Friday, June 26, 2015

Central Florida Veterans Events Part 2

From Cathy Haynes

June #2 Central FL list of veteran, military or patriotic events
Send me your events – people cannot attend an event if they don’t know about it!
Please share this information and events with your friends and interested others and attend.   Post where appropriate.

The American Legion, Department of Florida, June 25 -28 - 96th Annual Department Convention at Renaissance SeaWorld in Orlando.
GROUND BREAKING FOR MARINE VETERANS HOME – Sat. June 27 - Home At Last is pleased to announce   that Ground Breaking   ceremonies, on a seventh Home at Last house, for Marine Staff Sergeant  Brandon Wittwer and his family will be held at 10:00 a.m.   The home will be located on   Cross Street and Briley Avenue in Oakland, Florida.   Info:   William Criswell, wccriswell@earthlink.net
407-876-2472
Liberty Weekend Concert – Sat. June 27 – the Greater Orlando Aviation Authority will recognize a distinguished aviation veteran at the Orlando International Airport.   The ceremony to recognize Lt. Colonel Gene O’Baker with the 3 rd annual Colonel Joe Kittinger Award, beginning at 7:45 pm. Atrium of the Airport Hyatt area.   Following the ceremony the Orlando Philharmonic Orchestra will perform a unique concert of patriotic music and popular favorites from 8 to 9pm. Those attending will receive three hours of free parking – Take a paper ticket upon entering airport parking – do not use your E-Pass/SunPass transponder.  
WHILE THERE, WHY NOT STAY JUST A BIT LONGER AND WELCOME HOME SOME SENIOR VETERANS…..
Greeters needed!  Honor Flight Welcome Home –Sat. June 27– THIS IS THE LAST HONOR FLIGHT until the end of August – Wash. DC is too hot/humid for the senior veterans and the guardians who push the wheelchairs…..
Orlando Int’l Airport –After a day spent in Washington DC, 25 veterans of WWII and Korea return home thru Orlando Int’l Airport.   The hub of the nation-wide organization will take veterans on a single day trip to our nation’s capital where they visit the WWII, Korea, and Vietnam War Memorials, Marine Corps Iwo Jima and the Air Force Monuments, and witness the changing of the guard at the Tomb of the Unknowns at Arlington National Cemetery.   This group will return at about 8:30pm and enter the terminal area at about 9 – 9:30pm. Come welcome these former warriors home!   “Welcome Home” receptions at the airports makes a difference!   Bring your flags, banners and signs! – Southwest Airlines # 2402 from Baltimore-Washington (BWI), Terminal A, Airside 2 (hotel area in front of Starbucks.) Before leaving home, check online to see if the flight is on time because there may be delays due to weather, mechanical or medical issues.  
Free parking has been arranged at an off airport property – FastPark and Relax – who has been very generous to Honor Flights with free parking and shuttles to the airport (tips welcomed by drivers!) - Contact Cathy Haynes for those details NLT 7pm     chaynes11629@yahoo.com    407-239-8468.
New:   Vouchers are available for airport garage parking from a GOAA rep. in the terminal for this event – maximum of 3 hours – BUT you have to take a paper/card upon entering the airport garage.   The vouchers will not work if you use the E-Pass/SunPass transponders – we cannot credit back the charge.
For the Early Birds - you can wave these veterans off in the morning no later than 5am – same location.   They process thru Security early and quickly.   Wave them off for a wonderful day!
Veteran Hiring Event – Tues. June 30 - 10:30am – 2:30pm – Skilled workers being hired by a company – Welders, HVAC, carpenters, plumbers, sheet metal workers, block/brick masons, drywall, concrete, more.   The site will be Orlando VA Medical Center’s Auditorium B at the Lake Baldwin site, 5201 Raymond St., Orlando, 32803.   THIS IS NOT a hiring event for the VA  – only a site being used by a hiring company seeking veterans.   Contact Annie Artis, Veteran Community Employment Coordinator,   407-629-1599 x1846, (c) 407-307-9101   ellamay.artis@va.gov
