Bill would review discharges for possible PTSD
Marine Corps Times
By Rick Maze
Staff writer
Posted : Wednesday Mar 6, 2013
More than 31,000 discharges for service members diagnosed with personality or adjustment disorders would be reviewed to see if those troops actually suffered from post-traumatic stress, under legislation introduced Tuesday by Rep. Tim Walz, D-Minn.
The bill, HR 975, is endorsed by Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America, which is concerned that misdiagnoses of mental disorders are cheating veterans out of benefits. The Wounded Warrior Project also supports the bill.
Personality disorders and adjustment disorders are considered to have existed before service members joined the military, making them ineligible for disability compensation and mental health treatment. There are particular concerns that the diagnoses have been inappropriately used to discharge victims of sexual assault.
Not only are those veterans denied benefits, but the diagnosis also appears on their discharge papers, which can stigmatize them and make it harder to find civilian employment.
Walz, a retired Minnesota Army National Guard command sergeant major — the highest-ranking former enlisted soldier to ever serve in Congress — has been a champion of a variety of veterans’ causes. “After fighting for our country overseas, I am absolutely appalled that our brave warriors may have been improperly discharged and left without the care they need to reintegrate into the lives they once knew,” he said. “Action must be taken to correct the record.”
read more here
Showing posts with label Minnesota National Guards. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Minnesota National Guards. Show all posts
Wednesday, March 6, 2013
Thursday, October 4, 2012
3 Minnesota National Guardsmen receive Soldier's Medal
3 guardsmen lauded for Iraq vehicle rescue
Army times
By Joe Gould
Staff writer
Posted : Thursday Oct 4, 2012 7:37:22 EDT
Three Minnesota National Guardsmen who pulled Iraqi civilians from the burning wreckage of a two-van collision and helped them get care have received the Army’s highest award for noncombat valor.
The trio — Staff Sgt. Nicholas Purkat, 27; Sgt. Shawn Schmidt, 29; and Spc. Christopher Edwards, 20 — received the Soldier’s Medal on Sept. 22 for their heroic actions in 2011 in southern Iraq.
“To me, I was just doing my job, what anyone would do during the whole Iraq and Afghanistan [wars],” Schmidt said. “There have been a lot of great things that a lot of soldiers, airmen and Marines have done. That was just the situation we were in.”
On Nov. 11, the three guardsmen from the “Minnesota Red Bulls,” the 1st Brigade Combat Team, 34th Infantry Division, were providing convoy security with their unit during the withdrawal of forces from Iraq.
Their convoy that day was stopped on a highway about 20 miles west of Basra when a smoke plume rose above it, said Schmidt, who was behind the lead truck. He and the others rushed to the scene to find the two vehicles in the collision. The vans were not yet in flames.
In one of the vans, the driver appeared dead, and his passenger was drifting in and out of consciousness and was trapped.
Schmidt soon realized the vehicle was on fire, with more people inside — three toward the front and six in the rear.
“That’s when we started prying the doors, ripping out the glass and pulling them out,” he said.
read more here
Army times
By Joe Gould
Staff writer
Posted : Thursday Oct 4, 2012 7:37:22 EDT
Three Minnesota National Guardsmen who pulled Iraqi civilians from the burning wreckage of a two-van collision and helped them get care have received the Army’s highest award for noncombat valor.
The trio — Staff Sgt. Nicholas Purkat, 27; Sgt. Shawn Schmidt, 29; and Spc. Christopher Edwards, 20 — received the Soldier’s Medal on Sept. 22 for their heroic actions in 2011 in southern Iraq.
“To me, I was just doing my job, what anyone would do during the whole Iraq and Afghanistan [wars],” Schmidt said. “There have been a lot of great things that a lot of soldiers, airmen and Marines have done. That was just the situation we were in.”
On Nov. 11, the three guardsmen from the “Minnesota Red Bulls,” the 1st Brigade Combat Team, 34th Infantry Division, were providing convoy security with their unit during the withdrawal of forces from Iraq.
Their convoy that day was stopped on a highway about 20 miles west of Basra when a smoke plume rose above it, said Schmidt, who was behind the lead truck. He and the others rushed to the scene to find the two vehicles in the collision. The vans were not yet in flames.
In one of the vans, the driver appeared dead, and his passenger was drifting in and out of consciousness and was trapped.
Schmidt soon realized the vehicle was on fire, with more people inside — three toward the front and six in the rear.
“That’s when we started prying the doors, ripping out the glass and pulling them out,” he said.
read more here
Saturday, August 18, 2012
New blood in vets' groups is often female
New blood in vets' groups is often female
By Rupa Shenoy
Minnesota Public Radio
via The Associated Press
Posted : Saturday Aug 18, 2012
ROSEMOUNT, Minn. — On Wednesdays, the Rosemount VFW regulars head to the post for bingo night. The weekly game is open to the public and helps fund the VFW's operations.
Minnesota National Guard Maj. Kristin Auge volunteers at the post selling bingo cards to the players. And though she lives just a few miles away, she had never been inside this VFW until last spring when she joined.
It took a little more work that she thought it would.
