Marine's brain taken to examiner's house for family show and tell

We just assume the fallen servicemen and women are shown the utmost respect when they gave their lives for the sake of others. One of the biggest reasons we are shocked by a story like this is when we discover some people put in charge of taking care of them do not hold the same level of respect for them. He didn't think about the family of this Marine when he decided to let his own family have some fun with part of someone they loved.

Records: Navy Doc Let Family Handle Marine's Brain
PORTSMOUTH, Va.
July 14, 2012
(AP)

A Navy medical examiner took a Marine's brain out of a specimen jar and let his children handle the organ, records show.

Dr. Mark E. Shelly has been fined $2,500 by the Virginia Board of Medicine and fired from his part-time job with the state medical examiner's office. A spokeswoman said the Navy was also taking disciplinary action but has not yet decided what to do.

Shelley was taking the brain from a naval hospital in Camp Lejeune, N.C., to Portsmouth Naval Medical Center in Virginia when he stopped at his home in Virginia Beach. He let his children handle the brain and his wife took pictures.

In an April 3 letter to the Board of Medicine, Shelly acknowledged he used "extremely poor judgment," The Virginian-Pilot (http://bit.ly/OBInOr) reported Friday. He said he realized the impact his actions had on the family of the deceased and wrote that it was not his intention to be disrespectful to the Marine sergeant or his family.
read more here

Over 30,000 veterans took their own lives since 2007

UPDATE DoD does not know if PTSD programs work

One of the hardest things I do is work on a suicide report. It rips me up inside. Today is one of those dark days when I have to read the stories all over again but I know for whatever pain I feel, the families feel it a lot worse. They are the reason I do this. For most of us we read the suicide numbers in headlines across the country. For the families and friends, they were more than numbers. If we are ever going to stop other families from suffering at the grave of someone they did not have to lose, it will be due to these families coming out and talking about someone they loved. I got as far as May of this year and had to stop. It dawned on me that since this blog started, over 30,000 veterans took their own lives if we believe the 18 veterans a day number.  The only problem with that number is, if they are not in the VA system, they are not counted by them and if they have been discharged, the military doesn't count them.  The only people counting them are the ones left to remember them and grieve.

In 2007 I created Death Because They Served about military suicides. It was on YouTube for a couple of years then I moved it to Great Americans.

NamGuardianAngel on September 10, 2009

Suicides are at an all time high. During and after Vietnam, it was easy to hide the true count of those who sacrificed their lives, one way of the other, but now there is a way to track them across the country. Their deaths should never be ignored. These over 100 names were taken from news reports. PTSD was at the root of most of them.

What should make us all very angry is the fact the men and women committing suicide because they served and didn't get the help they needed, grew.

Here are more
Spc. Travis Virgadamo

5 recruiter suicides from Houston battalion

Kelly Barber says her husband Josh couldn't handle what he saw and did in Iraq

Spc. Carl McCoy

Sgt. Coleman Bean

Josh Barber

Brian Norman

Private Jason Scheuerman

Cpl. Jeffrey Lucey

Spc. Larry Applegate

February 1, 2009
Another Warrior Transition Unit Death Ruled Suicide?
by
Chaplain Kathie

How much time is enough to get this right? How many more times do they need to find one more soldier dead before they figure out that what they are doing is not good enough? PTSD is not new! Humans have been on this planet long enough, facing traumatic events, going to war with each other, documenting what comes after war and suffering while telling their stories so that the "experts" should have some clue what the hell to do to help warriors heal. Not only are the veterans suffering, their families suffer and so do the people trying to take care of them while some pea brain without the slightest clue of what they are going through claims to have found the "right treatment" but they keep suffering and killing themselves! ENOUGH TALK! Enough re-researching what has been researched to death. Enough wasting time with what does not work. For Heaven's sake, we know what needs to be done and we know how to do it.

We've had over 30 years of studying this to know better.

Step one-get rid of BattleMind because it does more harm than good. I have yet to hear from one veteran BattleMind has helped.

Step two-normalize PTSD. It's a normal reaction to abnormal events. Let them know how many civilians end up with PTSD from the other causes then point out for them, it's a one time traumatic event that does it while they end up enduring event after event after event. Then they'll get it into their brains that to expect to walk away from combat without any changes is not realistic at all. They all change. Some change more than others. Others end up wounded by all of it instead of just changed.

