Veterans Help Other Vets Cope With Trauma of War

Veterans Help Other Vets Cope With Trauma of War
July 7, 2009 Reported By: Tom Porter

Mainers have a strong tradition of serving in the military. Indeed the state has one of the highest percentages of veterans in the country, around 16 percent of the population. The Maine Army National Guard meanwhile ranks in the top ten states for frequency of deployments, with thousands being deployed to Iraq and Afghanistan since the attacks of September 11th, 2001.

According to the Veterans Administration, around 40 percent of those returning from war zones in recent years have sought some kind of psychological help to deal with after-effects of combat. Now, more help is available in the form of a counseling program recently launched in Maine called Veterans Helping Veterans.

On this day, Rob Pfeiffer welcomes a group of veterans into his office in the midcoast town of Camden. For the past couple of months now, Pfeiffer's been holding weekly counseling sessions for vets who feel they need help in putting the trauma of war behind them.

Pfeiffer has over 30 years experience as a mental health counselor, but it's another part of his life story that he feels makes him better-suited than most counselors for this job.

"I was a Marine lieutenant and captain in the Vietnam era, and managed to survive," Pfeiffer says. "I'm a disabled vet -- I got shot. But other than that I came through with an appreciation for what war does to us as veterans, and I think that's the place where we can connect that takes other people longer to do, because we've already got a built-in understanding of what veterans have experienced."

Pfeiffer says that upon returning, he was was unable to talk about his combat experiences for 13 years. Like many returning from war, he bottled up his feelings - something which often only worsens the post-traumatic stress suffered by a lot of vets.

I used to have nightmares. When there's mortars exploding around you 24/7 it's hard not to be twitchy," says Ben, who declined to give his last name. Ben got back from Iraq in 2005 after a 14-month tour.
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Veterans Help Other Vets Cope With Trauma of War

LAPD Officer committed suicide at Sheriff's Station

LAPD mourns suicide of veteran narcotics detective
Colleagues say Susan J. Clemmer, 41, was 'always smiling' and showed no troubling signs. She shot herself in the head at a Santa Clarita sheriff's station Monday night, police say.
By Richard Winton and Joel Rubin
July 8, 2009
Officers throughout the Los Angeles Police Department grieved Tuesday as news spread that a veteran detective had killed herself in the lobby of an L.A. County Sheriff's Department station Monday night.

Susan J. Clemmer, a well-regarded officer assigned to the LAPD's Gang and Narcotics Division, walked into the Santa Clarita sheriff's station about 9:15 p.m. and spoke to the sheriff's deputy at the front desk, according to sheriff's spokesman Steve Whitmore and LAPD officials.


Clemmer, 41, placed a box of personal items on the counter and asked to speak to a different deputy. After a brief conversation with a second deputy, when Clemmer was briefly left unattended, staffers heard a gunshot and rushed out to find her with a single gunshot wound in her head, police said.

No one else was injured.

What Clemmer said to the deputies, and whether she identified herself as a police officer, remained unclear Tuesday.


The death of the 19-year LAPD veteran left officers throughout the tightknit department stunned.

"We're in shock. It came as a complete surprise," said Capt. Kevin McCarthy, one of the commanders of Clemmer's unit. "She was always smiling and easy to work with. There was no indication that anything was wrong."
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LAPD mourns suicide of veteran narcotics detective

Disabled Marine who saved motorcyclist's life featured on national TV

Disabled Marine who saved motorcyclist's life featured on national TV tonight

Jeremy Lepsch, the disabled Marine credited with saving the life of a man at the scene of a motorcycle accident last year, will be featured on a national television show 8 p.m. tonight on MY TV Channel 8.
go here for more
http://www.buffalonews.com/258/story/726322.html

Lankler Family Foundation and Operation Second Chance really supporting the troops

I love to post stories like this. There is so much suffering out there of our wounded and veterans that it's hard to not get totally depressed with the overwhelming need. When stories like this are reported, they should receive as much attention as possible because they prove what we can do for them if we really want to.

Soldiers treated to some rest and relaxation by local residents
By Kit Bradshaw (Contact)
Tuesday, July 7, 2009
The scene at Castaways in Jupiter on June 29 was typical of the popular Jupiter Inlet nightspot.

The smell of barbecue wafted through the palm trees that shaded the sand-covered sitting areas and the sound of voices rose and fell in the early evening.

What was different, however, were the guests of honor.

Young men distinguished by their graciousness, their good humor and the unmistakable scars of war in the arms and legs missing or now augmented by space age prostheses.

The five young men and their families were feted by area residents, primarily from Tequesta, who opened their homes and hearts to these soldiers, back from the grenade strikes or bombings in Iraq or Afghanistan that forever changed their lives.

“I salute you. Thank you so much,” said several older members of American Legion Post 271, many of whom remembered the battles of wars past.

