USF kicker injured after 35-foot fall from Busch Gardens ride
Maikon Bonani of Polk County was working at the theme park at the time
TAMPA - A University of South Florida football player was recovering at a hospital after falling 35 feet from a gondola ride while working at Busch Gardens in Tampa, team officials said.
Team officials identified the player as Maikon Bonani, 20, USF's starting kicker. The park did not immediately release the employee's name or the extent of his injuries, said spokeswoman Jill Revelle.
The employee was working Saturday at the Skyride attraction. After sending passengers on a gondola out of the station, the employee thought the door might be unlocked and held onto the door to check it while guests sat on the ride, according to a park statement. He held on as the gondola took off -- then 35 feet above the ground -- let go and dropped into a landscaped area, the statement added.
"He was trying to make sure they were safe," said Revelle of those on the ride. She added that no one else was injured.
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Sunday, July 19, 2009
More soldiers are being treated for chlamydia
Upward trend in chlamydia cases extends to Army
By Gina Cavallaro - Staff writer
Posted : Sunday Jul 19, 2009 12:28:11 EDT
More soldiers are being treated for chlamydia, a sexually transmitted disease whose reported cases are also on the rise among the civilian population.
The number of chlamydia cases reported at Army medical facilities by active and reserve-component soldiers has steadily risen from 6,138 in 2004 to 8,192 in 2008. Reporting so far in 2009 indicates a continuing upward trend.
Army medical professionals say they cannot attribute the rise to any particular cause.
read more here
Upward trend in chlamydia cases extends to Army
By Gina Cavallaro - Staff writer
Posted : Sunday Jul 19, 2009 12:28:11 EDT
More soldiers are being treated for chlamydia, a sexually transmitted disease whose reported cases are also on the rise among the civilian population.
The number of chlamydia cases reported at Army medical facilities by active and reserve-component soldiers has steadily risen from 6,138 in 2004 to 8,192 in 2008. Reporting so far in 2009 indicates a continuing upward trend.
Army medical professionals say they cannot attribute the rise to any particular cause.
read more here
Upward trend in chlamydia cases extends to Army
Detroit family dead after ‘glitch’ led to power shut-off
Detroit family dead after ‘glitch’ led to power shut-off
By Daniel Tencer
Falling behind in your bills can be deadly, as the tragic story of a Detroit family shows.
A 46-year-old father and this three children are dead from carbon monoxide poisoning after their local energy company cut off their power, prompting the family to use a generator that poisoned them with carbon monoxide.
And the family’s power company says a bureaucratic “glitch” caused them to shut the power off when it shouldn’t have been.
Vaughn Reed, 46, and his three children, Markeisha, 17, DeMarco, 12, and DeMarte, six, died in the early morning hours of Friday from carbon monoxide emitted by a generator in the basement of the family’s two-story home on Detroit’s west side.
read more here
Detroit family dead after glitch led to power shut-off
Linked from RawStory
By Daniel Tencer
Falling behind in your bills can be deadly, as the tragic story of a Detroit family shows.
A 46-year-old father and this three children are dead from carbon monoxide poisoning after their local energy company cut off their power, prompting the family to use a generator that poisoned them with carbon monoxide.
And the family’s power company says a bureaucratic “glitch” caused them to shut the power off when it shouldn’t have been.
Vaughn Reed, 46, and his three children, Markeisha, 17, DeMarco, 12, and DeMarte, six, died in the early morning hours of Friday from carbon monoxide emitted by a generator in the basement of the family’s two-story home on Detroit’s west side.
read more here
Detroit family dead after glitch led to power shut-off
Linked from RawStory
44 hurt after light rail cars collide in San Francisco
44 hurt after light rail cars collide in San Francisco
Story Highlights
Conductor miscalculated a turn, police officer says
No life-threatening injuries reported, Muni spokesman says
Collision occurred at West Portal Station, spokesman says
Service disrupted on K/T, L and M lines
SAN FRANCISCO, California (CNN) -- Two light rail transit cars collided Saturday in San Francisco, causing multiple injuries, but none appeared life-threatening, a rail system spokesman said.
"Apparently the conductor for one of the trains miscalculated a turn. It's still under investigation right now," a police officer told CNN. He would not provide his name.
At least 44 people were injured, a fire official said.
None of the injuries was extremely serious, said Leslie Dubbin, administrator for operations at San Francisco General Hospital.
