Fort Gordon: Soldiers Not Forced to Aid Churches
Jul 19, 2012
The Augusta Chronicle, Ga.
Fort Gordon officials said Wednesday they do not compel soldiers to do charity work for churches.
The question was raised when a national organization, the Freedom From Religion Foundation, complained about soldiers assisting Catholic Social Services.
The group, which has also raised questions about the Augusta Mayor's Office and church prayer breakfasts, released a statement this week saying it had pressured the fort to stop the practice.
"The Freedom From Religion Foundation has stopped a violation in which soldiers were being forced to mow Catholic Charities' lawn," the Tuesday press release stated.
"FFRF Staff Attorney Andrew Seidel drafted and sent a letter on July 5 on behalf of the Freedom From Religion Foundation, and also signed by American Atheists, objecting to using U.S. soldiers to support Catholic Social Services of Augusta. The Regimental Noncommissioned Officer Academy's Advanced Leader Course (ALC) at Fort Gordon, Ga., ordered soldiers to 'provide area beautification support to the Catholic Social Services.'
read more here
Thursday, July 19, 2012
Fort Hood report shows FBI ignored warning signs on Hasan
Fort Hood report shows FBI ignored warning signs on Hasan, lawmaker says
Published July 19, 2012
Associated Press
The FBI was too concerned about political correctness and did not launch an investigation into a man who was later charged with killing 13 people in a 2009 attack at the Fort Hood military installation in Texas, despite significant warning signs that he was an Islamic extremist bent on killing civilians, according to a lawmaker briefed on a new report about the terrorist attack.
In emails to a known terrorist, Army Maj. Nidal Hasan expressed his support for suicide bombings and killing civilians, while the terrorist, Anwar al-Awlaki, encouraged Hasan to stay in touch, Republican Rep. Michael McCaul, told The Associated Press on Wednesday after he was briefed on the findings of a new review of the attack.
The review was done by former FBI Director William Webster and was more than two years in the making. FBI Director Robert Mueller asked that Webster conduct an independent review, and the bureau is expected to release an unclassified version this week.
Read more
Published July 19, 2012
Associated Press
The FBI was too concerned about political correctness and did not launch an investigation into a man who was later charged with killing 13 people in a 2009 attack at the Fort Hood military installation in Texas, despite significant warning signs that he was an Islamic extremist bent on killing civilians, according to a lawmaker briefed on a new report about the terrorist attack.
In emails to a known terrorist, Army Maj. Nidal Hasan expressed his support for suicide bombings and killing civilians, while the terrorist, Anwar al-Awlaki, encouraged Hasan to stay in touch, Republican Rep. Michael McCaul, told The Associated Press on Wednesday after he was briefed on the findings of a new review of the attack.
The review was done by former FBI Director William Webster and was more than two years in the making. FBI Director Robert Mueller asked that Webster conduct an independent review, and the bureau is expected to release an unclassified version this week.
Read more
Navy Corpsman Killed On Bicycle At Camp Lejeune
Navy Corpsman Killed On Bicycle At Camp Lejeune
A Navy corpsman is dead after the military says he was hit by a vehicle while riding his bicycle on Camp Lejeune.
The base says the sailor was killed around 6:10 a.m. on Highway 172 at the Hammocks Bay Road intersection.
Camp Lejeune says the accident remains under investigation and the name of the corpsman has not yet been released.
A Navy corpsman is dead after the military says he was hit by a vehicle while riding his bicycle on Camp Lejeune.
The base says the sailor was killed around 6:10 a.m. on Highway 172 at the Hammocks Bay Road intersection.
Camp Lejeune says the accident remains under investigation and the name of the corpsman has not yet been released.
Colorado National Guard Female Officers murdered
Murder victim was mother, National Guard officer
July 18, 2012
The 39-year-old woman found dead in southwest Colorado Springs on Friday was a mother of four and a 2nd lieutenant in the Colorado Army National Guard.
Cristina Cornejo, a 13-year Colorado Springs resident, enlisted in the National Guard in June 2006 and juggled her pursuit of a full-time career as an officer while raising three sons and a daughter.