"I walked up to one of the guys and I said I wanted to sign up to be in the organization and I said 'I'm here to join.' And he says, 'Well, you've had to have been in the service.' And I said, 'Well, I am, and I still am.' And he says, 'Well, you'll have had to have deployed.' 'Yes, I just got back from Iraq.' And he was like 'Oh, OK, I guess I'll take your paperwork,' " she recalled.
The older members welcomed Auge, so she cajoled some initially reluctant female friends into joining.
read more here
By Rupa Shenoy
Minnesota Public Radio
via The Associated Press
Posted : Saturday Aug 18, 2012
ROSEMOUNT, Minn. — On Wednesdays, the Rosemount VFW regulars head to the post for bingo night. The weekly game is open to the public and helps fund the VFW's operations.
Minnesota National Guard Maj. Kristin Auge volunteers at the post selling bingo cards to the players. And though she lives just a few miles away, she had never been inside this VFW until last spring when she joined.
It took a little more work that she thought it would.
"I walked up to one of the guys and I said I wanted to sign up to be in the organization and I said 'I'm here to join.' And he says, 'Well, you've had to have been in the service.' And I said, 'Well, I am, and I still am.' And he says, 'Well, you'll have had to have deployed.' 'Yes, I just got back from Iraq.' And he was like 'Oh, OK, I guess I'll take your paperwork,' " she recalled.
The older members welcomed Auge, so she cajoled some initially reluctant female friends into joining.
read more here
Sunday, April 8, 2012
Minnesota National Guard families part of research project
Deployment’s toll on families goes under university's microscope
By MARK BRUNSWICK
Stars and Stripes
Published: April 5, 2012
MINNEAPOLIS — For the next four years, hundreds of military families in Minnesota will submit to wearing heart sensors to monitor the stresses they exert on each other and allow video cameras to record their interactions as part of an extraordinary first-in-the-nation look at the toll exacted by deployments to war zones.
The research, which is being conducted by the University of Minnesota, is aimed especially at gauging the impact on families of Guard and Reserve members, who have made up nearly half of the U.S. forces sent to Iraq and Afghanistan over the past decade. That number is unprecedented in modern American warfare and is likely to have a ripple effect on family life for years as soldiers return home and resume their civilian lives.
“This is an important window. Minnesota has an opportunity to really share incredible knowledge that will help the next generation of reserve component families,” said Abigail Gewirtz, an associate professor of family social science at the University of Minnesota and the project’s principal investigator.
Minnesota’s demographics work well for the research. Its mostly citizen-soldiers are generally older and more likely to have families than those on active duty. And those families often blend back in to small towns and cities after a deployment without the support system that a military base offers.
read more here
By MARK BRUNSWICK
Stars and Stripes
Published: April 5, 2012
MINNEAPOLIS — For the next four years, hundreds of military families in Minnesota will submit to wearing heart sensors to monitor the stresses they exert on each other and allow video cameras to record their interactions as part of an extraordinary first-in-the-nation look at the toll exacted by deployments to war zones.
The research, which is being conducted by the University of Minnesota, is aimed especially at gauging the impact on families of Guard and Reserve members, who have made up nearly half of the U.S. forces sent to Iraq and Afghanistan over the past decade. That number is unprecedented in modern American warfare and is likely to have a ripple effect on family life for years as soldiers return home and resume their civilian lives.
“This is an important window. Minnesota has an opportunity to really share incredible knowledge that will help the next generation of reserve component families,” said Abigail Gewirtz, an associate professor of family social science at the University of Minnesota and the project’s principal investigator.
Minnesota’s demographics work well for the research. Its mostly citizen-soldiers are generally older and more likely to have families than those on active duty. And those families often blend back in to small towns and cities after a deployment without the support system that a military base offers.
read more here
Tuesday, March 13, 2012
Military chaplains prepare for return of troops
Military chaplains prepare for return of troops
by Jessica Mador, Minnesota Public Radio
March 12, 2012
St. Paul, Minn. — Military chaplains attended a special training to prepare for the return of thousands of soldiers from the Middle East later this spring.
Minnesota National Guard officials are preparing for the May return of 2,700 Minnesota National Guard members from Kuwait, where they have been assisting with the U.S. withdrawal from Iraq.
The training at the Northeast Minneapolis Armory aimed to educate chaplains about the challenges faced by returning troops, such as reuniting with family, beginning college and looking for civilian employment. The training also alerted chaplains to the warning signs of suicide.
read more here
by Jessica Mador, Minnesota Public Radio
March 12, 2012
St. Paul, Minn. — Military chaplains attended a special training to prepare for the return of thousands of soldiers from the Middle East later this spring.
Minnesota National Guard officials are preparing for the May return of 2,700 Minnesota National Guard members from Kuwait, where they have been assisting with the U.S. withdrawal from Iraq.
The training at the Northeast Minneapolis Armory aimed to educate chaplains about the challenges faced by returning troops, such as reuniting with family, beginning college and looking for civilian employment. The training also alerted chaplains to the warning signs of suicide.
read more here
Monday, December 19, 2011
Minn. head says Guard singled out over suicides
Minn. head says Guard singled out over suicides
Dec 19, 2011 6:00pm
ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) — The Minnesota National Guard has attracted "unsubstantiated notoriety" for the number of military suicides, the state adjutant general told a joint legislative hearing Monday while urging funding for suicide prevention programs.
