years and still not have the same connection that you guys did,’” Tianna told KWWL.

But Tristan’s illness continued to advance relentlessly, diminishing with it the couple’s hopes for a long life together.

With the writing on the wall becoming more clear with each passing day, Laue made the decision to pursue one final wish and proposed to Tianna on Easter Sunday.
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DOD finally releasing military family suicide report

we finally have an answer on what Congress has been asking for since last year Senators: Where's the Military Family Suicide Data?

Two senators want to know the status of information on the suicide rate for military family members, data the Pentagon was ordered to start collecting in 2014.Defense officials were ordered to standardize and collect that data as part of a larger measure on military suicide included in a 2014 law. 

In First, Pentagon to Release Information on Military Dependent Suicides

Military.com
By Patricia Kime
9 May 2019

The Pentagon will release a new annual report on active-duty military suicides this year -- one that will provide complete data for 2018 as well as a first-ever look at suicides among military family members.

In a hearing before the House Oversight and Reform national security subcommittee Wednesday, Navy Capt. Mike Colston, the Defense Department's mental health director, and Defense Suicide Prevention Office Director Karin Orvis said the new report will allow for more timely publication of suicide rates, which are a more accurate measure of trends than yearly tallies.

Currently, the DoD publishes quarterly reports of the number of deaths in the previous three months, with the year-end data included in the fourth-quarter report for the calendar year.

But the DoD has not published the final figures or the rates for 2018 and declined to provide them earlier this month when asked by Military.com. Instead, they will be included in the new report, called the Annual Suicide Report, expected this summer, officials said.

"The Annual Suicide Report will enable us to monitor trends in suicide over time and identify risk factors for protective factors for suicide," Orvis told lawmakers during the hearing.

The U.S. military in 2018 experienced the highest number of suicides among active-duty troops in six years, according to data compiled by Military.com from statistics provided by the services.
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U.S. sailor found in Sasebo park after apparent suicide

update from Military.com

The Navy has released the identity of a 21-year-old gunner's mate found dead late Thursday in a public park outside Sasebo Naval Base, Japan. Petty Officer 3rd Class Chase Edwards, of Euless, Texas, was assigned to the amphibious assault ship USS Wasp, which is homeported at Sasebo.

Body likely belonging to U.S. sailor found in Sasebo park after apparent suicide

BY TOKYO REPORTER STAFF
MAY 10, 2019

NAGASAKI (TR) – Nagasaki Prefectural Police are investigating what is being treated as a suicide after the discovery of the body of a man believed to be a member of the U.S. Navy at a park in Sasebo City early Friday, reports the Nishi Nippon Shimbun (May 10).

At around 11:35 p.m. on Thursday, personnel at the Commander Fleet Activities Sasebo base contacted the Sasebo Police Station to report the disappearance of a male member of the U.S. military “who talked about suicide.”

At around midnight, the body of a foreign man, clothed in a gray jacket, was discovered in a park adjoining the base with a gunshot wound to the head. A pistol was found in one of his hands, police said.

Police are now working to confirm the identity of the body.
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Congress held another hearing on suicides without listening to different voices!

Why are they still asking why?

Wounded Times

Kathie Costos

May 9, 2019

I have been listening to these hearings for too many decades and find it disgraceful members of Congress are still asking "why" veterans are committing suicide.

When will they ever get to the point where they actually open their eyes and understand that the "two decades" they believe they have been doing something, with no progress at all. Actually, in the Veterans' Community, it is worse!

The answer is they keep asking the same questions, to the same experts and getting the same answer.

They will never actually hear us until they actually acknowledge we exist!

We hear their voices, hold their hands, and put our arms around their families when it is too late to reach them. They cannot find the help they need because Congress, the press and mega size veterans groups do not intend to seek our council.

After all, there is no money in hearing what works. They do not want to know the facts when they just swallow what the VA tells them about how many are killing themselves without having to explain how many they are not reporting on within the data that is available to anyone wishing to take the time to seek it.

They will not change a damn thing until they actually change the conversation with the people they have ignored for over 4 decades. Yes, the best experts were out there over 40 years ago when Vietnam veterans were pushing for the research.

Listen to their own words and know, they have been saying the same thing for far too many years! 

Veteran Suicide Prevention

Rep. Mark Takano said that his uncle, a Vietnam veteran, had committed suicide.

