From time to time we come to you and ask for your assistance to help a Veteran in need as we have done in the past.
We now have one veteran in need of our assistance therefore I now come to you to ask again for your help.
This veteran served three tours in Iraq and was honorably discharged, was shot twice and deals with PTSD, was working a good job, and had to take time off due to flashbacks.
Spc. Stephen Lewis has exhausted his vacation and medical leave from work so he came to ask if we’d be able to help him on his utility and telephone which is a total of $188.50.
I have spoke to both of Stephen’s utilities and put off till tomorrow for a firm answer and transfer of funds.
In the mean time his VSO (Veteran Service Officer) is working on getting him a better VA Rating to have his benefits increased.
So I come to you and ask if we have a few good people out there who are willing to donate $25-$50 each to help this veteran.
If you’re able to contribute $25-$50 to help these Veterans, who like many of you have fought for this great Country of ours please click HERE to be taken direct to the PayPal site which is very safe and secure.
Thursday, September 2, 2010
Three Tour Iraq Vet needs your help
Sent from Veterans for Change
Vet shot by police had sought help
Vet shot by police had sought help
By Matthew Santoni and Stephanie Hacke
PITTSBURGH TRIBUNE-REVIEW
Thursday, September 2, 2010
A man police shot to death during a confrontation in Baldwin Borough sought psychiatric treatment at the VA Pittsburgh Healthcare System on Highland Drive before reportedly becoming suicidal, police said.
A Baldwin police officer shot Edward Zevola Sr., 61, at his home Tuesday night on Songo Street, a quiet hilltop enclave of two-story homes and swimming pools above Streets Run Road.
Police said Zevola's wife called them about 9 p.m. to say the two argued and Zevola threatened her with a gun. She told police she feared he was suicidal or willing to kill someone.
By Matthew Santoni and Stephanie Hacke
PITTSBURGH TRIBUNE-REVIEW
Thursday, September 2, 2010
A man police shot to death during a confrontation in Baldwin Borough sought psychiatric treatment at the VA Pittsburgh Healthcare System on Highland Drive before reportedly becoming suicidal, police said.
A Baldwin police officer shot Edward Zevola Sr., 61, at his home Tuesday night on Songo Street, a quiet hilltop enclave of two-story homes and swimming pools above Streets Run Road.
Police said Zevola's wife called them about 9 p.m. to say the two argued and Zevola threatened her with a gun. She told police she feared he was suicidal or willing to kill someone.
Scott said Zevola was in and out of psychiatric treatment at the VA hospital for the past year.
"The only thing I want to say is that this is a tragedy, ... the worst day of all our lives," said a woman who identified herself as Zevola's daughter-in-law, while carrying a suitcase out of his home Wednesday afternoon. "This is horrific, and we want to keep this as private as possible."
Wednesday, September 1, 2010
Man Shot, Killed By Police During Baldwin Standoff
Another oil rig explodes in Gulf of Mexico
Oil Rig Explodes in Gulf of Mexico
Updated: 3 minutes ago
NEW ORLEANS, La. (Sept. 2) -- An offshore petroleum platform exploded and was burning Thursday in the Gulf of Mexico about 100 miles off the Louisiana coast, west of the site where BP's undersea well spilled after a rig explosion.
The Coast Guard said no one was killed in the explosion, which was spotted by a commercial helicopter flying over the site Thursday morning. All 13 people aboard the rig have been accounted for, with one injury. The extent of the injury was not known.
They were rescued from the water by an offshore service vessel, the Crystal Clear, said Coast Guard Cmdr. She said they were taken to a nearby platform. All were being flown to the Terrebonne General Medical Center in Houma to be checked over.
read the rest here
Oil Rig Explodes in Gulf of Mexico
Updated: 3 minutes ago
NEW ORLEANS, La. (Sept. 2) -- An offshore petroleum platform exploded and was burning Thursday in the Gulf of Mexico about 100 miles off the Louisiana coast, west of the site where BP's undersea well spilled after a rig explosion.
The Coast Guard said no one was killed in the explosion, which was spotted by a commercial helicopter flying over the site Thursday morning. All 13 people aboard the rig have been accounted for, with one injury. The extent of the injury was not known.
