Five children found dead in Graham-area home
Pierce County Sheriff's deputies late this afternoon found five children, ages 7 to 16, dead in a Graham-area home, apparently the victims of violence.
By The News-Tribune, Seattle Times staff
Pierce County Sheriff's deputies late this afternoon found five children, ages 7 to 16, dead in a Graham-area home, apparently the victims of violence.
Investigators believe the children may have been killed by their father who was discovered dead earlier this afternoon at an Auburn address, according to Pierce County Sheriff's spokesman Ed Troyer. They believe the man, 35, took his own life.
Deputies were called to check on the welfare of the children in a home in the 20400 block of 135th Avenue Court East after officers found the father's body.
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Five children found dead in Graham-area home
Police: Dad killed kids because wife was leaving
By PHUONG LE Associated Press Writer
GRAHAM, Wash. (AP) -- Investigators believe a man fatally shot his five children in their home and killed himself after he found out his wife was leaving him for another man, a sheriff's spokesman said Sunday.
The bodies of James Harrison's children were found Saturday in the family's mobile home in Graham, about 15 southeast of Tacoma. Harrison had been found earlier in the day, dead of a self-inflicted gunshot, behind the wheel of his car in Auburn, about 18 miles north of Graham.
Authorities haven't released the family's name, but relatives have identified them as the Harrisons.
The man and his 16-year-old daughter had found his wife with another man at a store in Auburn on Friday night, Pierce County Sheriff spokesman Ed Troyer told The News Tribune of Tacoma.
Ryan Peden, the daughter's classmate, had said she told him Friday night that her parents had gotten into a fight and her mother had left. The father followed the mother and tried to get her to return, said Peden.
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Saturday, April 4, 2009
National Guardsmen rush to help one of their own
They didn't leave him behind. They didn't dismiss what he was going thru. Police, didn't overreact. This is the way it's supposed to work and a life is saved because they did the right thing. They are all heroes.
Ark-La-Tex soldier suffers from PTSD
Posted: April 3, 2009 10:21 PM EDT
NATCHITOCHES, LA (KSLA) - Fellow soldiers rushed to the aid of a suicidal Iraqi war veteran Friday, in the Ark-La-Tex.
The incident happened in Natchitoches, Louisiana when Natchitoches Police were called out to a welfare concern near Highway 1 in Natchitoches.
It all began when fellow guardsmen went to the soldier's trailer to find out why he didn't show up for duty.
They found him in his trailer with a gun next to him and he wouldn't hand over the weapon. After speaking with police over the phone, he came out peacefully.
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http://www.ksla.com/Global/story.asp?S=10129168&nav=0RY5
Vietnam Vet Riding Weapon-toting Harley to Raise Money
Vietnam Vet Riding Weapon-toting Harley to Raise Money
Posted By: Angela Williams
JACKSONVILLE, FL -- Whoever said, "less is more," hasn't met Robert Harris.
"In the back are two M16s A1s, the rifles used in Vietnam," says Harris, pointing to his Harley.
Everywhere he goes, he sparks a bit of attention.
"There are hand grenades for my foot peddles for my passenger," says Harris.
And that's exactly his intention. This Vietnam veteran paratrooper now dedicates his life to raising funds, and awareness for homeless and disabled vets.
The mission is called Operation Dust Off. It's named after a rescue mission in Vietnam that actually saved his life. Now, he wants to rescue others.
"Not one vet should be on the street," said Harris. "We never left a soldier behind on the battlefields in Vietnam, and I don't see any reason to leave one on the streets."
With the help of fellow vets, Harris transformed his 1985 Harley into a tribute to veterans of all wars. After winning several awards for his bike, he decided to use the attention for their benefit.
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Vietnam Vet Riding Weapon-toting Harley to Raise Money
Posted By: Angela Williams
JACKSONVILLE, FL -- Whoever said, "less is more," hasn't met Robert Harris.
"In the back are two M16s A1s, the rifles used in Vietnam," says Harris, pointing to his Harley.
Everywhere he goes, he sparks a bit of attention.
"There are hand grenades for my foot peddles for my passenger," says Harris.
And that's exactly his intention. This Vietnam veteran paratrooper now dedicates his life to raising funds, and awareness for homeless and disabled vets.
The mission is called Operation Dust Off. It's named after a rescue mission in Vietnam that actually saved his life. Now, he wants to rescue others.
"Not one vet should be on the street," said Harris. "We never left a soldier behind on the battlefields in Vietnam, and I don't see any reason to leave one on the streets."
With the help of fellow vets, Harris transformed his 1985 Harley into a tribute to veterans of all wars. After winning several awards for his bike, he decided to use the attention for their benefit.
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Vietnam Vet Riding Weapon-toting Harley to Raise Money
DOD releases name of another non-combat death in Iraq
DoD Identifies Army Casualty
The Department of Defense announced today the death of a soldier who was supporting Operation Iraqi Freedom.
Sgt. Devin C. Poche, 25, of Jacksonville, N.C., died Mar. 31 at Contingency Operating Base Speicher, near Tikrit, Iraq, of injuries sustained from a non-combat related incident. He was assigned to the Special Troops Battalion, 3rd Brigade, 25th Infantry Division, Schofield Barracks, Hawaii.
The circumstances surrounding the incident are under investigation.
The Department of Defense announced today the death of a soldier who was supporting Operation Iraqi Freedom.
Sgt. Devin C. Poche, 25, of Jacksonville, N.C., died Mar. 31 at Contingency Operating Base Speicher, near Tikrit, Iraq, of injuries sustained from a non-combat related incident. He was assigned to the Special Troops Battalion, 3rd Brigade, 25th Infantry Division, Schofield Barracks, Hawaii.
The circumstances surrounding the incident are under investigation.
Tampa woman gets jail over VA benefit fraud
This makes my blood boil! This is not a matter of a widow of a veteran fighting to have a claim honored but a woman with the nerve to take money from the VA after a widow had died. She had nothing to do with the disabled veteran that was willing to die for this country and nothing to do with the life of the wife at his side. She just must have decided that she didn't need to earn any of the money she was taking without a clue of what kind of price others paid. In a time when there are claims tied up in a backlog, claims denied and veterans suffer, here we have someone making a living off of the legacy of a veteran!
Woman Gets Prison For Veterans Benefits Fraud
TBO.com
Published: April 2, 2009
A Palmetto woman who pleaded guilty to cashing veterans benefit checks in the name of her boyfriend's dead mother was sentenced today to five months in prison and five months of house arrest.
Lynn Weber, 55, was also ordered by U.S. District Judge Susan C. Bucklew to pay $62,960 in restitution.
A woman named Eleanor Edwards was the intended recipient of the checks from the Veterans Administration Dependency and Indemnity Compensation program, which is paid to eligible surviving spouses of veterans who have not remarried, according to court documents.
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Woman Gets Prison For Veterans Benefits Fraud/
Veteran struggle to truly come home
Veterans struggle to truly come home
4/4/2009 1:05:02 AM
By Jeff Hansel
Post-Bulletin, Rochester MN
After returning stateside from serving in the Gulf War in 1991, Gabe Cruz had a stable job.
He was a surveillance specialist with the Lubbock, Texas, Health Department, tracking the incidence of sexually transmitted diseases in the west Texas population. He was considered a public health expert, especially in the field of HIV/AIDS.
"I oversaw 42 counties. I dressed in shirts and ties and I worked in nice clothes," he says.
But he experienced a personal tragedy and an emotional breakdown at work, and he lost his job. Anything can trigger such an unexpected downward spiral for veterans who might think they've returned to normalcy.
"I went crazy," Cruz says, showing his disability documents that state, "you were found running barefoot in the street, claiming people were shooting at you."
He had a flat tire and "I just started crying. I couldn't get it together."
While on active duty, most routine things are predetermined, so changes in routine can throw off veterans.
"I remember one guy getting off the plane, met his wife and family at the airport, went to have a meal and felt completely overwhelmed because the waitress put a menu in his hand," said Katie Burnes, a psychiatric nurse practitioner who helps soldiers at the VA Clinic in Rochester. "Because he didn't have to choose anything. He didn't have to choose what to eat for 16 months. And he didn't know how to act. He didn't know how to respond."
Cruz uses the disability statement as if it's proof for non-believers.
"I read it over and over (because) I forget," Cruz says. "I think any logical person would say they'd want to forget the worst parts."
He has formed a relationship with a woman and her two children, but he struggles. In post-war relationships, when a woman rolls her eyes in response to his behavior, he says, he knows it's over.
"I sleep in the garage because I don't want the kids to see me. ... It's cold in the garage. It's more embarrassing, though, if they were to see me," he says.
Severe panic attacks are the problem. Any unexpected noise can set one off.
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Veterans struggle to truly come home
Post-Bulletin - Rochester,MN,USA
4/4/2009 1:05:02 AM
By Jeff Hansel
Post-Bulletin, Rochester MN
After returning stateside from serving in the Gulf War in 1991, Gabe Cruz had a stable job.
He was a surveillance specialist with the Lubbock, Texas, Health Department, tracking the incidence of sexually transmitted diseases in the west Texas population. He was considered a public health expert, especially in the field of HIV/AIDS.
"I oversaw 42 counties. I dressed in shirts and ties and I worked in nice clothes," he says.
But he experienced a personal tragedy and an emotional breakdown at work, and he lost his job. Anything can trigger such an unexpected downward spiral for veterans who might think they've returned to normalcy.
"I went crazy," Cruz says, showing his disability documents that state, "you were found running barefoot in the street, claiming people were shooting at you."
He had a flat tire and "I just started crying. I couldn't get it together."
While on active duty, most routine things are predetermined, so changes in routine can throw off veterans.
"I remember one guy getting off the plane, met his wife and family at the airport, went to have a meal and felt completely overwhelmed because the waitress put a menu in his hand," said Katie Burnes, a psychiatric nurse practitioner who helps soldiers at the VA Clinic in Rochester. "Because he didn't have to choose anything. He didn't have to choose what to eat for 16 months. And he didn't know how to act. He didn't know how to respond."
Cruz uses the disability statement as if it's proof for non-believers.
"I read it over and over (because) I forget," Cruz says. "I think any logical person would say they'd want to forget the worst parts."
He has formed a relationship with a woman and her two children, but he struggles. In post-war relationships, when a woman rolls her eyes in response to his behavior, he says, he knows it's over.
"I sleep in the garage because I don't want the kids to see me. ... It's cold in the garage. It's more embarrassing, though, if they were to see me," he says.
Severe panic attacks are the problem. Any unexpected noise can set one off.
go here for more
Veterans struggle to truly come home
Post-Bulletin - Rochester,MN,USA
Grim twist in torture-slay of Marine Sgt. Jan Pietrzak and wife
Grim twist in torture-slay of Marine Sgt. Jan Pietrzak and wife: racial epithets on walls of home
By Nancy Dillon In Murrietta, Calif. and Corky Siemaszko In New York
DAILY NEWS STAFF WRITERS
Race may have been the motive for the brutal murders of Brooklyn-raised Marine Sgt. Jan Pawel Pietrzak and his wife, Quiana.
After insisting for months the Pietrzaks were slain by four other Marines for their money, a key prosecution witness dropped a bombshell Friday - racist remarks were spray-painted in the couple's California home.
The words "N----- Lover" were found on the wall near the master bedroom and on a bathroom mirror, Riverside County Homicide Investigator Benjamin Ramirez testified.
Pietrzak, 24, was white, his 26-year-old wife was black, and the four accused Marines are black.
Ramirez's revelation came at the start of a two-day hearing to determine if the Camp Pendleton Marines should stand trial - and plunged the victims' heartbroken mothers into tears.
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Grim twist in torture-slay of Marine Sgt. Jan Pietrzak and wife
By Nancy Dillon In Murrietta, Calif. and Corky Siemaszko In New York
DAILY NEWS STAFF WRITERS
Race may have been the motive for the brutal murders of Brooklyn-raised Marine Sgt. Jan Pawel Pietrzak and his wife, Quiana.
After insisting for months the Pietrzaks were slain by four other Marines for their money, a key prosecution witness dropped a bombshell Friday - racist remarks were spray-painted in the couple's California home.
The words "N----- Lover" were found on the wall near the master bedroom and on a bathroom mirror, Riverside County Homicide Investigator Benjamin Ramirez testified.
Pietrzak, 24, was white, his 26-year-old wife was black, and the four accused Marines are black.
Ramirez's revelation came at the start of a two-day hearing to determine if the Camp Pendleton Marines should stand trial - and plunged the victims' heartbroken mothers into tears.
