Marines want probe into armored vehicle program
delays
Story Highlights
Corps asks Pentagon to look into why specially armored vehicles were delayed
Mine Resistant Ambush Protected Vehicles arrived in large numbers in 2007
Internal report says earlier delivery could have prevented deaths, wounds
Suicide bomber kills 9 in northern Iraq, military says
From Barbara Starr
CNN
(CNN) -- Casualties could have been reduced by half among Marines in Iraq if specially armored vehicles had been deployed more quickly in some cases, a report to the Pentagon says.
Marine Corps spokesman Col. David Lapan said the Defense Department's inspector general wants to investigate the report's claims that bureaucratic delays undermined the program to develop the armored vehicles.
The program was designed to provide combat forces with Mine Resistant Ambush Protected Vehicles, known by the acronym MRAPs.
The Marine Corps requested an investigation last week after receiving Marine technology expert Franz Gayl's report.
"If the mass procurement and fielding of MRAPs had begun in 2005 in response to the known and acknowledged threats at that time, as the USMC is doing today, hundreds of deaths and injuries could have been prevented," Gayl wrote in the report.
go here for the rest
http://edition.cnn.com/2008/WORLD/meast/02/26/iraq.main/
How many lost their lives because of this? Got blown up? Ended up with TBI and PTSD?
Tuesday, February 26, 2008
Get involved when it matters to the wounded for a change
From A Soldier's Perspective
I will never understand comments like that last part posted. If you go there you can read the rest. What I don't understand and will never accept is that none of these people ever seem concerned with the way the veterans are really treated when they come home.
We can argue from coast to coast about Iraq and we can ignore the reality of what is happening to the wounded, but in doing so, it does a disservice to the men and women we spend the rest of the time arguing over.
I make no secret how I feel about Iraq but that is for my other blog. It has no place here. This blog is just for the way they are treated when they are wounded and need this entire nation standing up for their sake. Why doesn't the other side ever understand this?
I get hate mail from the other side. One commenter on this blog told me to take my bleeding heart liberal blah, blah, blah, as if that was supposed to make any sense at all. Since when was it considered wrong to care about the homeless veterans, the disabled veterans and PTSD veterans? Who decided that they should be exclusive rights of the right as if they ever even mention what is happening to the veterans?
Did they go ballistic over the conditions at Walter Reed or against the Washington Post reporting on it?
Did they go ballistic over the reports of suicides that didn't need to happen if the DOD and the VA were fully functional and geared up to deal with the wounded coming back or did they attack the reporters daring to report on this?
When I was working for the church, I hosted the showing of the documentary When I Came Home so that I could put a spotlight on PTSD and how many were ending up homeless, just like the Vietnam Veterans did. Back then, there was an excuse that no one really understood PTSD in the beginning, but now there really isn't an acceptable excuse for any of this to still be going on. Anyway, as the plans were coming together to show the documentary, some people at the church wanted to know why they were letting me show this when it was clearly political. Political? It was about our veterans coming back and being homeless because they were wounded by PTSD and could not support themselves.
How can anyone still say "support the troops" with a straight face when they clearly don't when it matters to them? Do they stop being worthy of support when they get wounded? Do they suddenly become less worthy of our attention when they are not deployed and risking their lives? What is wrong with these people who cannot or will not contact their Congressman or Senator to make sure all the wounded are cared for, the soldiers are paid enough their families don't have to go on food stamps or when they are last on the to do list of the President? Where is the outrage when the VA budget is cut back by Bush or in 2005 when he cut it back then with two active occupations producing more wounded? Where was the outrage when the DOD and the VA had to admit they had less doctors and nurses during these occupations than they did after the Gulf War in peacetime? Any clues? I don't have a single one.
Each time I get a heads up on some of these posts, I read them and wonder what exactly do these people think they are fighting for if they are not fighting for them when it matters to them?
I say "never again" should we allow any wounded veteran to come back to this country after fighting for this country and then have to fight the country to have their wounds taken care of!
Get Involved
February 25th, 2008 by CJ
Ladies and gentlemen, IVAW is working hard to revive the Winter Soldiers from the Vietnam era. The Vietnam Veterans Against War have started a new movement and recruited disaffected and sad excuses for veterans (I say that as a result of the number of "veterans" the organization claims that have been outed as fakes) to relive the glory days of spitting on the image of the honorable Soldier.
Iraq Veterans Against the War (IVAW) has advertised widely that it will hold a public event it has entitled "Winter Soldier Investigation (WSI) - Iraq and Afghanistan" near Washington D.C. next month (Mar. 13-16). The event is self-consciously patterned after the 1971 Winter Soldier Investigation held in Detroit by the Vietnam Veterans Against the War(VVAW). During that event, over one hundred purported Vietnam veterans "testified" to widespread and horrific atrocities committed routinely by American forces in Vietnam. Now, they're trying to do it again. But, what can we do?
If you don't know what's going on your area because you're like most pro-troop people and you have a job, I highly encourage you to join the Gathering of Eagles. The motto of GOE is "Never Again". It's on their flag. It's in their blood. The Vietnam veterans in this country don't want a repeat of how they were treated when they returned. They want to put an end to the whitewash the media has bestowed on troop supporters' activities. You can read about my experience with the first ever Gathering of Eagles here, here, here, and here (preferably in that order).
go here for the rest
http://www.soldiersperspective.us/2008/02/25/get-involved/
I will never understand comments like that last part posted. If you go there you can read the rest. What I don't understand and will never accept is that none of these people ever seem concerned with the way the veterans are really treated when they come home.
We can argue from coast to coast about Iraq and we can ignore the reality of what is happening to the wounded, but in doing so, it does a disservice to the men and women we spend the rest of the time arguing over.
I make no secret how I feel about Iraq but that is for my other blog. It has no place here. This blog is just for the way they are treated when they are wounded and need this entire nation standing up for their sake. Why doesn't the other side ever understand this?
I get hate mail from the other side. One commenter on this blog told me to take my bleeding heart liberal blah, blah, blah, as if that was supposed to make any sense at all. Since when was it considered wrong to care about the homeless veterans, the disabled veterans and PTSD veterans? Who decided that they should be exclusive rights of the right as if they ever even mention what is happening to the veterans?
Did they go ballistic over the conditions at Walter Reed or against the Washington Post reporting on it?
Did they go ballistic over the reports of suicides that didn't need to happen if the DOD and the VA were fully functional and geared up to deal with the wounded coming back or did they attack the reporters daring to report on this?
When I was working for the church, I hosted the showing of the documentary When I Came Home so that I could put a spotlight on PTSD and how many were ending up homeless, just like the Vietnam Veterans did. Back then, there was an excuse that no one really understood PTSD in the beginning, but now there really isn't an acceptable excuse for any of this to still be going on. Anyway, as the plans were coming together to show the documentary, some people at the church wanted to know why they were letting me show this when it was clearly political. Political? It was about our veterans coming back and being homeless because they were wounded by PTSD and could not support themselves.
How can anyone still say "support the troops" with a straight face when they clearly don't when it matters to them? Do they stop being worthy of support when they get wounded? Do they suddenly become less worthy of our attention when they are not deployed and risking their lives? What is wrong with these people who cannot or will not contact their Congressman or Senator to make sure all the wounded are cared for, the soldiers are paid enough their families don't have to go on food stamps or when they are last on the to do list of the President? Where is the outrage when the VA budget is cut back by Bush or in 2005 when he cut it back then with two active occupations producing more wounded? Where was the outrage when the DOD and the VA had to admit they had less doctors and nurses during these occupations than they did after the Gulf War in peacetime? Any clues? I don't have a single one.
Each time I get a heads up on some of these posts, I read them and wonder what exactly do these people think they are fighting for if they are not fighting for them when it matters to them?
I say "never again" should we allow any wounded veteran to come back to this country after fighting for this country and then have to fight the country to have their wounds taken care of!
Veteran Bears Scars of Stateside Agent Orange
NewsChannel 5 Investigates:Veteran Bears Scars of Stateside Agent Orange
Feb 25, 2008 06:29 PM EST
Featured Videos
Veteran Bears Scars of Stateside Agent Orange
Footage showing the military spraying the toxic herbicide to thin out the jungles of Vietnam.
James Cripps, a Vietnam era veteran
Blackheads on Cripps' back contain poisonous residue from Agent Orange.
Dr. Dewey Dunn, an Agent Orange expert
About Agent Orange
U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs
When it comes to deadly poisons, few are better known. The military's use of Agent Orange is one of the dark chapters of the Vietnam War.
But NewsChannel 5 investigative reporter Ben Hall has found the military used Agent Orange here in the United States -- and one veteran says he has the health problems to prove it.
Agent Orange was a toxic herbicide used by the military to thin out the jungles of Vietnam. Soldiers sprayed millions of gallons, unaware how poisonous it was.
"There was a problem and the evidence is on my back and my chest and 40 years of my life," says James Cripps, a Vietnam era veteran.
He says he was poisoned by Agent Orange, but he never served in Vietnam.
"When I got wounded I didn't know it I had no reason to suspect there would have been no way to have proved it," Cripps says.
Cripps had what seemed like a dream job as game warden at Fort Gordon in Georgia.
"This is me in 1971 when I got out of the Army you can see all the marks on my face," he says, pointing to photos of himself.
Cripps says when he left the military he had already been exposed. He believes he sprayed Agent Orange in the lakes around Fort Gordon to kill weeds.
"I was ordered to spray that herbicide," Cripps says. And pictures show signs warning people about fishing in the lakes Cripps once cared for. "I know what's in those lakes, I put it there," adds Cripps.
NewsChannel 5 Investigates has uncovered defense department documents that prove the military sprayed Agent Orange at Fort Gordon during the time Cripps was there.
Documents detail more than 30 locations in the United States where Agent Orange was tested.
The documents show helicopters sprayed at least 95 gallons of Agent Orange at Fort Gordon in 1967. Cripps says that alone should prove he was exposed.
"A lot of them cause scars sometimes they go so sore he can't wear his shirt," his wife, Sandra Cripps, says.
But he and his wife say his body offers the greatest proof. The blackheads on his back contain the poisonous residue from Agent Orange which causes acne called ‘chloracne.'
"In some persons the skin legions persist," says Dr. Dewey Dunn, an Agent Orange expert.He says chloracne is a tell-tale sign of Agent Orange exposure. "It's just sort of a marker so its on the list and probably at the top of the list."
Dr. Dunn examined James Cripps but could not talk specifically about his case. Medical records show Dr. Dunn diagnosed Cripps with Chloracne and type-two diabetes, another sign of exposure.
Despite all the evidence, the VA will not approve James Cripps disability claim. "I'm being denied my medical care to this very day," says Cripps.
"From what I see it strictly gets down to money," says Donald Stephens, who is with the Disabled American Veterans. He's helped hundreds of veterans prepare their VA medical claims.
Ben Hall asks, "How strong is Mr. Cripps claim?"
"A ten," Stephens answers. "I would give it a ten."
He says there's plenty of help for veterans exposed in Vietnam, but he believes Cripps claim would open the floodgates for veterans exposed in the United States.
Meanwhile, James Cripps is on multiple medications and he's struggling to pay his medical bills. And now the VA is actually garnishing his Social Security checks.
"We have discussed of late, even yesterday, the thought of suicide," he confides.
After years of service, Cripps and his wife feel broken and betrayed.
"I can see why some veterans would give up," Sandra Cripps says. "It's not fair."
To whom it may concern at the VA Now I know how to beat you at your own game. I have discovered the perfect eye witness and he is the young guy in the picture above. He is my best friend and we are going to Washington together for the purpose of presenting my case to the Board of Veterans Appeals. My friend was there in 1968 you know. He knows how the whole thing went down. I can vouch for his honesty because I have known him all of my life, and I know him well. He is indeed the perfect witness as to the Agent Orange exposure. You will not give weight to my own testimony, and you seem to insinuate that my identity is questionable, and that I might have been somewhere else in the particular time frame of the actual toxic exposure! How can you say that? Then again, the VA has never taken my word for anything. I can't wait to see how the BVA in Washington will react to my introduction of this new witness. I suspect that they will just acuse me of trying to cover my own a!!!!???? Thanks for your tolerance, James & James
Jamescripps9@aol.com
PS. I would like to amend my original claim to add PTSD, my stressor is obvious.
_______________________________________________________________________________________________
Add your story, save a copy, and foward to another veteran and a Congressman or U S Senator, and the President, "George W. Bush" <" href="mailto:president@whitehouse.gov%3E">president@whitehouse.gov>This list is for agent Orange exposure outside Vietnam only, we will see where this goes.
Feb 25, 2008 06:29 PM EST
Featured Videos
Veteran Bears Scars of Stateside Agent Orange
Footage showing the military spraying the toxic herbicide to thin out the jungles of Vietnam.
James Cripps, a Vietnam era veteran
Blackheads on Cripps' back contain poisonous residue from Agent Orange.
Dr. Dewey Dunn, an Agent Orange expert
About Agent Orange
U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs
When it comes to deadly poisons, few are better known. The military's use of Agent Orange is one of the dark chapters of the Vietnam War.
But NewsChannel 5 investigative reporter Ben Hall has found the military used Agent Orange here in the United States -- and one veteran says he has the health problems to prove it.
Agent Orange was a toxic herbicide used by the military to thin out the jungles of Vietnam. Soldiers sprayed millions of gallons, unaware how poisonous it was.
"There was a problem and the evidence is on my back and my chest and 40 years of my life," says James Cripps, a Vietnam era veteran.
He says he was poisoned by Agent Orange, but he never served in Vietnam.
