'I'm going to die,' blogs soldier
Story Highlights
Army machine gunner Colby Buzzell began blogging from Iraq in 2004
His blog gained media attention for its refreshing, unvarnished candor
The Army encourages active-duty soldiers to blog as a way to educate the public
But soldiers are prohibited from posting details that could compromise troops' safety
I've never felt fear like this. I was like, this is it, I'm going to die. When U.S. Army machine gunner Colby Buzzell began blogging about his combat experiences from Iraq, he wasn't looking for attention. But in the first major war of the Internet age, his visceral, first-hand accounts became a bracing antidote to bloodless news reports.
But his visceral, first-hand accounts were a bracing antidote to dry news reports and bloodless Pentagon news releases. In the first major war of the Internet age, Buzzell and other soldier bloggers in Iraq offered readers around the world unfiltered, real-time glimpses of an ongoing conflict.
"Here's a soldier in a combat zone ... writing about it and posting it on the Internet. I don't think that's ever been done in previous wars," Buzzell said.
"It just provides another perspective that no embedded journalist can ever do," said the veteran, now a freelance writer in San Francisco, California, and the author of "My War: Killing Time in Iraq." "An embedded journalist is just there observing. But a soldier writing about it -- you can't get more embedded than that."
See an interview with Buzzell »
full story
Thursday, November 13, 2008
Stevens no longer ahead in Alaska
Senator Ted Stevens' opponent now leading by 814 votes
John Byrne
Published: Thursday November 13, 2008
John Byrne
Published: Thursday November 13, 2008
"The state Division of Elections tallied about 60,000 absentee, early and questioned ballots from around the state on Wednesday," the Alaska Daily News reported Thursday morning. "The ballots broke heavily in the Democrat's favor, erasing the 3,000-vote lead the Republican Stevens held after election night Nov. 4."
"The state still needs to count at least 15,000 questioned ballots and an estimated 25,000 absentees," the paper added. "With all the absentee votes coming in, this will be one of the biggest turnouts, if not the biggest in terms of ballots cast, the state has ever seen. That's despite questions in the media and on blogs about why turnout appeared low on Election Day."
National Guard's major general vows to help all vets
Guard's major general vows to help all vets
By ROGER AMSDEN
New Hampshire Union Leader Correspondent
Tuesday, Nov. 11, 2008
TILTON – MAJ. GEN. Kenneth Clark, adjutant general of the New Hampshire National Guard, offered his definition of what constitutes a veteran yesterday at a Veterans Day ceremony at the New Hampshire Veterans Home.
"A veteran is a person who at one point in his life wrote a blank check to the United States in which they agreed to follow orders which may cost them their life," said Clark, who was introduced by Veterans Home Commandant Barry Conway as "a dedicated patriot."
Clark said that since 2003, some 27 men from New Hampshire have lost their lives in the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. The most recent loss was National Guard Cpl. Scott Dimond of Franklin, who was killed by a roadside bomb in Afghanistan last month. Dimond's mother, Mary Gnerre of Bristol, is a long-time employee at the Veterans Home.
Clark said the stresses and strains of war are reflected in the number of suicides by those who have returned from military operations overseas, including one that took place the day after he greeted six members of the military who had returned from Iraq.
Another recent suicide was that of a Guardsman who was the roommate of National Guard medic Sgt. David Stelmat, 27, of Littleton, who was killed by a roadside bomb in Iraq in March 2008.
"The stress was too much for him. A lot of people are coming home with injuries we can't see,'' said Clark.
click post title for more
Car recovered; phones for troops missing
Car recovered; phones for troops missing
(By Casey Ramsdell, Globe Correspondent)
A car that was stolen Monday carrying about 500 cellphones to benefit troops overseas was found yesterday in Weymouth, about a quarter mile from where it was last seen, police said.
A window was smashed and the phones were gone, said Weymouth police Sergeant Rick Fuller.
The stolen 1990 Oldsmobile was found at 11:45 a.m. at Old Stone Condominiums, around the corner from the Weymouth Elks Club, where it was taken on Monday between 7:30 and 8:30 p.m., said Fuller
"We weren't sure if it was targeted for the car or the phones, but after finding it a quarter of a mile away, [we can assume] it was for the cellphones," said Fuller.
The car was stolen while its owner, Rick Bruce, was in the Elks Club, where he was decorating the facility for a Veterans Day drive for CarePacks, a group based in South Weymouth that sends care packages to troops.
click link for more
(By Casey Ramsdell, Globe Correspondent)
A car that was stolen Monday carrying about 500 cellphones to benefit troops overseas was found yesterday in Weymouth, about a quarter mile from where it was last seen, police said.
A window was smashed and the phones were gone, said Weymouth police Sergeant Rick Fuller.
The stolen 1990 Oldsmobile was found at 11:45 a.m. at Old Stone Condominiums, around the corner from the Weymouth Elks Club, where it was taken on Monday between 7:30 and 8:30 p.m., said Fuller
"We weren't sure if it was targeted for the car or the phones, but after finding it a quarter of a mile away, [we can assume] it was for the cellphones," said Fuller.
