What do veterans groups really stand for

Category: History - Military - Vietnam War
Format: Hardcover, 336 pages
On Sale: September 26, 2006
Price: $32.95
ISBN: 978-1-84603-020-8 (1-84603-020-X)

A bad thunderstorm rolled through Central Florida this afternoon so I took off to Borders Books. I just bought this book for $4.99 and frankly, I'm stunned. I can't believe a book like this was at such a low price. It only came out in 2006.

When I am working on videos, I find pictures from several places. Online, from people sending me their pictures, my husband's pictures and from books.

This picture got to me and I wanted to share it with you.





What really got to me about this picture was this

"A GI holds protectively a badly wounded buddy. In Vietnam, out in the field racial conflicts were minimal. Soldiers were neither black nor white, but green. You depended on your comrades to cover you, and they depended on you do to the same. (Larry Burrows, Life, Time Life)

This is what I've been trying to get across but not doing a good enough job of it.

Because I'm involved with so many groups, what I hear all too often is the division of committed people when it comes to politics. I often wonder what really matters the most to some of these people. Is it the veterans from all political parties and demographics, or is it the political ideology they hold?

The men and women veterans along with those serving today come from all thoughts and backgrounds. What makes all of them united is that they are the smallest percentage of Americans and they were willing to lay down their lives for the sake of the rest of us. They are not all Republicans and they are not all Democrats, but they are all veterans.

Attending some of the events and gatherings I do, too often I heard "We need to support the president" when the President happened to have been Bush, a Republican. It didn't seem to bother many people there what I knew to be facts as far as how he was not supporting them, but only claiming to do it. The facts were there for anyone to find but some of them just didn't bother. Now that the President happens to be a Democrat, the talk has changed to attacking the President and bumper stickers show up on the backs of their cars against the President they used to say they needed to support because "He was the Commander-in-Chief."

No group will agree on everything, but when it comes to veterans, they need to agree on truth and what they were willing to risk their lives for in the first place. There are a lot of rumors out there about President Obama, just as there were a lot of rumors out there about President Bush and every other President before them. The facts are there to find for anyone interested enough in looking for them. While President Obama has increased the VA budget more than it has been done in over 30 years, he has been accused of being against veterans. Yet when President Bush cut VA funding, had less doctors and nurses working for the VA than there were after the Gulf War, with two military campaigns going on, they said we needed to support the President. It didn't matter what the truth was. It mattered more what party he belonged to.

What good did this do? Were the wounded taken care of properly? Were the veterans treated with the care they were promised? Were politicians held accountable for what they did not do? What about the service organizations claiming to be about veterans but clearly with an agenda of more political power than putting veterans, all veterans, first?

This is the part that I will never understand. They are supposed to be fighting to get it right no matter which party is in control. They are supposed to be standing up for all veterans no matter what party they come from and not making them feel as if they don't belong there simply because they happen to be a Democrat among Republicans or a Republican among Democrats. The truth is the truth no matter which party hears it.

It should never matter what party is in control. These groups need to fight to make sure the veterans are taken care of and stop all the nonsense about party loyalty. Things got as bad as they did because some people in these groups only cared one of their own was in power and to tell you the truth, it's one of my fears now. I don't want to see more of a repeat of the time when President Clinton was in office and too many Democrats would not complain and the Republicans managed to spread rumors that were not true. I don't want to see a repeat of the last eight years when some want to support President Obama no matter what he does nor do I want to see more of the false rumors being allowed to be spread out without correction.

If these groups really care about veterans, all veterans, and the troops, then they need to support the truth and not participate in party over any of them. Our veterans fight for the entire nation and not just parts of it and they are looking to the service organizations to support them no matter what party or person they vote for. If I feel as uncomfortable as I do at some of these events when I hear what I hear, imagine being a veteran and hearing one of your own attacking your thoughts because you happen to vote differently than they do. If we are not a nation where all are equal, the right to have your own opinion and vote according to your conscience, then what are the troops defending? What does it actually mean to be "free" when they cannot be embraced by these groups as a veteran because they vote the "wrong" way? If service groups and veterans groups cannot keep political opinion out of group events, then they need to stop saying they are working for veterans because that means, they are only working for the ones they agree with.

I have heard from too many veterans not wanting to join any of these groups because of this reason. It's time for all of them to open their eyes and decide if they are more about party or people. They all serve the same nation side by side with members from all walks of life. They should be welcomed into any group the same way.

Military police seek mom of abandoned baby

Military police seek mom of abandoned baby

The Associated Press
Posted : Friday Jul 10, 2009 10:49:46 EDT

FORT BRAGG, N.C. — Military police at a North Carolina Army post are asking for the public's help in finding the mother of a newborn baby boy who was abandoned on a doorstep in a housing area.

Fort Bragg officials said the baby was discovered about 4 p.m. Thursday in the St. Mere Eglise neighborhood. The baby's umbilical cord still was attached.

The baby was taken to Womack Army Medical Center.

Officials say the baby last was seen with a young woman who had dirty blonde hair and was believed to be in her early 20s.
http://www.armytimes.com/news/2009/07/ap_abandoned_baby_071009/

VA overdose problems still exist, report says

VA overdose problems still exist, report says

By Kimberly Hefling - The Associated Press
Posted : Friday Jul 10, 2009 12:05:24 EDT

WASHINGTON — Two years after an Iraq war veteran overdosed on medication at a Veterans Affairs facility, the problems blamed in his death have not been corrected at many of the VA’s residential treatment sites, a government study found.

The VA’s inspector general ordered the review as part of legislation passed to fix problems after the 2007 death of 27-year-old Justin Bailey in a Los Angeles residential facility.

Bailey, a Marine, had surgeries for a groin injury he sustained during the first part of the Iraq war and was diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder.
read more here
VA overdose problems still exist, report says

Guard units strained by chaplain shortage

Guard units strained by chaplain shortage

By Nomaan Merchant - The Associated Press
Posted : Friday Jul 10, 2009 7:38:42 EDT

MINNEAPOLIS — When patriotism inspired the Rev. Jerry Fehn a decade ago to serve soldiers in combat zones abroad, the 45-year-old was afraid he had waited too long.

He needn't have worried. The National Guard, wrestling with a chronic shortage of priests, cleared the roadblocks that might have kept Fehn out.

"They didn't really want to take someone over 40," Fehn said. "But because there's such a shortage of Catholic priests in the military, they said they would grant me a waiver if I could pass the physical."

Fehn went on to serve in Bosnia, Kosovo and Iraq. Meanwhile, the guard has made significant strides in adding chaplains to its ranks, though many units still struggle to recruit for a position seen as crucial to morale. About 200 positions are open in the Army National Guard and 45 in the Air National Guard.

"It makes it harder to provide religious support," said Chaplain Samuel J.T. Boone, commandant of the U.S. Army Chaplain Center and School at Fort Jackson, S.C. "There are some people who we can't provide their religious rites and sacraments as we can back here in the States."
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Guard units strained by chaplain shortage
The answer is,,,,change the rules to allow Chaplains with the traning to work with the National Guard,,,,,like maybe the IFOC Chaplains I belong to, but even with over 25 years of experience with veterans and PTSD, I'm not good enough. Go figure!

Specialty PTSD clinic planned for east Tennessee servicemen

Specialty PTSD clinic planned for east Tennessee servicemen
Anthony Welsch Updated: 7/10/2009


The mantle in Captain Mark Brogan's west Knoxville home is filled with memories of his time in the military and Iraq, although he can't remember some of it.

"In the beginning, it was survival really. The emotional part just wasn't there," Brogan said.

After a month-long coma, time at Walter Reed Medical Center, and surgery to install a plate to replace the piece of skull blown off by a suicide bomber, life started to return to normal.

The Purple Heart recipient returned to Knoxville, and the emotional toll of war started to surface.

"Over time, I was having nightmares. I would wake up in the middle of the night, accidentally punch my wife," he said.

Deciding he needed help was one thing, but receiving it was another.

"You have the clinic here in Knoxville, but it's rather small," he said. "We saw a person at the VA clinic here, and I was told they'd get me a gym membership so I could go work out. That'll make me feel better."

"I think the people living back home that are living comfortably without having to worry if they are going to get shot or not, we need to think what can we do for these people when they get here," State Representative Richard Montgomery, a Republican from Seymour said.

Now, in what will soon be the old Fort Sanders Hospital in Sevierville, a Post Traumatic Stress Disorder specialty clinic is in the works.

