Indiana National Guardsman hero killed stopping robbery

Former guardsman killed in Bahamas robbery
May. 18, 2013
By Eric Weddle
The Indianapolis Star

INDIANAPOLIS — Kyle Bruner led a marching band, taught special-needs children, excelled as an athlete and handled heavy artillery in the Indiana National Guard — all in 34 years, before dying what police described as a hero’s death earlier this week in the Bahamas.

Bruner, who spent his youth in Indianapolis and later settled in Chicago, was in the Caribbean country in pursuit of a new career as a professional mariner after years working as a deckhand.

His sister said Friday it was one of Bruner’s most defining traits — a desire to stick up for others — that led to his death. He was shot in the neck as he tried to help a woman who was being mugged, according to Nassau police.

Sarah Brown recalled how he once came to her defense. Some kids had begun to pick on her at one of his baseball games.
read more here

Budget cuts keep 900 National Guardsmen from being deployed

Deployments canceled for 3 Guard units
The Associated Press
Posted : Wednesday Mar 20, 2013

FORT WAYNE, Ind. — More than 900 Indiana National Guard soldiers will not deploy as scheduled this summer because of federal budget issues.

The Journal Gazette reports that units from Fort Wayne, New Albany and Scottsburg had their missions canceled because of automatic federal budget cuts and military downsizing.
read more here

Indiana National Guards return after 6 members killed

Guard unit that lost 6 back from Afghanistan: 'It's been a long year'
Chicago Tribune
Associated Press
September 27, 2012

An Indiana National Guard unit that lost six of its members during an almost yearlong deployment in Afghanistan returned to Indiana Wednesday in a tearful, hug-filled reunion with friends and family.

More than 80 members of the Valparaiso-based 713th Engineer Company were greeted by about 300 relatives and friends when they arrived at the Gary Army Aviation Support Facility.

The hangar erupted in cheers as the door rose to reveal the returning soldiers.

"It's overwhelming, it's great," said Capt. Cecil Pendleton III. "It's been a long year.''

"It didn't feel real until I had him in my arms," said his wife, Rachel Pendleton. "I'm so happy for all the families. They went through a lot in Afghanistan, and we went through a lot at home."

The six deaths made the deployment the most deadly for a unit in the history of the Indiana National Guard.
read more here

Indiana Guard chief promoted religion. So What?

Indiana Guard chief promoted religion. So What?
by Chaplain Kathie
Wounded Times Blog
August 22, 2012

Indiana Guard chief promoted religion? Well that is what the title said anyway. This is a lot more complicated than this simple title suggested. While Mikey Weinstein has been doing a lot of good when it comes to everyone in the military being able to decide their own faith and has been against forcing anyone, he has been wrong on several issues that do not cross the line. He was against The Cross at Camp Pendleton saying that atheists were harmed by it. If they don't believe in anything then how does this actually harm them? It isn't as if they were forced to go and kneel in front of it. Weinstein has never really explained that one. He was right when it came to soldiers being forced to go to a religious concert at Fort Eustis.

I doubt he can explain how Indiana Guard Major General Umbarger's support of a religious group especially when evidence supports the power of spiritual healing when soldiers have PTSD and military suicides have gone up. Umbarger was talking about a group trying to help.

Centurion’s Watch Founder, Doug Hedrick, Speaks Directly to You
Major Doug Hedrick, Founder of Centurion’s Watch, and the Board of Directors of Centruion’s Watch, are passionate and dedicated to strengthening military marriages across America, including yours! Doug would like to personally invite you and your spouse to attend an upcoming “Fortified” Military Marriage Conference, and to ask you to consider partnering with us, your local church, and local businesses to bring a conference to an area near you. We want your marriage to be healthy and strong, and we need your help to reach other military couples who need to discover the principles, tools, support, and encouragement they need to enjoy the marriage relationship that they desire and God intended.

As Florida State Coordinator of Point Man International Ministries we help veterans and their families from all walks and all faiths. I am a Christian but fully acknowledge that all Christian denominations do not agree on doctrine. All of the people I help are helped the same way. With the love and compassion of Christ no matter what they claim their own faith is. I do not hit them over the head with the Bible any more than I try to covert them to my own faith. I am Greek Orthodox for Heaven's sake. Do you really think I could covert anyone? We come from all branches of faith and we like it that way. We aim to heal the soul of veterans and their families, not get butts in the pews.

