Stolen Valor: Gregg Ramsdell, 61, of Columbus, Ga faked PTSD for benefits...and job

Army veteran faces federal prison time, fines for Stolen Valor and lying about PTSD

Army Times
Todd South
January 14, 2020

Ramsdell later admitted to FBI investigators that he lied about having PTSD at all.

The Stolen Valor Act of 2013 makes it a criminal offense for individuals to falsely claim military status and awards to claim service-connected benefits. (Arsenis Spyros)

An Army veteran faces up to five years in prison and a $250,000 fine in a March sentencing hearing after pleading guilty to lying about a fake tour in Afghanistan and Purple Heart and Silver Star Medals he didn’t earn.

Gregg Ramsdell, 61, of Columbus, Ga. pleaded guilty in early December to one count of false statements and one count of violation of the Stolen Valor Act. He’s scheduled for sentencing on March 23.

In 2014, Ramsdell claimed to officials with the Department of Veterans Affairs that he “witnessed horrible atrocities” while deployed to Afghanistan from October 2008 to March 2009, according to court records.

The investigation also found that Ramsdell had listed both the Purple Heart with Cluster and the Silver Star Medal on his application for a civilian job at Fort Benning, Georgia in 2017.

He got the job of logistics management specialist with a base salary of $53,137.
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Stolen Valor: Air Force veteran convicted for PTSD and wounds that did not happen

Air Force veteran sentenced for fake PTSD, Purple Heart claims

Fayetteville Observer
By Rachael Riley
Staff writer
Posted Dec 21, 2019

Officials with the U.S. Attorney’s office said the VA Office of the Inspector General reviewed Winquist’s service records and interviewed fellow service members, which showed that the incident he claimed happened did not occur. Officials said Winquist deployed to Iraq for one month and was assigned as a firefighter to the base.

He received VA compensation for a false claim.

The claim read like countless Veterans Affairs claims and Purple Heart awards.

In 2014, Air Force Veteran Bryan Paul Winquist, now 39, submitted paperwork to the VA seeking compensation related to what he said was post-traumatic stress disorder as a result of a 2003 improvised explosive device attack in Balad, Iraq.

The claim detailed that Winquist was shot in the left shoulder during a small arms firefight, which lasted between 25 to 45 minutes and caused two casualties and four injuries.

Except there was no firefight, and Winquist was not injured or involved in an attack, VA investigators wrote in legal documents three years after the claim and $37,500 in VA disability compensation later.

U.S. Attorney Robert J. Higdon, Jr. announced Winquist’s sentence for the false claims earlier this month.
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Vietnam veteran collected from VA for blindness since 1969...but had drivers license

Vietnam vet pretended to be blind to defraud VA

By: The Associated Press
April 13, 2019

Blea had eye exams outside of the VA system that showed his vision could be corrected to 20/30 in one eye and 20/40 in another. He also had a driver’s license and drove regularly.

Mike Rodolfo Blea, of Northglenn, Colorado, was sentenced Wednesday by Senior U.S. District Court Judge Wiley Daniel to serve twelve months in prison, followed by three years on supervised release for defrauding the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs out of nearly $1.3 million by pretending to be blind. (rclassenlayouts/Getty Images)

DENVER — A Colorado man has been sentenced to a year in prison for defrauding the Department of Veterans Affairs out of nearly $1.3 million by pretending to be blind.

Mike Blea, of Northglenn, was sentenced Wednesday and ordered to pay the VA $1,273,180 in restitution.

Investigators say Blea is a Vietnam veteran who started getting VA disability payments in 1969 for visual impairment.

He did have a minor problem with his eyesight but started to exaggerate how bad it was.
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Man going to jail after stealing veteran's ID...and benefits

Mississippi man gets 3 years for stealing veteran's ID

By ASSOCIATED PRESS
Published: December 14, 2018

Prosecutors say Bush used the name, Social Security number and other identifiers of the veteran to receive narcotics, medical care, medical equipment and housing help from the VA Department between 2005 and 2018.

JACKSON, Miss. — A Mississippi man has been sentenced to three years in prison for stealing the identity of a U.S. military veteran and using it to get more than $130,000 in benefits.

