Family of PTSD veteran, shot by police, pleads for help for others

Grieving family pushes for help for Veterans
Tucson News
Jan 23, 2013
By Paige Hansen
TUCSON, AZ

A tragedy for one local family is resulting in a push for more awareness for veterans who have post traumatic stress disorder, or PTSD. Thirty-year-old Dustin Wernli was laid to rest over the weekend after he died last week after calling 911 saying he was a combat veteran with PTSD and was feeling suicidal.

Officers responded to the scene, speaking with Wernli for about 15 minutes before shooting him when Police say he reached for a gun. The veteran died at the hospital.

Hundreds of thousands of veterans are treated each year for PTSD nationwide. The VA in Tucson says last year alone, about 2,600 veterans came in for treatment. Wernli's family says their son was being treated for PTSD at the VA and getting private help. While there are lots of services available for veterans, the VA says they are very under-used.

"'Doc' (Dustin's nickname) and I talked a lot about how we prepared for the military," explained Michael Kase a friend of Dustin's and a fellow veteran. "Everything was physical because we knew all these physical hardships we'd encounter but neither of us did anything mentally or emotionally to prepare for those emotional hardships we were going to encounter."

Dustin's parents didn't want to talk on camera but want people to know their son was a good person, a field medic who during his nine months in Iraq, saw the worst of it and was responsible for trying to save lives.
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Original news report

Navy Medic Iraq veteran with PTSD shot by police in Arizona

Related recent reports
Police shooting of PTSD soldier captured on video

Marine from Davie takes own life after battling demons of war

Army psychologist couldn't heal himself, lost battle to PTSD

Why was Fort Hood left off the list of mass shootings?

TRANSCRIPT: We have wept with you,' Obama says in Newtown speech

"Since I’ve been President, this is the fourth time we have come together to comfort a grieving community torn apart by a mass shooting. The fourth time we’ve hugged survivors. The fourth time we’ve consoled the families of victims. And in between, there have been an endless series of deadly shootings across the country, almost daily reports of victims, many of them children, in small towns and big cities all across America - victims whose - much of the time, their only fault was being in the wrong place at the wrong time.

"But that can’t be an excuse for inaction. Surely, we can do better than this. If there is even one step we can take to save another child, or another parent, or another town, from the grief that has visited Tucson, and Aurora, and Oak Creek, and Newtown, and communities from Columbine to Blacksburg before that - then surely we have an obligation to try.

History of Mass Shootings

November 2009 - U.S. army psychologist Major Nidal Hasan opened fire at a military base in Fort Hood, Texas, leaving 13 dead and 42 others wounded.
January 2011 - a gunman opened fire at a public gathering outside a grocery in Tuscon, Arizona, killing six people including a nine-year-old girl and wounding at least 12 others. Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords was severely injured with a gunshot to the head.
July 2012 - Masked gunman opens fire at midnight cinema screen of new Batman film The Dark Knight Rises, killing 12 and injuring 58. Suspect James Holmes is arrested by oplice and awaiting trial.
August 2012 - Gunman kills six people at SIkh temple in Wisconsin before being shot dead by police. Suspect is named as white supremacists Wade Michael Page.

Tucson Police need help finding missing Vietnam veteran with PTSD

Tucson Police searching for man missing since Sept. 10
Posted: Oct 3, 2012
by Ian Cross

TUCSON - Police are asking the public's help to find an endangered adult who has been missing since early last month.

Nazario G. Montoya was last seen at his residence in the 200 block of East Kelso Street on September 10, according to a news release from Tucson Police. He suffers from PTSD and other medical conditions that could be life-threatening if left untreated. He has missed several scheduled visits at the VA hospital.

Montoya is not homeless, but does visit homeless camps along the Santa Cruz River and is known to camp in the riverbed from time to time, police officials state.

