Vietnam Veteran Tribute to Fallen and Grieving Famiies

Vietnam War Veteran Provides Grieving Military Families Comfort by Sketching Fallen Soldiers
PEOPLE
BY DIANE HERBST
POSTED ON JULY 6, 2017

Michael Reagan was a Marine during the Vietnam War and weeks away from coming home in 1968 when he and his unit were attacked with rockets. The strike hit a close friend, whom Mike cradled in his arms as he was dying.

Michael Reagan and some of the celebrity portraits he drew COURTESY MICHAEL REAGAN

“At the last second he looked at me and said, ‘Mike I just want to go home’ and he died,” recalls Reagan of that heartbreaking moment. “I see his face every day.”

When Reagan returned home grateful to be alive, “I knew I had a debt,” he tells PEOPLE.

Reagan, an artist who worked for the University of Washington, found a way to begin repaying that debt. He drew signed portraits of the biggest celebrities in the world that were auctioned off at charity events benefitting children and cancer research, raising over $10 million dollars for the nonprofits.
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UK Memorial Service Has No Room For Parents But Enough For Politicians?

Parents of soldiers killed in Afghanistan are prevented from attending St Paul's Cathedral memorial service to make way for VIPs and politicians
Parents of fallen soldiers 'furious' they have been excluded from service
St Paul's Cathedral service will remember the 453 servicemen killed
Just 906 tickets have been dished out to wives and a 'plus one'
Jacquie McDonald, 53, said she feels parents have been 'cast aside'
Janette Binnie, whose son Sean was killed, said decision was 'humiliating'
Military chiefs, politicians, royals and veterans have been handed tickets
By JENNY AWFORD FOR MAILONLINE
PUBLISHED: 14:52 EST, 1 February 2015

Sean McDonald, 26, having his last cuddle with mother Jacquie, 53, who feels parents have been 'cast aside' after not being invited to memorial service

Parents of soldiers killed in Afghanistan are 'furious' that they have been excluded from a memorial service - while politicians and VIPs are expected to pack the event. The service, set to be held at St Paul's Cathedral two days before Mothering Sunday, will remember the 453 servicemen killed and thousands injured during the 13-year conflict. But just 906 tickets have been dished out and only the spouses of fallen soldiers have been invited along with a 'plus one' leaving hundreds of grieving parents disappointed.

Jacquie McDonald, 53, from Edinburgh, who lost her son Sean, 26, in 2010 after he stepped on an improvised explosive device (IED), said she feels as though parents have been 'cast aside'.
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King North Carolina Wuss Legislators Removing Soldier Kneeling at a Cross Statue

I can't take credit for this word but it fits perfectly! "Wussification" is a term used by local radio show host Rick Stacy on 105.9 FM. I love this show and he makes my day heading into work at 6:30 until he gets off the air at 9:00. Anyway, whenever I read stories like the following, the term "batcrapcrazy" would jump out of my mouth to prevent my head from exploding. Stacy uses the term a lot and it helps calm me down.

Well it looks like wussification just took over in King North Carolina as legislators cave in.

City leaders agree to remove 'praying soldier' statue from veterans memorial
WRAL News
January 7, 2015

KING, N.C. — Leaders in the Stokes County city of King voted 3-2 Tuesday to remove a statue of a praying soldier at a local park, saying the cost of fighting a federal lawsuit would "greatly exceed" the city's insurance policy limits.

"The decision to settle this case has been very difficult for the King City Council," the city said in a statement.

The moves comes after a two-year legal battle between the city and Steven Hewett, a former police officer and U.S. Army veteran who claimed the city promoted Christianity at a veteran's memorial that is situated in King's Central Park.

The city removed a Christian flag from the memorial in 2010 but refused to remove the statue, which depicts a soldier kneeling at a cross.
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Everyone has the right to believe what they want or not believe in anything or anyone. My question to them is simple. Has anyone ever forced you to pay homage? Has anyone ever forced you to even pay attention to it?