The car was stolen while its owner, Rick Bruce, was in the Elks Club, where he was decorating the facility for a Veterans Day drive for CarePacks, a group based in South Weymouth that sends care packages to troops.
click link for more
NY Detective Recalls Four Shots, and His Partner Down
Detective Recalls Four Shots, and His Partner Down
By ANDY NEWMAN
Published: November 12, 2008
“Ten-thirteen Rogers and Lefferts! 85!” the officer’s panicked voice, distorted nearly beyond intelligibility, crackled across the packed Brooklyn courtroom on the radio recording played on Wednesday. “Ten-thirteen!”
A few minutes later, live on the witness stand, the officer, Herman Yan, now a detective, spoke in softer, measured tones at the trial for three men accused of killing his partner last year after the officers had pulled over a stolen BMW S.U.V. on a darkened street in Prospect-Lefferts Gardens, Brooklyn.
“As I approached the driver’s side door,” he testified, “within three to four feet I heard approximately four shots go out. I could tell that those shots came from that vehicle. They were really loud. I immediately felt a pain in my arm and I realized I was hit. I was hit, and it was a situation where I had to take other action.”
Detective Yan said he fired at the vehicle as it pulled away. A prosecutor asked him what happened next.
“As the BMW left, I observed —” Detective Yan said, then paused to collect himself. “I observed my partner laying on the sidewalk.”
His partner that night was a 23-year-old officer named Russel Timoshenko. The prosecutor, Anna-Sigga Nicolazzi, asked the detective if his partner appeared to be conscious.
“No, he did not,” Detective Yan replied.
In the third row of the courtroom, several of Officer Timoshenko’s relatives dabbed away tears.
Officer Timoshenko, shot in the mouth and throat, died five days later.
By ANDY NEWMAN
Published: November 12, 2008
“Ten-thirteen Rogers and Lefferts! 85!” the officer’s panicked voice, distorted nearly beyond intelligibility, crackled across the packed Brooklyn courtroom on the radio recording played on Wednesday. “Ten-thirteen!”
A few minutes later, live on the witness stand, the officer, Herman Yan, now a detective, spoke in softer, measured tones at the trial for three men accused of killing his partner last year after the officers had pulled over a stolen BMW S.U.V. on a darkened street in Prospect-Lefferts Gardens, Brooklyn.
“As I approached the driver’s side door,” he testified, “within three to four feet I heard approximately four shots go out. I could tell that those shots came from that vehicle. They were really loud. I immediately felt a pain in my arm and I realized I was hit. I was hit, and it was a situation where I had to take other action.”
Detective Yan said he fired at the vehicle as it pulled away. A prosecutor asked him what happened next.
“As the BMW left, I observed —” Detective Yan said, then paused to collect himself. “I observed my partner laying on the sidewalk.”
His partner that night was a 23-year-old officer named Russel Timoshenko. The prosecutor, Anna-Sigga Nicolazzi, asked the detective if his partner appeared to be conscious.
“No, he did not,” Detective Yan replied.
In the third row of the courtroom, several of Officer Timoshenko’s relatives dabbed away tears.
Officer Timoshenko, shot in the mouth and throat, died five days later.
click link for more
Liberty University student talks about experience in Iraq at PTSD awareness event
Student talks about experience in Iraq at PTSD awareness event
Liberty News - Lynchburg,VA,USA
Thursday, November 13, 2008 by Teresa Dunham in General News
"How was Iraq? Did you like it over there?"
Liberty University student Jesse Hogan can’t count the number of times someone has asked him those generalized questions.
“I didn’t mind answering questions for people that were specific things. The thing that made me mad and got me really frustrated was when people were asking me because they thought they needed to ask me. They really didn’t want to know anything,” said Spc. Hogan, 22, who served with the Army National Guard in Iraq.
Speaking candidly to students at a Tuesday evening Post Traumatic Stress Disorder awareness event as part of LU’s Military Appreciation Week, Hogan tried to bridge the gap of understanding between civilians and returning veterans
He told the group gathered in the Arthur S. DeMoss Learning Center that vague questions made him feel like no one really understood what he was going through when he first came home, and often the questions made him want to be alone.
Nowadays he’s enjoying everyday life, but he admitted that it wasn’t easy when he first came home. While he was in Iraq, he longed to see his friends and family again — but the excitement quickly wore off when he returned to the U.S.
“I felt like I was losing control over here, and things were slipping out of my hands. I was disappointing people. I wasn’t meeting people’s expectations,” he said, explaining that his life in Iraq involved highly structured missions that he could succeed at by following a checklist of motions.
Human relationships weren’t so easy to navigate, he said, and he was having trouble flipping the switch from soldier to ordinary life. People wanted him to be OK right away, as though they could “fix him” or explain to him what was wrong, but Hogan said what he really needed was space.
click link for more
Liberty News - Lynchburg,VA,USA
Thursday, November 13, 2008 by Teresa Dunham in General News
"How was Iraq? Did you like it over there?"
