Iraq and Afghanistan veterans want to know where the jobs are

When people ran for office last year, there was a lot of talk about what the American people wanted but most of us were stunned. We were not sure what "people" they were talking about since we were out of work. We heard a lot about the tax discounts for the wealthy when they claimed this special minority group were the "job creators" but they didn't seem to make any jobs for us as the unemployment rate went up. As bad as it was for families of veterans along with everyone else in the country, young men and women were coming back from Iraq and Afghanistan, after doing their jobs for the country, without a job back in the country. Not good news but what was worse is the fact that no one in congress has done a damn thing all year to change this situation. There has not been one jobs bill out of this congress. It's been all about defending the tax discounts for the rich and cutting everything else the rest of us need.

Now, we've all heard from the Tea Party whining about taxes but since when does a minority of voters become so powerful they can take away everything from the rest of us while supporting the wealthy? Any clue? Do you know why the media gave them that power? Has anyone in the media asked them where all of this attention to the deficit was during the time when the GOP run congress was writing blank checks to fund what they wanted and drove the deficit up? What about the money missing in Iraq? What about the fact there were two wars going on back then and not in the budget?

That's part of the problem with all of this insanity going on. This congress has not been serious about anything other than bending to the Tea Party's will even if it meant cutting what we owe the troops and our veterans. They just don't care. Congress is on vacation getting paid but Iraq and Afghanistan veterans are coming home on extended vacations with no jobs because congress didn't do theirs.

Jobless vet: It was easier in Iraq than at home
By Bill Whitaker

(CBS News) The unemployment rate has been around nine percent for almost two years, but it is surprising to see that unemployment for Iraq and Afghanistan veterans is nearly triple that.

Twenty-six percent of vets between the ages of 18-24 are out of work. CBS News correspondent Bill Whitaker takes a look at two veterans struggling to find a job.

In Iraq, the Oregon National Guard's 41st Infantry Brigade combat team provided security for convoys day and night -- a dangerous job.

From July 2009 to March 2010, convoys were routine for gunners Lawrence Burnham and Stephanie Anderson. Both good soldiers, they risked their lives and did their jobs. They dreamed of returning home to routine civilian jobs, as Stephanie said in this video resume posted from Iraq:

"I just love to work and I love to get the job done."

Lawrence Burnham made a video too: "I'm motivated and I'll be ready to work."

They returned home to Oregon as heroes. But more than a year later, they're feeling nearly defeated. Lawrence can't find a job, is running out of savings, almost running out of hope.

"It's very frustrating," said Burnham. "It's almost like you get to the point of 'What's the point?' 'What's the point in even looking for a job?' I'm not going to find one."
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It was easier in Iraq than at home

At least President Obama is trying to do something but I'm sure the Tea Party folks will complain about all of this too.

Obama to unveil jobs push for veterans
By Alexander Mooney, CNN White House Producer
August 5, 2011 4:43 a.m. EDT

STORY HIGHLIGHTS
The initiative aims to help former members of the military find private sector jobs,
It is part of a renewed job creation effort that focuses on unemployed veterans
The president is expected to lay out a series of reforms that his administration is pledging
It includes a "Returning Heroes and Wounded Warrior Tax Credit"

(CNN) -- President Barack Obama will outline a new initiative Friday that aims to help former members of the military find private sector jobs, part of a renewed job creation effort focusing on unemployed veterans.

In a speech at the Washington Navy Yard, the president is expected to lay out a series of reforms that his administration is pledging will better prepare service members for the civilian work force and encourage employers to hire recent veterans.

Among the president's proposals will be a "Returning Heroes and Wounded Warrior Tax Credit," which would provide businesses that hire veterans a tax break, varying in size depending on how long the newly-hired veteran has been unemployed and whether he or she has a disability.

At minimum in the president's proposal includes a $2,400 credit for hiring a short-term unemployed veteran while a $9,600 credit would be available for hiring a long-term unemployed and disabled veteran.

Obama will unveil a new Department of Defense task force that, with help from the administration's economic and policy teams, is charged with implementing new programs that ensure service members have the skills and training needed to transition to private sector jobs.

The administration is dubbing this transition period a "reverse bootcamp," during which more access to career guidance and counseling will be made available.

Meanwhile, the labor department will unroll an "enhanced career development and job search service package" while The Office of Personnel Management will publish a manual for business managers outlining how they can locate veterans with skills and training that match open positions.
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Obama to unveil jobs push for veterans

Missing credentials harm jobless veterans
By Alexandra Alper
NEW YORK | Fri Aug 5, 2011 12:02am EDT
(Reuters) - Army officer Donna Bachler has not had a regular paycheck since she left active duty four years ago, even though she boasts the kind of skills employers vie for.

Bachler, 30, helped run the Army's postal service in Kuwait, tackling challenges such as how to crack down on mailed contraband and speeding the flow of mail to troops.

Now back in the United States, she gets by on her husband's salary, which will be cut by more than half when he retires from the military as soon as next year.

"One of the ways I sold (military service) to myself and my parents is 'it looks good on a resume,'" said Bachler, who estimates she has applied for at least 1,000 jobs since 2007. "Sadly, it doesn't."

As U.S. military operations in Iraq and Afghanistan wind down, tens of thousands of veterans are flooding the job market at a time when millions of civilians cannot find jobs.

In June, unemployment among recent veterans grew to 13.3 percent, more than 4 percentage points higher than the national average.

From 2008 to 2010, that rate rose from 7.3 percent to 11.5 percent and it is expected to climb as more troops come home this year -- 10,000 from Afghanistan and, unless Iraq requests some to stay, the remaining 46,000 from that country.
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Missing credentials harm jobless veterans

U.S. government pays $7.5 million to medical malpractice victim

U.S. government pays $7.5 million to medical malpractice victim
By TRAVIS J. TRITTEN
Stars and Stripes
Published: August 4, 2011

Court upholds $7.5 million verdict for Air Force spouse who sued U.S. over treatment
District Court of Guam Civil Case No. 06-00008
United States Court of Appeals Document

CAMP FOSTER, Okinawa — The U.S. government has paid $7.5 million to an Air Force spouse, five months after a federal appeals court upheld the multi-million dollar award, citing negligence on the part of Air Force medical staff that left the woman disabled, the couple’s lawyer confirmed Thursday.

In March, the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in California upheld a 2008 verdict by the Guam district court awarding Deborah Rutledge $7.5 million, saying the amount was not excessive considering the extent of injuries she suffered when medical staff at an Andersen Air Force Base clinic on Guam failed for several weeks to diagnose a herniated spinal disk in 2004.
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U.S. government pays $7.5 million to medical malpractice victim

Judge allows veteran to sue Rumsfeld over his torture

Judge allows American to sue Rumsfeld over torture
By NEDRA PICKLER, Associated Press – 1 day ago
WASHINGTON (AP) — A federal judge has ruled that former Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld can be sued personally for damages by a former U.S. military contractor who says he was tortured during a nine-month imprisonment in Iraq.

The lawsuit lays out a dramatic tale of the disappearance of the then-civilian contractor, an Army veteran in his 50s whose identity is being withheld from court filings for fear of retaliation.

Attorneys for the man, who speaks five languages and worked as a translator for Marines collecting intelligence in Iraq, say he was preparing to come home to the United States on annual leave when he was abducted by the U.S. military and held without justification while his family knew nothing about his whereabouts or even whether he was still alive.

The government says he was suspected of helping pass classified information to the enemy and helping anti-coalition forces get into Iraq. But he was never charged with a crime, and he says he never broke the law and was risking his life to help his country.

Court papers filed on his behalf say he was repeatedly abused while being held at Camp Cropper, a U.S. military facility near the Baghdad airport dedicated to holding "high-value" detainees, then suddenly released without explanation in August 2006.
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Judge allows American to sue Rumsfeld over torture

Veterans in college six times more likely to attempt suicide than other students

Many Military Vets in College Plagued By Thoughts of Suicide
They're six times more likely than other students to attempt it, study shows
Posted: August 4, 2011

By Alan Mozes
HealthDay Reporter

THURSDAY, Aug. 4 (HealthDay News) -- American military veterans attending college are far more likely to entertain thoughts of suicide than fellow students who have never been in the military, a new national survey indicates.


Data from the poll paints a grave picture of these students' mental health: Nearly half of all vets currently in higher education say they have considered suicide at some point in their lives, while one in five say they have actually made plans to go through with it.

Such figures far exceed estimates of suicidal tendencies among college students who have never been in the military, the research team noted.

