VA wastes millions on faulty study, IG says
By Kelly Kennedy - Staff writer
Posted : Friday Jul 17, 2009 15:09:56 EDT
After the Inspector General for the Department of Veterans Affairs issued a report Wednesday stating that a university had violated a contract for research on Gulf War Illness — and that VA had wrongfully awarded the contract in the first place — a lawmaker called for canceling it entirely.
“I ask that you look into this matter immediately and implement the Inspector General’s recommendation to terminate the contract for default so VA’s funds can be directed to research projects that will help those veterans affected by Gulf War Illness,” wrote Sen. Daniel Akaka, D-Hawaii, in a letter to VA Secretary Eric Shinseki dated Thursday.
The contract confusion has wasted more than two years and millions of dollars that could have been used to help veterans, according to the report.
read more here
VA wastes millions on faulty study, IG says
Friday, July 17, 2009
Ex-Marine fends off Wyo. lion attack with chainsaw
Man fends off Wyo. lion attack with chainsaw
The Associated Press
Man fends off Wyo. lion attack with chainsaw
By MATTHEW BROWN (AP) – 21 hours ago
BILLINGS, Mont. — Wielding his chain saw as a weapon, a Colorado man says he fought off a starving mountain lion that attacked him while he was camping with his wife and two toddlers in northwestern Wyoming.
Dustin Britton, a 32-year-old mechanic and ex-Marine from Windsor, Colo., said he was alone cutting firewood about 100 feet from his campsite in the Shoshone National Forest when he saw the lion staring at him from some bushes.
Britton revved his 18-inch chain saw and tried to back away. But the 100-pound lion followed.
click link for more
The Associated Press
Man fends off Wyo. lion attack with chainsaw
By MATTHEW BROWN (AP) – 21 hours ago
BILLINGS, Mont. — Wielding his chain saw as a weapon, a Colorado man says he fought off a starving mountain lion that attacked him while he was camping with his wife and two toddlers in northwestern Wyoming.
Dustin Britton, a 32-year-old mechanic and ex-Marine from Windsor, Colo., said he was alone cutting firewood about 100 feet from his campsite in the Shoshone National Forest when he saw the lion staring at him from some bushes.
Britton revved his 18-inch chain saw and tried to back away. But the 100-pound lion followed.
click link for more
Shell-shocked: Jacqueline Winspear takes on PTSD
This may help the general public finally begin to understand what it's like. I know it helped my Mother when she would read mystery novels and love stories. Occasionally she would come across a character with PTSD and feel terrible about them, around the same time she stopped telling me to get divorced. Before words of the writers of these books connecting her to the character, even her own son-in-law was hard to understand. It was almost as if she was just too closely connected to him to really see him. In fantasy land of the fiction novel, they can manage to what all the clinical studies and real life stories can't manage to do. I am sure that if my Mom was still alive, she'd buy the book.
Shell-shocked: Jacqueline Winspear, Iraq vets, and the EPICON study
Jacqueline Winspear, England-born and raised, is the author of the award-winning, wildly popular Maisie Dobbs mystery books - whose latest installment is titled Among the Mad. In it, Winspear, with characteristic British practicality and compassion, explores territory few writers dare to tread - the psychic cost of war. The EPICON study, just released, explored the same territory in the lives of returning men of one troop exposed to multiple tours and higher levels of conflict. The EPICON study analyzed a cluster of murders in Colorado committed by members of this troop. According to the AP "The psychological trauma of fierce combat in Iraq may have helped drive soldiers in a single battle-scarred Army unit to kill as many as 11 people after their return home, the military said."
Specifically, study subjects said they "carried weapons with them because they felt 'naked' and unsafe and had difficulty transitioning to civilian life. Some said they felt 'weird' and didn't fit in, the Army report said. 'There, we were the law; here, the cops are the law,' one of the accused told investigators."
Jacqueline Winspear's books are set in post-World-War I England.
Shell-shocked: Jacqueline Winspear
State Dept. security chopper crashes in Iraq
State Dept. security chopper crashes in Iraq
By MATTHEW LEE (AP) – 1 hour ago
WASHINGTON — The State Department says a helicopter used to protect U.S. diplomats in Baghdad has crashed outside the Iraqi capital and a U.S. official says that two crew members were killed.
go here for more
State Dept. security chopper crashes in Iraq
By MATTHEW LEE (AP) – 1 hour ago
WASHINGTON — The State Department says a helicopter used to protect U.S. diplomats in Baghdad has crashed outside the Iraqi capital and a U.S. official says that two crew members were killed.
go here for more
State Dept. security chopper crashes in Iraq
AMVETS Group clips $63K in coupons for vets
VETERAN SAVERS: Group clips $63K in coupons for vets
By Deborah Allard
Herald News Staff Reporter
Posted Jul 16, 2009 @ 08:16 PM
Fall River — Imagine what your grocery bill would be if you cut $63,423 in coupons in a year’s time?
That’s how many coupons members of the AMVETS Ladies Auxiliary Post No. 60 clipped to help American veterans and their families save some cash on food purchases. For their efforts, the women won the first place Americanism Award at a state AMVETS annual convention in Sturbridge in June for their coupon collecting and for the food and clothing they donated to veterans in Fall River.
Post No. 60 also took second place for Scholarship Awards, Community Service and Child Welfare at the annual convention.
