Arlington Cemetery problems were documented in 2005 but never fixed
By Aaron C. Davis and Christian Davenport
Washington Post Staff Writers
Wednesday, July 28, 2010
Arlington National Cemetery officials knew more than five years ago that many burials did not match Arlington's maps and paper records, according to documents released Tuesday by a Senate subcommittee investigating millions of dollars in botched contracts overseen by the Army.
read more here
Arlington Cemetery problems were documented in 2005
Linked from RawStory
Wednesday, July 28, 2010
WikiLeaks has FBI, DOD and Congress up in arms
Bill to pull trainers out of Pakistan fails
The Associated Press
Posted : Tuesday Jul 27, 2010 19:21:22 EDT
WASHINGTON — The House has rejected a resolution directing the president to remove all U.S. troops from Pakistan.
The U.S. has several hundred military trainers in Pakistan, and the sponsor of the resolution, Rep. Dennis Kucinich, D-Ohio, said Congress should act now to prevent the military presence there from growing.
read more here
Bill to pull trainers out of Pakistan fails
Whistle-blowing site shrouded in own secrecy
WikiLeaks emerged in 2007 as a self-described check on unjustified government secrecy and the abuses that can come with it, yet the organization itself is shrouded in no small amount of secrecy.
The Associated Press
Posted : Tuesday Jul 27, 2010 19:21:22 EDT
WASHINGTON — The House has rejected a resolution directing the president to remove all U.S. troops from Pakistan.
The U.S. has several hundred military trainers in Pakistan, and the sponsor of the resolution, Rep. Dennis Kucinich, D-Ohio, said Congress should act now to prevent the military presence there from growing.
read more here
Bill to pull trainers out of Pakistan fails
FBI chief: Agents assisting DoD on WikiLeaks
The Associated Press
Posted : Wednesday Jul 28, 2010 12:37:34 EDT
WASHINGTON — FBI Director Robert Mueller says the bureau is assisting the Defense Department in its criminal investigation into the release of about 91,000 secret U.S. military documents on Afghanistan.
read more here
Whistle-blowing site shrouded in own secrecy
WikiLeaks emerged in 2007 as a self-described check on unjustified government secrecy and the abuses that can come with it, yet the organization itself is shrouded in no small amount of secrecy.
Idaho Soldier Gets Standing Ovation in Congress
Idaho Soldier Gets Standing Ovation in Congress
Posted by George Prentice on Tue, Jul 27, 2010 at 5:58 PM
A severely wounded Marine from Cottonwood received a standing ovation on the floor of the House of Representatives Monday. Lt. Cpl. Randal Wright is receiving treatment at Walter Reed Hospital for injuries suffered due to an IED blast in Afghanistan where he lost both legs and an arm.
At the invitation of Idaho Rep. Walt Minnick, Wright was invited to tour the Capitol with his family. As an extra surprise, he was escorted to the floor of the House and was introduced and praised by Majority Leader Steny Hoyer and Speaker Nancy Pelosi.
read more here
Idaho Soldier Gets Standing Ovation in Congress
Posted by George Prentice on Tue, Jul 27, 2010 at 5:58 PM
A severely wounded Marine from Cottonwood received a standing ovation on the floor of the House of Representatives Monday. Lt. Cpl. Randal Wright is receiving treatment at Walter Reed Hospital for injuries suffered due to an IED blast in Afghanistan where he lost both legs and an arm.
At the invitation of Idaho Rep. Walt Minnick, Wright was invited to tour the Capitol with his family. As an extra surprise, he was escorted to the floor of the House and was introduced and praised by Majority Leader Steny Hoyer and Speaker Nancy Pelosi.
read more here
Idaho Soldier Gets Standing Ovation in Congress
Fallen soldiers' families ripped off by Prudential Financial?
UPDATE
A Fallen Hero: How an Insurance Company Profited
Katie Couric Reports on One Family's Experience with Dead Soldier Benefits and a Giant Insurance Firm
By Katie Couric
(CBS) In nearly a decade of war in Afghanistan and Iraq, 5,620 Americans have died. Survivors of these fallen heroes are entitled to a life-insurance payment and the government uses a private company to handle it. What happened to the mother of 24-year-old Ryan Baumann of Great Mills, Maryland when she tried to collect serves as a lesson to every military family.
