Iraq War veteran in '10 Okemos standoff gets probation, rehab
Written by
Kevin Grasha
EAST LANSING - An Iraq War combat veteran who was involved last year in a standoff with police continued Tuesday on his path to rehabilitation.
At a hearing that was part of Ingham County's veterans' court program, Judge David Jordon sentenced Brad Eifert to 24 months of probation and ordered him to complete treatment for post-traumatic stress disorder.
That treatment will take place at a residential program near Rochester, N.Y., that accepted Eifert after his case was publicized last month in a New York Times article. The program, called Warrior Salute, typically offers three to six months of treatment. It is designed to help soldiers who suffer from post-traumatic stress disorder and/or traumatic brain injury.
"The direction you're going is forward," Jordon told Eifert. "I think this program will be a great jump-start for you."
read more here
Iraq War veteran in Okemos standoff gets probation, rehab
Wednesday, August 3, 2011
Marine Corps pushing for congressional medal for first black Marines
Marine Corps pushing for congressional medal for first black Marines amid push to diversify
By Associated Press, Published: August 2
SAN DIEGO — The top leader of the Marine Corps said Tuesday that he wants the first black members of the Marines to be awarded the Congressional Gold Medal and hopes their story will inspire more black men and women to join the Corps and rise through its ranks.
Commandant Gen. James Amos told hundreds of Marine Corps officers at the National Naval Officers Association meeting that it was time for Congress to honor the group known as the Montford Point Marines.
About 20,000 black Marines underwent basic training in the 1940s after President Franklin D. Roosevelt integrated the Marine Corps. They were trained at the segregated Camp Montford Point in Jacksonville, N.C., as racism continued in the Marine Corps and society.
The black troops were not allowed to enter the main base of nearby Camp Lejeune unless accompanied by a white Marine.
By 1945, many of the black recruits had become drill instructors and non-commissioned officers at Montford Point. The segregated camp was closed down in 1949 and black recruits were sent to Parris Island and Camp Pendleton like all new Marines. The Corps was fully integrated during the Korean War.
The Congressional Gold Medal is awarded to a civilian or group of civilians as the highest expression of national appreciation for distinguished achievements and contributions.
read more here
Marine Corps pushing for congressional medal for first black Marines
By Associated Press, Published: August 2
SAN DIEGO — The top leader of the Marine Corps said Tuesday that he wants the first black members of the Marines to be awarded the Congressional Gold Medal and hopes their story will inspire more black men and women to join the Corps and rise through its ranks.
Commandant Gen. James Amos told hundreds of Marine Corps officers at the National Naval Officers Association meeting that it was time for Congress to honor the group known as the Montford Point Marines.
About 20,000 black Marines underwent basic training in the 1940s after President Franklin D. Roosevelt integrated the Marine Corps. They were trained at the segregated Camp Montford Point in Jacksonville, N.C., as racism continued in the Marine Corps and society.
The black troops were not allowed to enter the main base of nearby Camp Lejeune unless accompanied by a white Marine.
By 1945, many of the black recruits had become drill instructors and non-commissioned officers at Montford Point. The segregated camp was closed down in 1949 and black recruits were sent to Parris Island and Camp Pendleton like all new Marines. The Corps was fully integrated during the Korean War.
The Congressional Gold Medal is awarded to a civilian or group of civilians as the highest expression of national appreciation for distinguished achievements and contributions.
read more here
Marine Corps pushing for congressional medal for first black Marines
Veterans’ unclaimed remains buried in emotional ceremony
Veterans’ unclaimed remains buried in emotional ceremony
By Melissa Treolo
August 3, 2011
Fort Leavenworth — Sun Rodgers of Leavenworth and Betty Wright of Shawnee cried and clung together during last week’s funeral service at Fort Leavenworth National Cemetery.
The two Gold Star Mothers didn’t know the 14 veterans and three veterans’ wives who were buried July 26 in a military funeral organized by the Missing in America Project, but they said the experience was still an emotional one. It brought fresh to mind the sons they had lost — Rodgers’ son, Sgt. Ricky Rodgers, to an illness in 2005 while stationed at Fort Polk, La.; and Wright’s son, Pvt. Shawn Wright, to suicide in 1991 while home on leave.
Shortly after their deaths, Ricky Rodgers and Shawn Wright received appropriate burials with military honors. The honors bestowed on the 14 veterans buried last week, however, were long overdue.
Pvt. George McCarthy served in the Civil War and died in 1946 at the age of 102. He was cremated and his ashes sat unclaimed in the storage of Missouri-based funeral home D.W. Newcomer’s Sons for more than 60 years. Cremains of the 13 other veterans, all of whom served in World War I, suffered a similar fate, having no one to claim them for decades.
That is, until the Missing in America Project stepped in. The national nonprofit organization works closely with funeral homes to validate and give proper burial services to veterans left unclaimed by family members. Linda Smith, head of operations for the organization, says any given funeral home in the United States could have anywhere from 10 to 1,000 sets of veterans’ cremains in its storage. Usually state laws dictate that funeral homes must hold onto those remains until such time as they are claimed, Smith said. It is the Missing In America Project’s goal to claim and validate as many unclaimed veterans as possible, making sure each and every one is buried, with appropriate military honors, in a national cemetery.
read more here
Veterans unclaimed remains buried in emotional ceremony
Photo by Melissa Treolo.
