Over 1,000 discover “Beyond Band of Brothers Dishonest”

KOLD Investigates: Arizona veterans, families out thousands after tour company files for bankruptcy

KOLD 13 News
By Shaley Sanders
June 1, 2020

TUCSON, Ariz. (KOLD News 13) - It was supposed to be a bucket list adventure to celebrate our veterans until the trip of a lifetime turned into a trip to nowhere.

Now, hundreds of travelers are out thousands of dollars, and many may not even know.

“Part of the thing that stings the most is that these were trips that were tailored to veterans,” said Alana Stevens.

Stevens, who lives in Tucson, said she wanted to surprise her army veteran husband and WWII history buff with a big trip for his 50th birthday.

“He is a disabled vet. He was a paratrooper,”Steven said.

Stevens said she purchased a WWII tour through Germany through Beyond Band of Brothers Tours. She said she paid the company about $5,000.

With so much uncertainty surrounding COVID-19, Stevens said she tried to contact Beyond Band of Brothers Tours to make sure their September trip was still on schedule.

“I Googled Beyond Band of Brothers and the website was black,” Stevens said.

While searching for answers, Stevens said she stumbled upon a Facebook group called, “Beyond Band of Brothers Dishonest.”
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West Point cadets have tested positive for COVID-19 after forced ceremony

16 West Point cadets test positive for COVID-19 upon returning to campus for Trump's commencement speech

Task and Purpose
David Roza
June 1, 2020

According to the campus newspaper, The Pointer View, the 1,100 cadets of the class of 2020 started returning to campus last week.

(U.S. Army/Matthew Moeller)

At least sixteen West Point cadets have tested positive for novel coronavirus (COVID-19) upon returning to the New York campus President Donald Trump's upcoming speech at the school’s commencement ceremony on June 13.

USA Today first reported the infections. A West Point spokesman confirmed the article’s findings for Task and Purpose.

The 16 cadets are receiving treatment but are not showing symptoms of the disease, Lt. Gen. Darryl Williams, West Point’s superintendent, told USA Today.

Of the 16 affected cadets, 14 tested positive for the antibody which indicates they contracted the virus and subsequently recovered, USA Today reported.

The number is a small fraction of the 850 cadets who have returned to campus since spring break in March.
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VA Headquarters and monuments damaged by rioters

Protesters damage Veterans Affairs headquarters, several DC war monuments

Military Times
Leo Shane III
June 1, 2020

The Department of Veterans Affairs headquarters and several notable veterans memorials in Washington, D.C., suffered damage Sunday night from protests in the nation’s capital, part of a series of racially-charged outbursts in cities throughout America over the last week.

A man is seen through a shattered window at the Department of Veterans Affairs as he cleans up glass in Washington, Monday, June 1, 2020, after a night of protests over the death of George Floyd. Prosecutors say Floyd was murdered by a Minneapolis police officer after being restrained. (Carolyn Kaster/AP)

Unidentified attackers broke several windows and spray painted curse words along the sides of VA’s main offices, which sit a block away from the White House.

A car was set on fire just a few yards away from the main entrance to the building. According to multiple news sources, several buildings surrounding the VA were set on fire as protesters moved from areas around the White House to streets north of Lafayette Park.

In addition, VA officials said several department offices in other downtown buildings suffered some damage.
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2 Airmen dead after shooting at Grand Forks

Shooting at Grand Forks Air Force Base leaves two airmen dead

Military Times
Stephen Losey
June 1, 2020

Two active-duty airmen from the 319th Reconnaissance Wing are dead after an early-morning shooting at Grand Forks Air Force Base in North Dakota Monday. (Airman 1st Class Brody Katka/Air Force)

Two active-duty airmen from the 319th Reconnaissance Wing at Grand Forks Air Force Base in North Dakota are dead after an early-morning shooting at the base.

The base said in a release that the shooting happened at about 4:30 a.m., and that emergency services at the base responded to the scene. Grand Forks said the situation is “contained,” and that there is not believed to be any further risk to personnel.
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Help raise PTSD HEALING Awareness

Learn how to make a difference

Wounded Times
Cross Posted on PTSD Patrol
Kathie Costos
June 1, 2020


No matter what you think you know about PTSD, the truth is,  you have a lot more power than you think you do. The problem is, until you learn how to use it, things will still suck!

PTSD Patrol Family Road Trip Guide
We have actually taken a back seat for far too long!

This video was the first one I did on PTSD and Wounded Minds to help you learn more about the difference you can make. Originally it went up in 2006 and was reposted afterwards.

Help Raise PTSD Awareness

National Center for PTSD

There are currently about 8 million people in the United States with PTSD.

Even though PTSD treatments work, most people who have PTSD don't get the help they need. June is PTSD Awareness Month. Help us spread the word that effective PTSD treatments are available. Everyone with PTSD—whether they are Veterans or civilian survivors of sexual assault, serious accidents, natural disasters, or other traumatic events—needs to know that treatments really do work and can lead to a better quality of life.

