Showing posts with label Michigan. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Michigan. Show all posts

Tuesday, February 14, 2023

What would happen if politicians could imagine it was their kids?

Wounded Times
Kathie Costos
February 14, 2023

Another mass shooting last night. When does this end? When do we, once and for all, force politicians to stop this madness? We are not the only country on the planet with a lot of guns, but we are the worst at the results of them. Take a look at the BBC report on guns and open your eyes to the simple fact that there is no reason this should be happening.

Michigan Rep. Elissa Slotkin expressed her frustration with addressing another school shooting more than a year after four students were shot dead at a Michigan high school.

"As a representative of Oxford, Michigan, I cannot believe that I am here again doing this 15 months later," the Democratic lawmaker said at a news conference Tuesday. "And I am filled with rage that we have to have another press conference to talk about our children being killed in their schools." The Michigan lawmaker went on to call out the lack of progress on gun violence.

"I would say that you either care about protecting kids or you don't," Slotkin said. "You either care about having an open honest conversation about what is going on in our society, or you don't. But please don't tell me you care about the safety of children if you are not willing to have a conversation about keeping them safe in a place that should be a sanctuary." (check CNN for updates on this)
Take a look at this from gunviolence.org

They happen all over the country but as bad as this seems, it is only February 14th and this is what has happened already.
So what do our politicians do? Worse than nothing. They ignore it. Refuse to take any responsibility for it. They say "now is not the time to make this political" as if that is supposed to solve a damn thing when they are playing politics with the lives of all of us. Yes, all of us. 

Ron DeSantis, wants people in Florida to have all the guns they want and carry them around as long as they are not near him. Yes, to him, it is ok to allow anyone to endanger others, as long as it isn't him.
"In a story first reported by the Washington Post, emails from a Tampa Convention Center employee said that the DeSantis campaign told the Florida Department of Law Enforcement it wanted weapons banned from the downtown Tampa event. The Tampa Bay Times verified those emails in which Chase Finch, safety and security manager at the convention center, also suggested the DeSantis campaign knew the request was politically tricky, given Republicans’ embrace of gun rights." (Tampa Bay Times)

He wants to be protected from guns but doesn't want to protect kids in school or any other law-abiding citizen that chooses to not be armed, or even the other responsible gun owners that do not want their lives endangered by those with no respect for the guns or the lives of others. Imagine that!

They keep saying the results of mass shootings are tied to mental illness as if anyone with a mental illness is dangerous, and yet, they see no reason to make sure those they say are dangerous do not have access to firearms. Sorry, but blaming people with mental illness is delusional. What makes it worse is that they do not want to limit anyone and now in too many states, they want no limits at all. Imagine that! 

Well, at least they want to limit them when they are the ones in fear for their own lives. So what will it take for them to imagine their own children being killed, wounded, and scared for the rest of their lives because they did not think of them as much as they thought of themselves? I wonder what would happen if they could imagine that.

Tuesday, December 13, 2022

Michigan Disabled Veteran in nursing home had money stolen--thief got probation?

Michigan woman gets probation for stealing $72K from disabled veteran

MLive
By Justine Lofton
December 13, 2022
She would deposit checks into her bank account and use the money for her own purposes. The victim was disabled and resided in nursing homes and hospitals. Risdon did not have power of attorney for the victim, nor serve as his guardian or conservator.
OAKLAND COUNTY, MI – A Michigan woman has been sentenced to probation for stealing more than $72,000 from a disabled veteran, authorities said.

Margaret Risdon, 62, of Bloomfield Hills, was convicted of embezzlement from a vulnerable adult between $50,000 and $100,000, a 15-year felony, according to a news release from the Michigan Department of Attorney General.

Judge David M. Cohen of the 6th Circuit Court recently sentenced her to three years of probation and 100 hours of community service. Risdon also must work a part-time job and was ordered to pay $72,843 in restitution to the victim’s estate. She is prohibited from violating any law or consuming drugs and alcohol.
read more here



Monday, September 23, 2019

Michigan disabled Navy veteran asked for help and got more than he expected

‘You’re not forgotten’: Michigan residents respond to disabled Navy veteran’s Craigslist ad


Lansing State Journal
Kristan Obeng, Published
Sept. 18, 2019

OLIVET – The brain surgery Jeffrey Hempel underwent in August left the Navy veteran a physically changed man in need of assistance.