"I was so surprised. I cried,” said Bernadette Botelho, president of the Ladies Auxiliary Post No. 60. “We did excellent this year.”
read more here
VETERAN SAVERS Group clips 63K in coupons for vets
By Deborah Allard
Herald News Staff Reporter
Posted Jul 16, 2009 @ 08:16 PM
Fall River — Imagine what your grocery bill would be if you cut $63,423 in coupons in a year’s time?
That’s how many coupons members of the AMVETS Ladies Auxiliary Post No. 60 clipped to help American veterans and their families save some cash on food purchases. For their efforts, the women won the first place Americanism Award at a state AMVETS annual convention in Sturbridge in June for their coupon collecting and for the food and clothing they donated to veterans in Fall River.
Post No. 60 also took second place for Scholarship Awards, Community Service and Child Welfare at the annual convention.
"I was so surprised. I cried,” said Bernadette Botelho, president of the Ladies Auxiliary Post No. 60. “We did excellent this year.”
read more here
VETERAN SAVERS Group clips 63K in coupons for vets
Vietnam Tunnel Rats share stories of service
Vietnam Veterans to share stories of the role played by 'tunnel rats'
by Rudi Larini/The Star-Ledger
Friday July 17, 2009, 5:00 AM
HOLMDEL -- Two Vietnam veterans Saturday will be sharing the story of "tunnel rats" and the role they played in the Vietnam War in a special program in Holmdel.
Veterans John Scafidi and Ron Giles will be part of the program scheduled to begin at 1 p.m. at the Vietnam Era Educational Center of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial.
Giles, a tunnel rat during the war, remembers groping his way through the pitch-black underground passageways. During one tunnel exploration, under the dim light of his flashlight, he discovered a strange object ahead of him. He could see it resembled a covered wok with small protrusions.
Curious, but even more cautious, he radioed his unit on the ground above and described what he saw to an Army engineer.
"He told me to turn around carefully, very slowly and get the hell out of there," Giles said.
read more here
Vietnam Tunnel Rats share stories of service
by Rudi Larini/The Star-Ledger
Friday July 17, 2009, 5:00 AM
HOLMDEL -- Two Vietnam veterans Saturday will be sharing the story of "tunnel rats" and the role they played in the Vietnam War in a special program in Holmdel.
Veterans John Scafidi and Ron Giles will be part of the program scheduled to begin at 1 p.m. at the Vietnam Era Educational Center of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial.
Giles, a tunnel rat during the war, remembers groping his way through the pitch-black underground passageways. During one tunnel exploration, under the dim light of his flashlight, he discovered a strange object ahead of him. He could see it resembled a covered wok with small protrusions.
Curious, but even more cautious, he radioed his unit on the ground above and described what he saw to an Army engineer.
"He told me to turn around carefully, very slowly and get the hell out of there," Giles said.
read more here
Vietnam Tunnel Rats share stories of service
Thousands gather for Veterans Family Reunion
Thousands gather for Veterans Family Reunion
WICHITA, Kansas – Twenty-two years ago a group of Vietnam veterans got together. They called friends, who called more friends, and started what was known as the Vietnam Veterans Family Reunion. That event has now evolved to include veterans of all wars and is bigger than ever.
Thousands of military veterans and their families are gathering at El Dorado Lake this weekend for the 22nd Annual Veterans Family Reunion.
“While the reunion was started for veterans and their families, I like to use the word patriots -- those that support our military and its veterans, so that's what this event is for -- for our veterans and the patriots,” said Lance McCune, president of the Veterans Family Reunion.
The event was started by Vietnam vets, but has now expanded to include veterans of a new war.
“I started talking to them and found out the things I went through and experienced in Iraq were some of the exact same things they experience in Vietnam,” McCune said.
It’s a meeting of the old and the new – an opportunity to pass on experience and knowledge to a younger generation of war veterans.
“And telling them, ‘you're not alone,’” said Everett Thompson, a Vietnam veteran. “Yeah we're 30 or 40 years older than you are, but what you went through is the same thing we went through. The only difference is years.”
read more here
Thousands gather for Veterans Family Reunion
WICHITA, Kansas – Twenty-two years ago a group of Vietnam veterans got together. They called friends, who called more friends, and started what was known as the Vietnam Veterans Family Reunion. That event has now evolved to include veterans of all wars and is bigger than ever.
Thousands of military veterans and their families are gathering at El Dorado Lake this weekend for the 22nd Annual Veterans Family Reunion.
“While the reunion was started for veterans and their families, I like to use the word patriots -- those that support our military and its veterans, so that's what this event is for -- for our veterans and the patriots,” said Lance McCune, president of the Veterans Family Reunion.
The event was started by Vietnam vets, but has now expanded to include veterans of a new war.
“I started talking to them and found out the things I went through and experienced in Iraq were some of the exact same things they experience in Vietnam,” McCune said.
It’s a meeting of the old and the new – an opportunity to pass on experience and knowledge to a younger generation of war veterans.
“And telling them, ‘you're not alone,’” said Everett Thompson, a Vietnam veteran. “Yeah we're 30 or 40 years older than you are, but what you went through is the same thing we went through. The only difference is years.”
read more here
Thousands gather for Veterans Family Reunion
HERO CENTRAL: Services needed for returning veterans
HERO CENTRAL: Services needed for returning veterans
By Amy Fox
MUSKEGON, Mich. (WZZM)- As the United States military scales down operations in Iraq and shifts focus to Afghanistan the needs of troops returning to the United States are increasing.