Among the soldiers and their families who were enjoying a week of relaxation were John Sloan, his wife Tiffany and three children; Corey Lyons and his wife and their two little ones; David Battle, with his wife Lakeisa and family members; Alfredo Delossantos and his wife Jeannette and two children; and Keith Maul and his wife Meghan.

While the soldiers were in the area, they lived in homes provided by Tequesta resident Sandy Lankler; feasted on a barbecue last Saturday, hosted by Edna Runner and a group from her church in Limestone Creek; went fishing, thanks to Tequesta Councilor Vince Arena and “Black Dog”, and were looking forward to more beach time as their time in Florida wound down.

The break from months of physical therapy at Walter Reed Hospital was part of Operation Second Chance, whose founder, Cindy McGrew met Lankler. Together, they created this week of respite.

Once a month, the Lankler Family Foundation also provides a weekend retreat for the wounded solders and their families in Buckeystown, Maryland.

read more here

Soldiers treated to some rest and relaxation by local residents

Michael Jackson's Death, get over it if you can find a station not covering it

Another update,,,thanks to O'Reilly. The problem is that O'Reilly didn't think Jackson deserved any of this,,,,I just thought it didn't have to be covered every day for two weeks and then on every station on the planet. O'Reilly, well, what did you expect out of him? By the way, O'Reilly faulted Jackson for spending his own money at the same time he was rasing money with We Are The World. What is wrong with O'Reilly when he has all his own money and refuses to even acknowledge homeless veterans? Seems O'Reilly should first put his own money where his own mouth is.

Bill O'Reilly Says Jackson Is No Black Icon
News host Bill O'Reilly is famous for incendiary statements and no holds barred debates, and he continued his streak of controversial comments in his first broadcast after Michael Jackson's memorial service Tuesday. After opening the segment with a pledge to honor the Jackson family's request for privacy, O'Reilly digs right in with criticisms of Jackson's kids, spending habits - and skin care.
First, O'Reilly calls out Jackson's "incredible selfishness - spending hundreds of million dollars on himself while singing 'We Are the World,'" and adds that it "should make any clear-thinking American nauseous."

read more here
O'Reilly Says Jackson Is No Black Icon

UPDATE July 8,,,and they still find reason to keep Jackson at the top of their news,,,,,

Goodbye Michael: Star, brother, friend, father
'Daddy has been the best father,' Paris tells crowd
Michael Jackson's 11-year-old daughter touched the hearts of millions when she bid a tearful farewell to her father at his memorial service. Paris Jackson, surrounded and supported by relatives, called her dad "the best father you could ever imagine." full story
Paris: 'Best father' Family farewell
NBA greats Sharpton Shields
Songs: Hudson Usher Wonder
Highlights of the memorial More videos
Full coverage Your memories Photos
Warwick: 'New insight' is Jackson's legacy
Jackson still 'King of Pop' on Billboard charts

Time: A strange, gaudy and moving farewell


Top stories on CNN. Notice a trend here?

Goodbye Michael: Star, brother, friend, father
An 11-year-old who lost her father made the world cry with her on Tuesday. "Daddy has been the best father you could ever imagine," said Paris Jackson, the second of Michael Jackson's three children, as a massive memorial service for her father neared its end in Los Angeles. developing story
Paris: 'Best father' Family farewell
NBA greats Sharpton Shields
Songs: Hudson Usher Wonder
Highlights of the memorial More videos
Full coverage Your memories Photos

Michael Jackson: 1958-2009

Highlights from the pop icon's life and death, plus your tributes and memories
Jackson Remembered

Latest News
'I'll be there': Fans, stars join in farewell
Jackson memorial lights up Internet

L.A. wants help paying for Jackson memorial
Jackson memorial unpredictably normal
Time: A strange, gaudy and moving farewell
Brazile: A day to celebrate Michael Jackson

iReport.com: How are you honoring MJ today?

When the news broke that Michael Jackson died, it was the same day Farrah Fawcett died, the media just proved what they can do when they want to do it. They obliterated every other news story for the last two weeks. Palin got away with pulling a fast one off on the people of Alaska using the excuse now of the investigations into her life, but that has been going on since she said yes to McCain. Nothing new there but suddenly it's just too much for the Alaskan's to endure? Give me a break. Governor "hot flash" Sanford, takes off on the people of South Carolina and his family, then insults his wife over his affair being a "real love story" and gets away with it. We didn't know Michael Jackson any better than we knew Farrah Fawcett or Palin or Sanford. We saw them on TV. The difference was that the media jumped on the rest of the world and wanted to ride on Jackson's coattails. It really is a shame.

He was a man I watched grow up just like everyone else my age. Today, I turned 50. Jackson hit my TV set when I was just a year younger and while I adored hearing him sing, mesmerized with the way he danced, I never felt like I knew him. He was a tremendous talent and should have been honored but this has been a ridiculous show. It's as if the entire world stopped mattering.