Montoya is described at a Hispanic male, 65 years old, 5-feet-3-inches tall, 155 pounds, with black and grey hair and brown eyes. Anyone with knowledge of his whereabouts is urged to call 911 or 88-CRIME.
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Tucson shooting survivor poised for congressional run

Tucson shooting survivor poised for congressional run for Giffords' old seat

Ron Barber, Gabrielle Giffords' soft-spoken former state director who was wounded in the Jan. 8, 2011, mass shooting near Tucson, appears to have emerged as the frontrunner to receive the former congresswoman's endorsement in the race to finish her term.

Barber, 66, continues to cope with physical and psychological challenges related to his injuries, including post-traumatic stress disorder and a lack of stamina that leaves him exhausted after about four hours of work. But he has long been the sentimental favorite of many southern Arizona Democrats to succeed Giffords, who resigned Jan. 25. The latest chatter is that Barber will run in this year's special election to finish Giffords' third term in the current 8th Congressional District, but would not seek a full term of his own in the new 2nd Congressional District. Giffords' district was redrawn and renumbered as part of this year's redistricting process.
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Error spurred false alarm at Tucson base

Officials: Error spurred false alarm at Tucson base
by Dennis Wagner on Jan. 15, 2012, under Arizona Republic News

The false report of a hostage incident that shut down Davis-Monthan Air Force Base in Tucson four months ago was the result of a misunderstanding rather than a hoax, a base spokesman says.

During the Sept. 16 incident, which began about 9 a.m., SWAT teams were deployed from as far away as Phoenix. Base personnel were put in lockdown or evacuated for most of the day. Military flights were disrupted. Major streets were closed. Frightened parents were unable to pick up children from base schools.

Finally, the base commander, Col. John Cherrey, announced without explanation that the threat was over and no gunman or weapon had been found.

In response to a Freedom of Information Act request, the Air Force provided partial records to The Arizona Republic that shed some light on the incident. Those documents do not explain who first reported the threat or how the error occurred.

In an interview, Capt. Jonathan Simmons said, “We don’t believe it was a hoax. We believe it was a mistake. And, if someone thinks they see a gunman on base, they should report it.”

E-mails among Air Force officials sent during the six-hour episode indicate fears of a tragedy similar to the November 2009 rampage at Fort Hood, Texas, where a U.S. Army psychiatrist is accused of killing 13 and wounding dozens.

“Planning for worst case mass casualties,” advised an 11:24 a.m. message from the base vice commander.
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Veteran of World War II and the Korean War, paralyzed, still an athlete

U.S. Veteran Unable to Walk Proves He's Still an Athlete
Published September 25, 2011
FoxNews.com
An 83-year-old veteran who hasn’t walked in 10 years has refused to let that stop him from becoming an award-winning national athlete.

Theron Hallock, a veteran of World War II and the Korean War, recently took the bronze medal in the power chair relay race at the 31st Annual National Veterans Wheelchair Games in Pittsburgh, the Green Valley News reports.

Hallock, who turns 84 soon, and others from a group of paralyzed veterans from Tucson, Ariz., joined nearly 600 athletes from 46 states, Puerto Rico and Great Britain in this year’s games, which included 17 sports. Archery, basketball, bowling, hand cycling, power soccer, softball, table tennis and weight lifting were among the events.
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Iraq war vet was shot 70 times in home by SWAT captured on tape

Dramatic footage shows moment Iraq war vet was shot 70 times in home... as report reveals he did NOT open fire on SWAT team
By DAILY MAIL REPORTER
Last updated at 6:19 PM on 27th May 2011

A U.S. Marine who was killed when he was gunned down in his home near Tucson, Arizona, never fired on the SWAT team that stormed his house firing 70 times in a hail of bullets, a report has revealed.

The revelation came as dramatic footage of the shooting was released, showing the armed team pounding down the door of Jose Guerena's home and opening fire.

