Civilians punished for pretending to be veterans...in Veteran's Court

2 men falsely claimed military service to get their cases moved to a veterans court

Associated Press 
August 25, 2019

Before they can be eligible for parole, Pinski ordered both men to hand write the names of all 6,756 Americans killed in Iraq and Afghanistan; write out the obituaries of the 40 Montanans killed in Iraq and Afghanistan and send hand-written letters of apology to several veterans groups identifying themselves as having lied about military service to receive help and possibly a lesser sentence through a veterans court.

The first Veterans Treatment Court (VTC) was started in 2008 in Buffalo, N.Y. There are 220 operational VTCs in the United States with approximately 11,000 veterans currently participating. (U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs)

GREAT FALLS, Mont. — Two Montana men who were sentenced to prison for violating the terms of the probation in separate crimes won’t be eligible for parole until they complete a writing assignment given because they falsely claimed to have served in the military to have their cases moved to a veterans court. Cascade County District Judge Greg Pinski sentenced Ryan Patrick Morris, 28, and Troy Allan Nelson, 33, on Friday. Morris got 10 years in prison for violating the terms of his probation for felony burglary, while Nelson got five years on a drug possession conviction. Pinski suspended three years of each defendant’s sentence. read more here

Community honors memory of soldier who never got to meet his baby son

Hundreds of flags decorate coffee shop belonging to fallen soldier and wife

The Denver Channel
By: Jessica Barreto
Jul 05, 2019

Sergeant Elliott Robbins also leaves behind a baby son, Elliott Jr., who was born shortly after his deployment.

FLORISSANT, Colo.
Hundreds of U.S. flags now adorn a coffee shop in belonging to a fallen Fort Carson soldier and his wife.

Special Forces Sergeant First Class Elliott Robbins died earlier this week in Afghanistan, just three weeks before he was set to return home.

Many took time out of their holiday on Thursday to pay their respects to Robbins and his family.

Costello Street Coffee House opened up early at 6:30 Thursday morning, and folks from all over the area stopped by to plant a flag, drop off a note of encouragement, and simply let this grieving family know there is an entire community behind them.

"Without them giving up everything for us, we can't celebrate," said Amber Ray, a military spouse who went to the coffee shop with her family.

Robbins deployed to Afghanistan earlier this year, and on Sunday, his family found out he would not be coming home.
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Soldier Killed In Afghanistan Green on Blue Attack

U.S. service member killed in Afghanistan, official says
CNN
By Jamie Crawford and Jason Hanna
April 8, 2015

A U.S. Army soldier was killed Wednesday in an attack in eastern Afghanistan by an Afghan National Army gunman, a U.S. military official told CNN, shortly after an American official met with a provincial governor.

A U.S. defense official didn't provide details about the attack in the city of Jalalabad. But an Afghan police chief told CNN that an Afghan National Army soldier shot at U.S. soldiers at a provincial governor's compound in Jalalabad on Wednesday.

The Afghan soldier opened fire on the U.S. troops as they were leaving a meeting at the compound, said Fazal Ahmad Shirzad, police chief of Nangarhar province.

An Afghan soldier was killed and another was injured in a subsequent exchange of gunfire, Shirzad said. It wasn't immediately clear whether the assailant was among them.
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Arlington National Cemetery’s Section 60 upsets families of war dead

Cleanup in Arlington National Cemetery’s Section 60 upsets families of war dead
Washington Post
By Greg Jaffe
Published: October 1 2013

Elizabeth Belle walked toward the grave of her son carrying a canvas bag full of miniature pumpkins, silk leaves and other decorations for his headstone. Then she noticed the changes.

Section 60 of Arlington National Cemetery, where more than 800 Iraq and Afghanistan war dead are buried, had been stripped bare. The photographs of young soldiers were gone. The balloons, too, and love letters, the sonograms and worry stones, the crosses and coins.

“They’ve taken everything,” Belle said.

