Lawsuit filed against the VA after female West Point Cadet committed suicide

Family of former West Point cadet who died by suicide alleges death resulted from Portland VA Medical Center’s negligent health care

The Oregonian
By Maxine Bernstein
Jan 14, 2020

Before she got the medication from the VA hospital, Darneille never expressed thoughts of self-harm, according to the suit. She remained positive and had plans to become a pilot, her family said.

Emylee Therese Darneille, a 24-year-old Lewis and Clark College graduate, died by suicide on July 5, 2015, in Seville, Spain. Her mother has filed a federal wrongful death lawsuit against the Portland Veterans Affairs Medical Center, alleging "medical negligence'' contributed to Darneille's death.

A 24-year-old woman who injured her ankle as a West Point Military Academy cadet ended her life due to medical negligence after she was treated at Portland’s Veterans Affairs Medical Center for chronic pain and associated anxiety, her family alleges in a federal lawsuit.

Emylee Darneille was discovered dead in Spain on July 5, 2015, two months after she was prescribed an anti-depressant called fluoxetine, a generic form of Prozac, at the medical center. She had seriously injured her ankle as a cadet in 2008 and over the next seven years developed a complex regional pain syndrome marked by prolonged severe pain. She underwent numerous surgeries and physical therapies.

Darneille quickly began experiencing suicidal symptoms and reported them to her doctors repeatedly, the suit alleges.

Darneille’s mother, Cherylee Bridges, contends that her daughter’s suffering and death resulted from “negligent health care” provided at the VA hospital. She’s seeking $5 million in compensation for the family’s grief, anguish and loss in a wrongful death suit filed against the U.S. government.

The suit alleges the medical center failed to manage Darneille’s medication, investigate the cause of her increased suicidal thoughts or give her appropriate care.
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Marine Sgt. Major Accused in Attack at Portland Resteraunt

This is a veteran of multiple deployments. He is also a veteran with valor and rank. Pretty much sums up how good the "resilience" training is working on our service members. The DOD will never get that it is the biggest part of the problem.

Marine with PTSD accused in attack at Portland Iraqi restaurant
KGW
Mike Benner and Michael Rollins and Mike Benner
April 25, 2017


PORTLAND, Ore. -- The suspect in an attack in a Portland Iraqi restaurant is an active duty Marine who has been diagnosed with post traumatic stress disorder.

Sergeant Major XXXXXXX, 40, served two tours in Iraq and Afghanistan, according to a Marine Corps biography.

He told jailers of the PTSD diagnosis but did not specify a date. He is taking Ritalin and Propranolol.

XXXXXXXX was initially accused of harassment and second-degree disorderly conduct and intimidation. He was booked and released.

The charge of second-degree intimidation, a hate crime under Oregon law, has been dropped. However, Portland police told KGW that the case has been assigned to a bias crime detective. Police also said they are aware of XXXXXXX military status and that it would have no bearing on their investigation.

The owners of the DarSalam restaurant in Northeast Portland said one of their servers was the victim of a racially motivated attack Friday evening.

He earned the prestigious Sergeant Major rank in November of 2015. He now serves as the XXXXXXXX Marines Battalion Sergeant Major.

His awards include Bronze Star Medal with combat ‘V’ for valor, the Meritorious Service Medal, the Navy Commendation Medal, the Combat Action Ribbon, and the Navy and Marine Corps Achievement Medal with one gold stars in lieu of second award.
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Shameless! WWII Veteran Award Ceremony Disrupted by Protesters

This veteran was being honored for his service. Dario Raschio is 100 years old and fought for this country in WWII.

The ----ing jerks showing up to protest this proved a lot of things but being worthy of attention wasn't one of them.  They know nothing about what freedom is. They know nothing about how our freedom was obtained and retained. They care nothing about the men and women putting their lives on the line everyday so they can show up, use their free speech rights to prove to everyone they don't care at all for duty, honor or respect. The worst thing in all of this none of them acknowledge the man they showed contempt for risked his life.

These are the medals he earned so long ago.

As you'll read in this article, they didn't care about anything else either.

2 Portland protesters arrested after march, others disrupt veteran ceremony
KATU
By Reed Andrews and KATU.com Staff
Published: Jan 4, 2015

PORTLAND, Ore. -- Two protesters were arrested Saturday after they refused to use the sidewalk and clear the road for traffic, according to Portland Police.

On Saturday Portland Police were dispatched to SE 82 Ave. and Foster Rd. where there were reports of several protesters marching on 82 Ave. in the street. 

A protest against police brutality interrupted a town hall meeting just as a 100-year-old war veteran was being honored.

Dario Raschio was getting a medal from Senator Ron Wyden.