"When I got wounded I didn't know it I had no reason to suspect there would have been no way to have proved it," Cripps says.
Cripps had what seemed like a dream job as game warden at Fort Gordon in Georgia.
"This is me in 1971 when I got out of the Army you can see all the marks on my face," he says, pointing to photos of himself.
Cripps says when he left the military he had already been exposed. He believes he sprayed Agent Orange in the lakes around Fort Gordon to kill weeds.
"I was ordered to spray that herbicide," Cripps says. And pictures show signs warning people about fishing in the lakes Cripps once cared for. "I know what's in those lakes, I put it there," adds Cripps.
NewsChannel 5 Investigates has uncovered defense department documents that prove the military sprayed Agent Orange at Fort Gordon during the time Cripps was there.
Documents detail more than 30 locations in the United States where Agent Orange was tested.
The documents show helicopters sprayed at least 95 gallons of Agent Orange at Fort Gordon in 1967. Cripps says that alone should prove he was exposed.
"A lot of them cause scars sometimes they go so sore he can't wear his shirt," his wife, Sandra Cripps, says.
But he and his wife say his body offers the greatest proof. The blackheads on his back contain the poisonous residue from Agent Orange which causes acne called ‘chloracne.'
"In some persons the skin legions persist," says Dr. Dewey Dunn, an Agent Orange expert.He says chloracne is a tell-tale sign of Agent Orange exposure. "It's just sort of a marker so its on the list and probably at the top of the list."
Dr. Dunn examined James Cripps but could not talk specifically about his case. Medical records show Dr. Dunn diagnosed Cripps with Chloracne and type-two diabetes, another sign of exposure.
Despite all the evidence, the VA will not approve James Cripps disability claim. "I'm being denied my medical care to this very day," says Cripps.
"From what I see it strictly gets down to money," says Donald Stephens, who is with the Disabled American Veterans. He's helped hundreds of veterans prepare their VA medical claims.
Ben Hall asks, "How strong is Mr. Cripps claim?"
"A ten," Stephens answers. "I would give it a ten."
He says there's plenty of help for veterans exposed in Vietnam, but he believes Cripps claim would open the floodgates for veterans exposed in the United States.
Meanwhile, James Cripps is on multiple medications and he's struggling to pay his medical bills. And now the VA is actually garnishing his Social Security checks.
"We have discussed of late, even yesterday, the thought of suicide," he confides.
After years of service, Cripps and his wife feel broken and betrayed.
"I can see why some veterans would give up," Sandra Cripps says. "It's not fair."
To whom it may concern at the VA Now I know how to beat you at your own game. I have discovered the perfect eye witness and he is the young guy in the picture above. He is my best friend and we are going to Washington together for the purpose of presenting my case to the Board of Veterans Appeals. My friend was there in 1968 you know. He knows how the whole thing went down. I can vouch for his honesty because I have known him all of my life, and I know him well. He is indeed the perfect witness as to the Agent Orange exposure. You will not give weight to my own testimony, and you seem to insinuate that my identity is questionable, and that I might have been somewhere else in the particular time frame of the actual toxic exposure! How can you say that? Then again, the VA has never taken my word for anything. I can't wait to see how the BVA in Washington will react to my introduction of this new witness. I suspect that they will just acuse me of trying to cover my own a!!!!???? Thanks for your tolerance, James & James
Jamescripps9@aol.com
PS. I would like to amend my original claim to add PTSD, my stressor is obvious.
_______________________________________________________________________________________________
Add your story, save a copy, and foward to another veteran and a Congressman or U S Senator, and the President, "George W. Bush" <" href="mailto:president@whitehouse.gov%3E">president@whitehouse.gov>This list is for agent Orange exposure outside Vietnam only, we will see where this goes.
This is from a friend of mine who added her name to the list.
GOD BLESS YOU JAMES... TELL MY STORY AND SALLY'S THE ONLY DIFFERENCE BETWEEN YOU AND ME I WAS DIAGONISED ON ACTIVE DUTY... IRISH
37 YEARS OF MEDICAL TREATMENT FOR CHEMICAL EXPOSURE ONLY TO BE DEINED MY VA BENEFITS WELCOME HOME IRISH
I AM 100% CNS AT 60% 40 % FOR IU... I HAVE 22 OTHER ILLNESESS CLAIM DATE 11 JUN 1977
MY WRITTEN TESTIMONY BEFORE THE VA DISABILITY COMMISSION ON SEP 14, 2006 IS PUBLISHED IN MY AMERICAN LEGION DECEMBER NEWS LETTER. I HAVE ALSO RECENTLY BEEN CONTACTED BY TWO VETERANS WHO WERE AT FORT MCCLELLAN. THEY BOTH TALK ABOUT THE CHEMICAL SPRAYING BUT ALSO ABOUT A VIET CONG VILLAGE THAT WAS SET UP AT FORT MCCLELLAN. ONE VETERAN ACTUALLY DID THE SPRAYING. BOTH HAVE CANCERS AND WERE DENIED COMPENSATION. THIS IS THE FIRST THAT I HEARD ABOUT THIS BUT THREE OTHER FORT MCCLELLAN VETS CONFIRM THAT A VIET CONG VILLAGE WAS SET UP THERE FOR TRAINING ...
Spc. Richard Hanna Killed in accident gun fire
Friends recall, mourn soldier slain in shooting
By Noah Bierman
Globe Staff / February 25, 2008
Richard Gee Hanna enlisted in the Army to rebuild his life, after a tough upbringing in Leicester. After two years in Iraq, he returned to the United States last month, ready to complete his military career and move to Hawaii to start a life with his new wife and her 2-year-old daughter.
Instead, the 24-year-old Army specialist was shot to death earlier this month, in what friends in Massachusetts said may have been an accident during a party at a residence in Killeen, Texas, near the Fort Hood military post.
His death came just days before he was scheduled to return to Massachusetts and reconnect with close friends. He was planning to introduce them to his wife of about a year, and serve as best man in the wedding of a friend, Jason Avanecean, in Putnam, Conn.
"The kid was everything to me," said Avanecean, who has postponed his wedding.
Killeen police, Fort Hood public information officers, and the Bell County district attorney said the matter is under investigation, but declined to release more than spare details.
"All parties involved in the death have been identified," police said in a written statement earlier this month. No charges have been filed.
click post title for the rest
By Noah Bierman
Globe Staff / February 25, 2008
Richard Gee Hanna enlisted in the Army to rebuild his life, after a tough upbringing in Leicester. After two years in Iraq, he returned to the United States last month, ready to complete his military career and move to Hawaii to start a life with his new wife and her 2-year-old daughter.
Instead, the 24-year-old Army specialist was shot to death earlier this month, in what friends in Massachusetts said may have been an accident during a party at a residence in Killeen, Texas, near the Fort Hood military post.
His death came just days before he was scheduled to return to Massachusetts and reconnect with close friends. He was planning to introduce them to his wife of about a year, and serve as best man in the wedding of a friend, Jason Avanecean, in Putnam, Conn.
"The kid was everything to me," said Avanecean, who has postponed his wedding.
Killeen police, Fort Hood public information officers, and the Bell County district attorney said the matter is under investigation, but declined to release more than spare details.
"All parties involved in the death have been identified," police said in a written statement earlier this month. No charges have been filed.
click post title for the rest
Another Non-combat death in Iraq
DoD Identifies Army Casualty
The Department of Defense announced today the death of a soldier who was supporting Operation Iraqi Freedom.
Spc. Keisha M. Morgan, 25, of Washington, D.C., died Feb. 22 in Baghdad, Iraq, of a non-combat related cause. She was assigned to the Division Special Troops Battalion, 4th Infantry Division, Fort Hood, Texas.
The circumstances are under investigation.
Fort Hood soldier dies in Iraq
Posted on: Tuesday, February 26, 2008, 3:01 AM
From staff reports
The Defense Department announced Monday the death of a soldier who was supporting Operation Iraqi Freedom.
Spc. Keisha M. Morgan, 25, of Washington, D.C., died Friday in Baghdad, Iraq, of a non-combat related cause. She was assigned to the Division Special Troops Battalion, 4th Infantry Division.
The circumstances are under investigation.
Morgan entered the Army in September 2004. She was assigned to the Division Special Troops Battalion, 4th Infantry Division, since May 2007, as a signal support systems specialist.
Morgan deployed to Iraq in November 2007.
Morgan’s awards and decorations include the Army Commendation Medal, Meritorious Unit Commendation, Army Good Conduct Medal, National Defense Service Medal, Iraq Campaign Medal, Global War on Terrorism Service Medal, Army Service Ribbon and Overseas Service Ribbon.
http://www.kdhnews.com/news/story.aspx?s=23341
Trinity United Methodist Church Seattle blessing for homeless
Homeless arrive here on Friday
By Dean Wong
Monday, February 25, 2008
Twenty new residents will be moving into Ballard on Feb. 29 and they won't be owners of the numerous condominiums overwhelming the area.
Trinity United Methodist Church will be a permanent host for a SHARE/WHEEL (Seattle Housing and Resource Effort/Women's Housing Equality and Enhancement League) shelter. The group's Veteran's Hall facility is closing and moving its operation to Trinity.
"We are getting a SHARE shelter that is up and running. We are getting an intact group (of residents)," said Trinity United Methodist Church pastor Rich Lang.
The residents will be a mix of men and women. Some are couples. They will sleep in the church gymnasium on mats.
Lang said the church's vision is to eventually provide storage units for their belongings. A shower room is now being remodeled.
Trinity may provide a breakfast at some point in the future. Currently the church only has a Saturday lunch program for the homeless. Lang said neighbors around the church have seen the soup kitchen in operation for a year without incident.
Lang has met with the residents who will be coming to Ballard. "Many have jobs or are looking for work. They are highly functional people," said Lang.
He said the people he has met are working hard to get off the streets and are a stable group. Residents will have access to the church gymnasium from 9 p.m. to 7:30 a.m.
go here for the rest
http://www.ballardnewstribune.com/articles/2008/02/25/news/local_news/news04.txt
Looks like this church is taking the message of Christ as a moral value. Bravo!
By Dean Wong
Monday, February 25, 2008
Twenty new residents will be moving into Ballard on Feb. 29 and they won't be owners of the numerous condominiums overwhelming the area.
Trinity United Methodist Church will be a permanent host for a SHARE/WHEEL (Seattle Housing and Resource Effort/Women's Housing Equality and Enhancement League) shelter. The group's Veteran's Hall facility is closing and moving its operation to Trinity.
"We are getting a SHARE shelter that is up and running. We are getting an intact group (of residents)," said Trinity United Methodist Church pastor Rich Lang.
The residents will be a mix of men and women. Some are couples. They will sleep in the church gymnasium on mats.
Lang said the church's vision is to eventually provide storage units for their belongings. A shower room is now being remodeled.
Trinity may provide a breakfast at some point in the future. Currently the church only has a Saturday lunch program for the homeless. Lang said neighbors around the church have seen the soup kitchen in operation for a year without incident.
Lang has met with the residents who will be coming to Ballard. "Many have jobs or are looking for work. They are highly functional people," said Lang.
He said the people he has met are working hard to get off the streets and are a stable group. Residents will have access to the church gymnasium from 9 p.m. to 7:30 a.m.
go here for the rest
http://www.ballardnewstribune.com/articles/2008/02/25/news/local_news/news04.txt
Looks like this church is taking the message of Christ as a moral value. Bravo!
Monday, February 25, 2008
Second Cherokee warrant issued for missing soldier Gary Chronister
Because I've been looking so much for reports on Eric Hill, the missing Marine, another missing soldier came into my mind. There were reports in November and December about Gary Chronister missing as well. I wanted to see if there were any updates. I was surprised with what came up in the search.
Is this why the stories about him have dried up? Are people still looking for him?
Second Cherokee warrant issued for missing soldier
By Erika Neldner
erikaneldner@ledgernews.com
A second arrest warrant has been issued in Cherokee County for a war veteran who has been missing from Macon since November.
Gary Chronister (Right), 33, is accused of molesting two children last year, police say.
The newest accusation was filed with the Cherokee County Sheriff’s Office in late January, said Sgt. Jay Baker, sheriff’s office spokesman.
Chronister knew his alleged victim, however, police would not say how old the child is or what relationship he or she had with Chronister.
Police said the allegations are similar to the first complaint filed against the missing war veteran.
In mid-January, the sheriff’s office issued the first arrest warrant on child molestation charges for Chronister.
The victim’s parents filed a police report in September, which said their daughter claimed that Chronister touched her inappropriately at locations in Cobb and Cherokee counties.
Chronister’s mother reported him missing on Nov. 10. He reportedly has a mental illness that causes memory loss and disorientation, according to recent news reports.
Chronister served in the United States Army in Afghanistan and Iraq. He is 6 feet, 1 inch tall and weighs about 250 pounds. Anyone with any information about his whereabouts should call 911.
http://www.ledgernews.com/weeklynews.html
Is this why the stories about him have dried up? Are people still looking for him?
Army Vet Goes Missing, May Be in Cobb
Web Editor: Josh Roseman
Last Modified: 12/29/2007 10:41:48 AM
An army veteran from Bibb County who has been missing since November 10 may have been seen in Cobb County. His mother is organizing a search in the area.
Gary Chronister, 33, served two tours of duty, both in Iraq and Afghanistan. He was taking medication to help with disorientation and memory loss, but it was believed that he stopped taking it after his disappearance.
Chronister is 6-feet-1-inch tall, weighs 250 pounds, wears glasses, and may have a beard.
