Veteran in Soldier's Home took last COVID-19 breath next to veteran eating meal!

Let this sink in for a second before you read anything else.

Soldiers’ home employees told WCVB the merging of residents on the first floor created a situation where one veteran was taking his last breaths while the veteran next to him was eating his meal, both without any privacy.

Now read the rest.

More than 70 veterans dead in ‘horrific’ coronavirus outbreak at Massachusetts facility

WCVB 5 Boston
Kathy Curran
5 Investigates Reporter
April 29, 2020

BOSTON
The number of deaths at a Boston veterans home are staggering. More than 70 veterans have died since the beginning of the pandemic. Now, frustrated employees are speaking out about the horror they saw inside.

Sister station WCVB spoke with several employees at Holyoke Soldiers Home during the past few weeks, who said managers of the home were unprepared and did not follow protocols. One long-time worker called the soldiers' home a death trap.

“What kind of a system is this? We're talking about 21st century United States of America,” said Kwesi Ablordeppe, a long-time certified nurse's aide at the soldiers’ home. “We're talking about the veterans who put their lives on the line to save us. And is that how we're going to treat them?”

Ablordeppe said he's frustrated and heartbroken by the horror he has witnessed inside the soldiers’ home since COVID-19 took hold there. The flag is lowered as somber ceremonies honoring the lives lost take place almost every day. It is a place where Ablordeppe has loved to work for 20 years. Now, walking through the doors is almost unbearable.

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Nurse at Boston VA Hospital has Coronavirus should be a reminder to behave and think about others

Doctors and nurses are risking their lives taking care of everyone who needs them, including selfish people who did not think about anyone but themselves! Stop making them pay for your lack of concern for others!

VA Boston Nurse In Brockton Tests Positive For The Coronavirus

WBZ 4 News
March 21, 2020

On Friday, nine Brigham and Women’s hospital employees and 10 Tufts Medical Center employees had tested positive for the coronavirus, as well as one at the Greater Lawrence Family Health Center in Lawrence.

BROCKTON (CBS) — A Veterans Affairs Boston (VA Boston) nurse at their Brockton campus tested positive for the coronavirus Friday, according to VA Boston.

People who might have had contact with the nurse are being notified, VA Boston said in a news release. The nurse is now at home recovering.

VA Boston said employees are now teleworking, and emergency medical procedures are being performed only when necessary. Elective procedures have been postponed and they are screening veterans and employees for symptoms before they enter VA buildings.
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Robert Craft gave Jarheads $100,000 hugs

Robert Kraft Pledges $100,000 To Families Of Motorcyclists Killed In NH Crash

CBS News Boston
July 13. 2019

“I know you have a GoFundMe page and it said you’re looking to raise 700 (thousand dollars) and you’re somewhere near $560,000, so our family, we’re going to commit $100,000 to that,” Kraft said.

The crowd erupted in cheers.

“And if you don’t get to the 700 today, we’re making it up whatever it is,” the Patriots owner said. “We are all Patriots and you are the true Patriots.”

FOXBORO (CBS/AP) — New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft made a surprise announcement Saturday, as he pledged to donate $100,000 to the families of seven motorcyclists killed in a tragic crash in New Hampshire last month.

More than a thousand bikers came from across the country to Gillette Stadium in Foxboro to celebrate the lives of the men and women who were killed when a pickup truck and trailer crashed into a group of motorcycles in Randolph, New Hampshire on June 21. They were members or supporters of the Jarheads, a New England motorcycle club that includes Marines and their spouses.

Kraft met the group in the parking lot for the event Saturday, which raised money for the families of the victims. When he got up on stage to address the crowd, he made this surprise announcement.
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Vietnam veterans honored at State House in Boston

State House recognizes ‘great significance’ of Vietnam veterans

Boston Herald
By MARY MARKOS
March 28, 2019

Ceremony on eve of new day of recognition for once-disrespected men

“We certainly went through our trials and tribulations. I can’t be prouder of all our armed forces, not just the marines but all our armed forces … I’m proud of my uniform, I’m proud of what I did. It’s nice to see people finally be recognized for it.” Jim Laskey

Vietnam War veterans were welcomed and honored at the first annual Vietnam Veterans Memorial Day ceremony at the State House Thursday, a stark contrast to the way they were treated when they came home over 40 years ago.