44 hurt after light rail cars collide in San Francisco
Story Highlights
Conductor miscalculated a turn, police officer says
No life-threatening injuries reported, Muni spokesman says
Collision occurred at West Portal Station, spokesman says
Service disrupted on K/T, L and M lines
SAN FRANCISCO, California (CNN) -- Two light rail transit cars collided Saturday in San Francisco, causing multiple injuries, but none appeared life-threatening, a rail system spokesman said.
"Apparently the conductor for one of the trains miscalculated a turn. It's still under investigation right now," a police officer told CNN. He would not provide his name.
At least 44 people were injured, a fire official said.
None of the injuries was extremely serious, said Leslie Dubbin, administrator for operations at San Francisco General Hospital.
44 hurt after light rail cars collide in San Francisco
Captured soldier identified by DoD
Captured soldier identified by DoD
Staff report
Posted : Sunday Jul 19, 2009 10:13:20 EDT
The Defense Department on Sunday identified the soldier who has been listed as missing/captured in Afghanistan.
Pfc. Bowe R. Bergdahl, 23, of Ketchum, Idaho, was declared Duty Status Whereabouts Unknown on July 1. His status was changed to missing/captured July 3.
Bergdahl is a member of 1st Battalion, 501st Parachute Infantry Regiment, 4th Brigade Combat Team, 25th Infantry Division, of Fort Richardson, Alaska.
read more here
Captured soldier identified by DoD
Family of captured soldier asks for privacy
By John Miller - The Associated Press
Posted : Sunday Jul 19, 2009 15:28:25 EDT
HAILEY, Idaho — A soldier from Idaho who disappeared from his base in Afghanistan has been captured, the Pentagon confirmed Sunday, a day after he was seen in a Taliban video posted online.
The Defense Department released the name of Pfc. Bowe R. Bergdahl, 23, who was serving with an Alaska-based infantry regiment. The private was serving at a base near the border with Pakistan in an area known to be a Taliban stronghold.
read more here
Family of captured soldier asks for privacy
Staff report
Posted : Sunday Jul 19, 2009 10:13:20 EDT
The Defense Department on Sunday identified the soldier who has been listed as missing/captured in Afghanistan.
Pfc. Bowe R. Bergdahl, 23, of Ketchum, Idaho, was declared Duty Status Whereabouts Unknown on July 1. His status was changed to missing/captured July 3.
Bergdahl is a member of 1st Battalion, 501st Parachute Infantry Regiment, 4th Brigade Combat Team, 25th Infantry Division, of Fort Richardson, Alaska.
read more here
Captured soldier identified by DoD
Family of captured soldier asks for privacy
By John Miller - The Associated Press
Posted : Sunday Jul 19, 2009 15:28:25 EDT
HAILEY, Idaho — A soldier from Idaho who disappeared from his base in Afghanistan has been captured, the Pentagon confirmed Sunday, a day after he was seen in a Taliban video posted online.
The Defense Department released the name of Pfc. Bowe R. Bergdahl, 23, who was serving with an Alaska-based infantry regiment. The private was serving at a base near the border with Pakistan in an area known to be a Taliban stronghold.
read more here
Family of captured soldier asks for privacy
Marine Cpl. Lembke's body is returned to Oregon
Ross William Hamilton, The Oregonian
Marine Cpl. Matthew Lembke returned to Oregon on Thursday night, six days after he died at Bethesda Naval Hospital from wounds he sustained in a June bombing in Afghanistan. His parents, Claudia and Dale Lembke of Tualatin and their daughter Carolyn Lembke (right) of Sherwood met his casket at the Hillsboro Airport. About 120 family, friends, military and members of the Patriot Guard riders escorted the body to the Wilsonville funeral home.
Marine Cpl. Lembke's body is returned to Oregon
by Julie Sullivan, The Oregonian
Saturday July 18, 2009, 10:25 AM
Forty-eight flags snapped at the Hillsboro Airport as Claudia Lembke waited for the small military charter to arrive.
She waited, as she had since an IED exploded in southern Afghanistan June 22. Waited as her son Marine Cpl. Matthew Lembke was airlifted to Germany, days later flown on to Bethesda Naval Hospital, where she waited for weeks at his bedside.
Time enough for friends to launch a Web page, trust fund and Facebook group, to unfurl the prayer chains and imagine the success story: a Marine who lost both legs, whose heart and breathing stopped and was restarted, a man who hung on.
