Monday, September 15, 2014

Medal of Honor Hero Bennie Adkins Helped by Tiger in Vietnam

Despite wounds, Medal of Honor recipient killed up to 175 enemies, saved comrades
CNN
By Brad Lendon
September 15, 2014
Army Command Sgt. Maj. Bennie G. Adkins is pictured in an undated U.S. Army photo. He is cited for his action at Camp A Shau in Vietnam in 1966, where the Army says he killed 135 to 175 enemy troops during a battle.

STORY HIGHLIGHTS
Sgt. Maj. Bennie Adkins will be honored for his actions in Vietnam in 1966
Adkins was wounded 18 times during the battle for Camp A Shau
Adkins fought and evaded North Vietnamese troops for 86 hours before he was rescued

(CNN) -- As many as 175 enemy troops killed, 18 wounds from enemy fire, 38 hours of battle, 48 hours evading the North Vietnamese troops in the bush -- and one tiger. Those are the numbers behind Sgt. Maj. Bennie Adkins' Medal of Honor, an award he will receive from President Obama in a White House ceremony Monday.

Adkins, of Opelika, Alabama, is being honored for his actions in Vietnam's A Shau Valley more than 48 years ago. Then a 32-year-old sergeant first class, Adkins was among a handful of Americans working with troops of the South Vietnamese Civil Irregular Defense Group at Camp A Shau when the camp was attacked by a large North Vietnamese and Viet Cong force on March 9, 1966, according to an Army report.

"Adkins rushed through intense enemy fire and manned a mortar position defending the camp," the Army report says. "He continued to mount a defense even while incurring wounds from several direct hits from enemy mortars. Upon learning that several soldiers were wounded near the center of camp, he temporarily turned the mortar over to another soldier, ran through exploding mortar rounds and dragged several comrades to safety. As the hostile fire subsided, Adkins exposed himself to sporadic sniper fire and carried his wounded comrades to a more secure position."


But Adkins' ordeal was not over. Because he was carrying a wounded comrade, he and his small group couldn't get to the evacuation helicopters sent to pick up the battle's survivors. The band faded into the jungle, avoiding their North Vietnamese pursuers for 48 hours.

And that's where the tiger comes in.

"The North Vietnamese soldiers had us surrounded on a little hilltop and everything started getting kind of quiet," Adkins is quoted as saying in an Army report. "We could look around and all at once, all we could see were eyes going around us. It was a tiger that stalked us that night. We were all bloody and in this jungle, the tiger stalked us and the North Vietnamese soldiers were more afraid of the tiger than they were of us. So, they backed off some and we were (able to escape)."

Others to receive honor
Honored with Adkins at the White House ceremony was one other soldier, posthumously.

Spc. Donald P. Sloat was awarded the Medal of Honor for his actions in using his body to shield comrades from a grenade blast near Danang, Vietnam, in January 1970.

Additionally, the White House has announced one more Medal of Honor recipient: From the Civil War, 1st Lt. Alonzo H. Cushing, who held out against Confederate troops during Pickett's Charge on July 3, 1863, part of the Battle of Gettysburg.
read more here

UPDATE From The White House
Remarks by the President at Presentation of the Medal of Honor to Command Sergeant Major Bennie G. Adkins and Specialist Four Donald Sloat

East Room

1:52 P.M. EDT

THE PRESIDENT: Good afternoon, and welcome to the White House. More than four decades ago, in early 1970, an American squad in Vietnam set out on patrol. They marched down a trail, past a rice paddy. Shots rang out and splintered the bamboo above their heads. The lead soldier tripped a wire -- a booby trap. A grenade rolled toward the feet of a 20-year-old machine gunner. The pin was pulled, and that grenade would explode at any moment.

A few years earlier, on the other side of the country, deep in the jungle, a small group of Americans were crouched on top of a small hill. And it was dark, and they were exhausted; the enemy had been pursuing them for days. And now they were surrounded, and the enemy was closing in on all sides.

Two discrete moments, but today we honor two American soldiers for gallantry above and beyond the call of duty at each of those moments: Specialist Donald Sloat, who stood above that grenade, and Command Sergeant Major Bennie Adkins, who fought through a ferocious battle and found himself on that jungle hill.

Nearly half a century after their acts of valor, a grateful nation bestows upon these men the highest military decoration –- the Medal of Honor.

Normally, this medal must be awarded within a few years of the action. But sometimes even the most extraordinary stories can get lost in the fog of war or the passage of time. Yet when new evidence comes to light, certain actions can be reconsidered for this honor, and it is entirely right and proper that we have done so. And that is why we are here today.

