Marine With Brain-Dead Quadruple Amputee Wife Upset Over ‘My Girl’s A Vegetable’ Cadence
BY PAUL ON JULY 25, 2012
Camp Pendleton, CA – Troops running and singing cadence is a familiar scene at bases across the world, but one Marine says the cadence really needs to end.
Corporal Jason Andreesen is assigned to the famed ‘Dark Horse’ battalion — 3rd Battalion, 5th Marines.
“Every morning I have to wake up, put on my silkies and glowbelt and think ‘Well, here we go again’,” says Andreesen.
His reluctance for physical training (PT) comes not from exertion, but from the cadences that his squad mates usually choose. One in particular is referred to as the “Vegetable Cadence.”
“I mean, I thought it was kind of funny back when I first heard it,” says Andreesen, “but that was before I met Sarah. She’s my dream girl.”
Sarah is Andreesen’s wife of three years — who miraculously survived a car crash last year despite losing all her arms and legs and putting her into a coma.
read more here
Wednesday, July 25, 2012
Pick your battles, fight for veterans
by Chaplain Kathie
Wounded Times Blog
July 25, 2012
My Mom always said that I wanted to change the world. She was right. When I was younger it seemed as if I took on everything. She told me that I needed to pick my battles to give it all I had or I'd lose more than I won. She was right again but it took me years to learn that lesson.
For almost 30 years, my passion has been veterans with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder because even tough I grew up surrounded by veterans, Combat PTSD became personal to me. I fell in love with a Vietnam veteran. To this day, I'm still in love, but not just with him. I adore all our veterans because of what I've learned from them.
Since 1993 I've been posting on one blog or another, in chats and chains plus too many websites I started but never managed to catch on. This one did and will be 5 years old next month. This is the count as of 9:00 am today.
Not bad considering what this blog is all about. The reason this blog is what it is, is because people are tired of politics getting into everything. No politician is all bad and none of them are all good. This blog was started because a Marine set me straight and snapped me out of the trap I fell into when political ideas meant more than veterans did.
Most of my friends are Republicans but I have Democrat friends as well. When it comes to politics, none of them agree but when it comes to veterans standing by the side of other veterans political differences vanish. Much like troops deployed into combat will risk their lives without ever once thinking about how the soldier they are next to voted in the last election, veterans support each other when it matters and overlook differences when it really doesn't.
What else I discovered in all these years of research and tracking reports is that people, the general public, get confused between the military and defense contractors. Republicans elect people they think will support the military when the truth is most of their politicians support contractors first and troops afterwards. Elected Democrats support the troops first and contractors afterwards. This has been made clear by their bills and votes on the bills. Neither party has done what is needed to take care of all the men and women in the military anymore than they have taken care of all veterans.
Politicians on both sides have done great things for veterans but the problem is not all of them have all the time. That is why fighting for veterans will never be over.
It is also why I am an Independent and ignore political emails from both sides unless they are so outrageous I can't remain silent.
One thing I can't be silent about is the VA and how Romney would get rid of it.
Normally I wouldn't be concerned but considering how many in congress have said it in the past he would be supported in doing it. They have managed to get the general public looking at the deficit while they are the ones that caused it just as they have us thinking about unemployment when they cut the jobs instead of doing something to give jobs back to us in the USA instead of overseas. They very well may be able to pull off selling the VA to private for profit companies.
It is up to us to pay attention to what is really going on since reporters got lazy a long time ago and you won't even hear them ask about this. It is up to us when we get political emails to find out if the claim made is true or not before we hit the forward button. I'm not talking about looking it up on another blog or opinion piece. We're smarter than that. I expect my readers to look up what I say as well in case I made a mistake. This is all too important to allow lies to live and truth to be buried.
It would be wonderful if politicians could manage to do what the troops do everyday. Put each other first and politics second.
Obama's Promise to Exempt Veteran's Benefits Is Bad News for Pentagon
By U.S. News Staff
July 24, 2012
President Barack Obama's Monday announcement that he will protect military veterans' retirement and health care benefits drew applause from a VFW audience, but it likely drew a few grimaces among Pentagon and industry leaders.
