Monday, May 24, 2010

CNN Pays Tribute to Coalition Casualties in Afghanistan and Iraq

There are times when I am absolutely heartbroken by the lack of news coverage of Iraq and Afghanistan. There always seems to be some other story for all the major media stations to jump onto with too little time to remind the American people there are troops risking their lives everyday in Iraq and Afghanistan. What is more heartbreaking is that even when they return home, out of danger from bombs, they are still in danger from bullets but instead of the weapon held in the hands of enemies, the gun is held in their own hand. 18 suicides a day, most committed with guns. The American people are not reminded of the fallen except when a hometown boy or girl comes home for the last time. They are not reminded of the wounded. Most of the time the American people are left on their own to search for news or just get on with their own lives, their own problems, their own families. Few know of the hardships of the families of the military and harder times for the families of National Guards and Reservists.

CNN has done a good job tracking it all. They could have done a better job on the news station itself, but the online work they've done has been outstanding. I search it often because I know it is accurate and very up to date. It looks like CNN has done it again with this site. Take a look at it and remember, just because we are not reminded everyday of the price they pay, they still pay it.

CNN Pays Tribute to Coalition Casualties in Afghanistan and Iraq Wars with Launch of “Home and Away”
Ten-Year Project Culminates in Immersive Online Interactive Memorial and Month-long On-Air Programming Honoring Troops
Continuing to develop innovative ways to present its audience with news and information, CNN is combining the unparalleled strengths of its on-air and online platforms to honor every Coalition Forces casualty in Afghanistan and Iraq.
CNN.com has launched “Home and Away,” an immersive interactive which allows users to learn about and pay tribute to more than 6,000 fallen troops from more than 20 countries. Simultaneously, CNN chief national correspondent John King begins a month-long tribute on his week-nightly 7 p.m. ET program, JohnKing, USA, airing one of the fallen’s personal stories each night. On Memorial Day, a special edition of JohnKing, USA, entitled “Home and Away,” will be dedicated entirely to this subject. Throughout these tributes, King will utilize the Magic Wall to go behind the statistics and provide human faces to the sacrifice.
“Each of these casualties has an inspiring and moving story, and we wanted to find an exceptional way to honor the sacrifice every single one of them made,” said Susan Grant, executive vice president of CNN News Services. “We hope ‘Home and Away’ serves as an enduring memorial for those that made the ultimate sacrifice while also helping the CNN audience more personally connect with this deeply complex topic.”
“We were so moved by the powerful stories of these service members and those who loved them along the way,” said Michelle Jaconi, Executive Producer, John King, USA. “Our CNN.com colleagues have created a powerful tool that allows us to more deeply engage with our viewers, connecting them to personal tributes from the fallen's family and friends."
Available at www.cnn.com/homeandaway this extensive data visualization project began nearly 10 years ago at the start of the war in Afghanistan. A cross-divisional effort between the CNN Library and CNN.com, a team of researchers, producers, designers, user-experience specialists and developers have gathered information about the casualties of the wars. Evolving from two separate lists of casualties in Afghanistanand Iraq, “Home and Away” tells the story of where and how the lives of these troops began and ended, and is continually enhanced with personal memories from family and friends.
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CNN Pays Tribute to Coalition Casualties in Afghanistan and Iraq

Warren County Marine gets surprise welcome home

Warren County Marine gets surprise welcome home
Monday, May 24, 2010
By SARA K. SATULLO
The Express-Times
HACKETTSTOWN Cpl. Frankie Giaquinto never dreamed he would miss grass.

But when the U.S. Marine returned from the Afghanistan desert, the first thing he did when getting off the bus was lie down in some.

"It feels good to be home," the Mansfield Township native said Sunday following a surprise welcome home parade. "It is nice to see grass; you don't see any grass over there."

The humble 2006 Warren Hills Regional High School grad had no interest in being the center of attention during his 17 days of leave from Camp Lejeune in North Carolina, where he first returned April 30. But his family and friends had other plans for him.
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Warren County Marine gets surprise welcome home

Sunday, May 23, 2010

Why people lie about military service

There was a time when Vietnam Veterans wanted to deny they served in Vietnam. It was a time when it seemed no one wanted them around. Established service organizations didn't want them to join. Employers didn't want to hire them. Families, well families just wanted to forget where they had been for the last year. Friends back home told them to get over it. Girlfriends dumped them because they "changed." It wasn't bad enough they had to go through all that and more, but it seemed no one noticed despite our best efforts to ignore them, they still managed to achieve what other generations fail to do. They taught us to finally care.

When WWII veterans came home they were recipients of a promise delivered. They were taken care of. Veterans hospitals opened around the country and then there were housing developments springing up with not only new houses, but surrounded by other veterans, they found a new home. We started to call them Veteran's Villages.

When Vietnam veterans came home too many of them ended up in what we started to call tent cities and shelters. Too many ended up homeless as well as abandoned. PTSD, drinking problems, all the problems we see in Iraq and Afghanistan veterans, they faced but no one was there to catch them when the cracks in the system opened so wide they fell in. No one noticed that as they now wait in line for care, most of what the Iraq and Afghanistan veterans are receiving is due to them fighting for it. This is not to suggest in anyway the newer veterans face no problems. We report on them all the time here on this blog and on blogs around the country. The truth is, Vietnam veterans refused to surrender and refused to lose this battle for the sake of all generations of veterans.

Did you know they never lost a battle in Vietnam? They wouldn't give up then and they won't give up now. They still believe in us even though we stopped caring about them. Amazing that we now see people trying to pretend they are Vietnam veterans when there was a time no one wanted to be called one. Combat Vietnam veterans are a rare breed but we need to acknowledge some combat veterans who were unable to even say they were Vietnam veterans because they deployed into Cambodia and Thailand. They saw combat just the same and death and risked their lives. Still even with so many Vietnam Era veterans around the country, they are still embraced by the combat veterans. They are still called "brother" and this bond includes them as well.

It's really not so amazing when some people want to claim to be Vietnam veterans considering how proud they made the rest of us be just knowing them and all they have done for the sake of all veterans when we did so little for them.


Why people lie about military service

By John Christoffersen - The Associated Press
Posted : Sunday May 23, 2010 13:56:57 EDT

NEW HAVEN, Conn. — U.S. Senate candidate Richard Blumenthal acknowledged he misstated his service in Vietnam, said he made mistakes, regretted them and took responsibility.

What he didn’t explain was why.

Blumenthal, Connecticut’s popular attorney general who insisted he was proud of his domestic military service in the Marine Reserve, became part of a long running phenomenon in which men embellish or outright lie about their military record.

“They all do it for the prestige,” said retired FBI agent Thomas Cottone, who used to investigate military impostors for the agency. “They all want to be recognized. They need that ego boost.”



A longer version of the video of the 2008 event posted by a Republican opponent shows Blumenthal at the beginning of his speech correctly characterizing his service by saying that he “served in the military, during the Vietnam era.”

