Cell phones for soldiers stolen
The Associated PressPosted : Wednesday Nov 12, 2008 6:25:12 EST
WEYMOUTH, Mass. (AP) — Police say a thief made off with 500 old cell phones that were intended for the Cell Phones for Soldiers charity on the evening before Veterans Day.
Rick Bruce says he was inside the Weymouth Elks Club on Monday night preparing for a drive for the CarePacks organization, which sends supplies to troops oversees.
The phones were in his car outside. Bruce, whose son is serving in Iraq, had been collecting them all summer and intended on donating them to Cell Phones for Soldiers, the Norwell nonprofit that recycles old phones to purchase phone cards for military personnel.
When Bruce went outside, his car, and the phones, were gone.
He called the theft “heartbreaking.”
Weymouth Sgt. Richard Fuller says police are investigating.
Wednesday, November 12, 2008
Congressman Kucinich's home hit by paintballs
Our congress was created to hear many voices. While the Senate allows for two senators from the states, the House holds representative from many areas of each state, across economical demographics, ideology, needs and thus we have a better representation of the people. In the House there are many voices from war hawks, to conservatives, to liberals, independents, different faiths and Congressman Kucinich has been the voice of peace. He values the constitution and life with compassion. His voice is desperately needed to counter those who would rather seek violent solutions. Yet this is exactly what these teenagers did. When they attacked the home of the Congressman with paintballs, maybe they thought it was funny but then again maybe they did it out of hatred. We will not know until they are found. This comes at the most inappropriate time to do something so dastardly. The Congressman's sister just passed away. Think of the pain the family is living with and then have this happen.
Kucinich home hit by paintballs
RAW STORY
Published: Wednesday November 12, 2008
Popular Ohio Democratic congressman Rep. Dennis Kucinich was targeted by vandals, according to police records reviewed by UPI.
"The wife of the congressman and former Democratic U.S. presidential candidate told authorities that vandals, likely teenagers, had hit their home with paint balls," the wire service reported.
The Plain Dealer said that Kucinich's wife heard a loud banging noise around 1:30 am last Thursday and subsequently noticed the outside of the Kucinich's home had been hit with orange paintballs. Elizabeth Kucinich said the vandals returned Friday and attacked their home with additional paintballs.
click link for more
TAPS announces training for working with bereaved
TAPS ANNOUNCES TRAINING FOR SOCIAL WORKERS, NURSES, CHAPLAINS, CASUALTY OFFICERS, FAMILY PROGRAM STAFF, COUNSELORS, MFLCs, and MILITARY LEADERSHIP www.taps.org/professionaleducation
TAPS provides peer based emotional support for military surviving families. Part of our mission is to improve the training and continuing education for health and mental healthcare professionals dealing with children and families who suffer from traumatic grief. We are proud to announce quarterly educational training WEBINARS with a special focus on working with military surviving families and veterans.
On December 4, 2008, TAPS will conduct training on "Working with the Bereaved: Suicide Risk Assessment." This Webinar features expert speaker Dr. David Jobes (see attached flyer for more info). The training is accredited for 1.0 CEUs for Nurses and Social Workers and has been approved by NASW.
Please share this information with staff, colleagues and chapter members. We are making our best effort to reach out to those partnering organizations who are interested in helping the families of the Fallen and returning veterans and asking their help in disseminating this information. Thank you for spreading the word!
If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact Jill Harrington LaMorie, jill@taps.org.
For more information and to register, please visit our website: www.taps.org/professionaleducation.
Thank you for your help!
Bonnie
Bonnie Carroll
Tragedy Assistance Program for Survivors
910 17th Street, NW Suite 800
Washington, DC 20006
www.taps.org
Office: 202.588.TAPS (8277)
Toll-Free: 800.959.TAPS (8277)
FAX: 202-457-8278
bonnie@taps.org
TAPS provides peer based emotional support for military surviving families. Part of our mission is to improve the training and continuing education for health and mental healthcare professionals dealing with children and families who suffer from traumatic grief. We are proud to announce quarterly educational training WEBINARS with a special focus on working with military surviving families and veterans.