A student at Fort Leavenworth’s Command and General Staff College silently pays tribute over the remains formerly unclaimed World War I veterans during Tuesday’s funeral services at Fort Leavenworth National Cemetery. In all, the cremains of14 veterans, including one dating to the Civil War, were laid to rest after decades languishing on the storage shelves of a Missouri-based funeral home.
By Melissa Treolo
August 3, 2011
Fort Leavenworth — Sun Rodgers of Leavenworth and Betty Wright of Shawnee cried and clung together during last week’s funeral service at Fort Leavenworth National Cemetery.
The two Gold Star Mothers didn’t know the 14 veterans and three veterans’ wives who were buried July 26 in a military funeral organized by the Missing in America Project, but they said the experience was still an emotional one. It brought fresh to mind the sons they had lost — Rodgers’ son, Sgt. Ricky Rodgers, to an illness in 2005 while stationed at Fort Polk, La.; and Wright’s son, Pvt. Shawn Wright, to suicide in 1991 while home on leave.
Shortly after their deaths, Ricky Rodgers and Shawn Wright received appropriate burials with military honors. The honors bestowed on the 14 veterans buried last week, however, were long overdue.
Pvt. George McCarthy served in the Civil War and died in 1946 at the age of 102. He was cremated and his ashes sat unclaimed in the storage of Missouri-based funeral home D.W. Newcomer’s Sons for more than 60 years. Cremains of the 13 other veterans, all of whom served in World War I, suffered a similar fate, having no one to claim them for decades.
That is, until the Missing in America Project stepped in. The national nonprofit organization works closely with funeral homes to validate and give proper burial services to veterans left unclaimed by family members. Linda Smith, head of operations for the organization, says any given funeral home in the United States could have anywhere from 10 to 1,000 sets of veterans’ cremains in its storage. Usually state laws dictate that funeral homes must hold onto those remains until such time as they are claimed, Smith said. It is the Missing In America Project’s goal to claim and validate as many unclaimed veterans as possible, making sure each and every one is buried, with appropriate military honors, in a national cemetery.
read more here
Veterans unclaimed remains buried in emotional ceremony
Two Lewis-McChord soldiers committed suicide in front of others
Police investigating two apparent soldiers suicides in recent weeks
By Austin Jenkins
Police in Lakewood, Wash., are investigating the apparent suicides of two soldiers from the nearby Joint Base Lewis-McChord in recent weeks. In both cases, police say the soldiers shot themselves in the presence of someone else.
The first soldier to die was Spc. Rory Johnson, age 29. He was part of the hard hit 5th Stryker Brigade that deployed to Afghanistan in 2009 and 2010.
Eleven days after Johnson's death, Spc. Jonathon Gilbert shot himself. He was just 21 and had deployed to Iraq in 2009.
Lakewood police are releasing few details, but they will say the suicides took place at social gatherings and other soldiers were present.
read more here
Police investigating two apparent soldiers suicides
As sad as these stories are, keep in mind that the witnesses of these suicides had to deal with shock on top of the loss. They will need more help because of this. After trauma there is a 30 window. If the symptoms do not fade over a month, then they need to seek help. If they talk to someone right after the event, PTSD does not usually take hold. Friends and family members need to be watchful for signs of change in the soldiers. Often they cannot see the changes in themselves or will deny they are suffering believing they will just get over it.
Study shows anti-depressants aren't enough to treat PTSD
"Eighty-nine percent of veterans diagnosed with PTSD who are treated with medication are given antidepressants, the only type of medication that's FDA-approved to treat the disorder. But for many, anti-depressants aren't enough."That is what this new study found but it has been the way the DOD has been "treating" PTSD. Servicemen and women end up being given pills when they finally seek treatment for PTSD but they do not receive the therapy needed in order to heal.
Medications will only numb emotions. They do not take away the reason the person has PTSD. That can only come from therapy. The strongest recommendation came years ago when Vietnam veterans were suffering and forced the VA to treat it. Taking care of the whole person is vital. Treat the mind, yes, but you also have to treat the body so they learn to calm down and relax. You also have to treat the spirit or soul, in order to sort things out and find peace.
Medication is the easiest, quickest way to get them out of the office and send them on their way but it is not the best way to heal them.
Antipsychotic Meds Not Effective for Combat PTSD
By LARA SALAHI (@LaraSalahiABC)
August 2, 2011
Risperidone, antipsychotic medication normally prescribed to treat symptoms of schizophrenia and bipolar disorder, may not be effective in treating symptoms of chronic post-traumatic stress disorder, according to a study published Tuesday in the Journal of the American Medical Association.
Risperidone is commonly prescribed as an add-on treatment for veterans with the more severe forms of PTSD who do not respond to antidepressants.
"There are many in the VA that are exposed to multiple traumatic situations," said Dr. John Krystal, director of the clinical neuroscience division for the Veterans Affairs National Center for PTSD and lead author of the study.
Eighty-nine percent of veterans diagnosed with PTSD who are treated with medication are given antidepressants, the only type of medication that's FDA-approved to treat the disorder. But for many, anti-depressants aren't enough.
read more here
Antipsychotic Meds Not Effective for Combat PTSD
also
And then there is this new report coming out about child soldiers from Uganda being treated with "narrative therapy" that shows talk therapy works.
