Golden Knight gets stuck on ballpark flagpole
The Associated Press
Posted : Wednesday Aug 25, 2010 10:07:35 EDT
ARLINGTON, Texas — Just a bit outside.
A U.S. Army skydiver was left dangling on a flagpole at Rangers Ballpark after his parachute got entangled during a pregame jump Tuesday night.
The Rangers said the unidentified jumper was uninjured after he unbuckled himself from the chute and dropped a few feet to a work platform on top of the scoreboard, the highest point of the stadium.
read more here
Golden Knight gets stuck on ballpark flagpole
Wednesday, August 25, 2010
LAPD get well music video for LA Cop injured in Afghanistan
Hollywood-style get-well greeting for an L.A. cop in Afghanistan
A fellow police officer and his musician friend make a music video, complete with footage shot from an LAPD helicopter, for the Marine reservist injured by a bomb blast.
By Bob Pool, Los Angeles Times
August 20, 2010
Enthusiasm was sky high when Los Angeles police officers decided to cheer up a colleague injured by an Afghanistan bomb blast.
Co-workers and strangers joined to create a music video that aims to boost the spirits of Marine Staff Sgt. Joshua J. Cullins.
In civilian life, the Marine reservist is a police officer assigned to the downtown area.
Cullins, 28, is also an explosive ordnance disposal specialist assigned to a unit in Marja, in Afghanistan's dangerous Helmand province.
He was disarming a 15-pound roadside bomb when it blew up July 16. He suffered a concussion in the blast.
When word of the injury reached the Police Department's Central Division, officers decided to send Cullins their best wishes. But instead of just signing a get-well card, they set out to record personal messages to him on video.
read more here
Hollywood style get well greeting for an LA cop in Afghanistan
A fellow police officer and his musician friend make a music video, complete with footage shot from an LAPD helicopter, for the Marine reservist injured by a bomb blast.
By Bob Pool, Los Angeles Times
August 20, 2010
Enthusiasm was sky high when Los Angeles police officers decided to cheer up a colleague injured by an Afghanistan bomb blast.
Co-workers and strangers joined to create a music video that aims to boost the spirits of Marine Staff Sgt. Joshua J. Cullins.
In civilian life, the Marine reservist is a police officer assigned to the downtown area.
Cullins, 28, is also an explosive ordnance disposal specialist assigned to a unit in Marja, in Afghanistan's dangerous Helmand province.
He was disarming a 15-pound roadside bomb when it blew up July 16. He suffered a concussion in the blast.
When word of the injury reached the Police Department's Central Division, officers decided to send Cullins their best wishes. But instead of just signing a get-well card, they set out to record personal messages to him on video.
read more here
Hollywood style get well greeting for an LA cop in Afghanistan
The completed two-part video was being posted Thursday evening on YouTube for Cullins and his Marine buddies to see. It's labeled "Hunter Ackerman — Welcome Home."
Female Army soldier involved in domestic incident
Police: Army soldier involved in domestic incident
Associated Press
08/24/10 4:30 PM PDT SAVANNAH, GA. — Savannah police say an Army soldier is suspected in a shooting incident that left her husband seriously injured Tuesday.
Savannah-Chatham police have not identified the woman or the man. They say it happened around 11:30 a.m. at a Windsor Forest home.
Read more at the San Francisco Examiner: Army soldier involved in domestic incident
UPDATE August 26, 2010
Soldier’s husband ‘primary aggressor’ in domestic shooting
The husband of a 3rd Infantry Division soldier was determined to be the primary aggressor in a domestic shooting Tuesday on Savannah's Southside, confirmed Savannah-Chatham Metropolitan Police Department Information Officer Gena Moore. The soldier, Spc. Marlena McLaughlin, 24, is attached to an aviation brigade at Hunter Army Airfield, said Fort Stewart media chief Kevin Larson. McLaughlin's home of record is Wake Forest, N.C, Larson said.
"Officers found 26-year-old Charlie McLaughlin lying in the front yard of the residence suffering from a gunshot wound. His wife, Marlena McLaughlin, was across the street. She had run there to get help after an argument had escalated into violence. She told officers she had shot her husband after he had beaten her severely," read a SCMPD release.
go here for more of this
http://www.coastalcourier.com/news/article/23950/
Associated Press
08/24/10 4:30 PM PDT SAVANNAH, GA. — Savannah police say an Army soldier is suspected in a shooting incident that left her husband seriously injured Tuesday.
Savannah-Chatham police have not identified the woman or the man. They say it happened around 11:30 a.m. at a Windsor Forest home.