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Grim twist in torture-slay of Marine Sgt. Jan Pietrzak and wife
Survivors may struggle in aftermath of Civic Association shootings
Imagine being one of the people, minding their own business, attending class and all hell breaks loose with a gunman on a rampage shooting people he does not even know.
The investigation will go on and people have gone home. The gunman is dead and while some think he cannot hurt anyone else now, the truth is, he will keep hurting people for many more years. The survivors of the attack will keep paying the price and so will their families for a very long time. Some will recover, but as this article points out, it has a lot to do with the history of the survivors. Sometimes it is one traumatic event too many opening the door for PTSD but other times, it's because the individual exposed to the events carries away the pain of others along with their own.
How can you ever feel safe after this? How can you believe you do not have to look over your shoulder or wonder where the next attack will happen? You can't but you do get to a point when you are able to rationalize that an abnormality like this does not happen every place you go. Your nerves will stop jumping and your senses will not be out of control forever as time replaces this horrific part of your life. The key is to start talking about it, let it out, so that it does not take root inside of you. Too many survivors stuff the horror into the back of their minds, avoiding any discussion or memory of it and they allow it to end up ruling their lives after. You couldn't control the event but you are in control when it comes to you and what you do to heal from it. If you need help, ask for it. If you need to talk, find people to listen. If you need a shoulder to lean on, reach out for it. Do not suffer in silence if you find you need help to heal.
UPDATE
Binghamton struggles to understand why
Wearing body armor and carrying two weapons, Jiverly Wong blocked the back door of the American Civic Association with his car on Friday, then went inside and fatally shot 13 people before apparently turning the gun on himself, police said. "Whatever drove this individual to do what he did I cannot possibly fathom," said Angela Leach, a representative of the association. "He must have been a coward," said Police Chief Joseph Zikuski. full story
Motive unclear in deadly Binghamton shootings
Story Highlights
NEW: Police execute search warrant at suspected gunman's home
NEW: Authorities have also talked with shooting suspect's mother
Fourteen people, including gunman, died Friday in N.Y. immigration center shootings
(CNN) -- Authorities are still sorting out the details after a shooting rampage Friday at a Binghamton, New York, immigration center left 14 people dead, including the suspected gunman.
A senior law enforcement source with detailed knowledge of the investigation identified the suspect as Jiverly Wong, who is believed to be in his early 40s.
Authorities executed a search warrant at Wong's home in Johnson City, near Binghamton, and spoke to the suspect's mother, the source said.
Earlier in the day, Binghamton police Chief Joseph Zikuski said the gunman entered the American Civic Association building. At 10:31 a.m., authorities received a 911 call from the receptionist, who said she'd been shot in the stomach, Zikuski said.
She told police that a man with a handgun also shot and killed another receptionist before proceeding to a nearby classroom, where he gunned down more victims, Zikuski said.
Authorities said 37 people made it out of the building alive, most of the survivors managed to survive by hiding in a boiler room and storage closets.
go here for more of this
Motive unclear in deadly Binghamton shootings
The investigation will go on and people have gone home. The gunman is dead and while some think he cannot hurt anyone else now, the truth is, he will keep hurting people for many more years. The survivors of the attack will keep paying the price and so will their families for a very long time. Some will recover, but as this article points out, it has a lot to do with the history of the survivors. Sometimes it is one traumatic event too many opening the door for PTSD but other times, it's because the individual exposed to the events carries away the pain of others along with their own.
Survivors may struggle in aftermath of Civic Association shootings
Press & Sun-Bulletin - Binghamton,NY,USA
By Vanessa Ebbeling • vebbeling1@gannett.com • Staff Writer • April 3, 2009
BINGHAMTON -- They're alive.
But the 37 survivors who walked away from Friday's massacre at American Civic Association might face debilitating emotions in the wake of the shooting tragedy that left 14 dead. Symptoms and the coping mechanisms will be as different as the individuals themselves, mental health experts said.
"It's normal for people to feel anxiety and feel depressed; people often have trouble sleeping," said Meredith Coles, an assistant professor of psychology at Binghamton University. "Typically, that goes down over time and that's one of the amazing things about people facing trauma."
Humans are incredibly resilient and can recover -- and even thrive -- after traumatic experiences. But if symptoms persist for weeks or months, survivors should seek professional help.
"They'll also attempt to avoid stimuli that arouse recollections of the trauma," he said. "But these are normal responses to an abnormal event."
The degree of a survivor's symptoms might depend on their involvement in the circumstance and past traumas in their life.
click link for more of this
How can you ever feel safe after this? How can you believe you do not have to look over your shoulder or wonder where the next attack will happen? You can't but you do get to a point when you are able to rationalize that an abnormality like this does not happen every place you go. Your nerves will stop jumping and your senses will not be out of control forever as time replaces this horrific part of your life. The key is to start talking about it, let it out, so that it does not take root inside of you. Too many survivors stuff the horror into the back of their minds, avoiding any discussion or memory of it and they allow it to end up ruling their lives after. You couldn't control the event but you are in control when it comes to you and what you do to heal from it. If you need help, ask for it. If you need to talk, find people to listen. If you need a shoulder to lean on, reach out for it. Do not suffer in silence if you find you need help to heal.
UPDATE
Binghamton struggles to understand why
Wearing body armor and carrying two weapons, Jiverly Wong blocked the back door of the American Civic Association with his car on Friday, then went inside and fatally shot 13 people before apparently turning the gun on himself, police said. "Whatever drove this individual to do what he did I cannot possibly fathom," said Angela Leach, a representative of the association. "He must have been a coward," said Police Chief Joseph Zikuski. full story
3 police officers shot in Pittsburgh answering domestic violence call
3 police officers shot in Pittsburgh
Story Highlights
Officers were responding to a domestic call, Allegheny County police said
Gunman is apparently in a house keeping law enforcement at bay
WTAE-TV reports that as many as 80 shots have been fired
(CNN) -- Three police officers were shot in Pittsburgh on Saturday, as they responded to a domestic call, Allegheny County police said.
A gunman is apparently holed up inside a home in the Stanton Heights neighborhood of the western Pennsylvania city.
The conditions of the officers were not known.
Police couldn't say whether the officers struck were from the city, the county or other departments. City, county and state police officers were at the scene.
CNN affiliate WTAE reported that as many as 80 shots have been fired between people in the house and officers
http://www.cnn.com/2009/CRIME/04/04/pittsburgh.officers.shot/index.html
check back with CNN later for details as they come out.
UPDATE
This makes no sense at all. If he was "afraid" President Obama would "ban guns" then why would he do something like this? Why kill police officers for what he was "afraid of" and do something like this?
Story Highlights
Officers were responding to a domestic call, Allegheny County police said
Gunman is apparently in a house keeping law enforcement at bay
WTAE-TV reports that as many as 80 shots have been fired
(CNN) -- Three police officers were shot in Pittsburgh on Saturday, as they responded to a domestic call, Allegheny County police said.
A gunman is apparently holed up inside a home in the Stanton Heights neighborhood of the western Pennsylvania city.
The conditions of the officers were not known.
Police couldn't say whether the officers struck were from the city, the county or other departments. City, county and state police officers were at the scene.
CNN affiliate WTAE reported that as many as 80 shots have been fired between people in the house and officers
http://www.cnn.com/2009/CRIME/04/04/pittsburgh.officers.shot/index.html
check back with CNN later for details as they come out.
UPDATE
This makes no sense at all. If he was "afraid" President Obama would "ban guns" then why would he do something like this? Why kill police officers for what he was "afraid of" and do something like this?
Gunman 'lying in wait' kills 3 Pittsburgh officers; friends say he feared Obama would ban guns
DAN NEPHINRAMIT PLUSHNICK-MASTI
Associated Press Writers Associated Press Writers
5:59 PM EDT, April 4, 2009
PITTSBURGH (AP) — A gunman wearing a bulletproof vest and "lying in wait" opened fire on officers responding to a domestic disturbance call Saturday, killing three of them and turning a quiet Pittsburgh street into a battlefield, police said.
Police Chief Nate Harper said the motive for the shooting isn't clear, but friends said the gunman recently had been upset about losing his job and feared the Obama administration was poised to ban guns.
Richard Poplawski, 23, met officers at the doorway and shot two of them in the head immediately, Harper said. An officer who tried to help the two also was killed.
Poplawski, armed with an assault rifle and two other guns, then held police at bay for four hours as the fallen officers were left bleeding nearby, their colleagues unable to reach them, according to police and witnesses. More than 100 rounds were fired by the SWAT teams and Poplawski, Harper said.
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Gunman 'lying in wait' kills 3 Pittsburgh officers
UPDATE Sunday April 5, 2009
Urinating dog triggered argument resulting in 3 officers' deaths
Story Highlights
The officers were the first department fatalities since 1995
Third officer killed was on his way home after finishing shift
Officers were responding to domestic call in Stanton Heights area of Pittsburgh
Two more officers were injured in the nearly four-hour standoff that ensued(CNN) -- Three Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, police officers were shot to death while responding to a 911 call of a domestic argument triggered by a urinating dog, according to a criminal complaint filed in the case.
The officers were the first department fatalities since 1995, according to the department.
Police said following the shootings Saturday that Richard Poplawski, 22, would be charged with three counts of homicide, aggravated assault and other charges. Poplawski, who was shot in the leg during a four-hour standoff with police, was hospitalized at an undisclosed location, police said.
Details of the incident were included in the police complaint seeking an arrest warrant for Poplawski. The complaint says Margaret Poplawski called 911 about 7 a.m. Saturday to report that her son was "giving her a hard time." Watch officers respond at the scene »
She told police she awoke to discover that "the dog had urinated on the floor," and awakened her son "to confront him about it."
The two had an argument, and Margaret Poplawski told her son she was calling police to remove him from her home, according to the complaint. When officers Stephen Mayhle and Paul Sciullo III arrived, she opened the door and let them in.go here for more
http://www.cnn.com/2009/CRIME/04/05/pittsburgh.officers.shot.dog/index.html
Pentagon’s Sexual Assault and Prevention Office taking women seriously
Rape and sexual assaults are crimes that no one should ever ignore.
New campaign aims to stop sexual assault
By William H. McMichael - Staff writer
Posted : Friday Apr 3, 2009 14:49:01 EDT
The Pentagon on Friday launched a campaign to raise awareness of and prevent sexual assaults with a focus on what it calls “bystander intervention” — service members taking the initiative to step in when someone is about to be victimized.
The campaign, dubbed “Our Strength is for Defending,” is running throughout April in tandem with National Sexual Assault Awareness Month.
Officials are employing posters, brochures and radio and TV announcements and focusing the campaign on 18- to-24-year-old men and women — the age range in which officials say most sexual assaults take place.
The campaign resembles a similar effort by the international advocacy group Men Can Stop Rape. That group’s campaign is focused on men; SAPRO worked with the group to adapt the program to the military and include women as a focal point.
“We all have a responsibility of intervening if we think a sexual assault is going to occur,” said Kaye Whitley, director of the Pentagon’s Sexual Assault and Prevention Office, or SAPRO.
The campaign goal is twofold, Whitley said: preventing sexual assault, and raising awareness of the issue.
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New campaign aims to stop sexual assault
Wales:Truck carries coffin of soldier to final rest
Truck carries coffin of soldier
Cpl Dean John's coffin was escorted to the crematorium by his army colleagues
A soldier from south Wales with a life-long love of engines and trucks was driven to his funeral service on the back of a brand new lorry.
Cpl Dean John, 25, of Port Talbot, was killed by a roadside bomb in Helmand province in Afghanistan on 15 March.
Hundreds of people lined both sides of the streets as the married father of three was driven to Margam Crematorium.
Fellow soldier Cpl Graeme Stiff, 24, from Grimsby, lost his life in the same blast.
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Truck carries coffin of soldier
Students at St. Johns Academy talked face-to-face with a pilot in Iraq
Students in Ms. Mahan first-grade got to see that Flat Stanley made it to Iraq to visit some soldiers.
Soldier In Iraq Speaks To Local 1st-Grade Class
POSTED: Thursday, April 2, 2009
UPDATED: 8:29 pm EDT April 2, 2009
ST. AUGUSTINE, Fla. -- A soldier serving the country hundreds of thousands of miles away in Iraq made time for some first-graders in St. Augustine on Thursday.
Students at St. Johns Academy talked face-to-face with a pilot who is overseas. Using a webcam, Lt. Col. Jim Baker told the children about the ups and downs of military life and answered all sorts of questions.
"Do you miss your family?" one student asked.
"Oh yes. That's the one thing about being over here that we agree on, that we miss our family," Baker said.
For the first time, the students got to meet with a helicopter pilot stationed in Iraq. The high-tech visit was conducted via Skype.