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Why people lie about military service



Richard Blumenthal started his speech the right way as a Vietnam Era veteran. The problem is he let his need to be included in with the men he worked so hard for. I don't know if he can be forgiven but I really doubt that is the the most important thing to be asking now. I wonder if any of us can be forgiven by the real veterans after all we put them through? A word here, words there, they do matter but what matters most is them and how we treat them as much as it is about what we learned from all of them.

600 museums offer free admission to military

600 museums offer free admission to military

By Brett Zongker - The Associated Press
Posted : Sunday May 23, 2010 17:09:16 EDT

WASHINGTON — More than 600 museums nationwide are offering free admission to military families all summer in a new partnership with the National Endowment for the Arts.

The list includes some of the nation’s premier art museums, including New York’s Museum of Modern Art and the Art Institute of Chicago, as well as science centers, children’s museums and other sites in all 50 states.

The program, called Blue Star Museums, is being announced Monday in San Diego, where 14 museums will participate. The offer for active duty military personnel and their families runs from Memorial Day through Labor Day.
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http://www.armytimes.com/news/2010/05/ap_museum_052310/

"No Veteran Left Behind" nice thought but untrue

While it is wonderful to think that "no veteran is left behind" in this country, it is far from true. Every day it seems funeral homes report long forgotten remains of veterans long gone and forgotten about by family and friends. Their ashes collect dust in storage. Some people have dedicated their lives to finding these forgotten heroes and make sure they have a proper military funeral.Homeless veteran given proper military funeral
There are more stories like this on this blog and they break your heart at the same time they make you feel thankful there are so many people out there trying to help in whatever way they can.

Then some end up finding their way into the hands of angels on earth trying to take care of them when they become homeless.
Vietnam Vet Andrew Elmer Wright found a home as a homeless vet
Pastor Joel Reif, of First United Church of Christ made sure that when Andrew died, he was not forgotten any more than he was forgotten in the last part of his life spent on church grounds surrounded by love of the members there.

We leave them behind when claims are not honored. We leave them behind when programs to help them do not begin because someone is waiting for someone else to do it. We leave them behind when we decide to not donate to any veteran's charity simply because there are too many of them, never once thinking that one less veteran will be helped because we didn't want to give a buck or two to all of them, even though we could afford it.

We leave them behind all the time but when we try, or should I say when some people try to make a difference, there are less veterans to leave behind. When you think they are less than 10% of the population of this country and less than 1% of Americans serve today, you'd also think we should be able to take care of all of them but first, you'd have to really care for all of them and stop waiting for someone else to do it. I see so much good happening across the country, like this report, but then I wonder, what about the other cities and towns doing nothing but thinking someone should do something.


No veteran left behind as volunteers flag gravesites

By Kendra Leigh Miller
Staff writer
Posted May 22, 2010 @ 09:44 PM
Last update May 23, 2010 @ 01:31 AM
Taunton — No veteran’s grave was left unmarked.

Volunteers came out by the droves to the Mayflower and St. Joseph’s cemeteries Saturday to make sure every veteran’s grave was marked with an American flag.

Marine veteran Don French, who served in World War II, is one of many who organizes the flag marking every year for the more than 60 cemeteries in the city of Taunton.

“Just like when we’re in battle, we don’t want to leave a buddy behind,” French said. “This is the same thing. Even after death, we don’t want to leave anyone behind.”
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Web portal Warrior Gateway helps digital-age vets

Web portal Warrior Gateway helps digital-age vets
By BARBARA ORTUTAY (AP) – 2 hours ago

NEW YORK — For young veterans returning from duty in Iraq or Afghanistan, the process of re-entering society can be daunting, especially if they have been injured or have struggled with mental health problems.

A new, free Web portal wants to help these warriors find the services they need in an environment they are comfortable in: the Internet.

Warrior Gateway is designed with Google Inc. and social media in mind to make its intended audience as comfortable as possible. Veterans returning from Iraq and Afghanistan, generally in their mid-20s, grew up with e-mail, keep in touch using Facebook and are familiar with online communities that stretch across time zones.

"Our generation of vets exists within a social media landscape," said Tom Tarantino, a former Army Captain who now works as the legislative associate for Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America. "We couldn't navigate a city without Google Maps, without Yelp."

The site lets veterans, their families, friends and caretakers search for services based on an extensive range of categories, including geography, eligibility and even user ratings inspired by Yelp, a restaurant and shopping review site.
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Web portal Warrior Gateway helps digital age vets

60-Foot Wall In Lake County Will Honor Veterans

60-Foot Wall In Lake County Will Honor Veterans
Sunday, May 23, 2010 2:11:09 AM
Reported by Dave D'Marko

LEESBURG-- Following bagpipes, a Color Guard carried the flag of every foreign war involving U.S. soldiers.

In the crowd were veterans from almost every war of the past century, including World War II’s Tom Donahoe, who waited 65 years to see his service recognized.

"Nothing is ever easy and I'm sure it was brought up many times," Donohoe said.

"The governments don't seem to want to give money to build the monuments, so the veterans have to come up with the money,” said Don Van Beck, Executive Director of Veteran’s Memorial Committee. “The only time they want veterans is when there’s a war."
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60 Foot Wall In Lake County Will Honor Veterans

Saturday, May 22, 2010

New rules for families of deceased soldiers

New rules for families of deceased soldiers

By Jim Tice - Staff writer
Posted : Saturday May 22, 2010 15:15:05 EDT

A recent change to Defense Department policy authorizes eligible relatives of deceased service members round-trip travel and transportation allowances to a memorial event that occurs at a location other than the burial site.

The policy change, directed by the undersecretary of defense for personnel and readiness, took effect May 11, and will be included in an upcoming revision of Army Regulation 600-20 (Command Policy).

Army policy already requires commanders to conduct a unit memorial event for all deceased soldiers, to include those who commit suicide.

As part of the Army Family Covenant, commanders also are required to inform family members about any memorial event that is conducted by the unit in a combat theater.
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New rules for families of deceased soldiers

41st Fires Bde works on building ‘spiritual muscles’

41st Fires Bde works on building ‘spiritual muscles’
By Staff Sgt. Kyle J. Richardson, 41st Fires Bde. Public Affairs
May 20, 2010 News

As anyone in the military can attest, physical fitness is essential to good health and success in the Army. However, fitness isn’t just acquired; Soldiers must work hard to develop their bodies. The same effort is needed to develop a Soldier’s spiritual fitness.

The 41st Fires Brigade went the extra distance to ensure Soldiers within the brigade received the opportunity to work out their spiritual physique, according to Chap. (Capt.) James Ward, chaplain for 1st Battalion, 21st Field Artillery Regiment, 41st Fires Bde. His unit hosted a spiritual fitness luncheon for the Soldiers and command in the Grande Ball Room at Club Hood May 11.

“As the spirit goes up, we stay motivated, on-point, think more clearly; we’re just a better equipped team-oriented people when our spirits are right,” said Ward.
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http://www.forthoodsentinel.com/story.php?id=3878

Family lives in car to "keep house clean" for 8 years?

