Fort Carson Mental Health Crisis: 1,000 New Patients
Written by Staff Reports
Wednesday, 26 May 2010 13:55
Post-Deployment Needs of 4th Infantry Rise Sharply
May 24, 2010 (Army Times) - Nearly 1,000 soldiers from the 4th Infantry Division’s 4th Brigade Combat Team have been identified as needing special counseling when they get home from their yearlong tour in Afghanistan, Fort Carson officials said.
The impact will be so significant that the Warrior Transition Unit at Fort Carson, Colo., may have to expand - just to accommodate the 4-4th combat veterans.
It was a difficult deployment for the 4-4th, which suffered among the heaviest casualties since the start of the war. Thirtynine soldiers were killed and nearly 500 wounded during 12 months in Afghanistan. The now-infamous Combat Outpost Keating battle in October 2009 took eight 4-4th soldiers and left 24 wounded.
Given the rough deployment, medical professionals did one-onone screenings with every soldier in the brigade before they left the war zone. Based upon their answers - and input from commanders - soldiers were classified as red, green or amber, based upon officials’ concerns about their ability to transition back to society after such a difficult deployment.
The Enhanced Medical Exam of the 3,800 soldiers in the 4-4th rated 21 soldiers "red," 917 "amber" and the rest "green." "Red" soldiers are identified as needing immediate help; "amber" soldiers are considered to be susceptible to behavioral health problems, while "green" soldiers are those who seemed less scarred by the deployment. The designation determines what happens when they get home. "The red ones will be met at the ramp," said Maj. Gen. David G. Perkins, commander of the 4th Infantry Division. They will be met by licensed behavioral health providers - psychologists, psychiatrists and clinical social workers to determine if they need special immediate treatment.
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Fort Carson Mental Health Crisis: 1,000 New Patients
Thursday, June 3, 2010
Fort Carson Mental Health Crisis: 1,000 New Patients
I cannot emphasize this enough. None of what we're seeing today has to happen and the suffering does not have to get worse. As soon as they begin to get treatment, start to talk about what's happening inside of them, PTSD loses control over their lives. Most of what they are going through can be reversed, but as time goes by, it's harder to do that. While it is never too late, which has been proven by Vietnam veterans seeking help 30-40 years after they knew "something was wrong" they have shown they can heal if not be cured. For the parts of their lives they cannot heal, they learn ways to cope with what is left over. So who is giving them hope now instead just pills and push offs?
Private LaVena Johnson's family still waits for answers
Family of soldier who died in Iraq is still looking for answers
By Sandra Jordan of the St. Louis American
Wednesday, June 2, 2010 11:37 PM CDT
Memorial Day 2010 for John Johnson and his wife Linda Johnson was marked quietly at their Florissant home with a little barbeque shared with a few close family members and friends.
As he does most days, John Johnson thought about justice for his late daughter, Private LaVena Johnson, who was killed nearly five years ago on July 19, 2005 – just a little over a week before her 20th birthday.
She joined the U.S. Army after graduating from Hazelwood Central High School to save money to pay her way to college. She never made it back home from Balad, Iraq.
Her death was not the result of a roadside bomb or an exchange of enemy fire. The Army calls it a suicide. Her family and others working on the case call it rape and murder.
The last five years have been very hard on the entire family, which includes LaVena’s parents; her three older brothers, John, JayVince and Jermaine Johnson; and her sister, LaKesha.
read more here
Family of soldier who died in Iraq is still looking for answers
By Sandra Jordan of the St. Louis American
Wednesday, June 2, 2010 11:37 PM CDT
Memorial Day 2010 for John Johnson and his wife Linda Johnson was marked quietly at their Florissant home with a little barbeque shared with a few close family members and friends.
As he does most days, John Johnson thought about justice for his late daughter, Private LaVena Johnson, who was killed nearly five years ago on July 19, 2005 – just a little over a week before her 20th birthday.
She joined the U.S. Army after graduating from Hazelwood Central High School to save money to pay her way to college. She never made it back home from Balad, Iraq.
Her death was not the result of a roadside bomb or an exchange of enemy fire. The Army calls it a suicide. Her family and others working on the case call it rape and murder.
The last five years have been very hard on the entire family, which includes LaVena’s parents; her three older brothers, John, JayVince and Jermaine Johnson; and her sister, LaKesha.
read more here
Family of soldier who died in Iraq is still looking for answers
Sister wants honor for fallen brother
The sister said she's been fighting for years to convince American Legion Post 575 to add Andrew's name to the memorial, but they refuse because he was not killed in action.
Sister wants honor for fallen brother
Posted: June 3, 2010
By Adam D. Young
Brothers Andrew and Jose "Freddy" Velez may both have died in war zones, but how they've been honored couldn't be more different - a reality their sister hopes to change.
It was 2004 when Freddy, then a 23-year-old Army specialist, was shot in the back of the neck by enemy fire while protecting fellow soldiers as they retreated from an enemy stronghold in Fallujah, Iraq.
The Army awarded him with two Purple Hearts, a Bronze Star and Silver Star for his bravery and posthumously promoted him to corporal.
It's Andrew, who committed suicide as a 22-year-old Army specialist in Afghanistan, who's gone relatively forgotten. Despite being buried next to his brother, the Estacado High graduate has an unmarked tombstone and his name isn't inscribed in the memorial's African granite.
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Soldiers at risk of getting hooked on heroin
Soldiers at risk of getting hooked on heroin
By Michael Edwards
The revelation that an Australian soldier serving in Afghanistan may have overdosed on drugs comes as no surprise to addiction experts.
One even says a risk of sending soldiers to Afghanistan is that some of them are going to become heroin dependent.
A senior lawyer is set to conduct an official inquiry into how the experienced Australian commando suffered a suspected overdose nearly a week ago.
A bottle of pills and white powder were found in the soldier's room.
He was found unconscious and unresponsive in his room in Tarin Kowt in Uruzgan province last Friday and remains in a serious condition in a military hospital in Germany.
Australian soldiers already face random drug testing, but now there will be testing of the entire Special Operations Task Force in Afghanistan.
By Michael Edwards
The revelation that an Australian soldier serving in Afghanistan may have overdosed on drugs comes as no surprise to addiction experts.
One even says a risk of sending soldiers to Afghanistan is that some of them are going to become heroin dependent.
A senior lawyer is set to conduct an official inquiry into how the experienced Australian commando suffered a suspected overdose nearly a week ago.