Cornejo served as a career counselor with the Guard's Recruiting and Retention Battalion before attending the Officer Candidate School on Fort Carson, where she graduated in August 2010. She was commissioned as 2nd lieutenant in 2011 and served with the 100th Missile Defense Brigade, receiving several honors.
Read more
July 18, 2012
The 39-year-old woman found dead in southwest Colorado Springs on Friday was a mother of four and a 2nd lieutenant in the Colorado Army National Guard.
Cristina Cornejo, a 13-year Colorado Springs resident, enlisted in the National Guard in June 2006 and juggled her pursuit of a full-time career as an officer while raising three sons and a daughter.
Cornejo served as a career counselor with the Guard's Recruiting and Retention Battalion before attending the Officer Candidate School on Fort Carson, where she graduated in August 2010. She was commissioned as 2nd lieutenant in 2011 and served with the 100th Missile Defense Brigade, receiving several honors.
Read more
Marine awarded Silver Star thanks parents for "putting up with" him
Staff Sgt. Worley receives Silver Star Medal
Story by Pfc. Demetrius Morgan
CAMP PENDLETON, Calif. – U.S. Marine Staff Sgt. Paul Worley, an infantry platoon sergeant with Kilo Company, 3rd Battalion, 1st Marine Division, I Marine Expeditionary Force was awarded the Silver Star Medal at Camp Pendleton, Calif., July 17.
Worley, an Eden N.C., native, was awarded the Silver Star Medal for heroic actions serving as the 1st Squad leader, Combined Anti-Armor Team 1, Weapons Company 3rd Battalion, 1st Marines, Regimental Combat team 7, 1st Marine Division, I Marine Expeditionary Force, July 12, 2010 in support of operation Enduring Freedom.
The Silver Star Medal is the third highest award a service member can receive. It is awarded to those who show perseverance and valor in the heat of battle.
“I give special thanks to my parents for putting up with me,” said Worley. “Also, I want to thank the Marines who were with me. You guys have a special place in my heart.”
read more here
Story by Pfc. Demetrius Morgan
CAMP PENDLETON, Calif. – U.S. Marine Staff Sgt. Paul Worley, an infantry platoon sergeant with Kilo Company, 3rd Battalion, 1st Marine Division, I Marine Expeditionary Force was awarded the Silver Star Medal at Camp Pendleton, Calif., July 17.
Worley, an Eden N.C., native, was awarded the Silver Star Medal for heroic actions serving as the 1st Squad leader, Combined Anti-Armor Team 1, Weapons Company 3rd Battalion, 1st Marines, Regimental Combat team 7, 1st Marine Division, I Marine Expeditionary Force, July 12, 2010 in support of operation Enduring Freedom.
The Silver Star Medal is the third highest award a service member can receive. It is awarded to those who show perseverance and valor in the heat of battle.
“I give special thanks to my parents for putting up with me,” said Worley. “Also, I want to thank the Marines who were with me. You guys have a special place in my heart.”
read more here
Fort Wainwright soldier from Florida died of gunshot wound
Soldier’s death likely a suicide
by Sam Friedman
Fairbanks Daily News Miner
Jul 17, 2012
FAIRBANKS — A Fort Wainwright soldier who died Sunday morning likely was killed by a self-inflicted gunshot wound, although the circumstances of the case are being investigated by the Army Criminal Investigations Detachment, an Army Alaska spokesman said.
The Army identified the soldier Tuesday as Marvin Kenneth Scott, 21, of Quincy, Fla., an air traffic control operator with the 1st Battalion, 52nd Aviation Regiment. Scott was stationed at Fort Wainwright since 2009. Scott was found with a head injury Sunday morning in his Fort Wainwright barracks and was rushed to Fairbanks Memorial Hospital, where he was declared dead. His next of kin have been notified.
Read more: Soldier’s death likely a suicide
Army probes Fort Wainwright soldier's death
by Sam Friedman
Fairbanks Daily News Miner
Jul 17, 2012
FAIRBANKS — A Fort Wainwright soldier who died Sunday morning likely was killed by a self-inflicted gunshot wound, although the circumstances of the case are being investigated by the Army Criminal Investigations Detachment, an Army Alaska spokesman said.