Miami parents, daughter lived in car outside house for eight years, police say

By Laura Morales and Jennifer Lebovich, The Miami Herald

9:12 p.m. EDT, May 21, 2010


For years, a Miami couple and their daughter have been sleeping, crammed together, in a small car parked in the front yard of their home, police say.

They used a hose to bathe outside and plastic containers for waste.

On Friday, Miami police charged Philipe Mathieu, 62, and Sherrine Mathieu, 42, with 863 counts of child neglect, and their 16-year-old daughter is in protective custody.

His wife, Philipe Mathieu told police, cleaned compulsively and wouldn't let her husband or family inside their home on the 6300 block of Northwest First Court. But police say the south unit of the duplex was nearly empty and very dirty.
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Miami parents daughter lived in car outside house

Woman loses breast after brown recluse spider bite

Woman Loses Breast After Spider Bite

Updated: 9:55 am EDT May 21, 2010

PAULDING COUNTY, Ga. -- A Paulding County woman is recovering from major surgery after being bitten by a brown recluse spider at her home.

“I would have never known in a million years that a spider could ever do this much damage,” said Victoria Franklin.

Franklin was at WellStar Windy Hill Hospital Friday morning, recovering from an April mastectomy.

“I didn’t flip out over that. I was glad to be alive,” she said of her surgery.
read more here
http://www.wsbtv.com/news/23630182/detail.html
linked from CNN.com

Eight of 166 passengers aboard plane taken to hospital

158 feared dead in India plane crash
By the CNN Wire Staff
May 22, 2010 10:29 a.m. EDT

STORY HIGHLIGHTS
NEW: All but three bodies recovered from charred wreck of plane
Eight of 166 passengers aboard plane taken to hospital
Believed the plan overshot the runway, crashed into valley and burst into flames
Boeing 737 flew from Dubai, UAE to Mangalore in southern India

New Delhi, India (CNN) -- Rescue teams worked into the night at the smoldering scene of an Air India plane crash that killed 158 people Saturday after the jet overshot a runway in southern India, crashed into a ravine and burst into flames, officials said.

As darkness descended, workers used portable lights to pull charred bodies out of the wreckage outside Mangalore International Airport. All but three bodies have been recovered, said Jeeja Harisingh, head of fire and emergency services.

Eight of the 166 people on board Air India Flight IX-812 survived the crash and were taken to hospitals.
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158 feared dead in India plane crash

President Obama speaking at West Point


Two females lead the way!

The enchantment of a warrior

The enchantment of a warrior

by
Chaplain Kathie

When we think about adulthood, we tend to think our kids reach it when they turn 21. At that age they are supposed to be responsible for all they do. By the age of 18, they are considered responsible enough to vote and decide the direction this country will take, yet they are not old enough in most parts of the country to legally drink alcohol. There is a reason for this and that is their minds are still too able to be under the influence of it. Imagine being a Marine or member of another branch of service, sent into combat, and then be told you are just too young to drink, but this happens all the time. Read about some of the deaths in Iraq and Afghanistan, just as we've read stories about other wars and you see many under the age of 21.


These are just from the first page of CNN Special Reports page and only those who died in Iraq.



Pfc. Steven Acosta 19 Company C, 3rd Battalion, 67th Armored Regiment, 4th Infantry Division Calexico, California Died from a non-hostile gunshot wound in Baquba, Iraq, on October 26, 2003

Pfc. Michael S. Adams 20 Company C, 1st Battalion, 35th Armor Regiment, 1st Armored Division Spartanburg, South Carolina Died of injuries sustained in a fire during a small-arms fire exercise. The fire began when a bullet ricocheted and ignited a fire in the building in Baghdad, Iraq on August 21, 2003

Pfc. Christopher S. Adlesperger 20 Company K, 3rd Battalion, 5th Marine Regiment, 1st Marine Division, I Marine Expeditionary Force Albuquerque, New Mexico Died due to enemy action in Anbar province, Iraq, on December 9, 2004. Adlesperger was posthumously awarded the Navy Cross, the nation's second highest military honor for valor, for actions in a firefight on November 10, 2004.

Lance Cpl. Anthony Aguirre 20 2nd Battalion, 3rd Marine Regiment, 3rd Marine Division, III Marine Expeditionary Force Mineral City, Ohio Killed while conducting combat operations in Anbar province, Iraq, on February 26, 2007

Pfc. Daniel J. Allman II 20 1st Battalion, 26th Infantry Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 1st Infantry Division Canon, Georgia One of two soldiers killed when a roadside bomb exploded near their vehicle during combat operations in Baghdad, Iraq, on November 13, 2006

Pfc. Adriana Alvarez 20 571st Military Police Company, 504th Military Police Battalion, 42nd Military Police Brigade San Benito, Texas Died of injuries sustained while supporting combat operations in Baghdad, Iraq, on February 10, 2010

Spc. Brushaun X. Anderson 20 Company C, 2nd Battalion, 14th Infantry Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 10th Mountain Division Columbus, Georgia Died of wounds suffered from a non-combat related incident in Baghdad, Iraq, on January 1, 2010

Lance Cpl. Nicholas H. Anderson 19 Weapons Company, 1st Battalion, 4th Marine Regiment, 1st Marine Division, I Marine Expeditionary Force Las Vegas, Nevada Died in a vehicle incident during combat operations in Anbar province, Iraq, on November 12, 2004

Spc. Yoe M. Aneiros 20 Company C, 2nd Battalion, 70th Armor, 3rd Brigade, 1st Armored Division Newark, New Jersey Killed when his patrol vehicle came under attack by enemy forces using rocket-propelled grenades in Sadr City, Iraq, on September 7, 2004

Lance Cpl. Levi T. Angell 20 11th Combat Service Support Group, 1st Force Service Support Group, I Marine Expeditionary Force St. Louis, Minnesota Died due to injuries received from hostile fire in Anbar province, Iraq, on April 8, 2004


Pfc. Joseph J. Anzack Jr. 20 Company D, 4th Battalion, 31st Infantry Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 10th Mountain Division Torrance, California One of five soldiers killed when their patrol was attacked by enemy forces using automatic fire and explosives in Taqa, Iraq, on May 12, 2007.

