Mom's grief after Iraq veteran son committed suicide

A soldier’s suicide and his mother’s grief are tragic part of nation’s larger mental health issues among veterans

SiLive
By Paul Liotta
July 29, 2019

“I wanna be the person I know I can be -- clean from drugs,” John wrote. “I want to get my life back in order ... I want my family to be proud of me again.”

STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- John King served his country, but when he came home, his family says the system failed him like it has too many other veterans.

After just two years and four months in the Army, King returned home to Staten Island with severe physical and mental injuries. He spent years trying to get help, but on Oct. 7, 2017 he took his own life.

His death is part of an upward trend in suicide that many in America have been working to reverse.

“These guys are brothers,” John’s mom Sandra King said. “They went through something none of us will ever understand. They went -- they gave up their lives for us.”

The Oakwood resident signed up for the Army in 2007 at the age of 17, and quickly found himself in the middle of Iraq during that year’s troop surge. John was honorably discharged in 2009 following his injuries.

For the bulk of his time in the Army, John -- a member of Task Force 1st Battalion, 28th Infantry dubbed the “Black Lions” -- sat in a Humvee gunner seat driving along the Baghdad Airport Road designated “Route Irish.”

Spc. James “Boomer” Lamonde met John in Iraq during their service and developed a close friendship when they returned to Fort Riley. He remembers John like a little brother.

“He was young,” Lamonde said. “He was a baby. Still a goofy 18, 19-year-old kid that wasn’t broken yet fully. But John was a good dude. Anything you needed, if you needed him, he’d help you out.”

In 2008, John was separated from the rest of his company for four days facing enemy fire following orders that would allow the rest of his team to advance. According to the certificate of commendation awarded with his Army Achievement Medal, John’s actions allowed his company to safely move forward and set up position.
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Most obvious answer to stop suicides still being missed

Want to save lives? Get the message right first

Wounded Times
Kathie Costos
July 29, 2019

If you visit this site often, I am sure it has been showing my frustration more and more. Glad that I am not doing a podcast, because holding back words I should not use in public, is getting harder and harder.

I am sick and tired of hearing another head of yet another department make the same mistake of miscommunication out of ignorance.

Another New York Officer committed suicide. He was the fifth since June. This is the message from NYPD Commissioner James O’Neill.

“You may not know this, and it may be hard to imagine, but you are not out there all by yourself,” he said. “More people than you know, who wear the same uniform as you do, share the same doubts and fears and struggles that you do. Seeking help is strength. Talking about your problems is strength. Acknowledging you need a place to turn is strength. There is no shame here ― only a promise to provide you with the help and support you need and deserve.”

In a tweet, the NYPD Sergeants Benevolent Association called the officer’s death “terrible news,” asking for prayers for his friends, family and colleagues.
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The part that they need to hear is that while there are others suffering, they are also still serving. They are still risking their lives to save strangers because lives matter. That includes those they serve with and are willing to die for too.

If they understand what PTSD is, then there is no stigma. If they understand what their job is, then there is no reason to deny they need help. If there is no reason to deny they need help, they will stop killing themselves and start helping each other heal.

 After 37 years, I would like to finally be able to retire. Considering how the most obvious answer to this heartbreaking outcome keeps getting missed, I doubt I ever will be able to.

Number of veterans committing suicide depends on who counted

When it comes to the number of veterans committing suicide, this shows it depends on who counted. Hint: It is a lot higher than any number you think you know unless you read Wounded Times and will not be shocked by the following article.

Paul Muschick: Military suicides hitting Pennsylvania where you may not expect it

THE MORNING CALL
By PAUL MUSCHICK
JUL 26, 2019

Not all National Guard members meet the legal definition of a “veteran.” When it comes to suicide, though, that distinction doesn’t matter. The bottom line is that people who served their country are ending their lives, and that has to stop.