Jeff Hempel, 69, recovers at the Mayo Clinic in Minnesota after brain surgery in this undated photo. (Photo: Nora Hempel)

His tongue swelled, muffling his words.

The double vision that resulted post-surgery has prevented him from driving.

He no longer has the mobility needed to haul water and feed the 50 chickens, two goats and various rabbits on his 15-acre property in Olivet.

“My poor wife has to do everything,” Hempel said.

He decided he needed to sell his farm animals, a decision he struggled with.

“It’s hard on him because he loves ‘his girls’ as he calls (the animals),” Hempel’s wife, Nora, said.

The 69-year-old also found he could no longer chop and stack his own firewood, something he had been doing for 30 years.

Not wanting to be a burden, Hempel did something he rarely did: He asked for help.

Hempel posted an ad on Craigslist asking for help gathering and chopping firewood. The response was more than he expected. He received help from people across Michigan within 48 hours.

Two non-profits catering to military veterans united to help Hempel after discovering his Craigslist ad.

“(Jeff) said he called different organizations to get help, and they kept passing him around like a dollar bill,” stated Ed Henley of Fishing It Forward, a group that takes veterans fishing.

Morgan’s Hugs also wanted to ensure Hempel got the help he needed.

The organization was started by Morgan Scarbo, a 15-year-old whose father is a disabled veteran, according to the teenager’s mother, Deborah Scarbo.

“We just try to help veterans as best as we could,” said Deborah Scarbo. “Another friend, Trish Barker and her granddaughter, Lexi, are going to be delivering groceries we got for him. It’s a big team of people trying to help.”

The goal for both non-profits is to provide Hempel with enough firewood for two years, according to Henley.

Firefighters from the Springport Fire Department also assisted by transporting some of the firewood using their personal vehicles.

Another organization, New Horizon, provided meals to volunteers helping Hempel.

“It was unbelievably generous,” Hempel said. “I’m just shocked. I’m humbled.”
read it here

Evicted-Paralyzed veteran, lost everything and then his community supplied love

Disabled veteran loses his possessions in a curbside fire after his eviction


WWMT Newschannel 3
by CALLIE RAINEY
September 17th 2019
Summey said the community was also quick to offer help, after he posted a picture of the burned belongings on social media. "Pretty amazing, within minutes hundreds of messages people wanting to know what they could do to help," Summey said.
STURGIS, Mich. (WWMT) — The contents of his apartment were stacked on the curbside, but before a disabled veteran who once called Quail Run II his home could move the belongings, someone doused the pile with gasoline and lit a match.

"I seen him, he was sitting in his chair. He didn't want to leave his stuff. I can understand, that's all your possessions," said Clint Parsons, who lives near the apartment complex.

Parsons said the gentleman, a U.S. Air Force veteran, told him his rent hadn't been paid in almost a year, even though he had a caregiver who was supposed to be handling his affairs.

According to Disability Attorneys of Michigan in 2015 there were 82,952 homeless people in Michigan, and 5,291 of those were veterans.

St. Joseph County Veterans' Affairs Director Stoney Summey said the county's transitional housing program provided secure, safe housing to 28 veterans throughout the first nine months of 2019.

Summey said the veteran who was evicted from Quail Run II on Friday, is paralyzed, and now brings to six the number of homeless veterans in St. Joseph County.
read it here

Wednesday, August 14, 2019

Disabled veteran called Ghost Brothers for Michigan home

Haunted Michigan home investigated by the Ghost Brothers in Travel Channel debut


MLive
By Edward Pevos
August 13, 2019

VASSAR, MI - A Michigan disabled veteran and his family have been living in fear inside their own home. That's where the famous Ghost Brothers come in.