According to a Bloomberg Markets Magazine investigation, insurance companies have been profiting off of the death-benefits of fallen heroes.
"Ryan was a neat kid," said Cindy Lohman - Ryan's mother. "He really wanted to join the Army after 9/11 because he saw that, you know, there were things he could do."
CBS Evening News Anchor Katie Couric reports Sgt. Ryan Baumann was as proud of his mission in Afghanistan as his mother is of him. A soldier with the 101st Airborne, he was stationed in eastern Afghanistan - protecting villagers from the Taliban and providing critical services - like repairing pumps supplying water.
"One of the things that he said to me," Lohman said, "he said 'if anything happens to me, just let the world know we're making a difference over here.'"
But on August 1, 2008, Ryan was riding in a Humvee when he spotted an improvised explosive device, an IED.
"He told his driver, 'go left,' and that placed the IED directly under him," Lohman said.
Baumann was killed instantly. The driver, gunner and medic with him all survived.
read more here
How an Insurance Company Profited
A Fallen Hero: How an Insurance Company Profited
Katie Couric Reports on One Family's Experience with Dead Soldier Benefits and a Giant Insurance Firm
By Katie Couric
(CBS) In nearly a decade of war in Afghanistan and Iraq, 5,620 Americans have died. Survivors of these fallen heroes are entitled to a life-insurance payment and the government uses a private company to handle it. What happened to the mother of 24-year-old Ryan Baumann of Great Mills, Maryland when she tried to collect serves as a lesson to every military family.
According to a Bloomberg Markets Magazine investigation, insurance companies have been profiting off of the death-benefits of fallen heroes.
"Ryan was a neat kid," said Cindy Lohman - Ryan's mother. "He really wanted to join the Army after 9/11 because he saw that, you know, there were things he could do."
CBS Evening News Anchor Katie Couric reports Sgt. Ryan Baumann was as proud of his mission in Afghanistan as his mother is of him. A soldier with the 101st Airborne, he was stationed in eastern Afghanistan - protecting villagers from the Taliban and providing critical services - like repairing pumps supplying water.
"One of the things that he said to me," Lohman said, "he said 'if anything happens to me, just let the world know we're making a difference over here.'"
But on August 1, 2008, Ryan was riding in a Humvee when he spotted an improvised explosive device, an IED.
"He told his driver, 'go left,' and that placed the IED directly under him," Lohman said.
Baumann was killed instantly. The driver, gunner and medic with him all survived.
read more here
How an Insurance Company Profited
VCS in the News: Fallen Soldiers' Families Denied Cash as Insurance Companies Profit
Written by David Evans
Wednesday, 28 July 2010 09:52
Top VA Officials Unaware of Scam; VCS Blasts "Secret Profits" for Prudential and MetLife
July 28, 2010 (Bloomberg News) - The package arrived at Cindy Lohman’s home in Great Mills, Maryland, just two weeks after she learned that her son, Ryan, a 24-year-old Army sergeant, had been killed by a bomb in Afghanistan. It was a thick, 9-inch-by- 12-inch envelope from Prudential Financial Inc., which handles life insurance for the Department of Veterans Affairs.
Inside was a letter from Prudential about Ryan’s $400,000 policy. And there was something else, which looked like a checkbook. The letter told Lohman that the full amount of her payout would be placed in a convenient interest-bearing account, allowing her time to decide how to use the benefit.
“You can hold the money in the account for safekeeping for as long as you like,” the letter said. In tiny print, in a disclaimer that Lohman says she didn’t notice, Prudential disclosed that what it called its Alliance Account was not guaranteed by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp., Bloomberg Markets magazine reports in its September issue. Lohman, 52, left the money untouched for six months after her son’s August 2008 death.
“It’s like you’re paying me off because my child was killed,” she says. “It was a consolation prize that I didn’t want.”