A bottle of pills and white powder were found in the soldier's room.
He was found unconscious and unresponsive in his room in Tarin Kowt in Uruzgan province last Friday and remains in a serious condition in a military hospital in Germany.
Australian soldiers already face random drug testing, but now there will be testing of the entire Special Operations Task Force in Afghanistan.
"Life is unbearable," he said. "You don't know whether you're going to be alive in 10 minutes' time or not.
"Life has very few pleasures; you're very uncomfortable, it's either very hot or very cold, the food's pretty awful, the ever-present smell of death and you see some of your closest buddies die before your eyes.
"So life is really unbearable and heroin's cheap."
Afghanistan produces 93 per cent of the world's opium, the key ingredient of heroin.read more here
Wednesday, June 2, 2010
Korean War veteran talks about the forgotten war
Korean War veteran wishes for comfort of forgetting the "Forgotten War"
Reported By: Steve Nunez
TUCSON, AZ (KGUN - TV) - For one Tucson war veteran, who fought in two wars, Memorial Day also marks a day to look to the future and not so much to the deadly past. The memories of bloodshed remain constant for 77-year old Alex Romero.
Romero first fought in the Korean War in 1951. But today, he wishes for the comfort of forgetting. Romero said, "I don't want to remember what happened. I never want to remember what happened in those years. I do not want to remember names."
Nine On Your Side's Steve Nunez asked Romero, "How come?" Romero responded, "Because (paused) because they were the ones that made me what I am. I hope you understand that."
And similar to the "Forgotten War," Romero also fought in Vietnam. It's also a war many would like to forget. Romero compares these wars to the often forgotten contributions Mexican-American's, just like him, have made in fighting for our country.
Romero said, "Ohhh, i got an article like that (placing his thumb and index finger about an inch apart). Oh, this sargeant was wounded in Korea and Vietnam, that much (again placing his thumb and index finger about an inch apart) you know. There was no recognition.
read more here
http://www.kgun9.com/Global/story.asp?S=12571985
Reported By: Steve Nunez
TUCSON, AZ (KGUN - TV) - For one Tucson war veteran, who fought in two wars, Memorial Day also marks a day to look to the future and not so much to the deadly past. The memories of bloodshed remain constant for 77-year old Alex Romero.
Romero first fought in the Korean War in 1951. But today, he wishes for the comfort of forgetting. Romero said, "I don't want to remember what happened. I never want to remember what happened in those years. I do not want to remember names."
Nine On Your Side's Steve Nunez asked Romero, "How come?" Romero responded, "Because (paused) because they were the ones that made me what I am. I hope you understand that."
And similar to the "Forgotten War," Romero also fought in Vietnam. It's also a war many would like to forget. Romero compares these wars to the often forgotten contributions Mexican-American's, just like him, have made in fighting for our country.
Romero said, "Ohhh, i got an article like that (placing his thumb and index finger about an inch apart). Oh, this sargeant was wounded in Korea and Vietnam, that much (again placing his thumb and index finger about an inch apart) you know. There was no recognition.
read more here
http://www.kgun9.com/Global/story.asp?S=12571985
Wounded soldier gets 8 surgeries and bill for lost gear?
Oregon soldier shot - then billed
by Pat Dooris
kgw.com
Posted on June 1, 2010 at 5:50 PM
Updated today at 10:28 AM
The U.S. Army is demanding a 33-year-old former Oregon National Guard soldier shot in Iraq, turn in his gear or pay for it.
But Gary Pfleider said he has no idea where the gear is -- he was busy trying to survive.
Back on September 24, 2007, Pfleider sat on an open truck as it began a routine mission. Suddenly, a sniper's bullet hit his left thigh.
"I remember the sound of the bullet hitting my flesh, the smell of it, then me grabbing my grabbing my leg. After that I was out for about 16 hours," said Pfleider.
He was rushed to hospitals in Germany and eventually the U.S. Eight surgeries later, he is able to walk but wears a brace and uses a cane for balance.
Last May, the government sent him a letter demanding he either turn in items he believes were left behind in Iraq or pay more than $3,000.
read more here
Oregon soldier shot then billed
by Pat Dooris
kgw.com
Posted on June 1, 2010 at 5:50 PM
Updated today at 10:28 AM
The U.S. Army is demanding a 33-year-old former Oregon National Guard soldier shot in Iraq, turn in his gear or pay for it.
But Gary Pfleider said he has no idea where the gear is -- he was busy trying to survive.
Back on September 24, 2007, Pfleider sat on an open truck as it began a routine mission. Suddenly, a sniper's bullet hit his left thigh.
"I remember the sound of the bullet hitting my flesh, the smell of it, then me grabbing my grabbing my leg. After that I was out for about 16 hours," said Pfleider.
He was rushed to hospitals in Germany and eventually the U.S. Eight surgeries later, he is able to walk but wears a brace and uses a cane for balance.
Last May, the government sent him a letter demanding he either turn in items he believes were left behind in Iraq or pay more than $3,000.
read more here
Oregon soldier shot then billed
Vietnam veteran says marriage is casualty of war
Vietnam veteran says marriage is casualty of war
June 01, 2010 7:03 AM
Wendy Victora
Daily News
CRESTVIEW -- Freddie Cavett has lived alone for most of the past decade. You could say his marriage was a casualty of the Vietnam War.
He came back from a year-long stint there as a changed man – an angry man – according to his ex-wife Linda.
They stayed married more than 30 years, living apart for a time before finally divorcing in 2007. Freddie and Linda still see each other almost every day.
“It got to be where I could hardly stand to be around him when he was in his crazy places,” says Linda, a licensed mental health counselor whose clients include other veterans with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. “I wish I could have done better with that.”
On his dining room table, Freddie has piled photo albums and binders of all of the documents relating to his military career. He was active duty for 7 years and an active reservist for 20 more.
They are a roadmap for this man, who struggles to create any kind of a timeline of his life.
Linda, who remembers everything, fills in the blanks.
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Vietnam veteran says marriage is casualty of war
June 01, 2010 7:03 AM
Wendy Victora
Daily News
CRESTVIEW -- Freddie Cavett has lived alone for most of the past decade. You could say his marriage was a casualty of the Vietnam War.
He came back from a year-long stint there as a changed man – an angry man – according to his ex-wife Linda.
They stayed married more than 30 years, living apart for a time before finally divorcing in 2007. Freddie and Linda still see each other almost every day.