Maj. Gen. Rick Nash told lawmakers that suicide is increasing among the entire population, not just the military, Minnesota Public Radio News reported. He noted that since 2007, 24 members of the Minnesota National guard have died by suicide, though two-thirds of them had never deployed.
"That's an important detail because it's a common assumption that suicides are the result of post-traumatic stress disorder. This is not true," Nash said.
The two dozen suicides are more than any other state, but Nash said only two of the deaths occurred among active duty soldiers.
"On the two days per month that the part-time force assembles, I can say with certainty, a soldier or airman at risk of suicide is actively engaged by his or her battle buddy or wingman. Our team is trained and ready to link that service member with the resources he or she needs," Nash said.
So far in 2011, 34 National Guard soldiers have taken advantage of a program to intervene with soldiers who may be at risk of suicide, Nash said. He was briefly overcome when he spoke of one soldier who came forward "after spending the previous evening with a shotgun on his lap."
Nash said suicide is a statewide problem, and he urged lawmakers to fund suicide prevention efforts. But he also said the Minnesota Legislature should be looking at ways to eliminate some of the contributing factors. He noted high unemployment among veterans, and noted that 18 percent of the women in the Minnesota National Guard are unemployed.
read more here
Minn. lawmakers to address military suicides
Dec 18, 2011
Written by
Jay Olstad
MINNEAPOLIS - The war in Iraq may have officially ended, but for so many veterans coming home, the battle within is just beginning.
"It just makes sick to my stomach and anxious," said Greg Roberts, an Iraq War veteran.
Talking about his time in Iraq is difficult for Roberts. The 34-year old, who also served in Bosnia, was in Iraq for more than a year with the National Guard's 2nd Battalion, 136th Infantry.
He and his fellow soldiers were responsible for driving through uncharted roadways, clearing any roadside bombs for other military units.
"(We're) driving, hoping you're not going to have something come through your door and take your legs off," he said.
The constant danger took its toll. He admits to drinking too much and suffering from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder when he arrived home, something many combat veterans go through.
"And all of sudden I'm realizing I'm a very angry person. And I don't know why. I'm completely different, everyone else is the same, but I'm completely different," he said.
With the help of his wife and family, he's been able to move forward. But not everyone in his unit was so lucky.
read more here
Dec 19, 2011 6:00pm
ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) — The Minnesota National Guard has attracted "unsubstantiated notoriety" for the number of military suicides, the state adjutant general told a joint legislative hearing Monday while urging funding for suicide prevention programs.
Maj. Gen. Rick Nash told lawmakers that suicide is increasing among the entire population, not just the military, Minnesota Public Radio News reported. He noted that since 2007, 24 members of the Minnesota National guard have died by suicide, though two-thirds of them had never deployed.
"That's an important detail because it's a common assumption that suicides are the result of post-traumatic stress disorder. This is not true," Nash said.
The two dozen suicides are more than any other state, but Nash said only two of the deaths occurred among active duty soldiers.
"On the two days per month that the part-time force assembles, I can say with certainty, a soldier or airman at risk of suicide is actively engaged by his or her battle buddy or wingman. Our team is trained and ready to link that service member with the resources he or she needs," Nash said.
So far in 2011, 34 National Guard soldiers have taken advantage of a program to intervene with soldiers who may be at risk of suicide, Nash said. He was briefly overcome when he spoke of one soldier who came forward "after spending the previous evening with a shotgun on his lap."
Nash said suicide is a statewide problem, and he urged lawmakers to fund suicide prevention efforts. But he also said the Minnesota Legislature should be looking at ways to eliminate some of the contributing factors. He noted high unemployment among veterans, and noted that 18 percent of the women in the Minnesota National Guard are unemployed.
read more here
Minn. lawmakers to address military suicides
Dec 18, 2011
Written by
Jay Olstad
MINNEAPOLIS - The war in Iraq may have officially ended, but for so many veterans coming home, the battle within is just beginning.
"It just makes sick to my stomach and anxious," said Greg Roberts, an Iraq War veteran.
Talking about his time in Iraq is difficult for Roberts. The 34-year old, who also served in Bosnia, was in Iraq for more than a year with the National Guard's 2nd Battalion, 136th Infantry.
He and his fellow soldiers were responsible for driving through uncharted roadways, clearing any roadside bombs for other military units.
"(We're) driving, hoping you're not going to have something come through your door and take your legs off," he said.
The constant danger took its toll. He admits to drinking too much and suffering from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder when he arrived home, something many combat veterans go through.
"And all of sudden I'm realizing I'm a very angry person. And I don't know why. I'm completely different, everyone else is the same, but I'm completely different," he said.
With the help of his wife and family, he's been able to move forward. But not everyone in his unit was so lucky.
read more here
Monday, October 3, 2011
Anti-suicide program for Minnesota military running out of funds
Anti-suicide program for Minnesota military nears depletion
The Minnesota National Guard leads the country in the number of soldiers who have committed suicide, and a program that has been shown to successfully prevent suicides in the state's military now faces the prospect of running out of money by the end of the year.
