Horses help returning soldiers
RYN GARGULINSKI
Tucson Citizen
Soldiers returning from Iraq and Afghanistan are finding horses can be a man's best friend.
A group of horses called The Warriors in Transition Unit are helping soldiers with their return to their home turf.
For soldiers coming back from Afghanistan or Iraq, the transition back into society can be a tough one.
As strange it may sound, horses are helping them overcome survivor's guilt, battlefield nightmares and the transition back into society.
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http://www.tucsoncitizen.com/ss/fromcomments/116768.php
Tuesday, May 26, 2009
Missing Fort Carson Soldier Found Dead
Carson issues alert on AWOL soldier
CARLYN RAY MITCHELL
THE GAZETTE
The Army is asking for help in finding an AWOL Fort Carson soldier who may be armed.
Police and residents are asked to be on the lookout for Pfc. Roy Mason Jr., 28, and the 2008 red Chevy Cobalt he rented from Enterprise with CO license plate 253SOX.
Mason is part of Carson's Warrior Transition Unit, to which physically and psychologically wounded soldiers are assigned as they recover or wait for reassignment.
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http://www.gazette.com/news/carson-54506-fort-mason.html
UPDATE
Missing Fort Carson Soldier Found Dead
Posted: 6:48 PM May 22, 2009
Last Updated: 11:09 PM May 22, 2009
Fort Carson officials tell 11 News a 28-year-old soldier who has been missing since Tuesday has been found dead in California.
Brandy Gill, a Fort Carson spokesperson says PFC Roy Mason II was found dead this afternoon in Santa Cruz, California by the Santa Cruz Police Department.
Gill said she could not release any other details because the death is still under investigation.
A California newspaper is reporting that Mason's death was a suicide. Fort Carson officials would not confirm.
PFC Roy Mason II, was assigned to the Warrior Transition Unit, and was listed as AWOL Tuesday when he did not report to the morning's accountability formation.
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http://www.kktv.com/news/headlines/45878117.html
Fort Hood investigating soldier's death on post
Fort Hood investigating soldier's death on post
© 2009 The Associated Press
May 20, 2009, 7:15PM
FORT HOOD, Texas — Fort Hood officials are investigating the death of a soldier found in his barracks, at least the fourth such incident this year at the Central Texas Army post.
Spc. Caleb Allen Bezanson, 28, of Ridgecrest, Calif., was found unresponsive Monday in his room by fellow soldiers and was later pronounced dead after being taken to the Army hospital, Fort Hood officials said Wednesday in a news release.
© 2009 The Associated Press
May 20, 2009, 7:15PM
FORT HOOD, Texas — Fort Hood officials are investigating the death of a soldier found in his barracks, at least the fourth such incident this year at the Central Texas Army post.
Spc. Caleb Allen Bezanson, 28, of Ridgecrest, Calif., was found unresponsive Monday in his room by fellow soldiers and was later pronounced dead after being taken to the Army hospital, Fort Hood officials said Wednesday in a news release.
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Soldier's wife charged with having him killed
Austin woman charged in murder for money plot
Posted: May 20, 2009 12:11 PM EDT
by Patrick Tolbert
KILLEEN - An Austin woman is facing capital murder charges after police say she paid friends to kill her ex.
On October 14, Killeen Police met Fort Hood officials at an apartment in the 3400 block of Girard to conduct a welfare check after a soldier failed to show up for work. When officials made their way into the residence, they found the body of 26-year-old Ryan Michael Sullivan. His death was ruled a homicide.
Austin Police served a search warrant on Kathryn Nellie Briggs' home Tuesday. Officers seized a number of personal items, documents and computer hardware during the search.
According to police documents, Sullivan's Army insurance policy named Briggs as a beneficiary of $100,000. Briggs, who is also known as Kate Briggs and Arianna Benitez, then "intentionally and knowingly cause the death" of Ryan Sullivan.
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Austin woman charged in murder for money plot
Posted: May 20, 2009 12:11 PM EDT
by Patrick Tolbert
KILLEEN - An Austin woman is facing capital murder charges after police say she paid friends to kill her ex.
On October 14, Killeen Police met Fort Hood officials at an apartment in the 3400 block of Girard to conduct a welfare check after a soldier failed to show up for work. When officials made their way into the residence, they found the body of 26-year-old Ryan Michael Sullivan. His death was ruled a homicide.
Austin Police served a search warrant on Kathryn Nellie Briggs' home Tuesday. Officers seized a number of personal items, documents and computer hardware during the search.
According to police documents, Sullivan's Army insurance policy named Briggs as a beneficiary of $100,000. Briggs, who is also known as Kate Briggs and Arianna Benitez, then "intentionally and knowingly cause the death" of Ryan Sullivan.
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Austin woman charged in murder for money plot
PTSD Caused Him To Forget He Was Still Married?
Is this a case of abusing PTSD or can this be for real? Somehow I doubt it's really what happened. While I am not a psychiatrist and do not play one on the blog, there doesn't seem to be any condition of PTSD that makes them forget something as important as being married and having five kids. Short term memory loss, sure, this happens all the time, but we're talking about having five children and a wife, not what he had for dinner the night before.
Woman Upset Husband Legally Has 2nd Wife
Man Says PTSD Caused Him To Forget He Was Still Married
POSTED: 5:12 pm CDT May 20, 2009
INDEPENDENCE, Mo. -- An Independence woman said her husband abandoned his family before the war and when he came back, he got a new wife and baby and a new life.
Marcella Rivera found out about her husband William Rivera’s possible bigamy in an unusual way. Her mother saw him on a Valentine's Day television special last year, marrying another woman. Rivera said she was floored, because he was still married to her.
"I don't think he should get away with it," said Marchella Rivera.
But he may have done just that.
Rivera found out Friday that the criminal bigamy charges against her husband were dropped. She said his attorney stated that he suffers from post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), a condition he suffered after his military tour in Iraq. Rivera said he didn't remember still being married to her and thought they were divorced.
"I guess if I truly believe in my heart that he didn't know, then OK, yes, he has PTSD and he didn't know; Iraq totally messed him up. But I know he knew he was married, because we had discussed it," she said.
Rivera said she filed for divorce before his second marriage, but they dismissed the case and were going to reconcile for the sake of the five children they have together.
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Woman Upset Husband Legally Has 2nd Wife
Monday, May 25, 2009
Paying tribute at Arlington
Paying tribute at Arlington
The Associated Press
Posted : Monday May 25, 2009 14:29:46 EDT
WASHINGTON — Barack Obama marked his first Memorial Day as president Monday, saluting the men and women of America’s fighting forces, both living and dead, as “the best of America.”
The president spoke after participating in a solemn holiday tradition, laying a wreath at the Tomb of the Unknowns at Arlington National Cemetery, the burial ground for American veterans dating to the Revolutionary War.