How big of a wuss are you if something like this makes you feel uncomfortable? This stands for fallen soldiers and the members of their "family" they left behind. You know. The guys and women willing to die for your right to be able to use your own rights but I doubt you ever once considered that they did it for everyone else too. That means they didn't die to give you the right to take away the right of someone else!

I have defended your right to believe in nothing when some were forced in the Army to attend a Christian concert but I defended the right of a Christian Chaplain talking about his faith when faced with PTSD and the loss of hope while speaking about suicide prevention.

I have seen too much evidence of the souls of men and women moved far beyond what you may call "human nature" because while human nature can do good as well as bad, the people serving in the military go beyond all of it and still manage to shed a tear, reach out a hand and show compassion while other people are trying to kill them. They comfort children as if they were their own and the price they pay for the rest of their lives if a child is killed during war never leaves them.

I have seen the transformation within them as they heal with what you seem so terrified of you cannot even stand to see an image of unselfish love. The first thing they want to do is help other veterans heal too.

You may think it is brave to stand up for your right to not have to look at something but they put their lives on the line generation after generation and this is a symbol of a sacrifice made by them. Stunning how so many atheists never seem understand no one is trying to take away their right to make their own choices which include, not looking at something like this.

VFW prepares to rebuild cross

Veterans group prepares to rebuild cross
Suit wanted religious symbol off public land
April 24, 2012
BARSTOW
The state Veterans of Foreign Wars is preparing to take over a one-acre cross site in the Mojave National Preserve after the group reached a settlement in its long-running lawsuit with the American Civil Liberties Union Tuesday.

The settlement calls for the site at Sunrise Rock to be turned over to a Veterans of Foreign Wars post in Barstow in exchange for five acres of donated land. That particular VFW chapter has since disbanded, so the state organization will assume control of the site.

James Rowoldt, the secretary-treasurer for the state Veterans of Foreign Wars, said the group was working to determine how best to secure the cross to prevent future vandalism or theft.
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Settlement clears way for cross in Mojave Desert
Published April 24, 2012
Associated Press

LOS ANGELES

A veterans group can restore a memorial cross in the Mojave Desert under a court settlement that ends a decade-old legal battle, the National Park Service said Tuesday.

A federal judge approved the lawsuit settlement on Monday, permitting the park service to turn over a remote hilltop area known as Sunrise Rock to a Veteran of Foreign Wars post in Barstow and the Veterans Home of California-Barstow.

The park will give up the acre of land in exchange for five acres of donated property elsewhere in the 1.6 million acre preserve in Southern California.

The swap, which could be completed by the end of the year, will permit veterans to restore a cross to the site and end a controversy that became tangled in the thorny issues of patriotism and religion and made its way to the U.S. Supreme Court in 2003.

The last cross was ordered removed by the park service in 2010 because of a court order.

The donated land is owned by Henry and Wanda Sandoz of Yucca Valley.
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Military Chaplain tells grieving troops inability to cry is a "blessing"

When I saw the headline, I knew it would be an emotional piece to read. I never expected to be totally pissed off!

Troops from the 10th Mountain Division gathered to honor and grieve for the loss of their friends. They were seeking comfort but instead heard the Chaplain tell them:

“So the numbness you experience, the callous attitude you may have, your inability to cry like normal people during times of grief is not a burden or a curse that you should be concerned about.


It is actually a blessing from God that allows you to continue in this fight.


“You are warriors with hearts of steel that have allowed you to fight a brutal war day in and day out. You are not normal people, you are soldiers, American soldiers who go outside the wire and accomplish your mission in spite of the reality that every step, every movement mounted or dismounted could possibly be your last.”

