Child Sickened By Oxycontin In Bag Of Skittles
Tainted Candy Sends Child To Hospital
POSTED: 8:52 am EDT July 28, 2009
TAMPA, Fla. -- Tampa authorities said a 4-year-old girl was treated in a hospital after eating candy that was tainted with Oxycontin.
The girl was with her grandparents, driving home Monday from Tampa International Airport, when she became lethargic. They took her to a hospital where she was treated and later released.
read more here
http://www.wesh.com/news/20200201/detail.html
Tuesday, July 28, 2009
Military planning for possible H1N1 outbreak
Military planning for possible H1N1 outbreak
Story Highlights
Military wants to establish regional teams to help civilian authorities respond
Proposal awaiting final approval from Defense Secretary Robert Gates
Military could provide support such as air transport, large-scale testing
From Barbara Starr
CNN Pentagon Correspondent
WASHINGTON (CNN) -- The U.S. military wants to establish regional teams of military personnel to assist civilian authorities in the event of a significant outbreak of the H1N1 virus this fall, according to Defense Department officials.
The proposal is awaiting final approval from Defense Secretary Robert Gates.
The officials would not be identified because the proposal from U.S. Northern Command's Gen. Victor Renuart has not been approved by the secretary.
The plan calls for military task forces to work in conjunction with the Federal Emergency Management Agency. There is no final decision on how the military effort would be manned, but one source said it would likely include personnel from all branches of the military.
It has yet to be determined how many troops would be needed and whether they would come from the active duty or the National Guard and Reserve forces.
click link for more
Story Highlights
Military wants to establish regional teams to help civilian authorities respond
Proposal awaiting final approval from Defense Secretary Robert Gates
Military could provide support such as air transport, large-scale testing
From Barbara Starr
CNN Pentagon Correspondent
WASHINGTON (CNN) -- The U.S. military wants to establish regional teams of military personnel to assist civilian authorities in the event of a significant outbreak of the H1N1 virus this fall, according to Defense Department officials.
The proposal is awaiting final approval from Defense Secretary Robert Gates.
The officials would not be identified because the proposal from U.S. Northern Command's Gen. Victor Renuart has not been approved by the secretary.
The plan calls for military task forces to work in conjunction with the Federal Emergency Management Agency. There is no final decision on how the military effort would be manned, but one source said it would likely include personnel from all branches of the military.
It has yet to be determined how many troops would be needed and whether they would come from the active duty or the National Guard and Reserve forces.
click link for more
Soldiers help in rush to control Hood blaze
Soldiers help in rush to control Hood blaze
Staff report
Posted : Tuesday Jul 28, 2009 17:33:03 EDT
More than 100 soldiers assigned to Fort Hood, Texas, have been deployed to the post’s southern perimeter to help battle a fire that has been burning since Sunday.
Aviators with the 3rd Armored Cavalry Regiment are providing helicopter and ground support, and several local fire departments are on the scene helping extinguish the blaze, which is burning land near Crittenberger Range and Owl Creek Assault Course, an Army news release announced Tuesday.
As of Friday afternoon, the release said, about 50 percent of the fire had been contained and soldiers were still on the scene.
read more here
Soldiers help in rush to control Hood blaze
Staff report
Posted : Tuesday Jul 28, 2009 17:33:03 EDT
More than 100 soldiers assigned to Fort Hood, Texas, have been deployed to the post’s southern perimeter to help battle a fire that has been burning since Sunday.
Aviators with the 3rd Armored Cavalry Regiment are providing helicopter and ground support, and several local fire departments are on the scene helping extinguish the blaze, which is burning land near Crittenberger Range and Owl Creek Assault Course, an Army news release announced Tuesday.
As of Friday afternoon, the release said, about 50 percent of the fire had been contained and soldiers were still on the scene.
read more here
Soldiers help in rush to control Hood blaze
House passes bill to train, help caregivers
House passes bill to train, help caregivers
By Rick Maze - Staff writer
Posted : Tuesday Jul 28, 2009 11:02:28 EDT
Landmark legislation to train family members to provide care for severely wounded veterans — and pay them for it — was approved by the House of Representatives on Tuesday.
The bill, HR 3155, the Caregiver Assistance and Resource Enhancement Act, or CARE Act, also creates a respite care program for caregivers; expands outreach and education programs for families; extends to caregivers the right to get mental health counseling; and, for those who do not have their own health insurance, allows coverage under the Veterans Affairs Department health care program.
read more here
House passes bill to train, help caregivers
By Rick Maze - Staff writer
Posted : Tuesday Jul 28, 2009 11:02:28 EDT
Landmark legislation to train family members to provide care for severely wounded veterans — and pay them for it — was approved by the House of Representatives on Tuesday.
The bill, HR 3155, the Caregiver Assistance and Resource Enhancement Act, or CARE Act, also creates a respite care program for caregivers; expands outreach and education programs for families; extends to caregivers the right to get mental health counseling; and, for those who do not have their own health insurance, allows coverage under the Veterans Affairs Department health care program.
read more here
House passes bill to train, help caregivers
SENATE PASSES FEINGOLD EFFORTS TO HELP WOUNDED TROOPS
SENATE PASSES FEINGOLD EFFORTS TO HELP WOUNDED TROOPS; IMPROVE READINESS TO RESPOND TO CATASTROPHES AT HOME
Feingold Amendments to Defense Authorization Bill, Passed By the Senate, Help Service Members During Their Transition to Civilian Life and Ensure Forces are Prepared to Help Communities in the Event of a Catastrophe
Monday, July 27, 2009
Wounded Warrior Transition Assistance Act,
Washington, D.C. – Late last week, the U.S. Senate passed a Defense authorization bill that included two amendments authored by Senator Russ Feingold to help troops transitioning to civilian life and to ensure forces here at home are better prepared to respond to emergencies. Feingold’s first amendment, offered along with Senator Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) and based on their bipartisan Wounded Warrior Transition Assistance Act, will help ensure wounded service members of the Guard and Reserves are not discharged before their injuries are treated and evaluated. Many wounded service members have been discharged prematurely and this has compromised their recovery and imposed additional hardships upon them and their families. The legislation was introduced after a young soldier from Wisconsin came to Feingold in need of assistance after being discharged before his injuries were evaluated.
