Rolling Thunder 2013(Go to the link above for the video and more great pictures.)
Veterans, POWs Honored In Nation's Capital With Annual Motorcycle Rally (PHOTOS) (VIDEO)
Posted: 05/27/2013
WASHINGTON -- On Sunday, many thousands of motorcyclists rode from the Pentagon to the National Mall, ending their 10-mile trip near the Lincoln Memorial.
Rolling Thunder 2013
2013 marks the 26th Rolling Thunder -- an annual rally that honors veterans and fallen soldiers, and raises awareness about prisoners of war and soldiers who are missing in action.
By some estimates, this year's event brought some 500,000 riders to the nation's capital.
Monday, May 27, 2013
Washington taken over by rev of half a million motorcycles
Former VA Employee claims retaliation over doing the right thing
A veteran reached out and wanted his story told. I have no means to verify his story so I told him he could do a guest post and I would post it.
If you are a reporter, I can put you in touch with him. If his story is true, then it means there is a lot more going on with our veterans than we knew about.
If you are a reporter, I can put you in touch with him. If his story is true, then it means there is a lot more going on with our veterans than we knew about.
Guest Post
Former VA Employee claims retaliation over doing the right thing
A Veteran and former Veterans Affairs employee turned whistleblower filed a complaint of retaliation and reprisal with the Office of Special Counsel against VA Officials at the West Los Angeles VA Medical Center.
The former employee and whistleblower named Oliver Mitchell was employed at the nations largest VA Medical Center in the Radiology department. In light of recent news regarding the Veterans Affairs Mr. Mitchell alleges officials are retaliating against him for his whistleblower complaint filed in March 2009. In that complaint the whistleblower alleges management officials instructed him to delete a 10 year backlog of orders and service request for the Radiology Imaging Department.
The whistleblower states he refused that order and was subjected to harassment and retaliation. Additionally, the complaint alleges VA Officials retaliated against Mr. Mitchell after he reported another VA employee who threatened to shoot Mr. Mitchell on VA grounds citing “he was a threat to management.” Mr. Mitchell says that after he reported the incidents to hospital administrators the Chief of Staff began ordering psychiatric evaluations of the veteran. Mr. Mitchell states that in an effort to silence him management officials tried to coerce him to have his tonsils removed. As a result, the whistleblower says he was prompted to file a HIPPA complaint alleging retaliation and manipulation of his VA healthcare services.
Ultimately, Mr. Mitchell was forced to resign in March 2011. The veteran says that in the 2 years since his resignation the agency has continued to discriminate against him. He has filed several complaints for retaliation based on his prior EEO and Whistleblower activity. In his new complaint, Mitchell states on March 4, 2013 a VA Official told him the Los Angeles VA was making him a target. As such the whistleblower says he believed the comment to be a threat and combined with some recent events that had occurred in Mobile, Alabama he felt his life was in danger, prompting the new complaint to Special Counsel.
Additionally, the whistleblower alleges that on April 4, 2013 the same VA Official stated “management officials at the Los Angeles VA Medical Center were set out to destroy, ruin and hurt the veteran because of his 2009 complaint. The official continued saying, she didn’t feel this would ever end, they are doing things to draw you back in.” The veteran says that since his resignation he’s had little to no contact with the VA and he cant understand why officials are still targeting and retaliating against him. At the time of this story Mr. Mitchell told The Bronx Times that within the last year he has received several death threats to include having his home broken into while in Alabama. He continued, saying the retaliation did not escalate until November 2011 when a VA employee began questioning him about his complaints. He said despite being fearful for his life he has reached out to VA Officials in DC to address the situation.
This same story is posted at Bronx Times.
Also I invite you to see my blog at veteranwhistleblower.blogspot.com. These people are really trying to kill me by any means necessary.