By: Mark Brunswick, Star Tribune (Minneapolis) / MCT
MINNEAPOLIS
The Minnesota National Guard leads the country in the number of soldiers who have committed suicide, and a program that has been shown to successfully prevent suicides in the state's military now faces the prospect of running out of money by the end of the year.
With demand increasing, the program from Lutheran Social Service of Minnesota is burning through money at a rate of $50,000 to $70,000 a month, and a $500,000 appropriation from the Legislature is likely to be depleted by December or January. With funding capped and its contract not up until June, local services are likely to be stopped for anyone who doesn't have a way to pay for them, or they will be directed to a federal military call-in program answered by a phone bank from another state.
"We run a real risk of being victims of our own success," said Mary Beth Galey, senior director of counseling and adoption for Lutheran Social Service, the state's largest nonprofit social service organization. "To a great extent, we'll probably be stuck."
read more here
The Minnesota National Guard leads the country in the number of soldiers who have committed suicide, and a program that has been shown to successfully prevent suicides in the state's military now faces the prospect of running out of money by the end of the year.
By: Mark Brunswick, Star Tribune (Minneapolis) / MCT
MINNEAPOLIS
The Minnesota National Guard leads the country in the number of soldiers who have committed suicide, and a program that has been shown to successfully prevent suicides in the state's military now faces the prospect of running out of money by the end of the year.
With demand increasing, the program from Lutheran Social Service of Minnesota is burning through money at a rate of $50,000 to $70,000 a month, and a $500,000 appropriation from the Legislature is likely to be depleted by December or January. With funding capped and its contract not up until June, local services are likely to be stopped for anyone who doesn't have a way to pay for them, or they will be directed to a federal military call-in program answered by a phone bank from another state.
"We run a real risk of being victims of our own success," said Mary Beth Galey, senior director of counseling and adoption for Lutheran Social Service, the state's largest nonprofit social service organization. "To a great extent, we'll probably be stuck."
read more here
Saturday, June 25, 2011
Suicide total for Minnesota's Guard members ranks among nation's worst
Battle on home front is Guard's most perilous
Article by: Star Tribune Updated: June 25, 2011 - 12:20 AM
Suicide total for Minnesota's Guard members ranks among nation's worst.
Their names are tucked into the Minnesota Department of Health database that catalogues the state's suicides, with no hint of their common bond.
There is the 17-year-old girl from Kerrick who shot herself on the railroad tracks in Pine County. The 38-year-old man who made his living selling rides on a World War II-era tank until he killed himself in Inver Grove Heights. The 19-year-old born in Thailand who shot himself in Minneapolis.
Some were mechanics, some were students, some worked construction. All were soldiers in the Minnesota National Guard.
Their deaths have helped give the state Guard an unwanted distinction: It's second in the nation in the number of suicides that occur in its ranks.
Since 2007, 18 members of the state National Guard have killed themselves. Only Oregon, with 20, has had more. The Minnesota cases have been part of a worrisome trend of more suicides in the military, one which saw more service members kill themselves last year than died in combat.
read more here
Battle on home front is Guard's most perilous
Article by: Star Tribune Updated: June 25, 2011 - 12:20 AM
Suicide total for Minnesota's Guard members ranks among nation's worst.
Their names are tucked into the Minnesota Department of Health database that catalogues the state's suicides, with no hint of their common bond.
There is the 17-year-old girl from Kerrick who shot herself on the railroad tracks in Pine County. The 38-year-old man who made his living selling rides on a World War II-era tank until he killed himself in Inver Grove Heights. The 19-year-old born in Thailand who shot himself in Minneapolis.
Some were mechanics, some were students, some worked construction. All were soldiers in the Minnesota National Guard.
Their deaths have helped give the state Guard an unwanted distinction: It's second in the nation in the number of suicides that occur in its ranks.
Since 2007, 18 members of the state National Guard have killed themselves. Only Oregon, with 20, has had more. The Minnesota cases have been part of a worrisome trend of more suicides in the military, one which saw more service members kill themselves last year than died in combat.
read more here
Battle on home front is Guard's most perilous
Wednesday, March 9, 2011
Minnesota National Guard officials confront mental health stigma
Minnesota National Guard officials confront mental health stigma ahead of deployment
by Jessica Mador, Minnesota Public Radio
March 9, 2011
St. Paul, Minn. — It's been almost four years since Coon Rapids Army Reservist Molly Black returned from Iraq but she still thinks about her deployment at least a dozen times a day.
"We lost two people over there," she said. "A few more have lost limbs or are paralyzed now, so that stuff sticks with you. You have survivor's guilt."
For more than a year, the 30-year-old was based in northern Iraq where she helped train Iraqi police. She remembers the day insurgents attacked her unit with a car bomb.
"It was about 8 o'clock in the morning and a 1500-pound vehicle-borne IED [improvised explosive device] drove through the entrance and exploded," she said.
The explosion was followed by an avalanche of gunfire, mortar and rocket attacks from all directions that collapsed the building. The attack killed almost two dozen people.