The Army identified the soldier Tuesday as Marvin Kenneth Scott, 21, of Quincy, Fla., an air traffic control operator with the 1st Battalion, 52nd Aviation Regiment. Scott was stationed at Fort Wainwright since 2009. Scott was found with a head injury Sunday morning in his Fort Wainwright barracks and was rushed to Fairbanks Memorial Hospital, where he was declared dead. His next of kin have been notified.
Read more: Soldier’s death likely a suicide
Army probes Fort Wainwright soldier's death
Do not stand at their grave and weep, do something!
Do not stand at their grave and weep, do something!
by Chaplain Kathie
Wounded Times Blog
July 19, 2012
General Peter Chiarelli can blame the suicides on not enough money all he wants but the truth is DOD and VA PTSD Programs are F.U.B.A.R. so if they don't even know their programs work, what good would it do to spend more money on them when we're seeing the number of suicides and attempted suicides go up instead of down? What never seems to get tied into the numbers is the fact that at the same time the number of suicides goes up, the Suicide Prevention Hotline calls have increased as well. Top that off with the number of veterans finally turning to the VA for help and it doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure out we've had a bitter history of failure after failure.
We read numbers but their families grieve for someone they loved. These men and women are not asleep in their graves. Their families keep them alive when they fight to save others.
They are not just numbers in a report. They were family members and they should still be here. They were not only killed by the combat they managed to survive, they were killed by the ignorance of the American public and our failure to demand something be done that works, demand what has been failing to be ended and above all this, demand someone is held accountable for all the time, money and lives sacrificed in our name.
If they are not getting treatment that works, then it doesn't matter how long they get it. You could put them in the hospital for six months of constant care but if they are given only lollypops during all that time all you'll have a combat veteran with stronger PTSD and weaker teeth.
Do not just show up at their funerals and act as if you've honored their lives enough. Do something to help others live!
Wife protests treatment of PTSD husband at Fort Bragg
Wife of Capt. Michael McCaddon talks about his suicide
by Chaplain Kathie
Wounded Times Blog
July 19, 2012
General Peter Chiarelli can blame the suicides on not enough money all he wants but the truth is DOD and VA PTSD Programs are F.U.B.A.R. so if they don't even know their programs work, what good would it do to spend more money on them when we're seeing the number of suicides and attempted suicides go up instead of down? What never seems to get tied into the numbers is the fact that at the same time the number of suicides goes up, the Suicide Prevention Hotline calls have increased as well. Top that off with the number of veterans finally turning to the VA for help and it doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure out we've had a bitter history of failure after failure.
We read numbers but their families grieve for someone they loved. These men and women are not asleep in their graves. Their families keep them alive when they fight to save others.
Two Soldier Suicides Reveal Flawed Mental Health SystemThe assessment of 18 veterans a day taking their own lives leaves over 30,000 veterans took their own lives since 2007 and their families are left with an indescribable anguish because they know combat did in fact kill their sons, daughters, husbands, wives, Dads, Moms, sisters and brothers, but suicides are not considered in the honored deaths we read about all the time.
WBUR
July 18, 2012
One American soldier commits suicide every day, on average. And in an article about why the military hasn’t succeeded in reducing the problem, Time Magazine profiles two soldiers who killed themselves on the same day.
The stories of Dr. Michael McCaddon and helicopter pilot Ian Morrison illustrate “two different ends of the same spectrum,” according to Time’s Pentagon correspondent Mark Thompson.
Ian Morrison — A Soldier Who Knew He Needed Help
CPT Ian Samuel Morrison committed suicide March 21, 2012.(Photo: West Point)
Officer Ian Morrison was a helicopter pilot and his wife was a mental health professional who knew he needed help and tried to help him get it.
“[Morrison] was somewhat atypical… in that he was very eager to get help,” Thompson told Here and Now‘s Monica Brady-Myerov.
At Fort Hood Texas before he died, Morrison tried to get help at least six times, Thompson says. But he was either shunted aside or told that the wait was too long and to come back next month.
“When somebody reaches out for help, he must not be told, ‘Sorry come back in two hours,’ or ‘Sorry come back next week,’” Thompson said. “Or be put on hold as Captiain Morrison was for at least 45 minutes before he killed himself.”