The paranormal investigators came to the haunted home in Vassar after the family's plea for help.
Photo courtesy of the Travel Channel via Brian Eley

You can see what happened in the debut of "Ghost Brothers: Haunted Houseguest" premiering on Friday, Aug. 16 on the Travel Channel.

Maybe you've seen this historic home built in 1879. It's known as the "Wedding Cake" house. Disabled Marine Corps veteran Conrad Dowe lives in the home with his wife and young son.

It's beautiful on the outside, but on the inside, that's a different story.

"On the inside, you're dealing with some heavy energy which may be demonic," said Ghost Brother Juwan Mass.

"The family is very sweet, but they were dealing with a spirit tormenting the wife and little boy. The husband felt helpless from being able to protect his own family. He fought for his country and he doesn't know how to fight the spirits attacking his family."
read it here

Tuesday, June 4, 2019

One Of The Most Successful Women In America...is a veteran!

This U.S. Veteran Is One Of The Most Successful Women In America


FORBES
Deniz Cam
Forbes Staff

Kathleen Hildreth has been around airplanes since she was a child. Five decades ago, she watched her parents fly their Cessna 172 in their small hometown of Trenton, Michigan.
Kathleen Hildreth, U.S. veteran and cofounder of military aircraft maintenance company, M1 Support Services COURTESY OF KATHLEEN HILDRETH
After graduating from West Point, she flew helicopters for the military for five years but today she helps other pilots fly. In 2001, Hildreth cofounded aviation maintenance company M1 Support Services, which pulled in $680 million revenue in 2018. Forbes estimates Hildreth’s fortune at $370 million, thanks to her minority stake in M1 Support, enough for the U.S. veteran to make her debut at No. 57 on Forbes 2019 list of America’s most successful self-made women.


“Anything in the government's [aircraft] inventory, we do work on,” Hildreth told Forbes in a brief phone conversation. “You name it.” (She later declined Forbes’ request for a more extensive interview). The U.S Air Force, U.S. Army, U.S. Navy, and NASA are all clients of M1 Support, which relies entirely on the federal government for business. Most of its revenues come from maintaining military aircraft including fighter jets such as F15s, F16s, and A10 Thunderbolts.
read more here

Sunday, May 5, 2019

After standoff with police, community honors veteran lost to PTSD

Adrian veteran's loved ones talk mental health in hopes of saving lives


ABC 13 News
Michael Bratton
May 4, 2019
By talking about an unfortunate end to their veteran's life, Stidham's family hopes they can inspire others to save countless more.
ADRIAN, Mich. (WTVG) - For Jennifer Durell the sudden loss of her brother has been tough.


"I'm going to miss him," Durrel said. "No one expects their loved one to go this way."

On Wednesday police say her brother, Randy Stidham, died by apparent suicide. It happened after the 59-year-old held officers in a daylong stand off at his Adrian home. Police say Stidham fired shots from inside the house and even took aim at law enforcement.

"My sister's going to miss him, my dad's going to miss him," Durell said. "He's missed by a lot of people."

Stidham's family says he suffered from post-traumatic stress disorder, or PTSD, after serving in the U.S. Navy. Despite his struggles, his family says he loved motorcycles, his dog and spending time outdoors.
read more here

Thursday, May 2, 2019

Veteran committed suicide during standoff with Police after VA cuts meds

Police: Barricaded gunman standoff ends in suicide


Daily Telegram
By Dmitriy Shapiro
Staff Writer
May 2, 2019
Eichler said Stidham, a veteran, complained for awhile that the Veterans Affairs hospital he was going to said that they were going to remove him from his medications.
ADRIAN — A standoff Wednesday with a barricaded gunman in an Adrian neighborhood ended tragically as authorities reported finding the gunman dead from a self-inflicted gunshot wound.

Randy James Stidham, 59, of Adrian was found dead shortly before 7:40 p.m. after remotely operated vehicles with the Michigan State Police Bomb Squad were sent through his house at 624 Ormsby St.

At press time, Adrian Deputy Police Chief Lawrence Van Alstine said that investigators do not know what caused Stidham to barricade himself in his house and eventually take his life but were working on interviewing his friends and family as the investigation continues.

