Shooting incident involved Iraq vet, PTSD
By LYDA LONGA, Staff Writer
Iraq veteran Joshua Gerard was discharged from the Army last year, but the fighting never stopped within him, his family said Tuesday.
That inner struggle -- fueled by post-traumatic stress disorder and bouts of heavy drinking -- came to a head Sunday night when sheriff's officials said Gerard, 29, pointed a shotgun at Sgt. Vidal Mejias.
The sergeant, a 15-year-veteran of the Sheriff's Office, shot Gerard in the abdomen and the elbow. A Gerard family spokeswoman said Tuesday that Gerard is in critical but stable condition in the intensive care unit at Halifax Health Medical Center in Daytona Beach.
Gerard's father, Jim Gerard of Pittsburgh, said Tuesday afternoon the bottom line with his son and others like him is that these young veterans are not seeking the help they need for emotional issues prompted by war.
"Our family is deeply saddened and stunned by the events that transpired on the evening of May 9 when our beloved husband, father and son, Joshua Gerard, reached the end of his mental and emotional rope," Jim Gerard said. "Joshua did not receive the adequate care he needed to recover, cope and once again become part of civilian life."
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Shooting incident involved Iraq vet PTSD
Wednesday, May 12, 2010
Judge Stephen Manley says "It's Vietnam all over again"
Fisher: Courts learn lessons from Vietnam
By Patty Fisher
pfisher@mercurynews.com
Posted: 05/11/2010 04:06:25 PM PDT
Updated: 05/11/2010 10:21:53 PM PDT
For Superior Court Judge Stephen Manley, seeing a steady stream of Gulf War veterans and more from Iraq and Afghanistan in his courtroom is eerily familiar.
"It's Vietnam all over again," he said.
Since 1995, Manley has created special courts in Santa Clara County for defendants suffering from substance abuse problems or mental illness, offering them treatment instead of prison. It didn't take him long to notice that many of the defendants were Vietnam-era veterans who struggled with physical and mental conditions related to their war experiences and had been in and out of jail.
"I was frustrated for many years," he recalled. "I've had veterans who are in their 50s and 60s and still homeless and still don't have appropriate treatment because the courts and the Veterans Administration just didn't work together."
Now he is seeing a new crop of veterans in his San Jose courtroom. More than 2 million Americans have served in Iraq and Afghanistan. One-third of them suffer from post-traumatic stress disorder, traumatic brain injury, depression or other mental illness. At least a fifth struggle with drug or alcohol dependency.
"We know a lot of these vets will commit crimes," Manley said. "What we have learned over the years is that we never provided the appropriate treatment for Vietnam vets who came into the system, and many of them are still with us."
read more here
http://www.mercurynews.com/top-stories/ci_15063922
By Patty Fisher
pfisher@mercurynews.com
Posted: 05/11/2010 04:06:25 PM PDT
Updated: 05/11/2010 10:21:53 PM PDT
For Superior Court Judge Stephen Manley, seeing a steady stream of Gulf War veterans and more from Iraq and Afghanistan in his courtroom is eerily familiar.
"It's Vietnam all over again," he said.
Since 1995, Manley has created special courts in Santa Clara County for defendants suffering from substance abuse problems or mental illness, offering them treatment instead of prison. It didn't take him long to notice that many of the defendants were Vietnam-era veterans who struggled with physical and mental conditions related to their war experiences and had been in and out of jail.
"I was frustrated for many years," he recalled. "I've had veterans who are in their 50s and 60s and still homeless and still don't have appropriate treatment because the courts and the Veterans Administration just didn't work together."
Now he is seeing a new crop of veterans in his San Jose courtroom. More than 2 million Americans have served in Iraq and Afghanistan. One-third of them suffer from post-traumatic stress disorder, traumatic brain injury, depression or other mental illness. At least a fifth struggle with drug or alcohol dependency.