Join Us
During PTSD Awareness Month, and throughout the entire year, help raise awareness about the many different PTSD treatment options. You can make a difference in the lives of Veterans and others who have experienced trauma. Everyone can help.
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Police Officers and Protestors Proved Actions Speak Louder Than Words

Officers walked with protestors

Flint Michigan

Officers showed up to protect protestors supplies from being destroyed

Louisville KY

New Jersey police showed up to walk with protestors

Camden New Jersey

Officers showed up to pray with protestors

Miami Florida

Officers showed up to talk to protestors

Fargo North Dakota

And here are more reports found on FORBES

In Some Cities, Police Officers Joined Protesters Marching Against Brutality

FORBES
Lisette Voytko
My 31, 2020

Police officers kneel during a rally in Coral Gables, Florida, on Saturday in response to the death ... [+] PHOTO BY EVA MARIE UZCATEGUI/AFP VIA GETTY IMAGES

TOPLINE As protests sparked by George Floyd’s death entered their chaotic fifth day, social media filled with images and video of police officers using batons, tear gas and rubber bullets to quell crowds⁠—but some squads joined in with Saturday protesters to express their stance against police brutality, and to show solidarity with the anti-racism movement.

“We want to be with y’all, for real. I took my helmet off, laid the batons down. I want to make this a parade, not a protest,” Genesee County Sheriff Chris Swanson was seen telling protesters in Flint, Michigan, before he joined the assembled crowd to march, eliciting cheers.

Officers in Camden, New Jersey, helped carry a banner reading “Standing in Solidarity,” and seemed to join in with the crowd chanting “no justice, no peace.”

In Santa Cruz, California, Police Chief Andy Mills took a knee with protesters in the pose made famous by Colin Kaepernick, with the department tweeting it was “in memory of George Floyd & bringing attention to police violence against Black people.”

Two Kansas City, Missouri, police officers⁠—one white man, one black man⁠—were photographed holding aloft a sign reading “end police brutality.”
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Orange County Sheriff's Office, Florida Now: John Mina, Orange County Sheriff and Chief Orlando Rolon, Orlando Police Department #TakeAKnee in solidarity with demonstrators. We share the grief in the killing of #GeorgeFloyd. We need to use these opportunities to come together and talk about these issues.

Orlando Florida

North Carolina

Afghanistan veteran captured woman being beaten in street on video

Video shows woman attacked outside Rochester business

WHAM 13 News
May 31, 2020

Painter, who says he is a veteran of the War in Afghanistan, says it was one of the worst things he’s ever witnessed. He said he stopped recording abruptly because some of the people who attacked the woman in the video started running toward him.

(WHAM) - Disturbing video recorded by a person in Rochester shows a group of people attacking a woman outside a business amid widespread looting and rioting in downtown Rochester Saturday evening.

In the video, a woman pleads with the people smashing the exterior of Rochester Fire Equipment Company on Marshall Street to stop. The woman yelled at the group of people, who were apparently trying to loot the jewelry store next door.

Several of the people then turn on the woman and begin attacking her, hitting and kicking her, and then used boards to hit her.
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Love is responding to rioters

#LoveInAction responding to rioters

Wounded Times
Kathie Costos
May 30, 2020

There are examples of great bravery happening out of love. It is time to honor those who decided that the destruction and intimidation should not be the response to what was wrong...and they did what they could to help others. There are many examples of this online...and you will find yourself uplifted by human acts of kindness!

Protesters surround an LMPD officer during a protest for Breonna Taylor on May 28, 2020 in Louisville, Ky. The protest organizers surrounded the officer and joined arms to make sure that the crowd did not touch him.(Michael Clevenger/Courier Journal)

A line of almost all white women formed between police officers and black protesters at Thursday night's rally in downtown Louisville calling for justice in the death of Breonna Taylor. (Photo: Tim Druck)

A man carried a woman to safety after she was injured during a demonstration at 6th Street and Jefferson Streets to protest the killing of Breonna Taylor by the LMPD in Louisville, Ky. on May 28, 2020. Sam Upshaw Jr./Courier Journal

A woman was comforted after she was injured during a demonstration at 6th Street and Jefferson Streets to protest the killing of Breonna Taylor by the LMPD in Louisville, Ky. on May 28, 2020. Sam Upshaw Jr./Courier Journal

Volunteers cleaned up charred debris in the alleyway behind Sports Dome on University Avenue in St. Paul on Friday.(SHARI L. GROSS – STAR TRIBUNE)

Volunteers cleaned up charred debris in the alleyway behind Sports Dome on University Avenue in St. Paul on Friday. (SHARI L. GROSS – STAR TRIBUNE)

Volunteers gathered in Minneapolis Saturday morning, cleaning up Lake Street at Nicollet Avenue, near the epicenter of Friday night's protests over the killing of George Floyd.(Parker Yesko for MPR News)