"The data suggest that the problems experienced by soldiers while on active duty don't end when they separate from the service," said study author David Rudd, of the National Center for Veterans Studies at the University of Utah in Salt Lake City. "Rather, a large number of student veterans continue to experience significant problems, including post-traumatic stress symptoms and suicide risk."

"The reported rate of suicide attempts among student veterans was six times that of the general student population," Rudd noted, "and those reporting 'serious' suicidal thoughts -- those thinking about suicide with a plan -- was more than three times that of the general student population."
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Many Military Vets in College Plagued By Thoughts of Suicide

Cops twice as likely to commit suicide than die in line of duty

Cops have a lot more in common with the troops than any other group. They not only witness traumatic events, they participate in them as well.

Tragic cases like Celina Cass a challenge for investigators
WCAX
Burlington, Vermont - August 3, 2011

"As a trooper, I can remember just about every mile marker where I had a fatal car crash," said Sonny Provetto, a licensed clinical social worker.

Provetto is a former Burlington Police officer and Vermont State Trooper. Now he helps other cops work through job-related trauma. He says the mental images of gruesome crime scenes stay with law enforcement officials long after the incident has passed.

For the hundreds of investigators working on the Celina Cass case in West Stewartstown, N.H., putting the little girl's tragic death out of their minds when the investigation is over could prove challenging. Provetto says incidents involving children rank fourth in job-related stress, behind killing in the line of duty, losing a partner or having a near death experience themselves.

"They will always remember exactly what it was like for them," Provetto said.

Stressors like these-- if left untreated-- can take their toll. Provetto says cops are twice as likely to commit suicide as die in the line of duty; 25 percent abuse alcohol to cope with their experiences and 6 to 14 percent suffer from post-traumatic stress disorder. But unlike war, police officers don't get to leave the geographical area that sparks the trauma.
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Tragic cases like Celina Cass a challenge for investigators

Vet Center Crucial Void For Veterans In Clarksville

Crucial Void For Veterans In Clarksville

CLARKSVILLE, Tenn. - There are four Veteran Centers in Tennessee. But not one of them is in Montgomery County, the only county with a military post and the highest number of veterans.

A group of local lawmakers said it doesn't make any sense and that the vital counseling services should be available in Fort Campbell's backyard to help with the often difficult transition from combat to life back in Clarksville.

"It's not easy because you go from being in this foreign country getting blown up having bombs grown at you keep your eyes out you cone back here and you are still doing the same thing it's hard," said Sandra Sawin, a recent vet and mother of two.

Sawin is supporting the push to get a Vet Center built in Clarksville.

"With it being Fort Campbell right here with so many soldiers right here why can't we gave one closer," she said.
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Crucial Void For Veterans In Clarksville

Sen. Murray wants other states to also track veterans' suicides

What has been reported on this blog is the fact that if they are not in the DOD system or the VA system, no one is tracking them. When we read numbers like 18 a day commit suicide, there are many, many more no one is tracking. It will be a lot higher once every state is actually tracking all of them.

Sen. Murray wants other states to also track veterans' suicides
Washington Sen. Patty Murray on Wednesday encouraged state governments to start tallying veteran suicides, as her state already does.

ADAM ASHTON; STAFF WRITER
Published: 08/04/11

Washington Sen. Patty Murray on Wednesday encouraged state governments to start tallying veteran suicides, as her state already does.

Her goal is to quantify an under-reported number that could help health agencies improve their outreach to service members who have fought in Iraq and Afghanistan.

The Department of Veterans Affairs has an incomplete picture of suicide among former service members because it doesn’t count the deaths of veterans not enrolled in VA care.

“One of the most significant obstacles to understanding veteran suicide is the lack of information available regarding these individuals,” Murray wrote with two of her Democratic colleagues in a letter to the National Governors Association.

“In many cases the Department of Veterans Affairs does not even know that a veteran has died if that individual was not enrolled in VA health care,” wrote Murray.

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Sen. Murray wants other states to also track veterans suicides

Army releases name of soldier found dead at Ariz's Fort Huachuca

Army releases name of soldier found dead at Ariz's Fort Huachuca hours after his weapon arrest
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
First Posted: August 03, 2011
FORT HUACHUCA, Ariz. — Army officials have released the name of a soldier found dead in his residence at Fort Huachuca in southern Arizona.

Authorities say 38-year-old Sgt. 1st Class Jose J. Algarin-Colon died Monday afternoon of an apparent gunshot wound.
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Army releases name of soldier found dead at Ariz's Fort Huachuca

National Guards promised $34M in Bonuses Under Question

Guard: $34M in Bonuses Under Question
August 03, 2011
Associated Press|by Tim Fought

PORTLAND, Ore. - The National Guard will allow an Oregon recruit the $20,000 bonus it promised her in 2007, even though it believes the money was among $34 million worth of incentives improperly granted in recent years.

A month ago, the Guard had asked Pfc. Chelsea Wells to return the first half of the bonus, which she got in 2008, and refused to pay the second half - even though it didn't suggest she had done anything wrong. But facing congressional pressure to honor Wells' contract, the Guard confirmed Tuesday that it changed its position in the case, which has opened a window into recruitment practices that involve a variety of incentives.

Since Wells' case came to light in mid-July, the Guard has revealed that a new verification system has found that more than 4,000 bonuses nationwide were "improperly offered to the applicant" in 2007-2009. Those incentives had been offered by recruiters and enlistment officers.
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$34M in Bonuses Under Question

Troops abusing alcohol has roughly doubled in the last five years

The "cure" of choice when soldiers do not feel safe seeking help for PTSD is alcohol. They want to numb what they do not want to feel anymore. It should come as no shock the number of troops abusing alcohol has doubled.

Army Hiring More Counselors for Alcohol Abuse
August 04, 2011
Associated Press|by Pauline Jelinek
WASHINGTON -- The Army is increasing its staff of substance abuse counselors by about 30 percent to help the rising number of troops with alcohol problems.

Officials said Wednesday that they posted 130 new job openings this week in hopes of increasing staff to counsel Soldiers at bases around the world from the current level of around 400.

"One of the largest challenges in maintaining health is addressing issues of substance abuse by our Soldiers," Army Vice Chief of Staff Gen. Peter Chiarelli said. Getting more qualified counselors to areas where there are staff shortfalls "is an issue that needs to be rectified as soon as possible."

The number of troops abusing alcohol has roughly doubled in the last five years as Soldiers go through the stressful cycle of training, serving in the wars, readjusting to home life and then doing it all over again months later, Dr. Les McFarling, head of the army's substance program, said in an interview.
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Army Hiring More Counselors for Alcohol Abuse

Drug court disbanded for lack of funding

Drug court disbanded for lack of funding
2011-08-04 / Community

State-mandated program focuses on treatment over jail
By Darleen Principe
darleen@theacorn.com
Certain nonviolent drug offenders in Ventura County will still have the opportunity to seek treatment in lieu of incarceration despite the recent disbanding of the county’s collaborative drug court program.

Proposition 36 Court, an underone roof justice program made up of representatives from Ventura County’s probation agency, behavioral health department, district attorney’s office and public defender’s office, held its last session on July 22.

According to Robert Sherman, assistant executive officer for the Ventura County Superior Court, funding cuts have forced agencies to withdraw from the program, which means it is “no longer viable” as a functioning collaborative court.
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Drug court disbanded for lack of funding

Mental health court expands during first eight months

Mental health court expands during first eight months

Posted: Wednesday, Aug 3rd, 2011
BY: April Bamburg

When an individual with a mental illness is arrested, the experience they have with law enforcement may be different than that of someone who doesn't suffer from a mental illness. For the past eight months, a program in Lincoln County has aimed to assist individuals with mental illnesses who have found themselves in trouble with the law. That program is the Lincoln County Mental Health Court.
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Mental health court expands during first eight months

Fort Hood female soldier saves baby from burning house

More Than 100 Firefighters Battle Major Fire, Soldier Rescues Baby From Home
Killeen firefighters battled a fire that consumed two houses on the north side of the city.
Reporter: Josh Wucher and Megan Snipes
KILLEEN (August 3, 2011)—Firefighters battled a major structure fire in Killeen near Fort Hood that consumed two houses.

The fire started as a house fire around 2:30 p.m. Wednesday on the 700 block of Northside Dr., but spread to Fort Hood.


A home was fully engulfed, and the fire spread to another home.

Three garages, three sheds, two cars, two boats, and a trailer were also destroyed by the fire.

Firefighters from Killeen, Harker Heights and Fort Hood were at the scene.

Fire departments from Southwest Bell County, Central Bell County, Temple and Copperas Cove also helped.

Before some firefighters arrived on the scene, a Fort Hood soldier sprung into action.