President Obama was in Russia and managed to get them to allow more flights in their airspace to help with the military campaign in Afghanistan. They were also working on cutting down on the nukes. Did you notice any of that?


Lindsey Baum of McCleary Washington has been missing for 11 days now. She turns 11 today but her father is not only afraid he will not see her soon, he's afraid he'll have to deploy to Iraq before she's found. Scott Baum is a member of the Tennessee National Guard.

Did you know that according to ICasualties.org, we've lost 19 lives in Afghanistan so far this 7 days into July?

Did you know that NAMI Veterans Council saw fit to award Dr. Ira Katz, the man with the VA connected to the suicide deaths of our veterans and the cover-up so serious there were law suits and congressional action over this, but they decided he deserved an award for what he was forced to do, which has been too little and way too late for too many? Seems like that should be a big deal considering a lot of families had to also attend funerals for people gone way too soon. They died by their own hand because the government, the one we fund with our tax dollars, decided back when they sent the troops to war, they were not worth taking care of when they came home. All of them had families, friends and people left behind grieving wondering what the hell is wrong with this country when no one seems to care. For Heaven's sake! This is the National Alliance on Mental Illness Veterans Council we're talking about here! Any idea how many people with mental illness have been depending on them? Any idea what a stunt like this will do to the veterans they just slapped in the face?

I turned on TV today dealing with some pain from my back and all I saw was coverage of Jackson day on every channel. They actually filmed the ride from here to there and then wasted time filling it with people talking about Jackson as if they knew him any better than anyone else. Nothing else mattered. I turned on talk radio and there again, Michael Jackson. Tell me, aside from the media coverage of the trail and his acquittal, how much have we even heard about him until recently? We're talking about the last ten years of the man's life. How much coverage has there been? So what is this all about now? This is about money. This is about hyping all of this so that people can make money off his death.

The media can claim that they are about honoring Michael Jackson all they want but in the end they are just feeding like vultures. Had they really respected Jackson's career, his talent or even his music, they would have heard what most of this songs were about. They were about doing good and taking care of other people. We heard some of that today. The problem is this does not translate into the brains of the media when they actually could be saving lives right now, today!

If I did not track reports from across the country I wouldn't have even known about Lindsey Baum missing. Where are the reports to try to find her the way the story of Caylee Anthony was all over the media for months on end? I wouldn't be able to post anything of what we can do or what is being done for the troops or our veterans if I didn't have the local media outlets reporting on any of it. All the national news cares about is what they think will cause the remote control to stop at their station. Gone are the days when they reported on what mattered and what was really important. Today the world said good-bye to Michael Jackson but we said good-bye to real reporting a very long time ago. We just didn't notice.

Lindsey Baum, missing child's father to deploy to Iraq

Dad Deploying To Iraq Pleads For Missing Daughter's Return
Posted: 3:06 pm PDT July 6, 2009
Updated: 6:48 pm PDT July 6, 2009

MCCLEARY, Wash. -- The father of a McCleary girl who has been missing for 10 days hopes to be reunited with his daughter on her 11th birthday or before he deploys to Iraq.

Lindsey Baum, 10, disappeared June 26 while walking home from a friend's house at about 9:15 p.m. and there has been no sign of her since.

Lindsey’s dad, Scott Baum, said in a press conference on Monday, “I would love nothing more that to see my daughter before I have to go.”

Scott Baum is with the Tennessee National Guard and is scheduled to deploy in the very near future.




Lindsey’s eleventh birthday is on Tuesday, July 7.
read more here
Dad Deploying To Iraq Pleads For Missing Daughter Return
linked from CNN

Wounded still wait as more come

As the troops pull back out of the cities of Iraq and the Iraqis take over, it's easy to assume the worst is over for our troops, but in doing so, we not only forget the wounded we already have, we close our eyes to fact more will come.

7 U.S. troops killed as Afghan ops intensify

By Fisnik Abrashi - The Associated Press
Posted : Tuesday Jul 7, 2009 7:45:42 EDT

KABUL, Afghanistan — Bombs and bullets killed seven American troops on Monday, the deadliest day for U.S. forces in Afghanistan in nearly a year — and a sign that the war being fought in the Taliban heartland of the south and east could now be expanding north.

Separately, Taliban militants claimed on a militant Web site that they were holding an American soldier whom the U.S. military says insurgents might have captured last week. The Taliban statement, however, did not include any proof, such as a picture or the soldier’s name.