Pfc. Michael A. Arciola 20 Company D, 1st Battalion, 503rd Infantry Regiment, 2nd Infantry Division Elmsford, New York Died of injuries sustained from enemy small-arms fire in Ramadi, Iraq, on February 15, 2005

Pfc. James J. Arellano 19 1st Battalion, 67th Armored Regiment, 2nd Brigade, 4th Infantry Division Cheyenne, Wyoming Died of injuries suffered when his patrol encountered enemy forces using roadside bombs and small arms fire in Baghdad, Iraq, on August 17, 2006

Cpl. Bradley T. Arms 20 Company C, 4th Combat Engineer Battalion, 4th Marine Division, Marine Forces Reserve Charlottesville, Virginia Died as result of enemy action in Falluja, Anbar province, Iraq, on November 19, 2004

Lance Cpl. Alexander S. Arredondo 20 Company A, Battalion Landing Team, 1st Battalion, 4th Marine Regiment, 11th Marine Expeditionary Unit Randolph, Massachusetts Killed as result of hostile action in Najaf, Iraq, on August 25, 2004

Spc. Richard Arriaga 20 Headquarters Battery, 4th Battalion, 42nd Field Artillery Regiment, 4th Infantry Division Ganado, Texas Killed when his unit was ambushed with small-arms fire and rocket-propelled grenades in Tikrit, Iraq, on September 18, 2003


Pfc. Shawn M. Atkins 20 Headquarters Company, 4th Aviation Brigade, 1st Armored Division Parker, Colorado Died as a result of a non-combat injury in Baghdad, Iraq, on June 14, 2004

Pfc. Shane R. Austin 19 1st Battalion, 35th Armor Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 1st Armored Division Edgerton, Kansas Died of injuries suffered from enemy grenade fire in Ramadi, Iraq, on October 8, 2006

Pfc. Jeffrey A. Avery 19 571st Military Police Company, 504th Military Police Battalion, 42nd Military Police Brigade Colorado Springs, Colorado Died from wounds suffered when a homemade bomb exploded during checkpoint operations in Muquadadiya, Iraq, on April 23, 2007

Spc. Adrian L. Avila 19 1343rd Chemical Company, 151st Chemical, Biological, Radiological and Nuclear Battalion, 115th Fires Brigade, Alabama Army National Guard Opelika, Alabama Died of injuries sustained in a non-combat related accident at Khabari Crossing, Kuwait, on October 29, 2009



Lance Cpl. Andrew Julian Aviles 18 Headquarters & Service Company, 4th Assault Amphibian Battalion, 4th Marine Division Tampa, Florida Killed when an Iraqi artillery round struck his amphibious assault vehicle near Baghdad, Iraq, on April 7, 2003

Cpl. Salem Bachar 20 Headquarters Battalion, 1st Marine Division, I Marine Expeditionary Force Chula Vista, California One of two Marines killed due to enemy action in Anbar province, Iraq, on April 13, 2006

Pfc. Roberto C. Baez 19 Company D, 3rd Battalion, 504th Infantry Regiment, 82nd Airborne Division Tampa, Florida One of three soldiers killed when a roadside bomb detonated near their Humvee during combat operations in Haqlaniya, Iraq, on October 3, 2005

Pfc. Joe L. Baines 19 1st Squadron, 7th Cavalry Regiment, 1st Brigade, 1st Cavalry Division Newark, New Jersey Died of wounds suffered when a roadside bomb detonated near his Humvee in Taji, Iraq, on December 16, 2006

Pfc. Dane R. Balcon 19 1st Squadron, 7th Cavalry Regiment, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division Colorado Springs, Colorado One of two soldiers killed when a homemade bomb exploded in Balad, Iraq, on September 5, 2007

Pfc. Stephen P. Baldwyn 19 Weapons Company, 3rd Battalion, 8th Marine Regiment, 2nd Marine Division, II Marine Expeditionary Force Saltillo, Mississippi Died of wounds received from an explosion during combat operations against enemy forces in Nasser Wa Salaam, Iraq, on May 9, 2005

Pfc. Chad E. Bales 20 1st Transportation Support Battalion, 1st Force Service Support Group Coahoma, Texas Killed in a non-hostile vehicle accident during convoy operations east of Ash Shahin, Iraq, on April 3, 2003


Pvt. Craig Barber 20 Company C, 2nd Battalion, The Royal Welsh Ogmore Vale, Wales Killed by small-arms fire while driving a Warrior Armored Vehicle during a night operation to counter indirect fire attacks on Basra Palace in Basra, Iraq, on August 6, 2007

Airman 1st Class Eric M. Barnes 20 90th Logistics Readiness Squadron Lorain, Ohio Died as a result of a roadside bomb attack on an Air Force convoy about 100 miles south of Baghdad, Iraq, on June 10, 2007

Lance Cpl. Matthew R. Barnes 20 Headquarters & Service Company, 3rd Battalion, 6th Marine Regiment, 2nd Marine Division, II Marine Expeditionary Force West Monroe, Louisiana One of two Marines killed when a suicide car bomber attacked their vehicle near Qaim, Iraq, on February 14, 2006

Pvt. Charles Yi Barnett 19 2nd Battalion, 12th Cavalry Regiment, 4th Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division Bel Air, Maryland Died of injuries sustained from a non-combat related incident in Tallil, Iraq, on November 20, 2008

Spc. Jacob D. Barton 20 277th Engineer Company, 420th Engineer Brigade Lenox, Missouri One of five U.S. troops who died of wounds suffered in a non-combat related incident at Camp Liberty, Baghdad, Iraq, on May 11, 2009. Maj. Gen. David Perkins, a military spokesman, said Army Sgt. John M. Russell allegedly shot the five U.S. troops. Russell has been charged with five counts of murder and one count of aggravated assault.

Cpl. David A. Bass 20 Combat Logistics Battalion 7, 1st Marine Logistics Group, I Marine Expeditionary Force Nashville, Tennessee One of six Marines killed when the seven-ton truck they were riding rolled over in a flash flood near Asad, Iraq, on April 2, 2006

Spc. Todd M. Bates 20 135th Military Police Company, Ohio Army National Guard Bellaire, Ohio Bates was on a patrol on the Tigris River south of Baghdad, Iraq, on December 10, 2003, when his squad leader fell overboard. Bates dived into the water and did not surface. He was listed as missing until his body was recovered on December 23, 2003.


Pfc. Matthew E. Baylis 20 2nd Battalion, 12th Infantry Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 2nd Infantry Division Oakdale, New York Died May 31, 2007 in Baghdad, Iraq, of wounds suffered when his dismounted patrol encountered enemy small-arms fire on May 30

Spc. Beau R. Beaulieu 20 Company B, 27th Main Support Battalion, 1st Cavalry Division Lisbon, Maine Killed during a mortar attack on Camp Cooke in Taji, Iraq, on May 24, 2004

Pfc. Gunnar D. Becker 19 Company B, 2nd Battalion, 63rd Armor Regiment, 1st Infantry Division Forestburg, South Dakoka Died of non-combat related injuries in Mosul, Iraq, on January 13, 2005

Pfc. Andrew D. Bedard 19 Company L, 3rd Battalion, 7th Marine Regiment, 1st Marine Division, I Marine Expeditionary Force Missoula, Montana Killed by a homemade bomb that detonated during combat operations against enemy forces in Ramadi, Iraq, on October 4, 2005

Spc. David W. Behrle 20 1st Battalion, 5th Cavalry Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division Tipton, Iowa One of six soldiers killed when a roadside bomb detonated near their vehicle in Baghdad, Iraq, on May 19, 2007