"We've got everything from hamburgers and hot dogs, to sandwiches and soup," Baker shared about life overseas.
"It's a good opportunity for us to show our gratitude to him for his sacrifices over there," said first-grade teacher Leah Mahan.
go here for more
Soldier In Iraq Speaks To Local 1st-Grade Class
Friday, April 3, 2009
Demi Moore's Twitter Readers Save Suicidal Woman
Demi Moore responds to Twitter suicide threat
Story Highlights
Demi Moore was recipient of suicide threat on Twitter
Moore helped put word out; police later took troubled texter into custody
Moore: "The twitterverse is on the case"
By Alan Duke
CNN
LOS ANGELES, California (CNN) -- Actress Demi Moore's frequent postings on Twitter put her in the middle of a life-and-death drama Friday when a woman sent her an online message threatening suicide.
Ashton Kutcher and Demi Moore are both active members of the Twitter social-networking site.
Moore, who was in southern France where her husband, actor Ashton Kutcher, is filming a movie, quickly replied to the threat saying, "Hope you are joking."
Twitter followers who saw the message tracked it to a San Jose, California, home, where police found a 48-year-old woman. The police took her into custody for a psychological evaluation, according to a police spokesman.
About two hours after the initial exchange, Moore posted this message -- known as a "tweet" -- on Twitter: "Thanks everyone for reaching out to the San Jose PD i am told they are aware and no need to call anymore. I do not know this woman."
go here for more
Demi Moore responds to Twitter suicide threat
Story Highlights
Demi Moore was recipient of suicide threat on Twitter
Moore helped put word out; police later took troubled texter into custody
Moore: "The twitterverse is on the case"
By Alan Duke
CNN
LOS ANGELES, California (CNN) -- Actress Demi Moore's frequent postings on Twitter put her in the middle of a life-and-death drama Friday when a woman sent her an online message threatening suicide.
Ashton Kutcher and Demi Moore are both active members of the Twitter social-networking site.
Moore, who was in southern France where her husband, actor Ashton Kutcher, is filming a movie, quickly replied to the threat saying, "Hope you are joking."
Twitter followers who saw the message tracked it to a San Jose, California, home, where police found a 48-year-old woman. The police took her into custody for a psychological evaluation, according to a police spokesman.
About two hours after the initial exchange, Moore posted this message -- known as a "tweet" -- on Twitter: "Thanks everyone for reaching out to the San Jose PD i am told they are aware and no need to call anymore. I do not know this woman."
go here for more
Demi Moore responds to Twitter suicide threat
California Law Firm Seeking To Defend El Toro Veterans and Workers
Most of you know my friend Shelia at Agent Orange Quilt of Tears. She's been doing all she can to take on Agent Orange and now it looks as if she's rolled up her sleeves for this as well.
Please this is an important issue that concerns a lot of our sick Veterans & their families. As Jim says below these chemicals are just as bad as Agent Orange. Please take a few minutes to print out the packet & gather some signatures to support this issue, even if you can only get a few it will help.
All the direction & mailing addresses are included in the PDF file.
I've included more information below about the health concerns of these chemicals below Jim's message for help.
Thank you,
Shelia & Henry Snyder
Agent Orange Victims & Widows Support NetworkHome Of The Agent Orange Quilt Of Tearshttp://www.agentorangequiltoftears.com/Sacrifice is meaningless without remembrance
From: jdavis92840@gmail.comTCE/PCE Reduction Act of 2009 Petition - Help is needed!
Dear Friend,
I know I’ve come to you on several occasions now to ask for your help on this petition for the TCE/PCE Reduction Act of 2009 and some of you have responded with 10 signatures or more and this is greatly been appreciated.
And a special thanks goes out to Mr. Wright of GA who sent in 40 signatures, awesome job!
But we’re still a long ways off from the goal of 40,000+ signatures in order to help insure this bill doesn’t die in committee or on the House Floor.
You may feel you can’t get 10 signatures, or your health doesn’t permit you to which is ok, even if you alone sign, and mail in, and maybe forward on the E-Mail with file attachment to others, this too is a great help!
I have been in communication twice now with Congressman Hinchey’s office over the past two weeks and have been promised they would take the proposed bill under serious consideration.
These chemicals are as bad as Agent Orange, and will also have long lasting affects on those who used either TCE which is a degreaser chemical or PCE which is a dry cleaning chemical. Both are capable of causing various cancers and more. They’re also known to put off a gas called Vinyl Chloride which can and has caused behavioral changes at many military installations, and could very well have caused a veteran to be discharged dishonorably.
I have two firm beliefs, 1) There is power in numbers, and 2) Allow one veteran to be harmed, you harm all veterans.
Please, if you’ve not already signed the petition and mailed it to our office, please reconsider today?
If you’re a member of any of the Veteran Service Organizations, this too would be a great place to get signatures.
Thank you in advance for taking the time to read this E-Mail, and for your participation.
Best regards,
Jim
California Law Firm Seeks Injured El Toro Veterans & Workers
By Robert O'Dowd, Staff Writer, Posted on March 30, 2009
http://www.veteranstoday.com/article5587.HTML
A legal review and evaluation of possible injuries and deaths related to exposure to TCE/PCE and radium at former MCAS El Toro is underway by a Southern California law firm. There is no cost for the review or commitment for legal representation. Veterans, dependents, and civilian workers are encouraged to contact the law firm.A trichloroethylene (TCE) toxic plume was discovered in 1985 off of Marine Corps Air Station (MCAS) El Toro, California. El Toro was placed on the EPA Superfund list in 1990, closed in July 1999, and most of the land sold at a public auction in 2005. Once the Marine Corps’ premier air station, the former base sits deserted, a number of building torn down, part of the former base leased to Cal State Fullerton for classes, buildings demolished, most of the runways, taxiways and aprons still in tack, while according to the OC Register, Lennar has spent the “the last few months demolishing and removing existing El Toro structures to make way for grading.”
(See: http://collegelife.freedomblogging.com/2009/02/04/csuf-campus-in-south-county-is-moving/2680/)
Two huge maintenance hangars in the industrial portion of the base were found to be the source of the toxic plume spreading off the base. Multiple contaminants were found on base near landfills, including radionuclides (Uranium 235, Radium 226 and Radium 228).A radium 226 paint room and administrative office space in Hangar 296 were contaminated with radium. The radium 226 paint room was used decades ago to make a fluorescent paint for aircraft gauges and instruments. Some of the radium waste wound up in base landfills. The administrative space above the radium paint room was once occupied by the 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing’s Supply Support Division. The California Department of Public Health, citing concerns over the radiological survey conducted by the Navy, has not released this hangar for unrestricted use, even though the Navy completed a “final” radiological report in 2002.
As is the case with the other 132 military bases on the EPA Superfund list, no veteran, dependent or civilian employee has been notified of their possible exposure to contaminants and the health effects.El Toro’s Laundry List of Contaminants EPA lists multiple Contaminants of Concern for El Toro on their Internet site. According to EPA: “COCs are the chemical substances found at the site that the EPA has determined pose an unacceptable risk to human health or the environment. These are the substances that are addressed by cleanup actions at the site. Identifying COCs is a process where the EPA identifies people and ecological resources that could be exposed to contamination found at the site, determines the amount and type of contaminants present, and identifies the possible negative human health or ecological effects that could result from contact with the contaminants.” (See: http://cfpub.EPA.gov/supercpad/cursites/csitinfo.cfm?id=0902770
For each COC, the EPA Internet site links the reader to the health effects identified by the Agency for Toxic Substances Registry (ATSDR). ATSDR under the Department of Health and Human Services, is responsible for performing for performing public health assessments of EPA Superfund sites.Trichloroethylene (TCE) and tetrachloroethylene (PCE) are two toxic chemicals found in the base’s the soil and groundwater. TCE and PCE are both excellent cleaning solvents. TCE was used at El Toro for decades to degrease aircraft parts and for other applications. PCE was used as a metal degreaser and dry cleaning solvent in the base drying cleaning facility in the industrial portion of the base, now repository of the administrative records supporting the Navy’s clean-up activities.
What are the health effects of TCE/PCE exposure?
ATSDR reported a number of health problems in children who were exposed in the womb from their mother drinking water contaminated with TCE and/or PCE include:
Leukemia
Small for gestational age
Low birth weight
Fetal death
Major heart defects
Neural tube defects
Oral cleft defects (including cleft lip)
Chonal atresia (nasal passages blocked with bone or tissue)
Eye defects
Miscarriage
Major malformations
ATSDR reported health problems in people of all ages from drinking water contaminated with TCE and/or PCE include:
Non-Hodgkins lymphoma
Bladder cancer
Breast cancer
Lung cancer
ATSDR reported health problems in people of all ages from working with TCE and/or PCE include:
Hodgkins disease
Non-Hodgkins lymphoma
Cervical cancer
Kidney cancer
Liver/biliary cancer
Ovarian cancer
Prostate cancer
Neurological effects (delayed reaction times problems with short-term memory, visual perception, attention, and color vision)
Radium 226 Health EffectsATSDR reported that: “Radium has been shown to cause effects on the blood (anemia) and eyes (cataracts). It also has been shown to affect the teeth, causing an increase in broken teeth and cavities. Patients who were injected with radium in Germany, from 1946 to 1950, for the treatment of certain diseases including tuberculosis were significantly shorter as adults than people who were not treated.”How likely is radium to cause cancer?
ATSDR noted that: “Exposure to high levels of radium results in an increased incidence of bone, liver, and breast cancer. The EPA and the National Academy of Sciences, Committee on Biological Effects of Ionizing Radiation, has stated that radium is a known human carcinogen.” (See: http://www.atsdr.cdc.gov/tfacts144.html)
No Cost or Commitment for Legal ReviewEl Toro veterans, dependents, and civilian workers with injuries possibly related to exposure to TCE/PCE, radium and other contaminants at former MCAS El Toro can contact Mr. Michael E. Gates, Carroll, Kelly, Trotter, Franzen and McKenna, 111 W. Ocean Boulevard, 14th Floor, Long Beach, California 90802-4646, Telephone: (562) 432-5855. Facsimile: (562) 432-8785. megates@cktfmlaw.com.
Mr. Gates told me that there is no cost to this legal review.
However, there is a need for information from injured parties: “Now that we are moving forward on this, I will need names and contact info, although I do not necessarily need to be contacted personally. I will also need retainers signed by everyone individually, but I will send out a standard PDF version that can be printed, signed, and sent back to me. This retainer will just say that the injured party agrees to have us represent them and also binds us with confidentiality.”Mr. Gates emphasized that: “Until a retainer is signed by the injured party, NO LEGAL REPRESENTATION HAS COMMENCED, and the "review" is merely exploratory.
However, any and ALL communication is strictly confidential.”With exception of Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune, no veteran, dependent or civilian employee of El Toro and the other 131 military bases on the EPA Superfund list has been notified of their possible exposure to contaminants and the health effects.
The Navy and Marine Corps are attempting to notify Camp Lejeune veterans and civilians but only after Congressional legislation and the tragic deaths of children from the TCE contaminated wells on base.One positive outcome of any legal review is that depending on the number of injured El Toro parties, the government may be forced to notify veterans and civilian workers of El Toro of their possible exposure to contaminants and the health effects. There’s no question that this is the right thing to do for those who served our county honorably.
Compassion Fatique Study Should Open Eyes on Combat PTSD
I cut out the part I really want you to read. It backs up what I've been saying about the type of person PTSD usually sets in on. Compassionate, sensitive people. While this article is discussing caregivers of terminal patients, think about the death that surrounds the men and women in the military and then you will have a better idea of why I keep saying the military and the VA are going at PTSD in the wrong direction. Between my two blogs, there are over 15,000 posts and most of them deal with PTSD. What you don't know is that with all of these posts sharing information I think is important, there are thousands more I've read over the years that are not posted. There is only so much room in this brain of mine, so it's impossible to even come close to remembering how many books and magazine articles I've read since 1982. What I believe has come from many years of taking all of this very personally because I've also been with my husband for as long as I've been doing this. I not only study it, I live it. Please do not dismiss what needs to be heard and taken seriously if we are ever going to get this right on PTSD.
'Compassion Fatigue' Drains Some Caregivers
By Todd Neale, Staff Writer, MedPage Today
Published: April 03, 2009
Reviewed by Zalman S. Agus, MD; Emeritus Professor
University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine.
Study of the causes of and signs of compassion fatigue, as well as techniques for managing the condition, has been hampered by the ambiguous definition of it, they said.
It is difficult to differentiate compassion fatigue from similar conditions, such as burnout, secondary traumatic stress, post-traumatic stress disorder, and vicarious traumatization, they said.