Read more: Dramatic footage shows moment Iraq war vet was shot

Marine never fired on SWAT officers who fatally shot him

Report: Marine never fired on SWAT officers who fatally shot him
By Chuck Conder, CNN
May 27, 2011 8:06 a.m. EDT

Jose Guerena died May 5 after a SWAT team descended on his home in a Tucson suburb with a search warrant.
STORY HIGHLIGHTS
Deputies fire more than 70 shots during a drug raid near Tucson
Jose Guerena is hit more than 20 times
He never took his weapons off safety, report says
Officers remain on active duty; no legal action has been taken

Tucson, Arizona (CNN) -- A U.S. Marine who died in a flurry of bullets during a drug raid near Tucson never fired on the SWAT team that stormed his house, a report by the Pima County Sheriff's Department shows.

The revelation was contained in an internal investigation released by the department Thursday.
Jose Guerena died May 5 after a SWAT team descended on his home in a Tucson suburb with a search warrant. His home was one of four believed to be associated with a drug smuggling operation in the area.

A video released Thursday by the sheriff's department shows the uniformed SWAT team pulling up outside his house, sounding their sirens, banging on the front door -- before kicking it in -- and opening fire shortly after entering the home.
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Marine never fired on SWAT officers who fatally shot him

Was Marine killed for living in the wrong neighborhood?

SWAT officers go to the home of a veteran Marine to search the house for drugs with a "narcotics conspiracy search warrant" but found nothing.

Authorities tell us three other neighborhood homes were targeted Thursday, all tied to a narcotics conspiracy.

but this Marine came home from work, went to sleep and was woken up by screams, smashing glass and bullets. Did they know anything about this veteran or his family? Did they have any clue if he was involved with drugs or if he just lived in the wrong neighborhood? It looks like they didn't know very much at all.

Marine killed by SWAT was acting in defense, says family


Posted: May 10, 2011 9:14 PM

Reporter: Joel Waldman

TUCSON, Ariz. (KGUN9-TV) - A smashed window and a barrage of bullet holes might be the type of scene a battle-hardened marine finds in a war zone; not the Tucson home he shares with his two children and wife, "I saw this guy pointing me at the window. So, I got scared. And, I got like, ‘Please don't shoot, I have a baby. I put my baby (down). (And I) put bag in window. And, I yell ‘Jose! Jose! Wake up!" explained wife Vanessa Guerena.

Husband Jose had just come home from working at the mine. His wife Vanessa said he had just slept two hours, only to wake up to chaos in his house. It was Pima County SWAT executing a narcotics conspiracy search warrant.

SWAT gunned Jose down with 71-rounds fired in just about 7-seconds; officials say they did not expect Vanessa to be home with four year old son Joel, who has questions like so many others, "The only thing he asked me, "Mom, my dad a bad guy? They killed my dad! Police killed my dad? Why? What did my dad do?" explained Guerena.

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Marine killed by SWAT was acting in defense

Wounded veteran gives Purple Heart to Giffords

Wounded veteran gives Purple Heart to Giffords


Posted: Mar 17, 2011 1:54 PM

Web Producer: Layla Tang

TUCSON (KGUN9-TV) - A veteran wounded while fighting in Iraq has given his Purple Heart to U.S. Rep. Gabrielle Giffords, who was shot in the head January 8 in an assassination attempt.

Al Lee, a Sierra Vista resident, was awarded the Purple Heart after being injured in Fallujah, Iraq, in September 2003.
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Wounded veteran gives Purple Heart to Giffords

Mental Health In Focus After Shooting In Arizona for Responders Too

One of the reasons I trained as a Chaplain with the International Fellowship of Chaplains was to be able to help the "helpers" the rest of us depend upon. They are the last people to ask for help, which makes it more difficult for them to get any. We never think they need help after the crisis is over for us. Think about it. They put out fires, save lives but they also have to recover bodies, often bodies of children. They have to respond to accidents, save lives but they also have to recover bodies and body parts. We never think of them after they've done their jobs.

After Katrina, responders had to recover the bodies of people they were too late to save. No one thought of them. After September 11th, few people in this country thought of the survivors among the personnel responding to give aid and again, recover bodies and body parts. The countless hours of hoping, praying for survivors ended with just praying they could find all the bodies for the sake of the families.

