Obama seeks $6B to hire thousands of vets for public service jobs
By LEO SHANE III
Stars and Stripes
Published: February 2, 2012
WASHINGTON — The White House wants $6 billion next year for a new veterans job corps initiative to employ thousands of servicemembers as police officers, firefighters and park rangers as they return home from the wars overseas.
The program, highlighted in President Barack Obama’s State of the Union address last month, will launch in the next few weeks but will require cooperation from Congress to move forward in coming years. That could be a tough sell for lawmakers already looking for ways to avoid a looming $500 billion cut in defense spending over the next decade.
The plan also comes as the Defense Department prepares to shed more than 100,000 troops over the next few years, part of cost-saving measures tied to the end of the war in Iraq and the drawdown of forces from Afghanistan.
The police and firefighter jobs will come through a pair of community hiring grant programs designed to boost public safety employee numbers. Veterans Affairs Secretary Eric Shinseki said nearly $500 million will be made available this year for departments that give hiring preference to post-Sept. 11 veterans, recognizing the “debt of gratitude” all Americans owe to those servicemembers.
“We want to encourage departments around the country to take advantage of the training, skills, dedication, discipline and competence that our veterans have gained through their selfless military service,” Shinseki said.
read more here
Friday, February 3, 2012
Rep. John Garamendi's Bill would force rehiring of more reservists
Bill would force rehiring of more reservists
By Rick Maze - Staff writer
Posted : Thursday Feb 2, 2012
A California lawmaker wants to block most U.S. companies from using the excuse of poor economic times for not rehiring National Guard and reserve members who try to return to work following a mobilization.
The Veterans Reemployment Act of 2012, introduced Wednesday by Rep. John Garamendi, D-Calif., would allow only small businesses to use a loophole in law that permits a company to not rehire a veteran because of economic hardship.
Garamendi said current law is failing service members.
Endorsed by the American Legion, the nation’s largest veterans’ organization, the bill “rights a terrible wrong,” said Garamendi, a member of the House Armed Services Committee. “Because of a loophole in existing law, when National Guard and reserve members return from the front lines, too often they come home to see their job taken away from them.”
The bill, HR 3860, was referred for consideration to the House Veterans’ Affairs Committee, the panel responsible for the Uniformed Services Employment and Re-employment Rights Act that includes the rehiring rules. That committee also is taking a close look at the high unemployment rate facing returning National Guard and reserve members.
read more here
By Rick Maze - Staff writer
Posted : Thursday Feb 2, 2012
A California lawmaker wants to block most U.S. companies from using the excuse of poor economic times for not rehiring National Guard and reserve members who try to return to work following a mobilization.
The Veterans Reemployment Act of 2012, introduced Wednesday by Rep. John Garamendi, D-Calif., would allow only small businesses to use a loophole in law that permits a company to not rehire a veteran because of economic hardship.
Garamendi said current law is failing service members.
Endorsed by the American Legion, the nation’s largest veterans’ organization, the bill “rights a terrible wrong,” said Garamendi, a member of the House Armed Services Committee. “Because of a loophole in existing law, when National Guard and reserve members return from the front lines, too often they come home to see their job taken away from them.”
The bill, HR 3860, was referred for consideration to the House Veterans’ Affairs Committee, the panel responsible for the Uniformed Services Employment and Re-employment Rights Act that includes the rehiring rules. That committee also is taking a close look at the high unemployment rate facing returning National Guard and reserve members.
read more here
Fallen Marine Sgt. William Stacey's last letter, "it was all worth it"
This is what makes them so different from the rest of us. This last letter to Sgt. Stacey's family tells them that for all the talk for and against what he was doing, he believed he was making a difference in this world. He didn't serve to do anything other than do some good for someone. We can talk about everything else but in the end, this is what it all comes down to. They are willing to die for each other, surrender whatever comforts they have at home to travel around the world but once they do, most of the country moves on, forgetting about them.
UPDATE
Fallen Marine’s letter: 'it was all worth it'
February 2, 2012
Tony Perry in San Diego
A flag-draped casket containing the remains of Sgt. William Stacey, a Marine from Camp Pendleton who was killed this week in Afghanistan, arrived Thursday at the military mortuary at Dover Air Force Base in Delaware.
Stacey, 23, a member of the 2nd Battalion, 4th Marine Regiment, was killed Tuesday by a roadside bomb while on a walking patrol in Now Zad, a onetime Taliban stronghold in Helmand province.
Like many military members deployed to a warzone, Stacey, whose parents are history professors at the University of Washington, left a letter to be read in the event of his death. The Seattle Times published the letter, with the family’s permission. It read, in part:
"My death did not change the world; it may be tough for you to justify its meaning at all. But there is a greater meaning to it. Perhaps I did not change the world. Perhaps there is still injustice in the world. But there will be a child who will live because men left the security they enjoyed in their home country to come to his.
read more here
UPDATE
Fallen Seattle Marine's letter brings comfort, inspiration
By JOHN DONOVAN, KOMO-TV
Published 10:52 a.m., Saturday, February 4, 2012
In a letter left behind for his family, a Seattle Marine who was recently killed in the line of duty is providing inspiration to all of us.
Sgt. William Stacey was on foot patrol Tuesday in Afghanistan when an enemy bomb went off, killing the 23-year-old.
Though he is now gone, Stacey is still speaking through a letter he left his parents to open in case he didn't make it home from the war.
"My death did not change the world," he begins, but where he goes next is startling in its optimism.
This son of teachers who never loved school but in the Marines he thrived, was just weeks away from coming home after five deployments.
His letter was weighing what would make dying worth it.
"...there is a greater meaning to it," he writes. And obviously he has seen a lot of kids during his time in the Marines, because he then says: "there will be a child who will live."
read more here
Retired Sgt. Josh Renschler is leading the Men of Valor at JBLM
They need to call Point Man Ministries for help getting this right! They have been doing this since the 80's and trying to get the military to do the same.
There is a great radio recording you can listen to on the below link where they also talk about "women of valor" and what our troops are going through.
There is a great radio recording you can listen to on the below link where they also talk about "women of valor" and what our troops are going through.
JBLM program reaches out to soldiers with PTSD, TBI
Retired Sgt. Josh Renschler is leading the Men of Valor at JBLM. He says the program is a combination of the best practices from the medical and mental health communities.
Joint-Base Lewis McChord has been in the news a lot lately and much of it hasn't been good: From soldiers behaving badly to increased suicide rates.
Now there is a program at the base that's showing success and giving hope to soldiers dealing with PTSD and traumatic brain injury [TBI].
Retired Sgt. Josh Renschler is leading the Men of Valor at JBLM. He says the program is a combination of the best practices from the medical and mental health communities.
Renschler says the program finds men when they're in crisis. "If evil things happen to me, if I get blown up over there, if I watch my buddy die, where is this great God that loves me?" he says the often ask.
The program meets the soldiers there, at that stage and helps them move on to a new sense of normal in their lives.
Renschler understands what these soldiers are going through, because it happened to him. He received a TBI in combat in operation Iraqi Freedom 2004. He was a part of one of the first deployments out of Fort Lewis with the Strykers.
His entire squad died in Iraq while Renschler was back at JBLM receiving treatments. "So I really suffered what was called, 'survivor's guilt' as well, and because I was here, my entire squad, everyone I worked with, died."
While Renschler was dealing with the hell he brought back with him, others were suffering right along with him including his family.
"We went through, really, a rough few years transitioning out of the military. We lost everything - house, truck everything."
So the Men of Valor turn to the 'combat trauma healing manual.' They start getting at the root of healing, and Renschler says repairing a soldier's wounded spirituality and being around fellow brothers that share similar experiences is key.
read more here
More living in shelters, based on homeless count
More living in shelters, based on homeless count
February 02, 2012 8:52 AM
HOPE HODGE - DAILY NEWS STAFF
A survey of Onslow County homelessness over a 24-hour period found more than three times as many people living in shelters as were during the same period last year, organizers of the survey said.
Members of the Community Advisory Network-Developing Onslow, a United Way initiative that targets homelessness, met Wednesday at the Onslow United Way headquarters to tally results of the annual point-in-time count of the homeless. When finalized with the addition of data gathered from the community’s stand-down for homeless veterans on Tuesday, the data will be sent to the North Carolina Coalition to End Homelessness in Raleigh, where it will ultimately be used to inform distribution of federal funding for programs.
Members of CAN-DO emphasized that addition of data from the stand-down, which had about 200 attendees, could significantly change the final count. But even the preliminary numbers led to some surprising findings.
February 02, 2012 8:52 AM
HOPE HODGE - DAILY NEWS STAFF
A survey of Onslow County homelessness over a 24-hour period found more than three times as many people living in shelters as were during the same period last year, organizers of the survey said.
Members of the Community Advisory Network-Developing Onslow, a United Way initiative that targets homelessness, met Wednesday at the Onslow United Way headquarters to tally results of the annual point-in-time count of the homeless. When finalized with the addition of data gathered from the community’s stand-down for homeless veterans on Tuesday, the data will be sent to the North Carolina Coalition to End Homelessness in Raleigh, where it will ultimately be used to inform distribution of federal funding for programs.
Members of CAN-DO emphasized that addition of data from the stand-down, which had about 200 attendees, could significantly change the final count. But even the preliminary numbers led to some surprising findings.
When data from the stand-down came in, the leaders of CAN-DO said they were most interested in tallying up the number of homeless military veterans. In one shelter alone, the one maintained by Onslow Community Outreach, the number of military veterans in residence had gone up 77 percent.
“There are folks that are just transitioning out of the Marine Corps here, and we always assume they’re going to go home,” Pitchford said. “But sometimes they can’t.”
read more here
Man gets jail for stealing from deployed Iraq soldier after wife died
Brisbane man who embezzled from soldier in Iraq gets jail time
By Joshua Melvin
Posted: 02/02/2012
A Brisbane man who embezzled $30,000 from a soldier while he was deployed in Iraq was sentenced Thursday to four months in jail, a prosecutor said.
Kenneth McCall, 66, was taken into custody immediately after sentencing in San Mateo County Superior Court, said chief deputy district attorney Karen Guidotti. However he can ask to serve his sentence at home under electronic monitoring. For the moment, the Sheriff's Office has not given him permission to do so.
McCall must also complete three years of probation and pay $30,221.71 to the victim.
Prosecutors say the victim, who was emotional in court Thursday as he recounted the damage caused by the crime, gave McCall power of attorney when he was deployed to Iraq in September 2006.
By Joshua Melvin
Posted: 02/02/2012
A Brisbane man who embezzled $30,000 from a soldier while he was deployed in Iraq was sentenced Thursday to four months in jail, a prosecutor said.
Kenneth McCall, 66, was taken into custody immediately after sentencing in San Mateo County Superior Court, said chief deputy district attorney Karen Guidotti. However he can ask to serve his sentence at home under electronic monitoring. For the moment, the Sheriff's Office has not given him permission to do so.
McCall must also complete three years of probation and pay $30,221.71 to the victim.
Prosecutors say the victim, who was emotional in court Thursday as he recounted the damage caused by the crime, gave McCall power of attorney when he was deployed to Iraq in September 2006.
The victim needed someone to manage his finances during his tour of duty. His wife had died in 2005 and he put his children in the care of a neighbor while he was at war.
read more here
14,000 Fort Bragg "soldiers run" celebrates homecoming from Iraq
Fort Bragg run celebrates homecoming from Iraq
Reporter: Bryan Mims
FORT BRAGG, N.C. — Approximately 14,000 soldiers ran through Fort Bragg Thursday morning to mark the homecoming of the 18th Airborne Corps from Iraq. The last soldiers in that unit returned in December.
Thursday's 4-mile run signified that a nearly 9-year run in Iraq is over.
“It feels food since they got back,” said Spc. Kevin Thomas. “It’s a comfort now that they’re all back on Fort Bragg.”
Fort Bragg's commander, Lt. Gen. Frank Helmick, led the runners, just as he led the 18th Airborne Corps last year in winding down the Iraq War.
“I think they’ll say in bold print at the very beginning, at the middle and at the end of the operation, the 18th Airborne Corps soldiers made a difference,” Helmick said.
read more here
Reporter: Bryan Mims
FORT BRAGG, N.C. — Approximately 14,000 soldiers ran through Fort Bragg Thursday morning to mark the homecoming of the 18th Airborne Corps from Iraq. The last soldiers in that unit returned in December.
Thursday's 4-mile run signified that a nearly 9-year run in Iraq is over.
“It feels food since they got back,” said Spc. Kevin Thomas. “It’s a comfort now that they’re all back on Fort Bragg.”
Fort Bragg's commander, Lt. Gen. Frank Helmick, led the runners, just as he led the 18th Airborne Corps last year in winding down the Iraq War.
