University study that aims to identify well being of Manatee County veterans could be a game changer
Bradenton Herald BY JAMES A. JONES JR. November 03, 2018
“The Veterans Administration provides very generic data on a county level — age, gender and branch of service — but we know very little about their employment status, physical and mental health, education level, relationships or their living environments,” Hodges said in a press release.
MANATEE Manatee County’s 35,000 veterans have an opportunity to anonymously participate in a first-of-its-kind study of their well being by the University of South Florida Sarasota-Manatee.
An online survey recently went live, seeking information on veterans’ physical and mental health, employment history, relationships and lifestyle.
Vets will also be able to participate in study at Manatee County’s primary Veterans Day observance Sunday, Nov. 11, at Palmetto’s Lamb Park. “The study should be completed by summer of 2019. We want to touch all the areas related to veterans. We will use it as a major tool for organizations to focus on the needs that veterans have,” said Carl Hunsinger, chairman of the Manatee County Veterans Council.
Collaborating on the USFSM study of veterans’ well being are Eric Hodges, a professor of interdisciplinary social science, Thomas Becker, a business professor, and Ramakrishna Govindu, an instructor of information systems and decision sciences. read more here
Widow wins nine-year battle with Veterans Affairs over cancer coverage
The Chronicle Herald Francis Campbell November 3, 2018
“When he was diagnosed and we met with his oncologist for the first time, she asked was he exposed to chemicals. And we said, yes. He looked at me and he said, ‘Hon, the Persian Gulf War did this to me.’ He asked me to pursue it on his behalf and I did.”
Natasha Mohr stubbornly sticks to her promises.
Unfortunately, the Canadian Forces do not, she said.
“Sign on the dotted line, you’ll be taken care of,” Mohr, 49, said of commitments the Forces and the federal government make to military personnel. “And that is not so.”
Mohr said the broken promises to her Lower Sackville family began after Christmas Day, 2008, the morning her husband, Petty Officer Rick Mohr, passed away in her arms of brain cancer that was related to his 22-year naval career.
It took nine long years for Veterans Affairs Canada to begrudgingly agree that his death was service related.
Petty Officer Mohr had been diagnosed with glioblastoma, an aggressive brain tumour, just more than two months earlier.
“He was a brilliant naval communicator and even more so, he was a loving father and husband,” Natasha Mohr said.
Rick Mohr was only 42. His death crushed his wife and the couple’s son and daughter, both in their teens.
read more here
Mayor of Utah city killed in 'insider attack' in Afghanistan
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS Nov 4th 2018
Taylor was deployed to Afghanistan in January with the Utah National Guard for what was expected to be a 12-month tour of duty. Taylor, an officer in the National Guard, previously served two tours in Iraq and one tour in Afghanistan.
NORTH OGDEN, Utah (AP) — The mayor of a Utah city was killed during an attack in Afghanistan while he was serving with the state's National Guard, the Salt Lake Tribune and other media reported.
North Ogden Mayor Brent Taylor died Saturday in an apparent "insider attack" in Kabul, the capital of Afghanistan, the Tribune reported. Another U.S. service member is being treated for wounds sustained in the attack, American military officials said.
The Utah National Guard has identified the service member killed as a member of the Guard. The Guard member's name is being withheld pending notification of next of kin. read more here
PTSD Patrol Kathie Costos November 4, 2018 You know when there is something going on with your vehicle. It just doesn't seem to be running right. As you drive down streets, you hope it does not breakdown in traffic or on some isolated road. Oh, sure you have a cellphone to call for help, but while you are waiting, you never know what is going to happen, or how long you'll be stuck there. While waiting for a tow truck you start to think about what the mechanics will find wrong with it. Most of the time, it is an easy fix. Sometimes it takes a lot more work than you thought it would. When the vehicle you live in is not running right, it works the same way. When you are not running right, you may breakdown and feel stuck. If you call for help, and get to a mechanic for what you need, then, sometimes it is an easy fix, but other times, it takes a lot more work. Yesterday we went out to the Orlando Vets Center for their open house. Actually it should have been called hope'n house, because that is what they are dedicated to doing. Vets Centers started in 1979.
Who We Are
We are the people in VA who welcome home war veterans with honor by providing quality readjustment counseling in a caring manner. Vet Centers understand and appreciate Veterans’ war experiences while assisting them and their family members toward a successful post-war adjustment in or near their community.
Osceola sheriff: Cameras captured woman stealing veteran's service dog
Two women distract veteran, steal service dog in Osceola County
WESH 2 November 2, 2018
KISSIMMEE, Fla. —
A Vietnam veteran had his service dog stolen Sunday during an altercation with a woman, Osceola deputies said.
Deputies said the 67-year-old Joseph Hanson who has post-traumatic stress disorder was at Old Town in Kissimmee with his two Pomeranian service dogs.
Authorities said a woman got into an altercation with the veteran and another woman came behind them and unleashed one of the dogs, named Kira. Hanson told WESH 2 News a woman confronted him yelling and cursing.
"During that time, that's when the other lady, who I didn't even know was there, until I saw (surveillance) video, that's when she came up and grabbed the dog." Hanson said. read more here
Fort Hood won’t participate at local vet suicide memorial despite leading nation’s bases in vet suicide
American Military News Laura Widener November 2, 2018
A memorial ceremony is slated to be held Saturday to honor veteran suicide, but rather than support the community, Fort Hood has decided not to participate.