On December 4, 2008, TAPS will conduct training on "Working with the Bereaved: Suicide Risk Assessment." This Webinar features expert speaker Dr. David Jobes (see attached flyer for more info). The training is accredited for 1.0 CEUs for Nurses and Social Workers and has been approved by NASW.
Please share this information with staff, colleagues and chapter members. We are making our best effort to reach out to those partnering organizations who are interested in helping the families of the Fallen and returning veterans and asking their help in disseminating this information. Thank you for spreading the word!
If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact Jill Harrington LaMorie, jill@taps.org.
For more information and to register, please visit our website: www.taps.org/professionaleducation.
Thank you for your help!
Bonnie
Bonnie Carroll
Tragedy Assistance Program for Survivors
910 17th Street, NW Suite 800
Washington, DC 20006
www.taps.org
Office: 202.588.TAPS (8277)
Toll-Free: 800.959.TAPS (8277)
FAX: 202-457-8278
bonnie@taps.org
Tuesday, November 11, 2008
Cambell Brown:We owe our veterans more
Brown: We owe our veterans more
'We owe our veterans more' 1:38
CNN's Campbell Brown reports veterans are having trouble getting disability claims reviewed and receiving benefits.
The story
On Veterans Day, we want to bring your attention to a different kind of battle that our disabled veterans are fighting.
Many vets are having an extremely difficult time getting their disability claims reviewed and in many cases getting the benefits they rightly deserve.
The problem is inefficiency at the Veterans Affairs Department, pretty astonishing inefficiency. And because of it, there are numerous stories of servicemen and women finding themselves stuck in limbo, playing an unfair, if not cruel, waiting game.
Just Tuesday, The Washington Post tells the story of Navy Veteran Chase McCombs, who served three years as a navy mechanic. Watch Campbell Brown's commentary
He suffered several injuries and told the Post he is now legally blind. His application for disability benefits has been denied twice. He appealed in December and is still waiting to hear from the VA. Read full article »
'We owe our veterans more' 1:38
CNN's Campbell Brown reports veterans are having trouble getting disability claims reviewed and receiving benefits.
The story
On Veterans Day, we want to bring your attention to a different kind of battle that our disabled veterans are fighting.
Many vets are having an extremely difficult time getting their disability claims reviewed and in many cases getting the benefits they rightly deserve.
The problem is inefficiency at the Veterans Affairs Department, pretty astonishing inefficiency. And because of it, there are numerous stories of servicemen and women finding themselves stuck in limbo, playing an unfair, if not cruel, waiting game.
Just Tuesday, The Washington Post tells the story of Navy Veteran Chase McCombs, who served three years as a navy mechanic. Watch Campbell Brown's commentary
He suffered several injuries and told the Post he is now legally blind. His application for disability benefits has been denied twice. He appealed in December and is still waiting to hear from the VA. Read full article »
Military atheists want new rules on prayer
The Four Chaplains Memorial FoundationThe Four Chaplains Memorial Foundation exists to further the cause of 'unity without uniformity' by encouraging goodwill and cooperation among all people.
Mission Statement
The Four Chaplains Memorial Foundation exists to further the cause of “unity without uniformity” by encouraging goodwill and cooperation among all people. The organization achieves its mission by advocating for and honoring people whose deeds symbolize the legacy of the Four Chaplains aboard the U.S.A.T. Dorchester in 1943.
Vision
The Four Chaplains Memorial Foundation's vision is to impart the principles of selfless service to humanity without regard to race, creed, ethnicity, or religious beliefs.
Overview
The Reverend Daniel Poling, in honor of his son Chaplain Poling's heroism, began the movement to celebrate the Four Chaplains acts of courage. The organization was dedicated on February 3, 1951 by President Harry S. Truman. In his dedication speech, the President said, “This interfaith shrine... will stand through long generations to teach Americans that as men can die heroically as brothers so should they live together in mutual faith and goodwill.”
This is what Chaplains were supposed to be doing.