It will be a place for servicemen, law enforcement, or firefighters to get help, drastically changing how veterans are cared for.
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Specialty PTSD clinic planned for east Tennessee servicemen

Urn Accompanied By American Flag, Silver Mug Left at Marine Recruiting Center

Owner Of Urn Left At Marine Recruiting Center Found
Urn Accompanied By American Flag, Silver Mug
POSTED: 9:30 am EDT July 8, 2009


KEENE, N.H. -- The owner of an urn left a U.S. Marines recruitment center in Keene has been found.

Police began an investigation after the urn, along with a heavy silver mug and a folded, framed American flag, was dropped off at the recruitment center on Winchester Street over the weekend.

"The officers collected the property, and they tried to contact the owner and determine what were the circumstances, why they were left there," Lt. Jay Duguay said. "At the time, there was no note to determine why it was at the recruiting center."

Police found that the urn belongs to an active Marine, Sgt. Scott Mastyk, who is currently stationed at Camp Lejuene in North Carolina. (They must mean Camp)
read more here
http://www.wmur.com/news/19989926/detail.html

Former Marine fighting for his life after argument over dog

Former Marine fighting for his life after argument over dog

ABINGTON, Mass. -- A former Marine is in a fight for his life after an argument outside an Abington coffee shop took a violent turn.

Brian Cherry, 48, was having coffee with a friend at Mary Lou's coffee shop.

Police said Cherry became concerned that a fellow customer's dog was frightening people; from there, things took a life threatening turn.
read more here
http://www3.whdh.com/news/articles/local/BO118456/

Army Guardsman Named 'Chaplain of the Year'

Army Guardsman Named 'Chaplain of the Year'
National Guard Bureau
Story by Sgt. Patrick McCollum
Date: 07.09.2009
Posted: 07.09.2009 06:46

ARLINGTON, Va. – Chaplains have a myriad of reasons for serving their country, but recognition is usually not one of them.

"Chaplains are often in the position where we love to serve so much, it's always a surprise to be rewarded for it," said Army Capt. Rebekah Montgomery, who will receive the "Chaplain of the Year" award from the Military Chaplains' Association July 17.

A Unitarian Universalist chaplain serving at both the Army National Guard Readiness Center, Arlington, Va., and Maryland's 58th Troop Command, Montgomery, she has been a student of religion since high school.

She found that religion fascinated her. "I was always drawn to how people negotiate their daily lives with the experience of the spiritual," said Montgomery, who grew up in Bethesda, Md. "I got so much stimulation out of understanding other faith traditions and I still do."

After an 18-month tour in Afghanistan, Montgomery found herself back in Maryland with two jobs. One weekend a month, she is the brigade chaplain in the 58th TC, a job that she says keeps her grounded in the "M-Day" unit mentality.

read more here

Army Guardsman Named Chaplain of the Year

Program pays family members for taking care of Mom and Dad

Program pays family members for taking care of Mom and Dad
Written by Debra Sorensen news@toledofreepress.com
Looking for a way to help Mom and Dad pay for home care or assisted living? Perhaps you are their caregiver. Wouldn’t it be nice to receive some extra income to help you provide their care? There is financial help available for senior veterans and their spouses.

For veterans who served during a time of war, or for their surviving spouses, the Veterans Aid & Attendance Pension will pay additional income to cover long-term care costs. The great news about this program is that the VA will allow veterans’ households to include the annual cost of paying any person such as family members, friends or hired help for care when calculating the pension benefit.

Pension can provide an additional monthly income of up to $1,949 a month for a couple, $1,644 a month for a single veteran or $1,056 a month for a single surviving spouse of a veteran. This money can be used to help pay the cost of home care, adult day services, assisted living or nursing home services.

To reduce income to meet the income test for pension, a rating for “aid and attendance” or “housebound” is crucial. Not only does the rating significantly increase the benefit amount, but without a rating, room and board costs for assisted living are not deductible for purposes of reducing income. Only the much smaller assisted-living medical costs are deductible.
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Program pays family members for taking care of Mom and Dad

Enhancing care for women Veterans is one of Secretary Shinseki's top priorities

VA Advisory Committee on Women Veterans Visits Dallas

WASHINGTON, July 9 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- As part of the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) upgrade of programs and services for women Veterans, the Department's Advisory Committee on Women Veterans, an expert panel that advises VA on issues and programs affecting women Veterans, recently traveled to the VA North Texas Health Care System in Dallas.


"Enhancing care for women Veterans is one of Secretary Shinseki's top priorities," said Dr. Irene Trowell-Harris, director of VA's Center for Women Veterans. "Our Dallas meeting helped us develop new and innovative ideas for providing a full spectrum of improved care for women Veterans."


Intent on improving VA programs and services for women Veterans, the advisory committee heard views on facets of physical and mental health care, benefits, access, processing military sexual trauma claims, women-specific health needs, and services for returning troops. In addition, Carl E. Lowe II, director of VA's Waco Regional Office, gave an overview of new benefits programs.


Members also had the opportunity to tour the Dallas VA Medical Center, Dallas-Fort Worth National Cemetery, the Sam Rayburn Memorial Veterans Center and the State Veterans Home in Bonham. The visit concluded with a town hall meeting at the Dallas Hilton Anatole that was open to the community.


VA accomplishments for women Veterans already in place include:

More than $32.5 million in Fiscal Year 2008 supplemental funding was sent to facilities for women's health equipment, training and supplies (including DEXA scans, mammography machines, ultra-sound and biopsy equipment).
Women Veterans' program managers, advocates and advisors for women Veterans were made full-time positions at every VA facility, as of Dec. 1, 2008, to improve women Veterans' access, to coordinate necessary services and to assist in planning for comprehensive primary care at each VA facility.

Women Veterans are one of the fastest growing segments of the Veteran population. There are approximately 1.8 million women Veterans. They comprise 7.5 percent of the total Veteran population and nearly 5.5 percent of all Veterans who use VA health care services.


VA estimates women Veterans will constitute 10 percent of the Veteran population by 2020.


The Advisory Committee on Women Veterans reviews VA's programs, activities, research projects and other initiatives designed to meet the needs of women Veterans, then makes recommendations to the Secretary on ways to improve, modify and affect change in programs and services for women.





SOURCE U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs

Army Releases June Suicide Data

UPDATE


Suicides in US Army rise in first half of 2009

In about 90 percent of previous cases, suspected suicides have been confirmed, officials say.

"Every soldier suicide is different and tragic in its own way," said Brigadier General Colleen McGuire, director of the Army's suicide prevention task force.

"Although suicide can impact anyone, we're finding that male soldiers, in combat-arms occupational specialties, between ages 18 and 27 are more vulnerable," McGuire said.

The army has responded to the growing problem with more suicide prevention programs, efforts to screen soldiers for mental health problems and campaigns to reduce the stigma that prevents soldiers from seeking treatment.

The trauma of combat combined with the effect of repeated tours has led to a record rise in suicides across the armed services and particularly the US Army -- which has carried the heaviest burden in the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. click above for more

IMMEDIATE RELEASE No. 497-09
July 09, 2009



Army Releases June Suicide Data


The Army released suicide data for the month of June today. Among active-duty soldiers there were no confirmed suicides and nine potential suicides. In May, the Army reported one confirmed suicide and 16 potential suicides among active-duty soldiers. Since that time, seven have been confirmed and nine remain under investigation.



There have been 88 reported active-duty suicides in the Army during calendar year 2009. Of these, 54 have been confirmed, and 34 are pending determination of manner of death. For the same period in 2008, there were 67 confirmed suicides among active-duty soldiers.



During June 2009, among reserve component soldiers not on active duty, there were no confirmed suicides and two potential suicides; to date, among that same group, there have been 16 confirmed suicides and 23 potential suicides currently under investigation to determine the manner of death. For the same period in 2008, there were 29 confirmed suicides among reserve soldiers not on active duty.



“Every soldier suicide is different and tragic in its own way,” said Brig. Gen. Colleen McGuire, director, Army Suicide Prevention Task Force. “Our current research and prevention efforts are identifying common denominators that lead soldiers to take their own life. It’s often a combination of many factors that overwhelm an individual.



“Although suicide can impact anyone, we’re finding that male soldiers, in combat-arms occupational specialties, between ages 18 and 27 are more vulnerable,” McGuire said. “That’s why we’re looking at existing programs and other institutional safety nets to see what works, and what needs to be changed to enhance the support network of trained leaders and behavioral healthcare providers who can identify and treat risk factors before young soldiers get to the point where they feel there’s no way out.”