Four of the deaths Monday came in an attack on a team of U.S. military trainers in the relatively peaceful north, bringing into focus the question of whether the U.S. is committing enough troops to secure a country larger than Iraq in both population and land mass.
read more here
7 U.S. troops killed as Afghan ops intensify

Just as Iraq draws to a close, Afghanistan operations increase and with it comes more wounded and more deaths. The stress will increase as more troops head into Afghanistan. With the DOD and the VA unable to keep up with the numbers already filing claims for their wounds, we're in for an increasing need to step up to stand by their sides and help them. The government has been unable to adjust fast enough. We can point to the fact no one in Congress or the Bush Administration prepared for any of this, but that does not change the fact what is being done now is still not enough to make up for it. Increasing the VA budget to an all time high is not enough for today.

We are still seeing the wounded we already have needing care for physical wounds as well as traumatic ones. Yet read about the type of people we're talking about. They are wounded and some of them still want to go back into the military no matter how much pain they are in.

Injured soldier longs for return
By BILL RODGERS Tribune Chronicle
Ever since a mine exploded next to him in Iraq and knocked him off a roof, U.S. Army Pfc. David Mickey's primary focus has been getting better fast enough so that he could go back.

David Mickey and his family were at the Trumbull County Veterans Memorial on Monday afternoon looking for a brick his mother dedicated to him. The family members were enjoying their two weeks together before the Cortland soldier leaves for the Warrior Transition Unit in Fort Richardson, Alaska.

It hasn't been an easy recovery for the would-be career soldier, and he might not make it back to his unit at all. The process has been a long one. It's been taxing on his parents, too, who spent one week after the March 2007 explosion not knowing whether their son was alive or whether he had died in surgery.

"Two-and-one-half years and he still can't go back. It shows you just how traumatic that is," David's father, Stan Mickey, said. "You don't often think about it (war injuries) like that."

There's been almost one dozen surgeries to heal David's injured back, his left arm, his right heel and the nerve damage throughout. Trudy said doctors have shaved off part of his left eardrum, which after the attack healed back so thick that there's a chance the 28-year old may need a hearing aid and tubes to hear normally. He walks with a knee brace now that he is able to get around without a cane, but he can only stand for so long before the pain starts again.

To this day, shrapnel from the attack still is working its way out of her son's body, she said. She recalled one day when she was talking to him and saw a trickle of blood near his ear as another piece of metal came free.

And on top of it all, David now has admitted to himself that he has post traumatic stress disorder. Crowds make him nervous. He has nightmares and bouts of depression. It's impossible for him to stomach some of the movies he loved before he left for the war.

"I've changed some. I have PTSD, but I don't want to let it run my life," he said.
read more here
Injured soldier longs for return
linked from
http://icasualties.org/Iraq/index.aspx

How can you read about Pfc. David Mickey's wounds and his desire to go back and not want to do whatever it takes to make his life easier? How can you read about any of them and not want to help them? Yes, it is the responsibility of the government, the DOD and the VA, to take care of them, but again, too little and too late. Why allow any of them to suffer at all until the government catches up?

What can you do? Do you belong to any of the veterans service organizations? You can make sure the Commander of the post knows what's going on and then hold his/her feet to fire to do something locally. Make them active in helping out veterans your own community. Ask them to provide information on PTSD and TBI, the two signature wounds of Iraq and Afghanistan. Ask them to start support groups for them and their families. Organize transportation for them to doctor's appointment. Contact local officials to step up and seek federal funds to address homelessness of our veterans. Donate clothing and small appliances so that when they do find a place to live, they have something to start out with. Donate your time and visit them at the shelters. None of this is new and is being done in many parts of the country but the problem is, it's not happening everywhere. This needs to happen today! We've already let too many down.

Will DOD give up on making unbreakable soldiers?

by
Chaplain Kathie

The more I think about the programs the DOD has been doing trying to prevent PTSD, the more I think about this movie Unbreakable.

Unbreakable (2000) More at IMDbPro »
This suspense thriller unfolds as the audience is introduced to David Dunn. Not only is he the sole survivor of a horrific train-crash that killed 131 people he doesn't have a scratch on him. Elijah Price is an obscure character who approaches Dunn with a seemingly far fetched theory behind it all. Written by Filmtwob {webmaster@filmfreak.co.za}

Security Guard David Dunn miraculously survives a catastrophic train crash outside Philadelphia. Not only is he the sole survivor out of 132 passengers, he also is completely unharmed. A little later, comic book specialist Elijah Price contacts him to confront David with an incredible theory: Elijah, who has been nicknamed "Mr. Glass" due to his more than fragile bones, thinks that David has got all which he himself lacks. The two of them "seem to be linked by a curve, but sitting on opposite ends". First, David does not believe the strange man, but every single thing he had said proves to be true: David has never ever been hurt or sick in his life, his physical strength is larger than normal and he has a skill which others don't. Slowly, David begins to discover the shocking truth behind Mr. Price's assumptions. But after all, David's fate is not only to find his real place in the world. It also is about proving Elijah's theory of his own existence. Written by Julian Reischl {julianreischl@mac.com}
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0217869/plotsummary

Bruce Willis couldn't figure out why he never got sick or why he managed to survive events that killed other people. It just never occurred to him there was something really strange about all of this until he met his opposite.