Protesters from Don’t Shoot PDX came to the town hall and started chanting.

Senator Wyden let their protest continue for a bit, before taking the microphone and asking everyone to quiet down.

Raschio finally was honored, but someone in the crowd shouted to interrupt him.

The protests got mixed reviews.

“Democracy at its best,” said activist Joe Walsh. “The people took over a town hall meeting, can you imagine that.”
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So Joe Walsh, I want to answer "can you imagine that" by simply saying shouting "don't shoot" during a ceremony to honor a combat veteran was not only disrespectful it was downright stupid. Your free speech rights, protected by men like him, gave you the right to prove you are a moron. "Democracy at its best" seriously? Democracy at its best was sitting right in front of you because he was willing to die for it.

Navy veteran, 100, cheered for standing up to protesters at medal ceremony
FOX News
January 5, 2015

A 100-year-old U.S. Navy veteran drew cheers from a crowd in Oregon Saturday after telling protesters shouting "hands-up, don't shoot!" to stop interrupting his medal ceremony and to “show a little respect.”

Dario Raschio was at Portland Community College's Southeast Campus to be honored by Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Oregon, at a public town hall meeting. But shortly after Wyden began speaking, more than 100 demonstrators in the back of the room started shouting, The Oregonian reports.

After 15 minutes of chanting against the deaths of unarmed black men by white police officers, Wyden was able to talk the group into quieting down so he could continue with the medal ceremony.

Raschio joined the Navy at the age of 27 and participated in five campaigns in the Pacific theater, flying observational planes based off the USS Chester. He was awarded a frame filled with medals, including the U.S. Naval Aviator Badge, the American Campaign Medal, the Asiatic Pacific Campaign Medal, the World War II Victory medal, the American Defense Service Medal, the "Ruptured Duck" award and the U.S. Navy Honorable discharge pin.
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VA takes action after Marine's 5 years of waiting for help

None of this is new. This report is about a veterans from the new generation but it has been going on for generations. It is harsh but it is real. That is the worst part of all since the veteran community knows how long it has gone on. The Marine veteran is just like the rest of the veterans in that he blames Congress for how the country failed him after his service. He also said he does not regret what he did for us.

As politicians in Washington wring their hands over the Veterans Affairs scandal, VICE News travels to Portland, Oregon, to see what it's all really about. We meet Curtis Shanley, a former Marine Corps machine-gunner, who has spent the past five years wading through red tape to get medical attention for a crippling injury he suffered while serving his country in Iraq.

Back from Afghanistan Soldier's gear stolen from car

Veteran: Community response to theft 'humbling and overwhelming'
Portland Tribune
Written by Patrick Malee
Created on Friday, 16 May 2014

Police ask residents near Tanner Creek Park to look for military backpack Looking back, Daniel Tomes blames himself.

When the West Linn resident and U.S. Army veteran returned to his home near Tanner Creek Park Wednesday night, he locked the car doors but not the trunk. The only valuable item in the trunk was a military backpack stuffed with mementos from his service. Who, besides Tome, would want anything with that?

And yet, at some point during the night between Wednesday and Thursday, car prowlers broke into Tomes' trunk and stole that very backpack.

"It's ultimately my fault," Tomes said. "In all honesty, I didn't think anyone would want to take that. There's no monetary value."

The pack contained a binder with photos, official documents, service awards, a letter from the President and an original Bronze Star certificate that was awarded to Tomes on his last combat tour in Afghanistan.

The pack is in Army Combat Uniform (ACU) pattern, which is the camouflage of the United States Army. It had a patch on it that read "229 Training Brigade."

Police are asking everyone in the area of Tanner Creek park to check their yards and trash cans to see if the thieves discarded the backpack. If it is found, contact the WLPD at 503-635-0238 and an officer will pick it up.

While the ribbons and medals were important, Tomes considered the loss of official letters and documents to be the most troubling.

"There may have been a few medals or ribbons, but you can replace those," Tome said. "The real thing was the original certificates and all the letters and stuff I had gotten all over world. I had Brazilian jump wings, Canadian jump wings ... and I don't think they're going to be able to replace those."
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Iraq veteran, shot by police, was outspoken on combat PTSD

Armed man killed by Portland police was Iraq vet
San Francisco Chronicle
Tuesday, March 5, 2013

PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) — A man fatally wounded by Portland police after they say he fired at them was an Iraq war veteran who had talked about the challenges of post-traumatic stress disorder.

Santiago A. Cisneros III, 32, died of the wounds he received Monday night, the Multnomah County medical examiner's office said.

Two officers said the man had a shotgun and fired at them when they encountered him on a parking lot roof in northeast Portland. They said they returned fire.