So before I go any further, I want to thank everyone present here today whose research and testimonies and persistence over so many years finally resulted in these two men deserving the recognition they so richly deserve. I especially want to welcome members of the Medal of Honor Society, as well as two American families whose love and pride has never wavered.

Don Sloat grew up in the heart of Oklahoma in a town called Coweta. And he grew big -- to over 6’4”. He loved football, and played for a year at a junior college. Then he decided to join the Army. But when he went to enlist, he didn’t pass his physical because of high blood pressure. So he tried again. And again. And again. In all, he took the physical maybe seven times until he passed -- because Don Sloat was determined to serve his country.

In Vietnam, Don became known as one of the most liked and reliable guys in his company. Twice in his first months, his patrol was ambushed; both times, Don responded with punishing fire from his machine gun, leaving himself completely vulnerable to the enemy. Both times, he was recognized for his bravery. Or as Don put it in a letter home, “I guess they think [that] I’m really gung-ho or something.” (Laughter.)

And then one morning, Don and his squad set out on patrol, past that rice paddy, down that trail, when those shots rang out. When the lead soldier’s foot tripped that wire and set off the booby trap, the grenade rolled right to Don’s feet. And at that moment, he could have run. At that moment, he could have ducked for cover. But Don did something truly extraordinary -- he reached down and he picked that grenade up. And he turned to throw it, but there were Americans in front of him and behind him -– inside the kill zone. So Don held on to that grenade, and he pulled it close to his body. And he bent over it. And then, as one of the men said, “all of a sudden there was a boom.”

The blast threw the lead soldier up against a boulder. Men were riddled with shrapnel. Four were medevaced out, but everyone else survived. Don had absorbed the brunt of the explosion with his body. He saved the lives of those next to him. And today, we’re joined by two men who were with him on that patrol: Sergeant William Hacker and Specialist Michael Mulheim.

For decades, Don’s family only knew that he was killed in action. They’d heard that he had stepped on a landmine. All those years, this Gold Star family honored the memory of their son and brother, whose name is etched forever on that granite wall not far from here. Late in her life, Don’s mother, Evelyn, finally learned the full story of her son’s sacrifice. And she made it her mission to have Don’s actions properly recognized.

Sadly, nearly three years ago, Evelyn passed away. But she always believed -- she knew -- that this day would come. She even bought a special dress to wear to this ceremony. We are honored that Don -- and his mom -- are represented here today by Don’s brother and sisters and their families. On behalf of this American family, I’d ask Don’s brother, Dr. Bill Sloat, to come forward for the reading of the citation and accept the gratitude of our nation.

MILITARY AIDE: The President of the United States of America, authorized by Act of Congress, March 3, 1863, has awarded in the name of Congress the Medal of Honor to Specialist Four Donald P. Sloat, United States Army.

Specialist Four Donald P. Sloat distinguished himself by acts of gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of his life above and beyond the call of duty while serving as a Machinegunner with Company D, 2nd Battalion, 1st Infantry Regiment, 196th Light Infantry Brigade, Americal Division, during combat operations against an armed enemy in the Republic of Vietnam on January 17, 1970.

On that morning, Specialist Four Sloat’s squad was conducting a patrol, serving as a blocking element in support of tanks and armored personnel carriers in the area. As the squad moved up a small hill in file formation, the lead soldier tripped a wire attached to a hand grenade booby trap set up by enemy forces. As the grenade rolled down the hill, Specialist Four Sloat knelt and picked up the grenade. After initially attempting to throw the grenade, Specialist Four Sloat realized that detonation was imminent. He then drew the grenade to his body and shielded his squad members from the blast, saving their lives.

Specialist Four Sloat’s actions define the ultimate sacrifice of laying down his own life in order to save the lives of his comrades. Specialist Four Donald P. Sloat’s extraordinary heroism and selflessness above and beyond the call of duty are in keeping with the highest traditions of military service and reflect great credit upon himself, Company D, 2nd Battalion, 1st Infantry Regiment, 196th Light Infantry Brigade, Americal Division and the United States Army.

[The medal is presented] (Applause.)

THE PRESIDENT: At this point, I’d like to ask Bennie Adkins to come join me on stage.

Now, let me just say the first thing you need to know is when Bennie and I met in the Oval Office, he asked if he could sign back up. (Laughter.) His lovely wife was not amused. (Laughter.)