“It got to be where I could hardly stand to be around him when he was in his crazy places,” says Linda, a licensed mental health counselor whose clients include other veterans with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. “I wish I could have done better with that.”
On his dining room table, Freddie has piled photo albums and binders of all of the documents relating to his military career. He was active duty for 7 years and an active reservist for 20 more.
They are a roadmap for this man, who struggles to create any kind of a timeline of his life.
Linda, who remembers everything, fills in the blanks.
read more here
Vietnam veteran says marriage is casualty of war
4Troops: Live from the Intrepid
Wednesday, June 2 at 9:30 p.m.
4Troops: Live from the Intrepid
4Troops are a new pop vocal group made up of United States combat veterans who served on the front lines in Iraq and Afghanistan. Their new concert special, filmed aboard the USS Intrepid, features the group performing standards like “Amazing Grace,” pop hits like “You Raise Me Up” and new gems, including 4Troops’ own “For Freedom.”
4Troops: Live from the Intrepid
4Troops are a new pop vocal group made up of United States combat veterans who served on the front lines in Iraq and Afghanistan. Their new concert special, filmed aboard the USS Intrepid, features the group performing standards like “Amazing Grace,” pop hits like “You Raise Me Up” and new gems, including 4Troops’ own “For Freedom.”
Ceremony pays tribute to soldier, other military heroes
Sgt. Randy Haney, who was 27 when he was killed in September 2009 in Afghanistan. He is holding his son, Austin, and his daughter, Aubry. (COURTESY OF FAMILY / May 31, 2010)
Ceremony pays tribute to soldier, other military heroes
Staff Sgt. Randy Haney was killed in Afghanistan
By Susan Jacobson, Orlando Sentinel
10:26 p.m. EDT, May 31, 2010
For many people, Memorial Day was a day off to relax, shop or have a family barbecue.
For friends and relatives of Staff Sgt. Randy Haney, it was a time to remember the fallen hero who left behind a wife and two young children when he was killed in Afghanistan last September.
On Monday morning, about 100 friends, family and community members attended a rededication of Orange County's War Memorial at the courthouse, where Haney was honored. It was among more than a dozen in Central Florida during the weekend that honored those who gave their lives in military service.
Haney's father-in-law, Andrew Alexopoulos of Fort Lauderdale, attended the downtown Orlando ceremony.
"He gave the ultimate sacrifice — his life — for his family and his country," Alexopoulos said.
Haney was 27, a military police officer and on his third tour of duty in the Middle East when his convoy was attacked by guns and rocket-propelled grenades in Nangarhar Province. He was inspired to join the Army when he visited Ground Zero three months after the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks, Alexopoulos said.
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Ceremony pays tribute to soldier
Tuesday, June 1, 2010
Troops in Afghanistan, Iraq mark Memorial Day
Troops in Afghanistan, Iraq mark Memorial Day
By Heidi Vogt - The Associated Press
Posted : Tuesday Jun 1, 2010 11:24:14 EDT
BAGRAM AIR FIELD, Afghanistan — U.S. forces serving in Afghanistan and Iraq remembered friends and colleagues Monday in solemn Memorial Day ceremonies to commemorate all of their nation’s war dead.
As some soldiers paused, violence raged on in both places.
In Afghanistan, U.S.-led NATO forces launched airstrikes against Taliban insurgents who had forced government forces to abandon a district in Nuristan, a remote province on the Pakistan border. NATO also said it killed one of the Taliban’s top two commanders in the insurgent stronghold of Kandahar in a separate airstrike.
At the sprawling Bagram Air Field, the largest U.S. military base in Afghanistan, about 400 soldiers in camouflage uniforms and brown combat boots stood at attention for a moment’s silence as Gen. Stanley McChrystal, the commander of some 94,000 U.S. troops in the country, led the ceremony.
A bugler played taps and a color guard displayed the U.S. flag and the flags of units serving in eastern Afghanistan where the base is located, about 30 miles north of Kabul.
A steel construction beam from the World Trade Center destroyed in the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks was unveiled, with the inscription “WTC 9 11 01”. The beam was donated by citizens’ group the Sons and Daughters of America of Breezy Point, a suburb in Queens, New York, where 29 victims of the Sept. 11 attacks lived, according to a letter read out at the ceremony.
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Troops in Afghanistan, Iraq mark Memorial Day
By Heidi Vogt - The Associated Press
Posted : Tuesday Jun 1, 2010 11:24:14 EDT
BAGRAM AIR FIELD, Afghanistan — U.S. forces serving in Afghanistan and Iraq remembered friends and colleagues Monday in solemn Memorial Day ceremonies to commemorate all of their nation’s war dead.
As some soldiers paused, violence raged on in both places.
In Afghanistan, U.S.-led NATO forces launched airstrikes against Taliban insurgents who had forced government forces to abandon a district in Nuristan, a remote province on the Pakistan border. NATO also said it killed one of the Taliban’s top two commanders in the insurgent stronghold of Kandahar in a separate airstrike.
At the sprawling Bagram Air Field, the largest U.S. military base in Afghanistan, about 400 soldiers in camouflage uniforms and brown combat boots stood at attention for a moment’s silence as Gen. Stanley McChrystal, the commander of some 94,000 U.S. troops in the country, led the ceremony.
A bugler played taps and a color guard displayed the U.S. flag and the flags of units serving in eastern Afghanistan where the base is located, about 30 miles north of Kabul.
A steel construction beam from the World Trade Center destroyed in the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks was unveiled, with the inscription “WTC 9 11 01”. The beam was donated by citizens’ group the Sons and Daughters of America of Breezy Point, a suburb in Queens, New York, where 29 victims of the Sept. 11 attacks lived, according to a letter read out at the ceremony.
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Troops in Afghanistan, Iraq mark Memorial Day
Did you honor or enjoy Memorial Day weekend?
Did you honor or enjoy Memorial Day weekend?
by
Chaplain Kathie
Many good friends talked about what they did this weekend. BBQ food, lots of beer, pool parties and having fun. Not many of them really remembered what Memorial Day weekend is for. This is not unusual considering how few have anyone in their families serving today or have served at one time or another. Forgetting what Memorial Day is for used to get me angry but now, I actually feel sorry for them, for what they are missing out on and for the kind of people they will never know. I don't have the ability to ignore Memorial day and I wouldn't trade with them for a second.