In brief remarks after laying the wreath and observing a moment of silence, Obama said he wondered why the country’s fallen warriors felt a sense of duty and answered the call to serve, knowing they might have to make the ultimate sacrifice.
“Why in an age when so many have acted only in pursuit of narrowest self-interest have the soldiers, sailors, airmen and Marines of this generation volunteered all that they have on behalf of others,” he said. “Why have they been willing to bear the heaviest burden?”
“Whatever it is, they felt some tug. They answered a call. They said ‘I’ll go.’ That is why they are the best of America,” Obama said. “That is what separates them from those who have not served in uniform, their extraordinary willingness to risk their lives for people they never met.”
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http://www.armytimes.com/news/2009/05/ap_arlington_052509w/
What President Obama said is beautiful and echoes what many of us wonder all the time. While some were drafted in wars of the past, they also gave their lives for the sake of the nation and what was asked of them. What does it take to be like that? I always wondered when I thought of my father and my uncles and a cousin that served in Vietnam. All of them survived and all of them enlisted. I grew up surrounded by veterans and ended up marrying one. I still, to this day, wonder among all the excuses he used to enlist, why exactly he felt he had to.
Over the years I've met some of the most wonderful men and women this country has to offer. Whatever it is inside of them hangs on long after the days of wearing a uniform and boots ends. They still go on serving others. They go into the police force, DEA agents, become firefighters and emergency responders. They enter into the Reserves and National Guards. No matter what they do, they go on giving until their last breath comes.
Some go on to serve other veterans, homeless veterans and other citizens. They go into the Disabled American Veterans and other service organizations helping veterans maneuver around the red tape and bureaucracy of the VA making sure they get what they need and what they've already paid for by their service to this country.
Veterans that go into organizations like Point Man Ministries taking care of the spiritual needs of veterans from all generations.
Even veterans going into groups like Rolling Thunder and Nam Knights, going on to be of service to others so many years after their duty has been done. I just spent the last 5 days with them, watching them and listening to them, all the time wondering how this nation was so blessed to have so many willing to do for others while asking so little for themselves.
The fallen, those we remember this Memorial Day as with all other years were the same way. They knew the risk they were taking but did it anyway. To forget them is to refuse to acknowledge exactly what made them risk it all for the sake of the rest of us. Sure, we can debate the necessity of the war they died fighting, that's political arguments and I doubt anyone will ever find a way for people to all agree over the worthiness, but we all manage to agree on the men and women sent to fight the nation's battles. Only days out of a year we take time to remember them. We remember the lives lost on Memorial Day and the living from all generations on Veterans Day. We remember them on Vietnam Veterans Day and we celebrate them on the 4th of July. For the rest of the year, they humbly serve with all they have to give and we are all better for them having been here because our dependence on them never seems to end.
Vietnam veterans fought to make sure PTSD was treated and recognized as service connected and because the government invested a lot of money into it, the mental health community and Chaplains take care of people from all walks of life after trauma. But we never seem to notice when we have a crisis and find someone right there to help us after.
Most of what we use today was developed either for NASA and the space missions or the military but we never seem to notice when we use the inventions.
The giving these men and women are ready to do just never ends and when their lives do come to an end, their families pick up where they left off. Wouldn't it be a wonderful thing to finally, once and for all, live up to the motto we so easily let fly from our lips the rest of the year when we say "grateful nation" and prove it with what we are willing to do for them?
Train Hits Stalled Van, 2 Rescuers Hurt
Train Hits Stalled Van, 2 Rescuers Hurt
By CARRIE ANTLFINGER, AP
(May 25) - A freight train smashed into a minivan stuck on the tracks Monday as a police officer struggled to help a man pull his wife and child to safety.
They got the woman out but the 2-year-old boy was still inside when the 94-car train rammed the vehicle, crumpling the front and throwing the van into the two men. The child was unhurt, but both men suffered injuries, said Jim Gage, police chief in suburban Elm Grove.
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Train Hits Stalled Van, 2 Rescuers Hurt
By CARRIE ANTLFINGER, AP
(May 25) - A freight train smashed into a minivan stuck on the tracks Monday as a police officer struggled to help a man pull his wife and child to safety.
They got the woman out but the 2-year-old boy was still inside when the 94-car train rammed the vehicle, crumpling the front and throwing the van into the two men. The child was unhurt, but both men suffered injuries, said Jim Gage, police chief in suburban Elm Grove.
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Train Hits Stalled Van, 2 Rescuers Hurt
Nam Knights Memorial Day Washington DC Ride
852.9 miles from Orlando to Washington DC, but it was so worth it.
It rained Thursday when we left Orlando and followed us most of the way to North Carolina.
While Saturday there was a ride of the Nam Knights and the 20th anniversary, there was no doubt why we were in Washington DC. This was for the fallen and to remember them. Rolling Thunder had their ride on Sunday and a lot of the Nam Knights rode that day as well but Saturday it was just for the Knights.
Traffic was pretty hairy at times.
Other chapters met at the hotel in North Carolina
This great bunch of officers gave an escort back onto I-95
Being with all of these members of the Nam Knights was simply amazing. I've never seen such a huge bunch of people so caring about each other. If you don't know anything about the Nam Knights, look them up on line. They are Vietnam veterans, police officers and firefighters. All of them willing to lay down their lives for the sake of others in war and in this nation. They have devoted their lives to all veterans.
It was also wonderful to see how much appreciation there is for these men. At the VFW Hall, I thanked the volunteers for putting themselves out for all of us. I was told "We didn't do much compared to what these men did and keep doing." They do a lot for others and are always having one fund raiser after another for someone, but to hear how much they are appreciated, it left a lump in my throat and I was at a loss for words. (Imagine that!)
There is a lot more to say but having just got back today from this long ride, I'm drained. I'll be putting up a video of parts of the ride tomorrow.
It rained Thursday when we left Orlando and followed us most of the way to North Carolina.
While Saturday there was a ride of the Nam Knights and the 20th anniversary, there was no doubt why we were in Washington DC. This was for the fallen and to remember them. Rolling Thunder had their ride on Sunday and a lot of the Nam Knights rode that day as well but Saturday it was just for the Knights.
Traffic was pretty hairy at times.
Other chapters met at the hotel in North Carolina
This great bunch of officers gave an escort back onto I-95
We were escorted from the hotel past Arlington National Cemetery to the Wall. We had to form on the grass for a brief ceremony because there was construction going on near the Wall. A lot of people were disappointed we didn't get to walk the Wall but we understood because there were almost 400 (by some counts) bikes to get moving, traffic to stop, so that we could go to the Law Enforcement Memorial.
At the law enforcement memorial
After a ceremony there, we were escorted all the way to Maryland for a great feast at the VFW hall and greeted with people waving flags and two fire engines with joined ladders.
Just some of the over 300 bikes at the VFW Hall. They fed about 500 people is my guess. I'll do an update on the numbers when I get them after everyone has a chance to get back. They came from all over the country and Canada.