Most days, you can find Bennie at home down in Opelika, Alabama, tending his garden or his pontoon boat out on the lake. He’s been married to Mary for 58 years. He’s a proud father of five, grandfather of six; at 80 still going strong. A couple years ago, he came here to the White House with his fellow veterans for a breakfast we had on Veterans Day. He tells folk he was the only person he knows who has spilled his dessert in the White House. (Laughter.) And I just have to correct you, that makes two of us. (Laughter.) I’ve messed up my tie. I’ve messed up my pants. (Laughter.)

But in the spring of 1966, Bennie was just 32 years old, on his second tour in Vietnam. He and his fellow Green Berets were at an isolated camp along the Ho Chi Minh Trail. A huge North Vietnamese force attacked, bombarding Bennie and his comrades with mortars and white phosphorus. At a time, it was nearly impossible to move without being wounded or killed. But Bennie ran into enemy fire again and again -- to retrieve supplies and ammo; to carry the wounded to safety; to man the mortar pit, holding off wave after wave of enemy assaults. Three times, explosions blasted him out of that mortar pit, and three times, he returned.

I have to be honest, in a battle and daring escape that lasted four days, Bennie performed so many acts of bravery we actually don’t have time to talk about all of them. Let me just mention three.

On the first day, Bennie was helping load a wounded American onto a helicopter. A Vietnamese soldier jumped onto the helo trying to escape the battle, and aimed his weapon directly at the wounded soldier, ready to shoot. Bennie stepped in, shielded his comrade, placing himself directly in the line of fire, helping to save his wounded comrade.

At another point in the battle, Bennie and a few other soldiers were trapped in the mortar pit, covered in shrapnel and smoking debris. Their only exit was blocked by enemy machine gun fire. So Bennie thought fast. He dug a hole out of the pit and snuck out the other side. As another American escaped through that hole, he was shot in the leg. An enemy soldier charged him, hoping to capture a live POW and Bennie fired, taking out that enemy and pulling his fellow American to safety.

By the third day of battle, Bennie and a few others had managed to escape into the jungle. He had cuts and wounds all over his body, but he refused to be evacuated. When a rescue helicopter arrived, Bennie insisted that others go instead. And so, on the third night, Bennie, wounded and bleeding, found himself with his men up on that jungle hill, exhausted and surrounded, with the enemy closing in. And after all they had been through, as if it weren’t enough, there was something more -- you can’t make this up -- there in the jungle, they heard the growls of a tiger.

It turns out that tiger might have been the best thing that happened to Bennie in those -- during those days because, he says, “the North Vietnamese were more scared of that tiger than they were of us.” (Laughter.) So the enemy fled. Bennie and his squad made their escape. And they were rescued, finally, the next morning.

In Bennie’s life, we see the enduring service of our men and women in uniform. He went on to serve a third tour in Vietnam, a total of more than two decades in uniform. After he retired, he earned his Master’s Degree -– actually not one, but two. Opened up an accounting firm. Taught adult education classes. Became national commander of the Legion of Valor veterans organization. So he has earned his retirement, despite what he says. (Laughter.) He’s living outside Auburn. And, yes, he is a fan of the Auburn Tigers, although I did a poll of the family and there are some Crimson Tide fans here. (Laughter.) So there’s obviously some divisions.

But Bennie will tell you that he owes everything to the men he served with in Vietnam, especially the five who gave their lives in that battle. Every member of his unit was killed or wounded. Every single one was recognized for their service. Today, we’re joined by some of the men who served with Bennie, including Major John Bradford, the soldier that Bennie shielded in that helicopter, and Major Wayne Murray, the soldier Bennie saved from being captured. And I’d ask them and all our Vietnam veterans who are here today to please stand or raise your hand and to be recognized. (Applause.)

And now, I’d ask that the citation be read.

MILITARY AIDE: The President of the United States, authorized by Act of Congress, March 3rd, 1863, has awarded in the name of Congress the Medal of Honor to Sergeant First Class Bennie G. Adkins, United States Army.

Sergeant First Class Bennie G. Adkins distinguished himself by acts of gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of his life above and beyond the call of duty while serving as an Intelligence Sergeant with Detachment A-102, 5th Special Forces Group, 1st Special Forces, during combat operations against an armed enemy at Camp A Shau, Republic of Vietnam, from March 9 to 12, 1966.

When the camp was attacked by a large North Vietnamese and Viet Cong force in the early morning hours, Sergeant First Class Adkins rushed through intense enemy fire and manned a mortar position continually adjusting fire for the camp, despite incurring wounds as the mortar pit received several direct hits from enemy mortars. Upon learning that several soldiers were wounded near the center of camp, he temporarily turned the mortar over to another soldier, ran through exploding mortar rounds, and dragged several comrades to safety.