But he died of complications July 10 with both parents and sister Carolyn beside him.
read more here
Marine Cpl. Lembke body is returned to Oregon
Family, friends remember Army Sgt. Mark R. Ecker II
Photo by JESSICA HILL
Debra Ecker and Mark Ecker Sr,. parents of Army Sgt. Mark R. Ecker II, receive a flag from Kevin McMaster, left, of American Legion Post 293 during their son's funeral Saturday at East Longmeadow High School.
Family, friends remember Army Sgt. Mark R. Ecker II
by The Republican Newsroom
Saturday July 18, 2009, 5:30 PM
By LORI STABILE
lstabile@repub.com
EAST LONGMEADOW - Debra W. Ecker read a letter to her son, Army Sgt. Mark R. Ecker II, at his funeral Saturday.
"Markie, how do I say goodbye to you?" she said.
Ecker, 23, was killed July 10 when he was a passenger in a car that crashed on Interstate 93 in Andover. Just two years ago, Ecker survived a bomb blast in Ramadi, Iraq, that took his lower legs.
read more here
Family, friends remember Army Sgt. Mark R. Ecker II
Energy Drinks: The Monster on Fort Bragg
Energy Drinks: The Monster on Fort Bragg
By John Ramsey
Staff writer
With names like Monster, Full Throttle and Red Bull, energy drinks are the new beverage of choice at Fort Bragg.
This year, Monster Energy is eclipsing Mountain Dew as the top-selling drink on post. But with 13 teaspoons of sugar and three times more caffeine than a can of Mountain Dew, doctors question whether Monster and other energy drinks are safe when consumed in high quantities.
Karen Daigle, a dietitian at Womack Army Medical Center, said ingesting between 200 and 400 milligrams of caffeine a day can increases focus and performance.
But soldiers who consume energy drinks all day can easily reach the point where performance is hurt, Daigle said.
A 16-ounce can of Monster contains 160 milligrams of caffeine. At least two brands of energy drinks contain 500 milligrams or more.
By comparison, a typical cup of brewed coffee contains about 107 milligrams of caffeine.
In high quantities, Daigle said, the drinks can cause jitters, extreme increases in heart rate and gastrointestinal problems.
"It's harder to focus at those higher ranges" of caffeine, Daigle said.
Stimulants also increase the risk of heat injuries, she said, but that may be less of an issue in the military because of how much the services stress hydration to their troops, pushing them to drink enough water.
read more here
Energy Drinks The Monster on Fort Bragg
By John Ramsey
Staff writer
With names like Monster, Full Throttle and Red Bull, energy drinks are the new beverage of choice at Fort Bragg.
This year, Monster Energy is eclipsing Mountain Dew as the top-selling drink on post. But with 13 teaspoons of sugar and three times more caffeine than a can of Mountain Dew, doctors question whether Monster and other energy drinks are safe when consumed in high quantities.
Karen Daigle, a dietitian at Womack Army Medical Center, said ingesting between 200 and 400 milligrams of caffeine a day can increases focus and performance.
But soldiers who consume energy drinks all day can easily reach the point where performance is hurt, Daigle said.
A 16-ounce can of Monster contains 160 milligrams of caffeine. At least two brands of energy drinks contain 500 milligrams or more.
By comparison, a typical cup of brewed coffee contains about 107 milligrams of caffeine.
In high quantities, Daigle said, the drinks can cause jitters, extreme increases in heart rate and gastrointestinal problems.
"It's harder to focus at those higher ranges" of caffeine, Daigle said.
Stimulants also increase the risk of heat injuries, she said, but that may be less of an issue in the military because of how much the services stress hydration to their troops, pushing them to drink enough water.
read more here
Energy Drinks The Monster on Fort Bragg
Traumatized soldiers told they are not alone
Traumatized soldiers told they are not alone
By Susan Herendeen
sherendeen@modbee.com
People can heal any hurt, including the lingering trauma that comes from being a soldier in a combat zone, according to an expert on family violence, who gave a presentation Saturday sponsored by the American GI Forum at Teamsters Hall in Modesto.
But the stigma that comes with mental illness means many veterans won't ask for help, even if they are so tense and anxious that they are "on guard" at all times.
Researchers worry that domestic violence will rise because an increasing number of veterans are diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder after serving multiple deployments in Iraq and Afghanistan.
As a result, the veteran's group is using a $75,000 grant from the Verizon Foundation to sponsor domestic violence prevention programs at its 25 chapters across California.
In Modesto, therapist Jerry Tello assured a dozen former soldiers and their families that they are not alone.