Being with all of these members of the Nam Knights was simply amazing. I've never seen such a huge bunch of people so caring about each other. If you don't know anything about the Nam Knights, look them up on line. They are Vietnam veterans, police officers and firefighters. All of them willing to lay down their lives for the sake of others in war and in this nation. They have devoted their lives to all veterans.
It was also wonderful to see how much appreciation there is for these men. At the VFW Hall, I thanked the volunteers for putting themselves out for all of us. I was told "We didn't do much compared to what these men did and keep doing." They do a lot for others and are always having one fund raiser after another for someone, but to hear how much they are appreciated, it left a lump in my throat and I was at a loss for words. (Imagine that!)
There is a lot more to say but having just got back today from this long ride, I'm drained. I'll be putting up a video of parts of the ride tomorrow.
Are these people out of their minds?
Just back from the DC Memorial Day ride with the Nam Knights out of Orlando. Think about taking that long of a trip, trying to stay together in a pack with a couple of chase trucks towing hitches in case someone broke down and then having idiots decide they were more important than their lives. Not much fun dealing with such careless, thoughtless people thinking they needed to go faster and our lives just didn't matter. I'll do a post in a bit about the rest of the trip but this is just some of what we had to put up with on the road. Traveling in a pack is dangerous enough but when you're trying to keep everyone together so you can watch over each other, there really isn't much of a choice. What comes into some people's minds is beyond belief so lets see why they did it. If you know anyone with these vehicles, let them know they endangered all the lives of the bike pack and the two chase trucks. Ask them if it was worth it?
This jerk cut us off first, but then decided to cut them off on the ride back home. Drive going so fast I couldn't get a good shot of the plate.
This jerk thought it was so funny the first time to play games with the chase truck that he did it a few times and then cut off the bikes. Look at how close he came to the car in front of him.
This jerk cut us off first, but then decided to cut them off on the ride back home. Drive going so fast I couldn't get a good shot of the plate.
This jerk thought it was so funny the first time to play games with the chase truck that he did it a few times and then cut off the bikes. Look at how close he came to the car in front of him.
Wednesday, May 20, 2009
Vets join priest to fight violence
Vets join priest to fight violence
Tuesday, May 19, 2009 10:28 PM
May 19, 2009 (CHICAGO) (WLS) -- Veterans of several different wars joined together to support a Chicago pastor in his battle against gun violence.
The veterans prayed with Fr. Michael Pfleger outside St. Sabina church on Tuesday night.
Some veterans have criticized Fr. Pfleger for turning the church's flag upside down as a sign of distress. But those who came out on Tuesday night say something must be done to draw attention to the escalating violence. They include a Vietnam veteran who lost three young relatives, including a nephew killed just weeks after getting out of the army.
"I didn't know I had to fight two wars," said Claude Hilliard, Vietnam veteran.
go here for more and video
Vets join priest to fight violence
Tuesday, May 19, 2009 10:28 PM
May 19, 2009 (CHICAGO) (WLS) -- Veterans of several different wars joined together to support a Chicago pastor in his battle against gun violence.
The veterans prayed with Fr. Michael Pfleger outside St. Sabina church on Tuesday night.
Some veterans have criticized Fr. Pfleger for turning the church's flag upside down as a sign of distress. But those who came out on Tuesday night say something must be done to draw attention to the escalating violence. They include a Vietnam veteran who lost three young relatives, including a nephew killed just weeks after getting out of the army.
"I didn't know I had to fight two wars," said Claude Hilliard, Vietnam veteran.
go here for more and video
Vets join priest to fight violence
U.S. Troops Unfit for Combat
U.S. Troops Unfit for Combat?
Thursday, 21 May 2009 00:28 Dahr Jamail
t r u t h o u t Perspective
This Monday at 2 PM Baghdad time, a US soldier gunned down five fellow soldiers at a stress-counseling center at a US base in Baghdad. Adm. Mike Mullen, the chairman of the US military's Joint Chiefs of Staff, told reporters at a news conference at the Pentagon that the shootings occurred in a place where "individuals were seeking help." Admiral Mullen added, "It does speak to me, though, about the need for us to redouble our efforts, the concern in terms of dealing with the stress.... It also speaks to the issue of multiple deployments."
Commenting on the incident in nearly parallel terms, US Secretary of Defense Robert Gates said that the Pentagon needs to redouble its efforts to relieve stress caused by repeated deployments in war zones that is further exacerbated by limited time at home in between deployments.
The condition described by Mullen and Gates is what veteran health experts often refer to as PTSD (post-traumatic stress disorder).
While soldiers returning home are routinely involved in shootings, suicide, and other forms of self-destructive violent behaviors as a direct result of their experiences in Iraq, we have yet to see an event of this magnitude in Iraq.
The last reported incident of this kind happened in 2005 when an Army captain and lieutenant were killed when an anti-personnel mine detonated in the window of their room at a US base in Tikrit. In that case, National Guard Staff Sgt. Alberto Martinez was acquitted.
The shocking story of a soldier killing five of his comrades does not come as a surprise when we consider that the military has, for years now, been sending troops with untreated PTSD back into the US occupation of Iraq.
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U.S. Troops Unfit for Combat
Thursday, 21 May 2009 00:28 Dahr Jamail
t r u t h o u t Perspective
This Monday at 2 PM Baghdad time, a US soldier gunned down five fellow soldiers at a stress-counseling center at a US base in Baghdad. Adm. Mike Mullen, the chairman of the US military's Joint Chiefs of Staff, told reporters at a news conference at the Pentagon that the shootings occurred in a place where "individuals were seeking help." Admiral Mullen added, "It does speak to me, though, about the need for us to redouble our efforts, the concern in terms of dealing with the stress.... It also speaks to the issue of multiple deployments."
Commenting on the incident in nearly parallel terms, US Secretary of Defense Robert Gates said that the Pentagon needs to redouble its efforts to relieve stress caused by repeated deployments in war zones that is further exacerbated by limited time at home in between deployments.
The condition described by Mullen and Gates is what veteran health experts often refer to as PTSD (post-traumatic stress disorder).
While soldiers returning home are routinely involved in shootings, suicide, and other forms of self-destructive violent behaviors as a direct result of their experiences in Iraq, we have yet to see an event of this magnitude in Iraq.
The last reported incident of this kind happened in 2005 when an Army captain and lieutenant were killed when an anti-personnel mine detonated in the window of their room at a US base in Tikrit. In that case, National Guard Staff Sgt. Alberto Martinez was acquitted.