Military atheists want new rules on prayer
Coalition complains of religious discrimination in the services
By Leo Shane III, Stars and Stripes
Mideast edition, Wednesday, November 12, 2008
WASHINGTON — A coalition of atheists and agnostics wants the new White House to protect young military members from what they see as rampant religious discrimination in the services.
The Secular Coalition for America held a news conference Monday urging new rules against proselytizing and more training for chaplains on how to handle nonreligious troops.
"When they say ‘there are no atheists in foxholes’ it’s slanderous," said Wayne Adkins, a former Army first lieutenant who served in Iraq in 2004 and 2005. "To deny their existence is to deny that they serve."
The coalition also wants President-elect Obama to develop a new directive for all chaplains and commanders that eliminates public prayers from any mandatory-attendance events for troops and ensures the Defense Department will not endorse any single religion, or even the idea of religion over nonreligion.
Jason Torpy, a retired soldier and president of the Military Association of Atheists and Freethinkers, said his group isn’t opposed to Christianity or any other organized religion.
click link for more
But the problems for the men and women in the military are happening, not because there are some who do not believe in God, but because the Chaplains decided that they were going to be evangelists instead of Chaplains, mostly with the blessing of the brass.
If you are a Christian and find nothing wrong with this, then please consider how many other Christians from different branches of Christianity you agree with. Even Christians can't agree among themselves, so think about that because that is what's happening. Now think how you would feel to not be a member of the Christian faith and then put thru hell because you are Jewish, of Muslim, or an atheist. What if it was your son or your daughter being made to feel as if their own faith was not up to military standards?
That's why this bothers me. I'm Greek Orthodox. (I am also a civilian Chaplain working with veterans) I have yet to meet or read about a Greek Orthodox Chaplain, so it's very unlikely that if I were in the military I would be able to speak to one. Let's say that I had to see a Chaplain who did not believe the same way I did, which is usually the case since some Christians don't believe in the saints, blessing themselves three times for the Holy Trinity or kneeling when they pray. I would end up talking to someone who did not value my faith as I do.
There are many differences and not understanding what they are causes a lot of harm. I worked for a Presbyterian Church as the Administrator of Christian Education for two years. They respected my faith because I did not try to force it on them and I respected their's enough to honor it and learn it. Problems happen when there is no respect for what God put into all of us. The freewill to believe as we do or not. He didn't force us to worship Him so why is it that some in the military consider it their right to force their own faith on anyone? kc
Officials: Help limited for domestic violence victims overseas
Officials: Help limited for domestic violence victims overseas
By Natasha Lee, Stars and Stripes
Pacific edition, Thursday, November 13, 2008
Despite a decrease in domestic violence at military bases, some officials say limited resources overseas continue to make tackling abuse difficult.
At Kadena Air Base on Okinawa, referrals to its Family Advocacy Program regarding child and spousal abuse have declined from 259 cases reported in fiscal year 2006 to 197 in fiscal 2008.
But Kadena’s lack of the kinds of services available to military and civilians stateside — namely domestic violence shelters and child protective services — presents challenges for victims and advocates.
"It’s significant. It’s the most intense place in all of the nine PACAF (U.S. Pacific Air Forces) locations," said Air Force Capt. Sundonia Wonnum, chief of Kadena’s Family Advocacy Program, which provides resources and services for Air Force and Army victims.
The only domestic violence shelter that did service military families on Okinawa closed last November due to lack of funding, Wonnum said.
And a language barrier makes it difficult for victims to seek help outside military bases, she said.
click link for more
By Natasha Lee, Stars and Stripes
Pacific edition, Thursday, November 13, 2008
Despite a decrease in domestic violence at military bases, some officials say limited resources overseas continue to make tackling abuse difficult.
At Kadena Air Base on Okinawa, referrals to its Family Advocacy Program regarding child and spousal abuse have declined from 259 cases reported in fiscal year 2006 to 197 in fiscal 2008.
But Kadena’s lack of the kinds of services available to military and civilians stateside — namely domestic violence shelters and child protective services — presents challenges for victims and advocates.
"It’s significant. It’s the most intense place in all of the nine PACAF (U.S. Pacific Air Forces) locations," said Air Force Capt. Sundonia Wonnum, chief of Kadena’s Family Advocacy Program, which provides resources and services for Air Force and Army victims.
