Family wants answers about veteran's missing money

Family wants answers about veteran's missing money
By Lise Olsen and Lindsay Wise, HOUSTON CHRONICLE
Updated 09:41 p.m., Thursday, January 12, 2012

Jesus C. Garcia is 90 years old, his memories of serving as an Army infantryman in World War II as time-worn as the shrapnel still lodged in his head from his battle wounds.

And though the American war veteran receives disability benefits for his service and his sacrifice, almost half of that money from the last 15 years remains unaccounted for - routed through a stranger selected by the very agency that pays Garcia.

Deemed incapable of managing his own money by the Department of Veterans Affairs, his daughter Erminia Molina serves as her father's guardian by the appointment of a judge in their hometown of Laredo. But a professional fiduciary picked by the VA regional office in Houston has overseen his assets since 1995.

Molina has been unable to find out what happened to about $600,000 in benefits that Garcia never received from the San Antonio attorney who serves as fiduciary, court records and interviews show.

Across the United States, approximately 122,271 veterans have been judged "incompetent" to manage their funds. Their $3.3 billion in assets are handled by VA-selected fiduciaries: family, friends or strangers screened by the government, according to information the VA provided to the Chronicle. In Texas, 8,261 veterans' assets are managed by fiduciaries, who can be paid 4 percent of the benefits.
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UK photographer shows changes in troops after combat

This is stunning. It is a project that needs to be replicated here in the US.

Afghanistan soldier photos 'show effect of war'
Page last updated at 15:49 GMT, Friday, 13 January 2012
By Dan Cairns
Newsbeat reporter

Second Lieutenant Adam Petzsch, 25

The heavy toll of fighting in Afghanistan can be seen in a set of photos showing UK soldiers before, during and after their tour of duty.

They were taken by photographer Lalage Snow who first met the soldiers from 1st Battalion the Royal Regiment of Scotland during their training.

She says the time she spent with them helped win their trust and get them comfortable in front of the camera.

Three months later Lalage travelled to meet the group in Helmand province.

She said: "I was really shocked at how different they looked: Red-rimmed eyes, beards, really gaunt and thin, brown, and full of sand.

"It really shocked me," she admits.

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U.S. general warns troops to treat dead with 'dignity and respect'

U.S. general warns troops to treat dead with 'dignity and respect'
By the CNN Wire Staff
January 13, 2012
STORY HIGHLIGHTS
NEW: The Marine Corps promises an "expeditious, full and fair investigation"
The four Marines in urination video have been identified, a Marine official says
General reminds troops to treat dead with "appropriate dignity and respect"
NATO says the U.S. individuals involved are no longer in Afghanistan

(CNN) -- The deputy commander of U.S. forces in Afghanistan ordered troops Friday to treat the corpses of slain insurgents and civilians with "appropriate dignity and respect."

The order follows a video that appears to show four U.S. Marines urinating on bodies, images that sparked swift condemnation from the United States and Afghanistan at a particularly crucial period in the U.S.-led war.

"We must treat the living and the dead with dignity and respect," Gen. Curtis Scaparrotti said in the directive, which was published Friday on the website of the NATO-led force in Afghanistan. He said troops must follow the rules of armed conflict and "act honorably at all times."

"In order to prevail, for the good of the coalition nations and the Afghan people, we can do no less."

The video surfaced as the United States and the Taliban have taken tentative steps toward peace negotiations and as the U.S. and its allies plan to withdraw troops by the end of 2014.

The general's directive instructed officers to ensure subordinates know that they are obligated to report any allegations of misconduct involving corpses. He promised swift investigations and "appropriate actions" against offenders.