Earl (left) and Joe Granville served together in Bosnia and Iraq with the Pennsylvania Army National Guard. Joe Granville took his own life in 2010. (CONTRIBUTED/EARL GRANVILLE)

The men and women who enlist in the Pennsylvania National Guard are the best of the best. They’re in shape. They’re smart. They’re motivated.

They’re also committing suicide too often.

In the past four years, 26 Guard members have taken their own lives. Assumptions about why that is happening — that they went to war overseas and came back suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder or were unable to adjust to civilian life — aren’t always accurate.

Slightly more than half of them never deployed.
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Military Private Housing in Wake of Scandal Review---Bad

update Army IG finds widespread concerns with privatized housing and lack of oversight

More Army, Navy Families Unhappy with Private Housing in Wake of Scandal

Military.com
By Patricia Kime
28 Jul 2019

Fort Bragg was at the bottom of the list with an overall rating of 58.9, or "very poor." The North Carolina base housing is managed by Corvias. Fort Meade, Maryland, also managed by Corvias, and Fort Carson, Colorado, managed by Balfour Beatty, were the only two installations to receive "poor" ratings.

Sgt. Andrew McNeil (left), a public affairs mass communication noncommissioned officer, discusses his housing concerns and conditions with Maj. Tabitha Hernandez, commander, 22nd Mobile Public Affairs Detachment, Headquarters and Headquarters Battalion, XVIII Airborne Corps, during the unit’s command housing visits at Fort Bragg, North Carolina, on April 5, 2019. Bragg came in last on a survey of Army housing, with an overall rating of 58.9, or "very poor." (U.S. Army photo by Sgt. Gregory T. Summers)

Satisfaction with privatized military housing has declined since last year for both the Army and Navy, according to surveys released by the services Thursday.

But while soldiers and families living in base housing can view the survey results and see where their installations fall on the spectrum, the results of the Navy survey don't contain specifics for each base and provide only a general look at the overall state of Navy housing.

After a scandal earlier this year as reports came to light of vermin, mold and lead contamination in U.S. military housing managed by private companies, the services launched a series of inspections and fixes, including resident surveys, to determine the extent of the issues and how to address them.
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4 shot at McConnell Air Force Base

Officials: Airman killed, 3 injured in Wichita shooting

Associated Press
July 27, 2019

A crew chief with the 931st Aircraft Maintenance Squadron marshals a KC-46A Pegasus on the flightline at McConnell Air Force Base, Kan., Feb. 21. (Airman 1st Class Alexi Myrick/Air Force)

WICHITA, Kan. — Authorities in south-central Kansas say a 20-year-old McConnell Air Force Base airman has been killed and three others injured in an east Wichita shooting.

The shooting occurred around 2 a.m. Saturday at an apartment where a party was being held. Police say arriving officers found the wounded 20-year-old unresponsive and performed CPR, but he died at the scene.

Two other men, ages 21 and 22, were taken to a hospital with injuries not believed to be life-threatening. A 19-year-old woman had already been taken by a private vehicle to hospital with serious injuries. Police say she is expected to survive.
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Vietnam veteran needed a lift and got it from an angel

Lyft Driver an 'angel' for giving veteran with PTSD 2-hour ride home from hospital

ABC 15 News
by Connor Ingalls
July 26th 2019

"I went from depression and suicidal thoughts and tears," said Rickrode, "to feeling honor and integrity again."

Lyft ride uplifts vet (WDPE)

SURFSIDE BEACH, S.C. (WPDE) — Honor, integrity, and valor. Those words mean a lot to Michael Rickrode.

The Surfside Beach resident learned their meaning as a kid growing up in a military household.

"We didn't have dinner at 5 o'clock in our house," said Rickrode. "We had it at 17-hundred. 17 and a split and you were running...I did a lot of running growing up."

To Rickrode, turning 18 was simply an opportunity to begin serving our country, which he did for nine years in the United States Navy-- but it took quite a toll on him.
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Ex-POW Vietnam veteran Richard Burgess remembered for how he loved

Vietnam vet remembered as a hero and friend to all that knew him

Deseret News
Jasen Lee
July 28, 2019

"He could tap into (the sixth sense) of what connected us," Clemmons explained. "He taught me how to pay attention and it's amazing how many times it saved my life."

