Professor told joke in front of Aurora victim's family

UPDATE August 21, 2012

Family Says Professor Shouldn’t Be Fired Over Aurora Joke
By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
Published: August 20, 2012

DENVER (AP) — The family of a man killed in the Aurora, Colo., movie theater shooting last month said it did not want a United States Merchant Marine Academy professor dismissed for a joke he made about the attack.

Original report

Gregory Sullivan, Professor At U.S. Merchant Marine Academy, Suspended For Colorado Shooting Remark
AP/The Huffington Post
Posted: 08/16/2012

KINGS POINT, N.Y. -- A professor at the United States Merchant Marine Academy faces dismissal for joking about the Colorado movie theater shootings in front of his students, including one whose father was among the victims.

James Holmes, the suspect in the Aurora, Colo., mass shooting, has dyed his hair bright orange.

The professor had just turned down the lights to show the documentary and was preparing to step out for a few minutes when he made the remark.

According to The New York Times, the professor said, “If someone with orange hair appears in the corner of the room, run for the exit."

Shashi Kumar, the institution's academic dean, called the joke "notoriously disgraceful conduct" and recommended that Sullivan be fired. The internal document said Sullivan was informed on Aug. 10 that he had 10 days to contest his dismissal.

The document also said Sullivan had been unaware that the father of one of his students was killed in the shootings. It said he immediately apologized to the student after being told of his loss. He also offered apologies to the entire class and the administration.

But the notice also said the professor should have been aware of the student's loss because the school had sent an email about it on July 25 and the student had been absent for a few days. It said Sullivan also had given two other students permission to miss class to attend a funeral in Colorado.
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THIS BLOG IS DEPRESSING AS HELL!

THIS BLOG IS DEPRESSING AS HELL!
by Chaplain Kathie
Wounded Times Blog
August 17, 2012

If someone decided to give an award for the worst blog, I think I'd win it. THIS BLOG IS DEPRESSING AS HELL!

I try really hard to find at least one post that will be positive. Somedays I'll open my email and start reading, getting all teary eyed and then see something making me all warm and tingly inside, like when my husband surprises me with a rose or my favorite candy (dark chocolate anything) just because he felt like it. Most days it is one bad, sad report after another. Today, is looking like one of those days so far. My mail box is full of reports to read. Most of them look pretty bad right now.

It is 7:45 and I've already answered emails from people looking for help, telling me about their frustrations and sadness. Every time I read one about a suicide, I feel about as helpless as the sender because while I know what needs to be done, it isn't being done and I've run out of excuses for the DOD and the VA. I've run out of ways to give them back some hope.

Oh sure I can get them to understand what PTSD, why it happened to someone they love and reassure them that it isn't their fault they have to go visit a grave now but the only way I have any ability to offer them hope is to tell them what the DOD and the VA are doing to prevent others from suffering the same fate. I used to be able to tell them that this group or that group has stepped up but soon I'd have to tell them that this group or that one is just as lousy as most of the others.

I am a "one woman show" so what you see is what you get. I need psychologists to send them to. I need service groups to help them with their claims. I need organizations I believe in enough to suggest the veteran or family member turn to them for help beyond what I can give. I need Yoga and martial arts instructors to be able to get them to retrain their body to calm down. I need members of the clergy to step up. What I really need the most right now is for other bloggers and Facebook hacks to stop making all of this worse!

If you're a true expert and have all your ducks in a row, send me a link to your site and I'll check it out. If it turns out to be what you claim it is, I'll link it. If I read someone pouring out their heart and I read something stupid in response instead of telling them where they can go for help, I may get frustrated enough to slam the site. These men and women are turning to you for help and if you don't do it for them, then you're doing it for your own glory.

This blog is here because 5 years ago a Marine reading my older blog sent me an email and set me straight with one question. "Are you doing this for us or yourself?" Long story short, he was right. I turned into someone I didn't like very much and justified it with all the time I spent covering PTSD. Take a look at your own site and ask yourself the same question. Once your heart is in the right place again, fix what isn't helping them.

We need all hands on deck yesterday! Your site needs to be as good as it can be or we're going to keep reading reports like this.

This is bad. 38 suspected suicides in July may mark grim record for Army but when you put this report with this one, 8 Marines committed suicide in July it is worse. Bad enough? Nope. Not even close. The Air Force and the Navy are not in these reports. Top that off with the figure of 18 veterans a day committing suicide is only part of the story. They don't publish attempted suicides. What makes all of these numbers worse? The fact that there are only 3.42 million veterans, from all generations, getting VA compensation as of April of 2012. 513,598 veterans are being compensated for PTSD. Bad enough? Nope.