"One-third were treated with narrative exposure therapy, in which 'the participant constructs a detailed chronological account of his or her own biography in cooperation with the therapist to reconstruct fragmented memories of traumatic events and to achieve habituation,' the study said.
Eighty per cent of those subjects (20 of 25 participants) 'were found to have improved with regard to PTSD severity' after eight sessions of 90-120 minutes each."
If you're wondering what this has to do with our young servicemen and women, think of this. Most join the military right out of high school. In other words, well before the emotional part of their brain has fully developed, which happens around the age of 25. Humans are still just human no matter what country they are from. War traumas are war traumas.
Aug 3, 2011
Narrative therapy helps child soldiers: Study
WASHINGTON - BRIEF therapy to help Ugandan former child soldiers talk about their experiences showed the best results in getting rid of post-traumatic stress disorder, said a study published in the US on Tuesday.
The method could be performed by local volunteers at low cost, and was more effective than academic catch-up classes or being put on a waiting list for treatment, said the study in the Journal of the American Medical Association.
The practice could offer an inexpensive way to ease the transition back to regular life for the 250,000 young people estimated to be actively involved in fighting conflicts in 14 countries around the world, according to UN figures. A total of 85 former child soldiers aged 12-25 who were clinically diagnosed with PTSD took part in what researchers at Germany's Bielefeld University described as the first-ever randomised controlled study of mental health interventions.
read more of this here
Narrative therapy helps child soldiers
The problem with this type of therapy is, as the saying goes, "talk is cheap" so there aren't any corporations charging millions for medications over a lifetime. Psychiatrists cannot take simple medication appointments every ten minutes if the veterans of combat are being treated with talk therapy and sorting things out emotionally.
Depending on how long PTSD was not treated, there may be a need to continue medications to keep the chemicals in the brain in balance, but with therapy, these medications can be reduced according to most of the experts without an axe to grind.
There are service groups around the county doing it. For the mind there is Give an hour has volunteer therapists ready to help.
Then for the spirit, there is Point Man Ministries with a mission statement that reads;
“ To connect the hurting veteran as well as their families and friends with others who have already begun the transition home after war. With Jesus Christ as our focal point it is our desire is to provide spiritual and emotional healing through our existing Outpost and Home Front system.”
They offer support and address the spiritual part of the veteran but they also take care of the family members to help them get through all of what comes with PTSD, thus helping the veteran heal from knowledge, understanding and spiritual strength of their own.
We can keep doing what has failed hoping the rates of suicides and attempted suicides goes down or we can do what is necessary to make that happen for more veterans. When they want to dedicate their lives in the military it should not mean they have to surrender the rest of their lives to suffering for it. We can get serious about helping them or we can keep repeating the same mistakes that have produced more deaths by suicide, more divorces, more unemployment, more homeless veterans and yes, even more crimes.
Tuesday, August 2, 2011
Vietnam Vets being pushed out of Legion Post
Debate over military credentials in Auburn
VIETNAM VETS SAY THEY'RE BEING PUSHED OUT
By Shaun Sutner TELEGRAM & GAZETTE STAFF
ssutner@telegram.com
AUBURN — Members of a Vietnam veterans group who questioned the military credentials of a former state commander of the American Legion say they are being retaliated against, including being ordered to remove their Vietnam-era helicopter from post property.
The Vietnam veterans say that rather than disciplining the local Legion post official, William R. Barbour Jr., local Legion leaders have made them out to be the villains.
About 50 Vietnam veterans, most of whom also are members of the Auburn Legion post, say they have been told that their Vietnam Veterans of America chapter can no longer meet at the Auburn post, and that they have two months to remove the Cobra attack helicopter, which has been on display at the post since the late 1990s.
“That's just retaliation, pure unadulterated retaliation,” said Lawrence J. Corbin III, a member of the VVA group and service officer and former chairman of the executive committee of the Legion's Chester B. Tuttle Post 279 in Auburn.
“Barbour has been exposed for being a fraud,” Mr. Corbin said. “I told them ‘you can't just ignore this.' ”
Mr. Barbour's alleged embellishment of his military record was reported by the Telegram & Gazette June 26 after several veterans associated with the Auburn post said Mr. Barbour had claimed to be an Air Force lieutenant colonel and had often appeared in public with a badge worn by naval officers.
read more here
Debate over military credentials in Auburn
VIETNAM VETS SAY THEY'RE BEING PUSHED OUT
By Shaun Sutner TELEGRAM & GAZETTE STAFF
ssutner@telegram.com
From left, Fran Bujnowski, Fred A. Carley, Dave L. Peckham and Dean O. Stevens are seen with a Vietnam War-era helicopter at Legion Post 279. (T&G Staff/TOM RETTIG)
AUBURN — Members of a Vietnam veterans group who questioned the military credentials of a former state commander of the American Legion say they are being retaliated against, including being ordered to remove their Vietnam-era helicopter from post property.
The Vietnam veterans say that rather than disciplining the local Legion post official, William R. Barbour Jr., local Legion leaders have made them out to be the villains.
About 50 Vietnam veterans, most of whom also are members of the Auburn Legion post, say they have been told that their Vietnam Veterans of America chapter can no longer meet at the Auburn post, and that they have two months to remove the Cobra attack helicopter, which has been on display at the post since the late 1990s.
