Oregon war veteran in custody after manhunt

Manhunt for possible armed man prompts Thurston HS lockdown
By KVAL News
Published: Apr 10, 2013

SPRINGFIELD, Ore. - While police search for a possibly armed war veteran with PTSD, Thurston High School went Code Blue and locked down the campus Wednesday morning.

Students were never in any danger, police later said. The wanted man was not armed when he was taken into custody.
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Police officer found dead in New Jersey Park

Veteran police officer found dead in Union County park in apparent suicide
By Tom Haydon and Tom Wright-Piersanti
The Star-Ledger

UNION TOWNSHIP — The body of a 25-year veteran of the Union County Police Department was found in a township park this morning, the victim of an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound, authorities said.

The 50-year-old officer, who has not been identified, apparently shot himself while seated on a metal bench running alongside the first-base line of a small softball field at Kawameeh Park, said Sebastian D’Elia, Union County communications director.

The officer, whose body was was discovered by a passerby just before 8 a.m., was not in uniform or on duty, D’Elia said.

This is the second park-related public suicide in less than a week in New Jersey. Last Friday, a Carteret man was found hanging from a tennis court fence post at Carteret Park, next to Carteret Middle School.
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More money for military "suicide prevention"

If they are planning on using that money on what they have already been doing, more suicides are to come. Then again, since so few reporters are on top of all of this, when the DOD brass come out in two years and say "suicides are down" they won't mention the fact that two wars will be over any more than they will take responsibility for OEF and OIF veteran suicides increasing.

The FY 2014 proposed budget includes a 4.2 percent average rate increase in Basic Allowance for Housing (BAH) to $21 billion and a 3.4 percent increase in Basic Allowance for Subsistence (BAS) to $5 billion. The FY 2014 budget also contains $49.4 billion to fully fund the Military Health System and to continue providing high-quality care to military personnel on active duty, their dependents, and retirees.

DoD’s budget request also seeks $8.5 billion in family support – for DoD schools, commissaries, counseling, child care, and other programs. In addition, the department will continue to invest in critical programs such as assistance to help veterans transition to civilian life, wounded warrior care, suicide prevention, and sexual assault prevention and response.

How much do you want to bet they think no one will complain about spending money on the troops no matter what damage it causes them? Like I said a long time ago, I wouldn't care how much they were spending as long as the results were less suicides, less attempted suicides, less suffering from PTSD and TBI and less families visiting graves.

Defense Department budget unveiled; takes fire from all sides
By Chris Carroll and Leo Shane III Stars and Stripes Published: April 10, 2013

Iraq veteran dying after exposure to uranium has to pay for treatment

This is from the UK. It is important for 2 reasons. One is that the UK won't pay to treat her, which is disgraceful but the other reason is, our troops were there too.

Soldier dying after being exposed to uranium in Iraq must raise £110,000 for treatment because the NHS can't help her
Katrina Brown, 30, was exposed to radioactive material in Basra
Diagnosed with rare systemic sclerosis which is slowly attacking her organs
She believes the illness is linked to exposure to depleted uranium
Says her only hope is having stem-cell transplant to regenerate her organs
By ANNA HODGEKISS
PUBLISHED: 07:47 EST, 3 April 2013

A soldier who developed a deadly illness after being exposed to uranium in Iraq is facing a race against time to raise the money she needs for potentially life-saving treatment.

Katrina Brown, 30, was exposed to radioactive material while serving as a medic at a 600-bed military clinic in Basra in 2003.

She was diagnosed with rare systemic sclerosis in 2008 which is slowly attacking her major organs - and will eventually lead to her death if left untreated.

Mrs Brown, who joined the Army at the age of 17, believes the illness is linked to exposure to depleted uranium.
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Army's answer to military sexual assaults, simulate them

Army's answer to military sexual assaults, simulate them! WTF! Are they letting 18 year olds design these "programs" without adult supervision or what? This same company Will Interactive is tied to Comprehensive Soldier Fitness and you can find more on their site plus US Army Training and Doctrine Command

Army employs video game to help curb sex assaults; critics call it 'affront'
By Bill Briggs
NBC News contributor
April 10, 2013

The Army is using an interactive video game to train soldiers how to prevent sexual assaults in the ranks, and the technology has proven so popular, the branch just ordered a sequel, according to a spokesman for the company behind the video.

But advocates for military-rape survivors vilify the video — and the philosophy behind it — as “a waste of taxpayer dollars,” an “affront to victims of sexual assault” and a tool “of limited value.”

Titled “Team-Bound,” the program streams laptop-generated scenarios, allowing users to assume the roles of a male or female specialist who witness on-base sexual harassments and eventually — at a bar favored by soldiers — the warning signs of an alcohol-induced date rape. Players must choose multiple responses throughout the episodes then watch the consequences of either intervening or ignoring the observed behaviors.

If the video’s users pick passive reactions, an intoxicated female private is eventually raped in an Army barracks after leaving the bar with an aggressive, male private. In the video, the victim is shown ultimately reporting the attack then opting to leave the service, prompting an Army official to tell viewers: “A life damaged, a career ended, a unit falling apart. But it didn’t have to be this way. All you had to do was stand up and be strong.”
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