They were rescued from the water by an offshore service vessel, the Crystal Clear, said Coast Guard Cmdr. She said they were taken to a nearby platform. All were being flown to the Terrebonne General Medical Center in Houma to be checked over.
read the rest here
Oil Rig Explodes in Gulf of Mexico
Wednesday, September 1, 2010
Fort Carson says its suicide rate is falling
Fort Carson says its suicide rate is falling
The Associated Press
Posted : Wednesday Sep 1, 2010 12:34:20 EDT
FORT CARSON, Colo. — Commanders at Fort Carson say the suicide rate among their soldiers is on track to drop by 45 percent.
Fort Carson's deputy commanding general for support, Brig. Gen. Jim Pasquarette, said Wednesday the decrease might be due in part to a campaign to make mental health experts more accessible and to reduce the stigma sometimes associated with seeking help.
He cautions that the rate could still climb. He says officials are still studying the reasons for the declining rate at the post.
Suicide rates are measured in deaths per 100,000 people.
Pasquarette says Fort Carson's rate was 44 per 100,000 in 2008, and this year is on track to be 25 per 100,000.
The Army's overall suicide rate is about 22 per 100,000.
Fort Carson says its suicide rate is falling
The Associated Press
Posted : Wednesday Sep 1, 2010 12:34:20 EDT
FORT CARSON, Colo. — Commanders at Fort Carson say the suicide rate among their soldiers is on track to drop by 45 percent.
Fort Carson's deputy commanding general for support, Brig. Gen. Jim Pasquarette, said Wednesday the decrease might be due in part to a campaign to make mental health experts more accessible and to reduce the stigma sometimes associated with seeking help.
He cautions that the rate could still climb. He says officials are still studying the reasons for the declining rate at the post.
Suicide rates are measured in deaths per 100,000 people.
Pasquarette says Fort Carson's rate was 44 per 100,000 in 2008, and this year is on track to be 25 per 100,000.
The Army's overall suicide rate is about 22 per 100,000.
Fort Carson says its suicide rate is falling
10 infant deaths investigated at Fort Bragg
10 infant deaths investigated at Fort Bragg
By Tom Breen - The Associated Press
Posted : Wednesday Sep 1, 2010 11:49:25 EDT
FORT BRAGG, N.C. — The mysterious deaths of two infants at the same home within three months of each other has prompted a probe into eight other unexplained infant deaths at the Fort Bragg Army base since January 2007, the military said Tuesday.
At a news conference at the base, military leaders say they don’t suspect foul play in any of the deaths, and are conducting tests of the air, building materials and other elements at the on-base housing where the deaths occurred.
So far, though, investigators have not found any link between the deaths since the probe was ordered earlier this summer, according to Christopher Grey, spokesman for the U.S. Army Criminal Investigation Command.
“There are no commonalities that we’ve found thus far,” he said.
go here for more
10 infant deaths investigated at Fort Bragg
By Tom Breen - The Associated Press
Posted : Wednesday Sep 1, 2010 11:49:25 EDT
FORT BRAGG, N.C. — The mysterious deaths of two infants at the same home within three months of each other has prompted a probe into eight other unexplained infant deaths at the Fort Bragg Army base since January 2007, the military said Tuesday.
At a news conference at the base, military leaders say they don’t suspect foul play in any of the deaths, and are conducting tests of the air, building materials and other elements at the on-base housing where the deaths occurred.
So far, though, investigators have not found any link between the deaths since the probe was ordered earlier this summer, according to Christopher Grey, spokesman for the U.S. Army Criminal Investigation Command.
“There are no commonalities that we’ve found thus far,” he said.
go here for more
10 infant deaths investigated at Fort Bragg
Man Shot, Killed By Police During Baldwin Standoff
Man Shot, Killed By Police During Baldwin Standoff
BALDWIN BOROUGH (KDKA)
Sep 1, 2010
Baldwin Borough police shot and killed an armed man while responding to a domestic dispute Tuesday night.
Police say the man threatened to shoot a police officer and that is when an officer fired a single shot, which killed him.
The incident stemmed from a domestic dispute that quickly turned into a standoff.
"One of our officers was across the street from the residence trying to ascertain what the address was when the deceased called out to our officer and said, 'You know, I don't want to shoot you. If I wanted to, I have seven rounds here and I'm a Vietnam vet and I won't shoot for your Kevlar, I'll shoot for your heads,'" Baldwin Police Chief Michael Scott said.
According to police, that's the message they received from Edward Zevola, 61, when they arrived at the home on Songo Street.
read more here
Man Shot Killed By Police During Baldwin Standoff
BALDWIN BOROUGH (KDKA)
Sep 1, 2010
Baldwin Borough police shot and killed an armed man while responding to a domestic dispute Tuesday night.