The directive notes that "defiling, desecrating, mocking, photographing or filming for personal use insurgent dead constitutes a grave breach" of the armed-conflict laws. It also violates "basic standards of human decency, and can cause serious damage to relations with the Afghan government."
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Sergeant Major says asking for help made him "strongest soldier"

This year marks 30 years of learning about PTSD and what it does. Hard to believe that many years have come and gone along with a lot of pain. When I fell in love with a Vietnam veteran, I didn't fully understand that his war would be a constant battle for me to fight. It is because of him, all of him, I do what I do. I saw so much strength in him, compassion and integrity that went beyond what I had seen in others. I saw his suffering when PTSD was as bad as it could possibly be but I also saw hope come alive in him again when he began to heal.

All these years later, he knows he'll be on medication and in therapy for the rest of his life but this is what comes from too many years of suffering without help. Like many Vietnam veterans, they came home to suffer in silence. There were no reports in newspapers about them or what combat did to them unless one of them was arrested. They came home and committed suicide but no one wanted to talk about that either. Back then families like mine were supposed to just keep it all secret as if there was anything to be ashamed of.

Now we all know better. Veterans are coming home from Iraq and Afghanistan with a lot more support and knowledge than we ever had. The Internet played a huge roll in that so that they could read about others from across the country, find support and a greater understanding. What combat does is not new but what is being done about it has come from them being willing to talk about it.

Vietnam veterans are rightly credited with fighting to have PTSD treated as a result of combat. It is because of them there are programs for veterans today. It is because they were brave enough to take a stand no matter how they were being treated. Todays' veterans are able to find more support because of them but it is a payback in a sense. Because of the veterans we have today more and more Vietnam veterans are being encouraged to seek help for themselves. They are able to talk about it more freely than they even had. Now we hear about PTSD all the time and it is a good thing.

The average American still doesn't have a clue because veterans in trouble get in the news but veterans rising above their pain don't seem to matter as much. Well here they do and now you know why. I post about all of it, most of the time with great sadness but with great hope when I post something like the following.

The War Inside, Part 2

Juli McDonald
1/11/2012

In an organization that relies on strength and a willingness to serve, soldiers in the North Dakota National Guard strive to meet that expectation. How can someone who`s supposed to be tough ask for help? Sergeant Major Kevin Keefe had soldiers to lead but something was bothering him. He says it was difficult to walk through the doors of the V.A. to ask for help. But because of that decision, he`s now the strongest soldier he could ever be.

Just two weeks into 1st Sgt. Kevin Keefe`s 2008 deployment to Iraq, he suffered two herniated discs and a traumatic brain injury from a rocket attack. Despite the pain, he wasn`t going anywhere.

"In my mind, I had 182 soldiers, a commander that was my battle buddy. My soldiers, everybody, not depending on me, but we were part of a team to make sure we brought all these soldiers home," says Keefe.

And still fresh in his mind was his father`s death in a house fire right before his deployment.

"I was up, I was down. I was mad, I was compassionate. I was every emotion. Depressed. Every emotion in the spectrum," he says.

Keefe made it home alive with the rest of his soldiers. But his worst wounds were the ones you couldn`t see. His marriage had ended and he even considered suicide. Keefe calls his daughter his saving grace. After the deployment, Keefe remarried. He says although spouses can`t understand what a soldier has gone through, his wife is the best thing that ever happened to him. Keefe realized it wasn`t a weakness to ask for help; it would actually make him stronger.
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Iraq war Vet arrested after breaking out of VA medical center

UPDATE
Veterans continue to fight at home

Iraq war Vet arrested
Joel Anderson broke through two wooden doors at the VA Medical Center during his getaway on January 9th.
Posted: 12:51 PM Jan 11, 2012
Reporter: KKCO
Grand Junction, Colo. (KKCO)--Joel Anderson broke through two wooden doors at the VA Medical Center during his getaway on January 9th.

He is charged with destroying government property.

Tuesday an attorney for the government told a judge that Anderson is a great danger to the community and should stay in jail during the trial.

Anderson has a history of mental illness since returning from serving in Iraq.

He’ll be back in court on Friday.
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