*** Stephen Wurtz, deputy assistant director for insurance at the VA, who has overseen the insurance program for 25 years, has been kept in the dark by Prudential. ***
*** “It’s shameful that an insurance company is stealing money from the families of our fallen servicemen,” says Paul Sullivan, who served in the 1991 Gulf War as an Army cavalry scout and is now executive director of Veterans for Common Sense, a nonprofit advocacy group based in Washington. “I’m outraged.” ***
read more here
Fallen Soldiers Families Denied Cash
Vietnam veteran and advocate laid to rest with full military honors
Soldier, veterans' advocate given full military burial
by the Cherokee Tribune staff
July 23, 2010
Jack Perry Harrison of Woodstock, known statewide for his volunteer work on behalf of veterans and their families, has died.
The 61-year-old Vietnam veteran was buried on Monday with full military honors at the Georgia National Cemetery in Sutallee. The Rev. Claude Smithmier officiated the service.
Harrison served in the Army and the Air Force. During his tour in Vietnam, he was a door gunner on a Huey helicopter and a combat medic.
Following his military service, Harrison owned and operated Jack Harrison Contracting Company.
After retiring, he devoted his life full-time to advocating for veterans and their families, ensuring veterans received medical care for their service-connected injuries and that their widows were cared for as well.
It is estimated he helped with more than 4,000 Veterans Administration claims in his seven years of advocacy work.
Read more: Cherokee Tribune -
Soldier veterans advocate given full military burial
by the Cherokee Tribune staff
July 23, 2010
Jack Perry Harrison of Woodstock, known statewide for his volunteer work on behalf of veterans and their families, has died.
The 61-year-old Vietnam veteran was buried on Monday with full military honors at the Georgia National Cemetery in Sutallee. The Rev. Claude Smithmier officiated the service.
Harrison served in the Army and the Air Force. During his tour in Vietnam, he was a door gunner on a Huey helicopter and a combat medic.
Following his military service, Harrison owned and operated Jack Harrison Contracting Company.
After retiring, he devoted his life full-time to advocating for veterans and their families, ensuring veterans received medical care for their service-connected injuries and that their widows were cared for as well.
It is estimated he helped with more than 4,000 Veterans Administration claims in his seven years of advocacy work.
Read more: Cherokee Tribune -
Soldier veterans advocate given full military burial
Vietnam veterans laid to rest at the Fort Bliss National Cemetery
Vietnam veterans laid to rest
By John Hall For the Sun-News
Posted: 07/22/2010
EL PASO - Army Sgt. Dana J. Carr and Marine Corps Lance Cpl. Harold Lee Gibson were laid to rest Thursday at the Fort Bliss National Cemetery - more than two years after their deaths.
The men served during the Vietnam War.
Dozens gathered to pay their respects and honor the veterans, though none were family or friends. Carr and Gibson were homeless when they died.
The Dignity Memorial Homeless Veterans Burial Program has provided services for four homeless veterans in the area this year, including Carr and Gibson.
Members of the Patriot Guard Riders from El Paso and Alamogordo as well as American Legion Riders rode into the cemetery on their motorcycles for the services. The Patriot Guard Riders are a nationwide organization that attends funerals for service members and veterans to "protect and respect" the deceased and their families.
Vietnam veterans laid to rest
read more here
Vietnam veterans laid to rest Silver City Sun News
By John Hall For the Sun-News
Posted: 07/22/2010
EL PASO - Army Sgt. Dana J. Carr and Marine Corps Lance Cpl. Harold Lee Gibson were laid to rest Thursday at the Fort Bliss National Cemetery - more than two years after their deaths.
The men served during the Vietnam War.
Dozens gathered to pay their respects and honor the veterans, though none were family or friends. Carr and Gibson were homeless when they died.
The Dignity Memorial Homeless Veterans Burial Program has provided services for four homeless veterans in the area this year, including Carr and Gibson.
Members of the Patriot Guard Riders from El Paso and Alamogordo as well as American Legion Riders rode into the cemetery on their motorcycles for the services. The Patriot Guard Riders are a nationwide organization that attends funerals for service members and veterans to "protect and respect" the deceased and their families.
Vietnam veterans laid to rest
read more here
Vietnam veterans laid to rest Silver City Sun News
The homeless brother I cannot save
We read about numbers of homeless, but families know their names. they become homeless for all sorts of reasons. One of the big ones is mental illness. We read about families so fed up, they can't take it anymore and turn their backs on these people, but some families did all they could. This is about a sister who clearly loves her brother but because of mental illness he lives on the streets. If you have someone in your family living on the streets, you may find some sort of comfort from reading this heartbreaking story from a sister. If you judge the homeless as just being lazy, then you should read this to understand why so many are homeless. Society turned their backs on the mentally ill a long time ago.