Step three-Stop acting as if they are criminals. Do not belittle them because they seek help and honor the fact they have the courage enough to ask for help. Do not treat them like scum because they say they want to stop drinking or using drugs to cover up what they don't want to feel and then help them understand that is what medications can do for them a lot better than street drugs and getting drunk ever could.

Step four-spend as much time as need to get it into the brains of their families they are no longer dealing with "normal GI Joe" because Joe is no longer able to communicate with himself anymore. The "Joe" he used to be is trapped behind a wall of pain and he needs their help to find "himself" again. While he will never be totally the same person he was before PTSD, he can in fact end up even better as a person than he was before, even with living with flashbacks and nightmares that may never totally go away. Tell the exactly what a flashback is and what they see in their dreams without sugar coating any of it. They need to know what they are up against when confronting a zoned out veteran on a flashback trip from hell or a out of body nightmare so vivid they have no clue where they really are if you wake them up.

Step five-take the one third of Americans with a clue what PTSD is and get them to pound it into the brains of the other two thirds they better start paying attention to all of this before the National Guards and Reservists come home from yet another deployment and then have to face the next mudslide, hurricane, wildfire, tornado or flood. Make sure they get the message before they face another time when a police officer or firefighter comes back from deployment and needs their help for a change.

This isn't that hard people! Families of Vietnam Veterans have been doing it for years and found out the hard way what works to save their veterans lives along with saving their marriages. The only regret we have is that the people with the power to raise awareness of what our voices have to say ARE NOT LISTENING!

So now please tell me what there is about any of this that there is yet one more suicide from a GI that was supposed to be in the best care possible?

West Point, 2 suicides, 2 attempts in just 2 months

Army Specialist TJ Sweet

Utah National Guards lost 2 soldiers in combat, but ten more because of it

Pvt. Joseph Aaron McMath

Larry "Curtis" Applegate

"Kill yourself. Save us the paperwork" Pfc. Ryan Alderman

Martin Polignone

Timothy Scott

Army Specialist John Fish

Pvt. Paul Bridges

Jason Cooper

Kristin Kouis and her older brother, Jason Kouis

Army Pfc. Roy Brooks Mason Jr

Army Spc. Trevor Hogue

Staff Sgt. Charles Edward Dane Sergeant Larry Flores

Army Spc. Nokware Rosado Munoz

Lt. Col. Raymond Rivas

Spc. Jimmy Lee Foxworth

Sgt. Jacob Blaylock

Spc. Matthew Hastings

Keiffer Wilhelm

Spc. Jacob Sexton

Pfc. Gregory Tilton

Lance Cpl. Mills Palmer Bigham

Maj. Chris Galloway and Master Sgt. Jim Haus

Jesse C. Huff

Sgt. Thomas R. Bagosy and in the same report, Lance Cpl. Kevin P. Grant, Staff Sgt. Nigel Castor, Lance Cpl. Lucas Gary Lowe
Sgt. Tom Bagosy also on this Wife of N.C. Marine copes with husband's suicide
Benjamen Bugden

Andrew Velez

Kenneth Ellis III

Maj. Tad Hervas

Kevin P. Lucey

Orrin McCllelan

Robert Nichols

Staff Sgt. Thaddeus S. Montgomery Jr.

Peter Louis Kastner

Spc. Jonathan Hughey

Kortney Jensen and Jason Ermer

Grand Forks airman committed suicide

1st Lt. Ken Kunze

Sgt. 1st Class Spencer Kohlheim

Fort Hood had four suicides in one weekend

Pvt. Antonio E. Heath, Master Sgt. Baldemar Gonzales, Sgt. Timothy Ryan Rinella, Sgt. Michael F. Franklin and his wife, Jessie, were found dead of apparent gunshot wounds

Sgt. Amanda Sheldon
The family of Sgt. Amanda Sheldon hopes her death may spark change