G.V. (SONNY) MONTGOMERY VA MEDICAL CENTER/FACEBOOK

News outlets reported Senior U.S. District Judge Tom S. Lee on Thursday also ordered 56-year-old Tierun Bush of Jackson to pay full restitution to the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs.
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Veteran found guilty of embezzling government funds

Omahan will pay more than $170,000 for concealing income while on disability

Omaha World Herald
By Kevin Cole / World-Herald staff writer
Dec 11, 2018

A 62-year-old Omaha man has been ordered to pay more than $170,000 in restitution after being found guilty of embezzling government funds.

Michael A. Basile was sentenced Thursday in U.S. District Court by Judge Robert F. Rossiter, who ordered him to make restitution to the Department of Veterans Affairs in the amount of $62,255.56 and to the Railroad Retirement Board in the amount of $108,352.32. Basile was also ordered to serve five years of probation and perform 150 hours of community service.

U.S. Attorney Joe Kelly said Basile was receiving disability payments from both the Department of Veterans Affairs and the Railroad Retirement Board based on an existing disability.
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Veteran faked PTSD and lied about witnessing suicides

Fairport vet admits to lying about PTSD to claim $92K in VA benefits

WHAM
October 24, 2018

FILE - In this June 21, 2013, file photo, the seal affixed to the front of the Department of Veterans Affairs building in Washington. A veteran from Fairport pleaded guilty to lying about suicides he says he witnessed overseas in order to claim disability benefits and claim tens of thousands of dollars. (AP Photo/Charles Dharapak, File)

A veteran from Fairport pleaded guilty to lying about suicides he says he witnessed overseas in order to claim disability benefits and claim tens of thousands of dollars.

Michael Pecka, 33, filed a claim for VA Disability Benefits in 2011 claiming that he had Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) from witnessing the suicide of two fellow soldiers while deployed to Kuwait in 2004-2005 with the Army Reserve.

But investigators with the Department of Veterans Affairs determined that Pecka "lied about being present for either suicide, lied about observing either suicide, lied about being involved in the investigation of either suicide, and in the case of one of the soldiers, was not even in the same country at the time he committed suicide," according to the office of U.S. Attorney James P. Kennedy, Jr.
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Stolen Valor: 83 year old civilian collected VA disability benefits

Pensacola man pleads guilty in VA theft case
North West Florida Daily News
By staff reports
Posted Jul 11, 2018

Additionally, Kohl received health care treatment and benefits totaling more than $45,000, and he also was able to stay in a VA vision rehabilitation facility at a cost of more than $63,000, according to court records.

PENSACOLA — An elderly Pensacola man who fraudulently claimed to have served with the Marines in the Korean War has pleaded guilty to theft of government funds by filing false benefit claims with the Department of Veterans Affairs.

Between February 2005 and February 2018, 83-year-old Richard E. Kohl received VA benefit payments and services totaling nearly $220,000, according to a news release from the office of Christopher P. Canova, U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Florida.

Documents introduced at the time of the guilty plea indicated that at some point prior to July 3, 1996, Kohl created and signed a fictitious Form DD-214, a certificate of release or discharge from military service. The faked DD-214 claimed that Kohl served in the U.S. Marine Corps during the Korean War and was discharged on Dec. 20, 1961.

Kohl never served in any branch of the U.S. military, but used the falsified Form DD-214 as proof of military service to obtain veterans’ benefits he was not entitled to receive. He faces a maximum of 10 years in prison. His sentencing hearing is scheduled for Sept. 19.
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Ex-federal agent charged with ripping off VA along with "caregiver"

Federal special agent accused of conspiring with brother to steal $100,000 from VA
7 News Miami
Brian Entin Daniel Cohen
July 10, 2018

Barros was in the Marines and is a former VA police officer … until two weeks ago, when U.S. Marshals arrested him, he was a Health and Human Services special agent.

(WSVN) - A federal agent is accused of stealing money from the department where he used to work, and investigators say that money was supposed to be helping injured veterans. 7’s Brian Entin investigates.

Brian Entin: “Mr. Barros, is there anything you want to say to the veterans who say they needed that money?”

Adolfo Barros: “No, I don’t. Talk to my attorney.”

Adolfo Barros didn’t say much as he walked out of court. He’s accused of stealing nearly $100,000 from the Department of Veterans Affairs.

Brian Entin: “The Feds say that you claimed you were injured, but that you weren’t, and that you scammed the system.”
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Yes, older veterans and their caregivers cannot get help but this guy did!

VA Claim Paid--Social Security Paid--So Did Business

Another one caught

Veteran with disability charged with theft of government funds

Donald Crangle

According to documents obtained by St. Louis County Police Officers, Crangle made as much as $130,000 a year with his business, but from August 2009 to December 2013, he also received more than $300,000 in government disability funds.