To this day, I still search for reasons why with all the traumatic events in my own life I have not suffered the ravages of PTSD. I've been reading about it, talking to veterans and others since 1982, but the more I learn about it, the more I struggle to understand the difference between me and other trauma survivors.

All the training I've taken has pointed to one factor in my life and that's talking. I never really stop talking. Each event was followed by being surrounded by family and friends for me to talk to and lean on their shoulders. The only time I couldn't talk to them was when it had to do with my husband and PTSD. They just couldn't understand it. Back then, well, not many people understood it at all, including psychologists. I knew I had to talk to someone with a full knowledge of it if they would be able to help me at all. I found a psychologist with a family practice and she was very aware of PTSD as well as what went with it. I had been feeling angry, snapping, having mood swings, nightmares and depression was setting in. I knew I needed help to just vent with someone that would be able to understand. Up until then, it was talking to my circle of support coupled with a deep faith.

I know that faith plays a huge roll in healing from what happens in our lives. I also know that talking about these events helps more than anything else to prevent deeper emotional damage. Experts agree with this and that's why they offer training in responding to traumatic events to help the responders as well as the survivors. The problem is, people are not unbreakable and we cannot make them stop being caring, feeling humans. We cannot prevent traumatic events from happing in anyone's life, especially the members of the armed forces. What we can do is address them when they happen just as we do with all other humans.

The DOD has come out with programs with the goal of "toughening" their minds and making them "resilient" as if they can train to not be human anymore. They are not "unbreakable" even though some go thru the rest of their lives never suffering from what they lived through. Still I have to wonder if they are just not admitting to suffering or they are really so able to be shut off from it.

I've seen police officers acting as if nothing bothers them at all until they end up suffering from the one traumatic event they cannot escape from. They try to mask the symptoms and then lash out or drink to cover up the hurt they feel inside. Heck. when you think how tough they are supposed to be it's better for them if others think they are just mean instead of soft enough to feel anything. The difference is most police departments have either a Chaplain to be there to listen or a psychologist for them to see for when the last straw hitting the mountain of others sets off a fire.

So why is the DOD treating soldiers as if they were not simply humans asked to do abnormal things when they are sent into combat? Being a warrior is not normal, as a matter of fact, it's pretty rare. Look at the population of the world and then look at the number of soldiers in this world and you see the difference. Here in the USA, we have over 300 million people but under 30 million veterans. Then there are the police officers, also should be considered warriors, because part of their job also involves being asked to kill as well as protect. Police officers are allowed time to emotionally debrief within hours or a day of a traumatic event but the soldiers are not. Why is that? Why can't the military see what the rest of the world sees?

The group of Chaplains I'm with respond to police departments, fire departments, natural disasters, crimes and accidents helping the responders and the survivors. Why can't the military do the same instead of trying to prevent it the wrong way? I went through training on different programs including the new DEEP, Disaster and Extreme Event Preparedness and each of them deal with being there at the time of the events to listen to people and be there for them, much like my family and friends were there to listen to me after a long list of events. Or the psychologist helping me deal with anger and frustration. Who is there for the troops right away?

If they really want to do something about PTSD then they should do what the rest of the other humans have done. Have someone there to talk to right away before PTSD can take hold and do damage. It's hard enough to get them to talk when PTSD is already raging inside of them so heading it off as much as possible seems only logical. The way they are trying to do it only adds to the stigma because the way they are going about it tells the soldiers if they do not make their brains tough enough, PTSD is their fault. It's not their fault they are human and just as breakable as the rest of us.

Benefits under new GI Bill vary widely by state

Benefits under new GI Bill vary widely by state
Veterans attending college could get a full ride or very little help
When the new GI Bill kicks in Aug. 1, the government's best-known education program for veterans will get the biggest boost since its World War II-era creation. But the benefit is hardly the "Government Issue," one-size-fits-all standard the name implies.

In fact, depending on where service members and veterans decide to attend college, they could receive a full ride, or very little.

An Associated Press review of state-by-state benefits under the new bill shows huge discrepancies in the amount veterans can receive.
read more here
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/31765771/ns/us_news-military/

Motorcycle accidents, deaths still rising

Motorcycle accidents, deaths still rising

By Kelly Kennedy - Staff writer
Posted : Monday Jul 6, 2009 17:55:57 EDT

The number of service members injured and hospitalized in motorcycle accidents increase by more than 100 from 2007 to 2008, and deaths increased by 18 over the same period.

The numbers have seen a marked upswing since the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan began, with mental health workers expressing concerns that service members seeking to recapture the rush of war might be willing to take more risks.

