Local program helps veterans deal with the stress from war
TUCSON - Thousands of vets returned to Arizona from combat in Afghanistan and Iraq, and many will carry the war with them for months or even years.
These are the soldiers suffering from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder or PTSD.
For those vets, an 8 week class is being offered for free.
It's called Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction and we talk with 2 combat veterans from the Vietnam War who find the practice life changing.
go here for more
Local program helps veterans deal with the stress from war
Monday, July 5, 2010
Vt. soldier, wounded 4 years ago in Iraq, dies in Afghanistan
Vt. soldier, wounded 4 years ago in Iraq, dies in Afghanistan
By Emma Stickgold
Globe Correspondent
July 5, 2010
He was injured while serving in Iraq several years ago, his leg wounded from an improvised explosive device. But Specialist Ryan J. Grady of the Vermont Army National Guard was determined to be a career soldier, and headed back overseas in March, this time to Afghanistan.
Tweet Be the first to Tweet this!Submit to DiggdiggsdiggYahoo! Buzz ShareThis On Friday, Grady died shortly after his military vehicle was hit by an improvised explosive device near Bagram Airfield.
“He was a warrior,’’ said his father, James A. Grady of West Burke, Vt. “He loved the Army.’’
At 6 feet 4 inches, Grady was “a big, friendly giant,’’ his father said.
go here for more
Vt soldier wounded 4 years ago in Iraq dies in Afghanistan
By Emma Stickgold
Globe Correspondent
July 5, 2010
He was injured while serving in Iraq several years ago, his leg wounded from an improvised explosive device. But Specialist Ryan J. Grady of the Vermont Army National Guard was determined to be a career soldier, and headed back overseas in March, this time to Afghanistan.
Tweet Be the first to Tweet this!Submit to DiggdiggsdiggYahoo! Buzz ShareThis On Friday, Grady died shortly after his military vehicle was hit by an improvised explosive device near Bagram Airfield.
“He was a warrior,’’ said his father, James A. Grady of West Burke, Vt. “He loved the Army.’’
At 6 feet 4 inches, Grady was “a big, friendly giant,’’ his father said.
go here for more
Vt soldier wounded 4 years ago in Iraq dies in Afghanistan
Horse rescue group comes to Marine's aid
Horse rescue group comes to Marine's aid
By Bob Hallmark - bio email
LONGVIEW,TX (KLTV)- 23 year old Michael Attaway grew up with a boyhood dream.
"I had asked for a horse ever since I could speak really," says Attaway.
While he was serving in the Marines in Iraq, he got a letter from his father explaining a new girl named Lucy, was waiting for him.
"I was over there in Iraq, and opened up my letter, and he had all these pictures in there of Lucy and another horse and he said 'well I finally got you your horse son,'" he says.
After he got out, Attaway came home and started a family, including Lucy, but struggled financially. When Lucy had a severe leg injury, he had to face facts.
"And I was really short on money and didn't know what to do I wanted her to go to a good home. I was caught between and family and a horse I loved and really wanted to hang on to her," Attaway says.
But that's when Safe Haven Equine Rescue stepped in.
go here for more
http://www.kltv.com/Global/story.asp?S=12755038
By Bob Hallmark - bio email
LONGVIEW,TX (KLTV)- 23 year old Michael Attaway grew up with a boyhood dream.
"I had asked for a horse ever since I could speak really," says Attaway.
While he was serving in the Marines in Iraq, he got a letter from his father explaining a new girl named Lucy, was waiting for him.
"I was over there in Iraq, and opened up my letter, and he had all these pictures in there of Lucy and another horse and he said 'well I finally got you your horse son,'" he says.
After he got out, Attaway came home and started a family, including Lucy, but struggled financially. When Lucy had a severe leg injury, he had to face facts.
"And I was really short on money and didn't know what to do I wanted her to go to a good home. I was caught between and family and a horse I loved and really wanted to hang on to her," Attaway says.
But that's when Safe Haven Equine Rescue stepped in.
go here for more
http://www.kltv.com/Global/story.asp?S=12755038
Sunday, July 4, 2010
Four limbs gone, Iraq vet reclaims his life
Spirit intact, injured Iraq vet reclaims his life
'I never catch him feeling sorry for himself. I've never heard him say, 'I wish this had never happened.' '
by Lizette Alvarez
New York Times
WASHINGTON — Brendan Marrocco and his brother, Michael, were constructing a summer bucket list, to get them out and about, trying new things. A Washington Nationals game versus their beloved Yankees — sure, since they were stuck here rather than home on Staten Island. Perhaps a ride on the Metro, with its reliable elevators. Pizza: definitely.
How about going to an amusement park? Michael suggested optimistically.
