Veteran's Dog Rises From Ashes Of Fire That Killed Three Other Pets

Veteran's Dog Rises From Ashes Of Fire That Killed Three Other Pets (VIDEO)

In just two short days, a New Haven, Connecticut, veteran named Mike experienced two devastating events that changed his life forever. First, he was involved in a serious car crash. Then, an apartment fire destroyed all his possessions and left him homeless.

Now, a bit of sunshine has returned to Mike's life after firefighters combing through the debris discovered his beloved pitbull Spooky had survived the flames by hiding in a closet, the Connecticut Post reports.

"All of a sudden a big pit bull sat up in the middle of the debris," Kevin Plummer of United Cleaning and Restoration told the paper. "We grabbed him by the collar and brought him down to the ground. He didn't bark. He didn't growl. He's a good dog."
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Man's best friend survives fire by hiding in closet: wtnh.com

Lawyers agree Supreme Court should receive Horner report

January 19, 2012
Lawyers agree Supreme Court should receive Horner report
Kathy Mellott
kmellott@tribdem.com

HOLLIDAYSBURG — Attorneys on both sides of the Nicholas Adam Horner case are seeking permission from the state Supreme Court to submit a medical report on the defendant in the hopes of bolstering their cases.

Meanwhile, as of late Thursday there was no indication from the state’s highest court how it will handle the case, which came to a sudden halt a week ago after the justices granted an emergency stay.
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Army says suicides down but crimes up?

There are less deployed this year than last year.

From CNN
June 22nd, 2011
On Tuesday, an Obama administration official told CNN that Obama will announce that 30,000 U.S. "surge" forces will be fully withdrawn from Afghanistan by the end of 2012. Members of Congress are being informed that 10,000 troops will be withdrawn by the end of this year, followed by another 20,000 next year, a congressional source said.

Then we know the troops have been withdrawn from Iraq, well, most of them. I want to be hopeful on this but when the DOD would rather report crimes up and not point out that there are less deployed this year, it is another terrible comment on the men and women serving today.

When the Marines release their suicide data, it will be the same case. Numbers down but numbers of deployed down as well. Then there is the factor of attempted suicides and soldiers going into the hospital for wanting to die.

When we read about any of these numbers, we need to keep in mind that if they are discharged but are not in the VA system, no one is counting any of them.

Army Releases December and Calendar Year 2011 Suicide Data

POSTED: 1:57 pm PST January 19, 2012

BAKERSFIELD, Calif. -- The Army released suicide data Thursday for the month of December and calendar year (CY) 2011.

During December, among active-duty soldiers, there were 11 potential suicides: two have been confirmed as suicide, and nine remain under investigation.

For November, the Army reported seven potential suicides among active-duty soldiers. Since the release of that report, five have been confirmed as a suicide, and two remain under investigation.

For CY 2011 there were 164 potential active-duty suicides of which 140 have been confirmed as suicides, and 24 remain under investigation.

During December, among reserve component soldiers who were not on active duty, there were five potential suicides (four Army National Guard and one Army Reserve): three have been confirmed as suicide and two remain under investigation.

For November, among that same group, there were eight potential suicides. Since the release of that report, three cases have been added for a total of 11 cases (11 Army National Guard and no Army Reserve).
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Army suicide rates declined in 2011
By Gregg Zoroya - USA Today
Posted : Thursday Jan 19, 2012 14:01:07 EST
Army suicide rates declined for the first time in four years in 2011, the result of a complex effort to identify soldiers engaged in risky or self-destructive behavior, according to the outgoing vice chief of staff, Gen. Peter Chiarelli.

“I think we’ve at least arrested this problem and hopefully will start to push it down,” Chiarelli said Thursday,

citing additional numbers showing an increase in hospitalizations for soldiers who talk of suicide.

“For all practical purposes ... it has leveled off.”

But he said there also remain second- and third-order effects from a decade of war and multiple deployments, including a sharp rise in sexual assaults and child and domestic abuse in the Army.

“We see these problems, we see where we’ve had successes. And we’re attacking those areas where we’ve got problems,” Chiarelli said. “After 10 years of war ... we had problems that no one could have forecast.”

Suicides among active duty soldiers and those in the National Guard and Reserve who are not on active duty fell by 9 percent last year from 305 deaths in 2010 to 278 in 2011.
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First veteran to get new high tech prosthetics is from Greenfield

First veteran to get new high tech prosthetics is from Greenfield
A grenade explosion in Iraq took Derick Hurt's legs.

STORY: Veteran from Greenfield is first to use new, lighter, stronger, faster artificial legs
by Paula Morehouse and Justin Haase, KY3 News

pmorehouse@ky3.com
8:41 p.m. CST, January 18, 2012

WATERLOO, Iowa -- An Iraq war veteran from Greenfield, Mo., has taken another step forward in his recovery. Derick Hurt is the first veteran in the country to get the latest technology in prosthetics.

Nearly 10 years ago while serving in Iraq, a grenade blew up under Hurt's Humvee, shattering his legs. Hurt's right leg was amputated; he fought Army doctors to save his left one.

In 2009, he decided to have his other leg amputated because the pain was diminishing his quality of life.

(The video shows some of Hurt's progress over the years. KY3 News visited him during his rehabilitation at Walter Reed Hospital in Washington, D.C., a few months after he was injured. Other video shows him in the intervening years learning to walk with prosthetics.)
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Wounded warrior shares inspirational message

Wounded warrior shares inspirational message

Melissa Stockwell, a U.S. Army veteran who lost her left leg in Iraq in 2004, spoke Thursday at Blue Ridge Community Health Services.

By Jessica Goodman
Times-News Staff Writer
Published: Thursday, January 19, 2012
Melissa Stockwell, a U.S. Army veteran, reached down and unhooked her leg during a Thursday presentation for the Philanthropic Educational Organization, Chapter AN, meeting at Blue Ridge Community Health Services.

"I'm an extremely proud American," said Stockwell, 31. "And I'm an extremely proud to be an above-the-knee amputee."

Stockwell was the first woman to lose a limb in Iraq, losing her leg to a roadside bomb in 2004, and has turned the experience into a teaching moment. She uses her story to inspire others.

Stockwell is on the Board of Directors for the Wounded Warriors Project, which helps service members with injuries connected to their service. The program helped her after she sustained her injuries in Iraq. Stockwell is a recipient of the Purple Heart and the Bronze Star.
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