Read more at the San Francisco Examiner: Army soldier involved in domestic incident
UPDATE August 26, 2010
Soldier’s husband ‘primary aggressor’ in domestic shooting
The husband of a 3rd Infantry Division soldier was determined to be the primary aggressor in a domestic shooting Tuesday on Savannah's Southside, confirmed Savannah-Chatham Metropolitan Police Department Information Officer Gena Moore. The soldier, Spc. Marlena McLaughlin, 24, is attached to an aviation brigade at Hunter Army Airfield, said Fort Stewart media chief Kevin Larson. McLaughlin's home of record is Wake Forest, N.C, Larson said.
"Officers found 26-year-old Charlie McLaughlin lying in the front yard of the residence suffering from a gunshot wound. His wife, Marlena McLaughlin, was across the street. She had run there to get help after an argument had escalated into violence. She told officers she had shot her husband after he had beaten her severely," read a SCMPD release.
go here for more of this
http://www.coastalcourier.com/news/article/23950/
Deputies get help with postwar trauma
Michael Sears
Milwaukee County Sheriff’s Sgt. Colin Briggs, who served in Iraq and Afghanistan, is back and supervising deputies at the lakefront. But sometimes the hot sun can bring flashbacks.
Deputies get help with postwar trauma
Sheriff's Department program will guide returning veterans
By Eric Randall of the Journal Sentinel
Aug. 24, 2010
When he's driving his cruiser on a warm day, with the sun beating down on the pavement, Milwaukee Sheriff's Sgt. Colin Briggs says it is easy to flash back to the roads in Iraq.
Briggs served there, and Afghanistan before that, as a combat adviser to local security forces.
Odd as it may seem, the difference between Milwaukee and Baghdad can be difficult to perceive for some returning veterans who serve in law enforcement - the result of a war in which urban patrolling makes a soldier's job more similar to a police officer's than in any previous war. Those similarities can be dangerous when soldiers who have been taught to drive fast and stop for nothing translate that experience to the roads of Milwaukee County.
But speeding is not the most disastrous of the potential side-effects facing veterans who return to law enforcement jobs. Last October, a sheriff's sergeant, Scott Krause, repeatedly punched a handcuffed suspect in the back of his cruiser. After a judge sentenced Krause to 18 months in prison in March, Sheriff David A. Clarke Jr. realized he had a problem.
read the rest here
http://www.jsonline.com/news/milwaukee/101439164.html
Here are two of my videos that may help you understand what Sgt. Briggs is trying to explain.
900 suicide prevention programs across 400 military installations that don't work
If the task force turns to the same people they've been talking to all along, whatever they come up with will fail as well. It is not a matter of them not trying but they have been getting the wrong answers. Congress has been just as bad when they keep asking people who have suffered and it's too late to save the lives already gone. The only thing Congress hears about then is what has failed instead of what has worked. They have to start thinking outside the box and talk to different people. If they want to repeat failures, then they should be talking to people who failed or were failed. If they want to find out what works and succeeds then they should be talking to the veterans and families who already passed the test of living.
Task force calls military suicide prevention efforts inadequate
By BARBARA BARRETT
McClatchy Newspapers
A Defense Department task force devoted to preventing suicide in the military presented a grim picture of the trend Tuesday, with suicides rising at a near steady pace even as commanders apply various balms to soothe a stressed, exhausted fighting force.The military has nearly 900 suicide prevention programs across 400 military installations worldwide, but in a report released Tuesday, the task force describes the Defense Department's approach as a safety net riddled with holes.
Last year, 309 men and women slipped through.
In 2008, 267 service members committed suicide. In 2007, the number was 224.
However, the task force also gave a message of hope: Prevention efforts can work, members said, and suicidal behavior after combat deployment isn't normal.
"Having any of our nation's warriors die by suicide is not acceptable - not now, not ever," said Army Maj. Gen. Philip Volpe, a physician and co-chairman of the Department of Defense Task Force on the Prevention of Suicide by Members of the Armed Forces.
Among the task force's findings:
-The military doesn't have enough behavioral specialists and suicide prevention officers, and that those it has need better training.
-Suicide prevention programs aren't streamlined across services.
-Service members still encounter discriminatory and humiliating experiences when seeking psychiatric help.
-Unit-level leaders especially struggle with how to assist the men and women under their guidance.
Read more: Task force calls military suicide prevention efforts inadequate
CBS News thought Afghanistan report was important, Americans didn't care
We complain about the lack of coverage on Afghanistan and Iraq yet when they do a fine job Americans just don't seem to care. We cannot use the excuse we all have our own problems. During WWII everyone had problems but paid as much attention as they could. It seemed as if everyone knew someone serving. During the Korean War, people still cared enough to find out what was going on. Vietnam was brought into our living rooms everyday. The Gulf War was covered. The invasion of Afghanistan and the first year was covered but then all the talk and coverage was about Iraq. That too faded from the news.
