Monday, May 17, 2010

Clarification: PTSD Fake Claims story too little too late

This story is based on a Gulf War veteran, going back to 1996, later found by the VA "The evidence in file does not establish clear error in the grant of service connection for PTSD."

But this comes out in 2010 when veterans have been coming home from combat in Iraq and Afghanistan and killing themselves because they couldn't get the help they need? There has been so little fraud in all these years that this story should be suspicious as to what the real intent was in the first place!

Clarification: PTSD Fake Claims story
(AP) – 1 hour ago

NEW YORK — In a May 2 story, The Associated Press reported that the Department of Veterans Affairs granted a Gulf War veteran disability benefits for post-traumatic stress in 1996, though the agency was unaware that he had fabricated or exaggerated events cited in his application.

The story was based on VA records which were disclosed as part of a criminal case in which the veteran was eventually convicted of manslaughter.

Since the story appeared, the veteran, Felton Lamar Gray, has provided additional VA records which indicate that the agency later re-examined Gray's case after learning as a result of the manslaughter proceeding that his application contained unreliable information.

The newly available records show that Gray's case was reviewed in 1999 by a VA rating board, which recommended that his benefits be stopped because his testimony about events during his military service had "been discredited."

The rating board's findings were submitted to the VA's Compensation and Pension Service, which conducted an administrative review. In 2000, the Compensation and Pension Service overruled the rating board, deciding that even though Gray's original application may not have been accurate, "The evidence in file does not establish clear error in the grant of service connection for PTSD."
http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5iIkac4P8u7T-SkKsAqtg4RNbyPLgD9FOQ4000
Copyright © 2010 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.


Too bad the rights of Veterans was not protected as well.

FOX Family Guy calls Vietnam Memorial a "Scoreboard"

Too Far? Family Guy’s Vietnam Veterans Memorial ‘Joke’
by Glynnis MacNicol 11:08 pm, May 16th, 2010




Here’s what happens: On a search to find the source of all dirty jokes (which eventually leads them to Virginia) Peter, Quagmire, and Joe pass through Washington, DC where they see the Washington Monument, the Obama Monument (it’s black) and the Vietnam Veterans Memorial. This is the part that is going to ruffle some feathers. Standing in front of the Memorial are two Vietnam Vets and a Vietnamese man who calls the Memorial a “scoreboard” and says “aw, what happened to your friends? Hey I know that guy, I killed him, he cried like a bitch. Vietnam! Undefeated!”



Family Guys Vietnam Veterans Memorial Joke



I just watched the whole thing as distasteful as the show is, wondering what the point would be to actually think something like this would be funny. Aside from the fact these cartoon characters were in a car, traveling where they couldn't see the Wall anyway, it is beyond reason they would be able to hear any kind of conversation at the Wall. The "writer" must have never visited it. It stands to reason he never understood it either. It's even a sure bet these "creators" wouldn't know what to say if they ever met a Vietnam veteran.

Family Guy The Spendid Source


I wonder what if they would repeat the joke Memorial Day weekend when the Nam Knights and other motorcycle groups show up to honor the Wall and all the names on it they call a "scoreboard!"



These pictures are from last year and just about as many will be there this year too!



Vets receive late lauding

Lew Poorman,Veterans Prayer Project sent me this link. Great story
http://paratrooperprayers.tripod.com and http://veteransprayers.tripod.com




State Reps. Rick Geist and Jerry Stern present medals to Vietnam-era veterans Friday at the Jaffa Shrine Center. (Mirror photo by J.D. Cavrich)


Vets receive late lauding
Pa. representatives honor hundreds for their military service in Vietnam

By Phil Ray, pray@altoonamirror.com

The military veterans who came to the Jaffa Shrine Center Friday fought decades ago in places like Da Nang, An Loc, Nha Trang, Long Binh, Quang Tri and the Mekong Delta.

When they returned home from a year or more in those far-off places, they often were greeted with catcalls and spit on by the people of a divided nation.

Ed Wilson of Bellwood, who fought with the 25th Infantry Division in Vietnam, can't forget his time in Vietnam - from March 1969 to December 1970 - or the inglorious return home.

Wilson and hundreds of other local Vietnam veterans received an entirely different welcome Friday when they were honored for their military service. Each received a medal and a certificate presented by Reps. Rick Geist, R-Altoona, and Jerry Stern, R-Martinsburg.

