Police Officer Takes Action When 89 Year Old Veteran Appeared Abused

Elderly neglect suspected after veteran pictured with growth on ear
KENS 5 San Antonio
Marvin Hurst
October 26, 2017

SAN ANTONIO - An elderly man sitting in a local fast food restaurant seemed unaware of massive growth near and on his ear. Luckily, a law enforcement agent in the same restaurant was.

Prior to the agent's management denying access for an interview with KENS 5, we talked with him informally about an image of elderly man posted on his personal Facebook page. He said the man was an 89-year-old veteran who looked like he had maggots crawling in his ear.

KENS 5 confirmed the San Antonio Fire Department sent an EMS crew to 3239 South East Military Drive on October 18.

According to the law enforcement agent, the elderly man refused treatment because he was worried about the cost of the ambulance ride. The agent said they convinced the man to go to the hospital.
read more here

Fake Vietnam Veterans Facebook Page Got More Views Than Real One?

Facebook shuts down ‘imposter’ veterans page

Stars and Stripes
Nikki Wentling
October 25, 2017

Vietnam Veterans of America, a congressionally chartered veterans service organization, runs a public Facebook page. Another page, Vietnam Vets of America, isn’t affiliated with a major veterans group. VVA calls them an "imposter page." 

WASHINGTON – Facebook Inc. disabled a page on its social media platform Tuesday after determining it violated the intellectual property of a congressionally chartered veterans service organization.

The company shut down the page Vietnam Vets of America, which created politically divisive posts and had a following of nearly 200,000 people. That’s tens of thousands more than the number following Vietnam Veterans of America, a page run by the veterans service organization of the same name that accused the other page of being an “imposter.”

Vietnam Vets of America violated a section of the social media network’s Statement of Rights and Responsibilities about protecting other people’s rights, said a Facebook official who spoke on the condition of anonymity because the information had not been publicly released.

The action comes months after Vietnam Veterans of America alerted Facebook’s security team.

“We’re glad to see that Facebook is taking seriously the fact that agents outside the U.S. are targeting veterans on social media,” said John Rowan, president of Vietnam Veterans of America.

read more here

Disabled Veterans Reaching Out For Help

Ohio

Veteran, disabled police officer now calls fifth-wheel camper home in Highland County

A disabled former police officer and U.S. Army veteran is now calling a small fifth-wheel camper home in northern Highland County.

He met with The Highland County Press this week inside his Big Sky Montana camper parked in a rural area on private property between Leesburg and Greenfield.

find out how to help here

Michigan

Disabled veteran fights massive tax bill from IRS

LANSING, Mich. - A disabled veteran is in the fight of his life as the country he fought to serve and protect is fighting him for a massive sum of money.

William Milzarski, 46, is a highly decorated, disabled Michigan Army veteran, but now he's being forced to take on a new battle. The IRS has left him with a financial burden he struggles to carry.

Many college graduates know the crushing weight of college debt. Milzarski said he succeeded in getting his debt canceled, but the IRS still has its hand out.

Milzarski served three years as an engineer during the first Gulf War before he left the military, finished law school and became a top state of Michigan disability advocate.

find out how to help here

Indiana

Disabled veteran frustrated by craftsmanship of donated home

ANDERSON, Ind. -- A disabled veteran in Anderson is frustrated after he says a non-profit organization took on more than they could handle and left him with an unfinished home with lots of projects to complete.

Tim Senkowski lost both of his legs to a buried explosive while serving in Afghanistan.

“I lost both my legs – they cut right above the joints. I lost half my bicep, three-quarters of my triceps,” said Senkowski.

After he returned home to Anderson, he was put in touch with a local non-profit veterans group called “The Path Home.” Organizers there offered to build he and his family a house with donated time and resources.

But the process was slow, Senkowski said it took four years for him to get the keys to his new home – and it was still incomplete. 

find out how to help here

Bored Florida High School Student Called Veterans Suicide Prevention Hotline!!!!

Student, bored in class, prank calls veterans' suicide hotline
USA Today
Pamela McCabe
October 26, 2017

FORT MYERS, Fla. — A Lee County student is in trouble at school after making three false reports to a suicide prevention hotline for veterans — all because he was bored in class.

The student, who hasn't been identified, attends Ida S. Baker High School in Cape Coral and used his cellphone to log into the Veterans Crisis Line.

The student first logged into the hotline Oct. 18, when he reported that he "had a gun and was going to kill themselves," a report from the Lee County Sheriff's Office states.

A district IT staff member, who was contacted by the hotline, was able to track the phone, a Samsung Galaxy S8, to one of three classrooms on campus.

The onsite deputy for the school alerted the teachers so they could be aware of the situation.

The same cellphone contacted the hotline again on Monday, roughly an hour into the school day. This time the student falsely reported that they had "cut their wrist and were bleeding out" at a McDonald's in Seattle.
read more here

What would this kid think if he had to explain to the family of a veteran, who did commit suicide, why this seemed like a fun thing to do?

Veterans Call "Choice" a Disaster

HINT TO CONGRESS: VETERANS WANT THE VA TO WORK AND YOU GUYS TO ACTUALLY DO YOUR JOB AND MAKE SURE IT DOES! STOP SELLING THEM OUT AND PUTTING THEM INTO THE MESS THE REST OF US HAVE TO DEAL WITH!!!!

Veterans call program to get health care with civilian doctors 'a disaster,' broken

Independent Record

Holly K. Michels

October 24, 2107

Veterans from around the state expressed frustration over the Veterans Choice program, meant to increase access to health care, during a listening session in Helena on Monday night.

Veteran Don Paul discusses the tribulations he endured while trying to acquire new prescription glasses during a town hall meeting at The American Legion Post in Helena.Thom Bridge, thom.bridge@helenair.com

Nearly 50 veterans came to American Legion Post No. 2 to talk about their experiences with Veterans Affairs Department health care. The town hall is one of about a dozen the Legion will hold around the country this year to gather feedback to share with state congressional delegations and VA officials.

“That Choice is broke, broke, broke,” said veteran Tom Johnson, who said he was employed by the VA for more than three decades. “The VA has gone downhill drastically in the last eight years.”

read more here