“He wasn’t interested in apparently communicating with us. Our goal was to have a peaceful resolution, and this is not that,” Van Alstine said. “Other than him, no one is hurt, but he’s still somebody’s family and it’s important that we don’t forget that.”

Police first arrived at the scene at 5 a.m. following reports of gunshots. Van Alstine said that two officers were shot at but neither were hit.
read more here

Tuesday, April 30, 2019

Two non-combat deaths under investigation

Pentagon IDs soldier who died in noncombat incident in northern Syria


STARS AND STRIPES
By CHAD GARLAND
Published: April 29, 2019

The Defense Department has identified the American servicemember who died Monday while supporting Operation Inherent Resolve in northern Syria.

Pfc. Michael A. Thomason, 28, of Lincoln Park, Mich., died of “wounds sustained from a non-combat incident” in Kobani, Syria, according to a statement issued late Monday by the Pentagon.

Thomason was assigned to 2nd Battalion, 327th Infantry Regiment, 1st Brigade Combat Team, 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault), out of Fort Campbell, Ky., the statement said.
read more here

South Korea-based soldier dies while on leave in Maryland


STARS AND STRIPES
By KIM GAMEL
Published: April 29, 2019

SEOUL, South Korea — An 18-year-old soldier serving with the 2nd Infantry Division in South Korea died while on leave in Maryland, the Army said Monday, adding the circumstances surrounding her death are under investigation.

Pvt. Courtney Shields, a signal support systems specialist from Bryans Road, Md., was found unresponsive Friday while on leave in her home state. She was taken to a local hospital, where she was pronounced dead, according to a press release.
read more here

Friday, March 8, 2019

First Female Infantry Company Commander for Michigan National Guard

Michigan National Guard Gets First Female Infantry Company Commander


Military.com
By Matthew Cox
7 Mar 2019
Kemppainen said in a March 5 Michigan National Guard news release. "I didn't set out to become the first of anything. I only want to look back and know that I made a difference, that I encouraged others to do more, and be more, and give more. The fact that I am opening doors for women is great, but I want my actions to be an example of what doing it right looks like, regardless of gender."
Capt. Amie Kemppainen takes command of Company B, 3rd Battlion, 126th Infantry at a ceremony at the Grand Valley Armory in Wyoming, Michigan Saturday, March 2nd, 2019. (U.S. Army/Lt. Col. John Hall)
U.S. Army Capt. Amie Kemppainen made history recently by becoming the first female officer to take command of an infantry company in the Michigan Army National Guard, and among the first female infantry company commanders in the entire Army.

Kemppainen, who took command of B Company, 3rd Battalion, 126th Infantry Regiment, in a March 2 ceremony, is a member of a growing sisterhood that has stepped forward to volunteer for infantry, armor and other direct-action jobs after the Pentagon opened up all combat-arms jobs to women just over three years ago.
read more here

Friday, February 8, 2019

Murder-suicide investigation at Wurtsmith Air Force Base

Police investigate suspected murder-suicide in northern Michigan


MLIVE

By Cole Waterman
February 8, 2019

OSCODA TWP, MI – Police in northern Michigan are investigating what they believe is an attempted murder-suicide incident on a former U.S. Air Force base.

At 11:27 a.m. on Thursday, Feb. 7, Oscoda Township police responded to a gun complaint — later upgraded to a shots-fired report — in the residential area of the former Wurtsmith Air Force Base. While officers were en route, the initial caller advised dispatchers that two people had been shot inside a house.

Officers entered the house and found 37-year-old Rickie L. Cheatum Jr. dead on the floor from a gunshot wound to his head. Cheatum’s 31-year-old male roommate was unconscious on the floor, suffering from an apparently self-inflicted gunshot wound to the head, police said.

Witnesses told police the two men had a verbal altercation. During it, the younger man grabbed two handguns and shot Cheatum before turning one of the guns on himself, police reported.
read more here

Thursday, January 24, 2019

Unpaid Border Patrol Agent Saved Suicidal Man

Border Patrol agent working without pay helps suicidal man


THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
Jan 24th 2019

NEWPORT, Mich. (AP) — A sheriff's deputy and a Border Patrol agent who's working without pay during the partial government shutdown are being hailed as heroes for saving a suicidal man from a Michigan bridge.