“That's just retaliation, pure unadulterated retaliation,” said Lawrence J. Corbin III, a member of the VVA group and service officer and former chairman of the executive committee of the Legion's Chester B. Tuttle Post 279 in Auburn.
“Barbour has been exposed for being a fraud,” Mr. Corbin said. “I told them ‘you can't just ignore this.' ”
Mr. Barbour's alleged embellishment of his military record was reported by the Telegram & Gazette June 26 after several veterans associated with the Auburn post said Mr. Barbour had claimed to be an Air Force lieutenant colonel and had often appeared in public with a badge worn by naval officers.
read more here
Debate over military credentials in Auburn
New PSA Combats Spice Use Among Military
New PSA Combats Spice Use Among Military
Synthetic Drug Spice Mimics Marijuana
SAN DIEGO -- A controversial campaign launched by a Marine general aims to combat the use of spice, a synthetic drug that mimics marijuana.
The effects of spice are unpredictable and range from headaches to psychedelic trips.
The drug has appealed to young people and some members of the military because standard drug tests could not detect it.
In a new public service announcement, a one-star Marine general based in Japan takes aim at spice.
"The use of spice has no role in our corps," says the general in the PSA. "It degrades readiness, [and] puts other Marines and sailors at risk… I ask you to join me, police our ranks, hold other Marines and sailors accountable and say, 'Not in our corps!'"
read more here
New PSA Combats Spice Use Among Military
Synthetic Drug Spice Mimics Marijuana
SAN DIEGO -- A controversial campaign launched by a Marine general aims to combat the use of spice, a synthetic drug that mimics marijuana.
The effects of spice are unpredictable and range from headaches to psychedelic trips.
The drug has appealed to young people and some members of the military because standard drug tests could not detect it.
In a new public service announcement, a one-star Marine general based in Japan takes aim at spice.
"The use of spice has no role in our corps," says the general in the PSA. "It degrades readiness, [and] puts other Marines and sailors at risk… I ask you to join me, police our ranks, hold other Marines and sailors accountable and say, 'Not in our corps!'"
read more here
New PSA Combats Spice Use Among Military
U.S. Air Force Sargent back from Iraq wins $1 million lotto jackpot
'I bent down and kissed the ground': U.S. Air Force Sargent back from Iraq wins $1 million lotto jackpot
By DAILY MAIL REPORTER
Last updated at 7:40 AM on 2nd August 2011
A U.S. Air Force staff Sargent back from a tour in Iraq has hit the jackpot after winning $1 million on a lottery scratch card.
Tim Ruch was at Washington D.C.'s Nationals Park for a July 5th Military Appreciation Night when he bought the $20 D.C. Lottery Gold scratch card.
Sgt. Ruch, who was back from a 6-month tour in Iraq, was with a friend who he hadn't seen for more than a year when he says he made the impulse buy.
Read more: U.S. Air Force Sargent back from Iraq wins $1 million lotto jackpot
By DAILY MAIL REPORTER
Last updated at 7:40 AM on 2nd August 2011
A U.S. Air Force staff Sargent back from a tour in Iraq has hit the jackpot after winning $1 million on a lottery scratch card.
Tim Ruch was at Washington D.C.'s Nationals Park for a July 5th Military Appreciation Night when he bought the $20 D.C. Lottery Gold scratch card.
Sgt. Ruch, who was back from a 6-month tour in Iraq, was with a friend who he hadn't seen for more than a year when he says he made the impulse buy.
Read more: U.S. Air Force Sargent back from Iraq wins $1 million lotto jackpot
Gov. Scott's name on Veterans Hall of Fame?
The state of Florida has an abundance of heroes to honor that would inspire a sense of pride, however, Governor Scott should have never been part of this even mentioned unless they wanted to include all veterans instead of combat veterans with the medals to prove they went above and beyond.
U.S. Army Staff Sgt. Robert Miller Oviedo FL Medal of Honor
Medal of Honor for Floridians
Indian Wars
Varnum, Charles Albert
Army
Pensacola, FL
Philippine Insurrection
Condon, Clarence Milville
Army
St. Augustine, FL
World War I
Ormsbee, Jr., Francis Edward
Navy
Florida
World War II
**Femoyer, Robert Edward
Army AC
Jacksonville, FL
McCampbell, David
Navy
West Palm Beach, FL
**McGuire, Jr., Thomas Buchanan
Army AC
Sebring, FL
**McTureous, Jr., Robert Miller
USMC
Altoona, FL
Mills, James Henry
Army
Fort Meade, FL
**Nininger, Jr., Alexander Ramsey
Army
Fort Lauderdale, FL
Korean War
**Bennett, Emory L.
Army
New Smyrna, FL
Cocoa, FL
**Lopez, Baldomero
USMC
Tampa, FL
Vietnam War
**Bowen, Jr., Hammett Lee
Army
Jacksonville, FL
**Carter, Bruce Wayne
USMC
Jacksonville, FL
**Cutinha, Nicholas Joseph
Army
Fernandina Beach, FL
Coral Gables, FL
Ingram, Robert R.