That's because exempting veterans' benefits from $500 billion in cuts to planned national defense spending over the next decade would shrink the places in the defense budget where cuts could be made. That would mean whatever reductions are enacted will be deeper than if the vets' benefits also were cut under a complicated process known as sequestration.
During a much-anticipated speech Monday before a Veterans of Foreign Wars audience in Reno, Nev., Obama touted a "promise I made four years ago: Upholding America's sacred trust with our veterans."
read more here
Iraq Vet/Cop wins appeal against Nashville police
Iraq vet wins appeal against Nashville police
By Kristin M. Hall
The Associated Press Posted : Tuesday Jul 24, 2012
NASHVILLE, Tenn. — An Iraq war veteran who filed a lawsuit against the Metro Nashville police department for reassigning him and then firing him after a deployment has won an appeal over back pay and damages.
For the second time in the case, a federal appeals court has ruled in favor of Brian Petty, a former Army reservist who sued the police department in 2005 because they did not reinstate him as a patrol sergeant after returning from a deployment.
Petty argued that he was entitled to his old job under the Uniformed Services Employment and Reemployment Rights Act and that he faced discrimination because of his military service.
After the first appeal to the 6th Circuit, he was reinstated to his position in 2010. And in a ruling issued Tuesday, the three-judge panel of the 6th Circuit Court of Appeals upheld the district court's awarding him nearly $300,000 in back pay and damages.
Petty, who was hired by the police department in 1991, was called up by the Army for a deployment and was sent to Kuwait around February 2004 to support Operation Iraqi Freedom. While in Kuwait, he was accused of making homemade wine, in violation of military rules. He ultimately resigned his commission and the charges were dropped and his separation was determined to be under honorable conditions.
When he returned to Nashville, the department put him through the same return-to-work process for all officers who have returned from an extended leave of absence. During the process, he was questioned about the military charge he faced while in Kuwait.
read more here
By Kristin M. Hall
The Associated Press Posted : Tuesday Jul 24, 2012
NASHVILLE, Tenn. — An Iraq war veteran who filed a lawsuit against the Metro Nashville police department for reassigning him and then firing him after a deployment has won an appeal over back pay and damages.
For the second time in the case, a federal appeals court has ruled in favor of Brian Petty, a former Army reservist who sued the police department in 2005 because they did not reinstate him as a patrol sergeant after returning from a deployment.
Petty argued that he was entitled to his old job under the Uniformed Services Employment and Reemployment Rights Act and that he faced discrimination because of his military service.
After the first appeal to the 6th Circuit, he was reinstated to his position in 2010. And in a ruling issued Tuesday, the three-judge panel of the 6th Circuit Court of Appeals upheld the district court's awarding him nearly $300,000 in back pay and damages.
Petty, who was hired by the police department in 1991, was called up by the Army for a deployment and was sent to Kuwait around February 2004 to support Operation Iraqi Freedom. While in Kuwait, he was accused of making homemade wine, in violation of military rules. He ultimately resigned his commission and the charges were dropped and his separation was determined to be under honorable conditions.
When he returned to Nashville, the department put him through the same return-to-work process for all officers who have returned from an extended leave of absence. During the process, he was questioned about the military charge he faced while in Kuwait.
read more here
Obama continues conversation with veterans
There was a comment on this article on CNN about how someone claimed veterans did not believe the President. I left a comment about what is real and what was available for others to find. Tracking reports around the country has this blog filled with over 15,000 posts and I can tell you that President Obama is better for veterans than President Bush was but while the president sets the agenda, congress funds the programs. Everything wrong in this country is because of congress. McConnell vowed to make Obama a one term president after he was elected and McConnell didn't care how much the people in this country had to suffer. He counted on our ignorance. Look up the facts and see what the budge was during both Presidents.
The long lines were about good changes that happened like PTSD claims and Agent Orange claims made easier at the same time more combat wounded survived what would have killed them during Vietnam, all while congress whined about the deficit. Top that off with each state laying off workers to take care of their veterans and you see them suffering. It isn't always easy to discover what is truth because it requires the time of an open mind and the will to learn.
