‘Horrific’ veteran deaths covered up in Oklahoma state-run nursing home, insiders say
Tulsa World
By Andrea Eger
March 5, 2017
“We’re all gonna die. Kevin’s gonna die. But it’s gonna be on God’s time – not because you neglected him or failed to do your job!” said Molly Kimbrough.
Molly Kimbrough kisses her brother Kevin Kimbrough goodbye after a visit at the Talihina Veterans Center on Feb. 28. MIKE SIMONS/Tulsa World
Kevin Kimbrough survived 13 months of combat in Vietnam and the related post-traumatic stress disorder that plunged him into a dozen years of self-medicating with alcohol and drugs.
Between 2013 and early 2015, he even survived a major stroke and the amputations of both of his legs.
But two years at the Oklahoma Veterans Center in Talihina has left him battered and bruised, and two months ago, on the brink of death. His sister, who moved halfway across the country to see to his care, has had enough. She’s transferring him to a state veterans home in Fayetteville, Arkansas, where the patient-to-aide ratio is a fourth of what it is at Talihina.
“I don’t think it’s a Talihina problem,” said a high-ranking staffer. “The system is sick and it starts from the top down.”
The individual added: “There are deaths the public isn’t even aware of and there have been a lot more near-misses — lab work not done in a timely fashion or not at all; one nurse having to pass meds to 50 people within one hour of a meal; three aides to feed, toilet and clean 50 patients on a unit. When you spread people that thin, bad things are going to happen. And it’s veterans who are suffering.”
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This is one of the "horrific deaths"
Died a ‘horrific’ death
The Tulsa World began its investigation after the Oct. 3 death of Vietnam veteran Owen Reese Peterson, who was found with maggots in his body and later died from sepsis.
State officials have said Peterson needed a morphine pump for pain management but couldn’t get one because the center didn’t have a medical doctor on staff at the time. Insiders say he died a slow, “horrific” death over the course of two months.
Today is the day to honor Sharona Young, Ret. Chief Petty Officer.
She grew up in Minneapolis, MN. the youngest of 5 siblings. Joined the Navy when she was 17 years old on July 28, 1999. Sharona's first duty was station aboard the USS Bataan Wasp-class amphibious assault ship see above photo based out of Norfolk, VA. She spent 4 years on sea duty, loved the experience of being out to sea, meeting other people from different backgrounds and traveling the world. In 2003 she decided to leave active duty and join the Naval Reserves to pursue other goals. Upon completion of associates of science, in radiologic technology she got her FL basic x-ray license in 2005. She also completed a bachelors of science, in management in 2008 from the University of Phoenix. In 2012 while on an active duty assignment to US Africa Command in Molesworth, England she started experiencing a lot of problems with her left foot and left leg. She was also struggling with extreme fatigue and weakness that she could not explain. After a cervical MRI showed inflammation in her spinal cord she went through a series of extensive blood work, brain scans, and optical nerve studies. Sharona was eventually diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis and medically retired as Chief Petty Officer in June 2014.
Currently she lives in Orlando, FL with her daughter Taylor. As she fights through the challenges of PTSD and coping with this invisible disease she has found relief from the daily stressors by participating in adaptive sports and getting involved in the community to assist fellow veterans with transitioning and recovering. These types of activities allow Sharona to meet with fellow veterans that can relate to her situation and understand some of the challenges she faces everyday. Being able to connect with people that can truly understand some of what she is going through, interacting with people who share their personal stories and how they cope is far more therapeutic than going to any therapy sessions she has attended. Sharona looks forward to finding new opportunities and adventures with fellow veterans going forward with her healing process.
Face of Defense: Marine Helps Families of Fallen Service Members Department of Defense By Marine Corps Lance Cpl. Cody Lemons Marine Corps Air Station Cherry Point March 3, 2017
MARINE CORPS AIR STATION CHERRY POINT, N.C., March 3, 2017 — Superheroes come in all sizes and all kinds of disguises -- Marine Corps Sgt. Alicia Hojara is living proof of that.
Sgt. Alicia Hojara Superhero Unmasked
Marine Corps Sgt. Alicia Hojara, center, an instructor at the Naval Aviation Technical Training Unit at Marine Corps Air Station Cherry Point, N.C., holds the flag she received as the Carteret County Chamber of Commerce’s Service Person of the Quarter, Feb. 10, 2017. Master Sgt. Christopher McGuire, left, and Lt. Col. Garrett Randel, right, nominated Hojara for her dedication to giving back to the local community. Randel is the school’s commander and McGuire is the aviation ordnance chief. Marine Corps photo by Lance Cpl. Cody Lemons
In mid-December, the diminutive Marine was surrounded by a theater full of children and their families, their expressions changing from anticipation to hope to laughter in the flickering glow of the big screen. The movie, a new animated feature with comical animal characters and lots of hopeful vocals, seemed to be just what some of these families need at the moment: an escape from real-world worries to a place where they could just relax.