There are times when I have to worry about crossing the line even when I am talking Christians because their faith preaches something I don't agree with. It isn't up to me to tell them they are wrong in what they believe. It us up to me to use what they believe to help them to heal.

It is the same when I talk to a person with no faith at all. I talk to them as a person spiritually since that part of the of the whole veteran is at the core of PTSD. It is a spiritual wound and requires treatment of the mind, body and spirit.

If no one was forced to support Centurion's Watch, or listen to Umbarger's speech, then there should be no problem with this.

Group: Indiana Guard chief promoted religion
By Chris Sikich and Michael Boren
Indianapolis Star
Posted : Tuesday Aug 21, 2012

The head of the Indiana National Guard says he made a video promoting an evangelical Christian group because it helps soldiers who struggle with their marriages after coming home from war.

But a military watchdog group says Maj. Gen. R. Martin Umbarger, the Guard’s adjutant general, violated military rules and the First Amendment by promoting a religious group in the 33-second video while in uniform.

The Military Religious Freedom Foundation, based in Albuquerque, N.M., sent a letter to the National Guard Bureau on Thursday asking that Umbarger be investigated and punished. Former Air Force attorney Mikey Weinstein founded the group, which seeks to guarantee religious freedom in the military.

The issue, Weinstein said, is that Umbarger’s message promotes one religious group over others. In the military, Weinstein says, such a show of support from a two-star general is intimidating.

“He should be removed immediately,” Weinstein told The Indianapolis Star on Monday, “and, from our perspective, court-martialed.”

Umbarger made the video in September 2011 on behalf of Centurion’s Watch, a Christian group based in Indianapolis that offers marriage counseling to military families. It was posted on the nonprofit’s website.
read more here

Yep, that's all he did. No one was forced to do anything.

Wounded Indiana National Guardsman gets hero's welcome home

Wounded Soldier Gets Hero’s Welcome In Hammond
April 10, 2012
Reporting Dana Kozlov
HAMMOND, Ind.

(CBS) – Indiana National Guard Spc. Doug Rachowicz barely survived a roadside bomb in Afghanistan in January. Four of his fellow soldiers died in the attack.

Rachowicz came home to Hammond, Ind., on Tuesday, after months of rehab and coping with the loss of his friends.

CBS 2′s Dana Kozlov has the story of a man who does not want to be called hero.

Family, friends and neighbors cheered as Rachowicz got out of a limousine on Tuesday at his home, giving the soldier a patriot’s homecoming.

Rachowicz almost didn’t come home at all.

“I don’t remember anything from that day at all,” he said after arriving home.
read more here

IED blast sends ripples through close community

IED blast sends ripples through close community
By Michelle Tan - Staff writer
Posted : Saturday Jan 21, 2012 8:58:17 EST
Spc. Robert J. Tauteris Jr. re-enlisted last summer so he could deploy to Afghanistan with his son.

On Jan. 8, the younger Tauteris, also named Robert, performed the most solemn duty asked of a son. He escorted his father’s remains home from Afghanistan.

THE FALLEN

Four soldiers from the Indiana National Guard’s 713th Engineer Company were killed Jan. 6, when their vehicle hit an improvised explosive device in southern Afghanistan.

They were:

• Staff Sgt. Jonathan M. Metzger, 32, of Indianapolis: Metzger served in the Marine Corps from 1998 to 2005 before joining the Indiana National Guard. He deployed to Iraq in 2008 and volunteered to deploy with the 713th Engineer Company for its 2011 tour in Afghanistan. He is survived by his wife, Erica; his parents, James and Jacquelyn; and two siblings.

• Spc. Robert J. Tauteris Jr., 44, of Hamlet, Ind.: Tauteris joined the Indiana Guard in 2007, serving as a heavy construction equipment operator. He deployed to Afghanistan with the 1613th Engineer Support Company in 2009, and upon completing his service obligation in May 2010, he transitioned into the inactive reserve. Tauteris re-enlisted in July 2011 so he could deploy with his son, Robert Tauteris III, and the 713th Engineer Company. He is survived by his sons, Robert and Matthew; three siblings; and his father, Robert Tauteris Sr.