Friday I flew into Washington, took a cab to Walter Reed so that I could have a tour and meet some of our wounded. As tired as I was, thinking my legs would never carry me room to room, one after another rejuvenated me with how inspirational they all are. Young men and women healing from wounds and trying to learn to do things all over again at the same time they worry about their brothers and sisters still deployed and not regretting a second of their service.
When I arrived at the hotel, there were the Nam Knight patches everywhere.
One of them became a Prospect Saturday before the ride.
Hundreds of Nam Knights and their wives headed off to the Wall Saturday morning. The local police did a fantastic job making sure the roads were safe for us and no one tried to cut off the huge pack.
We met at the Wall for a ceremony and prayer, heard taps played and everyone walking near us stopped, took off their hats and waited in silence.
From the Wall we went to the Law Enforcement Memorial for another service. The some of the members went to Maryland while some of us from Orlando went to revisit the Wall. We wanted to be able to get a couple of etchings after all these years. Last year we didn't get close to the Wall but this year, we were finally able to touch it. Standing there everything else in our lives left our minds. All the problems, all the things we have to be concerned about vanished and all we could think about were the lives lost. We went to the statue of the three "grunts" but it was enclosed in a box for renovation. We went to the memorial for the women, also called the Nurses monument.
From there we went to the Lincoln Memorial, the Korean Memorial and to the WWII Memorial.
Back at the hotel there was time to relax and party. Most of them needed to break the emotional time of the day and they cut loose. Everyone was welcomed to join in and there was dancing in the street, laughing, hugging and just enjoying the company of this extended family.
Sunday came and my husband headed off to Massachusetts giving me time to sit and talk with hotel guests. I had a late flight back home and was not going on the Rolling Thunder Ride without him. There was a couple sitting near me and we began to talk. They are the parents of the Marine who stands saluting the Rolling Thunder parade/pilgrimage.
Staff Sgt. Tim Chambers has been doing this for eight years. His parents told me that he was recovering from having pneumonia just two weeks ago. Today I found out that on Saturday, he traveled to Maryland for the BBQ with the Knights and then even sang a song, reportedly, doing a great job. His parents told me that Tim saves his leave every year. He came from Camp Pendleton to make sure he was there, as he puts it, to honor those who sacrificed for him. Amazing! One generation thanking the other and then being thanked in return.
The Commander of Camp Pendleton must understand how much this means especially to Vietnam veterans. After they were pushed away from everyone, everywhere, to have this kind of tribute means a great deal. The Vietnam veterans came home, treated badly, to say the least, but were determined to make sure no generation of veterans would ever, ever leave another generation behind. Tim understands this and they mean a great deal to him.
The Rolling Thunder Story
In the fall of 1987, in a little diner, in Somerville, New Jersey, two Vietnam veterans met to discuss their personal concerns about the prisoners of war (POW) and missing in action (MIA) from the Vietnam War. Having honorably served their country, and having taken an oath to "support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies..." and to "bear true faith and allegiance to same," they were deeply troubled by the abhorrent neglect of attention given to those who did not make it out with their lives or their freedom. These two veterans discussed the more than 10,000 reported sightings of live Americans living in dismal captivity. Intelligence reports of these sightings were generally ignored by the government and mainstream press. Artie Muller and Ray Manzo were these two veterans.
One more reason why Staff Sgt. Chambers salute means so much to Rolling Thunder as well as the Nam Knights.
There were many stories about tough, leather wearing bikes being brought to tears just seeing him standing there with his salute to them. One young girl who just lost her Dad went over to him with tears in her eyes and told Tim how her Dad died. He pointed to the flowers at his feet and told her they were for her Dad and all the others who died. He talked to her until she was able to smile again. Over the years, there were many stories of how emotionally healing it is for these veterans to see Tim. This year I heard there was a Soldier standing there as well. A wonderful tribute on this very solemn day.
I got back home on Sunday night and then Monday morning headed out to another Memorial service at Glen Haven Memorial Park in Winter Park FL.
Chaplain of the Florida National Guards, Maj. Anthony Clark gave the invocation and then really came the need for tears. Bud Hedinger of 540WFLA introduced the story of Staff Stg. Robert James Miller nominated for the Medal of Honor.
Army Staff Sgt. Robert J. Miller
Died January 25, 2008 serving during Operation Enduring Freedom
24, of Oviedo, Fla.; assigned to the 3rd Battalion, 3rd Special Forces Group (Airborne), Fort Bragg, N.C.; died Jan. 25 in Barikowt, Afghanistan, of wounds sustained when he encountered small-arms fire while conducting combat operations.
Former University of Iowa student killed in Afghanistan
The Associated Press
IOWA CITY, Iowa — A former University of Iowa student was killed during combat operations in Afghanistan, the Department of Defense announced on Saturday.
Army Staff Sgt. Robert J. Miller died in Barikowt, Afghanistan. He suffered wounds during small-arms fire, according to the Department of Defense press release.
Robert Miller’s mother, Maureen Miller, of Oviedo, Fla., told The Gazette of Cedar Rapids that her son had attended the University of Iowa for one year before leaving school to enlist in the Army Special Forces.
She declined further comment, the newspaper reported. A phone message from The Associated Press was not immediately returned.
Miller worked in Special Forces as a weapons sergeant. He was assigned to Company A, 3rd Battalion, 3rd Special Forces Group Airborne, which was based in from Fort Bragg, N.C.
According to the Department of Defense, he was deployed to Afghanistan in 2006 and awarded with the Army Commendation Medal with Valor for courage in the face of the enemy.
He was awarded eight other medals while in service, including the Army Good Conduct Medal, two Noncommissioned Officer Professional Development ribbons, the Ranger Tab and Special Forces Tab.
During his deployment in Afghanistan, Miller earned a promotion to staff sergeant.
Miller was born Oct. 14, 1983 in Harrisburg, Pa. He enlisted in the Army as a special forces candidate on August 2003, and became a Green Beret in 2005.
Miller is survived by his parents, Philip and Maureen Miller; brothers Thomas, Martin and Edward; and sisters Joanna, Mary, Therese and Patricia, all of Oviedo, Fla.
Fallen Green Beret gets battlefield salute
Staff report
Staff Sgt. Robert J. Miller, who was killed in action Friday in Afghanistan, was honored by hundreds of soldiers, sailors, airmen and Marines who lined the tarmac and roadway at Bagram Airfield on Sunday to pay their last respects.
Miller was a member of A Company, 3rd Battalion, 3rd Special Forces Group (Airborne).