“I am pleased the Senate recognized the need to help our brave men and women in uniform transition back to civilian life,” Feingold said. “Hearing the story of a young soldier from Wisconsin who fell through the cracks after serving his country was both heart-breaking and infuriating. Allowing the men and women who selflessly serve our country to be left behind is unacceptable. With passage of this amendment, we can help ensure our service members are not faced with financial hardships that can compound the already difficult transition back to their lives at home.”
Feingold and Murkowski’s legislation has broad support among military and veteran service organizations and is endorsed by Disabled American Veterans, Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America, Military Officers Association of America, the National Guard Association of the United States, and the Enlisted Association of the National Guard of the United States. The cost of the legislation is fully offset so as not to increase the federal deficit.
The defense bill also included an amendment by Feingold to help ensure communities across the nation are protected in the event of a catastrophe. Feingold’s amendment seeks to ensure the Department of Defense adequately funds forces needed to deal with the consequences of a chemical, biological, radiological, nuclear or high-yield explosive event. Last year, the Commission on the National Guard and Reserves concluded that Department of Defense’s (DOD) failure to establish these forces in the wake of 9/11 had left an "appalling gap" in our defenses. DOD is working on establishing the needed forces but has historically failed to provide needed personnel and adequate funding. Feingold’s amendment would increase transparency over defense spending to help Congress ensure these vital units receive the resources they need.
“The Department of Defense must no longer drag its feet in committing resources to these forces, which would be absolutely critical in the event of a catastrophic incident,” Feingold said. “This amendment creates the transparency in the defense budget necessary to ensure these forces are funded and able to respond to emergencies.”
Feingold has consistently worked to ensure domestic readiness for a terrorist attack. Feingold is the author of a law requiring each state and U.S. territory be equipped with at least one WMD-Civil Support Team, National Guard units that would provide the initial response to a chemical, biological or nuclear disaster. These teams are now up and running in every state in the union.
http://feingold.senate.gov/record.cfm?id=316238
Feingold Amendments to Defense Authorization Bill, Passed By the Senate, Help Service Members During Their Transition to Civilian Life and Ensure Forces are Prepared to Help Communities in the Event of a Catastrophe
Monday, July 27, 2009
Wounded Warrior Transition Assistance Act,
Washington, D.C. – Late last week, the U.S. Senate passed a Defense authorization bill that included two amendments authored by Senator Russ Feingold to help troops transitioning to civilian life and to ensure forces here at home are better prepared to respond to emergencies. Feingold’s first amendment, offered along with Senator Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) and based on their bipartisan Wounded Warrior Transition Assistance Act, will help ensure wounded service members of the Guard and Reserves are not discharged before their injuries are treated and evaluated. Many wounded service members have been discharged prematurely and this has compromised their recovery and imposed additional hardships upon them and their families. The legislation was introduced after a young soldier from Wisconsin came to Feingold in need of assistance after being discharged before his injuries were evaluated.
“I am pleased the Senate recognized the need to help our brave men and women in uniform transition back to civilian life,” Feingold said. “Hearing the story of a young soldier from Wisconsin who fell through the cracks after serving his country was both heart-breaking and infuriating. Allowing the men and women who selflessly serve our country to be left behind is unacceptable. With passage of this amendment, we can help ensure our service members are not faced with financial hardships that can compound the already difficult transition back to their lives at home.”
Feingold and Murkowski’s legislation has broad support among military and veteran service organizations and is endorsed by Disabled American Veterans, Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America, Military Officers Association of America, the National Guard Association of the United States, and the Enlisted Association of the National Guard of the United States. The cost of the legislation is fully offset so as not to increase the federal deficit.
The defense bill also included an amendment by Feingold to help ensure communities across the nation are protected in the event of a catastrophe. Feingold’s amendment seeks to ensure the Department of Defense adequately funds forces needed to deal with the consequences of a chemical, biological, radiological, nuclear or high-yield explosive event. Last year, the Commission on the National Guard and Reserves concluded that Department of Defense’s (DOD) failure to establish these forces in the wake of 9/11 had left an "appalling gap" in our defenses. DOD is working on establishing the needed forces but has historically failed to provide needed personnel and adequate funding. Feingold’s amendment would increase transparency over defense spending to help Congress ensure these vital units receive the resources they need.
“The Department of Defense must no longer drag its feet in committing resources to these forces, which would be absolutely critical in the event of a catastrophic incident,” Feingold said. “This amendment creates the transparency in the defense budget necessary to ensure these forces are funded and able to respond to emergencies.”
Feingold has consistently worked to ensure domestic readiness for a terrorist attack. Feingold is the author of a law requiring each state and U.S. territory be equipped with at least one WMD-Civil Support Team, National Guard units that would provide the initial response to a chemical, biological or nuclear disaster. These teams are now up and running in every state in the union.
http://feingold.senate.gov/record.cfm?id=316238
Program aims to curb Marine suicides
Program aims to curb Marine suicides
By Gregg Zoroya, USA TODAY
WASHINGTON — Faced with a rise in suicides among Marines, the service is ordering training for all immediate supervisors — sergeants and corporals — to become more involved and knowledgeable about the intimate details of the lives of their young charges.
"We as Marines always try to do the hard thing," Master Sgt. James Dinwoodie says in a training video aimed at promoting sensitivity to emotional problems Marines may be suffering. "Well, sometimes you need to do the soft thing."
Through July 16, there have been 30 confirmed or suspected Marine suicides this year. There were 42 during 2008, the highest since the start of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. There have also been 89 attempted suicides this year, compared with 146 attempts in all of 2008.
read more here
Program aims to curb Marine suicides
By Gregg Zoroya, USA TODAY
WASHINGTON — Faced with a rise in suicides among Marines, the service is ordering training for all immediate supervisors — sergeants and corporals — to become more involved and knowledgeable about the intimate details of the lives of their young charges.
"We as Marines always try to do the hard thing," Master Sgt. James Dinwoodie says in a training video aimed at promoting sensitivity to emotional problems Marines may be suffering. "Well, sometimes you need to do the soft thing."
Through July 16, there have been 30 confirmed or suspected Marine suicides this year. There were 42 during 2008, the highest since the start of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. There have also been 89 attempted suicides this year, compared with 146 attempts in all of 2008.