Liberty University student Jesse Hogan can’t count the number of times someone has asked him those generalized questions.
“I didn’t mind answering questions for people that were specific things. The thing that made me mad and got me really frustrated was when people were asking me because they thought they needed to ask me. They really didn’t want to know anything,” said Spc. Hogan, 22, who served with the Army National Guard in Iraq.
Speaking candidly to students at a Tuesday evening Post Traumatic Stress Disorder awareness event as part of LU’s Military Appreciation Week, Hogan tried to bridge the gap of understanding between civilians and returning veterans
He told the group gathered in the Arthur S. DeMoss Learning Center that vague questions made him feel like no one really understood what he was going through when he first came home, and often the questions made him want to be alone.
Nowadays he’s enjoying everyday life, but he admitted that it wasn’t easy when he first came home. While he was in Iraq, he longed to see his friends and family again — but the excitement quickly wore off when he returned to the U.S.
“I felt like I was losing control over here, and things were slipping out of my hands. I was disappointing people. I wasn’t meeting people’s expectations,” he said, explaining that his life in Iraq involved highly structured missions that he could succeed at by following a checklist of motions.
Human relationships weren’t so easy to navigate, he said, and he was having trouble flipping the switch from soldier to ordinary life. People wanted him to be OK right away, as though they could “fix him” or explain to him what was wrong, but Hogan said what he really needed was space.
click link for more
T. Boone Pickens donating money from his book to help wounded troops
I was watching the Daily Show last night and T. Boone Pickens was talking about his new book. The great thing was he also announced that the money from the book, is going to Brooke Army Medical Center and Fisher House! This is a great thing.
http://www.thedailyshow.com/video/index.jhtml?videoId=210176&title=t.-boone-pickens
The First Billion Is the Hardest: Reflections on a Life of Comebacks and America's Energy Future (Hardcover)
by T. Boone Pickens (Author)
The First Billion Is the Hardest: Reflections on a Life of Comebacks and America's Energy Future (Hardcover)
by T. Boone Pickens (Author)
Orlando teen admits beating homeless man "for fun"
Orlando teen admits beating homeless man
Willoughby Mariano Sentinel Staff Writer
November 13, 2008
One of six Orlando teens charged with beating a homeless man so badly he died of his injuries pleaded no contest to a manslaughter charge Wednesday.
With his stepfather, mother, sister and a teacher looking on, Brenton Mack, 16, acknowledged in Circuit Court that he took part in the attack two years ago on August Felix, 54, near a downtown homeless encampment.
Police said the teens beat Felix for fun.
The transient had no money and did not threaten the youths before the attack March 26, 2006, authorities said. The attack left the man paralyzed from the waist down. He spent about a month in the hospital before dying May 1, 2006.
When no friends or relatives stepped forward to claim the body, he was given a pauper's burial.
click link for more
Willoughby Mariano Sentinel Staff Writer
November 13, 2008
One of six Orlando teens charged with beating a homeless man so badly he died of his injuries pleaded no contest to a manslaughter charge Wednesday.
With his stepfather, mother, sister and a teacher looking on, Brenton Mack, 16, acknowledged in Circuit Court that he took part in the attack two years ago on August Felix, 54, near a downtown homeless encampment.
Police said the teens beat Felix for fun.
The transient had no money and did not threaten the youths before the attack March 26, 2006, authorities said. The attack left the man paralyzed from the waist down. He spent about a month in the hospital before dying May 1, 2006.
When no friends or relatives stepped forward to claim the body, he was given a pauper's burial.
click link for more
Military to follow up with wounded vets
Military to follow up with wounded vets
By Gregg Zoroya - USA TODAY
Posted : Thursday Nov 13, 2008 6:20:28 EST
WASHINGTON — The military has launched a detective effort to find at least 2,300 veterans wounded in Iraq and Afghanistan to see how they are faring, and whether they are missing out on health and other benefits.
Army and Marine commanders says the outreach effort is due to several factors, including greater concern in these wars for long-term consequences of combat and more funding to get it done.
About 33,000 troops have been wounded in the two wars, but not all have been located or reached.
“We are trying to catch up to six years worth of war,” says Col. Gregory Boyle, commander of the Marine Corps Wounded Warrior Regiment.
Callers who reach these new veterans help eliminate red tape to resolve compensation and health care needs, educate veterans about new benefits and link them to resources or potential employers.
Congress last year authorized expanded efforts to manage cases and advocate for wounded service members leaving the military, at a cost of about $65 million, records show.
The outreach is so unexpected that some veterans ask if the service is trying to call them back to duty, says John Chavis, who directs a call center for the Wounded Warrior Regiment. ”We reassure them that’s not our intent,” he says.
go here for more
http://www.armytimes.com/news/2008/11/gns_injured_vets_111308/
By Gregg Zoroya - USA TODAY
Posted : Thursday Nov 13, 2008 6:20:28 EST
WASHINGTON — The military has launched a detective effort to find at least 2,300 veterans wounded in Iraq and Afghanistan to see how they are faring, and whether they are missing out on health and other benefits.