The Muskegon County Department of Veterans Affairs is doing all it can to help these heroes.
Iraq and Afghanistan veteran Jason Wright recounts, "I was in a police station. I got blown from my bed, through a concrete wall. I have missing cartilage, four pieces of broken bone floating around. I have shrapnel in there." Wright's foot was injured while he was serving in Iraq.
But, that's only the injury you see. He says, "They classified me as severe PTSD, post traumatic stress disorder. I also have a traumatic brain injury." It's from hitting the concrete wall, and run ins with several roadside bombs.
Wright's injuries are perhaps not surprising considering his tours of duty, which consisted of "three in Iraq, three in Afghanistan, and two in Kosovo. Out of 12 years in the military, I have 9 years combat."
go here to read more and for video
http://www.wzzm13.com/news/news_story.aspx?storyid=111425&catid=14
By Amy Fox
MUSKEGON, Mich. (WZZM)- As the United States military scales down operations in Iraq and shifts focus to Afghanistan the needs of troops returning to the United States are increasing.
The Muskegon County Department of Veterans Affairs is doing all it can to help these heroes.
Iraq and Afghanistan veteran Jason Wright recounts, "I was in a police station. I got blown from my bed, through a concrete wall. I have missing cartilage, four pieces of broken bone floating around. I have shrapnel in there." Wright's foot was injured while he was serving in Iraq.
But, that's only the injury you see. He says, "They classified me as severe PTSD, post traumatic stress disorder. I also have a traumatic brain injury." It's from hitting the concrete wall, and run ins with several roadside bombs.
Wright's injuries are perhaps not surprising considering his tours of duty, which consisted of "three in Iraq, three in Afghanistan, and two in Kosovo. Out of 12 years in the military, I have 9 years combat."
go here to read more and for video
http://www.wzzm13.com/news/news_story.aspx?storyid=111425&catid=14
Initial 45 Projects Targeted for New VA Management
Recent VA News Releases
Secretary Shinseki Announces Next Steps in Technology Advancements to
Reduce Wasteful Spending and Increase Accountability
Initial 45 Projects Targeted for New Department-Wide Management System
WASHINGTON (July 17, 2009) - The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA)
announced today that it will temporarily halt 45 information technology
projects which are either behind schedule or over budget. These
projects will be reviewed, and it will be determined whether these
projects should be continued.
"Leveraging the power of Information Technology to accelerate and
modernize the delivery of benefits and services to our nations Veterans
is essential to transforming VA to a 21st century organization that is
people-centric, results-driven and forward thinking," Secretary of
Veterans Affairs Eric K. Shinseki said.
Secretary Shinseki ordered a review of the department's 300 IT projects
and implementation of the PMAS, designed to increase the department's
accountability for IT projects.
Each of the 45 projects will be temporarily halted. No further
development will occur and expenditures will be minimized. A new
project plan that meets the requirements of Program Management
Accountability System (PMAS) must be created by the project manager and
approved by VA's Assistant Secretary for Information and Technology
before resuming.
"VA has a responsibility to the American people, who are investing
millions of dollars in technology projects, to deliver quality results
that adhere to a budget and are delivered on time." Shinseki said.
"They need to have confidence that the dollars they are spending are
being effectively used to improve the lives of our Veterans."
PMAS is a management protocol that requires projects to establish
milestones to deliver new functionality to its customers. Failure to
meet set deadlines indicates a problem within the project. Under PMAS,
a third missed customer delivery milestone is cause for the project to
be halted and re-planned.
"Our goal is to increase our success rate for our systems development
projects," Roger W. Baker, VA's Assistant Secretary for Information and
Technology, said. "We will use every tool at our disposal to bring
about greater accountability and ensure that taxpayer dollars are being
spent wisely. PMAS and the IT Dashboard will be critical indicators of
whether our IT projects are on schedule and on budget, and if they are
not, we will take swift action to cut down on waste and redundancy."
PMAS, in conjunction with the analytical tools available through the IT
Dashboard, will ensure early identification and correction of
problematic IT projects. The IT Dashboard
, launched last month, is a one-stop clearinghouse of information,
allowing the American people to track federal information technology
initiatives and hold the government accountable for progress and
results.
Over the next year, all IT projects at VA will be required to move to
PMAS.
The Obama Administration has made management reform a key
government-wide priority. From IT accountability to personnel and
contracting reforms, the administration is committed to providing better
value, efficiency, and effectiveness for taxpayers' dollars.