Chronister's mother, Sheryl Futrell, said her son left his Bibb County apartment on or around November 10, and has not been seen since. His vehicle was later found on November 19 at an Acworth gas station. He may have been seen this week on Stilesboro Road, near the Stilesboro Biscuits Restaurant, between 11 a.m. and 4:30 p.m.
Ms. Futrell and other volunteers organized a search for Chronister on December 22, but were unable to find him. Now Futrell and David Litts, a search organizer, have put together a second search for Chronister. The search will begin on Saturday December 29 at 10 a.m., and searchers will gather first at the Kroger shopping center at the corner of Cobb Parkway and Acworth Due West Road.
Any information regarding Chronister's whereabouts should be directed to local police by calling 911. You can also call Sheryl Brim Futrell at (478) 747-9488.
http://www.11alive.com/news/article_news.aspx?storyid=108718
Bush wanted cuts in VA, Akaka wants more money
Sen. committee asks for changes in VA budget
By Rick Maze - Staff writer
Posted : Monday Feb 25, 2008 19:44:01 EST
A key Senate committee is asking for a $2.6 billion increase in veterans’ spending over the Bush administration’s budget out of concern the needs of combat veterans are not being met.
The Senate Veterans’ Affairs Committee, chaired by Sen. Daniel K. Akaka, D-Hawaii, is asking for a fiscal 2009 budget for the Department of Veterans Affairs that is $6.6 billion over the fiscal 2008 budget, with $4.6 billion of the additional money going for medical care operations.
Akaka said Congress “has an obligation to our troops returning from combat now” that cannot be met without more money. “Taking care of veterans is a cost of war and our recommendation would fill significant gaps in the president’s request,” Akaka said.
The House Veterans’ Affairs Committee is working on a similar budget proposal that it is expected to unveil Thursday.
Akaka’s committee said in a Feb. 22 letter to the Senate Budget Committee that it rejects cuts proposed by the Bush administration in construction, medical research and auditing. The letter also said the committee opposes an initiative to raise prescription drug fees and to impose enrollment fees for some moderate-income veterans enrolled in the VA health plan who do not have service-connected disabilities.
“These proposals are unacceptable,” Akaka said.
go here for the rest
http://www.navytimes.com/news/2008/02/military_vabudget_022508/
If Bush thinks cutting back on VA funding is supporting the troops, he is crazy! What kind of a man would do such a terrible thing with so many wounded and many, many more to come?
By Rick Maze - Staff writer
Posted : Monday Feb 25, 2008 19:44:01 EST
A key Senate committee is asking for a $2.6 billion increase in veterans’ spending over the Bush administration’s budget out of concern the needs of combat veterans are not being met.
The Senate Veterans’ Affairs Committee, chaired by Sen. Daniel K. Akaka, D-Hawaii, is asking for a fiscal 2009 budget for the Department of Veterans Affairs that is $6.6 billion over the fiscal 2008 budget, with $4.6 billion of the additional money going for medical care operations.
Akaka said Congress “has an obligation to our troops returning from combat now” that cannot be met without more money. “Taking care of veterans is a cost of war and our recommendation would fill significant gaps in the president’s request,” Akaka said.
The House Veterans’ Affairs Committee is working on a similar budget proposal that it is expected to unveil Thursday.
Akaka’s committee said in a Feb. 22 letter to the Senate Budget Committee that it rejects cuts proposed by the Bush administration in construction, medical research and auditing. The letter also said the committee opposes an initiative to raise prescription drug fees and to impose enrollment fees for some moderate-income veterans enrolled in the VA health plan who do not have service-connected disabilities.
“These proposals are unacceptable,” Akaka said.
go here for the rest
http://www.navytimes.com/news/2008/02/military_vabudget_022508/
If Bush thinks cutting back on VA funding is supporting the troops, he is crazy! What kind of a man would do such a terrible thing with so many wounded and many, many more to come?
TBI Struggle for Words Frustrates Woodruff
Woodruff interviews U.S. soldiers in Iraq on Jan. 29, 2006, just moments before a roadside bomb went off, ripping into his skull. His head was unprotected, and the explosion almost killed him. Doug Vogt, an ABC cameraman, was also seriously wounded in the blast.
Struggle for Words Frustrates Woodruff
By Christine Dugas,USA Today
Posted: 2008-02-25 15:56:25
Filed Under: Health News
(Feb. 25) -- One year after Bob Woodruff spoke about his brain concussion on an ABC documentary, he is busy flying around the world on assignments and continuing to draw attention to the signature injury of the war in Iraq: traumatic brain injury.
His recovery seems miraculous, considering how the shrapnel from a roadside bomb had ripped into his skull on Jan. 29, 2006. Woodruff, 46, is back at work at ABC news, although he does not have his previous job as a news anchor — at least not yet.
"I don't know if I could do that," he says. "I think it's possible. But one thing that I know for sure is that I'm going to remain as a journalist because I have always loved journalism."
Woodruff now works with a team to produce more in-depth assignments. He can better cope with longer projects because his traumatic brain injury (TBI) caused a language disorder that makes it hard for him to come up with words. And for a journalist, nothing could be more frustrating.
Woodruff continues to improve and often speaks with ease and confidence. But he still occasionally runs into a roadblock in his brain.
In a recent interview at his office, Woodruff described how reading and writing have helped his brain improve. After he got out of the hospital he was not willing to just sit at home, he said, "watching sports on TV all day long with a — what do you call the thing that controls the TV?" He couldn't come up with the term remote control.
Woodruff has a disorder called aphasia. It happens when a stroke or TBI affects the language side of the brain, usually the left side. The National Aphasia Association estimates that 1 million people in the USA have it.
click post title for the rest
Disney Pixie dust deployed to Walter Reed Hospital
Trying Some Disney Attitude to Help Cure Walter ReedBy Steve Vogel
Washington Post Staff Writer
Monday, February 25, 2008; Page B01
Fifty medical workers -- doctors, nurses, therapists and administrators among them -- sat in a room at Walter Reed Army Medical Center gazing at a slide of Donald Duck on a screen.
The oft-cranky Disney cartoon character, wearing his blue sailor jacket and cap, was in a palpable rage. His webbed feet had lifted off the ground, his beak was gaping, and his white-gloved hands were tightly clutching an old-fashioned two-piece telephone.
"We can clearly see he's frustrated," said Kris Lafferty, a trainer for the Disney Institute who was leading workers at the Northwest Washington hospital last week in a four-hour seminar on customer service. "Why do we think he's frustrated?"
A year after a scandal erupted over the long-term treatment of soldiers at the hospital, the Army has turned to Disney for help. "Service, Disney Style" is newly required for all military and other government employees at Walter Reed.
Lafferty and her fellow Disney trainer, Mike Donnelly, handed out little plastic Goofy and Mickey Mouse figurines as they led Wednesday afternoon's discussion with the workers -- some in uniform, some in scrubs, some in civilian clothes.
Various theories were offered for Donald Duck's ire: He was getting the run-around. He could not get a question answered. He was flummoxed by his antique phone.
The lesson: Poor service equals frustration.
At the tables, heads nodded in agreement. It's a familiar story at Walter Reed, where wounded soldiers and their families often confront a numbing bureaucracy.
The Army is paying Disney $800,000 to help revamp attitudes at the hospital.
click post title for the rest
What kind of a stunt is this and how bad could it have been they had to hire Disney to train them on how to treat people?
"It sounds a little odd, but it's true," said Rear Adm. John Mateczun, commander of a joint task force overseeing military medicine in the Washington region.
So why didn't they just ask the people who run Fisher House how to treat the wounded better?
Col. Patricia D. Horoho, commander of the Walter Reed health-care system, said the goal is to change the culture there. "When you enter the hospital, we want it to be the best experience possible," she said. "Disney fits that.
The goal is to change the culture there? Are they serious? Can they have treated wounded veterans that badly they needed this for real?
Up until now I thought the problems at Walter Reed had more to do with being under funded. A lot of the problems came when Walter Reed was on the block to be shut down. As stupid as that was, that was the excuse behind the deplorable conditions there. Now I'm wondering how bad the attitude of the staff was toward the wounded they would need to pay out $800,000 to fix it?
If the DOD really wanted to change attitudes they need to begin with the units these wounded come from first. TBI and PTSD are still regarded as something to be ashamed of. Considering they used a cartoon to try to communicate the seriousness of PTSD while providing absolutely nothing substantial, they really should have hired Disney to provide a better one. If they are serious about changing attitudes then they should seek out the real professionals who have been taking care of the wounded with privately funded places like Fisher House. Needless to remind people that Fisher House wouldn't have to be there if the DOD and the VA had their own acts together to do it right in the first place.
Excuse me if this report makes me furious but considering when I read the title I thought it was about coming out with entertainment for the wounded instead of a training session on how to treat the wounded better. You would have thought they would have already known how to do that.
Justice Department Finds Veterans' Rights Violated in Tennessee
News: Justice Department Finds Veterans' Rights Violated
Posted on February 25, 2008 by editor
Tennessee has failed to care for its veterans and even contributed to some of their deaths
The federal government could be a step closer to suing the state of Tennessee. It all stems from problems at the Tennessee State Veterans Homes.
A NewsChannel 5 investigation first exposed problems at the state-run nursing homes.
And soon after, the U.S. Department of Justice opened its own investigation.
Investigative reporter Jennifer Kraus got a copy of the Justice Department's final report, which was just delivered to Gov. Phil Bredesen. It's filled with examples of how federal inspectors say the state has failed to care for its veterans and even contributed to some of their deaths.
The U.S. Justice Department lays it all out in its 43-page report, and it's not pretty...
go here for the rest
http://www.veteranstoday.com/modules.php?name=News&file=article&sid=2884
Posted on February 25, 2008 by editor
Tennessee has failed to care for its veterans and even contributed to some of their deaths
The federal government could be a step closer to suing the state of Tennessee. It all stems from problems at the Tennessee State Veterans Homes.
A NewsChannel 5 investigation first exposed problems at the state-run nursing homes.
And soon after, the U.S. Department of Justice opened its own investigation.
Investigative reporter Jennifer Kraus got a copy of the Justice Department's final report, which was just delivered to Gov. Phil Bredesen. It's filled with examples of how federal inspectors say the state has failed to care for its veterans and even contributed to some of their deaths.
The U.S. Justice Department lays it all out in its 43-page report, and it's not pretty...
go here for the rest
http://www.veteranstoday.com/modules.php?name=News&file=article&sid=2884
150 Fort Bliss Warrior Transition Wounded to join 4,000 in parade
Parade marks return of Fort Bliss units from Iraq
By Chris Roberts / El Paso Times
Article Launched: 02/25/2008 12:00:00 AM MST
When Mayor John Cook returned from the Vietnam War in early 1970, one of the protesters who greeted his bus pelted him with an egg.
"I just wanted to do a better job," Cook said, explaining why he decided to welcome Fort Bliss soldiers home from overseas with a parade. "The entire El Paso community has really stepped up to the plate and people have said that the (4th Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division) is symbolic of all the soldiers that have served."
On Wednesday, when thousands of 4-1 Cavalry soldiers march through El Paso's streets during the Welcome Home Heroes Parade, they will be accompanied by 31 riderless horses -- empty boots backward in the stirrups -- representing cavalry soldiers who lost their lives in Iraq. The horses are being provided by the El Paso County Sheriff's Posse, Cook said.
Also being honored are the air defenders of the 3rd Battalion, 43rd Air Defense Artillery, 11th ADA Brigade, who also returned recently from the Middle East.
Most of the cavalry brigade was operating in Iraq's northwestern Nineveh Province. However, some of the soldiers also served in Baghdad. They left in late 2006 and, after 14 months, the last soldiers returned the day before Christmas. Some 150 wounded soldiers in the Fort Bliss Warrior Transition Unit also will participate in the parade.
The 3-43 ADA soldiers recently completed the longest tour of duty for a Patriot missile unit in the Army's history. Some of the air defenders spent 17 months in the Middle
East, including the countries of Kuwait and Qatar. The 3-43 ADA soldiers suffered no loss of life or serious injuries.
Details of the 3-43 ADA's mission have not been available due to the sensitivity of that information, but Patriot batteries generally protect ground assets that include troop concentrations, headquarters, motor pools and ammunition depots. Their deployment was moved up to coincide with President Bush's surge of troops into Baghdad.
About 4,000 soldiers will participate in the parade.
Col. Stephen M. Twitty, 4-1 Cavalry commander and Command Sgt. Maj. Stephan Frennier will lead the cavalry soldiers.
go here for the rest
http://www.elpasotimes.com/news/ci_8354981
By Chris Roberts / El Paso Times
Article Launched: 02/25/2008 12:00:00 AM MST
When Mayor John Cook returned from the Vietnam War in early 1970, one of the protesters who greeted his bus pelted him with an egg.
"I just wanted to do a better job," Cook said, explaining why he decided to welcome Fort Bliss soldiers home from overseas with a parade. "The entire El Paso community has really stepped up to the plate and people have said that the (4th Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division) is symbolic of all the soldiers that have served."
On Wednesday, when thousands of 4-1 Cavalry soldiers march through El Paso's streets during the Welcome Home Heroes Parade, they will be accompanied by 31 riderless horses -- empty boots backward in the stirrups -- representing cavalry soldiers who lost their lives in Iraq. The horses are being provided by the El Paso County Sheriff's Posse, Cook said.
Also being honored are the air defenders of the 3rd Battalion, 43rd Air Defense Artillery, 11th ADA Brigade, who also returned recently from the Middle East.