Scott G Winterton, Deseret News
Marine Gunnery Sgt. Christopher Chambers and Sgt. Mark Maxfield fold the flag during services for Vietnam War veteran Richard Burgess during services at Camp Williams in Bluffdale on Friday, July 26, 2019.

BLUFFDALE – A onetime prisoner of war, Richard Burgess was a man who spent much of his life looking out for others' interests above his own.

To a person, speakers at his memorial service Friday at the Utah Veterans Memorial Cemetery all noted how selfless and caring a man he was to them and just about everyone he came in contact with.

"I knew he was special all our lives and I thought about him every day almost," said fellow Marine Gary Clemmons, who served with Burgess in Vietnam. "When I think I would have it bad, I would think of Richard (in the POW camp)."

So impactful to some was Burgess' connection with them, they came from miles away to pay their respects during a ceremony conducted with full military honors in Bluffdale. Burgess spent over six years as a prisoner of war during the Vietnam conflict, but didn't allow it the extinguish the kind, generous spirit that ingratiated him to so many people during his 72 years, speakers noted. read it here

Chainsaws, shovels and muscle brought to bear by an Ohio militia

Ohio's militias are armed and ready, with good intent they say

The Plain Dealer
By Brian Albrecht
July 28, 2019

But there are militias that say they support the government and exist to serve as a citizen’s defense force in the historical sense of these groups. Armed, yes, but also prepared and trained to respond to disasters or local community needs.

Members of the Irregulars of Ohio Reserve Militia take a break for a photo with personnel of the Life’s Little Adventures Farm in Wooster, where militia members cleared fallen trees and foliage in May to help the facility that uses rescued animals in therapeutic programs for children, and veterans recovering from PTSD. (Brian Albrecht/The Plain Dealer)

CLEVELAND, Ohio — This is the militia: Men and women clad in camos, carrying semi-automatic rifles, stalking the woodlands, shredding targets, prepping for worst-case scenarios.

And this is the militia: Two militia members arrested and charged in Cincinnati earlier this year for allegedly making bombs; a militia leader arrested and charged with firearms possession by a felon in April after a video showed his group detaining migrants in New Mexico at gunpoint; two members of a Illinois militia pleading guilty in January to bombing a Minnesota mosque; three Kansas militia men convicted last year of plotting to blow up an apartment complex where Somali refugees lived.

And this: Chainsaws, shovels and muscle brought to bear by an Ohio militia to help clean up tornado-ravaged areas of Dayton, and an overgrown farm in Wooster that offers therapeutic programs to treat traumatized families and veterans with post-traumatic stress disorder.

The recent history of private militias in Ohio and the United States has been fraught with confrontation and violence.
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Missing veteran with PTSD found dead in Texas cemetery

Missing East Texas veteran found dead in Beaumont

CBS 19 News
Author: Matthew Copeland
July 26, 2019

Martin served abroad with the United States Army and suffered from PTSD, according to family.

BEAUMONT, Texas — A East Texas veteran who has been missing for more than two weeks was found dead Thursday afternoon in Beaumont.

Terrell Martin was first reported missing on July 11.

According to the Beaumont Police Department, officers responded Forrest Lawn Cemetery where a vehicle had been crashed in the back of the property.
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Disabled homeless veteran beaten by teens in Ohio

Teens attack two homeless men with bats, rocks outside Wooster church

FOX 8 Cleveland
BY JEN STEER AND SUZANNE STRATFORD
JULY 26, 2019

“They’re both vulnerable, they have some disability, one guys a veteran,” said Pastor Franklin, who’s friends with the victims, “And they didn’t fight back at all."

WOOSTER, Ohio-- The Wooster Police Department is working to identify three teens who attacked two men sleeping on the steps of a church.

Officers were called to Trinity Church on East North Street just before 3 a.m. on Wednesday.

