Navy: U.S. destroyer collides with oil tanker in Strait of Hormuz
From Barbara Starr
CNN Pentagon Correspondent
August 12, 2012
STORY HIGHLIGHTS
The USS Porter, a guided missile destroyer, collides with a tanker
The Japanese-owned tanker was operating under a Panamanian flag
No one is injured in the collision, the Navy says
The Porter "is able to operate under its own power," the Navy says
(CNN) -- The U.S. Navy said its guided missile destroyer collided with a Japanese-owned oil tanker in the Strait of Hormuz early Sunday morning.
No one was injured in the collision that occurred about 1 a.m. local time when the USS Porter collided with the Panamanian-flagged bulk oil tanker M/V Otowasan, the Navy said in a statement.
read more here
Sunday, August 12, 2012
Farmer sends huge thank you to the troops coming home
WHAT PILOTS SEE
WHEN LANDING AT OFFUTT AIR FORCE BASE...
A farmer does this with his tractor. He uses GPS to get the letters readable. He has done this every fall for several years now. Here's the view from the flight pattern into OFFUTT AIR FORCE BASE ( Bellevue , NE., just south of Omaha ).
This is what our servicemen see when landing at Offutt AFB.
Hat tip to the Bellevue farmer who made it happen!
Sgt. Jim gave a link to even more pictures.
Apache Clips
A farmer does this with his tractor. He uses GPS to get the letters readable. He has done this every fall for several years now. Here's the view from the flight pattern into OFFUTT AIR FORCE BASE ( Bellevue , NE., just south of Omaha ).
This is what our servicemen see when landing at Offutt AFB.
Hat tip to the Bellevue farmer who made it happen!
Saturday, August 11, 2012
Operation Freedoms Paws, help veterans
CNN
Mary Cortani and her group, Operation Freedoms Paws, help veterans train their own service dogs in Northern California.
Mary Cortani and her group, Operation Freedoms Paws, help veterans train their own service dogs in Northern California.
Army general is military's first openly gay flag officer
Army general is military's first openly gay flag officer
CNN
August 10, 2012
The U.S. military has its first openly gay flag officer with the promotion of Tammy Smith to the rank of Army brigadier general on Friday.
Smith received her stars in a private ceremony at the Women's Memorial at Arlington National Cemetery, according to a press release from the Service Members Legal Defense Network, an organization promoting lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender equality in the U.S. military.
Friday was also the first day she publicly acknowledged her sexuality, according to a report from Stars and Stripes, and that acknowledgement comes less than a year after the military ended the "don't ask, don't tell" policy under which an active-duty service member faced punishment or discharge if he or she admitted being homosexual.
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CNN
August 10, 2012
The U.S. military has its first openly gay flag officer with the promotion of Tammy Smith to the rank of Army brigadier general on Friday.
Smith received her stars in a private ceremony at the Women's Memorial at Arlington National Cemetery, according to a press release from the Service Members Legal Defense Network, an organization promoting lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender equality in the U.S. military.
Friday was also the first day she publicly acknowledged her sexuality, according to a report from Stars and Stripes, and that acknowledgement comes less than a year after the military ended the "don't ask, don't tell" policy under which an active-duty service member faced punishment or discharge if he or she admitted being homosexual.
read more here
War wounds
War Wounds
By NICHOLAS D. KRISTOF
New York Times
Published: August 10, 2012
IT would be so much easier, Maj. Ben Richards says, if he had just lost a leg in Iraq.
Instead, he finds himself losing his mind, or at least a part of it. And if you want to understand how America is failing its soldiers and veterans, honoring them with lip service and ceremonies but breaking faith with them on all that matters most, listen to the story of Major Richards.
For starters, he’s brilliant. (Or at least he was.) He speaks Chinese and taught at West Point, and his medical evaluations suggest that until his recent problems he had an I.Q. of about 148. After he graduated from West Point, in 2000, he received glowing reviews.
“Ben Richards is one of the best military officers I have worked with in 13 years of service,” noted an evaluation, one of many military and medical documents he shared with me.
