Why didn't Barbara Starr report these stories?

Why didn't Barbara Starr report these stories?
Wounded Times
Kathie Costos
December 8, 2013

FOX and MSNBC are political stations and we've gotten accustomed to that. FOX is for Republicans, MSNBC is for Democrats but the rest of us thought CNN was more for us. The way these three giants have been delivering the "news" has resulted in, not just the dumbing down of the American public, but contributed to the disassociation between the public and the military.

Two wars were forgotten about unless producers thought a story was catastrophic enough to cover it.

Sep 16, 2013
9/16/13 - CNN Pentagon reporter Barbara Starr reported on Monday morning that an attack on the Washington Navy Yard by multiple assailants may be an act of terrorism. Later in the day, she stressed that the "bottom line" is that officials are now investigating a "conspiracy to attack the United States military" and all that entails. Starr began by stressing that initial reports are worthy of skepticism, but the notion that multiple gunmen participated in this attacks is troubling.

"I think we have to really face the notion of the real bottom line here," she asserted. "If this pans out, if this proves to be true there were a total of three gunmen, the U.S. military is facing a considerable problem beyond this terrible initial tragedy."

"You're talking about a conspiracy of people to attack the United States military inside this country, inside of Washington D.C.," she insisted. "Three people plotting, planning, talking about how they would carry this out."

It is supposed to be her job to report on what is going on but there are so many stories she has missed over the last ten years that we should be wondering if she is missing these stories or is the producer. Or, even worse, CNN itself has decided they didn't want to.

Barbara Starr is a Pentagon correspondent for CNN, based in the network's Washington, D.C., bureau.

Starr provides viewers with the latest news each day from the Pentagon regarding the war in Afghanistan and other national security matters. Since 2003, Starr has made repeated trips to Iraq, Afghanistan and the Horn of Africa, where she has been embedded with U.S. troops. She traveled to Beirut, Lebanon in 2006 with U.S. Marines tasked with evacuating Americans during Israel’s war with Hezbollah.

In the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, Starr had exclusive access to Lt. Gen. Russel Honore as the only reporter traveling with him as he directed hurricane relief efforts. Starr has also reported directly from the Persian Gulf, Russia, Central America and the Chinese-North Korean border. Starr has profiled numerous wounded troops and reported on the fallen regularly from Section 60 at Arlington National Cemetery, the final resting place for veterans of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.

"U.S. Marine Sgt. Brian LaLoup, who was stationed at the U.S. Embassy in Athens, Greece, shot himself following a night out drinking in the Greek capital on Aug. 12, 2012, according to the court filing." but it was not until yesterday the story broke on NBC because his parents filed a lawsuit because his heart had been removed. This happened in August of last year. A suicide inside the US Embassy in Greece and officials accused of removing the Marine's heart after his officers thought drinking more would make him feel better? This was not a huge story last year?

Durning September for Military Suicide Awareness Month the Huffington Post did a fantastic job of covering the stories that do in fact matter. Stories most of us not only read, but live with everyday. David Wood, reporter for Huffington Post, interviewed Army Chief Ray Ordierno. He is head of the Army and the Army National Guards along with the Army Reserves. Army Chief Ray Odierno Warns Military Suicides 'Not Going To End' After War Is Over. As such Wood should have asked him some questions that have not been addressed following claims the folks in the DOD have made about "prevention" as well as claims that "non-deployed" soldiers commit suicide more than deployed do. So let's look at what was not asked by Wood or Starr even though they had access to officials.

This was said by Odierno.

"Some of it is just personal make-up. Intestinal fortitude. Mental toughness that ensures that people are able to deal with stressful situations."

"But it also has to do with where you come from. I came from a loving family, one who gave lots of positive reinforcement, who built up psychologically who I was, who I am, what I might want to do. It built confidence in myself, and I believe that enables you to better deal with stress. It enables you to cope more easily than maybe some other people."

On the first claim that it is the weakness of the soldiers, he was not asked to explain that claim even though other Generals have talked about their own struggles with PTSD, Navy SEALS and other Special Op troops have committed suicide along with troops from every rank and branch.

Medal of Honor Dakota Meyer tried to kill himself when he got home. The list goes on and on and up and up but while he gets to say the suicides went down, no one brings up a very important point. The truth is the number of enlisted soldiers has gone down as well under sequestration. The cutbacks hit every branch of the military.