Army and Marine commanders says the outreach effort is due to several factors, including greater concern in these wars for long-term consequences of combat and more funding to get it done.
About 33,000 troops have been wounded in the two wars, but not all have been located or reached.
“We are trying to catch up to six years worth of war,” says Col. Gregory Boyle, commander of the Marine Corps Wounded Warrior Regiment.
Callers who reach these new veterans help eliminate red tape to resolve compensation and health care needs, educate veterans about new benefits and link them to resources or potential employers.
Congress last year authorized expanded efforts to manage cases and advocate for wounded service members leaving the military, at a cost of about $65 million, records show.
The outreach is so unexpected that some veterans ask if the service is trying to call them back to duty, says John Chavis, who directs a call center for the Wounded Warrior Regiment. ”We reassure them that’s not our intent,” he says.
go here for more
http://www.armytimes.com/news/2008/11/gns_injured_vets_111308/
New solutions sought as homeless ranks grow
New solutions sought as homeless ranks grow
Gregg Krupa / The Detroit News
DETROIT -- Latrina Medlock knows how a few bad decisions can lead to homelessness.
As she walks the streets of the city pregnant and uncertain of the future, she says she knows that handling money and opportunities a bit differently in her life would have saved her from dire straits.
"Bad decision-making caused me to get in the situation I am now," said Medlock, who is one of a growing number of pregnant women and families left homeless in Metro Detroit as the economy shrivels. Being "homeless is not pleasant," she says. "I just make it day by day."
As state officials, along with more than 5,000 social workers, charities and the poor gather at Cobo Center for a major conference on poverty Thursday, a national and worldwide recession threatens to burst the seams of the social safety net in Michigan, where the economy soured earlier in the decade. The recipients and providers of social services, who normally grapple with solutions for poverty in good times, will gather to hammer out a new, concerted approach to fighting rising levels of poverty as more workers and their families are exposed to dire circumstances.
go here for more
http://www.detnews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20081113/METRO/811130414
Linked from RawStory
Gregg Krupa / The Detroit News
DETROIT -- Latrina Medlock knows how a few bad decisions can lead to homelessness.
As she walks the streets of the city pregnant and uncertain of the future, she says she knows that handling money and opportunities a bit differently in her life would have saved her from dire straits.
"Bad decision-making caused me to get in the situation I am now," said Medlock, who is one of a growing number of pregnant women and families left homeless in Metro Detroit as the economy shrivels. Being "homeless is not pleasant," she says. "I just make it day by day."
As state officials, along with more than 5,000 social workers, charities and the poor gather at Cobo Center for a major conference on poverty Thursday, a national and worldwide recession threatens to burst the seams of the social safety net in Michigan, where the economy soured earlier in the decade. The recipients and providers of social services, who normally grapple with solutions for poverty in good times, will gather to hammer out a new, concerted approach to fighting rising levels of poverty as more workers and their families are exposed to dire circumstances.
go here for more
http://www.detnews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20081113/METRO/811130414
Linked from RawStory
PTSD:Wounded Corpsman Trades Alcohol, Pills for Marathons
Wounded Corpsman Fights PTSD
Army.com - Huntsville,Al,USA
Wounded Corpsman Trades Alcohol, Pills for Marathons
Nov. 12, 2008
By Fred W. Baker III
WASHINGTON (American Forces Press Service) – Navy Corpsman Daniel “Doc” Jacobs didn’t know he suffered from post traumatic stress disorder. But he knew he had a problem.
“I actually almost ended up killing myself because of it,” Jacobs said.
He woke up one morning in late 2006 in a pool of his own urine and sweat after mixing his prescription medications with alcohol. He had blacked out and remembered nothing after the first couple of beers, Jacobs said.
Jacobs turned 21 that year and was recovering from the blast of a roadside bomb in Iraq and still was using a wheelchair. After his left leg was amputated, Jacobs said he started having a lot of pain. He had problems sleeping for several months, and when he did sleep, it was fitful and he had nightmares.
“I fell into a stage of depression. I turned to alcohol,” he said. “I figured if the pain meds weren’t going to (make the pain go away), then alcohol would. So I self-medicated and one morning I woke up and I had no idea how I woke up out of that.”
While Jacobs hadn’t intentionally tried to kill himself, it served as a wake-up call, and marked the end of the pill-popping and boozing for him. He flushed his medication down the toilet.
click link for more
Army.com - Huntsville,Al,USA
Wounded Corpsman Trades Alcohol, Pills for Marathons
Nov. 12, 2008
By Fred W. Baker III
WASHINGTON (American Forces Press Service) – Navy Corpsman Daniel “Doc” Jacobs didn’t know he suffered from post traumatic stress disorder. But he knew he had a problem.