Yet Richards’s intellect almost exacerbates his suffering, for it better equips him to monitor his mental deterioration — and the failings of the Army that he has revered since he was a young boy.
Military suicides are the starkest gauge of our nation’s failure to care adequately for those who served in uniform. With America’s wars winding down, the United States is now losing more soldiers to suicide than to the enemy. Include veterans, and the tragedy is even more sweeping. For every soldier killed in war this year, about 25 veterans now take their own lives.
President Obama said recently that it was an “outrage” that some service members and veterans sought help but couldn’t get it: “We’ve got to do better. This has to be all hands on deck.” Admirable words, but so far they’ve neither made much impact nor offered consolation to those who call the suicide prevention hot line and end up on hold.
The military’s problems with mental health services go far beyond suicide or the occasional murders committed by soldiers and veterans. Far more common are people like Richards, who does not contemplate violence of any kind but is still profoundly disabled.
read more here
By NICHOLAS D. KRISTOF
New York Times
Published: August 10, 2012
IT would be so much easier, Maj. Ben Richards says, if he had just lost a leg in Iraq.
Daniel Borris for The New York Times
Maj. Ben Richards, who suffered repeated head injuries in Iraq, sums up his future: “It comes to failure.”
Instead, he finds himself losing his mind, or at least a part of it. And if you want to understand how America is failing its soldiers and veterans, honoring them with lip service and ceremonies but breaking faith with them on all that matters most, listen to the story of Major Richards.
For starters, he’s brilliant. (Or at least he was.) He speaks Chinese and taught at West Point, and his medical evaluations suggest that until his recent problems he had an I.Q. of about 148. After he graduated from West Point, in 2000, he received glowing reviews.
“Ben Richards is one of the best military officers I have worked with in 13 years of service,” noted an evaluation, one of many military and medical documents he shared with me.
Yet Richards’s intellect almost exacerbates his suffering, for it better equips him to monitor his mental deterioration — and the failings of the Army that he has revered since he was a young boy.
Military suicides are the starkest gauge of our nation’s failure to care adequately for those who served in uniform. With America’s wars winding down, the United States is now losing more soldiers to suicide than to the enemy. Include veterans, and the tragedy is even more sweeping. For every soldier killed in war this year, about 25 veterans now take their own lives.
President Obama said recently that it was an “outrage” that some service members and veterans sought help but couldn’t get it: “We’ve got to do better. This has to be all hands on deck.” Admirable words, but so far they’ve neither made much impact nor offered consolation to those who call the suicide prevention hot line and end up on hold.
The military’s problems with mental health services go far beyond suicide or the occasional murders committed by soldiers and veterans. Far more common are people like Richards, who does not contemplate violence of any kind but is still profoundly disabled.
read more here
South Wales Soldier's mum horrified at body parts revelation
Soldier's mum horrified at body parts revelation
Friday, August 10, 2012
South Wales Evening Post
THE mum of a hero killed in Afghanistan says she was horrified at the grim discovery that the Ministry of Defence kept the body parts and tissues of dead soldiers without their families' permission.
Debbie John, whose son Corporal Dean John died in Helmand Province in 2009, said her "stomach somersaulted" after officials revealed that six body parts and more than 50 tissue samples had been kept by the Royal Military Police (RMP).
The remains were first uncovered last month by a new manager working with the Military Police's Special Investigations Branch (SIB).
Officials are now looking to get in touch with the families of 30 soldiers over the case. The Ministry of Defence said it was "deeply sorry" following the situation.
Ms John, of Port Talbot, said was stunned when she heard about what had happened.
She said: "I'm waiting for a phone call. It's terrible. The thing is, it rakes everything up for the families.
read more here
Friday, August 10, 2012
South Wales Evening Post
THE mum of a hero killed in Afghanistan says she was horrified at the grim discovery that the Ministry of Defence kept the body parts and tissues of dead soldiers without their families' permission.
Debbie John, whose son Corporal Dean John died in Helmand Province in 2009, said her "stomach somersaulted" after officials revealed that six body parts and more than 50 tissue samples had been kept by the Royal Military Police (RMP).