“I think they’ll say in bold print at the very beginning, at the middle and at the end of the operation, the 18th Airborne Corps soldiers made a difference,” Helmick said.
read more here
Soldier deaths during training prompt military probe into supplement use
Soldier deaths during training prompt military probe into supplement use
By Perry Chiaramonte
Published February 02, 2012
FoxNews.com
The deaths of two U.S. soldiers who collapsed during physical training in the last few months have prompted a military investigation of a popular body-building supplement that was found in their systems.
The dietary supplement Dimethylamylamine, or DMAA, has been banned for sale at stores and commissaries in military bases across the country pending the results of the probe.
DMAA is derived from geranium oil and is classified by the Food and Drug Administration as a food additive. The supplement acts as a stimulant, giving users that extra boost of energy during a workout or training. Many soldiers use it to meet the strong physical demands of their training and service.
read more here
By Perry Chiaramonte
Published February 02, 2012
FoxNews.com
The deaths of two U.S. soldiers who collapsed during physical training in the last few months have prompted a military investigation of a popular body-building supplement that was found in their systems.
The dietary supplement Dimethylamylamine, or DMAA, has been banned for sale at stores and commissaries in military bases across the country pending the results of the probe.
DMAA is derived from geranium oil and is classified by the Food and Drug Administration as a food additive. The supplement acts as a stimulant, giving users that extra boost of energy during a workout or training. Many soldiers use it to meet the strong physical demands of their training and service.
read more here
Thursday, February 2, 2012
Parents say slain agent's death exposed flaws of gun-running operation
Parents say slain agent's death exposed flaws of gun-running operation
By Moni Basu, CNN
updated 6:16 PM EST, Thu February 2, 2012
STORY HIGHLIGHTS
Agent Brian Terry was killed in an ambush on the Arizona-Mexico border
His death shut down a federal gun-running program, prompted a flurry of questions
His parents filed a $25 million wrongful death claim this week
(CNN) -- Brian Terry's life serves as inspiration to those who knew him. His death, a thorn in the side of the federal government.
Terry, a 40-year-old federal agent, was killed December 14, 2010, after he confronted suspected drug bandits near the Arizona-Mexico border. Two weapons found near the scene of the killing were traced to a federal operation known as Fast and Furious.
The program, started in 2009, allowed firearms to be purchased from gun stores in Arizona and taken across the Mexican border to drug cartels. The intent of the operation was to monitor the flow of weapons to their ultimate destination.
But hundreds of weapons were lost or unaccounted for. When two of them showed up near Terry's body, furor erupted, and the program folded.
Terry's grieving mother, Josephine, was incredulous that her son's life had been taken with a gun that should have been confiscated.
"I was flabbergasted. I couldn't believe it at first," she said.
read more here
By Moni Basu, CNN
updated 6:16 PM EST, Thu February 2, 2012
STORY HIGHLIGHTS
Agent Brian Terry was killed in an ambush on the Arizona-Mexico border
His death shut down a federal gun-running program, prompted a flurry of questions
His parents filed a $25 million wrongful death claim this week
(CNN) -- Brian Terry's life serves as inspiration to those who knew him. His death, a thorn in the side of the federal government.
Terry, a 40-year-old federal agent, was killed December 14, 2010, after he confronted suspected drug bandits near the Arizona-Mexico border. Two weapons found near the scene of the killing were traced to a federal operation known as Fast and Furious.
The program, started in 2009, allowed firearms to be purchased from gun stores in Arizona and taken across the Mexican border to drug cartels. The intent of the operation was to monitor the flow of weapons to their ultimate destination.
But hundreds of weapons were lost or unaccounted for. When two of them showed up near Terry's body, furor erupted, and the program folded.
Terry's grieving mother, Josephine, was incredulous that her son's life had been taken with a gun that should have been confiscated.
"I was flabbergasted. I couldn't believe it at first," she said.
read more here
Marine fights conviction for failing to die in suicide attempt
US Marine fights conviction for suicide attempt
By DAVID DISHNEAU
The Associated Press
HAGERSTOWN, Md. — A discharged Marine private who slit his wrists in a suicide attempt is fighting his military conviction for deliberately injuring himself, arguing the punishment is inconsistent with the armed forces' efforts to battle a rise in suicides during the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.
"(I)f you succeed in committing suicide your service is treated honorably and your family receives full benefits," Hanzel wrote in an email to The Associated Press. "(I)f you are unsuccessful in a genuine suicide attempt, you can receive a federal conviction and get a bad-conduct discharge and jail time, which is what happened to Pvt Caldwell."
It's not clear how often the Marines or any other service branch prosecute active duty members for trying to kill themselves. But the defense lawyer for Pvt. Lazzaric T. Caldwell says it's wrong to punish service members with mental health problems for genuine suicide attempts. Suicide prevention has become a priority across the military as numbers climbed in the past decade with the increasing stress of combat and multiple deployments in the wars.
Caldwell, 25, of Camp Pendleton, Calif., never deployed to a war zone but was diagnosed in 2009 with post-traumatic stress disorder and a personality disorder, according to court records. In 2010, he slashed his wrists in his barracks at Camp Schwab in Okinawa, Japan.
read more here
UPDATE
Time Magazine picked up on this story
Marine Fights Conviction for Suicide Attempt
Builders dedicate Lubbock 'hero home' for Iraq War veteran
Builders dedicate Lubbock 'hero home' for Iraq War veteran
The gift of the house is a sign to veterans there are people in the civilian world who care, Louis Flores said.
Posted: February 1, 2012
By Walt Nett
AVALANCHE-JOURNAL
In a few months, the house at the verge of a 77th Street cul-de-sac in Bacon Crest will be a house similar to any other in the neighborhood; come summer, a family of three will live under its roof, within its walls.
But the eventual owner, retired Army medic Louis Flores, explained Wednesday that for a veteran coming back from combat, it’s both a house and a very special means of reconnection with the civilian world most of his military peers don’t have.
“It’s really easy to feel isolated, coming back into civilian life,” said Flores, whose family has been selected as the recipient of this year’s Lubbock Homes for Heroes house.
read more here
The gift of the house is a sign to veterans there are people in the civilian world who care, Louis Flores said.
Posted: February 1, 2012
By Walt Nett
AVALANCHE-JOURNAL
In a few months, the house at the verge of a 77th Street cul-de-sac in Bacon Crest will be a house similar to any other in the neighborhood; come summer, a family of three will live under its roof, within its walls.
But the eventual owner, retired Army medic Louis Flores, explained Wednesday that for a veteran coming back from combat, it’s both a house and a very special means of reconnection with the civilian world most of his military peers don’t have.
“It’s really easy to feel isolated, coming back into civilian life,” said Flores, whose family has been selected as the recipient of this year’s Lubbock Homes for Heroes house.
read more here
Body shop helps Vietnam veteran restore his dream ride
Body shop helps Vietnam veteran restore his dream ride
Tuesday, Jan 31 2012
SHELBY — Gary Dickson cherished his 1970 Ford Mustang Coupe. He sold the car before joining the U.S. Army to fight in the Vietnam War.
“I didn’t want to let it sit around for years,” Dickson said. “I always wanted to get another one.”
Decades later, he finally did.
Dickson found a replacement six years ago. He asked local body shops what it would cost to restore the car. Dickson said he lives on a fixed disability income.
read more here
Tuesday, Jan 31 2012
(Ben Earp/The Star)
Rodney of Goins Auto Body stands with Gary Dickson Vietnam Veteran after Rodney fixed up Gary's 1970 Mustang Coupe for half the price he would have normally charged for the veteran.
SHELBY — Gary Dickson cherished his 1970 Ford Mustang Coupe. He sold the car before joining the U.S. Army to fight in the Vietnam War.
“I didn’t want to let it sit around for years,” Dickson said. “I always wanted to get another one.”
Decades later, he finally did.
Dickson found a replacement six years ago. He asked local body shops what it would cost to restore the car. Dickson said he lives on a fixed disability income.
read more here
Buying medications outside of contracts was just an effort to help veterans
VA: Buying medications outside of contracts was just an effort to help veterans
By Steve Vogel, Published: February 1
The Department of Veterans Affairs’ purchase of $1.2 billion in pharmaceuticals since 2004 in violation of federal law and regulations was the result of “a team failure” at the department, VA Deputy Secretary W. Scott Gould told the House Veterans Affairs Committee on Wednesday.
Gould and a panel of other VA officials testified that the actions did not represent criminal wrongdoing or fraud. Instead, they described the violations as misguided efforts to ensure that veterans could get drugs unavailable through the normal contracting process.
“It broke down to such an extent that the wrong way became the ‘way we’ve always done it,’ ” Gould testified.
Committee members excoriated the department for its conduct and vowed to continue investigating the matter.
“What VA has been doing is not mere bureaucratic oversight,” said Rep. Jeff Miller (R-Fla.), chairman of the committee. “It is illegal, with serious potential ramifications for veterans.”
read more here
By Steve Vogel, Published: February 1
The Department of Veterans Affairs’ purchase of $1.2 billion in pharmaceuticals since 2004 in violation of federal law and regulations was the result of “a team failure” at the department, VA Deputy Secretary W. Scott Gould told the House Veterans Affairs Committee on Wednesday.
Gould and a panel of other VA officials testified that the actions did not represent criminal wrongdoing or fraud. Instead, they described the violations as misguided efforts to ensure that veterans could get drugs unavailable through the normal contracting process.
“It broke down to such an extent that the wrong way became the ‘way we’ve always done it,’ ” Gould testified.
Committee members excoriated the department for its conduct and vowed to continue investigating the matter.
“What VA has been doing is not mere bureaucratic oversight,” said Rep. Jeff Miller (R-Fla.), chairman of the committee. “It is illegal, with serious potential ramifications for veterans.”
read more here
Some parents can now be buried alongside vets unless they committed suicide
Some parents can now be buried alongside vets
By Rick Maze - Staff writer
Posted : Wednesday Feb 1, 2012 18:43:01 EST
The Veterans Affairs Department has announced new burial rules to make parents of some deceased veterans eligible for interment in national veterans cemeteries.
The policy, announced Tuesday in a notice in the Federal Register, implements the Corey Shea Act, passed by Congress in 2010 as part of a comprehensive veterans benefits bill that allows parents to be buried alongside a service member who had no surviving spouse or children at the time of death. No more than two parents could be buried alongside a veteran, meaning plots could not be used for two parents plus an adoptive stepparent, for example.
The bill is named for Army Spc. Corey M. Shea, who died in Iraq on Nov. 12, 2008. He was 21 years old when he was shot by an Iraqi army soldier, and his mother, Denise Anderson, pressed Congress to allow her to be buried alongside her son when she dies. Sen. John Kerry, D-Mass., and Rep. Barney Frank, D-Mass., were chief sponsors of the legislation that expanded the burial benefit to include parents who would otherwise not be able to be interred.
By Rick Maze - Staff writer
Posted : Wednesday Feb 1, 2012 18:43:01 EST
The Veterans Affairs Department has announced new burial rules to make parents of some deceased veterans eligible for interment in national veterans cemeteries.
The policy, announced Tuesday in a notice in the Federal Register, implements the Corey Shea Act, passed by Congress in 2010 as part of a comprehensive veterans benefits bill that allows parents to be buried alongside a service member who had no surviving spouse or children at the time of death. No more than two parents could be buried alongside a veteran, meaning plots could not be used for two parents plus an adoptive stepparent, for example.
The bill is named for Army Spc. Corey M. Shea, who died in Iraq on Nov. 12, 2008. He was 21 years old when he was shot by an Iraqi army soldier, and his mother, Denise Anderson, pressed Congress to allow her to be buried alongside her son when she dies. Sen. John Kerry, D-Mass., and Rep. Barney Frank, D-Mass., were chief sponsors of the legislation that expanded the burial benefit to include parents who would otherwise not be able to be interred.
There are several limitations:
• Parental burial privileges apply only for service members killed by hostile fire or in certain training accidents since Oct. 7, 2001. Hostile fire, in this instance,
excludes a service member who died of a self-inflicted wound, from combat fatigue or due to the elements.Training accidents cover only injuries incurred while performing authorized training in preparation for a combat mission.
read more here
Army honors 3 for help in Calif. shark attack
Army honors 3 for help in Calif. shark attack
The Associated Press
Posted : Wednesday Feb 1, 2012 20:22:03 EST
MONTEREY, Calif. — Two soldiers and a civilian paramedic have been honored for helping a surfer who was attacked by a shark off the Monterey County coast.
Twenty-seven-year-old Eric Tarantino was surfing with friends off Marina State Beach on Oct. 29 when a 9-foot shark bit him on the neck and right forearm.