Most of the cavalry brigade was operating in Iraq's northwestern Nineveh Province. However, some of the soldiers also served in Baghdad. They left in late 2006 and, after 14 months, the last soldiers returned the day before Christmas. Some 150 wounded soldiers in the Fort Bliss Warrior Transition Unit also will participate in the parade.
The 3-43 ADA soldiers recently completed the longest tour of duty for a Patriot missile unit in the Army's history. Some of the air defenders spent 17 months in the Middle
East, including the countries of Kuwait and Qatar. The 3-43 ADA soldiers suffered no loss of life or serious injuries.
Details of the 3-43 ADA's mission have not been available due to the sensitivity of that information, but Patriot batteries generally protect ground assets that include troop concentrations, headquarters, motor pools and ammunition depots. Their deployment was moved up to coincide with President Bush's surge of troops into Baghdad.
About 4,000 soldiers will participate in the parade.
Col. Stephen M. Twitty, 4-1 Cavalry commander and Command Sgt. Maj. Stephan Frennier will lead the cavalry soldiers.
go here for the rest
http://www.elpasotimes.com/news/ci_8354981
Thousands of veterans lose health benefits because of paperwork errors
Thousands of veterans lose health benefits because of paperwork errors
Correcting mistakes in discharge documents can be a bureaucratic nightmare
By Lou Michel NEWS STAFF REPORTER
Christopher M. Simmance helped keep the peace as an American soldier in the Middle East, but when he returned home and later suffered a breakdown, he was turned away from the VA hospital because the government didn’t acknowledge his overseas duty.
Dana Cushing as a Marine served two tours of duty in Iraq and a third in east Africa, but when she returned home, she found herself labeled a “conscientious objector” and also was denied medical care by the government.
Simmance is one local veteran among roughly 2,000 across the country trying to get corrected incomplete or inadequate discharge papers. Cushing only recently got hers corrected after trying for a year. The result is that many now face a bureaucratic nightmare that prevents them from getting the health benefits they are entitled to receive.
The Army alone has a backlog of 1,890 veterans seeking corrections on their discharge papers, and some have been waiting for three years, according to the U.S. Department of Defense. Many other veterans probably have faulty discharge papers but don’t know it because they have not sought benefits.
Efforts are being made to speed up the corrections on faulty discharge papers, Army officials said.
But it can’t come quick enough for Simmance, the City of Tonawanda Army veteran who ended up broke and homeless late last year after he suffered service-related psychological problems and was unable to get help because of his faulty discharge paper.
go here for the rest
http://www.vawatchdog.org/08/nf08/nfFEB08/nf022508-3.htm
Sadly it's still happening. During Vietnam, they had the excuse of typed errors. My husband came home in 1971 with a Bronze Star Award. It had an error in his social security number. There were several documents he was given with the wrong number typed in. Most of the time they were not important documents but other times they were very important. Because his MOS had him listed as a clerk, his claim depended on the Bronze Star Award. With the wrong number on it and showing up as standing out on his DD214, it came into being questioned. While we were fighting the VA to have his claim approved, we lost our tax refunds and he felt as if he had a knife in his back because the VA doctor told him he needed the VA to treat him at the same time they were making him pay for it. Our private health insurance company would no longer cover mental health with private doctors because the VA doctor linked it to Vietnam. Once the award and orders were corrected, his claim was approved soon after.
The problem is that between the time he received it and the time they fixed it, he went through hell. I lost count how many people reminded us that once his claim was approved, we would get back the money they received along with retroactive pay, but they didn't tell us how to pay our bills while all of this was going on. This is also one of the biggest reasons I try to support the homeless veterans shelters as much as possible. He almost ended up homeless and I almost ended up living back home with my Mom with our daughter. Yes, it got that bad. We managed to make three forbearance agreements with the mortgage company in the six years we fought them. That saved our house from foreclosure.
If you have someone in the military right now, make sure they have all their paper work and keep it in a safe place. Make sure all the forms have the right social security number on it and if it doesn't make sure they fix it and hand back a corrected form. With computers, it shouldn't be that hard to do. Make sure they hang onto every document they are given and toss nothing out. You cannot trust that the DOD will keep every record and have them all right. There is human error. Don't go through what Vietnam veterans did. You cannot assume it will all work out fine.
DoD: Hot line calls rise 40 percent every year
DoD: Hot line calls rise 40 percent every year
By Gregg Zoroya - USA Today
Posted : Monday Feb 25, 2008 15:13:19 EST
Rows of hot line operators with muted voices mask the desperation of incoming calls on a recent afternoon: a soldier back from Iraq with a drinking problem and a broken marriage; an Army recruiter in the throes of depression; a Marine in Iraq eager to reach his wife after the birth of his son.
This warren of cubicles in a suburban Philadelphia office building — with two other call centers in Arlington, Va., and St. Petersburg, Fla. — are the Pentagon’s front line for fighting the strain of war.
A few years ago, Military OneSource consultants found a temporary home for a 15-foot pet boa constrictor while its owner, an Army National Guard soldier, went to Iraq. In 2005, U.S. military doctors at a combat hospital in Iraq used the hot line to find a translator who could help treat, by telephone conference call, a wounded Nepalese soldier.
But the calls that send consultants to the “serenity room” here to chill out, or to take a walk around the building, are pleas for help from war-weary troops or their relatives.
“There’s a lot of stress [for] a lot of service members who are coming back from Iraq and Afghanistan,” said Amy DiMalanta, 34, who answers calls. “They’re having a lot of issues they’re facing at home like reintegration [with their family] or just the stress of, ‘Am I going to go back [to war]?’” she said. “A lot of them emphasize that they have a hard time sleeping ... having nightmares or they’re thinking that, ‘Oh, I’m still in Iraq,’ or ‘I’m thinking I’m going to hear a bomb go off.’”
go here for the rest
http://www.armytimes.com/news/2008/02/gns_250208_hotline/
By Gregg Zoroya - USA Today
Posted : Monday Feb 25, 2008 15:13:19 EST
Rows of hot line operators with muted voices mask the desperation of incoming calls on a recent afternoon: a soldier back from Iraq with a drinking problem and a broken marriage; an Army recruiter in the throes of depression; a Marine in Iraq eager to reach his wife after the birth of his son.
This warren of cubicles in a suburban Philadelphia office building — with two other call centers in Arlington, Va., and St. Petersburg, Fla. — are the Pentagon’s front line for fighting the strain of war.
A few years ago, Military OneSource consultants found a temporary home for a 15-foot pet boa constrictor while its owner, an Army National Guard soldier, went to Iraq. In 2005, U.S. military doctors at a combat hospital in Iraq used the hot line to find a translator who could help treat, by telephone conference call, a wounded Nepalese soldier.
But the calls that send consultants to the “serenity room” here to chill out, or to take a walk around the building, are pleas for help from war-weary troops or their relatives.
“There’s a lot of stress [for] a lot of service members who are coming back from Iraq and Afghanistan,” said Amy DiMalanta, 34, who answers calls. “They’re having a lot of issues they’re facing at home like reintegration [with their family] or just the stress of, ‘Am I going to go back [to war]?’” she said. “A lot of them emphasize that they have a hard time sleeping ... having nightmares or they’re thinking that, ‘Oh, I’m still in Iraq,’ or ‘I’m thinking I’m going to hear a bomb go off.’”
go here for the rest
http://www.armytimes.com/news/2008/02/gns_250208_hotline/
Buried under backlogs
Buried under backlogs
By GREGG CARLSTROM
February 25, 2008
More than 400,000 veterans are awaiting decisions on disability claims they filed with the Veterans Affairs Department, and roughly one-quarter of those have waited more than half a year.
Social Security Administration staffs are grappling with more than 600,000 disability claims.
Regional service centers at the Homeland Security Department’s Citizenship and Immigration Services are buried under more than 1 million citizenship applications.
And the Food and Drug Administration is more than a decade from inspecting every foreign pharmaceutical plant it is obliged by law to inspect.
Poor planning by agency leaders and underfunding by Congress created these debilitating backlogs that may take years to resolve, according to federal officials, legislators and watchdog groups.
At the start of the Bush administration in 2001, VA had more than 400,000 pending claims for disability ratings, which determine a service-disabled veteran’s employability and disability benefits. The department made progress reducing that number: By 2003, the backlog was down to around 250,000.
But then the nation went to war.
“VA was kind of cruising right along with a certain volume of claims until the Iraq and Afghanistan wars. Then the volume of claims increased,” said Belinda Finn, VA’s assistant inspector general for auditing. “We still had the same processes for handling a lower workload, and the system just hasn’t been able to handle the increase in claims.”
And so the backlog started creeping up. By 2008, VA once again has more than 400,000 pending claims for a disability rating. About 25 percent of those are officially considered backlogged, meaning they have been pending longer than six months.
“The number of claims that we receive each year has been going up pretty steadily,” said Michael Walcoff, VA’s associate deputy undersecretary for field operations. “In 2000, we got 578,000 claims, and last year got 838,000. That’s a pretty significant increase, and certainly some of that can be attributed to the soldiers coming back from [the wars].”
go here for the rest
http://federaltimes.com/index.php?S=3387368
It's a great article but he's only half right on the backlog of claims numbers.
By GREGG CARLSTROM
February 25, 2008
More than 400,000 veterans are awaiting decisions on disability claims they filed with the Veterans Affairs Department, and roughly one-quarter of those have waited more than half a year.
Social Security Administration staffs are grappling with more than 600,000 disability claims.
Regional service centers at the Homeland Security Department’s Citizenship and Immigration Services are buried under more than 1 million citizenship applications.
And the Food and Drug Administration is more than a decade from inspecting every foreign pharmaceutical plant it is obliged by law to inspect.
Poor planning by agency leaders and underfunding by Congress created these debilitating backlogs that may take years to resolve, according to federal officials, legislators and watchdog groups.
At the start of the Bush administration in 2001, VA had more than 400,000 pending claims for disability ratings, which determine a service-disabled veteran’s employability and disability benefits. The department made progress reducing that number: By 2003, the backlog was down to around 250,000.
But then the nation went to war.
“VA was kind of cruising right along with a certain volume of claims until the Iraq and Afghanistan wars. Then the volume of claims increased,” said Belinda Finn, VA’s assistant inspector general for auditing. “We still had the same processes for handling a lower workload, and the system just hasn’t been able to handle the increase in claims.”
And so the backlog started creeping up. By 2008, VA once again has more than 400,000 pending claims for a disability rating. About 25 percent of those are officially considered backlogged, meaning they have been pending longer than six months.
“The number of claims that we receive each year has been going up pretty steadily,” said Michael Walcoff, VA’s associate deputy undersecretary for field operations. “In 2000, we got 578,000 claims, and last year got 838,000. That’s a pretty significant increase, and certainly some of that can be attributed to the soldiers coming back from [the wars].”
go here for the rest
http://federaltimes.com/index.php?S=3387368
It's a great article but he's only half right on the backlog of claims numbers.
Wednesday, February 13, 2008
VA claim backlog at 816,211 but IT cut back? WTF
Vets' groups urge IT budget boost for benefits processingBy Bob Brewin bbrewin@govexec.com February 13, 2008 Veterans' services organizations have urged Congress to provide a sharp increase in the information technology budget of the agency that handles their compensation and pension claims.The fiscal 2009 IT budget request for the Veterans Benefits Administration is about 18 percent less than the fiscal 2008 proposal. The overall IT budget for the Veterans Affairs Department, VBA's parent agency, jumped 18 percent in President Bush's latest request.VBA's pending compensation and claims backlog stood at 816,211 as of January 2008, up 188,781 since 2004, said Kerry Baker, associate legislative director of the Disabled Veterans of America, during a Wednesday hearing of the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Defense.
Franklin PA Countians seek to help veterans
Franklin Countians seek to help veterans
By VICKY TAYLOR Staff writer
Fred Bucci, retired Army, folds the flag with his son Staff Sgt. Michael Bucci at the group of local veterans are looking for a few good men -- and women, businesses and organizations -- to help them start and run an outreach program for area soldiers and their families.
The Franklin County Military Outreach Program will be designed to help military members, their spouse, children and parents.
"It will be the first of its kind in our area," said Fred Bucci, one of the veteran organizers.
The goal is to support military members and their families in any situation they may face, according to Bucci and fellow organizers Gary J. Stopyra and Bobby Rideout.
"Our organization needs to be so diverse that it's infrastructure can handle any situation that arises, whether it is just to answer a simple question, help a returning wounded soldier with their Veterans Association paperwork or provide moral, financial or any other kind of support for any crisis our military families face," Bucci said.
Bucci knows how difficult it can be for family members when a soldier is wounded or he and his family face personal crisis.
In 2003, the Bucci's son, Michael, was evacuated to Walter Reed Army Medical Center because of a blood-borne disease he contracted during his initial tour in Iraq. In 2006, Michael lost a son who lived only two weeks following a complicated birth.
"At no point was there anyone from the Army to assist us through these most trying times," Bucci said. "I want to make sure that never happens to another of our military families."
go here for the rest
http://www.publicopiniononline.com/localnews/ci_8355069
This needs to happen all over the country. We have a nation filled with advocates just waiting for someone to ask us to help. Put the word out and we'll be there.
By VICKY TAYLOR Staff writer
Fred Bucci, retired Army, folds the flag with his son Staff Sgt. Michael Bucci at the group of local veterans are looking for a few good men -- and women, businesses and organizations -- to help them start and run an outreach program for area soldiers and their families.
The Franklin County Military Outreach Program will be designed to help military members, their spouse, children and parents.