Pfc. Bryant Evans

David Petrucci, Vietnam Vet

Col. Todd Hixson and Army Spc. Jeremy LaClaire

Travis A. Thomas

Maj. John Ruocco

Staff Sgt. James Wilson

Marine Clay Hunt another after combat casualty

Wendy Torrey

Kara Hinrichs

Cpl. Joshua Barron

Army Spc. Chancellor Keesling

Staff Sgt. Cody Anderson

William Hamilton

Jacob Andrews

Jeremy Campbell

Derrick Kirkland

James Keenan

Staff Sgt. Biel

Sgt. Adrian A. Simmons

Pfc. David L. Potter

Master Sgt. Jeff McKinney

Pvt. Brian Williams

Brian Hartsock

Sgt. Ian McConnell

Sgt. Adrian Simmons

Spc. Rory Johnson and Spc. Jonathon Gilbert

Sgt. 1st Class Jose J. Algarin-Colon

SSG. James Wilson

Sgt. Derrick Kirkland

Josh Fueston

Staff Sgt. Jared Hagemann

Christopher Lee Purcell

Sgt. 1st Class Brad Olden

Staff Sgt. David P. Senft

Christopher Hodges

Thomas Farley

Sean Alexander Dacus wrote that his organs should be donated to save someone else before he committed suicide.

Marcus Delon White

Sgt. Joseph H. Baker II

Pvt. Jordon DuBois

Bartholomew Ryan

Maj. Jeff Hackett

Capt. Michael McCaddon, M.D

Russell Hamrick

Edward Andrew Snyder

Michael and Ryan Yurchison's story

Jonathan Bartlett

Jacob Parmenter

Jacob Manning

Tricia Radenz’s 12-year-old son committed suicide during his dad's deployment in 2009

Lance Cpl. Michael J. Ronner

Pvt. Eric Watson

Giovanni Andres Orozco

Trever Gould

Spc. David Paul Swenson Jr

Steven Webb

More reports of interest

PTSD:Now here this, you're normal!

U.S. Marine Corps, 1 suicide every two days, attempted ones, every 2 hours!
DoD Confirms Role Combat Plays in Suicide Epidemic January 2009
Battlemind study leaves too many questions

Veterans blame war and military culture for increased suicides

Army Sgt. Kristofer Goldsmith, whose job was to photograph Iraqi war victims to identify them. Goldsmith recounts how serving his country had always been his life's dream, but it turned into a nightmare when told he would be deployed again to Iraq.

"For over a year I knew something inside me wasn't right. I was drinking close to a gallon of vodka every weekend and starting fights," Goldsmith recalled Tuesday in Venice, where "Ward 54" had been screened the previous night.

When told he had to go back to Iraq for duty, Goldsmith recalled: "I said I can't go back to Iraq. I wasn't afraid of Iraq, but knew I couldn't return."

He said his colonel gave him three choices: "'One, you can suck it up and go back. Two, you can go AWOL and live your life as a felon and three, you can kill yourself.'"

He attempted suicide on Memorial Day 2007.

Master Sergeant Kevin Carter shares his story of surviving suicide

Family members of vets who commit suicide seek understanding

Wife of suicidal Iraq veteran seeks better support

1st Lt. Robert Marinaro

Stolen Valor McClanahan does something honorable

All of us get angry when someone is caught lying about being a hero. We got really angry when the Supreme Court ruled that lying about even this is covered under free speech. Richard David McClanahan was found guilty and sent to jail but after the ruling from the Supremes, giving him the chance to clear his record, he doesn't want it. He said "I'm not the victim here." WOW. He is doing something honorable now.

Stolen Valor Case Vet Doesn't Want Record Cleared
Jul 13, 2012
Fort Worth Star-Telegram
by Chris Vaughn

Federal prosecutors in North Texas used the Stolen Valor Act, a law recently declared unconstitutional by the U.S. Supreme Court, to prosecute exactly one person for lying about his military record.

The man, perhaps surprisingly, was a veteran, a sailor-turned-soldier who concocted a breathtaking series of tall tales of heroism and claimed a rack of medals supposedly earned in Iraq and Afghanistan, all to impress people in Amarillo. He became a frequent speaker at colleges, nursing homes and veterans events.

Richard David McClanahan served 30 months in federal prison for his lies, a lengthy penalty imposed because he also lied about his income to buy a pickup from a dealership. Now living in Fort Worth, the 34-year-old ex-convict has a chance to have at least part of his conviction overturned after the Supreme Court's decision.

But McClanahan said he has no interest in clearing his record.

"I have no desire to have my record expunged," he said. "I'm not the victim here. The law was put into place for a very good reason.