Here again, another crisis with more responders needing help to recover. The next time you see a firefighter, police officer or other emergency responders, remember this story and then think of all they go through after the crisis is over for us. It was one time out of our lives but it is endless days of one crisis after another for them.

Mental Health In Focus After Shooting In Arizona
by JEFF BRADY

January 16, 2011
The two have relied mostly on each other for support because patient privacy laws make it difficult to talk about specifics with anyone else. In fact, Southwest Ambulance says it can't even confirm that Rogers and Magnotta transported Giffords, but the Pima County Sheriff’s office released the information in a time line of events from that day.

Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords (D-AZ) is still listed in critical condition at a Tucson, Ariz., hospital. Doctors say her recovery has been "exceptional" so far. She's opening her eyes, responding to commands and Saturday she was taken off a ventilator.

Outside the hospital, in the community she represents, mental health has been a recurring discussion topic since the shooting that left six people dead. There are questions about the alleged gunman and concern for the victims who survived. The police and firemen who responded also require special care.

Paramedic Aaron Rogers and EMT Wes Magnotta treated Giffords right after shooting and transported her to the hospital in the back of their ambulance.

Rogers and Magnotta had four days off after the shooting and are back at work now. The gruesome details of what they experienced will be with them for a long time.

"One thing that stood out for me was smell," Rogers says. "There was so much blood on-scene and it being warm, from the sun, that that's what I smelled. It was that iron-y smell."
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Mental Health In Focus After Shooting In Arizona

Hundreds Come Out for Funeral of Christina Green

Hundreds Come Out for Funeral of Youngest Arizona Shooting Victim
Jan 13, 2011 – 2:55 PM

Gillian Flaccus
AP
TUCSON, Ariz. -- As the funeral for the youngest victim of the mass shooting in Arizona was set to begin Thursday, the largest flag recovered from Ground Zero after the 9/11 attacks on the World Trade Center was raised by two fire trucks with ladders extended, and several hundred people lined a road near the church to show support.

Nine-year-old Christina Taylor Green was born on Sept. 11, 2001, and featured in a book called "Faces of Hope" that chronicled one baby from each state born on the day terrorists killed nearly 3,000 people. Christina's funeral is the first for the six victims killed when police said a gunman opened fired on a crowd at an event for Rep. Gabrielle Giffords, critically injuring the congresswoman and wounding 13 others.

Christina Green, 9, was killed at a political event in Tucson, Ariz., on Saturday.

The third-grader had an interest in politics and had recently been elected to her student council. She was also the only girl on her Little League baseball team and wanted to become the first professional female ball player.

During President Barack Obama's speech at a memorial Wednesday night, he spoke at length about Christina and reminded the audience that the third-grader's neighbor had brought her to meet Giffords because of her budding interest in democracy.

"She saw all this through the eyes of a child, undimmed by the cynicism or vitriol that we adults all too often just take for granted," he said. "I want to live up to her expectations. I want our democracy to be as good as Christina imagined it. I want America to be as good as she imagined it."

Her funeral was set for 1 p.m. MST (3 p.m. EST). Before it began, cars were parked on both sides of the road, and traffic was backed up. Members of motorcycle groups from Arizona and California parked their bikes in a group. Several hundred people, many dressed in white T-shirts, stood silently along a road near the church. About 20 people were dressed as angels.

They organized over the Internet and by word of mouth, saying they wanted to be there in case members of a Kansas church showed up to protest. The Westboro Baptist Church threatened to picket the funerals for Christina and other victims, but they backed off, in part because a nationally syndicated radio show agreed to host some of their members.
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Hundreds Come Out for Funeral of Youngest Arizona Shooting Victim

Suspect pulled over hours before Arizona killing spree, took cab to kill

Suspect pulled over hours before Arizona killing spree
Wildlife officer checked Loughner's papers, found no probable cause to hold him
By Ben Conery-The Washington Times7:46 p.m., Wednesday, January 12, 2011

Only a few hours before a shooting rampage that killed six people and gravely wounded Rep. Gabrielle Giffords, Arizona Democrat, a state wildlife officer pulled over the suspected killer after he apparently ran a red light, authorities said Wednesday.