Veteran to receive French Legion of Honour medal – Tues. June 30 - WWII Veteran, Charles Edward Stevens, will be honored by France and awarded the prestigious Legion of Honour medal, as he also celebrates his 90th birthday.    12noon - 4:00pm   Representatives from the French Consulate will arrive at 2:30 pm to award Mr. Stevens with their prestigious Medal of Honor for his WWll service in France. The Veteran Memorial Center, 400 S Sykes Creek Pkwy, Merritt Island, 32952 (located behind the Merritt Square Mall.)  France has awarded more than 1,000 of the medals to Floridians in the past 10 years.   Info:   Dave Matthews  407.535.1728   sgtdavematthews@ gmail.com
Saturday, July 4 – Check community resources for Independence Day events.  And fly your flag proudly!
July 4 at Lake Eola – Celebrate our national birthday by watching fireworks around the beautiful lake!   9pm in Downtown Orlando.
TWO Conferences working together…….And with a special event needing help from the public….
National Association of Blind Veterans (NABV) – Mon. July 6 - Annual National Meeting and Reception at the Rosen Centre Hotel , 9840 International Drive, Orlando, 32819, In (Salon 1), Second Level.   This gathering would be of interest to veterans who lost their sight in the service of our country or have lost their sight after serving due to medical situations (diabetes, glaucoma, injuries, etc.)   A social reception will start promptly at 5PM and close at 7PM. Light snacks and soft drinks are provided (Cash bar) along with some door prize drawings. We will start our National Business Meeting promptly at 7PM closing at 10PM. Info:   Dwight D. Sayer, misterconsultant50@ gmail.com   or president@ nabv.org   321- 948-1466   See website at www. nabv.org
Working in conjunction with……
National Federation of the Blind Convention (NFB) – Mon – Fri, July 6-10 at the Rosen Center Hotel.  Veterans Celebration opening session day (Wed. July 8).    There will also be a number of vendors presenting visual assistance equipment that the VA issues through prosthetics and a chance to ask the vendor questions about the equipment.   9840 International Drive, Orlando, 32819.
BUT – The NABV and NFB are asking the help of our Central Florida communities!!!!!
They are going to try to set a new Guinness World Record…The Largest Umbrella Mosaic. The current record was set by PT Philips (Indonesia) in Jakarta in 2012. 3000 people are needed, each with an umbrella.
Show up at the Rosen Centre Hotel, 9840 International Drive, Orlando, 32819, at 7AM on Wednesday July 8and hold up the umbrella.    Guinness will record it from the air and on the ground. The Rosen Centre, along with other Rosen properties, plans to have staff members participate. Parking will be waived at the Rosen property.   They are very excited about setting this record in Orlando.    What a way to start a workday by participating in a World Record!!!
Central Florida Navy League luncheon and meeting – Wed. July 8 – All persons who support the sea services, whether civilian or military, are welcomed to attend this gathering on the 2nd Wed. of each month.  11:30 – 1pm at the Radisson Hotel (near UCF), 1724 N. Alafaya Trail, Orlando, 32826.   Interesting speakers and networking potential includes the simulation technology businesses.   $20 with RSVP or $25 at the door.  3rd largest Navy League in FL.   Contact Bob K. (Membership Chair.) at navleaguecenfl@juno.com    407-977-7575
