POTUS Religious Rule Took Right Away from Wounded!

In 2010 I spent Memorial Day weekend in Washington and had a tour of Walter Reed. As a Chaplain, I received VIP treatment. Between the DAV Auxiliary and the IFOC, Nam Knights and Point Man International Ministries, plus the work online, they knew what I was all about and I knew about their rules on religious items. I respected that and turned over all the religious gifts I brought so that the Walter Reed Chaplain would be able to give them out. They let me give out the pegboard games I brought.

The Administrator knew which of the wounded would be willing to accept a visit from me. I was prepared to pray with them if I was asked. None of them asked for anything more than polite conversation. I prayed for their healing in my head as I hugged those who would accept one.

I had no right to cross the line and push what I wanted to give them when they didn't want it. I had no right to invade their privacy as a stranger if they did not welcome me. I had no right to say anything more to them than "hello" as they walked in the hall while I passed by them. I had no right to try to stop them and speak to them but willingly stopped when they wanted to talk to me.

They paid the price for the freedom we all have to decide on our own what we believe, or what we choose to not believe. They paid the price with their broken bodies and blood. The countless hours of facing death for month after month was a price that came with their jobs for the sake of the rest of us. They paid by being away from their families and friends and those they loved while we were able to enjoy the company of ours and ignore what they were willing to give up for us. 

Had I not understood all that before I walked in the door of Walter Reed, I would have had no business being there, because it would have been all about me and what I wanted to do instead of them and what they were willing to do for me!

This "policy" just took away their rights and gave it over to strangers!

AP FACT CHECK: Trump Misses Whole Story On Hospital Policy
Posted: May 05, 2017

THE FACTS: The policy, in 2011, was a bungled rule that was never enforced, Walter Reed officials said at the time. So it’s unlikely that patients who wanted a Bible or religious item from a visiting family member or friend were denied.

The policy was meant to stop benevolent organizations from bothering patients by proselytizing to them, after complaints surfaced that visitors from some groups were persistent and occasionally even threatening. But it was written too broadly, stating no religious items could be given away or used during a visit.

WASHINGTON - Pitching religious free expression, President Donald Trump accused the former Obama administration Thursday of banning patients at a military hospital from receiving religious items from visitors. That episode is not quite as the president described it.

Here’s what he said and what happened more than five years ago at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center in Bethesda, Maryland:

TRUMP, citing lawsuits against the Obama administration alleging violations of religious freedom: “The abuses were all over. As just one example, people were forbidden from giving or receiving religious items at a military hospital where our brave service members were being treated, and when they wanted those religious items. These were great, great people. These are great soldiers. They wanted those items. They were precluded from getting them.”
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Veteran Marine Faces Charges--And Maybe Finally Help

Injured West Springfield explosives suspect released from hospital
Decoteau will be placed in the "Emergency Stabilization Unit"
WWLP 22 News
By Barry Kriger
Published: May 5, 2017

LUDLOW, Mass. (WWLP) – An apparently distraught veteran, who injured himself while awaiting arraignment in Springfield this week, was released from the hospital on Friday and taken to the Hampden County Jail in Ludlow.

Hampden County Sheriff’s Department Spokesman Stephen O’Neil told 22News Baystate Medical Center notified the House of Corrections that 30-year-old Robert Decoteau III was being discharged Friday afternoon.

O’Neil said Decoteau will be placed in the Ludlow correctional facility’s “Emergency Stabilization Unit”, pending his transfer to Bridgewater State Hospital; “The ‘Emergency Stabilization Unit’ is for inmates with severe mental health challenges.”

West Springfield Police Chief Ronald Campurciani had previously described Decoteau as a 5-year veteran of the U.S. Marine Corps, who was suffering from post traumatic stress disorder.
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UK PTSD Veterans Are Not Victims of Anyone But Politicians

Hey, buddies across the pond...is this guy for real? He really thinks that combat PTSD is the same as what civilians get? Guess he still didn't get the fact that civilians can get hit by PTSD from one event but you guys faced them everyday. Was he even deployed?

