Ministering to Soldiers, and Facing Their Struggles

ON RELIGION
Ministering to Soldiers, and Facing Their Struggles
By SAMUEL G. FREEDMAN
Published: July 1, 2011

Maj. David Bowlus, a chaplain, in Iraq. He now instructs chaplains at the military's school for them at Fort Jackson, S.C.

"During the Vietnam War, a chaplain typically deployed once, for six months. Of the approximately 1,650 active-duty chaplains now, more than one-third have had multiple deployments, according to statistics from the Army’s Office of the Chief of Chaplains. And the average deployment has lasted 13 months."

FORT JACKSON, S.C. — Growing up on a farm in Ohio, the son of an Army medic in World War II, David Bowlus often sneaked into the attic to try on his father’s uniform as if it were a destiny. At 16, on a family trip to West Point, he watched the cadets drill and knew what he wanted for the future.

After graduating from the academy, an armor officer trained for war, he entered a military doing the peacetime duties of the 1990s. The closest Mr. Bowlus got to combat before retiring from the Army in 1998 was a round of war games, fought with weapons that fired only laser beams.

But as this Independence Day nears, Mr. Bowlus, 40, has served more than his share of time under fire, having returned to active duty in 2002. He has made eight tours of duty, rising to the rank of major. He has done it, however, in his second Army incarnation, as a chaplain.

In those years, he has held syringes and gauze for a medic while praying the 23rd Psalm with a soldier shot during a raid in Mosul, Iraq. He has administered first aid and God’s word to the fighting men raked by rocket-propelled grenades when the Taliban ambushed their convoy. He has soothed grieving parents and overseen the loading of coffins for the long flight home.

All of it has imbued him with purpose, and all of it has tested his endurance, both psychologically and theologically. Major Bowlus is part of a cohort of military chaplains who have gone through the same kind of multiple deployments as American soldiers in nearly a decade of war in Afghanistan and Iraq, and suffered similar emotional aftershocks.
read more here
Ministering to Soldiers, and Facing Their Struggles

Homeless Veteran Refuge Turned Into Private Golf Course

Golf is a game played by a different class of people, usually upper income folks. Homeless veterans are another class, usually thinking of other people more than themselves even when they don't have a place to live. There is something really wrong with this country!

PTSD: Racing shop offers special course to disabled vets

Racing shop offers special course to disabled vets

Jul 2, 2011 12:00am

MOORESVILLE, N.C. (AP) — At first glance, Emmett Thomas and Brian Fox look like ordinary 30-somethings.

But both have scars. They just aren't visible.

They suffer from post-traumatic stress disorder, a by-product of their time in the military.

Thomas is an Army veteran who served in Iraq.

Fox did two yearlong tours of duty in Iraq before being honorably discharged last year.

Things weren't the same when they returned home.

Fox sleepwalks and has intense night sweats. Some days Thomas can't force himself to leave the house.

And both shy away from large groups of people.

But they feel at home inside SMP Motorsports' racing shop in Mooresville, where they attend motorsports classes.

Earlier this year, Rowan-Cabarrus Community College joined forces with SMP Motorsports to offer a certificate program in motorsports management technology.

The seven-course program is offered exclusively to disabled veterans. It is a spin-off of the nonprofit organization Manpower to Horsepower, which was founded by SMP President Sue Roberson to meet the transitional needs of post-combat veterans.

"Roberson wanted to expand her program to include hands-on training, and she contacted RCCC to see how we could work together," said Richmond Gage, head of the RCCC motorsports management technology program. "We are honored and proud to offer this program for veterans with disabilities."

read more here
Racing shop offers special course to disabled vets

'Families of the Wounded' saving families -- and lives

'Families of the Wounded' saving families -- and lives

Sam Brock
Anchor/Reporter
12:37 a.m. EDT, July 2, 2011

MECHANICSVILLE, VA (WTVR) - 'Families of the Wounded' is an organization that has pulled together more than 260 families from across the country and helped hundreds of military veterans recover from injury.

However, the organization started, oddly enough, rather unceremoniously.

"I threw down $100 in the middle of the table and began the process of what is now a fund that has raised more than $2.5 million dollars," recalled Tom Winfree, the president and CEO of Village Bank and one of the co-founders of the 'Families of the Wounded' fund.

About six years ago, Winfree and fellow board member Cal Esleeck both chipped in $100.

Today, the fund has grown exponentially and provides meaningful assistance to military families rocked by the injuries- both physical and psychological- of their loved ones.

"They're a caring group of people, and even if they gave us no money I would be here saying the same things to you today," said Angie Pearce, whose husband Brian nearly died in 2006 from an improvised explosive device in Iraq.

"They came into that room, and they changed our family's life," said Pearce.
read more here
Families of the Wounded saving families and lives
 

National Guard Colonel does not think PTSD is normal?

Col. John Coffin has just shown part of the problem with the stigma of PTSD living on.

"It is a term just thrown around that Vietnam veterans like me object to, although sadly enough it is one of the things that honors people. If you have PTSD people really feel for you as a Vietnam veteran. But however, if I declare myself having PTSD, I have just called myself less than a normal person," Coffin said.

"Less than normal" is what he said but it shows he does not understand what PTSD is. It is a very NORMAL response to the abnormal world of combat. What does he think trauma is? Trauma comes with traumatic events, in other words, not part of normal life. Simple to understand if you want to.

It looks like Coffin doesn't want to but he's in a role of deciding what happens to the men and women under his command. If he has this attitude, then what chance does a soldier with PTSD have if he can't understand what it is?

Vermont soldiers confront the challenges of PTSD

Colchester, Vermont - July 1, 2011

Megan Daleiden works in Human Resources for the Vermont Guard, but 5 years ago after she returned from a deployment in Iraq she found herself struggling to readjust.

"I was jobless, I was bored and I was suddenly finding myself as a housewife! Looking for jobs, as opposed to a team leader who was in charge of eight other soldiers," she said.

She said her spouse, a war vet himself, noticed a change in her personality after she got back.

"The problem is you are going through it. So you do not notice what you are doing to other people," Daleiden said. "One day my husband just sat down and said, 'Why are you so angry?' And I thought, 'I am not angry, at all!'"

Col. John Coffin says Daleiden's behavior is normal. He works with soldiers before deployment and after they return to evaluate their mental state.

Coffin explained, "We ask them three questions. Who are you, what did you do? What was your first thought or feeling when you got off the plane? Then the money question-- is there anything you want to say now as you leave your tour?"

He says soldiers need an opportunity to talk about the deaths of fellow soldiers and troubling memories. His team then evaluates them individually to see who needs extra help readjusting.

"When they get home to avail themselves of vocational and counseling services, so they can lift off into a new life, having been at the gates of hell," Coffin said.

And for some, that leaves a mark.
read more here
Vermont soldiers confront the challenges of PTSD

Retired admiral and his wife lead Heritage Days parade for Wounded Warriors

Retired admiral and his wife lead Heritage Days parade for a cause

By Seth Koenig, Times Record Staff
Published:
Friday, July 1, 2011 2:08 PM EDT
BATH — Retired four-star Adm. Gregory “Grog” Johnson has been places few other people in the world have been allowed.

As a high-ranking Navy officer, he was in the loop — if not in the room — for sensitive Pentagon talks charting America’s course for conflicts in Iraq, Kosovo, Bosnia and Somalia.

But for Bath’s 39th annual Heritage Days festival, Johnson will be somewhere he’s never been before. Along with his wife, Joy, Johnson will serve as a grand marshal of the celebration’s Fourth of July parade Monday. In those roles, the couple will attempt to raise awareness about Wounded Warrior programs, which offer recreational and rehabilitative activities for military personnel who are disabled in combat.

“I’ve watched lots of parades, but I don’t know if I’ve ever been in one before,” he said. “I’ve certainly never been one of the marshals.”

While thousands of eyes on Monday will be on the Johnsons, who retired to Harpswell, it figures to be a low pressure environment compared to what the retired admiral is used to from his days in the service. He told The Times Record on Tuesday that the one thing he learned to expect was: You never know what to expect.
read more here
Retired admiral and his wife lead Heritage Days parade for a cause

The other side of suicide by cop, deputy sheriff killed

When police are called because of a combat veteran in trouble, we are saddened by reading about one more veteran dying needlessly. Depending on where the veteran lives, they can be responded to by a very aware police force, or tragically not. Even when they are aware of what combat can do to people, sometimes cops don't have a choice. This is one of those times. A man said he wanted to die according to reports, with the police pulling the trigger. He got his wish but he ended the life of a deputy sheriff. While there is no link to Connors to the military there is one to Kyle Pagerly. We need to be aware of both sides of veterans facing off with police to not pass judgment on police as much as we should with the system that fails them.