The video includes footage of Staff Sgt. Jeremiah Workman, who received the service's second-highest award for valor, the Navy Cross, for heroism in Iraq, discussing his post-traumatic stress disorder and his own suicide attempt in 2006.
read more here
Program aims to curb Marine suicides
Casualties of War, Part II: Warning Signs
Casualties of War, Part II: Warning Signs
Monday 27 July 2009
by: Dave Philipps Visit article original @ The Colorado Springs Gazette
After coming home from Iraq, 21-year-old medic Bruce Bastien was driving with his Army buddy Louis Bressler, 24, when they spotted a woman walking to work on a Colorado Springs street.
Bressler swerved and hit the woman with the car, according to police, then Bastien jumped out and stabbed her over and over.
It was October 2007. A fellow soldier, Kenneth Eastridge, 24, watched it all from the passenger seat.
At that moment, he said, it was clear that however messed up some of the soldiers in the unit had been after their first Iraq deployment, it was about to get much worse.
read more here
http://www.truthout.org/072809C
read more of this series here
Related Stories/Links
Casualties of War, Part I: The hell of war comes home
EDITOR'S NOTE: A word of caution
Fort Carson report: Combat stress contributed to soldiers' crimes back home
Fort Carson report (.pdf document 126 pages)
Complete military coverage
Audio: Interview with Kenneth Eastridge
John Needham letter alleging war crimes
You are either thinking we have a serious problem or this is just media hype. If you think it's hype, your dead wrong and history proves that. It was easier to ignore all of the price paid by those we send when we were talking about Vietnam or any of the earlier wars in our history. The difference is the Internet. You can't hide much of it anymore.
While it was easier to hide the truth, it was a lot harder to deal with any of it even though it was all there. It was also much harder to live with feeling as if you no longer existed to the rest of the nation turned obliviously against you while you suffered in silence. You were no longer a soldier and thus obsolete. It was easy to ignore the suffering of so many so because it was easy to hide all of it from the attention of the general public.
You may be reading this and think "ok well there have been 1.7 million sent into Iraq and Afghanistan, so what's a few "criminals" to worry about?" The problem is, they were not criminals before they were sent into combat and the likelihood of them committing crimes had they not been deployed into combat, then not taken care of properly, the odds are against them ever committing crimes at all. So when you look at it that way, you finally understand that while they fulfilled their obligation to this nation as they are often reminded of the fact "they volunteered" you need to notice that we did not live up to our obligation to them any better than we did the generations before them. Not such a pretty picture to hold in your mind now is it?
The real issue we need to be discussing is the fact that none of the men or women in the military since the Vietnam war were drafted and forced to go. Think of what that requires of all of them. Think of what kind of person it takes to be willing to put their own lives on the line. Then think about what they go through. Wouldn't you expect them to change? Wouldn't you change?
If we helped them recover with the same kind of understanding we seem to have when we send them to risk their lives, I doubt there would be many suicides or crimes associated with deployment. The fault is not their's entirely. It is partly our's. Yes they decided to commit the crimes but we decided to ignore their problems in the first place.
Fort Campbell plans event to honor Vietnam veterans
Here's an important request from me. If you go to this, could you please take some pictures or write about it? My husband was with the 101st 1970-1971 in Vietnam on Camp Evans and then Camp Eagle. On August 16th we are going to a going away party for a friend's daughter heading back to college. He was with my husband part of the time in Vietnam and while they lost touch for a long time, in 1999, I tracked him down. We get together as much as possible and the two of them act as if they have lost no time at all. So there are two veterans with you in spirit anyway but cannot go to this event.
Fort Campbell plans event to honor Vietnam veterans
By: John Brannon Messenger Staff Reporter
Posted: Monday, July 27, 2009 9:05 pm
By JOHN BRANNON
Messenger Staff Reporter
A recent announcement from the commanding general of the 101st Airborne Division at Fort Campbell, Ky., seeks to right a great social wrong from the 1970s.
Maj. Gen. Jeffrey Schloesser stated a Welcome Home ceremony for Vietnam veterans will be held at the fort at 2 p.m. Aug. 16.
Vietnam veterans from all units, branches and services are invited to participate in a special ceremony.
Ed Southern of Union City, a Marine Corps veteran who served two tours in Vietnam, is delighted that after all these years — the Vietnam war was officially ended April 30, 1975 — veterans of the conflict will be properly praised and publicly thanked for their service, at least at Fort Campbell. “It’s a long time coming,” he said.
Joe Alexander, president of the 101st Airborne Division Association, said Vietnam veterans will have the rare privilege of receiving the same welcome home that every member of the 101st receives when they return from the war on terrorism.
“To participate, everyone is to enter Fort Campbell at Gate 7 Aug. 16 and assemble in casual patriotic attire no later than 2 p.m. at the Freedom Fighter gymnasium near the 4th Basic Combat Training (BCT) headquarters,” Alexander said.
Buses will be available at the gymnasium to ferry everyone to and from Hangar 3 at the airfield.
“Vietnam veterans will be greeted by our new commanding general, Maj. Gen. John Campbell,” Alexander said. “What a memorable moment. I am a veteran of the Vietnam war and it touches me deeply to know that our commanding general has made this special effort to include the Vietnam veteran in the same honors given to our active duty soldiers.”
After the Hangar 3 ceremony, buses will ferry everyone back to the gymnasium for a free barbecue meal for Vietnam veterans. Each such veteran is allowed one guest.
read more here
http://www.nwtntoday.com/news.php?viewStory=29475
CNN Barbara Starr writes about two soldiers lives she took personally
Behind the Scenes: Triumph and tragedy for two wounded soldiers
Story Highlights
CNN's Barbara Starr celebrated a victory and mourned a loss on July 15
An injured Marine was celebrating getting into Harvard Law School
On same night, a warrior with a traumatic brain injury was found dead in his car
Men's stories are linked -- both pleaded with the government to aid injured soldiers
By Barbara Starr
CNN Pentagon Correspondent
WASHINGTON (CNN) -- Where were you on the night of July 15? You may not even remember, but for me it was an extraordinary evening, an evening of unimaginable triumph and unbearable tragedy.
But I would not actually know everything that happened until the night was long over.