The shocking story of a soldier killing five of his comrades does not come as a surprise when we consider that the military has, for years now, been sending troops with untreated PTSD back into the US occupation of Iraq.
go here for more
U.S. Troops Unfit for Combat
Groups disagree about Gulf War illness research
Groups disagree about Gulf War illness research
By Kelly Kennedy - Staff writer
Posted : Wednesday May 20, 2009 16:34:17 EDT
The Pentagon and Department of Veterans Affairs say an Institute of Medicine study shows there is no Gulf War “syndrome,” and that there is nothing unique about the symptoms 1 in 4 Desert Storm veterans suffer.
But the congressionally mandated Research Advisory Committee on Gulf War Illness say that not only is there a series of symptoms that make up a definable illness, they know what caused that illness.
Those opposing views were on full display May 19 in the first of three congressional hearings about Gulf War Illness.
“We do believe that Gulf War illnesses are real — but there is no unique set of symptoms,” said Craig Postlewaite, deputy director of force readiness and health assurance under the assistant secretary of defense for health affairs.
He based that view on the IOM study that concluded veterans’ symptoms vary too much to be seen as unique and recommended no more epidemiological studies.
go here for more
Groups disagree about Gulf War illness research
By Kelly Kennedy - Staff writer
Posted : Wednesday May 20, 2009 16:34:17 EDT
The Pentagon and Department of Veterans Affairs say an Institute of Medicine study shows there is no Gulf War “syndrome,” and that there is nothing unique about the symptoms 1 in 4 Desert Storm veterans suffer.
But the congressionally mandated Research Advisory Committee on Gulf War Illness say that not only is there a series of symptoms that make up a definable illness, they know what caused that illness.
Those opposing views were on full display May 19 in the first of three congressional hearings about Gulf War Illness.
“We do believe that Gulf War illnesses are real — but there is no unique set of symptoms,” said Craig Postlewaite, deputy director of force readiness and health assurance under the assistant secretary of defense for health affairs.
He based that view on the IOM study that concluded veterans’ symptoms vary too much to be seen as unique and recommended no more epidemiological studies.
go here for more
Groups disagree about Gulf War illness research
KBR received $83 million bonus money after troops electrocuted
Senator: KBR received $83 million in bonuses
By Kimberly Hefling - The Associated Press
Posted : Wednesday May 20, 2009 12:34:10 EDT
WASHINGTON — Military contractor KBR Inc. was paid $83.4 million in bonuses for electrical work in Iraq — much of it after the military’s contract management agency recognized the contractor was doing shoddy electrical work, a senator said Wednesday.
Sen. Byron Dorgan, D-N.D., said he learned of the bonuses from Pentagon documents. Dorgan chairs the Democrats’ Policy Committee, which examined at a hearing the electrocution deaths of U.S. troops in Iraq.
At least three troops have been electrocuted while showering in Iraq, and others have been injured and killed in other electrical incidents. Houston-based KBR, which has the responsibility of maintaining electrical work in tens of thousands of U.S. facilities in Iraq, has denied any responsibility in the deaths.
But Dorgan said evidence suggests KBR’s work was involved in some of the deaths. He said $34 million in bonuses was paid three months after Green Beret Staff Sgt. Ryan Maseth, 24, of Pittsburgh, was electrocuted while showering in his barracks in Iraq on Jan. 2, 2008. Maseth’s family has sued KBR, alleging wrongful death.
go here for more
Senator: KBR received $83 million in bonuses
KBR's chief defends electrical work in Iraq
By KIMBERLY HEFLING – 53 minutes ago
WASHINGTON (AP) — The chief executive of the military contractor under scrutiny in the electrocution of U.S. troops in Iraq said Wednesday the electrical codes it used in the buildings it maintained in the war zone "were known and thought to be acceptable" by the Pentagon.
William P. Utt, the chairman of Houston-based KBR Inc. told The Associated Press in an interview that the company was not expected to meet the U.S. electrical code in a wartime environment. He said the company was striving to meet the British electrical code, which was more in line with the Iraqi electrical system.
Earlier Wednesday, Jim Childs, an electrical inspector hired by the Army to help review U.S.-run facilities in Iraq testified before the Democrats' policy committee that 90 percent of KBR's wiring in newly constructed buildings in Iraq was not done properly, meaning an estimated 70,000 buildings where troops lived and worked were not safe.
"When I began inspecting the electrical work performed by KBR, my co-workers and I found improper electrical work in every building we inspected," Childs said.
go here for more of this
KBR chief defends electrical work in Iraq
By Kimberly Hefling - The Associated Press
Posted : Wednesday May 20, 2009 12:34:10 EDT
WASHINGTON — Military contractor KBR Inc. was paid $83.4 million in bonuses for electrical work in Iraq — much of it after the military’s contract management agency recognized the contractor was doing shoddy electrical work, a senator said Wednesday.
Sen. Byron Dorgan, D-N.D., said he learned of the bonuses from Pentagon documents. Dorgan chairs the Democrats’ Policy Committee, which examined at a hearing the electrocution deaths of U.S. troops in Iraq.
At least three troops have been electrocuted while showering in Iraq, and others have been injured and killed in other electrical incidents. Houston-based KBR, which has the responsibility of maintaining electrical work in tens of thousands of U.S. facilities in Iraq, has denied any responsibility in the deaths.
But Dorgan said evidence suggests KBR’s work was involved in some of the deaths. He said $34 million in bonuses was paid three months after Green Beret Staff Sgt. Ryan Maseth, 24, of Pittsburgh, was electrocuted while showering in his barracks in Iraq on Jan. 2, 2008. Maseth’s family has sued KBR, alleging wrongful death.
go here for more
Senator: KBR received $83 million in bonuses
KBR's chief defends electrical work in Iraq
By KIMBERLY HEFLING – 53 minutes ago
WASHINGTON (AP) — The chief executive of the military contractor under scrutiny in the electrocution of U.S. troops in Iraq said Wednesday the electrical codes it used in the buildings it maintained in the war zone "were known and thought to be acceptable" by the Pentagon.
William P. Utt, the chairman of Houston-based KBR Inc. told The Associated Press in an interview that the company was not expected to meet the U.S. electrical code in a wartime environment. He said the company was striving to meet the British electrical code, which was more in line with the Iraqi electrical system.
Earlier Wednesday, Jim Childs, an electrical inspector hired by the Army to help review U.S.-run facilities in Iraq testified before the Democrats' policy committee that 90 percent of KBR's wiring in newly constructed buildings in Iraq was not done properly, meaning an estimated 70,000 buildings where troops lived and worked were not safe.
"When I began inspecting the electrical work performed by KBR, my co-workers and I found improper electrical work in every building we inspected," Childs said.
go here for more of this
KBR chief defends electrical work in Iraq
Clergy Sex Abuse Reported from Ireland shows more victims
May 20th, 2009
Thousands of children abused in Irish institutions, report finds
Posted: 12:55 PM ET
(CNN) — Thousands of children suffered sexual abuse, beatings, malnutrition and emotional abuse for decades in the Irish institutions where they were raised, an Irish government commission said Wednesday.