Black has been in the military for more than eight years. She knows daily violence comes with the territory. But she still struggles with its effects.
When her unit returned home, Black says commanders talked only briefly about the potential for lingering mental health problems.
"You're back, this is awesome, good job, you're on your own," she said.
She feels lucky that her friends saw danger signs of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD): She was depressed and irritable, she drank too much and stopped going out. Since then, she's gotten treatment and it's helping.
About 2,400 soldiers from the Minnesota Army National Guard will deploy to Kuwait this summer as part of Operation New Dawn, the final drawdown of U.S. forces from Iraq. Research has shown that combat can have a long-term effect on the mental health of soldiers.
read more here
Minnesota National Guard officials confront mental health stigma
by Jessica Mador, Minnesota Public Radio
March 9, 2011
St. Paul, Minn. — It's been almost four years since Coon Rapids Army Reservist Molly Black returned from Iraq but she still thinks about her deployment at least a dozen times a day.
"We lost two people over there," she said. "A few more have lost limbs or are paralyzed now, so that stuff sticks with you. You have survivor's guilt."
For more than a year, the 30-year-old was based in northern Iraq where she helped train Iraqi police. She remembers the day insurgents attacked her unit with a car bomb.
"It was about 8 o'clock in the morning and a 1500-pound vehicle-borne IED [improvised explosive device] drove through the entrance and exploded," she said.
The explosion was followed by an avalanche of gunfire, mortar and rocket attacks from all directions that collapsed the building. The attack killed almost two dozen people.
Black has been in the military for more than eight years. She knows daily violence comes with the territory. But she still struggles with its effects.
When her unit returned home, Black says commanders talked only briefly about the potential for lingering mental health problems.
"You're back, this is awesome, good job, you're on your own," she said.
She feels lucky that her friends saw danger signs of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD): She was depressed and irritable, she drank too much and stopped going out. Since then, she's gotten treatment and it's helping.
About 2,400 soldiers from the Minnesota Army National Guard will deploy to Kuwait this summer as part of Operation New Dawn, the final drawdown of U.S. forces from Iraq. Research has shown that combat can have a long-term effect on the mental health of soldiers.
read more here
Minnesota National Guard officials confront mental health stigma
Wednesday, January 5, 2011
Study of Guard soldiers shows effects of mild brain injury not forever
Readers of this blog know I had TBI when I was very young and there was very little known about what happens to the brain after injury. I really should not have survived the fall but by the grace of God for some reason, I did. There are some things that will never be right about my brain, (stop thinking about jokes for now like my friends always come up with) but considering what my head went through, it's not all so bad. You can learn how to adapt. I had to see a speech therapist for a couple of years. Memory problems were overcome by learning some tricks like focusing on what I had to remember, writing down what was important and pretty much tossing things out once I was done with some useless information that really meant nothing. Unfortunately this meant that names were forgotten just about as soon as I was introduced to someone but their face was always remembered. This is a good report because it shows that while PTSD does not "go away" mild brain injury does and as far as traumatic brain injury, if my life is any indication, that can get better too.
Study of Guard soldiers shows effects of mild brain injury fade over time
by Jessica Mador, Minnesota Public Radio
January 4, 2011
St. Paul, Minn. — Results from an ongoing survey of Minnesota National Guard troops conducted by researchers at the Minneapolis VA Medical Center show that most cases of mild brain injury or concussion are likely to fade over time.
Researchers say the survey, which was published in the January issue of Archives of General Psychiatry, also sheds more light on post-traumatic stress symptoms.
The findings could be good news for the thousands of Iraqi and Afghanistan veterans believed to have suffered mild brain injury during combat, although it's unclear how many troops have come home with TBI.
Minneapolis VA Medical Center psychologist Melissa Polusny says the number of soldiers who report an injury that made them feel dazed or confused, or forced them to lose consciousness, varies widely.
Polusny and her colleagues surveyed more than 950 Guard soldiers, and in one survey, as many as 22 percent of them reported suffering a mild traumatic brain injury while deployed.
"When someone hears the word brain injury, I think they make assumptions about what that is," she said. "What we are talking about is concussion, which is sometimes referred to as mild traumatic brain injury."
Mild traumatic brain injury differs from moderate to severe TBI. Polusny says there are a number of common symptoms.
"Like headache, or difficulty concentrating, or irritability or memory difficulties, maybe ringing in the ears or tinitis," she said. "These are grouped together and referred to as post-oncussive symptoms."
The survey followed National Guard soldiers who served in Iraq in 2006 and 2007. Researchers were looking at the associations between concussion and PTSD symptoms, and whether mild TBI caused long-term effects.
read more here
http://minnesota.publicradio.org/display/web/2011/01/04/brain-injury-study/
Tuesday, February 16, 2010
Minn. guardsmen could receive bonuses for long deployment
Minn. guardsmen could receive bonuses
By Patrick Condon - The Associated Press
Posted : Tuesday Feb 16, 2010 5:42:07 EST
MINNEAPOLIS — The Pentagon has committed to paying bonuses to 2,500 Minnesota National Guard soldiers who are still owed them after a long deployment to Iraq several years ago.
