Yoga Calms and Bonds Florida Veterans

Yoga helps Manatee vets copes with mental, physical pains 
Bradenton Herald
BY JAMES A. JONES JR.
May 14, 2015

"Yoga has become much more acceptable to the veteran community," Roberts said.

U.S. Army vets visit before the start of Connected Warrior yoga.JAMES A. JONES JR./Bradenton Herald

MANATEE -- For a few moments each week, the Connected Warrior yoga class pushes back on aches and pains, and memories bringing nothing but anguish.

Some come with post-traumatic stress disorder, diabetic neuropathy, lower back problems, bad knees and more.

Heyward Hawkins, 77, served in the U.S. Air Force from 1956 to 1960 during peacetime. 

"I look forward to coming here for what it does for me mentally and physically," Hawkins said.


"When I am in yoga class, I am reminded that someone cares about me."

Goodwill Manasota began offering free yoga classes for veterans and their families at 8490 Lockwood Ridge Road in 2014.

Harriet Roberts and Linda Lee of Garden of the Heart Yoga, who present the Connected Warrior class, said they feel honored to lead the local veterans.

They know some veteran problems will be with them all of their days. read more here

Marine from Florida Among Missing in Nepal

Marine from Altamonte Springs among those missing in Nepal chopper
Sgt. Mark Johnson IV's chopper went missing Tuesday
WESH2 News
By Chris Hush
Published 10:59 PM EDT May 13, 2015

"We were terrified the entire eight months he was in Afghanistan, but when he said he had to go to Nepal to deliver food, we were just proud of him,” Ward Johnson said.

ALTAMONTE SPRINGS, Fla. —Army helicopters have joined the search for the missing U.S. Marine Corps helicopter that vanished Tuesday in Nepal.

The chopper was delivering disaster aid following the earthquake that killed more than 8,000 people in the country.

U.S. Marine Sgt. Mark Johnson IV, an Altamonte Springs native and father of two, is believed to have been on board that helicopter.

"We said, ‘Love you, be safe,’ and (those) were the last words we said to him,” said Shirley Johnson, Mark Johnson’s mother.

Shirley Johnson and her husband, Ward Johnson III, said they wait by their phones and the door for any indication that their son is OK.
read more here

DAV Introduces Framework to Reform Veterans Affairs

DAV Introduces Framework to Reform Veterans Affairs Health Care
PR NewsWire
Press Release

Former National Commander Bobby Barrera speaks with Maj. Thomas Marquardt who

is undergoing rehabilitation therapy at Brooke Army Medical Center near San Antonio, TX.

WASHINGTON, May 12, 2015 /PRNewswire/

Testifying today before the Senate Veterans Affairs Committee, DAV (Disabled American Veterans) National Legislative Director Joseph Violante proposed a new four-part framework for reforming the Veterans Affairs health care system.

"The past year has largely focused on short-term solutions for VA to meet the immediate needs of veterans. But as we analyze and evaluate how these strategies have worked, we owe it to veterans to also develop a long-term plan to strengthen the VA moving forward," said Violante. "The framework we are proposing today addresses critical areas to rebuild, restructure, realign and reform the VA health care system to meet the needs of America's veterans well into the future."

DAV's framework for long-term solutions to providing timely and convenient access for veterans seeking health care includes:

Rebuilding and sustaining VA's capacity to provide timely, high-quality care, beginning with a long-term strategy to recruit, hire and maintain sufficient clinical staff at all VA treatment facilities;

Restructuring the non-VA care program into a single integrated, extended care network, requiring VA to first complete research and analysis related to the "choice" program and allowing the Commission on Care to complete its work, with Congress providing a single, separate and guaranteed funding mechanism for the VA Extended Care program;

Realigning and expanding VA health care services to meet the diverse needs of future generations of veterans, beginning with the creation of VA urgent care services; and

Reforming VA's management of the health care system by increasing efficiency, transparency and accountability in order to become a veteran-centric organization.

"As we are still in the process of reviewing the effectiveness of the Choice program, it's too soon to outline specific details of how to reform the VA health care system and non-VA care, but what we have done is establish a road map to help guide us," said Violante.

DAV's framework is rooted in analysis of current policies and practices, as well as input from the organization's 1.2 million member base. The plan addresses adequate funding of the VA as a key component of long-term stability and capacity to meet growing demands for service.

In the past decade, DAV and the authors of The Independent Budget have testified before Congress detailing massive multi-billion dollar shortfalls in both VA's medical care and infrastructure budgets which directly contributed to the health care access crisis veterans experienced in 2014.