There are 22,234,000 "projected veterans population" but we have only "3.42 million" veterans getting VA compensation? There were over 2 million OEF OIF veterans but less than half seek help from the VA. What makes all of this worse is that if they are no longer on active duty and not in the VA system, no one is tracking them. That means for all the sad numbers we read about every month in the suicide figures, we are not even close to what the reality is. But no one is talking about that!

This is why this blog is depressing as hell.

Grim Record: Soldier Suicides Reach New High
By MARK THOMPSON
August 16, 2012

A record number of soldiers – 38 – are suspected of killing themselves in July, the Pentagon said Thursday. It marks a startling jump in the suicide epidemic that has been frustrating Army leaders for years.

The total included 26 active-duty soldiers – under the Army’s control 24/7 — also an apparent record, and a 117% jump from June’s count of 12 active-duty suicides.

I'll try to find at least one post that is positive today so check back later.

38 suspected suicides in July may mark grim record for Army

I don't know what to say anymore. I don't know how to comfort the families anymore. How to tell them I still believe the DOD is doing everything possible to give these men and women hope that after they survived combat, their lives would not be worse than combat. What do I tell them?

What do I say? How do I comfort a Mom blaming herself because her son took his own life after surviving multiple deployments?

How to you comfort a young wife looking at an empty pillow every night and thinking about the fact her husband wanted to die instead of be with her?

I can tell them all the logical explanations possible and even get them from one day to another, but when all is said, someone they loved is still dead and they are blaming themselves.

38 suspected suicides in July may mark grim record for Army
By JENNIFER HLAD
Stars and Stripes
Published: August 16, 2012

WASHINGTON — In July, 38 soldiers, including 26 active-duty soldiers, are believed to have killed themselves, the Army said Thursday, setting what appears to be a grim record as the military struggles to address increasing numbers of suicides.

The number is the highest monthly number since the Army began keeping detailed records in 2009, and a significant jump from the 24 potential suicides in June. So far this year, 187 soldiers, 116 of them active duty, are believed to have died by suicide.

The Army had 283 confirmed suicides in 2011.
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101st Airborne 70th Anniversary

Happy 70th Anniversary, 101st Airborne
'Beetle Bailey' cartoonist sends a tribute to Screaming Eagles
4:49 PM, Aug 16, 2012

From cartoonist and World War II veteran Mort Walker; Sarge, Beetle, Miss Buxley and Otto commemorate 70 years for the Screaming Eagles of the 101st Airborne.
DON PRATT MUSEUM COLLECTION

FORT CAMPBELL, KY.
On the occasion of its 70th birthday, “Beetle Bailey” cartoonist and World War II veteran Mort Walker has sent along a tribute to the 101st Airborne Division, care of the Brig. Gen. Don F. Pratt Memorial Museum.

Museum director Dan Peterson proudly displayed the artwork on Thursday morning, which featured the familiar characters of Sarge, Beetle, Miss Buxley and Otto the dog riding on the back of an eagle.

Walker personally mailed the drawing to ensure arrival in time for the anniversary celebration. “It really is a neat thing for the division’s birthday,” Peterman said with a wide smile.
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Gala to Benefit Veterans and First Responders with PTSD

Gala to Benefit Veterans and First Responders
Operation Warrior Wellness

Homeless veteran stands tall next to government officials

Homeless Jacksonville veteran tells his story after officials speak on the subject
Officials address the national problem Wednesday at the Clara White Mission.
Posted: August 15, 2012
By Matt Soergel

Ronnie Hellum’s eight years in the Army were the best days of his life.

He had structure. Purpose. An important job. A steady paycheck. People depended on him.

After getting out, he was adrift. And over the years he’s suffered many losses: His son, murdered at 17. His family. His freedom, after running afoul of the law. His job. And his health — he ended up profoundly depressed.

Two years ago he became homeless, sleeping under bridges, in bushes off the side of the road.

But on Wednesday, Hellum, 56, stood right next to some national and local leaders as they talked about the nation’s responsibility to help veterans who have ended up homeless.

U.S. Veterans Affairs Secretary Eric Shinseki, a retired Army general, came to the Clara White Mission in downtown Jacksonville. So did Mayor Alvin Brown and U.S. Reps Corrine Brown and Ander Crenshaw.
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Iraq Veteran/NY Firefighter with PTSD losing job

What's next New York? Deny healthcare for 9-11 responders? Oops, already did that one too. So much for appreciating the people step up everyday if Troy is allowed to do this.

They just may need to change their website to get this off

Welcome to Troy, New York – an eclectic, historic urban community that’s rich in opportunities to make a difference. Be a part of it. Click here to join our e-mail list for news and updates.