Army Maj. Jonathan Bleakley and Master Sgt. Garric Banfield were on the beach at the time and brought Tarantino to shore. They and paramedic Lorenzo Navarro rendered first aid before the victim was flown to a San Jose hospital.
read more here
The Associated Press
Posted : Wednesday Feb 1, 2012 20:22:03 EST
MONTEREY, Calif. — Two soldiers and a civilian paramedic have been honored for helping a surfer who was attacked by a shark off the Monterey County coast.
Twenty-seven-year-old Eric Tarantino was surfing with friends off Marina State Beach on Oct. 29 when a 9-foot shark bit him on the neck and right forearm.
Army Maj. Jonathan Bleakley and Master Sgt. Garric Banfield were on the beach at the time and brought Tarantino to shore. They and paramedic Lorenzo Navarro rendered first aid before the victim was flown to a San Jose hospital.
read more here
Spiritual fitness part of resilience
This is part of the problem. I cannot complain about this article all the way, because there are parts of it the Chaplain got right. I have a feeling he must have read my book since this was the premise of the chapter on the soul. (see below) Belief determines how we think and is vital in determining what comes next but it does not last forever. It all depends on what else happens in our lives. If we have one hardship followed by another without any help coming for anything, it wears our faith down.
It has become a pressing issue to get the military to stop the nonsense of telling these men and women they can "toughen" their minds because all this does is tell them they are mentally weak if they end up with PTSD. There is nothing weak about any of them. The spiritual connection between PTSD and healing has been well documented but the military is going about it the wrong way. There is no indication they will see the error of their own ways since the Resilience "training" they have been doing has been proven to not work since the number of suicides and attempted suicides escalates along with everything else veterans should never, ever, have to endure.
Soldiers need to remember the reason they wanted to serve in the first place. There was nothing evil in their decision. They wanted to defend their country and the others they served with. Warriors have existed since the beginning of time and defending was the priority, not killing.
Men and women serving today did not have to fight in Iraq or Afghanistan. They decided to serve and go where they were sent. Say what you will about an individual's reason for serving but in the end they all do it for the same reason. The very reason they are willing to die. To save the lives of the others they serve with. They will die for each other.
Too often this is forgotten yet the military tells them they need to be trained to toughen their brains? How much tougher can you get than to be willing to do what they do? Instead of focusing on the strengths they already have, the military has decided to avoid reminding them of what they came with.
Spiritual healing comes with knowing they are forgiven and being helped to be able to forgive themselves for whatever they believe they need forgiveness for. Most of the time it is a matter of helping them see "themselves" in the moments that haunt them. The worst part of an event if frozen in their minds leaving them unable to "watch" the whole event as it happened.
Most of the time the rest of the event is vital to obtaining forgiveness within their own soul.
I tell the story of a National Guardsman often. He was haunted by a family he felt responsible for killing. His unit was on patrol in Iraq when a car was approaching them too fast. The driver wouldn't stop and he had to open fire. It turned out that the car was filled with a family.
This is the image he couldn't let go of long enough to remember what he did before he pulled the trigger.
He fired warnings shots in the air. He threw rocks. He screamed. He prayed. He tried everything within his power to get that car to back off. When it was too close, he opened fire. He remembered how many others had been blown up by suicide car bombers and his first thought was for the men he was with. He wanted to save their lives and even tried to save the lives of the people in that car coming up on them.
These are the type of memories the veterans have to find forgiveness for. We may think they have nothing to be forgiven for, but we are not the ones that went through what they did. We can tell them they are forgiven but unless we prove it, unless they know they are worthy of it, it will do little good to tell them anything. We can and must show them the way.
I focus on Christ since I am a Christian and believe He has paid the price for what we do. If we believe that, we can be forgiven anything but all too often forgiving myself for what I do is harder. I carry guilt that pops up when I least expect it and it takes a lot of work to get it to go back to sleep again.
One of the things that does that is the fact that while I've been working with veterans for 30 years now, I may have saved a lot of lives but one I couldn't save was a member of my own family. My husband's nephew, also a Vietnam veteran was haunted by PTSD and he committed suicide. Every time I read about a veteran committing suicide, the thoughts of him and my failure are hard to let go of. Needless to say, considering this blog and how many of these reports I have to read, it happens often.
The military and the VA are very close to actually helping veterans heal without knowing it. They won't need to keep veterans doped up and numbed if they do what needs to be done the right way. While older veterans may have to stay on medications and in therapy the rest of their lives, even they can heal more with the right kind of spiritual help to do it.
If you are looking for spiritual healing go to Point Man International Ministries and see what is possible to heal your soul and your life.
If you are in the Orlando area, contact me by the links on this blog and I'll be happy to talk to you or even to a group you may have.
Spiritual fitness part of resilience
Commentary by Air Force Chaplain (Lt. Col.) Keith Muschinske
JBER Wing Chaplain
2/1/2012 - JOINT BASE ELMENDORF-RICHARDSON, Alaska -- Researchers at the National Center for post-traumatic stress disorder have developed the "Response to Stressful Experiences Scale" which rates personal traits that promote resilience.
"Resilience" is defined as the ability to undergo stress and still retain mental health and well-being. RSES identifies six keys to resilience: a positive outlook, spirituality (emphasis added), active coping, self-confidence, learning and creating meaning and acceptance of limits.
read more here
It has become a pressing issue to get the military to stop the nonsense of telling these men and women they can "toughen" their minds because all this does is tell them they are mentally weak if they end up with PTSD. There is nothing weak about any of them. The spiritual connection between PTSD and healing has been well documented but the military is going about it the wrong way. There is no indication they will see the error of their own ways since the Resilience "training" they have been doing has been proven to not work since the number of suicides and attempted suicides escalates along with everything else veterans should never, ever, have to endure.
For the Love of Jack, His War/My Battle
Kathie Costos 2002
CHAPTER TWENTY GOING HOME
I thought about my father, my brother and all the others who are no longer here. At first I thought how sad it was for the ones left behind to grieve. Then the thoughts regarding their souls gave me comfort. There were so many people who were here, touching my life and my heart. I couldn’t settle for thinking about them only in the past tense. I needed to think about who they really were, and actually still are.
I closed my eyes and was carried away from the cares and worries of the world. I was no longer flesh and blood. I was a spirit. I remembered the peace that God gave me when I cried out in anguish to Him. It was God easing my troubled soul and embracing me as a parent would comfort a child. I saw it clearly.
Scientists are very interested in the power of prayer. They study the human brain in an attempt to understand the mystery, knowing there is unlimited power. Doctors have been unable to answer why people seem to heal themselves or why some die without reason. When the body dies, everything that is part of the body no longer functions. The heart stops beating. It doesn’t matter how many songs are written about the love it feels, the heart simply pumps blood throughout the body. The brain stops thinking and no longer remembers. It all stops as the lungs stop breathing. What is left? It is the soul. It is the soul that knows what science cannot prove or disprove, and that is the existence of God. It is the soul that calls out to the Creator of IT all. Prayer is food for the soul.
It is not the heart that loves, although we say, “She has a good heart.” It is not the brain that remembers the day a child was born, the first kiss, the wedding or the death of someone close. It is the soul that remembers all. We cannot explain why some prayers are answered and some seem to go unheard. We cannot explain why angels seem to be protecting some while turning their backs on others. We cannot because we are human. As much as it may hurt the ego, we are not meant to understand everything, we are only meant to try.
I attend a Greek Orthodox Church. The incense fills the air. It is not my brain that understands the meaning. It is my soul that feels the power and comfort. It feels the emotion of the choir and chanter’s voices crawling up my spine. It understands the priest’s message and knows that it is home. The service is a combination of Greek and English. I do not understand Greek. As a child my thoughts would wander, now I understand through osmosis or something. It is my soul that understands the meaning behind the procession carrying the bread and wine. It is a funeral for my Savior and dear friend. Every Sunday His sacrifice is remembered and the life He gave for us. The soul finds peace in the house of God. It understands the “good feeling” we have as we walk out the doors of the church carrying the peace with us. The same feeling we have after visiting someone who means a great deal to us while the warmth lingers. I have attended other services. It doesn’t seem to matter what denomination the attendants are, the message is the same, the emotion is the same and the beauty is the same.
We simple humans do not seem to understand that God created the soul and the soul lives in us all. The Holy Spirit lives in those who believe that Jesus is the Son of God and died for us to be forgiven for the sins of our days. To cry out to God is a cry of the soul. It is beyond the human brain’s ability to be in contact with God. Contact with Him is enabled by His Hand. There are human forms of love, and then there is the true love from the spirit of God. It enables us with the love that sets self aside to feel compassion for a stranger. It is the rush to help without one thought of self or the prayer offered for someone who had hurt us in the past. There is the ability to be transformed into a saint for a moment and return to our normal routine. It enables us to try, fail, and awake the next morning ready to try again. The soul communicates faith and by faith we pray and believe in the love of God for us to do what is best. By that, it is not what we ask Him to do, it is what is He deems to be right. Our ego, our sense of fairness, our needs and wants, may or may not be satisfied, however our soul knows that it is the will of God.
It is the soul that acknowledges God in everything and releases power from “self” to the divine will of Him. It is not by weakness that the will is yielded to Him. It is by strength and courage that we trust Him to take over. It is honesty that admits we do not know it all. By human nature alone we are unable to have the wisdom or the foresight to be in control. How many times have we thought that someone does not like us, is mean or cruel, only to find out that the person is simply in need. Or we judge the actions of a neighbor only to find that we totally misunderstood. We think that we had a horrible day, only to find that it was also the day that something wonderful began as well. We worry about money and wonder how we can survive when reality sets in and the bills pile up, while across the country a check is being signed for our benefit. We cry over a sick loved one, feel alone and helpless, while someone is praying for us at the very moment and we are being brought to the attention of God. Imagine the power of prayer to be carried on the “wings of angels” to the ears of the living God. The soul understands the sudden calm in the middle of pain, the tears that stop or the tingle running up the spine while worrying. The soul knows why it suddenly feels that it will all turn out right.
Maybe it is time that scientists began to study the soul. To know that prayer and faith, belief, is a power that exists beyond the brain and human understanding. It is simply what it is, the soul that God gave us the day we were born, and the soul that will return to Him. The only mystery is why some follow what is inside of them and others turn from themselves? Why some live out their lives in a quiet state of sainthood, holding onto the Hand of God, and others never reach out? What is the power behind prayer? It is God communicating with His creation, His children through the soul. The brain can be seen, studied, scanned and dissected. The soul is invisible. The effects of the soul can be studied in a thousand ways. All they have to do is look.
I have known the peace that washes away what the world dishes out. The calmness that fills, pushing away all the negative thoughts that the world drills into my brain. There is no power on earth that can compare with the power of God. A simply spoken prayer, The Lord’s Prayer, yields so much power in its simplistic message. “Our Father............” Can anything be more beautiful than the beginning? “Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven.” By that we say that God is in control of what He created. We hope that He will take care of our materialistic needs, knowing that there are things necessary to survival. Yet what if we were rich? We may lack the sensitivity to appreciate simple things, like a sunset as purple splits the light from the looming dark. Or a quality that reaches out to someone else in need. We could be so involved in obtaining more that we don’t spend time with our children. We may find ourselves unable to forgive. Then Our Father would see that the need is not more money. Our need is to return to oneness with the soul. It is a state of bliss that we all hunger for. It is a state of bliss that can conquer illness, loneliness, stop anger, and obliterate judgment, yielding power with surrender. Bliss that can release negative energy to make room for the love and truth that God intended us to have. We can go blindly about our business, doing as the mood suits, or we can walk with God. We can understand that we are here for a reason, a reason of choice. We are not forced to love God or believe in Jesus.
The angels themselves were created with free will, as Lucifer was. He made a free will choice to defy God and paid the price. He was forced out of Heaven. He had to leave the side of God and has been making humans suffer ever since, blaming us for his choice. It is easy to love someone who is good to you and you know that they care about you, listen to you, and hold you when you cry. It is hard to trust the love of God when you cannot feel His arms around you. To know He is there all the times when you cannot feel the touch of His hand or wiping away your tears. Yet trust, remembering past times when you were sure He was involved in your life is all the soul needs to work miracles in that moment. We were taught that God loved the world, us, so much that He gave us His only begotten Son. He cares deeply for all His children. It is a sin against God and our very own soul to hate another. It is written in the Bible that God created all nations of one blood. Yet we see the color of skin and see the difference between us, not that which binds us to God. We may hate the actions of a person, yet we are to remember that the ones who fuel our anger and fire us up, is also a child of God and God still loves them.
We live searching for what the soul longs for, remembering the oneness with God and the love of Him. We search with our eyes, our minds, and our wallets. Yet we are empty. The soul knows the only love that can satisfy the need and fill us, the pure Holy love of God. If science truly wants to understand the power of prayer, they need look no further than within their own body to the soul that God placed within them.