As the hostile fire subsided, Sergeant First Class Adkins exposed himself to sporadic sniper fire while carrying his wounded comrades to the camp dispensary. When Sergeant First Class Adkins and his group of defenders came under heavy small arms fire from members of the Civilian Irregular Defense Group that had defected to fight with the North Vietnamese, he maneuvered outside the camp to evacuate a seriously wounded American and draw fire, all the while successfully covering the rescue. When a resupply air drop landed outside of the camp perimeter, Sergeant First Class Adkins, again, moved outside of the camp walls to retrieve the much-needed supplies.

During the early morning hours of March 10, 1966, enemy forces launched their main attack and within two hours, Sergeant First Class Adkins was the only man firing a mortar weapon. When all mortar rounds were expended, Sergeant First Class Adkins began placing effective recoilless rifle fire upon enemy positions. Despite receiving additional wounds from enemy rounds exploding on his position, Sergeant First Class Adkins fought off intense waves of attacking Viet Cong. Sergeant First Class Adkins eliminated numerous insurgents with small arms fire after withdrawing to a communications bunker with several soldiers. Running extremely low on ammunition, he returned to the mortar pit, gathered vital ammunition and ran through intense fire back to the bunker.

After being ordered to evacuate the camp, Sergeant First Class Adkins and a small group of soldiers destroyed all signal equipment and classified documents, dug their way out of the rear of the bunker and fought their way out of the camp. While carrying a wounded soldier to the extraction point he learned that the last helicopter had already departed.

Sergeant First Class Adkins led the group while evading the enemy until they were rescued by helicopter on March 12, 1966. During the 38-hour battle and 48 hours of escape and evasion, fighting with mortars, machine guns, recoilless rifles, small arms, and hand grenades, it was estimated that Sergeant First Class Adkins had killed between 135 and 175 of the enemy while sustaining 18 different wounds to his body.

Sergeant First Class Adkins’ extraordinary heroism and selflessness above and beyond the call of duty are in keeping with the highest traditions of the military service and reflect great credit upon himself, Detachment A-102, 5th Special Forces Group, 1st Special Forces and the United States Army.

[The medal is presented.] (Applause.)

THE PRESIDENT: Over the decades, our Vietnam veterans didn’t always receive the thanks and respect they deserved. That’s a fact. But as we have been reminded again today, our Vietnam vets were patriots and are patriots. You served with valor. You made us proud. And your service is with us for eternity. So no matter how long it takes, no matter how many years go by, we will continue to express our gratitude for your extraordinary service.

May God watch over Don Sloat and all those who have sacrificed for our country. May God keep safe those who wear our country’s uniform, and veterans like Bennie Adkins. And may God continue to bless the United States of America.

At this point I’d ask our chaplain to return to the stage for the benediction.

[The benediction is offered.]

THE PRESIDENT: And at this point, I would welcome everybody to join the Sloat family and the Adkins family for a reception. I hear the food is pretty good. (Laughter.) And once again, to all of you who serve and your families who serve along with them, the nation is grateful. And your Commander-in-Chief could not be prouder.

Thank you very much, everybody. (Applause.)

Family grieves after PTSD Marine veteran lost battle

Family mourns after local marine falls to PTSD
WECT News
By: Stacey Pinno
Posted: Sep 15, 2014


Kalitz held a memorial for her older brother James on Sunday to honor both his life and spread awareness of this common sickness. (Source: WECT)

PENDER COUNTY, NC (WECT)
Nearly 10 percent of Americans will suffer from post traumatic stress disorder. It is a deadly sickness that has claimed the lives of countless military members -- it's most recent victim was a 32-year-old marine veteran from Pender County.

James "Jimmy" Salvatore Kalitz went missing on August 27, and left a note saying that he planned to hurt himself.

There was an extensive search for him until his body was found on August 31, by officials in a wooden area near his home in Pender County.

Kalitz was a member of the United States Marine Corps and was stationed in Jacksonville, NC.

"Some of these pictures really capture his personality," smiled his sister Michelle Kalitz, as she pointed to the dozens of pictures that showed the happy and joyful life her brother had before PTSD took over.

Kalitz held a memorial for her older brother on Sunday to honor both his life and spread awareness of this common sickness.
read more here

PTSD Iraq Veteran Killed By Police After Wife Called For Help

Jeffrey Johnson ran out of medication moving from one place to another so he self-medicated with alcohol. His wife blames herself. When do we get that? When do we understand that the families left behind don't just suffer while their veterans struggle, but suffer more after the battle for life is lost?
Wife of Suspect Killed in Officer-Involved Shooting Says He Had PTSD
Big Country
Matthew Torres
09/14/2014


The wife of Jeffrey Johnson, the 33-year-old father and veteran killed during an officer-involved shooting last Friday, says he was dealing with post traumatic stress disorder.