Army Pvt. Denae Jensen kicked down the door of a home and saved two puppies. She then ran into another burning home and saved a baby that was in the crib. The mother of the child was gathering their belongings at the time of the rescue.
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Soldier Rescues Baby From Home

Non-combat Deaths of Three Camp Lejeune Marines Being Investigated

UPDATE

3 MARSOC Marines, dog die in Afghan blaze
By Andrew deGrandpre - Staff writer
Posted : Wednesday Aug 3, 2011 18:09:32 EDT
Three Marine Corps special operators died Sunday along with a military dog after their living quarters caught fire in western Afghanistan.

Staff Sgt. Patrick R. Dolphin, 29, Sgt. Dennis E. Kancler, 26, and Sgt. Christopher M. Wrinkle, 29, were killed in Herat province, according to a Defense Department news release issued late Wednesday. All three were assigned to Marine Corps Forces Special Operations Command’s 2nd Marine Special Operations Battalion, based at Camp Lejeune, N.C.

MARSOC officials said only that the men died in a “non-combat” incident, and that the matter is being investigated by U.S. military personnel in Afghanistan.

But other sources with knowledge of the mishap told Marine Corps Times that the men died in a house fire.

A fourth MARSOC Marine and an Army special operator sustained unspecified injures as a result of the incident, said Maj. Jeffrey Landis, a MARSOC spokesman. It’s unclear whether they were evacuated from Afghanistan, he said.

A military dog also died in the incident, Landis said. He declined to comment on whether a fire caused the deaths.
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3 MARSOC Marines, dog die in Afghan blaze


Details released about area Marine's death

BY KATIE SULLIVAN (STAFF WRITER)Published: August 4, 2011

The death of an area Marine and former Elmhurst Township resident is still under investigation after he died while serving in Afghanistan.

Staff Sgt. Patrick R. Dolphin, 29, died July 31 while supporting combat operations in Herat province of Afghanistan, according to a press release from the Department of Defense.

Further details surrounding the incident are still unclear, said Major Jeff Landis, a spokesman for the United States Marine Corps Forces Special Operations Command.

Dolphin leaves behind a wife of more than two years, Lindsey, along with his parents Tom Dolphin and Jean Uffalussy, and a younger brother Tom Dolphin Jr., who all traveled to Dover, Del. to retrieve Sgt. Dolphin's remains Tuesday.

Read more:
Details released about area Marine death

Deaths of Three Camp Lejeune Marines Being Investigated
By WCTI Staff

ONSLOW COUNTY -- The Department of Defense announced Wednesday the deaths of three Marines who were based at Camp Lejeune.

Staff Sgt. Patrick R. Dolphin, 29, of Moscow, Pa., Sgt. Dennis E. Kancler, 26, of Brecksville, Ohio, and Sgt. Christopher M. Wrinkle, 29, of Dallastown, Pa., died July 31 as a result of a non-combat related incident in Herat province, Afghanistan.
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Deaths of Three Camp Lejeune Marines Being Investigated

Married Marines serve together in Afghanistan

Married Marines serve together in Afghanistan
Helicopter technicians say they don’t see each other much despite shared deploymen
BY GEOFF PURSINGER
The Times, Aug 4, 2011

Tigard native Branden McClintock doesn’t get to see his wife Krystal much these days.

As a sergeant in the U.S. Marine Corps serving in Afghanistan, that’s not too surprising.

What is surprising is that his wife is right there beside him.

McClintock is married to fellow avionics technician Sgt. Krystal Palace-McClintock from Kansas City, Mo. The couple met while serving in the Marine Light Attack Helicopter Squadron 267 and are currently serving their second tour together as helicopter technicians.

The McClintocks are one of three married couples currently deployed with the Camp Pendleton, Calif.,-based helicopter squadron in Helmand Province in Afghanistan.
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Married Marines serve together in Afghanistan

Marine Injured in Oceanside Motorcycle Crash

Marine Injured in Oceanside Motorcycle Crash
He attempted to split lanes in stopped traffic at a high rate of speed, the Highway Patrol reports.
By Tom Roebuck
August 3, 2011

A 22-year-old Marine stationed at Camp Pendleton was hospitalized with a compound fracture to his right leg Wednesday morning after the motorcycle he was driving hit a stopped car in Oceanside, according to the Highway Patrol.
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Marine Injured in Oceanside Motorcycle Crash

House doesn't care if you have a job or not

Wonder why the unemployment rate is going up? Look in one place for the answer. Hint, it's in Washington DC. The building is supposed to be housing people with one mission. That mission is supposed to take care of the people in this country. They called it "the people's house" for that reason.

The People's House is a colloquial term used to describe the institution of the United States House of Representatives.
The term comes from the populist characteristics of the House: smaller representative districts, shorter terms of office for its members and (perhaps most importantly) direct election by the people. The House of Representatives was the only branch of the Federal government to be directly elected by the people until ratification of the Seventeenth Amendment to the United States Constitution in 1913, when the Senate was made a directly elected body.

Ever since January when this congress began session, it has not been about what the people in this country need. It has not been about our jobs or making this country a better place for all of her citizens. It has been all about focusing on the wealthy, protecting their tax discounts and cutting everything else so that the people in this country not interested in paying taxes won't have to. How unAmerican is that? It sounds good because no one wants to pay taxes but most of the people in this country fully understand that we have to pay to have this country succeed.

The military, funded by taxes, is not just about contractors making millions off every contract. It is also about the men and women serving this country, putting their physical lives on the line and their personal lives on hold. It's their families wondering how to make ends meet at the same time they are wondering if their loved one is in danger, hurt or if they will get the stranger in uniform at the door with sad news. It is about their retirement after they served their 20 years or more being able to collect military retirement and Social Security after paying into both systems. It is about knowing they will be able to take care of their families if they are wounded in action and if they will have their medical needs met.

You want to be able to fly with some assurance you will arrive safely? We're heading into the tenth year after this nation was attacked on that bright September morning. Four planes were taken over and since then security at airports across the country has been increased so that people will be safe to fly and no more plans will be used as weapons against civilians. We all understood this ten years ago but the people working for the TSA and the FAA don't do it for free. They have bills to pay just like everyone else. What did Congress do? They took off for vacations without funding the FAA. Now we have people out of work and money paid by passengers not collected for the country.

FAA
$200 million a week not being collected in taxes but paid by passengers. Fiscal responsibility? Nope. Then there are the employees out of jobs and in the unemployment line.


There are 4,000 of them in the unemployment line now along with 70,000 construction workers.

Then there are the weakest among us. The homeless. Since there are not enough jobs to go around even though some folks in congress kept the tax discounts for the rich going claiming they are the job creators instead of terminators, more people became homeless under their watch. Well, it looks like once we finally arrived at a time when there was a lot being done to help the homeless, we did a u-turn. Not only are they being left to fend for themselves more and more, now there are wonderful people out of work who used to take care of them.

Chicago

City Lays Off 24,

Owing to their homeless program's state funding being cut in half, the city's Department of Family and Support Services announced Tuesday that they have been forced to lay off 24 employees effective Sept. 1.

The majority of the workers being laid off staffed the overnight, midnight-to-8 a.m. shift, picking up homeless individuals and transporting them to shelters, the Chicago Sun-Times reports. Now those individuals will likely go without the city's help during the evening, making an already bad system even worse, according to Julie Dworkin, director of policy for the Chicago Coalition of the Homeless.

"They tell you to go to a hospital or a police station and the van will come to take you to a shelter. But, people often have to wait hours for the van to come," Dworkin told the Sun-Times.

"From now on if you call in the middle of the night, you can add another eight hours to your wait."
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Cuts Overnight Emergency Homeless Services

In state after state public employees are losing their jobs, yet the same folks responsible for them walking the streets are the ones screaming about the unemployment rate pointing a twisted finger at the President as if they had nothing to do with any of this. Well, in a way they are right. They had nothing to do with putting people back to work but plenty to do with putting them out of work and as for the term "the People's House" they should put a sing up "Sold to the highest bidder."

One third of the homeless are veterans. Veteran lose their homes all the time because they cannot work and their claims are not approved fast enough leaving them with no income. National Guards and Reservist usually work in public service on their regular jobs, as police officers, firefighters, emergency responders and every other agency the rest of us depend on. Imagine being notified you will be deployed at the same time you get a layoff notice.

Now we may be able to appreciate the folks saying they don't want to pass on the debt to their kids but that is only if we don't look at them right now. What kind of country do we want them growing up in? One that takes care of the wealthy on the backs of the rest of the population or one that manages to do the right thing? Do we want them growing up worrying about their roads, bridges and tunnels being safe for us to take them for a ride? Safe to fly down to Disney for a vacation? Safe to take medicine, drink water, eat food without being made sick? Do we want to know that if they do get sick they can go to a doctor to get better?