Yesterday I did a post about how there is more and more demand placed on Chaplains but not enough to go around. DOD manual did no good

The UMT can help Soldiers regain their emotional, psychological, and spiritual strength. The chaplain’s ability to relate religious and spiritual aspects of life to the Soldier’s situation is an essential element of the replenishment process. Chaplains contribute to replenishment by ensuring the following types of religious support:
Providing worship services, sacraments, rites, and ordinances.

Providing memorial services and/or ceremonies honoring the dead.

Assisting with the integration of personnel replacements.

Providing personal counseling to assist Soldiers dealing with the grief process.

Requesting religious resources as required for reinforcing the Soldier’s sense of hope.

Supporting TEM by providing opportunities for Soldiers to talk about their combat experiences and to facilitate integration of the combat experience into their lives.

Providing leadership training and supervision of TEM.

Reconnecting the Soldier to the foundational principles of his personal faith.

Assisting in resolving spiritual, moral, and ethical dilemmas presented by the circumstances of war.

This was issued March 2009. If this is what Chaplains are telling our troops when they are left with the loss of friends, then maybe it goes a long way to explaining why suicides have gone up and why so many still won't ask them for help.

Memorial in Afghanistan stirs soldiers’ emotions as they grapple with combat deaths
By LAURA RAUCH
Stars and Stripes
Published: August 20, 2011
FOB HOWZ-E-MADAD, Afghanistan - A muted laughter echoed under the canopy as a small band of Company C soldiers gathered on a wooden platform.

They talked of small things; unimportant things that made them smile.

But as a gentle music began to play, a somber realism took hold: The members of Company C, 1st Battalion, 32nd Regiment, part of the 10th Mountain Division out of Fort Drum, N.Y., were there to remember. They took their seats as the other guests settled in around them. Some bowed their heads in prayer. Others began to quietly weep.

A cruel emptiness filled the space as the battalion chaplain, Capt. Omari Thompson, read the names of the soldiers being remembered: Sgt. Edward J. Frank II, 26, of Yonkers, N.Y.; Spc. Jameel T. Freeman, 26, of Baltimore; Spc. Patrick L. Lay II, 21, of Fletcher, N.C.; Spc. Jordan M. Morris, 23, of Stillwater, Okla.; and Pfc. Rueben J. Lopez, 27, of Williams, Calif.
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Fort Hood marks a somber anniversary

Fort Hood marks a somber anniversary

By Ann Gerhart
Washington Post Staff Writer
Friday, November 5, 2010
Until Friday, there was only one outward symbol at Fort Hood of the chaos and carnage that erupted there on Nov. 5, 2009. The wreaths of ribbons and flowers hung on a fence surrounding Building 42003 at the massive Army post in Texas. They were placed there by a wife who became a widow that day.

Now there is a 6-foot-tall granite memorial, unveiled at a ceremony on the one-year anniversary of the massacre, the worst at a U.S. military installation. Inscribed with the names of the 13 slain when a soldier opened fire as they waited to do paperwork before a deployment, the marker has taken its place near the post's memorials to those killed in war - more than 500 in the past five years.

"Our home was attacked . . . not in a distant battlefield but right here . . . and American heroes sacrificed their lives," Gen. William Grimsley, Fort Hood's commanding general, told about 1,000 people gathered Friday morning for the ceremony, according to the Associated Press.

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Fort Hood marks a somber anniversary

Fallen Campbell soldiers remembered at service

Fallen Campbell soldiers remembered at service

The Associated Press
Posted : Wednesday Jul 21, 2010 20:28:50 EDT

FORT CAMPBELL, Ky. — As fighting in Afghanistan increases this summer, families and friends gathered Wednesday to honor nine soldiers who have died in the 101st Airborne Division’s latest deployment.

Col. Dominic J. Caraccilo, acting senior commander at Fort Campbell during the deployment, called the casualties “nine of the Army’s finest soldiers” during his address to more than 100 family members and friends.

Almost 20,000 soldiers from the division are deployed or will deploy to Afghanistan, and the toll on the soldiers has been difficult as fighting increases during the buildup of troops.