Military officials told members of Minnesota’s congressional delegation Monday that the Pentagon has closed a loophole that hung up payments of about $10 million in the bonuses to soldiers in Minnesota’s “Red Bull” 34 Infantry Brigade. Those soldiers began a 22-month deployment in 2005 that kept them in Iraq for 16 months, the longest deployment of any infantry unit since World War II.
“We’re glad this is done, but I certainly hope there’s no one pounding their chest over it,” said U.S. Rep. Tim Walz, a Democrat from Minnesota who was one of several members of Congress to get involved in the issue. “It should have been done a long time ago.”
read more here
Minn. guardsmen could receive bonuses
By Patrick Condon - The Associated Press
Posted : Tuesday Feb 16, 2010 5:42:07 EST
MINNEAPOLIS — The Pentagon has committed to paying bonuses to 2,500 Minnesota National Guard soldiers who are still owed them after a long deployment to Iraq several years ago.
Military officials told members of Minnesota’s congressional delegation Monday that the Pentagon has closed a loophole that hung up payments of about $10 million in the bonuses to soldiers in Minnesota’s “Red Bull” 34 Infantry Brigade. Those soldiers began a 22-month deployment in 2005 that kept them in Iraq for 16 months, the longest deployment of any infantry unit since World War II.
“We’re glad this is done, but I certainly hope there’s no one pounding their chest over it,” said U.S. Rep. Tim Walz, a Democrat from Minnesota who was one of several members of Congress to get involved in the issue. “It should have been done a long time ago.”
read more here
Minn. guardsmen could receive bonuses
Thursday, February 4, 2010
Minnesota soldiers of the “Red Bull” 34th Infantry Brigade are owed about $10 million.
Minn. guardsmen say they’re owed back pay
The Associated Press
Posted : Wednesday Feb 3, 2010 21:02:50 EST
MINNEAPOLIS — Three years after returning from Iraq, 2,500 Minnesota soldiers are still waiting for bonus pay promised to them by the government.
KSTP-TV reports that in 2005, 2,500 Minnesota Army National Guard soldiers deployed to Iraq. It became the longest deployment of any infantry unit since World War II.
read more here
http://www.armytimes.com/news/2010/02/ap_guard_minnesota_pay_020310/
The Associated Press
Posted : Wednesday Feb 3, 2010 21:02:50 EST
MINNEAPOLIS — Three years after returning from Iraq, 2,500 Minnesota soldiers are still waiting for bonus pay promised to them by the government.
KSTP-TV reports that in 2005, 2,500 Minnesota Army National Guard soldiers deployed to Iraq. It became the longest deployment of any infantry unit since World War II.
read more here
http://www.armytimes.com/news/2010/02/ap_guard_minnesota_pay_020310/
Friday, December 18, 2009
Video tells Minn. guardsmen in Iraq of services
Video tells Minn. guardsmen in Iraq of services
By Kari Petrie - St. Cloud (Minn.) Times via Gannett News Service
Posted : Friday Dec 18, 2009 9:26:46 EST
Minnesota National Guard soldiers serving in Iraq were able to hear from St. Cloud service providers during a live video link Thursday.
Providers of education, health care and employment services presented information to about 40 soldiers from St. Cloud City Hall. They communicated with the soldiers stationed in Iraq on a large video screen.
St. Cloud VA Medical Center spokeswoman Joan Vincent said organizers believe the video link is the first of its kind for providing reintegration information.
The goal was to provide soldiers with information before they return home, when their focus is on returning to their families and civilian jobs rather than learning about programs.
“Once they get home, they want to go home,” Vincent said.
The video link was done in coordination with Beyond the Yellow Ribbon and Warrior to Citizen programs, which work to make the transition from deployment to home as smooth as possible.
read more here
Video tells Minn. guardsmen in Iraq of services
By Kari Petrie - St. Cloud (Minn.) Times via Gannett News Service
Posted : Friday Dec 18, 2009 9:26:46 EST
Minnesota National Guard soldiers serving in Iraq were able to hear from St. Cloud service providers during a live video link Thursday.
Providers of education, health care and employment services presented information to about 40 soldiers from St. Cloud City Hall. They communicated with the soldiers stationed in Iraq on a large video screen.
St. Cloud VA Medical Center spokeswoman Joan Vincent said organizers believe the video link is the first of its kind for providing reintegration information.
The goal was to provide soldiers with information before they return home, when their focus is on returning to their families and civilian jobs rather than learning about programs.
“Once they get home, they want to go home,” Vincent said.
The video link was done in coordination with Beyond the Yellow Ribbon and Warrior to Citizen programs, which work to make the transition from deployment to home as smooth as possible.
read more here
Video tells Minn. guardsmen in Iraq of services
Thursday, November 19, 2009
Standoffs Involved Vets Who May Have PTSD
Standoffs Involved Vets Who May Have PTSD
By: Jenny Griswold and Becky Nahm
Two standoffs in the metro in three days both involved Iraq war veterans who friends say suffer from post-traumatic stress disorder.
On Nov. 11, officers went to the Apple Valley home of Robert James Dunnum, 44.