DAV's plan also calls for sufficient time to complete and thoroughly review the Congressionally-mandated Commission on Care prior to development or implementation of any long-term strategies.

The VA provides highly specialized care to more than 3.8 million disabled veterans, specifically those who have suffered service-connected amputations, burns, paralysis, blindness, traumatic brain injury (TBI) and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), all while focusing on treatment of the "whole veteran."

"The VA faces serious challenges and is in need of a pathway for reform that will uphold our nation's promise to care for America's wounded, ill and injured veterans," said DAV Washington Headquarters Executive Director Garry Augustine. "Rather than fracturing veterans' health care, DAV believes the VA must be strengthened, and should remain at the heart of how we deliver care to those who served."

DAV empowers veterans to lead high-quality lives with respect and dignity. It is dedicated to a single purpose: fulfilling our promises to the men and women who served. DAV does this by ensuring that veterans and their families can access the full range of benefits available to them; fighting for the interests of America's injured heroes on Capitol Hill; and educating the public about the great sacrifices and needs of veterans transitioning back to civilian life.

DAV, a nonprofit organization with 1.2 million members, was founded in 1920 and chartered by the U.S. Congress in 1932. Learn more at www.dav.org.

Seattle Veteran Told to Call 9-11 From VA Emergency Room Parking Lot?

Seattle VA hospital strands veteran outside ER 
Seattle Times
By Lewis Kamb
Seattle Times staff reporter
Originally published May 12, 2015

The Seattle Veterans Affairs hospital has apologized for telling a veteran to call 911 after he drove up outside the emergency room with a broken foot but couldn’t walk in.

“After a complete review regarding this Veteran’s visit to the VA Puget Sound Seattle campus emergency room, we have determined we did not do the right thing to ensure the Veteran had assistance into the emergency room,” the statement said.

When Donald Siefken drove up to the Seattle VA hospital emergency room earlier this year with a broken foot, all he asked for was a little help getting inside.

Instead, a hospital employee who answered Siefken’s cellphone call told him to call 911 himself, then hung up on him, Siefken said.

Frustrated to tears, the 64-year-old retired truck driver and Army vet from Kennewick placed the emergency call while parked just feet away from the ER entrance.

“They won’t come out and get me, do you believe that?” Siefken asked an emergency dispatcher, his voice wavering.

“They told me to call 911 and hung up on me.” read more here

General Ray Odierno Finally Being Replaced

In 2013 following the highest year for military suicides, General Ray Odierno gave an interview to the Huffington Post.

He blamed soldiers,

We've been at war for 12 years, that's what's changed. I think also the social environment has changed. We certainly seem to be having more people coming from split homes, from family backgrounds not as stable as we once had. There is more pressure on young people today than when I was a company commander. So it's a combination of these pressures.

"Some of it is just personal make-up. Intestinal fortitude. Mental toughness that ensures that people are able to deal with stressful situations."

Then he blamed families

"But it also has to do with where you come from. I came from a loving family, one who gave lots of positive reinforcement, who built up psychologically who I was, who I am, what I might want to do. It built confidence in myself, and I believe that enables you to better deal with stress. It enables you to cope more easily than maybe some other people."

Was that bad? Yes but when what he said was passed down to every unit in the Army, including the Warrior Transition Units, he is leaving with absolutely no clue how much he is responsible even though he was not held accountable. No one was.

Now we have a new head of the Army coming in. We need to pray he has a clue what he's doing or we'll see even more suicides within the Army and in the Veterans community when they get out.

Gen. Mark Milley named new Army chief of staff
Army Times
By Michelle Tan, Staff writer
May 13, 2015

Milley, a native of the Boston area, also previously served on the operations staff of the Joint Staff and as a military assistant to the defense secretary.

Gen. Mark Milley speaks to ROTC and U.S. Military Academy

cadets March 31 at a seminar at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas.

(Photo: David Vergun/Army)

Gen. Mark Milley, an Ivy League graduate and career grunt, has been nominated to be your next Army chief of staff.

Defense Secretary Ashton Carter announced Milley's nomination Wednesday during a briefing at the Pentagon.

If confirmed by the Senate, Milley would succeed Gen. Ray Odierno, who is retiring later this summer after serving as the Army's top leader since September 2011.

Carter described Milley as "a warrior and a statesman."

"He not only has plenty of operational and joint experience in Afghanistan, in Iraq and on the Joint Staff, but he also has the intellect and vision to lead change throughout the Army," he said.

Carter described observing Milley's service up-close when the general led the International Security Assistance Force Joint Command in Afghanistan.