Fort Hood loses an average of one or more soldiers to suicide each month, but has declined to be involved in a memorial to commemorate veteran suicide just ahead of the ninth anniversary of a shooting that killed 14 and injured 33 on base.
After initially agreeing to supply 12 soldiers for a one-hour ceremony on Saturday, Fort Hood later said it would not attend the event, citing “prepare-to-deploy” orders.
read more here
“This is important because it could be me and my family struggling. It’s our responsibility as a military community and civilian community to support them after they come home from war.” Theresa Johnson
Well, that is what she said but as one of those struggling with PTSD in my family, as I have for over 3 decades, I have seen what failed and what worked far too many times. I cannot support something that does more harm than good. Trying to count the number lost to suicide, and then pushing it as all there is to tell, has deadly consequences. It is a price we do not need to pay so that someone can do a display and then complain because Fort Hood will not participate. These stunts have to stop. Why? These are the results. Military suicides have averaged 500 a year since 2012.
Veteran suicides, the ones they counted since anything other than "honorable" discharges are not counted by anyone, are worse.
Want to change the outcome? Then do what will prevent suicides! Help them heal!!!!
Widow demands to be heard after war veteran husband's tragic descent to suicide
ITV News November 2, 2018
"I tried to get him help, I was trying to save his life and people didn’t work with me." Jo Jukes
For years Jo Jukes lived with a war veteran husband suffering from worsening post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and acute depression - while desperately seeking help for him.
Now she is a widow after Lance Corporal Dave Jukes took his own life in October behind the family's home in Birmingham.
He had been sleeping rough in an alleyway after his volatile behaviour meant his wife had to make the agonising decision of taking out a court order banning him from entering their home.
It was a shocking end to the life of a former infantryman, 49, who had served in almost every major campaign British forces have been involved in over the last 25 years.
"He survived Northern Ireland, Bosnia, two Iraqs, Afghanistan, but his service killed him in the end," Mrs Jukes told ITV News.
read more here
Bay Area veteran, shelter pup with anxiety find support in one another
FOX 13 Jen Epstein November 2, 2018
TAMPA (FOX 13) - Mark and Molly have a very special bond. Their friendship goes far beyond the typical human-pet relationship.
"We pretty much do everything together. You talk about the old adage of boy meets dog; you're looking at it," said veteran Mark Starr.
Molly provides Mark with the emotional support he needs to get through each day. Mark is a Navy and Air Force veteran who suffers from post traumatic stress disorder, and Molly is the one thing that keeps his anxiety and depression at bay.
"If I'm having difficulty or having a hard day, she's right on me. She wants to play and she gets me out of bed," said Mark.
Mark and Molly's friendship is give and take. Before he adopted her a year ago, Molly was a stray found walking the streets after Hurricane Irma.
"She has anxiety. She's definitely scared of thunderstorms. So, we have to work together when we have bad days," said Mark. "I play a little classical music for her, and I get down on the ground and hug her until until the storm goes." read more here
Honoring a 'Marine's Marine' with fundraiser to help with burial and other costs
Lehigh Valley Live Tony Rhodin November 2, 2018
A church was created in a tent in Afghanistan and Bambara quickly signed up to volunteer, Alberino said. It was who he was. A gentle giant with a deep faith.
Omar Bambara was a big man with a big heart, his Marine buddy Nicholas Alberino recalled Friday, four days after the onetime corporal died in a household accident in North Carolina.
Omar Bambara, 32, served as a Marine in Afghanistan and later joined the Army Reserves. He died Oct. 29, 2018, during a household accident in North Carolina. (GoFundMe photo)
Alberino, 30, whose wife Karissa was raised in Phillipsburg, was Bambara's supervisor from 2010-11, as the two communications specialists served in Helmand Province, Afghanistan. Alberino was a corporal at that point, but also was Bambara's sergeant when they returned stateside.
Bambara leaves behind his wife Tireka and children Akera, Armani, Ava, Omar Jr. and Ace. He was serving in the Army Reserves at the time of his death in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. Bambara had joined the Marines in 2009 and the Reserves in 2013, his obituary says.
read more here
Police identify suspected gunman and 2 people killed at hot yoga studio in Tallahassee
CNN Hollie Silverman November 3, 2018
"As we process the gut-wrenching act of violence that took place this evening in a place of peace in our community, we hold in our hearts everyone who is affected and lift them up in love," officials tweeted from the city's verified account.
(CNN)A gunman on Friday shot six people, two fatally, at a hot yoga studio in Tallahassee, Florida, police said.
The two people killed were identified as Nancy Van Vessem, 61, and Maura Binkley, 21, according to Tallahassee Chief of Police Michael DeLeo. The suspect, Scott Paul Beierle, 40, of Deltona, Florida, died of a possible self-inflicted gunshot wound, DeLeo said. One other person was pistol-whipped. DeLeo said police were unable immediately to draw a connection between the suspect and the victims of the shooting. Around 5:30 p.m. Friday, police responded to a call about a shooting at Hot Yoga Tallahassee. read more here