We didn't really know what happened to them when they came home and took off their uniforms. We were not reminded about the troops being sent back over and over again and we were not reminded that many of them were still fighting what the war did to them. Today most don't know how many are in Iraq or Afghanistan, how many died, how many were wounded or how many ended up taking their own lives.
The ratings for the CBS news coverage is about as depressing as it gets when the people of this country are detached from the men and women risking their lives for this country. We should be ashamed that Americans just don't seem to care anymore.
We didn't really know what happened to them when they came home and took off their uniforms. We were not reminded about the troops being sent back over and over again and we were not reminded that many of them were still fighting what the war did to them. Today most don't know how many are in Iraq or Afghanistan, how many died, how many were wounded or how many ended up taking their own lives.
The ratings for the CBS news coverage is about as depressing as it gets when the people of this country are detached from the men and women risking their lives for this country. We should be ashamed that Americans just don't seem to care anymore.
CBS' Afghanistan trip unrewarded, a ratings downer
(AP)
NEW YORK — Television news divisions may be thinking twice about ambitious travel plans.
That was the ominous message delivered to the "CBS Evening News" last week. The Nielsen Co. said Katie Couric's broadcast reached just under 5 million viewers, a low point for evening newscasts for at least two decades and probably much longer.
The week's centerpiece was a two-day trip to Afghanistan, where some striking work was done by Couric and reporter Terry McCarthy. Each of those telecasts had fewer than 4.7 million viewers.
Executive Producer Rick Kaplan says the low ratings aren't a surprise. He says he makes no apologies for the trip.
THIS IS A BREAKING NEWS UPDATE. Check back soon for further information. AP's earlier story is below.
NEW YORK (AP) — Katie Couric and the "CBS Evening News" team did some striking work during a two-day trip to Afghanistan last week, only to see some record-setting low ratings in return.
The Nielsen Co. ratings have to be discouraging to news organizations contemplating expensive assignments in a tough economy. The broadcast's executive producer, Rick Kaplan, said he made "no apologies" for traveling to the war zone because of the importance of the story.
go here for more
CBS Afghanistan trip unrewarded
Tuesday, August 24, 2010
Grandfather's ghost story leads to mysterious mass grave
Grandfather's ghost story leads to mysterious mass grave
By Meghan Rafferty, CNN
August 24, 2010 12:26 p.m. EDT
STORY HIGHLIGHTS
Former railroad worker told ghost story every Thanksgiving
He left a box of documents to one of his grandsons
Brothers followed clues, discovered mass grave in Philadelphia suburb
Experts are checking remains for signs of foul play
Malvern, Pennsylvania (CNN) -- "This is a mass grave," Bill Watson said as he led the way through the thick Pennsylvania woods in a suburb about 30 miles from Philadelphia.
"Duffy's Cut," as it's now called, is a short walk from a suburban cul-de-sac in Malvern, an affluent town off the fabled Main Line. Twin brothers Bill and Frank Watson believe 57 Irish immigrants met violent deaths there after a cholera epidemic struck in 1832.
They suspect foul play.
"This is a murder mystery from 178 years ago, and it's finally coming to the light of day," Frank Watson said.
read more here
Grandfather ghost story leads to mysterious mass grave
By Meghan Rafferty, CNN
August 24, 2010 12:26 p.m. EDT
STORY HIGHLIGHTS
Former railroad worker told ghost story every Thanksgiving
He left a box of documents to one of his grandsons
Brothers followed clues, discovered mass grave in Philadelphia suburb
Experts are checking remains for signs of foul play
Malvern, Pennsylvania (CNN) -- "This is a mass grave," Bill Watson said as he led the way through the thick Pennsylvania woods in a suburb about 30 miles from Philadelphia.
"Duffy's Cut," as it's now called, is a short walk from a suburban cul-de-sac in Malvern, an affluent town off the fabled Main Line. Twin brothers Bill and Frank Watson believe 57 Irish immigrants met violent deaths there after a cholera epidemic struck in 1832.
They suspect foul play.
"This is a murder mystery from 178 years ago, and it's finally coming to the light of day," Frank Watson said.
read more here
Grandfather ghost story leads to mysterious mass grave
Captain David Anthony Wisniewski saved 240 lives and was buried at Arlington yesterday
AP
ARLINGTON, VA - AUGUST 23: U.S. Air Force Captain David Anthony Wisniewski's parents, Chester and Bev Wisniewski attend their son's burial service at Arlington National Cemetery August 23, 2010 in Arlington, Virginia. Originally from Moville, Iowa, the Air Force captain, 31, was the pilot of a Black Hawk helicopter that was shot down during a rescue mission in Afghanistan on June 9 and died of his injuries on July 2. Wisniewski is credited with saving more than 240 soldiers in seven tours of duty in Iraq and Afghanistan, 40 of which were saved in his final rescue mission in June. He was awarded the Purple Heart on June 23.