The homeless brother I cannot save
By Ashley Womble
A year ago, Jay traded my parents' home for the street. But the more I try to help him, the more I lose myself.
Like any New Yorker, I was no stranger to homeless people. I passed by them on my way to the shiny glass tower where I worked for a glossy women's magazine: the older lady perched atop a milk crate in the subway station, the man curled up in a dirty sleeping bag and clutching a stuffed animal. They were unfortunate ornaments of the city, unlucky in ways I never really considered.
Until one hot summer day in 2009 when my little brother Jay left his key on the coffee table and walked out of his house in West Texas to live on the streets instead. In the days that followed I spent hours on the phone with detectives, social workers and even the FBI, frantically trying to track him down. A friend designed a "Missing" poster using the most recent picture I had of him wearing a hoodie and a Modest Mouse T-shirt, a can of beer in his hand and a deer-in-headlights expression on his face. I created a Facebook group and contacted old acquaintances still living in our hometown of Lubbock, begging everyone I even remotely knew to help me find him. No luck. If it had been me, a pretty young white woman, chances are my face would have been all over the news -- but the sudden disappearance of a 20-year-old guy with paranoid schizophrenia didn't exactly warrant an Amber Alert.
In the year and a half that mental illness had ravaged my brother's mind, I'd learned to lower my expectations of what his life would be like. The smart kid who followed politics in elementary school probably wouldn't become a lawyer after all. Instead of going to college after high school, Jay became obsessed with 9/11 conspiracy theories. What began as merely eccentric curdled into something manic and disturbing: He believed the planners of 9/11 were a group of people called "The Cahoots" who had created a 24-hour television network to monitor his actions and control his thoughts -- a bizarre delusion that appeared seemingly out of nowhere. Eventually, his story expanded until "The Cahoots" became one branch of the New World Order, a government whose purpose was to overturn Christianity, and he had been appointed by God to stop it.
read more here
The homeless brother I cannot save
Tuesday, July 27, 2010
Marine impersonator in custody
Marine impersonator in custody
Published: July 26, 2010 at 4:21 PM
SCOTTSDALE, Ariz., July 26 (UPI) -- An Arizona man convicted in absentia of fraud and forgery after his past as a U.S. Marine was revealed as a fabrication was taken into custody in California.
Authorities said John Rodriguez, 31, of Scottsdale had claimed to be a decorated Marine sergeant and used the lie to gain access to military bases, obtain discounts on airline tickets and attend the Marine Corps Ball in Las Vegas, The Arizona Republic reported Monday.
read more here
Marine impersonator in custody
Published: July 26, 2010 at 4:21 PM
SCOTTSDALE, Ariz., July 26 (UPI) -- An Arizona man convicted in absentia of fraud and forgery after his past as a U.S. Marine was revealed as a fabrication was taken into custody in California.
Authorities said John Rodriguez, 31, of Scottsdale had claimed to be a decorated Marine sergeant and used the lie to gain access to military bases, obtain discounts on airline tickets and attend the Marine Corps Ball in Las Vegas, The Arizona Republic reported Monday.
read more here
Marine impersonator in custody
Patriot Guard Riders and the POW-MIA flag
Date: Tue, Jul 27, 2010 at 4:59 AM
Subject: PGR Statewide - AZ - HOTH - POW/MIA Flag Signed in to Law, Phoenix, AZ - 4 Aug 10
.
HOTH POW/MIA Flag signed in to Law, August 4th, Phoenix, Az
Patriot Guard Riders have been asked by Rep Jerry Weirs to organize anescort of all organizations to escort the new flags to be flown at theCapitol and witness as the law is signed by Gov Jan Brewer. The ceremony will be at 0800 SHARP. A brief ceremony will follow with introductions of Former POWs living in Az and Special guests. Az has passed in to law that the MIA/POW flag will be flown at State andCounty buildings in honor of those who remain MIA and POWs unaccounted for
that we will NEVER forget!.
