Five Finger Death Punch Support of PTSD Veterans "Not Gone Away"

Five Finger Death Punch Chronicle Plight of the American Soldier in 'Gone Away' Offspring Cover Video
Loud Wire
Joe DiVita
December 22, 2017

Throughout their career, Five Finger Death Punch have aligned themselves with the U.S. military, supporting the troops in a number of ways. Their latest homage to the brave men and women who serve in the armed forces comes via an emotional gut check of a video for their cover of The Offspring's "Gone Away."

The incredibly somber take on the song works in conjunction with the imagery as we first witness a service member surrounded by billowing smoke and the scene of a fatal wreckage. Throughout the video, we see the toll the loss of life takes on family members as they grieve, clutching picture frames and embracing one another. 

Flashbacks provide the background as a group of friends enjoy a day at home. A news break reveals an attack, spurring the male friends to enlist in the military. During active combat, one of their vehicles rolls over a trip wire, killing those inside as one man looks back in horror and disbelief. He struggles to process what has happened and even contemplates suicide at home, but he eventually he channels his inner strength and returns to war, ready to lead a young new group.
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Five Finger Death Punch - Gone Away (Official Video)

Afghanistan Veteran: PTSD Almost Killed Me

When I came home from Afghanistan, my PTSD almost killed me. Then I discovered the magic of cannabis
Toronto Life

Chris Dupee
December 22, 2017

"I took a job as the company’s Ontario representative. We provided relief to 1,500 veterans—including me. I took cannabis capsules daily. And while they helped me pick myself up, I needed my family’s love to feel whole again. A year and a half ago, after many apologies and a lot of tears, I moved back in."

I hardly knew anything about the military when I enlisted 12 years ago. I couldn’t have told you the difference between the army and the navy, let alone the order of military ranks. But I always wanted to help people, and fighting for my country seemed like a good way to do that. For years, I bounced from base to base, learning basics in Quebec, doing drills in Alberta, jumping out of planes in Trenton. The training was relentless but rewarding. Finally, in 2008, my unit was deployed to Afghanistan. I said goodbye to my wife, Angel, and our three little girls, knowing it could be the last time I saw them.

When my tour ended, my unit went to Cyprus for what the military calls “decompression.” We rode Sea-Doos by day and partied by night. Doctors warned us about the possibility of PTSD, but most of us were too hungover to care. Besides, I thought, I was fine. None of this applied to me. read more here

PTSD Veteran must surrender emotional support dog

 If you are already angry because of the headline, you're not alone. I was too until I read this part.

"Unlike service dogs trained to assist disabled people with daily tasks, emotional support animals don’t require training."

Then add in this section.

"Florida law allows service dogs that calm “an individual with post traumatic stress disorder during an anxiety attack.” Dogs that simply provide comfort, companionship and security don’t qualify as service dogs, according to statutes."

There is a difference between "service" and "support" dogs. It is hard to figure out what kind of training "support" dogs receive.

This is from the AKC

The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) defines service animals as “dogs that are individually trained to do work or perform tasks for people with disabilities.” The act clearly states that those animals that simply provide emotional comfort do not qualify as service animals under the ADA. Some state and local laws have a broader definition, so be sure to check with local government agencies to learn if ESAs qualify for public access in your area. 

"Although they are not service dogs, ESAs do have certain rights in terms of housing and air travel. The Fair Housing Act includes ESAs in its definition of assistance animals. Under the act, people cannot be discriminated against due to a disability when obtaining housing. Therefore, rules such as no pets, species bans, or pet-size limitations do not apply to people who have a prescription for an ESA, and they cannot be charged a pet deposit for having their ESA live with them."

Veteran must surrender emotional support dog
Orlando Sentinel
Mary Shanklin
December 23, 2017 

Seventy-year-old Robert L. Brady has until Jan. 11 to give up Bane, the mixed-breed sidekick that his psychologist deemed as an emotional support dog.

His Conway-area condominium association won an arbitration order Dec. 12 requiring the Vietnam veteran to surrender the 4-year-old dog because it exceeds the community’s 35-pound weight limit for pets. Bane weighs about 41 pounds. The canine now faces an uncertain future even as assistance dogs have gained greater access to communities, restaurants and shops.

“The reason I don't want to lose him is that he keeps my mind off the war and everything. He's just a wonderful companion,” said the widower, who retired last year from working as a theme-park bus driver. “My life would be lost without a good companion and that's why I'm doing all I can to keep from having to get rid of him.”

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So, if you are still angry over this story, contact our elected officials and have them change the law to add these dogs, but make sure they actually protect the public from non-trained dogs, anyone can claim they need. 

We've seen too much abuse as it is when folks buy a certificate online and a vest. They don't care they give highly trained service dogs a bad name. They'll do the same thing with "support dogs" that really are helping veterans and others, have better days.

Homeless Vietnam Veteran Survived Holocaust

First the beginning...

"But that’s just the beginning of his story. Radkowski — a Holocaust survivor, naturalized American citizen, Vietnam veteran, and Air Force and U.S. civil-service retiree — had been chronically homeless since the early 2000s." 

"For Radkowski, camping behind McGuire Air Force Base 'made a lot of sense. It was what I could afford. I started camping out about 10 years ago in a sleeping bag, with a poncho, in case it rained.'"

"After a year of talking with him and gaining his trust, the Veterans Multi-Service Center in Center City was able to house him through a cooperative effort with the Veterans Administration."

if you want to read more of this great story, go here

Revoked Licenses OK With VA?

Illegal VA policy allows hiring since 2002 of medical workers with revoked licenses
USA Today
Donovan Slack 
Dec. 21, 2017

A USA TODAY investigation finds the Department of Veterans Affairs has repeatedly hired healthcare workers with problem pasts, like neurosurgeon John Henry Schneider, whose license had been revoked after a patient death.

The Department of Veterans Affairs has allowed its hospitals across the country to hire health care providers with revoked medical licenses for at least 15 years in violation of federal law, a USA TODAY investigation found.

The VA issued national guidelines in 2002 giving local hospitals discretion to hire clinicians after “prior consideration of all relevant facts surrounding” any revocations and as long as they still had a license in one state.

But a federal law passed in 1999 bars the VA from employing any health care worker whose license has been yanked by any state.

Hospital officials at the VA in Iowa City relied on the illegal guidance earlier this year to hire neurosurgeon John Henry Schneider, who had revealed in his application that he had numerous malpractice claims and settlements and Wyoming had revoked his license after a patient death. He still had a license in Montana.

“The hiring of doctors who have had their medical licenses revoked in any state is already prohibited," 30 of the lawmakers wrote, including Democratic and Republican members of the House Veterans Affairs Committee. "However, it appears the laws and regulations establishing that prohibition are not being followed by VA.”
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