“Would that really be safe?” asked Brendan, a smirk crossing his lips.
read more here
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/38083693/ns/us_news-the_new_york_times/
linked from ICasualties.org
'I never catch him feeling sorry for himself. I've never heard him say, 'I wish this had never happened.' '
Then, on Easter Sunday 2009, a roadside bomb exploded under his vehicle, and he became the first veteran of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan to lose all four limbs in combat and survive.
by Lizette Alvarez
New York Times
WASHINGTON — Brendan Marrocco and his brother, Michael, were constructing a summer bucket list, to get them out and about, trying new things. A Washington Nationals game versus their beloved Yankees — sure, since they were stuck here rather than home on Staten Island. Perhaps a ride on the Metro, with its reliable elevators. Pizza: definitely.
How about going to an amusement park? Michael suggested optimistically.
“Would that really be safe?” asked Brendan, a smirk crossing his lips.
read more here
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/38083693/ns/us_news-the_new_york_times/
linked from ICasualties.org
Death on Facebook:“Rest in Peace 1Lt Joe Theinert"
July 2, 2010, 3:12 pm
Death on Facebook
By MARK LARSON
They say war isn’t real until you’re getting shot at or shooting at someone, but the true reality of war doesn’t hit until you lose one of your own. This terrible knowledge is shared amongst the comrades, family and friends of some 5,517 Americans who have lost their lives fighting for their country in Iraq and Afghanistan over the past eight years. For the first time since the war began, I now regrettably count myself amongst those who personally know the terrible cost of war. A friend, First Lt. Joe Theinert of Sag Harbor, N.Y., was killed in an ambush in Kandahar Province, Afghanistan, on 4 June.
I found out about this sad loss on Facebook when I noticed on my newsfeed that several of my Army friends had joined a group called “Rest in Peace 1Lt Joe Theinert, a True Hero!” I was taken aback at first, so unexpected was the news, when suddenly it struck me: I actually had heard about his death shortly after it happened when a colleague of mine mentioned that a lieutenant from 1st Battalion 71 Cavalry Regiment – one of our sister units in 1st BCT, 10th Mountain Division – had died in the south. He asked me if I knew him, but not knowing any information about who had died or what had happened, I said I didn’t, said a quick prayer for the deceased, and returned to work.
The sad reality is that soldiers die every day in Afghanistan and most of these deaths pass unnoticed within the vast majority of the Army’s ranks. Very few of us search out casualty reports to see if we may have known the deceased. I’m no different, and after hearing the news it quickly passed out of my mind. Only when I came across it on Facebook did I realize I had lost a friend.
read more here
http://atwar.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/07/02/death-on-facebook/
linked from ICasualties.org
Death on Facebook
By MARK LARSON
They say war isn’t real until you’re getting shot at or shooting at someone, but the true reality of war doesn’t hit until you lose one of your own. This terrible knowledge is shared amongst the comrades, family and friends of some 5,517 Americans who have lost their lives fighting for their country in Iraq and Afghanistan over the past eight years. For the first time since the war began, I now regrettably count myself amongst those who personally know the terrible cost of war. A friend, First Lt. Joe Theinert of Sag Harbor, N.Y., was killed in an ambush in Kandahar Province, Afghanistan, on 4 June.
I found out about this sad loss on Facebook when I noticed on my newsfeed that several of my Army friends had joined a group called “Rest in Peace 1Lt Joe Theinert, a True Hero!” I was taken aback at first, so unexpected was the news, when suddenly it struck me: I actually had heard about his death shortly after it happened when a colleague of mine mentioned that a lieutenant from 1st Battalion 71 Cavalry Regiment – one of our sister units in 1st BCT, 10th Mountain Division – had died in the south. He asked me if I knew him, but not knowing any information about who had died or what had happened, I said I didn’t, said a quick prayer for the deceased, and returned to work.
The sad reality is that soldiers die every day in Afghanistan and most of these deaths pass unnoticed within the vast majority of the Army’s ranks. Very few of us search out casualty reports to see if we may have known the deceased. I’m no different, and after hearing the news it quickly passed out of my mind. Only when I came across it on Facebook did I realize I had lost a friend.
read more here
http://atwar.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/07/02/death-on-facebook/
linked from ICasualties.org
Female soldier's non-combat death among three
Iraq
Afghanistan
DOD Identifies Army Casualty
The Department of Defense announced today the death of a soldier who was supporting Operation Iraqi Freedom.
Spc. Morganne M. McBeth, 19, of Fredricksburg, Va., died July 2 in Al Asad, Iraq, of wounds sustained July 1 in a non-combat related incident in Khan Al Baghdadi, Iraq. She was assigned to the 1st Special Troops Battalion, 1st Brigade Combat Team, 82nd Airborne Division, Fort Bragg, N.C.http://www.defense.gov/releases/release.aspx?releaseid=13676
DOD Identifies Army Casualty
The Department of Defense announced today the death of a soldier who was supporting Operation Iraqi Freedom.