Police first contacted Jeffrey at Best Western in north Abilene after receiving a welfare call indicating he may have been suicidal. Upon arrival, Johnson slammed and barricaded the door, and fired two shots from inside which nearly hit an officer, according to police.

The SWAT team arrived trying to make contact, but Jeffrey jumped out of the window and drove away. He was later found and followed until he entered Texas State Veteran's Cemetery on FM 600. That's when police say he drove and crashed into an officer's car.

The Abilene Police Department said the officer shot Jeffrey after he was seen pulling out a handgun.

The call was first made by Jeffrey's wife, Barbie Johnson, after receiving concerning messages from him. Prior to that, the couple got into a fight and Jeff stayed somewhere else. With suspicion that he was staying at a motel in Abilene, Barbie asked police to search for him.
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Sunday, September 14, 2014

Prepaid VA Card Worth Less After Elections

We owe veterans, not the other way around 
Wounded Times
Kathie Costos
September 14, 2014

What's in your wallet? Sure you have a debit card, drivers license, maybe some credit cards but there are others with prepaid cards in their wallets.


They paid for all of it when they wrote a blank check to the country "up to and including" their lives. For far too many it is a debt that is past due. Too bad veterans don't have a collection agency working for them. Oops, that would actually be Congress with the duty of making sure they get what they are righteously owed.

When we read about the VA claim struggles they face, most Americans don't have a single clue how long it has been going on or how many decades members of Congress and various Presidents promised to fix it. The House Veterans Affairs Committee has had since 1946 to live up to the promises veterans still wait for.

Do we let this keep happening to them or do we force Congress to take action instead of just holding hearings on what they didn't fix before?

There are some solutions. Since none of this can be blamed on the veterans, let the buck end up on the lap of Congress.

For all the claims waiting in the backlog, the VA needs to make sure the DD214's are real and they can get the real ones from the DOD. With computer programs that can change fonts and erase with ease to replace what a few frauds want to put in, they have to come from the DOD records.

Once that is done, approve claims with at least 50% and get them into medical care they need. Let the VA investigators do their jobs afterwards in case the rare crook has slipped into the system. Fraud VA cases are a tiny fraction of real ones. This will free up claims processors to handle new claims. Far from being the first time this was suggested since 2008.

Why was this suggested? Because in 2007 this was going on.
The VA's current backlog is 800,000 cases. Aside from the appalling conditions in many VA hospitals, in 2004, the last year for which statistics are available, almost 6 million veterans and their families were without any healthcare at all. Most of them are working people -- too poor to afford private coverage, but not poor enough to qualify for Medicaid or means-tested VA care. Soldiers and veterans need help now, the help isn't there, and the conversations about what needs to be done are only just now beginning.

Congress held hearings back then too but as we've seen, the hearings didn't produce any long lasting results.

To train processors right it takes up to two years. They need to hire more because when troops were sent into Afghanistan and Iraq, no one thought to get the VA ready for the wounded coming home. There were less doctors and nurses working for the VA than there were after the Gulf War.

For the lack of doctors, this leaves most of us speechless. A recent report about the lack of doctors in Wasilla Alaska VA showed how bad it has been. The last doctor there left in May. "A nurse practitioner, who transferred from Anchorage last week, is now carrying the 1,000-patient caseload."

Also not a new issue. In 2008 the members of the Senate were holding hearings on the lack of mental health professionals in the Department of Defense.
Sen. Patty Murray, D-Wash., will have the opportunity to question the surgeons general at a Wednesday hearing before the Senate Appropriations defense subcommittee.

Murray expressed concern that the Defense Department has not hired enough specialists to deal with mental health issues created by extended deployments, the stress of combat and other issues.

“The fact that we aren’t meeting the demand for our troops’ psychological health needs with qualified professionals is a great concern of mine,” she said in a telephone interview. “The Pentagon needs to tell us what they are doing to fill the gaps in the system, particularly when troops are being sent back into the field for their third and fourth tours.”

Everything veterans have been inflicted with and subjected to could have been avoided if the American public were ever reminded of how many promises were broken. None of what is going on right now is new and none of it will change unless the American people not only demand it, but pay attention to it all the time.

November brings another election as well as Veterans Day. How we treat our veterans depends on who we vote for but our duty does not end to veterans unless we are prepared to hold those we elect accountable for what they fail to do and praise them for what they get right.

So far, they haven't done much right but got away with what they got wrong and pretend they didn't know any of it was happening.

