Va. mental health inspector quits over Deeds report
The Virginian-Pilot
By Julian Walker
March 5, 2014
RICHMOND
State Sen. Creigh Deeds reacted with dismay Tuesday to news that the state investigator probing the circumstances preceding his son's death has resigned.
In his resignation letter, G. Douglas Bevelacqua said he was quitting because of officials meddling with his work.
"It would be a grave disappointment to me if the investigation were sanitized," Deeds told reporters during a brief interview, in which he complimented Bevelacqua.
Since 2010, Bevelacqua had served as inspector general for behavioral health and developmental services, a unit of state government now under the Office of the State Inspector General.
Bevelacqua remained with that agency, keeping his focus on mental health issues. As such, he oversaw the inquiry into the Nov. 19 death of Deeds' son, 24-year-old Austin "Gus" Deeds, who stabbed his father at their Bath County home before taking his own life hours after undergoing a mental health evaluation.
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Wednesday, March 5, 2014
Veterans due "care and benefits they’ve earned and deserve"
VA budget to get $10.1 billion increase under White House plan
Stars and Stripes
By Matthew M. Burke
Published: March 5, 2014
President Barack Obama’s budget proposal for fiscal year 2015, which was unveiled Tuesday, includes $163.9 billion for the Department of Veterans Affairs — a $10.1 billion increase over current funding levels, officials said.
The budget features $59.1 billion for medical care, approximately $1.6 billion to prevent or reduce veterans’ homelessness and $312 million for burgeoning technologies that officials hope will address the claims backlog and help them meet 2015 elimination goals, according to a VA statement.
The budget also features $1 billion for veterans’ job programs.
“This budget will allow us to continue the progress we have made in helping Veterans secure their place in the middle class,” Secretary of Veterans Affairs Eric Shinseki said in the statement. “It is a tangible demonstration of the President’s commitment to ensuring Veterans and their families have the care and benefits they’ve earned and deserve.”
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Stars and Stripes
By Matthew M. Burke
Published: March 5, 2014
President Barack Obama’s budget proposal for fiscal year 2015, which was unveiled Tuesday, includes $163.9 billion for the Department of Veterans Affairs — a $10.1 billion increase over current funding levels, officials said.
The budget features $59.1 billion for medical care, approximately $1.6 billion to prevent or reduce veterans’ homelessness and $312 million for burgeoning technologies that officials hope will address the claims backlog and help them meet 2015 elimination goals, according to a VA statement.
The budget also features $1 billion for veterans’ job programs.
“This budget will allow us to continue the progress we have made in helping Veterans secure their place in the middle class,” Secretary of Veterans Affairs Eric Shinseki said in the statement. “It is a tangible demonstration of the President’s commitment to ensuring Veterans and their families have the care and benefits they’ve earned and deserve.”
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Army "husbands" feel left out when wives wear the boots
Role of men married to female soldiers still evolving
Fort Hood Herald
Rose L Thayer
Herald staff writer
March 5, 2014
Kyle Tomaszewski married his high school sweetheart more than three years ago. His wife decided during nursing school to join the Army as a medic.
“She wanted something more out of life,” said Tomaszewski, 23. “She wanted to feel like she could help people and make a difference.”
After she attended basic training, he quit his job as a quality engineer in Wisconsin and joined his wife at Fort Hood. She’s now deployed to Korea with 1st Battalion, 12th Cavalry Regiment, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division. With no career options in his field available locally, he now attends nursing school at Central Texas College.
As the Army continues to open job positions and units to women and studies the best way to bring women into a predominately male world, male spouses of female soldiers struggle to determine what it means to be an Army husband.
As a male military spouse, Tomaszewski is not alone. At Fort Hood, more than 3,500 of the post’s 6,836 female soldiers are married. In total, female soldiers make up about 16 percent of the Fort Hood population.
When it comes to events for Army spouses, many of them are geared toward women. It’s something Tomaszewski has seen time and time again, including a recent event where he said Army spouse participates received a free makeup kit.
Tomaszewski has not joined any military spouse groups or the unit’s family readiness group. He’s heard bad things about them, he said, and many of the events are geared toward Army wives or people with children.
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Fort Hood Herald
Rose L Thayer
Herald staff writer
March 5, 2014
Kyle Tomaszewski married his high school sweetheart more than three years ago. His wife decided during nursing school to join the Army as a medic.
“She wanted something more out of life,” said Tomaszewski, 23. “She wanted to feel like she could help people and make a difference.”
After she attended basic training, he quit his job as a quality engineer in Wisconsin and joined his wife at Fort Hood. She’s now deployed to Korea with 1st Battalion, 12th Cavalry Regiment, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division. With no career options in his field available locally, he now attends nursing school at Central Texas College.
As the Army continues to open job positions and units to women and studies the best way to bring women into a predominately male world, male spouses of female soldiers struggle to determine what it means to be an Army husband.