Do we want them to grow up worried they will not learn enough in school because their classroom is overcrowded due to teacher layoffs? What kind of future will they have with a lousy education? Do we want them to know that they do matter and we fully accept the responsibility to make sure they have the best education possible no matter what income class their parents belong in?

There are folks in congress wanting to keep things plan and simple so that people will just think of their words instead of what their words mean. They want us to be deaf to the cries of our own neighbors, dumb enough to follow where they want us to go and blind to the fact they are being funded by the wealthy they owe their careers to.

Tea Party elected put military pay and veterans programs in line for cuts

Is this what the people who voted for these Tea Party folks really wanted? Did they even pay attention to what they were up to before they voted for them? It has been clear from the start that anything to do with the government was not worth anything and now they just proved it.

Under debt deal, military pay, veterans programs in play for cuts
By Bob Brewinbbrewin@govexec.com
August 3, 2011
Military pay raises, funding for veterans health care and the Post-9/11 GI Bill could be sacrificed to new fiscal realities as the result of the deal signed by President Obama on Tuesday to raise the federal debt ceiling, according to the Military Officers Association and veterans groups. The law requires the federal budget be cut $2.1 trillion over 10 years.

The White House said it plans to cut $350 billion from the Defense Department budget (excluding war funding) over the next decade. Retired Air Force Col. Michael Hayden, the association's deputy director for government relations, said this means "everything is on the table," including military pay.

While Congress historically has been reluctant to freeze military pay, the 2011 Budget Control Act signed by Obama on Tuesday makes it clear upfront that military pay is no longer off-limits in budget discussions. If the administration and Congress fail to make the required reductions then across-the-board cuts in discretionary funding will be triggered through a procedure known as sequestration. The law gives the president "authority to exempt any [military] personnel account from sequestration" but only if "savings are achieved through across-the-board reductions in the remainder of the Department of Defense budget," states a House Rules Committee analysis of the bill.
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Under debt deal, military pay, veterans programs in play for cuts

Wasn't it bad enough with all the fighting over protecting tax cuts for the wealthy ended up making them worried about being deployed and not getting paid? What happened to the jobs these people said they wanted to create? Any bills done on getting people back to work? What happened to honoring the men and women serving this country? Any idea who the hell is supposed to process claims and take care of the wounded if employees get cut? There are not enough of them now!

Decorated Vietnam veteran's valor is saluted

Vietnam veteran's valor is saluted

by Phil Keren & Ellin Walsh
FALLS NEWS-PRESS EDITOR, REPORTER

Cuyahoga Falls officials on July 22 recognized a decorated Vietnam veteran by renaming a portion of Front Street in his honor.

Bernard V Slider Jr., "J.R." to his friends, died Oct. 7, 2003, after a battle with cancer. He was 53.

About 20 people -- including Mr. Slider's brothers Don and Ken, and his father, Bernard V. Slider Sr. -- attended a brief ceremony in sweltering heat at the corner of Front Street and Grant Avenue across from American Legion Post 281.

Mayor Don Robart designated the day (July 22) as "Sgt. J.R. Slider Day" in Cuyahoga Falls. Donald and Ken Slider then unveiled the sign at Front Street and Grant Avenue which bears the name "Sgt. J.R. Slider Silver Memorial Way."

"It's beautiful," said Ken Slider moments after the ceremony concluded. A catalyst in getting the city to designate the stretch of street in his brother's honor, Don Slider says J.R. "was the most highly decorated Vietnam veteran in Summit County." The idea of honoring J.R. this way has been in the works for three years. "His dedication to our country set him apart," Ken Slider says, adding, "if your life had to be in somebody else's hands, you'd want it to be J.R.'s."

Sgt. Slider served in the U.S. Army -- Company E, 2nd Battalion (Airborne) 502nd Infantry as a radio-telephone operator during Vietnam. He received two Purple Heart medals, the Silver Star for gallantry in action, eight air medals, the Brave Eagle coin for valor and two Bronze Stars.
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Vietnam veteran valor is saluted

Vietnam MIA comes home to Knox

Vietnam veteran, missing for decades, comes home to Knox
By Terry Turner Post-Tribune correspondent

Updated: August 3, 2011 1:59AM

KNOX — Andy Howes, missing in action since 1970 and Starke County’s final casualty of the Vietnam War, came home Monday evening to a tremendous turnout of veterans, classmates and the Knox and Starke County community.

The emotional goodbye for the 1968 graduate of Knox High School, who was just 19 when the Huey he was co-piloting was lost as he and his fellow crew members were returning from a mission, continued Tuesday evening, in what family members termed “a homecoming.”

Howes’ casket was carried a block-and-a-half by fellow Vietnam veterans from the M.C. Smith Funeral Home to the Knox Community Center. A long line of flag-carrying Indiana Patriot Guards on both sides of the street stood at attention as the casket went by.

Howes will be buried in his final resting place at Arlington National Cemetery on Aug 5.
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Vietnam veteran, missing for decades, comes home to Knox

VA Kicks Off National Caregiver Support Conference

VA Kicks Off National Caregiver Support Conference

Caring for Those Who Care for Our Veterans



WASHINGTON (Aug. 3, 2011) - Dr. Robert Petzel, Department of Veterans Affairs Under Secretary for Health, gave the keynote address Aug. 2 kicking off the 2011 National Caregiver Support Conference, "Caring for Those Who Care for Our Veterans."



The training conference, August 2-4 in Washington highlights VA's support of caregivers of all eras, with plenary sessions featuring national experts in care giving.



The conference follows the implementation of landmark legislation by VA that provides a direct benefit for the first time to designated, approved family caregivers of eligible Post 9/11 Veterans, which includes monthly stipends and health insurance.



"Family caregivers are full partners with VA who help to ensure that Veterans receive the top-quality care they have earned," said Dr. Petzel. "Expanded services will support family caregivers, improve their self-care, provide training and help them connect with each other
for support and encouragement."



Veterans and Servicemembers undergoing medical discharge may be eligible for the family caregiver program if they incurred or aggravated a serious injury in the line of duty on or after 9/11/2001, are in need of personal care services, and meet defined eligibility criteria.



The conference is part of the comprehensive program of caregiver support that VA is implementing.



"Staff from VA medical centers across the country are attending to share best practices and gain new understanding of the unique challenges faced by family caregivers of Veterans from all eras," said Deborah Amdur, chief consultant, Care Management and Social Work Service.



The department began accepting applications for caregiver stipend and benefits payments by mail, telephone and online May 9. As of July 26, there have been 1,644 total applications received and in process. To date, 567 stipends have been approved with a monthly average of $1,600.



In addition, caregiver support includes the new caregiver website that was launched May 31. The website -- www.caregiver.va.gov -- is now averaging more than 1,481 hits per day, 4.5 pages viewed per visit, for a total of at least 6,649 pages viewed daily.



As one of the primary outreach tools to reach caregivers and Veterans of all eras, the website includes a zip code search feature to locate the nearest VA medical center-based caregiver support coordinator, links to existing VA social media, and information on future caregiver-specific social media features.



In collaboration with Easter Seals, the VA core caregiver training continues to be conducted through home study as well as traditional classrooms. Classroom training was conducted June 9-10 in Silver Spring, Md.; July 7-8 in Reno, Nev.; and July 21-22 in Augusta, Ga. An additional 13 classroom training sessions are scheduled nationwide in the next 90 days. More classes will be scheduled as requested. Online training will be available Aug. 5.



VA's Caregiver Support Line (1-855-260-3274), located at the Canandaigua VA Medical Center in New York has responded to more than 12,132 calls since its inception Feb. 1. Clinical social workers respond to calls, provide information and referral to VA and community resources, and
offer supportive counseling to callers from across the country. Since May 21, the Caregiver Support Line has been staffed 24/7.



Congress created the new benefits for family caregivers of eligible Post 9/11 Veterans in legislation known as the Caregivers and Veterans Omnibus Health Services Act of 2010 (PL 111-163), which was signed by the President in May 2010.

Ineligible contractors getting $500M a year from VA

Ineligible contractors getting $500M a year from VA, OIG says
Federal auditors found programs for vet-owned and disabled-vet-owned companies rife with problems

By Alice Lipowicz
Aug 02, 2011
Federal auditors took a hard look at procurement practices at the Veterans Affairs Department in two new reports, finding that VA is likely to be awarding about $500 million a year to ineligible contractors.