Florida United Numismatists (F.U.N.) – Thurs – Sat. July 9-11 – The summer F.U.N. (money) show – over 200 dealer booths of coins and paper money often include military collectibles, artifacts, political ephemera (old campaign buttons) along with jewelry and watches.   Numismatic-related exhibits, 6 educational programs, Scout Programs, the Heritage Auction, and much more.   Great history items.   Kids can learn during their summer vacation!   This year is the 300th anniversary of the sinking of the 1715 Spanish Treasure Fleet off the central east coast of Florida – think about the gold and silver Spanish coins!   See   1715fleetsociety.com   and www. funtopics.com   Admission is FREE but convention center parking is $10.   Orange County Convention Center9800 International Drive, Hall WA3, West Concourse.
(NOTE:   The BIG national F.U.N. show with 1500+ dealers and 15,000+ collectors will NOT be held in Orlando in Jan. 2016.   Due to contract ‘challenges’ it will be in Tampa.)
3rd Annual Bob Bret Memorial Golf Tournament - Mon. July 20. Central Florida Navy League, a large active group composed of civilians and veterans supporting all sea services.   (USN, USMC, USCG, and Merchant Marines.) This golf outing honors a long-time CFNL member, Robert "Bob" Bret - Proceeds go to support NJROTC scholarships and the Welfare & Recreation fund for USCGC Cutter's Vigilant and Shrike, (based in Port Canaveral) crew & families.   Tournament at The Golden Bear Club, Keene’s Point in Windermere.   Corporate sponsors welcomed.   Contact Brian Holmes at 407.252.3008   bholmes@aegistg.com
ON THE HORIZON
National 75th Anniversary of Airborne and Special Operations – Wed. Aug 12 – event at 7pm Rosen Centre Hotel, 9840 International Drive, Orlando, 32819.
82nd Airborne Division Association National Convention – Wed-Mon Aug 12-17 - Rosen Centre Hotel, 9840 International Drive, Orlando, FL 32819. Special Room Rate:   $85.   Cost/Resister at www. paratrooperdz.com.
September 2, 1945 – V-J Day  Thank a Pacific Theater veteran for his/her service!
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
Local Young Marines need help - 9 Young Marines of the local Orlando Devil Dogs unit. Young Marines (ages 8 to 18) from across the country gather in Window Rock, AZ, to honor and give praise to the Navajo Code Talkers from WWII. The Young Marines’ theme for the 2015 event is “Teaching Today’s Youth about Yesterday’s Heroes.”   These Young Marines will be attending a class about the Code Talkers, setting up flags and marching in the Navajo Nation parade.   They will be providing gifts for the Navajo Code Talkers families and visiting the Navajo Nation Zoo and the Navajo Museum.  
Your contribution will help cover the airfares, accommodations, meals and other fees and expenses to host the 9 teenage Young Marines during the Annual Navajo Code Talkers Day events that will take place from August 13 to the 15th 2015.   See:   gofundme.com    This effort will make a lifetime impact on these young men and women.   You don’t see these youth’s pictures and stories in the media – they’re too busy doing too much good in our communities instead of becoming problems….
Work at Lake Nona -The Orlando VA Medical Center has opened a Recruitment Center at the new medical center in Lake Nona. The Recruitment Center provides a "one stop" location for potential employees to find out information about applying for jobs at the Orlando VA Medical Center.   Human Resource Specialists, Nursing Recruiters, and Physician Recruiters are located at the Center and are available to provide information and assistance.
The address for the new medical center at Lake Nona is 13800 Veterans Way.   Upon arrival to the medical center, park on the first floor of the west parking garage and follow the signs to enter the building. Take the elevator to the fourth floor and follow the signs to the Recruitment Center welcome desk. The room number is 4A101. Volunteers are stationed at the facility to assist with directions.
The main telephone number for the Recruitment Center is 407-631-4011.
INFO to keep and share - because we care
Veterans in crisis – For you or someone you know - Confidential Hotline:   1-800-273-8255, #1 
