Vets homeless shelter to stay open
Last-minute call by mayor keeps shelter open, operator says
By Jeanette Steele
APRIL 6, 2013
The San Diego veterans winter shelter got a last-minute reprieve from Mayor Bob Filner and will not close Monday, said Phil Landis, president of Veterans Village of San Diego, the nonprofit group that runs the temporary facility for homeless veterans on the city’s behalf.
Landis said Saturday that he spoke to the mayor and Filner said he would find a way to keep the shelter open, probably through June 30. Landis didn't have details about where the city would find the funds. It costs $100,000 a month to support for the operation.
The mayor’s spokespeople didn’t return calls for comment Saturday evening.
The 150-bed veterans shelter opened in early December and was scheduled to close Monday.
read more here
Monday, April 8, 2013
MREs: Going to war with the meal you have
MREs: Going to war with the meal you have
Drawdown in hot chow hall breakfast underway in Afghanistan
By Gretel C. Kovach APRIL 5, 2013
If chow is morale, as the Marines say, then troops deployed to Afghanistan may be getting grumpier.
Because of security needs, cooks and other support staff are withdrawing from the war zone faster than service members who protect military bases. That means some who used to dish into hot meals at the chow hall now have to start their day ripping open a Meal, Ready-to-Eat packaged ration.
“As a part of the responsible drawdown of operational forces ... commanders in some areas have altered the ration cycle. The same number of meals is provided, but the type of meal may have changed. Commanders have not eliminated breakfast,” Army Maj. Adam Wojack, a spokesman for the U.S.-led NATO mission in Afghanistan, the International Security Assistance Force, said in an email from Kabul.
Hot breakfasts cooked by food service specialists may be a casualty of the drawdown, but no one must go hungry. “No ISAF service member is being denied any meals,” Wojack said.
read more here
Drawdown in hot chow hall breakfast underway in Afghanistan
By Gretel C. Kovach APRIL 5, 2013
If chow is morale, as the Marines say, then troops deployed to Afghanistan may be getting grumpier.
Because of security needs, cooks and other support staff are withdrawing from the war zone faster than service members who protect military bases. That means some who used to dish into hot meals at the chow hall now have to start their day ripping open a Meal, Ready-to-Eat packaged ration.
“As a part of the responsible drawdown of operational forces ... commanders in some areas have altered the ration cycle. The same number of meals is provided, but the type of meal may have changed. Commanders have not eliminated breakfast,” Army Maj. Adam Wojack, a spokesman for the U.S.-led NATO mission in Afghanistan, the International Security Assistance Force, said in an email from Kabul.
Hot breakfasts cooked by food service specialists may be a casualty of the drawdown, but no one must go hungry. “No ISAF service member is being denied any meals,” Wojack said.
read more here
Marine Corps seeks more female leaders
Marines wanted: A few good women
Marine Corps seeks more female leaders, at boot camp and beyond
By Gretel C. Kovach
APRIL 6, 2013
On Monday nights when shaggy-haired young men with restless video-game thumbs hustle off the bus at the recruit depot in San Diego, one of the first Marines they see is a woman.
Sgt. Maj. Jennifer Simmons, standing straight-backed under her “Smokey Bear” hat — the iconic campaign cover of a Marine drill instructor — is a regular at recruit pickup, when the 12-week transformation from civilian to Marine begins.
As senior enlisted leader of Support Battalion, she oversees most training at the depot, from the drill instructor school to recruit martial arts.
Whoever thinks women don’t belong in the Corps hasn’t dared tell Simmons, a three-time combat veteran who served in Iraq and Afghanistan.
“No one treats me special. They treat me like a sergeant major in the Marine Corps, and I demand that respect, whether I’m on the depot or at Camp Pendleton, anywhere,” Simmons said.
read more here
Marine Corps seeks more female leaders, at boot camp and beyond
By Gretel C. Kovach
APRIL 6, 2013
On Monday nights when shaggy-haired young men with restless video-game thumbs hustle off the bus at the recruit depot in San Diego, one of the first Marines they see is a woman.
Sgt. Maj. Jennifer Simmons, standing straight-backed under her “Smokey Bear” hat — the iconic campaign cover of a Marine drill instructor — is a regular at recruit pickup, when the 12-week transformation from civilian to Marine begins.
As senior enlisted leader of Support Battalion, she oversees most training at the depot, from the drill instructor school to recruit martial arts.
Whoever thinks women don’t belong in the Corps hasn’t dared tell Simmons, a three-time combat veteran who served in Iraq and Afghanistan.
“No one treats me special. They treat me like a sergeant major in the Marine Corps, and I demand that respect, whether I’m on the depot or at Camp Pendleton, anywhere,” Simmons said.
read more here
How do soldiers cope on their return to civilian life
From the UK
Battle scarred: How do soldiers cope on their return to civilian life?
Published: Mon, April 8, 2013
EVERY year 20,000 people leave the armed forces, but film–maker Chris Terrill reveals some simply find it too hard to handle.