Border Patrol Agent Brian Maitland and Monroe County Deputy Brian Sroka helped save a 64-year-old man from the CN Railroad Bridge this month in Newport, The Detroit News reported.

The two were among the officers responding to a call that a man appeared to be preparing to jump from the bridge. They say that as Sroka spoke to the man, Maitland approached from behind and pulled the man from the edge of the bridge.
read more here

Monday, December 10, 2018

Police Officer saved suicidal woman by restoring hope

'There's hope for tomorrow,' DNR officer tells woman contemplating suicide on MacArthur Bridge


WXYZ 7 ABC News
Jennifer Wilson
December 9, 2018
"There's hope for tomorrow," he assured the woman. "It might be bad right now, but there's hope for tomorrow to be better."

DETROIT (WXYZ) - A DNR conservation officer is a hero after saving a young woman's life on Friday. It happened on the MacArthur Bridge, which connects Detroit to Belle Isle.

A 25-year-old woman in distress was saved by an officer who was there when she needed him the most.

Between the parties and the presents, we often focus on the joy and fun of the holidays, but there are a lot of people who really struggle this time of year.

Everywhere you look, messages of good cheer and hope abound but what you see doesn't always reflect what you feel.

"Holiday seasons are hard," says Ben Lasher, a conservation officer with the Department of Natural Resources. "A lot of people have strong feelings, good or bad, and this young lady was having a hard time. And I was able to be in the right place at the right time."
read more here

Lyrics
If you wake up and don't want to smileIf it takes just a little whileOpen your eyes and look at the dayYou'll see things in a different wayDon't stop thinking about tomorrowDon't stop, it'll soon be hereIt'll be, better than beforeYesterday's gone, yesterday's goneWhy not think about times to come?And not about the things that you've doneIf your life was bad to youJust think what tomorrow will doDon't stop thinking about tomorrowDon't stop, it'll soon be hereIt'll be, better than before,Yesterday's gone, yesterday's goneAll I want is to see you smileIf it takes just a little whileI know you don't believe that it's trueI never meant any harm to youDon't stop thinking about tomorrowDon't stop, it'll soon be hereIt'll be, better than before,Yesterday's gone, yesterday's goneDon't stop thinking about tomorrowDon't stop, it'll soon be hereIt'll be, better than beforeYesterday's gone, yesterday's goneOoh, don't you look backOoh, don't you look backOoh, don't you look backOoh, don't you look backSongwriters: Christine McVieDon't Stop lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group

Monday, August 13, 2018

Add Wurtsmith Air Force Base to contaminated military bases?

Michigan Air Force base water may have caused cancer
By: The Associated Press
August 12, 2018
The chemical was first found in the base's water in 1977, but drinking water wells could've been contaminated for many years before the discovery, according to the report. The Air Force installed a groundwater treatment system to clean up the trichloroethylene in the 1980s after being sued by Michigan.
The Wurtsmith Air Force Base grounds in Oscoda Township, Mich., two years ago. (Garret Ellison/MLive.com via AP)
OSCODA, Mich. — A federal health agency says contaminated drinking water might have caused cancer and other chronic disease among veterans and families who lived at a former northern Michigan military base.

The Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry released last month a draft report about the Wurtsmith Air Force Base in Oscoda, Michigan, MLive.com reported. The report concluded that people who consumed or had skin contact with Wurtsmith water may be at an increased risk for cancer.

Extremely high levels of benzene and trichloroethylene were documented in the former B-52 bomber base’s water before its 1993 closure.

The report is based on long-term exposure over a period of years. The findings also note that even short-term exposure to trichloroethylene for pregnant mothers during the first trimester could lead to heart birth defects in their children.
read more here

Saturday, August 11, 2018

Video NFL Protestors Will Not Like You To See

They say that they are not disrespecting the flag when they take a knee during the National Anthem.