The next time you read a story about another veteran killed by police on this blog, think about this story and acknowledge what the police have to go through as well as veterans.

Sheriff Shooting Suspect Left Suicide Note: Cops
Authorities say the man that shot and killed Kyle Pagerly wanted to die.
By Kelly Bayliss
Friday, Jul 1, 2011

The Berks County man that opened fire on 28-year-old deputy sheriff Kyle Pagerly resulting in the death of both men wanted to die, according to police.

Police say that Matthew Connors, 25, left a suicide note two days prior to the incident for his friends and family. Sources say that Connors wanted to die -- suicide by cop.

On Wednesday night around 8 p.m., authorities paid a visit to 43 Pine Swamp Road in Albany, Pa. to serve Connors with a warrant for burglary, criminal trespass and various other offenses.
read more here
Sheriff Shooting Suspect Left Suicide Note

View more videos at: http://nbcphiladelphia.com.

Finding the truth for families of fallen warriors

Finding the truth for families of fallen warriors
A military forensic anthropologist seeks answers in her work with the remains of the American war dead. The news is often painful, but 'families deserve to know,' she says.

David Zucchino
July 2, 2011
Reporting from Rockville, Md.— Sometimes the remains of American war dead arrive at the military morgue intact, sealed inside a "human remains pouch" — a body bag.

Sometimes they arrive as "dissociated remains" — a leg, an arm or other body parts ripped loose by the force of a roadside bomb or suicide bomber or air crash.

And sometimes there are commingled remains of several victims of a blast or crash, including service members, civilian bystanders and, in some cases, a suicide bomber.

Air Force Lt. Col. Laura Regan literally lays hands on remains of the dead. For U.S. troops killed in action, she is among the last service members to touch them as she tries to provide families of the fallen with the full truth about their deaths.
read more here
Finding the truth for families of fallen warriors

Canadian forces:End of combat not the end of battle

July 02, 2011, EDT.
End of combat not the end of battle for soldiers wounded in Afghanistan
Dene Moore, The Canadian Press

Bombardier Matt Coles, who was injured in Afghanistan, is seen through camouflage netting as he poses for a photograph at the 15th Field Regiment unit in Vancouver, B.C., on Tuesday April 5, 2011. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Darryl Dyck"

VANCOUVER - Bombardier Matt Coles remembers thinking the bullets had missed him.

In the frenzied moments after he and his sergeant were sprayed by a volley of accidental fire as they prepared to go out on patrol in Kandahar city, Coles lay in the dust and thought maybe he hadn't been hit at all.

Then he remembers pulling his hands away from his leg to see it covered in blood. The bullet had hit him above his left knee, ricocheted off the bone, and ripped an exit through the other side of his leg. En route, it broke his femur and tore through a vein.

Beside Coles lay the sergeant, his legs and abdomen riddled with bullets, bleeding from his femoral arteries.

"Right away, you do think you're going to die — I mean, when someone gets shot in a movie they die, right? Everybody knows that," said Coles, a wise-cracking soldier from Chilliwack, B.C., whose life experiences belie his 20 years of life.

But the realization soon dawned that help was close at hand, since the two soldiers were still inside the confines of the Canadian base at Camp Nathan Smith, with medics and a field hospital close at hand.

"At first, you know — 'OK, all right, I'm not going to die, I'm just going to lose my leg,' and then you try and cope with that," Coles said. Had they not been on the base, the sergeant would likely not have survived, he added.

Coles and his sergeant — the two of them are still recovering from the "friendly fire" incident in February 2010 that nearly took their lives — were among the more than 1,800 Canadian soldiers wounded in Afghanistan as of the end of last year.

By the time the combat mission ends next month, that number will surely be higher.

Of those, 615 troops were wounded in action by improvised explosive devices, mines, rocket attacks and direct fire, as well as friendly fire related to combat action and "acute psychological trauma directly attributable to combat action that required medical intervention."

Another 1,244 suffered unspecified "non-battle injuries."

Not all wounds are easy to see.
read more here
End of combat not the end of battle

Panetta sworn in as new defense secretary

Panetta sworn in as new defense secretary
By Robert Burns - The Associated Press
Posted : Friday Jul 1, 2011 9:51:38 EDT
WASHINGTON — On his first day as Pentagon chief, Leon Panetta said his top priorities are preserving U.S. military power despite budget cuts, defeating al-Qaida, stabilizing Afghanistan and forging a "real and lasting partnership" with Iraq.

Panetta huddled Friday with the Joint Chiefs of Staff shortly after taking the oath as the nation's 23rd secretary of defense, signaling that he intends to follow the example of his predecessor, Robert Gates, in building ties with the military brass. He said he would, like Gates, put a premium on advocating for the needs of troops and their families.

"Rest assured that ... I will fight for you," he said in a video message to U.S. troops worldwide.

He sounded the same theme at his swearing-in, which was closed to reporters. According to a Pentagon spokesman, Marine Col. David Lapan, Panetta said during the brief oath-taking ceremony in his new office, "There is no higher responsibility for a secretary of defense than to protect those who are protecting America."
read more here
Panetta sworn in as new defense secretary

Woman kept faith as 7 sons joined armed forces

Woman kept faith as 7 sons joined armed forces
They call her The Colonel, and for good reason. Bernice Leavitt Jackson has presided over a lot of troops.

By SHAWN VESTAL
The Spokesman-Review

DAVENPORT, Wash. —
They call her The Colonel, and for good reason. Bernice Leavitt Jackson has presided over a lot of troops.

Jackson, a fast-talking Roman candle of memories who's "going on 80," has never served directly in the military. But her passion for honoring those who do comes from a deep well of personal contribution: Her husband served in the Army during World War II. Seven of her eight sons served, including David, an Army staff sergeant serving his second tour of duty in Baghdad. Their photos hang on the living room wall, surrounded by every variety of patriotic expression imaginable, from flags to personal letters of thanks from a member of Congress, governor and secretary of the Air Force.

All of which is to say nothing of her brother and brothers-in-law, who fought in some of the major battles of World War II. Or her father and uncles, who served in the First World War. Or her grandfather, who fought and died in the Civil War.
read more here
Woman kept faith as 7 sons joined armed forces

NBA Owners Donate Millions to Vietnam Memorial Project

NBA Owners Donate Millions to Vietnam Memorial Project
By: Shauna Wright

NBA team owners Michael Heisley of the Memphis Grizzlies and Peter Holt of the San Antonio Spurs have made the largest private donations toward a project that will honor the 58,000 veterans killed during the Vietnam War and be located on the site of the Washington, D.C. memorial.
NBA Owners Donate Millions to Vietnam Memorial Project

Vietnam Vet wins right to fly flag

Fourth of July Victory: Vet Can Fly Flag

By ALAN FARNHAM
July 1, 2011
An embattled U.S. Army vet in Macedonia, Ohio, has won the right to fly Old Glory from his home's flagpole.

Fred Quigley, 77, who lives in the Villas at Taramina, served with honor as a U.S. Army chaplain in Korea and in Vietnam. He has had bullets nip his ear, he says, and has had enemy rockets (duds, luckily) land right at his feet.

But the kind of fire he had to endure from his local homeowner association over his right to fly his U.S. flag, he says, was unlike any he'd had to face before. "I'm in emotional distress," he said. "My eyes are watering."

Now that fight is over. The association has decided to stand down and to let Quigley run Old Glory up his pole. Its decision came in the form of a letter hand-delivered to Quigley Thursday night.
read more here
Vet Can Fly Flag

Original report
Vietnam Vet called rouge homeowner for flying flag

Vietnam Vet finally gets award from Congressman

Bishop awards Vietnam vet

Posted: Jun 29, 2011
By Jennifer Emert

ALBANY, GA -
A Vietnam Veteran who should have been honored for his service years ago finally got the recognition he and his unit deserved.

Clyde Bartlett served as a Staff Sergeant in an artillery battalion during the Vietnam War. Today Congressman Sanford Bishop pinned on the Presidential Unit Citation approved for his unit in 2007.

Bartlett said the men in his unit didn't know they were eligible for the citation. He says even now, it's tough to talk about the war and his fellow soldiers who didn't make it home.
Bishop awards Vietnam vet

Several announcements from the VA

VA Awards 14 Major Technology Contracts

Setting the Stage for Long-term IT Solutions to Serve Veterans

Washington, D.C. (July 1, 2011) - Fourteen major contracts to transform
information technology in the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) have
been awarded for an estimated program ceiling of $12 billion. The
Transformation Twenty-One Total Technology program, known as T4, will
consist of 15 prime contracts, including seven awards reserved for
service-disabled Veteran small businesses and Veteran-owned small
businesses.