Sgt. Johnny W. Lumpkin, 38, of Columbus, Ga., died July 2 in Balad, Iraq, of wounds sustained July 1 in a non-combat related equipment incident in Taji, Iraq. He was assigned to the 1st Battalion, 41st Field Artillery Regiment, 1st Brigade Combat Team, 3rd Infantry Division, Fort Stewart, Ga.http://www.defense.gov/releases/release.aspx?releaseid=13677
Afghanistan
DOD Identifies Army Casualty
The Department of Defense announced today the death of a soldier who was supporting Operation Enduring Freedom.
Sgt. 1st Class Kristopher D. Chapleau, 33, of LaGrange, Ky., died June 30 at Forward Operating Base Blessing, Afghanistan, of injuries sustained from a non-combat related incident. He was assigned to the 1st Battalion, 327th Infantry Regiment, 1st Brigade Combat Team, 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault), Fort Campbell, Ky.http://www.defense.gov/releases/release.aspx?releaseid=13675
all reports linked from ICasualties.org
Commander’s wife banned from the brigade
There have been many complaints from people about FRG's being nothing more than a click of powerful people taking down others. The "Family Readiness Groups" on most bases are supposed to be about supporting the families of the troops, educating them on issues ranging from PTSD, TBI, their own health and yes, offering emotional support. If you think the FRG's in real life are anything like the one on Lifetime's Army Wives, you must not have talked to many real Army wives.
Aside from the stress of being married to someone being deployed over and over again along with the readjusting when they come home, there is also the issue of careers that have to be put on hold or forgotten about because of transfers, the threat of losing everything from housing to benefits if they should separate from their military spouse, domestic violence, the list goes on. Family Readiness Groups are supposed to be there to fill needs and not the ego of someone at the expense of all others. Some bases have good ones and others have them like this one.
Aside from the stress of being married to someone being deployed over and over again along with the readjusting when they come home, there is also the issue of careers that have to be put on hold or forgotten about because of transfers, the threat of losing everything from housing to benefits if they should separate from their military spouse, domestic violence, the list goes on. Family Readiness Groups are supposed to be there to fill needs and not the ego of someone at the expense of all others. Some bases have good ones and others have them like this one.
Commander’s wife banned from the brigade
By Joe Gould - Staff writer
Posted : Sunday Jul 4, 2010 10:39:32 EDT
FAYETTEVILLE, N.C. — Lt. Col. Frank Jenio was hit by an ear-splitting hourlong tirade from his commander’s wife, Leslie Drinkwine, complaining about the roster of his battalion family readiness group.
“Go ahead, and get me fired,” Jenio was heard shouting into his phone. Afterward, he emerged from a conference room, red-faced and furious, a source who was present said.
The March 2009 incident was not the last run-in between the wife of Col. Brian Drinkwine, commander of 4th Brigade Combat Team, 82nd Airborne Division, and one of his battalion commanders.
In January, less than a year later, Jenio and his command sergeant major Herbert Puckett were relieved of command while deployed in Afghanistan by Maj. Gen. Curtis Scaparrotti, the 82nd Airborne’s commander. An investigation found they used “poor judgment which fostered a command climate that was not consistent with our Army values.”
Puckett said in a statement to investigators that Leslie Drinkwine later “bragged” to the rear detachment commander, “One team down, five to go.”
The confrontation between Leslie Drinkwine and Jenio was emblematic of an environment within the 4th Brigade, particularly its family readiness group, that was so toxic that it triggered an investigation by a three-star general.
read more here
http://www.armytimes.com/news/2010/07/army_drinkwine_070410w/
Army journalist first killed in war since 9/11
Army journalist first killed in war since 9/11
By Kristin M. Hall - The Associated Press
Posted : Sunday Jul 4, 2010 12:44:15 EDT
NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Military officials say a Fort Campbell soldier killed in Afghanistan who was dedicated to telling the soldier’s story was the first Army journalist killed in combat since 9/11.
Staff Sgt. James P. Hunter died June 18 when a patrol he was with was struck by improvised explosive device in Kandahar.
read more here
http://www.armytimes.com/news/2010/07/ap_journalist_killed_070410/
By Kristin M. Hall - The Associated Press
Posted : Sunday Jul 4, 2010 12:44:15 EDT
NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Military officials say a Fort Campbell soldier killed in Afghanistan who was dedicated to telling the soldier’s story was the first Army journalist killed in combat since 9/11.