“We should never, ever treat our veterans the way we did, the way we treated Vietnam veterans when they returned,” Rep. Alan Silvia said in his remarks. “Much time has passed and we realize now the great significance Vietnam veterans have had on our country and our freedom and we all thank you.”

Silvia (D-Fall River) and Rep. Paul Schmid (D-Westport), both Vietnam veterans, decided to host the now-annual event after realizing that there was nothing planned at the State House to recognize National Vietnam War Veterans Day, designated for March 29 annually, signed into law by President Trump in 2017.

“It means a lot. We’ve been celebrating it on our own for about 30 years, so to be recognized by our state is excellent,” Vietnam veteran Harry Tripp told the Herald. “We’re happy to be here, we’re proud to be here.”

Tripp, a member of the Vietnam Veterans of America, grew up in Westport and served in the Coast Guard from 1969-73. He said the poor treatment of veterans after the war is “still fresh” and “still hurts.”

“It was very difficult coming back. Nobody looked at you the same and actually most of us, including myself, never told anybody that we were a Vietnam veteran until recently and then it became something that we could be proud of,” Tripp said. “If you’re against the war, you’re against the war, but not the warrior. That’s how we felt.”

Massachusetts Secretary of Veterans’ Services Francisco Urena spoke about a new memorial coming to Fall River, a replica of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Wall with the names of the over 58,000 people who perished in the war.
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Five Years After Bombs, Boston Strong and Inspirational Survivors

CARLOS ARREDONDO

AP FILE - In this Nov. 26, 2017 file photo, Carlos Arredondo, center, gives a thumbs-up before participating in a Salute to Service military appreciation campaign before an NFL football game between the New England Patriots and the Miami Dolphins in Foxborough, Mass. Arredondo helped save the life of marathon spectator Jeff Bauman after the 2013 Boston Marathon bombings. He now volunteers with the Red Cross, and his family foundation works to prevent military-related suicides. He is preparing to run in his first Boston Marathon on April 16, 2018. (AP Photo/Michael Dwyer, File)

THEN: Millions know him as the man in the cowboy hat who helped save the life of marathon spectator Jeff Bauman, the double amputee played by Jake Gyllenhaal in the 2017 movie "Stronger." Arredondo had become an anti-war activist and suicide prevention advocate after one son was fatally shot by a sniper in Iraq and another killed himself, and he was at the finish line handing out American flags when the bombs went off. Instantly, Arredondo became a symbol of courage.

NOW: Arredondo continues to do whatever he can to help others. He volunteers with the Red Cross, and his Arredondo Family Foundation works to prevent military-related suicides and hand out Thanksgiving turkeys to veterans and their families. He's now preparing to run his first Boston Marathon.

In his own words: "What many people don't realize is that first responders also go through some of the same trauma as survivors. I've been dealing with some issues, but that doesn't slow me down. It's been an amazing journey." 
read other inspirational stories of survivors here

Vietnam Veteran Died Because Aide Played Video Game

A nurse’s aide plays video games while a veteran dies at Bedford VA hospital

Boston Globe
By Andrea Estes GLOBE STAFF
OCTOBER 17, 2017

Bill Nutter was very sick. Not only had he just lost his second leg to diabetes, but he also suffered from a condition that could cause his heart to stop beating without warning.

JOHN TLUMACKI/GLOBE STAFF
Brigitte Darton’s father, William Nutter, a Vietnam War veteran, died at the Bedford VA hospital despite the facility’s staff knowing that he needed to be checked on frequently

But his daughter, Brigitte Darton, felt reassured because her mother had found a bed for the ailing Vietnam veteran and retired police detective at the Bedford VA Medical Center. He would be under the watchful eyes of the staff at a hospital ranked by the Veterans Administration as one of its best nationwide.