“I actually almost ended up killing myself because of it,” Jacobs said.
He woke up one morning in late 2006 in a pool of his own urine and sweat after mixing his prescription medications with alcohol. He had blacked out and remembered nothing after the first couple of beers, Jacobs said.
Jacobs turned 21 that year and was recovering from the blast of a roadside bomb in Iraq and still was using a wheelchair. After his left leg was amputated, Jacobs said he started having a lot of pain. He had problems sleeping for several months, and when he did sleep, it was fitful and he had nightmares.
“I fell into a stage of depression. I turned to alcohol,” he said. “I figured if the pain meds weren’t going to (make the pain go away), then alcohol would. So I self-medicated and one morning I woke up and I had no idea how I woke up out of that.”
While Jacobs hadn’t intentionally tried to kill himself, it served as a wake-up call, and marked the end of the pill-popping and boozing for him. He flushed his medication down the toilet.
click link for more
PTSD:After death of son, dad takes cases to Capitol Hill
Veteran's kin demands answers on PTSD drugs
Washington Times - Washington,DC,USA
After death of son, dad takes cases to Capitol Hill
Andrea Billups and Audrey Hudson
Thursday, November 13, 2008
EXCLUSIVE:
HURRICANE, W.Va.
A West Virginia man whose son survived the battlefields of Iraq only to die in his sleep at home is crusading to find other military families whose loved ones also have died after taking drugs prescribed for post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).
Stan White's son Andrew, who was found dead in bed at the family's Cross Lanes, W.Va., home on Feb. 12, 2007, is one among a cluster of young veterans in the state who have died in their sleep with little explanation. Now Mr. White wants the federal government to monitor the drugs it prescribes to some 375,000 soldiers who have been diagnosed with mental trauma.
Shirley White of Cross Lanes, Andrew's mother, says she and her husband want an investigation into the medications prescribed to their son and other veterans who died.
So far, he has identified nine veterans across the country - including four in West Virginia - who have died in their sleep after taking antidepressant and antipsychotic medications.
Mr. White has met with members of Congress and asked for Capitol Hill hearings to investigate the deaths. His research prompted a Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) investigation into Andrew's and one other death, which were found to have been caused by "combined drug intoxication." But the investigation could not determine whether the prescribed medications were at fault.
click link for more and video
Wounded Warriors teach Air Force people about healing
Wounded warriors teach Air Force people about healing
Wounded warriors teach Air Force people about healing
As part of Warrior Care Month, we're including stories from Airmen who want to share their experiences with the wounded. Below is a story from Airman 1st Class Jonathan Charles about what it means to him to be an Aerospace Medical Technician at Andrews AFB.
By: A1C Jonathan Charles
779th Aeromedical Staging Facility
From across the Atlantic, wounded warriors fly to the 779th Aeromedical Staging Facility at Andrews Air Force Base, just minutes outside of D.C. Finally, after the $4.9 million renovation, on 9 October 2008, their welcome home is a little more worthy of their sacrifice.
There is little difference from others when we get up, put on the uniform, kiss our spouses, and go to work. Yet, few can say they feel more energized when they leave work than when they came in.
My unit, the 779th Aeromedical Staging Facility, is the first welcome-home point for wounded warriors. Some cry, some laugh, some just want to talk, but they all seem to think of others at the time when the focus is on them. Everyday, the fulfillment of the job comes not from the pride in the uniform, strength of the leadership, or thrill of the mission, but the humbleness of the wounded warrior.
click link for more
Wounded warriors teach Air Force people about healing
As part of Warrior Care Month, we're including stories from Airmen who want to share their experiences with the wounded. Below is a story from Airman 1st Class Jonathan Charles about what it means to him to be an Aerospace Medical Technician at Andrews AFB.
By: A1C Jonathan Charles
779th Aeromedical Staging Facility
From across the Atlantic, wounded warriors fly to the 779th Aeromedical Staging Facility at Andrews Air Force Base, just minutes outside of D.C. Finally, after the $4.9 million renovation, on 9 October 2008, their welcome home is a little more worthy of their sacrifice.
There is little difference from others when we get up, put on the uniform, kiss our spouses, and go to work. Yet, few can say they feel more energized when they leave work than when they came in.
My unit, the 779th Aeromedical Staging Facility, is the first welcome-home point for wounded warriors. Some cry, some laugh, some just want to talk, but they all seem to think of others at the time when the focus is on them. Everyday, the fulfillment of the job comes not from the pride in the uniform, strength of the leadership, or thrill of the mission, but the humbleness of the wounded warrior.
click link for more
Soldier found dead in Fort Huachuca Warrior Transition Unit
Soldier found dead in Fort Huachuca barracks
Arizona Daily Star - Tucson,AZ,
Tucson, Arizona | Published: 11.12.2008
A 22-year-old soldier has been found dead in his barracks at Fort Huachuca, the second such death this year.
The body of Pvt. Paul Muse, a native of Oklahoma, was discovered Saturday morning in the fort’s Warriors in Transition Unit, officials announced today.