The only domestic violence shelter that did service military families on Okinawa closed last November due to lack of funding, Wonnum said.
And a language barrier makes it difficult for victims to seek help outside military bases, she said.
click link for more
Brothers in arms: WWII veterans bask in trip to Washington, hero's welcome home
Brothers in arms: WWII veterans bask in trip to Washington, hero's welcome home
WASHINGTON -- The people thanked him for his service and wished him well. They shook his hand and patted his back. John B. Williams was practically a celebrity. His hat was the key. It announced to everyone that he had served in World War II.
So as he strolled the grounds of the National World War II Memorial, all sorts of people approached him. The tourists appreciate the veterans and want them to know it.
John could have impressed his well-wishers. He could have told them about how he was a Buffalo Soldier, one of only a few hundred African-American men still alive who served with the famed black cavalry.
He could have told them how, after the Buffalo Soldiers traded their horses for tanks, he and the 7th Army invaded southern France in Operation Dragoon, the war's second D-Day.
He could have told them how he's spent a lifetime fighting for civil rights and racial equality.
Instead, every time someone acknowledged his service, he said this, or something like it:
"Well, thank you. Now let me tell you about my brother."
Just as they've done everything else, John and his brother, Robert F. "Bob" Williams, visited Washington together on Nov. 1. They were among 63 veterans on Honor Flight, a national program that flies World War II and terminally ill veterans to Washington free.
click link for more
WASHINGTON -- The people thanked him for his service and wished him well. They shook his hand and patted his back. John B. Williams was practically a celebrity. His hat was the key. It announced to everyone that he had served in World War II.
John Williams got his wish to meet Gen. Colin Powell during his visit to the World War II memorial in Washington, D.C.
So as he strolled the grounds of the National World War II Memorial, all sorts of people approached him. The tourists appreciate the veterans and want them to know it.
John could have impressed his well-wishers. He could have told them about how he was a Buffalo Soldier, one of only a few hundred African-American men still alive who served with the famed black cavalry.
He could have told them how, after the Buffalo Soldiers traded their horses for tanks, he and the 7th Army invaded southern France in Operation Dragoon, the war's second D-Day.
He could have told them how he's spent a lifetime fighting for civil rights and racial equality.
Instead, every time someone acknowledged his service, he said this, or something like it:
"Well, thank you. Now let me tell you about my brother."
Just as they've done everything else, John and his brother, Robert F. "Bob" Williams, visited Washington together on Nov. 1. They were among 63 veterans on Honor Flight, a national program that flies World War II and terminally ill veterans to Washington free.
click link for more
Burglars stole from teen who lost both kidneys
Heartbreaking!
Thieves steal from ailing Ohio teen
Tuesday, November 11, 2008 1:20 PM
BELLVILLE, Ohio (AP) " Authorities in northern Ohio are looking for burglars who stole a widescreen TV and video game console from the bedroom of an ailing teen while he was the guest of honor at a fundraiser.
Sixteen-year-old Sam McCready of Bellville has lost both kidneys to Goodpasture's syndrome, a rare autoimmune disease, and now makes the 60-mile trip to Akron three times a week for dialysis. At a dinner on Saturday, three former Cleveland Browns players helped raise money for the boy's transportation and medical bills.
The Richland County Sheriff's Office says while the event was going on, thieves removed a window air conditioner to enter the McCready home and take Sam's new 32-inch TV and Sony PlayStation.
His father, Jim McCready, calls the theft pretty cold.
http://www.dispatch.com/live/content/local_news/stories/2008/11/11/asteal.html?sid=101
Hit and run killed Iraq Vet Brandon Kusmit. Do you know who?
Family seeks answers after Iraq veteran's death
by Michael Ferraresi - Nov. 11, 2008 04:05 PM
The Arizona Republic
Shards of auto glass and plastic pieces of motorcycle litter a dusty, dimly-lit corner of Greenway Road and 37th Street.
A candle burns next to a rock on the north side of intersection, near the spot where Brandon Kusmit was left for dead shortly after a hit-and-run traffic collision.