Over the past weeks, a quiet transformation has taken place in Section 60, leaving family members of the dead feeling hurt, saddened and bewildered. Today, Section 60 resembles the quiet cemetery of an older generation’s war, not the raw, messy burial ground of one still being fought. Even within the hallowed ground at Arlington, Section 60 is special, a living memorial to an ongoing war.
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Afghanistan veteran Robert Kislow III fired the fatal shots in the home that volunteers built

Robert Kislow III fired the fatal shots in the home that volunteers built. He was wounded in combat by body and mind. He was also loved. According to the following news account, Robert also attempted suicide before this horrible ending. What went wrong? Why did he survive every wound during combat but could not survive being back home with the woman he planned to marry, his children and an entire community that showed up to build his home? His future mother-in-law is dead now and he ended his own pain with a bullet. This is a strong example of how much these men and women are failed when they come home.

Authorities say Afghanistan War vet killed fiancee's mom, self
Robert Kislow III fired the fatal shots in the home that volunteers built for him.
The Morning Call
By Pamela Lehman and Bill Landauer
July 30, 2013

In 2005, Robert Kislow III survived enemy gunfire in Afghanistan. One bullet cut through his helmet, snaking a path on the back of his head. Other shots shattered his wrist and ankle.

A year after that attack, which ultimately cost him part of a leg, the anger, pain and anguish from his injuries plunged him into depression, leading him to abuse prescription drugs and attempt suicide, the Army veteran from East Allen Township said in a 2008 interview.

He believed his life was on an upswing in 2011 when his son was born. That same day, he wept as he thanked more than 100 volunteers from Homes for Our Troops gathered to build his young family a house near the base of Blue Mountain in Moore Township.

But just before midnight Monday at the home tucked in a wooded lot, authorities say, Kislow shot and killed his fiancee's mother and then turned the handgun on himself. His fiancee, Amanda Snyder, their son and baby girl were also inside at the time of the shootings. They were not injured, police say.

He was wounded while on patrol east of Kabul on June 10, 2005. The 19-year-old private first class waved and smiled at a man he thought was a civilian, but quickly discovered "it was a trap," the article says. "The guy's buddy rose up from the bushes and shot me five times."

Kislow suffered gunshot wounds to the back of his head, ankle, elbow, back and side. The bullet in his head was later removed, but he said the damage caused a traumatic brain injury. His right leg was eventually amputated just below the knee, and he lost most of the movement in his right hand and wrist.
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Vietnam veterans arrested for taking too long to read war dead names?

Forgive our trespasses: Judge tosses convictions for vets arrested in Vietnam Memorial name-reading ceremony
New York Post
By DANA SAUCHELLI
July 13, 2013

They're guilty — but exonerated.

A Manhattan judge today convicted 11 Vietnam veterans and one Bronze Star-holding World War II veteran of trespassing for refusing to stop reading the names of the dead "in a timely manner" at a downtown war memorial last Fall.

But Manhattan Criminal Court Judge Robert Mandelbaum then immediately dismissed the convictions in the interest of justice.

"In these unique circumstances, this is the rare case where justice is served by dismissing the case," the judge told the silver-haired seniors.

A total of 25 people had been flex-cuffed, frisked and tossed in a paddy wagon last October for refusing to observe a 10 p.m. park curfew and leave the Vietnam Memorial between South and Water streets.

The eleven vets who took the case to trial argued that it should not be a crime — no matter what time of day it was — to solemnly read the names of the 1,754 military personnel from New York State who were killed in action during Vietnam, as well as the thousands more names of KIA from Afghanistan and Iraq.
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4 U.S. Soldiers Killed Ahead Of Taliban Talks

Bagram Air Force Base Attack: 4 U.S. Soldiers Killed Ahead Of Taliban Talks
Huffington Post
By ROBERT BURNS
06/18/13

WASHINGTON -- Defense officials say four U.S. troops were killed Tuesday at or near Bagram Air Base in Afghanistan.

Officials say the four were killed by indirect fire, likely a mortar or rocket, but they had no other details.

The officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to provide details on the deaths.
go here for more and check back for updates

Hundreds gather to pay respects to a fallen soldier

Final salute to a selfless hero
Times Union
By Dennis Yusko
June 18, 2013

Hundreds gather to pay respects to a fallen soldier

An Army honor guard marches across the tarmac to receive the casket carrying the remains
of Lt. Col. Todd Clark at the Albany International Airport
Monday June 17, 2013, in Colonie, N.Y.
(Skip Dickstein/Times Union)

Mourners lined Wolf Road and other Colonie streets Monday to welcome home the body of fallen Army Lt. Col. Todd Clark.

A military jet carrying Clark's remains arrived just before 10 a.m. at Albany International Airport. A motorcycle escort accompanied the hearse and family members as they took a slow drive through Colonie.

"I just feel terrible about what happened to him and everyone else over there," said Wayne Chandler, a retired plumber from Colonie. "We're over there trying to help them, and they are killing us."

Clark, 40, died June 8 in eastern Afghanistan, where he and two other Americans were shot to death by a disgruntled Afghan soldier they were mentoring, Clark's family said.
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Patriot Guard Riders escorting Staff Sgt. Jesse Thomas Jr. body home

The Patriot Guard has been requested to escort and stand in honor for SSgt Jesse L. Thomas Jr.

SSgt Jesse L. Thomas Jr. age 31

Pensacola, Fl.

June 20 and 22, 2013

This will be a two part mission. SSgt Thomas was KIA on June 10, 2013 in Helmand Province, Afghanistan. We will receive SSgt Thomas's remains upon arrival from Dover, DE at the Pensacola Aviation Center, 4145 Jerry L. Maygarden Rd., Pensacola. Aircraft arrival is scheduled for 11:00 AM, June 20, 2013. We will then escort SSgt Thomas to the Joe Morris Funeral Home, 701 N. DeVillers St., Pensacola.

The second part of this mission will take place on Saturday, June 22, 2013. Funeral services are scheduled at the East Hill Church of God in Christ, 400 East Jordan St. Pensacola at 1:00 PM. We will set a flag line up prior to the service. Following the service, we will escort SSgt Thomas to Barrancas National Cemetery for honors. Honors at Barrancas National Cemetery are scheduled for 3:15 PM. Joe Morris Funeral Home, 701 N. DeVillers St., Pensacola is in charge of arrangements.

SSgt Thomas was assigned to the 39th Transportation Battalion, 16th Sustainment Brigade, 21st Theater Sustainment Command out of Kleber Kaserne, Germany.

He leaves behind his wife, Michelle, also an active duty member, 3 step children, and his Mother, Irma Oliver. SSgt Thomas earned the following awards during his service to this country. The Army Commendation Medal (3) {3rd posthumous}, Army Achievement Medal (3), Army Superior Unit Award, Army Good Conduct Medal (3), Afghanistan Campaign Medal, National Defense Service Medal, Global War on Terrorism Medal, Korean Defense Service Medal (2), Military Outstanding Volunteer Service Medal, Non-Commissioned Officer Professional Development Ribbon (2), Army Service Ribbon, Overseas Service Ribbon (2), and posthumous NATO Medal.

Marine Gen. John Kelly Gave An Amazing D-Day Anniversary Speech

Marine Gen. John Kelly Gave An Amazing D-Day Anniversary Speech
San Francisco Gate
Geoffrey Ingersoll
provided by Business Insider
Saturday, June 8, 2013

A few days ago, I posted a speech Marine General John Kelly gave to eulogize two brave Marines who greeted certain death with a handful of hot lead and a pair of wide open eyes.

Well, just yesterday, Kelly gave another unforgettable speech at the 5th Marine Regiment Operation Enduring Freedom Memorial Dedication ceremony.

In a thick Boston accent, Kelly touched on the inherent multiculturalism in the Marine Corps, as well as the very nature of military service, best characterized by the word "sacrifice."

Then he eulogized all the lost Marine infantrymen of the 5th Marine Regiment ( — next to the dirty 1st — ) the most decorated and experienced regiment in the Marine Corps.

Kelly himself lost a son to combat in Afghanistan, and he related directly with the families of those who fell in America's most recent wars.
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Three Fort Campbell Soldiers Killed In Afghanistan

Three Fort Campbell Soldiers Killed In Afghanistan
Channel 5 News
Posted: Jun 04, 2013

FORT CAMPBELL, Ky. (AP) – Three Fort Campbell soldiers were killed in two separate attacks in Afghanistan.