In a July 25 audit, investigators evaluated the veteran-owned small business (VOSB) and the service-disabled veteran-owned small business programs (SDVOSB), which together generated about $3.5 billion in procurements in fiscal 2010, or about 23 percent of total VA procurements.

The inspector general’s office reviewed 42 “statistically-selected” contracts in those two programs with a total value of $46.5 million that had been awarded to businesses alleged to be eligible for those programs. The review found that 32 of the businesses were ineligible to participate in the programs or were ineligible for the specific contracts they were awarded.

Based on that analysis, the inspector general’s office forecasted the total impact of contracts in those programs awarded to businesses that are ineligible for those programs.
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Ineligible contractors getting $500M a year from VA

Saginaw VA evacuated after bomb threat

UPDATE: Patients, workers return to VA hospital after evacuation
Published: Wednesday, August 03, 2011
By Justin L. Engel
The Saginaw News
SAGINAW — State police have given workers and patients the OK to return to Lutz Veterans Affairs Medical Center after someone called in a bomb threat this morning, a hospital spokeswoman said.
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Patients, workers return to VA hospital after evacuation

Iraq War veteran in 2010 Okemos standoff gets probation, rehab

Iraq War veteran in '10 Okemos standoff gets probation, rehab

Written by
Kevin Grasha

EAST LANSING - An Iraq War combat veteran who was involved last year in a standoff with police continued Tuesday on his path to rehabilitation.

At a hearing that was part of Ingham County's veterans' court program, Judge David Jordon sentenced Brad Eifert to 24 months of probation and ordered him to complete treatment for post-traumatic stress disorder.

That treatment will take place at a residential program near Rochester, N.Y., that accepted Eifert after his case was publicized last month in a New York Times article. The program, called Warrior Salute, typically offers three to six months of treatment. It is designed to help soldiers who suffer from post-traumatic stress disorder and/or traumatic brain injury.

"The direction you're going is forward," Jordon told Eifert. "I think this program will be a great jump-start for you."
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Iraq War veteran in Okemos standoff gets probation, rehab

Marine Corps pushing for congressional medal for first black Marines

Marine Corps pushing for congressional medal for first black Marines amid push to diversify

By Associated Press, Published: August 2

SAN DIEGO — The top leader of the Marine Corps said Tuesday that he wants the first black members of the Marines to be awarded the Congressional Gold Medal and hopes their story will inspire more black men and women to join the Corps and rise through its ranks.

Commandant Gen. James Amos told hundreds of Marine Corps officers at the National Naval Officers Association meeting that it was time for Congress to honor the group known as the Montford Point Marines.

About 20,000 black Marines underwent basic training in the 1940s after President Franklin D. Roosevelt integrated the Marine Corps. They were trained at the segregated Camp Montford Point in Jacksonville, N.C., as racism continued in the Marine Corps and society.

The black troops were not allowed to enter the main base of nearby Camp Lejeune unless accompanied by a white Marine.

By 1945, many of the black recruits had become drill instructors and non-commissioned officers at Montford Point. The segregated camp was closed down in 1949 and black recruits were sent to Parris Island and Camp Pendleton like all new Marines. The Corps was fully integrated during the Korean War.

The Congressional Gold Medal is awarded to a civilian or group of civilians as the highest expression of national appreciation for distinguished achievements and contributions.
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Marine Corps pushing for congressional medal for first black Marines

Veterans’ unclaimed remains buried in emotional ceremony

Veterans’ unclaimed remains buried in emotional ceremony

Photo by Melissa Treolo.


A student at Fort Leavenworth’s Command and General Staff College silently pays tribute over the remains formerly unclaimed World War I veterans during Tuesday’s funeral services at Fort Leavenworth National Cemetery. In all, the cremains of14 veterans, including one dating to the Civil War, were laid to rest after decades languishing on the storage shelves of a Missouri-based funeral home.

By Melissa Treolo
August 3, 2011

Fort Leavenworth — Sun Rodgers of Leavenworth and Betty Wright of Shawnee cried and clung together during last week’s funeral service at Fort Leavenworth National Cemetery.

The two Gold Star Mothers didn’t know the 14 veterans and three veterans’ wives who were buried July 26 in a military funeral organized by the Missing in America Project, but they said the experience was still an emotional one. It brought fresh to mind the sons they had lost — Rodgers’ son, Sgt. Ricky Rodgers, to an illness in 2005 while stationed at Fort Polk, La.; and Wright’s son, Pvt. Shawn Wright, to suicide in 1991 while home on leave.

Shortly after their deaths, Ricky Rodgers and Shawn Wright received appropriate burials with military honors. The honors bestowed on the 14 veterans buried last week, however, were long overdue.

Pvt. George McCarthy served in the Civil War and died in 1946 at the age of 102. He was cremated and his ashes sat unclaimed in the storage of Missouri-based funeral home D.W. Newcomer’s Sons for more than 60 years. Cremains of the 13 other veterans, all of whom served in World War I, suffered a similar fate, having no one to claim them for decades.

That is, until the Missing in America Project stepped in. The national nonprofit organization works closely with funeral homes to validate and give proper burial services to veterans left unclaimed by family members. Linda Smith, head of operations for the organization, says any given funeral home in the United States could have anywhere from 10 to 1,000 sets of veterans’ cremains in its storage. Usually state laws dictate that funeral homes must hold onto those remains until such time as they are claimed, Smith said. It is the Missing In America Project’s goal to claim and validate as many unclaimed veterans as possible, making sure each and every one is buried, with appropriate military honors, in a national cemetery.
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Veterans unclaimed remains buried in emotional ceremony

Two Lewis-McChord soldiers committed suicide in front of others

Police investigating two apparent soldiers suicides in recent weeks
By Austin Jenkins

Police in Lakewood, Wash., are investigating the apparent suicides of two soldiers from the nearby Joint Base Lewis-McChord in recent weeks. In both cases, police say the soldiers shot themselves in the presence of someone else.

The first soldier to die was Spc. Rory Johnson, age 29. He was part of the hard hit 5th Stryker Brigade that deployed to Afghanistan in 2009 and 2010.

Eleven days after Johnson's death, Spc. Jonathon Gilbert shot himself. He was just 21 and had deployed to Iraq in 2009.

Lakewood police are releasing few details, but they will say the suicides took place at social gatherings and other soldiers were present.
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Police investigating two apparent soldiers suicides

As sad as these stories are, keep in mind that the witnesses of these suicides had to deal with shock on top of the loss. They will need more help because of this. After trauma there is a 30 window. If the symptoms do not fade over a month, then they need to seek help. If they talk to someone right after the event, PTSD does not usually take hold. Friends and family members need to be watchful for signs of change in the soldiers. Often they cannot see the changes in themselves or will deny they are suffering believing they will just get over it.

Study shows anti-depressants aren't enough to treat PTSD

"Eighty-nine percent of veterans diagnosed with PTSD who are treated with medication are given antidepressants, the only type of medication that's FDA-approved to treat the disorder. But for many, anti-depressants aren't enough."

That is what this new study found but it has been the way the DOD has been "treating" PTSD. Servicemen and women end up being given pills when they finally seek treatment for PTSD but they do not receive the therapy needed in order to heal.

Medications will only numb emotions. They do not take away the reason the person has PTSD. That can only come from therapy. The strongest recommendation came years ago when Vietnam veterans were suffering and forced the VA to treat it. Taking care of the whole person is vital. Treat the mind, yes, but you also have to treat the body so they learn to calm down and relax. You also have to treat the spirit or soul, in order to sort things out and find peace.

Medication is the easiest, quickest way to get them out of the office and send them on their way but it is not the best way to heal them.

Antipsychotic Meds Not Effective for Combat PTSD

By LARA SALAHI (@LaraSalahiABC)
August 2, 2011

Risperidone, antipsychotic medication normally prescribed to treat symptoms of schizophrenia and bipolar disorder, may not be effective in treating symptoms of chronic post-traumatic stress disorder, according to a study published Tuesday in the Journal of the American Medical Association.

Risperidone is commonly prescribed as an add-on treatment for veterans with the more severe forms of PTSD who do not respond to antidepressants.

"There are many in the VA that are exposed to multiple traumatic situations," said Dr. John Krystal, director of the clinical neuroscience division for the Veterans Affairs National Center for PTSD and lead author of the study.

Eighty-nine percent of veterans diagnosed with PTSD who are treated with medication are given antidepressants, the only type of medication that's FDA-approved to treat the disorder. But for many, anti-depressants aren't enough.


read more here
Antipsychotic Meds Not Effective for Combat PTSD



also

And then there is this new report coming out about child soldiers from Uganda being treated with "narrative therapy" that shows talk therapy works.