"You carried the day in your battle space [in Vietnam] ... on the field. If there was a problem with Vietnam, it was back home. It was not in the foxhole," said Vietnam veteran Samuel E. Hayes Jr., a former state representative and Pennsylvania secretary of agriculture, to a round of applause.

"Unless victory is your mission, we should not send our sons and daughters in harm's way," he added.
read more here
http://www.altoonamirror.com/page/content.detail/id/529190.html

Who is the soldier's guardian?

I am an American Soldier.

I am a Warrior and a member of a team. I serve the people of the United States and live the Army Values.

I will always place the mission first.

I will never accept defeat.

I will never quit.

I will never leave a fallen comrade.

I am disciplined, physically and mentally tough, trained and proficient in my warrior tasks and drills. I always maintain my arms, my equipment and myself.

I am an expert and I am a professional.

I stand ready to deploy, engage, and destroy the enemies of the United States of America in close combat.

I am a guardian of freedom and the American way of life.

I am an American Soldier



"I am a guardian of freedom and the American way of life" it says, but what does this mean when their way of life has been disregarded? When the nation forgets that too often they need us standing behind them when they come home? How is any of this right when they have to figure out what to do to make it one day to the next? We do a great job of saying they matter to us but if you watch the national news you may have noticed something missing. Them.

"I am disciplined, physically and mentally tough" which is part of the problem for them because they think being changed by combat makes them weak in some way or they did not "train" their brain good enough. They don't understand just how tough they really are as well as committed to the brothers they serve with. How else could they endure what they go through and still manage to face it day after day until the risk of combat has ended for them? Most carry on while deployed yet it is not until they return home and the reality sinks in the war came back with them. They carry on despite the emotional pain, physical pain and hardship. What else could they be besides mentally tough?

They confuse feeling deeply with being weak yet it is out of the same depth of their soul to feel they were willing to risk their lives in the first place. Maybe the military would have a better chance of reaching them to prevent suicides if they began to understand them first and appreciate just how different these men and women really are.

They put the mission first, they would not quit and they did not leave one of their own behind. It's time they had more guardians in this country for them to be ready when they need us.

At Fort Hood, National Day of Prayer includes thanks for President Obama

Despite controversy, National Day of Prayer observed quietly at Fort Hood
By Michael Heckman, Sentinel Staff
May 13, 2010 News

As protests and controversy swirled about it, the National Day of Prayer was observed quietly May 6 in Comanche Chapel on Fort Hood.

President Barack Obama, whose justice department is appealing a recent ruling by a U.S. district judge in Wisconsin that the NDOP is unconstitutional, urged citizens to “pray or otherwise give thanks” for the nation’s freedom and blessings.

Because federal judge Barbara Crabb put enforcement of her ruling on hold pending the appeal, thousands of events nationwide, including the celebration at Fort Hood, were held.

“I’m just appreciative of having a president that cares enough about the country to suggest or say that we have prayer as a nation and treats it as relevant and to give thanks for freedoms and diversities across different faiths,” Chap. (Lt. Col.) Ken Sorensen, a family life chaplain, said before the quiet observance began.
go here for more
http://www.forthoodsentinel.com/story.php?id=3829

Fort Hood recognizes Behavioral Health Month

Behavioral Health Month recognized, programs available
By Jerry Harben, U.S. Army Medical Command
Facebook Digg Delicious May 13, 2010 Living

In May the Army recognizes Behavioral Health Month to help communicate the importance of psychological health and promote behavioral health services available to beneficiaries. Efforts include increasing the number of health providers and support personnel, keeping key personnel with deployed units after their return to the U.S. to ensure continuity of care, and countering the stigma that seeking behavioral health care may damage a Soldier’s image or career.

The Virtual Behavioral Health Pilot program at Tripler Army Medical Center, Hawaii, and Fort Richardson, Alaska, compared face-to-face counseling with counseling provided through videoteleconferencing.
go here for more
http://www.forthoodsentinel.com/story.php?id=3808

3,000 communications officers are now cyberspace officers

3,000 officers switch to cyberspace specialty

By Bruce Rolfsen - Staff writer
Posted : Monday May 17, 2010 8:59:31 EDT

About 3,000 communications officers are now cyberspace officers.

