Screaming Eagle Craig Morgan Redneck Yacht Club

Former soldier Craig Morgan convenes his 'Redneck Yacht Club' at Thirsty Cowboy
Cleveland.com
By Chuck Yarborough, The Plain Dealer
March 6, 2018

"This came about after we lost Jerry," said Morgan, who also heads the family business and farm in Tennessee. "I knew it was important that the family not try to suffer individually, that we needed to share our anger, hurt and pain, and stay focused on God.

CLEVELAND, Ohio - Craig Morgan likes to take risks. Kind of the thing you'd expect from a guy who was a forward observer in the field artillery for almost 10 years on active duty and another six in the Reserves in the Army, then quit to pursue a music career.

Craig Morgan, the former soldier-turned-country singer best known for "Redneck Yacht Club'' and "That's What I Love About Sundays,'' is at Medina's Thirsty Cowboy on Friday, March 9.(Christopher T. Martin)

"I had an opportunity to write for a publishing company and I thought it would be a good experience," said Morgan in a call to his place on 50 acres in Alaska's Mat-Su Valley, north of Anchorage. "I wanted to be able to say at least I tried it."

That didn't mean it was an easy choice for the country singer-songwriter who's at the Thirsty Cowboy in Medina on Friday, March 9. Walking away from the pension that awaited him after 20 years of service was tough, made more difficult by the "camaraderie" with soldiers he felt as a staff sergeant who was eligible to be promoted to sergeant first class when he got out.

The Army instills an "esprit de corps" in its soldiers, Morgan said.

"It's a teaching, a sense of gratitude," he said. "One thing about military personnel: Even in my generation, there's a sense of pride in their country and a humility in their service.

A soldier since 1995, Morgan was twice attached to the famous 101st Airborne "Screaming Eagles" as well as the equally well-known 82nd Airborne Division, the "All American Division," the unit in which World War I Medal of Honor winner Alvin York served.
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Marine Moms lost sons, fight to save others

Fighting PTSD: After tragic deaths of Marine sons, two Monmouth County moms find a mission
APP
Jerry Carino
March 5, 2018

In 2011, Michael Breen and James Veth died of PTSD-related causes. In the ensuing years, their mothers became friends bonded by grief and a goal — to help local veterans and their families. “There are so many proud moms and so many heartache moms as well, and that’s what Patricia and I are trying to prevent,” Dailey said. “We don’t want parents or families to go through the after part.”

Their sons died of PTSD after serving in the Iraq War. Patricia Malloy and Debby Dailey are driven to help others avoid that fate.

HAZLET - They graduated high school, one from Middletown North and one from Red Bank Regional. They enlisted the Marines. They fought in Iraq and returned to a hero’s welcome.

But Michael Breen and James Veth could not leave the war behind. It haunted them in ways most of us cannot understand.

“His sleeplessness, his paranoia,” said Debby Dailey, James’ mother. “He would borrow my car and he’d always have the sun roof closed. Or if I came home from being out, all the blinds in the house would be pulled down.”

Michael would get startled by loud noises. He started drinking.

“He never got ‘angry’ angry but he was always numbing himself,” said Patricia Malloy, Michael’s mom. “I thought, ‘You can’t tell me he’s alright. He was picking up (dead) bodies in Iraq.’”
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Joseph Dwyer lost battle for his own life, but more saved because of him

This is the famous picture of Joseph Dwyer,

And this is what came after he lost his battle to save his own life.

Senate trying to get more funding for peer-to-peer veterans aid network

Legislative Gazette
Jeffrey Trotter
March 5, 2018

Veterans across New York are voicing their support for the Joseph P. Dwyer Project and rallying to adopt the peer-to-peer veteran support program as part of the governor’s executive budget.

The Joseph P. Dwyer Project is a peer-to-peer initiative that provides aid to veterans by linking them up with other vets. Veterans across the state continue to advocate for the project due to its success at providing needed aid to those who’ve served in the military.

According to the project’s website, “the Joseph P. Dwyer Project is a Senate funded initiative which provides peer-to-peer, vet-to-vet support for veterans struggling with PTSD and other issues due to combat experience and other military service-related violence.”

Joseph Dwyer was a combat medic who served in Iraq and gained fame for a photo that documenting him cradling a wounded Iraqi boy. Dwyer suffered from PTSD and drug addiction after returning home, and his behavior became increasingly erratic and dangerous. He died from a drug overdose in 2008.

The Dwyer Project is not a part of the governor’s budget. For the past two years the Senate has reallocated funds to provide Dwyer with $3.1 million annually, which amounts to a minimum of $185,000 for each county chapter. Adding the Dwyer project to the state budget would save this reallocation step and provide a permanent source of funding for the project. 

Sen. Joe Addabbo, D-Ozone Park, wants to double that figure by adding $6 million to the budget to continue to grow the Dwyer Program into the five boroughs of New York City. 

“[The project] has a proven track record,” Addabbo said. “When it comes to veterans there is no place for politics.”read more here

Army mishandled 200 bomb-sniffing dogs!

Army mishandled bomb-sniffing dogs from Afghanistan, report says
Associated Press
March 4, 2018

WASHINGTON — A report finds that the Army failed to do right by some of the more than 200 bomb-sniffing dogs that served with U.S. soldiers in Afghanistan, detecting roadside bombs and saving lives.

A 3-year-old chocolate lab and tactical explosives detector dog chews on a tennis ball at the National Training Center on Fort Irwin, Calif., in 2012. (Sgt. Christopher M. Gaylord/Army)

The Defense Department’s inspector general has determined that, after the program ended in 2014, some soldiers struggled or were unable to adopt the dogs they had handled.

This included two dogs among 13 that were given to a private company to be used as service dogs for veterans but then abandoned at a Virginia kennel.

read more here,,,,then contact Congress TO DO THE RIGHT THING!

6th Annual Orlando Rocks for Veterans Honoree Ret. US Navy Kelly Smith

Yesterday was one of my favorite events. It was the 6th Annual Orlando Rocks for Veterans at VFW Post 4287 in Orlando, sponsored by Semper Fidelis America. 

This year, I am dealing with a lot of back problems, so not the same footage as previous years, but as you can see, we still had a great day for a great lady!

 Kelly Smith and Cook

 CB Mike, Seabees

 Hubby visiting after he locked me up!

 And yes, he took my camera away too!

This is Jason. He was locked up more than most people.

And yes, we locked up his adorable baby son too!