The Army will complete the second phase of a three-phased service-wide suicide stand-down and chain teach program, July 15, 2009. Phases one and two included an interactive training program, that features a video, and a small unit leader training effort which began on February 15, 2009. The third phase of the Army program will include sustained annual suicide prevention training for all soldiers, emphasizing common causes of suicidal behavior and the critical role Army leaders, friends, co-workers and families play in maintaining behavioral health.



The Army’s Suicide Prevention Task Force will continue implementation of the Army Campaign Plan for Health Promotion, Risk Reduction and Suicide Prevention to further enhance suicide prevention and behavioral health programs that directly affect our Army community and save soldiers’ lives.



Soldiers and families in need of crisis assistance should contact Military OneSource or the Defense Center of Excellence (DCOE) Outreach Center. Trained consultants are available from both organizations 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year.



The Military OneSource toll-free number for those residing in the continental U.S. is 800-342-9647, their Web site address is http://www.militaryonesource.com/ . Overseas personnel should refer to the Military OneSource Web site for dialing instructions for their specific location.



The DCOE Outreach Center can be contacted at 866-966-1020, via electronic mail at Resources@DCoEOutreach.org and at http://www.dcoe.health.mil/resources.aspx




The Army’s most current suicide prevention information is located at

http://www.armyg1.army.mil/hr/suicide/
linked from
http://icasualties.org/oef/

VA seeks clinic site for Putnam County Florida

VA seeks clinic site

By Chris DeVitto
Published: Thursday, July 9, 2009 1:07 AM EDT
Palatka, Putnam County and local business leaders are still looking for a building to house a Veterans Administration outpatient clinic that would serve 4,000 area veterans.

During a phone conference Wednesday with U.S. Rep. John Mica, Veterans Affairs officials, Palatka officials and county officials discussed options for housing the clinic.

"We are still looking at a neighborhood of 10,000 gross square feet and probably 70 to 100 parking spaces?" Mica, R-Winter Park, asked veterans officials during a 30-minute phone conference.

In 2008, a spokeswoman for the VA said the new clinic would offer an opportunity for local residents to receive basic treatment without driving 30-40 miles to an existing facility and would be similar in nature to what would be offered at a large doctor's office. More complicated specialty care would remain with one of the larger VA facilities in Jacksonville, Lake City or Gainesville.
read more here
VA seeks clinic site

Vietnam vets hope to reach new generation

Vietnam vets hope to reach new generation
Support group makes push to connect with returning troops

By Joe Goldeen
Record Staff Writer
July 09, 2009 6:00 AM
STOCKTON - The country called, and some young men went to war. They were kids, mostly - 18 and 19 years old - thrust into a dark and foreboding place known as Vietnam.

Upon their return, some were taunted as "baby killers," rejected for jobs by employers who looked at them as misfits or long-haired, wild-eyed pot smokers. The Veterans Administration - the federal agency charged with helping them after they left military service - had nothing for them if they didn't suffer from an obvious physical injury. Even family members who had gone to war in Europe, the South Pacific or Korea a generation earlier rejected them, telling them to "suck it up."

On a recent Tuesday morning, 11 Vietnam-era combat veterans met for breakfast in the back room at UJ's Family Restaurant on Pacific Avenue.
go here for more
Vietnam vets hope to reach new generation

PTSD has not changed since Vietnam. It did not change before Vietnam when it was called other things. It is a human wound. Unlike the change is the technology, humans are still pretty much under the same design, with all the same dreams and fears, courage and compassion, same style body, same kind of mind and same kind of soul. No one can ever make humans stop being human.

There is no excuse the newer veterans can use to tell a Vietnam veteran they do not understand what it's like for them. They've already been there. What this group of Vietnam veterans is doing is not new but there are far too few doing the same thing. A couple of years ago I made this video talking about how Vietnam veterans are helping the newer veterans heal and in the process, healing themselves.

Hero After War - watch more videos

This video used to be on YouTube and Google.

Advocates raise alarm about rise in mentally ill prisoners

Advocates raise alarm about rise in mentally ill prisoners


By Kate Santich

Sentinel Staff Writer

July 9, 2009
The number of people with mental illness filling Florida's jails and prisons is growing at an alarming rate, costing taxpayers hundreds of millions of dollars and threatening to exhaust the entire budget for mental-health programs, advocates warned Wednesday.

State Rep. William D. Snyder, R-Stuart, announced a renewed push for legislative changes that would redirect money to community-based programs aimed at stopping the "almost madness" of the current system.

"We know the cost of constantly incarcerating and re-incarcerating the mentally ill is ... huge," said Snyder, whose previous attempt to change the system died in the 2009 legislative session. "And this is a human-rights issue."

The proposed legislation was based on well-researched treatment strategies at pilot initiatives across the state that Snyder said are already showing reduced repeat-arrest rates and increased public safety.

About 9,000 inmates leave Florida prisons each year with "very serious mental illnesses," Leifman said, and without community follow-up treatment, half of them wind up back in prison within 18 months, typically for violating parole. They have become the fastest-growing group of the prison population.

The number of state prison beds serving inmates with mental illnesses is projected to more than double in the next decade from 17,000 to more than 35,000, requiring one new prison to be built each year to house them and costing taxpayers at least $3.6 billion, Leifman said.

read more here

Advocates raise alarm about rise in mentally ill prisoners

Charles Heard of Freeport, decorated Vietnam veteran, has died

Charles Heard of Freeport, decorated Vietnam veteran, has died
BY SID CASSESE
July 8, 2009

Charles Heard, a highly decorated Vietnam veteran, former Roosevelt business owner, longtime foster parent and community activist, died Friday at South Nassau Communities Hospital in Ocean-side from stroke complications.

He was 63 and had lived on Long Island 40 years, 17 in Hempstead and the last 23 in Freeport.

Heard, who saw action as a paratrooper in Vietnam, where he lost an eye and won a Purple Heart, a Bronze Star and a Silver Star, had enlisted when he was 18 and served three years before gaining a medical discharge in 1967.
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Charles Heard of Freeport, decorated Vietnam veteran, has died

Former Camp Lejeune resident sues feds citing contaminated drinking water

Veteran’s Administration News - Former Camp Lejeune contaminated drinking water!
2009-07-09 01:43:31 (GMT) (JusticeNewsFlash.com - Justice News Flash, Personal Injury)

Former Camp Lejeune resident sues feds citing contaminated drinking water.

Dallas, TX (JusticeNewsFlash.com)–Star News reported, a personal injury lawsuit was filed against the U.S. government on July 4, in federal court in the Eastern District of North Carolina. The lawsuit is seeking an upwards of $10,000 in personal injury damages. The plaintiff alleges she consumed polluted drinking water during the time she was living at Camp Lejeune in Jacksonville, Florida. Attorneys for the plaintiff and former Lejeune resident, Laura J. Jones, asserts the United States government, and agents of the Department of Defense, knowingly and willfully exposed Marines, sailors, their families, and civilian employees to highly polluted drinking water contained at the military base.
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Former Camp Lejeune contaminated drinking water

VA workers charged with fraud lowest of lows

First when you read the headline it appears that veterans are to blame here but when you read the story, it is a limited number of employees and service officers involved. These people are the lowest of lows. Not just because they thought they could take money from the VA, but because they ended up hurting veterans with legitimate claims. The very people these leaches were supposed to be helping.

Can we really wonder why it is so many veterans never file claims? Can we really wonder why so many don't trust the VA? These actions matter to them. Their real claims are tied up as they are suffering physically, emotionally and financially waiting for their claims and their service to be honored while people like this decide the others can just suffer. Do you understand what kind of time a scam like this takes? Imagine if they had been spending time taking care of real wounded veterans instead of themselves! These people are the lowest of lows and not fit to ever stand next to a real disabled veteran. They just dragged the VA and the DAV reputations down with them.

Probe Finds VA Vulnerable to Fraud
Review in Wake of Case at Ky. Office Detects Security Lapses

By Steve Vogel
Washington Post Staff Writer
Thursday, July 9, 2009

An investigation in the wake of a major fraud case involving the Department of Veterans Affairs regional office in Louisville has found that other VA offices around the country suffer security shortfalls that leave them vulnerable to the same type of alleged fraud.