Dr. Michael McCaddon — Didn’t Get The Help He Needed
Captain Michael Ryan McCaddon, M.D. committed suicide March 21, 2012.(Gloucester Times)
Before his suicide, Dr. Michael McCaddon had been a bomb defuser, who then went to medical school to become an Army obstetrician. He wasn’t deployed to Iraq or Afghanistan, but he had served in Bosnia. And he had a history of depression. His biological father had also committed suicide.
“He knew he had these issues, and he sought help… Perhaps not as much as his wife Leslie thought he needed,” Time’s Mark Thompson said.
McCaddon had a fear that he wouldn’t be promoted if it was revealed that he had mental health problems.
And when he got in his residency, his work load intensified, and he began lashing out at his family. Then his wife went to McCaddon’s commander, without her husband’s knowledge, and pleaded with her get her husband some help.
“[Leslie] told her, ‘Get my husband some help. Encouraging him isn’t good enough. You can order him to get that help,’” Thompson said. “The Army resolutely, on at least two occasions, said, ‘No, frankly Leslie, this sounds more like a family problem than an Army problem.”
Months later, McCaddon killed himself.
What Suicides Illustrate
Peter Chiarelli, who recently retired as the Army’s second in command, told Time that there aren’t enough mental health professionals in the Army, or sufficient funds put towards soldier mental health.
Chiarelli told Thompson about a study that appeared to show that two-hour long consultations for soldiers can help with mental health problems.
“But we, the U.S. government and the U.S. taxpayers, just have not allocated sufficient funds to allow that sort of intense mental health counseling to occur,” Thompson said.
As he writes:
“No program, outreach or initiative has worked against the surge in Army suicides, and no one knows why nothing works. The Pentagon allocates about $2 billion—nearly 4 percent of its $53 billion annual medical bill—to mental health. ‘That simply isn’t enough money,’ says Peter Chiarelli… “And those who seek help are often treated too briefly.”
read more here and listen
Do not stand at my grave and weep
Mary FryeDo not stand at my grave and weep, I am not there; I do not sleep. I am a thousand winds that blow, I am the diamond glints on snow, I am the sun on ripened grain, I am the gentle autumn rain. When you awaken in the morning’s hush I am the swift uplifting rush Of quiet birds in circling flight. I am the soft star-shine at night. Do not stand at my grave and cry, I am not there; I did not die.
They are not just numbers in a report. They were family members and they should still be here. They were not only killed by the combat they managed to survive, they were killed by the ignorance of the American public and our failure to demand something be done that works, demand what has been failing to be ended and above all this, demand someone is held accountable for all the time, money and lives sacrificed in our name.
If they are not getting treatment that works, then it doesn't matter how long they get it. You could put them in the hospital for six months of constant care but if they are given only lollypops during all that time all you'll have a combat veteran with stronger PTSD and weaker teeth.
Do not just show up at their funerals and act as if you've honored their lives enough. Do something to help others live!
Wife protests treatment of PTSD husband at Fort Bragg
Wife of Capt. Michael McCaddon talks about his suicide
Wednesday, July 18, 2012
Issa says "Decades-old VA claims backlog inexcusable" so what's his excuse?
UPDATE
Last night I was mulling this over and remembered something that Issa didn't seem to understand along with the history of claim backlogs.
or this
Why wouldn't he mention these? Simple. At the same time President Obama and his team were trying to do something good to help veterans, Congressmen like him were saying "cut the deficit" so they were not hiring people to handle all of these expanded claims to be processed.
Gee, does Issa remember a thing like this?
That's the problem with politicians forgetting a thing called an archive because things like this are in it just like this one.
I could go on posting even more but I think you get the idea. While veterans were coming home screaming for help, people like Issa didn't even care it was happening.
Last night I was mulling this over and remembered something that Issa didn't seem to understand along with the history of claim backlogs.
Obama: New PTSD rules 'long overdue step'
July 09, 2010
By the CNN Wire Staff
The Department of Veterans Affairs is making it easier for veterans who suffer from post-traumatic stress disorder to get benefits, a development President Barack Obama calls a "long overdue step."
In his weekly address Saturday, Obama said Veterans Affairs will launch new rules for easing PTSD documentation requirements starting next week.