According to a criminal complaint, he had been drinking and told his wife "you want a war, I'll start a war."
He's charged with making terroristic threats and domestic assault.
He allegedly had seven guns and a grenade.
On Nov. 13, in Edina, officers sent neighbors to their basements while a man holed up in his home with a gun. The man was also an Iraq war vet.
read more here
http://kstp.com/news/stories/S1259809.shtml?cat=1
By: Jenny Griswold and Becky Nahm
Two standoffs in the metro in three days both involved Iraq war veterans who friends say suffer from post-traumatic stress disorder.
On Nov. 11, officers went to the Apple Valley home of Robert James Dunnum, 44.
According to a criminal complaint, he had been drinking and told his wife "you want a war, I'll start a war."
He's charged with making terroristic threats and domestic assault.
He allegedly had seven guns and a grenade.
On Nov. 13, in Edina, officers sent neighbors to their basements while a man holed up in his home with a gun. The man was also an Iraq war vet.
read more here
http://kstp.com/news/stories/S1259809.shtml?cat=1
Wednesday, October 14, 2009
Minnesota National Guardsman in Iraq noncombat incident was shot
Army via AP Maj. Tad T. Hervas, 48, died Oct. 6 in Basra, Iraq.
Guardsman in Iraq noncombat incident was shot
By Steve Karnowski - The Associated Press
Posted : Wednesday Oct 14, 2009 7:02:44 EDT
MINNEAPOLIS — A Minnesota National Guard soldier who died of noncombat injuries in Iraq last week was found with a gunshot wound to the head, the military said Tuesday in a statement that did little to clear up the mystery surrounding his death.
Maj. Tad Hervas, 48, of Coon Rapids, died Oct. 6 at a base in Basra, where he was serving with the 34th Infantry Division, known as the Red Bulls.
In its statement Tuesday evening, the division provided few other details on the circumstances of his death.
“An investigation is being conducted by the Army’s Criminal Investigation Command on the cause of death,” the statement said. “A thorough investigation — which will include forensics, weapons testing, and an analysis of circumstances prior to his death — will determine a conclusion after all factors have been considered.”
read more here
http://www.armytimes.com/news/2009/10/ap_hervas_death_iraq_101409/
Sunday, August 16, 2009
Community comes together for Veterans Park
Janesville memorial fills a void
A memorable dedication for memorial
By Mark Fischenich
Free Press Staff Writer
JANESVILLE —
Veterans Park has been a fixture in Janesville for decades, but local veterans always thought something important was missing, said Mark Slama, a Vietnam veteran and member of the local American Legion.
In March of 2008, they decided to do something about it.
“The guys at a meeting decided, ‘How come we’re not getting a memorial built?’” Slama said. “And we checked what it would take to do it.”
As it turned out, all it took was to ask the people of Janesville.
“The people here in the community made the memorial happen,” Slama said. “No one has ever said no to us.”
The result was a handsome six-sided memorial, designed for free by retired Milwaukee architect Harold Krueger. Projected to cost $75,000, area contractors were so generous with their bids that costs came in at less than $60,000.
And when it came time to dedicate the new memorial, the community of 2,200 came out in droves. They filled the 400 chairs set up by the Minnesota National Guard for the 10 a.m. event Saturday, and a similar number sat in lawn chairs or stood around the park.
The community also worked to make the dedication ceremony a memorable one. A local woman whose father was a Merchant Marine, for instance, had a contact with the National Eagle Center in Wabasha.
read more here
http://www.mankatofreepress.com/local/local_story_228011337.html
A memorable dedication for memorial
By Mark Fischenich
Free Press Staff Writer
JANESVILLE —
Veterans Park has been a fixture in Janesville for decades, but local veterans always thought something important was missing, said Mark Slama, a Vietnam veteran and member of the local American Legion.
In March of 2008, they decided to do something about it.
“The guys at a meeting decided, ‘How come we’re not getting a memorial built?’” Slama said. “And we checked what it would take to do it.”
As it turned out, all it took was to ask the people of Janesville.
“The people here in the community made the memorial happen,” Slama said. “No one has ever said no to us.”
The result was a handsome six-sided memorial, designed for free by retired Milwaukee architect Harold Krueger. Projected to cost $75,000, area contractors were so generous with their bids that costs came in at less than $60,000.
And when it came time to dedicate the new memorial, the community of 2,200 came out in droves. They filled the 400 chairs set up by the Minnesota National Guard for the 10 a.m. event Saturday, and a similar number sat in lawn chairs or stood around the park.
The community also worked to make the dedication ceremony a memorable one. A local woman whose father was a Merchant Marine, for instance, had a contact with the National Eagle Center in Wabasha.
read more here
http://www.mankatofreepress.com/local/local_story_228011337.html
Saturday, July 18, 2009
Platoon leader remembers 3 fallen Minnesota soldiers
Platoon leader remembers 3 fallen Minnesota soldiers
By Renee Tessman
The Minnesota National Guard offered its condolences Saturday after one of the deadliest days for Minnesota troops in Iraq since 2005.