The review by the Department of Veterans Affairs Office of Inspector General found no similar allegations of fraud, but its report warns that gaps in VA's internal controls mean that "opportunities exist . . . to generate fraudulent large benefits payments."

A VA spokeswoman said yesterday that the department has taken actions to correct the problems. "VA has implemented safeguards to protect the integrity of benefit payments and actively monitors our payment processes for compliance," said Katie Roberts, press secretary for VA. "We remain committed to taking all actions necessary to eliminate the potential for fraud and ensure our veterans receive every benefit to which they are entitled."

In November, acting after an investigation based on a tip from a confidential source, the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Western District of Kentucky indicted 14 people in connection with a scheme to defraud VA by submitting altered or counterfeit medical records.

The government accused Jeffrey Allan McGill, a former veteran service representative at the Louisville VA office, of working with co-conspirators, including 11 veterans, to submit fraudulent claims for military-related disabilities. McGill and co-defendant Daniel Ryan Parker, a former officer with the Disabled American Veterans service organization, are accused of falsifying documents to ensure that those claims were approved.

Five of the defendants have pleaded guilty to charges in connection with the case. The remaining defendants, including McGill and Parker, have pleaded not guilty and are set to go to trial in September, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office in Louisville.

"These results mean we can say with 90 percent confidence that this particular type of fraud is unlikely to be occurring at the VAROs selected for review during the sampled period," said the IG report, which was released June 30.
read more here
Probe Finds VA Vulnerable to Fraud

Children shocked with stun guns at Florida prisons

Report Shows Stung Guns Used on Children in Florida Prisons
07/08/09 - 11:02 AM

Associated Press

Tallahassee, Fla:

New reports indicate Florida correctional officers may have used stun guns to shock children as part of demonstrations at prisons in the past, perhaps as far back as six years ago.

That contradicts what Corrections Secretary Walter McNeil said in May when he announced that 43 children were shocked with stun guns by corrections employees at three prisons during this year’s annual “Take Your Sons and Daughters to Work Day.”

The Corrections Department has completed its investigation of the incidents and released nearly 300 pages with photos of children who were shocked with stun guns in April.
read more hereReport Shows Stung Guns Used on Children in Florida Prisons

Soldier survived Afghanistan but died saving friend

Spc. fatally shot while trying to rescue pal

The Associated Press
Posted : Thursday Jul 9, 2009 7:08:19 EDT

TULSA, Okla. — The family of an Oklahoma soldier who was fatally shot in Tennessee says he was trying to rescue a friend from a crime-ridden neighborhood when he was killed.

Army Spc. Brandon Buettner, who was stationed in Fort Campbell, Ky., died Saturday.

Steven and Denise Buettner say their 25-year-old son and another soldier went to the Clarksville, Tenn., neighborhood to pick up his girlfriend and attend a fireworks display.
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Spc. fatally shot while trying to rescue pal

Wanted Central Florida Veterans Charity Paying Attention

Wanted Central Florida Veterans Charity Paying Attention

It's no secret I need income to keep me going since I lost my job in January of 2008. I am in the process of setting up a charter of my favorite organization. (More on this later but it will be soon) Since I track the news reports coming out on our veterans and what they need all across the country, I am aggravated with the lack of things being done for veterans right here in Central Florida. There are things being done but compared to the rest of the country, Florida is not doing enough.

I have been looking for an organization or foundation in Central Florida that I would go to work for. This is no easy task considering they all seem to be doing different things, which are good and fine, but they are not what is needed when it comes to mental health or heading off a lot of what can be avoided with PTSD.

If you know of a charity or foundation in the Orlando area, this is what I'm looking for;
Provides education to veterans and their families on what PTSD is
Provides education to the community of the unique issues veterans face
Provides local clergy with a full understanding of PTSD so they can help their congregations
Provides support groups for veterans as well as their families
Provides day care while parents are in support groups
Provides day care when parents have doctors appointments
Provides support for families living with disabilities with home aid
Has connections with other organizations helping veterans to fill the gap in what they cannot provide
Believes in cooperation instead of competition with other service organizations

If you know of any like this, please let me know.
email me at Namguardianangel@aol.com or leave a comment here

PTSD On Trail:War vet cleared for murder trial

War vet cleared for murder trial
Psychiatrist deems Horner competent

By Phil Ray, pray@altoonamirror.com
POSTED: July 8, 2009
HOLLIDAYSBURG - The Iraqi War veteran accused of killing a high school senior during the robbery of a Subway restaurant and a retired insurance executive during his subsequent getaway attempt is troubled but competent to stand trial, according to a psychiatrist's report filed in the Blair County Courthouse.

Nicholas A. Horner is in the Blair County Prison awaiting trial for the homicides of Scott Garlick, 19, and Raymond Williams, 64. His attorney, David S. Shrager of Pittsburgh, has asked that his client be moved to a state mental health facility at least until his trial.

Shrager argues that Horner, 28, cannot obtain the ongoing mental health treatment he needs in the county jail.

District Attorney Richard A. Consiglio said Tuesday his office is reviewing the suggestion.

A hearing on the matter is scheduled for July 14 before Blair County President Judge Jolene G. Kopriva.

Dr. Edwin Tan, a Hollidaysburg psychiatrist, performed the court-ordered mental health assessment.

In his report, he stated that Horner suffers from war-related post-traumatic stress disorder as well as depression, panic disorder and sleep problems.
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War vet cleared for murder trial

Study: No best way to deal with stress

Study: No best way to deal with stress

By Kelly Kennedy - Staff writer
Posted : Tuesday Jul 7, 2009 16:59:12 EDT

After several studies showed that people who react emotionally during a stressful event are more likely to develop symptoms for post-traumatic stress disorder later, researchers wanted to see whether the obverse was true: Are people who react to a stressful situation by problem-solving, rather than by becoming numb or feeling as if they’re in a daze, less likely to develop acute stress symptoms that could lead to PTSD?

The logical answer might seem to be yes. But researchers were surprised to find that’s not necessarily the case.

Researchers from the Naval Health Research Center in San Diego tried to figure out how much the way a person interacts with his environment can affect his mental health. They also wondered whether behavior during stressful training situations might be a possible predictor for PTSD.

“A central premise of leading theories of human stress is that the stress response results from a complex interaction of the human with his or her environment,” lead researcher Marcus Taylor wrote in a study published in the June issue of the Journal of Traumatic Stress.
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Study: No best way to deal with stress
Do you think the military will get that what they have been doing is wrong and finally understand their programs don't work?

Family of Federal Way veteran settles VA suit for $700,000

Family of Federal Way veteran settles VA suit for $700,000
The family of a veteran whose suicide at the Veterans Affairs hospital on Beacon Hill in 2006 helped expose unsafe conditions in the facility's psychiatric ward has settled a lawsuit against the government for $700,000, according to court documents and the family's attorney.

By Mike Carter

Seattle Times staff reporter

The family of a veteran whose suicide at the Veterans Affairs hospital on Beacon Hill in 2006 helped expose unsafe conditions in the facility's psychiatric ward has settled a lawsuit against the government for $700,000, according to court documents and the family's attorney.

Gordon Whitcomb, of Federal Way, had a history of psychiatric disorders when he admitted himself to the VA hospital in November 2006 because he was hearing voices and was paranoid and delusional, according to the lawsuit.

The 49-year-old veteran had been discharged from the military in 1987, had a 100 percent service-connected disability for chronic psychiatric problems, and had been treated at the hospital before, according to the family's attorney, John Greaney, of Kent.

For two days, according to the lawsuit, staff in the psychiatric ward documented that Whitcomb was delusional, paranoid and at serious risk for suicide. He was hearing voices and said his neighbors were plotting to kill him. Twice on Nov. 9, the lawsuit said, nurses put notes in his file saying that Whitcomb was suicidal and delusional.

Yet, the staff never took away his belt. Just hours after the last note was written, he hanged himself with the belt on a non-breakaway shower bar in a bathroom, Greaney said.
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Family of Federal Way veteran settles VA suit for $700,000

Sgt. Joseph Bozicevich faces trail for slaying two soldiers

Sgt. accused of killing NCOs to face trial

By Russ Bynum - The Associated Press
Posted : Wednesday Jul 8, 2009 7:05:43 EDT

SAVANNAH, Georgia — An Army sergeant accused of slaying his superior and another U.S. soldier in Iraq will face a court-martial and could be sentenced to death if convicted, the military said Tuesday.