The remains were first uncovered last month by a new manager working with the Military Police's Special Investigations Branch (SIB).
Officials are now looking to get in touch with the families of 30 soldiers over the case. The Ministry of Defence said it was "deeply sorry" following the situation.
Ms John, of Port Talbot, said was stunned when she heard about what had happened.
She said: "I'm waiting for a phone call. It's terrible. The thing is, it rakes everything up for the families.
read more here
Fallen U.S. soldier's remains in urn stolen from car
Fallen U.S. soldier's remains in urn stolen from car, Mich. authorities say
August 10, 2012
By Crimesider Staff Topics
Daily Blotter
(CBS/WWJ) LIVONIA - Authorities in Michigan say someone stole an urn containing the remains of a U.S. soldier who died in Afghanistan.
According to CBS Detroit, the urn holding the ashes of Brian Backus was stolen on July 8 in Livonia, about 20 miles west of Detroit. The remains were were taken from a 2012 white Ford Mustang parked outside a home on Arcola street between the hours of 3 a.m. and 7 a.m.
read more here
August 10, 2012
By Crimesider Staff Topics
Daily Blotter
(CBS/WWJ) LIVONIA - Authorities in Michigan say someone stole an urn containing the remains of a U.S. soldier who died in Afghanistan.
According to CBS Detroit, the urn holding the ashes of Brian Backus was stolen on July 8 in Livonia, about 20 miles west of Detroit. The remains were were taken from a 2012 white Ford Mustang parked outside a home on Arcola street between the hours of 3 a.m. and 7 a.m.
read more here
UK bike memorial ride for soldier after suicide
Memorial bike ride for Lee
Friday, 10 August 2012
A gruelling 214-mile cycle ride over four days from Tenby to Warsop, in Nottinghamshire, is taking place at the end of the month in memory of Lee Bonsall.
Twenty-four-year-old Lee tragically committed suicide in March, after suffering in silence from ‘Post Traumatic Stress Disorder’ (PTSD) and was found by his wife Serena in their Tenby home.
“Lee had been suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder after serving in Afghanistan, he gave no indication of how bad his depression was and he hadn’t received the help he needed,” explained Serena, who is one of those taking on the cycling trip from Tenby to Lee’s original home town of Warsop.
“Obviously this has been the most traumatic time of life and I never thought I would be a widow at the age of 24. Out of all of this sadness though, I feel it’s important to do something positive and raise awareness of this terrible illness, not only for Lee, but for others who have suffered this life-changing condition.
“On average, veterans wait 13 long years before contacting Combat Stress for help.
That’s too long to suffer in silence, so let’s work together to battle the stigma of service-related mental ill-health,” added Serena.
read more here
Friday, 10 August 2012
A gruelling 214-mile cycle ride over four days from Tenby to Warsop, in Nottinghamshire, is taking place at the end of the month in memory of Lee Bonsall.
Twenty-four-year-old Lee tragically committed suicide in March, after suffering in silence from ‘Post Traumatic Stress Disorder’ (PTSD) and was found by his wife Serena in their Tenby home.
“Lee had been suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder after serving in Afghanistan, he gave no indication of how bad his depression was and he hadn’t received the help he needed,” explained Serena, who is one of those taking on the cycling trip from Tenby to Lee’s original home town of Warsop.
“Obviously this has been the most traumatic time of life and I never thought I would be a widow at the age of 24. Out of all of this sadness though, I feel it’s important to do something positive and raise awareness of this terrible illness, not only for Lee, but for others who have suffered this life-changing condition.
“On average, veterans wait 13 long years before contacting Combat Stress for help.
That’s too long to suffer in silence, so let’s work together to battle the stigma of service-related mental ill-health,” added Serena.
read more here
Paul Ryan pick is against veterans
UPDATE From Vote Vets
GOP Budget Doesn't Even Say the Word "Veteran"
How bad is Mitt Romney’s VP Pick Paul Ryan for Veterans?
His budget slashes care for veterans, but doesn't even use the word "veteran" once.
Below is the piece I wrote, written in March at Huffington Post, about Paul Ryan’s hostile view of veterans. Please help us share this blog post on all of your social networks, and forward to your friends and family.