"This five-year program will help VA transform into a 21st century
organization and enable us to deliver the high-quality health care,
benefits, and services Veterans have earned," said Secretary of Veterans
Affairs Eric K. Shinseki. "In addition, it opens an opportunity for
Veterans in business to grow and claim a share of VA's business."

Calling the program T4, VA awarded 14 prime contracts together as a tool
to close gaps in acquiring IT services to integrate systems, networks
and software. A fifteenth contract is pending resolution of a protest
filed with the Government Accountability Office. The companies
selected will have a fair opportunity to compete for work under T4 over
five years. Their services and products may cover the life cycle of a
computer system, and include program planning and management, systems
and software engineering, cyber security, operation and maintenance, and
support to facilities.

One of VA's main goals is to provide timely access to benefits and
high-quality health care to Veterans over their lifetimes, from the day
they enter military service until the day they are laid to rest. T4
will be a major tool enabling VA to meet those goals by closing gaps in
transforming programs.

The combined contracts will allow the most efficient use of technology
to reduce the backlog of benefit claims and deliver real value to
America's taxpayers.

The T4 program will be a single focal point for managing the multiple
contracts; give VA access to the best industry capabilities without the
traditional long acquisition lead time; and help the department meet its
Veteran small-business goals.

Unsuccessful competitors will be notified once the fifteenth, final
award is made. They will be given the opportunity to receive a
debriefing about their respective proposals and learn how they might
improve their future submissions.

VA Issuing First Payments to Caregivers



WASHINGTON (July 1, 2011) - The Department of Veterans Affairs will send
out more than $430,000 in stipend payments to nearly 200 Family
Caregivers of Veterans in July. These Family Caregivers were the first
to complete their Caregiver training under the program of Comprehensive
Assistance for Family Caregivers. The first payments to 96 recipients
were issued today.

"This is a long-awaited day for many Family Caregivers who diligently
worked to achieve this landmark legislation to enhance services for
Family Caregivers," said VA Secretary Eric K. Shinseki. "I am proud VA
can now offer direct support to the loved ones who give the Veterans we
serve a greater quality of life by allowing them to remain at home
surrounded by family and friends."

Family Caregivers will receive an average $1,600 in monthly stipend
payments. The initial payments will average $2,500 because the first
stipend checks are retroactive to the date of application. The amount
of the stipend is based on the condition of the Veteran and the amount
of care they require as well as the geographic location where the
Veteran resides. An additional 80 stipend payments will be released
from the U.S. Treasury on July 8 bringing the total to 176 Family
Caregivers receiving the stipend in July.

"We continue to process and approve applications on a daily basis" said
Deborah Amdur, VA's Chief Consultant for Care Management and Social
Work. "It has been profoundly gratifying to receive messages from Family
Caregivers about the value of this program."

Since May 9, nearly 1,250 Caregivers of Veterans who were seriously
injured in the line of duty on or after September 11, 2001, have applied
for the Program. A core caregiver training curriculum is a required
component of the program. This comprehensive training, which was
developed by Easter Seals in collaboration with VA clinical experts, has
received many positive comments from Family Caregivers. In addition to
the training, eligible Family Caregivers can also access mental health
services and are provided health care insurance, if they are not already
entitled to care or services under a health plan.

Veterans may review the criteria for eligibility and download the Family
Caregiver program application (VA CG 10-10) at www.caregiver.va.gov.
The application enables the Veteran to designate a primary Family
Caregiver and secondary Family Caregivers if needed. Caregiver Support
Coordinators are stationed at every VA medical center to assist with
coordinating the training or assist Caregivers in locating available
services.

Support for all Caregivers is also available via the national Caregiver
Support Line at 1-855-260-3274. Caregivers of Veterans from all eras are
encouraged to use the Website and Support Line to learn about more than
two dozen supportive services VA offers to Family Caregivers.


VA Begins Implementation of Open Source Program

TIAG Selected to Build Custodial Agent



WASHINGTON (June 30, 2011)- The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA)
today announced that it has begun the implementation of an open source
community based on its electronic health record (EHR), selecting The
Informatics Applications Group (tiag) to create the Custodial Agent that
will serve as the community's central governing body. VA will contribute
its current EHR, known as VistA (Veterans Integrated System Technology
Architecture), to seed the open source effort.

"Our EHR is central to the quality of care we provide to Veterans," said
Secretary of Veterans Affairs Eric K. Shinseki. "As we continually
advance the health care we deliver, so too must we advance the
capability of EHR software. Moving to an open source model invites
innovation from the public and private sectors. It is an important
element of our EHR collaboration with the Department of Defense and an
important part of our strategy to ensure that VA clinicians have the
best tools possible, and that Veterans receive the best health care
possible."

In April, VA announced its intent to establish a Custodial Agent (CA) to
serve as the central governing body for an open source community. The CA
will provide important communication, organizational, and administrative
functions that enable community members to share information and
software and to collaborate on the improvement and the use of EHR
systems. tiag, an innovative technology services company, has been
selected to design and launch the Custodial Agent.

"We have a tremendous opportunity to create the next generation of EHRs,
which is so important to our EHR collaboration with DoD and to many
current and future users of electronic health records," said VA Chief
Technology Officer Dr. Peter Levin. "In order to achieve the highest
level of utility and safety, we must engage as broad a base of EHR users
and developers as possible. We are working closely with tiag to design a
robust Custodial Agent that enables this level of community engagement."

VA expects the Custodial Agent to launch in August and to commence full
operation in the fall. For more information, see today's entry on VA's
VAntage Point blog (blogs.va.gov) and the Open Source EHR Custodial
Agent website (www.osehrca.org).

Major League Baseball and McCormick Foundation grants $4 mil to veterans

Major League Baseball and McCormick Foundation grants $4 mil to veterans

Cathy O'Brien,
Celebrity Charity Events Examiner
July 1, 2011

Major League Baseball Charities and the Robert R. McCormick Foundation announced yesterday that they have granted $4 million through Welcome Back Veterans to university hospitals which are working hard to develop programs and creating centers which will specialize in treating military veterans and their families who suffer from Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder and Traumatic Brain Injury.

Allen H. (Bud) Selig, baseball Commissioner: “Major League Baseball recognizes that our men and women in the military make significant sacrifices in serving our nation every day. We are honored to show our gratitude by committing resources to organizations that provide veterans and their family members’ services to treat symptoms of PTSD and TBI. I want to thank McCormick Foundation and the Clubs for supporting these four grant recipients.”

There are also individual baseball teams supporting their local university hospitals. The Detroit Tigers are supporting the efforts at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor and Emory University in Atlanta is receiving support from the Atlanta Braves. The Boston Red Sox supported their own charity foundation, the Red Sox Foundation and UCLA is receiving support from the Los Angeles Angels in Anaheim. To date, Major League Baseball Charities and the McCormick Foundation have given about $11 million in grant funds to programs which serve veterans from Iraq and Afghanistan.



Continue reading on Examiner.com - National Celebrity Charity Events | Examiner.com
Major League Baseball and McCormick Foundation grants $4 mil to veterans

First lady speaks to Vt. guardsmen, families

First lady speaks to Vt. guardsmen, families
Burlington (Vt.) Free Press
Posted : Thursday Jun 30, 2011 17:21:27 EDT
SOUTH BURLINGTON, Vt. — First lady Michelle Obama spoke to military families here on Thursday, telling them that Americans stand ready to support them.

“We have you in our hearts, we have you in our prayers, we have your back,” she said.

Obama was in Vermont for a fundraiser for President Obama.

Veterans and military families were invited to the event at the National Guard Aviation Support facility. Michelle Obama expressed support to military families for their service.

Last year, 1,500 Vermont National Guard members deployed to in Afghanistan for a year. It was the largest deployment since World War II.
read more here
First lady speaks to Vt. guardsmen, families

Military suicides rise in San Antonio

Military suicides rise in San Antonio

Reported by: Melissa Garcia

Nationally, the number of potential suicides among active duty soldiers jumped from 16 in April to 21 in May.

SAN ANTONIO -- The military is fighting a war to combat suicides. Nationally, the numbers are staggering. News 4 WOAI has uncovered suicide information from San Antonio military installations. There were 5 suicides out of Lackland Air Force Base last year alone. Suicides at Fort Sam Houston have also risen within the last several years, compared with the first part of the decade.

We spoke with a combat soldier about his own suicidal thoughts when he returned from war in Iraq.