Police say the man threatened to shoot a police officer and that is when an officer fired a single shot, which killed him.
The incident stemmed from a domestic dispute that quickly turned into a standoff.
"One of our officers was across the street from the residence trying to ascertain what the address was when the deceased called out to our officer and said, 'You know, I don't want to shoot you. If I wanted to, I have seven rounds here and I'm a Vietnam vet and I won't shoot for your Kevlar, I'll shoot for your heads,'" Baldwin Police Chief Michael Scott said.
According to police, that's the message they received from Edward Zevola, 61, when they arrived at the home on Songo Street.
read more here
Man Shot Killed By Police During Baldwin Standoff
Marine Sgt. Floyd Holley of Casselberry dies in Afghanistan
Chrissy and Floyd Holley on their wedding day. Holley, 36, a Marine gunnery sergeant from Casselberry, was killed by a roadside bomb Aug. 29 in Helmand province, Afghanistan. (Facebook / August 30, 2010)
Marine Sgt. Floyd Holley of Casselberry dies in Afghanistan
By Susan Jacobson, Orlando Sentinel
11:56 p.m. EDT, August 30, 2010
Gunnery Sgt. Floyd Holley did one of the most dangerous jobs in the military.
A specialist in roadside explosives, Holley grew up in Casselberry and was planning to come home to the U.S. from Afghanistan for the birth of his first child — a daughter — in November.
On Sunday, however, Holley was killed during his third tour of duty in the Middle East, the Department of Defense announced this evening.
Holley, 36, died in Helmand province when he was hit by a blast from an improvised explosive device, the military said.
go here for more
Marine Sgt Floyd Holley
Samaritan who saved driver from sinking car was afraid of lake
Samaritan who saved driver from sinking car: 'I'm terrified of this lake'
Kent Nugent, 32, rescued a woman from a sinking car after she crashed into a pond, officials say
By Jeff Weiner, Orlando Sentinel
9:31 p.m. EDT, August 31, 2010
Firefighters in Orange County rescued a woman from a sinking car on Tuesday, with a big assist from a man who dove in headfirst to help.
Florida Highway Patrol Sgt. Kim Montes said 31-year-old Terasa Susanne Meadows had a medical emergency while driving south on Westgate Road.
Meadows lost control of her vehicle, Montes said, driving off the road and into a pond at about 2:25 p.m. Tuesday.
Kent Nugent, 32, lives across the street from the pond and was getting ready to mow his lawn when the vehicle hit the water, officials say.
As an Orange County Fire Rescue spokesman described it, "Without hesitation, he swam out to the vehicle to assist the driver in exiting."
read more here
Samaritan who saved driver from sinking car
Kent Nugent, 32, rescued a woman from a sinking car after she crashed into a pond, officials say
By Jeff Weiner, Orlando Sentinel
9:31 p.m. EDT, August 31, 2010
Firefighters in Orange County rescued a woman from a sinking car on Tuesday, with a big assist from a man who dove in headfirst to help.
Florida Highway Patrol Sgt. Kim Montes said 31-year-old Terasa Susanne Meadows had a medical emergency while driving south on Westgate Road.
Meadows lost control of her vehicle, Montes said, driving off the road and into a pond at about 2:25 p.m. Tuesday.
Kent Nugent, 32, lives across the street from the pond and was getting ready to mow his lawn when the vehicle hit the water, officials say.
As an Orange County Fire Rescue spokesman described it, "Without hesitation, he swam out to the vehicle to assist the driver in exiting."
read more here
Samaritan who saved driver from sinking car
Tuesday, August 31, 2010
Questions loom over drug given to sleepless vets
Questions loom over drug given to sleepless vets
By MATTHEW PERRONE (AP)
WASHINGTON — Andrew White returned from a nine-month tour in Iraq beset with signs of post-traumatic stress disorder: insomnia, nightmares, constant restlessness. Doctors tried to ease his symptoms using three psychiatric drugs, including a potent anti-psychotic called Seroquel.
Thousands of soldiers suffering from PTSD have received the same medication over the last nine years, helping to make Seroquel one of the Veteran Affairs Department's top drug expenditures and the No. 5 best-selling drug in the nation.
Several soldiers and veterans have died while taking the pills, raising concerns among some military families that the government is not being up front about the drug's risks. They want Congress to investigate.