So Darton went on a long-planned family vacation in July 2016, only to get a shocking call from her mother the next day. “Your father passed away,” Carol Nutter said. “He didn’t wake up.”

A doctor eventually told Carol Nutter that a staff member on the night shift had failed to check on him hourly, as she should have.
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Man Accused Of Impersonating Wounded Veteran...Again

‘He’s Despicable’: Man Accused Of Impersonating Wounded Veteran
CBS Boston
David Robichaud
October 5, 2017

“This guy wants uniforms so much, we gave him one. An orange uniform.” Polk County Sheriff Grady Judd

AYER (CBS) – “He’s despicable.” That’s what the Ayer police chief called 27-year-old Kyle Barwan.

Police say Barwan is a con artist who travels the country convincing women he is a disabled veteran, then steals money from them.

“He referenced himself as a disabled vet,” said Ayer Police Chief William Murray. “What he does is he gets into these women’s houses, homes, he takes all their money, and then he moves on.”
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Vietnam Veteran's Daughter Wouldn't Take No For Answer From VA--Dad Survived

Veteran's daughter battles VA, gets results

WLBZ 
Zach Blanchard 
August 05, 2017 

BANGOR, Maine (NEWS CENTER) – A Vietnam Veteran battling a serious rare bacterial infection at a hospital in Bangor was finally being transferred to a VA Hospital in Boston Saturday.

66-year-old David White from North Carolina was visiting his daughter in Bangor when he fell ill and checked in to St. Joseph Hospital. 

His daughter, Heather Donald, said she struggled with the VA for days to get her father transferred. 

She said doctors told her he needed to see a specialist because the infection could not be treated with antibiotics. 

“It's extremely frustrating,” Donald said. “They're telling me that there's nothing they can do. They don't have space available." Donald took to Facebook, was interviewed by 13 News Now in North Carolina and The Boston Globe. 

She also reached out to Senator Collins Congressman Poliquin’s offices in search of answers. read more here

Veteran-Amputees Inspire Boston Marathon Watchers--And Country

Man with prosthetic leg carries woman across Boston Marathon finish line
WCVB
Apr 18, 2017

BOSTON
In the closing moments of the Boston Marathon, a moment captured at the finish line is capturing the hearts of many.

At the end of the course, a man with a prosthetic leg was seen carrying his guide and the American flag across the finish line.

Earl Granville said 50 feet before crossing the line on Boylston Street, he looked to his guide, Andi Piscopo, and decided to have some fun with the finish. He picked her up and carried her across the line much to the delight of those gathered at the finish line and on social media.

A video WCVB posted to their Facebook page has been seen by millions, leaving Granville in disbelief. "Never had I thought just a spur-of-the-moment thing would blow up like this," he said.

Piscopo was feeling just fine and didn't need help to cross the finish line. As Granville's guide, it was her job to keep an eye on him medically and keep his pace count. The team has run in multiple endurance races together.

"To see him accomplish his goals, it makes me want to do more," Piscopo said. "He inspires me to be a better person."

Granville is a nine-year veteran under the Pennsylvania Army National Guard, and lost part of his leg in the summer of 2008 when his vehicle was hit by a roadside bomb in Afghanistan.

"My downward spiral happened after that," Granville said. "A lot of hardships I faced, a lot of things I was doing, a lot of unhealthy choices I was making."
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Marine who lost leg in Afghanistan ran Boston Marathon carrying American flag
The Dallas Morning News (Tribune News Service)
By ELINE DE BRUIJN
Published: April 18, 2017

A Marine who lost his leg in Afghanistan crossed the finish line of the Boston Marathon on Monday the same way he had run most of the course -- with a U.S. flag in hand.

Jose Luis Sanchez, of San Antonio, carries the United States flag across the finish line in the 121st Boston Marathon on Monday, April 17, 2017, in Boston. ELISE AMENDOLA/AP

"I was like I'm not gonna let this beat me, dude. I used that to fuel my drive," he said. "Never again am I going to feel sorry or feel these emotions. I'm not gonna feel weak anymore. At that point, I never looked back."