"The second war is the recovery," said Tello, who served in the Vietnam War after being drafted into the Army. He is director of the Sacred Circles Healing Center in Whittier and says lingering trauma can make people turn to violence or drugs because they are hypersensitive to everyday stressors.
read more here
Traumatized soldiers told they are not alone
By Susan Herendeen
sherendeen@modbee.com
People can heal any hurt, including the lingering trauma that comes from being a soldier in a combat zone, according to an expert on family violence, who gave a presentation Saturday sponsored by the American GI Forum at Teamsters Hall in Modesto.
But the stigma that comes with mental illness means many veterans won't ask for help, even if they are so tense and anxious that they are "on guard" at all times.
Researchers worry that domestic violence will rise because an increasing number of veterans are diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder after serving multiple deployments in Iraq and Afghanistan.
As a result, the veteran's group is using a $75,000 grant from the Verizon Foundation to sponsor domestic violence prevention programs at its 25 chapters across California.
In Modesto, therapist Jerry Tello assured a dozen former soldiers and their families that they are not alone.
"The second war is the recovery," said Tello, who served in the Vietnam War after being drafted into the Army. He is director of the Sacred Circles Healing Center in Whittier and says lingering trauma can make people turn to violence or drugs because they are hypersensitive to everyday stressors.
read more here
Traumatized soldiers told they are not alone
Saturday, July 18, 2009
Platoon leader remembers 3 fallen Minnesota soldiers
Platoon leader remembers 3 fallen Minnesota soldiers
By Renee Tessman
The Minnesota National Guard offered its condolences Saturday after one of the deadliest days for Minnesota troops in Iraq since 2005.
Three soldiers were killed Thursday evening in an attack on a base in Basra. They are 27-year-old Specialist Carlos Wilcox IV of Cottage Grove, 20-year-old Specialist James Wertish of Olivia and 22-year-old Specialist Daniel Drevnick of Woodbury. All were members of the Minnesota National Guard 34th Red Bull Infantry Division based in Stillwater.
At a press conference at the Stillwater Armory Saturday, Lt. Col. Michael Wickman says, "On behalf of all the men and women in the MN National Guard, I express my deepest sympathy."
National Guard officials say it was an indirect fire attack that killed the three soldiers. That could mean a mortar or missile attack. But Wickman says that's still unclear stating, "Many of the details are still under investigation by U.S. military authorities in Iraq."
read more here
Platoon leader remembers 3 fallen Minnesota soldiers
By Renee Tessman
The Minnesota National Guard offered its condolences Saturday after one of the deadliest days for Minnesota troops in Iraq since 2005.
Three soldiers were killed Thursday evening in an attack on a base in Basra. They are 27-year-old Specialist Carlos Wilcox IV of Cottage Grove, 20-year-old Specialist James Wertish of Olivia and 22-year-old Specialist Daniel Drevnick of Woodbury. All were members of the Minnesota National Guard 34th Red Bull Infantry Division based in Stillwater.
At a press conference at the Stillwater Armory Saturday, Lt. Col. Michael Wickman says, "On behalf of all the men and women in the MN National Guard, I express my deepest sympathy."
National Guard officials say it was an indirect fire attack that killed the three soldiers. That could mean a mortar or missile attack. But Wickman says that's still unclear stating, "Many of the details are still under investigation by U.S. military authorities in Iraq."
read more here
Platoon leader remembers 3 fallen Minnesota soldiers
A better plan needed for 4-year-old panhandler
This sure isn't your average homeless family story. No one can explain why some people don't want help but this story also points out there are a lot of people trying to help and that's a good thing
A better plan needed for 4-year-old panhandler
C.W. Nevius
Saturday, July 18, 2009
Little Gavin Mills, the 4-year-old panhandler who evoked so much sympathy and concern from San Franciscans, has been taken from his parents by Child Protective Services.
It is an incredibly difficult decision to take a child away from his mother and father, but in this case it is the right choice.
"Gavin deserves a chance in life," said Mary Long, who began a crusade to improve Gavin's and his mother Toni's life after seeing them at the Embarcadero BART Station. "He wasn't getting one being used as a panhandler tool by his chronically homeless mom."
City officials say the family was repeatedly offered beds, services and child care. But their offers, they say, were rebuffed, and people like Long kept seeing Gavin panhandling.
read more hereA better plan needed for 4-year-old panhandler
Body found of man who rescued child from Cowlitz river
Body found of man who rescued child from Cowlitz river
KELSO, Cowlitz County — The Cowlitz County Sheriff's office says the body of a man who rescued a 3-year-old girl from drowning in the Cowlitz River, then disappeared in the water, has been found.