Or:   Website at   veteranscrisisline    provides 24/7 confidential chat online assistance;
Or:   text 838255   for   24/7 confidential assistance.   They are there because they care….
Camaraderie Foundation in Central Florida provides resources for private and confidential Post Traumatic Stress (PTS) counseling for warriors and their families.    It works.   It has saved lives, marriages and families.  Contact 407-841-0071
Operation Homefront assists military families during difficult financial times by providing food assistance, auto and home repair, vision care, travel and transportation, moving assistance, essential home items, and financial assistance.     operationhomefront.org    Central FL rep:   Chip Whiting at 407-758-0492  whiting_charles@bah.com  
Vet Centers are available for combat zone veterans to help with personal and family readjustment counseling and outreach services.    The nearest centers are located in:
Orlando - 5575 S. Semoran Blvd., Suite #30, Orlando, 32822.   407-857-2800 Or 877-927-8387.
Melbourne -2098 Sarno Road, Melbourne, 32935.   321-254-3410 Or 877-927-8387.
Clermont -1655 East Highway 50, Clermont, 34711   352-536-6701 Or 877-927-8387.
Daytona Beach -1620 Mason Ave., Suite C, Daytona Beach, 32117.   386-366-6600 Or 877-927-8387.
And coming soon to Seminole County....      vetcenter.va.gov      
EXTRAS:
·          Museum of Military History, 5210 West Irlo Bronson Hwy., Kissimmee, 34746.   407-507-3894 for further information.   www.museumofmilitaryhistory.com
·          Check out:   hiredbyfriday.com and iamveteran.com  Both sites are for veterans and hiredbyfriday.com is a site for Veterans to upload their resumes and employers can look for skilled veterans there.
·          American Warrior Radio Show   from 11am-noon EDT on Saturdays, radio station WMEL - AM 1300    Nationwide broadcast:   www.1300wmel.com
·          WoundedTimes.blogspot.com - Veterans News Service covering news that matters to veterans and their families. Local, state and national news, events, and stories – especially with videos involving Central Florida military and veterans. Dedicated to defeating Combat PTS.
·          Shades of Green Resort – Armed Forces Recreation Center on Disney property provides various packages for active duty, reservists, guardsmen, 100% service connected disabled, and retired military personnel and their families.   Go to www.shadesofgreen.org   for information.   Special discounts for rooms may be available based on occupancy levels, and special ticket rates.   (407) 824-3400
·          The Navy Exchange (NEX) –NEX in Orlando is for all branches of active duty military, reservists, guardsmen, retirees, 100% service-connected disabled veterans and their dependents.   It is located west of Orlando Int’l Airport, about 1 mile south of the Beachline Expy/528 on Tradeport Dr.   Competitive pricing and programs. The big white building on the west side of Tradeport -   7151 Earhart Dr., Orlando, 32827.    www.mynavyexchange.com   407-857-3550
·          MWR / ITT Ticket Office – Offers discounted attraction tickets to active duty military, reservists, guardsmen, retirees, 100% service-connected disabled veterans and their dependents.   It is locate adjacent to the Navy Exchange (NEX) listed above.   Phone: 407-855-0116 or 407-851-4396 for details,    email:mwrorl@gmail.com   or Text MWROrlando to 30364 for MWR Specials.
·          Military OneSource is a free service provided by the Department of Defense (DoD) to active duty, Guard and Reserve service members, and their families with comprehensive information on every aspect of military life including deployment, relationships, economics, grief, education, parenting and child care, and much more.   www.militaryonesource.mil
Caring and sharing,
Cathy Haynes
Member/supporter of numerous veteran and military organizations in Central FL
407-239-8468