Sunday, May 26, 2013
If you care, ask them what they need
Last week I put up a post saying that I was in need of emergency donations to cover the long list of events I was supposed to be covering this weekend. I know people read it but not one of them thought to respond. It makes my wonder what it would be like if I did the same to other people asking me for help. What if I said "let someone else do it" instead of wondering what I can do for them?
I sent out a couple of emails to people I know about this and one person called me. She didn't ask what I needed. She was too busy telling me that maybe God was telling me it was time to stop doing what I do. After all, it has been long enough. She didn't seem to understand that if God wanted me to stop this, He would get the phone to stop ringing and the emails to stop coming in. She was so busy telling me what I needed to do that she didn't ask what happened or why I needed the money. She told me she would pray for me. I got off the phone actually feeling worse. It isn't that I do not believe in the power of prayers. I really do believe God hears prayers and one way or another, He comes through but He has to work with other people to answer most of the prayers we offer up. What I don't believe in is when I hear someone say they will pray for someone without one single clue about what they need. I felt as if I didn't even matter enough for her to listen to me or help with what I needed. She turned it over to God and hung up the phone.
How is it helpful to anyone to ignore them? To not care about what they need? To not even wonder if what they need is something you can give? How is it helpful to not even take the time to listen and let them know you at least care enough to give your time?
That is what is happening right now to our veterans and their families. I am sure if you think about how many times you were in need of help and no one came, what it felt like. How did it feel to know you found the courage to ask for help and no one did? The need for them is great and growing stronger while they are running out of hope. We know that because the number of veterans taking their own lives along with active duty war fighters has also gone up. The only reason people commit suicides is when they run out of hope tomorrow can be better than what "right now" is for them.
The Department of Defense says year after year they are doing this or doing that but it is always the same failed attempts followed by "we don't know why" instead of asking what they are missing. Asking the men and women they trained to tell them what they need would go a long way. Maybe it would be a good idea to have an honest discussion with survivors of attempted suicides? After all they had over 900 of them last year alone. Oh, sorry, something else no one wants to talk about.
Better than nothing is often worse than anything. It is time for the people in charge to actually ask what is needed instead of deciding what they are willing to give. The veterans are in worse shape because of all the "attempts" the military did because they never listened to what the troops had to say.
I sent out a couple of emails to people I know about this and one person called me. She didn't ask what I needed. She was too busy telling me that maybe God was telling me it was time to stop doing what I do. After all, it has been long enough. She didn't seem to understand that if God wanted me to stop this, He would get the phone to stop ringing and the emails to stop coming in. She was so busy telling me what I needed to do that she didn't ask what happened or why I needed the money. She told me she would pray for me. I got off the phone actually feeling worse. It isn't that I do not believe in the power of prayers. I really do believe God hears prayers and one way or another, He comes through but He has to work with other people to answer most of the prayers we offer up. What I don't believe in is when I hear someone say they will pray for someone without one single clue about what they need. I felt as if I didn't even matter enough for her to listen to me or help with what I needed. She turned it over to God and hung up the phone.
How is it helpful to anyone to ignore them? To not care about what they need? To not even wonder if what they need is something you can give? How is it helpful to not even take the time to listen and let them know you at least care enough to give your time?
That is what is happening right now to our veterans and their families. I am sure if you think about how many times you were in need of help and no one came, what it felt like. How did it feel to know you found the courage to ask for help and no one did? The need for them is great and growing stronger while they are running out of hope. We know that because the number of veterans taking their own lives along with active duty war fighters has also gone up. The only reason people commit suicides is when they run out of hope tomorrow can be better than what "right now" is for them.
The Department of Defense says year after year they are doing this or doing that but it is always the same failed attempts followed by "we don't know why" instead of asking what they are missing. Asking the men and women they trained to tell them what they need would go a long way. Maybe it would be a good idea to have an honest discussion with survivors of attempted suicides? After all they had over 900 of them last year alone. Oh, sorry, something else no one wants to talk about.