Empathy is central to all of these processes, yet compassion fatigue is a unique kind of burnout that occurs in caregiving professions, they said.
Although some tools have been developed to assess compassion fatigue -- the Compassion Satisfaction Fatigue test and the newer-generation Professional Quality of Life Scale -- there have been few validation studies, according to the researchers.
Workers who are most vulnerable are "overly conscientious, perfectionistic, and self-giving," Dr. Doebbeling and colleagues said.
Sufferers "may feel chronically tired and irritable, dread going to work or walking into a patient's room, lack joy in life, feel trapped, drink more alcohol or overeat, or experience an aggravation of existing physical ailments, such as headache or body aches," they said.
Affected workers may also become more cynical and bored.
Taken together these factors may result in decreased productivity, more sick days, and higher turnover at the workplace, they said.
'Compassion Fatigue' Drains Some Caregivers
Female veterans need to be voice for other women after military sexual abuse
Many Women Veterans have difficulty receiving service-connected disability for PTSD due to MST (Military Sexual Trauma).
“We need more specific information about the incidents. We need to know, within a 2 month period, the date(s) the incidents occurred. We need to know the name(s) of your attackers, and we also need to know if any police reports, or other reports, were filed regarding the incidents described in your statement. If police reports were filed, we need to know the name of the agency they were filed with, and the approximate date they were filed.”
"Your service treatment records do not show treatment for PTSD or any other mental health disorders while in service. Service personnel records do not provide any evidence that a personal assault occurred in service. There is no evidence of changes in performance or performance evaluations or unexplained behavioral changes which could be expected from a person who had undergone such an assault.
In the National Center for PTSD Fact Sheet on Military Sexual Trauma,
Page 2,under What Happens?: "There is no set reaction to MST......You may have a response right away, or it may delayed for month or years."
Page 3 first paragraph states: "After a sexual assault, many women veterans keep quit. They worry what others will think of them, and that talking about the assault will hurt their military careers."
As you can see from the National Center for PTSD already shows, that many times, that MST are not reported, and that reactions vary, including the onset of symptoms.
And again other documents and reports basically say the same thing.
What does it take for the VA to believe the Veterans, who are seeking service-connected disability for PTSD due to MST? Especially for the older Veterans.
Changes need to be made now.
In the Military Sexual Trauma: Violence and Sexual Abuse Document:
Page 3, 2nd Paragraph: "......However, three fourth of the women who were raped did not report the incident to a ranking officer."
Page 4, 2nd Paragraph: "Reasons why both men and women avoid reporting sexual abuse include fears no one will believe them, that their careers will disruupted, that they will be harassed or face retribution from their attacker, or that they will be told to suck it up."
Sexual Assault Permates theU.S. Armed Forces, CBS Evening News: Shocking Report On Frequent Attacks, Low Rate Of Investigation, Prosecution, March, 17, 2009
Page 3, 1st Paragraph: "The Pentagon acknowledges that some 80 percent of rapes are never reported - making it the most under-documented crime in the military."
Page 3, 3rd Paragraph: "They didn't report because they didn't report because they didn't think they'd believed."
The Women's War Document
Page 8, 3rd Paragraph: "Given that PTSD sometimes takes years to surface in a veteran..."
Page 16, 3rd Paragraph: "There is the story of Tina Priest, a 21-year-old soldier who, according to Army investigation records, shot herself with an M-6 rifle in Iraq last March, two weeks after filing a rape charge against a fellow soldier and days after being given a diagnosis of ^acute stress disorder consistent with rape trauma^"
Page 22.last Paragraph: "Some of the women served in previous decades and were only now dealing with their PTSD" Sadly to say, this is many of us "Older" Veterans fall in this category. Assaults occurred decades ago, and we supposed to remember the exact dates, names and such? We forget to survive only to find ourselves wondering why the symptoms of PTSD come to surface.
NAMI VETERANS COUNCIL
Cornelia Huebscher
Veteran/ U.S. Army
NAMI Alaska Liaison to NVC
Chair/Women Veterans Subcommittee to NVC
Chair/NAMI Vets Alaska
huebscher@acsalaska.net
www.nami.org
Vietnam Vet says "We're All Brothers Now"
"We're all brothers in arms," said Emswiler, who visited the memorial in D.C. in 1995. "Once you go through something like that, there is a special bond, no matter your race, color or creed."
‘We're All Brothers' Posted 2009-04-03
Wall Unites A War's Living, Dead
By Pete DeLea
Air Force veteran Dick Lorette, 80, listens to opening ceremonies for "The Wall That Heals" in Harrisonburg's Ralph Sampson Park on Thursday. Lorette served in Vietnam in 1971-72.
Photos by Pete Marovich
HARRISONBURG - Vietnam veteran Alan Emswiler spent about a year stationed in Kansas before being deployed to fight in the war in 1969.
During that time, Emswiler was sent by the Army to several Midwestern states to serve as a pallbearer in military funerals for fallen soldiers returning from Southeast Asia.
Emswiler recalled one specific funeral where the widow asked the military not to use a hearse, but to escort the fallen soldier through town by hand.
"We carried it from one side of the town to the other," he said.
After about 16 funerals, Emswiler was sent to Vietnam with the 18th Military Police Brigade.
On Thursday, the 60-year-old Broadway resident was one of the first to get a glimpse of "The Wall That Heals," a traveling half-size replica of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington, D.C., that's now set up at Ralph Sampson Park.
The exhibit will be on display 24 hours a day at the park on East Washington Street until 8 a.m. Monday.
Emswiler said he purposely didn't remember the names of the fallen soldiers whose funerals he attended.
"You can't remember the names," he said. "If you remember the names, it becomes too personal."
go here for more
Vietnam veteran to receive Silver Star for bravery in battle 42 years ago
Vietnam veteran Ray Calhoun will receive a Silver Star for combat bravery during a ceremony today. In his hand is one he had purchased. (Nelvin C. Cepeda / Union-Tribune)
Hero finally gets his due
Vietnam veteran to receive Silver Star for bravery in battle 42 years ago
By Steve Liewer (Contact) Union-Tribune Staff Writer
2:00 a.m. April 3, 2009
Nighttime cloaked Hill 881 South in a blackness that filled the Marines of Mike Company with a well-founded dread.
Lance Cpl. Ray Calhoun's platoon had drawn the job of leading an assault in this northwest corner of South Vietnam on the morning of April 30, 1967. They knew the enemy was waiting for them.
Some of the North Vietnamese soldiers shouted taunts in accented English.
“All night long, they're telling us: 'Put on your helmets, Marines. You're gonna die in the morning,' ” recalled Calhoun, who now lives in Scripps Ranch.
The enemy didn't lie. Three-fourths of the men in Calhoun's platoon were killed or wounded.
Throughout the battle, the 19-year-old Calhoun alternately aimed grenades at enemy bunkers and bandaged his dying buddies. Twice he passed out from his own wounds, only to wake up and resume the fight.
Today, nearly 42 years later, Calhoun will receive a Silver Star – the nation's third-highest award for combat bravery – during a ceremony at Marine Corps Recruit Depot in San Diego.
Two of Calhoun's platoon mates also were awarded Silver Stars recently. Don Hossack of Kalispell, Mont., received his medal last month, and Tommy Wheeler of Lutz, Fla., will get his April 13.
The presentations follow six years of Pentagon review, through a process approved by Congress to recognize overlooked valor from past wars. The law has been invoked to credit ethnic or religious minorities whose heroism was ignored or initially downgraded.
go here for more
Hero finally gets his due/
Gen. Peter Chiarelli at Fort Hood to address suicides, mental health in the ranks
Photo credit Chris Haug, III Corps PAO
Vice Chief of the Army Gen. Peter Chiarelli speaks to members of the media while visiting Fort Hood, Texas.
Vice Chief comes to Hood to address suicides, mental health in the ranks
Apr 01
By Heather Graham, III Corps PAO
FORT HOOD, Texas -- When Vice Chief of the Army Gen. Peter Chiarelli began an eight-day trip to seven Army installations across the country, his focus was on combating rising suicides in the ranks. After stops at the first few posts, the focus quickly broadened to include the overall mental health of Soldiers and their families.
Chiarelli and the suicide task force began visiting posts last week, looking at general trends in suicide and hoping to share best practices in prevention and treatment. The findings will be assembled in a plan that will be out soon.
What Chiarelli found is a stretched and tired force.
According to Department of Defense figures, 140 Soldiers killed themselves last year, an average of 20 Soldiers for every 100,000. This is the first time the Army has ever exceeded the Centers for Disease Control's most current statistic for the general population of 19 per 100,000, Chiarelli added.
This year has not started out well.
"We saw an alarming trend in the number of suicides during 2008, and the number - including those suspected, but not yet confirmed - for 2009 is still higher than average," Chiarelli said when he addressed the March 18, Central Texas and Fort Hood Chapter of the Association of the U.S. Army general membership meeting at the Killeen Civic and Convention Center.
Nearly eight years of combat on two fronts and multiple deployments have token a terrible toll on Soldiers and their families.
go here for more
Vice Chief comes to Hood to address suicides, mental health in the ranks/
Texas Tech psychologist to head study aimed at curbing veterans' suicides
Tech psychologist to head study aimed at curbing veterans' suicides
By Marlena Hartz AVALANCHE-JOURNAL
Friday, April 03, 2009
Story last updated at 4/3/2009 - 1:17 am
The U.S. Department of Defense has chosen a Texas Tech psychologist to lead a three-year study intended to reduce suicides among veterans.
Suicide rates in the U.S. Army reached an all-time high in 2008, according to Army officials. Last year, 128 active-duty soldiers committed suicide, an Army spokesman told The Avalanche-Journal. Another 15 potential suicides are under investigation, he said.
In other branches, suicides are less common. They reported between 38 and 41 suicides last year, according to an Air Force Times story.
The Army's alarming suicide trend continues this year, said David Rudd, the chairman of Tech's psychology department who will head the $1.97 million Defense Department study.
"For the first time in history this January, more soldiers died by suicide than in combat. The problem is fairly complex, but ultimately, we've been in a two-front war now for six years. There have been high rates of psychological problems associated with that, and when that occurs, suicide rates increase," Rudd is quoted as saying in a Tech news release.
Rudd said his study will examine whether a short-term psychological treatment plan can reduce suicide rates with those who report feeling suicidal.
He will work in conjunction with the University of Texas Health Sciences Center, the Warrior Resiliency Program at Brooke Army Medical Center and the University of Pennsylvania.
In September, Rudd and his team will begin a random clinical trial offering cognitive behavioral psychotherapy to suicidal soldiers at Fort Carson, Colo., according to the Tech news release.
go here for more
Tech psychologist to head study aimed at curbing veterans' suicides
By Marlena Hartz AVALANCHE-JOURNAL
Friday, April 03, 2009
Story last updated at 4/3/2009 - 1:17 am
The U.S. Department of Defense has chosen a Texas Tech psychologist to lead a three-year study intended to reduce suicides among veterans.
Suicide rates in the U.S. Army reached an all-time high in 2008, according to Army officials. Last year, 128 active-duty soldiers committed suicide, an Army spokesman told The Avalanche-Journal. Another 15 potential suicides are under investigation, he said.
In other branches, suicides are less common. They reported between 38 and 41 suicides last year, according to an Air Force Times story.
The Army's alarming suicide trend continues this year, said David Rudd, the chairman of Tech's psychology department who will head the $1.97 million Defense Department study.
"For the first time in history this January, more soldiers died by suicide than in combat. The problem is fairly complex, but ultimately, we've been in a two-front war now for six years. There have been high rates of psychological problems associated with that, and when that occurs, suicide rates increase," Rudd is quoted as saying in a Tech news release.
Rudd said his study will examine whether a short-term psychological treatment plan can reduce suicide rates with those who report feeling suicidal.
He will work in conjunction with the University of Texas Health Sciences Center, the Warrior Resiliency Program at Brooke Army Medical Center and the University of Pennsylvania.
In September, Rudd and his team will begin a random clinical trial offering cognitive behavioral psychotherapy to suicidal soldiers at Fort Carson, Colo., according to the Tech news release.
go here for more
Tech psychologist to head study aimed at curbing veterans' suicides
4 People shot 41 hostages in Binghamton NY
NY shooting: Deaths, hostages
Authorities have converged on a building in Binghamton, New York, where there are "multiple" shooting victims and hostages are being held, a county spokesman said. The local newspaper reports at least four people have been shot and 41 people taken hostage. FBI spokesman Richard Kolko said his agency is sending hostage negotiators and an evidence response team to the scene. developing story
UPDATE from MSNBC
Governor: '12 to 13' killed at immigration center
Gunman blocks back door, opens fire at offices in Binghamton, N.Y.