Sincerely,
Jon Soltz
Iraq War Veteran
Chairman, VoteVets.org
@JonSoltz
GOP Budget Doesn't Even Say the Word "Veteran"
Yep, this guy
“While our veterans certainly deserve all the accolades Scott offers, they need proper benefits more, which our congressman is working to take away, based on his vote for the Ryan Budget.”
Deriving its name from its primary sponsor, Rep. Paul Ryan (R-Wisc.), the bill contains substantial cuts in military benefits, some of which will leave 130,000 veterans without needed healthcare.
“The Ryan Budget is an insult to every American veteran. It’s 98 pages long and does not even contain the word ‘veteran.’ It contains over $11 billion in cuts that adversely affect our veterans, yet never mentions them by name.”
Romney just proved what he thinks about veterans. Hey, if they break the VA, then they can sell it off to private companies.
Mitt Romney Floats ‘Private Sector Competition’ For Vets’ Health Care System
By Emily Friedman
ABC News
Nov 11, 2011
MAULDIN, S.C. — Mitt Romney suggested on Friday that he was open to introducing “private sector competition” into the health care system U.S. military veterans receive.
At a campaign event in South Carolina, Romney raised the possibility of a voucher system.
“If you’re the government, they know there’s nowhere else you guys can go, you’re stuck,” Romney told a group of veterans at Mutt’s BBQ restaurant here. “Sometimes you wonder if there would be some way to introduce private sector competition, somebody else who could come in and say each solder has ‘X’ thousand dollars attributed to them and then they can choose where they want to go in the government system or the private system with the money that follows them.”
Romney added, “Like what happens with schools in Florida where people have a voucher that goes with him.”
Democrats immediately pounced on Romney’s remarks, blasting out information about Sen. John McCain’s plan to privatize the VA in 2008 and articles that suggested veteran’s at the time weren’t happy with the proposal. The Veterans of Foreign Wars weren’t pleased either: In a statement to the Talking Points Memo, VFW spokesman Jerry Newberry said, “The VFW doesn’t support privatization of veterans health care. This is an issue that seems to come around every election cycle.”
read more here
Update
Democrats think I am against President Obama because I complain so much about what our veterans are still going through. Republicans think I am against Republicans because I slam so many members of congress in that party. The truth is, I am pro-veteran and believe it is our responsibility to hold them all equally accountable for what they do FOR veterans or TO veterans. This is the reason why I am a registered Independent. I am against all politicians when they vote against veterans.
Military Sexual Assault Victims Meet With McKeon, Ask For Investigation
Military Sexual Assault Victims Meet With McKeon, Ask For Investigation
Written by Mark Archuleta
KHTS
Friday, 10 August 2012
Military sexual assault survivors from last week's Protect Our Defenders (POD) press conference in DC met (or teleconferenced) with the House Armed Services Committee (HASC) staff today to continue pressing for an open Lackland Air Force Base hearing and investigation.
Former Naval Aviator Lt. Paula Coughlin, a victim of sexual assault during the infamous Tailhook scandal in 1991 has started Paula’s Petition asking the House Armed Services Committee, chaired by 25th District Congressman Howard “Buck” McKeon to conduct and open investigation into the Lackland Air Force Base sexual assault scandal and the institutionalized legacy of sexual assault in the military.
read more here
My video Hardest Times You Could Imagine from 2009
Written by Mark Archuleta
KHTS
Friday, 10 August 2012
Military sexual assault survivors from last week's Protect Our Defenders (POD) press conference in DC met (or teleconferenced) with the House Armed Services Committee (HASC) staff today to continue pressing for an open Lackland Air Force Base hearing and investigation.
Former Naval Aviator Lt. Paula Coughlin, a victim of sexual assault during the infamous Tailhook scandal in 1991 has started Paula’s Petition asking the House Armed Services Committee, chaired by 25th District Congressman Howard “Buck” McKeon to conduct and open investigation into the Lackland Air Force Base sexual assault scandal and the institutionalized legacy of sexual assault in the military.
read more here
My video Hardest Times You Could Imagine from 2009
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