Pfc. Wilfred D. Bellard 20 Battery C, 1st Battalion, 41st Field Artillery Regiment, 3rd Infantry Division Lake Charles, Louisiana Killed when his vehicle fell into a ravine in Iraq on April 4, 2003

Pfc. Stephen C. Benish 20 Company B, 1st Battalion, 503rd Infantry Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 2nd Infantry Division Clark, New Jersey Killed after receiving enemy fire during a dismounted patrol in Ramadi, Iraq, on November 28, 2004

Spc. Robert T. Benson 20 Company A, 1st Battalion, 35th Armored Regiment, 2nd Brigade, 1st Armored Division Spokane, Washington Died from a non-hostile gunshot wound in Baghdad, Iraq, on November 4, 2003

Pfc. David J. Bentz III 20 1st Battalion, 64th Armor Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 3rd Infantry Division Newfield, New Jersey One of four soldiers killed when a roadside bomb exploded near their vehicle in Baghdad, Iraq, on June 20, 2007

Pfc. Ryan R. Berg 19 1st Battalion, 12th Cavalry Regiment, 3rd Brigade, 1st Cavalry Division Sabine Pass, Texas Died of wounds suffered when his unit came in contact with enemy forces using small arms fire in Baquba, Iraq, on January 9, 2007

Spc. Joel L. Bertoldie 20 Headquarters Company, 4th Battalion, 64th Armor Regiment, 3rd Infantry Division Independence, Missouri Killed when an explosive device was detonated underneath the military vehicle he was driving in Falluja, Iraq on July 18, 2003

Pfc. Stephen D. Bicknell 19 2nd Battalion, 505th Infantry Regiment, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 82nd Airborne Division Prattville, Alabama One of two soldiers killed when two land mines detonated near their Humvee in Samarra, Iraq, on October 15, 2006
Cpl. Albert Bitton 20 1st Battalion, 502nd Infantry Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 101st Airborne Division Chicago, Illinois One of three soldiers killed when their vehicle encountered a roadside bomb in Baghdad, Iraq, on February 20, 2008

Cpl. Stephen R. Bixler 20 2nd Reconnaissance Battalion, 2nd Marine Division, II Marine Expeditionary Force Suffield, Connecticut Killed during combat operations against enemy forces in Anbar province, Iraq, on May 4, 2006

Pfc. Christopher T. Blaney 19 1st Battalion, 66th Armor Regiment, 1st Brigade, 4th Infantry Division Winter Park, Florida Died from a non-combat related incident in Taji, Iraq, on September 29, 2006

Spc. Kamisha J. Block 20 401st Military Police Company, 720th Military Police Battalion, 89th Military Police Brigade Vidor, Texas Died of injuries suffered from a non-combat related incident in Baghdad, Iraq, on August 16, 2007

Spc. Clinton C. Blodgett 19 1st Battalion, 18th Infantry Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 1st Infantry Division Pekin, Indiana Died when the vehicle he was in struck a roadside bomb in Baghdad, Iraq, on May 26, 2007

Lance Cpl. Nicholas William B. Bloem 20 Company B, 4th Reconnaissance Battalion, 4th Marine Division, Marine Forces Reserve Belgrade, Montana One of 14 Marines killed when their Amphibious Assault Vehicle struck a roadside bomb during combat operations south of Haditha, Iraq, on August 3, 2005

Pfc. Brandon K. Bobb 20 401st Military Police Company, 92nd Military Police Battalion, 89th Military Police Brigade Orlando, Florida One of two soldiers killed when a roadside bomb exploded near their vehicle in Baghdad, Iraq, on July 17, 2007

Pvt. Jeremy S. Bohannon 18 59th Military Police Company, 759th Military Police Battalion, 89th Military Police Brigade Bon Aqua, Tennessee One of two soldiers killed by enemy indirect fire in Baghdad, Iraq, on August 5, 2007

Pfc. John G. Borbonus 19 1st Squadron, 40th Cavalry Regiment, 4th Brigade Combat Team, 25th Infantry Division Boise, Idaho One of two soldiers killed when their patrol encountered a roadside bomb in Baghdad, Iraq, on April 12, 2007

Pfc. Rachel K. Bosveld 19 527th Military Police Company, V Corps Waupun, Wisconsin Killed during a mortar attack on the Abu Ghraib Police Station in Baghdad, Iraq, on October 26, 2003

Spc. Samuel M. Boswell 20 243rd Engineer Company, Maryland Army National Guard Elkridge, Maryland One of three soldiers killed when an 18-wheel tractor trailer accidentally struck the rear of their Humvee, starting a fire and causing ammunition to detonate in Taji, Iraq, on October 14, 2005


Pfc. Brian A. Botello 19 3rd Squadron, 61st Cavalry Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 2nd Infantry Division Alta, Iowa One of three soldiers killed when a roadside bomb exploded near their unit during combat operations in Baghdad, Iraq, on April 29, 2007

Pvt. Michael E. Bouthot 19 1st Battalion, 67th Armored Regiment, 2nd Brigade, 4th Infantry Division Fall River, Massachusetts One of four soldiers killed when a roadside bomb detonated near their Humvee, causing a fire, during combat operations in Baghdad, Iraq, on April 22, 2006

Lance Cpl. Jeremy D. Bow 20 Company B, 1st Battalion, 3rd Marine Regiment, 3rd Marine Division, III Marine Expeditionary Force Lemoore, California Killed when a Marine convoy was attacked with a car bomb in western Iraq, near Baghdad's Abu Ghraib prison, on October 30, 2004


Pfc. Matthew C. Bowe 19 1st Squadron, 89th Cavalry Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 10th Mountain Division Coraopolis, Pennsylvania One of three soldiers killed when the vehicle they were in was struck by a roadside bomb in Baghdad, Iraq, on February 19, 2007

Spc. Edward W. Brabazon 20 Company A, 2nd Battalion, 505th Infantry Regiment, 82nd Airborne Division Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Died of a non-hostile gunshot wound in Baghdad, Iraq, on March 9, 2004

Pfc. David J. Brangman 20 Company A, 3rd Battalion, 69th Armor Regiment, 3rd Infantry Division Lake Worth, Florida Killed when a mortar round struck his vehicle at Patrol Base Uvanni in Samarra, Iraq, on February 13, 2005

Pfc. Jeffrey F. Braun 19 Battery B, 2nd Battalion, 319th Field Artillery Regiment, 82nd Airborne Division Stafford, Connecticut Died of a non-hostile gunshot wound in Baghdad, Iraq, on December 12, 2003

Pvt. Lucas M. Bregg 19 2nd Battalion, 5th Cavalry Regiment, 1st Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division Wright City, Missouri Died of injuries suffered from a non-combat related incident in Baghdad, Iraq, on July 8, 2009

Lance Cpl. Adam R. Brooks 20 Company B, 1st Battalion, 2nd Marine Regiment, 2nd Marine Division, II Marine Expeditionary Force Manchester, New Hampshire Died due to enemy action in Babil province, Iraq, on November 28, 2004