"Mark and I flew to Herat the day after an attack on the U.S. consulate there," Carter said. "I saw Mark take command of the scene and stand with our people there. I was impressed by his candor and good judgment, and I knew right away he had even more to offer to the United States Army."

Milley's nomination comes after months of speculation about Odierno's successor, and many considered him a dark horse among a field of potential nominees that included Gen. Daniel Allyn, the vice chief of staff, Gen. John Campbell, the top commander in Afghanistan, Gen. David Perkins, the commanding general of Training and Doctrine Command, and Gen. Vincent Brooks, commander of U.S. Army Pacific.
read more here

Largo Florida Military Museum Has "Family Funfest" for Memorial Day?

There are certain words that should never go together. Homeless and Veterans at the top of my list, but then again, Memorial Day and "Fundfest" are just as bad.

Military museum distributes veteran photos, introduces new exhibits
Tampa Bay Online
Howard Altman
May 12, 2015

JAY CONNER/STAFF U.S. Rep David Jolly holds a reptile from Croc Encounters at the Armed Forces History Museum in Largo. They were there to unveil new exhibits at the museum. The critter was there to promote the upcoming 7th annual Memorial Day Family Funfest on May 25.

One by one, the veterans or in some cases family members came to the front of the indoor Quonset hut at the Armed Forces History Museum and accepted black and white portraits.

Tampa photographer Ryan Joseph, who took the portraits in November, said his project was designed to “expose my generation and the generations that come after me to these heroes who came before us.”

There were three copies of each portrait, said U.S. Rep. David Jolly, the keynote speaker at an event to present not just the photographs, but also eight new exhibits at the already packed Largo museum.

One copy of each will hang in the Quonset hut. One will hang in Jolly’s Washington office and the veterans, and in some case their families, will also receive copies. Since the portraits were taken, two of the veterans — Bill Allen, an Army sergeant who was taken prisoner during the Korean War and Irving Zeider, an Army corporal who earned two Purple Heart medals during World War II — have since died.

Their families picked up their portraits. Gary Littrell, who was awarded the Medal of Honor for his heroics during the Vietnam War, said he doesn’t buy into the narrative of the woebegone Vietnam veteran. read more here

Homeless Man Was Soldier in Vietnam

I was just on the phone with my friend talking about the fact we have a luxury hotel for pets but veterans still go homeless. Really twisted priorities considering this is how much it costs.

VIP Suite – Cape Cod
Beds: VIP Bed
Max Occupancy: 2 Pet(s)
Size: 8' x 4'
View: Cape Cod
Rates From: $70

But while I am a dog lover and have a rescue right now, if I had that much disposable income, I think I'd rather see that money go to putting a veteran up in a motel for a couple of days instead.

You know, like maybe someone like Mike Nicoloro in the story below.  They say a picture is worth a thousand words and that is true.  Especially when folks saw the picture of the soldier he had been and man they avoided now.

Haverhill residents mourn troubled Vietnam veteran
Boston Globe
By Andy Rosen
GLOBE STAFF
MAY 13, 2015

His sister, Dorothy Rich, said Nicoloro was a regular guy when he joined the Army — and, like many other Vietnam vets, emerged emotionally damaged. “They were young boys. They had their whole world ahead of them,” she said. “That war destroyed them.”

JESSICA RINALDI/GLOBE STAFF Chris Ryan, of Bradford, held a photograph of Mike Nicoloro at vigil in his honor in Haverhill on Monday.

HAVERHILL — Many here knew him as “Crazy Mike,” a man who often slept outside, loitered near strip malls and parks, and sometimes shouted angry nonsense or pointed imaginary guns as he publicly struggled with mental illness.

The cruelest of his neighbors pretended to lob grenades his way, making light of the demons he brought back from Vietnam.

Soon after Mike Nicoloro died this month, though, a different image emerged. A photo that made its way around Facebook showed Nicoloro as a clean-cut young soldier, wearing the pin of an Army Airborne medic, and helped bring his story of service and suffering into focus for those who had passed him by for years with little thought.

“It was like a wave of truth came over me, and I think it did for everyone,” said Christopher Ryan, referring to the photo during a vigil Monday night in a Haverhill park. “And I think that’s really when it hit home for everyone who we lost.”
read more here

If you really want to do something other than read about this, go to the New England Center For Homeless Veterans

Phoenix Veteran Committed Suicide At VA

Vet commits suicide on VA administration grounds
FOX 10 News
By Nicole Garcia
Posted: May 12, 2015

According to police Murphy, left a note describing his feelings and saying goodbye. A witness saw Murphy drive into the parking lot and heard a gunshot.

PHOENIX (KSAZ) - A veteran drove to the Phoenix VA headquarters this weekend, and then committed suicide in the parking lot.