Navy
Clearwater, FL
**Jenkins, Jr., Robert Henry
USMC
Interlachen, FL
Jacksonville, FL
Lassen, Clyde Everett
Navy
Fort Myers, FL
Jacksonville, FL
**Sims, Clifford Chester
Army
Port St. Joe, FL
Jacksonville, FL
**Smedley, Larry Eugene
USMC
Orlando, FL
War On Terror (Iraq)
**Smith, Paul Ray
Army
Tampa, FL
Peace Time Awards
**Corry, Jr., William Merrill
Navy
Quincy, FL
Florida
Florida Veterans' Hall of Fame: What Could Go Wrong?Cpl. Larry Smedley
Published: Tuesday, August 2, 2011 at 12:08 a.m.
Last Modified: Tuesday, August 2, 2011 at 12:08 a.m.
In the midst of its slash-and-burn session this spring, the Florida Legislature found something noncontroversial to do — or so it probably thought.
It seemed like a good idea. Lawmakers passed a bill that established a Florida Veterans' Hall of Fame to honor "those military veterans, who, through their works and lives during and after their military service, have made a significant contribution to the state of Florida."
The best part (from a legislator's point of view)? The Hall of Fame will be administered "without appropriation of state funds."
What could be better? It's a bipartisan bill that everyone — Republicans, Democrats, independents, fundamentalists, apathetics, agnostics — could rally around, and it wouldn't cost them a dime. Who could possibly be offended?
Those lawmakers reckoned without Rick Scott — the amateur-but-superambitious politician who bought his way into the Governor's Office and actually thought he deserved to be there because he spent so much money that his company illegally extracted from the federal Medicare program.
Q: When the list of the first class of Florida Veterans' Hall of Fame honorees was drawn up, and submitted for approval to Rick Scott and three other Republicans, who was one of the front-line honorees?
A: Rick Scott.
Q: Who submitted the list?
A: Actually, it was Rick Scott's hand-picked Veterans Affairs Department appointee and former chief of staff.
read more here
Florida Veterans' Hall of Fame
U.S. Army Staff Sgt. Robert Miller Oviedo FL Medal of Honor
Medal of Honor for Floridians
Indian Wars
Varnum, Charles Albert
Army
Pensacola, FL
Philippine Insurrection
Condon, Clarence Milville
Army
St. Augustine, FL
World War I
Ormsbee, Jr., Francis Edward
Navy
Florida
World War II
**Femoyer, Robert Edward
Army AC
Jacksonville, FL
McCampbell, David
Navy
West Palm Beach, FL
**McGuire, Jr., Thomas Buchanan
Army AC
Sebring, FL
**McTureous, Jr., Robert Miller
USMC
Altoona, FL
Mills, James Henry
Army
Fort Meade, FL
**Nininger, Jr., Alexander Ramsey
Army
Fort Lauderdale, FL
Korean War
**Bennett, Emory L.
Army
New Smyrna, FL
Cocoa, FL
**Lopez, Baldomero
USMC
Tampa, FL
Vietnam War
**Bowen, Jr., Hammett Lee
Army
Jacksonville, FL
**Carter, Bruce Wayne
USMC
Jacksonville, FL
**Cutinha, Nicholas Joseph
Army
Fernandina Beach, FL
Coral Gables, FL
Ingram, Robert R.
Navy
Clearwater, FL
**Jenkins, Jr., Robert Henry
USMC
Interlachen, FL
Jacksonville, FL
Lassen, Clyde Everett
Navy
Fort Myers, FL
Jacksonville, FL
**Sims, Clifford Chester
Army
Port St. Joe, FL
Jacksonville, FL
**Smedley, Larry Eugene
USMC
Orlando, FL
War On Terror (Iraq)
**Smith, Paul Ray
Army
Tampa, FL
Peace Time Awards
**Corry, Jr., William Merrill
Navy
Quincy, FL
Florida
Scott Pulls Controversial Name From Veterans' Hall of Fame List
By LLOYD DUNKELBERGER
Ledger Tallahassee Bureau
Published: Friday, July 29, 2011 at 4:20 a.m.
Last Modified: Friday, July 29, 2011 at 4:20 a.m.
TALLAHASSEE | Gov. Rick Scott's office sought to distance itself Thursday from the embarrassment of a list of prospective inductees to the new Florida Veterans' Hall of Fame that originally included six former members of the Confederate army, a former governor convicted of intimidating black citizens and Scott, himself.
After questions arose over the records and lack of diversity of the 22 people on the list — all white men and former governors with military service — state officials announced that the issue had been dropped from the agenda of next Tuesday's Cabinet meeting.
If approved, the Hall of Fame members would have been formally inducted on Veterans Day in November and honored with a plaque on the wall at the state Capitol.
The Hall of Fame is based on a new state law that created the honor and allowed the state Department of Veterans' Affairs to come up with the list. click link for more
Army Vet to Enter Mental Health Court as Part of Sentencing
Army Vet Larsen to Enter Mental Health Court as Part of Sentencing
By Bradley Guire
An Army veteran accused of malicious harassment was sentenced on Monday to probation and mental health court.
John C. Larsen, 42, of Twin Falls, had a prison term of three to five years suspended. He will instead serve a four-year probation and participate in the 5th Judicial District Mental Health Court with a specialized treatment program tailored to his needs. Larsen has previously described himself as a 20-year veteran who was declared 100 percent disabled based on a diagnosis of post-traumatic stress disorder.
He was accused of screaming at a Muslim woman, Amna Schultz, of Jerome, while both parties were shopping near the Twin Falls Walmart’s electronics department last December.