Catholic clergy ran the vast majority of the reformatories and orphanages where the abuse allegedly took place, it said.
There were institutions where sexual abuse was a “chronic problem” and where “floggings” that “should not have been tolerated in any institution” were “inflicted for even minor transgressions,” the commission’s wide-ranging report says.
The report details the case of one “serial sexual and physical abuser” who “physically terrorized and sexually abused children in his classroom” in six schools over a period of 40 years — and was “persistently protected” by church and educational authorities. The man, identified only by a pseudonym, was finally convicted of sexual abuse in the 1980s, the report says.
http://cnnwire.blogs.cnn.com/
Thousands of children abused in Irish institutions, report finds
Posted: 12:55 PM ET
(CNN) — Thousands of children suffered sexual abuse, beatings, malnutrition and emotional abuse for decades in the Irish institutions where they were raised, an Irish government commission said Wednesday.
Catholic clergy ran the vast majority of the reformatories and orphanages where the abuse allegedly took place, it said.
There were institutions where sexual abuse was a “chronic problem” and where “floggings” that “should not have been tolerated in any institution” were “inflicted for even minor transgressions,” the commission’s wide-ranging report says.
The report details the case of one “serial sexual and physical abuser” who “physically terrorized and sexually abused children in his classroom” in six schools over a period of 40 years — and was “persistently protected” by church and educational authorities. The man, identified only by a pseudonym, was finally convicted of sexual abuse in the 1980s, the report says.
http://cnnwire.blogs.cnn.com/
Bill to repeal Feres clears first hurdle
Bill to repeal Feres clears first hurdle
By William H. McMichael - Staff writer
Posted : Tuesday May 19, 2009 15:05:37 EDT
An effort to overturn a 59-year-old Supreme Court decision barring service members from suing the government for negligence inched forward Tuesday when a House subcommittee approved the Carmelo Rodriguez Military Medical Accountability Act.
The bill is named for a Marine Corps platoon leader and Iraq war veteran who was not told by military doctors that he had been diagnosed with melanoma, was not referred for treatment and, years later, was told the growth was a birthmark. Rodriguez, of Ellenville, N.Y., died from skin cancer in November 2007 at age 29.
Rodriguez and his family were barred from suing the government for medical malpractice by a 1950 ruling that became known as the Feres doctrine, which prohibits those on active duty from suing the government for negligence resulting in personal injuries.
If the bill approved by the House Judiciary Committee’s commercial and administrative law subcommittee is eventually enacted, service members could gain that right.
go here for more
Bill to repeal Feres clears first hurdle
By William H. McMichael - Staff writer
Posted : Tuesday May 19, 2009 15:05:37 EDT
An effort to overturn a 59-year-old Supreme Court decision barring service members from suing the government for negligence inched forward Tuesday when a House subcommittee approved the Carmelo Rodriguez Military Medical Accountability Act.
The bill is named for a Marine Corps platoon leader and Iraq war veteran who was not told by military doctors that he had been diagnosed with melanoma, was not referred for treatment and, years later, was told the growth was a birthmark. Rodriguez, of Ellenville, N.Y., died from skin cancer in November 2007 at age 29.
Rodriguez and his family were barred from suing the government for medical malpractice by a 1950 ruling that became known as the Feres doctrine, which prohibits those on active duty from suing the government for negligence resulting in personal injuries.
If the bill approved by the House Judiciary Committee’s commercial and administrative law subcommittee is eventually enacted, service members could gain that right.
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Bill to repeal Feres clears first hurdle
Women vets’ clinic addresses all health issues
Women vets’ clinic addresses all health issues
By Keith Purtell
Phoenix Staff Writer
With more female veterans returning home from military duties, the Jack C. Montgomery VA Medical Center is putting greater emphasis on their outpatient women’s clinic.
U.S. Army veteran Aleatha Franco, 39, said she was a patient there for six years before she recently moved to McAlester.
“It’s a really good facility, especially for women with post-traumatic stress disorder,” she said. “For women who aren’t comfortable seeing men, it’s a good option.”
Franco said she had a friend who didn’t get treatment for combat-related stress.
“My friend committed suicide related to PTSD,” she said. “I hope that if family members see signs that there is a problem, I hope they will be more proactive. People should not be afraid to come in. We can join together and help each other.”
Franco said the clinic responds to all health issues, both physical and emotional, and treats all patients with respect.
“The VA in Muskogee really tries hard to be their best with all of that,” she said.
Susie Hartsell, manager for the Women Veterans Program said female veterans often have special needs.
“We want to reassure them that they’re safe in a protected environment,” she said. “A lot of them suffer from sexual abuse and mental issues that affects them if they have to go see a doctor and sit in a waiting room and be around a lot of men.”
Hartsell said 898 women are enrolled in the program and that the all-female staff sees 10 to 12 patients a day in the clinic.
go here for more
http://www.muskogeephoenix.com/local/local_story_140013058.html
By Keith Purtell
Phoenix Staff Writer
With more female veterans returning home from military duties, the Jack C. Montgomery VA Medical Center is putting greater emphasis on their outpatient women’s clinic.
U.S. Army veteran Aleatha Franco, 39, said she was a patient there for six years before she recently moved to McAlester.
“It’s a really good facility, especially for women with post-traumatic stress disorder,” she said. “For women who aren’t comfortable seeing men, it’s a good option.”
Franco said she had a friend who didn’t get treatment for combat-related stress.
“My friend committed suicide related to PTSD,” she said. “I hope that if family members see signs that there is a problem, I hope they will be more proactive. People should not be afraid to come in. We can join together and help each other.”
Franco said the clinic responds to all health issues, both physical and emotional, and treats all patients with respect.
“The VA in Muskogee really tries hard to be their best with all of that,” she said.
Susie Hartsell, manager for the Women Veterans Program said female veterans often have special needs.
“We want to reassure them that they’re safe in a protected environment,” she said. “A lot of them suffer from sexual abuse and mental issues that affects them if they have to go see a doctor and sit in a waiting room and be around a lot of men.”
Hartsell said 898 women are enrolled in the program and that the all-female staff sees 10 to 12 patients a day in the clinic.
go here for more
http://www.muskogeephoenix.com/local/local_story_140013058.html
Homeless Veteran Beats the Streets in Canada
Homeless Veteran Beats the Streets
Thirty-year-old Ryan McKenna is one of nine homeless veterans living at The Salvation Army’s Centre of Hope in Calgary. Following two tours of duty in the Persian Gulf, PTSD (post-traumatic stress disorder) led to his marriage breakdown and cycles of substance abuse and addiction. It wasn’t long before he was living on the streets.
“Being part of a ships crew that contributes to the war on terror leaves you with a level of anxiety and stress that you never overcome,” says Ryan. “We were on high alert at all times, which meant we had to be ready for anything. Daily drills, without warning, prepared us for man overboard, fires, floods, rescue and attack. You never knew if the drill was for real or a test.