They say they are not disrespecting the troops when they use their rights, obtained and retained, by those who risk their lives for this country.

NFL players say a lot of things, but just because they say it, that does not mean it is true.

The National Anthem was written after the War of 1812, so it is about the flag and those who risked their lives.

If you are in any doubt what the flag means to those who serve this country, this is a video the NFL protestors will not want you to see!


WHEN A HORRIBLE STORM RIPPED A GUN RANGE FLAGPOLE DOWN — TWO ARMY SOLDERS WENT RUNNINGDaily CallerBenny Johnson | Reporter At LargeAugust 8, 2018


Taylor, Michigan was experiencing a pounding summer storm. Gail-force winds and rain hammered homes and businesses thought the city. A local gun range and community landmark, Top Gun Shooting Sports, was hit particularly hard. The patriotic shop saw structural damage from the storm and also lost one of their most notable features: A flagpole out front.

Security footage shows the flagpole getting bent and eventually ripped down by the winds and rain tearing down the street. Luckily, Top Gun was playing host to ‘Patriot Week’ during the storm. Top Gun owner Michael Barbour tells The Daily Caller, “We were having our Patriot week and the Army was here doing a recruiting table along with multiple other special events. Just coincidental that they were standing by the door when the storm hit.”

Security camera footage shows the solders running out into the storm mere seconds after the American flag hit the ground. The soldiers, Sgt. Jared Ferguson of the 1st Infantry Division (the “Big Red One”) and Sgt. Eric Buckhorn of the 101st Airborne Div., pick up the flag off the wet concrete immediately and bring it inside. Further footage shows the soldiers indoors, folding the fallen flag properly.read more here 

Army Recruiters Rescue Fallen Flag In Taylor, Michigan
What players keep missing is the fact, that while they claim to have the right to do as they will, while in their football uniforms, the troops do their duties in theirs.

While football players miss the fact their job is to play football, and that is what the fans paid money to see, their fans do not disrespect the players by pulling their own stunts against them. 

Free speech is not the same as being paid to do a job and then using the people who paid to be there.

They also want to dismiss the anger from fans as something tied to POTUS but it only goes to show how little they actually know about patriotism!

UPDATE
Former Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) fighter and Iraq War veteran Tim Kennedy said NFL players have a right to protest, but during the national anthem is "not the right time."

Friday, August 3, 2018

Unclaimed veterans moved from freezer to honor service

Strangers provide military sendoff to veterans unclaimed in death
Michigan Live
By Gus Burns
August 2, 2018

U.S. Airman Second Class Gerald Suttkus, 81, a Detroit native living in Harrison Township, died at home on May 1. He served in the Vietnam War from 1959 until 1965. He later worked as a shipping clerk for a manufacturing company.

Navy Seaman First Class Cyril Brown, 90, of Clinton Township, died Oct. 21, 2017 at Detroit Receiving Hospital. He served during World War II from June 1944 to June 1946.

Thomas Novak, 59, of Warren, died in an area hospital died on April 25. He served as a private first class in the U.S. Army from 1975 to 1976.
Tanya Moutzalias
The Macomb County Council Ritual Team stands in honor of three unclaimed veterans, PV1 Thomas M. Novak (Peacetime), S1 Cyril L. Brown (WWII), A2C Gerald W. Suttkus (Vietnam War), Thursday morning at a memorial service at Harold W. Vick Funeral Home in Mt. Clemens, Aug. 2, 2018. (Tanya Moutzalias | MLive.com)
One survived World War II. Another made it out of Vietnam. The third served his country during peace time.

Most servicemen are sent off with gallant funerals in death, firing line salutes, a trumpet playing "Taps" and U.S. flag pageantry, but it wasn't looking like that would be the case for three Macomb County veterans who died over the last year.

Their bodies instead lay in morgue freezers.
read more here

Sunday, April 29, 2018

Combat wounded veteran needed fundraiser for medical care?

This could be one of the worst reporting jobs of the week. There is no explanation as to why this Marine veteran needs financial help to get medical treatment. 