Below is a complete list of all projects temporarily halted under PMAS
at this time:
o Scheduling Replacement
o Laboratory System Reeingeering Project (LSRP)
o Pharmacy Re-Engineering Pre .5
o Health Data Repository (HDR) II
o Pharmacy Re-Engineering Pre1.0
o HeVet Middleware Services
o Person Service Identity Management
o Administrative Data Repository (ADR)
o Document & Ancillary Imaging
o Clinical Data Service
o VA Learning Management
o Home Telehealth (HT) Development
o Occupational Health Record Keeping System (OHRS)
o Enrollment System Redesign (ESR) v4
o CHDR - Chemistry & Hematology: ADC Automation
o Clinical Flow Sheet - CLIO
o E-Gov: E-Training
o Barcode Expansion
o Delivery Service
o Organization Service
o Enrollment System Redesign (ESR) v3.1
o Health Data Repository (HDR) Data Warehouse
o Home Telehealth (HT) Infrastructure Enhancements
o Radiology Outside Reporting
o BCMA Inpatient Medication Request for SFG IRA
o Blood Bank - VBECS v1.0
o Prosthetics Enhancements
o VIC (Veterans Identification Card) Development
o Spinal Cord Injury & Disorders Outcomes v3.0
o Radiology HL7 Interface Update
o Ward Drug Dispensing Equipment (WDDE) Interface
o Lab Data Sharing & Interoperability (LDSI) - Anatomic
Pathology/Microbiology
o HBPC Medical Foster Home (MFH)
o eClaims Plus
o ASISTS Modification - Case Management
o National Teleradiology Program
o CAPRI Enhancements
o Master Patient Index
o RMS - Rights Management Server
o National Teleradiology Program
o Problem List Standardization
o Radiology Standardization
o LDSI Terminology Support
o Clinical/Health Data Repositories (CHDR) Phase II
o Fee Data and HERO
Secretary Shinseki Announces Next Steps in Technology Advancements to
Reduce Wasteful Spending and Increase Accountability
Initial 45 Projects Targeted for New Department-Wide Management System
WASHINGTON (July 17, 2009) - The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA)
announced today that it will temporarily halt 45 information technology
projects which are either behind schedule or over budget. These
projects will be reviewed, and it will be determined whether these
projects should be continued.
"Leveraging the power of Information Technology to accelerate and
modernize the delivery of benefits and services to our nations Veterans
is essential to transforming VA to a 21st century organization that is
people-centric, results-driven and forward thinking," Secretary of
Veterans Affairs Eric K. Shinseki said.
Secretary Shinseki ordered a review of the department's 300 IT projects
and implementation of the PMAS, designed to increase the department's
accountability for IT projects.
Each of the 45 projects will be temporarily halted. No further
development will occur and expenditures will be minimized. A new
project plan that meets the requirements of Program Management
Accountability System (PMAS) must be created by the project manager and
approved by VA's Assistant Secretary for Information and Technology
before resuming.
"VA has a responsibility to the American people, who are investing
millions of dollars in technology projects, to deliver quality results
that adhere to a budget and are delivered on time." Shinseki said.
"They need to have confidence that the dollars they are spending are
being effectively used to improve the lives of our Veterans."
PMAS is a management protocol that requires projects to establish
milestones to deliver new functionality to its customers. Failure to
meet set deadlines indicates a problem within the project. Under PMAS,
a third missed customer delivery milestone is cause for the project to
be halted and re-planned.
"Our goal is to increase our success rate for our systems development
projects," Roger W. Baker, VA's Assistant Secretary for Information and
Technology, said. "We will use every tool at our disposal to bring
about greater accountability and ensure that taxpayer dollars are being
spent wisely. PMAS and the IT Dashboard will be critical indicators of
whether our IT projects are on schedule and on budget, and if they are
not, we will take swift action to cut down on waste and redundancy."
PMAS, in conjunction with the analytical tools available through the IT
Dashboard, will ensure early identification and correction of
problematic IT projects. The IT Dashboard
, launched last month, is a one-stop clearinghouse of information,
allowing the American people to track federal information technology
initiatives and hold the government accountable for progress and
results.
Over the next year, all IT projects at VA will be required to move to
PMAS.
The Obama Administration has made management reform a key
government-wide priority. From IT accountability to personnel and
contracting reforms, the administration is committed to providing better
value, efficiency, and effectiveness for taxpayers' dollars.
Below is a complete list of all projects temporarily halted under PMAS
at this time:
o Scheduling Replacement
o Laboratory System Reeingeering Project (LSRP)
o Pharmacy Re-Engineering Pre .5
o Health Data Repository (HDR) II
o Pharmacy Re-Engineering Pre1.0
o HeVet Middleware Services
o Person Service Identity Management
o Administrative Data Repository (ADR)
o Document & Ancillary Imaging
o Clinical Data Service
o VA Learning Management
o Home Telehealth (HT) Development
o Occupational Health Record Keeping System (OHRS)
o Enrollment System Redesign (ESR) v4
o CHDR - Chemistry & Hematology: ADC Automation
o Clinical Flow Sheet - CLIO
o E-Gov: E-Training
o Barcode Expansion
o Delivery Service
o Organization Service
o Enrollment System Redesign (ESR) v3.1
o Health Data Repository (HDR) Data Warehouse
o Home Telehealth (HT) Infrastructure Enhancements
o Radiology Outside Reporting
o BCMA Inpatient Medication Request for SFG IRA
o Blood Bank - VBECS v1.0
o Prosthetics Enhancements
o VIC (Veterans Identification Card) Development
o Spinal Cord Injury & Disorders Outcomes v3.0
o Radiology HL7 Interface Update
o Ward Drug Dispensing Equipment (WDDE) Interface
o Lab Data Sharing & Interoperability (LDSI) - Anatomic
Pathology/Microbiology
o HBPC Medical Foster Home (MFH)
o eClaims Plus
o ASISTS Modification - Case Management
o National Teleradiology Program
o CAPRI Enhancements
o Master Patient Index
o RMS - Rights Management Server
o National Teleradiology Program
o Problem List Standardization
o Radiology Standardization
o LDSI Terminology Support
o Clinical/Health Data Repositories (CHDR) Phase II
o Fee Data and HERO
Striking jump in mental illness found in Iraq, Afghanistan veterans
Striking jump in mental illness found in Iraq, Afghanistan veterans
by Julie Sullivan, The Oregonian
Thursday July 16, 2009, 9:50 PM
About two in five Iraq or Afghanistan veterans have post-traumatic stress disorder or depression, abuse alcohol or have other serious problems, such as homelessness, researchers reported Thursday.