A couple of weeks before July 15, a friend who works with injured troops emailed me to say it was time for Andrew's going away party.
Andrew Kinard is a young Marine I first met a few years ago at Walter Reed Army Medical Center in Washington where he was recovering from a devastating IED attack in Iraq. He had stepped on the roadside bomb and lost his entire body below the hips.
The party being arranged was Andrew's farewell to D.C. Andrew is off to the rigors of Harvard Law School. He's says he's itching to get into a courtroom.
You need to remember the name Andrew Kinard. Many of his friends believe Andrew is such an amazing man that he will become president of the United States. If I had to bet, I'd say it could happen.
I wouldn't have missed the party for the world. I was touched that this tight-knit community of wounded warriors had included me in this very special, very intimate evening.
There was a display of photos of Andrew serving in Iraq. I suddenly realized I never knew how tall he was before the war. There were a few sniffles and wiping of eyes in the room for a Marine whose dream of service to his country ended within a few months of getting to Iraq. But sniffles didn't last long and the evening became one of hugs, laughter and good wishes (and more than a few beers) for a young Marine who had triumphed over what the war had dealt him.
But my warm feelings didn't last long. The next day another source in the wounded troop community came to me in the Pentagon hallway with another tale.
"You have to do something about the story of Ray Rivas," he said.
In the very hours we were celebrating Andrew in Washington, tragedy was unfolding in Texas. Lt. Col. Raymond Rivas, a 53-year old civil affairs officer who had dedicated his career to rebuilding war torn countries, was found dead in his car in the parking lot of Brooke Army Medical Center in San Antonio Texas.
Colleagues of Ray's said prescription pills and notes he wrote to his family and wife, Colleen, were found. A military source told me all indications are Ray took his own life.
read more here
Triumph and tragedy for two wounded soldiers
Story Highlights
CNN's Barbara Starr celebrated a victory and mourned a loss on July 15
An injured Marine was celebrating getting into Harvard Law School
On same night, a warrior with a traumatic brain injury was found dead in his car
Men's stories are linked -- both pleaded with the government to aid injured soldiers
By Barbara Starr
CNN Pentagon Correspondent
WASHINGTON (CNN) -- Where were you on the night of July 15? You may not even remember, but for me it was an extraordinary evening, an evening of unimaginable triumph and unbearable tragedy.
But I would not actually know everything that happened until the night was long over.
A couple of weeks before July 15, a friend who works with injured troops emailed me to say it was time for Andrew's going away party.
Andrew Kinard is a young Marine I first met a few years ago at Walter Reed Army Medical Center in Washington where he was recovering from a devastating IED attack in Iraq. He had stepped on the roadside bomb and lost his entire body below the hips.
The party being arranged was Andrew's farewell to D.C. Andrew is off to the rigors of Harvard Law School. He's says he's itching to get into a courtroom.
You need to remember the name Andrew Kinard. Many of his friends believe Andrew is such an amazing man that he will become president of the United States. If I had to bet, I'd say it could happen.
I wouldn't have missed the party for the world. I was touched that this tight-knit community of wounded warriors had included me in this very special, very intimate evening.
There was a display of photos of Andrew serving in Iraq. I suddenly realized I never knew how tall he was before the war. There were a few sniffles and wiping of eyes in the room for a Marine whose dream of service to his country ended within a few months of getting to Iraq. But sniffles didn't last long and the evening became one of hugs, laughter and good wishes (and more than a few beers) for a young Marine who had triumphed over what the war had dealt him.
But my warm feelings didn't last long. The next day another source in the wounded troop community came to me in the Pentagon hallway with another tale.
"You have to do something about the story of Ray Rivas," he said.
In the very hours we were celebrating Andrew in Washington, tragedy was unfolding in Texas. Lt. Col. Raymond Rivas, a 53-year old civil affairs officer who had dedicated his career to rebuilding war torn countries, was found dead in his car in the parking lot of Brooke Army Medical Center in San Antonio Texas.
Colleagues of Ray's said prescription pills and notes he wrote to his family and wife, Colleen, were found. A military source told me all indications are Ray took his own life.
read more here
Triumph and tragedy for two wounded soldiers
Extreme sports used to help war veterans
Extreme sports used to help war veterans
By Gregg Bell - The Associated Press
Posted : Tuesday Jul 28, 2009 14:09:33 EDT
FORT LEWIS, Wash. — Sgt. Sylvia Portillo went first.
Secured with elastic cords to a railroad bridge more than 200 feet over a gorge south of Mount St. Helens, Portillo's mission was to dive over the edge. She pretended to throw up, getting a nervous laugh out of the troops behind her. Then, keeping her own anxiety in check, she bungee-jumped into the lush green below.
Dozens of soldiers in the 2nd Battalion, 12th Field Artillery Regiment and the 4th Stryker Brigade Combat Team took the plunge that day last fall. Most had been recently deployed in Iraq. Few had bungee-jumped before.
As he stood at the edge, Sgt. Steve Damron felt a mix of trepidation and adrenaline that he likened to patrols through Baghdad. "It's a chance to calm our brothers down," he said, "to push that adrenaline out."
That's the idea.
read more here
http://www.armytimes.com/news/2009/07/ap_extreme_sports_072809
By Gregg Bell - The Associated Press
Posted : Tuesday Jul 28, 2009 14:09:33 EDT
FORT LEWIS, Wash. — Sgt. Sylvia Portillo went first.
Secured with elastic cords to a railroad bridge more than 200 feet over a gorge south of Mount St. Helens, Portillo's mission was to dive over the edge. She pretended to throw up, getting a nervous laugh out of the troops behind her. Then, keeping her own anxiety in check, she bungee-jumped into the lush green below.
Dozens of soldiers in the 2nd Battalion, 12th Field Artillery Regiment and the 4th Stryker Brigade Combat Team took the plunge that day last fall. Most had been recently deployed in Iraq. Few had bungee-jumped before.
As he stood at the edge, Sgt. Steve Damron felt a mix of trepidation and adrenaline that he likened to patrols through Baghdad. "It's a chance to calm our brothers down," he said, "to push that adrenaline out."
That's the idea.
read more here
http://www.armytimes.com/news/2009/07/ap_extreme_sports_072809
PTSD On Trail:A Combat Soldier on Death Row?
A Combat Soldier on Death Row?