Sources say the man was trying to make a statement, after numerous claims that our local VA has been letting suicidal veterans fall through the cracks.

Police say the 53-year-old veteran drove to the Phoenix VA regional office with a goodbye note and gun.

Sunday night 53-year-old Thomas Murphy drove to the VA with the intent of ending his life.

"I don't think there's anything more symbolic than to complete suicide on VA grounds," said Brandon Coleman.

Coleman works with at-risk vets. He came forward earlier this year to blow the whistle on the Phoenix VA's failure, to properly care for veterans on the verge of suicide.
read more here

UPDATE
HOMELESS VETERAN COMMITS SUICIDE OUTSIDE PHOENIX VA
Phoenix New Times
BY MIRIAM WASSER
TUESDAY, MAY 12, 2015

Thomas Michael Murphy, a Phoenix resident and U.S. Army veteran, took his own life in the parking lot outside the VA Phoenix Regional Benefit Office.

Murphy, 53, e-mailed a suicide note to his siblings and New Times at 7:34 p.m. Sunday and shot himself a few minutes later. The same note was discovered in his 1995 white Toyota pickup truck, which was parked nearby.

In the letter, he explained that his arthritis was getting worse, and he “thanked” the VA for not helping him. A representative from the VA office, Jean Schaefer, declined to comment on Murphy’s medical records, citing privacy laws, but did call what happened “a tragedy” and said that the VA actively was looking into the situation.

The Phoenix VA has spent months in the national spotlight for issues of poor management, long wait lists, and falsified records. And most recently, late last week, the family of U.S. Army veteran Gene Spencer announced that it was suing the city’s VA for giving him an erroneous diagnosis that they say led to his suicide.
read more here

Veteran Saves Dog, Gets Arrested, Woman Endangers Dog, Gets Ticket?

Army veteran arrested after smashing window, saving dog from hot car
Associated Press
Published May 12, 2015

ATHENS, Ga. – A Georgia man who saved a dog from a hot Mustang has been arrested for smashing a window to free the animal.

Multiple news outlets report that Michael Hammons of Athens was charged with criminal trespassing after freeing a small Pomeranian mix in distress from a hot car outside a store.

Witnesses say that while a group of shoppers waited for police to arrive to free the dog, the Army veteran smashed the window.
read more here

No Shame, Fired VA Director Sues

Former Phoenix VA director Helman suing to overturn firing 
KPHO News
By Phil Benson
By Jonathan Lowe
Updated: May 11, 2015

Sharon Helman, shown May 1, 2014, was fired soon after the passage last

year of the VA Accountability Act. She is now suing to get her job back.

(Source: KPHO/KTVK)

Despite being the most vilified person during the Phoenix VA scandal, former director Sharon Helman is suing the federal government. She wants her firing reversed.

Helman was fired soon after the passage last year of the VA Accountability Act. It allowed the VA Secretary to remove under-performing senior executives.

Those executives weren't given the right to an appeal, either. But an appeal is exactly what Helman said in her court filing that she deserves.

Helman's firing actually had nothing at all to do with the appointment and wait time scandal.

It was for, "accepting gifts and I think the term was 'conflict of interest,'" said David Lucier, president of the Arizona Veterans and Military Leadership Alliance.

Whatever the reason, paperwork obtained from the U.S. Court of Appeals reveals Helman is aiming to have her firing overturned.

"The first word that comes to mind is reprehensible," Lucier said. His organization has worked to improve veterans' medical care since Helman's exit. "The best, most immediate thing is that veterans are getting service faster."

Jeff Miller, chairman of the U.S. House Veteran Affairs Committee, has been an outspoken voice on accountability at the VA. In a statement, he said, "I think Sharon Helman's arguments will be about as successful in a court of law as they were in the court of public opinion."
read more here

Six Marines Missing in Nepal Humanitarian Mission

US Marine helicopter missing in Nepal earthquake aid mission 
FOX News
May 12, 2015

A U.S. Marine Corps helicopter was reported missing in Nepal Tuesday while conducting disaster relief operations following the second deadly earthquake to strike the region in three weeks.

The Huey was delivering tarps and rice to victims near Charikot. Six U.S. Marines and two Nepalese soldiers were aboard the helicopter.

Pentagon Spokesman Col. Steve Warren said there are "no indications of a crash," because the area is rugged.