Pentagon Not Changing Names of Bases

Pentagon: No Plans to Rename Bases Honoring Confederate Generals 
Military.com
by Richard Sisk
Jun 24, 2015
"All new posts which may be hereafter established, will receive their names from the War Department, and be announced in General Orders from the Headquarters of the Army," the order read.

The U.S. Defense Department has no immediate plans to change the names of military bases honoring Confederate generals -- including some Ku Klux Klan supporters -- in response to the South Carolina church massacre, Pentagon officials said Wednesday.

"As of now, there's no discussion of adjusting our current naming policy," which now gives the naming responsibility to the service branches, said Army Col. Steve Warren, a Pentagon spokesman.

"The Department's position is that the services are ultimately responsible for naming their installations," he said. We have confidence in each of the services to appropriately name their facilities," he said. The services have not indicated any intention to change names, he said.

There was no immediate list available of military facilities with place names or other symbols honoring the South's role in the Civil War, but at least 10 Army bases are named for Confederate leaders, including Robert E. Lee, revered in the South as leader of the Army of Northern Virginia. Besides bases, there is the Lee Barracks at the U.S. Military Academy.

The issue of Confederate symbols and the names of Confederate leaders on public grounds came to a head on Monday when the Republican governor of South Carolina, Nikki Haley, called for the removal of the Confederate battle flag from the grounds of the state capitol in Columbia.
read more here

Here is the list from the article of bases
The 10 Army bases named for Southern officers are:
-- Fort Bragg, North Carolina, named for Gen. Braxton Bragg.
-- Fort Hood, Texas, named for Gen. John Bell Hood.
-- Fort Gordon, Georgia, named for Lt. Gen. John B. Gordon, who was reputed to be the leader of the Ku Klux Klan in Georgia after the war.
-- Fort Lee, Virginia, home of the Army's Quartermaster School and named for Gen. Robert E. Lee.
-- Fort Polk, Louisiana, named for the slave owner and ardent secessionist Gen. Leonidas Polk.
-- Fort Rucker, Alabama, named for Col. Edmund Rucker, who became a leading industrialist in Birmingham after the war.
-- Fort A.P. Hill, Virginia, named for Lt. Gen. A.P. Hill who was killed at the battle of Petersburg a week before the war ended.
-- Fort Picket, Virginia, named for Maj. Gen. George Pickett who was in command for "Pickett's charge" at Gettysburg. Pickett went to Canada for a year after the war, fearing he would be tried as a traitor.
-- Fort Benning, Georgia, named for Brig. Gen. Henry Benning, a slavery supporter and politician.
-- Camp Beauregard, Louisiana, named for Gen. Pierre Gustave Toutant Beauregard, whose troops fired the shots at Fort Sumter, S.C., that started the Civil War.


Some folks think that Fort Jackson in South Carolina was named after Thomas Jonathan "Stonewall" Jackson but it was named after Andrew Jackson,
Fort Jackson is a United States Army installation, which TRADOC operates on for Basic Combat Training (BCT), and is located in Columbia, South Carolina. This installation is named for Andrew Jackson, a United States Army General and seventh President of the United States of America (1829–1837) who was born in the border region of North and South Carolina.

Vandals Attack War Memorials

Confederate war memorials vandalized with 'Black Lives Matter' text
RT.com
Published time: June 25, 2015
A vandalized Confederate Memorial in Forest Park in St. Louis, Missouri is shown in this photo from St. Louis' Mayor's office released on June 24, 2015.
(Reuters/St. Louis Office of the Mayor)

Amid an intense debate about the place of the Confederate flag on government property, and following the racially-motivated Charleston church shooting, activists around the country have taken to vandalizing statues honoring the Confederate dead.

A statue paying tribute to Confederate fatalities in Baltimore, Maryland, the city that was rocked by protests and riots about police brutality in the death of black man Freddie Gray, was recently defaced with “black lives matter” text.

The statue is inscribed with the words “Gloria Victis,” Latin for “Glory to the Vanquished.” Maryland itself was a member of the Union during the Civil War.
read more here

Free speech is still protected by men and women serving in the military, ready to die for it. To destroy public property is not free speech. It is a crime and they should face charges.

Thursday, June 25, 2015

Why Are Veterans Treated Like A Business Project?

Brawny says they donated $2 million to a veteran's charity. The trouble is, they seem to have omitted a few facts.

One is that while their press release says "Proceeds raised by the campaign have helped WWP foster the most successful, well-adjusted generation of wounded veterans in our nation's history" there is absolutely nothing new in their wounds from other generations.

The other fact is that this charity does not help the other generations with the same wounds and waiting decades for someone to pay attention to them as if they still mattered. You know, the generations that came home before the internet and these mega size charities that "treat it like a business"
ATLANTA, Dec. 30, 2014 /PRNewswire/-- Georgia-Pacific, the maker of Brawny® paper towels, is proud to have donated more than $2 million to Wounded Warrior Project® (WWP) following its third year of partnering together. WWP is a national organization dedicated to honoring and empowering wounded service members transitioning back to civilian life through unique, direct programs and services.

This year alone, the Brawny® brand raised $600,000, achieving its 2014 goal.

"Proceeds raised by the campaign have helped WWP foster the most successful, well-adjusted generation of wounded veterans in our nation's history."
"Honoring and empowering" only certain veterans. "Direct programs" but they don't say those programs are done by other groups they give millions to.