Current department rules require veterans to document events like firefights or bomb explosions that could have caused the disorder. Such documentation was often time-consuming and difficult, and sometimes was impossible.
read more here
or this
VA Starts Paying New Agent Orange Claims
November 04, 2010
Terry Howell
On November 1, the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) announced that they had begun distributing disability benefits to Vietnam Veterans who qualify for compensation under new expanded Agent Orange exposure rules.
This means that up to 200,000 Vietnam Veterans may now be eligible to receive VA disability compensation for medical conditions recently associated with Agent Orange.
The expansion of coverage involves B-cell (or hairy-cell) leukemia, Parkinson’s disease and ischemic heart disease.
According to the VA it will likely take several months for them to begin paying the initial payments or increases to existing payments. As reported on Military.com in March of this year, it is very important for those who were exposed to Agent Orange and suffer from one of the three diseases to submit their claims as soon as possible.
read more here
Why wouldn't he mention these? Simple. At the same time President Obama and his team were trying to do something good to help veterans, Congressmen like him were saying "cut the deficit" so they were not hiring people to handle all of these expanded claims to be processed.
Gee, does Issa remember a thing like this?
Jan. 11: Victory for Veterans - Judge Rules in Favor of VCS in Case Against VA
Veterans for Common Sense
Jan 11, 2008
January 10, 2008, Washington, DC – The U.S. District Court in San Francisco today handed an enormous victory to veterans who sued the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) over lengthy delays for medical care and disability benefits. The Judge’s ruling means our class action lawsuit against VA will move forward, with the first court hearing scheduled for next month.
“We won this round against VA. Veterans will have our day in court. The VA must now release documents under discovery about their deliberate attempts to deny and delay medical care and disability benefits for all veterans, especially our Iraq and Afghanistan war veterans,” said Paul Sullivan, the executive director of Veterans for Common Sense (VCS), the lead plaintiff organization that filed suit against VA.
On July 23, 2007, VCS and Veterans United for Truth (VUFT) filed a class action lawsuit against VA in order to force VA to provide prompt and high-quality medical care and disability benefits to veterans, especially those with mental health conditions such as Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). “Our Iraq and Afghanistan war veterans are committing suicide while waiting for VA to answer their pleas for medical care. VA must make sure all our veterans receive prompt and high-quality medical care and disability benefits. The long waits at VA must end,” added Sullivan.
go here for the rest
That's the problem with politicians forgetting a thing called an archive because things like this are in it just like this one.
President Bush's VA Budget is $3 Billion Short
Vietnam Veterans of America: President Bush's VA Budget is $3 Billion Short
February 13, 2008 - "The annual exercise of debating the merits of the President's proposed budget is flawed," said John Rowan, National President of Vietnam Veterans of America, before the Senate Committee on Veterans' Affairs. "Medical Center directors should not be held in limbo as Congress adjusts this budget and misses, yet again, the start of the fiscal year.
I could go on posting even more but I think you get the idea. While veterans were coming home screaming for help, people like Issa didn't even care it was happening.
Rep.: Decades-old VA claims backlog inexcusable
By Rick Maze
Staff writer
Posted : Wednesday Jul 18, 2012
The Veterans Affairs Department announced Wednesday that almost 1.7 million people are using its online eBenefits information system — but that wasn’t sufficient to ward off continuing complaints from Congress about the backlog of claims.
Rep. Darrell Issa, R-Calif., chairman of the House Oversight and Investigations Committee, said the average 188-day wait for a claim to be processed and an error rate of 16 percent on claims decisions are unacceptable.
But he doesn’t blame the Obama administration for the problem. “The system was broken in the Vietnam War when I enlisted, and it was never fixed,” said Issa, who joined the Army as a senior in high school, and later became an officer as a result of an ROTC scholarship.
Issa, who said he has no service-connected disability and has never filed a claim, said veterans are weary of promises with no results. “VA continues to claim it will get better, but they have not gotten better,” he said.
read more here
DOD and VA PTSD Programs F.U.B.A.R.
I know this won't sound professional but considering I work for free, here it goes.
Duh!