"As a soldier, we have a creed: 'I will never accept defeat,'" explaned Joshua McCoy. But defeated is exactly how he felt, when he came back from war physically injured, and emotionally traumatized. Almost overnight, he went from being self sufficient, to having to move back in with his parents at the age of 32.

"That's extremely humiliating," explained McCoy.

Chronic pain and anxiety required heavy prescription narcotics. The stress tore apart his marriage and almost cost him custody of his young daughter. In fact, things got so bad, McCoy even contemplated suicide.

read more here
Military suicides rise in San Antonio

Tell congress to stop hurting veterans while funding wealthy

by
Chaplain Kathie

This is really that simple. They whined, moaned, stomped their feet and held their breath until President Obama caved in on the tax cuts for the wealthy but have you ever heard any of them fight that hard for veterans? For congress to do anything against the 1% serving this nation, risking their lives in order to keep funding the wealthy 1% we have lost any moral ground we ever had.

Some folks (you know what group) have been going after everyone needing jobs, saying tax cuts for the wealthy create jobs, but we haven't seen proof of that. As a matter of fact, most of us have seen jobs vanish. Our troops come home after they served this country and they can't find work to support their families. They cut back on what people need but they also cut back on what the veterans need more. Tell a National Guardsman that when he comes home without a job after he served in Iraq or Afghanistan that the wealthy deserved tax cuts more than he deserves a job. Look him in the eyes and tell him he is not worth as much as the wealthy.

Less than 10% of the population have put on their boots to stand up for this country. While congress uses their mouths to "take a stand" for what they believe in, our veterans used their lives to stand up for everyone in this nation. Some in congress want to cut benefits instead of making sure we honor the debt we owe them after they wrote that blank check with their lives.

When it comes to the wounded veterans, by body or mind, we have let them down and now this insult to their service continues by going after the weakest among them. Homeless veterans wander the streets looking for a place to sleep and depend on the kindness of strangers to give them a couple of bucks to eat. Most of them have untreated PTSD but while they depended on alcohol and drugs to numb their pain, we view them as "low life's" not worthy of our care. If we cannot take care of them, especially when some in congress speak of the needs of the wealthy, we no longer deserve to use the term "from a grateful nation" when we hand over a folded flag from their coffins.

Homeless Veterans Should Not Be "On the Table"
Posted: 06/30/11
Judge H. Lee Sarokin
Retired in 1996 after 17 years on the federal bench

In respect to efforts to reduce the debt and the deficit, members of Congress constantly insist that "everything is on the table." Of course, that is not true. Republicans oppose any increase in taxes, and those that subscribe to the Norquist No-Tax Pledge also oppose any reduction or elimination of deductions or subsidies.

* Republicans have proposed a $75 million reduction in vouchers for homeless veterans. There is a dispute as to whether or not this proposal adversely affects homeless veterans now or in the future, but there is no question that Republicans have put this subject on the table as one of the ways to reduce spending.

I expect that this is another example of the "trickle-down" theory. By permitting the very rich to maintain their tax cuts, they can buy expensive art work. A multi-millionaire can buy a Picasso, the gallery earns a commission, someone is paid to box the painting, someone is hired to deliver it, the driver buys a cup of coffee after the delivery and he drops his change in the cup of the wounded veteran lying on the sidewalk in front of Starbucks. Ergo---"trickle down" at work.

read more here
Homeless Veterans Should Not Be On the Table

Westboro protestors a no-show at soldier’s funeral

Westboro protestors a no-show at soldier’s funeral

Jun 30, 2011 6:01 PM
By Tom Plahutnik, Web Editor/Producer
By Liz Gelardi, TV5 Reporte

HARBOR BEACH, Mich. -
A Mid-Michigan soldier was laid to rest Thursday after giving his life in service to his country. Now there's some relief for family and friends of 21-year-old Army Pfc. Brian Backus as it appears a controversial church group did not protest outside the service.

The Westboro Baptist Church originally planned to picket, but apparently they failed to show up.

TV5's Liz Gelardi reported that the situation seemed like a publicity stunt and that members of the Patriot Guard motorcycle group say this has happened before when the church claimed it would show up, and then failed to do so.
read more here
Westboro protestors a no-show at soldier’s funeral

Iraq Veteran slashed himself after reading about friend killed in action

UPDATE

Parents’ plea for their troubled son

War vet knifed his own face

Published on Friday 24 June 2011 02:31

A FORMER soldier with post traumatic stress disorder slashed himself with a knife after reading a newspaper report about a friend killed in action.

Lee Murray, who had served in Bosnia and Iraq, called police from home to say he had cut his arms, head and face with a knife, a court heard.

Officers went to his address and saw cuts to his forehead and face and the article about the soldier’s death.

“He asked police what they would do if he ‘kicked off’,” said Helen Griffiths, prosecuting at Chesterfield Magistrates’ Court.

“He then cut himself on his arms, forehead and stomach, each strike drawing blood.”

Murray, whom the court heard had clearly been drinking, told officers he would have both of them and they snatched knives from the property.

He followed them outside, demanding to know where the knives were, and was sprayed with CS gas to subdue him.

Murray, aged 37, of Holmefield Road, Whitwell, Chesterfield, appeared in court in custody and admitted using threatening behaviour on Tuesday, June 16.

He had committed a similar offence in April.

The court was told Murray suffered from post traumatic stress disorder after serving in the Army in Iraq.
read more here
War vet knifed his own face

Study finds meditation helps soldiers overcome trauma, PTSD

Study finds meditation helps soldiers overcome trauma, PTSD


More than 20 percent of soldiers returning from Iraq and Afghanistan suffer from post-traumatic stress disorder, according to the Department of Defense.

New research suggests one way to combat the symptoms is through meditation.

David George was sleeping in his cot during his deployment to Iraq when a car bomb exploded 25 yards away.

“I turn the lights on, and see a white cloud billowing into the room,” the 27-year-old recalls. “All the windows were blown out.”


Since then, he's struggled with PTSD, is often anxious, angry and depressed. At one point, back at home in Maryland, he stopped himself from buying a pistol.
read more here
Study finds meditation helps soldiers overcome trauma, PTSD

Tank vandalized outside Michigan VFW post

Tank vandalized outside Michigan VFW post
The Associated Press
Posted : Thursday Jun 30, 2011 7:03:33 EDT
CORUNNA, Mich. — A Veterans of Foreign Wars post in Corunna, Mich., is offering a $400 reward for information leading to the arrest and conviction of those responsible for vandalizing an M-60 Patton tank displayed in front of the post.
read more here
Tank vandalized outside Michigan VFW post

Homeless female veteran on the streets after 4th suicide attempt

Female veterans struggle with homelessness

by Brad Woodard / KHOU 11 News
khou.com
Posted on June 29, 2011

HOUSTON -- Some female veterans are struggling and homeless, and it's a problem that is becoming increasingly common.

A group of female veterans are taking a life skills class at the Santa Maria Hostel – the group of women are on the verge of being homeless.

“I could go anywhere and no one would know that I'm homeless,” said Army veteran Jacqueline Wright. “The recession hit. I was unable to find work, and that just led to a downward spiral.”

Some of the women said they’ve spent half their lives on the streets.

“I've slept in bushes, in parks, the backs of people's yards, abandoned cars,” said Navy veteran Cheryl Jett.

Their reasons for being here are as varied as their stories.

“My addiction was pain pills -- Xanax and sleeping pills. I tried committing suicide four times,” said Aimee Dewolfe, a homeless Navy veteran.

read more here
Female veterans struggle with homelessness

Cape soldier’s death in Iraq under investigation

Cape soldier’s death is under investigation
By John Basile
THE BULLETIN
Posted Jun 29, 2011

NORTH FALMOUTH —
The United States Army continues to look into the death of Army Sgt. Matthew Gallagher of North Falmouth.

Gallagher, 22, died Sunday in Wasit province, Northern Iraq under circumstances that still are not clear.

The Army confirmed Wednesday that Gallagher’s death is listed as non combat-related, a designation leaving open a number of possibilities according to Capt. Matthew Merrill of the 6th Squadron, 9th Cavalry, the unit in which Gallagher served.


Read more: Cape soldier’s death is under investigation

Homes for our Troops to build Afghanistan veteran home

Homes for our Troops to build Afghanistan veteran home in July
Published: Thursday, June 30, 2011
By Sara K. Satullo
The Express-Times

Even as Rob Kislow lay in a hospital bed at Walter Reed Army Medical Center, he could only focus on one thing.

“’I just want the American Dream,’” Kislow, now 25, recalls telling a reporter interviewing him. “That was my entire mindset.”

It took several years, 16 prosthetic legs and lots of hardship but come July, Kislow’s American dream is headed into overdrive. He’s set to become a father and homeowner within days of one another.