Ex-Army captain standing as Tory MP says too many veterans are misdiagnosed with PTSD
The Mirror UK
Chris Hughes
May 5, 2017

“I am actually shocked that Johnny Mercer is downplaying the seriousness of PTSD. It is a serious mental health condition that causes real suffering, and is not just confined to military veterans. His Government talks big words about more funding for mental health services, but Mr Mercer’s words are all too typical. Neither he nor his government take mental health seriously, and they assume that these illnesses are not real." Labour candidate Sue Dann

A former Army captain bidding for re-election as a Tory MP has sparked a row by claiming too many war veterans are misdiagnosed with PTSD.

Conservative Johnny Mercer said post traumatic stress disorder can be “thrown around as an excuse” and that there’s a need to focus on people who are “genuinely ill.”

He said while PTSD is a “chronic condition” he believes misdiagnosis is leading to a culture of “victimhood” among veterans.

He added: “There is a one per cent increase in your likelihood of getting PTSD if you are in combat troops in the military.

“If you’re not in a combat arm, it’s the same as society outside of the military. We’ve got to be realistic about PTSD. I say that not from any lack of sympathy.
read more here

We have the same problem here but remember, there are more of you than there are politicians in your country too! 

Rain Didn't Stop Devotion and Honor at Veterans Reunion

Veterans reunion kicks off at Wickham Park in Melbourne
FLORIDA TODAY
Rick Neale
May 1, 2017

Prior to the opening ceremony, a long line of representatives from more than 80 military and civic groups placed colorful flowered wreaths along the 288-foot-long wall during steady rainfall.

MELBOURNE — The framed photo of smiling U.S. Army Specialist Richard John Key laid on display between a quartet of small U.S. flags beneath Panel W21 of the Vietnam Traveling Memorial Wall, where his name is etched on Line 53.

The Louisiana native was only 19 when he was killed by gunfire on July 3, 1969, in the Quang Ngai Province of South Vietnam. Nearly a half-century later, the late combat engineer's photo is on display at Wickham Park at the memorial wall, where the first mourners have also placed a bouquet of peace lilies and a coffee can filled with red roses.

Monday night, hundreds of somber spectators flocked to the jet-black wall during the opening ceremony of the 30th annual Florida Vietnam and All Veterans Reunion. Drab gray skies and rainfall mixed with occasional rumblings of thunder, and most spectators congregated beneath three park pavilions to stay dry.

"It's the first step in the healing process of burdens guys have been carrying, or family members have been carrying, for over 50 years," said Doc Russo, traveling wall manager and reunion chairman.

"They may have lost comrades. They may have lost family members. And every place I go — not just here — it helps them lift a big burden. I mean, I have friends that it took me 15 years to get them to come out here to the wall. And now, they're out here volunteering because they have buddies on the wall that they lost," Russo said.

The veterans reunion begins Thursday afternoon. An array of weekend activities kicks off with a massing of the colors and helicopter landing at 11 a.m. Saturday. The closing ceremony begins at 5 p.m. Sunday.
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Navy SEAL Killed Somalia

Navy SEAL killed in fight against al-Shabab militants in Somalia 
STARS AND STRIPES 
By COREY DICKSTEIN 
Published: May 5, 2017

WASHINGTON — A Navy SEAL was killed Thursday in Somalia while accompanying Somali National Army soldiers on a raid targeting a remote al-Shabab compound just outside Mogadishu, U.S. defense officials said Friday.

The SEAL is the first American servicemember killed in action in Somalia in decades, said Navy Capt. Jeff Davis, a Pentagon spokesman, likely since the notorious 1993 Battle of Mogadishu – known as the “Black Hawk Down” incident – during which 18 U.S. military members were killed.

Two other SEALs were injured Thursday in the firefight with the al-Qaida-linked militants during the operation near Barii, about 40 miles west of the Somalian capital, a defense official said. The official was not authorized to identify the service branch to which the U.S. troops belonged and spoke on condition of anonymity.
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VA Director Reply to Sexual Harassment Claim--Leave?

VA director apologizes for comments about sexual harassment claims 
CBS News 
May 3, 2017

When we first told Stockwell about the women's claims, he defended the investigative process and said this about employees: "They can certainly vote with their feet about their employment decisions of working with the VA."

CBS SF Bay Area pressed him further, asking if his answer is that they should leave.

SAN FRANCISCO -- CBS SF Bay Area has covered claims of sexual harassment and assault at a Bay Area Veterans Affairs clinic for months.