"We know a lot of these vets will commit crimes," Manley said. "What we have learned over the years is that we never provided the appropriate treatment for Vietnam vets who came into the system, and many of them are still with us."
read more here
http://www.mercurynews.com/top-stories/ci_15063922
Man kills neighbor after puppy urinates on lawn
University Park man slain after dog urinates on lawn
By Steve Schmadeke and Lolly Bowean, Tribune reporters
8:46 p.m. CDT, May 11, 2010
A former Marine who neighbors say obsessed over his University Park lawn is being held on $3 million bail, accused of gunning down a neighbor whose puppy urinated on the man's well-manicured grass.
Charles J. Clements, 69, had won the south suburb's beautification and lawn upkeep award but also was known for threatening people who dared to set foot in his yard, neighbors said.
Joshua Funches, a 23-year-old father of two, was walking his fox terrier Gucci in the 500 block of Landau Road on Sunday night when the dog lifted its leg and went on Clements' lawn, said Funches' mother Patricia, 53.
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University Park man slain after dog urinates on lawn
By Steve Schmadeke and Lolly Bowean, Tribune reporters
8:46 p.m. CDT, May 11, 2010
A former Marine who neighbors say obsessed over his University Park lawn is being held on $3 million bail, accused of gunning down a neighbor whose puppy urinated on the man's well-manicured grass.
Charles J. Clements, 69, had won the south suburb's beautification and lawn upkeep award but also was known for threatening people who dared to set foot in his yard, neighbors said.
Joshua Funches, a 23-year-old father of two, was walking his fox terrier Gucci in the 500 block of Landau Road on Sunday night when the dog lifted its leg and went on Clements' lawn, said Funches' mother Patricia, 53.
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University Park man slain after dog urinates on lawn
Base tight-lipped on Marine death aboard base
Base tight-lipped on Marine death aboard base
May 11, 2010 5:57 PM
LINDELL KAY
Camp Lejeune officials have released little information in the death of a MarSOC Marine who died aboard base Monday.
The Marine died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound after fleeing Naval Hospital and being pursued by provost marshals, according to a source close to the investigation who was not authorized to speak publicly.
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http://www.jdnews.com/articles/span-78207-color-windowtext.html
May 11, 2010 5:57 PM
LINDELL KAY
Camp Lejeune officials have released little information in the death of a MarSOC Marine who died aboard base Monday.
The Marine died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound after fleeing Naval Hospital and being pursued by provost marshals, according to a source close to the investigation who was not authorized to speak publicly.
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http://www.jdnews.com/articles/span-78207-color-windowtext.html
Tuesday, May 11, 2010
Less than half of the medical centers have actual PTSD clinics
IG: VA lags on meeting own care standards
By Rick Maze - Staff writer
Posted : Tuesday May 11, 2010 16:23:32 EDT
Veterans Affairs Department hospitals and clinics are moving slowly to implement standardized policies for treatment of mental health disorders and substance abuse disorders, according to a new report by VA’s inspector general.
The result is hurting veterans, said Christina Roof, assistant national legislative director with AmVets, one of the major veterans service organizations. “Findings in this report are quite disturbing,” she said, especially given that mental health problems are a significant concern among Iraq and Afghanistan veterans, and the suicide rate among service members and veterans remains high.
“They have a plan, they just have not gotten around to fully implementing it,” Roof said. “I am not saying the VA isn’t trying, just maybe not hard enough or not staying focused. However, the rates of suicide have been going up for five years.”
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VA lags on meeting own care standards
Less than half of the medical centers have actual PTSD clinics, the report says.
By Rick Maze - Staff writer
Posted : Tuesday May 11, 2010 16:23:32 EDT
Veterans Affairs Department hospitals and clinics are moving slowly to implement standardized policies for treatment of mental health disorders and substance abuse disorders, according to a new report by VA’s inspector general.
The result is hurting veterans, said Christina Roof, assistant national legislative director with AmVets, one of the major veterans service organizations. “Findings in this report are quite disturbing,” she said, especially given that mental health problems are a significant concern among Iraq and Afghanistan veterans, and the suicide rate among service members and veterans remains high.
“They have a plan, they just have not gotten around to fully implementing it,” Roof said. “I am not saying the VA isn’t trying, just maybe not hard enough or not staying focused. However, the rates of suicide have been going up for five years.”