Combat Medic-Afghanistan Veteran Gets Care from Home Depot Volunteers

Watch: Hundreds of volunteers renovate wounded veteran's damaged home
NJ.Com
By Justin Zaremba
September 12, 2014

HAMBURG — For George Alakpa, Sept. 11s have served as bookends to a harsh chapter in his life.

It was the terrorist attacks on Sept. 11, 2001 that inspired him, a Nigerian immigrant, to join the U.S. Army. It was while serving as a medic in Afghanistan that he was severely injured and suffered a traumatic spinal cord injury when a roadside bomb exploded.

After returning from Afghanistan nearly two years ago, Alakpa, who also suffers from post-traumatic stress disorder, hit a new low when he nearly lost his home in Hamburg. The sum of these events — including his isolation at the time — caused him to contemplate suicide, he said.
read more here

ALS: Iowa National Guard Staff Sgt. Troy Musser

Living with ALS: Cedar Rapids veteran in the fight of his life
Ice Bucket Challenge, upcoming walk raise money, awareness of incurable disease
The Gazette
By Alison Gowans
Published: September 12 2014
Musser, 32, lives in Cedar Rapids and was diagnosed with ALS almost three years ago, shortly after returning for a tour of duty in Afghanistan. He says he’s thankful for the strangers who have contributed to the ice bucket challenge — the national ALS Association reports it has raised more than $100 million through the fundraiser.

As a member of the Iowa National Guard, Staff Sgt. Troy Musser earned the nickname, “The Machine,” after he broke multiple Guard physical fitness test records.

In two minutes, he could do 123 pushups or 95 situps.

Today he sits in a wheelchair, unable to move his legs and barely able to move his arms. Musser is living with ALS, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis.

It’s a disease that’s risen in the public conscience of late, after a fundraising initiative for the ALS Association went viral. The ALS Ice Bucket Challenge filled social media with the clips and inspired millions of people to post videos of themselves dumping freezing water on their heads to raise money and awareness for ALS.

Even as the ice bucket challenge has spread awareness, there are thousands of people like Musser, fighting a terminal disease with no known cause and no known cure.

ALS, also known as Lou Gehrig’s disease after the baseball player who died from it in 1941, is a neurodegenerative disorder that affects nerve cells in the brain and spinal cord. It progressively robs people of their ability to walk, talk, swallow and breathe on their own. Eventually it leads to total paralysis and death.
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Veterans' Picnic Brings 300 Together

First-ever Salem County Veterans Picnic draws more than 300
South New Jersey Times
Spencer Kent
September 13, 2014

PILESGROVE TWP. — Tami Mowers-Thomas feared she'd fail in giving veterans the event she felt they deserved.

But the granddaughter of a World War II veteran, Mowers-Thomas was motivated to deliver something worthy of the sacrifice veterans of all eras have given to their country.

At the first-ever Salem County Veterans Picnic on Saturday at the Salem County Fairgrounds, Mowers-Thomas was in tears, as the event drew a successful crowd of roughly 300 people and veterans from all over Salem County.

Sandy Wentzello, of Salem, is a Korean War and World War II veteran. Wentzello served in the U.S. Air Force. After being wounded in Korea, he was held as a prisoner of war. He escaped and went 13 days without food and water. He had no shoes and had to wrap his feet with his shirt in the blistering cold.

These are the kind of stories that only those who have gone to war can understand. And it's the type of events like Saturday's picnic that allow veterans to get together to be with people who understand them.
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Soldier Died, Another Wounded During Fork Polk Training

Fort Polk soldier killed in training incident
NOLA Times Picayune
Paul Purpura
September 12, 2014
An Army medic tries to shield a 'wounded' soldier during a combat training exercise at Fort Polk in 2003. Thousands of troops have undergone combat training at the Army post in west-central Louisiana, before deploying to Iraq and Afghanistan. (Ted Jackson, NOLA.com | The Times-Picayune)

A soldier who returned home from Afghanistan eight months ago was killed and another one was injured while training at Fort Polk in west-central Louisiana, the Army post said Friday. Spc. Silas S. Jones, 22, of Marionville, Mo., died Wednesday in "a tactical vehicle incident," the post said.

The injured soldier's name was not released. He was flown to a regional hospital, according to the statement. The Army would not release more information "to protect the integrity of the investigation." The U.S. Army Criminal Investigation Command and Fort Polk's Directorate of Emergency Services are investigating.
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OEF OIF Memorial Honors Fallen

Memorial dedicated to WNY Iraq and Afghanistan Heroes
WIVB News
By Brittni Smallwood, News 4 Reporter
Published: September 13, 2014



BUFFALO, N.Y. (WIVB) - Bill Wilson’s son, Staff Sergeant William Wilson the third, was killed while he was fighting for our freedom in Afghanistan.