Sanchez's unit wrote him messages on the flag, which was flown at every location during their tour, he told WBZ-TV.

Sanchez was fighting post-traumatic stress disorder when he decided to open the flag and read it five years after the unit had given it to him, he said.
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WWII Female Marine "Determined not to stay behind"

Boston honors female WWII marine
Veteran cited as inspiration
Boston Herald
Dan Atkinson
November 25, 2016

Family portrait of World War II veteran Elizabeth Mackay Howden Denekamp

In 1943, Betty Denekamp watched the men of West Roxbury going off to war, and was determined not to stay behind.

Denekamp joined the United States Marine Corps Women’s Reserve, and more than 70 years later, friends and family are going to see her service permanently commemorated outside the house she lived in nearly all of her life.

“That was the thing I always admired about her, she couldn’t hang around doing nothing,” said Edwin “Bud” Waite, a fellow World War II veteran and longtime friend of Denekamp who led the charge to memorialize her. “She had to do something.”

Her daughter Linda Denekamp said, “I thought it was so outstanding that a woman in those times would leave home at her age and go off and join the Marines. Everyone said the Marines were the best and that’s what she wanted to be.”
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Amputee Marine Became Prince Harry's Heroine

'Prince Harry understands the struggles I’ve been through': US Marine dubbed 'Harry’s heroine' reveals how losing her leg has given her more determination than ever
Daily Mail UK
By JANE MULKERRINS
11 June 2016

When US Marine KIRSTIE ENNIS’s military career ended in a helicopter crash in Afghanistan, it turned out to be the beginning of an extraordinary story

‘I hate the word “disabled. I think anybody can do whatever they want. You just have to figure out where your niche is. I would rather choke on greatness than nibble on mediocrity." Kirstie Ennis

Kirstie today at her home in California

I’m probably a touch crazy, but I don’t like to sit still,’ says Kirstie Ennis, with spectacular understatement. The 25-year-old recently returned from a week in the wilds of western Canada where she was volunteering on a camp for wounded military veterans, hunting and fishing in the great outdoors.

Before that she was at the Invictus Games in Florida. An operation meant she was unable to compete as planned (in the swimming, cycling and rowing events), but she went to support the other athletes – and the founder of the Games, Prince Harry, whom she got to know while doing a 1,000-mile charity walk across the UK last autumn.

She’s currently preparing to climb Carstensz Pyramid in Indonesia – the highest point in Oceania – while also honing her snowboarding skills, hoping to qualify for the Winter Olympics in 2018. 

All of which means she can be a tricky woman to get hold of. When I finally catch up with her, she’s in Boston, working alongside Mark Wahlberg and Kevin Bacon as a stuntwoman in Patriots Day, a film about the 2013 Boston bombings.

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Veterans Run 1.500 Miles From Boston to Atlanta

They are running to fund help for PTSD and TBI, which is a good thing. But yet again, they are using "22" as if that is a real number. Will these folks raising awareness ever get the point that it is much more than 'just a number' to use?

PHOTOS: Shepherd's Men run through Lynchburg
The News and Advance

The Shepherd's Men group came through Lynchburg Tuesday, March 28, 2016 as part of a 1,500-mile journey between Boston and Atlanta to raise money for the SHARE Military Initiative, a donor-funded 12-week-program that treats the physical and psychological effects of traumatic brain injury and post traumatic stress disorder.
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Quadruple Amputee Due For Double Army Transplant

Retired Marine Awaits Double Arm Transplant
The Free Lance-Star, Fredericksburg, Va.
by Kristin Davis
Mar 15, 2016

For more than two months after the blast, Peck lay in a medically induced coma at Walter Reed Army Medical Center in Washington. He'd endured more than two dozen surgeries; three times, his heart had stopped. An infection had nearly killed him.

In the evenings, in the echoes of the expansive home built and equipped for him, retired Marine Sgt. John Peck imagines a new life.