In 2001, 366 people were injured, including 35 who died, in motorcycle accidents. In 2008, 474 people were injured, including 105 who died, according to the Armed Forces Health Surveillance Center’s June Medical Surveillance Monthly Report.

“The safety centers of the U.S. military services have documented sharp increases in numbers and rates of motorcycle fatalities among service members,” states the report authors, Army Capt. Scott Cherry and Stephen Taubman of the Data Analysis Group under the Armed Forces Health Surveillance Center. “There were more motorcycle accident-related hospitalizations and deaths by far in 2008 than in any prior year of the period.”

However, the researchers did not have access to information about which of those drivers had combat experience, their medical history as far as psychiatric issues or substance-abuse problems, or if they were using helmets or leather clothing.
read more here
Motorcycle accidents, deaths still rising

Austistic Marine shines light on meeting quotas

Story update July 21, 2009

Autistic Marine from Orange County pleads guilty to fraudulent enlistment, other charges
By Tony Perry Mon, 20 Jul 2009 10:57:13 PM


Case of autistic Marine brings recruiting problems to the forefront
Faced with quotas, a few recruiters are taking shortcuts that allow those unfit for service into the military.
By Tony Perry
July 6, 2009
Reporting from San Diego -- A few days after he arrived at boot camp here, Joshua Fry no longer wanted to be a Marine.

He was confused by the orders drill instructors shouted at him. He was caught stealing peanut butter from the chow hall. He urinated in his canteen. He talked back to the drill instructors. He refused to shave.


Finally, he set out toward the main gate as if to head home. He was blocked, but now he had the chance to tell his superiors a secret: He was autistic. Fry figured this admission would persuade the Marines to let him return to the group home in Irvine for disturbed young adults where he was living when he enlisted.

Instead, he was sent back to Platoon 1021, Company B. The drill instructors became more helpful, and in April 2008 he finished the grueling 11-week regimen and was sent to Camp Pendleton for infantry training.

Within weeks he was under arrest for desertion and possession of child pornography.


Documents in Fry's court-martial case detail a troubled upbringing and a Marine career that was both improbable and misbegotten.

But far from being a routine instance of a young man unable to adjust to military life, the Fry case has exposed an awkward issue for the Marines and other military services: Recruiters sometimes take ethical shortcuts to make their quotas at a time when Americans have tired of the nation's wars and finding recruits is difficult.

According to court documents, Fry's recruiter knew he was autistic. The Marine Corps is investigating the recruiter's conduct.
go here for more
Case of autistic Marine brings recruiting problems to the forefront

N. Carolina shooting stirs interest in S. Carolina serial killings

UPDATE
Police: 'We believe a killer is off the streets'
Police say suspect in South Carolina serial killings is dead
Story Highlights
"We believe a killer is off the streets," official says

North Carolina authorities shoot suspect after he confronts police

Weapon found on man matches gun used in South Carolina killings

Killer has slain five people in Gaffney, South Carolina, area, police say

N. Carolina shooting stirs interest in S. Carolina serial killings
Story Highlights
North Carolina police say no confirmed link between robbery, South Carolina killings

Video of North Carolina crime site shows car similar to one sought in serial killings

North Carolina authorities say "evidence" prompted call to South Carolina police

Killer has slain five people in Gaffney, South Carolina, area, police say



DALLAS, North Carolina (CNN) -- Police in Gaston County, North Carolina, shot and killed a suspect during a possible robbery early Monday, then called in police from South Carolina who have been chasing a serial killer.


Police say the murder scenes are linked and they are searching for a man resembling this sketch.

There was "evidence in regard to the man that was shot," said Capt. Joe Ramey of the Gaston County Police Department.

He did not give specifics, and he said he could not state for certain that the suspect had a link to the serial killer case.
read more here
http://www.cnn.com/2009/CRIME/07/06/south.carolina.killings/index.html

It's nice to be plagiarized

It's nice to be plagiarized but at least this guy could have gotten the dates right. No, he didn't write this the way it looks 6-7-09 because Michael was still alive. So it must have been written July 6th. Too bad mine was written asking if Jackson had PTSD and pointed to this accident on
Monday, June 29, 2009

Is this the minute that changed Michael Jackson's life?
But as usual I needed an editor to check for typos and had it as Michale Jackson.
This is the link I used and also put up the video on the post.

1984: Michael Jackson burned in Pepsi ad
Michael Jackson has received hospital treatment for serious burns to his head after his hair caught light during a freak filming accident.
The 25-year-old entertainer was singing his hit "Billie Jean" for a Pepsi Cola commercial in Los Angeles when the special effects went wrong.

Three thousand fans saw a firework display erupt behind the superstar, showering him in sparks and setting light to his hair.