The corner of Greenway and 37th is merely blocks from both the Kusmit family's home and the mortuary where relatives mourned the 25-year-old's death during a Friday memorial service.
Kusmit, who grew up in northeast Phoenix before serving in the U.S. Army as part of the 2003 invasion of Iraq, died Nov. 2 after falling from his Yamaha R6 sports bike.
Phoenix detectives are searching for the driver of a pickup truck in connection to Kusmit's death. Family members put up $1,000 with the hope that witnesses come forward with information leading to an arrest.
"I just hope whoever did it confesses," said Jason Kusmit, 25, who spent the last week with family, mourning the loss of his twin brother.
"It feels like they're ruthless, to me," he said.
Brandon's son, Dakoda, celebrated his first birthday three days before his father's death. Jason's son, Jason Jr., is 2 years old.
You can help
• Phoenix vehicular crimes detectives interviewed some witnesses to the traffic collision that led to the Nov. 2 death of 25-year-old Brandon Kusmit.
• Anyone who was in the area of Greenway Road and 37th Street around 7:30 p.m., or who witnessed the incident is urged to call police to provide information.
• The Kusmit family offered a $1,000 reward for information leading to an arrest.
• The Phoenix Police Silent Witness program also provides up to $2,500 for information leading to an arrest in an unsolved hit-and-run collision.
Silent Witness can be made by calling 480-WITNESS
go here for more
http://www.azcentral.com/news/articles/2008/11/11/20081111phx-iraqvet1112.html
From War To Wal-Mart?
Enlistment plan joins Army Reserve, Wal-Mart
The Associated Press
Posted : Tuesday Nov 11, 2008 18:23:12 EST
BENTONVILLE, Ark. — Wal-Mart Stores Inc. has signed on to an Army Reserve program that allows the company and the Army to work together to recruit and train people interested in serving in the military and working for the giant retailer.
Wal-Mart, the world’s largest private employer, has more than 1.4 million U.S. employees.
An agreement signed Tuesday obligates Wal-Mart to interview and consider all qualified, participating soldiers for employment after they complete military occupational specialty training.
Lt. Gen. Jack C. Stultz, chief of the Army Reserve, was in Bentonville for the Veterans Day signing of the agreement.
When a reserve soldier who works at Wal-Mart is called to service, the company can draw on 1 million or so citizen soldiers to help identify a qualified replacement to work in the soldier’s place. The arrangement is expected to lower costs of recruiting and training for Wal-Mart.
The Army Reserve launched the program in April and has already linked with numerous companies, including Lowell-based J.B. Hunt Transport Services Inc., Sears Holding Corp., Manpower Inc. and Northrop Grumman Corp., among others.
The program also helps the Army find trained professionals.
go here for more
http://www.armytimes.com/news/2008/11/ap_walmart_army_111108/
The Associated Press
Posted : Tuesday Nov 11, 2008 18:23:12 EST
BENTONVILLE, Ark. — Wal-Mart Stores Inc. has signed on to an Army Reserve program that allows the company and the Army to work together to recruit and train people interested in serving in the military and working for the giant retailer.
Wal-Mart, the world’s largest private employer, has more than 1.4 million U.S. employees.
An agreement signed Tuesday obligates Wal-Mart to interview and consider all qualified, participating soldiers for employment after they complete military occupational specialty training.
Lt. Gen. Jack C. Stultz, chief of the Army Reserve, was in Bentonville for the Veterans Day signing of the agreement.
When a reserve soldier who works at Wal-Mart is called to service, the company can draw on 1 million or so citizen soldiers to help identify a qualified replacement to work in the soldier’s place. The arrangement is expected to lower costs of recruiting and training for Wal-Mart.
The Army Reserve launched the program in April and has already linked with numerous companies, including Lowell-based J.B. Hunt Transport Services Inc., Sears Holding Corp., Manpower Inc. and Northrop Grumman Corp., among others.
The program also helps the Army find trained professionals.
go here for more
http://www.armytimes.com/news/2008/11/ap_walmart_army_111108/
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)