Lance Cpl. Dominic C. Brown 19 Truck Company, Headquarters Battalion, 1st Marine Division, I Marine Expeditionary Force Austin, Texas Died due to a non-combat related incident in Anbar province, Iraq, on September 13, 2004

Pfc. Donald S. Brown 19 2nd Battalion, 3rd Marine Regiment, 3rd Marine Division, III Marine Expeditionary Force Succasunna, New Jersey Died of wounds received while conducting combat operations in Anbar province, Iraq, on October 25, 2006


Lance Cpl. James E. Brown 20 3rd Battalion, 2nd Marine Regiment, 2nd Marine Division, II Marine Expeditionary Force Owensville, Indiana Killed during combat operations in Anbar province, Iraq, on November 2, 2006

Spc. Micheal D. Brown 20 1st Battalion, 1st Aviation Regiment, 1st Combat Aviation Brigade, 1st Infantry Division Williamsburg, Kansas Died on October 16, 2007, in Landstuhl Regional Medical Center in Landstuhl, Germany, of a non-combat related illness after being transported from Tikrit, Iraq, on October 15

Pfc. Oliver J. Brown 19 Company C, 1st Battalion, 109th Infantry Regiment, 28th Infantry Division, Pennsylvania Army National Guard Carbondale, Pennsylvania One of five soldiers killed when their M2A2 Bradley Fighting Vehicle was attacked by enemy forces using indirect fire in Ramadi, Iraq, on September 28, 2005

Pfc. Brian A. Browning 20 4th Battalion, 31st Infantry Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 10th Mountain Division Astoria, Oregon Died of wounds suffered from enemy small arms fire while conducting security operations in Baghdad, Iraq, on February 6, 2007

Lance Cpl. Daniel Scott R. Bubb 19 Company A, 1st Light Armored Reconnaissance Battalion, 1st Marine Division, I Marine Expeditionary Force Grottoes, Virginia Killed by small-arms fire during combat operations against enemy forces in Ar Rutbah, Iraq, on October 17, 2005

Pfc. Paul J. Bueche 19 Company E, 131st Aviation Regiment, Alabama Army National Guard Daphne, Alabama Died when the tire he was changing on a UH-60 Black Hawk helicoper exploded in Balad, Iraq, on October 21, 2003

Lance Cpl. Richard A. Buerstetta 20 3rd Battalion, 24th Marine Regiment, 4th Marine Division Franklin, Tennessee One of two Marines killed during combat operations in Anbar province, Iraq, on October 23, 2006

Lance Cpl. Brian Rory Buesing 20 Headquarters & Service Company, 1st Battalion, 2nd Marine Regiment, 2nd Marine Expeditionary Brigade Cedar Key, Florida Killed by enemy mortar fire during combat operations near Nasiriya, Iraq, on March 23, 2003

Lance Cpl. Jeffrey C. Burgess 20 Wing Support Squadron 373, Wing Support Group 37, 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing, I Marine Expeditionary Force Plymouth, Massachusetts Killed in action during operations near Falluja, Iraq, on March 25, 2004

Lance Cpl. Jason K. Burnett 20 2nd Tank Battalion, 2nd Marine Division, II Marine Expeditionary Force St. Cloud, Florida One of four Marines killed as a result of a vehicle accident in Anbar province, Iraq, on May 11, 2006

Lance Cpl. Kyle W. Burns 20 Company A, 1st Light Armored Reconnaissance Battalion, 1st Marine Division, I Marine Expeditionary Force Laramie, Wyoming Died as the result of enemy action in Anbar province, Iraq, on November 11, 2004


Pfc. David P. Burridge 19 Company F, 2nd Battalion, 1st Marine Regiment, 1st Marine Division, I Marine Expeditionary Force Lafayette, Louisiana Killed when a suicide car bomb exploded next to his military vehicle while on patrol on the outskirts of Falluja, Iraq, on September 6, 2004

Pvt. Joshua C. Burrows 20 1st Battalion, 8th Cavalry Regiment, 2nd Bridade, 1st Cavalry Division Bossier City, Louisiana One of three soldiers killed when a roadside bomb exploded near their vehicle in Baghdad, Iraq, on November 26, 2006

Pvt. Matthew D. Bush 20 F Troop, 1st Squadron, 10th Armored Cavalry Regiment, 4th Infantry Division East Alton, Illinois Died in his sleep on August 8, 2003, in Camp Caldwell in Kirkush, Iraq. A fellow soldier tried to wake Bush and noticed he was not breathing.

Lance Cpl. Kenneth J. Butler 19 Company E, 2nd Battalion, 2nd Marine Regiment, 2nd Marine Division, II Marine Expeditionary Force Rowan, North Carolina Killed when a homemade bomb detonated during combat operations against enemy forces near Amariya, Iraq, on October 21, 2005

Lance Cpl. Anthony E. Butterfield 19 3rd Light Armored Reconnaissance Battalion, 1st Marine Division, I Marine Expeditionary Force Clovis, California One of two Marines killed while conducting combat operations in Anbar province, Iraq, on July 29, 2006

Pfc. Henry G. Byrd III 20 1st Battalion, 30th Infantry Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 3rd Infantry Division Veguita, New Mexico Died on June 24, 2007, in Landstuhl, Germany, from a non-combat related illness sustained while in Iraq on June 18.

http://www.cnn.com/SPECIALS/2003/iraq/forces/casualties/


Old enough for combat but the rest of the country says they are not old enough to drink. The view of them being unable to control themselves comes from the development of the human mind. The emotional part of the mind is not fully mature until the age of 25. The "person" we end up becoming is pretty much "carved in stone" by then.

It works the same way when the military trains Marines, Soldiers, Airmen, Sailors and National Guardsmen. They are trained to think a different way and be able to function in dangerous conditions, then adapt back to be able to deal with nothing to do. Adrenalins rushing every part of them, followed by alert boredom. They do remember they are in a war zone even when there is nothing going on. Considering what's been happening in Iraq and Afghanistan all these years with suicide bombers, IED filled roads and Taliban attacks, they never really rest.

This report shows that "monotony" plays a part in outcoming veteran and what comes next.


Study finds boredom puts troops at risk of anti-social behavior later
Navy researchers in San Diego say that a war zone deployment marked by monotony can be an even greater precursor of misconduct than the psychological trauma of combat.
By Tony Perry, Los Angeles Times

May 22, 2010
It's long been assumed — correctly — that a Marine who experiences the psychological trauma of combat in Iraq or Afghanistan has an increased chance of getting into trouble when he comes home.

But two researchers at the Naval Health Research Center in San Diego have found another deployment experience that can be an even greater precursor of bad behavior later: boredom.

A survey of 1,543 Marines at Camp Pendleton, Twentynine Palms, Calif., and the Marine base in Okinawa, Japan, found that the Marine most likely to disobey orders, get into physical confrontations, neglect his family or run afoul of the police is one who reports that his war zone deployment was marked by boredom.

