Divorce Rate Among Afghanistan, Iraq War Vets Increases by 42 Percent (VIDEO)
By Luiza Oleszczuk
Christian Post Reporter
The divorce rate among military couples has increased 42 percent throughout the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, a recent study shows, adding to the woes of U.S. military veterans returning from the Middle East who already have to tackle war-related problems like post-traumatic stress disorder and high unemployment rates.
Couples' plans to pursue divorce gain plausibility with each subsequent month a service member is deployed, according to new research by Family Life, a nonprofit that focuses on marriage and parenting issues. The first 90 days after deployment are the most critical for military marriages, the organization says.
"That window is the proven time frame during which people develop habits and set the tone for the future of their marriage. It's critical for military couples to establish healthy habits quickly as they struggle to reconnect and restructure their families," Family Life Founder and President Dennis Rainey said in a statement.
Some of the most common issues touching fresh veterans are a rushed transition to civilian life, renegotiating roles with the partner, realizing both spouses have changed during deployment, and possibly the influence of post-traumatic stress disorder, the organization claims.
read more here
Wednesday, January 4, 2012
USO Sailor Of Year Killed In Afghanistan Standing In For Wounded Bomb Tech
U-T: USO Sailor Of Year Killed In Afghanistan
Chad Regelin Killed Monday
Jeanette Steele, U-T San Diego
SAN DIEGO -- When Navy bomb disposal technician Chad Regelin was named 2011 USO sailor of the year, he couldn’t make it to the October gala in Washington, D.C.
He was in Afghanistan, standing in for a wounded bomb technician.
That job took his life Monday. Regelin, a 24-year-old sailor assigned to a San Diego unit, was killed during combat operations with a Marine Corps special operations company in Helmand province, Afghanistan, the Pentagon announced.
His brother Ryan said the sailor was on foot patrol when an explosion occurred. Regelin went to check it out and a second bomb, detonated via a wire, went off.
read more here
Chad Regelin Killed Monday
Jeanette Steele, U-T San Diego
SAN DIEGO -- When Navy bomb disposal technician Chad Regelin was named 2011 USO sailor of the year, he couldn’t make it to the October gala in Washington, D.C.
He was in Afghanistan, standing in for a wounded bomb technician.
That job took his life Monday. Regelin, a 24-year-old sailor assigned to a San Diego unit, was killed during combat operations with a Marine Corps special operations company in Helmand province, Afghanistan, the Pentagon announced.
His brother Ryan said the sailor was on foot patrol when an explosion occurred. Regelin went to check it out and a second bomb, detonated via a wire, went off.
read more here
Ranger Margaret Anderson being hailed as a life saver
'We could have all been dead. I believe she saved our lives'
By KOMO Staff
Published: Jan 3, 2012
MOUNT RAINIER, Wash. -- Ranger Margaret Anderson is being hailed as a life saver by those who were trapped inside Paradise Inn near the scene of the deadly shooting on New Years Day.
Jeremy Best was visiting the park when he heard some loud bangs.
"I heard a few bangs over my right shoulder, which I assumed was avalanche control," he said.
Best had no idea it was gunfire until rangers told park visitors to get inside the Paradise Inn.
"They had just said, 'Somebody had been shot,'" said Best.
Two hours later, the SWAT team arrived and ordered everyone to get on the ground with their hands behind their heads. Suspected gunman Benjamin Barnes had fled into the woods in the direction of Paradise.
"They printed off pictures of who they thought the suspect was, and checked faces, one by one, to make sure he wasn't in the building," said Best.
After being safely escorted off the mountain, Best learned of the fate of the friendly ranger he had just spoken to in the lot of Paradise.
"It wasn't until Monday afternoon when I'd awakened and I got online, and saw her face. And I was in shock, having spoken to her just moments before (her death)," he said.
Rangers said Anderson rushed from the parking lot to intercept Barnes' car before he could reach Paradise.
"We could have all been dead," said Best. "I believe she saved our lives."
read more here
Mount Rainier staff meets to grieve loss of ranger
By GENE JOHNSON Associated Press
Published: Jan 3, 2012
SEATTLE (AP) - Employees at Mount Rainier National Park are gathering together Tuesday to grieve the loss of a park ranger who was fatally shot inside the park.
Park spokesman Greg Shine says park employees are in an all-staff meeting to come together as a community and begin the healing process following Sunday's shooting of Margaret Anderson.
read more here
By KOMO Staff
Published: Jan 3, 2012
MOUNT RAINIER, Wash. -- Ranger Margaret Anderson is being hailed as a life saver by those who were trapped inside Paradise Inn near the scene of the deadly shooting on New Years Day.
Jeremy Best was visiting the park when he heard some loud bangs.
"I heard a few bangs over my right shoulder, which I assumed was avalanche control," he said.
Best had no idea it was gunfire until rangers told park visitors to get inside the Paradise Inn.