"One-third were treated with narrative exposure therapy, in which 'the participant constructs a detailed chronological account of his or her own biography in cooperation with the therapist to reconstruct fragmented memories of traumatic events and to achieve habituation,' the study said.

Eighty per cent of those subjects (20 of 25 participants) 'were found to have improved with regard to PTSD severity' after eight sessions of 90-120 minutes each."

If you're wondering what this has to do with our young servicemen and women, think of this. Most join the military right out of high school. In other words, well before the emotional part of their brain has fully developed, which happens around the age of 25. Humans are still just human no matter what country they are from. War traumas are war traumas.

Aug 3, 2011
Narrative therapy helps child soldiers: Study
WASHINGTON - BRIEF therapy to help Ugandan former child soldiers talk about their experiences showed the best results in getting rid of post-traumatic stress disorder, said a study published in the US on Tuesday.

The method could be performed by local volunteers at low cost, and was more effective than academic catch-up classes or being put on a waiting list for treatment, said the study in the Journal of the American Medical Association.

The practice could offer an inexpensive way to ease the transition back to regular life for the 250,000 young people estimated to be actively involved in fighting conflicts in 14 countries around the world, according to UN figures. A total of 85 former child soldiers aged 12-25 who were clinically diagnosed with PTSD took part in what researchers at Germany's Bielefeld University described as the first-ever randomised controlled study of mental health interventions.
read more of this here
Narrative therapy helps child soldiers

The problem with this type of therapy is, as the saying goes, "talk is cheap" so there aren't any corporations charging millions for medications over a lifetime. Psychiatrists cannot take simple medication appointments every ten minutes if the veterans of combat are being treated with talk therapy and sorting things out emotionally.

Depending on how long PTSD was not treated, there may be a need to continue medications to keep the chemicals in the brain in balance, but with therapy, these medications can be reduced according to most of the experts without an axe to grind.

There are service groups around the county doing it. For the mind there is Give an hour has volunteer therapists ready to help.

Then for the spirit, there is Point Man Ministries with a mission statement that reads;

“ To connect the hurting veteran as well as their families and friends with others who have already begun the transition home after war. With Jesus Christ as our focal point it is our desire is to provide spiritual and emotional healing through our existing Outpost and Home Front system.”

They offer support and address the spiritual part of the veteran but they also take care of the family members to help them get through all of what comes with PTSD, thus helping the veteran heal from knowledge, understanding and spiritual strength of their own.

We can keep doing what has failed hoping the rates of suicides and attempted suicides goes down or we can do what is necessary to make that happen for more veterans. When they want to dedicate their lives in the military it should not mean they have to surrender the rest of their lives to suffering for it. We can get serious about helping them or we can keep repeating the same mistakes that have produced more deaths by suicide, more divorces, more unemployment, more homeless veterans and yes, even more crimes.

Vietnam Vets being pushed out of Legion Post

Debate over military credentials in Auburn
VIETNAM VETS SAY THEY'RE BEING PUSHED OUT
By Shaun Sutner TELEGRAM & GAZETTE STAFF
ssutner@telegram.com

From left, Fran Bujnowski, Fred A. Carley, Dave L. Peckham and Dean O. Stevens are seen with a Vietnam War-era helicopter at Legion Post 279. (T&G Staff/TOM RETTIG)

AUBURN — Members of a Vietnam veterans group who questioned the military credentials of a former state commander of the American Legion say they are being retaliated against, including being ordered to remove their Vietnam-era helicopter from post property.

The Vietnam veterans say that rather than disciplining the local Legion post official, William R. Barbour Jr., local Legion leaders have made them out to be the villains.

About 50 Vietnam veterans, most of whom also are members of the Auburn Legion post, say they have been told that their Vietnam Veterans of America chapter can no longer meet at the Auburn post, and that they have two months to remove the Cobra attack helicopter, which has been on display at the post since the late 1990s.

“That's just retaliation, pure unadulterated retaliation,” said Lawrence J. Corbin III, a member of the VVA group and service officer and former chairman of the executive committee of the Legion's Chester B. Tuttle Post 279 in Auburn.

“Barbour has been exposed for being a fraud,” Mr. Corbin said. “I told them ‘you can't just ignore this.' ”

Mr. Barbour's alleged embellishment of his military record was reported by the Telegram & Gazette June 26 after several veterans associated with the Auburn post said Mr. Barbour had claimed to be an Air Force lieutenant colonel and had often appeared in public with a badge worn by naval officers.
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Debate over military credentials in Auburn

New PSA Combats Spice Use Among Military

New PSA Combats Spice Use Among Military

Synthetic Drug Spice Mimics Marijuana

SAN DIEGO -- A controversial campaign launched by a Marine general aims to combat the use of spice, a synthetic drug that mimics marijuana.

The effects of spice are unpredictable and range from headaches to psychedelic trips.

The drug has appealed to young people and some members of the military because standard drug tests could not detect it.

In a new public service announcement, a one-star Marine general based in Japan takes aim at spice.

"The use of spice has no role in our corps," says the general in the PSA. "It degrades readiness, [and] puts other Marines and sailors at risk… I ask you to join me, police our ranks, hold other Marines and sailors accountable and say, 'Not in our corps!'"
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New PSA Combats Spice Use Among Military

U.S. Air Force Sargent back from Iraq wins $1 million lotto jackpot

'I bent down and kissed the ground': U.S. Air Force Sargent back from Iraq wins $1 million lotto jackpot
By DAILY MAIL REPORTER
Last updated at 7:40 AM on 2nd August 2011

A U.S. Air Force staff Sargent back from a tour in Iraq has hit the jackpot after winning $1 million on a lottery scratch card.

Tim Ruch was at Washington D.C.'s Nationals Park for a July 5th Military Appreciation Night when he bought the $20 D.C. Lottery Gold scratch card.

Sgt. Ruch, who was back from a 6-month tour in Iraq, was with a friend who he hadn't seen for more than a year when he says he made the impulse buy.
Read more: U.S. Air Force Sargent back from Iraq wins $1 million lotto jackpot

Gov. Scott's name on Veterans Hall of Fame?

The state of Florida has an abundance of heroes to honor that would inspire a sense of pride, however, Governor Scott should have never been part of this even mentioned unless they wanted to include all veterans instead of combat veterans with the medals to prove they went above and beyond.

Florida Veterans' Hall of Fame: What Could Go Wrong?

Published: Tuesday, August 2, 2011 at 12:08 a.m.
Last Modified: Tuesday, August 2, 2011 at 12:08 a.m.
In the midst of its slash-and-burn session this spring, the Florida Legislature found something noncontroversial to do — or so it probably thought.

It seemed like a good idea. Lawmakers passed a bill that established a Florida Veterans' Hall of Fame to honor "those military veterans, who, through their works and lives during and after their military service, have made a significant contribution to the state of Florida."

The best part (from a legislator's point of view)? The Hall of Fame will be administered "without appropriation of state funds."

What could be better? It's a bipartisan bill that everyone — Republicans, Democrats, independents, fundamentalists, apathetics, agnostics — could rally around, and it wouldn't cost them a dime. Who could possibly be offended?

Those lawmakers reckoned without Rick Scott — the amateur-but-superambitious politician who bought his way into the Governor's Office and actually thought he deserved to be there because he spent so much money that his company illegally extracted from the federal Medicare program.

Q: When the list of the first class of Florida Veterans' Hall of Fame honorees was drawn up, and submitted for approval to Rick Scott and three other Republicans, who was one of the front-line honorees?

A: Rick Scott.

Q: Who submitted the list?