This is what Brawny has on site for their ad. Tell me if you hear one word about what you know who did for this disabled veteran or his family.

We now know that while you may become emotional when you stand there looking at the paper towels with the logo taken from a real picture of wounded Marines in Iraq, next to other paper towels, you really don't know where your money will end up.
The charity is using $70 million to fund an effort that will create outpatient programs at four of the nation's top academic medical facilities, aimed at helping sufferers of post-traumatic stress disorder and traumatic brain injury.
That sounds like a lot of money until you read the rest of the article.
Criticized recently for its aggressive fundraising efforts and well-salaried executives, Wounded Warrior Project runs on an annual budget of more than $300 million and spent $242 million on its programs in fiscal 2014.

As with everything else, being emotional is not the same as being informed. When we see conditions getting worse for all of our veterans, we see more and more commit suicide, more and more families being destroyed and charities making you forget about all the other veterans, it is time to start getting serious about all of this.

These are the Veterans Charities Charity Navigator from with 4 stars
Support Our Troops
Adaptive Sports Foundation
Air Force Enlisted Village
Air Warrior Courage Foundation
Challenged Athletes Foundation
DAV (Disabled American Veterans) Charitable Service Trust
Fisher House Foundation
Higher Ground Sun Valley
Homes for Our Troops
Honor Flight Network
Hope For The Warriors®
Injured Marine Semper Fi Fund
Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America
Mercy Medical Airlift / Mercy Medical Angels
Navy SEAL Foundation
Navy-Marine Corps Relief Society
Operation Support Our Troops - America
Our Military Kids
Puppies Behind Bars
St. Joseph Center
Southeastern Guide Dogs
Special Operations Warrior Foundation
Thanks USA
Tragedy Assistance Program for Survivors
Travis Manion Foundation
USO of Missouri, Inc.
Wounded Warriors Family Support

Click the links next to their ranking on Charity Navigator and you can compare what they do and how much money they do it with.

FYI I am a lifetime member of the DAV Auxiliary just so you know they matter a lot to me. They always have especially when I was growing up and they helped my Dad with his claim and then my husband with his.

How many ads have you seen on TV for these groups? How many times have you seen any of their logos on stuff at the store? You haven't. Because to them, veterans are not a project or a "business" but they are the priority!

CBS News interviewed Steve Nardizzi where he said he intends "to run it like a business"
On the Wounded Warrior Project’s website, the charity says it spends 80 percent of its donations on its main services. But tax records show it also includes some fundraising expenses in that mix. Charity Navigator subtracts the fundraising and — in its most recent report — said the Wounded Warrior Project spends less than 60 percent on its services. The rest, according to Charity Navigator, went to fundraising and administration.

As for their "famous logo" the story behind it should have mattered more because it was from a real group of Marines in Iraq.
The Marines Sgt. Matt LeVart carries injured Cpl. Barry Lange off the battlefield as members of India Company 3rd Battalion 7th Marine Division engage Iraqi soldiers in battle. (AP Photo/Laura Rauch)

Mike Huckabee No Longer Ashamed He Wants To Kill VA

Former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee on Wednesday said the government does a poor job of caring for U.S. veterans and should get out of the business of providing health and medical care for those who served their country.
The Veterans Health Administration – the part of the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs that handles medical care – should be "put out of its misery and most importantly, put it out of the government's" reach, said Huckabee, who is seeking the Republican nomination for president
Des Moines Register
Stunning! Simply stunning how someone wanting to hold the office of Commander-in-Chief has just admitted that he wants to kill the VA. Imagine that! No plans to fix it and make sure the politicians live up to their obligation to care for those who serve this country with their lives. No grandiose speeches of how much veterans deserve from us.

The Senate Veterans Affairs Committee cares so much they haven't even updated their website even though this is over 6 months after Repubicans took control.
The Finance Committee was the Senate standing committee most responsible for veterans programs from 1917 to 1946. After World War II, the Finance Committee handled the Servicemen's Readjustment Act of 1944, the "GI Bill of Rights," which extended to servicemen and their families, a number of benefits including unemployment assistance, education, vocational training, housing and business loan guarantees, as well as the traditional medical and pension benefits of previous times. Many experts believe this law was one of the most important elements in the expansion of the middle class following World War II.