Army prosecutors say Sgt. Joseph Bozicevich, 39, shot his squad leader, Staff Sgt. Darris Dawson, and Sgt. Wesley Durbin on Sept. 14 at a joint U.S.-Iraqi patrol base south of Baghdad. Witnesses have said Bozicevich opened fire on the soldiers when they tried to counsel him for poor performance.

Maj. Gen. Anthony Cucolo, commander of the 3rd Infantry Division based at Georgia's Fort Stewart, ordered a general court-martial for Bozicevich on charges of murder. His decision Tuesday was based on preliminary evidence heard in April at the accused soldier's Article 32 hearing, similar to a civilian grand jury.

If Bozicevich is convicted but not sentenced to death, he would face life in prison without parole, said Fort Stewart spokesman Kevin Larson. No trial date has been set.

Bozicevich's attorney, Charles Gittins, said Tuesday evening he had no comment.

Dawson's stepmother, Maxine Mathis, said she was thankful the military was moving forward with the case. But she said she couldn't support the death penalty for Bozicevich.

"If they could just send him to prison, that wouldn't bother me one bit," Mathis said by phone from Pensacola, Fla. "I just feel in my heart something snapped in that man. I don't know what those young men go through over there."
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http://www.armytimes.com/news/2009/07/ap_fragging_case_bozicevich_070709/

This is one amazing woman to be able to look past her pain and find compassion for the one accused of killing her step-son.

Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund honors first 2 killed in Vietnam

First 2 killed in Vietnam War to be honored

The Associated Press
Posted : Wednesday Jul 8, 2009 7:09:14 EDT

WASHINGTON — The first two Americans to lose their lives during the Vietnam War are being honored.

The Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund will commemorate the 50th anniversary of the deaths of Army Master Sgt. Chester Ovnand and Maj. Dale Buis during a special ceremony Wednesday at the Vietnam Veterans Memorial.

The two men were watching a movie when their residential compound in Bien Hoa, Vietnam, was attacked. Ovnand, of Texas, was a month away from finishing up his tour of duty, and Buis, a Californian, had arrived in Vietnam two days before he was killed.

More than 58,000 Americans were killed in combat during the war.

Jan Scruggs, president of the Memorial Fund, says he hopes the ceremony will cause people to remember all the fallen soldiers — as well as those fighting now.
http://www.armytimes.com/news/2009/07/ap_vietnam_casualties_070809/

Alarming spike of military children hospitalized for mental health reasons

More military children seeking mental care

By Kimberly Hefling - The Associated Press
Posted : Tuesday Jul 7, 2009 19:35:31 EDT

WASHINGTON — Two million children with parents in the military sought outpatient mental health care last year, twice the number from the start of the Iraq war, internal Pentagon documents show.

The documents, obtained by The Associated Press, also reveal an alarming spike in the number of military children hospitalized for mental health reasons.

From 2007 to 2008, 20 percent more children of active duty troops used inpatient mental health services, many of them under age 14, the documents show. Since the 2003 invasion of Iraq, inpatient visits among military children have increased 50 percent.

The total number of outpatient mental health visits for children of those on active duty doubled from 1 million in 2003 to 2 million in 2008. During the same period, the total yearly bed days for children of active duty personnel 14 and under increased from 35,000 in 2003 to 55,000 in 2008, the documents show.
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More military children seeking mental care

'The soul of a real American hero'

'The soul of a real American hero'
Hundreds gather at funeral for Steilacoom man

MIKE ARCHBOLD; The News Tribune
Published: 07/07/09

The more than 600 people who gathered Monday to celebrate the war-shortened life of Lt. Brian N. Bradshaw heard in his own words the secret of a life well-lived.

“Service (to others) is the foundation of life,” Bradshaw wrote in a paper read at the celebration at St. John Bosco Catholic Church in Lakewood. He had written it as a junior at Bellarmine Preparatory School in Tacoma.

“Without service our lives have the same impact and meaning as a stick lying on the ground. No one remembers the sticks stepped on in the woods, but everyone remembers the flowers ... If we serve and work throughout our lives, we will be the flowers that everyone remembers.”

The 24-year-old U.S. Army first lieutenant from Steilacoom died June 25 of wounds suffered in Kheyl, Afghanistan, when an improvised explosive device exploded near him.

He was the first Pierce County service member to die in Afghanistan in more than a year. He was also the first member of his unit – 1st Battalion, 501st Parachute Regiment, 4th Airborne Brigade Combat Team – to die there since the unit was deployed in February.
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http://www.thenewstribune.com/news/local/story/802721.html

The story behind HR 2647 is Sgt.Coleman Bean

Legislation would help some returning veterans
Coda • GREG BEAN
This Fourth of July was certainly a bittersweet holiday in our home. Those who know me know that our son Coleman, an Army sergeant who served two tours in Iraq, took his own life last September.




In the months since, our family has learned a lot about the problems faced by returning vets, and the difficulties they sometimes have finding and obtaining services like psychological and career counseling.

We don't know that better availability of services would have changed our own personal outcome, and we will never know. But we did make a decision to do whatever is in our power to make a difference for some other soldiers and those soldiers' families.

As part of that effort, I reached out to U.S. Rep. Rush Holt this spring and I found him to be a truly caring man.And at the end of one of our conversations, he told me that he would begin working on legislation to address some of the problems, and he put me in touch with Patrick Eddington, his Senior Policy Advisor for Defense and Intelligence Issues. I spoke with Patrick Eddington at some length, and he assured me of the congressman's commitment to the issue and his determination to do something meaningful.

That conversation was several months ago, and I don't know that I believed anything would ever come of it. So I was overjoyed last week when Rep. Holt called me to tell me that an amendment he had proposed had passed the House and has a good shot at becoming law. First, however, it must pass a conference committee with the Senate, but there's great optimism the amendment will survive intact.

The amendment to H.R. 2647 would require the Secretary of Defense to call returning Individual Ready Reserve veterans once every 90 days to determine the emotional, psychological, medical and career needs of the veterans. It would also require any IRR veteran identified as being at risk of selfcaused harm to be referred to the nearest military medical treatment facility or accredited TRICARE provider for immediate evaluation and treatment by a qualified mental health care provider.
read more here
http://ems.gmnews.com/news/2009/0708/greg_bean/016.html

Veteran gets help after his wheelchair was stolen

Someone had absolutely no compassion for Bill Lamb when they decided to take his wheelchair. What type of person is so self-absorbed they would do something like this? I have no clue. I wonder if the person knew God was watching him/her when this was done? Does this person read the news reports and feel guilt? Does this person look at the money gained if the wheelchair was sold and think they deserve to hold that money in their hand more than this disabled veteran deserved to be able to get around? Does this person have any conscience at all?

The good news is that compassionate people stepped up to help and to make Bill Lamb's life easier after this. Their acts of compassion are greater than any act of selfishness the criminal could ever hope to know.

Veteran gets help after his wheelchair was stolen
By By JESSICA SCHREIFELS MILLER
Standard-Examiner Staff

FARR WEST -- Bill Lamb couldn't have received a better birthday present.

After having his electric Jazzy wheelchair stolen from his carport last week, Lamb wasn't sure how he'd get around. A U.S. Air Force veteran, Lamb suffers from arthritis that makes it impossible to walk more than 15 feet at time.

Today, on his 67th birthday, his luck changed when a man called his home, offering the use of his wife's Jazzy wheelchair, until he can replace it through the Department of Veteran Affairs.
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Veteran gets help after his wheelchair was stolen

Veterans Help Other Vets Cope With Trauma of War

Veterans Help Other Vets Cope With Trauma of War
July 7, 2009 Reported By: Tom Porter

Mainers have a strong tradition of serving in the military. Indeed the state has one of the highest percentages of veterans in the country, around 16 percent of the population. The Maine Army National Guard meanwhile ranks in the top ten states for frequency of deployments, with thousands being deployed to Iraq and Afghanistan since the attacks of September 11th, 2001.

According to the Veterans Administration, around 40 percent of those returning from war zones in recent years have sought some kind of psychological help to deal with after-effects of combat. Now, more help is available in the form of a counseling program recently launched in Maine called Veterans Helping Veterans.

On this day, Rob Pfeiffer welcomes a group of veterans into his office in the midcoast town of Camden. For the past couple of months now, Pfeiffer's been holding weekly counseling sessions for vets who feel they need help in putting the trauma of war behind them.