By The Associated Press
KELSO, Cowlitz County — The Cowlitz County Sheriff's office says the body of a man who rescued a 3-year-old girl from drowning in the Cowlitz River, then disappeared in the water, has been found.
The body of 20-year-old Alan Heck was found 50 yards down river from where he was last seen.
read more here
Body found of man who rescued child from Cowlitz river
U.S. Capitol officer wounded in shootout
U.S. Capitol officer wounded in shootout
Published: July 17, 2009 at 12:13 PM
GREENBELT, Md., July 17 (UPI) -- The U.S. Capitol Police say a Capitol police officer was shot and wounded while exchanging gunfire with a suspect in Greenbelt, Md.
Capitol Police spokeswoman Sgt. Kimberly Schneider said the officer, whose identity was not reported, was off-duty Thursday when he/she suffered non-life threatening injuries in the shootout, Politico reported.
read more here
U.S. Capitol officer wounded in shootout
Published: July 17, 2009 at 12:13 PM
GREENBELT, Md., July 17 (UPI) -- The U.S. Capitol Police say a Capitol police officer was shot and wounded while exchanging gunfire with a suspect in Greenbelt, Md.
Capitol Police spokeswoman Sgt. Kimberly Schneider said the officer, whose identity was not reported, was off-duty Thursday when he/she suffered non-life threatening injuries in the shootout, Politico reported.
read more here
U.S. Capitol officer wounded in shootout
Veterans go to war against budget cuts
Veterans go to war against budget cuts
By Carl Orth The Suncoast News
Published: July 17, 2009
Updated:
NEW PORT RICHEY - Pasco County veterans are going into battle against a proposal to cut the budget of the county veterans services office by about 60 percent and lay off four of its six staff members.
Some 54,000 veterans call Pasco home. So the Pasco Veterans Council launched a petition drive to protest drastic cuts at the Division of Veterans Affairs before county officials finalize the fiscal 2010 budget, in September.
"We need to stand up and speak up for what we think is fair," said James Bradley, president of the veterans council.
But property tax revenue has been plunging along with home values, Pasco officials say.
"Something has got to give," said Dan Johnson, assistant county administrator for public services. The preliminary budget numbers represent a "worst-case scenario," he emphasized.
read more here
Veterans go to war against budget cuts
"Something has got to give" did he really say that when he's talking about veterans? Did he really say that when there are two military campaigns going on? Did he really say that when we have veterans from WWII, Korea, Vietnam, Gulf War, Afghanistan and Iraq needing as much help as they can get? Something has got to give? Well he must have forgotten they already gave and that's why we call them veterans!
By Carl Orth The Suncoast News
Published: July 17, 2009
Updated:
NEW PORT RICHEY - Pasco County veterans are going into battle against a proposal to cut the budget of the county veterans services office by about 60 percent and lay off four of its six staff members.
Some 54,000 veterans call Pasco home. So the Pasco Veterans Council launched a petition drive to protest drastic cuts at the Division of Veterans Affairs before county officials finalize the fiscal 2010 budget, in September.
"We need to stand up and speak up for what we think is fair," said James Bradley, president of the veterans council.
But property tax revenue has been plunging along with home values, Pasco officials say.
"Something has got to give," said Dan Johnson, assistant county administrator for public services. The preliminary budget numbers represent a "worst-case scenario," he emphasized.
read more here
Veterans go to war against budget cuts
"Something has got to give" did he really say that when he's talking about veterans? Did he really say that when there are two military campaigns going on? Did he really say that when we have veterans from WWII, Korea, Vietnam, Gulf War, Afghanistan and Iraq needing as much help as they can get? Something has got to give? Well he must have forgotten they already gave and that's why we call them veterans!
Man may face amputation after Walmart snakebite
Snakebite victim home, weighs lawsuit
Jeriel Joiner, the Palm Coast man who was bitten by a pygmy rattlesnake in a St. Augustine Walmart store on Tuesday, was released from the hospital Friday evening. Joiner's fiancee, Rhiannon Gross, said doctors could do little for him except monitor his condition and recovery after the pair opted against a second attempt to administer an antivenin treatment that caused a nearly fatal allergic reaction Tuesday.