Hojara had left her uniform home, replaced by a different kind of camouflage -- casual clothes, hair at ease, and a gentle expression that put her young charges at ease when they need it the most.
Most other days, you can find Hojara at the front of a classroom of young Marines as they navigate their way through the intricate details of aviation ordnance handling at the Center for Naval Aviation Technical Training Unit here. There's no kid's play here; this is serious work that will prepare the next batch of aviation ordnance Marines to load teeth onto the modern-day dragons that squat across Marine Corps flight lines around the world.
But, from time to time, Hojara slips away like Clark Kent to take on another heroic mission, volunteering her time to help families who have lost an active-duty loved one. Hojara routinely makes time to volunteer for different organizations, such as local humane societies for the protection of animals; Snowball Express, which provides support to families of deceased service members; and her favorite, the Tragedy Assistance Program for Survivors, otherwise known as TAPS.
As Hojara sat in the shadowy theater on a mission with Snowball Express, draped in her invisible cape of good will, she feels the kind of satisfaction that superheroes must experience every time they swoop down and pull a victim a little further from despair. Chalk up one more for the good guys. read more here
Committee changes bill that would expand benefits to vets with PTSD, brain injuries The Day By Julia Bergman Day staff writer March 03. 2017
"We have enough knowledge to know that there is a problem here and generally I don't think a study is going to be helpful. A study is going to simply flesh out what we already know." Rep. Stephen Harding
Hartford — Supporters of a proposal, which would enable certain veterans with post-traumatic stress disorder or a traumatic brain injury to receive state benefits, are discouraged by changes made to the proposed bill that, they say, effectively kill the bill's chances of being passed this session. House Bill 5580, introduced by state Rep. Stephen Harding, R-Brookfield, in its originally proposed form, would've allowed vets, who received an "other than honorable discharge" as a result of being diagnosed with PTSD or TBI, to qualify for state veterans' benefits. The Veterans Affairs' Committee, to which the bill was assigned, changed the language so that it now calls for a study of how many of these vets exist, how much it would cost to provide benefits to them and how that process would be executed.
Rep. Jack Hennessy, D-Bridgeport, co-chair of the veterans committee, said members were concerned that the original proposal would've put the state in a position of making a connection between a vets' diagnosis of PTSD or TBI and his or her so-called "bad paper" discharge. read more here
Scars of War Set In Combat PTSD Wounded Times Kathie Costos March 4, 2017
The thing you missed is that when the euphoria wears off, you came back with a different "you" inside. Homecoming feels great and folks are really happy to see you. You get to eat what you want, go where you want and do what you want to. It feels good to get into your own bed. All of a sudden, nothing feels "normal" to you. That is because PTSD came home with you.
Coming home doesn't have to be filled with heartache and hardships. It all depends on what you are willing to do with what you know how to do. You left your civilian family to deploy with your military family. It doesn't matter where you were heading, which war or decade. It is always the same story. You get trained to be able to fight the battles and protect the others you are with. Sure, you're told about the reasons used to send you, as if you'll get the message it is for the sake of our nation, but the truth is, it is always about the family you risked your life with. You became attached to them. Shared your meals with them. Experienced the same dangers and fears as they did. You endured all the same hardships. They became a part of you and you would have died for them. They would have died for you. When you come home, that detachment from that family, hurts. No one back home can understand what it was like. Too few want to understand and they seem to want you to just go back to the way you were before. Some want to understand but they can't until you explain it to them. If you hold it all in, you push them away. If you do, then they will become more and more distant emotionally. Sooner or later, you figure out that you are alone in your own hell. A hell, partly built by your own actions. The thing is, in combat, you do everything you can to stay alive. So why not do the same when you come home? Why give up so easily? Is it because you think others will judge you for not being tough enough to just deal with it? Is it because you are supposed to be the strong one and never in need of anything from anyone? How is that supposed to work? No one is ever in any kind of position they need nothing from anyone. You needed your brothers and sisters to watch your back in combat. You needed someone to take care of your meals and clothing. Someone else had to supply your weapons. Someone else had to find you to bring your mail. Someone else had to take care of the vehicles you rode in. Someone else had to make the plans for where you were going and when you were going back to the place someone else figured out you needed to be in. Do you see where this is going? Back home, no one is ever really alone no matter how much you want to pretend you are. How close you feel to someone depends entirely on you. You decide who you share your life with and how much you share with them. If you share your pain, then you share your healing. Same as being in combat, you have someone to share healing the scars created by it. The only people able to really understand what it was like for you are other veterans. Sure, it is better to have members of your own unit to fight with you again, but if not, then try to find a combat veteran from your own generation. Then learn from older veterans how they took back control over their home-life after military-life. This is the battle you are in control of. Do you surrender to the enemy inside of you or do you do whatever you have to do to defeat it?