Read more: Army Vet Larsen to Enter Mental Health Court as Part of Sentencing
By Bradley Guire
An Army veteran accused of malicious harassment was sentenced on Monday to probation and mental health court.
John C. Larsen, 42, of Twin Falls, had a prison term of three to five years suspended. He will instead serve a four-year probation and participate in the 5th Judicial District Mental Health Court with a specialized treatment program tailored to his needs. Larsen has previously described himself as a 20-year veteran who was declared 100 percent disabled based on a diagnosis of post-traumatic stress disorder.
He was accused of screaming at a Muslim woman, Amna Schultz, of Jerome, while both parties were shopping near the Twin Falls Walmart’s electronics department last December.
Read more: Army Vet Larsen to Enter Mental Health Court as Part of Sentencing
PTSD Iraq veteran getting "quiet" house from community
This story shows how far we've come on PTSD. Staff Sgt. Hill went through a year long PTSD program. That's great and it shows that the government is trying to do something about it. What is the most remarkable in all of this is the fact people understand the need to help him and his family. He lived in a noisy area fueling his PTSD so the community stepped up to build him a home where he does not have to hear so much noise it haunts him. Glenn Close nominated him for this Extreme Makeover. Gov. Brownback put on a hardhat and got to work. This is about a community getting together to help a veteran.
Gov. Brownback and Topeka business go to the "Extreme"
Governor Sam Brownback has set his sights on building up; from the economy to private sector jobs.
Now he is taking the term literal by actually building and putting hammer to nail for the hit show "Extreme Makover: Home Edition."
A Topeka lighting store is also a bright spot in the process. Long Lighting Studio is supplying the lighting fixtures for the home.
It''s all for Staff Sargeant Allen Hill, who sacrificed for his state and country. While in Iraq, a roadside bomb nearly killed him and left him with a severe case of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. Now, Gov. Brownback and others are recognizing that sacrifice by helping him build his life back.
read more here
Gov. Brownback and Topeka business go to the "Extreme"
Homeless ex-POW 4 tour Vietnam vet says he’s tired of fighting-was lying?
UPDATE
What was he thinking?
What was he thinking?
Jerry Davich: Hobart man’s P.O.W. claims refuted, paperwork fraudulent
August 2, 2011
The ‘Obama slam’
“If Barack Obama was standing right here, I’d bust him in the mouth for forgetting people like me.”
This inflammatory quote from now-disgraced “Vietnam era vet” Jerome Pagell was used as the front-page headline for my Tuesday column. And, although I had nothing to do with its placement on the front page, I heard repeated complaints about it.
It hasn’t helped that the quote came from a guy who is a lying, deceptive fraud. Then again, I heard several complaints well before anyone knew that new info. But are those readers upset because Obama is our president or because Obama is, well, Obama?
Meaning, I wonder if those readers would have been just as upset if, say, George Bush, was named instead? Or would I (and Post-Tribune editors) be hearing from only Bush supporters, equally upset about slamming their man in print?
Also, I’d be remiss if I didn’t note that the majority of complaints have been from the black community, seemingly more upset about the “Obama slam” on the front page than the vet’s lies about being a P.O.W.
Connie Utley was duped. I was duped. And possibly so were many of you, thanks to me. For that, I sincerely apologize.
My Tuesday column on Jerome Pagell turned out to be only partly accurate in its tragic depiction of the disabled Vietnam era veteran.
In truth, the 69-year-old Hobart man showed me forged paperwork claiming he was a prisoner of war. He was not, according to multiple sources familiar with his “stolen valor” scam.
“He’s a fraud,” said Earl McDowell, district one commander for the state’s Veterans of Foreign Wars.
On Tuesday morning, McDowell went to Pagell’s home to confront him about his P.O.W. claims alongside Utley, the hair salon owner who first contacted me about Pagell. She has been helping Pagell for weeks and she called me Tuesday morning bawling from shame, disappointment, and anger toward Pagell.
“I have to know the truth,” she told Pagell face to face, with McDowell standing nearby. “I loved you, and I helped you with anything you needed. Why would you lie to me?”
Pagell refuted McDowell’s claims that he is a fraud, yet refused to provide him with the same paperwork he showed me when I visited his home. That paperwork confirmed that Pagell was a P.O.W. who was held captive more than two years in Vietnam.
read more here
Hobart man’s P.O.W. claims refuted, paperwork fraudulent
Jerry Davich: Homeless POW vet says he’s tired of fighting
JERRY DAVICH jdavich@post-trib.com
August 1, 2011 5:56PM
Jerome Pagell of Hobart talks about Vietnam at A Lil' Off The Top Monday, Aug. 1, 2011, in Hobart. Pagell was a POW in Vietnam for 26 months, 12 days, 14 hours, and 23 minutes. | Scott M. Bort~Sun-Times Media
Disobedient tears ran down the proud but tired face of Jerome Pagell.
“Sir, I served honorably for this country. I gave blood for this country. And I lived in a hell hole as a prisoner of war for this country,” he told me, fighting back emotions. “But my government doesn’t care about me, and I’m tired of getting crapped on and forgotten about.”
Pagell, who turns 69 next week, served four tours in Vietnam as a U.S. Army cardiovascular nurse, first arriving in 1961.
On June 6, 1964, he was captured by the Viet Cong and imprisoned in a cage that was 3 feet by 3 feet by 3 feet. There, for “26 months, 12 days, 14 hours and 23 minutes,” Pagell lived, cried, urinated, defecated, yelled, laughed and questioned God’s existence.