The national nonprofit Homes for Our Troops, which builds homes for seriously injured post 9/11 veterans at no cost to them, is set to begin work on Kislow’s Moore Township home July 22.
read more here
Homes for our Troops to build Afghanistan veteran home

VA Cemetery Accused of Censoring Religious Speech

First let me say that I am against forced religious talk of any kind. This includes forcing people to not say what they believe. I do not support someone saying that someone else is going to hell if they do not covert or believe the "right" way, especially when they are in need of spiritual help. It's one of the reasons why I became a Chaplain. I have no church. While I am Greek Orthodox, my own branch of Christianity does not support the role of women as ministers. It is my job to address people in need no matter what faith they have or if they have no faith at all and I am free to discuss whatever will help them heal spiritually but I am careful to not cross the line and offend them. If I know I am talking to a non-Christian, I will invoke "God" but limit the use of "Christ" even though they know I am a Christian.

This is also the reason why I do not believe a speaker addressing a mixed group should focus on Christ instead of God, but that is what I believe much like I believe no one in the government should attempt to force anyone to convert or force them to listen. They are supposed to be able to say what they want and use their own judgment. If this nation can protect the free speech rights of the hateful Westboro Group because they use the title of a church, then they should also protect the rights of everyone to use their own judgment of what they will or will not say.

VA Cemetery Accused of Censoring Religious Speech
June 29, 2011
Houston Chronicle

Local veterans and volunteer groups are accusing Department of Veterans Affairs officials of censoring religious speech -- including banning the word "God" -- at Houston National Cemetery.

In one example cited in documents filed this week in federal court, cemetery director Arleen Ocasio reportedly told volunteers with the National Memorial Ladies that they had to stop telling the families, "God bless you," at funerals and that they had to remove the words "God bless" from condolence cards.

The new allegations of "religious hostility" by VA and cemetery officials follow on the heels of a controversy over a prayer in Jesus' name by Pastor Scott Rainey at a Memorial Day service in the cemetery.

U.S. District Judge Lynn N. Hughes ruled May 26 that Ocasio couldn't stop Rainey from using the words "Jesus Christ" in his invocation.

Attorneys with the nonprofit Liberty Institute, which represented Rainey, filed an amended complaint this week after allegedly finding other instances of religious discrimination by cemetery officials against members Veterans of Foreign Wars District 4, The American Legion Post 586, and the National Memorial Ladies, a volunteer group that attends funerals of fallen service members.

The complaint accuses VA of "a widespread and consistent practice of discriminating against private religious speech" at the cemetery.
read more here
VA Cemetery Accused of Censoring Religious Speech

DoD to Employers: Hire Spouses or Go Away

DoD to Employers: Hire Spouses or Go Away
June 30, 2011
Military.com|by Amy Bushatz

The Pentagon launched a program on June 29 that provides incentives for top-tier companies to add servicemember spouses to their payrolls.

The DoD initiative -- dubbed the “Military Spouse Employment Partnership” -- includes 79 Fortune 500 plus companies and is intended to make hiring military spouses attractive to employers by offering them good public exposure while highlighting spouses as a potential workforce solution.

“We’re really holding their feet to the fire with this,” said Robert Gordon, the Pentagon’s chief of military community and family policy. “We want documentation -- who they’re hiring, how many they’re hiring, in terms of what kind of jobs our spouses are getting.
read more here
Hire Spouses or Go Away

Growing Concern over Vets' Financial Issues, PTSD

Is it better for the troops coming home today than four years ago? Sure, but with the "better than nothing" thought, it is not as good as it should be when you think about the money spent. When you think about some folks in congress playing games with the lives of the combat veterans coming home, it should be sending warning bells across the nation. As bad as it is, it could have been worse had congress not acted in 2007, 08, 09 and 2010. Bills were flying out of congress to make it right but the troops had been in combat since 2001 in Afghanistan and 2003 in Iraq. They had a lot to make up for.

Four Years After Walter Reed, Government Still Faulted for Troop Support
Growing Concern over Vets' Financial Issues, PTSD

OVERVIEW

About a third (34%) of those who say the government has not done enough for returning troops point to mental health issues as the biggest area of concern; that is unchanged from 2008. However, specific mentions of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) have doubled – from 5% to 11%.

As President Obama begins to draw down U.S. forces in Afghanistan, most Americans continue to say that government support for troops returning from war is falling short.

The public remains divided over whether the American people give enough support to soldiers who have served in Iraq and Afghanistan. Opinions on this tilt more negative, however, among the families of those who have served in the military since the 9/11 terror attacks.

The latest national survey by the Pew Research Center for the People & the Press, conducted June 15-19 among 1,502 adults, finds that the government gets better marks for supporting returning troops than it did in 2007, amid the scandal over military medical care at Walter Reed Army Medical Center, or a year later.

Nonetheless, just 32% say the government gives enough support to soldiers who have served in Iraq and Afghanistan. Nearly twice as many (62%) say the government does not provide enough support for the returning troops. In 2007 and 2008, even fewer said the government was providing adequate support for the troops (21% in 2007, 22% in 2008).
read more here
Government Still Faulted for Troop Support

Was shooting Matthew Speese justified?

I have read a lot of reports, too many of them, where police had to face off with combat veterans. Most of them end the way Matthew Speese's life did. Police have a very difficult job to do and we cannot ignore it is dangerous for them to have to come face to face with an armed combat veteran. Most of the time they know it will not end well. The problem is, it does end well for a lot of veterans and they finally get the help they need.

This editorial in Grand Rapids Press points out that Speese had dropped his gun. He reached for something in his belt when he was shot. It turned out to be a knife. Why not use a taser on him instead of bullets? Why not wait until they knew what it was? They had their weapons drawn and pointed at Speese. Why not wait one split second to find out what it was? We can ask a lot of questions but even if we ask ourselves what we would have done, we will never know for sure what that would have really been.


This issue needs to be addressed in all urgency. There have been increased face offs between veterans and law enforcement. The issue of why they reach this point at all needs to be addressed before there are more in crisis and more lives of cops on the line.

Editorial: Why the police shooting of Matthew Speese was justified, but calls attention to veterans' needs
Published: Wednesday, June 29, 2011
By The Grand Rapids Press Editorial Board

Police are frequently called to make split-second decisions in confusing circumstances.
So it was with the death of Matthew Speese.

Police shot and killed Mr. Speese at his home in Montcalm County June 1 after he repeatedly threatened officers. Montcalm County Prosecutor Andrea Krause made the right decision by clearing the officers involved of any criminal wrong-doing.

Too much second-guessing of police work after the fact will only lead to hesitations that can be dangerous to law enforcement and the general public. Law enforcement officials should not have free rein to do anything, of course. However, society should recognize their duties carry special burdens and agonizing decisions. The facts in this case support the officers’ actions as self defense.

The death of Mr. Speese offers another lesson: the need to provide good psychological care to military veterans. The 47-year-old Mr. Speese, a Marine, served in the Gulf War and suffered from post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). He had suicidal tendencies. In fact, a suicide threat led police to Mr. Speese’s home near Howard City after he called a Veterans Crisis Line.

In the call, he threatened to kill himself and said he would shoot police officers if they responded.
read more here
Why the police shooting of Matthew Speese was justified

Senator Nelson takes on fight for Iraq Vet facing deportation

Jacksonville Iraq War Veteran Faces Deportation
11:33 PM, Jun 29, 2011

Written by
Lewis Turner

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. -- Just last year Elisha Dawkins was getting pinned, having just graduated from the FSCJ school of nursing. His plan was to take the boards after he returned from his deployment to Guantanamo Bay.

That plan changed, though, when he was arrested upon his return in April. Immigration officials said there was a problem with Dawkins' passport paperwork. They said he checked the box stating he never applied for a passport before, when in fact he had.

read more here
Jacksonville Iraq War Veteran Faces Deportation

From the New York Times

Iraq Veteran Offered Deal in Passport Violation Case
By SUSANNAH NESMITH
Published: June 28, 2011

MIAMI — The federal government on Tuesday took the unusual step of offering to drop a passport violation prosecution of a Navy petty officer if he completed a term of probation.

Even if he is able to resolve the criminal case, the petty officer, Elisha L. Dawkins, 26, is facing deportation based on an order issued in 1992, when he was 8 years old, his lawyer said.

Petty Officer Dawkins was brought to the United States from the Bahamas as a baby and was raised in Miami believing he was a United States citizen, said his lawyer, Clark Mervis.

In March, while he was on active duty at Guantánamo Bay, Cuba, Petty Officer Dawkins was indicted on a charge of making a false statement on a 2006 passport application. The statement, according to prosecutors, was that he had never applied for a passport before, when he had actually abandoned an application he filled out the year before.

