Julia Roberts in twisted tale "Homecoming"

Julia Roberts is here to help them in this trailer for Amazon’s Homecoming
Critical Hit Entertainment
By Craig Risi
September 14, 2018

Four years later, Heidi has started a new life, living with her mother (Sissy Spacek) and working as a small-town waitress, when a Department of Defense auditor (Shea Whigham) comes to her with questions about why she left the Homecoming facility. Heidi begins to realize that there’s a whole other story behind the story she’s been telling herself

These days it’s not just books, plays and other formerly successful shows that form the source of inspiration for new TV series, but also podcasts, which is exactly what Sam Esmail, creator of Mr Robot, has done here for Amazon Prime’s new series Homecoming. And if Esmail’s name doesn’t already get your attention, then its list of actors most certainly will as the series will be headed up by none other than Julia Roberts and features a support cast that makes even a hit blockbuster movie look week by comparison with Sissy Spacek, Dermot Mulroney, Bobby Cannavale, Frankie Shaw, Shae Whigham, Alex Karpovsky, and Marianne Jean-Baptiste also starring.

It’s certainly an impressive cast list and has my attention. Homecoming explores the subject of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) in soldiers and much like Esmail’s aforementioned hit series Mr Robot, it explores a topic that is highly relevant. And based on this first trailer for the series, it’s also similar to Mr Robot in that it’s not afraid to go a little bonkers and leave you in a state of not knowing what is reality and what isn’t:
read more here

Homecoming Season 1 - Official Trailer | Prime Video

Veteran with PTSD gets probation after flight meltdown

Man pleads guilty to threatening airline crew on flight to New Orleans
NOLA.com | The Times-Picayune
By Laura McKnight
September 14, 2018

A New Jersey man pleaded guilty Thursday (Sept. 13) in a New Orleans federal court to interfering with an airline crew after he drunkenly threatened the plane's captain and crew during a flight last fall from Chicago to New Orleans, court records show.

Joel Michael Bane, 39, also struck two local law-enforcement officers who had boarded the plane upon its arrival in New Orleans to escort Bane off the aircraft, according to a factual basis for Bane's plea agreement.

U.S. District Judge Jane Triche Milazzo set sentencing for Dec. 13.

Flying off into the sunset as a flight departs to the north from Louis Armstrong International Airport in Kenner, La. Tuesday, September 15, 2015. (Photo by David Grunfeld, NOLA.com | The Times-Picayune) ((Photo by David Grunfeld, NOLA.c)

An airport worker described Bane as "very large and very muscular" and warned law-enforcement that "four or five officers would be needed to remove the passenger from the plane," according to court records.

DeSalvo said that his client, a military veteran diagnosed with PTSD, was reacting in accordance with his training.

"It was just a very unfortunate situation where I think there was a lack of communication, and Mr. Bane was suffering from PTSD from six tours in the Middle East," DeSalvo said, adding that Bane's PTSD has been deemed "a total and permanent disability."

Bane faced up to 20 years in prison for the conviction, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office. But he will receive no prison time and be ordered to probation as part of a plea agreement, defense attorney Frank DeSalvo said Friday. DeSalvo said the incident was caused by miscommunication and compounded by his client's post-traumatic stress disorder.

The disturbance, caught at least partially on cellphone video, occurred Oct. 13 as Southwest Airlines Flight 208 neared Louis Armstrong International Airport.
read more here

Marine almost melted barrel with fierce shooting, after his leg was blown off?

‘Fighting for his guys’ lives’ in Afghanistan: Marine got off over 400 rounds after having his leg blown off
Military Times
By: J.D. Simkins
4 hours ago

After nearly melting the barrel from sending over 400 rounds toward enemy positions, Gustafson finally acquiesced to the requests of other Marines to tend to his wounds when he swapped his place in the turret with another Marine.

Then-Lance Cpl. Brady Gustafson is presented the Navy Cross, the Marine Corps' second highest award for valor. (Pfc. Michael T. Gams/Marine Corps)

Brady Gustafson and the Marines from 2nd Battalion, 7th Marine Regiment were rolling through the village of Shewan, Afghanistan, in July 2008 when they suddenly noticed villagers shrinking away from the convoy of mine-resistant ambush-protected vehicles, an ominous sign of what was to come just moments later.

With the streets virtually clear of civilians, all hell broke loose as an estimated 100 Taliban fighters attacked the convoy with rocket-propelled grenades and machine-gun fire, part of a calculated, multiple angle ambush.

Gustafson’s MRAP was quickly struck by an RPG that ripped through the hull and exploded inside. The blast shredded his lower leg and sent an inferno up through the turret, where he was manning the mounted M240B machine gun.
read more here

Suicide Survivor "journey of happiness and celebration"

Suicide survivor sharing hope with Missoula students
KTVH NBC News
Anna Penner-Ray
September 13, 2018

MISSOULA – Willard Alternative High School in Missoula invited musician and suicide survivor David Simmons to host a three-day workshop as part of National Suicide Prevention Week.

Simmons says he’s been inspired to bring awareness and education to teenagers and says his message is a celebration of life in the wake of his 2009 suicide attempt.

Willard students will collaborate with Simmons during the workshop to write a song about a journey of happiness and celebration.

Simmons says it’s a natural fit to use his musical and educational background to reach the students, and the connection is tremendous.

“The reason music works for me is that it instantly gives kids a voice. The two things for me are never give up, tell your story — just keep those things going,” said Simmons who founded the UBU Project.

“If you plant that seed with someone young enough hopefully they don’t get to the point that I did in later years, because they will be in the habit of telling their stories and expressing themselves,” he added.
read more here

You can #TakeBackYourLife and live better

VA Centers Across Florida Trying to Reach Troubled Vets Before They Consider Suicide

At least that was the headline on WJCT

This Friday the VA, in conjunction with the Florida Department of Veterans Affairs, will be holding Suicide Prevention and Awareness Fairs at all of Florida’s clinics, hospitals and healthcare facilities. 

Katherine Eicher is the lead suicide prevention coordinator at the VA Clinic for North Florida and South Georgia. 

“We are facing such a national crisis when it comes to veteran suicides, that is astronomical. Many are not even connected to VA healthcare systems.. 20% of all suicides and our veteran population is less than 9% of the overall population, so statistically this is off the charts.” said Eicher.

There is so much left out of this report, it is hard to know where to begin. So we should start with the way it ends instead? Isn't that what all the years of raising awareness have brought us to?

They brought us to endings that did not have to happen. 

They brought us to coffins that did not need to be filled. 

They brought us to questions lingering within the minds of family members and friends blaming themselves for what they got wrong.

Someone said that these "awareness" groups are harmless and the "number" of veterans they claim are committing suicide, is just an easy number to remember.

If that was the case, then they would have known that the number was from just 21 states, not 50. The number came with a warning that it was not to be taken as a whole. 

The number, that notorious number, has not really changed since 1999 when there were over 5 million more veterans living in this country at the time.

But that was before these groups, became aware they could turn raising awareness about veterans killing themselves, into a business. Wonder what all of them would have done if they knew as much as they do now about all this?

My bad! It turns out, they still do not have a clue. The VA is not your enemy! They have been saving veterans all along and have a lot of things to help you heal. It is not just "take a pill" and you need to look up what else they offer.

You also need to know that there are groups out there trying to get you to hear the one message you need to replace that ear worm of a number! You can #TakeBackYourLife and live better than you do right now.