Miracles do happen. Prayer changes lives. It is not a matter of changing the life style in the sense of worldly goods, but changing the life itself. We are not only shown by example the way to live out our days. A companion dwells within us, to guide, comfort and correct instantaneously. We call the soul our conscience. It is in communication with God and the laws He set forth thousands of years ago, placing them in the hand of Moses. Laws further explained and expanded by the mouth of Jesus. There is a peace within those laws. A sense of gentleness in the words of the “Rabbi from Nazareth” that we are all guilty of sin, yet forgiven by a love that knows no bounds. That all sin is equal in the eyes of God and as such we are all guilty.
To know that we are loved with the knowledge of everything that we have done in every moment of our lives brings it all into perspective. It does not matter what others may think of me, what matters more is what God thinks of me. When I question what I am doing, I think
about what I have been taught that God wants. When I do something wrong, others may not know it, but He does and He is the one I am sorry to. It is His forgiveness I want first and others second. It is hard to accept that there is anyone who could love me knowing everything, and I do mean everything, about me. He does! He understands when I am afraid, confused or acting like a real jerk. I may get Him angry or disappointed with what I have done, but He loves me anyway. He doesn’t let me get away with it but He does forgive me. He reminds me when things happen that are horrible, hard or unfair, that He isn’t doing it to me, or anyone else. He is there to give me what I need to get through it, not alone, but with Him.
Prayer is a wonderful thing. When it is yielded to God’s will, it is beyond human words. If we pray and the prayer is answered the way we want, we call it a miracle. If it is answered the way God wants, it is hard to accept. It is never easy to hear “no” for an answer. That is where the will of God should be taken without question and when it is the hardest to do. I question all the time and hope a day will come when I will simply understand. I am not sinless. I am only forgiven. I am not a saint. I am only a child of God with the soul that He gave me. I have searched in a vain attempt to replace what was lost from my youngest days. The innocent bliss and wonder at God’s creation. I tried to fill the vacant “heart” with everything and anything, while remembering that once there was something wonderful there. I was separated from my first love, only I didn’t know it. Call it stress, or call it divine intervention. I was finally at a point in my life where the only answer came in the pages of the Bible. There was a power in the pages that transforms and slowly fills the void the soul longs for. It had lived within me for so many years starving to be fed by the word of God and Jesus. It existed on a diet of weekly church service with crumbs as dictated by the length of the church service. I was starving my soul.
Time began to take its toll on me and faith was hard to find. I picked up the Bible out of desperation and frustration. Soon I began to understand that the power of the Bible is the same as the power Jesus held over the people who heard His voice. His words, from God, transformed the Man to pure Holy Spirit, stretching out His hands to reach to soul. He was poor, dressed in simple clothes. He had no public relations firm working for Him or broadcasting commercials in prime time, or on a WEB page. He was a poor man speaking a simple message of God’s love for His children. He did not hold Himself above those who heard His words. He connected. He became one of them. Reading the accounts of His lifetime here made me long to hear His voice. What a beautiful voice He must have had, gentle yet strong, loving and compassionate. He did so much without expensive clothes or a bank account. What would have happened if He walked the earth today? I know His hand reached out to me while my soul was being fed, yet there was sadness in me that I could not feel His hand. The outcomes of things that are placed in God’s hands are in God’s hands and out of my control.
I know He was in control, yet I dearly wished that I could have been more reassured. As time went on I realized that it wasn’t as I expected. I thought that this return to my “innocent faith” would make my life easier. It didn’t. The problems in my life got worse. It was inconceivable the peace that I retained despite what was happening. My soul took over and gave control to the one who knew best, God. Faith is a wonderful thing, fed by prayer and trust that follows, filling the soul that lives within us all. Even scientists! Isn’t it wonderful?
Job knew God. He knew what God expected of him, yet he suffered. He suffered because he knew he didn’t do anything “wrong” but God took everything away from him. Everything vanished except his faith. Sure, he questioned why God had dealt with him so harshly. Still it was his friend’s attitude that made him suffer more. No matter how hard he tried to explain that he was innocent, they wouldn’t listen. They judged him according to their own knowledge of God and found him guilty of some secret sin. How many times have we all judged the suffering of another? They must not be listening to God. They must be doing something wrong. It is beyond our human ability to stop judging and start seeing that God’s purpose in our lives is not the same as ours. He has a reason for all He does and does not do. Job’s friends thought that he was wrong.
In my own life, simply knowing that I am doing what is in accordance with my soul and spirit brings heated debates. It makes it harder to explain what I am doing when I do not know the reason, or the intended goal. I only know it is what is right. I suffered and cry out to God out of desperation, then found peace without reason. I feel like a child when asked, “Why did you do that?” and I must admit, “I don’t know.” I do not suggest that we compare ourselves to someone like Job. He is a good example because he did know so much about God, more than we may ever know. His knowledge and tremendous faith demonstrate the level of human “connection” with God. We should all seek that same connection and thereby grow to be what we were intended to be. Then maybe we would have what God intended us to have out of the love only He can have for us. To stay attached to that love while suffering is a miracle.
On one hand we may believe that “God so loved the world...” and in truth, us, that He loves us individually. We rationalize that if He loves us than He would eliminate whatever suffering comes our way. Our brain wants to make sense out of it. Our minds know that when we love someone we do not want them to suffer. We want them to be happy. We want to help them. That is what love is. Yet as a parent, we want all that and more. We can see beyond the moment and the current “need” to tomorrow. We know that if we give a child everything he or she wants they will become greedy, spoiled and ungrateful. They will not develop good work habits, a strong work ethic and a true sense of gratitude. Perhaps God looks at us the same way as His children. If He gives us what we “think” we really need, then maybe we will not develop to our full potential. Stop and think about something that you have done that was really wonderful. What made you do it? I am sure you would find a series of events that led to the outcome. Maybe you helped someone? Maybe you changed something that was wrong or made someone think a way that they wouldn’t have unless you gave your input. An input based on your experiences. Maybe you helped someone connect with God again.
There are countless stories of doctors and scientists that dedicated their lives to curing an illness because someone they loved suffered. Writers, artists and composers have achieved greatness because of suffering, their own or someone else’s that touched them greatly. While suffering we have a choice to make. We can change what is wrong and blame God for it all. We can remember that loving us, He knows what is best, and try to use the pain for a greater good. Perhaps it will all leave us with a soft spot in our “heart”, our soul that feels a little more than it would have if we had it all our way. Maybe Mother Teresa would not have helped so many of the outcast and poor if she had not been poor herself. Maybe Princess Diana would not have gotten so involved with charity work if she had been happy in her life and as the Princess. It could be part nature, the basic foundation of our soul and part life that makes us who we are, and thereby affecting what we do. It is these reasons and the choices that we make on our journey through life back to God, that affect the world and all we come into contact with. No man lives alone. We each touch someone and if we hold onto our faith, the hand of God, we are stronger to not only carry our own “cross” but the “cross” of another as well. Somewhere along the way we become what we started out as, a child of God, nurtured by His love and fed on the richest diet in existence, prayer.
I find myself wondering what God was thinking as Jesus was dying on the cross. I am sure that He was proud of Him, having lived thirty-three years knowing that it would all end at that moment on the cross. Did God cry? Can anyone imagine the pain He must have felt watching a part of Himself suffer? Knowing that this was the only way to reach His other children who had been so lost and far from Him. One so beautiful had to pay the price for such an ugly world our deeds created. It makes me sure that the God/Jesus/Holy Spirit loved us. It doesn’t matter if we totally understand how it worked when the world was created or why there are so few women in the Bible, or fill in all the missing pieces. I don’t think that the mind can hold, sort and retain everything there is to know. I don’t think there are enough brain cells. What really matters is what we believe. I cannot believe that God loves yet brings disaster. He sent Jesus to be the New Covenant. So why do we still hear people blame God when we just don’t have the answers? I heard “God only gives me what I can handle.” repeated over and over when people are asked how they got through something terrible. God gives us what we need to handle it, deal with what we face each day. God does not make us ill or send our lives out of control, we do. There are too many variables and life dishes out some heavy doses of reality when we are least able to cope. Yet we survive and go on.
Maybe if we were not so apt to disregard the power our soul has, we would be able to heal the illnesses that our actions produce. Maybe we would see suffering and want to help heal instead of condemning the souls suffering. Maybe we would realize that one day we will meet up with the same souls we turned our backs on here on earth.
Soldiers need to remember the reason they wanted to serve in the first place. There was nothing evil in their decision. They wanted to defend their country and the others they served with. Warriors have existed since the beginning of time and defending was the priority, not killing.
Men and women serving today did not have to fight in Iraq or Afghanistan. They decided to serve and go where they were sent. Say what you will about an individual's reason for serving but in the end they all do it for the same reason. The very reason they are willing to die. To save the lives of the others they serve with. They will die for each other.
Too often this is forgotten yet the military tells them they need to be trained to toughen their brains? How much tougher can you get than to be willing to do what they do? Instead of focusing on the strengths they already have, the military has decided to avoid reminding them of what they came with.
Spiritual healing comes with knowing they are forgiven and being helped to be able to forgive themselves for whatever they believe they need forgiveness for. Most of the time it is a matter of helping them see "themselves" in the moments that haunt them. The worst part of an event if frozen in their minds leaving them unable to "watch" the whole event as it happened.
Most of the time the rest of the event is vital to obtaining forgiveness within their own soul.
I tell the story of a National Guardsman often. He was haunted by a family he felt responsible for killing. His unit was on patrol in Iraq when a car was approaching them too fast. The driver wouldn't stop and he had to open fire. It turned out that the car was filled with a family.
This is the image he couldn't let go of long enough to remember what he did before he pulled the trigger.
He fired warnings shots in the air. He threw rocks. He screamed. He prayed. He tried everything within his power to get that car to back off. When it was too close, he opened fire. He remembered how many others had been blown up by suicide car bombers and his first thought was for the men he was with. He wanted to save their lives and even tried to save the lives of the people in that car coming up on them.
These are the type of memories the veterans have to find forgiveness for. We may think they have nothing to be forgiven for, but we are not the ones that went through what they did. We can tell them they are forgiven but unless we prove it, unless they know they are worthy of it, it will do little good to tell them anything. We can and must show them the way.
I focus on Christ since I am a Christian and believe He has paid the price for what we do. If we believe that, we can be forgiven anything but all too often forgiving myself for what I do is harder. I carry guilt that pops up when I least expect it and it takes a lot of work to get it to go back to sleep again.
One of the things that does that is the fact that while I've been working with veterans for 30 years now, I may have saved a lot of lives but one I couldn't save was a member of my own family. My husband's nephew, also a Vietnam veteran was haunted by PTSD and he committed suicide. Every time I read about a veteran committing suicide, the thoughts of him and my failure are hard to let go of. Needless to say, considering this blog and how many of these reports I have to read, it happens often.
The military and the VA are very close to actually helping veterans heal without knowing it. They won't need to keep veterans doped up and numbed if they do what needs to be done the right way. While older veterans may have to stay on medications and in therapy the rest of their lives, even they can heal more with the right kind of spiritual help to do it.
If you are looking for spiritual healing go to Point Man International Ministries and see what is possible to heal your soul and your life.
If you are in the Orlando area, contact me by the links on this blog and I'll be happy to talk to you or even to a group you may have.
Female veteran sues U.S. over denial of full benefits
Female veteran sues U.S. over denial of full benefits
The Pasadena woman, a 12-year Army veteran who served in Iraq, says she was denied full benefits because she is married to a woman. The suit targets the 1996 Defense of Marriage Act.
By Carol J. Williams, Los Angeles Times
February 2, 2012
A Pasadena woman who served 12 years in theU.S. Army, including tours of duty in Iraq, filed suit Wednesday against the Department of Veterans Affairs for denying her full disability benefits because she is married to a woman.
The lawsuit filed in federal court in Los Angeles by Tracey Cooper-Harris seeks a ruling that the 1996 Defense of Marriage Act unconstitutionally discriminates against legally married same-sex couples.
Cooper-Harris, who earned the rank of sergeant and more than 20 medals during her Army service, was honorably discharged in 2003 and married her spouse, Maggie, during the six-month period in 2008 when same-sex marriage was legal in California. The veteran who trained and provided care for military service animals, such as explosives-sniffing dogs, has suffered from post-traumatic stress disordersince returning to civilian life and was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis in 2010.
The regional VA medical center determined that Cooper-Harris' illnesses were "service-related" and she has been collecting benefits since the diagnosis but at the lesser rate paid to single veterans. She petitioned the VA for recognition of her spouse as her legal beneficiary but was denied in a letter in August in which the VA wrote that her marriage "is not valid under current federal regulations."
read more here
The Pasadena woman, a 12-year Army veteran who served in Iraq, says she was denied full benefits because she is married to a woman. The suit targets the 1996 Defense of Marriage Act.