A: Actually, it was Rick Scott's hand-picked Veterans Affairs Department appointee and former chief of staff.
read more here
Florida Veterans' Hall of Fame

Cpl. Larry Smedley


U.S. Army Staff Sgt. Robert Miller Oviedo FL Medal of Honor




Medal of Honor for Floridians

Indian Wars
Varnum, Charles Albert
Army
Pensacola, FL

Philippine Insurrection
Condon, Clarence Milville
Army
St. Augustine, FL

World War I
Ormsbee, Jr., Francis Edward
Navy
Florida

World War II
**Femoyer, Robert Edward
Army AC
Jacksonville, FL

McCampbell, David
Navy
West Palm Beach, FL

**McGuire, Jr., Thomas Buchanan
Army AC
Sebring, FL

**McTureous, Jr., Robert Miller
USMC
Altoona, FL

Mills, James Henry
Army
Fort Meade, FL

**Nininger, Jr., Alexander Ramsey
Army
Fort Lauderdale, FL

Korean War
**Bennett, Emory L.
Army
New Smyrna, FL
Cocoa, FL

**Lopez, Baldomero
USMC
Tampa, FL

Vietnam War
**Bowen, Jr., Hammett Lee
Army
Jacksonville, FL

**Carter, Bruce Wayne
USMC
Jacksonville, FL

**Cutinha, Nicholas Joseph
Army
Fernandina Beach, FL
Coral Gables, FL

Ingram, Robert R.
Navy
Clearwater, FL


**Jenkins, Jr., Robert Henry
USMC
Interlachen, FL
Jacksonville, FL

Lassen, Clyde Everett
Navy
Fort Myers, FL
Jacksonville, FL

**Sims, Clifford Chester
Army
Port St. Joe, FL
Jacksonville, FL

**Smedley, Larry Eugene
USMC
Orlando, FL

War On Terror (Iraq)
**Smith, Paul Ray
Army
Tampa, FL

Peace Time Awards
**Corry, Jr., William Merrill
Navy
Quincy, FL
Florida

Scott Pulls Controversial Name From Veterans' Hall of Fame List
By LLOYD DUNKELBERGER
Ledger Tallahassee Bureau
Published: Friday, July 29, 2011 at 4:20 a.m.
Last Modified: Friday, July 29, 2011 at 4:20 a.m.
TALLAHASSEE | Gov. Rick Scott's office sought to distance itself Thursday from the embarrassment of a list of prospective inductees to the new Florida Veterans' Hall of Fame that originally included six former members of the Confederate army, a former governor convicted of intimidating black citizens and Scott, himself.

After questions arose over the records and lack of diversity of the 22 people on the list — all white men and former governors with military service — state officials announced that the issue had been dropped from the agenda of next Tuesday's Cabinet meeting.

If approved, the Hall of Fame members would have been formally inducted on Veterans Day in November and honored with a plaque on the wall at the state Capitol.

The Hall of Fame is based on a new state law that created the honor and allowed the state Department of Veterans' Affairs to come up with the list. click link for more

Army Vet to Enter Mental Health Court as Part of Sentencing

Army Vet Larsen to Enter Mental Health Court as Part of Sentencing

By Bradley Guire

An Army veteran accused of malicious harassment was sentenced on Monday to probation and mental health court.

John C. Larsen, 42, of Twin Falls, had a prison term of three to five years suspended. He will instead serve a four-year probation and participate in the 5th Judicial District Mental Health Court with a specialized treatment program tailored to his needs. Larsen has previously described himself as a 20-year veteran who was declared 100 percent disabled based on a diagnosis of post-traumatic stress disorder.

He was accused of screaming at a Muslim woman, Amna Schultz, of Jerome, while both parties were shopping near the Twin Falls Walmart’s electronics department last December.


Read more: Army Vet Larsen to Enter Mental Health Court as Part of Sentencing

PTSD Iraq veteran getting "quiet" house from community

This story shows how far we've come on PTSD. Staff Sgt. Hill went through a year long PTSD program. That's great and it shows that the government is trying to do something about it. What is the most remarkable in all of this is the fact people understand the need to help him and his family. He lived in a noisy area fueling his PTSD so the community stepped up to build him a home where he does not have to hear so much noise it haunts him. Glenn Close nominated him for this Extreme Makeover. Gov. Brownback put on a hardhat and got to work. This is about a community getting together to help a veteran.

Gov. Brownback and Topeka business go to the "Extreme"



Governor Sam Brownback has set his sights on building up; from the economy to private sector jobs.

Now he is taking the term literal by actually building and putting hammer to nail for the hit show "Extreme Makover: Home Edition."

A Topeka lighting store is also a bright spot in the process. Long Lighting Studio is supplying the lighting fixtures for the home.

It''s all for Staff Sargeant Allen Hill, who sacrificed for his state and country. While in Iraq, a roadside bomb nearly killed him and left him with a severe case of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. Now, Gov. Brownback and others are recognizing that sacrifice by helping him build his life back.
read more here
Gov. Brownback and Topeka business go to the "Extreme"

Homeless ex-POW 4 tour Vietnam vet says he’s tired of fighting-was lying?

UPDATE
What was he thinking?

Jerry Davich: Hobart man’s P.O.W. claims refuted, paperwork fraudulent
August 2, 2011

The ‘Obama slam’

“If Barack Obama was standing right here, I’d bust him in the mouth for forgetting people like me.”

This inflammatory quote from now-disgraced “Vietnam era vet” Jerome Pagell was used as the front-page headline for my Tuesday column. And, although I had nothing to do with its placement on the front page, I heard repeated complaints about it.

It hasn’t helped that the quote came from a guy who is a lying, deceptive fraud. Then again, I heard several complaints well before anyone knew that new info. But are those readers upset because Obama is our president or because Obama is, well, Obama?

Meaning, I wonder if those readers would have been just as upset if, say, George Bush, was named instead? Or would I (and Post-Tribune editors) be hearing from only Bush supporters, equally upset about slamming their man in print?

Also, I’d be remiss if I didn’t note that the majority of complaints have been from the black community, seemingly more upset about the “Obama slam” on the front page than the vet’s lies about being a P.O.W.

Connie Utley was duped. I was duped. And possibly so were many of you, thanks to me. For that, I sincerely apologize.

My Tuesday column on Jerome Pagell turned out to be only partly accurate in its tragic depiction of the disabled Vietnam era veteran.

In truth, the 69-year-old Hobart man showed me forged paperwork claiming he was a prisoner of war. He was not, according to multiple sources familiar with his “stolen valor” scam.

“He’s a fraud,” said Earl McDowell, district one commander for the state’s Veterans of Foreign Wars.

On Tuesday morning, McDowell went to Pagell’s home to confront him about his P.O.W. claims alongside Utley, the hair salon owner who first contacted me about Pagell. She has been helping Pagell for weeks and she called me Tuesday morning bawling from shame, disappointment, and anger toward Pagell.

“I have to know the truth,” she told Pagell face to face, with McDowell standing nearby. “I loved you, and I helped you with anything you needed. Why would you lie to me?”

Pagell refuted McDowell’s claims that he is a fraud, yet refused to provide him with the same paperwork he showed me when I visited his home. That paperwork confirmed that Pagell was a P.O.W. who was held captive more than two years in Vietnam.
read more here
Hobart man’s P.O.W. claims refuted, paperwork fraudulent

Jerry Davich: Homeless POW vet says he’s tired of fighting
JERRY DAVICH jdavich@post-trib.com
August 1, 2011 5:56PM

Jerome Pagell of Hobart talks about Vietnam at A Lil' Off The Top Monday, Aug. 1, 2011, in Hobart. Pagell was a POW in Vietnam for 26 months, 12 days, 14 hours, and 23 minutes. | Scott M. Bort~Sun-Times Media

Disobedient tears ran down the proud but tired face of Jerome Pagell.

“Sir, I served honorably for this country. I gave blood for this country. And I lived in a hell hole as a prisoner of war for this country,” he told me, fighting back emotions. “But my government doesn’t care about me, and I’m tired of getting crapped on and forgotten about.”

Pagell, who turns 69 next week, served four tours in Vietnam as a U.S. Army cardiovascular nurse, first arriving in 1961.

On June 6, 1964, he was captured by the Viet Cong and imprisoned in a cage that was 3 feet by 3 feet by 3 feet. There, for “26 months, 12 days, 14 hours and 23 minutes,” Pagell lived, cried, urinated, defecated, yelled, laughed and questioned God’s existence.

“I cried out to God for his angel of death to come take me home,” he recalled in vivid detail.

But the angel of death never came. He finally was discovered and released by the Swiss in August 1966.

During another tour of duty, his unit was hit by Agent Orange, the code name for a cancer-causing herbicide used by the U.S. military. He developed ocular blastoma, a cancer behind the eyes, causing him to slowly lose his eyesight.

He has since developed diabetes, high blood pressure and post-traumatic stress disorder, and he’s legally blind. His feet are dark purple from poor circulation.
read more here
Homeless POW vet says he’s tired of fighting

Grant to allow veteran screenings to continue

Grant to allow veteran screenings to continue

By Tram Whitehurst, Jackson Hole, Wyoming
August 2, 2011

St. John’s Medical Center has been awarded a $375,000 grant to continue providing cognitive health screenings and care to veterans in Wyoming and eastern Idaho.

Funded by the Rural Health Office of the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, the grant calls on the hospital’s Institute for Cognitive Health to offer free memory care to veterans enrolled in the VA health care system.