He wills the phone to ring. Perhaps this is it, he thinks when it finally does. The call from the Boston hospital that will set it all into motion.

Peck was clearing the way for his fellow Marines while on patrol in Afghanistan in May 2010 when he stepped on an improvised explosive device. The blast claimed both of his legs and part of his right arm. Later, as he fought a virulent infection, doctors took his left arm to spare his life.

Peck, a hulking, 6-foot-tall, 200-pound Marine, had become a quadruple amputee at age 24.

It was like somebody hit the pause button on his life. Now he waits for a double arm transplant from Boston's Brigham and Women's Hospital in the hope that it will start again.

From the sun deck of his home at the Estates of Chancellorsville where he has learned to live in relative independence, he lists in order all he intends to accomplish when that day finally comes.

They are big dreams, he concedes, with an unlikely chance of total success.

He shrugs.

"I've had worse odds." read more here

Concerns about Boston shelter for veterans

In all these years I've posted many stories that have hit me especially hard. This is one of them. I've donated to them for many years even after moving to Florida. Very sad and I pray to God they get this mess cleared up soon!

5 Investigates: Concerns about Boston shelter for veterans
Unsafe, unsanitary conditions found at New England Center for Homeless Veterans
WCVB News
Kathy Curran, Jonathan Wells
Nov 17, 2015

BOSTON —It's a place many homeless veterans turn to for much-needed services, shelter and a safe place to live. But some veterans tell 5 Investigates that they believe the center that has millions in the bank is leaving our soldiers behind.

In the shadows of Boston City Hall, you'll find some of our most vulnerable veterans seeking shelter at the New England Center for Homeless Veterans, where they promise the men and women who served our country a safe and warm place to stay.

"None of that has come true," said Steve Kelly, an Army veteran who has been renting a room at the center for four years.

5 Investigates took a look at city records from the past two and a half years and found there have been hundreds of calls to Boston police for problems including illegal drugs, assaults and illegal firearms.

5 Investigates also discovered 32 men who live or work at the veterans shelter are registered sex offenders, most of them Level 3s, who are considered the most likely to re-offend.
read more here

Vietnam Veteran Searches For Woman Who Saved Him From Suicide 42 Years Ago

Suicidal army veteran seeks beautiful stranger who saved his life - 42 years later
Mirror UK
BY PAUL HARPER
3 OCT 2015

Wracked with guilt over his actions during the Vietnam War, the veteran said the woman had "breathed life into his lungs"

A Vietnam War veteran has written an impassioned plea to trace the "beautiful" woman who saved his life 42 years ago.

He fell deeply in love with the stranger when they shared a coffee and chat on New Year's Eve in 1972.

At the time the pilot was ready to kill himself claiming to have flown four B-52 sorties dropping 48 bombs, before being discharged.

Sadly, the woman left without leaving a number and he returned EVERY day to the same place without ever seeing her again.

Now his heartfelt letter on Boston's Craigslist to reunite with her has gone viral.

After spending a depressing day "trudging through the rain" his life changed when on the way back to his "barren apartment" he came across the woman.

"You were wearing a teal ball gown, which appeared to me both regal and ridiculous," he writes.

Now an "old man", he wants to trace woman on Craiglist 'Missed Connections' site and Facebook .

Ending the letter, he tells woman: "You breathed your spirit into my lungs one rainy afternoon, and you can't possibly imagine my gratitude."
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Decorated Green Beret Getting Kicked Out for Stopping Child Rapist?

Army kicking out decorated Green Beret who stood up for Afghan rape victim
FoxNews.com
By Lucas Tomlinson
Published August 21, 2015

Martland was awarded a Bronze Star with Valor for his actions. According to one evaluation, he also was "praised" by Gen. David Petraeus, then commander of U.S. and allied forces in Afghanistan.

EXCLUSIVE: The U.S. Army is kicking out a decorated Green Beret after an 11-year Special Forces career, after he got in trouble for shoving an Afghan police commander accused of raping a boy and beating up his mother when she reported the incident.