By Carol J. Williams, Los Angeles Times
February 2, 2012
A Pasadena woman who served 12 years in theU.S. Army, including tours of duty in Iraq, filed suit Wednesday against the Department of Veterans Affairs for denying her full disability benefits because she is married to a woman.
The lawsuit filed in federal court in Los Angeles by Tracey Cooper-Harris seeks a ruling that the 1996 Defense of Marriage Act unconstitutionally discriminates against legally married same-sex couples.
Cooper-Harris, who earned the rank of sergeant and more than 20 medals during her Army service, was honorably discharged in 2003 and married her spouse, Maggie, during the six-month period in 2008 when same-sex marriage was legal in California. The veteran who trained and provided care for military service animals, such as explosives-sniffing dogs, has suffered from post-traumatic stress disordersince returning to civilian life and was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis in 2010.
The regional VA medical center determined that Cooper-Harris' illnesses were "service-related" and she has been collecting benefits since the diagnosis but at the lesser rate paid to single veterans. She petitioned the VA for recognition of her spouse as her legal beneficiary but was denied in a letter in August in which the VA wrote that her marriage "is not valid under current federal regulations."
read more here
Fort Hood Sergeant Sues BBG on behalf of all soldiers
Fort Hood Sergeant Sues BBG on behalf of all soldiers
By Danielle Skinner
Posted: Feb 02, 2012 12:15 AM EST
FORT HOOD - Last October a Fort Hood soldier filed a lawsuit against the international phone company, BBG Communications, after he was charged $41 for a four second phone call home.
Sergeant Richard Corder and his wife Dharma are now suing on behalf of all soldiers who used BBG pay phones or cards to phone home and got hit with unusually high prices.
"I will fight this case until I can no longer fight this case, I will do whatever it takes," said Sgt. Corder. "To knowingly rip off soldiers like that when you're charging $41 for four seconds that averages out to $615 a minute, that's unacceptable."
read more here
By Danielle Skinner
Posted: Feb 02, 2012 12:15 AM EST
FORT HOOD - Last October a Fort Hood soldier filed a lawsuit against the international phone company, BBG Communications, after he was charged $41 for a four second phone call home.
Sergeant Richard Corder and his wife Dharma are now suing on behalf of all soldiers who used BBG pay phones or cards to phone home and got hit with unusually high prices.
"I will fight this case until I can no longer fight this case, I will do whatever it takes," said Sgt. Corder. "To knowingly rip off soldiers like that when you're charging $41 for four seconds that averages out to $615 a minute, that's unacceptable."
read more here
Disabled veteran and wife living in tent
Jacksonville Couple Living in Tent
By: TONY RAWLINGS | WNCT
Published: February 01, 2012
JACKSONVILLE, N.C.- In covering a story about assistance for veterans, yesterday Nine On Your Side's Tony Rawlings met a couple that lives in a tent. Today, Tony followed up with the couple to see how they survive in the woods.
At first glance, no one would expect to see a tent set up in the woods near apartments in the middle of the city.
A closer look shows that this is the permanent home of Robert and Dianne Dennis. We first met the couple during Tuesday's veteran stand down.
Robert is a disabled Army Veteran and the two were getting clothes and blankets to stay warm.
The couple live in a tent in the woods, but they don't consider themselves homeless.
read more here
By: TONY RAWLINGS | WNCT
Published: February 01, 2012
JACKSONVILLE, N.C.- In covering a story about assistance for veterans, yesterday Nine On Your Side's Tony Rawlings met a couple that lives in a tent. Today, Tony followed up with the couple to see how they survive in the woods.
At first glance, no one would expect to see a tent set up in the woods near apartments in the middle of the city.
A closer look shows that this is the permanent home of Robert and Dianne Dennis. We first met the couple during Tuesday's veteran stand down.
Robert is a disabled Army Veteran and the two were getting clothes and blankets to stay warm.
The couple live in a tent in the woods, but they don't consider themselves homeless.
read more here
Wednesday, February 1, 2012
500 residents waving US flags and posters welcome Marine back home
North Reading welcomes Marine back from Afghanistan with flags, hugs, and handshakes
02/01/2012
By Brian R. Ballou, Globe Staff
NORTH READING -- The heart of this community may be on Park Street. The elementary school, high school, and senior center are here and so are the police and fire departments.
People poured out of those buildings today and lined the street to welcome Marine Ben Hodgkins back home. The town’s warm embrace came as a surprise to the lieutenant, who suddenly found himself riding behind a police escort into a crowd of about 500 residents waving US flags and posters.
“I’m just trying to take this all in right now,” Hodgkins said this morning, gazing at all the residents. “It’s great to see my friends and everyone come out. It really means a lot.”
His 10-year-old brother Gerry, who is in the fourth grade at the Batchelder School, stood nearby with his classmates.
read more here
02/01/2012
By Brian R. Ballou, Globe Staff
NORTH READING -- The heart of this community may be on Park Street. The elementary school, high school, and senior center are here and so are the police and fire departments.
People poured out of those buildings today and lined the street to welcome Marine Ben Hodgkins back home. The town’s warm embrace came as a surprise to the lieutenant, who suddenly found himself riding behind a police escort into a crowd of about 500 residents waving US flags and posters.
“I’m just trying to take this all in right now,” Hodgkins said this morning, gazing at all the residents. “It’s great to see my friends and everyone come out. It really means a lot.”
His 10-year-old brother Gerry, who is in the fourth grade at the Batchelder School, stood nearby with his classmates.
read more here
Fort Hood soldier's home taken over by drug addicts that sold his things
Cops: Squatters Arrested At Iraq Vet’s Home, Sold His Possessions
February 1, 2012
CLEVELAND, Texas (AP/CBS Houston) — Investigators say two parolees have been detained for allegedly squatting in the house of a Texas soldier living at Fort Hood who recently returned from his third tour in Iraq.
A relative of Staff Sgt. Sam Burbank and his wife saw the couple’s property for sale on the lawn Tuesday and notified Liberty County authorities.
Officials say Burbank and his wife, Hollie, planned to return to the house in Cleveland, about 45 miles northeast of Houston, to inventory their belongings for possible burglary charges.
February 1, 2012
CLEVELAND, Texas (AP/CBS Houston) — Investigators say two parolees have been detained for allegedly squatting in the house of a Texas soldier living at Fort Hood who recently returned from his third tour in Iraq.
A relative of Staff Sgt. Sam Burbank and his wife saw the couple’s property for sale on the lawn Tuesday and notified Liberty County authorities.
Officials say Burbank and his wife, Hollie, planned to return to the house in Cleveland, about 45 miles northeast of Houston, to inventory their belongings for possible burglary charges.
The Houston Chronicle reported police worked in the rain to save what possessions they could for the Burbanks.read more here
Grieving mother's purse snatched at cemetery while visiting daughter's grave
OCEANSIDE: Grieving mother's purse snatched at cemetery while visiting daughter's grave
By BRANDON LOWREY
Posted: Tuesday, January 31, 2012
Celena Webb, 51, drove to Eternal Hills Memorial Park in Oceanside on Jan. 12, as she has at least once a week since April, to place fresh flowers upon the grave of her only child.
She fetched some water so the flowers wouldn't wilt. Satisfied, she returned to her car and drove home.
She didn't realize until she got home that at some point, while she bought flowers and visited the grave of her 5-year-old Andrea, someone had snatched her purse, she said. She believed it happened while she was at the cemetery, just a few yards away from her unlocked car.
Within four hours, someone had spent about $10,000 at electronics and clothing stores using credit cards and checks belonging to Celena and her husband, Keven Webb, the couple said.
Oceanside police were investigating the theft, Lt. Leonard Mata said Tuesday.
By BRANDON LOWREY
Posted: Tuesday, January 31, 2012
Celena Webb, 51, drove to Eternal Hills Memorial Park in Oceanside on Jan. 12, as she has at least once a week since April, to place fresh flowers upon the grave of her only child.
She fetched some water so the flowers wouldn't wilt. Satisfied, she returned to her car and drove home.
She didn't realize until she got home that at some point, while she bought flowers and visited the grave of her 5-year-old Andrea, someone had snatched her purse, she said. She believed it happened while she was at the cemetery, just a few yards away from her unlocked car.
Within four hours, someone had spent about $10,000 at electronics and clothing stores using credit cards and checks belonging to Celena and her husband, Keven Webb, the couple said.
Oceanside police were investigating the theft, Lt. Leonard Mata said Tuesday.
Keven Webb, a retired Marine, works as a technical writer in the defense industry. Celena Webb said she was a stay-at-home mother and a volunteer for her church. They have been married for 23 years.read more here
Homeless veterans turn out for showers, clothes and haircuts
Homeless veterans turn out for showers, clothes and haircuts
February 01, 2012 5:07 AM
HOPE HODGE - DAILY NEWS STAFF
At the second annual Veterans’ Stand-down hosted by Onslow County Joblink Tuesday, the most popular attraction was free haircuts.
Two barbers from new shop Simply Cuts in Swansboro stayed busy all morning and afternoon, offering trims to homeless and indigent community members as they trickled through the bustling American Legion hall on Broadhurst Road.
Barber Anthony Trianoski said the team had probably given more than 20 haircuts in three hours, and the day wasn’t over.
“As they’re sitting down, they’re telling their stories,” Trianoski said. “It makes me feel good that we came.”
In addition to a fresh cut, more than 40 services were available for homeless community members at the stand-down, event organizer Kelley Hamilton, disabled veteran outreach specialist for Onslow Joblink, said.
Visitors could see her for job opportunities and information, receive health and dental screenings, begin VA paperwork, pick up bags of donated clothing and a free hot lunch and — new this year — go next door to the National Guard Armory to take a warm shower.
read more here
February 01, 2012 5:07 AM
HOPE HODGE - DAILY NEWS STAFF
At the second annual Veterans’ Stand-down hosted by Onslow County Joblink Tuesday, the most popular attraction was free haircuts.
Two barbers from new shop Simply Cuts in Swansboro stayed busy all morning and afternoon, offering trims to homeless and indigent community members as they trickled through the bustling American Legion hall on Broadhurst Road.
Barber Anthony Trianoski said the team had probably given more than 20 haircuts in three hours, and the day wasn’t over.
“As they’re sitting down, they’re telling their stories,” Trianoski said. “It makes me feel good that we came.”
In addition to a fresh cut, more than 40 services were available for homeless community members at the stand-down, event organizer Kelley Hamilton, disabled veteran outreach specialist for Onslow Joblink, said.
Visitors could see her for job opportunities and information, receive health and dental screenings, begin VA paperwork, pick up bags of donated clothing and a free hot lunch and — new this year — go next door to the National Guard Armory to take a warm shower.
read more here
Camp Lejeune Marine's friend calls dog mauling defendant a good father
Friend calls dog mauling defendant a good father
January 31, 2012 8:55 PM
LINDELL KAY - DAILY NEWS STAFF
A colleague of a Camp Lejeune lance corporal charged with negligent child abuse after his toddler son was mauled by a dog last year said Tuesday that his comrade was a good father, faithful friend and squared-away Marine.
Brennan Michael Listle, 21, of Horse Shoe Bend, is on trial for charges from the Onslow County Sheriff’s Office of felonious negligent child abuse causing serious bodily injury and contributing to the delinquency of a juvenile, a misdemeanor.
Assistant District Attorney J. B. Askins and arresting authorities contend that Listle left his 22-month-old son to play in their fenced-in backyard where two dogs were kept while he socialized and smoked a cigarette in the front yard with friends.
One of those friends, Marine Cpl. Johny Endsley — who testified Tuesday — told The Daily News during a break in the trial that Listle loved his son and didn’t deserve to lose his military career over a tragic accident.
“Brennan is a loving and caring father,” Endsley said outside the Onslow County Courthouse on Tuesday morning. “I wish I had a father that loved his son as much.”
read more here
January 31, 2012 8:55 PM
LINDELL KAY - DAILY NEWS STAFF
A colleague of a Camp Lejeune lance corporal charged with negligent child abuse after his toddler son was mauled by a dog last year said Tuesday that his comrade was a good father, faithful friend and squared-away Marine.
Brennan Michael Listle, 21, of Horse Shoe Bend, is on trial for charges from the Onslow County Sheriff’s Office of felonious negligent child abuse causing serious bodily injury and contributing to the delinquency of a juvenile, a misdemeanor.
Assistant District Attorney J. B. Askins and arresting authorities contend that Listle left his 22-month-old son to play in their fenced-in backyard where two dogs were kept while he socialized and smoked a cigarette in the front yard with friends.