The unit provides physical and mental health help for soldiers wounded in action and other troops recovering from medical conditions.
On Jan. 28, another 22-year-old soldier, Pfc. Eli Baker of California, was found dead in the same unit at Fort Huachuca.
∫ Read more in Thursday's Arizona Daily Star
click link for more
Wednesday, November 12, 2008
9 months later, Mother finds out bus driver choked mentally challenged son on bus
I just found this on CNN and outraged over this happening, but more angry that no one bothered to tell the child's Mother. The WFAA news had to tell her 9 months later!
Bus driver 'chokes' bipolar student on tape
Bus driver chokes kid 4:50
Video of a bus driver choking a mentally challenged student sparks an investigation. WFAA's Shelly Slater reports.
Video shows Dallas bus driver choking student
12:01 AM CST on Wednesday, November 12, 2008
By SHELLY SLATER / WFAA-TV
DALLAS - A camera captured images of a mentally challenged-bipolar student being choked by a school bus driver in Dallas.
On a normal day, the Dallas County bus driver, Janet Pitts, would have a monitor on board to help with students like Xavier, a middle school student. But that wasn't the case one day in January. The monitor couldn't make it that day.
Within minutes of the bus pulling away from the school, Xavier began to act up by moving around the bus and shouting obscenities.
Watching the video, Pitts' patience begins to visibly wear out.
Bus driver 'chokes' bipolar student on tape
Bus driver chokes kid 4:50
Video of a bus driver choking a mentally challenged student sparks an investigation. WFAA's Shelly Slater reports.
Video shows Dallas bus driver choking student
12:01 AM CST on Wednesday, November 12, 2008
By SHELLY SLATER / WFAA-TV
DALLAS - A camera captured images of a mentally challenged-bipolar student being choked by a school bus driver in Dallas.
On a normal day, the Dallas County bus driver, Janet Pitts, would have a monitor on board to help with students like Xavier, a middle school student. But that wasn't the case one day in January. The monitor couldn't make it that day.
Within minutes of the bus pulling away from the school, Xavier began to act up by moving around the bus and shouting obscenities.
Watching the video, Pitts' patience begins to visibly wear out.
Just weeks ago, News 8 set out with only the tape in hand to find out the details of the incident. Once News 8 found Xavier's family, it was discovered they were never informed of the incident.
For the first time, Xavier's mom - Claudia Nava - saw the video, which was recorded nine months ago. The same week of the incident, Nava reported scratches on her son. A Dallas County employee followed up but never told Nava the driver admitted to choking her son.
"It makes me really mad," Nava said.
Nava said she knows her son can be violent. She requested a monitor to be on board the bus for that very reason.
"I want everyone to understand he's not acting that way because he wants to," she said. "He just can't express himself."go here for more of this
http://www.wfaa.com/sharedcontent/dws/wfaa/
latestnews/stories/wfaa081111_mo_choking.1a3ac56a6.html
Slapped Iraqi soldier soots dead two US troops
Slapped Iraqi soldier soots dead two US troops
The Australian - Sydney,Australia
James Hider | November 13, 2008
Article from: The Australian
AN Iraqi soldier on foot patrol with US forces in the northern city of Mosul shot and killed two American soldiers and wounded six more, the worst such case yet of US-trained local troops turning their guns on their allies.
The Iraqi soldier, identified as Barzan al-Hadidi, was part of a joint daytime patrol on the streets of the dangerous city, considered to be one of the last strongholds of Al-Qa'ida and its local allies in Iraq. He was quickly gunned down by other members of the patrol, officials said.
The Iraqi Interior Ministry said the soldier opened fire after he had been publicly slapped by an American colleague. Many Iraqi men, especially in the military, are intensely proud and conscious of any perceived slight to their honour.
“Two soldiers were killed and six wounded in a small-arms fire attack in an Iraqi Army compound in Mosul today. Initial reports indicate the attacker was an Iraqi soldier,” the US military said.
“The situation is fluid and still under investigation, so the casualty figures may change,” it added. A local morgue which received the Iraqi soldier’s body said it had been riddled with bullets.
There have been instances of Iraqi soldiers opening fire on their US mentors and comrades in the past, but never to such a deadly extent. Insurgents have also used Iraqi army uniforms to infiltrate joint bases in the past. One of the worst cases was in Mosul in 2004, when a suicide bomber dressed as an Iraqi soldier blew himself up in an American army mess hall, killing more than dozen US soldiers.
click link for more
The Australian - Sydney,Australia
James Hider | November 13, 2008
Article from: The Australian
AN Iraqi soldier on foot patrol with US forces in the northern city of Mosul shot and killed two American soldiers and wounded six more, the worst such case yet of US-trained local troops turning their guns on their allies.
The Iraqi soldier, identified as Barzan al-Hadidi, was part of a joint daytime patrol on the streets of the dangerous city, considered to be one of the last strongholds of Al-Qa'ida and its local allies in Iraq. He was quickly gunned down by other members of the patrol, officials said.