As a male military spouse, Tomaszewski is not alone. At Fort Hood, more than 3,500 of the post’s 6,836 female soldiers are married. In total, female soldiers make up about 16 percent of the Fort Hood population.
When it comes to events for Army spouses, many of them are geared toward women. It’s something Tomaszewski has seen time and time again, including a recent event where he said Army spouse participates received a free makeup kit.
Tomaszewski has not joined any military spouse groups or the unit’s family readiness group. He’s heard bad things about them, he said, and many of the events are geared toward Army wives or people with children.
read more here
Is it too late to apologize to Vietnam Veterans?
Is it too late to apologize to Vietnam Veterans?
Wounded Times
Kathie Costos
March 5, 2014
When we read about Afghanistan and Iraq veterans, we get upset. They have to wait too long to have their claims approved. They have a hard time finding jobs. We read about them committing suicide. We read about them facing off with police officers. We read about Combat Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. What we don't read about is how long all of this has been going on and that is the saddest thing of all.
If you Google Department of Veterans Affairs PTSD 1970 113,000 results pop up. The first page is about VA claims decisions being granted to Vietnam Veterans.
There is a case among them from a Sailor out of Alaska.
Bad things happen now but as you just read, they were happening way back then too.
Sgt. Santiago J. Erevia earned the Medal of Honor in Vietnam in 1969. He is finally getting the Medal of Honor this month.
MOH Sammy Davis also went on to serve in the National Guard after his actions in Vietnam saved lives and he earned the Medal of Honor. He was attacked in an airport after being treated for his wounds.
As bad as things are for veterans of today, we cannot forget that had it not been for Vietnam Veterans not giving up on the rest of us, there would be nothing available for PTSD treatment today. All these years later, they remain the majority of the VA claims at 36% and the among the backlog of claims they represent 36% of the claims taking longer than 125 days. They are the majority of homeless veterans and suicides tied to military service. The American public does not know any of this but Vietnam veterans and families know the truth all too well.
Do they want to hear "I'm sorry" from you or anyone else? Not really. How would a few words take away 50 years of what was done to them? What is meaningful to them is what is happening to the adult kids and grandchildren suffering from the same mistreatment after all these years. They wonder what all their suffering meant if it is all still happening.
If this country really wants to honor Vietnam veterans then we better hurry up and get to the point where this is all taken seriously enough for us to do something about it.
Members of Congress continue to play political games pretending outrage as if all of this is new but we know it isn't. The press, lovers of the pushing what divides Americans, ignore what history has already proven so they can cause the public to look the other way. The truth is none of the politicians have actually done anything to fix any of this for the good of all.
What can you do for them? The next time you read an article check the facts. Look back at other reports available online from other news outlets, not blogs or Facebook rants. Know what was reported before and then leave a comment since most sites allow comments. Help to educated the public at the same time you give reporters a history lesson. Contact members of Congress and remind them of how long they have already have to fix all of these problems veterans face.
If not, then what comes 30 years from now will be a repeat of what happened to Vietnam veterans and being a grateful nation will be nothing more than a slogan on a poster.
Wounded Times
Kathie Costos
March 5, 2014
If you Google Department of Veterans Affairs PTSD 1970 113,000 results pop up. The first page is about VA claims decisions being granted to Vietnam Veterans.
There is a case among them from a Sailor out of Alaska.
At a hearing before the Board in September 2011, the Veteran testified that he was stationed in Adak, Alaska for six months while serving in the Navy. He reported that he worked in shipping and receiving and was in charge of storing and sorting office supplies. The Veteran testified that he was raped during that time by an E-4 in the Navy. The Veteran reported that the assault consisted of his perpetrator hitting him in the face and stomach and then taking off his pants and raping him. He stated that he did not report the assault because he was devastated and shocked and did not want to be labeled a "homo" by other soldiers. He indicated that he began to have problems with his rectal area after the assault but never sought treatment. He sought a release from service six months after entering service. The Veteran testified that he waited twenty-one years before he reported that assault until September 11, 2001, when he was watching people jump from windows and had a breakdown.
Bad things happen now but as you just read, they were happening way back then too.
Sgt. Santiago J. Erevia earned the Medal of Honor in Vietnam in 1969. He is finally getting the Medal of Honor this month.
“We were delegated to go get the bodies from the helicopter,” Erevia continued. “I can remember one that they took out. He had no legs, just the upper body. I don’t know if you’ve ever seen a body or like when you’re barbequing hamburgers or chicken and all that blood is coming out? That made me the sickest man in the world.”
It seemed as though he couldn’t escape the violence. In fact, the events of that day were so traumatic and disturbing that Erevia’s commander sent him on a weeklong rest-and-relaxation trip to Da Nang, not only as a small reward for his bravery, but to help him recover. Like many troops in Vietnam, Erevia then spent the remainder of his yearlong deployment performing administrative tasks in the rear at Landing Zone Sally, delivering meals or replacing Soldiers’ used uniforms with clean ones.