One of those friends, Marine Cpl. Johny Endsley — who testified Tuesday — told The Daily News during a break in the trial that Listle loved his son and didn’t deserve to lose his military career over a tragic accident.
“Brennan is a loving and caring father,” Endsley said outside the Onslow County Courthouse on Tuesday morning. “I wish I had a father that loved his son as much.”
read more here
Orlando Lake Nona VA hospital opening delayed to mid-2013
VA hospital opening delayed to mid-2013
By Marni Jameson and Mark K. Matthews, Orlando Sentinel
9:13 p.m. EST, January 31, 2012
Thousands of veterans who have been waiting years for a VA Medical Center to open in Central Florida will have to wait even longer.
Construction delays and design errors have pushed the opening of the new $665 million medical center from October to the summer of 2013 — at the earliest, VA officials told the Sentinel on Tuesday.
"I was really sorry to hear there's a delay because we need that hospital so badly for the veterans in all the six counties," said Earle Denton, an Orlando veteran and member of the Orange County Veterans' Council. "We had sort of planned for that whole thing to be ready in October."
Hospital officials blamed several factors, including mistakes in the original plans, changes in medical equipment and issues with the contractor. Others familiar with the project say roof leaks are also a concern.
Though no official date for completion has been agreed upon, the VA is "working collaboratively with the prime contractor to get construction completed as soon as practicable," said the statement.
Brasfield & GorrieÖ is the main contractor on the VA hospital, the largest player in the emerging Lake Nona Medical City complex. With 1.2 million square feet, the hospital is one of the biggest government projects ever built in Central Florida. Principals from the firm did not return repeated requests for comment.
When completed, the 300-bed facility will serve Central Florida's 400,000 veterans, who comprise the nation's most active VA system but have no hospital.
read more here
By Marni Jameson and Mark K. Matthews, Orlando Sentinel
9:13 p.m. EST, January 31, 2012
Thousands of veterans who have been waiting years for a VA Medical Center to open in Central Florida will have to wait even longer.
Construction delays and design errors have pushed the opening of the new $665 million medical center from October to the summer of 2013 — at the earliest, VA officials told the Sentinel on Tuesday.
"I was really sorry to hear there's a delay because we need that hospital so badly for the veterans in all the six counties," said Earle Denton, an Orlando veteran and member of the Orange County Veterans' Council. "We had sort of planned for that whole thing to be ready in October."
Hospital officials blamed several factors, including mistakes in the original plans, changes in medical equipment and issues with the contractor. Others familiar with the project say roof leaks are also a concern.
Though no official date for completion has been agreed upon, the VA is "working collaboratively with the prime contractor to get construction completed as soon as practicable," said the statement.
Brasfield & GorrieÖ is the main contractor on the VA hospital, the largest player in the emerging Lake Nona Medical City complex. With 1.2 million square feet, the hospital is one of the biggest government projects ever built in Central Florida. Principals from the firm did not return repeated requests for comment.
When completed, the 300-bed facility will serve Central Florida's 400,000 veterans, who comprise the nation's most active VA system but have no hospital.
read more here
FBI begins "Wounded Warrior" program with dog named Oprah
FBI begins "Wounded Warrior" program
Tuesday, January 31, 2012
Shirleen Allicot , Shirleen Allicot
CENTER CITY - January 31, 2012 (WPVI) -- A dog at FBI headquarters is not the most peculiar sight, but this particular one in the above photo is.
This dog belongs to Sgt. William Pagan. Sgt. Pagan is one of the first interns chosen for the FBI's pilot program "Wounded Warrior."
It's designed to help soldiers injured overseas find new, potential career paths and a new purpose.
The yellow lab he calls Oprah is helping with something else.
"I was diagnosed with PTSD, Post Traumatic Stress Disorder," Sgt. Pagan said.
read more here
Tuesday, January 31, 2012
Shirleen Allicot , Shirleen Allicot
CENTER CITY - January 31, 2012 (WPVI) -- A dog at FBI headquarters is not the most peculiar sight, but this particular one in the above photo is.
This dog belongs to Sgt. William Pagan. Sgt. Pagan is one of the first interns chosen for the FBI's pilot program "Wounded Warrior."
It's designed to help soldiers injured overseas find new, potential career paths and a new purpose.
The yellow lab he calls Oprah is helping with something else.
"I was diagnosed with PTSD, Post Traumatic Stress Disorder," Sgt. Pagan said.
read more here
Fort Campbell PTSD service dog euthanized after killing child
Dog That Killed Six-Year-Old Boy Euthanized
Posted: Jan 31, 2012
OAK GROVE, Ky. - A dog that attacked and killed a six-year-old boy in southern Kentucky has been euthanized.
The small German Shepherd mauled the young boy at a home in Oak Grove on Sunday afternoon.
The boy and his family were visiting a Fort Campbell soldier's home, where the dog had been trained to help that soldier with Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder.
read more here
Posted: Jan 31, 2012
OAK GROVE, Ky. - A dog that attacked and killed a six-year-old boy in southern Kentucky has been euthanized.
The small German Shepherd mauled the young boy at a home in Oak Grove on Sunday afternoon.
The boy and his family were visiting a Fort Campbell soldier's home, where the dog had been trained to help that soldier with Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder.
read more here
This Ain’t Hell blogger alerts Stars and Stripes duped by Army sergeant’s war claims
Stars and Stripes duped by Army sergeant’s war claims
By MARTIN KUZ
Stars and Stripes
Published: January 31, 2012
KAISERSLAUTERN, Germany — An Army reservist in Afghanistan with the 425th Civil Affairs Battalion who told Stars and Stripes that he deployed during the Vietnam War has come under military investigation for apparently lying about his prior combat service.
Staff Sgt. Larry Marquez, a civil affairs specialist, stated that he deployed to Cambodia in 1973 after enlisting at age 17 with his parents’ consent.
A story about Marquez ran under the headline “Vietnam vet joins ‘today’s war’ ” in Jan. 13 editions of Stars and Stripes and was also published on the newspaper’s website.
Stars and Stripes failed to perform basic fact-checking to verify any of Marquez’ claims about his service record. The newspaper was alerted to inconsistencies in Marquez’s account by a blogger, Jonn Lilyea, who runs the military blog “This Ain’t Hell.”
Lilyea raised questions about whether Marquez, whose current age Stars and Stripes reported as 55, would have been too young to serve during the Vietnam War. Lilyea also questioned the timing of Marquez’ alleged year-long deployment in Cambodia, given that most U.S. troops were withdrawn from Cambodia by the end of 1970 and from Vietnam in 1973.
read more here
By MARTIN KUZ
Stars and Stripes
Published: January 31, 2012
KAISERSLAUTERN, Germany — An Army reservist in Afghanistan with the 425th Civil Affairs Battalion who told Stars and Stripes that he deployed during the Vietnam War has come under military investigation for apparently lying about his prior combat service.
Staff Sgt. Larry Marquez, a civil affairs specialist, stated that he deployed to Cambodia in 1973 after enlisting at age 17 with his parents’ consent.
A story about Marquez ran under the headline “Vietnam vet joins ‘today’s war’ ” in Jan. 13 editions of Stars and Stripes and was also published on the newspaper’s website.
Stars and Stripes failed to perform basic fact-checking to verify any of Marquez’ claims about his service record. The newspaper was alerted to inconsistencies in Marquez’s account by a blogger, Jonn Lilyea, who runs the military blog “This Ain’t Hell.”
Lilyea raised questions about whether Marquez, whose current age Stars and Stripes reported as 55, would have been too young to serve during the Vietnam War. Lilyea also questioned the timing of Marquez’ alleged year-long deployment in Cambodia, given that most U.S. troops were withdrawn from Cambodia by the end of 1970 and from Vietnam in 1973.
read more here
Army Lt. Gen. Patricia Horoho says "We must do better"
Army surgeon general: ‘We must be better’
By Joe Gould - Staff writer
Posted : Tuesday Jan 31, 2012 11:59:56 EST
Lt. Gen. Patricia Horoho, named to the post in December, said in her first major policy speech that Army medicine must embrace the Internet, social media and other new technology to maximize their influence on patients’ health decisions.
She called on health professionals to focus beyond patient visits, which equate to 100 minutes annually and a small fraction of their lives.
“World-class health care is what we do, but we have to focus on health, the other 99 percent of the patients’ lives, to improve their health,” she said Tuesday at the Military Health System Conference in National Harbor, Md.
Horoho is the first woman and nurse corps officer to be named Army surgeon general.
read more here
By Joe Gould - Staff writer
Posted : Tuesday Jan 31, 2012 11:59:56 EST
ARMY Lt. Gen. Patricia Horoho is the Army's new surgeon general.The new Army surgeon general called on military medical professionals to do better, citing high numbers of soldiers who are not ready to serve for medical reasons, as well as Army suicide and sexual assault statistics.
Lt. Gen. Patricia Horoho, named to the post in December, said in her first major policy speech that Army medicine must embrace the Internet, social media and other new technology to maximize their influence on patients’ health decisions.
She called on health professionals to focus beyond patient visits, which equate to 100 minutes annually and a small fraction of their lives.
“World-class health care is what we do, but we have to focus on health, the other 99 percent of the patients’ lives, to improve their health,” she said Tuesday at the Military Health System Conference in National Harbor, Md.
Horoho is the first woman and nurse corps officer to be named Army surgeon general.
read more here
Murder Defendant: Navy Husband 'Didn't Deserve To Die'
Murder Defendant: Navy Husband 'Didn't Deserve To Die'
Jennifer Trayers Charged In Death Of Lt. Cmdr. Frederick Trayers
January 31, 2012
UPDATED: 9:16 pm PST January 31, 2012
SAN DIEGO -- A woman accused of fatally stabbing her unfaithful Navy physician-husband in bed after he took sleep medication testified on Tuesday she doesn't remember plunging a military knife into his chest, saying "he didn't deserve to die."
Prosecutors are seeking a first-degree murder conviction against Jennifer Trayers in the Dec. 4, 2010, death of 41-year-old Lt. Cmdr. Fred Trayers.
read more here
Jennifer Trayers Charged In Death Of Lt. Cmdr. Frederick Trayers
January 31, 2012
UPDATED: 9:16 pm PST January 31, 2012
SAN DIEGO -- A woman accused of fatally stabbing her unfaithful Navy physician-husband in bed after he took sleep medication testified on Tuesday she doesn't remember plunging a military knife into his chest, saying "he didn't deserve to die."
Prosecutors are seeking a first-degree murder conviction against Jennifer Trayers in the Dec. 4, 2010, death of 41-year-old Lt. Cmdr. Fred Trayers.
read more here
Chiarelli, who championed welfare of soldiers, retires as Army vice chief
Chiarelli, who championed welfare of soldiers, retires as Army vice chief
By CHRIS CARROLL
Published: January 31, 2012
WASHINGTON – Gen. Peter Chiarelli retired Tuesday, stepping aside as Army vice chief of staff but insisting that in civilian life he’d continue working to improve care for what he called “the signature wounds of this war” – post-traumatic stress and traumatic brain injury.
Chiarelli, 61, who was honored in a ceremony at Joint Base Meyer-Henderson Hall, Va., led a task force to cut down the rising rate of soldier suicides and pushed to improve diagnosis and treatment for troops with invisible injuries.
“When former [Defense] Secretary [Robert] Gates promoted Pete to that post, he said that he knew that as long as there was a single soldier in harm’s way, as long as there was a single Army family in need, Pete would not rest,” Defense Secretary Leon Panetta said. “And for more than three years as vice chief of staff, Pete has not rested.”
Chiarelli said that while progress has been made – including a slight reduction in the overall Army suicide rate – work healing the strains of 10 years of war is far from over.
“We must, must, must continue” the efforts now in place, he said Tuesday.
read more here
By CHRIS CARROLL
Published: January 31, 2012
WASHINGTON – Gen. Peter Chiarelli retired Tuesday, stepping aside as Army vice chief of staff but insisting that in civilian life he’d continue working to improve care for what he called “the signature wounds of this war” – post-traumatic stress and traumatic brain injury.
Chiarelli, 61, who was honored in a ceremony at Joint Base Meyer-Henderson Hall, Va., led a task force to cut down the rising rate of soldier suicides and pushed to improve diagnosis and treatment for troops with invisible injuries.
“When former [Defense] Secretary [Robert] Gates promoted Pete to that post, he said that he knew that as long as there was a single soldier in harm’s way, as long as there was a single Army family in need, Pete would not rest,” Defense Secretary Leon Panetta said. “And for more than three years as vice chief of staff, Pete has not rested.”
Chiarelli said that while progress has been made – including a slight reduction in the overall Army suicide rate – work healing the strains of 10 years of war is far from over.