Dr. Stephanie Booth-Kewley and Robyn Highfill-McRoy of the research center's behavioral sciences and epidemiology department reported on their study to the Navy and Marine Corps Combat & Operational Stress Conference this week in San Diego. Their findings may later be published in the journal Aggressive Behavior.


The study also concluded that divorced Marines, younger Marines and those with mild traumatic brain injury are also more likely to display such behavior when they return. The average age of the Marines in the survey was 26 years; 46% had been deployed multiple times.

read more here

Study finds boredom puts troops at risk



We understand how alcohol can influence the mind but fail to understand how adrenaline changes the way humans respond from that point on. Take a young Marine, convince them they are tougher than the average human, train them to endure and you enchant them into thinking they are supposed to stop being a teenager still growing up or a pre-adult with very real grownup problems facing them.

The enchantment of the warrior begins. While it is necessary to teach them how to use weapons, focus on the mission, follow orders without stopping to really think about those orders, train their bodies to function under extreme conditions, what is not necessary is to attempt to train them to be machines without emotions.

The emotions they enter into the military with are strong. Their courage is built on the foundation of their chain of emotions. While they should be developing under "normal" circumstances, the abnormal has become "normal" to them. They need to be reminded of what "normal" really is.

They return home to family and friends, but they notice they are not thinking the same way they did before. They don't feel things the same way they did before.

Age matters but depends on the branch in special training.

To become a Navy SEAL the age is 18-28, yet to become a Army Green Beret it is 20-30.

The average age for Special Forces is 32.

Special Forces
The popularity of Special Forces among recent U.S. decision makers is due to their maturity, secretiveness, and ability to achieve substantial aims with small numbers. Special Forces recruits chiefly noncommissioned officers. The average age of troopers is 32—ten years older than the average army infantryman or Marine. Troopers therefore have already had considerable experience, extensive training, the ability to teach, and are likely to command more respect than would a younger, less experienced soldier. Additionally, Special Forces troopers are parachutists; they are also required to speak at least one foreign language.


It really depends on the maturity of the candidate for these special warrior classifications. They must be physically able as well as mentally able.

If we look back at veterans with PTSD, it is not so much the age they are when they seek help or are finally coming to terms with it, we need to look back at the age they were when they were exposed to the traumatic events haunting them now. The older they are when exposed, the less likely they may pay the price is the theory I am approaching this with. It comes from too many years of researching PTSD and contact with veterans. Compassion is a great indicator of if they walk away from combat traumas with more pain than they are able to carry on their own, or if they manage to leave it behind them. Compassion, the strong human emotion feeding the courage they have to be able to serve, is the doorway to PTSD but age may very well turn out to be the key.

If this is the case then it would also explain how younger veterans of combat seeking help soon after a PTSD diagnosis has a better chance of healing more fully. Before 25, the frontal lobe is still "growing up" and able to re-learn "normal" reactions to normal emotions. Being able to control their reactions is restored. It is perhaps one of the factors behind many older veterans feeling as if they "never grew up" even with the advanced years of combat Vietnam veterans. There are many "childlike" qualities still within them. The bonding they feel toward others is strong, in many cases, unbreakable as if they have spent all their lives with other veterans they call "brother."

This indicates that as their minds "grew up" with the wound of war trapped inside, it becomes less reversible. This could be because of the rest of their lives piling onto what was already suffering from a young age. While they have discovered it is not too late to heal no matter how many years have passed, it is also common knowledge there are aspects of PTSD that will not heal. When the rest of their lives are healed, when they understand why they think and react the way they do, they discover a whole new set of coping tools to help them overcome what could not be reversed.

The self-loathing, feeling as if they are unforgivable, evaporates and then the return of joys as the emotional wall is broken down so that emotions can live freely in their lives. Even with Vietnam seeking help over 30 years after the emotional assault, they are still healing. They feel forgiven and they forgive themselves. Regrettably too many never healed and took their own lives, walk the streets as homeless veterans or live isolated lives trapped in past pain.

Time and age should be placed in alert methods to respond to the crisis we see today in returning OEF and OIF veterans. There is a "golden hour" in this as well. The sooner they seek help to heal the sooner it takes over what PTSD is trying to do to them. If we understand how the human mind works, how we all change by events we live through, we are able to look at veterans through our own experiences and how they affected us. We then can take that understanding and imagine our own lives subjected to the same events, durations and exposures they go through all the time. Programs should be developed to bring awareness of PTSD to the level they can understand easily to overcome it better. The younger they are in this case, may predict how hard they fall and how fast.

If the military keeps trying to enchant them into thinking that being "resilient" means they can prevent being human, the warriors coming back will keep paying the price.

Sister's love and awareness helping PTSD Veteran heal

One step at a time
They've always been close. So when Jonathan Zagami returned from Iraq suffering from PTSD, his sister Jaime went the extra mile to help.

By Bella English
Globe Staff

Four days after he turned 18, in May 2002, Jonathan Zagami enlisted in the Army Reserves and shipped out with the first ground forces that invaded Iraq. A combat engineer, he cleared minefields, did demolition work, and built camps and guard towers for the soldiers.

“I’d help load guys on the plane who were all shot up,’’ he says, recalling one soldier who had lost a leg. “I said, ‘Dude, I feel so bad for you.’ He said, ‘I feel bad for you. I’m going home.’ That was a real gut check for me.’’

Zagami had left his Needham home after high school graduation an outgoing, affable teenager: “everybody’s friend,’’ as he puts it. He returned home two years later an angry, profane stranger.

“He couldn’t even let us hug him when he first came back,’’ says his sister, Jaime.

When Jonathan and Jaime cross home plate with 3,000 others tomorrow at Fenway Park, it will be just the latest milestone the brother and sister have reached since he returned from Iraq, a wounded warrior, six years ago. They’re participating in the 9K Run To Home Base, a fund-raiser sponsored by the Red Sox Foundation and Massachusetts General Hospital. The race benefits Home Base, a new partnership between the two organizations to treat veterans of Iraq and Afghanistan who suffer from post traumatic stress disorder and traumatic brain injury — the two signature wounds of the wars.

The program began percolating in Tom Werner’s mind after the Red Sox visited veterans at Walter Reed Army Medical Center following the 2007 World Series championship. Werner, chairman of the Red Sox, was shocked at the high percentage of soldiers with PTSD and traumatic brain injury. The Pentagon recently announced that mental health disorders caused more hospitalizations among US troops last year than any other reason, accounting for 40 percent of all days spent in hospitals.
read more here
One step at a time

Friday, May 21, 2010

For your unconquerable soul

Invictus
Out of the night that covers me,
Black as the pit from pole to pole,
I thank whatever gods may be
For my unconquerable soul.

In the fell clutch of circumstance
I have not winced nor cried aloud.
Under the bludgeonings of chance
My head is bloody, but unbowed.

Beyond this place of wrath and tears
Looms but the Horror of the shade,
And yet the menace of the years
Finds and shall find me unafraid.