In White's case, the nightmares persisted. So doctors recommended progressively larger doses of Seroquel. At one point, the 23-year-old Marine corporal was prescribed more than 1,600 milligrams per day — more than double the maximum dose recommended for schizophrenia patients.
A short time later, White died in his sleep.
read more of this here
Questions loom over drug given to sleepless vets
read some more collected reports from this blog
By MATTHEW PERRONE (AP)
WASHINGTON — Andrew White returned from a nine-month tour in Iraq beset with signs of post-traumatic stress disorder: insomnia, nightmares, constant restlessness. Doctors tried to ease his symptoms using three psychiatric drugs, including a potent anti-psychotic called Seroquel.
Thousands of soldiers suffering from PTSD have received the same medication over the last nine years, helping to make Seroquel one of the Veteran Affairs Department's top drug expenditures and the No. 5 best-selling drug in the nation.
Several soldiers and veterans have died while taking the pills, raising concerns among some military families that the government is not being up front about the drug's risks. They want Congress to investigate.
In White's case, the nightmares persisted. So doctors recommended progressively larger doses of Seroquel. At one point, the 23-year-old Marine corporal was prescribed more than 1,600 milligrams per day — more than double the maximum dose recommended for schizophrenia patients.
A short time later, White died in his sleep.
read more of this here
Questions loom over drug given to sleepless vets
read some more collected reports from this blog
Links to medications suspected with non-combat deaths Sunday, January 13, 2008
Vets taking PTSD drugs die in sleep Saturday, May 24, 2008
"Vets' Sudden Cardiac Deaths Are Not Suicides or Overdoses" says doctor Tuesday, May 19, 2009
But this one really stands out
Seroquel fine to be paid but what about the rest of the story? Wednesday, April 28, 2010
AstraZeneca Pharmaceuticals took advantage of the government and has agreed to pay a fine. The problem is, the FDA, another branch of the government, did not approve Seroquel for "uses that were not approved by the FDA as safe and effective (including aggression, Alzheimer’s disease, anger management, anxiety, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, bipolar maintenance, dementia, depression, mood disorder, post-traumatic stress disorder, and sleeplessness)." Why isn't anyone asking the VA why they used them without checking to see if the company was telling them the truth or not? It's great to hold the companies accountable, but who is holding the VA and other agencies accountable?click the links to read more of these stories
Diabetes now tops Vietnam vets' claims
It never fails to amaze me that this nation can be so good at spending money on the machinery of the Department of Defense but we never really do seem to be able to plan on taking care of the men and women we send. Congressman Filner said in Orlando on Sunday that the price of war should always take into account the wounded, but somehow the Presidents and planners of wars never seem to think of this. The survival rate is higher than ever and troops are surviving wounds that would have killed them on the spot during other wars but while they do make it back home to their families, the care of these men and women will need to be taken care of, and rightly so, for the rest of their lives. We spent as a nation a boat load of money over the years to find ways of keeping the wounded alive but that never seemed to translate into the money that would be needed to make sure they had what they needed for the rest of their lives.
All these years later the "good idea of Agent Orange" still does not have a price tag on it. How many years do you think it will take before the rest of good ideas the DOD has used surfaces in the lives of our troops from other wars?
All these years later the "good idea of Agent Orange" still does not have a price tag on it. How many years do you think it will take before the rest of good ideas the DOD has used surfaces in the lives of our troops from other wars?
Diabetes now tops Vietnam vets' claims
By MIKE BAKER (AP)
RALEIGH, N.C. — By his own reckoning, a Navy electrician spent just eight hours in Vietnam, during a layover on his flight back to the U.S. in 1966. He bought some cigarettes and snapped a few photos.
The jaunt didn't make for much of a war story, and there is no record it ever happened. But the man successfully argued that he may have been exposed to Agent Orange during his stopover and that it might have caused his diabetes — even though decades of research into the defoliant have failed to find more than a possibility that it causes the disease.
Because of worries about Agent Orange, about 270,000 Vietnam veterans — more than one-quarter of the 1 million receiving disability checks — are getting compensation for diabetes, according to Department of Veterans Affairs records obtained by The Associated Press through the Freedom of Information Act.
More Vietnam veterans are being compensated for diabetes than for any other malady, including post-traumatic stress disorder, hearing loss or general wounds.
Tens of thousands of other claims for common ailments of age — erectile dysfunction among them — are getting paid as well because of a possible link, direct or indirect, to Agent Orange.
read more here
Diabetes now tops Vietnam vets' claims
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