The Iraqi Interior Ministry said the soldier opened fire after he had been publicly slapped by an American colleague. Many Iraqi men, especially in the military, are intensely proud and conscious of any perceived slight to their honour.
“Two soldiers were killed and six wounded in a small-arms fire attack in an Iraqi Army compound in Mosul today. Initial reports indicate the attacker was an Iraqi soldier,” the US military said.
“The situation is fluid and still under investigation, so the casualty figures may change,” it added. A local morgue which received the Iraqi soldier’s body said it had been riddled with bullets.
There have been instances of Iraqi soldiers opening fire on their US mentors and comrades in the past, but never to such a deadly extent. Insurgents have also used Iraqi army uniforms to infiltrate joint bases in the past. One of the worst cases was in Mosul in 2004, when a suicide bomber dressed as an Iraqi soldier blew himself up in an American army mess hall, killing more than dozen US soldiers.
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11 year old Brenden Foster sees his dying wish come true
This is the third post on this little angel. He's only been here for 11 years and has already managed to change this nation and how we look at homeless people. To think this wonderful child could have asked for anything for himself and it would have been given, he asked that we take care of the homeless and feed them. There are angels among us!
I was in the site for KOMO looking for an update and discovered this.
Go to the Problem Solvers donation page and select "Brenden Foster Food Drive" from the donation options list.
Dying boy inspires goodwill in people near and far
Watch the story
By KOMO Staff
Watch the story
BOTHELL, Wash. -- An 11-year-old boy's dying wish to feed the homeless has taken on a life of its own, sparking a movement to help the hungry nationwide. Doctors gave Brenden Foster two weeks to live. His time was up last Wednesday. "I should be gone in a week or so," he said last Friday. On Monday, groggy and medicated, Brenden was having a rough day. "Tired," he said, visibly weak. "(You) need some more medicine," said his mother, Wendy Foster, stroking his head. Leukemia halted the young life of Brenden, who once dreamed of becoming a marine photographer. Brenden has relapsed for the last time.
There is no chemo, no more transfusions; just comfort medications. "I'm hoping I'm awake when he decides to pass because I want to make sure I'm holding him," Wendy later said. Brenden survived his leukemia long enough to witness his dying wish come true. Last Friday Brenden shared his last wish to feed the homeless.
I was in the site for KOMO looking for an update and discovered this.
Go to the Problem Solvers donation page and select "Brenden Foster Food Drive" from the donation options list.
Dying boy inspires goodwill in people near and far
Watch the story
By KOMO Staff
Watch the story
BOTHELL, Wash. -- An 11-year-old boy's dying wish to feed the homeless has taken on a life of its own, sparking a movement to help the hungry nationwide. Doctors gave Brenden Foster two weeks to live. His time was up last Wednesday. "I should be gone in a week or so," he said last Friday. On Monday, groggy and medicated, Brenden was having a rough day. "Tired," he said, visibly weak. "(You) need some more medicine," said his mother, Wendy Foster, stroking his head. Leukemia halted the young life of Brenden, who once dreamed of becoming a marine photographer. Brenden has relapsed for the last time.
There is no chemo, no more transfusions; just comfort medications. "I'm hoping I'm awake when he decides to pass because I want to make sure I'm holding him," Wendy later said. Brenden survived his leukemia long enough to witness his dying wish come true. Last Friday Brenden shared his last wish to feed the homeless.
On Monday, Brenden could barely keep his eyes open as he watched a video of volunteers feeding Seattle's homeless on his behalf.
Over the weekend, his wish went national on CNN. And KOMO News received phone calls from Fort Lauderdale, Florida to Fort Wayne, Indiana.
Clearly in pain, Brenden still managed to smile as he listened to stories about the phone calls and e-mails his story had inspired. His story touched many people from all walks of life, from families fighting cancer to men in the military.
"I think it's great, all over the country..." Brenden said.
"He made my dream come true. In my lifetime, I wanted to change the world and my son did that," said Wendy. "The world is such a beautiful place and (that became) evident the last 72 hours, and Brenden did that."
Brenden has one more wish for the afterlife: become an angel who accomplishes even more in heaven than he did on Earth.go here for more
Soldier's diary sends mother on mission of her own
Soldier's diary sends mother on mission of her own
By Luke Duecy
Watch the story
BELLINGHAM, Wash. -- The diary of a local corporal killed in Iraq sent his mother on a painful but inspiring journey.
The 37 pages helped the mother of Jonathan Santos walk through her son's final days and ultimately led her to an unexpected discovery.
"My brother went off to Vietnam," said Doris Santos, "but he came home. So (I thought) Jonathan would come home. I thought he'd come home."
But he never did. On Oct. 15, 2004, an improvised explosive device took his life. And just like those before him, he became another statistic, or so his mother thought.
In the days that followed, a large trunk arrived on Doris' doorstep. It contained all of her son's personal belongings. Inside were his beret, his lucky Shrek doll and several videotapes he'd shot in Iraq.