Judge Cecilia M. Altonaga of Federal District Court noted the unusual nature of the prosecutors’ offer, saying she had seen the government use the pretrial diversion program only twice before in her eight years on the bench.

“I’m almost speechless,” the judge said. “It’s a kinder, gentler day over there. It happens so infrequently.”
read more of this here
Iraq Veteran Offered Deal in Passport Violation Case

also
Iraq Veteran locked up for not being a citizen

71 year old veteran faced off with SWAT at VA hospital

Flash grenade ends standoff at VA office
A 71-year-old veteran from Creswell is taken to the hospital after a SWAT team defuses a tense confrontation

BY JACK MORAN
The Register-Guard
A Eugene police SWAT team on Wednesday used a percussion grenade to end a standoff with a military veteran who allegedly threatened to shoot a local Veterans Affairs clinic manager and later pointed a shotgun at a federal police officer who works at the facility.

Eugene police took 71-year-old Milan Jackie Boon into custody following the standoff, which ended shortly after noon in the parking lot of the VA clinic at 100 River Ave.

Boon, a Creswell resident, was cited on charges of menacing, pointing a firearm at another person, unlawful use of a firearm and disorderly conduct. He was not jailed, police said.

Though Boon had blood on his face when he was loaded into an ambulance, he did not suffer serious injuries in the incident, police Lt. Doug Mozan said.

According to police and a VA spokeswoman, an employee of the clinic notified police at 11:24 a.m. that an agitated veteran had arrived there a short time earlier.

The man complained about what he perceived as subpar service, then allegedly told the clinic’s operations manager that he would shoot her with a shotgun. Police later recovered the weapon from Boon’s Plymouth minivan, which he had parked in a handicapped spot in the clinic’s front lot.

“He was upset,” VA spokeswoman Sharon Carlson said. “We can’t determine exactly why. When he came in, he stated that the (clinic) staff wasn’t doing anything.”

read more here
Flash grenade ends standoff at VA office

Iraqi Vet Says Tuesday Saved His Life

Iraqi Vet Says Tuesday Saved His Life
A man and a dog named Tuesday brought a message of salvation to Miami
By Christina Hernandez
Tuesday, Jun 28, 2011
A dog can be a man's best friend and for one war veteran, his dog named Tuesday, saved his life.

The pooch had such an impact on Luis Montalvan's life, that he wrote a book about it and brought it to Miami.

Montalvan and his golden retriever with the odd first name have been inseparable for more than two years. Montalvan got the service dog in 2008 after serving two tours in Iraq.

Montalvan was suffering from post traumatic stress disorder and a doctor suggested a four-legged companion might be the perfect prescription.

He said Tuesday is a gift from God - bringing back ambition the former U.S. Army captain lost fighting over seas.

"I needed support and the fact that there were highly trained, loving dogs there to help mitigate these disabilities was a godsend," Montalvan said at a book signing at Books and Books in Coral Gables
read more here

Iraqi Vet Says Tuesday Saved His Life

ORLANDO VA MEDICAL CENTER for 90,000 veterans

ORLANDO VA MEDICAL CENTER: For Those Who Served
June 28, 2011 · By ANN STRAUB

The Orlando VA Medical Center, serving an area of nearly 90,000 veteran patients in Central Florida, is one of seven members of the VISN 8 Healthcare System.

The Orlando VA Medical Center includes the Orlando VA Medical Center, the Community Living Center, the Residential Rehabilitation Program, the Viera Outpatient Clinic, the Daytona Outpatient Clinic, and four Community Based Outpatient Clinics located in Clermont, Kissimmee, Leesburg, and Orange City.

The East Central Florida veteran population is slated for a new hospital to be built in 2012. This much needed facility will make it easier for East Central Florida veterans to access VA’s world-class medical center and relieve the burden of traveling long distances for their inpatient care.

In addition to the main facility in Orlando, the VA offers services in several outpatient clinics in their six county patient service area. These clinics are located in Daytona Beach and Viera.

Community-based outpatient clinics include Clermont, Kissimmee, Leesburg, Orange City, Crossroads Annex and Lake Nona Annex.
read more here
ORLANDO VA MEDICAL CENTER

Titusville police shut down 11 homeless camps with veterans

UPDATE
Homeless raid in Titusville questioned

It's one thing to want to get rid of homeless people but another to have a place for them to go. Where are these people supposed to go? People seem to forget that about a third of the homeless are veterans on top of it and most of them suffered after their service.

Titusville police shut down 11 homeless camps
Sites shut down because of safety concerns
9:30 AM, Jun. 29, 2011

Written by
DAVE BERMAN

"This a veterans' town and this is a veterans' county, and they will not get away with it," Taylor said.

TITUSVILLE -- — Police have cleared out 11 homeless camps throughout the city in a push to remove people who are trespassing on private property.

Titusville Police Department and fire officials say the camps are a safety hazard, and a growing problem in the city, partly resulting from the increased unemployment.

But George Taylor Sr., founder and president of the Titusville-based National Veterans Homeless Support Inc., said he is concerned about the efforts to clear out local homeless camps.
read more here
Titusville police shut down 11 homeless camps

Honor denied some families of fallen troops

Honor denied some families of fallen troops
By Elaine Quijano

(CBS News) INDIANAPOLIS - President Obama has spoken often about the weight he feels every time he signs a letter of condolence to a military family. And, he has said, there are few days when he doesn't sign one.
But you may be surprised to learn what CBS News correspondent Elaine Quijano found out -- not every military family that suffers a loss gets a letter from the commander in chief.

"I miss you Chance, I do," says Gregg Keesling as he touched his son's headstone.

Father's Day marked two years since Gregg and Jannett Keesling's son, 25-year-old Army Specialist Chance Keesling, died.

"We did get a full military burial, with the 21 gun salute and the playing of "Taps," Gregg says.

Keesling was on his second tour in Iraq. His marriage had broken up during his first deployment, and he was struggling with emotional problems this time. But no one knew how much he was suffering.

In June 2009, he recorded a video for his girlfriend's niece. But days later, after a fight with that girlfriend, Keesling shot himself on his post in Iraq.

His father Gregg says, "I think his last words to Jannett were "I think my day's not going to go very well.'"
read more here
Honor denied some families of fallen troops

Veterans Charity Fraud

When I see men standing around in intersections wearing their uniforms, holding a bucket in one hand and flags in the other, I get really angry now. People see Disabled Veterans Foundation and think about the DAV. The Disabled American Veterans do not solicit donations in intersections. They don't dress up and they do not pay people to collect money. I asked a few of the men standing near where I live and they said they were not veterans. The website claims the men collecting are veterans on the video they have up. If you see someone collecting on your street, they are not part of the DAV but this is not the only problem out there as the American public deals with having their hearts tugged and wanting to do something for our veterans. Read this and you'll be angry too.

Veterans Charity Fraud: Despite Widespread Outrage, Groups Continue To Abuse Public Trust
Marcus Baram
Marcus@huffingtonpost.com

For hundreds of thousands of veterans returning home from the battlefronts in Iraq and Afghanistan, making it home alive is just the first challenge.

An estimated 25 percent of returning U.S. service members will experience combat-related problems such as post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), traumatic brain injury (TBI), depression or anxiety disorders. More veterans are committing suicide than are dying in combat overseas -- 1,000 former soldiers receiving care from the Department of Veterans Affairs attempt suicide every month. About 50,000 veterans are experiencing chronic homelessness, according to nonprofit housing group HELP USA. And the unemployment rate for 18 to 24-year-old veterans is 21 percent, much higher than the 16.6 percent rate for non-veterans of the same age.

Though the VA has come a long way from the 1970s, when many Vietnam veterans failed to reintegrate into society and became homeless and addicted to drugs, the department still has problems. The VA bureaucracy is notoriously difficult to navigate, and veterans are left to figure out on their own what benefits they are eligible for. As a result, many fall through the cracks -- more than 720,000 veterans do not take advantage of VA benefits for which they are eligible.

To fill in the gap, veterans charities are a crucial resource -- providing financial assistance and job training, funding medical research and rehabilitative services, and helping veterans obtain government benefits. Every year, Americans give millions of dollars to such groups, expecting that the money will assist those who've served their country.