The Veterans Affairs Committee had nine members in its initial congress, the 92nd Congress (1971-73). It now has a total of 14 members with Chairman Bernard Sanders and Ranking Member Richard Burr in leadership roles during the 113th Congress.

The new Chairman is Senator Johnny Isakson of Georgia.

As for the House, they have had almost 70 years,
The Committee on Veterans' Affairs of the House of Representatives was authorized by enactment of Public Law 601, 79th Congress, which was entitled "Legislative Reorganization Act of 1946." Section 121(a) of this Act provides: "there shall be elected by the House at the commencement of each Congress the following standing committees": Nineteen Committees are listed and No. 18 quotes: "Committee on Veterans' Affairs, to consist of 27 Members." This Act has since been amended so that there are now 22 Standing Committees in the House of Representatives. The number of Members (Representatives) authorized to serve on each Committee has been changed from time to time. There are currently 29 members of the Committee on Veterans' Affairs.

If they haven't been able to fix all the problems the VA has had over all these years then they should be ashamed of themselves!

Turning veterans over to for profit companies means their loyalty is for the companies and not the veterans.

VA Opiate Overuse Subject of Another Senate Hearing

Marine’s overdose death sparking VA opiate debate 
Stars and Stripes
By Travis J. Tritten
Published: June 24, 2015
"My son had an addiction with pain meds and yet they put my son back on pain meds,” said Marv Simcakoski, his father. “They sent him home with 50 some [pills] and told him to take them regularly.”
Sen. Tammy Baldwin, D-Wis., speaks at a press conference about the Jason Simcakoski Memorial Opioid Safety Act at the U.S. Capitol, June 24, 2015. Behind her are Jason Simcakoski's father, Marv; mother, Linda; daughter, Anaya; and widow, Heather. JOE GROMELSKI/STARS AND STRIPES
WASHINGTON — Nearly a year after his death, Marine Corps veteran Jason Simcakoski was at the center of a debate on Capitol Hill on Wednesday over new regulations for opioid prescriptions at the Department of Veterans Affairs.

His parents, widow and daughter watched as a Senate committee weighed an overhaul bill, sponsored by a Wisconsin senator, designed to curb overdose deaths at the state’s Tomah VA and other medical centers across the country. It was a crucial first step for the legislation, though many hurdles remain and its future is uncertain.

Simcakoski died at Tomah in August after a toxic reaction to more than 12 medications including opiates. He has become the face of what veteran groups and other advocates say is an epidemic of dangerous opioid prescriptions to VA patients.
read more here

VA Spied on Police Officers?

VA Medical Center execs hid cameras, microphones in police officers’ rooms: suit 
NEW YORK DAILY NEWS
BY NINA GOLGOWSKI
June 23, 2015
Shortly after, another was allegedly found in a room informally used by both male and female officers to change in.
D.C's VA Medical Center has allegedly gone Big Brother.

Hidden cameras and microphones have been discovered in several rooms — including a changing room — used by the medical center's police officers, a bombshell lawsuit claims.

Two dozen current and former officers say the devices were set up by the department's police chief and the medical center's director as a means to illegally spy on their employees.

Any behavior or information captured and suspected as illicit would allegedly then lead to disciplinary action including officers' suspension and termination.

In addition to violating the 24 officers' privacy and constitutional rights, the surveillance created "an atmosphere of utter distrust amongst all employees," the suit alleges.

That distrust is apparently ongoing amid suspicions that not all of the cameras and microphones were found and that they're still recording.
read more here

Vietnam Cases Paved Way For Modern Understanding of PTSD

Stresses of war and home 
Vietnam cases paved way for modern understanding of PTSD
Fort Hood Herald
Jacob Brooks Herald staff writer
Posted: Wednesday, June 24, 2015

Courtesy of the 1st Cavalry Division Museum Vietnam War In this undated photo from the Vietnam War, an American soldier runs to pick up the body of a fallen comrade. Stress disorder experienced by Vietnam veterans during and after the war helped pave the way for the modern understanding of post-traumatic stress disorder.