Better than nothing is often worse than anything. It is time for the people in charge to actually ask what is needed instead of deciding what they are willing to give. The veterans are in worse shape because of all the "attempts" the military did because they never listened to what the troops had to say.
'Open season' for sex at Alaskan base, military officials say
'Open season' for sex at Alaskan base, military officials say
By Jim Miklaszewski and Courtney Kube
NBC News
May 25, 2013
An Army battalion commander at the Space and Missile Defense Command at Fort Greely, Alaska, is under investigation for allegedly "condoning" adultery and creating an "open season" climate when it comes to sexual activity among the troops, military and defense officials tell NBC News.
According to one military official, "It's as if that was the only thing to do" at the remote Alaska base.
As of now, there appear to be no allegations of sexual assault involved in the investigation. The sources report there are allegations that an officer or officers had sexual relations with female soldiers under their command.
read more here
By Jim Miklaszewski and Courtney Kube
NBC News
May 25, 2013
An Army battalion commander at the Space and Missile Defense Command at Fort Greely, Alaska, is under investigation for allegedly "condoning" adultery and creating an "open season" climate when it comes to sexual activity among the troops, military and defense officials tell NBC News.
According to one military official, "It's as if that was the only thing to do" at the remote Alaska base.
As of now, there appear to be no allegations of sexual assault involved in the investigation. The sources report there are allegations that an officer or officers had sexual relations with female soldiers under their command.
read more here
Iraq veteran faces another fight for life here at home
Injured Iraq veteran and Trinity High grad faces battles abroad and at home
Courier Journal
Written by
Chris Kenning
May 25, 2013
He’d joined the Army alongside his best friend at age 18, the ink on his 2005 Trinity High diploma barely dry.
Within two years, Brandon Welch was fighting in Iraq at the peak of insurgent violence — enduring firefights, helping blow open doors in midnight raids on homes full of screaming women, putting dead U.S. soldiers into body bags and watching children caught in the crossfire as Sunni and Shiite militants slaughtered each other.
About 10 months into his deployment, he suffered a traumatic brain injury when a roadside bomb exploded as he was rushing wounded Iraqi soldiers to a helicopter.
The injury ended his deployment, and at 22, Welch left the Army and returned to Louisville, only to face another battle — one that on this Memorial Day weekend reflects the continuing toll that America’s post-9/11 military campaigns have taken on veterans.
The brain injury damaged his balance and short-term memory. Post-traumatic stress stopped him from working, and often he would wake up screaming. He felt anxious and haunted.
Then in 2011, the best friend he’d enlisted with, a fellow Iraq war veteran who was also struggling, killed himself with a rifle. Even as he grieved, Welch decided to seek more intensive help from a veterans hospital — and today he says he’s doing better, though still faces ongoing struggles.
read more here
Courier Journal
Written by
Chris Kenning
May 25, 2013
He’d joined the Army alongside his best friend at age 18, the ink on his 2005 Trinity High diploma barely dry.
Within two years, Brandon Welch was fighting in Iraq at the peak of insurgent violence — enduring firefights, helping blow open doors in midnight raids on homes full of screaming women, putting dead U.S. soldiers into body bags and watching children caught in the crossfire as Sunni and Shiite militants slaughtered each other.
About 10 months into his deployment, he suffered a traumatic brain injury when a roadside bomb exploded as he was rushing wounded Iraqi soldiers to a helicopter.
The injury ended his deployment, and at 22, Welch left the Army and returned to Louisville, only to face another battle — one that on this Memorial Day weekend reflects the continuing toll that America’s post-9/11 military campaigns have taken on veterans.
The brain injury damaged his balance and short-term memory. Post-traumatic stress stopped him from working, and often he would wake up screaming. He felt anxious and haunted.
Then in 2011, the best friend he’d enlisted with, a fellow Iraq war veteran who was also struggling, killed himself with a rifle. Even as he grieved, Welch decided to seek more intensive help from a veterans hospital — and today he says he’s doing better, though still faces ongoing struggles.
read more here
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