After Vietnam, Erevia finished his tour at Fort Riley, Kan., and went back to San Antonio, where he joined the Texas National Guard and served for another 17 years. He received the nation’s second highest award for valor, the Distinguished Service Cross, in 1970, and he thought that was the end of it. It was an honor, one that he was proud of, one that helped him get a good job as a mail carrier for the U.S. Postal Service (a job he held for the next 32 years), but he was never one to brag about his accomplishments. He didn’t want to talk about Vietnam. He just wanted to move past what had happened: “I didn’t give it too much thought. You know, you go from day-to-day, do what you’re told.”
MOH Sammy Davis also went on to serve in the National Guard after his actions in Vietnam saved lives and he earned the Medal of Honor. He was attacked in an airport after being treated for his wounds.
As bad as things are for veterans of today, we cannot forget that had it not been for Vietnam Veterans not giving up on the rest of us, there would be nothing available for PTSD treatment today. All these years later, they remain the majority of the VA claims at 36% and the among the backlog of claims they represent 36% of the claims taking longer than 125 days. They are the majority of homeless veterans and suicides tied to military service. The American public does not know any of this but Vietnam veterans and families know the truth all too well.
Do they want to hear "I'm sorry" from you or anyone else? Not really. How would a few words take away 50 years of what was done to them? What is meaningful to them is what is happening to the adult kids and grandchildren suffering from the same mistreatment after all these years. They wonder what all their suffering meant if it is all still happening.
If this country really wants to honor Vietnam veterans then we better hurry up and get to the point where this is all taken seriously enough for us to do something about it.
Members of Congress continue to play political games pretending outrage as if all of this is new but we know it isn't. The press, lovers of the pushing what divides Americans, ignore what history has already proven so they can cause the public to look the other way. The truth is none of the politicians have actually done anything to fix any of this for the good of all.
What can you do for them? The next time you read an article check the facts. Look back at other reports available online from other news outlets, not blogs or Facebook rants. Know what was reported before and then leave a comment since most sites allow comments. Help to educated the public at the same time you give reporters a history lesson. Contact members of Congress and remind them of how long they have already have to fix all of these problems veterans face.
If not, then what comes 30 years from now will be a repeat of what happened to Vietnam veterans and being a grateful nation will be nothing more than a slogan on a poster.
Fort Campbell Vietnam Veteran to Receive Medal of Honor
Former Fort Campbell Soldier, Vietnam hero to receive Congressional Medal of Honor
Clarksville Online
Elizabeth M. Collins Soldiers Live
March 4, 2014
It was the year Martin Luther King Jr. and Robert F. Kennedy were both assassinated. It was also the year the Vietnam War exploded into new levels of violence. And as troops poured into ‘Nam and more and more young men died — 1968 was the deadliest year of the Vietnam War — Americans watched it all from their living rooms with anger and disgust. The protest movement gained traction.
Protesters spit on returning Soldiers, called them rapists and baby killers. In fact, the U.S. agreed to begin peace talks in Paris that year, due in part to the dwindling support at home.
It was also the year Santiago Erevia became a Soldier.
He had been scraping by, working in restaurants in San Antonio. The future stretched before him, an endless sea of dead-end job after dead-end job. So he volunteered. If you volunteered versus being drafted, it meant fewer years of service, he explained. He knew he would end up in Vietnam, but he figured the Army would give him a lot of opportunities he wouldn’t have if he stayed in Texas. Erevia knew what he was risking — a friend had just come home horribly wounded and disfigured after only a month in combat and many more months in the hospital.
“People take their chances,” Erevia said. It didn’t mean anything would happen to him.
read more here
Clarksville Online
Elizabeth M. Collins Soldiers Live
March 4, 2014
Sgt. Santiago J. Erevia will be awarded the Medal of Honor for actions near Tam Ky in May 1969. (DOD)Washington, DC – The year was 1968. It was a year of war, of protests, of death.
It was the year Martin Luther King Jr. and Robert F. Kennedy were both assassinated. It was also the year the Vietnam War exploded into new levels of violence. And as troops poured into ‘Nam and more and more young men died — 1968 was the deadliest year of the Vietnam War — Americans watched it all from their living rooms with anger and disgust. The protest movement gained traction.
Protesters spit on returning Soldiers, called them rapists and baby killers. In fact, the U.S. agreed to begin peace talks in Paris that year, due in part to the dwindling support at home.
It was also the year Santiago Erevia became a Soldier.
He had been scraping by, working in restaurants in San Antonio. The future stretched before him, an endless sea of dead-end job after dead-end job. So he volunteered. If you volunteered versus being drafted, it meant fewer years of service, he explained. He knew he would end up in Vietnam, but he figured the Army would give him a lot of opportunities he wouldn’t have if he stayed in Texas. Erevia knew what he was risking — a friend had just come home horribly wounded and disfigured after only a month in combat and many more months in the hospital.
“People take their chances,” Erevia said. It didn’t mean anything would happen to him.
read more here
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