"I understand the legal reasons why it was overturned and have no doubt that it was the legitimate decision for the Supreme Court. But I respectfully disagree with the court's decision. I wish the law had remained to prevent people like me from making absurd statements."

McClanahan's case had nothing to do with the appeal that reached the Supreme Court, which involved a public official in California who falsely boasted that he had earned the Medal of Honor. That man, Xavier Alvarez, fought his prosecution on the grounds that the First Amendment protected his speech, even though his statements were lies.
read more here

Why is Ultimate Fighting Championship getting tax payer funds from Marine Corps?

Ok folks, we have Marines committing suicide, more attempted suicides and combat forces wounded in our name but instead of taking the tax payer money to help them and their families, it seems like the Marines would rather fund UFC. There is so much that goes on behind our backs that we should be worried about being at the mercy of the media. Seems really odd that for a bunch of "reporters" spending so much time on politics they never seem interested in what they are doing.

07/12/2012
VETERANS GROUP CALLS ON MARINE CORPS TO CUT TIES WITH UFC OVER HOMOPHOBIA, MISOGYNY, HATE SPEECH
The Veterans Committee of UNITE HERE, a union representing 250,000 workers in the hotel, food service and restaurant, textile, industrial laundry, and gaming industries in North America, will deliver 5,000 signed petitions to the Commandant of the Marine Corps in Washington D.C., as well as to Marine Corps recruiting stations in Boston, Chicago, Los Angeles, Miami, Phoenix, San Diego and Washington, D.C. on Thursday, asking for the Marine Corps to cut all ties with Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), the group says in a press release.

The veteran activists also will voice their support for a bipartisan amendment to the Department of Defense Appropriations Act (H.R. 5856) that would ban military spending on professional sports. The proposed ban – the “UFC Amendment” -- would prohibit the use of taxpayer money to sponsor the UFC and other pro sports organizations.

The Marine Corps has spent more than $2 million sponsoring the UFC, the nation’s largest promoter of cage fighting events.
Read more

EXECUTIVE OFFICE OF THE PRESIDENT OFFICE OF MANAGEMENT AND BUDGET WASHINGTON, D.C. 20503
STATEMENT OF ADMINISTRATION POLICY H.R. 5856

Department of Defense Appropriations Act, 2013
(Rep. Rogers, R-KY)
The Administration strongly opposes House passage of H.R. 5856, making appropriations for the Department of Defense for the fiscal year (FY) ending September 30, 2013, and for other purposes.

Last summer, the Congress and the President came to a bipartisan agreement to put the Nation on a sustainable fiscal course in enacting the Budget Control Act of 2011 (BCA). The BCA created a framework for more than $2 trillion in deficit reduction and provided tight spending caps that would bring discretionary spending to a minimum level needed to preserve critical national priorities.

Consistent with last summer's budget agreement, the FY 2013 Budget request provides the resources that the Department of Defense (DOD) needs to effectively meet the Nation's security requirements. By adding unrequested funding for defense, the House of Representatives departs from the bipartisan understanding reached a year ago. Upending the balance in the BCA has negative consequences that will, for example, cost jobs and hurt average Americans, especially seniors, veterans, and children – as well as degrade many of the basic Government services on which the American people rely such as air traffic control and law enforcement. In addition, these cuts were made in the context of a budget that fails the test of balance, fairness, and shared responsibility by giving millionaires and billionaires a tax cut and paying for it through deep cuts, including to discretionary programs.

Taking this into account, passing H.R. 5856 at its current funding level would mean that when the Congress constructs other appropriations bills, it would necessitate significant and harmful cuts to critical national priorities such as education, research and development, job training, and health care. Furthermore, the bill undermines key investments in high-priority programs, impeding the ability of the Secretary of Defense to carry out the defense strategic guidance issued earlier this year, and hindering the ability of the Armed Forces to carry out their missions consistent with the new strategy. The Administration also strongly objects to the inclusion of ideological and political provisions that are beyond the scope of funding legislation.

If the President were presented with H.R. 5856, his senior advisors would recommend that he veto the bill.

The Administration would like to take this opportunity to share additional views regarding the Committee's version of the bill.