The long lines were about good changes that happened like PTSD claims and Agent Orange claims made easier at the same time more combat wounded survived what would have killed them during Vietnam, all while congress whined about the deficit. Top that off with each state laying off workers to take care of their veterans and you see them suffering. It isn't always easy to discover what is truth because it requires the time of an open mind and the will to learn.
Obama continues conversation with veterans
Posted by
CNN White House Producer
Becky Brittain
July 24th, 2012
PORTLAND, Oregon (CNN) – One day after delivering remarks to thousands of veterans at the VFW convention in Reno, Nevada, President Obama sat down with a smaller group of veterans for breakfast.
Three veterans from the Portland area sat down at the Gateway Breakfast House to discuss issues such as care for disabled veterans, services in rural areas, and PTSD.
Most of the meeting was out of the view of cameras but pool reporters heard several references to his remarks yesterday in Reno.
read more here
Tuesday, July 24, 2012
Deployed military need tailored mental health care
Utah professor: Deployed military need tailored mental health care
By Matt Canham
The Salt Lake Tribune
First Published 2 hours ago
Washington
A University of Utah academic implored members of Congress to rethink a defense policy that relies on deploying the same men and women into war zones over and over again.
It’s "a near guarantee" that a soldier who experiences repeat combat will suffer from post traumatic stress disorder and many will at least attempt to kill themselves.
David Rudd, the scientific director for the U.’s National Center for Veterans Studies, presented the results of his recent study on Tuesday to a trio of lawmakers and about 15 congressional staffers at a meeting of two House caucuses that support veterans.
He attributed at least part of the troubling spike in military suicides to the repeat deployments that have become the hallmark of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.
"I think we have the best, most superior, professional military in the world," said Rudd, a former Army psychologist, "but the question is how much can one individual take over the course of 10 years? How many times can you be expected to go back into combat and be expected to deal with that?"
He surveyed 244 veterans who experienced heavy combat and found that 93 percent qualified for a PTSD diagnosis and 70 percent had attempted suicide.
read more here
By Matt Canham
The Salt Lake Tribune
First Published 2 hours ago
Washington
A University of Utah academic implored members of Congress to rethink a defense policy that relies on deploying the same men and women into war zones over and over again.
It’s "a near guarantee" that a soldier who experiences repeat combat will suffer from post traumatic stress disorder and many will at least attempt to kill themselves.
David Rudd, the scientific director for the U.’s National Center for Veterans Studies, presented the results of his recent study on Tuesday to a trio of lawmakers and about 15 congressional staffers at a meeting of two House caucuses that support veterans.
He attributed at least part of the troubling spike in military suicides to the repeat deployments that have become the hallmark of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.
"I think we have the best, most superior, professional military in the world," said Rudd, a former Army psychologist, "but the question is how much can one individual take over the course of 10 years? How many times can you be expected to go back into combat and be expected to deal with that?"
He surveyed 244 veterans who experienced heavy combat and found that 93 percent qualified for a PTSD diagnosis and 70 percent had attempted suicide.
read more here
Mental Health Funds Lacking in Florida for Veterans and Families
Mental Health Funds Lacking in Florida
WJHG-TV
Large numbers of veterans coming home from Iraq and Afghanistan are suffering from post traumatic stress disorder. They are also finding delays in getting treatment. Mark Alvarez is the commander of VFW post 3308. He believes that as many as 40 percent coming home are feeling the effects of combat.
"They're very quiet, you know, very edgy sometimes. They lose their focus at times," said Commander Alvarez.
A swamped Veterans Administration is the first place for those seeking help to turn.
After that, it is private or state programs. The problem is that Florida ranks 50th out of 50 states and the District of Columbia in mental health funding. Experts say the state is losing ground. read more here
WJHG-TV
Large numbers of veterans coming home from Iraq and Afghanistan are suffering from post traumatic stress disorder. They are also finding delays in getting treatment. Mark Alvarez is the commander of VFW post 3308. He believes that as many as 40 percent coming home are feeling the effects of combat.
"They're very quiet, you know, very edgy sometimes. They lose their focus at times," said Commander Alvarez.
A swamped Veterans Administration is the first place for those seeking help to turn.