“I stayed strong while on duty, but when I returned home to Halifax in 2003 my anxiety and depression surfaced. Social workers were unable to grasp the magnitude of my PTSD. I drank excessively to drown my emotions.
“Alcoholism is a terrible thing. It destroyed my family. My marriage fell apart and I lost custody of my sons, 5 and 3. I moved to Calgary to start a new life. When I arrived at The Salvation Army Centre of Hope I was unemployed, addicted to alcohol and homeless.”
The Calgary Centre of Hope provides accommodation for more than 400 residents, including some emergency housing, women’s shelter, mental health population accommodations, food and life skills training, chapel and counselling services, and recreational programs. As a homeless shelter the building recognizes and responds to the hardness of the lifestyle of those who use it by providing opportunities to regain a foothold in society.
In May, 2009, Ryan successfully completed The Salvation Army’s residential addictions recovery program. “My job was to fix me,” says Ryan. “The Salvation Army gave me the tools I needed to deal with life’s curves appropriately.”
Ryan is currently employed as a concrete worker. “I was so psychologically scarred from military service I never thought I could be a contributing member of society,” says Ryan. “The Salvation Army was here for me when I was as wounded as someone bleeding on the battlefield. This is the most stability I’ve had in a long time.”
To view Ryan’s recent interview with CBC click here.
Thirty-year-old Ryan McKenna is one of nine homeless veterans living at The Salvation Army’s Centre of Hope in Calgary. Following two tours of duty in the Persian Gulf, PTSD (post-traumatic stress disorder) led to his marriage breakdown and cycles of substance abuse and addiction. It wasn’t long before he was living on the streets.
“Being part of a ships crew that contributes to the war on terror leaves you with a level of anxiety and stress that you never overcome,” says Ryan. “We were on high alert at all times, which meant we had to be ready for anything. Daily drills, without warning, prepared us for man overboard, fires, floods, rescue and attack. You never knew if the drill was for real or a test.
“I stayed strong while on duty, but when I returned home to Halifax in 2003 my anxiety and depression surfaced. Social workers were unable to grasp the magnitude of my PTSD. I drank excessively to drown my emotions.
“Alcoholism is a terrible thing. It destroyed my family. My marriage fell apart and I lost custody of my sons, 5 and 3. I moved to Calgary to start a new life. When I arrived at The Salvation Army Centre of Hope I was unemployed, addicted to alcohol and homeless.”
The Calgary Centre of Hope provides accommodation for more than 400 residents, including some emergency housing, women’s shelter, mental health population accommodations, food and life skills training, chapel and counselling services, and recreational programs. As a homeless shelter the building recognizes and responds to the hardness of the lifestyle of those who use it by providing opportunities to regain a foothold in society.
In May, 2009, Ryan successfully completed The Salvation Army’s residential addictions recovery program. “My job was to fix me,” says Ryan. “The Salvation Army gave me the tools I needed to deal with life’s curves appropriately.”
Ryan is currently employed as a concrete worker. “I was so psychologically scarred from military service I never thought I could be a contributing member of society,” says Ryan. “The Salvation Army was here for me when I was as wounded as someone bleeding on the battlefield. This is the most stability I’ve had in a long time.”
To view Ryan’s recent interview with CBC click here.
Nancy Pelosi is killing the troops
by
Chaplain Kathie
Nancy Pelosi said the CIA did not tell congress exactly what was being done and when it was being done but it's not as if this would be the first time the CIA got things wrong and won't be the last time the government of this nation turns into a he said she said. Considering that anyone in the loop on any of the secret goings on running this country cannot talk about it in the media, there is a lot that is going on we don't find out about until years have passed. The problem is, the reporting on Pelosi, a pit-bull for the Democratic Party and target for the Republicans has in effect been killing the troops. It's not just the jumping on Pelosi story that has been doing it, it is the failure of the broadcast media to report on other things that are harder to report on but of so much more value.
Sgt. John Russell waits for trail, for what caused him to kill five at the Camp Liberty Stress Clinic. Five families grieve for their family members killed and another, Russell's family searches for answers, also grieving. While newspapers and local TV stations find this tragedy worthy of their attention and reporting, cable "news" has found a more interesting story in politics. Not that reporting on the characters running this country is bad, but we need to be asking what it is they value when they fail so miserably at reporting on what else is going on.
CNN, MSNBC and I presume FOX (because I don't watch FOX) have all piled on the same story of Nancy Pelosi and what the CIA did or did not tell congress. Others have since come out pointing out discrepancies in what the CIA claims and what they know to not be true. Is this a worthy story? Sure it is but so much coverage on this as if she is responsible for giving the orders to torture instead of claiming she was not told the whole truth. It is not as if she could have saved the lives of five men now dead because of the stresses the troops are under in Iraq as well as what they face in Afghanistan. So where is the reporting on what the troops are going thru? Where are the stories on Iraq and Afghanistan?
During the Presidential campaign the media found only that to report on and excused their lack of interest in the two military campaigns as viewer driven but did they ever explain how it was the blogs were on fire discussing both military campaigns as well as the Presidential one? The public interest was alive and well but being starved. The problem is the troops ended up paying for it because the general public was not informed adequately enough to rise up and help the troops coping with the tremendous stresses they were under and had nothing in place for when they came home needing our help. As the months went by, it was harder and harder to track the stories around the country about what was happening to them, the tragedies unfolding in every part of this country because not enough people knew what was going on.
Were 1.9 million lives worthy of reporting on? That's how many served. How about the lives on the line in Iraq and Afghanistan still? Don't they matter? What about their families? These are recent stories about the Camp Liberty tragedy that should have been on cable news.
Tragic stories that have hardly been mentioned. But there are many, many more stories they find unworthy of their attention.
As Americans deal with the bad economy, home values dropping and jobs being lost, they will not think about what else is going on while they are hunting for jobs and worrying about finding ways to pay their bills. They won't find the stories of National Guards families suffering because of the lost incomes, coming home to no jobs after they risked their lives and the lack of support in their own communities to help them heal from PTSD. They won't know about families on food stamps because there is just not enough money to make ends meet while their family member is risking his/her life in service to this nation.
The media has a moral obligation to report on what is happening to our troops and have had a moral obligation to report on our veterans also suffering. They just have not taken the time to notice any of it. How many lives could have been saved had they bothered to report on any of what's been going on for the last 8 years? We need only look back at the tragedy of Camp Liberty for the answer. After this all the brass in the military have been trying to find out what else they need to do to prevent this from happening again because of all the reporting that was done and is being done. Yet tragedies have been unfolding across the country all these years that should have been worthy of their attention but alas, they just found more "important" to them to report on. After all, it's easier to jump on stories and take guesses when it comes to politics as usual but it is a certainty fueling the war between parties is not about to save lives, find answers, remove the stigma and provide knowledge about what the troops are going thru. They would have to actually invest the time in finding the people involved and talking to them instead of just picking up the phone and getting the usual talking heads to speculate of false earth shattering news.