“We must, must, must continue” the efforts now in place, he said Tuesday.
read more here
Two Pendleton Marines chosen for trip to Super Bowl
MILITARY: Two Pendleton Marines chosen for trip to Super Bowl
By MARK WALKER
Posted: Tuesday, January 31, 2012
Two Camp Pendleton Marines and their spouses are attending Sunday's Super Bowl in Indianapolis as guests of News America Marketing.
Master Sgt. David Jarvis and Sgt. Sheena Adams were selected by the Marine Corps' top enlisted man for the trip to Super Bowl XLVI.
Adams and Jarvis are being flown to Indianapolis as guests of New America Marketing, which publishes the Sunday coupon insert SmartSource Magazine.
Adams earned a second Navy and Marine Corps Achievement Medal and Combat Action Ribbon during a deployment to Afghanistan as a member of a female engagement team working with Afghan women in the Helmand province.
She is a now a lead instructor and adviser for female engagement teams in training at Camp Pendleton.
Her husband, Chad, is joining her on the trip to the big game and a variety of other events, including a tailgate party and kickoff party on Friday evening.
Doing the same is Jarvis, whose wife and fellow Marine, Chief Warrant Officer 3 Tina Jarvis is also making the trip.
Jarvis was awarded the Silver Star and the Bronze Star with a Combat Action Ribbon for his actions in Afghanistan, which included more than 70 combat patrols and 40 direct engagements with insurgent forces.
read more here
By MARK WALKER
Posted: Tuesday, January 31, 2012
Two Camp Pendleton Marines and their spouses are attending Sunday's Super Bowl in Indianapolis as guests of News America Marketing.
Master Sgt. David Jarvis and Sgt. Sheena Adams were selected by the Marine Corps' top enlisted man for the trip to Super Bowl XLVI.
Adams and Jarvis are being flown to Indianapolis as guests of New America Marketing, which publishes the Sunday coupon insert SmartSource Magazine.
Adams earned a second Navy and Marine Corps Achievement Medal and Combat Action Ribbon during a deployment to Afghanistan as a member of a female engagement team working with Afghan women in the Helmand province.
She is a now a lead instructor and adviser for female engagement teams in training at Camp Pendleton.
Her husband, Chad, is joining her on the trip to the big game and a variety of other events, including a tailgate party and kickoff party on Friday evening.
Doing the same is Jarvis, whose wife and fellow Marine, Chief Warrant Officer 3 Tina Jarvis is also making the trip.
Jarvis was awarded the Silver Star and the Bronze Star with a Combat Action Ribbon for his actions in Afghanistan, which included more than 70 combat patrols and 40 direct engagements with insurgent forces.
read more here
Afghan Soldier Kills U.S. Marine in Helmand Province Shooting
Afghan Soldier Kills U.S. Marine in Helmand Province Shooting
By Eltaf Najafizada - Feb 1, 2012
An Afghan soldier shot dead a U.S. Marine in the southern province of Helmand, the latest in a series of incidents that have raised tensions between local and foreign troops.
The Afghan army soldier opened fire at close range as he and the Marine guarded a joint operating base at about 12:30 a.m. today, General Sayed Malook, a corps commander based in Helmand, said by phone. The U.S.-led International Security Assistance Force, or ISAF, confirmed one of its soldiers was shot dead by an individual wearing an Afghan uniform.
read more here
By Eltaf Najafizada - Feb 1, 2012
An Afghan soldier shot dead a U.S. Marine in the southern province of Helmand, the latest in a series of incidents that have raised tensions between local and foreign troops.
The Afghan army soldier opened fire at close range as he and the Marine guarded a joint operating base at about 12:30 a.m. today, General Sayed Malook, a corps commander based in Helmand, said by phone. The U.S.-led International Security Assistance Force, or ISAF, confirmed one of its soldiers was shot dead by an individual wearing an Afghan uniform.
read more here
Congress members want answers on Lejeune toxic water report
Congress members want answers on Lejeune report
January 31, 2012 4:47 PM
ASSOCIATED PRESS
CAMP LEJEUNE — Three members of Congress from North Carolina, along with lawmakers from other states, are worried that information left out of a new report on water contamination at Camp Lejeune could set a troubling precedent for future research on the subject.
The three sent a letter to Dr. Thomas Frieden, director of the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, asking why an affiliated agency blacked out information in its Jan. 19 report on the location of water systems used on the base that houses Marines.
The Marine Corps said that was sensitive national security information. The lawmakers are concerned that the agency was too willing to leave out the information, and that future data about contaminated water could be kept from the public without a valid reason.
"An open and transparent process is essential to this scientific endeavor and it is particularly important for the ongoing and future studies on Camp Lejeune's water contamination," Sen. Kay Hagan, Sen. Richard Burr and U.S. Rep. Brad Miller said in the letter that was also signed by lawmakers in Florida and Michigan.
read more here
January 31, 2012 4:47 PM
ASSOCIATED PRESS
CAMP LEJEUNE — Three members of Congress from North Carolina, along with lawmakers from other states, are worried that information left out of a new report on water contamination at Camp Lejeune could set a troubling precedent for future research on the subject.
The three sent a letter to Dr. Thomas Frieden, director of the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, asking why an affiliated agency blacked out information in its Jan. 19 report on the location of water systems used on the base that houses Marines.
The Marine Corps said that was sensitive national security information. The lawmakers are concerned that the agency was too willing to leave out the information, and that future data about contaminated water could be kept from the public without a valid reason.
"An open and transparent process is essential to this scientific endeavor and it is particularly important for the ongoing and future studies on Camp Lejeune's water contamination," Sen. Kay Hagan, Sen. Richard Burr and U.S. Rep. Brad Miller said in the letter that was also signed by lawmakers in Florida and Michigan.
read more here
Marines in wreck remain hospitalized
Marines in wreck remain hospitalized
January 31, 2012 5:28 PM
DAILY NEWS STAFF
Two Camp Lejeune Marines remained hospitalized in Greenville Tuesday following a weekend wreck in Jones County.
Lance Cpl. Igor Teterin was listed in fair condition and Lance Cpl. David VanDyne was listed in critical condition at Vidant Medical Center, formerly Pitt Memorial Hospital, as of Tuesday afternoon.
Both Marines are with Battalion Landing Team, 2nd Battalion, 2nd Marine Regiment, 22nd Marine Expeditionary Unit, according to information provided by 22nd MEU spokesman Capt. Binford Strickland.
read more here
January 31, 2012 5:28 PM
DAILY NEWS STAFF
Two Camp Lejeune Marines remained hospitalized in Greenville Tuesday following a weekend wreck in Jones County.
Lance Cpl. Igor Teterin was listed in fair condition and Lance Cpl. David VanDyne was listed in critical condition at Vidant Medical Center, formerly Pitt Memorial Hospital, as of Tuesday afternoon.
Both Marines are with Battalion Landing Team, 2nd Battalion, 2nd Marine Regiment, 22nd Marine Expeditionary Unit, according to information provided by 22nd MEU spokesman Capt. Binford Strickland.
read more here
Disgraceful pot group uses POW-MIA flag for their own!
UPDATE
Pro-pot vets group changes name but keeps logo
By Rick Maze - Times staff writer
Posted : Wednesday Feb 1, 2012
Veterans For Weed is becoming Veterans For Weed United in a retreat after the nation’s largest organization for combat veterans raised objections to the use of the acronym VFW.
“We have chosen to remove all current artwork using the VFW sign,” said a statement on the group’s website. “We respect the Veterans of Foreign Wars and apologize for any inconvenience this caused them with the similar abbreviation.”
However, the VFWU group — which it now wants to be known as — isn’t backing down from appropriating a modified version of a POW/MIA logo as a symbol of its campaign.
Veterans of Foreign Wars, which owns the copyright to the acronym VFW, sent a cease-and-desist order to the Milwaukee-based pro-pot organization demanding it stop using the name.
Joe Davis, a spokesman for Veterans of Foreign Wars, said the marijuana group has taken a small step.
“We would prefer their new acronym be something different, like VWU (Veterans for Weed United) but at least it helps eliminate some confusion,” Davis said.
Davis added that continuing to use the POW/MIA logo is wrong.
read more here
Pro-pot vets group changes name but keeps logo
By Rick Maze - Times staff writer
Posted : Wednesday Feb 1, 2012
Veterans For Weed is becoming Veterans For Weed United in a retreat after the nation’s largest organization for combat veterans raised objections to the use of the acronym VFW.
“We have chosen to remove all current artwork using the VFW sign,” said a statement on the group’s website. “We respect the Veterans of Foreign Wars and apologize for any inconvenience this caused them with the similar abbreviation.”
However, the VFWU group — which it now wants to be known as — isn’t backing down from appropriating a modified version of a POW/MIA logo as a symbol of its campaign.
Veterans of Foreign Wars, which owns the copyright to the acronym VFW, sent a cease-and-desist order to the Milwaukee-based pro-pot organization demanding it stop using the name.
Joe Davis, a spokesman for Veterans of Foreign Wars, said the marijuana group has taken a small step.
“We would prefer their new acronym be something different, like VWU (Veterans for Weed United) but at least it helps eliminate some confusion,” Davis said.
Davis added that continuing to use the POW/MIA logo is wrong.
read more here
I cannot put into words the depth of what I am feeling right now. There are just no words for this disgraceful act!
Pro-Pot Group Criticized Over Use of VFW Name, POW Flag
February 01, 2012
Stars and Stripes
by Leo Shane III
Pro-Pot Group Appropriates VFW Name, POW Flag
WASHINGTON -- The Veterans of Foreign Wars does not support and is in no way connected with Veterans For Weed, even though both are using the VFW acronym. Now, officials from the traditional VFW are warning leaders of the stoner VFW they’ll sue if they don’t stop riding their coattails.
On Monday, the real VFW (they’ve held the copyright on the acronym for more than six decades) sent the Milwaukee-based pro-marijuana group a cease-and-desist letter, calling their use of the acronym misleading and illegal. Officials said they’ll move ahead with more serious legal action if the other guys don’t drop the three-letter name on all communications, websites and other products.
Veterans for Weed has also drawn criticism in recent days for posting a doctored version of the POW/MIA logo, this time with the words “POT POW” and “Semper High” and a silhouette of a servicemember smoking. The logo, created for the National League of POW/MIA Families, is not copyrighted, but is revered by many in the veterans and military community.
Officials from that group have also requested the picture be taken down, calling on the pro-pot group to do “what is right and responsible.”read more here
Murder for hire "once great soldier" faces death penalty
What happened to turn a man from "great soldier" into what Sher is accused of becoming? Did combat change him that much or was this part of his character all along?
There are criminals who never once cared about someone else. We are never shocked when they murder someone. Read any newspaper and you'll find a lot more stories about civilians committing murder than you do about veterans. These men and yes, even some female veterans, were willing to die for the sake of someone else so when one of them takes a life back home, it leaves us all wondering what happened to change them that much.
There have been a lot of reports tying PTSD to crimes, which could have had something to do with the way this man thinks but the fact is, with hundreds of thousands of veterans with PTSD, you don't read about them simply because they never cause any trouble at all.
There are criminals who never once cared about someone else. We are never shocked when they murder someone. Read any newspaper and you'll find a lot more stories about civilians committing murder than you do about veterans. These men and yes, even some female veterans, were willing to die for the sake of someone else so when one of them takes a life back home, it leaves us all wondering what happened to change them that much.
There have been a lot of reports tying PTSD to crimes, which could have had something to do with the way this man thinks but the fact is, with hundreds of thousands of veterans with PTSD, you don't read about them simply because they never cause any trouble at all.
Murder-For-Hire Suspect Faces Death Penalty
Josiah Sher Accused Of Killing Robert Rafferty, Amara Wells
Written By Kim Ngan Nguyen, Web Editor
January 31, 2012
DOUGLAS COUNTY, Colo. -- Prosecutors will be pursuing the death penalty against an Army veteran accused of killing two people in a Douglas County home last February, the district attorney announced Tuesday.
The case against Josiah Sher will be among the state's few death penalty cases.
Sher, 26, has pleaded not guilty to first-degree murder charges. However, in videotaped testimony played in a Douglas County District courtroom in August, Sher admitted he killed Robert Rafferty and Amara Wells for $15,000.
Christopher Wells, Amara Wells' estranged husband, is accused of hiring three of his former coworkers -- Sher, Matthew Plake and Micah Woody -- to kill the pair.
Sher Once Called 'Great Soldier' In Army Reserves
Sher said on the videotape that he was high on cocaine at the time of the killings and suffers from post-traumatic stress disorder from his time in the military.
Sher was called a "great soldier" who served in Iraq and Afghanistan during eight years with the U.S. Army Reserve, a military official told 7NEWS last March.