"It will be the first of its kind in our area," said Fred Bucci, one of the veteran organizers.
The goal is to support military members and their families in any situation they may face, according to Bucci and fellow organizers Gary J. Stopyra and Bobby Rideout.
"Our organization needs to be so diverse that it's infrastructure can handle any situation that arises, whether it is just to answer a simple question, help a returning wounded soldier with their Veterans Association paperwork or provide moral, financial or any other kind of support for any crisis our military families face," Bucci said.
Bucci knows how difficult it can be for family members when a soldier is wounded or he and his family face personal crisis.
In 2003, the Bucci's son, Michael, was evacuated to Walter Reed Army Medical Center because of a blood-borne disease he contracted during his initial tour in Iraq. In 2006, Michael lost a son who lived only two weeks following a complicated birth.
"At no point was there anyone from the Army to assist us through these most trying times," Bucci said. "I want to make sure that never happens to another of our military families."
go here for the rest
http://www.publicopiniononline.com/localnews/ci_8355069
This needs to happen all over the country. We have a nation filled with advocates just waiting for someone to ask us to help. Put the word out and we'll be there.
PTSD DVD sets available again soon
I received several donations and thank you for them. I just purchased a DVD drive that is supposed to be able to keep up with the load. The donations were not enough to cover a new PC. I will still need all the donations I can get to be able to keep sending the DVD's out, that is if I can get the drive to work right. Remember I'm no Bill Gates.
I was promised donations when requests came in for the DVD's but some people never sent in the donation. If you want one, I will send them out for free still but if you promise to make a donation, please make sure you do. I'm out of work now so I don't have extra money to cover the cost of doing them. Email me for a DVD at Namguardianangel@aol.com and if you can make a donation, use the PayPal button on the side bar. Even $10.00 helps a lot more than you think it does.
The DVD will now have Hero After War and you can pick one other video to go onto the DVD. If you don't request another video, then the Wounded Minds video will be included. These are the two top requested videos I've done.
Please also consider making a donation for the hours I spend doing this work. I do about 12 hours a day and seven days a week, except for play day on Friday with my husband, when I get mental health time away and act like a kid again. At least he knows he can get me away from the PC for 5 hours or so before I disappear back into the office.
If you want to write to me by snail mail send it here.
Nam Guardian Angel
5703 Red Bug Lake Road #154
Winter Springs, FL 32708-4969
Make sure the box number is there or the UPS store will send it back to you.
Thanks again and say a prayer I can figure out the new DVD drive.
PTSD? Why be afraid if you're not alone?
Cpl. Brent Phillips
Wounded marine helps other vets get benefits
Bert SassSpecial Projects Producer12 NewsFeb. 24, 2008 09:47 PM
War Stories: Corporal Brent Phillips
Nearly five years after he was wounded, it has taken Phillips a long time to adjust to civilian life. He says he was diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) which affects many combat veterans.
Phillips tells about flashbacks
Phillips is determined to manage his PTSD and not let it control his life. He says, "I pretty much deal with it by telling my parents about it...both sheriff's officers (in California). Both of them have been in different firefights." Phillips also finds his wife and three small children help relieve the tension. He also is taking a proactive role in helping vets, like himself, get the VA benefits they deserve. He organized a recent information meeting to help vets learn about benefits and get VA appointments. Some Valley veterans with PTSD attend regular meetings that were started by case manager Patricia Tuli at the Carl T. Hayden Veterans Affairs Medical Center in Phoenix. Tuli works with many veterans of Iraq and Afghanistan.
dealings with POWs surprised Phillips
Phillips describes firefight
go here for the rest
http://www.azcentral.com/12news/news/articles/052007warstorywebbonus-CR-CP.html
From the University of Virginia
Mental Health Disorders
Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)
Statistics related to PTSD
According to the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH), part of the National Institutes of Health (NIH):
Nearly 7.7 million Americans have PTSD at any given time.
About 30 percent of men and women who have spent time in war zones experience PTSD.
What is post-traumatic stress disorder?
Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a debilitating condition that often follows a terrifying physical or emotional event - causing the person who survived the event to have persistent, frightening thoughts and memories, or flashbacks, of the ordeal. Persons with PTSD often feel chronically, emotionally numb.
PTSD was first brought to public attention by war veterans and was once referred to as "shell shock" or "battle fatigue." The likelihood of developing PTSD depends on the severity and duration of the event, as well as the person's nearness to it.
What triggers PTSD to develop?
The event(s) that triggers PTSD may be:
something that occurred in the person's life.
something that occurred in the life of someone close to him or her.
something the person witnessed.
Examples include:
serious accidents (such as car or train wrecks)
natural disasters (such as floods or earthquakes)
man-made tragedies (such as bombings, a plane crash)
violent personal attacks (such as a mugging, rape, torture, being held captive, or kidnapping)
military combat
abuse in childhood
http://www.healthsystem.virginia.edu/UVAHealth/adult_mentalhealth/anptsd.cfm
If PTSD wound becomes part of you, why would you be afraid to talk about it? You're not alone suffering from it. Your family is not alone coping with it. All you have to do is look over the last few years of news reports to know how large the world's population has been wounded by trauma.
Thirty years ago, it was America's secret. It was trapped in whispers and silence. Hidden under shame with the thought this wound was a character defect of those who suffered from it. They would look at others who lived through the exact same event appearing to be untouched. The thought of being weaker than others caused them to suffer in secret. It was not a well kept secret because others could see the changes in them.
Families began to keep the secret as well. They would find excuses why a combat veteran would not go to family functions. They would find excuses to provide bosses when they could not go to work because of yet another night of terrifying nightmares.
I found myself making excuse as well. Even though I knew what PTSD was from the beginning, it was hard to protect my husband from judgmental attitudes that PTSD meant Jack was crazy. Working in offices, and most of the time surrounded by men, it was hard to hear them talk about normal life. They would talk about taking their wives to movies. I would tell them I wasn't interested in going to movies, when the truth was, I loved to go to them. I couldn't tell them my husband couldn't tolerate them anymore. He couldn't handle being in a crowd, in the dark and feeling vulnerable especially if he had a flashback, feeling as if the enemy was right behind his seat.
They would complain their wife stole the covers at night or how she would stick her cold feet on their warm leg. I couldn't do anything more than laugh while I wanted to cry. My husband and I never spent an entire night in the same bed during our 23 years of marriage. I doubt we ever will.
The church I attended back home in Massachusetts, the same one I attended since birth, where everyone knew me, hardly knew what my husband looked like. Some wondered if we were still married.
I would go shopping by myself because he couldn't stand the malls and hated to be in crowds.
The list goes on of how what we found to be normal for us, was abnormal to the rest of the world. Years later it was easier to talk about it because I had come into contact with so many others going through the same things. Once someone spoke of it, or I indicated something about it, then the communication opened up. It was never racking every time I did because I wondered what they were thinking about me and especially about Jack.
To this day, knowing what I know, knowing the stories of others, knowing that we are not alone with this, I still feel the need to protect him. I don't even use my married name when I write. Often I wonder why I would still feel this need of protecting him considering to me there is no reason the stigma lives on and that there is no shame in being human, no shame in being wounded by tragedy and trauma and there is nothing about him to be ashamed of. To me, he is an amazing man, filled with kindness and gentleness as well as strength. His character lives on beneath the dark days of flashbacks and drained days following nightmares. Still in my mind I know the attitude of too many in this country and around the world. It is one of the reasons I work so hard to provide information and stories of others going through all of this. Sooner or later there will be no more stigma to overcome.
There are some people who can speak openly about the ravages of PTSD on their lives. I admire them greatly. It's very hard to have all of this going on in your life and be able to talk about it. It takes a lot of courage to be able to look at your life and see the need to open up about it. Jack can't. I walk a very thin line on what I feel free to speak out about and what remains in the shadow of the work I do.
When I did the video Coming Out Of The Dark, the song by Gloria Estefan was perfect.
COMING OUT OF THE DARK (Gloria Estefan)
Why be afraid if I'm not alone?
Though life is never easy, the rest is unknown
Up to now, for me, it's been hands against stone
Spent each and ev'ry moment
Searching for what to believe
Coming out of the dark
I finally see the light now
And it's shining on me
Coming out of the dark
I know the love that saved me
You're sharing with me
Starting again is part of the plan
And I'll be so much stronger holding your hand
Step by step, I'll make it through; I know I can
It may not make it easier
But I have felt you near all the way
Forever and ever, I stand on the rock of your love
Forever and ever, I'll stand on the rock
Forever and ever, I stand on the rock of your love
Love is all it takes, no matter what we face
Why is it that we still feel the need to be ashamed and afraid? What is there to be afraid of? The thoughts of others who would not have those ignorant thoughts if we all spoke out about it? The more people talk about being human, surviving a traumatic event, overcoming it and still stand, the weaker the stigma will become. It takes a greatness of character to survive the carnage of combat, the violence of police work, the tragedy of a firefighter and emergency responder, the terror of crime and the wrath of nature. Yet we look at the survivors as damaged instead of wounded.
When we look at the veterans who have committed suicide, we fail to see how they not only carried on when their lives were in danger, as well as their military brothers and sisters, they acted with bravery and courage. It was not until they were no longer in danger from the human enemy, but when they were back home with the enemy in their mind that they felt they could no longer go on. When they commit suicide while deployed, they don't do it while the fight is going on, but in the quiet of their barracks or the silence of the night.
Family Thinks PTSD Drove Veteran to Suicide
Dylan Darling
Redding Record Searchlight
Feb 24, 2008
February 24, 2008 - During Michael Sherriff's nine-month tour in the battlefields of Iraq, his mother worried that one day a pair of Army officers in full dress would come to her door with terrible news.
"You're just on edge every single minute," Jennifer Cass said.
She didn't dream her son would become a victim of the war the way he did -- not on a faraway battlefield like she feared, but like a growing number of veterans -- by his own hand once he made it home.
Of 807,694 veterans diagnosed with depression and treated at a Department of Veterans Affairs facility nationwide between 1999 and 2004, 1,683 committed suicide, according to a study released in October 2007 by the University of Michigan Depression Center.
After her son safely returned stateside in April 2004, Cass dealt with a new set of worries. She said she began experiencing stress and anxiety as her Mikey had an increasingly difficult time adjusting to civilian life.
http://www.veteransforcommonsense.org/articleid/9410
Information, sharing and caring will erode the stigma and replace it with hope. Hope that they will be able to speak of what is happening inside of them and be embraced instead of embarrassed. Hope that once they say they need help, the help they need to heal will be there waiting for them. Hope that as soon as they know the trauma was too strong for them, they will be supported by those who care about them. Hope that life can regain a quality of what it once was. Hope that compassion will rap arms around them instead of point fingers at them.
So why be afraid if you're not alone? 7.7 million Americans are in the same company of wounded. We are not the only nation with PTSD. Every nation has a population of people wounded by it as long as they have humans in it.
Kathie Costos
Namguardianangel@aol.com
http://www.namguardianangel.org/
http://www.namguardianangel.blogspot.com/
http://www.woundedtimes.blogspot.com/
"The willingness with which our young people are likely to serve in any war, no matter how justified, shall be directly proportional to how they perceive veterans of early wars were treated and appreciated by our nation." - George Washington
Homeless man committed suicide in hospital
Hospital cited in patient suicide
ER fell short in monitoring a homeless man who hanged himself in Douglasville, according to a federal report.
By ANDY MILLER
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Published on: 02/25/08
A Douglasville hospital failed to meet patient safety standards when a homeless man committed suicide in its emergency department, federal regulators have found.
The patient, evaluated as a suicide risk by WellStar Douglas Hospital staff, was not properly monitored for two hours and was then found hanging in his seclusion room, said a federal investigative report. The death occurred Oct. 31.
under the Freedom of Information Act.
Douglas Wayne Brown, 45, was in a seclusion room — typically used to manage a very agitated patient — a total of 22 hours, waiting for a transfer to another facility for treatment of alcohol and psychiatric problems, according to the report from the federal Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services.
The report, based on an inspection by state surveyors in mid-November, does not describe whether the WellStar Douglas emergency room was crowded when the patient died.
A suicide in a hospital emergency department is extremely rare, health care officials said. Brown's death also renews questions about the capacity of general hospitals and psychiatric facilities in Georgia to handle the rising demand for mental health services.
go here for the rest
http://www.ajc.com/metro/content/metro/stories/2008/02/24/ersuicide_0225.html
ER fell short in monitoring a homeless man who hanged himself in Douglasville, according to a federal report.
By ANDY MILLER
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Published on: 02/25/08
A Douglasville hospital failed to meet patient safety standards when a homeless man committed suicide in its emergency department, federal regulators have found.
The patient, evaluated as a suicide risk by WellStar Douglas Hospital staff, was not properly monitored for two hours and was then found hanging in his seclusion room, said a federal investigative report. The death occurred Oct. 31.
under the Freedom of Information Act.
Douglas Wayne Brown, 45, was in a seclusion room — typically used to manage a very agitated patient — a total of 22 hours, waiting for a transfer to another facility for treatment of alcohol and psychiatric problems, according to the report from the federal Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services.
The report, based on an inspection by state surveyors in mid-November, does not describe whether the WellStar Douglas emergency room was crowded when the patient died.
A suicide in a hospital emergency department is extremely rare, health care officials said. Brown's death also renews questions about the capacity of general hospitals and psychiatric facilities in Georgia to handle the rising demand for mental health services.
go here for the rest
http://www.ajc.com/metro/content/metro/stories/2008/02/24/ersuicide_0225.html
Sunday, February 24, 2008
Brig. Gen. Mike Tucker A Man On A Mission To Heal
“What’s their job? To heal,” Tucker said. “If they’re not healing, they’re not doing their job.”