Tim King Salem-News.com
Prosecutors want to kill a three-tour combat veteran who was prescribed dangerous drugs by the same government that trained him to kill.
(ALTOONA, Pa.) - Somewhere along the way, Americans convinced themselves that you can train a soldier to kill, send him to war, then bring him home and deactivate the killer inside with a magical switch.
We learned during the Vietnam War, or re-learned more specifically, that it doesn't work that way. When you train thousands to survive in combat, a percentage will not easily shed those skills.
A highly decorated three-tour Iraq Army soldier named Nick Horner, a father of two beautiful children, snapped and did the unthinkable last year. The Iraq War vet went on an unprovoked shooting spree that left two people dead and a third injured.
read more here
A Combat Soldier on Death Row
Tim King Salem-News.com
Prosecutors want to kill a three-tour combat veteran who was prescribed dangerous drugs by the same government that trained him to kill.
(ALTOONA, Pa.) - Somewhere along the way, Americans convinced themselves that you can train a soldier to kill, send him to war, then bring him home and deactivate the killer inside with a magical switch.
We learned during the Vietnam War, or re-learned more specifically, that it doesn't work that way. When you train thousands to survive in combat, a percentage will not easily shed those skills.
A highly decorated three-tour Iraq Army soldier named Nick Horner, a father of two beautiful children, snapped and did the unthinkable last year. The Iraq War vet went on an unprovoked shooting spree that left two people dead and a third injured.
read more here
A Combat Soldier on Death Row
White House apologizes to mom of Brooklyn Marine for form-letter flap
This is one of the dangers when staffers use form letters to reply especially when the form letter they send out has nothing to do with the letter sent. It happens all the time.
I've written to politicians for years and ended up with either no response at all of replies totally ignoring what I wrote. It is not the fault of the politician but the untrained, unthinking and short-cutter staffer.
I've written to politicians for years and ended up with either no response at all of replies totally ignoring what I wrote. It is not the fault of the politician but the untrained, unthinking and short-cutter staffer.
White House apologizes to mom of Brooklyn Marine for form-letter flap
BY Corky Siemaszko
DAILY NEWS STAFF WRITER
Monday, July 27th 2009, 10:14 PM
First, the mom of a murdered Brooklyn Marine got a "form letter" response from the White House - then she got an apology.
Henryka Pietrzak-Varga was deeply upset last month when she received a standard letter from a White House aide, Michael Kelleher, that urged her to contact the White House if "you still need help with a federal agency."
The White House discovered the cold-hearted error after the Daily News asked for a reaction to the mom's disappointment, which she outlined in a Polish newspaper.
Soon after, a White House official called The News to say President Obama described the murder of Sgt. Jan Pawel Pietrzak and his wife, Quiana, as a "tragic loss" and thanked the mother "for her son's service and sacrifice for this country."
"Mr. Kelleher called Mrs. Pietrzak-Varga to apologize for the error," the official said. "Mrs. Pietrzak-Varga accepted his apology, and the two spoke for approximately half an hour."
Read more: White House apologizes to mom of Brooklyn Marine for form-letter flap
The Tenth Commandment on PTSD
The Tenth Commandment on PTSD
by
Chaplain Kathie
How does this apply to PTSD? Because when your spirit has been invaded after trauma, part of the denial process is wondering why other people seem able to walk away untouched by what all of you went through. You may become jealous of them, think better of them than yourself, want to be like them, but the truth is, you were not created to be like them. You were created to be like you are because God's wisdom created all different types of people for all different types of purposes.
Professionals and many experts have yet to understand the basics about PTSD. While they will acknowledge the need to heal the total person, mind, body and soul, they refuse to look at the soul itself. It never penetrates their brains that researchers have found the part of the brain where emotions are kept and have seen the changes there in people with PTSD. That is where the soul must live within all of us. For all the years I've talked to veterans and others with PTSD, there are common links between them and the first one is that they were for the vast majority, compassionate people. It is your compassion, the gift of being able to feel deeply, that has set you aside from the others appearing able to just walk away.
Caring is not a flaw but a gift you have been given but you can no longer see the beauty within that gift. Being able to feel more deeply begins to seem more like a curse than a blessing only because you do not understand it. What allows you to feel the pain more also allows you to feel love more deeply, compassion more strongly and feel simple pleasures as if they were gold. Others can look at a sunrise and never feel the beauty right in front of their eyes. You can or could until PTSD got in the way. It's all there inside of you but trapped behind the wall your mind built to protect itself from more harm. You can find it within you if you look for it.
Papa Roy, one of the Chaplains in my group has taken it upon himself to send out daily reminders of support for all of us. You have read many of the things he's had to share on this blog. Today's message reminded me of something that I have not shared for a while and it's a good time to remind you of God's love.
It is not so much your eye but how you see things. What you choose to focus on. If you focus on only what is bad, that is what you see and then everything begins to look bad. Your compassion is being attacked by it until you look at what was good among what was bad. The good was there inside of you at the moment of what you saw as evil.
When you saw your friend struck down, did you spirit scream out "God help him!" in an instant after it happened? Did you forget about your own safety and rush to his side? Did your heart feel as if it was breaking? This reaction was based on the goodness within you. Goodness was present at the moment of trauma and chaos.
The blessing of compassion enables God to hear your prayers for the sake of someone else because you have heard His voice within you and the commandment to love others as if they belonged to you, as if they were part of your own family.
Misunderstanding gifts from God feels as if they are curses instead, we forget about the wonders we have felt before if we focus only on the pain we carry now.
Compassion requires the courage to be able to set your "own" aside for the sake of someone else. This was within you, calling you to join the military to act as defense for others. As the military trained you to fight, God trained you to feel. The others you serve with gain from that compassion within you and it prevents them from becoming unfeeling with you as an testament of love. The core of your spirit is stronger than any evil that can ever touch you and you will find that strength if you look for it. If you do not know it is there, you will not look for it, depend on it and embrace it instead of turning away. You will want to be like the others you see as "stronger" because you see yourself as weaker. Turn your eyes to what is within you and remember the blessing God provided for you and use it for the good others need in moments of need.