Fake Vietnam Veteran Caught After Claim Paid for PTSD

With so many real Vietnam veterans struggling with PTSD and not wanting to seek help, this guy didn't have it but used it to get money?

He said his aircraft was shot down in Vietnam, and got $71,000 for it. He was lying.

Miami Herald

Josh Magness

December 21, 2017

“In fact, as Jones well knew, he never served in Vietnam; was never assigned to Special Operations in Vietnam, and, was never shot down and rescued by U.S. Marines,” the DA’s office wrote.

William Jones pleaded guilty to lying about his service in the Vietnam War. U.S. Air Force 

William Jones said he wanted help with his post-traumatic stress disorder.

In 2013, Jones, 86, told officials at the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs that his disorder stemmed from his service in the Vietnam War, when the AC-130 Spectre gunship he claimed to be on was shot down, according to the U.S. District Attorney’s Office in Rock Island, Illinois. 

Jones — who had retired from a decades-long stint in the Reserve and National Guard the year prior — said he received a Purple Heart and a Bronze Star Medal because of his time in Vietnam.

He wanted disability benefits for that service, but there was just one problem: It was all a lie, according to the DA’s office.
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San Antonio Man Found Guilty of Defrauding Department of Veterans Affairs

Man guilty of defrauding Dept. of Veteran Affairs Disability Compensation Program

Mack Cole Jr., 54, faces 50 years in federal prison

KSAT News

By Dawn Jorgenson - Web - News Editor

Posted: 6:30 PM, June 14, 2017

SAN ANTONIO - A San Antonio man is facing federal prison time after a jury found him guilty Wednesday afternoon of scheming to defraud the Department of Veterans Affairs Disability Compensation Program.

The Department of Justice said Mack Cole Jr., 54, injured his lower back in a stateside training accident in 2004 prior to being deployed with the Kansas Army National Guard to Kosovo.

Cole was granted military retirement and later deemed eligible for monthly benefits as a retired disabled veteran, the DOJ said, but misrepresented the severity of his injuries in order to collect a higher level of benefits, adaptations to his residence and extensive durable medical equipment.

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Florida Woman Faked Blindness to Get VA Benefits

Florida woman admits faking blindness to get veterans benefits 
By WMBB Staff 
Published: April 28, 2017 

PANAMA CITY, Fla. (WMBB) – A 60-year-old Florida woman was sentenced to nine months in prison and ordered to pay nearly $400,000 dollars in restitution after she pleaded guilty to faking blindness in order to receive veterans benefits.  

Federal prosecutors wrote in a news release that Veronica Dale Hahn lied for years about blindness that she said was connected to her service in the military. 

However, while she was supposedly suffering she managed to get driver’s licenses with no vision restrictions in three states and work as a case manager and transition counselor at several state correctional facilities, the news release states. read more here

Stolen Valor: Brandon Blackstone Goes to Prison

Ex-Marine from Arlington gets prison for lying about an Iraq war injury to make money
Dallas Morning News
Kevin Krause, Federal Courts Reporter
April 21, 2017

A federal judge on Friday called Brandon Blackstone's actions in faking a war injury to profit financially "shameful, shameful conduct" before sentencing him to 21 months in prison.

Blackstone, 35, a former U.S. Marine from Arlington, also will have to pay the Veterans Affairs department $322,654 in restitution for monthly disability payments he received from November 2006 to December 2015, according to the ruling from U.S. District Judge Barbara Lynn.

He also lied about receiving a Purple Heart and used the fake story to obtain a free house from a veteran's charity.

The Blackstone scheme is the latest in an increasing number of stolen valor cases. Experts say it's rare, however, for veterans who actually served in combat to lie about their wartime experiences for financial or other gain.

And the case achieved some notoriety due to Blackstone's multiple media appearances in which he gave details on camera of being blown up in Iraq by a land mine that were strikingly similar to that of fellow Marine, Casey Owens. In fact, Blackstone left Iraq after a month for a non-combat medical issue and never returned.

Owens, a Houston native, was critically injured and lost his legs when his Humvee hit an anti-tank mine in 2004 in western Iraq, on the Syrian border. He killed himself in 2014 after a decade of suffering from numerous surgeries, brain injury and severe pain.
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Fake PTSD Veterans Making it Harder For Real Ones to Get Help From VA?