The victims said three teens, between the ages of 14 and 15, threw rocks at them, then took turns hitting them with bats. The men suffered cuts and scrapes. One was taken to the Wooster Community Hospital Emergency Room.

The men were sound asleep on the steps to get out of the elements.

“They’re both vulnerable, they have some disability, one guys a veteran,” said Pastor Franklin, who’s friends with the victims, “And they didn’t fight back at all."

Pastor Kevan Franklin says, every morning the church serves a free hot breakfast, where they also connect those in need with the proper resources and community services.
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Time to break down that wall and let yourself out of the self-imposed prison

How can there be such a sinister plan?

Wounded Times
Kathie Costos
July 27, 2019

When everything seems like it is crashing all around you, it is hard to see anything good coming out of it. The thing is, that is exactly how you came out of the worst you have been through before.

It is not easy to feel as if you have to pay for something that other people did to you. It is not easy to end up suffering after doing the right thing either.

If you took a job that you knew could kill you, then that was a right thing to do for the good reasons.

Because you end up suffering afterwards, it is also easy to think that everything turned to crap, including what you think of yourself. You are no less than you were before you took that job.

Everything that was good about you, is still there. It is all there but the wall of pain has it all trapped.

Time to break down that wall and let yourself out of the self-imposed prison you have been in for far too long. 

You see the world through your cynical eyes

You're a troubled young man I can tell

You've got it all in the palm of your hand

But your hand's wet with sweat and your head needs a rest

And you're fooling yourself if you don't believe it

You're kidding yourself if you don't believe it

Why must you be such an angry young man

When your future looks quite bright to me

How can there be such a sinister plan

That could hide such a lamb, such a caring young man

You're fooling yourself if you don't believe it

You're kidding yourself if you don't believe it

Get up, get back on your feet

You're the one they can't beat and you know it

Come on, let's see what you've got

Just take your best shot and don't blow it

You're fooling yourself if you don't believe it

You're killing yourself if you don't believe it

Get up, get back on your feet

You're the one they can't beat and you know it

Come on, let's see what you've got

Just take your best shot and don't blow it

Source: LyricFind

Songwriters: Tommy Shaw

Fooling Yourself (The Angry Young Man) lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group

"Your future looks quite bright to me," if you take your best shot at waking up tomorrow with a new attitude that begins when you #BreakTheSilence and ask for help to achieve all that is possible for you.

If the stigma is stopping you because you are afraid of what people will think about you, then they must not really know you, or only pretend to be your friends. 

You are supposed to be able to trust your friends. When you discover you cannot, then instead of putting the blame on yourself, it is time to realize a friend would not betray you or turn their backs on you. They would stand by you and do whatever they can to help you. After all, isn't that what you would do for them?

If you have PTSD it means you survived something terrible. Why give into what is terrible now when you defeated it before? Why let it destroy what you have inside of you? Why give it power it does not deserve?

"You're killing yourself if you don't believe it

Get up, get back on your feet

You're the one they can't beat and you know it"

Disabled veteran had to reach out to news for help with PTSD

Valley veteran reaches out to ABC15 after feeling let down by Phoenix VA

ABC 15 News
By: Sonu Wasu
Jul 22, 2019

She explained that the Phoenix VA had been offering telehealth in the PTSD clinic since 2010, and the program worked really well for those veterans who lived in rural areas, so they did not have to drive 2-3 hours just for an appointment with a counselor.

PHOENIX — When it comes to treatment for post-traumatic stress disorder or PTSD, the U.S. Department of Veteran's Affairs consider themselves among the best. Those involved in the program here in Phoenix tell us, the Valley is nationally renowned for the PTSD care they offer veterans.

At the Phoenix VA, the post-traumatic stress disorder clinical team works with veterans and service members who have experienced traumatic events in their lives.

According to statistics ABC15 has obtained from the U.S. Department of Veteran's Affairs, the veteran suicide rate in Arizona was significantly higher than the overall national suicide rates. The mental health call center at the Phoenix VA healthcare system reports handling 40,000 calls in 2018. Staff credit their team for helping save dozens of lives.