• Spc. Brian J. Leonhardt, 21, of Merrillville, Ind.: Leonhardt joined the Indiana Guard in 2008 and served as a combat engineer. He was posthumously promoted to sergeant. He is survived by his wife, Dianne Dreger; his parents, Robert and Marie; and seven siblings.

• Spc. Christopher A. Patterson, 20, of Aurora, Ill.: Patterson joined the Indiana Guard in 2009, immediately after graduating from high school. After he qualified as a combat engineer, Patterson joined the ROTC at Valparaiso University, where he was majoring in music. Patterson put on hold his plans to become an officer in order to deploy with the 713th Engineer Company. He is survived by his parents, Robert and Mary; three brothers; and both sets of grandparents.
read more here

Ind. Guard says 4 GIs killed in Afghanistan

Ind. Guard says 4 GIs killed in Afghanistan
The Associated Press
Posted : Saturday Jan 7, 2012 15:41:36 EST
INDIANAPOLIS — The Indiana National Guard on Saturday said four Indiana guardsmen were killed in action in Afghanistan.

A National Guard statement said the soldiers were members of the 713th Engineer Company, headquartered in Valparaiso, and were conducting combat route clearance operations.

The statement does not indicate how the men died or where they died in Afghanistan.

The Guard identified the fallen soldiers as:

• Staff Sgt. Jonathan M. Metzger of Indianapolis.

• Spc. Brian J. Leonhardt of Merrillville, Ind.

• Spc. Christopher A. Patterson of Aurora, Ind.

• Spc. Robert J. Tauteris Jr. of Hamlet, Ind.

The Pentagon had not formally announced the casualties as of late Saturday afternoon.

In a statement, Indiana Gov. Mitch Daniels said that he was informed of the guardsmen’s deaths Saturday morning and that he’s praying for their families.
read more here

Indiana National Guardsman dies in noncombat incident

Ind. guardsman dies in noncombat incident
Staff report
Posted : Monday Jun 20, 2011 13:21:15 EDT
An Indiana guardsman died on Friday in Afghanistan, according to the Defense Department.

Spc. Scott D. Smith, 36, of Indianapolis died in Khowst province of injuries suffered in a non-combat related incident, officials said. He was assigned to the 81st Troop Command, Indiana Army National Guard, Indianapolis, Ind.

No further information was immediately available.
Ind. guardsman dies in noncombat incident

Harley and DAV team up to help veterans this weekend in Indiana

Harley's Heroes to help veterans this weekend
Posted on: Thu, 09 Sep 2010 03:31:27 EDT

Sep 09, 2010 (Herald-Times - McClatchy-Tribune Information Services via COMTEX) --
Military veterans in south central Indiana will be able to receive free counseling and assistance with their government benefits during the Harley's Heroes program offered from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday and from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday at Harley-Davidson of Bloomington at 522 W. Gourley Pike.

During the program, a joint venture of Harley-Davidson and the Disabled American Veterans, DAV National Services officers will provide benefits counseling to veterans suffering from injuries or disabilities related to their military service but may have never filed a claim for benefits with the Department of Veterans Affairs, or have found it difficult working through the red tape.

"We've gotten phone calls from several disabled veterans already who've heard about the event," said Jim Markland, spokesman for Harley-Davidson of Bloomington. "Most have been World War II veterans who say it's hard for them to get to Indianapolis. They are happy to be able to get assistance with their benefits in Bloomington."
go here for more
Harleys Heroes to help veterans this weekend

Soldier's Body Pulled From Pond

Soldier's Body Pulled From Pond
Police: Man Had Been Drinking Before Apparent Drowning
August 16, 2010
CLAYTON, Ind. -- An Indiana National Guard soldier's body was pulled from a pond in Hendricks County early Monday morning after his apparent drowning over the weekend.