Staff Sgt. James P. Hunter died June 18 when a patrol he was with was struck by improvised explosive device in Kandahar.
read more here
http://www.armytimes.com/news/2010/07/ap_journalist_killed_070410/
Vietnam vet devoted post-military career to helping PTSD sufferers
'a true American hero'
Vietnam vet devoted post-military career to helping PTSD sufferers
By NATALIE JORDAN, The Daily News, njordan@bgdailynews.com
Saturday, July 3, 2010 11:15 PM CDT
Grady Pratt, lying in a bed at Greenview Regional Hospital, looked out the large window to his right. He then gazed at his wife before turning to a candy-filled bucket that read “You Are a Hero” around the rim.
“People’s attitudes towards veterans is changing,” said Pratt, a veteran of the Vietnam War who served from 1967 to 1970.
The July 4 commemoration of the United States’ independence is often celebrated with food, music and fireworks. But for veterans such as Pratt, today represents more than just barbecue and pyrotechnics - it’s a time for all Americans to remember the reasons behind the holiday: freedom and patriotism.
“People know more about war than they used to, so they’re more appreciative of soldiers now,” Pratt said in an interview last week. “They say thanks for our service now.”
read more here
http://bgdailynews.com/articles/2010/07/04/news/news1.txt
Vietnam vet devoted post-military career to helping PTSD sufferers
By NATALIE JORDAN, The Daily News, njordan@bgdailynews.com
Saturday, July 3, 2010 11:15 PM CDT
PTSD, Grady Pratt said, wasn’t recognized as a disorder until the 1980s. The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs estimates that 830,000 Vietnam War veterans suffered symptoms of PTSD.
“For 43 years, he’s been dealing with this,” Waldean Pratt said. “He’s still fighting it.”
Grady Pratt, lying in a bed at Greenview Regional Hospital, looked out the large window to his right. He then gazed at his wife before turning to a candy-filled bucket that read “You Are a Hero” around the rim.
“People’s attitudes towards veterans is changing,” said Pratt, a veteran of the Vietnam War who served from 1967 to 1970.
The July 4 commemoration of the United States’ independence is often celebrated with food, music and fireworks. But for veterans such as Pratt, today represents more than just barbecue and pyrotechnics - it’s a time for all Americans to remember the reasons behind the holiday: freedom and patriotism.
“People know more about war than they used to, so they’re more appreciative of soldiers now,” Pratt said in an interview last week. “They say thanks for our service now.”
read more here
http://bgdailynews.com/articles/2010/07/04/news/news1.txt
Slain Florida officers remembered at funeral
Slain Florida officers remembered at funeral; suspect denied bond
By the CNN Wire Staff
July 3, 2010 3:52 p.m. EDT
STORY HIGHLIGHTS
NEW: Thousands gather to pay tribute to slain officers
NEW: Judge denies bond to alleged killer
Dontae Morris was arrested Friday
Tampa's police community relieved by arrest
(CNN) -- Hours after the arrest of a suspect, thousands of friends, family and fellow officers gathered Saturday to pay tribute to two slain Florida policemen.
An emotional funeral unfolded inside a Tampa church as suspect Dontae Morris, arrested on Friday, appeared in court for the first time. He was denied bond, CNN affiliate Bay News 9 reported, and is being held at the Hillsborough County Jail.
Morris surrendered after a third party tipped off police, said Police Chief Jane Castor. Police also arrested 22-year-old Cortnee Brantly, the woman believed to have been driving the car at the time of the shooting, Castor said.
The arrests came after a massive manhunt and were a relief, Castor said. They meant the department would be able to provide officers Jeffrey Kocab and David Curtis with the honorable tribute they deserve, Castor said.
"This has brought us a sense of closure, and I pray the arrest brings a level of peace to the families of the officers," she said.
read more here
Slain Florida officers remembered at funeral
By the CNN Wire Staff
July 3, 2010 3:52 p.m. EDT
STORY HIGHLIGHTS
NEW: Thousands gather to pay tribute to slain officers
NEW: Judge denies bond to alleged killer
Dontae Morris was arrested Friday
Tampa's police community relieved by arrest
(CNN) -- Hours after the arrest of a suspect, thousands of friends, family and fellow officers gathered Saturday to pay tribute to two slain Florida policemen.
An emotional funeral unfolded inside a Tampa church as suspect Dontae Morris, arrested on Friday, appeared in court for the first time. He was denied bond, CNN affiliate Bay News 9 reported, and is being held at the Hillsborough County Jail.
Morris surrendered after a third party tipped off police, said Police Chief Jane Castor. Police also arrested 22-year-old Cortnee Brantly, the woman believed to have been driving the car at the time of the shooting, Castor said.
The arrests came after a massive manhunt and were a relief, Castor said. They meant the department would be able to provide officers Jeffrey Kocab and David Curtis with the honorable tribute they deserve, Castor said.
"This has brought us a sense of closure, and I pray the arrest brings a level of peace to the families of the officers," she said.
read more here
Slain Florida officers remembered at funeral
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