Pfeiffer has over 30 years experience as a mental health counselor, but it's another part of his life story that he feels makes him better-suited than most counselors for this job.

"I was a Marine lieutenant and captain in the Vietnam era, and managed to survive," Pfeiffer says. "I'm a disabled vet -- I got shot. But other than that I came through with an appreciation for what war does to us as veterans, and I think that's the place where we can connect that takes other people longer to do, because we've already got a built-in understanding of what veterans have experienced."

Pfeiffer says that upon returning, he was was unable to talk about his combat experiences for 13 years. Like many returning from war, he bottled up his feelings - something which often only worsens the post-traumatic stress suffered by a lot of vets.

I used to have nightmares. When there's mortars exploding around you 24/7 it's hard not to be twitchy," says Ben, who declined to give his last name. Ben got back from Iraq in 2005 after a 14-month tour.
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Veterans Help Other Vets Cope With Trauma of War

LAPD Officer committed suicide at Sheriff's Station

LAPD mourns suicide of veteran narcotics detective
Colleagues say Susan J. Clemmer, 41, was 'always smiling' and showed no troubling signs. She shot herself in the head at a Santa Clarita sheriff's station Monday night, police say.
By Richard Winton and Joel Rubin
July 8, 2009
Officers throughout the Los Angeles Police Department grieved Tuesday as news spread that a veteran detective had killed herself in the lobby of an L.A. County Sheriff's Department station Monday night.

Susan J. Clemmer, a well-regarded officer assigned to the LAPD's Gang and Narcotics Division, walked into the Santa Clarita sheriff's station about 9:15 p.m. and spoke to the sheriff's deputy at the front desk, according to sheriff's spokesman Steve Whitmore and LAPD officials.


Clemmer, 41, placed a box of personal items on the counter and asked to speak to a different deputy. After a brief conversation with a second deputy, when Clemmer was briefly left unattended, staffers heard a gunshot and rushed out to find her with a single gunshot wound in her head, police said.

No one else was injured.

What Clemmer said to the deputies, and whether she identified herself as a police officer, remained unclear Tuesday.


The death of the 19-year LAPD veteran left officers throughout the tightknit department stunned.

"We're in shock. It came as a complete surprise," said Capt. Kevin McCarthy, one of the commanders of Clemmer's unit. "She was always smiling and easy to work with. There was no indication that anything was wrong."
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LAPD mourns suicide of veteran narcotics detective

Disabled Marine who saved motorcyclist's life featured on national TV

Disabled Marine who saved motorcyclist's life featured on national TV tonight

Jeremy Lepsch, the disabled Marine credited with saving the life of a man at the scene of a motorcycle accident last year, will be featured on a national television show 8 p.m. tonight on MY TV Channel 8.
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http://www.buffalonews.com/258/story/726322.html

Lankler Family Foundation and Operation Second Chance really supporting the troops

I love to post stories like this. There is so much suffering out there of our wounded and veterans that it's hard to not get totally depressed with the overwhelming need. When stories like this are reported, they should receive as much attention as possible because they prove what we can do for them if we really want to.

Soldiers treated to some rest and relaxation by local residents
By Kit Bradshaw (Contact)
Tuesday, July 7, 2009
The scene at Castaways in Jupiter on June 29 was typical of the popular Jupiter Inlet nightspot.

The smell of barbecue wafted through the palm trees that shaded the sand-covered sitting areas and the sound of voices rose and fell in the early evening.

What was different, however, were the guests of honor.

Young men distinguished by their graciousness, their good humor and the unmistakable scars of war in the arms and legs missing or now augmented by space age prostheses.

The five young men and their families were feted by area residents, primarily from Tequesta, who opened their homes and hearts to these soldiers, back from the grenade strikes or bombings in Iraq or Afghanistan that forever changed their lives.

“I salute you. Thank you so much,” said several older members of American Legion Post 271, many of whom remembered the battles of wars past.

Among the soldiers and their families who were enjoying a week of relaxation were John Sloan, his wife Tiffany and three children; Corey Lyons and his wife and their two little ones; David Battle, with his wife Lakeisa and family members; Alfredo Delossantos and his wife Jeannette and two children; and Keith Maul and his wife Meghan.

While the soldiers were in the area, they lived in homes provided by Tequesta resident Sandy Lankler; feasted on a barbecue last Saturday, hosted by Edna Runner and a group from her church in Limestone Creek; went fishing, thanks to Tequesta Councilor Vince Arena and “Black Dog”, and were looking forward to more beach time as their time in Florida wound down.

The break from months of physical therapy at Walter Reed Hospital was part of Operation Second Chance, whose founder, Cindy McGrew met Lankler. Together, they created this week of respite.

Once a month, the Lankler Family Foundation also provides a weekend retreat for the wounded solders and their families in Buckeystown, Maryland.

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Soldiers treated to some rest and relaxation by local residents

Michael Jackson's Death, get over it if you can find a station not covering it

Another update,,,thanks to O'Reilly. The problem is that O'Reilly didn't think Jackson deserved any of this,,,,I just thought it didn't have to be covered every day for two weeks and then on every station on the planet. O'Reilly, well, what did you expect out of him? By the way, O'Reilly faulted Jackson for spending his own money at the same time he was rasing money with We Are The World. What is wrong with O'Reilly when he has all his own money and refuses to even acknowledge homeless veterans? Seems O'Reilly should first put his own money where his own mouth is.

Bill O'Reilly Says Jackson Is No Black Icon
News host Bill O'Reilly is famous for incendiary statements and no holds barred debates, and he continued his streak of controversial comments in his first broadcast after Michael Jackson's memorial service Tuesday. After opening the segment with a pledge to honor the Jackson family's request for privacy, O'Reilly digs right in with criticisms of Jackson's kids, spending habits - and skin care.
First, O'Reilly calls out Jackson's "incredible selfishness - spending hundreds of million dollars on himself while singing 'We Are the World,'" and adds that it "should make any clear-thinking American nauseous."

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O'Reilly Says Jackson Is No Black Icon

UPDATE July 8,,,and they still find reason to keep Jackson at the top of their news,,,,,

Goodbye Michael: Star, brother, friend, father
'Daddy has been the best father,' Paris tells crowd
Michael Jackson's 11-year-old daughter touched the hearts of millions when she bid a tearful farewell to her father at his memorial service. Paris Jackson, surrounded and supported by relatives, called her dad "the best father you could ever imagine." full story
Paris: 'Best father' Family farewell
NBA greats Sharpton Shields
Songs: Hudson Usher Wonder
Highlights of the memorial More videos
Full coverage Your memories Photos
Warwick: 'New insight' is Jackson's legacy
Jackson still 'King of Pop' on Billboard charts

Time: A strange, gaudy and moving farewell


Top stories on CNN. Notice a trend here?

Goodbye Michael: Star, brother, friend, father
An 11-year-old who lost her father made the world cry with her on Tuesday. "Daddy has been the best father you could ever imagine," said Paris Jackson, the second of Michael Jackson's three children, as a massive memorial service for her father neared its end in Los Angeles. developing story
Paris: 'Best father' Family farewell
NBA greats Sharpton Shields
Songs: Hudson Usher Wonder
Highlights of the memorial More videos
Full coverage Your memories Photos

Michael Jackson: 1958-2009

Highlights from the pop icon's life and death, plus your tributes and memories
Jackson Remembered

Latest News
'I'll be there': Fans, stars join in farewell
Jackson memorial lights up Internet

L.A. wants help paying for Jackson memorial
Jackson memorial unpredictably normal
Time: A strange, gaudy and moving farewell
Brazile: A day to celebrate Michael Jackson

iReport.com: How are you honoring MJ today?

When the news broke that Michael Jackson died, it was the same day Farrah Fawcett died, the media just proved what they can do when they want to do it. They obliterated every other news story for the last two weeks. Palin got away with pulling a fast one off on the people of Alaska using the excuse now of the investigations into her life, but that has been going on since she said yes to McCain. Nothing new there but suddenly it's just too much for the Alaskan's to endure? Give me a break. Governor "hot flash" Sanford, takes off on the people of South Carolina and his family, then insults his wife over his affair being a "real love story" and gets away with it. We didn't know Michael Jackson any better than we knew Farrah Fawcett or Palin or Sanford. We saw them on TV. The difference was that the media jumped on the rest of the world and wanted to ride on Jackson's coattails. It really is a shame.