According to a press release from U.S. Army Special Operations Command, he was killed by Taliban fighters as he protected his fellow Operational Detachment Alpha soldiers during combat operations near the Pakistan border.
The firefight took place near the village of Barikowt in the Nari district in Afghanistan’s Konar province during a security patrol with Afghan border police in the Chenar Khar Valley, the release said.
On Sunday, Miller’s flag-draped casket was carried in a tactical vehicle to a waiting Air Force C-17 cargo aircraft, and as the vehicle passed the line of his uniformed comrades, each stood at attention and saluted him for the last time.
Soldiers from Special Operations Task Force 33 formed a cordon leading to the ramp as his brothers in arms serving as pallbearers escorted Miller’s remains into the aircraft’s empty cargo area, the release said.
“He was always quick to volunteer and never thought it should be any other way. On numerous occasions when the Detachment was faced with a difficult task, Robby would just stand up and say, ‘I got this one, I’ll do it, send me,’” Capt. John Bishop of Special Operations Task Force 33 and Miller’s former detachment commander, said at the ceremony.
The release stated that on Jan. 25 Miller was leading a team of Afghan security forces and other coalition soldiers during a combat reconnaissance patrol in Konar Province, near the Pakistan border when insurgents hiding in a structure attacked Miller’s team.
A fellow teammate called for close-air support to drop ordnance on the insurgent position, which momentarily disrupted the attack. But when the combined patrol moved toward the structure to check for any remaining enemy threats, the insurgents again fired using heavy weapons.
Miller’s team captain was seriously wounded within the first minutes of the attack, and while he was being moved to safety, Miller returned fire, remaining at the front of the patrol to lay down suppressive fire on several enemy positions.
Even while injured by direct enemy small arms and machine gun fire, Miller continued to fire his M249 Squad Automatic Weapon and grenades to suppress enemy fire and protect his teammates, who gained cover and also returned fire.
Miller, who was one of eight brothers and sisters, enlisted as a Special Forces trainee on Aug. 14, 2003, according to the release.
He graduated from the Special Forces Qualification Course on Sept. 26, 2004, and the Special Forces Weapons Sergeant Course Mar. 4, 2005.
During his last deployment to Afghanistan from August 2006 to March 2007, Miller received two Army Commendation Medals for Valor for his courage under fire, the Army release said.
Miller returned to Afghanistan for his second tour in October 2007, where he served as a weapons sergeant for his team.
There were so many reminders of people doing extraordinary things and the others going off to enjoy themselves instead of knowing what and who this day is for, will never know what they were missing. If they think they have problems, they will never know what it is like to see them fade away in front of the Vietnam Memorial Wall. If they think they are tied or sore, they will never know what it's like to shake the hand of a young soldier in a hospital bed recovering at the same time he says he wants to go back or hear a young female MP missing a leg to say how lucky she feels to be alive. They will spend their days thinking of their own lives, their own problems and never once know what it's like to stand near a hero who was unselfish and risked their lives for all the other things we get to enjoy. Like a day to honor the fallen who gave all.
Maybe it will dawn on them as July 4th comes why we get to celebrate that day as well, but I doubt it.
Orlando VA plans to build a memorial
A 3D model of the new Orlando VA Medical Center at Lake Nona. A local veterans group will announce a fund-raising campaign to create a Central Florida Veterans Memorial Park adjacent to the new VA hospital. (CENTRAL FLORIDA VETERANS MEMORIAL, Orlando Sentinel / September 8, 2009)
As VA med center design revealed, veterans plan memorial park
A sneak peek today at the design of the $665 million Orlando VA Medical Center at the emerging "medical city" at Lake Nona will also include a major announcement just in time for Memorial Day: a plan to build an adjacent park honoring Central Florida's fallen veterans.
During the unveiling this morning at Orlando City Hall of a 3-D model of the 65-acre Veterans Affairs medical campus, a local veterans group will announce a fundraising campaign to create a memorial park for the approximately 1,100 Central Florida service members who have made the ultimate sacrifice for their country.
The group hopes to raise $4.5 million — half of which will be used to construct the 4-acre park and the other half for maintenance and upkeep.
"This park will serve as a reminder to other veterans and the general public that this country is not free by accident," said Lt. Col. Earle L. Denton, a decorated veteran of the Korean and Vietnam wars and a vice president of the Central Florida Veterans Memorial Park Foundation. "Everybody today needs to know what's happened in the past in order to enjoy the freedoms they have today."
read more here
As VA med center design revealed
Marine honors the fallen
Local Marine honors the fallen
By Shaun Bishop
Daily News Staff Writer
The gold-colored rubber bracelet on Lance Cpl. Donnie Salas' right wrist serves as a remembrance for his friend, Eric Ward.
In bold red letters, the bracelet bears the name of Ward, who served with Salas in the 2nd Battalion, 2nd Marines Regiment in southern Afghanistan.
Ward, a 19-year-old lance corporal from Redmond, Wash., was killed by an improvised explosive device, or IED, in February. "Always in our hearts," the bracelet reads.
On Monday — two days after Salas returned to the Bay Area from a seven-month deployment in Afghanistan — he sat in the living room of his East Palo Alto home, reflecting on the need to remember the fallen.
Salas, 19, plans to get a tattoo this week memorializing Ward and another friend — Jacob Ross, 19, of Gillette, Wyo., a member of the same battalion who was shot and killed in March.
"Now (Memorial Day) has way deeper meaning to me, because now I'm considered a 'vet ' — and it's to honor the fallen," said Salas, humble and stoic but occasionally flashing a smile during an hourlong interview. "I figure we should honor them."
Salas' return home Saturday morning came after an intense tour of duty in Helmand Province, a Taliban stronghold on the border of Pakistan. Before touching down in the Bay Area, he received two weeks of training for post-traumatic stress disorder at Camp Lejeune Marine Corps base in North Carolina.
read more here
Local Marine honors the fallen
By Shaun Bishop
Daily News Staff Writer
The gold-colored rubber bracelet on Lance Cpl. Donnie Salas' right wrist serves as a remembrance for his friend, Eric Ward.
In bold red letters, the bracelet bears the name of Ward, who served with Salas in the 2nd Battalion, 2nd Marines Regiment in southern Afghanistan.
Ward, a 19-year-old lance corporal from Redmond, Wash., was killed by an improvised explosive device, or IED, in February. "Always in our hearts," the bracelet reads.
On Monday — two days after Salas returned to the Bay Area from a seven-month deployment in Afghanistan — he sat in the living room of his East Palo Alto home, reflecting on the need to remember the fallen.