The Hendricks County Sheriff's Department said the body of Spc. Samuel Donahue, 21, was recovered at about 3 a.m., two days after he was last seen.

Officers had been told that Donahue hadn't been accounted for since Saturday morning after he consumed alcohol at a bar and at a home on County Road 400 South, Lt. Jim Yetter said.

"He had been out drinking with some friends Friday night into Saturday morning," Lt. Jim Yetter. "They had come to this residence and had been swimming in the pond."

Yetter said Donahue and a friend left the pond and went into the house, but that the other man woke up later, didn't see Donahue and thought he had gone home.

Donahue's girlfriend filed the missing persons report after determining that no one knew where he was.
read more here
Soldier Body Pulled From Pond

VA launches program for soldiers exposed to toxic chemicals

VA launches program for soldiers exposed to chemicals in Iraq
By Bill Straub
Evansville Courier & Press
Posted June 23, 2010

WASHINGTON, D.C. — The Department of Veterans Affairs is creating a program designed to aid military personnel who came in contact with a toxic chemical known as sodium dichromate during their service in Iraq.

The move could provide assistance to dozens of members of the Indiana National Guard.

In a letter to Rep. Baron Hill, D-Seymour, dated June 11, VA Secretary Eric Shinseki said his agency “is committed to caring for our nation’s veterans and continues its outreach efforts on this exposure.’’

Shinseki said the VA is implementing a comprehensive surveillance program that follows the recommendations of various authorities that regulate exposure to hexavalent chromium, the toxic chemical found in sodium dichromate.
read more of this here
VA launches program for soldiers exposed to chemicals



also read more here

American Lung Association deeply concerned

Community rallies around guardsman after fire

Community rallies around guardsman after fire

The Associated Press
Posted : Saturday Dec 12, 2009 18:08:41 EST

CEDAR LAKE, Ind. — A 33-year-old soldier who was stationed in Iraq when his family’s home was gutted by fire said he’s grateful for an outpouring of community support following the accidental blaze.

Christopher Rekitzke, of Cedar Lake, on Friday night thanked a crowd of veterans and others at American Legion Post 261 in Cedar Lake. He has been home from Iraq for about a week following the Dec. 2 fire.

“My story is split between my guys out there wearing this uniform and all the good we are doing for that country and making sure my kids and family are all right, strong and no one is taking advantage of them,” he said.
read more here
http://www.armytimes.com/news/2009/12/ap_guardsman_fire_iraq_121209/

Indiana soldier is first to die of toxic exposure in Iraq

Indiana soldier is first to die of toxic exposure in Iraq


By Daniel Tencer
Monday, December 7th, 2009 -- 12:57 pm
If Lt. Col. Jim Gentry and his doctors were right about the cause of his cancer, the Indiana National Guard officer didn't die for his country -- he died for defense contractor KBR.

Gentry's death from lung cancer last week is being recorded as the US's first fatality from exposure to a cancer-causing toxin in Iraq, according to the Evansville, Indiana, Courier & Press.

In 2003, Gentry commanded a 600-strong force providing security for KBR's refittal of the Qarmat Ali water-pumping plant, which provided water needed for oil extraction. Gentry and others claim that during that time they were exposed to hexavalent chromium, a cancer-causing toxin that the Iraqis who had built the plant had used as anti-corrosive material.

In a lawsuit filed last year, Gentry and 15 other plaintiffs said KBR, at the time a subsidiary of Halliburton, was aware that soldiers and civilian contractors were being exposed to hexavalent chromium months before they told the people working at the site.

Researchers have linked hexavalent chromium to lung cancer and leukemia, as well as a variety of liver and kidney problems. It's the same compound that poisoned residents of Hinkley, California, in a case that was made famous by the movie Erin Brockovich.
read more here
http://rawstory.com/2009/12/soldier-toxic-exposure-iraq/

Indiana National Guard Army of one family:

Army of one family: Father never dreamed kids would follow suit
By Sgt. Robert G. Cooper III
Indiana National Guard



CAMP ATTERBURY JOINT MANEUVER TRAINING CENTER, Ind. (10/19/09) - It's not uncommon to find Soldiers who have made the commitment to lifelong Army service; from officers to enlisted, walking the military career path offers a wide-range of benefits for both the individual and his or her family.