Now here comes the rant of the day. This is coming from me as a person and right now, not a Chaplain, simply because I am not feeling as if I'll be doing much forgiving on this. What the hell is wrong with them? Everyone lined up with their hands out to "treat PTSD" when they didn't have to prove a damn thing and those hands were stuffed with cash by politicians and bureaucrats needing to pretend they were doing something.
Troops came back after the Army study proved repeat deployments increased the risk of PTSD by 50%. How did they plan on fixing this? They came out with Battlemind telling them they could "train their brains" to become "mentally tough" and then they could prevent PTSD. HOW DARE THEY TELL THE MEN AND WOMEN SERVING THEY ARE MENTALLY WEAK AND HAD TO TRAIN THEIR MINDS TO BECOME TOUGH? Did anyone ask them how they thought this would help anyone? No! Did reporters? Did other politicians? Did the VA ask the DOD about this before they took on the same failed program? HELL NO!
I am considered an expert only because of how long I've been doing this. 30 years gives me a pretty strong record on being right only because I've paid attention all along. If I figured out this F.U.B.A.R. "program" was doing more harm than good, where were all the people getting paid to know? They all have dirty hands on this and the families of the veterans they buried due to suicide should be demanding someone is held accountable.
This isn't political because these failures started with the Bush administration and kept right on going under Obama. While Obama has done more for veterans, his advisers in the Pentagon suck.
I've read so much nonsense coming out of the DOD and the VA over the last ten years that it is a wonder how they manage to train kids to go into combat as part of the best military in the world when they don't understand them at all.
Top these miserable results off with the fact there are now more veterans charities in this country than ever before and while most collect a great deal of money from the American people, the results produced by the majority of them has been disgraceful. Anyone asking accountability from them?
Great groups don't have the time or the money to hire a PR firm because they spend all their time helping veterans and not themselves. Veterans don't know where to turn anymore because there are groups all over the Internet and especially Facebook claiming to be experts when they just got their head out of the sand on this last week, giving bad advice and held accountable by no one.
NO ONE IS WATCHING ANYONE!
No one including ABC, CBS, NBC, MSNBC, CNN and FOX, all too busy covering politics all these years than what is really important. There used to be actual reporters on these stations earning their pay and wanting to do something to make a difference. Now they want to score points and most don't even know if a politician is telling the truth or not, so the American public is left to figure it out for themselves.
I'll leave you with this last thought going back to the original opening
Report: DOD, VA don't adequately track success rates of PTSD treatment
By LEO SHANE III
Stars and Stripes
Published: July 18, 2012
WASHINGTON — Despite millions spent treating post-traumatic stress disorder, defense and Veterans Affairs officials have little idea how effective those programs are because they don’t track cases closely enough, a new report contends.
Officials from the Institute of Medicine, which issued the report last week at the request of Congress, said the departments need a better handle on what treatments work.
“All of the services have some type of PTSD treatment program, but no single source within DOD or any of the service branches maintains a complete listing of such programs, tracks the development of new and emerging programs, or has appropriate resources in place to direct servicemembers to programs that may best meet their individual needs,” the report says.
read more here
Now here comes the rant of the day. This is coming from me as a person and right now, not a Chaplain, simply because I am not feeling as if I'll be doing much forgiving on this. What the hell is wrong with them? Everyone lined up with their hands out to "treat PTSD" when they didn't have to prove a damn thing and those hands were stuffed with cash by politicians and bureaucrats needing to pretend they were doing something.
Troops came back after the Army study proved repeat deployments increased the risk of PTSD by 50%. How did they plan on fixing this? They came out with Battlemind telling them they could "train their brains" to become "mentally tough" and then they could prevent PTSD. HOW DARE THEY TELL THE MEN AND WOMEN SERVING THEY ARE MENTALLY WEAK AND HAD TO TRAIN THEIR MINDS TO BECOME TOUGH? Did anyone ask them how they thought this would help anyone? No! Did reporters? Did other politicians? Did the VA ask the DOD about this before they took on the same failed program? HELL NO!
I am considered an expert only because of how long I've been doing this. 30 years gives me a pretty strong record on being right only because I've paid attention all along. If I figured out this F.U.B.A.R. "program" was doing more harm than good, where were all the people getting paid to know? They all have dirty hands on this and the families of the veterans they buried due to suicide should be demanding someone is held accountable.