Since March, 36 soldiers from the division have died. Five soldiers came from just one company and were killed by an improvised explosive device.
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Fallen Campbell soldiers remembered at service

Stone pavilion would honor Hood victims

Slavonic Benevolent Order of the State of Texas via AP This rendering provided by the Slavonic Benevolent Order of the State of Texas shows a proposed memorial honoring the victims of the Fort Hood shootings. The granite and limestone pavilion is planned near the Killeen Civic and Conference Center.

Stone pavilion would honor Hood victims

Staff report
Posted : Sunday Jun 20, 2010 8:44:56 EDT

The Killeen, Texas, city council has approved plans for a Fort Hood Memorial to victims of the deadly Nov. 5 shooting rampage.

The memorial, approved June 8, is planned near the Killeen Civic and Conference Center. The city will search for an engineer and architect for a granite-and-limestone pavilion.

Brian Vanicek, president of the Slavonic Benevolent Order of the State of Texas, said June 9 that his group will spearhead the project, seeking donations from the public and private groups. He had no cost estimate.

The group has collected $36,000, with $25,000 more in pledges for the monument, according to the Killeen Daily Herald.
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Stone pavilion would honor Hood victims

Fort Hood day to remember, grieve and begin to heal

We've seen the images but they remember their smiles, the way they laughed, the way they shared what they had, the way they cared, above all, how much they were loved.

We've read snippets from their lives, but their families and friends were there all along.

General Casey said not to grieve for them but grieve with them. They were inviting us into their family today at the Fort Hood Memorial.

These men and women live and die for the public, but they want no publicity for themselves, but they do want publicity for their units and the whole family they serve with. When one of them falls, they hold a memorial much like the one we saw publicly today. They grieve and send the bodies of their friends back home, while they pick up their weapons and do their duties. They know if they do not more could die. While we can call in sick take a day off, coworkers may have to answer a few more phone calls but if they don't their co-workers could end up dying instead of them. Our jobs take care of business, but theirs' takes care of lives.

After what happened when so many were lost in this attack and so many wounded, we need to remember that this was their home. This is where they live, their families live and a place where there is supposed to be a calmness away from the chaos. Please hold them all in your prayers and the next time you read about one of them falling in Iraq or Afghanistan, understand that it is not just about the fallen but those they leave behind as well.

Fort Hood killings 'incomprehensible,' Obama says
November 10, 2009 4:23 p.m. EST


STORY HIGHLIGHTS
NEW: "Grieve with us; don't grieve for us," Army chief of staff says
Fact that soldiers died on base "makes the tragedy even more painful," Obama says
Troops, military brass, Congress members, Texas governor also attend memorial
Remains of one victim greeted by honor guard on return to Wisconsin

Fort Hood, Texas (CNN) -- The sound of taps echoed across the Texas plains Tuesday after President Obama pledged that the work of those killed in last week's Fort Hood massacre will go on despite their "incomprehensible" slayings.

Speaking to an estimated 15,000 people at a memorial service at the post, Obama vowed that justice will be done in the attack that left 13 dead and 42 wounded.

Though he told the families that "no words can fill the void that has been left," he added, "your loved ones endure through the life of our nation."

"Their life's work is our security and the freedom that we too often take for granted. Every evening that the sun sets on a tranquil town; every dawn that a flag is unfurled; every moment that an American enjoys life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness -- that is their legacy," the president said.