The officer from the Arizona Game and Fish Department gave Jared Loughner, 22, a warning after a check of his driver's license and vehicle registration found no outstanding warrants.

"He had a valid license; the car was registered; he had insurance," Games and Parks spokesman Jim Paxon said. "He was warned and released because we had no probable cause to hold or do an extensive search."

Mr. Paxon said wildlife officers usually do not make traffic stops unless public safety is at risk, such as running a red light.

Before the 7:30 a.m. stop, authorities said Mr. Loughner, who is in jail and faces federal charges that could bring the death penalty, argued with his father, Randy. Police said the young man ran from his family's Tucson home into the desert to escape his angry father, who chased him after seeing him remove a black bag from the trunk of a family car. Investigators are still searching for the bag.

At 10 a.m., police said, Mr. Loughner took a cab to a Tucson supermarket where Mrs. Giffords was holding a meet-and-greet event. Authorities said Mr. Loughner, a loner who displayed paranoid and frequently anti-government views in numerous Internet postings, targeted the congresswoman before firing indiscriminately into the crowd, stopping only when bystanders subdued him.
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Suspect pulled over hours before Arizona killing spree

Obama: We mourn with you, stand by you

Obama: 'The hopes of a nation are here tonight'
By the CNN Wire Staff
January 13, 2011 7:05 a.m. EST


Obama: We mourn with you, stand by you
STORY HIGHLIGHTS
Obama says Rep. Giffords has opened her eyes for first time since shooting
Obama says that "Scripture tells us that there is evil in the world"
Rep. Giffords' recovery is "going as anticipated," the hospital says
The Obamas visited Giffords in the hospital
Tucson, Arizona (CNN) -- In between consoling those touched by Saturday's Arizona shooting and warning the nation against politicizing the tragedy, President Barack Obama delivered some good news in his address at a Tucson memorial event on Wednesday.
Rep. Gabrielle Giffords of Arizona has opened her eyes for the first time since being shot four days ago.
"There is nothing I can say that will fill the sudden hole torn in your hearts," Obama said. "But know this: The hopes of a nation are here tonight."
The attack killed six and left Giffords fighting for her life.
Obama told a crowd of thousands that he visited Giffords earlier on Wednesday and that her husband told him that shortly after the president left her room, "Gabby opened her eyes for the first time."
"Gabby opened her eyes so I can tell you know she knows we are here, she knows that we love her and she knows that we are rooting for her through what will undoubtedly be a difficult journey," Obama said.
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Obama: We mourn with you, stand by you

Ex-VA official in Tucson admits to stealing funds

UPDATED: Ex-VA official in Tucson admits to stealing funds
Arizona Daily Star
Tucson, Arizona Published: 10.02.2008
advertisementA former administrator for the local veterans hospital has pleaded guilty to fraudulently taking more than $365,000 from the agency.
Connie Sue Wilkinson, 54, pleaded guilty today in federal court to mail fraud, wire fraud and theft of government funds, according to a press release from the U.S. Attorney’s Office.
The plea deal states that between 2002 and 2006, Wilkinson, formerly the clinical director of education, training and development for the Southern Arizona Veterans Administration Health Care System, used several schemes to fraudulently take $365,816 from the agency.
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http://www.azstarnet.com/sn/hourlyupdate/260503.php

PTSD:"Daddy, why don't you play with us anymore?"

This article says that most veterans will seek help after the family insists on it. It is something too many families avoid. They see the signs of distress but do nothing. They complain about how their husband, wife, son or daughter return home changed, but do nothing about it. They do not make themselves aware of any of this. While someone is deployed, a wife will say, "I have enough to worry about and don't want to think about them coming home changed" believing they can just avoid it. The problem is they don't understand that while their family member is deployed they have a job to do. It's not just about taking care of the family and taking on the chores the soldier used to do, especially with the citizen soldiers deployments. It's about getting prepared with knowledge for when their war becomes a battle to fight at home.