He was a man I watched grow up just like everyone else my age. Today, I turned 50. Jackson hit my TV set when I was just a year younger and while I adored hearing him sing, mesmerized with the way he danced, I never felt like I knew him. He was a tremendous talent and should have been honored but this has been a ridiculous show. It's as if the entire world stopped mattering.

President Obama was in Russia and managed to get them to allow more flights in their airspace to help with the military campaign in Afghanistan. They were also working on cutting down on the nukes. Did you notice any of that?


Lindsey Baum of McCleary Washington has been missing for 11 days now. She turns 11 today but her father is not only afraid he will not see her soon, he's afraid he'll have to deploy to Iraq before she's found. Scott Baum is a member of the Tennessee National Guard.

Did you know that according to ICasualties.org, we've lost 19 lives in Afghanistan so far this 7 days into July?

Did you know that NAMI Veterans Council saw fit to award Dr. Ira Katz, the man with the VA connected to the suicide deaths of our veterans and the cover-up so serious there were law suits and congressional action over this, but they decided he deserved an award for what he was forced to do, which has been too little and way too late for too many? Seems like that should be a big deal considering a lot of families had to also attend funerals for people gone way too soon. They died by their own hand because the government, the one we fund with our tax dollars, decided back when they sent the troops to war, they were not worth taking care of when they came home. All of them had families, friends and people left behind grieving wondering what the hell is wrong with this country when no one seems to care. For Heaven's sake! This is the National Alliance on Mental Illness Veterans Council we're talking about here! Any idea how many people with mental illness have been depending on them? Any idea what a stunt like this will do to the veterans they just slapped in the face?

I turned on TV today dealing with some pain from my back and all I saw was coverage of Jackson day on every channel. They actually filmed the ride from here to there and then wasted time filling it with people talking about Jackson as if they knew him any better than anyone else. Nothing else mattered. I turned on talk radio and there again, Michael Jackson. Tell me, aside from the media coverage of the trail and his acquittal, how much have we even heard about him until recently? We're talking about the last ten years of the man's life. How much coverage has there been? So what is this all about now? This is about money. This is about hyping all of this so that people can make money off his death.

The media can claim that they are about honoring Michael Jackson all they want but in the end they are just feeding like vultures. Had they really respected Jackson's career, his talent or even his music, they would have heard what most of this songs were about. They were about doing good and taking care of other people. We heard some of that today. The problem is this does not translate into the brains of the media when they actually could be saving lives right now, today!

If I did not track reports from across the country I wouldn't have even known about Lindsey Baum missing. Where are the reports to try to find her the way the story of Caylee Anthony was all over the media for months on end? I wouldn't be able to post anything of what we can do or what is being done for the troops or our veterans if I didn't have the local media outlets reporting on any of it. All the national news cares about is what they think will cause the remote control to stop at their station. Gone are the days when they reported on what mattered and what was really important. Today the world said good-bye to Michael Jackson but we said good-bye to real reporting a very long time ago. We just didn't notice.

Lindsey Baum, missing child's father to deploy to Iraq

Dad Deploying To Iraq Pleads For Missing Daughter's Return
Posted: 3:06 pm PDT July 6, 2009
Updated: 6:48 pm PDT July 6, 2009

MCCLEARY, Wash. -- The father of a McCleary girl who has been missing for 10 days hopes to be reunited with his daughter on her 11th birthday or before he deploys to Iraq.

Lindsey Baum, 10, disappeared June 26 while walking home from a friend's house at about 9:15 p.m. and there has been no sign of her since.

Lindsey’s dad, Scott Baum, said in a press conference on Monday, “I would love nothing more that to see my daughter before I have to go.”

Scott Baum is with the Tennessee National Guard and is scheduled to deploy in the very near future.




Lindsey’s eleventh birthday is on Tuesday, July 7.
read more here
Dad Deploying To Iraq Pleads For Missing Daughter Return
linked from CNN

Wounded still wait as more come

As the troops pull back out of the cities of Iraq and the Iraqis take over, it's easy to assume the worst is over for our troops, but in doing so, we not only forget the wounded we already have, we close our eyes to fact more will come.

7 U.S. troops killed as Afghan ops intensify

By Fisnik Abrashi - The Associated Press
Posted : Tuesday Jul 7, 2009 7:45:42 EDT

KABUL, Afghanistan — Bombs and bullets killed seven American troops on Monday, the deadliest day for U.S. forces in Afghanistan in nearly a year — and a sign that the war being fought in the Taliban heartland of the south and east could now be expanding north.

Separately, Taliban militants claimed on a militant Web site that they were holding an American soldier whom the U.S. military says insurgents might have captured last week. The Taliban statement, however, did not include any proof, such as a picture or the soldier’s name.

Four of the deaths Monday came in an attack on a team of U.S. military trainers in the relatively peaceful north, bringing into focus the question of whether the U.S. is committing enough troops to secure a country larger than Iraq in both population and land mass.
read more here
7 U.S. troops killed as Afghan ops intensify

Just as Iraq draws to a close, Afghanistan operations increase and with it comes more wounded and more deaths. The stress will increase as more troops head into Afghanistan. With the DOD and the VA unable to keep up with the numbers already filing claims for their wounds, we're in for an increasing need to step up to stand by their sides and help them. The government has been unable to adjust fast enough. We can point to the fact no one in Congress or the Bush Administration prepared for any of this, but that does not change the fact what is being done now is still not enough to make up for it. Increasing the VA budget to an all time high is not enough for today.

We are still seeing the wounded we already have needing care for physical wounds as well as traumatic ones. Yet read about the type of people we're talking about. They are wounded and some of them still want to go back into the military no matter how much pain they are in.

Injured soldier longs for return
By BILL RODGERS Tribune Chronicle
Ever since a mine exploded next to him in Iraq and knocked him off a roof, U.S. Army Pfc. David Mickey's primary focus has been getting better fast enough so that he could go back.

David Mickey and his family were at the Trumbull County Veterans Memorial on Monday afternoon looking for a brick his mother dedicated to him. The family members were enjoying their two weeks together before the Cortland soldier leaves for the Warrior Transition Unit in Fort Richardson, Alaska.

It hasn't been an easy recovery for the would-be career soldier, and he might not make it back to his unit at all. The process has been a long one. It's been taxing on his parents, too, who spent one week after the March 2007 explosion not knowing whether their son was alive or whether he had died in surgery.

"Two-and-one-half years and he still can't go back. It shows you just how traumatic that is," David's father, Stan Mickey, said. "You don't often think about it (war injuries) like that."

There's been almost one dozen surgeries to heal David's injured back, his left arm, his right heel and the nerve damage throughout. Trudy said doctors have shaved off part of his left eardrum, which after the attack healed back so thick that there's a chance the 28-year old may need a hearing aid and tubes to hear normally. He walks with a knee brace now that he is able to get around without a cane, but he can only stand for so long before the pain starts again.

To this day, shrapnel from the attack still is working its way out of her son's body, she said. She recalled one day when she was talking to him and saw a trickle of blood near his ear as another piece of metal came free.

And on top of it all, David now has admitted to himself that he has post traumatic stress disorder. Crowds make him nervous. He has nightmares and bouts of depression. It's impossible for him to stomach some of the movies he loved before he left for the war.

"I've changed some. I have PTSD, but I don't want to let it run my life," he said.
read more here
Injured soldier longs for return
linked from
http://icasualties.org/Iraq/index.aspx

How can you read about Pfc. David Mickey's wounds and his desire to go back and not want to do whatever it takes to make his life easier? How can you read about any of them and not want to help them? Yes, it is the responsibility of the government, the DOD and the VA, to take care of them, but again, too little and too late. Why allow any of them to suffer at all until the government catches up?

What can you do? Do you belong to any of the veterans service organizations? You can make sure the Commander of the post knows what's going on and then hold his/her feet to fire to do something locally. Make them active in helping out veterans your own community. Ask them to provide information on PTSD and TBI, the two signature wounds of Iraq and Afghanistan. Ask them to start support groups for them and their families. Organize transportation for them to doctor's appointment. Contact local officials to step up and seek federal funds to address homelessness of our veterans. Donate clothing and small appliances so that when they do find a place to live, they have something to start out with. Donate your time and visit them at the shelters. None of this is new and is being done in many parts of the country but the problem is, it's not happening everywhere. This needs to happen today! We've already let too many down.

Will DOD give up on making unbreakable soldiers?

by
Chaplain Kathie

The more I think about the programs the DOD has been doing trying to prevent PTSD, the more I think about this movie Unbreakable.