“I cried out to God for his angel of death to come take me home,” he recalled in vivid detail.
But the angel of death never came. He finally was discovered and released by the Swiss in August 1966.
During another tour of duty, his unit was hit by Agent Orange, the code name for a cancer-causing herbicide used by the U.S. military. He developed ocular blastoma, a cancer behind the eyes, causing him to slowly lose his eyesight.
He has since developed diabetes, high blood pressure and post-traumatic stress disorder, and he’s legally blind. His feet are dark purple from poor circulation.
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Homeless POW vet says he’s tired of fighting
Grant to allow veteran screenings to continue
Grant to allow veteran screenings to continue
By Tram Whitehurst, Jackson Hole, Wyoming
August 2, 2011
St. John’s Medical Center has been awarded a $375,000 grant to continue providing cognitive health screenings and care to veterans in Wyoming and eastern Idaho.
Funded by the Rural Health Office of the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, the grant calls on the hospital’s Institute for Cognitive Health to offer free memory care to veterans enrolled in the VA health care system.
The goal of the program, which runs through May, is to identify U.S. veterans suffering from memory loss and to provide care and referral assistance.
read more here
Grant to allow veteran screenings to continue
By Tram Whitehurst, Jackson Hole, Wyoming
August 2, 2011
St. John’s Medical Center has been awarded a $375,000 grant to continue providing cognitive health screenings and care to veterans in Wyoming and eastern Idaho.
Funded by the Rural Health Office of the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, the grant calls on the hospital’s Institute for Cognitive Health to offer free memory care to veterans enrolled in the VA health care system.
The goal of the program, which runs through May, is to identify U.S. veterans suffering from memory loss and to provide care and referral assistance.
read more here
Grant to allow veteran screenings to continue
Fort Wainwright soldier shot by troopers at campground
Fort Wainwright soldier shot by troopers at Delta Junction campground
by Sam Friedman / sfriedman@newsminer.com
Aug 01, 2011
Updated 12:35 a.m.
FAIRBANKS - A Fort Wainwright soldier was shot by an Alaska State Trooper at a Delta Junction campground early this morning.
At 12:09 a.m., Alaska State Troopers were called to Delta State Recreation Site Campground across from the Delta Junction airport in response to the report of an intoxicated man firing a gun.
At the campground, someone pointed out Spc. Timothy J. Fitzgerald to a trooper as he was getting out of a patrol car, troopers said.
Fitzgerald, 28, was reportedly lying on the ground and pointing a gun at them. The trooper shot and hit him.
Read more: Fort Wainwright soldier shot by troopers
by Sam Friedman / sfriedman@newsminer.com
Aug 01, 2011
Updated 12:35 a.m.
FAIRBANKS - A Fort Wainwright soldier was shot by an Alaska State Trooper at a Delta Junction campground early this morning.
At 12:09 a.m., Alaska State Troopers were called to Delta State Recreation Site Campground across from the Delta Junction airport in response to the report of an intoxicated man firing a gun.
At the campground, someone pointed out Spc. Timothy J. Fitzgerald to a trooper as he was getting out of a patrol car, troopers said.
Fitzgerald, 28, was reportedly lying on the ground and pointing a gun at them. The trooper shot and hit him.
Read more: Fort Wainwright soldier shot by troopers
Monday, August 1, 2011
Police: Lejeune Marine punched, threatened to kill taxi driver
Police: Lejeune Marine punched, threatened to kill taxi driver
RALEIGH, N.C. — Raleigh police arrested a Marine based at Camp Lejeune Saturday night after he allegedly punched a taxi driver in the face and threatened to kill him, arrest warrants state.
read more here
Lejeune Marine punched threatened to kill taxi driver
RALEIGH, N.C. — Raleigh police arrested a Marine based at Camp Lejeune Saturday night after he allegedly punched a taxi driver in the face and threatened to kill him, arrest warrants state.
read more here
Lejeune Marine punched threatened to kill taxi driver
Three year old girl, taken from Mom's arms, raped, beaten and killed
3-Year-Old Girl Raped And Killed
Isaac Paul Vasquez - KFOX News Producer
Posted: 6:45 pm MDT July 30, 2011
Updated: 4:13 pm MDT July 31, 2011
CUAUHTEMOC, Mexico -- Police in Cuauhtemoc arrested two men they said raped and killed a 3-year-old.
The town sits about 60 miles west of Chihuahua City, Mexico.
KFOX media partners at the El Paso Times report that's where investigators said the men snatched the girl from her mother's arms.
read more here
3-Year-Old Girl Raped And Killed
Isaac Paul Vasquez - KFOX News Producer
Posted: 6:45 pm MDT July 30, 2011
Updated: 4:13 pm MDT July 31, 2011
CUAUHTEMOC, Mexico -- Police in Cuauhtemoc arrested two men they said raped and killed a 3-year-old.
The town sits about 60 miles west of Chihuahua City, Mexico.
KFOX media partners at the El Paso Times report that's where investigators said the men snatched the girl from her mother's arms.
read more here
3-Year-Old Girl Raped And Killed
26 Assault sniper rifles stolen from Fort Irwin
Assault, sniper rifles stolen from Irwin
The Associated Press
Posted : Saturday Jul 30, 2011 8:14:09 EDT
FORT IRWIN, Calif. — More than two dozen assault rifles have been stolen from this base, and investigators sought the public’s help as they looked to arrest suspects and recover the weapons, federal officials said Friday.