One woman recently described an incident in which she says her boss tried to grope and kiss her.

Now, a VA director is apologizing, CBS SF Bay Area reports. read more here

Secretary Veterans Affairs Wants to Close 1,100 Facilitates and Kill Jobs?

This is how they kill off the VA instead of honoring the fact veterans pre-paid for the best care this country could provide them with, but have had to fight the country for it since the Revolutionary War. We really should be ashamed of ourselves for letting Congress get away with all of this!

Shulkin says he’s considering closing 1,100 Veterans Affairs facilities 
ASSOCIATED PRESS 
BY HOPE YEN 
May 3, 2017

The department recently announced hiring restrictions on roughly 4,000 positions despite the lifting of the federal hiring freeze and also left open the possibility of “near-term” and “long-term workforce reductions.” Shulkin is also putting together a broader proposal by fall to expand the VA’s Choice program of private-sector care.

WASHINGTON — Veterans Affairs Secretary David Shulkin says his department is seeking to close perhaps more than 1,100 VA facilities nationwide as it develops plans to allow more veterans to receive medical care in the private sector. 

At a House hearing Wednesday, Shulkin said the VA had identified more than 430 vacant buildings and 735 that he described as underutilized, costing the federal government $25 million a year. He said the VA would work with Congress in prioritizing buildings for closure and was considering whether to follow a process the Pentagon had used in recent decades to decide which of its underused military bases to shutter, known as Base Realignment and Closure, or BRAC. read more here

Stolen Valor Perpetrators Found Guilty and Despicable!

Army veteran sentenced for lying to get nearly $395K from VA
News4Jax
By Jodi Mohrmann - Managing Editor of special projects
May 02, 2017

Florida woman claimed she lost her vision due to her military service

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. - A Florida veteran is sentenced to federal prison for lying for years about being blind and collecting hundreds of thousands of dollars in disability benefits from the Department of Veterans Affairs.

Sixty-year-old Veronica Dale Hahn of Bonifay, Florida, received nearly $395,000 from VA for 100 percent service-connected blindness in both eyes. Over 15 years -- from 2001 to 2016 -- the Army veteran told doctors she was almost completely blind.

However, within a year of receiving her disability benefits for loss of vision, investigators say Hahn got driver’s licenses with no vision restrictions in New Mexico, Alabama, and Florida -- passing vision exams in all three states with at least 20/40 vision.

During this time, Hahn was observed driving her personal vehicle on numerous occasions and she worked full time as a case manager and transition counselor at several state correctional facilities. All of these activities required normal eyesight to perform her duties.

“Instead of providing benefits and assistance to worthy veterans who are justifiably in need, significant resources from the Department of Veteran’s Affairs were diverted to uncover an extensive and persistent fraud by Ms. Hahn, who repeatedly gave dishonest information and collected hundreds of thousands of dollars to which she was not entitled," said Christopher Canova, United States Attorney for the Northern District of Florida. This case sends the message that you cannot make false disability claims and just walk away from such a crime.”
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Purple Heart faker gets VA benefits, free house by stealing another Marine's combat story
San Diego Union Tribune
Jeanette Steele Jeanette SteeleContact Reporter
May 2, 2017

“This scumbag lied to try to get s—t. You don’t do that. It’s not honorable. It’s not how we are. It’s personal for me, especially, as a friend of Casey’s,” said Andrew Rothman, a 1/7 Navy corpsman who was a key player in exposing Blackstone’s fraud.

A former Southern California Marine has been handed a 21-month federal sentence for faking a Purple Heart and lifting from another Marine's combat story to get years of disability benefits and a free house.

In a rare prosecution under the 2013 Stolen Valor Act, a 35-year-old Iraq War veteran will also have to pay back more than $300,000 to the U.S. government and a Texas charity.

Brandon Blackstone served with 1st Battalion, 7th Marine Regiment out of Twentynine Palms in the Mojave Desert in 2004. He deployed to Iraq in August, during a period of fierce fighting on the Syrian border.

So did Casey Owens, another 1/7 Marine.
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Former officer found guilty in Purple Heart case
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Raisa Habersham
May 2, 2017

A former Holly Springs police officer was found guilty Tuesday of falsely claiming he was a Purple Heart recipient four years after an investigation showed he lied about his military affiliation.