The troops and our veterans are dying for the attention of the media but they haven't bothered to notice! They've just been too busy talking about Michelle Obama's arms and clothes and Nancy Pelosi's memory. How much time has talk radio invested in this as well? Honestly I cannot attack cable news and forget about the obligation talk radio has as well. They talk about what Pelosi knew or didn't know without any ability to actually know the truth but when the truth about what is happening to our troops and veterans is documented and known, they avoid it. What about the obligation Rush has to the troops? What about the obligation Hannity and O'Reilly have to the troops and our veterans? What about the hosts of Air America, admittedly doing a better job of mentioning any of their stories, but still, failing to spend enough time on any of them. Stephanie Miller, Richard Greene mention them from time to time and Thom Hartman spends more time on the veterans when he has on Larry Scott of VA Watchdog, but still not enough time. If you put all the hours talk radio on both sides spend on the troops and veterans it would pass as fast as you can hit a snooze button on an alarm clock but this alarm has been piercing the air in homes across this nation while the broadcast media has been snoozing!
We can talk about the obligation the government has to the troops and the veterans all we want but the media has a bigger obligation because the pubic has not been informed enough to get the government to live up to their obligations. They talk occasionally about gays in the military and don't ask-don't tell as a morale issue but fail to report on what is actually killing our troops and veterans that can be prevented. How many more tragedies will they suddenly find of value to even mention before they fully grasp the fact they are partly responsible for the failure to act, report and inspire the American people to act to correct the damage being done? How many more will be buried between this Memorial Day and the next one that did not need to die? Suicides have gone up every year and so have attempted ones while they failed to report so we can decide to act. Tell them they need to live up to their obligation to the troops because in the process of their decisions on what is valuable to cover, they are killing the troops by avoiding them.
Chaplain Kathie
Nancy Pelosi said the CIA did not tell congress exactly what was being done and when it was being done but it's not as if this would be the first time the CIA got things wrong and won't be the last time the government of this nation turns into a he said she said. Considering that anyone in the loop on any of the secret goings on running this country cannot talk about it in the media, there is a lot that is going on we don't find out about until years have passed. The problem is, the reporting on Pelosi, a pit-bull for the Democratic Party and target for the Republicans has in effect been killing the troops. It's not just the jumping on Pelosi story that has been doing it, it is the failure of the broadcast media to report on other things that are harder to report on but of so much more value.
Sgt. John Russell waits for trail, for what caused him to kill five at the Camp Liberty Stress Clinic. Five families grieve for their family members killed and another, Russell's family searches for answers, also grieving. While newspapers and local TV stations find this tragedy worthy of their attention and reporting, cable "news" has found a more interesting story in politics. Not that reporting on the characters running this country is bad, but we need to be asking what it is they value when they fail so miserably at reporting on what else is going on.
CNN, MSNBC and I presume FOX (because I don't watch FOX) have all piled on the same story of Nancy Pelosi and what the CIA did or did not tell congress. Others have since come out pointing out discrepancies in what the CIA claims and what they know to not be true. Is this a worthy story? Sure it is but so much coverage on this as if she is responsible for giving the orders to torture instead of claiming she was not told the whole truth. It is not as if she could have saved the lives of five men now dead because of the stresses the troops are under in Iraq as well as what they face in Afghanistan. So where is the reporting on what the troops are going thru? Where are the stories on Iraq and Afghanistan?
During the Presidential campaign the media found only that to report on and excused their lack of interest in the two military campaigns as viewer driven but did they ever explain how it was the blogs were on fire discussing both military campaigns as well as the Presidential one? The public interest was alive and well but being starved. The problem is the troops ended up paying for it because the general public was not informed adequately enough to rise up and help the troops coping with the tremendous stresses they were under and had nothing in place for when they came home needing our help. As the months went by, it was harder and harder to track the stories around the country about what was happening to them, the tragedies unfolding in every part of this country because not enough people knew what was going on.
Were 1.9 million lives worthy of reporting on? That's how many served. How about the lives on the line in Iraq and Afghanistan still? Don't they matter? What about their families? These are recent stories about the Camp Liberty tragedy that should have been on cable news.
Among 5 Killed, a Mender of Heartache and a Struggling Private
By JAMES DAO and PAUL von ZIELBAUER
Published: May 16, 2009
They came to the clinic at the base in Iraq for reasons as different as their ranks.
Maj. Matthew P. Houseal, a 54-year-old psychiatrist and father of seven in the Army Reserve, was there to counsel, having requested an Iraq deployment to support soldiers struggling with the heartache and hardship of war.
Pfc. Michael E. Yates, 19, was there to talk, perhaps about the pain he was feeling about being separated from his girlfriend and infant son, relatives said.
And Sgt. John M. Russell, 44, was there because he had to be. After 15 years in the Army, he had fallen into debt and out of favor with his commanding officer, who took away his weapon and sent him for counseling.
It was in that clinic, a low-slung building at Camp Liberty on the outskirts of Baghdad, that Sergeant Russell used a weapon that he seized from an escort last Monday to shoot and kill Major Houseal, Private Yates and three other people, Army officials say. He has been charged with five counts of murder in the deadliest case of soldier-on-soldier violence involving the American military in the six-year Iraq war.
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Among 5 Killed, a Mender of Heartache and a Struggling Private
Funeral set for soldier from Md. killed in Iraq
Baltimore Sun - United States
FEDERALSBURG - A 19-year-old Federalsburg soldier killed at a counseling clinic in Baghdad is to be buried this week.
Funeral services for Michael Edward Yates Jr. are to be held at noon Thursday at the Framptom Funeral Home in Federalsburg. Interment will follow at the Eastern Shore Veterans Cemetery in Beulah.
click link above for more
Mourners remember quiet, helpful Army doctor
LubbockOnline.com - Lubbock,TX,USA
By Chris Ramirez | MORRIS NEWS SERVICE
Wednesday, May 20, 2009
Story last updated at 5/20/2009 - 1:28 am
He was a soldier, a respected doctor, a steady-handed pilot, all qualities worth bragging about. But Matthew Philip Houseal wasn't the chest-beating type, his sister said.
He often melted quietly into the background. For that, many people knew him as "the invisible man," she said.
"He always was there for people," said Anne Houseal, a U.S. Air Force colonel. "He was a great example of service and honor."
Family and friends gathered Tuesday at St. Ann's Church in Canyon to pay their final respects to the slain Amarillo physician. Hundreds of American flags waved outside the church as a bell tolled and a lone bagpiper played softly in the distance.
Heads bowed and eyes welled with tears as a military color guard brought his flag-draped casket into the church. Arms curled gently around heavy shoulders.
"It's a sad day in America," said Jack Barnes, president of America Supports You Texas. "A good man was taken away from us."