Wounded veterans get 5 years of free medical care, plus if they have a service connected VA claim, they get free care too. If they are 100%, all of their healthcare is covered.

It would have been a lot more helpful to know if he needs help because he is fighting the VA to have his claim approved or not. 

If he is going to one of the over 400,000 charities for veterans out there, then they are supposed to be providing the help for free. Isn't that what they are getting all the donations for?

So who let this veteran down or is it all of the above?

Fundraiser to help injured West Michigan veteran get medical treatment
FOX 17 NEWS
APRIL 28, 2018

GREENVILLE, Mich. -- Dozens of families are supporting a West Michigan veteran who served fourteen years as a United States Marine. On Saturday, they joined together to help raise funds for medical treatments for injuries occurring during his time protecting the nation.

Chris Van Dyken, a United States Marine veteran, reacted to the many people who met in Greenville to support and fund medical treatment, and therapy care he needs.

His wife Morgan is one of many who is helping make it happen.

“I’m so thankful for her. With some of the stuff that’s happened in the past, I almost feel like I don’t deserve her,” said Chris. “But she stays beside me, hopes everything is going to be better, and gives me hope.”

During his time in service, he was injured from an r-p-g blast in 2005 in Iraq and in 2009 from an explosion in Afghanistan.
read more here

Thursday, April 26, 2018

Truckers lined up to save a life!

Truck drivers help stop a man from committing suicide
ABC News 9
By Matthew Witkos, WJRT
Apr 25, 2018
Genesee County (WJRT) -- The powerful images have been making the rounds on social media Tuesday.

Michigan state troopers out of metro Detroit say they've done this before. Several truck drivers say they've never seen or heard of this before. But without a moment of hesitation, they would do this if called up for action.

13 semi-trucks lined up underneath a metro Detroit overpass above I-696.

State troopers put them there to shorten a fall of one man attempting suicide early Tuesday morning.

These truck drivers are always on a tight schedule and are often pulling long hours to make their stops.
read more here

Saturday, March 3, 2018

Iraq veteran survived war, police work but not son's gun

Police arrest Plainfield teen suspected of killing his parents at Central Michigan University
Chicago Tribune
Matthew Walberg, Angie Leventis Lourgos and John Keilman
March 3, 2018

The victims were identified by authorities as Davis’ parents, James Eric Davis Sr. and Diva Jeneen Davis. Davis Sr. was a police officer in west suburban Bellwood and an Illinois National Guard veteran who served in Operation Iraqi Freedom. Diva Davis’s Facebook page identified her as a real estate broker; friends said she was also a breast cancer survivor and had worked as a flight attendant.
After a nearly daylong manhunt, authorities took into custody a college student from the Chicago suburbs who police said fatally shot his parents on the campus of Central Michigan University.
Part-time Bellwood police Officer James Eric Davis Sr. He and wife Diva Davis were shot and killed, allegedly by their son, James Eric Davis Jr., at Central Michigan University. (Bellwood Police Department)
The university and local police said 19-year-old James Eric Davis Jr., of Plainfield, was taken into custody after being seen passing through the campus after midnight Saturday.
read more here

Tuesday, January 23, 2018

Iraq Veteran From Florida Killed in Michigan

Man killed in Parma Township shooting was Iraq war vet, father of 2
MLive
Nathan Clark
January 23, 2018
Campbell, originally from Crystal River Fla., was a resident of Fort Wayne, Ind. prior to moving to the Parma Township home about a year ago.

PARMA TWP., MI - Dan Wendling heard the shot. He thought someone was lighting fireworks.

His dog seemed to know something was amiss and soon emergency lights filled the street around Athena Drive.

He soon learned his neighbor, John D. Campbell, 31, was found dead of an apparent gunshot wound about 8:30 p.m. Tuesday, Jan. 17.

"I can't believe it. Totally shocked by it," Wendling said. "He seemed like a decent enough guy to me."

Campbell was a U.S. Army veteran who served two tours of duty in Iraq, loved skiing, fishing and was a loyal friend to many, according to his obituary.
read more here