General: Army still facing Warrior Transition Unit challenges
Tucker lauds progress but says more ‘hard thinking’ necessary
By John Vandiver, Stars and Stripes
European edition, Monday, February 25, 2008
BAUMHOLDER, Germany — Nearly a year ago, Col. Robert P. White was catching up on old times with his old boss, Brig. Gen. Mike Tucker, when the phone rang.
White was in a pre-command course at Fort Knox, Ky., where Tucker was serving as deputy commanding general.
“I’m sitting there having a beer with him and he gets a call. He walks out of the room and comes back in and his face, his jaw just dropped,” White told a group of 2nd Brigade, 1st Armored Division commanders.
On the phone was the chief staff of the Army, who had a special assignment, one that would place Tucker in the eye of the storm. Revelations about shoddy outpatient care at Walter Reed Medical Center had just burst into the national consciousness. Tucker’s task was to make things right.
Tucker, now the Army’s assistant surgeon general for warrior care and transition, was in Baumholder last week to talk with commanders about the progress made so far and the challenges ahead.
“We have transformed the way we care for warriors in our Army and we will never go back to the way it was,” Tucker said during the presentation Thursday.
go here for the rest
http://www.stripes.com/article.asp?section=104&article=52803
Vets don't need health battle
Vets don't need health battle
February 24, 2008 6:00 AM
Editor's note: Chellie Pingree, from North Haven, is a Democratic candidate for Congress in Maine's First Congressional District. James E. N. Bachelder from Acton is Maine state commander of the Veterans of Foreign Wars.
By Chellie Pingree and James E. N. Bachelder
It was just about a year ago that the nation was shocked by a Washington Post story that revealed the dismal conditions inside the Walter Reed Army Medical Center. Over 700 active duty soldiers with serious physical and psychological issues were being warehoused in rundown buildings, neglected and lost in a tangle of bureaucracy without access to the care they desperately needed.
Once again, America was caught not living up to the promise we have made to the men and women who serve — that we will take care of you when you come home.
Some progress has been made, but there is much more that needs to be done, especially for veterans who have completed their service and are ready to come home. They've fought for us; now it's our turn to stand up and fight for them.
Maine has one of the highest percentages of veterans of any state in the country. Over 140,000 Mainers have worn a uniform. Nearly 90 percent of the Maine National Guard has been deployed to Iraq, and too many of them have come home bearing the scars of combat.
According to a new government study, the rate of suicide among those returning from Iraq or Afghanistan has increased substantially. And over half of those who took their own lives were members of the Guard or Reserves.
Better and faster emergency care on the battlefield means more and more servicemen and servicewomen are surviving, but improvements in the availability of mental health treatment have not kept pace.
It's estimated that 30 percent to 40 percent of all Iraq veterans will face some sort of mental health issue when they come home, and although the VA provides some of the best care in the world, it simply doesn't have the resources to adequately address those problems. In the current system, less than 40 percent of vets with psychological conditions are getting the treatment they need.
The first step to address this need is a thorough and confidential health-care assessment for all returning veterans. And those who need help making the transition back home should get it. The Maine National Guard has taken this step, but the VA should be able to make it available to all returning servicemen and women. Too often the health care and benefits that veterans have earned are buried under a mountain of paperwork and kept out of reach by bureaucratic delays. Too often, when a vet comes home from war unable to work because of disabilities, a long delay in awarding disability leads to homelessness.
Sometimes the wounds inflicted in a combat zone aren't very visible. Traumatic brain injury (TBI) and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) are real injuries that affect tens of thousands of veterans. The diagnosis isn't always easy, but rules and regulations shouldn't make it more difficult.
Congressman Tom Allen has introduced a bill that would remove certain requirements that have been keeping veterans suffering from PTSD from getting the treatment they needed. Simply put, if a health-care professional determines a veteran returning from war is suffering from PTSD, that diagnosis will be enough, without requiring documentation that is often difficult or impossible to obtain.
Because the VA budget is discretionary, not mandatory, reliable funding is hard to come by, which leads to delays and cutbacks. Injured veterans are denied the benefits they deserve and they end up paying the price. Complicated forms and a difficult-to-navigate application and appeals process make it worse. The VA budget should be made mandatory and the treatment and benefits process streamlined. Veterans should be able get the help they need without having to fight for it.
Congressman Mike Michaud has been an effective and outspoken advocate for veterans and in addition to cosponsoring Congressman Allen's proposal. Last summer, he introduced a bill that would start to fix some of the problems that vets face. The Veterans Health Care Improvement Act would not only improve access to care and benefits, but it would also commit significant resources to helping those who have slipped through the cracks — like the 200,000 veterans around this country who will sleep on the street tonight.
Both of us have friends and neighbors who have come home from war only to find they have to fight another battle to get the care and benefits they need. We can and must do a better job taking care of these men and women. They deserve it.
http://www.seacoastonline.com/apps/pbcs.dll/
article?AID=/20080224/OPINION/802240333&sfad=1
Great report and Maine should be proud they are standing up for those who stood up for us. Isn't that what it all should be about? Does everything in this country have to be a battle of "with us or against us" or "pro-war or anti-war" when there are some things that should only be about them? When it comes to point of view, the men and women who serve, are really no different than the rest of us. Military presidential contributions are being distributed between Ron Paul with the lion's share and Senator Obama. All of them were willing to lay down their lives for the sake of this nation and while me may disagree on if willingness was appreciated or not, the rest of us can see that part clearly. We all need to stand up for them, especially the members of the groups who find time to march either protesting or supporting the occupation of Iraq. The men and women we fight over, need all of us coming together to really fight for their sake when they need us.
February 24, 2008 6:00 AM
Editor's note: Chellie Pingree, from North Haven, is a Democratic candidate for Congress in Maine's First Congressional District. James E. N. Bachelder from Acton is Maine state commander of the Veterans of Foreign Wars.
By Chellie Pingree and James E. N. Bachelder
It was just about a year ago that the nation was shocked by a Washington Post story that revealed the dismal conditions inside the Walter Reed Army Medical Center. Over 700 active duty soldiers with serious physical and psychological issues were being warehoused in rundown buildings, neglected and lost in a tangle of bureaucracy without access to the care they desperately needed.
Once again, America was caught not living up to the promise we have made to the men and women who serve — that we will take care of you when you come home.
Some progress has been made, but there is much more that needs to be done, especially for veterans who have completed their service and are ready to come home. They've fought for us; now it's our turn to stand up and fight for them.
Maine has one of the highest percentages of veterans of any state in the country. Over 140,000 Mainers have worn a uniform. Nearly 90 percent of the Maine National Guard has been deployed to Iraq, and too many of them have come home bearing the scars of combat.
According to a new government study, the rate of suicide among those returning from Iraq or Afghanistan has increased substantially. And over half of those who took their own lives were members of the Guard or Reserves.
Better and faster emergency care on the battlefield means more and more servicemen and servicewomen are surviving, but improvements in the availability of mental health treatment have not kept pace.
It's estimated that 30 percent to 40 percent of all Iraq veterans will face some sort of mental health issue when they come home, and although the VA provides some of the best care in the world, it simply doesn't have the resources to adequately address those problems. In the current system, less than 40 percent of vets with psychological conditions are getting the treatment they need.
The first step to address this need is a thorough and confidential health-care assessment for all returning veterans. And those who need help making the transition back home should get it. The Maine National Guard has taken this step, but the VA should be able to make it available to all returning servicemen and women. Too often the health care and benefits that veterans have earned are buried under a mountain of paperwork and kept out of reach by bureaucratic delays. Too often, when a vet comes home from war unable to work because of disabilities, a long delay in awarding disability leads to homelessness.
Sometimes the wounds inflicted in a combat zone aren't very visible. Traumatic brain injury (TBI) and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) are real injuries that affect tens of thousands of veterans. The diagnosis isn't always easy, but rules and regulations shouldn't make it more difficult.
Congressman Tom Allen has introduced a bill that would remove certain requirements that have been keeping veterans suffering from PTSD from getting the treatment they needed. Simply put, if a health-care professional determines a veteran returning from war is suffering from PTSD, that diagnosis will be enough, without requiring documentation that is often difficult or impossible to obtain.
Because the VA budget is discretionary, not mandatory, reliable funding is hard to come by, which leads to delays and cutbacks. Injured veterans are denied the benefits they deserve and they end up paying the price. Complicated forms and a difficult-to-navigate application and appeals process make it worse. The VA budget should be made mandatory and the treatment and benefits process streamlined. Veterans should be able get the help they need without having to fight for it.
Congressman Mike Michaud has been an effective and outspoken advocate for veterans and in addition to cosponsoring Congressman Allen's proposal. Last summer, he introduced a bill that would start to fix some of the problems that vets face. The Veterans Health Care Improvement Act would not only improve access to care and benefits, but it would also commit significant resources to helping those who have slipped through the cracks — like the 200,000 veterans around this country who will sleep on the street tonight.
Both of us have friends and neighbors who have come home from war only to find they have to fight another battle to get the care and benefits they need. We can and must do a better job taking care of these men and women. They deserve it.
http://www.seacoastonline.com/apps/pbcs.dll/
article?AID=/20080224/OPINION/802240333&sfad=1
Great report and Maine should be proud they are standing up for those who stood up for us. Isn't that what it all should be about? Does everything in this country have to be a battle of "with us or against us" or "pro-war or anti-war" when there are some things that should only be about them? When it comes to point of view, the men and women who serve, are really no different than the rest of us. Military presidential contributions are being distributed between Ron Paul with the lion's share and Senator Obama. All of them were willing to lay down their lives for the sake of this nation and while me may disagree on if willingness was appreciated or not, the rest of us can see that part clearly. We all need to stand up for them, especially the members of the groups who find time to march either protesting or supporting the occupation of Iraq. The men and women we fight over, need all of us coming together to really fight for their sake when they need us.
Help for the homeless Tony finds his way home
Help for the homeless Tony finds his way home
An innovative program is getting many of the city’s mentally ill off the streets and into a new life
By DAWN HINSHAW - dhinshaw@thestate.com
When Jeremy McCleery took a job 1½ years ago doing outreach at the Homeless Recovery Center, his mission was to help Tony.
Among the hundreds of anonymous homeless people who wander Columbia’s streets, Tony was different.
A slight Vietnamese man with a broad brown face, Tony slumbered on benches along Devine Street or walked the streets downtown with his clothes bundled under his shirt, his long matted hair stuffed into a stocking cap.
Many people came to recognize Tony during his 15 years on the streets, but no one knew him.
He was calm and silent, never asking for anything, often refusing the money or food that well-meaning people held out to him, saying, “I’m OK, I’m OK.”
Because of his silence, stories grew up around Tony — legends, really — that he was royalty, that he fled his homeland in fear for his life.
As a social work student at USC, McCleery saw Tony around town and wondered about him, too.
“He’d been around for so long, and no one had helped him,” he said. “Our program was made for people like Tony.”
go here for the rest
http://www.thestate.com/local/story/326053.html
It's a heart warming story of what a difference one person can make.
An innovative program is getting many of the city’s mentally ill off the streets and into a new life
By DAWN HINSHAW - dhinshaw@thestate.com
When Jeremy McCleery took a job 1½ years ago doing outreach at the Homeless Recovery Center, his mission was to help Tony.
Among the hundreds of anonymous homeless people who wander Columbia’s streets, Tony was different.
A slight Vietnamese man with a broad brown face, Tony slumbered on benches along Devine Street or walked the streets downtown with his clothes bundled under his shirt, his long matted hair stuffed into a stocking cap.
Many people came to recognize Tony during his 15 years on the streets, but no one knew him.
He was calm and silent, never asking for anything, often refusing the money or food that well-meaning people held out to him, saying, “I’m OK, I’m OK.”
Because of his silence, stories grew up around Tony — legends, really — that he was royalty, that he fled his homeland in fear for his life.
As a social work student at USC, McCleery saw Tony around town and wondered about him, too.
“He’d been around for so long, and no one had helped him,” he said. “Our program was made for people like Tony.”
go here for the rest
http://www.thestate.com/local/story/326053.html
It's a heart warming story of what a difference one person can make.
Fort Knox:"We're soldiers caring for our own"
"We're soldiers caring for our own," said Lt. Col. Gary Travis, the unit commander at Fort Knox.
Fort Knox improves treatments
BOOSTS DISCHARGE PREPARATION, AID FOR WOUNDED
By Bruce Schreiner
ASSOCIATED PRESS
FORT KNOX --Staff Sgt. Gerald Gonzalez has seen plenty of changes in a special unit for wounded soldiers since arriving at Fort Knox last summer with injuries from a roadside bomb in Iraq.
Barracks at the Army post in Central Kentucky are being renovated for soldiers placed in the "warrior transition unit." Staffing has been beefed up to help soldiers heal. And an assistance center geared toward the wounded troops and their families has opened.
"It's a lot better now," said Gonzalez, who suffers from a traumatic brain injury and post-traumatic stress disorder since being wounded last May while helping escort a military convoy.
Still, he said, Army efforts to specially tend to the wounded soldiers remain "a work in progress."
go here for the rest
http://www.kentucky.com/news/state/story/327283.html
Veterans help veterans readjust to civilian life
Veterans help veterans readjust to civilian life
Posted online: February 23, 2008 11:43 PM
Print publication date: 2/24/2008
By Brandy Donaldson , bdonaldson@qconline.com
Many veterans agree that readjusting to civilian life after serving in a foreign land can be like a brand new battle.