Iraq vets here seek help while psychic wounds are still fresh
By Carol Ann Alaimo
Arizona Daily Star
Tucson, Arizona Published: 08.03.2008
"Daddy, why don't you play with us anymore?"
Iraq war veteran Rigo Morales was cut to the core by the question from his 4-year-old twin girls.

His wife had been asking questions, too, wondering what had become of the doting husband who used to leave her roses on the windshield and love notes on the fridge.

"I knew right away when he got back from the war that something was wrong with him," Angelica Morales, 30, said of her 34-year-old mate.

"He used to be so loving and attentive. After he got back, he was always tense. He looked scared.

"If we tried to go anywhere, the people and the noise would bother him so much that we'd have to leave. So we stopped going places."

A trip to Tucson's veterans hospital confirmed her fear: Her husband had severe post-traumatic stress disorder — a combat-induced condition that had taken their whole family hostage.

Such cases are on the rise in Tucson and around the country. The Pentagon and the Southern Arizona VA Health Care System are reporting major spikes in stress illness among veterans who have returned from Iraq and Afghanistan.

The PTSD clinic at the local veterans hospital has seen its caseload soar by more than 100 percent. Last fiscal year, an average of 32 Iraq and Afghanistan war veterans visited the clinic each month, compared with 73 a month so far this year.
Nationally, about 40,000 troops have been diagnosed with the disorder since 2003, The Associated Press has reported.

Unlike veterans of past U.S. wars, who often buried their pain for decades, some young veterans are seeking help while psychic wounds are still fresh, often at the insistence of loved ones.
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http://www.azstarnet.com/metro/251035

Tucson combat vets buffeted by memories

Tucson combat vets buffeted by memories
VA expands mental health help in area
SHERYL KORNMAN
Tucson Citizen
Tucson native Javier Brito, 37, said he loved his job as a Marine sniper in Iraq.
Among his war souvenirs is the shell casing from his first enemy kill.

Nearly four years after his discharge, he and his wife, Lydia, 37, a pharmacy technician, and their sons, Javier Jr., 6, and Christopher, 18, are paying a price for his courageous and perilous military service.

The Desert View High School graduate said he still finds it hard to adjust to the tempo of life in Tucson and to the loss of his job as a sniper.

"I have too much energy. I'm hypervigilant, but I can be around larger crowds and don't get as freaked out."

"I walk into a room (filled with people) and it just feels weird. My wife can tell. I try to shake it off. I've been told I need to work on that. "

Omar Sotelo, 33, was a math and science teacher at Hohokam Middle School when he enlisted for a "try one" year of service in the Army National Guard in 2005.

He got back home from Afghanistan about three months ago after nearly two years on unexpected active duty.

Sotelo is finding the adjustment from the intensity of combat to a relatively quiet home life with his wife and young son a bit of a challenge.

The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs is seeing more vets such as Brito and Sotelo as the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan continue.
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Stand Down Tucson for Homeless Veterans