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Captain David Anthony Wisniewski
ARLINGTON, VA - AUGUST 23: U.S. Air Force Captain David Anthony Wisniewski's parents, Chester and Bev Wisniewski attend their son's burial service at Arlington National Cemetery August 23, 2010 in Arlington, Virginia. Originally from Moville, Iowa, the Air Force captain, 31, was the pilot of a Black Hawk helicopter that was shot down during a rescue mission in Afghanistan on June 9 and died of his injuries on July 2. Wisniewski is credited with saving more than 240 soldiers in seven tours of duty in Iraq and Afghanistan, 40 of which were saved in his final rescue mission in June. He was awarded the Purple Heart on June 23.
go here for more
Captain David Anthony Wisniewski
Fort Campbell pays high price for missions in Afghanistan
Fort Campbell, Ky., pays steepening price in Afghanistan
By Chris Kenning, Louisville Courier-Journal
FORT CAMPBELL, Ky. — It's been a lethal summer for the Fort Campbell's 101st Airborne Division, which has lost 41 soldiers in Afghanistan since March — including 33 in June and July. Nearly 400 have been wounded during that time, military officials said.
The latest losses, including two more last week, represent one of the division's bloodier periods in Afghanistan, where the fighting is increasing as President Obama's troop surge nears its peak.
By the time the 4th Brigade Combat Team deploys this month, the 101st Division's nearly 20,000 troops will represent 20% of the U.S. soldiers in Afghanistan, who are battling Taliban and insurgent strongholds in advance of Obama's planned withdrawal beginning in 2011.
read more here
Fort Campbell
By Chris Kenning, Louisville Courier-Journal
FORT CAMPBELL, Ky. — It's been a lethal summer for the Fort Campbell's 101st Airborne Division, which has lost 41 soldiers in Afghanistan since March — including 33 in June and July. Nearly 400 have been wounded during that time, military officials said.
The latest losses, including two more last week, represent one of the division's bloodier periods in Afghanistan, where the fighting is increasing as President Obama's troop surge nears its peak.
By the time the 4th Brigade Combat Team deploys this month, the 101st Division's nearly 20,000 troops will represent 20% of the U.S. soldiers in Afghanistan, who are battling Taliban and insurgent strongholds in advance of Obama's planned withdrawal beginning in 2011.
read more here
Fort Campbell
Vietnam veteran Rick Hart offers basement bunker wonderland
Basement's a refuge for vets, military
By Chris Reid
MONROE - Vietnam veteran Rick Hart lives by the mantra of never leaving a fellow soldier behind.
Hart and his wife, Linda Lue Hart, have been working out of their basement for years to help send boxes of supplies to troops overseas.
Recently, they discovered a new way to contribute.
Their basement has been transformed into a wonderland of games, jukeboxes and countless novelty items and photographs. It's a space the Harts created to invite friends and neighbors over for fundraisers and parties, or for soldiers when they're in town.
"I think that my arcade games and the bar and the ambiance of this place is what attracts people down here," said Hart, a Marine veteran. "We couldn't convert some VFW or Legion hall into something like this." Hart's mission was to create a place where people could get a good deal for their money - whatever amount that may be.
The Harts hosted their most recent fundraiser on Saturday, when they invited guests to come together for fellow veteran Frank Tate. Tate, who also served in the Marine Corps during Vietnam, developed cirrhosis of the liver, a condition some doctors believed is directly linked to Agent Orange exposure, the herbicide used in Vietnam.
read more here
Basement a refuge for vets, military
By Chris Reid
MONROE - Vietnam veteran Rick Hart lives by the mantra of never leaving a fellow soldier behind.
Hart and his wife, Linda Lue Hart, have been working out of their basement for years to help send boxes of supplies to troops overseas.
Recently, they discovered a new way to contribute.
Their basement has been transformed into a wonderland of games, jukeboxes and countless novelty items and photographs. It's a space the Harts created to invite friends and neighbors over for fundraisers and parties, or for soldiers when they're in town.
"I think that my arcade games and the bar and the ambiance of this place is what attracts people down here," said Hart, a Marine veteran. "We couldn't convert some VFW or Legion hall into something like this." Hart's mission was to create a place where people could get a good deal for their money - whatever amount that may be.
The Harts hosted their most recent fundraiser on Saturday, when they invited guests to come together for fellow veteran Frank Tate. Tate, who also served in the Marine Corps during Vietnam, developed cirrhosis of the liver, a condition some doctors believed is directly linked to Agent Orange exposure, the herbicide used in Vietnam.
read more here
Basement a refuge for vets, military
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