But as a group, veterans charities are prone to abuse, profiteering and outright fraud, say philanthropy watchdogs. Almost half of the 39 veterans charities rated by the American Institute of Philanthropy in its April/May 2011 report received F grades, largely because they devoted only a small ratio of their expenses to charitable programs, in part due to excessive fundraising expenses. Some of these groups defend their spending by arguing that reliance on such ratios is misleading, claiming that new nonprofits may have to spend over 50 percent of their revenue on outreach, education and fundraising for a while. But charities that spend up to 90 percent of their donations on overhead have been widely condemned and were the subject of congressional hearings in 2007.
Veterans Charity Fraud

Veterans Die Facing Mountains of Red Tape For a Reason

by
Chaplain Kathie

While the following is a very good article, I find it stunning that what was left out is the biggest part of the reason they are waiting longer. Money. If you read news reports, you only get part of what has been going on. You have to talk to the VA employees to get to the bottom of what they see everyday. First, the situation of not being able to replace claims processors when older workers retire or leave. Yes, there is a hiring freeze even with the VA.

At a Disabled American Veterans Auxiliary conference in Lake Mary last week, the situation was presented loud and clear by one of the speakers. It takes two years to train a claims agent, so they are already behind on having people able to process claims. When you take into account that there were not enough new hires to handle the flood of veterans entering because of Agent Orange and PTSD rules being changed, it made a bad situation turn into a crisis.

Then there is the issue of the Suicide Prevention Hotline getting so many calls but no one seems to be asking why there are more veterans in crisis while the government has been spending so much money on PTSD. Why do they ever have to find it so impossible to survive combat that suicide is even a thought in their mind? We've been at this since the 70's and should have been a lot closer to making sure they are getting appropriate care instead of better than nothing.

Medications are not the answer but the DOD and the VA seem to approach "treatment" with a bottle of pills. Therapy needs to be developed for the individual. Some do well in group therapy while others need one to one. When they start talking about what's going on inside of them, what they feel and think, then they start to heal. Medications can take "feeling" away from them, basically numbing them. Their help cannot end with pills.

Then there are other programs going on from sports, to horses and dogs. There is a growing list of programs available for a reason. There is not a one-size-fits-all for everyone. The bottom of the list that should be at the top is getting the families involved in the care of our veterans. Too many family members have little or no knowledge of what PTSD is, what they can do to help or what help is available for them in the form of support.

It is not that the VA is broken but the media does not seem interested in what is the reason for all of this still happening after so much time and money has gone into helping veterans heal.

Veterans Die Facing Mountains of Red Tape
By Lena Groeger
June 29, 2011

When Clay Hunt returned home to Texas after two combat tours in Iraq and Afghanistan, the struggle didn’t end. Tormented by flashbacks and post-traumatic stress, he sought medical help from the Department of Veteran Affairs – but faced a pile of paperwork. While waiting for help, he turned his energy towards helping his fellow veterans, raising money for the wounded and appearing in public service announcements for veterans struggling, like him, with the psychological trauma of war.

Hunt took his own life on March 31, 2011. His disability checks arrived five weeks later.

Tragically, Clay’s story is not unique. Every day, 18 veterans of the nation’s armed forces become casualties by their own hands. One thousand more attempt to take their own lives every month. The numbers are as grim for active duty and reserve soldiers: The Army just reported 27 suspected suicides for the month of May, higher than any other month this year.

“Those numbers are just the tip of the iceberg,” Paul Rieckhoff, executive director of the Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America, tells Danger Room. “This is a problem that’s clearly out of control.”

As Obama promises a drawdown of troops in Afghanistan and Iraq is coming to a close, the number of soldiers returning home is only rising. But after fighting for their country, these veterans are forced to fight a health care system that is not sufficiently able to help them. Last month the U.S. 9th Circuit Court of Appeals berated the Department of Veteran Affairs for delays in treating veterans who have the combat-related mental injuries that put them at an increased risk of suicide.

“The VA’s unchecked incompetence has gone on long enough; no more veterans should be compelled to agonize or perish while the government fails to perform its obligations,” the judges wrote in the majority ruling.

read more here
Veterans Die Facing Mountains of Red Tape

No-conscience lawmakers going after military retirement pay?

Lawmakers flirt with retired-pay overhaul
By Rick Maze - Staff writer
Posted : Tuesday Jun 28, 2011 13:12:39 EDT
Two cuts in military retired pay are under discussion as part of negotiations between Congress and the White House over the size of the U.S. national debt, but getting an agreement is proving difficult.

One cut is small, involving how annual cost-of-living adjustments are calculated. It could apply to military and federal civilian retirees, disabled veterans and survivors. The net effect would be annual adjustments that average one-quarter of a percentage point below what they would be under the current formula.

The second retired-pay option involves a complete overhaul of the benefit, replacing the 20-year model, which pays immediate benefits, with a new plan that could provide some retirement benefits for as few as five years of service — with the actual payments not starting until at least age 60 for any service members who do not retire on a full military disability.

As it stands, this proposal would apply only to future troops, not current retirees or anyone already in uniform.

The talks come as the U.S. has run out of borrowing power after reaching its current $14.3 trillion debt limit. The Treasury Department has warned the U.S. will run out of cash reserves to pay bills Aug. 2, which has become the deadline for reaching an agreement.
read more here
Lawmakers flirt with retired-pay overhaul

Marine/firefighter John Slivinski left behind a lot of questions

Fireman suspended for posing topless on charity calendar commits suicide
By DAILY MAIL REPORTER
Last updated at 10:51 PM on 27th June 2011

A fire-fighter who was disciplined for posing shirtless on a charity calendar has committed suicide, it was announced today.

Tragic: Philadelphia firefighter John Slivinski, at right, is photographed by Katherine Kostreva at Logan Circle. Colleagues are baffled after his suicide on Saturday

John Slivinski was found dead at his Lawndale, Philadelphia home on Saturday, with Police and colleagues saying the cause was suicide.

It is not known why he took his own life.

In April the 31-year-old former Marine was suspended from the city's prestigious 'Rescue One' unit after posing topless for a national fund-raising calendar.


Read more: Fireman suspended for posing topless on charity calendar commits suicide

VA pays $925,000 in Bridgeport exploding eyeball suit

VA pays $925,000 in Bridgeport exploding eyeball suit
Daniel Tepfer, Staff Writer
Updated 11:25 p.m., Monday, June 27, 2011

BRIDGEPORT -- The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs agreed Monday to pay $925,000 to a man whose eyeball exploded during a routine outpatient cataract operation at the West Haven Veterans Affairs hospital.

The settlement, on behalf of 60-year-old Jose Goncalves, of Hartford, was reached as the case was being prepared for trial in U.S. District Court here.

"Jose suffered excruciating pain after that botched surgery and continued to have severe pain for months afterward," said Christopher Bernard, Goncalves' lawyer. "The damage to the eye is obvious because his iris is missing and his eyelid droops. If anything should ever happen to the undamaged left eye, he could face total blindness."


Read more: VA pays $925,000 in Bridgeport exploding eyeball suit

Vietnam Vet killed by hit and run driver

Fort Worth hit-and-run victim, 70, had just started new job to help ill wife

BY ALEX BRANCH
abranch@star-telegram.com
FORT WORTH -- Jerry Winton was a Vietnam veteran, a strong, quiet man who rebuilt old cars and made providing for his family his top priority, his daughter said.

That's why the 70-year-old recently started a mechanical engineering job. His wife of 42 years has medical issues and, during the two years he was out of work, he paid about $1,000 a month for her health insurance.

"He was so happy to be working again," his daughter Cindy King said. "His whole life was about taking care of us."

Mr. Winton's family grieved Monday, two days after he was run over outside an east Fort Worth business. Police said that at 11 a.m. Saturday another driver backed his car into Mr. Winton's Chevrolet pickup in the parking lot of a doughnut shop in the 5600 block of Meadowbrook Drive, about four miles from his home.


Read more: Fort Worth hit-and-run victim

Vietnam vet who hit the Lottery four years ago may finally get some

65-year-old Vietnam vet who hit the Lottery four years ago may finally get some of his winnings

BY SCOTT SHIFREL
DAILY NEWS STAFF WRITER

Monday, June 27th 2011, 6:01 PM

A down-on-his luck Brooklyn vet who hit the Lottery four years ago may finally collect some of his winnings.

Walter Carver, 65, won $10,000 in 2007, but officials took more than half the money because he had once worked a welfare-to-work program.

Carver, who got about $1,000 after taxes, challenged the ruling but was slapped down in state court. A state appeals court has paved the way for the Vietnam veteran to get his winnings back.

"It was a scratch-off game," Carver told the Daily News. "I scratched it off and I was jumping around…then they told me there's a red flag on it."

"I said 'Wait a minute, wait a minute. I was working for my money. I'm not a deadbeat dad. I never signed anything that says they can take my money.' We've been fighting for this money for four years. I still haven't seen it."