N.Y. Firefighter on Leave With PTSD Set to Lose Job
BY BOB GARDINIER
TIMES UNION, ALBANY, N.Y.
CREATED: AUGUST 16, 2012

Troy Firefighter Jeffrey Wright, an Iraq war veteran on leave while undergoing treatment for the past three years, is set to lose his job.

TROY, N.Y. -- An Iraq war veteran undergoing treatment for post-traumatic stress disorder for the past three years will lose his job Friday as a city firefighter.

"I got a letter last week that I will be terminated Friday," Jeffrey Wright said. "They have tried to paint a very misleading picture of what's going on here."

Wright, 36, has been battling to keep his job since 2010, when he was placed on medical leave by the city. Wright said he has been undergoing treatment since 2009 for PTSD related to his combat service and has not worked since February 2010, when he was placed on medical leave.

Wright was an Army Reserve staff sergeant who served in Iraq from February 2004 to March 2005 and became a firefighter in 2007. He was notified last December by Fire Chief Thomas Garrett that he was being considered for termination under Civil Service Law.

The Times Union reported last month that Wright had recently received a letter from the department saying that action was being taken to end his employment.
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Weekend Vietnam Vet Run to include war dogs memorial

Weekend Vietnam Vet Run to include war dogs memorial
August 16, 2012
AMANDA WILCOX
DAILY NEWS STAFF

Of the more than 4,500 military working dogs sent to Vietnam from 1965 to 1972, only 240 returned home to the United States. The rest were either euthanized, considered a surplus of equipment from the war or turned over to the South Vietnamese.

At this weekend’s Vietnam Memorial Motorcycle Run and Rally, Vietnam veteran and former dog handler Johnny Mayo will be bringing his traveling war dog memorial to honor the dogs who served dutifully by their handlers’ sides.

The display, lined with images and histories of the many working dogs who served in Vietnam, will “break your heart,” memorial foundation spokeswoman Pat Walker said.

“So bring your Kleenex,” she added.

In addition to the dog memorial, the rally will feature a car show hosted by the Tobacco Road Cruisers, a bike show and games, hosted by Combat Cycles, and a beer garden hosted by Harbor Site Bar. There will also be a silent auction, entertainment by local band Freeway Friday night, and a concert Sunday with music by bands Ricochet and Dixie Driver.

But the main event will always be the motorcycle run, Walker said.
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4 soldiers confirmed dead in Afghan helo crash

UPDATE August 16, 2012
Black Hawk crash kills 7 Americans, 4 Afghans

4 soldiers confirmed dead in Afghan helo crash
Taliban says it shot down Black Hawk
7 U.S., 4 Afghans dead
By Heidi Vogt and Kay Johnson
The Associated Press
Posted : Thursday Aug 16, 2012

KABUL, Afghanistan — Seven American troops and four Afghans died in a Black Hawk helicopter crash on Thursday in southern Afghanistan, the NATO military coalition said. The Taliban claimed their fighters shot down the aircraft. At least four U.S. soldiers were confirmed among the casualties, according to Col. Thomas Collins, Army spokesman in Afghanistan.

The crash marked another deadly day for the United States in Afghanistan, less than a week after six American service members were gunned down, apparently by two members of the Afghan security forces they were training to take over the fight against the insurgency as international combat troops prepare to exit the country by the end of 2014.
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Budget cuts will harm National Guard

Officials: Budget cuts will harm National Guard
By Kevin Wang
Medill News Service
Posted : Thursday Aug 16, 2012

Massive budget cuts that are due to take effect in January if Congress can’t reach a deficit-reduction deal could affect not only the active-duty military but also the National Guard, experts said Tuesday.

At a discussion at the conservative Heritage Foundation, Paul McHale, former assistant secretary of defense for homeland defense, and retired Lt. Gen. Steven Blum, former deputy chief of U.S. Northern Command, said the across-the-board budget cuts would jeopardize the Guard’s domestic readiness and are an “irresponsible approach” to U.S. national security.

Under the Budget Control Act passed by Congress last year, federal spending is set to be reduced starting in January by more than $1.2 trillion — automatic, across-the-board cuts known as sequestration that would affect every government agency — if Congress does not act. More than $500 billion would come from the Defense Department budget.

McHale warned that although sequestration will have the most direct impact on the active-duty military, the National Guard cannot avoid cuts to its operational capabilities.

Funding reductions could result in less-trained, less-equipped personnel and longer response periods, he said.

Blum, a former National Guard Bureau chief, said a shrinking budget could mean the Army would have to transfer funding to the National Guard and possibly cover some of its domestic duties.

“It’s very likely that 20,000 National Guard troops will be cut,” McHale warned.
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