Heal your spirit by seeing what you have been blessed with and know that God's wisdom put you where you are or were in life for the sake of others, not as a punishment against you but as a blessing for them. He has provided you with all you need to heal and help others heal. You can find it if you look for it and understand what was there all along. "Seek and ye shall find" Christ said, but if we look for answers in the wrong places with the wrong focus, we will get the wrong answers. Change your own focus of what is within you and find the right way to heal.
by
Chaplain Kathie
"You shall not covet your neighbor's house. You shall not covet your neighbor's wife, or his manservant or maidservant, his ox or donkey, or anything that belongs to your neighbor."
How does this apply to PTSD? Because when your spirit has been invaded after trauma, part of the denial process is wondering why other people seem able to walk away untouched by what all of you went through. You may become jealous of them, think better of them than yourself, want to be like them, but the truth is, you were not created to be like them. You were created to be like you are because God's wisdom created all different types of people for all different types of purposes.
Professionals and many experts have yet to understand the basics about PTSD. While they will acknowledge the need to heal the total person, mind, body and soul, they refuse to look at the soul itself. It never penetrates their brains that researchers have found the part of the brain where emotions are kept and have seen the changes there in people with PTSD. That is where the soul must live within all of us. For all the years I've talked to veterans and others with PTSD, there are common links between them and the first one is that they were for the vast majority, compassionate people. It is your compassion, the gift of being able to feel deeply, that has set you aside from the others appearing able to just walk away.
Caring is not a flaw but a gift you have been given but you can no longer see the beauty within that gift. Being able to feel more deeply begins to seem more like a curse than a blessing only because you do not understand it. What allows you to feel the pain more also allows you to feel love more deeply, compassion more strongly and feel simple pleasures as if they were gold. Others can look at a sunrise and never feel the beauty right in front of their eyes. You can or could until PTSD got in the way. It's all there inside of you but trapped behind the wall your mind built to protect itself from more harm. You can find it within you if you look for it.
Papa Roy, one of the Chaplains in my group has taken it upon himself to send out daily reminders of support for all of us. You have read many of the things he's had to share on this blog. Today's message reminded me of something that I have not shared for a while and it's a good time to remind you of God's love.
Good morning, Friends! I appreciate you.
Set a watch over our eyes
And what is the main sense that we have that gets our mind stimulated? Our eyes. So those things that we view really do shape our thoughts, our desires. They give us ideas, examples, and set our imaginations aflame. And the world and the Prince of this world, Satan, knows this and is only too happy to use this medium of television to capture you, brainwash you, and shape your mind to long after things in opposition to the Lord. And that's why God gave us verses such as these to warn us to diligently guard our eyes:
The lamp of the body is the eye. If therefore your eye is good, your whole body will be full of light. 23 But if your eye is bad, your whole body will be full of darkness. If therefore the light that is in you is darkness, how great is that darkness! (Matthew 6:22-23)
Diligently guard our eyes
We must keep our eye upon our Master, and be careful to approve ourselves to him; keep our eye upon our rule, and conform to that; keep our eye upon our mark, the prize of the high calling, and direct all towards that.
Papa Roy
In God we trust: I will set nothing wicked before my eyes; I hate the work of those who fall away; it shall not cling to me. (Psalm 101;3)
Guard Your Eyes Against the World's Many Temptations
It is not so much your eye but how you see things. What you choose to focus on. If you focus on only what is bad, that is what you see and then everything begins to look bad. Your compassion is being attacked by it until you look at what was good among what was bad. The good was there inside of you at the moment of what you saw as evil.
When you saw your friend struck down, did you spirit scream out "God help him!" in an instant after it happened? Did you forget about your own safety and rush to his side? Did your heart feel as if it was breaking? This reaction was based on the goodness within you. Goodness was present at the moment of trauma and chaos.
The blessing of compassion enables God to hear your prayers for the sake of someone else because you have heard His voice within you and the commandment to love others as if they belonged to you, as if they were part of your own family.
"Guard Your Eyes Against the World's Many Temptations"We are all tempted to look at the bad, ignoring the good because it seems everyone else is able to. They may appear to be stronger than we are if our emotions are under attack. Yet it is not strength that pushes them on but a weakness of their compassion allowing them to remain untouched in the depth of their soul. We do not see they are also unable to feel the goodness as deeply as we do in the process. We see what we want to see in them avoiding what we should be looking at within ourselves.
Misunderstanding gifts from God feels as if they are curses instead, we forget about the wonders we have felt before if we focus only on the pain we carry now.
Compassion requires the courage to be able to set your "own" aside for the sake of someone else. This was within you, calling you to join the military to act as defense for others. As the military trained you to fight, God trained you to feel. The others you serve with gain from that compassion within you and it prevents them from becoming unfeeling with you as an testament of love. The core of your spirit is stronger than any evil that can ever touch you and you will find that strength if you look for it. If you do not know it is there, you will not look for it, depend on it and embrace it instead of turning away. You will want to be like the others you see as "stronger" because you see yourself as weaker. Turn your eyes to what is within you and remember the blessing God provided for you and use it for the good others need in moments of need.
Heal your spirit by seeing what you have been blessed with and know that God's wisdom put you where you are or were in life for the sake of others, not as a punishment against you but as a blessing for them. He has provided you with all you need to heal and help others heal. You can find it if you look for it and understand what was there all along. "Seek and ye shall find" Christ said, but if we look for answers in the wrong places with the wrong focus, we will get the wrong answers. Change your own focus of what is within you and find the right way to heal.
PTSD Not God's Judgment - watch more videos
Monday, July 27, 2009
Man who died saving girl was extremely ill young homeless man
Man who died saving girl was extremely ill
By BARBARA LaBOE, The Longview Daily News KELSO, Wash. (AP) - Allen Heck has been hailed a hero since running into the Cowlitz River last week to save a 9-year-old girl, losing his own life in the process. Unknown by most is that Heck was an extremely ill young homeless man with the simple goal of living to his 21st birthday.
The 20-year-old Longview man had drifted for about three years after diabetes barred him from the only job he ever wanted - serving in the Army. Directionless, he made some bad decisions, family and friends admit, and was living at the Community House shelter at the time of the drowning.