After his remarks, Obama and first lady Michelle Obama laid a presidential coin before each of the 13 battlefield crosses -- the helmet, boots and rifle representing each of those killed -- before family members and comrades filed past.
read more here
http://www.cnn.com/2009/US/11/10/fort.hood.memorial/index.html
Fire chief recalls 'shots fired' moment
First responder: 'It was game on'
Report: Hasan asked military to give Muslims an out
Toobin: Case jurisdiction unsettled
Missed clues sought in Fort Hood inquiry
Soldier did 'what I'm trained to do'
Fort Hood civilian loved work, family
Fort Hood investigators appeal for help
No evidence wounded hit by friendly fire
Slain soldier's family 'blindsided'
Family: Suspect's religion an issue
Motive still uncertain in Fort Hood shootings
From the eyes of an Army wife iReport
Inside Fort Hood center, where horror unfolded
Fort Hood victims Sons, a daughter, a mother-to-be

President Barack Obama speaks at the memorial service for the victims of the shootings on the Fort Hood Army post in Fort Hood, Tx. November 10, 2009. (Official White House Photo by Chuck Kennedy)

Text of President Obama's remarks at Fort Hood

From the White House press office
We come together filled with sorrow for the thirteen Americans that we have lost; with gratitude for the lives that they led; and with a determination to honor them through the work we carry on.

This is a time of war. And yet these Americans did not die on a foreign field of battle. They were killed here, on American soil, in the heart of this great American community. It is this fact that makes the tragedy even more painful and even more incomprehensible.

For those families who have lost a loved one, no words can fill the void that has been left. We knew these men and women as soldiers and caregivers. You knew them as mothers and fathers; sons and daughters; sisters and brothers.

But here is what you must also know: your loved ones endure through the life of our nation. Their memory will be honored in the places they lived and by the people they touched. Their life’s work is our security, and the freedom that we too often take for granted. Every evening that the sun sets on a tranquil town; every dawn that a flag is unfurled; every moment that an American enjoys life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness – that is their legacy.

Neither this country – nor the values that we were founded upon – could exist without men and women like these thirteen Americans. And that is why we must pay tribute to their stories.

Chief Warrant Officer Michael Cahill had served in the National Guard and worked as a physician’s assistant for decades. A husband and father of three, he was so committed to his patients that on the day he died, he was back at work just weeks after having a heart attack.

Major Libardo Eduardo Caraveo spoke little English when he came to America as a teenager. But he put himself through college, earned a PhD, and was helping combat units cope with the stress of deployment. He is survived by his wife, sons and step-daughters.

Staff Sergeant Justin DeCrow joined the Army right after high school, married his high school sweetheart, and had served as a light wheeled mechanic and Satellite Communications Operator. He was known as an optimist, a mentor, and a loving husband and father.

After retiring from the Army as a Major, John Gaffaney cared for society’s most vulnerable during two decades as a psychiatric nurse. He spent three years trying to return to active duty in this time of war, and he was preparing to deploy to Iraq as a Captain. He leaves behind a wife and son.

Specialist Frederick Greene was a Tennessean who wanted to join the Army for a long time, and did so in 2008 with the support of his family. As a combat engineer he was a natural leader, and he is survived by his wife and two daughters.

Specialist Jason Hunt was also recently married, with three children to care for. He joined the Army after high school. He did a tour in Iraq, and it was there that he re-enlisted for six more years on his 21st birthday so that he could continue to serve.

Staff Sergeant Amy Krueger was an athlete in high school, joined the Army shortly after 9/11, and had since returned home to speak to students about her experience. When her mother told her she couldn’t take on Osama bin Laden by herself, Amy replied: “Watch me.”

Private First Class Aaron Nemelka was an Eagle Scout who just recently signed up to do one of the most dangerous jobs in the service – diffuse bombs – so that he could help save lives. He was proudly carrying on a tradition of military service that runs deep within his family.

Private First Class Michael Pearson loved his family and loved his music, and his goal was to be a music teacher. He excelled at playing the guitar, and could create songs on the spot and show others how to play. He joined the military a year ago, and was preparing for his first deployment.

Captain Russell Seager worked as a nurse for the VA, helping veterans with Post-Traumatic Stress. He had great respect for the military, and signed up to serve so that he could help soldiers cope with the stress of combat and return to civilian life. He leaves behind a wife and son.