BINGHAMTON, N.Y. - Twelve to 13 people were killed Friday when a gunman walked into an immigrant services center and opened fire, Gov. David Paterson said.
A federal law enforcement official said the suspected gunman was found dead in the building. The man carried identification with the name of 42-year-old Jiverly Voong of nearby Johnson City, N.Y., a law enforcement official said.
"I speak for all of New York when I offer my prayers for the victims and families of this tragedy," Paterson said hours after the gunman shot several people and took dozens hostage. The gunman first blocked the back door with his car, authorities said.
Two people were seen in handcuffs as they left the building, but NBC's Pete Williams said they were not suspects and that police were simply taking extra precautions as people left the building.
Go here for more
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/30030756/
Authorities have converged on a building in Binghamton, New York, where there are "multiple" shooting victims and hostages are being held, a county spokesman said. The local newspaper reports at least four people have been shot and 41 people taken hostage. FBI spokesman Richard Kolko said his agency is sending hostage negotiators and an evidence response team to the scene. developing story
UPDATE from MSNBC
Governor: '12 to 13' killed at immigration center
Gunman blocks back door, opens fire at offices in Binghamton, N.Y.
BINGHAMTON, N.Y. - Twelve to 13 people were killed Friday when a gunman walked into an immigrant services center and opened fire, Gov. David Paterson said.
A federal law enforcement official said the suspected gunman was found dead in the building. The man carried identification with the name of 42-year-old Jiverly Voong of nearby Johnson City, N.Y., a law enforcement official said.
"I speak for all of New York when I offer my prayers for the victims and families of this tragedy," Paterson said hours after the gunman shot several people and took dozens hostage. The gunman first blocked the back door with his car, authorities said.
Two people were seen in handcuffs as they left the building, but NBC's Pete Williams said they were not suspects and that police were simply taking extra precautions as people left the building.
Go here for more
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/30030756/
General Casey: Increasing dwell time is a priority
Casey: Increasing dwell time is a priority
The Associated Press
Posted : Friday Apr 3, 2009 11:48:35 EDT
FORT HOOD, Texas — Soldiers fighting overseas could eventually have longer stays at home, depending on supply and demand and if the Iraq drawdown continues on schedule, Army Chief of Staff Gen. George Casey told soldiers at Fort Hood.
On Thursday, Casey spoke to soldiers from the 3rd Armored Cavalry Regiment and other units recently returned from Iraq. He predicted time at home will get to be an average of 14 or 15 months, then next year increase to almost two years, and to 2½ years the year after that.
“We are focused on trying to increase the amount of time the soldiers spend at home, but it’s a function of supply and demand,” Casey said in a story for Friday’s online edition of the Temple Daily Telegram.
In January, the Army met a goal set in 2007 to increase the size of the Army by 74,000. The Army originally set 2012 as the deadline to reach that goal. As of January, the active duty force was at 547,000, Casey said.
The Associated Press
Posted : Friday Apr 3, 2009 11:48:35 EDT
FORT HOOD, Texas — Soldiers fighting overseas could eventually have longer stays at home, depending on supply and demand and if the Iraq drawdown continues on schedule, Army Chief of Staff Gen. George Casey told soldiers at Fort Hood.
On Thursday, Casey spoke to soldiers from the 3rd Armored Cavalry Regiment and other units recently returned from Iraq. He predicted time at home will get to be an average of 14 or 15 months, then next year increase to almost two years, and to 2½ years the year after that.
“We are focused on trying to increase the amount of time the soldiers spend at home, but it’s a function of supply and demand,” Casey said in a story for Friday’s online edition of the Temple Daily Telegram.
In January, the Army met a goal set in 2007 to increase the size of the Army by 74,000. The Army originally set 2012 as the deadline to reach that goal. As of January, the active duty force was at 547,000, Casey said.
Peering into the eyes of 400 soldiers fresh from the war in Iraq, he saw combat stress, which often doesn’t manifest until the mission is accomplished and the soldier is back home with his family, he said.
go here for more
Mystery Surrounds Local Marine's Death in Iraq
Mystery Surrounds Local Marine's Death
Man Killed In ‘Non-Hostile Incident’ In Iraq
POSTED: Thursday, April 2, 2009
UPDATED: 8:04 am EDT April 3, 2009
MIAMI -- A mystery is brewing from Miami to Iraq, where a local member of the U.S. Marine Corps was found dead at a military facility.
The Department of Defense said Thursday that 20-year-old Lance Cpl. Nelson M. Lantigua of Miami died on Tuesday in Anbar province.
Lantigua was found shot to death, face down, in a bed inside the military facility to which he was assigned in Iraq, Local 10's Terrell Forney reported.
Officials said Lantigua died of a single gunshot wound to the back of the head. But no other details have been released. The incident is under investigation.
Military officials have called it a non-hostile incident and non-combat related, which raises questions for Lantigua's family. The 20-year old joined the U.S. Marines after graduating high school in Miami and was nearing the end of his first deployment to Iraq when he died.
go here for more
Mystery Surrounds Local Marine's Death
linked from CNN
Man Killed In ‘Non-Hostile Incident’ In Iraq
POSTED: Thursday, April 2, 2009
UPDATED: 8:04 am EDT April 3, 2009
MIAMI -- A mystery is brewing from Miami to Iraq, where a local member of the U.S. Marine Corps was found dead at a military facility.
The Department of Defense said Thursday that 20-year-old Lance Cpl. Nelson M. Lantigua of Miami died on Tuesday in Anbar province.
Lantigua was found shot to death, face down, in a bed inside the military facility to which he was assigned in Iraq, Local 10's Terrell Forney reported.
Officials said Lantigua died of a single gunshot wound to the back of the head. But no other details have been released. The incident is under investigation.
Military officials have called it a non-hostile incident and non-combat related, which raises questions for Lantigua's family. The 20-year old joined the U.S. Marines after graduating high school in Miami and was nearing the end of his first deployment to Iraq when he died.
go here for more
Mystery Surrounds Local Marine's Death
linked from CNN
Thursday, April 2, 2009
Marine says he is tormented over killing of Iraqi prisoner
What is justice in this case? What is right when this happens? Is there really a right answer? We heard President Bush say we don't torture, while he did everything in his power to make sure they could, but it was not the people giving the orders to do it that ended up in prison for it, it was the men and women ordered to do it. What would you do?
Marine says he is tormented over killing of Iraqi prisoner
Sgt. Ryan Weemer is on trial at Camp Pendleton.
Sgt. Ryan Weemer, in a tape-recording played at his court martial, says he wants to forget what happened in Fallouja in 2004. He is accused of unpremeditated murder and dereliction of duty.
By Tony Perry
April 2, 2009
Reporting from Camp Pendleton -- A Marine Corps sergeant charged with murdering an Iraqi prisoner told an investigator that he is tormented by the shooting and has tried to forget what happened that day in Fallouja in 2004, according to a tape-recording played Wednesday at his court-martial.
In the recording, Sgt. Ryan Weemer talked of being covered with the blood of his best friend, who was killed by a sniper, and then minutes later being ordered by his squad leader to kill an Iraqi taken prisoner when Marines stormed a house.
"I grabbed a gun and took him to the back of the house," Weemer is heard telling two agents from the Naval Criminal Investigative Service. "I shot him twice in the chest."
Weemer, 26, is charged with unpremeditated murder and dereliction of duty, and could face a dishonorable discharge and life in prison. His jury is comprised of eight Marines, all with experience in Iraq, Afghanistan or both.
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Marine says he is tormented over killing of Iraqi prisoner
Capt. Bierwiler's widow takes comfort in her husband's devotion
Widow of Hernando sheriff's Capt. Bierwiler takes comfort in her husband's devotion
By Dan DeWitt, Times Staff Writer
In Print: Thursday, April 2, 2009
SPRING HILL — Angie Bierwiler turned on the television 11 years ago when she first heard that Hank Earl Carr was holed up in a Hernando County convenience store with a hostage after killing his girlfriend's son and three law enforcement officers.
"I see Scott's patrol car pull right up in front of the store,'' she said.
Scott was her husband, Scott Bierwiler, 42, a Hernando sheriff's sergeant. But the situation did not worry her.
"I guess that I felt like everyone else did, that he was going to handle it,'' Mrs. Bierwiler, 40, said. "He just stood out there with a notepad and a cigarette hanging out of his mouth and organized the whole county.''
That calm air of authority made Bierwiler seem perfect for the job he'd always wanted and seemed likely to assume one day — Hernando County sheriff.
It also made his death even more shocking.
Bierwiler, by then a captain, finally encountered circumstances he couldn't control at 5:45 a.m. on Feb. 19, just minutes after kissing his sleeping wife on the forehead and leaving their home in a quiet gated community.
On an otherwise empty, two-lane highway, his unmarked Ford was struck head-on by an SUV that veered into his lane. The Florida Highway Patrol has not yet completed its investigation or decided whether to charge the SUV's driver, 16-year-old Andrew Morris.
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Widow of Hernando sheriff's Capt. Bierwiler takes comfort in her husband's devotion
By Dan DeWitt, Times Staff Writer
In Print: Thursday, April 2, 2009
SPRING HILL — Angie Bierwiler turned on the television 11 years ago when she first heard that Hank Earl Carr was holed up in a Hernando County convenience store with a hostage after killing his girlfriend's son and three law enforcement officers.
"I see Scott's patrol car pull right up in front of the store,'' she said.
Scott was her husband, Scott Bierwiler, 42, a Hernando sheriff's sergeant. But the situation did not worry her.
"I guess that I felt like everyone else did, that he was going to handle it,'' Mrs. Bierwiler, 40, said. "He just stood out there with a notepad and a cigarette hanging out of his mouth and organized the whole county.''
That calm air of authority made Bierwiler seem perfect for the job he'd always wanted and seemed likely to assume one day — Hernando County sheriff.
It also made his death even more shocking.
Bierwiler, by then a captain, finally encountered circumstances he couldn't control at 5:45 a.m. on Feb. 19, just minutes after kissing his sleeping wife on the forehead and leaving their home in a quiet gated community.
On an otherwise empty, two-lane highway, his unmarked Ford was struck head-on by an SUV that veered into his lane. The Florida Highway Patrol has not yet completed its investigation or decided whether to charge the SUV's driver, 16-year-old Andrew Morris.
go here for more
Widow of Hernando sheriff's Capt. Bierwiler takes comfort in her husband's devotion
DoD Identifies Marine Casualty non-combat death in Iraq
DoD Identifies Marine Casualty
The Department of Defense announced today the death of a Marine who was supporting Operation Iraqi Freedom.
Lance Cpl. Nelson M. Lantigua, 20, of Miami, Fla., died March 31 as a result of a non-hostile incident in Anbar province, Iraq. He was assigned to 2nd Battalion, 10 Marine Regiment, 2nd Marine Division, II Marine Expeditionary Force, Camp Lejeune, N.C.
The incident is currently under investigation.
The Department of Defense announced today the death of a Marine who was supporting Operation Iraqi Freedom.
Lance Cpl. Nelson M. Lantigua, 20, of Miami, Fla., died March 31 as a result of a non-hostile incident in Anbar province, Iraq. He was assigned to 2nd Battalion, 10 Marine Regiment, 2nd Marine Division, II Marine Expeditionary Force, Camp Lejeune, N.C.
The incident is currently under investigation.
Documentary on PTSD Needs Help to Reach Completion
The great thing is they are talking about it. The troops are talking on this video and it's a wonderful thing. The need is so great for all of them and the others already home, but at least, thank God, they are talking about it now. Maybe they are finally getting the message that PTSD is normal, not new, and most of all, nothing to be ashamed of at all. I am very hopeful for the first time in a very long time because of this video.
Documentary on PTSD Needs Help to Reach Completion (VIDEO)
Tim King Salem-News.com
The hour-long program could help hundreds of thousands; we are looking for Americans who care to lend a hand.
Soldiers from the Army's 101st Airborne on patrol in Iraq during the summer of 2008. Salem-News.com photo by Tim King
(SALEM, Ore.) - Hundreds of thousands of American combat veterans are suffering from the effects of combat and war. The symptoms of PTSD: Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, are wide ranging.
The current conflicts continue to generate PTSD in our troops, and they join the ranks of veterans of the Persian Gulf War, Lebanon, Vietnam, Korea and WWII as survivors of things that no man or woman should ever witness in a civilized world.