A new study showed a striking jump in mental illness from findings reported two years ago and indicates that veterans' problems continue to emerge years after they return home.
The study was also the first to suggest that National Guardsmen and reservists suffer these wars differently than active-duty soldiers. Army soldiers and Marines younger than 25 had the highest rates of PTSD and drinking. That wasn't surprising, given that they're more likely to see combat and deploy multiple times.
But among National Guardsmen and reservists, it's the soldiers older than 30 who suffer, regardless of the combat they saw. Researchers suggested that being called up from established careers, families and communities make older citizen-soldiers less prepared for combat and less able to move between the two worlds.
"These are not people who live on a base, have a strong affiliation with a unit or maybe ever saw themselves going overseas, at all," said Dr. Karen Seal, the chief author of the study and an assistant professor of medicine at the University of California at San Francisco. "The disparity between their expectations and what they were actually exposed to over there may create a lot of vulnerability to PTSD."
read more here
http://www.oregonlive.com/news/index.ssf/2009/07/striking_jump_in_mental_illnes.html
by Julie Sullivan, The Oregonian
Thursday July 16, 2009, 9:50 PM
About two in five Iraq or Afghanistan veterans have post-traumatic stress disorder or depression, abuse alcohol or have other serious problems, such as homelessness, researchers reported Thursday.
A new study showed a striking jump in mental illness from findings reported two years ago and indicates that veterans' problems continue to emerge years after they return home.
The study was also the first to suggest that National Guardsmen and reservists suffer these wars differently than active-duty soldiers. Army soldiers and Marines younger than 25 had the highest rates of PTSD and drinking. That wasn't surprising, given that they're more likely to see combat and deploy multiple times.
But among National Guardsmen and reservists, it's the soldiers older than 30 who suffer, regardless of the combat they saw. Researchers suggested that being called up from established careers, families and communities make older citizen-soldiers less prepared for combat and less able to move between the two worlds.
"These are not people who live on a base, have a strong affiliation with a unit or maybe ever saw themselves going overseas, at all," said Dr. Karen Seal, the chief author of the study and an assistant professor of medicine at the University of California at San Francisco. "The disparity between their expectations and what they were actually exposed to over there may create a lot of vulnerability to PTSD."
read more here
http://www.oregonlive.com/news/index.ssf/2009/07/striking_jump_in_mental_illnes.html
Vietnam Vet Kathy Newton, battles cancer and lives in a tent
This is a terrible story about homeless people in this country when you really think about it, but it is also a wonderful story about people taking care of each other. Troy Renault and his family are taking care of other people at the campground they now call home, giving away what little they have. Remarkable people.
One of them, Kathy Newton, is a homeless Vietnam veteran with cancer. Why isn't she getting the treatment she needs? How many stories about homeless veterans do we really need to read before we go out and get all of them at least the medical care they need?
We need to care about all the homeless people in this country because it's the right thing to do. We also need to take care of our veterans because it's the honorable thing to do in return for the fact they served the rest of us.
One of them, Kathy Newton, is a homeless Vietnam veteran with cancer. Why isn't she getting the treatment she needs? How many stories about homeless veterans do we really need to read before we go out and get all of them at least the medical care they need?
We need to care about all the homeless people in this country because it's the right thing to do. We also need to take care of our veterans because it's the honorable thing to do in return for the fact they served the rest of us.
Homeless Families Flock to Campgrounds
July 15, 2009 - 2:41 PM by: Brooks Blanton
Troy Renault remembers the shocking statistic he heard earlier this year while watching the news. By the end of 2009, more than a million children will be homeless because of the recession, foreclosure crisis and skyrocketing unemployment rate.
"I was like how could that happen? In this country, how can that happen," Renault pondered that fact while sitting at a picnic table on a hot Tennessee afternoon. "And little did I think that my children would be part of the statistic."
He works in construction, helping build the suburban Nashville neighborhood that he, his wife Tammy and their four sons called home in until six weeks ago. When the housing industry collapsed, Troy was laid off and started his own handyman business. But even on his own, work was hard to find. The family struggled to make their bills.
"Do I keep the lights and water on so that we can at least get clean, wash clothes and do dishes? Or do we pay the rent and sit in the darkness?"
The lack of work finally caught up with the Renault family and they eventually lost their home. With nowhere to go, they packed their belongings and moved to Space 34 at the Timberline Campground in Lebanon, Tennessee. They now live in two tents, joined together to make up a tiny living room complete with a lamp and TV and three small rooms for the family of six to sleep. Their kitchen is a grill, stacks of plastic containers of food and a line of coolers just outside the tent. Running water, showers and toilets are a few steps away in a public restroom intended for campers to use on long weekends, vacations and holidays.