Jeriel Joiner, the Palm Coast man who was bitten by a pygmy rattlesnake in a St. Augustine Walmart store on Tuesday, was released from the hospital Friday evening. Joiner's fiancee, Rhiannon Gross, said doctors could do little for him except monitor his condition and recovery after the pair opted against a second attempt to administer an antivenin treatment that caused a nearly fatal allergic reaction Tuesday.
Man may face amputation after Walmart snakebite
By HEATHER SCOFIELD
Staff Writer
ST. AUGUSTINE -- A trip to a store to buy a fern left a Palm Coast couple facing one of the most difficult decisions of their lives Thursday.
It was all part of an ordeal that began Tuesday after Jeriel Joiner, 27, was bitten by a baby pygmy rattlesnake while shopping at a St. Augustine Walmart.
Joiner and his fiancee, Rhiannon Gross, 30, were forced to decide whether Joiner would undergo a second $30,000 emergency medical treatment after the first such attempt nearly killed him Tuesday night.
read more here
Man may face amputation after Walmart snakebite
Suspect in shooting of wildlife officer arrested
Suspect in shooting of wildlife officer arrested
Christopher Eddy, 23, had been on the run for 2 days
Nature Susan Jacobson
Sentinel Staff Writer
8:34 PM EDT
July 17, 2009
A man who has been on the run for two days after the shooting of a Florida wildlife officer has been arrested.
Christopher Eddy, 23, was caught about 6:15 tonight breaking into a car at Juan Ponce de Landing, a small park in Melbourne Beach, the Florida Department of Law Enforcement said. The owner called 911, and a Melbourne Beach police officer saw Eddy walk out of some bushes, investigators said.
Eddy initially identified himself as Josh Adams, but the officer asked again, and Eddy admitting being the man wanted in the Wednesday night shooting of Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission Officer Vann Streety. He will be booked into the Brevard County Jail after detectives question him.
read more here
Suspect in shooting of wildlife officer arrested
Wounded FWC officer in stable condition and good spirits
WCTV - Tallahassee,FL,USA
Christopher Eddy, 23, had been on the run for 2 days
Nature Susan Jacobson
Sentinel Staff Writer
8:34 PM EDT
July 17, 2009
A man who has been on the run for two days after the shooting of a Florida wildlife officer has been arrested.
Christopher Eddy, 23, was caught about 6:15 tonight breaking into a car at Juan Ponce de Landing, a small park in Melbourne Beach, the Florida Department of Law Enforcement said. The owner called 911, and a Melbourne Beach police officer saw Eddy walk out of some bushes, investigators said.
Eddy initially identified himself as Josh Adams, but the officer asked again, and Eddy admitting being the man wanted in the Wednesday night shooting of Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission Officer Vann Streety. He will be booked into the Brevard County Jail after detectives question him.
read more here
Suspect in shooting of wildlife officer arrested
Wounded FWC officer in stable condition and good spirits
WCTV - Tallahassee,FL,USA
Waterford Lakes standoff ends in suicide
What could have been done differently may never be known. Ovesen had concerned his ex-girlfriend enough that she called police. The police knew they had a potentially suicidal man to confront and perhaps they were also informed he was armed. It seems as if everyone tried as much as they could to help this man but they were just too late. Over the years, every piece of advice that could have been given fits into what all the people involved in this tragedy tried to do, but no one can prevent every suicide. I really wish we could. Please pray for his family and the people in his life, but also for the police officers that tried to save his life.
Waterford Lakes standoff ends in suicide
Susan Jacobson
Sentinel Staff Writer
8:53 PM EDT
July 17, 2009
A suicidal man who barricaded himself in a Waterford Lakes home has killed himself, authorities said.
The standoff began about 2:35 p.m. when Svend Aage Ovesen's ex-girlfriend called and asked the Orange County Sheriff's Office to check on him because he had threatened suicide.
read more here
Waterford Lakes standoff ends in suicide
Combat Stress Workshops Planned
Combat Stress Workshops Planned: A Veteran PTSD Caregiver is to Speak Here.
July 18, 2009 -- By Loretta Sword, The Pueblo Chieftain, Colo.
Jul. 18--Combat soldiers returning from war often seem like strangers to their families. Sadder still, they feel like strangers to themselves.
Those feelings, if not expressed and validated by loved ones or professionals, can lead to severe depression, substance abuse, domestic violence, suicide and even homicide, as illustrated by the recent murder cases against a handful of war veterans stationed at Fort Carson.