On Saturday he and his wife attended a memorial in honor of the fallen servicemen and women that died after September 11, 2001.

“We took a look at his picture. My wife touched his name and it’s been pretty emotional today” said Wilson.

The new Western New York Iraq/Afghanistan Memorial bears the names of more than 70 military members that lost their lives.

“It’s not just names that carved into a piece of stone. There are stories. There are people here who served with them. There are people and those among us who have troops that we did not bring home” said Dan Frontera of the WNY IAM Committee. “We’re hoping this becomes a point where we can start our healing and our forgiveness process”.
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Veteran Committed Suicide in Texas Traffic

UPDATE

East Texas veteran who took own life ‘just couldn’t go on’
Longview News Journal
By Bridget Ortigo
Sep 17, 2014

Sederick Hill, a 14-year U.S. Army veteran who suffered from post traumatic stress disorder, had expressed his frustration to family members about the lengthy process he was going through to receive help before he took his own life Friday.

Hill’s younger sister, Shakorey Kelley, said she had pleaded with her brother to seek help before Hill left the family’s home by foot Friday night and walked into an oncoming car on Texas 149 in Lakeport. Pct. 3 Justice of the Peace Talyna Carlson ruled the death a suicide.

“He talked about how much of a hassle it was to cross state lines and go fill out paperwork at the VA (Veterans Affairs) clinic in Louisiana, and then come back to Longview and fill out more paperwork before seeing a doctor,” Kelley said.

According to the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, about 20 percent of veterans, including those who served in Afghanistan and Iraq as well as the Gulf and Vietnam wars, have been diagnosed with PTSD.

“We lose 22 veterans every day to suicide. That’s one person every 65 minutes,” Veteran Outreach Coordinator Lori Thomas with East Texas Veteran’s Resource Center said. “We have supported them while they were deployed, and we need to support them when they come home.”

September is observed as National Suicide Prevention Month, Thomas said.
read more here

Police: Veteran suffering from PTSD jumps into traffic, dies on Texas 149
News Journal Longview Texas
September 14, 2014

Authorities say a 34-year-old military veteran was killed when he walked into traffic late Friday on Texas 149 south of Lakeport.

Lakeport police and Gregg County sheriff’s deputies were called earlier Friday to check on the welfare of a man walking along Texas 149, said Lt. Kirk Haddix of the Gregg County Sheriff's Office.

The man was in a car with family members along Texas 149 when he began threatening to commit suicide.

The car pulled over, and the man left the car as his family called 911, Haddix said.

A few minutes after two police units and deputies arrived, officers tried to calm the man down.

The man then jumped in the way of an oncoming car and was killed instantly, Haddix said.
read more here


UPDATE
U.S. Army veteran struggling with PTSD struck by car along Highway 149
By KLTV Digital Media Staff
Posted: Sep 12, 2014
GREGG COUNTY, TX (KLTV)

A horrifying scene as a former serviceman, believed to be suffering from Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), threw himself into oncoming traffic right in front of family and law enforcement officers.

It happened around 10 p.m. Friday night south of Longview on Highway 149, near the Ned Williams Elementary School in Lakeport. It was a scene investigators say no one could have possibly foreseen.

Detectives say 34-year-old Cederick Hill, of Killeen, was traveling with family members along Highway 149, when he began threatening to commit suicide.

Pulling onto the roadside, Hill exited the vehicle and his family called 9-1-1.

"Family members had called in and said that Cederick was having some issues threatening suicide, possibly issues related to PTSD when he was in the war," said Lieutenant Kirk Haddix of the Gregg County Sheriff's Office.
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Kansas news station focuses on what Veterans deserve

'What They Deserve' Part 2: Pompeo Says VA Must Change Its Ways
WIBW News
By: KAKE; David Marcus and Greg Palmer
Sep 12, 2014

WICHITA, Kan. (KAKE)-- Wednesday night, we introduced you to Donna Doudna and her father, Don Kosht, a Vietnam veteran still waiting more than two years to see a resolution to his VA benefits appeals.

"Where's the other benefits?", asks Doudna. "Where's the compensation for his time? And his pain? Where's that at? I'd actually like to know where that's at."

It's a battle veterans in Wichita, and thousands nationwide, are fighting.

One Wichita veteran, who doesn't want to be identified, shows us sores on his arms that still show up, from exposure to agent orange.

He tells KAKE News that, four times, his claim was denied because of the same clerical error.