"I realized I was out of control. I couldn't control myself anymore. I couldn't control the anger, the flashbacks, and the nightmares were becoming more severe and more numerous," said Phillips.

He said the hardest part about opening up about his experiences initially was talking about them with someone who had never been deployed. He didn't know if he would be judged.

Phillips said he started and stopped treatment a few times, and each time there was a new counselor, he had to open up to all over again.
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This is from the same article

VA officials said the average wait time for a veteran who is seeking help for PTSD is about two weeks right now. Those in crisis can use same day services in mental health during regular business hours in person, via phone, or through MyHealthVet secure messaging

And this is from a different article

As he has in the past, Wilkie countered the charges by referencing a Journal of American Medical Association report from earlier this year which found VA wait times are better than the private sector in primary care, and a Dartmouth College study which found VA hospitals outperform private hospitals in most health care markets.read it here

Maybe now you get the idea that sending veterans into private-for-profit healthcare is a bad idea? Fix the VA for all our disable veterans.

Vietnam veteran "Get It While You Can" attitude scores on AGT

How 'AGT' Contestant Robert Finley Used Music to Overcome His Heartbreaking Past

Good Housekeeping
BY KAYLA KEEGAN
Jul 9, 2019 

The Vietnam War veteran, who is blind, inspired all the AGT judges.

“The bad things sometimes bring out the best in you. I began to play the music again. It made me reach inside to find myself," he said on the show.

America's Got Talent contestant Robert Finley has been through a lot over his lifetime. But through all the challenges, the 65-year-old Vietnam veteran has never stopped pursuing his dream of being a professional singer. His uplifting spirit and love for music clearly left a mark on judge Simon Cowell, who had nothing but wonderful things to say about the blues vocalist on Tuesday night.

"You’ve got this great soul about you," Simon told the Louisiana native after Robert auditioned with his own original bluesy song "Get It While You Can."

"The finest wines are the ones that stay in storage for a few years and then they become beautiful, and that’s how I feel about your voice." Fellow judges Julianne Hough, Howie Mandel, and Gabrielle Union agreed with Simon and tacked on several more compliments.

Despite his talent, fame never came to Robert at a young age. Still, he continued to perform wherever he could — nursing homes, prisons, and more. At 18, he joined the military and served in the Vietnam War. After the war ended, he got married, had kids, and took up carpentry.

Years later though, Robert got divorced and lost his house and trailer to a fire. Then, at 60 years old, he started going blind due to glaucoma, which resulted in him losing his job.
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Sailors saluted by 6 year old because he knows "they fight for our country"

6-year-old salutes military men at airport, photo goes viral

by SBG San Antonio 
July 22nd 2019

"Because they fight for our country," said Jace.

This photo of a local boy saluting members of the military at San Antonio International Airport has been seen by hundreds of thousands of people online.

The viral photo posted on our station's Facebook page Sunday after Jace Vega's family wanted to show how their son's respect and patriotism made them feel proud.

Jace is just 6 years old.

The first grader loves football, video games and one day hopes to be an Army captain.
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Airman received award for going above and beyond to help others heal PTSD

Air Force Honors New Milford Airman For Anti-Suicide Work Among Vets, Responders

Daily Voice
Jerry DeMarco
07/23/2019

Through his "no-matter-what attitude and generosity,” the Air Force citation says, Connors was “responsible for saving the lives of an untold number of returning Warriors and [helping ease the effect on] their families.”

U.S. Air Force Technical Sgt. James P. Connors of New Milford (center). Photo Credit: COURTESY: USAF Tech Sgt. James P. Connors

U.S. Air Force Technical Sgt. James P. Connors of New Milford has dedicated himself to combating suicide among the military and first responders -- from police to firefighters.

For that reason, the force recently awarded the retired Teaneck firefighter its Outstanding Volunteer Service Medal.