Davenport native Jim Gall was 18 when he was drafted into the Army and thrust into combat in Vietnam. Davenport's Wayne Hogard entered the Navy as a teenager during the Korean War. The plight of today's soldier is much the same as it was when they served, and, fortunately, there's more support available for those who need it, they said.
"I didn't have any trouble, but I'm sure there were some who experienced combat who had trouble readjusting after Korea. There's some who still experience that to this day," said Mr. Hogard, who, as an aviation electrician, never entered combat.
"Many boys come back today and don't really have the education they need about their own physical or mental health."
According to a recent Army study, an all-time high 121 active-duty soldiers committed suicide and at least 2,100 injured themselves or attempted suicide last year. The Department of Veterans Affairs reported 144 veterans committed suicide between 2001 and 2005, and thousands more suffer from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD).
"I would imagine the high suicide rate is a result of boys not being treated when they get home and no one recognizing they're having problems," Mr. Hogard said.
Indicators of PTSD include incessant fear, hopelessness, isolation, memory loss, difficulty sleeping and concentrating, nightmares, flashbacks, erratic emotions, uncontrollable anger, paranoia, unexplainable outbursts and other symptoms.
Most troops can't recognize these things in themselves and those who do may have a difficult time admitting it, said Ron Milburn, junior vice commander at VFW Post 9128 in Bettendorf. He served in the Marines and Navy during peacetime. He later joined the National Guard and was sent to Iraq in 2003.
go here for the rest
http://qconline.com/archives/qco/display.php?id=375938
Posted online: February 23, 2008 11:43 PM
Print publication date: 2/24/2008
By Brandy Donaldson , bdonaldson@qconline.com
Many veterans agree that readjusting to civilian life after serving in a foreign land can be like a brand new battle.
Davenport native Jim Gall was 18 when he was drafted into the Army and thrust into combat in Vietnam. Davenport's Wayne Hogard entered the Navy as a teenager during the Korean War. The plight of today's soldier is much the same as it was when they served, and, fortunately, there's more support available for those who need it, they said.
"I didn't have any trouble, but I'm sure there were some who experienced combat who had trouble readjusting after Korea. There's some who still experience that to this day," said Mr. Hogard, who, as an aviation electrician, never entered combat.
"Many boys come back today and don't really have the education they need about their own physical or mental health."
According to a recent Army study, an all-time high 121 active-duty soldiers committed suicide and at least 2,100 injured themselves or attempted suicide last year. The Department of Veterans Affairs reported 144 veterans committed suicide between 2001 and 2005, and thousands more suffer from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD).
"I would imagine the high suicide rate is a result of boys not being treated when they get home and no one recognizing they're having problems," Mr. Hogard said.
Indicators of PTSD include incessant fear, hopelessness, isolation, memory loss, difficulty sleeping and concentrating, nightmares, flashbacks, erratic emotions, uncontrollable anger, paranoia, unexplainable outbursts and other symptoms.
Most troops can't recognize these things in themselves and those who do may have a difficult time admitting it, said Ron Milburn, junior vice commander at VFW Post 9128 in Bettendorf. He served in the Marines and Navy during peacetime. He later joined the National Guard and was sent to Iraq in 2003.
go here for the rest
http://qconline.com/archives/qco/display.php?id=375938
Families Catch Fallout From PTSD
Spouse Calls Column: Families Catch Fallout From PTSD
February 24, 2008
Of all the subjects covered on the Spouse Calls blog, none is more heartbreaking than post- traumatic stress disorder and its effects on military spouses and families.
An upcoming column will feature resources and counseling for those affected by PTSD. These blog excerpts will explain why:
I live in New Jersey. I have searched endlessly, to no avail for a support group for the loved ones of PTSD veterans. I even tried starting one of my own. The vet centers, and the VA clinics and hospitals say they are including family members and loved ones, but I have not found that to be true.
Many of the veterans’ wives and significant others that I know are left without a support group. Does anyone else have live support in your area?
go here for the rest
http://www.veteransforcommonsense.org/ArticleID/9405
If anyone is in the Orlando Florida area, I'd be happy to begin a support group. I believe it is vital having support to get through all of this. Vietnam veterans and their families didn't have it and it cost too many marriages as well as lives .
February 24, 2008
Of all the subjects covered on the Spouse Calls blog, none is more heartbreaking than post- traumatic stress disorder and its effects on military spouses and families.
An upcoming column will feature resources and counseling for those affected by PTSD. These blog excerpts will explain why:
I live in New Jersey. I have searched endlessly, to no avail for a support group for the loved ones of PTSD veterans. I even tried starting one of my own. The vet centers, and the VA clinics and hospitals say they are including family members and loved ones, but I have not found that to be true.
Many of the veterans’ wives and significant others that I know are left without a support group. Does anyone else have live support in your area?
go here for the rest
http://www.veteransforcommonsense.org/ArticleID/9405
If anyone is in the Orlando Florida area, I'd be happy to begin a support group. I believe it is vital having support to get through all of this. Vietnam veterans and their families didn't have it and it cost too many marriages as well as lives .
Sgt. John Osmolski's funeral peaceful due to flu
Stomach Flu Keeps Protesters Away From Soldier’s Funeral
Sunday, February 24, 2008 12:19:56 AM
EUSTIS -- Hundreds of people showed up to honor the memory of a local soldier who was killed while fighting in Iraq.
Dozens of flags waved outside of Bay Street Baptist Church in honor of Sgt. John Osmolski.
The 23-year-old was killed by a bomb six days before he was supposed to come back home.
Protestors from Kansas that lead a campaign called “God Hates America” were scheduled to picket the service. However, they canceled at the last minute, saying the group came down with the stomach flu.
Friends, family and former military men and women said it allowed them to focus on what was really important.
The men and women who held up flags at the church are part of a statewide organization called the Patriot Guard. The group travels to more than 50 memorial services, funerals and welcome home celebrations of soldiers each year.
Why would anyone would want to protest at a funeral for a soldier? They do it though. Whatever they hope to prove by doing it must be more about proving they are hateful people.
Senator Tester, fix Montana's VA problem sooner
Tester, VA chief hear from veterans
Agency chief says help is on way; senator, vets tell of inadequate services
By TOM LUTEY
Of The Gazette Staff
Limited by staff and space, veterans' health care services in Montana fall short, said U.S. Sen. Jon Tester, D-Mont., who brought U.S. Veterans Affairs Secretary James Peake to Billings to meet with local veterans.
"What I'm getting at is the staff and the square footage is a big issue," Tester said Wednesday. "That's not just here. It's the same in Great Falls and other places."
Tester and Peake got a firsthand look at the tight cramped quarters of the Veterans Affairs Primary Care Center in Billings. Roughly a decade old, the facility at 2345 King Ave. W. is no longer big enough to accommodate services for Billings-area veterans. Plans to relocate to a larger facility are in the works, but the VA Primary Care Center is also short on staff members.
Veterans speaking to Tester and Peake said phone calls to the VA Primary Care Center sometimes go unanswered for half an hour. Getting in to see a counselor about war-related stress can take days.
With the problem veterans are having trying to get fit into the VA, buying land and building new hospitals and clinics will help, but that fix is years away. They need help today.
A quick search of commercial property in Billings Montana showed they not only have land that could be used in the future, but they also have buildings already available. Some of them seem to be a great deal. These are just a few of them.
Property Description:
Prime West End Office Building
2 story building with approx. 26,000 SQFT. Brick construction complex built in 1986 and remodeled in 1999. Located in approx. 66,000 SQFT landscaped and paved lot. The building has 25,825 SQFT. Excellent exposure to one of busiest avenues in Billings - King Avenue.
Location Description:
Located in the Homestead Business Park - Billings MT. A block from King Ave. on Grant Rd.
Property Use Type: Investment
Primary Type: Office
Office-Business Park
Building Size: 26,000 SF
Lot Size: 66,000 SF
Price: $3,200,000
Price/SF: $123.08
Cap Rate: 7.25%
Net Lease Investment: Yes
Years left on Lease: 2
Date Last Verified: 2/22/2008
Property ID: 15530183
Special Purpose Property
In or near Billings, MontanaVery solid 5,040 sq. ft. Commercial Construction. Scenic Spring Creek runs through property, mature trees, an oasis in the middle of Billings. Pe...
Status:Price:Bldg. Size:Cap Rate:Primary Type:Sub-Type:
Active$425,0005,040 SFN/ASpecial PurposeSpecial Purpose (Other)
Special Purpose Property
In or near Billings, MontanaSignificant, historical, brick building, with 7,025 sq. ft. on main level. Structurally astute, constructed of high quaility building materials, 7...
Status:Price:Bldg. Size:Cap Rate:Primary Type:Sub-Type:
Active$385,00014,050 SFN/ASpecial PurposeSpecial Purpose (Other)
Office Property
In or near Billings, Montana
Two 9,000 square foot buildings. Upscale Medical or office complex. 13,300 ADT's Per Day. Billings Highest Per Capita Income. Now Under Constru...
Status:No. Spaces:Rental Rate:Space Available:Bldg. Size:Primary Type:Sub-Type:
Active1$.012,800 SF9,000 SFOfficeMedical Office
Now, picture these buildings being used for veterans clinics and Vet's Centers. They seem to be just what the doctor ordered to take care of the veterans today and not just years from now. They could open up Vet Centers tomorrow. They could begin support groups for veterans and their families. If not then they will need to build a lot more homeless veterans shelters a couple of years from now. It's time to get serious about all of this and stop ringing their hands with the monumental task ahead. There is no time to play catch up when veterans are suffering because no one planned for them.
Agency chief says help is on way; senator, vets tell of inadequate services
By TOM LUTEY
Of The Gazette Staff
Limited by staff and space, veterans' health care services in Montana fall short, said U.S. Sen. Jon Tester, D-Mont., who brought U.S. Veterans Affairs Secretary James Peake to Billings to meet with local veterans.
"What I'm getting at is the staff and the square footage is a big issue," Tester said Wednesday. "That's not just here. It's the same in Great Falls and other places."
Tester and Peake got a firsthand look at the tight cramped quarters of the Veterans Affairs Primary Care Center in Billings. Roughly a decade old, the facility at 2345 King Ave. W. is no longer big enough to accommodate services for Billings-area veterans. Plans to relocate to a larger facility are in the works, but the VA Primary Care Center is also short on staff members.
Veterans speaking to Tester and Peake said phone calls to the VA Primary Care Center sometimes go unanswered for half an hour. Getting in to see a counselor about war-related stress can take days.
There's a debate about how many claims will still be made by veterans returning from Iraq and Afghanistan. The Bush administration estimates that 33,690 new veterans will enter the system, but the majority of staff for the Senate Veterans Affairs Committee, on which Tester serves, expects 200,000 claims by veterans of the Iraq and Afghanistan conflicts.
If the committee is correct, the president's budgeted amount for new claims could leave funding short for about 150,000 veterans.
go here for the rest
http://www.billingsgazette.net/articles/2008/02/21/news/local/18-va.txt
With the problem veterans are having trying to get fit into the VA, buying land and building new hospitals and clinics will help, but that fix is years away. They need help today.
A quick search of commercial property in Billings Montana showed they not only have land that could be used in the future, but they also have buildings already available. Some of them seem to be a great deal. These are just a few of them.
Property Description:
Prime West End Office Building
2 story building with approx. 26,000 SQFT. Brick construction complex built in 1986 and remodeled in 1999. Located in approx. 66,000 SQFT landscaped and paved lot. The building has 25,825 SQFT. Excellent exposure to one of busiest avenues in Billings - King Avenue.
Location Description:
Located in the Homestead Business Park - Billings MT. A block from King Ave. on Grant Rd.
Property Use Type: Investment
Primary Type: Office
Office-Business Park
Building Size: 26,000 SF
Lot Size: 66,000 SF
Price: $3,200,000
Price/SF: $123.08
Cap Rate: 7.25%
Net Lease Investment: Yes
Years left on Lease: 2
Date Last Verified: 2/22/2008
Property ID: 15530183
Special Purpose Property
In or near Billings, MontanaVery solid 5,040 sq. ft. Commercial Construction. Scenic Spring Creek runs through property, mature trees, an oasis in the middle of Billings. Pe...
Status:Price:Bldg. Size:Cap Rate:Primary Type:Sub-Type:
Active$425,0005,040 SFN/ASpecial PurposeSpecial Purpose (Other)
Special Purpose Property
In or near Billings, MontanaSignificant, historical, brick building, with 7,025 sq. ft. on main level. Structurally astute, constructed of high quaility building materials, 7...
Status:Price:Bldg. Size:Cap Rate:Primary Type:Sub-Type:
Active$385,00014,050 SFN/ASpecial PurposeSpecial Purpose (Other)
Office Property
In or near Billings, Montana
Two 9,000 square foot buildings. Upscale Medical or office complex. 13,300 ADT's Per Day. Billings Highest Per Capita Income. Now Under Constru...
Status:No. Spaces:Rental Rate:Space Available:Bldg. Size:Primary Type:Sub-Type:
Active1$.012,800 SF9,000 SFOfficeMedical Office
Now, picture these buildings being used for veterans clinics and Vet's Centers. They seem to be just what the doctor ordered to take care of the veterans today and not just years from now. They could open up Vet Centers tomorrow. They could begin support groups for veterans and their families. If not then they will need to build a lot more homeless veterans shelters a couple of years from now. It's time to get serious about all of this and stop ringing their hands with the monumental task ahead. There is no time to play catch up when veterans are suffering because no one planned for them.