My goal in Iraq last summer was to gather interviews for a television documentary on PTSD. What veterans are doing while at war is part of what we will explore, and even more importantly, we will show all types of different therapies that are being used successfully by vets and people who help veterans, in their adjustment back to a peaceful society.
We are seeking a partner to help with the cost of producing this extremely important program. Significant interest has already been shown by one television organization and the number of stations and venues where it can be used to help educate people about PTSD, is nearly endless.
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Documentary on PTSD Needs Help to Reach Completion (VIDEO)
Cleveland Ohio:Three girls disappear within five blocks of each other over four years
Three teens disappear from same neighborhood
By Philip Rosenbaum
Nancy Grace Producer
Story Highlights
Three girls disappear within five blocks of each other over four years
Police, FBI in Cleveland, Ohio, looking into hundreds of leads
Investigators not yet sure there's a connection
Tip? Call the FBI at (216) 522-1400 or Cleveland Police at (216) 623-5000
All from the same neighborhood in Cleveland, Ohio, the girls disappeared within five blocks of each other over a four-year span, starting in 2003.
Agents and detectives from the FBI and Cleveland Police are looking into hundreds of leads in the cases and whether they may be linked, according to FBI Special Agent Scott Wilson in the agency's Cleveland bureau.
"We kind of put all three of these cases together to work them to see if there's any connection," Wilson said.
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Three teens disappear from same neighborhood
By Philip Rosenbaum
Nancy Grace Producer
Story Highlights
Three girls disappear within five blocks of each other over four years
Police, FBI in Cleveland, Ohio, looking into hundreds of leads
Investigators not yet sure there's a connection
Tip? Call the FBI at (216) 522-1400 or Cleveland Police at (216) 623-5000
All from the same neighborhood in Cleveland, Ohio, the girls disappeared within five blocks of each other over a four-year span, starting in 2003.
Agents and detectives from the FBI and Cleveland Police are looking into hundreds of leads in the cases and whether they may be linked, according to FBI Special Agent Scott Wilson in the agency's Cleveland bureau.
"We kind of put all three of these cases together to work them to see if there's any connection," Wilson said.
go here for more
Three teens disappear from same neighborhood
How a small community can cope with great loss
How a small community can cope with great loss
By Lily G. Casura
STAFF WRITER
Thursday, April 02, 2009
Here in St. Helena, the community is reeling from the recent tragedy in which 14 extended family members of the Jacobson family, including many small children, died. Dr. Erin Jacobson and his wife, Amy, were well-loved by their friends, family members and colleagues. Their children, Taylor, Ava and Jude, were also beloved locally.
And the question remains, how does a small-town community cope with such a great loss? And what local and national resources are available to them?
From the St. Helena Cooperative Nursery School, where parents gathered last week to grieve in tandem; to the St. Helena Hospital, where a memorial to the Jacobson family is set up in the lobby, and added to daily; to informal gatherings of friends and family at Taylor’s Refresher, or Miner Family Vineyards; to Saturday’s memorial service for the family; the Napa Valley reverberates with echoes of pain and suffering and compassion. And fortunately, also, with help for the grieving.
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How a small community can cope with great loss
By Lily G. Casura
STAFF WRITER
Thursday, April 02, 2009
Here in St. Helena, the community is reeling from the recent tragedy in which 14 extended family members of the Jacobson family, including many small children, died. Dr. Erin Jacobson and his wife, Amy, were well-loved by their friends, family members and colleagues. Their children, Taylor, Ava and Jude, were also beloved locally.
And the question remains, how does a small-town community cope with such a great loss? And what local and national resources are available to them?
From the St. Helena Cooperative Nursery School, where parents gathered last week to grieve in tandem; to the St. Helena Hospital, where a memorial to the Jacobson family is set up in the lobby, and added to daily; to informal gatherings of friends and family at Taylor’s Refresher, or Miner Family Vineyards; to Saturday’s memorial service for the family; the Napa Valley reverberates with echoes of pain and suffering and compassion. And fortunately, also, with help for the grieving.
go here for more
How a small community can cope with great loss
Ethnic Disparities in Incidence of PTSD and Suicide among Combat Veterans
April 01, 2009
Ethnic Disparities in Incidence of PTSD and Suicide among Combat Veterans
by Lily Casura
The topic of "culture, race, ethnicity and PTSD" is a complicated subject, with great potential to offend, so it has to be covered delicately, and slowly, over time.
There is a concern that ethnic minorities or non-white populations experience PTSD at greater rates than whites, but this concept is not without its detractors, who frankly disagree.
It would be interesting to learn more about this phenomenon, and learn if the data really supports it, or if it's just an assumption. If it turns out to be true, then it might be useful to map it against the prevalence of ethnic minorities who serve in the armed forces, in order to guesstimate more accurately future numbers of veterans who are likely to be affected by PTSD, and predict the resources that will be needed for their effective care in their home communities. On the one hand, you would hope that these estimates were already being made; on the other hand, it doesn't seem that they are. Consequently, in this post we're unfortunately raising more questions than answers.
To narrow the focus here enough for discussion, let's take a look at just one ethnicity among many from which we could choose -- one that's on the rise in the United States (and in the U.S. military) -- Hispanics (aka Latinos). Observe how cultural issues may come into play with their incidence of PTSD, as the study indicates. (The same questions that are raised here could apply, in turn, to other ethnic minorities, and ideally, all should be studied.)
Re: Hispanics/Latinos:
"Several studies have found that Hispanic Americans have higher rates of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) than non-Hispanic Caucasian and Black Americans. The authors identified predictors of PTSD symptom severity that distinguished Hispanic police officers (n=189) from their non-Hispanic Caucasian (n=317) and Black (n=162) counterparts and modeled them to explain the elevated Hispanic risk for PTSD. The authors found that greater peri-traumatic dissociation, greater wishful thinking and self-blame coping, lower social support, and greater perceived racism were important variables in explaining the elevated PTSD symptoms among Hispanics. Results are discussed in the context of Hispanic culture and may be important for prevention of mental illness in the fastest growing ethnic group in the United States." (Source.)
Hispanics/Latinos in the military. Do figures exist for how many Hispanics/Latinos are currently serving in the military; and/or are veterans of the Vietnam war, the Gulf war, the Iraq war, or Afghanistan? Are more Hispanics/Latinos joining the military?
I've seen a copy of a report that the state of Massachusetts has for number of veterans by zip code across the state. Not surprisingly, a quick glance through that report impresses the casual reader that numbers of veterans are highest in poorer communities than wealthier communities. (You'd have to know Massachusetts for the examples to make sense, but say, the difference between Brockton or Fall River, MA and Wellesley or Osterville, MA.) A similar trend may also exist for communities with higher concentrations of ethnic minorities.
click link for more
Ethnic Disparities in Incidence of PTSD and Suicide among Combat Veterans
by Lily Casura
The topic of "culture, race, ethnicity and PTSD" is a complicated subject, with great potential to offend, so it has to be covered delicately, and slowly, over time.
There is a concern that ethnic minorities or non-white populations experience PTSD at greater rates than whites, but this concept is not without its detractors, who frankly disagree.
It would be interesting to learn more about this phenomenon, and learn if the data really supports it, or if it's just an assumption. If it turns out to be true, then it might be useful to map it against the prevalence of ethnic minorities who serve in the armed forces, in order to guesstimate more accurately future numbers of veterans who are likely to be affected by PTSD, and predict the resources that will be needed for their effective care in their home communities. On the one hand, you would hope that these estimates were already being made; on the other hand, it doesn't seem that they are. Consequently, in this post we're unfortunately raising more questions than answers.
To narrow the focus here enough for discussion, let's take a look at just one ethnicity among many from which we could choose -- one that's on the rise in the United States (and in the U.S. military) -- Hispanics (aka Latinos). Observe how cultural issues may come into play with their incidence of PTSD, as the study indicates. (The same questions that are raised here could apply, in turn, to other ethnic minorities, and ideally, all should be studied.)
Re: Hispanics/Latinos:
"Several studies have found that Hispanic Americans have higher rates of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) than non-Hispanic Caucasian and Black Americans. The authors identified predictors of PTSD symptom severity that distinguished Hispanic police officers (n=189) from their non-Hispanic Caucasian (n=317) and Black (n=162) counterparts and modeled them to explain the elevated Hispanic risk for PTSD. The authors found that greater peri-traumatic dissociation, greater wishful thinking and self-blame coping, lower social support, and greater perceived racism were important variables in explaining the elevated PTSD symptoms among Hispanics. Results are discussed in the context of Hispanic culture and may be important for prevention of mental illness in the fastest growing ethnic group in the United States." (Source.)
Hispanics/Latinos in the military. Do figures exist for how many Hispanics/Latinos are currently serving in the military; and/or are veterans of the Vietnam war, the Gulf war, the Iraq war, or Afghanistan? Are more Hispanics/Latinos joining the military?
I've seen a copy of a report that the state of Massachusetts has for number of veterans by zip code across the state. Not surprisingly, a quick glance through that report impresses the casual reader that numbers of veterans are highest in poorer communities than wealthier communities. (You'd have to know Massachusetts for the examples to make sense, but say, the difference between Brockton or Fall River, MA and Wellesley or Osterville, MA.) A similar trend may also exist for communities with higher concentrations of ethnic minorities.
click link for more
Wounded Soldier, Healing Warrior
I was given a copy of Clark's book and it is very good. Suggested reading.
Vietnam veteran offers advice at lecture
By Melissa Bower Staff Writer
Vietnam veteran offers advice at lecture
By Melissa Bower Staff Writer
"The problems, the pain from combat and the military situation is inevitable, but suffering does not have to happen," said Allen Clark, retired Army captain. "That was then, this is now."
Clark served in the 5th Special Forces Group at Camp Dak To, Vietnam. He was injured June 17, 1967, and eventually had both legs amputated below the knees. Clark received a Purple Heart, a Silver Star and the Combat Infantryman's Badge.
In 2007, Clark authored a book, "Wounded Soldier, Healing Warrior," about his injuries and healing. He also founded a lay ministry, www.combatfaith.com, to assist warriors healing from combat wounds and post-traumatic stress disorder.
"We're all going to be impacted to some degree by some combat operating stressors of sadness, of anger, of bad - even horrific - memories of things we did or did not do ... Sometimes we see things that we found to be overwhelming and inescapable for our dreams and memories for a long period of time, maybe our whole lives," he said.
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Vietnam veteran offers advice at lecture
Fort Leavenworth Lamp - Fort Leavenworth,KS,USA
Navy Adm. Mike Mullen:Problems after combat will last generations
Mullen: Suicides, homelessness trends a concern
By Robert Burns - The Associated Press
Posted : Thursday Apr 2, 2009 16:28:24 EDT
NEW YORK — Homelessness, family strains and psychological problems among returning veterans of the Iraq and Afghanistan wars will persist in the U.S. for generations to come, the top U.S. military officer said Thursday.
“This is not a 10-year problem. It is a 50- or 60- or 70-year problem,” Navy Adm. Mike Mullen, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, told a lunchtime audience at the Hudson Union Society, a group that promotes nonpartisan debate.
Mullen said he was particularly disturbed by the emergence of homelessness as a problem among war veterans.
“I have started to meet with, in veterans hospitals, homeless veterans” of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, he said. “And they are every bit as homeless and every bit as tragic as any homeless vet we’ve ever had. We as a country should not allow that to happen.”
At a White House news conference last week, President Barack Obama said that some of the funding increases in his proposed budget for veterans affairs are directed at alleviating the problem of homelessness among veterans, which he said is a bigger problem, proportionally, than is homelessness in the rest of the American population.
Mullen said he also was worried by a rising number of suicides among U.S. military members.
“The trends are all in the wrong direction,” he said, adding that “we’re just at the beginning of understanding” how to deal with the psychological wounds and scars that military members incur during combat service.
go here for more
Mullen: Suicides, homelessness trends a concern
By Robert Burns - The Associated Press
Posted : Thursday Apr 2, 2009 16:28:24 EDT
NEW YORK — Homelessness, family strains and psychological problems among returning veterans of the Iraq and Afghanistan wars will persist in the U.S. for generations to come, the top U.S. military officer said Thursday.
“This is not a 10-year problem. It is a 50- or 60- or 70-year problem,” Navy Adm. Mike Mullen, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, told a lunchtime audience at the Hudson Union Society, a group that promotes nonpartisan debate.
Mullen said he was particularly disturbed by the emergence of homelessness as a problem among war veterans.
“I have started to meet with, in veterans hospitals, homeless veterans” of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, he said. “And they are every bit as homeless and every bit as tragic as any homeless vet we’ve ever had. We as a country should not allow that to happen.”