He says, on top of the extensive delays, the lengthy and complicated paperwork required for a claim is filled with landmines and makes nearly no sense to most veterans.

"They read the regulations and the notices and everything and it's gobleygook," the veteran says. "It's written in legalese."

So, the veteran turned his anger and frustration with his own VA benefits claim, towards helping others with the same problem. He's helped nearly a dozen local veterans process the complicated jargon in the claims paperwork.

"They're confused...they're upset.....they're frustrated....they're mad!", he shouts.
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Veteran teaches others with skill in basement

With planes, saws and chisels, veterans craft support
Lowell Sun.com
By Amelia Pak-Harvey
UPDATED: 09/13/2014
Lee Curll of Lunenburg, a retired veteran who served in Kuwait and Iraq, practices with a crosscut saw as instructor Steve Branam, right, and Vietnam veteran Bill Regan of Auburn look on during a recent woodworking class in Branam's Ayer basement workshop.
SUN / AMELIA PAK-HARVEY Sun staff photos can be ordered by visiting our SmugMug site

AYER -- Veteran Lee Curll stands in Steve Branam's basement, watching him shave a block of wood.

Beforehand, Branam offers a little safety lesson on the chisel -- a small tool that doesn't look nearly as intimidating as the saws, hammers and metal that fill the room.

"The key to making all of these things work is they have to be absolutely razor sharp," he said.

"Which means that the most dangerous tool in here is a chisel, because these are a big sharp hunk of metal that will go right through you. Everything else is pretty controlled."

The woodworking lesson is one of a couple sessions Branam is offering to veterans, free of charge. A software engineer by day and woodworker by night, Branam decided to offer free classes after hearing about veterans coming back from Iraq injured and unemployed.

"It's nice to hear people say 'Thank you for your service,' but I'd like to do something," he said. "I thought, well, it's a fun thing, you can make stuff, earn a skill -- maybe some people might even be able to turn it into a profession."

His basement workshop only holds four students, but it's his small contribution to the veterans who've served their country.

"I just feel it's our responsibility to take care of people who've put their lives on the line for us -- in some cases, they've paid a very heavy price," he said. "I figure this is just my microscopic way of dealing with that problem, four people at a time."

Branam made the workbenches and tool racks that decorate his basement, which is lined with piles of wood.
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Veterans Heard at Sioux Falls VA Medical Center Town Hall

Guess the reporter doesn't know that Vietnam Veterans suffering from PTSD too, that it is "tours" and not "terms" or that it is the Veterans Administration and not the "Association"
Veterans Speak Out At VA Town Hall
KDLT News
by Caiti Blase, Reporter
September 12, 2014

Rick Barg and Donald A. Dahlin sat in their chairs, waiting patiently for their turn to speak.

Though it’s been many years since serving in Vietnam, Barg and Dahlin haven’t forgotten the vivid memories of war.

Today, at the Sioux Falls VA Medical Center, both men had the opportunity to speak out and ask questions about benefits issues for the men and women who have served the United States.

"God didn't make your body to kill people and after you've done it three times in five years, you're going to have a different way of looking at things,” said Barg.

Vietnam veterans, like Barg and Dahlin, are nearing retirement, and some are dealing with the effects of Agent Orange.

Meanwhile, younger veterans who've served multiple terms may be suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder.

Dahlin, commander for the South Dakota VFW, commented on returning home from Vietnam: "I didn't seek any assistance. I didn't seek anything. I just made a living and did my work."

But the Veterans Association is making new strides to help those who've served and protected the United States.

Today, the town hall meeting opened the floor to veterans.

"We just wanted to open up that door and make sure that they knew that that service was available and is always available for them,” said Shawn Bohn, Veterans Service Center manager to the Sioux Falls Regional Office.
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Saturday, September 13, 2014

American Federation of Government Employees Want VA Director Gone

Union Wants Top Veterans Affairs Official Out of Office
Time Warner Cable News
By: Chris Williams
09/12/2014

DURHAM-- A national union wants to oust a top VA official.

The American Federation of Government Employees held a protest outside the Veterans Affairs Mid-Atlantic Regional office in Durham on Friday. They want network director, Dan Hoffman, gone.

Union members blame him for many of the problems in the VA system. His office oversees VA hospitals in North Carolina, Virginia and West Virginia. Hospitals have come under fire for lack of patient care. A national audit showed the Durham VA had one of the longest wait times for patients. Hospital officials dispute that.

AFGE members say part of the problem is that Hoffman hasn't hired more doctors and nurses. They say he continues to downgrade and cut the pay of low-salaried employees.
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