Cody Baker survived combat in Iraq, until he couldn't survive anymore

Family fights for PTSD help after soldier's suicide
WAVE 3 News
By Janelle MacDonald
Posted: Aug 29, 2013

HARDINSBURG, KY (WAVE) - A Kentuckiana family is trying to turn their tragedy into a helping hand for others in their same position. Army Specialist Cody Baker, an Iraq War veteran, took his life earlier this month.

His family says he suffered for years from post traumatic stress disorder and now they're hoping to change the way military members are treated.

Cody's family says his excitement at competing in the Meade County Fair's Mud Sling was there on his face for all to see. A month later, the same truck carried his coffin for his burial.

On August 19, the man his family remembers for his big smile committed suicide.

His wife Laci says she knew immediately it was because of PTSD. "There was no doubt in my mind because my Cody wouldn't do that," she said. "There's no way. He was way too full of life and cared way too much about everybody else to do something like that, to leave everybody behind. He was not that type of person. Without a shadow of a doubt, I knew immediately what had happened."

Laci knew the man who came back from Iraq in 2008 was different almost as soon as he returned.

"I noticed the first night that Cody got home from overseas that he had a nightmare in the night. He woke up and he couldn't breathe," she said.

She also noticed that Cody seemed like he had to stay busy. "It's like he couldn't stop for fear that something would catch up with him."
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How many more do we have to lose before we help them win?

Veteran avoids jail for threatening congressman's workers

Veteran avoids jail for threatening congressman's workers
West Palm Beach man vowed to use shotgun
Sun Sentinel
By Marc Freeman
August 28, 2013

West Palm Beach
A U.S. Marine veteran and former Nebraska police officer sat as a defendant in federal court Wednesday, "embarrassed" by his crime of making threatening phone calls to the office of U.S. Rep. Alcee L. Hastings.

Charles William Daniels Jr., 64, of West Palm Beach, was arrested in February after he was accused of vowing to hunt Hastings' staffers with a shotgun over their handling of a problem he was having with the local Veterans Affairs hospital.

But Daniels will avoid a trial and possible five-year prison sentence if he follows the terms of a 12-month agreement approved by U.S. Magistrate Judge James M. Hopkins.

The requirements include having no contact with the Democratic congressman's offices in Fort Lauderdale and Washington, D.C., other than writing apology letters.
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Soldier Found Dead at Fort Leonard Wood

Soldier Found Dead at Fort Leonard Wood
KOLR 10 News
August 29, 2013

Death of Fort Leonard Wood Soldier

FORT LEONARD WOOD, Mo. - A Fort Leonard Wood Soldier was found unresponsive today at about 6:24 a.m. in a barrack's bathroom here, according to Fort Leonard Wood's Directorate of Emergency Services.

Emergency personnel arrived on scene within minutes and transported the Soldier by ambulance to the General Leonard Wood Army Community Hospital where the Soldier was pronounced deceased at 7:26 a.m. by GLWACH personnel.

The name of the Soldier is being withheld until next-of-kin notification is made.

Circumstances surrounding this incident are currently under investigation.
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States legal use of marijuana ok with Department of Justice

Eric Holder Says DOJ Will Let Washington, Colorado Marijuana Laws Go Into Effect
Huffington Post
Ryan Reilly and Ryan Grim
Posted: 08/29/2013

WASHINGTON -- The United States government took a historic step back from its long-running drug war on Thursday, when Attorney General Eric Holder informed the governors of Washington and Colorado that the Department of Justice would allow the states to create a regime that would regulate and implement the ballot initiatives that legalized the use of marijuana for adults.

A Justice Department official said that Holder told the governors in a joint phone call early Thursday afternoon that the department would take a "trust but verify approach" to the state laws. DOJ is reserving its right to file a preemption lawsuit at a later date, since the states' regulation of marijuana is illegal under the Controlled Substances Act.
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TERRIFYING WEAPONS THAT ATTACK THE SENSES