Private Francheska Velez, the daughter of a father from Colombia and a Puerto Rican mother, had recently served in Korea and in Iraq, and was pursuing a career in the Army. When she was killed, she was pregnant with her first child, and was excited about becoming a mother.

Lieutenant Colonel Juanita Warman was the daughter and granddaughter of Army veterans. She was a single mother who put herself through college and graduate school, and served as a nurse practitioner while raising her two daughters. She also left behind a loving husband.

Private First Class Kham Xiong came to America from Thailand as a small child. He was a husband and father who followed his brother into the military because his family had a strong history of service. He was preparing for his first deployment to Afghanistan.

These men and women came from all parts of the country. Some had long careers in the military. Some had signed up to serve in the shadow of 9/11. Some had known intense combat in Iraq and Afghanistan, and some cared for those did. Their lives speak to the strength, the dignity and the decency of those who serve, and that is how they will be remembered.

That same spirit is embodied in the community here at Fort Hood, and in the many wounded who are still recovering. In those terrible minutes during the attack, soldiers made makeshift tourniquets out of their clothes. They braved gunfire to reach the wounded, and ferried them to safety in the backs of cars and a pick-up truck.

One young soldier, Amber Bahr, was so intent on helping others that she did not realize for some time that she, herself, had been shot in the back. Two police officers – Mark Todd and Kim Munley – saved countless lives by risking their own. One medic – Francisco de la Serna – treated both Officer Munley and the gunman who shot her.

It may be hard to comprehend the twisted logic that led to this tragedy. But this much we do know – no faith justifies these murderous and craven acts; no just and loving God looks upon them with favor. And for what he has done, we know that the killer will be met with justice – in this world, and the next.

These are trying times for our country. In Afghanistan and Pakistan, the same extremists who killed nearly 3,000 Americans continue to endanger America, our allies, and innocent Afghans and Pakistanis. In Iraq, we are working to bring a war to a successful end, as there are still those who would deny the Iraqi people the future that Americans and Iraqis have sacrificed so much for.

As we face these challenges, the stories of those at Fort Hood reaffirm the core values that we are fighting for, and the strength that we must draw upon. Theirs are tales of American men and women answering an extraordinary call – the call to serve their comrades, their communities, and their country. In an age of selfishness, they embody responsibility. In an era of division, they call upon us to come together. In a time of cynicism, they remind us of who we are as Americans.

We are a nation that endures because of the courage of those who defend it. We saw that valor in those who braved bullets here at Fort Hood, just as surely as we see it in those who signed up knowing that they would serve in harm’s way.

We are a nation of laws whose commitment to justice is so enduring that we would treat a gunman and give him due process, just as surely as we will see that he pays for his crimes.

We are a nation that guarantees the freedom to worship as one chooses. And instead of claiming God for our side, we remember Lincoln’s words, and always pray to be on the side of God.

We are a nation that is dedicated to the proposition that all men and women are created equal. We live that truth within our military, and see it in the varied backgrounds of those we lay to rest today. We defend that truth at home and abroad, and we know that Americans will always be found on the side of liberty and equality. That is who we are as a people.

Tomorrow is Veterans Day. It is a chance to pause, and to pay tribute – for students to learn of the struggles that preceded them; for families to honor the service of parents and grandparents; for citizens to reflect upon the sacrifices that have been made in pursuit of a more perfect union.

For history is filled with heroes. You may remember the stories of a grandfather who marched across Europe; an uncle who fought in Vietnam; a sister who served in the Gulf. But as we honor the many generations who have served, I think all of us – every single American – must acknowledge that this generation has more than proved itself the equal of those who have come before.

We need not look to the past for greatness, because it is before our very eyes.

This generation of soldiers, sailors, airmen, Marines and Coast Guardsmen have volunteered in a time of certain danger. They are part of the finest fighting force that the world has ever known. They have served tour after tour of duty in distant, different and difficult places. They have stood watch in blinding deserts and on snowy mountains. They have extended the opportunity of self-government to peoples that have suffered tyranny and war. They are man and woman; white, black, and brown; of all faiths and stations – all Americans, serving together to protect our people, while giving others half a world away the chance to lead a better life.