For some Soldiers, however, the Army is more than just a career move, but a direct extension of their families. Sgt. 1st Class Andrew Chow is one such Soldier, having served more than 33 years with the Army and raising three children, each one a current member of the Indiana National Guard.

Chow joined the Army Reserve in 1976 and continued to serve in the Army Reserve until 1986 when he joined the Active Guard Reserve program and began serving in a full-time capacity. From coast to coast and post to post, Chow never imagined his kids would follow in his footsteps.

Chow said that he never suggested military service to his children, instead he echoed his wife's sentiments for them to attend college and move into the work force soon after.

Despite his parents' suggestions for academia, Philemon Chow, the oldest son, decided to serve as a way to hold himself "to higher standards."
read more here
http://www.ng.mil/news/archives/2009/10/101909-Army.aspx

Indiana National Guardsman committed suicide at movie theater

Spc. Jacob Sexton died because of war and because the military didn't make sure they were prepared to return home.

Guardsman home from war kills self in Ind. theater

Associated Press

7:12 p.m. CDT, October 13, 2009


MUNCIE, Ind. - The father of an Indiana National Guardsman who fatally shot himself inside a movie theater said Tuesday that the families of service members returning home from war need to closely watch them for signs of stress.

Spc. Jacob Sexton, 21, showed no signs of being suicidal before shooting himself in the head, the guardsman's father, Jeffrey Sexton of Farmland, said.

"We just need to watch these boys and the girls coming back home. Something's just not right. Too much is happening," Jeffrey Sexton told The Associated Press in a telephone interview.

Muncie police said Jacob Sexton had argued with theater employees on Monday night over having to show identification to see the R-rated horror comedy "Zombieland." Twenty minutes into the film, a friend handed Sexton a 9 mm handgun, at the guardsman's request, and he then shot himself in the head, police said.
read more here
Guardsman home from war kills self in Ind

Soldier’s death at Knox leads to changes

Soldier’s death at Knox leads to changes

The Associated Press
Posted : Monday May 25, 2009 14:21:58 EDT

FORT KNOX, Ky. — Indiana National Guard Sgt. Gerald “G.J.” Cassidy, who served his country in Bosnia and Iraq, died alone and ignored in a barracks at Fort Knox from an accidental drug overdose.

His fate left a legacy that has changed the lives of thousands of wounded soldiers, Army officials say. The Louisville Courier-Journal reported Sunday that his death in September 2007 led to improvements at Fort Knox and all 45 Warrior Transition Units nationwide devoted to healing war wounds and getting soldiers back to military jobs or productive civilian lives.

“Any time you lose a soldier, you have to go back and examine what you’ve done wrong. It’s very apparent that mistakes were made with Sgt. Cassidy,” said Lt. Col. Gary Travis, battalion commander of the Fort Knox unit. “Cassidy’s incident occurred during a time of transition.”

Cassidy began experiencing migraine headaches after a roadside bomb exploded about 11 feet from his Humvee in Iraq in August 2006. With diagnoses of post-traumatic stress disorder and mild traumatic brain injury, Cassidy returned to the U.S. in April 2007 and was sent to Fort Knox, which launched its Warrior Transition Unit that June.
go here for more
http://www.armytimes.com/news/2009/05/ap_SoldierMedical_052509w/

Contract workers say KBR knew of exposure

Contract workers say KBR knew of exposure
The Associated Press
Posted : Sunday Feb 15, 2009 15:23:23 EST

HOUSTON — Ten contractors, hired by Houston-based KBR to make repairs at a Basra water plant during the Iraq war, and dozens of National Guardsmen say the company knowingly allowed them to be poisoned by cancer-causing chemicals.

The allegations from the workers, six of whom live in or near Houston, are documented in a federal arbitration complaint pending in Houston and a related federal lawsuit filed in December by the guardsmen in Indiana, the Houston Chronicle reported Sunday.

Most of the KBR contractors were sent to Iraq around April 2003 as part of Operation Restore Iraqi Oil, a no-bid U.S. contract. They were hired to make repairs at the water plant to keep Iraq’s oil fields operating during the war. Members of the U.S. Army National Guard, most from Indiana, escorted and guarded the workers.