The goal of the program, which runs through May, is to identify U.S. veterans suffering from memory loss and to provide care and referral assistance.
read more here
Grant to allow veteran screenings to continue

Fort Wainwright soldier shot by troopers at campground

Fort Wainwright soldier shot by troopers at Delta Junction campground
by Sam Friedman / sfriedman@newsminer.com
Aug 01, 2011
Updated 12:35 a.m.

FAIRBANKS - A Fort Wainwright soldier was shot by an Alaska State Trooper at a Delta Junction campground early this morning.

At 12:09 a.m., Alaska State Troopers were called to Delta State Recreation Site Campground across from the Delta Junction airport in response to the report of an intoxicated man firing a gun.

At the campground, someone pointed out Spc. Timothy J. Fitzgerald to a trooper as he was getting out of a patrol car, troopers said.

Fitzgerald, 28, was reportedly lying on the ground and pointing a gun at them. The trooper shot and hit him.


Read more: Fort Wainwright soldier shot by troopers

Police: Lejeune Marine punched, threatened to kill taxi driver

Police: Lejeune Marine punched, threatened to kill taxi driver

RALEIGH, N.C. — Raleigh police arrested a Marine based at Camp Lejeune Saturday night after he allegedly punched a taxi driver in the face and threatened to kill him, arrest warrants state.
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Lejeune Marine punched threatened to kill taxi driver

Three year old girl, taken from Mom's arms, raped, beaten and killed

3-Year-Old Girl Raped And Killed
Isaac Paul Vasquez - KFOX News Producer
Posted: 6:45 pm MDT July 30, 2011
Updated: 4:13 pm MDT July 31, 2011

CUAUHTEMOC, Mexico -- Police in Cuauhtemoc arrested two men they said raped and killed a 3-year-old.

The town sits about 60 miles west of Chihuahua City, Mexico.

KFOX media partners at the El Paso Times report that's where investigators said the men snatched the girl from her mother's arms.
read more here
3-Year-Old Girl Raped And Killed

26 Assault sniper rifles stolen from Fort Irwin

Assault, sniper rifles stolen from Irwin
The Associated Press
Posted : Saturday Jul 30, 2011 8:14:09 EDT
FORT IRWIN, Calif. — More than two dozen assault rifles have been stolen from this base, and investigators sought the public’s help as they looked to arrest suspects and recover the weapons, federal officials said Friday.

Twenty-six AK74 assault rifles and one Dragunov sniper rifle were stolen from a supply warehouse at Fort Irwin on July 15, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives says in a statement.

Some arrests have been made and one rifle has been recovered, but the agency is offering a reward of up to $10,000 for information leading to further arrests, the statement said.

“Community participation is necessary to improve the likelihood that ATF and our law enforcement partners will track down the firearms as well as the criminals who have sought to destabilize our community through illegal activity,” ATF Special Agent in Charge John A. Torres said in the statement.
read more here
Assault sniper rifles stolen from Irwin

Huey added to Warhawk Air Museum

A group of Vietnam Veterans get long overdue recognition
By Eric Fink
CREATED JUL. 30, 2011

On this summer weekend the Warhawk Air Musueum in Nampa played host to a group of men who so proudly served on the Vietnam battlefields.

More than 40 years after returning home, the pilots and fighters who captioned the "Mustang Gunship Huey Helicopter," in Southeast Asia, were recognized for their service. The "Huey" was unveiled at the Air Museum and veterans from across the country attended the ceremony.

"It brings back memories, what we saw what we did, what our job was. I can't help but get emotional, it's a very emotional thing," Sid King, a former fighter pilot said. "Too many memories, too many good times. Too many hard times."
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A group of Vietnam Veterans get long overdue recognition

Former Marine Corps commanding officer fined

Former Marine Corps commanding officer fined
By: The Associated Press
The Associated Press
07/30/11 3:58 PM

The former commanding officer at Marine Corps Air Station Cherry Point has been fined $10,000 after pleading guilty in military court to driving while impaired, having an open container of alcohol in his car and dereliction of duty.


Read more at the Washington Examiner: Former Marine Corps commanding officer fined

Las Vegas police sergeant's book explores depression, suicide

Las Vegas police sergeant's book explores depression, suicide

BY MIKE BLASKY
LAS VEGAS REVIEW-JOURNAL
Posted: Jul. 31, 2011
More than 20 years into Sgt. Clarke Paris' career at the Metropolitan Police Department, he made a terrifying realization.

He was depressed.

Two decades of bad memories -- which Paris calls "cop stew" -- boiled in his brain: Dead babies, teen suicides, fights, car crashes, rape victims, police shootings, murders.

Paris tried to ignore the symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder. He had never killed anyone. His partner never died in his arms. He had no right to feel this way, he thought.

As the stress worsened, Paris decided he had to tell his wife, Tracie. He picked a day when his kids were out of the house and she lounged in the pool.

read more here
Police sergeant book explores depression suicide

Defending discounts to debutantes while ditching defenders

Just can't take it anymore right now. Screaming at the TV doesn't do much good so here's a rant to let me blow off some steam.

Defending discounts to debutantes while ditching defenders is sickening but some folks in congress are damn proud of it. Isn't that what all of the fighting about the debt has been about? They say let everyone suffer because paying down the debt is so all fired important all of a sudden but you better not touch the tax cuts the wealthy have. The troops? Veterans? Security with police and firefighters? Well, guess average people in this country no longer matter and security is now just a memory of a buzz word they used for years to frighten people. That words has been replaced by the boogyman of "debt" but they forget about the debts we already owed.

Some in congress are no longer ashamed they want to cut spending on veterans after years of struggling to begin to be able to have wounds treated, like Agent Orange and PTSD. Some go after retirement as if they shouldn't be able to collect military retirement and social security even though they paid for it.

Orlando just sent off reservists heading into Afghanistan to risk their lives stopping bombs from blowing up more of our soldiers. Instead of just worrying about doing what they have to do, we sent them off worrying about getting their paychecks to pay their bills. Such a sorry comment on how little some in congress really think about them.

We used to hear a lot of talk about how the President had to be supported if we supported the troops but that was a different President back then. Now this President doesn't even deserve a tiny bit of respect from them and supporting the troops means nothing. Didn't they think we'd notice any of this?

The rest of the world has been watching and there is more than just our credit rating at stake here. We're losing our honor. We are showing the world that in this country the American dream has become a nightmare for the many so that dreams can come true for the wealthy as they ship our jobs overseas and then get tax cuts for doing it. Our troops come home with no jobs to go to if they are lucky enough to be able to work and if not, they have to wait for a year or more to be able to see an approved claim with a disability check.

There was a report a couple of years ago saying that more and more military folks were leaving the Republican party to become Independent. I bet after all this, there won't be any more military families in the Republican party. That party has been hijacked and they are just too greedy to notice the difference they are trying to make in this county will destroy it.

McConnell toned it down a bit in this but it pretty much sums it up.



The Dems used it in this video and from what we've all seen the last year, they are doing whatever it takes no matter how many of us have to suffer.


Now the Dems have shown some backbone, which is good but it's too little to late for the people who switched over to being Independents. Maybe someday the folks in Washington on both sides will remember that while the wealthy do fund their retirement, if we didn't vote for them, they would be just another rich debutante wanting to hang out with people just like them and ignore the rest of us.

Two veterans from different generations discover how much they share

JARDINE: Despite fighting in wars apart, two veterans find they're brothers in arms
By Jeff Jardine

Two weeks ago, when The Bee invited Vietnam War veterans to share their experiences in Southeast Asia, we knew we'd get some compelling responses and moving stories.

We have. None, though, may be more moving and compelling than this one:
Four years ago, Army vet Ronn Cossey of Turlock was invited to ride in the parade and speak at the annual Veterans Car Show at Pismo Beach. The event raises money to aid veterans.

There he met Zeb Lane of Ohio, who had served in the Marines' Lima Company in Iraq. Lane's unit lost 23 men — 14 in a single explosion — in 2005. Lane was among the 40 survivors wounded in the fighting around Haditha.

He had come to Pismo Beach to auction artwork to benefit the Lima Company Memorial to be built in Columbus.

These men, who fought in different wars in different decades, spent hours talking that weekend. They compared battle notes and what has happened to them since leaving the military. They became friends. They formed a bond.

In Lane, the 63-year-old Cossey saw a younger version of himself — a veteran who experienced the horrors of war and will deal with them for the rest of his life.

In Cossey, the 30-year-old Lane found someone who understands combat, fought the internal war that followed, and who can help him navigate the emotional no-man's land of post-traumatic stress disorder.

War does horrible things to good people, and many simply cannot turn in their demons when they muster out and return to civilian life.


Read more:Despite fighting in wars apart