Some studio audience members said he was so calm, they thought the incident was part of the act.
On this day in history

But this "author junomich" was off by ten years. Also a bit late on the question raised and pointing to this event in his life.

I have no idea what this website is supposed to be about but I give them credit for trying.
PTSD has nothing to do with if someone is a child molester or not. Some use it to justify becoming one saying they were abused as children, but that does not mean all people with PTSD from being molested turned into being molesters. The other point raised was the changes in Jackson' appearance and odd behavior. Again, off base because the years were wrong. Jackson, as pointed out on the original posting, had begun to transform his face in a few years after this. You can see it in the pictures posted at the above link. There were so many events in his life and reports of being abused by his father, as reported by Michael in an Oprah interview, that PTSD is very likely but these events with the accident during filming the commercial would have sent mild PTSD into PTSD on steroids, as happens with most cases of un-addressed PTSD followed by another traumatic event. Changes in people happen for a reason, especially drastic ones.

Michael Jackson - PTSD- Why he was not a child molester
06.07.2009 Author: junomich Posted in Psychology
Abnormally Normal - Michael Jackson - Why He Wasn’t a Child Molester

At age 46, I could never understand the fascination with Elvis. Why did people continue to follow him, and visit Grace Land? That changed last week, when I opened my Yahoo to see that “Michael” died to young. What? I thought this must have been some kind of joke.


Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) requires that a person experience a traumatic event. While what may be traumatic to one person may not be traumatic to another. I have not read any traumatic events of Michael’s childhood, but I am certain that there were many.



Absent, any remarkable traumas in childhood “aside” from his stardom, in 1994 Michael’s hair caught on fire while filming a commercial. Now think about that for a moment, it was certainly a traumatic event. Imagine your own hair and scalp being on fire? The heat so tremendous…and what must go through your mind at that moment. Will I die? My face? You get the idea.



By almost all written accounts, Michael has almost always been rather reclusive, and just perhaps the 1994 accident was the final trigger for full blown out PTSD?



We all know that he suffered from depression which is a common Co-Morbid of common condition that people with PTSD suffer with. Whether the depression came before or after, does not matter. click link above for more

Oldest known Bible goes online

Oldest known Bible goes online
Story Highlights
Handwritten Codex Sinaiticus is more than 1,600 years old

Includes two books not part of official New Testament

Discovered in a monastery in Sinai desert in Egypt more than 160 years ago

Scholar named Constantine Tischendorf recognized its significance in 1844



By Richard Allen Greene
CNN

LONDON, England (CNN) -- The world's oldest known Christian Bible goes online Monday -- but the 1,600-year-old text doesn't match the one you'll find in churches today.


Discovered in a monastery in the Sinai desert in Egypt more than 160 years ago, the handwritten Codex Sinaiticus includes two books that are not part of the official New Testament and at least seven books that are not in the Old Testament.

The New Testament books are in a different order, and include numerous handwritten corrections -- some made as much as 800 years after the texts were written, according to scholars who worked on the project of putting the Bible online. The changes range from the alteration of a single letter to the insertion of whole sentences.

And some familiar -- very important -- passages are missing, including verses dealing with the resurrection of Jesus, they said.

Juan Garces, the British Library project curator, said it should be no surprise that the ancient text is not quite the same as the modern one, since the Bible has developed and changed over the years.

"The Bible as an inspirational text has a history," he told CNN.

"There are certainly theological questions linked to this," he said. "Everybody should be encouraged to investigate for themselves."

That is part of the reason for putting the Bible online, said Garces, who is both a Biblical scholar and a computer scientist.
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Oldest known Bible goes online


Keep in mind that there were things taken out of the Bible we read today and that's a shame. If you have not read some of the books taken out, go to your local book store and find them. They are as much a part of the Christian faith as the accepted books incorporated into the Bible.

U.S. Marines in Afghan standoff, 4 die in roadside blast

U.S. Marines in Afghan standoff, 4 die in roadside blast
Story Highlights
4 U.S. soldiers killed by roadside bomb in northern Afghanistan

Taliban claim responsibility for attack on a U.S. military vehicle

U.S. Marines facing off against insurgents in southern town of Khan Neshin

Marines surround compound, holding fire due to civilians present



The Taliban claimed responsibility for the attack on a U.S. military vehicle. It said five soldiers were killed and two were injured.

Meanwhile, a U.S. military official told CNN that its forces are involved in a standoff with insurgents in the south of the country near the Helmand River.
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U.S. Marines in Afghan standoff, 4 die in roadside blast

Police: Campbell soldier shot in Tenn

Police: Campbell soldier shot in Tenn.

The Associated Press
Posted : Monday Jul 6, 2009 9:02:25 EDT

CLARKSVILLE, Tenn. — Police say a Fort Campbell, Ky., soldier was shot to death after an argument escalated into gunfire at a Clarksville housing complex.