Three soldiers were killed Thursday evening in an attack on a base in Basra. They are 27-year-old Specialist Carlos Wilcox IV of Cottage Grove, 20-year-old Specialist James Wertish of Olivia and 22-year-old Specialist Daniel Drevnick of Woodbury. All were members of the Minnesota National Guard 34th Red Bull Infantry Division based in Stillwater.
At a press conference at the Stillwater Armory Saturday, Lt. Col. Michael Wickman says, "On behalf of all the men and women in the MN National Guard, I express my deepest sympathy."
National Guard officials say it was an indirect fire attack that killed the three soldiers. That could mean a mortar or missile attack. But Wickman says that's still unclear stating, "Many of the details are still under investigation by U.S. military authorities in Iraq."
read more here
Platoon leader remembers 3 fallen Minnesota soldiers
By Renee Tessman
The Minnesota National Guard offered its condolences Saturday after one of the deadliest days for Minnesota troops in Iraq since 2005.
Three soldiers were killed Thursday evening in an attack on a base in Basra. They are 27-year-old Specialist Carlos Wilcox IV of Cottage Grove, 20-year-old Specialist James Wertish of Olivia and 22-year-old Specialist Daniel Drevnick of Woodbury. All were members of the Minnesota National Guard 34th Red Bull Infantry Division based in Stillwater.
At a press conference at the Stillwater Armory Saturday, Lt. Col. Michael Wickman says, "On behalf of all the men and women in the MN National Guard, I express my deepest sympathy."
National Guard officials say it was an indirect fire attack that killed the three soldiers. That could mean a mortar or missile attack. But Wickman says that's still unclear stating, "Many of the details are still under investigation by U.S. military authorities in Iraq."
read more here
Platoon leader remembers 3 fallen Minnesota soldiers
Friday, December 12, 2008
Minnesota Guard sending 1,000 to Iraq and bring music along with their munitions
Minnesota Guard sending 1,000 to Iraq
When they arrive in Iraq next year, they'll administer forces in a third of the country -- and bring music along with their munitions.
By MARK BRUNSWICK, Star Tribune
Last update: December 11, 2008 - 11:00 PM
Larger groups of Minnesota soldiers have been deployed in recent years to Iraq, Bosnia and Kosovo, but the new deployment announced Thursday will involve a level of responsibility unseen since the Second World War. More than 1,000 troops will be deployed to Iraq early next year, the Minnesota National Guard announced, with the Guard's 34th Infantry Division taking over command of 16,000 coalition forces in eight of Iraq's 18 provinces.
The Minnesota troops will deliver to the war zone not just firepower but the soothing sound of music to ease the weariness of warriors far from home.
The 34th will provide leadership, command, logistics, and communication support for four active-duty brigades of more than 16,000 multinational coalition forces.
click link above for more
When they arrive in Iraq next year, they'll administer forces in a third of the country -- and bring music along with their munitions.
By MARK BRUNSWICK, Star Tribune
Last update: December 11, 2008 - 11:00 PM
Larger groups of Minnesota soldiers have been deployed in recent years to Iraq, Bosnia and Kosovo, but the new deployment announced Thursday will involve a level of responsibility unseen since the Second World War. More than 1,000 troops will be deployed to Iraq early next year, the Minnesota National Guard announced, with the Guard's 34th Infantry Division taking over command of 16,000 coalition forces in eight of Iraq's 18 provinces.
The Minnesota troops will deliver to the war zone not just firepower but the soothing sound of music to ease the weariness of warriors far from home.
The 34th will provide leadership, command, logistics, and communication support for four active-duty brigades of more than 16,000 multinational coalition forces.
click link above for more
Wednesday, October 1, 2008
From combat to campus young Minnesota National Guardsmen
Photo by Mark Luinenburg
Ross Hedlund and other war veterans struggle to fit in.
U OF M ALUMNI ASSOCIATION'S MINNESOTA MAGAZINE
From combat to campus
By J. Trout Lowen
University of Minnesota student Steve Biorn spent a year in Iraq with the Minnesota National Guard, serving as a gunner on a Humvee patrolling "Route Irish," the notorious artery between the Green Zone and the airport in Baghdad, and patrolling the city's suburbs on foot. When he returned to Minnesota, Biorn wanted to talk about anything but Iraq.
After 18 months away from home, Biorn says, "I wanted to wear jeans and drive my car and grow my hair out and not shave forever.
University student Ross Hedlund served in Iraq nearly a year in 2004. When he returned home, he found that most people weren't that interested in where he'd been or what he done. "I don't think very many people care," he says.
Hedlund admits he also had a hard time talking about the work he did, directing counterfire from mortars, artillery, and aircraft and tracking the result. "I had a real hard time adjusting when I got back, I guess because I didn't talk about anything very much."
These days Biorn and Hedlund have been talking more about their experiences in Iraq and what it's like to come home. Both were interviewed as part of a new oral history project conducted by the U's Center for Democracy and Citizenship at the Humphrey Institute of Public Affairs in cooperation with the Minnesota National Guard.
The oral history project is just one part of a larger effort called the Warrior to Citizen Campaign. Begun in May 2007, the campaign is a grassroots effort to help veterans reintegrate into their home communities and help those communities tap into the skills returning veterans acquired during their military service.
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