Twenty-six AK74 assault rifles and one Dragunov sniper rifle were stolen from a supply warehouse at Fort Irwin on July 15, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives says in a statement.
Some arrests have been made and one rifle has been recovered, but the agency is offering a reward of up to $10,000 for information leading to further arrests, the statement said.
“Community participation is necessary to improve the likelihood that ATF and our law enforcement partners will track down the firearms as well as the criminals who have sought to destabilize our community through illegal activity,” ATF Special Agent in Charge John A. Torres said in the statement.
read more here
Assault sniper rifles stolen from Irwin
The Associated Press
Posted : Saturday Jul 30, 2011 8:14:09 EDT
FORT IRWIN, Calif. — More than two dozen assault rifles have been stolen from this base, and investigators sought the public’s help as they looked to arrest suspects and recover the weapons, federal officials said Friday.
Twenty-six AK74 assault rifles and one Dragunov sniper rifle were stolen from a supply warehouse at Fort Irwin on July 15, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives says in a statement.
Some arrests have been made and one rifle has been recovered, but the agency is offering a reward of up to $10,000 for information leading to further arrests, the statement said.
“Community participation is necessary to improve the likelihood that ATF and our law enforcement partners will track down the firearms as well as the criminals who have sought to destabilize our community through illegal activity,” ATF Special Agent in Charge John A. Torres said in the statement.
read more here
Assault sniper rifles stolen from Irwin
Huey added to Warhawk Air Museum
A group of Vietnam Veterans get long overdue recognition
By Eric Fink
CREATED JUL. 30, 2011
On this summer weekend the Warhawk Air Musueum in Nampa played host to a group of men who so proudly served on the Vietnam battlefields.
More than 40 years after returning home, the pilots and fighters who captioned the "Mustang Gunship Huey Helicopter," in Southeast Asia, were recognized for their service. The "Huey" was unveiled at the Air Museum and veterans from across the country attended the ceremony.
"It brings back memories, what we saw what we did, what our job was. I can't help but get emotional, it's a very emotional thing," Sid King, a former fighter pilot said. "Too many memories, too many good times. Too many hard times."
read more here
A group of Vietnam Veterans get long overdue recognition
By Eric Fink
CREATED JUL. 30, 2011
On this summer weekend the Warhawk Air Musueum in Nampa played host to a group of men who so proudly served on the Vietnam battlefields.
More than 40 years after returning home, the pilots and fighters who captioned the "Mustang Gunship Huey Helicopter," in Southeast Asia, were recognized for their service. The "Huey" was unveiled at the Air Museum and veterans from across the country attended the ceremony.
"It brings back memories, what we saw what we did, what our job was. I can't help but get emotional, it's a very emotional thing," Sid King, a former fighter pilot said. "Too many memories, too many good times. Too many hard times."
read more here
A group of Vietnam Veterans get long overdue recognition
Former Marine Corps commanding officer fined
Former Marine Corps commanding officer fined
By: The Associated Press
The Associated Press
07/30/11 3:58 PM
The former commanding officer at Marine Corps Air Station Cherry Point has been fined $10,000 after pleading guilty in military court to driving while impaired, having an open container of alcohol in his car and dereliction of duty.
Read more at the Washington Examiner: Former Marine Corps commanding officer fined
By: The Associated Press
The Associated Press
07/30/11 3:58 PM
The former commanding officer at Marine Corps Air Station Cherry Point has been fined $10,000 after pleading guilty in military court to driving while impaired, having an open container of alcohol in his car and dereliction of duty.
Read more at the Washington Examiner: Former Marine Corps commanding officer fined
Las Vegas police sergeant's book explores depression, suicide
Las Vegas police sergeant's book explores depression, suicide
BY MIKE BLASKY
LAS VEGAS REVIEW-JOURNAL
Posted: Jul. 31, 2011
More than 20 years into Sgt. Clarke Paris' career at the Metropolitan Police Department, he made a terrifying realization.
He was depressed.
Two decades of bad memories -- which Paris calls "cop stew" -- boiled in his brain: Dead babies, teen suicides, fights, car crashes, rape victims, police shootings, murders.
Paris tried to ignore the symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder. He had never killed anyone. His partner never died in his arms. He had no right to feel this way, he thought.
As the stress worsened, Paris decided he had to tell his wife, Tracie. He picked a day when his kids were out of the house and she lounged in the pool.
read more here
Police sergeant book explores depression suicide
BY MIKE BLASKY
LAS VEGAS REVIEW-JOURNAL
Posted: Jul. 31, 2011
More than 20 years into Sgt. Clarke Paris' career at the Metropolitan Police Department, he made a terrifying realization.
He was depressed.
Two decades of bad memories -- which Paris calls "cop stew" -- boiled in his brain: Dead babies, teen suicides, fights, car crashes, rape victims, police shootings, murders.
Paris tried to ignore the symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder. He had never killed anyone. His partner never died in his arms. He had no right to feel this way, he thought.
As the stress worsened, Paris decided he had to tell his wife, Tracie. He picked a day when his kids were out of the house and she lounged in the pool.
read more here
Police sergeant book explores depression suicide
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