Connors distinguished himself through “leadership, ceaseless efforts and dedication” to the Save a Warrior program, which aims to reduce suicide among returning veterans, active service members and first responders with post-traumatic stress, the Air Force said in awarding him an Outstanding Volunteer Service Medal.

Connors completed seven tours over the Middle East, including Saudi Arabia, Iraq and Afghanistan.

He then became a “lead shepherd,” supporting and mentoring 400 of his fellow servicemen and servicewomen, many of whom had drug or emotional problems.

According to the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, PTSD has killed more military members and first responders than the 9/11 attacks and the Afghanistan and Iraq wars combined -- nearly 7,500 a year. Nearly a half-million reportedly have sought treatment for it.
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What is going on with Marines and Navy SEALS

SEAL shenanigans in the spotlight (again)

Navy Times
By: Carl Prine
July 24, 2019

Officials at Special Operations Command at MacDill Air Force Base in Tampa, Florida, are calling it “a perceived deteriorating of good order and discipline during non-operational periods."

U.S. Navy Sea, Air, and Land team members conduct military field operations during exercise Trident 18-4 at Hurlburt Field, Florida, on July 11th, 2018. (Staff Sgt. Corban Lundborg/Air Force)

The commander of the Special Operations Joint Task Force Operation Inherent Resolve has booted a SEAL Team 7 platoon from Iraq due to a booze-fueled July 4th party, Navy Times has learned.

Officials at Special Operations Command at MacDill Air Force Base in Tampa, Florida, are calling it “a perceived deteriorating of good order and discipline during non-operational periods."

In a prepared statement released Wednesday evening, SOCOM said that the joint task force commander lost confidence in the team’s ability to accomplish the mission and the SEALs are now on a “deliberate redeployment” to Naval Amphibious Base Coronado near San Diego.

“All Department of Defense personnel are expected to uphold proven standards and to comply with laws and regulations,” the statement read. “Alleged violations are thoroughly investigated.”
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'Mass Arrest' of US Marines on Camp Pendleton

NBC 7 News San Diego
By Bridget Naso and R. Stickney
July 25, 2019

The Marines were arrested based on information gained from a previous human smuggling investigation, military officials said

Sixteen Marines were arrested during battalion formation at Camp Pendleton Thursday, accused of illegal activities ranging from drug-related offenses to human smuggling, officials said.

Officials with the 1st Marine Division of the U.S. Marine Corps said representatives with Naval Criminal Investigative Service (NCIS) were also involved in what they called the “mass arrests.”

The Marines - all E-2 to E-4 in rank - were arrested based on information gained from a previous human smuggling investigation, military officials said.

NBC 7 first reported the news that two Camp Pendleton-based Marines were arrested earlier this month and accused of transporting undocumented immigrants along the U.S.-Mexico border near Tecate.
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Vietnam veteran needed help, got bad paper discharge in return for service

A Vietnam veteran needed help. The government gave him a “bad paper” discharge instead

McClatchy News
BY EMMA DUMAIN AND TARA COPP
JULY 25, 2019

“What person in their right mind would serve the country honorably and then come back and go AWOL? I had to have been nuts.” Charles Smith

WASHINGTON
When Charles Smith came home after two years in Vietnam during one of the bloodiest periods of the conflict, he was a traumatized 21-year-old who needed help.

But all he could think about in 1969 was getting away from the military and “drinking myself to death.”

Smith — now 70 years old and living in Conway, S.C. — displayed symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder, or PTSD, a condition that wasn’t formally recognized by the U.S. medical community until 1980. He dealt with his pain by going Absent Without Leave, or AWOL.

That action affected the rest of his life.

He received an “undesirable” discharge in 1971, which at the time was a subcategory of “less than honorable.” Smith’s mental state and his exposure to combat weren’t part of the evaluation.

That became a double injury, because the designation meant Smith would not be eligible to get medical or mental health care from the Department of Veterans Affairs, or any financial benefits like disability payments, housing loans and education.