It's an attitude the Renault's live by at Timberline. They give away their own comfort items or lend a helping hand to those they feel are in more need. Even though they sweat out the hot days and humid nights in their tents, they refused to keep a donated air conditioner. Instead they gave it to Kathy Newton, a vietnam veteran who is battling cancer and lives in a tent just two spaces down from their makeshift home. Troy also gave a refrigerator to a couple at a neighboring campsite who couldn't afford to replace one that broke down and he recently helped an another woman by fixing the plumbing in her tiny camper, free of charge.
read more here
Homeless Families Flock to Campgrounds
Training and Support for Veteran Caregivers Bills Pass VA Committee
Veterans’ Affairs Committee Passes Bill to Provide Training and Support for Veteran Caregivers
Written by Imperial Valley News
Thursday, 16 July 2009
Washington, DC - The House Committee on Veterans’ Affairs led by Chairman Bob Filner (D-CA), approved four bills that would improve benefits and services to veterans provided by the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA).
“Today, this Committee passed a slate of bills that will have a significant impact on the lives of veterans when they become law,” said Chairman Filner. “I would specifically like to thank the freshman Members of this Committee for their ability to get right to work and address the needs of our Nation’s veterans.”
The Committee approved a comprehensive bill to expand necessary life insurance options for veterans and their families, as well as improve medical services at VA hospitals and clinics around the country. Also passed were bills to streamline the process for nonprofit research and education corporations to participate in VA research endeavors, increase the amount available to disabled veterans for structural improvements for their homes, and provide essential support and training to those caring for this Nation’s wounded veterans.
H.R. 3219,
H.R. 1293
H.R. 3155
Written by Imperial Valley News
Thursday, 16 July 2009
Washington, DC - The House Committee on Veterans’ Affairs led by Chairman Bob Filner (D-CA), approved four bills that would improve benefits and services to veterans provided by the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA).
“Today, this Committee passed a slate of bills that will have a significant impact on the lives of veterans when they become law,” said Chairman Filner. “I would specifically like to thank the freshman Members of this Committee for their ability to get right to work and address the needs of our Nation’s veterans.”
The Committee approved a comprehensive bill to expand necessary life insurance options for veterans and their families, as well as improve medical services at VA hospitals and clinics around the country. Also passed were bills to streamline the process for nonprofit research and education corporations to participate in VA research endeavors, increase the amount available to disabled veterans for structural improvements for their homes, and provide essential support and training to those caring for this Nation’s wounded veterans.
H.R. 3219,
H.R. 1293
H.R. 3155
H.R. 2770, as amended – Veterans Nonprofit Research and Education Corp orations Enhancement Act of 2009 (Filner)
This bill would modify and update provisions of law relating to nonprofit research and education corporations so they can better support VA research. Specifically, this bill expands the general authorities on establishing nonprofit research corporations by authorizing the creation of multi-medical center research corporations where two or more VA medical centers share one corporation and improves accountability of the corporations by detailing the audit requirements.
read more here
Training and Support for Veteran Caregivers
Big homecoming for recovering Marine
If you are in the military or a veteran, ever wondered if the American people really cared, I urge you to watch this video and know how much you do mean.
Big homecoming for recovering Marine
posted by: Jeffrey Wolf written by: Anastasiya Bolton
DENVER - In a place where crowds are a given and homecomings happen every day, a couple of hundred people, most perfect strangers, gathered to surprise one man in a way that doesn't happen every day.
Sherra Basham has never met Lance Corporal John Thomas Doody or his family. She heard about him coming home and decided people needed to show up to honor the 26-year-old Marine.
"I'm here to show a Marine how much America cares for his sacrifice and everything he's done for us," Basham said. "For me it's every American in these United States taking a moment to say thank you Lance Corporal Doody."
Basham got about 75 of her friends to come celebrate the Marine's return.
J.T. as most people call him, was shot three times in the leg in Iraq in March 2007.
Then, the infection he got paralyzed him and put him in a coma. Wednesday, he arrived back in Denver, alive and able to talk, a miracle the way his family sees it.
read more here and watch video
Big homecoming for recovering Marine
Thursday, July 16, 2009
Explosions at Marriott Hotel and Ritz in Jakarta
CNN) -- Explosions tore through two luxury hotels Friday in south Jakarta, Indonesia, witnesses said.
Police sealed off the area around both blasts, one of which occurred in the Ritz-Carlton Hotel and the other at the J.W. Marriott Hotel.
check back here on CNN for more
http://www.cnn.com/2009/WORLD/asiapcf/07/16/indonesia.hotel.explosion/index.html
UPDATE
Police say Jakarta hotel bombers were guests
Story Highlights
Police say bombers had earlier checked into Marriott hotel
Death toll in bomb attacks now six with at least 50 injured
Police defuse bomb found on 18th floor of JW Marriott hotel in Jakarta
JAKARTA, Indonesia (CNN) -- Indonesian authorities believe two suicide bombers checked into the JW Marriott Hotel in Jakarta and carried out coordinated bombings Friday morning, killing at least six victims and wounding more than 50 others.
read more here
http://www.cnn.com/2009/WORLD/asiapcf/07/17/indonesia.hotels.explosions/index.html
Police sealed off the area around both blasts, one of which occurred in the Ritz-Carlton Hotel and the other at the J.W. Marriott Hotel.