Police said 24-year-old Brandon Buettner died from his injuries Saturday evening.
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Police: Campbell soldier shot in Tenn

More female veterans are winding up homeless

More female veterans are winding up homeless
VA resources strained; many are single parents

By Bryan Bender
Globe Staff / July 6, 2009

WASHINGTON - The number of female service members who have become homeless after leaving the military has jumped dramatically in recent years, according to new government estimates, presenting the Veterans Administration with a challenge as it struggles to accommodate the hundreds of thousands of returning veterans from Iraq and Afghanistan.

As more women serve in combat zones, the share of female veterans who end up homeless, while still relatively small at an estimated 6,500, has nearly doubled over the last decade, according to the Department of Veterans Affairs.

For younger veterans, it is even more pronounced: One out of every 10 homeless vets under the age of 45 is now a woman, the statistics show.
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More female veterans are winding up homeless

Wounded ex-Marine now fighting a two-front war

Web Posted: 07/05/2009 12:00 CDT
Wounded ex-Marine now fighting a two-front war

By Sig Christenson - Express-News
Eric Alva lived and breathed the Marine Corps for 13 years. Then he earned a dubious slice of American history by becoming the first GI injured in the Iraq invasion in 2003. He stepped on a mine three hours after rolling into Iraq, breaking both legs, suffering a badly mangled right arm and being filled with shrapnel from torso to his legs.

The picture-perfect Marine, who later lost part of his right leg and still carries 27 pieces of shrapnel, has evolved from a war hero photographed with President George W. Bush to one of the nation's prominent gay activists after coming out on ABC's “Good Morning America” on Feb. 27, 2007.

Now he advocates for gays to serve openly in the armed forces, a battle that heated up since a recent Supreme Court decision.

He marked July 4th by participating in San Antonio's Gay Pride parade and has spoken on dozens of college campuses. For him, a true Independence Day would see gays, lesbians and bisexuals allowed to openly serve in the armed forces — to be treated with the same dignity and respect of their straight comrades, rather than hiding in plain sight.

Alva, a 38-year-old San Antonio native, finds himself fighting a two-front war — one to maintain his health, and the other for gays who still conceal the truth about their sexual orientation from comrades and commanders.

He's got a home and devoted partner, but the war never is far away.
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Wounded ex-Marine now fighting a two-front war

I often wonder what the troops from other nations think of us when they have gay people serving side by side but the US doesn't want them serving and kicks them out no matter how long they've been in, how good they are, how trained they are, or how much they are liked by those they serve with.

Counselors mobilize for rural veterans

Counselors mobilize for rural veterans
BY MARTIN J. KIDSTON of the Helena Independent Record



HELENA - Military veterans in rural Montana who cannot travel for counseling will find the service coming to them once the vet centers in Missoula and Billings hire staff for two new mobile treatment units.

This spring, the two centers each received a 38-foot motor coach converted to serve as a mobile counseling office.

The units include private interview rooms and a satellite feed capable of linking up with a doctor's office for live interviews.

“We can provide counseling outreach to those who have denied themselves service, whether it's because they can't get to us or because of the stigma attached to it,” said Alvie Penskin, a readjustment counseling technician with the Missoula mobile veterans center.

While each center received its vehicle several months ago, neither has the staff needed to fully operate the units.

The Billings center is close, waiting only for the counselor it has already hired. The Missoula center expects to hire a social worker in about a month.

Once the hiring is complete, the units will set out to market the service and establish a circuit around the state. The Billings center has already displayed its mobile center in Bozeman and Miles City. The Missoula center expects to showcase its unit in Hamilton and Libby in August.

“The point is to reach the veterans who are out in the remote areas of Montana,” said Dirk Robinson, a counselor at the Billings Vet Center. “Sometimes they get missed with the mental health issues. We want to reach the veterans who aren't getting reached, and this will definitely help with that.”
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Counselors mobilize for rural veterans

1 dead, several hurt in Fla. lightning strike

Jul 4, 9:26 PM EDT


1 dead, several hurt in Fla. lightning strike

By CHRISTINE ARMARIO
Associated Press Writer


LAKELAND, Fla. (AP) -- A lightning strike at a Fourth of July gathering in central Florida killed one person and 18 others were taken to hospitals, officials said Saturday.

About 100 people from a church group were outside playing soccer and volleyball in Lakeland, about 30 miles east of Tampa, when a lightning bolt or series of strikes hit nearby, seemingly out of nowhere, Polk County Sheriff Grady Judd said.

Benjamin Gonzalez, 30, who was playing soccer, was hit and collapsed. He was taken to a nearby hospital and pronounced dead. Eighteen others were hospitalized and nine more treated at the scene.

Judd said their injuries were not life-threatening, with symptoms including numbness and tingling.
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1 dead, several hurt in Fla. lightning strike