Sher earned high marks as an "aircraft structural repairer" working on military helicopters, said Capt. Malisa Hamper, spokeswoman for the Army Reserve's 11th Aviation Command, a helicopter and fixed-wing aircraft unit based at Fort Knox, Kentucky.
"He's been a great soldier," Hamper said of Sher last spring. "He's done great things for the Reserves."
"He was just really great in his performance (reviews)," she said, referring to Sher's extensive skill on repairing and maintaining aircraft. "He's constantly strived to learn more about his job and learn other duties."
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More than 500 people wait on tarmac for fallen Marine to come home
Hundreds salute fallen Pendleton Marine
Jan. 31, 2012
LAKE FOREST - Hundreds of firefighters and law enforcement officers on Tuesday waved flags from freeway bridges from Los Alamitos to Laguna Hills saluting a procession carrying the remains of Cpl. Christopher G. Singer, a Marine killed in Afghanistan on Jan. 21.
The procession of more than 200 vehicles followed a Hero Mission – a ceremony that marks the return of an American service member killed in action – at the Joint Forces Training Base at Los Alamitos.
Singer's family – including his wife, Brooke, 21, his father, Greg Singer, and his mother, Marlene Shaw – was escorted to the plane as the coffin was lowered.
More than 500 people stood on the tarmac and paid their respects. Honoring Our Fallen, a nonprofit group, will give Singer's 2-year-old daughter, Briyana, birthday and Christmas gifts until she is 18, said founder Laura Herzog.
Singer, 23, was killed while conducting operations in the Helmand province, Afghanistan. He was assigned to Twentynine Palms-based 3rd Combat Engineer Battalion, an element of Camp Pendleton's 1st Marine Division. Singer was born in San Diego and grew up in Lake Forest and Temecula.
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A member of the Patriot Guard dabs his eyes as the body of Marine Cpl. Christopher G. Singer returns to Southern California in what is called a Hero Mission ceremony at the Joint Forces Training Base in Los Alamitos.
REED SAXON, AP
Jan. 31, 2012
Family members weep over the casket as the body of Marine Cpl. Christopher G. Singer returns to Southern California in what is called a Hero Mission ceremony at the Joint Forces Training Base in Los Alamitos, Calif., Tuesday, Jan. 31, 2012. Singer, 23, died in combat in Helmand province, Afghanistan, on Jan. 21.By ERIKA I. RITCHIE / THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER
REED SAXON, AP
LAKE FOREST - Hundreds of firefighters and law enforcement officers on Tuesday waved flags from freeway bridges from Los Alamitos to Laguna Hills saluting a procession carrying the remains of Cpl. Christopher G. Singer, a Marine killed in Afghanistan on Jan. 21.
The procession of more than 200 vehicles followed a Hero Mission – a ceremony that marks the return of an American service member killed in action – at the Joint Forces Training Base at Los Alamitos.
Singer's family – including his wife, Brooke, 21, his father, Greg Singer, and his mother, Marlene Shaw – was escorted to the plane as the coffin was lowered.
More than 500 people stood on the tarmac and paid their respects. Honoring Our Fallen, a nonprofit group, will give Singer's 2-year-old daughter, Briyana, birthday and Christmas gifts until she is 18, said founder Laura Herzog.
Singer, 23, was killed while conducting operations in the Helmand province, Afghanistan. He was assigned to Twentynine Palms-based 3rd Combat Engineer Battalion, an element of Camp Pendleton's 1st Marine Division. Singer was born in San Diego and grew up in Lake Forest and Temecula.
read more here
Maine Bill would create alternative sentencing court specifically for veterans
Bill would create alternative sentencing court specifically for veterans
By Eric Russell, BDN Staff
Posted Jan. 31, 2012, at 5:03 p.m.
AUGUSTA, Maine — Last November, a day before Justin Crowley-Smilek was shot and killed by police, the 28-year-old Farmington native and U.S. Army Ranger who suffered from post-traumatic stress disorder and bipolar disorder appeared before a judge.
Earlier that year, Crowley-Smilek was charged with assault and cultivation of marijuana. The judge, likely sensing that the young man’s diagnoses contributed to those crimes, ordered him to undergo a full psychological evaluation. His family said it was welcome news because they had been trying to get Crowley-Smilek help for months since his return from Afghanistan.
Crowley-Smilek never made it to that evaluation.
In a bizarre incident outside the Farmington police station, Crowley-Smilek approached an officer in a threatening manner while wielding a knife. The officer fired several shots, one of which killed Crowley-Smilek.
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He wanted to die Thursday, November 24, 2011
By Eric Russell, BDN Staff
Posted Jan. 31, 2012, at 5:03 p.m.
AUGUSTA, Maine — Last November, a day before Justin Crowley-Smilek was shot and killed by police, the 28-year-old Farmington native and U.S. Army Ranger who suffered from post-traumatic stress disorder and bipolar disorder appeared before a judge.
Earlier that year, Crowley-Smilek was charged with assault and cultivation of marijuana. The judge, likely sensing that the young man’s diagnoses contributed to those crimes, ordered him to undergo a full psychological evaluation. His family said it was welcome news because they had been trying to get Crowley-Smilek help for months since his return from Afghanistan.
Crowley-Smilek never made it to that evaluation.
In a bizarre incident outside the Farmington police station, Crowley-Smilek approached an officer in a threatening manner while wielding a knife. The officer fired several shots, one of which killed Crowley-Smilek.
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He wanted to die Thursday, November 24, 2011
Fort Drum wounded soldier admits killing infant he wanted to adopt
NY soldier from RI who was wounded on Afghan tour admits killing infant he was trying to adopt
By Associated Press, Published: January 31
WATERTOWN, N.Y. — A Fort Drum soldier wounded in Afghanistan in 2009 admitted Tuesday that he killed a 4-month-old girl he and his wife were trying to adopt by banging her head against a hard surface and throwing her into a crib.
Jeffrey Sliker, a native of Middletown, R.I., could get 15 years to life in prison at sentencing on March 14 — almost a year after his arrest at the couple’s home near the military post in northern New York.
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By Associated Press, Published: January 31
WATERTOWN, N.Y. — A Fort Drum soldier wounded in Afghanistan in 2009 admitted Tuesday that he killed a 4-month-old girl he and his wife were trying to adopt by banging her head against a hard surface and throwing her into a crib.
Jeffrey Sliker, a native of Middletown, R.I., could get 15 years to life in prison at sentencing on March 14 — almost a year after his arrest at the couple’s home near the military post in northern New York.
read more here
East Long Island Police Pipe and Drums going to Walter Reed
East End Police Pipe Band Performs for Veterans
Members of the Eastern Long Island Police Pipes and Drums were in Washington, D.C., on Friday.
By Erica Jackson
January 31, 2012
"We wanted to show them that we appreciate their sacrifices," said Kevin Gwinn, the founder and drum major of the band.
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Members of the Eastern Long Island Police Pipes and Drums were in Washington, D.C., on Friday.
By Erica Jackson
January 31, 2012
Credit Mike Tessitore
To show their appreciation, 35 members of the Eastern Long Island Police Pipe and Drums band headed to Washington, D.C., on Friday to perform at the Walter Reed Hospital for wounded veterans."We wanted to show them that we appreciate their sacrifices," said Kevin Gwinn, the founder and drum major of the band.
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Wounded combat medic's love story ended too soon
Wounded Warrior, Married in Mesquite, Dies
Posting Date: 01/31/2012
By John Taylor
Hardin spent two years in the hospital and was forced to undergo 32 surgeries and a lengthy, painful rehabilitation. During his recovery, Hardin met Lillian May who cared for him through the painful times. Over the course of two years Hardin was receiving medical treatments, the couple fell in love.
In August, 2009, Hardin proposed to May but the reality was he was severely injured including injuries to both arms, a fused wrist and loss of fingers. He also had several pieces of shrapnel in his brain which were inoperable. After being medically retired from the military, he was without a job.
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Posting Date: 01/31/2012
By John Taylor
Slightly more than a year has passed since the storybook wedding in Mesquite of former Army medic Kevin Hardin to the woman who cared for him at Walter Reed Army Hospital after he was severely injured when a rocket propelled grenade slammed into his Humvee during combat operations in Samarra, Iraq in 2007.Army medic Kevin Hardin died Jan. 22 ofinjuries sustained in Iraq. He and his wifeLillian received a storybook wedding a year agothanks to the Eureka and the Mesquitecommunity. Photo provided.
Hardin spent two years in the hospital and was forced to undergo 32 surgeries and a lengthy, painful rehabilitation. During his recovery, Hardin met Lillian May who cared for him through the painful times. Over the course of two years Hardin was receiving medical treatments, the couple fell in love.
In August, 2009, Hardin proposed to May but the reality was he was severely injured including injuries to both arms, a fused wrist and loss of fingers. He also had several pieces of shrapnel in his brain which were inoperable. After being medically retired from the military, he was without a job.
read more here
Sgt. Adam Page Surprises Daughter At School On Birthday
Sergeant Adam Page, Military Dad, Surprises Daughter At School On Birthday (VIDEO)
When Bailey Page, a 6-year-old girl from Salt Lake City, Utah, told her classmates that all she wanted for her birthday was her dad to come home from Afghanistan, she could never have guessed her wish would come true so quickly.
As she continued her show-and-tell, Bailey's father, Sgt. Adam Page, walked into the classroom and swooped his very surprised daughter into his arms, Utah's Fox 13 news reports.
As she tried to clear the tears from her eyes, Bailey exclaimed, "that's my only birthday present I wanted is you," KSL reports.
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When Bailey Page, a 6-year-old girl from Salt Lake City, Utah, told her classmates that all she wanted for her birthday was her dad to come home from Afghanistan, she could never have guessed her wish would come true so quickly.
As she continued her show-and-tell, Bailey's father, Sgt. Adam Page, walked into the classroom and swooped his very surprised daughter into his arms, Utah's Fox 13 news reports.
As she tried to clear the tears from her eyes, Bailey exclaimed, "that's my only birthday present I wanted is you," KSL reports.
read more here
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Tuesday, January 31, 2012
'I'm very alive': Army veteran declared dead 4 times
'I'm very alive': Army veteran declared dead 4 times
By WESH.com
PALM BAY, Fla. — Despite rumors to the contrary, Army veteran Jerry Miller is still very much alive.
"I'm alive. I’m very alive," Miller told WESH 2 News.
The U.S. Veterans Administration has declared him dead four times, but Miller, a Brevard County resident, has refuted the claims.
Miller, a former drill sergeant, served 10 years in the Army. He said he lives on a government pension and Social Security.
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By WESH.com
PALM BAY, Fla. — Despite rumors to the contrary, Army veteran Jerry Miller is still very much alive.
"I'm alive. I’m very alive," Miller told WESH 2 News.
The U.S. Veterans Administration has declared him dead four times, but Miller, a Brevard County resident, has refuted the claims.
"To me, it’s stupid. I can’t die but one time. They have killed me four times," he said.
Miller, a former drill sergeant, served 10 years in the Army. He said he lives on a government pension and Social Security.
read more here
Air Force punished Dover whistle-blowers
Probe: Air Force punished Dover whistle-blowers
Tuesday, Jan. 31, 2012
By ROBERT BURNS
The Associated Press
WASHINGTON — Federal investigators have concluded that Air Force officials at the military mortuary in Dover, Del., illegally punished four civilian workers for blowing the whistle on the mishandling of body parts of dead troops.
The Office of Special Counsel said in a report released Tuesday that they have recommended to the Air Force that it discipline the three officials who allegedly retaliated against the whistle-blowers. The three were not identified by name. It said one is an active-duty military member and the other two are civilians.
Air Force Secretary Michael Donley said in a statement that he has appointed a two-star general to review the findings and take "appropriate action." Donley said reprisals against whistle-blowers are unacceptable.
Donley said he and the Air Force's top officer, Gen. Norton Schwartz, "believe strongly there is no place for reprisal in the Air Force. Reprisals against employees are unethical and illegal and counter to Air Force core values."
Tuesday, Jan. 31, 2012
By ROBERT BURNS
The Associated Press
WASHINGTON — Federal investigators have concluded that Air Force officials at the military mortuary in Dover, Del., illegally punished four civilian workers for blowing the whistle on the mishandling of body parts of dead troops.
The Office of Special Counsel said in a report released Tuesday that they have recommended to the Air Force that it discipline the three officials who allegedly retaliated against the whistle-blowers. The three were not identified by name. It said one is an active-duty military member and the other two are civilians.
Air Force Secretary Michael Donley said in a statement that he has appointed a two-star general to review the findings and take "appropriate action." Donley said reprisals against whistle-blowers are unacceptable.
Donley said he and the Air Force's top officer, Gen. Norton Schwartz, "believe strongly there is no place for reprisal in the Air Force. Reprisals against employees are unethical and illegal and counter to Air Force core values."
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