In today’s wars, there is not always a simple ceremony that signals our troops’ success – no surrender papers to be signed, or capital to be claimed. But the measure of their impact is no less great – in a world of threats that no know borders, it will be marked in the safety of our cities and towns, and the security and opportunity that is extended abroad. And it will serve as testimony to the character of those who serve, and the example that you set for America and for the world.

Here, at Fort Hood, we pay tribute to thirteen men and women who were not able to escape the horror of war, even in the comfort of home. Later today, at Fort Lewis, one community will gather to remember so many in one Stryker Brigade who have fallen in Afghanistan.

Long after they are laid to rest – when the fighting has finished, and our nation has endured; when today’s servicemen and women are veterans, and their children have grown – it will be said of this generation that they believed under the most trying of tests; that they persevered not just when it was easy, but when it was hard; and that they paid the price and bore the burden to secure this nation, and stood up for the values that live in the hearts of all free peoples.

So we say goodbye to those who now belong to eternity. We press ahead in pursuit of the peace that guided their service. May God bless the memory of those we lost. And may God bless the United States of America.

Stars and Stripes stories about the Fort Hood shooting
Stars and StripesEuropean edition, Tuesday, November 10, 2009, 2009
Fort Hood deals with aftermath of shooting as details of accused gunman emerge
After the shooting, combat instincts kicked in
Muslim groups quick to condemn shooting
Civilian police officer acted quickly to help subdue alleged gunman


This may be the most troubling article of all
Despite Army efforts, no catch-all test for troubled soldiers

Roughly 34,000 soldiers have been diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder. And the Army has 194 civilian, 121 military and 93 contract psychiatrists available to its population of more than half a million people, according to the surgeon general’s office. In the war zones, there are about 200 behavioral health specialists deployed in Iraq and just 30 in Afghanistan.

Trauma specialists are in high demand but the military will not open the doors to all of the trained trauma responders to fill in until more can be trained that have been acceptable to them. In other words, people like me need not apply. I only have over 27 years of doing this plus living with it, but the Chaplains I belong to, good enough for the police departments, fire departments and most walks of life, are not good enough for the military or the Veterans Administration. We're trained, certified and have to carry insurance. We act as chaplains wherever we are for whoever needs it. In my case, I act as a Chaplain reaching the entire country on this blog and my website, plus with the videos I make being used in more places than I can even remember.

The reason why I bring this up is, while the soldiers at Fort Hood put a public view of their grief, they fight a very private battle healing their wounds. Not just the wounds we can see but the ones it takes brain scans to see. They try to hide the need they have but their family and friends see the changes even if they do not know what those changes really signify.

The military and the VA need to bring in as many people as possible to take care of them and they need to stop waiting for the next crisis to strike. After what happened at Fort Hood last week, this is about to get a whole lot worse. Not just at Fort Hood but on all bases with soldiers wondering if they will ever really feel in a safe zone ever again. They don't have one in Iraq. They don't have one in Afghanistan. They thought they had one on Fort Hood, but now, now they don't even have that. If you think they have trauma related problems now the military can't handle, this will make it a lot worse.

Spc. Cody Ford's grave memorial replaced after theft and heartbreak

Battle cross again graces soldier's grave
Authorities say suspects' trail has gone cold
By BRIAN ROGERS
HOUSTON CHRONICLE
Aug. 8, 2009, 8:51PM
Philip Ford's blood begins to boil as he talks about the thieves who desecrated his son's grave and stole the bronzed battle cross commemorating the ultimate sacrifice made by Cody Ford, a 21-year-old U.S. Army specialist who was killed in Iraq.