"They had just said, 'Somebody had been shot,'" said Best.
Two hours later, the SWAT team arrived and ordered everyone to get on the ground with their hands behind their heads. Suspected gunman Benjamin Barnes had fled into the woods in the direction of Paradise.
"They printed off pictures of who they thought the suspect was, and checked faces, one by one, to make sure he wasn't in the building," said Best.
After being safely escorted off the mountain, Best learned of the fate of the friendly ranger he had just spoken to in the lot of Paradise.
"It wasn't until Monday afternoon when I'd awakened and I got online, and saw her face. And I was in shock, having spoken to her just moments before (her death)," he said.
Rangers said Anderson rushed from the parking lot to intercept Barnes' car before he could reach Paradise.
"We could have all been dead," said Best. "I believe she saved our lives."
read more here
Mount Rainier staff meets to grieve loss of ranger
By GENE JOHNSON Associated Press
Published: Jan 3, 2012
SEATTLE (AP) - Employees at Mount Rainier National Park are gathering together Tuesday to grieve the loss of a park ranger who was fatally shot inside the park.
Park spokesman Greg Shine says park employees are in an all-staff meeting to come together as a community and begin the healing process following Sunday's shooting of Margaret Anderson.
read more here
Veterans compensation and pension examinations company laying off employees
Veterans Evaluation Services to lay off 73
Houston Business Journal
Date: Tuesday, January 3, 2012
Veterans Evaluation Services Inc. began to lay off 73 employees on Dec. 29 because of funding cuts from the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs.
The Houston-based company that provides veterans compensation and pension examinations said in notification letter to the Texas Workforce Commission that it has seen significant funding reductions from its two contracts with its sole client, Veterans Affairs.
read more here
Houston Business Journal
Date: Tuesday, January 3, 2012
Veterans Evaluation Services Inc. began to lay off 73 employees on Dec. 29 because of funding cuts from the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs.
The Houston-based company that provides veterans compensation and pension examinations said in notification letter to the Texas Workforce Commission that it has seen significant funding reductions from its two contracts with its sole client, Veterans Affairs.
read more here
Some Gold Star families feel disconnected
Some Gold Star families feel disconnected
By Gregg Zoroya - USA Today
Posted : Wednesday Jan 4, 2012 9:37:22 EST
COLLINSVILLE, Okla. — Jane Horton wears a small Gold Star pin honoring her husband, Army Spc. Christopher D. Horton, who was killed by Taliban gunfire four months ago.
“It’s like an outward expression of a burden carried deep inside,” Jane says about an emblem Congress created after World War II for those who lost loved ones to war.
Except that no one today seems to know what it means.
“I’ve never been asked about it. Ever,” she says.
As the 26-year-old widow of an Oklahoma guardsman killed in combat, it is another reason Jane says she feels a world apart from other Americans.
She sensed it standing on an airport tarmac as her husband’s body was unloaded from the belly of an aircraft. She could see the faces staring down from the jetway windows above, parents holding children and pointing.
“I definitely feel there’s a disconnect,” she says.
National leaders and advocacy groups say they see a widening rift between a military at war and a public at peace, distracted by a sputtering economy and weary of hearing about Iraq and Afghanistan.
“Not every American knows what a ... Gold Star family is,” first lady Michelle Obama said recently when she unveiled a Gold Star Christmas tree at the White House.
“Americans ... often don’t realize that these people are right here among us,” says Ami Neiberger-Miller, a spokeswoman for Tragedy Assistance Program for Survivors, a non-profit that helps military families who lose loved ones.
read more here
By Gregg Zoroya - USA Today
Posted : Wednesday Jan 4, 2012 9:37:22 EST
COLLINSVILLE, Okla. — Jane Horton wears a small Gold Star pin honoring her husband, Army Spc. Christopher D. Horton, who was killed by Taliban gunfire four months ago.
“It’s like an outward expression of a burden carried deep inside,” Jane says about an emblem Congress created after World War II for those who lost loved ones to war.
Except that no one today seems to know what it means.
“I’ve never been asked about it. Ever,” she says.
As the 26-year-old widow of an Oklahoma guardsman killed in combat, it is another reason Jane says she feels a world apart from other Americans.
She sensed it standing on an airport tarmac as her husband’s body was unloaded from the belly of an aircraft. She could see the faces staring down from the jetway windows above, parents holding children and pointing.
“I definitely feel there’s a disconnect,” she says.
National leaders and advocacy groups say they see a widening rift between a military at war and a public at peace, distracted by a sputtering economy and weary of hearing about Iraq and Afghanistan.
“Not every American knows what a ... Gold Star family is,” first lady Michelle Obama said recently when she unveiled a Gold Star Christmas tree at the White House.
“Americans ... often don’t realize that these people are right here among us,” says Ami Neiberger-Miller, a spokeswoman for Tragedy Assistance Program for Survivors, a non-profit that helps military families who lose loved ones.
read more here
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)