It matters not how strait the gate,
How charged with punishments the scroll,
I am the master of my fate:
I am the captain of my soul.
William Ernest Henley (1849–1903)



You are captain of your soul and can heal that soul you are in charge of, if you work as hard to heal as you do to hide the pain, you will heal.

It all depends on how you see yourself, thru whose eyes you see what is invisible to the rest of the world but they are witness of through all you do. What is it you show them? What is it you want them to see when they look into your eyes? Is it all that God blessed you with, love, mercy, joy, compassion and courage to act for the sake of someone else, or is it everything you thought you were gone from your days? It's all still there beneath the pain you carry.

When you look at the people you loved, do you want them to see a stranger standing there so they don't see the pain you carry or do you want them to see you just need help finding "you" again?

Do you really want to push your wife away because you are afraid she will look too closely and see what you don't want her to see or do you want her to see someone she loved, someone she wanted to spend the rest of her life with is now being held prisoner of his circumstances?

If you choose to hide instead of heal, you will lose yourself in the sadness, but if you choose to heal, you will come out on the other side better and stronger for it. The people you love, the ones who loved you, will not walk away from your life if they understand the changes in you need help to come out of you. You are captain of your soul and you choose the direction.

It is not strength to let your soul grow weaker. It is not courage to be afraid to face the pain so that you can overcome it. It is not honoring the life you had before trying to run away from where that life placed you. Heal your yesterday so you can be whole tomorrow.

PTSD is a part of your life in this moment, in this hour, because of events that happened in your life but you choose to let them take over the rest of your life or you choose to allow the person you always were to be stronger than the pain. Forgetting about it, pushing it into the back of your mind, "getting over it" is not overcoming it or defeating it. It is allowed to defeat you. Fight it with everything that is available to you and lean on people who care about you. Drinking and trying to drug it away will make it stronger and you weaker.

Lean on love around you since pain is what caused it to enter into your soul. Reach out just as you would expect others to reach out to you without fear of judgment. Be captain of your own soul and set the course for healing so that you can once again know your "unconquerable soul."

VA warns against cuts to vet housing program

VA warns against cuts to vet housing program

Medill News Service - Medill News Service
Posted : Friday May 21, 2010 10:49:18 EDT

Budget cuts to a crucial housing program for homeless veterans could demolish the Veterans Affairs Department’s five-year plan to end veteran homelessness, Secretary Eric Shinseki said Thursday at a joint hearing of two Senate appropriations subcommittees.

Since 2008, Congress has allotted $75 million a year to the Housing and Urban Development Department and VA for the Supportive House program. But HUD has eliminated the program from its proposed 2011 budget, shifting the burden of funding entirely to VA.

At a time when the number of unemployed and mentally ill veterans is on the rise, the lack of resources creates what Shinseki called a “perfect storm” for homelessness among vets.
read more here
VA warns against cuts to vet housing program

Real Warriors Campaign shows no shame in asking for help

Panel Discusses Post-traumatic Stress
By Christen N. McCluney
Emerging Media, Defense Media Activity

WASHINGTON, May 21, 2010 – As the frequency and length of military deployments increase, servicemembers and their families are faced with challenges associated with deployment and combat.

Building resilience, facilitating recovery and supporting reintegration of returning servicemembers and veterans are important steps in helping to prevent and treat combat stress reactions such as post-traumatic stress disorder.

“The biggest challenge is often related to the mental health stigma that exists out there,” Air Force Lt. Col. Christopher Robinson, senior executive for psychological health at the Defense Centers of Excellence for Psychological Health and Traumatic Brain Injury, said in a “DoD Live” bloggers roundtable yesterday.

The Defense Centers of Excellence partners with the Defense and Veterans Affairs departments and a network of military and civilian agencies and mental health experts to encourage servicemembers to increase their awareness of psychological health and traumatic brain injury concerns and use resources available to them.

Army Staff Sgt. Meg Krause, a reservist and Real Warriors Campaign volunteer, as well as retired Navy Cmdr. René A. Campos, director of health care issues and government relations for the Military Officers Association of America, joined Robinson on the conference call.

The Real Warriors Campaign, sponsored by the Defense Centers of Excellence, combats the stigma associated with seeking psychological health care and treatment. At the heart of the campaign are servicemembers like Krause, who are proving through example that reaching out for care does not mean the end of a military career.

Krause, who experienced PTSD after a tour in Iraq, discussed how she thought she would be able to cope after returning home. Her biggest fear was that she would lose her job if she admitted that there was something wrong.

“I figured a few nightmares or flashbacks here or there were normal, and did my best to cope and avoid triggers … as it turned out I faced a larger struggle than expected,” Krause said.

Krause said she began having issues with substance abuse and neglected her military commitments. It wasn’t until she was contacted by her unit, she added, that she realized she would not lose her job or be disciplined for having PTSD. Her commander told her he had received treatment for PTSD, she said, and that helped her to discover that there was no shame in admitting she needed help.
read more here
Real Warriors Campaign

Doing the Right Thing for homeless veterans

Doing the Right Thing . . .

Tonight, Veterans for Common Sense shares a special video featuring Eric Shinseki, our current Secretary of Veterans Affairs and an retired Army General, discussing our homeless veterans.

In our February 7, 2008, VCS Congressional testimony about VA's 2009 budget, VCS asked for a new VA policy of "zero tolerance for homeless veterans."

Watching Secretary Shinseki's video, we believe he gets it, and we want him to win this battle for our veterans by ending homelessness.

We are in this together. Yes, we can do this.

Sincerely, Veterans for Common Sense


Vietnam veteran killed outside gate at Florida Air Force base

Why was an FBI agent at the gate in the first place? Why wouldn't he shoot the hand with the knife instead of killing him? So many questions we may never know the answers to. Stress can send a PTSD veteran into flashbacks. Was he having one?

Randolph native and Vietnam veteran killed outside gate at Florida Air Force base
By Lane Lambert
The Patriot Ledger
Posted May 21, 2010 @ 07:05 AM
A Vietnam War veteran who grew up in Randolph was shot and killed at the gate of a Tampa Air Force base after he apparently threatened an off-duty FBI agent with a knife.

Ronald J. Bullock, 61, suffered from post-traumatic stress disorder and was taking medications, according to published reports in Tampa that quoted Bullock’s uncle and one of his brothers.

The confrontation and shooting occurred about 6 p.m. Wednesday at the Dale Mabry gate at MacDill Air Force Base. Bullock was pronounced dead an hour later.

On Thursday, Bullock’s family remained in the dark about what happened.

‘‘Something happened at the gate. He pulled a knife and an FBI agent shot him. It’s all very sketchy,’’ Bullock's brother, John, told Channel 5.

Authorities said the incident began with an altercation at an on-base camping area that is open to anyone with a military identification card.

The off-duty FBI agent who shot Bullock was with base security officers responding to the disturbance. According to authorities, Bullock got on his motorcycle and headed for the gate, refusing to stop for security.
read more here
Vietnam veteran killed outside gate at Florida Air Force base