Doctors say VA's streamlined claims process facilitating fraudulent PTSD claims
NEWS 4 SAN ANTONIO
BY APRIL MOLINA
NOVEMBER 17TH 2016

In 2008, 23,801 veterans applied for and were granted service-connected disability for PTSD.

That number continues to rise and in 2015 there were 63,049 for that year alone, bringing the total number to 751,499 veterans.

SAN ANTONIO — Thousands of U.S. soldiers are suffering the effects of traumatic incidents long after they return home from war zones.

The results is often a serious and mentally debilitating condition known as post traumatic stress disorder.

Six years after the Department of Veterans Affairs made changes to simplify the disability claim process, some VA doctors say the system is ripe for fraud.

Vets making false PTSD claims, doctors being pressured to diagnose and a system that incentivizes life long health problems are a few of the concerns among former and current doctors interviewed by News 4.

At the root of their concern is neglect for the veterans who desperately need the help.
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Wow, times have changed. I remember in the 80's and 90's trying to get my husband to go to the VA for help. He, like his Dad, thought the VA was for "guys who can't work" and not for them. Back then, PTSD was something to suffer with in silence, suck it up and wait to get over it. It had taken decades to get veterans to understand that they wouldn't be suffering if they did not serve.

There was a backlog of VA claims even back then, but it was a long struggle to convince them to even file a claim. Now this report says there are more filing claims that are not suffering? It's been hard enough to get veterans with PTSD to go to the VA and this report will make it even harder after they have to wait in line for fakes who jumped to the front out of greed.

Not So Special Forces Veteran Charged With VA Fraud

Burke man accused of cheating VA gets bond
The News Herald
BY SHARON MCBRAYER Staff Writer
September 12, 2016

A Morganton man facing federal charges for defrauding the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs was released on bond Monday.

Roy Lee Ross Jr., a.k.a. Daniel Alfred Sullivan Jr., 64, of Morganton, received a $25,000 unsecured bond during his initial appearance and arraignment in federal court in Asheville. He pleaded not guilty to the charges against him and he asked for and was granted a court-appointed attorney, Fredilyn Sison.

Magistrate Judge Dennis Howell set conditions on Ross’ release but those conditions have been sealed by the court, according to federal documents.

The court also has sealed a pretrial report on Ross.

Ross was indicted in August on one count of executing a scheme to defraud a health benefit organization (the VA), which carries a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison and a $250,000 fine; and two counts of making false statements in connection with the delivery of health care benefits by the VA, which carries a maximum penalty of five years in prison and a $250,000 fine. He also is charged with two counts of stealing from the VA, a charge has a potential maximum prison term of five years and a $250,000 fine, and one count of a making false claim for travel benefits from the VA, which carries a potential maximum prison term of five years and a $250,000 fine,

The initial indictment on him said Ross, who was discharged from the U.S. Army “Under Conditions Other Than Honorable,” started falsely representing himself to the VA Medical Center in Asheville as a U.S. Army veteran named “Daniel Alfred Sullivan Jr.” around June 2007. The indictment alleges Ross, as Sullivan, claimed that he had served in the Special Forces, that he had been wounded in combat and that he had been honorably discharged from the Army. The indictment goes on to say Ross claimed he was suffering from nightmares caused by his wartime service and his combat-related injuries.

Then in 2015, still claiming to be Daniel Sullivan, Ross filed a third claim for “increased evaluation,” claiming that he was suffering from cervical (neck) impairment and pain due to his injuries while on active duty.
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"Disabled Veteran" Convicted of Stealing Over $1.6 Million From the VA

Man Convicted of Disability Fraud Claims He’s Actually Disabled
ABC News
By ASHLEY LOUSZKOALEXA VALIENTE
September 7, 2016

Paulsen was convicted of stealing more than $1.6 million from the VA and the Social Security Administration this January. He was ordered to pay back the $1.6 million in addition to a fine, and was sentenced to 41 months behind bars. Sep 7, 2016

Dennis Paulsen was convicted of stealing more than 1.6 million dollars from the department of Veteran's Affairs and the Social Security Administration in January of 2016.

Is it possible to be completely physically disabled one day and fully active the next?

That was the million dollar question for Dennis Paulsen.

From 1993 on, Paulsen, who served two years in the Navy, convinced the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) that he was unable to use his hands or feet.