The case of Sgt. 1st Class Charles Martland now has the attention of Congress, with Rep. Duncan Hunter writing to Defense Secretary Ash Carter challenging the decision.

"I am once again dismayed by the Army's actions in this case," Hunter, R-Calif., wrote in a letter to Carter.

Martland is described by many of his teammates as the finest soldier they have ever served alongside.

But his Army career changed course during his second deployment to Afghanistan in 2011. After learning an Afghan boy was raped and his mother beaten, Martland and his team leader confronted a local police commander they had trained, armed and paid with U.S. taxpayer dollars. When the man laughed off the incident, they physically confronted him.

Martland grew up south of Boston, in Milton, Mass. An all-state football player in high school, he set his sights on playing college football after graduating in 2001. Martland went for the Florida State University team, which just finished a season ranked #4 in the nation.
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Iraq Veteran Massachusetts National Guardsman Receives Soldier's Medal

Iraq War vet receives honor for ‘selfless service’ during Marathon bombings
Boston Globe
By Astead W. Herndon
GLOBE CORRESPONDENT
JULY 09, 2015

“You can never say you’re prepared for it, but in your head, you go through situations like that,” Welch said in an interview. “I knew what I needed to do to help.”

JONATHAN WIGGS/GLOBE STAFF
Governor Charlie Baker pinned the medal on Staff Sergeant Mark Welch on Wednesday at the State House.

After walking the length of the 2013 Boston Marathon with 40 pounds of military gear on his back, Staff Sergeant Mark Welch had earned the right to relax.

Painful blisters had left the Iraq War veteran in what he described as the worst pain he had felt in a long time. So, unable to move, he sat near the Marathon’s finish line.

That did not last.

Military officials said Welch exemplified “courage and selfless service” as bombs exploded in downtown Boston that day, providing support for emergency personnel and injured bombing victims.

On Wednesday, flanked by his visibly giddy wife and children at a State House ceremony, Welch received the Soldier’s Medal of the United States Army for his efforts.

The Soldier’s Medal is awarded for heroic actions in noncombat situations.

“[Welch] rushed to the area despite the risk that more explosives were imminent,” a military official said. “His actions, in the face of danger . . . have brought great credit upon himself . . . the Massachusetts Army National Guard, and the United States Army.”

Welch is a 13-year veteran of the Massachusetts Army National Guard. He said his military training helped him prepare for the intensity of that day.
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Life Changed For Alabama Doctor After Boston Marathon

Boston Marathon bombing survivor, Alabama physician shares how invisible scars still impact his life
AL.com
By John Talty
June 27, 2015

Dr. Scott Weisberg is a survivor of the Boston Marathon bombing. He suffers from significant hearing loss, and deals with both post-traumatic stress disorder and memory problems. Weisberg, a family physician in Birmingham has become an advocate for those survivors with invisible injuries. (Joe Songer AL.com)

When Dzhokhar Tsarnaev, one of the two Boston Marathon bombers, broke his silence this week for the first time since the 2013 bombing, it didn't provide much relief for Birmingham physician Scott Weisberg.

Dr. Weisberg, who had just crossed the finish line when the first bomb went off, didn't believe Tsarnaev was sincere in his apology in court on Wednesday. Tsarnaev, who has been sentenced to death, killed three and injured 264 others when he and his brother Tamerlan planted pressure-cooker bombs near the marathon finish line on April 15, 2013. He said he was sorry for the "irreparable damage" he had caused, but refused to face his victims in attendance.

Even if Tsarnaev were sincere, it wouldn't ameliorate all the suffering Weisberg has endured the last two years.

"The overall sentence is irrelevant because what he took away from me I'm never getting back, nor is any other survivor," Weisberg said. "This is the closing of this initial chapter in the recovery."

Weisberg looks like your average family physician. He's smart, sincere and his patients at Homewood Family Medicine like him. But beneath the surface Weisberg is suffering.

Every day he must grapple with that fateful April day.