“This is not about me. This is not about the family. This is about the inconsiderate people who took this monument,” Philip Ford said Saturday at the dedication ceremony of a new battle cross — a helmet perched on a rifle above Cody Ford's boots, welded together and bronzed — on a stone base.

“I hope Cody haunts them for the rest of their lives. They will answer to the Almighty God after that,” he said.

More than 50 people, including several veterans, turned out to see the monument unveiled.

A member of the 3rd Battalion, 509th Infantry (Airborne), Cody Ford was riding in a Humvee that drove over an improvised explosive device on Dec. 10, 2006. He was killed along with two other soldiers, Sgt. Brennan C. Gibson, 26, of Tualatin, Ore., and Pfc. Shawn M. Murphy, 24, of Fort Bragg, N.C.

Standing in Gulf Prairie cemetery in Jones Creek, a small town 60 miles south of Houston, Philip Ford cried as he spoke about his son and the people who donated money and time to replace the 5-foot-tall sculpture, which was stolen in late January.
read more here
http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/metropolitan/6565589.html

A statue of compassion in Iraq

The following is from the Oregon Magazine. I decided to share the whole thing and hope the poster does not mind but it is just so powerful to me it seemed wrong to cut it. I want you to read what it says and then read more from me after.

E-RFD: A Soldier in Iraq
(sent to us by KB7RGX)

This statue currently stands outside the Iraqi palace, now home to the 4th Infantry diivision. It will eventually be shipped home and put in the memorial museum in Fort hood, TX. The statue was created by an Iraqi artist named Kalat, who for years was forced by Saddam Hussein to make the many hundreds of bronze busts of Saddam that dotted Baghdad. Kalat was so grateful for the American liberation of his country that he melted three heads of the fallen Saddam and made the statue as a memorial to American soldiers both living and fallen..

He worked on this memorial night and day for several months. To the left of the kneeling soldier is a small Iraqi girl giving the soldier comfort as he mourns the loss of his comrade in arms.

How strange that this work of art has not been celebrated in our mainstream media.

http://oregonmag.com/ERFDIraqBronze309.html

Look at the picture. What do you see? Do you see your opposition to the occupation of Iraq or do you see human kindness? Do you see a child acting like a child without being politically correct or taking into account any kind of pain she may have felt in her own life as her country was being destroyed? Do you see an artist's skillful hands creating this tenderly with love as a human appreciating the depth of a soldiers pain when they kneel at a simple memorial?

This is what I see. I see humans caring about each other which too often is overlooked when mankind wages war. What makes us different is not as important in moments such as this when what makes us the same comes shining thru. There are many wonderful stories of Iraqis going above and beyond to help our troops and their own country at the same time others are doing horrible acts. There are many stories coming out of our troops doing wonderful things for the people of Iraq as well as horrible stories that happen in combat. There needs to be a balance of these stories, without politics, without supporting one position over another, but simply showing humans acting like humans. They are not numbers. They all have families and people that love them, and yes, even feel compassion for a human as a human.

Memorial for fallen Iraq soldier stolen in Jones Creek Texas

Bronzed memorial to soldier stolen
Houston Chronicle - United States
JONES CREEK, Texas — A memorial that topped the grave of a 21-year-old soldier killed in Iraq two years ago has been stolen.

Thieves last week hauled away a battle cross created for Cody Ford's grave — his bronzed jump boots, bronzed assault rife and a bronzed helmet like the one he wore in Iraq. Authorities said even the bronzed base that supported the battle cross in Gulf Prairie Cemetery was stolen.

"I don't know if they hated the family that much, or if they hated Cody that much — why would you do something like that?" said Ford's father, Philip Ford.

The bronzed boots are the same jump boots that Cody Ford, a U.S. Army specialist and member of the 3rd Battalion, 509th Infantry (Airborne), wore when he graduated from paratrooper school. The boots were filled with concrete before they were mounted on his grave.

The thieves also kicked around flowers and other items at the grave and stole the soldier's dog tags.
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