101st Airborne Veteran Killed in House Fire

Kettering veteran killed in house fire remembered by family

MyDaytona Daily News
November 26, 2017

Family members are sharing stories and memories of a Kettering man killed in a house fire Sunday morning with WHIO’s Sean Cudahy.

James Towe (Contributed photo)

James Towe is remembered as a joking father and good friend who reportedly served in the Army’s 101st Airborne Division.

Towe’s son, James Towe told Cudahy his dad was a comedian who playfully cracked jokes.

"I'm trying to hold my own, I'll catch myself grieving [...] trying to keep myself composed to figure everything out," Towe said.

Towe said he and his brother are the last remaining family members living in the area.

“We’re going to try and talk to the VA [...] I guess he didn’t have any insurance policy so it’s going to be rough trying to come up with the funeral costs,” Towe said.
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Brook Hollow Winery Contest for Disabled Veteran Dream Wedding

Winery's contest will provide disabled veteran with all-expenses paid wedding
New Jersey Herald
By Katie Moen
Posted: Nov. 26, 2017

"We just opened our reception hall about two months ago," Ritter said. "It's a beautiful building with a farmhouse feel, and it's surrounded by acres and acres of vineyards. It doesn't get much better."

KNOWLTON -- Now that Thanksgiving has passed, the season of good will has returned to the Garden State. In order to give back to those who have given so much, the Brook Hollow Winery in Knowlton has announced plans to orchestrate an all-expenses paid wedding ceremony and reception for one lucky military veteran.

Submitted photo - Brook Hollow Winery in Knowlton will host an all-expenses paid wedding ceremony and reception for one disabled military veteran.

"My daughter, who is our event planner, and I were talking awhile back about doing something special for our wounded vets," said Paul Ritter, owner of the Brook Hollow Winery. "As much as we would like to, we can't do this for everyone. We decided that the most fair way to decide who should be the wedding package recipient would be to open up a drawing for all veterans with a disabled status."

Veterans are invited to fill out a short survey on the Brook Hollow website to be entered into the drawing. The winner will be chosen at random on Valentine's Day, Ritter said.

Since the winery announced its plans to honor a veteran with a wedding, the community has rallied behind the idea.

"We've gotten some great support from vendors and volunteers who want to do whatever they can to help out," Ritter said. "Things are crazy right now, and it's easy to get caught up in all of the politics. Every once in a while, you need to have something positive and genuine to focus on, and that's what we're trying to create here."

The winery is prepared to host a celebration for up to 100 people, Ritter said.
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Here's the link to Warrior Wedding

Vietnam MIA Family Received Dog Tags and Closure

Sons receive missing dad’s Vietnam War dog tags
Florida Today
Rick Neale
November 25, 2017

Shortly after rescuing a downed American pilot behind enemy lines, Air Force Capt. Richard “Dick” Kibbey’s first daring mission of the Vietnam War proved to be his last — haunting his grieving family for the next half-century.

North Vietnamese anti-aircraft fire raked the fuselage of Kibbey’s HH-3E helicopter, which burst into flames on Feb. 6, 1967. The doomed “Jolly Green Giant” slammed into a sheer limestone cliff near the mountainous Mu Ghia Pass on the Laos-North Vietnam border.

Kibbey was listed as missing in action after the crash. His wife, Mary Ann, moved that summer from Vero Beach to North Wherry Housing on Patrick Air Force Base for emotional support, and their four children went on to graduate from Satellite High.

The children say their mother died in 1979 of a broken heart, wondering whether her husband was alive.
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Innocent Vietnam Veteran Released from Prison...After 38 Years!

Man Who Spent Nearly 40 Years Behind Bars for Crime He Did Not Commit Speaks Out
NBC San Diego
Wendy Fry

Craig Coley, a 70-year-old Vietnam veteran, hopes authorities can still find the man who killed his then-girlfriend and her 4-year-old son in 1978

Craig Richard Coley has spent more than 38 years behind bars for a double homicide he did not commit. On Thanksgiving Day, he tasted freedom.

On Thursday morning, Coley woke up in Carlsbad, California, just blocks from the beach, a free man for the first time since Nov. 11, 1978.

During an hour-long exclusive interview with NBC 7, the 70-year-old Vietnam veteran broke down and cried while reading details of the horrific crime that put him away.

“In the early morning hours, of November 11, 1978, Rhonda Wicht was beaten and strangled to death in her apartment. Her 4-year-old son...”

Coley has maintained his innocence from behind bars for more than 38 years.

He was arrested on Veteran’s Day 1978 after serving his country in the U.S. Navy. His service included several deployments to Vietnam aboard USS Enterprise and USS Bainbridge.

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Threat of Suicide Not Taken Seriously by VA?

Marine veteran sues VA Medical Center, Congressman Phil Roe over opioid tapering policy

Johnson City Press
Becky Campbell
November 24, 2017 

"According to Rose, one of the specific VA guidelines he finds to be disturbing was that “doctors should not take the threat of suicide seriously when a veteran is placed on a forced taper or denied pain medications.”

Robert Rose, a disabled veteran, turned his back on Congressman Phill Roe July 3, 2017 in an act of protest against the "opioid safety initiative."

A Washington County man who said he endures constant pain from training injuries he suffered while serving as a Marine filed a lawsuit earlier this month over a forced opioid tapering policy that eliminates or severely reduces veterans’ access to the pain medication.

Robert D. Rose Jr., of Gray, was a Marine sergeant when he left the service because of documented injuries he suffered during jump training. Rose made a public protest statement in July when he turned his back on U.S. Rep. Phil Roe, R-1st, at a plaque presentation commemorating historic buildings at the Veterans Affairs Medical Center at Mountain Home. Rose has taken his protest a step further with a federal lawsuit against Roe and 17 VA Medical Center employees, including the director, doctors, nurses and police officers.

After Roe’s speech in July, Rose told his story to Press reporter Brandon Paykamian.
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