This isn't political because these failures started with the Bush administration and kept right on going under Obama. While Obama has done more for veterans, his advisers in the Pentagon suck.
I've read so much nonsense coming out of the DOD and the VA over the last ten years that it is a wonder how they manage to train kids to go into combat as part of the best military in the world when they don't understand them at all.
Top these miserable results off with the fact there are now more veterans charities in this country than ever before and while most collect a great deal of money from the American people, the results produced by the majority of them has been disgraceful. Anyone asking accountability from them?
Great groups don't have the time or the money to hire a PR firm because they spend all their time helping veterans and not themselves. Veterans don't know where to turn anymore because there are groups all over the Internet and especially Facebook claiming to be experts when they just got their head out of the sand on this last week, giving bad advice and held accountable by no one.
NO ONE IS WATCHING ANYONE!
No one including ABC, CBS, NBC, MSNBC, CNN and FOX, all too busy covering politics all these years than what is really important. There used to be actual reporters on these stations earning their pay and wanting to do something to make a difference. Now they want to score points and most don't even know if a politician is telling the truth or not, so the American public is left to figure it out for themselves.
I'll leave you with this last thought going back to the original opening
"Despite millions spent treating post-traumatic stress disorder, defense and Veterans Affairs officials have little idea how effective those programs are because they don’t track cases closely enough, a new report contends."
VA fix-it funds help modify home for Vietnam veteran
VA fix-it funds help modify home for Vietnam veteran
By Anita Creamer
Modesto Bee
Wednesday, Jul. 18, 2012
When he was 20, Otis Dorsey served a year installing communications lines in Vietnam, a world away from the tiny Alabama town where he was raised. After completing his stint in the Army, he came home unhurt, or so he thought for the next few decades.
"I remember them spraying Agent Orange," said Dorsey, now 66, who lives in south Sacramento and is retired from a 25-year career with the federal government. "We were out there working while they were spraying.
"We got damp from it, but they told us it wasn't nothing that would kill you. It would kill the vegetation."
Today, he suffers from type 2 diabetes, diagnosed in 1990 when he was only 44, and Parkinson's disease, diagnosed eight years ago. Both diseases are among the ailments the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs links with Agent Orange exposure.
Diabetic complications led to the amputation of Dorsey's right leg, and he has cellulitis in his left leg. He also developed kidney problems as well as congestive heart failure.
"Gosh, what else have you had?" said his wife, Diane Jones Dorsey, 59, a retired state analyst.
"I'm still up and moving," her husband replied. "I try to keep a positive attitude."
To help him keep moving, and to help make the rest of the world accessible to him, a $63,780 Veterans Affairs grant last year renovated the Dorseys' home, which they bought in 1984, and adapted it to his mobility and medical needs.
read more here
By Anita Creamer
Modesto Bee
Wednesday, Jul. 18, 2012
When he was 20, Otis Dorsey served a year installing communications lines in Vietnam, a world away from the tiny Alabama town where he was raised. After completing his stint in the Army, he came home unhurt, or so he thought for the next few decades.
"I remember them spraying Agent Orange," said Dorsey, now 66, who lives in south Sacramento and is retired from a 25-year career with the federal government. "We were out there working while they were spraying.
"We got damp from it, but they told us it wasn't nothing that would kill you. It would kill the vegetation."
Today, he suffers from type 2 diabetes, diagnosed in 1990 when he was only 44, and Parkinson's disease, diagnosed eight years ago. Both diseases are among the ailments the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs links with Agent Orange exposure.
Diabetic complications led to the amputation of Dorsey's right leg, and he has cellulitis in his left leg. He also developed kidney problems as well as congestive heart failure.
"Gosh, what else have you had?" said his wife, Diane Jones Dorsey, 59, a retired state analyst.
"I'm still up and moving," her husband replied. "I try to keep a positive attitude."
To help him keep moving, and to help make the rest of the world accessible to him, a $63,780 Veterans Affairs grant last year renovated the Dorseys' home, which they bought in 1984, and adapted it to his mobility and medical needs.
read more here
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)