Administration Priorities. The Administration appreciates the Committee's support for certain priorities, including: funding for Overseas Contingency Operations; the requested pay raise for military personnel; DOD's program of basic research; the Defense Advanced Research Projects

June 28, 2012 (House Rules)

Agency; and air and missile defense programs, including support for the Government of Israel to purchase additional Iron Dome missile systems.

Limitations on Retirement of Aircraft. The Administration strongly objects to sections 8116 through 8118 of the bill that would restrict the Air Force and Army from divesting, transferring or retiring unneeded aircraft, including C-27Js, C-23s, and RQ-4 Global Hawk Block 30 Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs). These provisions would force DOD to operate, sustain, and maintain aircraft that are in excess to national security requirements, as defined by the new defense strategy, and are not affordable in an austere budget environment. They also would impair the ability of the Secretary to manage the Department and, by retaining large numbers of under-resourced aircraft in the fleet in today's fiscally constrained environment, could contribute to a hollow force.

Unnecessary Funding. The Administration is concerned about the billions of dollars the bill provides for items DOD did not request and does not need, as well as section 8006 of the bill, which makes spending on these unnecessary items statutorily required. This diverts resources from more important defense programs and limits the Secretary's flexibility to manage the Department efficiently.

Incremental Funding. The Administration strongly opposes the use of incremental funding, which undermines program stability and cost discipline. The bill would provide incremental funding for Space-Based Infrared System satellites rather than full funding through advance appropriations, as the Administration requested in the FY 2013 Budget request. In addition, the bill provides less than half of the $911 million requested to deactivate the USS Enterprise.

Army Depot Maintenance. The Administration strongly objects to the reduction in the Army's depot maintenance program as specified in section 8087 of the bill. The reduction of nearly $2.5 billion from the FY 2013 Budget request would create long-term delays in modernization and readiness for helicopters, radars, and the Stryker combat vehicle. Additionally, with this funding reduction the Army would not meet core depot logistics requirements for many of its systems. This cut would directly reduce Army readiness.

Medium Extended Air Defense System (MEADS). The Administration strongly objects to the Committee's decision to omit funding for MEADS. If the Congress does not appropriate the funding in the FY 2013 Budget request, there is a high likelihood that this action would be perceived by our partners, Italy and Germany, as breaking our commitment under the Memorandum of Understanding. This could harm our relationship with our Allies on a much broader basis, including future multinational cooperative projects. It also could prevent the completion of the agreed Proof of Concept activities, which would provide data archiving, analysis of testing, and software development necessary to harvest technology from U.S. and partner investments in MEADS.

TRICARE Fees and Co-Payments. The Administration is disappointed that the Congress did not incorporate the requested TRICARE fee initiatives into either the appropriation or authorization legislation. The Administration asks the House to reconsider the TRICARE fee proposals, which are essential for DOD to successfully address rising personnel costs. The $1.8 billion in savings are part of a carefully balanced FY 2013 Budget request.

Advanced Drop-In Biofuel Production. The Administration objects to the reduction of $70 million from the FY 2013 Budget request intended to support the development of a domestic capability to produce cost-competitive advanced drop-in biofuels at a commercial scale, which is important to the country's long-term national security. Developing large-scale capacity to produce biofuels, in collaboration with the Departments of Agriculture and Energy, would help insulate the Nation as a whole, as well as the military, from price shocks arising from supply disruptions and price volatility of petroleum products.

MQ-8 Fire Scout UAV. The Administration opposes the $66 million reduction from the FY 2013 Budget request for the Fire Scout upgrade, which would enable the Special Forces to track potential targets at greater distances and for longer periods. The proposed reduction would prevent the Navy from fielding a system that meets the needs of the Special Forces in FY 2014.

Afloat Forward Staging Base (AFSB). The Administration opposes elimination of funding for AFSB. The $38 million requested in the FY 2013 Budget request is needed for advanced procurement of AFSB, which would meet Combatant Commanders' requirements for special operations and mine clearance. Further, AFSB is critical to the health of the shipbuilding industrial base as it is the only auxiliary ship in the Navy's shipbuilding plan until FY 2016.

Countering Weapons of Mass Destruction (CWMD) Systems. The Administration objects to the 56- percent reduction from the FY 2013 Budget request for the CWMD Systems program, which integrates intelligence information about weapons of mass destruction for senior government officials. The Military Departments and Combatant Commands have repeatedly identified data fusion as a critical capability gap. The full $54 million requested in the FY 2013 Budget request is needed to start fusion center operations by the end of FY 2013. The proposed reduction would cause the Department to assume significant tactical, operational, and strategic risk.