In all, 30,000 airmen have been shifted to the front lines of cyber warfare. The officers made the switch in April; the changeover for 27,000 enlisted airmen happened in November.

The Air Force Specialty Code for officers is now 17D. It had been 33S. For enlisted, the 2E, 3A and 3C AFSCs — communications and electronic maintenance jobs — have been merged into the 3DX category

With the standing up of 17D, the officers face stiffer educational requirements and the expectation to see their job as operational and not strictly mission support.

“It’s not just spray paint, it’s a new mindset,” said Brig. Gen. David Cotton, director of cyberspace transformation and strategy at the Air Staff.

Communications officers often saw themselves as others saw them: airmen who made sure the base computer network worked, said Cotton, who began his career a computer programmer.

Cyberspace officers will continue to provide support but they also will be the go-to experts on how a computer or communication network can improve war-fighting capabilities.
go here for more
3000 communications officers are now cyberspace officers

Corps helps wounded troops collect extra money

Corps helps wounded troops collect extra money

By Gidget Fuentes - Staff writer
Posted : Monday May 17, 2010 6:20:32 EDT

Thousands of active and former Marines may be eligible for extra money under a recent policy revision expanding benefits to troops wounded in combat, but making sure you collect what you’re owed will require some effort.

But help isn’t far away.

As soon as the Corps issued its revised policy in mid-April, the Wounded Warrior Regiment set out to identify eligible Marines and assist them through the process.

Known as PAC, short for Pay and Allowances Continuation, the benefit allows wounded Marines to collect the monthly special pays they would have lost once they were evacuated from the combat zone. Those can include hostile fire/imminent danger pay; hazardous duty incentive pay; hardship duty pay and several others.

For some, this will total several thousand dollars.

“We just recently credited a Marine $4,000,” said Terry Herron, the regiment’s pay entitlements supervisor.

As of late April, officials had identified 579 Marines eligible under the new rules, and they said they expect there are many others, including Marines who have left the service. However, they said some wounded warriors won’t take the necessary steps to collect the benefits because the process can be confusing.

“We are finding that when Marines get overwhelmed, they won’t apply,” Herron said.
go here for more
Corps helps wounded troops collect extra money

Air Force cuts chaplain corps by 15 percent

Troops: Loss will be felt when Air Force cuts chaplain corps by 15 percent
By Jennifer H. Svan, Stars and Stripes
Mideast edition, Monday, May 17, 2010

KAISERSLAUTERN, Germany — The Air Force is reducing its number of chaplains at a time when airmen and family members are seeking their counsel more than ever.

As of this spring, 544 chaplains were on active duty, but as many as 79 positions will be trimmed over the next two years, Air Force officials said.

The reduction of up to 15 percent in the chaplain corps stems from efforts to make certain that the most crucial positions in the Air Force — such as manned and unmanned aircraft pilots — are filled, and ensure that no field has more than the mandated number of personnel, officials said

Personnel cuts phased in about four years ago will leave the Air Force with 465 funded chaplain positions by the end of fiscal 2011. How close the Air Force gets to that goal depends on how many chaplains opt for voluntary separation and how many are given early retirement and involuntary separation, said Air Force spokeswoman Lt. Col. Ann Stefanek.
read more here
http://www.stripes.com/article.asp?section=104&article=70025

VFW Post 2107 makes sure 26 veterans are buried with honor

26 vets finally being laid to rest in Mich.

By Valerie Olander - The Detroit News via Associated Press
Posted : Monday May 17, 2010 8:32:01 EDT

DEARBORN, Mich. — They fought in conflicts from World War I through Vietnam, yet the remains of 26 servicemen sat unclaimed for years, seemingly forgotten by the country they served.

Now, thanks to a Dearborn veterans' group, they will finally be laid to rest with full military honors. On Memorial Day, a horse-drawn caisson will carry a flag-draped coffin with the soldiers' cremated remains down Michigan Avenue, beginning a ceremony that will end with a military burial in Great Lakes National Cemetery in Holly.

"It's unbelievable that no one has taken their remains, no family or friends," said Joe Terry, commander of VFW Post 2107 in Dearborn. "The whole object of this is to show honor to our veterans, to show the city what being in the military is all about."
go here for more
26 vets finally being laid to rest in Mich