check back here on CNN for more
http://www.cnn.com/2009/WORLD/asiapcf/07/16/indonesia.hotel.explosion/index.html
UPDATE
Police say Jakarta hotel bombers were guests
Story Highlights
Police say bombers had earlier checked into Marriott hotel
Death toll in bomb attacks now six with at least 50 injured
Police defuse bomb found on 18th floor of JW Marriott hotel in Jakarta
JAKARTA, Indonesia (CNN) -- Indonesian authorities believe two suicide bombers checked into the JW Marriott Hotel in Jakarta and carried out coordinated bombings Friday morning, killing at least six victims and wounding more than 50 others.
read more here
http://www.cnn.com/2009/WORLD/asiapcf/07/17/indonesia.hotels.explosions/index.html
Veterans will have a chance in September to walk in support of PTSD education
I don't know if this documentary is any good or not. I've only seen clips of it from the site. What I do know is that while the veterans become aware of what PTSD is, usually kicking, denying and screaming they don't have a problem, the general public is even more behind the learning curve. Any documentary to bring this into the public's attention is a worthy effort.
I Would Walk 500 Miles for PTSD- Would You?
Tim King Salem-News.com
Veterans will have a chance in September to walk in support of PTSD education.
(SALEM, Ore.) - I admit that when we first decided
(SALEM, Ore.) - I admit that when we first decided to produce an hour long documentary on Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, I thought it would be so widely supported that the actual production would be a piece of cake. I was wrong.
Companies that make literally billions off the wars overseas, won't so much as return a call to this producer. So I have another, much better idea. I am going to march 500 miles with fellow veterans to raise support for this important program. We don't need big corporate funding anyway, we just need more heart and soul, which is where this whole effort begins anyway.
The goal is to generate enough funding to produce this program at a high standard with all of the required components. The budget we gain from donations will allow us to make the best use of time, instead of everything being stretched and corners cut.
read more here
I Would Walk 500 Miles for PTSD
Tim King is a former U.S. Marine with twenty years of experience on the west coast as a television news producer, photojournalist, reporter and assignment editor. In addition to his role as a war correspondent, this Los Angeles native serves as Salem-News.com's Executive News Editor.
Tim spent the winter of 2006/07 covering the war in Afghanistan, and he was in Iraq over the summer of 2008, reporting from the war while embedded with both the U.S. Army and the Marines. Tim holds numerous awards for reporting, photography, writing and editing, including the Oregon AP Award for Spot News Photographer of the Year (2004), the first place Electronic Media Award in Spot News, Las Vegas, (1998), Oregon AP Cooperation Award (1991); and several other awards including the 2005 Red Cross Good Neighborhood Award for reporting. Serving the community in very real terms, Salem-News.com is the nation's only truly independent high traffic news Website, affiliated with Google News and several other major search engines and news aggregators.
You can send Tim an email at this address: newsroom@salem-news.com
Twelve hurt when 2 Disney buses crash
Twelve hurt when 2 Disney buses crash
Accident happened in front of Contemporary Resort
Susan Jacobson
Sentinel Staff Writer
5:00 PM EDT, July 16, 2009
Two Walt Disney World buses crashed this afternoon in front of the Contemporary Resort on Disney property, injuring 12 people, the Florida Highway Patrol said.
The rear-end crash happened about 2:40 p.m. when one southbound bus stopped to merge as the World Drive narrowed from three to two lanes, said Sgt. Kim Miller, an FHP spokeswoman. The second bus did not stop in time.
Fifty people were on both buses. A dozen were taken to area hospitals. Miller described their injuries as minor. Preliminary reports indicate the buses were ferrying guests from the theme parks to hotels.
click link for more
Accident happened in front of Contemporary Resort
Susan Jacobson
Sentinel Staff Writer
5:00 PM EDT, July 16, 2009
Two Walt Disney World buses crashed this afternoon in front of the Contemporary Resort on Disney property, injuring 12 people, the Florida Highway Patrol said.
The rear-end crash happened about 2:40 p.m. when one southbound bus stopped to merge as the World Drive narrowed from three to two lanes, said Sgt. Kim Miller, an FHP spokeswoman. The second bus did not stop in time.
Fifty people were on both buses. A dozen were taken to area hospitals. Miller described their injuries as minor. Preliminary reports indicate the buses were ferrying guests from the theme parks to hotels.
click link for more
$50 million dollar waste for what the Army should already know
Consider this. The Army already knows about repeat deployments and the increased risk of PTSD plus PTSD increases the risk of suicide. They did it anyway. Then add in that PTSD has been studied to death since the 70's. Do you really think for a second they will find something new? Do you really think this money will end up being more wasted money finding the same answers? I do. Most of these well funded studies usually find what has already been discovered 30 years ago. Since humans don't change, they would be a lot better off if they just looked at all the data already there to find out why we are where we are. The rate they're going, you can't get there from here!
Army to fund universities’ suicide study
The Associated Press
Posted : Thursday Jul 16, 2009 16:25:04 EDT
ANN ARBOR, Mich. — The University of Michigan and three other universities are launching a $50 million Army-funded study to find out why soldiers kill themselves or become mentally ill.
Columbia University, Harvard University and the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences in Bethesda, Md., also are part of the consortium conducting the five-year study.
The University of Michigan’s Institute for Social Research says in announcing the study Thursday that it’s the largest to date of suicide and mental health in the military.