But despite frequent hospitalizations for diabetes and complications and the news he only had a few years to live, at best Heck kept trying to put his life back together, family and friends said. And his actions one week ago surprised no one who knew him.
read more here
http://www.komonews.com/news/local/51747952.html
By BARBARA LaBOE, The Longview Daily News KELSO, Wash. (AP) - Allen Heck has been hailed a hero since running into the Cowlitz River last week to save a 9-year-old girl, losing his own life in the process. Unknown by most is that Heck was an extremely ill young homeless man with the simple goal of living to his 21st birthday.
The 20-year-old Longview man had drifted for about three years after diabetes barred him from the only job he ever wanted - serving in the Army. Directionless, he made some bad decisions, family and friends admit, and was living at the Community House shelter at the time of the drowning.
But despite frequent hospitalizations for diabetes and complications and the news he only had a few years to live, at best Heck kept trying to put his life back together, family and friends said. And his actions one week ago surprised no one who knew him.
read more here
http://www.komonews.com/news/local/51747952.html
Army arrests local civilian after bizarre mixup
Army arrests local civilian after bizarre mixup
By Ray Lane
SEATTLE - A local man returning from a trip to Central America was dumbfounded when military officials had him arrested for being a deserter - even though he was never in the military.
"To one day just be arrested, and like - here you go, you're detained, and not have any idea why ..." says Chris Parks of Seattle, his voice trailing off.
For Parks, 27, the incredible headache began a few weeks ago as he and some friends were coming back to the United States after a trip to Mexico and Central America.
As he went through customs at the Charlotte airport in North Carolina, his name caught the attention of Homeland Security personnel.
Parks' name was flagged as being a deserter from the military.
"I've been in the Army for 10 years, and didn't even know it," he says. "Just seems kind of odd."
read more here
http://www.komonews.com/news/local/51747592.html
By Ray Lane
SEATTLE - A local man returning from a trip to Central America was dumbfounded when military officials had him arrested for being a deserter - even though he was never in the military.
"To one day just be arrested, and like - here you go, you're detained, and not have any idea why ..." says Chris Parks of Seattle, his voice trailing off.
For Parks, 27, the incredible headache began a few weeks ago as he and some friends were coming back to the United States after a trip to Mexico and Central America.
As he went through customs at the Charlotte airport in North Carolina, his name caught the attention of Homeland Security personnel.
Parks' name was flagged as being a deserter from the military.
"I've been in the Army for 10 years, and didn't even know it," he says. "Just seems kind of odd."
read more here
http://www.komonews.com/news/local/51747592.html
Baby boy dies in 3-story porch fall
Baby boy dies in 3-story porch fall
July 27, 2009 11:13 AM UPDATED STORY
The kick hit the woman in the back as she descended the stairs from the apartment where she was picking up her son, according to police.
Her 1-month-old son lay unsecured in a car seat she was carrying, and as she lost her balance, the baby tumbled out of the carrier, over a guard rail and to the ground, three stories below.
Chicago Police are still investigating the incident this morning in the East Chatham neighborhood that left Jeremiah Range dead.
read more here
Baby boy dies in 3-story porch fall
One moment out of the lives of the people involved and outcomes that cannot be taken back. A baby died, a mother lost a child and a father lost a child along with an entire neighborhood that will never be the same.
Vets affected by VA hospital errors to file claims
Vets affected by VA hospital errors to file claims
Monday, July 27, 2009 2:34:30 PM
CHATTANOOGA, Tenn.(AP)
An attorney is preparing to ask the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs to pay disability benefits and damages for hospital mistakes that may have exposed veterans to infectious body fluids _ a complaint that he said could ultimately multiply into many more such demands.
The attorney, Mike Sheppard of Nashville, said he is preparing to file claims with the VA for about 60 veterans, including three women.
Among them are veterans who have tested positive for HIV and hepatitis and others who suffered emotional distress after the VA provided them with initial positive blood tests for infections that turned out to be wrong.
Sheppard also said other veterans among the roughly 10,000 affected former patients at VA hospitals in Murfreesboro, Tenn., Miami and Augusta, Ga., are likely to seek compensation beyond the VA's offer of free medical care.
read more here
Vets affected by VA hospital errors to file claims
Monday, July 27, 2009 2:34:30 PM
CHATTANOOGA, Tenn.(AP)
An attorney is preparing to ask the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs to pay disability benefits and damages for hospital mistakes that may have exposed veterans to infectious body fluids _ a complaint that he said could ultimately multiply into many more such demands.
The attorney, Mike Sheppard of Nashville, said he is preparing to file claims with the VA for about 60 veterans, including three women.
Among them are veterans who have tested positive for HIV and hepatitis and others who suffered emotional distress after the VA provided them with initial positive blood tests for infections that turned out to be wrong.
Sheppard also said other veterans among the roughly 10,000 affected former patients at VA hospitals in Murfreesboro, Tenn., Miami and Augusta, Ga., are likely to seek compensation beyond the VA's offer of free medical care.
read more here
Vets affected by VA hospital errors to file claims
DOD: Non-combat death in Iraq under investigation
DoD Identifies Army Casualty
The Department of Defense announced today the death of a soldier who was supporting Operation Iraqi Freedom.
Spc. Herberth A. Berrios-Campos, 21, of Bealeton, Va., died July 24 in Salman Pak, Iraq, of injuries sustained from a non-combat related incident. He was assigned to the 1st Battalion 505th Parachute Infantry Regiment, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 82nd Airborne Division, Fort Bragg, N.C.
The circumstances surrounding the incident are under investigation.
http://icasualties.org/Iraq/index.aspx
UPDATE July 31, 2009
Soldier From Virginia Dies in Iraq
By Catherine Cheney
Washington Post Staff Writer
Friday, July 31, 2009; 12:24 PM
Spec. Herberth Berrios-Campos, 21, of Bealeton, Va., died last week in Salman Pak, Iraq, of "injuries sustained from a non-combat-related incident," the details of which are under investigation, according to the Defense Department.
Campos, a graduate of Liberty High School in Bealeton, was a paratrooper with the 82nd Airborne Division, based in Fort Bragg, N.C., and assigned to the 1st Battalion, 505th Parachute Infantry Regiment, 3rd Brigade Combat Team.
"Specialist Berrios-Campos was a fine paratrooper and a valued member to his platoon," said Lt. Col. Dave Bair, commander of the 1st Battalion. "We are grateful for his service to our unit and are proud of his service to the nation. His loss will be felt by many."