Defense Acquisition Workforce Development Fund (DAWDF). The Administration opposes the reduction of $224 million from the FY 2013 Budget request for DAWDF. Failure to provide the full request of $274 million would require DOD to collect from other budget accounts the shortfall between the appropriation and the statutory minimum for DAWDF. The reduction in the appropriation would put unnecessary stress on the Operation and Maintenance budget at a time when funding levels are already constrained.

General Transfer Authority. The Administration opposes the reduction of general transfer authority provided in section 8005 of the bill. The $3 billion limit provided by the Committee significantly restricts DOD's ability to accommodate changing circumstances and to respond to urgent requirements in support of deployed forces, such as for force protection, in a timely manner. DOD needs sufficient transfer authority in order to match individual accounts to programmatic needs. Intelligence Community Management Account. The Administration opposes the exclusion of section 8045 proposed in the FY 2013 Budget request, which provides critical language to authorize the Program Manager for the Information Sharing Environment (PM-ISE) to transfer funds to other Federal departments and agencies. Without transfer authority, PM-ISE would lose its ability to leverage agency efforts and work effectively with non-Federal partners to improve the performance of the information sharing environment in support of national security.

Classified Programs. The Administration understands that there could be problematic funding adjustments contained in the Classified Annex to the bill and looks forward to providing its views on this annex once it becomes available.

Civilian Pay Freeze. The Administration objects to section 8119 of the bill, which does not fund the 0.5 percent civilian pay raise for calendar year 2013 proposed in the FY 2013 Budget request. As the President stated in his FY 2013 Budget, a permanent pay freeze is neither sustainable nor desirable.

Riders

The Administration strongly opposes problematic policy and language riders that have no place in funding legislation, including, but not limited to, the following provisions in this bill:

Limitation on Reimbursement of the Government of Pakistan. Section 9015 would require the Secretary of Defense to certify Pakistan's cooperation on issues outside of his purview and would severely constrict DOD's ability to respond to emergent war-time coalition support requirements, negatively affecting our campaign in Afghanistan.

Veterans Memorial Object Transfer. Section 8120 would prohibit the transfer of a veterans memorial object to a foreign country or an entity controlled by a foreign government without specific authorization in law. This provision would restrict the President's ability to take actions to demonstrate goodwill toward foreign allies and partners by lending or giving historical artifacts in instances where doing so would serve the national security interests of the United States. Detainee Matters. The Administration strongly objects to and has constitutional concerns about the provisions of sections 8108 and 8109 that limit the use of funds to transfer detainees and otherwise restrict detainee transfers. Section 8108 undermines national security and this unnecessarily constrains the Nation's counterterrorism efforts, particularly where Federal courts are the best – or even the only – option for incapacitating dangerous terrorists. For decades, presidents of both political parties have leveraged the flexibility and strength of this country's Federal courts to incapacitate dangerous terrorists and gather critical intelligence. The continued prosecution of terrorists in Federal court is an essential element of counterterrorism efforts – a powerful tool that must remain an available option.

Additionally, the restrictions in section 8109 on the transfer of detainees to the United States and to the custody or effective control of foreign countries or entities in the context of an ongoing armed conflict may interfere with the Executive Branch's ability to determine the appropriate disposition of detainees and to make important foreign policy and national security determinations regarding whether and under what circumstances such transfers should occur. The restrictions or interferences in both these sections would, in certain circumstances, violate constitutional separation of powers principles.

In addition, the Administration strongly opposes section 8110 which would prohibit the use of funds to construct, acquire or modify a detention facility in the United States. This would constrain the flexibility that the Nation's Armed Forces and counterterrorism professionals need to deal with evolving threats, intruding upon the Executive Branch's ability to carry out its mission.

The Administration looks forward to working with the Congress as the FY 2013 appropriations process moves forward.

Silver Star for Valor to Marine Corps Lance Cpl. Jeffrey Cole

Face of Defense: Marine Earns Silver Star for Valor
By Marine Corps Cpl. Jeff Drew
2nd Marine Division
MARINE CORPS BASE CAMP LEJEUNE, N.C.
July 12, 2012

He watched as five Marine buddies beside him were cut down by enemy machine gun fire during a fierce firefight against insurgents in Marjah, Afghanistan, nearly two years ago.