For many American soldiers in Vietnam, the stress that comes with being on the battlefield didn’t end when they left the war zone. It followed them home.

“I had people calling me Uncle Tom and (accusing me of) fighting the white man’s war,” said Ernest Montgomery, 66, a Vietnam veteran who moved to Killeen after Hurricane Katrina destroyed his home in New Orleans in 2005.

In some ways, the treatment at home was as stressful as being stationed in Vietnam, said Montgomery, a former artilleryman with the XXIV Corps.

“We couldn’t be open with it,” said Montgomery, who was drafted into the Army and was sent to Vietnam in 1970 at age 22. “I don’t remember what I was like before the war.”

Montgomery said the stress of war coupled with the stress of the cold, sometimes hostile, reception back home contributed to his development of post-traumatic stress disorder.

“You’re always expecting something to happen,” Montgomery said, describing his as “functional PTSD.”

To “numb the pain,” Montogmery said he became addicted to heroin for years. However, his wife, Patricia, ultimately pulled him back from the brink and into a sustainable lifestyle.

“Even though I acted like a fool for a long time, she stuck with me,” said Montgomery, a retired truck driver.

Many Vietnam veterans have similar stories. While the term PTSD only came out after the war, its understanding was influenced greatly by the experiences and conditions of Vietnam veterans.
read more here

Vietnam Veterans Remembered
Mar 29, 2015

Vietnam veterans said they would never leave one generation behind. They fought for each other and for all generations but have been forgotten. Reporters just don't have time for them or reminding anyone that they waited longer, suffered longer, are the majority of the suicides, attempted suicides and those waiting for claims to be honored by the VA.

Had it not been for them, nothing would have been done on PTSD.

When you watch this video, you'll see that they deserve just as much attention as the newer veterans. The problem is, none of our veterans get enough of anything!

Wednesday, June 24, 2015

Fort Knox Soldier Killed in Clarksville

Fort Knox soldier hit, killed by SUV in Clarksville
WSMV News
Posted by Kara Apel
Posted: Jun 24, 2015

CLARKSVILLE, TN (WSMV) - A soldier from Fort Knox who was at Fort Campbell for training was hit and killed by an SUV in Clarksville early Tuesday morning.

According to the Clarksville Police Department, 25-year-old Kenneth Ronald Berry was in the southbound lanes of Wilma Rudolph Boulevard near Terminal Road when he was struck around 12:30 a.m.
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Realtor Duped By Veterans Charity

Investigator | Realtor loses house, $200k, feels duped by veteran
WKYC-TV
Tom Meyer and Phil Trexler
June 24, 2015

HIGHLAND HEIGHTS, Ohio -- As a long-time real estate agent, James Catalano has seen a lot of houses come and go. But it's the one he bought -- and lost to a Vietnam veteran -- that has him feeling duped.

The Highland Road home sits about a quarter-mile away from the city's Police Department. Catalano purchased the property as an investment in 2004 for $100,000 and he said he has sunk thousands of dollars in repairs into the ranch-style house.

In 2007, he rented the property to Curtis Freeman, a self-proclaimed Purple Heart recipient and an advocate for Vietnam veterans such as himself.

According to Catalano, Freeman and his companion, Patricia Hawkins, intended to use to the home to help veterans secure housing. They said the government was expected to provide their charity -- Veterans Helping Veterans -- with funding to help more than a dozen down-on-their-luck vets.

At one point in 2007, the late Congresswoman Stephanie Tubbs Jones called Catalano to thank him for helping Freeman. Now, Catalano wonders if that was really Tubbs Jones calling. After all, nothing but false promises followed in the next seven years, he said, as Freeman and Hawkins offered excuse after excuse instead of rent payments.

"I didn't have him evicted because he kept telling me they were getting money from the government," Catalano said. He said the couple also passed him $40,000 in bad checks.
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Just goes to show that just because folks claim to be helping veterans, too many times, they are just helping themselves.