From the jungles of Vietnam to military bases in Canada and Africa, Sister Kateri Koverman has spent decades working with veterans who have been diagnosed with PTSD -- post traumatic stress disorder -- and helping military leaders to recognize and offer help to PTSD victims.
Koverman is the founder and director of Them Bones Veteran Community, a treatment and advocacy organization based in Cincinnati with a satellite office in Colorado Springs. She'll be in Pueblo next week to lead two free workshops sponsored by Parkview Medical Center's Behavioral Health Division and Mental Health America of Pueblo. One will be for veterans and their friends and families and the second will be for treatment providers and other professionals who work closely with veterans.
read more hereCombat Stress Workshops Planned
July 18, 2009 -- By Loretta Sword, The Pueblo Chieftain, Colo.
Jul. 18--Combat soldiers returning from war often seem like strangers to their families. Sadder still, they feel like strangers to themselves.
Those feelings, if not expressed and validated by loved ones or professionals, can lead to severe depression, substance abuse, domestic violence, suicide and even homicide, as illustrated by the recent murder cases against a handful of war veterans stationed at Fort Carson.
From the jungles of Vietnam to military bases in Canada and Africa, Sister Kateri Koverman has spent decades working with veterans who have been diagnosed with PTSD -- post traumatic stress disorder -- and helping military leaders to recognize and offer help to PTSD victims.
Koverman is the founder and director of Them Bones Veteran Community, a treatment and advocacy organization based in Cincinnati with a satellite office in Colorado Springs. She'll be in Pueblo next week to lead two free workshops sponsored by Parkview Medical Center's Behavioral Health Division and Mental Health America of Pueblo. One will be for veterans and their friends and families and the second will be for treatment providers and other professionals who work closely with veterans.
read more hereCombat Stress Workshops Planned
New Rules for PTSD, Stop, look and listen
by
Chaplain Kathie
When you are too busy with what you have to do, looking for what you need or want and seeing your veteran as anything but a partner, you have a bigger problem than you think.
When it comes to PTSD, wives and family members are on the front line of this battle to keep them alive. That's right. It's a battle for us to wage because they cannot fight for themselves. That part inside of them has been held captive by PTSD. We need to do the fighting when they come home.
I had to fight when I met my husband because he couldn't.
First rule, stop. Stop trying to find excuses for why they act differently. You would have had to live under a rock to not pay any attention at all to what happens in combat. You already know the answer. What they had to go through did a number on all of them. It's up to how well you know them, know what they were like, to fully understand if they are not "getting over it" or need more help than you can give. Love can't heal PTSD even though it does help, you still need to have them evaluated to find out what is really going on. Don't assume anything.
Second rule, look. Look at what they do and hear what they say. Is it out of character for them? Are they drinking more? Do you suspect drug use? Do they have drastic mood swings? Nightmares? Flashbacks? Did they stop taking care of themselves as far as personal appearance? PTSD has signs and it's up to us to notice them. The problem is you need to know what they are or you may end up seeing something that is not there or overlooking something that is staring you right in the face.
Third rule, listen. Be there to listen to what they say, how they say it and even listen to what they are not saying. Sounds like a crazy notion but it's important. Are they detached from what is going on in the home? Are they paying attention to conversations? Are they forgetting what was just said? Do they avoid things they used to enjoy and tell you "I just don't feel like it" without giving a real, reasonable reason? Are they snapping back in anger irrationally? Are they talking in their sleep especially during a nightmare? Did they stop telling you things they used to say all the time, like I love you, you look nice, the meal was great or suddenly act as if they are not paying attention at all?
All of these are parts of warning signs for PTSD. Pay attention just as you would when your children were growing up. You would watch every step they took to make sure their legs were ok, their balance was ok. You would watch the way they would take things to make sure their eyes were working fine, their brain was learning and to see how well they were developing. You paid close attention to them when they could not talk to you and tell you something was wrong. It was up to you to notice it all. Well, it's the same thing when they have PTSD. Most of the time they cannot tell you what's wrong because they don't understand it themselves. Other times they are afraid because they don't understand it well enough. There are times when they are in such denial they don't see any of the changes in themselves. There are also times when they think they are getting away with hiding it from you. It's up to you to pay attention and get them the help they need to heal. The sooner they begin, the sooner your whole family heals as well.
Chaplain Kathie
When you are too busy with what you have to do, looking for what you need or want and seeing your veteran as anything but a partner, you have a bigger problem than you think.