After that, it is private or state programs. The problem is that Florida ranks 50th out of 50 states and the District of Columbia in mental health funding. Experts say the state is losing ground. read more here
Reverse Boot Camp to Prep Troops to Leave Military
Reverse Boot Camp to Prep Troops to Leave Military
Jul 23, 2012
Stars and Stripes
by Leo Shane III
WASHINGTON -- Troops leaving the military will go through a five- to seven-day reverse boot camp covering job skills, personal finances and veterans benefits under a new initiative to be announced by President Barack Obama on Monday.
At a speech before the Veterans of Foreign Wars national convention in Nevada, Obama will outline the program -- dubbed Transition Goals Planning Success, or Transition GPS -- as part of a wider effort to help curb veterans unemployment and the difficult integration into civilian life for many troops.
The overhaul is the first significant change in the military's Transition Assistance Program in more than 20 years. It comes in response to criticism that the current three-day voluntary program is outdated and too superficial.
According to senior administration officials, the new Transition GPS will include a pre-separation assessment and individual counseling for all troops, development of an personal transition plan, and certification that the servicemember has met "career readiness" standards before leaving the military. The program also includes efforts to provide career counseling and credentialing opportunity throughout a service member's military career, officials said.
The new five-day transition curriculum, created by an interagency task force, will cover lessons in basic budgeting tips, resume preparation, dealing with family adjustment issues, and translating military skills into a civilian environment.
Representatives from the Departments of Labor and Veterans Affairs will brief outgoing troops on post-service benefits.
Officials said troops will also be offered another two-day course in one of three categories: attending college, getting a technical or civilian-credentialed job, or starting a business from scratch.
read more here
Jul 23, 2012
Stars and Stripes
by Leo Shane III
WASHINGTON -- Troops leaving the military will go through a five- to seven-day reverse boot camp covering job skills, personal finances and veterans benefits under a new initiative to be announced by President Barack Obama on Monday.
At a speech before the Veterans of Foreign Wars national convention in Nevada, Obama will outline the program -- dubbed Transition Goals Planning Success, or Transition GPS -- as part of a wider effort to help curb veterans unemployment and the difficult integration into civilian life for many troops.
The overhaul is the first significant change in the military's Transition Assistance Program in more than 20 years. It comes in response to criticism that the current three-day voluntary program is outdated and too superficial.
According to senior administration officials, the new Transition GPS will include a pre-separation assessment and individual counseling for all troops, development of an personal transition plan, and certification that the servicemember has met "career readiness" standards before leaving the military. The program also includes efforts to provide career counseling and credentialing opportunity throughout a service member's military career, officials said.
The new five-day transition curriculum, created by an interagency task force, will cover lessons in basic budgeting tips, resume preparation, dealing with family adjustment issues, and translating military skills into a civilian environment.
Representatives from the Departments of Labor and Veterans Affairs will brief outgoing troops on post-service benefits.
Officials said troops will also be offered another two-day course in one of three categories: attending college, getting a technical or civilian-credentialed job, or starting a business from scratch.
read more here
UK:'One in eight soldiers' commits violence on return
'One in eight soldiers' commits violence on return
By Jane Deith
24 July 2012
One in eight soldiers has attacked someone after coming home from a combat deployment, research suggests.
Ministry of Defence-funded researchers surveyed 13,000 Army personnel and say they found a link between combat and trauma, and violent behaviour - often towards their partners.
Former head of the Army General Richard Dannatt warned a cultural change is needed within the forces.
The Ministry of Defence said it had measures to manage violence.
The study by Dr Deirdre MacManus, at The Kings Centre for Military Health Research, found an association between soldiers' experiences in Iraq and Afghanistan, and violent behaviour at home.
Soldiers involved in direct combat were twice as likely as others to admit having hit someone at the end of the tour, the research found.
A third of the victims were someone in the family - often a wife or girlfriend.
read more here
By Jane Deith
24 July 2012
One in eight soldiers has attacked someone after coming home from a combat deployment, research suggests.
Ministry of Defence-funded researchers surveyed 13,000 Army personnel and say they found a link between combat and trauma, and violent behaviour - often towards their partners.
Former head of the Army General Richard Dannatt warned a cultural change is needed within the forces.
The Ministry of Defence said it had measures to manage violence.