Salas, 19, plans to get a tattoo this week memorializing Ward and another friend — Jacob Ross, 19, of Gillette, Wyo., a member of the same battalion who was shot and killed in March.
"Now (Memorial Day) has way deeper meaning to me, because now I'm considered a 'vet ' — and it's to honor the fallen," said Salas, humble and stoic but occasionally flashing a smile during an hourlong interview. "I figure we should honor them."
Salas' return home Saturday morning came after an intense tour of duty in Helmand Province, a Taliban stronghold on the border of Pakistan. Before touching down in the Bay Area, he received two weeks of training for post-traumatic stress disorder at Camp Lejeune Marine Corps base in North Carolina.
read more here
Local Marine honors the fallen
Monday, May 31, 2010
On Memorial Day, U.S. soldiers in Iraq contemplate 'forgotten war'
On Memorial Day, U.S. soldiers in Iraq contemplate 'forgotten war'
By Leila Fadel
Washington Post Staff Writer
Monday, May 31, 2010; 4:40 PM
BAGHDAD -- Inside the ornate palace of the late dictator Saddam Hussein, now the main headquarters of U.S. forces in Iraq, dozens of U.S. service members bowed their heads in prayer at a Memorial Day commemoration.
They thought about their families waiting for them to come home. They thought about the fallen comrades lost in the past seven years of occupation and war. They thought about what would come next.
At the end of 2011, the last U.S. service member is supposed to leave Iraq. Sometimes, the service members wonder whether people at home remember that despite the drop in violence, Americans and Iraqis still die here. About 92,000 U.S. troops are in Iraq; about 4,400 have been killed. Tens of thousands, if not hundreds of thousands, of Iraqis have also been killed.
"We've become the forgotten war, like Korea," said Maj. Scott Stewart, an anti-terrorism U.S. Air Force officer with the United States Forces-Iraq.
read more here
US soldiers in Iraq contemplate forgotten war
By Leila Fadel
Washington Post Staff Writer
Monday, May 31, 2010; 4:40 PM
BAGHDAD -- Inside the ornate palace of the late dictator Saddam Hussein, now the main headquarters of U.S. forces in Iraq, dozens of U.S. service members bowed their heads in prayer at a Memorial Day commemoration.
They thought about their families waiting for them to come home. They thought about the fallen comrades lost in the past seven years of occupation and war. They thought about what would come next.
At the end of 2011, the last U.S. service member is supposed to leave Iraq. Sometimes, the service members wonder whether people at home remember that despite the drop in violence, Americans and Iraqis still die here. About 92,000 U.S. troops are in Iraq; about 4,400 have been killed. Tens of thousands, if not hundreds of thousands, of Iraqis have also been killed.
"We've become the forgotten war, like Korea," said Maj. Scott Stewart, an anti-terrorism U.S. Air Force officer with the United States Forces-Iraq.
read more here
US soldiers in Iraq contemplate forgotten war
Camp Pendleton Marine Honors Vietnam Veterans
For the last eight years, he's been seen by hundreds of thousands of veterans as he stands there saluting the reason they all came. Sacrifice! People from around the country descend on Washington DC every year. Hundreds from the Nam Knights (Vietnam veterans, police officers, firefighters and other veterans including Iraq and Afghanistan) and hundreds of thousands from Rolling Thunder, all on motorcycles, and you can hear their engines coming from far away. All of these people pass by him but few even know his name.Staff Sgt. Tim Chambers, from Camp Pendleton, travels across the country to be there every year in full uniform because he says, "It is a reminder of their sacrifice for me." This year, I had a conversation with his parents Randy and Diane Hoge. Staff Sgt. Chambers was recovering from pneumonia he had two weeks ago. He was still just as determined to stand there saluting until the last bike went by. These pictures are from some of the years he's been there to honor our Vietnam Veterans.
The Nam Knights had their ride on Saturday but most of the members also joined Rolling Thunder on Sunday. They pulled out of the hotel at 9:00, due to pull out of the Pentagon Parking lot at 12:00. By all accounts when the bikes started to roll back into the hotel area it was 5:00 and there were still bikes passing through. Hundreds of thousands of veterans being touched by this act of honor by this honorable Marine just wanting to show his appreciation.
One generation honoring Vietnam veterans for their service as Staff Sgt. Chambers' heart is tugged every year. Standing there like the passing of a torch, saluting for four hours or more, in the heat and while many Vietnam veterans wipe tears from their eyes as they see him, they know they are remembered by other generations.
This is so important to them to see this Marine greeting them as they make their way to the Wall. Preparing their hearts for the magnitude of the emotional rush of seeing the names of people they knew engraved on the massive Wall, sadness replaces the joy of riding with their brothers. They remember the cost, they remember the fallen and they also remember how they were treated when they returned back to these states.
I don't know if any has thanked the commanders of Camp Pendleton for sending him or not, but they should be very proud of the impact they have had of Vietnam veterans as well as the newer generation. Many of the Vietnam veterans have sons and daughters serving right now. I know this is true for the Vietnam veterans in the Nam Knights. Some of the veterans of Iraq and Afghanistan were riding in both groups on Saturday and Sunday. I also know this is true with members of Rolling Thunder.
There are so few combat veterans in this nation considering the size of the population. So few understanding what the price of our freedom really is and even less being reminded of the men and women who laid down their lives for it. The reminders of service engraved in the hearts and memories just as surly as the names are engraved on the Wall, connected by this act of appreciation and honor from this Marine from Camp Pendleton. The service trumps generations connecting them in a bond few others can understand.
When we honor the fallen on Memorial Day, we do not honor just one generation, but all of them and this example of dedication stands as a testament this is a family. They grieve for a "brother" and they grieve for a "sister" just as they would grieve for a blood relative. Staff Sgt. Chambers is connecting like a son because he is the son of a Vietnam veteran.
Friday, May 28, 2010
A hero soldier's life should be worth more than 111 words
A hero soldier's life should be worth more than 111 words
by
Chaplain Kathie
111 words to go with a headline "Hero Miami Soldier" and one of those words was a typo. How do you sum up the death of a soldier called hero in 7 lines of a news report? How do you do it without even checking the typing?
This is one of the biggest problems in this country right now. AP stated today that there have been 1,000 deaths in Afghanistan. The problem is, according to ICasualties.org, that number was reached well before today.