When it comes to PTSD, wives and family members are on the front line of this battle to keep them alive. That's right. It's a battle for us to wage because they cannot fight for themselves. That part inside of them has been held captive by PTSD. We need to do the fighting when they come home.
I had to fight when I met my husband because he couldn't.
First rule, stop. Stop trying to find excuses for why they act differently. You would have had to live under a rock to not pay any attention at all to what happens in combat. You already know the answer. What they had to go through did a number on all of them. It's up to how well you know them, know what they were like, to fully understand if they are not "getting over it" or need more help than you can give. Love can't heal PTSD even though it does help, you still need to have them evaluated to find out what is really going on. Don't assume anything.
Second rule, look. Look at what they do and hear what they say. Is it out of character for them? Are they drinking more? Do you suspect drug use? Do they have drastic mood swings? Nightmares? Flashbacks? Did they stop taking care of themselves as far as personal appearance? PTSD has signs and it's up to us to notice them. The problem is you need to know what they are or you may end up seeing something that is not there or overlooking something that is staring you right in the face.
Third rule, listen. Be there to listen to what they say, how they say it and even listen to what they are not saying. Sounds like a crazy notion but it's important. Are they detached from what is going on in the home? Are they paying attention to conversations? Are they forgetting what was just said? Do they avoid things they used to enjoy and tell you "I just don't feel like it" without giving a real, reasonable reason? Are they snapping back in anger irrationally? Are they talking in their sleep especially during a nightmare? Did they stop telling you things they used to say all the time, like I love you, you look nice, the meal was great or suddenly act as if they are not paying attention at all?
All of these are parts of warning signs for PTSD. Pay attention just as you would when your children were growing up. You would watch every step they took to make sure their legs were ok, their balance was ok. You would watch the way they would take things to make sure their eyes were working fine, their brain was learning and to see how well they were developing. You paid close attention to them when they could not talk to you and tell you something was wrong. It was up to you to notice it all. Well, it's the same thing when they have PTSD. Most of the time they cannot tell you what's wrong because they don't understand it themselves. Other times they are afraid because they don't understand it well enough. There are times when they are in such denial they don't see any of the changes in themselves. There are also times when they think they are getting away with hiding it from you. It's up to you to pay attention and get them the help they need to heal. The sooner they begin, the sooner your whole family heals as well.
High suicide numbers in the U.S. Army get a second look
High suicide numbers in the U.S. Army get a second look
By Steve Wideman • Gannett Wisconsin Media • July 17, 2009
APPLETON — Scott Adler, a veteran of the first Iraq war, wasn't surprised at news earlier this week attributing record numbers of Army suicides to a failure of commanders to monitor returning combat veterans.
Adler, of Brillion, knew four soldiers who killed themselves during his 13 years in the Army, including a man who shot himself as Adler listened in horror on the telephone.
"That suicide changed me forever," said Adler, who suffers from post-traumatic stress disorder to the point he can't hold a job. He manages to volunteer as a veterans' advocate at the Fox Valley affiliate of the National Alliance on Mental Illness, or NAMI, which has the only veterans support group among state NAMI chapters.
The head of an Army suicide task force, Brig. Gen. Colleen McGuire, said Monday a three-month review of 143 suicides last year — the highest since records were kept in 1980 — found "we have young leaders who have not been trained in the art of just taking care of soldiers," particularly after they come home from combat.
read more here
http://www.thenorthwestern.com/article/20090717/OSH0101/307170028/1987
By Steve Wideman • Gannett Wisconsin Media • July 17, 2009
APPLETON — Scott Adler, a veteran of the first Iraq war, wasn't surprised at news earlier this week attributing record numbers of Army suicides to a failure of commanders to monitor returning combat veterans.
Adler, of Brillion, knew four soldiers who killed themselves during his 13 years in the Army, including a man who shot himself as Adler listened in horror on the telephone.
"That suicide changed me forever," said Adler, who suffers from post-traumatic stress disorder to the point he can't hold a job. He manages to volunteer as a veterans' advocate at the Fox Valley affiliate of the National Alliance on Mental Illness, or NAMI, which has the only veterans support group among state NAMI chapters.
The head of an Army suicide task force, Brig. Gen. Colleen McGuire, said Monday a three-month review of 143 suicides last year — the highest since records were kept in 1980 — found "we have young leaders who have not been trained in the art of just taking care of soldiers," particularly after they come home from combat.
read more here
http://www.thenorthwestern.com/article/20090717/OSH0101/307170028/1987
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