Military officials said Tuesday that Warrant Officer Sean W. Mullen of Dover died Sunday in Lashkar Gah, Afghanistan, of wounds sustained when insurgents attacked his unit with an improvised explosive device.

23-year-old 2nd Lt. Justin Lee Sisson of Phoenix, Ariz., and 20-year-old Spc. Robert Allan Pierce of Panama, Okla., died in Afghanistan Monday after their unit was struck by an improvised explosive device.

The 39-year-old Mullen was assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 5th Special Forces Group (Airborne), at Fort Campbell.
read more here

Decorated Special Forces Soldier Dies Fighting in Afghanistan on 6th deployment

Decorated Vet Dies Fighting in Afghanistan
NBC News Philadelphia
By Dan Stamm and Randall Chase
Tuesday, Jun 4, 2013

A soldier from the region died while fighting the war in Afghanistan.

Army Warrant Officer Sean Mullen, 39 of Rehoboth Beach, Del. died Sunday in Ghur Ghuri while supporting Operation Enduring Freedom, according to a press release from the U.S. Army Special Operations Command.

Mullen, who was assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 5th Special Forces Group (Airborne) out of Fort Campbell, Ky. died from wounds he suffered during an improvised explosive device attack. He was in Afghanistan as an assistant detachment commander for a Special Forces Operational Detachment-Alpha (ODA), or A-team, according to the Army.
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Hundreds of crosses honor Floridians Sacrifice for Memorial Day

This morning I was went to Oviedo for the Memorial Cross Tribute to the fallen members of the military from Florida. Seeing the rows of memorials for those we lost in Iraq and Afghanistan would cause anyone to shed tears. I had quite a few of them. This is on display until Memorial Day.

Oviedo Historical Society Historical Center
200 West Broadway
Oviedo, FL 32765
407-971-5612

Oviedo Florida Memorial for Fallen

Oviedo Historical Society

Floridians sacrifice in Iraq and Afghanistan

Created by Jim Vanderbleek

Memorial on display through Memorial Day

Oldest Floridian Lt. Col. Peter Winston

In memory of the service dogs

Youngest Floridian Pfc. Charles M. Sims

For those who lost their battles back home.

Medal of Honor Staff. Sgt. Robert J. Miller from Oviedo

For all of the men and women serving this country in their place.

Green on Blue attack leaves two Marines dead along with dog that tried to save them

Parker Marine killed in action in Afghanistan, dog tried to save him
POSTED: 05/06/2013
By Ryan Parker
The Denver Post

A 23-year-old Marine from Parker — and the Military Working Dog that was trying to save him — were killed during a combat operation in Afghanistan's Farah province Saturday, Major Jeff Landis of the Marine Corps Forces Special Operations Command told The Denver Post on Monday.

Cpl. David Sonka and his dog, Flex, were killed during an alleged insider attack, the Marine Corps Times reported Monday.

Staff Sgt. Eric Christian, 39, of Warwick, N.Y., also was killed, Landis said.
read more here

Media coverage of VA backlog ignores history of it

There are two quotes that need to be read about the VA Claims backlog

"The number of unprocessed veterans claims exceeds 915,000 — a 100,000 jump since the beginning of the year. In testimony two weeks ago before a House committee, VA officials said the current 162 days is 17 days less than one year ago, a sign that they are beginning to make process."

“Backlogs are at the point where veterans must wait an average of six months for a decision on benefits claims and some veterans are waiting as long as four years,”

Sounds really troubling considering the troops had been in Afghanistan since 2001 and in Iraq since 2003. The worst part is those quotes are not new. They came in testimony in June of 2009.

Do reporters remind anyone of what was going on before? Do they bother to correct anything so that the harm done to our veterans is not repeated? No, this is more of the political games being played across the country within the big media outlets.

If you think they really care, you'd be wrong. If they really cared, they would not drop the stories according to the political wind.