I am well aware of how easy it is to make typing mistakes, since I do it all the time. No matter how important a subject is to me, sooner or later I blow it with what I end up typing. This can be forgive on this article, if you can call it that, but the rest is very troubling. Not just from this reporter but from almost all reporters attempting to cover the fallen, the wounded and the suffering as well as the heroic stories we never seem to be hearing about.
I've heard it said that the rest of the American people want to honor the troops but they have a hard time understanding them. After all, when you think about how focused we are on our own problems and the stories that manage to become headline news, it is easy to just turn on American Idol or Desperate Housewives to get our minds off the problems. Yet when you actually look at the people we consider worthy of our attention, we really don't understand them either.
Celebrities, rich, famous, beautiful and most talented but do we really know what it is like to be one of them? Traveling around the world, eating exotic foods, having people take care of them all the time? Do any of us really know what that's like? No but we seem to want to read everything about their lives, especially their sex lives. We want to see pictures of what they are wearing and where they are traveling to. We want to read about their exploits and share their heartaches. We pay attention to them.
Sport figures, we watch their every move. We pay attention to what they are doing and what they are achieving for their team. We want to know about their personal lives but none of us will ever know what it is like to be one of them.
Politicians get our attention when they are running for office or do not do what we want them to do when they get in. Even though they are responsible for the direction this country will go in, we are more interested in their personal lives, especially their sex lives.
Our sense of values is messed up and we follow where the reporters lead instead of trying to get them to report on what matters to us. Amazing when you think that the above minorities the rest of us pay attention to are held up above us when real heroes risking their lives everyday end up being a news report of 111 words and an old figure reached that AP decided to release today, the kick off to Memorial Day weekend.
This will be the last post until Sunday. I am heading into Washington DC for the ride to The Wall and visit a few friends. I'll post about the trip when I get back.
Try to remember what this weekend is supposed to be about if you have other plans.
by
Chaplain Kathie
111 words to go with a headline "Hero Miami Soldier" and one of those words was a typo. How do you sum up the death of a soldier called hero in 7 lines of a news report? How do you do it without even checking the typing?
Hero Miami Soldier Killed in Combat in Iraq
Army tanker to be awarded Purple Heart and Bronze Star
By BRIAN HAMACHER
A hero soldier from Miami has died in a firefight in Iraq, according to the Department of Defense.
Staff Sgt. Amilcar H. Gonzalez, 26, died in Ash Shura when insurgents attacked his unit with small arms fire on May 21.Gonzalez was was assigned to,,,,,,,,
read the rest of these few words here
This is one of the biggest problems in this country right now. AP stated today that there have been 1,000 deaths in Afghanistan. The problem is, according to ICasualties.org, that number was reached well before today.
2001 12
2002 49
2003 48
2004 52
2005 99
2006 98
2007 117
2008 155
2009 316
2010 140
Total 1,086
http://icasualties.org/OEF/index.aspx
I am well aware of how easy it is to make typing mistakes, since I do it all the time. No matter how important a subject is to me, sooner or later I blow it with what I end up typing. This can be forgive on this article, if you can call it that, but the rest is very troubling. Not just from this reporter but from almost all reporters attempting to cover the fallen, the wounded and the suffering as well as the heroic stories we never seem to be hearing about.
I've heard it said that the rest of the American people want to honor the troops but they have a hard time understanding them. After all, when you think about how focused we are on our own problems and the stories that manage to become headline news, it is easy to just turn on American Idol or Desperate Housewives to get our minds off the problems. Yet when you actually look at the people we consider worthy of our attention, we really don't understand them either.
Celebrities, rich, famous, beautiful and most talented but do we really know what it is like to be one of them? Traveling around the world, eating exotic foods, having people take care of them all the time? Do any of us really know what that's like? No but we seem to want to read everything about their lives, especially their sex lives. We want to see pictures of what they are wearing and where they are traveling to. We want to read about their exploits and share their heartaches. We pay attention to them.
Sport figures, we watch their every move. We pay attention to what they are doing and what they are achieving for their team. We want to know about their personal lives but none of us will ever know what it is like to be one of them.
Politicians get our attention when they are running for office or do not do what we want them to do when they get in. Even though they are responsible for the direction this country will go in, we are more interested in their personal lives, especially their sex lives.
Our sense of values is messed up and we follow where the reporters lead instead of trying to get them to report on what matters to us. Amazing when you think that the above minorities the rest of us pay attention to are held up above us when real heroes risking their lives everyday end up being a news report of 111 words and an old figure reached that AP decided to release today, the kick off to Memorial Day weekend.
This will be the last post until Sunday. I am heading into Washington DC for the ride to The Wall and visit a few friends. I'll post about the trip when I get back.
Try to remember what this weekend is supposed to be about if you have other plans.
US soldier beaten after reporting crimes
US soldier beaten after reporting crimes: officials
(AFP)
WASHINGTON — A US soldier who blew the whistle on his comrades over possible drug use and the deaths of three civilians in southern Afghanistan suffered a severe beating in retaliation, officials said Tuesday.
The soldier was beaten after telling authorities about illicit drugs and then, while recovering in hospital, recounted his comrades' alleged role in the deaths of three Afghan civilians, said two officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity.
The soldier was "beaten within an inch of his life," one of the officials told AFP.
US Army authorities last week said they were investigating the "unlawful" deaths of three Afghans as well as allegations of illegal drug use, assault and conspiracy.
Defense officials said the investigation focuses on at least 10 members from the 2nd Infantry Division's Fifth Stryker Brigade, which deployed to Kandahar province in the summer of 2009 and initially suffered heavy casualties, officials said.
go here for more
US soldier beaten after reporting crimes
(AFP)
WASHINGTON — A US soldier who blew the whistle on his comrades over possible drug use and the deaths of three civilians in southern Afghanistan suffered a severe beating in retaliation, officials said Tuesday.
The soldier was beaten after telling authorities about illicit drugs and then, while recovering in hospital, recounted his comrades' alleged role in the deaths of three Afghan civilians, said two officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity.
The soldier was "beaten within an inch of his life," one of the officials told AFP.
US Army authorities last week said they were investigating the "unlawful" deaths of three Afghans as well as allegations of illegal drug use, assault and conspiracy.
Defense officials said the investigation focuses on at least 10 members from the 2nd Infantry Division's Fifth Stryker Brigade, which deployed to Kandahar province in the summer of 2009 and initially suffered heavy casualties, officials said.
go here for more
US soldier beaten after reporting crimes
Thursday, May 27, 2010
Pat Tillman elected to College Football Hall of Fame
The Associated Press
Pat Tillman was killed in Afghanistan on April 22, 2004.