He is among tens of thousands of veterans who have experienced that same type of military separation, even though they are often among the troops who need care the most. Veterans believe many of these discharges are undeserved and call them “bad paper.”

“It’s taking time. That’s more suffering mentally, physically and spiritually, really, because you still will continue to drink or use drugs or whatever you want to escape,” he continued. “And most folks get discouraged, because they’re taking ‘No’ for an answer.”
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Simpson bilked people into donating money...and goes to jail

Marine vet sentenced to 4 years in federal prison for scamming money from Gold Star mom, Marine families

Marine Corps Times
By: Shawn Snow
July 23, 2019

Court documents revealed that the victims of Simpson’s charity scam included active-duty Marines and the mother of a Marine killed in the 2015 attack on the military recruiting center in Chattanooga, Tennessee

Simpson was ordered to pay restitution of $141,709.44 to the victims of his charity scam, dubbed Marines and Mickey, where Simpson bilked people into donating money to help Marines and families attend Disney and Marine boot camp graduation.

Marine veteran John Shannon Simpson was sentenced to four years in federal prison after pleading guilty to wire fraud, United States Attorney Sherri A. Lydon announced Tuesday.

Simpson was ordered to pay restitution of $141,709.44 to the victims of his charity scam, dubbed Marines and Mickey, where Simpson bilked people into donating money to help Marines and families attend Disney and Marine boot camp graduation, the release detailed.

Sentencing was handed down by United States District Judge David C. Norton of Charleston, South Carolina, who also sentenced Simpson to three years of supervised release following his prison term, according to a press release.

Simpson will serve his prison term consecutively with a nine year state sentence for sexual assault he is already serving in Florida.
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Fallen "brother" remembered by those he served with

Vietnam veterans honor a fallen soldier 50 years later

CBS News
By STEVE HARTMAN
July 19, 2019

But like a lot of Vietnam vets, especially, they find it hard to mourn the loss of a fellow soldier, without also mourning their own survival.

Chester, Illinois — At a cemetery in Illinois, Perry Dotson is 50 years late for the funeral of Army Pfc. Leonard Nitzsche. Lt. Dotson was Leonard's platoon leader in Vietnam, when, in April 1970, their group was attacked and Leonard was killed. They loaded his body on a helicopter and immediately, the platoon went back to the war.

"That was the extent of our grieving. And it just hit me one day, I woke up and I thought, 'I never had a chance to say thank you.' Maybe I just needed some finality," Perry said.

When Perry mentioned this pilgrimage to some of the other guys in his platoon, he found out something he hadn't considered before: That he wasn't alone and there were others who felt the exact same way.

So, they came, too. Tim Roland flew in from McAllen, Texas. Ernie Levesque drove out from Springfield, Massachusetts, and Glenn Fox came from Newport, Nebraska. On arrival, they met Leonard's sister, Linda, at the cemetery. Everyone gathered to pay their respects to Leonard.

"That's why this is so important to us today, because we never got to do this when it happened," Glenn said.
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Millennial veterans and service members buying in Florida

South Florida is a top home buyer’s market for millennial veterans, study finds

SOUTH FLORIDA SUN SENTINEL
By JOHNNY DIAZ
JUL 24, 2019

"South Florida has a lot to offer veterans and military families, from cultural and lifestyle amenities to a strong economy with relatively low unemployment,'' said Chris Birk, director of education at Veterans United Home Loans.

FILE - In this July 22, 2015 file photo, a "sold" sign is posted outside a Harbor Beach neighborhood home in Fort Lauderdale, Fla. Standard & Poor’s releases its 20-city home price index for August on Tuesday, Oct. 27, 2015. (AP Photo/Wilfredo Lee, File) (The Associated Press)

Millennial veterans and service members looking to put down some roots are keen on South Florida.

A new study found that the Miami-Fort-Lauderdale-Pompano-Beach metro area ranked No. 6 nationally in the number of millennial veterans purchasing homes. That’s according to an analysis by Veterans United Home Loans, which defined millennial veterans or service members as people who were born between 1981 and 1996.
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