Thousands at parade honoring Iraqi war vets in St. Louis

January 28, 2012 3:33 PM

St. Louis hosts parade for Iraq War vets

Participants in a parade to honor Iraq War veterans make their way along a downtown street Saturday, Jan. 28, 2012, in St. Louis. (AP Photo/Jeff Roberson)

(AP) ST. LOUIS — Thousands of people lining downtown streets cheered wildly as veterans, some wiping away tears, marched through St. Louis on Saturday during the nation's first big welcome-home parade for Iraq War veterans.

Several hundred veterans, many dressed in camouflage, walked alongside military vehicles, marching bands and even the Budweiser Clydesdales. People in the crowd held signs reading "Welcome Home" and "God Bless Our Troops," and fire trucks with aerial ladders hoisted three huge American flags along the route.

"It's not necessarily overdue. It's just the right thing," said Maj. Rich Radford, who became a symbol of the event thanks to a photo of his young daughter taking his hand while welcoming him home from his second tour in Iraq in 2010.

Since the war ended, there has been little fanfare for returning veterans aside from gatherings at airports and military bases — no ticker-tape parades or large public celebrations — so two friends from St. Louis decided to change that.
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UPDATE from ABC
Veterans Share Stories at Iraq War Parade in Mo.

By JIM SALTER Associated Press
ST. LOUIS January 29, 2012 (AP)
Veterans who attended the nation's first major Iraq War parade Saturday in St. Louis said they appreciated the welcome home, even though some expected to be redeployed to Afghanistan or elsewhere in the coming months. Here are a few of their stories:


Army Maj. Rich Radford had two long tours of duty in Iraq under almost constant threat of violence.

Radford, a combat engineer, spent 15 months on his first tour starting in January 2004, then about 10 months when he went back in September 2009. He earned the Bronze Star for his service.

"Every day we were in danger," Radford, 40, said, "because the Iraqis didn't like us, didn't want us in their country. They would sell out our positions, our missions."

Radford, a 23-year military veteran, marched in the parade with his two children, Aimee, 8, and Warren, 12. An image of the father and daughter upon his return home from the second tour of duty is emblazoned on T-shirts and posters associated with the parade, fashioned from a photo taken by Radford's sister of Aimee, then 6, reaching up for her father's hand as family greeting him at Lambert Airport in St. Louis.
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Thousands at parade honoring Iraqi war vets
BY JONAH NEWMAN
Saturday, January 28, 2012 12:30 pm
ST. LOUIS
A downtown parade to honor Iraq war veterans stepped off at noon today at Kiener Plaza.

Thousands of people lined the parade route on Market Street, cheering, waving American flags and holding signs "Welcome Home."

Christine Willey of Webster Groves was one of those along the parade route. Her nephew served in Afghanistan and was wounded in Iraq when his Humvee was hit by an explosive.

"I think he would appreciate it a lot," she said of the parade. Her nephew, of Wentzville, who suffered brain injuries, was unable to attend the parade.
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Thousands at St. Louis parade welcome home Iraq War vets
ST. LOUIS (AP) – Thousands of people have turned out in St. Louis for the nation's first big parade welcoming home Iraq War veterans.

Several hundred veterans, many dressed in camouflage, marched Saturday afternoon through downtown along with marching bands, politicians and even the Budweiser Clydesdales.
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Pawn shop looking for family of Purple Heart Army Pfc. Leroy Bryant

Pawn shop seeks Purple Heart recipient’s family
The Associated Press
Posted : Saturday Jan 28, 2012 11:17:07 EST
COLUMBUS, Ohio — A central Ohio pawn shop buyer says he bought a military combat medal from a seller in hopes of returning the Purple Heart to the family of the original recipient.

A seller who reported finding a Purple Heart on a street sold the item to Uncle Sam’s Pawn Shop in Columbus this week for $30, according to TV station WCMH.

The medal is inscribed for late Army Pfc. Leroy Bryant of Franklin, who fought in the Korean War. Records show Bryant was listed as missing in action and later presumed dead after he was captured in February 1951.