Houseal, 54, a major in the Army Reserve, was one of five soldiers killed May 11 when a U.S. soldier allegedly opened fire in a mental health clinic at Camp Liberty in Baghdad.
In his sermon, the Rev. Phu Phan praised Houseal for sacrificing for his country and for placing the needs of others, often strangers, above his own.
"He found meaning in his desire to help others," Phan said. "We need to thank God for the gift of his life."
Troubled by the rising suicide rates among veterans, Houseal joined the reserves to use his training as a psychiatrist to help stem the tide.
click link above for more
Tragic stories that have hardly been mentioned. But there are many, many more stories they find unworthy of their attention.
As Americans deal with the bad economy, home values dropping and jobs being lost, they will not think about what else is going on while they are hunting for jobs and worrying about finding ways to pay their bills. They won't find the stories of National Guards families suffering because of the lost incomes, coming home to no jobs after they risked their lives and the lack of support in their own communities to help them heal from PTSD. They won't know about families on food stamps because there is just not enough money to make ends meet while their family member is risking his/her life in service to this nation.
The media has a moral obligation to report on what is happening to our troops and have had a moral obligation to report on our veterans also suffering. They just have not taken the time to notice any of it. How many lives could have been saved had they bothered to report on any of what's been going on for the last 8 years? We need only look back at the tragedy of Camp Liberty for the answer. After this all the brass in the military have been trying to find out what else they need to do to prevent this from happening again because of all the reporting that was done and is being done. Yet tragedies have been unfolding across the country all these years that should have been worthy of their attention but alas, they just found more "important" to them to report on. After all, it's easier to jump on stories and take guesses when it comes to politics as usual but it is a certainty fueling the war between parties is not about to save lives, find answers, remove the stigma and provide knowledge about what the troops are going thru. They would have to actually invest the time in finding the people involved and talking to them instead of just picking up the phone and getting the usual talking heads to speculate of false earth shattering news.
The troops and our veterans are dying for the attention of the media but they haven't bothered to notice! They've just been too busy talking about Michelle Obama's arms and clothes and Nancy Pelosi's memory. How much time has talk radio invested in this as well? Honestly I cannot attack cable news and forget about the obligation talk radio has as well. They talk about what Pelosi knew or didn't know without any ability to actually know the truth but when the truth about what is happening to our troops and veterans is documented and known, they avoid it. What about the obligation Rush has to the troops? What about the obligation Hannity and O'Reilly have to the troops and our veterans? What about the hosts of Air America, admittedly doing a better job of mentioning any of their stories, but still, failing to spend enough time on any of them. Stephanie Miller, Richard Greene mention them from time to time and Thom Hartman spends more time on the veterans when he has on Larry Scott of VA Watchdog, but still not enough time. If you put all the hours talk radio on both sides spend on the troops and veterans it would pass as fast as you can hit a snooze button on an alarm clock but this alarm has been piercing the air in homes across this nation while the broadcast media has been snoozing!
We can talk about the obligation the government has to the troops and the veterans all we want but the media has a bigger obligation because the pubic has not been informed enough to get the government to live up to their obligations. They talk occasionally about gays in the military and don't ask-don't tell as a morale issue but fail to report on what is actually killing our troops and veterans that can be prevented. How many more tragedies will they suddenly find of value to even mention before they fully grasp the fact they are partly responsible for the failure to act, report and inspire the American people to act to correct the damage being done? How many more will be buried between this Memorial Day and the next one that did not need to die? Suicides have gone up every year and so have attempted ones while they failed to report so we can decide to act. Tell them they need to live up to their obligation to the troops because in the process of their decisions on what is valuable to cover, they are killing the troops by avoiding them.
Tuesday, May 19, 2009
Veterans heal nature; nature heals them
Veterans heal nature; nature heals them
By Patrick Oppmann
CNN
Story Highlights
"Green" jobs program helps military veterans learn marketable skills
Program not only helps the environment, veterans say -- it aids them, too
Veterans almost immediately form "new platoon" to support one another
Program's success does not make it immune to budget cuts
The veterans come home from war, seared by what they saw and unsure about how to re-enter civilian life. They compete against resume-savvy civilians for scarce jobs. But now a program in Washington state helps military veterans learn marketable "green" job skills while working with others who understand their struggle. In return, the veterans work on projects that help restore the environment in state parks. full story
By Patrick Oppmann
CNN
Story Highlights
"Green" jobs program helps military veterans learn marketable skills
Program not only helps the environment, veterans say -- it aids them, too
Veterans almost immediately form "new platoon" to support one another
Program's success does not make it immune to budget cuts
The veterans come home from war, seared by what they saw and unsure about how to re-enter civilian life. They compete against resume-savvy civilians for scarce jobs. But now a program in Washington state helps military veterans learn marketable "green" job skills while working with others who understand their struggle. In return, the veterans work on projects that help restore the environment in state parks. full story
House passes veterans employment bills
House passes veterans employment bills
By Rick Maze - Staff writer
Posted : Tuesday May 19, 2009 20:32:38 EDT
The House of Representatives approved three veterans bills Tuesday, involving job protections for federal workers who are also in the reserves, demanding faster training for federal specialists in job placement, and using $200,000 in grants to encourage development of technologies to make home life easier for severely disabled veterans.
Rep. John Boozman, ranking Republican on the House veterans’ economic opportunity subcommittee, is the chief sponsor of HR 1170, the assisted technology grant bill.
“The goal of this bill is to encourage the development of technology to provide the maximum level of independence to severely disabled veterans in their daily living,” he said.
By Rick Maze - Staff writer
Posted : Tuesday May 19, 2009 20:32:38 EDT
The House of Representatives approved three veterans bills Tuesday, involving job protections for federal workers who are also in the reserves, demanding faster training for federal specialists in job placement, and using $200,000 in grants to encourage development of technologies to make home life easier for severely disabled veterans.
Rep. John Boozman, ranking Republican on the House veterans’ economic opportunity subcommittee, is the chief sponsor of HR 1170, the assisted technology grant bill.
“The goal of this bill is to encourage the development of technology to provide the maximum level of independence to severely disabled veterans in their daily living,” he said.
Rep. Stephanie Herseth Sandlin, D-S.D., the veterans’ economic opportunity panel chairwoman, is the chief sponsor of HR 1088, the House-passed bill that orders training within one year of hiring for state employees assigned to duties as Disabled Veterans Outreach Program Specialists and Local Veterans’ Employment Specialists, known in veterans circles as DVOPS and LVERs.
The third bill passed by the House, HR 1170, also sponsored by Herseth Sandlin, gives the Office of Special Counsel responsibility for the investigation and prosecution of cases of employment and re-employment rights violations by federal agencies, power that currently rests with the Labor Department’s Veterans’ Employment Training Service.
go here for the rest of this
House passes veterans employment bills
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