“[He said he was] not only too sick to work but too sick to get out of bed most days,” Assistant U.S. attorney Jay Richardson told ABC News’ “Nightline.”

Paulsen said he wasn’t able to walk or work. But throughout the years, that didn’t always seem like the case.

“He lived a very active lifestyle,” Richardson said. “He lived a life that changed depending on who he was around. So when he was around doctors and people that would provide him benefits, he gave the impression that he was wheelchair bound.”

Paulsen was seen on surveillance videos arriving at the VA for a checkup in his wheelchair, yet other times, he was on his feet walking just fine.
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Stolen Valor: Iraq Veteran Collected Over $700,000 In Benefits

Veteran,48, lied about being injured in combat in Iraq to claim over $700,000 in disability benefits and a Purple Heart
DAILY MAIL
By REGINA F. GRAHAM FOR DAILYMAIL.COM
PUBLISHED:25 August 2016

Darryl Lee Wright pleaded guilty to two counts 
of felony wire fraud earlier this year

A veteran in Washington state claimed over $700,000 in federal benefits after lying about being severely disabled.

Darryl Lee Wright pleaded guilty to two counts of felony wire fraud earlier this year for fabricating claims of disability and receiving payment from the Social Security Administration (SSA) and the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA).

The 48-year-old claimed that he was severely disabled from being wounded in combat in Iraq, and as a result, collected $751,400 in federal benefits.

Wright was found living well in Snoqualmie, dating two women simultaneously and working a steady job, despite claiming that he was incapacitated by wounds physical and psychological that he suffered in Iraq while serving in the Idaho National Guard in Iraq, Seattlepi.com reported.

He was caught telling a war story that wasn't true about his 2005 tour in Iraq.

In order to prove the lie, he created fake documents and pressured government workers in an effort to force his way into thousands of dollars of benefits that are meant to help Americans who were actually injured while serving.

Wright filed the bogus paperwork with the Army under the names of people he actually served with, Jennings said.
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From ABC News

ABC Breaking News | Latest News Videos

Army Deserter Charged With Fraud And Stolen Idenity

Man faces several charges linked to defrauding VA
Citizen Times
Abigail Margulis
August 19, 2016

He was then stationed in Hawaii and was ranked as a sergeant. Shortly later, he was determined to be absent without leave and was dropped from the military and classified as a deserter, according to court paperwork. He was discharged about a year later based on his AWOL/deserter status.

ASHEVILLE - An Army deserter is facing multiple federal charges for defrauding the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs of more than $150,000, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office.

Roy Lee Ross Jr., 64, is accused of receiving more than $150,000 in veteran benefits based on fraudulent service-connected disabilities claims and defrauding other VA programs, U.S. Attorney Jill Westmoreland Rose announced Friday.

Ross was charged with one count of executing a scheme to defraud a health benefit organization (the VA), which carries a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison and a $250,000 fine. He also faces two counts of making false statements in connection with the delivery of health care benefits by the VA, which carries a maximum penalty of five years in prison and a $250,000 fine.

He is also charged with two counts of stealing from the VA, a charge that levies a potential maximum prison term of five years and a $250,000 fine, and one count of a making false claim for travel benefits from the VA, which carries a potential maximum prison term of five years and a $250,000 fine.

He claimed he was Daniel Alfred Sullivan Jr. and had served in the U.S. military under that name in the special forces, had been wounded in combat, and had been honorably discharged from the Army, court paperwork says.
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VA Opened Door to Disability Fraud?

Trying to Serve More Veterans Faster, VA Opens Door to Disability Fraud
The Wall Street Journal
By DANIEL HUANG
July 14, 2016

"There are some veterans “practicing outright fraud. On balance, there are a lot more deserving veterans who are still getting turned away.” Jim Strickland

Brian Jacobson, an Iraq war veteran in Susanville, Calif., said he was told to ‘act like you have a screw loose’ to get more VA disability benefits. PHOTO: MAX WHITTAKER FOR THE WALL STREET JOURNAL

Iraq war veteran Brian Jacobson took a call last summer from the Sacramento Veterans Affairs Medical Center to schedule a coming medical exam for his disability benefits.

When he asked the clinic staffer what he might expect at the appointment, the 28-year-old security officer said she told him he would get more benefits if he acted “like you have a screw loose in your head, wear clothes with holes that haven’t been washed in a while and act like you’ve been homeless.”

