4 Month Old Pup's Death Tied to Vet's "War Trauma"?

This is not the first time this kind of thing has happened. It is also not the first time PTSD has been blamed for it. With many veterans with PTSD turning to PTSD service dogs to help them heal, it is obvious how much they love their dogs and how much the dogs love them in return.

When my husband's PTSD was about as bad as it could be, we had a Golden Retriever named Brandon. Like all puppies, he was getting into trouble, trying to learn what he could and could not do. There were times when my husband would yell at him more than he should have but that is just about as far as that went. Brandon lived to almost 14 years old. My husband called him "brother" and he was not just a "dog" to us, but part of our family.

Anger is an issue with PTSD but it is no excuse to allow it to be so out of control a puppy ends up dead. Violence cannot be excused but it does need to be taken into consideration when seeking justice. We need to be asking a lot of questions.

The lawyer said he was being treated for PTSD at the VA. Was he getting any anger management help? Was he on medication he had a bad reaction to? Is he a dog lover or stressed about a puppy he didn't really want? These questions the court needs to ask before they can know what to do with this veteran accused of this crime.

Pup's Death Tied to Vet's "War Trauma": Family
Defendant's uncle believes a case like this is one where "Support Our Troops" comes into play
By R. Stickney
Wednesday, Jan 25, 2012

NBC San Diego

NBCSanDiego
Phillip Shawn Rich (left) at his arraignment and Knight shown with another dog before the beating.

A San Diego-area man charged with beating a puppy so badly it had to be euthanized is a veteran currently getting treatment for PTSD at the VA hospital, according to his defense attorney.

Phillip Shawn Rich, 26, of Crest, faces one felony charge of animal abuse for the death of his four-month-old male Siberian husky.

Rich brought the puppy, named Knight, to a veterinary hospital Saturday night. After the hospital staff examined the dog, they decided its injuries were so severe the animal had to be euthanized.

His attorney requested no bail, explaining that her client has been diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder and is currently receiving treatment at the VA hospital.
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Many Soldiers Have Their Own Terrors to Deal With

I read a lot of articles about faith and war. This one I really want you to read if you have been struggling with your faith.

Coming Home From the War on Terror, Many Soldiers Have Their Own Terrors to Deal With
One Special Forces major recommends ways civilians can help veterans readjust to American life after Iraq, Afghanistan.
Share by JUSTIN BELL 01/25/2012

Major Stephen C. Flanagan of the U.S. Army Special Forces served four combat tours in Iraq and Afghanistan. The Tewksbury, Mass., native is in the mid-career Master in Public Administration program at Harvard’s John F. Kennedy School of Government. The previous year, he had completed courses in the human development and psychology program in Harvard’s Graduate School of Education.

His next stop will be teaching at the U.S. Military Academy at West Point in the behavioral sciences and leadership department.

Flanagan, 32, recently met with Register correspondent Justin Bell at the Harvard Catholic Student Center at St. Paul’s Parish in Cambridge, Mass., to discuss how he felt God’s protection in combat and the struggles soldiers have returning to American society.

Could you speak to a specific time when you felt God really taking care of you?


God whispers to you through your successes and screams at you through your pains ... fears and dangers. ... So I really felt that; my faith has probably [been as] strong as it’s ever been in some of those times in combat. I was reading the Bible and praying a lot. I was almost never in any place where I could have regular religious services or anything.

One time, in Iraq in 2007 on my third combat tour ... we’re driving through the center of town, and all of a sudden we got ambushed from two sides. All the terrain and everything were to the enemy’s advantage. We couldn’t get the vehicles out of the road, and they had pushed a burning vehicle in … in front of us.

We’re sitting there in the open: The “kill zone” is what it’s actually called. … I had to [try to move the truck, and so I ran] through a big open area, getting shot at from both sides. …

I was saying an Our Father just subconsciously … running between a hail of bullets. I remembered looking to the side, and I saw fire coming out of windows; and I was shooting to the side as I was running. And all of a sudden a guy started charging down the hill at me; he looked like he was shooting his AK [AK-47 assault rifle]. ... Luckily, I think one of our Iraqi soldiers actually shot the guy and killed him.

I got up there and was able to work with the Iraqis to get them to push the vehicle out of the way. … I think we captured 14 more terrorists that day, and they didn’t have a single American or an Iraqi army soldier killed.