The Army National Guards and Reservist suicides have gone up yet when the AP reported the numbers the beginning of this year for 2012, they left them out. CNN reported the Army numbers along with the National Guards and Reservist but left everyone else out.

"325 Army suicides in 2012 a record" was reported on February 2, 2013 by Tom Watkins and Maggie Schneider of CNN. Within the reporting there was a section about the stigma living on but no one asked what happened to all the years of "efforts" made to reduce suicides and prevent PTSD with the BS "resilience" training causing the stigma to outlive the soldiers.

This "training" was based on a research project for school aged kids to increase self-esteem but the DOD used it for troops going into combat. This was never important enough for CNN to cover?

No one is asking "If deployments really have nothing to do with suicides, then what is wrong with their mental health evaluations? What is wrong with their suicide prevention and "resilience" training if it didn't even work on the non-deloyed?"

Starr has not seemed too interested in the simple fact that every year the DOD releases the Suicide Event Report for all branches including attempted suicides, another factor not important enough to cover any more than she seems interested in asking why the DOD does not see fit to release the monthly suicides for all branches and not just the Army.

Starr has done some great work in the past but with everything being tracked by Wounded Times it has become obvious that CNN does not seem really interested in reporting on anything they really have to investigate anymore.

CNN doesn't really seem interested in reporting on the fact that a huge charity Wounded Warrior Project has filed a lawsuit against a tiny charity out of Indiana, Help Indiana Vets, because the founder dared to bring to public attention what most of us have been talking about for a long time. This should have been a huge story especially when the founder is a disabled veteran with a veteran spouse turned away from WWP causing them to start their own charity.

National veterans’ charity sues local Indiana veterans’ charity
FOX 59
11/25/13
by Jill Glavan
Reporter

INDIANAPOLIS – A national nonprofit group that pulls in more than $150 million annually for veterans has sued local group Help Indiana Vets.

The lawsuit stems from a post on the Help Indiana Vets website, alleging national program Wounded Warrior Project is “a fraud.”

Dean Graham, who founded Help Indiana Vets and posted the article, said he was shocked to hear he’s being sued.

“I think they’re trying to shut me up,” Graham said.

Graham’s allegations are that Wounded Warrior Project does not donate a majority of its profits directly to veterans in need. His article has been re-posted on Facebook and led to emails sent by former donors to the national group.

In the lawsuit, attorneys for the Wounded Warrior Project argue that Graham’s post violates its trademark infringement and has cost it more than $75,000.

“(Graham’s) false and misleading statements alleged herein have deceived many WWP supporters and have caused a number of WWP supporters to cancel their ongoing donations to WWP,” the lawsuit said.
read more here

This should have been a national story but it wasn't. There are so many more stories that are not given proper attention but when suffering goes on and on and nothing gets fixed it isn't because people don't care. It is because the reporters stopped investigating and started parroting.

UPDATE

Just to give you an idea of how many National Guards and Reservists we're talking about this is from the DOD.

National Guard (In Federal Status) and Reserve Activated as of December 4, 2013

The Army National Guard, Navy Reserve, Marine Corps Reserve and Air National Guard announced this week a decrease in activated National Guard members and reservists, while the Army Reserve, Air Force Reserve and Coast Guard Reserve announced an increase of activated reservists. The net collective result is 238 fewer activated National Guard members and reservists in comparison to last week.

At any given time, services may activate some units and individuals while deactivating others, making it possible for these figures to either increase or decrease. The total number currently on active duty from the Army National Guard and Army Reserve is 32,166; Navy Reserve, 3,816; Marine Corps Reserve, 1,987; Air National Guard and Air Force Reserve, 7,320; and the Coast Guard Reserve, 378. This brings the total National Guard and reserve personnel who have been activated to 45,667, including both units and individual augmentees.

In November of 2012 it was

The total number currently on active duty from the Army National Guard and Army Reserve is 42,175; Navy Reserve, 4,594; Air National Guard and Air Force Reserve, 8,970; Marine Corps Reserve, 2,562; and the Coast Guard Reserve, 661. This brings the total National Guard and Reserve personnel who have been activated to 58,962, including both units and individual augmentees.

So how is it that with 10,000 less in the Army National Guards and Army Reservists there are more suicides? As for the other NG and Reserve units, there is no telling what their numbers are now or were since the reports have not been released.