The study by Dr Deirdre MacManus, at The Kings Centre for Military Health Research, found an association between soldiers' experiences in Iraq and Afghanistan, and violent behaviour at home.
Soldiers involved in direct combat were twice as likely as others to admit having hit someone at the end of the tour, the research found.
A third of the victims were someone in the family - often a wife or girlfriend.
read more here
AP VA fact check missing facts
UPDATE July 25, 2012
Shinseki: Backlog means VA reaching more vets
This is what AP reported as FACT CHECK
These are the real facts.
June 4, 2009, Subcommittee approves bill easing PTSD compensation for vets
October 13, 2009 VA Extends "Agent Orange" Benefits to More Veterans
August 6, 2010 Court orders VA to act on new Agent Orange findings
These are just examples of what happened to increase the number of veterans filing claims on top of the Iraq and Afghanistan veterans filing claims. The other truth is that there were less doctors and nurses working for the VA than after the Gulf War. Another factor is the layoffs and employment freezes that happened all over the country along with the other fact that every state is different when it comes to taking care of veterans.
Here's another one
July 23, 2012 Political Shenanigans Target Veterans
Obama had to deal with the congress screaming about cutting the public workers at the same time each state was doing the same and then they started to complain about what they were all a part of all these years because the media let them get away with it and now, now they are FACT CHECKING?
Did AP mention how the elected GOP in congress want to turn the VA over to private companies and this very well could be part of their plan to do it? Break it so they can get rid of it.
Shinseki: Backlog means VA reaching more vets
This is what AP reported as FACT CHECK
FACT CHECK: Disability claims still growing at VA
By By KEVIN FREKING – 8 hours ago
WASHINGTON (AP) — President Barack Obama paints an encouraging picture of the additional resources his administration has poured into helping veterans get disability benefits and mental health treatment. But he glosses over just how much those problems have grown during his time in office.
Obama spoke Monday to the Veterans of Foreign Wars. His Republican rival for the White House, former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney, is set to address the same group Tuesday. A look at Obama's assertions about the Veterans Affairs Department's efforts and how they compare with the facts:
OBAMA: "We've hired thousands of claims processors. We're investing in paperless systems. To their credit, the dedicated folks at the VA are now completing 1 million claims a year, but there's been a tidal wave of new claims."
THE FACTS: Veterans can be eligible for help with conditions caused or aggravated by their military service. The government, however, has long struggled to keep up with the claims, and the backlog has grown worse during the president's term in office as soldiers return from Iraq and Afghanistan.
read more here
These are the real facts.
VA: NEARLY 500 CRITICAL DOCUMENTS FOUND IN SHREDDER BINS
ALL VA SHREDDER SCANDAL ARTICLES HERE...
UPDATE: NEW VA FIGURES SHOW NATIONWIDE PROBLEM WITH SHREDDING CRITICAL DOCUMENTS (10-23-08)VA finds hundreds of documents critical to veterans' claims in shredder bins across the country.AND --
FILNER COMPARES VA TO "KEYSTONE COPS," TO HOLD HEARING ON SHREDDING IN NOVEMBER (10-24-08)
DAV "OUTRAGED" BY VA SHREDDER SCANDAL (10-24-08)
HISTORY OF DECEPTION: VA ATTORNEYS CONVICTED OF DESTROYING DOCUMENTS (10-22-08)
FEDERAL JUDGE FINES VA FOR SHREDDING CRITICAL DOCUMENTS ... IN 1987 (10-20-08)
DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS AFFAIRS 38 CFR Part 3
RIN 2900-AN04
Posttraumatic Stress Disorder
AGENCY: Department of Veterans Affairs.
ACTION: Interim final rule.
SUMMARY: The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) is amending its adjudication regulations regarding service connection for posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) by eliminating the requirement of evidence corroborating occurrence of the claimed in-service stressor in claims in which PTSD is diagnosed in service. This amendment is necessary to facilitate the proof of service connection in such claims. By this amendment, we intend to reduce claim-processing time for such claims.
Unopened claims letters hidden at VA offices
By Rick Maze - Staff writer
Posted : Tuesday Mar 3, 2009 17:22:51 EST
A new report about Veterans Affairs Department employees squirreling away tens of thousands of unopened letters related to benefits claims is sparking fresh concerns that veterans and their survivors are being cheated out of money.