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VA lags on meeting own care standards
Letters to God helps Iraq veteran heal
Mailman Brady McDaniels (Jeffrey S. S. Johnson) befriends Tyler
Brady McDaniels, is an Iraq veteran. He lost his son after drunk driving with his young son in the car. The beginning of the movie has him clearly troubled but with a wise boss, finding "something worth saving" there, he filled in for another mailman. Brady was missing a lot of work but his boss found something special in him and wanted to do what he could for Brady.
Brady had a friend running a bar, where he spent most of his nights. The bartender also saw something worthy of him and watched over him. It was not until after half the movie was over that the fact he was an Iraq veteran was known. Brady was lost, trapped in a world he didn't need to talk about. Yet because people cared about him and a young boy inspired him, Brady began to heal with faith he didn't know he still had and the kindness of strangers.
There was no mention of doctors or medication. This was all about healing because God answered the prayers of a young boy sent in letters. The same young boy dying of cancer but wanting God to hear his prayers for others more.
This is based on a true story. It takes place in Florida and Arnold Palmer Hospital.
Letters to God
Carolyn Arends | posted 4/09/2010
Tyler Doherty is an eight-year-old cancer patient who loves God first and soccer second. Brady McDaniels is a mailman struggling with alcoholism and the break-up of his family. Tyler writes direct, heartfelt Letters to God as a means of praying his way through his illness. Brady picks up those Letters on his postal route and is touched and changed by his encounters with Tyler's faith; so are many of the other characters who populate the unabashedly Christian family drama Letters to God.
The film's co-director Patrick Doughtie, who lost his real-life son Tyler to cancer in 2005, wrote the initial screenplay for Letters to God. Although Doughtie fictionalized many of the elements of Tyler's story for the big screen, it's clear that this film comes from a deeply personal place. The compelling raw material was a perfect match for newly minted Possibility Pictures, director David Nixon's production company. Nixon previously produced the mostly volunteer-made surprise Christian hits Facing the Giants and Fireproof. Letters is his first time in the director's chair and his first opportunity to work with a budget large enough to secure a professional cast and crew. The result is a film more technically polished than Facing the Giantsor Fireproof, but equally overtly evangelical in its narrative—meaning it will likely delight viewers who loved those earlier movies and further frustrate those who longed for subtler storytelling.
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Letters To God
Brady found the goodness inside of him and he ended up beating the bottle and the devil away. He healed because people cared about him and a young boy inspired him to be a better person.
This happens all across this country everyday. Brady's life after combat was not the focus of the movie but it was to me. It showed what can happen when men and women sent into combat can find so they can heal. PTSD is like an infection. It eats away at the "person" and changes them. There is a struggle going on between that which is good inside of them and that which is dark, selfish, nasty and mean. The goodness inside of them has been attacked and they are made weaker, unable to stay fueled by all that is good inside of them. When they are treated as if they have become evil, that is all they see and the dark side wins. Yet when they see the all that was good inside of them, have hope restored and know they are cared about, they heal.
Experts know PTSD is a wound to the emotional part of humans, yet they do not know what else lives there. The soul of man can be found there and PTSD is a spiritual wound detaching man from God. The absence of God is what allows all the negative emotions to take over. When good people see them as hurt or in need, then they find they belong again because someone still sees "them" as they used to be. There are miracles happening all the time but they come when someone cares enough to reach out with the patience enough to keep trying to help instead of giving up and walking away.
When they step out of the darkness that holds them captive to the past, they end up better, stronger and more compassionate than ever before. This is why it is so important for the clergy to get involved. If they find no value in helping these men and women we sent into combat. then they will find little reason to heal after being judged and written off.
If you want to see a good movie, go see Letters To God and know what the love of a stranger can do to heal a soul. This is what happens when a letter to God is answered.
Veteran shot by deputy sheriff suffers from PTSD
Veteran shot by deputy sheriff suffers from stress syndrome
By Gary Taylor, Walter Pacheco, Bianca Prieto and Anthony Colarossi, Orlando Sentinel
2:32 p.m. EDT, May 11, 2010
The family of a man shot by a deputy sheriff during a domestic disturbance in Volusia County said he is an Army veteran suffering from post-traumatic stress syndrome that was not adequately treated.