Pat Tillman elected to College Football HoF
Ralph D. Russo - The Associated Press
Posted : Thursday May 27, 2010 15:33:52 EDT
NEW YORK — The late Pat Tillman and Heisman Trophy winner Desmond Howard are among the 14 newly elected members of the College Football Hall of Fame.
The National Football Foundation and College Hall of Fame announced its latest class Thursday at a news conference at the Nasdaq Stock Exchange.
Tillman played linebacker for Arizona State from 1994-97 and gave up an NFL career to enlist in the Army in 2002. He was killed while serving in Afghanistan in 2004.
Howard was a wide receiver for Michigan and won the Heisman 1991. He said his mother received the notification of his election to the Hall of Fame and called to let him know.
“She said, ‘Baby, you did it again,’” Howard said. “I just knew it was something special. Just to hear those words and the way she said them let me know that it was something she was very proud of.”
read more here
http://www.armytimes.com/news/2010/05/ap_pat_tillman_hof_052710/
11,000 National Guardsmen have been sent to clean BP's mess
Watch Our New Ad
Oil Spill
For weeks now, we've watched oil gush into the Gulf of Mexico. But, did you know that over 11,000 National Guardsmen have been sent to clean it up? 11,000 men and women that signed up to protect America, not clean up an oil company's mess. Well, we've got a $1.5 million ad campaign making that point, and making clear that only by clean energy reform can we get off this addiction to oil that has us drilling so much, and so close to the shoreline.
The new ad features a veteran of the Louisiana National Guard, who served in the clean up effort. In the ad, he says, "When I signed on with the National Guard, I did it to help protect America from our enemies... Not to clean up an oil company's mess here in the Gulf of Mexico... But America needs a new mission. Because whether it's deep-drilling oil out here, or spending a billion dollars a day on oil from our enemies overseas, our dependence on oil is threatening our national security."
By passing a clean energy plan, we can cut our foreign oil dependence in half, invest billions in new energy technologies, and set up new rules that govern off-shore drilling. That's a fight worth taking on.
Oil Spill
For weeks now, we've watched oil gush into the Gulf of Mexico. But, did you know that over 11,000 National Guardsmen have been sent to clean it up? 11,000 men and women that signed up to protect America, not clean up an oil company's mess. Well, we've got a $1.5 million ad campaign making that point, and making clear that only by clean energy reform can we get off this addiction to oil that has us drilling so much, and so close to the shoreline.
The new ad features a veteran of the Louisiana National Guard, who served in the clean up effort. In the ad, he says, "When I signed on with the National Guard, I did it to help protect America from our enemies... Not to clean up an oil company's mess here in the Gulf of Mexico... But America needs a new mission. Because whether it's deep-drilling oil out here, or spending a billion dollars a day on oil from our enemies overseas, our dependence on oil is threatening our national security."
By passing a clean energy plan, we can cut our foreign oil dependence in half, invest billions in new energy technologies, and set up new rules that govern off-shore drilling. That's a fight worth taking on.
PTSD on trial: When they can't just use it
PTSD is not the new "get out of jail free card" and this is an example of it.This came out before the trial.
Pardun was not a combat veteran.
Yet he was treated for PTSD. The question is, since PTSD is only caused after trauma, how did he get it? Did he really have it? It seems as if he didn't.
The man he killed, was a Vietnam veteran with PTSD trying to help other veterans heal.
His life was taken and now his family has to live with the memory of this violent act. Pardun pleaded guilty. A medical exam showed he did not have PTSD.
When veterans have PTSD, there is something called a flashback which takes them back to when their lives were in danger. This can also come when under stress. There are times when anger pushes out everything else, except one thing. They need to be held accountable for their actions. Yes, real PTSD needs to be taken into account when determining what true justice will be. In this case, the system seems to have worked well considering he admitted guilt after tests showed he did not have PTSD.
The aftermath of what he decided to do left a Vietnam veteran dead after trying to help real combat veterans with PTSD, a wife and a young child to not only grieve for the loss but try to recover with the trauma they went through because of Pardun. This also ends up hurting PTSD veterans the next time a judge has to consider PTSD as a factor or not.
Pardun was not a combat veteran.
Eugene murder suspect to use insanity defense By Assocaited Press and Eugene Register-Guard
Pardun's sister told The Register-Guard last summer that her brother never saw combat in Iraq or Afghanistan, but was traumatized by video images of a mortar attack on a helicopter that killed members of his brigade while he was recovering from an injury in the United States.
Yet he was treated for PTSD. The question is, since PTSD is only caused after trauma, how did he get it? Did he really have it? It seems as if he didn't.
Pardun told investigators the day of the shooting that he was under treatment for extreme post-traumatic stress disorder related to his Army service five years earlier.
The man he killed, was a Vietnam veteran with PTSD trying to help other veterans heal.
Thurston was a fellow veteran who had also battled PTSD following his service in the Vietnam War. Thurston later spent his career counseling troubled former soldiers at the same Eugene clinic where Pardun received medical and psychiatric care.
His life was taken and now his family has to live with the memory of this violent act. Pardun pleaded guilty. A medical exam showed he did not have PTSD.
Creswell man pleads guilty to killing neighbor
EUGENE, Ore. (AP) — An Army veteran who claimed he suffered from post-traumatic stress despite never seeing combat has pleaded guilty to murder for shooting a neighbor in front of the man's wife and 3-year-old child.
Jarrod William Pardun of Creswell entered the plea Wednesday in Lane County Circuit Court in Eugene.
Chief Deputy District Attorney Patty Perlow says Pardun pleaded guilty after a mental examination found he was not suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder.
go here for more
Creswell man pleads guilty to killing neighbor
When veterans have PTSD, there is something called a flashback which takes them back to when their lives were in danger. This can also come when under stress. There are times when anger pushes out everything else, except one thing. They need to be held accountable for their actions. Yes, real PTSD needs to be taken into account when determining what true justice will be. In this case, the system seems to have worked well considering he admitted guilt after tests showed he did not have PTSD.
The aftermath of what he decided to do left a Vietnam veteran dead after trying to help real combat veterans with PTSD, a wife and a young child to not only grieve for the loss but try to recover with the trauma they went through because of Pardun. This also ends up hurting PTSD veterans the next time a judge has to consider PTSD as a factor or not.
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