No emergency beacon was detected. Other aircraft nearby heard the helicopter's pilot say something about a "fuel problem." read more here

Tucson Veteran's Guardian Angels Have Big Hearts Deep Pockets

Anonymous donor pays off Tucson veteran's $217K mortgage 
KVOA News 4 Tucson
Written By Lauren Reimer
May 11, 2015

Those troubles are over. An anonymous donor saw the story we ran last Tuesday, and with the help of two quick working realtors, paid off the mortgage on the building, a total of $217,000.

TUCSON - A Tucson veteran has found his guardian angel. Facing foreclosure, and terminal cancer, Bob O'Rourke and his wife Kathy are now breathing a sigh of relief.

Just last week, they feared they would lose their home and business.

Thanks to some of our viewers, their worries are now fewer.

"I never would have thought it was going to happen to me,” said Bob.

Bob has cancer, believed to be connected to drinking contaminated water at Camp Lejeune in the 1970's.

Pain makes it so he can only work a few days a week.

The mortgage went unpaid, and his application for disability from the VA went unanswered.

"I figured they were going to auction the building and I'd get a call and they'd tell me how long I have to move out," said O'Rourke.
read more here

Soldier's Mother's Day Gift Arrives Late By 70 Years

WWII Soldier's Gift for Mom Finally Arrives 
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
By MARK PRATT
Published: Saturday, May 9, 2015
MILLVILLE, Mass.

DON LAMOUREUX displays a World War II-era pillow sham at a senior center in Millville, Mass., which his son purchased from an online auction site. Dominic O'Gara had mailed the elaborate pillow sham from his U.S. Army base in California to his mother in Millville in 1942. STEVEN SENNE | THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

This is the story of a loving tribute from a soldier preparing for war to his mother on the other side of the continent, who didn't know whether she would ever see her boy again.

The elaborate pillow sham he sent her, lost for more than 70 years, has finally come home, just in time for Mother's Day.

The sham, emblazoned with the word "Mother" and sent in 1942 by Dominic O'Gara from his Army base in California to his mother in the small Massachusetts town of Millville, was discovered last month by a town native on eBay.

The hope now is to put the sham on display in the town's senior center, just yards from the house where the O'Gara family once lived. read more here

New Texas Bill for Veterans More Money For Nothing

"The bill’s pilot program could cost $3.6 million" but why would that bother anyone? After all, it is just the latest in a very long line of things being done for veterans. It bothers folks paying attention simply being we understand that doing "something" is what caused more suffering to veterans. It would have been much better if these "something" doing bills came from a clear understanding of what was needed and what would actually help veterans and families.

If peer support is costing $3.6 million then someone is making a lot of money. Veterans and families usually volunteer to do it for free. Just as the members of a long list of organizations begun long before this, citizens stepped up and the cost of training was coffee and donuts.  Lucky ones got lunch.

Bill to lend preventative hand to military families, veterans passes Texas House
Standard Times
Matthew Waller
May 11, 2015

AUSTIN — A high priority bill to aid veterans and military families with state help made its way to the Texas Senate after passing the House. State Rep. Susan King, R-Abilene, passed House Bill 19 when the legislation got its final House vote Monday.

King is the chairwoman of the House Defense and Veterans Affairs Committee. The bill would have the Texas Department of Family and Protective Services put together a veterans and military families preventive services program, which could address abuse, neglect, mental health and post-traumatic stress disorder.

A pilot program would go to the three largest military cities: Killeen, El Paso and San Antonio. HB 19 would also add coordination between the Texas Veterans Commission and the Texas Department of State Health Services, which would include training volunteer coordinators and managing a peer-to-peer program where veterans could help veterans.

The legislation would also have an initiative for encouraging communities to make committees to develop plans to help veterans and military families. read more here

Air Force Veteran Killed in Construction Accident

EXCLUSIVE: Worker who fell down elevator shaft 'dodged death' in Air Force but was afraid of 'sketchy' construction job 
NEW YORK DAILY NEWS
BY BARRY PADDOCK
Friday, May 8, 2015

Ginesi did tours of duty in Iraq, Kuwait and Afghanistan, according to Rapp, who met him when both were deployed in Iraq.

The construction worker who fell 24 stories down an elevator shaft to his death Tuesday in a half-built Midtown luxury hotel was a decorated Air Force veteran who had dodged rocket fire in Afghanistan — but was more frightened by his new civilian job.

“He would tell us how scared he was,” said John Rapp, an Air Force buddy who last spoke to Christian Ginesi two days before his death. “He said, ‘It’s not like the Air Force.

It’s not safe out here.’ But he was happy to have a job.”

The Daily News reported Thursday that Ginesi’s employer, New Jersey-based elevator company G-Tech Associates LLC, was not licensed to perform work in the city and is now being investigated by the Department of Buildings.
read more here