Mr. Jacobson, who served three years in the Army, said he was appalled. After spending 15 months on roadside bomb patrol in Iraq’s Diyala province, he separated from the military in 2008 and began receiving disability compensation for conditions including post-traumatic stress disorder and traumatic brain injury. Though he was qualified for the benefits, “[the coaching] made me feel dishonest,” he said.
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Idaho National Guard LT Accused of 10 Year Fraud

This person was a Lieutenant in the Idaho National Guard. Think about that for a second. This person also stands charged with fabricating wounds he did not receive while serving in Iraq. He did a lot more damage than just taking money, if all this is true. If all this is true, then the men under his command, really wounded and trying to get benefits for real wounds just suffered the ultimate betrayal.

Feds: Snoqualmie coach lied his way into Purple Heart
Former Idaho National Guard member accused of stealing $250,000 in government benefits SEATTLEPI.COM
BY LEVI PULKKINEN STAFF
January 29, 2015

Wright hired his sister, Karen Bevens, as his caretaker; Bevens, a 43-year-old Duvall resident, now faces a single fraud count.

A Snoqualmie man accused of duping the Army into awarding him a Purple Heart now faces fraud charges.

Federal prosecutors claim Darryl Lee Wright managed to steal $250,000 in government benefits during the past 10 years. Wright, 46, is alleged to fraudulently put himself forward as a wounded Iraq veteran to gain some of the money.

A federal grand jury returned a nine count indictment against Wright in November. The allegations were unsealed Wednesday; Wright is alleged to have defrauded the Veterans Affairs Department, the Army and the U.S. Commerce Department, among other federal agencies.

At the height of the fraud, Wright and his sister were receiving $10,341 a month in undeserved government benefits, according to the indictment. They did so while Wright worked, coached basketball and ran for public office.

According to the indictment, Wright claimed to have suffered traumatic brain injury during an Aug. 30, 2005, rocket attack while he was serving in Iraq as a lieutenant with the Idaho National Guard.

Wright ultimately received a Combat Action Badge – a decoration reserved for soldiers who’ve been under fire – and a Purple Heart signifying a battle wound.
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Think about the stories we've read over the years about claims not being approved and wounded suffering for their service. Here's a reminder in case you forgot.
Some from Idaho killed in Iraq 2005

• Army Sgt. Kelly S. Morris, 24, of Boise, was killed by small-arms fire March 30, 2005, while patrolling in east Baghdad.
• Army Sgt. John B. Ogburn III, 45, of Fruitland, died May 22, 2005, in a Humvee accident near Kirkuk, Iraq.
• Army Staff Sgt. Virgil R. Case, 37, of Mountain Home, died June 1, 2005, in Kirkuk, Iraq, of non-combat-related injuries.
• Army Spc.Carrie French, 19, of Caldwell, died June 5, 2005, in Kirkuk when her vehicle hit a roadside bomb.
• Marine Lance Cpl. Dustin V. Birch, 22, of St. Anthony, was one of five Marines killed in a roadside bombing June 9, 2005, in Haqlaniyah, Iraq.
• Army Sgt. Ivan Vargas Alarcon, 23, of Jerome, died Nov. 17, 2005, in Tal-Afar, Iraq, when the Humvee he was riding in flipped during combat operations.

The Denver Post has a reminder of some of what people have forgotten. Here are just a few of the images they collected of war in Iraq.

A U.S. soldier carries an Iraqi girl away from the scene of three explosions September 30, 2004 in Baghdad, Iraq. Three separate explosions near a U.S. military convoy which was passing the opening ceremony for a sewage station killed at least 35 people and wounded more than 100 others in southern Baghdad according to Iraqi police. (Photo by Wathiq Khuzaie/Getty Images)

Although wounded, Staff Sgt. Shannon Kay, of 1st Battalion, 24th Infantry Regiment, fires on an enemy position after being attacked with a car bomb, Saturday, Dec. 11, 2004, in Mosul, Iraq. (AP Photo/Army Times, M. Scott Mahaskey, via USA Today)

U.S. Army Sergeant 1st Class Troy Hawkins of the 1st Cavalry, Task Force 1-9, falls to the ground after being wounded during a firefight while on patrol with an Iraqi Army unit February 16, 2005 in the Haifa Street neighborhood of Baghdad, Iraq. After being tended to by a medic he continued to fight in the narrow streets. The U.S. Army was handing control of the volatile area over to the Iraqi military as they continued to decrease their involvement in the city. (Photo by Joe Raedle/Getty Images)