F-16 demonstration pilot uses cockpit camera during air show — and the result is stunning Air Force Times By: J.D. Simkins July 30, 2018
The 2018 F-16 Viper Demonstration Team, commanded by Maj. John "Rain" Waters, center. (Air Force)
The Air Combat Command F-16 Viper Demonstration Team put forth their usual brilliant performance last week when they flew in the 2018 AirVenture air show in Oshkosh, Wisconsin.
The team from Shaw Air Force Base, South Carolina, specializes in demonstrating the capabilities of the F-16 Fighting Falcon, one of the service’s prized fighters.
While performing in Oshkosh, the team’s commander, Maj. John “Rain” Waters, put together one hell of a cockpit video specifically for your viewing pleasure. read more here
Using the words from Contact "Want to go for a ride?" So do a lot of other people. It just came onto YouTube 2 days ago and has had 83,563 views already!
Cockpit video using my virb360 cam in the F-16 Viper Demo Team performance at 2018 Airventure. Pilot: John Waters
Veteran who considered taking his life thanks cop who saved him By:KXAN Posted: Jul 29, 2018
GRANITE SHOALS, TX (KXAN) - Granite Shoals Police Officer Tim Edwards received a challenge coin Friday for getting a veteran mental health treatment when he was about to end his life two weeks ago.
Air Force veteran Larry Guynes says he has struggled with depression and anxiety. The medication he was taking didn't sit well with him and he contemplated killing himself.
"I called the suicide hotline," he said. "I was on the phone with them and unknowingly they called Officer Edwards in."
Edwards was dispatched to Guynes' home.
"When I saw him, I instantly saw somebody who was looking for help," Edwards said.
Edwards says the lessons he learned from crisis intervention training kicked in.
"He was standing in his front yard on his phone when I walked up," Edwards said. "I just gave him the opportunity to speak, let him tell me what's on his mind."
Guynes didn't feel threatened by Edwards, saying he was quiet and calming.
"My focus immediately shifted," Guynes said. "I wasn't thinking about harming myself any longer. It was immediate. It was astounding." "He had a plan," Edwards said. "I believe he would've went through with it if we would not have intervened that evening."
Guynes was the one who handed Officer Edwards his challenge coin. Etched on the back is the quote "Evil is powerless if the good are unafraid," by former President Ronald Reagan. read more here
Combat Veteran Sleeps Outside with Service Dog When Denied Access to Rehab Facility FOX 16 News By: Rebecca Jeffrey Jul 29, 2018
NORTH LITTLE ROCK, Ark. - Justin Simmons knows what war looks like.
"I hear screaming and yelling, I hear explosions."
It's a scene that now lives in his head.
"You know, there's some things that don't go away," Simmons said.
The Iraq combat veteran is taking on a new battle for his best friend.
"This guy's kept me out of more trouble than any jail commitment," he said looking at his service dog Blue.
He says a PTSD episode landed him in jail back in 2011.
He says last week he was sentenced to treatment at the Recovery Centers of Arkansas in North Little Rock until a bed opened up at the VA.
"I was automatically court ordered and if I left I would go to jail," he said.
While he was welcome inside the RCA, Blue was not because he didn't have the right certification.
"You're not allowed to deny me access with my service dog. It's not legal," Simmons said.
Blue is a registered service animal through the Americans with Disabilities Act. read more here
Police officer's family speaks out about PTSD The Nugget By JENNIFER HAMILTON-MCCHARLES July 29, 2018
Murray Northrup died last year.
Osprey Links Golf Course was Northrup's second home so it was only fitting his family, friends and emergency services paid tribute to the veteran police officer, who served more than 37 years with the Ontario Provincial Police and North Bay Police Service.
Murray Northrup's wife Diane Northrup, his daughter Krista Northrup and Police Chief Shawn Devine of the North Bay Police Service organized and attended the 1st annual Murray Northrup Golf Tournament to recognize Post Traumatic Stress Disorder held at Osprey Golf Course Saturday. Northrup who served as a police officer for more than 37 years committed suicide July 19, 2017 after suffering from PTSD.
“Post traumatic stress is a silent killer. Murray suffered for years,” his wife, Diane, said Saturday.
“He lived to be a cop and died because he was a cop.”
Before his death, Northrup said her husband left several letters to his family and first responders who would be called to the scene the day he died July 19, 2017.
“The letter he sent to his lawyers, about 10 pages in length, detailed all the incidents that have stayed with him. Everything was in there – the dates, times and names over the past 30 years.”
Northrup said her husband saw his first fatal when he was five and that stayed with him for his entire life.
“Murray's dad told him to stay in the car, but he didn't and saw the women who died. He still remembered the dress she was wearing.”
Murray Northrup also made a request in his final letter to his loved ones to do something to help heroes suffering from post traumatic stress disorder.
His daughter, Krista, promised she will do whatever she can to answer her dad's request.
The family organized a tribute to Northrup in a way he would appreciate – a golf tournament. read more here
'Hot Lips' actress from “M*A*S*H” booked for women's Honor Flight event Omaha World Herald By Steve Liewer / World-Herald staff writer July 30, 2018
For the Female Veterans Flight, only women will be onboard. The veterans. Their escorts. The airline pilots. The flight attendants. Even the news media.
Loretta Swit Actress who played Maj. Margaret “Hot Lips” Houlihan in “M*A*S*H” will speak before flying with vets to D.C.
Come September, an actress who portrayed a female soldier on television for more than a decade will travel to Washington, D.C., with a planeload of Nebraska women who served in the military, for real.
Loretta Swit, who played Maj. Margaret “Hot Lips” Houlihan in the iconic 1970s TV show “M*A*S*H,” is scheduled to speak at a dinner honoring the 135 female veterans in La Vista on Sept. 23. The Korean War comedy-drama focused on an Army combat medical unit.
Swit, now 80, will join the veterans early the following morning on the first leg of the daylong trip to visit patriotic sites in the nation’s capital. read more here