Saturday Stand Down helps homeless vets
SHERYL KORNMAN
Tucson Citizen
Homeless Army veteran Joseph Battle said he’d rather keep on living in his pickup truck than give up his dog to get into subsidized housing.
“This is companionship,” he said Saturday morning at a Department of Veterans Affairs-sponsored “Stand Down” here.
Saturday's Stand Down, underwritten in part by Wal-Mart, Tucson Electric Power and Tucson Truck Driving School, was organized by the local group Tucson Veterans Serving Veterans.
Stand Downs give homeless vets a chance to rest, get in out of the heat, shower, get a haircut, a meal, a sleeping bag, new boots and sunglasses.
Perhaps more important, the Stand Down Saturday gave veterans access to about 20 social service providers and to employment services.
A banner reading “Welcome Home Veterans” was draped across the entrance to the event at the U.S. Army Reserve Center, 1750 E. Silverlake Road. It began at 8 a.m. and was scheduled to end at 2 p.m.
“We want you to be happy, safe and healthy,” said Mary Pat Sullivan, director of Comin’ Home, a nonprofit that provides housing to homeless vets.
She welcomed the veterans after a Color Guard ceremony in the building’s cafeteria.
Battle, 49, said Buddy, his 14-month-old Shepherd-Chow mix, is important to his wellbeing and said most landlords won’t rent to him because of the large dog.
Battle panhandles for a living.
He said he has emphysema – though he still smokes – hepatitis C, arthritis and two compressed discs. He’s been trying for years to get on Social Security disability, he said.
He collects food stamps and gets his medical care at the Veterans Affairs hospital.
He has a 14-year-old daughter living in the Tucson area and he hasn’t seen her in about 10 years. “I’d like to see her,” Battle said.
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http://www.tucsoncitizen.com/daily/local/86913.php

Homeless Vet:Do you know who beat Blue to death in Tucson?

Homeless Man Beaten Then Found Dead

Posted: April 14, 2008 05:54 PM EDT

Homeless Man Beaten Then Found Dead


KOLD News Reporter, Suleika Acosta

Virtually the only thing a Tucson veteran had was taken from him Sunday night: his life. The circumstances surrounding this murder are disturbing. Police say he was beaten and then found dead.

With no place to call home, the victim known as 'Blue' slept in a desert area near Ajo and Palo Verde. He'd been living on the streets 15 years.

Friends say Blue was a special person that lived a rough life all too common.

"We've got to battle for every meal we get."

Life on Tucson streets doesn't get easier with time. Just ask Gene Rickman. He shared the street selling papers with Blue.

"He's out here everyday just trying to make an honest living like the rest of us."

Gene was shocked to learn Sunday night Blue was found dead. Pima County Sheriff's investigators say three men beat the 67-year-old. The men responsible are still on the loose.

Friends say Blue was a veteran who had drinking problems but he was known as a peacekeeper in his neighborhood.

"He also tried to keep order out there with all the drunks, tried to keep the fighting down. He always protected us," says Renee, the victim's friend.

Mark Kessler delivers newspapers to the homeless every morning.

"Blue's been doing it a long time, he'll be missed," says Mark.

The homeless buy these papers and then sell them. For many, it's barely enough to get a hot meal. Despite his tough circumstances, Mark says Blue was a hard worker.

"Life on the corner is pretty tough but he was always in a good mood, smiling, happy to see me in the morning bringing papers."

Friends say Blue wasn't a loner. His best friend was a dog. Pima Animal Care Center is treating Blue's dog for a possible stab wound. The dog remains homeless but his companion is gone.


"It was totally uncalled for and it should have never happened," adds Gene.

Call 911 or 88Crime if you have any information that could help investigators track down the suspects.
http://www.kold.com/Global/story.asp?S=8165036

31% Tucson veterans diagnosed with PTSD

More Arizona Vets Seeking Treatment for PTSD
November 4th, 2007 @ 11:26am
by Associated Press

TUCSON, Ariz. (AP) _ Arizona Army National Guard Sgt. Lisa Hernandez rocks back and forth and tears begin to fall as she talks about her effort to return to civilian life after returning to Tucson from Iraq two months ago.

Hernandez, 38, is divorced with sole custody of the four children she left behind when she was deployed to Operation Iraqi Freedom.

She is one of 462 war veterans diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder from among the 1,483 veterans who have sought medical care at the Southern Arizona Veterans Affairs medical facility in Tucson between Oct. 1, 2006, and Sept. 30, 2007.

Nationwide, the number of Iraq and Afghanistan war veterans diagnosed with PTSD at VA medical facilities jumped by nearly 70 percent in the 12 months ending June 30, 2007.

In Tucson, 31 percent of the combat veterans who have come to the VA for medical care since last October have been diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder.
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http://ktar.com/?nid=6&sid=637573