Buyer Gary Chasin said the medal doesn’t belong in his pawn shop. Chasin said he would like to return it to Bryant’s family.
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A father’s anguish: Military killed my son with prescription pad for Seroquel

A father’s anguish: Military killed my son with prescription pad
By John Lasker - The Daily Caller 01/28/2012


A father who has lost two sons to war told The Daily Caller that the U.S. Central Command’s policy of allowing troops to deploy with a 180-day supply of the antipsychotic Seroquel has contributed to the deaths of troops and veterans. Seroquel, he said, has tragic side effects that military leaders have ignored in their quest to combat insomnia and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) among fighting men and women.

The father, West Virginia school principal Stan White, said there are better ways to treat troops and veterans who suffer from PTSD. But because the maker of Seroquel, London-based AstraZeneca, has so much influence over Congress and the military, he insisted, that peer counseling and other treatment options are being shoved aside in favor of low doses of the drug.

White’s suspicions are slowly being validated by a series of studies, legal settlements, and military rulings — including a recommendation from the Department of Defense’s own advisory body on pharmaceuticals.

“I think AstraZeneca is so strong and has so much power that no one can speak out,” said White, who has remained stoic despite his losses. “Money talks. I truly believe AstraZeneca and other big pharma companies have control over Congress.”

His first son, Army Sgt. Robert White, died in combat in Iraq. When Robert’s younger brother Andrew returned from his own tour in the Middle Eastern country, a Veterans Administration doctor prescribed a combination of Seroquel and antidepressants for his PTSD.
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Final Thoughts from the Vice Chief of Staff of the Army

Final Thoughts from the Vice Chief of Staff of the Army
BY GENRAYODIERNO – JANUARY 27, 2012
POSTED IN: ARMY FAMILIES, ARMY MEDIA, ARMY SENIOR LEADERSHIP, ARMY TOP ISSUES, GEN. RAY ODIERNO, CHIEF OF STAFF OF THE ARMY, SOLDIER VIDEOS, SUICIDE PREVENTION, U.S. ARMY

This week I invited the Vice Chief of Staff of the Army, General Peter Chiarelli to provide a guest entry addressing an issue of great importance to both he and I and the Army’s other senior leaders. As General Chiarelli prepares to retire on January 31st after three and a half years spent as VCSA and nearly forty years of service to our Army, I want to take this opportunity to thank him for the remarkable job he has done and the immeasurable impact he and his wife, Beth have had on the lives of Soldiers, Army Civilians and Family members around the world. He is a true Patriot, a great American and undoubtedly one of our Army’s very best.

Gen. Peter Chiarelli, the vice chief of staff of the Army (Photo Credit: Daniel Cernero, III Corps and Fort Hood Public Affairs)

“It is truly remarkable all that our Soldiers have accomplished in Iraq and Afghanistan. Over the past decade they have done an absolutely magnificent job fighting two wars in difficult and demanding environments.

That said, they are undoubtedly tired and stressed, and many are dealing with challenges including physical and psychological wounds, injuries and illnesses incurred as a result of their service. Among the most difficult are the non-visible wounds of post-traumatic stress and traumatic brain injury. I frequently refer to them as the ‘signature wounds’ of this war.
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Cesar and the Dog Whisperer crew have been filming at Fort Hood

Cesar in Fort Hood

This week, Cesar and the Dog Whisperer crew have been filming a new episode at the Fort Hood military base in Killeen, Texas. While on base, Cesar got the chance to visit the Army and Air Force Exchange Service store—where Dog Whisperer products are now being sold—and spend some time with many of the families and soldiers stationed there.

Working with a Border Collie and Sheltie that live on the base, Cesar learned rather quickly that while their military owners live and breathe exercise and discipline in their own lives, they don’t necessarily do it with their dogs. “It is always surprising when leaders, particularly military leaders who are accustomed to strict discipline, do not apply the same discipline and structure with their dogs,” said Cesar.
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