At a White House news conference last week, President Barack Obama said that some of the funding increases in his proposed budget for veterans affairs are directed at alleviating the problem of homelessness among veterans, which he said is a bigger problem, proportionally, than is homelessness in the rest of the American population.
Mullen said he also was worried by a rising number of suicides among U.S. military members.
“The trends are all in the wrong direction,” he said, adding that “we’re just at the beginning of understanding” how to deal with the psychological wounds and scars that military members incur during combat service.
go here for more
Mullen: Suicides, homelessness trends a concern
Children of Combat Veterans getting help
While there are many things parents have a hard time talking to their children about, avoiding talking about Post Traumatic Stress Disorder should not be one of them.
I had the opportunity for all the knowledge I needed when our daughter was an infant. She was raised knowing "why Daddy was ......" and this prevented her from blaming herself for the way he acted. This did not prevent hurt feelings but it did minimize the damage. It did not prevent conflict but kept it from escalating. She was able to adapt to the fact Daddy didn't go with us most of the time but she was able to enjoy his company when he did come.
There are adults walking around right now, children of Vietnam veterans feeling as if their fathers did not love them, that it was their own fault for the stained relationships and they carry the wound of war within them with secondary PTSD. This comes when being exposed to the traumatic situations veterans often deliver with untreated PTSD.
Drop a glass and Dad freaked out.
Sneak up on Dad to hug him or cover his eyes, the way most kids love to do, Dad freaks out.
When Mom was out of the house and you got hurt playing the yard, you needed him to clean up your wound and,,,you guessed it, Dad freaked out.
Dad had a habit of waking you up in the middle of the night because you could hear him screaming not knowing he was having a horrific nightmare.
Dad got drunk a lot, or got high, embarrassing you in front of your friends and your parents screamed at each other most of the time.
This they carried with them the rest of their lives. It never seemed to matter what they did because nothing was ever good enough.
for more go here
Nam Guardian Angel PTSD Shield
I had the opportunity for all the knowledge I needed when our daughter was an infant. She was raised knowing "why Daddy was ......" and this prevented her from blaming herself for the way he acted. This did not prevent hurt feelings but it did minimize the damage. It did not prevent conflict but kept it from escalating. She was able to adapt to the fact Daddy didn't go with us most of the time but she was able to enjoy his company when he did come.
There are adults walking around right now, children of Vietnam veterans feeling as if their fathers did not love them, that it was their own fault for the stained relationships and they carry the wound of war within them with secondary PTSD. This comes when being exposed to the traumatic situations veterans often deliver with untreated PTSD.
Drop a glass and Dad freaked out.
Sneak up on Dad to hug him or cover his eyes, the way most kids love to do, Dad freaks out.
When Mom was out of the house and you got hurt playing the yard, you needed him to clean up your wound and,,,you guessed it, Dad freaked out.
Dad had a habit of waking you up in the middle of the night because you could hear him screaming not knowing he was having a horrific nightmare.
Dad got drunk a lot, or got high, embarrassing you in front of your friends and your parents screamed at each other most of the time.
This they carried with them the rest of their lives. It never seemed to matter what they did because nothing was ever good enough.
for more go here
Nam Guardian Angel PTSD Shield
Wednesday, April 1, 2009
William "Wild Bill" Wiley, homeless veteran killed by BMW
Homeless man ID'd as victim in fatal accident
By Rachel Raskin-Zrihen/Times-Herald staff writer
Posted: 03/31/2009 02:02:43 AM PDT
William "Wild Bill" Wiley, recently featured in the Times-Herald as a spokesman for local homeless people, was identified officially Monday as the pedestrian victim of an early morning Vallejo car crash.
Wiley was struck and killed by a BMW driven by a woman traveling south on Sonoma Boulevard at about 1:15 a.m. March 16, Solano County Deputy Coroner Adrian Garcia said.
"He was walking crossing Sonoma just north of Yolano, walking west, and was struck and killed by a passing motorist," Garcia said. "There was fairly poor lighting there, and the woman stopped after realizing she'd
hit something. It was deemed a freak accident."
Wiley had been featured in two recent newspaper articles about an illegal encampment in the White Slough area -- one on the encampment's environmental impact and one about the Vallejo Police Department's efforts to evict the 50 or so homeless people from the area.
go here for more
http://www.timesheraldonline.com/ci_12035784?source=most_viewed
By Rachel Raskin-Zrihen/Times-Herald staff writer
Posted: 03/31/2009 02:02:43 AM PDT
William "Wild Bill" Wiley, recently featured in the Times-Herald as a spokesman for local homeless people, was identified officially Monday as the pedestrian victim of an early morning Vallejo car crash.
Wiley was struck and killed by a BMW driven by a woman traveling south on Sonoma Boulevard at about 1:15 a.m. March 16, Solano County Deputy Coroner Adrian Garcia said.
"He was walking crossing Sonoma just north of Yolano, walking west, and was struck and killed by a passing motorist," Garcia said. "There was fairly poor lighting there, and the woman stopped after realizing she'd
hit something. It was deemed a freak accident."
Wiley had been featured in two recent newspaper articles about an illegal encampment in the White Slough area -- one on the encampment's environmental impact and one about the Vallejo Police Department's efforts to evict the 50 or so homeless people from the area.
go here for more
http://www.timesheraldonline.com/ci_12035784?source=most_viewed
Pfc. David Sharrett's family lied to about death in Iraq
Army Lied About How My Son Died in Iraq: Friendly-fire Victim Was 'Misidentified' as Enemy Gunman
Posted April 1, 2009
BY James Gordon Meek
DAILY NEWS WASHINGTON BUREAU
WASHINGTON - Army brass in Iraq whitewashed an incident of a soldier killed by his own lieutenant by blaming the dead hero, stonewalling his family and promoting his killer, the Daily News has learned.
The friendly-fire victim, Pfc. David Sharrett, 27, of Oakton, Va., was "misidentified" by 1stLt. Timothy Hanson as an enemy gunman during a botched night raid Jan. 16, 2008, against an Al Qaeda in Iraq stronghold north of Baghdad, the Army belatedly acknowledged.
Sharrett bled to death as his buddies searched frantically for him for 25 minutes after the firefight ended.
For four months after the Army knew the truth, it still insisted to Sharrett's father that he was killed by enemy fire - and gave only atemporary wrist slap to Hanson under pressure from the families of Sharrett and two other G.I.s killed in the clash.
After The News uncovered new video evidence and raised questions, a 101st Airborne Division general said the probe into Sharrett's death may reopen.
"The final decisions and dispositions have yet to be made," Brig. Gen. Steve Townsend said.
Sharrett's family claims top officers in the legendary "Screaming Eagles" division initially - and angrily - denied friendly fire was involved, claiming for months that insurgents killed Sharrett when his eight-man team tried to capture six suspects in a rural thicket.
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Army Lied About How My Son Died in Iraq
Posted April 1, 2009
BY James Gordon Meek
DAILY NEWS WASHINGTON BUREAU
WASHINGTON - Army brass in Iraq whitewashed an incident of a soldier killed by his own lieutenant by blaming the dead hero, stonewalling his family and promoting his killer, the Daily News has learned.
The friendly-fire victim, Pfc. David Sharrett, 27, of Oakton, Va., was "misidentified" by 1stLt. Timothy Hanson as an enemy gunman during a botched night raid Jan. 16, 2008, against an Al Qaeda in Iraq stronghold north of Baghdad, the Army belatedly acknowledged.
Sharrett bled to death as his buddies searched frantically for him for 25 minutes after the firefight ended.
For four months after the Army knew the truth, it still insisted to Sharrett's father that he was killed by enemy fire - and gave only atemporary wrist slap to Hanson under pressure from the families of Sharrett and two other G.I.s killed in the clash.
After The News uncovered new video evidence and raised questions, a 101st Airborne Division general said the probe into Sharrett's death may reopen.
"The final decisions and dispositions have yet to be made," Brig. Gen. Steve Townsend said.
Sharrett's family claims top officers in the legendary "Screaming Eagles" division initially - and angrily - denied friendly fire was involved, claiming for months that insurgents killed Sharrett when his eight-man team tried to capture six suspects in a rural thicket.
go here for more
Army Lied About How My Son Died in Iraq
Bond – Boxer – Lieberman Bill will Improve Treatment of Troops, Military Families
When President Obama was a Senator and running for the office, he made a promise to the family of Spc. Chris Dana and the Montana National Guard. He said if he ended up elected, he would take their PTSD program nationally. It looks like this is the start of honoring that promise. Read about Chris Dana below.
United States Senate
WASHINGTON, DC
For Immediate Release Shana Marchio - Bond: (202) 224-0309
WEDNESDAY, April 1, 2009 David Frey - Boxer: (202)224- 8120
Erika Masonhall - Lieberman: (202) 224-4041
Bond – Boxer – Lieberman Bill will Improve Treatment of Troops, Military Families
WASHINGTON, D.C. –U.S. Senators Kit Bond (R-MO), Barbara Boxer (D-CA), and Joseph Lieberman (I-CT) along with a bipartisan coalition of Senators, introduced the Honoring Our Nation’s Obligations to Returning Warriors Act (HONOR) to improve treatment for our service members and veterans suffering with invisible injuries like PTSD and TBI and increase care for military families. Additional original co-sponsors of the bill include Sam Brownback (R-KS), Chuck Grassley (R-IA), Claire McCaskill (D-MO), Lisa Murkowski (R-AK), Chuck Schumer (D-NY), and Arlen Specter (R-PA).
Senator Bond said, “The government pledged to provide care for our troops and veterans who served America honorably in combat and their families but to date the Pentagon’s response to the suffering of our troops returning home with ‘invisible injuries’ has been deeply disappointing. We can’t continue to wait for the Pentagon to do the right thing, Congress must act now and this bipartisan bill is a critical first step.”
Senator Boxer said, “This bipartisan bill will help ensure the best possible care for those brave individuals who incurred traumatic brain and mental injuries while serving their country. We also help provide for the loved ones of those lost to suicide. I look forward to working with Senator Bond, Senator Lieberman and my other colleagues to see this bill become law.”
Senator Lieberman said, "We have no greater obligation than to care for our wounded service members. Our troops put their lives on the line for our nation – we must fulfill our duty to provide them with the support they need to recover from mental health problems and resume normal lives. If we provide the right care at the right time, we will not only be protecting them, but making our military stronger and more effective.”
As the Senate’s leading advocates for improving the mental health care our troops receive, Bond, Boxer, and Lieberman reintroduced the HONOR Act to address the immediate needs of those suffering with invisible injuries and to make a long-term fix to the military’s mental health care system. The Senators are hopeful for swift passage and Administration support since President Obama was one of the HONOR Act’s strongest supporters in the Senate last year.
According to the RAND Institute an estimated 620,000 returning service members suffer from Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, (PTSD) Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI), or both. Despite this figure, which represents about 30 percent of those who have served in combat, the Pentagon’s response to the suffering of these troops and their families has been inadequate. The Senators stressed that the current military mental health system is underfunded, understaffed, and extremely difficult to navigate. Compounding this problem, there is a silent stigma on these “invisible injuries” that prevents many service members from seeking mental health treatment.
Provisions in the Bond-Boxer-Lieberman bill will:
Give active duty service members access to Vet Centers – the community-based counseling centers veterans use for mental health care services;
Extend survivor benefits to families of military personnel who commit suicide and have service-related mental health conditions, including PTSD and TBI;
Establish a scholarship for service members who have served in a combat zone to seek professional degrees in behavioral sciences to provide assistance to active and former service members afflicted with psychological mental health conditions connected with traumatic events during combat;
Create a program to employ and train combat veterans as psychiatric technicians and nurses to provide counseling for active duty service members in immediate need of treatment;
Establish an annual joint review and report on the effectiveness of re-integration programs from the Department of Veterans Affairs and the Department of Defense.
The HONOR Act also has support from our veterans and military groups. Wayne Frost, the Acting Chief Executive Officer of Military Spouses of America said the HONOR Act is “one of the necessary steps that our nation must take in order to provide for the adequate and deserved care of our active duty military personnel and veterans who have become post traumatic stress, or traumatic brain injury war casualties.”
Paul Rieckhoff, Executive Director, Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America, said “Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America is pleased to offer our support for the ‘HONOR Act’. This legislation provides incentives for retiring or separating military personnel and combat veterans to pursue an advanced degree in the behavioral health field, alleviating the shortage of mental health specialists serving our active service members and veterans.”
The Importance of the HONOR Act: Chris Dana’s Story
At 23 years old, Chris Dana returned home with the 163rd Infantry Battalion, Montana National Guard. With an Iraq combat deployment and a world of experiences behind him, Dana was ready to transition from warrior to civilian. In November 2005, he came home to the peaceful town of Helena, Montana to rejoin his family, his friends, and his old job.