Being shot at is terrifying but exciting. If you can hear the eerie whistle a bullet makes as it rips through the air you know it can be no more than a couple of feet from your head. Soldiers on the front line in Afghanistan refer to these near miss bullets as "lead wasps".
I don't shoot with a weapon, I shoot with a camera but often I've had to dive for cover as lead wasps swarmed in from a Taliban nest. I prayed the bullets wouldn't find their mark; that the wasps wouldn't deliver their deadly sting. Conversely the adrenalin coursing through my body at these times gave me a rush like nothing I've ever known before.
I first came under enemy fire with a troop of Royal Marine Commandos ambushed by insurgents in the Helmand valley. It was then I experienced not only the thrill and fear of battle but also the extraordinary selfless comradeship that binds combat soldiers on the front line.
The bond between them is not replicated in the civilian world. War is war. Nothing else comes close to its challenges, its chilling excitement or the kill–or–be–killed experience of it. I have seen the rugged determination that drives soldiers in combat. I have seen the haunted, exhausted look in their eyes after enemy contact. I have witnessed their night terrors following the elimination of their foes and the grief and anger that grips them when comrades are lost or wounded.
Make no mistake, going to war changes a man's view of the world; it changes his view of himself; it radically recalibrates his mindset. But at least he is with like–minded comrades. To be part of this band of brothers is not only life affirming but spiritually reinforcing.
The problem is that military people, combat veterans among them, must eventually become civilians again – and there's the rub. They have to leave the "safe" haven of military life with its unifying ethos and embracing comradeship. Suddenly they are in the dogeat–dog world of civvy street where no one marches in step and everyone seems out for themselves.
read more here
Battle scarred: How do soldiers cope on their return to civilian life?
Published: Mon, April 8, 2013
EVERY year 20,000 people leave the armed forces, but film–maker Chris Terrill reveals some simply find it too hard to handle.
Being shot at is terrifying but exciting. If you can hear the eerie whistle a bullet makes as it rips through the air you know it can be no more than a couple of feet from your head. Soldiers on the front line in Afghanistan refer to these near miss bullets as "lead wasps".
I don't shoot with a weapon, I shoot with a camera but often I've had to dive for cover as lead wasps swarmed in from a Taliban nest. I prayed the bullets wouldn't find their mark; that the wasps wouldn't deliver their deadly sting. Conversely the adrenalin coursing through my body at these times gave me a rush like nothing I've ever known before.
I first came under enemy fire with a troop of Royal Marine Commandos ambushed by insurgents in the Helmand valley. It was then I experienced not only the thrill and fear of battle but also the extraordinary selfless comradeship that binds combat soldiers on the front line.
The bond between them is not replicated in the civilian world. War is war. Nothing else comes close to its challenges, its chilling excitement or the kill–or–be–killed experience of it. I have seen the rugged determination that drives soldiers in combat. I have seen the haunted, exhausted look in their eyes after enemy contact. I have witnessed their night terrors following the elimination of their foes and the grief and anger that grips them when comrades are lost or wounded.
Make no mistake, going to war changes a man's view of the world; it changes his view of himself; it radically recalibrates his mindset. But at least he is with like–minded comrades. To be part of this band of brothers is not only life affirming but spiritually reinforcing.
The problem is that military people, combat veterans among them, must eventually become civilians again – and there's the rub. They have to leave the "safe" haven of military life with its unifying ethos and embracing comradeship. Suddenly they are in the dogeat–dog world of civvy street where no one marches in step and everyone seems out for themselves.
read more here
Resilience training puts PTSD into irrational beliefs!
Getting really tired of seeing that the DOD has been pushing on our troops. If they haven't caught a clue yet by the military suicides, they never will. DOD pushes new "resilience" program, get ready for more suicides This is what is part of the "training" they have been getting.
Survivor Personalities and The Resiliency Advantage Adapted From Dr. Al Siebert: The Resiliency Center • Resiliency is not inborn, it is learned • Resiliency …results from self-motivated, self-managed learning • Resiliency is something a person does, it is not something they have. It is an interactive process • Each person’s way of being resilient is unique to them and is appropriate for the circumstances they interact with • The effort to survive and overcome an adversity can transform a person into being stronger and better than they were before (PTG) • Resiliency can be increased and strengthened at any age • Resiliency correlates to strong immune system activity, which is linked to better health and long-lifeWRT Color Coded Slides • As you master the WRT material, note the color coded terms. They will assist you to master WRT more quickly, and serve as a quick review when necessary. It is all about practice! • WRT, Resiliency, Virtue and Character Strengths and Rationality are in blue signifying calm and self-control • Warrior, Warrior Ethos, Thriving and Post Traumatic Growth (PTG) are in Army green, signifying growth and duty • Irrational beliefs, Combat Operational Stress Reactions (COSR), PTSD and other risk factors are in red, signaling “at risk” or caution! • If you or another Soldier is “at risk” see a provider immediately! WRT is for informational purposes and does not replace professional counseling when necessary!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)