VA officials acknowledge further credibility problems based on a new report of a previously undisclosed 2007 incident in which workers at a Detroit regional office turned in 16,000 pieces of unprocessed mail and 717 documents turned up in New York in December during amnesty periods in which workers were promised no one would be penalized.
“Veterans have lost trust in VA,” Michael Walcoff, VA’s under secretary for benefits, said at a hearing Tuesday. “That loss of trust is understandable, and winning back that trust will not be easy.”
Crisis at the VA as Benefits Claims Backlog Nearly Tops One Million
Monday, 01 June 2009
By Jason Leopold
During the past four months, the Department of Veterans Affairs backlog of unfinished disability claims from grew by more than 100,000, adding to an already mountainous backlog that is now close to topping one million.
The VA's claims backlog, which includes all benefits claims and all appeals at the Veterans Benefits Administration and the Board of Veterans Appeals at VA, was 803,000 on Jan. 5, 2009. The backlog hit 915,000 on May 4, 2009, a staggering 14 percent increase in four months.
June 4, 2009, Subcommittee approves bill easing PTSD compensation for vets
October 13, 2009 VA Extends "Agent Orange" Benefits to More Veterans
August 6, 2010 Court orders VA to act on new Agent Orange findings
These are just examples of what happened to increase the number of veterans filing claims on top of the Iraq and Afghanistan veterans filing claims. The other truth is that there were less doctors and nurses working for the VA than after the Gulf War. Another factor is the layoffs and employment freezes that happened all over the country along with the other fact that every state is different when it comes to taking care of veterans.
Here's another one
July 23, 2012 Political Shenanigans Target Veterans
Obama had to deal with the congress screaming about cutting the public workers at the same time each state was doing the same and then they started to complain about what they were all a part of all these years because the media let them get away with it and now, now they are FACT CHECKING?
Did AP mention how the elected GOP in congress want to turn the VA over to private companies and this very well could be part of their plan to do it? Break it so they can get rid of it.
Gun range owner says Army Reserve officer prayed before pulling trigger
Gun range owner haunted by recent suicide on premises
July 23, 2012
by Jon Burkett
COLONIAL HEIGHTS, Va. (WTVR)–The owner of The Smoking Gun pistol range didn’t want to appear on TV, but he did want to set the record straight about the suicide inside his business five days ago.
It’s a death that he says has made it hard to sleep at night.
It began with the sound of gunshots inside a shooting range. It’s safe to say it’s common to hear that sound there, but a shot last week still haunts the range owner. “I yelled, ‘Lieutenant!” he said. “’You have five minutes,’ but he didn’t acknowledge me.”
Second Lieutenant James Cho, an Army Reserve officer was dead. The gunshot wound to the head was later determined to be a suicide. The Smoking Gun’s owner says Cho was in a position that he’ll never forget.
“It appeared as if he was praying, trying to make peace with god, I guess.”
Sources tell CBS 6 Cho was under an Army investigation for an alleged criminal act but wouldn’t give further details. The range owner says he met Cho twice: the day of, and the day before his death.
read more here
Fort Lee Army Officer dies at shooting range
July 23, 2012
by Jon Burkett
COLONIAL HEIGHTS, Va. (WTVR)–The owner of The Smoking Gun pistol range didn’t want to appear on TV, but he did want to set the record straight about the suicide inside his business five days ago.
It’s a death that he says has made it hard to sleep at night.
It began with the sound of gunshots inside a shooting range. It’s safe to say it’s common to hear that sound there, but a shot last week still haunts the range owner. “I yelled, ‘Lieutenant!” he said. “’You have five minutes,’ but he didn’t acknowledge me.”
Second Lieutenant James Cho, an Army Reserve officer was dead. The gunshot wound to the head was later determined to be a suicide. The Smoking Gun’s owner says Cho was in a position that he’ll never forget.
“It appeared as if he was praying, trying to make peace with god, I guess.”
Sources tell CBS 6 Cho was under an Army investigation for an alleged criminal act but wouldn’t give further details. The range owner says he met Cho twice: the day of, and the day before his death.
read more here
Fort Lee Army Officer dies at shooting range
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