Like many before him, Dana honorably served his country and returned full of pride. Nevertheless, he began to struggle with the world around him, grappling with the inescapable memories of war. Chris'
loved ones began to notice his distant behavior, a striking departure from his usual outgoing demeanor. Although Chris was never physically injured in combat and his uniform was adorned with multiple stacks of ribbons, his psychological injuries festered under the surface. One of his brothers, Matt Kuntz, said Chris seemed to be melting from the inside. His father noticed that his eyes had lost their shine, reflecting the slow withdrawal from the joys of living.
Too many of our returning warriors come home with the same obstacles and face large uphill battles. These invisible injuries manifest themselves from numerous traumatic events which are often exacerbated by the lack of effective treatment at home. Chris was no different. Struggling with Post-Traumatic-Stress-Disorder (PTSD), he distanced himself from those closest to him, and his unit failed to reach out to him.
Today, many returning war fighters are unfamiliar with the mental and physical occupational hazards of war. In effect, military leaders struggle to grasp the toll that combat takes on the human body, and fail to reach out to their subordinates and those around them. All too often there exists an environment plagued by a stigma that punishes the returning service member for seeking help and rewarding those who "suck it up."
As a result, our Armed Forces continue to lose our most precious assets to suicide from PTSD and other psychological disorders. The spike in suicides is alarming, and the month of January 2009 solidified our worst fears. That month, suicide rates eclipsed combat fatalities from both Iraq and Afghanistan. The services have responded with audacious plans and resolute intensity to find a way to fix the suicide epidemic. A significant contributor to the inflated suicide rate is the inadequacy of mental health treatment for invisible injuries among service members, all too often compounded by a stigma that discourages seeking help. For example, in many units seeking mental health treatment is silently portrayed as a sign of weakness. One common phrase is that "our men and women knew what they were signing up for." Many cases of PTSD are never reported because service members are asphyxiated by the formidable impression of losing their job or more importantly, losing the respect of their colleagues.
Soon, Chris Dana drew further away from his family. He began screening his calls, he quit his job, and he stopped showing up at drill with the National Guard. Members of Chris' family felt that his unit failed to offer him an acceptable level of care, which ultimately pushed him further away. In the end, he was unable to be saved. Chris lost his battle to PTSD when he took his own life.
Chris' was buried with honors at a VA cemetery in his home state of Montana. The ceremony was filled with state officials, Montana National Guardsmen, and throngs of family. The National Guard honored Chris Dana's service by extending survivor benefits to his family. As a result, his brother was able to attend college and carry on the legacy his brother left behind.
Under current law, survivor benefits are not extended to former service members who commit suicide. The Honor Act introduced by Senators Bond, Boxer, Lieberman, Brownback, Grassley, McCaskill, Murkowski, Schumer, and Specter will extend survivor benefits to EVERY former service member who commits suicide and has a medical history of PTSD connected to combat. No military family should be left behind with nothing to honor and remember the legacy of their fallen loved one.
Orlando teen will walk to D.C. to help homeless children
Orlando teen will walk to D.C. to help homeless children
When 14-year-old David Ashby writes his how-I-spent-my-summer-vacation essay next fall, he's hoping that everyone from Oprah Winfrey to the nation's housing secretary will take note.
When 14-year-old David Ashby writes his how-I-spent-my-summer-vacation essay next fall, he's hoping that everyone from Oprah Winfrey to the nation's housing secretary will take note.
Two more non-combat deaths in Iraq
04/01/09 MNF: MND-N Soldier dies from non-combat related incident
A Multi-National Division - North Soldier died in a non-combat related incident in Salah ad Din province, March 31. The name of the deceased is being withheld pending notification of next of kin and release by the Department of Defense.
03/31/09 MNF: MNF-W Marine dies in non-combat related incident
A Multi National Force – West Marine died as the result of a non-combat related incident here March 31. The Marine’s name is being withheld pending next-of-kin notification and release by the Department of Defense.
http://icasualties.org/Iraq/index.aspx
A Multi-National Division - North Soldier died in a non-combat related incident in Salah ad Din province, March 31. The name of the deceased is being withheld pending notification of next of kin and release by the Department of Defense.
03/31/09 MNF: MNF-W Marine dies in non-combat related incident
A Multi National Force – West Marine died as the result of a non-combat related incident here March 31. The Marine’s name is being withheld pending next-of-kin notification and release by the Department of Defense.
http://icasualties.org/Iraq/index.aspx
Study links Gulf War exposures, brain changes
Study links Gulf War exposures, brain changes
By Kelly Kennedy - Staff writer
Posted : Wednesday Apr 1, 2009 12:06:55 EDT
A new study of veterans of the 1991 Gulf War suggests that exposure to neurotoxins such as anti-nerve agent pills, insect repellent and Sarin caused neurological changes to the brain.
However, brain imaging shows those changes appear to differ depending on what and how much each person was exposed to. The changes also correspond to different sets of symptoms.
Researchers at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Southern Methodist University, and the Veterans Affairs Medical Center in Dallas performed digital brain scans on 21 chronically ill Gulf War veterans from the same Naval Reserve construction battalion, all of whom had symptoms of “Gulf War syndrome.”
According to a study published in Psychiatry Research: Neuroimaging Journal, previous studies defined three categories of symptoms associated with Gulf War veterans:
• Complex 1: mild cognitive problems, such as distractibility, forgetfulness, feeling depressed, and excessive daytime sleepiness.
• Complex 2: a more debilitating state with confusion and a gross lack of muscle coordination.
• Complex 3: continuous joint and muscle aching.
go here for more
Study links Gulf War exposures, brain changes
By Kelly Kennedy - Staff writer
Posted : Wednesday Apr 1, 2009 12:06:55 EDT
A new study of veterans of the 1991 Gulf War suggests that exposure to neurotoxins such as anti-nerve agent pills, insect repellent and Sarin caused neurological changes to the brain.
However, brain imaging shows those changes appear to differ depending on what and how much each person was exposed to. The changes also correspond to different sets of symptoms.
Researchers at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Southern Methodist University, and the Veterans Affairs Medical Center in Dallas performed digital brain scans on 21 chronically ill Gulf War veterans from the same Naval Reserve construction battalion, all of whom had symptoms of “Gulf War syndrome.”
According to a study published in Psychiatry Research: Neuroimaging Journal, previous studies defined three categories of symptoms associated with Gulf War veterans:
• Complex 1: mild cognitive problems, such as distractibility, forgetfulness, feeling depressed, and excessive daytime sleepiness.
• Complex 2: a more debilitating state with confusion and a gross lack of muscle coordination.
• Complex 3: continuous joint and muscle aching.
go here for more
Study links Gulf War exposures, brain changes
The Memory War and PTSD
The Memory War
Posted by: Matthew Newton on March 30, 2009 at 8:00 am
We might be on our way out of Iraq but things are just starting to pick up in Afghanistan. With record-high number of veteran suicides and rising rates of post-traumatic stress disorder and clinical depression in every branch of the armed forces, is the nation headed for a mental-healthcare crisis?
On the eve of her discharge from the U.S. Navy, Annette Yover stood beneath a black sky watching fireworks explode in blooms of green and purple, yellow and red. It was July 4th, 2005, and the Navy was holding its annual Independence Day celebration at Carney Park, an American military recreation center in Naples, Italy. Yover had been stationed there for the last 18 months. A mortician at the nearby U.S. Naval Hospital, she was looking forward to a night of celebration with her friend. They spread out a blanket among crowds of other soldiers, and sat down to enjoy the show.
But Yover soon noticed something was wrong. As columns of fireworks spiraled into the air, each explosion more amplified than the last, her heart rate quickened and the blood drained from her face. The repetitive booms reminded her of the mortar fire she heard while forward-deployed in Kuwait, collecting human remains from the battlefront in Iraq. The smell of sulfur triggered memories of long hours spent in the Naval mortuary, mending wounds on the bodies of dead soldiers. Her chest muscles tightened, and tears welled up in her eyes. At first her crying was subdued, escaping from her mouth in short bursts. But it quickly gave way to heaving sobs, the type that take hold of the body and forcefully wring it out.
“I noticed other people looking at me,” Yover says now. “But I was the only one reacting. It was overwhelming, that sense of panic, that feeling of, ‘I need to get out of here.’”
go here for more of this
The Memory War
Posted by: Matthew Newton on March 30, 2009 at 8:00 am
We might be on our way out of Iraq but things are just starting to pick up in Afghanistan. With record-high number of veteran suicides and rising rates of post-traumatic stress disorder and clinical depression in every branch of the armed forces, is the nation headed for a mental-healthcare crisis?
On the eve of her discharge from the U.S. Navy, Annette Yover stood beneath a black sky watching fireworks explode in blooms of green and purple, yellow and red. It was July 4th, 2005, and the Navy was holding its annual Independence Day celebration at Carney Park, an American military recreation center in Naples, Italy. Yover had been stationed there for the last 18 months. A mortician at the nearby U.S. Naval Hospital, she was looking forward to a night of celebration with her friend. They spread out a blanket among crowds of other soldiers, and sat down to enjoy the show.
But Yover soon noticed something was wrong. As columns of fireworks spiraled into the air, each explosion more amplified than the last, her heart rate quickened and the blood drained from her face. The repetitive booms reminded her of the mortar fire she heard while forward-deployed in Kuwait, collecting human remains from the battlefront in Iraq. The smell of sulfur triggered memories of long hours spent in the Naval mortuary, mending wounds on the bodies of dead soldiers. Her chest muscles tightened, and tears welled up in her eyes. At first her crying was subdued, escaping from her mouth in short bursts. But it quickly gave way to heaving sobs, the type that take hold of the body and forcefully wring it out.
“I noticed other people looking at me,” Yover says now. “But I was the only one reacting. It was overwhelming, that sense of panic, that feeling of, ‘I need to get out of here.’”
go here for more of this
The Memory War
Bill would reimburse reservists for travel
Bill would reimburse reservists for travel
The Associated Press
Posted : Wednesday Apr 1, 2009 8:27:14 EDT
Sen. Ben Nelson has introduced legislation allowing new travel reimbursements for National Guard and Reserve members.
Nelson, D-Neb., says it was inspired by 48 Nebraska National Guard soldiers who almost didn’t make it home for Christmas 2007 because of travel restrictions.
go here for more
Bill would reimburse reservists for travel
The Associated Press
Posted : Wednesday Apr 1, 2009 8:27:14 EDT
Sen. Ben Nelson has introduced legislation allowing new travel reimbursements for National Guard and Reserve members.
Nelson, D-Neb., says it was inspired by 48 Nebraska National Guard soldiers who almost didn’t make it home for Christmas 2007 because of travel restrictions.
go here for more
Bill would reimburse reservists for travel
Phones, computer searched in 2nd Lt. Holley Wimunc slaying investigation
Phones, computer searched in Wimunc slaying investigation
By Nancy McCleary
Staff writer
Investigators want to know what is on two cell phones, a computer and storage device and three cameras that belonged to Holley Wimunc, an Army nurse who was killed last summer.
Detective Jeff Locklear filed an affidavit March 20 asking for a warrant allowing him to search the items that remain in the custody of the Fayetteville Police Department, court documents say.
The warrant was granted, but it did not say what, if anything, investigators found.
Wimunc, 24, a second lieutenant, was a medical surgical nurse at Womack Army Medical Center at Fort Bragg. Police have said she was killed in her apartment on Wayah Creek Circle.
Her husband, Marine Cpl. John Patrick Wimunc, 23, who was stationed at Camp Lejeune, is charged with first-degree murder in her death.
The couple was in the process of divorcing.
go here for more
http://www.fayobserver.com/article?id=322588
Found on Army Times
By Nancy McCleary
Staff writer
Investigators want to know what is on two cell phones, a computer and storage device and three cameras that belonged to Holley Wimunc, an Army nurse who was killed last summer.
Detective Jeff Locklear filed an affidavit March 20 asking for a warrant allowing him to search the items that remain in the custody of the Fayetteville Police Department, court documents say.
The warrant was granted, but it did not say what, if anything, investigators found.
Wimunc, 24, a second lieutenant, was a medical surgical nurse at Womack Army Medical Center at Fort Bragg. Police have said she was killed in her apartment on Wayah Creek Circle.
Her husband, Marine Cpl. John Patrick Wimunc, 23, who was stationed at Camp Lejeune, is charged with first-degree murder in her death.
The couple was in the process of divorcing.
go here for more
http://www.fayobserver.com/article?id=322588
Found on Army Times
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