Vietnam Veterans Wall Permanently in Kentucky?

Vietnam Veterans Memorial Wall officially opens in Elizabethtown
WDRB News
By Fallon Gli
Apr 28, 2018

The permanent wall, which was built by veterans themselves, was years in the making.

ELIZABETHTOWN, Ky. (WDRB) – A near replica of the original Vietnam Veteran's Memorial is officially complete in Elizabethtown and opened to the public on Saturday. Those who served in the Vietnam War say this local memorial is now a place of healing.

The more than 58,000 names carved into the black stone each have a story.

“I was a medic and unfortunately there were a couple that I couldn't save,” veteran Richard Uhler said. “And they're listed on this wall.”

This Vietnam Veteran's Memorial Wall is 360-feet long, an 80 percent scale of the one in Washington D.C. Now fully finished at Veteran's Tribute Park in Elizabethtown, the men’s and women’s names represent the cost of soldiers left on the battlefield and the impact on those left behind.

“I've found some guys that I knew that I flew with, some that I kind of lived with in basic training ... sometimes it's just really hard to recognize, like someone said, that you got to come home and they didn't,” veteran Bradley Burkholder said.

For many who proudly donned their veteran hats, they remember the war like it was yesterday. Some took a knee to get an up close look at the names that weigh heavy on their hearts.

“It did bring a tear to the eye, that's right,” Uhler said.
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VA Clinics not always what you think they are

First question should be, is this a VA run clinic or is it a contractor run clinic? You know, like maybe something like this...

VA officials say the possible expiration of a contract with a medical clinic in Ely would not cause a hardship for veterans there, but two members of Nevada’s congressional delegation want to be sure.

U.S. Sen. Dean Heller, R-Nev., and Rep. Ruben Kihuen, D-Nev., both expressed concerns last week that the possible decision by the Veterans Affairs Salt Lake City Health Care System not to renew the contract with the William Bee Ririe Hospital and Rural Health Clinic in Ely could adversely impact the 230 veterans who receive care there.

VA hospital launches inquiry after tweets from veteran's dad about 'unsanitary' room
Deseret News
Ben Lockhart
Published: April 28, 2018

Christopher Wilson said he was in the room for an appointment on April 5 to get 18 injections in his ankle and surrounding area, and worried about the appearance of the room, which he said "felt unsanitary." The ankle was being treated in relation to a service injury he suffered while serving in Iraq, according to his father.

Pictured is a patient room at the George E. Wahlen Department of Veterans Affairs Medical Center in Salt Lake City that Army veteran Christopher Wilson says he encountered during a visit on April 5, 2018.

SALT LAKE CITY — After the father of a U.S. Army veteran tweeted photos of an unkempt patient room at a Veterans Affairs clinic in Salt Lake, igniting angry reactions on social media, a top administrator there said the facility is investigating why the space was in poor condition.

The tweeted photos showed some medical supplies strewn out on a counter, a bowl containing water and a plaster-like substance sitting mostly full in a sink, and an overflowing garbage can.

"I figured they would say, 'Oh, this room's not clean' and take me somewhere else, but they just kind of blew past it, didn't acknowledge it," said Christopher Wilson, who spent six years in the Army and was deployed to Iraq twice. "They're doctors, right? So I figure one of them was going to say 'Let's go somewhere else' or 'Give us a minute to clean it,' but nothing."
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Combat wounded veteran needed fundraiser for medical care?

This could be one of the worst reporting jobs of the week. There is no explanation as to why this Marine veteran needs financial help to get medical treatment. 

Wounded veterans get 5 years of free medical care, plus if they have a service connected VA claim, they get free care too. If they are 100%, all of their healthcare is covered.

It would have been a lot more helpful to know if he needs help because he is fighting the VA to have his claim approved or not. 

If he is going to one of the over 400,000 charities for veterans out there, then they are supposed to be providing the help for free. Isn't that what they are getting all the donations for?

So who let this veteran down or is it all of the above?

Fundraiser to help injured West Michigan veteran get medical treatment
FOX 17 NEWS
APRIL 28, 2018

GREENVILLE, Mich. -- Dozens of families are supporting a West Michigan veteran who served fourteen years as a United States Marine. On Saturday, they joined together to help raise funds for medical treatments for injuries occurring during his time protecting the nation.

Chris Van Dyken, a United States Marine veteran, reacted to the many people who met in Greenville to support and fund medical treatment, and therapy care he needs.

His wife Morgan is one of many who is helping make it happen.

“I’m so thankful for her. With some of the stuff that’s happened in the past, I almost feel like I don’t deserve her,” said Chris. “But she stays beside me, hopes everything is going to be better, and gives me hope.”

During his time in service, he was injured from an r-p-g blast in 2005 in Iraq and in 2009 from an explosion in Afghanistan.
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Hope spark plug works to heal PTSD

Hope spark plug works
PTSD Patrol
Kathie Costos
April 29, 2018


If all you hear is negative, how can you find anything positive to fire your imagination? If your car battery only had negative terminals, it would not work, no matter how many times you tried to charge it.

You need something to put energy into your life again. You need some spark plugs to get you going.

This is from Firestone Complete Auto Care but think of it as complete YOU care.

EVERYTHING YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT SPARK PLUGS
What do spark plugs do?

Spark plugs are vital to your car’s efficiency!

"Think of spark plugs as the tiniest bolt of lighting. Small but mighty, the spark of electricity that the plug emits across a small gap creates the ignition for the combustion needed to start your car. By putting the engine’s pistons in motion, your car can power up, stay powered up and produce a smooth burn of the compressed air-fuel mixture. Mind you, spark plugs like it hot: they withstand extreme heat and pressure within your cylinders and are built to burn off deposits from fuel additives or other contaminants."

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PTSD Veteran "Helping people is what helps me"

'It controls my life': How a military veteran manages his PTSD by helping others
CBC News Canada
April 28, 2018

"Helping people is what helps me. So, this clinic, this is my medicine. This is what makes me better. That's where I draw my healing, my everything from."

Chris Dupee and his wife, Angel, founded Cadence - a health centre for first responders and military veterans. (Chris Dupee / Canadian Military Family)

Chris Dupee feels proud when he stares at his Canadian Armed Forces uniform, which he's framed and hung on a wall. It's what he wore during his eight-month tour of Afghanistan in 2008 — and he says it represents the pinnacle of his military career.

Not long after he returned to Canada, Dupee was diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), and was discharged just before he hit the 10-year mark.

Chris Dupee was on tour for eight months in Afghanistan in 2008. (Submitted by Chris Dupee) "When I look at my tour, I don't see anything negative. I was well-ready. I don't have those terrible, terrible memories that some people might expect out of soldiers. There were bad instances over there — there absolutely was. But that was part of the deal."

People might not always expect that reaction from someone whose military career has led him down a path of mental illness. And though it's been years since Dupee served, managing his mental health will be a lifelong journey.
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