But something unexpected caught Doris' eye -- a little green book.
"I told my family, 'look at what I found. He kept a journal,'" she said.
There were 37 entries inside, one for each day Jonathan spent in Iraq. He wrote about his first days in the country and time spent couped up in the barracks.
go here for more
http://www.komonews.com/news/34317374.html
By Luke Duecy
Watch the story
BELLINGHAM, Wash. -- The diary of a local corporal killed in Iraq sent his mother on a painful but inspiring journey.
The 37 pages helped the mother of Jonathan Santos walk through her son's final days and ultimately led her to an unexpected discovery.
"My brother went off to Vietnam," said Doris Santos, "but he came home. So (I thought) Jonathan would come home. I thought he'd come home."
But he never did. On Oct. 15, 2004, an improvised explosive device took his life. And just like those before him, he became another statistic, or so his mother thought.
In the days that followed, a large trunk arrived on Doris' doorstep. It contained all of her son's personal belongings. Inside were his beret, his lucky Shrek doll and several videotapes he'd shot in Iraq.
But something unexpected caught Doris' eye -- a little green book.
"I told my family, 'look at what I found. He kept a journal,'" she said.
There were 37 entries inside, one for each day Jonathan spent in Iraq. He wrote about his first days in the country and time spent couped up in the barracks.
go here for more
http://www.komonews.com/news/34317374.html
7ft tall 12 year old medical mystery in Washington State
Brenden Adams, right, is seen with KOMO 4's Eric Johnson.
YouNews™Story Published: Nov 10, 2008 at 11:27 PM PST
The life and times of a larger-than-life boy
By Eric Johnson
Watch the story
ELLENSBURG, Wash. -- Imagine being 7 feet tall. Now imagine being 7 feet tall while you're in grade school.In my business - sports journalism, here's the skinny: if you work enough, you'll meet a few big fellas. But in the lengthy history of tall drinks of water, there has never been anyone quite like Brenden Adams."I don't know of anyone else like Brenden, and I don't think anyone else like Brenden has ever been reported before," said Dr. Melissa Parisi, a geneticist.
He is a medical mystery, a riddle and a miracle. And despite his outward and upward appearances, he is just 12 years old.
go here for more
http://www.komonews.com/news/34256879.html
CBC journalist's kidnapping in Afghanistan 'happened so quickly'
CBC journalist relied on instincts to survive Afghanistan kidnapping
The Canadian Press - TORONTO
1 hour ago
TORONTO — It all happened so quickly, the big men with guns jumping out of the car, stabbing her in the shoulder and shoving her into a car.
CBC journalist Mellissa Fung had just enough time to yell out to her Afghan fixer, telling him not to call the police, but rather a CTV colleague who would know what to do.
She knew it was money they were after when they kidnapped her Oct. 12 after she had just finished interviewing Afghan refugees.
And she knew she would spiral into a depression if she thought about all the terrible things that could happen to her, so she was determinedly optimistic.
"I'm not dying here," Fung, 35, would tell herself. "Dying is not an option. Help is coming. I will get out of here one way or another."
"That's not to say that there weren't some really awful days...There were some days when I thought, 'When am I ever going to get the hell out of here?"'
She was released Saturday after being held for a month, and she spoke to the CBC on Wednesday about the experience during an hour-long interview in an undisclosed location overseas.
In the midst of her abduction she fought back and hit one of the kidnappers. They stabbed her in the shoulder, shoved her to the floor of the back seat of a car and sped off.
Held down on the floor of the car and bleeding from the stab wound on her shoulder, Fung didn't know where she was going or who was taking her there.
"That was one of the scariest moments," she said. "I didn't know what was happening
click link for more
The Canadian Press - TORONTO
1 hour ago
TORONTO — It all happened so quickly, the big men with guns jumping out of the car, stabbing her in the shoulder and shoving her into a car.
CBC journalist Mellissa Fung had just enough time to yell out to her Afghan fixer, telling him not to call the police, but rather a CTV colleague who would know what to do.
She knew it was money they were after when they kidnapped her Oct. 12 after she had just finished interviewing Afghan refugees.
And she knew she would spiral into a depression if she thought about all the terrible things that could happen to her, so she was determinedly optimistic.
"I'm not dying here," Fung, 35, would tell herself. "Dying is not an option. Help is coming. I will get out of here one way or another."
"That's not to say that there weren't some really awful days...There were some days when I thought, 'When am I ever going to get the hell out of here?"'
She was released Saturday after being held for a month, and she spoke to the CBC on Wednesday about the experience during an hour-long interview in an undisclosed location overseas.
In the midst of her abduction she fought back and hit one of the kidnappers. They stabbed her in the shoulder, shoved her to the floor of the back seat of a car and sped off.
Held down on the floor of the car and bleeding from the stab wound on her shoulder, Fung didn't know where she was going or who was taking her there.
"That was one of the scariest moments," she said. "I didn't know what was happening
click link for more
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