In 2001 there was a backlog of claims but no one thought to gear up the VA to take care of the veterans waiting for care even though experts warned the newer veterans could in fact crash the VA. No one in our government really cared and yes, that includes some members of congress.

If reporters stayed on the story back then the American public would have demanded action to take care of all our veterans, but they didn't and now they want to pretend all of this just happened overnight.

Veterans Administration backed up, falls under criticism from returning soldiers 
Across the country, members of the military returning to civilian life after fighting in Iraq and Afghanistan are enduring enormous delays to have their initial disability claims adjudicated by the Veterans Administration.
BY JAMES WARREN AND CHRISTINA BOYLE
NEW YORK DAILY NEWS
TUESDAY, MAY 7, 2013

After two tours of duty with the Marines in Iraq, Anthony Pike returned home to Brooklyn with hearing loss, a ringing in his ears and profound stress.

Now there’s the galling, added stress he’s enduring in trying to get help from the New York office of the Veterans Administration.

“We executed our missions every day and met our objections. Then I come home and the VA, the one place I think I can go for help, doesn’t,” he said. “It’s devastating.”

Across the country, members of the military returning to civilian life after fighting in Iraq and Afghanistan are enduring enormous delays to have their initial disability claims adjudicated by the Veterans Administration.

And the wait in New York City is longer than just about everywhere else — an average of 642 days, twice the national average of 320 days. It is exceeded only by the wait in Reno, Nev., where it is 680 days.

In a rare act of bipartisanship, 67 senators recently wrote President Obama and implored him to “take direct action and involvement in ending” the sky-high backlog that has grown to 600,000 cases nationwide.
read more here

Most of the claims in the backlog are Vietnam veterans and they have waited for far too long to receive the care they were promised. Part of the backlog comes from the change in rules to file claims for PTSD and Agent Orange. If they do not tell the truth on a subject this serious, what else aren't they telling the truth about?

Read THE WARRIOR SAW, SUICIDES AFTER WAR and know how it got this bad since all the reports came from the news stories they don't want you to remember.

Five US soldiers killed in Afghanistan bomb blast

Five US soldiers killed in Afghanistan bomb blast
Deaths – thought to have occurred in Kandahar province – take number of US troops killed in Afghanistan this year to 32
Associated Press in Kabul
Saturday 4 May 2013

Five US service members were killed on Saturday by a roadside bomb in southern Afghanistan, the latest deadly attack against international troops since the Taliban announced the start of their spring offensive this week.

The coalition did not disclose the location of the blast, but Javeed Faisal, a spokesman for the governor of Kandahar province, said the coalition patrol hit the roadside bomb in Maiwand district of the province, the spiritual birthplace of the Taliban.

Captain Luca Carniel, a public affairs official for the US-led coalition in Kabul, confirmed that all five were Americans. With the deaths, 47 members of the coalition have been killed so far this year including 32 Americans.
read more here

Marine's experience can inspire Boston runners

The Unknown Soldiers: Marine's experience can inspire Boston runners
Jackson Sun News
Written by Tome Sileo
Apr 19, 2013

After Cpl. Jake Hill stepped on an improvised explosive device during a chaotic battle in Afghanistan’s Helmand Province, the young Marine radioed his squad leader.

“This is Hill,” he said. “I just stepped on an IED, but I’m fine.”

U.S. Marine Cpl. Jake Hill's left leg was amputated just above the knee after he stepped on an improvised explosive device in Afghanistan on Sept. 16, 2010. He has since run the Marine Corps Marathon and been awarded the Silver Star for bravery in combat. Image courtesy of the website Ossur.

Through a dizzying haze of dust, smoke and ongoing gunfire, the Rapid City, S.D., native looked down at his feet.

“What I saw was a really badly broken left ankle,” Cpl. Hill told The Unknown Soldiers. “I was like ‘OK, this is fine, people break their ankles all the time.’”

Hill was later shocked when a doctor presented him with two difficult choices: replace his shattered foot with a cadaver bone or amputate his left leg just above the knee.