Within seconds, Marine Corps Lance Cpl. Jeffrey Cole joined his brothers-in-arms on the ground as a three-round burst lifted his 200-pound frame and 80 pounds of gear completely off the ground, moved him five feet in the air, and slammed him into the dirt -- all in less than half a second.

Cole, a Woodstock, Ga., native, had taken three rounds into the ceramic plates protecting his body. He was down, but not wounded. The injured Marines made their way into a nearby canal for cover as Cole provided suppressive fire with his rifle. With half of the Marines on the patrol wounded, they tried radioing for extraction, but couldn’t reach anyone. No help was on the way and approximately 20 insurgents entrenched only 30 meters from their position were headed in their direction and they were out for blood.

The morning of August 17, 2010, in Afghanistan started early for Cole. He woke at 4 a.m. to stand four hours of guard duty. As he finished his time on post, an early-morning patrol returned and he helped cook food for them before cleaning his rifle and restocking on water. He heard through the grapevine about another patrol going out soon and he wanted in on the action. In the three and a half weeks that his unit, 2nd Battalion, 9th Marine Regiment, 2nd Marine Division, had been in-country, Cole had already been on 46 missions, luckily without incident.

The patrol that changed his life forever consisted of six Marines from his squad as well as a Navy corpsman and three Marines from a Professional Mentor Team, a group primarily responsible for training and working with Afghan National Security Forces. It was a reconnaissance mission -- to photograph the local landscape and populace and learn as much as they could about the area. At 1:30 p.m. the patrol made their way to a location they had visited just the night before. They spoke with local Afghans and searched mud compounds. Around 3:30 p.m. they left the final compound, then a crack of gunfire filled the air and they found themselves in the fight for their lives. The patrol was pinned down by heavy enemy fire; five Marines were wounded and they were unable to contact anyone on the radio.

“Thirty minutes into the firefight, I heard screams that the enemy was advancing toward us,” Cole said as he recounted his actions that day. “I took a machine gun from my buddy who was shot and gave him my rifle. I put the machine gun in my shoulder and started firing. Then I got up on the road and shot from my hip in a sweeping motion from left to right. I shot 150 rounds off, and as I did, I was shot three more times. A round hit my plates again and two rounds went through my arm.”
read more

Help for Families Worried About Their Service Member

Military Suicide: Help for Families Worried About Their Service Member
By ALEXANDRA SIFFERLIN
July 12, 2012

In this week’s TIME cover story, “One a Day” (available to subscribers here), journalists Mark Thompson and Nancy Gibbs explore why suicides among the U.S. military have reached crisis levels. Every day, one active-duty service member dies by his own hand, the authors note: “The U.S. military seldom meets an enemy it cannot target, cannot crush, cannot put a fence around or drive a tank across. But it has not been ale to defeat or contain the epidemic of suicides among its troops.”

The specific triggers for suicide are unique to each soldier. Each person deals differently with the stresses of war, frequent deployments, separation from family, death of comrades. Many contend with depression and post-traumatic stress upon returning home. There are several programs and support lines for these soldiers, but it also helps for their immediate families to remain vigilant and to monitor their behavior. Even still, many service members fall through the cracks.

Below is what we hope is helpful advice for military spouses, who want to know what warning signs to look for in their service member and how best to handle severe situations. One immediate sign, say experts, is a pervasive sense of uselessness, a feeling that they no longer belong. “What we learn from our families [who lost service family members to suicide] and what they saw in their loved ones, is behavior [in which they] pulled back and felt they were not able to be a useful part of unit that relied on them,” says Bonnie Carroll, founder and chairman of the Tragedy Assistance Program for Survivors, or TAPS, a non-profit that supports those who have lost a loved one in the military. “These men and women need to know they are still a part of a unit at home and overseas.”
read more here

Linked from Stars and Stripes

Mental disorders among troops up 65% since 2000

Mental disorders among troops up 65% since 2000
By Patricia Kime
Staff writer
Army Times
Posted : Wednesday Jul 11, 2012

Diagnoses for mental disorders among active-duty troops have risen 65 percent in the past 12 years, with adjustment disorders the most common condition, according to a new Defense Department report.