This law has been sought for some time. As posted by the Department of Veterans Affairs:In 1971, Mrs. Michael Hoff, the wife of a U.S. military officer listed asmissing in action during the Vietnam War, developed the idea for a national
flag to remind every American of the U.S. servicemembers whose fates werenever accounted for during the war.The black and white image of a gaunt silhouette, a strand of barbed wire andan ominous watchtower was designed by Newt Heisley, a former World War II pilot.
Some claim the silhouette is a profile of Heisley's son, who contracted hepatitis while training to go to Vietnam. The virus ravaged hisbody, leaving his features hallow and emaciated. They suggest that while staring at his son's sunken features, Heisley saw the stark image ofAmerican servicemembers held captive under harsh conditions. Using a pencil,he sketched his son's profile, creating the basis for a symbol that would come to have a powerful impact on the national conscience.By the end of the Vietnam War, more than 2,500 servicemembers were listed bythe Department of Defense as Prisoner of War (POW) or Missing in Action(MIA).
In 1979, as families of the missing pressed for full accountability, Congress and the president proclaimed the first National POW/MIA RecognitionDay to acknowledge the families' concerns and symbolize the steadfastresolve of the American people to never forget the men and women who gave up their freedom protecting ours. Three years later, in 1982, the POW/MIA flagbecame the only flag other than the Stars and Stripes to fly over the WhiteHouse in Washington, D.C.
On August 10, 1990, Congress passed U.S. Public Law 101-355, designating the POW/MIA flag: "The symbol of our Nation's concern and commitment to resolving as fully aspossible the fates of Americans still prisoner, missing and unaccounted forin Southeast Asia." Displaying the POW/MIA Flag Congress designated the third Friday of September as National POW/MIA Recognition Day and ordered prominent display of the POW/MIA flag on thisday and several other national observances, including Armed Forces Day, Memorial Day, Flag Day, Independence Day and Veterans Day. The 1998 Defense Authorization Act (P.L. 105-85) mandates that on these national observances,the POW/MIA flag is to be flown over the White House, the U.S. Capitol, the Korean and Vietnam Veterans War Memorials, the offices of the Secretaries ofState, Defense and Veterans Affairs, offices of the Director of theSelective Service System, every major military installation (as directed by the Secretary of Defense), every post office and all Department of VeteransAffairs (VA) medical centers and national cemeteries.
The act also directs VA medical centers to fly the POW/MIA flag on any day on which the flag of the United States is displayed.When displayed from a single flag pole, the POW/MIA flag should fly directlybelow, and be no larger than, the United States flag. If on separate poles,the U.S. flag should always be placed to the right of other flags. On the six national observances for which Congress has ordered display of the POW/MIA flag, it is generally flown immediately below or adjacent to the UnitedStates flag as second in order of precedence."as a symbol of our Nation's concern and commitment to resolving as fully as possible the fates of Americans still prisoner, missing and unaccounted forin Southeast Asia, thus ending the uncertainty for their families and the Nation." Beyond Southeast Asia, it has been a symbol for POW/MIAs from all U.S. wars.
Subject: PGR Statewide - AZ - HOTH - POW/MIA Flag Signed in to Law, Phoenix, AZ - 4 Aug 10
.
HOTH POW/MIA Flag signed in to Law, August 4th, Phoenix, Az
Patriot Guard Riders have been asked by Rep Jerry Weirs to organize anescort of all organizations to escort the new flags to be flown at theCapitol and witness as the law is signed by Gov Jan Brewer. The ceremony will be at 0800 SHARP. A brief ceremony will follow with introductions of Former POWs living in Az and Special guests. Az has passed in to law that the MIA/POW flag will be flown at State andCounty buildings in honor of those who remain MIA and POWs unaccounted for
that we will NEVER forget!.
This law has been sought for some time. As posted by the Department of Veterans Affairs:In 1971, Mrs. Michael Hoff, the wife of a U.S. military officer listed asmissing in action during the Vietnam War, developed the idea for a national
flag to remind every American of the U.S. servicemembers whose fates werenever accounted for during the war.The black and white image of a gaunt silhouette, a strand of barbed wire andan ominous watchtower was designed by Newt Heisley, a former World War II pilot.