As soon as members of his patrol were hit, Hill, who was serving with Company L of the 3rd Battalion, 7th Marine Regiment, took it upon himself to tend to the wounded.

“With one of his team members injured by a rocket-propelled grenade, (Hill) exposed himself to enemy fire a second time and ran to aid his Marine brother,” a Marine Corps citation said. “He applied first-aid and led the rest of his team through 200 meters of fire-swept terrain to extract the casualty.”

Like so many combat veterans I’ve spoken with, Hill skipped over his gallantry during our interview. He is too humble to take credit for his courageous, life-saving actions.

“Three or four days after my injury, my platoon commander told me that he was going to be putting me up for an award,” Hill, now 22, said. “I said ‘no, I don’t want it.’”
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Bernie Sanders on frontline for veterans

Bernie Sanders on frontline for veterans
Washington Post
By Steve Vogel
Published: April 14

As an antiwar activist who never served in the military and the first self-proclaimed socialist in the U.S. Senate, Bernard Sanders is at initial glance an unusual choice to chair the Senate Veterans Affairs Committee.

But Sanders, the tousled-haired 71-year-old Vermont independent who took over the committee in January, has embraced the role with a populist gusto that has won him staunch backing from veterans groups.

“That is odd,” said Peter Gaytan, executive director of the American Legion, whose members gave Sanders a warm reception at the organization’s Washington conference in February. “If you look at his leanings, you wouldn’t think he could care so much about veterans, but he does.”

“He’s very passionate about the issues,” said Bob Wallace, executive director of the Veterans of Foreign Wars. “I think he’s going to be very good for veterans.”

Angered that the 2014 budget proposed by the Obama adminstration includes changes in how annual cost-of-living adjustments are calculated, potentially reducing future compensation payments for 3.2 million disabled veterans, Sanders joined in a demonstration Tuesday outside the White House and denounced the plan as “nuts.”
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If you want to know that truth about all of this you can read the shocking truth here.

THE WARRIOR SAW, SUICIDES AFTER WAR

Since 2007, Wounded Times has brought you the news from all around the country. This book answers the questions of where we are, how we got here and what can be done to actually live up to what we keep saying we want to do.

Special Forces Commander Killed in Afghanistan

Special Forces Commander Killed In Afghanistan
March 13, 2013
MIAMI (CBSMiami)

The family of a U.S. Special Forces Commander are mourning the loss of their loved one after he died earlier this week in the service of his country.

Twenty-eight year old Captain Andrew M. Pedersen-Keel, who once lived in South Miami, and 26-year old staff Sgt. Rex Schad from Oklahoma died Monday after they came under attack in the Wardak Province of Afghanistan.

The Department of Defense said Pedersen-Keel was assigned to the 1st Battalion, 3rd Special Forces Group (Airborne), headquartered at Fort Bragg, N.C.
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Green Beret among the dead in Afghanistan insider attack

U.S. Green Beret among those killed in Afghan attack
By Mark Morgenstein and Masoud Popalzai
CNN
March 11, 2013

STORY HIGHLIGHTS
A Green Beret is one of two Americans killed in Afghanistan, a U.S. official says
Two Afghans also are killed; 10 more Americans are wounded, coalition officials say
The assailant is dead, a U.S. official says
It was first fatal "green-on-blue" attack on coalition troops in two months

Kabul, Afghanistan (CNN) -- Two Americans -- one a Green Beret -- were killed Monday when an assailant wearing an Afghan National Security Forces uniform opened fire on the group, U.S. and NATO's International Security Assistance Force officials said.

The shootout in eastern Afghanistan didn't last long, as coalition forces "returned fire and killed the attacker," a U.S. official told CNN.

Two Afghan army personnel also were killed, said Gen. Zahir Azimi, an Afghan Defense Ministry spokesman. A U.S. military official told CNN that at least 10 Americans were wounded as well.

The assailant fired at the victims with a truck-mounted machine gun, Azimi said, after a meeting between coalition and Afghan forces at a military base in the Jalrez district of Wardak province, about an hour west of Kabul. Green Berets and Afghan forces are based there, a U.S. official said.
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2 Service Members Killed Insider Attack