Read more:
Vietnam vet who hit the Lottery four years ago may finally get some

Purple Mind movie covers PTSD on Facebook

Purple Mind seems to have it all. Flashbacks, nightmares, mood swings, rage and a veteran disconnected from his family. Above that, it has a Sheriff trying to help, fully aware of what Roy is going through.

Roy tried to go back to work, but his job was gone. Then he tried to file a claim but was called a liar since he answered "no" to every question before his discharge. They had to move out of their home, like to many other families. This is a story that is being played out across the country everyday.

A wise Vietnam Vet helps Roy journey back to healing by helping him put what he's feeling into words. Therapy is the best way to begin to heal. They are able to see that because they are carrying around so much pain, their soul is still there but grieving.

Roy talked about having to kill and survivor's guilt.

Once Roy started talking, he started healing.

Award-Winning PTSD Awareness Movie 'PURPLE MIND' Opens Internationally Online Directly to Facebook's Nearly 700 Million Users

Using the social power of Facebook, Purple Mind hopes to bring more attention to the serious issue of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder that military vets and families are dealing with

BERKELEY, Calif., June 28, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Landfall Productions and independent filmmaker Eric Stacey today announced their independent feature film "Purple Mind," which is a family/war drama about an Iraq combat vet's return home and subsequent battle with PTSD, is set to break new ground and premier on an international stage to almost 700,000,000 computer screens via FlickLaunch, "the first global film distribution platform built on Facebook."

Purple Mind recently won Best Actor award for its star, Will Shepherd, at the Bare Bones International Film Festival where it was also nominated for Best Drama, and received an Award of Merit from Indie Fest.

In late May, First Lady Michelle Obama and Dr. Jill Biden launched a Military Families Initiative to educate, challenge and spark action from all sectors of our society to ensure military families have the support they have earned. With 350,000 to 900,000 current GIs or recent veterans suffering the effects of PTSD, there is great need for support. Communities across the country are feeling the after-effects of the Iraq and Afghanistan wars. Approximately half the GIs with a PTSD diagnosis or major depression fail to seek treatment and wind up abusing alcohol and prescription drugs while divorce and serious crimes often follow.

Director Eric Stacey says, "'Purple Mind' is to help folks understand what military vets have been through and how difficult it is for many to re-adjust to 'normal' life. The general public needs to appreciate what these brave men and women are dealing with and encourage veterans suffering with PTSD to reach out and seek help."

In honor of "National PTSD Awareness Day", and in an effort to support the many groups and organizations dedicated to soldiers' and veterans' health and healing, the film's international release invites 500 free rentals of "Purple Mind," with subsequent 7-day rentals costing a dollar ($1). Stacey supports veterans groups such as Veterans for Peace and Iraq Veterans Against the War and plans to donate a share of the film's rentals to the groups. Watch Purple Mind.

Northrop Grumman Foundation and USO team up for Wounded Warriors

Northrop Grumman Foundation Helps Break Ground on USO Wounded Warrior and Family Center at Fort Belvoir

ARLINGTON, Va., June 27, 2011 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The Northrop Grumman Foundation participated in today's groundbreaking of the United Service Organization's (USO) Wounded Warrior and Family Center, to stand adjacent to the new hospital located on the grounds of Fort Belvoir in Virginia.

In front of a standing room only audience of over 250 military and industry representatives, media and invited guests, shovels wielded by elected officials, military dignitaries, industry supporters and USO leadership were used to break ground on the USO's first stateside Wounded Warrior and Family Center. Today's event also launched the Operation Enduring Care initiative of the USO.

The center at Fort Belvoir will be a high-end, 25,000 square foot facility where wounded troops and their families can find respite and renewal in "home away from home" surroundings. The center will be operated by the USO of Metropolitan Washington.

In April this year, the Northrop Grumman Foundation announced a $5 million pledge to Operation Enduring Care, which is the largest single gift to the USO in the 70-year history of the organization, and the founding donation to this initiative.
read more here
Northrop Grumman Foundation Helps Break Ground on USO Wounded Warrior

Soldiers Raising Awareness of PTSD

Soldiers Raising Awareness of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder
June 27 declared PTSD Awareness Day by US Senate

Published : Monday, 27 Jun 2011
Bob Barnard
bob.barnard@foxtv.com
By BOB BARNARD/myfoxdc

WASHINGTON - Did you know that June 27 is Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder Awareness Day and it has been declared so by the United States Senate?

North Dakota Sen. Kent Conrad sponsored the resolution honoring the efforts of a North Dakota Army National Guard unit that is trying to spread awareness of PTSD after one of their own, Sgt. Joe Biel, killed himself while battling PTSD.

June 27 was Sgt. Biel's birthday.

"We have a problem with mental health stigma in this country," says Tom Tarantino of the Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America. "We don't talk about it. We don't look at it the same way we look at physical wounds. It's not something that we're all aware of."

"It is treatable," says Army Sgt. Juan Alcivar. "As long as you just take it one step at a time."
Alcivar has suffered from PTSD since 2007 when he was wounded in Iraq.


Read more: Soldiers Raising Awareness of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder

News station focuses on Iraq veteran in sex crime sting

"A cook, a firefighter and then there was this man, an Iraq War Veteran" So the news station thought the biggest part of this story was that there was an Iraq veteran among the 25. Why is it when a few of them commit crimes they are all too willing to put the spotlight on them but when they need help to stay alive, the news never seems interested?

This is the headline for the video

Iraq veteran caught in child sex sting
Twenty-five men were arrested for allegedly trying to have sex with young girls and boys, including a man who earned the Purple Heart while serving in Iraq.

Long Island man impersonated soldier for upgrade on flight

N.Y. man accused of impersonating soldier
The Associated Press
Posted : Monday Jun 27, 2011 9:14:56 EDT
NEW YORK — Police say a Long Island man is accused of posing as a soldier so he could be bumped to first class on a flight to Kennedy International Airport.

Port Authority police arrested 22-year-old Rock Diaz of Freeport on charges of second-degree impersonation.
read more here
N.Y. man accused of impersonating soldier

Fort Bragg soldier accused of stabbing ex-wife

Police: Soldier stabbed ex-wife, held her captive

FAYETTEVILLE, N.C. — A Fort Bragg soldier has been charged with attacking his ex-wife over the weekend and then holding her captive for hours, police said Monday.

Sgt. Vincent Mark Berry, 26, of Pepperbush Drive, was charged Sunday with assault with a deadly weapon with intent to kill or inflict serious injury, first-degree kidnapping, assault on a female and communicating threats. He was being held under a $210,000 bond in the Cumberland County Detention Center on Monday afternoon.

Spc. Sherrell President said Berry stopped by her home on Geiberger Drive early Sunday. The couple divorced in December, police said.

President, who is newly pregnant, said Berry was "talking so crazy." They went to a bedroom, and he pulled out a chef knife he grabbed from the kitchen, she said.

read more here
Soldier stabbed ex-wife, held her captive

Anti-oxidants could ease Gulf War Syndrome, study finds

Anti-oxidants could ease Gulf War Syndrome, study finds
Published: June 27, 2011
A recent medical school study states anti-oxidant supplements significantly can reduce symptoms of Gulf War Syndrome, USA Today reports, an illness suffered by tens of thousands of veterans more two decades after the first conflict to free Kuwait after an invasion by Iraq.

The DOD-funded research, by Beatrice Golomb of the medical school at the University of California-San Diego, is slated to be released Monday to the Department of Veterans Affairs, USA Today reports.

In 2010, the VA approved $2.8 million in new research spending to fund three separate projects designed to find new treatments to the mysterious Gulf War Syndrome that has affected tens of thousands of veterans from the 1990-91 war. About 697,000 troops served in operations Desert Shield and Desert Storm, more than a third suffer from a collection of chronic symptoms such as fatigue, gastrointestinal problems, cognitive dysfunction, persistent headaches, and respiratory conditions.
read more here
Anti-oxidants could ease Gulf War Syndrome, study finds

U.S. Marine injured in hit-and-run crash

U.S. Marine injured in hit-and-run crash

MILWAUKIE, Ore. -
A U.S. Marine home on leave was injured in a hit-and-run crash Friday night.

Thai Huu Lam, 19, was walking on Southeast Oatfield Street when a truck hit him from behind, throwing Lam 30 feet. The driver left the scene without stopping.

Despite hitting his head on a tree, Lam is doing fine, said his cousin Kimberly Dang.

"He's talking. He remembers stuff," said Dang. "He's doing good. He's sore."

Dang said Lam has a fractured eye socket and cuts and scratches on his face, but that he is conscious and eager to be released from Oregon Health and Science University.
read more here
U.S. Marine injured in hit-and-run crash