Some claim the silhouette is a profile of Heisley's son, who contracted hepatitis while training to go to Vietnam. The virus ravaged hisbody, leaving his features hallow and emaciated. They suggest that while staring at his son's sunken features, Heisley saw the stark image ofAmerican servicemembers held captive under harsh conditions. Using a pencil,he sketched his son's profile, creating the basis for a symbol that would come to have a powerful impact on the national conscience.By the end of the Vietnam War, more than 2,500 servicemembers were listed bythe Department of Defense as Prisoner of War (POW) or Missing in Action(MIA).
In 1979, as families of the missing pressed for full accountability, Congress and the president proclaimed the first National POW/MIA RecognitionDay to acknowledge the families' concerns and symbolize the steadfastresolve of the American people to never forget the men and women who gave up their freedom protecting ours. Three years later, in 1982, the POW/MIA flagbecame the only flag other than the Stars and Stripes to fly over the WhiteHouse in Washington, D.C.
On August 10, 1990, Congress passed U.S. Public Law 101-355, designating the POW/MIA flag: "The symbol of our Nation's concern and commitment to resolving as fully aspossible the fates of Americans still prisoner, missing and unaccounted forin Southeast Asia." Displaying the POW/MIA Flag Congress designated the third Friday of September as National POW/MIA Recognition Day and ordered prominent display of the POW/MIA flag on thisday and several other national observances, including Armed Forces Day, Memorial Day, Flag Day, Independence Day and Veterans Day. The 1998 Defense Authorization Act (P.L. 105-85) mandates that on these national observances,the POW/MIA flag is to be flown over the White House, the U.S. Capitol, the Korean and Vietnam Veterans War Memorials, the offices of the Secretaries ofState, Defense and Veterans Affairs, offices of the Director of theSelective Service System, every major military installation (as directed by the Secretary of Defense), every post office and all Department of VeteransAffairs (VA) medical centers and national cemeteries.
The act also directs VA medical centers to fly the POW/MIA flag on any day on which the flag of the United States is displayed.When displayed from a single flag pole, the POW/MIA flag should fly directlybelow, and be no larger than, the United States flag. If on separate poles,the U.S. flag should always be placed to the right of other flags. On the six national observances for which Congress has ordered display of the POW/MIA flag, it is generally flown immediately below or adjacent to the UnitedStates flag as second in order of precedence."as a symbol of our Nation's concern and commitment to resolving as fully as possible the fates of Americans still prisoner, missing and unaccounted forin Southeast Asia, thus ending the uncertainty for their families and the Nation." Beyond Southeast Asia, it has been a symbol for POW/MIAs from all U.S. wars.
War of the Revolution: POW - 18,152 MIA - 1,426
War of 1812: POW - 20,000 MIA - 695
Mexican War: POW - 46 MIA - 238
Indian Wars (US): POW - 339 MIA - 11
Indian Wars (Native American): POW - 2,958 MIA - 40
Civil War - Union:POW/MIA - 194,743 .
Civil War - Confederacy: POW/MIA - 214,865 .
Spanish-American War: POW - 8 MIA - 72
World War I: POW/MIA - 7,470 .
World War II: POW - 124,079 MIA - 30,314
Cold War Era: POW - Classified MIA - 343
Korean War: POW - 7,140 MIA - 8,025
Vietnam War: POW - 766 MIA - 1,719
U.S.S. Pueblo: POW - 83
Grenada: . MIA - 4
U.S.S. Stark: . MIA - 1
Persian Gulf War: POWs - 29 MIAs - 21
Somalia: POW - 6 MIA - 2
Yugoslavia: POWs - 3
STAGING: Wednesday August 4th 06151204 Nth 91st Ave (empty strip mall)Tolleson, AzKSU NLT 0715 enroute to the Capitol bldg. Ride Captain: Louann Thomas tohidu@cox.net
We will need all the Road Guards we can get!We will need a Flag Dude for initial staging and also one waiting at theCapitol with flags ready to be grabbed by the those arriving.
ALL Organizations, Bikes, and Cages!!! Veterans organizations are coming
from California (about 300 anticipated)!! Let's make the Arizona contingent double that or more! This is a great moment to see those men and women Missing In Action andthose Prisoner Of War honored with the promise "We will not forget".
Greatest Respects,
Louann Thomas
Patriot Guard Ridertohidu@cox.net
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