The wife of Joshua James Gerard watched in horror as a deputy sheriff shot her husband Sunday as he pointed a shotgun at the law-enforcement officer.
"They're shooting my husband," Sarah Gerard told a 911 dispatcher after telling authorities her husband allegedly trashed their house and tossed gas on her.
Authorities Monday would not release the condition of Joshua Gerard, who was airlifted to a local hospital.
The deputy who shot him, Sgt. Vidal MejÃas, has been placed on paid leave, which is standard procedure in officer-involved shootings, Sheriff's spokesman Gary Davidson said.
Gerard faces charges of aggravated battery in Sunday's domestic incident with his wife and aggravated assault for pointing a shotgun at MejÃas, Davidson said Monday.
The Gerard family released a statement late Monday, describing Joshua Gerard as a 10-year Army veteran who had "reached the end of his mental and emotional rope" after struggling from post-traumatic stress syndrome since his return from a one-year tour in Iraq.
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Veteran shot by deputy sheriff suffers from stress syndrome
Joshua Gerard, a 10-year Army veteran, had "reached the end of his mental and emotional rope," a statement from his family said.
By Gary Taylor, Walter Pacheco, Bianca Prieto and Anthony Colarossi, Orlando Sentinel
2:32 p.m. EDT, May 11, 2010
The family of a man shot by a deputy sheriff during a domestic disturbance in Volusia County said he is an Army veteran suffering from post-traumatic stress syndrome that was not adequately treated.
The wife of Joshua James Gerard watched in horror as a deputy sheriff shot her husband Sunday as he pointed a shotgun at the law-enforcement officer.
"They're shooting my husband," Sarah Gerard told a 911 dispatcher after telling authorities her husband allegedly trashed their house and tossed gas on her.
Authorities Monday would not release the condition of Joshua Gerard, who was airlifted to a local hospital.
The deputy who shot him, Sgt. Vidal MejÃas, has been placed on paid leave, which is standard procedure in officer-involved shootings, Sheriff's spokesman Gary Davidson said.
Gerard faces charges of aggravated battery in Sunday's domestic incident with his wife and aggravated assault for pointing a shotgun at MejÃas, Davidson said Monday.
The Gerard family released a statement late Monday, describing Joshua Gerard as a 10-year Army veteran who had "reached the end of his mental and emotional rope" after struggling from post-traumatic stress syndrome since his return from a one-year tour in Iraq.
read more here
Veteran shot by deputy sheriff suffers from stress syndrome
Future uncertain, AWOL and PTSD soldier returns to Fort Hood
Future uncertain, AWOL soldier returns to Fort Hood unit
Posted On: Monday, May. 10 2010 10:54 PM
By Jade Ortego
Killeen Daily Herald
It has been 10 months since Pfc. Jacob Wade was scheduled to catch a flight to Iraq after a two-week leave. Wade was in the middle of a yearlong deployment to Iraq with the 1st Battalion, 8th Cavalry Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division, and the day he was to return, he had a panic attack and missed the flight.
Wade, 22, of Cortland, N.Y., dropped out of high school at 17 and got his GED. After working odd jobs, he joined the Army in order to help pay for college. He wanted to be a baseball coach.
Twenty years old at the time, Wade said he didn't know what to expect from the military.
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http://www.kdhnews.com/news/story.aspx?s=41415
Posted On: Monday, May. 10 2010 10:54 PM
By Jade Ortego
Killeen Daily Herald
His psychiatrist, Dr. William Cross of Manilus, N.Y., who has agreed to testify on Wade's behalf at his sanity board, diagnosed him with post-traumatic stress disorder. Wade also suffered physical injuries to his legs as a result of his service, and walks with a limp.
It has been 10 months since Pfc. Jacob Wade was scheduled to catch a flight to Iraq after a two-week leave. Wade was in the middle of a yearlong deployment to Iraq with the 1st Battalion, 8th Cavalry Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division, and the day he was to return, he had a panic attack and missed the flight.
Wade, 22, of Cortland, N.Y., dropped out of high school at 17 and got his GED. After working odd jobs, he joined the Army in order to help pay for college. He wanted to be a baseball coach.