Shane Ladner of Canton was accused of claiming he earned the medal awarded for combat wounds and using the alleged honor to receive free license plates.

After five days of testimony and 13 hours of deliberation, the jury convicted him of five counts of making false statements to the Cherokee County sheriff’s office and the county’s tax commissioner to get the license plates. He was also convicted of a theft by taking charge.
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Colden couple admit $1.2 million fraud against VA, Postal Service
Buffalo News
By Phil Fairbanks
Published Wed, Mar 22, 2017

Richard L. Klaffka posed as a severely disabled veteran and postal worker.

He also pretended to be in a wheelchair, unable to walk, drive or care for himself.

Klaffka and his wife, Cathleen, both residents of Colden, admitted Wednesday it was all a hoax.

They also admitted netting $1.2 million in fraudulent benefits as part of their 10-year scheme.

'The defendant knew he wasn't 100 percent disabled and, in fact, knew he was mobile, able to care for himself without assistance," Assistant U.S. Attorney Paul E. Bonanno told the federal court Wednesday.

As part of his guilty plea to wire fraud, Klaffka agreed to pay $1.2 million in restitution and on Wednesday made an initial payment of $325,000. He also agreed to forfeit property he and his wife own in Port St. Lucie, Fla.

With Klaffka, who walks with a cane, standing just a few feet away, Bonanno read from a laundry list of evidence against him, including surveillance of his comings and goings at the Veterans Affairs Medical Center in Buffalo.

Federal agents claim they saw Klaffka drive to the VA, get out of the car and then lift and open his wheelchair without help. They said his wife would then push him into the offices at the medical center.

Bonnano said the government also had witnesses, including neighbors who were prepared to testify that they saw Klaffka hunting, riding a bicycle, chopping wood and playing horseshoes.
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Humble Hero Wears Air Force Cross

Marin war hero receives Air Force’s highest award for valor
Marin Independent Journal
By Paul Liberatore
POSTED: 04/30/17

Out in the open, he started directing air support on the Taliban positions firing on his team with machine guns, rocket propelled grenades and sniper rifles.

Christopher Baradat is how you might imagine an ideal war hero to be: humble, soft-spoken, self-effacing, quick to point out the heroism of others before himself.

Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. David Goldfein presents the Air Force Cross to Novato resident Chris Baradat on April 20 at Hurlburt Field in Florida. (U.S. Air Force photo)

But nobody else did what the former Air Force staff sergeant did one April day in 2013: Stand unwilting under enemy fire for three hours to help rescue a squad of his fellow soldiers pinned down by the Taliban in a death trap of a valley in Afghanistan.

For his “extraordinary heroism,” the 28-year-old Novato resident was awarded the Air Force Cross, the service’s highest decoration for valor.

The Air Force Cross is so rarely given that Baradat’s medal is one of only nine awarded since the end of the Vietnam War.

“You represent the finest traits America can ask of its warriors,” said Gen. David Goldfein, 21st Air Force Chief of Staff, during ceremonies April 20 at Hurlburt Field in Florida. “When lives were on the line, you moved carefully and deliberately into harm’s way with protection of others in mind.”
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Department of Defense 2016 Suicide Report Released

The Department of Defense released the 2016 4th Quarter Suicide report

For the fourth quarter of 2016, the military services reported the following: 

• 76 deaths by suicide in the Active Component 

• 20 deaths by suicide in the Reserves 

• 30 deaths by suicide in the National Guard

On the last page of the report are the totals. It is 275 for Active Duty, plus 203 for Reservists and National Guards

This is the whole chart

What the chart does not show is the reduction of members of the military by the thousands since 2012.

2013 there were 1,131,285 E1-E9

2014 there were 1,090,759

2015 there were 1,070,546

2016 there were 1,060,084

This is after a decade of DOD Prevention training and over a decade of folks running around the country screaming about how they are raising awareness. So why didn't anyone think to tell them of all the reasons they have to live after surviving combat?

Why didn't anyone hold members of Congress accountable for funding all these "efforts" when the results are this heart crushing? 

Why didn't anyone hold military leaders accountable for any of this?

Why didn't the press report on any of this?