"The House Veterans' Affairs Committee held a hearing to examine ways to combat suicide among military veterans. Witnesses included officials from the National Institutes of Health, Veterans Affairs Department and the Suicide Prevention Branch of the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration."

26 year old bit off finger of 71 year old Vietnam veteran he was fighting?

Tennessee man accused of biting off Vietnam vet's fingertip during argument

By: Bob D'Angelo, Cox Media Group National Content Desk
May 8, 2019

CHARLOTTE, Tenn.
A Tennessee man is accused of biting off the fingertip of a Vietnam veteran during a fight outside a Dickson County convenience store, WKRN reported.

Dylan McKinney, 26, was arrested after the Sunday incident in Charlotte, Tennessee, the television station reported. The district attorney is investigating whether to charge McKinney with a hate crime after the alleged attack on the 71-year-old man, according to WKRN.

McKinney was charged with resisting arrest, disorderly conduct, public intoxication and aggravated assault. He remains in the Dickson County Jail in lieu of a $62,000 bond.

McKinney, who told the television station he had been drinking when the incident occurred, said the victim put his finger in his mouth. That’s when McKinney said he bit down.

“It sounds gruesome, but I don't regret biting a man's finger off when he stuck it in my mouth and tried to tear my jaw off,” McKinney told WKRN.

McKinney said he was wearing a hoodie with a Confederate symbol and the veteran, who is black, took offense and cursed at him.

The verbal fight soon turned physical, McKinney told the television station.

“My first thought, maybe he has a gun in there, and so I did everything I could to make sure he couldn't get to anything inside his truck,” McKinney told WKRN. “As far as the confrontation, I guess you would say, maybe I started that.

“We were fighting. I didn't have time to put his finger in my mouth and eat it. I'm not a cannibal or anything like that.”
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Fort Bragg soldier raced to save buddy but he was too late

Fort Bragg sniper raced to check on his buddy. He broke into the house and found his best friend's body. Overcome with grief, he fired a couple of shots from his own gun at the floor. Now you know what happened a lot better than how this headline reads! *******

Sniper Who Once Held Record in Afghanistan Now Faces Gun Charges

NBC 4 News
By Julie Carey and Christian Paz
Published May 8, 2019

A soldier who once set a record for the longest sniper shot in Afghanistan by an American is now facing gun charges as part of a larger death investigation in Northern Virginia.

Deputies arrested Nicholas Ranstad in Warren County, Virginia, on May 4 after he called sheriff's deputies to a house where a man had allegedly suffered a self-inflicted gunshot wound.

According to the Warran County Sheriff's Office, deputies responded to a house on the 200 block of Doom Peak Rd. in Linden, Virginia, where they met Ranstad and confirmed that the injured man, Sean David Miller, had died.

Deputies said Ranstad told them that he was friends with Miller, a Marine veteran, and had become concerned with his well-being, prompting him to travel from Fort Bragg, North Carolina, to Miller's home to check in on him.

Police said they are still investigating the circumstances of Miller's death, but News4 has learned that the Medical Examiner's Office has ruled the death a suicide.

And Miller's father wrote about his son's death in a social media post, saying Miller "has fallen to PTSD and suicide."
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Female firefighters have higher risk of PTSD

Female Firefighters at Risk of PTSD and Suicidal Thoughts

Journal of Emergency Medical Services
Occupational Medicine

Female firefighters are at a high-risk of developing symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder and experiencing suicidal thoughts, compared to male firefighters

The study found that almost one in three (30%) female firefighters indicated that they had considered or attempted suicide compared to one in seven (15%) male firefighters.

Being single increased the risk of experiencing suicidal thoughts in both genders, previous research has indicated that having a life partner may be a protective factor for suicide.

The research also found that PTSD symptoms were more common among female firefighters, with one in five (20%) female firefighters indicating that they had experienced such symptoms, compared to one in eight (12%) male firefighters. Women who had been in the career for between 10-20 years were found to be at a higher risk of developing PTSD symptoms than those who were in the first 10 years of service.

The study also found that approximately one third of both male (31%) and female (32%) firefighters screened positive for alcohol problems.

The study assessed 2,639 firefighters, 75 women and 2,564 men in a large urban fire department. The participants filled in anonymous questionnaires indicating if they had experienced symptoms of depression, general stress, PTSD, problem behaviours associated with alcohol consumption and if they had considered or attempted suicide.
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