TERRIFYING WEAPONS THAT ATTACK THE SENSES
Psychotronic Guns
BY THOR JENSEN

This is still an in-development project, but the potential for mayhem is unimaginable. Russia is currently working on weapons that employ electromagnetic radiation to directly affect the central nervous system – the root of all sensory processing – in a variety of unpleasant ways. The weapon will most likely build on existing research that shows the ability of low-frequency microwaves to affect brain function, alter moods and transmit false sensory data. Although this may all seem like X-Files stuff, the scientific basis is there. It’s up to some unscrupulous weapons designer to put it into practice.
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Ex-Marine Brian Brimager Accused Of Killing Girlfriend In Panama

Yvonne Baldelli's Bones Found
Ex-Marine Brian Brimager Accused Of Killing Girlfriend In Panama
The Huffington Post
 By Emily Thomas
Posted: 08/29/2013

The partial remains of a missing California woman were found off the coast of Panama inside a zippered bag, the FBI reports.

DNA analysis positively identified the skull and bones as belonging to Yvonne Baldelli, 42, who has been missing since November 2011.

According to Fox News, a Panamanian resident found the remains inside a green “military-style” backpack and turned them over to authorities.

Her boyfriend at the time of her disappearance, Brian Brimager, 37, of Vista, Calif., is accused of killing her and staging an elaborate cover-up of her death, officials say.

Brimager, a former marine, was indicted in San Diego in June on 10 charges of obstruction of justice and making false statements to feds about Baldelli’s murder.
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Bret Michaels gives Iraq veteran and wife a new home

Fox and Friends visits with Bret Michaels, and one very lucky veteran family, the morning after his SOLD OUT show at the BB King Blues Club in NYC. Michaels brought the house down by giving away a mortgage free home to wounded USMC veteran and firefighter Matt and his wife, Amanda, as part of Operation Homefront's Homes on the Homefront program (www.homesonthehomefront.org) and Bret's work with Feal Good Foundation. — at B.B. King Blues Club.

NFL and players reach $765 million settlement over head injuries

NFL and players reach $765 million settlement over head injuries
NBC News
By Tracy Connor, Staff Writer
august 29, 2013

The National Football League has agreed to pay $765 million to settle lawsuits by former players over head injuries, it was announced Thursday.

The proposed agreement, which was hashed out during court-ordered mediation, will dedicate $675 million to a compensation fund for retired players who can show they have severe cognitive impairment, dementia, Alzheimer's or Lou Gehrig's disease.

The amount each player gets will be determined by doctors and court administrators, and players can apply for more funds if their condition deteriorates over time.

Another $75 million will be spent on medical exams for retired players, and $10 million will be earmarked for a research and education fund.

The settlement covers dozens of lawsuits filed by more than 4,500 ex-players who accused the league of glorifying the violence of the sport while ignoring the health risks and failing to warn players that repeated concussions could cause brain damage or leave them prone to depression and suicide.
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Florida symposium welcomes vets in need

Symposium welcomes vets in need
'Warrior's World' to treat mental issues
Florida Today
R. Norman Moody
Aug. 28, 2013

Melbourne psychologist Scott Fairchild recently encountered a young veteran he knew for helping other veterans return to civilian life.

That veteran is now homeless and without a job.

Fairchild believes the stresses of combat took their toll on the veteran.

It may be difficult for some to understand how aperson who served several tours in Iraq and climbed close to the top of the enlisted ranks would be having such difficulties, unless they have a grasp of some of the effects of post-traumatic stress disorder and other mental health issues associated with wars, Fairchild said.

Spreading the knowledge about the mental health issues among those who provide care for veterans will be the subject of “The Warrior’s World: Understanding the Mental Health Needs of Veterans,” a symposium Sept. 6 in Cocoa Beach.

Family Counseling Center of Brevard is organizing the one-day event at the Hilton Cocoa Beach Oceanfront Hotel. Co-sponsors 2-1-1 Brevard and Florida Institute of Technology will provide continuing education credits for psychologists, therapists, counselors, social workers, and marriage and family therapists.
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Iraq veteran murdered during robbery in Chicago

18-year-old suspect held without bond in Iraqi war veteran's death
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
August 28, 2013

CHICAGO — An 18-year-old Chicago man is being held without bond in the death of a 33-year-old Iraq war veteran in a weekend robbery.

Devon Brunt is accused of shooting to death Telkia Burns during a robbery Sunday at his apartment located in the South Chicago neighborhood. The 33-year-old Burns was taken to Stroger Hospital, where he was declared dead about an hour later.
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