Cisneros died at a Portland hospital. No officers were injured.

Cisneros was an Army combat veteran who was one of three soldiers who spoke to KOMO-TV in Seattle in 2009 about the struggles they faced with PTSD, the television station reported Tuesday. He said then he had tried to kill himself just eight months after leaving Iraq.

"I fought a war back there in Iraq. I didn't know I was going to have to fight a war back here in the United States within myself," Cisneros said in the KOMO interview.
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Shattered soldiers say there was no help
KOMO News
By Liz Rocca
Published: Mar 26, 2009

Army Combat Veteran Santiago Cisneros tried to kill himself just eight months after leaving Iraq.

"I fought a war back there in Iraq. I didn't know I was going to have to fight a war back here in the United States within myself," says Santiago.

All three men told the Problem Solvers they are shattered soldiers, diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder and didn't get the help they needed from the military they served.

Susan Avila-Smith is a veteran and an advocate for military members suffering from trauma and says these soldiers need help now.

"It's imperative to understand these people went over there, were trained to kill, they killed, they came back and there's no debriefing, there's no 'ok, we're going to train you how to adapt to society now,'" she says.

Vietnam veteran with cancer finally gets justice from VA

Jack Bogrett's experience with cancer and the VA takes a turn for the better
Published: Thursday, December 27, 2012
By Mike Francis
The Oregonian

Jack Bogrett's life has changed dramatically for the better since he was profiled in a June 10 story about the frustrations of veterans who live far from Department of Veterans Affairs medical centers.

Back then, his colon cancer seemed to be spreading, he was out of pocket for thousands of dollars of medical charges he incurred outside the VA system, and his history with the Portland VA Medical Center was marked by suddenly canceled appointments, misunderstandings and communications glitches.

Today, the 63-year-old Vietnam vet is getting gold-plated treatment from the VA, he's been reimbursed for more than $16,000 of medical expenses and, most important, his cancer has been beaten back to the point he dares to use the word "cured."

"I haven't felt this good since 2000," he said. "I'm very fortunate."
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Dignity Memorial provides 1,000th military funeral for homeless veteran

Dignity Memorial® Network to Provide Military Burial for Homeless Portland Veteran
Homeless Veterans Burial Program provides 1,000th military funeral service


By Dignity Memorial network
Published: Tuesday, Jan. 24, 2012 - 9:50 am
PORTLAND, Ore., Jan. 24, 2012 -- /PRNewswire/ -- Lincoln Memorial Park, a member of the Dignity Memorial network, will provide a funeral with full military honors on Jan. 25 at the Willamette National Cemetery for a homeless Portland veteran, the 1,000th burial provided through the Dignity Memorial Homeless Veterans Burial Program.

Naval Petty Officer 2nd Class Stevenson L. Roy, a recently deceased homeless Vietnam veteran, will be buried at the Willamette National Cemetery in Portland, Ore., on Wednesday, Jan. 25, at 1:30 p.m.

"We are humbled to help provide the military honors that Mr. Roy deserves," said Jean-Christophe Aubry, market director for the Portland area Dignity Memorial providers. "It is a great privilege to show our community's deep gratitude for veterans like him who have given so much to our country."
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Veteran used pistol in his clothing bag to fatally wound himself at VA

Police report says veteran used pistol in his clothing bag to fatally wound himself
Published: Saturday, October 15, 2011
By Dominique Fong, The Oregonian

A 67-year-old veteran used a pistol in his clothing bag to shoot and kill himself Thursday while he was a patient at the Portland VA Medical Center, according to a Portland police report.

On Thursday, nursing staff alerted the hospital’s security officers that the man had shot himself in a first-floor room. Portland police then arrived.

According to the report, hospital security officers said the man brought a pistol from home and brought it with him in a clothing bag to the medical center.
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Portland Vietnam veteran reunites with family after three decades

A Portland veteran reunites with family after three decades
Published: Saturday, September 03, 2011
By Kelly House, The Oregonian
CORNING, N.Y. -- At his lowest point, filthy and infirm with a catheter duct-taped to his leg, Ed Saxbury yearned to see his family.

It was a daily wish, but shame and fear of rejection kept him from calling home for 28 years.

Ed, a short, stocky, bespectacled man with a sallow complexion and a pronounced scar on his forehead, had been a small-time crook and, in his own words, "a deadbeat dad." He lived under the Morrison Bridge and near the South Waterfront marina for a decade, fueling his alcoholism by raiding trash bins outside Portland breweries.