He now wears hearing aids because of significant hearing loss from the blast.

He has to deal with both post-traumatic stress disorder and memory problems.

His marriage crumbled and is currently in the process of a divorce.

He's had to fight to keep his business afloat and adjust as a physician who can no longer use a stethoscope.
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Boston Homeless Veterans Center Getting Makeover

The New England Center for Homeless Veterans is very near to my heart. When I lived in Massachusetts I had a tour of the building and saw the work they do first hand. I sat with some of the veterans for a while and discovered what a difference it made to them to know they were cared about as well as cared for.

Boston homeless veterans center to get $31m upgrade
Boston Globe
By Steve Annear
GLOBE STAFF
MAY 27, 2015

The renovation project will include adding 200 transitional housing units and 38 permanent housing units to the center, as well as upgrades to the 59 permanent living spaces already in use.

Homeless veterans in Boston and surrounding communities will have better access to improved living accommodations, transitional services, and vocational programs, as a center dedicated to helping them begins work on a multimillion-dollar renovation downtown.

On Wednesday, the New England Center for Homeless Veterans will break ground on the $31 million, 18-month construction project to provide state-of-the art resources for its clients.

“The building is showing its age, so we are creating a facility that can be adaptable for veterans for decades to come,” said Andy McCawley, president and chief executive of the Court Street center. “These upgrades will get people into housing faster and more effectively, and offer a full array of services like case management support, vocational training, employment services, and wellness services.”

The project should be complete by the end of next year, said McCawley, a retired Navy officer, and will help aid the more than 1,500 homeless vets that the center assists annually.
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General Ray Odierno Finally Being Replaced

In 2013 following the highest year for military suicides, General Ray Odierno gave an interview to the Huffington Post.

He blamed soldiers,

We've been at war for 12 years, that's what's changed. I think also the social environment has changed. We certainly seem to be having more people coming from split homes, from family backgrounds not as stable as we once had. There is more pressure on young people today than when I was a company commander. So it's a combination of these pressures.

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

Then he blamed families

"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."

Was that bad? Yes but when what he said was passed down to every unit in the Army, including the Warrior Transition Units, he is leaving with absolutely no clue how much he is responsible even though he was not held accountable. No one was.

Now we have a new head of the Army coming in. We need to pray he has a clue what he's doing or we'll see even more suicides within the Army and in the Veterans community when they get out.

Gen. Mark Milley named new Army chief of staff
Army Times
By Michelle Tan, Staff writer
May 13, 2015

Milley, a native of the Boston area, also previously served on the operations staff of the Joint Staff and as a military assistant to the defense secretary.

Gen. Mark Milley speaks to ROTC and U.S. Military Academy

cadets March 31 at a seminar at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas.

(Photo: David Vergun/Army)

Gen. Mark Milley, an Ivy League graduate and career grunt, has been nominated to be your next Army chief of staff.

Defense Secretary Ashton Carter announced Milley's nomination Wednesday during a briefing at the Pentagon.

If confirmed by the Senate, Milley would succeed Gen. Ray Odierno, who is retiring later this summer after serving as the Army's top leader since September 2011.

Carter described Milley as "a warrior and a statesman."

"He not only has plenty of operational and joint experience in Afghanistan, in Iraq and on the Joint Staff, but he also has the intellect and vision to lead change throughout the Army," he said.

Carter described observing Milley's service up-close when the general led the International Security Assistance Force Joint Command in Afghanistan.

"Mark and I flew to Herat the day after an attack on the U.S. consulate there," Carter said. "I saw Mark take command of the scene and stand with our people there. I was impressed by his candor and good judgment, and I knew right away he had even more to offer to the United States Army."

Milley's nomination comes after months of speculation about Odierno's successor, and many considered him a dark horse among a field of potential nominees that included Gen. Daniel Allyn, the vice chief of staff, Gen. John Campbell, the top commander in Afghanistan, Gen. David Perkins, the commanding general of Training and Doctrine Command, and Gen. Vincent Brooks, commander of U.S. Army Pacific.
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