Saturday, February 23, 2008
Spc. Brenden Teetsell ended his life leaving questions and heartache
Soldier’s lies unravel after he kills himself
By Nancy Montgomery, Stars and Stripes
European edition, Sunday, February 24, 2008
HEIDELBERG, Germany — Spc. Brenden Teetsell stood out. He was 6-foot-6 — but it was more than that. He was talkative, enthusiastic, smart and likable.
But Teetsell, it turned out, was also deeply troubled.
The 20-year-old satellite operator with the 5th Signal Command hanged himself Feb. 7 in his Mannheim barracks. He used bedsheets and a stairwell to end his life, just after Criminal Investigation Command investigators had spent the morning questioning him for apparently impersonating an officer.
He had been claiming to be a captain and that he’d been shot in the leg in Iraq, pastors at a California church told CID after the pastors decided to check up on him.
That long-distance telephone call was to be the first thread in the rapid unraveling of Teetsell’s life.
“It went from zero to 60 that morning,” said Lt. Col. Jay Chapman, commander of the 72nd Expeditionary Signal Battalion.
“We didn’t see symptoms. We’re really upset with ourselves. Nobody would have considered him to be feeling the way he was inside.”
Teetsell, who enlisted in 2006, had never been to Iraq. He hurt his knee before his unit deployed last fall and was reassigned to a different unit.
His death comes at a time when Army officials are grappling with a record number of suicides, even as they’ve stepped up suicide prevention efforts.
One major contributor to the increase in soldier suicides is thought to be the disruption to intimate and family relationships caused by long, repeated deployments.
But Teetsell had never deployed. He did not appear depressed, Chapman said his commanders told him. He was not aware he was being investigated until the day he died, Chapman said.
go here for the rest
http://www.stripes.com/article.asp?section=104&article=52770
Teetsell was not deployed, not wounded in combat and seemed to have been troubled by many accounts. Why didn't anyone do anything when they seemed to have thougth he was troubled? Why was he able to get into the military if he was already troubled? There are so many questions to this sad story of a life ended too soon.
By Nancy Montgomery, Stars and Stripes
European edition, Sunday, February 24, 2008
HEIDELBERG, Germany — Spc. Brenden Teetsell stood out. He was 6-foot-6 — but it was more than that. He was talkative, enthusiastic, smart and likable.
But Teetsell, it turned out, was also deeply troubled.
The 20-year-old satellite operator with the 5th Signal Command hanged himself Feb. 7 in his Mannheim barracks. He used bedsheets and a stairwell to end his life, just after Criminal Investigation Command investigators had spent the morning questioning him for apparently impersonating an officer.
He had been claiming to be a captain and that he’d been shot in the leg in Iraq, pastors at a California church told CID after the pastors decided to check up on him.
That long-distance telephone call was to be the first thread in the rapid unraveling of Teetsell’s life.
“It went from zero to 60 that morning,” said Lt. Col. Jay Chapman, commander of the 72nd Expeditionary Signal Battalion.
“We didn’t see symptoms. We’re really upset with ourselves. Nobody would have considered him to be feeling the way he was inside.”
Teetsell, who enlisted in 2006, had never been to Iraq. He hurt his knee before his unit deployed last fall and was reassigned to a different unit.
His death comes at a time when Army officials are grappling with a record number of suicides, even as they’ve stepped up suicide prevention efforts.
One major contributor to the increase in soldier suicides is thought to be the disruption to intimate and family relationships caused by long, repeated deployments.
But Teetsell had never deployed. He did not appear depressed, Chapman said his commanders told him. He was not aware he was being investigated until the day he died, Chapman said.
go here for the rest
http://www.stripes.com/article.asp?section=104&article=52770
Teetsell was not deployed, not wounded in combat and seemed to have been troubled by many accounts. Why didn't anyone do anything when they seemed to have thougth he was troubled? Why was he able to get into the military if he was already troubled? There are so many questions to this sad story of a life ended too soon.
Master Sgt. Woodrow Keeble Medal of Honor
Medal of Honor going to Native American soldier
By Leo Shane III, Stars and Stripes
Mideast edition, Saturday, February 23, 2008
WASHINGTON — A Native American soldier who fought in World War II and the Korean War will be posthumously honored with the Medal of Honor next month, White House officials announced Friday.
Retired Master Sgt. Woodrow Keeble, a South Dakota native who died in 1984, will be recognized for actions in North Korea in October 1951. According to Army records, he ignored life-threatening wounds to take out three mountainside enemy pillboxes which had pinned down a U.S. platoon.
Keeble was initially awarded a Distinguished Service Cross, a Silver Star and a Purple Heart for those actions, but members of his state’s congressional delegation have pushed for Medal of Honor recognition for him for years.
Army records say Keeble displayed “extraordinary heroism and completely selfless devotion to duty” during his assault on enemy troops in Korea.
After seeing an advance platoon was pinned down by gunfire, Keeble rushed from his support unit to the front line. He then crawled ahead to take out three enemy positions with grenades, despite intense fire trained on him as he moved along the mountainside.
go here for the rest
http://www.stripes.com/article.asp?section=104&article=52728
By Leo Shane III, Stars and Stripes
Mideast edition, Saturday, February 23, 2008
WASHINGTON — A Native American soldier who fought in World War II and the Korean War will be posthumously honored with the Medal of Honor next month, White House officials announced Friday.
Retired Master Sgt. Woodrow Keeble, a South Dakota native who died in 1984, will be recognized for actions in North Korea in October 1951. According to Army records, he ignored life-threatening wounds to take out three mountainside enemy pillboxes which had pinned down a U.S. platoon.
Keeble was initially awarded a Distinguished Service Cross, a Silver Star and a Purple Heart for those actions, but members of his state’s congressional delegation have pushed for Medal of Honor recognition for him for years.
Army records say Keeble displayed “extraordinary heroism and completely selfless devotion to duty” during his assault on enemy troops in Korea.
After seeing an advance platoon was pinned down by gunfire, Keeble rushed from his support unit to the front line. He then crawled ahead to take out three enemy positions with grenades, despite intense fire trained on him as he moved along the mountainside.
go here for the rest
http://www.stripes.com/article.asp?section=104&article=52728
Renewed Hope Eric Hall Is Still Alive
Missing Marine may have called again
Eric Hall, 24, is believed to have placed another phone call to a friend
CAROLYN QUINN, Charlotte Sun Staff Writer
7:27 p.m., Friday, February 22, 2008
The former Marine who vanished over two weeks ago during a flashback to his service in Iraq may have called an old friend a second time.
Eric Hall, 24, who left his aunt's house in Deep Creek on Feb. 3 and has not been seen since, is believed to have called a childhood friend and former girlfriend in his native Indiana after 6 p.m. Thursday. It is the second call he is believed to have made to the friend, although he did not identify himself either time.
"He is reaching out, and it just renews my efforts," said Becky Hall, Eric's mother, who came to Florida from Indiana shortly after his disappearance.
go here for the rest
linked from ICasualties.org
Eric Hall, 24, is believed to have placed another phone call to a friend
CAROLYN QUINN, Charlotte Sun Staff Writer
7:27 p.m., Friday, February 22, 2008
The former Marine who vanished over two weeks ago during a flashback to his service in Iraq may have called an old friend a second time.
Eric Hall, 24, who left his aunt's house in Deep Creek on Feb. 3 and has not been seen since, is believed to have called a childhood friend and former girlfriend in his native Indiana after 6 p.m. Thursday. It is the second call he is believed to have made to the friend, although he did not identify himself either time.
"He is reaching out, and it just renews my efforts," said Becky Hall, Eric's mother, who came to Florida from Indiana shortly after his disappearance.
go here for the rest
linked from ICasualties.org
Former Army Chaplain Chiefs Confer on Current Issues
Former Army Chaplain Chiefs Confer on Current Issues
Feb 21, 2008
BY Elizabeth M. Lorge
WASHINGTON (Army News Service, Feb. 21, 2008) - As the Army's chaplaincy focuses on expanding services to wounded warriors and redeploying Soldiers, 15 former chiefs of chaplains gathered in Arlington, Va., for a "Graybeard Conference" Feb. 15 to discuss lessons learned from their tenures and relate them to the biggest concerns for today's Army.
Maj. Gen. Douglas L. Carver, the Army's current chief of chaplains, invited the former chaplains from the active Army, National Guard and Army Reserve in order to learn from their 40 years of combined experience at the helm of the chaplaincy and update them on the Army's current goals, priorities and challenges.
'
"There's a scripture in the bible that says there's nothing new under the sun, so I know that what I'm experiencing today as a leader is something that I can learn from those who have gone before me -- similar challenges that they've faced during the life and the history of the Army and the nation. I think it's also important for us to hear the collective wisdom of those who have been in this leadership position before, to hear their thoughts, their ideas, just to ensure we're doing the best we can to support our Soldiers and Families during a time of war."
click post title for the rest
Feb 21, 2008
BY Elizabeth M. Lorge
WASHINGTON (Army News Service, Feb. 21, 2008) - As the Army's chaplaincy focuses on expanding services to wounded warriors and redeploying Soldiers, 15 former chiefs of chaplains gathered in Arlington, Va., for a "Graybeard Conference" Feb. 15 to discuss lessons learned from their tenures and relate them to the biggest concerns for today's Army.
Maj. Gen. Douglas L. Carver, the Army's current chief of chaplains, invited the former chaplains from the active Army, National Guard and Army Reserve in order to learn from their 40 years of combined experience at the helm of the chaplaincy and update them on the Army's current goals, priorities and challenges.
'
"There's a scripture in the bible that says there's nothing new under the sun, so I know that what I'm experiencing today as a leader is something that I can learn from those who have gone before me -- similar challenges that they've faced during the life and the history of the Army and the nation. I think it's also important for us to hear the collective wisdom of those who have been in this leadership position before, to hear their thoughts, their ideas, just to ensure we're doing the best we can to support our Soldiers and Families during a time of war."
click post title for the rest
A Local Soldier's Long Road Home: Dealing With PTSD
A Local Soldier's Long Road Home: Dealing With PTSD
POSTED: 10:38 pm EST February 22, 2008
WHEELING, W.Va. -- A local Iraq war veteran opened up to NEWS9 about the daily struggles of living with post traumatic stress disorder.
When soldiers leave the war zone, it’s not always a happy homecoming.
"When I came home the first time,” said Ryan Flowers, 25, of Moundsville, “I thought something wasn't right. I felt out of place."
Flowers is one of thousands of Iraq veterans dealing with PTSD.
He served two tours in Iraq, and his jobs included being a heavy wheel mechanic and convoy security.
Flowers’ job in convoy security required him to protect groups of civilians and war supplies.
“Making sure we could get supplies from one camp to another to support the ongoing war effort,” said Flowers.
While Flowers worked at night, his visions are clear as day.
“A night in December, we were leaving Mosul, and there was an explosion on the horizon," said Flowers. “To see an explosion come up over the horizon from that distance, it was my best friend who was in that explosion. He's OK, as OK as you can be."
go here for the rest
http://www.wtov9.com/news/15384598/detail.html
POSTED: 10:38 pm EST February 22, 2008
WHEELING, W.Va. -- A local Iraq war veteran opened up to NEWS9 about the daily struggles of living with post traumatic stress disorder.
When soldiers leave the war zone, it’s not always a happy homecoming.
"When I came home the first time,” said Ryan Flowers, 25, of Moundsville, “I thought something wasn't right. I felt out of place."
Flowers is one of thousands of Iraq veterans dealing with PTSD.
He served two tours in Iraq, and his jobs included being a heavy wheel mechanic and convoy security.
Flowers’ job in convoy security required him to protect groups of civilians and war supplies.
“Making sure we could get supplies from one camp to another to support the ongoing war effort,” said Flowers.
While Flowers worked at night, his visions are clear as day.
“A night in December, we were leaving Mosul, and there was an explosion on the horizon," said Flowers. “To see an explosion come up over the horizon from that distance, it was my best friend who was in that explosion. He's OK, as OK as you can be."
go here for the rest
http://www.wtov9.com/news/15384598/detail.html
Frank Discussion About PTSD and War Trauma
Frank Discussion About PTSD and War Trauma (VIDEO)
Tim King and Dr. Phil Leveque Salem-News.com
Two men with experience in war; one a combat soldier and physician, and one who is a present day war reporter, attempt to spread light on facts surrounding PTSD.
(SALEM, Ore.) - As increasing numbers of veterans are returning from war where they experienced direct combat situations, the number of questions about what that trauma will bring them later in life is growing too.
Dr. Phil Leveque is a WWII veteran and a physician. When he speaks about Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, he does so from what may be one of the most unique and qualified perspectives possible.
First he survived combat and battle injuries fighting Hitler's Nazi soldiers while the world raged at war, then he endured the hardships of the government VA healthcare system where he spent several months recovering from combat related injuries.
After that Phillip Leveque, already a college graduate, completed his master's program and attended medical school. He became a doctor who specialized in the treatment of people who had endured similar horrors of war.
Tim King joined the Marine Corps after high school, and then began a career in news broadcasting in the late 1980's. Today in addition to writing and reporting for Salem-News.com full time, he also serves as a War Correspondent.
Tim spent the winter of 2006/07 in Afghanistan embedded with the 41st Brigade Combat Team of the U.S. Army which was under the control of the Oregon Guard.
In late March, Tim will head to Baghdad, Iraq to cover the actions of Oregon National Guard soldiers on the ground.
click post title for the rest and video
I will embed the video soon.
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