Study co-leader Steven Heeringa at Michigan says the goal is to find out risk and protection factors for suicide and mental illness. He says the school will survey 90,000 active Army personnel.
read more here
http://www.armytimes.com/news/2009/07/ap_army_suicide_study_071609/
Man Accused Of Killing Wife During Mexico Cruise
Man Accused Of Killing Wife During Mexico Cruise
Medical Examiner Identifies Victim As Shirley McGill, 55
POSTED: 9:26 am PDT July 16, 2009
SAN DIEGO -- A 55-year-old woman died aboard a cruise ship that docked in San Diego Thursday, and her husband was arrested in connection with the death, according to the FBI.
FBI Special Agent Darrell Foxworth said the 2,052-passenger Carnival Elation was on the last leg of a five-day trip to Baja Mexico on Tuesday when members of the ship's crew responded to a domestic dispute between a husband and wife in their cabin.
The crew members entered the cabin and found the woman dead, Foxworth said.
The San Diego County Medical Examiner's Office identified the victim as Shirley McGill of Winnetka, a city in Los Angeles County. She turned 55 on July 8.
Robert McGill, who is also in his mid 50s, was held in the ship's brig during the return trip to San Diego and is expected to be charged with murder, FBI Special Agent in Charge Keith Slotter said during a midday news briefing at B Street Pier.
read more herehttp://www.10news.com/news/20075486/detail.html
linked from CNN
Medical Examiner Identifies Victim As Shirley McGill, 55
POSTED: 9:26 am PDT July 16, 2009
SAN DIEGO -- A 55-year-old woman died aboard a cruise ship that docked in San Diego Thursday, and her husband was arrested in connection with the death, according to the FBI.
FBI Special Agent Darrell Foxworth said the 2,052-passenger Carnival Elation was on the last leg of a five-day trip to Baja Mexico on Tuesday when members of the ship's crew responded to a domestic dispute between a husband and wife in their cabin.
The crew members entered the cabin and found the woman dead, Foxworth said.
The San Diego County Medical Examiner's Office identified the victim as Shirley McGill of Winnetka, a city in Los Angeles County. She turned 55 on July 8.
Robert McGill, who is also in his mid 50s, was held in the ship's brig during the return trip to San Diego and is expected to be charged with murder, FBI Special Agent in Charge Keith Slotter said during a midday news briefing at B Street Pier.
read more herehttp://www.10news.com/news/20075486/detail.html
linked from CNN
Madonna 'devastated' by stage construction death
Madonna 'devastated' by stage construction death
Story Highlights
One person was killed when stage being built for Madonna concert collapses
Accident happened Thursday afternoon in southern French city of Marseille
Another two people, one British and one American, were severely injured
Madonna due to play first of five concerts in city for "Sticky and Sweet" tour Sunday
(CNN) -- Madonna was "devastated" to hear that a man was killed in an accident during construction for her upcoming concerts in Marseilles, France, a representative said Thursday.
A 53-year-old French man was killed when a stage being built for the concert collapsed, a fire department spokesman in the southern French city said.
Another two people, one British and one American, are severely injured, and four are lightly injured, officer David Goddin told CNN.
"At this point we don't know how it happened, but we are confident no one else is still under the rubble," Goddin said.
read more here
Madonna devastated by stage construction death
Story Highlights
One person was killed when stage being built for Madonna concert collapses
Accident happened Thursday afternoon in southern French city of Marseille
Another two people, one British and one American, were severely injured
Madonna due to play first of five concerts in city for "Sticky and Sweet" tour Sunday
(CNN) -- Madonna was "devastated" to hear that a man was killed in an accident during construction for her upcoming concerts in Marseilles, France, a representative said Thursday.
A 53-year-old French man was killed when a stage being built for the concert collapsed, a fire department spokesman in the southern French city said.
Another two people, one British and one American, are severely injured, and four are lightly injured, officer David Goddin told CNN.
"At this point we don't know how it happened, but we are confident no one else is still under the rubble," Goddin said.
read more here
Madonna devastated by stage construction death
Man who shot 5 police officers wearing priest clothing
5 cops wounded in New Jersey shootout; 2 suspects killed
Story Highlights
NEW: Man who started shootout was wearing "priest clothing," mayor says
Battle began when a suspect fired shotgun at officers, wounding one, authorities say
Suspect fled; police found him holed up in apartment with another person
Shootout there ended with both suspects dead, four more officers injured
(CNN) -- A gunman wearing "priest clothing" sparked a shootout with police in Jersey City, New Jersey, early Thursday that ended with five officers wounded and the shooter and another suspect dead, authorities said.
Two of the officers sustained serious injuries, officials said.
The shootings began around 5 a.m. as two officers monitored a vehicle suspected of being involved in a recent armed robbery.
read more here
http://www.cnn.com/2009/CRIME/07/16/nj.cops.shot/index.html
Story Highlights
NEW: Man who started shootout was wearing "priest clothing," mayor says
Battle began when a suspect fired shotgun at officers, wounding one, authorities say
Suspect fled; police found him holed up in apartment with another person
Shootout there ended with both suspects dead, four more officers injured
(CNN) -- A gunman wearing "priest clothing" sparked a shootout with police in Jersey City, New Jersey, early Thursday that ended with five officers wounded and the shooter and another suspect dead, authorities said.
Two of the officers sustained serious injuries, officials said.
The shootings began around 5 a.m. as two officers monitored a vehicle suspected of being involved in a recent armed robbery.
read more here
http://www.cnn.com/2009/CRIME/07/16/nj.cops.shot/index.html
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