Unbreakable (2000) More at IMDbPro »
This suspense thriller unfolds as the audience is introduced to David Dunn. Not only is he the sole survivor of a horrific train-crash that killed 131 people he doesn't have a scratch on him. Elijah Price is an obscure character who approaches Dunn with a seemingly far fetched theory behind it all. Written by Filmtwob {webmaster@filmfreak.co.za}

Security Guard David Dunn miraculously survives a catastrophic train crash outside Philadelphia. Not only is he the sole survivor out of 132 passengers, he also is completely unharmed. A little later, comic book specialist Elijah Price contacts him to confront David with an incredible theory: Elijah, who has been nicknamed "Mr. Glass" due to his more than fragile bones, thinks that David has got all which he himself lacks. The two of them "seem to be linked by a curve, but sitting on opposite ends". First, David does not believe the strange man, but every single thing he had said proves to be true: David has never ever been hurt or sick in his life, his physical strength is larger than normal and he has a skill which others don't. Slowly, David begins to discover the shocking truth behind Mr. Price's assumptions. But after all, David's fate is not only to find his real place in the world. It also is about proving Elijah's theory of his own existence. Written by Julian Reischl {julianreischl@mac.com}
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0217869/plotsummary

Bruce Willis couldn't figure out why he never got sick or why he managed to survive events that killed other people. It just never occurred to him there was something really strange about all of this until he met his opposite.

To this day, I still search for reasons why with all the traumatic events in my own life I have not suffered the ravages of PTSD. I've been reading about it, talking to veterans and others since 1982, but the more I learn about it, the more I struggle to understand the difference between me and other trauma survivors.

All the training I've taken has pointed to one factor in my life and that's talking. I never really stop talking. Each event was followed by being surrounded by family and friends for me to talk to and lean on their shoulders. The only time I couldn't talk to them was when it had to do with my husband and PTSD. They just couldn't understand it. Back then, well, not many people understood it at all, including psychologists. I knew I had to talk to someone with a full knowledge of it if they would be able to help me at all. I found a psychologist with a family practice and she was very aware of PTSD as well as what went with it. I had been feeling angry, snapping, having mood swings, nightmares and depression was setting in. I knew I needed help to just vent with someone that would be able to understand. Up until then, it was talking to my circle of support coupled with a deep faith.

I know that faith plays a huge roll in healing from what happens in our lives. I also know that talking about these events helps more than anything else to prevent deeper emotional damage. Experts agree with this and that's why they offer training in responding to traumatic events to help the responders as well as the survivors. The problem is, people are not unbreakable and we cannot make them stop being caring, feeling humans. We cannot prevent traumatic events from happing in anyone's life, especially the members of the armed forces. What we can do is address them when they happen just as we do with all other humans.

The DOD has come out with programs with the goal of "toughening" their minds and making them "resilient" as if they can train to not be human anymore. They are not "unbreakable" even though some go thru the rest of their lives never suffering from what they lived through. Still I have to wonder if they are just not admitting to suffering or they are really so able to be shut off from it.

I've seen police officers acting as if nothing bothers them at all until they end up suffering from the one traumatic event they cannot escape from. They try to mask the symptoms and then lash out or drink to cover up the hurt they feel inside. Heck. when you think how tough they are supposed to be it's better for them if others think they are just mean instead of soft enough to feel anything. The difference is most police departments have either a Chaplain to be there to listen or a psychologist for them to see for when the last straw hitting the mountain of others sets off a fire.

So why is the DOD treating soldiers as if they were not simply humans asked to do abnormal things when they are sent into combat? Being a warrior is not normal, as a matter of fact, it's pretty rare. Look at the population of the world and then look at the number of soldiers in this world and you see the difference. Here in the USA, we have over 300 million people but under 30 million veterans. Then there are the police officers, also should be considered warriors, because part of their job also involves being asked to kill as well as protect. Police officers are allowed time to emotionally debrief within hours or a day of a traumatic event but the soldiers are not. Why is that? Why can't the military see what the rest of the world sees?

The group of Chaplains I'm with respond to police departments, fire departments, natural disasters, crimes and accidents helping the responders and the survivors. Why can't the military do the same instead of trying to prevent it the wrong way? I went through training on different programs including the new DEEP, Disaster and Extreme Event Preparedness and each of them deal with being there at the time of the events to listen to people and be there for them, much like my family and friends were there to listen to me after a long list of events. Or the psychologist helping me deal with anger and frustration. Who is there for the troops right away?

If they really want to do something about PTSD then they should do what the rest of the other humans have done. Have someone there to talk to right away before PTSD can take hold and do damage. It's hard enough to get them to talk when PTSD is already raging inside of them so heading it off as much as possible seems only logical. The way they are trying to do it only adds to the stigma because the way they are going about it tells the soldiers if they do not make their brains tough enough, PTSD is their fault. It's not their fault they are human and just as breakable as the rest of us.

Benefits under new GI Bill vary widely by state

Benefits under new GI Bill vary widely by state
Veterans attending college could get a full ride or very little help
When the new GI Bill kicks in Aug. 1, the government's best-known education program for veterans will get the biggest boost since its World War II-era creation. But the benefit is hardly the "Government Issue," one-size-fits-all standard the name implies.

In fact, depending on where service members and veterans decide to attend college, they could receive a full ride, or very little.

An Associated Press review of state-by-state benefits under the new bill shows huge discrepancies in the amount veterans can receive.
read more here
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/31765771/ns/us_news-military/

Motorcycle accidents, deaths still rising

Motorcycle accidents, deaths still rising

By Kelly Kennedy - Staff writer
Posted : Monday Jul 6, 2009 17:55:57 EDT

The number of service members injured and hospitalized in motorcycle accidents increase by more than 100 from 2007 to 2008, and deaths increased by 18 over the same period.

The numbers have seen a marked upswing since the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan began, with mental health workers expressing concerns that service members seeking to recapture the rush of war might be willing to take more risks.

In 2001, 366 people were injured, including 35 who died, in motorcycle accidents. In 2008, 474 people were injured, including 105 who died, according to the Armed Forces Health Surveillance Center’s June Medical Surveillance Monthly Report.

“The safety centers of the U.S. military services have documented sharp increases in numbers and rates of motorcycle fatalities among service members,” states the report authors, Army Capt. Scott Cherry and Stephen Taubman of the Data Analysis Group under the Armed Forces Health Surveillance Center. “There were more motorcycle accident-related hospitalizations and deaths by far in 2008 than in any prior year of the period.”

However, the researchers did not have access to information about which of those drivers had combat experience, their medical history as far as psychiatric issues or substance-abuse problems, or if they were using helmets or leather clothing.
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Motorcycle accidents, deaths still rising

Austistic Marine shines light on meeting quotas

Story update July 21, 2009

Autistic Marine from Orange County pleads guilty to fraudulent enlistment, other charges
By Tony Perry Mon, 20 Jul 2009 10:57:13 PM


Case of autistic Marine brings recruiting problems to the forefront
Faced with quotas, a few recruiters are taking shortcuts that allow those unfit for service into the military.
By Tony Perry
July 6, 2009
Reporting from San Diego -- A few days after he arrived at boot camp here, Joshua Fry no longer wanted to be a Marine.

He was confused by the orders drill instructors shouted at him. He was caught stealing peanut butter from the chow hall. He urinated in his canteen. He talked back to the drill instructors. He refused to shave.


Finally, he set out toward the main gate as if to head home. He was blocked, but now he had the chance to tell his superiors a secret: He was autistic. Fry figured this admission would persuade the Marines to let him return to the group home in Irvine for disturbed young adults where he was living when he enlisted.

Instead, he was sent back to Platoon 1021, Company B. The drill instructors became more helpful, and in April 2008 he finished the grueling 11-week regimen and was sent to Camp Pendleton for infantry training.

Within weeks he was under arrest for desertion and possession of child pornography.


Documents in Fry's court-martial case detail a troubled upbringing and a Marine career that was both improbable and misbegotten.

But far from being a routine instance of a young man unable to adjust to military life, the Fry case has exposed an awkward issue for the Marines and other military services: Recruiters sometimes take ethical shortcuts to make their quotas at a time when Americans have tired of the nation's wars and finding recruits is difficult.

According to court documents, Fry's recruiter knew he was autistic. The Marine Corps is investigating the recruiter's conduct.
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Case of autistic Marine brings recruiting problems to the forefront