Since 2000, adjustment disorders — a short-term emotional or physical response to an external stressor, such as sadness, acute anxiety, worry or trouble sleeping — have been the top mental health diagnoses among troops seen at military treatment facilities.

Since 2005, “other mental health disorders,” a catch-all category covering diagnoses that didn’t fall into the nine defined categories examined by DoD analysts, has ranked second, with depression third, according to the report.

While cases of post-traumatic stress disorder have increased steadily, rising six-fold between 2003 and 2008, incident rates of this widely publicized disorder placed sixth among the 10 major diagnostic categories examined in 2011, say epidemiologists with the Armed Forces Health Surveillance Center.
read more here

Staff Sgt. Robert Bales will face an Article 32 hearing in Sept

Bales to face Article 32 hearing in September
By Gene Johnson
The Associated Press
Posted : Wednesday Jul 11, 2012 19:34:24 EDT

SEATTLE — The Army has scheduled a preliminary court hearing in September for the soldier accused of slaughtering 16 civilians during a pre-dawn rampage on two Afghan villages in March.

Staff Sgt. Robert Bales will face an Article 32 hearing on Sept. 17, Army spokesman Lt. Col. Gary Dangerfield said Wednesday. The location of the hearing has not been confirmed, but one of Bales’ lawyers, Emma Scanlan, said it is expected to be held at Joint Base Lewis-McChord south of Seattle.
read more here

Military Scrambles To Limit Malaria Drug Just After Afghanistan Massacre

Death of soldier on 5th deployment "not determined"

On his fifth deployment, Union City soldier is non-combat fatality on Afghanistan base
Published: Tuesday, July 10, 2012
By Matthew McNab
The Jersey Journal

A U.S. Army soldier and Union City resident died on July 4 in Afghanistan while on his fifth deployment as part of Operation Enduring Freedom.

U.S. Army Staff Sgt. Raul M. Guerra, 37, died Wednesday in Spin Boldak, Afghanistan, the Department of Defense announced yesterday.

The cause of his death has not yet been determined, but the Department of Defense said it was a non-combat death that occurred on base.

Guerra was assigned to the 502nd Military Intelligence Battalion, 201st Battlefield Surveillance Brigade, Joint Base Lewis-McChord, Wash.

At the time of his death, Guerra was in the midst of his fifth deployment, which started in May.
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Documentary uncovers scars of Vietnam

Documentary uncovers scars of Vietnam
By Elena Brown
Tuesday, July 10, 2012

Oscar Soliz has produced a documentary called "Deep Scars" that recounts the struggles of four Vietnam veterans on the battlefield and off.
Photo: Helen L. Montoya, San Antonio Express-News / ©SAN ANTONIO EXPRESS-NEWS

It's well after midnight by the time Oscar Soliz clicks off his lamps and shuts down his computer. His brown eyes are strained, his neck and back are stiff, his hands tingle. He rubs his salt-and-pepper beard; it's time for bed.

He's just finished another 13-hour day producing a documentary about four local Vietnam vets and how their powerful memories have barely diminished with the passage of time.

The hour-long documentary, titled "Deep Scars," features retired Staff Sgt. Edward Brown Jr., retired Sgt. Trini Cruz, retired 1st Sgt. William J. Johnson and retired Sgt. 1st Class Dion Soliz III. The veterans, all Purple Heart recipients, recount their struggles on the battlefield and off.

"I'm showing the feelings and fears of being in combat as well as its affect on their lives after returning home," says Soliz, a self-taught videographer and owner of Ozman Visual Media Productions. "There are so many stories. So much had happened to them."

The documentary opens with images and narration explaining the politics of the Vietnam War, the lives lost and the toll it took on men such as Brown.

"Hmm, lemme see, I've been recovering from my injuries for 44 years and counting," Brown, 63, says with a chuckle. "Physically, I spent 32 months in various hospitals."

Brown was injured on May 14, 1968, in Binh Duong Province, Vietnam. In the uncut version of the film, Brown recounted how his fellow soldier Ron E. Clark fell into him after being hit by a grenade from a rocket-propelled launcher. "I looked into his eyes as he died," Brown said. "His death was fast, and his survivors should know he didn't suffer (alone)."
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