Twenty years old at the time, Wade said he didn't know what to expect from the military.
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http://www.kdhnews.com/news/story.aspx?s=41415
Kids In Support of Soldiers sends a kiss from home
Seems like such simple things to do for the troops but when you think about it, it means a great deal to them because it is all coming from kids.
mission statement
Kids In Support of Soldiers Inc. (K.I.S.S), was founded with the desire of children to support our men and women in the armed forces by providing them with the simple things in life. Things we take for granted, or don't even think of, are priceless commodities to those serving. K.I.S.S. is a program run by children, with the help of some adults, that want to make a difference in a soldiers life no matter what state they are from, or what branch of service they are in. All decisions are made by the children allowing them to comprehend the difference they are making and that this is THEIR program. Each package that is sent is sent to a particular soldier and is packaged by the children with love and appreciation for what the soldiers are doing for our freedoms.
LIST OF SUPPLIES SENT
APPLE SAUCE (4oz CUP)
BABY WIPES (REFILLS)
BEEF JERKY
CANNED FRUIT
COFFEE
COOKIES
CREAMER PACKETS
GATORADE(PKGS)
GRANOLA BARS
GUM
HAND SANITIZER
INSECT REPELLENT
KOOL AID(PKGS)
LIP BALM(UNCENTED)
MAGAZINES
MOIST TOWLETTS
PAPERBACK BOOKS
PEANUT BUTTER(13oz)
PEANUTS (PKGS)
PHONE CARDS
POPTARTS
RAMEN NOODLES
SLIM JIMS
SUGAR(PKGS)
SUNFLOWER SEEDS
SUNSCREEN
TRAIL MIX
TUNA FISH(CANS)
VIENNA SAUSAGE(CANS)
Kids In Support of Soldiers
WWI memorial cross stolen from Mojave National Preserve
WWI memorial cross stolen from Mojave National Preserve
By Leo Shane III, Stars and Stripes
Online Edition, Tuesday, May 11, 2010
WASHINGTON — Vandals toppled and removed the 8-foot-high cross at Mojave National Preserve in California less than two weeks after the Supreme Court ruled the controversial memorial could remain on federal property.
The cross, which has stood in various forms for the last 76 years as a memorial to World War I soldiers, was stolen late Sunday night or early Monday morning, according to officials from the Liberty Institute, a conservative advocacy group that deals with church-state issues. In a statement Kelly Shackelford, the group’s president, called the actions “disgusting.”
Vandals cut through a series of metal bolts to remove the cross — still covered by a wooden box — from its concrete foundation.
The cross had been covered with plywood for 10 years as the legal fight surrounding the memorial wound through the courts. Officials from the Liberty Institute argued in favor of allowing the memorial to stand, saying that censoring the cross violated veterans’ freedom of speech and religion.
On April 28, the Supreme Court ruled 5-4 that the memorial did not warrant removal as an overtly religious symbol, and did not represent government endorsement of a specific religion.
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WWI memorial cross stolen from Mojave National Preserve
By Leo Shane III, Stars and Stripes
Online Edition, Tuesday, May 11, 2010
WASHINGTON — Vandals toppled and removed the 8-foot-high cross at Mojave National Preserve in California less than two weeks after the Supreme Court ruled the controversial memorial could remain on federal property.
The cross, which has stood in various forms for the last 76 years as a memorial to World War I soldiers, was stolen late Sunday night or early Monday morning, according to officials from the Liberty Institute, a conservative advocacy group that deals with church-state issues. In a statement Kelly Shackelford, the group’s president, called the actions “disgusting.”
Vandals cut through a series of metal bolts to remove the cross — still covered by a wooden box — from its concrete foundation.
The cross had been covered with plywood for 10 years as the legal fight surrounding the memorial wound through the courts. Officials from the Liberty Institute argued in favor of allowing the memorial to stand, saying that censoring the cross violated veterans’ freedom of speech and religion.
On April 28, the Supreme Court ruled 5-4 that the memorial did not warrant removal as an overtly religious symbol, and did not represent government endorsement of a specific religion.
go here for more
WWI memorial cross stolen from Mojave National Preserve
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