Capt. Joel Graves, Berrios-Campos's company commander, added that the soldier's "energetic youthfulness and humorous personality will be greatly missed by all that knew him."
read more here
Soldier From Virginia Dies in Iraq
KBR at fault in electrocutions of soldiers according to IG report
UPDATE to KBR
Claims against contractor dismissed in soldier's death
Story Highlights
Sgt. Christopher Everett died using a power washer at U.S. base in western Iraq
Judges in Texas, Florida drop military contractor KBR from family's lawsuits
KBR's electrical work in Iraq, Afghanistan has come under criticism from Congress
Pentagon report criticizes Houston-based contractor in death of another soldier
From Abbie Boudreau and Scott Bronstein
CNN Special Investigations Unit
(CNN) -- Judges in Texas and Florida have dropped military contractor KBR from lawsuits brought by the family of a soldier who was electrocuted in Iraq, the company announced Tuesday.
Sgt. Christopher Everett was electrocuted in 2005 at an American base outside Ramadi, in western Iraq.
Sgt. Christopher Everett died while using a power washer at an American base outside Ramadi, in western Iraq. His was one of nine electrocution deaths in Iraq blamed on "improper grounding or faulty equipment," according to a Pentagon inspector-general's report released Monday.
KBR was one of the contractors Everett's family has sued in connection with his death. But federal courts in Louisiana and Texas have thrown out the family's claims against the Houston, Texas-based company, KBR announced Tuesday.
"The dismissal orders affirm that despite repeated criticism and statements made by several public officials on Capitol Hill and related media reports, KBR had no involvement in the factors that led to the tragic death of Sergeant Everett," Andrew D. Farley, the company's senior vice president and general counsel, said in a written statement.
KBR's work in Iraq and Afghanistan has come under extensive criticism from members of Congress. The company has defended its performance and argued that it was not to blame for any fatalities.
read more of this here
Claims against contractor dismissed in soldiers death
Claims against contractor dismissed in soldier's death
Story Highlights
Sgt. Christopher Everett died using a power washer at U.S. base in western Iraq
Judges in Texas, Florida drop military contractor KBR from family's lawsuits
KBR's electrical work in Iraq, Afghanistan has come under criticism from Congress
Pentagon report criticizes Houston-based contractor in death of another soldier
From Abbie Boudreau and Scott Bronstein
CNN Special Investigations Unit
(CNN) -- Judges in Texas and Florida have dropped military contractor KBR from lawsuits brought by the family of a soldier who was electrocuted in Iraq, the company announced Tuesday.
Sgt. Christopher Everett was electrocuted in 2005 at an American base outside Ramadi, in western Iraq.
Sgt. Christopher Everett died while using a power washer at an American base outside Ramadi, in western Iraq. His was one of nine electrocution deaths in Iraq blamed on "improper grounding or faulty equipment," according to a Pentagon inspector-general's report released Monday.
KBR was one of the contractors Everett's family has sued in connection with his death. But federal courts in Louisiana and Texas have thrown out the family's claims against the Houston, Texas-based company, KBR announced Tuesday.
"The dismissal orders affirm that despite repeated criticism and statements made by several public officials on Capitol Hill and related media reports, KBR had no involvement in the factors that led to the tragic death of Sergeant Everett," Andrew D. Farley, the company's senior vice president and general counsel, said in a written statement.
KBR's work in Iraq and Afghanistan has come under extensive criticism from members of Congress. The company has defended its performance and argued that it was not to blame for any fatalities.
read more of this here
Claims against contractor dismissed in soldiers death
IG: Military, KBR at fault in electrocution
By Kimberly Hefling - The Associated Press
Posted : Monday Jul 27, 2009 13:28:10 EDT
WASHINGTON — The Defense Department’s Inspector General has determined that military leaders and a military contractor failed to protect a Green Beret who was electrocuted while showering in his barracks in Iraq.
The 2008 death of 24-year-old Staff Sgt. Ryan Maseth has triggered investigations into the other electrocution deaths of U.S. troops and the review by the Defense Department’s IG.
The inspector general says that “multiple systems and organizations” failed and exposed Maseth to “unacceptable risk.” That’s according to a summary of the IG’s findings obtained by The Associated Press.
It specifically spells out that KBR Inc. installed improperly grounded equipment that faulted and led to Maseth’s death.
http://www.armytimes.com/news/2009/07/ap_electrocutions_iraq_072709w/
Real Ex-POW's Veterans History Project Wants to Know Your Story
Ex-POWs battle against time to tell stories
By James Hannah - The Associated Press
Posted : Monday Jul 27, 2009 7:34:38 EDT
DAYTON, Ohio — Museums are seeing an increase in donations and oral histories from the swell of former U.S. prisoners of war eager to leave their legacies. But museum officials still worry that too many POWs approaching their late 80s and 90s will go to their graves without publicly telling their stories.
The National Prisoner of War Museum, in Andersonville, Ga., said it expects to have a 40 percent increase in artifacts, journals and other donations from former POWs this year compared to last year. Primarily, those contributions are coming from those who fought in World War II.
The number of U.S. POWs in World War II, about 130,000, dwarfs those from other wars. There were about 7,000 POWs in the Korean War, and about 725 in the Vietnam War. World War II ended more than 60 years ago, and the number of U.S. POWs is shrinking fast.
read more here
Ex-POWs battle against time to tell stories
By James Hannah - The Associated Press
Posted : Monday Jul 27, 2009 7:34:38 EDT
DAYTON, Ohio — Museums are seeing an increase in donations and oral histories from the swell of former U.S. prisoners of war eager to leave their legacies. But museum officials still worry that too many POWs approaching their late 80s and 90s will go to their graves without publicly telling their stories.
The National Prisoner of War Museum, in Andersonville, Ga., said it expects to have a 40 percent increase in artifacts, journals and other donations from former POWs this year compared to last year. Primarily, those contributions are coming from those who fought in World War II.
The number of U.S. POWs in World War II, about 130,000, dwarfs those from other wars. There were about 7,000 POWs in the Korean War, and about 725 in the Vietnam War. World War II ended more than 60 years ago, and the number of U.S. POWs is shrinking fast.
read more here
Ex-POWs battle against time to tell stories
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