KBR officials have acknowledged that a dangerous anti-corrosive chemical was stored and spilled at the Qarmat Ali water plant just outside Basra. Under Saddam Hussein’s regime, the chemical was used to keep pipes free of corrosion as river water from the plant was pumped to oil fields miles away.
click link for more

Judge sets date for soldiers’ suit vs. KBR

Judge sets date for soldiers’ suit vs. KBR

The Associated Press
Posted : Monday Feb 2, 2009 20:21:47 EST

EVANSVILLE, Ind. — A federal judge has set a trial date for a lawsuit by 16 Indiana National Guard soldiers who claim they were exposed to a toxic chemical in Iraq.

Judge Richard L. Young on Monday set 10 days for the trial beginning May 3, 2010, in U.S. District Court in Evansville. He also scheduled a settlement conference for Aug. 17.

Soldiers from the 1st Battalion, 152nd Infantry, filed a federal lawsuit in December against defense contractor KBR Inc., saying its employees knowingly allowed them to be exposed to sodium dichromate, a known carcinogen, while guarding a water plant in Iraq in 2003.

KBR has said it notified the Army Corps of Engineers after finding the chemical at the site and the Corps concluded the company’s efforts to remediate the situation were effective.

Soldier's time in Iraq followed him home

Soldier's time in Iraq followed him home
Evansville Courier & Press - Evansville,IN,USA
By Garret Mathews (Contact)
Sunday, January 4, 2009

A good day for Billy Sears is when he is left alone.

"The old me went to parties. The me that's now doesn't want to be bothered."


The 26-year-old man served with the Evansville-based 163rd Field Artillery, a National Guard unit whose members have been deployed to Iraq.

Sears was discharged in 2006 after being diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder. He says he is on five different medications to deal with the anxiety and depression.

"I was comfortable in Iraq even though I saw Humvees blowing up, and there were people shooting at us. I had no nerves when I left the base. It was a feeling of excitement. My life was all mapped out. I knew what to do at 2 and 4 and 6 o'clock. Now I don't know what to do, and that's the problem."

Sears sees a counselor once a week at the Evansville Veterans Center.

"It's a good deal. I want to get the word out to others who've come back from the war. I want them to know there's a place to go for help. I think a lot of guys are masking it. They might have the same symptoms as me, but not want to admit it."

The North High School graduate joined the National Guard in 2000.

"I volunteered to go back on the unit's last tour of Iraq. We were in Indianapolis getting checked out when they learned I was being treated for PTSD. They said I couldn't be in the military with the meds I was taking.
click link above for more

Sixteen Indiana National Guard soldiers sue over chemical exposure in Iraq

Ind. soldiers sue over chemical exposure in Iraq
The Associated Press
By CHARLES WILSON – 20 hours ago

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — Sixteen Indiana National Guard soldiers sued the big defense contractor KBR Inc. on Wednesday, saying its employees knowingly allowed them to be exposed to a toxic chemical in Iraq five years ago.

The federal suit filed in U.S. District Court alleges the soldiers from a Tell City-based unit were exposed to a carcinogen while protecting an Iraqi water pumping plant shortly after the U.S. invasion in 2003.

The 23-page complaint claims that Houston-based KBR knew at least as early as May 2003 that the plant was contaminated with sodium dichromate, a known carcinogen, but concealed the danger from civilian workers and 139 soldiers from the Indiana Guard's 1st Battalion, 152nd Infantry.

"It's not right, what they done," said Mark McManaway, a 55-year-old truck driver from Cannelton who has since retired from the Guard. McManaway, the main plaintiff in the lawsuit, has suffered nosebleeds and rashes he believes are due to the chemical exposure.

The chemical, used to remove pipe corrosion, is especially dangerous because it contains hexavalent chromium, which is known to cause birth defects and cancer, particularly lung cancer, the lawsuit said. The cancer can take years to develop.

Some of the soldiers who served at the site now have respiratory system tumors associated with hexavalent chromium exposure, the lawsuit states.

click link for more