"I wanted to contact home so bad, I just ..." Ed's voice trails off as painful memories emerge. He shudders. Tears fill his eyes as he removes his glasses, nervously tapping them against a footstool in his Southeast Portland home. "I was too embarrassed. What am I going to say?"
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PTSD Continues To Take Toll After Soldiers Return

PTSD Continues To Take Toll After Soldiers Return
OPB News - Portland,OR,USA

BY APRIL BAER

Portland, OR December 4, 2008 6:21 a.m.

For thousands of young men and women coming home from Iraq and Afghanistan, the price exacted by war is obvious.

Anyone can see the evidence left by scars, burns and amputated limbs. But other wounds are invisible.

April Baer profiles one young Army veteran whose life is in pieces after a harrowing tour of duty.

Some guys you look at, and you can just tell they were in the military.

But if you walked past John Blaufus on the street or ran into him in a coffee house, you might never guess this tattooed, shaggy-haired 26-year-old witnessed some of the worst the war had to offer.

But to understand John Blaufus, you first need to know about the coffee.

John Blaufus: "I love Stumptown Coffee -- it’s my favorite coffee. I actually used to get Stumptown coffee sent to me in Iraq. I had a French press I would bring in the Hummer or the Stryker. I’d have one hand on my rifle and one hand with a cup of coffee."

Anne Blaufus: “John and coffee are like peas and carrots.”

This is John's mom, Anne Blaufus.

Coffee even helped her keep tabs on him while he in Iraq, with the Fifth Infantry Regiment Stryker Brigade. On days when he wasn’t able to call, he’d use a debit card she’d sent to buy a coffee. That way she could check the account and know he was alright.

Anne says her son's thoughtfulness was part of the reason she had to send so much coffee.

Anne Blaufus: “John, you know he was constantly giving everything away -- that is John! If he thought you needed it, John just put it forward.”

The coffee helped with a lot of things, the 4 a.m. missions, the uncertainty of what lay behind each door in a house-to-house search.

And Blaufus says what the coffee couldn’t fix, his staff sergeant could.

John Blaufus: "When I got to Ft Lewis, my duty station, I met Staff Sgt Julian Melo. He was just really like a father to me. We really relied on each other."

Norma Melo: "He just was the sweetest, sweetest young man, truly felt like he was an adopted son.”

This is Sgt Melo's wife, Norma Melo.

Norma Melo: "I remember my husband coming home and saying, 'He’s going to be OK, I just need to make sure that I keep him under my wing', and I just started laughing and thought, ‘You could keep him under your wing 'til he’s an old man, you’d still feel the same way’.”

The men's bond became especially important as they moved with their Stryker Brigade through increasingly dangerous areas, from Baghdad, through the Second Invasion of Fallujah, into Mosul.

On December 21st, 2004, a suicide bomber struck the base where Blaufus was assigned, killing twenty-three men, including Julian Melo.
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Portland VA says personal info of patients posted online

Portland VA says personal info posted online
The Oregonian - OregonLive.com - Portland,OR,USA
11/2/2008, 3:01 p.m. PST
The Associated Press

PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) — Veterans Affairs officials say personal information from more than 1,500 Portland patients was mistakenly posted on a Web site.

Portland VA spokesman Mike McAleer says the breach involved patients who had stayed in local lodging at the VA's expense while undergoing treatment at the Portland VA Medical Center.

No medical information was disclosed, but some Social Security numbers were.
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75,000 gather for Obama rally at Portland’s Waterfront

75,000 gather for Obama rally at Portland’s Waterfront Park

By David Edwards

About 75,000 people lined up on a sunny Sunday for a chance to see Sen. Barack Obama speak at Portland’s Waterfront Park. Some Obama supporters estimated the crowd at 80,000 people.
This video is from KGW-TV Portland, broadcast May 18, 2008.

He spoke about two wars. One we cannot afford to lose and another that should not have begun. He told the truth. 75,000 to 80,000 people agreed with him in Portland Oregon. Millions across the country agree with him as well. It appears that over 70% of the adult Americans agree. All the more telling is the military donations into campaigns. Ron Paul is receiving the bulk of donations for the Republicans and Obama is receiving the largest share of the contributions into the Democratic runners. Three years ago the donations into the GOP began to dry up. By then it was clear, that the real support the military men and women, their families and their futures, would not be taken care of by the GOP.

To this day, I'm scratching my head and wondering what happened to the GOP that made them begin to think saying no to what the troops needed was worthy of the word, "no" and finding them too expensive to fund what they need. There are a lot of good people in the Republican party and they need to raise their voices so that the right thing is done for the sake of the troops. It's also time they figured out they can no longer afford to have these elected in office when they find no problem funding other things, denying the need for accountability and above all, making speeches saying the troops are not worth funding every dime!