That just really seemed like a miracle to me … It wasn’t just us on that battlefield; there were angels and demons there with us having their own battle. … I reflect back, and I thank God for sending a small legion to our support.
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Military guests at State of the Union

Military guests at tonight’s State of the Union
By LEO SHANE III
Published: January 24, 2012

WASHINGTON – The White House has announced its guest list for tonight’s State of the Union address.

Army Sgt. Ashleigh Berg -- Berg is from Malibu, California, and joined the United States Army in July of 2004. She has been stationed in South Korea and Germany, and has served two tours of duty in Iraq.

Retired Navy Capt. Mark Kelly -- Kelly is an American astronaut, best-selling author, and an experienced naval aviator who flew combat missions during the Gulf War. The winner of many awards, including the Legion of Merit, two Defense Superior Service Medals and two Distinguished Flying Crosses, Kelly was selected as an astronaut in 1996.

Navy Adm. William McRaven -- McRaven assumed command of the Joint Special Operations Command on June 13, 2008. Prior to assuming command, he served from June 2006 to March 2008 as commander, Special Operations Command Europe. In addition to his duties as COMSOCEUR, he was designated as the first director of the NATO Special Operations Forces Coordination Centre, where he was charged with enhancing the capabilities and inter-operability of all NATO Special Operations Forces.

Air Force Col. Ginger Wallace -- Colonel Ginger Wallace is an Air Force intelligence officer who has led airlift and intelligence operations during Operations Southern Watch, Provide Relief, Uphold Democracy, Allied Force, Enduring Freedom And Iraqi Freedom. She currently lives in McLean, Va., with her partner of over a decade, Kathy Knopf.

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also

Military mentions in Obama speech were carefully phrased

Published: January 24, 2012

NPR's "It's All Politics" blog analyzed President Barack Obama's references to U.S. military operations in Tuesday's State of the Union address and concluded his words were carefully chosen.

The president didn't devote much of the speech to military issues, but he opened and closed with a tribute to the armed forces, holding out their "team" approach as an example for the rest of society. "At a time when too many of our institutions have let us down," he said, "they exceed all expectations. They're not consumed with personal ambition. They don't obsess over their differences. They focus on the mission at hand."
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Orlando Police Chaplain called in after drivers hit pedestrian on I-4

I-4 reopens after horrific crash kills pedestrian
Susan Jacobson, Orlando Sentinel
7:46 a.m. EST, January 25, 2012

Interstate 4 westbound has reopened after a pedestrian fatality closed the highway from John Young Parkway to Conroy Road late Tuesday.

A man walking on the highway about 7:45 p.m. was hit by several vehicles, police Lt. Barbara Jones said.

Three vehicles stopped, but police received calls from other drivers who thought they might have run over the man and from witnesses who said more cars were involved, she said.
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Big Boy news stations forgot about the rest of the news

This morning I posted how the last military shipment from Iraq had arrived in Beaumont and it bothered me. Why wasn't this story all over the "big boy" news station? It seems as if all they are interested in is politics.

There are so many other stories out there reported on a daily basis that should be covered by the 24-7 cable "news" station but someone decided a long time ago to play a game with what they tell us. FOX has been the Republican station of choice. MSNBC decided to serve the Democrats. CNN has been trying to stay in the middle. There isn't a cable news station for the rest of the news.

I spend a lot of time in my car, so I bought a satellite radio. I like to listen to oldies and enjoy the fact I can decide what decade I feel like hearing. Sometimes it is the 60's, other times it is the 80's but most of the time it is the 70's. I don't expect to hear rap on any of them. I don't expect to hear classical music instead of the groups I grew up with. On a rare occasion I hear a song I had not heard before but I always know the song fits in with the rest of what I want to listen to. There are a lot of choices so that people can listen to what they want to hear and trust that is what they will be provided with.

There was a time when I could feel that way with turning on a news station. I lived in the Boston area most of my life. I knew when I turned on WBZ radio I would hear the news and not hear a bunch of political nonsense. I knew what was going on in the area from traffic reports to events along with reports on crimes and even some feel good stories. The only time there was political coverage was when there was an election coming up but never once did they spend years covering the candidates unless they did something really "news worthy" the general public needed to know about.

We have no choices now. We have little information now. Even when you turn on local news stations, you hear about political candidates on a national level way too much. The GOP candidates are covering Florida now, so some of the coverage is understandable but they have been reporting on what has been happening when these candidates show up in other states more than they covered local stories.

Who decided the American public didn't need to know what was going on in this country as much as they needed to know about the people wanting to run it?